Both Voros and Simon out there during warmups

This is from Kent Youngblood:

League commissioner Gary Bettman attended Craig Leipold’s first game as owner of the Nashville Predators. Friday he was in town again for Leipold’s first game as Wild owner. It was just a coincidence said Bettman, who will be Detroit tonight and in Calgary on Sunday.

Before the Wild-Colorado game Bettman answered questions about the state of the NHL. Two of them had specific relevance to Minnesota.

–First, Bettman said there doesn’t seem to be much interest in returning to no-touch icing. Kurtis Foster was injured in San Jose March 19 when he and Sharks forward Torrey Mitchell collided going for the puck. Foster’s left femur was broken on the play.

”I’ve been at every meeting of the competition committee since it was formed after the work stoppage — and this is both managers and players — (they’ve) said they don’t want to go to no-touch icing,” Bettman said. ”The sense is — and you get this from players as well — they don’t like play just stopping.”

–Bettman said the league is looking at its rules regarding college players in the wake of two high-profile players — Minnesota’s Kyle Okposo and Denver’s Brock Trotter — leaving their teams at mid-season. The league is talking with college conference commissioners and the players association about the issue, which Bettman said the league is not treating lightly.

Bettman said the collectively-bargained rule that allows players staying all four years in college to become free agents sooner hasn’t worked out as planned. Instead, teams have become more eager to sign their college draft picks sooner.

”We understand the issue and it’s one we’re sympathetic to,” Bettman said.

In other news:

– Bettman indicated the NHL will play another outdoor game next season and said it could be announced when the league schedule is released. He said several teams have expressed interest, citing Chicago’s Soldier Field and Wrigley Field as places that have been looked at. There have been reports a game involving the Rangers at Yankee Stadium might be the final event played at that venue but Bettman made it clear there would be challenges to playing at the historic stadium.

– Asked about realignment, and possibility of putting the Wild in the Central Division with teams such as Chicago, Detroit and St. Louis, Bettman said short of expansion or relocation (something not being considered right now) shuffling teams into another division or conference would be tricky because another club would have to move.

– Bettman said there are no discussions to put a package of games on ESPN next season, something that has been speculated on, and praised Versus, the NHL’s current partner. Bettman also said “we’re resolving” the situation with NBC. The network has an option to pick up the NHL for next season but that has yet to happen.

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