At least Arber Xhekaj has confirmed why he is part of this team. Why he’s a proud athlete to wear this uniform, an athlete who quickly won the admiration of fans.
When it comes to culture among Canadian decision makers, Xhekaj is a perfect example.
Xhekaj primarily plays for the Canadian. For his teammates.
He will not shy away from any player who wants to attack one of his teammates and he will make sure that we respect them and that we respect the organization. Hopefully the news was picked up by skaters who may have reached out Thursday night. Josh Anderson had a great chance to win. Joel Edmundson as well. But OK…
The Canadian lost and Martin St-Louis didn’t hide to realize his players had shot themselves in the knee in the second period. Difficult to dispute the coach’s words.
St. Louis didn’t apologize, but could he really ignore the events surrounding the Panthers’ first goal? The infamous goalie obstruction rule has become a farce in this league.
Mathew Tkachuk disabled Samuel Montembeault. It is obvious. Did he prevent the keeper from stopping Sam Reinhart’s shot? I doubt.
Except that we’ve been making decisions for years that sometimes don’t stick. The goalkeeper’s disability needs to be checked in minute detail and as soon as there is contact with the goalkeeper, shouldn’t we intervene?
Tkachuk found himself mostly in the semi-circle, which according to the regulations is a place where goalkeepers can count on protection at all times. So Tkachuk touched Montembeault when he was right in blue territory.
The famous ordinance
It would be ridiculous to go back to the old rules where any player who had the tip of a skate in the blue zone caused an automatic game stoppage. A rule that, remember, we abolished after Brett Hull’s famous goal in Buffalo during the final game of the Stanley Cup.
But the National League and its many stakeholders must take this regulation into account. It leaves everyone uncertain. “It’s not black or white. It’s more grey. When I made the decision to challenge the Panthers goal, was I sure I was going to win? no But I had to dare. »
St-Louis also questioned some of the officials’ decisions and some penalties, while the referees simply turned a blind eye. It was also a tough week for the referees.
Paul Maurice paid $25,000 for questioning François St-Laurent’s behavior towards him. Others twisted their tongues seven times before launching into harsh criticism.
The tension grows
The tension mounts as the battle intensifies for teams looking to qualify for the playoffs. And across the league, it’s getting increasingly frustrating for the coaches involved in this race, with many of them struggling with reduced staffing due to injuries.
Meanwhile, it’s contentious in the deal market, but salary caps complicate negotiations.
So far it’s a dead calm. One wonders if a deal like Tyler Toffoli’s last year would cause a stir in the deal market.
Kent Hughes has been rather cautious on the subject in recent days and we can understand that. He is in talks with several of his counterparts but the Canadian’s long list of injuries complicates negotiations…
What we observed Thursday night perfectly mirrors what he said earlier this week. In adversity one can bear a better judgment. We can get carried away when the Canadian has a good streak, but it’s still a formation that has to respect a recovery process. Development and culture are priorities that cannot be changed.
And it also allows senior management to clearly identify those willing to respect directions and play an important role in achieving goals.
In the loss, frustration drove the Canadian to indiscipline, on the other hand, at times we noticed a great solidarity among the players…at least among most of them.
When it comes to culture, Xhekaj is undoubtedly a popular and respected speaker. Didn’t he get warm applause from the fans despite the 6-2 result?
Parity is a concern
Jim Nill, general manager of the Dallas Stars, is a smart decision maker. As with all his peers, the current situation in the free agent market complicates discussions.
“I’ve never seen so much balance between teams. The fight is intense, the teams compete at a very high level. The gap is so narrow that nobody dares to make a decision at the moment. There is also the salary cap and you know very well that there are highly regarded players in the market with impressive career profiles. What will happen ? To be honest, we all ask ourselves the same question. “Nill makes no bones about the fact that the Patrick Kane name is fueling debate among star decision-makers. Max Domi too. And let’s add Bo Horvat. Nill is aiming for a top center.
Dumba in the market?
Matt Dumba is a player who is attracting attention. His trainer, Dean Evason, decided to skip him the other night because he didn’t live up to the Minnesota Wild decision makers’ expectations.
Pierre Dorion traveled to Minnesota last week and is looking to add an experienced defender to his roster.
Other teams have also contacted Bill Guerin, the general manager of the Wild…
For his part, Joel Edmundson is still on the Edmonton Oilers list of desirable defensemen…
