Hey everyone, hope you are all doing well. It’s been a steady week in the world of hockey and here is some of the news from around the world of hockey. This is what is happening right now:
- The New York Islanders have won the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery for 1st time since 2009 (where they picked John Tavares) and will have an opportunity to pick an impactful prospect for their organization. They are also looking at different GM’s, for which this will be a key job to pick the right pick and some of the names right now being considered for the role are Ken Holland and Marc Bergevin are considered for the GM role.The other order of selection goes to San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Utah Mammoth and Nashville Predators.
- Speaking of Utah HC, they have finally announced their name with a great video and PR along with their jersey, which look great. They will make their jersey debut next season.
- Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett will not face any supplementary fines or suspensions for his hit on goaltender Anthony Stolarz in Game 1 of the series. There was a lot of speculation about the hit given that Stolarz ended up in hospital and Joseph Woll took the reigns over the net as Toronto won 4 to 3 in game 2. The games now shift to Florida as they try to claw back into the series.
- St. Louis Blues defenceman Torey Krug isn’t expected to play in the NHL again due to an ankle injury that won’t allow him to perform in the best league in the world and could this be it for him, after the announcement from GM Doug Armstrong. Krug, 34, was diagnosed with pre-arthritis in his left ankle last summer, having season-ending surgery. His issue stems from a fractured ankle he sustained seven years ago in the second round of the 2018 playoffs while playing for the Boston Bruins. We hate to hear this and wish him all the best in his future.
- It also sounds like GM Rob Blake and the Los Angeles Kings have parted ways after 8 seasons with the club. This comes after the 4th time loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He is being scouted for other GM roles like for the New York Islanders.
- The Buffalo Sabres have announced that Eric Staal will join as a special assistant to general manager Kevyn Adams. Staal, 40 played 18 years in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup in 2006. He also played with the New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers, and 32 games with the Sabres in 2020-21. This is a good addition to the team given his wealth of experience.
- It also sounds like Marc-Andre Fleury will be joining Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon for the IIHF world championship.
- As always, there is a lot more news so make sure to tune in for our aired Season 6, Episode 33 of Two Guys & Hockey Talk on Wednesday nights as we dive into some of these great topics, and so much more.
Thoughts? Questions? Suggestions? Then remember to tune in each week to get all the latest news in the world of hockey. For more hockey news, different takes or if you want to chat about anything hockey give me a follow @hockey_two on TWITTER and give us a follow on YouTube, or at https://twoguysandhockeytalk.com/.
- Pawel ‘The Cat’
