Welcome back to NHL notebook — the series here at CanucksArmy where we give you news and notes from around the National Hockey League — oftentimes through a Vancouver Canucks-tinted lens. 
A brutal non-call 
During the second period of the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights’ matinee matchup on Saturday, Jack Eichel drove Mattias Ekholm into the boards:
To the surprise of everyone, there was no call on the play.
At the very least, this should have been a two minute minor for cross-checking or boarding, and if you want to make the argument that it should’ve been more I certainly won’t stop you. But to not call anything? That’s just embarrassing for the league.
And look, I know this is CanucksArmy, and you might be asking yourself, “Why the hell should I care that there was no call on an Oilers player?” To me, the answer to that question is that Quinn Hughes was given five and a game for this hit on Josh Norris.
If Hughes gets five and a game for that, then certainly, you can agree that Eichel should have at least been assessed a minor penalty on the play, right? Oilers fans were rightfully incensed with the non-call, which is one of the worst misses I’ve seen in some time.
Cam Fowler traded to Blues
Also on Saturday, was the trade of Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues from the Anaheim Ducks.
Now, Fowler certainly wasn’t the Canucks’ top target, but he was certainly an option for them to fix some of their puck-moving issues on the back end. And at $4 million, it seems like a decent bet that Fowler can improve on his play this season and next. This is a trade where hindsight will certainly be 20/20, as the Blues are counting on the fact that the 33-year-old Fowler can improve on the poor results he’s gotten in Anaheim this season and last.
This is the first time Fowler has ever been traded in his NHL career. The former Windsor Spitfire has been with the Ducks since the team selected him 12th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Golden Knights sign Kolesar to three-year extension
The Vegas Golden Knights signed forward Keegan Kolesar this past week to a three-year extension at $2.5 million annually.
Kolesar has appeared in 29 games with Vegas this season, picking up seven goals and four assists for 11 total points. He’s improved every season, and his seven tallies sit just one short of his career high of eight goals, set in both 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Prior to signing his extension on Friday, Kolesar was set to become an unrestricted free agent in July and was due for a raise from his current $1.4 million cap hit.
Teams calling on Dylan Cozens and Trent Fredric
On this week’s edition of Hockey Night in Canada, Elliotte Friedman reported that teams are calling the Boston Bruins about Trent Frederic, a 26-year-old centre. Fredric is up to five goals and six assists this season, and has proven himself as a steady third-line centre in Boston.
Another young(er) centre reportedly garnering interest is Buffalo Sabres centre Dylan Cozens, who Friedman wrote the following about in 32 Thoughts:
7. Alright, some other stuff: Buffalo is getting calls on Dylan Cozens. This would terrify me if I were the Sabres, vultures circling overhead while player and team struggle. Right-shot centre, 23 years old, two years removed from a 30-goal season. He’s also signed for five more seasons at a $7.1M AAV, helping his value. I would be very, very careful with this because he’s legitimately wanted.
As we all know, Buffalo is an absolute mess right now, and are presumably looking for answers in the aftermath of Kevyn Adams’ bizarre “we’re not Florida” press conference.
Just like trading Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and Brandon Montour hasn’t been part of the answer, it’s hard to think that the Sabres moving on from Cozens, who they selected seventh overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, would be part of the answer.
If they become willing to part ways with Cozens, of course the Canucks should be at least putting in a call.
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