Morning Skate
Wednesday Morning Skate: Vegas booed to brink; Welcoming Washington
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 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 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)
- The Kraken may have a low-risk, high-reward option to select from the Flyers in the Expansion Draft. Nicolas Aube-Kubel is flying under the radar. Why might they take him, and why might they pass on him? (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)
- 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)
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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!’
Everyone give a big welcome to Sammi Silber and Washington Hockey Now!Â
Well, Washington Capitals nation. Here’s to a new frontier with Washington Hockey Now and the National Hockey Now network.
Washington Hockey Now is a credentialed media outlet with a hyper-focus on objective, fair and real coverage of your Washington Capitals. We are a freemium website. Much of the content and conversations will be free to everyone. Bookmark us and come back every day.
Booed By Fans, Vegas Golden Knights on Brink of Elimination – (Vegas Hockey Now)
The Montreal Canadiens took a big win on the road at T-Mobile Arena, frustrating the Vegas Golden Knights and pushing the team to the brink of elimination in a 4-1 win Tuesday night.
Lou Lamoriello Wins Second Consecutive General Manager of the Year Award – (NYI Hockey Now)
Lou Lamoriello became the first general manager to win the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award twice in NHL history.
PHN Blog: Officiating, the NHL & the Penguins Future – (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)
The NHL officials, and their overseers at the NHL league office, have come under increased scrutiny during the 2021 NHL playoffs, and for good reasons.
Raymond Off Swedes WJC Summer Roster Because He Could Be In The NHL Next Season – (Detroit Hockey Now)
Detroit Red Wings prospect Lucas Raymond wasn’t left off Sweden’s summer U-20 roster because he was coming off surgery. He didn’t get a spot because the Swedes believe he could be in the NHL.
Staying Or Going?: Boston Bruins Kuraly At A Crossroads –Â (Boston Hockey Now)
The Case: It’s been a largely successful run for Sean Kuraly as a fourth liner in Boston over the last four seasons.
The 28-year-old was something of a throw-in with the San Jose Sharks’ 2016 first round pick sent to the Boston Bruins in exchange for goaltender Martin Jones back at the 2015 NHL Draft weekend. But he gradually developed into a solid big-bodied bottom-6 center that provided occasional offense, good skating speed and solid two-way play over four full NHL seasons with the Black and Gold.
Is Kevin Labanc a First-Line Forward? – (San Jose Hockey Now)
Kyle, Erik, and JD try and decide what Kevin Labanc actually is. We look at his stats and debate if he’s actually a first-line forward as his underlying stats suggest or if his counting stats tell a different story for the San Jose Sharks. We compare Labanc to other first-line forwards around the league (11:30) and if his contract is actually good or bad (17:00). We finish by trying to figure out what his role actually is and what we expect from Labanc going forward for the San Jose Sharks (26:00).
Photo: Heather Barry Images