Crackdown on faceoffs cheats, slashing sees parade to penalty box
The Ottawa Senators have done more than kick tires on disgruntled Colorado Avalanche centre Matt Duchene.
Sources say Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has been aggressive in his pursuit of the 26-year-old Duchene, who begrudgingly reported to training camp last week while he continues to wait for a trade.
But, that doesn’t mean anybody in Ottawa should go out and purchase a jersey with his name on the back. At this point, it’s believed the two sides aren’t close to a deal.
Yes, the Senators are one of the most interested teams in Duchene, but they’re hardly alone, with the Montreal Canadiens, Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators among the list of suitors that have held several talks with Colorado GM Joe Sakic, who has been working on this deal for what seems like an eternity.
Thoughmanythoughtthissituation would be resolved before Duchene evenhadtheopportunitytoreportfor camp, it has dragged into September becauseSakichasinsistedtoanyteam that has called that he isn’t going to give one of the club’s top forwards away unless the Avalanche get what they want in return.
Part of the issue, according to league executives, is the asking price seems to be a moving target.
In the past, the Avs have shown a strong interest in Ottawa blueliner Cody Ceci, but the Senators look at him as one of their building blocks on defence and Dorion has been reticent to make that kind of deal.
The Senators have been in pursuit of Duchene since Sakic first started listening to offers for him at the start of the 2015-16 campaign. He has two years and $12.5 million US left on his deal with a cap hit of $6 million per season.
He would be a good fit in Ottawa because he’d provide good depth up front, especially with the club taking hits on the injury front during training camp.
Already without centre Derick Brassard, who is recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, and winger Clarke MacArthur, who didn’t pass his physical and isn’t expected to play this season, the Senators learned Tuesday that prospect centre Colin White will be out 6-8 weeks with a broken wrist he suffered Monday night.
The Senators are already facing the reality of starting the season without captain Erik Karlsson, who had ankle surgery in June, so the hits just keep on coming in the injury department.
Asked why centre Kyle Turris hasn’t suited up for the club’s first two exhibition games, Dorion asked: “Do we want anymore injuries?” No, they really can’t afford anymore, either.
Though making a deal for Duchene looks like a long shot at this point for the Senators, you have to give Dorion credit for continuing to work the phones to see if he can find the right fit with Sakic.
Since taking over the GM’s post in April 2016, Dorion has been among the most active GMs in the league. He hasn’t been afraid to make changes to help improve the club.
Dorion made his first big deal in July 2016 when he acquired Brassard from the New York Rangers in exchange for centre Mika Zibanejad. Last season, he acquired forwards Alex Burrows (Vancouver), Viktor Stalberg (Carolina) and Tommy Wingels (San Jose) before the trade deadline. All those moves paid off with a trip to the Eastern Conference final for the first time in a decade and the Senators know they can’t rest on their laurels going into this season.
The club wants to take a step forward this year, not a step back.
The reality is, the Duchene situation is likely going to get resolved sooner than later because it is hard to believe the Avalanche would go into the season with this mess still surrounding the team.
Duchene is in camp, sure, but he doesn’t sound like he’s exactly thrilled to be there. He made a prepared statement when he arrived last Thursday that he was in camp for his teammates and the fans. That tune hasn’t changed.
“I’m just enjoying playing hockey. A lot got blown out of proportion,” Duchene told Mike Chambers of the on Monday. “I said what I wanted to say (in the statement). Nothing’s changed since Thursday. I’m here to get better, I’m here for those reasons that I said on Thursday.”
It’s hard to predict how this is all going to end for Duchene because nobody is sure which route Sakic is going to take with these talks.
For his part, you have to think Dorion will keep working the phones, especially after the injury to White gave the forward ranks another hit.
“I’m not going to make a trade today,” Dorion said Tuesday.
That doesn’t mean Dorion hasn’t been trying and you can be guaranteed he won’t stop, and that’s why until Duchene gets dealt the Senators will remain in the mix even if their chances of completing a deal don’t look strong.
MONTREAL — Faceoffs were a group effort and penalty boxes were full as the NHL opened it’s pre-season schedule this week.
Centres were repeatedly tossed out of the faceoff circles, while disbelieving players were sent to the box for what looked to be waving their sticks in the general area of an opponent’s gloves.
It was all part of the league’s crackdown on faceoff cheats and slashes to the arms and hands. And for as long as it lasts, players will have to adjust.
“We just felt we’d let it erode too much and it was time to shore up the faceoff procedure, especially the marks in the faceoff circles,” NHL director of officiating Stephen Walkom said Tuesday. “It was becoming unsafe for the linesmen, with (players’) feet behind them.
“We’re trying to get them to understand it’s important for the integrity of the faceoffs and it’s important for the safety of the players and the linesmen.”
In eight pre-season games on Monday night, there were 49 slashing calls and nine penalties for faceoff violations.
The changes do not stem from new rules, but from stricter enforcement of the old ones.
For faceoffs, players must face their opponent squarely and keep their feet behind the lines. It was widespread for centres to cheat by moving as close as possible to the faceoff dots to gain leverage on opponents.
“Players were coming together and banging their heads before the puck was even in the faceoff dot,” said Walkom. “The markings have been there since the mid-1990s, but over time, players crept in closer and closer.”
If a player cheats, he is tossed out of the faceoff and a teammate takes his place. If a team does it twice on the same faceoff, it is a two-minute penalty.
But, clearly not used to it, players were banished on nearly every draw. Wingers and even defencemen when teams were shorthanded two men, were pressed into service even though linesmen talked to each team before the games to explain how faceoffs would be called.
“In the first period, I saw Phillip Danault take one faceoff — and he’s supposed to be the centre,” said Montreal Canadiens prospect Charles Hudon. “It’s weird.”
Some wonder how long it will last. The league has had crackdowns on various fouls before that seemed to fade as the regular season moved along and vanish in the playoffs.
Coach Claude Julien doesn’t doubt the league is thinking longterm, but wonders if the standard may be tweaked later on.
“They just want to clean it up, so we have to have an open mind and see what they’re doing,” said Julien.“Right now there’s no doubt that if you’re six foot five and have the long reach you’re going to have an advantage over a guy that’s five foot 10, especially if you can’t get in close, but let’s give it a chance.
“I’m sure at some time everyone will revisit that and come up with the right solution.”
For centres, the adjustment won’t be easy. And players considered the best on faceoffs may find them harder to win without the little tricks they’ve developed over years.
“Faceoffs are a game within a game,” said centre Peter Holland. “If you’re not cheating, you’re just cheating yourself.
“It’s a question of who can get away with more of it. Puck possession is such a huge factor in the game right now. Especially when you start in the offensive zone. You want to sustain O-zone time. It plays a bigger role than people give it credit for.”
“Before it was the home team that had the advantage, and then it became the offensive stick had the advantage, and now it looks like they’re trying to make it always a 50-50 battle by removing the skate work. I think all the players, coaches and refs are going to take time to get it right.”