from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- As Nick Kypreos mentioned during the Minnesota/Calgary portion of last week’s show, teams are starting to monitor Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s future. He is an unrestricted free agent in July 2019. Before Coyotes fans pull a total freakout, it’s similar to people wondering about Erik Karlsson or John Tavares. As a star inches closer to free agency, interested clubs do their due diligence. As GM John Chayka said when I inquired, “He’s not available.”

- Speaking of red-hot starts, Detroit’s Mike Green is tied with Shayne Gostisbehere and Alex Pietrangelo in defenceman scoring, with 11 points. The Red Wings held on to Green during the summer and GM Ken Holland said last season it was not out of the realm of possibility the team keeps him longer. He’s unrestricted next summer. To this date, it sounds like no serious talks have taken place, but there’s plenty of time between now and the deadline. If they decide to sell, the lineup will be a long one.

more