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Storm Advisory for July 27: NHL News, Rumors, Links and Daily Roundup

Justin Peters, Olympian? Could be.

By Brian LeBlanc
Jamie Kellner

First, A Note About The Hot Take-a-Thon

I realize I probably did a bad job of explaining what this series is and isn’t, so here you go.

What it isn’t: something to take 100% seriously. No one at Canes Country actually believes that the Hurricanes are going to get Leon Draisaitl for Joakim Nordstrom and Klas Dahlbeck. We also don’t think Phil Kessel has had enough of winning and wants a new challenge. (I mean, maybe he has, but if that’s the case we don’t know about it.)

What it is: something to hopefully give you a bit of a chuckle at a slow time of the year, as well as a satire of Skip Bayless-type hot takes (“Aaron Judge is beyond LeBron James!”) that serve no purpose other than bloviating hot air and getting paid handsomely for it.

Let’s face it, things are quiet right now. So we came up with the idea of this series, yes, to fill some time, but also because our writers wanted to do something a little fun and offbeat. There was no editorial direction other than “come up with your hottest take.” Pretty much any topic was on the table.

Think of these in the same sense as the Puck Daddy eulogies every year in the playoffs. They’re a whimsical diversion, not hard-hitting news and analysis. We’ll have plenty of time for that when the season rolls around, and we absolutely will have it for you as we always do. As always, thanks for reading.

And speaking of reading...

Reading Assignments

  • Actually starting with a listening assignment today: Hurricanes assistant coach Steve Smith went on Calgary radio yesterday, in the first segment of the third hour. [Sportsnet 960 The Fan]
  • During Smith’s appearance on the show, he called one of his prized assets, Jaccob Slavin, “the most underrated player in the NHL.” [FanRag Sports]
  • You had to know this was coming: Evgeni Malkin has had discussions with Mario Lemieux about the potential for Malkin to play in the Winter Olympics regardless of the NHL’s decision not to go. [Pensburgh]
  • Speaking of the Olympics: former Hurricanes are well-represented on the Canadian rosters for a pair of exhibition tournaments next month. Justin Peters! Marc-Andre Gragnani! Jacob Micflikier! Get your tickets today! [Puck Daddy]
  • Yesterday was another day that went by without an arbitrator needing to decide a hearing, when the Bruins and Ryan Spooner settled on a one-year deal worth just north of $2.8 million. [Bruins]
  • Down Goes Brown asks: where did all of these offseason storylines (Matt Duchene! Jaromir Jagr! Vegas’ blue line!) disappear to? [Sportsnet]