from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- It’s not easy figuring out Matthews. He loves to play the part of celebrity. He thrives to be noticed with his moustache and his distinguished all-star clothing. And yet too often, he treats his daily interview sessions with a somewhat sense of disdain. He’s trying to be a personality, but he’s just not smooth enough to stay on brand every day.

- Gary Bettman is very comfortable, in his words, not going to the Olympics. Never mind what the fans and his players want. Why would the commissioner care about that?

- If the Leafs miss the playoffs, there will be plenty of blame to pass around, starting with general manager Kyle Dubas, who waited too long before firing Mike Babcock and has yet to provide his team with reasonable backup goaltending. If the Leafs are three to five points out at the end, which isn’t impossible, that’s points they missed out because of stubbornness re: goaltending and salary-cap mismanagement.

a few more