Good morning, folks. It’s been a quiet few weeks– months, really– for the Vegas Golden Knights. However, that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to talk about. On Friday, William Nylander shared his thoughts about Mitch Marner and his decision to sign with the Golden Knights.
Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, where’s that Connor McDavid extension? On 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman discusses whether fans of the Edmonton Oilers have anything to worry about or not. Matthew Tkachuk went under the knife and will miss the start of the 2025-26 season. The Minnesota Wild finally signed their key RFA to an extension– will the New Jersey Devils be next?
I’m going to take a moment to congratulate the Summerlin South Little League team. Their Cinderella run took the Little League World Series by storm. Yesterday, they unloaded a dominant sixth inning, beating Connecticut 8-2 and winning the US championship. It all comes to an end today at noon, when Nevada squares off against Chinese Taipei for the Little League World Series title.
Listen, I don’t care about baseball very much— unless, of course, we’re including the show Brockmire. This is bigger than baseball. This is a local team that has defied the odds for nearly two weeks and now has a chance to win it all. I know I’ll be watching.
Okay. Time to talk about hockey.
Golden Knights News
Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander made headlines on Friday, publicly setting the record straight about Mitch Marner. Nylander insists that, until the end of the season, Marner remained hopeful about re-signing in Toronto. Per Nylander, the reports claiming that Marner had always planned to leave are a load of crock. And that means that, in the end, it was Toronto’s failures that pushed Marner to the Golden Knights.
ICYMI: The Golden Knights have seen their fair share of talent in their eight years of existence. From superstars like Jack Eichel and Marc-André Fleury to middle-six scoring threats like Reilly Smith and William Karlsson, fans have been kept well-entertained over the years. Here’s a list of the top five underappreciated Golden Knights since the 2017-18 season.
ICYMI: The Golden Knights have been busy this offseason. They’ve certainly improved the top line, but the fourth line will likely take a step back this season. That means that the fate of their upcoming season rests almost entirely in the hands of their middle-six forwards.
NHL News, Rumors, & National Hockey Now
Sportsnet: Despite being eligible for nearly two months, Connor McDavid has yet to sign an extension with the Edmonton Oilers. Not to worry– on Saturday’s episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman speculated on when McDavid might sign.
The Athletic($): What do the Florida Panthers and the Buffalo Sabres have in common? Not much. Dom Luszczyszyn released his yearly NHL front office confidence rankings, and the Golden Knights sit just outside the top five.
Hockey Wilderness: On Friday, the Minnesota Wild signed Marco Rossi to a three-year, $15 million contract extension. But make no mistake– that won’t do much to quiet the trade rumors.
Florida Hockey Now: After much debate, Matthew Tkachuk underwent surgery earlier this month. He’ll miss the start of the 2025-26 season.
New Jersey Hockey Now: The Devils haven’t made any trades, and they have yet to sign RFA defenseman Luke Hughes. A month ago, that wasn’t a problem, but now it’s the end of August. Where’s the concern-o-meter at?
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