- TMZ: Sean Avery was arrested this early morning for pushing a cop who was attempting to break up a loud party at his Hollywood Hills home. A neighbor called the police at 1:00 am, and when they arrived, Avery answered, shoved the cop and slammed the door. He was cooperative with the police after they knocked again. He’s being held on $20,000.
- Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun: The city of Toronto has grown on Luke Schenn and he’s keen on staying, “Something will get figured out for sure.” Schenn added:
“I started here and had a good opportunity. As far as the team goes, we haven’t made the playoffs yet and we’ve had a bit of a rough time as an organization in terms of the standings. (But) I’ve played three years here and got to know a lot of people in this city. I have a better idea of how things work. No question I want to be part of things going forward and help achieve some success.
“Being drafted here (the Leafs traded up to get him fifth overall) was a dream come true for a kid and I got to experience a lot at a young age. I want to be part of the organization, hopefully, into the future.”
Hornby thinks Schenn will get a deal in the $3-4 million range.
- Dan Rosen of NHL.com: A better comparison for Drew Doughty would be Dion Phaneuf (6 years, $39 million) or perhaps Mike Green (4 years, $5.25 million). Doughty and Shea Weber have similar stats but Weber is 26, Doughty is 21. If Doughty signs before Luke Schenn and Zach Bogosian, he could help set the market for the other 2 as he’s been more productive so far. LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi said they continue to have contract discussions and is confident a deal will be get done. The Kings may be looking to lock Doughty up long-term, but he may only be looking for a short-term deal.
- Ian Walker of the Vancouver Sun: Owen Nolan and Todd Fedoruk have signed professional tryout contracts with the Vancouver Canucks. Nolan had other PTO offers but he thought the Canucks were the best fit.
“I don’t want to say I’m happy that opportunity is there, you want those guys to be healthy, especially if I’m going to be part of that team,” said Nolan, reached at his off-season home in San Jose. “But there is an opportunity there and I’m going to give it everything I have to take a job.”
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Daniel Alfredsson, who’s recovering from a back procedure, will begin skating next week. Alfredsson is confident he’ll be ready for the start of training camp.
“I can’t say I’m 100% right now, but it’s definitely a lot better,” said Alfredsson, who has been stretching and doing yoga three times a week. “I haven’t really skated that much since February, so if I can get a little bit more ice, that’s good.”
- Teemu H (BroadStreetHockey.com) via twitter: According to Nikolai Zherdev’s agent, he did receive a contract offer from the Winnipeg Jets. Zherdev’s KHL deal with Atlant is worth more than the $2 million he got from the Flyers.
- Dmitry Chesnokov via twitter: Alexei Kovalev said he had 2 NHL offers but chose the KHL because of contract length.