Off-Season Hockey Thread

San Jose Sharks
Rumour: Kevin Kurz of The Athletic recently explored some feelings surrounding Evander Kane’s presence on this roster.

Analysis: It will be truly incredible if Kane suits up for San Jose in 2021-22. It does seem as though his reputation has suffered too much damage from allegedly betting on his own games. Front offices do have to eventually break with toxic presences even if they did just lead the team in scoring.

It should be very easy to dump him if he is rostered and the team struggles. The Pacific Division shouldn’t be especially tough, but San Jose’s numerous horrible contracts make it impossible for them to improve significantly in any free agency period. An early hole will make cutting his contract so much more palatable to ownership.

However, it is not impossible for Kane to return. Players have recovered from numerous black marks to lead teams over the years, though none quite as universally loathed as possibly throwing games. His future will be much clearer if the investigation into his gambling produces no evidence of note. At that point, it will be up to some strong veteran personalities to put Kane in his place in the locker room.

lastwordonsports.com/hockey/2021/08/15/nhl-rumours-new-jersey-devils-florida-panthers-san-jose-sharks/?preview_id=117072

The Wild signed Kevin Fiala to a one-year, $5.1 million deal and the Predators locked up Juuse Saros with a four-year contract, AAV is $5M.

Join us for a free livestream of our 2021 Prospects Scrimmage this Thursday!



The only way to watch is by registering for here: bit.ly/3APe4SI

The really stinky thing would be if the fans' jerseys are going to include the ads from now on.

A digital billboard advertisement visible while traveling southbound on Interstate 190 is the latest reminder that angst surrounding Jack Eichel’s future with the Sabres isn’t limited to hockey fans in Buffalo.

As of Monday, motorists passing Sahlen Field and the Seneca Street exit will be able to see a banner ad that reads, “Aren’t trade requests a pain in the neck? #FreeJack.” The digital display, which is located only a half mile from KeyBank Center, near the corner of Scott and Chicago streets, was purchased by Ryan Mead and Greg Kaplan, who host the New York Rangers fan podcast, Blueshirts Breakaway.

The name of the podcast is featured in red and white lettering on a royal background, reflecting the Rangers’ team colors, and includes a graphic of a bison with hair that’s supposed to resemble that of Eichel. The ad, which was designed by their friend, Nick DePalo, and purchased through Lamar Advertising Co., will run for two weeks.

The playful joke wasn’t meant as a demand to trade the disgruntled, injured center to the Rangers, who are one of few teams rumored to still be interested in acquiring Eichel. Mead and Kaplan were tired of talking about the saga during their weekly podcasts and viewed the ad buy as a funny way to commemorate their 300th episode.

“The beauty of it now is now it’s funny,” Kaplan, a producer with Spectrum News in Albany, said of the Eichel discourse. “Before it was really annoying to have to talk about what the Rangers would have to give up, what the Sabres want, what the contract would look like, how it would impact Mika Zibanejad, whether this is the reason why the Rangers traded Pavel Buchnevich, whether Eichel can co-exist with the stars that they have.
“Those conversations, we had them so many times that we couldn’t possibly have them again, but now, it’s just funny. Now we just get to joke about it and honestly, the billboard says nothing about him coming to the Rangers. We just say, free Jack. It’s all it says, so yeah, we’re a Ranger podcast, but any Sabres fan that’s going to dunk on us and say, ‘you didn’t even get what you wanted.’ Honestly, we just want him out of Buffalo at this point because we’re annoyed. That’s as far as it goes.”

Eichel, a 24-year-old with five 20-goal seasons in the NHL, is awaiting a change of scenery as the result of a disagreement between him and the team regarding his preferred treatment for the herniated disk in his neck that limited him to only 21 games in 2020-21. Eichel wants to undergo an artificial disk replacement, a procedure never performed on an NHL player, while the Sabres’ team doctors prescribed an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion.

The situation came to a head in May when Eichel told reporters during an end-of-season media availability that he was questioning his future in Buffalo because of what he called a “disconnect” with the organization. A 12-week period of conservative treatment passed in late May, but neither side has changed its mind.

Last month, Dr. Chad J. Prusmack, a Denver-based surgeon who examined Eichel and recommended artificial disk replacement, went on Sportsnet’s 31 Thoughts podcast to describe the benefits of the procedure and why there are significant drawbacks with fusion, specifically a 25% chance that Eichel would need another surgery after 10 years and future surgeries later in life. Additionally, an artificial replacement would require a six- to eight-week recovery, compared to six months for fusion.

Please God you do it  

LMAO

Might as well have just sent him for "future considerations". Vezna winner literally given away.

GLENDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- The City of Glendale says it will not be renewing its lease agreement with the Arizona Coyotes beyond the upcoming 2021-2022 season. City officials say they are continuing their focus on bigger events scheduled to take place at Gila River Arena and the ever-growing Westgate Sports and Entertainment District.

In a news release, the City said it informed the National Hockey League (NHL) that this year would be the team's last, marking the end of the Coyotes' 18-year run in Glendale. Both the City and the team had been operating on a year-to-year basis. "The decision to not renew the operating agreement with the Coyotes was not made overnight or in a vacuum," City Manager Kevin Phelps said. "We carefully weighed input from key stakeholders, our expert economist, our arena management firm, and our City Council."

Glendale eyes Westgate & Entertainment District as the future for the city
City officials say they are looking forward to announcing new projects that will generate incredible excitement for visitors, residents, and stakeholders alike. “As amazing as the Sports and Entertainment District is today, the next several years will be even more transformative as this momentum continues," Phelps said. More than $3 billion in investments have been made at the Westgate Entertainment District over the last three years.

Earlier this summer, the site of the future "Crystal Lagoons Island Resort" was announced. It will be located near State Farm Stadium and the Westgate Entertainment District. Crystal Lagoons is expected to open ahead of the city's hosting of the Super Bowl in 2023.

A mixed-use development in the area was also announced in August. Plaza Companies and the City of Glendale chose to partner with the Arizona Cardinals to cooperate on a master-plan that could create up to 600,000 square-feet of office development, 60,000 square-feet of retail and restaurant space, and about 230 units of multi-family housing.

City officials say the development will provide event parking for the stadium and water park. It's slated to be located east of the Loop 101, south of State Farm Stadium and to the east of the new Crystal Lagoons

Public records obtained by Strang show that Phelps informed the arena’s management company, ASM Global, that the team owed $1,462,792 to the arena as of July 17.

I’m gonna be watching the prospect scrimmage, didn’t appreciate having to sign up at some dumb app. just post a link assholes

eklund, bordeleau, weisblatt all look good. Merkley makes some nice moves but hes as strong on his skates as a 12 year old