|
Players return to NHL practice Tomorrow…Trades likely to be announced.. |
|
|
|
|
|
While the NHL teams are closing in on the deadline, during the break, the GMs kept on talking and working. The players took breaks and traveled all over the world.. I’m really interested to see if there’s a reset of energy that is noticeable upon their return and carries through to the playoffs… There was no official trade freeze during the 4Nations….but…..I am told the NHL “ didn’t exactly ask and didn’t exactly not ask” teams to wait and announce any trade that was worked out during this break until the players returned from vacation. It’s amazing how much the NHL discusses with their owners in just that kind of way… everyone gets the message….somehow.
I believe the only excepton to the “ unstated rule” is not to announce a trade involving players who are still playing in the Championship Game between Team Canada or Team USA this Thursday night. The NHL doesn’t want to upstage their own event. Teams have been slapped across the wrist a couple times for having trades leak out during outdoor games…for example….
And this event is turning into a hell of a success for them, with great ratings and much anticipation of even greater ratings on Thursday…..The whole tournament has been way beyond most fan’s expectations and despite the NHL hedging their bets by CONSTANTLY putting out the passive aggressive aggressive framing that they are allowing this because the players really wanted this, so far the teams and the league have to be thrilled with how this is going…well maybe not Vegas with Shea Theodore’s injury, but for all the intensity that’s really been the only big injury we’ve seen….
So to celebrate the Trade Deadline home stretch….tomorrow morning I will put together a look at the rest of the trade rumor season to come until March 7th. With so many teams still on the bubble, and so many different kinds of expectations out there of various franchises. this is easily turning out to be the most unpredictable and volatile trade season ever.
But we will work our way through that tomorrow and try to get to a clearer understanding of who is out there and who is searching for what kind of solutions to their lineups…
Enjoy USA vs Sweden. The Swedes are out of it, but you know they would like nothing more than to knock off America. I have felt from the beginning of the tournament that they are the team that matches up the best against USA, but we will see.
Join the Discussion:
»