Lightning Rumors & News

SI "On March 12, the day after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 and the NBA postponed its season, the NHL Board of Governors held an emergency conference call to determine the league’s course of action. The most urgent business was completed without debate: After..." April 03

Toronto Sun "The pitch has become a bit more problematic these days. When the Arizona Coyotes traded for Taylor Hall and his expiring contract in December, general manager John Chayka knew there was no guarantee that the pending free agent would stay beyond the season. But Chayka also knew that..." April 03

CBC Sports "We've got plenty of time on our hands as the NHL season remains in limbo amid the COVID-19 outbreak, so why don't we use this team to brainstorm some ideas on how to "fix" the league? We love hockey and (sometimes) the NHL but we can probably all agree that it's not..." April 03

Yahoo! Sports "Welcome to the Best Team Ever bracket series, where the greatest of all time have their most dominant seasons stacked up against each other until we ultimately crown a champion in each sport. The tournament will be decided by fan vote, so be sure to submit yours below! Check out the first..." April 03

Pro Hockey Rumors "Of the three players that were named as a Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist earlier today, only one of them is an undrafted player in center Jordan Kawaguchi.  The 22-year-old recently told Postmedia’s Steve Ewen that he has had interest from..." April 03

NHL.com "Who do the top prospects eligible for the 2020 NHL Draft compare to in the NHL? NHL Central Scouting is producing its final rankings of the top North American skaters and goaltenders for the 2020 draft via video conferencing, which is being led by NHL Central Scouting director Dan..." April 03

Sportsnet "The NHL and NHLPA are stepping out to help families that are homeschooling kids due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hockey Scholar, a hockey-themed STEM curriculum for elementary and middle-school-aged students that is part of the NHL and NHLPA’s Future Goals..." April 02

TSN "When the National Hockey League introduced a comprehensive 3-on-3 overtime system five years ago, it was met with intrigue and curiosity. The league’s goal was to reduce the frequency of the shootout, and it has succeeded on that front. The format has been so fruitful that..." April 02

ESPN "The New York Rangers' most significant recent free-agent acquisition might not have been superstar winger and MVP front-runner Artemi Panarin. Instead, their best signing might turn out to be a benchwarmer who managed to chew and claw his way into their hearts. The..." April 02

Mile High Hockey "With games currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL is looking at any and all possibilities that would allow them to finish the 2019-20 season. In an effort to do so, the league has already postponed the NHL Entry Draft indefinitely.  As of now, we don’t..." April 02

NHL.com "Mike "Doc" Emrick misses greeting people at the rink with a handshake and a hello, having conversations with everyone from players to coaches to the television crew and arena workers, and telling the inside stories he learns on the broadcast that night. It's those things..." April 01

The Score "Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh is holding out hope that he and his team will have a chance to win the Stanley Cup this season. "For what our team has done, how we set ourselves up and the additions we made ... you just hope and pray that there is a..." April 01

Ottawa Sun "If all had gone as planned, the NHL would have been heading into the final week of its season with all seven Canadian teams in action on Hockey Night in Canada on the final Saturday night. The National Hockey League shouldn’t rush to judgement on the rest of its regular..." April 01

Tampa Bay Times "The pause button was pushed on the NHL season on March 12. Nearly three weeks later, hockey officials are not yet ready to push the panic button. Even with President Trump announcing Sunday that social distancing guidelines would be in place until April 30, the NHL still..." April 01

Pro Hockey Talk "The NHL pause has made us all dream of the day hockey returns and we can finish the 2019-20 season. That rings true for players as well, and there’s a strong feeling among teams that owned Stanley Cup dreams before everything shut down. The defending champion Blues are..." April 01

The Hockey Writers "With the COVID-19 pandemic raging, the NHL has hit the ‘Pause’ button. It’s unlikely that the league will be able to schedule both the remainder of the 2019-20 regular season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their current formats. One horrible scenario has North America on..." April 01

TSN "The NHL is extending its recommendation for players and staff to self-isolate and stay away from team facilities for a third time due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports the league is asking that players and staff extend their..." March 31

ESPN "Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby was named the NHL's most complete player, while Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand earned both best and worst trash-talker honors in the 2019-20 NHL Players Association poll released Tuesday. The annual..." March 31

Stanley Cup Of Chowder "If the NHL doesn’t return this season, it will be a shame on so many accounts. Of course the health and well-being of the players, staff and fans takes precedence over the game, however for Bruins’ fans a cancelled season, will be the end to a very promising year that could..." March 31

Sportsnet "With the NHL season still on hold, this feels like a natural time for many in the game to do a little reflecting.  Hockey Central has hosted several coaches and general managers over the course of the league’s current suspension, and Sportsnet’s Brian Burke has..." March 30

Sportsnet "The restricted free agent dominated hockey conversation in the summer of 2019, as a loaded class of emerging stars took greater slices of their respective teams’ salary pie, pushed negotiations into training camp, and signed an array of short-, long- and mid-term extensions that expanded..." March 30

ESPN "It has now been 18 days since the NHL decided to hit the pause button on the 2019-20 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and players, coaches, team personnel and fans throughout the hockey world have been self-quarantining and social distancing -- well,..." March 30

The Score "The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the player deemed to be most valuable during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. A total of 47 different men have earned the award since its introduction in 1965, while netminder Patrick Roy has received the honor a record three times and became the youngest..." March 30

Pro Hockey Talk "When the coronavirus outbreak started to ratchet up in mid-March, hockey fans received at least one bit of soothing news. It turns out Joe Thornton doesn’t rank among the NHL players who might be considering retirement as the season hangs in the balance. TSN/The Athletic’s..." March 30

Pro Hockey Rumors "As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the coming weeks, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each..." March 29

Sportsnet "Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly is hopeful that the NHL can fit in the end of the 2019-20 regular season and playoffs during a “bigger window” this summer and play a full schedule in the 2020-21 season. “I will say that it remains our hope, if not our goal, to be..." March 27

Yardbarker "The NHL hit pause on the 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and there's no timetable for a possible return. While many alternatives have been discussed, teams on the bubble have a few requests if hockey returns to action. Connor McDavid's Edmonton Oilers are..." March 27

The Score "Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and Vegas Golden Knights netminder Marc-Andre Fleury don't think it would be fair for the NHL to head directly into the postseason once play resumes. The two stars believe some sort of tuneup would be..." March 27

TSN "NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly has said numerous times that having a full 82-game season in 2020-21 is paramount. NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr agrees but, like Daly says, that doesn't mean next year's start date can't be pushed back to accommodate playoff hockey this..." March 27

Mile High Sports "It would be ignorant to pretend I have any idea when the COVID-19 pandemic will end. All we can do, as hockey writers or anyone else, is play the “what if” game. Fact is, there is a chance that the 2019-20 NHL season will not be completed. But the glass-half-full-side of me says it..." March 27

Pro Hockey Talk "What do you do if you’re an NHL player and don’t have access to your team’s workout facilities? If you’re Anders Lee you order a Peloton bike. If you’re Alex Ovechkin you have your personal trainer work you out in your home gym. The NHL’s season..." March 27

Pro Hockey Rumors "The premature end to the KHL season combined with the current pause in the NHL season has front offices looking even closer than usual at the free agents coming out of Europe’s top league. KHL free agency opens on May 1 and a number of players will be expected to make the jump to North..." March 27

Bleacher Report "If the 2019-20 NHL season does resume after the current hiatus amid the coronavirus pandemic, the league's biggest stars don't want to go back to regular-season games. Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby said he wouldn't mind if the league just..." March 26

ESPN "The National Hockey League needs to cancel its remaining regular-season games. It brings me no pleasure to put this out there. We all want to see this season to its equitable completion; if there is a postseason, to have the previous five-and-a-half months boiled down to the points..." March 26

The Score "With the 2019-20 NHL season on pause - and potentially finished - there are a number of questions that will need to be answered in the coming months. One of the biggest unknowns is how the league will handle the draft lottery should the season be canceled. According to The..." March 26

NHL.com "Tampa Bay Lightning players today announced they are pledging to donate 500,000 meals to Feeding Tampa Bay to assist those in need during the current crisis. Led by Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, the players will be assisting in donating meals to help kids who are missing meals,..." March 26

NBC Sports Philadelphia "With the NHL focused on trying to salvage the 2019-20 season, the league on Wednesday night was forced to postpone the 2020 scouting combine, awards show and entry draft. The combine was originally scheduled for June 1-6, followed by the awards June 18 and the..." March 25

ESPN "The NHL's chief medical officer is urging caution toward the league returning to play this season -- including the idea of playing in empty arenas. "From a medical perspective, I think we'd have to understand what the risks are for the different groups," Dr. Willem..." March 25

The Score "With the NHL throwing around myriad options regarding a return to action this season, teams are starting to get really creative. At least one NHL club has submitted a proposal featuring a tournament in which lottery teams would play for the first overall pick of the draft, according..." March 25

Sportsnet "The last time the National Hockey League endured such a severe interruption of action — and the inevitable economic sucker-punch that goes with it — the general managers were granted a get-out-of-jail-free card. Two of them, in fact. In the summer that followed the 2012-13..." March 25

Sportsnet "The NHL has instructed players and team staff to extend their period of self-quarantine by another 10 days amid the spread of the COVID-19 virus. That message was shared with general managers during Tuesday’s call with senior league officials. Clubs had originally been asked to..." March 24

ESPN "The NHL is temporarily cutting the pay of league office employees by 25%. The league confirmed that salaries will be reduced across the board starting April 1. The NHL's season has been on pause since March 12 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. According to..." March 24

The Score "The 2019-20 Canadian Hockey League playoffs and the Memorial Cup have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the CHL announced Monday. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Western Hockey League, and the Ontario Hockey League play under the CHL umbrella. The..." March 23

Pro Hockey Talk "The NHL Board of Governors will hold a conference call on Monday afternoon, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun. Dreger fills in many of the details: Financial issues are going to be the primary focus. Expanding upon that,..." March 23

The Hockey News "Like billions of others worldwide in this ongoing pandemic, Larry Landon is constantly reminded of the impact of the novel coronavirus. There are the countless tourist attractions, not far from his office in Niagara Falls and typically crowded 365 days a year, that are now shuttered until..." March 23

Pro Hockey Rumors "With Connor Mackey off the board after signing with Calgary on Friday, Arizona State’s Brinson Pasichnuk is arguably the best blueliner left on the market.  After drawing interest from roughly 20 teams, TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports in a..." March 23

Sportsnet "A lot has changed on the UFA front since we last checked in – and that’s just on the roster and contract front.  Some of the league’s top pending unrestricted free agents have been moved (Robin Lehner, Tyler Toffoli, Erik Haula, to name a few) while others (Jake..." March 22

NHL.com "Bill Daly brainstormed on the way to work Thursday. The NHL is considering many possibilities for the rest of the 2019-20 season and the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, focused on awarding the Stanley Cup with integrity and preserving a full 2020-21 season. What is the standard for..." March 21

Sportsnet "The 2020 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship has been cancelled because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the IIHF announced Saturday. The tournament was scheduled to be played in Zurich and Lausanne, Switzerland from May 8 to May 24. “This is a harsh reality to face for the..." March 21

TSN "The NHL Coaches’ Association officially released its mentorship program on Friday, seven months early due to the impact COVID-19 is having on the sport. The program was initially rolled out as a pilot project for coaches in the NCAA, USHL, ECHL and AHL between Feb. 10..." March 20