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A new hockey is season is getting up to speed as Victor Hedman has already decided to mark his territory around the Stanley Cup. He said at media day that the team is as hungry as ever for the threepeat. And despite the changes that have had to happen to the Tampa Bay Lightning, they very much are as good as they have ever been. The Lightning have shown that they don’t have to be the most healthy or have the most luck, they just need to be there when it counts and they’ll more often than not get the job done one way or another.
Victor Hedman: “We’re not satisfied. We’re still hungry. We don’t want to see anyone else raising that Cup.”
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithTB) September 22, 2021
Not that some of those losses haven’t stung. Yanni, you look amazing and we miss you already!
gathering alllll the content today.
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) September 22, 2021
can’t wait to share it with all our besties pic.twitter.com/R4pRsxx907
Notes from Media Day
First, some bad news. Cal Foote had surgery on his tendon in his finger and will miss the start of the season. That means there’s going to be a real fight for his job in camp where someone on the roster will be able to win themselves a job. Right now I think it’s between Andrej Sustr and Fredrik Claesson for that 7D job that is very often in Jon Cooper’s lineup.
Lightning GM Julien BriseBois said Cal Foote is the only player injured entering camp. Foote had surgery on his hand a few weeks back to repair a tendon in his pinky, will miss the preseason and 2-4 weeks to start the regular season. #Bolts
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) September 22, 2021
Steven Stamkos was talking about Brayden Point’s brand new contract extension, and not only said he’s more than worth the deal, but hopefully now Brayden will share some of it around when the team is buying crocs together, or whatever they do in Florida.
Steven Stamkos on Brayden Point’s new contract extension he signed in the offseason: “Looking forward to him buying me a new pair of Crocs, maybe a nice team dinner. That wallet is pretty tight. Hopefully it’ll loosen up now.” #Bolts pic.twitter.com/q4rjAWd33w
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) September 22, 2021
Alex Killorn chimed in as well with some valuable insight.
Alex Killorn on Stamkos saying Brayden Point has a pretty tight wallet:
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) September 22, 2021
“I wouldn’t call him cheap, he just doesn’t spend money.” #Bolts
Speaking of Killorn, he is still recovering from the broken fibula he suffered in the playoffs, but expects to start the season healthy and in the lineup. If you remember he had a rod surgically placed in his leg during the Finals and he was planning to play on it in Game 7 if the season came down to it. I’m so glad they got it done in five.
Alex Killorn said he’s still rehabbing his broken leg from Stanley Cup Final but won’t miss any time and feels 100%. Said he was committed to playing either Game 6 or 7 if needed but was hoping it didn’t get to that point.
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) September 22, 2021
“In my mind for sure I was going to play Game 7.” #Bolts pic.twitter.com/pVodjd1hYT
And finally some extra notes from Bryan Burns. Hedman is 100%, Killorn is going to invest in his video series, and Julien BriseBois confirms all players on the team are fully vaccinated.
Couple more notes to end media day:
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) September 22, 2021
▫️ Victor Hedman had surgery in the offseason but said he's 100%.
▫️ Alex Killorn plans to revive Dock Talk at some point, wants to increase the production value and add cameramen.
▫️Julien BriseBois said all Lightning players are vaccinated.
Vaccinations
First, a message from future Syracuse Crunch captain (no spoilers) Daniel Walcott.
Take the most important shot of the season.
— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) September 22, 2021
Get your COVID vaccine. pic.twitter.com/SFQGvSmk7J
This was a touchy topic yesterday around the league as teams had to tiptoe around the players who refused to get the shot. It created a real, unnecessary distraction. And we know how much hockey players hate being called a distraction.
Yzerman says every player is vaccinated except Tyler Bertuzzi, who chose not to
— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) September 22, 2021
I think the contrast is most stark in Edmonton, where Josh Archibald is refusing to get the shot while his teammate Alex Stalock is missing the season after COVID-related heart condition after contracting the virus last season.
Does Archibald not see his teammate? Or does he just not care?
Selfish and not so smart, Josh Archibald will either join the team or take his conspiracy theories to Bakersfield.
— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) September 23, 2021
My take on Keith and Archibald - the two sides of the vaccine hesitant NHLer.https://t.co/TXlOA05OKE
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Alex Stalock is expected to miss the entire 2021-22 NHL season due to a heart condition he developed after contracting COVID-19 last season.https://t.co/glIgAsE2Ki
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) September 22, 2021
Get the shot guys. The NHL is doing it, as are AHL teams, because they know it’s the best way to run a healthy season without stoppages and full arenas so they can make lots of money. The calculation was simple for them.
Evander Kane (TW//DV and SA)
I’m sure you’re aware of the scandal surrounding the San Jose Sharks and Evander Kane. As of yesterday, the NHL cleared him of gambling on League games, closing that side of the story. However, a domestic violence and sexual assault investigation has started as his wife Anna begins divorce proceedings in civil court. There is a restraining order in place from Kane, assault allegations coming from both people. This is messy to say the least, especially with a little girl stuck in the middle of it and allegedly a victim of the violence as well.
The Sharks have said Kane will not be at training camp. Reports are that the team is trying to get him off the team as most players are sick of Kane as they’ve been dealing with this scandal internally for a long time. He also carries a hefty cap hit so I’m sure they won’t hate that coming off the books.
Below is the NHL statement, Sharks statement, and a thread outlining the allegations from the upcoming court case.
The league announces, after investigation, that there's no evidence of Evander Kane gambling on NHL games. pic.twitter.com/yxICnmLhIU
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) September 22, 2021
Statement from the #SJSharks. pic.twitter.com/ZiKEo8LgmH
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) September 23, 2021
BREAKING: San Jose Sharks star Evander Kane faces sexual assault and domestic violence allegations, according to court documents obtained by @FOS. https://t.co/grLxwRvITQ
— A.J. Perez (@byajperez) September 22, 2021
Last Bits
Men like Peter Chiarelli can’t help but find ways to fail up, it’s astonishing. It’s not a secret that he, Paul Fenton, Mike Milbury, and Pierre McGuire are all fighting for who is the top three worst GM tenures in NHL history right?
Not done yet, but sounds like #stlblues are working on an expanded role for former #Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli, who has served as advisor to Doug Armstrong. Official title TBA but perhaps VP of Hockey Ops.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 22, 2021
Also, Ken Hitchcock to rejoin STL organization as coaching consultant.
And lastly, the Buffalo Sabres signed RFA Rasmus Dahlin to a three-year contract worth $6 million AAV.
IT’S DONE!
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) September 22, 2021
We’ve agreed to terms with Rasmus Dahlin on a three-year contract with an AAV of $6 million.
Details: https://t.co/NqqhKJpHXv pic.twitter.com/yHQMA4WxCL
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