Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Too Much Wear And Tear On The Players Plus Waiting On The Anaheim Ducks

05/27/2017 at 2:04pm EDT

from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,

If the owners considered the long-term benefits, they would lop off a dozen games to promote better player health and more competitive action, both in the regular season and the playoffs. Of course, given the dough involved, the chances of that happening are slimmer than the MBTA running on time.

So it is up to the coaches to take action. They are the ones, after all, who have to deal with the consequences of their best players coming to work on crutches. Most of them did a good job this season scrubbing practices and morning skates because of the absurdity of the compressed schedule, thanks to the World Cup and the five-day breaks required of each team.

They can do better.

If a player has guaranteed himself a roster spot, he should play no more than once in the preseason. These are meaningless games, meant more for evaluation than to simulate in-season play.

During the regular season, the coaches should study their NBA counterparts and consider giving star players entire games off. Leaguewide parity makes this a tough job. No coach wants to be responsible for missing the playoffs by one point because of a loss in which a go-to player was granted a break. The length of the season, however, demands that such nontraditional personnel moves be considered.

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With less than one month before the expansion draft, teams are waiting on Anaheim’s decisions before making their own. Nashville, Minnesota, and Tampa Bay are among the clubs that are projected to lose good players. But no team has as many pieces to protect as the Ducks.

If Anaheim chooses the 7-3-1 model, general manager Bob Murray will have to leave at least one good forward and desirable defenseman unprotected. The first issue Murray has to figure out is Kevin Bieksa, the aging stay-at-home defenseman with a no-movement clause. If Bieksa declines to waive his clause, it would leave Murray with two protected slots to divide between four defensemen: Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, and Josh Manson.

The outlook doesn’t look much better for Anaheim using the eight-skater protection format.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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