Pondering Overtime, Sort Of!
Adam Proteau of The Hockey News: Eventually, NHL overtime will get a makeover. In the meantime, there is a Russian Junior League that has taken on a new wrinkle in their extra time.
Naturally, the KHL junior league (much like the AHL) will be the testing ground for this new rule. Teams will not be able to drag the puck back to their side of the ice. If the rule is violated twice, that constitutes a minor penalty.
That means no dragging the puck back to set up an offense or stall for time. Honestly, some teams just sit back and wait to get their top players rested or go for the shootout.
At the least, the NHL should consider at least taking a look and seeing what can be done with the rule. Being proactive usually means the difference between putting out a compelling product and not.
Tinkering for the sake of tinkering is one thing. Looking serves no harm here.
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Joe Veleno Stays In Detroit
The Detroit News: Joe Veleno signed a new contract that will keep him a member of the Detroit Red Wings for two more years. The forward signed a contract that carries a $2.275 million AAV and more importantly avoids arbitration.
Veleno amassed 12 goals and 16 assists in 80 games last year. He was more consistent on both sides of the ice. Steve Yzerman still has Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond to sign. Detroit has $17 million of cap space.
Kyle Okposo Finally Gets Day With Stanley Cup
NHL.com: Speaking of overtime, the Stanley Cup finally made it to Kyle Okposo on Friday. The Windows update glitch grounded air traffic to a halt and caused all sorts of computer problems. However, the Stanley Cup made it to St. Paul, Minnesota anyway. It was just several hours late.
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After all, Okposo waited 17 years to win the Stanley Cup. What was a little more time waiting to celebrate a day with the silver chalice?