Kukla's Korner

Blackhawks to reunite their top line from Detroit series in Bickell, Toews and Kane

Blog: KK Hockey By George Malik

06/19/13 at 01:20 PM ET | Comments (0)

From CBS Sports' Adam Gretz:

With his team trying to avoid falling into a 3-1 hole in the Stanley Cup Final, Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville seems prepared to reunite Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane on the same line for Game 4 on Wednesday night.

The two have rarely played together at even-strength over the first three games of the series but were back on a line with Bryan Bickell during Chicago's pre-game skate at TD Garden on Wednesday.

With Marian Hossa expected to return he is likely to play alongside Patrick Sharp and Michal Handzus. Jamal Mayers skated on that line in Hossa's spot during the morning skate.

TSN's "Stats Guy" notes that the Bickell-Toews-Kane line laid waste to my Wings:

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The CHL’s European goalie ban will neither help Canadian goaltending nor European goalie development

Blog: KK Hockey By George Malik

06/19/13 at 01:16 PM ET | Comments (0)

The honest truth regarding player development at all levels--regardless of whether we're talking about "Junior B" or "Junior A" hockey, Minor Midget, Major Junior (see: the QMJHL, OHL and WHL, a.k.a. the "CHL" collective), the USHL, the NAHL, NCAA hockey, European junior or professional hockey, the minor pro CHL, the ECHL, the AHL and even amateur underwater basket weaving--is an unpleasant one in terms of producing NHL players.

Put simply, NO developmental league generates oodles of thousand-game-playing, Cup-winning, Hall of Fame-making superstars. At best, and on a team-by-team basis, developmental leagues generate one NHL "regular" and a couple of call-up quality professional hockey "journeymen" per season, occasionally giving rise to a superstar. There are some exceptions in terms of the respective leagues' powerhouses (see: the OHL's Plymouth Whalers, who play in my backyard here in Southeastern Michigan), but the player development meat grinder is not particularly kind to its applicants' NHL dreams.

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Grand Rapids Griffins Game 6 tailings: tears, warm fuzzies and a command performance from Tatar

Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik

06/19/13 at 12:45 PM ET | Comments (1)

The Grand Rapids Griffins captured the Calder Cup in Syracuse last night, and before holding a fan-centric celebration at Van Andel Arena this evening (6 PM EDT, doors open at 5 PM), the Griffins partied hard last night, and their celebrations continued into the morning:

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Money makes the World (juniors) go round

Blog: KK Hockey By George Malik

06/19/13 at 12:16 PM ET | Comments (0)

The World Junior Championships will be held on the biggest stages imaginable in 2015 and 2017:

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Is Kris Letang the Penguins’ latest, “PIT must move player X for Crosby/Malkin’s sake” player?

Blog: KK Hockey By George Malik

06/19/13 at 12:02 PM ET | Comments (5)

I never know what to make of the Pittsburgh Penguins press's, "Penguins must move core player X to make room for Malkin/Crosby" chatter as it's practically a rite of late spring and early summer, but TSN's Insider Trading gents suggested that Penguins defenseman Kris Letang may be on the move if he doesn't agree to a reasonable contract extension, and, via the Score, the Pittsbrugh Tribune-Review's Rob Rossi suggests that Letang is all but on the trading block:

Discussion with Dupuis' agent, Allan Walsh, started this week. Letang's agent, Kent Hughes, had yet to hear from Shero as of Tuesday.

That is no accident. Shero is fairly confident Letang has become a must-move player.

That is true because Letang is not the consensus best defenseman on the Penguins, at least in the eyes of management and coaches.

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TSN’s Dreger offers coaching chatter

Blog: KK Hockey By George Malik

06/19/13 at 11:48 AM ET | Comments (2)

Here's some coaching talk from TSN's Darren Dreger:

Ditto for Grand Rapids Griffins coach Jeff Blashill, regrettably.

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Predators re-sign up-and-comer Bartley

Blog: KK Hockey By George Malik

06/19/13 at 11:37 AM ET | Comments (0)

From the Tennessean's Josh Cooper:

The Predators have re-signed defenseman Victor Bartley to a three-year, $2 million contract. It is a one-way deal. He will be paid $600,000 in both 2013-14 and 2014-15, and $800,000 in 2015-16 according to the team.

Last season, Bartley played 24 games for Nashville and notched seven assists. He was a plus-2 and averaged 19:33 of ice-time per-game. It was Bartley’s rookie year in the NHL.

Bartley, 25, was one of the few bright spots for the Predators last season, though the one-way nature of the contract makes it somewhat of a risk for Nashville.

Continued

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Maybe Marian Hossa’s ‘resting’

Blog: KK Hockey By George Malik

06/19/13 at 11:36 AM ET | Comments (2)

Per CSN Chicago's Tracey Myers...

And NHL.com's Dan Rosen:

Update:

Update #2:

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Avs continue to get the band back together, add Adam Foote to coaching staff

Blog: KK Hockey By George Malik

06/19/13 at 11:34 AM ET | Comments (0)

Via Pro Hockey Talk's Mike Halford, Patrick Roy's the Colorado Avalanche's coach, Joe Sakic's the senior VP of hockey operations, the Avs are bringing Roy's old goalie coach, Francois Allaire, back into the mix, and now...

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Canucks are iffy on bringing Mason Raymond back

Blog: KK Hockey By George Malik

06/19/13 at 11:26 AM ET | Comments (0)

From News 1130 Sports in Vancouver:

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