- Chris Johnston: Maple Leafs GM Dave Nonis admits that he hasn’t gotten very far with contract talks with Tyler Bozak and Clarke MacArthur as he doesn’t want to tie up too much money.
“We have to be mindful of how much we’re committing,” Nonis said Wednesday after a meeting of NHL GMs at the Stanley Cup final. “We want to make sure that we have the ability to take advantage of opportunities that come our way.
“If you don’t have cap space you’re locked into players that might be eating up too much of that cap space and you’re going to put yourself in a difficult situation.”
The free agent market could grow with players who were bought out.
“I think there’ll be some pretty good (restricted free agents) that aren’t necessarily qualified,” he said. “And it’s not because the teams want to lose those players. In some cases it’s very difficult to retain them all.
“The cap coming down is going to play a significant role and there’s no way around that.”
A compliance buyout of Mike Komisarek is a “distinct possbility.”
On the goaltending situation.
“My position hasn’t changed,” said Nonis. “We’re going to look to upgrade at every position and that doesn’t mean that we’re unhappy with the people we have at centre, at wing or in net. I think it’s incumbent upon every team to look at what’s available and if there is an ability to improve you look to do it.”
The Leafs may have their eyes on Stephen Weiss and David Clarkson.
“That will depend on what happens (at the draft) in Jersey,” said Nonis. “Things could change dramatically. You never know. Right now we don’t have any deals in the works that would alter our team dramatically, but that could change. Last year we didn’t know about JVR’s (availability) until we got to the draft.
“We’ve talked about a number of players that are available in free agency that we think could help us. How our team looks after the draft will determine what our team does.”
- Jonas Siegel: Nonis on MacArthur: “I would not rule out bringing Clarke back.”
- Howard Berger: Since the Maple Leafs don’t have a franchise goalie, they need a one-two tandem, which is why GM Dave Nonis is pursuing Jonathan Bernier.
- Pierre LeBrun: LeBrun thinks five teams are in the mix for Bernier: Panthers, Wild, Flyers, Maple Leafs and Islanders.
