from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- Paraphrasing an NHL scout on Nikita Zaitsev. He’s not an offensive defenceman. He’s not a defensive defenceman. He’s not a first pass modern defenceman. He’s not a physical defenceman. So what is he? And how do I sell him to my boss? … The Leafs are limited in places they can move – get me out of here – Zaitsev – to. Most teams won’t like his contract either for dollar value or term. The teams most likely interested are those that don’t spend anywhere near the cap and need numbers to bring them up to league levels … An NHL executive on Zaitsev: “He’s paid like a Top 4 defenceman but plays like a 5-6. That’s a problem.”.

- Seattle had some interest in Kelly McCrimmon or Ken Holland as its expansion general manager but now that both have new jobs they’re not available. Seattle has its guy in mind, not a big name I’m told, but apparently, they know who they are hiring as first GM.

- Anyone who thinks the NBA will ever be more popular than the NHL in Canada is out of their minds. Hockey is in our blood. It’s who we are. There are seven NHL teams in this country. It’s not happening.

a few more hockey notes...