Rachel Barkley
Well, there was certainly a lot of news over the past few days throughout the Hurricanes and NHL, so let’s conglomerate it all into the Morning Rumble, why don’t we. Since there are a lot of stories to get into, I’m just going to go ahead and cut the intro a bit short today. Enjoy, y’all!
Carolina Hurricanes Champions Engraved in Stanley Cup…But Not So Quietly
Wednesday, the first photo of the Stanley Cup’s newest engravings was officially unveiled. Although, it’s come with a fair helping of controversy.
The first name listed on the cup is that of owner Tom Dundon, which is then followed by six family members before even getting to staff and players. With that being said, it isn’t the first time that an owner has done similar – just over the past two seasons, the Florida Panthers saw the same, with owner Vincent Viola as name number one, and the names of four family members having come before anyone else.
With that being said, with a 52-name limit, and those six non-traditional names added, it does not spare any room for other contributors to the Hurricanes’ campaign. Three notable names which come to mind who did not get an engraving were Joel Nystrom (who was just three regular season games shy of being a required name), Jesper Fast (who is a development coach with the team following a career-ending injury), and perhaps most significantly – Bob Gorman (who served as Head Equipment Manager, and had been with the Hurricanes since they were the Hartford Whalers). Or even the trio of minority owners who joined the organization this past season: Brett Jefferson, Marc Grandisson, and Bobby Farnham.
Regardless of opinion on engravings, there is one photo of the Cup recently that proves something – she looks mighty fine filled with Nerds Gummy Clusters.
Hurricanes Re-Sign Prospect
Thursday morning, the Hurricanes announced that they had re-signed 23-year-old Finnish defenseman, Aleksi Heimosalmi, to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850k ($85k at AHL-level). He has spent the past two seasons in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, with his numbers last season being a significant improvement from the season before.
Aho Places Third in IIHF Award
The results for the IIHF Male Player of the Year Award are in, and the winner was not Sebastian Aho. He came third in voting.
It was actually Macklin Celebrini who took the title, which was much deserved. During the Olympics, Celebrini led Team Canada in goals (5), and came second on the roster in assists (5), and further captained Canada in the IIHF World Championship, where he scored 14 points in 10 games.
Connor Hellebuyck came second in voting, and Conor McDavid came fourth.
NHL News, Trade Talk, and National Hockey Now
Philly Hockey Now: Well, the Leo Carlsson saga is officially over. The Anaheim Ducks have matched the record price to keep their top centerman. William James has all of the juicy details!
Chicago Hockey Now: Things went from bad to worse for Windy City hockey. Their top guy, who still lacks a contract for next season, is going to be out for a while once the season begins. Connor Bedard had to have surgery after going into the boards last week. Good ol’ Jack Bushman has a very interesting news/analysis piece on it.
New Jersey Hockey Now: I can’t think of a single person who doesn’t like Nico Hischier, and after this story broke, I doubt we will. The New Jersey Devils captain assisted in the rescue of a family in danger near Switzerland’s Aare River. It’s a great story, and thank the Lord, the family was okay! Daniel Amoia has the story!
Furthermore, the Barrett Hayton offer sheet from the Devils was swatted down by the Utah Mammoth, who matched it Thursday. James Nichols dove into that and what it means for the Devils’ cap situation!
The Athletic ($): The Toronto Maple Leafs went scorched earth on the top brass of the organization, letting go several high-profile front office staff members, including the removal of long-time Assistant General Manager of Player Development, Hayley Wickenheiser. Yikeseola!
NHL Trade Rumors: We’ve got a Patrick Laine sighting in the rumors lists! Sounds like Patty could sign with the Seattle Kraken, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, or…the Winnipeg Jets! Oh, how I’d love to see that reunion!
X: The New York Islanders are making history as they become the first NHL franchise to have their fanbase design a sweater, which will debut in the 2027-28 season. But, as expected, it doesn’t come without some roasting – incredibly brutal roasting.
…Trust the Gorton’s Fisherman.
