The Big Story

Nine-game NHL tryouts create uncertainty for young players | TSN

By now, many fans are aware of the nine game tryout rule for junior players drafted in the NHL. If you aren’t, here is a brief summary from the article:

The NHL's transfer agreement with the Canadian Hockey League prevents major-junior players under 20 from going to the American Hockey League for some professional seasoning. So even though Strome had 111 points, Tkachuk 107 points and the Toronto Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner 116 points in juniors last season, they must remain in the NHL or go back to juniors instead of spending time in the minors.

The article is a good read about the stress that this places on these young players, as the lifestyle change from a full year in the NHL to going back to their junior team is jarring.

If you’re wondering why I’m posting an article from Oct 31, it’s because I couldn’t bring myself to make this article the main one.

Have fun in the comments!

In Detroit Land

Red Wings notes: Jeff Blashill says Riley Sheahan not judged on stats by Ansar Khan | MLive

Riley Sheahan has two points in ten games. According to Jeff Blashill, he’s not terribly concerned about that because he’s been contributing in other ways, although he would like to see him produce more points.

Sheahan has this to say:

"I think as long as I'm getting chances, playing responsible ...you know when you're playing good and when you're not playing good, so I feel like I've been OK and I've been comfortable with the way I've been playing," Sheahan said.

"We have guys that fill different roles. Obviously, it's nice to score points and everything, but when you're getting ice time and you feel like you're doing well and contributing, even if it's not on the scoreboard, it's fun to play."

I’m writing this during the first period of last night’s game, in which Sheahan has an assist so far, so hopefully the “more points” part is starting now.

Note: This was written by the artist formerly known as Straight Outta Sverdlovsk. I figured most people would realize that, but just to avoid any confusion, I changed my user name on here. LGRW