Memory, all alone in the moonlight. I can smile at the old days.
When asked who the funniest guy in the locker room is, Jacob Trouba went with Dustin Byfuglien. And in an evil stroke of genius, he also managed to reference a certain clothing faux pas. I'd say Trouba has a pretty good sense of humour himself:
Winnipeg Jets defender Jacob Trouba tells us which teammate is the funniest. Thanks for the Q, @Noel_Kendle! pic.twitter.com/SL0cmAlV3Q
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 8, 2015
And now the news.
Central Division
The grand jury investigating allegations against Patrick Kane has been abruptly postponed. This comes "just 10 days before the Hawks open training camp at Notre Dame next Friday." (Chicago Sun-Times)
The Colorado Avalanche may be looking at bringing Curtis Glencross to camp on a PTO. In the unlikely event they brought him aboard proper, a third line of Curtis Glencross, Blake Comeau and one of Carl Soderberg, Mikhail Grigorenko or John Mitchell wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. (Denver Post)
In case you missed it, the Avs had their third jersey accidentally leaked by NHL.com, and I'll be completely honest, I think it looks pretty nice. (Yahoo! Sports)
So, uh, has the http://t.co/vyFWzgEq8C shop leaked all 3rd jerseys? Is the Isles one new? http://t.co/SOpO8ASovh pic.twitter.com/rNHc9aMiPx
— m g (@kikkerlaika) September 7, 2015
Between platooning with Antti Niemi and new goalie coach Jeff Reese, 2015-16 will be a season of adjustment for Kari Lehtonen. At the very least, it sounds like he's taking both happenings in stride. (Inside Edge)
The Dallas Stars' depth took a bit of a hit, as Brett Ritchie will be out three to four months following wrist surgery to repair an offseason training injury. The 22-year old scored nine points in 31 games last season, averaging 13:59 ATOI while skating 5v5 with Shawn Horcoff and Curtis McKenzie. (Defending Big D)
Now 6'2", Minnesota Wild defenceman Mike Reilly remembers a time when his size led NCAA recruiters to largely ignore him. I am still dismayed for the Columbus Blue Jackets that they lost a top-notch prospect with nothing but months of drama llama to show for it. Reilly may have "just" been a 4th round selection, but cases such as his and Justin Schultz make me wonder if draft compensation should be expanded beyond only 1st round draftees who exercise their right to hit free agency and sign elsewhere. Even if the compensation was only a 7th round pick at the end of the draft, that's an asset you previously didn't possess. This year alone, Nikita Korostelev, Gustav Bouramman, Evan Smith, Miroslav Svoboda, John Dahlstrom and our very own Sami Niku and Matteo Gennaro were all selected in the draft's final round. There's value to be had. (NHL)
Devin Slawson gives Minnesota's d-corps some of the love it deserves. That top-four of Ryan Suter, Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon and Marco Scandella is a quiet thing of beauty. (The Hockey Writers)
The Nashville Predators have released their fifty-seven man 2015 Training Camp roster, with "46 players under contract with Nashville, five on American Hockey League contracts with Milwaukee, one on a tryout agreement and five unsigned draft picks." That one tryout agreement, Trevor Murphy, is an interesting OHL defenceman. (Predators.NHL)
Puck Daddy predicts the St. Louis Blues will win the Central Division yet again, and all in all their season preview reads exactly as you might expect it to. (Yahoo! Sports)
Fan Fest is back, and it'll be on September 19th from 9:00 AM until 2:00 PM. The event "includes access to Jets training camp sessions, live player and management interviews as well as a range of interactive games and activities." But the real highlight is free lunch for the first 5,000 attendees. (Jets.NHL)
#NHLJets announce details of 2nd annual Fan Fest. >> http://t.co/zwDghkMn4N pic.twitter.com/oNdOiQHIyU
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) September 8, 2015
Rob Mahon speculates on possible trade returns for Dustin Byfuglien. In my opinion, it's worth a read by virtue of floating teams and players which don't normally come up, such as the Ottawa Senators and Thomas Chabot. Someone should tell him that Buffalo might not be the best idea, though. (The Hockey Writers)
In case you missed it, expect additional security procedures to be in place when going to see Jets and Moose games at the MTS Centre. And remember to leave your selfie sticks at home! (Jets.NHL)
Tyler Myers has sold his home in Buffalo to Ryan O'Reilly. In related news, Tim Hortons locations in the area have moved to DEFCON 3. (Buffalo News)
And All The Rest
Speaking of Ryan O'Reilly, he does sound rather apologetic about whatever it is happened. (Buffalo News)
Nathan Paetsch's role in an illegal gambling operation has earned him eight months of home confinement, 400 hours of community service and a $265,000 forfeiture. Remember folks, crime doesn't pay, unless it's robbing Jim Benning blind. (Buffalo News)
While the Boston Bruins' outlook may look murky, David Pastrnak remains a bright spot for the team. Unsurprisingly enough, he would love to play with David Krejci. (Boston Globe)
Let David Savard be another example of why giving young defencemen a chance to develop is a good idea. He's gone from almost not being qualified in 2013 to now signing a five year deal worth $4.25 million per. On a related note, I would love to see Columbus' internal contract projections for 2017-18, otherwise known as the year Ryan Johansen will need a new deal. (BlueJacketsXtra)
According to Mark Spector of Sportsnet, Peter Chiarelli will be named GM for the Young Stars team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. I would hope they didn't need to have him in charge to know that selecting Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was probably a good idea. (The Score)
Young Stars to include players born after Sept. 15, '92. McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins sure to be two of the centremen.
— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) September 8, 2015
Todd McLellan gave his own version of Jim Mora in response to the playoff question. Unfortunately, it is significantly less entertaining. (Sportsnet)
Everyone knows about Marcus Kruger's endless patience, but he isn't alone in the unsigned RFA boat. Jonathan Huberdeau and Brock Nelson are two very intriguing names who continue to join him. (ProHockeyTalk)
2015-16 will see Michael Nylander coaching his son Alexander, as he joins the Mississauga Steelheads as an assistant coach. It will be interesting to see how Alex compares to his brother William. (The Mississauga News)
The San Jose Sharks could sure use a bounce back season from Patrick Marleau after what was an underwhelming 2014-15. Kevin Kurz reminds us that the coaching change over in San Jose means Marleau might not be guaranteed the minutes he seemingly was under Todd McLellan. (CSN Bay Area)
He's no Jonas Gustavsson, but it sounds as if Ray Emery will be heading to Tampa Bay's training camp on a PTO. At this point, I'm admittedly skeptical of his being a legitimately better option than Kristers Gudlevskis:
#tblightning announces that G Ray Emery and C Ryan Martindale will attend camp on PTOs
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) September 8, 2015
Tampa Bay Lightning captain and future Toronto Maple Leafs forward Steven Stamkos sure knows how to temper expectations of Connor McDavid. On the Edmonton Oilers' salvation sensation, Stamkos went so far as to say that "I think he's better than me right now. I wouldn't have a second thought on saying that." Wow. (ESPN)
Mike Babcock believes that the Toronto Maple Leafs captain is "going to have the best year he’s had in a long time". Gentlemen, we can rebuild Dion Phaneuf. We have the Head Coach. (Sportsnet)
And finally, Scott Campbell is looking to close the book once and for all on the Scheifele v. Couturier debate:
I'm tired of arguing about 2 good young players. Who will be the best player? RT for Couturier Fv for Scheifeile Thanks for making me whole
— Scott Campbell (@NHL_Campbell) September 7, 2015
Thanks for reading!