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NHL Teams Facing Decreased Daily Cap Expenses In 2021-22

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While the general sentiment surrounding the NHL’s return to the Olympics at the 2022 Winter Games is excitement, it isn’t without its downsides. The momentum of the regular season will be halted, participating players will face injury and COVID-19 risks, and non-participating players growing cold over the 19-day break. One additional issue is the extended timeline for the regular season and the impact it has on salary cap expenditures. As noted by cap resource PuckPedia, the length of the 2021-22 regular season is expected to be 200 days whereas the typical season is about 186 days. Those extra 14 or so days decrease the value of daily cap hits, making it more difficult for teams to accrue cap space over the course of the regular season. In yet another flat cap year, this could pose problems for some teams close to the cap ceiling.

While the salary cap and individuals salaries are often viewed in a season-long, overarching fashion, cap maintenance is in fact a series of daily calculations. The cap is tolled each day by the salaries on the active roster as a value of each cap number divided by the total days in the season. As a result, in a longer season each daily cap expense is worth less than in a normal year. Where this comes into play is with cap-driven demotions. Each year there are a number of teams who are close to the cap limit that open up additional space by removing salary from the active roster in the form of reassigning players who are exempt from waivers or have otherwise cleared waivers to the AHL. These can just be off-day paper transactions, extended demotions during homestands, or sometimes waiving and burying larger salaries in the minors. However, during a longer season these maneuvers are less effective as the daily gain from demoting a player will be lower.

Daily salary cap calculations only matter to those teams with salary cap space, so the nine teams currently expected to begin the season using Long-Term Injured Reserve are not as worried about this predicament. Daily tolling also impacts teams with ample cap space far less and there are currently a dozen teams who sit $7MM or more below the cap ceiling with at least nine or ten expected to stay in that range. However, for the Maple Leafs, Flames, Penguins, Flyers, Capitals, Bruins, Panthers, Blues, Avalanche, Kings, Canucks, and Wild, this lesser daily cap expenditure is not irrelevant. A team like Toronto, which is in fact currently over the salary cap limit with a projected roster than includes only one waiver-exempt player in defenseman Rasmus Sandin, will have possibly their only source of additional cap relief diminished. The Pittsburgh Penguins, who currently have just $122K in cap space with a projected roster than contains only the minimum contract of Radim Zohorna as waiver-exempt, are in the same boat.

Fortunately, PuckPedia points out that the same source of cap distress could also provide relief. During the Olympic break, teams with the ability to safely demote players will almost certainly do so. Those 19 days not counting against the cap will help to offset the reduced daily hit over the rest of the season. It could also allow those players to stay fresh with AHL action during that time.

Free Agent Profile: Devan Dubnyk

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Here is a snapshot of the free agent market at the goalie position: Tuukka Rask, who is committed to the Boston Bruins, Devan Dubnyk, Curtis McElhinney, who is older, played less, and performed worse than Dubnyk last season, Cory Schneider, who is also older than Dubnyk and didn’t play an NHL game last season, and a scattering of young goalies that did not receive qualifying offers and have a handful of NHL appearance between them. In short, the UFA goalie market is essentially just Dubnyk.

Now this doesn’t erase his performance from last season, or the year before last for that matter. The 35-year-old has not been on his game for some time now, performing well below his career numbers in each of the past two years. His age compounded by a number of years as a workhorse starter for the Minnesota Wild has shown in Dubnyk’s play, which has lacked sharpness and consistency even playing behind good teams like the Wild and Colorado Avalanche.

With that said, it speaks volumes that Colorado, a Stanley Cup favorite, still went out and acquired Dubnyk from the San Jose Sharks at the NHL Trade Deadline last season. The team was facing down several injuries and net and were desperate for help, but still would not have given up assets for a player they didn’t trust could help their team. While Dubnyk was ultimately forgettable in his short stint with Colorado, he delivered five starts and three wins for the team as they battled for supremacy in the division standings.

At this point in his career, Dubnyk is what the Avalanche saw in him: an experienced veteran who was once one of the best in the game and can still be relied upon in a pinch. In the meantime, Dubnyk can mentor young goalies and contribute to a locker room. It’s not exactly the sales pitch of a league-winner, but Dubnyk can still contribute even if he is no longer capable of serving in a starting or even 1B role. Ideally, the veteran could find a spot where he can act as a No. 3 and, if need be or if he shows he is capable, can take over a backup role. Again, it isn’t the most valuable label, but it could benefit a number of teams.

At the end of the day, for those clubs who decide they need another goalie this late in the off-season or in-season but don’t want to make a trade, Dubnyk is the best of a group of less than stellar options. Teams are not going to be looking for a young player with upside or a cold, broken down veteran if they are in urgent need of help. Outside of Rask, who may as well be signed, Dubnyk is the only goalie that can provide value as a free agent addition. Teams would be smart to keep tabs on him as training camps begin to open up.

Stats

2020-21: 22 GP, 6-11-2 (.368), .895 SV%, 3.20 GAA, .444 QS%, 1 SO
Career: 542 GP, 253-206-54 (.546), .914 SV%, 2.61 GAA, .539 QS%, 33 SO

Potential Suitors

At first glance, the Arizona Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres are the two teams with the greatest needs in net. Carter Hutton and Josef Korenar for the ’Yotes and Craig Anderson and Aaron Dell for the Sabres is a list of names that would be hard-pressed to even find backup jobs elsewhere in the league. With that being said, neither team has much incentive to bring in yet another veteran. Both Arizona and Buffalo are resigned to bottom-dweller status this season and don’t need to add depth in goal, especially when it blocks young keepers like Korenar in Arizona or Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Only if the veteran starters for these clubs suffered long-term injuries would Dubnyk really make sense.

Instead, the veteran is a more realistic target for a contender that needs depth and experience in net. Even after adding Louis Domingue, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ goalie group that also includes the inconsistent Tristan Jarry and the injury-prone Casey DeSmith could use added stability and guidance. Another team that jumps out as an option is Calgary. The Flames acquired promising youngster Daniel Vladar this summer to back up Jacob Markstrom and he cannot be reassigned to the AHL without the risk of waivers. However, if Vladar struggles in his first full-time NHL role and Calgary is not any more secure with Tyler Parsons or Adam Werner, Dubnyk could be a nice free agent addition to stabilize the net.

Any other suitors would likely be a product of injury at this point, but that could mean more than it sounds. Injuries in hockey are obviously not uncommon and Dubnyk clearly stands out as the best unsigned option available.

Projected Contract

Barring an off-season training injury before camps open, a PTO seems like the most likely “contract” to be heading Dubnyk’s way. The experienced veteran would provide a good camp presence while proving that he does (or does not) have gas left in the tank. If anyone was urgent to add a goalie it likely would have happened by now, meaning some patient team is probably going to merely extend Dubnyk the opportunity to earn a deal.

With that being said, urgency can be created quickly, especially once camps begin. If Dubnyk isn’t already on a PTO elsewhere, he will be the first call from teams with thin goalie depth who suffer an injury in net and don’t want to waste time or capital on the trade market. Even in this situation though, the league minimum $750K is likely the extent of Dubnyk’s value. It would likely take several injuries across the league to force a bidding war that lands the veteran anything more.

Latest On Evander Kane Investigation

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Even in the midst of a career year in terms of per-game scoring, Evander Kane’s 2020-21 campaign was dominated by off-ice issues. A bankruptcy filing and its ongoing proceeding, whispers of locker room discord, a divorce playing out in the public eye, and finally allegations that he bet on hockey has made Kane the most infamous name in the NHL right now. And unfortunately all of that noise may not be going away this season. A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports reports that the NHL’s investigation into Kane has stalled and a decision may not be possible before the San Jose Sharks open training camp, if Kane was going to be invited anyhow.

Kane’s estranged wife, who initially made the allegations that her husband had gambled on his own games, has been uncooperative with the NHL’s outside investigators. Anna Kane has been unavailable for interview, making it impossible for the investigation that centers around her claims to continue. The NHL will not wait around forever, but need to do their due diligence when it comes to something as serious as a player betting on his own contests and impacting the integrity of the game. While Kane had previously stated that these allegations were not true and a ploy by his wife to ruin his career – a claim that gains validity the longer she avoids the investigation – the NHL will be hesitant to take Kane at his word without any corroborating evidence.

Perez does note that the NHL analyzed betting trends for Sharks games this past season and found no abnormalities. While this does not eliminate the possibility that Kane was betting on his games, or even on other NHL action, it could be all that the league can lean on if not other information has been discovered and Kane’s wife will not comply with the investigation.

Meanwhile, the Sharks have to decide how to deal with the situation, both if Kane is still under investigation when training camp begins or, even more intriguing, if he has been cleared. If the NHL rules that Kane did not bet on hockey, it doesn’t totally wipe the slate clean. He is still in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings related to gambling debts and has had other ugly allegations made against him by his wife (and vice-versa). All of this has certainly contributed to the numerous reports that there are many in the Sharks locker room who are unhappy with Kane’s presence and the organization’s continued support of the polarizing player. While none of his other off-ice issues beyond the NHL’s investigation will keep him from playing, there is serious question as to whether it will be in San Jose. Even at the top of his game, Kane likely lacks much if any value on the trade market right now, but the Sharks may need to do whatever they can to move on. A stalled investigation will make it near impossible to do that though.

Bruins’ Bergeron, McAvoy Not Rushing Negotiations

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The Boston Bruins have very few expiring contracts entering the 2021-22. In fact, among players that appear to be a lock for an NHL roster spot this season, only six will be free agents next summer. Of that group, only two will be unrestricted free agents and just three are set to make over $800K this season. By and large, the Bruins face very little risk of a roster shake-up via free agency next off-season. Yet, amongst this small group of expiring contracts is two of the most important players on the team, captain Patrice Bergeron and young stalwart Charlie McAvoy. Both career Bruins, one represents that remnants of the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning core and the other appears to be the future of the franchise as they look to transition to a new core. Negotiations with each player will be crucial for the Bruins, but the club has not rushed to extend either just yet; and neither seems to care.

Bergeron, 36, is focused on winning another title this year before shifting his focus to what’s next. Speaking to the media, Bergeron said of his next contract, “I’m going to play out this year, and then talk about that after.” GM Don Sweeney stated last month that Bergeron has free reign to sign on for as many more years as he likes in Boston. While the cap-strapped Bruins will need to be more careful about the cost, they are open to whatever term the future Hall of Famer is seeking. Bergeron has been a face of the franchise for many years, establishing himself as arguably the best defensive forward in league history and with a point-per-game campaign could crack 1,000 career points this season. He has earned the right to decide when he wants to retire or otherwise leave Boston, whether that be next year or several years for now. This season really is less about establishing anything more for contract negotiations and instead focusing solely on the pursuit of the Stanley Cup and continuing to build a lasting legacy in Boston. As Amalie Benjamin relays for NHL.com, Bergeron stated the thinks this Bruins group can be “special”, not only this year but even beyond his playing days:

I want to create something special, as I said. We obviously want to work towards winning a Stanley Cup. I know everyone says that, but it’s definitely our goal as a team. And I think we always are competitive to be in that group of teams. So I think that’s where that’s where my focus is at right now… We have some players that have been around for a while and they’re getting older, but also some younger players that are taking a bigger role, whether it’s on the ice or off the ice in the locker room. I think you want to make them understand that it’s going to become their team at some point soon and that they have to take some more responsibilities and whatnot. I’ve always said that I believe in leadership by committee and I think it can’t just be about one or two guys, it has to be a lot of guys.

One of those future leaders is undoubtedly McAvoy. While the Bruins have had an unfortunate recent history of moving on from young players too early, Boston seems to be sold on McAvoy’s complete game, work ethic, and locker room presence. One of the top defensemen in the NHL last season, McAvoy took a major step forward despite the departure of Zdeno Chara and the lack of a consistent pair mate. In an off-season that has been defined by long-term, big-money contracts for top young defensemen, McAvoy has established himself as at least an equal player to those who have already received mammoth new deals. With so many comparable contracts now available, the Bruins easily could have offered McAvoy a similar long-term deal and moved on, but the two sides are taking their time with negotiations; and McAvoy doesn’t mind. According to the Boston Globe’s Matt Porter, McAvoy brushed off any suggestion that he was frustrated to not have a new contract in the books. “Honestly, I don’t have any comment on it,” McAvoy said. “I’m just really excited for the year, just worrying about this summer, being in the best spot to get ready for camp. I think we’re going to have a heck of a team… I just want to get after it.” Unlike Bergeron, McAvoy also stands to gain financially from waiting to agree to a new deal, as another top-notch season could lead to an even bigger deal. His agent, Rick Curran, stated as much:

For Charlie, it’s all about focusing on the season. He wants to go out and have a really good season, and focus on what he can do for the team, really solidify himself as a top D-man in the league. He wants to control what he can control and let the chips fall where they may.

While Bruins fans may want some peace of mind about the futures of Bergeron and McAvoy before or even during the upcoming season, it seems more likely that both will wait until after the season and appear happy to do so. With their sights set on bringing the Stanley Cup back to Boston, the duo have more important things to do that worry about contracts when both are guaranteed to be with the Bruins for as long as they like.

 

Snapshots: Senators, Merzlikins, Tarasenko

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Armed with a contract extension, Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion is looking to make this next stage of his time with the team much different than the most recent stretch. According to Dorion, the rebuild is over. In an appearance on TSN 1200 in Ottawa today, he stated the following:

We’ve had a plan since we started this rebuild. I feel that we’re in the next stage now, it’s time to start to win… Last year, we felt we were a team that was hard to play against, but now it’s time to challenge to get two points every night, be in every game. Games that maybe you got a point last year, you need two this year… A lot of our younger players have reached a maturity stage in their career where they should be leading us and not be considered young players anymore. As a group, It’s time to start winning.

The Senators did take a small step forward last season, finishing with a 23-28-5 record that was neither the last in their division nor a bottom-five mark in the NHL for the first time since 2016-17. The season ended on a strong note with a 16-13-4 run to end the year. However, there is more work to be done for the Senators to regain relevance. The team is still young and inexperienced and lacking in depth in many areas. In order to compete in the deadly Atlantic Division, at least this season, Ottawa likely needs more than what their current roster can offer even at their very best. Fortunately, the Senators also have a copious amount of cap space – still under the cap floor for now – and Dorion mentioned having “several irons in the fire”. Perhaps the Senators will add an impact player or two before the season begins if they are really committed to taking a step forward this season.

  • Another team that could be looking to surprise this season will be the new-look Columbus Blue Jackets. The x-factor could be goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, who has his sights set on more than just winning the starting job over Joonas Korpisalo. Merzlikins tells The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline that the tragic death of close friend, teammate, and countryman Matiss Kivlenieks has instilled in him a drive to become one of the best goaltenders in the NHL.  “I’m gonna win a f—— Vezina for him,” Merzlikins proclaimed. “This is my goal. I believe I’m going to reach it. I’m not going to have any limits. I’m just gonna go all-in.” The 27-year-old goaltender has certainly shown signs of elite ability through his first two NHL seasons, recording a .920 save percentage and 2.54 GAA in 61 games. While he may seem far from competing for a Vezina Trophy, especially sharing starts with Korpisalo and playing for a team that is not expected to be a playoff contender, never underestimate the inspiration that a life-changing event can create. Merzlikins credits Kivlenieks with saving his family and that should be more than enough motivation for him to honor his friend to the best of his abilities.
  • With considerable cap space and a desire to add top talent, both Ottawa and Columbus could be good landing spots for Vladimir Tarasenko, who requested a trade out of St. Louis earlier this off-season. However, Blues head coach Craig Berube does not expect the star sniper to be going anywhere. In an appearance on the “Cam and Strick” podcast, Berube stated that he believes that Tarasenko will remain in St. Louis this season. Berube says that he has no hard feelings toward Tarasenko, who has maintained that he would like to be traded, and will treat him like any other player in helping him to succeed with the Blues in the event that he stays with the team as Berube expects. Berube states that the team is focusing on what they can control (Tarasenko) and not on what they can’t (the market) which could mean that he really will not be traded despite all indications.

Tomas Hertl Uncertain About Future With Sharks

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Often the top impending free agents heading into a season are no longer available by the time that season comes to a close. With many of the biggest names in the 2022 UFA class being in their mid-to-late thirties and many others having already begun extension talks with their current teams, next year may be no different. However, the San Jose Sharks’ Tomas Hertl could be one of those rare wire-to-wire top impending free agents. Recent reports indicate that the skilled center is unsure about his relationship with the San Jose Sharks and whether he wants to remain with the team. The two sides are not expected to begin contract talks until later in the coming season and by then it could be too late.

As Alex Didion notes for NBC Sports, Hertl recently stated in an interview at home in the Czech Republic that he wonders if San Jose wants him and if he wants to stay. There is clearly a disconnect between the two sides, despite Hertl’s place as one of the team’s best players. Over the past six seasons, Hertl has scored at a pace of .32 goals per game and .7 points per game. While health hasn’t always been on his side, he makes up for it with immense impact when he is on the ice. In five of those six seasons, Hertl either scored 20+ goals or would have in a full season. In the past three years, he did the same with the 60-point benchmark. While his injury absences are not inconsequential, it is still clear that Hertl is an elite player – and yet the Sharks are seemingly not pushing him to re-sign.

The biggest question may be why Hertl would want to stay anyway. As noted, the 27-year-old could be one of the prime options on the open market. Not only is his scoring ability apparent but he excels at the center position, playing with size and grit and getting the job done at the face-off dot. Analytics also support Hertl’s status as perhaps one of the more underrated stars in the NHL. He has a chance to cash in and find a new team that is more likely to contend and where he can truly shine. Why would he pass that up? The grass is likely greener outside of San Jose, who Didion’s colleague Adam Gretz points out is still likely several years away from getting back to postseason contention. Yet, Gretz also notes that the Sharks’ salary cap situation is not ideal either, meaning Hertl is not likely to make any more by sticking with the rebuilding team versus testing the market for a better fit financial and competitively. As the cherry on top, Gretz writes that Hertl is also believed to be one of the Sharks who is upset about the presence of Evander Kane in the San Jose locker room. While Kane’s hockey future is still very much up in the air, if he does keep playing it will likely be for the Sharks, who made a long-term commitment – a commitment they seem hesitant to make to Hertl.

As of right now, Hertl merely seems uncertain about his future with the Sharks and wants to see how the season plays out. However, all signs point to a departure from San Jose at some point in time and a distinct possibility that Hertl could be one of if not the most sought after name on the 2022 free agent market.

Bruins Notes: Rask, Clifton, Bychkov

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The NHL is officially going to the Olympics. So what does that mean for the NHL’s top unsigned free agent? Tuukka Rask has made it clear that he will only play for the Boston Bruins (and his teammates expect just that later this season), but the star goalie has said nothing about the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The Olympic break will take place from February 3-22 and Rask must sign with Boston by the trade deadline, expected to be March 21, in order to be eligible for the postseason. Will he use the Winter Games as a warmup? As noted by The Athletic staff in their Olympics roster projections, if Rask wants a spot on Team Finland, it is his. For one, the team not as deep as they have been in the past, with the goaltenders projected to be Nashville’s Juuse Saros, Carolina’s Antti Raanta, and Chicago’s Kevin Lankinen. More of a factor though is that Rask’s numbers on the international stage are nothing short of stunning, with a .938 save percentage and 1.73 GAA in the 2014 Olympics and a .920 save percentage and 2.02 GAA in the 2016 World Cup. Add in his elite career NHL numbers and even at 34 and returning from injury he would be at worst the No. 2 for Finland. There is obviously some risk to Rask and the Bruins that he could re-injure himself while playing in the Olympics. However, the upside is that it will get him back into game shape without costing Boston. Once Rask is signed, there won’t be much time for him to get back up to speed unless the team opts to carry three goalies for a while. It will be interesting to see how the situation plays out and if the aging veteran is as determined to represent his country once more as he is to return to Boston for another run.

  • Better now than in-season, but Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton received the difficult news that he has tested positive for COVID-19, reports The Boston Globe’s Matt Dougherty. To make matters worse, the young blue liner is currently on his honeymoon. The Bruins have not commented on the situation and Clifton himself has not issued any follow-up. It is unclear if Clifton is vaccinated or not or if he is symptomatic at this time. The Bruins have not yet announced the start date for training camp, but with their preseason debut scheduled for September 26, it can’t be too far away. If Clifton has indeed contract the virus, he has a matter of weeks to recover and clear the NHL’s COVID Protocol or he will at least miss the start of camp. That could be critical for a player who is expected to compete for a starting role this fall.
  • Prospect defenseman Roman Bychkov has proven that he can produce at the junior level in Russia with 43 points and a +47 rating over the past three seasons in the MHL. However, his KHL club Lokomotiv Yaroslavl has yet to give him a chance in the big leagues. That will change this season. The KHL’s Amur Khabarovsk has announced that they have acquired Bychkov on loan for 2021-22. A perennial bottom dweller in the KHL, there is no reason to believe that Khabarovsk will not give the 20-year-old an opportunity to show what he can do against elite competition. The Bruins will be paying attention as well. Since he was selected in the fifth round in 2019, Bychkov has already outshined his draft slot with his play in Russia and at the World Junior Championship. Boston would like to see him take that next step as they evaluate whether to bring him over to North America.

Rocky Thompson Leaves San Jose Staff Due To COVID Vaccination Status

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When the NHL revealed its 2021-22 COVID Protocol yesterday, there were a number of exceptions written in. One such exception was that players with a medical or religious reason for not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine would not be subject to the suspensions that other unvaccinated players would be. The protocol for staff was written much stricter, stating that anyone in direct contact with players or other hockey operations personnel had to be fully vaccination. However, it seemed reasonable that these medical and religious exceptions for players would also be considered for staff.

Well, that does not appear to be the case. The San Jose Sharks have announced that assistant coach Rocky Thompson will not return to the bench this season. The reason? A medical condition prevents him from receiving the COVID vaccination and the league has not extended any flexibility for that situation. In Thompson’s own words:

Due to a medical exemption that prevents me from taking the COVID-19 vaccine, under the new League protocols, I am not permitted to fulfill my duties on the Sharks coaching staff at this time. I will have no further comment on this matter.

While its fair for the NHL to do all they can to protect the integrity of the upcoming season as best they can with the threat of COVID still relevant, this may be a step too far. The league has outlined a number of strict conditions for unvaccinated players in terms of travel, testing, and more, yet were not willing to use those same policies to mitigate the risk of an unvaccinated assistant coach who has a legitimate medical cause.

The Sharks included in their release that they will be announcing a replacement for Thompson soon. As for Thompson, after just one season in San Jose he could be looking for work elsewhere, as there is no word as to whether Thompson will re-joining Bob Boughner’s staff after this season. 2020-21 had only been Thompson’s second season in the NHL, so the young coach still has plenty of contacts in the AHL and Canadian junior ranks that he could turn to this season and beyond.

NHL Unveils 2021-22 COVID Protocol

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Gone are the days of bubbles, regional divisions, CPRA lists, and taxi squads, but the NHL won’t be quite back to normal this season. The league will still have a COVID Protocol for the 2021-22 campaign and the details have been released this evening, courtesy of Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

The biggest piece of the new protocol, and one that is sure to cause at least some controversy among players, is a mechanism for suspending those who unvaccinated. With a COVID vaccine now readily available, as opposed to much of last season, those who choose not receive the vaccine will be held to a much higher standard of preventing the spread of the virus and its impact on teammates, personnel, and the NHL product altogether. If an unvaccinated player in unable to participate, they will surrender one day’s pay for each day they miss – essentially an indefinite unpaid suspension. This obviously pertains to a positive test, but more notably it also includes situations in which local, state/provincial, or federal regulations limit those who are unvaccinated. With the NHL split between the U.S. and Canada, who each treat COVID differently, this ensures that the policies and procedures in the locale of each home team are met without any exceptions or special considerations.

With that being said, there are also numerous exceptions to these “suspensions” for unvaccinated players, including those who tested positive in “the course of employment as a hockey player” (determined by a balance of probabilities test). Suspensions will also not arise out of close contact quarantines. Additionally, the league will consider medical and religious exceptions for not receiving the vaccination and those players will not be subject to suspension. This essentially leaves only those who are unvaccinated by choice who may be suspended, and in the event of positive test only if it determined to have occurred via outside contact.

Unvaccinated players must undergo COVID testing daily throughout the season or until they become fully vaccinated. While traveling, they may not enter any venue other than the arena, practice facility, and team hotel, the latter of which comes with other limitations. Unvaccinated players may not have anyone in their hotel room other than fully vaccinated family members and cannot enter any shared hotel spaces, such as pools, gyms, and saunas. They may not eat at restaurants that are open to the public other than those that offer drive-though and curbside pickup and once at the hotel may not leave to get food.

Fully vaccinated players must undergo COVID testing at least every 72 hours to begin the year. Fully vaccinated players who test positive are also not subject to suspension and their absence will be treated as if it is an injury.

Any player who wishes to opt out of the 2021-22 season due to personal health concerns (if unvaccinated) or the health concerns of a family member, must do so by October 1. Their team can then decide to roll over the contract to 2022-23 or instead to terminate. Those who opt out may not participate in any other league or at the Olympics.

As for staff, anyone with direct contact with players or other hockey operations officials must be fully vaccinated. The league is likely to make the same medical and religious exceptions, but otherwise the vaccine is a mandate for staff.

Although there are exceptions to many of these rules, it is clear that the NHL is incentivizing the COVID vaccine by placing heavy limitations on the unvaccinated. After two seasons that were critically impacted by the pandemic, the league wants some normalcy and to have uninterrupted hockey. Their best chances at that result is to have as many players and staff vaccinated as possible. If and when they feel comfortable with the vaccination status of the majority of players or with the spread of the virus, these rules can be subject to change to afford some more flexibility as the season progresses.

Arizona Coyotes Submit Bid To Build Arena In Tempe

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The Arizona Coyotes may not be playing in Gila River Arena in Glendale beyond this season, but their future may still lie in the Phoenix area. AZ Central’s Paulina Pineda reports that the city of Tempe invited bids to develop a 46-acre area for entertainment purposes and the confirmed that the Coyotes submitted a bid. It is unknown if any competing bids were submitted before today’s deadline.

Tempe is located on the other side of Phoenix from Glendale but only about 30 miles away from the Coyotes’ current home. The area in question resides on a stretch of the Salt River known as Tempe Town Lake. It is central to Tempe, but also not far from the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and the city of Scottsdale. Though the Coyotes could not make any material comment on the bidding process, they stated that they are “incredibly excited about this extraordinary opportunity.” A winning bid would allow the Coyotes to build a state of the art arena of their own design and further develop the area into a attractive entertainment locale. The draw of this new area could be aided by the close proximity of Arizona State University, whose hockey program has quickly developed a strong following of its own.

Of course, competing bids or not, this by no means secures the Coyotes’ future in Arizona. Even an uncontested bid may not be to the liking of the city of Tempe, either financially or in the plan’s details. The city will also likely weigh the benefits of bringing the team to town, as they did have their fair share of struggles in Glendale. Until anything becomes official, it is fair to keep up the Houston/Quebec City/Milwaukee speculation, but many in Arizona will be happy to hear about this promising new development for their Coyotes.

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