The New Jersey Devils never thought their season would start out like this. A bad record, a scratched superstar and whispered questions about the coach - all before the regular season was 10 games old.
But sometimes that is what happens when you bring on a new coach and a new franchise face and expect Stanley Cup-calibre play right out of the gates.
If you missed it, John MacLean, the rookie Devils coach - a longtime soldier in the New Jersey organisation - benched Ilya Kovalchuk and his US$100 million (Dh367m) contract on Saturday night against Buffalo.
As soon as the hockey world recovered from the shock of seeing Kovalchuk in street clothes in the press box, the questions began. The most obvious query - Why did MacLean sit Kovalchuk? - has not been adequately answered.
MacLean simply said the matter was between him and Kovalchuk, and left it at that.
That has not prevented rampant speculation, of course, with the guesses ranging from Kovalchuk missing a morning meeting, to being unhappy at switching from the left to the right wing, to continually freelancing on the ice and not embracing the Devils' team-first approach.
Whatever the case, it is not a good situation from any perspective. If coach and player cannot co-exist someone has got to go.
Considering the contortions the Devils performed to sign Kovalchuk to a 15-year free-agency deal during the summer - including reworking their roster to come in under the salary cap - do not expect Lou Lamoriello, the general manager, to suddenly trade away the dynamic goal scorer.
MacLean, on the other hand, is in the precarious position of being a first-year NHL coach who is fighting with his team's alleged best player. There is an NHL axiom that it is easier to fire the coach than to fire 20 players, and Lamoriello has not been shy when it comes to canning coaches.
Making matters worse was the Devils' slow start. New Jersey's 2-6-1 mark did not exactly inspire confidence or improve team chemistry, and the Devils had lost four out of five games - including being out-scored 9-2 against Buffalo (6-1) and the Rangers (3-1) in their past two contests.
Kovalchuk scored the lone goal against New York - in a game that came the day after his benching - but did little else. In fact, the loss to the Rangers is symbolic of Kovalchuk's experience as a Devil thus far - he scored, but the team lost. He wore New Jersey's uniform, but didn't really play the Devils' way.
Kovalchuk was a one-man show for a wobbly franchise for many years in Atlanta; perhaps the Russian sharpshooter is unable to change his game.
Players of the week
• Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning. Stamkos, below, had a blast, collecting four goals and eight points in three games, including a hat-trick and an assist against Atlanta.
• Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins. Thomas continued his comeback bid with a pair of victories over the high-powered Capitals, 4-1 at home and 3-1 in Washington, stopping 73 of 75 shots in the process.
Teams of the week
• New York Rangers. After losing 3-1 to Colorado on October 18, the Rangers won three in a row despite lacking some top players. New York nipped Toronto 2-1, Boston 3-2 and New Jersey 3-1. An impressive run.
• St Louis Blues. After losing 3-2 in overtime to Chicago on October 18, the Blues downed the Blackhawks 4-2 and shut out Pittsburgh 1-0.
Duds of the week
• The Edmonton Oilers. The team endured a pair of home-ice defeats and saw their season-opening two-game winning streak give way to an ugly four-game slide.
• Nicklas Backstrom, the centre went pointless in three games for Washington and suffered a -4 rating.
Games of the week
• Los Angeles at Chicago, today. The defending champions host a young upstart in a Western showdown that could be a play-off preview.
• Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, Friday. Two of the East's best teams have seen a rebirth of a rivalry that might be the most heated in the league right now.
• Nashville at Detroit, Saturday. The Predators get a crack at divisional rivals and play-off nemeses Detroit with bragging rights on the line.
sports@thenational.ae
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Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
