Wednesday Morning Fly By: Win some, lose some
Well, our boys did not win the Draft Lottery this time ’round. For the best, probably. Two is cursed for us. Anyhoo, congrats to the San Jose Sharks, the least bad of the three teams with the best odds to win. [BSH]
*Now that we know that the Flyers are sitting at 12, it’s a good time to kick off the annual BSH Community Draft Board! Be sure to vote in the poll, the voting is what makes it fun. [BSH]
*Here are 18 kids that might be worth picking. Judging Teenagers Season is in fuuuullllll swing baby! [Sportsnet]
*Our old friend Claude Giroux’s got himself a new boss. [TSN]
*And finally, we absolutely love Flyers fan origin stories around here and the best ones are the ones that come from the far-flung places. So meet our new Finnish friend Timo! He’s cool as heck! [BSH]
READ MORE: In a bit of news that shouldn’t shock anyone, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov was named as one of the three finalists for the Hart Trophy. Along with Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid, Kucherov is up for the de facto MVP award in the NHL.
The 30-year-old produced the highest point total in Lightning history as he racked up 44 goals and an even 100 assists, becoming the first winger to hit the century mark in helpers in league history. Without a doubt, the Lightning would not have made the playoffs without his historic season.
Is it enough to knock off MacKinnon, who finished with 140 points (51 goals, 89 assists) or McDavid, who also posted a 100-assist season (along with 32 goals). Edmonton’s season pretty much follows McDavid’s season: he struggled at the beginning of the year and their coach got canned. He started doing McDavid things and they’re in the second round of the playoffs. His 132-point season looks even more impressive when you realize he did it in 76 games. With another 6 games under his belt, this might not even be a race.
We’ll find out the winner during the NHL Awards in Las Vegas later this summer.
Other Hockey News
Team Canada releases updated World Championship roster [Darren Dreger Twitter]
The Lightning doubled their World Championship participation as Nick Paul and Brandon Hagel booked tickets to Czechia. Macklin Celebrini and Adam Fantilli are heading back the other way. For Paul, it will be the second time he’s played for Canada in the WC as he had 2 goals and 2 assists in 10 games back in 2021. Hagel was also on that team, but was held pointless in his 10 games. The tournament starts on Friday.
