While the action was busy on the ice as the first round comes to an end (after the second round began), there was a lot of news away from the rink – particularly on the coaching front – which gets the focus in our key stories.
Michkov Arriving Earlier Than Expected? One of the reasons that Matvei Michkov slipped to seventh overall last June was the fact that he had three years left on his deal in the KHL and with no transfer agreement in place, he couldn’t be bought out of that contract with an NHL pact. However, with still two years remaining, the chairman of Michkov’s KHL team (SKA St. Petersburg) stated that thanks to the good relationship they have with Philadelphia’s front office, they’ll consider letting Michkov out of his contract early, permitting him to come to North America earlier than expected. They’ll decide on his fate for next season by the end of June. Michkov spent most of this season on loan again to HK Sochi and finished second on the team in scoring with 41 points in 47 games.
Brind’Amour Extension Talks: While the Hurricanes were off for most of the week, there was certainly some intrigue off the ice. A report surfaced that extension talks between the team and head coach Rod Brind’Amour had soured with their offer being pulled. Then, the next day, it was reported that talks had resumed and that there was optimism that discussions would eventually get a deal across the finish line. Brind’Amour has been behind the bench in Carolina for the past six seasons with the team playing to a .664 points percentage during the regular season while reaching the playoffs each time. If a deal doesn’t get reached, it’s safe to say that he’ll be highly sought after on the open market.
Seattle Makes A Change: After the Kraken reached the second round last season, expectations were high heading into the franchise’s third year. However, they dropped 19 points in the standings, missing the playoffs in the process. As a result, they’ve elected to make a coaching change, firing head coach Dave Hakstol along with assistant Paul McFarland. Hakstol had signed a two-year extension back in July but now has been dismissed before that new deal even kicked in with GM Ron Francis saying that the move was needed to help the team continue to improve and evolve. Seattle played to a 107-112-27 record over Hakstol’s three seasons, a respectable record for an expansion franchise that will now join the Blues, Devils, Kings, Senators, and Sharks as teams looking for coaches or needing to make decisions on their interim bench bosses.
Cooper Reportedly Extended: After the Lightning were eliminated in the first round for the second straight year, some wondered if they could make a coaching change. However, that won’t be the case with GM Julien BriseBois indicating it wasn’t time to think about extending Cooper since he was signed beyond next season, meaning he had already been extended. Subsequent reporting indicated that Cooper received a one-year extension. Cooper is the longest-tenured coach in the NHL having been behind Tampa Bay’s bench for parts of 12 seasons with his teams posting a 525-279-25 record during the regular season along with two Stanley Cup titles and two more Final appearances. Even with the recent step back in the standings, this will be Cooper’s team for a little while longer at least.
Tampa To Work On Extensions: Despite the early exit, Tampa Bay won’t be looking to shake up its core as BriseBois stated that they’ve started preliminary talks about an extension for pending UFA forward Steven Stamkos and defenseman Victor Hedman, who is eligible to sign a new deal starting in July. Stamkos, their captain, has made it known he wants to stay and was disappointed that talks didn’t start last summer. Coming off his sixth career 40-goal season, he has a case to earn a raise on his $8.5MM AAV although the Lightning may not be able to afford that. Hedman, meanwhile, has been a key cog on the back end for the last 15 years and is coming off an impressive season, one that saw him post 76 points, the second-best total of his career. He also has a strong case for a raise on his current $7.875MM AAV.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.