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Todd Nelson Eyeing NHL Assistant Jobs

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The head coach of the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, the 2017 Calder Cup champions, has his eye on greener pastures. According to The Athletic’s Craig Custance, Todd Nelson is a hot name on the coaching market right now among teams in need of an NHL assistant. Nelson is reportedly considering offers from many teams. Custance describes Nelson as an AHL coach who has proven himself ready to be an NHL head coach, but is facing the dilemma of deciding how best to position himself for that move.

Nelson, 49, has a long history with the Griffins and will not be quick to choose an NHL assistant position if the fit is not perfect. The former defenseman spent much of his playing career in the minor leagues, wrapping up his career in Grand Rapids in 2002. He immediately jumped into coaching as an assistant with the Griffins the next year. While he left the team after just one year, Nelson found his way back to Grand Rapids in 2015 as the head coach and took home a title last year. In his decade away from the team, Nelson spent time as an assistant with the Atlanta Thrashers, was the long-time head coach of the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons, and even briefly served as the interim head coach of their then-parent club, the Edmonton Oilers. While Nelson’s Oilers won just 17 of 51 games under his guidance, it was an invaluable experience and strays greatly from Nelson’s other head coaching outcomes, in which he has a career .611 points percentage in the AHL.

It’s possible that Nelson could land in the same scenario as Oklahoma City if he stays in his current position, possibly taking over for Jeff Blashill of the Detroit Red Wings, who have struggled of late, during or after the next season. However, this time he would likely be given a longer tryout as head coach for Detroit given his improved coaching pedigree. Nelson could also get a jump on that process by simply becoming one of Blashill’s assistants, the same path that Jack Adams candidate Bruce Cassidy took, moving from head coach of the Providence Bruins to an assistant in Boston before taking over. Yet, Custance hears that Nelson is still considering a move. “By no means am I unhappy in Grand Rapids,” Nelson told Custance, but added “I just want to see what the next step might present… My goal is to be a head coach in the National Hockey League. Maybe it means going with a different organization where I’m more visible.” Teams reportedly chasing Nelson include the Dallas Stars, and new head coach Jim Montgomery, and at least one other Western Conference team, per Custance. Only time will tell what choice Nelson makes, but he is certainly a name to keep an eye on in the coming years as a top head coach candidate in the NHL.

Boston’s Torey Krug Ruled Out For Series

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5:39 p.m. — The Boston Bruins released an update that Krug will miss the rest of the series with the Tampa Bay Lightning. According to team physician Dr. Peter Asnis, Krug suffered an ankle injury and will require more testing to determine the severity of the injury.

3:53 p.m. — The news doesn’t look good for the Boston Bruins. Already down to their last game as they trail the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1, the Boston Bruins learned today that they will be without star defenseman Torey Krug for Game 5, according to The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa.

The blueliner went down with a lower-leg injury when he crashed into the boards Friday in Game 4 and was forced to leave the game, although he was able to walk off on his own. However, the injury could also be enough to rule him out for the season as well.

“He’s out [for Game 5],” said Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy (via the Bruins). “He’s still getting evaluated, but doesn’t look good that it will be short term.”

A loss of Krug will be devastating as the team has used him to play big minutes all season, especially for the playoffs. He even played 25:16 in Game 3 against the Maple Leafs. Krug, who was one of the team’s healthiest defensemen this season, finished the season with 14 goals and 45 assists in 76 games. He has been an even greater offensive spark for his team with three goals and 12 points in 11 games. With a team that has already lost Brandon Carlo for the season with a fractured ankle, the team will have to step up if they have any hopes of winning three in a row. The team will move veteran Nick Holden into the lineup to play alongside Adam McQuaid.

NHL Warns Marchand, Bruins About Licking Players

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The NHL’s vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell spoke to both the Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney and Brad Marchand today, warning the veteran forward that his actions of licking players is unacceptable and another incident like that will result in supplementary discipline, according to the NHL.

Marchand, who has been accused for licking a player for the second time in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, was seen checking Tampa Bay’s Ryan Callahan into the boards and when Callahan shoved back, Marchand responded by licking him. He was accused of the same thing in the first round of the playoffs during Game 1 by the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Leo Komarov. Marchand was not penalized for either incident, but the league is stepping in now.

According to Rule 75.4 (iii), “Any player who persists in any course of conduct designed to incite an opponent into incurring a penalty,” which means the league could start handing out 10-minute misconduct penalties immediately for any similar actions, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli.

“There’s absolutely no place in this game for that,” Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper said (via Joe Smith). “I don’t understand it.”

Even Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said Marchand needs to stop.

“Brad has to stop licking. That’s the end of the story,” said Cassidy (via Chris Johnston).

Overseas Notes: Khokhlachev, Kupari, Great Britain

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It was no secret that Alexander Khokhlachev and former Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien did not see eye-to-eye. The latter hesitated to trust younger players and the former struggled to play the responsible style that would have earned him some trust under the old regime. The result was Khokhlachev leaving the Bruins organization to return home to Russia in the summer of 2016. Despite very promising offensive totals in three AHL seasons, including 68 points in 60 games in his last year, Khokhlachev was only given nine NHL starts over those three seasons and failed to record a point (though he did score a shootout goal). His decision to head to the KHL came as only a mild surprise given his lack of use despite clear ability. After playing a minor role for the league champions SKA St. Petersburg last year, Khokhlachev moved on to Spartak Moscow this season and led the team in scoring with 50 point in 52 games. Given that impressive production, as well as the stylistic changes and the success of young players in Boston under Bruce Cassidy, there was some thought that perhpas Khokhlachev would return to the Bruins next season to fight for the NHL job he felt he deserved. Instead, “Koko” will remain in Moscow for at least one more year, as the KHL announced that he has inked an extension with Spartak. Boston made a qualifying offer to Khokhlachev when he left as a restricted free agent and will continue to retain his rights, should he decide he wants to return to North America in the future.

  • Any team looking to draft Rasmus Kupari in the first round of the NHL Draft this June should know that they’re getting a project player and not a quick fix. Kupari is considered by many to be a top first-round talent and is expected to be drafted anywhere between the #10 and #25 picks or so. He is considered one of, if not the best puck-handling forward in this draft class and seems to be the only right-handed natural center worthy of a pick anywhere in the first round. However, NHL.com European insider Igor Eronko reports that the young Finn is committed to staying at home and playing for Karpat of the Finnish Liiga for two more years, stating that it is his preferred developmental path. In a draft class that is extraordinarily shallow in elite talent down the middle, it’s an interesting conundrum to have perhaps the top center state that he has no intention to cross the Atlantic until at least 2020. Yet, Kupari’s ability is such that a team with less immediate needs will be happy to scoop him up if he begins to fall past the midpoint of the first round this year. The long-term plan for Kupari is likely to pay off.
  • The IIHF World Championships for the top division of teams is still a week away from beginning, but the tournament for Divisions 1-A and 1-B will wrap up today. Of all the story lines in those tournaments, none is as interesting as the success of Great Britain. The British squad only earned their promotion to Group A last year with a Group B victory, but already they’re looking to make another leap. After beating Italy yesterday, the British took a commanding lead of the Group and, with one game remaining against host Hungary today, look to have locked up a promotion to the elite division next season. All Great Britain needs is a single point against fifth-place Hungary today or an overtime finish to Italy-Slovenia and they clinch a berth in next year’s top tournament. It would be the first time in 25 years that the British would play against the best in the world should they get a favorable result today. A royal baby, a royal wedding, and now a royal promotion – exciting times in the UK.

Poll: Who Should Win Coach Of The Year?

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The Jack Adams is a tough trophy to award. Almost always based on team success relative to the prior year, or in the face of injury, it’s an award whose voters rarely have all of the pertinent information. No one can say for sure what is the best coaching method, or how one individual decision affected the results of an entire hockey team.

That said, the league seemed—from the outside at least—to have an excellent field of coaches to choose from this year. Three finalists were named in Gerard Gallant (Vegas), Jared Bednar (Colorado) and Bruce Cassidy (Boston), but other names like John Hynes (New Jersey), Paul Maurice (Winnipeg) and Peter Laviolette (Nashville) all could have found themselves in the race in any other year.

The question is should they have been in the race this year? Should someone else, like Jon Cooper or Peter DeBoer have been considered? What exactly determines the “coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success” in your mind? While Gallant may be the expected winner by many around the league, should he be?

Vote below on not who you think will win, but who you think should win the Jack Adams trophy. Our similar poll for the Calder resulted in different finalists, while our readership picked the same top three for the Norris. Remember this is based on regular season results, not the first round of the playoffs. Explain your choice in the comment section below.

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NHL Announces Jack Adams Award Finalists

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There won’t be much debate about the nominees for this award. The finalists for the Jack Adams Award, given each year to the NHL’s best head coach, have been released by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association. Reported first by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the 2018 finalists are the Boston Bruins’ Bruce Cassidy, the Colorado Avalanche’s Jared Bednar, and the Vegas Golden Knights’ Gerard Gallant. 

With all due respect to Cassidy and Bednar, the Jack Adams this season has been a foregone conclusion for some time, with only a race for second-place ongoing. The work that Gallant has done in the inaugural season for the expansion Golden Knights has been nothing short of miraculous. Gallant took a hotchpot of cast-off players from around the league who had never played together before and turned them into the most successful expansion team in North American sports history. Vegas’ roster is the definition of a sum greater than its parts, as no one could have predicted the success that this team would have based on the past performances of its players. That has a lot to do with Gallant, who has gotten his players to buy in to the system and it had rewarded them in turn.

Cassidy and Bednar rightfully deserve the recognition, though. Cassidy’s nomination feels like a continuation of his success to close out the 2016-17 season as well; the Bruins are 68-38-13 since Cassidy took over for Claude Julien last February. Under his guidance, rookies like Charlie McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk, and Danton Heinen have flourished and the Bruins have transformed into one of the best teams in the league. No one could have seen that coming this season. Even more unlikely was a return to the playoffs for the Avalanche, however. Bednar worked his magic on a young, inexperienced, and somewhat incomplete lineup, helping Nathan MacKinnon to an MVP-caliber season and leading the team to nearly double the success from a historically bad 2016-17 campaign, going from 48 points to 95 points.

While Gallant may be the overwhelming favorite for the award this season, this is a class of Jack Adams finalists that will be looked back on as one of the best and most deserving of all time, with three head coaches who truly “contributed to his team’s success”.

Injury Updates: Bergeron, Wennberg, Oshie

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One game after he was inexplicably a late scratch due to a lingering injury, it appears that Boston Bruins star Patrice Bergeron is feeling better. The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa not only reports that Bergeron was a full participant in the team’s morning skate, but that he skated in his regular spot on the first line and first power play unit. Head coach Bruce Cassidy told the media that he anticipates that Bergeron will play in Game Five, as the series returns to Boston with a chance for the Bruins to advance. While Riley Nash filled in admirably for Bergeron, as he has all season, the return of arguably the best defensive forward in hockey history could be the death knell of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

  • In a crucial Game Five in Washington, the Columbus Blue Jackets are also hoping to get a key center back in the lineup. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline feels there is a “strong indication” that Alexander Wennberg will be back for the Jackets after being knocked out of the first game of the series by Capitals head-hunter Tom Wilson. Portzline adds that head coach John Tortorella will address the media about an hour and half ahead of puck drop and would then confirm Wennberg’s return. Portzline believes that Sonny Milano would be the man to sit if Wennberg is ready to go.
  • After missing two of the final three regular season games for the Capitals, it appears T.J. Oshie is still not over his lower-body injury. Oshie has been active and effective in every game of Washington’s first-round series, but the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan reports that Oshie has been playing through injury and has been missing practices and morning skates all series long. While head coach Barry Trotz and Oshie’s teammates appreciate his sacrifice, there should be concern that it will catch up to the talented forward. Unfortunately, the Capitals-Blue Jackets series is knotted up at two games apiece and has been extremely competitive, not allowing Oshie any flexibility to sit for a game. If the series runs seven games deep, an extra day of rest seems unlikely as well. If Washington is fortunate enough to advance, Oshie may struggle to keep up his level of play in the next round.

Atlantic Notes: Bruins, Boucher, Ristolainen, Zetterberg, Bertuzzi

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There is just one game remaining on the NHL regular season schedule and the league schedulers picked a good one as the Boston Bruins will host the Florida Panthers today in the lone game. While many people thought the game would have significant meaning for the Panthers (Philadelphia’s victory Saturday officially eliminated Florida from the playoffs), it instead has an effect on Boston.

If the Bruins win, they will jump over the Tampa Bay Lightning as the top seed of the Eastern Conference and get home ice advantage in the first three rounds of the playoffs. A win of any kind would give them a matchup with the New Jersey Devils. A loss will pit the Bruins against the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team they have struggled with this year. The only known matchup in the Eastern Conference are the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“Let’s face it, we were trying to find our own game and get to where we thought we were at the start of the year, which was definitely a playoff team,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy via NBC Sports Joe Haggerty. “We just didn’t know where we would fit, and the way Tampa got out of the gate, and Toronto for that matter, it was going to be an uphill battle. But here we are. We’re in a position to take it, and that’s a credit to the guys. We’ve worked hard to get here. This wasn’t by accident. We didn’t back in.”

  • The Ottawa Senators, who ended up finishing in 30th place this season, must make a decision on their coaching situation. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen writes that Guy Boucher is in a strange situation as he did everything right a year ago at this time and has done little right since. The team’s defense and special teams were atrocious this year and need to get fixed. The question is, will it be Boucher or another coach? Garrioch says that even if Boucher survives, expect changes to the staff as last year is considered unacceptable.
  • Jon Vogl of the Buffalo News writes that the Buffalo Sabres need to make sweeping changes to avoid another dismal season next year, but unfortunately, the team has a lot of contracts with term which will be hard to move, so the team will need to be creative in trades. The defense has six players already under contract and few top-four players, citing that Rasmus Ristolainen is considered their No. 1 defenseman and he is no where even close to that. He will have four more years on his contract at $5.4MM AAV and has shown little improvement and isn’t the leader they hoped he would be.
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press writes that Detroit Red Wings’ Henrik Zetterberg must decide whether he wants to keep playing. The 38-year-old still has three years left of the 12-year contract he signed in 2009 at $6.083MM AAV, but back then it was assumed players wouldn’t play the entire contract out. He’s logged over 1,000 and if he chooses to retire, the Red Wings would save $6MM in cap space if the team is able to place him on long-term injured reserve. St. James adds, however, that the veteran might want to come back for one more year as he is just 42 points away from reaching 1,000 points.
  • St. James also tweets that the Red Wings have decided not to send forward Tyler Bertuzzi to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL for their playoff run. They believe Bertuzzi has done enough at the AHL level and want him to hit the gym and get stronger with a full offseason of workouts.

Injury Notes: Bruins, Suter, Johansson, Callahan, Antipin

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For a team having the success that they have had, the Boston Bruins are also at the top of the Atlantic Division despite suffering through countless injuries throughout the season. While many of those players like David Backes and Patrice Bergeron have done a nice job of working their way back at different points in the season, the injuries continue to pile up.

The team lost defenseman Brandon Carlo to injury as he was taken off on a stretcher Saturday with a leg injury and while there is no official word on the specifics or the severity of the injury, NBC’s Joe Haggerty tweets that head coach Bruce Cassidy said it’s probably serious and it is likely that he could miss the playoffs. Add to that, veteran Riley Nash, who took a puck to his head in Saturday’s game. According to Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa, Nash required 40 stitches in and around his ear.

“You know what? That’s what it is this year and how it’s going to be,” said Bruce Cassidy (via Haggerty). “It’s become a bit of our fight song. We can do it with guys going in and out, and other guys stepping up. It’s worked out well in terms of how the guys have responded.”

On a positive note, the team got back winger Jake Debrusk, who kicked in two goals and an assist Saturday and veteran defenseman Zdeno Chara is playing today. However, the team is still without defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who could return Tuesday, according to Haggerty.

  • StarTribune’s Sarah McLellan writes that Minnesota Wild veteran defenseman Ryan Suter will be out indefinitely after suffering a foot injury during Saturday’s game against Dallas. The 33-year-old went down during the second period when his foot awkwardly collided against the boards after taking a hit from the Stars’ Remi Elie. It’s another blow for the Wild, who had previously lost Suter’s partner Jared Spurgeon who went down with a hamstring injury more than two weeks ago. The Wild currently hold the third playoff spot in the Central Division, but need some key wins in the coming days to hold onto that spot. Suter averages 26:46 of ATOI, which is second in the NHL. He has six goals and 51 points, which is tied for his career-high.
  • The New Jersey Devils announced they have activated Marcus Johansson off of injured reserve Sunday. The winger has been out with a concussion since Jan. 23. He is expected to be in the lineup today with Montreal. After acquiring the 27-year-old from Washington in the offseason, Johansson has been plagued by injuries as he’s only appeared in 29 games for the Devils putting up five goals and nine assists this season.
  • NHL.com’s Bryan Burns tweets that veteran winger and penalty killing specialist Ryan Callahan is expected to return today after being out with an upper body injury. The 33-year-old has missed the past five games since being injured on March 22 against Toronto. Callahan has four goals and 15 points in 63 games this season.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced the defenseman Victor Antipin has been diagnosed with a concussion after taking a hit Saturday from Nashville’s Scott Hartnell. He also suffered facial lacerations, a broken nose and dental injuries. He is out indefinitely.

Poll: Which Coach Is Least Likely To Be Back Next Season?

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The NHL has gone almost the entire season without seeing a head coach fired, something that hasn’t happened in more than fifty years. Even with that said, it seems unlikely that all 31 head coaches will be back next season, either through expiration of their contract or termination by a frustrated GM.

Barry Trotz, for instance, is on the last year of his current contract and seems tied to the Washington Capitals playoff success this year. Though Washington GM Brian MacLellan was given a contract extension recently, there has been no word on Trotz, who has never advanced past the second round in his 19-year NHL coaching career.

There has been some talk of even the great Joel Quenneville being let go from Chicago, after the disappointing season the Blackhawks have suffered through. Quenneville is one of the greatest of all time, but even he might have to pay the price for underperforming stars and an aging core.

Who do you think is least likely to be brought back by their current team? Which coach won’t be wearing the same colors next season? Make sure to explain your vote in the comment section below.

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