While there won’t be much in the way of activity on the transactions front for a while beyond prospect signings, there was still some news of note in the NHL over the past seven days which is recapped in our key stories.
Proposed Rule Changes: Each year, a handful of tweaks to the rules are recommended by NHL general managers. That continued this year, albeit with a few more proposed changes than usual. Among the suggested amendments are that goalies can be assessed a minor penalty for intentionally knocking the net off, allowing a coaches’ challenge for delay of game and high-sticking (for friendly fire), and bringing back a warm-up for goalies coming into a game when the starter is taken out due to injury. They won’t be enacted right away as they still need to be ratified by the Competition Committee and the NHL Board of Governors.
Bowness Away From Jets: For the second straight week, a head coach has taken a leave of absence. After Martin St. Louis left Montreal for family reasons, Rick Bowness is away from Winnipeg for the second time this season, this time for a minor medical procedure. He left the Jets on their road trip for treatments while Scott Arniel is serving as interim head coach for the second time this season. Winnipeg struggled over the weekend but finds itself in a tight battle for the top spot in the Central Division.
Wilson Gets Six: Capitals winger Tom Wilson has a lengthy history with the Department of Player Safety. Another entry was added this past week as he received a six-game suspension for his high stick on Maple Leafs winger Noah Gregor. It’s the sixth suspension of his career, bringing his total to 36 games cumulative while he forfeits more than $161K in salary, bringing that running total to a little over $1.5MM. More importantly for Washington, they lose a key top-six winger as they try to chase down Philadelphia for the final playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division. Wilson will be eligible to return to the lineup on April 4th and ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reports (Twitter link) that no appeal will be filed.
Coyotes Likely To Stay At Mullett Arena In 2024-25: The future of the Coyotes in Arizona is once again in question after their planned arena site fell through earlier this year. There’s another option that involves a public auction that won’t happen until June. While the team’s fate might be better known at that time, the possibility of relocation that late into the offseason would be difficult to pull off. Accordingly, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly indicated that the team is likely to stay at Mullett Arena at Arizona State University for the 2024-25 season regardless of the outcome of that auction. That will be the final year of the original three-season agreement although there are two one-year options to extend it.
Two Former NHLers Pass Away: We end on a sad note as a pair of players passed away. Former Penguins winger Konstantin Koltsov died at the age of 42. A first-round pick back in 1999, Koltsov played in 144 NHL games over parts of three seasons with Pittsburgh before spending the next decade playing internationally, primarily in Russia. Soon after, it was revealed that Chris Simon passed at the age of 52. He had a 15-year NHL career with seven different franchises and picked up a Stanley Cup title with Colorado back in 1996. He was with that franchise after being part of the Eric Lindros trade back in 1992. Simon had 1,824 penalty minutes in his career, good for 67th in NHL history.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Martin St.Louis situation was a huge story on the 16th, And honestly, It’s been shrouded in secrecy ever since, The original story was that one of his children had some kind of medical issue, But since that was leaked we now know that he’s going to be fine. I’m just wondering if St.Louis wants out of his employment in Montreal, The story has taken on a suspicious turn and or silence. I’m just curious.
Wow. You’re an even bigger POS than previously thought of. His kid had a medical condition, has possibly recovered but may still not be at 100%, so MSL should return to work immediately. Sure, OK. Say kid is still only 60%? Should MSL go back to work 100%?
Why am I bothering vs Wilf?