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PHT Morning Skate: Life after Laviolette; Kovalchuk impresses in Habs debut

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On a loaded Tuesday in the NHL, Kathryn Tappen, Keith Jones, and Mike Milbury predict matchups between the Avalanche and Rangers, Bruins and Predators, as well as the Penguins and Golden Knights.

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 firing of Peter Laviolette shows thats GM David Poile still believes his team has a chance this season. [Tennessean]

• Ilya Kovalchuk impressed in his first game with the Canadiens. [Habs Eyes on the Prize]

• Should the Maple Leafs sell high on William Nylander? [Faceoff Circle]

• The son of Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle was reportedly found dead in Los Angeles. [CBS Pittsburgh]

• Mike Sullivan deserves all the praise with how he’s found ways to get the Penguins to succeed through all of their injuries. [Pensburgh]

• Jim Rutherford is working the phones seeking a winger to replaced the injured Jake Guentzel. [Tribune Review]

• The big difference between Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid? The supporting casts around them. [TSN]

• Oilers GM Ken Holland stating the obvious: “When you’ve got Connor McDavid and you’ve got Leon Draisaitl … I believe the window to try to be in the playoffs is now.” [Sportsnet]

• Jacob, 8, wanted a Maple Leafs cake. The bakery used the Maple Leaf Foods logo instead. [CBC]

• How close are the Bruins to undergoing a shakeup? [Boston Herald]

• A good look at the strong season that Hurricanes forward Lucas Wallmark is having. [Canes and Coffee]

• The Flyers, regression and the second half of the NHL season. [Sons of Penn]

• Is Aaron Dell the new No. 1 goalie in San Jose? [NBC Sports Bay Area]

• U.S. goalie Arthur Smith will be one of the few black athletes among the 1,800 competitors from 70 countries at 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games which opens Thursday in Lausanne, Switzerland. [NHL.com]

• “As [Jets defenseman Sami] Niku was preparing for his NHL return, a report was making the rounds on Monday morning from Finnish media outlet Yle Urheilu, one that suggested Niku was unhappy with how he was being handled in the organization — going as far to say that he was readying a trade request.” [Winnipeg Free Press]

• What the 2020 Winter Classic meant to the NHL, Dallas and the southern hockey fan. [Sporting News]

• Goaltending has been looking up for the Devils of late. [All About the Jersey]

• Troy Brouwer was signed by the Blues for forward depth but has found it difficult to stick in the lineup. [Post-Dispatch]

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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.