Friends, Phase 3 is very odd thing to cover as a media outlet. Specifically, the NHL made an agreement with the NHLPA that they won’t disclose any injury information between now and when the Stanley Cup is handed out. This was, as NHLPA head Donald Fehr told ESPN, something that the PA specifically asked for.
But it’s led to a lot of talking in code and silly speculation.
So here’s the deal: the Calgary Flames cannot say if an absence is due to injury or illness – they would be subject to fines and other punishment if they did so. Dillon Dube and Buddy Robinson haven’t skated with either group through four days. They are, officially, “unable to participate.” Derek Ryan and Mikael Backlund both skated earlier this week, but aren’t part of either group right now. They are also “unable to participate.”
The smaller afternoon skating group, which includes Johnny Gaudreau, Rasmus Andersson and others, is skating together due to (as Geoff Ward phrased it) “circumstances that became apparent last week.”
While league regulations forbid teams from saying anything about injury or illness-related reasons for absences, apparently they are allowed to say what the reasons aren’t, as interim head coach Geoff Ward on Wednesday and general manager Brad Treliving on Thursday made it abundantly clear that rumours about players being out of shape or being punished are bogus.
It’s worth noting that this management group has singled out players in the past for iffy conditioning – most notably Rasmus Andersson several years back – so it’s not like they wouldn’t say anything if that was the case.
Why isn’t Gaudreau (or the other missing regulars) skating with the main group? “Circumstances” that have nothing to do with conditioning or discipline. That’s as much as the team can say and is going to say. Beyond that, it’s unfair to speculate, but use of deductive reasoning can narrow down the remaining possibilities very quickly.
The Flames head up to Edmonton on July 26 and play their exhibition game against Edmonton on July 28. Their qualifying round series against Winnipeg begins on Aug. 1.