On the Toronto Maple Leafs …
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: Maple Leafs management are happy with development and progress they made this season, but they don’t have a quality goaltender in place. There is no belief that Jonathan Bernier, and to this point, that either Garret Sparks or Antoine Bibeau will become No. 1 goalies. If the Leafs don’t acquire a quality goaltender this summer, it’s because they don’t think they are ready to compete just yet. If the NHL is going to expand, and if there is a expansion draft next season, there will be goalies on the trade market. A team like the Lightning may not want to lose Ben Bishop or Andrei Vasilevskiy for nothing.
On the Carolina Hurricanes …
Michael Smith of Hurricanes.NHL: Cam Ward hopes to remain with the Hurricanes.
“I think eventually it will sink in, but I’m not ready to close that door. I’m remaining optimistic that hopefully something can happen,” he said. “I’ve made it clear that this is where I’d like to be. I’m proud to have been a Hurricane and been here for as many years as I’ve been.”
GM Ron Francis on their goaltending situation for next year.
“We’ll look at what Cam did and where he is with our organization,” Francis said. “We’ll look at what our options are if we go down the free agency route. We’ll continue to make phone calls to see what’s out there in possible trades. And then we have to make the decision that’s best for our organization moving forward.”
The Hurricanes have Eddie Lack under contract for two more years.
“I think it’s easy to say, ‘Hey, let’s turn the page and move forward.’ But what if it doesn’t make us better?” Francis pondered. “We have to do our due diligence and make sure that we’re making the decision that makes the organization better. That may be signing Cam or it may be going in a different direction. I know it’s tough for him with the situation he’s in as a player to sit there and not know what’s going on.”