Who doesn’t love drama in the NHL?
Veterans being scratched, a former Oiler being out for the season, and another poor NHL decision. Let’s jump in.
Marc-Andre Fleury’s mask
Why can’t the NHL get out of its own way?
According to The Athletic’s Michael Russo, the beloved goaltender got a custom mask made for Native American Heritage Night. Not only did he get this done for the night, but his wife is also Native American.
However, the National Hockey League did not like this and wouldn’t even allow Fleury to wear the mask during warm-ups. Per Allan Walsh, Fleury was going to wear the mask anyway and pay the fine, but the league was going to give the Minnesota Wild organization “an additional significant fine.”
It’s just really good stuff here from the NHL.
Taylor Hall done for year
Well, this sucks. According to the Chicago Blackhawks, Taylor Hall will undergo season-ending knee surgery on his right knee.
Chicago is one of only two teams below the Oilers in the standings, but they’re a young rebuilding team that just drafted the sensational Connor Bedard. Hall was his linemate, scoring two goals and four points in 10 games before the injury.
The former Oiler was selected with the first overall pick in the 2010 draft, scoring 132 goals and 328 points in 381 games. Hall was traded for Adam Larsson during the 2016 free agency before winning the Hart Trophy in the 2017-18 season. Since then, he’s bounced around the league, playing for Arizona, Buffalo, Boston, and Chicago.
Sticking with the Blackhawks…
Corey Perry mysteriously scratched
It’s not all too surprising that a rebuilding team scratches a 38-year-old, even if he does have four goals and nine points in 16 games.
What’s more surprising is how secretive the Blackhawks have been regarding Perry’s absence. On Friday afternoon, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman tweeted that Chicago’s coach has “remained careful not to comment on anything about Perry’s status.”
Ben Pope from the Chicago Sun-Times also tweeted a quote from Perry’s teammate, Nick Foligno: “We just know he’s not with us. Haven’t gotten any details. It’s unfortunate; he’s a big part of this. We’ll miss him.”
Whether this relates to a trade or something is happening in Perry’s personal life is yet to be determined. Regardless of what it is, we hope it’s nothing serious.
Rick Bowness returns
On Friday, the Jets released a video of the long-time coach returning to the dressing room and meeting with the players.
Nearly a month ago to the day, his wife had a seizure prompting the 68-year-old coach to take a brief hiatus. It appears his wife is doing well, per this Ken Wiebe Tweet.
In Bowness’s absence, the Jets went 9-2-2 and sat third in the Central Division, two points out of first place. It’s good to see the coach back behind the bench.
The Beaverton article
The satire website wrote about four trades that the Oilers should consider to make us Oilers fans upset. The best trade of the four is the Toronto trade, which would see Mitch Marner, Timothy Liljegren, Easton Cowan, Matthew Knies, and a first come back. Not enough, obviously, but Marner is a superstar in his own right. Other trades include a spoof on a hypothetical Leon Draisaitl trade proposed by a Boston Bruins sportswriter that we all hated, a redux of the Wayne Gretzky trade with the Los Angeles Kings, and a trade with Calgary that features three of their defenceman and their goaltender.
In reality, no trade is of equal value for Connor McDavid. Let’s hope he re-signs to a long-term deal when his contract expires!
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