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Sabres Fire GM Jason Botterill

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The Buffalo Sabres have relieved General Manager Jason Botterill of his duties after three years in the role, per a team release. Senior Vice President of Business Administration Kevyn Adams will take over as Botterill’s permanent replacement.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise as we’re just three weeks removed from ownership announcing a plan to keep Botterill in his role. Botterill joined the Sabres as a respected hockey mind from the Penguins organization.

Sabres’ owners Terry and Kim Pegula released a statement this morning with the news, reasoning the change thusly: “This morning, we informed Jason Botterill he will no longer be the General Manager of the Sabres. This decision was made after many candid discussions with Jason during a full review of our hockey operation. We recognized we have philosophical differences regarding how best to put ourselves in a position to compete for a Stanley Cup. So, we decided to make this change.”

The statement goes on to thank Botterill for his time with the Sabres. During his three years span, Botterill signed star Jack Eichel to a long-term contract (8-years, $80MM), but the Sabres failed to finish higher than 6th in the Atlantic Division. This season, they finished 25th overall, just one spot out of the 24-team playoff. They haven’t reached the postseason since the 2010-2011 season – the longest active postseason drought in the NHL.

More changes could be afoot for the Sabres, as Botterill’s firing did not happen in a vacuum. Wholesale changes are being made to the Sabres’ hockey operations department. Assistant GM Randy Sexton as also let go by the club, per the Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. Steve Greeley was another casualty, tweets Frank Seravalli of TSN Sports, though Seravalli thinks Greeley and Sexton should have no trouble catching on with another organization.

New Owner Alex Meruelo Promises To Keep Coyotes In Arizona

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New majority owner of the Arizona Coyotes Alex Meruelo made a great first impression on his fan base today. Meruelo took the stage this afternoon at Gila River Arena and, among other things, promised that he would keep the Coyotes in Arizona:

I am committed to stay here. I will do everything I can in my heart, and in my hard work to make sure that we can make it viable…I will not stop until we bring a Stanley Cup to the Valley.

Given the constant issues that the Coyotes franchise has had with both ownership turnover and attendance, the team has continually been rumored to be a candidate to re-locate to a new market. Although NHL expansion has quieted some of these whispers, cities like Houston and Quebec City remain interested in adding an NHL club and the Coyotes are always considered the top candidate. However, the league has remained dedicated to the state and the new owner has joined in.

Meruelo spoke openly and honestly in his press conference about many things, including his childhood dreams of owning a sports franchise and his role as the NHL’s first Hispanic owner. His commitment to keep the Coyotes in Arizona seems just as legitimate. While that doesn’t necessarily mean that the team will remain in Glendale, having previously expressed a desire to move to a new arena – an idea backed by the league – it seems that Arizona fans can rest easy for a while longer that their team isn’t going the way of the Thrashers.

Golden Knights Owner Pushing For Major Penalty Review

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A series-defining call, or mistake in the minds of many, has lit a fire underneath the owner of the NHL’s newest team. Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley has already begun lobbying the league to make all major penalty calls reviewable after a controversial major ended up costing his team in the first round.

With a 3-0 lead over the San Jose Sharks in the third period of Game Seven, Vegas center Cody Eakin was issued a five-minute major and game misconduct for cross-checking Sharks counterpart Joe Pavelski, who fell awkwardly to the ice, had to leave the game, and remains sidelined for San Jose. Over the course of that five-minute penalty, the Sharks scored four times and ultimately won in overtime to eliminate the Golden Knights. The penalty was a blatant cross-check and worthy of a two-minute minor, but it’s hard to argue that a major was the right call. In fact, the NHL has reportedly apologized to the club for the call.

While Knights GM George McPhee said that he and the team would not dwell on the call, he apparently wasn’t speaking for his owner. In a press conference on Thursday, Foley informed the media that he believed a major penalty should be reviewable via coach’s challenge. It is unlikely that this was a passion project of the owner prior to his team’s controversial elimination, but it certainly is now. Foley stated that he has already spoken with league officials and fellow owners about the issue and expects it to be a topic of conversation at the summer Board of Governors meeting.

Foley insisted that if a major penalty review process had been in place, the call on Eakin would have been overturned and the Golden Knights would have won the game and advanced to the next round. However, the owner is only focusing on one part of the problem. Bad calls happen, but if your team cannot allow less than four goals over one five-minute penalty, it would seem that the penalty kill is a bigger issue than the league’s policies and procedures.

2019 NHL Draft Lottery Date And Odds Revealed

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The date of the NHL Draft Lottery, what fans of the 15 teams who don’t make the playoffs wait for, has been announced and those fans won’t have to wait very long this season. The NHL has revealed that the lottery will be held on Tuesday, April 9th this season. The lottery has typically taken place much later in the month, but instead will come just three days after the end of the regular season this year.

As usual, the league notes that the lottery will take place in Toronto and will be nationally televised by NBC Sports, Sportsnet, and TVA. As opposed to last year, when the lottery took place over two separate sessions during playoff game intermissions, the event will return to being an independent hour-long show, beginning at 8pm ET.

As for the lottery odds, the league has opted not to change the odds that they used for last season’s draft lottery. The odds have frequently changed from year-to-year in the past, sometimes as a reaction to the results of the draw or, in last year’s case, to accommodate the addition of an added lottery team. However, after a draw last season that saw both the team with the worst record – the Buffalo Sabres – hold on to the top pick, as well as an exciting leap up the board by the Carolina Hurricanes, it seems the NHL is content to stick with it’s current format. Below are the odds at winning the first overall pick for each of the final spots in the league standings:

31st: 18.5%
30th: 13.5%
29th: 11.5%
28th: 9.5%
27th: 8.5%
26th: 7.5%
25th: 6.5%
24th: 6.0%
23rd: 5.0%
22nd: 3.5%
21st: 3.0%
20th: 2.5%
19th: 2.0%
18th: 1.5%
17th: 1.0%

Each team’s odds at the No. 2 and No. 3 pick increase marginally after the first ping pong ball is selected. To explore these odds further or to run some simulations, check out this Lottery Simulator from Tankathon.com. As for draft lottery story lines to keep an eye on, the Colorado Avalanche continue to be the team to watch. As holder’s of the Ottawa Senators’ first-round pick, the Avs are likely to have the best odds at picking first. However, they themselves may also be a lottery team, which would only further increase their odds at the top pick and may even land them two top-four picks in the coming draft. The specific player “won” by the lottery winner is also becoming a more intriguing discussion; initially believed to be USNTDP standout center Jack Hughes beyond a doubt, there are now some rumblings that Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko could be the preference instead, mirroring the Nico Hischier–Nolan Patrick debate from two years ago. Only the team whose ping pong ball is lucky on April 9th will have to make that call, but it’s a tough decision that any club would gladly take. 

NCC Terminates Relationship With Eugene Melnyk, RendezVous LeBreton Group

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The hopes of Ottawa Senators fans that their team could be moving closer to the city in the near future were dashed today. The NCC, the National Capital Commission, is responsible for urban development and controls the use of the land located in the LeBreton Flats area of Ottawa. The organization had previously partnered with Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and Trinity Development executive John Ruddy of the RendezVouz LeBreton Group, to allow the team to begin plans to build a new arena. However, given the recent fallout between the two, with Melnyk suing Ruddy and Ruddy submitting a counterclaim yesterday, the NCC has lost faith in their initial choice. The organization has opted to terminate the preferred proponent sheet, which had named the RendezVouz LeBreton Group as the preferred developers of the LeBreton Flats area.

The NCC noted in their announcement that they were apprised of the “unresolved internal issues” between Melnyk and Ruddy in November and decided at their most recent meeting to move forward with a different plan of action – “The NCC remains committed to redeveloping LeBreton Flats to the highest standards of design, accessibility, sustainability and connectivity”.

One would assume that as long as Melnyk is the owner of the Senators, the LeBreton Flats area is no longer a viable location for a new arena in Ottawa. The much maligned owner has seemingly burned his bridges with the NCC and will have to look elsewhere. The Senators continue to struggle with attendance, ranked 27th so far this season and last among Canadian clubs, at the Canadian Tire Center in Kanata, close to 15 miles from downtown Ottawa. LeBreton Flats, only about a mile from downtown, would have been a far superior location. Of course, arena location is just one of many struggles for Melnyk and the Senators. With yet another knock on him now, the NCC’s decision could be the final straw for commissioner Gary Bettman and the league to step in sooner rather than later.

Video Game Addiction Affecting NHL Prospects

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With each new generation, technology is playing an increasingly larger role in day-to-day life. Many feel that technology should be embraced and can be used to improve upon society, while others feel technological advancements are having a negative effect on young people, becoming too prevalent in their lives. American author David Wong once wrote “New technology is not good or evil in and of itself. It’s all about how people choose to use it.” Few would argue that video games are inherently “evil”; they generally serve as an innocuous hobby and can even be used to bring people together and allow users to learn from one another. However, when video game users choose to devote too much of their daily lives to an activity that separates them from reality, then the gaming technology can certainly become dangerous and “evil”.

Such is the case of video game addiction, which is still a point of contention in the medical community, but is defined by some as a behavioral compulsion resulting in social isolation, hyper-focus on in-game achievements, and a resulting disassociation with other important real-life responsibilities. Video game addiction is becoming more and more common and has now found its way into the world of hockey. In Sportsnet’s “31 Thoughts” podcast this week with Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, Marek reveals inside knowledge of a top NHL prospect who he now feels is unlikely to reach the NHL due to a video game addiction (conversation begins at 22:22). Marek declined to name the player, but mentioned that it is a Canadian major junior player and a recent first-round draft pick by a very prominent NHL team. Marek goes on to describe how team management has had to intervene and seek counseling for the player after his addiction led to late-night game play and negatively affected his energy level and on-ice performance. Marek admitted that this information is now a year old, but that the player’s stats would indicate that little has changed. He simply sums up the situation by saying that this talented prospect will “probably never play in the NHL because of a video game addiction… it is that bad.”

The story has now spread to Vancouver after an erroneous report left Marek without any option but to publicly deny that the player in question was top Canucks defensive prospect Olli Juolevi. However, in defending Juolevi, both Ben Kuzma and Patrick Johnston of the The Province tackled the issue of video game addiction in hockey. Kuzma spoke with GM Jim Benning who again defended Juolevi, but admitted that video games are beginning to pose a threat. When asked if he would inquire into prospects’ video game habits at the NHL Draft Combine, Benning initially laughed it off and said “Asking players if they play video games? I’ve never heard that it has been a problem”. That is until now, and Benning got serious saying “It’s getting bigger. And if a player is doing it all the time and has an addiction, it could be a problem.” Johnston details some of the benefits of playing video games, both mentally and socially, and discusses how it is already popular among NHL players. However, he warns that – like anything –  a lack of control can lead to problems.

Video game addiction is unlikely to begin while in the NHL, given the heavy schedule and locker room dynamics. It’s clear that they are popular among players – perhaps even the favorite way to pass the time – but veterans on any team would never allow one of their teammate to reach an addiction level of play. The multi-million dollar contracts tend to help with maintaining focus as well. Yet, the developmental levels are at risk and it will become increasingly important that coaches, executives, and older players ensure that everyone is keeping a healthy balance between hockey, social life, and then leisure activities like video games. Marek believes that one career has already been lost to video game addiction; it would be a travesty to see a trend begin.

The Impact On The NHL Of The U.S. Supreme Court Decision On Legalized Gambling

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In perhaps the most influential decision regarding sports in recent memory, the U.S. Supreme Court today held that prohibiting the states from deciding for themselves on whether or not to legalize sports gambling was an unconstitutional practice. Until now, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) had limited legalized sports betting to just four grandfathered states – Delaware, Montana, Oregon, and of course Nevada – under a federal ban. However, the decision in Murphy v. NCAA now empowers each state to move forward with sports gambling legislation if they so choose. It is a monumental shift in the spectator sports paradigm and not a decision that came easily. As Sports Illustrated’s Michael McCann writes, the Supreme Court was split 7-2 in the decision and even in the majority opinion Justice Samuel Alito states that this the issue of sports gambling is and will continue to be a topic that is up to the individual to decide on and the Supreme Court’s decision does not condone gambling, so much as it acknowledges the states’ rights to allow it. It was the court’s belief that the U.S. Constitution gave the federal government no specific power in this area and that PAPSA operated to command the state governments on how they must function, also known as commandeering, which is not allowed.

So what impact will this decision have on the NHL? The NHL, as well as the other three major North American sports leagues and even the Department of Justice, joined the NCAA in this case against the state of New Jersey. All of these parties are likely reeling after this decision, which had previously been found in their favor at both the district court and appeals court levels. The main argument in defense of PAPSA is to protect the integrity of sport based on the belief that an increased access to sports gambling could hurt the product or at least its image due to corruption. However, the other side of that specific argument is that legalized gambling – controlled, safeguarded, and monitored by the states – may actually serve to remove many illegal, behind-the-scenes gambling influences.

The leagues also stand to benefit substantially from “integrity fees”, writes McCann in a second piece. Practicing some gambling of their own, the leagues hedged their bet on the result of the case by developing the plan to demand fees from betting operations for the use of their product and information. These fees would help to make up for the risk the league’s feel is associated with an increase in gambling. While McCann opines that some operations and even some states are likely to fight these fees, the legislative process to get legalized gambling up and running in each state will be arduous enough that the fees will likely be paid to avoid yet another roadblock. These fees will then need to be incorporated into each league’s revenue-sharing scheme to divvy up the proceeds between owners and players alike.

So, while Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall believes that today’s decision will not affect NHL players, per beat writer Sam Carchidi, it seems likely that the rise of legalized gambling will actually serve to benefit the players. Where Hextall is correct is that it is unlikely to have much of an effect on the integrity of the game or how players handle themselves due to the aforementioned shift of gambling from out of the shadows and into a controlled environment. Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, who also owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards, said something to the same effect, as Carchidi writes that Leonsis feels legalized gambling ensures “integrity can be guaranteed and consumers can be better protected.” Leonsis adds that the decision will “change the face of sports fandom for the better” and “bring fans closer to the game”. The increase in revenue from “integrity fees” and an increase in attention paid to hockey by gambling accessibility appears primed to actually benefit players and teams alike, despite the league’s stance in opposition.

For their part, the NHL has stated that “the Supreme Court’s decision today paves the way to an entirely different landscape – one in which we have not previously operated. We will review our current practices and policies and decide whether adjustments are needed… (there will be) no immediate impact on existing league rules relating to sports wagering, and particularly, wagering involving NHL games.” The league will have to be flexible in dealing with the rise of sports gambling, especially in each of the 16 states that house NHL teams and do not already have sports betting laws in place (all except Nevada (VGK) and New Jersey (NJD)), but it seems that in all likelihood this decision could be good for the league. As Justice Alito wrote in the decision, gambling is at its essence a personal decision and opinions vary greatly, but a controlled, legalized gambling system is on its way in the U.S. states and the NHL appears to be a potential beneficiary.

 

Buffalo Wins The 2018 Draft Lottery; Will Select First Overall

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The Buffalo Sabres have won the Rasmus Dahlin sweepstakes. Buffalo has one of the most hockey-rabid fan bases in the entire league and their faith has been rewarded with the chance to plant a franchise player on the blue line. After years of suffering with bottom of the standings finishes and placing second in the Connor McDavid race, the Sabres finally have the top choice.

Buffalo’s draw was revealed during the second period intermission of Game Two of the Vegas Golden Knights-San Jose Sharks series, after picks #4-#15 had been revealed earlier in the night. Vaulting their way into the top three was Carolina, who had a 70% chance of picking 12th overall. Instead, the Hurricanes now sit with the second overall pick to add to their collection of young talent, which has implications in terms of getting a chance at selecting a lethal goal scorer in Andrei Svechnikov, Filip Zadina, or Brady Tkachuk.

Montreal’s suffering through the 2017-18 season was eased a bit by getting the third overall pick and a shot at a talent who should be on NHL ice come fall, giving them the goal scorer they so desperately need. They could also go back to addressing the blue line with several high-end options available at the top of the draft, but scoring is a need and Zadina, Svechnikov, or Tkachuk would help with that need.

Dahlin has been pegged as the #1 overall choice for a while now and is projected to dramatically change the fortunes of whichever team won the rights to draft him. Buffalo won that right, tonight.

The top fifteen picks in the 2018 NHL Draft are as follows:

#1- Buffalo Sabres
#2- Carolina Hurricanes
#3- Montreal Canadiens
#4- Ottawa Senators
#5- Arizona Coyotes
#6- Detroit Red Wings
#7- Vancouver Canucks
#8- Chicago Blackhawks
#9- N.Y. Rangers
#10-Edmonton Oilers
#11- N.Y. Islanders
#12- N.Y. Islanders (from Calgary)
#13- Dallas Stars
#14- Philadelphia Flyers (from St. Louis)
#15- Florida Panthers

Evander Kane Suspended For Game Two

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San Jose Sharks’ trade deadline acquisition Evander Kane had his hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety today and the result was what many expected. Kane has been suspended for one game and will miss Game Two of the Sharks’ second round series against the Vegas Golden Knights. The incident in question was a cross-check to the head area of the Knights’ Pierre-Edouard Bellemare that cost Kane a five-minute major penalty, during which Vegas scored the final two goals in their 7-0 blowout, and a game misconduct. As if that wasn’t enough, Kane will now be absent for the Sharks as they look to even the series on the road. The rationale of the league was as follows (video):

“Kane delivers two cross-checks to Bellemare – one to his arm and a second to his head, which drops Bellemare to the ice. This is cross-checking… This cross-check occurs well after the whistle is blown and serves no purpose other than as a strike to an opponent’s head. This is not a hockey play.”

Player Safety continues to dole out suspensions this postseason, but have been measured and consistent in their punitive actions. While Kane’s cross-check came after the play and appeared more purposeful, it was not dissimilar from the cross-check by the Winnipeg Jet’s Josh Morrissey to the head area of Minnesota Wild forward Eric Staal, which also cost Morrisey a one-game suspension in the first-round. Both plays occurred in front of the net, which Player Safety acknowledged in both reviews is an area of contact, but both were seen not as accidental contact, but as purposeful punishment. While it’s fair to say that Kane’s was worse because the whistle had blown and it was the second of two checks, it’s also clear that Kane’s check was far less brutal than the one Morrisey planted on Staal.

Kane has been an offensive force since arriving in San Jose, racking up 14 points, including nine goals, in 17 games to close out the regular season and adding three goals and an assist in the Sharks’ first round sweep of the Anaheim Ducks. His knack for finding the back of the net will be sorely missed for a Sharks team that was unable to beat Marc-Andre Fleury in Game One. Kane will have to be ready to play productive – and clean – hockey when the series returns to San Jose if the Sharks want to knock off the Golden Knights.

NHL Announces Jack Adams Award Finalists

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There won’t be much debate about the nominees for this award. The finalists for the Jack Adams Award, given each year to the NHL’s best head coach, have been released by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association. Reported first by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the 2018 finalists are the Boston Bruins’ Bruce Cassidy, the Colorado Avalanche’s Jared Bednar, and the Vegas Golden Knights’ Gerard Gallant. 

With all due respect to Cassidy and Bednar, the Jack Adams this season has been a foregone conclusion for some time, with only a race for second-place ongoing. The work that Gallant has done in the inaugural season for the expansion Golden Knights has been nothing short of miraculous. Gallant took a hotchpot of cast-off players from around the league who had never played together before and turned them into the most successful expansion team in North American sports history. Vegas’ roster is the definition of a sum greater than its parts, as no one could have predicted the success that this team would have based on the past performances of its players. That has a lot to do with Gallant, who has gotten his players to buy in to the system and it had rewarded them in turn.

Cassidy and Bednar rightfully deserve the recognition, though. Cassidy’s nomination feels like a continuation of his success to close out the 2016-17 season as well; the Bruins are 68-38-13 since Cassidy took over for Claude Julien last February. Under his guidance, rookies like Charlie McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk, and Danton Heinen have flourished and the Bruins have transformed into one of the best teams in the league. No one could have seen that coming this season. Even more unlikely was a return to the playoffs for the Avalanche, however. Bednar worked his magic on a young, inexperienced, and somewhat incomplete lineup, helping Nathan MacKinnon to an MVP-caliber season and leading the team to nearly double the success from a historically bad 2016-17 campaign, going from 48 points to 95 points.

While Gallant may be the overwhelming favorite for the award this season, this is a class of Jack Adams finalists that will be looked back on as one of the best and most deserving of all time, with three head coaches who truly “contributed to his team’s success”.

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