Over the last few months, the status of the NHL’s participation in the 2018 Olympics has been an ongoing topic.
Although the NHL and IOC haven’t set a firm deadline, some players and owners have made their feelings known. Owners like Ted Leonsis in Washington are fine with players going to the Olympics. Others like Eugene Melnyk in Ottawa have voiced their opposition to participation in the Olympics. Meanwhile, several players want to head to South Korea in 2018.
In this week’s Around The NHL, we’ll take a look at that ongoing Olympic discussion, the Vegas Golden Knights as possible players for UFA’s and more!
Bettman on Olympics: “Assume we’re not going”
Over the course of discussion about the 2018 Winter Olympics, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman’s tone has never been optimistic. On Tuesday, he sounded even more pessimistic:
“There are no negotiations ongoing,” Bettman told Reuters at the Sport Business Summit in New York. “We were open to having discussions on a variety of things that might mitigate the damage to our season but that had no resonance.
“As things stand now people should assume we are not going.”
Bettman voiced concerns over shutting the season down for two-and-a-half weeks, as well as injuries and the cost of sending players to the Olympics:
“We’re not negotiating publicly,” said Bettman. “The point is I was trying to emphasize the fact that this is terribly disruptive to our business and there seems to be no offsetting way to mitigate that disruption.
“I’ve suggested why don’t you treat us like a top sponsor.
“When the IOC comes to us and says, ‘by the way we know it cost $15 to $20 million to send your players between insurance, charter costs and accommodations for the players’ … well we’re not going to pay for that.
“If they don’t value our participation why are we going.”
The NHL did not agree to go to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi until July, 2013. The next move, if there is one, will have to be made by the IOC or IIHF.
“From our standpoint there may not be any next steps,” said Bettman.
This could be a negotiating ploy on the part of the NHL, but the IOC certainly will have the backing of the players. Many of whom have voiced their desire to participate in Pyeongchang next year.
Although Bettman said, “Assume we’re not going”, he didn’t say with 100% certainty that the league wasn’t going. Don’t assume anything until an official announcement is made.
Could Vegas be a landing spot for free agents this summer?
The Vegas Golden Knights are unveiling their first roster of players to the hockey world on June 21 after a three-day expansion draft. Vegas is picking one player from each of the other 30 teams; a minimum of 14 forwards, nine defensemen, and three goalies.
However, the Golden Knights are receiving a boost with a 72-hour negotiating window between June 18-20. During that time, Vegas has a chance to sign any unrestricted or restricted free agents left unprotected. These free agents would otherwise not be allowed to sign with a team different than the one they played for this season until July 1.
This negotiating window coincides with the actual expansion draft. If Vegas inks an unprotected UFA or RFA, that player is Vegas’s one selection from that particular team. Vegas GM George McPhee told season ticket holders during a Q&A that his team won’t be afraid to spend money:
McPhee said the team will be active in free agency when it makes sense and will spend wisely in acquiring its 30 expansion draft picks. The team must spend a minimum of $43.8 million and a maximum of $73 million, the salary cap ceiling.
“Money’s not a problem,” he said. “Our owner, Bill Foley, is not afraid to spend to get the right player, and it’s our job to identify who those players are. We’ve been spending the last few months scouting and evaluating everyone in the NHL as well as those playing in junior and college hockey. There’s a lot of good players there that we’ll have a chance to obtain in the amateur draft, so we’re continuing to do our homework and we have all our scouts out watching games these next four to six weeks.”
This is yet another intriguing wrinkle to the fantasy draft. McPhee and his staff will have to decide whether or not they want to take a chance on free agents or draft unprotected players with existing deals. Of course, there’s also that matter of attempting to lure big-name free agents to an expansion team. Regardless, it’s safe to say this expansion draft will be must-see TV if it’s televised.
Presidents’ Trophy race down to the wire
Taking a look at the standings, very little suspense remains during the final three weeks of the regular season. There’s three teams fighting it out for the last playoff spot in the East. For all intents and purposes, the only suspense left in the West is seeding. The Presidents’ Trophy appears to be a four-horse race: the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Chicago Blackhawks.
The Capitals, Penguins, Blue Jackets, and Blackhawks all hit the 100-point mark over the last week while simultaneously clinching playoff spots. Heading into Friday night’s action, Washington has 104 points with 9 games left. Pittsburgh possesses 102 with 9 games remaining. Chicago has just eight games left and 102 points. Columbus sits right behind them at 101 points with nine games to go.
Five of Washington’s final nine games are against teams in playoff spots with three of the other four games against the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche. Pittsburgh also has five of their nine remaining games against teams in playoff position. Columbus only has four of their nine remaining games against teams that would be in the playoffs, including two against Philadelphia, one against Carolina, and one against Winnipeg. Only four of Chicago’s remaining eight games are against teams currently occupying a playoff position. They also have five games left against the East and only one remaining divisional game, that being against the last-place Avalanche.
While history has shown the winner of the Presidents’ Trophy typically doesn’t fare well in the post-season, the race for the top record in the NHL is something worth watching, especially with most of the playoff spots either secure or very close to becoming secure.
