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.
• Trading Alexander Nylander became inevitable. (Buffalo Hockey Beat)
• Making a team good and juggling the wishes of an owner can be difficult for general managers. (Yahoo Sports)
• Sabres have built a formidable right side on defense, but something needs to be done to address the logjam now. (Die by the Blade)
• Having done what he can to make his team competitive next season, Jim Benning should now find a way to get rid of Loui Eriksson. (Sportsnet)
• Another chapter in the Jesse Puljujarvi saga. (Oilers Nation)
• Darryl Sutter saying it’s not a big deal he’s joining the Anaheim Ducks is a very Darryl Sutter thing to say. (LA Times)
• The aftermath of Sebastian Aho and that offer sheet. (Section 328)
• Hurricanes hoping to build off breakout season. (NHL.com)
• Bruce Boudreau is exploring his newfound options with Mats Zuccarello and Ryan Hartman. (StarTribune)
• Question: What does the Danton Heinen signing mean? (FanSided)
• A shorter courting period and an earlier opening to free agency? It could be coming. (The Hockey News)
• Second buyout window for the New York Rangers is looming large. (Elite Sports NY)
• A look at the Canucks and their salary cap crunch. (Daily Hive)
• The Winnipeg Jets should have an Atlanta Thrashers night. (Jets Nation)
• Rangers, Islanders take different approaches for engaging female youth hockey players. (The Ice Garden)
• Why Bryan Hicks was chosen to lead the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association. (ESPN W)
• Seth Jones: a year in review. (1st Ohio Battery)
• Can Travis Dermott be the new top-pairing defenseman with the Toronto Maple Leafs? (FanSided)
• New Senators defenceman Nikita Zaitsev plans on doing his talking on the ice. (Ottawa Citizen)
• Analyzing Victor Mete’s role as a top-pairing defenseman. (Eyes on the Prize)
• Winning > new arena for the Arizona Coyotes this summer. (AZ Central)
• QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads hire J.J. Daigneault as head coach. (Halifax Mooseheads)
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck