Insider Trading: Growing List of Canadian Teams Interested in Adding a Defender – TSN.ca

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin will miss time with a neck injury and Jakob Chychrun returns to the ice – could a deal materialize for the Arizona Coyotes’ top trade chip? TSN Hockey Insiders Chris Johnston and Darren Dreger discuss this and more with host James Duthie.

James Duthie: Along with insiders Chris Johnston and Darren Dreger, losing to Arizona was bad enough for Toronto, but this is one of 82 games over; Jake Muzzin’s loss to a neck injury, given his history – much more concerning for the Leafs. How do you deal with that?

Chris Johnston: With extreme caution… I think it’s fair to say Jake Muzzin will be spending some time on the sidelines here – look, history is paramount here for the Leafs. He had two concussions in a month last year, he’s had a bunch of other injuries too and I think given that story the Leafs will be a little more diligent about that. Jake Muzzin had some tests on Tuesday and it’s expected it could be a few days, maybe even longer before they see how his body is reacting to his recovery from this recent illness, but remember James he missed out six weeks after a second concussion last season and I would expect a lot of caution to be had here again.

JD: I suppose caution is the word you might use when it comes to how Montreal is treating Juraj Slafkovsky for various reasons, just in his evolution into an NHL hockey player – how long he’s expected to be with the big club stay how long are we from a decision on where he plays the rest of the season?

Darren Dreger: It’s still a work in progress, and unfortunately for Juraj Slafkovsky, and perhaps for the management of the Montreal Canadiens, there’s a layer-by-layer analysis of his game in the NHL. It’s believed that Juraj Slafkovsky will likely be sent to the AHL, but first they want him to develop an NHL identity. That said, they want him to play more north-south, they want him to use that big body, be physical, they want a better awareness of what he’s doing when he’s not on the puck, so those are the qualities that they have try to convey at this point. Don’t be surprised if they put him in the press box for a game or two and let him watch – sometimes you grow into the pace of the game and they also face decisions because they have a lot of forwards up front but eventually he gets sent down .

JD: Winnipeg 1-1 without their head coach Rick Bowness, his battle with COVID came at an unfortunate time, when is he likely to be back behind the bench again?

CJ: Well, here’s some good news, there’s actually some hope that he might make his debut — at least his second time — with the Winnipeg Jets Wednesday in Denver. Now Rick Bowness must first pass the required tests so he can exit COVID protocol. He would fly into Denver on the day of the game, Wednesday morning, and possibly be behind the bench that night, and like you said, yes, it wasn’t a favorable or ideal start as the team held its ground and he’ll be back this week assuming all goes well.

JD: I think it’s fair to call the Coyotes’ win over the Maple Leafs somewhat shocking just because of their expectations this year and the Leafs’ expectations, although anything can happen in a regular season game, but maybe more so because they didn’t have Jacob Chychrun. When does he come back and join the Coyotes and start auditioning for other teams?

CJ: Well he’s going to do that now, he’s joining them on tour since they’re in Montreal and that’s a big step for him because as we all know we’ve been talking about it for the last year. He would welcome a change of scenery, but the feeling on the part of the Coyotes here is that he needs to play again, well before that trade can materialize. Remember he sustained an ankle injury at the end of last season, he had wrist surgery this summer off-season and he’s coming back from now and there were teams interested but those teams want to see him play before they do play pull the trigger for a deal.

DD: Look, there’s a growing list of Canadian teams looking for a defender — you know, Chychrun has high rents and demand is huge, so we’ll see if the likes of Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton or Vancouver will bend and pay that price, or they will look elsewhere. But I can tell you that these are the teams that are out there. If you’re looking at Montreal, you’re definitely looking for a right-hander; Check out Toronto, yes they are definitely looking for a right hander. Pittsburgh Penguins’ Pierre Olivier-Joseph is out there, I don’t associate him with Montreal or Toronto or any of the Canadian teams, but Pittsburgh have nine defensemen. He’s a young player, a first-round draft pick, so he might fit into one of those clubs.

JD: Tampa Bay Lightning Suspends Ian Cole After Anonymous Twitter Allegations, NHL Quickly Investigates and Reinstates Him; the Players’ Association wasn’t happy about that… how do you handle similar situations from here?

DD: As the PA confirmed in its statement over the weekend, there will be ongoing discussions with the NHL. That was tricky, precedent to some extent, and there are always concerns about competition. I mean what if this is a playoff game and this happens? Are you taking this player out of the lineup? Then the gambling world and how it applies to the NHL becomes more of a factor, so it’s going to be an interesting fall to see how these discussions between the PA and the league play out.