The Fuse: Penguins Make History, Panthers Have a Coach, and the NHL Obviously Wants Seattle

Around these parts, we’ll do our best to give you everything you need to know about the Columbus Blue Jackets. We’ll also fill you in on the stories you may not have heard about (or those you didn’t think you need to know about), the social media buzz around the league, along with a few random nuggets for good measure.

Think of it as your morning coffee with a shot of hockey talk.

 THE HISTORIC PENGUINS: When the NHL went to its current salary cap model 13 years ago, the plan was to level the playing field and create parity among its ranks. During the regular season, sure, it's worked, but when push comes to shove the cream has risen to the top.

Pittsburgh
Chicago
Boston
LA
Chicago
LA
Chicago
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh

— Travis Yost (@travisyost) June 12, 2017

Those are the Stanley Cup champions since 2009, when the Penguins dramatically knocked off the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7. To have this run of dominance by a small group of teams speaks to excellent management, roster maneuvering and world-class coaching.

The Penguins have the best player in the world leading the way -- Sid Crosby is now a three-time Stanley Cup champion -- and GM Jim Rutherford has called the right shots en route to winning his third championship at the helm of a team. Mike Sullivan has quickly risen to the top of the NHL coaching fraternity and is one of the best at his craft already, guiding an injured and depleted team through a tumultuous postseason run that culminated in another title.

Oh, and there's goaltender Matt Murray, who just completed his rookie NHL season last night. He's a two-time Stanley Cup champion.

Whether you love them or you hate them, the Penguins (the league's first repeat champion in two decades) are, at the moment, the class of the NHL.

And it sounds like some of the Predators faithful had a hard time accepting that:

Mike Milbury fan club is having a night!!! pic.twitter.com/6EjQQha8X2

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) June 12, 2017

 THE "BOOGIE" MAN: A familiar face is now in charge of the Florida Panthers.

And it just so happens to be someone Blue Jackets fans are familiar with (kind of like the last guy to serve as full-time coach of the Panthers...remember Gerard Gallant?)

Bob Boughner is expected to be announced as the Panthers' head coach later this morning, marking his first NHL head coaching job after two seasons as an assistant coach with San Jose and, prior to that, a brief stint on the Blue Jackets bench as an assistant to Scott Arniel. Boughner returned to NHL coaching two years ago after leading the Windsor Spitfires (OHL).

FLA expected to announce on Monday that Bob Boughner is the Panthers' new head coach.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 10, 2017

Boughner, 46, is the 15th coach in Panthers history. According to George Richards of the Miami Herald, Boughner is the fifth of the previous six Florida coaches to accept the job without prior NHL head coaching experience. Boughner is highly-regarded and many believe he was bound to be a head coach at some point, and he will get his first opportunity with a Panthers team that underachieved last season.

JERRY, JERRY, JERRY: This story is just never going to die, is it?

The NHL has done a poor job of keeping secret that it *really* loves the Seattle market and will eventually put a team there. Ask anyone around the league and they'll tell you a 32nd team in Seattle (or, perhaps less likely, a relocated team) is more of a when, not an if, proposition.

A few groups have come and gone in the process and the battle for a new arena in Seattle rages on. KeyArena, the former home of the Seattle Supersonics, is now a prime candidate for a significant and expensive renovation, and the project is being led by Oak View Group (featuring veteran sports executive Tim Leiweke). Seattle mayor Ed Murray announced last week that he has recommended OVG for the project, and in the same announcement, he unveiled the names of those hoping to bring the NHL to Seattle.

From Sonics Rising:

For the second time in a decade, television and movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer will team up with investment mogul David Bonderman in an effort to acquire an NHL franchise, most likely through expansion. According to Sports Business Daily, the pair first attempted to pursue NHL expansion to Las Vegas in 2007 but were hindered by the lack of an NHL ready arena.

NBA fans should note that Bonderman, a minority owner of the Boston Celtics, has also expressed interest in becoming the majority owner of an NBA franchise, having attempted to acquire the NBA’s Golden State Warriors in 2010.

 ICYMI: The Blue Jackets signed Joonas Korpisalo to a new two-year deal over the weekend, and they hope to keep him safe from Vegas in the expansion draft ... Need a gift for Dad this Father's Day? Here's a few ideas ... Might William Karlsson be a fit for the Vegas Golden Knights with their expansion selection from the Blue Jackets?

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