Very late by my standards, I am just not feeling well lately.

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- One exec used the word “spooked” to describe how teams and the league are reacting to the coronavirus, while others said they are trying not to jump to any conclusions. There is a team that cancelled a scouting trip to Russia, although another said he still planned to go because this is such a huge draft for their organization. Commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday the NHL banned business travel outside of North America for employees. The Swiss League has delayed playoffs, the IIHF cancelled events and there were reports of teams in the Italian playoffs practising/taking morning skates elsewhere and just going to certain cities for the games.

- When NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika asked Dale Tallon how the Florida GM felt leaving the BB&T Centre after Sunday’s 3–0 loss to Calgary, Tallon replied, “I was pissed,” adding the Panthers haven’t been the same since a 4–0 defeat in Montreal on Feb. 1. (They are 5-9-2 since.) If Tallon is upset, you can only imagine how owner Vinny Viola feels. Viola dropped more than $100 million — from Sergei Bobrovsky to Joel Quenneville to Anton Stralman, etc. — and while attendance figures have increased a bit, it is still under 14,000 per game. The Panthers are in danger of missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season, and the question being asked is, “What are the consequences?” There are many potential changes on and off the ice, but what has other GMs buzzing is a belief the Panthers will strongly consider breaking up their core because the mix hasn’t worked. Was the Vincent Trocheck deal just the tip of the iceberg?

- I think the NHL and NHLPA are going to look at the five-day breaks around the All-Star Game to see if there’s a better way. There’s a theory that it is contributing to injuries.

more Thoughts...