from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- The big management news has centred around the analytics kid, John Chayka, being named general manager in Arizona. The context of the hiring and the restructuring of the front office may be something different. The announcement that co-owner Gary Drummond is now president and director of hockey operations with the Coyotes. “When you see that,” a veteran hockey guy told me, “it concerns me. It tells me the this guy wants to be the GM and that never works out.”

- Jake Gardiner wanted a guarantee of how much ice time he would get before committing to play for Team USA at the world hockey championship. When he didn’t get that he chose not to go. Hard to believe he wouldn’t have played a ton with the very weak defence the American have in Russia.

- You don’t succeed in the Stanley Cup playoffs very long without a 25-minute-a game defenceman. Tampa’s getting that kind of play from Victor Hedman. Pittsburgh from Kris Letang. San Jose from Brent Burns. St. Louis from Alex Pietrangelo. Nashville from Shea Weber and Roman Josi. The only Stanley Cup winners of the last 40 years not to have that kind of player: Carolina in 2006 and Tampa Bay in 2004.

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