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Snapshots: Rangers, Lucic, Hrabal

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Mark 2023 down as a formative offseason for the New York Rangers, who are looking to stamp out any doubts next season after a disappointing First Round exit against the New Jersey Devils. While they’re already looking for a new head coach after firing Gerard Gallant, general manager Chris Drury has some offseason player personnel decisions to make, too, after going all in at this year’s trade deadline.

In his latest column for The Athletic, Arthur Staple listed forwards Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko, as well as defenseman Niko Mikkola, as the least likely returnees to the Rangers roster in 2023-24. All pending unrestricted free agents, they’ll likely be too rich for the Rangers’ blood, at least in terms of what they’ll offer to the team over the life of their next contracts.

As Staple concurs, Kane’s health is an obvious question mark moving forward, and Mikkola’s cap hit on his next deal will price the Rangers out of what they can afford for a depth defenseman, especially when offensive acumen from the blueline is an area of need on the third pair. Tarasenko is likely a pure cap casualty, with a strong showing down the stretch boosting his value on the open market.

  • Speaking with CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, pending Calgary Flames unrestricted free agent Milan Lucic hinted at a potential return to his hometown of Vancouver this offseason. While Calgary hasn’t given any indication of whether they’d like to retain Lucic, the veteran forward likely wouldn’t say no if the Canucks came calling after July 1. Lucic will be 35 by the time next season starts and had just seven goals and 19 points in 77 games with Calgary last season.
  • Czech goaltender Michael Hrabal, one of the best prospects available in net for the 2023 NHL Draft, has committed to the University of Massachusetts for the 2023-24 season. The 6-foot-6 18-year-old posted a .920 save percentage in five appearances for Czechia at the World Juniors this year, also earning USHL All-Rookie Team honors with the Omaha Lancers (9-13-4, .908 SV%, 31 games played). Hrabal could hear his name called as early as the late first round.

Colorado Avalanche Extend Nate Clurman

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The Colorado Avalanche got some offseason business out of the way today, re-signing pending restricted free agent defenseman Nate Clurman to a one-year contract extension. Per CapFriendly, the deal pays Clurman $775,000 at the NHL level and $100,000 at the AHL level.

Clurman, 25, is one of the few hometown players in the organization, hailing from Boulder, Colorado. Standing at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Clurman’s strength and transitional game are the hallmarks of his style, which he’s spent the past few seasons honing within the minor ranks of the Avalanche organization.

Drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft directly out of high school, Clurman is one of the rare prospects to have high school hockey on his résumé after being drafted into the league. He played the 2016-17 campaign with the Culver Military Academy prep program before transferring to junior hockey the following year, splitting the season between three USHL teams.

Clurman then made the jump to college play, logging three seasons at the University of Notre Dame before turning pro and signing with the Avs. In his junior year, he served as the program’s captain and scored four goals after not lighting the lamp once throughout his first and second seasons.

His offense has actually taken a sizable jump since turning pro, as extended time with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies in 2021-22 did him well. It prepped him for a solid 2022-23 season, where he played in 57 regular-season games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, registering 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) and a +11 rating.

A full-time NHL career is likely out of the cards for Clurman at this point, given his age, but another improved season in the minors could warrant another extension next offseason and potential NHL call-ups if injuries strike.

John Hayden Clears Waivers; Assigned To AHL

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May 30: Hayden has cleared waivers and can join Coachella for their series, which continues on Thursday. The team has now officially assigned him to the AHL.

May 29: In a move with very unusual timing, the Seattle Kraken have placed forward John Hayden on waivers, per CapFriendly, likely to assign him to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

The Firebirds are alive and well in their pursuit of the Calder Cup, up 2-0 in their Western Conference Final series against the Milwaukee Admirals. Hayden, who had 33 points in 47 games with them this season, needs waivers to return for the remainder of their playoff run.

The timing remains mysterious, as Hayden had remained on Seattle’s active roster after their postseason ended days ago. Seattle placed Jesper Frödén on waivers earlier in the month to return him to Coachella Valley after their elimination, but Hayden has remained on the Kraken roster, not able to play in the minors.

The 28-year-old grinding winger is a pending unrestricted free agent after signing a one-year deal in free agency with the Kraken last offseason. He played seven NHL games this season, scoring twice.

Nashville Predators Expected To Fire John Hynes, Hire Andrew Brunette

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The Nashville Predators are making an unexpected change behind the bench. Per an initial report from ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, Nashville has let go head coach John Hynes with a year left on his deal and is hiring former Florida Panthers interim head coach and current New Jersey Devils assistant Andrew Brunette.

Hynes was given a two-year extension from the Predators just over a calendar year ago. After selling at the trade deadline, Nashville went on a 12-9-2 run and nearly squeaked into the playoffs despite key injuries, finishing just three points outside and 10th in the Western Conference.

That, combined with the delayed timing into the offseason (Washington has already created and filled their head coaching vacancy after a weeks-long search), makes this a piece of news with very peculiar timing.

With Barry Trotz set to become the second general manager in franchise history this offseason, he evidently felt a change was necessary behind the bench. In doing so, he brings in a player he coached as a member of the Predators early on in the team’s lifespan – incidentally, Brunette scored the first regular-season goal in Nashville history.

Brunette does bring a varied experience to the Nashville bench, beginning his administrative career with the Minnesota Wild after retirement in 2012. With Minnesota, he served in four different roles (special assistant to the GM, assistant GM, assistant coach, and director of player personnel) in just seven seasons before joining the Panthers as an assistant coach.

He became the team’s interim head coach in October 2021 after Joel Quenneville resigned in response to the investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks’ mishandling of 2010 sexual assault allegations against then-video coach Brad Aldrich. His coaching performance down the stretch earned him a President’s Trophy and a nomination for the Jack Adams Award, but the interim tag was never removed, and Florida instead hired Paul Maurice the following offseason.

Brunette found a home for 2022-23 as an associate coach on the New Jersey Devils’ bench, largely entrusted with running the team’s power play, which ranked 13th in the league during the regular season. In February, Brunette was charged with driving under the influence while in South Florida during the league’s All-Star break.

He inherits a Nashville roster that, while imperfect, still boasts a mix of star power (Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Juuse Saros) and a healthy number of young players on the rise. Brunette’s hiring seems like a targeted move to try and generate more offense out of the team’s current core.

The decision puts Hynes in a tough spot, as many teams are already well down the road in their coaching searches and weren’t expecting him to become available. However, The Athletic’s Arthur Staple notes that Hynes could be a contender for the New York Rangers head coaching job, replacing the outgoing Gerard Gallant.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Edmonton Oilers Sign Philip Kemp To Extension

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The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenseman Philip Kemp to a two-year, two-way contract extension with an average annual value of $775,000, the team announced Tuesday morning.

Kemp, 24, was a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights after the conclusion of his entry-level deal. During the three seasons of his entry-level contract, the Connecticut-born defender spent all his time with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, save for a loan to Väsby IK of the Swedish Allsvenskan due to COVID in 2020-21.

In the recently concluded 2022-23 season, Kemp showcased his development by setting career highs in multiple categories. He appeared in 71 games, recording six goals and 15 assists while also leading the team with a +12 rating. His contributions placed him third among his fellow Condors defensemen in goals, assists, and games played.

Selected by the Oilers in the seventh round of the 2017 NHL Draft, Kemp’s journey to a second NHL deal has been winding. He spent the first three seasons after his draft year playing collegiate hockey at Yale before turning pro in 2020. Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 202 pounds, Kemp is growing into a physically capable and defensively inclined blueliner who’s comfortable in a top-four role in the minors.

At 24, there may not be much of an NHL future for Kemp, but he’s checked off all the boxes that you’d expect from someone in his draft position. If nothing else, he’s set to continue his development into a solid farmhand player, still bringing value to the organization even outside of an NHL role.

Owen Pederson Signs AHL Deal With Providence Bruins

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One of the top CHL free agents, as we highlighted earlier this month, is off the market – at least for now. Today, the AHL’s Providence Bruins, Boston’s affiliate, announced the signing of undrafted forward Owen Pederson to a two-year AHL contract.

The move does not bind him to the Boston Bruins organization. Signing an AHL contract does not have any effect on a player’s NHL rights, which have still gone unclaimed. Pederson could sign an NHL contract with any team over the course of his deal in Providence.

Pederson was draft eligible in 2020 but didn’t get his name called after registering a strong 50 points in 61 games with the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice. He’s remained with Winnipeg ever since, recording a pair of point-per-game seasons and a strong playoff performance in 2022 (20 points in 14 games).

It didn’t ever culminate in a draft selection, however, but he’ll still get the chance to try and impress NHL teams at the minor pro level in hopes of earning a contract. He picked a smart team to sign with, given the Bruins’ lack of depth in their current prospect pool. Any strong showing in Providence (or even during training camp) would likely earn him a contract offer from Boston.

Last season with Winnipeg, he notched an impressive 74 points in 65 games, including 32 goals and 42 assists. Standing at an imposing 6-foot-3 and weighing in around 200 pounds, Pederson brings pro-ready size to the Providence lineup as well.

Washington Capitals Name Spencer Carbery Head Coach

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10:30 am: Washington has confirmed Carbery’s hiring, making the news official.

9:06 am: The Washington Capitals are expected to hire Spencer Carbery as their next head coach, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Tuesday morning. Carbery was reported as Washington’s preferred candidate for the role as soon as early last week.

Per Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic, Washington is bringing in Carbery on a four-year contract, a hefty agreement for a first-time NHL head coach.

Washington entered the head coaching market a month and a half ago after the team announced they’d mutually agreed to part ways with veteran bench boss Peter Laviolette. Last week, El-Bashir listed Tampa Bay Lightning assistant Jeff Halpern, Philadelphia Flyers associate coach Brad Shaw, Hershey Bears head coach Todd Nelson, and free agent Bruce Boudreau as names also linked to Washington’s vacancy.

Carbery, who re-joins the Capitals organization after two years with the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant coach under Sheldon Keefe, is now entrusted with keeping the Capitals competitive during a transitional period. They aim to retool during the twilight years of captain Alex Ovechkin’s Hall of Fame career.

The 41-year-old Carbery has spent most of his coaching career within the Capitals organization since retiring as a player with their ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, in 2010 He spent just one season as an assistant on the Stingrays bench before being promoted to head coach and director of hockey operations, a role he held for five seasons, winning an ECHL’s John Brophy Award for Coach of the Year along the way.

Carbery then took a quick detour, heading to junior hockey to serve as the head coach of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit for just one season before returning to minor pro as an assistant with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. In 2018-19, he returned to the Capitals, named the head coach of their AHL affiliate in Hershey (also winning Coach of the Year honors there). He then departed for Toronto in the 2021 offseason.

In Toronto, Carbery’s main responsibility was handling the power play – one that clicked at 26.6% over the past two seasons, trailing only the Edmonton Oilers. If you’re looking for a coach to help guide Ovechkin to the NHL’s all-time goals record, look no further.

Needless to say, that’s not his only qualification for the role in Washington. Carbery’s familiarity with the organization’s developing players, at least those who have been in Hershey since 2021, make him an attractive fit for a team looking to better utilize its younger talent.

It’s certainly a significant change in style from Laviolette, evidencing Washington’s organizational desire to place more emphasis on developing talent in-house. Competitive cores are rarely built solely through trades and free agency, and for Washington to have any hope of nearing Stanley Cup contention again during Ovechkin’s career, they’ll need the help of drafted and developed talents.

Minor Transactions: 05/29/23

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To our audience south of the US/Canada border, PHR wishes you a meaningful Memorial Day. It’s likely to be a slow NHL news cycle day as in years past, but all eyes are still on the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars and Vegas looks to close out the Western Conference Final tonight in Game 6. Overseas, though, transactions are still trickling in from their transfer periods. As always, we’ll keep track of the day’s notable transactions right here.

  • Former Carolina Hurricanes draft pick and captain of the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors Keegan Lowe is extending his career overseas, signing a two-year contract with the SHL’s Växjö Lakers HC. Lowe, the son of Edmonton Oilers legend Kevin Lowe, logged heavy minutes on Växjö’s blue line this season and contributed 11 points in 51 games. Now 30 years old, it looks like his four NHL games (two each with Carolina and Edmonton) will be it for his career.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Minnesota Wild Expected To Name Brett McLean AHL Head Coach

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Current Minnesota Wild assistant coach Brett McLean is set to be named the fifth head coach of the AHL’s Iowa Wild, as first reported by Michael Russo of The Athletic. Minnesota parted ways with most of its minor-league coaching staff, including head coach Tim Army, last month.

McLean, a former NHL center with Chicago, Colorado, and Florida in the 2000s, has been with the Minnesota Wild organization for the past six years. He spent three seasons as an assistant coach with Iowa before being promoted to the NHL bench ahead of 2020-21.

It’s a move McLean is ready to take on. The 44-year-old had expressed his aspirations of being a head coach at the pro level during his previous stint in Iowa, emphasizing the importance of working his way up the coaching ladder and learning the necessary steps to teach and guide players effectively.

With McLean’s promotion, the Minnesota Wild will now be on the lookout for another assistant coach to join the NHL coaching staff led by Dean Evason.

Iowa’s short-term success will play a crucial role in the Wild’s ability to stay in playoff contention over the next few seasons. A tight salary cap situation brought on by the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts makes it nearly impossible to make external adds via free agency, and they’ll need to rely on players stashed in the AHL on cheap cap hits many times throughout McLean’s tenure at his new post.

Columbus Blue Jackets Closing In On New Head Coach

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the verge of naming their new head coach this week, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch today. It will culminate a weeks-long search that began April 15, when the team announced they fired previous head coach Brad Larsen after finishing last in the Eastern Conference.

One name that has been gaining traction in the rumor mill is former NHL player and coach Patrick Roy. The highly accomplished netminder, who enjoyed an up-and-down coaching stint with the Colorado Avalanche in the mid-2010s, has reportedly been interviewed for the Blue Jackets’ coaching position, per Hedger. However, it’s worth noting that Sergei Fedorov, another prominent former player associated with the franchise in recent reports, was not interviewed for the job, Hedger said.

Roy was last seriously linked to an NHL job in 2019, as he was a leading contender for the Ottawa Senators’ vacancy. Noise has never really gone away about a potential NHL return, though, and he’s currently coaching his Québec Remparts of the QMJHL in the Memorial Cup.

To begin his three-season spell with Colorado, Roy demanded a significant front-office role, assuming the position of Vice President of Hockey Operations in addition to his head coaching duties. However, after just one playoff appearance in three years, Roy abruptly resigned a month before training camp in 2016-17, citing the team’s failure to act upon his roster recommendations as the primary reason for his departure.

Given Roy’s past demands for an expanded role and subsequent fallout with the Avalanche, it remains to be seen if the Blue Jackets’ management would be receptive to his aspirations for a dual position or if Roy would be willing to relinquish some responsibility. Mike Babcock, Peter Laviolette, and Pascal Vincent are other names linked to Columbus throughout their coaching search.

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