St. Louis Blues blue line notes
Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic: (mailbag) Trading defenseman Carl Gunnarsson, if he’s healthy, wouldn’t be easy. He’s at $3 million a season and is coming off ACL surgery. The St. Louis Blues also don’t have a lot of NHL ready defenseman on their depth chart.
Jeremy Rutherford: “Smart of Jordan Schmaltz, an RFA still without a contract, to be in town skating. Bouwmeester (hip) and Gunnarsson (knee) are practicing but may not be ready for contact early, which could open a small window for Schmaltz. Blues will eventually face waiver dilemma with Schmaltz.”
Matthews at McDavid money? Some Maple Leafs that could be on the move
Chris Nichols: Darren Dreger was on TSN 1050 yesterday and was talking about Auston Matthews next contract with the Maple Leafs: “I had an NHL manager tell me earlier today – Western Conference, granted – but he goes, ‘I will buy you the best steak dinner there is if Auston Matthews signs for a dollar less than what Connor McDavid is making.'”
Maple Leafs Hot Stove: The Toronto Maple Leafs have some depth in net in their organization – Frederik, Andersen, Curtis McElhinney, Garrett Sparks, Calvin Pickard, and Kasimir Kaskisuo. Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said that teams know they have a surplus of goaltenders, and was asked if there was a chance they could make a trade.
“I think there certainly is a chance. You can only have two on the roster. Freddy is going to be on the roster. One of the other three is going to be the other guy.”
Garrett Sparks requires waivers this year. Dubas said he “wouldn’t expect” them to carry three goaltenders to start the season but “would never say never.”
The Fourth Period: The Maple Leafs have plenty of salary cap space for this season and have $5.3 million in LTIR space if needed – Nathan Horton. They have room to add a significant piece.
During offseason trade talk, teams were interested in the likes of Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Brown, and Josh Leivo.
Sources are saying that if the Maple Leafs found the right deal, they could be willing to move Brown and/or Leivo.
Among the teams that showed interest in Leivo include the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.