Daily Nuggets: Golden Knights in Stanley Cup Final! GM & NHL Trade Rumors, Too

The Vegas Golden Knights made us sweat. They made us wonder. And the Golden Knights looked like they were in trouble before Game 6, but they turned in a beauty. The Golden Knights’ body slammed the Dallas Stars in Game 6 and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. More than 3% of the country showed up to celebrate Team Latvia’s bronze medal at the World Championships, the Philadelphia Flyers aren’t shopping Carter Hart on the NHL trade block, but they are listening. And our colleagues in Pittsburgh also broke some news about the Pittsburgh Penguins GM hunt.

As many of our readers pointed out, the Golden Knights touched the Campbell Bowl last time and lost, so they avoided it this time. If you’re a superstitious person, both Washington and the Golden Knights touch their trophies.

I’m back in Vegas, and I couldn’t be happier. I will offer a little strip tip for your friends and family coming into town. Don’t be afraid of the Oyo. I’m not staying there this week, and I kind of miss it (I will be staying there for the remainder of the Stanley Cup Final and, hopefully, the celebration). Unlike the mega MGM properties, the small place is easy in and easy out. It’s clean and quiet, and there’s a free breakfast if you grouse just a bit about the $46 resort fee.

Every day I’m in this wonderful city, leaving is tougher. If you keep reading in these large numbers, I might not leave. Let’s get to it…

Vegas Golden Knights / Stanley Cup Final:

Viva, Las Vegas! The Golden Knights stomped a mudhole in Dallas and walked it dry, 6-0. Stanley Cup Final Bound! Get the Vegas Golden Knights recap.

Would they? Would they touch the trophy? Nope. Here’s a list of the last 13 Stanley Cup winners and what they did. Was it bad luck the Golden Knights wouldn’t touch it?

Florida Hockey Now: Our colleague in Florida, George Richards, began to break down the series from the Florida Panthers‘ perspective.

The Panthers will have close to two weeks’ rest before the Cup Final, but they’re OK with it. More Florida Panthers coverage.

NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now:

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Kyle Dubas watch. Our colleagues in Pittsburgh got a few scoops on the open GM and president position. The Penguins have been without bosses for six weeks, but the owners even received help from the NHL in finding people to interview. It’s a bit of a crazy scene with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Philly Hockey Now: Carter Hart on the NHL trade block?

TSN: The other team looking for a GM, the Maple Leafs, could move forward on a new GM this week.

Sportsnet: From Mark Spector — why it’s time to end the Arizona Coyotes’ existence.

ESPN.com: NHL trade rumors have been percolating in Toronto. Teams are poking and prodding the Maple Leafs, who have several star players, looking for that blockbuster trade.

Make sure you’re following our colleagues in the division, too:

San Jose Hockey Now: The Golden Knights division rival San Jose Sharks had a rough year. It didn’t look too bad at mid-season, but that “was misleading.” Can the San Jose Sharks rebound?

LA Hockey Now: The LA Kings have UFAs and just a wee bit of salary cap space. What will the LA Kings‘ UFAs command?

This will be the best party until Vegas wins a Stanley Cup. Latvia has 1.8 million people, and 3-5% of the entire country came to the party. That’s pretty epic:

Riga is sheer madness after the bronze medal. The heroes are received by some 50.000 or more fans at the Freedom Monument. The airline flew the team for free from Tampere, the plane was painted in 🇱🇻, music bands play for free, the government announced official day off @lhf_lv pic.twitter.com/Dqws7KBFxU

— EuropeanHockeyClubs (@EHCAlliance) May 29, 2023