Mark Masters: Maple Leafs RFA Nazem Kadri on if he wants to clear the air about his contract status: ’Um, not really. I just want something that’s fair, that’s all.’ On if he’s willing to holdout: ’If that’s what it takes. I don’t want to.’ On reports of salary numbers that he’s after: ‘I just don’t know where those numbers are coming from to be honest … not many people know the truth’
Mark Masters: Maple Leafs RFA Cody Franson on his contract situation: ’It’s not frustrating. It’s part of the business … I’m preparing as if noting is wrong.’
Andy Strickland: Blues GM Doug Armstrong said both the Blues and Alex Pietrangelo would likely do something that both sides are uncomfortable with. There is no guarantee that a deal will be reached by the start of training camp.
Lou Korac: Armstrong on an offer sheet for Pietrangelo: ”We’ve kept enough cap space to address any team that thinks that they can poach him from us; that won’t happen.”
Andy Strickland: Blues coach Ken Hitchcock on when players are in a contract dispute: 1) they eventually arrive 2) can’t coach players who aren’t there.
Andy Strickland: Armstrong hinted that they could add a defenseman on a PTO if Pietrangelo remains unsigned. Bob McKenzie: Speculation is that Ryan Whitney could be brought in.
The Fourth Period: According to a Swiss newspaper, Damien Brunner could end up signing with EV Zug of the Swiss National A league if he’s not able to get an NHL deal. He could spend this season in Switzerland. He could sign a ‘game-by-game agreement’ that has an out clause for him to return to the NHL.
Luke Fox: Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf is hoping they can get a deal done that would keep him in Toronto.
“I want to be part of the Toronto Maple Leafs for a long time. I love playing in the city, but the business side will take care of itself,” Phaneuf said at the Leafs and Legends Charity Gold Classic, the club’s annual pre-training-camp get-together. “I’m sure that we’ll get something done.”
“We haven’t talked yet, but there’s lots of time left,” Phaneuf. “I think you’re open to everything. For me, I have no problem with doing it during the year. That’s what happened with my last deal.”
Phaneuf is entering the last year of a six-year, $39 million deal he signed with Calgary.
James Mirtle: Mirtle thinks it’s possible that Maple Leafs can get Cody Franson signed by the start of training camp next week. He’d be surprised if Nazem Kadri is there, making of a hold out. Mirtle thinks a fair deal for both is in the $3 to $3.5 million range on a short-term deal. Leafs do not have that kind of cap space at the moment to pull that off.
Nazem Kadri: Kadri tells “bobo” (Bob McKenzie) that it is “false” that he’s looking for a long-term deal in the John Tavares range, and the Leafs wanting a P.K. Subban type deal.
Bobo: McKenzie’s take on the Leafs-Kadri situation: “As long as TOR holds firm on wanting 2 yr bridge deal, Kadri has no leverage other than witholding services and hoping his absence impacts. Failing that, Kadri makes case for closer to Matt Duchene $ ($3.5M per) than P.K. Subban $ ($2.875M per). We’ll see if TOR moves off that #.”