from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- When you are going badly, other GMs don’t throw you a lifeline. They throw you an anvil. Teams are hoping a desperate Vancouver is willing to part with 2015 first-rounder Brock Boeser and 2016 version Olli Juolevi.

I can’t see it happening unless the haul is incredible. The Canucks are very excited about those two players. One thing to note about Vancouver: they only have 45 contracts (of a maximum 50). There’s some flexibility.

- A bit of a buzz on the weekend when three Anaheim staffers (Director of Player Personnel Rick Paterson, Special Assignment scout Dave Nonis and scout Mike Stapleton) were listed at back-to-back AHL Grand Rapids games. Nonis ended up going elsewhere, but considering Anaheim’s reported interest in Anthony Mantha, it raised eyebrows.

- The NHL and NHLPA are in discussions about it, but the league’s proposal for All-Star Balloting would disqualify any player not in the National Hockey League. How does the union feel? Tough to say at this point, but a couple of factors they may weigh will be: can the John Scott phenomenon work that well again? And if you want to promote your stars during this weekend, shouldn’t it be all about them?

more including a lot of Trouba talk...