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Injury Notes: Vesey, Hornqvist, Versteeg

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The New York Rangers today confirmed that forward Jimmy Vesey is dealing with a concussion, and isn’t practicing with the team. The team was also without Marc Staal at practice with a cervical strain, while Pavel Buchnevich deals with a concussion of his own.

If there was any doubt that the Rangers would be sellers at the deadline, the piling injuries may just erase it. The team is back in action against the Dallas Stars tonight, but will have to decide how long to wait before selling off assets like Rick Nash and Michael Grabner. It could be a very different looking Rangers team in the next few weeks.

  • Though Phil Kessel missed practice with an illness, the news isn’t as good on Patric Hornqvist. The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that the high-energy forward will be out on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury, removing him from the lineup for the time being. Hornqvist will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and may be on his last chance to suit up with the Penguins. After three straight 20-goal seasons, Hornqvist sits at 16 this year and will head into the summer with plenty of interest in his services.
  • Kris Versteeg was on the ice today for the Calgary Flames for the first time since hip surgery in December. Versteeg still isn’t expected to be ready for game action for a few weeks, but getting him on the ice is a good first step. The 31-year old had just eight points in 22 games when he elected surgery, but could be an important piece down the stretch for the Flames.

Minor Transactions: 02/05/18

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After a light Sunday schedule because of the Super Bowl, the NHL has just four games on tap for Monday night. Despite the lack of on-ice action, there will be plenty of minor moves around the league. As always, we’ll keep track of all of them right here.

Western Notes: Jagr, Domi, Blues, Golden Knights

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It’s a shame that the Hockey Hall of Fame voted long ago to abolish the selection committee’s ability to waive the three-year post-retirement waiting period for candidates that are exceptional. Because if there is someone that shouldn’t have to wait three years to gain entry into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Jaromir Jagr would seem to be a good bet that person, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post.

While Jagr is not retired yet, as he remains on loan from the Calgary Flames to Kladno in the Czech League, his career has been exceptional and would deserve that immediate honor of getting his wait time waived that only 10 players have ever earned such as Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux. However, that rule was removed back in 1999. Regardless, Jagr has played in 1,733 career NHL games, with 766 goals and 1,921 points.

  • In the same article, Brooks also writes that he’s heard the Arizona Coyotes are offering young center Max Domi to teams for the right price. The 22-year-old former first-round pick in 2013 has been struggling in his third season in the NHL. After a solid rookie year in which he put up 18 goals and 34 assists, his numbers have declined as he put up just 38 points in 59 games last year and currently has just three goals in 52 games. The team already moved on from winger Anthony Duclair a month ago as the Coyotes are trying to find the right balance of youth and veterans to start winning some games.
  • The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required) responds to mailbag questions and suggests that if New York Islanders center John Tavares reaches free agency this summer, he believes the St. Louis Blues will be aggressive suitors for the 27-year-old center. The scribe writes that the team is expecting to have about $13MM available and it should cost between $10 and $12MM to sign Tavares. That will likely make for a tight cap, especially since the team still has to sign several of their own free agents including restricted free agent defenseman Joel Edmundson. However, with the salary cap likely going up and the ability to move out a contract or two, it is very possible the team can afford Tavares. Add in that Tavares is friends with defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and the team is already a playoff team with young winger Vladimir Tarasenko needing a star center to take that next step, there is a good chance he will strongly consider St. Louis. It’s still a long shot, but not unrealistic.
  • NHL.com’s Gary Lawless tweets part of an interview with Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee about the trade deadline. The veteran GM says that its still too early to know whether the team will be buyers, sellers or plan to stand pat. “We still don’t know what we’re going to do at the deadline,” said McPhee. “We’re still three weeks away. We’ll know more when we get there. Every team in the league has needs… We’ll see. I like our group. I don’t know if we’re going to do a lot, if anything.”

Calgary Flames Face Long Wait At 2018 Draft

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When the Calgary Flames traded away their 2018 first and second round picks for Travis Hamonic, they thought they were adding one of the final pieces to a puzzle that was destined for the playoffs. The addition was coming right on the heels of another deal, one to finally get an All-Star level goaltender in Mike Smith. That trade had come just a week earlier, and had included a conditional draft pick of its own.

Now, as the Flames lost their sixth game in a row last night and find themselves looking up at several teams between them and the final playoff spot, they could be in for quite a long wait on draft day. As Ryan Pike of The Hockey Writers confirmed today, the third-round pick traded for Smith is actually a 2018 selection if Calgary misses the playoffs. It only transfers to 2019 (and moves up to the second round) if the team makes the playoffs this season. That means, that if the team misses out on the postseason tournament this spring they won’t have a selection until round four in June.

Sitting through three straight rounds isn’t fun in any draft, but especially not one where you have a chance at winning the draft lottery and moving up in round one. In the 2018 class, the first round is filled with some incredible talents at the top and should have interesting prospects throughout. It also could have some big names available as teams try to change their structures going forward, something Calgary won’t be able to take part in, unless to sacrifice even more futures down the road.

Obviously, making the playoffs is still a possibility. Nothing is set in stone, but the next few weeks should be telling for the club. After Saturday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Flames will hit the road for a six-game trip through much of the east coast. If they don’t turn things around during it, they could be looking for a way to reclaim some draft picks at the deadline instead of adding for that postseason run they thought they were destined for.

Injury Notes: Hedman, Frolik, Jones

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Last season brought incredibly bad luck in regards to injury for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Steven Stamkos played just 17 games before going down for the rest of the season, and they even lost three different centers all in a single game late in the year.

2017-18 has been much different, until a few weeks ago when Victor Hedman was ruled out for three to six weeks with a knee injury. The team obviously suffered without their Norris Trophy candidate, but that won’t last long. Hedman took a full morning skate with the team and is a game-time decision for the Lightning tonight. The injury occurred on January 11th, less than three weeks ago.

  • Michael Frolik has been activated from injured reserve in Calgary, and is expected to play tonight. Frolik hasn’t played in over a month after taking a puck to the face against the San Jose Sharks, and will look to get back on track right away against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 29-year old winger has just 15 points on the season, but is a huge part of the Flames even-strength attack and one of their best penalty killing forwards.
  • The illness that kept Seth Jones from appearing in the All-Star game won’t keep him out of any regular season action, and Bruce Boudreau isn’t happy about it. The head coach of the Minnesota Wild called it “ridiculous” that Jones would be allowed to play without serving the normal one-game suspension for avoiding the All-Star festivities at the last minute, but according to Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) the decision was made by the league in order to prevent any outbreak of the flu among the best players in the game. Jones had wanted to play, and now won’t be punished for his absence.

Final Standings Projections At The Mid-Way Point

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It’s impossible to tell exactly how the remainder of the 2017-18 season will shake out, but with the NHL set to resume it’s unofficial second half of the season tomorrow, there’s no better time to look at the current state of the league. The final standings could look much like they do now or they could differ greatly, depending on whether or not the status quo shifts over the next few months. The trade deadline, rookie wall, and the health rigors of an 82-game season can all change the course of the campaign for many teams, but as of now, this is what the final standings and 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs will look like:

Atlantic Division

  1. Tampa Bay Lightning – 119 points
  2. Boston Bruins – 115 points
  3. Toronto Maple Leafs – 98 points
  4. Detroit Red Wings – 79 points
  5. Montreal Canadiens – 77 points
  6. Florida Panthers – 77 points
  7. Ottawa Senators – 68 points
  8. Buffalo Sabres – 62 points

Metropolitan Division

  1. Washington Capitals – 105 points
  2. New Jersey Devils – 96 points
  3. Columbus Blue Jackets – 95 points
  4. Philadelphia Flyers – 94 points
  5. Pittsburgh Penguins – 92 points
  6. New York Islanders – 90 points
  7. New York Rangers – 90 points
  8. Carolina Hurricanes – 87 points

Eastern Conference First Round Playoff Match-ups:

#1A Tampa Bay vs. #2W Pittsburgh
#1M Washington vs. #1W Philadelphia
#2A Boston vs. #3A Toronto
#2M New Jersey vs. #3M Columbus

Central Division

  1. Nashville Predators – 113 points
  2. Winnipeg Jets – 108 points
  3. St. Louis Blues – 101 points
  4. Dallas Stars – 98 points
  5. Colorado Avalanche – 97 points
  6. Minnesota Wild – 95 points
  7. Chicago Blackhawks – 89 points

Pacific Division

  1. Vegas Golden Knights – 116 points
  2. San Jose Sharks – 101 points
  3. Calgary Flames – 97 points
  4. Los Angeles Kings – 95 points
  5. Anaheim Ducks – 93 points
  6. Edmonton Oilers – 79 points
  7. Vancouver Canucks – 74 points
  8. Arizona Coyotes – 54 points

Western Conference First Round Playoff Match-ups:

#1P Vegas vs. #2W Colorado
#1C Nashville vs. #1W Dallas
#2C Winnipeg vs. #3C St. Louis
#2P San Jose vs. #3P Calgary

The biggest takeaway from this current outlook? It won’t take 100 points to be a playoff team this year, but the vast number of mediocre teams opens the door for some last-minute playoff drama. The Islanders, Rangers, Wild, and Kings all project to be just one win outside of a playoff berth. These races could come down to the wire. It should be a fun second half.

Which Teams Would Have Flexibility In Another Expansion Draft?

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Midway-through the 2017-18 NHL season, it is nearly impossible to predict what rosters could look like following the 2019-20 season, more than two years away. Trades, free agency, and much more shape teams often in ways that no one sees coming. With that said, it seems like another Expansion Draft is coming to add the league’s 32nd team, the Seattle __________, and the timeline most are suggesting is a June 2020 draft date. Like it or not, the general managers of the other 31 NHL need to be keeping that in the back of their mind with each move they make over the next two seasons.

However, it could be that some have already made decisions that could impact their roster protection plans more than two years from now. The structure of the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft will the remain the same, allowing for teams to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie or eight skaters regardless of position and one goalie from being selected. The one caveat that threw more than a few teams for a loop last June was that all players with No-Movement Clauses (NMC) in their contracts had to be protected, unless the players voluntarily chose to wave them i.e. Marc-Andre Fleury. So, with that one aspect of the expansion process in mind, it is possible to look ahead at certain long-term contracts to see, assuming those players don’t waive them ahead of time, who could be locked in for protection in 2020 or which teams will have more flexibility without any such players:

Total Flexibility

Arizona Coyotes (0) – The only NMC players on the Coyotes are defensemen Alex Goligoski and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Hjalmarsson will be a free agent in the summer of the projected Expansion Draft and Goligoski’s clause will have shifted to a Modified No-Trade Clause. Arizona will likely have complete flexibility.

Buffalo Sabres (0) – Kyle Okposo’s NMC expires after this season and Jason Pominville’s contract expires after next season. Buffalo won’t have any restrictions on their protection scheme as of now.

Calgary Flames (0) – There is no one on the roster with a NMC and no one that will predictably get one by the end of the 2019-20 season. Kudos to GM Brad Treliving.

Los Angeles Kings (0) – Kings’ captain Anze Kopitar in their only NMC player right now and even his clause will have shifted to No-Trade by 2020. L.A. is free and clear.

Nashville Predators (0) – GM David Poile does not seem to be a fan of NMC’s in his recent long-term deals and in the new NHL expansion era, that’s a good thing.

New Jersey Devils (0) – see Calgary Flames

New York Islanders (0) – The Andrew Ladd and Johnny Boychuk contracts already look bad for the Isles. They would be much worse if their NMC’s didn’t expire soon. With John Tavares and Josh Bailey both candidates for NMC’s should they re-sign in New York and a defense that needs a re-haul, the Islanders could lose some flexibility, but they should be fine.

Toronto Maple Leafs (0) – The Leafs have no NMC players under contract beyond 2019-20 right now. That could easily change with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander in need of extensions, but Toronto should still be in a good spot. After all, those are players that would protected regardless.

Vancouver Canucks (0) – Loui Eriksson’s NMC shifts to a No-Trade Clause following this season and will be an afterthought by 2020. It’s fortunate, as Eriksson’s tenure in Vancouver has not gone according to plan.

Vegas Golden Knights (0) – The Golden Knights didn’t sign or trade for any players with NMC’s and only drafted two – Marc-Andre Fleury and David Clarkson – who already had them and they both expire before the Knights would be set to become the NHL’s second-newest team. With that said, the current Knights’ roster will see a lot of turnover in the next two years and they may struggle to avoid NMC’s completely.

Washington Capitals (0) – GM Brian MacLellan has avoided NMC’s in any of his recent mega-deals. If he can do it again this summer in his attempt to re-sign (or replace) John Carlson, then the Caps will be in good shape for another round of expansion drafting.

Winnipeg Jets (0) – The NMC in Bryan Little’s contract will both kick in and expire between now and June 2020. The Jets should be left with a fully flexible lineup.

Some Flexibility

Boston Bruins (2) – There’s little concern that Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron will still be playing at a high level in two years. Their NMC’s should be a non-factor for Boston. If David Krejci and, especially, David Backes still had their NMC’s too at that time, there would be a real logjam up front. However, both will have shifted to Modified No-Trade Clauses by then, potentially saving the Bruins from making tough decisions about their many talented young forwards.

Carolina Hurricanes (1) – As important a job as he’s had in Carolina, Jordan Staal will never be the star forward that finally puts them over the top. If his NMC causes a problem in 2020, he could easily be traded to a contender to play a complementary role. The Hurricanes need to retain as many promising young forward assets as they can in hopes of one day finding that true superstar.

Colorado Avalanche (1) – There are mixed opinions on Erik Johnson, but he has a leadership role for the Avalanche and will be key in grooming a strong crop of up-and-coming defensive prospects. The Avs won’t lose sleep about having to protect him in expansion, especially if he’s still one of their top-pairing guys in two years.

Columbus Blue Jackets (1) – The Blue Jackets were one of the biggest losers in the most recent Expansion Draft. They might be smart to sell off Nick Foligno if there’s any risk that history repeats itself.

Dallas Stars (3) – Call it optimism about his play in his first season in Dallas, but the NMC for Alexander Radulov doesn’t seem like it will be a major issue even after a couple more years. Of course, Jamie Benn’s NMC will also be a non-factor. Ben Bishop on the other hand may not be the goalie the Stars would prefer to keep in two years. As of now, there’s no immediate competition though.

Detroit Red Wings (1) – Detroit only has one NMC player who will still be under contract in 2020-21 (and another season after that), but it’s Frans Nielsen, who has been a major disappointment for the team since coming over from the New York Islanders. He could throw a wrench in their plans if he continues his downward trend over the next two seasons.

Minnesota Wild (2) – The Ryan Suter and Zach Parise mega-deals will still be making an impact in 2020, but with most of the core locked up throughout that season and no other NMC contract likely on their way, Minnesota should be okay in the Expansion Draft.

Montreal Canadiens (2) – Even if the Canadiens continue to struggle through two more seasons, there will be few Habs fans that blame superstar goalie Carey Price. His NMC won’t be an issue because the team would never dream of leaving him exposed. Jeff Petry on the other hand could be a problem. Luckily (?), it doesn’t look like Montreal will have many defenders worth protecting even in the next couple of seasons.

Ottawa Senators (2) – Some things never change. The NMC’s for Bobby Ryan and Dion Phaneuf were problems for the Senators in this past Expansion Draft and they’ll likely be problems again next time around. If Phaneuf is traded between now and then, that alleviates some concern for Ottawa. Good luck moving the Ryan contract though.

Philadelphia Flyers (1) – Only Claude Giroux has and predictably will have an NMC come June 2020. That’s a pretty safe situation for Philly.

San Jose Sharks (1) – Marc-Edouard Vlasic plays a confident, stay-at-home defensive game that often ages nicely. He looks to be the only NMC in San Jose in 2020, which shouldn’t cause a stir.

St. Louis Blues (1) – Patrik Berglund will be on the wrong side of 30 and still under a NMC when the potential 2020 draft rolls around, but with the rest of their core signed long-term without NMC’s, the Blues should be pretty safe.

Tampa Bay Lightning (2) – Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman may be the two safest NMC contracts in the NHL. Fortunately, Ryan Callahan’s otherwise-problematic NMC expires just prior to projected 2020 Expansion Draft.

Little Flexibility

Anaheim Ducks (3) – Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Ryan Kesler will all be 35+ and still be NMC-protected in 2020. That’s a large chunk of your protected forwards to dedicate to players in the twilight of their careers. Some up-and-coming young talent could leave Anaheim again in this next Expansion Draft a la Shea Theodore.

Chicago Blackhawks (4) – The downside to signing all of your core players to long contracts with NMC’s could hit the Blackhawks hard in the next Expansion Draft. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will be well past 30 and Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith will be in their mid-to-late 30’s during the 2020-21 season, but all four will need to be protected ahead of that season, which could force other promising younger players out of Chicago’s protection scheme. At least they’ll narrowly avoid having an issue in net with Corey Crawford’s contract expiring prior.

Edmonton Oilers (2) – Milan Lucic and Kris Russell. Each two years older than they are now. Those aren’t exactly players that a team wants to be forced to keep. It’s foreseeable that one or both could have a negative impact on the team’s protection plan.

Florida Panthers (3) – The Panthers probably won’t mind having three players locked up come Expansion 2.0. The team knew what they were doing when they signed Keith Yandle long-term. Even in his mid-30’s, Yandle will be a reliable player and a leader for the young Florida defensive core. Sure, they considered asking him to waive his NMC this past June, but they never actually did. Yandle won’t be a major issue in two years unless his play falls off considerably. There should be no concern whatsoever over Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov, whose NMC’s kick in later on in their contracts. The same might not be true about Evgeni Dadonov, whose been somewhat underwhelming so far in Florida, but luckily his contract runs out just prior the probable draft date.

New York Rangers (4) – Although they will have near total control over their forwards, outside of Mika Zibanejad, the Rangers could be in a tough position with their protection schemes in net and on the blue line in 2020. Then-38-year-old Henrik Lundqvist will require protection, as will underachieving defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Marc Staal. New York is apparently readying themselves for somewhat of a rebuild, which could mean some of those players are traded beforehand. Otherwise New York could face quite the dilemma.

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) – It seems unlikely, even years from now and in their mid-30’s, that the NMC’s for Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, or Phil Kessel would cause trouble for the Penguins. Injury-prone defenseman Kris Letang could be different though. Being forced to protect him after another two seasons of hard minutes could be difficult to swallow. Pittsburgh also has some work to do filling out the forward corps between now and 2020. GM Jim Rutherford would be well-served to avoid acquiring or handing out any further NMC’s.

Calgary Flames Officially Assign Jaromir Jagr To HC Kladno

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It’s official. Jaromir Jagr is no longer in the National Hockey League. The 45-year old legend has been assigned to Kladno of the Czech league after clearing waivers earlier today. Though he remains technically part of the Calgary Flames organization, it seems unlikely that he will make a return to the NHL this season. Jagr issued a statement to the fans and organization:

Jaromir JagrI want to thank Brad Treliving and the Calgary Flames for giving me the immense opportunity to be a part of their team and continue my NHL career this season. Although I am very disappointed that things did not turn out as we had hoped due to a number of circumstances, I am deeply grateful to the Flames, the fans and the City of Calgary for having welcomed me so generously. I now look forward to continuing the season in Kladno.

If this is the end of Jagr’s NHL career, he’ll finish among the very best that have ever played the game. He ranks third all-time in goals, fifth in assists, second in points and third in games played. He collected a Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1999, and was a five-time league scoring champion. In 208 career playoff games, Jagr recorded 201 points and lifted the Stanley Cup twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first two seasons of his career. Though he was a threat on the powerplay, an incredible 538 of his 766 goals came at even-strength.

Playing for his ninth team in Calgary, he recorded just seven points in 22 games and never fit into their structure after missing all of training camp. Though there remains a possibility that he could return for the playoffs, it is more likely that he’ll retire to the Czech league where he actually owns Kladno. Whether he attempts a comeback in the summer after his current contract expires is unclear, but if he’s played his last game he’ll be remembered as one of the best and most interesting players to ever suit up in the NHL.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Calgary Flames Place Jaromir Jagr On Waivers

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Monday: Jagr has cleared waivers according to McKenzie, and will now have his contract assigned to Kladno for the remainder of the season. It very well could be the end of the line for a legendary hockey name, though there is always a chance of a return at some point down the line.

Sunday: The Calgary Flames have placed long-time NHL star Jaromir Jagr on waivers, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie. While initially reported to have been placed on unconditional waivers with the intention of releasing him from his contract, McKenzie reports that the veteran has actually been placed through regular waivers. The 45-year-old Jagr hopes to continue his career in the NHL, but according to McKenzie, the plan is that if he clears waivers, the Flames can assign him to a European team to finish out his contract.

The Hockey Writers Ryan Pike reports that if he goes unclaimed, he’s expected to go to Kladno in the Czech league on loan. The writer adds that the difference here is that if Jagr is loaned to Kladno rather than go through unconditional waivers, then the Flames could still potentially use him in the playoffs.

Unless the veteran is claimed tomorrow morning, it could likely end the veteran’s NHL career. This move has been a long-time coming as rumors of a split between Calgary and Jagr were reported back on Jan. 6. However, a lower-body injury allowed the team to delay a decision while they placed him on injured reserve until he healed and was ready to go. Evidently, he’s ready to resume his career, just elsewhere. After signing a one-year, $2MM deal on Oct. 3 with Calgary, he has struggled fitting in with the Flames. Dealing with injuries and the fact he has slowed down quite a bit, Jagr hasn’t made the impact that many were hoping. He played in just 22 games with just one goal and six assists to show for it.

The question now is whether an NHL team is willing to kick the tires on claiming him and adding them to their roster. Perhaps several teams that might need help on one of the back lines could be interested, but considering the lack of interest this offseason from teams, there is a likelihood that he will not be claimed. A poll, back on Jan. 7, asked the question, “Should your team make a play for Jaromir Jagr.” The results were split with 52.35% suggesting that his NHL career is over, while 47.65% stated he still has something left.

Jagr, who is in his 24th year in the NHL, has played in 1,733 career games, putting up 766 goals, 1,155 assists for 1,921 points. He has also played in 208 playoff games, with 78 goals, 123 assists and 201 playoff points. Assuming he goes unclaimed and is loaned to Kladno, it’s a team he has played for before. He played 17 games there in 2004-05 and then returned in 2012-13 where he played another 34 games for them after that.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to report the news.

Commissioner Notes: Goalie Interference, International Games, Expansion

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spoke to the media prior to tonight’s All-Star’s Skills Competition and it didn’t take long for questions to arise about the controversial goaltender interference calls that have created an uproar. As reported earlier, the all-star coaches and league executives met with the league today to discuss the issues with goaltender interference. Bettman was quick to point out that he believes that everyone is overthinking the rule and plans to send a memo to officials suggesting they ease off when looking at video, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.

“Overall, the system works,” Bettman said. “But I think we’ve gotten to the point where everyone is overlooking the review.”

The comments might suggest the league might be backing off on goaltender interference in the near future.

  • Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston tweets that Bettman announced the 2019 NHL All-Star Game will be in San Jose on Jan. 26-27. It will be the first time its been there since 1997. St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Tom Timmermann tweeted the St. Louis Blues are bidding to host the 2020 all-star game.
  • Johnston also tweets that Bettman said that the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers will start the 2018-19 regular season in Sweden. The Winnipeg Jets and the Florida Panthers will play two regular season games against each other in Helsinki, Finland. The Devils tweeted they will also be playing in a preseason game in Switzerland.
  • TSN’s Daren Dreger tweets that Bettman said that the plan is to send two teams to China in September and continues to be a “work in progress.” Johnston adds that it’s expected the Calgary Flames and the Boston Bruins will be the two teams.
  • TSN’s Pierre LeBrun tweets that Bettman was asked if the next expansion team (Seattle — if it happens, added Bettman) would get the same favorable expansion draft rules and player pool that the Vegas Golden Knights received. Bettman said, “Yes.” Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Lazerus tweets that Bettman added that any future expansion team would insist on the same expansion draft rules that Vegas took advantage of. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski tweets that Bettman said the ownership group working for a Seattle expansion bid is still working on their application. A timetable and ticket drive are up to them, but likely should be completed in one or two weeks, suggests LeBrun.
  • LeBrun tweets that he talked to NHLPA’s Don Fehr, who said that a potential World Cup tournament could happen in September of 2020 or February of 2020. However, there still would have to be a lot of work to be done.
  • LeBrun tweets that when asked whether adding a 32nd team through expansion would suggest the NHL should look into expanding the number of playoff teams, Bettman said ’No.’ He likes it at 16 teams.
  • Wyshysnki tweets that Bettman wasn’t positive about a possible expansion team coming from Quebec: “We’re not currently considering an application. At the current time, we’re not focused on a team in Quebec City. That doesn’t mean we’ll never be focused [on it].”
  • Wyshysnki tweets that on the topic of the Arizona Coyotes, the commissioner added that ownership is working through possibilities to build a new arena and the strength of the club comes down to the owners’ willingness to continue that pursuit. “I wouldn’t focus on Arizona moving right now. Or anytime soon. Or ever,” said Bettman.
  • Lazerus tweets that Bettman also wasn’t as positive about NHL players joining the Olympics in 2020. “I don’t have an answer to that question.” He said the clubs and owners find Olympic participation “disruptive.”

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