“All the teams in the league are always looking to improve themselves at any point — we’re no different. But I really believe we have a strong group, we like our personnel. We’ve got a couple of injuries right now, but when those guys come back, we’re going to be super deep. We’re not going to act from a position of being desperate. We’re going to sit tight, but Stan’s working the phones like all the other GMs, just seeing what’s out there.”

“With Connor McDavid in your lineup, there’s always a sense of urgency. We’re in a period where we want to try and get over the hump that we couldn’t get over the last couple of years. That doesn’t change. I felt the same when I took this job two-and-a-half years ago. Nothing’s changed there — we’re in a win-now mode, that’s our goal. Him signing a shorter-term deal doesn’t change that at all.”

” I think if you look around the league, you’ll find soft goals let in by all the goalies. It happens. They can’t stop everything. I think the most important thing is when the team is playing well in front of our goalie, or goalies, that clearing the puck away, protecting the crease area, exiting the zone quickly and efficiently without giveaways — that’s where your goaltender looks a lot better. We’ve been doing that a lot better lately, and that’s reflected in the way Skins and Picks have played.”