2021 was certainly another eventful year, both on and off the rink. Over the coming days, PHR will wrap up our look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis. Next up is a look at November.
Coaching News: Interim Blackhawks Kyle Davidson wasted little time making a big splash as he fired head coach Jeremy Colliton. Chicago posted a 87-92-26 record with the 36-year-old behind the bench, a record that didn’t really turn their fortunes around. Their lone playoff appearance was in the bubble with the expanded format and despite the fact that former GM Stan Bowman made some big additions over the summer (defensemen Seth Jones and Jake McCabe plus goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury), they got off to a 1-9-2 start, prompting the change. Derek King was named as interim head coach.
Meanwhile, while the Avalanche got off to a bit of a slow start themselves, GM Joe Sakic gave head coach Jared Bednar a vote of confidence with a two-year extension through the 2023-24 season. He’s in his sixth season behind the bench in Colorado and the Avs have had four straight playoff appearances including three straight second-round trips. However, that’s as far as they have gotten and expectations will certainly be high in the second half of the season as with many expiring contracts on the horizon, the team they bring back next season may not be as strong as this year’s edition.
Eichel Traded: While it took a lot longer than pretty much everyone would have hoped, Jack Eichel was finally on the move as he was traded to Vegas along with a 2023 third-round pick in exchange for winger Alex Tuch, center Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2023 second-round selection. There was no salary cap retention on any player involved in the swap. Eichel underwent his desired disk replacement surgery soon after the swap and he is already back on the ice, working his way towards a return. The Golden Knights now have a top center in the fold although they have some salary cap challenges ahead once their team is fully healthy as well. Meanwhile, Krebs and Tuch represent longer-term building blocks for Buffalo who will be extending their rebuild for a while longer.
Another Record-Breaker: Miro Heiskanen set a new record for the highest AAV given to a defenseman coming off an entry-level contract. That lasted a few days until Cale Makar broke it. And now, there’s a new mark to reach as Rangers defenseman Adam Fox signed a seven-year, $66.5MM extension. The deal carries a $9.5MM AAV and has trade protection in each of the last four seasons, the only ones eligible since those are the only UFA-eligible years. Fox was the Norris Trophy winner last season and is certainly going to be in the mix for the award again this year as he sits third in scoring among all NHL blueliners with 39 points in 39 games.
GM Departures: Long-time Ducks GM Bob Murray was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into professional conduct. The next day, he tendered his resignation and indicated he’d enroll in an alcohol abuse program. Murray had been Anaheim’s general manager since taking over partway through the 2008-09 season, making him one the longest-tenured in that role in the league. Jeff Solomon is currently the interim GM although Anaheim is now starting the process of looking for a full-time replacement (with Solomon among those in consideration).
Late in the month, the Canadiens made a front office change as well, dismissing GM Marc Bergevin along with long-time top scout Trevor Timmins. It was quite the change of fortunes for Bergevin who just months earlier had been engaged in talks on a contract extension following Montreal’s surprising run to the Stanley Cup Final last summer. Former Rangers GM Jeff Gorton was brought in to head up a new-look front office. Montreal operated without a GM for the past month and a half until today’s hiring of Kent Hughes.
Hughes Extension: The first two years of Jack Hughes’ career with New Jersey were fairly quiet as far as first-overall picks go. However, that didn’t stop the Devils from pursuing a long-term extension with him and they were able to get a deal done, one that will pay the 20-year-old $64MM over the next eight seasons. The deal will make him the highest-paid forward on the Devils and if he can get to the top-line level that he was projected to reach just a few years ago, this deal has an opportunity to become a team-friendly one towards the end. The contract buys out four years of UFA eligibility with Hughes receiving a 10-team no-trade clause in each of those. Hughes is averaging a point-per-game in his first 20 contests this season, a promising improvement over his first two seasons.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.