Leiweke: Leafs will learn from Game 7 collapse

Tim Leiweke.

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LEIWEKE: LEAFS WILL LEARN FROM GAME 7 COLLAPSE

The Toronto Sun illustrates how Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment’s president and CEO Tim Leiweke views the Leafs’ Game 7 collapse against the Boston Bruins for this Cup-starved franchise.

“You go through that last game and it either makes or breaks an organization,” Leiweke said Tuesday. “I’ve seen games like that. I remember the Portland Trail Blazers when they had a collapse against the Lakers (a 2000 conference final where Portland coughed up a 15-point lead in Game 7 in less than 10 minutes). They were never the same team after that and it still hangs over their head.

“(But) this is going to make us. That (Boston breakdown) will be the image, the impression and the moment that we ingrain within everybody in the organization now to make sure we grow from that and we learn our lesson.

“If that’s what we do, it’s the best lesson we can ever go through.”

ERIC STAAL: EDLER’S HIT WASN’T CLEAN

The Raleigh News & Observer recalls how Canes forward Eric Staal suffered a third-degree sprain of the right medial collateral ligament (MCL) last month while playing for Canada in the IIHF World Championships in Stockholm. He took a knee-on-knee hit from defenseman Alex Edler of Sweden, who later was suspended for the remainder of the event.

Staal reiterated Tuesday he fully expects to be ready for training camp.

Of the Edler hit, Staal said, “To be honest, I’m unsure of what he was trying to do. I wouldn’t classify it as a clean hit. I don’t know what his intentions were. In the replay, it wasn’t a smart hit. My knee was extended and he runs right into it.

“No, I don’t think it’s clean hit. I don’t know if he intentionally meant it as a dirty hit, but it looks as though that’s what it is. Whether his intentions were to injure me on the play, obviously no one likes to think anyone tries to purposely tries to do that. But it was not a clean hit, no.”

MODANO LOOKING FORWARD TO JERSEY RETIREMENT

Dallas Stars Inside Edge has reaction from the news that Mike Modano’s No. 9 will be retired next year.

Modano offered this Tuesday night: “I think it was between Detroit and Minnesota and it just happened to be Minnesota, which I think is just as good as against the Wings. It started there.  I have obviously a lot of fond memories of my time there, but it’s something that we talked about toward the end of the season and then in the summer, when we could secure a date, specifically something after the Olympics, when everybody gets back, once things settle down from the Olympic Games and try to pick a date. So, it’s something on the calendar now, looking forward to it.”

Stars President and CEO Jim Lites: “He’s a Dallas Star. He’s the first guy whose jersey is being retired because of what he did because of what he did as a Dallas Star. People have asked me if there others that might come from that team that won the Stanley Cup and I think the answer to that question is maybe. Mike Modano has never been a maybe. It’s just been a question of when.”

NHL TEAMS WATCHING COMPLIANCE BUYOUT LANDSCAPE

The Toronto Star observes that the compliance buyout offers a way for some teams to get under the salary cap (it drops to $64.3 million next season from $70.2 million) and offers other teams a chance to get out of bad long-term deals without any consequences toward the salary cap.

All NHL teams will be closely monitoring the situation this summer.

“We all speculate and say this guy is an automatic buyout,” said Tampa GM Steve Yzerman. “But teams don’t share that information; you don’t know their financial situation, what they’re doing with trades, or guys in the minors, what they’re planning to spend.

“I’m very interested in seeing what happens. It could be very interesting, or it could be very anti-climatic.”

YZERMAN SEES POSITIVES IN BISHOP’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Tampa Bay Times observes how Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop had a disappointing world championship tournament and lost his starting job.

Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said it should be viewed as part of a maturation process.

“You can take a positive approach to every situation you go to and learn from it and benefit from it,” Yzerman said. “It’s good for him. He hasn’t played a ton and the more things you can experience — obviously, we all hope things go well — but you can learn a lot when they don’t go as well and be better for it.”

The plan is for Bishop and Anders Lindback to share net duties for the Lightning next season.

“The biggest thing for goaltenders is mental toughness and the ability to come back the next night regardless of what happened the previous night,” Yzerman said. “That comes with time. Play a lot and you learn to deal with situations good or bad. Any of these experiences help a lot.”

REPORT: STREIT, ISLES PARTING WAYS

Two sources already have told Newsday that Islanders’ captain Mark Streit, a pending unrestricted free agent July 5, will not return to the team next season.

According to a source, the Islanders offered Streit a three-year deal worth about $5 million a season, but Streit is looking for north of $5.5 million per season.

Also from Newsday: Brad Boyes is unlikely to return to the Isles, according to the same sources. Boyes is looking for a longer-term deal than the one-year pact he signed to come to the Isles. Talks are ongoing, but it appears Boyes will reach the open market.

The last of the Isles’ potential unrestricted free agents, goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, is likely to sign before July 5. Both the Islanders and Nabokov are willing to agree on a one-year deal, according to sources, and the money is not believed to be an issue.

NO CONTRACT UPDATE FOR CAPITALS’ RIBEIRO

CSNWashington.com breaks out the expected salary chart for the Capitals next season and projects that it may be difficult for the team to re-sign center Mike Ribeiro.

In an email sent to CSNWashington.com on Tuesday Riberio’s agent, Don Meehan, said “There really aren’t any updates” on contract talks involving the Capitals and the 33-year-old center, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 5.

Ribeiro said after the Capitals were eliminated from the playoffs he enjoyed playing in Washington and would listen to what the Capitals had to offer. Back then, Caps general manager George McPhee expressed an interest in re-signing Ribeiro, saying, “We’ll get to work on it and see what develops.”

WHAT THEY’RE TWEETING ABOUT

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