Leafs GM Nonis reportedly working phones to find a centre
Not all the talk at the NHL’s board of governors meeting Monday in Pebble Beach will surround the formal agenda.
Trade talk is also on the table.
With only the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers willing to throw in the towel on making the playoffs, three league executives told QMI Agency this week that the chatter has heated up and those discussions will continue when the 30 teams gather.
The issue: The sad reality few teams have the cap space to do anything and the mistakes that are made in the summer come back to bite you when the season gets underway in October. It can be tough to find your way out from underneath those issues once the battle for playoff spots is officially underway.
“Teams are nervous and they are definitely talking,” a league executive said.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman wanted to create parity when the salary cap was brought in during 2005. He wanted the “small market teams” to have an equal opportunity to win as the big spenders.
“We have a cap world with parity but no flexibility,” said the executive. “It’s very difficult for teams to make changes.”
We’ll find out if the talk — on and off the golf course — can lead to action.
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/12/07/toronto-maple-leafs-gm-dave-nonis-reportedly-working-the-phones-to-find-a-centre