NHL Rumors Update

NHL Rumors Update for 07/03/2020

July 03, 2020

The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.

 

 07/03/2020 edition:

By Jim Parsons on Jul 02, 2020 01:25 pm

In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there are a few more details to share when it comes to the discussions on a new CBA, including news about NHL free agency. The NHL, the owners, and the fans may have some answers before the weekend is out.

In other news, the New Jersey Devils may add some veteran players and Vancouver Canucks forward Jake Virtanen might have gotten a slap on the writes internally by the organization after posting a video of him out partying.

Devils Looking for Veteran Help

Corey Masisak of The Athletic notes that the New Jersey Devils may use some of their salary cap space this offseason to go after veteran players. Potential free agent targets could include forward Carl Soderberg and defenseman Jon Merrill.

Masisak writes:

The Devils are probably not going to look to make more additions before the trade deadline if they are in the mix. If this team still isn’t able to compete for a playoff spot, all of the pending UFAs (except for Zajac, unless he changes his mind about not wanting to leave) — Palmieri, Gusev, Hjalmarsson and Carrick — could be on the trading block.

source – ‘Projecting the Devils lineup: 2020-21 edition’ – Corey Masisak – The Athletic – 07/01/2020

The Devils moved a number of pieces at the last deadline and another poor season could mean a total overhaul of the organization. Of course, the team still needs to figure out what to do with its coaching and GM situation. Until those items are settled, it’s difficult to really know what direction the team will take.

Canucks Virtanen in Hot Water With Team

The Vancouver Canucks have had a private chat with forward Jake Virtanen after a video posted to Instagram shows him at Celebrities Nightclub in Vancouver, out with other people and not wearing a mask.

While he didn’t necessarily break any laws, for some reason, he thought it would be a good idea to share that he was out with friends, not really social distancing and not taking precautions while the NHL is working to finalize arrangements that would see them bring hockey back. While the NHL is preaching the health and safety of players is the most important thing, Virtanen showing he doesn’t seem to be taking the proper steps is a bad look for the Canucks and the league.

The team has addressed the situation and shared that they are dealing with it internally. “Jake is not yet in phase 2 of the NHL’s return to play plan, nor is he in quarantine. He’ll be tested before he re-joins the team.” they said.

I guess this kind of story goes to show it’s good the NHL is leaning away from Las Vegas as a hub city. Clearly, the attraction to go out and enjoy the nightlife is a draw for players.

New CBA Details, Important Dates Moving Forward

Bob McKenzie of TSN noted Thursday morning that if talks continue to go well, the NHL and NHLPA will finalize and announce they’ve reached a “tentative” deal on: Phase 3/4 Return To Play (RTP) protocols; CBA extension; transition rules; and critical dates calendar today.

Once finalized, as per a tweet by Michael Russo of The Athletic, there will be an NHLPA Executive Board/player call this afternoon where protocols/CBA will be presented to the players. From there, the NHLPA membership will vote. The players would be voting on the entire package and a simple majority would be required to pass.

McKenzie adds that one of the notable dates to keep in mind would be the new Free Agent Frenzy date of Nov. 1, 2020 (contracts set to expire on June 30 have been extended to Oct. 31). It was an odd July 1st for a lot of hockey fans without the traditional fast-paced action that comes with free agency opening up.

McKenzie also notes that amnesty and compliance buyouts are NOT part of agreement. Despite what looks to be three years of a flat salary cap moving forward, GM’s and owners are not being given a “get out of jail free” card.

One thing that is being discussed is that families might get to join the players after a couple of the initial rounds have been completed.

As per Renaud Lavoie:

As of right now, NHL training camps should start on July 13. It’s still can change. Remember that for training camp to start, you need a CBA extension.

By Jim Parsons on Jul 01, 2020 01:55 pm

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the question about hub cities seems to finally be answered as a number of reports are confirming that Edmonton and Toronto are going to be named the two NHL host locations. What does that mean for the Oilers and Maple Leafs?

Along with the hub discussions, a ton of developments have been seemingly settled when it comes to a new CBA, there is news on international contracts, the Olympics, and one player reaches out encouraging others to opt-in to returning.

Toronto and Edmonton Get the Nod

According to TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie, the two NHL hub cities will be Edmonton and Toronto. This report has been confirmed by a few sources, including Sportsnet’s Mark Spector who adds that the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs will both play in their own buildings. He said, “Makes no sense for TV to have East teams out West.”

McKenzie tweeted throughout Tuesday evening that the NHL and NHLPA were going well into the night, working on hammering out the details of a new agreement. He notes those talks have brought with it a solution to most issues on Phase 3/4 RTP, CBA extension, transition rules. He adds:

Barring any last-minute complications, and we have seen some of those (Vancouver and Las Vegas), the two NHL Hub cities will be Edmonton and Toronto.

There will, of course, be questions about whether or not this provides an unfair advantage to the Oilers or Maple Leafs, but with no fans, it’s hard to see how, other than teams being used to their own facilities.

Ryan Rishaug of TSN reports that there are a few final details being worked on for both cities but nothing that should be considered snags that would rule either city out. He notes of Edmonton:

Additionally, can report that the 6 required ice surfaces will be Rogers Place, the Downtown Community Arena, and the 4 surfaces at the Terwillegar Rec Centre (which will require bussing)

Details of the New NHL CBA

According to Elliotte Friedman, the negotiations that went late into Tuesday evening brought with it some interesting developments when it comes to the next collective bargaining agreement. This includes talk of the salary cap, Olympics, and escrow.

Some stuff to look forward to in modified CBA: Flat salary cap (unless changed, numbers were $81.5M next two years, $82.5M in 2022-23); cap on escrow (starting at 20 per cent next season, moving down after that); return to Olympics (pending agreement with IOC).

10 per cent of next season’s salary deferred; language for right to opt-out of Return to Play. Also, NHL fought for changes to contract structure — limits on signing bonuses and less salary fluctuation on a year-to-year basis. We’ll see how that looks.

This will mean next couple of seasons are going to be extremely tight for clubs without cap flexibility.

The new agreement likely includes the players participating in the 2022 Games and Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic indicates that 2026 in Italy (Milan and Cortina) is also currently part of the agreement. 

New International Players Contracts Not Eligible

According to Bob McKenzie’s understanding of last night’s negotiations, players such as defenceman Alexander Romanov of the Montreal Canadiens, forward Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild and goaltender Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders, will not be eligible for return to play in 2019-20. All three players were brought in from the KHL in hopes they might be able to join their respective teams this season.

Michael Russo of The Athletic and a beat reported for the Wild wrote:

NHL exec says report that it has an agreement with the NHLPA to allow players like Kirill Kaprizov to debut this summer is “not correct,” and the #mnwild has been given no update from the NHL on the situation.

Players Can Opt-Out of a Return to Play

TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that along with the other issues settled, the NHL and NHLPA agreed on an interim extension on all expiring player contracts. Since contracts typically would have expired last night at midnight, an extension was put in place pending completion of new CBA and agreement on Phase 3 & 4.

Part of agreement is that any player can choose to opt-out of return to play. Considering news that as many as 75% of players have said privately to media that they aren’t sure about a return due to health and safety concerns, this could be a huge development worth watching.

Knowing this is an issue, St. Louis Blues forward Ryan O’Reilly released a statement, trying to convince fellow players to return to play and not put an end to the NHL’s plan to resume activities. “I think it’s important for our game, the growth of it, to be able to salvage this season and have a winner, not let the whole thing go to waste.”

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