The opening week of March featured quite a few notable headlines across the NHL which are highlighted in our key stories.
Stepan’s Season Over: Senators center Derek Stepan had been in trade speculation for the past several weeks. It was the likely outcome for a team that was expected to flip him to a contender and they were hoping to get him back to the United States where he could be with his family. He’ll be able to rejoin them now but not by a trade as it was confirmed that he will miss the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. Stepan’s season ends with just one goal and five assists in 20 games, hardly the level of production he was hoping to have in his final year before becoming an unrestricted free agent. All of a sudden, Stepan goes from potentially being one of the better centers available to one that will simply be looking to have a bounce-back year.
Tarasenko Returns: Forget about waiting to see what the Blues are able to do at the trade deadline. No, their best acquisition came on Saturday when Vladimir Tarasenko, their top winger, was activated off LTIR and made his season debut that night. The 29-year-old has been one of the more dangerous scoring threats in the league when he is healthy and will give a St. Louis attack that’s already tied for third in the league in goals scored another level. With several other players on LTIR, no corresponding cap-clearing move was required.
Seabrook Hangs Them Up: Heading into the season, Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook was expected to return but was ruled as unavailable with no timeline for a return. As it turns out, there won’t be a return after all. Instead, the 35-year-old announced that his playing days have come to an end due to a lingering hip issue. Seabrook was a key cog on Chicago’s back end for parts of 15 seasons, playing in over 1,100 career regular season games plus another 123 in the playoffs where he helped lead the team to three Stanley Cup titles. He remains under contract through 2023-24 and hasn’t officially retired which means he will be on LTIR for the rest of this season plus the next three although Chicago will be able to spend over the cap to replace him.
Calgary Changes Coaches: With the Flames scuffling and sitting on the outside looking in at a playoff spot, Geoff Ward’s tenure as head coach appeared to be tenuous and ultimately came to an end as he was relieved of his duties. While that may not have been too much of a shock, what was quite surprising was his replacement as Darryl Sutter was brought back for a second stint with Calgary, signing a three-year contract. The 62-year-old was behind the bench with the Flames from 2002 through 2006 during which the team made it to the Stanley Cup Final. Notably, he’s a direct contrast from Ward’s coaching style as it appears that GM Brad Treliving believes a stricter bench boss will bring out the best from his underachievers. Sutter had to go through quarantine before joining the team so his debut won’t come until they start a two-game set against Montreal on Thursday.
Wilson Suspended: Capitals winger Tom Wilson drew the ire of the Department of Player Safety again from a boarding incident on Friday night against Boston on a hit on Brandon Carlo. While boarding penalties themselves typically don’t carry hefty suspensions, Wilson’s track record suggested a sizable one would be coming. In the end, the league handed him a seven-game ban, one he has opted not to appeal. It’s the fifth suspension of his career and will cost him over $311K in salary, an amount that would have been substantially higher had it not been more than two years since his previous suspension.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Why would Wilson not appeal, is there a downside?