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Archives for May 2023

Injury Notes: Stephenson, Hakanpää, Hamilton

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The Vegas Golden Knights may face a slight hiccup tonight when they try and take a 3-0 stranglehold in the Western Conference Final. Center Chandler Stephenson missed this morning’s practice with an illness, although head coach Bruce Cassidy still expects him to be available tonight.

Stephenson sits third on the team in scoring with 13 points in 13 games so far in the postseason, and he’s been an invaluable secondary scorer for Vegas over the past number of seasons. His seven goals are tied for the team lead with William Karlsson, and he’s averaging over 18 minutes per game. If Stephenson isn’t well enough to play tonight, expect the 27-year-old Michael Amadio to draw back into the lineup. He’s been scratched from the team’s last four games to make way for Teddy Blueger to enter the lineup.

  • Dallas Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpää took pregame skate this morning and is expected to play in tonight’s Game 3 against Vegas, per Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine. The 31-year-old defensive stalwart missed the last three games with an upper-body injury. The 6-foot-7 Finn contributed a career-high 16 points and +18 rating during the regular season.
  • New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton wasn’t 100% when his team bowed out to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Second Round, and today, The Fourth Period’s James Nichols reports Hamilton had surgery to repair his right wrist. Per Nichols, Hamilton is expected to be ready for the start of the 2023-24 season, although he doesn’t offer clarity on whether this affects his availability for training camp. The 29-year-old is entering the third season of a seven-year, $63MM contract signed with the Devils in 2021.

Calgary Flames Name Craig Conroy General Manager

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May 23: Calgary has made the hire official, also adding Dave Nonis as the team’s senior vice president of hockey operations and assistant general manager. The team has also retitled the roles of Chris Snow and Brad Pascall, who were previously assistant general managers. Per Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg, the team has given extensions to both Snow and Pascall while expanding their roles.

May 21: TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting the Calgary Flames are expected to name Craig Conroy their next general manager, promoting him from the assistant role he’s held since 2014.

Conroy succeeds Brad Treliving, who the Flames mutually parted ways with last month after a disappointing season. Dreger notes that the team’s management overhaul, also accented by firing head coach Darryl Sutter, likely isn’t over. More hires are expected to be announced in Calgary’s front office later next week.

While Conroy may not have been the most experienced hire available for Calgary (he has no previous general managing experience), there are few who’ve been around the Flames organization longer than him. Not only has he spent the past 13 seasons in the Flames’ front office in some capacity, but he also played nine seasons in Calgary dating back to a 2001 trade deadline move.

It’s a straightforward choice for Calgary, who are looking to live up to the expectations they set for themselves after completely rehauling their roster last summer. Swapping Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar while also adding Nazem Kadri flamed out, with most of their additions having extremely disappointing seasons under Sutter.

The hope remains that some new blood in the front office and behind the bench, along with an organizational shift more willing to give opportunities to the team’s younger players, should pay short-term dividends and return the Flames to a consistent playoff status in the Pacific Division.

Conroy won’t have that busy of an offseason with just five free agents on the NHL roster (all unrestricted depth players), but many core pieces like Mikael Backlund, Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm, Tyler Toffoli, and Chris Tanev are expiring in 2024 and become eligible for extensions on July 1.

Earlier this week, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that Dave Nonis, Stan Bowman, and Marc Bergevin were also being considered for the job alongside Conroy.

Minor Transactions: 05/23/23

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Moves continue outside of the NHL sphere as the European transfer season progresses, although things should be winding down as teams continue to finalize their rosters for the 2023-24 campaign. As always, we’re keeping track of all today’s notable moves from outside the NHL right here.

  • The DEL’s Nürnberg Ice Tigers have signed AHL forward Cole Maier to a one-year contract, per the team. Maier has played the last four seasons with the Manitoba Moose, affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, but never received an NHL contract. He’s coming off back-to-back 15-goal seasons, even serving as an alternate captain for Manitoba in 2021-22. The 27-year-old will now try to work himself into a starring role in Germany with an NHL opportunity likely behind him.
  • The AHL’s Utica Comets today signed forward Samuel Laberge to a one-year extension for 2023-24. The 26-year-old Québec product posted 16 points in 43 games with the Comets last year as he continues to try and earn an NHL deal with his parent club, the New Jersey Devils. Laberge, once the captain of the QMJHL’s Rimouski Océanic, now has nearly 200 games of AHL experience under his belt.
  • 23-year-old center Sam Bitten has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, joining his brother, William Bitten, who’s on an NHL contract with the St. Louis Blues. Sam has played the last three seasons in Europe after wrapping up his junior career, but recorded just one goal in 48 games with Czechia’s HC Plzen this season. He’s likely destined for an ECHL demotion come October.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Snapshots: Söderberg, Mock Draft, Stadium Series

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The most transformative offseason in PHF history continued this morning, with the Connecticut Whale making a big splash in the goalie market. Goalie Emma Söderberg, a finalist for the 2022-23 IIHF Female Player of the Year award, has signed a two-year contract with the team, per an announcement Tuesday.

The 25-year-old Swede was among NCAA leaders this past season, recording a .938 save percentage and 12 shutouts in 33 appearances with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She also shined for Sweden at the Women’s World Championship, posting a .924 save percentage and a 2-3-0 record in five appearances. It’s a shrewd acquisition for Connecticut, which has finished in the league’s top three in the past three seasons. Söderberg’s services will help them remain in contention as they still seek to earn their first Isobel Cup.

Söderberg also represented Sweden at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

  • Two of the top public scouts around, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman, have released a second two-round mock ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft. While the first two selections are apparent, Wheeler has the Columbus Blue Jackets using their third overall pick on American center Will Smith, letting the consensus no. 1 European forward, Leo Carlsson, slip to the San Jose Sharks at fourth overall. The best overseas forward based on talent alone is Russian winger Matvei Michkov, but the geopolitical climate and his well-reported contract situation (he’s obligated to his Russian team through 2026) lower his draft position. Pronman has Michkov falling to the Washington Capitals at eighth overall.
  • Next season’s Stadium Series game could actually be two, says The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta. Per his report, the 2024 edition will entail back-to-back days in February at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, first between the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers, followed by a New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers matchup. If confirmed, it will be the second outdoor appearance for the Devils and Islanders, the fifth for the Rangers, and the sixth for the Flyers.

Vitali Kravtsov Signs In Russia

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11:30 am: Kravtsov has officially signed in the KHL, per his now-former agent Dan Milstein. Kravtsov has switched representation as part of the deal.

9:55 am: Reports out of Russia this morning indicate Vancouver Canucks forward Vitali Kravtsov could sign a two-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL this offseason.

If the report comes to fruition, it’s very likely the end of the road in the NHL for the 6-foot-3 winger. Selected with the ninth overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers, a tumultuous tenure there ended when the Rangers dealt him to Vancouver for William Lockwood and a seventh-round pick on February 25.

Things didn’t go well in a brief stint with Vancouver for Kravtsov either, recording just a goal and an assist in 16 games, and he wasn’t able to earn an uptick in ice time. Now 23, Kravtsov has managed to get into just 64 NHL games in parts of three seasons, notching six goals and 12 points almost exclusively in a bottom-six role.

It’s a return to a familiar place for Kravtsov, as Chelyabinsk has been his home for his entire development track in Russia. Prior to 2022-23, he’d spent at least a portion of every season in the organization dating back to 2014-15, either pre-draft or on loan after signing his entry-level contract with New York.

Chelyabinsk hopes they’re getting the version of Kravtsov that posted 13 points in 19 KHL games on loan in 2021-22, and he’s able to at least pan out as a top-six fixture in the KHL.

West Notes: Byram, Flames, Coyotes

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The Colorado Avalanche are in for a tumultuous offseason. The team has just five forwards on the NHL roster under contract for 2023-24, and most of their pending free agents are unrestricted.

One of the few players needing a new contract under team control, however, is promising young defender Bowen Byram. In his latest for The Athletic, Peter Baugh outlined what the 21-year-old’s next contract could look like, given Byram’s stellar play in limited NHL action due to frequent injuries.

The most expensive comparable listed for Byram is the only in-house one in Baugh’s article – Samuel Girard, who signed a seven-year, $5MM average annual value contract extension after just two NHL seasons. The deal’s been met with mixed results, with injury issues of his own leading Girard’s play to become inconsistent in the past few seasons. But the rest of Baugh’s list, which includes players such as Noah Dobson, Vince Dunn, Adam Boqvist, and Travis Sanheim, indicates a two-to-three-year deal in the $3MM-$4MM range is more likely based on past signings.

  • With their upper management set in stone, expect the Calgary Flames’ focus to immediately shift to hiring a new head coach, says TSN’s Darren Dreger. The Flames haven’t seen their name pop up in coaching rumors as much as other teams on the market, but their focus, up until last weekend, was restricted to naming their next general manager. Now that the hires of Craig Conroy and Dave Nonis are expected to be made official today, Calgary’s name will start coming up in connection to potential coaching candidates.
  • If the Arizona Coyotes can’t make their reported secondary arena plan in Mesa come to fruition, PHNX Sports’ Greg Esposito says the team’s backup-backup plan could come in the form of Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who expressed interest in participating in discussions if the Coyotes were put up for sale. It’s likely the last remaining avenue that would keep the Coyotes in the region, although for now, it would put them back in the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix that contains thousands of obstructed view seats for hockey.

Aleksander Barkov Leaves Game 3, Not Expected Out Long-Term

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May 23, 9:25 am: This morning, head coach Paul Maurice offered more clarity on the situation, saying the Panthers were hopeful for his return during the contest, and the team remains optimistic their captain will make a swift recovery and be back in the lineup soon, with the injury not expected to be long-term, as he told Miami radio station WQAM.

May 22, 8:58 pm: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov left in the first period of game 3 in the Eastern Conference Finals and is questionable to return. Barkov took an innocent looking hit from Jack Drury and missed the final 7:04 of the first period. David Pagnotta of the NHL Network tweeted that Barkov is battling a lower-body injury, and it is still unclear if he will return.

The Panthers captain didn’t come out for the start of the second period, and little is known about his status at this time. Should the former second-overall pick miss any time, it could be a huge blow to the Cinderella story that is the Panthers’ playoff run. Barkov had three points in the first two games of their series against the Carolina Hurricanes, including a goal that Wayne Gretzky called one of the greatest moves he’s seen in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Barkov’s regular season numbers dipped a bit this year, but the 27-year-old center still had 23 goals and 55 assists in 68 games and has 12 points in 14 playoff games thus far.

The timing of the Barkov injury is interesting, given that head coach Paul Maurice mentioned to reporters this morning that the two of the Panthers’ best games this season occurred when Barkov and Sam Bennett were out of the team’s lineup. The Sportsnet broadcast crew brought up this Maurice quote from an interview that now seems ominous given the situation Barkov and Florida are now facing.

Evening Notes: Huska, Senators, Seitz

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Darren Haynes of The Canadian Press tweeted today that he wonders if new Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy might consider current assistant coach Ryan Huska for the role of their new head coach. Huska has been coaching since 2002-03 and has spent the past five years in Calgary as an assistant. The 47-year-old Huska has been a head coach in the WHL and the AHL and has coached several members of the Flames current squad.

The Cranbrook, British Columbia native had an interesting career as a player having won three Memorial Cups with the Kamloops Blazers dynasty in 1992, 1994, and 1995. He was drafted in the third round by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1993 and five years later dressed in the only NHL game he would ever play, taking eight shifts for 5:51 in total ice time. Should Huska be named the head coach in Calgary he would become the 22nd head coach in Flames franchise history.

In other evening notes:

  • Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia is reporting that there has been a lot of moving parts in the Neko Sparks bid for ownership of the Ottawa Senators. Garrioch speculates that the group could be facing an imminent deadline as they have recently brought in more investors and have apparently been pushing hard the past 48 hours to find more investors to get involved. The group has brought on Canadians Arlene Dickerson and Robert Herjavec who are both wealthy investors as well as television personalities on the hit Canadian television series Dragon’s Den.
  • The Hockey News is reporting that the PHF continues to attract talent to the league as they’ve announced new signings today. The Metropolitan Riveters made a big splash as they have brought in Yale alumnus Emma Seitz. The New York native is the back-to-back ECAC Defender of the Year and was an All-American. The 23-year-old defenseman also put up offense in her time at Yale, posting 11 goals and 11 assists in 30 games this past season. Over the course of four years in the NCAA, Seitz put up 86 career points in 127 career games.

Latest On Washington Capitals Head Coach Search

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Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic is reporting that the Washington Capitals have been quiet about their coaching search to date, but some details have started to filter through. The names El-Bashir has been hearing are Spencer Carbery, Jeff Halpern, Brad Shaw, Todd Nelson, and one former Capitals head coach in Bruce Boudreau. El-Bashir opens his article by stating that his list of candidates in not exhaustive, it is just the list of potential coaching candidates that he has heard rumblings about.

El-Bashir has heard from sources that current Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Spencer Carbery is one of general manager Brian MacLellan’s preferred candidates. Sources tell El-Bashir that Carbery was in town today to meet with MacLellan and it is no surprise given his history with the franchise. Carbery coached Washington’s AHL affiliate the Hershey Bears from 2018-2021. On top of this Washington’s once daunted powerplay has slipped to average the past few seasons and Carbery comes with a track record of coaching dominant power play units. He has coached the Maple Leafs powerplay to a 24.1 percent success rate the past two seasons, which ranks second in the NHL during that time.

Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern has a similar story to that of Carbery. He has been employed by the Capitals twice before as a player and was the team’s captain at one point as well. He has also been running a very successful Lightning powerplay unit the past few seasons and has been a big contributor to their success the past half decade as they’ve reached three finals and captured two Stanley Cups.

Philadelphia Flyers associate coach Brad Shaw is also a former Capitals player having dressed in four games. It was reported yesterday that Shaw is also in the running for the Anaheim Ducks head coaching job. It is believed that Shaw has already been interviewed by MacLellan and is still very much in play. Shaw has been a head coach in the NHL previously as he took over mid-season for the New York Islanders back in 2006, however he has been an associate and an assistant coach ever since.

Todd Nelson’s name coming up makes a lot of sense given that he is the current coach of Washington’s AHL affiliate, and he currently has the club in the Eastern Conference finals. Nelson also has a Calder Cup on his resume having guided Grand Rapids to the league title in 2017. Nelson comes with some NHL head coaching experience as he spent 51 games behind the bench of the Edmonton Oilers in a previous stint after he replaced Dallas Eakins. Nelson coached the Oilers to a sixth-place finish in the Pacific Division that year going 17-25-9.

Bruce Boudreau guided the Capitals to an incredible run of regular season success including a Presidents Trophy in 2010, however he could never get the team over the hump as they were unable to advance past the second round while he was at the helm. Boudreau coached Washington to four straight division titles but was let go in 2011-12. He garnered a ton of sympathy from the hockey world this past season as he was coaching in his final days for the Vancouver Canucks. Boudreau was left in a precarious position with the club as reports leaked that the Canucks were looking to let him go, a move the team ultimately did make. Despite this, Boudreau has stated a desire to keep coaching, however a source close to him says that he has not yet heard from the Capitals about their coaching vacancy making a reunion appear unlikely at this time.

El-Bashir states that he believes that there are other names in play, however he has only heard about these names thus far. Washington will also need to fill several assistant coach roles once they have selected a new bench boss.

Latest On The Pittsburgh Penguins’ GM Search

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Teams are quickly beginning to fill their coaching and managing vacancies which opened at the end of the season. The Calgary Flames are one of them, expected to name Craig Conroy their next general manager tomorrow, but the Pittsburgh Penguins are one team yet to make a hire.

They’re getting closer, however, and The Athletic’s Rob Rossi doubled down and added to a report over the weekend from TSN’s Pierre LeBrun on Pittsburgh’s preferred candidates for a general manager (and potentially president of hockey operations) role.

One name the team appears to be zeroing in on is Carolina Hurricanes assistant general manager Eric Tulsky, who Rossi says has impressed the members of Pittsburgh’s ownership, Fenway Sports Group. He’s certainly the most progressive hire available for Pittsburgh, as he’s one of the most reliant on analytics among managers in high-ranking roles.

Another name that Rossi expands on is Kyle Dubas, who’s been reported multiple times over the past few days as having been granted permission to speak with Pittsburgh after being fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs last week. Rossi notes that he still may play into Pittsburgh’s final decision despite becoming available late in the process and could potentially be brought in as a president of hockey operations alongside Tulsky, who could still be named general manager.

The Penguins could also hire a third name, per Rossi, although it hasn’t quite been clearly defined. The third hire could serve as a communicator between hockey operations and ownership, and Rossi says the team is considering broadcaster (and former Penguins coach) Eddie Olczyk for the role.

Rossi also relayed a quote from Penguins alternate governor Dave Beeston that there’s still no set timetable for making new hires.

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