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Snapshots: Ekman-Larsson, Boston University, Gurianov, Lockwood

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With the news that the Arizona Coyotes have offered defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson a new contract extension at eight years and $66MM, the real question is whether or not the 26-year-old star defenseman intends to stay in Arizona. The defenseman can’t officially sign an extension until July 1, but not signing the deal will make it clear whether he really wants to stay in Arizona like he has previously said.

The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that if the defenseman doesn’t agree to sign the extension in the next couple of weeks, the team will almost guaranteed trade their star before the NHL draft this year to get the best possible return in the final year of his deal. In fact with the likelihood that the Ottawa Senators might be ready to move Erik Karlsson, this might be the best time for teams to get their hands on a star defenseman. Brooks adds that was one of the main reasons that the New York Rangers moved Ryan McDonagh at the trade deadline, because they foresaw the possibility that both Ekman-Larsson and Karlsson might be available during the offseason which would have limited their return for McDonagh had they waited until now.

  • Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe writes that Boston University has narrowed its head coaching search to two candidates after the school lost David Quinn to the New York Rangers last week. The scribe writes that the head coaching post will come down to former alumni and ex-Boston Bruins winger Shawn McEachern and Union College head coach Rick Bennett. McEachern, who is currently the head coach at the Rivers School, would maintain the school’s long-time BU lineage, while Bennett would offer new blood and a coach who has already won a NCAA title.
  • With the Dallas Stars’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars in the AHL Calder Cup Championships, much has been made about the Stars’ Denis Gurianov, Dallas’ first-round pick in the 2015 draft (12th overall), who was listed as a healthy scratch before Game 1 today. Despite tallying 19 goals for Texas this season, the fact that he has been a healthy scratch multiple times during the playoffs is an immensely bad sign, according to NHL.com’s Patrick Williams. In 14 playoff games this year, Gurianov has just five points. The Stars drafted Gurianov over several impactful players that year, including Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic.
  • Vancouver Canucks and University of Michigan prospect Will Lockwood, who injured his shoulder while at the World Juniors this winter and required major surgery, has been cleared to skate and hopes to be ready for the Canucks’ annual prospect development camp this summer and is expected to be fully healthy for his junior year with the Wolverines, according to The Athletic’s Mike Halford (subscription required). The 2016 third-round pick was having a solid year with Michigan, putting up four goals and seven assists in 16 games before getting injured.

Pittsburgh Is Not Looking To Trade Phil Kessel

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Following the recent report from The Athletic’s Josh Yohe that Penguins star forward Phil Kessel was upset about his usage in the playoffs and that he and head coach Mike Sullivan were at odds that had led the team to look at moving Kessel, colleague Pierre Lebrun clarified the situation after speaking with Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford. LeBrun reports that Rutherford feels the rumors of dissension in the locker room have been “blown out of proportion”. If this sounds familiar, it is because Rutherford responded to Kessel rumors similarly last summer and, of course, he was not traded. It appears to again be a topic that is inflated by the media more than it is grounded in reality.

Rutherford tells Lebrun that both he and Sullivan understand that it is Kessel’s preference to play with Evgeni Malkin, but defends his coach, saying “there’s times where they play together, when they’re both really going, and there’s times when they don’t… (Sullivan) believes balance throughout the lineup is the best way to win, and we won two Cups that way”. He continues that “for someone to suggest it’s an issue within our team, that can’t be taken care of or resolved, I don’t believe that’s accurate… I don’t feel that we have to trade Phil Kessel.”

If there is no discourse, why would the Penguins trade Kessel? Yes, there are salary cap concerns, but some of those could be eliminated by the estimated significant cap increase, while others could be assisted by shipping out a less-crucial player like Carl Hagelin or Matt Hunwick. After all, Kessel’s 92 points this season did finish tied for seventh in the league in scoring – ahead of Sidney Crosby – and he was among the league’s best in goals, assists, and power play production. At a reduced cap hit courtesy of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Penguins would much rather keep Kessel and his enormous output rather than try to find a fair return for him. If not for the rumored rift between he and Sullivan, there is little reason they would rush to deal him away. It appears that we can close the book on this hypothetical, at least until next off-season.

Overseas Notes: Shirokov, Plotnikov, Volchenkov, Boychuk

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One of the KHL’s top scorers is on the move. The league announced that Sergei Shirokov has signed a two-year deal with Avangard Omsk. Shirokov, 32, finished third in scoring this season for SKA St. Petersburg, the KHL regular season champs, with 41 points in 49 games. He was a top ten finisher in the league in goals per game and plus/minus among the top twenty in overall goals and points. He now takes those talents to Omsk, a team that has been a popular destination so far this off-season. Since hiring head coach Bob Hartley, the team has theoretically fixed its goaltending and scoring issues with additions of Karri Ramo and Igor Bobkov in net and Shirokov and young Denis Zernov up front. Shirokov, a sixth-round pick of the Vancouver in 2006, may not have impressed in his two NHL seasons with the Canucks, but has enough talent to turn Avangard into a true contender.

  • On the other hand, SKA seems to be bleeding assets. Shirokov joins leading scorer Ilya Kovalchuk (in theory), long-time star Vadim Shipachyov, and starting goaltender Mikko Koskinen in departing St. Petersburg and there is still a chance that star forward Nikita Gusev and top defenseman Slava Voynov could eye a jump to the NHL this summer. Fortunately, Sergei Plotnikov isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Despite a bounce back season that had some thinking he might take another shot at the NHL, Plotkinov has signed a four-year extension with SKA per a team release. Plotnikov will now be looked upon as a top scorer for St. Petersburg alongside Gusev and won’t be able to disappear for long stretches as he was known for during his brief stay in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Arizona Coyotes. The team’s continued place as a top contender in the KHL may depend on it.
  • Anton Volchenkov is gearing up for his 18th season of pro hockey. The 36-year-old defenseman has signed a one-year deal with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, the KHL announced. The Russian veteran was cut from his team, Admiral Vladivostok, in early February and there was speculation that it would be the end of his career. However, the menacing blue liner will live to skate another day. Admittedly, Volchenkov’s play has slipped since he left the NHL after the 2014-15 season. The long-time Ottawa Senator was a first-round pick of the team in 2000 and played close to 700 games with the Sens, New Jersey Devils, and Nashville Predators. He previously played with Torpedo during the work stoppage that shortened the 2012-13 season and likely used those connections to return to Novgorod. Never much of an offensive threat, Volchenkov can still play a leadership role and will bring his aggressive possession game to the team.
  • It appears Zach Boychuk will put off any attempt at returning to North America for at least another year. The former Carolina Hurricanes top prospect has signed a one-year deal with Severstal Cherepovets, the team revealed today. This marks the third season for Boychuk in the KHL after failing to find NHL employment in 2016. Boychuk, the 14th overall pick in 2008 and the cousin of Johnny Boychuk, had high expectations when entering the NHL. Despite a solid, two-way game, Boychuk never provided the offensive pop that justified his early selection or that could keep him in the league full-time. He still has only production overseas. After spending years mostly buried in the AHL, it remains unknown if Boychuk will ever try to make the jump back across the Atlantic when he continues to land more lucrative contracts in the KHL.

Evgeny Kuznetsov “Day-To-Day” With Upper-Body Injury

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Friday: Amazingly, Kuznetsov is on the ice at the Capitals option skate this morning. No word on whether he’ll play tomorrow, as Trotz still claims he has not been cleared to return to game action.

Thursday: The Washington Capitals came away with a big road win in Game Two of the Stanley Cup Final last night, but they also lost a key contributor in the match-up. The postseason’s leading scorer, Evgeny Kuznetsov, was forced out of the game early after he was the recipient of a hip check into the boards from Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb. Speaking to the media earlier, head coach Barry Trotz offered no update on Kuznetsov’s condition, other than to say that he is “day-to-day” with an undisclosed upper body injury, reports Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post. Trotz seemed unsure if Kuznetsov would be available for Friday’s practice as he deals with this injury, but hopes to give a more educated update tomorrow.

The hit in question (video) seems to show the brunt of the impact landing on the right elbow and forearm area of Kuznetsov. If Kuznetsov suffered a break of any kind in that area, it would severely limit his stick-handling ability and would likely mean the end of his season. If he cannot return in the series, it would be a major blow to Washington’s Cup hopes. Kuznetsov has 25 points this postseason, including eleven goals, and had been on an 11-game point streak as well. Should the Capitals go on to win the series, the 26-year-old center would likely be one of the favorites to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.

For what it’s worth, Kuznetsov’s teammates do not seem overly concerned about his availability. Alexander Ovechkin told Khurshudyan that he’s “sure he’s going to be fine”, while Nicklas Backstrom offered an open-ended “We’ll see what happens”. If Kuznetsov does miss any time, it is also comforting to Washington players, personnel, and fans alike that Lars Eller performed well when he was forced to take over Kuznetsov’s ice time last night. Eller’s tenure in Washington has not been without bumps in the road, but he has taken his play to a new level in these playoffs. It would not be easy to fill the shoes of the postseason’s most dangerous forward, but Eller seems to be up for the task if called upon.

Calgary Flames Name Geoff Ward, Ryan Huska Assistant Coaches

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The Calgary Flames have a new coaching group for the 2017-18 season, with Bill Peters at the head. Today, the team announced that Geoff Ward and Ryan Huska have been hired as Peters’ assistants.

Ward had spent the last three seasons with the New Jersey Devils, but had interviewed for the Flames head coaching job in 2016 before the team eventually hired Glen Gulutzan. The 56-year old will likely be in charge of fixing the team’s powerplay, a unit that ended up 28th in the league last season with just a 16% success rate. With players like Johnny Gaudreau and Dougie Hamilton that number should easily be much higher, and Ward will be tasked with developing the new strategy.

Huska on the other hand is a homegrown coaching talent that had been the head coach of the Stockton Heat/Adirondack Flames for the past four years. The 42-year old was a third-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1993, but ended up playing just a single NHL game in his short career. After finding great success in the WHL as the coach of the Kelowna Rockets, the AHL was a tougher assignment. Huska will end his AHL coaching career (for now) with a 135-118-27 record, and only one playoff appearance (that ended in first round exit).

He’ll be asked to run the penalty kill this season and help the defensemen, though Peters is obviously expected to also be a big part of fixing the Flames blue line. Going into the season Calgary looked to have one of the deepest and most talented defensive groups in the NHL, but many failed to live up to expectations and struggled to find any consistency. Peters has been known for some time as a defensive guru, though his results on that front are far from conclusive during his days in Carolina. That will be the key to turning everything around in Calgary, and it starts with Huska who will step in to a group that needs to live up to expectations in 2018-19.

Max Domi Linked To Pittsburgh Penguins

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In this week’s 31 Thoughts Podcast with Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the two hosts enter into discussion over Arizona Coyotes forward Max Domi and where his future may lie. Domi has been involved in trade speculation for more than a year, and after his second consecutive season with fewer than 10 goals, that isn’t expected to end anytime soon. Friedman links Domi to the Pittsburgh Penguins this time around:

One of the things that I heard just around the Cup Final is that I think the Penguins have interest in him. There was a point last year where I thought he was going to get traded. His name was out there. I believe there are teams with interest, I believe Montreal for example had some interest in Max Domi. I think Pittsburgh is going through some changes, and Domi is one of the guys they’re really interested in. 

The venerable insider goes on to note that Penguins’ owner Mario Lemieux and Tie Domi, Max’ father, are close friends. Though that doesn’t signify anything specific, the fact that Marek admits he’s also heard rumblings about the young Coyotes forward likely points to at least passing interest from Pittsburgh.

Domi, 23, was selected 12th-overall in 2013 but hasn’t become the true top line player many expected him to be. With 45 points in 2017-18 he’s clearly not a negative on the Coyotes roster, but after being a huge goal scoring threat in junior and notching 18 as a rookie he was expected to put up bigger totals as he progressed. That progression has taken him all the way to restricted free agency this summer, where he’ll have a very interesting case to negotiate with the Coyotes.

This season new head coach Rick Tocchet made the decision to move Domi back to center part way through the year, a position he hadn’t played since his first year of junior. Though he found mixed success at the position and eventually was moved back to the wing, the fact that he now has some added versatility to his resume could bring even more suitors out of the bushes. Teams like Pittsburgh may want to take a look at the young forward in the middle, especially if he can continue to be defensively responsible and distribute to his linemates. It’s important to note though that 18 of Domi’s 45 points came in his final 20 games as he was lining up on the wing.

If the Coyotes want to move onto the next wave of forwards, led by Clayton Keller and Dylan Strome, perhaps Domi is a name that they’d be willing to move out. Bringing back some more veteran talent to help the team win in the short term would go along with the moves that Arizona made last offseason, when they acquired Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jason Demers.

As a note—speculative as it might be—Tocchet’s close relationship with Phil Kessel has been widely reported, and with the news recently of the Penguins potentially considering a trade for the enigmatic forward, a fit could be found in Arizona. Kessel of course holds a list of just eight teams he can be traded to, and no discussions have been reported between the two sides. If the Penguins are interested in Domi though, they’ll have to pay a steep price. Whether he’s a perfect fit in Arizona or not, he still holds quite a bit of value to the Coyotes.

Prospect Notes: Coyotes, QMJHL, Team USA

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The NHL Scouting Combine is currently underway, and the Arizona Coyotes are busy interviewing potential draft picks. Team reporter Dave Vest writes that the Coyotes will interview approximately 80 of the 104 players at the combine over the next few days, trying to get an idea of their personal character before heading to the draft on June 22nd. GM John Chayka explained why those interviews are so important:

The Combine is a great opportunity to gather more information on the players of interest. It’s an enjoyable experience to meet the players that have been scouted all year and get to know them better as a person. Drafting character players is important to our organization and is definitely a part of the decision-making process.

That character will come into play when the Coyotes make the fifth selection at this year’s draft, and try to add some more blue chip talent to their prospect pool. With Dylan Strome finally looking like he’s ready to make an impact at the NHL level and Clayton Keller already dominating, there are good times ahead in Arizona. If they’re able to add a player like Quinn Hughes, Oliver Wahlstrom or Adam Boqvist with the fifth-overall selection, those times could come even quicker.

  • Jeff Marek of Sportsnet was keeping an eye on some CHL trades today, as he reports that Cedric Pare (Boston), Mitchell Balmas, Antoine Morand (Anaheim) and Jordan Maher are all on the move in the QMJHL. It’s been a busy few days for Morand, who won the Memorial Cup with Acadie-Bathurst on Sunday and signed his first professional contract with the Ducks earlier today. He’s heading to Halifax along with Maher, meaning he’ll get another chance to play in the Memorial Cup regardless of his performance next year. Halifax will be the host of the 2019 tournament, and are loading up on older talent to make sure they are ready for the competition.
  • Now that David Quinn has taken the New York Rangers head coaching job, USA Hockey needed to find another head coach for the 2019 National Junior Team. Mike Hastings has been hired for the job, after previously serving as an assistant for the program. Hastings is the head coach at Minnesota State University-Mankato, and has guided that program to six straight winning seasons. He’ll be tasked with trying to get the team back to the gold medal game, after ending up with bronze this year.

Poll: Should The Pittsburgh Penguins Trade Phil Kessel?

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There’s no love lost between Phil Kessel and Mike Sullivan, according to a new column by Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required). Yohe reveals specific incidents between the enigmatic superstar and his head coach over the last few years that has created a sort of divide between the two, but makes sure to state that there is no rush to send Kessel packing. The 30-year old forward has never been a coach’s dream player, doing things his own way most of the time. His own way resulted in a career-high 92 points this season, and even with just a single goal in the postseason he still registered nine points in 12 games.

Despite all the success that Kessel has had in Pittsburgh, Yohe explains how he feels about the situation at the end of his piece:

…if this relationship is beyond repair, a trade should be explored. From what I’ve been told, the Penguins aren’t actively seeking a trade involving Kessel, but they’re willing to listen if anyone makes an offer. 

This is about a great coach and a star player. Ultimately just how much the coach can tolerate will tell this story’s conclusion because Sullivan will get what he wants.

Kessel is a star in the NHL and has been for a long time. With 741 points in 914 regular season games, he’s still one of the game’s most dangerous offensive machines. Able to score one-on-one, or use his speed and quickness to create space for teammates, he hasn’t registered a season with fewer than 20 goals or 52 points in more than a decade. His contract, expensive as it was when the Toronto Maple Leafs signed him in 2013, is fairly reasonable these days. The Maple Leafs are retaining $1.2MM per season, and the actual salary drops starting next season, and throughout the final four years. Despite his apparent reputation, he would be a desirable asset for many teams.

But, isn’t he that still for the Penguins? This is a team still in a win-now mode with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin entering their thirties, close to the end of their prime. In a few seasons there may be talk of a rebuild, but not right now. Many believed they had a real shot at a third consecutive Stanley Cup this season, and after his near point-per-game performances in each of the last two postseasons who wouldn’t want Kessel to stick around?

Perhaps the answer is only Sullivan, but what do you think? Cast your vote below, and jump into the comments section to explain why you think the Penguins should or shouldn’t consider moving Kessel.

Should the Penguins trade Phil Kessel?
No 56.48% (601 votes)
Yes 43.52% (463 votes)
Total Votes: 1,064

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Snapshots: Vrbata, Snow, Calgary

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Radim Vrbata had already announced that he would be retiring from the NHL after this season, and in an excellent piece by Craig Morgan of AZ Sports he goes into just why he made the decision. Vrbata plans on coaching his son’s hockey team in the Czech Republic, before deciding where his hockey career—whatever that entails—will take him next.

Vrbata will end his career having played 1,057 games in the NHL, scoring 623 points in the process. Though he never won a Stanley Cup, he did get to the Conference Finals with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2011-12, the same year he scored a career-high 35 goals. The seventh-round pick from 1999 proved to be an excellent offensive producer throughout his career, cracking 50 points on four occasions and scoring 30+ goals twice.

  • Garth Snow and the rest of the New York Islanders front office were apparently caught off guard by the hiring of Lou Lamoriello recently, as Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports. Snow and Islanders’ head coach Doug Weight were at the IIHF World Championship scouting in Denmark when the team hired Lamoriello to run their hockey operations, and were “kept out of the loop.” While Brooks doesn’t expand on what that means, it does add a little awkwardness as Snow is currently still listed as GM and Alternate Governor of the team, though many reports have Lamoriello with full control of the team.
  • Just as Ottawa falls into disarray again with the recent comments of Daniel Alfredsson over the desire for a new owner, Calgary gets some good news on their future. The Flames have been embroiled in a battle with the city over a prospective new arena, with both sides walking away from the table late last year. Now, city council has voted to open talks again with the team to try and get some progress towards a new home for the Flames. Several times team President Ken King has hinted that staying at their current home for much longer isn’t financially feasible, with some taking that to mean that possible relocation would happen down the road without a new arena. While this is extremely preliminary, it is at least a step in the right direction.

Karri Ramo Expected To Return To KHL’s Avangard Omsk

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Former NHL goaltender Karri Ramo has his sights set on a return, but not across the Atlantic. Instead, Ramo is expected to remain in the KHL, but sign with former team Avangard Omsk in Russia. Ramo spent this season with Jokerit, a KHL squad in his native Finland, but Russian source Championat reports that Omsk will soon announce that they have brought back the talented keeper.

Ramo, 31, is coming off of such a strong season that there was speculation that there could be interest in the NHL even though he made only 18 regular season starts for Jokerit. Ramo shared the net with U.S. Olympian Ryan Zapolski this year, but made less than half as many starts as the veteran American. However, in his limited action, Ramo was easily the best “backup” in the KHL with a .930 save percentage and 1.94 GAA. Appearances aside, those numbers were good enough for thirteenth and seventh respectively in the KHL, yet somehow just a shade worse than Zapolski. Ramo’s time came in the postseason though; he was the hot hand and made six starts to Zapolski’s five and posted an incredible .954 save percentage and 1.31 GAA.

With Omsk, Ramo will return to the team that he starred for from 2009 to 2013. A sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, Ramo joined the Bolts as a rookie in 2006-07 and spent three years as the team’s primary backup. Ramo then left for the KHL in 2009 and quickly became on of the league’s top keepers, leading Avangard to four straight postseason appearances while posting a GAA of 2.11 or better in each season. Given his renewed value overseas, Ramo returned to the NHL in 2013 and split starts for the Calgary Flames for three seasons, but struggled to find the same success he had in Russia. In returning to Omsk, Ramo will be expected to solve the severe goaltending issues that plagued the team last season with the help of fellow new addition Igor Bobkov. Ramo will also reunite with former Calgary coach and recent Omsk hire Bob Hartley as the pair look to improve on a team that is lacking in high-end talent. A star goalie, strong defense, and experienced coaching could be all that Avangard need to make a run next season though.

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