Daily Nuggets: Golden Knights, Marner Rumors; ECF Embarrassment

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, the Carolina Hurricanes are in serious danger of getting swept by the Florida Panthers yet again. Here’s a fun fact– the Hurricanes have lost 15 straight Eastern Conference Final games. How is that even possible?! And if you think the Hurricanes’ ECF record is crazy, just wait until you hear about Stuart Skinner. 

I do apologize for the lack of content over the past few days. I had a bad reaction to some medication I took on Thursday, spent the night convulsing, and slept through nearly all of Friday. Only late Saturday did I begin to feel like myself again. So, if it’s any consolation, I wasn’t having fun playing hooky.

Okay, that’s enough from me for today. Onto the hockey!

Golden Knights News

Now, let’s get one thing out of the way: the Golden Knights don’t have unlimited salary cap space. However, 102-point players don’t always hit the open market; when they do, there’s no guarantee they’ll be interested in your team. But in this case, both things are true– 28-year-old superstar Mitch Marner will hit the open market on July 1st, and he’s interested in bringing his talents to Vegas.

I’ll have more on this later, but the reputation surrounding Marner in Toronto is wildly inaccurate. The fans and media would have you believe he’s ineffective in the postseason– soft, overpaid, and lazy. Nope, he’s got 63 points in 70 career playoff games. And as for being ‘soft,’ physicality only gets you so far if you can’t score.

And, just in case you’ve forgotten– the Golden Knights need offense. Remember how their depth scoring evaporated in the second round against the Edmonton Oilers? Or how about when their season ended with 127 minutes of scoreless hockey against Stuart Skinner? 

When you have the chance to add a 102-point player, you do it. You don’t hesitate just because he’s not the most physical player.

On another note, the Golden Knights stay frontrunners to land star KHL Free Agent Maxim Shabanov. The 24-year-old dynamic winger was third in the league in scoring with 23 goals and 67 points in 65 games. In the postseason, Shabanov recorded 10 goals and 20 points in 21 games. He’d be an excellent signing.

NHL News, Rumors, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: With the Brendan Shanahan era in Toronto coming to a close, let’s take a walk down memory lane and reminisce about some of his best and worst moments with the Maple Leafs.

Sportsnet: Stuart Skinner remains the most polarizing man in hockey. During this postseason, he has a record of 3-4; his three wins are shutouts, and his four losses are all sub-0.834 performances. That’s probably why the Edmonton Oilers allegedly learned how to play defense.

The Athletic ($): After an injury to Roope Hintz, the Dallas Stars’ first-line center, it’s time for Mikko Rantanen to carry his team once more.

The Athletic ($): Before last night’s beatdown, the Carolina Hurricanes had lost 14 straight Eastern Conference Final games. The Hurricanes don’t want to change their game, but at this point, something’s gotta give.  

Florida Hockey Now: The NHL might need to implement a mercy rule. The Panthers have outscored the Carolina Hurricanes 16-4 over the first three games of the Eastern Conference Final. On Saturday, they exploded for five goals in the third period to take a 3-0 stranglehold in the series.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: I’ll admit, this particular coaching vacancy fascinates me. From an outsider’s perspective, a rebuilding team that rosters Sidney Crosby seems like a death sentence. However, after firing long-time bench boss Mike Sullivan, the Penguins need a new head coach, and Dan Kingerski analyzes the pros and cons of the top five candidates.

NHL History: On May 25th, 1994, the New York Rangers were down 3-2 to the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals. Mark Messier guaranteed a victory, telling Rangers reporters they would force a Game 7. The Rangers captain rattled off a third-period natural hat trick and made good on his word.