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Flyers Injury Notes: Deslauriers, Tippett, Couturier, Konecny

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Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic is reporting that Nicolas Deslauriers of the Philadelphia Flyers didn’t attend today’s optional practice. Deslauriers didn’t play in the Flyers 5-4 win over the Minnesota Wild last night and is listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury. Deslauriers was supposed to be re-evaluated today, but no word yet if he will dress in Philadelphia’s game tomorrow evening against the Detroit Red Wings.

The 32-year-old Deslauriers has five goals and six assists in 70 games this season while playing just over ten minutes a night on the fourth line. His signing last summer was one of the more baffling moves that any team made as the Flyers elected to give a four-year contract with a modified no trade clause to a player that has never been able to score or remain in the lineup.

In other Flyers injury news:

  • Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia is reporting that Owen Tippett has been banged up this week and didn’t attend Flyers practice today. Tippett left practice earlier in the week, and when asked about it coach John Tortorella said Tippett was “Not serious, nicked up.” Tippett has taken massive strides this season for the Flyers after coming over from the Florida Panthers in last year’s Claude Giroux trade. Tippett has a career high 39 points in 66 games and has looked every bit the top-6 winger the Flyers hoped they were getting when they dealt their former captain.
  • Olivia Reiner of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweeted that Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny were both present at Flyers practice today and wearing regular contact jerseys. Couturier hasn’t played in over a year after having two back surgeries in less than nine months. The 30-year-old center has had a long road to get back and while it is encouraging to see him practicing with the team once again, it is unknown if he returns to game action in what has been a lost season for the club. Konecny on the other hand has been out since suffering an upper body injury in late February in a game against the Calgary Flames. Konecny had been having a stellar season with 54 points in 52 games before he was put on injured reserve. It was a bounce back season for the 26-year-old after struggling to score in the two seasons previous. Should Konecny return to the lineup soon, he will likely eclipse the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his career.

USA Hockey Names David Quinn Head Coach For Men’s World Championship

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USA Hockey has named San Jose Sharks bench boss David Quinn as their head coach for the upcoming 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship, according to a release from the organization.

This is the second straight season that USA Hockey has named Quinn as their coach for the tournament, and it adds to his extensive experience coaching the US at international events. Quinn guided the U.S. to a fourth-place finish in last year’s tournament, losing the bronze medal game to Czechia by a score of 8-4.

Joining Quinn as adds to the men’s team front office are New York Rangers assistant general manager Ryan Martin and Calgary Flames assistant general manager Craig Conroy, who will both assist with player personnel. Martin was the general manager of last year’s team, while this is Conroy’s first managerial experience with the national organization.

The tournament is set to take place between May 12 and May 28 in both Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia. Potential high-end players from non-playoff teams that could appear on the USA roster are Clayton Keller, Quinn Hughes, Johnny Gaudreau, J.T. Miller, and Trevor Zegras.

Chris Clark, the current general manager of the U.S. men’s team, gave the following statement:

“It’s great to have David coaching our team again this year. He knows the player pool extremely well and understands the dynamics involved in preparing a team to win a gold medal on the world stage.

Avalanche Sign Jared Bednar To Contract Extension

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The Colorado Avalanche (Twitter link) have signed head coach Jared Bednar to a three-year contract extension. Bednar is in his seventh season as the team’s bench boss, and helped get them to a Stanley Cup championship last season. He has helped players like Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen grow from skilled youngsters to superstar talents in that time.

Chris Johnston of TSN added that the contract will keep him with the team through the 2026-27 season, meaning he was already signed through next season.

Financial terms of coaching contracts are rarely given in detail, but TSN’s Darren Dreger reports Bednar will earn just shy of $5MM during the three-year contract extension.

Bednar has helped guide the team from the literal bottom to the top of the NHL world. His arrival with the Avalanche was just before the 2016-17 season began as previous head coach Patrick Roy gave up his position on the eve of training camp. The Avalanche had an abysmal 22-56-4 record in Bednar’s first season, but stuck by him and the team has not missed the postseason since.

After a few promising seasons ended in playoff heartbreak, the Avalanche finally won a championship last season following an incredible regular season that saw them go 56-19-7.

Bednar has done impressive work once again this season. The Avalanche nursed a bit of a Stanley Cup hangover early in the season but despite long-term injuries to key players like Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, Bowen Byram and Josh Manson, they are just one point back of the Central Division lead.

After his tough first season in Colorado, the Avalanche have been one of the best teams in the league for the past six years. With Bednar behind the bench, they promise to be among the NHL’s elite for the next four seasons.

Metro Notes: Barzal, Lindgren, Carlson, Lazar

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The New York Islanders are currently in the first wild card positon, but it will be a dogfight till the end of the season to secure their spot in the postseason. Every game matters and there was some good news this morning as head coach Lane Lambert told reporters, including Andrew Gross of Newsday, that the team is hopeful Mathew Barzal can return before the end of the regular season.

Barzal was listed as week-to-week over a month ago and hasn’t played since his third shift on February 18. The 25-year-old forward had 51 points in 58 games when he went down to injury, and would be a huge boost for the Islanders if things do come down to the last few games of the season.

  • One of their Metropolitan Division rivals is about to get their own injury reinforcement, as Ryan Lindgren will return tonight for the New York Rangers. Lindgren hasn’t played since February 25, but returns to a Rangers team that has won four straight and is slowly closing the gap between them and the division leaders.
  • Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports that John Carlson is close to returning for the Washington Capitals, but won’t play tonight. The injured defenseman was spotted in a regular jersey for the first time yesterday and is expected to make his long-awaited return this week. Carlson has been out since suffering a skull fracture back in December.
  • The New Jersey Devils will be without Curtis Lazar for the next little while, as head coach Lindy Ruff explained he will “miss some time” with a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old forward was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks at the deadline and has yet to register a point in three games with the Devils.

Injury Updates: Golden Knights Goalies, Makar, Aho

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While the Vegas Golden Knights have maintained their place in contention for the Pacific Division title this season, it hasn’t been an easy road for them, especially in the crease. Injuries to the team’s stable of goaltenders (starting way back over the summer when Robin Lehner underwent hip surgery) forced them to acquire the legendary Jonathan Quick from the Columbus Blue Jackets and has also forced Jiri Patera, who spent time in the ECHL last season, to make two starts. Thankfully for Vegas, though, it seems there could be a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the health of their goaltenders.

As relayed by Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy has revealed that all three of Quick,  Logan Thompson, and Laurent Brossoit are traveling with the team on their three-game road trip. As a result of that trio nearing a return to the ice, the team sent Patera back to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. The return of Thompson in particular would come as a major boost to Vegas, as he had been the team’s number-one goalie before going down with an injury. He has posted a .914 save percentage in 36 games, and should he hit the ground running upon his return to the ice is in pole position to be the team’s playoff starter.

  • While he remains a player widely considered the best defenseman in the NHL, injuries have proved to be a roadblock for the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar, and have caused him to fall behind in the Norris Trophy race when compared to players such as the San Jose Sharks’ Erik Karlsson. While he has thankfully seemed to put the concussion issues that sidelined him earlier this year behind him, there’s a new injury for him to deal with. Per the Denver Post’s Bennett Durando, Makar is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said that the injury is “nothing too serious,” and that he is being held out for tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks as a precautionary measure. Makar has scored 61 points in 55 games this season and leads all NHLers in time-on-ice per game, averaging 26:36 TOI per game.
  • New York Islanders defenseman Sebastian Aho left last night’s New York Islanders game with an injury, prompting the team to recall defenseman Samuel Bolduc to fill Aho’s spot in the lineup. Newsday’s Andrew Gross has more details on Aho’s injury, reporting that the Swede is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. This season has been a breakout one of sorts for Aho, who has flown past his career-high in games played with 66 so far and seen his average time-on-ice tick upwards. He has scored 21 points this season and will hope to return to the lineup quickly to help New York clinch a return to the playoffs.

Penguins Injury Notes: Petry, Bonino, Poehling

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For the second straight game, the Pittsburgh Penguins lost the services of defenseman Jeff Petry. The 35-year-old played just three shifts in the first period before he exited the game after taking an elbow from Tyler Motte. Petry also exited Tuesday nights 6-4 loss to the Montreal Canadiens with an apparent injury. Petry’s injury luck in the last two games has forced the Penguins defense to play shorthanded in back-to-back games, leaning heavily on Kris Letang who himself has dealt with a series of health issues this season.

If Petry is out for any length of time it would be likely that recent healthy scratch Chad Ruhwedel would draw back into the Penguins lineup. The Penguins do have Mark Friedman and Ty Smith stashed in the minors but would need to move Nick Bonino onto LTIR to call up either player. Ty Smith was quite good in limited NHL action earlier this season, however the young defenseman is still week-to-week with a facial fracture.

In other Penguins injury news:

  • Seth Rorabaugh is reporting that Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told tonight’s MSG broadcast that Pittsburgh expects center Nick Bonino to be back by the playoffs. Bonino was re-acquired on trade deadline day by the Penguins to center their fourth line but was only able to dress in a handful of games after spending most of the season with the San Jose Sharks. Jeff Carter has taken Bonino’s spot on the fourth line in recent games but has struggled mightily going -4 in just 8:28 of ice time on Tuesday against Montreal.
  • Ryan Poehling did return to action tonight after missing over a month with a lingering upper body injury. The young forward saw duty on the fourth line next to Jeff Carter and Josh Archibald. Poehling’s return could create an interesting situation on the Penguins fourth line should Jeff Carter continue to struggle. Poehling was centering the unit earlier in the season prior to the injury and showed good chemistry with Drew O’Connor and Danton Heinen.

Snapshots: Tortorella, Moore, Capitals

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The Philadelphia Flyers have a long offseason ahead of them, figuring out what to do in the front office after firing Chuck Fletcher a few days ago. One of the people that figures to be there—regardless of how the titles shake out—is Daniel Briere, who took over as interim general manager in Fletcher’s absence.

In that case, you can also keep John Tortorella’s name jotted down in pen for next year. Briere spoke with Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports today, and explained that Tortorella was his first choice to coach the Flyers last year and is “the man for the job” still. The veteran coach signed a four-year deal worth $16MM last June.

  • There’s an interesting name among those invited to the 2023 National Team Development Program evaluation camp later this month: William Moore. The Toronto native holds dual citizenship and is nearing a crossroads in his hockey career. He is a potential first-overall selection in the OHL draft if he indicates that is the path he’ll follow. He could also join the NTDP or USHL to maintain his college eligibility. Just 15, he isn’t eligible for the NHL Draft until 2025.
  • With how well Rasmus Sandin has played in the early going for the Washington Capitals, the team may have found an inexpensive option for big minutes on the blueline next year. As Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic writes, that would open up money for the team’s biggest offseason target, a top-six forward (or two). The group currently has Craig Smith, Conor Sheary, Connor Brown, and Carl Hagelin all scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer, opening up plenty of room for a significant addition.

Tyler Seguin Leaves Game With Cut On Leg

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The Dallas Stars have announced that forward Tyler Seguin won’t be returning to tonight’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Seguin left the game with what TSN is reporting as a laceration above his knee after he was cut by a skate.

Seguin becomes the third high profile NHLer to suffer a severe cut this season after Ryan Johansen was cut by a blade on his ankle, and Evander Kane had a frightening scene when he had wrist cut against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With the NHL GM meetings set to take place next week, one has to wonder if the issue of cuts from skate blades will make its way onto the docket. The horrific Kane injury is one that most people will not forget. Player safety is always an issue and with this recent trend it could make for interesting dialogue should changes be discussed.

If Seguin is out long term, it would be a big blow to a Dallas Stars team that is leading the Central Division. Seguin has 17 goals and 42 points in 64 games this season and has been playing much more of a 200-foot game for head coach Peter DeBoer. Should the 31-year-old miss substantial time it would likely mean moving youngster Ty Dellandrea onto the third line to play wing next to newcomer Max Domi.

Cam Talbot To Miss Several Weeks

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5:00 PM: TSN’s Darren Dreger has added some more detail to Talbot’s injury situation, reporting that the veteran netminder has suffered an oblique strain.

1:51 PM: Cam Talbot will leave the Ottawa Senators’ road trip early and return for treatment after being a late scratch on Monday. Head coach D.J. Smith told reporters, and explained (link via TSN radio) that the veteran goaltender will be out for three weeks with what he called a “mid-body injury.”

That means it’s up to the kids in Ottawa, as Kevin Mandolese and Mads Sogaard are the active tandem for the Senators. The pair, both 22, are up under emergency conditions while Talbot and Anton Forsberg are out of the lineup.

Mandolese has just two appearances in his NHL career, though both have gone well. The young netminder won his debut by stopping 46 of 48 shots against the New York Islanders a few weeks ago, and then allowed just three goals against the Boston Bruins in his follow-up appearance.

Sogaard has played seven times this season, taking his career total to nine NHL appearances. He has won four times for the Senators this year, but was blown out by the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday after being the last-second replacement for Talbot. That 5-0 loss to Chicago was a brutal blow to the team’s playoff chances, though they aren’t eliminated just yet.

Ottawa heads to Seattle next for a game tomorrow, before going through the Western Canada trip starting on Saturday night in Vancouver. There aren’t many easy nights coming for the upstart club, as once they return home they run off a series of games against Colorado, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Boston, Tampa Bay, and New Jersey that could decide their postseason fate.

Three weeks would mean Talbot isn’t available for any of those opponents.

Barry Trotz Will Replace David Poile As Predators GM

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The Nashville Predators will soon have a new general manager for the first time in franchise history, but it will be a very familiar face. David Poile will retire as GM and president of hockey operations effective June 30th, staying in a consulting role afterward. Barry Trotz is expected to be hired immediately and officially take over the position this summer.

Poile, 73, has led the Nashville franchise since 1997 before they were even known as the Predators. He navigated the expansion process, bringing hockey to a market where few believed it would be successful. The team, even without a Stanley Cup championship, has become one of the league’s most stable organizations, drawing strong crowds and reaching the playoffs in 15 of the last 18 seasons.

This season, he became the first executive in NHL history to serve as general manager of a franchise for 3,000 games, combining his time in Nashville with years leading the Washington Capitals previously. This is his 41st consecutive season as an NHL GM.

Trotz, 60, was a big part of bringing hockey to Nashville as well. The team’s first head coach, he was behind the bench for the first 15 years of Predators hockey, leading them to a 557-479-60-100 record. He would then, coincidentally, head to Washington, where he won a Jack Adams and Stanley Cup with the Capitals, and then to the New York Islanders, where he would take home his second Coach of the Year award.

After leaving the Islanders, Trotz has spoken publicly about his desire to get into an NHL front office. The Predators are the perfect fit, given his ties to the organization and the need for something of a new voice in the front office.

Poile’s direction has been questioned in recent years, as the Predators struggled to stay among the league’s elite after reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2017. The books are filled with long, expensive contracts for veteran players, and a potential teardown may be in the cards at some point.

That was signaled with this weekend’s trade of Nino Niederreiter, but there is a lot more surgery to be performed on this roster if Trotz is to lead them to a championship. The Predators are expected to be serious players in the next few days, and the incoming executive will likely be involved in many of those decisions, even if his title won’t be official for a few months.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke the news on Twitter.

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