Nichols' Notes

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Toronto Maple Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul chatted with Sportsnet.ca’s Luke Fox.

Lupul shared his thoughts on the Leafs needing to use the adversity they’ve endured to turn themselves into a contender, even if he admitted “it’s safe to say our team has a ways to go before our team is competing with (the Blackhawks and Kings) year in, year out.”

Lupul touched on the importance of veteran leadership, the losses of Dave Bolland and Nikolai Kulemin, and the fact that he’s finished rehab on his knee.

“I didn’t miss a beat as far as training goes,” Lupul explained. “I have the goal of coming into camp in the best shape of my career.”

Rich Chere with The Star-Ledger has the latest on the Cory Schneider-New Jersey Devils contract negotiations.

Lou Lamoriello and Schneider's agent, Mike Liut, have had negotiations and an agreement is close, but neither would say an announcement is imminent.

"Not yet. Hopefully we can get this done in a short period of time," Lamoriello told The Star-Ledger. "Is it done yet? No."

Liut said Lamoriello's quotes are accurate.

"We have engaged in discussions," Liut said in an email.

Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch joined Sportsnet 960 for a chat Wednesday morning.

The R.J. Umberger for Scott Hartnell trade was discussed, including the fact that Columbus was able to get such a good return for someone who was considered to be a strong buyout candidate.

On contract negotiations for RFA Ryan Johansen:

"There's been nothing beyond the initial proposals from either side, which tells you how far apart each side considers the other's proposal to be. What the issue is here is Ryan Johansen wants a long-term contract. He does not want to do a bridge contract and his point is 'I've earned it.' With his play of the last couple of years - last year was the first year he really scored, but the year before he was a very effective player in a third line center role. He feels like he's earned a long-term contract. The team is saying 'No, son - you really haven't' and they're fearful of this being a kid they've had to push and motivate for the last couple of seasons.

"It's easy to forget that just a year ago, he was a healthy scratch in a minor league game. They felt like he wasn't playing hard enough, wasn't dialed in enough. And so they've had this sort of behind-the-scenes pushing of him for three years to get him where he was last year. They don't want him under a long-term contract. They don't feel like they should have to. Their point is 'If it's okay for P.K. Subban, why isn't it good enough for R.J. - for Ryan Johansen.'

"Take the deal, they're willing to go two years. I think they'd even be willing to go three years and he'd still be a restricted free agent on the other side. But these two sides can't even come to terms on term, if you will, and because of that the contract talks have not gone any further."

Portzline didn't have any specifics on contract request dollar amounts from the Johansen camp, but offered some good insight into the mindset of the Jackets.

"Their concern, just to put it in very blunt terms, is they want this kid to be Kopitar or Getzlaf - not Thornton or Spezza. They think he's got all the talent of all of those guys. They want a driven, motivated leader. They don't like the fact that there's a ton of kids in Columbus right now, a ton of veterans, staying in Columbus and working out and the kid is back home in British Columbia. That's his right, absolutely, contractually it's his right to be there. They don't like the fact that the leader, the highest-paid forward in the room - he thinks he should be - is not here leading the way with the younger players."

Portzline also touched on Boone Jenner's game.

"He's the guy they think - they won't say this out loud - they think he could be the captain here in a couple of years. Just because of that work ethic, the passion for the game. I mean, I've been covering this team since the late 90s and since they took the ice in 2000. It's almost unrivaled in this building to see someone with that sort of work ethic and drive and motor. I'm not saying he's Jonathan Toews in the skill department or skating department, but he's got that sort of makeup up between the ears."

In case you missed it late Tuesday night: A source tells Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Dave Molinari that Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will have arthroscopic surgery on his right wrist this week. Crosby is not expected to miss any playing time because of it in the coming season and although it's not known when the injury happened, it is believed to have impacted his playoff performance. The source tells Molinari that Crosby "did play with a terrible wrist."