Robertson gives Maple Leafs plenty to mull after up-and-down pre-season win
The Maple Leafs’ 2-1 win over the Canadiens on Thursday was a head-scratcher of an evening for Robertson.
As the Los Angeles Kings determine how long the injured Drew Doughty will be out of the lineup, the question becomes: Who do they find to replace the 2016 Norris Trophy winner on their top pairing alongside Mike Anderson?
Kyle Bukauskas and Elliotte Friedman discussed the topic to kick off the latest episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, released Friday.
Doughty slid awkwardly into the boards and hurt his left leg during a pre-season game Wednesday. The 34-year-old is undergoing tests to see if he sustained a broken bone or a damaged ligament that would keep him out of action for a longer period of time.
Would the Kings turn to the open market and sign a free agent who is still available?
“One of the things I was starting to do was, OK, what right-handed D are still out there?” Friedman said. “There’s a Justin Schultz, there’s a Kevin Shattenkirk and, of course, there’s going to be situations where waivers or someone becomes available, but I’m not sure the Kings are going to look into anything like that until they have a better idea.”
That shifts things internally with Kyle Burroughs, Brandt Clarke, Jordan Spence and Vladislav Gavrikov mentioned as potential options to slot alongside Anderson. Which one is the favourite?
“The first name I thought of was Brandt Clarke, actually, but one the reasons they went out and got Joel Edmundson is because they wanted him to play with Clarke,” Friedman said. “So, it doesn’t sound to me like they want to break up the (Joel) Edmundson-Clarke idea. I think also that while they sound pretty excited about Clarke, they have a plan for the way they want this to work and they don’t want to vary from it.
“What’s the old Mike Tyson line? ‘Everybody’s got a plan until they get punched in the face.’ Well, the Kings got kind of punched in the face here but I think they want to keep it the way it is. I think Burroughs is the guy who makes a lot of sense. They also have Jordan Spence here. I wonder if they’ll try the idea of someone who shoots left, like Gavrikov playing on the right side. … I’ve got to think in the short-term, Burroughs is probably going to get a chance to be that particular guy. Again, it determines how long do they find Doughty to be out.”
Burroughs joined the Kings during the off-season in a trade with the San Jose Sharks for Carl Grundstrom. The 29-year-old from Vancouver registered two goals and six assists in 73 games with the Sharks last season and averaged 19:09 minutes of ice time.
The 4 Nations Face-Off tournament is also on tap later this season, and Friedman believes there’s no doubt about Doughty’s place on the roster among Team Canada’s staff.
“I think they really do feel like Drew Doughty is going to be somebody on their team, and as long as he’s healthy to play, he is going to be on their team,” Friedman said.
ARE THE RANGERS RE-SIGNING SHESTERKIN?
As Friedman said he hadn’t heard anything different on Jeremy Swayman, who remains unsigned with the Boston Bruins, the discussion shifted to another No. 1 netminder seeking a payday.
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin is entering the final year of his deal and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Friedman believes the Rangers will get a deal done before then, it’s just the number to be decided.
“To me, everything that has come out this week is all about the Rangers saying there’s no need to panic here,” Friedman said. “We are signing this player. We are making him the highest-paid goaltender in the NHL. We recognize his importance to us. We know he’s the backbone of this team and we are signing this player. This is now all about the number.”
Shesterkin holds a 2.42 goals-against average and .921 save percentage over his five seasons with the Rangers. He captured the Vezina Trophy and was a Hart Memorial Trophy finalist during the 2021-22 season recording 36 wins, a 2.07 goals-against average and .935 save percentage.
“I don’t know what this number is going to be. There’s been a lot of reports it’s going to be $12, $12.5, $11.5 (million),” Friedman said. “The one advantage the Rangers have is they have the eighth year. If Shesterkin doesn’t sign there, he’s going to lose a year at a very big number. That is the one thing the Rangers have in their power.
“To me, and everything that’s come out this week proves it, they’re signing him. It’s just a matter of what that number is going to be.”
WILL KOLOSOV SUIT UP IN PHILADELPHIA?
Could Alexei Kolosov follow in the footsteps of Ivan Fedotov and Matvei Michkov from the KHL to the Philadelphia Flyers?
The Belarusian goaltender was drafted in the third round, 78th overall, by the Flyers in 2021. After signing an entry-level contract in July 2023, Kolosov played in a pair of games with the Flyers’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, last season before returning to Minsk.
Kolosov’s agent, Dan Millstein, said his client will report to training camp after missing the first week.
“From what I’ve heard, and I haven’t spoken to him, but I heard that he really thought he may have a better path to the NHL than maybe what was shown at the end of last year, or he thought was possible this year, but the bottom line is he has a signed contract,” Friedman said. “The NHL feels strongly that even though it doesn’t have all of the agreements, you do have to honour each others’ contracts. So, I think Kolosov realized that that’s the case.
“This was brewing over the last couple of days but one of the things about the Flyers is that they’re very careful about saying anything because until he actually gets on the plane to come, you just never know what’s going to happen, but he’s on his way back. I believe he’s going to play exhibition games. I believe he’s going to play for the American Hockey League team to start the year unless something happens like an injury or something that gets him in the NHL right away.”
Another thing to consider is if Kolosov has a European assignment clause and could return overseas, should he not play in the NHL by a certain date.
“I believe there’s some kind of understanding here that there will be an option open to him if he’s not in the NHL by a certain time,” Friedman said. “But the best thing he can do is show up and play well because that is the only thing, or the best thing, that will get him to the National Hockey League.”
ANOTHER OUTDOOR GAME IN TORONTO?
Live Nation announced Thursday it plans to build an open-air venue next to Downsview Park in Toronto that will seat up to 50,000 spectators. The new Rogers Stadium is scheduled to open in June 2025 and although expected to be primarily for holding concerts, what about sporting events?
“The first thing I thought of, because my brain always turns to sports, is I wonder if they’re going to try to put an outdoor game there,” Friedman said.
“That is an area of the city where there is room to park,” he added. “There is transit there. … I wonder if that’s got outdoor game possibility there.”
Toronto has held one modern outdoor game, when the Maple Leafs hosted the Detroit Red Wings for the NHL Centennial Classic at BMO Field in 2016.
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