“Far be it for a guy who hasn’t been under 200 lbs since 1987 to be judging another dude on his body composition, but Stuart Skinner looks completely different. He looks quicker, he looks more agile and, frankly, physically, when you see him up close, it’s obvious he’s dropped some weight.”

“I actually saw Stu earlier this week in the kitchen before going on the ice. The first thing I noticed is he looked thin, and I said, ‘Wow, you look different,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, I wanted to try something different, be a little bit lighter this year, and I feel great.’ And he does. He looks good, he looks quick on the ice, and talking with Peter Aubry, who they’ve formed a really great connection with — Stu and I talked about that — he’s really excited about the connection they’ve formed over the summer. They’ve spent a lot of time with each other talking about the game, talking about his game, and really, it’s like a fresh approach to the season.

“I think when you add it all up, there are a lot of reasons for excitement coming into the season to see Stu.”