Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

CBA

The Other July 1st Spending Spree

at CDT | by 1 Comment

July 1st is typically a high-spending day around the NHL as a free agent signing frenzy means that hundreds of millions in contracts are committed in the span of a few hours.  As a result of this pandemic though, we won’t be seeing that big rush on contracts anytime soon.

However, there may still be a spending spree on the horizon for July 1st.  Veteran journalist John Shannon noted on Twitter last week that the NHL and NHLPA currently disagree on the state of signing bonuses that are due as part of contracts that date.  At first glance, that may not seem like a lot but as a result of the vast influx of deals structured with heavy up-front signing bonuses, more than $300MM is at stake.  The NHLPA believes those should be paid as scheduled while the league doesn’t see it the same way and believe those payments should be deferred until after the playoffs.

From the NHL’s perspective, July 1st typically marks the start of a new league year so it would make sense that they think payments should wait until the postseason concludes; it wouldn’t be surprising if they were arguing that it should be the start date of the 2020-21 calendar which may not be until sometime in October.  While a recent agreement was reached to extend expiring contracts, it was solely for the purpose of work visas for players whose deals were set to expire at the end of June.  With a significant dip in revenues in recent months, team owners are almost certainly hoping that they’re able to defer these payments until the start of the 2020-21 calendar.

As for the NHLPA, their argument is simple.  The contract states that the signing bonus is payable July 1st so that’s when it should be paid.  It’s a pretty easy argument to make.  On top of that, escrow for this season may be lower than what it will be for the 2020-21 campaign so players receiving the money next month could receive more net pay than if it’s paid out at the start of the next league year.  We’re likely not talking about a couple of tenths of a percent either and it’s on an amount greater than $300MM as a whole.  That’s a pretty significant amount of money overall.

The one team that’s really going to be keeping an eye on this is Toronto.  The majority of their salary payable for next season is in the form of signing bonuses:

Auston Matthews: $15.2MM
Mitch Marner: $14.3MM
John Tavares: $11.09MM
Jake Muzzin: $7.3MM
Frederik Andersen: $4MM
William Nylander: $3.5MM
Alexander Kerfoot: $1MM
Kasperi Kapanen: $1MM
Andreas Johnsson: $1MM
Justin Holl: $1MM

Total: $59.39MM

There are two things to note here.  First, this amount is actually lower than it was a year ago when it actually eclipsed $70MM.  Second, this doesn’t include players on entry-level contracts who receive a signing bonus of up to $92.5K such as defenseman Rasmus Sandin.  That’s a lot of money in play for just one team.

While we have seen some announcements recently about the NHL’s Return to Play plan, there is still many things that need to be negotiated between the two sides and this is one of them.  It’s understandable if their focus is on finalizing health and safety protocols as they proceed towards the final two phases of their plan but with this much money at stake, the fate of the July 1st signing bonuses is going to have to be decided on sooner than later.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Return To Play And CBA Talks

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Negotiating through all of the safety and logistical challenges as the NHL and NHLPA attempt to finalize the framework for the NHL’s final two phases of their Return to Play plan is difficult enough.  Adding in a CBA extension only makes it that much tougher but as Pierre LeBrun reports in his latest column for The Athletic (subscription required), that is indeed what the two sides are working on.

In fact, LeBrun notes that the two elements (final plans for the NHL’s return plus a CBA Memo of Understanding) could very well be presented as a package deal to the players before the end of the month.

The main reason for this would appear to be the salary cap.  With the expected drop in revenue for the remainder of this season plus next year as attendance will likely take a dip, escrow is expected to rise considerably.  The two sides are believed to be negotiating a fixed percentage with the hopes that as fans are able to return and a new television agreement in the United States is worked out, any lingering ‘debt’ to get the revenue split back to 50/50 will be paid off over time.  Salary deferrals are also on the table.

In terms of shorter-term issues, LeBrun adds that the sides are working on an opt-out provision that would allow players who are uncomfortable with returning to sit out the postseason.  It would almost certainly come with some sort of financial hit – perhaps forfeiture of their final regular season pay which has still not been resolved and/or not getting a playoff pool share – but the option to sit out would be there.

If a CBA vote is indeed required, it would require all NHLPA members to vote on it.  Conversely, in the previous votes on Return to Play protocols, only team representatives were included.  Needing the rubber staff from the full membership will take several days at a minimum to complete and with this being tied in with plans on the next phase (slated to start July 10th), time is starting to become of the essence, especially with a new Critical Dates calendar needed by the end of the month.  To that end, talks are expected to continue daily until an agreement is reached.

In the meantime, an announcement is expected on the two hub cities by next week with a previous report saying that it could come as soon as Monday.  Once that occurs, some more details for the third phase can start to be finalized.  Despite an uptick in recent positive COVID-19 tests, Vegas is still believed to be a front-runner while the Canadian Press reported late Thursday that a path has been cleared for a Canadian host city to bypass the current 14-day quarantine requirement which increases the odds that Toronto, Edmonton, or Vancouver will have an opportunity to be a hub.  As TSN’s Bob McKenzie noted in the latest Insider Trading segment, the NHL’s preference is to have hub city host teams play in the other hub to avoid any possible home ice advantage, that’s only possible if each conference has one hub.

There has been a lot of progress made in recent weeks as the two sides work their way towards a resumption of play but there is also a lot that still needs to be accomplished over the next few weeks for that to happen.

League Notes: Hub Cities, 2020-21, CBA

at CDT | by 8 Comments

The “hub city” question now has an end date. Ever since the NHL began the process of creating an expanded playoff format for this year, the question of where these tournaments will take place has been a hot topic. Early on in this process, it was believed that non-NHL cities like Grand Forks, North Dakota and Manchester, New Hampshire could be the targets, but that plan fell by the wayside in favor of more familiar locales. The league made it clear when releasing formal details of the postseason plan that the two hub cities would be NHL homes and revealed that Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Vancouver were the finalists. The province of British Columbia recently submitted an official proposal for Vancouver to be one of the two cities selected and each of these finalists is believed to have made a similar pitch. So, when will know what the choice is? John Katsilometes of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the NHL will announce the hub cities for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs on June 22. He also adds that MGM Resorts is preparing as if Las Vegas will be one of the two choices. This would align with a rumor that Las Vegas and Los Angeles were the favorites to be selected as hub cities, likely with the Golden Knights and their Western Conference competitors going to L.A. as to avoid a hometown bias and the Eastern Conference moving in in Vegas. We will know the definite answer in just ten days, before training camps open on July 10 and well before the hopeful start date of actual game play on August 1.

  • The Canadian cities included in the list of “hub city” finalists – Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver – are seen by some as long shots to be selected due to the tighter restrictions on quarantining in Canada. The federal government currently has a 14-day mandatory quarantine in place for anyone entering the country and there had previously been no sign that they would waive this for NHL players and personnel. However, TSN’s Darren Dreger notes that British Columbia and Manitoba have lightened their rules, allowing anyone who has already quarantined for 14 days elsewhere in Canada to avoid doing so again when entering the province. If they were to allow that same policy to extend to teams coming from the U.S., that would make Vancouver and Edmonton into more attractive destinations. As for Ontario, the province has not been as lenient and although Toronto is considered a great option as a host, the NHL cannot afford a strict quarantine policy if there are other cities that do not require such a time commitment. The city Dreger feels is the front-runner to host? He too says Las Vegas.
  • As for another impact of the current COVID crisis, Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson told the press in a long conference call on Thursday that the league may not be done playing in front of empty seats after the 2020 postseason. Molson stated that the NHL has not ruled out the possibility that they might have to at least begin the 2020-21 without fans. While the hope is that by the time the new regular season starts, likely to be somewhere between late November to perhaps January 1, this will not be an issue, the league has discussed empty buildings or limited capacities. Molson himself said that he would be “very surprised” to see full capacities when the new season begins later this year.
  • TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that CBA negotiations continue to move forward between the NHL and NHLPA. A sign of good progress could be that the two sides are reportedly discussing the term of the CBA extension right now, rather than arguing over actual aspects of the agreement. LeBrun reports that the new deal is expected to land at either four or five years. He believes that the players’ association prefers four while the league would like five. With two years remaining on the current CBA, a length of five year would maintain labor piece through the 2026-27 season.

The Importance Of March 1st On The NHL Calendar

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The beginning of March represents the beginning of the stretch run in the NHL.  The trade deadline has come and done so rosters are more or less set (barring injury recalls) and watching the standings becomes a daily practice.  However, the turning of the calendar also a couple of important CBA elements are now in play.

Salary cap room can be limited at this time of year after teams have loaded up which has prevented some contract extensions from being signed or at least delayed them due to tagging room.  Until March 1st, the tagging space for next season is capped at the current Upper Limit but starting today through June 30th, that threshold is increased by 10% under Section 50.5(c)(ii)(C).

Last year, we saw anticipated extensions for Vegas winger Mark Stone and Anaheim winger Jakob Silfverberg get delayed until the beginning of March for this reason.  The deals were done beforehand but their other contractual commitments and required qualifying offers meant the extension would have pushed them over the pre-March 1st tagging limit.  There’s certainly a possibility that we’ll see a similar move in the coming days as well.

The other element now in play is much more frequently used and it will undoubtedly be used as early as Monday.  Under Section 50.8(d) of the CBA, unsigned picks or draft related unrestricted free agents can now sign future contracts instead of deals that start this season.

We’ll see it used frequently as the NCAA undrafted free agent market starts to pick up in the weeks ahead but in the meantime, there should be a small run of draft picks that sign NHL contracts for next season over the next few days.  Montreal’s Jesse Ylonen is a likely candidate for one based on the news earlier in the week that he’ll be loaned to the AHL for the rest of the season; by waiting to sign until now, his entry-level pact can start in 2020-21 without activating the first year right away.

This doesn’t mean that all prospect deals have to be done this way.  Teams are still allowed to sign prospects and undrafted free agents to contracts that start this season; some will use that as an inducement to try to get a player as burning the first year now would get them out of the entry-level system quicker.  But as of March 1st, they have both options at their disposal.

On the surface, March 1st seems like just another day on the NHL calendar but as a result of these two elements now being in play, it creates the potential for some extra activity on the transaction front.

League Notes: Rescheduling, Julien, Kane

at CDT | by 6 Comments

After the game between the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday was postponed following Jay Bouwmeester’s cardiac event on the bench, it was clear that the Blues’ schedule would be in for a shake-up in order to make up the game. With limited time left in the season – adding a 23rd game to the Blues’ schedule over the remaining 48 games of the regular season –  was not going to be easy, especially when the team needed to return to Southern California despite not having any more road games scheduled against the Pacific Division. The NHL did their best to find the best time to play the game and the Blues have announced the re-worked schedule. The team will now resume their game with the Ducks on Wednesday, March 11th. Their home game against the Florida Panther that had been scheduled for March 10th has now been moved up a day to March 9th as well. St. Louis will now wrap up a road trip through New York, New Jersey, and Chicago on March 8th, return home on the 9th, fly to Anaheim for the 11th, and then head back home to face the Sharks on the 13th. It will be a busy week for sure, but likely preferable to making the game up with an extra day after the end of the regular season, as the Panthers and Bruins did two years ago. As for the postponed game itself, the league has decided to keep the points on the board but re-start with a fresh 60 minutes rather than account for the first nine minutes of play from the previous game. As such, the Blues and Ducks will begin the game at 1-1, but there will be no other changes from a typical regular season game.

  • Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien has been fined $10,000 for remarks he made about the officiating in the team’s game on Saturday, the league announced. The game in question, a 4-3 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars, featured a number of missed penalties suffered by the Canadiens. In fact, the team did not have a single power play in the game. A frustrated Julien listed many of the missed calls in his postgame availability and called the officiating “embarrassing”. Perhaps the most incriminating line was Julien’s implication that the calls were skewed in Dallas’ favor, as he stated that Montreal “had to beat two teams.” While it fair to criticize officiating and to wish that there was more accountability for a poor job by the referees, the league is never going to tolerate such public comments, especially by a head coach. Julien had to have known that a fine was coming, so this should not come as much of a shock, fair or not.
  • San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane is also unhappy with the league’s officials, both on the ice and within the Department of Player Safety. Kane was suspended three games for an elbow to the head of Winnipeg defenseman Neal Pionk on Friday. Kane spoke out on the suspension and his gripe was not with his individual penalty, but with the inconsistency of the call. “There have been countless incidents of the same nature through this season and past seasons that have gone unsuspended or (un)fined,” Kane said. “No one person can tell you what is and isn’t a suspension in today’s game, it’s a complete guess. There is a major lack of consistency with NHL Department of Player Safety… You can’t continue to give some players a pass and throw the book at others.” The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell concurs with Kane’s statement, pointing out a very recent example. Just last week, Arizona Coyotes forward Lawson Crouse hit Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy in the head with an elbow and received only a roughing minor. Not only was the hit nearly identical to that of Kane on Pionk, but it was also very similar to another hit in the same game, a check by the Bruins’ Jeremy Lauzon on the Coyotes’ Derek Stepan that earned Lauzon a two-game suspension. The inconsistency of the Department of Player Safety, as well as on-ice officials, is well-documented, but this is the first time that any player has spoken out so publicly about it. Perhaps Kane’s call to action will do more than just earn him an additional fine. He is advocating for a third party to review all questionable hits and penalties rather than the NHL, which could become a bargaining plea for the players in the next CBA if the league does not improve in this area.

IOC, IIHF Open To Making Major Olympic Concessions To NHL

at CDT | by 5 Comments

If it means the top players in the world return to Olympic participation, the International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation are open to changing their relationship with the NHL. In a new and potentially game-changing shift in the status quo, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the IOC and IIHF have decided that they would be willing to meet many of the demands previously made by the NHL in order to ensure the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, China feature NHL talent.

Friedman reports that the two global organizations met in New York earlier this week and came to the conclusion that NHL participation would be worth ceding promotional rights and contributing greater financial assistance to the league. This would include paying injury insurance costs, as well as travel costs, as well as allowing the NHL to market their stars’ participation in the Winter Games, including the use of Olympic footage and marks. This checks all the boxes for the league’s previous demands for returning to the Olympics. As for their final complaint, that the Games are disruptive to the season, that argument has been considerably weakened by the league’s bye week format, which reduces game play by 50% in the weeks on either side of the All-Star break. If the league is comfortable with that break every year, it stands to reason that a slightly longer break once every four years is not “incredibly disruptive”.

With that said, the league is unlikely to accept these new terms with the IOC and IIHF without also gaining some leverage with the NHLPA as well. The NHL maintains the Olympic participation is a concession to the players and should be part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly stated recently that even if the IOC and IIHF gave in to all of their demands – which it appears they have – the NHL would still like to tie the event to collective bargaining as part of balanced agreement with the Players’ Association for long-term labor peace. While the current CBA extends through 2022, making the argument for the Beijing Games moot, allowing NHL players to participate would still be a bargaining tool for the next agreement. Friedman reports that NHLPA is in fact encouraged by this latest development with the IOC and IIHF and does not seem opposed to making Olympic participation a bargained right for players moving forward. The NHL and NHLPA resume collective bargaining talks this Tuesday.

The IIHF had previously given the NHL a deadline of no later than the end of August 2020 to make a decision about Beijing 2022. Yet, Commissioner Gary Bettman responded that the NHL will make a decision when they are ready, not when they are told to. At the end of the day, the league has all of the leverage in talks with the international bodies. However, these concessions are a major step forward in a new agreement and the world’s top player returning to its biggest international stage. With many of their concerns now addressed, not to mention the global growth of the NHL brand in recent years, the odds are higher than they have ever been that the league will return to the Olympic Games.

Bettman Speaks On Tracking Technology, Nassau Coliseum, Olympics, And More

at CDT | by 5 Comments

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman addressed the gathered media at the NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis this evening, speaking on a variety of topics. The long-time leader of the league had plenty to say, including confirming a 2021 All-Star weekend hosted by the Florida Panthers and introducing the league’s All-Decade teams. Here are some notes on other topics that Bettman touched on:

  • Player and puck tracking will become a reality in the NHL in the not too distant future. Bettman announced that the tracking technology will be available in all 16 arenas for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs and is likely to be operational in every NHL arena for the start of the 2020-21 season. The tracking data will allow for more accurate and polished statistics and game scoring, as well allowing for new stats and data visualizations that will further advance hockey analytics.
  • The question of which arenas will have tracking this spring will depend on how the rest of the season plays out. However, one team is already being forced to focus on where they might play should they make the playoffs. Bettman stated that a decision has not yet been made as to whether the New York Islanders will play their postseason games at the Nassau Coliseum, the preferred location of the team, or the Barclay’s center. Bettman called Nassau a “challenge” and that it is not a major league facility, which would cause problems if the Islanders made a deep playoff run. Bettman also acknowledged that a request has been made for New York to play all of their home games at Nassau Coliseum next season, but believes it is too early to make that decision.
  • One thing it is not too early for is continuing CBA talks. Bettman said that the league is expecting to go resume negotiations on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NHLPA soon, after enough progress was made back in September that both sides decided not to use their opt-out clauses. There is plenty of time before the current CBA expires in 2022, but Bettman and company are eager to build on positive talks and get a new deal in place.
  • A bargaining issue that the NHL continues to hold firm on is Olympic participation. Bettman noted today that the league’s opinion that attending the Games is “extraordinarily disruptive” has not changed. He acknowledged that the players’ association would like to return to the Olympics, but that the league is comfortable without participating in Beijing in 2022. Bettman has not completely closed the door on the idea, but does not want to spread “false hope”. He added that the league will make a decision on their own time and will not abide by any deadline provided by the IIHF.
  • Another major league change that has the support of many, but not the NHL itself, is a change to the current playoff format. Bettman revealed that there have been no talks of altering the current postseason structure, even in a season with drastic competitive balance differences between divisions. The upcoming addition of the Seattle expansion team is not expected to change the playoff format either.

Contract Slots Could Play Factor As Trade Deadline Approaches

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Every season around the All-Star break, things really start to heat up on the trade market. Teams are starting to decide whether or not they are truly contenders and have had enough time to discuss extensions with their pending free agents. Even those players on one-year deals who can’t sign until the New Year have now had time to discuss the future, meaning clubs can put some of their best offers on the table.

One thing to remember as we close in on this year’s February 24th trade deadline is that a team can only carry 50 NHL contracts at any one time. By now, those entry-level contracts that don’t count against it if they are set to slide are almost all dealt with, meaning the number remaining is usually an accurate representation of the room a team has left to add.

Take the San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders for instance, who all currently have just a single contract slot open. For the Islanders especially, who sit third in the Metropolitan Division, that means adding any players through trade becomes a little more complicated. They would almost certainly have to send the same number of bodies back in any deal, if not include some extras to open a spot or two. Teams try not to spend much time right at the 50-contract threshold, especially once international and college seasons start to end.

For the Sharks it may not be as big of a hindrance given their place in the standings, but there are several other contenders sitting at 48 contracts. The Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning are all in playoff spots but have just two slots remaining, meaning they too have to be careful what they acquire.

It can certainly be used the opposite way as well however. A team like the New Jersey Devils, who sit with just 45 contracts on the books and at the bottom of the Metro, could help a team out by taking on a deal or two, as long as an asset comes with it.

This also lends even more power to a team like the Colorado Avalanche, who not only have five empty contract slots but also have plenty of cap space. They could potentially take on a bad contract alongside the player they are actually targeting, if it’s going to help them continue their run towards the top of the Central Division.

Contract totals for all teams (via CapFriendly):

Anaheim Ducks: 47/50
Arizona Coyotes: 45/50
Boston Bruins: 47/50
Buffalo Sabres: 45/50
Calgary Flames: 44/50
Carolina Hurricanes: 44/50
Chicago Blackhawks: 45/50
Colorado Avalanche: 45/50
Columbus Blue Jackets: 47/50
Dallas Stars: 48/50
Detroit Red Wings: 47/50
Edmonton Oilers: 48/50
Florida Panthers: 45/50
Los Angeles Kings: 47/50
Minnesota Wild: 47/50
Montreal Canadiens: 49/50
Nashville Predators: 45/50
New Jersey Devils: 45/50
New York Islanders: 49/50
New York Rangers: 46/50
Ottawa Senators: 48/50
Philadelphia Flyers: 48/50
Pittsburgh Penguins: 48/50
San Jose Sharks: 49/50
St. Louis Blues: 46/50
Tampa Bay Lightning: 48/50
Toronto Maple Leafs: 47/50
Vancouver Canucks: 47/50
Vegas Golden Knights: 46/50
Washington Capitals: 45/50
Winnipeg Jets: 45/50

Allowable Roster Moves During The Holiday Freeze

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The annual Holiday Roster Freeze is now in effect although there are several exceptions that allow for roster movement to occur over the next several days leading up to the three-day shutdown beginning on Tuesday.  While there won’t be any trades or regular waiver activity during that time, here are the allowable transactions that can occur during the freeze.

Recalls

While there is a limitation on players being sent to the minors during this time, players can still be recalled at any point (either as a regular or an emergency recall) so if someone gets hurt over the next couple of days, a replacement can be brought up as long as the team has the cap space to add him to the roster.

Demotions For Players On Emergency Recalls

Anyone classified as an emergency recall before December 19th can be sent back to the minors at any point during the freeze as long as they don’t have to pass through waivers to return.  The threshold for a normally waiver-eligible player to require waivers to be sent back down after being brought up on an emergency recall is ten games played.  If they do need waivers, it will have to come after the freeze is lifted.

Demotions For Players On Regular Recalls

Anyone brought up on a regular recall as of December 11th can be sent down through December 23rd at 11:59 PM local time.  There will likely be an influx of demotions on Sunday and Monday once teams have played their final game before the Holiday Break to get those players off the cap for a few days.  With so many teams having tight cap situations, the opportunity to bank a few dollars in cap savings will be quite important.  The exception to this rule is any player that becomes waiver-eligible between the 11th and the 23rd by playing their tenth game or spending their thirtieth day on an NHL roster since last clearing waivers.  Those will have to wait until after the freeze before hitting the wire.

Activating Someone Off Of LTIR

Section 16.5(d)(i) of the CBA grants teams the ability to make any transactions necessary in order to get back into salary cap compliance after activating a player off long-term injured reserve.  Teams using that provision are allowed to exceed the cap during that time but must get back under it before they can bring the injured player back onto the active roster.

Signing Players To NHL Contracts

While uncommon at this time of the season, teams can sign players to an NHL contract as long as they have an open spot on their active roster.  It’s something to keep in mind when it comes to Ilya Kovalchuk who remains unsigned; he could conceivably sign during the freeze although teams may want to wait in order to save a little bit of cap room.

With all of this in mind, there will still likely be a fair amount of transactions over the next couple of days before the league shuts down for three days beginning on the 24th.  Teams will be permitted to resume making trades, regular demotions or placing players on waivers on December 28th at 12:01 AM local time.

Overseas Notes: Olympics, Rattie, Brickley

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

As collective bargaining continues to progress between the NHL and NHLPA, one of the major issues still in discussions is the league’s participation in the Olympics. The NHL notably sat out the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, as the owners’ complaints included the extended break in the league season, the injury risk to star players, and the lack of value in the locale. With the first two arguments unchanging and the next two Games being held in Beijing, China and Milan, Italy, it is unlikely that the NHL Board has changed their stance on Olympic participation. However, there is a reason why “bargaining” is a key word in the CBA. If Olympic participation is a sticking point for the players, the NHL could use it as leverage in another area of negotiations. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr, and IIHF President Rene Fasel plan to meet in Sweden in two weeks during the NHL Global Series between the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning in Stockholm. The trio of leaders will discuss the issues and options regarding the league’s Olympic participation, but there is unlikely to be a resolution from just the one meeting. Johnston calls the Olympic issue a “major hurdle” in CBA talks, so it could be that the upcoming summit is just the beginning of working toward an answer.

  • One of the more notable NHL players to sign in Europe this off-season is already out of a job. The KHL announced that Lokomotiv Yaroslavl has terminated the contract of forward Ty Rattie. It’s unclear if this was a mutual termination or if Rattie was cut from the team, but either way the 26-year-old winger will be looking for a new place to play. The news comes as a surprise, as Rattie has recorded nine points in 16 games for Lokomotiv and was part of a strong core group of former NHLers alongside Stephane Da Costa, Anton Lander, and Jakub Nakladal. The KHL is no stranger to payroll problems, which may have led to Rattie’s release, but one would think that the team could have traded him instead. Thus, it is more likely that Rattie requested his contract be terminated to go play elsewhere. After a career-high 50 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers last season, it very well could be that Rattie feels he belongs in North America and has been waiting for an opportunity. Stay tuned to this story to see what comes next for the former second-round pick.
  • Going the other way is big, two-way forward Connor Brickley. Brickley had a difficult summer, failing to find an NHL contract despite a full season with the Florida Panthers in 2017-18 and a nice stretch run with the New York Rangers last year. On top of that, he failed to turn PTO’s with both the Rangers and their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, into a contract. As a result, Brickley has decided to take his talents to Germany. EC Salzburg of the Austrian-based EBEL has announced a one-year contract with Brickley. A high-scoring AHLer and a veteran of 81 NHL games, Brickley immediately becomes the most decorated player on the Red Bulls’ roster and should provide a major boost to the team this year. Brickley likely hopes that a dominant performance in the EBEL will be enough to garner more attention in North America next off-season.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top