It would appear the NHL news is slowing to a crawl as we reach the back half of July. However, hockey and the New York Rangers bid a fond farewell to Blake Wheeler , while the NHL trade rumor folks listed the Rangers as a possible landing spot for Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann . Elsewhere, Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas spilled the beans on a few issues, the New Jersey Devils have a trade chip to play, and the Islanders are entering an arbitration window.
Unfortunately, I'm old enough to have been covering the 2004 NHL Draft when the then Phoenix Coyotes, led by Wayne Gretzky, shocked everyone by taking Wheeler fifth overall.
I was doing a radio show live on the draft floor. People howled, even the hockey neophytes in Carolina. The Great One took piles of criticism that he was pretending to be an executive, and Wheeler, who was playing high school hockey, was the worst pick of the draft.
I suppose Wayne knew what he was doing, eh?
Maybe someday, I'll tell you about my drive to that draft in Raleigh and trying to find a gas station at 2 a.m. as my car pinged and flashed that the fuel was low while we rolled through the rural Carolina countryside. Then, magically, a Kwik-Fill sign appeared like a mirage, almost in the middle of a cornfield…and it was closed. I've come to believe that my new car didn't want to stop in those parts unknown either, and found some extra gas hiding somewhere in the lines until salvation appeared.
Forever Blueshirts: "I had nothing left." The big forward spent 16 years with the Winnipeg Jets before his final season in 2023-24 with the New York Rangers. Here's the full story. Fare thee well, Blake Wheeler .
Ok, so how about THE free agent signing of ALL free agent signings? Yes, we're talking about the Rangers reportedly keeping an eye on the status of Connor McDavid .
NHL Trade Rumors.com: Ok, count me as not a fan of many of the rumor rags that use speculation as reporting, toss stuff on the wall without identifying it as conjecture, and otherwise bat .100. However, it seems some are connecting Jared McCann to the Rangers .
McCann and Mike Sullivan do have a good history from their time in Pittsburgh. I will attest, McCann is Sullivan's type of player, and it wasn't a popular move internally when former GM Ron Hextall traded him to avoid losing him in the expansion draft, but kept some badly fading veterans.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Kyle Dubas dropped some dimes on podcast host Dimitri Filipovic. From the Penguins figuring out how to identify which draftees they can improve, to their free agent class that resembled the Last Chance Saloon, and a potential goalie shakeup, it was a Pittsburgh Penguins expose.
NYI Hockey Now: The Fish Stix have a pair of unsigned players. The most notable is first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer. The other will be settled in a couple of weeks as Maxim Tsyplakov is heading towards arbitration, which presents a few options for the New York Islanders .
Philly Hockey Now: The buzz in Philadelphia was enormous for tiny rookie Matvei Michkov . The kid from Russia wiggled out of his KHL deal to get to Philly and had himself a year. Now the question is, what about Michkov's next contract ?
New Jersey Hockey Now: Colleague James Nichols has unearthed a potentially valuable asset. Goaltenders are so scarce at the moment that aging Jake Allen was the momentary belle of the ball until he re-signed. However, there is another goalie, another New Jersey Devils trade chip to watch.
Florida Hockey Now: We're a little envious of George Richards in Florida. He's covered a few Stanley Cup Finals in a row, including a pair of victories. After the re-signings and finding salary cap space in the couch cushions for everyone, it surely seems that, yes, the Florida Panthers are a dynasty .
Enjoy your Sunday, kids. If you're in the city, grab a slice for me.
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