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Archives for April 2022

Red Wings Will Not Bring Back Jeff Blashill Next Season

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Jeff Blashill’s contract as head coach of the Red Wings was set to expire at the end of this season and he will not be receiving another one.  The team announced that Blashill’s deal will not be renewed while Detroit is also parting ways with assistant coach Doug Houda and goaltending coach Jeff Salajko.

It’s the end of an era in Detroit as Blashill had been with the organization for more than a decade after joining them as an assistant coach back in 2011.  After a season in that role, he became the head coach at AHL Grand Rapids for three years before taking over as bench boss of the Red Wings back in 2015 following the departure of Mike Babcock to Toronto.

Blashill’s tenure behind the bench in Detroit got off to a good start as the Red Wings made the playoffs in his first season although they were ousted in five games in the opening round.  In the six seasons since then, however, they’ve yet to return to the postseason and have finished no higher than fifth in the division.  This season, the Red Wings posted a 32-40-10 record, good for sixth in the Atlantic Division but on a points percentage basis (.451), that was actually an improvement on his overall numbers at the helm of the franchise (204-261-72 for a .447 points percentage).  While rookies Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond both flourished in their first NHL season, their progress wasn’t enough for Blashill to keep his job.

There are no shortage of coaches out there for GM Steve Yzerman to consider.  If he wants a veteran bench boss, John Tortorella, Claude Julien, and Rick Tocchet could be considered.  Ben Simon, the current head coach in Grand Rapids, will likely garner consideration as well.  Meanwhile, Lane Lambert and Spencer Carbury are viewed as up-and-coming head coaches and could be options for Detroit, who will undoubtedly have other candidates in mind as well.

As for the departing assistant coaches, Houda had spent the past six seasons in that role with Detroit after serving as an assistant in Boston for ten seasons before that.  Salajko, meanwhile, also had been in his role for the last six years after being the goalie coach with the Griffins for three years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Craig Anderson Unsure If He’ll Play Next Season

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While the Sabres have indicated that they’d like to bring back goaltender Craig Anderson, the veteran isn’t ready to make that commitment just yet.  Speaking with reporters today including Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News, the 40-year-old indicated that he will take the next few weeks to decide whether or not to return for a 20th NHL campaign:

There’s life after hockey and at some point, you really have to consider what the injuries, how they’re going to affect your day-to-day post-career. I haven’t really put too much thought into it. Obviously, you’re dealing with the neck and hip. There’s some serious considerations to take into account. I haven’t thought too much into it. I think in the next two to three weeks see how things calm down. If things calm down the way I’d like them to then that’s when the thought process would kick in.

The 40-year-old made 31 starts for Buffalo this season and posted a winning record (17-12-2), an impressive feat on a non-playoff team.  His decision to join the Sabres proved to be a fruitful one for both sides as he got a chance to play regularly after being on Washington’s taxi squad for most of last season while Buffalo got a nice bargain as Anderson made the league minimum salary of $750K.

However, injuries also took their toll on Anderson as the neck injury he referenced kept him out for three months earlier in the season while the hip injury is a recent one that prevented him from playing over the last week and a half.  With over 700 career NHL appearances under his belt between the regular season and playoffs, there has been a lot of wear and tear on his body so it’s certainly understandable that he’ll want to take some time before deciding whether or not to play again.

All signs point to prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen being one of Buffalo’s two netminders next season with Buffalo wanting a veteran to pair with him.  Anderson would be a logical fit as someone that wouldn’t require a pricey multi-year commitment like many veteran unrestricted free agents would and with Buffalo still in the rebuilding stage, a short-term deal for their other goalie makes a lot of sense.  As for whether or not Anderson is willing to sign up for that, it appears that decision won’t be coming for a while yet.

Metropolitan Notes: Jenner, Werenski, Connauton, Konecny, Clutterbuck

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Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner will not require surgery for the back injury that kept him out for the final seven weeks of the season, relays Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link).  He’s expected to be able to have a full summer of training and be ready for training camp in the fall.  The 28-year-old had a strong year offensively, notching 23 goals and 21 assists in just 59 games, the highest per-game rates of his career.  While his current contract is expiring this summer, Jenner signed a four-year extension last July at the same $3.75MM price tag.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Still with Columbus, Portzline reports in a separate tweet that defenseman Zach Werenski underwent surgery this week to repair a broken nose. The procedure may keep him out of playing for the United States at the upcoming World Championships.  Werenski led all Blue Jackets blueliners in scoring this season with 11 goals and 37 assists in 68 games; his assist and point totals were both career bests.
  • Flyers defenseman Kevin Connauton told reporters, including Sam Carchidi of Philadelphia Hockey Now (Twitter link) that surgery won’t be needed on his knee injury that kept him out towards the end of the year. The 32-year-old played in 39 games this season between Florida and Philadelphia and is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
  • Flyers winger Travis Konecny has declined an invitation to play for Canada at the upcoming World Championships, notes Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 25-year-old came one assist shy of reaching his career high in assists with 36 this season but also had his lowest goals per game rate since his rookie campaign.
  • Islanders winger Cal Clutterbuck is expected to be ready to return next season, mentions Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). The 34-year-old has been out since just before the trade deadline with a shoulder injury, one that ruled out any chance of him being traded.  Instead, New York signed him to a two-year extension, one that cuts his cap hit in half from 3.5MM to $1.75MM.

Carey Price’s Playing Future Uncertain

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Canadiens goaltender Carey Price missed most of the season with knee issues dating back to offseason surgery.  While he was able to play in a handful of games – including last night – he also had to sit for nearly a week after just four games to undergo testing due to continued swelling.

Speaking at his end-of-season media availability (video link), the veteran told reporters that if the problems with his knee stay the same, he doesn’t think he will be able to come back.  To that end, he acknowledged that he approached Friday’s game against Florida as if it was his final NHL contest.

It’s not a guarantee yet that this will be the eventual outcome as Price did mention that further testing is still required and he’d be going for a second opinion on the results so there won’t be any immediate confirmation on that front.  Another surgery is an option as well and the 34-year-old isn’t ruling out going down that route which could potentially allow him to return to play.

Price has been a fixture between the pipes for Montreal since he was drafted fifth overall back in 2005.  He has spent his entire 15-year NHL career with the Canadiens and is their franchise leader in games played and wins while sitting third in shutouts.

He has four years remaining on his contract, one that carries a $10.5MM cap hit, the highest in NHL history for a goaltender.  Price admitted that if he is able to return, he doesn’t see himself being able to withstand the workload of a typical starting goaltender which would put some extra pressure on veteran backup Jake Allen, who also battled significant injury issues this season.

If Price doesn’t return, he’d become eligible to go back on LTIR which would then give them the ability to spend over the cap to bring in a replacement player.  Such a move would be difficult, however, unless he was ruled out for the entire year before the start of free agency.  If Price was to start next year on LTIR with an intention of returning, Montreal would likely have to fill his spot internally with either pending RFA Sam Montembeault or prospect Cayden Primeau forming the tandem with Allen.

After their improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final last summer, it was revealed that one of their franchise cornerstones in Shea Weber was seeing his playing days come to an end.  Not even twelve months later, it’s possible that the Canadiens will be in that situation again with their franchise netminder.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Martin St. Louis

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The Canadiens’ season was an incredibly difficult one, with the team falling from Stanley Cup Finalists in 2020-21 to last in the NHL in 2021-22. Longtime GM Marc Bergevin departed the post he had held for nearly a decade, and the team hired former Rangers GM Jeff Gorton and player agent Kent Hughes to lead their new era of hockey operations. While the Canadiens still managed to lose enough to finish dead last in the league, the arrival of Martin St. Louis as interim head coach injected some much-needed life and optimism to the team. Now as their season concludes, it looks as though St. Louis’ time as Canadiens coach is set to continue. As relayed by Sportsnet’s Eric Engels,  St. Louis “will be back” as the Canadiens’ coach next season, pending the completion of a contract with the Canadiens’ management team. In today’s exit interview, Hughes confirmed that sentiment, stating that there is “interest on both sides” that St. Louis returns and that an official deal would be “finalized soon.”

This should come as no great surprise, given the deep connections between St. Louis and the Canadiens’ new management team, but both St. Louis and the Canadiens’ brass had been cautious about sounding too committal on St. Louis’ future for these past few months. That has changed more recently, though. Speaking in an interview on the first intermission broadcast of last night’s TSN coverage of the Canadiens’ 10-2 victory over the Florida Panthers, Gorton made a firmer indication of his desire to have St. Louis return. Asked directly if St. Louis would return next season, Gorton said “I hope so,” and went further to elaborate on why he wants St. Louis back, stating that he is “a natural-born leader, he has a high energy, he’s got a passion for the game. He belongs in the game. We’re hopeful we can find a way to bring him back.”

Given the early returns of St. Louis’ time as the Canadiens’ coach, it isn’t difficult to see why the Canadiens’ top brass would be such big believers in his future as a coach. Under St. Louis, the Canadiens went 14-19-4, and although that record is not one to be proud of in a vacuum, within the context of the Canadiens’ season and given the state of the team he inherited, that’s a record that is worthy of commendation. But his record is not what is driving much of the optimism around St. Louis, though. The Canadiens were playing lifeless hockey late in the tenure of the previous coach Dom Ducharme, and it is the stylistic changes and changes in energy that St. Louis brought that is driving much of the excitement about his coaching future. Numerous Canadiens players saw their seasons revived under St. Louis, perhaps none more so than rookie Cole Caufield. Caufield was sitting at one goal when Ducharme was replaced and was widely considered to be one of the NHL’s bigger rookie disappointments. But under St. Louis, he has unlocked the upside that made him a top prospect and finished this season near the top of the NHL’s rookie goal-scoring race with 23 goals. He finished with 35 points in St. Louis’ 37 games coached, a pace of 77 points over the course of a full regular season. With that level of resurgence for one of the Canadiens’ most important players, along with other players’ seeing their seasons revived (such as Christian Dvorak, Jeff Petry, and Mike Hoffman), it seems as though the Canadiens’ group of players responds well to St. Louis’ style.

St. Louis has little formal coaching experience, and as a result, there will always be criticism of the Canadiens’ level of commitment to him so early in his coaching career. But his impact on the team is at this point undeniable, and with St. Louis returning, the 2022 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal, and the Canadiens potentially selecting one of the draft’s top players, this summer looks to be one of optimism for Canadiens fans.

AHL Shuffle: 04/30/22

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Today marks the end of the regular season for most teams, as the eliminated ones conduct their exit interviews and contending ones gear up for the playoffs. There are no games on the docket today, and the only remaining regular season contest is a Sunday tie between the Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets. Today should see some action with teams shuffling their rosters in order to get their AHL affiliates the ideal rosters for the Calder Cup playoffs, and we’ll keep track of all that roster shuffling here.

Atlantic Division

  •  The Ottawa Senators have made a whole host of moves to add players to the Belleville Senators in advance of their affiliate’s playoff run. The team assigned four players to Belleville: goaltender Filip Gustavsson and forwards Viktor Lodin, Mark Kastelic, and Parker Kelly. While Gustavsson, Kastelic, and Lodin (at least since he has come over to North America) have played more games for Belleville than Ottawa this season, Kelly actually got into 41 NHL games compared to 33 in the AHL, so getting him back for their playoff run will likely be a nice boost for Belleville as they look to capture the Calder Cup.
  • While not an AHL transaction, the Buffalo Sabres have loaned goaltender Michael Houser to Cincinnati of the ECHL.  The 29-year-old had his minor league deal converted to an NHL pact back in January and he was recalled yesterday to serve as the backup for Buffalo’s final game of the season.
  • The Boston Bruins have returned defensemen Jack Ahcan plus forwards Marc McLaughlin, Oskar Steen, and Jack Studnicka to Providence of the AHL, per the AHL’s transactions log.  All four players were in the lineup last night for their regular season finale against Toronto.  One player who isn’t going to be returned for the AHL playoffs, however, is forward Chris Wagner, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link).  He recorded 11 hits last night and will be kept as a fourth line option for their series against Carolina.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have returned winger Joey Anderson to Toronto of the AHL, per the AHL’s transactions log.  Anderson played 12:33 against Boston last night while on emergency recall.  He has 42 points in 55 games with the Marlies this season, a team that is trying to secure the final North Division playoff spot this afternoon.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled center Riley Nash, per an announcement from their AHL affiliate in Syracuse.  Brayden Point was scratched for their game on Friday and Nash will serve as an extra option down the middle in case Point’s injury carries over into the playoffs.  Nash had four assists in 49 games between the Lightning and Coyotes this season.

Metropolitan Division

  • While this was reported yesterday, the New York Rangers today confirmed the seven black aces that will be joining the team for their playoff run. The team has recalled forwards Tim Gettinger, Lauri Pajuniemi, defensemen Zac Jones, Matthew Robertson, Nils Lundkvist, Jarred Tinordi, and goaltender Keith Kinkaid from the Hartford Wolf Pack. For the Rangers, the team is hoping that their roster stays healthy and none of these players end up needing to play. But with the brutal nature of playoff hockey, one or two could find their way into the lineup.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that they have loaned the following players to their AHL Affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms: Defensemen Egor Zamula and Linus Hogberg and goaltender Felix Sandstrom. Each player has played the majority of their season with the Phantoms, but has gotten some games in with the Flyers more recently as the team plays out the stretch run of what has been a miserable season for their franchise. Now, each player gets the chance to return to where they have spent most of their seasons to help the Phantoms for their final game of their season, a contest against the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins.
  • The New Jersey Devils announced that they’ve returned wingers Alexander Holtz, Fabian Zetterlund, and Nolan Foote, as well as defenseman Nikita Okhotyuk, Reilly Walsh, and Kevin Bahl to Utica of the AHL.  The Comets finished first in the North Division and will now have ample reinforcements coming in time for the playoffs.  New Jersey also assigned 2021 first-round pick Chase Stillman to Utica after his junior team in Peterborough was eliminated in the OHL playoffs.

Central Division

  • The St. Louis Blues announced the recall of center Dakota Joshua from Springfield of the AHL.  The 25-year-old has split the season between the Blues and Thunderbirds, picking up three goals and five assists in 30 NHL contests plus nine goals and 11 helpers in 35 AHL contests.  Joshua should start the playoffs as extra depth but could get into the lineup at some point in their series against Minnesota.

Pacific Division

  • With the Anaheim Ducks out of the playoffs, they have returned defensemen Simon Benoit and Trevor Carrick plus wingers Buddy Robinson and Hunter Drew to San Diego of the AHL.  The Gulls secured the seventh and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division and will play Ontario (the Kings’ affiliate) in a best-of-three play-in series beginning next week.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

NHLPA Begins Search For New Executive Director

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While the seasons of many NHL clubs end tonight, the work for the NHLPA is just beginning. The Players’ Association has announced that their Executive Board has voted to form a search committee to begin the process of finding a new executive director of their union. The union released a statement to go along with their announcement:

The many players who have played in the NHL over the last eleven years greatly appreciate the significant accomplishments under the leadership of Don Fehr.  Don joined the NHLPA after a long and successful career as Executive Director of the MLBPA and quickly stabilized the union following a very difficult period.  He led the NHLPA through the owners’ 2012-13 lockout and negotiated a new CBA that created a defined benefit pension plan which will greatly benefit players for generations to come. Don played an important role in reviving the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. After Covid-19 forced the suspension of the 2019-20 season, Don led the bargaining that resulted in an extension of the CBA in July 2020 and allowed for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs to be played. We look forward to continuing to work with Don as we go through the succession process.

While this news comes at an unexpected time, it is not entirely out of the blue. Fehr’s future was already under scrutiny, with Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff previously reporting that there was a level of discontentment regarding Fehr’s leadership that could necessitate a change. The timeline of this move is a bit shocking, though, as many believed the process would be left for the summer, including TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.

But as is made obvious by this announcement, the NHLPA decided now was the time to make a change. While Fehr’s role may not put him into the attention of most NHL fans, his job is one of major importance. As the leader of the NHLPA, he is the highest-level executive who represents the players as a whole, and he leads their charge in any contentious labor negotiations with the league. There will undoubtedly be many who will vie for this coveted position, and who the players choose could signal the direction they go in their future negotiations with the league. The NHL has been lucky to avoid a lockout similar to the one Major League Baseball faced this winter, so perhaps one major priority for the players will be finding a candidate who can maintain labor peace, but of course, only time will tell.

East Notes: Price, Ovechkin, Maple Leafs Forwards

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While the return of Carey Price to the Montreal Canadiens lineup helped clear the murkiness surrounding his immediate health situation, it did not make his future in Montreal any more certain. Price, who is set to turn 35 before next season, has been one of the best goalies of his generation but questions have surfaced regarding his future with the only NHL team he has ever known. It has been speculated that Price’s healthy return could pave the way for goaltending-needy teams to consider acquiring him in the offseason, but it now seems that idea may not be very realistic.

In an interview with TSN on their broadcast of the team’s contest against the Panthers, Canadiens Executive VP of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton was asked about Price’s future with his team. Gorton was relatively non-committal, speaking in broad terms about meeting with Price and trying to “see what he wants to do” after the season ended. But after he gave that expectedly vague statement, Gorton did shed some light on how he views Price’s role in the Canadiens’ future. Gorton said: “If [Price] can be healthy, we’d be crazy not to want him.” While that comment is just an answer on a television interview and not any sort of binding statement regarding Price’s future, it does indicate that despite the Canadiens taking a more rebuild-oriented approach to their new regime’s early days, they still have Price in their plans moving forward.

Now, for a few other notes regarding Eastern Conference teams:

  • Coach Peter Laviolette issued an update (relayed by Dan Rosen of NHL.com) on the status of Alex Ovechkin today. The Capitals’ captain has been out with an upper-body injury and did not play in the team’s season finale against the Rangers. But although he didn’t play in today’s game, it does seem that he is on track for a relatively soon return. Ovechkin skated this morning and had a “good day,” according to Laviolette, so it’s likely that he’ll be ready in time for the Capitals’ playoff series.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe updated the media on the injury situations of forwards Ondrej Kase and Michael Bunting before tonight’s game against the Bruins. Bunting participated in this morning’s optional skate and Keefe referred to both him and Kase as “close” to a return. Since the Maple Leafs’ season will be judged largely by whether or not they are able to get past their first-round opponent, getting both Kase and Bunting back in time for game one would be a major coup for the team. Bunting has been one of the league’s biggest breakout stories this season, with 23 goals and 63 points in 79 games, and Kase has also been a nice find too, with 14 goals and 27 points in 50 games.

Snapshots: Boeser, Rangers Black Aces, Miroshnichenko

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It’s been a whirlwind of a season for the Vancouver Canucks, and perhaps even more so for Brock Boeser. As his team rose from the ashes of the late Travis Green/Jim Benning era, their collective stock pointed upwards under new coach Bruce Boudreau, Boeser himself has seen his stock as a core member of the Canucks fall to perhaps its lowest point in his professional career. As the season comes to a close, Boeser has put together a career-worst season, with only 46 points in 70 games. It’s a sharp decline from last season, when he was in strong form, posting 49 points in 56 games, and a decline that has led to his name being floated in trade rumors. The idea of trading Boeser was essentially unthinkable even just 12 months ago, but now as Boeser stands as a pending RFA with arbitration rights, a sizeable qualifying offer required to keep his services, and the ability to hit unrestricted free agency in short order, the idea has become far more realistic than it has ever been.

But as it stands, the idea of trading Boeser may be unrealistic after all, though. According to Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV, “everything is on the table” in terms of an extension for Boeser. Dhaliwal notes that while it once seemed as though the team would need to either commit to Boeser long-term or find a new home for him, it now seems that, as Dhaliwal puts it, “everybody is okay with even a short-term deal.” In summation, Dhaliwal reports that the Canucks “are going to work hard to try to get Boeser re-signed,” and that the possibility of a trade is “not something [he’s] hearing.” While the idea of what Boeser could return in a trade might be tantalizing, Dhaliwal’s reporting has to come as a welcome development for Canucks fans. For all the faults in his play this season, Boeser is still a young star offensive player who only last year was scoring at a near point-per-game rate. The idea of trading him was always going to be a tough sell to a devoted fanbase eagerly awaiting the team’s return to contention, and it seems like the Canucks’ management team agrees with that sentiment.

Now, for some other notes from across the NHL.

  • One of the aspects of building a potential Stanley Cup-winning team that is often highly important but also somewhat under-recognized is the impact of a team’s organizational depth. A team’s organizational depth is flexed through their “black aces,” or the players who are attached to their team as they compete in the playoffs but don’t dress for games on a regular basis. They are the players who are around to be ready at a moment’s notice, and with the brutal nature of playoff hockey, it is more likely than not that a team will have to dip into their reserves of players as they go deep into the playoffs. The New York Rangers hope to be one of those teams going deep into the playoffs, and today Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported the group of players who will make up the Rangers’ Black Aces. The Rangers will have a group of seven players, per Brooks: Zac Jones, Nils Lundkvist, Matthew Robertson, Jarred Tinordi, Lauri Pajuniemi, Tim Gettinger, and Keith Kinkaid.
  • In a bit of good news, there is a positive update on prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko. Miroshnichenko is one of the most talented players available for this year’s NHL draft, but in March it was announced that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, clouding his professional future. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports on his 32 Thoughts podcast that Miroshnichenko is heading into his final round of chemotherapy and that some NHL teams met with him in Germany. Friedman says that he was told Miroshnichenko “looks pretty good, all things considered.” Friedman stated that after his treatment, the focus for Miroshnichenko will be getting back into on-ice shape and that while his draft situation is still murky, the health updates have been positive. So while these updates may not restore his place at the top of NHL team’s draft boards, these reports do indicate that he is in a much better spot with his health, which is ultimately far more important.

Jack Quinn Wins AHL Rookie Of The Year

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Perhaps more than any other prospect in hockey, Buffalo Sabres’ first-rounder Jack Quinn’s stock skyrocketed over the course of this 2021-22 season, and that is in large part due to his performance in the AHL. As a result, the coaches, players and members of the media in the AHL have selected Quinn as the 2021-22 AHL Rookie of the Year. This news comes as another note of optimism to conclude an exciting Sabres season, a campaign that has shown Sabres fans a light at the end of the team’s 11-year playoff-less tunnel. Quinn joins some prestigious company as a Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial winner, with many future stars such as Brett Hull and Mikko Rantanen having taken home the award in the past.

Quinn, 20, was selected 8th overall in 2020, and was a member of the star-studded Ottawa 67’s team that tore the OHL apart before the pandemic ended their 2019-20 season. Before this year, Quinn had played 15 AHL games with the Sabres’ affiliate, the Rochester Americans, but he maintained his rookie eligibility status. He followed up that impressive 15-game trial run (where he posted 9 points) with this year’s campaign, a season where he scored at a blistering pace. He had 25 goals and 59 points in only 44 games, good for second on the Americans, despite getting into fewer games than many of his teammates. As an 8th overall pick, is was always known that Quinn had the potential to be a dangerous top-six scorer, but after such a successful campaign it’s clear there is even more upside in his game than there may have initially seemed to be.

For the Sabres, this award will only bolster the optimism of a market eagerly awaiting their team’s return to relevance. The Sabres have amassed an enviable stable of young talent, led by a quartet of top draft picks in Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Dylan Cozens, and Quinn, and with those four in tow, they should be a competitive team next season. It seems Sabres fans agree, as over 93% of Sabres fans polled by The Athletic’s John Vogl (subscription link) believe the Sabres will return to the playoffs within the next two seasons. With the rise of  Quinn cemented by this award, that number can only go up.

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