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.
• Sidney Crosby (foot) returned to Penguins practice on Tuesday. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)
• The drama surrounding the Maple Leafs captaincy is about to come to an end. (Leafs Nation)
• Offense will continue rising in the NHL, according to TSN’s Travis Yost.
• It’ll be an emotional return home for Jakub Voracek when the Flyers open the season in Prague. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• The Devils hoped to become closer during their trip to Annapolis. (NJ.com)
• Wild defenseman Greg Pateryn underwent successful surgery. He’s expected to miss around six weeks. (NHL.com/Wild)
• NHL is trying to grow grassroots hockey in China. (Sports Illustrated)
• David Backes skated with some 12-year-old figure skaters over the summer. (Bruins Daily)
• This new edition of the Edmonton Oilers is hoping to avoid the same old results. (Sportsnet)
• Here are five things the Florida Panthers will accomplish this season. (Panther Parkway)
• The evolution of the Canucks roster led to them waiving Sven Baertschi. (Vancourier)
• The Central Division will have a huge influence on the upcoming NHL season. (The Score)
• What are the realistic expectations for the Dallas Stars? (The Sporting News)
• Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman is on the hot seat in Chicago. (Blackhawk up)
• Here are five potential surprises ahead of the 2019-20 season. (Featurd)
• Finally, Alex Steen and Colton Parayko surprised Laila with a very special gift this week:
A special gift from her boys - thank you Laila for being such an inspiration during our #StanleyCup run. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/4Zlu1Xuwjb
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 1, 2019
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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.