Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Overnight Hockey Thoughts

07/03/2022 at 3:07am EDT

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

Final written 32 Thoughts blog of the season. Thank you as always to the editors. This is not an easy piece to handle, and I’ve already driven at least one of them into retirement....

There’s a ton of stuff flying around out there, and I don’t want any fan base to feel left out. The easiest way is to do something quick on every team, and we’re going to do it by draft order.

Detroit: Now that coach Derek Lalonde’s in place, the focus turns to the roster. (Under-the-radar coaching interview: Calgary assistant Ryan Huska. Not sure if he had one or two there). The Red Wings are believed to be working on an extension with Dylan Larkin. One thing to know: the final season of Larkin’s current contract has a no-trade clause that kicks in July 13. It’s not like Steve Yzerman (Lamoriello Lite) to tell us anything, but it wouldn’t be a shocker if he’s told Larkin he needs an answer before that kicks in. Detroit has room to do almost anything it wants, but there’s not a lot of intel that escapes. I did wonder if the Red Wings would be Jack Campbell’s next home, but they don’t seem to be the favourite.

Chicago: A few months ago, I refused to believe DeBrincat would be traded. Now, with each passing day, the scales tip more in favour of it happening. One player made a good argument. “He’s two years from unrestricted free agency. If this rebuild is going to be as painful as we think, is he going to want to stay there? He wants to win.” Chicago has to know that, too. If it does happen, the bigger question might be how Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews feel. The Blackhawks have not made them available, preferring that if they wish to be moved, they come forward and make it known. There’s a way to manage this, but a DeBrincat trade for futures might just do it — although I hesitate to speak for them. There is also a lot of research being done on Kirby Dach.

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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