The biggest optimist could not have predicted what’s played out for the National Hockey League with the Four Nations Tournament. The buzz, coverage all over has been something unforeseen since Saturday Night. Say what you want about fighting but three fights in nine seconds is what draws in average viewers and USA-Canada on the Sweaters added a totally different element. The videos of USA chants in bars around the U.S. was something. All week I’ve never been at so many random places like Lowes and have cashiers talking about Saturday night. The Tournament has been a massive win for the game of hockey and the betting market is seeing Game 7 type results leading into today.

Unfortunately for the league, too bad they can’t fast forward right into the NHL Playoffs out of this tournament. The lull with almost two more months of the regular season to go will see a lot of this extra buzz around hockey die out and it’s unlikely long-term the Stanley Cup like ratings USA-Canada will get again tonight will lead to NHL seeing a great spike in tv ratings.

–One hope among teams is the league office see’s the extra jolt this tournament has given and start getting with the times of adopting a 7-10 Play-In Tournament that rivals the NBA. Gary Bettman and Bill Daly have been strongly against it but eventually money almost always wins out and there is going to be a bigger push for this moving forward.

–As great as the tournament has been for a publicity standpoint, how would you feel as a Stanley Cup contender if an injury wrecked your season? Vegas knows that feeling right now with Shea Theodore injured and while the Bruins are not a serious Cup contender right now, they are in wild the card chase and just lot their star defenseman for multiple weeks. Even in Pittsburgh where the Penguins are not really trying to make the playoffs, there’s questions inside the building that Sidney Crosby will be healthy enough to play To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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: –The mood around Mikko Rantanen continues to be an 8 year, $100-$104 million offer from the Carolina likely still won’t get it done before the deadline. Rantanen is regarded as wanting to see what the field has to offer, and his potential free agency for months has been looked at a unique situation in that he’s going to be open to just about anywhere, contenders and non-contenders. Mitch Marner is viewed around the league as being much more guarded in where he will consider signing with compared to Rantanen where even some rebuilding teams think they will get an opportunity to make a pitch, among them being the Philadelphia Flyers. The $100 million dollar question between now and the deadline is whether Carolina gets cold feet and flips Rantanen.

— Buzz around the league this week in regard to Pittsburgh potentially flipping their newly acquired first-round pick for an impact forward in that 27 or younger range is keep an eye on the To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! Will Brad Marchand finish his career in Boston? The veteran winger is a name to watch and is expected to be a last-minute call by all parties involved. A lot of smoke around Marchand and Edmonton this week and Marchand’s also been heavily linked to the Dallas Stars in league circles………….To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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