Wednesday, the Rangers and the remainder of the NHL rested. The league and NHLPA formally announced what we all knew, that the players would not be participating in the Olympics. In addition, work has already started on how and when to make up the missing contests utilizing the three week break window that was scheduled for the Beijing Games,
NHL announces that there will not be an Olympic break, NHL Players will not be able to participate in 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 22, 2021
Full release: https://t.co/GkHDkNgZSo pic.twitter.com/ysBmWctzjw
For New York, there is disappointment amongst those who were expected to play for their countries. What remains unknown at this time is if the Winter Olympics, like what happened with the Tokyo Summer Games, will be postponed a year, this one due to the Omicron outbreak. If that happens, a large portion of those players who were to be part of the 2022 teams likely will be part of those rosters in 2023. But you wonder about someone like Chris Kreider, who rode a brilliant first 30 games into contention for a spot and if this was his one window to make the squad.
In lieu of playing in the Olympics, chatter has turned once again to having a World Cup of Hockey. The most recent iteration of the tournament was a rousing success. One tweak might be the removal of the under-21 team to just go with eight teams from their respective countries, though we still could see a Team Europe as a co-mingled option for places with not enough NHL players to make a roster. But, if the league works with the IIHF and utilizes players currently in European leagues, we could have the winter Olympic sport played in the late summer or early fall.
Larry Brooks had a few interesting nuggets in his column. First, the possible return of taxi squads, which given the cancellations and absences to date, makes a ton of sense. Second, the challenge to create equitable schedules for all the teams with some only missing two games and others up to five while also baking in a bye-week. or really five days off, during the three-week period that the league was to lie fallow. Last, why the All-Star Game remains on the docket. While Brooks provides the four letter abbreviation call number of the TV channel and network, the real reason is the associated component of that, which is money as well as broad exposure. As the league looks to recoup the dollars lost due to the pandemic, what better way to try and stimulate continued growth than a game in Las Vegas possibly attended by high-rollers or firms with large bank accounts.
Column. Olympic decision behind them, NHL and NHLPA begin to chart course for next week and beyond. https://t.co/CJwaKcsnIJ
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) December 23, 2021
Bringing back the taxi squad, which last year had a four-player limit, seems inevitable. It makes no sense for the NHL to adopt more stringent health protocols including daily testing and denying entry to practice facilities to those players who do not produce a negative result, all the while having teams call up players from the AHL, who are not under the same protocols.The league must reschedule 48 games — ideally as many as possible into the original blank slate existing from Feb. 3 to Feb. 23 — while attempting to create equitable calendars under the scenario where 12 teams have missed two games or fewer and three have had five or three matches postponed.
At this point the Feb. 5 All-Star extravaganza in Vegas remains on the schedule, so that will have to be factored into the mix. We’d say we have no idea why, but that would be false. The idea why can be spelled in four letters. Namely: E-S-P-N.
For New York and the rest of the league, this is a chance to pause and take stock of what has gone well and what areas need work. In addition, Artemi Panarin and Igor Shesterkin get to make sure they are fully healed from their injuries. While the remainder of the team get to hit the reset button while recovering from the minor bumps and bruises accumulated the first 36% of the season.
I think we all are of the view that a top-nine forward is needed, preferably a center for the third line or winger for one of the two two units. Filip Chytil might be the chip utilized along possibly with Vitali Kravtsov, who turns 22 today, and one of the myriad of prospect blueliners in the minors. With just under three months to the March 21 trade deadline, the Rangers have plenty of time to crystallize their needs while teams out of it can start to make their wish lists and engage in trade discussions. I do expect the team to be aggressive leading up to the deadline, especially if the record remains similar to what we saw the first 30 games of the year.