Welcome back to another edition of NHL notebook, where we take a look at stories around the league, often through a Toronto Maple Leafs-centric lens.

We’ll get right into it, as Bruins captain Brad Marchand rejected a report from WEEI’s Rich Keefe, stating there was discontent in the locker room and a feud between Marchand and David Pastrnak, while Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson stated he hates two of his divisional rivals amid trade rumours.

Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand used his Friday media availability to vehemently reject a report from WEEI’s Rich Keefe, which stated that there was discontent between Marchand and David Pastrnak. Keefe went on the air to state the Bruins’ locker room is a ‘disaster’ while Marchand has called out Pastrnak, creating division between the team’s veteran forwards.

Marchand immediately rejected the notion of this report, and spoke to reporters Friday to address Keefe’s comments.

“Pasta and I are best friends. We’ve been incredibly close for a long time, and the only reason we don’t play together is to spread the depth through the lineup,” Marchand said. “There’s zero truth to him being a problem in the room. He’s one of the most loved guys in the room. There’s zero issues in the room at all and to say he’s at the centre of anything is a completely fabricated lie. This guy has zero merit to anything he’s saying… This guy can go pound sand and go back to the closet where no one knew he was before and report on nothing because that’s what he’s going to be doing after this.”

Pastrnak also flatly rejected Keefe’s report as well.

“I’ve never in my life said I don’t want to play with this guy to the coaching staff or management and I never would,” Pastrnak said. “I love playing with Marchy. I’ve been playing with him for so long.”

Keefe, for the record, doubled down on his reporting, but it’s clear that the Bruins’ resident stars have each other’s back, amid a six-game losing streak. Marchand was widely lauded for his leadership across the league, for shooting down a poisonous rumour.

Calgary Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson is widely considered one of the best players on this year’s trade market, but there’s always a human element involved, and it’s clear that the 28-year-old doesn’t want to go anywhere. Andersson has spent his entire eight-year career with the Flames, and spoke candidly about being openly discussed as a trade chip, with Sportsnet’s Eric Francis.

“I hate the Oilers, I hate the Canucks and that’s just the way I am,” Andersson said. “Of course I would love to stay here, but I’ve heard from everyone else who has been in my situation that it’s a business. So we’ll see what happens.”

Andersson is signed through the 2025-26 season, with his contract worth an average annual value of $4.5 million per season. He’s logging 24:28 per game for the Flames, with six goals and 18 points in 4o games. He’s been primarily paired with Kevin Bahl, the sixth-most used combination in the NHL at 5-on-5. The 28-year-old is firmly in the middle of his prime and is a right-shot defenceman, who would be immensely valuable to a Stanley Cup contender. It’s obvious that he doesn’t want to go one of his leading rivals, and the Flames could look to sign Andersson to an extension.

This is precisely the type of candour we need to invigorate the NHL trade deadline, and it’ll be compelling to see how it plays out, as Andersson believes the Flames are firmly in the mix for a playoff spot, and they’re just one point out of a wild-card spot entering Saturday’s games.