- Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News: This will likely be Ted Nolan’s final week coaching the Sabres. GM Tim Murray inherited Nolan when he took over 15 months ago, and will likely be looking to bring in his own guy. There have been no talks regarding Nolan’s status with the team.
“I’m not concerned,” Nolan said. “The only thing I’m concerned with is doing the best job I can on a daily basis. Everything else will fall where it may fall.”
“I signed a three-year deal last year,” he said. “So we’ll see what happens.”
- Nichols on Hockey: Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet 960 on Penguins and potential Mike Babcock rumors.
“And I’ll tell you this – if Pittsburgh doesn’t get into the playoffs, you are going to hear Mike Babcock rumours out of the wazoo. If Pittsburgh doesn’t get into the playoffs, that’s going to be – I know all year it’s been Toronto, it’s been wherever you want to name it. It’s going to go crazy. It’s going to start from Pittsburgh and it’s going to be nuts, the Mike Babcock rumours you’re going to hear out of there.”
Friedman on the Bruins, Marc Savard and a cheap way for some teams to get to the salary floor: The Bruins are looking at trading Savard. He carries a $4.007 million cap hit, but only a $525,000 salary for the next two season, which about 60 percent may be getting picked up by insurance, so leaving about $240,000 to be paid by the team. LTIR doesn’t count during the summer. So the Bruins have to count his number this offseason and they have pending free agents like Dougie Hamilton and Carl Soderberg to deal with, along with the other things they need to do. Teams like the Sabres and Coyotes might be interested in using Savard to get to cap floor.
Friedman on the Sharks and Joe Thornton.
“I’ve been told that when – and I have no proof of it – but when the owner stepped in when everybody kind of blew up at each other there, the word I was given was that Joe Thornton was told he was not going anywhere. That he’s going to stay and he’s going to retire a San Jose Shark. Which I do believe is the case. Joe Thornton has made it very clear he’s not getting traded unless he wants to be and he doesn’t want to be.”
…
“I’ve heard – I don’t know, I probably shouldn’t be passing along rumors, but what the heck – it’s radio and that’s what we do. Last year, that when this whole thing started and there was a debate about whether or not they wanted to trade him, he basically said: ‘You know what? I’m not moving. If you want to get rid of me, buy me out. Then I can go anywhere I want.’
“And they didn’t want to do that for obvious reasons. So unless his mind has changed, that’s been his thinking. If you want to move him, buy him out. And I don’t think San Jose will do that.
“I wonder if in the off-season they sit down and have another conversation. Doug Wilson has said this year that he will not ask Joe Thornton to be traded. And we’ll see if that changes in the off-season, or, if there’s a new GM, whether it’s Ray Shero or whoever it is, goes to him and says, ‘This is what I’m thinking.’ “
- The Fourth Period: The Maple Leafs will likely be looking for a new coach this offseason. It’s not known yet if they will let GM Dave Nonis go. The Leafs plan on continuing trade talks with the Red Wings about Dion Phaneuf this offseason. The Leafs are expected to hold trade talks involving Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri as well.
