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.
• Red Wings shrug off draft conspiracy talk. Said Red Wings senior VP Jimmy Devellano: “To those people who say that, they don’t know what they’re talking about. We got screwed by the lottery. That’s factual.” [National Post]
• What kind of questions are NHL teams asking as they prepare for eventual reopening of their arenas? “What if, on top of that, the only people you’re allowed to have are ones in suites, because all the suites have glass enclosures on them and they sit between 12-18 people? Maybe groups of 12-18 people are allowed, so we’ll build a model for that. I don’t know that’s something that will be suggested, but that’s a model we can build. What if it’s only 1,000 people? OK, now we lay 1,000 people into the upper and lower bowls, and we talk about how we’ll get them in through the doors, what that looks like. We probably have to give them times for them to show up. And which 1,000 get in? We have between 8,000-10,000 season-ticket holders.” [ESPN]
• Newly retired Joel Ward is still thinking about how he’ll spend his post-hockey life. [NBC Sports Bay Area]
• Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment has ‘been in contact’ with Ontario about Toronto hosting NHL games. [Sportsnet]
• Breaking down Kasperi Kapanen’s value to the Maple Leafs. [Leafs Nation]
• Why interim head coach Dean Evason should stick with the Wild. [Star Tribune]
• Devils rookie goalie Mackenzie Blackwood is hoping to stay with the franchise for a long time. [NHL.com]
• What can Canucks fans expect from their stars are a lengthy time off? [Nucks Misconduct]
• Muskegon can thank Andrei Svechnikov for turning the USHL side into a good landing spot for Russian junior players. [The Hockey News]
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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.