Evan’s NHL Daily: Rule Changes Coming, Vegas Floundering

With the NHL GM meetings underway, it sounds like there are some rule changes on the way. However, those rule changes are not exactly big ones, and nothing will be changing with overtime.

On the ice, the Vegas Golden Knights might have a $100 million payroll, but they don’t seem all that interested in making the playoffs. They lost again on Tuesday night, and are leaving the door open for another team to come and take that last Wild Card spot.

With the Avalanche, they won their seventh straight game, and continue to look like a very different team since the trade deadline.

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

Colorado Hockey Now

Some sad news off the ice, as Stanley Cup Winner Chris Simon passed away at the age of 52.

Make it seven in a row for the Avalanche, as Mikko Rantanen picked up his seventh career hat trick to lead them to victory.

Kovalenko To The AHL

Prior to last night’s game, the Avalanche announced they had sent Nikolai Kovalenko to the AHL to rehab his injury. The wording is interesting.

Nikolai Kovalenko was officially loaned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL) where he will continue injury rehabilitation for a leg injury he suffered at the end of his KHL season. pic.twitter.com/A7o0vFchUf

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 19, 2024

The Eagles have a strange schedule, where they play tonight and then are off until March 29, so there really isn’t much of an opportunity to play down there if he does get healthy soon. Is this a paper transaction to not pay him NHL money? The AHL website hasn’t added him on the transaction wire yet, but it’s something to watch. He’s still very likely to make his NHL debut before the regular season ends.

I’ll promote this one more time, here’s his film room if you’re looking to learn more about him.

Rule Changes

Here are the rule changes the NHL looks to have coming in the near future. Not exactly exciting stuff.

If a player refuses to play the puck off high-stick or hand-pass, non-offending team will get a faceoff one zone better than where the play occurs (ie, if it happens in the d-zone, it will be in the neutral zone).

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 19, 2024

Just what the NHL needs – more challenges. At least they’ll be penalized if they get it wrong, but in my opinion, more challenges are just going to slow the game down.

There was some talk of the NHL going to seven minute 3-on-3 overtime, but that’s not happening yet. Any thoughts on these rule changes?

Vegas Floundering

If the Avalanche really wanted to make it interesting, a St. Louis win would have put them within two points of the Vegas Golden Knights for that final playoff spot in the West. That didn’t happen, but the Golden Knights are leaving the door open for anyone to come and take that playoff spot.

Vegas lost at home to the Tampa Bay Lightning, while the Minnesota Wild won against the Anaheim Ducks, so it’s down to a three point spread between those two teams. Wouldn’t it be something if that Vegas squad fell out of the playoff picture?

National Hockey Now

Sadly, Chris Simon wasn’t the only former NHL player to pass yesterday, as Konstantin Koltsov passed away at the age of 42.

John Tortorella doesn’t care who you are, if you aren’t playing well, he won’t play you. On Tuesday, he scratched his Captain, Sean Couturier.

What’s wrong with the Florida Panthers?

The Red Wings won, and their top prospect looked “really good.”

Is Jake Allen the savior in New Jersey?