Thursday LNN: Stützle’s Suit, Akim Aliu, COVID Cases

Join me on a quick run through of the headlines and the stories around the NHL these last few days:

• Now that the season is well and truly underway, we’ve got a bounty of Sens news and stories to pick through. Ian Mendes shared ten thoughts on some early season storylines in his Monday column; one of which is some commentary on the on-going competence of Nikita Zaitsev. Of all the pleasant surprises to start the year, this one shocks me the most. Enjoy the ride while it lasts, I say!
• Our own Brandon Maki did a radio hit yesterday morning for Rebel 101.7 in which he reviews the Sens’ season so far. You can check it out on his Youtube Channel here.
• Over at the Ottawa Citizen, Ken Warren and Bruce Garrioch talk the Sens start to the season, the kid line, Colin White and more.
• There was a stellar profile of Akim Aliu in Sports Illustrated this week that I highly recommend you check out. One of the most prominent members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, Aliu sheds light on the organization’s interactions with the NHL, how he came make those important tweets about Bill Peters, and his on-going dream of playing professional hockey.
• Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts is always essential reading for NHL fans, and he’s got a good tidbit about how Tim Stützle had to borrow a suit jacket from Brady Tkachuk as his suits are apparently back in Mannheim. With a couple games off, maybe the young German can track down some threads.
• On Tuesday, the NHL announced that they were pausing the use of their pucks with tracking chips due to “performance issues.”
• The Carolina Hurricanes’ next two games have been postponed after at least five of their players tested positive for COVID-19. The NHL stated that despite the outbreak, the team has been following the league’s health guidelines.
• Although we don’t have confirmation of any positive tests, Alex Ovechkin and three other Capitals were placed on the COVID-19-related absences protocol on Wednesday. The team was also fined $100k for “social interactions among team members who were in close contact and who were not wearing face coverings.” The prospect of playing a 56 game season followed by the play-offs in a bubble wasn’t palatable to the league or the players, but we’re already seeing the dangers of attempting to run a season outside of a bubble. The players can get sick whether they obey protocols are not. How much of a season are we going to get? Stay tuned./