The NHL is doing a great job with the Global Series and bringing NHL teams and games to other countries. Do you think we will see a team or teams from another country come to North America anytime soon? How likely do you think an outdoor Global Series game is? -- @mikeybox
I love the idea of an overseas outdoor game. I wonder if that's where the NHL's outdoor game series could be headed in the next few years; it could be played in November in a soccer stadium in Stockholm, Helsinki, Prague, Berlin, Zurich or Moscow. Many of the outdoor stadiums in those cities are on the relatively newer side, so the technology exists for the NHL to make it happen. The League would have to ship the mobile ice plant, which would require a heavy dose of logistics, but it could be done. I would bet the fan interest would be high. I've witnessed it firsthand in Stockholm, Helsinki and Prague how well it's received when the NHL brings regular-season games to them; it would be kicked up a few notches for it to be an outdoor game.
As for a European team coming to play here against an NHL team, it's intriguing but wouldn't have the same impact as an NHL team traveling to a European market to face a local team. I question whether it would be worthwhile, because the goal of the NHL Global Series is to grow the game outside North America. The League wants to showcase its players and product to fans who don't get the chance to see them often; you'd likely have many of the same fans attending a preseason game between two NHL teams as you would attending one between an NHL team and a European counterpart in any NHL arena in North America, which is why it won't happen.
Which team has more urgency to make the playoffs in the East: Buffalo Sabres or New Jersey Devils? -- @nashman92
The Sabres are expected to show progress; the Devils, at least in my opinion, are expected to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. By that alone, New Jersey would be the answer to your question, because it's built more for now. It will be a dramatic improvement for the Devils to get into the playoffs this season after missing by 26 points last season, but they made major upgrades in the offseason with the additions of center Jack Hughes, forwards Wayne Simmonds and Nikita Gusev, and defenseman P.K. Subban. There is a push to begin a new playoff tradition in New Jersey, and that puts the pressure on the Devils to be a playoff team this season. I think it will be a disappointment if they are not.
The Sabres, who missed the playoffs by 22 points last season, have the longest playoff drought of any team in the League, having missed in eight straight seasons. They seem to be in the middle of yet another rebuild, and they have a new coach, Ralph Krueger, their third in five seasons. As painful as it must be to be for Buffalo fans, they're going to have to be patient. Among the new Sabres are forwards Jimmy Vesey and Marcus Johansson, and defensemen Colin Miller and
Henri Jokiharju
. Those are nice additions, but they are dwarfed by the improvements the Devils made, at least on paper. The pressure is on New Jersey to have its changes pay immediate dividends. I don't get that same sense for the Sabres.
