PLENTY OF EXCITEMENT AS SEASON NEARS

TORONTO, ON -- The NHL season gets underway in three days and despite some COVID-19 concerns over the last few days, the 2020-21 campaign should begin as scheduled.

It is unfortunate what occurred to the Dallas Stars, with six players and two staff members testing positive from this *bleeping* virus, but the schedule spacing allows for any postponed games to be rescheduled during the season.

With the Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins hitting the ice a day after they had to cancel their practices due to potential exposure, and the Los Angeles Kings keeping out several players for similar precautionary measures Saturday, the Vancouver Canucks were dealt with a similar pause in their practice schedule today. It was a positive to see the Jackets and Pens back on the ice a day later, and while I’m hearing the Canucks situation is not player related, they had to take the necessary precautions to be safe.

As we continue to battle this pandemic, we’ll likely see similar instances occur throughout the season. The games will continue, and hopefully the light at the end of this tunnel emerges brighter and quicker than we anticipate.

With new season upon us, I got my first glimpse of action Saturday inside Scotiabank Arena when the Maple Leafs played the Maple Leafs in a televised (on TWO networks) ‘spy vs. spy’ style scrimmage game. It’s safe to say people want their hockey.

Newcomers Joe Thornton, Jimmy Vesey, Wayne Simmonds, Mikko Lehtonen, T.J. Brodie and Zach Bogosian looked solid in their pre-season, quasi-game debut, and these six players could/should play integral roles in Toronto’s success this season.

Simmonds, who has skated with Jason Spezza and Alexander Barabanov to make up the club’s fourth line, said he is “excited to continue to build our chemistry going into opening night,” and Thornton, who will play alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to start the season, can’t wait to get kick off the season at home Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens.

“We’re still getting to know each other, but it’s been really good so far,” Thornton said. “We’re continuing to talk to see where each other’s going to be, where each other likes to shoot from, who likes to be net-front, things like that.

“For me, it’s get these guys the puck, do some dirtier work for these guys. It should be an effective line.”

It’s the “dirtier work” players like Thornton, Vesey and Simmonds bring that Toronto has lacked consistently for some time, especially in their top-six. This team lacked the physicality that Kyle Clifford and Matt Martin brought game-in, game-out, and they are now able to start this season with multiple pieces up and down the lineup to compliment their skilled players.

Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe plans on using Thornton on his top line each game, but others – possibly Zach Hyman – will slot in from time to time as the games progress in an effort to manage his minutes.

Toronto will battle for the top seed in the all-Canadian Division and their depth makes them the favourites to win the North. Add in a contract-year for goaltender Frederik Andersen (who was bothered by the trade speculation after the team’s playoff run ended) and the Leafs should be a dangerous team to watch.

“There is a different feeling this year. Obviously, there is a lot of change. There’s a different kind of vibe for obviously reasons,” said defenceman Morgan Rielly after Saturday’s scrimmage. “With this group and the changes that we made this off-season, I think we added a lot of experience, a lot of guys that have been around, a lot of guys that are high in character, and I think that changes the feeling. I think the guys that have been there in the past, entered camp with a bit more confidence because of those changes, and those guys that were brought in have good energy and are happy to be here, and that feeds into it, as well.”

TRADE SZN?

Yes, having names like Pierre-Luc Dubois and Patrik Laine spices up the trade watch and rumour mill, but neither the Columbus Blue Jackets nor the Winnipeg Jets are in any rush to trade either of these two rising stars.

Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will take their time and try to maximize a return. Is there interest? Of course. Is anything imminent on either front? It doesn’t sound like it. But that won’t stop the calls from taking place, even if both teams wait until the off-season, possibly around the late-July draft, before pulling the trigger.

There are some in Columbus, however, who believe a Dubois deal could happen this season. The New York Rangers are a team to look out for – earlier today, we had a story on the Rangers and Anaheim Ducks being very interested in 22-year-old – but I’m not sure they’d want to part with Kaapo Kakko.

There are 11 teams currently over the salary cap. Once LTIR kicks in, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks will be cap compliant. The Toronto Maple Leafs can do some waiver-exempt juggling for the time being to fit themselves under the cap, while the Montreal Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights might have to get a little bit creative.

Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello has tried to move one of Thomas Hickey or Leo Komarov – as we reported earlier in the day, a deal involving Hickey was close with Detroit earlier in the week – so it wouldn’t surprise me if he pulls something off by the time rosters are due this Tuesday by 5pm ET.

The Knights tried to free up cap space – hence the Max Pacioretty, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jonathan Marchessault and Alec Martinez talks re-emerging last month – but after the remaining free agents found new homes, the options of replacing someone with a less expensive player faded. While there are some around the League who believe Vegas was close to moving Marchessault last month, Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon might have to find another way to clear $975,000 in cap space.

Habs GM Marc Bergevin placed nine players on waivers earlier today, including Jordan Weal, but unless he’s claimed, the Habs will still be $41,309 over the cap. Montreal could be a team to watch if Weal isn’t plucked.

BRATT’S WORTH

Jesper Bratt and the New Jersey Devils came together quickly to finalize his two-year, $5.5 million contract. The two sides were far off earlier in the week but talks started to intensify Saturday and Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald and Bratt’s agent Joakim Persson closed the gap on Sunday.

Bratt has been consistent in his first three NHL seasons, putting up between 30-35 points. He was on pace for a career-high 44 points in New Jersey’s shortened season. His overall usage and numbers were comparable to likes of Calgary’s Andrew Mangiapane, Montreal’s Arturri Lehkonen and San Jose’s Kevin Labanc and his new AAV of $2.75 million sits well within the neighbourhood of what he should have locked in at on a bridge deal.

Now that he’s inked a contract, he’ll work on getting his VISA to enter the U.S. and when he returns to New Jersey from Sweden, he’ll have to quarantine for seven full days before he can hit the ice with his teammates. That might put him on the trajectory to start his season around the end of the month.

BUFFA-NO, JEFF

As teams shift their lines ahead of the season, the Sabres curiously took Jeff Skinner out of their top-six and moved him to the fourth line on Friday.

Tage Thompson moved up to the top line with Jack Eichel and Taylor Hall, Eric Staal is centering Victor Olofsson and Sam Reinhart, Tobias Rieder and Cody Eakin have skated with Kyle Okposo and Dylan Cozens on their right, while Skinner and Riley Sheahan have been joined by rotating centres Curtis Lazar, Rasmus Asplund and Casey Mittelstadt.

While Skinner practiced on the team’s second powerplay unit Sunday, removing him from the top-six sends a message.

“For us, it’s important no matter your role, no matter your skill level, is that in general you play within the principles,” head coach Ralph Krueger said Sunday. “He’s continuing to work on that together with the coaching staff. Once he lets that go and relaxes and trusts his instincts, he’s going to give us what we need. We need scoring right through the lineup and the present setup will give that line opportunity to add to our offence. It’ll be important for Jeff to just keep working hard. Again, our principles need to be the guideline, but within that framework, every player has the opportunity to let his genius express itself. And for Jeff, that’s usually in the danger zone in front of the other team’s net.”

It will be interesting to see how long this message takes. Skinner was first on the ice for practice today and Krueger made it fairly clear that it’s up to him to get back on track and back in the top-six.

“It’s always hard work before you get rewarded,” Krueger said. “At the moment, he’s working on it. We’re communicating with him and we’re confident we’ll be able to get Jeff in a good place here.”

PARTING SHOTS

• The Detroit Red Wings had expressed serious interest in goaltender Jacob Markstrom at the start of free agency. I’ve been told the Wings offered a higher AAV than the $6 million he’s now making in Calgary on his six-year, $36 million contract, but on a shorter term, possibly five years.

• Contract talks haven’t started yet between the Vancouver Canucks and rising superstar Elias Pettersson. Neither side is worried, nor are they in a rush to get something done. Given the current economic climate of the League, a lot of players in the final year of their contracts are waiting to see how things progress throughout the season.

• Don’t expect to hear anything about unrestricted free agent Michael Grabner just yet. From what I’m told, we shouldn’t anticipate anything to happen in the short-term. If the right opportunity presented itself, his situation could obviously change, but that’s the current plan.