Monday LNN: Training Camp, Outdoor Games and Pierre Luc Dubois

With a new week comes new links, news and notes - and with hockey’s imminent return, we have a lot of them.

• Wayne Scanlan penned (typed?) a piece on the new season and Ottawa’s newly announced leadership group. Covering the new captains, the new additions and everything in between, it’s a must read if you haven’t had a chance already.
• In addition to the official training camp roster and leadership team announcement yesterday, DJ Smith also hinted that Derek Stepan will be named the fourth alternate captain when he shows up to camp.
• With the NHL looking for ways to keep this season interesting, they’ve announced a pair of outdoor games at Lake Tahoe in February. In a shocking twist, neither outdoor game will feature the NHL’s Favourite Outdoor Hockey Team in the Chicago Blackhawks. Instead, we’ll see Colorado and Vegas face off one day with Boston and Philadelphia going toe-to-toe the next.
• Sean O’Leary of The Score named Tim Stützle as one of the five rookies he expects to have an impact for your Fantasy Hockey teams this year. With the opportunity to seize some serious minutes as the season progresses, it’s not surprise that O’Leary can envision Stützle putting up some valuable points for those smart enough to draft him.
• After a tweet bomb from Pierre Lebrun hit the Twittersphere this weekend, Sens fans were dreaming of the idea that Pierre Luc Dubois could be available via trade. Shortly thereafter, the Blue Jackets announced a two year extension, putting all of our dreams to bed. But the story didn’t end there as it appears Dubois’ request to get out of Columbus is still very real, despite his bridge deal. If there’s any team who has the trade capital to make a Dubois deal happen, it’s the Senators. I, for one, would love to see the Sens throw everything they can at Columbus to acquire Dubois. He’s the type of player you empty a cupboard or two for.
• As camp is well underway, we have heard DJ Smith talk about the team, training camp and the upcoming season more and more. Here’s a good summary of his thoughts on how things are going so far.
• British Columbia became the second province to officially give the green light for NHL games to be played, after reviewing the protocols submitted to each province by the league. Alberta, home to 28.5% of Canada’s NHL teams, was the first to give approval. Given the NHL’s confidence that the season will begin on time, we can expect Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec to follow suit shortly./