We’ve already seen some big news early this week with the announcement today that Lindy Ruff would not be back behind the bench for the Stars next season. It figures to be a busy week in that regard but before we look forward, let’s take a look back at some of the top stories from the week that was.
1) NHL Will Not Participate In 2018 Olympics – Although Commissioner Gary Bettman was adamant in the past that the NHL was not likely to go to the 2018 Olympics in South Korea, the official announcement that they wouldn’t be participating caught many by surprise while upsetting many fans and players. The league was expecting the NHLPA to provide some sort of concession, including potentially extending the CBA, to make shutting the league down for more than two weeks more of a palatable option for them. While some players (most notably Washington’s Alex Ovechkin) are vowing to go regardless, the league is expected to issue some sort of league-wide ruling that would either govern or, perhaps more likely, prevent individual players from choosing to go even if they have permission to do from their team owner.
2) Penguins Lose Letang For Four-To-Six Months – Instead of getting top blueliner Kris Letang back for the postseason, Pittsburgh will not only be without him for the duration of this year but perhaps the start of next season as well. Letang was diagnosed with a herniated disc in his neck, one that requires surgery and will have him on the shelf for the next four-to-six months. All of a sudden, it looks like the Penguins will be going back to a defense-by-committee setup for the playoffs, making the late acquisitions of Mark Streit and Ron Hainsey even that much more important. The 29 year old Letang finishes the year with 34 points (5-29-34) in 41 games.
3) Okposo Hospitalized – Sabres right winger Kyle Okposo has been out of the lineup since March 27th with an undisclosed illness. It turns out it was a serious one as it was revealed that he had been hospitalized and spent time in a neurological intensive care unit. Fortunately, there was some positive news on Friday as it was reported that he has been discharged after showing signs of improvement. The exact nature of what Okposo is battling remains undisclosed.
4) Sobotka Terminates KHL Deal, Signs Extension With Blues – Although center Vladimir Sobotka was unable to join St. Louis at the beginning of the year, he will be with the team for the postseason after he terminated his KHL deal. The team didn’t want him to fulfill his arbitration-awarded contract by playing just a handful of games this season though so they agreed to terms on a three year, $10.5MM extension that kicks in next year. He has a career 56.3% success rate at the faceoff dot in the NHL and should give the Blues another reliable option for their bottom six.
5) MacArthur Returns – After being ruled out for the season back in January, Senators left winger Clarke MacArthur surprised many by getting the green light to return to the lineup on Tuesday. MacArthur has dealt with four separate concussions over the last 18 months and there is some concern that he may be returning too early. The 32 year old has suited up in three games for Ottawa this week and logged over 16 minutes of ice time on Saturday against the Rangers. If he can stay healthy, he could provide the Sens with some critical secondary scoring in the postseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.