Flyers scout Patrick Burke has been leading an historic movement for inclusion in sports. (Christopher Pasatieri/Getty)

By Allan Muir

Well, that didn’t take long.

About an hour after the news broke that the NHL and NHLPA have officially partnered with the You Can Play Project, I got an email from a woman who promised never to watch hockey again as long as it “promotes the homosexual agenda.”

Lady, you won’t be missed.

I learned long ago there’s no arguing with someone like that. You can’t tell anyone what to believe. Just like the best intentions of the league and the PA can’t force hockey players to be accepting of a gay teammate.

But you can try to cultivate an environment where inclusion is the stated goal and a player’s ability to contribute to a team’s success on and off the ice makes a non-issue out of his sexual orientation.

And that’s where this partnership stands as a watershed moment. This isn’t about the “homosexual agenda,” whatever that is. YCP isn’t about gay marriage or gay adoption or gays on the international space station. It’s really about a single, simple, perfectly worded idea: If you can play, you can play.

I usually steer clear of canned quotes, but this one from Ron Hainsey really hits the mark.

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By Allan Muir

I ran into a member of a Western Conference coaching staff at a pee-wee hockey game last summer. While watching his kid’s team whip mine, we got to talking about unrestricted free agents his team might be interested in. “I’ll tell you who I really would have liked to get,” he said. “Chris Kelly. The guy plays the game the right way.”

The Bruins understood that as well and re-signed the versatile forward before he hit the market. Kelly might not get a lot of press (alright, he doesn’t get any press), but he has been a glue guy for that team ever since arriving from Ottawa. He competes, he wins faceoffs, he’s great on the PK and he can chip in offensively. Guy does it all.

That’s why the news today that he was lost indefinitely after fracturing his shinbone in a violent but accidental collision with good friend Chris Neil of the Senators signifies a major loss to the B’s. Best-case estimates suggest he could be back in six weeks, which would be just ahead of the playoffs, but there’s no guarantee. And being off skates that long? He’s going to be a step slow for a bit.

For now, Boston will call on Rich Peverley to center the third line. He performed well in the loss to the Pens last night, winning 10 of 13 draws. Carl Soderberg could help. He’ll arrive as soon as his team is eliminated from the Swedish Elite League playoffs. Top prospect Ryan Spooner will also get a look–he was recalled on an emergency basis today.

But just in case they falter, you have to think GM Peter Chiarelli is already looking for some insurance for a line that only recently was rounding into form after a slow start.

Bufflao Sabres coach Lindy Ruff: Just trying to keep the peace. (Photo by Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

Lindy Ruff’s decision to call a timeout with 14 seconds left and a 7-4 lead on Thursday night didn’t go over well with the Boston Bruins.

“Yeah, [Ruff] wants to be a big shot, and that’s not the best play to do,” a fired-up Brad Marchand told NESN. “That’s pretty disrespectful. If he wants to be like that, that’s fine.”

In most cases, Marchand would have every right to be redlining. Calling a late timeout, especially in a blowout, especially in the other team’s barn, is a serious breach of the code.

At least, it would be if Boston coach Claude Julien hadn’t forced Ruff’s hand.

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It would probably take a miracle to revive coach Joe Sacco’s depleted Colorado Avalanche. (Jack Dempsey/AP)

By Allan Muir

Less than two weeks into this exceptional season and already the wolves are circling.

In Pittsburgh, Dan Bylsma is being pilloried for his in-game management. In Colorado, Joe Sacco’s toughness is questioned. In Dallas, fans are grumbling about Glen Gulutzan’s lack of bench presence. In Florida…in Carolina…

Anywhere teams are losing, panic buttons are being mashed by fans who are only too aware of the playoff implications of a slow start. Car pools are being organized to help ex-coaching staffs get to the airport. Wish lists of possible bench bosses are being drawn up on cocktail napkins.

Change needs to happen, and it needs to happen now, before it’s too late. Right? Right?

If it was up to the fans, half a dozen bench bosses would be looking over their severance packages right now.

But general managers, the men who actually have to make these decisions, tend to be a little more judicious, a little more big-picture oriented. They want results, but they grasp that these are unique circumstances. Which makes me wonder: Could this actually be the safest year in NHL history to be a coach? A season in which not one single coach gets fired?

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Phil Housley (far right), who led Team USA to the gold medal at the 2013 World Junior Championships, coached a team at the 2012 All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo last September. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

The 2013 NHL Entry Draft is still five months away, but the stage already is being set for a bumper crop of American talent in 2014.

USA Hockey announced today that the All-American Prospects Game would be held at Pittsburgh’s Consol Energy Center on Sept. 26.

The game will showcase 40 of the top American-born players who are eligible for the 2014 NHL Draft, drawn from the U.S. National Team Development Program, the CHL, USHL, NCAA and U.S. high schools.

The inaugural edition of the event was held last September in Buffalo and featured players such as Seth Jones and Ryan Hartman, both members of the 2013 World Junior Champions and certain first-round picks this June.

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The Avalanche would like to rebuild around center Ryan O’Reilly, but can afford to wait him out on a new contract. (Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

You have to wonder if today is the day that Ryan O’Reilly can finally read the writing on the wall.

If not, he might want to have someone read it to him.

In the wake of Monday night’s P.K. Subban deal, the 21-year-old restricted free agent and erstwhile KHL star is now the last remaining big-name player without a contract for this season.

O’Reilly led the Avalanche in scoring last season — albeit with just 55 points – -and brings a package of heart and skill that the franchise wants to rebuild around. After making $900,000 on the last year of his entry-level deal, according to capgeek.com, all agree that he is due a hefty raise.

And he’ll get one.

But if he held out any hope of swinging $5 million a year from the Avs, well, that grandiose dream died Monday night under the pitiless boot heel of Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin.

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Defenseman P.K. Subban has tallied 21 goals and 55 assists in his three-year career in Montreal. [G Fiume/Getty Images]

By Allan Muir

Ultimately, every negotiation comes down to leverage.

In the contract battle between P.K. Subban and the Montreal Canadiens, the Habs had all the cards. No surprise then that GM Marc Bergevin got almost exactly the deal he wanted when he signed the RFA defender Monday night for two years at $5.75 million.

Not $5.75 million per year. $5.75 million, total.

That’s a steal.

And that’s why Bergevin is walking around like a boss.

“I think at this point it was the right decision for me to make,” a subdued Subban said on a conference call Monday night.

At some point today, he came to the realization it was the only decision he could make. He wasn’t going to sit out the season and no team was going to swoop in and goose the pot with an offer sheet. It was settle or stay home.

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Alex Ovechkin (left) wasn’t exactly enthused by coach Adam Oates’ experiment. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

You have to hand it to Adam Oates. He’s clearly a man of his convictions.

It’ll be interesting to see how much longer Washington’s freshman coach will be allowed to hold onto them.

During his preseason preparation for his new gig, Oates came to a conclusion about the sagging fortunes of superstar Alex Ovechkin: the two-time MVP had become too predictable on the attack. If he had the puck, Ovechkin would carry it into the zone, curl in from the left wing and try to snap a shot off his forehand from the circle. If he didn’t have it, he would mill around until he could dart into the circle to await a pass that would set up a vicious one-timer.

Of course, Oates wasn’t the first to recognize this. Bruce Boudreau tried to address it and the ensuing power struggle cost him his job. So did Dale Hunter, whose weariness at dealing with Ovechkin was thought to be the prime reason for his return to junior hockey at the end of the playoffs.

So Oates took up the cause, bringing with him a reputation as an astute offensive mind. If anyone could get OV back on track, it would be the guy who spent his Hall of Fame career setting up Brett Hull and Cam Neely to succeed.

So what does Oates do? He takes the natural left winger and moves him to the right side.

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Trying to plug holes by trading high draft picks has backfired on the Maple Leafs, so it may be wiser to deal Phil Kessel. (Nick Turchiaro/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

A guide to this morning’s must-read stories around the NHL.

• Trading Phil Kessel, rather than offer sheeting P.K. Subban, is the road forward for the Maple Leafs.

• How is this Lambeau Leap by Vancouver’s Aaron Volpatti any different than the one that earned Brayden Schenn a suspension last week? If Brendan Shanahan is committed to consistency, this one cries out for supplemental discipline.

• Lots to like about Jarome Iginla’s game despite his “slow start.” Still, with the Flames struggling to light the lamp, especially five-on-five, they need Iggy to start finishing.

• Kyle Clifford started the season on Los Angeles’ fourth line, but his hot hand has earned the team’s leading scorer a promotion to the Mike Richards/Jeff Carter unit.

• The Oilers have been brutal five-on-five , scoring just four times through four games. Might help if they slowed the parade to the penalty box and bought themselves a little more time at even strength.

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The Flyers’ Scott Laughton (left) recorded 10 shots in five games this season. (Elsa/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

Matt Dumba got the news from the Wild this morning. Scott Laughton heard from the Flyers this afternoon.

With their sixth games looming and the choice of burning a contract year to be made, Minnesota and Philadelphia brass chose to return the promising pair to their junior hockey teams today.

Neither decision was a surprise. Dumba, the seventh overall pick in 2012 saddled with an unfortunate number was no surprise. He failed to get in a game, but heads back to Red Deer with a first-hand perspective on what it takes to get to the next level. “Just having this experience under my belt, I should be steps ahead of others guys throughout the [WHL],” he told Mike Russo of the Star-Tribune. “I’m going to go back there with that confidence and that swag to play my best game and be confident and play with poise and be good. Hopefully next year it sets me up well.”

Laughton, made for a tougher decision after performing well in a five-game audition, but there was a sense that his development would be better served with heavier minutes in Oshawa.

That leaves seven players waiting for the final decision on their fate. It’s not always an easy call. A player may look ready to contribute physically, but he might lack the emotional maturity to survive the grind. Conversely, a player may be ready, but there might not be an opportunity to get the ice time he needs for proper development.

Here’s what to expect:

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