There’s absolutely no news about Victor Hedman in today’s Quick Strikes, but it was the first picture that popped up and pretty much defines “smoldering”. So there ya go. It’s another day with no big news, but we’re just over a week away from the beginning of the rookie tournament which should lead right into training camp. Hold fast Lightning fans, the season is just around the corner.
Now, onto the links!
The Lightning
The countdown is back on! The Top 25 Under 25 continued with the unveiling of our number two ranked young player. It probably wasn’t much of a surprise. [Raw Charge]
At 21 years old, Sergachev is a top four defensemen in the NHL. He’s not even in his prime yet. He’s still going to improve and, in my opinion, he hasn’t even scratched his ceiling yet. Let’s refocus on the fact that Sergachev is pretty damn good and shouldn’t be underrated.
We consulted an internet oracle to answer some of the big questions facing the Lightning in the upcoming season. The answers were a bit…interesting. [Raw Charge]
Cirelli is a very good hockey player but he also has a lot going for him as a person. The kid is extremely positive, has a nice demeanor, and he seems to know he is making a good decision.
Actually, that’s a pretty spot on description.
The boys are back in town. Training camp is probably over a week away, but that hasn’t stopped some members of the team from jumping on the ice in Tampa. [Joe Smith Twitter]
Think #tblightning are ready for bounce back season? About 18 players already here for informal skates, more than a week ahead of camp. Johnson, Palat, McDonagh, Cernak, Cirelli join Stamkos, Kucherov + Vasilevskiy (been here all month). Alex Volkov here too, getting head start pic.twitter.com/uXoxaT2xKs
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithTB) September 3, 2019
Former Lightning goaltender Mike McKenna takes a trip down memory lane with future Lightning goaltender Curtis McElhinney. Lightning goal scorers that night – Evgeni Artyukin, Vincent Lecavalier (x2), Ryan Malone, Vinny Prospal, Marty St. Louis (x2), and Steven Stamkos. Mark Recchi had five assists. [Mike McKenna’s Twitter]
The Prospects
The Lightning continue to release video of players and coaches who were mic’d up during the development earlier this summer. The latest – Nolan Foote, [Lighting Twitter]
Unlike Fight Club, the first rule of being mic’d up at #BoltsDevCamp is that you HAVE to talk about being mic’d up.@foote_nolan with the honors 🗣 pic.twitter.com/KfIlv377RC
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) September 3, 2019
Am I only including this because I was quoted? Yes, yes I am. Another look at Carter Verhaeghe and his shot to be the next impact rookie for the Lightning, [The Hockey Writers]
Given the Lightning’s history of players coming out of seemingly nowhere and becoming nightly contributors at the NHL level, it would come as no surprise to see Verhaeghe fight his way onto the 2019-20 starting roster. He has the scoring acumen to become an NHL scoring threat, and Tampa Bay have shown that they are more than willing to give opening night roster spots to whoever earns it out of training camp.
Despite the CBA expiring in the AHL, there’s no reason to worry that an agreement won’t be in place before the season starts. Patrick Williams has more at the end of the third part of his interview with Bryan Helmer [EP Rinkside]
The collective bargaining agreement between the AHL and the Professional Hockey Players Association expires this Saturday, but do not expect any labour-related fireworks between the sides.
Their CBA signed before the 2015-16 season hammered out several key issues, namely increased playoff compensation for players. Andrews and PHPA executive director Larry Landon have never had a work stoppage. Landon has been in his role since 1993, and Andrews took over the AHL’s top job in 1994.
While Landon was not able to be reached in time for comment, Andrews said in a written statement to EP Rinkside that “negotiations have been positive and productive, and they are ongoing. I do anticipate that we will reach a new [CBA] prior to the start of the 2019-20 season.”
The Game:
A long time thorn in the sides of many a Lightning player officially announced his retirement. After 953 NHL regular season games, a Stanley Cup, and many a big hit, Niklas Kronwall has retired. He will join the Red Wings front office. [Winging it in Motown]
Kronwall will leave the NHL with very few admirers among rival fanbases, especially in Tampa, Chicago, and Pittsburgh. He likely won’t see his number in the rafters, but Kronwall will definitely be joining the circle of players whose legends live on in the stories passed down through the generations of fans.
Wait, it’s taken this long for Ovi to get a cereal? Not only do fans get a delicious naturally flavored honey nut cereal, they also can also play a game. [NHL.com]
In addition, the Capitals teamed up with Balti Virtual to bring the Ovi O’s box to life with an augmented reality game, Ovi O’s Slapshot presented by Giant, using Snapchat’s Lens Studio. Customers who have purchased Ovi O’s can scan the box in Snapchat to access this interactive hockey game which gives fans the ability to control Ovechkin as he shoots the cereal at moving targets.
Seattle continues to build its executive team. On Tuesday they added an assistant general manager. Ricky Olczyk joins the group that hopes to build a contender in the Pacific Northwest [NHL.com]
One of Olczyk’s primary duties in Carolina-and now Seattle-involves managing the team’s salary cap. Every NHL franchise has to stay within a minimum and maximum team salary range; the cap maximum for the upcoming NHL season is $81.5 million. The salary cap will certainly factor into which players Seattle selects in the NHL Expansion Draft in June 2021, plus any potential free agent signings during that summer, beginning July 1.
A double dose of Mike McKenna today? Sure, why not? His latest podcast episode delves into the world of mask painting. [Mike McKenna’s Twitter]
🥅NEW PODCAST🥅
Ray Bishop (@BishopDesigns) NHL mask artist: @RyanMiller3039, Belfour, Hasek, Turek, Howard, Montoya, Legace, Brathwaite, Khabibulin, @mturco35, @CalPetersen40 , @alexned_, Coreau, @Eamonthegoalie, & more!@ApplePodcasts: https://t.co/EIY9uGAxUS pic.twitter.com/HdbY1ZfwGT— Mike McKenna (@MikeMcKenna56) September 3, 2019
A great read on the tumultuous summer that women’s professional hockey just endured. [The Ice Garden]
Professional women’s ice hockey in North America has been shaken up several times this summer. If you don’t know what’s been going on, now is the perfect time to get caught up before the 2019-20 season begins. Although the future is uncertain, it’s an exciting time to be a fan.
Phil Kessel in a Kachina jersey? Well, that’s an unexpected gift on a Tuesday. [Arizona Coyotes’ Twitter]
And now, a message from the man himself, @PKessel81. #KachinaKessel pic.twitter.com/DqtNoM9gxM
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) September 3, 2019
Your Feel Good Sports Story of the Day:
It comes from the world of baseball. Aaron Barrett is a relief pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization. He last pitched in the major leagues in 2015. Since then, he has undergone Tommy John surgery and recovered from a fractured elbow. At 31 years old, his career could have been over, or he could have toiled away in the minors and faded into obscurity. Instead, he received the news that the Nationals had called him up to the majors. Things got a little emotional. [Harrisburg Senators Twitter]
The moment Aaron Barrett found out he was going back to the bigs. Congratulations, Aaron!
cc: @Nationals @masnNationals @MLB @MiLB @aaronbarrett30 pic.twitter.com/RSxQ1b9dMT— Harrisburg Senators (@HbgSenators) September 3, 2019
