• Devils trying to get business done
• Why the cap isn’t likely to rise more than projected
• Fate of the Olympics is with the players
Let’s open with a few thoughts on Quinn Hughes. Everything I think I know and admissions on what I don’t.
WE’RE HERE SOONER THAN EXPECTED
Back at the NHL/NHLPA media tour in Vegas, Hughes deflected questions about his future, stating his sole concern was getting off to a good start. Everyone — including both Hughes and the Canucks — thought we’d see how this season went, and go from there. Unfortunately, the Canucks aren’t anywhere near where they hoped, and recently let teams know they were willing to discuss their veterans.
That wasn’t supposed to be about Hughes, but, as Brian Burke said in 2005 after not realizing Joe Thornton’s availability until too late: if you snooze, you lose. So they asked. Rutherford’s reputation for moving early put other GMs on alert. Plus, you don’t want to move your best assets elsewhere if Hughes is what you crave.
Before they were really prepared to, the Canucks had to consider an acquisition cost. And, Hughes had to wrap his head around the fact he might not finish the season in the Lower Mainland. There were rumours Hughes informed the Canucks last summer he wouldn’t re-sign, but this has been ferociously denied by multiple sources. I don’t think he was expecting this when the puck dropped in October.
This is what I’m least certain about. Vancouver has to get this right. I’ve heard the ask is very high, as it should be. One exec told me it is “outrageous.” I replied, “Probably not outrageous enough.” He laughed.
A young, impactful centre is very important to them. A deal is not impossible without one, but it will require something special to offset that desire. I got a few notes wondering if Detroit was “hiding” Marco Kasper Monday in Vancouver as a winger, but, as a lefty, he splits faceoffs with righty Nate Danielson, depending on where it is. That game, he took six and Danielson four.
Not impossible they wait until the draft, preferring no deal than a bad deal. But all of this noise exists for a reason. Talks are underway.
I always believe there are teams I don’t see. This is Quinn Hughes, for God’s sake. Who wouldn’t want him?
New Jersey is obvious. I’ve been on Detroit for a while. Washington is around, but I don’t think the Canucks can snare the Capitals’ best young players. I know there’ve been suggestions about the Rangers, but I don’t see the trade match. Philadelphia doesn’t have the centre, so what else can the Flyers come up with? I mentioned Pittsburgh, but a few sources pooh-poohed this brainstorm.
Team I always assume tries: Carolina.
This, however, ignores the entire Western Conference. You know who has a lot of picks and prospects? Utah. Which brings us to …
HOW MUCH SAY DOES HUGHES HAVE?
This is a multi-layered question.
Hughes does not have no-trade or no-move protection. Therefore, the Canucks can trade him anywhere they wish, and have indicated they are prepared to do just that. While it’s believed Hughes prefers East long-term, the Canucks could send him West if one of those teams stepped up and took a chance.
Of course, there’s no tampering in the NHL, but you can be certain any landing spot will want an idea if it appeals to the 2024 Norris Trophy winner. A few teams believe Washington, depending on the price, would consider a two-year stay, because there’d be something very special about another Stanley Cup run while Alexander Ovechkin remains a Capital.
Again, I always ask myself what I don’t see.
There’s one option we haven’t considered: the Canucks can’t extend Hughes until July 1, but nothing prevents them from talking to him. They could promise eight years at a monster number. It would require Hughes committing for a few more seasons, with the understanding that if he doesn’t like what he sees at a certain point, he would be moved.
On Sept. 15, 2026, new CBA contract rules kick-in, with maximum term dropping to seven years and tighter limits on bonus payments. You’d think, if Hughes is traded, he’d get an extension before then, but it’s not guaranteed. And, if Vancouver holds him into next year, he might not get one until the rules change.
My only question is if this would work. Hughes might not get what the Canucks are willing to do somewhere else, but he’s still going to be handsomely paid. If he doesn’t believe in what’s around him, I don’t see this working.
A lot of variables, no doubt. Which path is really the Canucks’ choice.
1. Best quote from the Board of Governors: Was talking with an executive about how close the standings are. I said there used to be a joke about long-time NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle wanting pure parity, every team at 8-8. “We don’t have parity,” the governor said, deadpan. “We have Gar-ity,” a nod to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. I’m still laughing.
2. On the Devils: they are legitimately trying to get business done, but to add, they have to subtract. If the team they are trading with isn’t willing to take back salary, they must find other options — which they are trying to do. There are several no-trade or modified no-trade clauses, harder to thread the needle. That’s why I believe things got out, they have hands in a few different places. (And all the best to Timo Meier, away for family reasons.)
3. In addition to Tristan Jarry, I believe the Oilers poked around Alex Lyon. Not as seriously as Jarry, but it was there. One thing I should have mentioned last Saturday about Jarry, in addition to Pittsburgh’s unwillingness to eat salary, is that the Penguins’ surprise addition to the Eastern Conference race gives them less motivation for an in-season sale. Not impossible, but not as high a priority.
4. Also with Pittsburgh: the Hoffman family’s exclusive window to purchase the Penguins has expired. Doesn’t mean the sale can’t (or won’t) happen — I’ve heard they are still pushing to close — but the process is once again open to other bids.
5. I had several sources indicate Los Angeles is not inclined to deal Phillip Danault without very good reason, because it is so hard to find centres. No matter his current struggles now, he’s been very good for the Kings in the playoffs, despite their inability to climb the Edmonton mountain.
6. Those looking for a middleman are keeping a closer watch on Anaheim’s Ryan Strome. Delayed start to the season, in-and-out of the lineup. Ducks surging, is there a spot for him? If not, there will be interest.
7. Some other names to keep an eye on as they fight for lineup time: Maxim Tsyplakov (Islanders) and Matias Maccelli (Toronto). I’m surprised at Tsyplakov, I think there’s a good player there. He had a strong NHL debut in 2024-25, but struggled to start this year and was squeezed out of the now-deeper Long Island lineup. Thankfully, Patrick Roy said Bo Horvat’s injury isn’t serious, so there may be a short window for Tsyplakov re-establish himself, but I heard other teams are poking around.
Maccelli, unfortunately, hasn’t been a fit for the Maple Leafs. I don’t believe they were the only team who looked at him in the summer, so some of those clubs may circle back.
8. It probably won’t happen until Jaden Schwartz returns, but keep an eye on Seattle’s Mason Marchment. He’s another one who had several pursuers that could re-visit trading for him.
9. It’s very clear now the fate of the highly-anticipated, long-awaited 2026 Olympic men’s hockey tournament is with the players. As deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Monday, “If players feel the ice is unsafe, then we’re not going to play.”
We know this: if the event was being played on a surface made of pancakes and syrup, the players would shrug and compete pedal to metal. The Olympics matter to them. They fought for it in this CBA, more of a priority to them than many financial issues. And, we all know what physical punishment they will ignore in games of high-consequence.
This whole situation reminds of the 2003 Montreal/Edmonton Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium. It was so cold and the ice so brittle that the late Bob Goodenow told the players they had the option not to play. Led by captains Saku Koivu and Jason Smith, the two teams felt cancellation was not an option and agreed to make it a no-hitter. The show was so successful that outdoor games are a yearly event.
The most interesting voice will be NHLPA assistant executive director Ron Hainsey, who said last weekend that “the health and safety of our players while playing on any ice surface will not be compromised.” During his 1,132 NHL games, Hainsey fought hard for player rights, so if he gets to Milan and thinks the ice is dangerous…we’ve got a serious problem. But, hearing Daly say what he did convinced me more than ever only an absolutely epic screwup of historic proportions will prevent this tournament from happening — because the players will make it work.
10. My attitude there will be: no matter what happens, I’m going to enjoy it. That said, you can feel the frustration, concern, and anger among the league/governors, who feel they were given more empty promises than a parent asking a teenager to clean their room. What’s happened is “laughable, but not funny,” one said. Even those who support NHL participation “because of the big picture” are shaking their heads.
Then-Ottawa GM John Muckler always felt Dominik Hasek’s 2006 Turin injury cost the Senators the Stanley Cup. The Islanders were furious at John Tavares’ 2014 broken leg. The construction delays increase their worries of a 2026 version ruining this season. Part of the deal the NHL made with the International Olympic Committee was that team owners received tickets and access to the games. Daly said Monday the league also learned that Hockey House — for hospitality — won’t exist at all. It’s a smaller thing, but part of the overall annoyance. Hopefully, on Feb. 22, when the gold medals are awarded, we are celebrating such a phenomenal tournament we will laugh at how concerned we were.
11. Teams certainly sound like they don’t want the cap raised from the targeted $104 million in 2026-27. If revenues continue at the current pace (Bettman said between $6.8 billion and $6.9 billion in US dollars), there would be room to rise. But, now it appears they would rather send a “top-up” payment to the players (to ensure the revenue split is 50/50) rather than raise the cap. That’s new, but it shows how much they are wary of the rapidly-rising ceiling — even with new revenue-sharing rules to help the middle-class.
12. Okay, now we arrive at hand-pass craziness, which has only gotten worse this week. I’m very impressed the Situation Room remembered a 2024 Yegor Sharangovich score as precedent for why the puck hitting Brad Marchand’s glove should not erase the goal that started Florida’s 7-6 comeback against Columbus. But, it’s not right the Blue Jackets were penalized.
Two days after the Lightning’s tying goal against Pittsburgh was erased, how could Dean Evason not challenge? Is it reasonable for him to remember something from 13 months ago? Within 10 seconds of Florida’s goal being ruled good, one GM texted, “Let’s see you explain this one.” In fairness, there are some who felt that if the puck deflects backwards, that’s not a hand-pass. Anyways, I think replay rules should be amended, and a wrong challenge on your first attempt should not be penalty. There are too many inconsistencies, too many plays — especially goaltender interference — that look similar and are ruled differently. You get one freebie. Second miss (and on from there), bench minor.
Some coaches feel very strongly there should be no penalty ever, that it should simply be about getting it right, but, then replay gets used as a tactic, an extra timeout to slow opponent momentum. That’s awful to watch, too. But too many people who watch too much hockey cannot differentiate between too similar plays. Maybe that’s life in a judgement-call world, but I don’t feel anymore it should be an automatic penalty on first offence.
13. As for hand-passes themselves, there has to be a better way to define them. Montreal’s winning goal in Buffalo on Remembrance Day 2024 counted because the puck hit Mike Matheson’s glove when he was reaching with his stick. He wasn’t trying to use his hand, it just hit him there. Maybe it’s that simple: if you try to play the puck, it’s no goal no matter where it goes.
The great Lou Nanne suggested allowing players to use their hands everywhere, since it’s already allowed in the defensive zone. I’m not as crazy about that idea. I’d actually prefer no hand passes anywhere, but was reminded the league would rather not have more whistles blowing play dead when defenders do this under pressure — because they will.
14. As promised, the NHL did warn teams about players not wearing helmets as mandated for pregame warmups. (Exemptions: players in the league before 2019-20 and rookie laps.) Clubs were notified of $25,000 fines to either them or the head coach for a first offence, increasing “exponentially for each successive violation.”
15. The NHL said it would announce 2028 World Cup venues sometime after the Olympics. Vegas was one of the bidders. It makes a lot of sense for what the league and NHLPA are going for. Biggest challenge: in the past, they have said they don’t like a Western North American location when teams are coming from Europe for the final rounds. Really long travel. Extra few hours.
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16. Idea that may make sense to only me: Canada names Adin Hill to its initial Olympic roster. Hill’s earliest return date was Christmas, which is unlikely. So they name him, and replace him with someone else who steps up — or continues to play well — in January. Maybe Hill comes back and keeps the job himself. Of course, Canada could just name Jordan Binnington, Darcy Kuemper and Logan Thompson right away.
17. Went to Washington on Wednesday to do a piece on Tom Wilson’s bid for a Team Canada berth. Boy, are his teammates and the Capitals organization lining up in support of him. Whenever we enter a post-Ovechkin world, very good chance Wilson is the Capitals’ next captain. His brother Jamie is a huge Blue Jays fan. After they lost the World Series, Tom texted condolences. Jamie didn’t respond for days. Many Canadians can identify with that.
18. John Carlson — without a second of pause — destroyed any rumours about retiring. “No chance.”
19. Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, asked if he’d called Jon Cooper on behalf of Nick Suzuki: “I pleaded my case in the summer.”
20. Teammate Luke Gazdic did a segment on a recent Canadiens broadcast praising Cole Caufield because he doesn’t stick-handle a ton. “Catch and release. Trusts the puck,” Luke said. Asked about that last weekend, St. Louis said he thinks many young players “stickhandle too much.” He prefers lacrosse-style, always in position to shoot. He also pointed to Nikita Kucherov, saying he’s always got his stick in a place where it is dangerous.
21. Toronto promised to be very careful with Joseph Woll, and Dennis Hildeby’s strong performance gave them room to breathe. He could play as soon as this weekend, and if not, early next week. But they won’t push him too hard as he returns, again.
22. Have mentioned a few times now that the NHL wants to increase its footprint into Germany. Edmonton (Leon Draisaitl) vs. Ottawa (Tim Stutzle) makes too much sense not to happen. In his Board of Governors interview with Kyle Bukauskas, Senators owner Michael Andlauer sure made it sound like that’s as inevitable as Thanos.
23. For record-keeping purposes, percentage of teams to make the playoffs who held a spot on American Thanksgiving, post-COVID: 75 per cent in 2021-22, 2023-24 and 2024-25; 81.3 per cent in 2022-23.
24. Another note about how close NHL games are: a couple of weeks ago, a friend did a calculation of what every team’s record would look like if we still had ties. The NHL record is 24, set by the 1969-70 Flyers. He found 11 teams en route to break it, and 11 more “just off the pace.”
25. Through Wednesday, Sidney Crosby is on-pace for 51 goals. Now 38, he has a chance to break Alexander Ovechkin’s record as the NHL’s oldest 50-goal scorer. The Great Eight was almost 37 when he did it in 2021-22.
26. As I write this Thursday night, Nathan MacKinnon is plus-38. Only one player since 1986-87 has reached the Top-50 for a single-season plus/minus in NHL history. That’s Johnny Gaudreau, plus-64 in 2021-22, tied for 45th place. Brad Park (1971-72), Al Sims (1973-74), Mike Bossy (1978-79) and Brian Engblom (1980-81, better broadcaster than a defenceman) are in a four-way tie for 47th at plus-63. MacKinnon has a shot at that extremely rare air. Bobby Orr holds the record, a ridiculous plus-124 in 1970-71.
27. I’ve had a few debates about Mark Stone’s Olympic candidacy, mainly because of the injuries. The smaller ice makes him more of a lock for me. Plus, he’s got 24 points in 14 games. He leads the NHL in points-per-game at 1.71, slightly ahead of MacKinnon.
28. Some good podcast Thoughtline help this week. One listener asked if the Olympic break counted towards the 75 days necessary between trades, allowing a player’s contract to be eligible for double-retention. We checked with the NHL, and were told the answer is yes. Anyone moved before the Dec. 20 Christmas freeze can have retention a second time. If that pause in the schedule did not count, no one traded now would qualify.
29. Detroit’s 1-0 goal last Saturday in Seattle was Emmitt Finnie from Nate Danielson and Axel Sandin-Pellika. Several Red Wings fans asked if that was the first time in NHL history three players from the same draft combined for a goal in their Rookie season. Great question. Shockingly, it was the 10th. (I would have guessed it happened, like, three times.) The last was Dec. 13, 2006 in a game Philadelphia lost 8-4 to Pittsburgh: Ryan Potulny from Stefan Ruzicka and Alexandre Picard.
30. The excellent Florida broadcaster, Steve Goldstein, has a son, Jake, who spent four years as a team manager for Western Michigan’s hockey program. He then went to grad school at St. Thomas University in Miami, which decided to start a hockey program at the club level. They will play out of the Panthers’ practice facility and Jake is running things. If you’re interested in playing, email him at JGoldstein@stu.edu. I’m always happy to spread the hockey gospel and why not play where you can get a tan?
31. Shoutout to Eli Pulver from Vancouver, the backup to Daniel Hauser at NCAA Wisconsin. An old friend’s son, Eli beat then-No. 1 Michigan State 5-4 and 2-1 on back-to-back nights in his first career starts at the end of November.
32. When I left the Fan in 1997, Eric Smith took over from me on the Raptors beat. He did a far superior job than me, for sure, and has now written a great book We The Raptors about 30 of the players he’s covered throughout the team’s 30-year history. He has a great story in there about Doug Christie’s daughter wanting Michael Jordan’s autograph after Toronto beat the Bulls, and he initially says no, because Pat Riley taught him that’s not what you do. Of course, Christie relents, because it’s his daughter. We’re all suckers for our kids.
