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January Calder Trophy Watch: Forwards

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The middle of the season is a common time for awards check-ins in the NHL, and for good reason. Enough sample size is under our belts to cross off some early-season hot and cold streaks, and it’s given some time for players to grow into impact roles for new teams.

That’s especially true with the Calder Trophy, tracking the best rookie in the league. Young players are especially susceptible to streakiness, for better or for worse. Many players’ seasons have evened out somewhat, and it’s as good a time as any to take a look at where things stand for a handful of top Calder Trophy candidates, this time at the forward position.

Forwards

Matthew Beniers, Seattle Kraken

Beniers stands as the clear front-runner for the Calder in most circles, and for good reason. He leads all rookies in goals (17) and points (36), and is playing serious minutes at 17:05 per game. He’s one point behind Andre Burakovsky for the Kraken lead in scoring, and he’s been a crucial part of Seattle’s improvement from basement dweller to playoff contender in 2022-23.

The 2021 second-overall pick was a “safe floor, unsure ceiling” type of player when he was drafted. With this kind of production so early in his career, Seattle can be optimistic that Beniers will hit his first-line center ceiling as his defense improves. He’s a poor 43.7% in the faceoff dot, but that’s been a problem for the entire Kraken squad, as they don’t have a single player over 50%.

Cole Perfetti, Winnipeg Jets

Along with the rest of the Jets, Perfetti is thriving offensively under head coach Rick Bowness. He had a solid seven points in 18 NHL games last season, maintaining his rookie status, but this season leads rookies with 20 assists.

While he has thrived playing with some of Winnipeg’s top talent, Perfetti’s point production is impressive in its own right. Very little of his scoring has come on the power play, he has just four points there. He’s sixth on the Jets in scoring, and while he isn’t receiving top minutes quite yet, nearly 15 minutes a night is still fine for a player his age. Look for his goal-scoring to improve throughout the season, too; he’s shooting at just 8.2%.

Mason McTavish, Anaheim Ducks

After a 2022 World Juniors for the ages, McTavish has transitioned well to the NHL on a struggling team. Anaheim’s systems have been a mess all season, but McTavish has still managed 27 points in 45 games and is drawing some tough matchups in the top six.

Used on and off at the center position, McTavish is scoring without much support. He’s third on the team in points and his -14 rating is actually one of the better ones on the team. Selected immediately after Beniers in 2021, it’s looking like an incredibly strong top-five from that class.

On the cusp: Matias Maccelli and Dylan Guenther (ARI), Kent Johnson (CBJ), Jack Quinn and John-Jason Peterka (BUF), Wyatt Johnston (DAL), Juuso Parssinen (NSH), Noah Cates (PHI)

Rick Bowness Still Dealing With COVID Symptoms

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As announced today by the team, Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness is still dealing with post-COVID symptoms after testing positive last week and will not be behind the bench for tonight’s game against the St. Louis Blues. Assistant coach Scott Arniel will once again resume coaching duties in Bowness’ absence.

Bowness first tested positive on October 14, missing the team’s season-opening game against the New York Rangers. He returned from COVID for just one game, a 4-1 loss Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The veteran head coach was feeling generally unwell today and cut his media availability short this morning due to dizzy spells.

The Jets are off to a 2-3-0 start to the season, limited in part due to a crucial injury to Nikolaj Ehlers. The Jets did outshoot the Leafs in Bowness’ lone appearance, but the team overall has scored 12 goals over the course of five games, one ahead of the last-place Blues who have played just three times. Arniel will need to focus on sparking depth scoring in his return to interim duties, as no forward outside of the team’s top six not named Sam Gagner has scored this year.

PHR sends its well wishes to Bowness in his recovery.

Snapshots: Bowness, Kings Staff Updates, Bieksa

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The Winnipeg Jets have announced that head coach Rick Bowness has tested positive for COVID-19. As a result of the test, Bowness will not be able to coach tonight’s season-opening game against the New York Rangers, and assistant coach Scott Arniel will assume head coaching duties in the interim during Bowness’ absence.

This news isn’t ideal for Bowness and the Jets, although it’s thankfully not a regular occurrence in the NHL as it used to be, nor is it the sort of development that could threaten to derail a season, as some COVID positives have been in the past. The Jets will afford Bowness the time he needs to get back to full health while Arniel takes the reins in the interim. Arniel, 60, was an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals for four seasons before joining Bowness’ staff this summer, and he has six years of head coaching experience on his resume split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:

  • The Los Angeles Kings announced updates to their hockey operations staff last night. Per the announcement, Nelson Emerson has been promoted to the position of Assistant General Manager, while Glen Murray has been promoted to Senior Director of Player Personnel. As Zach Dooley of L.A. Kings Insider writes, both executives have been “key right-hand men” for GM Rob Blake, meaning their promotions could be a response to the Kings’ encouraging 2021-22 season.
  • Former NHL defenseman Kevin Bieksa signed a ceremonial one-day contract with the Vancouver Canucks yesterday in order to retire with the team he spent most of his 808-game NHL career with. Bieksa, 41, is best remembered from his playing days as a hard-nosed, physical defenseman, and he is now most visible as a studio analyst on Sportsnet’s NHL broadcasts.

Blake Wheeler No Longer Captain Of Winnipeg Jets

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There have been rumors all offseason about big potential trades the Winnipeg Jets could make to change the dynamic of the team, and yet now with a few weeks to go before the season begins, not much has changed.

Today, however, the team did announce some interesting news regarding their leadership group. Blake Wheeler will no longer wear the captain’s “C” – in fact, no one will. New head coach Rick Bowness released the following:

It is the determination of the coaching staff that we will enter the 2022-23 season without a specific captain but rather a group of assistants still to be determined. It is our goal to expand the leadership base within our hockey team. We have high expectations for our core players and we want to provide them with the opportunity to step into those greater leadership roles as a group. 

Bowness and Wheeler will meet with the media together later this afternoon to discuss the situation.

The core of the Jets has remained intact over the offseason, with Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, Connor Hellebuyck, and Josh Morrissey still the group that drives the team, making at least $6MM each and signed through 2023-24 (at least). Pierre-Luc Dubois, as important a player on the ice as any other, has been surrounded by rumor since he made it clear that a long-term extension wasn’t on the table. Dubois is signed through this season and is an arbitration-eligible RFA in 2023 but could reach the open market the following summer.

Wheeler, Schiefele, and Hellebuyck are all scheduled for UFA status in 2024.

Morning Notes: DeBrincat, Staios, Bowness

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As the 2022 NHL Draft approaches, many eyes are on the Chicago Blackhawks with speculation running rampant over the future of young sniper Alex DeBrincat. It’s not often that a player has two 40-goal seasons under his belt by the time he’s 24, even rarer for that player to be available in trade. With the Blackhawks starting a scorched earth rebuild in Chicago though, DeBrincat could find his way out the door.

Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic believe that the Blackhawks would pull the trigger on a DeBrincat deal if they received the right offer, and suggest that could be a top-10 pick and a quality prospect. That may seem like a disappointing return to fans who are hoping for a franchise-altering haul for their young star.

  • Sixty-six points in 59 regular season games, an OHL championship, and a Memorial Cup final. It was a pretty nice season for undrafted defenseman Nathan Staios even before the personal awards. He was named both OHL Most Outstanding Defenseman and CHL Defenseman of the Year, giving him a nice platform to negotiate from as he tries to turn pro. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet notes that the Florida Panthers have shown some interest in the 21-year-old, who is the son of former NHL defenseman Steve Staios.
  • Not only does Rick Bowness have a two-year deal as the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, it includes a third-year option as well. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that it is a club option worth close to $3MM. Bowness, 67, is coming up on 40 years since he first stepped behind the bench with the Jets, joining the organization as an assistant in 1984 after his playing days ended there.

Winnipeg Jets Hire Rick Bowness

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July 3: The Winnipeg Jets have made it official via a release and Twitter announcement, naming Rick Bowness the eighth coach in Winnipeg Jets history and third since the team relocated from Atlanta. According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the contract is for two seasons at $2.5MM per season (link).

July 1: While one coaching vacancy was suddenly created today when San Jose parted ways with Bob Boughner, it appears another is about to close.  TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the Jets are in the process of finalizing an agreement with Rick Bowness to become their next head coach.

It will be a return to where it all began for the 67-year-old as his first NHL coaching job actually came with the original Jets franchise (now the Coyotes) all the way back in 1988-89 when he took over midseason.  Since then, Bowness has a long track record of coaching, both as a head coach and an assistant and Dreger notes that his experience was a big factor in Winnipeg’s choice.  Of course, they were previously linked to Barry Trotz, an experienced bench boss who ultimately declined their offer to take over so GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was clearly looking for someone that has run an NHL bench in the past.

Bowness most recently was head coach of Dallas where he spent parts of three seasons at the helm.  This past season, the Stars posted a 46-30-6 record, good for a points percentage of .598, their best since the 2015-16 campaign.  That was enough to get them into the playoffs as the top Wild Card seed in the Western Conference where they made it to the seventh game against Calgary in the opening round.  Despite that, the team saw fit to make a change behind the bench, ultimately installing Peter DeBoer as their new head coach after Bowness and the team mutually agreed to part ways.

Over his career, Bowness has a 212-351-76 record as an NHL head coach with stints with the Jets, Bruins, Senators, Islanders, Coyotes, and Stars.  It’s worth noting that his four seasons with the then-expansion Sens played a considerable role in making that mark as poor as it looks as Ottawa only won 39 of 235 games under his tutelage.

Assuming the contract does get finalized, Bowness will be taking over a Winnipeg team that was among the biggest underachievers in the league last season.  There is a strong forward core in place but Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, and Pierre-Luc Dubois have all been in trade speculation in recent weeks with the expectation that Cheveldayoff is looking to shake up his core.  Meanwhile, Connor Hellebuyck is coming off a tough year but is still only two years removed from winning the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie.  By going for an experienced head coach, it’s clear that there will be win-now expectations for Bowness and the Jets, no matter what winds up happening with their roster over the coming months.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rick Bowness Will Not Return As Dallas Stars Coach

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The Dallas Stars are the latest team to be on the hunt for a new head coach. They have officially announced that Rick Bowness, along with assistants Derek Laxdal, John Stevens, and Todd Nelson will not be back next season. Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News confirms goaltending coach Jeff Reese, video coach Kelly Forbes, and assistant video coach Matt Rodell will remain in their positions.

Bowness released a statement explaining the mutual parting:

After careful consideration with my wife Judy, we feel it’s best to step away and allow the organization the opportunity to pursue a different direction at the head coaching position. I’d like to thank all the passionate fans and the dedicated staff for their support and hard work in my time here. It has been an honor for me, and my family, to represent the Stars and the city of Dallas.

The 67-year-old coach has been behind an NHL bench more than any other coach in history, first becoming an assistant in 1984 with the Winnipeg Jets. His near 40-year coaching career in the NHL included stops in Winnipeg, Boston, Ottawa, New York, Phoenix, Vancouver, Tampa Bay, and Dallas, while also taking him through Sherbrooke, Moncton, and Maine in the AHL.

While his statement doesn’t confirm retirement, it does mean his time with Dallas is over, and the Stars will need to immediately begin the search for a new head coach.

After taking over during the 2019-20 season, Bowness took Dallas all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, and had an overall regular season record of 89-62-25 in parts of three seasons. The team was defeated in seven games in the first round this year.

Kevin Weekes of ESPN broke the news on Twitter. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Stars Notes: Klingberg, Bowness, Injuries

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As things currently stand, Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg is arguably the best defenseman set to be available in this summer’s free agent market. But according to Klingberg, he hopes he doesn’t get there. In today’s season-ending meeting with the media, Klingberg, who has been the subject of many trade rumors in the past, emphasized his desire to remain in Dallas, saying:

At the end of the day, I always want to stay here. We’ve been trying to find different ways to get it done. Year length, money-wise, just trying to get something we’re both happy with.

The factors that could potentially block a Klingberg return are the ones he mentioned, the cost and length of his extension. On May 7th, Stars GM Jim Nill said that he would love to keep Klingberg. But it may not be possible given the team’s cap situation and the other offers Klingberg could receive on the open market. The Stars already have Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, and Ryan Suter under contract for at least the next three seasons, and with extensions for Jake Oettinger, Jason Robertson, Denis Gurianov, and Roope Hintz to consider over the next two offseasons, it’s difficult to imagine that the Stars will be able to match the kinds of offers Klingberg could receive from elsewhere. So, despite the mutual interest in a return that was communicated today, it looks as though some serious creativity will be required if Klingberg is to remain with the only NHL team he has ever known.

Now, for some other notes regarding the Stars:

  • Stars head coach Rick Bowness coached this season on an expiring contract, a deal that has now ended thanks to the Stars’ defeat at the hands of the Calgary Flames. Per Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News, Bowness stated today that he would prefer a one-year contract at this stage of his career and that he may consider retirement if that’s the path he chooses to go down. Nill did praise Bowness’ work today, emphasizing that Bowness has “done a good job” in this 98-point campaign. He did also say, though, that they will need to “reassess everything.” So with both Bowness and Nill’s comments in mind, it’s certainly possible that the Stars join the multitude of teams seeking a new head coach this offseason.
  • On exit days across the NHL, it is common for the numerous injuries a team’s players have been playing through to be revealed publicly for the first time. The Stars’ end-of-season press conferences were no different, and we learned today of a multitude of ailments that Stars players were battling during the season. As relayed by Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, Tyler Seguin fractured his foot in Game One of the series, Hintz strained his oblique in Game Six, and Luke Glendening had a concussion and both knee and groin issues that would have kept him out on a week-to-week basis. While it’s certain that all three players would rather be taking on the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night, one small benefit of the Stars’ loss is that they now get to begin the recovery process in earnest.

Snapshots: Bowness, Power, Wheeler, LaCombe

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Earlier this month, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested that Stars head coach Rick Bowness had a team option for next season on his contract.  However, in his latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Friedman clarified that this is not the case; instead, his contract is simply expiring following this season.  Dallas finds itself right in the thick of the battle for one of the last playoff spots in the Western Conference and how they fare on that front will likely go a long way in shaping what direction the team wants to go.  That said, Bowness is 67 so there is a chance that he may not want to continue on in a top role anyway.  With no team option on his deal, there’s a real possibility that whatever direction they go winds up being a mutual decision.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • While Owen Power wasn’t in the lineup for the Sabres, the team plans to have the 2021 top pick make his NHL debut on Tuesday on Tuesday against Toronto, notes Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. That will allow the defenseman to get a full practice in with the team instead of going directly from Michigan to Buffalo’s lineup.  Power suggested he might get an opportunity to see some time on his off-side over their final few games as they will evaluate his ability to play on the right.
  • Jets winger Blake Wheeler won’t play in tonight’s game in Ottawa and is listed as doubtful for tomorrow in Montreal due to his upper-body injury, relays Jeff Hamilton of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). The captain has been quite productive since the start of February, collecting 34 points in 30 games and his absence certainly isn’t helping Winnipeg’s quickly-decreasing chances of getting into the final playoff spot in the West.
  • While the Ducks signed a key college prospect today when they inked Blake McLaughin, another of their NCAA prospects is still deciding whether he should turn pro or stay in school. Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports that defenseman Jackson LaCombe will likely need a few more days to decide if he’s going to return for his senior season with Minnesota.  The 21-year-old was a second-round pick of Anaheim back in 2019 (39th overall) and had 30 points in 39 games with the Golden Gophers this season.

West Notes: Stars, Martinez, Manson

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With the Stars having a particularly inconsistent season and being in a battle for a Wild Card spot, some have wondered about the futures of head coach Rick Bowness and GM Jim Nill.  Speaking with Saad Yousuf of The Athletic (subscription link), team owner Tom Gaglardi suggested that no firm decisions have been made either way:

“I think we went into this season and we thought we had a really good team and really expect this team to be solid in the playoffs. If that happens, Rick’s probably somebody we want to continue to build around. Past that, we don’t talk about those things. Summer will come when summer comes. We’ve just decided, we’re not talking about these things right now.

“We’re not talking about anybody’s contract. Let’s focus on the now and getting everything we can out of this season. The summer will come. There will be lots of time to take stock and decide which way we go. If there are changes to be made, we’ll make them then.”

A decision will need to be made on Bowness one way or the other as he’s in the final year of his contract while Nill is signed through the end of next season.  It appears that the way Dallas performs over the next few months will go a long way towards determining what direction they’ll go.

More from the West:

  • Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez isn’t quite ready to return from his upper-body injury, notes Jesse Granger of The Athletic (Twitter link). Vegas will have to activate him from LTIR in order to get him in the lineup which will likely in turn cause winger Max Pacioretty to be placed on there for the time being.  Granger adds that the lineup for tonight’s game isn’t finalized yet due to some COVID testing questions.
  • The Ducks announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Josh Manson suffered an upper-body injury in today’s game against Ottawa. He suffered the injury on a hard hit from Brady Tkachuk in the first period.  Manson, a pending unrestricted free agent, has six points in 42 games heading into today’s contest although he is second in the team in hits with 111.

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