[sureLoss]

Dreger on Russell:

http://www.todaysslapshot.com/from-t...etting-closer/

“It’s a curious one though, as to why Kris Russell didn’t go sooner. Sometimes, and I’m not being critical of the player or the agent here, sometimes luck plays into it as well, and sometimes the best deal is the first deal that’s been offered to you; and if you don’t take it, teams turn, and they pick up somebody else, and all of the sudden the market kind of crumbles beneath your feet.

“I don’t know that that’s what’s happened to Kris Russell, but Kris Russell would have been one of the top defensemen going into the free agent period. And yet, as we’re having this conversation, he’s probably forced to make a pretty tough decision. But the good thing is he has options. And it sounds like he has multiple options.

“But you look at what Kris Russell brings. I happen to like him. He’s a small defenseman. Defensively very strong. Noted for his shot-blocking. Can provide some offense, all of those things. So any team that still has a strong need in their top-four, has to be considering Kris Russell, and maybe the price is coming down as every day goes by.”