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Bettman Reduces Spezza Suspension To Four Games

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The appeal has been successful for Jason Spezza of the Toronto Maple Leafs, as his six-game suspension has been reduced to four. This was a decision made by commissioner Gary Bettman; had he maintained the full suspension, Spezza could have then appealed to a neutral arbitrator. With the reduction, Spezza is now eligible to play against Vancouver tomorrow night.

In the full nine-page ruling, Bettman include that though it was a clearly suspendable play, Spezza has an:

…admirable record of clean play over a nineteen season, 1,300 game career…this record support’s Mr. Spezza’s reputation for clean play and that he has never received a warning or counseling from [the Department of Player Safety] about conduct coming close to the line; and leads me to give Mr. Spezza the benefit of the doubt in terms of his intention.

The suspension has been upheld, meaning that it will go on Spezza’s record moving forward and be considered in any other supplementary discipline. Neal Pionk, the player involved, did suffer an injury on the play but missed just three games. Spezza can re-enter the Maple Leafs’ lineup immediately.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Edmonton Oilers have added another forward to the COVID protocol, but this time it’s someone with a little more responsibility. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins joins Ryan McLeod and Devin Shore on the sidelines, unavailable for tomorrow night’s game against the Seattle Kraken.

Notably, Nugent-Hopkins played nearly 20 minutes last night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It’s a crucial time for the Oilers, who got back in the win column with a strong performance against Columbus but are still just 4-6 over their last ten games. The team has slipped out of the divisional playoff spots in the Pacific, two points behind the surging Vegas Golden Knights and struggling Calgary Flames. With the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and even the suddenly red-hot Vancouver Canucks nipping at their heels, losing a key player like Nugent-Hopkins certainly isn’t an ideal situation.

The 28-year-old forward is having a great season, at least in terms of point totals. Though he’s recorded just three goals, Nugent-Hopkins is among the league leaders with 22 assists in 28 games. With Edmonton struggling to score of late, someone else will have to step into that offensive role if they want to get back on track.

Paul Maurice Resigns From Winnipeg Jets

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The Winnipeg Jets have announced some shocking news, revealing that Paul Maurice has resigned as head coach effective immediately. Dave Lowry will take over head coaching duties on an interim basis.

Maurice met with the media to explain why he has made the decision to leave and said that the Jets are a very good team but they’ve consistently performed under where they could be of late. He stated that he believes it’s time for a new voice behind the bench in Winnipeg, despite noting that he doesn’t believe the team “quit” on him. Maurice spoke with general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff about the situation last summer, and there was no single breaking point, just that there needed to be a new voice.

The veteran coach is proud of the work he did in Winnipeg, explaining that he believes he helped take them from a “bottom 10 situation to a top 10 situation.” He mentioned the “law of diminishing returns” to explain that when he pushes a button now, he doesn’t get quite the same reaction.

Maurice had been the second longest-tenured coach in the NHL, behind only Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He had another year on his contract with the Jets, though it was an option that will obviously now not be exercised. He explained that he’s not embarrassed by this decision and “feels good” that he doesn’t have a game to coach tonight or a job to chase tomorrow. He noted that may be the first time in 26 years that he has felt that way.

It’s been “more of a grind” for Maurice to come to the rink the last two years, as the excitement has waned for him after a long career. That was especially true during last year’s season without fans; the coach asked the collected media “what’s the point” without the energy in the building.

To sum it up, Maurice said this:

I just don’t want to watch those guys fight for the rest of the year, when I think they could be better with someone else. 

Cheveldayoff explained that Lowry is expected to serve as head coach the rest of the season.

Calgary Flames Add 20 To COVID Protocol

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Dec 17: The cases continue for Calgary, who have added Mikael Backlund and another member of the support staff to the protocol. The team has now reached 31 cases, including 19 players.

Dec 16: The Flames have announced three more additions to the protocol. Dillon Dube, Oliver Kylington, and another member of the support staff are now ruled out.

Dec 15: The Calgary Flames have announced that 17 more people have been entered into the COVID protocol. Seven players, three coaches, and seven support staff. Rasmus Andersson, Byron Froese, Johnny Gaudreau, Erik Gudbranson, Trevor Lewis, Jacob Markstrom, and Tyler Pitlick have joined the other players, while Ryan Huska, Kirk Muller, and head coach Darryl Sutter are also now in the protocol.

Just seven active players are not in the protocol for the Flames. Games had been originally postponed through tomorrow, but there is no way the Flames can ice a roster for Saturday unless a huge number of these are false positives that are confirmed negative in the coming days. That certainly doesn’t look like the case given how many other positives there have been, meaning the Flames will be dormant for a while longer.

Notably, the Flames were already on a four-game losing streak when they were originally shut down, meaning this could be a critical time for the organization’s Stanley Cup hopes. Depending on how long the league keeps them dark, they may have to return to the ice extremely shorthanded and at the very minimum will be rusty from spending a minimum of ten days in quarantine. The hope is obviously that none of the players, coaches, or staff experience any serious symptoms and can get back on the ice as soon as possible.

Eric Francis of Sportsnet passes on some good news. Assistant general manager Chris Snow, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2019, is not one of the staff members that has tested positive.

Canadiens-Bruins Game Postponed

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The NHL has announced another postponement, this time for a game scheduled between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens for tomorrow night. This comes after the Bruins played undermanned yesterday and the Canadiens played in an empty building. There are COVID and hockey-related revenue concerns to be considered by the league, after the Bruins have continued to place more and more players into the protocol.

Just before the Bruins took the ice yesterday, Oskar Steen was placed in the COVID protocol, joining six others from the team including top players like Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. The league has maintained throughout this season that they’ll only start postponing games if the spread seems to be out of control, which it appears to be in Boston.

The Bruins are one of the teams that went west and played the Calgary Flames recently, a team that has had such widespread positive testing that they’ve completely shut down. Like in the case of the Carolina Hurricanes, who placed a good chunk of players in the protocol but then had multiple days with no more positive tests, the hope is that a lengthy postponement won’t be necessary for the Bruins. That obviously remains to be seen.

Darcy Kuemper, Cale Makar Placed In COVID Protocol

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7:05pm: At this rate the Avalanche aren’t going to get through the game with a team. Cale Makar has also been placed in the protocol just as the game is starting. The team will be short a defenseman, a forward, and a goalie.

6:41pm: Less than 30 minutes before their game is set to begin, the Colorado Avalanche have announced that Darcy Kuemper won’t be in the net as expected. The goaltender has been added to the COVID protocol, leaving Pavel Francouz to make the start.

Kuemper joins J.T. Compher and Andre Burakovsky who were placed in the protocol just two hours ago, and Devon Toews who went in a few days ago. The team was already expected to play shorthanded upfront, but now appear to need a last-minute replacement to serve as the backup for tonight’s game. They faced a similar situation earlier this season when Kuemper was a late scratch due to injury; Justus Annunen showed up partway through the game that time, but it’s doesn’t look like that’s the plan here. An EBUG–Dustin Smith, according to play-by-play broadcaster Marc Moser–will be the backup.

Not only that, but Francouz himself hasn’t even played in an NHL game since the 2019-20 season. The 31-year-old played four games at the AHL level on a conditioning stint, but was only activated off long-term injured reserve four days ago. He’s now the team’s only option tonight, and perhaps moving forward. If Kuemper has tested positive and is symptomatic, he’ll have to quarantine (on the road) for a minimum of ten days.

Vancouver Canucks Announce New Position For Stan Smyl

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The Vancouver Canucks have promoted Stan Smyl to vice president of hockey operations, a decision made by Jim Rutherford, who had recently taken over the interim GM title from Smyl. The Canucks legend had stepped into the position for a short period after Jim Benning’s dismissal, and will now stay in a senior position with the team. Rutherford released the following statement:

Stan has been a foundational piece of this team for decades, and we are pleased that he will be taking on this role. In addition, Henrik, Daniel, and Ryan are key parts of our leadership team. We still have some additional roles to fill, but confirming these positions today is a big step for us.

Rutherford obviously means Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin, who will remain special advisors to the general manager for the time being. Ryan Johnson, the GM of the Abbotsford Canucks who had also stepped into the vacant Vancouver front office for a short time, will remain senior director of player development and run the AHL team.

Smyl meanwhile will now work closely with Rutherford on all hockey operations matters. Those matters will include player personnel decisions and internal operations. The 63-year-old is about as recognizable a face as it gets with regards to the Canucks, having played his entire 900+ game NHL career with the franchise and then spending several decades in various positions with the organization.

More Bruins Added To COVID Protocol

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Dec 16: The team has announced four new additions to the protocol. Anton Blidh, Trent Frederic, Jeremy Swayman and a member of the support staff are now unavailable. All three players took part in Tuesday’s game against the Golden Knights. The Bruins have recalled Jesper Froden and Kyle Keyser from the AHL. Later in the evening, the team added Oskar Steen and another staff member to the protocol.

Dec 15: The Boston Bruins have added Patrice Bergeron to the COVID protocol, joining Brad Marchand and Craig Smith who were ruled out yesterday. Bergeron played nearly 17 minutes last night against the Vegas Golden Knights, scoring the Bruins’ lone goal.

The Bruins are one of the teams involved in several games over the weekend that have turned up positive COVID results. The Carolina Hurricanes and Calgary Flames both have seen postponements to their schedule as a third of their roster entered quarantine, while the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers were each forced to play without some regulars. The Bruins now have three players in the protocol, but it would have been hard to choose a more important duo than Bergeron and Marchand.

In fact, if the trio of forwards is out for the full ten-plus days, this could be a critical time in the Bruins schedule. The team hasn’t been able to keep pace with the three division leaders in the Atlantic, now ten points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning, and continue to struggle offensively. The club has just 70 goals in 25 games, scoring more than two just twice in their past seven. Taking three players out of the top-six certainly won’t help that offensive struggle, especially with five games still scheduled before the Christmas break.

Bergeron is having another strong season, with 10 goals and 23 points in 25 games so far. That includes a four-game point streak, which will now have to be put on hold as he deals with the COVID protocol.

Andre Burakovsky, J.T. Compher Enter COVID Protocol

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A day of additions to the league’s COVID protocol list continues. Per The Denver Post’s Mike Chambers, Colorado Avalanche forwards Andre Burakovsky and J.T. Compher entered the NHL’s COVID protocol today.

They join defenseman Devon Toews on the list. He was added two days ago.

Due to salary cap restraints, the Avalanche will play a skater short tonight (11 forwards, 6 defensemen) against the Nashville Predators, who are dealing with a COVID outbreak of their own.

Both Burakovsky and Compher are giant parts of Colorado’s scoring depth this season. They’re both scoring at rates higher than 0.70 points per game, with Compher netting 11 points in 15 games and Burakovsy netting 21 in 25.

With Kurtis MacDermid moving up to play forward for tonight’s game, their defense will be stretched thin. Jordan Gross will be making his Avalanche debut, and young Justin Barron will play in just his second career NHL game.

Florida Panthers Add Eight To COVID Protocol

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Dec 16: Ahead of tonight’s game against Los Angeles, defenseman Aaron Ekblad and forward Frank Vatrano entered COVID protocol and are unavailable.

Dec 15: The Florida Panthers have now had a COVID outbreak of their own. The team has announced that five players and one staff member have entered the league’s COVID protocols and will be unavailable for tomorrow’s game. Sam Bennett, Radko Gudas, Ryan Lomberg, Brandon Montour, and Carter Verhaeghe won’t play against the Los Angeles Kings. Lomberg had been previously mentioned by the team, but these four new members are obviously huge absences from the Panthers’ lineup.

Notably, Bennett, Verhaeghe, Gudas, and Montour all played last night for the Panthers, with the latter logging over 21 minutes. With evidence of in-game transmission mounting, thanks to outbreaks across the league, the Ottawa Senators will have to be on high alert moving forward. The league has instituted increased protocols today limiting teammate interaction on the road, while the Senators will be returning home on Sunday to a province that has just instituted a 50 percent capacity limit on large sporting events. Ottawa of course has already dealt with widespread COVID issues earlier this season as one of the teams that saw games postponed.

For Florida, not only will these players be unavailable for tomorrow’s game against the Kings, but if they have tested positive and are experiencing any symptoms, they will be unable to accompany them on the upcoming road trip. Florida is scheduled to play Minnesota on Saturday afternoon before heading to Chicago. They’re meant to wrap up the pre-Christmas portion of the schedule at home against the Nashville Predators on Dec 23, a date that would still leave these players ineligible if they are forced to quarantine for a minimum of ten days.

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