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Four key issues the NHL could provide clarity on this week – Sportsnet.ca

Published

4 years ago

May 18, 2020

It’s shaping up to be a busy week in the NHL, as we inch closer to a point where decisions and timelines need to be made on the completion of the 2019-20 season.

There are still a lot of moving parts here. The Return To Play committee was working over the weekend to try and iron out details, while the board of governors will host a call at 3:00 p.m. ET on Monday afternoon. At this point, it’s still a fluid situation as the NHL and the NHLPA try and agree on the best way to move forward.

Here are some of the issues we could get more clarity on this week…

1. The hub cities

The NHL would still prefer four hub cities to host a season resumption, with six teams in each destination. However, the possibility of moving ahead with only two hub cities is also on the table if Canada cannot be included.

The NHL would like to play in Canada for a host of reasons. With the lower dollar compared to its U.S. neighbour, the costs for the NHL to put on the games should be lower. That’s not small consideration right now. And there’s a sense that if the season is to conclude, Canada should be involved.

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But time is of the essence as well, and the border remains a big issue. Under current protocols, anyone arriving in Canada is subject to a 14-day quarantine period that would apply to NHL teams in the absence of a government exemption. The NHL remains in Phase 1 of its return to play timeline, which involves players remaining in quarantine. Eventually, the league will move to Phase 2, which would allow small groups to gather again at team training facilities. Phase 3 would be training camps.

The amount of time needed to finish the season would be made longer if, after finishing training camp and travelling to their assigned Canadian hub city, players then have to be quarantined for another 14 days. If that government guideline is not relaxed by the time the NHL resumes, or if there’s no exemption made, Canada may not be included in the NHL’s plans. In this scenario, the league is looking at having only two hub cities in the U.S. instead, with 12 teams at each locale.

2. What is the return to play format going to be?

This is, of course, the big one. If the NHL is able to eventually return and finish 2019-20, it needs to finalize those plans. Right now there are all sorts of ideas on the table as the league tries to remain nimble and prepared for any outcome, but sometime soon it will need to narrow down ideas and focus on one plan and try to move ahead.

While the 24-team playoff remains the most discussed, there are a slew of issues around it, including:

• The players’ association and the teams ideally don’t want anyone to get a bye. The best teams in the league would rather not be on the sidelines as others played. Since everyone has been off the ice and away from game action for so long it could be a disadvantage to wait longer as others get back up to game shape.

• There remains a lot of sensitivity on including Montreal and Chicago in a 24-team playoff format. At the time of the pause, the Canadiens sat 10 points out of the playoff picture and, according to Sports Club Stats, had a zero per cent chance of getting in. The Blackhawks were six points out with a slightly better 2.6 per cent chance of getting in. While there’s a desire to include teams on the outside looking in who may have had a shot, going this deep into the standings has led to some push back. The next-worst playoff odds after those two teams were the Arizona Coyotes, who still had a 16.6 per cent chance.

• Further to this, the league is trying to create a format that would protect higher-seeded teams from being eliminated by someone like Montreal in a short series. Players have proposed a round-robin first, which would allow teams to get some games played before the real playoff bracket began. However, the league isn’t crazy about this idea. In last week’s 31 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman outlined how a potential round-robin format could work across four hub cities.

3. The draft

On May 1, the NHL issued a memo to its teams that stated its case for the 2020 draft to take place in early June. There was some push back from teams on that idea, which is why no formal announcement has been made yet. Can you really have a draft before potentially finishing this season?

That same memo also stated the league would need about a month to prepare for a draft, so now that we’re in mid-May it seems the original idea to host a draft early in June is not going to happen. It’s possible the draft could still come together at the end of June in its more traditional slot, or that it’s delayed until after the season. Either way, this year’s event will be done virtually.

Time is running thin to make a call here, and we could learn more this week.

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4. The draft lottery

Speaking of the draft, the order of selection at the top of Round 1 still needs to be figured out. The NHL could still possibly hold a lottery similar to what the league has done in recent seasons, where all non-playoff teams have a chance to pick either first, second or third overall. But the more likely outcome at this point may be to have only one lottery “winner” and that the process could even revert to an older format where a winning team would only move up a maximum of four spots in order from their regular-season finish (so the 10th-worst team could only slide up to pick No. 6). This would guard against a concern that, if the league returns to a 24-team playoff, an organization could win both the Stanley Cup and the first overall draft pick.

That said, if a 24-team playoff is how the NHL proceeds, it’s possible the league could conduct a lottery only involving the seven non-qualifying teams.

This week we could at least get clarity on when the lottery will take place. It could still go ahead in June, even if the draft gets pushed back until the season officially concludes. But if that’s to happen, the league will need to make that decision soon.

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Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

Published

4 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.

The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.

Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.

He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.

Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.

Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.

Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.

Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.

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Veterans Tyson Beukeboom, Karen Paquin lead Canada’s team at WXV rugby tournament

Published

5 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.

WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).

Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.

“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.

“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”

Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.

Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.

Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.

Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.

The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.

Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.

The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.

WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.

The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.

Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad

Forwards

Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);

Backs

Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

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Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

Published

5 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.

The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.

He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.

Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.

He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.

Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

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