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2021 Expansion Draft Protection Tracker

at CDT | by 98 Comments

The 2021 NHL Expansion Draft does not take place until Wednesday, July 21, but the proceedings are already underway. The NHL enacted a transactions freeze at 2:00pm CT on Saturday and at 4:00pm protection lists were due from all 30 teams taking part in the draft. The league will review and approve these lists and release them to the other teams and to the public on Sunday. In the meantime though, there will inevitable be leaks of who has been protected as well as who has been exposed. This list will be updated until all protection lists are confirmed:

Anaheim Ducks
Protected: F Nicolas Deslauriers, F Max Jones, F Isac Lundestrom, F Rickard Rakell, F Jakob Silfverberg, F Sam Steel, F Troy Terry, D Cam Fowler, D Hampus Lindholm, D Josh Manson, G John Gibson

Key Players Exposed: D Haydn Fleury, D Brendan Guhle, F Adam Henrique, D Kevin Shattenkirk, F Alexander Volkov

Arizona Coyotes
Protected: F Lawson Crouse, F Christian Dvorak, F Conor Garland, F Clayton Keller, F Phil Kessel, F Johan Larsson, D Kyle Capobianco, D Jakob Chychrun, D Oliver Ekman-Larsson, G Darcy Kuemper

Key Players Exposed: F Christian Fischer, F Tyler Pitlick, D Ilya Lyubushkin, G Josef Korenar 

Boston Bruins
Protected: F Patrice Bergeron, F Charlie Coyle, F Jake DeBrusk, F Trent Frederic, F Brad Marchand, F David Pastrnak, F Craig Smith, D Brandon Carlo, D Matt Grzelcyk, D Charlie McAvoy, G Daniel Vladar

Key Players Exposed: D Connor Clifton, F Ondrej Kase, F Curtis Lazar, D Jeremy Lauzon, F Nick Ritchie, F Chris Wagner, D Jakub Zboril

Buffalo Sabres
Protected: F Rasmus Asplund, F Anders Bjork, F Jack Eichel, F Casey Mittelstadt, F Victor Olofsson, F Sam Reinhart, F Tage Thompson, D Rasmus Dahlin, D Henri Jokiharju, D Rasmus Ristolainen, G Linus Ullmark UFA

Key Players Exposed: D Will Borgen, F Zemgus Girgensons, D Colin Miller

Calgary Flames
Protected: F Mikael Backlund, F Dillon Dube, F Johnny Gaudreau, F Elias Lindholm, F Andrew Mangiapane, F Sean Monahan, F Matthew Tkachuk, D Rasmus Andersson, D Noah Hanifin, D Chris Tanev, G Jacob Markstrom

Key Players Exposed: D Mark Giordano, D Oliver Kylington, F Milan Lucic

Carolina Hurricanes 
Protected: F Sebastian Aho, F Jesper Fast, F Warren Foegele, F Jordan Staal, F Andrei Svechnikov, F Teuvo Teravainen, F Vincent Trocheck, F Brett Pesce, F Brady Skjei, F Jaccob Slavin, G Alex Nedeljkovic

Key Players Exposed: D Jake Bean, D Jake Gardiner, F Morgan Geekie, F Nino Niederreiter

Chicago Blackhawks
Protected: F Henrik Borgstrom, F Alex DeBrincat, F Brandon Hagel, F David Kampf, F Patrick Kane, F Dylan Strome, F Jonathan Toews, D Caleb Jones, D Connor Murphy, D Riley Stillman, G Kevin Lankinen 

Key Players Exposed: F Ryan Carpenter, F Brett Connolly, D Calvin de Haan, F Adam Gaudette, G Malcolm Subban, D Nikita Zadorov

Colorado Avalanche 
Protected: F Andre Burakovsky, F Tyson Jost, F Nazem Kadri, F Nathan MacKinnon, F Valeri Nichushkin, F Logan O’Connor, F Mikko Rantanen, D Devon Toews, D Samuel Girard, D Cale Makar, G Philipp Grubauer UFA

Key Players Exposed: F J.T. Compher, F Joonas Donskoi, D Erik Johnson, F Gabriel Landeskog UFA 

Columbus Blue Jackets (link)
Protected: F Cam Atkinson, F Oliver Bjorkstrand, F Boone Jenner, F Patrik Laine, F Gustav Nyquist, F Eric Robinson, F Jack Roslovic, DVladislav Gavrikov, D Seth Jones,  D Zach Werenski, G Joonas Korpisalo

Key Players Exposed: D Gabriel Carlsson, F Max Domi, D Dean Kukan, F Kevin Stenlund

Dallas Stars
Protected: F Jamie Benn, F Radek Faksa, F Denis Gurianov, F Roope Hintz, F Joe Pavelski, F Alexander Radulov, F Tyler Seguin, D Miro Heiskanen, D John Klingberg, D Esa Lindell, G Anton Khudobin

Key Players Exposed: G Ben Bishop, F Tanner Kero, F Adam Mascherin, D Andrej Sekera

Detroit Red Wings
Protected: F Tyler Bertuzzi, F Adam Erne, F Robby Fabbri, F Dylan Larkin, F Michael Rasmussen, F Givani Smith, F Jakub Vrana, D Filip Hronek, D Nick Leddy, D Gustav Lindstrom, G Thomas Greiss

Key Players Exposed: D Dennis Cholowski, D Danny DeKeyser, F Vladislav Namestnikov, D Troy Stecher, F Evgeny Svechnikov

Edmonton Oilers
Protected: F Josh Archibald, F Leon Draisaitl, F Zack Kassian, F Connor McDavid, F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, F Jesse Puljujarvi, F Kailer Yamamoto, D Ethan Bear, D Duncan Keith, D Darnell Nurse, G Stuart Skinner 

Key Players Exposed: F Tyler Benson, G Mikko Koskinen, D William Lagesson, F Cooper Marody, D Kris Russell

Florida Panthers
Protected: F Aleksander Barkov, F Sam Bennett, F Anthony Duclair, F Patric Hornqvist, F Jonathan Huberdeau, F Mason Marchment, F Carter Verhaeghe, D Aaron Ekblad, D Gustav Forsling, D MacKenzie Weegar, G Sergei Bobrovsky

Key Players Exposed: F Noel Acciari, G Chris Driedger UFA, D Radko Gudas, D Markus Nutivaara, D Anton Stralman, F Frank Vatrano, F Lucas Wallmark

Los Angeles Kings
Protected: F Lias Andersson, F Viktor Arvidsson, F Dustin Brown, F Alex Iafallo, F Adrian Kempe, F Anze Kopitar, F Trevor Moore, D Drew Doughty, D Matt Roy, D Sean Walker, G Cal Petersen

Key Players Exposed: F Andreas Athanasiou, D Kale Clague, F Carl Grundstrom, F Brendan Lemieux, D Olli Maatta, D Kurtis MacDermid, G Jonathan Quick

Minnesota Wild
Protected: F Joel Eriksson Ek, F Kevin Fiala, F Marcus Foligno, F Jordan Greenway, F Ryan Hartman, F Nico Sturm, F Mats Zuccarello, D Jonas Brodin, D Matt Dumba, D Jared Spurgeon, G Cam Talbot

Key Players Exposed: F Nick Bjugstad, G Kaapo Kahkonen, D Brennan Menell, F Victor Rask, D Carson Soucy

Montreal Canadiens
Protected: F Josh Anderson, F Joel Armia UFA, F Jake Evans, F Brendan Gallagher, F Jesperi Kotkaniemi, F Artturi Lehkonen, F Tyler Toffoli, D Ben Chiarot, D Joel Edmundson, D Jeff Petry, G Jake Allen

Key Players Exposed: F Paul Byron, Jonathan Drouin, D Brett Kulak, G Carey Price, D Shea Weber

Nashville Predators
Protected: F Filip Forsberg, F Tanner Jeannot, F Luke Kunin, D Alexandre Carrier, D Mattias Ekholm, D Dante Fabbro, D Philippe Myers, D Roman Josi, G Juuse Saros

Key Players Exposed: F Matt Duchene, F Rocco Grimaldi, F Calle Jarnkrok, F Ryan Johansen, F Rem Pitlick, F Colton Sissons, F Yakov Trenin, D Mark Borowiecki, G Connor Ingram

New Jersey Devils
Protected: F Jesper Bratt, F Nico Hischier, F Janne Kuokkanen, F Michael McLeod, F Yegor Sharangovich, F Miles Wood, F Pavel Zacha, D Ryan Graves, D Damon Severson, D Jonas Siegenthaler, G Mackenzie Blackwood

Key Players Exposed: F Nathan Bastian, F Andreas Johansson, D P.K. Subban

New York Islanders
Protected: F Mathew Barzal, F Anthony Beauvillier, F Cal Clutterbuck, F Anders Lee, F Matt Martin, F Brock Nelson, F Jean-Gabriel Pageau, D Adam Pelech, D Ryan Pulock, D Scott Mayfield, G Semyon Varlamov

Key Players Exposed: D Sebastian Aho, F Josh Bailey, F Kieffer Bellows, F Michael Dal Colle, F Jordan Eberle, D Thomas Hickey, F Ross Johnston, F Richard Panik

New York Rangers
Protected: F Pavel Buchnevich, F Filip Chytil, F Chris Kreider, F Artemi Panarin, F Kevin Rooney, F Ryan Strome, F Mika Zibanejad, D Libor Hajek, D Ryan Lindgren, D Jacob Trouba, G Alexandar Georgiev

Key Players Exposed: F Colin Blackwell, D Anthony DeAngelo, F Julien Gauthier

Ottawa Senators
Protected: F Drake Batherson, F Connor Brown, F Logan Brown, F Nick Paul, F Brady Tkachuk, F Austin Watson, F Colin White, D Thomas Chabot, D Victor Mete, D Nikita Zaitsev, G Filip Gustavsson

Key Players Exposed: F Vitaly Abramov, D Josh Brown, G Joey Daccord, F Evgenii Dadonov, G Matt Murray, F Chris Tierney

Philadelphia Flyers
Protected: F Nicolas Aube-Kubel, F Sean Couturier, F Claude Giroux, F Kevin Hayes, F Travis Konecny, F Scott Laughton, F Oskar Lindblom, D Ryan Ellis, D Ivan Provorov, D Travis Sanheim, G Carter Hart

Key Players Exposed: D Justin Braun, D Shayne Gostisbehere, D Robert Hagg, F James van Riemsdyk, F Jakub Voracek

Pittsburgh Penguins 
Protected: F Teddy Blueger, F Jeff Carter, F Sidney Crosby, F Jake Guentzel, F Kasperi Kapanen, F Evgeni Malkin, F Bryan Rust, D Brian Dumoulin, D Kris Letang, D Mike Matheson, G Tristan Jarry

Key Players Exposed: G Casey DeSmith, D Marcus Pettersson, F Brandon Tanev, F Jason Zucker

San Jose Sharks
Protected: F Rudolfs Balcers, F Logan Couture, F Jonathan Dahlen, F Tomas Hertl, F Evander Kane, F Kevin Labanc, F Timo Meier, D Brent Burns, D Erik Karlsson, D Marc-Edouard Vlasic, G Adin Hill

Key Players Exposed: D Ryan Donato, F Dylan Gambrell, G Martin Jones, F Matthew Nieto, D Radim Simek

St. Louis Blues
Protected: F Ivan Barbashev, F Jordan Kyrou, F Ryan O’Reilly, F David Perron, F Brayden Schenn, F Oskar Sundqvist, F Robert Thomas, D Justin Faulk, D Torey Krug, D Colton Parayko, G Jordan Binnington

Key Players Exposed: F Sammy Blais, D Robert Bortuzzo, F Kyle Clifford, D Vince Dunn, D Niko Mikkola, F Zach Sanford, D Marco Scandella, F Vladimir Tarasenko 

Tampa Bay Lightning 
Protected: F Anthony Cirelli, F Nikita Kucherov, F Brayden Point, F Steven Stamkos, D Erik Cernak, D Victor Hedman, D Ryan McDonagh, D Mikhail Sergachev, G Andrei Vasilevskiy

Key Players Exposed: F Ross Colton, D Cal Foote, F Yanni Gourde, F Tyler Johnson, F Mathieu Joseph, F Alex Killorn, F Ondrej Palat

Toronto Maple Leafs 
Protected: F Mitch Marner, F Auston Matthews, F William Nylander, F John Tavares, D T.J. Brodie, D Justin Holl, D Jake Muzzin, D Morgan Rielly, G Jack Campbell

Key Players Exposed: D Travis Dermott, F Pierre Engvall, F Alexander Kerfoot, F Jared McCann

Vancouver Canucks
Protected: F Brock Boeser, F Jason Dickinson, F Bo Horvat, F J.T. Miller, F Tyler Motte, F Tanner Pearson, F Elias Pettersson, D Olli Juolevi, D Tyler Myers, D Nate Schmidt, G Thatcher Demko

Key Players Exposed: D Madison Bowey, F Loui Eriksson, F Jonah Gadjovich, F Matthew Highmore, G Braden Holtby, F Kole Lind, F Antoine Roussel, F Jake Virtanen

Washington Capitals
Protected: F Nicklas Backstrom, F Lars Eller, F Evgeny Kuznetsov, F T.J. Oshie, F Daniel Sprong, F Tom Wilson, D John Carlson, D Dmitry Orlov, D Trevor van Riemsdyk, G Ilya Samsonov

Key Players Exposed: D Brenden Dillon, D Nick Jensen, D Justin Schultz, F Conor Sheary, G Vitek Vanecek

Winnipeg Jets
Protected: F Kyle Connor, F Andrew Copp, F Pierre-Luc Dubois, F Nikolaj Ehlers, F Adam Lowry, F Mark Scheifele, F Blake Wheeler, D Josh Morrissey, D Neal Pionk, D Logan Stanley, G Connor Hellebuyck

Key Players Exposed: F Mason Appleton, G Mikhail Berdin, D Dylan DeMelo, F Jansen Harkins, D Sami Niku

Calgary Flames Hire Mitch Love As AHL Coach

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The Calgary Flames have decided on a new AHL coach, hiring Mitch Love from the WHL. He replaces Cail MacLean, who will be making the jump to the NHL as an assistant this season.

Love, 37, has led the Saskatoon Blades for the last three seasons and has served as an assistant with Hockey Canada’s World Junior team for the last two years. A physical minor league defenseman, he racked up more than 1,000 penalty minutes in 365 career AHL games. In his three years with Saskatoon, the team put up a 95-44-16 record.

The Heat will add another assistant coach in the coming weeks, according to the team, joining Love and assistant Joe Cirella. MacLean and Ryan Huska, the team’s previous two head coaches, have both graduated to the NHL team, carving out a clear path for Love to follow.

Tampa Bay Lightning Win 2021 Stanley Cup Championship

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For just the second time since the turn of the century, the NHL champion reigns for a second consecutive season. The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in Game Five at home on Wednesday night, cementing their back-to-back champion status after taking home the Stanley Cup in 2020 as well. Young Ross Colton scored the only goal of the game early in the second period and his teammates played tough defense to keep Montreal off the board for a shutout win to seal it.

The 2020-21 season was far different for the Lightning, though. In 2019-20, Tampa was a wire-to-wire favorite, leading the league in goals for and finishing second in goal differential, which earned them a share of the third-best record in the league. This year, the Lightning had their fair share of issues along the way, finishing only third in their own division and eighth overall in the league, falling to eighth in scoring and seventh in differential. Yet, in the postseason they were even better this time around than they were last year. In the 2020 playoffs, the Bolts recorded 3.08 goals for per game and 2.28 goals against per game, finished fifth in power play and penalty kill efficiency, and required extra time to win seven games. This year, Tampa Bay notched 3.26 goals for per game and led the postseason with 1.96 goals against per game, finished third and fourth respectively on the power play and penalty kill, and did not need overtime to win a single game.

Though it may not explain every difference between this season and last, it is hard to argue against the x-factor this season for the Lightning being Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov, the 2020 postseason scoring leader, missed the entire regular season after undergoing off-season hip surgery. While this cost Tampa one of the best players in the league, which could explain their regular season drop-off, the added salary cap space allowed the team to keep their championship roster together against all odds. Kucherov then returned to health in time for the playoff and again led the field in scoring – and by a wide margin. Having a fresh, energized Kucherov in the lineup was key to the Bolts’ success, especially as they faced several defensively skilled teams. While opinions differ on the integrity of how Tampa Bay managed Kucherov’s injury, the team stayed within the NHL’s rules and it led to a second consecutive title. While some may also argue that the Lightning’s back-to-back Stanley Cups came in the 2020 “bubble” playoffs and following a shortened 2020-21 season, it is difficult to see this roster not finding success under normal circumstances as well. Kucherov was followed in the 2021 playoff scoring race by four teammates – Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, and Alex Killorn – to round out the top five, while Conn Smythe Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy had the best goaltending numbers of the postseason and was clutch when it mattered most, including a shutout to clinch all four series. The likes of Ondrej Palat, Anthony Cirelli, and Ryan McDonagh were also phenomenal for Tampa.

As for the other Stanley Cup finalist, the efforts of the Montreal Canadiens were valiant and will not soon be forgotten. The team with the worst regular season record in the postseason stunned two top-five teams en route to a completely improbable and unforeseen trip to the championship round. They will get a chance at revenge soon – Tampa Bay and Montreal will be back together in the Atlantic Division again next season, alongside several other top teams.

Tom Dundon Becomes Sole Owner Of Carolina Hurricanes

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The NHL’s Board of Governors has unanimously approved Tom Dundon as sole owner of the Carolina Hurricanes after he purchased all remaining minority shares. That includes those owned by the previous majority shareholder Peter Karmanos, and as the press release indicates, makes this the first time that Karmanos has not owned a piece of the franchise since 1994.

Quite simply, Dundon reiterated his desire to see the Stanley Cup return to Raleigh:

We are fortunate to have a passionate fan base that supports what we believe is a team that can compete every year for the Stanley Cup. That is the only option.

Dundon purchased a majority of the team in 2018 and restructured both the business and hockey operations departments. In the time since, the team has reached the playoffs three times, even making it as far as the Eastern Conference Final in 2018-19. The group of players currently on the roster has made an impactful connection with a rejuvenated fan base, while franchise icon Rod Brind’Amour quickly became one of the most beloved head coaches in team history.

Once again, Dundon will be asked to make a financial commitment to the team this summer as they currently have just 12 players under contract for next season. Young star Andrei Svechnikov is a restricted free agent for the first time, while veteran leaders like Jordan Martinook, Dougie Hamilton, and Petr Mrazek are all unrestricted free agents. Though it is unlikely all of those names will be returning, the Hurricanes are in a strong position to take advantage of the free agent market and add some support to their strong foundational pieces.

Lou Lamoriello Wins Second Consecutive GM Of The Year Award

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For the second year in a row, the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award belongs to the New York Islanders’ Lou Lamoriello. The long-time NHL executive is the first ever two-time winner of the award. Lamoriello beat out fellow playoff semifinalist Marc Bergevin of the Montreal Canadiens and Bill Zito of the upstart Florida Panthers for the honor this season. Bergevin actually outpaced Lamoriello in first-place votes by one, but had far fewer second-place votes.

Unlike most awards, the Jim Gregory Award is voted on after the second round of the playoffs as opposed to before they begin. As a result, his Islanders’ upset of the top-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins and favorite Boston Bruins to win the East Division, all without ever facing an elimination game, certainly came into play. As for the moves that earned Lamoriello the award this year, it started last season when he acquired Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Andy Greene. He was able to re-sign both of those players, who have played key roles all season. Lamoriello then added a pair of veterans again at the trad deadline this year, acquiring Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac from the New Jersey Devils. Palmieri has been one of the top goal scorers of the postseason to this point.

Lamoriello adds his second GM of the Year Award to a trophy shelf that already sports three Stanley Cups, a World Cup Gold Medal, a Lester Patrick Award, and induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame and United States Hockey Hall of Fame. He hopes to add a third Cup to the tally this postseason and, even at 78 years old, will try to catch David Poile for the most GM wins in NHL history.

Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon Tests Positive For COVID-19

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The good news: the NHL released another empty COVID Protocol Related Absences list today, indicating that no one from the Montreal Canadiens nor the opposing Vegas Golden Knights was infected in relation to Montreal head coach Dominique Ducharme testing positive. The bad news: another prominent non-player in the series has now tested positive.

TVA’s Renaud Lavoie was the first to report that Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon has tested positive for COVID-19. The team has stated that McCrimmon is self-isolating and will follow the NHL’s COVID Protocol and all other local health policies. McCrimmon traveled to Montreal for Game Three of the semifinal series and, if his positive test is confirmed, will be there for some time. Ducharme was placed in a mandated 14-day isolation following his positive test on Friday.

The timing of this positive test for McCrimmon looks especially bad given that he and President George McPhee were shown on Friday night’s television broadcast in a suite without masks, in violation of the league’s COVID Protocol. The NHL has reportedly already spoken to the team about this issue, but now that it has coincided with a positive test there has to at least be discussion about a fine, much like how the Washington Capitals were fined when their COVID Protocol violation led to two players being infected. Granted, this is fortunately not a case of a player catching the virus, but the optics are still poor, especially with the league and the Canadian government making exceptions to try to preserve the structure and integrity of the postseason.

The anxious waiting will now continue for another day or two to ensure that there still has been no spread to the locker rooms. In the meantime, Game Four will proceed as scheduled on Sunday night, as will travel back to Las Vegas.

San Jose Sharks Sign Jeffrey Viel, Jonatan Dahlen, Nicolas Meloche

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The San Jose Sharks have come to terms with three young players, signing Jeffrey Viel, Jonatan Dahlen, and Nicolas Meloche. Viel has inked a two-year, two-way contract, while Dahlen will be coming to North America on a one-year one-way contract. Meloche will be back on a one-year, two-way deal, the same structure he spent 2019-20 on. All three contracts will carry an average annual value of $750K, the league minimum.

In the Viel release, Sharks GM Doug Wilson explained why they re-signed the 24-year-old forward:

Jeff showed his compete level last season, playing a hard-nosed, physical game. He is a player who has great character and leadership qualities, being a former captain of his junior team, and we feel that he will push to make the jump to the NHL. We are happy to have him in our organization.

The undrafted winger managed to grind his way up through the minor leagues in San Jose, earning an NHL contract in 2019 after a full season with the San Jose Barracuda. The bang-and-crash forward ended up playing 11 games this year for the Sharks, though he failed to register a single point. He did however rack up 23 penalty minutes, one of his calling cards through junior and the AHL. On a two-year deal, he’ll bring a physical presence to the fourth line whenever needed.

Dahlen is the opposite, a high draft pick whose game is predicated on offensive skill. The 23-year-old was originally a draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, but found his way to San Jose through trade via the Vancouver Canucks. The last two seasons playing for Timra in the Swedish second league, Dahlen has racked up 148 points in 96 games, earning Forward of the Year honors both years. Wilson also released a statement on him:

Jonathan went back to Sweden this past year with goals of being the captain for his team and winning the championship in the Allsvenskan. He delivered on his promises by being the MVP and leading scorer in the league and matured in his path to success. He will take this experience he has earned and challenge for a spot in the NHL.

The fact that the Sharks GM specifically mentioned competing for an NHL spot is interesting because the lack of an opportunity at that level is what many believed kept Dahlen in Sweden. He did play one season in the AHL during the 2018-19 campaign, scoring 33 points in 57 games, but still has not made his NHL debut. Perhaps that will come now after his two dominant campaigns.

Meloche, 23, made his NHL debut and played in seven games for the Sharks this season, spending the rest of the year in the AHL where he has been for the past four years. A second-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2015, he arrived in the Sharks system thanks to a 2019 trade for Antoine Bibeau. Wilson hinted at what comes next for the young defenseman:

Nicolas is a steady, reliable presence on the blueline. He continued his development last season with the Barracuda and the Sharks and improved over the course of the season. We feel that he is ready to compete for a spot in our lineup in the NHL.

Competing for a spot on the Sharks blueline certainly isn’t easy, given how much money they already have invested in it. Even at the bottom, Mario Ferraro and Nikolai Knyzhov were both full-time players on entry-level contracts, not leaving a lot of room for competition. That perhaps suggests that there could be some changes coming, but as it stands, Meloche will be hard-pressed to land a full-time roster spot in 2021-22.

Tampa Bay’s LTIR Usage Investigated By NHL, No Wrongdoing Found

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As could have reasonably been expected, the Tampa Bay Lightning have faced some criticism of their handling of the salary cap this season, especially as they race toward what could very likely be back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships. The Lightning employed the Long-Term Injured Reserve to keep forward Nikita Kucherov off the pay roll for the entire 2020-21 regular season, allowing them to re-sign other players and add at the trade deadline by using the entirety of his $9.5MM cap hit as added space. Then, when the postseason began and the salary cap was no longer a factor, the 2018-19 Hart Trophy winner was ready to return, looking fresh and looking no worse for wear. At best, the timing of it all was extremely lucky. At worst, it was salary cap circumvention.

Defending his team against these allegations, Tampa GM Julien BriseBois tells Sportsnet’s Josh Beneteau that the NHL did in fact investigate the club’s LTIR usage and found that they had not broken any rules.  The league had issued a warning earlier this season, with an unusually high number of teams using the LTIR, that they would be monitoring those transactions and would investigate. This was the case with Kucherov, but nothing about the Bolts’ actual transactions raised any alarms. After all, the LTIR, for all intents and purposes, is a legal form of circumvention. If other clubs are upset with how it is being used, it is an area that will need to be addressed in the next CBA negotiation in 2026.

However, the vast majority of complaints were not how the LTIR itself is structured or was used by Tampa, but rather the suspicious timing of Kucherov’s rehab lasting through the entire regular season but not into any of the postseason. BriseBois noted that this too had to be proven to the league. “We had to be able to justify the surgery, the rehab time, (and) the return to play clearance,” he told Beneteau. “Sometimes the stars align for you,” he added, qualifying what others believed to be a designed manipulation of the LTIR system. If the NHL was convinced that the timing was just right, then other teams and fans alike should be as well. BriseBois is right though – the team certainly got lucky and that luck might just lead them to another title.

Canada Approves Border Exemption For NHL Playoff Teams

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The Canadian government and the NHL didn’t let the weekend stop them from continuing work on a resolution to allow NHL teams to bypass current border restrictions. With the North Division finals potentially ending as early as Monday night, an agreement has been made to allow the victor to travel for road games to the United States and for American teams to cross into Canada. CBC News was the first to report that a federal travel exemption has been enacted for the final two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

As one might have expected, the exception to Canada’ strict quarantine policies comes with its own set of public health safeguards. All team members crossing into Canada, Canadian and American teams alike, will be subject to pre- and post-arrival COVID testing. Team must use private air travel and will be restricted to a “bubble” while in Canada that includes the team hotel and arena. Players are asked to limit all interaction with the general public during this time and to follow all local health guidelines.

The way that the NHL’s postseason has shaken out in terms of regular season standings and playoff scheduling, the next round is already somewhat set. The North Division winner (Montreal is up 2-0 on Winnipeg) will travel to the West Division winner (Colorado is up 2-1 on Vegas) to open up the next round. As a result, these rules that the two sides have worked so hard to hammer out may only apply to just one trip. The West Division winner, should they win the series in four or five games, would only need to travel into Canada once. However, anything beyond that, including a North Division team advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, could mean several trips.

This resolution is a far superior result than the alternative for the Canadian teams, who otherwise would have had to play at adopted American location. Instead, they will be able to have home games with a limited home crowd in the next round. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly expressed his gratitude that an agreement on an exemption could be reached, keeping all teams on an even playing field and protecting the integrity of the postseason.

2020-21 Selke Trophy Finalists Announced

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The NHL has announced the finalists for yet another of its end of the year awards, the Frank J. Selke Trophy. Always a hotly-contested and highly-debated award, the Selke Trophy is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association on the basis of “the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.” The 2020-21 finalists are Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov, Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, and Vegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone.

Bergeron should of course come as no surprise. The Bruins captain is a finalist for a record tenth consecutive year and one of only two four-time winners in league history, alongside Bob Gainey who won the award in each of the first four seasons that it existed. Considered by some to be the best defensive forward to ever play the game, Bergeron is always a safe bet to be a Selke contender, especially when he again led the league at the face-off dot this season, recording a 62.5% winning percentage. Bergeron also led the NHL in total face-offs won, while leading the Bruins forwards in blocked shots, short-handed time on ice, and career-best possession stats.

With that said, some wondered if Bergeron was even the best defensive forward on his own team this year with the success that Brad Marchand had forcing turnovers, checking, and recording a league-leading seven short-handed points, not to mention leading all non-Oilers in league scoring. If Bergeron faced competition even on his own team, perhaps the door is open for one of the other finalists to prevent him from taking home a record fifth Selke win.

Barkov led a resurgent Panthers team to the postseason this year, topping all Florida forwards in ice time, takeaways, and possession, as well as points per game, and was second in blocked shots. Barkov finished in the top-15 league-wide in face-offs taken, won, and percentage. A first-time Selke finalist, Barkov has nevertheless established himself as one of the best defensive forwards in the league right now and his candidacy is long overdue.

As for Stone, he is looking to become the first winger to win the Selke since Jere Lehtinen did so three times, the last coming in 2002-03. A takeaway machine, no player in the NHL has forced more turnovers during Stone’s career, as he led the league for the fifth time again this year. Stone led all Knights forwards in time on ice and finished third in short-handed time on ice per game and blocked shots per game. Stone also led all forwards in points and plus/minus. However, Stone faces an uphill battle to win without any face-off contributions and he may also be dinged for not being more engaged in the checking game, trailing Bergeron and Barkov in hits per game despite his considerable size advantage.

Other than Marchand, other potential snubs include recent winners Sean Couturier and Ryan O’Reilly, while some felt that Sidney Crosby deserved recognition for what was arguably the best two-way season of his storied career. However, few will argue that the PHWA didn’t settle on the right choices for the top three this year.

 

 

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