from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet,

- Eight teams have turned to a different voice behind the bench this season after the Minnesota Wild replaced Bruce Boudreau with Dean Evason on Friday.

There’s no reason to forecast a quiet off-season, either.

Not only are decisions pending on four interim head coaches — Evason, Rick Bowness (Dallas), Geoff Ward (Calgary) and Alain Nasreddine (New Jersey) — but there’s also the usual performance-related changes to anticipate.

Add in a crop of free-agent replacements that includes Boudreau, Peter Laviolette and Mike Babcock, and, well, here’s guessing there’s much more to come.

- By the end of next season, the NHL will have staged 32 outdoor games — enough for each team to have hosted one.

Of course, there are still plenty of clubs clamouring for their chance, which is what made Saturday’s announcement of a 2020-21 Stadium Series game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., stand out.

The Carolina Hurricanes were chosen as hosts for three main reasons: Tom Dundon has been persistent in his pursuit of one since becoming owner; the tremendous reaction to the team locally in the last year-plus, particularly during last spring’s playoff run; and the overriding belief that it’s time to reward different markets coming off the success of the Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

more topics including the cap room the Leafs have and the comments from Evander Kane...