Maple Leafs, Campbell, and McCarty

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher tells Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun that his club could use a healthy doze of toughness in their line-up.

“There are a number of ways we can get better and one is by adding more bite to our game,” Fletcher said yesterday as the Leafs took off for Boston. “I don’t think it will be that hard. Once you have an idea of what you’re looking for, there are a lot of players out there.”

Should New York Rangers pending UFA forward Sean Avery hit the open market, might the Maple Leafs take a run at him?

Stan Fischler of MSG Network suggests that Avery will not leave the Big Apple because he loves playing in New York.

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San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton tells Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun that he has already begun trying to convince newly acquire defenseman Brian Campbell to re-sign with the club.

If he does not sign a contract extension with the Sharks, Campbell is set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1st.

Campbell claims David Pollak of the Mercury News that he does not want to think about a contract until the end of the season.

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Michael Zuidema of mLive.com reports that forward Darren McCarty will return to the Detroit Red Wings Monday when his two-week conditioning stint with the Grand Rapids Griffins ends.