The second round is flying by with incredible playoff action in each of the four series, but that didn’t stop big news being made off the ice as well.
Playoff Suspensions For Everyone: The week kicked off with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upholding Nazem Kadri’s eight-game suspension, making the Avalanche center now move his appeal to a neutral arbitrator. He wasn’t the only player sat down for playoff games though, as both Ryan Reaves and Mark Scheifele were given suspensions. Scheifele may not even be able to serve his entire four-game suspension in this playoffs given the Winnipeg Jets’ current situation, down 3-0 to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round.
Trophy Finalists Announced: With the regular season in the rearview, the NHL began to release the finalists for its major awards. The Vezina, Ted Lindsay, Calder, King Clancy, Lady Byng, and Selke nominees were all announced, leading to a healthy debate over the merits of each player (and award). Finalists will continue to be released for the next several days, with the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award nominees coming out on Monday morning.
Buffalo All Powered Up?: The Buffalo Sabres took home the top spot at Wednesday’s draft lottery, giving them the opportunity to take Michigan defenseman Owen Power with the first-overall selection. While Power isn’t guaranteed to go at the very top, his performance at the World Championship, helping Team Canada to a gold medal will certainly help his case. The team’s seventh defenseman at the start of the tournament, Power quickly proved his worth to head coach Gerard Gallant and ended up playing more than 24 minutes in the gold medal-clinching game against Finland. The Seattle Kraken will be picking second, with plenty of talent up for grabs at the top of the board.
Dollar Dollar Bill Kirill: While getting a finalist nod for the Calder Trophy should be enough to make it a good week, Kirill Kaprizov has much more to smile about. The Minnesota Wild have reportedly offered Kaprizov an eight-year contract extension that carries an average annual value around $8MM, meaning the young forward is about to cash in. The 24-year-old scored 51 points in 55 games and breathed new life into a Wild franchise that hadn’t had much to get excited about in recent years.
Border Exemption Officially Approved: Though it had been rumored for a few weeks, today the Canadian government officially announced there will be a travel exemption for the team that comes out of the North Division and their opponent. The agreement comes with some strict protocols that will limit all interaction with the general public, but at least allows the North champs to host playoff games at their home rink.