from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

- While the Coyotes could hang onto Ekman-Larsson for the rest of this season and make a deal in the summer, when teams may be more willing to offer want general manager John Chayka wants in return, some teams are going to want the blueliner for two playoff runs, so Arizona will receive calls.

It’s believed the Toronto Maple Leafs are among the teams that have shown more than a passing interest in Ekman-Larsson. You can put the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers in that group, too, but league sources said Saturday the asking price was extremely high.

Not only do the Coyotes want two high-end players off a club’s roster, but they’re also asking for a first-round pick. ...

- Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Jack Johnson will move close to the top of TSN’s Trade Bait list after a report Friday by The Athletic indicated he had asked to be dealt. An unrestricted free agent on July 1, Johnson, 31, has a cap hit of $4.375 million, but there’s talk the Jackets offered a long-term deal earlier this year worth less than $4 million per season. Since Johnson is looking for bigger money with that kind of term, he’d like to be dealt somewhere that’s willing to keep him on a new deal, but, at this point, he’ll likely be a rental....

more on each of the above plus additional talk...