Panthers Raise the Banner; Shesterkin Rejects Massive Offer

   

I wrote about this yesterday too but I always love that first day of a new season when you see the reigning Stanley Cup Champion unveil their Stanley Cup rings and then raise the Cup banner on opening night. After experiencing the Avalanche’s 2022 Stanley Cup run, the following opening night was like this calm joyous event for the Ball Arena crowd where you could reminisce on what a blur the 2022 summer was, and turn the page towards an opportunity to run it back.

 
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The sight of Gabriel Landeskog skating with the Cup hoisted above him at Ball Arena is something that will stick with me forever. Seeing the Panthers do their thing last night was a reminder of just how great an accomplishment it must feel for these athletes to be crowned champions. Not to get all sappy, but this is why we watch this beautiful game.

Kudos to Florida on a successful Cup run. We’ve all seen what losing in the finals could do to a team after watching the Amazon Prime series and witnessing the Edmonton Oilers room following their Game 7 loss. But, we also know, firsthand here in Denver, how it feels to see a team win.

Can’t wait to see how the 2024-25 season plays out.

Colorado Hockey Now
Not a lot to report on from yesterday’s writings, but we did talk to general manager Chris MacFarland during practice. He’s always a great interview who does an excellent job of breaking down each question. We discussed several topics including Mikko Rantanen’s impending contract extension, Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin, new assistant GM Andrew Wilson, and Alexandar Georgiev. I’ll be writing about several of these throughout the week.

But the most pressing subject of the bunch was published yesterday: An update on Nichushkin, who is eligible to be reinstated on Nov. 13.

Around The NHL
Florida Hockey Now: George Richards has you covered on all things Panthers-related here at the National Hockey Now Network. He wrote about the banner raising, victory over Boston, and a massive contract extension for one of their core players.

New York Rangers: ESPN Analyst and former NY Rangers goalie Kevin Weekes reported yesterday that Igor Shesterkin turned down a whopping contract offer from the Rangers. This would’ve made him the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history. But he’s looking to really break a new barrier.

Vegas Hockey Now: Five standouts from the Golden Knights’ preseason — the host of tonight’s season opener against the Avalanche.