What’s wrong with the NHL’s pre-season and ideas to fix it
October 3, 2024
What’s wrong with the NHL’s pre-season and ideas to fix it
33 comments
First of all, give the guys more time in camp before they play pre-season games.
For example…Minnesota opened camp on Thursday, Sept 19 and on Sunday, Sept 24, they were playing a game in Colorado with another game two days later in Dallas.
Give them at least 7-10 days in camp before the first pre-season game….and trim down the games to 6. They don’t need 10.
Nothing. You need preseason to get guys ready and to see prospects. Injuries can happen anytime, they can happen in practice too.
There are too many preseason games in my opinion. When teams put a more regular lineup and they play against the team that is full of kids or players that won’t make the NHL, those kids think that they need to play extra hard in order to impress the coach so they hit everyone twice as hard and they go twice as intense. Ultimately, they have nothing to lose so why not. This is what you’re seeing here.
The guy that hit Laine is never gonna play in the NHL, ever. But because he wants to impress the coach, he goes twice as hard and tries to hit everything he sees all the while, not being very careful.
The NHL does a terrible job protecting its best players.
If you have guys who are desperately trying to prove themselves against people just easing themselves in, it’s always going to cause problems. I’m old enough to remember Dean McAmmond getting his career ended by a goon during the pre-season, it’s just stupid. But, this stuff will always happen because they have to throw that hit or they might not have a career. I don’t blame anyone in particular, but unless they actually punish people for going over the line then we’re just slow walking until another Todd Bertuzzi incident.
I honestly think a few intrasquad games and a couple nhl preseason games against teams out of your divisional rivals is the best bet. habs played devils and flyers and nothing happened there. Having teams that hate eachother play eachother is stupid to me. absolutely no need for 6-8 preseason games ffs
How about get rid of it? Allow teams to police themselves in games that don’t matter. The way we currently have it you have players trying to make a mark playing against guys that are just going through motions, and that’s a terrible recipe imo
Nothing and no need
Force teams to dress REAL NHLers for pre-season games. Not guys with 50 NHL games spread on 8 years like the Leafs did last week against Montreal. The way it is now, it’s just a loophole to fill jerseys on road games. If teams don’t want to dress players for pre-season games, then don’t make them play pre-season games. Because let’s be honest: the way pre-season games are played right now (Home NHL team vs Road ECHL roster), you can’t seriously evaluate anyone.
Would expanded game rosters help? In the NFL the starters get a few plays then the backups come in. Could have your vets play the 1st period then send them to the locker room and replace with the youngsters.
Problem: I don’t care about it.
Fix: Make it something I care about.
Question: what could possibly make one care about the preseason?
I barely watch them. They’re pointless exhibition games
The biggest thing is elimating injuries. Zero tolerance with any hit that’s near the limit. Call it tight and suspend people for anything that could/does result in injuries. For 98% of the players playing in the NHL, it’s a few games to get up to game speed and get rid of the rust. For maybe 2% they might make a team from a good camp.
Do people watch these sports and not realize what a “contact sport” is? Same thing with football. You can’t play without the risk of getting injured. The guys who grow up playing the sport at the highest level know what they’ve signed up for. If they don’t have the preseason for this, it’ll just happen in the regular season instead.
It’s way to long, 3 games should be good enough for these guys to figure it out.
Putting kids that are trying to prove themselves in NHL uniforms against rival teams, what’s the worst that can happen….
8 preseason games for prospects and ptos only. Then 2 games for starters/players on the verge of making it.
Maybe not have rivalry games in pre season. Mix it up more
I’m enjoying the preseason games a ton. Bummer about Doughty but otherwise…
One idea I have for the pre-season is more neutral site games. At least games within your region, so it can be a way to connect with fans who live far away. For example: Nashville vs Carolina in Atlanta or the Blue Jackets play games in Cleveland & Cincinnati.
Starters don’t need to play the entire game. They can play a period or two, and then can get off the ice. They would be replaced by a AHL player who the coaching staff wants to look at. That’s one spitball idea I have.
I think the big issue happens when one team fields their “B” squad filled with youngsters and fringe NHLers trying to get noticed and the other team puts almost they’re full NHL squad out there. There’s just too big of a gap between intensity and skill level. Have every team designate “A” squads (75% NHLers) and a “B” squad (75% prospects/AHLers). Pre-season games must be A vs. A or B vs. B.
Stop the players from killing each other and ruining the first third of the season for east coast fans. It’s also got creepy “you’re fired” vibes.
Just keep the stars in the room and fully lean into AHL and prospect hockey. Make it a showcase and fill the lines, why not. I’d rather watch that tbh than whatever the F we are watching this year.
Too long
Reminding players to skate with their heads up might help. Especially while coasting through the neutral zone with your legs spread apart thinking you can split the defenseman. That right there would solve most of the pre-season drama.
Simple. It’s too long. Run development camps sooner with your rookies and play against other rookies. One preseason game. Start the season earlier.
Training camps used to be cause guys would go live it up in the summer. Guys are in shape in camp.
There already is a problem with the season running too long. This solves both.
Make the roster cut before the preseason and do preseason games for the ahl also. Maybe they can keep like 30 players instead of 18 and then make the final cut after the preseason like they do now
People correct me if I’m wrong but when I had seasons tickets I was charged the same face value for those stupid preseason games as I did regular season ones. So with 5 preseason home games that’s 11% (5/46) of my cost / the teams revenue. So I get why they want to have so many.
That being said it doesn’t take 10 games to yet again decide that Cedric Pare has no business being in an NHL arena. Cut those scrubs after 1-2 games if at all.
Two rosters – “bubble players” and “veterans”. Game 1 is bubble players v bubble players. Game 2 is vets v vets. Same opponents, both games. You could even do a double header on Saturdays with both rosters playing back-to-back.
The vets have a shorter bench of 15 players, so they play 4v4.
I’m coming for your job, Gary.
Shorten pre season. End of discussion
Preseason is just to mess around with who stays and who goes. Its perfectly fine
Give one of the refs a gun that’ll keep the boys in line
Who cares. It’s pre season. And in two or three weeks nobody will remember preseason, and nobody will want to fix it.
Preseason games in any sport are meaningless. I don’t go, I don’t watch and if I was a coach I wouldn’t play any of my top players in them.
33 comments
First of all, give the guys more time in camp before they play pre-season games.
For example…Minnesota opened camp on Thursday, Sept 19 and on Sunday, Sept 24, they were playing a game in Colorado with another game two days later in Dallas.
Give them at least 7-10 days in camp before the first pre-season game….and trim down the games to 6. They don’t need 10.
Nothing. You need preseason to get guys ready and to see prospects. Injuries can happen anytime, they can happen in practice too.
There are too many preseason games in my opinion. When teams put a more regular lineup and they play against the team that is full of kids or players that won’t make the NHL, those kids think that they need to play extra hard in order to impress the coach so they hit everyone twice as hard and they go twice as intense. Ultimately, they have nothing to lose so why not. This is what you’re seeing here.
The guy that hit Laine is never gonna play in the NHL, ever. But because he wants to impress the coach, he goes twice as hard and tries to hit everything he sees all the while, not being very careful.
The NHL does a terrible job protecting its best players.
If you have guys who are desperately trying to prove themselves against people just easing themselves in, it’s always going to cause problems. I’m old enough to remember Dean McAmmond getting his career ended by a goon during the pre-season, it’s just stupid. But, this stuff will always happen because they have to throw that hit or they might not have a career. I don’t blame anyone in particular, but unless they actually punish people for going over the line then we’re just slow walking until another Todd Bertuzzi incident.
I honestly think a few intrasquad games and a couple nhl preseason games against teams out of your divisional rivals is the best bet. habs played devils and flyers and nothing happened there. Having teams that hate eachother play eachother is stupid to me. absolutely no need for 6-8 preseason games ffs
How about get rid of it? Allow teams to police themselves in games that don’t matter. The way we currently have it you have players trying to make a mark playing against guys that are just going through motions, and that’s a terrible recipe imo
Nothing and no need
Force teams to dress REAL NHLers for pre-season games. Not guys with 50 NHL games spread on 8 years like the Leafs did last week against Montreal. The way it is now, it’s just a loophole to fill jerseys on road games. If teams don’t want to dress players for pre-season games, then don’t make them play pre-season games. Because let’s be honest: the way pre-season games are played right now (Home NHL team vs Road ECHL roster), you can’t seriously evaluate anyone.
Would expanded game rosters help? In the NFL the starters get a few plays then the backups come in. Could have your vets play the 1st period then send them to the locker room and replace with the youngsters.
Problem: I don’t care about it.
Fix: Make it something I care about.
Question: what could possibly make one care about the preseason?
I barely watch them. They’re pointless exhibition games
The biggest thing is elimating injuries. Zero tolerance with any hit that’s near the limit. Call it tight and suspend people for anything that could/does result in injuries. For 98% of the players playing in the NHL, it’s a few games to get up to game speed and get rid of the rust. For maybe 2% they might make a team from a good camp.
Do people watch these sports and not realize what a “contact sport” is? Same thing with football. You can’t play without the risk of getting injured. The guys who grow up playing the sport at the highest level know what they’ve signed up for. If they don’t have the preseason for this, it’ll just happen in the regular season instead.
It’s way to long, 3 games should be good enough for these guys to figure it out.
Putting kids that are trying to prove themselves in NHL uniforms against rival teams, what’s the worst that can happen….
8 preseason games for prospects and ptos only. Then 2 games for starters/players on the verge of making it.
Maybe not have rivalry games in pre season. Mix it up more
I’m enjoying the preseason games a ton. Bummer about Doughty but otherwise…
One idea I have for the pre-season is more neutral site games. At least games within your region, so it can be a way to connect with fans who live far away. For example: Nashville vs Carolina in Atlanta or the Blue Jackets play games in Cleveland & Cincinnati.
Starters don’t need to play the entire game. They can play a period or two, and then can get off the ice. They would be replaced by a AHL player who the coaching staff wants to look at. That’s one spitball idea I have.
I think the big issue happens when one team fields their “B” squad filled with youngsters and fringe NHLers trying to get noticed and the other team puts almost they’re full NHL squad out there. There’s just too big of a gap between intensity and skill level. Have every team designate “A” squads (75% NHLers) and a “B” squad (75% prospects/AHLers). Pre-season games must be A vs. A or B vs. B.
Stop the players from killing each other and ruining the first third of the season for east coast fans. It’s also got creepy “you’re fired” vibes.
Just keep the stars in the room and fully lean into AHL and prospect hockey. Make it a showcase and fill the lines, why not. I’d rather watch that tbh than whatever the F we are watching this year.
Too long
Reminding players to skate with their heads up might help. Especially while coasting through the neutral zone with your legs spread apart thinking you can split the defenseman. That right there would solve most of the pre-season drama.
Simple. It’s too long. Run development camps sooner with your rookies and play against other rookies. One preseason game. Start the season earlier.
Training camps used to be cause guys would go live it up in the summer. Guys are in shape in camp.
There already is a problem with the season running too long. This solves both.
Make the roster cut before the preseason and do preseason games for the ahl also. Maybe they can keep like 30 players instead of 18 and then make the final cut after the preseason like they do now
People correct me if I’m wrong but when I had seasons tickets I was charged the same face value for those stupid preseason games as I did regular season ones. So with 5 preseason home games that’s 11% (5/46) of my cost / the teams revenue. So I get why they want to have so many.
That being said it doesn’t take 10 games to yet again decide that Cedric Pare has no business being in an NHL arena. Cut those scrubs after 1-2 games if at all.
Two rosters – “bubble players” and “veterans”. Game 1 is bubble players v bubble players. Game 2 is vets v vets. Same opponents, both games. You could even do a double header on Saturdays with both rosters playing back-to-back.
The vets have a shorter bench of 15 players, so they play 4v4.
I’m coming for your job, Gary.
Shorten pre season. End of discussion
Preseason is just to mess around with who stays and who goes. Its perfectly fine
Give one of the refs a gun that’ll keep the boys in line
Who cares. It’s pre season. And in two or three weeks nobody will remember preseason, and nobody will want to fix it.
Preseason games in any sport are meaningless. I don’t go, I don’t watch and if I was a coach I wouldn’t play any of my top players in them.