According to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald, career AHLer David Leggio has accepted a training camp offer from the Winnipeg Jets. You may remember him from the time he forced the AHL to change its rulebook, creating the 'Leggio Rule' of assigning goaltenders a game misconduct if they purposefully dislodge the net when facing an odd-man rush. Here is his moment of evil genius:
If Leggio's up to the task, I guess it wouldn't be a terrible thing for Eric Comrie to play big minutes as the starter down in Tulsa, rather than being stuck riding the pine behind Hellebuyck. His last name also reminds me of those classic Kellogg's Eggo commercials, which is more than enough reason to root for a guy.
And now the news.
Central Division
Good on Mike Halford for having the intestinal fortitude NHL.com did not, citing Patrick Kane as the biggest question facing the Chicago Blackhawks. (ProHockeyTalk)
Will an already cap-strapped Chicago re-sign Brent Seabrook? Even if they could, which is questionable, would it be a good idea unless he took a heavy discount? Especially considering that at this rate, Cody Franson might still be available. (ProHockeyTalk)
As 2015-16 truly begins to cast its looming shadow, Artemi Panarin is finally receiving the attention he deserves. As has been previously reported, Panarin can return to the KHL if he fails to make the Blackhawks' roster, but that shouldn't be an issue considering Chicago's holes up front. (ProHockeyTalk)
Prepare for your spit take of the day: 2015-16 will be a make-or-break season for the St. Louis Blues. In other news, water is still wet. (CBS Sports)
Another day, another Central Division rankings article, only this time the Winnipeg Jets are slotted last, right behind the Minnesota Wild. It feels like Bill Brownlow's assessment has removed Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien from the 2015-16 roster equation, which is more than a little premature. (Along The Boards)
The MTS Iceplex will undergo a $7.5 million expansion so as to better accommodate both the Jets and the incoming Manitoba Moose. Considering the work will be funded "exclusively with ownership investment", there's not much to grumble about, though maybe this is where the Stempniak/Tlusty/Frolik money went. (CBC)
The Winnipeg Jets have reportedly hired Brown University Associate Head Coach Mark White as an amateur scout. I'm all for finding depth and value wherever you can, and an extra pair of eyes probably won't hurt. (SB Nation College Hockey)
A big part of Mark White’s #NHLJets duties expected to be scouting NCAA free agents, not just in the East but across the country.
— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) August 28, 2015
And All The Rest
After 634 AHL games and one Calder Cup Championship in 2007-08, Colin Stuart has announced his retirement. You may remember Colin from his days with the Atlanta Thrashers, and yes, he is Mark Stuart's brother. (The Gazette)
The Canadian Dollar and its associated impact on the salary cap is creating a whole lot of uncertainty, which in turn is holding up big money contracts for players such as Stamkos and Kopitar. I wonder if we can apply this train of thought closer to home. (The Hockey News)
The Carolina Hurricanes have added #TheWizard Ray Whitney to their pro scouting staff, where he will undoubtedly tell them that Nic Petan is pretty good. (The News & Observer)
It feels as though I blinked and now suddenly Justin Abdelkader is a 28-year old coming off a 23 goal, 44 point season. Hockey prospects, they grow up so fast. If he should hit free agency in 2016, think Mike Babcock might want to bring him aboard over in Toronto? (The Detroit News)
Speaking of Detroit, I'm glad to read that GM Ken Holland sees the same Jeff Blashill-to-Jon Cooper comparable I haven't been able to get out of my head all offseason. (RedWings.NHL)
Legal Analyst Eric Macramalla explains how the LA Kings still face an uphill battle in making their Mike Richards contract termination stick. (TSN)
Henrik Lundqvist thinks not only are the Rangers close, but that they definitely "have as good of a team as last year". Considering how Martin St. Louis fell off a cliff, plus the addition of Viktor Stalberg and a full season of Keith Yandle, he might not be completely wrong. (New York Daily News)
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sergei Plotnikov is approaching the 2015-16 season with a very open attitude: "I have to learn everything…I have to adjust my entire style. You have to think quicker. You have to make decisions quicker. Everything is different." (NHL)
And finally, Blue Jays fans brought a hockey tradition to the ballpark, throwing hats onto the field after Edwin Encarnacion scored a home run “hat trick”. Encarnacion was quite understandably bewildered by the occurrence, but felt happy after teammate Dioner Navarro explained the concept. Such a lovely moment; it’s enough to make one break out into song.
Edwin Encarnacion hit a hat trick today, so naturally, the fans threw their hats on the field. (via @BlueJays) pic.twitter.com/I7KHRoVD2U
— 120 Sports (@120Sports) August 29, 2015
Thanks for reading!
