Lawton on the Sabres … Will the Maple Leafs follow Flyers, Jets lead?
Luke Fox of Sportsnet: The Buffalo Sabres were offered at least one trade package that involved a first-round pick according to Brian Lawton on Nick Kypreos‘ podcast.
“I know for a fact a team that offered a first-round pick. And there’s more than one. It cost the Buffalo Sabres millions of dollars.”
Lawton adds that Sabres GM Kevyn Adams should have insisted before the season that Hall give him a list of five teams he’d accept a trade to.
“I doubt that happened. If it did happen, Kevyn Adams should say that,” Lawton said. “If the player says, ‘I’ll go to one team,’ say, ‘Good luck in the summer, dude. It ain’t happening—because I can’t trade you to one team without embarrassing this organization.’ ”
Wonder if Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas will try to follow the path of more term and a lower AAV for Zach Hyman like the Philadelphia Flyers did with Scott Laughton (five years at $3 million) and Winnipeg Jets with Adam Lowry (five years at $3.25 million).
NHL hoping to avoid a Canadian bubble
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman said on the weekend that the NHL hopes that each Canadian team can play in their home cities and not in a bubble, but if they do, it could be in the United States.
“We know what the situation is across the country — cases are rising, some places worse than others. From what I can tell right now, the plan is still to have the Canadian teams that make the playoffs play in their own cities.
“However, if there is a situation where we do need to consider a bubble, it is the likely scenario that the four teams that make the playoffs would go to a bubble in the United States.”