Dan’s Daily: Montreal Wins, Vegas Sour, Phil Kessel on Trade Block

It was an evening of contradiction on Thursday. A team that played what was supposed to be outdated hockey pulled off one of the biggest NHL playoff upsets in most of your lives. A province that was too afraid to allow more than 3500 fans into their arena instead had tens of thousands of people shoulder to shoulder outside the arena. Vegas was ice-cold, and Phil Kessel is on the NHL trade block.

The Montreal Canadiens won Game 6 in OT, and the city of Montreal went nuts.

The Vegas fanbase, which has only known success and playoff runs, is getting a little surly after another “almost.”

Welcome to the club, Vegas. Hockey fandom is heartbreak. Heartbreak is hockey fandom.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: In our video chat, we dove into the Penguins trade scenarios with Mathew Tkachuk, Rasmus Ristolainen, and more. 

I’m getting into writer’s block. Feel free to call out requests!

NYI: GAME 7. TONIGHT. Our colleagues in New York think the New York Islanders have found the formula to beat Bolts goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. It’s not a weakness, and it won’t be easy. Read on…

NHL Playoffs

Vegas: Mark Stone is feeling “pretty terrible.” He was brutal in the series–zero points–possibly some of the worst hockey of his career. He shouldered the loss hard and was blunt in his postgame chat.

Vegas fans were crushing Stone on Twitter. Here’s the “trend” via Twitter.

It’s been a long and winding road for the Canadiens to get back to the Cup Final, but they made it. 

Canadiens fans went bonkers outside. Tens of thousands of people, shoulder to shoulder, and it was a PARTY.

I am very happy for the Montreal fans. They’re passionate. They’re smart. And they have waited nearly 30 years for another crack at the Stanley Cup…but I have absolutely no desire to watch that team play another game. Kotkaniemi, Suzuki, Caufield are such good players, but the Canadiens drag opponents down into the mud.

TSN: SURPRISE! Rick Tocchet is NOT the new head coach of the Seattle Kraken. Former Philadelphia Flyers boss Dave Hakstol. 

NHL Trade Rumors & National Hockey Now Network

Washington: Oh by the way, rumored unprotected star T.J. Oshie played for Hakstol in college at the University of North Dakota. Is that a further sign Oshie is on his way out of Washington? 

Sportsnet/31 Thoughts: Arizona could clean house. The NHL trade market will be flooded with Coyotes, which includes a former Pittsburgh Penguins two-time Stanley Cup champion and hot dog hero named Phil Kessel. 

Kessel has one more year on his eight-year deal with a cap hit of $6.8 million (Toronto still retains 15% of the original $8 million AAV).

Philly: James van Riemsdyk has been a solid power forward but slumped this season. Are the Philadelphia Flyers showing him the door–is he already Seattle Kraken bound? 

Boston: Should I stay, or should I go? You got to let me know. If I go there will be trouble…  Sean Kuraly, the Boston Bruins tough fourth liner. *Cue the guitar pluck. Will Kuraly stay or go? 

Detroit: The Detroit Red Wings are connected by four degrees of separation to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s potential dynasty. Mr. Kevin Allen counts the ways…