VHN Daily: Nazem Kadri sorry for bad hit; Krebs pushes for roster spot

Nazem Kadri is trying to move his hockey life forward. But given his checkered past, that may not be so easy.

Kadri, you may recall, was suspended after his bad hit on St. Louis Blues forward Justin Falk in Game 2 of the Avalanche’s opening-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series. He was given an eight-game suspension by the NHL and the Avs certainly missed him.

Kadri told our colleague Terry Frei that he’s sorry for what happened and he’d like a “second chance.” 

If Nazem Kadri plays tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights, he may find himself head-to-head against rookie Peyton Krebs, who is going to be given every opportunity to make the Vegas roster. The 20-year-old forward looked O.K. in his debut Sunday against San Jose and he said he’s comfortable competing in an NHL environment.

The Knights also announced their first round of cuts from training camp. Lukas Cormier, Jesper Vikman, Artur Cholach, Daniil Chayka, Marcus Kallionkieli, Kaleb Pearson, Jakub Demek and Jakub Brabenec were all sent back to the junior teams.

The only mild surprise was Cormier, a defenseman who was taken in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft and some thought might compete for a backup spot on the Golden Knights’ blue line. But after a rough performance in the 4-2 loss to the Sharks, the team decided they had seen enough and Cormier was reassigned.

Around the NHL:

Sportsnet.ca: Evander Kane can’t seem to stay out of trouble. The San Jose Sharks forward is being investigated by the NHL for possible violations of the league’s COVID-19 health protocols. Kane is not allowed to participate in the Sharks preseason activities even though he was exonerated last week by the NHL for allegedly gaming on hockey. According to Elliotte Friedman of sportsnet.ca, The league continues to look at allegations of domestic violence by Kane against his estranged wife. Now he has to account for possible breach of COVID-19 protocols.

VegasHockeyNow: Monday was the 30th anniversary of the NHL outdoor game at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas between the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers. It was a game that came very close to not being played. Rich Rose, the Caesars Sports president who got the game to be played at his property, recalled the events of Sept. 27, 1991.

Around the National Hockey Now Network:

VancouverHockeyNow: Speaking of COVID-19, our Rob Simpson reports that Canucks defenseman Travis Hamonic is still in Manitoba and reportedly unvaccinated. Vancouver may be looking to trade the veteran blue liner.

PhillyHockeyNow: The Flyers have overhauled their roster and they will be looking to use tonight’s preseason opener vs. the Islanders at Wells Fargo Center and our Ryan Gilbert reports the Flyers hope to use the exhibition game as an opportunity to build some team chemistry.

NYIHockeyNow: The Islanders’ Ross Johnston scored a goal in Sunday’s 4-0 shutout of the rangers in the Isles’ preseason opener. Still, according to Christian Arnold, he faces an uphill battle to make the opening night roster.

DetroitHockeyNow: Bob Duff said an injury to Red Wings forward Jakub Vrana could open the door for veteran Bobby Ryan to land a spot and get some minutes.

WashingtonHockeyNow: If the Capitals are serious about competing for the Stanley Cup, they need to have good goaltending. Sammi Silber writes about Ilya Samsonov’s raising the bar.

PittsburghHockeyNow: Dan Kingerski looks at a good battle in the Penguins’ training camp between youngsters Nathan Legare and Sam Poulin for a roster spot.