Evening Snapshots: Duchene, Preseason, Maple Leafs

News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

• BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater reported that Matt Duchene spoke to media today, but said little to illuminate the uncomfortable situation surrounding his trade rumors. Duchene is taking things “one day at a time” and “not looking that far into the future.” The Colorado Avalanche center has been mired in trade rumors for much of the past year, and was expected to be traded at the deadline last season. Nevertheless, he is still with the Avalanche for now, and is focusing on training camp. The Avalanche are reportedly asking a high ransom for Duchene, and want to ensure a better return then what they received for Ryan O’Reilly.
• Tonight marks the preseason debut of many NHL teams. Eight games are being played across the continent as young prospects and veteran players on PTOs try to impress coaches and management. Many teams are still carrying upwards of 50 players, so expect a deluge of cuts between now and opening night. One game that is not being played, however, is between the Los Angeles Kings and the Arizona Coyotes. That game was cancelled for bad ice and will not be made up.
• According to the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan, the Toronto Maple Leafs have given out three As tonight. Wearing the alternate captain designations are Auston Matthews, Morgan Rielly, and Matt Martin. The Maple Leafs have already announced publicly that they will not have a captain this year, and many insiders think that the team is grooming Matthews to become the new team captain. It should also be noted that preseason ’A’s are not permanent.