Storm Advisory 9/18/20: NHL News, Daily Links and Scoreboard

The stage is set for the Stanley Cup Final

After taking a 3-1 series lead, it took two more regulation games plus three overtime periods, but the Tampa Bay Lightning prevailed with a 2-1 overtime win in Game 6 over the New York Islanders Thursday night to clinch the Eastern Conference Final and advance to the Stanley Cup Final. They’ll take on the Dallas Stars, who have been waiting for their opponent after clinching the Western Conference Final in five games against the Vegas Golden Knights Monday night.

Here’s the schedule for the Stanley Cup Final, which begins Saturday night and includes a back-to-back (if necessary) between Games 4 and 5.

• Game 1: Saturday, Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
• Game 2: Monday, Sept. 21, 8 p.m. ET (NBCSN)
• Game 3: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 8 p.m. ET (NBCSN)
• Game 4: Friday, Sept. 25, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)
• Game 5*: Saturday, Sept. 26, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)
• Game 6*: Monday, Sept. 28, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)
• Game 7*: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)

* if necessary

Yesterday’s News Today

• Exploring Carolina’s goaltending options
• Taking a look at the Hurricanes’ prospect pool
• Cap Casualties: Players Who Could be Traded Because of the Flat Cap
• How the flat cap impacts the Hurricanes moving forward

Reading, Watching and Listening Assignments

There are a crazy number of former Hurricanes players and staffers on the move and in the news this week.

NHLI via Getty Images

• Former Hurricane Kevyn Adams made a splash with his first trade as general manager for the Buffalo Sabres, acquiring Stanley Cup teammate and former Canes captain Eric Staal from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forward Marcus Johansson. Staal will rejoin another former Hurricane, Jeff Skinner, who was his teammate from 2010 until 2016. [NHL] [Die By The Blade] [Hockey Wilderness]
• “It was a smart move by Buffalo, although Staal, who is building a retirement home in Minnesota, was completely caught by surprise — and disappointed he found out when his phone blew up.” Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts leads with the trade. [Sportsnet]
• More on how the Staal trade came about, including Staal’s no-trade list. [The Athletic $]
• And who doesn’t love “the trade was one for one?”

• On Sept. 12 the Hurricanes traded the negotiating rights to soon-to-be-UFA defenseman Joel Edmundson to the Canadiens in exchange for a fifth round draft pick. On Thursday Montreal made the trade count, signing Edmundson to a four-year, $14 million contract.

• “I want to be a leader,” Canadiens’ new blue-line Joel Edmundson says. “With the addition of me on the back end, Shea (Weber), (Ben) Chiarot and (Jeff) Petry, you have size and we can all skate,” he says. [Montreal Gazette]

• Former Hurricane goaltender Anton Khudobin has backstopped the Dallas Stars into the Stanley Cup final, and on the way there he is evoking memories of former Bruins teammate Tim Thomas. [NHL]
• Long speculated, on Thursday the Washington Capitals made it official, naming Peter Laviolette the 19th head coach in franchise history. [Capitals] [WaPo]
• Did the Capitals get the right guy for the job in hiring Laviolette? Breaking down what we can count on, and what we’re not sure about, regarding the latest head coach for Alex Ovechkin and the boys. [ESPN]
• Since leaving the Hurricanes front office at the end of the season, Rick Dudley (among others) has been added to the Florida Panthers hockey operations staff. [Panthers]
• Former Hurricane Manny Malhotra leaves the Canucks coaching staff to become an assistant coach for the Maple Leafs. [Sportsnet] [Pension Plan Puppets]
• Play-by-play broadcast extraordinaire (and soon-to-be unrestricted free agent) John Forslund was one of the first people to be quarantined when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and now he’s in another quarantine of sorts, in the NHL bubble since July 23. [Columbus Dispatch]
• Bill Armstrong, who was instrumental in building the Blues team that won the 2019 Stanley Cup as their assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting, has been named the new general manager of the Arizona Coyotes. [Coyotes]
• Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin has been signed to a seven-year contract extension. [Wild]
• After signing Jonas Brodin, and trading Eric Staal, defenseman Matt Dumba may be next on the Wild’s trading block. This and more trade musings in this week’s 31 Thoughts. [Sportsnet]
• We’re still playing hockey but trade talk can’t wait, and here’s more discussion on the NHL Trade Big Board, featuring more than a few current and former Canes players. [The Athletic $]
• Meanwhile, back to the Canes, if you need a convenient place to find all the tracking information on Canes players and contracts, Michael Smith has you covered.

• Plus Smitty and Mike Maniscalco have gone to the Wolves. The new AHL affiliation, and breaking down the Edmundson trade, on this week’s CanesCast. [Canes]
• Brett Pesce is all healed from off-season shoulder surgery and joins Tripp Tracy to discuss his recovery, what he’s passionate about off the ice, and what team he thought was going to draft him. Plus Tripp answers listener questions! [Digging In With Tripp Podcast]
• Finally, remembering coach Jack Kelley, the first coach in New England Whalers franchise history, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 93. “It’s a sad day not only for all Whaler fans but for all hockey fans,” Whalers Founder Howard L. Baldwin said in a statement. “Jack Kelley was always the heart and soul of the Whalers.”