from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

The game has reached an awkward place, and we’re seeing it played out in Round 1 across the NHL, where hits totals after each game come in at double the number we see in the regular season. Regular season hockey is becoming less physical by the season, as the “blow-up hit” becomes a thing of the past for a myriad of reasons: the increasing speed of the game; concussions; today’s salaries, and the role of the Player Safety Department.

Yet when the games really count in April, May and June, the physical ante gets raised. At this time of year, it’s good to be big again.

“Well, fast is still primary,” began Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “We’d all prefer six-foot-five and could skate like Nik Ehlers, but you can be five-foot-11, 170 pounds (now), and if you can skate you can play. So, it’s speed first, (but) if you can get a big man that can move, there’s only one or two more pieces left before he’s an All Star.”

A year ago the Edmonton Oilers beefed up with players like Pat Maroon, Milan Lucic and Zack Kassian, and went two rounds deep. This season things went wrong, and the Oilers are deemed two big and slow. They didn’t make it through the regular season to the playoffs, where they could use that size.

more