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PHT Morning Skate: Mantha’s opportunity; Ekholm wants to stay in Nashville

mantha

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 17: Anthony Mantha #39 of the Washington Capitals is mirrored in the glass at the Wells Fargo Center on April 17, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHLI via Getty Images

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? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.

• Anthony Mantha is eager to take advantage of an opportunity to play on the Capitals’ top line. [Washington Hockey Now]

• Best wishes to Avalanche TV analyst Peter McNab as he begins a battle with cancer. Earlier this month the 69-year-old was elected to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2021. [NHL.com]

• Mattias Ekholm does not want to leave Nashville and would have liked to have already signed an extension to remain with the Predators. [Tennessean]

• Something to keep in mind when putting together your Olympic roster projections: “All athletes and Games participants who are fully vaccinated will enter the closed-loop management system upon arrival. Games participants who are not fully vaccinated will have to serve a 21-day quarantine upon arrival in Beijing.” [Olympics]

• The Coyotes are the only NHL team that plans to relax its game-day dress code for players. [ESPN]

• On a revamped blue line, new defensemen Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon are fitting right in with the Jets. [Sportsnet]

• Dave Tippett said Oilers forward Josh Archibald has been unable to “get up to speed” during training camp as he deals with some sort of illness. Doctors are trying to determine what the issue is after running tests. [TSN]

• Connor McDavid, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Nathan MacKinnon top the fantasy hockey draft list. [NBC Sports Edge]

• With NHL 22 coming out in a few weeks, here’s 27 minutes of gameplay to get you ready. [Operation 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