NHL players not attending Olympics due to COVID-19 concerns

Adamo Marinelli

December 22, 2021

     Today, the NHL and NHLPA came to an agreement that NHL players will not participate in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as a result of concerns regarding the Omicron variant and several COVID-19 outbreaks that have been happening to several teams around the league that have postponed games. 

      The NHL season is also going on a pause from December 22 to December 25 as a result of the numerous COVID-19 outbreaks around the league that have shut down team training facilities. 

       Many believe that this break is necessary to reduce the spread of the disease, but others like Winnipeg Jets’ goaltender Connor Hellebuyck believe the NHL's extended Christmas pause is ‘overkill’. 

     After missing out on the 2018 Olympics in South Korea, the NHL and NHLPA agreed on Olympic participation in 2022 and 2026, with the only caveat being as long as COVID-19 does not affect the NHL season. 

     As of yesterday night, the NHL had already postponed 56 games as a result of COVID-19 outbreaks on several teams. As a result, the NHL is adding the aforementioned pause to the schedule to limit the spread and keep players and coaches safe to prevent future outbreaks.

This break will postpone four additional games tonight and 15 more games tomorrow night, which is better for the safety of everyone in the grand scheme of things. Therefore, the criteria of COVID-19 impacting the season has been met and there will be no Olympic participation from NHL players.

     The general reaction among players is disappointment, but they understand why the decision was made, based on the severity and transmissibility of the new variant.

Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor said a big part of the collective bargaining agreement was bringing Olympics back, so he is disappointed that players are not participating in the Olympics. Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby - who has played in previous Olympics - feels bad for the players who will miss this chance as the opportunity to play in the Olympics is an experience of a lifetime and doesn’t come around often. 

     However, most team owners are very reluctant to send their players to the Olympics in the event of an injury, but in our current climate, they also don’t want their players to get sick, don’t want COVID-19 outbreaks happening on their team causing the postponement of games and do not want to have to play without their star players.

     Even though nothing was made official until today, many players, coaches, and personnel around the league saw this move coming. 

     When the Senators were the only team to have a COVID-19 outbreak, the Olympics remained a possibility. In late November and early December, the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, and Carolina Hurricanes experienced outbreaks, and multiple other teams were affected by this, which resulted in the extended Christmas break.

     As a result of the decision to skip the Olympics, the NHL will focus on using the time 

dedicated to the Olympics to reschedule the games that were postponed already and that are being postponed now because of COVID-19. Another scenario is that games later in the season can be played during the Olympic break and the games postponed as a result of COVID-19 will be played at the end of the season.

      However, there could be a lack of arena availability during the break. Despite the NHL asking arenas not to book concerts during that time, in the event the NHL does not send players to the Olympics, many arenas booked concerts to make up for lost revenue throughout the entire pandemic.

Despite the disappointment with NHL players not being able to participate in the Olympics, the decision is a smart one for the greater good of the league. Although, rescheduling all the postponed games is not an easy task and will require meticulous planning from the entire league.

Ottawa Redblacks hire Shawn Burke as team’s 2nd GM

Adamo Marinelli

December 21, 2021

     

On Sunday, the Ottawa Redblacks brought in Shawn Burke to be their next general manager and the second GM in franchise history.

     Burke, previously the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ senior director of player personnel and co-manager of football operations to replace previous GM Marcel Desjardins who served as the team’s general manager since before their inaugural season in 2014.

     The Redblacks had a record of 3-15 in 2019, which led to the dismissal of head coach Rick Campbell. Despite bringing in Paul LaPolice - a Grey Cup-winning assistant coach with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers - resigning several key players, and bringing in new talent on both sides of the ball, the Redblacks did not see any significant improvement in 2021, going 3-11. 

     Marcel Desjardins was dismissed on October 25. The Redblacks spent almost the next two months conducting an in-depth and extensive search for a new general manager. Burke was one of many high-caliber football minds interviewed for the position. 

      Other strong candidates included assistant Redblacks’ assistant general manager Jeremy Synder, BC Lions director of US scouting Ryan Rigmaiden, Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ assistant general manager Ted Goveia. TSN CFL analyst Duane Ford was also in consideration, but he allegedly pulled his name out of the draw a few days before Burke was hired.

     Burke is a leader, brings passion to the team, works well with others, is a great football mind on both offense and defense, and knows how to build a team. 

     These qualities are attractive to any team and as a result, he was in the running for the general manager position of the Edmonton Elks. 

     The Redblacks were supposed to complete their search a few days before Christmas, but with the news of their number one choice being scouted by Edmonton, the Redblacks sped up the timeline and finalized Burke’s contract last Sunday.

     The Redblacks hope Burke brings a spark to the locker room and helps this team get back into its winning ways. 

     They’ve already signed a few key players like returner Devonte Dedmon, linebacker Avery Williams, kicker Lewis Ward, all-star punter Richie Leone, defensive backs Sherrod Baltimore Justin Howell, and Brandon Dandrige, but they have a lot of work to do before they can compete for a playoff spot.

     The first priority is fixing up the offensive line. This will give the QB more time to get set up in the pocket, the wide receivers more time to run their routes and get open for easy completions, which will help the offense keep drives alive, stay on the field longer which would help limit the amount of time the defense spends on the field. The defense was on the field a lot last season, which tired them out.

      Burke knows how to build a team. He also served as the assistant GM and director of football operations for the Tiger-Cats who have made two consecutive Grey Cup appearances. 

      Burke is a great candidate for the job and the Redblacks organization and members of Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group are happy to have him as the next GM.

      Will his knowledge of the game be enough to help the Redblacks regain their status as playoff contenders? Only time will tell.

       Burke will have to nail the next CFL draft and acquire several free agents in positions of need (QBs, OLs, WRs, CBs, LBs) in order for the team to have enough talent to contend for the playoffs. One of his major roles is to work with head coach Paul LaPolice to address the QB position. This is necessary because I don’t think the Redblacks can make the playoffs with their current QB and roster as a whole. 

     Despite several positive showings from QB Caleb Evans, I do not think he is the long-term answer yet. He needs more time to develop before a decision can be made on his status as a starter. Devlin “Duck” Hodges who only played one game for the Redblacks is in a similar situation. Matt Nichols did play injured this year, but he and Dominique Davis are not the long-term answer at QB, although Davis is a nice QB to have on 2nd and 3rd and short scenarios.

Where does the Italian National Team go from here?

Adamo Marinelli

Decmeber 8, 2021

Nearly five months after the Azzurri won the 2020 UEFA EUROs, their second ever European Championship, the Azzurri are at risk of not qualifying for the 2022 Qatar World Cup after failing to win group C over Switzerland.  

     Italy has now been drawn into a group with North Macedonia, Turkey, and Portugal. In order to qualify for the World Cup, Italy will have to beat North Macedonia in their mini group’s semi-final and then they’ll have to beat the winner of Turkey vs Portugal in the mini group final.

     Italy had gone unbeaten in 34 consecutive games, including going a perfect 7-0-0 at the EUROs, dominating their opponents every match, and 3-0-0 in the first set of World Cup qualifiers. 

     Italy began to struggle after its EURO glory. They drew 1-1 with Bulgaria, 0-0 with Switzerland before beating Lithuania 5-0 to improve to 4-2-0 in World Cup qualifiers. 

They extended their unbeaten run to 37 games, a world record for the longest international unbeaten streak.

      In the UEFA Nations League Semi-final against Spain, Italy’s world record streak came to an end in a 2-1 loss to Spain. Spain is a good team and with their “tiki-taka” style of play, they are hard enough to play with 11 men, let alone 10 which Italy did. 

     Going into the final two World Cup qualifier games, Italy and Switzerland were both tied at the top of the group with 14 points. Italy had a two-goal advantage over Switzerland. However, Italy drew 1-1 with Switzerland and then drew 0-0 against Northern Ireland while the Swiss thumped Bulgaria 4-0 to win group C. 

     Switzerland finished 5-3-0 for 18 points and qualified directly for the World Cup; Italy finished 4-4-0 for 16 points and qualified for the playoffs.

     Some fans will point out Jorginho’s two missed penalty shots against Switzerland that would have given Italy two more wins to finish the group 6-2-0 for 18 points, and that didn’t help Italy’s chances - it wasn’t the only reason why Italy failed to win their group.

     Italy was hampered by injuries in the second and third set of World Cup qualifier matches, such as injuries to Giorgio Chiellini, Ciro Immobile, Nicolo Barella, Marco Verratti, Andrea Belotti, Lorenzo Pellegrini, and Leonardo Spinazzola - who is still out after his injury at the EUROs. Italy also simply couldn’t capitalize on the chances they created. 

      After their European triumph, their defense started matches slower, gave up more chances to opponents at the beginning of matches, conceded goals they don’t normally give up, and lacked that dominant presence in the middle after failing to control possession time. 

     This team will have to invest in a true striker besides Ciro Immobile to create more chances and capitalize on the ones they get. 

      Immobile was criticized for missing a handful of quality chances in the second leg of World Cup qualifier matches, but without him in the third leg, they struggled to generate chances against their opponents which cost them the group. 

      They will also need young, but talented reinforcements on defense, particularly at the center back position to replace Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci - one of the best center-back duos in recent memory. 

      Chiellini, 37, will be 38 in November 2022 and if Italy makes the World Cup, it will likely be Chiellini’s last stint with the international squad. Bonucci, 34, will be 35 in November 2022. He will likely be able to suit up for the World Cup if Italy qualifies and he also may be able to suit up for EURO 2024 before retirement. 

      Italy has some young and talented youth at the forward position, particularly at striker. In addition to their already young core consisting of Frederico Chiesa, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne, Nicolo Barella, Jorginho, and Marco Verratti, they have several subs and reserves who have the potential to excel on the squad or have performed in their limited appearances. For example, guys Moise Kean, Giacomo Raspadori, Manuel Locatelli, Sandro Tonali, Nicolo Zaniolo, Matteo Pessina, and Gianluca Scamacca among others can all have significant roles in the midfield or at forward in the near future. 

     On defense, both their center-backs will retire in a few years and they will need to refresh. Leonardo Spinazzola will be back from his injury around the beginning of January 2022 according to this article and will regain his superstar form at left-back for the World Cup playoffs. Giovanni Di Lorenzo is a dominant right-back and should be good to go on March 24. For the near future, Chiellini and Bonucci should be able to continue their dominant, lockdown performance that they started at the EUROs, barring any injuries. 

     However, Emerson Palmieri, who played very well in Spinazzola’s absence is one of many good defenders that fits Mancini’s style of play to stop opposing attacks and move the ball upfield in transition. He is a left-back but may be able to transition to center-back. In addition, Alessandro Bastoni, Francesco Acerbi, Gianluca Mancini, and Davide Calabria are all reliable players who can fill in the role on defense. Perhaps in the long-term future, someone from the U-18 or U-21 team can come in and compete with those subs for a roster spot on the international team. 

      Italy is also set at the goalkeeper position. Gianluigi Donnarumma, who trained under Gianluigi Buffon - one of the best goalkeepers of all time - won the Yashin Trophy, which is awarded to the World’s best goalkeeper. He was excellent at the EUROs, which was his first major tournament. 

     Looking forward to their playoff games in March 2022, games against North Macedonia and either Turkey or Portugal are both winnable games. Italy is a talented team and well-coached under Roberto Mancini they just have to focus on their game plan. 

     They will have to be stout defensively, not concede early, and use their speed to generate offensive chances in transition. 

     I believe Italy will beat North Macedonia 2-0 and then win a 3-2 match in extra time against Ronaldo’s Portugal to earn a spot in the World Cup. As we saw at the EUROs, when this team is fully healthy, they are dangerous. Forza Azzurri.

Ottawa Senators month one & two recap

Adamo Marinelli

December 5, 2021

    Through 21 games, the Ottawa Senators sit last in the Atlantic Division and last in the NHL with a record of 5-15-1, totaling 11 points. 

     Through 21 games last season, the Senators had a 6-14-1 record. It appears despite adding more talent in the offseason, the Senators have downgraded a bit. To be fair, they are playing against the entire NHL this year - last season they played only against Canadian teams.

     The Senators have been competitive in a handful of games this season, but a number of key flaws have been made evident at the quarter mark of the season.

     A good portion of the Senators’ struggles can be attributed to a large COVID-19 outbreak, which sidelined the entire team for almost a week and had 10 players and an assistant coach in isolation after positive tests or as a result of being close contacts.

     However, that is not the only reason for their struggles. They need a lot of help defensively and need more players to score on a more consistent basis. Their goaltending can improve - as it is the backbone to any team’s success - but has been solid given the situation they’re in. 

     Defensively, the Senators are one of the worst teams in the league in terms of time spent in their own zone. The team struggles to consistently get set up in the offensive zone, struggles to get the puck out of their own zone, and they struggle to create takeaways in the neutral zone. This leads to their opposition controlling the time of possession and the flow of the game, and on most nights it leads to opposing teams outshooting the Sens and spending more time in the Senators’ defensive zone than the Sens spend in their opponents’ offensive zone. 

     The Senators have given up 81 goals against, which is fifth-worst in the NHL and they’ve given up an outstanding 781 shots against, which is ninth-worst in the NHL. 

 This is mainly because outside of their first defensive pairing consisting of Thomas Chabot and Artem Zub, the defensive core has been underwhelming to start the season. 

     Guys like Erik Brannstrom (now on IR), Victor Mete, Nick Holden, and Nikita Zaitsev have all been underwhelming at times this season. However, Senators’ head coach D.J Smith has added Zaitsev to the first defensive line and placed Zub on the second defensive pairing in order to distribute the top-line defensive talent onto multiple lines. This was done in hopes of seeing improvement on defense and in an attempt to reduce own zone time and generate more offensive chances in transition. 

      The first-line defensive line can only play so many minutes a night. In order to be competitive, the Senators need their entire defense to play consistently, at an elite level. Thomas Chabot averages over 27 minutes of ice time per game, he is among the league leaders in that category. 

      The Senators need to address their lack of depth on the blue line one way or another. Either players like Mete and Holden and Zaitsev improve drastically or maybe the Senators start looking to trade for a young, talented defensive piece that would mend this unit now. However, the main concern with that is you don’t want to give up too many assets in acquiring this piece, especially considering the depth defensively the Senators will get in 1-2 years time with guys like Jake Sanderson, Jacob Bernard-Docker, Tyler Kleven, and Lassi Thompson who has looked good in his limited NHL appearances so far.

     On the other side of the puck, their offense simply cannot make up for their defensive struggles. They lack the offensive firepower outside their first two lines and their offense has been plagued by inconsistent play and inability to push the puck up the ice to generate chances. They’ve scored only 51 goals, which is fifth-worst in the NHL, and registered only 597 shots on target, which is second-worst in the NHL.

   The Senators’ first offensive trio consisting of Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, and Josh Norris has been excellent, but the Senators have lacked offensive production from other lines.

     Batherson, Norris, and Tkachuk have 17, 15, and 13 points respectively which combine for 45 of the team’s 136 points. The first line accounts for 33% of their total offense, which is what a first line should do, but ideally, you want to see a bit more balance between your other lines.

     Connor Brown (11), Tim Stutzle (8) - who has been playing pretty well in his new role as a centerman, especially with faceoff success - and Nick Paul (3) have combined for 21 points; that is 15% of the team’s output. 

     Alex Formenton (5), Chris Tierney (7), and Tyler Ennis (11) have accounted for 23 of the team’s points; that is 17% of the team’s offensive output.

     The Senators’ fourth line has really hurt them. Zach Sanford has all 6 points this line has generated as Dylan Gambrell and Austin Watson have failed to register a single point this season. 

     The first line ideally should be your best line, but as many previous Stanley Cup Champions have done in past years, there must be consistent scoring from all four lines and there needs to be a bit more balance between all the lines.

      The Senators will either need to acquire a new offensive weapon or two via trade, from free agency, from the 2022 draft or will have to wait until one of their many prospects develops into a reliable option like Shane Pinto, who has underwhelmed in his few appearances thus far this season; Ridley Grieg, Roby Jarventie, Tyler Boucher, Egor Sokolov, among others. This offense needs another pure scorer and another elite playmaker to make this offense more dynamic top-to-bottom. Again, the first line cannot do it all.

     Finally, the goaltending. The Senators are a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of goaltending. No stats jump out at you, but it’s nothing to scoff at either. Given the situation, the team is in defensively, being one of the worst team’s in the league in own zone time, shots allowed and goals against, both Filip Gustavsson and Anton Forsberg have played well. 

     Gustavsson has had the majority of the work, going 3-6-1 in 10 games, with a save percentage of .899% and a goals-against-average of 3.64. He made 311 saves on 346 shots. Forsberg has been decent, recording a 2-4-0 record in seven games (he was pulled in one). He recorded a .900% save percentage, 3.98 goals-against-average, and has surrendered 21 goals on 211 shots. Matt Murray has been the worst of the three goalies going 0-5-0 in six games (he was pulled in one), which is why he was waived. He recorded a .897 save percentage and a 3.86 goals-against-average. All three goalies made crucial saves to keep games close but as a result of the subpar defense, the goalies are not the main reason for this season’s struggles.

       Overall, the Senators haven’t had the best start to the season and they are in no position to take a breath, however, they aren’t in utter shambles. General manager Pierre Dorion said that he’s had a couple “sleepless nights” after the poor start to the season, and it has a lot of that has to do with the lack of depth on defense and lack of even offensive production from all their lines, however, their COVID-19 outbreak didn’t help things. They have a few good pieces in place already, but they need another few key players on both offense and defense to really start winning consistently and contending for a playoff spot. 

**Article written and all statistics current as of December 4 at 5pm before the Senators' 6-5 OT win against the Colorado Avalanche.