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.
• “The Winnipeg Jets are exploring the possibility of playing some games at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, where there currently aren’t attendance restrictions, though more work would need to be done and approvals secured before such an idea could come to fruition.” [Sportsnet]
• Tuukka Rask’s return with the AHL Bruins has been delayed as Providence’s two games against Lehigh Valley this weekend have been postponed. Their next game is scheduled for Jan. 14. [NBC Sports Boston]
• How important is Edmonton’s game on Monday? It could decide whether Dave Tippett keeps his job. [Oilers Nation]
• It wasn’t long ago that some thought Nick Ritchie was a solution up front for the Maple Leafs. On Thursday, he was waived. [TSN]
• “A Connecticut high school hockey player died after a collision during a game Thursday in Greenwich, officials said. The student fell on the ice during a game, and another player was unable to stop and collided with the player who had fallen.” [NBC News]
• How Hockey Hall of Famer Hayley Wickenheiser continues to push for equality in women’s hockey. [ESPN]
• The ECHL’s Florida Everblades, down bodies due to COVID-19, have signed Trevor Daley to help them out for a little bit. [Everblades]
That @stromer19 pass 🤯 pic.twitter.com/asmC1f6FIb
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) January 7, 2022
• Matty Beniers, Jake Sanderson, and Brock Faber are among the names who have been invited to play for the U.S. men’s Olympic team. [Daily Faceoff]
• Mike Hastings, Brett Larson, Scott Young, David Lassonde, and Alex Dawes will round out David Quinn’s Olympic staff. [USA Hockey]
• Ryan Strome has really upped his game for the Rangers this season. [Blueshirt Banter]
• Remembering the time that Ralph Macchio, a.k.a. Daniel LaRusso, got his own NHL rookie card. [Puck Junk]
• It’s just a matter of time, Victor Olofsson believes, until the goals start coming. [Buffalo Hockey Beat]
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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.