Could the NBA’s star-resting phenomenon eventually reach the NHL?
Imagine the Chicago Blackhawks resting Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith all at once on the same night. Or the Pittsburgh Penguins doing the same with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel.
If the NBA’s troubling recent phenomenon of resting stars reaches the NHL it might just happen.
“Never. Never,” said Toronto Maple Leafs centre Nazem Kadri when asked about the subject before adding a slight caveat. “Maybe if you had first locked into place by a mile and it was the last game of the year on the road or something — maybe you sit a guy out. But never for multiple games … If a healthy player is healthy he’s playing.”
Not so in the NBA, where head coaches are increasingly resting their stars as they carefully manage the grind of an 82-game season that many feel is too long and cumbersome. During a recent Saturday night meeting between the league’s two top teams, the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, every star-calibre player sat — including Warriors two-time MVP Steph Curry and former NBA finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.