Hockey Hearsay

Hockey Hearsay runs weekdays, 12 months a year; mixing NHL stories, quotes and fantasy takes.

The Toronto Star writes that for former Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin, retirement has literally been a breath of fresh air.

Instead of the constant worrying, the sick feeling in his stomach before each game and the endless hours of mental and physical preparation, Sundin now spends his days fishing, and hunting — or simply “doing nothing” with his wife Josephine back home in Sweden.

“It’s so nice to be able to control your own days,” Sundin, 40, said Thursday while back in Toronto doing some community work for the Leafs. “I still work out a few times each week but it’s nice to know that you don’t have to do things every day.

“It’s nice to get away from the physical and mental drain that it is being a professional hockey player. ... It’s so nice not to have that knot in your stomach on the afternoon before each game. ... My body feels great. I feel better mentally.

“But at the same time, it’s almost impossible to recreate the feeling and atmosphere anywhere else in life that you get from that moment on the ice for the start of a game.”

On Thursday, Sundin participated in some exercises and talked about the importance of living an active life to students at James S. Bell Junior Middle School in Toronto’s west end as part of the Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Shape Up Program.

On Friday, No. 13 will be a guest instructor at a skating clinic at Angela James Arena, formerly known as Flemingdon Arena. Students from grades 5 to 7 from local schools near the newly refurbished arena will receive tips from one of the smoothest skaters ever to play the game.

On Saturday, Sundin will attend the Leafs’ game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It will the first time he has been back at the Air Canada Centre since he returned as a member of the Vancouver Canucks in 2009 (he was named the first star in a 3-2 Canucks win). He retired at the end of that season.

The Star points out that although Sundin is doing some community work for the Leafs this week, he has no formal role with his former club. But it’s something he would be interested in for the future if the Leafs want him.

“I spent the best years of my career here. Every time I come to Toronto, it still feels like home,” Sundin said. “When you retire, you have time to reflect upon your career and just how important the Leaf organization and the city of Toronto were to me. They gave me so much.

“I hope to have a great relationship with the Leafs for the rest of my life. I’d be happy to do whatever is needed in the future in whatever role.”

The Winnipeg Free Press believes that Evander Kane has rock-solid hockey representation in Newport Sports Management, but his relationship with a so-called business manager is getting him into a little trouble these days.

On Wednesday, Jeffrey Uppal stoked trade rumours involving Kane with his Twitter account, and now the Free Press has learned he's been representing the player with Winnipeg businesses.

Uppal is in no way associated with Newport but is CEO of UKD Inc., a company that lists Kane as vice-president.

Whether Kane is aware of Uppal's efforts is unclear, but a number of Winnipeg restaurants have been approached requesting a fee of $500 for positive promotional tweets from Kane's Twitter account.

The Free Press opines that Kane is certainly free to make whatever efforts he wishes in order to make a living. Endorsements are part of the modernday athlete's life and there's no negative judgment being made about Kane trying to earn a buck.

But this small-time stuff smacks of Turtle trying to get over due to Vince's fame on HBO's Entourage. Winnipeg certainly isn't Hollywood, and rolling like a movie star on the Prairies can lead to trouble.

Such as the firestorm Kane was forced to deal with on Thursday following the Jets' morning skate in Philadelphia.

The player stepped off the ice and immediately was hit with questions regarding a demand for a trade.

"No, I have not (asked for a trade). I guess people on social media come up with rumours," said Kane, referring to the Twitter and blog talk that had him asking for a move. Kane couldn't shed any light on Uppal's Twitter exchange with a member of the media stating he could shed light on the topic of a trade request.

"I can't speak for anybody but myself. The story started on some blog. I haven't even read it. I don't know what to think. I haven't asked for a trade and I'm happy where I am and I expect to be here for a long time," said Kane, who scored his second goal of the season Thursday night.

Kane also had to defend his relationship with head coach Claude Noel.

"I have the same relationship with Claude as the rest of the guys in the room do. I've been getting better, and the last two games have been much better," Kane said. "Rumours are rumours, and unless you hear it from the horse's mouth, it's not true."

Uppal did not respond to phone and email messages left by the Free Press.

The article continues that Kane has just started to look good on a line with Alexander Burmistrov and Nik Antropov. He can skate, he's powerful and fearless. He exudes the confidence needed to score goals in the NHL. He's a star in the making.

But to date he's not above reproach. So the after-parties bearing his name and entourage antics feel a little premature.

Vince had to put Johnny Drama and Turtle back in the cage every once in a while, and maybe Kane needs to do the same.

Mika Zibanejad will be missedm according to The Ottawa Sun.

Particularly by his pal, David Rundblad.

The two Swedes were inseparable before the Senators decided Zibanejad would be better off with another season in the Elite League back home before embarking on what should be a long and fruitful NHL career.

“We shared a (hotel) room for 1½ months,” Rundblad said of time that was mostly spent on PlayStation. “Yeah, I will (miss him) a little bit. But all the guys on the team are really nice, so I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”

Except when Rundblad’s driving around town, perhaps. He was a chauffeur for the 18-year-old, licence-less Zibanejad, who Rundblad says was at least a good navigator.

Rundblad, whose huge play at the Florida blue line led to Nick Foligno’s winning goal, doesn’t need a Georges St. Pierre as a friend now as much as he could use a GPS.

Recently turned 21 and once a candidate for Binghamton, Rundblad isn’t going anywhere fast.

"David has worked on his defensive game and hes been a real good player for us." coach Paul MacLean said. “If he continues to improve and play the way he’s playing, there’s really no reason to make any change to his status.”

That also means the Senators, who already have a capable Brian Lee as a spare blueliner, are going to be anxious to make a trade as soon as Matt Carkner returns from injury.

The way Filip Kuba and Sergei Gonchar have performed of late has surely caught the attention of other teams.

The Montreal Gazette says here's the good news: Eric Cole is beginning to look like the Canadiens' prize free-agent signing.

Here's the better news: The veteran right-winger said: "I still believe that I have more to give and hopefully I'll get better and better."

Cole has points in each of the last three games and his second-period goal erased a 1-0 Boston lead as the Canadiens went on to edge the Boston Bruins 2-1 Thursday night at the TD Garden. The loss left the defending Stanley Cup champions in last place in the Eastern Conference.

"It's slowly getting there," said Cole, who has had six shots on goal in each of the last two games. "It's been almost a month into the regular season and I feel like I'm gaining some confidence, but I go home every night and look at my shifts and see where I can do better."

Cole shared the credit for his goal with defenceman Jaroslav Spacek, who picked up an assist on the play, and Mathieu Darche, who helped make it possible by getting in front of goaltender Tim Thomas.

"The puck was just out of (Spacek's) reach, but he took a glance over his shoulder as he went after it on the wall," Cole said. "I had yelled to him when he went for it the first time so he knew my whereabouts. He took a good shot right along the ice and I was able to get my stick on it, and Darchey did a great job in front."

The Columbus Dispatch notes that Blue Jackets center Jeff Carter missed his fifth straight game last night because of a broken right foot. Unless there’s a dramatic change, Carter will miss both games this weekend, too.

“It’s too painful for him to put on a skate,” general manager Scott Howson said. “He hasn’t skated now for a while. So it’s going to take a bit of time when the pain does subside, but that’s the first hurdle that must be cleared.”

Carter hasn’t played since Oct. 15. He blocked three shots that night against Dallas, one of which struck his skate and left a hairline fracture atop his foot. Despite a history of foot injuries, Carter will be allowed to decide if he wants to wear a protective device over his skates when he returns, Howson said.

Made of either hard plastic or graphite, the protective covers rest atop the laces and are strapped on the boot with velcro. Others are custom-made and held in place with the laces. More and more players around the NHL are opting for them, and at least one organization, Montreal, requires its minor-league players to wear them.

Carter’s foot problems began in 2010. He missed eight games late in the season because of a broken left foot, then had surgery after the Stanley Cup playoffs to stabilize a broken bone in his right foot. A different bone is cracked now.

After not starting a game since last season, The New York Post observes that the Islanders elected to throw Rick DiPietro into the fire last night.

The goalie, who sat on the bench all night backing up starter Evgeni Nabokov, entered a game that was tied 2-2 going into a shootout.

DiPietro allowed the lone goal to Evgeni Malkin, which gave the Penguins a 3-2 victory in Pittsburgh.

"I'm always ready," DiPietro told reporters. "That's what they pay me to do, right?"

DiPietro, who has been plagued with knee and hip injuries, suffered a concussion two weeks ago after being hit in the mask by a teammate's shot in practice. He had been skating with the team, and had dressed as the backup goalie to Nabokov for Tuesday night's contest, also against the Penguins.

Nabokov started the Islanders' previous three games, losing them all, though he played well in each, including a 30-save effort last night, and the decision to pull him in favor of DiPietro appeared to be a questionable call.

After the game, Islanders coach Jack Capuano explained why he made the seemingly bizarre move.

"[Nabokov] was fatigued, and he wasn't feeling well, so I had to put [DiPietro] in," Capuano told reporters.

DiPietro, not known for his durability, has played a combined 39 games over the last three seasons. He replaced Nabokov, who had started at least 62 games in each of his previous three full seasons in the NHL.

"After the first period, I was getting fatigued. [Capuano] knew about it, and he pulled the trigger," Nabokov said. "Sometimes you have to be smart and make those decisions. It's a long season and I think that's why he made that move."

In the shootout, the Penguins' first shooter, Kris Letang, was stopped by DiPietro. Malkin, the second shooter, scored a back-hander after multiple dekes. James Neal, who shot third, missed the net. All three Islanders shooters -- Frans Nielsen, P.A. Parenteau and John Tavares -- failed to score.

"If one guy couldn't go, I have all the faith in Ricky, he was great and actually almost had Malkin there. Obviously if you don't score in the shootout, you aren't going to win," Capuano said.

Despite logging zero minutes of ice time, DiPietro was credited with the loss. It was his first action in a regular-season game since April 9 in which he allowed six goals in a 7-4 loss to the Flyers.

The San Jose Mercury News relays that the Sharks resume their rivalry with the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena on Friday from a different vantage point than in years past.

For one thing, San Jose has won its last three regular-season games in the aging building after coming out ahead only four times in 34 previous appearances. For another, the Sharks have eliminated their longtime nemesis from the playoffs each of the past two years.

But, coach Todd McLellan advised Thursday, any carry-over confidence from that recent success is a dangerous thing.

McLellan points out that the Sharks didn't exactly dominate the Red Wings by beating them in five- and seven-game series.

"We've been lucky enough to come through those two series, but in both of them, it's such a fine line. You're splitting hairs," he said. "I don't think we can be any more confident because of the playoff series, not at all."

Still, the sands have shifted over the past three seasons.

Before that, the Sharks had one moment of glory against Detroit, when they upset the President's Trophy-winners in the opening round of the 1994 playoffs. Other than that, the competition was one-sided with San Jose winning only 16 times in 63 games, and Detroit winning their playoff clashes in 1995 and 2007.

In June 2008, however, the Sharks hired then-Detroit assistant McLellan as their coach. Since then the Sharks are 6-6 against the Red Wings in the regular season in addition to those playoff wins.

The Mercury News points out that McLellan obviously brought insights into Detroit coach Mike Babcock's system with him. But both men say whatever initial advantage that might have given McLellan means less now.

"I'm sure there's things that he took from here that he does, and I'm sure there's things that he doesn't do anymore," Babcock said. "It's evolved. In four years, things have got to change a lot for us, for them. That's just the way it is or else you're not winning any games."

McLellan said that although he and Babcock might believe in the same principles and use the same terminology, "there's a lot of new wrinkles, a lot of changes that have happened. If we look back at our time together, if either of us had remained at that spot four years ago, we'd both be in trouble."

Even so, at least one Red Wing says it can be like looking in the mirror when Detroit faces San Jose.

"I think there's a lot of similarities in the way we play, and sometimes it's almost an intrasquad game," Detroit left wing Henrik Zetterberg said. "It's almost like a chess match, but you know what the other team is going to do."

Babcock tried to keep things in perspective.

"We've had two good series with San Jose, and they've eliminated us from the playoffs two years in a row," he said. "You can't make up for that by winning a game in regular season, but it'll sure make you feel better."

Andrew Brunette didn't expect to set the league on fire in the early going with the Blackhawks, according to The Chicago Tribune.

The veteran winger knew it would be a work in progress playing on a new team with new linemates Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp.

"It's still in the process of adjusting and finding your spot and your role and feeling comfortable," said Brunette, who has two goals in the first eight games, both on the power play. "I'm the type of player where it doesn't come right away. It always takes a little bit. It's kind of what I expected.

"The last few games playing with Jonathan and Patrick, we've been getting better. We've created a little more offense and a little more offensive zone time. It's getting there."

Brunette, who signed a one-year contract with the Hawks on July 1, said he's still learning the nuances of his linemates, especially Toews.

"It's more about me," Brunette, 38, said. "Sometimes we bump into each other a little bit. We like the same areas on the ice. We're both pretty strong one-on-one, and a lot of times we get a little too close and kind of cut the ice off from one another."

Coach Joel Quenneville said it's just a matter of time until Brunette clicks offensively.

"He's got some experience, he knows the league (and) he knows his game," Quenneville said. "We expect him to improve as he's going along."

JD: "Hey Chris, 8 Team 1 year league, standard scoring with PIM and PPP. 2C, 2L 2R, 4D, 4BN, 2G

See lots of questions on struggling teams, I'm running into an opposite problem, I'm in 1st place with a hefty lead, and left wondering if this is going to last, and if I should look into moving from a position of strength while some players value is high. Anyone from this list you don't buy as a season-long producer and who are some names you'd look to move them for?

C- Backstrom, Tavares LW- Ryan, Clowe(LW/RW) RW- Perry, Briere (C/RW) D- Chara, Letang,Pietrangelo,Enstrom G- Miller, Vokoun BN- Selanne, Thornton, JVR, Ward

Thanks."

Chris: Eight-team league rosters tend to look stronger than they really are, since relatively-speaking everyone has a pretty decent squad. That said, you do have a pretty strong group of guys who are mostly off to solid starts. JVR, who will be fine, is maybe the only one from that list who I could likely see being traded out at some point (nice night Thursday) simply because your FA pool is probably pretty deep.

You just did a nice job at the draft and, assuming this is roto, you can just look to build that lead night after night. H2H leagues are a bit of a crapshoot on a week-to-week basis and then the playoffs are a whole other thing, but that's one reason why people enjoy them. It's more like the struggles of a real team over the course of a season.

I wouldn't say you have no worries here, but the team is good.

Jack in Derry, NH: "Hello Chris, Great columns, I always enjoy reading them over lunch.

I have pretty solid Defence crew except for one member not performing up to expectations: Goligoski. Some of the FAs available to me are: Quincey, Pietrangelo, Carle, Shattenkirk, Timonen, E.Johnson and Potter.

We use the normal stats: G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP and SOG. After a month of skating and three (3!!) points to show for it, I am almost of out patience with Goli. Quincey's solid play and PIMs look good but I am also liking Potter's game with the Lottery Line with PPPs. Am I crazy to hold on or is it time to make the swap?

Thank you and have a good weekend."

Chris: You too Jack, thanks for reading. Potter has looked really good and Quincey is fine, but realistically if you're looking for the long run I can't advise either of them over Goligoski. I think the Dallas defender will be fine, but, IMO, you have equally as strong options over the course of the season in Erik Johnson (don't love the +/- now though, but I'm not too worried overall) or Alex Pietrangelo/ Kevin Shattenkirk. Carle has more chances with Pronger out, but I'm trying to look at this over the course of the season.

The only other thing I'd add here is that your league is fairly shallow from the perspective of having so many quality FA D available, so there's some reason to chase after the hotter guys and not worry about months down the line. Personally though, I'd rather choose a guy and stick with him. If you don't, then you're trying to chase those point streaks and more often than not you'll end up leaving points on the bench or FA pool night after night and drive yourself crazy in the process.

Frank from Ottawa: Hi Chris, Love your column. Your insight into line combos and projections are a must read.

Points only league with golies awarded 2 points for win, 1 for so. We are allowed 2 goalies (my other pick is Fleury) and historically the goalies have to get you 70-80 points each to have a change of winning. I have always followed your advise to take the goalies in the early rounds and as a result I have won. This time I thought I could steal a sleeper and I'm beginning to regret it. Do you think Mason can get me close to 70-80 points? or should I use 1 of 3 trades that we are allowed (rather save trades for injuries.) Available Backstrom, Mike Smith, Varlamov, Reimer, Theodore, Rask, Khabibulin, Elliott, Hedburg, Schneider and Nabokov. Thanks."

Chris: Thanks Frank, I appreciate it.

I actually don't necessarily recommend drafting goalies early (I prefer middle rounds so I can load up on offence), but if you do you can normally feel pretty safe in those categories all year with the Lundqvists and Thomas's of the world.

In your specific situation of only having three trades all season, I think you have little choice but to stick with Mason for now. Three reasons for that...

1) You really need to bank those trades for injury insurance.

2) Mason's peripheral stats don't matter at all and Columbus can be better with Wisniewski finally back in the line-up and hopefully having Carter back in the next few weeks

3) In terms of wins and shutouts, there really isn't a guy on that list that's a guaranteed "yeah, he'll clearly do significantly more for you than Mason will". There's some potential there, to be sure. Were limited trades not an issue, I'd tell you to drop Mason in a second. But you are where you are... so I'd stand pat for now.

John in Chitown: Hi Chris. First, thanks for the heads-up on injuries or possible injuries in your nightly recaps. I know you did some of that in the past, but it seems like you're doing even more of it this season.

Could you rank the following d-men for one-year leagues with standard Yahoo cats: Carle, Seidenberg, I. White? Please rank all three as I'm faced with dropping Seidenberg or White in one league and one of the three in another. Yes, I picked some of the same depth d-men across multiple leagues late in my drafts. Thanks."

Chris: I do what I can with injury notes John. It's easier to do on lighter game nights, obviously, but I try to at least lay down a warning flare where possible.

In terms of the D in the long run, I think we're looking at White with the No. 1 slot and Carle/ Seidenberg basically tied for second... maybe giving Carle a slight edge now with Pronger out and Carle having more PP looks as a result.

­Chris Nichols is Sportsnet.ca's fantasy hockey writer.