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.
• Mark Borowiecki has accepted the fact that he’s been suspended by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. (Ottawa Citizen)
• The contract Nate Schmidt signed with the Vegas Golden Knights makes sense for both parties, per TSN’s Travis Yost. (TSN)
• The Roxy bar in Vancouver was notorious for making opposing players slugging before games, but it’s a spot that guys stay away from now. (Washington Post)
• Glenn Healy, who is the executive director of the NHL Alumni Association, says that they’re “all in” when it comes to cannabis research. (Times Colonist)
• In this interview with Sports-Express in Russia, Nikita Kucherov admitted that he’d love to see Artemi Panarin join the Lightning. (Raw Charge)
• We’re less than a month into the regular season, and the Bruins have already been hit pretty hard by the injury bug. (NBC Sports Boston)
• The Los Angeles Kings have had the worst power play in the NHL since the start of the season. Why is that? Well, their zone entries are less than stellar. (Jewels from the Crown)
• Erik Gustafsson has turned into an offensive contributor for the Chicago Blackhawks this season. He’s been a pleasant surprise. (NBC Sports Chicago)
• For the Columbus Blue Jackets to be successful this season, they’ll have to push through adversity because these awkward situations with Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin aren’t going anywhere. (Union and Blue)
• Rangers defender Neal Pionk is a curious case. He posts solid offensive numbers, but his possession numbers aren’t very good. So where should he fit in with the Rangers? (Blue Seat Blogs)
• Let’s just say the San Jose Sharks have spent a good chunk of this season playing on special teams. That’s different from what they’re used to. (NBC Sports Bay Area)
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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.