Hey everyone, happy September 17. Hope you are doing well, as we gear up for Episode 2 of Season 7 of Two Guys & Hockey Talk, where we dive into the stories around the world of hockey. Some of the news from the past few days that we have heard are:
- Hockey Canada 2018 Case – It sounds like the NHL and NHLPA have allowed Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, and Alex Formenton, to be eligible to sign NHL contracts after their acquittals from the Hockey 2018 cases. Their future destinations and how quickly they return to game shape will be a major talking point as camps roll on.
- Carter Hart won’t be a Flyers – Speaking of Hart, it has been confirmed he will not be re-signing with the Philadelphia Flyers with a conversation his agent had with Danny Briere (Flyers GM). He’s eligible to sign with any NHL club as of October 15 and can return to action December 1 and would have the most interest out of all the players from that case. This will be one of the most intriguing comeback stories to follow this season, not just for his on ice performance but also off the ice. It sounds like it may be an American team that will take a flyer on Hart (pun intended).
- Minnesota Brewing – Kirill Kaprizov remains unsigned as he rejected an 8-year, $128 million extension from the Minnesota Wild. The deal would have made him the highest-paid player in NHL history and now there are far more questions for what this means for the talented winger, along with Minnesota’s future as a contender. Will he test free agency and will that be a distraction for the team or will this quickly get settled? Time will tell but this is a big story.
- Marc-André Fleury returns Home– In some positive news, Flower has signed a PTO with the Penguins and will practice with the team and play in at least one exhibition game and retire a Penguin. This is a great move by the Pittsburgh organizaiton, as they continue to rebuild their team, Crosby determines his future this season and they find new ownership through a possible deal brewing.
- Rangers Revamp Under Sullivan – The New York Rangers enter training camp by announcing that J.T. Miller will serve as their 29th captain of the franchise. There are some big changes in leadership and lineup construction that mean the Rangers will be under a big spotlight this year to compete and go far in the postseason after missing last year. Miller came over to the Rangers after that trade with Vancouver.
- Champions Hockey League Kicks Off – In Europe, the CHL has begun play with clubs from across the continent competing for the crown. Last year’s winners, ZSC Lions, are back to defend their title, and several underdog teams are hoping to make a run. It should be another stellar season. The IIHF have also announced plans for a new European Nations Cup involving 12 national teams, giving Europe’s hockey powers (and smaller nations) another international platform between World Championships and Olympics. There will be no shortage of great hockey.
- Arthur Kaliyev Off-Ice Troubles – There was a recent report that Ottawa Senators forward Arthur Kaliyev is facing allegations of being involved in a $50,000 scam from an Instagram model. As of now he hasn’t publicly addressed the claims as it is an evolving story, but we will be monitoring it.
- Coach Concerns with Mitch Love – The Washington Capitals have placed assistant coach Mitch Love on a team-imposed leave pending the results of an NHL investigation, which stems from a letter received by the NHL earlier this summer alleging issues with Love’s personal conduct. The letter was also sent to other teams that were previously considering him for head coaching roles. We don’t know too many details but also will be monitoring this situation.
Thoughts? Questions? Suggestions? Then remember to tune in each week to get all the latest news in the world of hockey as we start up Season 7 of the Podcast each Wednesday night at 7pm MST, where we dive into some of these great topics, interview many in the game and so much more. For more hockey news, different takes or if you want to chat about anything hockey give me a follow @hockey_two & @revinev on X and give us a follow (subscription) on YouTube, and check out our website for articles that we share regularly at https://twoguysandhockeytalk.com/.
Pawel ‘The Cat’
