NHL Rumors Update

NHL Rumors Update for 05/29/2020

May 29, 2020

The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.

 

05/29/2020 edition:

By Jim Parsons on May 28, 2020 01:35 pm

In today’s NHL rumor rundown, the NHL has officially honored a few stars with awards, putting any debate to rest about where the play-in points might go. In Montreal, the Montreal Canadiens got good news and potentially bad news. The Toronto Maple Leafs are adding a prospect to their playoff roster, and the San Jose Sharks have questions they aren’t quite ready to answer.

Montreal Gets One Player Back, Another Questionable

Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin revealed on Twitter today that forward Jonathan Drouin will be healthy and active for the team’s playoff series. Drouin missed most of the season due to a variety of injuries, and if he’s back and healthy, and anywhere close to the 2018-19 version of himself, this could be a huge boost for the Habs.

Unfortunately, the availability of forward Max Domi is in question. Bergevin spoke to media and noted that there are questions about whether or not Domi will play because he’s a diabetic, and team doctors may determine it is unsafe for him to join the team during the pandemic. Medical testing has shown that diabetics are 25% more likely to require hospitalization and while Domi has had no prior issues with his Type 1 diabetes during his NHL career, the Canadiens don’t want to take any unnecessary risks.

Bergevin also explained to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports this week that the team will not be issuing contract offers to prospects Allan McShane, Cole Fonstad and Samuel Houde.

Red Wings to Keep Blashill

Detroit Red Wings GM, Steve Yzerman noted on a conference call with media that he is not planning on making a coaching change at this time. Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, explained that Blashill signed a two-year contract extension in 2019 that carries him through the 2020-21 season. While his 153-194-52 record isn’t glowing, he’s not being held responsible for the failures of the team.

She adds:

When he met with the media following the February trade deadline, Yzerman backed Blashill, saying it was unfair to judge him on the team’s record because of various factors, most notably the number of injuries (Larkin and Bertuzzi were the only Wings not to miss a game this season).

source – ‘Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman will keep Jeff Blashill as head coach’ – Helene St. James – Detroit Free Press – 05/27/2020

Maple Leafs Will Add Robertson to Roster

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas announced on social media that 2019 top pick Nick Robertson will join the team for their playoff run. Dubas had previously noted he expected Robertson to battle for a position on the team next season but the situation surrounding the NHL now has changed things.

Robertson, 18, recorded 86 points in 46 games for the OHL’s Peterborough Petes and also starred for Team USA at the World Juniors. He may not play much with the Maple Leafs, but the thought is that he’ll get an opportunity.

Sharks Coaching Situation

Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com noted that San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson said on Tuesday that interim head coach Bob Boughner isn’t guaranteed a job with the organization next season. Wilson notes, “We are still in the process.”

He added:

“I’ve talked to all our players. I’ve been talking to Bob quite a bit lately, talking about just how we want to play and some adjustments, and some things that were learned through not only our team this year, but around the League, what works and what doesn’t.

“So it’s a process that’s ongoing. Very difficult to come in and coach a team halfway through the year. You don’t necessarily have all the ingredients in your staff that you want around you. … I think he came in and did a very good job.”

Wilson noted that he also talks to Joe Thornton almost daily and they are continually in communication about their future plans. It sounds like Thornton will be back with the team next season.

NHL Awards Handed Out

The league officially announced the winners of the Art Ross, Maurice “Rocket” Richard, William M. Jennings, and Presidents’ Trophy today. Leon Draisaitl takes home the 2019-20 Art Ross, Alex Ovechkin and David Pastrnak will share the Rocket Richard Trophy, and Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak take home the Jennings as the goaltending duo with the lowest goals-against-average.

By Jim Parsons on May 27, 2020 02:05 pm

In today’s NHL rumor rundown, the NHL’s announcement yesterday has thrown a pebble in the water of a return to play and created a ripple effect for many teams.

There are questions about bonuses and the hub cities, and frankly whether or not this 24-team play-in is considered the playoffs or not? So too, there is uncertainty around trade conditions and league statistics, and just how the NHL Draft Lottery will change things.

Finally, the seven teams that are officially out of the playoffs are able to start making offseason arrangements and have some business to take care of. The biggest news comes out of the Buffalo Sabres organization.

Is The NHL Officially in the Playoffs Now?

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the league is planning a 24-team Return to Play format on Tuesday. While this isn’t an indication hockey is back, it gives some clarity to the NHL’s plans moving forward. Not everything is clear, mind you.

What Bettman didn’t really answer was whether or not the play-in games were part of the playoffs, saying only that they should be treated as a separate set of games.

The lack of detail has left people with questions, including Pierre LeBrun of TSN who did his best to try and explain to fans what this means for coaches, players, and others who are affected by playoff bonuses.

LeBrun noted:

“I spoke to one source who said that the current plan is to treat that play-in round as a special set of games. Neither regular season games, because the regular season is over, but neither official playoffs. It’s a qualifying round to get into the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, then again, I spoke to another league source that he said as far as he’s concerned, it is now the postseason.

So, this is going to matter because you have coaches who have bonuses for making the playoffs, you have Vancouver’s first round draft pick that automatically transfers to New Jersey if they make the playoffs, well, are they in or do they have to win their play-in series? These are questions that still need answers.”

And, while it seems teams like the Oilers have announced Leon Draisaitl as the Art Ross Trophy Winner and Boston has been declared the Presidents’ Trophy team, there appears to be the slightest bit of uncertainty surrounding those announcements being official because many aren’t sure where to allocate the points that comes from the play-in games.

Snag for Canadian Hub Cities

Bettman noted that the goal for the NHL was to name two hub cities that would serve as sites for NHL games, at least one of which was hopefully in Canada. Unfortunately, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the Canadian government’s mandatory 14-quarantine for anyone entering the country would make for a non-starter in terms of the NHL hosting in one of the mentioned Canadian locations.

The NHL is trying to work things out, but so far, they’ve gotten no further. “We are having various discussions with various different departments in the Canadian government,” Daly added. “We don’t have a resolution there, but it’s an ongoing dialogue.”

For cities like Vancouver and Edmonton, where the Canucks and Oilers play, this one snag could jeopardize months worth of work and hundreds of pages worth of documents trying to show the viability of their markets as sites that would serve the needs of the league, the players, and their families.

TSN’s Ryan Rishaug is reporting that Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw sent a letter to Gary Bettman, outlining her support for Edmonton to be a hub city. She discussed how the quarantines could work, guidelines and medical measures, and is basically putting on a full-court press on behalf of the province.

Sabres Keep GM Botterill

For the Buffalo Sabres, big news came quickly after the announcement as the team shared they were extending the contract of GM Jason Botterill.

Team president and co-owner Kim Pegula told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the Sabres are confident in the job Botterill has done and that they’d planned to retain him before the season was paused in March. Pegula noted how important it will be to maintain continuity in what will be an extended off-season for the club.

Joe Yerdon of The Athletic believes the biggest task facing Sabres is re-signing winger Sam Reinhart. He writes:

The 24 year-old forward is a restricted free agent who is due for a big raise and a long-term commitment. With the salary cap situation unclear, it may take a while for a deal to get done. The Sabres have a lot of contracts ending and many decisions to be made, but getting Reinhart squared away has to be the priority.

source – ‘Sabres’ return to play guide: How the NHL’s 24-team format impacts Buffalo’ – Joe Yerdon – The Athletic – 05/26/2020

Plans For Maple Leafs First-Round Pick?

James Mirtle and Jonas Seigel of The Athletic ask an interesting question when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs and how the new format of the Draft Lottery might affect their first-round pick.

Should the Maple Leafs lose their play-in round, things will change.

They write:

Toronto dealt its first-rounder to Carolina in the Patrick Marleau trade last June. But the pick was top-10 protected, which means if the Leafs somehow end up winning the lottery and picking higher than 11th overall, they will defer the traded pick to the 2021 draft.

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