TSN’s Hockey Insiders discuss the NHL’s reaction to Thursday’s NBA gambling allegations, Brendan Shanahan’s new post, the biggest risers in an NHL front office poll, the Flames’ aim to improve and teams checking in on Yegor Chinakhov.
NBA gambling allegations get NHL’s attention
Rowe: Alongside our trio of Insiders – Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun and Chris Johnston. The NBA’s gambling scandal, which saw multiple arrests made on Thursday, has rocked the sports world.
CJ, how’s the NHL reacting to this story?
Johnston: Well, certainly it rocked the NHL head office as well. And you know, it’s not their place to poke their nose in a situation, but when you’re talking about something this severe, there’s obviously some lessons to be taken from it.
And then in the NHL’s case, I don’t expect them to maybe formally sent around a memo to teams or anything reminding anyone of policies. But a big reason for that is because a lot of those things have been discussed recently at length as part of the collective bargaining extension that was done back in the spring and through the summertime.
And so I think that there’s a feeling everyone is up to date on it. Players themselves though will hear about it. The NHLPA is on its fall tour visiting each team and this will be an example that’s brought up along with the Shane Pinto situation from a couple seasons ago and others, just as an educational format for players. But the overriding sense I got on this day is that this is just another reminder of the tricky line every sports league is walking as mainstream betting becomes more popular. More mainstream, there’s clearly some dangers involved as well.
Shanahan joining NHL hockey operations
Rowe: We all wondered how long Brendan Shanahan would be on the sidelines. Dregs, sounds like there’s news that he’ll be back to work soon.
Dreger: Yeah, that’s right, Mark. Sources say that Brendan Shanahan will be joining the National Hockey League’s hockey operations department. He will spend time in the New York office. He’ll spend time in the Toronto office and he’ll attend general manager meetings, board meetings, no question about that, in an advisory capacity, another experienced voice as part of that process. But I also believe he’s following a path that Ken Holland went down not that long ago as well en route to becoming the general manager of the Los Angeles Kings.
So, if an opportunity presents, whereby a team decides it’s going to make a significant change atop its hockey department, I would suggest that Brendan Shanahan would be a leading candidate for a job like that as well.
Jets, Habs biggest risers in NHL front office poll
Rowe: CJ, it’s still early, but we have a pair of Canadian teams who are off to a great start on the ice and getting some respect off it.
Johnston: Yeah, that would be the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens, who both got a lot of love from their peers as part of a poll I helped conduct for The Athletic. We talked to 37 different NHL executives around the league, just gauging who’s the best front office.
The Winnipeg Jets made the biggest year over year jump, from 16th last year to fourth in this poll now, trailing only the Florida Panthers, the Dallas Stars and the Tampa Bay Lightning. High praise indeed for Kevin Cheveldayoff and his staff coming off a Presidents’ Trophy winning season.
The Canadiens, meanwhile, were outside the top ten last year. They’re up to seventh in this poll now, they’ve obviously had a big summer bringing in Noah Dobson, extending Lane Hutson and making the playoffs themselves last year.
Flames frustrated with lack of offence, making calls
Rowe: And it’s been a different story for another Canadian team, Pierre. What’s the current mood in Calgary?
LeBrun: Yeah, listen, there’s a lot of frustration with the Flames organization about their lack of scoring, and 32nd in the NHL right now, 1.5 goals a game. It’s mind boggling, and frankly, it’s not a new problem. They were 29th in the league in scoring a year ago so it’s a problem that continues.
GM Craig Conroy isn’t sitting on his hands. He is making calls and exploring the trade market, trying to find out what exactly is available out there that could potentially help his team offensively. Easier said than done. We’re so early in the season. Teams normally aren’t ready to engage in this type of trade activity yet, not until U.S. Thanksgiving, but certainly Calgary trying to get an early look at what’s out there.
Several teams, including Leafs, have kicked tires on Chinakhov
Rowe: And yet, Pierre, could teams be looking at Columbus as a partner to make a trade early in the season?
LeBrun: Yeah. So, more and more calls coming in on Yegor Chinakhov, who asked for a trade after last season. He’s a 2020 first-round pick of the Jackets and he asked for a trade because he basically was scratched from most of the late season run that saw the Jackets come so close to making the playoffs. He’s only played in three games this year. All of those played in the last three games on the fourth line.
There were 26 scouts from other teams at his first game up here last week against Colorado. Among the teams that we believe have checked in with Columbus on him include the Toronto Maple Leafs, who we know are looking for a forward upgrade. Detroit, Florida, Buffalo and certainly given what I just said, for sure the Flames will be checking in.
Having said all that, the Jackets don’t want to just dump this guy because he’s asked for a trade. You know, they want to make a hockey deal. They’re not looking for draft picks and frankly, they feel they’re one injury away in their top nine from needing him in a more meaningful way, so this is far from a done deal, but more and more calls on him.
Rowe: Alright, music to our ears, a trade early in the season, a possibility in the NHL. This has been Insider Trading.
