NHL Morning Papers (Sunday Edition): Details as to why Kessel was unhappy in Boston are coming out, Kovalev was booed and cheered at Scotiabank Place, Judge Baum doubles as court jester
Today’s morning news:
Kyle Calder is in tryout mode with the Ducks, despite having a number of 20 goal seasons under his belt.
Perhaps a large part of why he was unhappy was due to a personality clash with his now former coach, Claude Julien, who said his only goal was to improve Kessel as a player.
The Bruins players realize that this is part of the business of hockey and are prepared to move forward without Kessel in the fold.
Top centers realize how important faceoffs are and the centers for Boston know that they need to increase their proficiency.
When the season ended back in April, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff wanted his players to be more accountable and now is the time for the players to show they’ve learned the lesson.
The Blue Jackets must be getting sick of stretchers as for the second game in a row a member of Columbus was carted off. This time Tom Sestito’s head hit the ground after a fight with the Predators Jordin Tootoo.
Left handed winger Jamie Benn has already seen what life as a prospect is like and this time around he is ready to challenge for a regular roster spot.
Brayden Schenn, the Kings’ first-round pick and fifth overall in the June draft, set a modest goal for his first NHL training camp.
The Star-Tribune’s Michael Russo sat down with Greg Zanon, the 3rd best shot blocker in the NHL last season, and had quite the Q&A session.
The Minnesota Wild’s two biggest off season acquisitions will be in the lineup today and Wild fans should be excited to see what Havlat and Sykora can do.
After the loss to the Sens, Carey Price and the Habs still have quite a bit of work to do in order to make sure they don’t have a repeat of last season.
Barry Trotz has a tendancy to downplay injuries so what will be his response to the possible groin injury to injury-prone Steve Sullivan.
Speaking of injuries, the good news for Islanders fans is that Kyle Okposo is feeling better after the monster hit he suffered at the hands (technically shoulder) of Dion Phaneuf.
Alexi Kovalev didn’t know where he was as he was both booed and cheered by the Sens faithful at Scotiabank Place. (Hat tip to IC reader Bryan for catching my mistake).
He’s fast. He kills penalties. He backchecks and he has got a great shot. What’s not to like about Milan Michalek?
Despite thousands of empty seats at Coyotes games, these aren’t enough to attract the city of Glendale to Jim Balsillie’s offer.
The Penguins have a problem most teams wished for, too much talent at the goaltender position. John Curry will likely spend another season in the AHL despite the fact that he continues to improve.
Sounds like Dany Heatley was a bit rusty last night as he saw his first action with the Sharks, although playing with Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi should quickly eliminate any rust.
Call the Blues cautiously optimistic over the apparent return to form by Paul Kariya as he is still rebounding from two hip surgeries.
Tampa Bay Lightning rookie Victor Hedman has a solid support system in veteran and fellow Swede Mattias Ohlund which could be huge for his development.
Phil Kessel was introduced to the Toronto media on Saturday and apparently he is excited to be playing in hockey mad Toronto.
Brian Burke has seized the moment (I refuse to say carpe diem) in his acquisition of Kessel, just another step in his plan to take the Leafs to the next level.
If you missed the Burke/Kessel press conference, here it is:
Michael Grabner needs a high-wire act to make the Canucks and it appears the only place he will be taking his act is back to the Manitoba Moose for a season if he keeps this up.
Promising defencemen Karl Azner is showing the Caps that he is prepared to do whatever it takes to make the squad, even if that means mixing it up.
David Minuk
Working hard on a daily basis to provide the latest Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose news for our readers and listeners. I also appear on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show every Saturday on our YouTube channel as well as the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show after every single Jets game. And I occasionally jump in the play-by-play booth at Canada Life to provide colour analysis during Manitoba Moose games.