Puck Wire: Top Hockey News Of The Day: February 7th

The Nashville Predators have made their move out west, well their first moves at least. The Preds made a pair of trades to get bigger and tougher in their bottom-six while also adding some veteran presences to their locker room on Wednesday. I think it is safe to say they won’t be the last team to make moves.

In terms of game play on Wednesday, how about that overtime in New York? The Bruins and Rangers put on a show for us on NBCSN last night, with New York completing the two goal comeback in the shootout.

A full slate of games, many of which have playoff implications, awaits us tonight. So let’s kill a little company time with today’s spin around the hockey world, shall we?

• Brian Boyle is on the move. The veteran center was sent to the Nashville Predators yesterday in exchange for a 2019 2nd round pick as the Devils begin their sell off.
• Speaking of Preds’ trades, they also sent a seventh rounder to New York yesterday in exchange for veteran enforcer Cody McLeod. This will be McLeod’s second tour of duty with the Preds as a veteran leader in their locker room.
• Sad news out of Vancouver yesterday, as former Canucks legend Andre Boudrias passed away. One of the original Canucks, Boudrias made his name as a player for the expansion club in the 1970’s before moving on to help build Cup winners in both Montreal and New Jersey.
• Six Super Bowl titles for the New England Patriots has cemented them as the best dynasty in football without debate. Who holds that coveted title in hockey? There are plenty of options. ESPN ranks the top ten NHL dynasties.
• The Edmonton Oilers believe that character is the problem with their team. In reality, the chase for character is what is killing them as they bleed out talent in the team of intangibles. More from The Oilers Rig.
• We are fast approaching the second and final outdoor game of the NHL season. Fans of country music will be happy to know that Keith Urban will be on hand and performing in Philadelphia later this month.
• Can women officiate NHL games? As women continue to make great strides in our game, this question has been asked quite a bit. As CBC found out, all it takes is the success of one to get the ball rolling.

Photo Credit: Santeri Viinamäki [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons