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| | Tuesday, May 23 Campbell must follow up with punishment | |||||
| By Brian Engblom Special to ESPN.com With all the money and expectations, pressure is everywhere in today's NHL. There's a constant flow of individuals and organizations moving on and off the proverbial hot seat. Each week for the duration of the NHL season, I'll analyze and measure the pressure for you. No one is untouchable, from Gary Bettman to Gary Suter. NHL director of hockey operations Colin Campbell Call it the hot seat if you want, but on the forefront of many people's minds is Colin Campbell because of the hits from behind. It's been on everyone's mind for the last few years. But on the second night of the season, a star player goes down (Mike Modano) in his team's second game. It seems to get everyone's attention when it's a star player.
Three times in his career, Alexei Yashin has gone back to management whining about his contract. Fans are in an uproar. The pressure is on him and not the team. Amen to that. I mainly know this situation from from an organizational perspective, but when you have a year left on a deal, that's a lot different than being a free agent, even a restricted free agent. The market changed during his deal, and that's tough. I have zero sympathy for Yashin. He has a contract and agreed to the length of it. Sometimes a team reworks a deal, but if they don't, you still have to honor it. Next time sign a one-year deal. Boston Bruins and Byron Dafoe This one is more under the heading of, "Get it done." There's a quickly changing landscape between the NHL Players Association and management. The union and agents are constantly bringing up the word "collusion." It's messy, and it's a situation that's coming to a boil. Yashin and Dafoe are bubbles in this boil and could make it overflow really quick. Unfortunately for Bruins fans, it had to happen. Just pick up the papers and read about baseball: The Arizona Diamondbacks win the division but are bleeding money and can't keep it up. Will they be the Florida Marlins all over again? All sports, hockey included, are getting to the point of no return, and saying, "We can't do this anymore." The biggest thing that has affected negotiations was making the salaries public. That sets the market for everyone. In the old days, facts were always refuted. Dafoe has a legitimate argument. He's an excellent goalie who had an outstanding year, and the Bruins need him desperately. General manager Harry Sinden said he won't bend to that and thinks the whole salary thing is nuts. I give Harry credit. At least he's consistent. But in the end, the Bruins can't win without Byron. You hope they can get it done without getting too angry. At this point, however, both sides will be a little angry afterward, but hopefully, it can be swept under the rug. The strong words -- Sinden saying the signing could bankrupt the team and Dafoe saying he wants to be traded -- are end of the line comments. What does a player have as a bottom line? To take away his services from his team. No way that's happening. It was interesting for Harry to even consider going back to arbitration, and that in itself, seems like a bit of a concession. The Bruins need Dafoe, and it's a shame because it's getting more difficult to overcome these things. Over the last few years, there's been huge money made from new deals. Guys are saying, "Its my turn," but the pendulum is turning; and some players feel like they're missing the boat. But it's more like the ship has just left shore and people are trying to jump on a moving boat. I don't blame the owners. There's still great money out there, but with the renegotiation for the collective bargaining agreement, you wonder if it will even get that far (2004). Something's going to give, and it will be ugly. I want to see the league survive, and from the fans' standpoint, they see the salaries, and they think it's nuts. Players, on the other hand, just see the market and say, "I belong at this level." Yashin has a deal and Dafoe doesn't. Yashin is signed for $3.6 million this year and wants more than double that. How quickly the scale has jumped. According to the current scale, he might be in the ballpark, but the scale is skewed. Montreal Canadiens After missing the playoffs last year, they have to have a good year. The team and management have to be on pins needles for a good start for a playoff-competitive team. So much has changed in Montreal. Vincent Damphousse, Stephane Quintal and Mark Recchi are gone, and they added Trevor Linden. And Jeff Hackett was outstanding last year. But in that town, losers play in quicksand. You'll be gone. It's a horrible place to play when you lose -- an incredible amount of pressure. The Canadiens will be on the hot seat from now until playoff time. But that's not news to them. General manager Rejean Houle has been there his whole life. The culture in the NHL is changing, even in Montreal, and the Habs are realizing they have to keep up.
Brian Engblom is a hockey analyst for ESPN, and he played 11 seasons in the NHL. | ALSO SEE NHL suspends Mighty Ducks' Salei for 10 games Modano to have more tests Wednesday  Morganti: Dallas mulls course of action | |||||
