The past week in the hockey world was highlighted by a move that virtually no one saw coming. Here are five key stories from the week that was.
1) Panthers Fire Gerard Gallant, Name Tom Rowe Interim Coach: While this is usually the time of year where a team or two decides to change head coaches, no one was expecting Florida to be the one to do so first. That is indeed what happened as the Panthers fired Gallant, with Rowe, their general manager taking over for the remainder of the season on an interim basis. The change was met with widespread criticism throughout the league as many felt that Florida was too quick to fire Gallant, especially given that they have been without Jonathan Huberdeau for the entire season. Given that Rowe and team ownership are heavily invested in analytics, this will surely further fuel the debate between the old and new school philosophies.
2) NHLPA Rejects ‘Olympics for CBA Extension’ Offer: As expected, the NHL Players’ Association formally rejected the owners’ proposal to guarantee Olympic participation on 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea in exchange for the players agreeing to waive their right to opt-out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. The owners haven’t been particularly enthused about the prospect of shutting down the league for two weeks midseason without any compensation and have been taking the public stance that the odds of them agreeing to go are lower than they were before. It’s believed the NHL has until next month to make a decision on participation so this is far from the end that we’ll hear about this topic.
3) Maple Leafs Hold Peter Holland Back From Road Trip: It’s quite common for players on an active roster to be shopped around on the trade market but it’s much more rare when a team takes the step of telling the player to stay home while they continue to try to trade him. That’s what has happened in Toronto, as the team told Holland to not accompany them on their Western road trip. Holland, who cleared waivers in the offseason prior to his arbitration hearing, has played a sparing role this year, suiting up in just eight games so far this season. GM Lou Lamoriello has acknowledged that Holland’s future with the team is limited and that they will continue to try to move him. If they remain unsuccessful there, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him on waivers in the not-too-distant future.
4) NHL Planning An Exhibition Game In China: In recent years, it has been suggested that the league would like to get back to playing exhibition games overseas, something that was common in the years leading up to the last lockout. While they have played in many different countries over that time, China hasn’t been one of them but there are plans to change that as the league is planning to play a preseason game in China next season. The last time games were played across the pond was back in 2011 with matchups in six countries including Germany, Slovakia, and Finland.
5) Predators Claim Reid Boucher Off Waivers: With Taylor Hall returning from injury, the New Jersey Devils needed to make a roster move to open a spot for their top forward to come back. They decided to place Reid Boucher on waivers and one day later, Nashville claimed the 23 year old. Boucher is only a year removed from collecting 19 points in 39 games and should provide the Predators with some serviceable forward depth while they deal with injuries to James Neal and Colton Sissons.
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