BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Zack Kassian, Matthew Tkachuk, Braden Holtby, Cale Fleury, and more!
Watch 16yr Old Wayne Gretzky Destroy the Czechs at the ’78 World Juniors!
Watch Connor McDavid help Team Canada end a five-year WJHC gold medal drought right here!
Evan Bouchard has been recalled from his loan in Sweden, now he’s got to make the Oilers or his future could be cloudy. Read about that here.
Read what TSN’s Craig Button had to say about Carter Savoie, Dylan Holloway, and the 2020 World Juniors right here!
At the 2010 World Juniors, Jordan Eberle was a hero but it was all for naught in the Gold Medal Final… Watch the epic 6-5 battle with Team USA in its entirety right here.
Before we get to the links, I’d like to direct you to the tweet below. My hometown’s university hockey team needs help due to cutbacks and obviously financial pressures thanks to the pandemic, so they’ve set up a Go Fund Me to try and raise enough money to keep their program alive.
I can’t even begin to imagine how many hours I spent as a boy running around the Max McLean Arena in Camrose at Vikings games. It has to be in the hundreds as my dad took me to as many as we could get to and add in all the Viking Cup games. Without this hockey program, many people wouldn’t have been able to be introduced to the likes of Henrik Lundqvist, Dominik Hasek, Mike Comrie, Olli Jokinen, Mikko Koivu, PJ Axelsson, Dave Tippett, Fernando Pisani, Petr Klima, Sergei Zubov, Ziggy Palffy, Milan Hejduk, Andrei Markov, Henrik Zetterberg, Tuuka Rask, etc. before they became NHL superstars and that’s thanks to the Vikings and the fine people over the years that have worked tirelessly to keep things afloat.
If you have time, visit the Go Fund Me, and if you have an extra buck or two, help out. I know it’s not easy these days, but Camrose without the Vikings would leave a massive hole in the fabric of that town.
Yes, this is something near and dear to my heart…https://t.co/zpPI0i4rVn
The @UofA_AugVikings hockey teams need some help to make future seasons possible after provincial and university budget cutbacks. #GoVikingsGo #gofundme— Jess Jackson (@thewrongjess) December 17, 2020
NHL Rumors and Speculation
- Matt Larkin (The Hockey News): Has the Seattle Kraken taking Zack Kassian from the Edmonton Oilers in their latest mock expansion draft.
- “Since I project the Oilers to protect four defensemen, they may leave a quality forward dangling. Kassian would become a fan favorite quickly in Seattle.”
BLH’s Thoughts: I haven’t read which d-men Larkin’s planning to protect, I assume Nurse, Bear, and Klefbom would be three since they’re under contract…I suppose it wouldn’t be far fetched to see one of Barrie or Larsson get the other spot. But fack if I know, bloody expansion draft rules give me a headache. lol. I really need to get my shite together for that draft…
Anyways, Kassian would be a fan favorite in any rink with fans. We’re yet to see how much of an impact he’ll be in an arena without the supporters though… Seattle taking him would be a massive help to the Oilers though because Kass has a pretty hefty contract for what he brings production-wise. Plus if Puljujarvi or someone else emerges in Edmonton’s top-six, they’d have someone ready to slide right in… But if Larkin has Edmonton going the 4-4-1 route, that means Pulju would be unprotected because he’s not getting on that list ahead of 97, 29, 93, and 56.
Wouldn’t you rather take the Finn at that point?
- Sean McIndoe (The Athletic): What is the greatest “win-win” trade of all-time? Iginal for Nieuwendyk? Down Goes Brown lists off EIGHTEEN trades and asks you to pick which was the best!
- Adam Gretz (NBC): Gives us some options for the Washington Capitals backup position now that King Henrik has had to step down from the throne. He argues that the internal candidates might be better off than the external ones.
- “The best option for the Capitals here might be to roll the dice with one of Copley or Vanecek. They will be cheap, and will probably be capable of producing similar results. Maybe even better given how poorly some of them performed the past couple of years. It is a gamble given their lack of starting NHL experience, but it may be their best one at this point.”
BLH’s Thoughts: Personally, I think they should go with Copley or Vanecek. Sometimes the Hockey Gods speak louder than you’d like and if I’m hearing things right, it’s that the answer to the Caps’ backup questions will be found within the organization.
- Rory Boylen (Sportsnet): Says that if the Edmonton Oilers are to get Ethan Bear under contract for the upcoming season, another roster move is going to have to take place. He also wonders if Braden Holtby finds some success in Vancouver, will that lead the Kraken to choose him as their goalie?
BLH’s Thoughts: The Oilers simply have to get Oscar Klefbom to LTIR and then they should be able to have Bear signed up shortly.
As for Vancouver, they hope that Seattle takes Holtby, right? Demko is good to go right now and if the Kraken take someone else, how will that affect the Canucks netminding situation? Would it be easy to find a trade partner in order to move Holtby? Maybe a club like Buffalo or… Edmonton…
- Eric Engels (Sportsnet): Says Cale Fleury is the player the Seattle Kraken will their eyes on at the expansion draft.
- “The 21-year-old Fleury — a smooth-skating, big-hitting, right-handed defenceman — would be a most fitting choice, assuming he continues to progress in his development this season.”
BLH’s Thoughts: The Habs are going to be in a bit of a pickle with the expansion draft list. They’re definitely going to lose a good player but I’m thinking that’s the whole point behind how they built their club for this season. Just to make it a little bit less painful when the time comes to sacrifice someone to the Kraken.
Matthew Tkachuk on IGLive with Ryan Leslie says he had about 100 people at his draft, and 90-95 of them thought he was going to EDM; even said a few people at the EDM table gave him a "we're taking you nod" just prior to CBJ selecting PLD throwing everything off.
— Ross Creek Nasty (@akaRCN) December 19, 2020
BLH’s Thoughts: This is THE first I’ve ever heard of this. If it was true, a guy like Bob Stauffer would’ve heard it and made mention of it given his love of the player.
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