On the Los Angeles Kings …
Jon Rosen: The Kings are trying to sign North Dakota free agent Paul LaDue.
On the New Jersey Devils …
Rich Chere: Coach John Hynes doesn’t expect any changes to his coaching staff.
Rich Chere of NJ.com: Patrik Elias may have played his last game in a Devils uniform. Elias admits it may tarnish things a bit if he’s wearing a different jersey next season.
“A little bit. But at the same time, I think my final decision is going to rely a lot on what Ray (Shero) is going to indicate,” Elias said. “Then I’ll talk to my agent and see if there are other teams (interested) and wait until July.
“But, yeah, after all these years, I enjoy being around this team. With these coaches I think it’s an exciting time and I like where it’s going.”
Andrew Gross: Elias hopes that if the Devils are not interested in re-signing him, that they will let him know sooner than later.
On the Toronto Maple Leafs …
Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Darren Dreger on TSN on the Toronto Maple Leafs and Morgan Rielly.
“They do, and the general discussions on that contract extension are underway. There’s nothing imminent, but there’s obviously a strong appetite from Lou Lamoriello and the Toronto Maple Leafs to get something done.
“Short term seems unlikely. A longer term of five or six years seems more likely, but they’ll get into that when the heavy lifting of this negotiation hits full stride. You’re talking about a five or six-year term, and you’re looking at a dollar value per year on an average annual salary of somewhere between $4.5 million and upwards of $5.5 million per year – which is, again, market value when you consider what Morgan Riellly means to the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
