TORONTO -— While no formal rule changes were discussed during Tuesday’s NHL general managers’ meeting in Toronto, the league’s 31 executives did spend a significant amount of time addressing concerns raised by goaltenders.
Several puck stoppers have voiced their displeasure over the league’s decision to shrink the chest protectors this season, saying it has resulted in an increase in bruising.
The change in chest protectors are in addition to the shrinking pant sizes for goaltenders, which were implemented last season.
“We did discuss the fact that some goalies were complaining and in some instances the complaints went with their performances, too,” said Colin Campbell, the league’s executive vice-president and director of hockey operations. "There’s forwards and defencemen that get bruises when they get hit with 100 mile-an-hour shots and we brought that to the GMs attention, and they had no concern with it.
“We’ve worked hard on that, (NHL vice-president of hockey operations) Kay Whitmore reviewed the history of where we were with working with the companies. and all 31 managers were on board with where we are.
"I think that and a lot of the rule changes have opened the game up quite a bit."
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According to The Hockey News, there have been 1,617 goals scored this season - an average of 6.14 per game - up from 5.94 at the end of last season.
Campbell said the two sides also discussed goalie interference, and the increase in goaltenders voicing their displeasure following goals where they felt they were interfered with.
The league’s sense is coaches are challenging goals based on pressure from their goaltenders.
“We did address the fact that we’re not going to tolerate goalies not being happy with calls,” Campbell said. “We’re getting a few goalies banging their sticks and also, I thought this would happen earlier, goalies aren’t really happy if their coach doesn’t challenge some plays, not the fact that they didn’t stop the puck, but the fact that they got interfered with.
“We don’t buy that lots of times and I think it puts pressure on the coaches to make calls. We’re at around 80 per cent of the goaltender challenges (remaining) the same. We change about 20 per cent - we told them that’s a fact you should tell coaches when they’re making a goaltender challenge on a goal: that we leave 80 per cent alone.”
Part of Tuesday’s session was also spent discussing the CHL-NHL agreement.
There are some executives who would like to see 19-year-old NHL drafted prospects be allowed to play in the AHL rather than returning to their CHL club.
“That question was asked. We have a contract, an agreement, with the CHL,” Campbell said. “I think we’ve always been protective of the CHL and the players in the CHL and I think our teams have been fairly reasonable with sending their players back when they’re not ready.”
If the rules were changed, players such as Morgan Frost (Philadelphia), Cody Glass (Vegas) and Jason Robertson (Dallas), among others, would find themselves developing in the AHL this season rather than back in junior.
The current CHL-NHL agreement expires June 30, 2020.
“I think they want to knock one year off that, someone was saying,” Campbell continued. “I’m not personally in favour of doing that. I think we’ve got to maintain our level of quality in the CHL.”
Wilson has to change
Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson saw his 20-game suspension reduced to 14 games on Tuesday morning by independent arbitrator Shyam Das. The successful appeal will see Wilson receive $378,048 in lost salary as he already served 16 of the original 20 game suspension.
Wilson was assessed a match penalty for an illegal check to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist during a preseason game on Sept. 30. He was suspended three days later and formally appealed the suspension on Oct. 5.
“We talked about it going in, trying to get a decision earlier, but this seems to be the process the arbitrator needed,” said Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan. "The P.A. (NHL Players' Association) asked to have it done earlier, but he needed two weeks to get it done.”
With Wilson returning to Washington’s lineup on Tuesday night against the Minnesota Wild, MacLellan admitted the 24-year-old, who signed a six-year, $31 million contract in the summer, will have to change how, and when, he hits an opponent.
“There’s certain hits he just has to stop trying,” MacLellan said. “We talked about it numerous times over the past few weeks. On some hits, he’s going to have to avoid, they’re too risky.
“The way they’re evaluating them doesn’t make much sense if you’re a little bit off, you’re finishing a check and a guy is in a certain position. He’s going to have to avoid some hits and he’s going to have to let up on some hits too - you can’t have the same force. He hits hard, it looks bad, and sometimes he’s going to be evaluated on the force.”
Another Expansion Draft is coming
With Seattle all but guaranteed to become the league’s 32nd franchise when the NHL’s Board of Governors votes next month, some clubs are already preparing for the next expansion draft.
Some believe there will be less posturing with trades to protect certain players, as was the case with the Vegas expansion draft.
“I do think you take your preparation into consideration when you’re going forward with that,” said L.A. Kings GM Rob Blake. “I think just because you’ve gone through it, you’ll look at your roster maybe a little bit different.”
Others say you can’t spend time over-thinking future expansion drafts this far out.
“You always look at it, but we’re here to win hockey games also,” said Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin. “You have to manage winning hockey games and exposing young players. At the end of the day, we have to be careful, but we have to win hockey games.”
Several of the league’s general managers did voice their concerns over the next expansion draft during Tuesday’s meeting at the NHL office in downtown Toronto.
“There was an update on expansion by (NHL deputy commissioner) Bill Daly,” said Campbell. “The managers are of course concerned with protection issues, similar to what occurred with Vegas. But again, there’s no timing on that - they want to know the exact timing, but they’ll be given at least a year’s notice on that when the rules come out on expansion."
Quick to return in December
The L.A. Kings will be without starting goaltender Jonathan Quick until December, according to Blake.
Quick had surgery on Oct. 31 to repair a torn meniscus in his knee.
“He’s still a few weeks. Hopefully he’ll start skating on his own within the next 10 days maybe, but that’s just still a progress. He’s still a few weeks,” said Blake.
“I would say December probably.”
Quick has been limited by injuries this season, making just four starts where he’s 0-3-1 with a 4.55 goals-against average and a .845 save percentage.
On Monday, the Kings announced Jack Campbell, who replaced Quick as the team’s No. 1 goalie, also had knee surgery and will miss 4-6 weeks.
Domi thriving in Montreal
Max Domi’s first season in Montreal couldn’t be going any smoother.
The 23-year-old Toronto native, acquired by the Habs in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk in June, has been thriving as the club’s No. 1 centre.
“We traded a good player to get Max and hopefully it works out for both teams,” Bergevin explained. “He strives on (pressure), he’s a Toronto kid, played great at the World Juniors, big stage, and he’s doing the same for us right now.”
Domi is currently 13th in league scoring with 21 points in his first 17 games in Montreal entering Tuesday's action. His nine goals match his totals from each of his previous two seasons with the Arizona Coyotes.
In the face-off circle he’s winning 43.2 per cent of his draws.
“It’s easy to play in a non-hockey market. It’s a little bit more difficult in Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver - Canadian markets you’re more exposed, but Max strives on that and it shows in his play,” Bergevin continued.
The additions of Domi, Tomas Tatar and 2018 first-round pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi has allowed the Habs to play a faster, up-tempo style of game, and they’ll be getting help on the blue line with the return of captain Shea Weber who is expected back either later this month or in the first week of December.
“You don’t go into the summer saying, ‘I want to get slower’, its just some times the players are not available,” Bergevin said. “Not only players that are fast, but play fast and Max plays fast.
“We play that way right now. It’s 17 games in, but that’s the model, that’s the way the league is going now, we’re playing faster and we’re getting results, but we have a tough road trip ahead of us.”
While the topic of European expansion was not discussed on Tuesday, Bergevin wouldn’t be surprised to see the league expand overseas.
“I guess if you fly from Montreal to L.A., you just go the other way so it’s about the same distance,” he said. “It’s just the time change that’s harder. I guess you never say never.
“We’re the first (league) in pro sports in Vegas, I wouldn’t be shocked if the NHL is the first (North American) league that goes to Europe.”