Comments from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association executive director Donald Fehr on Wednesday have observers pessimistic about the possibility of avoiding a lockout. However, while few believe that the players and owners can work out their differences by the September 15 deadline, the prevailing opinion remains that there will be NHL Hockey in 2012-13, so it's worth asking just who might benefit from the reduced and delayed schedule that would result if the NHL were to lock out its players.
The New York Rangers, for example, could find themselves in position for a better season if they had the advantage of a late start. High-scoring winger Marian Gaborik, who hit the 40-goal plateau last season, had offseason shoulder surgery, and is not expected to be ready until November at the earliest. If a lockout delays the start of the season, the Rangers have less of a wait before they get back their high-scoring star, and will have a better opportunity to figure out how both Gaborik and newly-acquired Rick Nash fit onto the right line combinations. Add in the fact that the Rangers are scheduled to play all of their October games on the road while Madison Square Garden is being renovated, and the benefits of a lockout and a delayed start to the season are clear for the Broadway Blueshirts.
The Rangers aren't the only Atlantic Division team that might benefit, though. The Philadelphia Flyers are facing injury issues of their own, particularly on the blueline, where Andreas Lilja is out until at least late October and Andrej Meszaros and Chris Pronger are both out indefinitely. A delayed start to the season means that Philadelphia gets a little more time to figure out its blueline situation.
The Pittsburgh Penguins might find the prospect of a shortened season to be a double-edged sword. On one hand, fewer games could mean fewer opportunities for captain and star Sidney Crosby to be injured (a legitimate concern after he played just 63 games in the last two seasons). On the other hand, shortened schedules tend to also be compressed schedules, and that could take a toll on the Pens' franchise player, who re-upped this summer for another 12 years at $8.7 million per year.
Of course, the real concerns of both the teams and the players during collective bargaining negotiations is the long-term financial health of both the league and its players, and no team is going to sandbag negotiations to gain a competitive advantage on the ice. The fact of the matter, however, is that even in a situation as ugly as a lockout, someone will benefit, and the Rangers are among the teams at the top of the list.
