Opinion Links for week of May 23 to 29, 2021 | Headlinehockey.com

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OPINION

KEN CAMPBELL: Isn't It Time the NHL Protected Stars the Way it Protects Goalies? (The Hockey News)
RYAN KENNEDY: One Letter Can Make a Big Difference (The Hockey News)
STEVEN ELLIS: Justin Danforth is Someone Worth Cheering for on Team Canada (The Hockey News)
ERIC ENGELS: Canadiens' Caufield ready for prominent role in Game 6 vs. Maple Leafs (Sportsnet)
ERIC FRANCIS: What Treliving's past decisions say about his future with Flames (Sportsnet)
IAIN MacINTYRE: Pettersson, Hughes contracts will be precedent-setting for Canucks (Sportsnet)
MARK SPECTOR: 6 contracts Oilers will need to sort out this off-season (Sportsnet)
ROY MacGREGOR: Jets driven by dismissed chances against McDavid, Oilers (Globe & Mail)
CATHAL KELLY: Enough with the virtuous bores, sports badly needs some heels and hatred (Globe & Mail)
SIMON HOUPT: Ron MacLean gaffe a reminder of the perils of off-the-cuff comments on live TV (Globe & Mail)
MICHAEL TRAIKOS: Why are the Montreal Canadiens so afraid of playing their kids? (National Post)
JEFF GORDON: Why the Carpenter-Tarasenko comparison doesn't hold up (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
TERRY JONES: Bubble hockey in Edmonton comes to end as junior showcase falls through (Edmonton Sun)
LANCE HORNBY: Go Leafs Go will cost dough (Toronto Sun)
STU COWAN: Do the Canadiens have another fan-tastic finish in them? (Montreal Gazette)
RON COOK: Ugly week highlights the decline of Pittsburgh pro sports (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
JACE FREDERICK: For once, the end of a Wild season feels more like a beginning (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
TERRY KOSHAN: Leafs head into Game 6 against Canadiens with no interest in returning home for Game 7 (Toronto Sun)
JOHN ROMANO: Lightning to retire jersey policy after flap with Florida fan (Tampa Bay Times)
BRUCE GARRIOCH: As the Senators prepare for draft lottery Wednesday, there's some local names ranked in first round (Ottawa Sun)
ED GRANEY: Max Pacioretty returns just in time for Golden Knights (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
STEVE SIMMONS: One goal in five games not enough for Matthews and Marner (Toronto Sun)
LUKE DeCOCK: The absence of the indispensable Jaccob Slavin only underlined his value to the Hurricanes (Raleigh News & Observer)
PAT HICKEY: Canadiens rookie Cole Caufield shows he belongs (Montreal Gazette)
TERRY JONES: Take a chill pill, Oilers fans. Get ready for a decade of dominance (Edmonton Sun)
JIM SOUHAN: Overmatched Wild shows hope for future with 7-game series (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
DAMIEN COX: It turns out the Canadiens’ kids are all right, after all (Toronto Star)
LARRY BROOKS: Islanders legend impressed by this squad full of 'heroes' (New York Post)
DON BRENNAN: Could Hurricanes benefit from Sister Sledge? (Ottawa Sun)
DAVE FESCHUK: The Leafs won’t say it but it’s time for their stars to come out against the Canadiens (Toronto Star)
PATRICK JOHNSTON: Canucks should bring the Computer Boys home (Vancouver Province)
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: Bruins are lined up well to take on Islanders this time (Boston Globe)
MIKE McINTYRE: Jets coach has new lease on life after sweeping Oilers (Winnipeg Free Press)
BRENDAN KELLY: Canadiens' Game 5 win offers glimpse of CH future (Montreal Gazette)
JOE WARMINGTON: Leafs vs Habs Game 6 in Montreal a hot ticket but not cheap (Toronto Sun)

DAVID ALTER: Maple Leafs Climb Back from Offensive Hole but Come up Short as Canadiens Force Game 6 (The Hockey News)
KEN CAMPBELL: Decisions on Malkin and Letang Will Set the Course For the Pens' Future (The Hockey News)
ERIC ENGELS: Canadiens keep season alive with desperate Game 5 win over Maple Leafs (Sportsnet)
CHRIS JOHNSTON: Maple Leafs must show unwavering commitment to game plan that got them here (Sportsnet)
CATHAL KELLY: Old doubts resurface as Leafs fail to finish off Canadiens (Globe & Mail)
MICHAEL SILVERMAN: It’s time for Fenway Park, TD Garden, and Gillette Stadium to go full capacity. Here’s how it’s going to work (Boston Globe)
DON BRENNAN: Teams with no Hart have better shot at winning the Cup (Ottawa Sun)
MARK MADDEN: After another early playoff exit, changes are needed within Penguins organization (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
LUKE DeCOCK: The Hurricanes were forced to look within, and they found what they needed to find (Raleigh News & Observer)
STEVE SIMMONS: Old habits come back to haunt Leafs in Game 5 loss to Habs (Toronto Sun)
STU COWAN: Tough decisions looming as Canadiens chart future (Montreal Gazette)
JOE STARKEY: It’s fair to wonder if Mike Sullivan will return as Penguins coach (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
ROSIE DiMANNO: And now the unease slips in as Leafs fail to close out Canadiens in Game 5 (Toronto Star)
GENTRY ESTES: Preds salvaged a season, but Stanley Cup is getting farther away (The Tennessean)
BRUCE GARRIOCH: Jacob Bernard-Docker was on his way back to Alberta, but is wearing the Maple Leaf in Riga, Latvia instead (Ottawa Sun)
DEREK VAN DIEST: Patience already worn thin with Edmonton Oilers fans (Edmonton Sun)
ED GRANEY: Can rowdy T-Mobile Arena make Game 7 difference? (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
PATRICK REUSSE: Game 7? On the road? Wild history tells us that's no problem (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
PAT HICKEY: When you win it feels good,' Phil Danault says (Montreal Gazette)

KEN CAMPBELL: Leafs vs. Habs: Two Organizations Going in Opposite Directions (The Hockey News)
RYAN KENNEDY: Top Prep School Wants to Ease the Pressure (The Hockey News)
MATT LARKIN: Want to Win a Stanley Cup? Don't Platoon Goalies in the Playoffs (The Hockey News)
STEVEN ELLIS: Could Matiss Kivlenieks Become Something for the Blue Jackets? (The Hockey News)
MARK SPECTOR: Oilers' Holland sees today's heartbreak as part of path to tomorrow's success (Sportsnet)
CHRIS JOHNSTON: Maple Leafs' John Tavares visits team's practice facility (Sportsnet)
ROY MacGREGOR: Delirious Jets fans dare to dream after Oilers rout (Globe & Mail)
MICHAEL TRAIKOS: Is this one-sided Leafs-Canadiens series what we waited 42 years for? (National Post)
DAVE FESCHUK: The Leafs’ Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are finding ways to dominate off the scoresheet (Toronto Star)
JOHN SHIPLEY: Zach Parise giving Wild more to think about (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
STU COWAN: Canadiens falling to Leafs with barely a whimper (Montreal Gazette)
JOE STARKEY: Tristan Jarry might have played his way out of town (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
GREG COTE: No Game 7 as Florida Panthers’ 4-0 loss in Tampa Bay ends an encouraging season too soon (Miami Herald)
MICHAEL ARACE: Tocchet should get look as Jackets' next coach (Columbus Dispatch)
BENJAMIN HOCHMAN: The Blues' defense has the capability to be great again, but that means more from Krug, Parayko and others (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
ED GRANEY: Closing out series not strength of Golden Knights (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
STEVE SIMMONS: This is the Leafs team Brendan Shanahan envisioned (Toronto Sun)
TERRY JONES: Holland says disappointment in Oilers stems from 'greater expectations' (Edmonton Sun)
NEIL BEST: Series-clinching win gives Coliseum crowd a fresh memory (New York Newsday)
DAVE HYDE: Panthers ending should be a beginning (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
TIM BENZ: How bad was Tristan Jarry's goaltending? So bad that it may confuse the Penguins' offseason plans (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
CHIP SCOGGINS: Big-boy hockey by Wild gives team momentum for Game 7 (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
GENTRY ESTES: Canes' Brind'Amour has been rewarded for his gripes in Preds series (The Tennessean)
JOHN ROMANO: When they needed him most, Andrei Vasilevskiy showed up for the Lightning (Tampa Bay Times)
BRENDAN KELLY: Storm clouds on horizon for Bergevin's Canadiens (Montreal Gazette)
BARRY SVRLUGA: The old Evgeny Kuznetsov was exhilarating. The new one is exasperating. (Washington Post)
DON BRENNAN: Without Habs or fans showing up, Toronto-Montreal series is a dud (Ottawa Sun)
PAUL FRIESEN: Jets enjoy serving crow to doubters (Winnipeg Sun)
LARRY BROOKS: ‘Special’ Islanders built for the NHL playoff grind (New York Post)
JOE WARMINGTON: Ron MacLean sorry but insists he was misunderstood (Toronto Sun)

KEN CAMPBELL: Washington's Goals With Ovie Should No Longer Be About Goals (The Hockey News)
DAVID ALTER: A Healthy Scratch to Start the Series, Galchenyuk Continues to give Maple Leafs a Big Return on Investment in win over Canadiens (The Hockey News)
STEVEN ELLIS: Wayne Gretzky Steps Down From Edmonton Oilers (The Hockey News)
RYAN KENNEDY: Edmonton Oilers Swept; What Happens Next? (The Hockey News)
NICHOLAS EMANUELLI: How the Nashville Predators Clawed Back From Down 2-0 (The Hockey News)
ERIC ENGELS: Canadiens' dreams of Bell Centre reunion appear dashed after stifling loss (Sportsnet)
MARK SPECTOR: McDavid not ready to quit on Oilers despite another early playoff exit (Sportsnet)
ERIC FRANCIS: Why the Flames must act on Johnny Gaudreau’s future now (Sportsnet)
SALIM VALJI: Stars want to stay, but Flames eyeing major changes (TSN)
CATHAL KELLY: If the Oilers want to be a real playoff contender, they need a clear diagnosis of what’s broken (Globe & Mail)
MICHAEL TRAIKOS: A big off-season awaits Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers (National Post)
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: What are the chances that Tuukka Rask and David Krejci are in their final weeks as Bruins? (Boston Globe)
KEN WARREN: If Nugent-Hopkins' time is up in Edmonton, the Senators should take a long look (Ottawa Citizen)
TERRY KOSHAN: Leafs shove Canadiens to brink of elimination with Game 4 shutout victory (Toronto Sun)
SCOTT BILLECK: The little things added up for the Jets in their first-round sweep of the Oilers (Winnipeg Sun)
RON COOK: Hard not to take another look at Penguins' goalie decisions now (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
JEFF GORDON: Collective effort could thrust Blues back into the Cup chase (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
DON BRENNAN: Could the Oilers trade McDavid? Never say never, right Gretz? (Ottawa Sun)
STEVE SIMMONS: Tag-team partners Dubas and Keefe looking unbeatable for Leafs (Toronto Sun)
PAUL FRIESEN: Jets ring Oilers' bell, but it's only one round (Winnipeg Sun)
MARK MADDEN: Penguins find themselves on the brink because they blink (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
GENTRY ESTES: The Preds can be proud of this series. But they're still losing it. (The Tennessean)
NEIL BEST: Sorokin showing all signs of living up to the hype (New York Newsday)
TED WYMAN: Jets epic sweep of Oilers was all about sacrifice by entire team (Winnipeg Sun)
ROSIE DiMANNO: The Leafs’ parts come together as they take a commanding series lead over the Canadiens (Toronto Star)
BRUCE GARRIOCH: If the Ottawa Senators want a centre, the market through trade or free agency is limited (Ottawa Sun)
LUKE DeCOCK: It took the skill of 22-year-old to unlock the Predators and help the Canes take control (Raleigh News & Observer)
MIKE McINTYRE: Sweeping Oilers in first-round playoff series provides a welcome distraction (Winnipeg Free Press)
TIM BENZ: Penguins must reverse recent trend of elimination-game failure to stay alive (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
LA VELLE E. NEAL III: Wild must keep weathering Vegas shot storms to keep hopes alive (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
STU COWAN: For Canadiens in playoffs, it's plus ça change ... (Montreal Gazette)
KEVIN McGRAN: Wayne Simmonds helps Leafs get off to a good and physical start in NHL playoffs series against Canadiens (Toronto Star)
TERRY JONES: Oilers return from Winnipeg amid more compassion than controversy (Edmonton Sun)

DAVID ALTER: Maple Leafs' Nylander Blossoming into ‘Complete’ Playoff Performer in win Against Canadiens (The Hockey News)
STEVEN ELLIS: With Fewer NHL Stars, World Championship Has Been Full of Upsets (The Hockey News)
MARK SPECTOR: Despite gallant efforts, Oilers continue to find ways to lose in playoffs (Sportsnet)
CHRIS JOHNSTON: Maple Leafs' William Nylander exuding confidence as hot streak continues (Sportsnet)
ERIC ENGELS: Canadiens must take inspiration from Price after Game 3 loss to Maple Leafs (Sportsnet)
ROY MacGREGOR: Lights out for Oilers as Jets seal sweep with triple-OT heartbreaker (Globe & Mail)
LARRY BROOKS: Rangers need to consider trade for nasty center (New York Post)
TIM BENZ: The Penguins lost a game they couldn't possibly lose. And maybe the series as a result (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
THOM LOVERRO: Capitals will never know if Trotz might have made the difference (Washington Times)
TERRY KOSHAN: Maple Leafs need to keep 'absolute warrior' Campbell in net for Game 4 (Toronto Sun)
PAUL FRIESEN: Jets provide much-needed escape from pandemic's pounding (Winnipeg Sun)
DAVE HYDE: Greatness in his playoff debut — Spencer Knight saves Panthers’ season (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
JOHN SHIPLEY: Wild’s prospects, immediate and beyond, are bright (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
TERRY JONES: Epic collapse by Edmonton Oilers brings back painful memories (Edmonton Sun)
NEIL BEST: Isles' Game 5 key was Sorokin and his 48 saves (New York Newsday)
ROSIE DiMANNO: ‘He was an absolute warrior.’ Jack Campbell outduels Carey Price and the Maple Leafs pull ahead in Game 3 (Toronto Star)
RON COOK: Game 6 will be a big hill to climb for the Penguins (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
MIKE McINTYRE: Put down the pitchforks: I admit I underestimated these Jets (Winnipeg Free Press)
ED GRANEY: Desperate looks good on Wild in Game 5 victory (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
JIM SOUHAN: What took the Wild so long to play Zach Parise? Surely not his age. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
STEVE SIMMONS: Spectacular goaltending from Campbell, Price defining Leafs-Habs playoff series (Toronto Sun)
PAUL ZEISE: The Penguins were dominant in Game 5 and lost because they couldn’t finish (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
NEIL BEST: Chemistry, experience give Isles an edge in tough series (New York Newsday)
JOHN ROMANO: You can forgive the Lightning for losing a game, but not for giving it away (Tampa Bay Times)
PAT HICKEY: Montreal's scoring woes magnified vs. Leafs (Montreal Gazette)

NICHOLAS EMANUELLI: Trio of ‘Older’ Rookies Leading the Charge for First-Year Players in 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs (The Hockey News)
MARK SPECTOR: Oilers' promising season a fading, cruel mirage after Game 3 collapse (Sportsnet)
ROY MacGREGOR: Jets pull off dramatic, impossible OT win over stunned Oilers (Globe & Mail)
CATHAL KELLY: Leafs can be dominant, as long as they keep their focus on the ice (Globe & Mail)
RON COOK: Is Evgeni Malkin healthy enough to pick up his game? (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
LARRY BROOKS: Fired Rangers coach deserves second NHL chance (New York Post)
STEVE SIMMONS: Chiarot should’ve been suspended for the hit before the hit (Toronto Sun)
BARRY SVRLUGA: The Capitals bowed out early again. Now they have plenty of questions to answer. (Washington Post)
MARK KISZLA: On Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon’s mission to win Stanley Cup, we are all his wingmen (Denver Post)
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: Credit the Bruins, smaller in size but bigger in heart, for neutralizing the Capitals (Boston Globe)
NEIL BEST: Nelson's determined play is not going unnoticed (New York Newsday)
PAUL FRIESEN: One more shovel of dirt and Jets will have Oilers buried (Winnipeg Sun)
DAMIEN COX: Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche do their part to set second-round dream matchup in the West (Toronto Star)
JIM SOUHAN: Let's count all the way that Wild isn't measuring up to Vegas (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
JACK TODD: It's time for Canadiens to roll dice with Cole Caufield (Montreal Gazette)
DAVE HYDE: Time for Heat, Panthers stars to step up in Big Monday (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
BENJAMIN HOCHMAN: With another Blues playoff loss, the Stanley Cup win seems so far away now (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
MARK MADDEN: Penguins ‘don’t have a playoff-style team anymore’ (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
LUKE DeCOCK: If the Hurricanes thought this was going to be easy, it’s anything but now (Raleigh News & Observer)
GENTRY ESTES: Game 4 was Saros' masterpiece with Preds (The Tennessean)
TARA SULLIVAN: In winning his first series as captain, Patrice Bergeron’s leadership was on full display (Boston Globe)
DANE MUZUTANI: It’s time for Kirill Kaprizov to be the Wild’s best player (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
MIKE McINTYRE: Epic victory was missing fans (Winnipeg Free Press)
DAVE FESCHUK: ‘A little extra patience.’ The Maple Leafs show faith in Rasmus Sandin and reap the rewards (Toronto Star)

DAVID ALTER: Maple Leafs’ Power Play Rises From the Dead and Auston Matthews had 3 Points to tie Playoff Series with Canadiens (The Hockey News)
RYAN KENNEDY: "No One is More Disappointed Than Me" (The Hockey News)
STEVEN ELLIS: Alexander Samonov Ready to Make a Name for Himself at World Championship (The Hockey News)
ERIC ENGELS: Canadiens' troubling regular-season patterns a concern after Game 2 loss (Sportsnet)
CHRIS JOHNSTON: Leafs' Tavares cleared of structural damage to head, neck, spine (Sportsnet)
MARK SPECTOR: Oilers can't wait for luck to turn vs. Jets, must play series on own terms (Sportsnet)
CATHAL KELLY: For a superstar like Connor McDavid, a playoff dry spell verges on a crisis (Globe & Mail)
KEVIN McGRAN: ‘The win means a lot.’ Leafs get long-awaited playoff win vs. Habs, with their captain top of mind (Toronto Star)
MICHAEL ARACE: Talking NHL playoffs with Jody Shelly (Columbus Dispatch)
PAT HICKEY: Leafs expose Montreal's scoring weakness (Montreal Gazette)
CAM TAIT: TAIT: Those who criticized frontline workers for being at Oilers playoff game need to give their heads a shake (Edmonton Sun)
DAVE POULIN: In the Stanley Cup playoffs, regular-season success can evaporate in a heartbeat (Toronto Star)
MARK MADDEN: Penguins could benefit from changing up Sidney Crosby's line (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
ED GRANEY: Video coach assists Golden Knights in another win (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
JOHN SHIPLEY: Wild have been gut-punched by disallowed goals (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: Former Canadien Gilles Lupien’s path to the NHL was a road rarely traveled these days (Boston Globe)
LARRY BROOKS: David Quinn deserves second NHL chance after Rangers firing (New York Post)
SEAN KELLER: Nazem Kadri got what he deserved Friday. So did the Blues, who gave Avalanche their best shot and still got stomped. (Denver Post)
BENJAMIN HOCHMAN: Berube has been part of rare history before — winning a series down 3-0 — but Blues' task is daunting (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
STEVE SIMMONS: Matthews' tour de force dominated the Habs (Toronto Sun)
NEIL BEST: Jets' Feeney gets party started inside Coliseum (New York Newsday)
RON COOK: Ron Cook: Penguins need signs of life from their top line (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
STU COWAN: Eric Staal excited about another shot at Cup with Canadiens (Montreal Gazette)
ROSIE DiMANNO: The Maple Leafs show what they’re made of in Game 2 win over the Canadiens (Toronto Star)
PAUL FRIESEN: Maurice sparkles as his Jets shine (Winnipeg Sun)
TERRY JONES: Down 0-2, Edmonton Oilers not about to abandon playoff ship (Edmonton Sun)
JOHN ROMANO: Forget the rowdy stuff, the Lightning have bigger goals in mind (Tampa Bay Times)
JIM SOUHAN: His role ever shrinking with Wild, Parise summoned to fourth line (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
TIM BENZ: No Penguins panic yet, but reasons to grouse (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
MIKE CHAMBERS: Avalanche should be well-represented in NHL awards voting (Denver Post)