That’s right, folks. We’ve made it through the long, hot summer and by the end of this month we will have some sort of competitive hockey. Yes, they might just be preseason games, but they’re still games against different opponents and a chance to watch our favorite team on the ice.
Signs of hockey life are taking place at The Bench.
Paint it, and they will come. With the ice being laid down at Benchmark International Arena there will be skaters on it before we know it. Much of the mid-September action will take place at the Lightning’s practice arena as the prospect tournament will take place at Adventhealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel. When they’re done, things should shift over to Benchmark with the veterans joining the youngsters.
The first preseason game will take place on September 26th against the Carolina Hurricanes and then we’re off to the races. So, spend as much time as you can with your loved ones over the next two weeks, because once hockey starts, you may not see them too much.
Now that we’re back from vacation, let’s catch up on some of the news that took place over the last few days.
Hockey News
Jan Rutta signs in Switzerland [GSHC]
Old friend Jan Rutta is heading to Europe after signing a two-year contact with Geneve-Servette. The veteran defenseman had been a free agent after playing out his contract with the San Jose Sharks the last few years. The market never materialized for the 35-year-old so he took the option to continue his career overseas.
Carey Price on the move? [TVA Sports]
There was some speculation that the Montreal Canadiens goaltender could be traded before Monday due to his signing bonus ($5.5 million) being due on September 1. As of Monday night he was still a part of the organization. That hasn’t stopped the rumors that the team is still looking to move his contract, which is in its final year, to free up some cap space to possibly make a run at adding another young piece to their line-up. At $10.5 million it would take quite a sweetener for a team to add that contract to their books.
Seven fun locations for future NHL drafts [Daily FaceOff]
Walt Disney World? With ESPN’s relationship with Disney that may not be so far-fetched.
Lightning rank No. 28 in NHL pipeline rankings [The Athletic]
“Their system isn’t a disaster”. Well, that’s one way to sum it up. Conor Geekie, Ethan Czata, and Sam O’Reilly are the top three prospects according to The Athletic (their age cutoff is 23).
McDavid to “take my time” in regards to next contract [NHL.com]
It won’t back Oilers’ fans off of the ledge, but McDavid says his intentions are to win with Edmonton. He’s yet to sign an extension, though. He’s slow-rolling things right now, but we expect him to stay in Edmonton, and set a record when he does eventually sign.
