Anyone who thinks this is anything but a complete job by the NHL is blind. The Oilers were a massive embarrassment and black eye to the NHL for a decade, and mid way through last season they were well on their way to missing the playoffs and I think everyone knows McDavid asks for a trade if that happens. Then all the sudden Evander Kane is allowed out of his contract in SJ and allowed to play for the Oilers for a low salary. Does anyone think for a second the NHL would have allowed Kane to sign with the Lightning or the Avalanche for the same money?? So it allowed the Oilers to get to the playoffs and dodge the inevitable McDavid trade request.
Fast forward to this past off-season, Mike Smith with mysterious LTIR injury and Duncan Keith with the retirement decision and becoming a development coach. They gained $6MM in space or they would have been completely screwed. It was 100% clear cap circumvention. The schedule makers then give them an absolute muffin schedule on the backside of Christmas, hoping they would be able to battle the first half with a healthy McDavid and Draisaitl and then hang on to the end in the event of an injury.
A couple of points,
- NHL needs to get their bell cow a title and erase the embarrassment aura from the Oilers.
- NHL PR keeps making tweets about “can McDavid set the playoff scoring record” etc. it’s a complete fix.
We are witnessing a situation where marketing and profits trump the sport of the game. In my opinion there is more suspense in the WWE than the NHL at this juncture. It is completely embarrassing.
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