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NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Bruins, Flames, Red Wings, More – The Hockey Writers

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In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Toronto Maple Leafs are dealing with a number of injuries. What is the latest status on some of the big names who are out of action? Meanwhile, there are questions about the Boston Bruins long-term plans at center and whether or not the team should hang on to Jake DeBrusk. Are the Calgary Flames working on any trades? Finally, count Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman among those who hopes the NHL pushes back the 2021 NHL Draft.

Maple Leafs Injury Updates

The Maple Leafs are dealing with a host of injury issues. Chris Johnston notes that defenseman Jake Muzzin has a broken bone in his face. When he returns, it will be with a full face shield. Kristen Shilton notes that forwards Zach Hyman and Joe Thornton are day-to-day. Johnston added that all three players were absent from Leafs practice today.

Jake Muzzin Toronto Maple Leafs
Jake Muzzin, Toronto Maple Leafs (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

As far as the goaltending situation goes, the Public Relations Department for the team tweeted out before Monday’s game that goaltender Frederik Andersen was unable to go and Michael Hutchinson would go in. Andersen has a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. Fortunately, Jack Campbell is not far from a return, even if he’s not quite ready yet. Luke Fox cites head coach Sheldon Keefe who noted Campbell is “progressing really well.” There isn’t an exact timeline on his return, but it’s looking like next week is a possibility.

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Related: NHL Rumors: Panarin and Rangers, Sabres, Canadiens, More

Bruins Plans at Center and With DeBrusk

Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic was asked what the long-term plan at center was for the Bruins and he responded that the team will focus on that position at the draft because once David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron are gone, the organization will be forced to look to Charlie Coyle, Jack Studnicka, Trent Frederic, Oskar Steen and John Beecher. Shinzawa said this is projected to be their biggest team weakness.

In other Bruins chatter, Shinzawa suggests the team has grown frustrated with Jake DeBrusk but that there is too much there and too much invested for the Bruins to toss him aside. He writes:

They would be selling low at this point. If they move him and he hits his sweet spot, that would be a really tough asset to lose, especially given Brad Marchand’s age and the eventual departures of Bergeron and Krejci. Jake is worth working with to express the entirety of his skill set.

source – ‘Jake DeBrusk’s potential? David Krejci’s next contract? Bruins mailbag’ Fluto Shinzawa – The Athletic – 02/18/2021

Nothing in the “Hopper” for Flames

There are lingering questions in Calgary when it comes to Sam Bennett and new questions regarding their goaltending as Jacob Markstrom was unavailable for Monday’s game against the Maple Leafs. Could Bennett be moved to land another goaltender if Markstrom’s injury turns out to be anything more than a day-to-day issue? It doesn’t sound like it.

Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving
Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal)

Regarding Bennett, Elliotte Friedman told Pat Steinberg on Sportsnet 960 the FAN, prior to Monday’s game, “I don’t know how it’s going to be possible … there’s nothing in the hopper right now that I can tell,” . Friedman discussed how Brad Treliving is making phone calls and in on almost every possible deal that comes up, but nothing has materialized.

Friedman said, “I think he really tried to be in on Dubois. I think whenever there’s somebody out there who’s got a name, I think he’s involved. I don’t see anything imminent, but I think he’s got his lines out there.”

Yzerman Wants NHL Draft Pushed Back

When it comes to rumors that the NHL might hold two consecutive NHL Drafts in 2022 and postpone this year’s event, Yzerman is one of those GMs very much in favor of the idea. “I would hope they push it back, and give us a chance to watch these kids and give these kids a chance to play and put their best foot forward leading up to the draft,” he told Helene St. James.

Part of the reasoning Yzerman might be so keen on the idea is because the Red Wings will be drafting so high and the pick is critical. Detroit stands to lose a lot if this year’s prospects can’t compete, or be properly scouted. 

Unfortunately, moving the NHL Draft is not a simple thing to do. Friedman pointed out on during the Headlines segment on Saturday that there are questions about the CBA and how long players will have to wait to hit unrestricted free agency.”



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Shane Pinto has a goal, three assists as the Senators roll over the Sabres – Sportsnet.ca

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Here’s what we know about the allegations against Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara

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LOS ANGELES –

Only a week has passed since the Los Angeles Dodgers abruptly fired Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter and constant companion of their new $700 million slugger, Shohei Ohtani.

But the biggest story of baseball’s spring is still murky — and shocking — as the regular season begins in earnest Thursday.

The scandal encompasses gambling, alleged theft, extensive deceit and the breakup of an enduring partnership between the majors’ biggest star and his right-hand man. Investigations are underway by the IRS and Major League Baseball, and Ohtani publicly laid out a version of events Monday that placed the responsibility entirely on Mizuhara.

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Here are the basics as Ohtani and the Dodgers prepare for their home opener against St. Louis on Thursday:

Why was Ippei Mizuhara fired by the Dodgers?

Ohtani claims his close friend repeatedly took money from his accounts to fund his illegal sports gambling habit. Ohtani also says he was completely unaware of the “massive theft,” as his lawyers termed it, until Mizuhara confessed to him and the Dodgers last week in South Korea, where the team opened its regular season against the San Diego Padres.

Mizuhara has given more than one version of his path to this trouble, which was catalyzed by the IRS’ investigation of Mathew Bowyer, an alleged illegal bookmaker. Mizuhara has consistently said he has a gambling addiction, and he abused his close friendship with the Dodgers superstar to feed it.

Did Shohei Ohtani ever bet on sports?

That’s the biggest question to be answered in Major League Baseball’s investigation, and the two-time AL MVP emphatically says he has never gambled on sports or asked anybody to bet on sports for him.

Further, Ohtani said Monday he has never knowingly paid a bookie to cover somebody else’s bets. Mizuhara also said Ohtani does not bet, and Bowyer’s attorney said the same.

Mizuhara told ESPN on March 19 that Ohtani paid his gambling debts at the interpreter’s request, saying the bets were on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football. If that were true, Ohtani could face trouble even if he didn’t make the bets himself — but ESPN said Mizuhara dramatically changed his story the following day, claiming Ohtani had no knowledge of the gambling debts and had not transferred any money to bookmakers.

MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering — even legally — on baseball. They also ban betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.

What’s next for Ohtani?

Ohtani has played in every Dodgers game since the story broke, and he is expected to be their designated hitter in most regular-season games this season while baseball’s investigation continues.

Ohtani says his legal team has alerted authorities to the theft by Mizuhara, although his team has repeatedly declined to say which authorities have been told, according to ESPN.

Ohtani’s new interpreter is Will Ireton, a longtime Dodgers employee and fluent Japanese speaker who has filled several jobs with the team in everything from game preparation and analytics to recruiting free-agent pitches. But Ireton won’t be Ohtani’s constant companion, and manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday he’s optimistic that Ohtani will become closer to his teammates without the “buffer” provided for years by Mizuhara.

What don’t we know?

MLB’s investigation of Ohtani’s role in the events could last weeks or months, and it’s unlikely to be publicized until it’s complete. No one outside of Ohtani’s inner circle knows what it will find or how serious any repercussions could be, and nobody outside the circle is making informed speculation about the process.

One major question looms: How did Mizuhara have enough access to Ohtani’s bank accounts to get the alleged millions without Ohtani knowing? Is the slugger overly trusting, or is he wildly negligent in managing his vast fortune, which includes years of lavish endorsement deals in addition to his baseball salaries? Why didn’t the team around him, including his agent, do more to prevent the possibility of the theft he claims?

Finally, where is Mizuhara? Anybody who knows isn’t saying. He was fired in South Korea and apparently didn’t travel home with the Dodgers. Japanese media have visited his home in Southern California to look for him. Although he was born in Japan, Mizuhara’s life is in the U.S. — but his life will never be the same.

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NHL analyst gets absolutely roasted for ‘insanely rich’ take on Zach Hyman

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They say everyone is entitled to their opinion, but when you’re a member of the media and you share a truly awful take, you’re going to get called out for it.

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That’s what happened when NHL analyst/podcast host Andrew Berkshire decided to post a video on X (formerly known as Twitter) mainly attributing Zach Hyman’s success to the fact that he grew up “insanely rich.”

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The post came on the heels of the Oilers winger reaching the 50-goal milestone for the season and was rightly ripped apart by several notable colleagues, former players and fans in general.

In the video, which has been viewed more than 5.4 million times as of Wednesday morning, begins by stating that he has been in the sports media industry professionally since 2012 and that the industry “has to do a better job of telling truthful stories,” before discounting Hyman’s accomplishment.

“The story that’s being sold right now … is that, you know, if you work hard, if you stick to it, you can get there too, 31-year-old guy finally hits the 50-goal mark, harder worker, all that,” Berkshire said.

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“Yeah, great, except you’re missing the part of the story where Zach Hyman grew up insanely rich.”

Berkshire, who works as an analyst and host with the Steve Dangle Podcast Network, then details how Hyman’s parents bought a league to “guarantee him playing time,” and that he did “exclusive training that only a rich person … could afford.”

“This is a person that has had every single possible advantage to get where they are today,” Berkshire continued, before also bringing up the fact that Hyman has been fortunate enough to play on teams and lines with Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid most of his career.

While Berkshire does state that Hyman is a hard worker and brings grit when he plays, he also discounts it almost immediately.

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“Working hard, everybody works hard. You think every NHLer didn’t get there by working hard?” he asks. “Let’s not build this stupid narrative of ‘work hard, you’ll succeed.’ It’s just not true.

“There are people who’ve worked as hard as Zach Hyman their entire lives and never got a sniff of the American Hockey League, let alone the NHL because they didn’t have the advantages he had.”

Former Leafs defenceman turned NHL analyst Carlo Colaiacovo thought the whole take was ridiculous, posting the following: “Let me tell you something Andrew. You can’t buy your way to the NHL. You definitely can’t buy your way to having the career Hyman has had which includes scoring 50. Pretty ridiculous thing to say.”

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Retired NHLer Bobby Ryan was one of the first to weigh in, calling the opinion “purely false.”

“As someone who has maybe lived on both ends of the ‘financial edge’ I can say this is just purely false. Who cares, he accomplished a feat not many do and to downplay the way it’s reported is just wrong. You show up, do the work, good things happen,” Ryan posted on X.

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Jonathan Goodman, who claims he was Hyman’s personal trainer and tasked with getting the budding pro ready for the combine, had a glowing review of his former pupil’s work ethic.

“Yes, he had advantages. His family was wealthy and father obsessed with his success,” he said. “But the dude worked hard. Harder than anybody I’ve ever seen.”

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But, perhaps another former NHLer, Jason Strudwick said it best, replying to the video by asking: “Did Hyman not sign an autograph for you one time?”

 

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