TSN’s Hockey Insiders on the Ottawa Senators’ remaining resilient, Anthony Stolarz nearing a return with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Calgary Flames and Nazem Kadri/Blake Coleman, New York Rangers GM Chris Drury meeting with his ‘no move’ players, and the San Jose Sharks’ options with Kiefer Sherwood.
Gino Reda: With the insiders Chris Johnston, Pierre LeBrun, and Darren Dreger. Gentleman, Linus Ullmark’s candid interview with Claire Hanna was emotional, frank, and a reminder to us all to respect each other’s boundaries and mental health. Darren, where do Ullmark and the Sens go from here?
Darren Dreger: Well, there’s no official timeline, but you’re right, Gino. It’s been a very emotional time for Linus Ullmark, his family, his friends, and that includes his teammates and the Ottawa Senators as an organization.
Ullmark is back with the team. There’s no pressure on when he gets back into the crease, but Ottawa is hopeful that he’ll be able to return later this week. In the meantime, top-to-bottom support for Ullmark from all of the team.
I can also tell you, despite all the stuff going on off the ice, general manager Steve Staios is working as hard as he can to improve the roster. He’s being aggressive; there’s nothing that’s front burner at this point, but they want to keep the focus where it needs to be, and that’s back on the ice.
Reda: Elsewhere, after more than two months away from the team, Anthony Stolarz is heading to the minors for a conditioning stint. What do the Leafs do when he’s ready to come back, CJ?
Chris Johnston: Well, there’s very little appetite to have a three-headed goalie monster in Toronto, and so with Dennis Hildeby being waiver exempt, I would think when Stolarz is ready to return to the NHL, you’ll see Dennis Hildeby back down with the Marlies. Now, as for Stolarz in the moment, he is on a conditioning loan with the Marlies, but there isn’t an expectation this time that he’s going to play games.
This is really more about getting him extra practice reps, making sure he has his own net on the ice for those practices, and he’s pushed hard here in the last 2-3 weeks. There’s a lot of optimism; he’s on the cusp of his return to the Leafs, it’s just about getting him a little extra seasoning before he does make that return.
Reda: We’re just over two weeks from the Olympic trade freeze. What’s the latest out of Calgary Dregs?
Dreger: I think that the hockey world is looking at teams like the Calgary Flames and wondering what the next move might be. A lot of us are looking at Nazem Kadri among the contenders who could be on the move. What I can tell you is that there are ongoing discussions between Craig Conroy, the general manager, and Nazem Kadri’s camp.
Now that doesn’t mean that anything is imminent, but Kadri wants to do what’s best for the Flames, and he also wants to win a Stanley Cup. I would say there’s some developing interest, there’s been tire-kicking from Toronto, Montreal, Colorado, LA, maybe the Dallas Stars, but there’s still a lot of work to get done, and there’s no rush as far as Calgary is concerned.
Pierre LeBrun: I had a chance to speak with Conroy in the wake of the Rasmus Andersson trade and did ask about Kadri and Blake Coleman, the two obvious veterans that people are going to wonder about right up till Mar. 6.
I think his answer in some ways was revealing; he said, “It’s a tough one.” He went on to say that he’s not going to say that those guys are definitely not moving, but he’s also open to taking calls. This about the Flames getting younger and continuing to transition that roster.
They’re quite ready to keep Coleman; he’s an important leader in that dressing room, but they can’t say 100 per cent because there might be an offer that puts it over the top, given the interest that there is on the market for Coleman.
Reda: Pierre, on Friday, Chris Drury sent a letter to the Rangers fans saying they are moving into a re-tool. What’s that going to look like?
LeBrun: Well, do we have enough time? I’m just kidding, that’s quite a story coming out of New York. I will say this, Drury met with all the players individually who have no move clauses. Among those players is Artemi Panarin, but J.T. Miller, the captain, his name is already out there, and I’m not quite sure why.
What I was told today is that Miller has no intention of waiving his no-move clause, and the Rangers have no intention of going to him and asking to waive it. They traded for him last year, they made him captain, and they still believe in the reasons why they made that move. Miller should not be part of whatever exodus of players leaves New York.
Reda: Guys, when the Sharks acquired Kiefer Sherwood from the Canucks on Monday, they did so with no guarantees of an extension, so what’s the plan there, CJ?
Johnston: Well, they gave up two second-round picks, and for a team that is in a rebuild, that’s not the outlay they’re going to make expecting him to walk away in free agency. What I can tell you is that the initial conversation didn’t bear much fruit.
There’s still a pretty big gap between where the Sharks see Sherwood’s next contract going and what he and his agent think is fair. There’s still some work that needs to be done there, and I think Sherwood is comfortable that he can push for as much as $30-million on a long term deal.
He’s a UFA; he doesn’t have to do anything, of course. We’ll have to see how this develops, but initially, I can tell you there wasn’t much progress on the contract front.
Reda: Great timing by Sherwood on pace for a career year right when he’s looking for a new long-term deal.