Toronto Maple Leafs restricted free-agent forward Mitch Marner is not interested in signing for the maximum term on his next contract, TSN's Darren Dreger reports.

Marner remains committed to exploring his options with other teams if there is no agreement with Toronto, Dreger adds.

Since he is already a Leafs player, Marner would be eligible to re-sign for a maximum of eight years on his next deal, as opposed to the seven-year max if he signed with a new team.

Marner enjoyed a career year last season, leading the Maple Leafs with 94 points in 82 games.

More to come.

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There has been mutual interest shown between the Nashville Predators and free-agent forward Corey Perry, according to sources of The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

The Chicago Blackhawks have also shown interest in the 34-year-old, another source told LeBrun.

Perry is not the top-tier scorer that he used to be, but he's still capable of producing when healthy. The veteran winger tallied 19 and 17 goals during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, respectively, as a member of the Anaheim Ducks.

The Predators scored the third-fewest goals among all playoff teams this past season and could benefit from the offensive upside that Perry supplies on the wing. The 2011 Hart Trophy winner could also provide the Predators with another option for a dismal power-play unit that ranked last in the NHL a season ago.

Scoring isn't the Blackhawks' problem these days, but with $16.2 million in projected cap space, adding another offensive threat to a skilled forward group could be something they consider.

Perry was bought out by the Ducks on Wednesday after spending the first 14 years of his career with the team. In a franchise-record 988 career games, Perry recorded 372 goals and 776 points.

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When

• Friday, June 21, 8 p.m. ET (Round 1)
• Saturday, June 22, 1 p.m. ET (Rounds 2-7)

Where

• Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia

How to watch

United States

Canada

Draft order (Round 1)

Player profiles

• Philip Broberg was no child prodigy. Now he's a top talent in the 2019 draft
• 1st round? 2nd? Either way, Spencer Knight will write his own story
• Boom, bust, or Vanek: Why Arthur Kaliyev's a wild-card prospect
• Vasili Podkolzin is relentless. Are teams too timid to draft him in the top 10?
• Backyard roller rink started California's Cam York on quirky path to draft

More draft content

• Final NHL Mock Draft: Byram, Cozens move up while Broberg falls to Habs
• NHL Combine Takeaways: Draft really starts with Kings, and more
• Construction Season: Retooling the NHL's Metropolitan Division team
• Construction Season: Retooling the NHL's Central Division team
• Construction Season: Retooling the NHL's Pacific Division team
• Construction Season: Retooling the NHL's Atlantic Division teams

Top prospects

Jack Hughes - Center, U.S. National Under-18 team

Hughes has elite short-area quickness, hands softer than butter, and a sky-high hockey IQ. He'll be a dynamic, playmaking offensive threat the minute he steps on the ice for his first NHL game, and has the potential to become a franchise player. Don't be fooled by his small stature.

Kaapo Kakko - Right Wing, TPS Liiga (Finland)

With such an impressive resume, Kakko predictably enters the draft as the top-ranked European skater, and he's expected to make the jump to the NHL immediately. Kakko is naturally gifted offensively, possesses a hard and accurate shot, and has showcased plenty of creativity to manufacture plays for his linemates.

Bowen Byram - Defenseman, Vancouver Giants

Byram is the consensus best defensive prospect in the draft and is projected by many to be a top-five pick. The blue-liner racked up more than a point per game in the regular season and led the WHL with 26 points in 22 playoff contests during his second full season with the Giants.

Kirby Dach - Center, Saskatoon Blades

Dach enters the draft as the third-ranked North American skater, and he has all the tools to become a prominent NHL center. He likely won't jump straight to the big leagues out of junior, but Dach immediately upgrades any team's prospect pool.

Alex Turcotte - Center, U.S. National Under 18 team

Turcotte is the fourth-ranked North American skater in the draft and projected to be taken in the top 10. The tenacious, two-way center plays the game at a high speed and possesses a strong hockey IQ. His elite skill set combined with a tireless work ethic and competitive edge help separate him from the pack.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are listening to trade offers for defenseman Kris Letang, sources told The Athletic's Rob Rossi.

Pittsburgh has told interested teams that any potential deal would need to involve a package including an "impact player on a controllable contract and/or a projected future salary-cap hit that was reasonable," Rossi adds.

Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has already been active in trade talks since his club's playoff run ended in a first-round sweep. A deal that would have sent Phil Kessel to the Minnesota Wild was reportedly nixed by the veteran winger, and Rutherford went on to say he no longer expects to trade the sniper.

Letang continues to be a top defenseman when healthy and has spent his entire 13-year career in Pittsburgh. He notched 16 goals and 40 assists while averaging nearly 26 minutes per contest in 65 games last season.

The 32-year-old has three seasons remaining on his current contract, which carries a $7.25-million cap hit and an 18-team list of destinations he'd accept a trade to.

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed a series of rule changes for the 2019-20 season. The alterations were approved by the league's Board of Governors, general managers, and competition committee.

The most prominent changes pertain to video reviews, which underwent significant modifications after several controversial calls throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Here's a look at the entire list of changes, per the NHL:

• New category: In addition to coach’s challenge for “offside” and “interference on the goalkeeper,” a third category will allow for the coach’s challenge of goal calls on the ice that follow plays in the offensive zone that should have resulted in a play stoppage, but did not. This change will allow challenges of plays that may involve pucks that hit the spectator netting, pucks that are high-sticked to a teammate in the offensive zone, pucks that have gone out of play but are subsequently touched in the offensive zone, and hand passes that precede without a play stoppage and ultimately conclude in the scoring of a goal. Plays that entail “discretionary stoppages” (e.g. penalty calls) will not be subject to a coach’s challenge.
• Penalties for unsuccessful challenges: The number of coach’s challenges that can be made will no longer be limited based on the availability of a team’s timeout. Teams will be permitted to exercise a coach’s challenge at any time, but with escalating “consequences” for unsuccessful challenges. The consequences of unsuccessful coach’s challenges will be made consistent across all three categories of coach’s challenges: (1) minor penalty for delaying the game on a club’s first unsuccessful coach’s challenge; and (2) double-minor penalty for delaying the game for each additional coach’s challenge that is unsuccessful. The Situation Room in Toronto will continue to be responsible for initiating video review in the final minute of regulation time and overtime as well as continue to have final authority over all coach’s challenge video review decisions with input and consultation from both the on-ice officials and a former official staffed in the Situation Room.
• Major & match penalties: Referees will be required to conduct an on-ice video review for all major (non-fighting) and match penalties they assess on the ice for the purpose of: (a) “confirming” the penalty; or (b) “reducing” the penalty to a two-minute minor penalty. Referees shall not have the option to rescind a called penalty altogether. The referees will be provided with all available video to review their own calls but will not otherwise consult with the NHL Situation Room with respect to their review.
• Double minor for high-sticking: Referees will have the ability to conduct an on-ice video review to confirm (or not) their original call on the ice, and, in particular, whether the stick causing the apparent injury was actually the stick of the player being penalized. The referee’s review of all high-sticking/double-minor penalties will be discretionary and not mandatory and will be conducted without consultation with the NHL Situation Room.

Other changes include:

• Players having to leave the ice if their helmet falls off.
• Teams being able to choose which faceoff circle to line up at on a power play and after icings.
• Awarded goals if the net is deliberately displaced by a goaltender during a breakaway.

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If Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Mitch Marner is subject to an offer sheet this offseason, it's not a foregone conclusion his hometown club matches it, general manager Kyle Dubas told reporters Thursday, per TSN's Kristen Shilton.

"It would really depend on any of the players, not just one guy. We have a number of them. And if there were an offer sheet we would look at what they are and what the compensation is for our team and make the decision," Dubas said.

The other restricted free agents Dubas referred too are forwards Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson.

Speculation about Marner's contract demands has been rampant in the early stages of the offseason. Additionally, the salary cap isn't expected to be as high as originally expected for the 2019-20 season.

In December, Dubas said he spends zero percent of his time worrying about offer sheets for his players, but more recently, claimed the Leafs are prepared should one come about.

An offer sheet on its own wouldn't be enough to pry Marner away from Toronto. The 22-year-old would need to sign it, and then the Leafs would be given a time period to match the offer or let the player walk for compensation.

Ryan O'Reilly was the last player to sign an offer sheet in 2013, and the last time one wasn't matched was Dustin Penner's offer sheet in 2007.

The Leafs have just over $7 million in projected cap space for next season without factoring Nathan Horton's $5.3 million that can be stashed on LTIR and potential trades that could help create more room.

Marner led the Leafs in scoring last season, setting a career high with 94 points in 82 games.

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