Friedman: Kyle Dubas staying in Toronto
This is a confusing situation that apparently involved the permission from the Maple Leafs that allowed Kyle Dubas to speak with the Avalanche later being revoked.
From Friedman on The Fan 960:
This is a weird story. There have been a lot of twists and turns here. First of all, I think it’s over. That whatever window was there since I reported it… one of the things I said on Tuesday when I mentioned it is I’m not exactly sure when it [was]. Sometimes when you actually go to air with something or write something it brings even more clarity, and that’s the case here. I believe the window is closed. I don’t think he’ll be going, and I believe that Toronto closed the window — that initially they were willing to let him go, and then they weren’t. I think that’s kind of where it stands here.
It’s an interesting situation. There was some pushback from Colorado at the beginning, saying that it wasn’t accurate and it didn’t happen. I think that it’s possible that there were people in Colorado who didn’t know that it had happened, but there was definitely contact. There was permission given. For whatever reason – and only Toronto knows, and you’ve got a better chance of getting the nuclear codes probably than this information out of Toronto – I think Toronto revoked permission and I don’t think he’s going.
It was a strange story. The one thing I really like about covering this league is that if you have something, most people won’t flat out lie to you. They’ll say either, “You’re halfway there and I’d better make sure you get this right,” or they’ll say, “You know what, I’m just not going to talk about it.” This one — it wasn’t as if anyone was lying. It was more like, “Yeah, we’re not going to touch this one.” And I was like, “What’s going on here?”
It’s just a really weird story. I think nobody really knew 100% where it stood, and the best guess I could give you as we speak at 8:00 a.m. today is that I believe that Toronto has closed the window and he’s not going.
In any event, sounds like Dubas is staying put.
Jesper Lindgren headed to Liiga
#Leafs prospect Jesper Lindgren signed a 2-year contract with HPK in the Finnish Liiga today. Will be a key defenseman. @LeafsNews
— Marco Bombino (@marco_bombino) May 26, 2017
A fourth-round selection in 2015, Lindgren spent the two seasons since the Leafs drafted him playing second-tier Swedish hockey with MODO, tallying 24 points in 50 games this past season. He joined the Marlies on an ATO to end the year but didn’t feature in game action.
Lindgren’s new team, HPK, lost out in the quarterfinals in the Liiga playoffs in 2016-17.
As a 2015 pick out of Europe, the Leafs retain Lindgren’s rights until 2019.
Leafs Links
Maple Leafs to host rookie tournament at Ricoh Coliseum (Toronto Sun)
The rookies are coming to Ricoh. The Maple Leafs will play host to its annual rookie tournament Sept 8-10, the club announced on Wednesday, with games being played at Ricoh Coliseum. The event will include teams of prospects representing the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens. Rosters will be announced at a later date. The Leafs and Canadiens will play on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m.; the Canadiens and Senators meet on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m.; and the Leafs and Senators will square off on Sept. 10 at 4 p.m.
Maple Leafs know their second round pick position for the 2017 Draft (PPP)
The Toronto Maple Leafs have one second round pick in the upcoming draft, and they got it in the Dion Phaneuf trade. We now know that the Ottawa Senators will have a draft ranking of 28, with the Ducks, the other conference final loser, picking at 29. This means the Leafs’ second round pick is number 59. So what do you get at 59? Last year St. Louis took goalie prospect Evan Fitzpatrick. The year before that, Anaheim took Julius Nättinen, who currently has four points in three games for Windsor in the Memorial Cup. He was their sixth highest in points this season.
Senators fight valiantly but just can’t find last push in Game 7 (Sportsnet)
Dion Phaneuf spoke through a voice hoarse with emotion as he wished a few familiar faces a good summer. It will likely be too painful for anyone associated with the Senators to watch. “Do you have two hours?” said Ottawa coach Guy Boucher, when asked about his group. “That’s how long it would take to talk about everybody and everything that these guys have had to go through and endure – a lot of the stuff that is known and some stuff that is not. “It’s beyond pride, to be honest with you. It’s a lot more than hockey this year.”
