from Caley Ramsay of Global News, Edmonton sports legend Joey Moss has died at the age of 57, Global News has learned. Moss has been a beloved member of the Edmonton Oilers for decades. He became the NHL team’s locker room attendant in 1984, after he was recommended by The Great One himself — Wayne Gretzky. The two met when Gretzky was just 20 years old. He was dating Moss’ sister at the time. Moss, who was born with Down syndrome, joined the Edmonton Football Team two years later. Over the years, he’s captured the hearts of those in Edmonton and beyond, particularly for his enthusiastic participation in the national anthem before the start of every game. continued   This was just over a year ago on his birthday. Now news that he's gone. What a life he lived. All those @EdmontonOilers legends and Joey was one of them. #RIPJoey https://t.co/kUoLrk8LYV — Gene Principe (@GenePrincipe) October 26, 2020

from Travis Yost of TSN, To say the 2020 version of free agency had little precedent is probably an understatement. The ongoing pandemic has really stung at the National Hockey League’s bottom line, and the business uncertainty facing teams around the league has had a substantial chilling effect on the market. That’s not to say that players and teams aren’t figuring out ways to get deals done – the opposite, in fact, appears to be true. The player’s perspective is particularly interesting because incentives have started to change. Some players have actively chased job security. Others, perhaps a group more optimistic about the future and willing to bet on themselves, have signed short-term deals to try and catch free agency at another time. We have seen household names like Taylor Hall, Sam Reinhart and Tyson Barrie sign one-year deals, effectively punting on free agency for another year. On the other side of the table, front offices are starting to feel serious financial squeeze. The cash-poor teams that were already hurting before the stoppage of the 2020-21 regular season have been predictably quiet in the market. But so too have some of the bigger-market teams, those that tend to spend aggressively to the salary cap on an annual basis. continued

from the Pittsburgh Penguins, The Pittsburgh Penguins have added Trevor Daley as a hockey operations advisor, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford. In his new role, Daley will be based out of Pittsburgh and report directly to Rutherford, assisting in player evaluations at the NHL and AHL level, as well as acting as an 'eye in the sky' for the coaching staff during games. "First, I would like to congratulate Trevor on an incredibly successful 16-year career," said Rutherford. "In addition to being a Stanley Cup Champion with us, he left us with a great impression due to his professional demeanor and quiet leadership qualities. Those traits, along with his desire to want to learn about the business side of the NHL, made him a great candidate to join our staff." continued

I am on my way to a scheduled Dr. appointment and should return by 1pm or so. It's very slow again today and I will update, if needed, when I return.

from Ansar Khan of Mlive, The Red Wings will still be around $8 million under the cap after those players are signed. What will general manager Steve Yzerman do with that money? The Red Wings are in position to bail out a cap-strapped team by acquiring an expiring contract for a high draft pick, like they did last month by getting a second-pick from the New York Rangers for defenseman Marc Staal’s $5.7 million cap hit. Yzerman also indicated he might sign another free agent later this offseason, even though his roster is full. Here is a look at the most prominent unsigned unrestricted free agents: Andreas Athanasiou, LW, Edmonton: Fast-skating forward broke out with 30 goals in 2018-19 for the Red Wings but regressed badly last season (11 goals, 26 points in 55 games; one assist in four playoff games). He is only 26 but the Oilers set him free rather than qualify him for $3 million, despite relinquishing two second-round picks to Detroit. Derick Brassard, C, N.Y. Islanders: He could be playing for his seventh team in six seasons in 2021, but can still be reasonably productive at age 33, after picking up 32 points in 66 games. more names

It has been a surreal time in the world of sport, and hockey has been no different. However, all sports have continued to power through the current climate, and that means that there have been some huge moves during the free agency this summer. These are some of the biggest moves that have already taken place during the free agency in 2020.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, The Wings are proposing $3.15 million, while Bertuzzi is asking for $4.25 million. Bertuzzi will get a big raise under either figure, as he made $1.4 million last season.... Under the NHL's new collective bargaining agreement, an arbitrator must decide within 48 hours of the hearing's conclusion. But unlike in years past, the team and the player are no longer permitted to continue negotiating after the session begins. The arbitrator’s decision will be for a one-year deal, and not necessarily what the team or player submitted; it could be somewhere in between. Bertuzzi will be a restricted free agent again next offseason.... The Wings also have two other restricted free agents, forwards Anthony Mantha and Dmytro Timashov, but neither filed for arbitration. General manager Steve Yzerman has been working with Mantha’s representatives on a long-term deal. Mantha 26, had 16 goals and 38 points in an injury-marred 43-game season. It was the third time in Mantha's young career that seasons have been cut short by injuries. He has had 24- and 25-goal seasons, but has yet to reach 30 in his career. Timashov was acquired on waivers from Toronto late last season. There has been speculation Timashov might spend this coming NHL season in Russia, although his representatives have denied it. a bit more on Bertuzzi...

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from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, - The odd equation of this coming NHL season: The more games that are played, the more money team owners will lose. Don’t expect a season much longer than 56 games. And don’t expect players to earn much more than 54% of their total salaries, with increased escrow, already-agreed-to discounts, and likely more back-and-forth negotiations before play is set to resume sometime in January. - If you were Joe Thornton, and you really wanted to win the Stanley Cup before retiring, wouldn’t it have made sense to sign with the Colorado Avalanche or the Vegas Golden Knights, assuming they had interest? - The beginning of the end for Max Domi with the Montreal Canadiens started when he took time to thoughtfully determine whether he would participate in Return To Play because of his diabetes. Domi made a wise choice in taking his time. The Habs, I’m told, we’re not so impressed. - In his book, Burke’s Law, Brian Burke attacks four veteran journalists and I happen to be one of them. That’s fair game. You take shots, you expect to get them back. The irony of this: The other writers Burke singles out, Larry Brooks in New York, Tony Gallagher in Vancouver, Al Strachan, then in Toronto, have all been recognized by the Hockey Hall of Fame. more on the first topic and other notes too...

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post, NHL general managers won’t be doing much, if any, talking about Friday’s conference call with the league on which the terrain for the 2020-21 season was discussed, because they were advised on the call not to comment. Alrighty, then. But no such gag order has been placed on The Post, so here is a review of issues taken up on the call, per a source: — The NHL is still aiming for a Jan. 1 start, even though the scheduled New Year’s Day Winter Classic at Minnesota has been canceled. The objective remains to play a full 82-game season with full arenas, but the league understands that is not likely. The NHL is monitoring the state of COVID-19, travel restrictions between the United States and Canada and within the U.S., and regulations concerning indoor mass gatherings. In other words, which teams would be allowed to have fans in arenas, and how many? continued

from Damien Cox at the Toronto Star, Promising players such as Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnson are gone. Joe Thornton and Wayne Simmonds have arrived as replacements, formerly elite players signed at bargain prices to ease the salary-cap crunch but also to add character in lieu of the offensive stats they once produced. If you know your Maple Leafs history, these manoeuvres are as old as the uniform itself. Once upon a time they even worked. Players such as Andy Bathgate, Red Kelly, Marcel Pronovost and Terry Sawchuk joined Punch Imlach’s Leafs in the 1960s after all-star careers with other NHL clubs. They helped the Leafs win multiple Stanley Cups.... Now come Thornton and Simmonds. The Leafs hope they can add character, along with a few goals. Maybe they can. Simmonds has moved a lot late in his career — playing for Philadelphia, Nashville, New Jersey and Buffalo over the past two seasons. Thornton is a future Hall of Fame player, and has been one of the most approachable and amiable NHL personalities for years. Everybody loves Jumbo. The Leafs believe he’ll bring leadership and that elusive character, although the Sharks stripped him of the captaincy in 2014. more

from Luke Fox of Sportsnet, Some of these clubs — the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders, in particular — need to prioritize locking up their own restricted players instead of looking elsewhere. (And certainly some franchises not on this list have internal caps set by ownership they must solve.) Not only has a crowded cap hellscape left more UFAs on the board than normal and forced a surge in minimum-wage contracts, but in-season manoeuvres could also suffer with a lack of breathing room. Without further ado, here’s a look at 10 teams living in cap hell, and how and when they might climb out. Tampa Bay Lightning Cap space: $2.9 million Roster size: 18/23 The difference between the Blues and Lightning and the rest of these franchises in a bind is about 14 karats. No doubt, it’s easier to rationalize life in cap hell when you’re wearing a Cup ring. Tampa is the early Las Vegas favourite to go all the way again in 2021, but GM Julien BriseBois has some serious lifting to do yet. All three RFAs — Mikhail Sergachev, Anthony Cirelli and Erik Cernak — are players worth investing in. All three need raises. Even with letting nice role players like Shattenkirk and Zach Bogosian walk, more money needs to be shipped out. That Tyler Johnson ($5 million AAV) cleared waivers unclaimed — and that loyal captain Steven Stamkos’s name was dared to be raised in trade rumours — illustrates just how difficult it’ll be to get money off the books here. BriseBois will either need to attach draft picks to tough contracts (Johnson, Alex Killorn) or ship out a player he’d rather keep (Ondrej Palat? Yanni Gourde?). This is one heckuva pickle, but banners hang forever. nine more teams

from Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, This COVID-19 calendar year — a year many of us want to forget — has been life-changing for Jim Montgomery. The former University of Denver hockey coach has identified the silver lining of his very public alcohol-induced dismissal as head coach of the Dallas Stars last December, and he embraces it. It’s almost like he’s thankful it happened — because if it didn’t, he wouldn’t be a liberated and healthy family man and assistant coach for the St. Louis Blues. “I always used to say in Denver when players were suspended, ‘They didn’t do the right thing.’ Well, I didn’t do the right thing and sometimes it takes an unbelievable breakdown to have an undeniable breakthrough,” Montgomery said in a phone interview with The Denver Post. “Right now I’m a much better person and I think I’m going to be a much better coach because of everything that’s happened.” Montgomery, 51, says he is now 10 months sober and has a much better understanding of who he is and how he must conduct his life. “I learned that alcohol is no longer a viable option for me, because it had become a problem,” he said. “Once you realize that and you understand the disease, moving forward doesn’t become easy but you start to understand the coping mechanisms you need and it becomes incredibly liberating.” continued

from Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com, Before Jeff Camelio became the head equipment manager of the Seattle Kraken, he starting thinking: What would he need if he got the job? As the assistant equipment manager of the Nashville Predators, Camelio started taking inventory of what the Predators had, writing down items big and small to make sure he wouldn't forget anything. Skate sharpeners. Helmet screws. Thread to sew jerseys. A convection oven to heat plastic guards molded over skates to protect players blocking shots … "The amount of stuff that needs to be ordered is incredible," Camelio said. But that's what this is: an incredible opportunity and challenge. Among the seven hires the Kraken announced Tuesday were Camelio, head athletic trainer Mike Booi and head strength and conditioning coach Nate Brookreson. Each not only has risen to the highest level of his profession in the NHL for the first time, he gets to start a department and do it in Seattle. The expansion team is building a training center and an arena, each as cutting-edge as new skate blades, and will join the NHL in 2021-22. continued

from David Staples of the Edmonton Journal, In a Cult of Hockey poll, fans weighed in and handed Holland high marks with 86.5 per cent of them giving him a grade of A or B: On Oilers Now, former NHL GM Brian Lawton said Holland did well. “For me, when I look at how teams have done, and I’ve been going through and seeing who had made some really nice adjustments in the offseason that will help them win more, I always compare it to what their ability was to spend money as well. The Oilers didn’t have a lot of money to spend. What they were able to accomplish, I would actually rank in the top third in terms of the position they were starting from.” Article content continued And former NHL GM Brian Burke, also on Oilers Now talking to Bob Stauffer: “I think Kenny is a Hall-of-Fame for a reason. I know people are upset about the goaltending but keep in mind the goaltending was above average during the regular season. It just kind of fell apart in the playoffs. I use MacGyver analogy. I used to watch MacGyver. He always found a solution. When you’ve got cap issues there’s two courses of action you can follow. You can do nothing or you can use a little bit of chicken wire and chewing gum and cobble together a solution, and that’s what Kenny has done. He’s used small chips, short term deals, small deals. I loved Turris coming in in the three hole. He’s taken the small amount of cap room he had and maximized it.” read on

from Tom Gulitti of NHL.com, The NHL still aims to play a full 82-game schedule in 2020-21 that would begin around Jan. 1, but Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Friday that might not be possible due to continuing uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus. Commissioner Gary Bettman and Daly briefed the NHL general managers on a variety of topics during a video conference Friday, but the main item on the agenda was the upcoming season and what it might look like. "The goal is still to start as early as Jan. 1 and to play a full season," Daly said. "Having said that, we also recognize, depending on a host of different things, that it could take a different form and we might not be playing a full season, we might not be playing into the summer, we might not be starting on Jan. 1. So there's still a lot of uncertainty." It was the first formal meeting for the general managers since March 2-4 in Boca Raton, Florida, though the NHL held regular video meetings regarding its Return to Play plans after the 2019-20 season was paused March 12. continued

GMs meeting is over. Went almost two hours. https://t.co/hDJvbIbrS7 — Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 23, 2020

WASHINGTON (Oct. 23, 2020) – The National Hockey League (NHL®) and the American Gaming Association (AGA) announced a partnership today to promote responsible gaming activity through the Have A Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly. public service campaign.

Arbitration filing for Tyler Bertuzzi (DET): Team is $3.15M; player is $4.25M. — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 23, 2020 Hearing I believe is on the 25th of this month.

...We have had a focus on development, since I got here, anyway. When I look at our team and trying to look forward, I'm not that interested in being a bottom-half team, being a bubble team, hoping to sneak in, catch lightning in a bottle, win a couple rounds. It does happen; we can all point to the success stories and things where teams go on a run, but it's not sustainable. We are more interested in, we want to be an elite team, we want to be a Top 10 team where every year we're in the mix to go deep into the playoffs, so everything we do here should be with that end in mind. So as a coach, we're still trying to win. Part of the development is being in competitive situations and playing in big games. Our playoff experience in Edmonton was tremendously valuable for our young players, and so we want to get ourselves in those situations as much as possible but we want to do it while playing young players. And I think this past season was a perfect example where we had a lot of young guys in the lineup, a lot of them played big roles. At times it looked like they weren't ready but we give them feedback and help them along, and I think a lot of those guys were huge parts of the success we did have and that's how we're looking at things. -Jeremy Colliton, head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks.  More from Colliton in a Q & A by Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCSports Chicago.

via Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, “I’ll have a range of emotions and nervous will be one of them,” said Holland, admitting it’s totally different than listening to Steve Yzerman or Nick Lidstrom speak about making the Hall. When’s the last time Holland would be this nervous? “Probably my first NHL game (as a goalie),” said Holland. At least he could let the puck hit him. “Yeah, 86 percent of the time.” Holland is getting into the Hall for his smarts as a scout, then a manager, not his hockey ability. “Anytime you’re going into unchartered waters … playing your first game, a Hall of Fame speech, you’re nervous. You gain experience the more you do something, but your first game is a one-off, and so’s your Hall of Fame opportunity to thank all the people that helped make the dream a reality,” said Holland, GM for three Stanley Cups in Detroit. “About half the 2002 Detroit team went in (Hall) and I’ve been to all of their inductions. (Chris) Chelios, Yzerman, Lidstrom, Brendan Shanahan, (Igor) Larionov, Brett Hull. I made it a point to be there for all the players who helped on the ice,” he said.

With COVID-19 numbers rising across Canada, including Alberta, how concerned is Hockey Canada about complications that could arise regarding the upcoming WJC in Edmonton? A start date has not been proposed for the next NHL season, but what progress is being made towards that? The Insider Trading panel shares the latest on that and more. Watch at TSN.

NEW YORK (Oct. 22, 2020) -- The National Hockey League today announced the postponements of the 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and 2021 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend. The 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, featuring the Minnesota Wild facing the St. Louis Blues at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn., was originally scheduled for Jan. 1, 2021. The Florida Panthers were to host the 2021 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., originally scheduled for Jan. 29-30, 2021. Both events have been postponed due to the ongoing uncertainty resulting from the coronavirus. The League intends to return to both Minnesota and Florida for these signature events in the near future. “Fan participation, both in arenas and stadiums as well as in the ancillary venues and events that we stage around the Winter Classic and All-Star Weekend, is integral to the success of our signature events,” said NHL Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer. “Because of the uncertainty as to when we will be able to welcome our fans back to our games, we felt that the prudent decision at this time was to postpone these celebrations until 2022 when our fans should be able to enjoy and celebrate these tentpole events in-person, as they were always intended. We are also considering several new and creative events that will allow our fans to engage with our games and teams during this upcoming season.” Today's announcement does not impact the joint declaration by the NHL and National Hockey League Players' Association on Oct. 6 that we are targeting on or around Jan. 1 as the start date for the upcoming NHL season.

from Bryan Passifiume of the Toronto Sun, The federal government will replace mandatory 14-day quarantines with rapid COVID-19 tests for international air passengers, the Sun has learned. The move will mandate that arriving passengers be required to submit to a rapid COVID-19 test to ensure they are free from the potentially deadly respiratory disease upon arrival, and replace the problematic and rarely enforced mandatory two-week quarantine for all incoming international travellers. continued

from Mark Falkner of the Detroit News, While on his book tour last week to promote "Burke's Law: A Life in Hockey," the 65-year-old Burke said Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is fast becoming the NHL's Mr. Fix-It after a last-place 17-49-5 season. "He's MacGyver," Burke said of Yzerman, who signed free-agent forwards Bobby Ryan and Vladislav Namestnikov, defensemen Jon Merrill and Troy Stecher and goalie Thomas Greiss last week. The week before, he acquired defenseman Marc Staal and a 2021 second-round draft pick for future considerations. "He's overhauled that team completely all on short-term deals," Burke continued. "No headlines, just solid signings. Bobby Ryan, who I drafted. Jon Merrill, who we tried to draft but he hit the gap on us. Stecher is a really good right-shot defenseman. Bringing back (Sam) Gagner, Namestnikov who I love. Greiss, Staal. In my mind, they are dramatically better than a year ago. It's sheer genius." read on ($$$)

from Kevin Draper of the New York Times, It feels as if television networks should be panicking about their ratings for sporting events, pondering existential questions about how viewing habits have changed amid the coronavirus pandemic and the U.S. election. But they’re not — despite some eye-popping numbers and a lot of armchair criticism. Ratings for the N.B.A. finals were down 49 percent, and the N.H.L.’s Stanley Cup finals were down a whopping 61 percent. Baseball, golf, tennis, horse racing and other sports have all seen huge declines. Even the usually untouchable N.F.L. was down 13 percent through Week 5. So what is going on here? A lot. Too much, actually, to pinpoint simple answers. Should everyday fans care? Not particularly — and there are good reasons not to overreact. To decipher all that the ratings are and are not telling us, we need a sharper understanding of the practical functions they serve. continued

from Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News, So who's hot right now? We've got a lot of candidates since a number of leagues are well into their regular seasons, even though some - Germany and the Czech Republic for example - have either been delayed or put on hiatus due to the pandemic. Juuso Valimaki, D, Ilves (Fin.): Valimaki's development has been held back by injuries, but the 2017 Calgary Flames first-rounder is healthy and hot in his native Finland, racking up eight points in seven games for Ilves. That makes him the top-scoring D-man in the whole league, while Valimaki is also playing a robust 22:46 per game. Jonatan Berggren, C, Skelleftea (SHL): Speed, smarts and great hands are Berggren's trademarks and the Detroit Red Wings prospect has really been putting all three together with 13 points in nine games for Skelleftea, making him the third-highest scorer in the league right now. The 2017 second-rounder has already eclipsed the 12 points in 24 games he had in the SHL last season. Dmitry Ovchinnikov, C, Sibirskie Snaipery (Rus.): Ovchinnikov, who was taken in the fifth round of the 2020 draft by Toronto, has logged some major minutes for his Russian junior squad so far, going as high as 33:20 in a shootout loss earlier in the month. more

from Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star, ...given that Tavares and hard-negotiating colleagues Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander will combine to earn about 50 per cent of the $81.5-million salary cap next season, the top-heavy roster has created a problematic imbalance in Leafland. The imbalance, for now, is financial. Time will tell if it gets personal. While the Leafs have spent the off-season attempting to address various weaknesses — adding to their depth on defence while addressing the lack of “grit and work ethic” acknowledged by team president Brendan Shanahan at last season’s end — they’ve also created the potential for a dressing-room divide. At the top of the food chain is a few star players who, if they don’t perform superbly, can be easily framed as greedy hogs who’ve commandeered the trough. Meanwhile, there’s a larger group of modestly paid but still important players who can make the case — as Mikheyev already has — that they have, unlike their highest-paid brethren, sacrificed for the cause. Count among that cadre veteran grit provider Wayne Simmonds, who signed on for a modest $1.5 million; Joe Thornton, the 41-year-old Hockey Hall of Famer in waiting who signed for the veteran minimum of $700,000; and Jason Spezza, another $700,000 lifer. Thornton and Spezza aren’t the only potentially key contributors who’ve jumped at the chance to play for the Leafs even though they will earn $1 million or less next season. The list also includes Zach Bogosian, Jimmy Vesey and KHL defenceman Mikko Lehtonen. Marner, a year after engaging in the hardest of hardball negotiations with the club that brought him a six-year deal worth an annual $10.893 million, sounded more than slightly tone deaf this week when he lauded the willingness of so many of the new arrivals to join the Leafs for relatively humble wages. more

(Edmonton, AB) - The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenceman Kris Russell to a one-year contract extension through the 2021-22 season worth an annual average value (AAV) of $1.25 million. Russell, 33, appeared in 55 games with the Oilers last season, posting 9 assists, 14 penalty minutes and an even plus/minus rating. He also played in four games in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.  The 5’10”, 170-pound blueliner has appeared in 846 career NHL games over 13 seasons with Columbus, St. Louis, Calgary, Dallas, and Edmonton, registering 236 points (46G, 190A), 259 penalty minutes and a -5 plus/minus rating. Russell has also recorded 20 points (3G, 17A), 24 penalty minutes and a -4 plus/minus rating in 53 career playoff games.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, “It’s a good young team,” Greiss said after signing with the Wings. “They have a very good future, and I trust Steve Yzerman that he is going to do a great job.” Greiss isn’t alone. The Wings signed five free agents — Greiss, forwards Vladislav Namestnikov and Bobby Ryan, and defensemen Jon Merrill and Troy Stecher, along with trading for defenseman Marc Staal — and there was a consensus among them about where the Red Wings are in their rebuild. Yes, the Wings have been through difficult times and still may not be a playoff team. But the base for a turnaround is there. And players are excited about expediting the turnaround and still view Detroit as an attractive option, in no small part because of Yzerman. “I want to be part of the rebuild, want to be part of the Red Wings,” said Namestnikov, who lives in Commerce in the off-season and has longstanding ties to the Wings’ organization. “I’m going to come in here and try to help the team as much as possible.” more

from Matt Larkin of The Hockey News, ...The client had begun his off-season program. Prentiss was putting him through the paces like it was any summer between seasons. Suddenly, the client stopped. “I just can’t get my head into this,” the client said. He had to walk away, mid-workout. His heart, body and mind weren’t in it. It was the bubble hangover. The client played for a team that made the NHL post-season tournament. He’d spent weeks and months training after the March-12 shutdown in hopes of peaking physically in time for the bubble. He trained inside the bubble. He played a rigorous schedule that commonly included three games in four nights and regular back-to-backs. Now he was embarking on an off-season workout plan with no confident understanding of whether the NHL would meet its planned return date of Jan. 1. And something just switched off. After a pattern of training, waiting, training, playing and training, then back to training…he wasn’t ready. Prentiss and his staff paused the program. The NHL just completed the first “bubble season” in its history. Doing so required unprecedented preparation for the athletes who competed inside. Once there, they endured unusual physical and mental strain during the tournament. Now that the athletes have left the bubble, they need a different timeline of recovery and workout-plan customization than in any other off-season. What has the experience been like from a training perspective for NHLers before, during and after the bubble? more

via Sportsnet's YouTube page, Sportsnet counts down the top 10 calls of Mike 'Doc' Emrick's legendary broadcasting career.  

from Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic, Here’s how much each team has changed this offseason, from highest value added to most value subtracted. Detroit Red Wings Wins Added: 5.9 wins Salary Added: $14.9 million In: Marc Staal, Thomas Greiss, Vladislav Namestnikov, Troy Stecher, Bobby Ryan, Jon Merrill Out: Jonathan Ericsson, Justin Abdelkader, Jimmy Howard, Trevor Daley, Madison Bowey, Christoffer Ehn The worst team in hockey has only one way to go next season: up. That’s especially true with the offseason they had. No, they didn’t sign any big names that moved the needle — but they did replace serious drags with actual NHL calibre talent. Every player on the way out was a negative value player last season, worth a combined minus-4.6 wins. That’s where most of the team’s added value comes from: addition by subtraction. Aside from Marc Staal, who is comparable in value to the players on the way out, everyone else is projected to bring positive value. It may be small, but at least it’s on the right side of the ledger and not actively hurting the team. It may not make sense for a bad team like Detroit to sign all these players, but it helps create a less toxic environment of losing. There’s a difference between playing at a 45-point pace and one closer to 70. It still sucks but it’s a lot less demoralizing. read on (paid subscription) for more teams... The Wings did rank #1 in this category.

from Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News, It appears the Sharks and six other teams that did not qualify for the NHL’s postseason earlier this year will be allowed to have extra time to train and practice together before the start of any main training camp. This summer, general managers from the seven teams asked the NHL if they could get an extended training camp — possibly as long as two weeks — before the start of the 2020-21 regular season. The GMs were seeking the same chance to skate the 24 other teams got during Phase 3 of the NHL’s Return to Play before the start of the postseason. In an email to this newspaper, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly wrote the league and the NHL Players’ Association have a general agreement on the structure of extra pre-camp workouts for those seven teams, but have not yet finalized any details. continued

The TSN Hockey Insiders discuss what the Blackhawks' planned rebuild means for veterans such as Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, whether there's been any progress on determining when the next NHL season will begin, if players salaries will be prorated next year in the event of a shortened season, and the Maple Leafs' plans to be salary cap compliant. Watch at TSN

from The Malik Report, New Red Wings forward Bobby Ryan spoke with DetroitRedWings.com’s Art Regner today on “The Word on Woodward.” The interview starts at the 1:20 mark and goes for about 15 minutes, and Ryan is surprisingly forthright and up-front regarding his career trajectory while speaking with Regner. Give it a watch if you’re able to do so: watch at TMR or below.

A message to Blackhawks fans. pic.twitter.com/7wBXrJPDQ1 — Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 20, 2020

from Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, “We have to spend money and we’re looking to spend money,” Francis said. That means contracts ordinarily considered “risky’’ or “bad’’ because of high salary won’t necessarily generate such fears for the Kraken. “It’s certainly one possibility that you could take on what some teams determine to be bad contracts,” Francis said. “But that’s not necessarily the case.” Francis said the Kraken still must spend “wisely” to avoid backloading too much salary for years they’ll need cap space to pay young entry draft picks and other prospects. They have ample space now, but that can quickly evaporate if Francis behaves like the kid in the proverbial candy store armed with Bonderman’s credit card. “Certainly, in today’s world, cap space is extremely valuable, so we’ve got to be careful as we build things.” Nevertheless, the NHL freezing its cap this coming season means teams previously expecting more room are scrambling to fit players within tighter confines. Which leaves the Kraken sitting pretty; the only team with 100% cap space available. “We were looking at that $85 million, $86 million cap when we started,” Francis said. “So, there are some teams in that situation where the cap staying flat kind of affects their planning and they may have to do different things.” more

There are still some notable names on the board as the NHL's free agent signing period goes into its third week. With over 60 names taken off the Top 100 compiled by TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Frank Seravalli, Mike Hoffman is still the top free agent available. Hoffman scored 29 goals and added 30 assists in 69 games last season. His cap hit for 2019-20 was $5,187,500. Erik Haula, Hoffman's teammate from last season is ranked second on the list. Veteran forward Corey Perry comes in an third. continue for the Top 37 list...

Luke Fox of Sportsnet takes a look at the top RFAs... 8. Tyler Bertuzzi Age: 25 Position: Left wing 2019-20 salary cap hit: $1.4 million Arbitration rights: Yes — and filed Bargaining chips: Made first All-Star Game appearance. Back-to-back 21-goal, 47-point seasons. Skates nearly 20 minutes a night. Organization has invested seven years developing him into a first-line threat. The latest: One of the few bright spots on a sad-sack Red Wings, Bertuzzi has over-delivered on his two-year, $2.8-million bridge pact signed back in 2018 and deserves a nice pay bump. Of the three pending RFA forwards GM Steve Yzerman still must make decisions on, Bertuzzi is the most essential. Yzerman has been busy rebuilding his roster through smart, low-risk UFA signings, while clearing out veterans through buyout (Justin Abdelkader) or simply letting them walk (Jimmy Howard, Trevor Daley, Jonathan Ericsson). Bertuzzi has 30-goal potential, brings grit to his game, and should be seen as a building block for a rebuild that needs as many as it can get. Negotiations with Yzerman have begun as the sides try to work out a deal prior to arbitration Oct. 25. more players, including Anthony Mantha at #11...

from Corey Pronman of The Athletic, ...this updated version of the 2020-21 organizational rankings includes all players from the 2016 to 2020 NHL drafts who were first-year eligible at their draft. In addition to ranking all the organizations from 1 to 31 based on this group of players, I’ve updated the ranking for each team’s players who are projected as legit NHLers or better. 13. Detroit Red Wings Pre-draft org ranking: No. 18 2020 NHL Draft grade: A- Things are getting better in Detroit. There’s still a lot of work to do given the Red Wings won 17 games last season. In terms of young players, they still need a lot more, particularly of the top of the lineup variety, but things are moving in the right direction. Their No. 4 pick Lucas Raymond has the potential to be one of the keys to ending the tough times. 1. Lucas Raymond, LW 2. Moritz Seider, D 3. Filip Hronek, D 4. Filip Zadina, RW 5. Joe Veleno, C 6. Jared McIsaac, D 7. Michael Rasmussen, C 8. William Wallinder, D 9. Dennis Cholowski, D 10. Jonatan Berggren, RW the other ($$$) teams