Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Morning Notes: Cozens, NHL Awards, Gauthier

at CDT | by 13 Comments

Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports that Buffalo Sabres forward Dylan Cozens will play for Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Championships. The 23-year-old last played for Team Canada two years ago at the World Championship and was second in team scoring with seven goals and six assists in 10 games.

Cozens had a disappointing run during his fourth NHL season as he and the Sabres missed the playoffs once again, extending the second-longest playoff drought in North American pro sports. The Whitehorse, Yukon native saw his point total decrease by 21 as he dropped to just 18 goals and 29 assists in 79 games this year after posting career highs during the 2022-23 season with 31 goals and 37 assists in 81 games. Despite his disappointing campaign, Cozens is still hoping to end the 2023-24 season on a high note with Canada. He cited the chase for a gold medal as his main reason for electing to extend his season and play in the tournament.

In other morning notes:

  • TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the NHL does plan to hold an NHL Awards ceremony in the coming months and is currently looking to secure a venue for the show. The league hasn’t finalized any of the details at this time and remains in talks with several locations. Currently, the NHL hopes to hold the show on June 27th in Las Vegas which would be the eve of the NHL Entry Draft.
  • Anaheim Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier will make his NHL debut tonight in the Ducks season finale against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Hobey Baker finalist signed his three-year entry-level contract earlier in the week and will make his debut in Las Vegas. Gauthier was acquired by the Ducks earlier this season in exchange for Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick and figures to be a massive part of Anaheim’s forward group going forward.  No word yet on where he will play in the Ducks lineup.

Atlantic Notes: Luukkonen, Imama, Tkachuk

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News is reporting that Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen won’t play for Team Finland at the upcoming IIHF World Championship. The 25-year-old is a restricted free agent on July 1st and without an extension in place has elected to not play in the event. The news is not surprising given that Luukkonen would be risking injury without the security of a long-term deal in place. It will be a blow to Finland’s roster for the tournament.

Luukkonen’s future looked murky at the start of the season, but the native of Espoo, Finland put up terrific numbers on a weak Sabres team registering a record of 27-22-4, along with five shutouts, a 2.57 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. His underlying numbers were also strong as he posted 9.4 goals saved above expected in 54 games. His contract negotiations will be interesting to watch as the Sabres will have to make a bet on whether or not Luukkonen can carry his strong play into the next few seasons.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

The Ottawa Senators have re-assigned forward Bokondji Imama to their AHL affiliate in Belleville. The 27-year-old was recalled two weeks ago by Ottawa and registered zero points and 7 PIM in six games while averaging 5:35 of ice time. He suffered an upper-body injury in Monday’s game against the Rangers and missed the Senators season finale against Boston on Tuesday. The Montreal, Quebec native is a former sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning and has registered a single goal in 15 career NHL games. Imama has spent the bulk of his seven-year professional career in the AHL where he has 29 goals and 43 assists in 310 career AHL games.

Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun reports that Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk will represent Team USA at the upcoming IIHF World Championships. A day after being nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, the 24-year-old spoke with the Ottawa media and talked about the disappointment with his team’s season but expressed excitement about representing his country on the world stage. The former fourth overall pick had another strong season for the Senators, posting 37 goals and 37 assists in 81 games to lead the team in scoring for the second time in three years.

Metro Notes: Bowers, Clarke, Malenstyn

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The New Jersey Devils announced that they’ve assigned forward Shane Bowers to the Utica Comets of the AHL. The 24-year-old was recalled by the Devils a little over a week ago and went scoreless in five games to finish out the NHL season. The native of Halifax, Nova Scotia appeared in eight games this season, tallying no points, while averaging 9:27 of ice time per game.

A former first-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2017 (28th overall), Bowers hasn’t developed into the power forward many thought he could be back when he played for Boston University. He was part of the package that Ottawa traded to the Colorado Avalanche for Matt Duchene but has never been able to find his scoring touch at the AHL level and has bounced around to two more organizations since then. With Utica this season, Bowers has just nine goals and four assists in 40 games and is -11.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • The Devils also assigned forward Graeme Clarke to Utica of the AHL. Clarke appeared in two games during his most recent recall and three NHL games this season. He has yet to register an NHL point, but the 22-year-old has been a solid AHL scoring option in his four-year professional career. The Ottawa, Ontario native has posted 24 goals and 23 assists in 64 AHL games this season and 147 points in 215 career games at the AHL level.
  • Washington Capitals writer Stephen Whyno is reporting that Capitals forward Beck Malenstyn left last night’s game after suffering an upper-body injury. The 26-year-old was skating through the neutral zone with the puck when he sent a pass and was hit late by Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic. Malenstyn remained on the ice briefly before getting back to his feet and skating to the bench. He immediately walked to the dressing room while receiving assistance from the medical staff. No word yet on the severity of the injury. Malenstyn has dressed in 80 games this season, posting six goals and 15 assists while dishing out 237 hits.

Montreal Canadiens Recall Logan Mailloux

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Montreal Canadiens have recalled defensive prospect Logan Mailloux from the Laval Rocket of the AHL. The 21-year-old is playing in his first professional season in the AHL and has posted 14 goals and 33 assists in 70 games this year for the Canadiens AHL affiliate.

Mailloux was selected late in the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft but had renounced himself from the draft after being charged and fined in Sweden for taking an intimate photo of a woman and distributing it without her consent. Mailloux was on loan to Sweden’s SK Lejon at the time because the COVID-19 pandemic had led to the Ontario Hockey League suspending their season. Mailloux was eventually suspended by the OHL in September 2021 but was reinstated early in 2022.

He went on to play parts of two seasons with the London Knights, posting 25 goals and 28 assists in 59 games during his final OHL season with the team. Despite multiple NHL teams placing Mailloux on their do not draft lists, the Canadiens elected to select him with a late first-round pick, a move that was met with heavy criticism.

It remains to be seen if Mailloux will play tonight for the Canadiens against the Detroit Red Wings in what will be the final game of Montreal’s season. If he does, he will make his NHL debut less than eight months after having his eligibility to play restored by the NHL. Arpon Basu of The Athletic tweeted a statement from the league with the NHL saying that they’ve met with Mailloux multiple times over the last year and he is cleared to play in the NHL.

Buffalo Sabres Fire Don Granato

at CDT | by 16 Comments

The Buffalo Sabres have relieved head coach Don Granato of his duties after missing the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season. The Sabres have also fired assistant coach Jason Christie as well as video coordinator Matt Smith. The team will now be looking for their eighth coach since last making the playoffs in 2010-11 and have had Lindy Ruff, Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan, Dan Bylsma, Phil Housley, Ralph Krueger and now Granato behind the bench.

Buffalo came into this season with playoff expectations after narrowly missing the postseason last year finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference with 91 points. However, this year they took a step back to just 84 points and were eliminated from postseason contention last week. Many factors led to Buffalo’s ultimate demise, but one of the key contributors was that many of the Sabres top scorers took a big step back this season offensively. Alex Tuch dropped from 79 points to 59, Tage Thompson missed time and went from 94 points to 56, and Rasmus Dahlin fell from 73 points to 59. The biggest falloff was Jeff Skinner who had 83 points last year but tumbled to 46 this season. Unfortunately for Granato, he wasn’t able to get more offense from the Sabres depth players and it ultimately cost him his job.

The 56-year-old was hired by the Sabres midway through the 2020-21 season and went on to coach an additional three years in Buffalo, finishing with a record of 121-125-27 which equates to a .512 points percentage. He began his NHL coaching career as an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2017 and could very well end up as an assistant once again after a tumultuous time with the Sabres.

As for Buffalo, they will once again be looking for a new bench boss as they look to end the second-longest playoff drought in all of North American professional sports.

Metro Notes: Dobson, Harkins, Nosek

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman tweeted that New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson would not play tonight and is still considered day-to-day. The 24-year-old played just 1:28 on Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens as he suffered an upper-body injury that forced him to miss nearly the entire game. The former 12th overall pick missed Saturday’s game against the Rangers then didn’t practice with the Islanders yesterday and didn’t travel with the team to New Jersey today.

Dobson’s injury doesn’t appear to be long-term and that would be welcome news for the Islanders as the Summerside, Prince Edward Island native has been logging an average of 24:31 a night and has posted 10 goals and 60 assists in 79 games this season. While he is unlikely to win the Norris Trophy, he may get consideration given that he is seventh in NHL scoring by a defenseman.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins welcomed back forward Jansen Harkins off the injured reserve today.  The 26-year-old has been out since March 7th with a hand injury and dressed on the fourth line alongside Jeff Carter and Emil Bemstrom in the Penguins 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. Harkins played just 5:38 and registered a single hit making it 19 consecutive games without a point and 44 games on the season without a goal. The Penguins acquired Harkins off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets back on October 2nd, and while he hasn’t offered up much offensively he has been one of the few Penguins forwards to consistently play a physical game.
  • New Jersey Devils forward Tomas Nosek returned to the lineup for the Devils’ final game of the regular season. The 31-year-old hadn’t played since April 9th and played just over 15 minutes tonight as he was held pointless. Nosek had been out with an undisclosed injury and will finish the season with two goals and four assists in 36 games with New Jersey. Nosek is a free agent on July 1st after signing a one-year $1MM contract with the Devils last summer. It seems unlikely he will do much better this summer as his age and lack of offensive production will likely deter teams from offering term and lucrative money to the Pardubice, Czechoslovakia native.

Blue Jackets Notes: Fix-Wolansky, Subban, Jenner

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they’ve assigned forward Trey Fix-Wolansky to the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. The 24-year-old played in a career-high 11 NHL games this season with the Blue Jackets, posting two goals and an assist. The former seventh-round pick averaged a shade under 11 minutes of ice time per game and appeared to gain more confidence as the season went on. In his final appearance two nights ago he potted two goals against the Predators in 10:49 of ice time.

An undersized forward at 5’7” tall, Fix-Wolansky has been a prolific AHL scorer for the past two seasons but has been unable to carry it over to the NHL level. In 26 career NHL games, the Edmonton, Alberta native has four goals and two assists, numbers that are in stark contrast to his AHL numbers where he has 84 goals and 113 assists in 221 games.

In other Blue Jackets notes:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have also assigned goaltender Malcolm Subban to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. The 30-year-old netminder is a veteran of 87 NHL games split over eight seasons but has appeared in just five NHL games over the last three years including one this season. The Toronto, Ontario native is with his fifth NHL franchise and has appeared in 206 AHL games posting a record of 89-78-29 with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner was back at team practice today as he looks to return from personal leave. It was Jenner’s first time on the ice since he and his wife Maggie announced that their son Dawson was tragically stillborn. Jenner has missed the Blue Jackets last six games but could be available for the team’s final regular season game tomorrow night against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 30-year-old has spent his entire 11-year NHL career with the Blue Jackets and is the franchise’s all-time leader in games played with 715.

Atlantic Notes: Rasmussen, Copp, Stützle

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Ansar Khan of MLive.com is reporting that Detroit Red Wings center Michael Rasmussen didn’t skate this morning with the team and won’t play tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Tonight’s absence will be Rasmussen’s sixth game in a row out of the lineup as he deals with an upper-body injury.

The 24-year-old last played back on April 1st in a 4-2 Detroit win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. If he misses both games in Detroit’s back-to-back against Montreal, he will wrap up his fifth NHL season with a career-high 33 points (13 goals and 20 assists) in 75 games.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • Less than a week after taking a high stick to the face and breaking his cheekbone, Red Wings forward Andrew Copp has returned to the lineup against the Canadiens. Copp skated with the team this morning sporting a full cage and was called a game-time decision for tonight. He ultimately has dressed in his 78th game of the season as the Red Wings battle for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Copp missed just two games with the injury.
  • TSN 1200 tweeted that Ottawa Senators center Tim Stützle skated this morning with the team at Madison Square Garden in a non-contact jersey. The Senators play tonight against the Rangers and have just one game on the season remaining. Given the timeline, it seems unlikely that Stützle will return this season from an upper-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup since April 4th. The Senators haven’t made the playoffs since the 2016-17 season and were expected to contend for a playoff spot this year but were out of the race by the midway point of the regular season. The 22-year-old has done his part though, posting 18 goals and 52 assists in 75 games in his fourth NHL season.

Pacific Notes: McDavid, Kane, Coleman

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Edmonton Oilers reporter Tony Brar has confirmed that Oilers superstar Connor McDavid will be returning to the lineup tonight against the San Jose Sharks. McDavid has been sidelined since April 6th with a lower-body injury that caused the 27-year-old to miss three games. Despite the absence, McDavid remains in third place in NHL scoring with 31 goals and 99 assists in 74 games. If he can notch one more assist, he would become just the fourth player in NHL history to tally 100 assists in a season and the first since Wayne Gretzky accomplished the feat in 1990-91.

The Oilers trail the Vancouver Canucks by five points for the Pacific Division title and have three games left on the schedule, while the Canucks have two games remaining. It’s unlikely that Edmonton will catch the Canucks for the division title, but it remains an outside possibility.

In other Pacific Division notes:

  • Sportsnet is reporting that Oilers forward Evander Kane will not dress tonight for Edmonton when they take on San Jose. Kane will take some time to heal from an undisclosed issue and would likely have played tonight if it were a playoff game according to Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. The 32-year-old Kane has shown no signs of a lingering issue and has been on a bit of a hot streak lately with five points in his last five games, however, he did play less than ten minutes in Edmonton’s victory over the Calgary Flames on April 6th. Kane has posted 24 goals and 20 assists in 77 games this season in what has been one of his least productive offensive seasons of the past decade.
  • Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 is reporting that Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman will not dress tomorrow night against the Vancouver Canucks due to a lower-body injury. Flames head coach Ryan Huska told reporters he was hopeful that Coleman could return for Calgary’s season finale on Thursday against the Sharks. The 32-year-old has shattered many of his career highs this season, posting 29 goals and 23 assists in 77 games. Coleman had never topped 40 points in a season before this year and has maintained his strong two-way play while finding another gear offensively.

Thatcher Demko Returning To The Lineup Tomorrow

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Vancouver Canucks play-by-play voice Brendan Batchelor is reporting that netminder Thatcher Demko will be returning to the Canucks lineup tomorrow night against the Calgary Flames. Demko has been out since March 9th when he left a game against the Winnipeg Jets with a knee injury. The 28-year-old has missed 14 games with the ailment during which Vancouver has gone 7-5-2.

Demko was in the midst of a career year when he was forced from the lineup due to injury. In 49 appearances this season, the native of San Diego, California has a .917 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.47. His 34-13-2 record is among the best in the league and his five shutouts have him tied for fourth in the NHL.

In Demko’s absence, career backup Casey DeSmith stepped up to fill the void but could not sustain a stretch of solid play as he posted just four wins in ten appearances since Demko went down. DeSmith started well as he gave up just 11 goals in his first five starts after Demko’s injury, but would go on to give up 17 goals in his four starts after that.

With Demko returning, the Canucks will be hoping he can pick up where he left off before the knee injury. The Canucks have two games left in the regular season to get Demko up to speed before the playoffs. Demko has only dressed in four NHL playoff games in his career and sports a sparkling 0.64 goals-against average and a .985 save percentage.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top