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Wednesday Morning Skate: Draft Lottery day, Stephen A. rips Leafs, Lightning strikes twice

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The NHL Draft Lottery is tonight! The Philadelphia Flyers will find out their slot for the 2021 NHL Draft.

Last night, the Tampa Bay Lightning took a 2-0 series lead in Carolina against the Hurricanes. The Bolts now head to Tampa Bay with a chance to close out the series if they can win both home games.

Welcome to the Morning Skate, our roundup of links on Philly Hockey Now as well as other sites around the National Hockey Now network and hockey world!

Flyers News

  • Seth Jones may want out of Columbus. Should the Flyers be interested in the right-handed defenseman to fill their biggest need? (Philly Hockey Now)

 

  • The Flyers are entering an offseason of change with the expansion draft looming. On top of that, a core shakeup could be in the cards after a disappointing season. We look at five Flyers that may have played their last game in orange and black. (Philly Hockey Now)

 

  • Alain Vigneault was talkin’ ’bout ‘practice in his end-of-season press conference. He also touched on a variety of other topics including Canadian restrictions, wanting a “normal season,” and feeling like he let “everyone down” this season. (Philly Hockey Now)

 

  • Chuck Fletcher will be at the helm in this crucial offseason. He talked about the Flyers’ need to improve. He said that he’ll need to “be creative” as the Flyers can “upgrade everywhere” this offseason. (Philly Hockey Now)

 


Around the NHL

ESPN is becoming the new home for the NHL next season, and Stephen A. Smith is getting the roasting started early. He called the Toronto Maple Leafs the “Dallas Cowboys of the NHL” in a great rant.

 

 

Penguins Forwards Report Cards: Do Playoff Performances Affect Future? – (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

It’s an honest question without objective answers. The Pittsburgh Penguins management is undoubtedly debating and discussing the same thing.

How much weight should the Penguins playoff performances count towards their final grade?

 

Boston Bruins DeBrusk Fined $5000 For Cross-Checking Mayfield –  (Boston Hockey Now)

The NHL announced Tuesday afternoon that Boston Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk has been fined $5,000 for cross-checking New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield with just over seven minutes left in regulation of the Islanders’ 4-3 overtime win in Game 2.

This is the maximum fine allowed before a suspension takes place. There was no penalty on the play even though it was a clear-cut cross-check to the back of the Islanders defenseman. Mayfield laid crouched over in pain for a bit before laboring off to the Islanders bench. Mayfield did return late in the third period and played in overtime.

 

Marc-Andre Fleury Named Vezina Finalist for First Time – (Vegas Hockey Now)

Marc-Andre Fleury has been nominated for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender for the first time in his future Hall of Fame career. The award is voted on by NHL general managers at the end of the regular season and awarded following the completion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

 

“Never thought in my life I’d be in that group” – Grubauer on being Vezina finalist – (Colorado Hockey Now)

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Philipp Grubauer was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy on Tuesday. After all, the Avs goaltender has been one of the most consistent and effective goalies in the NHL this season. It was, however, a surprise to the man himself.

 

Despite Vezina Snub, Semyon Varlamov Still Islanders MVP This year – (NYI Hockey Now)

New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz knows where his biases lie when it comes to Vezina Trophy candidates for this season. He made no bones about pointing it out, but that didn’t take away any of the disappointment he had when it was announced that Semyon Varlamov was not named a finalist for the award for the NHL’s best goaltender on Tuesday.

Instead, Marc-Andre Fleury, Philipp Grubauer and Andrei Vasilevski were named Vezina finalists. The award is voted on by the 31 NHL general managers each year.

 

30 Sharks: Dan Rusanowsky Looks Back at 30 Years of Franchise History – (San Jose Hockey Now)

For any aspiring broadcaster, to have the same job for 30 years wouldn’t even be a dream come true. Instead, it would border on pure fantasy. I don’t say this to sound cynical — it’s just difficult to find anyone who loves their job so much, and is so good at it, they would not even consider doing anything else for a living. Nevertheless, this has been the case for Dan Rusanowsky, who was hired by a brand-new San Jose Sharks team in 1991.


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Photo: Heather Barry Images

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Ryan is a proud graduate of Monmouth University. He has covered the Philadelphia Flyers for the better part of a decade at various outlets, including Sons of Penn and Broad Street Hockey. Ryan has also worked for NHL.com and NBC Sports Regional Networks. Whether it's a GIF, quick stat, analysis, or long-form column, he's got you covered.

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