- Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: The Maple Leafs are considering splitting up Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk as they are concerned that there is too much fire power on their first line and not enough on their second line.
Things that make no sense with regards to NHL expansion:
1. Seattle has a willing owner, a promise from the NHL, but no building to play in and no real fan base.
2. Las Vegas has a building to play in but no owner.
3. The NHL would be foolish to lump Toronto in with other expansion bids. A Toronto expansion team could sell for almost twice the price of teams in Seattle or Vegas.
4. Quebec is the most NHL-ready market, with owner and building. The NHL needs as a fallback position for a franchise in need of a move such as Florida or Arizona.
5. Having 34 NHL teams doesn’t make sense, 32 does
- Eric Gilmore of Sharks.NHL.com: Sharks GM Doug Wilson on the Sharks moving Brent Burns back to the blueline.
“We acquired him in a trade to be a stud defenseman,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said. “To find a guy at that size who can shoot and skate that’s played in this League and been an All-Star as a defenseman, we don’t think there’s going to be any issue there, and especially if you’re working with Larry Robinson and Jim Johnson.
“It’s also something that Brent really wants to do. In my conversation with him, he views himself as a defenseman. Having that big body back there that can be creative and also shoot the puck like he does, we think will be a great asset to our team.”