The thing I found odd about the CBA news that came down Thursday afternoon was that it wasn’t anything that unexpected.
Sure, NHLPA head Donald Fehr had said the NHL season could technically start even if a CBA had not been agreed upon by the expiration date of Sept. 15. But did anyone really think that would happen? It was an outside probability, but the chances it was ever going to happen ranged in the low single digits.
So when Gary Bettman confirmed the league will lock out the players when the current CBA expires didn’t come as much of a shock to me. It was a little bit of a gut punch to finally read the work lockout from someone official, but I think most of us had halfway expected this was the working plan all along.
The bright side, if you’re frantically searching for one, is that even though time seems short at this point, the NHLPA official line is there’s still time to get a deal done.
“I don’t think time’s running out yet,” Fehr said by phone Monday from Barcelona, where he met with about 40 NHL players. “I still think if the parties are dedicated to it, there’s sufficient time to reach an agreement.”
Yeah, that’s probably just more spin, but a girl can dream, can’t she?
After the jump, the curious case of predicting Brenden Morrow’s next season, Tyler Beskorowany believes his struggles are behind him and the five worst players in Stars history.
- As part of his summer series going through all the roster players, Mike Heika gives a very thoughtful and comprehensive look at Brenden Morrow and the ways next season could play out for the Stars captain. He also give some insight into why Morrow hasn’t had surgery on that wonky neck yet – apparently it would be a very, very prolonged recovery and might not do any good. [DallasNews.com]
- I’m not sure this is the most flattering picture of Jamie Benn ever, but a very familiar author makes his case why next year should be a real breakout for the young star. [NHL Numbers]
- By his own admission, goalie Tyler Beskorowany struggled last season. And while he doesn’t have any specific explanations for those issues, he does believe they are behind him now. [DallasStars.com]
- Ever wonder where the grant money from the Dallas Stars Foundation ends up going? Here’s at least one good thing being done locally with their help. [Irving Cares]
- First of all, I’m not sure why a hockey news release is on a site that appears to focus on music. But in some good news for the formation of the newly formed youth hockey governing body in the state, it appears the Polar Ice House rink in Grapevine is now on-board as well. [Melodika.net]
- Bill Guerin gets a very nice mention here as Justin Bourne explains the difference friendly guys can make in a locker room atmosphere, even in the preseason and training camp. [Backhand Shelf]
- Some have mentioned Calgary Flames defenseman Jay Bouwmeeter as a possible target if the Stars want to shore up their blue line. But there’s another team apparently in on him right now – the Detroit Red Wings. [MLive.com]
- Inspired by our retrospective series, Todd over at Thursday Morning Cupcheck has put together his list of the worst five players in Stars history. His list is certain to generate some discussion. Bonus points for the Jamie Pushor callback. [Thursday Morning Cupcheck]
- This video wrap up of the Stars offseason isn’t exactly groundbreaking in terms of the points it brings up. But it is nice to see the combined highlight reels of some of the newcomers even as the boys at NHL.com question if their bodies will continue to hold up.