NHL Pauses Remainder of 2019-20 Season

by | Mar 12, 2020

NHL Pauses Remainder of 2019-20 Season

Following a conference call with the NHL board of governors, commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement indicating the league will pause the remainder of the 2019-20 season over coronavirus concerns.

“In light of ongoing developments resulting from the coronavirus, and after consulting with medical experts and convening a conference call of the Board of Governors, the National Hockey League is announcing today that it will pause the 2019‑20 season beginning with tonight’s games.

“The NHL has been attempting to follow the mandates of health experts and local authorities, while preparing for any possible developments without taking premature or unnecessary measures. However, following last night’s news that an NBA player has tested positive for coronavirus – and given that our leagues share so many facilities and locker rooms and it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point – it is no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time.

“We will continue to monitor all the appropriate medical advice, and we will encourage our players and other members of the NHL community to take all reasonable precautions – including by self-quarantine, where appropriate. Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent, so that we will be able to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup. Until then, we thank NHL fans for your patience and hope you stay healthy.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I doubt anyone’s surprised by this announcement. The spread of the virus in North America, combined with the NBA’s decision last night to pause their season, left the league no choice. It’s the sensible thing to due under the circumstances.

It’s hoped more details will be revealed as to when the NHL will resume the rest of the schedule, as well as when they’ll start the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, which were to begin on April 8. Various scenarios have reportedly been discussed, but there’s nothing confirmed yet as to what the schedule will look like once this pause has been lifted. It’s possible the playoffs could push throughout June or perhaps into July.

The bottom line here is the league intends to resume the schedule within the four weeks. They haven’t reached the point where they will cancel the season.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to update this site daily throughout this period with the latest NHL news and rumors. I hope you’ll all continue to check in regularly. Take care of yourselves, and please follow instructions to protect you and others from catching or spreading this coronavirus. Here’s hoping we can all get back to watching NHL hockey soon.










NHL Rumor Mill – March 12, 2020

by | Mar 12, 2020

NHL Rumor Mill – March 12, 2020

Could Islanders center Mathew Barzal receive an offer sheet this summer? Can the Isles afford to pursue a big-ticket UFA like Taylor Hall? Could the Rangers find it costly to re-sign Tony DeAngelo? Check out the latest in today’s NHL rumor mill.

LATEST ISLANDERS SPECULATION

NHL NETWORK: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman spoke about the possibility of New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal receiving an offer sheet this summer. He pointed to the Montreal Canadiens’ attempt to sign Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho last summer. He also believes there were some considered for Mitch Marner, but he decided to stay with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and that the Arizona Coyotes would’ve attempted to offer-sheet Auston Matthews had he not re-signed with the Leafs by July 1 last year.

Could New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal become an offer-sheet target this summer? (Photo via NHL Images)

Friedman believes we’ll see more offer sheets in the future. Barzal could be a target if he’s unsigned by July 1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Barzal is a restricted free agent coming off his entry-level contract and lacking arbitration rights. The threat of an offer sheet could provide his representatives with significant leverage to secure a lucrative raise on his next deal. The Isles, however, have over $71.3 million invested in 18 players, leaving little wiggle room to ink Barzal to a big raise and address their other roster needs.

THE ATHLETIC: Arthur Staple believes the Islanders must find a top-six scoring winger, but it won’t be easy. General manager Lou Lamoriello will be courting a salary-cap disaster if he revisits his attempt to acquire Minnesota Wild winger Zach Parise this summer. If he attempts to sign Arizona Coyotes winger Taylor Hall via the free-agent market, he’ll have to cut payroll to make room for his $8-$9 million annual average value. That could mean attempting to move out defenseman Nick Leddy or winger Leo Komarov.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Whatever the league does to address ongoing coronavirus concerns this season will also affect the Isles salary cap (and those of every other NHL club) for 2020-21. The recent projection of a cap between $84 million and $88 million seems optimistic now.

Assuming the cap reaches $84 million, the Isles will only have around $12 million available, with most of that to be taken up re-sign Barzal and defensemen Ryan Pulock and Devon Toews. Pursuing Parise or Hall could become more complicated. Slashing payroll to add a scoring winger could create more holes elsewhere in the lineup.

RE-SIGN DEANGELO COULD GET EXPENSIVE FOR THE RANGERS

NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks recently mused over the potential cost for the New York Rangers to re-sign Tony DeAngelo if it goes to arbitration this summer. The 24-year-old defenseman has 53 points on the season. “What do you think each point might be worth now in an arbitrator’s straight calculation — $100,000, maybe?”, asked Brooks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: By that calculation, it would cost the Rangers $5.3 million annually to re-sign DeAngelo. He didn’t have arbitration rights last summer and was forced to accept the Rangers one-year, $925K contract. It’ll be a different story this summer.

With over $67 million committed to 15 players, the Rangers have the cap space to re-sign DeAngelo to a substantial raise. Nevertheless, it could make it difficult to re-sign or replace their other RFAs, such as Ryan Strome, Brendan Lemieux, and Alexandar Georgiev, who also have arbitration rights.

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 12, 2020

by | Mar 12, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 12, 2020

The NHL considers its options as the NBA suspends its season over coronavirus concerns, plus game recaps and more in today’s morning coffee headlines.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: The National Hockey League will provide an update on its season later today regarding coronavirus concerns. The league released a statement last night indicating its awareness of the National Basketball Association’s decision to suspend its season indefinitely after a player tested positive for the virus. NHL officials will continue to consult with medical officials and evaluating options. It is also in close contact with the NHL Players Association.

TSN: Darren Dreger reports the league is expected to hold a conference call with all 31 clubs today.

SPORTSNET: While the league hasn’t yet decided on suspending its season, Chris Johnston believes it wouldn’t be surprising if it followed the NBA’s lead. “How can they reasonably play on with the virus spreading quickly in North America?”, asked Johnston. Even if the league held games in empty arenas, it might not be enough to guarantee the safety of the players and officials. Johnston also raised concern over whether the NHL can award a Stanley Cup champion this season, noting several European leagues have scrapped their seasons over COVID-19 concerns.

TSN: Frank Seravalli reports playing games without fans would have consequences for league revenue this season, in turn affecting the salary cap for 2020-21. The NHL is the most gate-reliant for revenue among the four major North American sports leagues.

SPORTSNET: The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens have grounded their international scouts over COVID-19 concerns.

THE SCORE: Vegas Golden Knights winger Reilly Smith attempted to find some humor over the possibility of playing games in empty arenas. “I played in an empty building for a couple of years in Florida so I’m used to it,” he said.

Could the NHL suspend its season over COVID-19 concerns? (Image via NHL.com)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll be interesting to see how the league addresses this situation. The Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks already announced it would play several upcoming home games without fans. The league could go that route with all its clubs on a week-by-week basis, they could postpone the remaining schedule by two or three weeks or suspend it indefinitely.

Whatever the league decides, it will affect hockey-related revenue for this season. It’s probably safe to assume those rosy projections of the cap rising next season to between $84 million to $88 million can be scrapped.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Alex Pietrangelo scored twice to lead the St. Louis Blues over the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 to complete the game that was postponed last month after Blues defensemen Jay Bouwmeester suffered a cardiac incident. With the win, the Blues (94 points) hold a two-point lead over the Colorado Avalanche for first overall in the Western Conference.

An overtime goal by J.T. Compher lifted the Avalanche to a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers. Cale Makar collected three assists for the Avs in his return to the lineup following a five-game absence to an upper-body injury The Rangers (79 points) sit two points out of an Eastern Conference wild-card berth. Earlier in the day, the Avs announced center Nathan MacKinnon was sidelined one-two weeks with a lower-body injury.

The Winnipeg Jets picked up their fourth straight win by doubling up the Edmonton Oilers 4-2. Kyle Connor scored two goals for the Jets (80 points), moving two points ahead of the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks into the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Oilers (83 points) remain three points behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific Division.

Chicago Blackhawks rookie Dominik Kubalik tallied his 30th goal of the season in a 6-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. Kubalik leads all NHL rookies in goals this season. Patrick Kane scored twice for the Hawks.

The Los Angeles Kings picked up their seventh straight win by edging the Ottawa Senators 3-2. The Kings have won 10 of their last 13 contests.

IN OTHER NEWS…

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: Golden Knights winger Max Pacioretty is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Pacioretty leads the Golden Knights with 32 goals and 66 points.

SPORTSNET: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

TVA SPORTS: Montreal Canadiens sophomore center Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s season is over following an injured spleen suffered on Friday playing for the Habs’ AHL affliate.

THE DETROIT NEWS: Red Wings forward Filip Zadina’s attempt to return from an ankle injury has been delayed by a mid-body injury. The Wings are hoping it won’t be season-ending for the young winger.

PHILLY.COM: Flyers center Nate Thompson will be sidelined for two weeks with a sprained left knee.










NHL Gold & Mold: Zibanejad’s five-goal game and Toronto’s three-game skid

by | Mar 12, 2020

NHL Gold & Mold: Zibanejad’s five-goal game and Toronto’s three-game skid

 










What Are Jason Botterill’s NHL Off-Season Plans For The Buffalo Sabres?

by | Mar 11, 2020

What Are Jason Botterill’s NHL Off-Season Plans For The Buffalo Sabres?

 










NHL Rumor Mill – March 11, 2020

by | Mar 11, 2020

NHL Rumor Mill – March 11, 2020

Were the Coyotes planning to sign Auston Matthews to an offer sheet last summer? Should the Canadiens target Corey Crawford or Anthony Mantha this summer? Check out the details in today’s NHL rumor mill.

FRIEDMAN BELIEVES COYOTES INTENDED TO SIGN MATTHEWS TO AN OFFER SHEET

ARIZONA SPORTS: Matt Layman cites Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman telling the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast his belief that the Arizona Coyotes intended to sign Auston Matthews from the Toronto Maple Leafs to an offer sheet last summer. Friedman claimed Leafs management believed the Coyotes would’ve offer-sheeted Matthews to a maximum seven-year deal if he hadn’t re-signed by July 1. Matthews agreed to a five-year, $58.170-million contract with the Leafs last February.

Were the Arizona Coyotes planning to sign Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews to an offer sheet last summer? (Photo via NHL Images)

“And I’ve looked at it, and people around the league have told me they believe that to be the case,” said Friedman. “Nobody has said to me that’s false. I think the Leafs believed it, I think the Coyotes were going to do it and I think the league knew it. So the attitude is moving.” 

Matthews was raised in Arizona and developed his love of hockey following the Coyotes. Layman noted getting Matthews wasn’t meant to be for the Coyotes, “at least for now”.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Matthews isn’t going anywhere in the short term. However, Friedman’s remarks could plant a seed of doubt over his long-term future in Toronto that becomes a nagging issue over the final two years of his current contract. 

Matthews also lacks no-trade protection until the final season of his deal. Matthews makes his off-season home in Arizona, which could spark speculation that he’d welcome a trade there if things go sour with the Leafs.

COULD THE CANADIENS PURSUE CRAWFORD OR MANTHA?

TVA SPORTS: Felix Seguin suggests Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford could make an excellent backup for the Montreal Canadiens if he hits the open market this summer. While Crawford’s best seasons are behind him, he can still deliver excellent performances. A Montreal native, Crawford has always played well against the hometown Canadiens. He would also be reunited with goalie coach Stephane Waite.

Seguin acknowledged several issues must be addressed, such as whether Crawford wants to stay in Chicago, if he’s willing to accept a backup role, and the term and dollars he’d want on his next contract. Nevertheless, his skills and experience would make him a fine backup for Carey Price, while allowing time for the development of promising Cayden Primeau.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: With over $63 million invested in 16 players, the Canadiens could have over $21 million available if the cap rises to $84 million in 2020-21. That would allow sufficient space to re-sign Max Domi and Victor Mete while leaving enough to sign a UFA like Crawford. However, I think the Blackhawks will make re-signing him a priority, especially after parting ways with Robin Lehner at the trade deadline. Crawford could also be unwilling to play second fiddle to anyone.

TVA SPORTS: wondered if Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin would consider signing Detroit Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha to an offer sheet this summer. A Longueuil native, Mantha will become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer. Bergevin signed Sebastian Aho last summer to an offer sheet, which was quickly matched by the Carolina Hurricanes. In a recent interview, he didn’t rule out going the offer-sheet route again.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The 6’5″, 235-pound Mantha possesses terrific offensive skils and skates well for a big player. Unfortunately, he’s been frequently sidelined by injuries throughout his NHL career. Bergevin could find better offer-sheet targets, such as the New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal or Columbus’ Pierre-Luc Dubois.