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Pacific Notes: Edmonton’s Coaching Search, Hitchcock, Stecher

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The Edmonton Oilers and new general manager Ken Holland may have decided that Ken Hitchcock won’t be the team’s head coach going forward, but regardless Hitchcock has been a key figure in helping the Oilers find the next head coach, according to Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun. Holland spoke about the situation, saying:

I’ve known Hitch a long, long time. Certainly as I’m going through the process of whittling a list of potential coaches down, he’ll be one of the people I’ll lean on. He’s coached against some of these people and if he didn’t coach against them, he knows which coaches he can talk to gather information. He’s from the coaching world. He can gather information up quicker than I can gather it up.”

Holland is expecting Hitchcock to gather information on all the coaching candidates considering the veteran coach’s experience over the years. There isn’t a hurry to hire a coach quickly. It looks like Holland is content to gather that information on all the candidates and make a decision later.

  • Sticking with Hitchcock, the Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson writes that there are rumors that the Columbus Blue Jackets might have interest in Hitchcock as a possible team president if John Davidson leaves for New York. However, Hitchcock’s response is that he is not interested in running a team. “I’d like to dig in and help the coaches both NHL and AHL. I think Ken Holland and I would work well together. Just need to find a role for me that would have value,” said Hitchcock.
  • After stepping up in his third season and providing solid defense, the Vancouver Canucks have to decide whether they consider Troy Stecher as a piece of their future, according to the Vancouver Sun’s Patrick Johnston. Not only did he provide solid value as a second-tier defensemen, there are some who wonder whether he could be even better than that. Stecher, who had 11 points last season, finished this season with 23 points. However, if the Canucks don’t see Stecher as part of their future, the team could trade him for more assets for the rebuild. However, Johnston points out that isn’t likely as the team is quite weak on the right-side where Stecher plays.

Central Notes: Laine, Predators Prospects, Gunnarsson, Honka

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With teams worrying about players’ second contracts more than ever, the Winnipeg Jets may have one of the most challenging tasks this summer when they have to lock up star forward Patrik Laine, who hits restricted free agency on July 1. While many may ask why not offer him what he wants, the Jets have two other serious issues, including an already full salary cap as well as the fact that Laine has proven to be wildly inconsistent so far in his early career.

While Laine still tallied 30 goals this past season (his lowest total of his career), 18 of those goals came in November with Laine scoring no more than four goals in any other month. Regardless, The Athletic’s Murat Ates (subscription required) writes that while a long-term deal could net Laine close to $9MM per season, he might even get more if he opts to take a bridge deal and bank on the potential to get back to 40 goals in the next two years. With the potential to hit his peak within that time, he could really hit payday if he waits. However, that could be an even bigger problem to the team’s long-term salary outlook.

  • The Athletic’s John Glennon (subscription required) writes that while the Nashville Predators have been ranked near the bottom when it comes to the franchise’s prospect cupboard, the Nashville Predators have some hope. The team does have a team in the AHL, the Milwaukee Admirals, who have slowly developed players that are ready to compete for spots on the NHL roster such as Eeli Tolvanen, Anthony Richard and Yakov Trenin, while the team has added some college depth to bolster their depleted group of prospects. Much of the team’s problems is that they have traded many picks to add talent over the last few years, but Glennon adds that the team has drafted well with the picks it has had whether they are in college, in juniors or playing overseas.
  • The St. Louis Blues will be missing a defenseman Saturday when they open up Game 1 against the Dallas Stars as NHL.com’s Chris Pinkert writes that Carl Gunnarsson will sit out after suffering a lower-body injury in Game 7 against the Dallas Stars in the second round. Veteran Robert Bortuzzo is expected to replace him in the lineup. Gunnarsson, a third-pairing defenseman, saw his playing time decrease somewhat in the second-round series.
  • SportsDay’s Matthew DeFranks writes that one offseason task that the Dallas Stars must look at is what to do with defenseman Julius Honka, who has been a healthy scratch for the final four months of the season as he hasn’t played a games since Jan. 15. The former first-round pick in 2014 has fallen down the depth chart as he has slipped behind Jamie Oleksiak, Ben Lovejoy, Taylor Fedun, Joel Hanley, Gavin Bayreuther and Dillon Heatherington. “We’re going to sit down over the summer now and we’re going to decide is he a part of this group or is he an asset to go get something else?” said Dallas general manager Jim Nill. “That’s what we’ve got to figure out.”

Atlantic Notes: Toronto’s Penalty Kill, Canadiens, Ristolainen, Acciari

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Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas took the blame for many things that went wrong this year at his season-ending press conference, the most interesting of which is the team’s struggle with the penalty kill, which stopped the Boston Bruins’ power play just nine out of 16 times during the playoffs. Dubas admitted he should have had more depth. While the coaching staff should be blamed as well, Sportsnet’s Luke Fox suggests ways to fix that penalty kill for next season.

The top suggestion is that the team must use real centers to take faceoffs during the penalty kill as winger Zach Hyman took the most faceoffs last season, going 69-72, while star John Tavares took just 29 faceoffs on the penalty kill and was the 12th-most used player on the penalty kill. The team must also add some depth to this team that could lose quite a few key penalty killers whether it’s Connor Brown, who is considered trade bait; Ron Hainsey, who will be an unrestricted free agent; or Travis Dermott, who will miss six months after shoulder surgery, the team must add players who can help their penalty kill.

  • One Atlantic Division challenger to the Maple Leafs could be in the running for one of their unrestricted free agents, as The Athletic’s Olivier Bouchard (subscription required) believes that the Montreal Canadiens should go after unrestricted free agent Jake Gardiner. The scribe points out that when the dust clears, Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin should have close to $11MM at his disposal and with defense being one of the team’s biggest need, Gardiner might be the perfect addition as the blueliner should be able to force defenseman Brett Kulak to a bottom-pairing role.
  • Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News writes that while the Buffalo Sabres have considered the possibility of trading defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen for a top-six forward, he believes that would be a mistake, claiming that rather than hiding his defensive weaknesses, the team keeps placing him in a role that doesn’t suit him, which is attempting to shutdown the opposing team’s players. Ristolainen, who finished the season with a NHL-worst rating of minus-41, has often been paired with defensive deficient players like Marco Scandella and Jake McCabe, while he also struggled inexplicably when paired with Rasmus Dahlin. Regardless, a new coach that can utilize Ristolainen properly might get the most out of him rather than the Sabres watch him flourish with another team.
  • Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports writes that Boston Bruins forward Noel Acciari has returned to practice and while he’s not expected to play in Game 2 on Sunday against the Carolina Huricanes, he could be ready for Game 3 in Carolina. Acciari, practiced in a non-contact jersey Saturday for the first time after missing the last three playoff games with an upper-body injury. “[Acciari] won’t play tomorrow,” said Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. “He’s doing well. He should be a full practice [participant] for Monday. We’ll see what we’re doing [as a team] that day, but he’ll be ready whatever the case may be. Hopefully, that allows him to play Tuesday and then we’ll make our decision then.”

Buffalo Sabres Sign Arttu Ruotsalainen

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May 8: The Sabres have made it official, announcing a three-year entry-level deal for Ruotsalainen.

May 5: The Buffalo Sabres look to be close to bringing in some young talent as The Athletic’s John Vogl reports that a Finnish source (Twitter link) has stated that the Sabres have come to a verbal agreement to sign Finnish prospect Arttu Ruotsalainen. The entry-level deal would be signed after the World Championships.

Vogl wrote a few days ago that one thing on Buffalo’s to-do list would be to sign Ruotsalainen as both sides had interest in getting a deal done. The 5-foot-8, 181-pound forward would be expected to start the season with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, but could be an interesting prospect as he is still just 21 years old. He is expected to play for Finland in the World Championships and then sign his contract, very similar to the Sabres’ signing two seasons ago of defenseman Victor Antipin.

Undrafted because of his size, Ruotsalainen had a breakout year with Ilves where he tallied 21 goals and 42 points in his fourth season in the Liiga, one year after posting nine goals and 20 points in 2017-18. He kept those numbers up during the playoffs, posting seven points in seven games. Despite playing center with Ilves, it is believed that the Sabres would be more likely to move him to the wing to account for his lack of size. Ruotsalainen coincidentally is teammates with the Sabres’ defensive prospect Oskari Laaksonen, who the team hopes to bring over in the next couple of years as well.

Western Notes: Fedun, Oilers’ Front Office, Holden, Kubalik

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With lots of questions surrounding the last spot on the Dallas Stars’ defense, SportsDay’s Matthew DeFranks reports that Taylor Fedun is expected to play after participating in warm-ups before Game 6 of their second round series against the St. Louis Blues. The veteran defenseman was questionable to play, but he successfully warmed up with no issues.

The team has been hampered by injuries at the third pairing spot alongside Ben Lovejoy, as both Jamie Oleksiak and Joel Hanley are out with injuries, while Fedun has also struggled to get on the ice. The team had a number of options if Fedun could not go, including Dillon Heatherington and Gavin Bayreuther.

  • While nothing has been signed, the Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins suggests that if/when Detroit Red Wings Senior Vice President Ken Holland takes over as General Manager in Edmonton, he’s likely to bring front office personnel with him. He writes that Detroit’s Director of Amateur Scouting Tyler Wright is a likely candidate to follow Holland, as well as Ryan Martin, the Red Wings Assistant General Manager, who is the team’s salary cap guru. He adds that rumors that Dave Tippett could end up as the team’s head coach would be a good move considering the relative success he had in Arizona when the team had little to work with.
  • After being relegated to the press box for all but one game in the playoffs, Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nick Holden is motivated to come back and reclaim a spot on Vegas’ blue line, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Ben Gotz. The 31-year-old played in his least amount of regular season games since the 2013-14 season after he was passed on the depth chart by Jonathon Merrill. With one more year on his contract at $2.2MM, Holden must prove he is capable of being a regular. “Whenever you’re sitting out, it’s added motivation to try to bring your level up,” Holden said. “It’s good for a team to have that healthy competition, because that pushes all of us to be better.”
  • The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) writes that while the Chicago Blackhawks are finalists in the sweepstakes to sign Swedish forward Anton Wedin, the team is also expected to sign NLA forward Dominik Kubalik after the World Championships. Kubalik, whose rights were acquired from the Los Angeles Kings on January 24th of this year, is coming off a 25-goal, 57-point season in the Swiss League. The 23-year-old is expected to challenge for a bottom-six spot in the Blackhawks’ lineup immediately.

Eastern Notes: Hurricanes, Lehner, Blashill, Toronto Prospects

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With the Carolina Hurricanes waiting for their next opponent after sweeping the New York Islanders in the second round of the playoffs, the team is finally getting the rest it needs after a very physical playoff stretch that has worn down the roster. After playing 11 games in 23 days, the Hurricanes took the entire weekend off and are expected to pick up activity on Monday, according to News & Observer’s Luke DeCock.

The team hopes the rest could get a few more players back to full strength, although there are few updates on the injured. There is no word on the status of forward Micheal Ferland as his status remains uncertain. However, the team hopes to get Saku Maenalanen back at some point in the Conference Finals after he underwent hand surgery last week. The rest should also help forward Jordan Martinook, who played injured in Games 3 and 4, as well as goaltender Petr Mrazek, who was forced to leave Game 2 and put 35-year-old Curtis McElhinney into a full-time role, which isn’t ideal. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour commented on the need for rest, saying “I think a break is what they need, more almost mentally. They need more of that. Will it affect us in our first game? We’re going to hear about that. Maybe. There might be a little rust there. But we need it.”

  • NHL.com’s Brian Compton writes that New York Islanders’ Vezina Trophy finalist Robin Lehner, who rewarded the Islanders with an amazing season in goal this year after the Islanders took a chance on him, was non-committal after the team was swept in the second round of the playoffs on Friday. The 27-year-old netminder will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after signing a one-year “prove it” deal for $1.5MM and there is a chance he may opt to make it his only year. “It’s a little bit too much emotions right now,” said Lehner, “I really like everyone here. This group is incredible, some of the best people I’ve been around. I’ve been in the league for a while now. We’ll see what God has in store for me.”
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free-Press writes that Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill admitted that he was thrilled when general manager Steve Yzerman gave him a vote of confidence after taking over his new position. “It was great to hear that he has belief in me and my abilities,” said Blashill, who has been committed to developing the young players on the team, many who have thrived under the head coach’s leadership.
  • With major cap implications upcoming in Toronto, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler (subscription required) writes that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, have been thrilled with the play of their young defenseman in the AHL playoffs, including Timothy Liljegren (first-round pick in 2017), Mac Hollowell (fourth-round pick in 2018) and Rasmus Sandin (first-round pick in 2018). Marlies’ coach Sheldon Keefe added, “It has been such a long period of time now where we relied on (Liljegren and Sandin), so we don’t get to the playoffs if those young guys can’t step up and play the minutes they had to play for us at different times when we were depleted.” With changes coming to the team’s defense, it’s good to know that the three prospects could be closing in on being ready for NHL action.

Washington Capitals Not Likely To Bring Back Devante Smith-Pelly

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Although the Washington Capitals have their affairs in order with most of their impact players after an early-round exit in the playoffs this year, the franchise still has a number of smaller contracts that it will have to deal with in the coming months. The contracts of restricted free agents Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky and unrestricted free agents Carl Hagelin and Brett Connolly need to be dealt with, among others.

One contract the Capitals aren’t likely to deal with this summer is unrestricted free agent Devante Smith-Pelly, who likely will not be returning to Washington next season, according to NBC Sports J.J. Regan. While there was speculation that the team might consider bringing back one of the team’s key players in their Stanley Cup Championship run last season under the right conditions, Regan notes that changed after comments from general manager Brian MacLellan. “Internally we had a couple of issues we had to work through,” MacLellan said of Smith-Pelly, which was not exactly a vote of confidence.

Many have claimed that those “issues” stemmed from conditioning issues and they are likely the reason that the Capitals intend to move on from Smith-Pelly. The big winger struggled this season after scoring seven playoff goals last spring, including several timely ones. Even though Smith-Pelly had more lucrative offers last summer, he opted to sign a one-year, $1MM deal to remain with the Capitals. However, the season didn’t go as planned as he tallied just eight points in 54 games before the team placed him on waivers, sending him to the AHL. He was recalled after T.J. Oshie was injured in the playoffs, but played sparingly. Regan asked Smith-Pelly about his conditioning, which he flatly denied, but did admit he was forced to change his off-season workout plans due to the shortened break:

The summer was different for a lot of guys. I mean, very short. Guys are hurt going into the summer so obviously you don’t have the same routine as you’ve had in years past to get ready. I guess that just affected me more than some other guys. You try to get your footing and stuff happens.

With the team right up against the salary cap and key decisions to make about Burakovsky, Vrana, Hagelin, and Connolly, as well as defensive veteran Brooks Orpik, the team does need several cheap contracts on the book, but it looks like they might be ready to look elsewhere for that talent.

Oilers Waiting On Ken Holland To Make Decision On GM Opening

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Sunday, 9:14 a.m.: TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that Holland is expected to give his answer today and all indications suggest that he is interested in the job.

Sunday, 8:11 a.m.: Late last night, Friedman signed off, reporting that Holland’s decision on whether to take Edmonton’s five-year, $25MM offer will come in either Sunday or Monday. If Holland does accept the position, Dave Tippett would become the lead candidate for the team’s head coaching job.

Saturday, 8:37 p.m.: Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported (via Sportsnet’s Mark Spector) on Hockey Night in Canada that the Edmonton Oilers have offered Holland a five-year contract at $5MM per year to be the Oilers General Manager.

Saturday, 3:33 p.m.: No decision is expected to be made until next week, but the Edmonton Oilers could be close to choosing their future general manager. In fact, with the franchise having recently narrowed their search to three candidates in Detroit Red Wings Senior Vice President Ken Holland, interim general manager Keith Gretzky and former Toronto Maple Leafs’ assistant general manager Mark Hunter as their top candidates, The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that it already looks like Holland has the inside track on the job.

Holland is expected to return from a trip overseas Saturday night, suggesting that negotiations might heat up soon. While just a few days ago the GM race was considered to be a “two-horse race” between Gretzky and Hunter, Sportsnet’s Marc Spector revealed one day later that the Oilers were going “all-in” on Holland. The question was whether Holland was interested in waiting for a potential general manager job opening in Seattle or would be willing to take over in Edmonton.

Holland is completing his 36th season in Detroit and his 22nd as general manager, but with Steve Yzerman taking over those duties, Holland could be looking for another GM position already. He certainly has a impressive resume, including three Stanley Cup Championships, four Presidents’ Trophies, and has seen his team reach 100-season points 13 times. Unfortunately, his recent resume hasn’t been as exemplary as he has continued to try to keep his franchise-winning teams in contention with questionable free-agent signings and only recently committed to rebuilding their salary-capped franchise. In fact, the Red Wings have finished with a worse record than the struggling Oilers franchise for several years now. Now 63 years old, many people wonder what Holland has done in the NHL lately and whether running a franchise has past him by.

The Edmonton Sun’s Terry Jones writes that CEO Bob Nicholson is likely banking on the team hiring Holland, as the scribe believes that Nicholson isn’t enamored with the two other candidates. After two interviews already with Hunter, the fact that they haven’t hired him suggests that Nicholson isn’t comfortable hiring him, while Jones also adds that he doesn’t think Nicholson believes that Gretzky is an “A-list” hire. The belief is that if Holland takes the job, he would have full control of the franchise and that he would never have even begun talking to Nicholson if he wasn’t interested in being a general manager again.

Mitchell adds that if Holland does take over, he will likely bring in his own people into the front office. And while, he believes that there will be a place for Gretzky no matter what, Holland has stated that your need four or five key people in place to run a franchise. One interesting option if Holland does take over is who might become the team’s next head coach, suggesting that Holland has close connections to current Dallas Stars assistant coach Todd Nelson. Changes could also come quickly depending on Holland’s assessment of the Oilers’ core.  That core of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson and Darnell Nurse could be altered, considering he wasn’t the man to bring them in.

Snapshots: Andrighetto, Eriksson, Glass

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A recent report out of Russia claimed that Colorado Avalanche forward Sven Andrighetto was close to signing a contract with Avangard Omsk of the KHL after his contract expires with the Avalanche this season. Andrighetto, who is wrapping up a two-year, $2.8MM contract, has said that he’s heard those reports out of Russia himself. Yet, when TSN’s Pierre LeBrun talked to Andrighetto about the rumors, he revealed they were not true. He admits there has been interest from overseas teams for his services, but he the 26-year-old said he won’t make a decision on his future until after the season ends. Andrighetto played in 64 regular season games, recording  just 17 points, and hasn’t contributed a point yet in four playoff games, but he is expected to play Saturday in Game 5 against the San Jose Sharks.

  • One player unhappy with his role is Vancouver Canucks forward Loui Eriksson, who knows he has struggled and has no intention of retiring, according to Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Sun. Eriksson, who scored 52 goals in the two seasons prior to signing with Vancouver, has scored just 32 goals in three seasons with the Canucks, including 11 last year. The 33-year-old vented some frustration about his “defensive role,” while adding that his relationship with head coach Travis Green has been turbulent. “The coach and I don’t really get on 100 percent,” he acknowledged about his relationship with Travis Green. “It is difficult when I do not get the same trust that I received from all the other coaches I had during my career. Of course it is tough on that front.”
  • The Vegas Golden Knights might have a tough decision to make later this summer. The team’s top draft pick from 2017, Cody Glass, has finally gone pro and has been excelling  to the point that he might seriously force the Golden Knights’ hand in their plans for him, according to the Daily Herald’s John Dietz. Glass, who was the sixth overall pick in 2017, has been lighting it up in juniors, but since arriving with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, Glass has taken off, scoring three goals and five points in six regular season games and scoring another three goals and five points in seven playoff games. There has been much speculation that Vegas, who are expected to be very deep in their top-nine after acquiring Nikita Gusev and are expecting the healthy return of Erik Haula, would keep Glass in the AHL for a full season next year, but the star prospect may have other plans.

Islanders Notes: Free Agency, Lehner, Offense, Lambert

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After a tough sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, right after they impressed everyone by sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, there remain many questions surrounding the New York Islanders and in what direction general manager Lou Lamoriello will go this off-season. They have multiple key free agent forwards that could hit the open market in July, including forwards Jordan Eberle, Anders Lee and Brock Nelson.

Newsday’s Andrew Gross makes his predictions on who is staying or going and is quick to point out that it’s likely that Lamoriello may only keep one of their three top-six free agent forwards. The question is whether he can get Lee to agree to take a little less to remain with the team. Gross believes that Lee would ask for six years at $6MM per, which Lamoriello might agree to, but both Eberle and Nelson could ask for similar amounts and if one of them opts to take less, that may be who ends up staying.

The scribe also adds that some of their other free agents could get re-signed, especially Valtteri Filppula and Tanner Fritz to smaller, shorter-term deals.

  • With tons of cap space and multiple key free agents of their own, the team must decide whether they intend to re-sign some of those players as well as whether they intend to dip into free agency and go after some bigger fish. What the team needs to do is find a way to sign Robin Lehner to cement their goaltending situation, according to Emily Kaplan and Chris Peters of ESPN (subscription required). Lehner, who has become a fan favorite in New York after an incredible season, is needed in New York with Thomas Greiss down to his last year on his contract. Lehner and Greiss combined to win the Jennings Trophy, while Lehner is also a finalist for the Vezina Trophy after putting up 25 wins, a 2.13 GAA, and a .930 save percentage during the regular season. Despite many who feel that Lehner failed in the playoffs, his numbers were still even better in the playoffs, posting a 2.00 GAA and a .936 save percentage. He was a bargain at $1.5MM, but will need a big raise this summer if the Islanders want to keep him.
  • Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post writes that what Lamoriello needs to find this summer is more high-impact scorers who can help with head coach Barry Trotz’s grinding defense. Like in Washington, Trotz’ defensive system relies on high-end forwards who can get opportunistic goals, which the team struggled to do in the second round of the playoffs. Trotz, however, believes there is talent in their system, which might be ready to supplement the team. “We knew that we were a little bit lean in some of the high-skill positions, but we have some good kids coming,” Trotz said.
  • With the Islanders eliminated, that could open up some coaching opportunity for associate coach Lane Lambert, according to The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required). The 54-year-old Lambert has been a long-time assistant to Trotz and might be one of the top assistant coaches ready to make the transition to the head coaching position. He has been key to game planning and practices and has been a critical part of the team’s penalty kill unit.

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