Tuesday Morning Skate: Lightning light up Islanders; Lehner loves Twitter hate

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

• The Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft is now less than a month away. The player that they take from the Flyers could loom large in the grand scheme of the offseason. (Philly Hockey Now)

• Chuck Fletcher and the Flyers “poked around” Oliver Ekman-Larsson last offseason. OEL is back on the block this summer. Could –– and more importantly, should –– the Flyers revisit those talks? (Philly Hockey Now)

• The Flyers may have a chance to land Jack Eichel this offseason. (Philly Hockey Now)

• Dougie Hamilton has been granted permission to talk to other teams, including the Flyers. Chuck Fletcher has to do whatever he can to land the top free-agent defenseman, right?… (Philly Hockey Now)

• …Well, maybe not. Dougie Hamilton may not be the team’s top target, but the Flyers have a lot of balls in the air and should be in on quite a few defensemen. (Philly Hockey Now)

• 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)

• Oskar Lindblom is incredibly deserving of the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy that he won on Tuesday night. (Philly Hockey Now)

• The Flyers are bound to lose a valuable asset in the expansion draft. Who might they protect and who might they lose? (Philly Hockey Now)

• The Flyers own the 13th overall pick in the NHL Draft after the draft lottery, but should they use it? Probably not. Chuck Fletcher should use that pick as a trade chip to acquire an impact player that can help the team immediately. (Philly Hockey Now)

Around the NHL

OTR: Sticker Shock, GMs Gasp At Sabres’ Trade Ask For Eichel | PHN+ –  (National Hockey Now)

The asking price on the NHL trade market for Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel has gotten to the point where rival NHL executives are questioning how Sabres GM Kevyn Adams is approaching the Eichel sweepstakes.

In this week’s ‘Off The Record,’ a rival NHL executive got specific and vented about Buffalo’s Eichel trade ask. The source described it as ‘just crazy!’

NHL Playoffs Predictions: Canadiens at Golden Knights, Game 5 – (Sports Gambling Podcast)

The NHL playoffs continue tonight with another Game 5 on the slate. On Monday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning took control with an 8-0 drubbing of the New York Islanders to take a 3-2 series lead. We hit on Tampa Bay winning and the Over 5 goals rather easily, but it wasn’t as close of a game as expected.

Tonight, the Vegas Golden Knights look to follow in the Lightning’s footsteps to take a 3-2 series lead at home.

Rapid Reaction: Islanders Self-Destruct in Game 5 Loss – (NYI Hockey Now)

The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New York Islanders 8-0 in Game 5 at Amalie Arena. Tampa Bay Leads the best-of-seven series 3-2.

Lehner Motivated by Twitter Hate & Fans: ‘Watch You Guys Talk Shit’- (Vegas Hockey Now)

Robin Lehner has been through enough in his career that little irritations are inconsequential. Injuries and a concussion this season predominantly handed the net to Marc-Andre Fleury by default and the Vegas flower bloomed. But after a Game 3 gaffe, head coach Pete DeBoer turned to Lehner, his other No. 1 goalie who was brilliant in the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 OT win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 on Sunday night at the Bell Centre.

Penguins Free Agency: What is Cody Ceci Worth? – (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

It was like found money—ground score. The Pittsburgh Penguins hoped defenseman Mike Matheson could reverse his career course. And they signed bargain-basement free agent Cody Ceci to eat some minutes and provide depth.

Duffer’s Dabbles: Isles Martin Grew Up In Red Wings Backyard But Cheered For Avs – (Detroit Hockey Now)

New York Islanders forward Matt Martin, one of their Game 4 heroes as they pulled even with the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in their NHL playoffs semifinal, grew up in the 1990s in the backyard of the Detroit Red Wings in Windsor, Ontario. But much to the chagrin of his family, Martin gravitated to the Colorado Avalanche.

BHN Daily: New Hope For Boston Bruins/Ekman-Larsson Trade? –  (Boston Hockey Now)

After serving as a big trade target the Boston Bruins ultimately didn’t land last offseason, it appears that Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson will once again be on the trade block again this offseason.

After serving as a big trade target the Boston Bruins ultimately didn’t land last offseason, it appears that Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson will once again be on the trade block again this offseason.

Making Sense of Nieto Re-Signing – (San Jose Hockey Now)

The San Jose Sharks have re-signed Matt Nieto for two years and $850,000 per season.

It’s a deal that makes sense on many fronts.

Exclusive: Jared Bednar will return to coach Colorado Avalanche – (Colorado Hockey Now)

Jared Bednar will return for a sixth season coaching the Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Hockey Now has learned.

Bednar, 49, already is the longest-tenured coach in Avs history, and that tenure will continue into the 2021-22 NHL season. In his five years behind the bench, he has posted a regular-season record of 184-149-39 and 24-19 in the playoffs.

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Photo: Heather Barry Images