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.
• Logan Couture is the new captain of the San Jose Sharks. [NBC Bay Area]
• Time for the St. Louis Blues to “charge back up the hill” and defend the Stanley Cup. [Post-Dispatch]
• Blake Wheeler on how the Winnipeg Jets’ pursuit of the Stanley Cup affected him: “I was disappointed for the first time in myself after last year not because we didn’t win the Stanley Cup. I lost touch with myself as a dad, as a husband, first and foremost, because I invested so much into trying to win. Everyone was talking about this is our year to win and I felt like we had a real opportunity to win and when I was home, that’s where I was – I was trying to win the Stanley Cup.” [TSN]
• Why the Mitch Marner contract drama isn’t as complicated as it seems. [Pension Plan Puppets]
• Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland is in no rush to trade Jesse Puljujarvi until he gets the right offer. [Edmonton Journal]
• Loui Eriksson says his comments that he and Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green don’t get along were “overblown.” [Vancouver Sun]
• Bruce Boudreau and his players are confident the Minnesota Wild can pull off a turnaround this season. [Star Tribune]
• How Kevin Shattenkirk and Patrick Maroon can play positive roles on the Tampa Bay Lightning power play. [Raw Charge]
• Great read on Detroit Red Wings prospect Jalen Smereck and his complicated relationship with hockey and home. [The Score]
• Brady Keeper became the first member of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation to sign an NHL contract last season with the Florida Panthers. He’s confident heading into his first training camp. [NHL.com]
• No matter what happens this season is a win-win for the New York Rangers. [Gotham Sports Network]
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.