Welcome to the PHT Morning Skate, a collection of links from around the hockey world. Have a link you want to submit? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.com.
• The Minnesota Wild hired Jack Ferreira as an assistant to GM Paul Fenton. Fun fact: Ferreira also served as the general manager of the Minnesota North Stars back in the day. (NHL.com/Wild)
• TSN hockey scout Craig Button breaks down his top 100 players available in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The top four look exactly how you’d expect it to, but there’s a bit of a surprise at number five. (TSN.ca)
• The Florida Panthers helped set the Vegas Golden Knights by handing them Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault, but the expansion club also got their hands on Florida’s director of scouting, Scott Luce, who has been a huge help. (Buffalo News)
• Top draft prospect Andrei Svechnikov has been inspired by watching fellow Russians Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov in the Stanley Cup Final. He’s not the only young Russian looking up to that trio. (Associated Press)
• Brady Tkachuk has a chance to be a big, skilled, nasty power forward when he gets to the NHL. Could he be better than his brother? (Sportsnet)
• Now that the New York Islanders are looking for a coach, the New York Post examines who they might look to hire. Alain Vigneault, Scott Stevens and Darryl Sutter could be intriguing hires. (New York Post)
• Sean McIndoe put together a list of the 2018 playoff underachievers. Let’s just say the Maple Leafs have more than one player on the list. (Sportsnet)
• Former Humboldt Broncos defenseman Bryce Fiske has committed to play hockey at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology starting in September. Fiske was one of 13 players injured in the tragic bus crash that killed 16 people back in April. (Globe and Mail)
• Rogers is interested in having legendary play-by-play voice Bob Cole return next season, but the soon-to-be 85-year-old is still hurt about being left off the postseason broadcasts. (Toronto Star)
• The Golden Knights’ play took a positive step from Game 3 to Game 4, but they’re running out of race track in a hurry. (SinBin.Vegas)
• Does the firings of Doug Weight and Garth Snow give the Islanders a better shot at re-signing John Tavares? It certainly can’t hurt. (Newsday)
• Up top, NBC hockey analyst Pierre McGuire made an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show on Monday to discuss Alex Ovechkin’s legacy and how a Stanley Cup title might change it.
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Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.
