With final rosters about to be set, we see several veterans that were invited to camps on PTOs getting released, while others never even received an invite.
We know the game is a young mans game now, but isn't there a place for the veteran that helps to mentor the young up and comers?
Has sport become too vanilla. Just two teams with no real character or tradition, going head to head on a nightly basis?
Are teams really putting the very best product on the ice, or are they forced to make moves based solely on the salary cap?
I get it, why the salary cap system is in place in professional sports, but I don't have to agree with it nor think that it creates the best product by any stretch of the imagination.
Today teams will send players to their minor league affiliates, while retaining other players that would not necessarily have made the NHL roster, simply because of roster affordability (not having to clear waivers) or salary cap constraints.
We all know that timing is everything in life, and there are players that seize the opportunity when it is presented and others that sometimes get caught in a bad situation through no fault of their own.
That second group, the ones that get caught in a numbers game with their current club, may never get another crack at making an NHL roster. Yes it is unlikely if they were good enough in the first place, but what if an injury occurs while that player is playing outside the NHL and that was their only shot?
To me, I would much rather see the best product on the ice always. Parity is not a good thing in sports. Unfortunately, in our instant gratification world, we as sports fans rarely stick by our teams through the growing pains of rebuilds, thus creating the need to try to level the playing field as far as revenue is concerned.
In order for teams to stay afloat there needs to be salary caps in place to protect the lesser drawing franchises.
What happened to the days when teams would market their product to draw fans?
Yes, big market teams have the advantage over smaller market teams, but they also have more competition for the fan's dollars as well. It still comes down to running a strong organization and marketing the game to new fans always, in order for any game to grow.
So on cut down day I ask what players do you think should be in the NHL to start the 2017-18 season, but did not make the cut?
Just some food for thought as we look through the final roster decisions on the transaction pages.