In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is talks that Taylor Hall and the Arizona Coyotes are open to talking an extension and have sat down together, even if formal offers haven’t come. There is talk in Montreal about their recent signee Alexander Romanov making his way to North America, and there’s good news on recent COVID-19 testing done by the NHL.
Hall to Talk With Coyotes About Extension
The Arizona Coyotes and Taylor Hall have re-engaged in contract talks, according to Craig Custance of The Athletic, but these won’t be the typical type of negotiations that take place between player agent and GM. Custance notes that Coyotes CEO Xavier Gutierrez is “running point” on the negotiations and not general manager John Chayka.
Even more interesting, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Chayka was not even present at a recent meeting and writes:
Further to this, word is there was a dinner meeting last week between Hall, Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo, son Alex Jr and new COO Xavier Gutierrez. Chayka was not present. Team has declined comment.
As for Hall’s plans, Ferris would not comment on the meeting itself, or if any offers were made.
The expectation is that bot sides will wait until the end of the season to begin any real negotiations or talk money, as was told to Friedman. It would be a surprising development if Hall signed before the end of the season or got a better read on the market for his services, that is, unless, the Coyotes are planning to offer him as much or more than he’ll make shopping around.
Is Hall a $9-to-$10 million player? It’s really hard to answer that question right now.
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Canadiens Will Miss Romanov During Phase 3
According to Dan Milstein, Montreal Canadiens recent signee Alexander Romanov is on his way to North America. With that news, it’s being reported that Romanov will not get a chance to take part in Montreal’s Phase 3 camp, as he will report directly to Toronto and find himself in quarantine there before joining the rest of his new team.
Part of the reason the Canadiens signed Romanov, and accepted the fact that he will burn the first season of his entry-level contract without playing for the team this season, was because it would allow him to get acclimated to teammates and the organization. That is still the plan even though it might take a little longer than the team would have hoped.
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NHL To Tape Delay the Playoff Broadcasts
With an empty arena and no crowd to drown out the on-ice chatter, there’s a good chance the cameras will pick up everything the coaches and players say. As a result, hockey insider John Shannon reports that he’s hearing that the World Feed broadcast will be on a five-second delay in case of ‘language.’
Probably not a bad idea, even though there would be a certain contingent of fans that would love to watch NHL games raw and unfiltered.
Two More Positive COVID-19 Tests
An update came on Monday regarding the latest testing numbers for COVID-19 and the news was fairly encouraging. The NHL Public Relations department relayed a statement from the NHL:
“The NHL concluded the first five days (July 13-17) of Phase 3 (formal training camp) of its Return to Play with two positive test results for COVID-19 among the 2,618 tests administered to more than 800 players. Both Players who tested positive have self-isolated and are following CDC and Health Canada protocols. During Phase 3, the NHL will continue to provide regular updates on the number of tests administered to Players and the results of those tests. The League will not be providing information on the identity of the Players or Clubs.”
TSN’s Ryan Rishaug notes that NHL players need three negative tests spaced 48 hours apart in the 7 days prior to travel to Canada. If not, “they won’t hit that mark. Some players could be left behind until cleared.”
So, as the NHL tries to get its ducks in a row and the expectation is that some players or staff will test positive, the news could be much worse. Don’t think so? KHL Avangard Omsk has confirmed that they themselves have 20 active COVID-19 cases.
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