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2022 Selke Trophy Finalists Announced

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The NHL has announced the finalists for yet another of its end-of-year awards, the Frank J. Selke Trophy. Always a hotly-contested and highly-debated award, the Selke Trophy is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association on the basis of “the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.”

This year’s finalists are Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers, Elias Lindholm of the Calgary Flames, and Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins.

Barkov took home the award last season after previous top-five finishes and is one of the best two-way players in the league. His offensive numbers took another step forward this season, while his defensive play stayed quite high. Paired at times with rookie Anton Lundell on the penalty kill (a player who might find himself on the Selke ballot eventually), Barkov averaged more than two minutes of short-handed time a night for the Panthers, and was once again one of the most dominant faceoff men in the NHL. His 56.9% win percentage in the dot was the best of his career and continued a five-year trend of improvement in that area.

Lindholm, meanwhile, is a Selke finalist for the first time after anchoring the best even-strength line in the NHL this season. When he was on the ice alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, the Flames were nearly unstoppable, scoring more than twice as often as the opponents. The trio finished 1-2-3 in +/- rating, with Lindholm dragging his career number back into the black with a +61. While his linemates have a lot of impact on that overall success, the 27-year-old came into his own as a shutdown center, and also logged more short-handed ice time than any other Flames forward.

It always comes back to Bergeron though, who is now a Selke finalist for the 11th season in a row. Now 36, some would have expected his game to take a step backward at some point, but that wasn’t this season. The Bruins captain had one of the (if not the) best defensive seasons of his career, completely smothering the opponent whenever he was on the ice. Winning more than 60% of his draws for the fifth time in his career, dominating possession even more than in previous years, and actually setting a career-high with 78 hits, Bergeron will be tough to beat again this season.

With four Selke wins in the past, Bergeron has a chance to pass Bob Gainey and become the all-time leader with five trophies should he take it home this year. Barkov could become just the tenth player to win more than one.

Jason Spezza Unsure Of Future; Will Only Play For Maple Leafs

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The Toronto Maple Leafs once again were unable to get out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, once again losing a game seven after having an earlier chance to end the series. With the season over, players, coaches, and management met with the media today to discuss what went wrong and where they will go from here.

One of those players has a very uncertain future. Jason Spezza will turn 39 in less than a month and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The second-overall pick from 2001 is just five points away from 1,000 for his career after having another successful year in Toronto, contributing 12 goals and 25 points in extremely limited minutes. Since arriving in 2019, the veteran forward has averaged fewer than 11 minutes a night for the Maple Leafs, but still has 80 points in 183 games, giving their fourth line some offensive juice whenever possible.

When asked about his future, however, Spezza seemed to have no real understanding of whether he’d be back in a Maple Leafs sweater next season. He told reporters that he feels “a little lost right now,” but added that he would not play for any other organization at this point in his career. He’ll speak with his family and the management team to see if there is a place for him next season, or whether it’s time to retire.

If he isn’t back, it has been quite the career. Spezza has played in 1,248 regular season games, split between the Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, and Ottawa Senators, where he first burst onto the scene as a super-skilled center that could routinely put up huge offensive numbers. In 2008 he scored a career-high 82 points in just 76 games, a year after taking the Senators to the Stanley Cup Final with a playoff-leading 22 points in 20 games.

Spezza currently sits 94th all-time in points and 97th all-time in games played.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

David Pastrnak Joins World Championship

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After being eliminated in a heartbreaking game seven over the weekend, David Pastrnak’s season of hockey isn’t quite over. The Boston Bruins forward will join the Czech national team at the IIHF World Championship on Wednesday, in time for them to play their fourth group stage game on Thursday.

Given the yearly success of the Bruins in the postseason, it has been quite a few years since Pastrnak has represented Czechia but he has been quite committed to them throughout his career. In 2018, after scoring 20 points in 12 postseason games with the Bruins, he still managed to join the World Championship team for another handful of games. He’s represented his country at several other tournaments, including the 2016 World Cup and three World Juniors.

Interestingly enough, Pastrnak is another example of this wave of NHL superstars that have never received a chance to play in the Olympics. That is despite being selected for the 2022 team, before the league decided to pull out of the event at the last minute. Pastrnak, Ondrej Palat, and Jakub Voracek were the three players that Czechia had named to the club ahead of time.

Given their schedule, he’ll be arriving just in time. The Czechs finish off the group stage with very important games against the U.S. and Finland, which could determine their fate in the event.

Nikita Zadorov Avoids Suspension

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4:58 pm: The Department of Player Safety, as a result of the hearing, has determined to not issue a suspension to Zadorov. They gave the following explanation via Twitter:

While there was significant head contact on this play, Zadorov took a proper angle of approach, did not extend outward or upward, and hit through Glendening’s core. Therefore, under Rule 48.1 (i), the head contact was determined to be unavoidable.

10:42 am: The Calgary Flames have to try and stave off elimination at home tomorrow night, and they might be without one of their big, intimidating defensemen. Nikita Zadorov will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety regarding the check to the head of Dallas Stars forward Luke Glendening last night.

Zadorov ended up taking 14 minutes in penalties last night, but none of them were assessed on the hit that knocked Glendening out of the game. Viewers could clearly see Stars head coach Rick Bowness yelling at the officials that it was a “head shot,” after the forward slumped to the ice in a scary position. Glendening played just over four minutes in the game.

A suspension would obviously take Zadorov out of the mix for game seven tomorrow, a player that has come into his own for the Flames this year. Perhaps more importantly, is the fact that Chris Tanev also exited the game early with an injury, meaning two of the team’s more reliable options might not be available for head coach Darryl Sutter.

The 6’6″ Zadorov is an incredibly intimidating presence on the ice as one of the league’s most powerful open-ice hitters. He also racked up 22 points, a career high, in 74 games this season, while averaging just under 17 minutes a night. His possession statistics were by far the best he’s ever posted, while he still managed to rack up 181 hits on the year, trailing only Milan Lucic among Flames.

Calgary already did dress seven defensemen last night, but that group will be stretched quite thin if both Zadorov and Tanev are unavailable. Connor Mackey, who didn’t dress, is also up with the team at the moment.

PHR Chatter: Game Seven Guessing

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For too long there has only been a couple of outlets for our readers to interact with the PHR staff. Live chats and mailbags offer a chance at some discussion, but also run the risk of being too crowded or even outdated by the time the answer arrives. With PHR Chatter, we’re hoping to get weekly talks going on a topic that normally would have to be brought into the spotlight by a reader before even being discussed.

The NHL has an unprecedented five game sevens this weekend, as only the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, and Florida Panthers were able to defeat their opponents in fewer. Today, things will kick off in the afternoon with the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes, before the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers–each with a finalist for the Hart Trophy–try to stave off elimination on home ice later tonight, against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles Kings respectively.

Tomorrow, the Pittsburgh Penguins–with or without Sidney Crosby–will try to put away the pesky New York Rangers, while the Calgary Flames search for a way past Jake Oettinger and the Dallas Stars. It’s going to be a brilliant weekend of hockey, finishing up what has been an incredible first round.

So who do you think will win? Throw your answers in the poll, but then tell us why you think those teams will win. Even give a prediction of a game-winner, if you want. This will be a free-flowing discussion that doesn’t have a lot of guidelines, so make sure you chime in and check regularly to continue the conversation.

Which team will win Game 7 between PIT-NYR?
New York Rangers 58.39% (334 votes)
Pittsburgh Penguins 41.61% (238 votes)
Total Votes: 572
Which team will win Game 7 between CGY-DAL?
Calgary Flames 70.04% (388 votes)
Dallas Stars 29.96% (166 votes)
Total Votes: 554
Which team will win Game 7 between TOR-TBL?
Tampa Bay Lightning 68.36% (376 votes)
Toronto Maple Leafs 31.64% (174 votes)
Total Votes: 550
Which team will win Game 7 between BOS-CAR?
Carolina Hurricanes 73.31% (401 votes)
Boston Bruins 26.69% (146 votes)
Total Votes: 547
Which team will win Game 7 between EDM-LAK?
Edmonton Oilers 58.77% (315 votes)
Los Angeles Kings 41.23% (221 votes)
Total Votes: 536

Snapshots: Verhaeghe, Broberg, Sellgren

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If the Florida Panthers are able to advance to the second round for the first time since 1996 (and only second time ever), Carter Verhaeghe might be the series MVP. The 26-year-old forward has ten points through the first five games, including five in the team’s come-from-behind game five victory. Unfortunately, with the Panthers looking to eliminate the Washington Capitals tonight, Verhaeghe may not be in the lineup. He’s a game-time decision according to head coach Andrew Brunette.

It’s been quite a rise to prominence for the 2013 third-round pick, who spent quite a bit of time in the ECHL before really getting his professional career on track. This season he set a career high with 24 goals and 55 points in 78 games after signing a three-year, $12.5MM extension last summer. Hopefully, he’s able to appear again soon, as Verhaeghe has been a force every time he touches the ice so far in the playoffs.

  • With Darnell Nurse now back from suspension and the Edmonton Oilers still alive, Philip Broberg has been returned to the AHL. That’s certainly an important transaction for the Bakersfield Condors, who are looking to stave off elimination themselves in their Calder Cup playoff series against the Stockton Heat. They’ll try to do just that tonight and can now insert Broberg back into the lineup, while Nurse retakes his place on the Oilers bench after serving his one-game ban.
  • Minor league defenseman Jesper Sellgren has once again been linked to the SHL for next season, once his contract with the Carolina Hurricanes comes to an end. There were reports last month that he had already agreed to a deal with Lulea HF for 2022-23, and now that seems even more likely. For now, Sellgren is still starring for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, where he had 26 points in 73 games this season. The 23-year-old defenseman’s rights could be retained by issuing a qualifying offer, as he is still just scheduled to be a restricted free agent when his entry-level deal expires this summer.

Bruce Boudreau Will Return As Canucks Head Coach

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The Vancouver Canucks have made it official, announcing that Bruce Boudreau will return as head coach for the 2022-23 season. While that doesn’t come with a long-term commitment, it will at least put some of the chatter to rest about who will be behind the bench. In a statement, general manager Patrick Allvin explained the decision:

We are pleased to see Bruce’s commitment to return to the Canucks next season. He has done a great job since arriving in Vancouver and we are eager to see the team continue to perform under his leadership as they did during the second half of the season.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Boudreau is back, especially given the reports that he was in the meeting with prized Russian free agent Andrei Kuzmenko recently. The question was is about whether the Canucks will be willing to commit past the 2022-23 season, something that is still very unclear. In his end-of-year availability, president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford explained that he needed to see more than half a season before handing out an extension like that, something that at least made some wonder if Boudreau would take his talents elsewhere.

For now, he will stay put and build off that half-season, which was exceptional even if the Canucks didn’t end up qualifying for the playoffs.

After starting 8-15-2 under Travis Green, the organization decided to clean house, firing almost the entire management group and coaching staff. Boudreau took over behind the bench, while Allvin and Rutherford moved into the front office to start cleaning up the mess left behind by Jim Benning. The team had only made the playoffs once in the last six years and yet had some of the most exciting young talent in the league. Under Boudreau, they went 32-15-10 down the stretch, coming oh-so-close to climbing all the way back into the playoff picture.

That trio of Quinn Hughes, Thatcher Demko, and Elias Pettersson will obviously be the building blocks for the Canucks moving forward, though there are plenty of other decisions to be made about who will surround them. Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, and J.T. Miller have all heard their names bandied about in trade speculation, and now with the Boudreau situation finalized, the front office can get to work on either extending them, or making a move to maximize their return.

A regular season turnaround wasn’t anything new for Boudreau, who has never had a losing season as an NHL head coach. In fact, his .635 winning percentage is right up with the best of all time. It’s the playoffs that have been a different story so far, likely one of the reasons why Rutherford was so hesitant to jump in after 57 games. Boudreau has a 43-47 record in the postseason and hasn’t moved past the first round since 2015.

Sidney Crosby Out For Game Six With Concussion

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1:35pm: Multiple reports including from Emily Kaplan of ESPN and The Athletic have now surfaced confirming that Crosby suffered a concussion on the hit from Jacob Trouba. For any player that is concerning, but especially so for the Penguins’ captain given his history of head injuries. It is not clear when he will be able to return to the lineup.

10:44am: The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without captain Sidney Crosby for a pivotal game six against the New York Rangers, after he suffered an upper-body injury on Wednesday night. Head coach Mike Sullivan explained that Crosby is in a “good place” in his recovery, and the injured forward did skate on his own today.

Additionally, the Penguins updated the status of a few other injured players. Brian Dumoulin is still working through his off-ice recovery and his status has not changed, while Rickard Rakell is now considered a game-time decision. Tristan Jarry, who has been skating the last little while, will not play tonight, meaning it’s Louis Domingue’s net for at least one more game.

If there was ever a time for pending free agents Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang to put a stamp on the first-round series, it’s tonight in an all-important chance to eliminate the Rangers. On home ice, the Penguins will have to find a way past Hart Trophy nominee Igor Shesterkin once again, as the Rangers will put him back in the net after securing the win in game five. It’s been an up-and-down series for the Rangers goaltender, who has allowed 19 goals in five games but still has a save percentage of .905 as the Penguins continue to rack up shots.

Gustav Rydahl Linked To New York Rangers

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While the New York Rangers continue their quest for playoff success, the front office might be looking ahead to the future. In Sweden, a report has emerged in SportExpressen that connects Gustav Rydahl to the Rangers.

Rydahl, 27, has been flirting with an NHL career for years, but to this point has been limited to playing in the Swedish Hockey League. The undrafted forward had 14 goals and 30 points for Farjestads BK this season, but it was his playoff performance that really stood out.

In 19 postseason contests, Rydahl had six goals and 12 points en route to an SHL championship. He also had 21 penalty minutes, a common theme for the physical forward, who has been known to get involved in plenty of extracurricular activity after the whistle.

It was actually the second title of his career, after winning one as a young player in 2015 with Vaxjo. At that point, the 6’3″ forward was an absolute black hole offensively, but things have changed in recent years. With an appearance at the Olympics also on his resume from earlier this year, and now two straight strong offensive seasons (split by one with only nine games played), it is as good a time as any to try his hand in North America.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Roni Hirvonen, Topi Niemela

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A day after experiencing an excruciating overtime loss, Toronto Maple Leafs fans have something to cheer about today. The team has announced three-year entry-level contracts for both Roni Hirvonen and Topi Niemela, which will start next season and carry average annual values o $856,666.

Hirvonen, 20, was the 59th selection in 2020, picked out of Finland’s top league after holding his own as a teenager. In the two years since Hirvonen has shown that was no fluke, and had 26 points in 46 games for HIFK Helsinki this season. His excellent two-way play elevated him to captain of Finland’s World Junior team this year, though the club was only able to play in two games before the tournament was postponed due to COVID-19. He will still be eligible for the event later this summer, though perhaps he will be more focused on competing to land a spot with the Maple Leafs in the fall.

Speaking of World Junior standouts, Niemela made his own name at the tournament in 2021 by leading all defensemen in scoring. He earned best defenseman of the tournament honors and then took that success back to his league play. This season for Karpat, Niemela was a scoring machine, recording ten goals and 32 points in 48 games by constantly joining the rush and letting shots fly from the point. He too will be eligible for the rescheduled junior tournament this summer, though again, a future with the Maple Leafs organization may be more important at this point.

While neither one is a lock to step into the NHL right away, both are on the fast track to making an impact with the Maple Leafs after spending so much time in the professional ranks in Finland. Hirvonen and Niemela were ranked sixth and third respectively in the Toronto prospect pool by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic earlier this year, and should quickly rise up the depth charts now that they have inked their first deals.

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