Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

PHT Morning Skate: Presidents’ Trophy curse; top Stanley Cup contenders

xy_sarP9Psed
Kathryn Tappen, Patrick Sharp and Dominic Moore award the Oilers' Connor McDavid the "Top Performance" after the center became the ninth player in NHL history to earn 100 points in the first 53 games of the season.

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.

• Did the Hurricanes avoid the Presidents’ Trophy curse? [Canes Country]

• From Vegas to Toronto to Colorado, ranking the top 2021 Stanley Cup contenders. [NBC Sports Edge]

• Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen on the team’s coaching search after parting ways with John Tortorella: “We’re not in a hurry, we got some ideas already and people we’re going to consider but we’re going to take our time.” [1st Ohio Battery]

• NHL Power Rankings: Hurricanes take top spot; Beware of Lightning. [PHT]

• The NHWL’s Connecticut Whale have been sold to Shared Hockey Enterprises, becoming the league’s third independently-owned franchise. [The Ice Garden]

• Jack Capuano has been named head coach of the U.S. entry into the IIHF World Championship later this month in Latvia. [USA Hockey]

• The Rangers and defenseman Ryan Lindgren have worked out a three-year, $9M extension. [Blue Seat Blogs]

• On new GM Chris Drury’s decision about the Rangers’ coaching position: “It simply will be about whether Drury has confidence in Quinn to be the coach who can take the team to the next level or whether the chief hockey executive believes the Rangers need a coach with more experience and a background of NHL success to take the baton and take over the team.” [NY Post]

• A four-year extension looks to be in the cards for Oilers defenseman Adam Larsson. [Oilers Nation]

• Would Chris Driedger be a good fit with the Seattle Kraken next season? [Sound of Hockey]

• Jack Campbell, Oskar Lindblom, and Patrick Marleau are among 2020-21 Masterton Trophy nominees. [PHT]

• The AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers are rebranding as the Bridgeport Islanders. [AHL]

• Sharks assistant Rocky Thompson could be a candidate for the Coyotes coaching job. [NBC Sports Bay Area]

————

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