Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

[Chef Boi RD]

The American kid Farabee in Philly is a good hockey player. What’s going on with the Canadian bums like Nolan Patrick and Morgan Frost?

Doyle?

[Doyle Hargraves]

The American kid Farabee in Philly is a good hockey player. What’s going on with the Canadian bums like Nolan Patrick and Morgan Frost?

Doyle?

How much have you drank today? Patrick hasn’t played in over a year due to migraines

Philly’s best players are Canadians and a Russian.

[UWSaint]

Dan Hamhuis announces his retirement. https://www.nhl.com/news/dan-hamhuis-re ... -318465252

The most recent memory of Hamhuis as a Canuck is the fact that he was a Canuck until the end of his contract. His no trade clause in the spring of 2016 made a trade impossible without his okay and his iffy health in at the time softened (or eliminated) the market even if he would have been good to go. The Canucks ought to have known this was a player who would control where he went; if memory serves, he was dealt not once but twice after the 2010 season with his contract expiring with teams thinking the right to negotiate early with Hamhuis was worth more than the mid-to-late round picks they were sacrificing. But I am sure that at the time Hamhuis only wanted to sign with one team, if it was on the table -- the Vancouver Canucks -- a return to home to play with a team poised to make a Stanley Cup run. And its why he negotiated that NTC to begin with.

The 2016 trade deadline wasn't the only time injury impacted Hamhuis' time as a Canuck. His sweet (though penalized) hip check in game 1 of the SCT finals led to injury, finished his season and was a major contributor to the Canucks ultimate loss. A blue line lacking Hamhuis, soon Rome, the Keith Ballard who was traded for (the version we were sent I am sure is not the same man), and featuring a one-armed Ehrhoff wasn't a Stanley Cup caliber blue line, with all do respect to fresh-out-of-college never-played-a-regular-season-game Christopher Tanev and Andrew Alberts, who served the Canucks well as a pylon in practice and the Bruins well as a pylon in games 2-7.... What could have been if Hamhuis were healthy might just be the second most common thought about Dan Hamhuis.

But beyond those moments, there were seasons. Six as a Canuck; 3 highly effective in my view and 3 not too bad. In his first two seasons Hammer was a +58, and his addition with Ehrhoff and the coming of age of Alex Edler gave the Canucks a deep set of steady two way defensemen -- Hammer a defensively responsible player who could move the puck and skate pretty well; Ehrhoff the offensive weapon whose defensive play was more than passable; and Edler who was an even mix of offensive and defensive acumen. While most of us like Willie Mitchell, Hamhuis taking Mitchell's minutes is what vaulted the team to another level -- a group as skilled up front at the early 2010s Canucks needed blue liners who could make tape to tape passes and who were skilled enough not to have puck-off-the-glass as option #1. Hamhuis helped make this a team that could run and gun as well as cycle.

Dan Hamhuis helped take the team to another level and while his play declined towards the end of his time in Vancouver, he was far from the cause of the wreck. Indeed, his steady play might have masked some of the structural fissures. He's not a ring of honor worthy, I suppose, but he is worthy of our respect. Good luck, Dan.

[Chef Boi RD]

Might as well call the new era of hockey “the season of the defenceman”. The Norris Trophy battles are going to be insane for the next decade - Makar, Hughes, Heiskenen, Jones, Chabot, Provorov, Werenski, Dahlin....

[Strangelove]

Too many times teams want to get to overtime to get that single point.

I don't want to change it because it's worked well but the old school hockey mentality part of me hates playing for the tie.

Nobody wants to end up last, and the teams at the bottom of the standings are fighting for their lives.

All the Dude ever wanted was his rug back.

Phones ringing Dude...

Shut the fuck up Donny.

[theman]

Coyotes have been stripped of their 2nd round pick this year and first round next year for their illegal testing of junior players. Good! For a cap cautious team, that's a huge loss and a bigger punishment than I thought they would get.

[rats19]

Coyotes have been stripped of their 2nd round pick this year and first round next year for their illegal testing of junior players. Good! For a cap cautious team, that's a huge loss and a bigger punishment than I thought they would get.

Could you explain the illegal testing to me Tman?

[theman]

Coyotes have been stripped of their 2nd round pick this year and first round next year for their illegal testing of junior players. Good! For a cap cautious team, that's a huge loss and a bigger punishment than I thought they would get.

Could you explain the illegal testing to me Tman?

If memory serves, that were doing physicals of draft prospects illegally. (teams are only allowed to do it at a combine)

[rats19]

Coyotes have been stripped of their 2nd round pick this year and first round next year for their illegal testing of junior players. Good! For a cap cautious team, that's a huge loss and a bigger punishment than I thought they would get.

Could you explain the illegal testing to me Tman?

If memory serves, that were doing physicals of draft prospects illegally. (teams are only allowed to do it at a combine)

Combine meaning... all teams testing at the same time?

Sorry to be so daft

[theman]

Coyotes have been stripped of their 2nd round pick this year and first round next year for their illegal testing of junior players. Good! For a cap cautious team, that's a huge loss and a bigger punishment than I thought they would get.

Could you explain the illegal testing to me Tman?

If memory serves, that were doing physicals of draft prospects illegally. (teams are only allowed to do it at a combine)

Combine meaning... all teams testing at the same time?

Sorry to be so daft

Yes. Apparently they had people testing these drafties during the junior season, highly illegal.

[rats19]

Coyotes have been stripped of their 2nd round pick this year and first round next year for their illegal testing of junior players. Good! For a cap cautious team, that's a huge loss and a bigger punishment than I thought they would get.

Could you explain the illegal testing to me Tman?

If memory serves, that were doing physicals of draft prospects illegally. (teams are only allowed to do it at a combine)

Combine meaning... all teams testing at the same time?

Sorry to be so daft

Yes. Apparently they had people testing these drafties during the junior season, highly illegal.

Serves them right then... lol

But if you ain’t cheating you ain’t trying hard enough... lol

[Micky]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/co ... violation/

This part is VERY interesting , IMO.

“While the Combine Testing Policy Memoranda reference a fine of ‘no less than $250,000 for each violation’ of the Policy, I exercise my discretion to impose the aforementioned discipline — which I consider to be more appropriate given the specific circumstances of this case,” Bettman said in his ruling.

[theman]

True but just don't get caught. lol

Apparently Arizona doesn't have a pick in the first 4 rounds of this year's draft now. Ouch. Especially for a budget conscious team and now have no first next year.

[2Fingers]

if they had the option they should of/have taken the $250k fine instead.

Losing 2 picks - ouch.

[SKYO]

Coyotes have been stripped of their 2nd round pick this year and first round next year for their illegal testing of junior players. Good! For a cap cautious team, that's a huge loss and a bigger punishment than I thought they would get.

NHL announces that Coyotes must forfeit their 2020 2nd-round pick and 2021 1st-round pick for violating the league's combine testing policy.

And they don't have a 2020 1st from UFA Taylor Hall deal.

So that leaves them with what, no picks till 4th round 2020, and that conditional pick next year if Hall re-signs they lose that 2nd, if no re-sign it's a 3rd), so basically no picks till 4th round again in 2021.

NHL drops the hammer, don't be breaking the rules and pre-testing scouting pre-drafted players/prospects.