- Joe Haggerty of CSNNE: Haggerty thinks that Loui Eriksson is a third-line winger and won’t be the offensive player they had hoped for then they traded for him in the package they received for Tyler Seguin. Haggerty thinks the Bruins need another top-six winger to replace the departed Jarome Iginla, and that it will be an issue for them until they find a replacement. Seth Griffith and David Pastrnak could fill that role down the road, but are not ready just yet. Simon Gagne could be a stopgap for now.
- Ansar Khan of MLive: When Pavel Datsyuk returns from injury, they could put Andrej Nestrasil on waivers for the purpose of sending him to the AHL, Tomas Jurco is waiver exempt. They could waive Daniel Cleary, who has been a healthy scratch the first two games. They could waive Brian Lashoff and go with 15 forwards and six defensemen. Daniel Alfredsson was skating a week ago, but he hasn’t been on the ice lately. The odds of him returning decrease each week.
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Senators Bobby Ryan on the temptation of testing the free agent market before signing his seven-year contract extension.
“There was to a degree. You play seven years for (free agency) and a guy in my position is likely going to be signing a long-term deal. I did mull over the idea of maybe getting to a place where you can control your own culture, control where you’re going to be and start a family and stuff. Only being in Ottawa one year, at that point, I wasn’t sure if that was right for me.
“After speaking on it all summer with friends and family, we had no minuses with all the places we’d tabbed to possibly look into. Ottawa just felt right. It just felt natural.”
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: A decision won’t be made until after the morning skate, but Senators defenseman Jared Cowen could be a healthy scratch tonight.
“The best players have to play,” said MacLean following a 45-minute skate Sunday. “If you’re not making the plays we need you to make, we need to give someone else the opportunity to do that.
“That’s the nature of the game: You have to be good enough to play. You can’t just keep turning over pucks and playing in our own end.”
- Mark Masters: Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle doesn’t agree with the notion that Jake Gardiner being a healthy scratch was a wake-up call. They want to get all defensemen in early.
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman talks with Martin Brodeur – Is There Still A Place For Brodeur in NHL?