On the Ottawa Senators …
Bruce Garrioch: The Senators have made it a priority to sign 2015 fourth-round pick Christian Wolanin who was playing at the University of North Dakota.
Corey Pronman: Had initially heard that Wolanin was going to go to free agency, but he may be changing his mind. Ottawa offering NHL ice-time?
On the Vancouver Canucks …
Rick Dhaliwal: The Canucks are interested in NCAA free agent defensemen Brady Keeper (U of Maine) and Colton Poolman (North Dakota). Both Keeper and Poolman are expected to attend the Canucks development camp.
On the New York Rangers …
Larry Brooks of the NY Post: The Rangers acquired Ryan Lindgren in the Rick Nash trade and he’s considering his options – either returning to the University of Minnesota or signing with the Rangers.
It is believed that he’s considering turning pro. It’s not known if Rangers management believes he should go pro or returning to school for another year is a better idea.
On Steven Stamkos and the Toronto Maple Leafs …
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Bob McCown of Prime Time Sports (Sportsnet 590) had Steven Stamkos’ agent Don Meehan on the show on Monday. McCown asked about the type offer the Toronto Maple Leafs presented to Stamkos during last year’s free agent window – corporate clients were brought in to make presentations, offering what “amounted to a lifetime contract.” He was presented with endorsement possibilities and future opportunities.
“I can tell you that that’s not true,” replied Meehan, without a moment’s hesitation. “There’s been a lot of speculation in terms of what transpired. We had a meeting with the Toronto Maple Leafs, very similar to meetings we had with other teams that time. And Toronto was professional in every respect by saying, ‘This is what we have. This is where we’re at as as organization. We’ll answer any questions that you have.’
“I mean, it wouldn’t take a person like myself long to figure out that being in a position – a city like Toronto – would offer all kinds of endorsement possibilities. So we know that. That’s not a secret. But there were other teams as well that expressed similar interest with similar opportunities.
“But no, I think that’s been speculation and rumors to that effect. But in essence, that didn’t happen.”