The quiet before the storm...not a lot of additional NHL news yesterday, but the league is jockeying for the NHL Draft on Oct. 6-7, which is traditionally when lots of trades are discussed. Of course, this time the draft will not be in an arena floor where GMs and staff can circulate and talk easily, so we’ll see what effect that has.
The buyout window (top casualty: Henrik Lundqvist) is open until Oct. 8, then free agency begins and cap chaos makes its mark.
Meanwhile, one of the Isles “pups” pictured further down this page turns 31 today. Happy birthday, Josh Bailey, it’s been a wiiiild ride.
Headlines
With Lundqvist’s departure, will one of the young Russian goalies be the next “king” of New York? [Empire Sports]
— IslesBlog (@IslesBlog) October 2, 2020
Discussing qualifying Ho-Sang: an asset is an asset:
The #isles are qualifying Josh Ho-Sang. @MollieeWalkerr of @nypostsports joins us to share her thoughts on what this transaction could mean. This and more in episode 30, presented by Oyster Bay Brewing Company now available! #GameOn #NHLhttps://t.co/IbhLSmyp1C pic.twitter.com/HZSspUU3lm
— Nassaumen Hockey Podcast (@NassaumenHockey) October 1, 2020
- You hate to see it: Professional Toronto Troll Steve Simmons calls John Tavares’ disappointing playoff performance the “elephant in the room.” [Sun tabloids] It’s weird, he was always good in the playoffs with the Islanders, so I assume the Leafs are just surrounding him with garbage players.
- Tons of “franchise player” names are on the trade board as every team tries to wrangle with a flat cap in a funny offseason. [TSN]
- And many, many, many goalies are in play. [NHL]
- Here’s the latest look at the top UFAs and where they might land. [Sportsnet]
- We Just Can’t Quit You: The last four Post hockey stories are all Lundqvist. Will he find an NHL landing spot?
- Puljujarvi may return to the Oilers after a sojourn in Europe. [NHL]
Will the AHL actually resume play in December? Fat chance.
● The schedule could be pushed back "to at least" February and "maybe" March.
— PATRICK WILLIAMS (@pwilliamsNHL) October 1, 2020
● At present, there are three AHL markets that would be able to have "any type of fan base come into their building."
● A regular-season schedule could be 40-65 games, depending on the start.#AHL