NHL Rumors: Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings, and the Toronto Maple Leafs

The Columbus Blue Jackets have at least one GM candidate

Dennis Bernstein: Marc Bergevin is in the running for the Columbus Blue Jackets GM position. Bergevin is currently with the Los Angeles Kings as a Senior Advisor to GM Rob Blake.

The Los Angeles Kings and Matt Roy aren’t talking yet

Dennis Bernstein: There have been no contract extension talks yet between the Los Angeles Kings and pending UFA defenseman Matt Roy. Talks are expected to happen before free agency opens.

NHL Rumors: Coaching – Maple Leafs, Devils, Kings, Jets, and the Sharks

Will the Toronto Maple Leafs have a new team captain next season?

Sportsnet: Luke Fox when asked on the Kyper and Bourne show if John Tavares will be the Toronto Maple Leafs captain next year or will the “C” be passed on.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Kypreos: Regardless if they go to John Tavares to lift his no-move this summer or not, do you fully expect that, in his last year of his deal, a transition to Captaincy, do you expect him not to be the captain next year even if he returns?”

Fox: “I expect that to be a conversation. Yeah, I’m not, I’m not so sure, I’m not certain it’s going to go one way or the other. But I actually think, you know what, in being around John, these last couple years, he often defers to Austin Matthews. Like he’s one of the best players in the world. He’s the engine that drives our team.

So he’s a smart guy. I think he knows that he’s no longer the, the alpha dog. And I gotta give some props to him. I love the fact that he’s dressing up for Hockey Canada you know it and going over there he’s, he’s fighting this. You know, he’s fighting Father Time.

I think deep in his mind, he’s like, maybe I can make the fourth line of, of Team Canada and the fourth Four Nations Cup. I think he’s that driven. Now whether that’s realistic, that’s up for debate, but he is not going to go down without a fight.

NHL Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators, and the Philadelphia Flyers

But in terms of the captaincy, I think there’s a way that this could be a smoother transition than some people realize because I think Tavares is already conceded that he’s not the main guy here anymore.”