Welcome to the PHT Morning Skate, a collection of links from the NHL and around the hockey world. Have a link you want to submit for the PHT Morning Skate? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.com.
• “This all may be tough to see through the hazy, wet eyes today. Lainemaina took Winnipeg by storm, and seeing another superstar walk out the front door is hardly a sight for sore eyes. When Dubois hits the ice with the Jets following his quarantine period, Winnipeg’s team might just be better than it was yesterday.” [Winnipeg Sun]
• Pierre-Luc Dubois talks about why he requested a trade from the Blue Jackets. Kind of. [PHT]
• “That a player like Dubois has so little leverage for the most valuable part of his hockey career is an intentional design by hockey’s owners to keep salaries down and reduce competition. To some degree, blame the players’ union as well, who willingly signed the CBA. A two-year- $10M contract wouldn’t come even close to cutting it for Dubois in a true real free market. The mechanisms in place to artificially and severely limit the player’s leverage are what allow Columbus to sign him well below his true worth.” [Blueshirt Banter]
• Pushing the 2021 NHL Draft back and holding a prospect tournament are some of the ideas the league has been discussing. [Sportsnet]
• George Armstrong, who captained the Toronto Maple Leafs to four Stanley Cups in the 1960s, died over the weekend. He was 90. [PHT]
• The NWHL has a new commissioner, a TV deal with NBCSN, and eyes a path to being viable. [Forbes]
• Jonathan Drouin seems to have put it all together for the Canadiens. [Habs Eyes on the Prize]
• Flyers president Valerie Camillo is hoping to use her platform to inspire others. [The Hockey News]
• If your fantasy hockey team needs help in goal, pick up Vitek Vanecek and Kaapo Kahkonen this week. [Rotoworld]
• Why the Capitals’ defense isn’t as bad as it might seem. [Japers’ Rink]
• Noah Dobson is taking big steps forward in his second year with the Islanders. [NY Hockey Now]
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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.