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 Uber driver that released the video of the Senators players in Arizona has been fired. He also apologized for his actions, and he admitted this was the worst decision he’s ever made. (Ottawa Citizen)
• The Pittsburgh Penguins have struggled mightily this season, but one bright spot has been their penalty kill. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Not only is Mitch Marner worth the price of admission, he’s also worth whatever the Leafs decide to give him on his next contract extension. (Toronto Star)
• The Blue Jackets special teams units haven’t been very good under John Tortorella and his staff, so “The Cannon” blog argues that it’s time to make some changes. (The Cannon)
• We all know that the Bruins have one of the most dynamic lines in hockey, but they still haven’t figured out their secondary scoring issues. (Stanley Cup of Chowder)
• Canadiens forward Joel Armia will miss six-to-eight weeks of action after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith. (NHL.com/Canadiens)
• Surprisingly, Taylor Hall hasn’t been overly productive at even-strength this season. (All About the Jersey)
• Mats Zuccarello is day-to-day with a groin injury right now. He won’t accompany the Rangers on their upcoming two-game road trip. (New York Post)
• In order to lighten the mood around the Blues’ tough season, St. Louis Game-Time wonders what it would be like to have Steve Ott as the team’s head coach. This is a light-hearted piece. (St. Louis Game-Time)
• The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell argues that the $10,000 fine Milan Lucic got for going after Tampa’s Mathieu Joseph wasn’t enough to stop him from doing that again. (The Hockey News)
• No one expected Tomas Tatar to get off to a better start than the player he was traded for, Max Pacioretty, but the numbers aren’t even comparable at this point. (TSN.ca)
• It’s been a really disappointing start to James Neal’s tenure with the Calgary Flames. (Sportsnet)
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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.