Thursday Links, News and Notes: Salary Cup Update, Carson Briere Apologizes, Sens Ownership News and More

Here we are, another week closer to the end of the regular season; tension is high and teams in the play-off hunt are focused on the finish line. Are the Sens in the chase? That depends on our point of view. Let’s dig into what else is going on around the world of hockey:

• The GM meetings are always interesting in terms of possible new rules and ideas. The biggest topic this year has been the salary cap. While it was rumoured that the cap would only increase by $1M, Gary Bettman assured everyone that negotiations will be ongoing with the new executive director of the players association who is slated to start his position next week, and that that number is subject to  change.
• Carson Briere has been in the news as he was caught on camera pushing down someone’s wheelchair down a flight of stairs, breaking the device. Briere was quick to come out with an apology while his father, famous NHLer, Daniel Briere released a statement saying he was shocked at his son’s actions. Briere attends and plays for Mercyhurst University, who are currently investigating the video but they did release a statement saying they believe people deserve a chance to learn from their mistakes so it seems unlikely they will take strict action. Let’s hope Briere’s apology was truly sincere because at 23 years old, he should simply know better.
• For those who cannot wait until we get a new owner, Gary Bettman is assuring you that the end of the waiting period is near. According to the NHL Commissioner, we are only a mere weeks from seeing the sale of the Sens finalized. In completely unrelated news, T-Mobile has acquired Mint Mobile, partially owned by Ryan Reynolds.
• Slater Koekkoek wasn’t the biggest name on the Edmonton Oilers when he left the game last fall,  but his departure was nonetheless a bit surprising and the team explained that Koekkoek needed to focus on his mental health and it was left at that. Now, Koekkoek is speaking up about the details of his anxiety that crippled his career and made it even difficult to go out to dinner with his teammates because of his inability to eat. It doesn’t seem like Koekkoek will be making a return to the NHL but this is a reminder that there is always work to do when it comes to taking care of its active players and their mental health.
• The fight for Connor Bedard will be decided on May 8th where every team that misses the playoffs will enter the lottery. The entry draft itself will be held in Nashville on June 29-28th. As a reminder, Ottawa’s first round pick now belongs to the Arizona Coyotes because of the Chychrun trade unless the Sens move into a top-5 spot./