A Sale Update, DeBrincat’s Offensive Woes, Pride Night & More

Happy Monday and welcome to another edition of Links, News & Notes!

• This morning, Ian Mendes posted his latest notebook covering a range of topics including an update on the sale of the franchise and a deep dive into Alex DeBrincat’s offensive struggles.
• A collaborative effort from The Athletic writers ran through one player from each team that needs to step up down the stretch. It is unsurprising that Mendes’ pick here is none other than Alex DeBrincat - who should be looking to fill the net in the next few weeks if he wants a shot of seeing postseason hockey.
• Over the weekend, we had another instance of a player choosing not to participate in Pride Night. On Saturday night, James Reimer cited his Christian faith as his reason not to participate in warmups with his teammates because the rest of the Sharks lineup would be doing so donning a jersey in support of a welcoming and inclusive environment for the LGBTQ community.
• Like the Senators, the Capitals and Sabres are struggling down the stretch to compete for a final Wild Card spot. As Sens fans have been watching the standings and hoping for both teams to fail, it would appear they got their wish. Unfortunately, the Sens are also a team failing to capitalize in key games down the stretch as all three teams are looking more likely to be golfing than playing hockey this time next month.
• In the West, the Jets are having similar struggles although they are doing so while still holding the final playoff spot. All eyes will be on Winnipeg to see if they can hold on over the next few weeks or if a team like Calgary can make one last push to steal their place.
• On Friday, Mendes posted a fantastic read on Jake Sanderson, talking about the rookie’s rise to being a top player on Ottawa’s blueline, citing help from Daniel Alfredsson.
• This next link is likely for the older crowd who grew up watching Grant Fuhr guard the net for teams like Edmonton, St. Louis, Toronto and more over a 19 season career in the league. Now, the 60 year old five time Stanley Cup Champion has found himself in the press box, doing play-by-play for Seattle’s AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley./