NHL Thread Because There Isn't An NHL Thread

Jonathan Y said:
If I'm wrong here my bad, but I'm pretty sure he beat the recovery deadline on his surgery to be ready for the playoffs
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Right... the controversy around the league is whether he was ready to play earlier. Either way, it's hard to prove because it's up to doctors and the player to decide if they're ready. But if he was cleared, the team would have been well over the cap and in trouble.

It's not about the amount over the cap because Toronto was just as far over by the playoffs because of injuries and they also did some trade gymnastics to have other teams gobble up cap space. Montreal is pretty far over too because the injury bug hit late in the year.
 
Jonathan Y said:
I'm all about public health safety and don't really know the vaccine rates 4r friendly neighbors up north but we were very dominant in the Stanley Cup last year with no fans in attendance I really feel like it was a disservice to the team to not allow more fans in the arena
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Yeah, it would have been nice for sure. It's complicated but they couldn't just make the exception. If they allowed more fans, all similar venues would have also had to be given the same permission to increase capacity. We're just not quite there yet with full vaccination and delta lurking (but probably only a few weeks away from what the health authorities want, which is too bad). If only the game could have been played outdoors.
 
Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin refuted speculation Saturday that contract negotiations with star forward Kirill Kaprizov have stalled.

"We've never cut off (contract) talks," Guerin said, per NHL.com's Jessi Pierce. "It's not like we're talking every day, but there's nothing that's been cut off or dried up or anything like that. It's just an ongoing process.

"Sometimes it takes three days. Sometimes it takes three months. ... But we have plans to talk next week. It has not gone cold, contrary to what some people have reported."


Guerin added: "We have plans to really get going."

Kaprizov is an impending restricted free agent. He's not eligible for an offer sheet as he's only played one NHL campaign.

Minnesota drafted Kaprizov 135th overall in 2015, but he spent the following five seasons in the KHL before coming to North America. Kaprizov claimed the Calder Trophy this past campaign after leading all freshmen in goals (27) and points (51).

The Wild have just over $16 million in cap space this offseason, according to CapFriendly, after they inked Joel Eriksson Ek to an eight-year, $42-million contract Friday. In addition to Kaprizov, Minnesota also plans to sign another impending RFA forward in Kevin Fiala.
 
Seattle Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke says general manager Ron Francis has the green light to spend in the organization's inaugural season.

"Our GM has lots of options," Leiweke told The Athletic's Ryan Clark. "What owners want is for our GM to build a long-term winner. He’s gotta figure out how to do that. If that strategy involves us going to cap in Year 1, he has the authority to do it.

"I think that is one of the reasons we are all optimistic. We have this fan base. We have this arena. We have the Kraken Community Iceplex and owners willing to give Ron resources. Our hope that is we are going to reward these fans, who have been incredible, with a competitive team for years to come."


Seattle's expansion draft is scheduled for July 21 and follows the same rules the Vegas Golden Knights adhered to in 2017. It will be difficult to spend anywhere near the NHL's $81.5 million limit while simply taking exposed players, but the club could take advantage of teams facing salary cap issues by manufacturing side trades for stronger assets like Vegas did.

The Kraken have signed just one player, minor-leaguer Luke Henman, since officially becoming the league's 32nd franchise. The franchise recently hired Dave Hakstol as its first head coach.
 
Hollywood said:
Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin refuted speculation Saturday that contract negotiations with star forward Kirill Kaprizov have stalled.

"We've never cut off (contract) talks," Guerin said, per NHL.com's Jessi Pierce. "It's not like we're talking every day, but there's nothing that's been cut off or dried up or anything like that. It's just an ongoing process.

"Sometimes it takes three days. Sometimes it takes three months. ... But we have plans to talk next week. It has not gone cold, contrary to what some people have reported."


Guerin added: "We have plans to really get going."

Kaprizov is an impending restricted free agent. He's not eligible for an offer sheet as he's only played one NHL campaign.

Minnesota drafted Kaprizov 135th overall in 2015, but he spent the following five seasons in the KHL before coming to North America. Kaprizov claimed the Calder Trophy this past campaign after leading all freshmen in goals (27) and points (51).

The Wild have just over $16 million in cap space this offseason, according to CapFriendly, after they inked Joel Eriksson Ek to an eight-year, $42-million contract Friday. In addition to Kaprizov, Minnesota also plans to sign another impending RFA forward in Kevin Fiala.
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Kevin Fiala - isn't that the guy that eats babies?
 
Mikhail Grigorenko is going back to Russia.

The forward signed a three-year contract with the KHL's CSKA Moscow on Saturday. He returns to the club with which he played three seasons from 2017 to 2020.

Grigorenko collected four goals and eight assists in 32 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2021. He was a pending unrestricted free agent.


The 27-year-old had his most productive seasons during his previous stint with CSKA. He tallied 19 goals and 22 assists over 47 games in 2019-20. That followed a 17-goal, 35-assist effort across 55 contests the previous campaign.

Grigorenko helped the KHL squad win the Gagarin Cup as league champions in 2018-19, adding 13 goals and eight assists in 20 playoff games. He also helped the team reach the final in 2017-18, notching nine goals and four assists in 21 postseason contests.

The Buffalo Sabres drafted Grigorenko 12th overall in 2012. He played for the Sabres until 2015, when they traded him to the Colorado Avalanche. Grigorenko played with Colorado for two seasons before joining CSKA for his first KHL stint.
 
That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said she wants the Lightning to win the Stanley Cup on home ice, even if it means losing Game 4 to the Montreal Canadiens on the road.


"What we would like is for the Lightning to take it a little bit easy, to give the Canadiens just the smallest break, allow them to win one at home, and then bring it back to Amalie Arena for the final and the winning of the Stanley Cup," Castor said.

"We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but (the Lightning) are playing some amazing hockey," the mayor added.


The Lightning lead the series 3-0 and can win the Cup on Monday in Montreal. If necessary, Game 5 would be in Tampa, with a potential Game 6 in Quebec and the final contest back in Florida.

Relatives of Lightning personnel aren't allowed to enter Canada in time for a potential celebration if Tampa wins Game 4.

Last season, the Lightning claimed the Cup in the Edmonton bubble with only their Canadian relatives present. However, the team later held a championship celebration upon returning to Tampa.
 
Hollywood said:
That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said she wants the Lightning to win the Stanley Cup on home ice, even if it means losing Game 4 to the Montreal Canadiens on the road.


"What we would like is for the Lightning to take it a little bit easy, to give the Canadiens just the smallest break, allow them to win one at home, and then bring it back to Amalie Arena for the final and the winning of the Stanley Cup," Castor said.

"We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but (the Lightning) are playing some amazing hockey," the mayor added.


The Lightning lead the series 3-0 and can win the Cup on Monday in Montreal. If necessary, Game 5 would be in Tampa, with a potential Game 6 in Quebec and the final contest back in Florida.

Relatives of Lightning personnel aren't allowed to enter Canada in time for a potential celebration if Tampa wins Game 4.

Last season, the Lightning claimed the Cup in the Edmonton bubble with only their Canadian relatives present. However, the team later held a championship celebration upon returning to Tampa.
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Cocky much? Sure, "let" the Habs win a game. Maybe the Habs can win game 5 too, then maybe Tampa can throw game 6 as well since it's in Montreal? Sounds like a plan.
 
The Montreal Canadiens are pulling out all the stops for their do-or-die Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.

Head coach Dominique Ducharme announced pivot Jesperi Kotkaniemi will be scratched in favor of Jake Evans, according to Joshua Clipperton of The Canadian Press. Additionally, Alexander Romanov and Brett Kulak will draw in on defense for Erik Gustafsson and Jon Merrill.

The Canadiens are also promoting Tyler Toffoli to the top line and bumping up Josh Anderson to the second line. Here's the projected lineup:



Kotkaniemi, the 2018 third overall pick, has recorded five goals and three assists in 19 games this postseason. However, he's scored just once in his last 12 contests.

"It's nothing against (Kotkaniemi) or anything else, but we have depth and we have options," Ducharme said, according to TSN's John Lu.

"Again, it's not punishment ... sometimes as a hockey player you face these moments," Ducharme added. "He's a good team guy and understands the situation even though nobody wants to sit."

Evans morphed into a lineup fixture until suffering a concussion on a hit by Mark Scheifele during Round 2. He's skated in just one game since then.

Meanwhile, Romanov and Kulak have skated in two and 11 games, respectively, in these playoffs.
 
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