Insider Trading
/Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun, and Bob McKenzie were on TSN's Insider Trading on Tuesday evening.
LeBrun: Leafs management decided awhile back there would be no short-term gains made at the trade deadline.
Dreger: "There is enough interest in Phil Kessel from teams around the National Hockey League that the Maple Leafs could trade Kessel tomorrow and not eat a penny of his contract. Now I'm not suggesting that they're shopping Phil Kessel or Dion Phaneuf in the moment. I agree with Pierre. A trade, if it happens, is more likely in the offseason. But the reality is Phil Kessel is not viewed nearly as harshly outside of Toronto as he is inside the market."
McKenzie: Final details on the World Cup are still being nailed down.
McKenzie: Winnipeg Heritage Classic game for next year has been deferred for a year. Winter Classic will be Boston hosting the Montreal Canadiens.
Dreger: They're (Rangers) looking for a centerman and there might be a Leaf connection here. Keep in mind they tried to sign Mike Santorelli as an unrestricted free agent. All they had was $1 million, so the Leafs got him at $1.5 million. If things continue to go poorly for Toronto, maybe Santorell becomes a deadline deal."
LeBrun: "Really highly-sought after player will be Andrej Sekera of the Carolina Hurricanes. I thought he was the best player on the ice against the Leafs the other night. Now, Allan Walsh, the agent for Sekera, the plan is that he will have another conversation with Carolina within the next couple of weeks to try and hammer out an extension. But the money and term, if it's too much, Ron Francis, the GM of the Hurricanes, told me point-blank Monday, 'We will trade Andrej Sekera if we can't get him signed.' He will be among the highest-sought after defensemen on the market."
Dreger: Martin Brodeur needs more time to figure out his future and is intrigued by the options, which include management in St. Louis.
Source: TSN/ Notes, Transcript: Nichols on Hockey