TSN Hockey Insiders Bob McKenzie, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger gathered for the latest installment of Insider Trading and the topics discussed included the Buffalo Sabres general manager search, the resurfacing of former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson, Team Canadas captain and the Edmonton Oilers asking price for Sam Gagner. Who will become the new general manager of the Buffalo Sabres? McKenzie: The very clear front-runner and Pat LaFontaines first choice is Ottawa Senators assistant general manager, Tim Murray. As of Tuesday evening, no formal offer had been made to Murray and no contract negotiations have taken place as of yet. However, it is clear LaFontaine would like Murray to be the guy. In related news, Boston Bruins assistant general manager Jim Bennings window of permission to talk to the Sabres expired Tuesday. He is now out of the picture, there are also other finalists that have been told they are no longer part of the mix. Right now it is headed toward Tim Murray, but there is no formal offer or contract negotiations taking place just yet. Who will become the GM of the Calgary Flames? McKenzie: Brian Burke is getting set to commence his search, it is likely to be a slow and deliberate pace and it could be until the draft before Burke has picked a new GM. Burke has no intention of doing the job himself long-term, but he may fill the role for the balance of this season. There are several reasons for this, he will looking at many experienced candidates such as Joe Nieuwendyk and Darcy Regier, as well as up and comers like Mike Futa from the Los Angeles Kings and Brad Treliving of the Phoenix Coyotes. Due to the length of the Buffalo search, many teams granted their officials a window to interview and are not in position where they want to grant permission again and have their guys flapping in the breeze for another search. Therefore, this could drag out for quite some time. Ron Wilson walked away from hockey after being fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, is there a chance he may resurface? Dreger: Wilson basically disappeared after the disappointment with the Leafs in 2010, 2011, 2012. There is a chance he could return, he is discreetly putting word out there that his ready, waiting and willing to coach again. For some, he may be considered a long-shot and it is relatively quiet on the coaching front but aside from his coaching record with the Maple Leafs, he is considered to be a very good coach, as his record of 1,400 games would indicate. Who will be Team Canadas captain, it seems obvious with Sidney Crosby but Jonathan Toews has two Olympics appearances, two Stanley Cups and was terrific in the 2010 Games, is there a possibly a question there? LeBrun: Toews will be in his second Olympics and there is some argument, and how could there not be after everything Toews has accomplished, but the betting money is obviously on Sidney Crosby, the best player in the world. Whats interesting to me is the dynamic between Toews and Crosby, mutual admirations aside, I remember when Toews got a text from Crosby when Toews was named captain of Chicago, that meant a lot to him. I remember in September we asked top players who their top forward in the NHL was and most of them, of course, said Crosby but Toews said "and by 30 per cent its Sidney Crosby." So there is, I think, a special bond between those two guys and theyll both wear a letter in Sochi. We expect Crosby, Kunitz, Stamkos on the top line but if Stamkos isnt ready to go, do they have a list of top two replacements for him? Lebrun: They have some candidates, I think among those at the top is Claude Giroux, a big surprise omission from Team Canada, hes one of those strong candidates if he continues to play well. James Neal is another option, a great triggerman, a guy like Stamkos that could fill the net. Those are the top two guys. Is there an X-factor for Team Canada? LeBrun: Ralph Krueger, the former Switzerland national coach, talked to the Canadian national coaching staff and they cannot believe what impact hes had in his feedback for them on the big ice and international hockey. In fact, Kruger is going to meet with head coach Mike Babcock on the Detroit Red Wings upcoming western road trip. Hell update Canada again on what hes seen overseas. P.K. Subban is on Team Canada, how are his contract negotiations going with the Montreal Canadiens? McKenzie: Negotiations are ongoing, there is no real hard news to report there other than we know Dion Phaneuf signed a long-term deal with the Maple Leafs worth $7 million a year. P.K. Subbans asking price will be somewhere from $8 million to $9 million a year. I am sure the Canadiens will not be thrilled about that and I suspect its going to be tough sledding for some time to get this deal done. Dreger: We will also continue watch the speculation around the Edmonton Oilers and Sam Gagner, there is no question the Oilers would consider moving him. The expected rate of return would be a top-six forward, a top-four defenceman or a starting goalie. Cheap Fake NMD . Its the second straight year he has decided not to play as he cuts back his schedule. Stricker was replaced in the field by Ryo Ishikawa of Japan. Adidas NMD Clearance . Mako Vunipola was promoted from the reserves, with Matt Mullan called up to the bench on Thursday. "It is important that Joe is with his partner at this exciting time," England coach Stuart Lancaster said. http://www.cheapnmdonline.com/wholesale-...d-r1-china.html. The defeat leaves the 41-year-old Nestor to concentrate on the mixed-doubles event after winning 12 straight matches and winning Australian titles in Brisbane and Sydney with two different partners. "This was a little bit of a let down, but all credit to them," said Nestor. Fake NMD R1 For Sale . Clevelands manager had just watched his team lose 5-3 to Kansas City, which completed a 2-6 homestand and dropped the Indians 2 1/2 games behind Detroit in the AL Central. Adidas NMD Mens Clearance . "I just think what it does for everybody in life is real simple," said Babcock early on Friday afternoon. "You dont give in. You just keep on keeping on. Is it going to go your way every time? No. But you choose your attitude and how you perform and how hard you dig in." Nearly four years to the day of the 2010 gold medal match in Vancouver, his team dug in with its best effort of these Olympics, snuffing out the high-powered Americans for another opportunity at gold.PHILADELPHIA – Like the rest of his teammates, Carl Gunnarsson was doing what he could to remain positive after yet another loss, the seventh straight for the sinking Leafs, but it wasnt easy. The 27-year-old wants to believe that a turnaround is still possible, that his team can salvage the season, dig out from a deepening slide and claim a second straight playoff berth. But as time ticks down and the results continue to linger in the wrong direction, that belief is tested. "Its a struggle," he said in a near-empty visitors dressing room at Wells Fargo Center. "Ill tell you that. We thought we had something going here tonight." Whatever fight they mustered in a 4-2 loss to the Flyers didt matter by the time the night was through. It was just another empty loss, another opportunity to regain ground for not. "Overall, I didnt think that we had that bad of a night," said coach Randy Carlyle afterward, but we were on the wrong side of the score and thats what counts the most." Never more evident than at this late stage in the season, the difference between winning and losing remained painfully thin. And for the Leafs it was just enough for defeat. Two power-play goals against, a few too many odd-man rushes, a bad break or two and a key mistake at the wrong time. Claude Giroux was the benefactor of one such mistake that sealed defeat for the visitors. The Flyers captain picked off former teammate James van Riemsdyks neutral ice pass attempt - the puck ricocheted off the skate of Scott Hartnell - and zipped a bullet beyond the glove of Jonathan Bernier. "Right now every big scoring chance they get, I think it feels like its going in," said Bernier afterward. "When its not going your way, thats usually what happens." "I thought we played pretty good," he continued. "A few mistakes that end up being goals. From the last game, obviously, I think we played a lot better." But like their harrowing loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, one that saw them manhandled for half the game by the top team in the West, Fridays defeat in Philly counted all the same. It was just another loss at a critical point in the season. "We worked hard," Carlyle said. "Did we work smart enough in some areas? No." Any chance the Leafs have at resuscitation starts Saturday night in a massive showdown with the Detroit Red Wings. A victory reignites whatever belief and hope still lingers. They may have no hope of catching either the Montreal Canadiens or Tampa Bay Lightning, but sitting on near-equal ground with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Red Wings and Washington Capitals - all have 80 points, but with games in hand - a wild card position is still in play. "Obviously, this one, its going to be a tough one to swallow," Bernier said. "But, at the same time, we cant feel sorry for ourselves. [Saturday] is a big game and we all know that." Five Points 1. Carlyles Approach Carlyle has tried to push a few different buttons in midst of his teams recent slide. "Some days, it is a little bit more harsh. Some days, its a pat in the back. Some days its a hug," Carlyle said on Friday morning. "Whatever it is, whatever you feel is necessary. Nobody in life feels like coming to work and being ground into the dirt everyday and thats part of the process. Youve got to pick and choose when to apply pressure and when not to." As to his preferred approach of late, Carlyle said, "Its been more reality of the situation. Just showing and trying to get an understanding that were not that far away. But there are some areas that need to be addressed. Thats as simple as I can put it. Our compete level has to go up. We havent won enough one-on-one battles. Weve given up too many odd-man rushes and breakaways. Weve got to play better on the defensive side of the game." 2. Penalty Kill The Flyers scored twice on the power play, marking the 12th time this season that the Leaf penalty kill has given up two goals in a game this season. Vincent Lecavalier fired a laser for the first of two, a five-on-three goal that was not without some controversy. Jay McClement, taking the draw as Torontos lone forward, was thrown out of the face-off ciircle, charged with knocking the puck from the hand of linesman Michel Cormier.dddddddddddd Dion Phaneuf promptly stepped in and lost the first (and likely last) face-off of his career, Lecavalier blowing the one-timer by Bernier just three seconds later. "Thats not something that you want to happen," McClement said of the face-off incident. "I dont think [Cormier] wanted to do it either. But he explained to me that its black and white when I knocked it out of his hand." Scott Hartnell would add the second power-play marker, redirecting a Kimmo Timonen point shot just beyond the grasp of Bernier. The Toronto penalty kill remains third-worst in the NHL this season. 3. Bollands Comeback Dave Bolland scored for the third time this season in Philadelphia and the first time since his left ankle was sliced by the skate of Zack Kassian on November 2. The 27-year-old hasnt played more than 13 minutes since he returned from the injury and he was kept right in that region against the Flyers. "I just see that in some of the situations, hes struggled with the mobility," Carlyle said of Bolland before the 4-2 loss. "Its not sore, [but] it just doesnt have the strength there. Wre going to try to find a way to get him some more minutes. We know what kind of player he is." 4. The 18-Wheeler Luke Schenn was there in 2012 when the Leafs collapsed and knows all too well how quickly the pressure rises in Toronto. "Lose a couple in a row and everything magnifies that much more," he said. "You lose three in a row and people tend to get on you a little bit. All the fans and the media think that everythings falling apart. Thats just the way it is over there. "Its obviously a tough market to play in when things arent going the way you want them to, but its a great market when things are going well. Theres always adversity in Toronto. Its never going to change. Im sure those guys are going to get through it." Reflecting back to the infamous 18-wheeler skid two years earlier, Schenn couldnt put his finger on just what wrong. "There is no exact reason why. Its probably a combination of different things. Id have to go back and look. Obviously, youre probably getting off to some tough starts in games. Special teams probably werent as good as they need to be. At the end of the day - when I was there - it probably just came down to being outcompeted some nights. Obviously, you lose a couple in a row, confidence isnt always there. Thats just the way it goes. Youve got to find ways to get out of it." 5. Gardiner Offence Just ahead of a clash with the Flyers three weeks ago, Jake Gardiner revealed his disappointment with the offence hed put together to that point. "I dont think my point production has been that great this year,"he said. "Id like to improve on that." The 23-year-old scored a goal the next night in a 4-3 overtime win, rounding up nine points in the past 11 games, including a helper on Bollands seventh goal this season. "Ive tried to jump in the play a lot more and be an offensive threat from the blue line," he explained of his recent surge prior to the game. Gardiner has 26 points on the year. Stats-Pack 1-8-0 – Leafs record in the past nine games. 9 – Points in the last 11 games for Jake Gardiner. 3 – Goals by Dave Bolland in Philadelphia this season. 24:31 – Ice-time for James van Riemsdyk opposite his former team Friday, tied for the team-lead. 15 – Consecutive games without a point for David Clarkson, who has just 10 this season. 8 – Number of times the Leafs have allowed the first goal in the past nine games.4 – Seconds elapsed in the second period before van Riemsdyk scored the first Leafs goal. It was the fastest goal to start a period for the team this season. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-4Season: 20.6% (4th) PK: 2-4Season: 78.1% (28th) Quote of the Night "Overall, I didnt think that we had that bad of a night, but we were on the wrong side of the score and thats what counts the most." -Randy Carlyle, following a seventh straight loss in Philadelphia. Up Next The Leafs return home to host to the Red Wings on Saturday night. ' ' '
