Good morning NHL fans, thanks so much for taking the time to poke your head in and have a little java on ice with us here at BoltsByTheBay.com this morning. The Tampa Bay Lightning are out of the NHL playoffs, but that doesn't mean that there aren't a ton of excellent reads worth your time from around our network and the league as a whole. Let's get to it.
Over on OctopusThrower.com, Jacob Rivard makes the case that theDetroit Red Wings should target Evgeni Malkin during free agency.
Our Take: Seeing Malkin skating with the winged wheel on his chest would almost be as strange as witnessing Patrick Kane lace up his skates for the Red Wings. This is an organization that could use more of a finishing touch, and "Geno" did post 61 points in 56 games this season. If Kane ends up leaving, a move like this could make a ton of sense for Detroit.
Philadelphia Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet had some strong words for his team after they dropped Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes last night. Scott Rogust of BroadstreetBuzz.com breaks it down.
Our Take: Tough to argue with Tocchet's sentiments here. The Flyers had control of Game 2 against the Hurricanes and allowed this one to slip away in overtime. Coming back from being down 0-2 will be difficult against the possession monsters in Carolina.
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun has his fair share of detractors. But his grilling of Keith Pelley over his hiring of John Chayka as Toronto Maple Leafs GM was a face turn few could have seen coming. Thomas Williams of EditorInLeaf.com has the latest.
Our Take: Simmons going for the throat of Pelley and Chayka had all the makings of a mid-card WWE promo. He leveraged his long-time sources to get a difficult question out in front of the powers that be in Toronto. Unsurprisingly, the Leafs brass pretended to be the smartest guys in the room while acting like they knew things that we common folk don't. In other words, Chayka and this Maple Leafs team deserve each other. This will be a slow, spectacular eruption.
A shameless self-plug here, as we table our take about why Jon Cooper will be the victim of his own consistency yet again when it comes time to vote for the Jack Adams Award as best coach in the NHL.
Our Take: We break it down in the column itself, but it is borderline comical that Cooper hasn't been named the best coach in the NHL a single time during his, so far, remarkable career. He's been the perfect fit for the Lightning since he landed with the organization. Just don't expect the NHL Broadcaster's Association to actually vote for the best coach in the league. This is a best-story in the league trophy. That won't change this summer.
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