Rumor mill: Blues strongly interested in Clayton Keller

Where will Oliver Ekman-Larsson play next year?

What will the Flames be doing in the coming weeks?

Which teams are worth watching between now and the draft and the opening of the free-agent market?

Let’s take a look at these three questions for a moment. And let’s do it in order.

First, let’s remember that the Canucks bought out Ekman-Larsson’s contract. The offensive defenseman (who isn’t really an offensive defenseman anymore, we can all agree on that) will therefore be as free as a bird when the free-agent market opens…

And even though he’s had a tough time of it in recent years, he could still be of interest to a team aspiring to the big time.

We still don’t know which team is interested in his services, but Elliotte Friedman was keen to point out that the Bruins have always been intrigued by the defenseman, and it seems the feeling is mutual.

Ekman-Larsson in Boston, on a second or third pair… I don’t hate it though.

Welcome to Calgary, Craig Conroy

Craig Conroy’s first few weeks at the helm of the Flames have been eventful.

He had to find a new head coach after Darryl Sutter was fired by the organization, even before Conroy was hired in Calgary…

And now he has to deal with two rather bizarre situations, that of Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm.

Basically, it’s quite simple. We know that Hanifin could decide to leave the organization in the summer of 2024, when he’ll be eligible to test the free agent market… And the same applies to Elias Lindholm, the team’s star forward.

This could and should prompt Conroy to make a tough choice. He could decide to trade them now to avoid the brouhaha it could cause in the middle of the season…

Or, he could decide to keep them to maximize his team’s playoff chances next season. Because, in reality, Hanifin and Lindholm are two damn fine field hockey players.

Keep an eye on the Flames in the coming weeks.

Keep an eye on the Blues and Kings

Elliotte Friedman (him again) mentioned two teams in particular to keep an eye on between now and July 1.

The Kings… and the Blues.

We already knew that the Kings are very aggressive in their quest to improve the team in one way or another. There’s been talk of Pierre-Luc Dubois and Connor Hellebuyck coming to LA, and both would be coup in one sense.

But it’s when he talks about the Blues that I’m most intrigued.

According to his information, the St. Louis team is “making a lot of noise” and is desperate to add a new element to its squad for next year.

The player in question? Clayton Keller.

After all, Keller and his father’s situation in recent weeks following the announcement of the arena project was rejected by the citizens, and the fact remains that Keller is a local.

The Blues could use the confusion in Arizona to lure Keller away from the Coyotes, also in order to allow the team to be competitive on the ice.

With the recent changes in St. Louis, let’s just say the Blues need a new face. And that face could really be Clayton Keller.

In bursts

– Nothing to add.

– When will Alex DeBrincat leave for Ottawa?

– He had a superb career.

– Too bad.