Daily Nuggets: Golden Knights Trade Target; DeBoer Debacle, All Tied Up!

Good morning, folks. Free Agency is officially 23 days away, and the Vegas Golden Knights have their work cut out for them. They have a glaring positional vacancy that they need to fill. And as trade chatter continues to pick up steam, the Golden Knights should take a crack at a buy-low reclamation project.

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, the Dallas Stars fired head coach Pete DeBoer. Martin Nečas replaces Jason Robertson as the dream trade target of the day– everybody wants in on the action. The New Jersey Devils are eager to shake up their lineup, and the Ottawa Senators owner addressed the Drake Batherson trade rumors. 

Let’s talk about this incredible Stanley Cup Final.

I like to view the Stanley Cup Final as a seven-part finale to a year-long television series. Sometimes, it rivals the ending of Game of Thrones or a Stephen King novel– that is to say, it’s anticlimactic and rushed. Others, it lives up to the hype and wraps the season up in a neat little bow.

This year, we get neither. This year, we’re getting our money’s worth and then some. The Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers are putting on a show. The first two games of the series went to overtime– the last time that happened was 2014– and Friday’s game went to double overtime for good measure. It was fast-paced, and I’ll admit that it’s great to see Corey Perry and Brad Marchand still running rampant.

Here’s to five more!

Now, let’s get into it.

Golden Knights News

The Golden Knights have their number-one goaltender in Adin Hill, who is locked up for six more seasons. However, that’s only half the battle; if Hill goes down for an extended period of time, who is the next man up? The Golden Knights must make a decision regarding their backup goaltender. Do they hand Akira Schmid the reins? Let’s analyze the situation:

The Golden Knights have limited draft capital. Their prospect pool is depleted, and they don’t have many tradable assets. That means they won’t be in on the high-profile players on the trade block like Jason Robertson. So, they’ll have to get creative. Fortunately, there’s a young top-six winger with some serious upside that might be on the market– and he might even be in their price range.

NHL News, Rumors, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: Huh, I think I’ve seen this one before. On Friday, the Dallas Stars fired head coach Pete DeBoer after his ill-advised handling of their franchise goaltender. 

Sportsnet: Teams don’t always come out and shut down rumors involving their star players, but on Friday, that’s exactlywhat the Ottawa Senators did. On Friday, team owner Michael Andlauer addressed the trade chatter surrounding winger Drake Batherson.

The Athletic ($): It’s no secret that Mitch Marner is on his way out of Toronto. There’s no way of knowing where he might sign on July 1st, but that’s not the matter at hand. No, we want the gory details: where would Maple Leafs fans hate to see Marner play? Spoiler– the Golden Knights are in the top five.

Florida Hockey Now: What, did you count the Panthers out already? Not these Cats. On Friday, Brad Marchand continued his reign of terror as the incumbent Rat King. He scored shorthanded and later put the team on his back to ice the Edmonton Oilers in double overtime.

New Jersey Hockey Now: After a first-round exit at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, the Devils are ready to shake up their forward group. They need to take a big swing, and James Nichols has a list of the top three candidates. 

Philly Hockey Now: You can add Martin Nečas’ name to the ever-growing list of high-profile players allegedly on the trade block. Nečas is reportedly unhappy in Colorado; if he’s for sale, the Flyers need to inquire about him.

Colorado Hockey Now: Martin Nečas rumors aside, this summer is off to a bad start for the Avalanche. On Friday, the club announced that Logan O’Connor underwent successful hip surgery and will be out for 5-6 months.

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