Insider Trading: NHL strongly recommending use of neck guards

TSN’s Hockey Insiders discuss the NHL’s stance on players using neck guards and cut resistant equipment, why Flames defenceman Noah Hanifin’s extension talks are on hold, rookies about to burn the first year on their entry-level deal and the possibility of having ‘Frozen Frenzy’ with a European twist.

Duthie: Your Insiders are Chris Johnston, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger. Gentlemen, the hockey world continues to mourn the loss of Adam Johnson, who passed after his neck was cut playing overseas in England over the weekend. There's also been swift reaction in terms of a push at all levels for mandatory neck guards - what's the latest, CJ?

Johnston: Certainly at the NHL level there's a huge level of concern. It's not going to be mandatory neck guards but there are a lot of teams calling the league's head office and looking for direction here. At this time there are at least three teams that have started the process of implementing optional neck protectors for their teams - that being the Pittsburgh Penguins, who once employed Johnson, the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes. All three of those teams have ordered equipment, are going to have their players test them out in practice, and go from there. The Penguins are going to take it one step further and have their AHL team in Wilkesbury make it mandatory for players to wear neck protection moving forward. I'm told that other teams are looking at doing the same and right now the biggest issue might be just getting enough product. There's been a lot of manufacturers communicating with the NHL and saying there's never been this much demand in the wake of this awful tragedy.

LeBrun: Certainly it should be no surprise that the NHL GM meetings that are coming up on November 14 in Toronto will feature that as a subject of discussion. It's also worth noting that NHL GMs and league hockey operations have talked about cut-resistant equipment for the past half-dozen GM meetings, dating back to the Evander Kane incident last year so this is an ongoing discussion. It's also a discussion that always seems to be reactive as opposed to looking ahead and one of those things I thought about today is we know there is cut-resistant technology today in equipment, but what about a one-piece suit like you see on a speed skater? I actually chatted with a league official today who said they've had conversations with a speed skating company where that's not a crazy thought. It's not on the table right now - the league has talked about only a top, which the league has signed off on, but I think it's the kind of conversation in the big picture that certainly we will continue to have here.    

Duthie: Our usual topics have felt much less important over the last few days because of Adam Johnson but that's what we do here, so let's move to those. Noah Hanifin looked like he was close to signing an extension with the Calgary Flames, but they backed off on that? What happened?

Dreger: Noah Hanifin and his camp have put the contract negotiations on hold and you're absolutely right - reportedly, Hanifin and the Flames were real close as of last week but given the way the Flames have started this year, Hanifin just wants a little bit more direction, see what the fit is, how it feels as this team tries to scramble back to a place where they're playing respectable hockey again. If they don't get there then you can see Calgary embracing, perhaps, a re-tool. When you look at unrestricted free agents at the end of the year you see Hanifin's name, and you see Elias Lindholm. If both those players become trade options then Calgary will get a fair return, but that's down the path.

Duthie: We're at the week where most teams reach 10 games, CJ, which is a number very important for rookies in their contracts.    

Johnston: It is, and the news so far is good, Matthew Poitras finding out on this day that he's going to stay for a 10th game in Boston. What I can tell you based on sources is that actually all five players sitting at nine games with [their team] now, the plan is to have them play their 10th game this week, and have the first year of their contracts officially kick in. The same is true for Logan Cooley in Arizona (who is at eight games), and probably the same for David Jiricek in Columbus as they've been playing him ahead of two more established players. Zach Benson in Buffalo will be a decision for the Sabres down the road, as he's out with a lower-body injury right now and they're going to consider all options once he gets back to full health.

Duthie: Last week we saw all 32 teams play on Tuesday, and they called it the Frozen Frenzy with staggered start times, seemed like a big hit in the States where they got coverage on ESPN. Will we see more of this, Dregs?

Dreger: Yeah, no question about that, and maybe a marathon day. The idea of perhaps including Europe in the equation has been discussed at the NHL level from a planning perspective. There's nothing imminent in the works at this stage but think about it - you could start early, given the European time zone, early in the day, then shift over to the North American and play late into the evening, you could push the better part of 24 hours so nothing official, just talk.

Duthie: Some athletes retire with long tours, going into every rink, and some athletes retire without telling anybody.

LeBrun: That's the case with Paul Stastny, I caught up with him yesterday, he's an unrestricted free agent and I was wondering what he was up to, is he working out, waiting for a call? He says "no, I retired in September but I didn't tell anyone." He said he came into the league quietly and he's leaving the league quietly, which speaks to his demeanor, he's a humble guy - a guy you could see in NHL management, I think, one day.