“AND as the first pick in the 2017 Expansion Draft, the Vegas Golden Knights select PLACEHOLDER.”
Last week’s unveiling of the NHL’s 31st franchise’s name and logo replete with technical malfunctions was almost charming in an amateur-hour type of way. But at least we saw it unfold, which is maybe the problem.
Because, you see, while this fiasco of a celebration of colors and shield was presented live on every one of your screens, the expansion draft itself will be conducted behind closed doors on June 20, the results of which won’t be announced until the following day. That leaves 24 hours for every selected player’s name to be leaked in haphazard fashion.
Come to think of it, VGKGMGM (The acronym by which Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee will be known) might make his picks with the doors open, for all any one will know. What, the league (or maybe the NHLPA) doesn’t want the order of selection made public, for fear the last pick will be insulted?
A one-team expansion draft may not make for great theater but it is, you know, news. And as such, and of course, the selections should be revealed in real time, even if pretty much every single one of them selected by VGKGMGM will indeed be a placeholder.
Regarding private, public events: Why is the Hall of Fame induction ceremony exclusively a friends-and-family affair rather than an inclusive celebration of the sport that would feature all living Hall of Famers on stage and fans in the audience, just the way baseball does it in Cooperstown?
Other than these outdoor games that the NHL stages so brilliantly — even as they are losing their impact on a national level while remaining local market blockbusters — it never ceases to amaze on just how small a scale the NHL thinks and operates.
Add Rick Nash to the list of players including Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Henrik Lundqvist who must be protected in the expansion draft because of the wording of his no-move/partial no-trade clause as per a league memo first reported by SportsNet.
Thus, the projected seven forwards (assuming the current roster) project as: Nash, J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello and Mika Zibanejad. That would leave Michael Grabner, J esper Fast, Oscar Lindberg, Brandon Pirri, Josh Jooris and Matt Puempel eligible for claim. Jimmy Vesey and P avel Buchnevich are exempt as first-year pros.
On defense, the list would be made up of Girardi, Staal and Ryan McDonagh, thus exposing Kevin Klein, Nick Holden and Adam Clendening to claim, with Brad Skjei exempt. Goaltender Antti Raanta would be available.
A couple of weeks ago, Blueshirts general manager Jeff Gorton told Slap Shots that protection considerations had not been a significant topic when discussing potential personnel moves with his league counterparts.
“Much less than you would think,” Gorton said. “It’s out there, everyone is aware of it, every team is going to lose one player, but I haven’t found it to be much of an issue.
“I would think that it would become more significant later in the year, but I don’t know that it will have a dramatic effect on what teams are going to try to do, even at the deadline.”
Maybe the newest Ranger, Puempel, is just the guy to pump life into jersey No. 12, worn by a gallery of rogues since Don Maloney was forced to relinquish his Blueshirt the day after Christmas in 1988.
The Top 12, 12’s post-Maloney: 1. Eddie Olczyk; 2. Kris King; 3. Fast (who not surprisingly became a better player after switching to No. 19); 4. Lee Stempniak; 5. Olli Jokinen (still skating circles in the corner in Philadelphia); 6. Eric Staal; 7. Puempel (who received a first-place vote cast by Guy Boucher, or maybe Kate Upton); 8. Tim Kerr; 9. Ales Kotalik; 10. Bob Errey; 11. Rich Brennan. 12. Alain Daigle. Mention: Dixon Ward and Patrick Rissmiller. Dishonorable Mention: Mike Keane (who came for the money and only the money, left his “lucky jacket” behind and concussed teammate Pat LaFontaine in a center-ice collision that ended his career).
In their last six games, the 30th-overall Islanders — yes, 30th overall — have allowed tie-breaking, game-losing goals at 19:37 and 17:07 of the third period while allowing a tying goal at 19:46 of the third period preceding an overtime defeat.
But move along, nothing to see here, the third goalie needs half a net.
Explain again why the black-and-white, puck-into-the-stands-delay of game call is not subject to video review?
And this, too: Why league general managers, and apparently the commissioner himself, are concerned that coaches could use a short warmup period for relief goaltenders entering games under NHL concussion spotter’s orders as a delaying tactic?
To repeat: When this scenario would only occur under the NHL concussion spotter’s orders?
Thanksgiving snapshot. Shock of the Season: 1. That John Tortorella would be the first-quarter leader for the Adams as coach of the year. 2. That 59 players entered Saturday with more goals than Patrick Kane, who had six; 3. Those 12 goals in 22 games for Grabner, who hasn’t scored more than a dozen in a season since 2013-14.