The NHL is "tilting on its axis" as the '15-16 season begins tonight, highlighted by a "collision of stars that comes around less than once in a generation," according to Chris Johnston of SPORTSNET.ca. This season marks the debut of Oilers C Connor McDavid and Sabres C Jack Eichel "rocketing into orbit while the deities of the last decade, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, have neither burned out nor faded away." The league has seen an "unprecedented number of young players rise to prominence" since Crosby and Ovechkin were rookies in '05, including Blackhawks C Jonathan Toews, Lightning C Steven Stamkos and Islanders C John Tavares. It is "against that backdrop the Next Ones arrive." There is "no telling how long it will take for McDavid and Eichel to find their place among the game's crowded elite, but if the odds are set at one year you'd be wise to take the under." Maybe the "greatest thing of all" is that McDavid, the No. 1 pick in the '15 Draft, "doesn't have to be a singular star." He will be "forever measured against Eichel, and together they'll be compared to Crosby and Ovechkin" (SPORTSNET.ca, 10/6). In Edmonton, Joanne Ireland notes not since Crosby made his NHL debut "has there been this much hype about a rookie" as there is around McDavid. However, Crosby "arrived before social media exploded," and he also "did not make his debut with a Canadian team." Oilers LW Taylor Hall, the top pick in the '10 Draft, said, "It's definitely a different beast." Ireland notes McDavid has been "thrust onto a much bigger stage" since being drafted by the Oilers -- he appears in ads for adidas and Biosteel, and his likeness repeatedly "has appeared on the sports highlight reels" (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 10/7).
THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER? In Toronto, Kevin McGran reported two "major rule changes are being instituted" this NHL season: three-on-three overtime; and a coach’s challenge on goals in which the play "may have been offside or there may have been goaltender interference." Both changes "could alter the game in a major way." The three-on-three "replaces four-on-four overtime and, because it creates more open space and encourages the use of speed and skill, it promises to be a crowd pleaser." The number of shootouts "should go down," while goal scoring and goals-against averages "should go up." The coach’s challenge "allows a team to ask for a goal to be reviewed to see if a play was offside, or whether there was goalie interference on the play." A team "has to have its timeout to make the call." Some coaches "might think having the timeout later in the game is more important than a challenge in the first period." It "promises to be a talking point if a game is lost on a challenge not called." Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said, "You have someone watching the video and they have to make the call as to whether it’s an adequate situation to use the challenge on" (TORONTO STAR, 10/5). In N.Y., Pat Pickens noted the "radical shift" in this season’s OT format "is forcing coaches to figure out how to use the increased space to make the finish exciting, and not embarrassing." Islanders D Travis Hamonic said, "It’s going to be exciting, but probably a feeling-out process for everybody in the league" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/6).
TAKING POSITIVE FIRST STEPS: The NHL earlier this week indicated it has talked to the NHLPA about adding cocaine to the current list of banned substances, and the San Jose Mercury News' Tim Kawakami said players "now understand this money is so huge that there is some responsibility to stay clean in performance-enhancing and stay clean in the illegal drugs.” CSNBayArea.com's Ray Ratto said the NHL and NHLPA “don't have a plan yet, but it's clear by the fact that they’ve both admitted that they’re seeing greater incidences of cocaine use among their players that they’re ready to talk about it” ("Sports Talk Live," CSN Bay Area, 10/6).
PART OF THE MAINSTREAM: In Toronto, John Matisz writes as the '15-16 season gets set to launch today, the "buzz surrounding advanced stats has regressed to the mean." Analytics "have become part of the everyday conversation in front offices around the league and continues to grow as a cottage industry away from the rink" (TORONTO SUN, 10/7).
