Kravtsov scores a beauty

Posted on December 26, 2020 by Derek

On Day Two of the World Junior Championship in Edmonton, there still is other hockey being played overseas. The KHL is in full swing.

Rangers prospect Vitaly Kravtsov recently turned 21 on Dec. 23. The ’18 first round pick scored a beauty for Traktor Chelyabinsk today in Russia. He made a great move outside in and surprised the goalie with a nice backhand for the goal.

In 32 games, Kravtsov entered with 10 goals and five assists totaling 15 points with eight penalty minutes and a plus-six rating. He’s up to 11 markers in 33 contests following today’s action.

That’s good production for the kid from Vladivostok, Russia. Former Devil Sergey Kalinin had 11 goals to pace Traktor coming in. He played the previous two seasons with CSKA Moscow.

Kravtsov ranks eighth in team scoring with 16 points.

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A good change by NHL on offside rule, the crazy Rangers schedule, Kucherov surgery and WJC

Posted on December 24, 2020 by Derek

One of the biggest gripes over the past few years was how often the offside challenge overturned goals. My view on it was when it’s obvious, that’s what it’s there for. When it becomes confusing for both players, coaches and even broadcasters plus fans, then there’s no point. The NHL made a good change regarding when a player is onside that should have a positive impact on games.

Hockey reporter Mollie Walker perfectly tweeted out how the new onside rules will work. It should be easier for refs and linesmen to determine if a player is onside or offside. What that means is less of a delay during coach’s challenges.

As long as the player has yet to break the plane and is on their own side of the blueline. It shouldn’t be as complicated. This is something that they needed to adjust moving forward. Nobody likes when you have lengthy reviews that take forever to determine. It slows down the game to a crawl and it’s not fun for anyone. Let’s hope this will help everyone and make it easier to tell if a scoring play is onside.

In regards to the 56-game schedule, Hasan did a good job breaking it down yesterday. By recreating new divisions to help make it regional and severely cut down on travel due to COVID-19, the league also threw a few wrinkles in that will emphasize the importance of rivalry games. For the Rangers, that means hosting a two-game series at MSG on January 14 and 16 against the Islanders to begin the ’20-21 season. Talk about a great way to kick things off. You will see games between divisional rivals bunched up.

Never is that more apparent than between April 13 thru 18 when the Devils and Rangers hook up for a unconventional four game set that may as well emulate baseball. It starts with the Rangers visiting Newark on 4/13. Then, they’ll host their Hudson rival twice at The Garden on 4/15 and 4/17. It concludes with the Rangers visiting the Devils on Sunday, Apr. 18. Wow. That’s what you’re looking at. It’s worth noting that by limiting the schedule to division only, you’re looking at eight match-ups between teams in the East, Central and West. All consist of eight teams. For the North which features all seven Canadian teams, that means more than eight games. At least nine or even 10 in some cases.

Some highlights of the Rangers schedule includes two at the Penguins on Jan. 22 and 24. Then they go to Buffalo for two against the Sabres 1/26 and 28. The Penguins then visit 33rd and 7th for two on 1/30 and 2/1. This is how crazy the schedule will be for each team. What I like is how they spaced it out. For the most part, back-to-back nights are limited. The Blueshirts have only six. They are:

Saturday 2/20 @ Capitals

Sunday 2/21 @ Capitals

Thursday 3/4 vs Devils

Friday 3/5 @ Devils

Saturday 3/27 @ Flyers

Sunday 3/28 @ Capitals

Thursday 4/8 vs Penguins

Friday 4/9 @ Islanders

Saturday 4/17 vs Devils

Sunday 4/18 @ Devils

Wednesday 5/5 vs Capitals

Thursday 5/6 @ Bruins

Aside from the fact that by adding both Boston and Buffalo, the decision is tough. Especially when you have five playoff teams from this past year in the Bruins, Caps, Flyers, Islanders and Pens. Even the Rangers qualified for the Play-In Round. The Sabres just missed, getting edged out by the Canadiens in the expanded format. They should be improved due to key additions Taylor Hall and Eric Staal. Dylan Cozens could also make his rookie debut. With both Jack Eichel and Rasmus Dahlin a year older, they could compete for a playoff spot in the loaded East Division. It’ll depend on goalie tandem Linus Ullmark and Carter Hutton.

On paper, the Bruins, Caps, Flyers, Isles and Pens will be the favorites to earn the four spots. We’re still waiting on the Islanders to re-sign Mat Barzal and make it official with Matt Martin. Due to the salary cap holding steady at $81.5 million, you still have some teams scrambling to get key RFA’s done.

The Lightning were able to re-sign Anthony Cirelli to an AAV of $4.8 million through 2023. Even with the strange news that star forward Nikita Kucherov is expected to miss the regular season due to needing hip surgery, they still have to make a couple of moves. Obviously, Kucherov will go on LTIR. That’ll save the Bolts $9.5 million in cap space. According to puckpedia.com, they still need to clear $2.89 million. Puck Pedia notes that Tampa Bay can be $9.5 million over to begin the season. They’ll figure it out.

There is also the 2021 U20 World Junior Championships going on in Edmonton. Preliminary action will officially begin tomorrow on Christmas Day. The big game is between Team USA and Russia at 7:30 PM in Group B. Earlier action from Group A includes Switzerland taking on Slovakia and Germany battling Finland. USA, Russia, Austria, Sweden and Czech Republic are in Group B. Group A features defending champion Canada, Finland, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland. Obviously, Group B is way tougher.

Canada will be without captain Kirby Dach. The gifted center suffered a fractured right wrist on a hit he took during an exhibition game against Russia yesterday. He will miss time for the Blackhawks, who are banking on the former 2019 third pick to help boost their playoff aspirations in the new Central. It’s a big blow. It looks like the Rangers were right not to send top pick Alexis Lafreniere for that reason. Especially with things getting worked out.

One other important note is after much discussion about whether some Canadian teams would host games in their location such as British Columbia with the Canucks, they agreed to do so. So, there won’t be any concerns right now about where to play games.

In other news, the Devils signed first round pick Dawson Mercer to an entry level contract. He’s one of the key stars returning for Canada’s gold medal defense. That’ll do it for now. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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Devils schedule is out, Blackwood signs three-year extension

Posted on December 23, 2020 by hasan4978
https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1341850216752951300?s=20

I have to admit to still feeling mixed emotions over the recent news that the 2021 NHL season will finally begin in about three weeks. Oh it’ll be nice to see the Devils back on the ice finally, since it’s been about eight months between watching games. Even if like most teams, we won’t be having fans in our arena for the immediate future. Without fans, the Devils announced that all season ticket costs will be rolled over to 2021-22 with further ticket payments frozen till then – and they threw in a $150 food and beverage credit for that season which is nice. I hated they got rid of the f/b credit for season ticket holders in the first place.

I’m sure some fans would rather have a refund but that wasn’t realistic. Besides, I look at it this way – at least I don’t have to pay for a season that’s likely going to be another one in the wilderness, especially playing fifty-six games in a brutal division. Whereas next year we’ll hopefully be back to a normal-ish schedule, and the younger guys will have another development year under their belts. Hopefully, we’ll be that much closer to getting out of the wilderness by then. For now, we’re the bettor’s choice for eighth in an eight-team division, even behind Buffalo (who along with Boston, has temporarily taken the place of Carolina and Columbus in what was formerly known as the Metro).

Of course I’ll be tuned in to our season opener(s) against the Bruins on January 14 and 16 – both at an empty Rock, assuming those games happen which is the real cause of my mixed feelings. By all acclimations the NHL and NBA did a wonderful job with their playoff bubbles in the summer, and in each case getting a deserved champion out of the interrupted 2019-20 season. And yes, we’re getting closer to a publicly available vaccine – but it’s not quite here yet. Both the NHL and the NBA are playing outside of a bubble in 2021. While it’s been messy with postponements and moved games up the wazoo, MLB and the NFL have both powered through to this point with no evidence of in-game transmission, but neither is an indoor sport the way the NHL and NBA are. With the NBA starting earlier than the NHL we got another reminder of just how perilous things still are when it only took till the second night of the NBA season for a game to get postponed.

I suppose it’s our turn to ride the uncertainty merry-go-round every other major sport is dealing with. At least the NHL smartly reduced travel and kept flexibility by following the MLB template of keeping the schedule as geography-based as possible, with everyone playing only six or seven other teams throughout the season and the first two rounds of the playoffs as well. None of those cross-over series this year, each division will send one team to the final four, and none of the last four teams will have played each other previously. If you’ve ever wondered what the Original Six NHL was like, we’ll all get to find out this year when we only play seven division teams eight different times – including one four-game ‘series’ with the Rangers in April – then the first two rounds of the playoffs will stay in-division on top of it.

Ironically without having to worry about paying for or spending time going to games, and with the long delay between even seeing the Devils I probably won’t be sweating results as much this year, although it’ll be nice to start winning sometime soon. Maybe when it gets closer to the season I’ll give more of a preview. There won’t be any real ‘preseason’ to evaluate younger players, which sucks even worse for a team like us that has a lot of guys that need experience. Not to mention a new coaching staff, although at least with a vet like Lindy Ruff he won’t need much time to get things implemented. I’m sure there’ll also be a flurry of moves around the league now that teams know there will be a season and what the parameters will be. I’m not sure how many of those moves we’ll be making, though we do have enough cap space to take on another contract or two if the opportunity comes up.

At least the team did make some news today, re-signing RFA Mackenzie Blackwood to a three-year deal.

It’s been a meteoric rise for the former second-round pick who got off to a slow start in the AHL and was demoted to the ECHL less than three years ago, before breaking out in 2018-19. Blackwood got the callup early that season, got off to a strong start and never looked back. Of course like most of the team he got off to a slow start last year, but picked it up and at least for the first time in the last few years the Devils have no questions about their goaltending with Blackwood and UFA signing Corey Crawford giving the team a potent tandem on paper.

Even without much of a camp to work with, questions still need to be answered in the three weeks before the season. What young players will be able to show enough in the mini-training camp to earn spots on the roster? Blackwood may have been signed but fellow RFA Jesper Bratt is still pending, and GM Tom Fitzgerald admitted it was unlikely (given current protocols) and the pending nature of his deal that Bratt will be able to attend much of preseason camp. Not ideal with a thin team if you’re possibly missing a middle six forward at the beginning of the season. There’s also the question of contracts for pending UFA’s Kyle Palmieri and Nikita Gusev. Finally, there’s the matter of what the team decides with the captaincy with Andy Greene having been traded last spring, and still an unsigned FA now.

Hopefully we’ll have a bit clearer picture of what 2021 will look like for the Devils on the ice by the time they’re ready to begin again on January 14.

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Hockey will finally return in January

Posted on December 21, 2020 by Derek

It’s back. Following a lot of negotiations, the NHL and NHLPA reached agreement for a 56-game season over the weekend. Right on the cusp of Winter, hockey is coming back. On Solstice Day, we can at least have the sport we love to look forward to. Four days until Christmas when the U20 World Junior Championship begins in Edmonton, the NHL will finally return in January.

As had been reported first by Pierre Lebrun, the two sides agreed to a January 3rd date for training camp with Jan. 13 the beginning of the abbreviated 2020-21 season. Well, really NHL ’21. Just like the EA Sports game we enjoy. I’m still a sucker for NHL ’94. It’s still hooked up on my old Sega Genesis. That’s my go to.

How are we feeling on this Monday afternoon in the Big Apple? Or in the Garden State? Or any city that has NHL hockey for that matter? Everyone’s excited. The wait has been long, but expected given the lack of revenue that’s expected. Without fans in arenas, it is much harder for all 31 teams to survive. Gate revenue and concessions along with merchandise are huge for hockey. They don’t have a great TV contract or huge advertising like the NFL or NBA. That’s why it took so long. There had to be a give and take. Without the players working it out with the owners, there’d be no season.

In regards to the realignment due to COVID restrictions and keeping the games more regional, it is out of necessity. We all heard the proposal of the new four divisions for 2021. I admit to at first being skeptical. However, I understand why they’re doing it. The prospect of an all Canadian Division is cool. Even if they refer to it as the North which makes no sense, it definitely is intriguing. In one huge change, you’ll have all seven Canadian teams playing each other in the same division. That would be Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg. Wow. It sure will be different.

There also are a few adjustments to the other divisions. The East will feature the Bruins, Capitals, Devils, Flyers, Islanders, Penguins, Rangers and Sabres. Add Boston and Buffalo in an old school Patrick Division to the unique rivalries you already have and it feels even better. You mean to tell me that in addition to eight games versus the Islanders, Devils, Flyers, Pens and Caps, the Rangers are gonna play eight against Boston and Buffalo. It sounds great. Those are upgrades over Carolina and Columbus.

As for the Hurricanes and Blue Jackets, they’ll move to the Central which also includes the defending champion Lightning, runner-up Stars with the Blackhawks, Predators, Panthers and Red Wings, who get to be out West again. That means the Blues and Avalanche are in the West with the Ducks, Kings, Sharks, Golden Knights, Coyotes and Panthers. Yes, the state of Florida same division.

How it looks on paper:

EAST

1. Capitals

2. Devils

3. Islanders

4. Flyers

5. Penguins

6. Rangers

7. Bruins

8. Sabres

CENTRAL

1. Blackhawks

2. Predators

3. Stars

4. Red Wings

5. Blue Jackets

6. Hurricanes

7. Lightning

8. Panthers

WEST

1. Coyotes

2. Ducks

3. Golden Knights

4. Kings

5. Sharks

6. Avalanche

7. Blues

8. Wild

NORTH (CANADIAN)

1. Canadiens

2. Canucks

3. Flames

4. Jets

5. Maple Leafs

6. Oilers

7. Senators

My only question is with the Canadian Division. They have one less team. Will they just play each other more? Probably. Since it’s regional, that makes sense. What about British Columbia possibly forcing the Canucks to play elsewhere due to COVID restrictions? I have no idea. As they draw nearer, we’ll have a definitive answer. Personally, I think that’s ridiculous. Especially if everyone is tested daily with vaccinations coming soon.

One more question. How will teams look without no preseason? It’s a good question. They’re not even having any tuneup games. At least the NBA had a few exhibitions. I honestly feel hockey is rushing back too soon after scrambling to get this done. There should be camps and at least four preseason games. That would allow players to get into better game shape and up to speed. You could see more injuries. Or more rust. Don’t be surprised if there are some slow starts. It’s bound to happen.

The trade deadline is April 12.

The regular season concludes May 8.

The final day of the playoffs would be July 15.

The Seattle Kraken expansion draft is July 21.

As far as the playoff format, it’ll be divisional for the first two rounds. Only the top four teams will make the postseason in each division. So, that will make it even tougher for the Rangers and Sabres, who are in a very tough division that features the Bruins, Capitals, Flyers, Islanders and Penguins. One of those teams isn’t making it. Maybe even two. That will depend on how well the Rangers, Sabres and Devils play.

It’ll be more challenging for the fringe teams who are on the cusp to make it. That will make for intense races from the very start. With an emphasis on divisional play, that means a lot of four point games. Some three pointers as well. You have to get off to a quick start. If you fall too far behind, it’ll be hard to catch up.

All of this will make for a compelling season. It’ll be a sprint to the finish.

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Lundqvist reveals news that he can’t play truly stunning

Posted on December 17, 2020 by Derek

When you get hit by the first snowstorm courtesy Nor’Easter Winter Storm Gail, it is already daunting with the calendar still in December. While the snow totals might not have been as bad here in Staten Island or even areas of New Jersey where more was expected, it’s a lot to digest on the East Coast. We don’t get many early winter storms.

However, the major news that Henrik Lundqvist revealed this afternoon was truly stunning. The former New York Rangers legend, who was all set to debut with his new team in the Washington Capitals, announced that he won’t be able to play this season. One that’s hopefully expected to kick off on January 13 with the proposed 56 game schedule. That feels like it doesn’t matter anymore.

The 38-year old posted a message to both his Instagram and Twitter accounts that he cannot play in 2021 due to a heart condition that was discovered. Apparently, the risks are too high for Lundqvist to partake in an abbreviated 2020-21 NHL season. He visited many specialists before reaching this tough decision.

It’s sad. I really was looking forward to seeing him play for his new team. Even if it was for the rival Caps, who wasn’t excited to see Lundqvist wear his traditional number 35 in new Capitals threads including their classic reverse retro jersey? It’s hard to believe he can’t play. He received so many well wishes from the hockey community, who all come together when something like this happens. Look at how everyone reacted to Oskar Lindblom returning from bone cancer last summer. We were all #OskarStrong.

Now, this late into a brilliant career that should one day see him inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and have his number 30 hang from The Garden rafters sooner rather than later, Lundqvist will try to get better. I sure hope he makes a full recovery and can go out on his own terms. It’s not the way anyone envisioned. Of course, health comes before anything.

Lundqvist never once uttered the ‘r’ word. He intends to return. I want that for him. This is a prideful man who gave his heart and soul to the Blueshirts. It was blood, sweat and tears for King Henrik on Broadway. A remarkable story as a seventh round pick taken in 2000 by the Rangers. He won a Vezina, was a finalist five times and even up for a Hart Trophy. Lundqvist established many franchise records by a Rangers goalie, easily surpassing the franchise’s best in appearances, wins and shutouts. He also has the most saves and is obviously the postseason leader among NYR netminders. It’s all been echoed before.

We all are rooting for him. Here is a video message he recorded along with some well wishes from the NHL community.

https://twitter.com/AGoToGuy321/status/1339699121385566208?s=19

Interestingly, some of the team’s rivals responded quicker than the Rangers. I’m not going to make a big deal out of it. I can only imagine the news came as a shock to his former team. It’s stunning for everyone. Lundqvist is very loved and respected by the hockey community. That story Ray Ferraro told about him stopping to sign 50 to 75 autographs before a home playoff game says it all. He truly got it. That’s so rare in sports these days.

No matter what the future holds, Henrik Lundqvist is a champion at life. Nothing will ever change that. Sending my absolute best to him and praying he can come back and finish a great career. I hope it’s still with the Caps.

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Larry Brooks appears on WFAN with Chris Moore

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Derek

An hour ago, Larry Brooks made a rare guest appearance on WFAN in New York with Chris Moore. The Hockey Hall of Fame columnist of the New York Post talked plenty of hockey with Moore, who unlike other hosts, loves and respects the sport. It was a good spot.

On the prospect of starting the new season next January 13, Brooks feels it’s unrealistic. That’s largely based on how quick the training camps would be after the New Year. If they agreed on the much discussed 2021 target date, then you’d have teams starting up practices on Jan. 2. That would only give the players 11 days to prepare. Hardly enough time in my view.

Yes. I actually agree with Brooks here. Even if he can be polarizing and write controversial columns for clicks and viewership, he usually is a good interview. In many aspects, he reminds me of other beat writers that don’t always come across as well in what they write, but are better at expressing their thoughts on the radio. I guess that’s not surprising. You can better understand their views.

I myself believe a later start would be ideal. I know hockey fans don’t want to wait much longer. But between the organization of the 56-game schedule and the proposed NHL realignment with an all Canadian division and the COVID pandemic which will include daily testing as it did in last summer’s successful playoff bubble, it seems that a February 1 startup date makes more sense. That way players can get vaccinated along with NHL personnel. That’s assuming they give the go-ahead on the FDA approved Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination.

Plus if they were allowed to have a longer camp, it could help teams get acclimated better. Players also don’t want to get injured due to rushing back into a condensed schedule that’ll be more regional. Of course, injuries can happen anywhere and anytime. So take that for what it’s worth.

One topic Moore touched on with Brooks is how he’s doing in such a hectic year. I’m happy to report that Larry is doing fine along with his family. He said he’s been very fortunate health wise and has a steady job where he can work from home. He certainly seemed very appreciative of everything, but cognizant of what 2020 has been like for so many affected families.

Brooks also gave a ton of credit to both the players and NHL on how successful they were in the two bubbles at Edmonton and Toronto. They adhered to the strict rules and there wasn’t one positive test. A tremendous accomplishment for the league. They had a wonderful expanded Stanley Cup Tournament complete with eight Play-In Series. There were some upsets. But in the end, the best team prevailed with the Lightning conquering past demons to defeat the Stars in six games and capture the franchise’s second ever Stanley Cup Championship.

Interestingly, he referred to himself as a “pawn“, when the personable Moore mentioned that Brooks hasn’t limited himself to hockey. He has contributed baseball columns over the past decade and has enough knowledge on the four major sports. For however long he sticks around for, Brooks is one of the few remaining links to the exciting era of 90’s hockey. One which saw the Rangers win the Cup in ’94 and the Devils win the first of three Cups in ’95. An exciting era that also featured legendary superstars Mark Messier, Martin Brodeur, Wayne Gretzky, Scott Niedermayer, Brian Leetch and Scott Stevens. Great players who were a huge part of the Hudson Rivalry. Of course with Gretzky having the biggest impact on the sport.

Whenever the new season begins, the questions surrounding Alex Ovechkin will start up on whether the electrifying Russian star can chase down Gretzky. I no longer see it as possible due to all the games lost. Don’t forget he’s unrestricted with the Capitals next summer.

How will Alexis Lafreniere look in that number 13 Blueshirt? There’s so much excitement surrounding the 19-year old top pick from the Province of Quebec. Where will he slot in? There will be plenty of more questions as we draw nearer to 2021.

You can catch the Brooks interview with Moore over on Radio.com.

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Hockey is Returning

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Derek

Wherever you are in this forever year that feels like an eternity, we have been patiently waiting for hockey to return. Considering that you had the unique expanded playoff format which included Play-In series before the Lightning conquered the bubble to win the Stanley Cup over the Stars in the autumn, we knew the off-season would be strange.

Maybe the most bizarre time off ever. We’re used to our champions being crowned in the heat of June and then having July and August with summer in full swing. Instead, you had the NHL Draft in October followed by free agency. It certainly was a dramatic change due to the pandemic that isn’t going away. As they test out a vaccine on elderly patients, we can only hope better days are ahead for everything next year.

There were moments where I wondered if hockey would return. Especially given the amount of financial losses teams took. The NHL doesn’t have a strong TV contract or the same big endorsements as the other three major sports. It’s why the NBA is returning before Christmas while the NHL continues to move closer to a proposed 56-game schedule starting on January 13, 2021.

While I might not be as enthusiastic about the latest development following the usual give and take between the league and the players, it is what it is. Of course, I’d rather see more games and no realignment, which looks like a certainty due to COVID-19. But the reality is we were looking at fewer games. I believed it could wind up being 48 like another shortened season. I wasn’t even sure they’d start until late January or even February 1.

So, if it really is going to happen on Jan. 13 in just over a month, we’ll take it. What we don’t know is how things will go. What exactly are the plans? Obviously, there won’t be fans until who knows when. What about a bubble? They might just decide to play the games in empty arenas with it more regional.

During the Stanley Cup Playoffs, not one single player tested positive for the Coronavirus. That speaks to how successful it went. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman did a wonderful job as did all the personnel who never get enough credit. The medical workers who had to test players regularly. A hard job no doubt that continues in sports with positives threatening to pause the college basketball season. It also has caused plenty of cancelations in both football and hoops. This is the world we live in.

So, what about an NHL season beginning in mid-January? It’s happened before. We’ve seen it in ’95 and ’13 due to a lockout. They still went off without a hitch and had a good conclusion. This one will be different due to the health risks and no fans.

How do you feel about it? I admit to being frustrated. I guess it’s only normal when things have been so chaotic. I see how it is daily here. I won’t comment further.

Alexis Lafreniere will make his NHL debut in 2021 for the Rangers. I am happy that it’ll come this January following the holidays. To be honest, he’s the only reason to watch. Nothing against Artemi Panarin or Mika Zibanejad. But it’s all about Lafreniere for me. That’s where the excitement is in the Big Apple.

I don’t have unrealistic expectations. Even if a shortened season could benefit the Blueshirts. I understand that they’re unlikely to make the playoffs. It’s still a very young roster. I’ll get into more of that next time.

For now, let’s just embrace the return of the coolest sport we know. The U20 World Junior Championship is on tap in Edmonton. It’ll begin on Christmas. Happy Holidays!

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The extent of hockey highlights

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Derek

If you’re wondering what will or will not happen in regards to the NHL, then this post is for you. The truth is we can’t project ahead and do fun previews on the Rangers or Devils. Nor how the league will look. Until both sides agree, there isn’t a 2021 to look forward to.

Instead, we must patiently wait and hope for the best. That means digging through our Twitter feeds or elsewhere for the extent of hockey highlights. There is hockey being played in other leagues. Especially in Russia, Sweden, Finland and on college campuses. So, we can still keep track of our favorite prospects and see how they’re doing.

Even if that means Vitaly Kravtsov is in a slump remaining stuck on eight goals in 22 games for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL. Don’t forget he’s only 20 and missed time. There remain cool highlights the KHL Twitter account puts up from its games such as this one involving Canucks prospect Vasili Podkolzin.

A nice passing play between three players to create a goal for St. Petersburg SKA. Ivan Morozov got the finish on a rebound. The SKA blue and red jerseys are nice. Very catchy. Too bad Pavel Datsyuk no longer plays for them. The crafty 42-year old magician scored a goal for Yekaterinburg Automobilist. He’s playing well.

The pass on his goal was a little bit of a handcuff, but Datsyuk still was able to quickly maneuver it and then fire a perfect wrist shot by the goalie in one motion. That’s the genius of Datsyuk. He sure is missed. I’m positive that Detroit Red Wings fans agree. Павел Дацюк! Future Hall of Famer.

Recently, ageless legend Jaromir Jagr arrived at the 70th Year Anniversary celebration for former KHL team Avangard Omsk, who he played for in ’04-05 and from ’08-09 through ’10-11. Had he not returned to Russia during those seasons, he would’ve hit 800 goals and gone over 2000 career points in the NHL. The 48-year old still intends to play for hometown Czech Republic club Kladno at some point this season. He had 15 goals and 14 assists in ’19-20.

At some point in the near future, Jagr will retire from the sport he loves. But not yet. It’s amazing that he still plays.

Montreal prospect Cole Caufield got his first of the year for Wisconsin against Penn State last night.

This is what we’re left with. If only college hockey was on more. The same for finding a KHL or Swedish Hockey League feed. Until next time.

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Hockey Withdrawal Could Last A While

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Derek

I’ll be blunt. I’m not sure if there’s going to be a hockey season. Based on the lack of progress between the NHL and NHLPA, it’s not looking promising for fans of the sport.

When renowned TSN insider Darren Dreger acknowledges that what the NHL is asking for in addition from the players is a big ask regarding deferring another 16 percent of their salaries which pertains to escrow, he’s telling the truth. The league is not negotiating fairly. Especially after the two sides reached agreement on a CBA extension.

There are a lot of factors in play. With the continued threat of COVID-19, that likely means no fans at arenas. A few NHL teams can’t survive without gate revenue and additional income from concessions. That’s why it’s taking so long for the two sides to hammer out an agreement for a shortened 2021 schedule. They still want to start the season on January 1. It doesn’t seem realistic. I have always felt a target date of Jan. 14 or 20 makes more sense.

However, if there are no new talks like what didn’t happen this past weekend, it doesn’t bode well. It’s about dollars and cents along with common sense. Imagine after a successful playoff bubble that had no positive tests and crowned a deserving Stanley Cup winner in the Lightning, not having a NHL season. They had a NHL Draft, an off-season where plenty of moves were made in anticipation of a 2021 schedule.

It isn’t business as usual. What about Taylor Hall, who signed for one year with the Sabres, who are looking to make it back to the postseason for the first time in a decade? What would happen if they didn’t play? Does his contract count making him a free agent, or does he remain in Buffalo for ’21-22. The worst case scenario.

That’s why I haven’t written anything in this space. I just don’t know. While hockey is being played overseas in Europe and even in the United States with the NCAA season underway, if there’s no NHL season, it’ll really stink. It doesn’t matter who you root for. All the momentum they built up under the leadership of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will be gone. You think he doesn’t want to play? It’s his worst nightmare.

Forget all the hoopla of Adidas and each team releasing the intriguing Retro Reverse Jerseys highlighted by the Devils green Christmas Ornaments, the Avalanche nod to the Nordiques combo, the Hurricanes acknowledging the traditional Whalers, the Coyotes unique purple with the original logo, the Ducks and Senators throwing it back to the 90’s expansion, and the Kings ultra cool purple theme. The Canadiens classic maroon and Blackhawks unique threads along with the Flames bringing back the horse.

All that stuff is nice to look at and picture with your favorite players rocking it during games. Even if I’ve never been a fan of the Statue of Liberty third jersey, of course I’d like to see a game where top pick Alexis Lafreniere gets to wear his number 13 Rangers threads and skate in them. Instead, I’m left wondering if the pandemic is going to force the cancellation of the season. Or will they scale back from 60 to 48 games with a later start not until February? Oy. It isn’t what anyone wants.

So, while they discuss a potential all Canadian Division due to regional if that’s what it comes to, I can’t even contemplate it. Right now, the only hockey I’m looking forward to is the 2021 U20 World Junior Championships that is scheduled to begin on Christmas Day in Edmonton at Rogers Place without any fans. If they do play, that will be reason enough for hockey fans to get excited. It’s the best prospect tournament in the world.

At this point, would Lafreniere become available to Canada if there’s no real progress next month? Right now, Team Canada is holding their training camp complete with roster cuts to get down to 25 players. We’ll wait and see where things are in a couple of weeks.

Right now, we have no choice or no say in the serious matter. Ultimately, it’s up to the NHL and NHLPA with coordination and cooperation of the owners to decide if it makes fiscal sense to have a season. The idea of not having one is a bad nightmare. It wouldn’t be like 2004-05 because nothing ever will mirror that pain and anguish. I’m just being realistic.

Hockey withdrawal is very real for me right now. I’m sure it is for you. We miss the sport. Unless you have a way of getting the KHL or Swedish Hockey League, there’s no hockey. College games can be found on conference networks every weekend. But with football dominating most of those stations, there isn’t much excitement.

Maybe if I had a passport and money saved up, I’d fly out to Russia. It would probably be more fun than how bad things are locally. There isn’t much to do. All we can do is wait and hope.

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Blueshirts run it back with Strome, re-sign Lemieux

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Derek

Amidst all the chaos of the election, the Rangers have been busy. They basically decided to bring back Ryan Strome. After some uncertainty surrounding the second line center who posted a career high 59 points (18-41-59) while teaming with Artemi Panarin, they settled before arbitration by giving Strome a fair two-year deal worth an average of $4.5 million.

It was always going to be the most likely option. The two sides met in the middle to avoid arbitration. Besides, if it had gotten there Strome would’ve had a strong argument for an even higher salary. This worked out well for the Blueshirts.

Earlier today, they re-signed Brendan Lemieux for two years at $1.55 million per season. It’ll be up to Lemieux to prove himself. He can be an effective secondary forward due to the energy and physicality he provides. But he’ll have to avoid taking undisciplined penalties. It would also help if he could score a few more goals. At the moment though, he’s projected on the fourth line which likely will include Brett Howden.

As for Strome, the 27-year old has been a good fit since coming over from Edmonton for the forgotten Ryan Spooner. One of GM Jeff Gorton’s best trades. The other being stealing Mika Zibanejad from Ottawa for Derick Brassard. In that same deal, they picked up a second round pick for a seventh. That second round pick became Brendan Smith, who is still here in the team’s top six defensemen.

What will be interesting to see is what happens with the upcoming 2021 season. They are still targeting early January. But I feel the middle of the month is more likely due to the pandemic along with a bubble and training camp. I would project Jan. 20 as the latest date if the season comes off.

My question is what can Strome do for an encore. He was so good with Panarin and former Ranger, now Hurricane Jesper Fast. It’s easy to forget that 15 of his 18 goals came at even strength. He also recorded 26 of his 41 assists at even strength, totaling 41 even strength points. Strome was also a fixture on the power play where he was more of a trigger man by posting 3-14-17 on the man-advantage. David Quinn counted on him for the penalty kill where he excelled.

With the arrival of much ballyhooed top pick Alexis Lafreniere, who joins Strome and Panarin on the second line? Kaapo Kakko is a likely candidate if he proves ready for a top six role. Especially if Pavel Buchnevich remains with Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. They’ll have some interesting decisions to make with Lafreniere, who could break into the top six. There would be nothing wrong with him starting on the third line with Filip Chytil.

With Puck Pedia keeping track of how little cap space the team has following the signings of Strome and Lemieux, they’re unlikely to do much else. Especially with the rookie bonuses Lafreniere can earn. To quote Gene Hackman in Hoosiers, “This is your team.”

What it really is the same roster except Jack Johnson replaced Marc Staal, Fast is gone and the Rangers lucked into Lafreniere. The kind of impact player who could make an immediate difference.

The secondary players will come from Phil Di Giuseppe, Kevin Rooney, Julien Gauthier, Howden, Lemieux, Colin Blackwell and maybe Morgan Barron. Tim Gettinger might be the other player.

All I know is eventually, they want Chytil to replace Strome as the team’s number two center. For that to happen, he has to improve with consistency and become better defensively. If he can’t, maybe he shouldn’t be a center. He does have good skill as we’ve seen him score some highlight reel goals. They need to know what he is in Year Three.

Don’t forget Vitaly Kravtsov should be coming if everything improves following the KHL season. In 16 games for Traktor Chelyabinsk, he has eight goals and two assists for 10 points. The 20-year old Russian’s eight goals lead the team. The 2018 first round pick turns 21 on December 23.

There’s a lot of reasons for fans to get excited. The future is bright. As for the present, we have to have realistic expectations. This team is likely not ready for the playoffs. Something Team President John Davidson reminded the media during a Zoom conference call. He understands what it takes to build a successful team. He did it in St. Louis and Columbus.

However, moving forward with new starting goalie Igor Shesterkin and backup Alex Georgiev bodes well. But they’ll have more pressure to perform now that Henrik Lundqvist has moved on to Washington. It’ll be interesting to follow the goalie tandem in their first year together.

Eventually, Tyler Wall will begin his first pro year in Hartford. The AHL might not start until February. The Rangers are in great shape in net with so much depth.

It’ll also be interesting to see if K’Andre Miller can crack the blueline. They should remain patient and do what’s best for his development. Keep an eye on Tarmo Reunanen and Libor Hajek. Both will get chances to make the roster.

That’s going to do it for now. I’ll have more soon.

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