Jack Johnson scored his second goal of the game 1:47 into overtime to give the United States a 5-4 victory over Canada on Saturday in the hockey world championships. Other quick hits from around the league:
- Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch wonders if Guy Boucher, Alain Vigneault, Joel Quenneville and Todd McLellan will return to their respective teams next season. If Boucher or Vigneault become available, Garrioch thinks they’ll be atop Montreal’s list.
- The Edmonton Oilers have the No. 1 pick and most people believe they will either select Nail Yakupov or trade the pick. However, the Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson writes that Oilers president Kevin Lowe really likes defenseman Ryan Murray, who is impressing him at the World Championships though Lowe tells Matheson the No. 1 pick is up to his scouts.
- Cristobal Huet has been stuck in the Swiss League because of his bloated contract, but his $5.625 million annual cap hit comes off the books this summer. The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson reports that Huet is “dying to get back to the NHL.” He’s played well enough overseas to do so and he’s apparently more than willing to be a No. 2 goalie at $750,000 a season, which is quite an affordable number. So Matheson writes, “The Kings, who say they want a veteran backup if they’re moving Jonathan Bernier this summer, might do well to consider Huet.”
- The Detroit Red Wings might be ready to have a spending spree this offseason with about $20 million in cap space. And the Vancouver Province’s Tony Gallagher writes, “Players like Ryan Suter and Zach Parise are apt to be stoked about joining a team that already has the likes of Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and quite likely a returning Nicklas Lidstrom, and also boasts a long tradition of winning despite this year’s early exit from the playoffs.”
