Snapshots: Weekes, Ontario, Vegas

There’s another interesting name to throw on the pile of candidates for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ GM job, as Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes will be among the first to interview for the role. The former NHL goaltender has no experience in the front office but did play more than a decade in the league and has been a strong broadcaster since his retirement.

Patrik Allvin, the interim GM, will also be among the first few interviews according to Seravalli. Just yesterday it was reported that both Chris Drury and John Ferguson Jr. had received permission from their respective teams to speak with the Penguins, while many other candidates have been mentioned since Jim Rutherford’s unexpected resignation.

• The AHL released a schedule for the season that is set to start on Friday, but no games were listed for the North Division, made up of the Canadian-based teams. That’s because of some resistance from the Ontario provincial government, but Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that there has been some progress between the two sides. The Toronto Marlies and Belleville Senators, the two teams based in Ontario, will likely have to start the season on a road trip to make things work according to Johnston, but could be “up and running in the next week or two.”
• The Vegas Golden Knights are set to resume their schedule on Friday against the Los Angeles Kings after positive COVID tests shut things down, and were on the ice today preparing. Among those absent from practice were defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and head coach Pete DeBoer, along with assistants Ryan Craig and Ryan McGill. There is still a little bit of time before the game for Pietrangelo to come off the COVID Protocol Related Absences list, but for now, it appears as though they will prepare without their big free agent acquisition. Kaedan Korczak, one of the team’s top defensive prospects, was recalled to the taxi squad today.