NHL Notebook: Looking back at the Bubble Playoffs, Kaprizov nearing new contract

It’s been nearly five years since the Tampa Bay Lightning won a Stanley Cup in Edmonton, amidst a very weird time.

This week, Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin looked back on that COVID-marred playoff run that found its way to Alberta, speaking with members of that Lightning team and league officials.

After COVID-19 cut the 2019-2020 season short right as it was heating up, there was a lot of uncertainty on what would come next, until a plan formed to play a season-ending tournament across two Bubble complexes. While the two cities chosen ended up being Toronto and Edmonton, that wasn’t the original plan, according to NHL President of Content & Events Steve Mayer:

We were going to go to Vancouver and Vegas. And then there was an outbreak in both those areas. We always maintained that we were going to go to the safest place possible. We had found out, at that time, Toronto and Edmonton had the lowest amount of cases of any place in North America. And that’s why we ended up going there. When we got there, along with a fence company, we really mapped out what was our interior and what was on the exterior. We had an idea, but until we saw it and physically were able to walk the area, we didn’t know exactly how it was all going to turn out.

It was weeks of chaos and confusion, recounts then-captain Steven Stamkos:

At one point when I left [to deal with a family emergency] and then I decided I was coming back, the team had already flown from Toronto to Edmonton, and I was still in Toronto with my wife, so I got on a plane from Toronto to Edmonton, the charter plane, because I don’t think there were many trips going on at that time, if any. So I met the team in Edmonton, and I had to quarantine in my room for four days by myself. I remember the team put in a stationary bike, I had some weights, I had some [resistance] bands, a yoga mat. Someone would come knock on the door, test me every day. I had someone delivering food to the room every day for me and I was doing Zoom call [injury] rehab protocol. I was doing my workouts. That was probably the toughest four days of the whole adventure, being in a hotel room and not being able to go anywhere.

Of course, there were hardships, but with its glorious ending, coach Jon Cooper was still able to share his fond memories of that time:

No team will ever get to experience what we did. We got the best of both worlds. Some of my greatest memories of the Stanley Cup happened just with that group of players and staff we were together with for 65 days. No interruptions. Nobody pulled in other directions. No distractions. It was the 65 days with the 52 people and it was like, we all got to exhale. It was as much fun as I’ve ever had in my life.

Through its highs, lows, and all-around strangeness, the NHL’s bubble system was one that won’t soon be forgotten. Check out Larkin’s piece for the full account of everything that went down that season.

Kaprizov deal nearly done

As contract extension talks for Connor McDavid continue to steal headlines in Edmonton, one other #97 set to become a free agent next summer may soon be off the table. Speaking to The Athletic, Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold says the team is nearing an extension with star forward Kirill Kaprizov.

“This will be a huge deal — likely the biggest in the NHL ever,” Leipold said. “There’s no better human being or better hockey player or better person than Kirill. I think it will be a good conversation that we’ll have with him. I’m very anxious and looking forward to that conversation. I think we’ll move quickly after that.”

With the rising salary cap, Kaprizov’s deal will be one to watch for Oilers fans wondering what kind of price tag McDavid will be carrying into the future. After Leon Draisaitl last signed one of the biggest deals in NHL history with an eight-year, $112 million extension, it’s clear Kaprizov is about to cash in big time in Minnesota.