Welcome to the PHT Morning Skate, a collection of links from around the hockey world. Have a link you want to submit? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.com.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs opted to pay John Tavares on Sunday, but they’ll need to worry about the cap consequences later. (Sporting News)
• TSN’s Bob McKenzie sat down for a Q & A with John Tavares the lacrosse player and John Tavares the hockey player. (TSN.ca)
• The Erik Karlsson trade chatter is starting to heat up. Teams have been granted permission to chat contract with the franchise defenseman. (Ottawa Citizen)
• The fact that the Panthers have Roberto Luongo and James Reimer ended up costing them Harri Sateri (Panther Parkway)
• Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman didn’t make a splash in free agency, but he still added some depth pieces to his roster. (Chicago Sun-Times)
• Sabres forward Tage Thompson said he felt like he didn’t really fit in with the veteran roster the Blues iced last season. “St. Louis, they rely more on their veteran guys, so I kinda was pigeonholed in a sense, didn’t really get to play a lot, or play the game I like to play.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• The Bruins didn’t end up landing a big free agent, but that shows how much confidence they have in their current group of players. (WEEI)
• Will the addition of James van Riemsdyk be enough to put the Flyers over the top? (NBC Sports Philadelphia)
• Find out how broken hockey sticks can become hotels for oysters. Seriously. (Naples News)
• An art gallery in downtown Vegas hosted a Golden Knights paint class. The participants painted a Golden Knights logo with a Boba Fett helmet in place of the knights helmet. (Vegas Review-Journal)
• The Montreal Gazette did a Q & A with Tomas Plekanec, who returned to the Canadiens when the market opened on Sunday. It’s safe to say he’s excited to be back. (Montreal Gazette)
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Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.