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Ottawa Senators Name D.J. Smith As Head Coach

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So much for those rumors linking Patrick Roy to the Ottawa Senators’ head coaching vacancy. The Senators announced this morning that former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant D.J. Smith has been named the team’s new head coach. Smith has agreed to a three-year contract to lead Ottawa, his first head coaching position in the NHL.

Smith, 42, may be a surprise pick to be the next bench boss of the Senators, but he is certainly as qualified as any first-time NHL head coach. Smith played eight seasons of pro hockey, suiting up for 45 NHL games but more memorably manning the blue line for the former St. John Maple Leafs of the AHL for parts of seven season. Smith retired from playing hockey in 2004 and immediately stepped into a role as an assistant coach for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, his hometown team with whom he had played his own junior hockey. Smith spent eight years in Windsor, two of which ended in Memorial Cup championships, before taking the head coach job for the rival Oshawa Generals in 2012. Smith’s time in Oshawa was short, but definitely effective. He compiled a record of 135-53-3-13 over three seasons with the Generals, won a Memorial Cup, and was named the OHL’s Coach of the Year. In 2015, Smith joined Toronto to begin his NHL coaching career as an assistant to Mike Babcock. Babcock made it known early on that he saw the potential in Smith and was grooming him to be a head coach and would not stand in the way of any move. Smith surely learned a lot from Babcock, but also contributed much to the team himself on the defensive side of the game.

Now, as he takes his talents to Ottawa, the Senators feel he can continue his upward trajectory. Smith’s history of winning, experience with young players, and focus on competent defense will all serve to benefit Ottawa greatly as they continue through a difficult rebuilding process. In the team’s release, GM Pierre Dorion states the following:

D.J. Smith is a winner. We believe he is the best person to drive the development and success of the Ottawa Senators. D.J is a great communicator and an exceptional strategist. His passionate approach, coupled with his ability to teach the game, is exactly what we were looking for throughout the process. We’re thrilled to welcome D.J. and his family to Ottawa.

Circling back to those Roy rumors, don’t close the door on the Hall of Fame goaltender joining the Senators just yet. The team is still in the hunt for a President of Hockey Operations and Roy would fit that description as well. One of the main reasons he left his last NHL post with the Colorado Avalanche was due to a lack of input in player personnel decisions, so he very well may be intrigued by a front office position. There’s also the slim but possible chance that the Senators would like to bring Roy in as an assistant to Smith, to help guide him through his start as a head coach. There is sure to be more movement in Ottawa this off-season, but their biggest move is completed with the hiring of a rival assistant to be their new head coach.

Atlantic Notes: Rosen, Palat, Borowiecki, Sobotka

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While the Toronto Maple Leafs are still without injured defenseman Jake Gardiner, the team will get some defensive help as head coach Mike Babcock said that the Toronto Marlies’ top defensmean, Calle Rosen, is expected to join the Maple Leafs in New York on Monday and jump into Toronto’s lineup immediately, according to TSN’s Mark Masters.

The 25-year-old Rosen has put up a big season in the AHL as he has seven goals and 46 points in 54 games this season and was signed to a two-year extension in December to keep him with the team at a cheap price with the general belief that Rosen will be a solid, inexpensive option who can provide the team with the depth they need over the next couple of years.

Babcock said that Rosen, who hadn’t been called up yet after suffering a foot injury several weeks ago, will stay in the lineup until Gardiner is ready to return.

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning are expected to get back winger Ondrej Palat on Saturday after he was forced to leave Monday’s game against Boston with an upper-body injury, according to Tampa Bay Times’ Mari Faiello. The forward took a big hit from the Bruins’ Connor Clifton in the first period and did not return. He then missed Tuesday’s practice, but skated on Friday and again this morning and is expected to return to the lineup without having missed a game, taking the place of Ryan Callahan, who will be a healthy scratch.
  • The Ottawa Senators will be without defenseman Mark Borowiecki on Saturday, as he has been ruled out with an upper-body injury, according to NHL.com’s Craig Medaglia. While the 29-year-old is listed as day-to-day, the injury isn’t considered to be too serious and he is expected to return before the season ends. “It shouldn’t keep him out too long,” said the coach this morning. “Unfortunately he will not be able to play for us this evening.” The team also expects that forward Zack Smith is expected to return to the lineup tonight against Toronto.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced that veteran forward Vladimir Sobotka will be out Saturday with an upper-body injury. The 31-year-old Sobotka hasn’t had the season that many had hoped for when Buffalo picked him up this summer as part of a package for center Ryan O’Reilly. Sobotka, who recorded 11 goals and 31 points last season in St. Louis, has just five goals and 13 points this season in 69 games.

Atlantic Notes: Dermott, Gardiner, Smith, Tolvanen

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The Toronto Maple Leafs got some good news on the injury front. While Travis Dermott skated in a non-contact jersey Friday and again today Saturday, head coach Mike Babcock said the team hopes that Dermott will be back in the lineup next week, according to the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby. That should be welcome news for Toronto, which has lost four of their last six games with both Dermott and Jake Gardiner out of the lineup.

Dermott, who has been out for almost four weeks now with a shoulder injury, has emerged as a solid defensive option for Toronto this year and has been much missed. The 22-year-old blueliner has four goals and 17 points in 60 games this season.

The news on Gardiner wasn’t as promising. Gardiner did make an appearance at practice, but did not skate and Babcock still has no timetable on when he might be ready to return. He’s been out with a back injury since Feb. 25.

  • The Ottawa Senators Zack Smith is not playing Saturday due to a back injury and will remain day-to-day, according to Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. After a tough season a year ago when he posted just five goals and 19 points and was put on waivers at the start of the season, Smith has rebounded this year with 18 goals and 27 points. It still remains far short of his 25-goals season back in 2015-16, which propelled the Senators to sign him a year later to a four-year, $13MM deal, in which the Senators are stuck with his $3.25AAV for another two years.
  • The Syracuse Crunch, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s AHL affiliate, announced that it has signed goaltender Atte Tolvanen, the brother of Nashville Predators’ star prospect Eeli Tolvanen, to an AHL contract for the remainder of the 2018-19 season. The 24-year-old goalie just finished a four-year stint at Northern Michigan University, putting up a solid .917 save percentage in his senior year along with a 2.35 GAA in 39 appearanes. In four years for Northern Michigan, he’s appeared in 137 games, with a 2.41 GAA and a .918 save percentage. He will likely serve as the backup to Eddie Pasquale, the Crunch’s starting goalie, while prospect Connor Ingram has been returned to the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, continuing his strange demotion there.

 

Toronto’s Defensive Depth Thinner Than Ever

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For most of the season and even previous years, many have pointed to the Toronto Maple Leafs blue line as their obvious weakness. Even with their glut of talented forwards, the team struggled at times because of the lack of defensive awareness or skill on the back end. With Travis Dermott’s emergence late last season that was partially corrected, and when the team went out and acquired Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings the group took another step forward. While they were obviously left-heavy, there was enough talent there to perhaps take the team deep into the playoffs. That’s why they ultimately decided against adding another name at the trade deadline, given the high prices floated around for available right-handed defensemen.

Now though, that decision looks like a mistake. The Maple Leafs announced yesterday that Jake Gardiner would be out on a week-to-week basis with a back injury, and then lost Dermott during the game to a shoulder injury. Head coach Mike Babcock used the same designation as Gardiner to describe Dermott’s injury timeline, though the team has not given any additional information. That’s two major pieces down in a matter of days, and James Mirtle of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Gardiner’s injury may actually be similar to the one Zach Parise dealt with that cost him 39 games last season. If that’s true, there’s a chance that Gardiner isn’t even ready to help the team in the playoffs at all.

The Maple Leafs will recall Martin Marincin today and will ice him alongside Justin Holl in tonight’s game against the New York Islanders. The pair has incredibly totaled just 20 games at any level this season, instead spending most of the year in the press box watching the action. That’s a disastrous place for a playoff contender to be in, even if both have shown at least some level of competence in the past.

Muzzin, who has averaged just over 19 minutes a game since arriving in Toronto (well under his career norm), will now have to take on much more responsibility down the stretch. He and Morgan Rielly will likely anchor the first two pairs and powerplay units, while Ron Hainsey and Nikita Zaitsev continue their work on the penalty kill.

After last night’s win against the Edmonton Oilers, the Maple Leafs sit third in the Atlantic Division but right on the heels of the Boston Bruins. The last 19 games of the season will determine who of those two receives home ice advantage in an almost certain first-round matchup, something that has had dire consequences in recent years. Without Gardiner and Dermott for a good chunk of the year, it will be extremely tough to secure that spot.

Eastern Notes: Dzingel, Babcock, Hurricanes, Howard

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The Columbus Blue Jackets most recent trade Saturday, when they acquired Ryan Dzingel from the Ottawa Senators, may not just fall into the “win now” category. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Sunday that the team hopes that Dzingel will be more than just a rental. That may be possible as the 26-year-old is quite familiar with state of Ohio, having played three years at Ohio State University.

“He is definitely one of those players that we have identified as a candidate to stay here into the future,” Kekalainen said. “We did not just acquire him to be a rental.”

When asked about potentially re-signing with Columbus, Dzingel was open to the possibility, according to NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. “There’s a very high chance of that if they want me,” Dzingel said.

  • While it’s still early and there is plenty of time to get a deal done, Toronto Maple Leafs’ head coach Mike Babcock believes the team is good as it is, according to The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel. “The bottom line is … we got (Jake Muzzin), we’ve got some players who aren’t available to us right now, we’ve got a couple in the minors that we think are ready to play on our team and they’ve been there long enough,” Babcock said. “And so we feel we have good depth, so let’s get at ’er.”
  • News & Observer’s Luke DeCock writes that he believes the Carolina Hurricanes are looking to add at the trade deadline as he believes the Hurricanes want to add another forward and could see the team moving a defensive player for a potential forward. Carolina has a plethora of solid blueliners on their roster and have Jake Bean sitting in the AHL. The team has been rumored to be willing to move several defensemen all season, including Dougie Hamilton, Justin Faulk and Brett Pesce for the right price. The scribe also writes that it’s very unlikely the team moves Michael Ferland before the deadline.
  • The Detroit News’ Ted Kulfan writes that it’s unlikely the Detroit Red Wings will trade goaltender Jimmy Howard. However, if a team was going to make an offer for a Howard, it would be the San Jose Sharks, who may need a goaltender if they want to compete with Calgary for the top of the Pacific Division. Martin Jones has been struggling with a 2.92 GAA and a .897 save percentage in 47 games.

Atlantic Notes: Muzzin, Zadina, Scandella, Rodewald

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A lot of praise was sent towards Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas and the organization for pulling off an impressive trade when they acquired defenseman Jake Muzzin from Los Angeles for a what’s likely to be a late first-rounder and two above average prospects. The move didn’t take away any players off their current roster and only made them better.

However, Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun writes that Mike Babcock may not be integrating Muzzin properly so far. The 29-year-old averaged 21:32 of ice time in 50 games with the Kings. However, his ATOI is quite a bit less in Toronto with Babcock playing him just 18:37. The team has no intention of moving Morgan Rielly away from the left-side, but the team might be better off moving Muzzin to the right side and allowing him to play alongside Rielly. At the moment, Muzzin is playing on the second defensive unit. Regardless, the team needs to find a way of increasing Muzzin’s minutes.

  • Peter Wallner of MLive.com writes that the hottest player currently on the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL is 2018 first-rounder Filip Zadina, who scored an overtime goal Saturday to pick up his fourth goal in four games. The 19-year-old winger who naturally struggled early on when he arrived in the AHL, seems to have found his stride. He has seven points in his last eight games and has had a plus-six rating, a big improvement considering he had a minus-16 rating previous to the run. He now has 15 goals and 29 points in 43 games. While there is no word on whether the team might bring him to Detroit at some point, with the team currently struggling, a recall is potentially possible, although the team might be wary of allowing him to play more than 10 games this year and burning that first year of his entry-level deal.
  • NHL.com’s Mike Morreale reports that Buffalo Sabres defenseman Marco Scandella is injured once again and did not go with the team on their current road trip, although he could rejoin them. Head coach Phil Housley said that Scandella will be evaluated for an undisclosed injury. “Being evaluated by doctors and we’ll know more hopefully when we get down to Florida,” said Housley. It’s very likely the team will place him on injured reserve until he is ready to return.
  • TSN 1200 reported that the Ottawa Senators activated Jack Rodewald from injured reserve Saturday and have already assigned the 25-year-old forward to Belleville of the AHL. Rodewald was injured in a game against Anaheim on Feb. 7 with a lower-body injury and was expected to miss two weeks. He had played in six games with Ottawa, but had failed to record a point. The team also activated forward Mikkel Boedker from a mid-body injury.

Atlantic Notes: Buffalo Trade Options, Point, Ennis, Jaros

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With a desperation for scoring wingers, The Athletic’s Jon Vogl (subscription required) writes that the Buffalo Sabres need to consider moving some of its depth on defense if it wants to add some secondary scoring to its ranks. The team is in desperate need at the right wing position, both now and in the near future, and there is little help on the way from Rochester. The Americans top two right wingers are Daniel O’Regan, who is expected to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this offseason due to not playing enough games at the NHL level, while the team’s first-line right winger, Wayne Simpson, is on a minor-league deal.

Vogl writes the team is overloaded with defenseman with more help on the way as the team has Brendan Guhle, Brandon Hickey and Will Borgen are performing well in Rochester. With that kind of depth, the team should consider moving a depth defenseman like Nathan Beaulieu, Marco Scandella, Matt Hunwick or even Jake McCabe as trade options to get a winger. He suggests that Dallas, Detroit, New Jersey, St. Louis and Winnipeg as potential trade partners before the deadline.

  • Despite missing Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury and being listed day-to-day, Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after the game that Brayden Point was held out as a precaution because it was the second game of a back-to-back set and the team has a day off today, according to NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. Cooper added that he believes Point should be OK and is likely to play against Vegas on Tuesday.
  • NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy reports the Toronto Maple Leafs got some good news as forward Tyler Ennis, who has been out of the lineup since Dec. 22 with a broken ankle, skated Saturday and is coming closer to a potential return, although head coach Mike Babcock was quick to point out that there is no timeline for his return. “I don’t know exactly the timeline on that,” Babcock said. “I know he skated real well today in his testing. They always tell you, ’I’m ready, I’m ready’ but that doesn’t mean they get a get-out-jail free card yet.”
  • Ottawa Citizen’s Ken Warren reports the Ottawa Senators offered no new information on the injury suffered by defenseman Christian Jaros when he was tripped into the boards Saturday by Detroit’s Darren Helm. He remains day-to-day. Jaros has been averaging 13:48 of ATOI, but has seen an increase of ice time recently, even getting some top-four minutes.

 

Eastern Notes: Nylander, Patrick, Donato

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Since signing his six-year, $45MM contract in December, Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander has found himself struggling mightily with just one goal and three points in 19 games (and a current seven-game scoreless streak). Nylander, who admitted to being in the worst slump of his career, showed up to practice this morning both clean-shaven and on a new line as the 22-year-old has been moved down to the team’s fourth line along with Frederik Gauthier and Par Lindholm, according to TSN’s Kristen Shilton.

“He’s getting in his own way. He thought things were going to come easier, and when it didn’t come, you’re pressing and then you press some more,” explained head coach Mike Babcock ahead of the Leafs’ matchup Sunday night against the Arizona Coyotes. “It’s not like he’s not trying, and it’s not like we’re not trying to help him. We’re doing all that; it’s just not going as good for him. Ideally this will allow him to take some heat off himself and get playing.”

Babcock pointed out that Nylander has always been used to being a dominant player who shoots the puck with confidence. However, the opposite of that is true as he has just six shots on goal in his last four games, and even worse, holds a minus-seven rating.

  • There has been much concern over the struggles of 2017 second-overall pick Nolan Patrick this season, especially concerning his lack of production considering a week ago, he had five goals and 11 points in 38 games. The 20-year-old has finally responded with two multi-point games in his last three, including a two-goal, two-assist performance Monday, followed by another two-goal game Saturday. Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Patrick’s confidence seems to be soaring and the youngster seems to be figuring things out. Patrick, who tallied 13 goals and 30 points last season as a rookie, is beginning to show his assertiveness like he did a year ago during the second half of the season.
  • The latest Boston Bruins’ player to find himself scratched was Ryan Donato, according to Matt Porter of The Boston Globe. And while many would think that he found himself in the press box due to scoring just one goal in the past 10 games, head coach Bruce Cassidy had a different reason. The coach wants Donato to work harder on his strength on the puck. Donato needs to learn how to get the upper hand on larger and stronger defenseman, something that many young players struggle to do. “It’s not like a flat tire you put air in and it gets fixed,” Cassidy said. “It takes a while. Some guys have it naturally.”

Atlantic Notes: Toronto Goaltending, Sergachev, Chabot

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Sunday’s practice in Toronto seemed like old times as both of the Toronto Maple Leafs injured goaltenders, Frederik Andersen (groin/illness) and Garret Sparks (concussion) could be found on the ice. The team had already sent Kasimir Kaskisuo back to the Toronto Marlies in the AHL and Michael Hutchinson was seen after practice working on his own.

TSN’s Mark Masters reports that Andersen said he feels fine and is ready to return. However, Toronto head coach Mike Babcock said that he had to refer to the staff before naming a starter for Monday’s game against Colorado. Andersen hasn’t appeared in a game since Dec. 22. Andersen has been the team’s rock in goal as he has a 2.50 GAA and a .923 save percentage in 30 games this season.

Masters adds that Sparks said he’s been medically cleared to return to the team and it’s now up to the staff to determine whether he can return to the roster on Monday. Toronto has to be hopeful that both goaltenders can take over some of the workload as Hutchinson has now played in nine games this season. If he reaches 10 games, the team will have to pass him through waivers when both their goalies are healthy and there is a likelihood the team could lose another goaltender there. The team already lost both Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard to waivers at the beginning of the year.

  • The Department of Player Safety announced that they have fined Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev $2,403.67, the maximum fine allowable by the CBA, for cross checking Buffalo Sabres forward Johan Larsson Saturday. The incident occurred at 13:24 of the third period and Sergachev received a double-minor penalty on the play. Despite the fine, the 20-year-old has seen an improvement from the offensive end as he has a goal and four assists in his last five games with a plus-two rating. Despite the fact that many feel that Sergachev has taken a step back this season, he has actually increased his ATOI from 15:22 last season to 17:44 this season.
  • While it’s vague, Ottawa Senators head coach Guy Boucher responded positively when asked about the injury status of second-year defenseman Thomas Chabot, saying that “Chabot is doing terrific,” according to Ottawa Sun’s Ken Warren. Chabot has been out since Dec. 28th after taking a hit from New York Islanders’ Matt Martin with an upper body injury and was deemed to be out “long-term.” While the update gives no projection on when he’ll be back, the team has been crippled without him as he has developed into the team’s No. 1 defenseman after the team traded away Erik Karlsson. Chabot was averaging a point a game so far this year with 10 goals and 28 assists in 38 games.

Atlantic Notes: Point, Andersen, McAvoy, Helm

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With more and more rumors surfacing that many teams may consider handing out offer sheets this summer when a number of intriguing game-changing restricted free agents will be out there, one team that might have to worry more than anyone will be the salary-strapped Tampa Bay Lightning. The team will have quite a few cap issues this offseason, including a number of unrestricted defensive free agents in Anton Stralman, Braydon Coburn and Dan Girardi as well as multiple restricted free agents, including star center Brayden Point.

The fear is that a team might take advantage of Tampa Bay’s situation and make Point an offer that the Lightning would have trouble matching as they will be forced to make significant adjustments for the next several years with all the big-name players they have. However, The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) interviewed general manager Julien BriseBois about many topics, but the GM believes that offer sheets aren’t being utilized amongst NHL teams for a reason.

“I’m really not concerned at all about offer sheets,” BriseBois said. “I don’t see it happening. The way it’s set up, there’s no point in making an offer sheet unless you think you’re going to get the player. And teams match. You’re not going to let go of the good young players that are going to be good for your team for many years to come. So I don’t see it.”

BriseBois also pointed out that negotiations with Point will not begin until after the season and even if a team was able to get Point to sign an offer sheet, he believes that the team would have the time needed to move around pieces to retain Point.

  • Mark Zwolinski of The Star writes that Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said that there is no rush when it comes to getting back goaltender Frederik Andersen, who is out with a groin injury. Andersen, who has played more minutes than any goaltender in the league so far in the past two years, is expected to work out with goaltending coach Steve Briere on Tuesday and could be cleared for practice on Wednesday, but whether he plays on Thursday afternoon or Saturday isn’t important to the coach. “Let’s make it clear, there’s no plan,” Babcock said.
  • Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports writes that Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy seems unlikely to play in Tuesday’s Winter Classic after not practicing Monday. If McAvoy misses Tuesday’s game, that will be the 23rd game that he has missed this season, which is starting to look like a pattern as he also missed 19 games in his rookie campaign last season. Haggerty suggests that if he continues to show an inability to stay on the ice, that could affect the big contract that many people expect McAvoy will get this offseason when he hits restricted free agency. He’s been compared to Drew Doughty, but Doughty has never missed more than six games in a season and has played a full 82-game schedule five times in his career.
  • MLive’s Ansar Khan writes that the Detroit Red Wings are close to getting back veteran Darren Helm and he could be back as early as Wednesday. The forward has been out since Nov. 17 with a shoulder injury. The 31-year-old has just one goal this season in 20 games after a 13-goal season a year ago.

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