Jackets prepare for life in bubble
Officially, they are called “secure zones,” but most people will refer to them as “hubs” or “bubbles” for the next couple of months.
Regardless of the label, the isolated areas within the Canadian cities of Toronto and Edmonton — where the Blue Jackets and 23 other NHL teams will conclude the 2019-20 season — are entirely new for a league that had been shut down since March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We have nothing to compare it to, so it’s obviously a topic of conversation,” Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said Friday, two days before the team’s charter flew them to Toronto.
“I think everyone is just looking forward to the opportunity, and we’re excited about getting there and realizing we’re there to do a job. If you’re looking at it as a vacation, you’re going to be disappointed. We’re looking at it as, ‘We’ve got a job to do.’ It’s going to be hockey 24/7.”
Perhaps. But there will be options to keep bored players, coaches and other team personnel entertained and sane — including restaurants, plush hotels, places to watch movies, an abundance of gyms and workout areas, as well as access to the field at BMO Stadium in Toronto, which usually houses that city’s Major League Soccer team.
Edmonton, too, has an assortment of amenities within its secure zone, and both places are surrounded by fencing to mark the boundaries.
As the name suggests, they are designed to be secure — to keep out those who aren’t supposed to get inside, and vice versa for those in each team’s official traveling party of up to 52 people, including 31 players.
Inside the zone, there are daily COVID-19 tests and fever checks, mask and social-distancing requirements, and a good amount of downtime for players to kill between games or practices.
The Blue Jackets are an NHL rarity in that they have no unrestricted free agents this season. Josh Anderson and Pierre-luc Dubois are restricted free agents, but only Anderson is eligible for arbitration.
For unrestricted free agents, instead of cashing in July 1 if this had been a normal year, they now face the risk of injury after several months off, which could put big paydays in jeopardy.
“Being a free agent that goes into this situation, it’s definitely risky,” Krug said.
“Having three or four months off, and then going right into the most intense hockey you could possibly play at any level, there’s always risk for injury no matter when you play,” he added. “But certainly in this moment, you don’t have the normal training that you do, the preparation, all the work to make sure your body feels good and you can go in without any worries.”
The worries weren’t severe enough, however, for players to opt out. Travis Hamonic (Calgary Flames) and Mike Green (Edmonton Oilers) are pending free agents who decided not to play, but they cited family health concerns as the reason.
The thought of not playing never crossed Holtby’s mind. Two years removed from backstopping the Capitals to their first NHL title, the 30-year-old goaltender is more focused on trying to win the Stanley Cup again than endangering his future earnings by doing so.
“My job right now is to win a championship with the Caps,” Holtby said. “Everything else after that is completely irrelevant.
“I don’t think I’ve ever worried about injuries. Any game that you get to play, you are pretty fortunate to get to play in this league.”
Florida Panthers teammates Evgenii Dadonov and Mark Pysyk are on that same page. Pysyk said he gave little to no thought about opting out, figuring this was no different from competing in the playoffs any other season. Dadonov said he’s “not scared” about risking injury.
Washington defenseman Brenden Dillon doesn’t think he has it worse as a pending free agent than others around the league.
“There’s always a risk when you have a big layoff like this,” he said. “I think it just goes to the preparation for us as players in general, whether you are (a free agent) or a guy on a six-year deal.”
Nicklas Backstrom signed a new five-year deal with the Capitals in January and had more than a few people tell him he’s lucky for getting that done. Under the collective bargaining extension the league and players union agreed to, the salary cap will remain at the current $81.5 million for at least next season and possibly beyond because of revenue lost during the pandemic.
That economic reality could mean Pietrangelo doesn’t get the kind of monster contract given to elite defensemen such as Drew Doughty, Erik Karlsson and Roman Josi. Holtby might have to settle for something less than the seven-year, $70 million deal that fellow Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky got from the Panthers last summer.
They might have to choose between taking less money from a championship contender or more from a rebuilding team. But, they say, that’s a worry for after the season when free agency opens in October.
“I don’t really know what’s going to happen,” Krug said. “I’m just trying to take it day by day and worry about the playoffs right now, and then I’ll probably prepare for free agency and see what happens from there.”