This past week was a rather unique one not only in hockey but the entire sporting landscape. Naturally, those events dominate the headlines of the past seven days.
Season Suspended: Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. As a result of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, the NHL has put the season on pause for the time being. Players have been told to self-quarantine for a six-day period and it’s expected that things will be re-assessed at that time in a week or so to determine next steps depending on what other government decrees come into play between now and then. Unlike the NBA which has committed to a 30-day shutdown at a minimum, the NHL hasn’t put any firm timelines in place. The remaining schedule will likely be determined based on when they’re able to get everything back up and running while there is still some potential that games will be played in empty arenas even when play resumes. In the interim, the players will still be paid their salaries at the regular intervals (though there will probably have to be some escrow adjustments) while some teams have made arrangements to pay their game day staff during this stoppage.
Other Leagues Follow Suit: Not surprisingly, other leagues have followed suit. The AHL and CHL have opted to do like the NHL for the time being and temporarily suspend their seasons, allowing for the possibility to return down the road. While the AHL still has a little more than a month left on their regular season schedule, the CHL playoffs were just about to get underway. Other leagues have decided to cancel the rest of the season/playoffs outright, including the ECHL, SHL, and NCAA. The latter, in particular, will have an interesting effect on the transaction front in the weeks to come as the college free agent market can pick up at any time instead of teams having to wait for college squads to be eliminated from the postseason.
Simek Extension: Sharks defenseman Radek Simek officially signed his four-year, $9MM extension. The 27-year-old got a late start to his NHL career as he only debuted with San Jose last season but he has become an important part of their back end. Injuries have limited him to just 48 games this season where he has nine points while logging over 17 minutes a night. Given his overall lack of NHL experience, the deal does carry some risk but clearly, San Jose is also banking on Simek taking another step or two forward in his development as well. The Sharks now have $28.75MM committed to their top four defensemen through the 2023-24 campaign so it’s likely that they will be rounding out that group with players on entry-level deals or low-cost veterans to give them more room to spend elsewhere.
Wisconsin Departures: A pair of top NHL prospects decided to forego the rest of their NCAA eligibility at Wisconsin. First, the Kings inked 2019 first-rounder (fifth overall) Alex Turcotte to a three-year, entry-level deal that begins in the 2020-21 season. The center had 26 points in 29 games in his freshman year with the Badgers and was slated to join AHL Ontario before the season was suspended. Meanwhile, the Rangers agreed to terms on a deal with blueliner K’Andre Miller on an entry-level pact as well. Miller, the 22nd pick in 2018, saw his offensive numbers dip a bit in his sophomore campaign but he still posted a respectable 18 points in 36 contests. While Turcotte isn’t quite NHL ready yet, Miller could contend for a spot on New York’s back end as soon as next season.
Lemieux Suspended: The NHL has decided to suspend Rangers winger Brendan Lemieux for his hit on Colorado winger Joonas Donskoi back on Wednesday. However, the number of games he will miss has not yet been determined and will be dependent on what the schedule situation turns out to be. This will be Lemieux’s second suspension of his young career after receiving a two-game ban back in November of 2018 for an illegal hit to the head.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Turcotte is more NHL ready and more likely to play in the big show next year than Miller.