Colorado Avalanche: News from around the NHL July 28th, 2014

Leafs avoided arbitration with Reimer.

Goaltender James Reimer and the Toronto Maple Leafs have avoided arbitration with a new two-year contract worth US$4.6 million.

The Leafs confirmed the deal in a release Friday.

The Canadiens have until Friday to avoid arbitration with Subban.

With his salary arbitration hearing less than a week away, P.K. Subban declined to comment at the RBC Canadian Open about his contract negotiations with the Canadiens.

"I’ll answer one question about the negotiation," he told reporters on Saturday during an appearance at the golf tournament for RBC. "It’s been kept pretty quiet the whole time and it’s going to remain that way until a deal is done.

"As of right now today I’m sitting here and trying to just enjoy the day. Just not thinking about anything."

A restricted free agent, Subban is coming off a deal that paid him $5.75 million over two years. He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenceman after the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season and is expected to get a big pay hike.

Rangers and Brassard have also avoided arbitration.

New York Rangers forward Derick Brassard avoided arbitration by agreeing to a new five-year contract, the team announced on Sunday.

The deal is worth $25 million US, according to media reports.

The 26-year-old restricted free agent escapes the uncomfortable process of arbitration that was set for Monday.

Clune gives some insights to his thoughts, and is rather unfiltered. Language may be NSFW, also a shirtless pic of Clune.

Among the highlights in this doozy is Clune’s insight into the "hottest wife in the NHL" (hint: she’s a country music singer) and an intriguing anecdote about Clune and James Neal butt-dialing a veteran player whom they insulted via voicemail by accident.

Below are a few candid answers from Clune, a 27-year-old enforcer who had seven points and 166 penalty minutes in 58 games for Nashville last season.

Habs Eyes on the Prize looks back at the 2013-2014 season of new Avalanche Daniel Briere.

Looking at all of Daniel Briere's deployment stats in his single year in Montreal all in one place, I struggle to understand what the Canadiens thought they were buying last July. Briere is a one-dimensional offensive forward who needs to play exploitation minutes to be effective. It's one thing to give Briere middling zone starts, essentially not protecting him, but to do that while he faces the sixth highest quality of competition on the team? I just don't get it.

. . .

In spite of his inefficiencies though, Briere still managed to produce as a top-nine forward last season, which is something positive for sure, even if he was nowhere close to worth his salary. The point is, the Canadiens didn't maximize his output, and that's not on Briere.