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New York Islanders Fire Barry Trotz

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In a shocking move, the New York Islanders have relieved head coach Barry Trotz of his duties this morning, opening another vacancy behind the bench. Trotz had one year remaining on his contract and is owed $4MM next season.

It’s a surprising decision, given Trotz’ nearly universal praise as one of the league’s top head coaches, and the fact that the Islanders had made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in two of his four years behind the bench in New York. When speaking with the assembled media, general manager Lou Lamoriello indicated that he believes the group needed a new voice, and that it was his responsibility to make that change.

Trotz meanwhile will likely be receiving calls from basically every team in the league that has a coaching vacancy, though there perhaps are bigger goals on his agenda. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that some in the industry believe the veteran coach has an interest in taking on a management role at this point in his career.

What a career it has been for the 59-year-old bench boss. The first head coach in Nashville Predators history, he spent 15 years with the expansion club, taking them to the playoffs on seven different occasions and finishing with a 557-479-60-100 record. It was when he moved to the Washington Capitals in 2014 that things really heated up though, with Trotz winning at least a round in each of his four seasons with the team, and the Stanley Cup in 2018.

The summer following his championship, however, the Capitals and Trotz parted ways, leading him to their Metropolitan Division rivals in New York. Over four seasons with the Islanders, he posted a 152-102-34 record in the regular season and a 28-21 mark in the postseason.

Unfortunately, that success didn’t continue this year. The Islanders finished slightly above .500 but missed the playoffs by 16 points, after dealing with countless on and off-ice issues throughout the season. The team started on a long trip because their arena wasn’t ready, had a long COVID-19 shutdown because of a player outbreak, and dealt with injuries and inconsistency from many of their top players.

Now, as they move forward, it will be with a different voice behind the bench, despite bringing back many of the same voices on it. There’s an offseason for change, but the Islanders already signed names like Cal Clutterbuck, Ross Johnston, and Zach Parise to extensions during the season, and have basically their entire team locked up long-term. Whoever does take over will have the daunting task of getting better results from a similar group, unless Lamoriello makes some significant roster changes in the offseason.

If a team wanted to hire Trotz, they would have to cover part or all of his salary for next season, and likely sign him to another lengthy, expensive deal. That could rule out some markets, though the speculation over places like Winnipeg (his hometown), Detroit, or Chicago has already begun.

Charlie McAvoy Enters COVID Protocol, Will Miss Game Four

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In what could ultimately decide the result of their first round series, the Boston Bruins have announced that star defenseman Charlie McAvoy has been placed in the NHL COVID-19 Protocol and will not be available for Sunday’s Game Four match-up with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The news comes as an unforeseen, last-minute change, as head coach Bruce Cassidy told the media no more than an hour earlier that he expected no changes to the lineup in Game Four from Friday’s Game Three. McAvoy’s absence is very much a change in the lineup and one that the Bruins may not be able to withstand. As the Bruins look to even the series at two games apiece, they are now without their entire top pairing, as McAvoy joins Hampus Lindholm on the shelf. The defense pairs will shift upward accordingly, with Matt Grzelcyk and Brandon Carlo playing on the top pair, Game Three hero Derek Forbort and Connor Clifton playing on the second pair, and Josh Brown drawing in to the lineup alongside Mike Reilly on the third pair. It is a much different looking group without McAvoy and Lindholm and they will have their work cut out for them against a high-energy Hurricanes team.

The Bruins have to hope that they can somehow eek out a win in Game Four or at the very least can get McAvoy back for Game Five. Cassidy also stated that Lindholm too could return for Game Five. However, down 3-1 going back to Raleigh will not be ideal even at full strength. McAvoy averaged nearly 25 minutes of ice time per game this season and has been over 25 through three playoff games. That ice time alone will be extremely difficult to make up, but McAvoy also led all Boston defensemen in points, hits, and blocked shots. His absence cannot be understated – the Bruins will need all the luck they can get on Sunday.

Coaching Notes: Brown, Fohr, Nightingale

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For the first time in 28 years, Boston College’s men’s hockey program has had to find a new head coach. Jerry York, the program’s bench boss for nearly three decades and the winningest head coach in NCAA hockey history, announced his retirement from coaching on April 14th, and since then the Eagles have been searching for his successor. Today, they announced their choice. Greg Brown, one of York’s former assistants, was tapped for the role, and he will become just the fifth Boston College men’s hockey head coach in history. Brown has some NHL experience, having served as an assistant on David Quinn’s staff when Quinn coached the New York Rangers from 2018-2021. Brown had the following to say about his appointment:

I cannot be more excited to come back to Boston College, which has been such an important part of my life as a student-athlete, coach, and parent. I am truly honored to be named coach, and to succeed my coaching mentor and friend Jerry York. I can’t wait to begin this next chapter in my life and in the proud history of BC hockey.

Boston College had a tough 2021-22 campaign, going 15-18-5, but there is hope for a quick turnaround considering the program’s prior success. Brown saw that success closely, having been on York’s staff when the Eagles captured three NCAA championships in a five-year span from 2007-08 to 2011-12. Boston College also has NHL prospects currently on its roster, such as Aidan Hreschuk and Trevor Kuntar, so it’s possible the earliest barometer of Brown’s success will be how well those drafted prospects develop.

Now, for some other notes on coaching across the hockey landscape:

  • Some more coaching shuffling has occurred, as USA Hockey has cemented its new coach for the US National Team Development Program’s under-17 team, Nick Fohr. Fohr, 44, has been an associate coach at the USNTDP for the past five years, and comes into his role with some ringing endorsements. USA Hockey released statements about Fohr from numerous NHL sources, including stars he coached such as Zach Werenski and Charlie McAvoy. The NTDP role is about player development first and foremost, so if the names singing Fohr’s praises are any indication, he’ll do just fine with this new responsibility.
  • Fohr’s new opportunity comes by way of the departure of the USNTDP’s former under-17 head coach, Adam Nightingale. Nightingale left his post to become head coach at Michigan State, his alma mater. Michigan State is one of the more historic programs in NCAA hockey but has struggled in recent years to live up to its past. Nightingale has NHL experience, having worked on the coaching staff of the Detroit Red Wings from 2017-18 to 2019-20, and he has also worked for Michigan State in the past, serving as their director of hockey operations. Given the state of the program in recent years, Spartans fans have to hope that its Nightingale who can wake the sleeping giant that is Michigan State hockey.

Canucks Notes: Boudreau, Miller, Young Stars Classic

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With the Vancouver Canucks looking like a transformed team after swapping head coaches this season, it seemed unfathomable that the team wouldn’t be eager to extend Bruce Boudreau to a new contract. Yet, team general manager Jim Rutherford said today that the team isn’t willing to bring back Boudreau for longer than next season at this time. After a horrific start, the Canucks missed the playoffs by just five points and even recovered to post a positive goal differential on the season. However, it appears Rutherford wants to ensure this wasn’t a “flash in the pan” effect from Boudreau, as he did mention there were still areas of concern he had when watching the team this year. He’d like to see a full season under Boudreau before committing to him long-term with this core.

More out of the Canucks organization today:

Philadelphia Flyers Will Not Retain Mike Yeo As Head Coach

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10:00 am: At his media availability, Fletcher confirmed that Yeo will not be head coach next season. They will continue to speak with him over the next few weeks to determine if there is another place in the organization, though he is expected to interview for other positions around the league.

8:30 am: The Philadelphia Flyers are another one of the teams in the NHL with an interim coach after they fired Alain Vigneault partway through the year. Mike Yeo, who took over, has a long history with general manager Chuck Fletcher, dating back to their days together with the Minnesota Wild. Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be helping him in this case. Kevin Weekes of ESPN tweeted last night that the Flyers are expected to move on from Yeo, and Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer confirmed it this morning.

It certainly makes sense to bring in a new coaching staff, given the struggles of the Flyers this season. It’s not like things turned around after Yeo took over. In his 60 games behind the bench, the team went 17-36-7, finishing last in the Metropolitan Division and 29th in the league. They were 31st in goals for, 27th in goals against, 27th in penalty killing, and dead last on the powerplay. It was a brutal year to be a Philadelphia fan, and retaining Yeo–at least as head coach–never seemed to make much sense.

One might ask if Fletcher himself is in the crosshairs, though Flyers brass has made it clear that they will continue to back the front office executive for the time being. The general manager will meet with the media today to break down the season and discuss what changes will be made this offseason.

Yeo, meanwhile, will have to look for another job unless he is brought back as an assistant under the new head coach. Throughout his career, he has been given head coaching opportunities only to squander them with poor performances after some early success. In Minnesota, he helped the team to a 100-point season in 2014-15, and then was out partway through the next year. With the St. Louis Blues, he took the team to the second round and then somehow managed to miss the playoffs in 2018, even with a 44-32-6 record.

There is some evidence that he can be a successful head coach at the NHL level, but it obviously didn’t come in Philadelphia this season. His name will likely be included in some other coaching searches, though where he eventually ends up obviously still remains to be decided.

Bruce Boudreau Hoping To Return As Canucks Head Coach

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Though it had been trending this way for quite a while, Vancouver Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau made it very clear what his intentions are for next season. Boudreau has an option in his contract for next season, though it hadn’t been expressly stated that he even wanted to come back. Any debate was put to rest today, as he spoke with reporters during his end-of-year availability:

Listen I told Patrik (Allvin) and Jim (Rutherford) that I wanted to coach here next year. We’re just talking right now. Hopefully things get done, but I think they want me back, and I know I want to be back, so I think it should work out. 

While Boudreau failed in his bid to bring the Canucks all the way back to the playoffs, the work that he did do was incredibly impressive. The club was 8-15-2 when he took over in early December, last in the Pacific Division and so far from the playoffs that no one really expected them to even be competitive down the stretch. Then came the 2008 Jack Adams award winner, who found a formula that worked and led the Canucks to a 32-15-10 record. That .649 points percentage would have put the Canucks squarely between the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers league-wide, had it been the pace for the entire season.

That kind of record isn’t anything new for Boudreau either. The veteran coach has routinely led his teams to outstanding regular season success, and he sits right near the top of the all-time list in terms of winning percentage. It is of course the postseason where he has still struggled, with his clubs rarely even progressing past the first round. In 2015, the Boudreau-led Anaheim Ducks came within one game of the Stanley Cup Final, but he hasn’t even sniffed the second round since.

Still, the change in leadership–both behind the bench and in the front office–has breathed new life and optimism into the Canucks organization. Boudreau is a big part of that, and many will see a core that still has the likes of Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, and Thatcher Demko as a potential playoff candidate once again in the 2023-24 season.

Snapshots: Kadri, Housley, Rochester

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There was concern earlier today out of Colorado Avalanche camp, as forward Nazem Kadri was notably missing from practice with an undisclosed illness. Those concerns were calmed a bit with the confirmation that the illness was not in fact COVID-19, says Peter Baugh of The Athletic (link). According to Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post, who spoke to Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar, Kadri is still expected to be ready for Game 1 on Tuesday night (link).

Keeping Kadri in the lineup is key for the Avalanche as they head into the playoffs with eyes set on the Stanley Cup. As strong as their lineup is, Kadri plays a pivotal role as their second-line center, playing a 200-foot game and contributing plenty offensively. The forward just finished his best season to date, in which he compiled 28 goals and 59 assists in 71 games. Colorado is set to take on the Nashville Predators at home Tuesday night in Game 1 of the first round.

  • Staying out west, the Arizona Coyotes announced that they have mutually parted ways with Assistant Coach Phil Housley (link). Housley just finished the third year of a three-year contract he signed with Arizona in June of 2019. It’s unclear what the next step is for the Hall of Fame defenseman, who previously spent two seasons as the Head Coach of the Buffalo Sabres, but the 58-year-old should be able to find opportunities if he wants them, considering his lengthy resume on and off the ice. As for Arizona, it does not appear that any additional changes are coming to the coaching staff, outside of possibly replacing Housley, but first-year Head Coach Andre Tourigny has drawn very favorable reviews despite Arizona’s struggles.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced that they have reassigned forward Peyton Krebs and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson to the Rochester Americans of the AHL ahead of Rochester’s playoff series against the Belleville Senators. Both players, who were sent to Rochester on paper on March 21st, are eligible to compete for the team in the Calder Cup playoffs. The two have each spent time in Rochester and Buffalo this season and are viewed as key pieces of Buffalo’s future. For now, they will get valuable experience competing in professional playoff games.

Red Wings Will Not Bring Back Jeff Blashill Next Season

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Jeff Blashill’s contract as head coach of the Red Wings was set to expire at the end of this season and he will not be receiving another one.  The team announced that Blashill’s deal will not be renewed while Detroit is also parting ways with assistant coach Doug Houda and goaltending coach Jeff Salajko.

It’s the end of an era in Detroit as Blashill had been with the organization for more than a decade after joining them as an assistant coach back in 2011.  After a season in that role, he became the head coach at AHL Grand Rapids for three years before taking over as bench boss of the Red Wings back in 2015 following the departure of Mike Babcock to Toronto.

Blashill’s tenure behind the bench in Detroit got off to a good start as the Red Wings made the playoffs in his first season although they were ousted in five games in the opening round.  In the six seasons since then, however, they’ve yet to return to the postseason and have finished no higher than fifth in the division.  This season, the Red Wings posted a 32-40-10 record, good for sixth in the Atlantic Division but on a points percentage basis (.451), that was actually an improvement on his overall numbers at the helm of the franchise (204-261-72 for a .447 points percentage).  While rookies Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond both flourished in their first NHL season, their progress wasn’t enough for Blashill to keep his job.

There are no shortage of coaches out there for GM Steve Yzerman to consider.  If he wants a veteran bench boss, John Tortorella, Claude Julien, and Rick Tocchet could be considered.  Ben Simon, the current head coach in Grand Rapids, will likely garner consideration as well.  Meanwhile, Lane Lambert and Spencer Carbury are viewed as up-and-coming head coaches and could be options for Detroit, who will undoubtedly have other candidates in mind as well.

As for the departing assistant coaches, Houda had spent the past six seasons in that role with Detroit after serving as an assistant in Boston for ten seasons before that.  Salajko, meanwhile, also had been in his role for the last six years after being the goalie coach with the Griffins for three years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Martin St. Louis

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The Canadiens’ season was an incredibly difficult one, with the team falling from Stanley Cup Finalists in 2020-21 to last in the NHL in 2021-22. Longtime GM Marc Bergevin departed the post he had held for nearly a decade, and the team hired former Rangers GM Jeff Gorton and player agent Kent Hughes to lead their new era of hockey operations. While the Canadiens still managed to lose enough to finish dead last in the league, the arrival of Martin St. Louis as interim head coach injected some much-needed life and optimism to the team. Now as their season concludes, it looks as though St. Louis’ time as Canadiens coach is set to continue. As relayed by Sportsnet’s Eric Engels,  St. Louis “will be back” as the Canadiens’ coach next season, pending the completion of a contract with the Canadiens’ management team. In today’s exit interview, Hughes confirmed that sentiment, stating that there is “interest on both sides” that St. Louis returns and that an official deal would be “finalized soon.”

This should come as no great surprise, given the deep connections between St. Louis and the Canadiens’ new management team, but both St. Louis and the Canadiens’ brass had been cautious about sounding too committal on St. Louis’ future for these past few months. That has changed more recently, though. Speaking in an interview on the first intermission broadcast of last night’s TSN coverage of the Canadiens’ 10-2 victory over the Florida Panthers, Gorton made a firmer indication of his desire to have St. Louis return. Asked directly if St. Louis would return next season, Gorton said “I hope so,” and went further to elaborate on why he wants St. Louis back, stating that he is “a natural-born leader, he has a high energy, he’s got a passion for the game. He belongs in the game. We’re hopeful we can find a way to bring him back.”

Given the early returns of St. Louis’ time as the Canadiens’ coach, it isn’t difficult to see why the Canadiens’ top brass would be such big believers in his future as a coach. Under St. Louis, the Canadiens went 14-19-4, and although that record is not one to be proud of in a vacuum, within the context of the Canadiens’ season and given the state of the team he inherited, that’s a record that is worthy of commendation. But his record is not what is driving much of the optimism around St. Louis, though. The Canadiens were playing lifeless hockey late in the tenure of the previous coach Dom Ducharme, and it is the stylistic changes and changes in energy that St. Louis brought that is driving much of the excitement about his coaching future. Numerous Canadiens players saw their seasons revived under St. Louis, perhaps none more so than rookie Cole Caufield. Caufield was sitting at one goal when Ducharme was replaced and was widely considered to be one of the NHL’s bigger rookie disappointments. But under St. Louis, he has unlocked the upside that made him a top prospect and finished this season near the top of the NHL’s rookie goal-scoring race with 23 goals. He finished with 35 points in St. Louis’ 37 games coached, a pace of 77 points over the course of a full regular season. With that level of resurgence for one of the Canadiens’ most important players, along with other players’ seeing their seasons revived (such as Christian Dvorak, Jeff Petry, and Mike Hoffman), it seems as though the Canadiens’ group of players responds well to St. Louis’ style.

St. Louis has little formal coaching experience, and as a result, there will always be criticism of the Canadiens’ level of commitment to him so early in his coaching career. But his impact on the team is at this point undeniable, and with St. Louis returning, the 2022 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal, and the Canadiens potentially selecting one of the draft’s top players, this summer looks to be one of optimism for Canadiens fans.

Metropolitan Notes: Marchenko, Morehouse, Panarin, Copp

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It is only a matter of time now before prospect Kirill Marchenko officially signs with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Marchenko, 21, has finished his KHL season, as SKA St. Petersburg fell in the conference finals of the Gagarin Cup playoffs, and he isn’t wasting any time making his next move. While his contract does not officially end until April 30, like many of his SKA teammates Marchenko is already negotiating his next deal. Russian source Sport Express reports that Marchenko will soon sign his two-year entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets. The 2018 second round pick is coming off a 20-point KHL season, finish fifth for St. Petersburg in scoring – a notable feat for a player of his age in a league with many accomplished veterans. A big, rangy winger with a goal scorer’s mentality, Marchenko figures to be yet another young impact player next season for a Columbus team that will have Yegor Chinakhov, Cole Sillinger, and Kent Johnson up front as well.

  • After 16 years on the job and contributing to three Stanley Cup titles, Pittsburgh Penguins CEO David Morehouse has stepped down, the team announced. The Penguins’ release states that Morehouse made the decision himself, though the move comes not long after the team was sold to the Fenway Sports Group which may have played a role. Morehouse, a Pittsburgh native, joined the team in 2007 to spearhead the arena construction project that became Consol Energy Center and now PPG Paints Arena. Not only did Morehouse oversee the construction of the arena, but played a key role in filling the seats as well. Morehouse played a role in a number of strategic initiative and capital projects that have taken advantage of the Penguins’ lengthy stretch of consistent success to help build one of the NHL’s most valuable franchises.
  • Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp both left Tuesday night’s game between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes due to injury, but head coach Gerard Gallant was adamant that these were precautionary measures. He told NHL.com’s Dan Rosen that both would have returned if it was a playoff game. There is reason to be skeptical of these comments though. First, last night’s game was virtually a playoff game; the Rangers faced the Hurricanes in a must-win for New York if they hoped to take the division crown from Carolina. Even more interesting though was the Rangers’ lineup for tonight’s game. New York understandably kept a number of starters in the press box for the contest with Tuesday’s loss cementing their playoff position. However, rather than listed as a health scratch like the rest, Panarin and Copp were listed as injured. Rosen reports that Panarin is out with an upper-body issue and Copp with a lower-body issue. In case this ends up being a strategic move by the Rangers to downplay these injuries ahead of a seven-game series, the health of Panarin and Copp bears watching.

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