Morning Skate: End of an era for Kaiton, Carolina

Here are all the links from around the hockey world, and what I’m reading while feeling for all the good journalists and newspaper people losing their jobs at the New York Daily News. It’s a tough damn time to be in the news business.

*It’s the end of an era for the Carolina Hurricanes as the only radio play-by-play man that the franchise has ever known, Chuck Kaiton, will be moving on after 39 years that started with the Whale in Hartford. Kaiton and the Hurricanes couldn’t come to an agreement on a contract, and the team will simply simulcast the TV broadcast via the radio instead. Sounds kind of Mickey Mouse to me, honestly, and it’s no way to treat a great employee for nearly four decades of service.

*Speaking of the Hurricanes, the NHL Network discusses the future of forward Jeff Skinner. That’s certainly a name to keep an eye on if you’re a Bruins fan.

*The Atlantic Division from the Buffalo perspective, where it sure seems like Tampa, Toronto and Boston are going to be impossible to catch up with anytime soon. Florida might be able to sneak in some of these years as a wild card. But I certainly wouldn’t want to be Buffalo, Ottawa, Detroit or Montreal right now and be forced to play long rebuild knowing you might not sniff the playoffs for the next five years.

*Pro Hockey Talk asks if Jacob Trouba’s time with the Winnipeg Jets is coming to an end. It would appear that way given their salary cap situation and given that Trouba’s price tag keeps going up. The window would appear to be closed on Trouba coming to Boston after they had interest a couple of years ago, so where would he go?

*Washington Capitals GM Brian MacLellan spent his day with the Stanley Cup honoring the legacy of the legendary, late Herb Brooks.

*My NHL Trade Rumors provides an early look at next summer’s class of free agent defensemen and goalies, and there are some massive names on that prospective list.