- Josh Kosman and Larry Brooks of the NY Post: Islanders owner Charles Wang is talking with Andrew Barroway, a Philadelphia lawyer, about a potential sale of the team. The price could be $225 million and potentially another $75 million if certain revenue targets are met. Wang has been open to the idea of selling the team for years, but there has been limited interest. They lose more than $10 million a year and have one of the lowest attendance. The Islanders will be moving to the Barclays Center in 2015, and Barclay’s is paying them $50 million in annual revenue for regular season games. Barclay’s would keep any revenue from sponsorship, suite and tickets sales over the $50 million. Playoff money would go to the team an not Barclay’s.
- Stephen Harris of the Boston Hearld: Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli wants to keep Jarome Iginla and have held preliminary talks with him. A deal can’t be completed as they don’t have the cap room to get deal done now.
“It’s a function of cap space and ongoing multiple-year contracts,” Chiarelli said before his team’s 4-3 shootout win against the Flyers. “So it would have to wait ’til a minute after free agency begins (July 1). It’s an anti-inflationary thing. Basically it restricts you from going overboard on your future contracts. It prevents you from spending money you haven’t got.”
- Craig Custance of ESPN: Panthers offseason priorities: 1. Find the right head coach 2. Bring in veteran to surround young talent 3. Develop a culture and identity. Potential free agent targets: Ales Hemsky, Steve Ott and Brooks Orpik.
- Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun: Maple Leafs pending UFA Nikolai Kulemin’s agent, Gary Greenstin, has had informal talks with director of hockey operations Dave Poulin and assistant GM Claude Loiselle. Kulemin is in the last year of deal in which he’s getting $2.8 million. Kulemin wants to play in the NHL over the KHL.
- Hope Smoke: Darren Dreger: “Nonis won’t go out and spend a pile of money to replace Kulemin when he has an Ashton ready to step in”
- Hope Smoke: Darren Dreger: “I look at Ashton who is apparently doing very well of late in the AHL. Holland who is exiled as well to the Marlies at times” … “Leafs mgmt sees those guys as real NHL players. They will be in the NHL next year” … “The expectations are that the coaching staff, if it is Randy Carlyle, will use those players” … “Nonis just needs a coach that is going to play these players”
- Larry Brooks of the NY Post: There is a good chance that the Canucks will fire head coach John Tortorella. He has four-years and $8 million left on his deal.
- Hope Smoke: Darren Dreger: “Could see significant changes in TO. There has been much debate over the future of Carlyle and that isn’t going away” … “There is going to be an exhaustive discussion and review at the conclusion of this season about the coaching staff”