Welcome back to another edition of Around the League — the series here at CanucksArmy where we deliver you news and notes from around the National Hockey League, oftentimes through a Vancouver Canucks-tinted lens.
It’s been a busy Tuesday around the National Hockey League.
NHL general managers propose rule changes
General managers from around the league congregated in Florida this week to discuss the state of the game and propose various rule changes, some of which will be advanced to the league’s competition committee and the board of governors for further review.
According to multiple reports, the proposed tweaks include making goaltenders eligible to be penalized under Rule 63.A (iv) if they intentionally dislodge their own net to delay the game. Previously, only skaters were covered under that particular rule.
The GMs also proposed two new coach’s challenge opportunities. If the changes go through, coaches will be able to challenge whether a puck deflected off something on its way out of play on a puck-over-glass call, or, on a high-sticking call, to see whether it was actually an opponent’s stick or a teammate’s stick. In the case of a coach challenging either of these penalties and being proven wrong, their team will be assessed an additional penalty and have to endure a 5-on-3 PK.
One change will be enforced immediately: Players will no longer be allowed to dangle their legs over the boards in anticipation of line changes, due to concerns about lacerations caused by skate blades in the air.
The full list of changes can be found in this thread from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Flyers captain Couturier unhappy with being scratched
The Philadelphia Flyers named Sean Couturier team captain back on February 14. Now, he’s set to sit out of Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs as a healthy scratch.
Couturier, 31, has 11 goals and 36 points in 64 games with the Flyers this year. He missed the entirety of the 2022–23 season while recovering from a back injury.
Despite posting strong underlying results at both ends of the ice, Couturier has struggled to score in recent weeks with just one point in his last nine games. He spoke to the media on Tuesday.
“Control what I can control, it is what it is,” Couturier said. “It doesn’t matter, honestly, what I think. Gotta leave my ego aside.
“I feel I’ve been putting the work in for a while — I know I’ve been struggling and trying to work on my game,” Couturier added. “Definitely frustrated [with] the way I’ve been treated, I guess, lately, but it is what it is.”
The Flyers are in the midst of a rebuild and a playoff push. Couturier is in his 12th season with the Flyers after being selected by the team with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.
With 14 games remaining in the 2023–24 season, the Flyers currently sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 34-26-8 record and 76 points in 68 games. They’ll host the Leafs on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. PT.
Chris Simon passes away at age 52
Longtime NHL enforcer Chris Simon has passed away at age 52, according to multiple reports. The veteran of 862 NHL games died on Monday in his hometown of Wawa, Ontario.
Simon spent parts of 15 seasons in the NHL after being drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round (No. 25 overall) of the 1990 NHL Draft. He won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and went to the Final with the Washington Capitals in 1998 and the Calgary Flames in 2004.
“The NHL Alumni Association is devastated to learn that Stanley Cup Champion, Chris Simon, has passed away at the age of 52 years old,” the NHL Alumni Association tweeted on Tuesday. “Chris was never afraid to stand up for his teammates, and played a key role in the dressing room. He was a beloved friend, father, brother, and son.”
Widely regarded as one of the NHL’s toughest players during his playing career, Simon was involved in multiple significant on-ice incidents and received two of the longest suspensions in NHL history in 2007.
In 2017, four years after his retirement, Simon filed for bankruptcy, claiming that he was unable to work due to injuries he suffered during his NHL career. In the bankruptcy filing, a doctor claimed that Simon suffered from symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), as well as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and arthritis.
Through 864 career games with the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, and Minnesota Wild, Simon collected 144 goals, 305 points, and 1,824 penalty minutes. He added 10 goals, 17 points, and 191 penalty minutes in 75 playoff contests.