The Maple Leafs will gain a roster spot but may not add right away
TSN: Chris Johnston said that the Toronto Maple Leafs will clear a contract slot when Alex Rindell clears unconditional waivers. They had been at the max 50 contracts. Some had been thinking that they will make an additional move quickly, but that may not be the case.
“And based on what I can tell, that isn’t likely to be the case. The roster freeze is kicking in on next Monday. They’re, obviously are on a good roll. And really, in this case, Rindell just felt that his opportunities were limited in the pipeline. The Leafs disagreed but didn’t want to hold him back. And so they will terminate that player’s deal, but does give them flexibility to come back in the new year because they do have a position to add now.”
The Blackhawks will meet with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews next month
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period: Noted on Monday’s TSN 690 radio hit that agent Pat Brisson, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will meet with the Chicago Blackhawks in January to discuss their future.
They may not make a final decision on which direction they want to go in until later on in the season, guessing maybe after the All-Star break. They’d likely want to see who is playing themselves into real Cup contention.
Dating back to last season, Kane has received interest from New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche have shown some interest in Toews.
Sources say the Blackhawks have talked to teams about both players dating back to last season and trade talks have never intensified.
A playoff series for the No. 1 pick?
TSN: Chris Johnston said that at the board of governor meetings, one idea tossed around was having the teams at the bottom of the standings at the end of the season, play a series to determine who gets to draft first.
“This, of course, would replace the NHL Draft Lottery. I don’t think it has a good chance of taking hold, but it certainly was something that a few people were discussing.”