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Archives for May 2024

Bruins’ Brad Marchand To Miss Game 4

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The Boston Bruins will be without captain Brad Marchand for Game 4, after sustaining an upper-body injury in Game 3, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Marchand left Game 3 early after awkwardly colliding with the boards following a hit from  Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett. There has been no indication of exactly what injury Marchand is bearing or how long it may hold him out. Game 4 will be Marchand’s first time missing a postseason game since 2019 when he missed four games of Boston’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

This is devastating news for a Bruins team currently down 2-1 against the Florida Panthers. Marchand has been Boston’s best forward this postseason, with 10 points through 10 games. He’s averaging over 18 minutes of ice time a game and playing on both the penalty kill and power-play, giving the Bruins a hole in nearly every system ahead of Game 4. Patching up special teams will be the top concern for coach Jim Montgomery, with Boston currently boasting the second-worst power-play and third-worst penalty-kill of any remaining teams. This could be a chance for Morgan Geekie to continue carving out a prominent role, after earning reps on the second line and second power-play unit. Geekie already has three goals and four points through 10 games this postseason.

Marchand’s absence will also make room for Danton Heinen, who’s been cleared to return after missing the team’s last five games with an undisclosed injury, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). Heinen served a third-line role during Boston’s first five postseason games, netting one assist. He’s coming off a 36-point season, the most he’s scored since his rookie year in 2017-18. If Heinen suffers any sort of set back, Jesper Boqvist would be next to step in. Boqvist has one assist through eight appearances of his own this postseason.

Joel Quenneville Remains Ineligible Despite NHL Interest

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Joel Quenneville will remain ineligible from coaching in the NHL, despite multiple clubs looking into the veteran signal-caller, shares David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). Quenneville stepped down from the Florida Panthers on October 28, 2021, amid the Blackhawks sexual assault scandal.  The news ended Quenneville’s 27-year career in the league – a tour that took him through long stretches with the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, and Chicago Blackhawks. He won three Stanley Cups along the way, leading a prolific Chicago core that featured Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Corey Crawford.

A long list of teams are currently in the process of reconsidering their coaching staff, with five teams currently without a bench leader for next season. That includes the New Jersey Devils, whose coaching vacancy represents one of the highest ceilings in the league per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The long list of mingling teams also means a long list of strong candidates – with former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe becoming the most recent coach to hit free agency. He’s now competing with a wide array of talents, from the development focus of coaches like Jay Woodcroft and Dave Hakstol to postseason and even Stanley Cup precedent through Gerard Gallant, Todd McLellan, and Craig Berube.

Teams will try to find an edge any way they can, especially when hiring for a role as pivotal as head coach. Because of that, this isn’t the first time that we’ve seen teams check the pulse of Quenneville’s eligibility. He’ll remain away from the league but still well-represented in the record books, boasting the second-most wins and fifth-most games coached of any coach in NHL history.

Evening Notes: Chytil, Myers, Ryan, Holm

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New York Rangers centerman Filip Chytil stepped back out of the lineup for Saturday’s Game 4 due to what the team described as an illness, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette previously dubbed Chytil as a “game-time decision”, per Mollie Walker of The New York Post (Twitter link).

Chytil made his long-anticipated return from a concussion during Game 3, marking his first time in the lineup since November. He recorded one shot and one hit and 12 minutes of ice time, looking well-adjusted to the pace of play after such a long absence. Laviolette shared that Chytil wasn’t experiencing any injury-related issues Game 3 and that his absence came after he woke up not feeling well on Saturday morning.

Jonny Brodzinski stepped into the lineup in Chytil’s absence, taking on a role previously occupied by Matt Rempe – though both wingers skated during pre-game warmups.  Brodzinski has just one Stanely Cup Playoff appearance entering Game 3, having appeared in a First Round loss with the Rangers in the 2022 postseason. He scored a career-high 19 points this season, adding 25 points in 16 AHL games, giving him plenty of momentum coming into Saturday’s decisive matchup.  Chytil’s status, and thus the security of Brodzinski’s lineup spot, seems to be up in the air as the Rangers look to break the barrier into the Third Round.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers is questionable for Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers due to an undisclosed injury, shares TSN’s Farhan Lalji (Twitter link). Myers has held a big role for the Canucks throughout the playoffs, averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time through seven appearances, though he’s still searching for his first point of the Spring. Lalji mentions that Noah Juulsen would likely be the favorite should Vancouver need to fill in for Myers, though the squad also brought up six defenders as part of a large group of black aces recalled on Friday. The Canucks will need to stay stout on defense, currently tied 1-1 with the Oilers after a 4-3 overtime loss on Friday.
  • There will be no Department of Player Safety discipline for Oilers forward Derek Ryan, following a spear to Vancouver’s Nils Hoglander’s nether region, shares Vancouver-based reporter Irfaan Gaffar (Twitter link). Both Ryan and Hoglander were assessed minor penalties on the player – Ryan being booked for slashing and Hoglander for interference. Ryan has appeared in four playoff games this year, recording one assist and averaging 8:26 in tice time as Edmonton’s fourth-line centerman. He should maintain that role headed into Game 3.
  • The Colorado Avalanche’s goaltending room continues to dwindle, with Arvid Holm agreeing to a three-year contract with the SHL’s Rögle BK. Holm spent the year searching for ice time in Colorado’s minor league system – recording six wins and an .887 save percentage in 12 AHL games and two wins and a .907 in four ECHL games. It was his third season in the AHL, with Holm’s .911 save percentage in 35 games last season representing his best year. He’ll now return to the SHL, where he totaled 55 career games prior to his move to North America. Holm will join a Rögle lineup that just went on a fantastic playoff run, largely thanks to strong performances by Christoffer Rifalk. Rifalk has been Rögle’s starter for the last five seasons and should hang onto the role ahead of Holm next season.

Ron Ellis Passes Away At 79

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Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ron Ellis has passed away at the age of 79, the team has shared (Twitter link). Ellis spent the entirety of his 16-year career in the NHL with the Maple Leafs, joining as an undrafted free agent in 1964. He is one of just five players to play 1,000 games with the Leafs and ranks seventh on the club’s all-time scoring list, recently being passed up by Auston Matthews.

Ellis is most well known for his role on Toronto’s 1967 Stanley Cup team. At just 22, Ellis tallied 22 goals and 45 points in 67 games, ranking him third on the Leafs in scoring. He slowed down a bit in the postseason, with just three points in 12 games, though he still recorded 36 shots en route to the Cup.

That season was just the beginning of Ellis’ successful career. He’d top the 45-point mark in each of the next nine seasons, including two years reaching the 50-point mark and a career-high 61 points in 1974-75. Ellis and Dave Keon were pillars of the Maple Leafs’ offense throughout the 1970s, offering consistent scoring as Toronto brought in their next generation through the likes of Lanny McDonald, Darryl Sittler, and Borje Salming.  Ellis was also a member of the infamous  1972 Summit Series, where Soviet Russia took on a Canadian lineup full of NHL talent. The Canadians would win the series 4-3, with Ellis recording three assists.

Ellis was the runner-up to Roger Crozier’s Calder Trophy win in 1965, following a year where Crozier played 70 games and posted a .913 save percentage. His rookie season was his only time in the race for an award, though he did receive Lady Byng Trophy votes in 1979. Ellis was one of seven members of the 1967-Cup winners to be recognized with the 2024 NHL Alumni Association ’Keith Magnuson Man of the Year’ Award in February.

Ellis is survived by his wife Jan, son RJ, daughter-in-law Renata, and their families. PHR sends our condolences to Ellis’ family, friends, and the entire Maple Leafs fanbase.

Metropolitan Notes: Devils Coaching Search, Chytil, Quapp

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The Devils are hoping to have their coaching search wrapped up in the near future now that Travis Green is now in Ottawa.  Craig Berube and Jay Woodcroft have been linked to the position already but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in a recent NHL Network appearance (video link) that Todd McLellan has also interviewed for the position and could be in the mix for a second interview as well.  McLellan is one of the most experienced coaches available with 1,144 career regular season games under his belt, good for 24th all-time.  His teams have played to a .581 points percentage over that time but he was let go midseason by Los Angeles with the Kings underachieving at the time.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Rangers center Filip Chytil is listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s fourth game against Carolina, relays Mollie Walker of the New York Post. Head coach Peter Laviolette indicated that Chytil didn’t feel well when he woke up this morning.  The 24-year-old returned to the lineup on Thursday after missing more than six months with concussion troubles; Laviolette declined to comment on if Chytil’s symptoms were related to those symptoms.  If Chytil doesn’t play, it appears as if Jonny Brodzinski will be in line to make his first appearance of the playoffs with Matt Rempe expected to remain a healthy scratch.
  • Hurricanes goalie prospect Nikita Quapp has signed a one-year contract with Dusseldorfer EG in the German League, per a team announcement. The 21-year-old was a sixth-round pick back in 2021 (187th overall) but has spent most of his time in Germany’s second division since then.  Quapp played in 26 games on loan to Lausitzer Fuchse this season, posting a 2.63 GAA and a .920 SV%.  Carolina has until June 1st, 2025 to sign Quapp so this will be his last chance to try to demonstrate that he’s worthy of an NHL contract.

PHR Mailbag: Playoffs, Bruins, Jets, Devils, Draft

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Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include some discussion about the playoffs, what New Jersey’s big-game hunting could look like in the coming weeks, and much more.  With all the questions submitted, we’ll break it into three columns between now and next weekend so if yours doesn’t appear here, check back in one of those pieces.

schwa: Few questions here:

What was the biggest surprise to you in the first round?
What’s your favorite matchup for the second?
What potential matchup excites you most for CFs / SCF?

There weren’t a lot of surprises for me in the first round but Winnipeg flaming out would be the biggest.  While I had concerns that their core group – one that has been more miss than hit in the postseason – could sustain a long run, I thought they really had a chance to get past Colorado, especially with Alexandar Georgiev struggling mightily down the stretch.  But the Avs picked them apart and made it look easy which is hard to do to a team that put up 110 points in the regular season.  While I had the Jets winning, the fact the Avalanche did isn’t the biggest surprise.  But how they did it was something I wasn’t expecting.

Going into the round, it was Colorado and Dallas and that hasn’t changed.  The Stars are one of the most balanced teams in the league but had the toughest first-round battle.  They can match the Avalanche talent-wise but are they going to wear down as this series went on with how hard the Vegas matchup was?  These are two of the top teams in the NHL but that question is going to linger for me.

For Conference Final matchups, I think Edmonton and Colorado would be intriguing just for the potential for some back-and-forth, high-octane hockey that we don’t typically see that deep into the playoffs.  In the East, it looks like the Rangers are coming out of the Metropolitan and if I’m picking for what might be the more interesting series from a watching perspective, it’d be Florida.  Then, for the Cup Final, the Avs and Rangers.  If I was predicting what was going to happen, that’s probably not where I’d go but those would be some compelling series.

Nha Trang: Will the numerous pundits who predicted that the Bruins were going to go down in the biggest first-round upset enjoy the crow they’re being served, or will they collectively pretend they never made such a prediction and hope people have forgotten?

While we didn’t publish our picks, I’ll be up front and say I had Toronto winning that series.  It wasn’t my biggest upset prediction (Nashville over Vancouver which also didn’t pan out was) but I thought the Maple Leafs would be able to score enough to get through this round and then fall to Florida again.  Frankly, it was a close enough series on paper heading in that I don’t think many would have had that as their biggest upset.

As to your question, I’m sure some will try to pretend they didn’t pick it but that’s the beauty of internet archiving; anyone who posted their picks has those picks saved somewhere.  But collectively, no, I don’t think there would have been any group effort to deny the existence of those selections.

Besides, it’s not as if the Bruins ran away with that series.  It took seven games and three attempts to clinch it with the winning goal coming in overtime.  It was a pretty tightly played series overall so if you’re hoping to see some ‘I was wrong about the Bruins’ comments, they might have to get a little deeper into the postseason and win a bit more convincingly.

Cla23: Do you see Sean Monahan signing long-term with the Jets?

Do you see coach Bowness sign an extension or will he choose to retire and spend his time with his beautiful wife? After the scary year they had on a personal/health level.

If he retires, is it Scott Arniel’s time to be head coach?

When it comes to Monahan, a lot of it is going to revolve around what he’s looking for.  Is he looking to go to a contender?  Is he looking to maximize money?  Will the term of the contract be the top priority?  If he wants a longer-term deal, I think Winnipeg would have a very good chance at keeping him.  Monahan had a strong start to the year with Montreal and fit in quite well following the trade.  He fits on that roster as it’s currently constructed and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff might be more inclined to offer up a longer-term agreement (despite his injury history) knowing it isn’t always easy attracting talent to Winnipeg.  If Monahan gets the term and at least close to the money he’s looking for, I could see him sticking around.

That said, if he wants to go try to play for a contender and is willing to take another short-term deal at a lesser rate to make that happen, then that probably pushes Winnipeg out of things.  We’ll see what his top priority will be for his next contract soon enough.

Obviously, we now know the answer to the Bowness question as he announced his retirement soon after this question was posed.  That didn’t come as much of a surprise to me for the reasons you noted in the question; this was the logical and expected outcome.

As for Arniel, the question I ask myself is this – is he getting any attention for the other vacancies around the league?  While teams don’t exactly divulge this information, it doesn’t seem like it at first glance.  So if Arniel isn’t garnering head coaching attention elsewhere, should he really be up for the top job with the Jets?  I think he’s a safe short-term pick and might be the favorite to land the role but all else being equal, he wouldn’t be my first choice, especially for a team that’s built to try to win now.  I’d be looking for a veteran who might have a shorter shelf life but a proven track record of getting quick results.

SpeakOfTheDevils: Devils said they are going “big-game hunting” this offseason.
Let’s apply this to both the coach and 1A goalie.
Who do they get? Realistically.

Is there a big-game type of coach out there?  Of the coaches that are currently available, is there a true headliner?  In terms of experience and success, it’s probably Joel Quenneville who may or may not be eligible to coach again.  Todd McLellan and Gerard Gallant qualify more as retreads at this point than big-name guys.  Craig Berube would be next but I could see him landing in Toronto.

If I was picking their next coach, I’d swing for upside.  As a result, I’d go right off the board for the coach (when it comes to who has been linked for the position) and pick Jay Leach as their new bench boss.  He’s paid his dues as an assistant and head coach in the minors and now three years as an assistant in Seattle.  He finished up his playing career in New Jersey’s organization as well so there’s a bit of familiarity with the market which helps.  In terms of ‘upside’ for a coach, he’d be near the top of the list so if they take a big swing, maybe it’s for upside over experience.  Having said that, you asked who I think they’ll get, not who I’d pick so for who I think they get, I’ll go with Jay Woodcroft, someone who might still have a perception as a coach with a bit of upside given that he’s still early on in his coaching career.

As for the goalie situation, I think they wind up with Jacob Markstrom.  It sounded like some of the money-related hurdles had been cleared closer to the deadline so if they rekindle talks at that point, they should be able to get something done.  Calgary’s asking price will probably have to come down given the other netminders that many expect to be available and that will help bridge the gap that existed when talks broke down in March.

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Bruins/Panthers Notes: Marchand, Heinen, Bennett, Cousins

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One of the big moments from Friday’s third game of the Panthers-Bruins series was the hit from Sam Bennett on Brad Marchand that caused the latter to leave the game in the second period and not return.  Marchand missed practice today with TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie noting (Twitter links) that the captain is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury and that winger Danton Heinen could take his place in the lineup as it appears he could be ready to return.

Heinen has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury sustained during the first round against Toronto.  He had 17 goals and 19 assists in 74 games during the regular season – great value for a league minimum contract – and provided the type of depth scoring that Boston has been lacking in recent games.

Meanwhile, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski adds that Bennett will not face any supplementary discipline for the hit.  Head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters that he didn’t see things the way the league did:

There’s a history there with Bennett. There’s clearly evidence of what went on. People can say it wasn’t intentional. We have our view of it.

Bennett had made his series debut after returning from an upper-body injury in the second game of their opening-round series against Tampa Bay and picked up an assist in a little under 13 minutes of action.  Montgomery clarified that the history he referenced with Bennett in his comment wasn’t solely with Marchand but rather with those types of hits in general.

Meanwhile, Bennett’s return resulted in Nick Cousins being dropped from the lineup.  Panthers head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald that the decision to scratch Cousins wasn’t performance-related but rather wanting some extra coverage at center if Bennett wasn’t able to make it through the game which helped keep Steven Lorentz – who can play down the middle when called upon – in the lineup on the fourth line, a group that has had some success in the series so far.

Offseason Checklist: Ottawa Senators

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The offseason has arrived for three-quarters of the NHL for teams that either missed the playoffs or were eliminated in the first round.  Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Ottawa.

Expectations were high for the Senators heading into the season.  While they moved Alex DeBrincat, they brought in Vladimir Tarasenko to help cover DeBrincat’s production.  They’d have a full season of Jakob Chychrun this time around and they hoped that Joonas Korpisalo would stabilize things between the pipes.  Not much went according to plan, however, resulting in both GM and coaching changes.  Steve Staios recently checked one big item off their to-do list with Travis Green being named as their new head coach but there is still plenty to work on in the coming months.

Add Defensive Help

On paper, the Senators have a solid top four on the back end but that hasn’t translated to much success on the defensive side of things.  The last time they finished better than 20th in goals allowed was back in 2016-17; they were 26th in that regard this season.  Part of that is goaltending – which has its own section coming up – but defensive structure has been a consistent issue for them.  That was part of the reason Jacques Martin was brought in as the interim coach down the stretch, to help bring in some more defensive fundamentals.

When it comes to their back end, Ottawa has some openings for upgrades.  Erik Brannstrom isn’t a guarantee to be tendered a $2MM qualifying offer with arbitration eligibility while Travis Hamonic is more of a seventh option at most at this point of his career.  Jacob Bernard-Docker is still developing and could become a reliable defender at some point but his spot isn’t entirely secure either.

One complicating factor Staios might encounter is Chychrun’s situation.  He’s entering the final year of his contract, one that pays a team-friendly $4.6MM.  It’s going to cost considerably more than that to re-sign him, however, and Chychrun didn’t exactly give off the impression that he’s eager to sign a long-term extension this summer.  If that is indeed the case, Staios might have to look at the possibility of moving him which won’t exactly help the state of their blueline.

There’s some reason for optimism when it comes to Ottawa’s back end.  A return to health for Thomas Chabot should help things while continued improvement from Jake Sanderson is also likely.  But even if they keep Chychrun, more help is needed.  And if they don’t keep him, they’re probably going to need to try to dip into the free agent waters to try to replace him.

Re-Sign Pinto

It was a strange year for Shane Pinto.  After being unable to come to terms on a new contract, he wound up being suspended for the first half of the season for violating the NHL’s sports wagering rules.  The Sens then rescinded all previous offers and in the end, he had to settle for the pro-rated league minimum upon being cleared to return, an amount that was lower than his qualifying offer last summer.

To his credit, Pinto didn’t show any signs of rust upon his return in January.  Instead, he became an impact player right away and recorded nine goals and 18 assists (a career-high) in the final 41 games while seeing his ice time jump to over 18 minutes a night.

Now, Pinto finds himself in exactly the same situation as he did a year ago.  He’s a restricted free agent and still doesn’t have salary arbitration rights.  He also didn’t truly get the chance to prove that his 20-goal, 35-point showing wasn’t an outlier as while he impressed in the final three months of the year, it’s still only a half-season sample size.

Have the Sens seen enough to commit a long-term agreement to him?  If they’re trying to buy extra years of club control, that should push the AAV past at least the $5MM mark, possibly even past the $6MM threshold on a max-term deal.  He’s 140 games into his NHL career, however, with just 70 points to his name.  Suffice it to say, going that approach comes with some risk, albeit with a higher reward if he’s able to establish himself as a full-time top-six middleman.

With Ottawa’s cap situation and the fact they have other needs to fill, the safer route might be the one they ultimately take which would be a bridge deal.  Pinto is still four years away from UFA eligibility so they could work out a two-year agreement in the $3MM-plus range, giving him an opportunity to demonstrate that he can maintain that level of production over a full season and giving Staios a chance to address some other needs in the coming months.

Look For Goalie Upgrade

On top of looking for help on the back end, Staios should also be looking for an upgrade between the pipes.  This has been somewhat of an annual exercise in recent years as former GM Pierre Dorion tried several different options, none of which have panned out as well as they hoped for.

Last summer, they brought in Korpisalo on a five-year, $20MM contract.  Both the term and price point seemed particularly high for someone who had to take a greater than 50% pay cut the year before.  Having said that, there was a bit of an upside play with the contract if he could have maintained his level of performance from 2022-23.  He didn’t.  Instead, Korpisalo’s numbers were worse than his career averages, resulting in some very inconsistent play from their starter.  With four years left on that deal, it’s hard to see there being much of a trade market for him.

Anton Forsberg, who they thought could be part of their longer-term plans after a breakout year in 2021-22, has also struggled the last couple of years.  He doesn’t have much trade value either but he’s at least on an expiring contract so his spot is the one they can try to upgrade on.

Yes, Mads Sogaard is waiting in the wings (and needs a new deal this summer) but he has another year of waiver exemption left so they can keep him stashed at AHL Belleville getting as much playing time as possible.  He’s undoubtedly part of the longer-term plans but for 2025-26 and beyond.

That’s a small window for Staios to work with as they’ll either be looking for a one-year deal in free agency or trying to trade for one on an expiring contract, using Forsberg’s $2.75MM as an offset.  They’re probably not getting a legitimate starter in this scenario but someone with a track record of even consistently average goaltending would help to shore up a long-standing weakness and would go a long way toward trying to get them back into the playoff picture.

Consider Core Shakeup

On paper, the Senators have a pretty strong core of now-young veterans who were supposed to represent the anchor points of their rebuild and help move them past it.  Despite that, it hasn’t exactly led to much offensive success.  The last time the Sens were in the top half of the NHL in goals scored was back in 2015-16 when none of their current players were in the fold.

At first glance, there’s reason to believe that there is room for internal growth and they’ll be banking on Green helping make that happen.  But should they run it back with the same core group and hope that Green taking over and the team ideally staying healthier – particularly Josh Norris – will be enough of a difference to get them into the postseason?

There are cases to be made both for and against doing that.  This team should be better than it has been based on the talent it has assembled.  It’s certainly plausible that one day, things will come together.  And if it does, they’ll have some key pieces on market-value (or below market-value) deals for multiple years to come.  That’s a good spot to be in.

On the other hand, at some point, running the same core group out there and simply hoping things will work out better this time around has its risks.  It also doesn’t generally have the greatest track record of success.  And this is Dorion’s core group so it stands to reason that Staios might want to put his own stamp on the team.

Fortunately for him, if he does want to shake up the core, the majority of their core pieces are on deals that already are or should be team-friendly at some point.  The exception would be Norris due to injuries but if he can stay healthy, that can still change.  That will give him options as most of the core players would have several suitors, positioning them to receive a significant return.  Would a move like that help or at least be worth trying?  That’s what Staios and his management team will need to decide in the coming weeks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Capitals Re-Assign Alexander Suzdalev

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Capitals prospect Alexander Suzdalev has played in two different leagues already this season and could be suiting up his third one soon enough.  The team announced that they have now re-assigned the forward to AHL Hershey.

The 20-year-old played with WHL Regina last season and fared quite well, recording 38 goals and 48 assists in 66 games and was named to the CHL All-Rookie Team.  However, he opted for a change of scenery for this season as instead of returning to the Pats, he opted to play in Sweden and was loaned to Mora of the second-tier Allsvenskan level.

Things didn’t go as well at that level as Suzdalev was limited to just two goals and an assist in 13 games with them.  When Regina traded his junior rights to Saskatoon in late December, Suzdalev elected to return to junior and played for the Blades down the stretch.  He wasn’t as productive as last season but still managed nine goals and 16 assists in 30 regular season games and added four goals and nine helpers in 16 playoff contests before the Blades were eliminated on Tuesday.

Suzdalev will now join the Bears, the top team in the standings during the regular season.  Hershey is up two games to one in their best-of-five second-round series against Lehigh Valley so it stands to reason that Suzdalev may need to wait a little while before getting his first taste of AHL action.

Kraken Re-Assign Niklas Kokko To AHL

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It was a successful year for Kraken goaltending prospect Niklas Kokko who played in his native Finland.  While the season has come to an end over there, it hasn’t ended for him as Seattle has re-assigned him to AHL Coachella Valley, per the AHL’s transactions log.

The 20-year-old was a second-round pick back in 2022, going 58th overall, and, after a quiet post-draft year, really took off this season.  Kokko started the season with Karpat in Finland’s Liiga but was loaned out to Pelicans midseason.  The move worked out quite well as he received more playing time and his new team took off in the standings.

Kokko posted a 1.49 GAA with a .926 SV% and four shutouts in 13 games (while not losing a single one in regulation time) following the loan before authoring a strong postseason run.  He helped lead Pelicans to the league finals (beating Karpat along the way), putting up a 1.81 GAA and a .925 SV% in 17 contests before they were eliminated by Tappara.

Kokko is already signed by the Kraken and will now get his first taste of the AHL while the Firebirds are participating in the playoffs.  With Coachella Valley’s goalie tandem (anchored by veteran Chris Driedger) both eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer, Kokko could find himself as the new starter as soon as 2024-25.

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