2025-2026 NHL Offseason

lukin2006 wrote:

Drowned Out wrote:

How did they handle the draft after the last lost season? Did they just carry the standings from the previous season? Pretty sure I read that the Oilers would be getting a spot in the ping pong ball draw if the season is cancelled.....another first overall pick?

The only problem with all those number 1 picks...can they afford them in a few years?

That's a pretty enviable problem to have.....what's the alternative? Get worse players so that we can pay them? .....if they can't pay them all, they'll trade one or two for future considerations or to fill holes. If Hall and Eberle's contracts are an indication, these guys want to stay here long term to build a dynasty. Don't see why RNH wouldn't want to do the same....who knows about Yakupov and Schultz in that regard...but I'd hope if we started winning, they'd want to stick around too....

Drowned Out wrote:

How did they handle the draft after the last lost season? Did they just carry the standings from the previous season? Pretty sure I read that the Oilers would be getting a spot in the ping pong ball draw if the season is cancelled.....another first overall pick?

That was the Crosby draft year, all teams went into a lottery ...I think it was weighted not sure. .....I remember based on standings the Canucks should have been drafting in the mid 20's but ended up moving all the way up 10th spot.

Sources are telling John Buccigross of ESPN that tentative plans are for the NHL to cancel the Winter Classic and All-Star Game on Monday.


this season is about to be flushed down the toilet.

FUCK ! ! !

Bathgate66 wrote:

Sources are telling John Buccigross of ESPN that tentative plans are for the NHL to cancel the Winter Classic and All-Star Game on Monday.


this season is about to be flushed down the toilet.

FUCK ! ! !

They can't wait too long on the winter classic...this would have been the biggest and best winter classic by far.

I think they were having to 2 alumni games, 2 junior hockey games, some other stuff downtown Detroit and then the winter classic itself...plus they are/were expecting thousands of people to fill up hotels in Windsor/Detroit...so to be fair to everyone involved, no point prolonging the inevitable.

lukin2006 wrote:

josevolution wrote:

Yet fans will just go back as soon as they rectify this mess , the only way for the players & owners to get the message that this unacceptable is to Boycot the games once they are back but that will never happen .....

Not me...been to exactly 1 game since the last lockout and only watch the playoffs...may just skip the playoffs as well.

But you are right...the majority will continue as normal.

That is the only way ...

lukin2006 wrote:

Drowned Out wrote:

Yes nice problem to have. Doubt we'll see a dynasty in ever again. If they somehow end up with the number 1 pick again this year...I would definitely look to trade for a goalie or trade down for multiple picks...all those high draft picks eat away at payroll and cap space. Hall won't be much good if he doesn't stay healthy. I followed his junior career...10 minutes away...does he still crash and bang? That's what he did in Windsor...I would hope he'd be a little more careful in the NHL.

Ya he does....that was always the knock on him - the possibility that he wouldn't be able to stay healthy because his style of play in junior would be suicidal in the NHL. He fearlessly pursues the puck into corners, behind the net, crashes on rushes.....He hasn't changed his game....two injuries were freak accidents (one was a fall during a fight, of all things, the other a skate to the face by a team mate in warmup)....but another was def caused by not having his head up. He does get flattened often - prob once a game.....So the jury is still out on whether he can continue playing his style without being killed. He's so exciting to watch tho....SO fast, and every shift he has an impact. The opposing team has to completely alter their defence to keep up with him....opens up a lot of space. I'm not too worried about him, I think he has the talent and resilience to be a star for years to come.
Also, don't discount Dubnyk as an NHL starter....he's just coming up on the age that goalies reach full potential....he had great numbers last year for being on a shitty team (think he was top 5 in save %).....this year (or next, I guess) will be the make-or-break for him.

Now the junior hockey players are unhappy...

JUNIOR HOCKEY
CHLers demand minimum wage, threaten lawsuit

http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/2012/10/ ... en-lawsuit

MONTREAL - Major junior hockey players have threatened to sue their leagues if they don't get minimum wage and benefits, QMI Agency has learned.

The Canadian Hockey League Players' Association, led by former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque, has served notice to owners and general managers of every team in the OHL, WHL and QMJHL.

The six-page letter on behalf of current and former players alleges "serious and ongoing violation" of labour, pension and employment insurance laws.

Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson and CHL commissioner David Branch also got letters.

The players union was formed during the summer, as QMI Agency reported in August, after being in the works for a year.

Laraque says the fact the federal government considers junior hockey players to be employees means they're entitled to salaries and things like vacation pay.

"In reality, the players don't want to fight in court against the owners to have minimum wage," Laraque told QMI Agency.

"They simply want the best possible conditions."

The topic came up briefly at an OHL board of governors meeting in the summer, but Branch said it was only "speculation" and "rumours."

Junior hockey players, most of whom are 15 to 20 years of age, make up the majority of NHL draftees every year but they're not paid a full salary despite the for-profit nature of their teams.

Most players earn $35 to $50 a week -- an amount that hasn't changed for 50 years.

The player's lodging, schooling and food costs are covered by their team but the union also wants minimum wage, overtime, severance pay and other benefits.

Laraque says league officials have refused to discuss salary issues. He says players who have tried to raise the issue with their bosses have been subject to intimidation tactics.

"We have proof that certain players received threats," he said.

The former bruiser says current players have been meeting since the summer but would prefer to remain anonymous for now.

"I'm only doing what (players) asked me," Laraque said. "We have members everywhere in Canada and we'll let you know more about this soon."

Scott Smith, chief operating officer at Hockey Canada in Calgary, confirmed that the organization had received the letter and was reviewing it. The CHL did not return messages.

=-=-=-=-=-=

EXCERPTS FROM CHLPA LEGAL NOTICE IN ONTARIO:

"We are writing concerning the serious and ongoing violations by the OHL and all its member teams of the minimum employment legislative standards. More specifically, there have been, and continue to be, flagrant breaches of the Employment Standards Act (Ontario), the Canada Pension Plan and the Employment Insurance Act."

LETTER ALLEGES OHL HAS FAILED TO:

-Pay the players at least minimum wage

-Pay the players at least time and a half if they work more than 44 hours a week

-Pay the players vacation pay

-Pay the players holiday pay

-Pay the players severance pay

-Make CPP and EI contributions on players' behalf

"We will take the necessary legal action should the OHL or any team take any reprisal action, directly or indirectly, against any player(s) for exercising their legislative rights and remedies."

"Should you wish to resolve this matter please contact us immediately. Otherwise we have been instructed to redress these matters with legal intervention and will be doing so quite expeditiously."

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/10/ ... hl-season/

Cancellation of Winter Classic could be sign of doom for NHL season


Three hundred and twenty-six regular-season games have been hacked from the schedule, but Marc Ganis, a Chicago-based sports consultant, said the fate of one specific game will be more telling than all the rest: “The Winter Classic has become the single most important event put on by the National Hockey League in the United States.”

And according to reports, that game could be removed from the schedule as early as next week. On Friday, the NHL announced it was cancelling games through the end of November because of its ongoing lockout of the players.

“It would be detrimental, but more for what it indicates about the season than about the one event itself,” said Ganis, president of SportsCorp Ltd. “Because if they cancelled the Winter Classic, there will be a greater perception that the entire season might be cancelled.”

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When asked if the game was at risk of facing the chopping block as early as Monday, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly responded via email: “That’s not the current plan.”

The sixth edition of the Winter Classic is scheduled to be the most ambitious yet, with the Toronto Maple Leafs facing the Detroit Red Wings inside the 115,000-seat University of Michigan stadium. A festival has been planned around the event, along with junior games and a host of other attractions built around the popular New Year’s Day game.

According to the contract the league signed with the university — the details of which were published in a story by The New York Times earlier this year — the NHL is paying US$2.85-million to the school for the use of the facility. But the NHL has the ability to cancel the game up to the day of the event itself, “due to any work stoppage or other activity including a strike, work action, lockout or any other events arising” after the league’s collective bargaining agreement with its players expired on Sept. 15.

If the NHL cancels by Nov. 2, it only owes the school US$100,000.

“If I’m the NHL, you’re trying to make the Winter Classic occur, even if it’s your first game,” said Michael Cramer, a former president of the Dallas Stars now teaching at the University of Texas. “There’s just no reason to cancel it next week. You don’t have to. The NHL doesn’t need that long to get in shape and ready to go.”

It is increasingly difficult to determine the shape of the negotiations, though. The NHL has withdrawn a proposal it made last week — a proposal it made public one day after it was presented to the union — and it is not clear when the two sides will meet again.

George Smith, a Queen’s University professor and former labour negotiator, suggested the NHL leaked word of a potential cancellation for a reason. Smith said the move to release the proposal to the public was an unusual step and that he believes “some of this tactic is actually to distract from that and get back to their agenda and get the owners all on board.”

So what of the Winter Classic, then?

“It’s a great thing for the NHL, and you sure wouldn’t want to cancel it,” Cramer said. “Having said that, is it in the end of the world? No. In the whole scheme of things, I think having a season is much more important than the Winter Classic.”

I disagree with the timing of the cancellation...in fairness this will be the best winter classic ever and biggest so they'll need to make a decision sooner than later...and in fairness to all the fans that are attending the game over the holidays i'm sure they'd like to know...of course when did the fans ever matter to the NHL.

DS1119 wrote:

lukin2006 wrote:

Now the junior hockey players are unhappy...

JUNIOR HOCKEY
CHLers demand minimum wage, threaten lawsuit

http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/2012/10/ ... en-lawsuit

MONTREAL - Major junior hockey players have threatened to sue their leagues if they don't get minimum wage and benefits, QMI Agency has learned.

The Canadian Hockey League Players' Association, led by former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque, has served notice to owners and general managers of every team in the OHL, WHL and QMJHL.

The six-page letter on behalf of current and former players alleges "serious and ongoing violation" of labour, pension and employment insurance laws.

Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson and CHL commissioner David Branch also got letters.

The players union was formed during the summer, as QMI Agency reported in August, after being in the works for a year.

Laraque says the fact the federal government considers junior hockey players to be employees means they're entitled to salaries and things like vacation pay.

"In reality, the players don't want to fight in court against the owners to have minimum wage," Laraque told QMI Agency.

"They simply want the best possible conditions."

The topic came up briefly at an OHL board of governors meeting in the summer, but Branch said it was only "speculation" and "rumours."

Junior hockey players, most of whom are 15 to 20 years of age, make up the majority of NHL draftees every year but they're not paid a full salary despite the for-profit nature of their teams.

Most players earn $35 to $50 a week -- an amount that hasn't changed for 50 years.

The player's lodging, schooling and food costs are covered by their team but the union also wants minimum wage, overtime, severance pay and other benefits.

Laraque says league officials have refused to discuss salary issues. He says players who have tried to raise the issue with their bosses have been subject to intimidation tactics.

"We have proof that certain players received threats," he said.

The former bruiser says current players have been meeting since the summer but would prefer to remain anonymous for now.

"I'm only doing what (players) asked me," Laraque said. "We have members everywhere in Canada and we'll let you know more about this soon."

Scott Smith, chief operating officer at Hockey Canada in Calgary, confirmed that the organization had received the letter and was reviewing it. The CHL did not return messages.

=-=-=-=-=-=

EXCERPTS FROM CHLPA LEGAL NOTICE IN ONTARIO:

"We are writing concerning the serious and ongoing violations by the OHL and all its member teams of the minimum employment legislative standards. More specifically, there have been, and continue to be, flagrant breaches of the Employment Standards Act (Ontario), the Canada Pension Plan and the Employment Insurance Act."

LETTER ALLEGES OHL HAS FAILED TO:

-Pay the players at least minimum wage

-Pay the players at least time and a half if they work more than 44 hours a week

-Pay the players vacation pay

-Pay the players holiday pay

-Pay the players severance pay

-Make CPP and EI contributions on players' behalf

"We will take the necessary legal action should the OHL or any team take any reprisal action, directly or indirectly, against any player(s) for exercising their legislative rights and remedies."

"Should you wish to resolve this matter please contact us immediately. Otherwise we have been instructed to redress these matters with legal intervention and will be doing so quite expeditiously."

This is getting ridiculous. You don't like playing juniors go play college hockey. Oh yeah, you won't get paid there either. I only played through high school and our school charged admission to teh games. I guess I should have held out. :fp:

College hockey sucks...imo...besides most of the best hockey players come out of the CHL.

with that being said many junior clubs in Canada would have a tough time providing all this...there are some teams that could...and then there'd be a big competitive unbalance...I think it's always been a given that you play junior hockey for the development of your skills with the long shot hope of a NHL career.

DS1119 wrote:

lukin2006 wrote:

College hockey sucks...imo...besides most of the best hockey players come out of the CHL.

with that being said many junior clubs in Canada would have a tough time providing all this...there are some teams that could...and then there'd be a big competitive unbalance...I think it's always been a given that you play junior hockey for the development of your skills with the long shot hope of a NHL career.

I like college hockey. I'm lucky I have two decent programs where I live now with Union and RPI.

It's like watching female hockey... .