Letters, numbers… other things: Thursday notes

Status quo this morning with two days to go. Same lines. Same missing (Andrew Rowe’s a little longer term, said Brent Thompson; Connor Jones, “day-to-day, week-to-week”). Tom Nilsson’s departure leaves things at 27 in all, though 25 on the ice, heavy but, as Brent Thompson said earlier this week, manageable given the three-in-four start.

The C goes to Ben Holmstrom, as was revealed last night. Thompson today said the A’s will go to Mike Halmo and Matt Carkner, returning with them, and Joe Whitney and Bracken Kearns, newcomers. Thompson wasn’t positive who’d wear them where, though he was thinking Carkner and Whitney at home. Everyone talks at these times about having lots of leaders, leading without letters, stuff like that, but it’s not as cliched with this group and the depth of veterans in the room.

Albany got a little deeper with the arrival of Corey Tropp from the Blackhawks. May see Brett Bellemore, veteran defenseman who was in camp with Hartford, in Providence next week, reports Mark Divver, who also notes that Simsbury’s Tommy Cross will be the P-Bruins’ captain. (Brandon DeFazio got an A.) Arizona has John Scott on waivers.

The ECHL is changing its nets’ color to blue for a sponsorship deal. Hope they’re being paid exceptionally well for that.

Mike Vaccaro on the Mets’ two-week turning point in real time, so true.

And RIP, Billy Joe Royal.

Michael Fornabaio