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.
• Jack Eichel is confident that his slow start will be a thing of the past very soon. [Buffalo Hockey Beat]
• How one NHL team is dealing with the league’s COVID protocols at home and on the road. [News and Observer]
• Joe Thornton will return to the Maple Leafs’ lineup Monday. [Maple Leafs Hot Stove]
• Alex Galchenyuk, Paul Byron and Danny Dekeyser were some of the names on Sunday’s waiver wire. [Sportsnet]
• How Kings prospects Akil Thomas is re-writing the script for what it means to be young and Black in hockey today. [Sportsnet]
• Steven Stamkos was removed from the NHL’s COVID-19 list and is eligible to play Monday night. [ESPN]
• Meet the 11-year-old hockey player who beat cancer and raised $36,000 for charity. [The Hockey News]
• Could a goalie controversy develop in Montreal the way that Jake Allen has played this season? [Featurd]
• Auston Matthews says he’s adding more physicality to his game this season. [TSN]
• As Semyon Varlamov continues to play strong, the AHL is becoming an option for Ilya Sorokin to get ice time. [NY Hockey Now]
• It’s clear that Alex DeBrincat is becoming a complete player for the Blackhawks. [NBC Sports Chicago]
• A great read on the brain surgery that saved Tony Granato’s life 25 years ago. [Wisconsin State Journal]
• If the Rangers were a contender, what would their roster look like? [Gotham Sports]
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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.