Heritage Classic jerseys return for two more games, Yanni Gourde to have hearing with Department of Player Safety, and more

The jerseys that the Oilers wore in the Heritage Classic, which was a 20-year celebration of the first-ever regular-season outdoor game in NHL history, paid homage to the Edmonton Mercurys, an amateur team that won gold at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway.

Vancouver Canucks re-sign Jim Rutherford:

The Vancouver Canucks have rewarded President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford for the team’s strong start to the season. The team announced on Friday that Rutherford has inked a multi-year contract extension. 

The 74-year-old former netminder took charge of the Canucks in early December 2021 after Jim Benning was fired and has made some fantastic moves. Before the 2023 trade deadline, the Canucks moved the first-round pick they got for Bo Horvat, along with a second-round pick, for Filip Hronek. The 26-year-old right-shot defenceman has played top minutes with Quinn Hughes all season and has three goals and 36 points in 45 games.

Earlier this season, Vancouver traded a fifth-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick for NHL defenceman Nikita Zadorov, a big, nasty, shutdown defender. On top of that, the Canucks moved their 2024 fifth-round pick to Toronto for Sam Lafferty, who has 10 goals and 19 points in 45 games this season.

It’s shocking how fast Vancouver has turned it around. Last season, they finished with a 38-37-7 record for 83 points, the 11th worst point total in the league. It looks like they’ll blow right by that this season and a third Presidents’ Trophy in team history isn’t out of the question.

Spencer Martin claimed by Carolina:

The waiver wire is always fun this time of year, and a goaltender recently moved from one of the worst teams in the league to a good team starving for a good goalie. On Friday, it was reported that 28-year-old Spencer Martin was claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes.

A former third-round pick in the 2013 draft, Martin has an .887 save percentage and a 3.65 goals-against average in 13 games played with the Columbus Blue Jackets this season. The majority of his 51 games played came in 2022-23 with the Canucks, where he played 29 games and had an .871 save percentage and a 3.99 goals-against average.

Shane Pinto returns from suspension:

As you may recall, Shane Pinto was suspended for 41 games due to gambling violations before the start of the season. His suspension is a game away from being complete, and he has re-signed with the Ottawa Senators on a one-year deal worth $775,000.

The 23-year-old was selected in the second round of the 2019 draft and played his first full season in the NHL in 2022-23. Pinto scored 20 goals and 35 points in 82 games, finishing sixth on the team in goals and seventh in points.

Once again, the Senators are at the bottom of the league, as they have just 32 points in 42 games, the fourth worst in the league. While they have upwards of four or five games in hand with teams around them, they just haven’t built on their solid season of 2022-23.

Yanni Gourde to have a hearing with DoPS:

Towards the end of Thursday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, Seattle Kraken forward Gourde decided to take a run at Oilers defender Mattias Ekholm, jumping off his feet and catching Ekholm up high.

Ultimately, it was what sunk the Seattle Kraken’s chance to end the Oilers win streak, as he was given a five and a game with less than four minutes remaining. Edmonton would get a three-minute power play, where Zach Hyman put the game to rest. 

On Friday, it was announced that Gourde will have a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

It doesn’t matter how angry you are that Connor McDavid cross checked you and a teammate high sticked you, a player can’t leave his feet to hit another in the head.