Damien Cox, Don Landry and Gord Stellick on the FAN 590: Audio from yesterday mornings radio talk show. Talking about the Leaf game on Saturday night, and if Kaberle will waive his no-trade clause.
Brian Burke on Hockey Central – Video: Brian Burke was on Hockey Central, discussed Kovalchuk, who won’t be coming to the Maple Leafs.
David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail: Jonas Gustavsson has less than 30 games to convince boss Brian Burke that he should be the goalie of the future for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Vesa Toskala won’t be back, possibly gone by the trade deadline. Shoalts presents 3 options for the Leafs goaltending situation.
Hand the No. 1 job to Gustavsson next season and sign a good backup from the list of free agents.
Look for a veteran free agent who can act as a mentor to the 25-year-old Gustavsson and be capable of playing as many as 50 games if the youngster’s development still lags.
Sign or trade for the best possible goaltender money and cap space can buy. Gustavsson can either back up and wait his turn or be traded for another asset.
One option that might present itself is that if the Florida Panthers are out of playoff contention, they might put Tomas Vokoun on the trade block. Vokoun has 1 year left at $5.7 million. There’s JS Giguere at $7 million ($6 million cap hit) for next year. Jonas Hiller is also a UFA at seasons end. Nashville has 2 UFA goalies in Dan Ellis and Pekka Rinne, and they won’t be re-signing both. Other free agent goalies are Martin Biron (Isles), Chris Mason (Blues) and Marty Turco (Stars)
Mark Spector of Sportsnet.ca: Now that Sheldon Souray has agreed to waive his no-trade clause, will Tomas Kaberle follow suit? Spector thinks Kaberle’s trade value is diminishing.
David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail: Maple Leafs defenseman Mike Komisarek is hoping to return on Saturday. Komisarek has been out since Jan. 2nd with a shoulder injury, the injury may not be fully healed. Doctors looked at the shoulder, and Komisarek may have been given the option of surgery now or playing through it and having surgery after the season.
Terry Koshan from Canoe Sports: One team that might consider trading for Vesa Toskala might be the Calgary Flames. Other UFA’s that could be moved Lee Stempniak, Matt Stajan and Alexei Ponikarovsky.