Rod Brind'Amour has seen enough of the NHL preseason, and the Carolina Hurricanes coach would be happy to see it disappear altogether.
Speaking on TSN's "OverDrive" on Monday, the reigning Stanley Cup champions' bench boss said players are eager to get to the games that matter and not spend extra time going through exhibition work.
"Guys just want to play. Guys just want to drop the puck and start for real," Brind'Amour told TSN's "OverDrive" on Monday. "They don't like practicing - nobody does."
When the conversation turned to whether the preseason could be wiped out entirely, Brind'Amour didn’t hesitate.
"Yep, for sure," Brind'Amour said.
He went even further, suggesting a tradeoff he’d gladly take.
"I'd sooner go to 86 games and zero preseason if that's the way we're going. ... Guys are in such good shape now. ...
Why waste the games on the fans that don't count? Let's play the ones for real."
The league’s new collective bargaining agreement has already trimmed the preseason to four games over eight days for each team. That’s down from the six-to-eight exhibition games clubs used to play.
Brind'Amour also pointed to a shift in how NHL rosters are built now compared with earlier eras. In his view, the days of true training-camp uncertainty are mostly gone.
"It's not like even I remember, there was always spots available. There was 10 guys maybe that you knew were on the team, then there was a couple guys that were fighting for a spot here, maybe even a goalie spot might've been open," Brind'Amour said.
"That doesn't happen now hardly ever. The team's picked."
There is at least one opening in Carolina this year, though, with restricted free-agent defenseman Alexander Nikishin holding out of camp. Nikishin is reportedly seeking a trade.
The regular season is also getting longer. It rose from 82 games under the previous CBA to 84 games for the upcoming campaign.
In Other News...
Bruins May Be Near A Tough Call On Matthew Poitras
With preseason roster decisions starting to tighten around the league, a few young players are suddenly on uneasy ground, and Matthew Poitras is one of the names drawing attention. The broader discussion has centered on prospects and fringe NHL forwards who could be exposed to waivers as teams sort out their openings, with the idea being that a change of scenery might give someone else a cleaner path to NHL minutes.
For Carolina, the intrigue is less about Poitras himself than the ripple effect of how other clubs handle their numbers. Justin Robidas is among the players being viewed as a possible waiver candidate, and any such move would be worth watching from a Hurricanes perspective because it can create a market for young depth help at just the moment teams are trying to finalize their fall depth charts. In a league where one roster squeeze can quickly become another teams opportunity, these are the kinds of names that can matter more than they first appear. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Letting Nikishin Standoff Turn Into A Real Roster Problem
Alexander Nikishins situation has gone from summer noise to an actual roster issue for Carolina. The defenseman asked for a change of scenery after last season, and his agent has now made it clear that other NHL teams are interested, with at least one sign-and-trade offer reportedly sitting there. Even with that outside interest, the Hurricanes do not appear inclined to open the door, preferring to hold onto a player they still value rather than entertain a move.
For now, Nikishin is not with the team and is training on his own while Charles-Alexis Legault fills his roster spot. That leaves Carolina in an awkward middle ground, with a frustrated player on one side and a front office that seems comfortable letting the standoff continue on the other. How long the Hurricanes are willing to ride it out could become the real story if this keeps stretching toward the season. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Face A Real Nikishin Standoff They Wont Budge On
The Hurricanes stance on Alexander Nikishin has become one of the more notable standoffs of the offseason. The young defenseman is already at the center of a situation that matters to Carolinas blue line plans, and the team has made it clear it is not interested in moving him even as the broader NHL rumor mill keeps spinning around other clubs and big-name names.
What makes it stickier is the players side of the equation, with Nikishin wanting a change of scenery and the door to the KHL not part of the conversation. His camp has also had at least one sign-and-trade offer floating around, but Carolina has not been willing to engage, leaving the two sides in a tense holding pattern that the Hurricanes will have to navigate before anything gets resolved. [Read more 🡒]