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.
• A trip to the 2018 Red River Shootout secured the Cotton Bowl’s place as an NHL Winter Classic location. [NHL.com]
• Could a Winter Classic win be the spark that helps the Predators? [Tennessean]
• “Winter Classic will include jugglers, a sword swallower, a fire breather and a rodeo show, plus special appearances by Troy Aikman and Ricky Williams” Dallas Morning News]
• Why Jordan Binnington is no fluke and is the real deal. [St. Louis Gametime]
• Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff on the latest in the Dustin Byfuglien situation. [Illegal Curve]
• J.G. Pageau and Zack Kassian are two players who are trade deadline candidates but who also could help their teams make a second half playoff push. [TSN]
• The Sharks are facing a brutal January schedule as they look to make a second-half push. [NBC Sports Bay Area]
• Thomas Greiss has been struggling in December. [Islanders Insight]
• Sheldon Keefe is instilling a balanced offensive and defensive approach with the Maple Leafs. [Sporting News]
• “Concussions dominated the 2010s, but the NHL is still fighting its demons” [The Score]
• A look at the worst draft busts of the past decade. [The Hockey News]
• Claude Julien believes winning hockey for the Canadiens means getting back to boring hockey. [Montreal Gazette]
• Finally, here’s the time-lapse video of how the NHL made a hockey rink inside Cotton Bowl Stadium:
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.
