from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

Speaking of Clowe, the Habs were willing to do a short-term deal with him but it’s believed the UFA power forward wants to get a bit more security, and who can blame him. Keep an eye on the Devils, I believe they are the front runners for Clowe.

The Devils need a replacement for power forward David Clarkson, who has drawn a ton of interest as the headliner in this year’s UFA crop, including Ottawa, Toronto and Edmonton, among other clubs.

Elsewhere:

• Ray Emery is likely leaving Chicago, where he loved it, to procure a job that will give him a bigger role. He’s not going to get that behind Corey Crawford with the Blackhawks. Philadelphia and Edmonton are among the teams that have reached out and I think the Flyers are the odds-on favorite to get him, Emery and the Flyers comfortable with each other after their time spent together before. If the Flyers do get him, Emery will get to compete for starts with Steve Mason.

• The Predators lost out on Briere -- and not just him. A source told ESPN.com that Nashville had also spoken to Boston about Tyler Seguin before the Bruins shipped him to Dallas in a blockbuster deal Thursday. Nashville needs to find offense somewhere.

read on for Briere talk...

added 9:17pm,