Puck Wire: Top Hockey News Of The Day: February 12th

Good morning friends! We are just 13 days away from the NHL’s annual trading deadline, meaning rumors are about to pick up and the news cycle is about to get a lot more busy. It’s quiet right now, but something tells me it won’t stay that way very long.

Today, we’ll take a look back at last night’s action, take a look at the latest rumors and even look at some potential coaching news for next season.

Let’s begin, shall we?

• Dream debut? Not quite for Vancouver Canucks’ goaltender Michael DiPietro. On emergency recall from the OHL, DiPietro got the nod over an injured Jacob Markstrom last night as the Canucks hosted the San Jose Sharks. The result? A 7-2 Sharks victory in the Pacific Northwest. Still, the young goaltender’s dream of playing in the NHL came true last night.
• The Sporting News takes a look at, in their opinion, the top ten players who are likely to be traded between now and the deadline.
• If I gave you one chance to guess who leads the NHL in shorthanded ice time, I’d wager you wouldn’t be able to come up with the right answer. That’s because Andy Greene of the New Jersey Devils, who isn’t quite a star player but still quite a strong defender, is the correct answer. NJ.com takes a deeper dive into Greene’s role with the Devils.
• The new guys on the block have had, with a few exceptions, a serious impact this season. We’re talking about head coaches, of course. ESPN takes a look at all of the new coaches this season, evaluating the jobs they have done.
• Speaking of debuts for the Canucks, Zach MacEwen also played in his first NHL game against the Sharks last night. He fared a little better, however, recording his first NHL assist in the 7-2 loss.
• For the second time in as many years, the Northeastern University Huskies are Beanpot Champions. Yes, Northeastern is now Boston’s top dog when it comes to hockey schools.

photo credit: Santeri Viinamäki [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons