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mll

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Everything posted by mll

  1. But players aren't keeping safe at home otherwise they wouldn't be testing positive. If they hadn't entered phase 2 they might have never known that they have the virus and continued to spread it. The NHL protocol is much tighter than how players have been behaving. Some teams are apparently frustrated with how some of their players have been putting themselves at risk over this break. There's a bit of a disconnect between the league's recommendation of self-isolating and social distancing vs how some players have been out and about. Several players in NHL cities have elected to not enter phase 2 and instead prefer making their own arrangements. Phase 2 is voluntary and teams can't oblige players to join. There are some 10 Nashville players skating together but not at Bridgestone. The Canucks don't even expect to put ice up for phase 2 as players are content with their own arrangements. Very few are in town and don't feel the need to come back yet to enter phase 2. Drance thinks the Canucks will wait for phase 3 to put up ice.
  2. mid-August 2021(or whenever that new date is) but will still be at the end of the 2020/21 season. This season was his 3rd season after being drafted and after the 4th he can elect to become a free agent.
  3. The NHL and NHLPA are looking to create an airtight bubble. In theory if the bubble is airtight and proper protocols in place the virus should not be able to spread inside the bubble. A lot will depend on all involved to respect the protocols though. The NHLPA has a strong say on the hub. Players want a certain living comfort and things to do during downtime. It's challenging to create an airtight bubble in the middle of town where there are businesses and homes. There were concerns about how tight the bubble could be in Toronto but they have now moved their bubble. From The Score: Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment resubmitted its bid for Toronto as an NHL hub city on the weekend and now proposes that players and personnel would live on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds just outside of the downtown core, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports. The bid presents the idea of a "40-acre campus-like bubble" that would grant players access to facilities including BMO Field, Coca-Cola Coliseum (home of the AHL's Toronto Marlies), the Toronto Raptors' practice facility, and Hotel X, which has 400 rooms, according to LeBrun. He added that MLSE would be willing to add other features such as food trucks and an outdoor movie theatre.
  4. Johnston says it's in serious jeopardy. The issue is at the government level on how the bubble would work. It's unclear if they can sort it out. Batch mentions that if a player on a team test positive they might require the whole team to quarantine. Johnston talks of how the NHL was not necessarily expecting to have everyone working at the hotels or restaurants in the bubble. He thinks Edmonton and Toronto are still very much in this and don't have the same issue as in Vancouver. Toronto came with a modified bid so they are back in it. Edmonton's issue is the lack of high end hotels - he thinks they would have been chosen already otherwise. Edmonton modified their bid though to have all the players at the JW Marriott. A bit later in the interview he talks of Vegas. LeBrun also reported it. They are believed to have the strictest bubble of all because they can shut down the area around the Strip where the arena is. There's no one living there. It's not like in any other city.
  5. I understand your argument but it hinges on his team missing the playoffs. Any team in the playoffs won't be done by that date. With the discussions of changing the season's calendar there might always be a long gap between the end of his KHL season and the start of the NHLs. There might be options to play at the Worlds next year though rather than just wait like now. The NHL season will still be underway so they won't get the NHLers - maybe the opportunity for him to make the team. Less likely he could take a AHL contract to bridge the gap, if his team is in the playoffs and misses the NHL's RFA signing deadline. The AHL can add players at the TDL no? That would be much later than the new 1 December (likely 1 March) deadline.
  6. The KHL has black listed several NHL agents because they don't want them trying to bring players over to the NHL. Would be surprised if the KHL will allow out clauses in the middle of the season. They have a salary cap now and losing a good player is going to hurt their end of season and playoffs. He's RFA so he has to sign by the new 1 December date - the KHL season will likely not be done by that new date unless the NHL starts so much later than January.
  7. For this extended season yes. There's a roster freeze. Teams can add players to their already existing roster and he's already on it.
  8. Training camp hasn't even started. They also have to account for the play-ins. Start of the playoffs in mid-August after the play-ins. About 2 months brings them to mid-October. Then 2 weeks for the draft, free agency interview period etc. Start of free agency on 1 November.
  9. LTIR doesn't create cap space. It's more of a limitation than anything else and limits a team's flexibility. Teams often can't have an active roster up to the cap. Also once a team goes in LTIR they can't accrue cap space which then forces any performance bonuses to next season. A couple of years ago Toronto ended up with a bonus overage of more than 2.5M for using LTIR. Canucks had to use LTIR this year and will have a cap penalty of some 1.7M next year for the bonuses of Pettersson and Hughes and there might be some more game played bonuses. They already had a bonus overage when Dorsett went on LTIR where they ended up with a cap penalty of over 800K the following season.
  10. They were 7-3-1 leading to Boudreau's firing. Minnesota had a terrible October. Finished tied last in the league. Lots of reasons to it and those issues have been resolved so I wouldn't expect that team showing up. Players concerned about the moves Fenton made with veterans not wanting a rebuild - core players Niederreiter, Granlund, Coyle moved with disappointing returns. Fiala not fitting in. Boudreau considered Granlund their best player and was openly mocking the trade in the summer. Didn't help that Fenton described Fiala as a game breaker. Wild were also a dump and chase team but Fenton believed it's becoming a rush league. Fiala wouldn't dump the puck and Parise-Koivu just had no idea how to play with him. The Wild are also transitioning to younger players but the process is not as smooth as in Vancouver. Their young players had to dislodge established veterans. Boudreau admitted to tension with the vets about ice time and Guerin confirmed that moving Zucker was also to give young players more opportunity. Their young players also needed development time and weren't ready to just step right in like Pettersson, Hughes and Boeser did. Parise lost 1:30 of ice time compared to the previous season. Suter over 2 minutes. Koivu was leading their Fs in ice time by end of December. He lost 5 minutes in the 2nd half of the season and finished C4 and off the PP. Zuccarello started the season as top line winger. He is down to the 3rd line and 2nd unit. Zucker got traded. Roles have adjusted as the season went along.
  11. Media are not just throwing stuff at the wall. There are CBA negotiations going on and they are getting input from those involved. If the league does not play they will lose market shares which will make negotiating a new US TV deal challenging. Don't think they want to risk it. Pushing back next season is favoured by the networks. They want the league to re-think their calendar so that there is less competition with other major sports. Why would they suspend expansion. Haven't noted any of the major insiders mentioning it. With the season dates being adjusted they now have even more time to complete their arena and be ready for the draft. They can't just be employing all those people and not have a team for another year - it's wasting money. After the finals like any other year. Everything just slides. So many are reporting flat cap and adjusted escrow with the league, owners not in favour of compliance buyouts. Players unlikely too as it would increase escrow. JP Barry is Eriksson's agent - he wouldn't be saying that his client wants to continue to play if Eriksson is thinking retirement. Tryamkin can't sign for this season and his agent says he would like to sign with the Canucks. For now he has no KHL contract. Will be known after the play-ins. Only the final 16 teams are considered in the playoffs.
  12. No idea how it would work either. Would be surprised if it can just be wiped off like that. Fwiw his agent JP Barry was on the TSN1040 last week and it doesn't sound like he's considering walking away. Talked of how Eriksson still wants to play.
  13. Players will likely have the option to opt out. Friedman in his 31 thoughts: The NHL and NHLPA are working on opt-out language for anyone who may feel uncomfortable about playing. But part of their pitch might be that the bubble will be safer than parts of North America. In some places, it looks like social distancing no longer exists.
  14. I was wondering about that, but not sure how they would count the cap hit. Wouldn't the bonus at least stay on the books similar to new ELCs?
  15. Spurgeon and Brodin were arguably more valuable than Dumba/Suter. Suter was getting injections to be able to play in January - he really needed the All Star break but not sure if his injury persisted through the rest of the season. Dumba was more of a hindrance than an asset this season but did start to play better towards the end. Him playing better would just be found money. Despite his struggles the Wild were among the very best teams defensively but let down by goaltending. Heat maps, advanced stats and more elaborate tracking technology all have the Wild among the very best and the Canucks among the worse defensively. Goaltending was the difference.
  16. The Wild after the game in Minnesota said that Vancouver was looking for physical play and it actually helped them win. Both Foligno and Hartman talked about that. Boudreau talked of how Virtanen fighting Zucker sparked them. He took a beating and it go the rest of the team's attention and willing to sacrifice. Parise was recently telling how one of his earlier coach (I think at college) told him to just stay focused and that whenever he reacted his game fell off. Parise is a net front goal scorer. He is used to it. Boudreau talked to Fiala once he started breaking out. He told him that star players learn how to play through the increased attention. They don't let hits and abuse throw them off their game and that he can't also be hoping for the calls. Basically suck it up and play.
  17. Shipachyov had to pay his bonus back. He only got the pro-rata portion for the days before his contract was terminated. When new ELCs sign at the end of the season and receive a signing bonus, their signing bonus counts in full against the cap because they received all of it. Only the salary gets pro-rated. Wouldn't it be the same here if he doesn't return the pro-rata bonus for the days he didn't play or is he obligated to return the full bonus.
  18. Games would only be played in NHL arenas. Bettman explained that several months ago. "We can’t play in a small college rink in the middle of a smaller community because if we’re going to be centralized, we need the back of the house that NHL arenas provide,” Bettman told Ron MacLean on In Conversation Wednesday. “Whether its multiple locker rooms, whether its the technology, the procedures, the boards and glass, the video replay, the broadcasting facilities. Those are the things that are in place in NHL arenas and that’s what we’re going to ultimately need if we’re going to come back in a centralized basis and play multiple games a day.” The costs to set up cameras and bring other arenas to NHL standard would be considerable. Canucks played one of their pre-season games in Abbotsford. The broadcasting quality was nowhere close to a regular NHL arena. The broadcasting quality is going to be critical with no fans in the stands. They are going to be setting up even more cameras - it's also work done up front for next season. The sanitisation issue is also going to be so important. NHL arenas are for the most part equipped with all modern technology and have strict procedures in place. The personnel there is already used to those standards which are likely going to be heightened even more. Using unformed personnel or locker rooms without modern technology is an infection risk. The play-ins will be over about 8 days per Russo. It suggests back-to-backs. Player equipment and gear will have to be ready and sanitised. The personnel at existing NHL arenas are formed and trained to perform their jobs at NHL standards - security, custodians, technical staff, stat keepers. Many lost their jobs or were furloughed. If their cities get chosen it's the opportunity to get back to work and earn an income. If the NHL is using another arena they would have to train personnel to reach NHL standard. The running might not be as smooth which could impact the quality of the product and the comfort of players. Not all players wish to return so everything has to be run at the highest standard.
  19. East and West don't meet before the finals. Easier to have 2 hubs than 1 to start. It's for safety reasons too. Larger gatherings have a higher risk of infection. Don't think health authorities want to expand bubbles beyond a certain limit either. Each team can have up to 50 people. 24 teams that's 1200 people for teams alone. That's a large crowd to monitor and keep safe plus find hotel rooms for. Several cities got eliminated up front because they couldn't go from 8 to 12 teams. Not sure that many cities other than Vegas would be able to do 24 teams. It also doesn't work for scheduling reasons. They want the play-ins to be done in about 8 days. That's 3 games per day per conference. So 6 total. They need 2 arenas with all the proper sanitisation procedures as teams are going to be in and out of locker room. That compressed schedule is probably to size down quickly too and have a smaller group to keep safe. Players don't want to be separated from their families for too long. League and likely health authorities too, want to avoid including families at least for the play-ins and maybe even the 1st round and/or 2nd round. That's just too many people to get tested and to keep safe in the bubble. By compressing the schedule it limits the time away from their families. If they have only 1 arena they can't play as many games per day. Larger crowd together for longer is a higher risk of infection.
  20. Vegas rates are soaring. McKenzie believes they are still the front runners. Minnesota was out of the running before the civil unrest - they didn't have the amenities. Staff in regular contact with the players will apparently be isolating too. Arizona is a virus hotbed yet several players are skating there not just Coyotes. Many are using the facility of Arizona State's hockey team. Did the Coyotes even put ice in. Sweden has some of the highest rates yet players are still out and about. As you point out the bubble can be created in any one of the cities - it has to be airtight and preserved otherwise it's not a bubble. Safety is certainly a concern but I am not sure the rates are going to be the key driver of the players' decision. All the players are going to vote and each might have different priorities.
  21. Not necessarily. They want to create an airtight bubble. If they go in a location with low cases but can't create an airtight bubble they would be at risk of external people entering the bubble and bringing the virus inside. It could be riskier than going in a location where they can create an airtight bubble and completely shutdown external access as to preserve the bubble. Living comfort and amenities cities can offer as part of the bubble are high on the consideration list because players are going to be cut off from the external world. That's probably why players prefer Vancouver over Edmonton and Toronto. If players are comfortable that the league can create that air tight bubble and preserve it, would think that Vegas would remain high on their list as they have access to more amenities than in other locations.
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