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.
• One former NHL player believes that 60 to 70 percent of the current players in the league already smoke marijuana. Now that Canada has legalized marijuana, he expects that the idea of using it will become more accepted. (Sportsnet)
• Carolina’s Sebastian Aho is one of the best forwards in the NHL right now, according to The Hockey News’ Jared Clinton. (The Hockey News)
• Rotoworld’s Michael Finewax has his latest edition of the NHL Power Rankings. Toronto and Boston moved up while Tampa and Winnipeg moved down. (Rotoworld)
• ESPN staff writers had a coach’s draft (all coaches from the four major sports were available). The first hockey coach to be taken was Leafs bench boss Mike Babcock, who went seventh overall. Mike Sullivan, Joel Quenneville and Peter Laviolette all made it in the top 15. (ESPN)
• Allan Markin, who is a co-owner of the Calgary Flames, paid a huge sum of money to free a journalist who was kidnapped in Somalia and kept captive. (Calgary Herald)
• Rangers head coach David Quinn sent a message to his team by scratching Pavel Buchnevich on Tuesday night. (New York Post)
• It’s easy to see why the Capitals decided to hire Todd Reirden as their head coach once Barry Trotz left for the Islanders. (Sports Illustrated)
• Even though Auston Matthews is a great player, Jets forward Mark Scheifele doesn’t believe he’s at Connor McDavid’s level just yet. (NHL.com)
• Red Wings prospect Evgeny Svechnikov will miss five-to-six months after undergoing ACL surgery. He’s done for the year. (Detroit Free Press)
• Puck Junk has an interesting book review of ""Hockey Card Stories: 2" by Ken Reid. (Puck Junk)
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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.