Colorado Avalanche – Page 214

Avalanche Invite Rene Bourque To Training Camp

By Brian La Rose | at August 25, 2016 4:50 pm

Shortly after hiring Jared Bednar as their new head coach earlier today, the team has added free agent winger Rene Bourque on a tryout deal, reports James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail.

Bourque played in just 49 games with Columbus last season, picking up a career low three goals and five assists while logging just 10:27 per game so it’s no surprise that he has to go for the PTO route to try to secure an NHL deal for next year. He earned $2.5MM in salary last season in the final year of a front loaded six year, $20MM contract.

Bourque has played in 660 career NHL games between the Blue Jackets, Ducks, Canadiens, and Flames, picking up 151 goals and 147 assists. The Avs have four forwards at the World Cup (Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Carl Soderberg) so Bourque should have a chance to get into several preseason games to make his case for a full-time roster spot.

[Related: Updated Avalanche Depth Chart]

Bourque is now the 11th player to receive a training camp tryout. Keep tabs on all of the invites with our Invite Tracker.

0 comments Colorado Avalanche Newsstand Rene Bourque

Avalanche Choose Bednar As New Head Coach

By Glen Miller | at August 25, 2016 1:15 pm

Colorado has named veteran minor league head coach Jared Bednar to replace Patrick Roy in the same capacity with the Avalanche. The timing of Roy’s resignation put the Avalanche in a bind as most organizations had already filled their coaching staffs – both at the NHL and minor league levels – and would understandably have been hesitant to potentially lose a quality coach to Colorado this late in the summer. Still, the Avalanche had several good candidates to choose from and clearly decided Bednar would be the best fit.

Bednar spent the last two seasons as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets AHL affiliates, winning the Calder Cup this year with the Lake Erie Monsters. He also served two years as head coach of the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen from 2010 – 2012. Overall, Bednar has 14 years of professional coaching experience.

This will be Bednar’s first NHL head coaching gig but he had already been identified as one of the top young up-and-comers in the industry. Columbus had rewarded Bednar for his work by giving the 44-year-old coach a two-year extension earlier this summer. Now they’ll have to replace the coach who so recently led their AHL team to a Calder Cup championship.

Other candidates linked to the opening and considered potential finalists along with Bednar were Washington assistant Lane Lambert and Blackhawks assistant Kevin Dineen.

Avalanche executive vice president and general manager, Joe Sakic, had this to say about the hiring of Bednar:

“After profiling the type of coach I wanted for our team and going through an interview process with several good candidates, I believe that Jared Bednar is the best person to lead this team behind the bench. Jared’s track record of success as a head coach in the American Hockey League speaks for itself and he is considered to be one of the top up-and-coming coaches in our business.”

Roy would spend three years as head coach of the Avalanche and won the league’s Jack Adams award for top coach following his first season with the club after leading the team to a 52 – 22 – 8 record. Colorado would make the playoffs that year, losing in the first round, but it would be the only postseason appearance with Roy at the helm. The Avalanche would post a 78 – 70 – 16 record over the last two seasons. Roy, who also served as a VP of hockey operations, evidently left the team due to philosophical differences with the front office.

Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reports that Bednar received a three year contract. Financial terms have not been disclosed.

0 comments AHL Coaches Colorado Avalanche Columbus Blue Jackets Joe Sakic Newsstand

Snapshots: Avs; Torres; NHL Rookies

By Mike Furlano | at August 23, 2016 6:29 pm

News and notes from around the NHL:

The Colorado Avalanche have completed interviewing for their recent head coach vacancy, reports the Denver Post’s Mike Chambers, and expect to name a coach as early as Wednesday. Patrick Roy, the former head coach, abruptly quit this summer leaving Colorado with few options before training camp began. Two significant candidates have emerged, according to Terry Frei and Mike Chambers of the Denver Post: Kevin Dineen and Bob Boughner. Dineen is currently the Chicago Blackhawks Assistant Coach, and Bougher is the San Jose Sharks Assistant Coach. Bougher also played with Colorado GM Joe Sakic before the 2005 lockout for two seasons.
Raffi Torres told The Province writer John Matisz that he plans to retire if he does not make an NHL club. Raffi admitted that he does not have a back-up plan, and that it is “probably The Show or no.” Torres last held a job with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, but never stepped on the ice. He last played in the 2015 preseason where he blindsided Jakob Silfverberg and garnered a 41-game suspension. Suspensions and league discipline have dogged Torres throughout his career, and it is unlikely a team takes a chance on the Toronto-native. Torres has been on numerous NHL rosters throughout his career, with stops on the Islanders, Oilers, Blue Jackets, Sabres, Canucks, Coyotes, Sharks, and Maple Leafs.
The NHLPA announced its roster for its annual NHLPA Rookie Showcase today and it has significant omissions. Only two players—Pierre-Luc Dubois and Matthew Tkachuk—are from the 2016 draft class. Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine are not participating, despite all top-three picks participating last year. Nevertheless the showcase isn’t a serious event. It functions more as a photo-op for Upper Deck and contains a end-of-showcase scrimmage.

0 comments Colorado Avalanche Raffi Torres

Portzline’s Latest: Columbus Coaches, Dubois, PTOs

By Gavin Lee | at August 23, 2016 1:30 pm

Among one of the best at hiding interesting nuggets of information in his columns, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch has released his latest Truths & Tidbits piece. In it, he goes through a bunch of smaller stories on the Columbus Blue Jackets as the season creeps closer. It’s worth a closer read, but here are the highlights:

With the Colorado coaching vacancy still unfilled, the Avalanche seem to be targeting current and former Jackets coaches. Kevin Dineen, Bob Boughner, Jared Bednar have all been linked to the opening and have ties to the Columbus organization. Portzline posits that Av’s AGM Chris McFarland might have something to do with it, as he formerly held the same position with Columbus.
The bulk of the post is dedicated to looking back at former drafts, and seeing if the Blue Jackets’ decision to draft Pierre-Luc Dubois third overall instead of Jesse Puljujarvi, the expected pick, was justified. The most interesting tidbit out of this is that back in 2005 Columbus actually had Anze Kopitar ranked as their #3 prospect, ahead of their eventual selection Gilbert Brule (who they had ranked in the 6-8 range). The Jackets would go with Brule at #6 instead of Kopitar (who dropped to the Kings at #11) because of the view that the Slovenian was a less conventional pick. “I’m not drafting a kid who pushes rocks up a mountain and jumps over milk crates and calls it training” is a quote from Doug MacLean, then-GM of the Jackets on why he passed on Kopitar. Brule had just 95 points in his NHL career before heading to the KHL, while Kopitar has collected 684 across his 764 career games, while widely being thought of as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL.
Portzline also mentions that the Blue Jackets are not expected to extend any PTOs to camp this fall. “We’re pretty full already” says GM Jarmo Kekalainen. Keep up with who has been given tryouts around the league here, with our PTO tracker.

Latest On Avalanche Coaching Search

By Gavin Lee | at August 23, 2016 9:14 am

After the unexpected departure of Patrick Roy earlier this month, the Avalanche have been scrambling to try and find a head coach prior to the beginning of training camp. While Joe Sakic has previously said that the current assistants are not options, many have speculated on other names around the league. As Terry Frei of the Denver Post reports, the Avalanche are considering two more well known names in Bob Boughner and Kevin Dineen.

Boughner finished his 10-year NHL career in Colorado, playing 41 games for the club in 2005-2006. Immediately afterwards he was given the head coaching job with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, and quickly turned around a struggling franchise. The team won two championships under his leadership, in just his third and fourth years coaching. Boughner spent last season on the bench with the San Jose Sharks, and has always been considered a strong leader. During the 2004-05 lockout, Boughner was selected to serve as NHLPA vice-president by his peers and is seen as a natural fit on the bench.

A little more experience comes in the form of Dineen, who previously held the head coaching job with the Florida Panthers and Portland Pirates of the AHL. Dineen is currently an assistant for the Chicago Blackhawks, and is a “major candidate” according to Frei.

The other name that Frei mentions, is that of Jared Bednar. We already heard the name of the Cleveland Monsters’ head coach in relation to the opening. Bednar led the Monsters to the Calder Cup last season, and has yet to crack an NHL coaching staff.

Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch also chimes in on the search, telling us that Scott Arniel, a former Blue Jackets head coach and current assistant with the New York Rangers has not been granted an interview and thus is not a candidate for the opening. It’s going to be a tough process for the Avalanche, as most of the experienced candidates have already found positions with other clubs.

0 comments AHL Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche Columbus Blue Jackets Florida Panthers Joe Sakic New York Rangers OHL Patrick Roy San Jose Sharks

Retained Salary in 2016-17: Central Division

By Zach Leach | at August 21, 2016 9:36 pm

As a new season fast approaches, it’s always nice to look back and reminisce on years and players gone by. Unfortunately for most NHL teams, those feelings of nostalgia are usually cut short by the realization that some of those past players are still on the team’s payroll. Retained salary is a fact of life in the National Hockey League, as buyouts have become commonplace and retaining a portion of an outgoing player’s cap hit is often a deal-breaker in many trades. Retained salary can last long past the playing days of a former player or can simply be for just one year. One way or another nearly every NHL team has at least one guy who’s still being paid without having to perform. We’ve already examined the Metropolitan and the Pacific; below is a list of all the retained salary in the Central Division in 2016-17:

Chicago Blackhawks

Rob Scuderi ($1.125MM in 2016-17): In one of the funnier circumstances of the 2015-16 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins held on to one third of Scuderi’s contract when they traded him to the Blackhawks for fellow underperforming defenseman Trevor Daley. Then Chicago held on to another third of Scuderi’s contract when they traded him to the Los Angeles Kings for yet another underperforming defenseman, Christian Ehrhoff. Now going into 2016-17, the final year of four-year $13.5MM deal he signed when he returned to Pittsburgh, the Penguins, Hawks, and Kings will all pay $1.125MM of his contract. Maybe Scuderi will return to form this season and at least avoid being traded more than once.

Colorado Avalanche

Brad Stuart ($3.6MM cap hit in 2016-17): If you’re scratching your head about that cap hit, you’re not alone. For all intents and purposes, the Avalanche are just paying Stuart not be around this season. They signed the veteran defenseman to a two-year, $7.2MM contract extension before he ever took the ice in Denver, after giving up a second-round pick to get him from the San Jose Sharks in the summer of 2014 with one year left on his previous deal. In 2014-15, Stuart had 13 points in 65 games and showed his age. In 2015-16, he missed all but six games with a back injury and had 0 points. In 2016-17, he’s gone. However, because the contract that was bought out was a “35+” veteran contract, the team faces the full blow of the cap hit in year one of a two-year settlement. Brad Stuart could have stayed with the club, but it seems as if he was healthy enough to play, which means that he would have cost $3.6MM and would have taken up a roster spot that the Avalanche would prefer to give to a defenseman that they actually want on the ice. Instead, the buyout simply means that they pay him the full amount this year, but he does not interfere with their active roster and depth. Stuart’s career is likely over.

Dallas Stars

Ryan Garbutt ($900K cap hit in 2016-17): After signing a three-year, $5.4MM extension with the Stars during the 2013-14 season, Garbutt was traded last summer, alongside Trevor Daley, to the Chicago Blackhawks for Patrick Sharp and Stephen Johns. In what was essentially a salary dump for the Hawks, they asked for the Stars to retain 50% of Garbutt’s contract and $1.8MM yearly cap hit. Though Dallas was likely hesitant to pay for anyone on a division rival to play against them, they can rest easy now. Garbutt was flipped to the Anaheim Ducks for Jiri Sekac midway through the season, lessening the burden on the Stars of having to consistently face a tough competitor who was also on their payroll. Garbutt is entering the final year of his contract, leaving the stars without any retained salary (as of now) for 2017-18.

Minnesota Wild

Matt Cooke ($1MM cap hit in 2016-17): An NHL villain and career grinder, Cooke finished a long stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins and signed on with the Wild in July of 2013 (just months before he could have signed a veteran’s contract at 35 years old) for three years and $7.5MM. While Minnesota was looking for the grit that Cooke was known for, they were also hoping for some of the scoring punch and reliability that he brought to the table. More offensively-talented than the average grinder, Cooke had scored about 30 points per season throughout his career and he also rarely missed games, playing in at least 75 games in all but three of his 13 seasons as a full-time NHLer. So, when Cooke had just 10 points in just 29 games in his second season in Minnesota, paying $2.5MM for another year of an aging enforcer became too much of a chore for the Wild. They bought out the final year of his contract last summer, and will finish paying off the settlement in 2016-17 with a $1MM cap hit.

Thomas Vanek ($1.5MM cap hit in 2016-17, $2.5MM in 2017-18): The Thomas Vanek experiment did not work out as well as hoped in Minnesota. After being one of the top players in the league during his time with the Buffalo Sabres, Vanek had bounced around with Buffalo, the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens in 2013-14, before Minnesota gave him a new permanent home in the state where he played his college hockey. A three-year, $19.5MM deal was deemed reasonable for a player who consistently topped 60 points early on in his career. However, those numbers did not repeat themselves as a member of the Wild. Vanek put up 52 and 41 points respectively in his first two seasons, which weren’t bad years, but Minnesota felt that they were not worth $6.5MM. Vanek was hardly a 20-goal scorer anymore, and the Wild were expecting a 30-goal scorer. They bought out the final year of his contract earlier this summer, and will face the repercussions of back-to-back significant cap hits this year and next. However, the move allowed the cap-strapped Wild to bring in another reclamation project, Eric Staal, and at a more reasonable $3.5MM cap hit. Meanwhile, Vanek signed on for a one-year gig with the Detroit Red Wings for $2.6MM.

Nashville Predators

Viktor Stalberg ($667K cap hit in 2016-17, $1.167MM cap hit in 2017-18 and 2018-19): History repeats itself, and just as the Predators found themselves needing to dump to players last summer, they were back in the same position this summer, for a league-high four retained salary players in 2o16-17. It all started with Stalberg, who signed a four-year, $12MM contract in the summer of 2013, leaving the Chicago Blackhawks for a division rival. Paying for the 43-point season of 2011-12 instead of the 23-point, injury plagued season of 2012-13, Nashville would up getting the latter player instead of the more desired former. Stalberg had only 18 points in 70 games in his first year with the Preds, and then added 10 more in only 25 games in 2014-15. Faced with a choice of hoping for a rebound at $3MM per year for two more years or bailing on the deal, the Preds decided to cut and run. Stalberg signed a cheap, one-year deal with the New York Rangers and had 20 points last season, leading to another one-year deal this off-season, this time with the Carolina Hurricanes. While Stalberg may be on his way back to form, his production has not been worth the money that Nashville would have paid him and they should be content with an affordable buyout.

Rich Clune ($283K cap hit in 2016-17): When the cap hit is that low, a buyout was either a really good idea or a really bad idea. In this case, the Predators made the right call. Leaving town with Stalberg last summer was Clune, a career energy line player who arguably should never have gotten the call up to the NHL. Clune was picked up off of waivers by Nashville midway through the 2012-13 season, having not played in the NHL since suiting up for 14 games with the Los Angeles Kings in 2009-10. He went on to play in 47 games for the team that year with a career-high nine points. In 2013-14, he played a full-time energy line roll for the Preds, racking up hits and penalty minutes at a fair price of $538K. However, when it came time to re-sign the grinder, Nashville decided he was now worth $1.7MM over two years. That didn’t work out so well, as injuries and simply being buried on the depth chart earned Clune just one appearance in 2014-15. The decision was easy to buy out his final year rather than pay $850K for little to no contribution. Clune played in 19 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, racking up four points, and signed an AHL contract this summer. His NHL days are likely over and Nashville just has a very, very small price to pay for their over-valuation.

Eric Nystrom ($500K cap hit in 2016-17, $1MM cap hit in 2017-18): Nystrom was another case of just overpaying for bottom six talent by GM David Poile. A budget team like Nashville simply cannot afford to overpay for non-contributors, which may explain the numerous buyouts and certainly explains Nystrom’s departure earlier this summer. After a couple of good years in Dallas, the Predators won the bidding for Nystrom’s services by giving him a raise of over $1MM per year with a four-year, $10MM contract. Nystrom’s first season in Nashville was not bad, as he totaled 21 points, but his lack of a two-way game made him a liability as a bottom six forward. 2014-15 and 2015-16 were much worse though. Nystrom scored 12 points in 60 games and then seven points in 46 games; he was nothing more than a veteran 13th man. Rather than pay $2.5MM for another year of the type of player that can be had for peanuts, the Predators bought out Nystrom’s contract to the tune of $1.5MM in cap waste over two seasons. Nystrom is currently a free agent.

Barret Jackman ($667K cap hit in 2016-17 and 2017-18): Jackman was the next to go this past June, as the lifelong-Blues defenseman failed to live up to expectations in his first year with a new team. Signing with the Predators for two years and $4MM last summer, Jackman was supposed to bring a veteran presence to what was regarded as one of the deepest and youngest defensive cores in the NHL. Instead he contributed very little, as his five points were the lowest of his career as a full-time player and the physicality and defensive awareness that he was known for disappeared for games at a time. The former Calder winner no longer had anything to bring to the team, and Nashville saw alternatives on the market and in the system that were better suited for their team and more worth their cap space. Jackman’s buyout is hardly a burden for the Predators, who will be better served to have other take his ice time in 2016-17. Jackman also remains a free agent.

St. Louis Blues

NONE. Quite the opposite of division-rival Nashville, St. Louis has no retained salary for this next year. The Blues are very efficient with their cap usage, which allows them to consistently have one of the deeper teams in the NHL and compete year after year.

Winnipeg Jets

NONE. No wonder the Central is considered the best division: very little cap waste. The Jets, and even more so the Atlanta Thrashers before them, had to be careful not to get bogged down in bad contracts so as to start fresh in their new city and put together the best team possible.

0 comments Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche Dallas Stars Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets

West Notes: Hamhuis, Colorado’s Coaching Search, Getzlaf

By Brian La Rose | at August 20, 2016 2:21 pm

This offseason, the Dallas Stars let go of three veteran blueliners in Jason Demers, Alex Goligoski, and Kris Russell to make room on their back end for some of their promising youngsters including Esa Lindell and Patrik Nemeth. However, the team did add one veteran to the mix when they signed Dan Hamhuis to a two year, $7.5MM deal early in free agency. While at first glance, it may seem a bit odd to let veterans go to make room for younger players and then sign another veteran, GM Jim Nill told Mike Heika of the Dallas News that this was the plan all along.

“It’s going to be different, because we’re getting younger, we’re getting bigger and we’re getting faster on the backend. We’ve talked about how we’ve got this young defense coming. Now’s their time. But things didn’t just get thrown against the wall. This has been the plan, and we’ve still got a veteran presence there.”

Hamhuis spent last season in a top four role with Vancouver, collecting three goals and ten assists in 58 games while logging 21:25 of ice time per game. He’s likely to reprise that same role in Dallas, either in a top pairing role with John Klingberg or in a second pairing spot with one of their young defenders.

[Related: Stars’ Depth Chart]

Elsewhere from the Western Conference:

One key attribute that Colorado GM Joe Sakic will be looking for in their next coach is the ability to teach, writes Terry Frei of the Denver Post. The Avs will be counting on several young players to play key roles next season beyond so finding the right fit that can continue to help those players develop will be critical. They’re down to a shortlist of four coaches, all of which have recent experience dealing with and developing young players.
Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf has accelerated his normal offseason training in preparation for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey, he told NHL.com’s Abbey Mastracco. He also has made a change in his training plan, opting to focus less on bulk and more on endurance and durability which will be that much more important this year given the preseason tournament and Anaheim’s hopes for a long postseason run.
A pair of Western Conference junior prospects have seen their OHL rights traded for each other. Los Angeles fifth round pick Matt Schmalz has been dealt from Sudbury to Owen Sound in exchange for St. Louis sixth rounder Liam Dunda. Both prospects will need to be signed by June 1st, 2017 or their teams will lose their rights.

0 comments Colorado Avalanche Dan Hamhuis Ryan Getzlaf

PHR Interview With The AP’s Stephen Whyno

By natebrown | at August 18, 2016 7:29 pm

Associated Press sports writer Stephen Whyno was kind enough to sit down with PHR and touched on a number of hockey issues. Whyno is based out of Washington, so we also touched on the Capitals and how Washington will fare this year. You can find Stephen’s work here at the AP (he does a great job with other sports as well), and give him a follow at Twitter @SWhyno.

PHR: Barring any significant injuries in the World Cup of Hockey, or in training camp, who do you have as an early favorite this season? What about sleepers?

Whyno: It’s hard not to love the Tampa Bay Lightning, especially in an era in which no NHL team ever repeats. Sorry, Penguins. If Pittsburgh bucks the trend, there’s plenty of talent there to make it happen, but a long way into June makes it tough on Pittsburgh and the San Jose Sharks. A return to the top for the Chicago Blackhawks would also not be all that surprising. Let me throw out the New Jersey Devils as an Eastern Conference sleeper because Cory Schneider is capable of carrying a team to plenty of points and there will be better all-around play with the additions of Taylor Hall and Ben Lovejoy. In the West: How about the Roy-less Avalanche? Give this bunch the right up-tempo system and let the talent of Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene and Co. take over.

PHR: The Capitals had a great season but ran into the Pittsburgh buzzsaw. What do you see out of them in 2016-17?

Whyno: I see a Capitals team that will be far less interested in the odd Tuesday game in November or even the Saturday night in January after losing in the second round with the Presidents’ Trophy. Washington would love to be like the 2014-15 Blackhawks, cruising and then turning it on to win it all. The team is almost the same as last season so there’s no doubt it’s a contender, so as always the proving ground comes in April and May.

PHR: A Canadian team has to make the playoffs…right?

Whyno: Yes. I mean–probably. Assuming Carey Price is healthy for most of the–if not the entire season, the Montreal Canadiens will make it back – P.K. or no P.K. Beyond that, it’s a crapshoot.

PHR: How is Las Vegas doing with their front office work? And who do you think they tap to be the bench boss?

Whyno: George McPhee is turning Las Vegas into Captials West. There is plenty of Washington influence there with the exception of assistant GM Kelly McCrimmon, who had significant NHL interest and is very well-respected in hockey circles. Looks like it’s going well so far but a long time until Las Vegas has even one player. I’d expect someone with a connection to McPhee (Ron Wilson? Dean Evason of the Milwaukee Admirals?) to be among the top candidates as coach. But it will also be a long time until that hire is made.

0 comments Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche George McPhee Montreal Canadiens New Jersey Devils Newsstand Pittsburgh Penguins San Jose Sharks Tampa Bay Lightning Vegas Golden Knights Washington Capitals Ben Lovejoy Carey Price Nathan MacKinnon Taylor Hall World Cup

Colorado Coaching Search Down To Four

By Zach Leach | at August 18, 2016 4:07 pm

The Denver Post’s Mike Chambers reports today that the short list of candidates for the vacant head coaching job with the Colorado Avalanche is down to four, three of which would be first-time NHL skippers: Jared Bednar, Travis Green, and Lane Lambert as well as Scott Arniel. Following the unexpected departure of Patrick Roy last week, the Avs have had to move quickly to fill their major hole, and will reportedly begin preliminary interviews with these candidates as soon as possible.

Bednar, who many may consider the top contender for the job, is the head coach of the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters (formerly Lake Erie Monsters) and led the Columbus Blue Jackets affiliate to a Calder Cup championship last year. At just 44, Bednar was able to work with a young group of players to pull off a dominant run to the top in just his second year on the job. With another young group in need of leadership in Denver, Bednar would appear to be a good fit for an Avs squad that has just missed the playoffs in each of the past two years and is in need of some enthusiasm and motivation.

Another former Blue Jackets employee, Arniel was head coach in Columbus in 2010-11, before getting fired midway through the 2011-12 season with a combined record under .5oo. However, at just 53 years old, Arniel presents a candidate who is young, but also has NHL head coaching experience with some success, as well as a plethora of time as an AHL head coach and NHL assistant coach. Arniel may be the most prepared to step in and take over in Colorado with such a short time left before the kick-off to the 2016-17 season.

Green’s is a name that has been thrown around a lot recently as a top candidate for head coaching vacancies around the league. A veteran of 15 years in the NHL with the Islanders, Ducks, Coyotes, Leafs, and Bruins, Green has since quickly worked his way up through the coaching ranks with success at every level. A gritty player who now brings a tough game behind the bench, a Colorado team that often struggles against the rougher Western Conference competition would benefit from Green’s guidance.

Lambert, currently an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals, spent seven years as a coach with an Avs’ division rival, the Nashville Predators, first as AHL head coach and then as NHL assistant coach, before moving to the Caps in 2014. Well-respected across the league, including by former Quebec Nordiques teammate and Colorado GM Joe Sakic, it seems like only a matter of time before Lambert gets his own head coaching gig, and it might just come with the Avalanche.

0 comments Colorado Avalanche Newsstand

Metro Notes: Vesey, Lambert, Penguins, Flyers

By Bill Morran | at August 18, 2016 11:32 am

The Metropolitan Division seems like ground zero for the Jimmy Vesey sweepstakes. The free agent forward out of Harvard has reportedly received interest from the Devils, Penguins, Islanders, Rangers, Blue Jackets, Hurricanes, and Flyers. Reading through the links, you’ll see that the Flyers and Blue Jackets are not believed to be serious contenders for Vesey, while the Penguins in particular made a strong impression. The Devils have long been considered one of the favorites to sign him, while the Islanders brought along captain John Tavares for the recruitment.

Vesey is said to be holding out until at least Friday to make his final decision. Other teams reportedly pushing for Vesey include the Maple Leafs, Bruins, and Blackhawks. For all our coverage on Vesey’s decision, click here. For more notes from around the Metropolitan Division, keep reading here.

Sportsnet’s John Shannon reports that Capitals assistant coach Lane Lambert is among the candidates to take over the Colorado Avalanche head coaching job. Lambert has spent the last two years in Washington under head coach Barry Trotz, and was previously his assistant for four years in Nasvhille.
The Wheeling Nailers have signed on for two more years as the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate. The Nailers, based out of West Virginia, appeared in last year’s Kelly Cup Finals, before losing in six games to the Allen Americans. Strangely enough, the Americans are affiliated with the San Jose Sharks, who the Penguins beat in last year’s Stanley Cup Finals.
The Flyers have hired Dr. Ben Peterson as their Director of Sports Science. SB Nation’s Flyers site has a rundown of Peterson’s credentials, as obtained from his Linkedin page. It’s some pretty heavy stuff, and given his experience, he appears to go far beyond the data-based analysis that’s easily found online.

0 comments Colorado Avalanche ECHL New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Jimmy Vesey

Show all

Headlines

Colorado Avalanche News & Rumors