2021-2022 NHL Regular Season Thread

[Troy McClure]

The Stars can’t throw in the towel with six weeks left in the season. Not with games still to market and season ticket renewals going out.

[B Kat]

“I think going into this, I’m looking at it like we could make the playoffs, we could miss the playoffs,’’ Verbeek said. “At the end of the day, there’s no guarantee I can get those three free agents back. I’m going to attempt to sign them, if it doesn’t happen, I just can’t let them walk out the door free.’’

That’s as clear as it gets. Either Lindholm, Manson and Rakell are signed to extensions before the deadline or they’re getting dealt for assets.

Link
Exactly what teams who aren't going to do anything in the playoffs should do.

Easy to say from an arm chair. There are a lot of playoff possibilities in the west for a lot of teams. With COVID and the lack of game income, even one round of the playoffs is tempting.

But he’s right. Quite right. And it will be interesting to see what he will do.

[Math]

I think you can do both: still fight for a playoff spot and try to shop some of the upcoming UFA. Radulov is a dead weight but I don't think he's tradeable, he'll walk away. Kligberg, I still think he should be moved prior to be trade deadline, we are gonna lose him anyway.

Bottom line, if the Stars sneak into the playoffs, it's one more year of Bowness.

[ScubaSteve]

I think if there’s another global emergency that requires all playoff teams to be imprisoned for the duration of the playoffs and 14 of the 16 teams are trying to escape as quickly as possible, then the Stars have a chance of going on a run.

[The Frugal Gourmet]

Also if several of our players go back to being good.

[Jason]

[Knives Out]

Since the Robo nickname is already taken, they are calling him Robbie.

[Knives Out]

Eric, Jordan, and Marc Staal become the first trio of brothers to each play 1000 NHL games.

[Troy McClure]

I would have guessed the Sutters did, but only two made it to 1,000.

[Knives Out]

Auston Matthews suspended two games for crosschecking Rasmus Dahlin (nice), so he won't be in the line-up vs Dallas (double nice).

[B Kat]

So Baby Robbie was scratched for the Heritage Classic, and his status for next game is unclear. With Matthews out, he has a better chance of being in the line up. Triple nice.

Also, here we are at the trade deadline week, awfully quiet so far.

[B Kat]

Also, also. I’ve been wondering if NHL games are being “restricted” in Russia b/c if not they will see a lot of Ukraine love.

[Math]

So the Coyotes have the best offense of the league in March so far and have won 11 of their last 17.

[slaps]

That seems like a bad strategy in terms of Shane Wright.

[slaps]

The Coyotes are such a joke. I cannot fathom in a league that is hyper-sensitive to being mocked or viewed beneath the NFL / NBA why they continue to be so stubborn about the Coyotes. I guess Bettman's pride is less hurt by being a pro sports joke than being wrong about hockey in Arizona.

https://theathletic.com/3187030/2022/03 ... n-arizona/

Once the Coyotes arrive home in the desert, they’ll face some logistical and scheduling challenges.

The Ice Den in Scottsdale, which is slated to replace the Gila River Arena as the team’s full-time practice facility, is a standard community rink with three ice surfaces and little by way of NHL-caliber bells and whistles. As of now, the Coyotes are trying to renovate office space nearby that can be converted into amenities for players to work out, shower, change and seek medical therapy. Trailers have been discussed as a temporary solution. For shuttling to and from the Ice Den rink, which is separated by about a 100- to 150-yard walk, one option being explored is a rubberized mat that allows players to cross the parking lot in full gear and skate guards. Golf carts could also be used.

As for games, an NHL team sharing a facility with a college one will make for scheduling challenges. The Sun Devils get priority when it comes to dates, and considering the configuration of the typical college hockey schedule, this will likely mean fewer home weekend games for the Coyotes. Though the two programs will coordinate so as to minimize overlap, it’s not unreasonable to foresee a scenario in which world-class NHL players are playing second fiddle to a group of college skaters.

One of the more headline-grabbing details of the Coyotes plan was NHL commissioner Gary Bettman claiming that the Coyotes could potentially generate more revenue at ASU as compared to Gila River Arena.

Is that possible?

“That’s hilarious, if you actually know the business,” one front office executive texted soon after Bettman made that claim.

Another executive wondered how many other models the league ran before coming to the one that Bettman cited.

According to a league source, the average NHL team makes $2.3 million in fan-driven revenue (tickets, parking, food and beverage, merchandise sales) per game. The Coyotes, in Glendale, make less than $900,000, a number they’ll likely struggle to reach at ASU.

Chris Hartweg is the CEO and publisher of Team Marketing Report, which studies fan cost indexes and revenue through its Fan Cost Index (FCI). He said there is, in theory, a model that would generate more revenue per game, but it requires some creative accounting and pushing more costs on to fans.

[Knives Out]

From last night's game. Hehehe.

[Troy McClure]

Vegas is boned.

[ToddM]

At least they still have Fleu--oh, right, they ran him out of town for no reason.

[ScubaSteve]

That’s what you get for not signing 7 goalies

[Troy McClure]

At least they still have Fleu--oh, right, they ran him out of town for no reason.

They ran him out of town because of cap space.

[ToddM]

Weren't they dicks about it tho? I'm foggy on the details.

[Troy McClure]

Weren't they dicks about it tho? I'm foggy on the details.

He claims the owner rode with him in an elevator once and promised Fluery would retiree with Vegas. So it created some bad feelings when they decided to send him away.

[Knives Out]

From last night's game. Hehehe.

[Troy McClure]

Holy crap. Talk about commitment to the bit.

[ScubaSteve]

The Coyotes are such a joke. I cannot fathom in a league that is hyper-sensitive to being mocked or viewed beneath the NFL / NBA why they continue to be so stubborn about the Coyotes. I guess Bettman's pride is less hurt by being a pro sports joke than being wrong about hockey in Arizona.

https://theathletic.com/3187030/2022/03 ... n-arizona/

I wonder how Klingberg is going to like riding a golf cart from his trailer locker room across the 120 degree parking lot to get to practice

[Troy McClure]

Maybe it's time to start asking if there's a Jack Eichel curse.

[Troy McClure]

Huh. Ok.

[ScubaSteve]

So apparently Ottawa traded a player to Vegas, and the player had Vegas on their no trade list, but Ottawa claims they didn’t receive the player’s no trade list on time. Now they have to untangle all this and probably reverse the trade

[The Frugal Gourmet]

good

[Knives Out]

So apparently Ottawa traded a player to Vegas, and the player had Vegas on their no trade list, but Ottawa claims they didn’t receive the player’s no trade list on time. Now they have to untangle all this and probably reverse the trade

It's even dumber than that: When Ottawa traded Dadanov to Vegas they apparently forget to tell them about his M-NTC, so when Vegas traded him to Anaheim, that team was apparently on his no trade list LOL. The trade is going to be voided.