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After a pair of long-term extensions handed out to the likes of Kyle Turris and Zack Smith, the front office again addressed the media on Thursday. This time, though, the news was a bit more ominous.
The front office spoke of the importance of locking up a pair of younger talents, but were quite succinct about their future operations -- until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached, business would be halted. It's another ominous cloud in an NHL sky that continues to darken with each passing day. The current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on September 15th.
Remarks from Ottawa's front office concerning the business' immediate approach wasn't the only form of disconcerting commentary today. A seemingly innocent tweet from TSN's Bob McKenzie also caught my eye, and not in a good way.
I have seen the panic-based observations from those who believe the league's headed for a full-year cancellation. I have seen the optimism from guys like Ron MacLean and David Staples, one that suggest the NHL won't miss much -- or, any -- time. While all of it is noteworthy, they're still opinions; each should be taken with a grain of salt.
However, an opinion from a media-type like Bob McKenzie -- who has exhaustively proven over the years how tuned in he is to the hockey world -- tends to hold a bit more weight. McKenzie may not be a clairvoyant, but his opinion has been shaped with all of the available facts of the situation -- many of which local media and fans aren't tuned into.
McKenzie was making a point about junior players, but lost in those one-hundred and forty characters was the phrase 'looks like there will be' regarding a potential lockout. If anything else, it should put an exclamation point squarely next to what we already know -- hockey's not starting when it should, and no one's quite sure when the NHL and NHLPA will come to terms. Everyone's going to hold on to a touch of optimism because, as hockey fans, we are averse to believing that another year of the beloved sport could fall by the wayside.
The reality is, it's quite possible.
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A couple of quick player notes emanated from the nation's capital today. Neither was unexpected, but it was nice to see the front office expand on them prior to the events actually unfolding.
On Jared Cowen, the team has all but guaranteed that he'll log big minutes down with Ottawa's AHL affiliate in Binghamton should the NHL find themselves in a lockout. Speaking strictly on Cowen, this may be a real positive -- his performance last year was strong for a rookie, but I suspect that the team's going to want to really see him develop into a legitimate top-four player, if not a first-line man altogether. Cowen's the ying to Karlsson's yang -- he specializes in the defensive play, limiting scoring opportunities against.
On Mika Zibanejad, Bryan Murray -- via
Sylvain St-Laurent at LeDroit -- has suggested that the youngster will start the season out on the wing, with all of Jason Spezza, Kyle Turris, and Zack Smith signed long-term down the middle. Zibanejad should welcome this opportunity; cracking the top-six as a winger on this team should be infinitely easier than beating out one of Jason Spezza or Kyle Turris for TOI, which isn't happening any time soon.
Back with more as it comes.
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