While the roster freeze came into effect with little fanfare, there was still quite a bit of significant news around the league. Here are the top stories from the past seven days.
Hakstol Fired In Philadelphia: Less than 24 hours after the Flyers issued a statement saying that Dave Hakstol was their head coach, the team had a change of heart and fired their bench boss. Scott Gordon, their AHL head coach, was named as Hakstol’s replacement on an interim basis with the expectation that he will be in the role for the remainder of the season. While there were multiple reports suggesting Joel Quenneville was going to be their hire, it appears they’ll be making a decision on whether or not that will indeed be the case in the offseason.
Flyers Seeking Goaltending Help: With his first move as GM now done, Chuck Fletcher has turned his focus to the trade market and is looking for help between the pipes. Goaltending has been a concern for Philadelphia all season long with Brian Elliott injured, Michal Neuvirth battling injury issues of his own for most of the season (and struggling when healthy) while youngster Anthony Stolarz is on IR as well. The team recalled top prospect Carter Hart and has given him his first NHL action but considering that this is his first professional season, he needs more development time at the AHL level.
Concussion For Crawford: Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford missed most of last year and the beginning of this season with a concussion. Unfortunately for him and the team, he has sustained another one and is out indefinitely. While there’s no word about the severity yet, head coach Jeremy Colliton indicated that the organization is “concerned” about this new concussion and given how long he was out with the last one, it’s safe to assume that they will be erring on the side of caution and won’t be rushing him back into the lineup. Cam Ward will take over as the starter for the time being while youngster Collin Delia has been brought up from the minors.
Berglund’s Contract Terminated: Patrik Berglund’s time in Buffalo has come to an end. After being suspended indefinitely last weekend, the Sabres placed him on unconditional waivers, paving the way for them to terminate his contract which they did on Thursday. This appears to be a mutual agreement compared to the method that Tampa Bay used to terminate Jake Dotchin’s deal back in training camp. As a result, Berglund is walking away from a little over $12.5MM in salary over the remaining term of his contract which ran through the 2021-22 season. Buffalo is not on the hook for any further salary cap commitments to him which gives them considerably more flexibility moving forward.
Ottawa’s Arena Deal Is Off: While it appeared like Ottawa’s deal was heading off the rails when team owner Eugene Melnyk sued arena partner John Ruddy, it’s officially off the table now. Just one day after Ruddy filed a countersuit, the National Capital Commission has opted to terminate the preferred proponent term sheet and begin a new process for the redevelopment of the LeBreton Flats in the downtown core. The Senators have been seeking a new home closer to the downtown core but instead, it appears they’ll remain in Kanata for the foreseeable future.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.