While the Maple Leafs landed one long-time San Jose Shark in winger Patrick Marleau over the summer, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Toronto was among the teams that were pursuing center Joe Thornton and at one time were looking to bring the veteran duo in as a package deal. Thornton’s preference was to remain in San Jose and he wound up agreeing on a one-year, $8MM deal while Marleau wound up receiving both more money and term from Toronto than what the Sharks were offering him. Given where Toronto is with regards to the salary cap, it’s hard to imagine how the duo would have fit in money-wise but the fact that they pursued both of them together suggests GM Lou Lamoriello had something ready if both would have signed.
Other notes from around the league:
- Unrestricted free agent winger Brian Gionta is considering signing an AHL-only deal with Rochester, the minor league affiliate of the Sabres, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. While it’s believed he has NHL offers on the table, he’d like to stay close to his family which this would allow him to do while also maintaining his eligibility to suit up in the upcoming Olympics.
- The Canadiens have yet to initiate any sort of contracts with PTO defenseman Eric Gelinas, notes TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie. Gelinas is looking to land a spot on Montreal’s back end after turning down multiple offers overseas during the summer. He split last season between Colorado and their AHL affiliate in San Antonio.
- The Red Wings are expecting a trio of veterans to return from injuries, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Niklas Kronwall is expected to make his preseason debut on Thursday after missing time with back spasms while Justin Abdelkader is hopeful to play then as well; he has missed the last ten days with a groin issue. Meanwhile, captain Henrik Zetterberg is slated to play on Friday for the first time as his neck soreness is improving.
Why is Kronwall still on the wings?
Brother, the contract that he has & the fact that Ken Holland paid him too much & for too long. Your question is right on. That is one of the problems that the Red Wings have, several players making an outrageous amount of money & term that is just too long. They can’t trade these guys because no team is willing to take on the contract or the term of them. There are too many guys on the Red Wings with contracts such as these & the fans ultimately suffer having to watch an inferior product on the ice.