Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Wednesday Hockey Thoughts

01/18/2017 at 12:51pm EST

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- When it comes to Paul Maurice, my thoughts are this: 2017–18 is the final year of his current contract and I do believe it was always Winnipeg’s plan to discuss an extension with him after the season. Sometimes, the ground shifts underneath our feet, throwing our best-laid plans out the window. In a perfect world, that’s what I think the Jets would still like to do. The organization is loyal and patient. They gave Claude Noel a longer rope than most other teams would have, and you always look for patterns in behaviour.

One of the reasons I think Winnipeg likes Maurice: He plays their young players. The Jets want to know what they have. It’s not always easy to find coaches comfortable with that, especially since being a bench boss is not exactly a stable profession.

- A year ago, it’s unlikely Shane Doan would have thought about waiving his no-move protection. Finishing his career with one franchise was very important to him (and I suspect still is). What changed? The Coyotes would like to see someone else grab the mantle of leadership, recognizing even he cannot play forever.

Monday in Edmonton, Arizona had five power plays. Doan did not get time on the first four. It’s not hard to see where this is going, and the team is losing. That’s why his outlook is different. He’ll have to accept a depth role, but I could see three of the California teams taking a look. As Doan said himself, “It’s going to have to be a perfect situation.”

more includes some trade talk too...

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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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