from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- Entering Wednesday’s games, Edmonton had 127 points from defencemen, 27th in the NHL. (Nashville is best, at 195.) That is something the Oilers will address in the off-season. It’s a priority.

- The NHLPA and its registered agents met Tuesday in Toronto. That’s a big deal, because the organization usually holds multiple get-togethers in different locales, giving the representatives an opportunity to stay close to home. For almost a year, three agents have pushed for a review of union leadership. It turned into a nasty battle that ruined friendships and created serious tension because no one likes looking weak by airing dirty laundry a year before collective bargaining. It wasn’t an easy story to cover, since people I trust on both sides of the debate accused the others of spreading misinformation, and without documentation, it’s hard to prove anything.

Here’s an example: Last week, one reporter said he was told Anaheim, Colorado and Columbus voted in favour of the review. But another source said that wasn’t true, and both were adamant in their positions. There was plenty more where that came from, including accusations that the proposed independent review committee wasn’t really independent. In recent meetings with players, executive director Donald Fehr re-iterated that if they lose confidence in his leadership, he will resign. (According to a couple of sources, Fehr has a shorter termination window that I thought, somewhere around two months.) In Tuesday’s meeting, Fehr said, “If the players lose confidence in me, I will leave. But it is their decision to make, not the agents’.” So expect this to cool down if players themselves don’t push it.

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