Brind'Amour's pitch: 86 games and zero preseason
The Cup-winning Hurricanes coach says today's players don't need exhibitions, hours before Florida visits his kid-heavy lineup.
Rod Brind'Amour won the Stanley Cup in June, and his first big idea for the fall is to get rid of the preseason. "I'd say go to 86 games and 0 preseason. Why waste games on the fans that don't count? Let's play for real," the Hurricanes coach said on TSN's OverDrive, per Heavy's Giancarlo Aulino.
His argument is that players train year-round with their own strength coaches now, and a Carolina room with 14 one-way forwards and nine defensemen doesn't need eight days of exhibitions to sort itself out. The NHL already trimmed the preseason to four games per team this year while the regular season grew to 84 under the new CBA.
Ferda read: Rod is right for Carolina and wrong for everyone else. His roster is set. Florida's fourth line isn't, and neither is half the league's. Also, the Panthers are in his barn tonight, and the Canes are dressing the kids. If exhibition games don't count, that's a convenient time to say so.