Former NHL defenseman P.K. Subban thinks similarly.
Subban, one of the leading hockey personalities for ESPN, was also in attendance at the street hockey event that saw the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition gift a $20,000 check to the Resource Council of Western New York to support the growth of hockey for youth in Buffalo.
Dozens of local kids who are part of the Resource Council community, and others who walked in off the street because they heard about what was going on, attended the event and played street hockey with Carter, Subban and fellow PIC representatives Anthony Stewart, Mark Fraser, Georges Laraque, Al Montoya, Jordan Harris, Blake Bolden and Julie Chu.
“This is an amazing turnout of kids that want to play the game, that are playing the game, that are passionate about it, that are excited, and it’s really, really cool,” Subban said. “But talk about the NHL, this has to be one the most active offseasons that we’ve seen, and I think it’s great for the game because the players want it. I think the players deserve to have the opportunity to say, ‘Hey, you know what, this is not a great situation for me anymore, it’s not a great situation for me and my family, is there an opportunity to move me to a contender?’ “
Player empowerment has been a theme of the offseason, with Tkachuk the most prominent so far, approaching the Ottawa Senators about trading him and using the power of his no-movement clause to orchestrate a move to play with his brother, Matthew, in Florida.
“If I’m Carolina, I’m air-punching I’m so mad,” Carter said. “I get to enjoy my championship and then Florida comes back and they reload.”
Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman all played a pivotal role in Babcock becoming the Oilers new coach.
“Now those guys can’t say, ‘Well, we don’t have any control with what happens to the coaching staff,’ ” Carter said. “You do. You do. Because if you didn’t want it to happen you could have shut it down right away.”
Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin has reportedly asked to be traded and has provided a list of teams he would go to, using his no-trade clause to his advantage.
“There’s a long history of players that didn’t take ownership of (their careers) and it cost them championships, potentially a lot of money and potentially decorations on their resume that they should have had,” Subban said. “Players betting on themselves is something you’re seeing more in hockey, which is great. I don’t think guys are losing the intangibles of understanding the team and the concept of team. We’re seeing that in Edmonton, where they’re trying to do everything they can to win. That’s the cool thing I take away from it is the guys still see team as the value but individually they all have their own goals and aspirations and we’re seeing that now come to the forefront.”
