Jamie McGinn is hoping new scenery will bring new challenges.

The 27-year-old joined the Arizona Coyotes on July 1 after agreeing to a three-year $10-million contract, and is hoping it comes with an opportunity to serve as a leader on a young squad.

"At this point in my career, I want a bigger role on being a leader," McGinn said, according to Sarah McLellan of azcentral sports. "There are some young guys on the team, so I want to help out in a leadership role and do the best that I can and share my knowledge and help those guys make the next step. That’s a big part in success; they have a lot of talent, but sometimes there’s some adversity that players need help through. That’s where I can come in."

McGinn is coming off the most productive season of his career, having set career highs with 22 goals and 39 points in 84 games split between the Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks. That aside, McGinn insists he can't be satisfied with last season's success.

"If I find 22 goals acceptable, that means I'm not going to be working hard to get past that," McGinn said. "I'm going to continue to strive to get better."

McGinn is a welcome addition to a club that made has made a splash this offseason with several trades at the draft and the courting and eventual signing of defenseman Alex Goligoski.

"It looks like they're a very positive group," McGinn said. "I’m looking forward to the future."

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With Jonathan Bernier out of the picture, the Toronto Maple Leafs are now in search of his replacement.

The club acquired Frederik Andersen from the Anaheim Ducks - the same team Bernier was dealt to - who will step in as the team's No. 1. However, the goalie position is far from solidified, as Mike Babcock admits the team is now in search of a reliable second-in-command.

"Now we have to find a good pro to come in and support him (Andersen), and we'll do that," Babcock said at this week's development camp, according to NHL.com.

While the Maple Leafs might have their eyes set on a reputable goaltender with some miles under his belt, unless a deal is done via trade, their options in free agency will be limited, with few quality experienced goalies seeking contracts.

Of course, the team could return to Garret Sparks, who spent a large part of last season as the club's backup. But with Sparks still awaiting his next contract as a restricted free agent after posting a porous .893 save percentage and a 3.02 goals-against average last season, the team appears to be looking for a different option.

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Auston Matthews came to Toronto Maple Leafs development camp and left without signing his first NHL contract.

No big deal, says general manager Lou Lamoriello.

"There is nothing to talk about with reference to Auston's contract until it's done," the notoriously tight-lipped Lamoriello said to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. "We're certainly talking to his representative. I don't think this is something that's going to take long. I have total confidence that he'll be under contract."

The issue, it would seem, is Lamoriello's distaste for rookie signing bonuses, which should be a 'fait accompli' when it comes to a first overall pick like Matthews.

Here's the kind of standard deal Matthews would be in line to sign, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet:

• $925,000 in salary, with $92,500 of it paid as a signing bonus;
• $850,000 in “Schedule A” bonuses, which are tied to individual achievements such as goals, points, time on ice, etc.;
• $2 million in “Schedule B” bonuses, which are given for league-wide excellence such as trophy nominations or finishing among the scoring leaders.

Lamoriello, however, doesn't seem to be too concerned about the situation.

"Auston is Auston. He's an elite player and will be (in the NHL)," he said. "No one's going to be rushed here."

Matthews is expected to report to Maple Leafs training camp after playing for Team North America at the World Cup in Toronto this September.

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Auston Matthews came to Toronto Maple Leafs development camp and left without signing his first NHL contract.

No big deal, says general manager Lou Lamoriello.

"There is nothing to talk about with reference to Auston's contract until it's done," the notoriously tight-lipped Lamoriello said to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. "We're certainly talking to his representative. I don't think this is something that's going to take long. I have total confidence that he'll be under contract."

The issue, it would seem, is Lamoriello's distaste for rookie signing bonuses, which should be a 'fait accompli' when it comes to a first overall pick like Matthews.

Here's the kind of standard deal Matthews would be in line to sign, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet:

• $925,000 in salary, with $92,500 of it paid as a signing bonus;
• $850,000 in “Schedule A” bonuses, which are tied to individual achievements such as goals, points, time on ice, etc.;
• $2 million in “Schedule B” bonuses, which are given for league-wide excellence such as trophy nominations or finishing among the scoring leaders.

Lamoriello, however, doesn't seem to be too concerned about the situation.

"Auston is Auston. He's an elite player and will be (in the NHL)," he said. "No one's going to be rushed here."

Matthews is expected to report to Maple Leafs training camp after playing for Team North America at the World Cup in Toronto this September.

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The Arizona Coyotes and Tobias Rieder have yet to find common ground in contract negotiations.

Rieder's agent, Darren Ferris, said contract negotiations are ongoing, but the two sides aren't close to reaching an agreement, according to Sarah McLellan of azcentral.

The 23-year-old restricted free agent appeared in all 82 games for the Coyotes in 2015-16, recording 14 goals and 23 assists with even possession numbers in five-on-five play.

Rieder carried a cap hit of $925,000 last season, while the Coyotes have almost $18 million in available space heading into next season.

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Mike Richards is preparing for another season in the NHL.

The 31-year-old forward, who appeared in 39 regular-season games and 12 playoff contests with the Washington Capitals in 2015-16, is hoping to draw interest from suitors now that the first waves of free-agent signings have died down.

"Not much right now just training, trying to get ready for the season. Not sure where it's going to be yet, but hopefully get some traction in the next couple of weeks," the unrestricted free agent told Ryan Young of Kenora Online.

"I plan to play hockey next year. So, it will just be what is the best fit for me."

Richards scored two goals and added three assists in those 39 games for Washington, but was held without a point in the postseason. His plan for 2016-17 is to get things rolling as soon as training camp begins.

"It was a little bit of an up-and-down season," he said. "I probably expected it to go a little more offensively, but it's not easy to just jump in midseason. Live and learn and hopefully I can get a full season under my belt this year."

Richards likely won't return Washington, with winger Brett Connolly having already scooped his jersey No. 10 after signing with the Capitals.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets won't be bringing in reinforcements.

Following another down season that began with an 0-8-0 stretch in October, the Blue Jackets are counting on the roster pieces already in place - as well as some promising prospects - to help right the ship in 2016-17, due mainly to a lack of salary-cap space.

"Our improvement is going to come from within," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Post-Dispatch. "It has to come from within.

"We have several guys, veteran guys, who have a lot to prove after the season they had last year, and I think they're going to be better. We have a group of young guys who are going to push them to be better."

Chief among those who need to be better are captain Nick Foligno and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky; the former experienced a 19-goal drop-off from the previous campaign, while the latter was oft-injured and unable to find his Vezina Trophy form.

"I, 100 percent, appreciate (management) having trust in us," Foligno said. "They know we can get the job done.

"We should be humbled by the fact that they're going to give us another shot, and now we're going to run with it. This core group ... it's on us to push us to that next level."

The Blue Jackets also hope young players like Oliver Bjorkstrand, Zach Werenski, and Sonny Milano can parlay a Calder Cup championship at the AHL level into success with the big club as early as the upcoming NHL season.

According to General Fanager, Columbus holds less than $5 million in available cap space, and despite calls for improvement from players on the roster, Kekalainen will no doubt remain open to potential trades that would allow him to dump some of the more burdensome salary commitments.

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The decision to trade P.K. Subban was not an easy one for Marc Bergevin.

In an interview with Dave Stubbs of NHL.com, the Montreal Canadiens general manager maintains the trading of the fan favorite and Norris Trophy-winning defenseman to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Shea Weber was purely a hockey move designed to improve his club.

Believing he accomplished just that, Bergevin told Stubbs it's time to move on:

There was a lot of thought going into this (trade) prior to that day, a lot of discussion internally. I had talked to my hockey people. At the end of the day, I make the decision. It's on my shoulders, and I get that. But once I make that decision, I don't look back anymore.

It's like the old expression, 'If you're looking in the rearview mirror, you don't see what's ahead of you.' There was a well-thought process of how and why. As a group we talked, and then I made the final decision, and after that, I move on. If you're asking me 'since that day …' well, I have moved on, yes.

Bergevin also did his best to quell rumblings that Subban's personality didn't mesh with the coaching staff and front office.

"I always say, 'You don't want 23 robots.' I have no issues with personality. Everybody's different, everybody brings different things to the table. But at some point I had to make a hard decision where I thought I could make the team better. That's when we pulled the trigger," Bergevin said.

"And those who insist the trade was made to please (coach) Michel Therrien? That's (nonsense). Mike didn't know anything - anything - about the trade until after it was made."

He added he was given the blessing of team owner Geoff Molson to do what he thought was necessary to improve the team, with full confidence that any move is assessed from all angles prior to being made official.

Bergevin also confirmed Weber will wear the alternate captain's 'A' on his jersey next season.

Whether the Canadiens' faithful can move on as quickly as the GM remains to be seen.

The full interview can be read here.

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