What a day. We actually had some official news from the Tampa Bay Lightning posted yesterday. With Josh Archibald wandering around the Tampa area the team decided it would be a good day to announce some updated sweater numbers for the new guys on the team. Maybe we should get back to the ol’ Sweater Series to carry us through these last few weeks of hockey-less wasteland.
Conor Sheary will be the third player in franchise history to don the number 73 and the first since Adam Erne wore it in 2019.
Luke Glendenning will keep the number 11 that he wore in Dallas (he was 41 in Detroit). The last Bolt to have that number was Brian Boyle in 2017.
Calvin de Haan keeps the 44 he has worn his entire career since the number was vacated by Jan Rutta last season.
Jonas Johansson will drape the number 31 across his back, a number worn by 11 previous goaltenders in the organization. He’s flipped between 31 and 35 over the last few years while also mixing in a 34 back in his Buffalo days.
Josh Archibald brings the number 15 out of the closet. It hasn’t been seen in on a Lightning line-up sheet since 2018 when Michael Bournival wore it during his 5-game stint with the Bolts.
If any of these players are your new favorite member of the team, you can now go out and order a jersey on Fanatics and have it back in time for the start of the season (which is inching close, we promise).
Lightning / NHL News
Syracuse Crunch sign Daniel Walcott to one-year deal [Syracuse Crunch]
I was chatting with blog Auntie, Alex, about Walcott a couple of days ago and it seemed odd that we hadn’t heard much about him. The mystery of where he would play next season was solved when the Crunch announced he was coming back for another season. It’s great that the leader in games played for the franchise will be back in the city he’s come to call his own following a career season where he had 13 goals and 19 assists in 67 games. In a year that will see a lot of change in the Salt City it’s nice that there will be one constant for Syracuse (and Tampa Bay) fans.
Nick Paul continues to do it all, including getting married.
How ‘Puckdoku’ took the hockey world by storm [The Athletic]
I am so very, very bad at this game (and the baseball version, Immaculate Grid). Yet, every morning I try it and send the results to my hockey friends. To see that the creator, Tyler Dixon, also struggles is quite reassuring.
Troy Terry agrees to 7-year contract [Sportsnet]
The Anaheim Ducks locked up one of their young forwards (and avoided arbitration) as they signed Troy Terry to a 7-year, $49 million contract. Smarter people than me seem to think it’s a good deal. Anaheim is going to be fun to watch this season.
Mitchell Miller signs in Slovakia [TSN.ca]
Since Gary Bettman stated Miller is still ineligible to play in the NHL, the convicted bully is taking his talents to Slovakia. Earlier this year the Boston Bruins extracted themselves from the contract that they had signed him to last November.
Tarasenko ‘excited’ to join Senators [Toronto Star]
The 31-year-old is looking to bounce back from a bit of an off season last year. With some of the young talent around him, it could be a good spot for him to find his mojo and turn the 1-year, $5 million deal he signed with Ottawa into a big pay day next summer.
Reports emerge in Boston that David Krejci will retire from the NHL [Boston Hockey Now]
Another Bruins legend will reportedly hang up the skates (except for international duty) as Krejci will reportedly announce his retirement soon.
