“There was a deal in place that gave us this opportunity to plan a fun tournament in which hopefully our guys will be competitive and hopefully look forward to playing a few more games for themselves and their families. organizations, ”Hoffman said.

A number of Tucson players have expressed mixed emotions when asked about the new playoffs. None of them explicitly said they didn’t want to play.

“It’s a little weird for everyone that you don’t really play for anything, really,” said Roadrunners forward Frederick Gauthier, who has played 177 games in the AHL – and 170 in the NHL. – in six professional seasons. “You play just to play.”

Defenseman Kyle Capobianco, a three-time AHL star with the Roadrunners, turned the question around completely when asked about his feelings, or those of his teammates, about the tournament.

“We’re just focusing on Tuesday and our one game, and then we’ll pick up from there,” Capobianco said.

Forward Jeremy Gregoire and defenseman Cam Dineen, both in their third season in Tucson, were more optimistic.

“It’s an opportunity, for sure,” said Grégoire. “Everyone is going to (get) the best of it, and for us, it starts with San Jose.”

Dineen added, “Not all teams in the league play in the playoffs, a little tournament like this. We therefore have the opportunity to play not only in front of our staff, but also in front of the staffs of other teams throughout the league.