NHL Trade Rumors: Brent Burns Dealt to Hurricanes; Sharks Get Steven Lorentz, More
Jul 13, 2022
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 29: Brent Burns #88 of the San Jose Sharks looks on during the second period against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on April 29, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Carolina Panthers have reportedly acquired defenseman Brent Burns and forward Lane Pederson from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for center Steven Lorentz, goalie prospect Eetu Makiniemi and a 2023 conditional third-round selection, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
Per that report, the Sharks will absorb 33 percent of Burns' contract in the deal. Burns has three years and $16.5 million remaining on his deal.
Burns, 37, will give the Canes a much-needed blue-liner down the right after trading Tony DeAngelo to the Philadelphia Flyers this offseason for draft capital. The Flyers promptly signed DeAngelo to a two-year, $10 million deal.
The fact that Carolina was willing to take on three more seasons of 37-year old Brent Burns at $5.28 mil per year but weren't willing to give Tony DeAngelo the $5 million per that he wanted says something...
In my mind, Burns is an upgrade over DeAngelo, as long as his body holds up. And I think it does in the short term at least, considering how many minutes he's skated in recent seasons. I think 'Canes got better here. https://t.co/FAqYqseadE
There's little doubt that Burns will move the puck and generate scoring chances for the Hurricanes from his defensive position. He notched 10 goals and 44 games for the Sharks this past season, playing in all 82 games, while adding 203 shots.
Pederson, 24, has a goal and two assists in 44 career games the past two seasons for the Arizona Coyotes and Sharks.
Lorentz, 26, has notched 10 goals and 11 assists in 112 career games over the past two years. Makiniemi, 23, has yet to make his NHL debut. Per The Athletic's Sean Gentille, he's considered a "marginal goalie prospect."
The cap space is the biggest return for Brent Burns. Getting a 3rd and a goalie prospect is nice, but having some flexibility is the key here.
For the Sharks, dealing Burns will free up some cap space, alongside adding additional draft capital and a prospect in Makiniemi. But this primarily felt like a salary dump for San Jose.
Report: Tony DeAngelo Traded to Flyers from Hurricanes for Multiple Draft Picks
Jul 8, 2022
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 24: Carolina Hurricanes Defenseman Tony DeAngelo (77) in action during game 4 of the second round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Rangers on May 24, 2022 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Prior to the start of Day 2 of the 2022 NHL draft on Friday, the Carolina Hurricanes reportedly agreed to trade defenseman Tony DeAngelo to the Philadelphia Flyers for multiple draft picks.
According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, the Flyers will receive DeAngelo and a seventh-round pick in exchange for second-, third- and fourth-round picks that are spread out over the next three years.
LeBrun added that DeAngelo agreed to a two-year, $10 million contract extension with the Flyers after the trade as well.
The 26-year-old is a six-year veteran who has played for the Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers and Hurricanes.
DeAngelo was the No. 19 pick in the 2014 draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning, but before ever appearing in a game for the team, he was traded to the Coyotes in 2016.
He was traded again one year later to the Rangers, and it was in New York where he fully hit his stride as a dynamic offensive defenseman.
His breakout year occurred in 2019-20 when he set career highs with 15 goals and 53 points while also posting a plus-12 rating.
After appearing in just six games for the Rangers in the 2020-21 campaign, DeAngelo was waived in the wake of getting into a locker-room altercation with goalie Alexandar Georgiev.
The Canes signed DeAngelo to a one-year, $1 million prove-it contract last summer, and it turned out to be a quality move, as the right-shot D-man bounced back with a career-high 41 assists to go with 10 goals in addition to posting a career-best plus-30 rating.
While DeAngelo has had some behavioral issues over the years, he is among the best puck-moving blueliners in the NHL, and the Flyers addressed a huge need by acquiring him.
Ivan Provorov, Rasmus Ristolainen and Travis Sanheim are two-way defensemen with perhaps a greater focus on defense, meaning DeAngelo will add some variety to the defense corps.
In the New Jersey native, the Flyers have a power-play quarterback and someone who can lead the rush at even strength, making him a significant addition for a team that went a disappointing 25-46-11 last season.
The NHL's annual free-agent signing
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These are trying times in Boston. Not only have the Bruins not won a Stanley Cup in 11 years, but they've also gradually slid backward from near-misses in 2013...
Jets' Kyle Connor Named 2022 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy Winner Over Slavin, Spurgeon
Jun 6, 2022
WINNIPEG, MB - MAY 01: Kyle Connor #81 of the Winnipeg Jets skates by the bench to celebrate his third period goal against the Seattle Kraken at Canada Life Centre on May 01, 2022 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images)
Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor has won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the player "adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability," the NHL announced Monday.
Connor beat out Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin and Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon for the honor. He is the first player in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history to win the award.
Winning the Lady Byng is an impressive feat for Connor, especially considering Slavin won the award last season and Spurgeon finished runner-up.
Connor set career highs during the 2021-22 campaign with 47 goals and 46 assists for 93 points in 79 games. In addition, he was given just two minor penalties, the fewest among the NHL's top 100 scorers.
The 25-year-old also led Winnipeg forwards with 21:47 of ice time per game and finished 12th in the league with 66 takeaways.
The Jets selected Connor 17th overall in the 2015 draft, and he has been a staple in the team's lineup since the 2017-18 season. In 384 games, the Michigan native has tallied 178 goals and 166 assists for 344 points.
Connor is under contract with the Jets through the 2025-26 season after signing a seven-year, $50 million deal in September 2019.
Resilient Rangers Forging Their Identity with Another Game 7 Win
May 31, 2022
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 30: Filip Chytil #72 of the New York Rangers reacts following his third period goal in Game Seven of the Second Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on May 30, 2022 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Somehow, the New York Rangers managed to get to the 2022 Eastern Conference Final without facing a starting goaltender.
They went through Casey DeSmith, Louis Domingue and Tristan Jarry in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
They knocked off the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh in the second round in Game 7 on Monday night with a 6-2 win, facing Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov.
What could have been in this series if Carolina had its best player, Frederik Andersen? The Rangers will have a much more difficult test in the next round against Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning, but after winning two Game 7s, you can't count them out.
"We don’t go away," forward Chris Kreider said. "Regardless of the score."
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 30: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers celebrates with his team following a first period goal in Game Seven of the Second Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on May 30, 2022 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
The Rangers have proved to be an especially tough out, winning their last five games when facing elimination. They excelled in the early rounds of the playoffs by using the same formula they used all season—special teams and goaltending—but the emergence of the "Kid Line" of Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko and the Blueshirts' young prospects, including defensemen K'Andre Miller and Braden Schneider, put the team over the top.
The Rangers' best players played like it, which sounds cliche but is actually crucial in the postseason. Mika Zibanejad is in the Conn Smythe conversation with 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 14 games. Adam Fox, who opened the scoring Monday, is right behind him with 18. And Chris Kreider leads the team with eight goals.
The top line of Kreider, Zibanejad and Frank Vatrano and the second line of Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome and Andrew Copp have put up gaudy numbers. But dig a little deeper, and you'll see that a lot of it has been special teams production.
The narrative around the Rangers during the regular season was that they were relying too heavily on goalie Igor Shesterkin and couldn't contain teams at five-on-five. That changed after the trade deadline when acquisitions Copp, Vatrano and, to a lesser extent, Tyler Motte and Justin Braun helped control play more than the Rangers had.
RALEIGH, NC - MAY 30: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers scores a goal and celebrates with teammates in Game Seven of the Second Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 30, 2022 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
But in the postseason, the Rangers have controlled the shot share less than 50 percent of the time, according to Natural Stat Trick. They have allowed more scoring chances at five-on-five (428) than they have created (309). Their expected goal share is roughly 40 percent.
Still, the power play is especially dangerous. Panarin and Strome team up with Kreider, Zibanejad and quarterback Fox on the top unit. Copp and the Kid Line are with Jacob Trouba on the second unit. The No. 2 squad doesn't get much ice time, but it's worth it, whether by scoring or creating momentum.
The power play is clicking at a rate of 32.5 percent, which is the second-best mark in the playoffs behind that of the Colorado Avalanche (34.5), who will play in the Western Conference Final against the Edmonton Oilers. The Rangers scored two power-play goals Monday, marking the fourth time in club history the team has converted with the man advantage more than once in the seventh game of a series.
The kids and veterans seem to be peaking at the same time, and it just so happens to be the right time, which is what the team envisioned for this group all along.
Four years ago, the club issued the infamous "letter" to fans, explaining the intention to rebuild. The Rangers needed to get younger and faster, and rebuilds are almost impossible to avoid in the salary-cap era.
They quickly assembled an impressive group of prospects. General manager Chris Drury and his predecessor, Jeff Gorton, now the Montreal Canadiens' executive vice president of hockey operations, are known for their keen scouting eyes, but it also took a little luck. The lottery bounced their way in 2019 and 2020, and the Rangers selected Kakko at No. 2 and Lafreniere at No. 1.
The two did not take to the NHL right away, and there were questions about the club's development process, but those have been answered.
The 22-year-old Miller is playing against tough lines with Trouba. Schneider looks much older than 20.
Lafreniere, 20, and Kakko, 21, are becoming the impact forwards the Rangers envisioned, and Chytil, 22, is breaking out with five goals.
"I don't think the moment is too big for any of these young guys," Kreider said. "I think every single one of them, they're here for a reason. Not only are they really good people, but they were brought in because they're winners."
That much was evident when they shut the door on Carolina in the third period. Vincent Trocheck ended Shesterkin's shutout bid at 8:11 to make the score 4-1. The Canes had hope, but then Kakko capitalized on a turnover and sent the puck down to the other end. He won a puck battle on the side boards, and Chytil was left all alone in front of the net to snap one past Kochetkov.
"It's amazing. We're a resilient group in there," Fox said. "We've said it all year. Backs against the wall five times now, and we’ve come through all five. We definitely want to keep this momentum going into the next round. We do have bigger goals."
If the Rangers can take down the back-to-back reigning champs, they may reach those bigger goals.
Wednesday will mark the first conference final game at the Garden since Game 7 in 2015 against, of course, the Lightning. And star-studded lineups aside, the matchup will be billed as Shesterkin vs. Vasilevskiy.
"He’s the best goalie in the world right now," Shesterkin said. "I think it will be a good battle."
Hurricanes 2022 Free Agents, Draft Targets, Offseason Guide After NHL Playoff Loss
May 31, 2022
NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 23: Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Tony DeAngelo (77) skates during the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the Carolina Hurricanes on April 23, 2022 at the Prudential Center Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Carolina Hurricanes had a fantastic 2021-22 season, accumulating a Metropolitan Division-leading 116 points and reaching the postseason.
While that didn't translate into a Stanley Cup title, the Hurricanes have plenty to build upon heading into the 2022-23 campaign, even after losing to the New York Rangers in the second round.
Below, we'll preview their upcoming offseason, from the players set to hit free agency to potential draft targets and team needs.
Free Agents
Nino Niederreiter, RW
Vincent Trocheck, C
Ian Cole, D
Ethan Bear, D
Martin Necas, C
Derek Stepan, C
Tony DeAngelo, D
Brendan Smith, D
Maxime Lajoie, D
Josh Leivo, LW
Andrew Poturalski, C
Alex Lyon, G
Stefan Noesen, RW
Max Domi, LW
Offseason Outlook And Potential Draft Targets
The Hurricanes are in a pretty good spot. They don't find themselves with too many glaring needs and will largely bring their core group back.
Yes, a few changes here and there are in order. Ideally, the Hurricanes would add another truly elite goal-scorer, though such a move wouldn't come cheap, and Sebastian Aho is fresh off another excellent year that saw him post 37 goals and 44 assists.
However, the core of Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Teuvo Teravainen and Frederick Anderson will return. Whether the Canes can afford to bring back restricted free agent Tony DeAngelo will be one of the biggest question marks of the offseason.
Beyond that, how the Hurricanes navigate around the margins will be the question. Will the team bring back the experienced Derek Stepan, who has served largely as a depth piece this season but added solid leadership and experience?
Vincent Trocheck may be priced out of Carolina next season unless he's willing to take a pay cut, with big money already committed to Jordan Staal, Aho and Kotkaniemi. Andersen's future extension looms as well.
Some of the group of DeAngelo, Trocheck, Nino Niederreiter, Martin Necas, Ethan Bear, Ian Cole and Max Domi won't return, even if the Hurricanes can bob and weave through some clever cap gymnastics.
As for the draft, the Hurricanes don't have a first-round pick, so fans should temper their expectations somewhat. That should be balanced out by several enticing prospects already in their system, including Vasili Ponomaryov, Noel Gunler and Ville Koivunen, among others.
When they finally are up in the second round, look for them to go for the top player available, with options such as defensemen Simon Forsmark, Elias Salomonsson and Vladimir Grudinin or centers Filip Bystedt, Nathan Gaucher or Paul Ludwinski.
Hurricanes Mocked for 'Incomprehensible' Road Woes After Game 6 Loss vs. Rangers
May 29, 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 28: Filip Chytil #72 of the New York Rangers celebrates a second period goal against the Carolina Hurricanes with teammates in Game Six of the Second Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 28, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour called his team's inability to win road games a "non-issue" entering Saturday's Game 6 against the New York Rangers. But after Carolina's 5-2 loss at Madison Square Garden in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it was all anyone could talk about.
The Hurricanes have yet to win a road game in this year's playoffs, having gone 0-3 against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden in the first round before going 0-3 against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden in their current series.
Of course, the Hurricanes have a solid chance to close out the Rangers at their home rink in Game 7 on Monday, just like they did the Bruins in the first round, but the team's play on the road has drawn heavy criticism from hockey fans.
The team's road playoff record is even more concerning because Carolina was tied for the most road wins in the NHL during the regular season. As one fan put it, the team going 0-6 on the road is "incomprehensible."
The Hurricanes were tied for the most road wins (25) and were T2 in for points percentage (.659). The fact they’re staring at 0-6 in the playoffs is incomprehensible
The Rangers and Hurricanes will meet again at PNC Arena on Monday, with the Blueshirts looking to become the first team this postseason to get a win in Raleigh, North Carolina, in Game 7.
That said, if the Hurricanes manage to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, they won't face an easy task in holding off the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning at home.
The Bolts have impressed this postseason with wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. They'll be out for blood no matter who they face in the ECF as they aim to win their third straight title.
Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider Called out by Fans in Rangers' Game 5 Loss to Canes
May 27, 2022
New York Rangers' Artemi Panarin (10) waits for a face-off against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Friday, May 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New York Rangers 3-1 on Thursday at PNC Arena in Game 5 of their second-round playoff matchup to take a 3-2 series lead and put the Blueshirts on the brink of elimination.
It was a quiet game offensively for the Rangers, whose only goal came from Mika Zibanejad on the power play. Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider, two of New York's best players, also combined for zero shots on goal in the loss, which is a major problem.
Fans ripped both Panarin and Kreider for their play in Thursday's game, mentioning that both players need to step up if the Rangers hope to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2015.
Kreider and Panarin continue to be absolutely and totally non-existent. Credit to Carolina, but the top talent on NYR has done little to nothing on the road all playoffs.
The duo have effectively disappeared in this series against Carolina. Panarin has just two assists through five games, while Kreider has one goal in that span.
It's an upsetting performance from both players given their regular-season success. Kreider tallied 52 goals and 25 assists for 77 points in 81 games, while Panarin notched 22 goals and 74 assists for 96 points in 75 games.
If the Blueshirts are going to extend this series, they'll need Panarin and Kreider to step up when the series shifts back to Madison Square Garden for Game 6 on Saturday. That said, the Rangers have a solid chance at forcing a Game 7 as Carolina has yet to win a road playoff game this year.
Why It's So Hard for the NHL to Establish Clarity Around Goalie Interference
May 25, 2022
BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 10: The puck goes in but Boston Bruins winger Nick Foligno (17) is called for interference on Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen (31) during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes on February 10, 2022 at TD garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Rule 69.1 in the official NHL rulebook, "Interference on the Goalkeeper," is one of the most difficult rules to understand and one of the most difficult to determine as an official.
It's 381 words, and that doesn't even include rules 69.2-69.8, which are supposed to provide clarity and context for every situation involving goalie's interference.
No wonder it seems like no one knows what the rule actually entails.
Each year, the Stanley Cup Playoffs cast a shadow on the officials who are tasked with determining what is and is not goalie interference. And it's not just the officials on the ice—fans might love to yell, "Ref, you suck!" but often times, it's the league officials in the situation room in Toronto making the final calls when a challenge is initiated for goalie interference.
Perhaps "official in the situation room in Toronto, you suck!" is too wordy of a chant. Fair enough.
We know that the NHL has been in the midst of an officiating crisis for a few years now, but this one set of standards, in particular, can have more of a direct effect on the outcome of games than maybe something like a missed crosscheck or an errant hook.
The New York Rangers might have won the first game of their opening-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins in regulation had a goal not been disallowed. Instead, they played a triple-overtime thriller, and backup goalie Louis Domingue stole the game for Pittsburgh.
Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour would have "bet [his] life" on Jake DeBrusk's goal in Game 4 of the series against the Boston Bruins being overturned, but the NHL said the incidental contact was allowable.
In Game 1 of the Lightning-Panthers series, Anthony Cirelli clipped Florida Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky in the head, but the goal was upheld after review.
Cirelli made contact with Bobrovsky's head in the blue paint. Panthers challenged for goalie interference, but it was still ruled a good goal. pic.twitter.com/kVL3ILjZCL
Let's take a deeper look at the rule and the process in which goalie interference is determined to see if we can figure out why it's so difficult to properly assess.
What Is Goaltender Interference?
The rule was introduced for the 1991-92 season with a pretty simple philosophy: A penalty is issued when an attacking skater makes contact with the goaltender, impeding, limiting or altogether eliminating his ability to protect the net and stop the puck.
The rule has evolved as technology has evolved, and in 2015-16, coaches were allowed to challenge for goaltender interference. In 2018, the NHL announced that the situation room would have the final say in an attempt to have more consistent rulings.
Here is how the most crucial part of the rule reads this season:
Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal; or (2) an attacking player initiates intentional or deliberate contact with a goalkeeper, inside or outside of his goal crease. Incidental contact with a goalkeeper will be permitted, and resulting goals allowed, when such contact is initiated outside of the goal crease, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact.
If you're having trouble following, it's a way to keep things fair for the goalies, who have more limited movement in their pads and are restricted to certain areas where they can and cannot play the puck. The onus is on the skater to prevent contact that would keep a goalie from being unable to protect the net.
Meanwhile, the challenge mechanism is in place to allow coaches to get a final ruling on the play by league using all available video feeds.
How Is Goalie Interference Determined?
Let's use the aforementioned disallowed goal from Game 1 of that Rangers-Penguins series as an example. The Penguins turned the puck over in the neutral zone, and Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko took it down to the offensive zone, coming down the wing and curling in front of the crease with speed.
With Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin on the backcheck, there was a collision in front of the net that knocked goalie Casey DeSmith out of it completely. The play was kept alive, and Kakko flicked the puck to Filip Chytil, who shot the puck into an open net.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan challenged for goalie interference and won, stating after the game that the Penguins had been a perfect 8-for-8 in those challenge calls on the season.
New York fans were livid, saying the officials were biased toward the Penguins. After all, Dumoulin clearly leaned into Kakko right before the collision.
But Sullivan's video team saw that Kakko failed to make an effort to avoid crashing into DeSmith, so the contact by Dumoulin was immaterial.
The success rate of the Pittsburgh video personnel shows that they are adept at quickly determining whether or not their goalies were interfered with.
The decision-making process, which has to work at lightning speed, often starts with the video replay teams. Video coordinators have less than a minute to issue a recommendation to the bench, and there has to be "indisputable evidence" to overturn a call.
The replay teams have a set of criteria they have to be able to quickly identify:
Was the contact inside or outside of the crease?
Was it initiated by the goalie's own defenseman, or was it by an attacking skater?
Was that contact avoidable, and did the skater make an effort to avoid the contact?
Did the goalie have enough time to get back into position before the goal was scored?
Did the contact have a material impact on the goalie's ability to make a save?
There are other variables that go into these decisions as well, like where the puck was, the score in the game, how much time is left on the clock and whether or not the goalie fought for his ice or just remained on the ground when he was able to regain his position (i.e., did he flop).
There are times when even goaltenders don't immediately realize they have been interfered with, which is why teams rely on replay personnel. They issue a recommendation to the coach on whether or not to challenge.
Then, the officials put on the headset and dial up the Situation Room, where the feeds are analyzed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otk7FZGrKDY
It's important to note that the officials in Toronto have more available angles than the teams. They have more overhead angles and net camera feeds, which is often why it takes them longer than the 15-30 seconds it takes the video coordinators.
Why Is It So Hard to Determine?
There is a lot of gray area, and it leaves a lot of room for interpretation.
At the end of the day, it's a judgment call, and those are never 100 percent correct. Getting calls wrong can be embarrassing for the officials on the ice.
The league will issue explanations for the rulings but aren't allowed to be questioned. Many have suggested allowing a pool reporter from the media to ask for clarification, which is a common practice in the three other major North American professional sports leagues.
A direct line from the video booths to Toronto might help clarify things as well since the video coordinators from each team can relay the angles and time codes they are looking at.
Every other major North American pro sports league has a policy in place for a crew chief or representative of officials to be made available to reporters, except the NHL. https://t.co/EyvoVH6jWV
But while the inconsistent outcomes can be maddening, the priority is getting the call right, especially during the postseason. This can be extremely difficult given just how quickly goals are scored. The speed should not be understated. The game is fast out there.
What you see on Twitter might not be what they're seeing in Toronto. So the next time you're ready to get fired up thinking it was a blown call, ask yourself, do you really know what goalie interference is? Do any of us really know what it is?
