Morning Hits: Panthers, Hybrid Icing, Clarkson, Scouting Leafs-Sens, Kassian, Avs, Zherdev, Boucher and Oilers
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  • Harvey Fialkov: The Panthers will hold a press conference on Friday to introduce their new owners.
  • Elliotte Friendman: The NHL and NHLPA are finalizing the language of hybrid icing. The NHLPA will begin their player survey’s later this week.
  • John Shannon: The Maple Leafs were fined $10,000, the same as Sabres coach Ron Rolston was. League thought that John Scott could have been better controlled by Rolston.
  • Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun: Leafs David Clarkson won’t appeal his suspension.

    “I didn’t get suspended until last night at 9:30, and I did not want to be a distraction with a game today, so I just wanted to start by saying sorry to everybody for not being available, but I was just doing what I thought was best for the team and waiting for the suspension to come down, and that was the reason I was not speaking,” Clarkson said after he played in the Leafs’ 3-2 pre-season loss versus the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.

    “I’ll say sorry to the fans or anybody who is disappointed, but my teammates in here are first to me.”

    “Everything happened so quick. I saw something go on that I had not seen, I had not been a part of. It is hard for anyone to say anything unless you are sitting there and you have your feet in those skates.”

  • Thomas Drance: Clarkson: “I sometimes make decisions with my heart not my head”
  • Bruce Garrioch: 17 scouts were at the Maple Leafs-Senators game. Garrioch said it would be a good time for Senators Jim O’Brien to have a good game.
  • Dan Murphy: Canucks coach John Tortorella on Zack Kassian:  “Suspension gives us a chance to nail Kassian with some fitness. And we’re going to nail him.”
  • Igor Eronko: Nikolai Zherdev signed a one-year deal with Spartak of the KHL.
  • Szymon Szemberg: EV Zug of the Swiss league terminate Brian Boucher’s contract after allowing 16 goals in 5 games.