Eastern Notes: Cooper, Sabourin, Atkinson
With the recent firing of Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock, many eyes have turned to the Tampa Bay Lightning who are also struggling in the Atlantic Division. The Lightning are currently in seventh place, even behind the Ottawa Senators. They are only ahead of the Detroit Red Wings.
Regardless, in his most recent mailbag, The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) suggests that while Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas didn’t hire Babcock in Toronto, that isn’t the case in Tampa Bay, where Julien BriseBois did hire Cooper to be his AHL coach years ago and now the team’s NHL coach. The two have a long-standing relationship and won an AHL championship together, much like the relationship between Dubas and newly promoted head coach Sheldon Keefe.
The scribe writes that because of the long-standing relationship between BriseBois and Cooper, a poor start to the season won’t change things.
- The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Ottawa Senators forward Scott Sabourin returned to the ice Saturday for an informal skills development session, but there is still no timetable for his return. Sabourin suffered a concussion, broken nose and an ugly cut near his eye when he was knocked out in a significant collision with David Backes on Nov. 2. Garrioch writes that Sabourin isn’t expected to return to the lineup anytime soon, but he has been skating on his own recently.
- The Athletic’s Aaron Portzine (subscription required) gives first quarter grades out for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division with a 9-8-4 record. While the scribe has lots of praise for some of the young players and goaltenders, the veterans weren’t as lucky. He is quick to criticize the play of Cam Atkinson, who has struggled offensively with just four goals and 13 points this season. Atkinson, however, is known to be a streaky scorer, so the veteran could find a way to bounce back and return as one of the team’s top scorers. However, Atkinson would likely have given himself a worse grade as he admitted that he is “embarrassed” by his recent play.
Snapshots: LeBreton Flats, Backes, Gelinas
It has been a refreshing change of pace lately to see the Ottawa Senators performing well, winning seven of their last ten games and reaching .500 on the year – a mark they never hit again last year after the sixth game of the season. Their success on the ice is not only a shift from the results over the past year plus, but also serves as a distraction from the continued concern over the team’s ownership issues and fiscal future. A new report today though will bring those problems back into focus.
The Kanata-based club has long desired a downtown Ottawa location for a new arena. The Senators rank dead last in the NHL so far this year in capacity percentage attendance, as they did in 2018-19 as well, and only part of that can be attributed to their play, while their inconvenient location also play a key role. The closest the team has come to finding a new home has been the LeBreton Flats development, an urban development project under the oversight of the National Capital Commission (NCC). At one point, the NCC was working closely with the RendezVous LeBreton Group, led by Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. However, last December the NCC terminated their relationship with the RendezVous LeBreton Group amidst legal turmoil between Melnyk and his business partners and in February confirmed that their bid would not be considered. Yet, the NCC maintained that their plans for the project would be whatever best served the people of Ottawa, leaving open the possibility that an NHL arena could remain in the plans as a rental opportunity for the Senators. However, CTV Ottawa reports today that the LeBreton Flats development plan has finally been made public, and an NHL arena is not currently planned. There is space for a “sports complex” at the LeBreton Place location, but the likelihood of the Senators moving to the area looks doubtful at best at this point in time. This comes as another setback for the organization and yet another blow for a fan base with a growing resentment for ownership and management.
- The Boston Bruins plan to take their time with getting veteran forward David Backes back on the ice for game action. Per WEEI’s Matt Kalman, head coach Bruce Cassidy was happy to see Backes take part in morning skate on Saturday for the first time in several weeks, but wanted to temper expectations of an upcoming return. “Once you’ve had a few head injuries, you got to be really careful,” Cassidy stated, “we don’t need to rush anybody back right now, no matter who it is, especially in this situation. So, yes we’re being as careful as we need to be.” Backes, who has a history of concussions over his long NHL career, suffered yet another in a collision with Ottawa Senators forward Scott Sabourin earlier this month. Until now, he had only been training off-ice and skating by himself before or after practice and, as Cassidy warned, his non-contact participation in morning skate today does not indicate that he is ready to jump right back into the mix. Backes was only a part-time player for the Bruins even prior to his injury, so they will continue to be patient with the 35-year-old and wait for the proper time to bring him back.
- Eric Gelinas’ days in the NHL are likely over, but his hockey career continues overseas. The 28-year-old defenseman last played in the league in 2016-17 and left North America ahead of the 2018-19 campaign. After beginning last season with HC Slovan Bratislava of the KHL, Gelinas jumped over to Rogle BK of the SHL to finish the year, signing a contract through this season. However, with things going well in Sweden, Rogle announced that they have extended Gelinas through the 2021-22 season. With eight points in 15 games, Gelinas is doing well for himself offensively, even if he is only third among Rogle defensemen in scoring. More so, the team values his aggressive style and defensive ability and leadership. The former Devil and Avalanche defender has found a nice fit in the SHL and will continue to star in the league into his early thirties and possibly longer.
Atlantic Notes: Bruins Defense, Senators, Cozens, Taylor
The Bruins have received some good news and some bad news on the injury front when it comes to their back end. The team announced (Twitter links) that defenseman Torey Krug will return tonight after missing the past five games with an upper-body injury. Despite missing those games, he still leads the team in points by a defender with 13 in 17 contests. Meanwhile, John Moore is now participating in practices with a full contact jersey but is still a couple of weeks away from returning from the shoulder issue that has caused him to miss the entire season so far.
However, Kevan Miller has suffered a small setback and head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated they’ll be cautious with the blueliner. Miller has missed the entire year so far with a lower-body issue and even if this is a minor setback, it only will further delay his season debut.
More from the Atlantic:
- Ottawa’s defensive depth has been tested considerably over the last few days and accordingly, it should come as little surprise that they’re looking to add a blueliner via trade, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He notes that GM Pierre Dorion has been on the lookout for help on the back end for basically a month now. The Senators are off to a relatively strong start compared to their preseason expectations and at some point, the focus could shift from adding a depth veteran or two to trying to target more of an impact player that can be a factor beyond this season as well.
- Although the Sabres are quickly running out of forwards to recall from the minors (they only have two healthy ones that are on NHL deals), head coach Ralph Krueger told reporters, including Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald, that they are not considering recalling center Dylan Cozens from the WHL. As they have just 11 healthy forwards on the roster, they are in emergency conditions which makes a recall possible but it appears they don’t want to give him a look at this time. In the meantime, they’ll eagerly await the returns of centers Marcus Johansson and Johan Larsson who are both listed as day-to-day.
- Still with Buffalo, the team announced (Twitter link) that coach Chris Taylor will return to AHL Rochester to resume his duties as the bench boss of the Americans. He had been up with the Sabres while assistant coach Don Granato was dealing with a severe case of pneumonia, one that caused him to miss the last seven weeks.
Snapshots: Laviolette, Gaudreau, Capitals
With the first coaching change of the season in the books, speculation has quickly turned to which team will be the next to make a move. A popular speculative choice has been Nashville as the Predators have won just two of their last ten games and are only two points ahead of last place Los Angeles in the Western Conference.
However, head Peter Laviolette told reporters, including Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean, that he hasn’t been given any indication from management that his job could be on the line or that he feels any extra pressure at all to turn things around. Considering that the Predators are built to win now though, that could change if their struggles continue and GM David Poile isn’t able to swing a trade to try to shake up the roster first.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Johnny Gaudreau’s struggles have led some to suggest that the Flames should consider moving the winger. Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic details (subscription required) the reasons why they shouldn’t be doing so, highlighted by the fact that making an in-season deal of that type of magnitude is extremely difficult to pull off while still getting full value in return. After scoring three times in his first five games, he has just two in 20 contests since then. Nonetheless, he still sits second on the team in scoring despite his struggles.
- The Capitals have had to turn to some extreme measures to stay cap-compliant in the early going this season. Eventually, they will need to free up a bit of salary room as they won’t be able to just rely on LTIR the rest of the way. However, it’s going to be easier said than done. J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington highlights winger Richard Panik and defenseman Nick Jensen as possible candidates given their contracts but also points out the complications for moving both of them. Panik’s contract (four years at $2.75MM) is a tough one given his lack of production while Jensen would leave them with a hole on the right side of their back end that they can’t fill internally. Accordingly, whether it’s one of them or someone else, GM Brian MacLellan is going to have a tough decision to make once Carl Hagelin comes off LTIR early next month.
Calgary Flames Not Looking At Coaching Changes
The Calgary Flames are mired in a six-game losing streak and are now only ahead of the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division. That’s a far cry from the team that won the Western Conference last season by six points, going 50-25-7. Still, even though the team has faced adversity this season and some are speculating about big changes, GM Brad Treliving isn’t considering one. On Sportsnet radio today, Treliving put his faith in the current group:
This is a good group that is underperforming. We’ve got to find a way to get back to a being a good group that is performing. It starts with myself. I believe fully in this coaching staff. I don’t stay in tune to the social media world, but the last couple of days I’ve been asked about changes.
The coaches aren’t going anywhere. Our top players aren’t going anywhere. While the outside world wants to—and rightly so—count us out, this is when you bunker in and get into the foxhole and try to make your team better.
Not only has there been speculation about the coaching staff, but the top players on Calgary have taken their fair share of criticism. Johnny Gaudreau has 18 points through 25 games but just one assist in his last six, while Sean Monahan has scored just five goals all season. This statement from Treliving should calm the trade speculation waters, but there is still a lot of work to be done in Calgary to get them back to contending.
It is interesting that he specified the “top players” aren’t going anywhere, which will leave room for some continued talk about other names like Travis Hamonic. The defenseman is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and has shut down any extension talks, making his a tricky situation to navigate. If the team is not contending for a playoff spot by the deadline, it might make sense to cash in an asset like Hamonic to improve their future.
Treliving also announced that T.J. Brodie would be rejoining the team on their current road trip, but he is still not cleared to play since his collapse at practice recently.
Poll: Where Will Mike Babcock Coach Next?
When Joel Quenneville was fired by the Chicago Blackhawks on November 6th, 2018, many across the hockey world were stunned. One of the most decorated coaches in the history of the NHL was thrown aside in favor of Jeremy Colliton, a second-round pick and journeyman player who had found new life in coaching but had no experience at the NHL level. Quickly, countless stories were written about how Quenneville could take his time and decide what was next for his career, knowing that someone would give him a job whenever he felt ready to get back behind the bench. That opportunity presented itself five months later when he was hired by the Florida Panthers and given a hefty, five-year contract.
Earlier this week, just over a year after Quenneville found himself watching Blackhawks games from ski chalets instead of the United Center bench, Mike Babcock experienced a similar career moment. The Toronto Maple Leafs decided to move on from their experienced coach in favor of Sheldon Keefe—a second-round pick and journeyman player who had found new life in coaching but had no experience at the NHL level.
Babcock can now enjoy the slopes himself while the Maple Leafs try to turn things around, knowing that he too will have jobs waiting for him in the NHL whenever he decides to return to the coaching arena.
One thing is different between the two men and their situations (other than the number of Stanley Cups they’ve won as head coaches, which Quenneville leads 3-1) however, and that is the money left on their remaining contract. In Quenneville’s case, the Blackhawks still owed him the remainder of his $6MM salary for 2018-19 and another $6MM for 2019-20. For another team to hire him, they would have to work out an agreement with the Blackhawks to cover either that entire salary or part of it.
In Babcock’s case however, things are a little more complicated. The former Maple Leafs’ bench boss had three more years on his deal after this one, and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that each of those seasons carried a salary of $5.875MM. That’s a lot of money and term to still owe a coach that isn’t working for you any longer, and something that could make Babcock’s future employment a little tricky. The Maple Leafs could potentially tell an interested team that they want them to take on the whole deal, which is an amount that many wouldn’t be able (or willing) to afford.
The first team that comes to everyone’s mind is the Seattle expansion club, which doesn’t need a head coach until the 2021-22 season. Babcock could take some time to enjoy the unemployed life before being able to set the culture for a brand new franchise. That would mean watching all of next season from the sidelines though. His intentions aren’t clear at this point.
Where do you think he will end up, and when? Cast your vote for the team below, and make sure to explain your thoughts in the comments.
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Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Justin Schultz, Nick Bjugstad Out Long-Term
The Pittsburgh Penguins can’t catch a break. The team has announced that Nick Bjugstad underwent core muscle surgery and will be out at least eight weeks, after head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters it would be “longer-term” earlier this week. That’s exactly the way he has now also described the injury to Justin Schultz, who suffered a lower-body injury and will be out “longer-term.” If there is a sliver of good news to be had, Patric Hornqvist has been activated from injured reserve.
It’s been a disastrous season so far for the Penguins, who have now lost Hornqvist, Bjugstad, Schultz, Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang for long stretches. That’s the core of their group, but somehow they’ve still managed to put up a 11-7-3 record.
While losing Bjugstad hurts, it’s likely not nearly as painful as seeing Schultz go out for any length of time. The 29-year old was hoping for a big bounce-back season after missing a huge part of 2018-19, and he was off to a good start. Schultz had eight points in 21 games and was logging nearly 21 minutes a night for the Penguins.
Nashville Predators To Scratch Kyle Turris Again
The Nashville Predators are one of a handful of teams in the NHL that were expected to be Stanley Cup contenders this season but are struggling to even string two wins together. The team is now on a five-game losing streak that includes blowout losses against the Colorado Avalanche (9-4) and Chicago Blackhawks (7-2), both division rivals ahead of them in the standings.
Just like the other teams making changes to try and spark their clubs, the Predators decided to make Kyle Turris and his $6MM cap hit a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets. Turris will sit out again tonight when the Predators take on the Vancouver Canucks for the second time in four games, with Mathieu Olivier staying in the lineup on the fourth line.
It was Turris who was labeled as a potential difference maker for the Predators when they acquired him just two years ago. Nashville GM David Poile got involved in a three-way trade that saw Matt Duchene go from Colorado to Ottawa, flipping young defenseman Samuel Girard and forward prospect Vladislav Kamenev to the Avalanche in the process. Turris immediately signed a six-year, $36MM contract extension with the Predators and was set to become the team’s long-term answer in the middle of their second line.
Turris had after all just posted a 27-goal campaign with the Senators and was off to a quick start in the 2017-18 season. After arriving in Nashville things went well for a while—the veteran center had 17 points in his first 17 games as a Predator—but by the time the playoffs rolled around his ice time had already been reduced. Turris averaged fewer than 16 minutes a night in the 2018 postseason, a sign of things to come.
Last season was an absolute disaster, with just seven goals and 23 points to his name in an injury-shortened campaign. This season even when he does play, Turris’ ice time has been extremely limited and his responsibility almost completely removed.
Who has filled that second-line center role that Turris was penciled into when he arrived? Well it’s none other than Duchene, who arrived in Nashville through free agency less than two years after the Predators were involved in that three-way trade. Duchene was given a huge contract in the summer to be the running mate down the middle for Ryan Johansen, as Poile and head coach Peter Laviolette decided that Turris wasn’t cutting it.
Scratching such a hefty contract for two straight games is a clear sign that the Predators are ready to move on. Turris’ name has been out there in trade speculation for some time, but getting any sort of value back at this point seems impossible for Nashville. With four more years (after this one) at a $6MM cap hit, Turris is just too expensive for most teams to take on, especially not knowing exactly what he can offer them right now.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Columbus Blue Jackets Hire Paul MacLean
The Columbus Blue Jackets have added another experienced hand to the coaching staff, hiring Paul MacLean as an assistant for the rest of the season. MacLean will join head coach John Tortorella‘s staff to help out the Blue Jackets’ special teams specifically. GM Jarmo Kekalainen released a statement on the hiring:
I’ve always said that we look at every opportunity to make our team better and adding a veteran coach with a winning pedigree like Paul MacLean to a staff that has led us to three-straight appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs does just that.
This isn’t the first time Kekalainen has added a coach during the season. In January of this year the team hired Martin St. Louis as a powerplay consultant, hoping to spark the Blue Jackets with the man advantage and add an extra set of eyes as they tried to compete in the Metropolitan Division. Bringing in MacLean is a similar move, even if he does come with quite a bit more experience.
A Jack Adams Award winner in 2013 with the Ottawa Senators, MacLean also won the Stanley Cup as an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008. He has spent more than a decade behind NHL benches, though his last coaching position came in 2016-17.
The Blue Jackets, who are currently 8-8-4 on the season, lag far behind league average in both the powerplay (where they rank 24th) and penalty kill (22nd).
Toronto Maple Leafs Fire Mike Babcock
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Mike Babcock and replaced him with Sheldon Keefe. Keefe had been coaching the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Team president Brendan Shanahan released a statement on the move:
Today, we made the decision to relieve Mike Babcock of his coaching duties and named Sheldon Keefe our new head coach. Over parts of the last five seasons, Mike has played an integral role in changing the direction of our franchise.
Mike’s commitment and tireless work ethic has put our organization in a better place and we are extremely grateful and appreciative of the foundation he has helped us build here.
At this time, we collectively felt that it was best to make a change to Sheldon Keefe. Sheldon’s record with the Marlies in terms of development and on-ice success during his time in our organization has compelled us all to feel that he is the right person to take us to the next stage in our evolution.
Technically, Babcock has only been relieved of his duties as coach and is still under contract with the Maple Leafs. That eight-year, $50MM contract was the biggest deal ever given to an NHL coach and still has three more seasons on it. Babcock will likely be allowed to pursue other opportunities, but compensation for coaches (or executives) is no longer a part of the CBA.
Originally hired in May, 2015, Babcock was tasked with turning around a franchise that hadn’t shown much promise for years. In his first season the team tore apart the roster and sunk to the very bottom of the league, securing the first-overall pick, Auston Matthews, in the process. After that things trended upwards very quickly, with Matthews and the rest of their rookie class—including Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Zach Hyman and Connor Brown—sneaking the team into the playoffs where they valiantly battled the top seeded Washington Capitals.
Two consecutive years of first-round disappointment followed against the Boston Bruins however, with Babcock struggling to find an answer for Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. After sweeping changes to the defense corps this summer, things were going even worse.
Toronto has lost six consecutive games and enter tomorrow’s game against the Arizona Coyotes with a 9-10-4 record, something unacceptable for a group that includes three of the highest-paid forwards in the league. New captain John Tavares and Mitch Marner have both been out of the lineup due to injury, but the defense has been even worse than before even with the addition of Tyson Barrie.
Keefe will take over that underperforming roster in his first stint behind an NHL bench, but comes as perhaps the most decorated coaching prospect in hockey. Once a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning and veteran of 125 NHL games as a player, Keefe took to coaching after an early retirement and has found success at every level.
A four-time CJHL champion as head coach, GM and owner of the Pembrooke Lumber Kings of the CJHL, Keefe was actually given his first job in the CHL when now-Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas was running the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He was named CHL coach of the year in 2015, before joining the Marlies and leading them to a Calder Cup championship in 2018.
Now, with all the pressure that comes as head coach of the Maple Leafs, Keefe will get a chance to show he is ready for the NHL. The organization better hope he is, as they need wins now if the playoffs are still a realistic goal.