Morning Hits: Kessel, Gill, Jagr, Scheifele and a Rising Salary Cap
  • Damien Cox of the Toronto Star: Indications are that Phil Kessel wants to stay in Toronto and that they want to keep him. An eight-year deal in the $70 million range could be in the offering. If this is the case, the Maple Leafs need to get it done by Christmas.
  • Mark Masters: Unrestricted free agent Hal Gill on why teams haven’t been calling: “There’s a lot of good, young players coming up & they want to see what they can do. To be honest with you, I have a lot to prove coming off a bad yr on a team that didn’t make the playoffs.”
  • Toronto Sun: Looking like this will be Jaromir Jagr’s last season in the NHL.

    “It looks like it will be my last season, so I can’t be too risky,” Jagr said.

  • Tyler Harper of the Winnipeg Free Press: Jets prospect Mark Scheifele is gunning for a roster spot with the team.

    “My goal is to earn a spot on the Jets, and that’s what I’m going to go to camp and do, and do whatever it takes to get that spot,” he said Monday.

    He had 39 goals and 40 assists in 45 games with the Barrie Colts (OHL) last season. He added 41 points in the playoffs.

  • The Score: Elliotte Friedman said on The Fan’s “Prime Time Sports” that there are some people that expect the salary cap could go up to $80 million by the 2017-18 season, four years from now.