St. Louis Blues Fire Craig Berube
The St. Louis Blues have made a surprising coaching change. The team has announced that head coach Craig Berube has been relieved of his duties. In addition, Drew Bannister, the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, has been named the interim bench boss in St. Louis.
A veteran of over 1,000 games as a player, Berube is best known for the magical run he led the Blues on after taking over in a mid-season coaching change in 2018-19. With the Blues struggling to find any sort of success under Mike Yeo, general manager Doug Armstrong made a coaching change and placed control over the team in Berube’s hands.
That decision paid almost immediate dividends. The Blues went on a scorching-hot run to close out the regular season and then won their franchise’s first Stanley Cup in dramatic fashion: a dominant game-seven road victory against a strong Boston Bruins team.
Berube’s leadership led the Blues to the Stanley Cup championship that had eluded them for so long. For that, he’ll always be remembered as a legend in St. Louis.
That being said, since that Stanley Cup run the Blues have been on an undeniable decline. They lost in the first round in consecutive years following the championship and then rebounded in 2021-22, winning one playoff series. But a 37-38-7 record last season exposed some serious cracks in the Blues’ foundation, and a middling 13-14-1 start to this campaign was the final nail in the coffin for Berube.
It’s fair to question whether the decline of the Blues is ultimately down to Berube’s coaching, or personnel decisions made by the front office. On one hand, the Blues have a team with some genuinely talented players, they spend to the salary cap, and should probably be performing a little bit better than they are right now just assessing things on paper.
But on the other hand, there have been some definite missteps from the front office. First and foremost, the team has seemingly not recovered from captain Alex Pietrangelo‘s decision to leave and sign with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Additionally, players such as Torey Krug, Nick Leddy, Marco Scandella, Kasperi Kapanen, Jakub Vrána are all not providing surplus value for their cap hits, which has clogged up the team’s financial flexibility to make changes. The large number of players with some form of no-trade protection in their contracts has also cost the team the ability to make meaningful changes to its roster.
That’s not to say all the moves since the Stanley Cup win have not paid off, the Pavel Buchnevich trade in particular was absolutely stellar, but overall there have been quite a few missteps in terms of player recruitment and evaluation since the team’s championship win.
So with a squad clearly in need of a change, but without the means to make any significant player moves, the Blues found themselves in a similar predicament to the Edmonton Oilers from earlier this season. Like in Edmonton, it’s unclear how much blame for their current struggles truly lies in the hands of the head coach. But also like in Edmonton, the Blues didn’t have many levers to pull – outside of a coaching change – to try to catalyze team-wide improvement.
The Oilers have responded extremely positively to their coaching change, and have now won eight straight games. The Blues are likely hoping this move produces similar results, and it’s that desperate need for improvement that has led to St. Louis dispatching a figure who accomplished so much for their franchise. They’ve even gone a similar route in terms of replacement to the Oilers. Edmonton hired an AHL head coach from outside of its organization to replace the coach they fired, while the Blues have also opted for an AHL coach, only this one comes from their own AHL affiliate.
Bannister, 49, began his coaching career in the United Kingdom, serving as a player-coach for the Hull Stingrays and Braehead Clan. He got his first chance as a full-time head coach with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack, reaching the playoffs in each of his three seasons there. He was then hired to his old OHL stomping grounds to be the head coach of the Soo Greyhounds, the junior team he won two OHL titles and a Memorial Cup with as a player. He had a strong tenure with the Greyhounds, leading them to the OHL Finals in 2017-18.
After losing in the OHL Final, Bannister became the head coach of the San Antonio Rampage in the AHL, beginning his AHL coaching career. He did not have a huge amount of success in San Antonio, though things would change after the Blues’ AHL affiliation shifted to Springfield. In his first season in Massachusetts, Bannister coached the Thunderbirds to the Calder Cup Final.
A few key player departures dropped the team to more of a middle-of-the-pack squad last season, but this year Bannister’s Thunderbirds are firmly in the playoff picture with a 12-8-2 record. Bannister has delivered numerous NHL players to St. Louis, such as Jordan Kyrou, Niko Mikkola, Ville Husso, and Jake Walman, to name a few. Now, he’ll be tasked with delivering something different to the Blues: NHL victories.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 12/12/23
It’s been a busy period around the world of professional hockey, both in the NHL and in Europe. In the NHL, teams continue to jockey for position in the standings while also assessing the state of their roster as we inch closer to true trade season.
Over in Europe, the ups and downs of the regular season have prompted significant movement. That movement applies to both players and also leadership figures, such as in the SHL where Rögle BK yesterday dismissed head coach Cam Abbott and sporting director Chris Abbott. The duo had been in charge of Rögle since the middle of 2017-18, and took the club on multiple playoff runs including one to the SHL final in 2020-21.
Moving back to player movement, we’ll keep track of notable player transactions here:
- 2014 Dallas Stars first-round pick Julius Honka was loaned from his Swiss National League club Genève-Servette HC to HC Ambrì-Piotta, in order to play for the club during the Spengler Cup tournament. He joins Swiss blueliner Benoit Jecker, who was loaned from HC Fribourg-Gottéron for the same purpose. Honka originally signed with SC Bern over the summer after a strong campaign in the SHL with Luleå, but eventually was loaned from Bern to Genève-Servette. Jecker, 29, has played in 30 games this year for Fribourg-Gottéron and scored six points.
- Another 2014 first-round draft pick joins a Swiss National League team, as two-time AHL All-Star forward John Quenneville has signed with HC Lugano on a one-year contract. The 27-year-old split last season between the SHL’s Leksands IF and AHL’s Belleville Senators, scoring 15 points in 25 games for the latter club. He does have some Swiss NL experience to boast, having spent 2021-22 with the ZSC Lions in a campaign where he potted 20 goals and 37 points in just 46 games.
- Former five-year college hockey defenseman Seamus Donohue has signed with the ICEHL’s Vienna Capitals, leaving the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads in the process. Donohue replaces defenseman Stefan Warg on the Capitals’ roster, as the team amicably terminated its contractual relationship with the 33-year-old veteran and alternate captain. Warg had struggled in 11 games with the Capitals, and is now replaced by Donohue. The 27-year-old Minnesota native already has experience playing European pro hockey, as he spent 2022-23 with SaiPa in Liiga. It’s somewhat unconventional for a player to jump straight from college hockey into Liiga, but Donohue remained a regular member of SaiPa’s defensive group for the full season. His departure from Idaho is a major loss for the Steelheads, as he’s currently tied for the team lead in defensive scoring with 18 points in 22 games. That being said, the Steelheads are strongly positioned to absorb the loss as they are currently the top team in the ECHL with a 17-4-1 record.
- 22-year-old Eetu Randelin has had his trial contract with Liiga’s Tappara Tampere converted into a full one-year contract with the club. The rookie netminder has taken Tampere by storm, registering a .938 save percentage in eight games played. Originally slated to be the starter for IPK in second-tier Mestis, Randelin has now earned a full-time role with Tappara. He’ll likely get to back up starter Christian Heljanko moving forward.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
New York Rangers Recall Matthew Robertson
The New York Rangers have recalled defenseman Matthew Robertson from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
With regular second-pairing left-shot defenseman K’Andre Miller set to miss tonight’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs due to personal reasons, the Rangers are down a defenseman for tonight’s game.
Veteran Erik Gustafsson appears poised to take Miller’s spot next to captain Jacob Trouba, and then the decision for who will enter the lineup will come down to either Zac Jones or Robertson.
For an important game against a strong Maple Leafs team, one would assume that Jones, an intelligent player with nearly 50 games of NHL experience, would be the preferred option.
But seeing as Miller’s absence means the Rangers have a second-unit penalty killer to replace, Robertson could very well be called upon to make his NHL debut. Standing six-foot-three, 211 pounds Robertson offers a more defensive style and the kind of size and physicality Jones, who is five-foot-ten, does not provide.
Should he end up dressed for tonight’s game, Robertson would get the chance to make his NHL debut in the middle of his third season playing professional hockey.
The 22-year-old was a 2019 second-round pick, selected out of the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. Robertson had a strong junior career. He skated in over 200 WHL games, won gold at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and was once named to the WHL’s Second All-Star Team. While Edmonton only got the chance to reach the playoffs once during Robertson’s time there, he played a crucial role on a team that made a run to the WHL’s Conference Finals.
In Hartford, Robertson has steadily risen in importance. While he isn’t much of an offensive producer, Robertson scored a career-high 23 points in 57 games last year. This season, he’s frequently spent time alongside former OHL star Mac Hollowell, and the defensive safety he provides to that pairing has helped Hollowell pile up points, as he has posted 22 in just 18 games.
While Robertson may only be in the NHL on a short-term basis due to the news regarding Miller, and he may end up just in the press box as a healthy scratch tonight, it would be a surprise if Robertson doesn’t get the chance to make his NHL debut at some point down the line.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
East Notes: Svechnikov, Harris, Miller
The Carolina Hurricanes are currently on a four-game losing streak, and things don’t appear to be getting any easier, as star forward Andrei Svechnikov has missed the club’s last two losses. Team reporter Walt Ruff relays word from Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, who says that Svechnikov will be out for “at least a while” as Svechnikov deals with an upper-body injury.
The 23-year-old 2018 second-overall pick is arguably the Hurricanes’ most lethal offensive weapon when healthy. A torn ACL cut his season short last year, but before the injury he had scored 23 goals and 55 points in 64 games. As Svechnikov seems set to miss a meaningful chunk of time due to this new injury, the Hurricanes will have to rely more heavily on other players to generate offense and lift the team out of the middle of the pack in terms of goals scored per game.
Some other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jordan Harris has not played since a November 18th game against the Boston Bruins, though he is nearing a return to the ice. The Canadiens officially announced that Harris would be able to return to play in approximately 10 to 14 days, which is an encouraging development for the club. While Harris has just three points this season, he did have a strong rookie campaign as an intelligent blueliner with puck-moving ability. Harris’ return to the ice could cost his former college hockey teammate Jayden Struble a place in the Canadiens’ lineup, seeing as Kaiden Guhle and Mike Matheson aren’t going anywhere on the team’s top two pairings. Struble has played quite well since his debut, though, so one wonders if the Canadiens would sanction sending Struble back to the AHL after such a promising stretch of games.
- New York Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller will miss tonight’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs for personal reasons. Head coach Peter Laviolette declined to go into more detail on the absence, disclosing simply that Miller was excused from the game for personal reasons.
Boston Bruins Recall Jesper Boqvist
The Boston Bruins have filled the open spot on their roster, recalling forward Jesper Boqvist from their AHL affiliate the Providence Bruins.
With Pavel Zacha out day-to-day, this recall gives the Bruins an extra forward option to work with in advance of their game against the New Jersey Devils tomorrow. Boqvist is actually a former Devil himself, as is Zacha.
Boqvist, 25, was the 36th overall pick at the 2017 draft who developed for a few years in Sweden before making it to the North American pro circuit. He actually got into 35 NHL games in his debut year in North America, 2019-20, but only managed four goals and no assists.
From that point, Boqvist would play mostly in the NHL for the Devils, including a career-best year in 2021-22 when he posted 10 goals and 23 points in 56 games. After scoring 10 goals and 21 points in 70 games last season, Boqvist was non-tendered by the Devils.
He ended up signing a league-minimum deal with the Bruins. Although the deal offers him just a $775k cap hit (lower than his cap hit last season), it’s a one-way contract meaning he’s paid that number regardless of if he’s in the NHL or AHL. Seeing as his minors salary was just $70k last year, the deal is an improvement in financial terms for Boqvist.
That’s especially relevant since Boqvist has spent most of the year in the AHL. He has scored 14 points in 25 games for the Providence Bruins, and his only NHL game was a late October loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
Although he’s unlikely to stick around on their NHL roster for very long, this recall provides Boqvist with the opportunity to inch closer to the 200 career NHL games played mark, assuming he can draw into the Bruins’ lineup for tomorrow’s game.
Arizona Coyotes Recall Zach Sanford
The Arizona Coyotes have recalled forward Zach Sanford from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. In a corresponding move, the team has reassigned forward Ryan McGregor back to Tucson.
McGregor was recalled last week but did not end up skating in any games for the Coyotes. A 24-year-old 2017 sixth-round pick, McGregor is in his fourth season playing AHL hockey in Tucson and has yet to make his NHL debut. He has four points in 19 games to start this season.
Sanford, on the other hand, has done more than make a debut in the NHL: he’s a Stanley Cup champion and a veteran of over 300 games in hockey’s top league.
Sanford scored 16 goals and 30 points in 2019-20, but failed to build off of that breakout year in the following campaign. He was traded to the Ottawa Senators but couldn’t make an impact there, and has since bounced around the league a little bit. He was a depth forward for the Nashville Predators last season, scoring three points in 16 NHL games.
Sanford made more of an impact for Nashville’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, scoring 12 goals and 28 points in 45 games. Signed to a contract in the offseason to play a similar role for the Coyotes, Sanford has only managed four points in 16 AHL contests.
He has scored a point in his one NHL game for Arizona, though, and should provide the club with some experienced depth.
Washington Capitals Sign Clay Stevenson To Three-Year Extension
The Washington Capitals have signed netminder Clay Stevenson to a three-year, $775k AAV contract extension.
According to the team release, the financial structure of the contract is as follows:
2024-25: two-way, $775k NHL salary, $200k AHL Salary
2025-26: one-way, $775k salary
2026-27: one-way, $775k salary
This contract provides Stevenson, 24, with a significant amount of financial security as he enters his mid-twenties. The six-foot-four undrafted goaltender played one season of college hockey at Dartmouth, where he was named to the ECAC Third All-Star team and All-Rookie team, before joining the pro ranks with the Capitals organization.
The Capitals signed Stevenson to a two-year entry-level contract and then stashed him with their ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays. He had a strong 2022-23 in South Carolina, posting a .916 save percentage in 36 games played. Stevenson also got into three AHL games last year, posting a 3-0-0 record and .924 save percentage.
That strong form in his debut pro year meant the Capitals could go into 2023-24 with confidence that Stevenson could be part of a strong tandem with their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
He’s done more than form a strong tandem, though, he’s surged to the best start of any goalie in the AHL and has firmly supplanted Calder Cup-winning goalie Hunter Shepard as the team’s most reliable option, at least at this early point in the season.
In 13 AHL games, Stevenson has a 1.70 goals-against-average and a stellar .934 save percentage. He’s looked utterly dominant at times, and he has already posted four shutouts in his relatively small sample of games played.
By signing him to this contract extension, the Capitals have accomplished a few things. First and foremost, they now have assured cost certainty for Stevenson for the next three seasons after this one.
Should he continue to play like one of the top goalies in the AHL, Stevenson could very well become the Capitals’ number-two goalie by the time Charlie Lindgren hits unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2025. He’s slated to cost the bare minimum cap hit for the next three seasons, meaning if he can reach the NHL he’ll likely provide the Capitals with a solid bargain.
So given how many positives there are in this extension for Washington from a salary cap perspective, it’s fair to question why Stevenson, such a fast-rising goalie, would lock himself into such an affordable deal for the next three years after this one.
Just as the Capitals have gotten financial certainty, so has Stevenson. Although his NHL cap hit on his entry-level deal was $855k, Stevenson has not yet made the NHL. His salary in the minors has been $80k, meaning a $200k minors salary as soon as next season and then $775k for the following two years, regardless of what level he plays at, is an attractive financial package.
For as strong as Stevenson has played so far, his resume of AHL success consists of just 16 total games. While Stevenson is surely confident that he’ll continue being a strong AHL netminder, sustaining his push towards NHL call-up consideration, it’s also worth noting that sports can be extremely fickle.
By signing this contract, Stevenson financially protects himself in the case that he suffers an injury or some unforeseen steep decline in form. Could he have risked things, signed only a one-year extension, and then been in a strong position to cash in if he sustained league-best statistics for a full AHL campaign? Probably, but that’s an immense risk to take.
And in any case, if Stevenson can continue his rise he’ll nonetheless be in a position to cash in when he’s still in his twenties, which is far from old for a goaltender.
Morning Notes: Tanev, Wild, Czechia
Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev did not return to last night’s loss to the Colorado Avalanche after taking a hit into the boards from Avalanche forward Ross Colton. No update on Tanev’s status was issued after the contest.
The hit appeared to drive Tanev’s upper body into the boards in a somewhat awkward fashion, which naturally leads to questions as to whether Tanev has suffered an upper-body injury. Any significant Tanev absence would come as a major blow to the Flames: not only do they rely heavily on him on the ice, but the pending UFA is also among the team’s most important trade chips should they decide to take up a seller’s posture in advance of the 2024 trade deadline.
- Although we’re far away from the 2024 NHL draft, recent reporting has given some interesting insight into the draft strategy of one NHL team. The Minnesota Wild raised some eyebrows at the 2023 NHL Draft when they spent the 21st overall selection on divisive center Charlie Stramel, passing on more consensus picks such as the USNTDP’s Gabriel Perreault. With Perreault now setting college hockey ablaze at Boston College and Stramel struggling mightily at the University of Wisconsin, the Wild’s decision is under increased scrutiny. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported that the Wild “team skipped somebody on its list in the first round in order to fill a need,” and has more recently asked Wild scouting director Judd Brackett about the team’s draft strategy. (subscription link) Brackett said, “It’s no secret that we’ve continued to draft at that position for the last couple of years,” indicating that the club may continue to prioritize drafting centers over other positions. That shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, of course, as the Wild have never had a truly elite center at any point in franchise history, and the team’s current center depth is generally considered below average.
- Czechia has announced its selections for its 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship team, and its roster has a few notable NHL prospects to speak of. Arizona Coyotes second-rounder Michael Hrabal could end up the team’s starter, while a pair of first-rounders in Eduard Šalé and Jiří Kulich appear set to anchor the team’s forward corps.
David Perron Offered In-Person Hearing For Cross-Check
4:58 p.m.: Perron’s in-person hearing will take place via Zoom tomorrow afternoon, the Department of Player Safety said Sunday night.
11:10 p.m.: The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has announced that veteran forward David Perron has been offered an in-person hearing for a cross-check in last night’s game that he delivered to Ottawa Senators blueliner Artem Zub.
According to the Department of Player Safety’s protocols, a player is offered an in-person hearing “if the infraction might require a suspension of six games or more.”
Looking at the play in question, it’s understandable that George Parros and the Department of Player Safety would consider significant supplemental discipline. The infraction occurred late in the first period of yesterday’s game. In response to a play that left captain Dylan Larkin motionless on the ice, Perron unleashed a high cross-check onto Zub’s head area, attacking a player who appeared to hold his hand out looking to diffuse the situation.
Not only did Perron make direct contact with Zub’s head, he also jumped upwards to do so, displaying a clear intent to attack the head area. While the principle of sticking up for one’s teammate is central to the game, it’s hard to argue Perron did anything but take that principle way too far with his actions. Perron was immediately assessed a match penalty on the play, the penalty carrying the serious tag of “intent to injure.”
As a result of this play, the Red Wings appear likely to be without Perron for a potentially significant period of time. A suspension appears to be a certainty at this point, which would leave the Red Wings without one of their most experienced forwards. The team’s recent acquisition of Patrick Kane should soften the blow of that loss, of course, but still losing a player who scored 24 goals and 56 points last season for some important games is surely bad news for Detroit.
Assuming a suspension, expect to see 23-year-old Jonatan Berggren assume Perron’s spot in the lineup. The 23-year-old 2018 33rd overall pick has scored 15 points in 16 AHL games so far this season and scored 15 goals in his NHL rookie year in 2022-23.
Metro Notes: Blue Jackets Hockey Operations, Laine, Gudbranson, Rust
It’s not a controversial statement to say that the Columbus Blue Jackets have not had the season they were hoping to have. Despite aggressive offseason moves adding key young talents and older veterans, the team is currently among the NHL’s worst, undone by underperformance from crucial stars as well as sudden turnover at leadership positions. With the team looking less and less likely to be a true playoff contender, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline sought out comment from Blue Jackets ownership regarding the direction of the franchise. (subscription link)
Team president of business operations Mike Priest, who Portzline calls a “close confidant” of owner John P. McConnell said the following regarding the state of the team: “nobody wants to be where we are with our record. That’s not what we expected.” He also added: “I can say we’re all very frustrated, we’re disappointed.” Many have speculated as to whether the Blue Jackets would consider moving on from general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen. Although Kekäläinen oversaw the most successful period in franchise history under John Tortorella, one wonders if he’ll get the chance to lead the Blue Jackets into the future given the rapid disintegration of his plans to return to the playoffs in 2023-24.
Some other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- In a less big-picture update from Columbus, team reporter Jeff Svoboda confirmed that star forward Patrik Laine as well as defenseman Erik Gudbranson would both be returning to the team’s lineup after battling illness. Both Gudbranson and Laine had not played in a week. Although Laine has struggled this season he is their most talented goal-scorer, while Gudbranson offers a level of physicality and leadership from the team’s back-end that few other defensemen on their roster can match.
- The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Seth Rorabaugh relays word from Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan who states that forward Bryan Rust is still being evaluated with an upper-body injury. Rust exited the third period of the Penguins’ December 6th loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning and has not played since. He’s scored 20 points in 22 games, so any extended absence would be a significant loss for the reeling Penguins. As we covered earlier today, the team signed Jesse Puljujärvi to a tryout agreement provide some additional cover from injuries to its forward corps.