nhl

Disagreement on CBA puts the New York Rangers season start date in question

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National Hockey League, NHL

A Wednesday meeting between the NHL and the NHLPA did not bode well for the New York Rangers to start a new season on January 1. According to Elliot Friedman of Sportsnet, the league’s proposal’s to modify the CBA were not met with a great deal of enthusiasm from the player’s union.

“There were audible gasps when this was presented” on the NHLPA conference call, one player said of the proposals when the NHLPA held a call with members for 2.5 hours on Wednesday.

According to Friedman, the league presented these two “gasp” worthy proposals:

The first asked for changes solely to the upcoming season. Deferred compensation went to 20 percent; escrow to 25. There were no other alterations. The second asked for deferred compensation to be raised to 26 percent for next season. Escrow was not touched until years four-to-six of the CBA, rising from six percent to between 8.5 and nine.

Basically, the league position is this: the CBA is a 50-50 revenue split, and COVID-related damages are more significant than what was projected even four months ago. There’s going to be a shortfall, and it must be addressed.

Besides the idea the union hates the idea of escrow, Friedman reports that the union had some other reactions.

“We just made a deal, so why should it be changed?” “In the past, when we’ve been unhappy with a CBA, we’ve had to live with it,” “Why did this get proposed so late, we didn’t need a gun to our heads,” “If we agree to this, who’s to say it won’t happen again,” and “They knew this was going to happen all along, didn’t they?”

This may end up leading to some negative public relations similar to what Major League Baseball experienced last spring when their league and union very publically disagreed on how to deal with the loss of revenue during a worldwide pandemic.

As the two sides continue talking the clock is ticking as they figure out ways to come to some sort of agreement on schedule, safety protocols, and the money flow issues so that they can begin their season on the targeted date of January 1.

 

 

 

New York Ranger’s ECHL affiliate will not play in 2020-21

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The Maine Mariners, the New York Rangers affiliate in the ECHL, will not participate in that league’s season in 2021. As first reported by Jeff Marek of Sportsnet, The ECHL has announced that the entire North division of the league has decided not to participate this season. In addition to the Mariners, the other teams and their NHL affiliates are the Adirondack Thunder, an affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, the Brampton Beast (Ottawa Senators), Newfoundland Growlers (Toronto Maple Leafs), Reading Royals (Philadelphia Flyers), and Worcester Railers (New York Islanders). These six teams join the Atlanta Gladiators (Boston Bruins) and Norfolk Admirals (independent) who had already opted out.

“As we continue to navigate the continually changing regulations across North America, we recognize the difficult nature of this decision,” said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. “While some of our teams’ host cities have allowed upcoming plans to include fans inside arenas, we, unfortunately, do not see the same path for these highly-affected areas in the Northeast.”

This currently leaves the league has 18 teams left to play this year, with 13 of those expected to start next month. The schedule will kick off on December 11 and consist of 72 games for the 13 teams.

Today’s announcement casts a shadow around the league’s ability to go through with this plan. This also means that the Rangers and other NHL teams who are partnered with these minor league affiliates will find it much more difficult to find playing time for some of their young players. The ECHL has been especially important for the development of goaltenders and the cancellation will affect the Blueshirts young netminders such as Tyler Wall. The news also affects that Ranger’s AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, as the Mariners were the source for their call-ups. The league has reported that about 678 players have played at least one game in the NHL after appearing in the ECHL.

However, the league announced that under the terms of the ECHL/PHPA Collective Bargaining Agreement, all players from the Adirondack Thunder, Brampton Beast, Maine Mariners, Newfoundland Growlers, Reading Royals, and Worcester Railers are free agents for the 2020-21 season immediately. The Mariners did not have any goaltenders listed on their pre-season roster.

The league, which combined teams from the defunct Atlantic Coast Hockey League and All-American Hockey League, began to play as the East Coast Hockey League in 1988. The ECHL and the AHL are the only minor leagues recognized by the collective bargaining agreement between the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association, meaning any player signed to an entry-level NHL contract and designated for assignment must report to a club in either the ECHL or the AHL.

 

 

 

New York Islanders: Reverse retro jersey reaction

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New York Islanders, NYI

The New York Islanders Reverse Retro jerseys are finally here, and damn, they look good. It’s a jersey based on tradition, based on the dynasty of the Islanders. These jerseys are the epitome of what Lou Lamoriello stands for.

This is not a general manager who cares for the little things. Lamoriello is here to help the Isles win a cup, not look clean for only 3 games a year. As I’ve said before, Lou Lamoriello didn’t even want to have a Reverse Retro jersey. But, even without the care for a new jersey, I still think the jersey is as good as it could’ve been.

The Blue

The blue is a dark navy that suites the Islanders really well. I wanted the Islanders to look like supervillains on the ice. And the dark navy only compliments that statement. It’s boarding on purple, and it’s just beautiful. When it came to the blue, all I wanted was for it to be much darker. Definitely gives off that 1980’s feel. Just what everyone wanted to feel. The teams are similar—immense talent on both teams with an even better coach.

The Stripes

The stripes were flipped from the home jersey. Normally the orange is on top of the white, now it’s the other way around. I think it actually looks better that way. The way that the orange looks on the dark navy really pops. I would almost want the orange to be darker than what it is. I think the colors contrast really well between these two jerseys. There’s nothing I hate about this Reverse Retro jersey. My expectations for creativity weren’t high, and it worked out. I think these jerseys are fine for the Islanders. They are here to win championships, not to have the best alternate jersey in the league

New York Rangers ‘Reverse Retro’ jersey falls flat

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The NHL and Adidas revealed their Reverse Retro hockey sweaters on Monday, unfortunately for the New York Rangers fans, the hype was bigger than the actual jersey.

The unveiling turned out to be the worse kept secret with the Liberty sweater making its return to Broadway, 24 years after its initial appearance, in a dull and boring fashion.

The Liberty logo appears to be the same logo from the sweaters Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky wore the last time they were around, the Statue of Liberty face with NYR under it.

The logo is on a plain blue jersey with red and white stripes on the mid-arm. The numbers on the jersey are white with red over it trimmed in black and offers the jersey a little pop to it, but overall is quite disappointing.

In comparison, the 1996 version of this sweater had some color to it. The v-neck collar was grey, white, and red along with the mid-arm stripes.  The sleeves from the mid-arm down were in red.

I was never a fan of the Liberty sweater, but Adidas and the NHL could have done something to make the jersey better than what it was put out on Monday.  This jersey is more of a “return” than a retro reverse.

Personally, I would have preferred a similar version of the team Heritage jersey as opposed to the Liberty version, but hockey is a business first. In the current pandemic era, the NHL, Adidas, and each of the 31 clubs are looking to do whatever they can to get some sought of revenue back.

Players Reaction

Following the announcement, some of the Rangers players let the fans know how excited they were to wear the new sweater when the season begins early next year.

Ryan Lindgren, Adam Fox, Anthony DeAngelo, Ryan Strome, Alexandar Georgiev, and Brendan Smith all were thrilled with the team’s Liberty jersey.

The Blueshirts have played three games since the end of March so at this point, it’s safe to say what the players are wearing is less important than when they get back on the ice and actually wear those sweaters.

New York Islanders: The Fisherman jerseys will not be brought back

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new york islanders hockey player watching the crowd

The New York Islanders have been plagued throughout their history for one reason. Those damn Fisherman jerseys. The ugliest and worst jerseys of the last millennia. Not one person who played on the Island liked those jerseys. Nevertheless, there was hope for some fans that the New York Islanders would have the Fisherman’s come back. This “hope” is completely gone now. The Reverse Retro jerseys will not be the Fisherman.

The jerseys come out on Monday, but this rumor has already been put to bed. Peter Schwartz’s inside source says that Lamoriello wasn’t going to let them play in Fisherman’s. Lamoriello didn’t even want Reverse Retro jerseys, and the final design is very conservative. So what is the final design?

1980 Jerseys

I’m actually not surprised if the Isles go this route with their jerseys. This was the year that the Islanders used in the AdidasHockey Reverse Retro video. It’s a very simple and clean design. The fans have a soft spot for this jersey and the year. It’s a throwback that everyone can appreciate. The jerseys are a bit lighter than what the Isles will end up doing, but it will mainly be based around this design. The main patch is definitely my favorite part.

2001 Jerseys

These dark jerseys are nothing short of sexy. This jersey just screams Alexei Yashin. This also matches more of what the AdidasHockey Reverse Retro video showed for the Islanders. I think the darker jersey’s suites the tone of the season a bit more. The Islanders need to be the supervillains of the league, and that dark blue almost purple gives off of a supervillain feel.

2007 Jerseys

These are my favorite jerseys by far. It’s actually not even close. They keep the supervillain feel and add a bit more orange to the sleeves. I think the orange makes these jerseys close to perfect. If the Isles do bring this jersey back, everyone will be happy. I think the final product will be a mix of these jerseys and the 1980 jerseys.

New York Islanders: Revisiting the 2016 free agency class

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Andrew Ladd, New York Islanders

The New York Islanders had a very eventful 2016 free agency. I look back at this class as the worst thing to happen to the Islanders in a decade. Yes, this event is worse than moving to Brooklyn. This was the most rushed and poorly scouted free agency class, I think, in the history of the NHL.

The Islanders had a bunch of free agents leaving. Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen, and Matt Martin all left the Island this year. And Garth Snow rushed to sign three players who could emulate the former players’ styles. One by one, you’ll slowly realize how terrible this class was.

Andrew Ladd

Yes, this is the class where the Islanders signed Andrew Ladd to his terrible contract. Do you want to know why they did this? Because Kyle Okposo left for Buffalo, and Snow couldn’t risk losing a top-six forward for nothing in return. Snow believed that the game Andrew Ladd played would be the exact same game that Kyle Okposo played. Look at where this contract has led the Islanders. Trading away a top 4 defenseman to sign back their franchise guys. Garth Snow is a great GM.

This is the equivalent of the New York Giants trading away Odell Beckham Jr. and signing Golden Tate and his ridiculous contract to cover it all up.

P.A. Parenteau

Frans Nielsen was a great player for the Islanders and a top shootout guy of all time. The same could be said for P.A. Parenteau. And of course, Garth Snow had to sign Parenteau who was in no shape to be playing in the NHL. Parenteau was signed to replace Nielsen, and it would revive his career. Parenteau didn’t even make it to training camp.

Jason Chimera

As a kid watching Chimera on the Islanders, I always said that he had cataracts. I still stand by this statement. I’ve never seen anyone have worse hand-eye coordination than Chimera. Yeah, he was a good checker, but he was no Matt Martin. Martin is a top 4th liner every year, Chimera is Chimera.

Conclusion

This class still plagues the Islanders to this day. This class is the main reason in my mind why Snow got fired. Because he was good at drafting and trading, but he always made terrible signings. Isles fans hate Garth Snow.

The New York Rangers may play in a shortened 2020-21 season

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New York Rangers

One of the things that the New York Rangers might have to prepare for in getting ready for the 2020-21 season in a reduced number of games. According to some sources, according to Sportsnet.ca, is that the NHL is looking to play a season that could be as few as 56 games to as many as 72. It does not appear that the league is ready to play a full schedule as in past years, as the sources say that the NHL wants to award the Stanley Cup around July 15.

This is also going on the assumption that the league continues to target January 1 as a start date, and that the league may employ “mini-hubs” as a way to start the season and reduce the impact that COVID-19 might have on starting or finishing a season.

According to TSN.ca and their NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, there are now 16 players on the Return to Play committee, as compared to the Return to Play committee last spring that was made up of five players.

LeBrun adds that it appears the committee is working in a different fashion compared to the one from last spring, working more internally with the NHL Players’ Association as the PA and NHL engage in higher-level communication. Even though the NHLPA has indicated its desire to play the full 82-game schedule, that would take the league into late August, which does not seem likely.

The more than likely scenario would be that the NHL would adopt a schedule that would likely be modeled on the 2020 MLB season in which travel was limited through geographical play. Dates would have to be left open, either in season or following the targeted end date, to accommodate postponements and/or accommodate breaks from the mini-hubs that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman alluded to in a conference call on Tuesday.

One of the issues around a shortened season is player salaries. The CBA extension last summer agreeing to 72 percent of their gross pay for the upcoming season. The NHLPA feels this number is set whether they play one game or 70-something games. However, owners feel those salaries should be prorated, especially if there’s no clear path to attendance, something that is less likely to happen as number spike throughout the country.

The expectation is that the league will propose prorating. It is unknown whether that would be coupled with a threat not to play unless the union makes a concession. It is also unknown how NHLPA would respond to such a situation, but the union has been aware of this possibility for some time.

There has been speculation that if a January 1 start date is set, teams would want to have training camps set for around December 15, with the seven teams that did not make last year’s playoffs having a few extra days of camp.

Regardless, the NHL and the NHLPA will have a very busy month ahead if they want to start on January 1.

 

 

New York Islanders: Could Noah Dobson become the Number 1?

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New York Islanders, Noah Dobson

The New York Islanders defense is loaded with talent. There are at least 9 defensemen who could start on a plethora of teams. This being said, there is a clear distinction of who the best defenseman is. It’s currently Ryan Pulock with Adam Pelech not too far behind him. But, there is another young defenseman who could take that title. I’m talking about no other than Noah Dobson.

Noah Dobson has already claimed top-4 minutes after just under a year in the league and will continue to improve as he continues to play. There are two reasons why Dobson could take this title. And the reasons completely separate him from Pulock and Pelech.

Skating Abilities

Don’t get me wrong, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock are terrific skaters. But, Noah Dobson is a different kind of a skater. His speed is so underrated, and it’s crazy because he can move the puck 200 feet. This is going to secure him a spot on the powerplay someday soon, and it opens up the offense, which is something the Islanders need more of. Noah Dobson also can force wingers back to the outside by how he skates. He’s 6’4, and only 186 pounds, but his use of the body while skating is advanced for his age. It helps a goalie out a lot by facing shots from the outside rather than from right in front.

Wrist Shot

The top Islanders defenders all have one facet of their game that no one else can match. For Ryan Pulock, it’s his booming slapshot. For Adam Pelech, it’s his unavoidable poke check.

Well, for Noah Dobson, it’s his wrist shot. Isles fans didn’t get to see much of his shot last year due to his age. What I mean by that is, Dobson didn’t want to do anything wrong on the ice instead of just being comfortable and playing his game. In every level he’s played in, Dobson’s wrist shot has been nearly unstoppable. Everyone always believes that he’s going to take a wicked slapshot from the point, but instead, he moves up 15 feet and unloads a wrister into the toy department. Definitely, something that NHL goalies have to be aware of.

Conclusion

Noah Dobson has unlimited potential right now. He’s got the best Head and Assistant coaches in the league. Also, he’s surrounded by a bunch of great young and old defensemen. I look at Noah Dobson the same way I look at Alex Pietrangelo, they’re very similar, and that should excite Isles fans.

How the New York Rangers could have a different looking season in 2020-21

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With an uptick of COVID-19 cases around New York and the world, it should be no surprise that the New York Rangers and their fans will see a very different season in 2020-21. Yesterday, Commissioner Gary Bettman revealed that the NHL will still try to target January 1 as the start of their season. This was the first of a multitude of plans that the NHL and the NHLPA will try to implement in order to start and complete a season.

Coming off the success of the playoff hubs, Commissioner Bettman said Tuesday that the NHL is exploring short-term hubs, temporary realignment and a reduced schedule as options for the 2020-21 season amid the coronavirus pandemic, especially as the number of cases rises in recent days.

“You’ll play for 10 to 12 days,” Bettman said in a virtual panel discussion during the 2020 Paley International Council Summit. “You’ll play a bunch of games without traveling. You’ll go back, go home for a week, be with your family. We’ll have our testing protocols and all the other things you need.

“It’s not going to be quite as effective as a bubble, but we think we can, if we go this route, minimize the risks to the extent practical and sensible. And so that’s one of the things that we’re talking about.”

Most of these issues will be discussed when the NHL updates its governors in a conference call scheduled for Thursday.

The League is exploring teams playing in their own arenas (with or without fans depending on the local situation), in hubs, or in a hybrid system, but Bettman reiterated that the NHL would not entertain the complete bubble that they instituted for the playoffs.

Another issue will be around temporary realignment, which would include an all-Canadian division.

“Obviously, we’re not going to move all seven Canadian franchises south of the 49th Parallel, and so we have to look at alternative ways to play,” Commissioner Bettman said. “And while crossing the U.S.-Canadian border is an issue, we’re also seeing within the United States limitations in terms of quarantining when you go from certain states to other states. It’s again part of having to be flexible. …

“As it relates to the travel issue, which is obviously the great unknown, we may have to temporarily realign to deal with geography, and that may make sense, because having some of our teams travel from Florida to California may not make sense.

“It may be that we’re better off, particularly if we’re playing a reduced schedule, which we’re contemplating, keeping it geographically centric, more divisional based, and realigning, again on a temporary basis, to deal with the travel issues.”

Any plan would be a collaborative effort between the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association, as was the 2020 Return to Play Plan. Though both sides are in constant and regular communication, there haven’t been any regular meetings.

 

 

 

The best New York Islanders prospect you’ve never heard of

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New York Islanders

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, the New York Islanders have a good Russian prospect. Now, there’s a difference between those two prospects I’m talking about. Ilya Sorokin is the best goalie outside of the NHL.

Anatoly Golyshev is a top 6 winger on his team. Anatoly Golyshev was the Islanders’ 4th round selection in the 2016 NHL entry draft. And it’s not surprising why Garth Snow chose him that high. Golyshev was a solid 2nd liner for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg at a young age. The year he was drafted, he put up 25 goals and 19 assists in 56 games and was an All-star at only 21 years of age. Remember, the KHL is a league of adults and former NHLers, it’s not the AHL or OHL. Anatoly Golyshev could be the next big thing, only if he comes over.

When Will He Come Over?

There has been a bunch of great KHL prospects, but not all of them come overseas. It’s only taken Anatoly Golyshev 5 years to want to come over to the Islanders. Yes, that’s sarcasm. And yes, Golyshev should be on the Island by next year.

Golyshev will be 26 years old when he comes overseas next year. Does this remind you of anyone? Yup, I’m thinking of Nikita Gusev. Gusev is a better player than Golyshev, but there are similarities between the two. Both came overseas around the same age. Both are not the biggest of Hockey players, size-wise. If the Islanders could get 3/4 of the player Gusev is, it’s a win.

What Role Will He Play?

Let’s say Golyshev comes over and exceeds expectations, now the Isles have a decision to make. Where will Golyshev play? Is it possible that he takes Jordan Eberle’s spot as a top 9 forward? Does Golyshev finish the book of Joshua-Ho Sang and Michael Dal Colle? Or does Golyshev finally get rid of the need for Leo Komarov? All of these are possibilities, and I’m going with the second one. Ho-Sang and Dal Colle are just about done with the Islanders, and Golyshev could make that a reality.