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Andrew Cogliano Out For The Season

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04/30/23: Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told reporters today, including the Seattle Times’ Geoff Baker, that Cogliano would miss the rest of the playoffs due to the fracture of the C5 vertebrae in his neck.

It’s a major loss for the Avalanche penalty kill, and while Colorado is undoubtedly fixated on tonight’s Game Seven, the organization’s greater priority is likely helping Cogliano, a veteran of over 1,200 NHL games, recover from this gruesome injury and return to full health.

04/29/23: Although the play will reportedly not result in any suspension being handed out, due to the hit from behind from forward Jordan Eberle of the Seattle Kraken in Game Six, Andrew Cogliano will be out indefinitely for the Colorado Avalanche with a fractured neck. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Cogliano has fractured his C5 vertebrae, which are towards the top of the spinal cord structure.

It is unknown whether the Department of Player Safety was in the know of the damage done to Cogliano on the hit, but given the context of this series, it will likely raise a host of questions surrounding the supplemental discipline being handed out in this year’s playoffs. Although the context surrounding this hit was different, Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar received a one-game suspension for Game Five due to his hit on Kraken forward Jared McCann, who was also injured on that play.

Becoming a theme that has begun to sound like a broken record to this point, the Avalanche will once again lose team depth due to injury. Already without Gabriel Landeskog, Josh Manson, Darren Helm, and Valeri Nichushkin (personal reasons), the Avalanche will be without some very important players as they look to close out the Kraken in Game Seven.

Predators Assign Jack Matier To AHL

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After the Milwaukee Admirals, AHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators took a convincing Game One victory over the Manitoba Moose on Friday night, it appears they will receive some exciting reinforcements on defense. The Predators have announced they have assigned defenseman Jack Matier to the Admirals, shortly after he closed out his season with Ottawa 67’s on Monday.

Originally drafted by the Predators at 124th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, Matier was officially rostered on the 67’s for four seasons but only ended up playing in three due to the canceled season in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Aside from the OHL, Matier also played internationally, winning a gold medal with Team Canada during the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.

In his three seasons in Ottawa, Matier had some serious developmental progression throughout his career. Scoring nine points in 56 games his rookie season, this year, he finished with 13 goals and 36 assists in 58 games for the 67’s, also chipping in six points in 11 playoff games.

In their pursuit of the Calder Cup, the Admirals already sport some above-average players on the back end. It is hard to imagine defenseman Jordan Gross, Kevin Gravel, or Marc Del Gaizo coming out of the lineup in their semifinal matchup, but there is some potential for Matier to gain some important playoff minutes in a limited fashion for the Admirals down the stretch.

David Krejci Injury Update

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Some of the most unfortunate injury news in this year’s playoffs up to this point, has been the absence of Boston Bruins’ top two veteran centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci for a majority of their series against the Florida Panthers. For Krejci specifically, he missed Games Three, Four, and Five, but did manage to play in Game Six, accruing almost 18 minutes of ice time in the loss.

Amalie Benjamin of the NHL reports that Krejci is on the ice for morning practice, which gives some optimism that he will be back in the lineup for Game Seven. Although the Bruins acquired significant depth at both offense and defense at the trade deadline this year, which has made the absence of Krejci and Bergeron more palatable for the team, it is hard to imagine any player replicating what those veterans are able to bring to the table.

If the Bruins do secure the win in Game Seven, this will still be something to monitor for Boston. In what is expected to be one of, if not the last, Stanley Cup run for both Bergeron and Krejci, their lack of games played up to this point has been unfortunate. For context, it should be remembered that Krejci was shut down the final two games of the regular season due to a lower-body injury, which may be what has still been ailing him up to this point.

West Injury Notes: Theodore, McNabb, Manson, Helm, Janmark

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Missing what ended up being the series-clinching Game Five victory for the Vegas Golden Knights, it was reported that defenseman Shea Theodore was feeling under the weather significantly. Still, head coach Bruce Cassidy confirms he should be back for Game One of their second-round matchup (Tweet Link).

Only playing in 55 games for the top team in the Western Conference, Theodore scored eight goals and tallied 33 assists for the Golden Knights this season. During this year’s playoffs, Theodore played in the entire series before missing Game Five, putting up three assists in four games, and helping his team move past the Winnipeg Jets.

In more unfortunate news for the Golden Knights, it is still unconfirmed whether or not defenseman Brayden McNabb will be back for Game One in the division semifinals. Much like Theodore, McNabb also missed Game Five against the Jets, but McNabb is still listed as day-to-day, and will likely be a game-time decision before Game One.

Other Western Conference injury notes:

  • Bennett Durando of the Denver Post reports that Josh Manson and Darren Helm will miss Game Seven for the Colorado Avalanche. So far in their series against the Seattle Kraken, Manson has played in five games, unable to score a goal or help with one, but still finding himself on the scoresheet in the form of PIMs, as he has accrued eight already to this point. In much of the same as how his regular season went, Helm has only played in one game this series and was also unable to find the scoresheet for the Avalanche.
  • As the Edmonton Oilers look to eliminate the Los Angeles Kings during Game Six, they may be receiving an offensive reinforcement. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reports that Mattias Janmark may be back to help the Oilers clinch the series. This morning at practice, Janmark was seen skating on a line with teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. He has already played in one game this series, picking up one assist.

Red Wings Expected To Be Active In Goalie Market This Offseason

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After a busy offseason ahead of the 2022-23 NHL season, there was a marketable increase in the Detroit Red Wings’ playoff hopes compared to years past. Unfortunately, even after the free agent acquisitions of Andrew Copp, David Perron, and Dominik Kubalik, and the trade to acquire goaltender Ville Husso, the Red Wings were only able to improve by three wins this year. Speaking with Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now (Tweet Link), Detroit’s GM Steve Yzerman pinpoints the team’s need to improve their goaltending situation.

This season, all of Detroit’s three goalies, Husso as well as Alex Nedeljkovic and Magnus Hellberg, all held a Quality Start Percentage less than 50% and produced a Goals Saved Above Average of -13.5, -4.4, and -8.2, respectively. In more topical statistics, none of their goaltenders produced a GAA of 3.00 or less, and none were able to sport a SV% of .900 or more.

Much like Allen notes in his piece about the Red Wings’ goaltending situation, there are very sound arguments to be made that goaltending statistics can typically be a different expression of team statistics. However, there were a handful of goaltenders this season, on teams that held worse positions in the standings than Detroit, that actually produced much better numbers than the Red Wings’ goalies.

Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Alex Stalock of the Chicago Blackhawks, both produced fairly good numbers on poor-performing teams this season. In Philadelphia, Hart was able to produce a GSAA of 4.4, as well as a GAA of 2.94, with a SV% of .907. For the Blackhawks, Stalock held a GSAA of 3.0, also putting together a SV% of .908.

In the long-term goaltending vision of the Red Wings, all eyes should be on the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Sebastian Cossa. Unable to crack the roster of Detroit’s AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins at the beginning of the season, Cossa played very well for the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL. In 46 starts for the Walleye this season, Cossa went 26-16-1, carrying a GAA of 2.56 and a SV% of .913.

In the short term, although there is a lack of elite goaltenders in the upcoming free agency season, there are still a handful of veteran goaltenders that would notably improve the Red Wings’ performance between the pipes. Antti Raanta of the Carolina Hurricanes, Joonas Korpisalo of the Los Angeles Kings, Semyon Varlamov of the New York Islanders, and Adin Hill of the Vegas Golden Knights all come to mind as a fit for Detroit next season.

As Detroit fans have become accustomed to since Yzerman’s takeover in 2019, the team’s general manager has always remained prudent in his attempt at cultivating the next great Red Wings team. This offseason, expect much of the same, as this franchise has its eyes locked on the future.

Jake Guentzel To Miss World Championships

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Earlier this afternoon, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reported that Pittsburgh Penguins all-star forward, Jake Guentzel, will miss the upcoming IIHF World Championships due to an undisclosed injury. It was also noted that Guentzel is not necessarily physically unable to play, but this move is mostly precautionary.

Initially, during the Penguins’ exit interviews on April 15th at the conclusion of the season, Guentzel did note that he expected to play for Team USA during this year’s World Championships. As recently as Tuesday, during a podcast with Craig Custance of The Athletic, the head coach of the USA team, David Quinn, also expected Guentzel to be a part of the team as well (Tweet Link).

Fortunately for Pittsburgh, Guentzel’s agent, Ben Hankinson, mentions that the injury is not very serious, and Guentzel will be ready to start the 2023-24 season with the Penguins. Being one of the few bright spots on Pittsburgh’s roster this year, Guentzel is not a forward that the Penguins could afford to miss.

For the fifth year in a row, Guentzel once again hovered close to a point-per-game, scoring 36 goals and 37 assists in 78 games played. This season, Pittsburgh finished 16th in the NHL in Goals For with a total of 261 as a team on the year. Scoring 13.8% of all Penguins goals this season, Guentzel is leaned on in a huge way as a big part of Pittsburgh’s offense.

Panthers Send Lucas Carlsson To Minors

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Recently being recalled by the Florida Panthers ahead of their Game Four loss to the Boston Bruins, defenseman Lucas Carlsson will be sent back down to the AHL. As defenseman Aaron Ekblad finds his way back into the lineup after missing Game Three, the Panthers have announced they have loaned Carlsson to their AHL affiliate Charlotte Checkers.

Carlsson played in about half of all the Panthers games last season but has spent the majority of this season playing for the Checkers, as he has only suited up for the Panthers twice in the regular season. In 61 games in Charlotte, Carlsson put together quite an outstanding season in the AHL, scoring 20 goals and tallying 34 assists. During the Checkers opening round matchup in the Calder Cup playoffs, Carlsson scored four points in three games.

Likely being included on the Game Four roster due to injuries, the team has decided his talent is better spent helping Charlotte on their quest for the Calder Cup. In their first-round matchup against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Charlotte was able to move past them in three games. As they now look towards the Atlantic Division Semifinals, Charlotte will take on the second-place Hershey Bears.

Central Division Notes: Scheifele, Nichushkin, Helm, Johnson

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In Game Four between the Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets, star center Mark Scheifele left the game early with an upper-body injury. Already missing Josh Morrissey and Nikolaj Ehlers, including Scheifele in that group moving forward might be the nail in the coffin for the Jets in their first-round matchup.

Thankfully for Jets fans, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet relays on a message from head coach Rick Bowness, showing optimism that Scheifele could return for Game Five. With the Golden Knights already leading the series three games to one, having Scheifele on the ice for Winnipeg would certainly increase their chances of extending the series.

In four games in this year’s playoffs, Scheifele scored once, adding a goal in the unfortunate Game Three loss in double overtime. Although not providing a career-best performance this regular season in terms of points, Scheifele did crack his career-high in goals this year, scoring 42 goals and 26 assists in 81 games played.

Other notes from the Central Division:

  • Coming off of the recent suspension of defenseman Cale Makar, Ryan Boulding of the NHL also reports that Valeri Nichushkin will still not be an option for the Colorado Avalanche in Game Five. Fortunately for the Avalanche, they seemed to have been in this position all season long due to injuries, and their depth was able to carry them to a first-place finish in the Central Division. The terms of Nichushkin’s absence has been one of the more bewildering stories off the ice these playoffs, as he has been out of the lineup for personal reasons, leaving Seattle shortly before the Avalanche took on the Seattle Kraken for Game Three.
  • In the same announcement, Boulding also reports that forward Darren Helm and Jack Johnson may be options for the Avalanche for Game Five. Helm, seemingly injured for the entire season, has been out of the lineup since Colorado’s loss in Game One. Johnson on the other hand, re-acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline, has yet to suit up for the Avalanche in this series.

Ethan De Jong Signs AHL Contract

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Another player from the National Championship-winning Quinnipiac University has found his way to a guaranteed contract, as forward Ethan De Jong has signed a 2-year deal with the Bakersfield Condors, an AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. An undrafted free agent, De Jong’s contract in Bakersfield will begin during the 2023-24 AHL season.

Over his five-season career playing for the Quinnipiac University Bobcats, De Jong played in 184 regular season matchups, scoring 61 goals and 83 assists. In his last season in Quinnipiac, De Jong scored 19 goals and 21 assists in 41 games, finishing third on the team in total scoring.

During this year’s Frozen Four, the young forward would score one goal and two assists to help his team clinch the NCAA DI Men’s Ice Hockey National Championship. The only goal he had during the playoffs came during the team’s clutch semifinal victory against the University of Michigan Wolverines.

Although the Condors managed to make the playoffs this season, the team was bounced in the first round by the Abbotsford Canucks. DeJong should help with some of Bakersfield’s weak points this season, as he has shown a knack for goal-scoring in the final two years of his time with Quinnipiac. The Condors finished this season as one of the better defensive teams in the AHL, finishing 12th in the league in goals against. However, they did not show the same prowess on the offensive side of the puck, finishing 24th in goals scored.

San Diego Gulls Hire Matt McIlvane

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After now-former head coach Roy Sommer retired at the end of the 2022-23 season, the San Diego Gulls, an AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, have now found their head coaching replacement. Matt McIlvane will be brought in as the fifth coach in franchise history, recently enjoying the same role for EC Red Bull Salzburg of the ICE Hockey League in Austria. Before working as a head coach in Austria, McIlvane was an assistant coach for EHC Munchen of the DEL, Germany’s professional hockey league.

Coaching for Salzburg, McIlvane racked up a total record of 94-42-22-19 in four seasons, and also posted an incredible postseason record, leading his team to a 31-8 mark behind the bench. Salzburg was able to win back-to-back championships the last two seasons under the leadership of McIlvane. When asked about the head coaching hire, the General Manager of the Anaheim Ducks, Pat Verbeek, said, “Matt brings a winning pedigree to our organization in addition to a strong culture of development and performance. Our players in San Diego will benefit from his leadership, philosophy, and his championship experience in Europe and the international level.”

McIlvane was also excited to return to North America; when asked about joining the Ducks organization, McIlvane said, “I am humbled to be the next coach of the San Diego Gulls. I am incredibly grateful to Pat Verbeek for the trust to take on this responsibility. The Samueli family runs a first-class organization, and it is an honor to join the hockey club. I can’t wait to meet the rest of the management, staff, and players. We are ready for the challenge to develop Ducks prospects into NHL players and give the fans at Pechanga Arena San Diego an exciting team to cheer for.”

Over the last couple of seasons, the Gulls have been unable to post a winning record. During the 2021-22 season, the Gulls posted a record of 28-33-7, losing in the preliminary round to the Ontario Reign in two games. This season, performance continued to decline in San Diego, finishing 10th in the AHL’s Pacific Division after going 20-49-3. In McIlvane’s hiring, the Ducks organization is clearly looking for someone to procure the next generation of NHL talent in Anaheim, as well as returning the Gulls to the postseason.

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