Tom’s Daily: Owners Talk Shutdown, DeBoer Says Bubble Will Make Him Better Coach

Tom’s Daily today: Owners Talk Shutdown, DeBoer Says Bubble Will Make Him Better Coach, Kraken Could Benefit From Flat Cap, Origin Stories and more.

Vegas Golden Knights

Pete DeBoer says that his time in the bubble with the Golden Knights will make him a better coach for the team next season. (NHL.com)

Here’s the full Q&A from the above article (Vegas Golden Knights)

Two VGK rearguards landed on the NHL Network’s Top 20 NHL Defensemen list. The fan vote? Not so much… (VHN)

NHL

Don’t sleep on this little nugget in a larger update article. Some NHL owners believe it would be better to just not play this season financially. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is pushing back against that idea. And when it comes to how this is all going to fall out, let me save you some time with my own unscientific analysis: February 1, 48 games, four restructured divisions for the first half of the season. (ESPN)

Not a lot of movement lately on the UFA front, but here’s a solid look at the top 15 remaining names. (Sportsnet)

I love the Edmonton Oilers signing Dominik Kahun. In my opinion he’s way underrated, and I can’t believe the Sabres let such a low-cost value go after just six games. Apparently The Hockey News agrees with me. (The Hockey News)

Looks like the Florida Panthers front office is now set with the hiring of Paul Krepelka. (FloridaHockeyNow)

Thirty-one NHL teams are freaking out about the new economic reality of the NHL in a pandemic world. Team #32 is not. Why Ron Francis believes the flat salary cap will help the Seattle Kraken (TSN)

Speaking of the Kraken and upcoming NHL Expansion Draft, our man Dan Kingerski over at Pittsburgh Hockey Now urges the Pittsburgh Penguins to use the Kraken to unload cap space.

The Sharks are turning 30? **checks notes** The Sharks are turning 30… here is the anniversary jersey and logo reveal. (SanJoseHockeyNow)

Pleasepleasepleaseplease just announce the Nordalanche throwbacks already! First Nathan MacKinnon, and now this:  Did Mikko Rantanen tip off the color of the Colorado Avalanche third jersey? (Colorado Hockey Now)

Hockeyverse

I admit it, I’m a sucker for origin stories. Especially when it comes to sports logos, team nicknames and jerseys. “Fabric of the Game: The Stories Behind the NHL’s Names, Logos and Uniforms” is now available for those of us firmly in the nerd category. It covers 47 NHL franchises then and now, including the recently-introduced Kraken. Even the one named by a wartime bootlegger. This book is on my Christmas list if anyone wants to get their shopping done early… (Sportsnet)

That’s it for Tom’s Daily. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave your questions and comments below.