NYHN Daily: Eichel in the Process of Switching Agents & More

While there is very little talks in regards to the Islanders and their roster, the real talk is happening up North. Jack Eichel is in the process of switching agents as he tries to figure out a way to get the neck surgery he wants. Henrik Lundqvist stated in a Swedish interview that he was days away from playing for Washington late last season.

These stories and more in today’s daily links!

What does Jack Eichel’s agent switch mean for the Boston Bruins if they still want to acquire him off the NHL trade market? As reported here on Thursday night, the NHL trade talks for Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel were expected to intensify and the Boston Bruins were one of a plethora of teams still keeping tabs on what the Sabres might do with Eichel and when. (Boston Hockey Now)

The NHL opened the door with meager punishments, which amounted to tacit approval of ugly and dangerous play. Something is going on in the NHL that no one expected, and it’s entirely the league’s fault. Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh Penguins may be more drastically affected than most if the hockey people have it right. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

The Philadelphia Flyers are one of the teams that have made the biggest changes this offseason. General manager Chuck Fletcher was very active this offseason to improve the Flyers in all areas of the game. After a few years of middling moves (with Kevin Hayes and Matt Niskanen being the most notable additions), Fletcher put his stamp on the Flyers this summer. And he had to. (Philly Hockey Now)

Next month when the Detroit Red Wings open training camp, center Mitchell Stephens will suit up with the team for the first time. This week, Stephens got to do what used to be a frequent summer habit for Red Wings players – he spent the day with the Stanley Cup. (Detroit Hockey Now)

What will Tomas Hertl’s next contract look like? We might have got a sneak peek yesterday when Philadelphia signed Sean Couturier to an eight-year, $62 million dollar contract. Why is this Flyer’s contract a reasonable comp for the San Jose Sharks star? (San Jose Hockey Now)

Henrik Lundqvist said he was days away from joining the Washington Capitals near the end of last season when the goalie’s plan to resume his NHL career following open-heart surgery was derailed because of an infection. (NHL)

John Tavares said he’s “doing fantastic” after recovering from a concussion and knee injury sustained during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Toronto Maple Leafs center is expected to be ready for the start of training camp. “It’s been a great offseason for myself from a health standpoint,” the Toronto captain told NHL Network on Thursday, “but even more so, I think just continue to get back to work and try to get better and recover well. (NHL)

Sean Couturier signed an eight-year, $62 million contract extension with the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday that begins next season. It has an average annual value of $7.75 million. The 28-year-old center will play the final season of a six-year contract he signed July 28, 2015. He could have become an unrestricted free agent. (NHL)

Jordie Benn signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Minnesota Wild on Friday. The 34-year-old defenseman was an unrestricted free agent. He scored 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 39 regular-season games with the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets last season and had one assist in three Stanley Cup Playoff games. (NHL)

This corner has spent the last week pondering a major topic swirling around the Buffalo Sabres. Emojis. The issue comes up, of course, because of Jack Eichel and his oddly conceived Twitter account that is now all of three weeks old. (The Buffalo News)