If the Buffalo Sabres lose the NHL Draft Lottery on Saturday night, they will select Jack Eichel second overall. Don't expect Eichel to speak to media after the selection process.
Why?
The NHL has announced that Connor McDavid, Noah Hanifin and Dylan Strome will be made available to speak with media after the NHL Draft Lottery drawing on Saturday night. The event will be held at Sportsnet studios in Toronto. McDavid and Strome are Toronto natives. McDavid has said in interviews that he will watch the lottery with his parents and his billet family.
An executive from the team that snares McDavid will also be made available to media.
In summary, the first, third and fourth overall prospects selected in the lottery will speak. But not the second one?
I'm confused.
McDavid and Strome are teammates in Erie, PA. They won't begin the OHL Western Conference Finals until April 23 when they travel to the Soo Greyhounds. Hanifin's Boston College season is now over, as is Jack Eichel's season. Boston University lost the NCAA championship to Providence College last Saturday night.
One wonders why Jack Eichel will not be made available to speak at the NHL Draft Lottery. He's the second overall pick in the draft, right?
Before you mention NCAA violation, slow your roll.
Hanifin and Eichel are both NCAA athletes.
One guess is that Eichel is planning to play for Team USA at the World Championships in Prague.
Eichel has petitioned Boston University for permission to take his final exams overseas so that he can play for Team USA.
Eichel can have his cake and eat it, too.
The World Championships don't begin until May 1.
Perhaps he and his family already have viewing party plans. If thatbis the case, cancel them and get the Eichel clan in an airplane from Boston to Toronto. This is the biggest day in the kid's hockey life.
Do it, Jack.
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The NHL will not be levying a fine against Ottawa head coach Dave Cameron for his postgame comments after Game 1.
The NHL will likely chat with Cameron and his GM Bryan Murray before Game 2. The message should be: play hard between whistles and skate away after whistles. Act like an idiot, go to the box or locker room.
The Ottawa Senators have announced that Mark Stone suffered a micro-fracture in his right wrist as a result of the Subban slash.
If Stone can't play in Game 2, look for bad boy Chris Neil to take his place in the Sens lineup. Neil will ads more cayenne pepper to an otherwise sweltering hot affair.
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Call it the heat of the moment. Call it a crime of passion.
Call Dave Cameron's post-Game 1 comments downright dumb.
Sens GM Bryan Murray should impose a steep fine on his head coach before the NHL does.
Seriously. We all saw the P.K. Subban slash on Mark Stone. We can all agree that it was gratuitous and greasy. We can all agree that Subban got what he deserved in terms of the five minute major and the game misconduct for his idiocy. The refs handled the matter to the full extent of the law. They swiftly threw Subban out of the game and put Ottawa on a five minute power play. That, in my opinion was the right solution to the Subban slash.
Subban received a five minute major penalty and a game misconduct for the wreckless slash on Stone, which occurred at the 8:23 mark of the second period. The Canadiens were leading 2-1 at the time.
The NHL Department of Player Safety reviewed the incident and sees no reason to add more discipline to Subban. I happen to agree with the NHL's decision to move along from the matter.
The Habs will host the Sens again on Friday. According to Cameron, there may be retaliation from the Senators. Methinks that Habs GM Marc Bergevin and his management will be chatting with the NHL in an effort to make sure Cameron's threats are not carried out in Game 2.
Cameron's postgame comments flip it to make the Canadiens look like sympathetic figures, which is what Bergevin and the Habs love. The Habs are leading the series on the scoreboard and now lead the series in terms of psychological warfare.
Advantage Canadiens.
Why Cameron felt the need to piss and moan about it two hours after the fact is on him and the Ottawa Senators. Cameron's criticism should have been directed at his own power play unit and not the Canadiens.
After listening back to Cameron's postgame rant, I'm convinced that his biting, incendiary comments towards the Habs contributed to the NHL's decision to not add supplemental discipline to Subban.
In fact, if I'm the NHL, I'm fining Cameron $25,000 for his comments directed at targeting slashes at Canadiens players.
Cameron may want to go to You Tube and type in "Todd Bertuzzi hit on Steve Moore".
I'm distressed by Cameron's comments. He didn't appear to be a stark, raving lunatic in his podium presser. To me, he was business-like, buttoned up, and matter of fact when he chose his inflammatory words.
Loose lips sink ships.
Cameron should have closed his mouth and handled his business inside of the coaching office or on the team bus after the game where microphones and TV cameras can't record his every syllable.
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