On the San Jose Sharks …
Kevin Kurz: “I know everyone is pining for an upgrade to the forward group, but this looks like a much bigger problem than just adding one more top six forward.”
On the Toronto Maple Leafs …
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: thinks that the Maple Leafs signing Josh Leivo to a one-year contract extension means that it will likely be James van Riemsdyk‘s last season with the team. Leivo obviously isn’t as good as van Riemsdyk, but he is a cheaper, middle-of-the-roster player. Leivo has good hands and can play on the power-play. Nikita Soshnikov could be a replacement for Leo Komarov, who is also a pending UFA. The Maple Leafs don’t have a replacement for pending UFA center Tyler Bozak.
On GM meetings, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs …
Sportsnet: Saturday Headlines
Chris Johnston: At the NHL GM meetings they talked about dropping the overtime penalty to one minute instead of two.
Elliotte Friedman: At their next GM meeting in March, the GMs could talk about having the ‘puck over the glass’ and ‘faceoff’ penalty be one minute instead of two.
Nick Kypreos: GMs Doug Armstrong (Blues), Ken Holland (Red Wings), and Lou Lamoriello (Maple Leafs) are all in their final year of their contracts and there haven’t been any significant extension talks.
Elliotte Friedman: There was a rumor last week that the Calgary Flames ownership had met with people from Houston, but that was denied. It was the NHL that met with Houston. The relationship between the City of Calgary and the Flames isn’t good.
Nick Kypreos: Could be some talk in Montreal that their core isn’t good enough to build around. It wouldn’t be a quick process if they went the rebuild/retool route. Sense is they won’t make any patchwork moves and will look at moves focusing on what their lineup might look like in two or three years. Not getting into Carey Price and Shea Weber, you start with Max Pacioretty. You see what the Avalanche got for Matt Duchene, and you go from there.
Chris Johnston: Don’t know how the Canadiens go that route, they are only a few months from trading a 19-year old defenseman in Mikhail Sergachev for Jonathan Drouin. Every move the Canadiens have made lately is about winning today.
Elliotte Friedman: Get the sense that most deals that GM Marc Bergevin is interested in involves something that will help his team now and is not involving futures. The Avs-Matt Duchene was all about futures for the Avs.
Chris Johnston: There have been no substantive contract extension talks between the Maple Leafs and any of their big pending UFAs – James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov. The Leafs could have some decisions come trade deadline about potentially trading one of them.