Puck Wire: Top Hockey News Of The Day: January 8th

Welcome to the dog days of winter. With the holiday season now behind us and the trade deadline almost still two whole months away, we’ve entered the stage of the hockey season where speculation is king. The days are short, but this month certainly feels like it lasts forever. Hey, at least we still have the NHL, right?

Kill a little bit of company time, on us, with today’s spin around the hockey world. Let’s get rolling, shall we?

• The Montreal Canadiens are surprisingly in the mix for a playoff berth in what many thought would be a rebuilding year. Will they be active heading into the deadline? It’s possible, but as GM Marc Bergevin said on Monday, they won’t be selling the farm to make it this spring.
• Speaking of the Habs, star goaltender Carey Price will not be attending the 2019 NHL All-Star Game later this month.
• The Edmonton Oilers flat-out did not show up Saturday in Los Angeles. After a good tongue lashing from Ken Hitchcock in the media, the Oil showed up in a big way on Sunday against the Ducks. For Edmonton, it’s all about playing for the guy next to you.
• Speaking of the Oilers, how embarrassing is NHL officiating these days? Apparently you can do whatever you want to Connor McDavid and get away with it now. Someone is going to get hurt if this league doesn’t wake up.
• Halfway home in this season for the Columbus Blue Jackets, one of the most interesting teams in the league. How are the preseason predictions for this club looking? Union and Blue looks back on theirs.
• Gaudreau, Burns, Lehner. What does these three names have in common? They were all named NHL Stars of the Week yesterday!

Photo Credit: By mark6mauno [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons