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Austin Watson Suspended Indefinitely

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Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson has been placed in Stage Two of the league’s Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program, and will be suspended indefinitely. The placement is “related exclusively to his ongoing issues with alcohol abuse.” The Predators have released a statement:

The Nashville Predators are saddened and disappointed for Austin Watson and his family as he enters the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program for alcohol-related treatment. We are grateful for the NHL and NHLPA’s program and will cooperate in any way necessary as we continue to support Austin and his family as they go through this difficult time. Because of the personal nature of the Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program and our exclusive focus on Austin and his family’s well-being, there will be no further comment on this matter.

Watson already served an 18-game suspension earlier this season for a domestic violence arrest in the summer, one that was reduced from an original sentence of 27 games by a neutral arbitrator. It’s not apparent what has happened to force this second suspension, but the Predators are instantly without one of their most versatile forwards for the time being and perhaps the rest of the season.

After returning to the lineup on November 15th, Watson had collected seven goals and 13 points in 34 games while playing the most minutes of his short career. The big, physical forward had already collected 99 hits in those 34 games, which actually leads the Predators entire roster despite the missed time from suspension. For a team that is loading up for another long playoff run, losing a player of his nature is a tough blow.

It’s hard to know exactly what the outcome will be in this siutation. Joe Rexrode of the Tennessean believes that this is the end of Watson’s career in Nashville, and tells readers to simply root for the 27-year old’s survival at this point. Watson has one year remaining on his contract after this season, but there is no guarantee he ever suits up again for the Predators. For now, the team will support him and his family as they try to battle through the alcohol issues.

Minor Transactions: 11/19/18

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Nine games grace the NHL stage tonight including some key matchups featuring some of the best teams in the league. Perhaps the best example of that is when the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Nashville Predators in a battle of Stanley Cup contenders. As teams prepare for their big night, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The Washington Capitals are expected to have Braden Holtby dressed once again as he returns from injury, and have sent Ilya Samsonov back down to the minor leagues. Taking his place on the roster is young defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, who has played two games for the Capitals this season. Samsonov is one of the top goaltending prospects in the world, but will have to wait for his next opportunity before making his NHL debut.
  • Micheal Haley is back with the Florida Panthers, as the team recalled him today along with Dryden Hunt. Denis Malgin and Maxim Mamin were reassigned to the Springfield Thunderbirds to make room. Haley, 32, spent the start of the season away from the team working with the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, but has now resumed his career and will try to inject some physicality and energy into the Panthers lineup.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have returned three players to the AHL as they make room for other on the roster returning to health. CapFriendly reports that forward Mario Kempe and defensemen Dakota Mermis and Robbie Russo have all been reassigned to the Tuscon Roadrunners. Russo did not see any game action on his first recall of the season, while Mermis skated in just over eleven minutes in his one appearance and Kempe recorded a team-low 10:22 ATOI in four games. The trio don’t seem to have the trust of the coaching staff just yet and the Coyotes likely hope that they can stay healthy enough to avoid seeing any of the group for a while.

Reactions To Tom Wilson’s Suspension Reduction

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When a polarizing player like Tom Wilson ends up on the winning side of a suspension appeal, the response from the masses is predictably negative. Wilson’s latest dirty hit, a check to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist, was as bad as any in Wilson’s murky history and few batted an eye at the resulting 20-game suspension. Yet, his appeal’s final stage landed with a neutral arbitrator who took issue with the NHL Department of Player Safety’s use of a multiplier that was not rooted in the Collective Bargaining Agreement nor was it supported by precedent. Just like that, Wilson’s suspension was reduced to 14 games and he is right back on the ice tonight for the Washington Capitals. Unsurprisingly, fans, pundits, and competitors alike are not impressed with the decision:

  • One of the few happy to see Wilson back early is Washington GM Brian MacLellan and even he is treading carefully on the subject. MacLellan sat down with NHL.com’s Dan Rose and made it clear that Wilson has to change his game if he wants to stay on the ice. “We’ve talked about it numerous times,” MacLellan said, “there are certain hits that he just has to stop trying… He’s going to have to avoid some hits and he’s going to have to let up on some hits also. You can’t have the same force because he hits hard and it looks bad, and sometimes he’s going to be evaluated on the force.” For MacLellan and the Caps – who signed Wilson to a massive six-year, $31MM contract this off-season – they simply need Wilson to stay active and contribute, as they’re paying him to do. “At the end of the day, missing 15, 16 games, it can’t happen,” Wilson himself commented on the incident. The question now is whether or not MacLellan and the team can actually influence Wilson into changing his playing style.
  • One fellow player frustrated with both the process and result is Pittsburgh Penguins veteran Matt Cullen. Cullen, 42, has been around longer than virtually every other player in the NHL today and knows a thing or two about how the game operates, or at least how it should. Cullen told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that “When the next CBA comes up, that’s something we (should) address… I don’t think anybody is real happy with it.” Mackey points out that Cullen is unlikely to still be around when the next agreement is negotiated, but the opinion of a respected player still carries weight. Cullen is disappointed not only in the reduction of the suspension – the rival Penguins are no fans of Wilson – but more so in how it occurred. “I don’t think it’s a good look for our league, for our game to need to go to appeals… You’d like the headlines to be about the play on the ice and the players, not the other (stuff) going on outside of the game… I think most guys probably don’t love that — that it got reduced in that manner as far as going to appeal after appeal.” Interestingly, neutral arbitration is very much a player-friendly process that the NHLPA fought for. The idea is to take away any bias from the league by allowing a third party to review all of the facts independently. Yet, Cullen makes a good point that the ordeal is lengthy and not ideal optically either. Especially given that the Department of Player Safety is run mostly by former players, perhaps Cullen speaks on behalf of all players that in the next CBA they would be better off with eliminating the independent arbitrator.
  • And what of the arbitrator himself? Shyam Das has been a thorn in the side of the NHL, but likely won’t be for much longer. While an independent arbitrator, Das is employed by the league for his services. In overturning Wilson’s suspension, Das has now decided for the player in each of his three cases for the league: Wilson, Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson, and then-Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman. Each of those three cases were high-profile and concerning a sensitive subject; Wideman attacked a referee, Watson was accused of domestic assault, and Wilson is the league’s most notorious “thug”. In each instance, the NHL would have very much liked to have seen their decision hold, only to have Das contradict them. Das was fired by Major League Baseball for similarly one-sided decisions and his time with the NHL will likely end the same way.

CBA Notes: Timeline, World Cup, Fehr, Playoffs, Scheduling, Orr

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The NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement is not a topic that most hockey fans want to hear much about, as in its recent history it has become synonymous with lockouts and missed games (and seasons). Yet, it isn’t ever going away and details are already emerging about when the next round of negotiations could begin. The current CBA technically does not expire until September 15th after the 2021-22 season and can even be extended on a yearly basis after that point. However, both the league and the players’ association can opt out ahead of the 2020-21 season with notice given in September of 2019. That date is less than a year out, making discussions of the current state of NHL labor relations prevalent now even if the CBA ends up intact for many years still to come. Currently, the league is not planning to use their option in September, according to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman. This is supported by claims that commissioner Gary Bettman has encouraged the NHLPA to figure out their stance as soon as possible. If the league is to hold an off-season World Cup tournament in 2020, as they did in 2016, they do not want to do so ahead of a season that could potentially be held up by a player strike. While the players have until September to make a decision on opting out of the current CBA ahead of the 2020-21 season, Friedman speculates that the league will need to know their intentions by the All-Star break this year or thereabouts if they are to begin planning the next World Cup. As Friedman notes, the international stage is very important to the players and with the NHL currently looking unlikely to attend the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China, the players may not want to risk their only other international experience, the World Cup. Will it be enough motivation to keep the CBA intact a while longer? We should know that answer before the end of the current season.

  • When CBA talks do finally re-open, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos states his belief that both sides are determined to avoid a work stoppage this time around. Although they will have to get over their recent tumultuous negotiating history, which has cost owners, players, and fans alike a season and a half since the turn of the century, as well as sort through some serious issues, the fact that both sides feel a shutdown would be a worst case scenario this time around is a positive note for everyone with a stake in the game.
  • Despite recent remarks that were inferred as signaling a coming end to his career, NHLPA Director Donald Fehr is not going anywhere, per Friedman. Fehr indicated that he would only be around for one or two more years, but walked back those comments by telling Friedman that he will stay on through the next CBA negotiation, whenever that is. The 70-year-old executive is well-respected if not feared for his hardball tactics, but has been optimistic about the next round of negotiations when approached about the topic recently. Fehr faces the tough choice of whether to opt out in 2020 (and retire sooner) or keep the peace for a couple more years instead.
  • One CBA topic gaining support is a change to playoff structure, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. However, it likely is not what many would consider to be the most pressing change. Johnston says that there is a growing movement among owners in favor of adding more teams to the playoff format. The NHL has operated with more than half of its teams making the postseason for many years now, but once Seattle joins the league as the 32nd member, that 16-team structure will now have a balance of exactly half the teams qualifying. Johnston believes that owners are in favor of a play-in structure, similar to the one recently adopted by Major League Baseball, that would hypothetically include two or four more teams to the postseason through do-or-die play-in games. Interestingly, this movement may never reach the bargaining table. Johnston notes that while some owners are in favor of this move, others, and most importantly Bettman, are happy with the current structure and are not seeking to change anything in the near future.
  • Changes to the playing schedule, particularly game times, could also be an intriguing CBA topic. Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press writes that many foreign-born NHL players are in favor of more frequent matinee games. Speaking with the Washington Capitals’ Nicklas Backstrom and Lars Eller and the Florida Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov, Whyno found that many NHL imports feel that earlier games would be far more convenient for foreign fans and could help to grow the game overseas. While the league has proven to be very invested in expanding the game in Europe and beyond, afternoon games on weekdays are an impossibility, while afternoon games on weekends in the first half of the season would pit the NHL against NFL and NCAA football far more often. The players may be fine with losing domestic television ratings in exchange for increased visibility overseas, but the league likely will not be. In need of a new TV deal in 2021, the NHL is unlikely to hurt the market value of their TV rights by expressing an interest in more frequently taking on football, the most popular sport in the United States.
  • For his part, Bobby Orr thinks that another work stoppage is likely. Orr told The Canadian Press that he would be “surprised” if there isn’t a lockout or strike before the next CBA is agreed upon, calling it a “tough” situation. “I think there are concerns on both sides… I hope there isn’t… I hope I’m wrong. We don’t need another lockout”, Orr said. Orr is not only one of the game’s greatest legends, but through his agency, The Orr Hockey Group, gleams plenty of information about the state of the league. If Orr says that it’s going to be tough, he’s probably right. The only hope is that termination can be put off a while longer and issues can be worked out in the meantime.

Tom Wilson Will Take Appeal To Neutral Arbitrator

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After receiving no reduction for his 20-game suspension from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman this week, Tom Wilson was given seven days to decide whether he’d take his appeal to a neutral arbitrator. It didn’t take quite that long to make a decision, as John Shannon of Sportsnet confirms that Wilson and the NHLPA will in fact appeal once again. This was not unexpected, as Wilson basically has nothing to lose at this point and could potentially see some of his lost salary returned to him.

When Dennis Wideman followed the same path and saw his suspension for colliding with an official reduced from 20 to 10 games, the Flames defenseman had already missed the original amount. What he did recoup by still appealing to the third party arbitrator was salary, which is part of why the NHLPA and Wilson will continue this course of action. The Washington Capitals forward has already missed nine games this season, and is scheduled to be eligible to return after the team’s November 19th matchup with the Montreal Canadiens. This arbitration process can be lengthy, and there’s a good chance most, if not all of his suspension will have already been served by the time a decision is made.

Bettman released a 31-page decision after a seven hour hearing for the first appeal, which detailed how the Department of Player Safety went about their 20-game decision in the first place. It also hoped that the long ban would serve as a “wake-up call” to Wilson in its conclusion, stating that the previous suspensions had clearly not been effective in deterring his behavior.

Tom Wilson’s Appeal Set For Thursday In New York

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After Tom Wilson was given a 20-game suspension from the Department of Player Safety just before the start of the season, the wheels were almost immediately put in motion on an appeal through the NHLPA. The first such appeal, in which Wilson’s representation will be able to argue their case in front of commissioner Gary Bettman, will take place tomorrow in New York according to John Shannon of Sportsnet. Wilson has already sat out the Washington Capitals first five games, and will obviously miss a sixth tonight against the New York Rangers.

If the commissioner does not find reason to reduce the suspension, Wilson can then appeal through a neutral arbitrator similar to Austin Watson. Watson’s suspension was reduced from 27 games to 18, though that ban was for a domestic assault conviction and not an on-ice incident.

When the league’s Department of Player Safety handed out Wilson’s suspension, it noted that no other player had been given supplementary discipline at such a rate. This was Wilson’s fourth suspension in just over 100 games, and one that could define his career. If he were to return and be involved in a similar incident, there could be reason to suspend him for another huge chunk of games if not the remainder of the season. The appeal though could save Wilson quite a bit of money even if it comes down after the fact, just as Dennis Wideman did when his suspension was reduced after already serving more than 10 games.

Micheal Haley Out Indefinitely

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One of the early mysteries of this season has been the status of Florida Panthers forward Micheal Haley after being removed from the active roster, but today the league and team provided at least a partial answer. Haley will be away from the team indefinitely while taking part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. Panthers GM Dale Tallon released a statement giving Haley his support:

Michael is a valued part of our team and Panthers family. He has our full support as he takes the time he needs to tend to this matter.

Haley hadn’t played yet this season for the Panthers after suiting up 75 times in 2017-18. On the final year of his current contract he is making $850K, though his cap hit lies a little lower at $825K. A physical presence for the fourth line, his absence may have pushed the Panthers to sign a player like Troy Brouwer late in the offseason and is currently giving an opportunity to at least one of the young forwards up with the club. As unfortunate as the situation is, the Panthers have the depth to overcome a loss for as long as it takes Haley to get help.

At PHR, like the rest of the hockey world, we hope that Haley is given the assistance he needs to get healthy and resume his career. The 32-year old has the full support of his organization, and hopefully the NHLPA even after his current contract expires.

NHL Salary Cap Estimate For 2019-20

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The NHL season is back underway and that means Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts column on Sportsnet is back in action as well. While it is always filled with interesting tidbits about the game, one bullet was especially noteworthy today. Friedman reports that the NHL provided a salary cap ceiling estimate at the Board of Governors meeting earlier this month, ranging between $81.4MM and $85.4MM depending on the NHLPA inflator. Even the low end of that range represents an almost $2MM increase over the current $79.5MM ceiling, and would provide the league’s richest teams with even more room to pay their star players.

Nothing is certain at this point, but early estimates are rarely that far off from the final numbers for the NHL. The NHLPA used just a 1.15% inflator for the 2018-19 campaign, but if they were to increase that at all there would suddenly be a huge pool of cap space available for free agents. The “superclass” that was expected for the 2019 offseason is quickly dwindling, but still names like Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, Mark Stone, Matt Duchene, and Erik Karlsson remain scheduled for unrestricted free agency. Those names, plus key restricted free agents like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Patrik Laine would all be able to push just a little bit harder in contract negotiations knowing the ceiling is creeping higher.

For Matthews in particular, another increase next offseason could mean he becomes the league’s highest paid player in 2019-20. Connor McDavid’s $12.5MM cap hit was 16.6% of the ceiling when it was signed, meaning an equal percent for Matthews would be just over $13.5 per season. While it’s hard to argue that Matthews is deserving of a McDavid contract just yet, he’s off to an incredible start and is leading the league in both goals and points. Should that continue all season, there’s no reason to think his camp wouldn’t try to make him the new benchmark.

Evening Notes: 2020 World Cup, Luongo, Mantha, Hughes

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NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said today that there is a chance there will be a 2020 World Cup, but one major obstacle is the collective bargaining agreement, according to The Athletic’s Corey Masisak.

With the collective bargaining agreement coming up, both the NHL and the NHL Players Association exercise their right to terminate the agreement next year. If either the NHL of NHLPA opts to do that, a World Cup would be “unlikely” to happen.

The last World Cup was in 2016 when Canada defeated Team Europe (a team made up of countries that didn’t make it into the tournament) in a two-game sweep of the best-of-three finals. If they can pull off a 2020 World Cup, it would be the fourth instalment. There was a World Cup in 1996 and 2004.

  • The Florida Panthers may be without their starting goaltender again as Roberto Luongo was forced out of tonight’s game against Tampa Bay. NHL.com’s Corey Long writes that Luongo will not return after a scramble in front of Florida’s net when Panthers defenseman Mark Pysyk and forward Frank Vatrano collided in front of the net with Vatrano falling on top of Luongo’s right leg at 12:21 of the second period. Luongo, who had made 13 saves, needed assistance getting off the ice, which could force the injury-prone goaltender to miss some time again. James Reimer took over for Luongo.
  • Dana Wakiji of NHL.com writes that Detroit Red Wings’ newly acquired veteran Thomas Vanek has been especially impressed by the play of Anthony Mantha and believes that the 24-year-old will develop into a top-line power forward sooner than later. “I think he can become the next power forward in this league,” Vanek said after the Wings’ practice Saturday. “His size, his skill-set, his skating, you don’t see that combination that much. He’s still young. The consistency is probably for all us, still not quite there, but he can become a real good power forward in this league.” The winger posted 24 goals last season and at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, is capable of doing more. He will play alongside Dylan Larkin this year, which should increase his chances of goal-scoring success.
  • Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News released his list of the Top 75 collegiate players with the Vancouver Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche owning the rights to the top two college players, Michigan defenseman Quinn Hughes and University of Massachusetts defenseman Cale Makar. Hughes, the fifth-overall pick in this year’s draft had 29 points as a freshman for the Wolverines last year, while Makar, the fourth overall pick in 2017, posted 21 points as a freshman last year for the Minutemen.

Jake Dotchin Reported “Extremely Out Of Shape”

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Just last night, it was reported that Jake Dotchin’s recent termination by the Tampa Bay Lightning for a material breach of contract due to poor conditioning had caught the attention of the NHLPA and players across the league. Many felt that if the Lightning did not have any hard line rules in place regarding fitness, Dotchin’s termination could open a can of worms about teams’ subjective use of a player’s conditioning to cut them from the roster and could become a major bargaining point. However, if the latest news on the situation proves true, the status quo has changed considerably and Tampa Bay will have a much easier time justifying their actions.

Speaking on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver this evening, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman relayed some new information on Dotchin. Friedman stated that sources told him that Dotchin reported to training camp with a body fat percentage of 25%, which was described as “extremely out of shape” and “way too high for an NHLer”. BMI, or body mass index, is the percentage of an individual’s body that is made up of fat, is a commonly used measure to determine health and physical fitness. The CDC lists a 25% BMI as the beginning of the “overweight” range for adults, which – as Friedman says – is totally unacceptable for a professional hockey player. While the CDC’s BMI formula only takes height and weight into account, which would not be accurate for any athlete weighed down by lean muscle, there are different ways to determine body fat percentage in athletes, procedures that Tampa Bay’s medical team are surely aware of. If these BMI results are indeed true, few could argue that Tampa was out of line to terminate Dotchin.

Again, Dotchin played a full season of hockey last season and didn’t appear to be slowed by poor conditioning. There were also reports that Dotchin has already received ample interest from other teams, though he has yet to sign anywhere. If Dotchin is able to pass a conditioning inspection with another team and return to being a competent NHL player, he would retain a solid case if he choose to file a grievance against the Lightning. However, Tampa Bay now has an equally strong argument that – regardless of Dotchin’s performance with another team – such a high BMI was simply unacceptable to the team and a completely objective decision. It still remains more likely that the two sides come to a resolution on this manner, but this news certainly brings the Lightning’s motivations into a new light.

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