Red Wings Will Not Bring Back Jeff Blashill Next Season
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
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
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
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.
Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag
The fun is really about to begin across the NHL. Next week, half the teams in the league will begin their push for the Stanley Cup while the other half will begin the process of assessing what went wrong with the expectation of moves to come. Some of those moves could come as soon as next week if those non-playoff teams decide to make a coaching or GM change.
With that in mind, it’s time to run another edition of the PHR Mailbag. Last time, it was split into two parts. The first included looks at the struggles the Islanders have had this season, San Jose’s looming cap challenges, and Shea Weber’s contract while the second included some early award and free agent predictions, potential coaching candidates this offseason, and Seattle’s goaltending woes.
You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.
Metropolitan Notes: Andersen, Snively, Rangers
After the Hurricanes got some good news when it came to goaltender Antti Raanta today, it appears things may be looking up even more on the injury front in Carolina. Sara Civian of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that goaltender Frederik Andersen should be good to go for the playoffs as well. The 32-year-old suffered an undisclosed injury a week and a half ago with little information revealed from there. While Civian notes that Andersen isn’t expected to dress for any of Carolina’s games this week, having both him and Raanta available for the postseason will certainly help their chances of a lengthy playoff run.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Capitals winger Joe Snively skated for the first time on Sunday after undergoing wrist surgery last month, relays Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. The 26-year-old did well in his first career NHL recall, picking up four goals and three assists before being injured in his 12th game at the end of February. Nevertheless, Snively did well enough to earn a two-year, one-way extension which he inked last month. It’s unlikely that Snively will be in Washington’s lineup to start the playoffs but if some injuries strike, he could be an option to suit up.
- The Rangers have listed forwards Andrew Copp, Kaapo Kakko, and Filip Chytil as game-time decisions for their game on Tuesday against Carolina as they look to stay in the mix for the top spot in the division, notes Ethan Sears of the New York Post. Copp (lower body) and Chytil (undisclosed) were both injured on Thursday while Kakko has been out for a week and a half with a lower-body injury and received a week-to-week designation at the time. Even if they don’t play on Tuesday, all three were full participants in practice which bodes well for their availability when the playoffs start next week.
Central Notes: DeBrincat, O’Brien, Spurgeon
Blackhawks winger Alex DeBrincat will be eligible to sign a contract extension in July and indicated to reporters, including Ben Pope of the Chicago-Sun Times, that he’s open to having those discussions whenever the team is. The 24-year-old has been one of the few bright spots for Chicago this season, notching 40 goals and 36 assists in 79 games. DeBrincat will be owed a $9MM qualifying offer in the 2023 offseason so it stands to reason that any discussion of an early extension will have that number as a starting point. Pope adds that DeBrincat isn’t expected to suit up at the World Championships next month with him and his wife expecting their first child.
Elsewhere in the Central:
- Coyotes winger Liam O’Brien may be able to return to the lineup on Wednesday against Dallas, relays Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last two months with an upper-body injury. O’Brien has had a quiet year with three points and 106 penalty minutes in 37 games but was rewarded with a two-year contract extension last month, the first one-way deal of his career.
- Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon left last night’s game early in the first period. While some were hoping he was being held out as a precautionary measure, head coach Dean Evason told reporters postgame, including Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link), that the blueliner suffered an upper-body injury and will undergo testing to learn how much time he’ll miss. The timing is hardly optimal for Minnesota as Spurgeon is one of their top defensemen (he leads their back end in points with 39 while sitting third in ATOI at just over 21 minutes a night) and their first-round series against St. Louis starting early next week.
Injury Updates: Flyers, Barabanov, Maple Leafs, Murray
Don’t expect the Flyers to get many – if any – reinforcements from their injured list over the final few games. Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link) that the only player that might be able to return is defenseman Nick Seeler with interim head coach Mike Yeo admitting that even that “might be a bit of a long shot”. This means the season has come to an end for wingers Cam Atkinson and Patrick Brown, defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen, Kevin Connauton, and Cam York, as well as goaltender Carter Hart.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Sharks winger Alexander Barabanov is listed as probable for tonight’s game against Chicago, notes Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury. Barabanov has been one of the bright spots for San Jose this season, notching 37 points in 65 games, a very nice return on a $1MM AAV. He’s eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer and will be looking at a sizable raise on his next contract.
- The Maple Leafs could have defenseman Jake Muzzin back in the lineup tomorrow against Washington, reports Sportsnet’s Luke Fox (Twitter link). The veteran has been held out of the last few games after struggling a bit after returning from a concussion. Meanwhile, Fox adds that blueliner Rasmus Sandin is expected to start practicing with the team as he works his way back from a knee injury that landed him on LTIR last month. Toronto has enough cap flexibility to activate him if he’s able to get into a game before the end of the season but if not, he should be ready for the playoffs.
- Senators goaltender Matt Murray is hoping to get into a game or two by the end of the season but it doesn’t seem likely to happen, mentions Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The netminder has been out for the last six weeks with a neck injury and is a speculative candidate to play for Canada at next month’s World Championships. An appearance or two in the final week for Ottawa would go a long way towards demonstrating that he’ll be able to play in that tournament.
Snapshots: Jets, Behrens, Lehner, Zadina
With Winnipeg now mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, interim head coach Dave Lowry told reporters, including Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe (Twitter link), that center Mark Scheifele and winger Cole Perfetti aren’t expected to return by the end of the season. Scheifele has missed the last couple of weeks with an upper-body injury while Perfetti has been out for more than two months with an upper-body issue of his own. Perfetti, however, is expected to rejoin the team for practice sometime next week and could be a candidate to play for Canada at the World Championships next month for the second year in a row.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- After an impressive freshman season at the University of Denver, Avalanche defenseman prospect Sean Behrens told Peter Baugh of The Athletic (subscription link) that he sees himself remaining in college for one or two more years. The 19-year-old was a second-round pick (61st overall) last summer and had 29 points in 37 games as he helped lead the Pioneers to the NCAA title. With Colorado moving blueline prospects Justin Barron and Drew Helleson at the trade deadline, Behrens is now clearly their top prospect on the back end.
- Following Friday’s confusion of reports suggesting Robin Lehner was out for the season while Vegas head coach Peter DeBoer stated he expected the netminder at practice today, the Golden Knights issued a statement indicating that Lehner won’t skate today as he takes an additional maintenance day. However, the team remains hopeful that will be available to play tomorrow against San Jose. This strange situation will drag out a little longer as a result.
- Red Wings winger Filip Zadina won’t play again this season after undergoing an appendectomy back in Florida, relays MLive’s Ansar Khan. It was a tough year for the 22-year-old as he managed just 10 goals and 14 assists in 74 games. While those were career highs, Detroit was undoubtedly expecting more from Zadina, the sixth-overall pick back in 2018.
Senators Activate Thomas Chabot
Although Thomas Chabot had previously been ruled out for the season with a fractured hand, there was some hope that the Senators could get their top defenseman back for a game or two before the year comes to an end. That will indeed be the case as TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that Chabot took the morning skate and will return to the lineup tonight against Montreal.
The 25-year-old has had another impressive season on Ottawa’s back end, collecting 34 points in 55 games and he still leads the team in points by defensemen despite missing 22 contests. More importantly for them, he has logged heavy minutes once again, averaging 26:23 minutes per game to lead the NHL, the third straight season that he has reached the 26-minute mark in ATOI, the only player in the league to do so. Even though the games will be meaningless in the standings, his return will certainly be a welcome one as a result.
It’s expected that Chabot, if healthy, will be asked to represent Team Canada at next month’s World Championships so these last few games will also serve as a testing ground to see if he’ll be good to go for that tournament. It would be his second time playing in that event having also played in it back in 2019.