NHL NEWS & NOTES
Mistakes Cost Canadians . . . Again
Game 3 did not start well for the Canadians, and seemed to never be their night throughout. An early icing led to the games opening goal minutes into the game, but the errors kept coming. After Eric Staal was sent off for delay of game, a blunder between Philip Danault and Artturi Lehkonen led to an easy power play goal for Viktor Hedman, one in which some would argue Price should have had.
Montreal seemed to be shell shocked ever since, with many players barely moving their feet, and just watching the game. This cup final has shown the ugly side of this Canadians team, with many top players underperforming or making poor decisions in simple situations.
From poor line changes, to hot potato passing, the Canadians have simply been outmatched in this series. On top these poor decisions, goaltending again has been the storyline, but for the first time this post season, it is not in the Canadians favor. Andrei Vasilevskiy has been incredible all post season, and has seemed to now own property in the brains of all Canadians’ players. Multiple times in game 3, Montreal passed on getting pucks to the net, and seemed to play with some hesitation in the offensive zone.
It is hard to blame Price, even though some of the goals in this series have been uncharacteristic for the backbone of Montreal’s run to the final. Price has been beat multiple times from distance this series, but has also received very little help from his big D core.
Potential 1st Overall Pick Has Not Spoken To Sabres
Another bad look for the Sabres has come out after an interview with NHL.com’s Mike Morreale. When asking about teams Owen Power has spoken with, Power stated he has yet to speak with the Sabres, the owners of the first overall selection in the upcoming NHL Draft.
Is this a case of the Sabres not wanting to show their cards ? Or is something clearly wrong in Buffalo ? After an abysmal season in 2020-2021, the Sabres are clearly at a cross roads. Captain Jack Eichel seems to be getting shopped, but what is the hesitation with Powers? Rasmus Dahlin, who was selected 1st overall in 2018, is still coming into his own, and plays a similar style to Powers, with a little more offensive upside. But with Eichel presumed on the his way out, having two, big framed defenseman would be most teams dreams to build around.
In an interesting draft, are the Sabres looking to move the first overall selection and stockpile more young talent for a rebuild ? This could make for an interesting top 3 selections if the Sabres pass on Powers, as Seattle, Anaheim and New Jersey would love to snatch up the mobile, big framed defenseman from the University of Michigan.
No Concrete Answers for NHL Participation At Olympics
After winning his second Hart Trophy as league MVP, Conor McDavid has started the conversation again regarding NHL players participating in the upcoming Beijing Olympics in February 2022. However things are not looking good for the players. As always, this decision comes down to the economics of shutting down NHL play for multiple weeks, but after not attending in South Korea in 2018, NHL stars will not be happy if they are to miss another Olympics.
Unfortantly for the players, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman’s comments prior to the Stanley Cup Finals does not leave much hope.
“We have real concerns about whether or not it’s sensible to be participating," - Gary Bettman
Bettman also stated that the 2021-2022 schedule will be released prior to the July 23rd draft, with or without the Olympics factored in. This does not leave much time for planning, as it seems it is too little too late for the NHL to make it to Beijing. If a resolution is not met, there certainly will be backlash from the leagues top stars, as the Olympics were a key bargaining point in the latest CBA. With players like Conor McDavid already showing their dissatisfaction, the league has to do everything it can to show they played their part in negotiations with the International Olympic Committee.
This is an unfortunate side of the business of hockey, as the Olympics would be the greatest platform to show off the games greatest stars. And with the game arguably in the best place it’s ever been when it comes to entertainment, its a no brainer to get eyeballs at the Olympics to continue to grow the game, especially in untapped markets such as China.
Arvidsson to Kings For Picks
The Los Angeles Kings have acquired effective winger Viktor Arvidsson from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2021 second round pick and a 2022 third round pick. Arvidsson, 28, was injured in November 2019 after St Louis Blues’ defenseman Robert Bortuzzo cross-checked him into the Blues’ net, and has seemed to not be the same ever since.
Arvidsson finished the 20-21 season with 25 points in 50 games, but has shown success in both the regular season and playoffs. The Sweden native finished with 29 goals or more in 2017 ,2018 and 2019, and will have a fresh start with a rebuilding Kings team.
For the Kings, they receive much needed depth scoring, and will provide Arvidsson with the needed playing time he deserves. For Nashville, they now have one less player to worry about in the upcoming expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken.
Coyotes Hire Veteran Coach Alex Tourigny
The Arizona Coyotes have hired Alex Tourigny to replace Rich Tocchet as their new head coach. Tourigny is a tough coach with a winning past who most recently spent the last 4 seasons as Head Coach and Vice President of Hockey Operations of the Ottawa 67s of the OHL.
Tourigny led Team Canada to World Juniors gold in 2020, and was an assistant to newly hired New York Rangers Head Coach Gerrard Gallant for the gold medal winning Team Canada at the 2021 World Championships. His proven ability to coach and mentor young players is a huge positive for the Coyotes, as they enter some uncharted waters. Rumors have again begun swirling around team captain Oliver Edman-Larson’s future, as well as many important unrestricted free agents to get signed such as veteran defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson. The biggest question mark will be around Conor Garland, who was the heartbeat of the Coyotes offense in 2020-2021, as he is a RFA who is already gaining the attention of some of the top teams in the league, including the Toronto Maple Leafs.