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PHT Morning Skate: Wright on potentially going No. 1; Letang’s future

shane wright

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 06: Shane Wright speaks to the media during the 2022 NHL Draft Top Prospects media availability at Belvedere Hall in the Montreal Science Centre on July 06, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Dave Sandford/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.

• Shane Wright on potentially going No. 1 overall to Montreal in tonight’s NHL Draft: “Just walking around he city yesterday, it’s a beautiful city, unbelievable city, here in the facility as well. I really love what they have going. ... I want to be part of this. I want to be part of this organization, I want be part of building something special here and I think I can help contribute to that.” [NHL.com]

• Brock Otten of McKeen’s Hockey does a mock draft of the first two rounds. [NBC Sports Edge]

• Cutter Gauthier could be the next big thing coming out of the state of Arizona. [Sportsnet]

• The NHL released the 2022-23 schedule on Wednesday. The Avalanche will raise their Stanley Cup banner on Oct. 12 before they play the Blackhawks. [PHT]

• Penguins GM Ron Hextall sounds pretty confident that Kris Letang will sign an extension. A new deal for Evgeni Malkin remains up in the air. [Pensburgh]

• Which direction could Ducks GM Pat Verbeek go in the first round of his first NHL Draft in charge? [Crashing the Pond]

[NHL Mock Draft: Wright, Slafkovský, Cooley top 2022 class]

• Émilie Castonguay on more and more women being hired in NHL front offices: “I think it’s just the league trending in the right direction. They’re hiring very competent people and that’s what I’ve said from the beginning — there are competent women in this industry and they deserve a chance to be in these positions.” [Pass it to Bulis]

• Nicklas Backstrom, recovering from hip surgery, intends to play next season but there is no timeline for when he might return. [NBC Sports Washington]

• On the partnership between George McPhee and Kelly McCrimmon in running the Golden Knights: “Any credit given to the organization for the epic build-out from the Expansion Draft belongs to both McCrimmon and McPhee. While any critique of the changes that have been made since belongs to both as well.” [Sin Bin Vegas]

• How can Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider build off his NHL rookie season? [Winging it in Motown]

• Why the Maple Leafs should play it “safe” with their first pick. [The Leafs Nation]

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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.