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Joel Quenneville

Morning Notes: Quenneville, Merzlikins, Gauthier

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There are going to be several head coaching vacancies around the NHL this offseason, and fans have been wondering whether Joel Quenneville would be willing to get back behind the bench for 2019-20. The former Chicago Blackhawks head coach was fired earlier this year and has been away from the game, but is starting to get that itch again. That’s what Quenneville told Dan Roan of WGN9 recently:

It’s been a while now since we’ve been behind the bench, so I think there’s an appetite as we’re going along here to get back into the game. I watch a lot of games, I try to not watch as much Blackhawks as I used to, but I watch most of the games. It’s been a great [playoff] race, and it’s going to be fun to see how it all plays out.

The fact that Quenneville could be available will likely slow down the interview process for several teams, given his incredible resume. The 60-year old coach has an 890-532-77-137 record over his long career and won the Stanley Cup three times with the Blackhawks. He would be an easy selection for the Hall of Fame even if he retired now, given that he ranks second on the all-time wins list and is one of only four coaches to have been behind the bench for at least 1,000 games and maintained a winning percentage of .600 or greater.

  • As we heard this weekend, the Columbus Blue Jackets will soon be signing goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to his entry-level contract. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) expects Merzlikins to immediately join the Cleveland Monsters and likely make his AHL debut the weekend of March 29-30. Portzline also notes that it is unlikely that Merzlikins will see any time with Columbus this season despite burning his entry-level deal, meaning he’ll become a restricted free agent this summer with no NHL experience (save a stint as one of the team’s Black Aces if the Blue Jackets make the playoffs and Cleveland does not).
  • The injuries keep coming for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who today announced that fourth-line center Frederik Gauthier will not travel with the team due to a foot injury. The 23-year old Gauthier has finally started to show some of the potential that made him a first-round pick in 2013, suiting up for 62 games with the Maple Leafs and recording 12 points. In his absence, it appears as though Nic Petan will get another opportunity to show what he can do in the middle of the ice.

Latest on Flyers’ Coaching Situation

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4:36: Carchidi also writes that he believes Hakstol will be dismissed. As for who will replace him, he adds that Quenneville is just one of many coaches the team is considering. One significant option would be for the team to promote Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ coach Scott Gordon and see if he can motivate many of his former players to be successful.

3:59: Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi writes that while he believes Isaac’s report about the hiring of Quenneville, he asked Dave Scott, the CEO of the Flyers’ parent company, more than three hours ago about the report that Quenneville was coming to Philadelphia. The answer was “Not true.” Carchidi writes that something easily could have changed since then, however. Regardless, nothing has been confirmed.

3:42: Multiple sources are indicating that there is no deal. Fox Sports’ Andy Strickland writes that Quenneville said reports that he is taking the Flyers’ job are not true. TSN’s Darren Dreger also reports that it remains status quo in Philadelphia and no decision has been made on Hakstol.

3:24: It looks like Philadelphia Flyers’ new general manager Chuck Fletcher has made his big move. The new GM intends to fire head coach Dave Hakstol and will hire three-time Stanley Cup winner Joel Quenneville as their next head coach, according to Cherry Hill Courier-Post’s Dave Isaac. There has been no official word from the Flyers although the report says that Philadelphia intends to officially let Hakstol go either tonight or Monday morning. The scribe also adds that Fletcher has already offered the position to Quenneville and he’s accepted it.

 

 

Philadelphia Flyers Could Be Ready To Make Coaching Change

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Sunday: Despite the Flyers falling 5-1 to Vancouver Saturday and the road trip being completed, there has been no coaching changes made of yet, according to Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi. The scribe writes that while a coaching change MAY happen at some point, rumors that the team has hired Joel Quenneville are not accurate. Hakstol remains the coach in Philadelphia.

Saturday: While it likely wouldn’t come as any surprise, they Philadelphia Flyers may be ready to make a coaching change. The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor tweeted that he’s heard rumblings from key people that the Flyers may be ready to fire head coach Dave Hakstol after their road trip ends, which will be tonight after their game against Vancouver.

While Hakstol had an impressive coaching resume when he was hired back in 2015, that success hasn’t necessarily translated to the NHL. While he’s reached the playoffs twice on a rebuilding roster, the team has failed to get past the first round of the playoffs and the team has been abysmal in a season where many people felt the team was ready to compete for the top of their division. Instead, the Flyers have struggled this season, currently holding a record of 12-14-4, tied for last place in the Metropolitan Division.

The team’s struggles already cost the job of general manager Ron Hextall back on Nov. 26 and replaced soon after with new GM Chuck Fletcher, whose intention was to sit back and observe the team before making any changes. Hakstol’s chances are likely near an end, however, after the team’s recent losing streak as they have gone 3-7-3 in the last 13 games. That has included a recent string of tough losses, which started with a 7-1 loss to Winnipeg last Sunday, followed by a 6-5 overtime loss to Calgary in which the Flyers held a two-goal lead with 68 seconds left in the game and still lost. The team followed that up with a 4-1 loss Friday to Edmonton.

While the team seems to be waiting until after the road trip, that’s not too unusual. The Los Angeles Kings fired head coach John Stevens on Nov. 4 after the team pulled off a 4-1 victory over Columbus the day before, suggesting the team had already made up their mind about firing Stevens. The same could happen here. The Flyers are a team loaded with a core of top forwards, including Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, Nolan Patrick, James van Riemsdyk, Wayne Simmonds as well as top defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov, but haven’t been able to put anything together. The team’s goaltending situation is a mess and likely to be one of Fletcher’s first acts as GM, to find a reliable netminder. Regardless, the team doesn’t seem to be responding to Hakstol at the moment.

Central Notes: Bowman, Bishop, Laine, Edmundson

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While he may not be the most popular person in Chicago lately, Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman sat down with The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) in an in depth interview, going over the state of the franchise. While Bowman is aware of fans’ displeasure with the recent firing of coach Joel Quenneville as well as the state of the team’s salary cap over the past few years, Bowman said he must remain focused on the present.

“It definitely comes with the job,” Bowman said. “When you take this job, you understand that part of it is the fans have a passion for the team, which I wouldn’t want any other way. So, yeah, I don’t follow it in the sense that whatever people say, they’re going to say, and I need to do what I think is right because I believe in it. If I start getting into the weeds and trying to follow it, then it can just distract me from I have a job to do.”

Bowman did say that although many fans feel that he waited too long to trade the contract of Marian Hossa to Arizona this summer (the trade happened on July 12), but that was the first time that the Coyotes agreed to take on Hossa’s contract. Regardless, fans were upset that the team wasn’t able to use the extra $4.5MM in cap space created by that trade as most offseason work was already done by teams at that point. Bowman said he intends to be patient in using that cap space.

“The one thing you don’t want to do is just use it to just to get somebody who doesn’t really fit, and it’s going to preclude you from doing something else later,” Bowman said. “I’m not sitting on it to sit on it, but nothing has come along. Like there’s been potential trades, but the guy’s got two more years on his deal. Like he could help us in the short term, but we’re going to be able to do better than that. You just got to be patient. That’s the thought process.”

  • Mike Heika of NHL.com writes that the Dallas Stars may be close to getting back starting goaltender Ben Bishop who has been out for almost a week with a lower-body injury. Heika writes that Anton Khudobin is expected to start Tuesday in Edmonton, followed likely be Landon Bow on Wednesday in Calgary. However, the scribe writes that Bishop might be ready for the team’s game in Vancouver on Saturday. Bishop is having a impressive season with a 2.33 GAA and a .923 save percentage in 15 games.
  • Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun writes that while Patrik Laine knew he’d break out of his 19-game five-on-five scoreless slump earlier this season, it did weigh on him as it wore on. However, after scoring eight of his 11 goals this week on five-on-five, Laine feels more confident than ever, but credits his new linemates’ Bryan Little and Kyle Connor for much of his success. Much of Laine’s success has been with his recent chemistry with Little. The two struggled connecting for the past two years, especially last season. Those five-on-five struggles disappeared after the team added Paul Stastny at the trade deadline, but the Laine and Little finally seem to have found that connection this year.
  • St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Tom Timmermann writes that St. Louis Blues defenseman Joel Edmundson has been working hard lately to avoid penalties. In his last 11 games, Edmondson has been called for a penalty in eight of those games and the 25-year-old leads the team with 29 penalty minutes. “I think I’m getting a little wild with my stick,” Edmundson said. “Sometimes the game gets the better half of me and I take out my frustrations. I’m looking to be smarter in that department. Sometimes I get worked up a bit and anger takes over. Coach (Berube) has talked to me. I just have to settle down a bit.”

St. Louis Blues Fire Mike Yeo

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The St. Louis Blues have struggled to get much of anything going this season despite a summer in which they overhauled their forward position, and now someone needed to pay the price. Last night the team relieved head coach Mike Yeo of his duties, installing Craig Berube as interim head coach. St. Louis management held a press conference this morning to discuss the move, which is sure to spark plenty of speculation over whether recently fired Joel Quenneville is on his way back to the Blues.

Larry Robinson will be joining Berube’s staff for the immediate future, coming down from his role as a senior consultant to help behind the bench. The team also did not rule out an in-season hiring of their next head coach, a role that Berube will be in the running for but is not guaranteed. Quenneville’s existence on the open market certainly will be taken into account, though it is not clear if the former Chicago Blackhawks head coach wants to get back into the league this season.

For the Blues, this was an inevitable move after their early season struggles. The team went all-in during the offseason by trading for Ryan O’Reilly and signing players like David Perron and Tyler Bozak, but were unable to put it all together. At 7-9-3 the team sits last in the Central Division and just two points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for last place in the entire NHL. Those Kings just happened to defeat the Blues 2-0 last night, in a game which saw rookie netminder Cal Petersen stop all 29 shots that St. Louis directed towards the net.

Yeo had been groomed as the head coach of the Blues since being hired while Ken Hitchcock was still behind the bench, but never did work out for the team. After being unable to find much success in the playoffs with the Minnesota Wild, he joined the Blues in 2016 and was taking over for Hitchcock less than a year later. That playoff failure repeated in the 2017 playoffs, and Yeo was unable to get the Blues back to the postseason at all last year.

Berube has an extremely difficult task ahead of him, though he certainly is qualified. The former winger played more than 1,000 games in the NHL during a long playing career, and has held various coaching roles since his retirement in 2004. He took over as head coach of the Phildelphia Flyers when Peter Laviolette was abruptly removed just a few games into the 2013-14 season, and guided that team to the playoffs. He’ll now try to do the same for a struggling St. Louis club a few years later.

Snapshots: Lafreniere, Quenneville, Heiskanen

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While many teams are curious to see if their team might capture the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft headed by Jack Hughes, who is currently playing for the U.S. Development team in the USHL, others are preparing for the 2020 draft and TSN’s Craig Button released his top 20 for ’20 list, placing Rimouski Oceanic winger Alexis Lafreniere of the QMJHL way ahead of the pack.

Lafreniere tallied 42 goals last year in his rookie campaign in the QMJHL as a 16-year-old and already has posted 12 goals and 36 points in 21 games this year. Button adds that his impressive performances in the IIHF U18 World Championships and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup make him a solid selection as the top-rated player in the draft, followed by Sudbury Wolves center Quinton Byfield and Swedish winger Lucas Raymond.

  • Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston writes that Nick Kypreos reports that former Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville would like to return to work immediately, but is not willing to take on a large rebuilding process like the one that Mike Babcock undertook when he took over the Toronto Maple Leafs. On top of that, any team that wants to hire Quenneville between now and the end of next season would have to assume a considerable portion of the $6MM per season salary that the Chicago Blackhawks still owe him, making it a small group of teams that would likely be interested in his services. Johnston, however, wonders if Quenneville might be willing to change his mind about coaching the Detroit Red Wings if an opening comes about since he’s a native of Windsor, Ont.
  • With the recent loss of Dallas Stars’ top defenseman John Klingberg for four weeks, the team has placed their defensive hopes on rookie blueliner Miro Heiskanen, who suddenly is thrust into the role as the team’s No. 1 defenseman. That has been evident, which included a game-high 29:26 Saturday against the Nashville Predators. The Athletic’s Sean Shairo (subscription required) breaks down the film of the play of Heiskanen. Shapiro suggests that Heiskanen’s innate knack of stick angles and positioning is just one skill that few rookies have a keen grasp on as well as his ability to use his body well without being physical. That should bode well for a team that already has a high-quality No. 1 in Klingberg.

 

 

Joel Quenneville Expected To Return To Coaching

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When the Chicago Blackhawks made the surprising decision to fire legendary coach Joel Quenneville on Tuesday morning, it wasn’t clear if he would return to the NHL to try again with another team. Quenneville is still owed the remainder of his $6MM salary this year and next, and could decide to retire as the coach with the second most wins all-time. Speculation immediately exploded over whether his availability would force another team to make a change behind the bench, and other coaches chimed in to say how easily he’d find work if he wanted it. Mike Babcock from the Toronto Maple Leafs said as much to Kristen Shilton of TSN:

Good man. I imagine those slopes in Denver are going to get worn out. Good friend, good coach, three Cups. He’s going to go in the Hockey Hall of Fame. I don’t know what else you say about him. If he wants to work, he’ll work.

If he wants to work, he’ll work. That was obvious given Quenneville’s record, but it wasn’t clear if he did in fact want to get back into the game right away. Yesterday, Scott Powers of The Athletic released an all-encompassing notebook (subscription required) on the Blackhawks situation and included a note from a source that indicated Quenneville “definitely plans to coach again” but isn’t rushing into anything. Interestingly, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic made an offhand mention of the upcoming Seattle job on the latest edition of Insider Trading, after reporting that Dave Tippett will be taking an executive position with the potential expansion club, not a coaching one.

That Seattle job would certainly be appealing to a coach like Quenneville, but it would mean he has to wait on the sidelines for at least a few seasons at watch as the team is built. It would also likely mean turning down countless opportunities in the NHL, especially as teams start to move on from those coaches on the hot seat.

Much of the speculation regarding those feeling the heat has centered on Mike Yeo of the St. Louis Blues since he admitted that his “job should be in question” recently. The Blues have struggled to find much success this season and obviously have ties to Quenneville given his eight years behind the bench in St. Louis. The Blues reached the playoffs in every season Quenneville coached them, but never could get to the Stanley Cup Finals.

At this point, St. Louis, Seattle and any other team out there in connection with Quenneville are just possibilities, as the coach has been extremely quiet since the firing except to offer his thanks to the organization and players for many years of success. For now, we’ll have to just wait and see where his next landing spot is, and coaches all around the league will have to look over their shoulder now and again.

Central Notes: Laine, Vesalainen, Dickinson, Fortin

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Despite winger Patrik Laine finding himself on the fourth line for a second straight game, Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice came to his player’s defense today. The 20-year-old Laine has just one even-strength point so far this season, prompting Maurice to swap Mathieu Perreault with Laine on Friday in their 2-1 win over Detroit. The move had few ramifications towards Laine’s numbers as he still managed to play 17:08 throughout the game. Yet the coach was quick to defend him.

“He’s 20,” Maurice said (via TSN’s Mark Masters). “He’s going to keep getting better…We need him to continue. He’s 20 & just learning the game.”

Maurice said the main goal of making the switch between Laine and Perrault was that Perrault was “buzzing” and he wanted to give the veteran a bigger role, pointing out that the power play (with Laine) was still “outstanding.”

  • Sticking with Jets, the Winnipeg Sun’s Ted Wyman reports that the recall of Tucker Poolman is expected to be the last roster move before the team travels to Finland for their two-game global series with the Florida Panthers. That means that 19-year-old Finn Kristian Vesalainen, the team’s 2017 first-rounder, won’t be going on the trip then as he remains with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. He has four assists in two games there, but still hasn’t been brought back to Winnipeg.
  • Mark Stepneski of NHL.com writes that Dallas Stars winger Jason Dickinson has seen his confidence soar in the last week and is starting to show that he can provide some of that secondary scoring the team desperately needs. The team has gotten 15 of its 19 goals this season from four players, including Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, John Klingberg and Alexander Radulov. However, Dickinson showed some impressive play last Tuesday, although all he got out of it was an assist. However, he followed that up Thursday with a two goal, three-point night, showing he can put up numbers. “I think it’s been building since training camp,” head coach Jim Montgomery said. “For a player to start to gain confidence in this league, it’s not easy. We thought he had a really good training camp and then the season started with a bit of inconsistency, but you’re starting to see it build.”
  • The Chicago Tribune’s Jimmy Greenfield writes that Chicago Blackhawks forward Alexandre Fortin is starting to find his place on the Blackhawks’ roster. The 21-year-old has two goals and an assist over the past four games, and while head coach Joel Quenneville keeps changing lines on him, but the coach likes Fortin’s speed a little more than his defensive deficiencies. “(Defense) is a work in progress, but it’s been a good start for him,” Quenneville said. “It’s been a positive beginning because his speed has definitely been a big factor.”

Chicago Blackhawks’ Crawford Expected To Return Thursday

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In an analysis of the Chicago Blackhawks season so far, the Chicago Tribune’s Jimmy Greenfield mentions one interesting fact nestled deep in his article that Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said he expects goaltender Corey Crawford to return this week on Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes.

Crawford, who hasn’t played since Dec. 23 of last season due to concussion issues, has been rumored to be getting closer to being ready and is a critical piece to Chicago’s playoff hopes. The hope had been that Crawford would have been ready for training camp, but he admitted this summer that he wasn’t ready and might miss training camp and some time during the season. He finally got back onto the ice during training camp and now has been practicing with the team for a little over two weeks now.

The 33-year-old was having a fine season until he got hurt last year, posting 16 wins, a .929 save percentage and a 2.27 GAA in 28 games. While no one really knows how often Crawford can play or if he can return to form from his previous years, but the team is better off with him on the ice than without, even though the play of Cam Ward has improved significantly in his last two games, as he is boasting a .917 save percentage.

Central Notes: Bishop, Hanzal, Crawford, Kunin

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While Ben Bishop has fared well, when healthy, for the Dallas Stars, there are many reasons for that. One reason is his dedication to watching film. According to The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required), Bishop has been watching film every day before games for the last seven years and will watch anywhere from 30 to 60 clips of opponents and their scoring opportunities.

“I like to see where they’re getting their chances from,” Bishop said. “You can kind of pick up on where they’re getting their chances. Is it a lot of odd-man rushes? Is it down low? Is it a lot of point stuff?”

Bishop always puts more emphasis on young players who he knows little about, something he focused heavily on before their season opener against the Arizona Coyotes, a team full of young, talented players. The result: a shutout. Video coach Kelly Forbes said he’s never seen a goalie put so much emphasis on film. Bishop is also an active participant in team pre-scouting as well.

“Even though I play I’m still a big fan,” Bishop said. “And I’m always watching it and I’m always watching the goalies. Everybody has got a different style, I’m sure when I’m done playing I’ll still be watching the goalies.”

  • Sticking with the Stars, NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski writes that Martin Hanzal, who has been on injured reserve as he recovers from back surgery, was skating with the team this morning. Hanzal, who the team signed to a three-year, $14.25MM contract last offseason, hasn’t done much for Dallas so far. He appeared in just 38 games last season, tallying just five goals. There is still no timetable for his return. Valeri Nichushkin, out with a lower-body injury, also skated with the team and remains day-to-day.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks are getting closer to getting back goaltender Corey Crawford into their lineup. Mark Lazerus of The Athletic questioned head coach Joel Quenneville about how carefully the team will use Crawford. “We’ll watch him,” Quenneville said. “Long-term, that’s the goal, is to get him playing. But we’ll see immediately how he’s playing.” In the meantime, offseason acquisition Cam Ward has been filling in as the team’s starter.
  • John Shipley of pioneerpress.com writes that young forward Luke Kunin is getting closer to being medically cleared after suffering a torn ACL injury on Mar. 4 and undergoing surgery. The 2016 first-round pick passed coach Bruce Boudreau’s infamous skate test Saturday morning and the team now must decide whether to keep him with the Wild or send him to Iowa of the AHL. “That’s not my call,” Boudreau said. Kunin practiced Friday with the team’s third line of Jordan Greenway and Charlie Coyle.

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