Patrick Kane may well win the Hart Trophy this season, and he has a nine-point cushion over Jamie Benn in the Art Ross race.
Oh… and someone quite familiar with his game feels the Chicago Blackhawks winger may not yet have realized his full potential on the ice.
“I still think there’s another level he can go,” said Minnesota Wild interim coach John Torchetti, who was an assistant coach with the Blackhawks from 2007-10. “He’s a great person to work with in the game because he’s a sponge and wants to get better every day.”
Source: Graff/ Pioneer Press
******
31-year-old Frans Nielsen has been with the New York Islanders for his entire professional career, and despite the fact that he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer, he’s not looking to change jerseys.
“I just feel that I’ve been through this rebuild with all these guys and we finally have a team here,” Nielsen said. “For me, my first choice is to stay here and to keep building this team toward a Stanley Cup. You don’t know what’s out there, you don’t know what teams have interest. Do you want to go through another rebuild?
“So there is a lot of stuff like that. I feel like I’m in a good spot here, we have a good team and hopefully we can work it out here. That, for sure, would be my first choice.”
Source: Cyrgalis/ Post
******
Joe Colborne will be a restricted free agent headed into the off-season, and the Calgary-born forward is hoping his success this season hasn’t priced himself out of the market in which he’d love to stay.
“I hope there’s a way to get everyone signed here,” said Colborne. “Obviously Mony and Johnny are the big ones we’ve got to take care of first, and I completely understand that. But this is my hometown and this has been a dream come true for me and I don’t want it to end for a long time.”
Source: Francis/ Sportsnet
******
Eric Staal penned a thank-you letter to Carolina Hurricanes fans, which he also included an emphasis on how important the community was in his decision to stay in the area for so many years.
“Eventually, every time I went out on the town people would recognize me, whether we were at dinner or taking my kids to the park,” wrote Staal. “That’s something that seemed kind of unimaginable when I first joined the organization. It was never difficult to play hard for the fans in North Carolina. There’s a certain warmth to the people, something very welcoming. Even someone you’ve never met before will treat you like an old friend. When you’re around good people, you become a better person. That’s a big reason why I stayed with this team as long as I did. That environment is what I wanted for myself and what I wanted for my family.”
Source: Staal/ The Players’ Tribune
******
THIS DATE IN 1993: Winnipeg rookie Teemu Selanne became first NHL player to score 20 goals in one calendar month. pic.twitter.com/MsIePbdzDu
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 30, 2016
******
Anthony Duclair has made a positive impression in his rookie campaign, but there are certainly still areas in which the youngster needs to make strides.
“It’s his thought process to play without the puck,” Arizona Coyotes coach Dave Tippett described. “It’s positioning, going to the right places and working to get to the right places without the puck. When he gets the puck, he can do things. When he doesn’t have it, he’s just waiting for it to come back to him again. You know, there’s a part in there where you’ve actually got to do something.”
Source: McManman/ azcentral
******
Paul Bissonnette has been plying his trade in the AHL for the Los Angeles Kings’ farm team, and he detailed some of the depression through which he went in the journey to this point.
He also explained why his social media presence has changed.
ESPN.com: You eventually got a professional tryout with the Arizona Coyotes’ AHL team in Portland. How difficult was it when that didn’t work out?
Bissonnette: When I got cut, that feeling of depression came back instantly. I felt I needed to act now. I think my agent called a few other teams and could have got a PTO somewhere else for more money. I just called [Kings VP of hockey operations Mike] Futa and handled it myself. At that point, another $10,000-$15,000 meant nothing to me. I needed something now. [Kings general manager] Dean [Lombardi] said, ‘Absolutely, just tell him to stay the f— off Twitter.’ I said, ‘Deal.’
ESPN.com: No Twitter?
Bissonnette: This organization is not big on it. I don’t want to ruffle feathers, especially after what they’ve done for me. They’ve given me a second lease on my career. I’ll do whatever they want.
Source: Pinchevsky/ ESPN
******
Nichols’ Notes runs weekdays, linking you to stories of interest from around the NHL.
The post Nichols’ Notes: Torchetti thinks Kane still has ‘another level’ appeared first on Todays SlapShot.