Thursday LNN: Evander Kane Out Long Term, Juraj Slafkovsky Suspended, Eric Staal Reaches Milestone, and More

The Ottawa Senators are on a losing streak but they’re winning the news and gossip scene with Deadpool hopefully soon to be on board; who in the rest of the league can match that level of drama?!

• Hockey has always been a dangerous sport and, every once in a while, a freak collision causes a very scary injury. In a collision with Pat Maroon during Tuesday’s match-up between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Edmonton Oilers, Evander Kane’s wrist was cut by Maroon’s skate. You could instantly see how severe the injury was by the amount of blood and Kane’s reaction. The Oilers announced yesterday that he required surgery and will be out 3-4 months.
• The Montreal Canadiens passed on Shane Wright in part because of perceived “character issues” and time will tell if it was the right decision. Juraj Slafkovsky, their selection instead of Wright, has been doing well in his rookie season but being one of the few first-overall picks to take a suspension in his first few weeks for an awfully dangerous hit may not be the character the Habs are looking for. From what I’ve seen Slafkovsky doesn’t seem like a dirty player by any means, but this hit on Matt Luff was just unacceptable and he definitely deserves the 2-game suspension.
• While there have been famous siblings that have come through the NHL, the Staal brothers are right up there with the Sutters for the most renowned of them all. Eric Staal, the eldest, was the one who paved the way and has had a consistently respected career. Last night, playing alongside brother Marc Staal and against brother Jordan Staal, he hit the 1,300 games played milestone. /

Tonight's NHL game No. 1,300 for Eric Staal! 🙌

He becomes the 64th player in League history to hit this mark and is the only active player to do so! pic.twitter.com/24kCMsis44

— NHL (@NHL) November 10, 2022

• Ryan Reynolds is interested in the Ottawa Senators, he made that very clear but he still needs financial support and while there are many interested parties, a prominent name is allegedly a front-runner. Billionaire Michael Andlauer is rumoured to be very interested in being part of the Ottawa Senators ownership. Andlauer has a minority share in the Montreal Canadiens so one would assume he needs to sell that first. Other than the deep pockets and extensive business knowledge, Andlauer seems to have a great relationship with Gary Bettman which always makes any process much easier.
• The Ottawa Senators announced on Tuesday that they plan to retire Chris Neil’s number. They even set him up with a truly touching moment for the announcement while his family joined him. Chris Neil was part of an era that established the first real “history” of this franchise and he has remained a prominent voice in the community. Sometimes, points and goals are not the only reason to honour a player.
• The Boston Bruins were having a fantastic start to the season until their GM decided to make one of the worst moves one could possibly imagine. By signing Mitchell Miller, both Cam Neely and Don Sweeney crossed a line that not only drew criticism from fans but their own players. After announcing that they would part ways with Miller saying they didn’t perform the proper due diligence on the player; it seems Miller is still under contract and will be paid. The worst part of this whole situation is the impact on his victim Isaiah Meyer who continues to deal with the trauma that Miller caused him for years. He released a statement through the Hockey Diversity Alliance account that is just truly gut-wrenching. The term “hockey culture” gets thrown around a lot, and now would be a good time for folks in high up places to show what character in hockey really means. /