from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- At least a year ago, maybe longer, someone from the NHL head office instructed someone from the San Jose Sharks to take care of their Evander Kane problem. They thought they had.

- Joe Thornton is skating in Europe, hoping to still play. If anything, he’s an optimist.

- How hard a decision could it have been for Marc-Andre Fleury to agree to play for the Chicago Blackhawks? If he plays, he gets paid $7 million. If he doesn’t play he gets nothing. If he plays, he almost certainly gets to go to the Olympics to represent Canada. If he doesn’t play, he doesn’t go. If he plays for Chicago, he gets to live in one of the great cities in America, top-five on my list. When you put all of that on paper, the decision had to be rather basic for the veteran goaltender.

a few more notes...