The 2021 NHL season is finally upon us. Training camps all around the league are now open with Preseason games having been played yesterday. There are so many different story lines this year that i wanted to do a training camp post before i do an NHL Preview post. Lets dive in.
The Seattle Kraken are the leagues newest team. Having been added 2 years ago as the leagues 32nd franchise they now finally have a roster and are working hard to find the right lines and such. They opened up their camp with all the buzz a new team should have. They packed their practice facility with fans eager to see their new home town boys. Nothing crazy has happened yet at their camp but one notable thing is they played their first ever NHL contest on Sunday. It started off rocky but they battled back and ended up winning 6-4. Not a bad way to start your franchise off. Even if it was just the first pre season game.
Buffalo. Oh sweet Buffalo. You have a generational talent in your building. Someone who has very quickly become one of the faces of the NHL and it seems like your doing everything possible to push him out the door. This whole saga with Jack Eichel started sometime last year when it was reveled he would need an operation. I don't remember all of the details but it pretty much comes down to Eichel wants to have a certain type of surgery and the Sabers want him to have a different kind. Eichel has become very vocal about it as well as vocal about the direction of the team. Fast forward to this offseason. It was all but decided that he was going to be traded away, but buffalo holding all the cards balked at the offers they were getting and requested a kings ransom for the superstar. Now with the season fast approaching Eichel still has not received the surgery he needs which has caused him to fail his entry physical and causing the Sabers to have to put him on IR. Where the sabers messed up and made this even more of a mess was after this they came out and said they were taking the C of his jersey stating that the captain "should be the heart beat of the team" Not a great choice of words for a guy who can score 60 goals with his eyes closed. When Eichel does eventually get the surgery he needs he will be out for a bit of time but i think its entirely possible that he will never play for the Sabers again and that is just sad for an organization that is trying to get out from under the black cloud that currently encircles the franchise.
Now, I'm going to make a lot of people angry with my next take. But this needs to be said and if you don't agree well oh well. GET YOUR COVID SHOT!!!!
Detroit Red Wings Tyler Bertuzzi has come out and said he will not get his Covid shot. That he feels it violates his personal choice. Now, I don't have an issue with the reasoning. My issue lies with the general principal. You have a job in which you make millions of dollars. Your employer, in this case the NHL has decided that to further protect its league, Players, fans they are requiring everyone to be vaccinated prior to the season. That is 100% their right as a private company. If Bertuzzi or any other player decides they don't want to get it then great your contract is now void and you no longer are employed in the NHL until such a time where the vaccine is either no longer required or you decide to get the shot. If he wants to put up a stink about it the Red Wings should say fine we are suspending you without pay for conduct detrimental to the team. They have used that line for far less and in this case i don't think the NHLPA would put up much of a fight.
Bruins camp. My favorite time of year. New guys coming in. Old guys getting comfortable and usually 1-2 good battles to watch. Jake DeBrusk is one of those battles. He had a horrible year last year that found him spending some time at the end of the bench and even on the 9th floor. He is looking to bounce back. He looks good so far and was instrumental in the win Sunday against Washington. Personally i think he is honestly on showcase mode for Boston. They are gonna play him during the pre season, show other teams what he can offer and then trade him. In my opinion he is just not the right fit for his style of play. He's gritty but not gritty enough, He's skilled but not skilled enough. Hes just not a good fit. Ill be interested to see how that turns out.
Tuukka Rask. Boy where do i start, I don't wanna have a long drawn out thing on him so i'll just say this. Don't come back. Thank you for your service but don't come back. The Bruins signed Ullmark in the off season and with the amazing season Swayman had last year the goaltending room is all set. If they want to bring him back on that league minimum deal and stick him upstairs to consult fine. But he doesn't touch the ice. Its been too close to many times with him. It's time for him to move on.
My next post will be a funny one about which 90's/00's Jerseys i think the NHL should bring back full time. With Arizona announcing that they are going back full time to the kachina, I think that's a great topic to discuss while camps are going on. If you have a favorite please comment and let me know. Maybe your pick will make my list.
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