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Eastern Notes: Chabot, Vrana, Maenalanen, Maatta

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The Ottawa Senators may have benefited long-term from trading off its expected big-name free agents at the trade deadline, but the franchise must still answer to its fans. With a number of young players on their roster, the team must prove to their fan base that it has no intention of just trading away all of their players once their contracts come up. There are rumblings that suggest the Senators are ready to commit to one such player, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes in his “31 Thoughts” column that the Senators are going to attempt to lock up defensive cornerstone Thomas Chabot to a long-term extension. Chabot, who broke out with a big season in his sophomore year with 14 goals and 55 points in 70 games, would be the ideal signing for the organization to prove to its fans that they intend to compete in the future.

Friedman also writes that owner Eugene Melnyk has been humbled by his lack of success in finding a President of Hockey Operations with top candidates showing no interest to the point of refusing to even meet with the team. The hope is that Melnyk will now find a way to please the fans by rewarding one of their young players. Chabot is the most likely fit as he will be eligible for an extension on July 1 as he is entering the final year of his entry-level contract. Perhaps the move will also turn around the team’s presidential search.

  • NBC Sports Brian McNally writes that while the team was thrilled that 23-year-old Jakub Vrana put up 24 goals and finally broke out as a consistent top-six winger, the team now has to pay for him. Vrana, who becomes a restricted free agent this summer, could look to sign a long-term deal as a young piece to a veteran team or opt to sign a bridge deal that could take him towards unrestricted free agency in a few years. Of course, Vrana struggled in the playoffs which could count against him, as he didn’t register a point during the team’s seven-game series to the Carolina Hurricanes. We’ll have some decisions to make,” general manager Brian MacLellan said. “We’ll find out which direction we’re going on Vrana with a term deal or a bridge deal. Some of it is money decisions. Some of it’s we need to make a couple changes.”
  • The Carolina Hurricanes are ready for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals with the Boston Bruins and while there will be no lineup changes, News & Observer’s Luke DeCock writes that the team still hopes that forward Saku Maenalanen, who has been out since Apr. 28 after having surgery on his hand, could return to the team soon as he practiced with the team Saturday in a non-contact jersey. The surgery was expected him to miss 10 to 14 days, which has already passed. While he’s tallied just one assist throughout the playoffs, the 6-foot-4 winger had given the team a physical element that it needed. The team hopes he might return later in this series
  • Jonathan Bombulie of TribLive writes that while it will be Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford job to move out some defensemen, figuring out which defensemen to move could be more challenging that most might think. Looking at Olli Maatta, who is coming off a poor season, the scribe writes that while he struggled when on the ice with bottom-line centers like Derick Brassard, but was more even-keel when Evgeni Malkin was on the ice, while he was solid when playing with Sidney Crosby, suggesting that the problem may not totally fall on the team’s defense.

Hurricanes Recall Jake Bean And Patrick Brown

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  • Jake Bean’s back and forth travels continue. The Hurricanes announced that they’ve once again recalled the blueliner on an emergency basis along with winger Patrick Brown.  This is the fifth time that Bean has been recalled since the start of the playoffs but he has yet to get into a game.  Meanwhile, Brown has been up with Carolina for most of the postseason and has suited up eight times thus far, his first NHL action since the 2016-17 campaign.

NHL Announces Conference Final Schedules

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After Joe Pavelski returned to the San Jose Sharks lineup they were not to be defeated, and have advanced through to the Western Conference Final. They’ll meet the St. Louis Blues after an impressive series victory of their own, meaning at least one of them will get a chance to compete for the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. On the other side the Carolina Hurricanes should be well rested after quickly dispatching their second round opponent, but will have to find a way to break through the stingy Boston Bruins defense and goaltending. Here is the full schedule for the third round (all times central):

Eastern Conference Final

Boston Bruins (A2) vs Carolina Hurricanes (W1)

Thursday, May 9th @ 7pm
Sunday, May 12th @ 2pm
Tuesday, May 14th @ 7pm
Thursday, May 16th @ 7pm
Saturday, May 18th @ 6:15pm (if necessary)
Monday, May 20th @ 7pm (if necessary)
Wednesday, May 22nd @ 7pm (if necessary)

Western Conference Final

San Jose Sharks (P2) vs St. Louis Blues (C3)

Saturday, May 11th @ 7pm
Monday, May 13th @ 8pm
Wednesday, May 15th @ 7pm
Friday, May 17th @ 7pm
Sunday, May 19th @ 2pm (if necessary)
Tuesday, May 21st @ 7pm (if necessary)
Thursday, May 23rd @ 8pm (if necessary)

Poll: Who Will Win The Eastern Conference Final?

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The full schedule is not yet released, but we now know that the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes will kick off the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday evening at TD Garden. The two teams haven’t faced in a playoff series in a decade, and just the five times overall including two series when the Hurricanes were still known as the Hartford Whalers. In that 2009 series between the two, Carolina defeated Boston in seven games on an overtime winner by Scott Walker. In that deciding seventh contest, Rod Brind’Amour scored Carolina’s first goal, and will now try to defeat them again from behind the Hurricanes’ bench.

Even after walking through the New York Islanders in four games, the Hurricanes have a lot on their plate if they want to reach the Stanley Cup Final. Boston has already dispatched two strong teams in the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Columbus Blue Jackets, and have a goaltender playing some of the best hockey of his career. Tuukka Rask has posted a .938 save percentage through the first 13 games of the postseason, and looks as good as when he led the Bruins within two games of the Stanley Cup in 2013. While Zdeno Chara may be a few years out of his prime, the Boston defense has been excellent overall with huge contributions from Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Torey Krug. Unfortunately McAvoy will be out tomorrow night as he serves his suspension, giving the Hurricanes a slight advantage to start the series.

If the Hurricanes able to overcome the Bruins, it will likely be on the back of one of the game’s best clutch performers. Carolina captain Justin Williams has long been known as “Mr. Game Seven” around the league for his heroics in do-or-die moments, and lived up to his name by setting up Brock McGinn in double overtime to dispatch the defending champion Washington Capitals in the first round.

Boston though have their own experienced performers, including Patrice Bergeron who continued to play excellent two-way hockey to lead the Bruins through the first two rounds. The four-time Selke winner has just eight points in 13 games, but can never be counted out with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on the line. Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Krejci—three holdovers from the Bruins’ 2011 championship—have 19 playoff game-winning goals between them, including six in overtime.

In a year where seeds haven’t mattered and any playoff team can upset any other, it’s hard to name a clear favorite in the series. Boston will enjoy home ice, but the Hurricanes will try to storm in and take that advantage back right away. Cast your vote below on who you think will win, and comment down below how many games the series will go.

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Charlie McAvoy Suspended For Game One Of Eastern Conference Final

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The decision has been handed down from the NHL Department of Player Safety, rather quickly in fact, on Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy. Less than 24 hours after defeating the Columbus Blue Jacket to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, the Bruins have learned that they will be without their top defender for Game One against the Carolina Hurricanes. McAvoy has been suspended for one game for a hit to the head of Columbus’ Josh Anderson, the league announced.

Late in the second period of Monday night’s deciding Game Six, McAvoy was called for a two-minute minor for an illegal check to the head on Anderson. Columbus fans and players alike, and head coach John Tortorella most of all, were upset that McAvoy did not receive a greater penalty for the heavy hit, especially as Anderson struggled to get back to his feet and leave the ice. The referees ultimately decided that McAvoy’s check was not worthy of a game misconduct, but clearly the Department of Player Safety disagrees, issuing an even greater penalty of a whole game suspension. In their breakdown of the play, the department explains their decision as such:

McAvoy comes across the front of (Anderson’s) body and delivers a high, hard check that makes Anderson’s head the main point of contact on a hit where such head contact was avoidable. This is an illegal check to the head… McAvoy’s shoulder clearly makes direct and forceful contact with the head of Anderson… While hits from the side are not illegal, they are difficult to execute legally. In this case, while we accept McAvoy’s argument that he is not intentionally attempting to hit Anderson in the head, he takes an angle of approach that cuts in front of Anderson’s body, rather than through the near shoulder and core… McAvoy then elevates his shoulder up and into the head of Anderson, rather than staying low and aiming for Anderson’s chest or far shoulder.

It is worth noting, as the league did, that there did not appear to be intent to injure on the play, but rather it was an ill-advised and dangerous hit that earned McAvoy his suspension. McAvoy and Anderson appeared to be on good terms in the handshake line at the end of the game, indicating that there was a mutual understanding that this was not a dirty play, but simply poorly executed. It also helped McAvoy’s case that this was his first interaction with Player Safety, having never previously been suspended or fined.

A one-game suspension was the result that many expected and was likely the best-case scenario for the Bruins. Nevertheless, McAvoy’s loss for even one game is major. The 21-year-old defenseman has been Boston’s top blue liner all season, when healthy, and all postseason, along with fellow young defenseman Brandon Carlo. McAvoy is a key puck-mover for the Bruins and easily their most dependable possession defenseman in all three zones. He has logged major minutes in the playoffs skating on the team’s top pair and second power play unit, contributing six points, 30 hits, and a +8 rating through 13 games and has had to pick up the slack of pair mate Zdeno Chara, who has struggled frequently this postseason. In replacing him for Game One, head coach Bruce Cassidy will have to get creative with his defensive pairs, likely replacing McAvoy’s spot in the lineup with John Moore or Steven Kampfer and shuffling some combinations around. Expect the regular pairing of Carlo and Torey Krug to likely see top minutes in Game One on Thursday, as the Bruins try to fight through this adversity to take an early series lead on the Hurricanes.

Hurricanes Prospect Jesper Sellgren Joins AHL Charlotte On A PTO

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  • The Hurricanes have assigned prospect Jesper Sellgren to their farm team in Charlotte, the AHL team announced. The defenseman was a sixth-round pick of Carolina last June and fared relatively well in his first full season in the SHL with Lulea.  Sellgren has inked a PTO with the Checkers to cover the remainder of their postseason but he remains under contract in Sweden for one more year.

Eastern Notes: Hurricanes, Lehner, Blashill, Toronto Prospects

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With the Carolina Hurricanes waiting for their next opponent after sweeping the New York Islanders in the second round of the playoffs, the team is finally getting the rest it needs after a very physical playoff stretch that has worn down the roster. After playing 11 games in 23 days, the Hurricanes took the entire weekend off and are expected to pick up activity on Monday, according to News & Observer’s Luke DeCock.

The team hopes the rest could get a few more players back to full strength, although there are few updates on the injured. There is no word on the status of forward Micheal Ferland as his status remains uncertain. However, the team hopes to get Saku Maenalanen back at some point in the Conference Finals after he underwent hand surgery last week. The rest should also help forward Jordan Martinook, who played injured in Games 3 and 4, as well as goaltender Petr Mrazek, who was forced to leave Game 2 and put 35-year-old Curtis McElhinney into a full-time role, which isn’t ideal. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour commented on the need for rest, saying “I think a break is what they need, more almost mentally. They need more of that. Will it affect us in our first game? We’re going to hear about that. Maybe. There might be a little rust there. But we need it.”

  • NHL.com’s Brian Compton writes that New York Islanders’ Vezina Trophy finalist Robin Lehner, who rewarded the Islanders with an amazing season in goal this year after the Islanders took a chance on him, was non-committal after the team was swept in the second round of the playoffs on Friday. The 27-year-old netminder will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after signing a one-year “prove it” deal for $1.5MM and there is a chance he may opt to make it his only year. “It’s a little bit too much emotions right now,” said Lehner, “I really like everyone here. This group is incredible, some of the best people I’ve been around. I’ve been in the league for a while now. We’ll see what God has in store for me.”
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free-Press writes that Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill admitted that he was thrilled when general manager Steve Yzerman gave him a vote of confidence after taking over his new position. “It was great to hear that he has belief in me and my abilities,” said Blashill, who has been committed to developing the young players on the team, many who have thrived under the head coach’s leadership.
  • With major cap implications upcoming in Toronto, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler (subscription required) writes that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, have been thrilled with the play of their young defenseman in the AHL playoffs, including Timothy Liljegren (first-round pick in 2017), Mac Hollowell (fourth-round pick in 2018) and Rasmus Sandin (first-round pick in 2018). Marlies’ coach Sheldon Keefe added, “It has been such a long period of time now where we relied on (Liljegren and Sandin), so we don’t get to the playoffs if those young guys can’t step up and play the minutes they had to play for us at different times when we were depleted.” With changes coming to the team’s defense, it’s good to know that the three prospects could be closing in on being ready for NHL action.

Islanders Notes: Free Agency, Lehner, Offense, Lambert

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After a tough sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, right after they impressed everyone by sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, there remain many questions surrounding the New York Islanders and in what direction general manager Lou Lamoriello will go this off-season. They have multiple key free agent forwards that could hit the open market in July, including forwards Jordan Eberle, Anders Lee and Brock Nelson.

Newsday’s Andrew Gross makes his predictions on who is staying or going and is quick to point out that it’s likely that Lamoriello may only keep one of their three top-six free agent forwards. The question is whether he can get Lee to agree to take a little less to remain with the team. Gross believes that Lee would ask for six years at $6MM per, which Lamoriello might agree to, but both Eberle and Nelson could ask for similar amounts and if one of them opts to take less, that may be who ends up staying.

The scribe also adds that some of their other free agents could get re-signed, especially Valtteri Filppula and Tanner Fritz to smaller, shorter-term deals.

  • With tons of cap space and multiple key free agents of their own, the team must decide whether they intend to re-sign some of those players as well as whether they intend to dip into free agency and go after some bigger fish. What the team needs to do is find a way to sign Robin Lehner to cement their goaltending situation, according to Emily Kaplan and Chris Peters of ESPN (subscription required). Lehner, who has become a fan favorite in New York after an incredible season, is needed in New York with Thomas Greiss down to his last year on his contract. Lehner and Greiss combined to win the Jennings Trophy, while Lehner is also a finalist for the Vezina Trophy after putting up 25 wins, a 2.13 GAA, and a .930 save percentage during the regular season. Despite many who feel that Lehner failed in the playoffs, his numbers were still even better in the playoffs, posting a 2.00 GAA and a .936 save percentage. He was a bargain at $1.5MM, but will need a big raise this summer if the Islanders want to keep him.
  • Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post writes that what Lamoriello needs to find this summer is more high-impact scorers who can help with head coach Barry Trotz’s grinding defense. Like in Washington, Trotz’ defensive system relies on high-end forwards who can get opportunistic goals, which the team struggled to do in the second round of the playoffs. Trotz, however, believes there is talent in their system, which might be ready to supplement the team. “We knew that we were a little bit lean in some of the high-skill positions, but we have some good kids coming,” Trotz said.
  • With the Islanders eliminated, that could open up some coaching opportunity for associate coach Lane Lambert, according to The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required). The 54-year-old Lambert has been a long-time assistant to Trotz and might be one of the top assistant coaches ready to make the transition to the head coaching position. He has been key to game planning and practices and has been a critical part of the team’s penalty kill unit.

Trevor Van Riemsdyk Undergoes Surgery, Out Four To Six Months

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UPDATE: Carolina has confirmed the prognosis that van Riemsdyk did undergo surgery on his damaged shoulder on Thursday. However, the team lists his timeline for recovery as four to six months, meaning these is some doubt about whether van Riemsdyk will be healthy for the start of the 2019-20 season.

 

While the Hurricanes are hopeful that they will get goalie Petr Mrazek and winger Micheal Ferland back for their upcoming third-round series, they won’t be seeing defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk anytime soon. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that the blue liner has undergone shoulder surgery and will miss the next four months.

The injury was sustained during the first shift of the second game of their series against the Islanders and while the full nature of it wasn’t known at the time, head coach Rod Brind’Amour expected that he’d be without van Riemsdyk for a while. It now turns out that they won’t have him available until next season.

The 27-year-old had been a regular on Carolina’s third pairing throughout the regular season and the early going of the playoffs.  Haydn Fleury had taken van Riemsdyk’s spot in the lineup after the injury although the team could also turn to rookie Jake Bean, who has been going back and forth between the NHL and AHL in recent days. With a week before the Conference Final gets underway, they’ll have plenty of time to make a decision.

Minor Transactions: 05/04/19

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After last night’s defeat, the New York Islanders have been eliminated, swept out of the postseason by the Carolina Hurricanes, and just seven team remain alive in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Of those seven teams, just two – Carolina and the Columbus Blue Jackets – also have AHL affiliates still playing for a Calder Cup title. There are very few teams fortunate enough to still be recalling and reassigning players, but follow along here for any such roster moves:

  • For the fourth day in a row and fifth time this week, Hurricanes defenseman Jake Bean is on the move. Carolina has recalled the rookie rearguard this morning after sending him to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers yesterday to play in their second-round opener against the Hershey Bears. Bean has been operating as the Hurricanes’ eighth defenseman, but with the news of Trevor van Riemsdyk’s season-ending injury, it’s possible that he could be in for a longer stay in Raleigh this time around. Bean played in only two regular season games with the ’Canes and has not seen any action in the NHL playoffs, but has been Charlotte’s best defenseman this year with 44 points in 70 games.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned rookie forwards Max Comtois and Isac Lundestrom to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, with the prospects having wrapped up their seasons elsewhere. While it was a forgettable season in Anaheim, San Diego is still alive in the Calder Cup chase and have now received a major boost from the addition of these two players. Both Comtois and Lundestrom played with the Ducks and the Gulls early in the regular season before being loaned away following the World Junior Championships in January. Comtois had seven points in ten games in Anaheim and played in four games with San Diego as well before returning to the QMJHL to close out the year. He scored at nearly a two points-per-game clip in the regular season and point-per-game clip in the postseason during an incredible stint with the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Lundestrom did not play juniors at all this season, but instead returned to his Swedish Hockey League club Lulea HF, but not before skating in 15 games with the Ducks and another dozen with the Gulls. Last year’s 23rd overall pick led Lulea’s forwards in scoring this postseason at just 19 years old.

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