Candians Asked To Leave Russia, Henderson’s Goal, A Salary Cap Increase and More

We’re inching closer to the start of the hockey season and oh it’s already looking glorious! As we get closer, we’re getting more action from around the league and hockey world so let’s take a look what this week has for us in the latest edition of the Links, News and Notes.

• The Russian/Ukrainian conflict has had an impact on many areas around the world and was definitely one of them. The KHL has always been a well known destination for North American players who don’t find their place in the NHL. It appears Canadians may be a large percentage of these foreign players and now they’re being warned about staying there. There are 48 Canadian players in the KHL now between both Russia and Belarus and they are now being told they should leave as there is a risk to them as the situation escalates between Russia and Ukraine. Agents of these players say the players have the right to pursue their livelihood and it is up to them to determine where that is. Players seem to feel safe in Russia and Belarus at this point and it will be interesting to see how many of them actually do come back.
• It’s a good time to start thinking about spending big money on your players as the NHL has projected a large increase in the salary cap over the next 3 years. Would be nice if the Sens would get rich owners who can go wild with some spending (In a smart manner of course)!
• More diversity! That is exactly what the NHL needs, smart hires come from all walk of life and once NHL teams realized they can expand their target for hiring, they were able to increase the talents on their team. The Winnipeg Jets are the latest team to dive into a new pool of talent by hiring Mistawasis Nehiyawak First Nation native Sydney Daniels. One of three new scouts hired by the Jets, Daniels will be mostly in charge of NCAA recruiting. She has had a long successful career as Captain and coach of the Harvard Crimson hockey team.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without their Captain John Tavares for the start of the season. It seems he suffered an oblique injury against the Ottawa Senators but it’s not expected to be serious and will probably only keep him out for the first 4 games of the season. Maybe they’ll realize he’s doesn’t actually make the team that much better.
• It’s been 50 years since one of Team Canada’s most famous goals to ever be scored!/

"𝑯𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑪𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒅𝒂!"

5⃣0⃣ years ago today…

Is Paul Henderson’s goal to win the 1972 Summit Series the most important in Canadian hockey history? 🇨🇦🏒 pic.twitter.com/TU28nesM6C

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) September 28, 2022

• Hockey is a great sport but concerns with its safety have been on the rise, especially when it comes to concussions. And now there are studies showing that teenagers’ shouldn’t be subjected to the risk of heavy hits as their brains are still developing. Dr. Charles Tater, a Canadian neurosurgeon studying the effects of concussions, believes that body-checking should only be introduced to the game after the age of 18. The data supporting his proposal is interesting and makes sense but I have a feeling NHL teams will not be on board with his suggestions as they feel players are more prepared if they can handle hitting at an earlier age./