from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- It’s not Defcon 1 between Ottawa and Brady Tkachuk, but there’s a challenging philosophical disagreement. The Senators believe Tkachuk wants to be there long-term, and I don’t think they’re wrong. But Ottawa wants that commitment now and the winger is not ready to go seven or eight years. There’s two factors at play. First, the shackles should be off the cap in three seasons — opening new contract possibilities — and even though coach DJ Smith and linemate Drake Batherson were extended, I think Tkachuk wants to make sure ownership instability is not something he regrets locking-in for.

- When it comes to Tomas Hertl, one of the questions San Jose must be asking itself is this: if the Sharks decide they need new blood, is anyone more capable of getting it in a trade than he is?

- The Flames and Johnny Gaudreau are wisely going to keep contract discussions private. However, it’s not like it’s hard to figure out what will satisfy both team and player. Calgary will need to make a long-term commitment to him as their highest-paid player. I don’t think that’s major breaking news, it’s common sense. Again, how the season goes determines the outcome.

- So, you want to run a league? So many things pop up you can’t even imagine. One example is player-family lounges. With COVID protocols still important, it didn’t look like there would be any possibility for family lounges this season for safety reasons. That wasn’t well-received. So, ideas are being exchanged to find solutions.

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