Puck Headlines: Gaborik hurt already; Kessel/Leafs update
Here are your Puck Headlines: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.
• It’s been too long since we had Jersey Fouls. They will return on Tuesday.
• The Sean Avery(notes) flowchart is pretty much the best thing we saw all weekend. [Rangers Report, H/T Curl]
• While it’s nice that the Nashville Predators are interested in Phil Kessel(notes), all signs point to the disgruntled winger ending up with the Leafs. [Boston Globe]
• Good breakdown by Spector on the Kessel situation. [THN]
• More photos of Taylor Swift rocking the new Preds third jersey, although none of them capture the moment when Kanye ran out on stage and proclaimed "I’ll let you finish, but the Wild had one of the best third jerseys of all-time! OF ALL-TIME!" [On The Forecheck]
• Michael Russo explains the intricate details on Petr Sykora’s(notes) tryout with the Minnesota Wild when he has a $3 million offer from Russia on the table. [Star Tribune]
• Dan Boyle(notes) blogs about the San Jose Sharks trading for Dany Heatley(notes): "I know he is coming into a team where he does not need to be "the man," but more importantly just be one of the pieces of the puzzle in our attempt to bring the Cup home." [Boyle]
• The New York Rangers slightly increase their contract offer to Brandon Dubinsky(notes), but the center remains out of training camp. Which led to John Tortorella calling Dubinsky, his decision and his agent "stupid." [NY Post]
• Marian Gaborik(notes) is held out of practice with a sore groin. Stop laughing, other 29 teams. [Zipay]
• Jarret Stoll(notes) has arthritis? [Inside The Kings]
• Los Angeles Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi(notes) choose a day at Disneyland for his two-year-old daughter’s birthday over meeting President Obama with the Penguins. Rep. Joe Wilson approves. [LA Times]
• Because of injuries, Atlanta Thrashers Coach John Anderson says Kari Lehtonen(notes) is not his No. 1 goaltender at the moment. Which means either Johan Hedberg(notes), Ondrej Pavelec(notes), Drew MacIntyre(notes) or Manny Legace(notes) has the chance to be one coming out of camp. [AJC]
• We were unaware that there was a chance Teemu Selanne(notes) and Saku Koivu(notes) wouldn’t start the season on the same line. Isn’t that one of the givens about Anaheim hockey, like someone asking Bobby Ryan(notes) about Sidney Crosby(notes) and Scott Niedermayer’s(notes) beard looking like a someone used a Brillo pad to clean an ashtray? [OC Register]
• Does Blake Wheeler(notes) have the stamina to replace Phil Kessel in the Boston Bruins‘ lineup? In the hockey sense; not in, like, the Puck Bunny sense.[Globe]
• Chicago Blackhawks goalie Cristobal Huet(notes) takes Nikolai Khabibulin’s(notes) job, as well as his jersey number. [Chicago Tribune]
• Why is Theo Fleury(notes) is attempting a comeback with the Calgary Flames? Because he wants to go out like a champ. Evidently, drunken brawl with bouncers at a strip club resulted in indefinite suspension under the league’s substance abuse policy is not going out like a champ. Much to our surprise. [Sun Media]
• Michael Nylander(notes) is pretty much the most annoying hockey player in the long, storied history of annoyance. Use some of that free-agent money and buy a hint, sir. [Capitals Insider]
• The Florida Panthers sign Dennis Seidenberg(notes) to a one-year, $2.25 million deal that more than a few folks have said is overpayment. Eh, it’s one year for a solid pro. [TSN]
• Words fail us. [HF Boards, via Puck Buddy Alex B.]
• "Bored with Phoenix, Toronto media sets sights on Sunrise." [Litter Box Cats]
• Lowetide breaks down some interesting comments from Edmonton Oilers Coach Pat Quinn on this year’s line combinations. [Lowetide]
• Toronto Maple Leafs Coach Ron Wilson names Tomas Kaberle(notes) and Mike Komisarek(notes) and Francois Beauchemin(notes) and Luke Schenn(notes) as his top two defensive pairings. Which leaves, Garnet Exelby(notes), Jeff Finger(notes), Jonas Frogren(notes), Mike Van Ryn(notes) and Ian White(notes) battling for survival. And the Jeff Finger signing looks better and better. [Toronto Star]
• Washington Capitals winger Tomas Fleischmann(notes) blames prolonged air travel and the Pittsburgh Penguins for his preseason blood clot. Ironically, they’re also the reasons why he was able to finish the latest Nicholas Sparks novel during last postseason. [On Frozen Blog]
• Now that Brad Richards(notes) is over his wrist, shoulder and hand injuries, he can concentrate on becoming an elite NHL center again. Provided he doesn’t catch mono. [Stars Blog]
• The New York Islanders, who open the preseason tonight, have John Tavares(notes) rooming with Doug Weight(notes) this season. Perhaps they can discuss what life was like for a 19-year-old when Tavares was born. [Canwest]
• Drew Stafford(notes) finally signs with the Buffalo Sabres, and Goose sees the two-year deal as the most important moment of the Sabres’ offseason. [Goose's Roost]
• Andreas Lilja’s(notes) postconcussion symptoms won’t allow him to participate in contract drills and practices, so the Detroit Red Wings have placed him on long-term injured reserve. Say, that doesn’t also put the Wings under the cap, does it? [Freep]
• Finally, via Battle of California and the HF Boards, we may have finally discovered by Dany Heatley wanted out of Ottawa — he once heard Jason Spezza(notes) laugh at his own joke:
