Snapshots: Tavares & Barzal, Berube, Gustavsson, Tolvanen, McLain
Having lost 10 out of their last 11 games this season, the New York Islanders look ready to make a major change as head coach Doug Weight plans to not only shake up their lines, but also put their two best players on the same lines for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers. The move, which was actually started Friday during the second period would force John Tavares to the wing position with rookie Mathew Barzal moving next to him at the center position, according to Andrew Gross of Newsday. Jordan Eberle will take over at right wing.
“It doesn’t mean he’s going to play wing and it doesn’t mean he’s not a centerman,” Weight said of Tavares. “It’s an experiment. Moving forward it gives them some experience together. I’m excited to see it.”
One has to wonder whether the move is made to see whether Barzal and Tavares might make a good fit, which could be another incentive, if it works, to convince Tavares to stay and re-sign with the franchise at the end of the season. The team has struggled offensively recently and neither player has stood out recently. Tavares has just two goals in the team’s last 10 games, while Barzal has just three in that same span.
- While Corey Crawford is unlikely to return this year in goal for the Chicago Blackhawks, the real test for the remainder of the year will be to determine who will end up being his backup next year. The team has both current goaltenders, Jean-Francois Berube and Anton Forsberg, under contract for one more season. According to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, the better of the two will likely assume the backup spot next year. Both are very similar as they both make the almost the same amount of money and are almost the same age. Lazerus believes that while neither goalie is perfect, Berube has been slightly more consistent than Lindholm, who has put up one of the worst save percentages in the league since Feb. 1 (.889) and has already been pulled six times this season.
- The Ottawa Senators got some good news as 19-year-old prospect goaltender Filip Gustavsson is heading for the AHL. According to the Ottawaw Citizen’s Ken Warren, Gustavsson, who the Senators acquired in the Derick Brassard trade from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline, is expected to report to the Belleville Senators as his Lulea team in the Swedish Elite League was eliminated from the playoffs. He played 22 games in the SHL with a 2.07 GAA and a .918 save percentage.
- On the other hand, the Nashville Predators are still keeping a close eye on the KHL playoffs as they watch the play of Eeli Tolvanen of Jokerit. The 2017 first-rounder saw his team drop their second straight playoff game to CSKA and if they get swept, Tolvanen could be free to sign with the Predators for their playoff run as early as Tuesday.
- On a minor league note, the Iowa Wild of the AHL announced they signed Bowling Green forward Mitch McLain to an Amateur Tryout Agreement. The former captain was an nominee for the Hobey Baker Award and scored 53 goals for Bowling Green over the course of four seasons.
Arizona Grants Personal Leave For Rick Tocchet
Wednesday: Tocchet will return to the team in time for their game Thursday night against the Nashville Predators.
Monday: The Arizona Coyotes will be coached by John MacLean for the time being, after announcing that Rick Tocchet will be taking a leave of absence to deal with a family illness. The Coyotes have 14 games remaining in the regular season.
Though they still sit last in the NHL, the Coyotes have played well of late, going 9-3-1 over the last month. Although coming last increases your odds in the draft lottery, climbing out of the bottom would be an accomplishment for a team that has struggled right from the start of the season. Arizona, led by new head coach Tocchet, didn’t win in regulation until the 21st game of the season. It’s been a work in progress for the coaching staff, but there are some things to look forward to.
MacLean will bring some experience to the job, as he served as head coach of the New Jersey Devils briefly and was a long-time player in the league. In 1,194 regular season games as a player, MacLean scored 842 points and won the Stanley Cup in 1995 with the Devils. It’s not clear when Tocchet will return, but for now it will be MacLean’s team to guide through the remainder of the season.
NCAA Notes: Mittelstadt, Belpedio, Hillman
After an impressive rookie season in the collegiate ranks, and an MVP performance at the World Junior Championships, Casey Mittelstadt has staked a claim as one of the best prospects in hockey. His latest accomplishment is being named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and will soon have to decide whether or not to become a professional or return to the University of Minnesota for his sophomore season.
Though he gives no pretense of inside knowledge, Mike Morreale of NHL.com believes there is a “good chance” that Mittelstadt turns pro next season, something that will come as music to the ears of Buffalo Sabres fans. Buffalo has struggled through another terrible season, and will have a good shot at drafting Rasmus Dahlin or one of the other top names this June. Mittelstadt’s appearance on the NHL squad would give them another piece to build around, and someone to support Jack Eichel and company in their quest for the playoffs.
- Louis Belpedio doesn’t have a decision to make over whether or not to turn pro this summer, but instead how long he’ll wait before doing it. After completing his senior season at Miami University (Ohio), the Minnesota Wild draft pick could delay signing until August when he would become an unrestricted free agent. Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that scenario seems unlikely at this point, as the two sides are moving towards a two-year entry-level contract. Belpedio scored 30 points in 37 games during his senior season, and could be a useful piece of the Minnesota defense in the coming years.
- Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required) also gives us a long in-depth profile on Blake Hillman, a Chicago Blackhawks prospect who looks ready to turn pro in the coming weeks. Powers believes Hillman will “likely sign after this season” and even his head coach at the University of Denver Jim Montgomery seems to agree. Montgomery called Hillman “extremely close to being ready” for his pro transition, meaning Blackhawks fans could see another legitimate NHL prospect enter the system before long.
Steve Mason Out 2-3 Weeks With Knee Injury
It’s been a season to forget for Winnipeg Jets goalie Steve Mason. Mason has suffered two concussions in 2017-18, one in November and one in January, missing a combined 28 games. Now he’s back on the shelf, after playing his first game since early January on Tuesday night, a shutout win against the New York Rangers. In the contest, Mason suffered a lower-body injury which, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, turned out to be a seriously tweaked knee.
In speaking with head coach Paul Maurice, Gulitti reports that Mason underwent surgery today and is expected to be out 2-3 weeks. Michael Hutchinson, who was recalled from the AHL on Thursday while Mason’s condition was still up in the air, will remain in Winnipeg to back up Connor Hellebuyck.
Hellebuyck has not just helped to make up for the loss of Mason most of the year, but has thrived in his absence. Although Mason signed a two-year, $8.2MM with the Jets this past summer to presumably start in Winnipeg, that seems unlikely to ever happen given Hellebuyck’s emergence. The 24-year-old has blossomed into one of the top goalies in the league this season, posting a .923 save percentage and 2.38 GAA through 56 games already. Mason’s injury woes have certainly affected him – when healthy he has still struggled, posting a .906 save percentage and 3.18 GAA – but both his absence and poor performance have been non-factors for Winnipeg despite what many would have expected prior to the season.
Poll: Which Coach Is Least Likely To Be Back Next Season?
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.
[Mobile users click here to vote!]
Injury Update: Stone, Marchand, Duclair, Crawford, Nutivaara, Bishop
Ottawa Senators winger Mark Stone will not be making the trip to Florida for their game against the Panthers on Monday, according to Ottawa Sun’s Don Brennan. Stone suffered a leg injury after colliding with Calgary’s Micheal Ferland on Friday.
Brennan added that Ottawa coach Guy Boucher said today that he did not know whether the injury would keep Stone out of the lineup short-term or long-term. The loss of Stone would be another disappointment in the Senators’ season. Stone has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season. The 25-year-old already has broken his career-high in assists with 42 and is on track to have a career-high in goals. He currently has 22 this season. He was one of the few untouchable players at the trade deadline this season.
- The Boston Bruins announced that Brad Marchand would miss Sunday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks with an upper body injury. The move has received a lot of attention as the forward was yanked at the last minute before the game, just one day after Marchand had another collision with a player, this time with Chicago’s Anthony Duclair. Many believe the team held him out as a precaution from potential retribution.
- Speaking of Duclair, Tracey Myers of NHL.com writes that Duclair was wearing a walking boot on his right leg this morning. Coach Joel Quenneville said yesterday after the game that Duclair is expected to miss one to two weeks. Myers added that goaltender Corey Crawford is still not skating with the team, although he is working out on his own.
- Steve Gorten of the Columbus Dispatch writes that good news could be coming for two players with the Columbus Blue Jackets as defensemen Dean Kukan and Markus Nutivaara are both practicing in full gear and may be close to returning to the team. Kukan and Nutivaara were both injured in the same game on Feb. 16. Kukan, who has been out with an upper-body injury, has appeared in 10 games for Columbus this year. Nutivaara has been on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. He has played in 51 games so far this season with three goals and 15 assists.
- Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News writes that Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop, who has been out since Mar. 5 with a knee injury, skated today with no pads and is scheduled to skate tomorrow with pads. No word on how soon, the veteran goaltender is expected to return. The 31-year-old has played 51 games for Dallas, posting a 2.49 GAA and a solid .917 save percentage.
Injury Notes: Marchand, Duclair, Vatrano, Klefbom, Smith, Avalanche, Seeler
Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand could miss some time — not due to injury — but after another incident in which the forward collided with Chicago Blackhawks winger Anthony Duclair in Saturday’s game. You can see the video here. While on the surface it does look as if Marchand was attempting to avoid Duclair, one has to wonder how the Department of Player Safety will treat the incident after numerous incidents this season. A repeat offender, Marchand served a five-game suspension back in January for concussing New Jersey Devils forward Marcus Johansson.
Marchand was given a two-minute interference penalty on the play, but Duclair was forced to exit the game as he suffered a knee injury. The Blackhawks later announced that he will not return for the rest of the game and Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that he will miss one-to-two weeks.
- Matthew DeFranks of the SunSentinel writes the Florida Panthers have activated forward Frank Vatrano and will make his Panthers debut Saturday night. Vatrano, who was acquired a week before the trade deadline from the Boston Bruins for a third-round pick, will attempt to find his game with the rising Panthers despite missing some time with a high ankle sprain. He is slated to appear on the team’s second line alongside Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Huberdeau as the team hopes Vatrano could be a valuable addition to their core. After putting up 39 goals in 45 career AHL games, he has struggled in the NHL. With Boston, the 23-year-old had just two goals in 25 games this year and often found himself scratched.
- Edmonton Oilers head coach Todd MacLellan said defenseman Oscar Klefbom will miss the next two games to undergo a “minor procedure.” With rumors that Klefbom was been playing injured for much of the year, the eventual question will be whether the team should shut him down in the near future.
- Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp writes that center Reilly Smith was sent back to Las Vegas after he sustained an upper body injury during Tuesday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He is not playing today and is not expected to be ready for Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Smith is having a career year with 22 goals and 38 assists in his first year with Vegas.
- Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post writes that the team intends to start Jonathan Bernier today after Bernier has missed the past 10 games with a head injury. Starter Semyon Varlamov has struggled recently having allowed 11 goals in the past three games. The scribe also writes that defenseman Erik Johnson skated Friday in a non-contact jersey. He hasn’t played in a game since Feb. 18. There is no timeline for Johnson, according to head coach Jared Bednar. Forward Vladislav Kamenev, who broke his arm in November after being acquired from Nashville, practiced Friday and is likely to be sent to the AHL for a couple of games on a conditioning stint.
- Sarah McLellan of the StarTribune writes that defenseman Nick Seeler, who has been dealing with a right bicep strain and the flu, is improving, but did not travel with the team to Vancouver and would only join the team in Edmonton if there is an injury on defense before then.
Snapshots: Coaching Changes, Marchand Fine, McDonagh Debut
Buried in the news of Ron Francis being replaced as GM of the Carolina Hurricanes was the fact that it was the first major personnel decision of the 2017-18 season. It’s March, well beyond the three-quarter mark of the season, and there has been just one general manager fired (but promoted) and still no coaches. It’s rare to see so much inactivity, but it can likely be linked to the fact that the league’s worst teams – Arizona, Buffalo, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Montreal – all have first- or second-year coaches: Rick Tocchet, Phil Housley, Guy Boucher, Travis Green, and Claude Julien respectively. Unsurprisingly, USA Today’s Kevin Allen lists the head coaches of four of the next five worst teams as being on the hot seat as the end of the season approaches. That includes the Edmonton Oilers’ Todd McLellan, the Detroit Red Wings’ Jeff Blashill, the New York Rangers’ Alain Vigneault, the Chicago Blackhawks’ Joel Quenneville, and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Bill Peters. The most obvious inclusion on this list is Peters, who has an owner looking to make changes and soon a new GM, and has also struggled to get the most out of his talented roster. Quenneville would be the biggest news, should he be removed, as the longest-tenured coach in the NHL, since 2008, and a three-time Stanley Cup champion. The last name on the list who doesn’t quite fit the pattern is the Washington Capitals’ Barry Trotz. Trotz has yet to be offered a contract extension and his future could depend on the Caps’ playoff success this season. However, as Allen states, Trotz would be the prime coaching candidate this summer if he isn’t retained by Washington. As of right now, all of these coaches are safe, but things could change quickly with the season coming to a close. In the meantime, if you would like to apply for the open Hurricanes GM position, here you go.
- One thing that there has been plenty of in the league this season has been punishment handed down by the NHL Department of Player Safety, as the league has focused on cracking down on certain penalties. A player who has gained plenty of attention, fair or not, has been Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. Marchand has finally spoken out after his most recent hit, a $2,000 fine for diving. Marchand spoke to the media, saying things like “it’s a small amount of money”, “it’s a joke”, “it’s pretty stupid” and “I don’t care about this.” He did go a step further though, adding “how are they (Player Safety) to tell …they go from being players to management and running the league pretty quickly and forget how to play the game.” While Marchand doesn’t seem to care much about a very minor fine, he is making a point that any fine for diving, the most subjective call in the game, is somewhat unreasonable, especially when the call comes from those who were not even present at the game.
- While the Bruins are continuing to win behind three straight game-winners from Marchand, their rivals in the Atlantic Division and the President’s Trophy race, the Tampa Bay Lightning, continue to win as well. They’ll get even better starting tonight, as their huge trade deadline acquisition, Ryan McDonagh, is set to make his debut with the team tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Head coach Jon Cooper told beat writer Bryan Burns that McDonagh is ready to go, after dealing with an upper-body injury for more than a month. McDonagh’s addition to the Bolts blue line makes them a scary team for anyone to go up against and that includes the Bruins, who play Tampa three more times this season and could very well meet them in the second round of the playoffs.
Capitals Extend GM Brian MacLellan; No Word On Barry Trotz
March 9th: The Capitals have officially confirmed the extension to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
March 4th: The Washington Capitals have signed general manager Brian MacLellan to a multi-year contract extension Saturday, according to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos. The next question is whether the team will extend head coach Barry Trotz as the coach is in the final year of his contract.
MacLellan has worked his way up the ladder with the Capitals having served as an assistant general manager for seven years with the organization before taking over general manager duties in 2014. While in charge, his teams have reached 100 points three consecutive years. The team’s lone issue has been its struggles in the playoffs as the team has failed to get out of the second round in each of those years.
Even this year, the Capitals are atop the Metropolitan Division this year with 81 points, despite losing a number of players due to their salary cap issues this year. The team lost several key players in the offseason, including defenseman Karl Alzner, Kevin Shattenkirk, Nate Schmidt as well as forwards Justin Williams, Marcus Johansson. Yet the team has continued to succeed with younger players and some veteran additions.
As for Trotz, there are questions whether the Capitals may move on from the veteran coach. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added on Saturday night’s Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada that the team might consider promoting assistant coach Todd Reirden. In the past, other teams have asked to interview Reirden for coaching jobs, including the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres and the Florida Panthers.
“It’s gotten to the point where if he’s not signed soon … other teams are going to come out looking for him perhaps,” said Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston during Saturday night’s Headlines segment. “Barry’s future in Washington is very much uncertain.”
Washington To Temporarily Bench Braden Holtby
A Vezina Trophy winner is about to take a backseat, at least for a little while. “He hasn’t had a real good stretch,” Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz said of starting goaltender Braden Holtby, speaking to the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan. The reigning Jennings Trophy winner allowed three goals on just nine shots before getting chased in last night’s 4-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, capping off what has indeed been a bad stretch of games. Holtby has just one win in his last eight games, allowing three or more goals and recording a save percentage of .909 or worse in those other seven losses.
For Trotz and the Capitals, the time has come to give Holtby a break and let backup Philipp Grubauer take over for a while. Trotz told Khurshudyan “Because (Holtby) is No. 1 doesn’t mean you don’t go with Grubi for a bit just so (Holtby) can settle his game. We’ll sit down with (goaltending coach Scott Murray) just to see what the best thing for the long haul is…He’s going to work with our goaltending coaches and get his game in order.” It seems that the plan is to let Holtby rest his body and get his head on straight, as the Capitals try to hold on to their top seed in the Metropolitan Division. In his stead, Grubauer looks ready to step up. The 26-year-old has been one of the league’s best backups for a few years and hasn’t slowed down in 2017-18. He’ll try to improve on his .922 save percentage and 2.36 goals against average in his stint as starter.
Holtby was named an All-Star this season and each of the past two seasons, won the Vezina Trophy in 2015-16, and has finished among the top ten in the league in saves percentage and goals against average in each of the last three years. Yet, even the best keepers can hit a cold streak. That doesn’t mean they can’t bounce back. Case in point: Tuukka Rask. The Boston Bruins starter got off to a horrid start this season, allowing three or more goals in 11 of his first 14 starts and posting just three wins in that span, briefly loses his job to Anton Khudobin. Since December, he’s had only eight such 3+ goal games and three regulation losses and has not only firmly retake his job, but has worked his way into Vezina conversation. Like Rask, there’s no reason why Holtby can’t return from this benching and be elite for the Capitals by the playoffs. This is just a minor setback.