On the Toronto Maple Leafs …
Maple Leafs Hot Stove: Mike Babcock on TSN on if he could see Mitch Marner being on their roster this season.
“I sure think he has a good chance. Mitch has been working with our guys and really training hard. He’s eating right and doing everything he can to get stronger. To say Mitch has got to put on a bunch of weight, to me, is ridiculous. I have a son who has had trouble putting on weight too. They work at it hard. All you’ve got to do is get stronger. You are who you are. Be the best Mitch you can possibly be. He’s got a lot of summer here left and he’s just got to keep working at it. But he’ll have a real good chance to make the Leafs.”
On the New York Islanders …
Josh Kosman of the NY Post: Nassau County are still hoping the NY Islanders will move back to the Nassau Coliseum according to sources.
Ownership hasn’t indicated that they want to make the move, but county officials are talking to the team’s current landlord about the possibility. The Islanders are not part of this conversation at this point.
“We decline to comment on ongoing discussions, however, we are supportive of the Islanders return to the ,” County Executive Ed Mangano said.
Two sources are saying the Mikhail Prohorov, who owns the Barclays Center and operates the Nassau Coliseum, supports the idea.
Islanders owners Jonathan Ledecky and Scott Malkin are looking at building an arena by Citi Field in Queens as one option.
On the New Jersey Devils …
Chris Ryan of NJ.com: The Devils have over $13 million in salary cap space, but GM Ray isn’t looking to force anything. Shero has said that even though they have the green light to spend some money, they’ll be patient.
“We have cap space, which is a great asset,” Shero said in April. “But once you start spending it, it goes pretty quickly, and then you realize a year or two later, ‘Oh boy.’ So it’s never been an issue of having the money to spend. From my standpoint, it’s spending it wisely and, more importantly, spending it at the right time.”