from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- If controlled zone entries are such an important statistic in hockey, how come the NHL leaders who dominated last season — Connor McDavid, Johnny Gaudreau and Patrick Kane — all missed the playoffs?

- So you’re Mike Babcock, and you’ve got Auston Matthews and John Tavares on your team. And both want first power play time. Do you play them together with the man advantage or do you play them apart?

On Mark Hunter...

...He had opportunities to work elsewhere in the NHL after choosing to leave the Maple Leafs after the appointment of Dubas. He listened to job possibilities in Detroit, Montreal, and with the Islanders and probably more teams than that. But at this stage of life and his hockey life, he wants to run his own show.

He wanted to be GM in Toronto and he still has thoughts of being an NHL GM but he wants the terms and the team and situation to meet his liking. He didn’t have to jump at the first offer to come his way because as the owner of the Knights, he had the option to return.

There have been four GM changes in the NHL since the season ended and if there are four again next summer, expect Hunter to be a prominent candidate once again. But only if he chooses to be.

more on Hunter and a few more hockey notes...