Holiday deep freeze starts early
All quiet on the trade front as league GMs want to give their rosters a longer look
The NHL’s roster freeze may already be in effect, even though it’s not official just yet.
The deadline to make deals before the holiday season is Monday at midnight, and while anything can change in a New York minute, it sure doesn’t seem like there’s even a lot of chatter happening.
“It’s pretty quiet. Actually, it’s really quiet,” a league executive said Saturday.
The issue, of course, is the standings. Nobody, with the exception of the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes, is really out of playoff contention. And with so many teams having hope, not many want to make deals.
Most teams are prepared to wait until after the Christmas holidays to see what they’ve got. A lot of GMs will attend the world junior championship starting Dec. 26 in Montreal and Toronto, so perhaps there will be more discussion then.
Avalanche GM Joe Sakic has been working the phones, and as this space reported last week, is open to all suggestions.
“Right now, I think teams just want to sit still and wait until after the holidays,” another executive said. “Maybe by then, they’ll have a better idea and decide what they want to do then.”
A loss or two on the weekend can always change a general manager’s thinking, but it certainly doesn’t look like anybody will be burning up the phone lines before the roster freeze kicks in until Dec. 27.
THIS ’N’ THAT
The dream of the players going to the 2018 Winter Olympics isn’t dead by any stretch, but it’s going to take some hard work by NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr to make it happen. While the lockout in 2012 was the biggest test Fehr has faced since he took the job, this is another big one. The players who want to go to the Olympics are counting on him to find middle ground with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and the owners to clear the way to South Korea. All this has to be settled by mid-January, and the NHL insists there won’t be any Olympics if the players don’t agree to extend the collective bargaining agreement by three years ... Toronto Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello has been sniffing around the league trying to add another defenceman. He can probably get in line, because blue-liners are a commodity pretty much half the teams in the NHL are trying to find ... Question: Who do you call if you want to make a trade with the Florida Panthers? Answer: Dale Tallon. And that’s not the way it was before GM Tom Rowe took over the head coaching duties.
OFF THE GLASS
Former NHL player Pat LaFontaine has been working hard on player development and many believe he’s got a model to bring together the NHL, NHLPA, AHL, CHL, Hockey Canada, USA Hockey and the USHL that may have some backing. The word is one possible scenario would see the NHL draft mainly be for 19-year-old players, while the only time 18-year-olds can be taken is in the first round. LaFontaine’s group may also be proposing that certain 18- and 19-year-old junior players can play in the AHL ... The Vegas Golden Knights will be looking for a good communicator to take over their head coaching duties in their first season. Former Philadelphia Flyers coach Craig Berube and Montreal Canadiens assistant Kirk Muller are both on the list of candidates GM George McPhee is looking at. If Las Vegas wants someone with expansion team experience, Tampa Bay Lightning associate coach Rick Bowness should be in the mix. The former Canucks assistant did an excellent job with the Ottawa Senators from 1992-95. He’d like to be a head coach again and was a finalist for the job in Anaheim last summer.
RUMOURS DU JOUR
The Los Angeles Kings have been working the phones looking for a goaltender, but you have to wonder where they’re going to turn. The word is they haven’t spoken with the Winnipeg Jets about Ondrej Pavelec since last month’s GMs meeting in Toronto. The Kings could reach out to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Marc-Andre Fleury, but with Jonathan Quick expected to return at some point, it makes more sense to find a short-term solution. Right now, the Penguins don’t want to do anything with Fleury because they need him. The Kings were interested in Ottawa backup Andrew Hammond earlier this year, but that’s not on the radar screen now ... Arizona has been trying to move forward Martin Hanzal all season, but what is the asking price? Teams that have made calls aren’t sure, but the sense is the Coyotes want a prospect and at least a second-round selection when they do make a move.