from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,
- Alexander Edler is playing 25:19 a game, 12th in the NHL. This is someone who does not want to leave Vancouver. He’s made that very clear. His contract is up after the season, and Tampa was interested a year ago. Someone’s going to want him as a rental, even if he returns to British Columbia next year.
- Winnipeg’s players joke that captain Blake Wheeler has two distinct personalities — an easygoing one, and “grumpy Blake” for when things aren’t being done properly.
“I think there are times that I can boil a little bit,” he admitted. “I think as I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten better about controlling when and where, time and place, and who’s involved in that. All in all, it all comes from a good place. I have a high level that I expect from myself every single day. I have a high level I expect from my teammates every single day. More than anything I try to dish out positive reinforcement, but there’s going to be days where we don’t have it, or I don’t have it. So the intensity gets revved up a little bit. That’s a healthy thing.”
Wheeler said he picked up that attitude by hearing how people talked about Nicklas Lidstrom.
“He was doing the same thing every day. An 82-game season is a marathon. There’s days where it’s no fun doing things in the gym or doing things to warm up. Seeing a guy like that who found a way to love doing that stuff and make himself great every single day, that stuck with me. So, I’ve tried to trick myself on those days to making it fun and enjoying it and putting a smile on my face even though inside you’re burning up. Carrying a positive attitude goes a long way.”
- I think the pressure on the Department of Player Safety to give Tom Wilson a large suspension was as great as any decision the department’s faced since its inception. Bettman will hear the appeal. Wilson has the right to go to an independent arbitrator if he doesn’t like Bettman’s decision.
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