Right now there’s a stark contrast between the speed with which the next NHL season is approaching and the slow drip of news that continues to come from across the league. This drop refutes the truth of what’s coming soon, which is real hockey. So let’s turn to some current hockey questions to get you started.
How does Alex Steen’s resignation affect the St. Louis Blues?
There’s this awkward dance we have to do in the media when players retire due to injury, which seems like random timing for both the player and the organization. I want to make it clear that I am speaking generally here and that I have the greatest respect for Alexander Steen and his wonderful career. I am also not skeptical that his back is a mess and that it would be much better for his long-term health not to force him through another NHL season. I am sure it is the right call.
I also had the greatest respect for Marian Hossa, I have the greatest respect for Johnny Boychuk, and I don’t think anyone fabricates anything in these LTIR-tired scenarios.
You can feel the “but” coming, I know.
BUT we have to do this awkward dance even knowing the above is true because we also know that almost every veteran player has gnawing injuries and every player would benefit from pausing the duty cycle to turn their body into one position to play every day so they can take further damage every night. What doctor would not confirm that these players had better stop playing? (“Doc my back hurts every day, do you think I should or shouldn’t get into little car accidents every night?”) But the vast majority of them continue to do so for various reasons.
The dance is just recognizing that truth – that it is obviously in the best interests of the player – and not getting away with it that sometimes choosing LTIRetire is the best way not to lose money AND help the team with it.
Steen will be hired on LTIR and will receive his full salary in the final year of his contract #stlblues https://t.co/Hz5cx2ELn2
– Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) 17th December 2020
Whatever the case in St. Louis, boy, Steen’s $ 5.75 million cap hit happened to come out of the books (I’m sure they knew this was coming but probably would have preferred if it had been confirmed before the Pietrangelo negotiations, no?). You should have the space to pay Vince Dunn and still add an insult, whether it be in the form of Mike Hoffman or Mikael Granlund or Anthony Duclair or anyone else they think is in the (hopefully temporary) absence of Vladimir Tarasenko can score some goals.
It is impossible to know how this will affect St. Louis outside the ice, since Steen was a smart, serious, thoughtful, and respected leader there. However, just looking at it from an on-ice perspective should allow for some improvement in the blues in 2020-21.
How does a zero exhibition game affect your view of the NHL season?
Losing exhibition games certainly doesn’t add to the campaign’s credibility, does it? There is a real feeling process at the start of the season where the teams can at least take a look at some lines and specific team units, get a feel for how it will all fit together, and try to be properly prepared a few games later.
Players can be reminded of the pace of the game and how it all feels, and there are at least a couple of games that feel weird to play in competition.
These games are going to count now, which feels even stranger.
Which one is ok.
At this point, it is what it is and nothing is guaranteed this NHL season. Have you seen what COVID-19 is doing in North America right now? There is a very real risk that large chunks of games will be canceled between January and April, which means the league will need the largest sample size possible to generate revenue and cobble together a regular season. It’s okay to admit we have cobblestones here folks.
All in all, not having exhibition games damages the legitimacy of the regular season. But right now, the NHL is 127 hours away from James Franco – they can sit around and hope that a magical best-case scenario comes through and dies in the process, or they cut their arm off and live here. (OK, that’s a bit dramatic, but at some point you have to do what you have to do.)
Which players have the most to prove in the coming season?
I really enjoyed this list The Hockey News about players who will have the most to prove in the coming season. The 10 names they invented: Freddy Andersen, Josh Anderson, Sergei Bobrovsky, Johnny Gaudreau, Philipp Grubauer, Taylor Hall, Jack Hughes, Matt Murray, Bobby Ryan and Jesse Puljujarvi.
My quick thoughts on a handful of these names:
Gaudreau: Great players can have one-off years that aren’t great for a variety of reasons, and the guy is 27 years old. But last season was definitely a problem and I have a feeling the Flames will move him when he has another year off. This is of the greatest interest to me.
Hall: I’m not sure if any NHL player ever had a career like his and didn’t get The Big Payday. He’s the first Hart Trophy draft pick to have been in the league for a decade, but he still has to take home more than six million in one season. He’s going to be making eight this year, but if for some reason it’s not a great year and every team is tight on a flat cap system, will it ever come for the guy?
Murray: The Sens don’t make too many big bets, and making one in the fold is the biggest bet you can make. Murray has had some issues lately but has proven he can be the guy in the past. Can he do it again
What will the capitals in the fold do?
Just this afternoon, the news was that Henrik Lundqvist will not be suitable for the capitals as was originally thought.
Some difficult news to share with all of you. pic.twitter.com/y7ZtAoo39Q
– Henrik Lundqvist (@ hlundqvist35) 17th December 2020
It’s terrible news, and we hope Hank is fine and back soon.
The plan for a very good Capitals team on the net was to have a solid veteran who can handle a decent workload to protect future hopeful starter in rookie Ilya Samsonov. Boy, the pressure on the kid just increased, right? There has to be a solution here for Washington, and I am excited to see how they intend to fill this hole.
The players return to the NHL camps. What will they look like?
One of the things I learned from working with an NHL team was how little time there is to prepare and do everything that needs to be done. Now the teams are on their way to a 10-day training camp – right at the top – without exhibition games and without big decisions. Here in Toronto, numerous duty roster decisions remain pending, I’m sure that some of my plans are to resolve them at camp.
I would bet it will be very different and fascinating to watch how teams operate during these camps. If you have to sort out roster posts, you have to play games. Will there be scrimmages? You need to get your stamina up to speed as quickly as possible, but there is no time for much rest. So how hard can you walk? Can you pack ice skate You’ll need to get back to combat hockey too, which helps. There will be system coaching, sorting lines and decisions that typically take three weeks, and multiple games have to be made on highly compressed schedules.
One thing is for sure, whenever hockey comes back, coaches, staff, and players will work at near-impossible levels to be ready for the puck drop and kick off one of the strangest seasons in NHL history. I’m ready for it, and I’m sure you are too.
