No need to rush young D tandem
K’ANDRE Miller is under contract, Nils Lundkvist should sign at some point during this undefined offseason, and so both youngsters representing the forefront of the next wave of Rangers defensemen are expected to be at training camp preceding the 2020-21 season.
That is of course welcome news for the Blueshirts, who drafted the lefthanded Miller 22nd overall in 2018, six slots ahead of where the righthanded Lundkvist was selected. Who knows? At some point, and maybe not all that far off in the future, they will become a matched set, ala Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren.
But not next year, at least not on Broadway, and no one should anticipate or even hope otherwise. Because the worst thing management could do would be to heighten expectations and then rush either or both of these young men into the NHL. They’re going to need time, both of them, and they should get that time in Hartford with the Wolf Pack.
In fact, once 2020-21 training camp concludes, the Rangers should pretend Miler, who turned 20 in January, is actually still at the University of Wisconsin, where he encountered a few potholes as a sophomore. They should pretend Lundkvist, who will turn 20 in July, is still plying his trade overseas in Sweden, where he had a big-time, step-up year for Lulea in which he eclipsed teenaged totals previously posted by the likes of Erik Karlsson.
It is important for the Rangers to get their organizational jewels into the organization, more so since the AHL operation under GM Chris Drury and coach Kris Knoblauch has become a genuine development program. It is important for the 6-foot-5 Miller, who can skate and move the puck but needs work to become a reliable player on both sides of the puck, to gain experience and learn the pro game.
Everyone is flying blind here. Personnel decisions will of course be dramatically affected by the cap and the cap may be dramatically affected by this interruption, and hypothetical cancellation, of the 2019-20 season. The cap number may remain stagnant. Amnesty buyouts might become part of the picture.
Regardless, the Rangers should not and must not rush Miller and Lundkvist, even if they have terrific camps and there is some external pressure to bring them to Broadway. They will need time. Management must be wise enough and resolute to give it to them.
The NHLPA held a membershipwide conference call Friday in which the players essentially decided to defer a decision on how to handle upcoming crushing escrow losses until a verdict on this season is rendered, per a source who participated in the give-and-take.
As we reported Thursday, the league has informed the union that cancellation of the season could mean a revenue loss of up to $1 billion. That would translate to approximate escrow losses of up to 35 percent per player.
If there is nothing the union can do about that, and it seems to be locked in by the collective bargaining agreement 50-50 partnership on hockey-related revenue, the players are sure going to want to hold next year’s number down as much as possible, which is why it is impossible to predict what that cap might be, and what the personnel fallout might be across the league.
It also was reported by Canada’s TSN that owners will hold another conference call Monday on league financial issues.
So the Bruins of “Mr. Jacobs” are in, on Saturday becoming the final NHL operation to provide financial assistance for arena game-night laborers. It took a while, but it’s done, all 31 teams in, and it’s a good look for the NHL.
Boston’s ownership took a public pounding throughout the week when it appeared as if the Jacobs family was going to be the league’s lone holdout. That criticism was justifiable.
But do you know whose ownerships have generally escaped scrutiny as the impact of the coronavirus moves at warp speed through society and we careen from one trauma to the next?
The ownerships of the Sharks, Blue Jackets and Capitals, that’s who.
Despite the fact the Santa Clara County public health officials recommended canceling sporting events, the Sharks opened their gates and played a March 5 home game against the Wild that had an attendance of 14,517.
Despite the fact Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine suggested all sporting events in the state be played without spectators, the Blue Jackets thought they knew better and were prepared to open the gates in Columbus for matches on March 12 and 14 before they were postponed.
The press release announcing the decision included the phrase, “Given the facts before us …”
Given the facts before us, the Columbus ownership stands indicted as either insensitive, willfully ignorant, or greedy. Or all of the above.
Despite the fact the Washington
D.C. Health Department issued a recommendation that non-essential mass gatherings [of 1,000 people or more] be postponed, the Caps were prepared to open their doors to fans for a March 12 match and beyond until the NHL hit the pause button on March 11.
Someone might have wanted to inform the team’s Monumental Ownership that, a) Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goalscoring record is non-essential; and, b) that its decision to ignore health officials reeked of Monumental Arrogance.
Here is Coach A, in the Hockey Hall of Fame: 1,400 games behind the bench (10th in NHL history), 684 victories (11th), .556 winning percentage, 183 playoff games (fifth), 94 playoff victories (sixth), two finals, no Stanley Cups.
Here is Coach B, not in the HHOF: 1,386 games behind the bench (11th), 672 victories (12th), .551 winning percentage, 173 playoff games (sixth), 96 playoff victories (fifth), four finals, one Stanley Cup. Coach A is Pat Quinn. Coach B is Mike Keenan.
And finally … Because you never know what is around the corner, because you never know how much time anyone has, because all of this is so fragile, why wait when there is no need?
So again, only this time with added urgency, when hockey returns, let’s get the number of the second-greatest defenseman of his era and the second greatest defenseman in franchise history up to the pinwheel ceiling of the Garden.
Let’s honor No. 2, Brad Park.
Stay safe, folks.