from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- The only Canadian team left in the Stanley Cup playoffs — the very exciting Vancouver Canucks — will barely be available on television to more than half the country when the next round of the post-season begins.

And how has the NHL or its Canadian carrier, Rogers Sportsnet, allowed this to happen?

The latest Sportsnet snafu — and there have been so many since the network paid a king’s ransom to be the national rights-holder — has the Canucks opening their series against the No. 1-seeded Vegas Golden Knights at 10:30 EST on Sunday night.

That’s 11:30 in Eastern Canada. That’s midnight in Newfoundland, where Bob Cole lives. That’s middle of the night for many....

- There was nothing wrong with Kyle Dubas trading away Nazem Kadri. After two irresponsible suspensions in two playoff seasons, he had to go. The problem is the return wasn’t good enough. Tyson Barrie didn’t help the Leafs on defence and Alex Kerfoot couldn’t take Kadri’s spot as third-line centre. Now it’s a tough loss to recover from.

- It may be a cliche, that the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win, but look at how St. Louis went out this year and how Washington has gone out the past two years. In order to win, they needed every player at maximum, delivering over a two-month period. And they needed bounces and calls and goaltending and good health. The Capitals looked to be at the end of the line against the Islanders, who can make you look that way. And now Pittsburgh and Washington — three of the past four Cup winners — with their stars all signed up, have to be asking what’s next for their teams?

more on the first topic and additional notes...