2023-24 NHL Season

[EagerBeaver]

Hart taking indefinite personal leave of absence after horrendous game:

Flyers' Hart granted indefinite leave of absence

General manager Daniel Briere announced Tuesday that goalie Carter Hart had requested and been granted time away from the team due to personal reasons.

www.espn.com

Hart is one of the 5 identified players:

NHL players on leave amid sexual assault inquiry

Five players from Canada's 2018 world junior team have taken a leave of absence from their current clubs in recent days amid a report that five members of that team have been asked to surrender to police to face sexual assault charges.

www.espn.com

The media had widely speculated that Hart's personal leave of absence had something to do with his piss poor performance in his last start, but this was the real reason. It's kind of funny that stupid journalists think an NHL goalie with 5 years experience has one bad game and he is ready for a long vacation. I had suspected some issue like Corey Perry's but this is a bit more serious.

 

[Cap'tain Fantastic]

Certains joueurs bien connus doivent passer des moments difficiles suite à leur comparution devant un tribunal dans une cause de viol remontant à 5 ans....on peut comprendre que certaines organisations aient accepté de les libérer pour cette période de
cauchemar/nightmare....à suivre.

Toute cette histoire risque de causer un grand tort à la LNH si jamais il y avait accusations et condamnations pour des joueurs déjà établis dans la ligue. Depuis le tout début de cette affaire la LNH est en possession de la liste de tous les joueurs impliqués, si ça se termine mal pour certains ça risque de déraper solide.

 

[Cap'tain Fantastic]

Hart is one of the 5 identified players:

NHL players on leave amid sexual assault inquiry

Five players from Canada's 2018 world junior team have taken a leave of absence from their current clubs in recent days amid a report that five members of that team have been asked to surrender to police to face sexual assault charges.

www.espn.com

The media had widely speculated that Hart's personal leave of absence had something to do with his piss poor performance in his last start, but this was the real reason. It's kind of funny that stupid journalists think an NHL goalie with 5 years experience has one bad game and he is ready for a long vacation. I had suspected some issue like Corey Perry's but this is a bit more serious.

This is the first time that some journalists finally dare to publish names!

 

[gaby]

Ouin...pas pour rien que certains dont HART avait demandé d'être libéré pour une certaine période....

 

[Doc Holliday]

Another story making the rounds today is former NHL goon John Scott who said on his podcast last Monday that Corey Perry’s contract was voided by the Blackhawks because one evening on the road in Columbus he was intoxicated & made a sexual advance to a female employed by NBC Sports, who also employs John Scott. He went on to say that Perry was a model citizen for 17 years in the league & one evening in Columbus the guy had too many too drink & made a pass at the lady working for NBC Sports & Chicago overreacted because of the current climate surrounding the team because of the sex scandal which led to the firings of Joel Quenneville & Stan Bowman so they’ve been walking on eggshells since & overreacted to cover their butts & he’s happy Perry got a second chance.

However someone must have got to him since earlier today Scott apologized for his remarks Monday & stated that everything he said was totally unfounded & not true.

 

[gaby]

I watched TOR 1 JETS 0....MATTHEWS with the winning one in o/t......good one...playoff's game.....credit to both goalies...particulièrement SAMSONOV qui a signé cette victoire.....interesting to watch.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Oilers win 15th straight game!!!!!!! Wow! Amazing that they have done this with Jack "Soup" Campbell struggling so badly he had to be sent down and Calvin Pickard called up to backup Stu Skinner:

Oilers 3-0 Blackhawks (Jan 25, 2024) Game Recap - ESPN

Expert recap and game analysis of the Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks NHL game from January 25, 2024 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

Pickard is experienced, but he is a career journeyman backup goalie. Edmonton's goalies are collectively at .905% SP, which is just a tiny notch above league average. So it's amazing to me one of these guys hasn't been lit up one time to halt the15 straight Ws.

My prediction is they beat Nashville at home for the 16th straight win Saturday and then lose at Vegas on 2/6 coming out of the All Star break. The Golden Knights will block Edmonton from tying the record 17 game winning streak of the 1992-93 Penguins.

 

[gaby]

Yes..une 15ème victoire consécutive et un bagel en plus.....very very impressive...and again McDavid//Draisaitl ont fait le travail.

 

[Cap'tain Fantastic]

Yes..une 15ème victoire consécutive et un bagel en plus.....very very impressive...and again McDavid//Draisaitl ont fait le travail.

Je pense qu’on peut ajouter Zack Hyman(29 buts!) à l’équation pour le succès des Oilers,

 

[gaby]

WOW....OILERS...une 16ème victoire consécutive.....faut le faire....lol.....et McDavid-----Draisaitl toujours dominants....et que dire de SKINNER qui fait un travail remarquable......fun to watch.

 

[EagerBeaver]

The streak will end in Las Vegas on February 6.

 

[gaby]

Not so sure....they lost tonight 5-2 vs WINGS.....so pretty sure OILERS on their way for their 17th....lolll

 

[EagerBeaver]

Laine enters players assistance program:

Jackets' Laine enters Player Assistance Program

Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine will be out for an indefinite period after entering the league's Player Assistance Program.

www.espn.com

It's not clear what the issue is that he is dealing with, but he has dealt with non stop injuries since 2021, and for a guy who is only in his age 22-25 years, this has to be depressing. It doesn't really bode well for his future, and he could have turned to booze and drugs to calm the anxiety.

The debate over whether he or Austin Matthews should have been picked overall #1, at one time lively, now is a distant memory.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Here is a report from the Columbus Dispatch detailing Laine's injuries and other struggles, including the first healthy scratch of his career earlier this year before the clavicle injury, which Laine himself described as "embarrassing". He has only played in 129 out of a possible 246 games during his age 22-25 seasons, which is very unusual. The report says nobody is harder on Laine than he is on himself, and he just can't be in a good place mentally since the clavicle injury:

Columbus Blue Jackets' Patrik Laine enters NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program

Patrik Laine enters NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, will be unavailable for Blue Jackets for indefinite timeframe

www.dispatch.com

 

[EagerBeaver]

Not so sure....they lost tonight 5-2 vs WINGS.....so pretty sure OILERS on their way for their 17th....lolll

Vegas lost in Detroit.....Edmonton would have to win in Vegas. Ask Elvis, it will not be easy with his voice blasting Viva Las Vegas.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Rangers Lose Filip Chytil For Season

Rangers rule out center Chytil for rest of season

The Rangers said Filip Chytil had a setback from "an upper body injury," with sources telling ESPN late last week that it was related to head injuries he had previously suffered.

www.espn.com

This is a very tough blow for the Rangers, as Chytil really developed last year and was poised to build on that.

 

[Doc Holliday]

This is a very tough blow for the Rangers, as Chytil really developed last year and was poised to build on that.

it is a big loss. That’s why the Mtl sports media believe that Sean Monahan may end up getting traded to the Rangers.

 

[EagerBeaver]

it is a big loss. That’s why the Mtl sports media believe that Sean Monahan may end up getting traded to the Rangers.

If the Habs fans are expecting a big return for Monahan, they are sadly mistaken. Chris Drury isn't going to be taken advantage of in this situation. If needed he will look elsewhere for help. Does he look like a guy Hughes can hose?

 

[EagerBeaver]

Michael McLeod of Devils Charged With Sexual Assault; Carter Hart, 3 Others Ordered to Surrender:

Lawyers: 4 NHLers charged with sexual assault

Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, Flames forward Dillon Dube, and Devils center Michael McLeod and defenseman Cal Foote have been charged with sexual assault in London, Ontario, their respective legal teams told ESPN.

www.espn.com

It's now a police matter in Ontario, which I know less about than police matters in Quebec, of which I know nothing at all, except what I learned watching Bad Blood.

 

[Doc Holliday]

It's now a police matter in Ontario, which I know less about than police matters in Quebec, of which I know nothing at all, except what I learned watching Bad Blood.

I’m hearing that it could take up to 2 years for the trial to begin & that it could last up to 2-3 years. Not sure if the players will be tried separately or together. NHL teams will likely try to void their contracts or suspend the players but the question hockey experts are asking what happens if the accusations end up being dropped or if they’re found innocent by a jury? Considering the players could be barred from playing professional hockey for up to 5 years teams (and the NHL) could be setting themselves up for an expensive lawsuit from the accused players. No wonder the Senators chose not to re-sign Alex Formenton this offseason. It’s one of the rare good offseason moves Pierre Dorion made!