Marner also in good company

For Matthews, the number probably lies somewhere between Connor McDavid’s eight-year $100 million contract and Jack Eichel’s eightyear, $80 million deal. And as long as Marner continues to produce at an elite level, there isn’t a reason why he shouldn’t be demanding the same.

It’s the time of year when teams start signing players out of U.S. colleges for a twoweek tryout. But while the Sabres (Casey Mittelstadt) and the Blackhawks (Dylan Sikura) have nothing to lose in giving up a roster spot to a kid straight out of college, it’s a different scenario for the ninth-place Panthers, who expect 20-year-old Henrik Borgstrom to make his NHL debut on Thursday.

“We feel that he’s ready to be a good pro — not just a pro,” head coach Bob Boughner said of the first-round pick in 2016, who had 52 points in 40 games for the University of Denver. “I think if anything, it’s going to help us. It’s going to inject some youth and enthusiasm and fresh legs into our lineup at this time of year.”

Florida’s Aaron Ekblad is tied for second among defencemen with 15 goals. He said a big reason for his offensive success this season occurred in the summer when he sought out the skills/skating coach who has been working with Connor McDavid, Taylor Hall and Mathew Barzal.

Ekblad, who was one of the few defencemen at the Power Edge Pro camp, not only improved his speed, footwork and stickhandling, but he also learned how to counter some of the deception-type techniques that the top forwards all use. “With all the guys I saw at that camp in the summer, when I play against them I notice them using it,” he said. “The defensive game is extremely difficult these days. It’s all about knowing what’s coming.”

No GM has a perfect trade record, but Peter Chiarelli’s looks particularly bad right now. Three of the NHL’s top 10 scorers (Blake Wheeler, Phil Kessel and Taylor Hall) are players he traded during his time in Boston and Edmonton, while Tyler Seguin is ranked 22nd and Islanders forward Jordan Eberle has 22 more points than the Oilers’ Ryan Strome. In other words, this might be a bad time to consider moving Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

I don’t know what’s more surprising: that the Devils are in a playoff spot or that it’s backup goalie Keith Kinkaid — not Cory Schneider — leading the charge. While Kinkaid has won his last three starts, Schneider hasn’t won a game since Dec. 27. Wonder if the Devils, who have 21-year-old Mackenzie Blackwood in their system, consider moving Schneider in the summer. nationalpost.com