Considering we're rolling into the last long weekend of summer, it's been a pretty buzzy couple of days in the hockey world — and around sports in general.
I'll start off by giving a shout-out to our Canadian tennis players at the U.S. Open.
Yesterday was the first time I've had a chance to watch a full match from Leylah Annie Fernandez. I was extremely impressed not just by the composure that the 18-year-old displayed as she took out 2020 champion Naomi Osaka on the main stage at Arthur Ashe Stadium in front of more than 20,000 fans, but also by her sheer power. At 5'6", she was dwarfed by the 5'11" Osaka when the pair shook hands at the end of the match.
The win put Fernandez through to the Round of 16, where she'll be joined by fellow Canadian Bianca Andreescu. Now 21, she beat Serena Williams to capture her first Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows in 2019. And since injuries kept her out of the 2020 tournament, Andreescu is still undefeated at the U.S. Open. This week has gotten better for her as she has gone along — on Saturday morning, she dispatched Belgium's Greet Minnen, 6-2, 6-1, in just 1:07.
In Round 4, Bianca will play Maria Sakkari of Greece. Fernandez faces Angelique Kerber of Germany, the 33-year-old who won the U.S. Open in 2017 and reached the Round of 16 last year.
On the men's side, Felix Auger-Aliassime is also through to the Round of 16 after a five-set match that went nearly four hours against Roberto Bautista Agut on Friday night. Up next for him, Frances Tiafoe, who won a five-setter of his own against Andrey Rublev even later on Friday.
Denis Shapovalov will be looking to join him on Saturday, when he faces Lloyd Harris of South Africa. That match is slated for 4 p.m. PT.
I'm also uncharacteristically curious to check out the Alabama/Miami college football game on Saturday afternoon. Not my sport at all, but I got drawn in last month when I wrote about how the Florida Panthers became the first U.S. pro sports team to sponsor a college athlete under the NCAA's new Name, Image, Likeness program when they inked Miami quarterback D'Eriq King to a deal.
For the Panthers, they're looking to support local athletes while getting their brand in front of a broader audience. King has been one of the most active athletes in the NCAA in accruing sponsorships since the option opened up for him earlier this summer.
Even I know that Alabama is a juggernaut in college football, so now I'm curious to see if King can impress in front of what I imagine will be a huge audience. The game is on at 12:30 p.m. PT, on ABC.
On the hockey front, I'm itching to know how the Kotkaniemi saga will turn out. Saturday is deadline day for Marc Bergevin, and I can honestly see either outcome. That $6.1 million cap hit would be tough for the Canadiens to swallow, but I'm not sure Bergevin can bear the optics of walking away from a player that he reached for when he drafted him third overall in 2018.
As for the Canucks, I think the biggest news to come out on Friday is that Vasily Podkolzin is finally set to make his way to B.C. next week!
Per Dhaliwal, Danila Klimovich is also on his way.
Finally, Dhaliwal suggests that the Canucks and the good folks at CAA are ready to get down to business on Pettersson and Hughes next week.
Travis Green sounded unconcerned about the negotiations when he checked in on Sportsnet 650 on Friday.
With Friday's announcement that the road has been cleared for NHL players to go to the Olympics, the 2021-22 regular-season schedule should now be locked in — with the understanding that Covid can probably still mess with even the best-laid plans, of course.
That being said, individuals will be more responsibility under the this season's new NHL Covid-19 guidelines.
Elliotte Friedman delivered a sneak peek on Thursday, which includes "a mechanism for teams to suspend unvaccinated players who are 'unable to participate in club activities.'"
As vaccine requirements become more commonplace, that could mean that unvaccinated players might not be allowed in certain venues — or even into Canada.
We shall see how it all shakes out. But having new players from Eastern Europe en route to Vancouver certainly feels exciting.
We'll also be seeing Czech winger Karel Plasek in North America for the first time this fall. Drafted in the sixth round in 2019, he was signed by the Canucks in early June and, most likely, will land in Abbotsford after training camp.
As for the Olympics, I'm sure you can find preliminary rosters on any website you'd care to peruse. I'm sure there will be some permutations to come, as injuries come into play. Some players may also choose to opt out over the long travel and strict protocols that are expected to be in place in Beijing but for most, I expect the opportunity to play for their country will take precedence.
With an eight-year gap since Sochi, I'm especially interested to see how the balance of new players vs. returnees shakes out. For Canada, for instance, Sidney Crosby and Carey Price should be back in the mix, but I think the buzz will surround the Olympic debuts of Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. Bo Horvat could also be a candidate for a roster spot, depending on how things shake out.
On Team USA, the vets should include Patrick Kane, Ryan McDonagh and John Carlson. But what a statement it makes that 2010 MVP Ryan Miller, who also dressed for one game in 2014, was named to the U.S. coaching staff on Friday! I imagine Connor Hellebuyck will be the go-to goalie for the Americans. Thatcher Demko could also be named to that roster, along with fellow Canucks J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes.
The U.S. roster is also very deep at forward. Even after his All-Star performance at last year's World Championship, Conor Garland would have to have an incredible start to the season to gain consideration.
On Team Sweden, pencil in Canucks veteran Oliver Ekman-Larsson and young gun Elias Pettersson — and get ready for Jacob Markstrom to compete for the starter's job, with Henrik Lundqvist now retired.
The Swedes also have lots of forward depth, which would make it tough for Nils Hoglander to crack through.
According to Ken Campbell, federations will have just over a month to submit their long list of candidates before narrowing down their final rosters in January.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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