from Stan Fischler at The Hockey News,

* Whether it was a trip or a toe-pick on Connor McDavid, it’s senseless to suggest that there was any hint of a deliberate attempt to injure the whizkid. The tragedy of it all comes down to this — pardon the bromide — A Hockey Play Gone Bad. That said, the Oilers have to hope that Leon Draisaitl has the goods to at least adequately replace McDavid.

* Wisecrack of the Week: Long before the Crosby-Ovechkin Era arrived, Darryl Sutter once described his aversion for trading stars for draft choices this way: “Draft picks have a way of ending up as bartenders.”

* If the Capitals are going to be anything beyond an Ovie-entertaining team, Washington’s defense has to show me more than it has so far. This point was underlined during last Tuesday’s visit to Madison Square Garden. Furthermore, the 5-2 loss to the Rangers proves that Braden Holtby is no Carey Price. Nor Henrik Lunqvist for that matter.

* Isn’t it remarkable how coaches can soar from the subterranean to the stratosphere in one easy season. The current Exhibit A happens to be Lindy (Occasionally Gruff) Ruff. In all fairness, Ruff’s latest lofty stature is due in large part to the wisdom of his boss, the very under-played GM Jim Nill.

many more