JR Ewing

@SaucyJack You know, it's funny... I'm not a Caps fan, but man... do I love hockey. Do I love moments like this. What a great sport.

I could be mistaken, but I thought he was referencing this tweet: ... and saying that he wouldn't want Zegras at league minimum. I could definitely be wrong, though.

Yeah........ I dunno, man. Toumaala is getting 0.8 ppg in the AHL, which an NHLE of 32 points. At the same age, Zegras was a 65 point producer in the NHL. I'm not really a huge backer of Zegras, given his lack of desire to play defense, but Samu would need to deliver an amazing two-way game to top that.

There are some guys on that list who are very good, and got on there because they just have bad contracts; Darnell Nurse being a good example... That isn't the case for Zegras, with the unidentified player essentially saying that he's all steak and no sizzle. @ruxpin said he wouldn't take him at league minimum, and I sure as hell would, but I don't love having core players who need such strong sheltering either. If I were Daniel Briere, I would only be interested in acquiring him if the Ducks were effectively giving him away.

The precedent for the league granting cap relied had already been set by the Slava Voynov situation. Cap relief was granted by the NHL to the LA Kings during Voynov’s legal troubles, though the league had also suspended Voynov, which has not yet happened to these five players (though we’ll see what happens now that they’ve been formally charged). The charges against Mike Richards were stayed about a year later; he wasn’t convicted – I forgot that he was caught possessing oxycodone … that seems so quaint by today’s standards. The Kings and the NHLPA eventually came to a settlement and the league penalized the L.A. with a cap penalty that doesn’t end until 2029 for terminating his contract without following the NHLs version of due process. Same thing happened with Kane and same thing may happen with Perry. The interesting thing about the Voynov case, is that it wasn’t until he left for Russia under threat of deportation that the Kings asked the league for permission to terminate his contract. At the time, he was a still a valuable player on the ice (he even dressed for 6 more games after he was charged before the NHL stepped in and suspended him), whereas Richards was a shell of the player that he had been in his prime and the King’s immediately used that as an excuse to terminate his contract and recoup his cap space (instead of referring him for help to assist him with his health concerns). Dean Lombardi was fired within a year or two after all this went down.

Yeah, that's just it. What we don't know about the information the detectives had, statements they received, etc, adds up to a lot more than what we do know. I think it's fair to infer that this wasn't the absolute best police work in history, but we don't really know what they had.

I agree. Some have asked why it took so long, and I think we received our first tip of the hat as to why just minutes ago... I just watched a live press conference hosted by the London Police Service. The main people available for questions where Detective Sergeant Katherine Dann, of the London Police Service's Assault and Child Abuse Division, and Thai Truong, LPS' Police Chief since this past May. He offered this: When the Police Chief needs to make a public apology for the quality of investigating going on, it's pretty bad. And keep in mind, I highlighted the craptastic record the LPS has had in the past, where their "unfounded" rate was greater than 10x higher than other departments in that area of Ontario. A lot of change has been needed.

Former WJC players' sex assault case to return to court on April 30 The Canadian Press 3–4 minutes LONDON, Ont. — The sexual assault case against five former members of Canada's World Junior hockey team made its first appearance in a southwestern Ontario court Monday and is set to return at the end of April. Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart and Michael McLeod were not present in the London, Ont., court and their lawyers appeared by video. The players were charged with sexual assault late last month. A court document shows McLeod is facing an additional charge of sexual assault for “being a party to the offence." Lawyers for the players have said their clients will defend themselves against the allegations. The charges relate to an alleged incident at a hotel in London in June 2018. During a brief hearing Monday, prosecutors sought and obtained an order protecting the identity of the complainant, which is standard in sexual assault cases, as well as that of two witnesses. Assistant Crown attorney Heather Donkers also said the players' lawyers would receive "substantial disclosure" in the next few days. Disclosure is the evidence collected by the prosecution against the accused. The case will be back in court April 30. Later Monday, London police are scheduled to provide an update on their investigation. The police probe was initially closed without charges months after the alleged incident but investigators reopened it in 2022. Hockey Canada and the NHL, where four of the accused now play, also launched their own investigations. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said last week the league would wait until the criminal case has concluded before commenting. Hockey Canada has not issued an official statement on the charges. Dube plays for the Calgary Flames, Hart for the Philadelphia Flyers, McLeod and Foote for the New Jersey Devils. Formenton previously played for the Ottawa Senators before joining a team in Switzerland. All have been permitted to go on indefinite leave. Cases such as this one are part of a broader conversation about sports culture and masculinity, said Michael Kehler, a research professor of masculinities studies at the University of Calgary. Sports culture has traditionally praised a certain type of masculinity focused on dominance, control and violence, he said. "For a long time, you know, the messaging within sport culture has been, 'this is what it means to be successful, this is what it means to get praise and to get promoted,'" he said. "Sport associations need to change the message and they need to do this in a way that points out that we need to have greater transparency, we need to have greater honesty, and we need to create safer spaces for sport."

Brandon Saad, and he's a textbook case. https://www.capfriendly.com/players/brandon-saad

People in Edmonton legitimately wanted to kill Peter Pocklington for selling Wayne Gretzky. Wayne, for his part, didn't want to move, but he did want to be the highest paid player in the game, and that could never be afforded by Pockington in those days. The Oilers didn't get what he was worth, especially since there was no way that you could actually get what he was worth in player capital at the time, but it was a whole lot better than watching him walk for nothing. Glen Sather was raked over the coals for dealing Curtis Joseph in his UFA year, but it was better than the alternative. I think that's the right age. Sign them up to that point, but not after. Flames management isn't faultless in this, because they let it get to that point. Articles were being written at the time, letting Treliving off the hook, saying that Gaudreau wouldn't give them a yes or no answer. For me, I'd have no choice but to take it as a no, in the end, and collect what I can.

re: Brady Tkachuk... I really like him as a player, but he has to take some responsibility for what keeps happening in Ottawa and lean into playing more responsibly in his end. As soon as a teammate picks up the puck, he flies the defensive zone like George Costanza spotting a garbage can fire.

Everybody has the right to be wrong, eh? Both of them tick a lot of really good boxes: -Size -Skill: can take/make a pass, shoot and produce -Compete -Horrible to play against -In the case of Matthew, above average defensive ability. Just about the only way to overrate them is to say that they're in the conversation for best player in the league.

It's all the difference between scoring a highlight reel goal or two and playing hockey the right way. Good for you if you can do it; that's cool, but he also couldn't care less that there are two nets on the ice.

I hope his decline phase goes well enough. I like him and always appreciated his his Give a sh|t/60. Big heart. Big compete. Well, yeah. Gaudreau and Tkachuk forced the club to change plans. It’s so very hard to build something good, almost impossible to build something great, and even when you do, plans can change in an instant.

The least surprising thing I've heard in a long time is that the boys like playing in Vegas.

Part 9 Cold weather and not much to do around the arena … It’s not just Winnipeg. That’s the theme with all of the top picks. But, yes, Winnipeg more than anywhere else. “It’s always so cold,” one player said of Winnipeg. “I don’t have anything against the people or the city.” “Cold. Grey. Not much to do,” another said. “Nothing to do,” echoed a third. The complaints about Ottawa were similar, though many players said it’s the rink location, not the city. “I’ve heard the downtown is actually good,” one player said. “But where the rink is … nothing there.” “We always stay by the rink, and it’s kind of out in the middle of nowhere,” another said. Buffalo? Same deal. “It just seems gloomy when you get there,” one player said. “There’s not much in Buffalo,” another added. Raleigh, N.C., came in fourth, but the issues there had nothing to do with the climate or local activities. “Their locker room is awful,” one player said. “Bad dressing rooms,” another agreed. “Worst dressing room by far,” said a third. And what of the Arizona Coyotes and their college arena experiment? “That arena is dogs—,” one player said. “Should never be in the NHL,” added another. “It’s pathetic,” said a third. “It’s not The Show. Can’t take it seriously.” Complaints elsewhere were a bit more specific, from the sad fan base in San Jose to the size of the dressing-room stalls in Washington to the “hotel we stay in” in Minneapolis/St. Paul. And of course, on Columbus: “The cannon.”

Part 8 Of course. This one had to come down to Sin City and the City That Never Sleeps. It’s not just the dining options and nightlife. It’s the arena experience, players said. “Just the atmosphere,” one said of Vegas. “As soon as you get out for warmups, it’s a nightclub vibe. Everyone is just buzzing.” “The energy in that building is crazy,” another said. “The atmosphere is sick, the rink’s sick, the hotels are sick,” another added. “The whole trip to Vegas is unreal.” On the other hand, as one player said, “You can never go wrong with New York.” “Most places to walk around, most great restaurants you can find,” another said. “And obviously playing in Madison Square Garden is something special every time.” “I love MSG,” a third agreed. Other contenders? On Chicago: “I love the anthem, and I think the city’s great. Good atmosphere. Not as big as New York, so I don’t feel like the walls are closing in on me if I’m there for a few days. I mean, I love New York, but it gets busy in a hurry. Chicago, I think it’s got everything: the arts, the sports, good restaurants. But it’s not as crowded as New York.” On Sunrise/Ft. Lauderdale: “I love the weather and beaches.” On Nashville: “I’m a big country music guy.” On Dallas: “Great weather. Such a nice place to spend a day.” And Tampa: “The fans are great” and, “It’s just loud, rowdy.”

Part 7 The Athletic supports referees and didn’t want to give players this space to take individual potshots, so we’ll leave it at the numbers here, beyond pointing to a few interesting results/trends: • St Pierre was the top choice despite having a long-term injury and now being out of the league. • If McCauley and Sutherland got praised for their communication, the opposite was true for votes on worst ref, where commentary focused mainly on not giving players respect, being arrogant and being closed off to conversation. • And, of course, the votes go with the calls. One player who voted for McCauley as the worst ref said it was nothing personal or about communication. It was just that “when I know he’s the ref, I (get called for a penalty) all the time.”

Part 6 McCauley and Sutherland are icons of the reffing profession, and as is probably expected, they come in as the top two picks here. For NHL players, the refs’ approachability and communication are key. “He’ll talk to you if you get a penalty,” one player said of McCauley, an NHL ref since 2003. “He’ll tell you what you did wrong. He’s not one of those selfish guys who will try to take over a game. He’s one of the honest guys.” “You can talk to him,” another agreed. “He’ll tell you what he saw on a call you didn’t like — reason with you. There’s more of a human element.” McCauley’s on-ice flair also got compliments, with one player saying he’s “kinda funny,” another saying “he seems to have fun” and a third saying “I like the theatrics.” On Sutherland, an NHL ref since 2000, players made a point of how proactive he’ll be in letting them know where the line is. “He might even come up to me and say, ‘Hey, listen, you were borderline there. If you do that again, I might call you,'” one player said. “He’ll kind of give you a warning if it’s something he thinks is a little ticky-tacky.” “He communicates the best,” another said. “I remember a few years back, he made a bad call. … We had him the next night, and he waited by our bus, so when (the player) came off the bus, he could tell him he screwed up that call and say he was sorry. Just the best communicator, and guys have a lot of respect for that.” Other refs got similar kudos for communication, but the most common answer was summed up by one player who voted for McCauley: “He’s the only ref whose name I know.” In the mid-1990s, refs stopped wearing names on their jerseys, and as a result, “I don’t know any of them,” one player said. “God, I wish I knew their names,” another added. “I don’t know enough of them (to answer),” another said. “I’d know them by face.”

Part 5 “I’m sure everybody has said Marchand, right?” one player said. Actually, no! The Panthers’ Cousins seems to have stolen the “most-hated opponent” crown from the Bruins’ captain. “Played against him a long time,” one player said of Cousins. “Always hated the guy.” “He’s gonna get a lot of answers on this one,” another rightly predicted. “I’m buddies with him and I’d still say him,” said a third. Not that Marchand doesn’t still get some, um, love here, too. “I love the guy, but it’s probably Marchand for sure,” one player said. “I mean, Marchand’s always a good (player) you want to punch,” another said. Other favorite least-favorites? On the Stars’ Marchment: “I think he dives a little bit.” On Washington Capitals’ big man Wilson: “He’s not a rat. I respect that. But I’d still like to punch him.” And on the Buffalo Sabres’ Skinner: “He’s just annoying to play against.”

Part 4 He’s the lacrosse-style goal king, was on the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 2023 and is popular with the kids, but can he lead a team to the playoffs? NHLers still have some doubts about Zegras. “A lot of hype around him, in terms of some of the cool goals and plays that he’s made,” one said. “I feel like that doesn’t translate to an everyday type of (player). He was on the cover of the NHL (game). There was a lot of hype, I’d say. “Nothing against the guy. I just think that got hyped a lot instead of the play, consistently, night-in, night-out on the ice.” Nurse, the second-leading vote-getter, meanwhile, was singled out more for his contract ($9.25 million average annual value) than for his on-ice value or hype. “He’s a hell of a player,” one player said. “I just think he makes the same as Makar, and that’s kind of crazy.” Matthew Tkachuk and the Dallas Stars’ Robertson, both coming off 109-point seasons and playing for top teams, register as a bit of a surprise, tying for the third-most votes. The justification? Great players, but not ones who belong in the true top-top tier of NHLers. On Tkachuk, one player said, “He got overrated in the playoffs last year. Everyone was talking about him being one of the best players in the world. I don’t see it. He’s a great player, but people talk about him like he’s top 10 in the world.” And another on Robertson: “Sometimes you don’t really see him during the game and he finishes with three points. He still produces, but for me, he’s not like MacKinnon. He’s a game-changer, but not like these guys.”

Part 3 After getting a bit of grassroots support for best player, Barkov ran away with the vote here, coming off a Stanley Cup Final run and perhaps being overshadowed in credit for that run by teammate Matthew Tkachuk. “He’s starting to get some credit now,” one player said. “But I think he still deserves more.” There was debate as to whether a player of Barkov’s esteem can still be called underrated among some other players, though. “(Barkov) is not underrated,” said one player, who voted for Rantanen. “He’s a marked man every night.” “Everyone’s been saying Barkov for so long, but (he’s) not underrated,” another player agreed. That player voted for Barkov’s teammate, Reinhart, who has 37 goals, second only to Matthews’ 40 in the NHL, and was another popular pick. “He’s obviously scoring a lot this year, but he’s always kind of done all those things,” one player said. Point, similarly playing alongside superstars in a nontraditional market (Tampa Bay), received the third-most votes. “He doesn’t get a lot of attention, but he does everything, man,” one player said. “He scored 50-something last year (51), and I don’t remember anyone talking about it,” another said. “He’s so fast, and he’s just the engine of that team.” Keeping with the good-player, small-market theme, seven players pointed to the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor, quietly a point-per-game player each of the past two seasons. “He’s so good at creating time and space,” one said. “Nobody really talks about him.” “He doesn’t get much love,” another added. “He just scores every year.” Other picks? On Kaprizov, the Minnesota Wild’s star and engine: “He’s a superstar in my opinion, but no one really talks about him in that category of the top guys. He’s a beast.” On classic underrated pick Slavin from the Carolina Hurricanes: “It’s kind of getting to the point where everyone’s talking about him and people are kind of noticing, but he’s so good. I’ll say him again, but it’s probably the last year. I still think he doesn’t get as much credit as he should.” And on Charlie Coyle, a veteran stepping into big shoes in the Boston Bruins’ lineup and helping lead them to the East’s best record: “He replaced (Patrice) Bergeron really well. He wins faceoffs and does a lot of things for them.”

Part 2 Some will say Vasilevskiy, who enters the All-Star break with a sub-.900 save percentage, hasn’t been the same after all the long Lightning playoff runs and his subsequent back surgery. NHL players, though, still view him as the Mount Rushmore goalie they don’t want to see in the other net. “He’s proven it over and over again,” one player said. “Just a big-game guy,” another said. “I have never seen a guy that big be that athletic and that competitive,” added another. Hellebuyck, The Athletic’s prohibitive staff favorite to win the Vezina Trophy this season at the break, was another popular pick. “He swallows up everything,” one player said. The New York goalie besties, Sorokin (Islanders) and Shesterkin (Rangers), both got a share of support, as well, and might have split the Russian vote. One Russian forward, who voted for Sorokin, first made sure that his name was being left off this story. “Don’t tell Shesterkin I said that,” he said. Fleury, who this season played his 1,000th game and passed Patrick Roy for No. 2 all-time in wins, might have been the biggest surprise, receiving five votes. The beloved icon might be getting credit more for his career achievements and infectious smile than his play in net for the Minnesota Wild, as one player admitted. “I know he’s not the best, but I like him the best,” he said. “He robbed me stacking the pads earlier in the year. He’s been so good for so long. I’m sticking with Flower.” Fleury, as The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported, could be available on the trade market this year for any GMs sharing that sentiment. Perhaps even more interesting, Saros, who LeBrun reported the Nashville Predators might be willing to listen to offers on, got some of the strongest endorsements from his NHL peers. “Simply the best goalie in the league right now,” one player said. “He’s the most athletic and he reads the play the best,” another said. A few other sentiments: On last season’s out-of-nowhere Cup champion, the Vegas Golden Knights’ Hill: “The best goalie in the league right now. He won a Cup.” On Demko, one of the leaders of the Vancouver Canucks’ successful turnaround this season: “I’ve seen how hard he works.”