from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- William Nylander, with 16 goals in his past 51 games, wants to be paid more than David Pastrnak, same age, same draft, who has 16 goals in his past 21 games. For the record, I want to be paid more than J.K. Rowling.

- If you haven’t seen a lot of Sebastian Aho, the Hurricanes version, you’re missing something. He’s an emerging star … Hockey people are raving about the job Rod Brind’Amour is doing with the Carolina Hurricanes. A lifelong NHL scout told me he hasn’t seen a rookie coach like Brind’Amour before, using unconventional ways to get terrific results from an excited team.

- The same scout said not to worry about Phil Housley in Buffalo. “He’ll be all right,” the scout said. “It’s still a pretty thin team.”

- Have to believe Mike Yeo is coaching on borrowed time in St. Louis. There is lots of talent there. The coach isn’t getting anywhere near the most out of them.

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