- Alessandro Seren Rosso via twitter: Capitals prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov will head to the NHL but he doesn’t know when, “maybe tomorrow, maybe in 3 years, maybe in 1 year.”
- Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe: “Only crickets are being heard on the Brad Marchand front, with neither side amenable to disclosing information regarding negotiations.” Marchand’s deal could have an effect on what Tyler Ennis of the Sabres gets/is looking for in his next deal after this upcoming season. In Shea Weber’s arbitration hearing, Nashville used Keith Yandle and Dustin Byfuglien as comparables.
- Steve MacFarland of the Calgary Sun: “The Business Journal” put out a list of cities that were the best candidates for NHL expansion or relocation. Quebec City was 31 of 58 North American cities. Hamilton was 33 behind Honlulu, Orlando and Tulsa.
The Business Journals’ Top 10 markets for NHL expansion/relocation:
1. Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif.
2. Houston, Texas
3. Bridgeport-Stamford, Conn.
4. Las Vegas, Nev.
5. Virginia Beach-Norfolk, Va.
6. Providence, RI
7. Austin, Texas
8. Hartford, Conn.
9. Sacramento, Calif.
10. Richmond, Va.Here’s our list of five North American cities in which we’d like to see an NHL team:
1. Quebec City
2. Hamilton, Ont.
3. Seattle, Wash.
4. Hartford, Conn.
5. Saskatoon, Sask.
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: Red Wings forward Darren Helm had 32 points in 82 games last season. “Helm could end up centering the third line along with headlining the penalty-killing forward group in 2011-12. He’s a hard worker wherever he goes and is only going to get better.”
