Insider Trading

Darren Dreger and Bob McKenzie were on TSN’s Insider Trading on Friday evening.

McKenzie, on the Joe Thornton/ Doug Wilson exchanges and how we don't see this every day: "No, you don't see this every day and the fact that a high-profile player like Joe Thornton goes after his general manager verbally the way Thornton did in response to what he felt was a verbal attack by the general manager - you're right, you don't see that every day.

"But what this really is is just pulling back the curtain to allow everyone else to see what's really been the case since last summer. And that is the San Jose Sharks wanted to strip Thornton of the captaincy. They did that. Ostensibly they would have liked to have traded Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau as part of a new youth movement, but Marleau and Thornton had no-move clauses in their recent extensions from last season and they said, 'No go. We're not going anywhere.'

"The relationship between the management and Joe Thornton has been fractured for quite some time. They put that behind them. This brings it out in a public way, but it doesn't really change anything. The Sharks are playing some pretty good hockey right now and I don't think this is going to impact Joe Thornton or the Sharks in the very short term. And if you think this might hasten Thornton's departure from San Jose, think again. He wants to stay and he plans on out-lasting just about everybody there - the general manager, the coach, you name it.

"Thornton doesn't want to go anywhere."

Dreger: NHL GM meetings will address 3rd goalie protocol. Video review will be a hot topic. Leafs want to look at puck review for puck over glass.

McKenzie: College free agents of interest include Matt O'Connor and Kyle Baun.

"The other guy that's interesting to keep an eye on is Mike Reilly. That is a draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets - but like Justin Schultz before him, Kevin Hayes before him - he has the opportunity, if he decides to leave school, and that's a distinct possibility, he could become an unrestricted free agent 30 days after that. Or June 1, which is later. And a lot of NHL teams are looking to see if Columbus is going to be able to sign this guy, because if they don't he becomes the most interesting college free agent."

Dreger, on speculation the Leafs were going to move Nazem Kadri this past summer: "Well, there was and there were a number of conversations between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators' general manager Bryan Murray about the potential of a Nazem Kadri trade for Mika Zibanejad. Now, in the moment this makes no sense from Ottawa's perspective. But back in that day, last summer, there was some interest in this. Toronto wanted more, believe it or not, than Zibanejad to close on this deal. The Ottawa Senators got cold feet and that's an example of a deal that turns out well when you don't make that deal."

Source: TSN/ Notes, Transcript: Nichols on Hockey

Nichols on Hockey

Nichols on Hockey

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Nichols on Hockey

Nichols on Hockey