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Florida Panthers Announce Coaching Staff

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After adding Paul Maurice as the team’s new head coach earlier this summer, the Florida Panthers have rounded out their staff. Myles Fee, Jamie Kompon, and Sylvain Lefebvre will serve as assistants, joining Tuomo Ruutu and goaltending coach Robb Tallas on Maurice’s staff. The team also announced that Geordie Kinnear will continue as head coach of the Charlotte Checkers.

Kompon’s addition was reported last month, as the veteran coach follows Maurice from Winnipeg to Florida. The long-time NHL coach has served in various roles with the St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Winnipeg Jets, while also at one point sitting as the general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL.

Fee, meanwhile, has been a video coach with the Buffalo Sabres for the past two years, and previously served with the Checkers, New York Rangers, and Edmonton Oilers. He also happened to be the video coach for Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup, a group that had Maurice as an assistant under Ralph Krueger.

Lefebvre may actually be the most recognizable to hockey fans, given his long playing career that lasted nearly 1,000 games. He has been with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL for the last three seasons, and previously worked in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche.

Chicago Blackhawks Add Derek Plante To Coaching Staff

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A few days ago, we covered how University of Minnesota-Duluth associate coach Derek Plante was expected to join the Blackhawks’ coaching staff under new head coach Luke Richardson. Today, the move was made official, with the Blackhawks hiring Plante under the title of assistant coach.

This move marks Plante’s return to the Blackhawks organization, as he served as their development coach from 2015-16 through 2019-20, before returning to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Under Plante’s stewardship, numerous Blackhawks prospects graduated to the NHL, including players such as Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Hagel, and Adam Boqvist.

At Minnesota-Duluth, Plante served as the top assistant on longtime head coach Scott Sandelin’s staff for the past two years. He also served as an assistant on his staff before his first tenure with the Blackhawks, coaching with them from 2009-10 to 2014-15. Minnesota-Duluth were NCAA tournament champions in 2011, with Plante on staff, and made the Frozen Four in 2021 with him on staff as well.

The addition of Plante to Richardson’s coaching staff lines up well with the Blackhawks organization’s current team direction and overall organizational plan. He has a development-focused background and a wealth of experience in a developmental role. In his prior NHL experience, his chief responsibility was developing the Blackhawks’ young talent and preparing them for the NHL. As an assistant coach, he’ll have quite a bit more to do, but on the rebuilding Blackhawks Plante’s underlying priority will be the same as before: player development.

The Blackhawks are trying to rebuild their organization around a new stable of young talent, and don’t plan on competing for Stanley Cups anytime soon. With his experience as an assistant coach at one of the top NCAA programs and his time as an NHL development coach, Plante is a strong choice for a coaching staff whose number-one immediate priority will likely be player development rather than winning as many games as possible.

New Jersey Devils Hire Ryan McGill

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We’re at the point of the offseason when teams are starting to round out their coaching staffs for next season, and the New Jersey Devils are the latest to make an addition. Ryan McGill will join Lindy Ruff’s staff for 2022-23.

McGill, 53, had been with the Vegas Golden Knights since their inception, serving as an assistant coach for the last five years in the desert. Credited with helping along the development of several young defensemen including Shea Theodore, Nicolas Hague, and Zach Whitecloud, he’ll now join a New Jersey team that is ready to take the next step.

A former NHL defenseman himself, he will have quite the group of proteges to work with over the coming years. Not only do the Devils have established names like Dougie Hamilton and John Marino locked in long-term but also an emerging talent in Jonas Siegenthaler and some of the best defensive prospects in the league, with Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes. The development of those two, in particular, make this an important hire to get right, and McGill is certainly not coming in with a lack of experience.

Before joining Vegas, he had spent a few years coaching in junior with the Kootenay Ice and Owen Sound Attack, but there was also a seven-year period where McGill served as a head coach in the AHL.

San Jose Sharks Expected To Add Ryan Warsofsky To Coaching Staff

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The Sharks recently made their hire of David Quinn as their next head coach official, and now Quinn’s staff is starting to take shape. According to San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng, the Sharks will hire Ryan Warsofsky as an assistant coach with the responsibility of running the team’s defense and penalty kill.

Warsofsky, 34, is one of the fastest-rising coaching prospects in hockey. 2021-22 was Warsofsky’s second season behind the bench of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, and it ended in a Calder Cup championship for the team. The win was Warsofsky’s second Calder Cup victory, as he won his first as an assistant on Mike Vellucci’s Charlotte Checkers staff. Warsofsky got his first experience as a head coach as the bench boss for the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.

Warsofsky has won at every level he’s coached at, and he boasts a combined 193-91-30 record in 314 games of head coaching experience across two professional leagues and three teams. His Chicago Wolves squad last season had the fifth-best penalty kill in the AHL and had the fourth-least goals against, meaning he has a strong resume in the areas he’ll be asked to focus on in San Jose.

The expectation for GM Mike Grier, Quinn, and the entire Sharks organization is to deliver winning hockey to the San Jose market in 2022-23. Adding Warsofsky should certainly help them get there.

Latest On Jonathan Toews

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It wasn’t too many years ago that Jonathan Toews and his Chicago Blackhawks were at the top of the league’s pecking order, but it somehow also seems like the team’s rebuild has dragged on for too long with no end in sight. It’s an arduous process that’s called Toews’ (and Patrick Kane’s) future with the team into question, as the Blackhawks legends are just one year away from the expiration of their contracts and unrestricted free agency. Speaking with The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus, Toews says he “really doesn’t know” what the future holds for him and said the idea of a lengthy rebuild “[didn’t] sound appealing.”

In his interview, Toews spoke frankly about Chicago’s moves since the turn of the calendar year, specifically referencing the team’s trades involving Brandon Hagel, Alex DeBrincat, and Kirby Dach. Calling it “unfortunate that it’s come to that,” Toews especially named Dach as a player he felt he had under his wing and had developed a good mentor relationship with.

On a more positive note for Toews and Blackhawks fans, he spoke highly of the team’s expected approach under new head coach Luke Richardson. If he isn’t approached about a trade prior to the season (he does still have a full no-movement clause), he said he’s “really excited” to play under Richardson and his hard-working approach.

Regardless, this is a significant crossroads for Toews and the Blackhawks organization. Considering his declining production and recent health issues, it could very well be that this is simply Toews’ last season playing in the NHL. Toews had just 37 points in 71 games last season, and even his half-retained cap hit of $5.25MM might be too hard to stomach for most interested teams. If Toews plans to either retire or sign elsewhere in free agency, Chicago risks ill-affordable poor asset management by not getting potential trade value in return for Toews.

With that said, it’s nearly impossible to predict when Toews’ trade value would be highest. Does Chicago bank on Toews having a rebound year, allowing them to get a higher return closer to the trade deadline, or do they trade him prior to the season in anticipation of declining value? It’s a delicate, tricky situation as all parties are concerned.

San Jose Sharks Hire David Quinn

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July 26: The Sharks have now made it official, announcing Quinn as their next head coach. Earlier in the day, Kevin Weekes of ESPN also reported that Calder Cup-winning coach Ryan Warsofsky will be interviewing with the team for an assistant position, after failing to land the head coaching job.

July 21: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the San Jose Sharks are “zeroing in” on former New York Rangers bench boss David Quinn to be their next head coach. While this is no confirmation that a deal between the two parties is done, it seems likely that Quinn will return to an NHL bench in 2022-23 with the Sharks.

Friedman reports that Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Spencer Carbery, who was reported as a candidate yesterday, and Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Mike Vellucci were finalists for the job.

Quinn has been out of an NHL job since the Rangers fired him shortly after the 2020-21 season, concluding a mediocre three-year run with the team. According to reports, Quinn was at one point the front-runner for the Boston Bruins’ vacancy this offseason before they opted to go with former Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery.

Those three seasons in the Big Apple comprise Quinn’s only NHL coaching experience aside from one season spent with the Colorado Avalanche as an assistant coach in 2012-13. Between 2013 and 2018, Quinn had a strong run as the head coach of the Division I program at Boston University.

He’s also represented USA Hockey as a coach at multiple international tournaments, including serving as their head coach for the 2022 Winter Olympics and World Championships. The USA failed to medal in either tournament.

This story will be updated as details emerge.

San Jose Sharks Linked To Spencer Carbery

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The San Jose Sharks are late to the head coaching search party. After firing Bob Boughner and his staff later into the offseason, most marquee coaching options are off the market, leaving the Sharks to get creative with their search. According to San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng, multiple sources confirmed to him that the team has interviewed Spencer Carbery for the open position.

Carbery spent 2021-22 as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was responsible for the team’s power play, which finished first in the league during the regular season. 40 years old, Carbery was named the AHL’s Coach of the Year in 2021, his last of three seasons as the head coach of the Hershey Bears. He also won the same award in the ECHL in 2014 during a five-year run as head coach of the South Carolina Stingrays. You might recognize them for being the team where Stanley Cup Champion coach Jared Bednar got his head coaching start.

Carbery would certainly help San Jose’s goal output if his time in Toronto is any indication. San Jose’s power play clocked in at 19% last season, 22nd in the NHL, while they scored just 211 goals in total, which was third-last. He could be the key to an offensive resurgence from players like Erik Karlsson and help get the most out of youngsters like William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau if they make the team.

Los Angeles Kings Add Jim Hiller To Coaching Staff

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The Los Angeles Kings have a new member of their coaching staff: Jim Hiller. The Kings announced that Hiller would be joining coach Todd McLellan’s staff and added that he would “primarily work with forwards” as well as “focus on the powerplay.” Hiller replaces former assistant Marco Sturm, who is now the coach of the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.

Hiller, 53, was let go by the New York Islanders earlier in the offseason, as part of the team’s transition to a largely new coaching staff led by Lane Lambert. Hiller’s strong body of work for the Islanders landed him “on the radar” of multiple teams with head coaching vacancies, including the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings, according to ESPN’s Kevin Weekes.

Prior to Hiller’s three-year tenure with the Islanders, he was an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and also spent 2014-15 as an assistant on Mike Babcock’s Detroit Red Wings staff. Hiller also has head coaching experience, as the head coach of the WHL’s Tri-City Americans and Chilliwack Bruins, who were later relocated to Victoria.

This is a bit of a return for Hiller, as he was drafted by the Kings as a player in 1989 and made his NHL debut with the team, playing 40 games for them in 1992-93 before being traded to Detroit.

Hiller will have his work cut out for him, as the Kings’ power play converted just 16.1% of its opportunities last season, a rate that ranked 27th in the NHL and worst among all playoff teams. The Kings have worked hard this summer to solve the issues on their power play, as seen by their trade for Kevin Fiala last month, and it appears that the addition of Hiller is part of that solution as well.

Detroit Red Wings Hire Jay Varady

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A rising coaching prospect has found his way back to the NHL, as Jay Varady has been hired by the Detroit Red Wings as an assistant for the upcoming season. Varady has spent the last few seasons as head coach of the Tucson Roadrunners, with a short stop as an assistant for the Arizona Coyotes during the shortened 2020-21 season.

It’s been an interesting path for the 44-year-old Varady, who made the transition to coaching soon after his playing days ended for Union College in 2000. After winning an NAHL championship after taking over the Pittsburgh Forge midseason, he went to the WHL where he joined the Everett Silvertips for seven seasons. Two years as a head coach in France followed before a return to North America to lead the Sioux City Musketeers, where he really established himself as a top coaching prospect.

One year with the Kingston Frontenacs was enough to lead to an AHL gig, and now the NHL, where he’ll serve under rookie head coach Derek Lalonde. In the next few years, it won’t be surprising when Varady’s name comes up in coaching searches around the league.

In a statement, the Coyotes announced that they will begin the search for a new AHL coach immediately, wishing Varady well with his new appointment in Detroit.

Snapshots: Tkachuk, Alberta Hockey Hall Of Fame, DiPietro

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With Johnny Gaudreau’s departure from the Calgary Flames organization, all eyes have turned to superstar Matthew Tkachuk and his future with the team. Currently, Tkachuk sits on the RFA market after unsurprisingly receiving a $9MM qualifying-offer from the Flames last week. Not much update has come since then on the 24-year-old’s situation until now, when it was revealed that Tkachuk declined to file for player-elected arbitration ahead of today’s deadline.

In light of the decision not to file, Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike believes the Flames will not elect arbitration on their end before tomorrow’s 5:00 pm ET deadline for teams to elect. Pike cites the fact that by doing so, the Flames would have to offer in arbitration, at the very least, the $9MM qualifying offer. Even still, the arbitrator in Tkachuk’s case could award a number higher than $9MM, perhaps the number Tkachuk were to file at, making arbitration all the more unpredictable at this point for Calgary. Not filing for arbitration will also keep the offer-sheet avenue open, which could pave the way to a long-term resolution for both player and team.

  • Two familiar names are set to be inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame this evening. Former NHL Head Coach Ken Hitchcock and former NHL goaltender and current Columbus Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations John Davidson will join alongside Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Bill Bucyk, Bob Clark, Dr. Randy Gregg, Jamie Macoun and the 1974-75 Lethbridge Native Sons.
  • According to CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, the Vancouver Canucks have given goaltender Michael DiPietro and his agent, Darren Ferris, permission to talk with other teams to help facilitate a trade for the goaltender (link). Once a heralded goaltending prospect out of the OHL, DiPietro has yet to live up to the expectations set for him when Vancouver drafted him in the third-round in 2017. The goaltender had a strong 2019-20, his first full pro season, but dealt with injuries and limited playing time in 2020-21. He would rebound in 2021-22, but still hasn’t been able to pull himself back to the blue-chip status he once had. Even if DiPietro could make a full turnaround, he’ll find the net in Vancouver considerably blocked by that of 26-year-old star netminder Thatcher Demko, who is signed through 2025-26. A key distinction with this permission to talk to other teams is not to negotiate a contract, much like Anthony DeAngelo was allowed to do earlier this offseason, but to help find a trade to a destination that will work for DiPietro, with the goaltender having already accepted his qualifying offer yesterday.

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