Quick Hits: Chad Priskie, Jim Benning, Patrik Laine, and Ben Lovejoy,
So, Chase Priskie to Carolina possibly?

Sara Civian:  Chase Priskie heading to the Carolina Hurricanes is not a foregone conclusion. However, the team is very interested in the former Washington Capitals draft pick now that he is officially an unrestricted free agent.

There remains optimism. On the other hand, the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning appear to be in the mix. A tweet or two earlier on Friday suggested Priskie may be headed to the Lightning. Those tweets were taken down minutes later. In the meantime, we wait into the weekend and maybe early next week on Chase Priskie.

Jim Benning gets extension according to report

Vancouver Sun Staff: The Vancouver Canucks extended the contract of Jim Benning for another two seasons. He was entering the final year of his contract in 2019-20.

Hearing VAN has extended GM Jim Benning. He was heading into the final season of his current contract.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 16, 2019

Benning has been employed by Vancouver since May of 2014. In those five years, the general manager unloaded most or all of the old core and has replaced it with Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and others. The extension looks to be a vote of confidence but Benning will have to make moves to get this team in the playoffs soon.

Ben Lovejoy back in Dallas? Probably not. 

Mike Heika: Ben Lovejoy came up in a recent Heika mailbag so he tweeted out the latest on the defenseman. Likely, Lovejoy would not be a fit for the Dallas Stars now. The increasingly good health of Stephen Johns gives the Stars eight defensemen. Furthermore, Dallas possesses a core full of depth in the AHL that could fill in if needed.

Patrik Laine quotable quote

Steve Psihogios of Yahoo Sports Canada: Patrik Laine staying with the Winnipeg Jets looks a little ominous.

“Well, you never know. It’s still business, you’ve got to be prepared for anything,” Laine said. “But yeah, you never know where you’re going to play next year so I’m just prepared for anything.”

Then, there is this bombshell of sorts.

Will Patrik Laine be a Jet by the time the season starts? 👀pic.twitter.com/t1cymNVfMf

— Yahoo Sports NHL (@YahooSportsNHL) August 16, 2019

All that can be said is just stay tuned!