Evan’s NHL Daily: Altitude CEO Steps Down, Change Coming?

It’s one thing to post yourself doing something very compromising on social media, but it’s another to be an NHL player and post yourself doing something very compromising on social media, because that will (apparently) result in your contract being terminated.

Meanwhile, is change on the horizon in Denver? A large portion of fans haven’t been able to watch the Avalanche or Nuggets for years now, thanks to a dispute between Altitude and Comcast. With Altitude’s CEO stepping down on Friday, could change be coming?

All that and more in this Saturday edition of Evan’s Daily.

Colorado Hockey Now

When he’s on his game, Cale Makar is a top three NHL player, but he hasn’t looked like himself for a while.

Calum Ritchie a top 10 prospect? Nathan MacKinnon NOT a top 10 center?

Altitude CEO Steps Down

I highly doubt that Altitude is going to just start popping up on Comcast now, but on Friday, KSE sent out a press release stating that Matt Hutchings, who has been the CEO of Altitude since 2010, is stepping down. Friday was his last day.

The President and CEO of KSE Media Ventures is stepping down.

Not sure if this will signal change for Altitude and that situation, but definitely newsworthy. pic.twitter.com/1D52ph3Ep3

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) February 23, 2024

Hutchings oversaw the entire dispute with Comcast, and was often the one explaining to the media why they couldn’t find a deal. The fans, of course, don’t really care about that stuff, as they just want to be able to watch their teams play.

Could change be coming? The entire media landscape has changed since Altitude was last available on Comcast. You have some NHL and NBA teams putting together streaming packages for their fans, something Altitude hasn’t moved towards, and then you’ve got a team like the Phoenix Suns, who have put all their games on local TV in Arizona. I really just cannot believe we’re still talking about this Altitude/Comcast dispute in 2024, but here we are. By now, fans have figured out a way to watch the team if they really want to, but it shouldn’t have to be that way.

Hopefully something is figured out soon, because it appears the RSN model is dying.

Ruzicka Waived

On Friday, Adam Ruzicka posted a video of himself on social media with what appears to be some illegal drugs. A few hours later, the Coyotes waived Ruzicka with the intention of terminating his contract. I’m a little baffled as to how an NHL player thought it would be a good idea to post something like that on social media, but I’m more interested in seeing how this unfolds. I’m sure the NHLPA will file a grievance on Ruzicka’s behalf. The Coyotes looking to terminate the contract is a bit of a surprise, when I assumed the first step would be looking to get the player some help. We’ll be following this situation closely.

National Hockey Now

Could the Vegas Golden Knights want Reilly Smith back?

Last year, Linus Ullmark was voted the best goalie in the NHL. Now, could he be dealt?

He might be back in the lineup, but Jack Hughes might not be 100% healthy.