Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

2022 Ted Lindsay Award Finalists Announced

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

This week, the NHL has started to release the finalists for all the major regular season awards. After the Hart Trophy came out yesterday, the Ted Lindsay Award, given to “the most outstanding player in the NHL” as voted on by members of the NHLPA, is up.

The finalists this year are Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.

While the Lindsay very often mirrors the Hart, the notable difference is that the finalists are peer-selected. McDavid has already won the trophy three times, even taking it home in 2018 when he somehow finished fifth in Hart voting, despite leading the league in scoring. There’s no doubting his place among his fellow players, widely considered the best player in the world at the moment. After setting new career highs with 44 goals and 123 points, there’s certainly reason to believe they’ve put him on top of the mountain once again.

Matthews has more than a fighting chance though, after becoming just the third player in the salary cap era to score 60 goals in a single season. The Maple Leafs forward is the no-doubt best at putting the puck in the back of the net, and reached a new high with 106 points in just 73 games. Perhaps the front-runner for the Hart this season, it will be interesting to see if the players feel the same about the Toronto sniper.

Josi, meanwhile, is the only one of the three that didn’t end as a finalist for the Hart, as Igor Shesterkin took the third spot yesterday. It shows just how outstanding his season was and how much respect his peers have for the historic 96-point campaign he put together. That’s more than just a good year–it puts Josi among a list of the best offensive defensemen to ever play the game. Whether that was enough to draw the votes to pass the two big centers won’t be revealed until later on but it is still an impressive feat to get named a finalist in a year with so many incredible offensive performances.

Who will win the Ted Lindsay?
Auston Matthews 39.51% (194 votes)
Connor McDavid 38.49% (189 votes)
Roman Josi 22.00% (108 votes)
Total Votes: 491

Washington Capitals Recall Pheonix Copley

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Hershey Bears are out of the Calder Cup playoffs after losing on Monday to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, so the Washington Capitals are bringing up another goaltender. Pheonix Copley has been recalled to the NHL, while Hunter Shepard is officially assigned to the Bears, even though their season is over.

Copley, 30, will likely serve as the team’s emergency backup as they try to stave off elimination at home. The Capitals are down 3-2 in the series against the Florida Panthers and will try to force a game seven this evening, meaning any goaltending emergencies will be covered by a netminder with plenty of professional experience. Copley has 31 appearances in the NHL and was excellent for Hershey this year, posting a .913 save percentage in 35 regular season games.

Notably, Tom Wilson was back on the ice this morning for the Capitals as well, though he will not play tonight. The physical forward is dealing with a lower-body injury that has kept him out since game one when he saw just three shifts before exiting.

Joe Snively was also back with the group but he remains on long-term injured reserve for the time being.

Montreal Canadiens Hire Christopher Boucher

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Montreal Canadiens will soon announce the leader of their new analytics department is Christopher Boucher, according to Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic. The data-crunching guru will serve as director of analytics in Montreal and is the first hire in a department that Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes have promised to implement since arriving with the Canadiens.

Officially a pro scout with the San Jose Sharks for the past two years, Boucher is well-known as an early advocate of hockey analytics and a seminal member of the early days at Sportlogiq, one of the leading data firms for the sport. While the hire seems strong, perhaps more important is that the Canadiens are going down this route at all.

Under previous administrations, the team had limited their analytical departments, something that the new managers vowed to change as they took over. In one of his first interviews after getting the job, Gorton told Sportsnet that the organization had “a little bit of an old-school feel” and that there needed to be a “different way of thinking” as they tried to modernize the front office. Bringing in Boucher to lead a new analytics department is one of those changes, though it still remains to be seen how much influence they will have over Hughes or the coaching staff.

Latest On Filip Forsberg

at CDT | by 17 Comments

It was another disappointing exit for Filip Forsberg and the Nashville Predators, losing in the first round for the fourth season in a row. The 27-year-old is now facing a career-defining decision as his offseason begins and free agency approaches. Forsberg will be an unrestricted free agent in July after spending his entire NHL career to this point in a Predators jersey, and didn’t give up much when he spoke to reporters yesterday about the situation:

I’ve said that since day one, the goal is to come back here. And the business side is completely different than the on-ice side, as you guys are aware of, and just kind of have to wait and see and play it out. There has been obviously some progression throughout the season from where we started in September, and me and my agent and David and Brian and the management. There’s going to be an ongoing conversation in the process, and we’ll just have to see where we end up.

You couldn’t script a better regular season to be negotiating on the back of, as Forsberg set career highs with 42 goals and 84 points, all in just 69 games. With so much of his production coming at even-strength (32 goals), there’s likely no limit to the number of teams that could insert him into a lineup and receive a huge offensive boost. With the Predators out, the countdown is on until Forsberg and his representatives get a chance to talk with the rest of the league.

After a decade in Nashville, Forsberg has always maintained that his desire is to stay with the organization that traded for him all those years ago but there have been at least some signs to point to the possibility of him leaving. Namely, the organization quickly worked out multi-year extensions with Mattias Ekholm, Mikael Granlund, and Juuse Saros last summer, deals that eat up quite a bit of cap space moving forward. With Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen, and Roman Josi also on the books for a combined $25MM per season, it’s not like there is a ton of room to fit in another huge contract.

Still, it’s hard to imagine the Predators offensive attack without Forsberg in the middle of it. He became the franchise leader in goals this season, passing David Legwand in 400 fewer games, and he sits 14th in the entire league since his rookie season. That history–especially buoyed by his exceptional 2021-22 campaign–is going to make Forsberg able to demand a substantial raise on the $6MM he has earned in each of the last six years, and a long-term deal to go with it.

Another thing to remember, and something that potentially could affect negotiations, is general manager David Poile’s aversion to giving out no-trade clauses. The only player on the Nashville roster that holds one is captain Roman Josi, and Forsberg has seen the lack of trade protection play out in recent years with the departures of Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Ellis. There’s almost no doubt that he could secure a full no-movement clause elsewhere if he decides to test the market later this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Radim Zohorna

at CDT | by 2 Comments

With Sidney Crosby’s uncertain status for tomorrow night, the Pittsburgh Penguins have made an addition to the roster. Radim Zohorna has been recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, despite the AHL club having their own postseason match this evening.

Zohorna, 26, is not exactly a prospect, even though he has just 25 games of NHL experience to this point. The long-time Czech league player came to the Pittsburgh organization in 2020-21 and has done nothing but produce at whatever level he’s asked to play. In the NHL this season, he had six points in 17 games, while racking up 23 hits with his 6’6″ frame in just over ten minutes of ice time per night. In the minors, those numbers increased to 12 goals and 21 points in 39 games, before really making an impact for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the postseason.

Through four games in the Calder Cup playoffs, Zohorna already has five points, recording at least one in all three first-round games against the Hershey Bears. As an injury replacement, if he does enter the lineup, you could certainly do worse than the intimidating, versatile forward, even though filling Crosby’s skates is obviously an impossible task if he is indeed held out.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Cam Talbot Expected To Start For Minnesota Wild

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Minnesota Wild, with their backs against the wall in the first round, appear to have decided to go back to the goaltender that led them through most of the season. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Cam Talbot was working in the starter’s net at morning skate and left the ice first, suggesting he’ll be in tonight when they take on the St. Louis Blues in game six of their first-round series.

The decision to move from Marc-Andre Fleury from Talbot comes after the former allowed four goals in each of the last two games, both 5-2 wins for the Blues to take the series lead. Talbot, 34, will regain his position as the starter, a spot he held for most of the year until the Wild acquired Fleury at the trade deadline. In 49 appearances this season, Talbot went 32-12-4 with a .911 save percentage.

It’s that trade, and a related one that moved regular backup Kaapo Kahkonen out, that will cause plenty of criticism if Minnesota ends up getting knocked out in the first round. The team sent a conditional second-round draft choice to the Chicago Blackhawks for the reigning Vezina winner, one that only upgrades to a first if the team reaches the third round with Fleury with at least four wins in the first two.

Perhaps more important was the trade that saw Kahkonen–no longer needed with Fleury in the picture–go to the San Jose Sharks along with a fifth-round pick for defenseman Jacob Middleton. While Middleton has been a nice fit, Kahkonen once again showed down the stretch that he is a capable NHL netminder, posting a .916 save percentage in 11 appearances with the Sharks. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer that’s due a hefty raise, and while that’s not something the Wild might have been able to afford anyway because of their tricky cap situation, there’s now plenty of uncertainty in the team’s crease moving forward.

Talbot is signed for one more year but Fleury is an unrestricted free agent and will turn 38 in November. The team does have 19-year-old Jesper Wallstedt on their reserve list (he has yet to sign his entry-level contract), expecting him to step directly into the spotlight in a year’s time is optimistic, if not foolish.

At any rate, the focus will be on this evening, when the Wild try to keep their season alive with Talbot in the crease. In his 32 career playoff appearances, he has a .923 save percentage.

Snapshots: Switzerland, Trouba, Lindholm

at CDT | by 15 Comments

The IIHF World Championship will start tomorrow and there are NHL players littered across all of the rosters. One of the most interesting rosters is the one that Switzerland has managed to put together, with names like Timo Meier and Nico Hischier leading the way. Unfortunately for the Swiss, they’ll be without their best option despite him already being eliminated from the NHL playoffs. Roman Josi has turned down the invitation, citing his pregnant wife whom he will be staying with for the next little while.

Josi’s 96-point year was the best season of all time from a Swiss-born player, though Kevin Fiala and Meier both would have also set that record this season had the others not existed (with Hischier not far behind). Fiala is obviously also not on the roster as he continues to battle for the Minnesota Wild, but the success of these players only suggests that Swiss hockey will continue to grow and make an even bigger impact on the NHL in the coming years.

  • There is no supplementary discipline expected for New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba’s hit on Sidney Crosby last night, according to several reports including Larry Brooks of the New York Post. Crosby is being evaluated for an upper-body injury after missing the second half of the game, while Trouba will try to help even the series tomorrow night in Pittsburgh after scoring and recording two points yesterday.
  • Speaking of defensemen trying to help even a series, Hampus Lindholm will return for the Boston Bruins in game six tonight after missing the last few with an upper-body injury. Lindholm was injured on a hit from Andrei Svechnikov and held out, but told reporters today that he started to feel better quickly afterward and is now ready to go. The trade deadline acquisition is expected to return to the top pairing with Charlie McAvoy and play a ton as the Bruins fight for their season.

2022 Hart Trophy Finalists Announced

at CDT | by 10 Comments

It’s time for the big one. The NHL has announced the finalists for the Hart Trophy, given annually to the “player judged most valuable to his team.” Last year’s award went to Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, his second win after taking it home in 2017 as well.

This year’s finalists are McDavid, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers.

There’s not much to be said about the Oilers captain that hasn’t already been mentioned a million times. One of the most dynamic offensive players to ever grace the NHL, he reached new highs in goals and points this year with 44 and 123. It was the fourth time he has led the league in points, and this will be the fourth time he is a Hart finalist. With 697 points in his career already, he sits fourth in points/game among those who have played at least 450. Only Wayne Gretzky (1.92), Mario Lemieux (1.88), and the late Mike Bossy (1.50) sit ahead of McDavid’s 1.43 mark, an incredible accomplishment in this era.

Matthews, meanwhile, is a finalist for the second time after being the runner-up last season. Now the two-time Rocket Richard winner, the Maple Leafs forward is the best goal scorer in the league and reached a mark very rarely seen in today’s game. His 60 goals were the most since Steven Stamkos hit the same mark in 2011-12, and he became only the third player in the salary cap era to reach the mark (Alex Ovechkin has the top spot with 65 in 2007-08). More than just his goals though, it was Matthews’ overall production that skyrocketed this season, with the big center hitting 106 points in just 73 games.

Shesterkin is a first-time finalist, but if he continues to play at the level he established this season this certainly won’t be the last time he’s up for major awards. The 26-year-old netminder posted a .935 save percentage in 53 appearances and is the front-runner for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best netminder. Moreover, the Rangers were routinely critiqued for their defensive zone breakdowns this season as a young team, breakdowns that Shesterkin regularly rescued them from with incredible saves. The Hart hasn’t been won by a goaltender since Carey Price in 2015, when he nearly swept the field, taking home the Jennings, Vezina, and Lindsay as well. Price’s save percentage that season was actually .933, just a few points below what Shesterkin did this year.

Who will win the Hart Trophy?
Auston Matthews 52.51% (398 votes)
Connor McDavid 28.63% (217 votes)
Igor Shesterkin 18.87% (143 votes)
Total Votes: 758

New Jersey Devils Sign Topias Vilen

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New Jersey Devils have inked another interesting prospect, signing Topias Vilen to a three-year entry-level contract. Vilen spent this season playing at the highest level in Finland, after being drafted last year.

The youngest player on the Pelicans this season, Vilen recorded six points in 50 games. The 19-year-old was a fifth-round pick of the Devils in 2021 and is known almost exclusively for his defensive game. Even at the junior level the young defenseman barely registered any offense, meaning it will be a long difficult road if he’s ever going to make the NHL.

Still, there are signs at least that he might be able to carve out a niche as a bottom-pairing, penalty-killing option. For one, his work ethic has never been questioned as he battles constantly in his own end, and his size–6’1″ 195lbs–at least gives him an advantage over the undersized offensive players he’ll be battling in the minor leagues.

Given that he has only just turned 19, the young defenseman will be eligible to play for Finland at both this summer’s and next winter’s World Juniors, if selected. He previously represented his country at the U17 and U18 level, even wearing an “A” as an alternate captain during last year’s event in Texas, where the Finns finished fourth.

Morning Notes: Team Canada, Crosby, Bokk

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Canadian contingent for the IIHF World Championship has named their leadership group, with Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot given the captaincy. The team will go with a group of alternates including Josh Anderson, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Adam Lowry, and Damon Severson for the event, likely rotating each game.

The tournament, which starts tomorrow, is a nice way for Chabot to get some more on-ice reps after missing a huge chunk of this season, though with the amount he plays it has already been a long year. In 59 games this season, the Senators’ defenseman scored 38 points and averaged more than 26 minutes a night for the third season in a row.

  • There’s no update yet on Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, as head coach Mike Sullivan only confirmed that his captain is dealing with an upper-body injury and will be evaluated further on their return home. Crosby took a hit from Jacob Trouba in last night’s game that kept him out, and obviously has a long history with head injuries. The Penguins stayed in New York after last night’s loss and will fly to Pittsburgh today to prepare for tomorrow’s game six.
  • After spending half of this season playing back home in Germany, Dominik Bokk is coming back to North America. His club team announced today that Bokk will re-join the Carolina Hurricanes organization for the 2022-23 season, a previously agreed upon decision. After playing 32 games in the AHL this year, Bokk was loaned to Eisbaren Berlin in the DEL for the stretch run, where he scored 11 points in 14 games and another three in 12 playoff contests. The first-round pick originally selected by St. Louis in 2018 has one year left on his entry-level deal.

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