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.
• Evgeny Kuznetsov is loving the game again, a big reason why he’s going to Las Vegas this weekend. [NBC Sports Washington]
• How does new Habs GM Kent Hughes plan to turn around the team’s fortunes? He says they’re open to anything right now. [TSN]
• Ranking the potential 2022 unrestricted NHL free agents. [NBC Sports Edge]
• The NHL announced its revised COVID-19 protocol on Monday (kicking in after the 2022 NHL All-Star Break), and the headliner is that the changes will remove the requirement for fully vaccinated players to get tested daily. [PHT]
• How South Korea hockey took a step back four years after their showing at the Pyeongchang Olympics. [France 24]
• Don’t look now but Patrik Laine is heating up for the Blue Jackets. [1st Ohio Battery]
Big ups to my man Cooper who hits the 360 Michigan during @BlueJacketsNHL intermission. pic.twitter.com/Tne1pc7Rbu
— Pavel Barber (@HeyBarber) February 1, 2022
• More on Cooper Dennie’s big moment. [Blue Jackets]
• If offer sheets were a thing general managers used regularly, these players would be targets this summer. [Bleacher Report]
• A look back at this past weekend’s Premier Hockey Federation All-Star Game. [The Ice Garden]
• Now that he’s overcome a rib injury, the old Brayden Schenn is back for the Blues. [Post-Dispatch]
• Which Canucks forwards could be on the move before the NHL trade deadline? [The Hockey News]
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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.