KHL to hold a small summer tournament
Corey Pronman: The KHL announced that they will be holding a four-team summer tournament in late August. Teams will be SKA, Ak Bars, Metallurg and Salavat Yulaev.
Canucks Boucher heading to the KHL
TSN: Vancouver Canucks pending RFA forward Reid Boucher signed a one-year contract with Avangard Omsk of the KHL. The deal is for next season.
The 26-year old recorded 34 goals and 67 points in 54 games with Utica. He got into one game with the Canucks during the regular season and was named as one of their 10 players who could be a black ace for the playoffs.
Toronto improved its hub city bid
TSN: The six hub city candidates are down to Vegas, Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Chicago and Los Angeles. Pierre LeBrun says that most of the Canadian hub city talk is out West, but Toronto tweaked their bid over the weekend.
“They’ve gone from sort of a downtown core bubble to in fact introducing the idea of a 40-acre campus like bubble on the CNE grounds where they would have access to BMO Field and the Coca-Cola Coliseum where the Marlies play, to the Raptors practice facility to the Hotel X that has 400 rooms, built a couple years ago. And within those grounds willing to build on that whether it comes to food trucks or an outside movie theatre.”
- Pierre LeBrun: Still believe that Vegas, Vancouver and Edmonton are ahead of Toronto, but with Toronto’s latest proposal, MLSE attempted to answer some of the NHL/NHLPAs concerns.
- Pierre LeBrun: The previous concern with the Toronto bid was that their bubble wasn’t tight enough, which is why their latest bid was around the CNE grounds. Is it too late in the process for Toronto?
What if there are more positive tests before getting the hub cities?
TSN: Pierre LeBrun talking about the concern about getting to the hub cities after 11 players tested positive last week. There have been lots of questions about what happens if there are positive tests when the games begin, but LeBrun wonders if we should be looking at what if there lots more positives tests before they get into the hub cities.
When teams get to the hub cities it will be hard for anyone else to get in, and there will be lots of testing.
“There will be massive testing, but what happens between today and about July 22 when is about the time teams will start heading to those bubbles in the hub cities. There is no bubble at training camp in Phase 3 and we know there’s no bubble right during Phase 2 where we had those positive tests last week. That’s really the greater level of concern is getting through the next month.”
During Phase 3 and training camp, players are going back home. Are they going to the grocery store or restaurant? Players are being educated and need to buy-in to it.