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There’s been a fair amount of news in the NHL recently, and unfortunately it’s mostly bad. Let’s dive into a very bad week for the NHL and a less bad though still not great week for our Seattle Kraken.
What’s Kraken
- Seattle’s December 23rd game against the Calgary Flames has been postponed [DJLR]
- The Kraken are releasing their very own NFTs, which technically are “green” NFTs but still kind of go against their home arena’s name [Seattle Times]
- Head coach doesn’t expect Yanni Gourde, Colin Blackwell, or Riley Sheahan back from Covid protocol in time for this weekend’s games
Hakstol: "I don't see our roster changing as we go through the weekend," regarding players in Covid protocol. "I don't see any changes to our lineup in terms of availability."
— Marisa Ingemi (@Marisa_Ingemi) December 17, 2021
- Philipp Grubauer, who came out of Tuesday’s game early after a second period collision, practiced in full on Friday and appears to be good to go
A wild Philipp Grubauer has been spotted in full gear. That’s a good sign after he left the ANA game early. pic.twitter.com/rkSsOrcbaL
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) December 17, 2021
- Seattle already considered by some to be sellers at the trade deadline [The Hockey Writers]
- Kraken fans are the 11th most likeable fan base according to fan survey
Another nice one: Which fanbases are other teams particularly fond of?
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) December 17, 2021
#LetsGoCanes
#GoAvsGo
#MNWild pic.twitter.com/SNQhpQdruR
- Kraken prospect Matty Beniers has officially been named to team USA’s roster for the upcoming World Junior Championship [NHL]
Around the NHL
- 20 games have been postponed due to Covid outbreaks, with 3 teams having all games postponed for at least a week [USA Today]
- The Calgary Flames appear to be the team affected most by Covid outbreaks
#Flames lineup on Saturday vs. #Flames lineup today. pic.twitter.com/R7k3abrCtb
— Daily Faceoff - Fantasy (@DFOFantasy) December 15, 2021
- Even the on-ice officials are getting hit hard by Covid right now
No official word, but 3 officials pulled from games prior to opening faceoff, reportedly due to COVID protocol:
— Scouting The Refs (@ScoutingTheRefs) December 18, 2021
Referee Kendrick Nicholson VGK/NYR
Referee Mitch Dunning DAL/STL
Linesman Ryan Gibbons ARI/ANA
Others may also be impacted that were not on tonight's schedule...
- Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice resigned after 8 full seasons [ESPN]
Eight seasons. Five playoff appearances. Countless memories.
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) December 17, 2021
Thank you Paul, for everything you have done for the team, the city, the province, and the sport. The positive impact you have left on our community and our organization will never be forgotten pic.twitter.com/eHcnumHkgH
- Buffalo Sabres’ goaltender Malcolm Subban made the most unbelievable save of the year on Friday
the video game just completely glitched out pic.twitter.com/GuvYGwMoYC
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) December 18, 2021
- The Vancouver Canucks fired everyone, hired Bruce Boudreau, and won 6 straight games [Nucks Misconduct]
- Construction on the ice surface for the Winter Classic in Minneapolis is underway [NHL]