from Caley Ramsay of Global News, Edmonton sports legend Joey Moss has died at the age of 57, Global News has learned. Moss has been a beloved member of the Edmonton Oilers for decades. He became the NHL team’s locker room attendant in 1984, after he was recommended by The Great One himself — Wayne Gretzky. The two met when Gretzky was just 20 years old. He was dating Moss’ sister at the time. Moss, who was born with Down syndrome, joined the Edmonton Football Team two years later. Over the years, he’s captured the hearts of those in Edmonton and beyond, particularly for his enthusiastic participation in the national anthem before the start of every game. continued   This was just over a year ago on his birthday. Now news that he's gone. What a life he lived. All those @EdmontonOilers legends and Joey was one of them. #RIPJoey https://t.co/kUoLrk8LYV — Gene Principe (@GenePrincipe) October 26, 2020

from Travis Yost of TSN, To say the 2020 version of free agency had little precedent is probably an understatement. The ongoing pandemic has really stung at the National Hockey League’s bottom line, and the business uncertainty facing teams around the league has had a substantial chilling effect on the market. That’s not to say that players and teams aren’t figuring out ways to get deals done – the opposite, in fact, appears to be true. The player’s perspective is particularly interesting because incentives have started to change. Some players have actively chased job security. Others, perhaps a group more optimistic about the future and willing to bet on themselves, have signed short-term deals to try and catch free agency at another time. We have seen household names like Taylor Hall, Sam Reinhart and Tyson Barrie sign one-year deals, effectively punting on free agency for another year. On the other side of the table, front offices are starting to feel serious financial squeeze. The cash-poor teams that were already hurting before the stoppage of the 2020-21 regular season have been predictably quiet in the market. But so too have some of the bigger-market teams, those that tend to spend aggressively to the salary cap on an annual basis. continued

from the Pittsburgh Penguins, The Pittsburgh Penguins have added Trevor Daley as a hockey operations advisor, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford. In his new role, Daley will be based out of Pittsburgh and report directly to Rutherford, assisting in player evaluations at the NHL and AHL level, as well as acting as an 'eye in the sky' for the coaching staff during games. "First, I would like to congratulate Trevor on an incredibly successful 16-year career," said Rutherford. "In addition to being a Stanley Cup Champion with us, he left us with a great impression due to his professional demeanor and quiet leadership qualities. Those traits, along with his desire to want to learn about the business side of the NHL, made him a great candidate to join our staff." continued

I am on my way to a scheduled Dr. appointment and should return by 1pm or so. It's very slow again today and I will update, if needed, when I return.

from Ansar Khan of Mlive, The Red Wings will still be around $8 million under the cap after those players are signed. What will general manager Steve Yzerman do with that money? The Red Wings are in position to bail out a cap-strapped team by acquiring an expiring contract for a high draft pick, like they did last month by getting a second-pick from the New York Rangers for defenseman Marc Staal’s $5.7 million cap hit. Yzerman also indicated he might sign another free agent later this offseason, even though his roster is full. Here is a look at the most prominent unsigned unrestricted free agents: Andreas Athanasiou, LW, Edmonton: Fast-skating forward broke out with 30 goals in 2018-19 for the Red Wings but regressed badly last season (11 goals, 26 points in 55 games; one assist in four playoff games). He is only 26 but the Oilers set him free rather than qualify him for $3 million, despite relinquishing two second-round picks to Detroit. Derick Brassard, C, N.Y. Islanders: He could be playing for his seventh team in six seasons in 2021, but can still be reasonably productive at age 33, after picking up 32 points in 66 games. more names