NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 5, 2020

by | Apr 5, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 5, 2020

Updates on Thomas Greiss, Andy Greene, Peter Laviolette, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

New York Islanders defenseman Andy Greene hopes to return for another season (Photo via NHL Images).

THE SCORE: New York Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss is offering food, toilet paper, and other items to people in need during this coronavirus pandemic.

NEWSDAY: Islanders defenseman Andy Greene expects to continue his NHL career next season. Whether it’s with the Isles, however, remains to be seen.

The 37-year-old Greene was acquired from the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 16. He’s an unrestricted free agent this summer.

NBC SPORTS: Peter Laviolette hopes to return to the NHL coaching ranks. With 637 wins, he’s only the fourth coach in league history to guide three different teams (Carolina, Philadelphia, Nashville) to the Stanley Cup Final. He was selected to coach Team USA at the 2020 World Championships, but that tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Given Laviolette’s record, he’ll return behind an NHL bench at some point within the next year or two.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS: Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele are among the only four players remaining from the Jets’ 2011-12 roster. Dustin Byfuglien and Bryan Little are the other two.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Judging by recent reports, that number will be down to three whenever next season opens. Byfuglien’s contract is expected to be terminated soon.

 

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 4, 2020

by | Apr 4, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 4, 2020

Rangers prospect K’Andre Miller targeted by a racial slur during a live chat with fans, an update on Johnny Boychuk, five Penguins’ players donate to food banks and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NEW YORK POST: A hacker posted a racial slur hundreds of times during a fan live chat yesterday with Rangers prospects K’Andre Miller. It’s unknown if Miller saw the slurs during the chat.

New York Rangers prospect K’Andre Miller was the victim of multiple racist slurs during a recent live chat with fans (Photo via NHL.com).

The Rangers disabled the chat within 17 seconds. They released a statement condemning the actions and will be investigating the matter. The NHL also released a statement condemning the disgusting behavior.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rangers’ Jacob Trouba and Ryan Strome immediately took to Twitter to slam the hacker and express support for Miller. I hope whoever did this is caught and prosecuted.

The live chat was held on Zoom, which the FBI warned was targeted by multiple hacks in recent weeks. Until Zoom improves its security, the league should look into a more secure means of conducting live chats to protect its players from such vile attacks.

NEW YORK POST: Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk was left almost unrecognizable for several days after being cut for 90 stitches when he was struck in the face by a skate blade during a March 3 game against the Montreal Canadiens. He’s since recovered with only minor scarring.

It was the third incident this season in which an NHL player was seriously injured by a skate blade. Boychuk suggested some injuries could be prevented by wearing cut-proof socks and wrist guards. “For mine, it couldn’t be avoided — unless you’re wearing a full cage, but that’s not ever going to happen.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Helmets and visors were once dismissed as a means of protection. Now, they’re commonplace. I can see a day where NHL players were full cage masks.

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: Penguins’ Bryan Rust, Zach Aston-Reese and Marcus Pettersson purchased 500 personal pizzas that were delivered to local community distributions sites. Zach Trotman and his wife, Jeanna, donated 715 food items to a Detroit food bank. Casey DeSmith and his wife, Ellie, made a similar donation to a Pittsburgh food bank.

TSN: Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi said his city’s ban on public events until June 30 include all NHL and CFL games.

OTTAWA SUN: The Senators have offered the Canadian Tire Centre to the Ontario government for temporary use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

WINNIPEG SUN: True North Sports and Entertainment, owners of the Winnipeg Jets, have outlined a plan to supplement its laid-off employees who file employment insurances claims through the federal government.

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: The Carolina Hurricanes announced a plan to make whole the salaries of its full-time employees during the NHL’s schedule suspension because of the coronavirus crisis.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: The Vegas Golden Knights foundation donated $1 million to the Nevada COVID-19 Response, Relief and Recover Task Force.










NHL Rumor Mill – April 2, 2020

by | Apr 2, 2020

NHL Rumor Mill – April 2, 2020

The latest on the Golden Knights and Flames, plus some speculation over how the players and teams could cope with revenue losses in today’s NHL rumor mill.

WHAT WILL THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS DO WITH LEHNER?

THE ATHLETIC: What to do with Robin Lehner was among Jesse Granger’s five pressing questions for the Vegas Golden Knights. They acquired the 28-year-old goaltender from the Chicago Blackhawks at the February trade deadline. He’s eligible for unrestricted free agent status at season’s end.

Does Robin Lehner have a future with the Vegas Golden Knights? (Photo via NHL Images)

Granger wonders if the front office views Lehner as a rental or a long-term future in net. If Lehner outperforms starter Marc-Andre Fleury during the 2020 playoffs, it raises the possibility of re-signing him and shopping Fleury, who has two seasons remaining on his contract at $7 million annually.

Lehner will likely depart via free agency, leaving the Golden Knights with an aging Fleury and no real backup plan for next season. They could explore cheaper backup options via free agency or promote Oscar Dansk or Garret Sparks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If Lehner were to backstop the Golden Knights into the Stanley Cup Final, moving Fleury could become a serious possibility. After being spurned by the Blackhawks and the New York Islanders over the past year, Lehner will seek the stability of a lucrative long-term deal. He can justifiably claim he’s earned it since turning his life and career around two years ago.

Fleury’s situation is complicated by his age (35) and his 10-team no-trade clause. Even if the Golden Knights wanted to move him, they might not find many takers unless the Golden Knights pick up part of his salary.

FLAMES COULD FACE AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE IN GOAL

SPORTSNET: Eric Francis recently examined the Calgary Flames’ goaltending depth. Where their goalie prospects slot next season will depend on whether or not they re-sign Cam Talbot. The 32-year-old netminder is due to become a UFA after this season.

Talbot’s return seems likely following his return to form this season while David Rittich struggled during the second half. However, his bounce-back season could also entice him to test the free-agent market.

“Will it be status quo, or will the Flames use some of their cap space to chase a significant free agent like Robin Lehner or Jacob Markstrom?”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If Talbot walks, the Flames will at least want a reliable backup for Rittich for next season. If they’ve lost confidence in Rittich as a starter, they could pursue a UFA like Lehner or Markstrom.

HOW WILL THE NHL AND NHLPA ADDRESS THIS SEASON’S LOST REVENUE?

SPORTSNET: In his latest “31 Thoughts” column, Elliotte Friedman reported estimates of up to $220 million in lost revenue if the NHL resumes the remainder of the 2019-20 schedule, including an extra four percent of escrow claw-backs from players’ salaries. If the season and playoffs are canceled, the losses are estimated at $1.1 billion and 35 percent escrow.

The teams and players agree to defer money could be one way to address the issue. “For example, a player with a five-year contract at a $5-million AAV would still have that term and cap hit, but could agree to hold some of the payments,” writes Friedman. “Teams would get a break on cash flow, and players could save until escrow was lowered. Don’t know if it will happen, but spitballing never hurts.”

THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun cited an anonymous player agent suggesting the NHL and NHLPA should merge the two realities of dealing with lost revenue from this season and their collective bargaining negotiations into a longer-term agreement.

The agent envisions a six-year CBA that sets the salary-cap maximum at $81.5 million with a fixed escrow of 10 percent. “It may take 2-3 seasons for that money to be returned to the owners, consider it a deferred payment,” said the agent. “As a trade-off, perhaps the players agree to receive the AAV of a contract going forward (until the owners are made whole) to avoid front-loaded cash over cap issues.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is merely speculation by Friedman and LeBrun, but it’s undoubtedly based on what they’re hearing from sources within the league and the NHLPA. I believe both sides understand the need for short- and long-term stability coming out of the pandemic season.

The last thing they need is a return to the contentious labor relationship of the past. There’s a real opportunity here for long-term NHL labor peace. Here’s hoping the two sides make the most of it.










NHL Up & Down The Boards – Oilers, Lightning Among Favorites on Early Playoff Series Prices

by | Apr 1, 2020

NHL Up & Down The Boards – Oilers, Lightning Among Favorites on Early Playoff Series Prices

 










Grading the NHL Trade Deadline – Pacific Division Buyers

by | Mar 31, 2020

Grading the NHL Trade Deadline – Pacific Division Buyers

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 23, 2020

by | Mar 23, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 23, 2020

No decision yet on canceling or postponing the 2020 Draft, why the Senators haven’t released the names of the players who tested positive for COVID-19, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines

ESPN.COM: Greg Wyshynski reports the NHL has yet to decide on postponing or canceling the 2020 NHL Draft or the 2020 NHL Awards show. The draft is scheduled for June 26-27 in Montreal while the Awards show is to be staged in Las Vegas in June. Any season restart is expected to cause a shift in the off-season schedule.

No decision yet on postponing or canceling the 2020 NHL Draft (Image via NHL.com).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If the season and playoffs are canceled before June, the off-season calendar will likely remain in place but with notable changes. The draft could be a teleconference affair. The awards could be made through a formal announcement instead of a lame attempt at a glittering television broadcast, upsetting fans of cheesy, cringe-worthy TV.

NBC SPORTS: The NHL Board of Governors will hold a conference call today at 3 pm ET. Financial issues will be the primary focus, with the potential for a discussion on escrow.

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch spoke with sports legal expert Eric Macramalla regarding the Senators not revealing the identities of the two players who test positive for COVID-19.

“Individuals have an expectation of privacy with respect to their personal information and personal health information is generally considered the most confidential,” said Macramalla. “It’s a fundamental principle of privacy law is that an organization should only collect, use, and disclose an individual’s personal information based upon consent. Therefore, personal information (including COVID-19 test results) should not be disclosed without the player’s consent.”

Macramalla also explained there are legal guidelines restricting journalists revealing the players’ names. “As well, as per the ethics guidelines of the Canadian Association of Journalists, there is an argument that unless there is a public health basis to disclose that information, which there is not, journalists should not be sharing the positive test results of players with the public.”

SPORTSNET: The St. Louis Blues announced a relative of a Blues employee tested positive for COVID-19. “The diagnosed individual is in self-isolation along with members of the individual’s family,” the Blues wrote in a statement. “All Blues’ staff who may have come into close contact with the employee have been notified.”

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars defenseman John Klingberg “contributed to COVID-19 relief by donating a signed Winter Classic Jersey to athletesrelief.org, which helps local nonprofits working in areas identified as having high numbers of affected individuals and with the most vulnerable populations.”

TSN: The Vegas Golden Knights re-signed defenseman Zach Whitecloud to a two-year, $1.45-million contact extension.