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Dylan McIlrath Suspended Two Preseason And Two Regular Season Games

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Whatever Ridly Greig is having, Dylan McIlrath will take double. After the rookie forward was suspended one preseason game and one regular season game earlier today for a cross-check in the Ottawa Senators’ preseason game last night, the veteran defenseman has now been handed a pair of each for his own illegal check in the Washington Capitals’ preseason game yesterday. McIlrath knocked Boston Bruins forward (and former Hartford Wolfpack teammate) Steven Fogarty out of the game with a dangerous high hit. McIlrath left the game as well after receiving a match penalty, but that was not the end of his discipline. The league took notice and did not hesitate to respond with a considerable suspension:

After (Fogarty) moves the puck, McIlrath finishes a high, forceful check that cuts across the front of Fogarty’s core, missing the shoulder and making his head the main point of contact on a hit where such head contact was avoidable. This is an illegal check to the head… McIlrath’s shoulder makes clear, forceful contact through Fogarty’s head and the head absorbs the brunt of the impact of the check. Further, the head contact on this play is avoidable. While we recognize that Fogarty does initially lower himself slightly to make a play on the puck, that movement does not happen immediately prior to or simultaneous with the hit in a way that significantly contributes to the head contact. At issue on this play rather is McIlrath’s angle of approach. While hits from the side are not illegal, they are difficult to execute legally and on this play McIlrath chooses an angle that cuts across the front of his opponent, making the head the main point of contact.

Though McIlrath is known for his physical play, the Department of Player Safety did note that he has no history of league discipline, with no suspensions or fines in 66 career NHL games. What they did take into account however is that Fogarty did suffer an injury on the play. The Bruins’ off-season addition had to be helped off the ice and did not return. As a result, not only did McIlrath commit an illegal and dangerous check, but he in fact succeeded in causing harm to his opponent.

Like Greig, it is unclear when McIlrath will actually be able to serve his regular suspension. The 29-year-old has been a frequent depth call-up over the past few years, but did not see any action at the top level last season with the Detroit Red Wings. He is far from guaranteed a spot with the Capitals to begin the year. Also like Greig, the preseason suspension further hurts McIlrath’s chances of making the opening night roster as he will miss out on at least one preseason contest that he was likely to play in, giving Washington one less opportunity to evaluate their free agent addition. McIlrath’s regular season suspension also damages his value as a replacement player, as he cannot be an emergency recall for the Caps until he has first spent two games on the active roster to burn his suspension. This incident certainly doesn’t help McIlrath’s chances with his new team, but then again he is still in a better situation than Fogarty hence the substantial retribution from the league.

NHL Announces Stricter Enforcement For Cross-Checking

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For months now, there has been reporting indicating that the league was going to put a new focus on cross-checking this season, penalizing it more strictly. Today, the league even released a video announcing its new, stricter enforcement guidelines, giving examples of the kind of plays that will now be expected to draw penalties. Examples along the boards, in front of the net and in open ice on the rush are shown. Though the league is clear this is not a rule change, it is a change to the interpretation of rule 59 which currently reads:

Cross-checking: The action of using the shaft of the stick between the two hands to forcefully check an opponent.

The wording is not being changed, but the video explains that it is a judgment call made by an official that will be done differently this season.

Although not a change to the rule, beginning in the 2021-22 season, there will be a stricter enforcement of rule 59. 

Officials may allow players to use the shaft of the stick to guide or push an opponent without assessing a penalty. However, if the guiding or pushing is judged to be excessive, an interference penalty may be assessed. 

Players and coaches alike have long cried out for change to the cross-checking enforcement, given the punishment that has been allowed in front of the net. If this rule is truly enforced differently this upcoming season, there may be a significant change to the way players defend, especially on the penalty kill. As with any judgment call though, it remains to be seen how strictly the officials actually call these listed offenses.

Yanni Gourde Could Return Ahead Of Schedule For Seattle Kraken

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The Seattle Kraken could be getting a top-six fixture back in the lineup earlier than expected. General manager Ron Francis reported in his press conference today, on the opening day of training camp for the team, that Gourde’s recovery from injury was progressing “ahead of schedule,” meaning he could be back in the lineup earlier than the previously projected early-December return.

Gourde was Seattle’s selection from the Tampa Bay Lightning in this year’s expansion draft, and he was immediately expected to take on an increased role in Seattle. Serving as arguably the best third-line center in the league behind Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli, Gourde brings a hard-working, solid two-way game with 50-60 point upside. Widely projected as the team’s no. 1 or no. 2 center, it was revealed just days after the draft that Gourde would miss the first two months of the season after having shoulder surgery.

It should be noted that Gourde was indeed at Seattle’s first day of training camp today, albeit in a red non-contact jersey.

The 29-year-old (soon to be 30) Gourde is among one of the best undrafted talents in the NHL. He’s brought home the Stanley Cup in two of his four full NHL seasons, all with Tampa Bay. His rookie campaign in 2017-18 saw him elevated into a top-six role due to injury, and he didn’t disappoint. Despite being 26 years old at the time, his 25 goals and 64 points in 82 games was good enough to earn him some Calder votes, finishing sixth overall in voting for the trophy.

Seattle hopes that a healthy Gourde in a top-six role this season can offer similar production.

NHL Teams Facing Decreased Daily Cap Expenses In 2021-22

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While the general sentiment surrounding the NHL’s return to the Olympics at the 2022 Winter Games is excitement, it isn’t without its downsides. The momentum of the regular season will be halted, participating players will face injury and COVID-19 risks, and non-participating players growing cold over the 19-day break. One additional issue is the extended timeline for the regular season and the impact it has on salary cap expenditures. As noted by cap resource PuckPedia, the length of the 2021-22 regular season is expected to be 200 days whereas the typical season is about 186 days. Those extra 14 or so days decrease the value of daily cap hits, making it more difficult for teams to accrue cap space over the course of the regular season. In yet another flat cap year, this could pose problems for some teams close to the cap ceiling.

While the salary cap and individuals salaries are often viewed in a season-long, overarching fashion, cap maintenance is in fact a series of daily calculations. The cap is tolled each day by the salaries on the active roster as a value of each cap number divided by the total days in the season. As a result, in a longer season each daily cap expense is worth less than in a normal year. Where this comes into play is with cap-driven demotions. Each year there are a number of teams who are close to the cap limit that open up additional space by removing salary from the active roster in the form of reassigning players who are exempt from waivers or have otherwise cleared waivers to the AHL. These can just be off-day paper transactions, extended demotions during homestands, or sometimes waiving and burying larger salaries in the minors. However, during a longer season these maneuvers are less effective as the daily gain from demoting a player will be lower.

Daily salary cap calculations only matter to those teams with salary cap space, so the nine teams currently expected to begin the season using Long-Term Injured Reserve are not as worried about this predicament. Daily tolling also impacts teams with ample cap space far less and there are currently a dozen teams who sit $7MM or more below the cap ceiling with at least nine or ten expected to stay in that range. However, for the Maple Leafs, Flames, Penguins, Flyers, Capitals, Bruins, Panthers, Blues, Avalanche, Kings, Canucks, and Wild, this lesser daily cap expenditure is not irrelevant. A team like Toronto, which is in fact currently over the salary cap limit with a projected roster than includes only one waiver-exempt player in defenseman Rasmus Sandin, will have possibly their only source of additional cap relief diminished. The Pittsburgh Penguins, who currently have just $122K in cap space with a projected roster than contains only the minimum contract of Radim Zohorna as waiver-exempt, are in the same boat.

Fortunately, PuckPedia points out that the same source of cap distress could also provide relief. During the Olympic break, teams with the ability to safely demote players will almost certainly do so. Those 19 days not counting against the cap will help to offset the reduced daily hit over the rest of the season. It could also allow those players to stay fresh with AHL action during that time.

Latest On Evander Kane Investigation

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Even in the midst of a career year in terms of per-game scoring, Evander Kane’s 2020-21 campaign was dominated by off-ice issues. A bankruptcy filing and its ongoing proceeding, whispers of locker room discord, a divorce playing out in the public eye, and finally allegations that he bet on hockey has made Kane the most infamous name in the NHL right now. And unfortunately all of that noise may not be going away this season. A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports reports that the NHL’s investigation into Kane has stalled and a decision may not be possible before the San Jose Sharks open training camp, if Kane was going to be invited anyhow.

Kane’s estranged wife, who initially made the allegations that her husband had gambled on his own games, has been uncooperative with the NHL’s outside investigators. Anna Kane has been unavailable for interview, making it impossible for the investigation that centers around her claims to continue. The NHL will not wait around forever, but need to do their due diligence when it comes to something as serious as a player betting on his own contests and impacting the integrity of the game. While Kane had previously stated that these allegations were not true and a ploy by his wife to ruin his career – a claim that gains validity the longer she avoids the investigation – the NHL will be hesitant to take Kane at his word without any corroborating evidence.

Perez does note that the NHL analyzed betting trends for Sharks games this past season and found no abnormalities. While this does not eliminate the possibility that Kane was betting on his games, or even on other NHL action, it could be all that the league can lean on if not other information has been discovered and Kane’s wife will not comply with the investigation.

Meanwhile, the Sharks have to decide how to deal with the situation, both if Kane is still under investigation when training camp begins or, even more intriguing, if he has been cleared. If the NHL rules that Kane did not bet on hockey, it doesn’t totally wipe the slate clean. He is still in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings related to gambling debts and has had other ugly allegations made against him by his wife (and vice-versa). All of this has certainly contributed to the numerous reports that there are many in the Sharks locker room who are unhappy with Kane’s presence and the organization’s continued support of the polarizing player. While none of his other off-ice issues beyond the NHL’s investigation will keep him from playing, there is serious question as to whether it will be in San Jose. Even at the top of his game, Kane likely lacks much if any value on the trade market right now, but the Sharks may need to do whatever they can to move on. A stalled investigation will make it near impossible to do that though.

Bruins Notes: Rask, Clifton, Bychkov

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The NHL is officially going to the Olympics. So what does that mean for the NHL’s top unsigned free agent? Tuukka Rask has made it clear that he will only play for the Boston Bruins (and his teammates expect just that later this season), but the star goalie has said nothing about the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The Olympic break will take place from February 3-22 and Rask must sign with Boston by the trade deadline, expected to be March 21, in order to be eligible for the postseason. Will he use the Winter Games as a warmup? As noted by The Athletic staff in their Olympics roster projections, if Rask wants a spot on Team Finland, it is his. For one, the team not as deep as they have been in the past, with the goaltenders projected to be Nashville’s Juuse Saros, Carolina’s Antti Raanta, and Chicago’s Kevin Lankinen. More of a factor though is that Rask’s numbers on the international stage are nothing short of stunning, with a .938 save percentage and 1.73 GAA in the 2014 Olympics and a .920 save percentage and 2.02 GAA in the 2016 World Cup. Add in his elite career NHL numbers and even at 34 and returning from injury he would be at worst the No. 2 for Finland. There is obviously some risk to Rask and the Bruins that he could re-injure himself while playing in the Olympics. However, the upside is that it will get him back into game shape without costing Boston. Once Rask is signed, there won’t be much time for him to get back up to speed unless the team opts to carry three goalies for a while. It will be interesting to see how the situation plays out and if the aging veteran is as determined to represent his country once more as he is to return to Boston for another run.

  • Better now than in-season, but Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton received the difficult news that he has tested positive for COVID-19, reports The Boston Globe’s Matt Dougherty. To make matters worse, the young blue liner is currently on his honeymoon. The Bruins have not commented on the situation and Clifton himself has not issued any follow-up. It is unclear if Clifton is vaccinated or not or if he is symptomatic at this time. The Bruins have not yet announced the start date for training camp, but with their preseason debut scheduled for September 26, it can’t be too far away. If Clifton has indeed contract the virus, he has a matter of weeks to recover and clear the NHL’s COVID Protocol or he will at least miss the start of camp. That could be critical for a player who is expected to compete for a starting role this fall.
  • Prospect defenseman Roman Bychkov has proven that he can produce at the junior level in Russia with 43 points and a +47 rating over the past three seasons in the MHL. However, his KHL club Lokomotiv Yaroslavl has yet to give him a chance in the big leagues. That will change this season. The KHL’s Amur Khabarovsk has announced that they have acquired Bychkov on loan for 2021-22. A perennial bottom dweller in the KHL, there is no reason to believe that Khabarovsk will not give the 20-year-old an opportunity to show what he can do against elite competition. The Bruins will be paying attention as well. Since he was selected in the fifth round in 2019, Bychkov has already outshined his draft slot with his play in Russia and at the World Junior Championship. Boston would like to see him take that next step as they evaluate whether to bring him over to North America.

NHL Unveils 2021-22 COVID Protocol

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Gone are the days of bubbles, regional divisions, CPRA lists, and taxi squads, but the NHL won’t be quite back to normal this season. The league will still have a COVID Protocol for the 2021-22 campaign and the details have been released this evening, courtesy of Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

The biggest piece of the new protocol, and one that is sure to cause at least some controversy among players, is a mechanism for suspending those who unvaccinated. With a COVID vaccine now readily available, as opposed to much of last season, those who choose not receive the vaccine will be held to a much higher standard of preventing the spread of the virus and its impact on teammates, personnel, and the NHL product altogether. If an unvaccinated player in unable to participate, they will surrender one day’s pay for each day they miss – essentially an indefinite unpaid suspension. This obviously pertains to a positive test, but more notably it also includes situations in which local, state/provincial, or federal regulations limit those who are unvaccinated. With the NHL split between the U.S. and Canada, who each treat COVID differently, this ensures that the policies and procedures in the locale of each home team are met without any exceptions or special considerations.

With that being said, there are also numerous exceptions to these “suspensions” for unvaccinated players, including those who tested positive in “the course of employment as a hockey player” (determined by a balance of probabilities test). Suspensions will also not arise out of close contact quarantines. Additionally, the league will consider medical and religious exceptions for not receiving the vaccination and those players will not be subject to suspension. This essentially leaves only those who are unvaccinated by choice who may be suspended, and in the event of positive test only if it determined to have occurred via outside contact.

Unvaccinated players must undergo COVID testing daily throughout the season or until they become fully vaccinated. While traveling, they may not enter any venue other than the arena, practice facility, and team hotel, the latter of which comes with other limitations. Unvaccinated players may not have anyone in their hotel room other than fully vaccinated family members and cannot enter any shared hotel spaces, such as pools, gyms, and saunas. They may not eat at restaurants that are open to the public other than those that offer drive-though and curbside pickup and once at the hotel may not leave to get food.

Fully vaccinated players must undergo COVID testing at least every 72 hours to begin the year. Fully vaccinated players who test positive are also not subject to suspension and their absence will be treated as if it is an injury.

Any player who wishes to opt out of the 2021-22 season due to personal health concerns (if unvaccinated) or the health concerns of a family member, must do so by October 1. Their team can then decide to roll over the contract to 2022-23 or instead to terminate. Those who opt out may not participate in any other league or at the Olympics.

As for staff, anyone with direct contact with players or other hockey operations officials must be fully vaccinated. The league is likely to make the same medical and religious exceptions, but otherwise the vaccine is a mandate for staff.

Although there are exceptions to many of these rules, it is clear that the NHL is incentivizing the COVID vaccine by placing heavy limitations on the unvaccinated. After two seasons that were critically impacted by the pandemic, the league wants some normalcy and to have uninterrupted hockey. Their best chances at that result is to have as many players and staff vaccinated as possible. If and when they feel comfortable with the vaccination status of the majority of players or with the spread of the virus, these rules can be subject to change to afford some more flexibility as the season progresses.

Dylan Guenther Signs Entry-Level Contract

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The Arizona Coyotes have signed Dylan Guenther to his three-year, entry-level contract. Guenther was selected ninth overall earlier this summer. Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong released a short statement on the signing:

We are very pleased to welcome Dylan to the Coyotes organization. Dylan is an extremely skilled and smart player with a great work ethic. We are confident that he will become a very good NHL player and look forward to watching his development this season.

CapFriendly reports that the deal will carry an AAV of $925K plus an additional $850K in Class ’A’ performance bonuses each season.

Guenther, 18, played just 12 games for the Edmonton Oil Kings this season, but actually led the league in points-per-game. His 24 points were an impressive total for a player that had just 59 in 58 games in 2019-20, and led to his continued rise up draft boards.

Of course, the Coyotes didn’t have a first-round pick in this year’s draft when the season ended. The team had been stripped of that selection thanks to scouting violations by the previous management team, a brutal punishment for a team that was struggling to find much success on the ice. The pick that Guenther was picked with came from the Vancouver Canucks in the Oliver Ekman-Larsson deal, and represents a very important selection for the Coyotes.

The young Guenther is likely headed back to the WHL for this season, meaning the first year of his entry-level deal will not be burned. The contract will instead slide forward–unless he manages to make the NHL team–meaning he’s locked up at least through 2024-25.

2022 Winter Olympics Tournament Field Set

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After several years of qualifying tournaments dating all the way back to November 2019 and delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the final three entries into the 2022 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament are now set with less than six months to spare. The closing tournaments took place over this past week and came to a close today with Slovakia advancing past Belarus, Austria, and Poland, Latvia overcoming France, Hungary, and Italy, and Denmark upsetting host Norway to win the group that also included Slovenia and South Korea. The results are the following groups for the 2022 Games, with the three qualifying teams joining the IIHF’s top eight ranked nations and host China (with IIHF ranks):

Group A: (1) Canada, (6) United States, (7) Germany, (32) China
Group B: (2) Russia, (5) Czech Republic, (8) Switzerland, (12) Denmark
Group C: (3) Finland, (4) Sweden, (9) Slovakia, (10) Latvia

The inclusion of Slovakia, the top non-autobid nation in the IIHF, Latvia, and Denmark is a strong result for the competitive balance of the Olympic field, which was especially needed this time around to compensate for the drag of China’s participation. It also could allow for a pair of veteran NHLers who are currently unsigned to potentially ride off into the sunset with a final performance for their country. Zdeno Chara will be expected to lead a Slovakian entry that will have a mix of experienced veterans and promising youngsters, while Frans Nielsen will likely be the leader of the Danish squad, which will have more prime participants like Nikolaj Ehlers and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Latvia will bring a young roster built from the net out with Elvis Merzlikins. Lost by the final qualifying results are Olympic appearances from NHL stars like Anze Kopitar (Slovenia) and Mats Zuccarello (Norway) or young players leading their teams such as Alexandre Texier (France) and Marco Rossi (Austria). However, this for the best with the three teams who advanced clearly appearing to be the best choice on paper.

Of course, this all assumes that the NHL permits participation in these Olympic Games. While the league released a regular season schedule that allows for an Olympic break and the IIHF has reportedly met all demands of the league and the players’ association, there still has not been an official announcement. At this point, it is expected that NHL players will participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics, but concerns remain surrounding COVID-19 and China that could reverse course. The tournament field will not change regardless of whether the NHL sends players or not, but it will certainly impact how the Olympics are viewed this winter.

Overseas Notes: Olympics, Kuhnhackl, Slepets

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Will NHL players be headed to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China this year? The league’s initial schedule release suggested as much, with a break penciled in for February 7-22, but several weeks later the NHL still has yet to confirm their participation. Fortunately, the wait for a decision will not have to last much longer. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly tells ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski that the league will announce, one way or another, their intention for the 2022 Olympics by the end of the month. Wyshynski notes that multiple teams around the league had also indicated that a decision would be made in August. While Olympic participation was written in to the recent CBA extension, it was dependent on an agreement between the NHL and NHLPA and the IIHF as to terms. This has been made more difficult with the resurgent COVID-19 cases and the Games taking place in China of all places. Conversely, the league and players’ association are also concerned about the conditions that the players may be in, with Wyshynski writing that the restrictions could be even heavier than they were in the 2020 NHL postseason bubbles. If the NHL does opt to skip the Beijing Olympics, Daly confirms that the league does have a backup schedule that would fill some of the dates in that currently scheduled gap, though the logistics of such a move could be difficult for teams to manage.

  • Tom Kuhnhackl appears to be on his way out of the NHL and back to Europe. The German forward has been linked to Swedish club Skelleftea AIK, reports local source Sport Expressen. They go so far as to say that the terms of a deal have been agreed to, just not formally announced. Such a move should not come as much of a surprise. Although Kuhnhackl enjoyed a good stretch as a reliable bottom-six forward, he was unable to crack the New York Islanders lineup last season, spending the year exclusively in the AHL or on the taxi squad. As a result, the 29-year-old now heads back to Europe to take on a starring role in the SHL rather than a depth role in North America. The move will also ensure that he can suit up for Germany at the Olympics regardless of the NHL’s decision. Kuhnhackl has been stellar on the international stage for Germany in the past and will look to do so again.
  • Carolina Hurricanes prospect Kirill Slepets is not rushing to North America despite up-and-down development in Russia. The 2019 fifth-round pick has signed a one-year, two-way contract with Spartak Moscow, the team announced. An overage draft pick, Slepets is already 22 years old and after two season with KHL action, was relegated to only second-tier VHL play last season, leading some to expect he might try out a new development path. Instead, Slepets will stay put in Russia and try his luck with locking down a regular role with Spartak . A small, slippery winger, Slepets has struggled competing against the top talent of the KHL with just eight points in 43 games at the top level, but has shown his ability in the minors with 30 points in 65 VHL games. If he is to ever become a legitimate NHL prospect, especially at his age, the Hurricanes will need to see him take a major step this season or else try his hand in North America next year.

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