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Jacob De La Rose Drawing Interest In Sweden

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It’s getting difficult to ignore the noise coming out of Sweden as it pertains to St. Louis Blues forward Jacob De La Rose. When rumor first came out that his former SHL club Leksands IF was hoping to bring their homegrown product back overseas, it was largely dismissed. Now, the latest report indicates that a bidding war could be coming for De La Rose’s services, one that could convince him to leave the NHL behind.

Swedish news source Expressen reports that De La Rose has officially received a three-year contract offer from Farjestad BK, a perennial power house in Sweden. While Leksands finished higher that Farjestad in the regular season standings this year, both clubs exited in the quarterfinals. Farjestad has already gotten off to a hot start this off-season too, inking De La Rose’s fellow NHL forward Joakim Nygard to a long-term deal. If De La Rose believes that he can contend for an SHL title year in and year out, he may not be able to resist joining Farjestad. However, Leksands is not ready to lie down. Expressen adds that the club is prepared to offer a “significantly larger” contract in financial terms.

Is De La Rose ready to accept a deal from either Leksands or Farjestad though? Doing so could mean the end of his NHL career; at 26, if the bidding war results in both clubs offering increased term, De La Rose would have to be content with leaving North America behind. His usage in 2020-21 – just 13 games for the Blues – is certainly not what the veteran forward is looking for. However, De La Rose had played in at least 50 NHL games in each of the three prior seasons and has established himself as a useful bottom-six forward who occasionally flashes top-six talent. A restricted free agent this summer, De La Rose may be more inclined to leave for Sweden if the Blues retain his rights with a qualifying offer. Otherwise, he may give the NHL’s open market a long look before making a decision. Of course, if the bidding war in Sweden gets to a financial point where it doesn’t make sense to stay in North America, De La Rose could make his commitment sooner rather than later.

Snapshots: Rutherford, Urquhart, COVID Protocol

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It sure doesn’t sound as though former Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford is done with hockey. The 72-year-old Hall of Fame executive left the Penguins abruptly back in January and it felt as though it could be the end of an illustrious front office career. However, it didn’t take long for speculation to mount that Rutherford wanted to get back into the management game. Now, his interest is official. PBI Sports Agency has announced that they now officially represent Rutherford, who is looking for new “NHL management opportunities.” The GM and President of the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes for 20 years and GM and Executive Vice President of the Penguins for another seven, not to mention considerable time spent in the OHL, there are few in hockey with as much front office experience as Rutherford. If he wants a new job in the league, PBI shouldn’t have a hard time finding him one.

  • San Diego Gulls assistant coach David Urquhart is moving to the college game and returning to his old stomping grounds. The Anaheim Ducks’ affiliate has announced that Urquhart has accepted the head coach position at McGill University, where he was an assistant for four years before joining the Gulls in 2018. Urquhart also played at McGill and was one the rare four-year Canadian collegiate players to go on to have an extended pro career, playing three seasons in the AHL and another three in Italy. While USports pales in comparison to its American counterpart, the NCAA, McGill is one of its most highly regarded institutions and based in a high-publicity area in Montreal. While Urquhart’s move was clearly impacted by loyalty to his university, it could also lead to greater heights in his career, especially if he finds success in his first head coaching position.
  • The NHL is loosening it’s COVID Protocol restrictions as it relates to fans. With many playoff teams having already received permission from local authorities to host increasing amounts of fans, the league is moving forward with improving that spectator experience. The NHL has announced that, beginning in the second round, fans will no longer be required to wear masks at games. Individual teams may still enforce a mask mandate if local health policies insist, but the league will no longer do the same. Additionally, the glass behind the penalty boxes and benches, initially removed to allow for more breathing room for teams, can also be removed if teams are 85% vaccinated. This will be the case for most remaining American teams.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 05/28/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in the COVID-19 Protocol. Here is today’s list:

Colorado – Jayson Megna
Vegas – Brayden McNabb

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Peyton Krebs, Ryan Reaves, Vegas Golden Knights

It’s good (but not the best) news for the Golden Knights, who have Reaves and Krebs available to insert into the lineup for tonight’s game seven if they choose. Unfortunately, McNabb will still be unavailable for the team as they try to stay alive and keep the Minnesota Wild from making an impressive series comeback.

*denotes new addition

Spencer Carbery Wins AHL Coach Of The Year

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Barry Trotz. Jon Cooper. Bruce Cassidy. All three of these coaches have their NHL teams through the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. All three also won the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award as Coach of the Year in the American Hockey League. The group of winners also includes several other current (or interim) NHL head coaches like Peter Laviolette, Jeff Blashill, John Hynes, and Don Granato. It’s not a guarantee of an NHL future, but it certainly suggests one.

This year, the award has been given to Spencer Carbery, head coach of the Hershey Bears. The 39-year-old former ECHL player has quickly climbed the coaching ranks in the minor league, going from assistant coach of the South Carolina Stingrays in 2011 to AHL Coach of the Year in 2021. The path that Carbery is on will take him to the NHL one day, but for now, he is finding great success with the Bears.

Over three seasons with Hershey, Carbery has led the team to a 104-50-17 record and very well could have won the Calder Cup with the group he had in 2019-20. That success is nothing new. During his time as head coach of the Stingrays, he went 207-115-38 and made the playoffs in all five seasons. Had there been playoffs in the AHL over the last two seasons, his Hershey club would also have made it each year of his tenure.

Even with this latest award, don’t look for Carbery’s name to be on the market anytime soon. In April, the Capitals announced multi-year contract extensions with him and his coaching staff, noting that Carbery had built a “culture of success” with the minor league program.

Snapshots: Ducks, Kings, Desruisseaux

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The Anaheim Ducks will not be making any changes at the general manager or head coaching positions, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic. Ducks GM Bob Murray indicated today that both he and Dallas Eakins will return for the 2021-22 season, despite the struggles the team has gone through on the ice. The team finished 17-30-9 on the season but do have some nice building blocks in young players like Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale.

Eakins, who now has an 82-126-32 record as an NHL head coach, is only signed through next season. With the team going through a rebuild, it seems as though he may end up being the sacrificial coach before a more experienced or successful name is brought in to really compete. Of course, if the Ducks turn things around and make the playoffs next year that could all change.

  • The Los Angeles Kings have made four additions to their hockey operations staff hiring Ryan Kruse as Vice President of Research and Development, Jake Goldberg as Senior Director of Hockey Operations, Vukie Mpofu as Manager of Hockey Operations, and Legal Affairs and Rosie Yu as Software Engineer for Research and Development. The group has a varied history, but in terms of NHL experience, Goldberg is coming from the Arizona Coyotes where he served as Director of Hockey Operations and Assistant to the General Manager.
  • The Laval Rocket have announced a one-year, two-way minor league contract for Cedric Desruisseaux, who will join the club for the 2021-22 season. Though he stands only 5’8″ 165-lbs, Desruisseaux dominated the QMJHL this season, recording 42 goals and 78 points in 40 games. That easily led the league in both categories, though the undrafted 21-year-old will have a much tougher time putting up those kinds of numbers in professional hockey. Still, he’ll get a chance to show what he can do in the Rocket organization.

Oilers’ Joakim Nygard Signs In Sweden

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May 28: Now that the Oilers have been eliminated, swept out of the first round by the Winnipeg Jets, Nygard can go home. Farjestad has announced that he will return and that it is a record-breaking six-year deal. The 28-year-old will likely never suit up in the NHL again, given the length of the contract.

May 24: The Edmonton Oilers are on the brink of elimination, but are technically still alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, that hasn’t stopped Joakim Nygard (or at least his camp) from looking ahead. Swedish news source Afton Bladet reports that Nygard, an impending unrestricted free agent, has received a “super contract” offer from his former SHL club, Farjestad BK. It is believed that the offer carries a five- or six-year term, all but ending the 28-year-old’s NHL career if he accepts.

Although Farjestad GM Peter Jakobsson would not confirm that Nygard had accepted an offer, seeing as he remains under contract with Edmonton, he did confirm the concrete interest and stated that they “obviously want” Nygard back. The forward spent eight years with the club before jumping to North America in 2019 and even returned briefly on loan early this season while awaiting the start of the delayed NHL season. With such tight ties to the club, it makes sense that Afton Bladet reports he has spurned other offers from around Europe and remains interested only in Farjestad or remaining in the NHL.

After the season that Nygard has had, all odds point to a return to Sweden. The quick winger enjoyed a nice start to his NHL career last season with nine points in 33 games, but the Oilers seemingly did not feel that he was worthy of an extended look in his second season. Nygard skated in just nine games with Edmonton and was held scoreless. He spent the remainder of the campaign watching from the press box, even as the team struggled with secondary scoring, and has yet to appear in the postseason. Without having proved much in the league, and having cleared waivers as well, there likely won’t be much interest in Nygard this off-season. With a substantial offer on the table back home, it seems like a no-brainer for Nygard barring an unexpected and mindset-shifting offer from someone else.

Second Round Of Stanley Cup Playoffs Will Start On Saturday

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May 28: Now that the Hurricanes have defeated the Predators, there is a start time for their upcoming series against the Lightning. Carolina and Tampa Bay will kick things off on Sunday, May 30 at 5pm ET.

May 27: The NHL has announced that the second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin on Saturday, May 29. The Boston Bruins and New York Islanders will kick things off at 8pm ET. On Sunday, May 30, the Colorado Avalanche will take on the winner of the Minnesota Wild-Vegas Golden Knights, who are set to play their game seven on Friday.

The two other series, which will include the Winnipeg Jets taking on the winner of Toronto-Montreal and the Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the winner of Carolina-Nashville do not yet have start dates. The Maple Leafs could end their North Division series tonight with a win, while the Hurricanes will try to knock out the Predators afterward.

Interestingly, should the Canadiens push the series further, the sixth game will be on Saturday and seventh on Monday, while the second round has already begun. If the Maple Leafs end it tonight, things would be able to get lined up pretty well for the NHL. Even if Nashville stays alive tonight, the Central Division series will be over by Saturday night’s game seven.

Full 2021 List Of Expiring Draft Rights

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When drafting a player out of North America or any European country with a transfer agreement, a team acquires their exclusive negotiating rights for a set amount of time. Each year on June 1, a long list of players see those rights expire and become unrestricted free agents (or choose to re-enter the draft, depending on specific circumstances). This year, even though many other NHL deadlines have been shifted, June 1 will still act as the threshold for expiring draft rights.

While this doesn’t always result in a flurry of signings in the last week of May, there are usually a few players who ink their deals at the last minute to stay in the organization that drafted them. With the deadline set for 4:00 pm CT next Tuesday, CapFriendly has provided a full list of players who will see those rights expire:

Arizona Coyotes

Filip Westerlund (44th overall, 2017)
Erik Walli Walterholm (190th overall, 2017)

Buffalo Sabres

Marcus Davidsson (37th overall, 2017)

Calgary Flames

Filip Sveningsson (202nd overall, 2017)

Carolina Hurricanes

Ville Rasanen (197th overall, 2017)

Chicago Blackhawks

Roope Laavainen (119th overall, 2017)
Cole Moberg (194th overall, 2019)

Colorado Avalanche

Sasha Mutala (140th overall, 2019)
Luka Burzan (171st overall, 2019)

Dallas Stars

Nicholas Porco (142nd overall, 2019)

Detroit Red Wings

Malte Setkov (100th overall, 2017)

Florida Panthers

Henry Rybinski (136th overall, 2019)

Montreal Canadiens

Joni Ikonen (58th overall, 2017)
Jacob LeGuerrier (126th overall, 2019)
Kieran Ruscheinski (206th overall, 2019)

New York Islanders

Felix Bibeau (178th overall, 2019)
Cole Coskey (209th overall, 2019)

New York Rangers

Calle Sjalin (145th overall, 2017)

Ottawa Senators

Viktor Lodin (94th overall, 2019)

Philadelphia Flyers

Yegor Serdyuk (165th overall, 2019)
Roddy Ross (169th overall, 2019)

Pittsburgh Penguins 

Antti Palojarvi (186th overall, 2017)

St. Louis Blues

Anton Andersson (206th overall, 2017)
Jeremy Michel (217th overall, 2019)

Tampa Bay Lightning

Quinn Schmiemann (182nd overall, 2019)

Vancouver Canucks

Ethan Keppen (122nd overall, 2019)

Washington Capitals

Sebastian Walfridsson (151st overall, 2017)
Kristian Roykas Marthinsen (213th overall, 2017)

Winnipeg Jets

Santeri Virtanen (105th overall, 2017)

Vegas Golden Knights

Mason Primeau (141st overall, 2019)

Many of these players have already signed contracts in Europe (or, in the case of Andersson, retired from hockey altogether) suggesting they won’t be inking NHL deals by next week. Many others will simply become unrestricted free agents or sign minor league contracts to stay with the organization that drafted them.

Matt Tomkins Signs In SHL

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The Chicago Blackhawks will bid farewell to one of their depth goaltenders, as Matt Tomkins has signed a one-year contract with Frolunda of the SHL. Tomkins was scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer as his two-year contract came to an end. Frolunda’s goaltending coach released a statement (via Google translate):

Matt is a big and structured goalkeeper with a European style and a clear game idea. We have scouted him properly and he has made a good impression on us. It will be really fun to work with him next season and he is excited to come here.  

Now 26, the seventh-round pick never did get to the NHL, playing his entire career thus far in the minor leagues. In 15 appearances with the Rockford IceHogs this season he posted a .907 save percentage, but he never did really seem to be in the plans for the Blackhawks as they went with other, younger, netminders at the NHL level.

Frolunda meanwhile recently lost their starting goalie when Erik Kallgren signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, meaning Tomkins should have a good opportunity to play overseas. Unless he takes a huge developmental step though, the now-former Blackhawks goaltender likely won’t be considered for another NHL contract down the road.

Vegas Reassigns Cody Glass To AHL

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The Vegas Golden Knights were without Max Pacioretty, Tomas Nosek, and Ryan Reaves for their Game Six loss to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday and will likely be without at least Reaves for a crucial Game Seven on Friday after he and rookie Peyton Krebs landed on the league’s COVID Protocol list. Pacioretty and Nosek currently remain “game-time decisions”. Vegas called upon young Cody Glass to help fill the void on Wednesday and it was expected that he would remain in the lineup for as long as necessary.

Well, that might not be the case after all. Vegas has announced this evening that Glass has been demoted to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights in order to take part in their Pacific Division Final match-up. While this is a pivotal game for Henderson, down 1-0 in a best-of-three series, the Knights would not be prioritizing their farm team’s success over their own. The move indicates that Glass will not be in the lineup for Vegas on Friday, as the team would not put him on short rest if they had another choice.

How will Vegas fill the gap up front then if Reaves, Pacioretty, and Nosek are unable to go? Barring a recall of offset Glass’ reassignment, the team is actually without a healthy extra forward on the roster. This could imply that the Knights expect at least one of the injured trio to be available. The team could also employ a seven-defenseman lineup or could play defender Dylan Coghlan up front, as they have previously experimented with. Whatever the decision, the pressure is on head coach Peter DeBoer to field the right lineup to get a win or else risk another first-round upset this season. The first call that he has made is that he feels his options are all better than the 2017 No. 6 overall pick. Will it pay off?

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