from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- These things take a little bit of time (remember Vadim Shipachyov) so it might take a few days to get clarity, but Jaromir Jagr’s NHL time is coming to an end. On one hand, it’s sad to see, but I think Jagr’s earned the right to be seen in a more positive light. You can look and say, “Ugh, this is tough to watch.” I prefer to look at it as, “What an incredible accomplishment that he got an NHL contract at age 45 — even if it didn’t work.”

Agent Petr Svoboda has permission to talk to other teams, but I’m not hearing much interest. The knee injury is problematic; teams either in or fighting for the playoffs will need the roster spot and cap room. Anyone out isn’t going to want to pay potential bonuses. Chris Johnston reported the Olympics don’t appear to be an option, so it’s going to come down to whether or not he wants to go back overseas. ...

- The chairs are red hot in Edmonton, but everyone is trying to keep their cool — as best as possible. There are a couple of factors. First, the Oilers know they were too unstable for too many years, change after change behind the bench. They wanted stability and thought they had it. Second, I think they are astonished to be where they are, and that kind of position mandates hitting the brakes and really thinking through your decisions. I think that’s going to be Edmonton’s path for now — although the upcoming five-day break gives them a lot of time to ponder.

The rumours of firing assistant coaches seemed… weak. I’m not a believer in ritual sacrifice, and what’s that going to change, really? But everyone in the organization knows no one is safe after a season like this one. Unless your last name is McDavid.

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