Lightning Round: Victor Hedman: “We don’t want to see anyone else raising that Cup”

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.

Not that some of those losses haven’t stung. Yanni, you look amazing and we miss you already!

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.

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.

Alex Killorn chimed in as well with some valuable insight.

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.

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.

Vaccinations

First, a message from future Syracuse Crunch captain (no spoilers) Daniel Walcott.

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.

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?

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.

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?

And lastly, the Buffalo Sabres signed RFA Rasmus Dahlin to a three-year contract worth $6 million AAV.