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Los Angeles Kings Fire Coach John Stevens

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The Los Angeles Kings announced that general manager Rob Blake has relieved coach John Stevens of his duties. The Kings have made Willie Desjardins as the interim coach for the rest of the season.

“This is a critical time in our season and our results to date have fallen well below our expectations. With that in mind, this was a difficult decision but one we feel was necessary,” said Blake. “We have a great deal of respect and appreciation for John’s time with our organization. He was a key part of our past success, and we have tremendous gratitude for his many contributions.”

Despite picking up a 4-1 victory Saturday over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the victory didn’t do anything to allow Stevens to keep his job as the team remained 4-8-1 in the team’s first 13 games, giving them the worst record in league with the Florida Panthers the only other team that has nine points (although they have played two less games). Stevens, in just his second year as head coach of the team, took the team to the playoffs last year as the fourth-seed in the Pacific Division, but were swept in the first-round of the playoffs as the Vegas Golden Knights exposed their lack of speed.

Los Angeles responded by adding 35-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk through free agency this offseason and was expected to make a renewed run for a Stanley Cup title with the likes 30-somethings Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty (he’s actually just 28), Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, Trevor Lewis, Nate Thompson, Dion Phaneuf and Alec Martinez. The team was expecting some of their young players to step up, but players such as Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson have struggled under Stevens’ tenure and haven’t developed into the goal scorers that everyone had hoped for. The team also has been without Quick, their star goaltender, for much of the season and there is no word on how much time he might miss with his most recent injury. Throw in the lack of development of some of their prospects and the team was heading down the wrong path with many of their veterans under contract for three of four more years.

Desjardins, who has 20+ years of coaching experience, has been acting as Team Canada’s men’ head coach, including leading the team in the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, Korea. He served as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks for three seasons between 2014 and 2017, compiling a disappointing 109-110-27 record. He also led Team Canada to gold at the Spengler Cup in December of 2017. Desjardins also served eight years as head coach in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers where he won two championships in eight seasons there.

The team also released fired assistant coach Don Nachbaur from his duties, who served as the team’s assistant since last season. The team has brought in current German National Team coach and former Kings player Marco Sturm. The team did retain assistant coach Dave Lowry.

One has to wonder what Stevens chances will be to get another head coaching position. He served as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers between 2006 through 2009, reaching the Eastern Conference finals once and a second playoff appearance. He has a combined record of 171-148-43.

Helene Elliott was the first to report the coaching change.

 

CBA Notes: Timeline, World Cup, Fehr, Playoffs, Scheduling, Orr

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The NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement is not a topic that most hockey fans want to hear much about, as in its recent history it has become synonymous with lockouts and missed games (and seasons). Yet, it isn’t ever going away and details are already emerging about when the next round of negotiations could begin. The current CBA technically does not expire until September 15th after the 2021-22 season and can even be extended on a yearly basis after that point. However, both the league and the players’ association can opt out ahead of the 2020-21 season with notice given in September of 2019. That date is less than a year out, making discussions of the current state of NHL labor relations prevalent now even if the CBA ends up intact for many years still to come. Currently, the league is not planning to use their option in September, according to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman. This is supported by claims that commissioner Gary Bettman has encouraged the NHLPA to figure out their stance as soon as possible. If the league is to hold an off-season World Cup tournament in 2020, as they did in 2016, they do not want to do so ahead of a season that could potentially be held up by a player strike. While the players have until September to make a decision on opting out of the current CBA ahead of the 2020-21 season, Friedman speculates that the league will need to know their intentions by the All-Star break this year or thereabouts if they are to begin planning the next World Cup. As Friedman notes, the international stage is very important to the players and with the NHL currently looking unlikely to attend the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China, the players may not want to risk their only other international experience, the World Cup. Will it be enough motivation to keep the CBA intact a while longer? We should know that answer before the end of the current season.

  • When CBA talks do finally re-open, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos states his belief that both sides are determined to avoid a work stoppage this time around. Although they will have to get over their recent tumultuous negotiating history, which has cost owners, players, and fans alike a season and a half since the turn of the century, as well as sort through some serious issues, the fact that both sides feel a shutdown would be a worst case scenario this time around is a positive note for everyone with a stake in the game.
  • Despite recent remarks that were inferred as signaling a coming end to his career, NHLPA Director Donald Fehr is not going anywhere, per Friedman. Fehr indicated that he would only be around for one or two more years, but walked back those comments by telling Friedman that he will stay on through the next CBA negotiation, whenever that is. The 70-year-old executive is well-respected if not feared for his hardball tactics, but has been optimistic about the next round of negotiations when approached about the topic recently. Fehr faces the tough choice of whether to opt out in 2020 (and retire sooner) or keep the peace for a couple more years instead.
  • One CBA topic gaining support is a change to playoff structure, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. However, it likely is not what many would consider to be the most pressing change. Johnston says that there is a growing movement among owners in favor of adding more teams to the playoff format. The NHL has operated with more than half of its teams making the postseason for many years now, but once Seattle joins the league as the 32nd member, that 16-team structure will now have a balance of exactly half the teams qualifying. Johnston believes that owners are in favor of a play-in structure, similar to the one recently adopted by Major League Baseball, that would hypothetically include two or four more teams to the postseason through do-or-die play-in games. Interestingly, this movement may never reach the bargaining table. Johnston notes that while some owners are in favor of this move, others, and most importantly Bettman, are happy with the current structure and are not seeking to change anything in the near future.
  • Changes to the playing schedule, particularly game times, could also be an intriguing CBA topic. Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press writes that many foreign-born NHL players are in favor of more frequent matinee games. Speaking with the Washington Capitals’ Nicklas Backstrom and Lars Eller and the Florida Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov, Whyno found that many NHL imports feel that earlier games would be far more convenient for foreign fans and could help to grow the game overseas. While the league has proven to be very invested in expanding the game in Europe and beyond, afternoon games on weekdays are an impossibility, while afternoon games on weekends in the first half of the season would pit the NHL against NFL and NCAA football far more often. The players may be fine with losing domestic television ratings in exchange for increased visibility overseas, but the league likely will not be. In need of a new TV deal in 2021, the NHL is unlikely to hurt the market value of their TV rights by expressing an interest in more frequently taking on football, the most popular sport in the United States.
  • For his part, Bobby Orr thinks that another work stoppage is likely. Orr told The Canadian Press that he would be “surprised” if there isn’t a lockout or strike before the next CBA is agreed upon, calling it a “tough” situation. “I think there are concerns on both sides… I hope there isn’t… I hope I’m wrong. We don’t need another lockout”, Orr said. Orr is not only one of the game’s greatest legends, but through his agency, The Orr Hockey Group, gleams plenty of information about the state of the league. If Orr says that it’s going to be tough, he’s probably right. The only hope is that termination can be put off a while longer and issues can be worked out in the meantime.

Roberto Luongo Activated From Injured Reserve

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Though he won’t play for the team during their trip to Finland, Roberto Luongo was quietly activated from injured reserve last night and will be back in net for the Florida Panthers before long. That’s a huge boost for a team that finds itself in dead last in the Eastern Conference and tied for the fewest points through the first month of the season. Part of that lack of success is due to some very poor goaltending from James Reimer and Michael Hutchinson, who have combined for an .864 save percentage in their appearances.

Luongo will give the team a boost in net, but they’ll have to clean up the play in front of him if they want to start competing in the Atlantic Division. After a second half push last season the team barely missed out on a playoff spot, and many believed they would be right there challenging the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs for the top three spots. That hasn’t happened yet this year as the competition from top to bottom has improved, and the Panthers find themselves battling to even stay relevant.

The veteran goaltender is now fourth on the all-time wins list among NHL goaltenders, and needs just 14 more this season to pass Ed Belfour. Likely a Hall of Fame inductee after his retirement, Luongo is still under contract for three more seasons after 2018-19 and is still performing at a high level.

Panthers Hopeful That Roberto Luongo Will Return Next Week

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  • While the Panthers were hopeful that goaltender Roberto Luongo would be able to play during the NHL Global Series this week, it doesn’t appear that this will be the case. Instead, head coach Bob Boughner told reporters, including NHL.com’s Brian Compton, that they now hope that he will be available to return at some point next week.  Following their two games in Finland, their next game will be November 8th so that appears to be the new target date.  Luongo was injured in the season opener back on October 6th and Florida has gotten off to somewhat of a sluggish start without their top netminder, going 2-4-3 to start the season.

Injury Notes: Luongo, Dubinsky, Jost, McQuaid

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Not much has gone right for the Florida Panthers this season, but the team hopes that they may have good news on the horizon after goaltender Roberto Luongo was on the ice Sunday taking shots, according to NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. The team lost the oft-injured netminder during the second period of the season opener when teammate Frank Vatrano fell on him, forcing him out of the game with a lower-body injury.

The 39-year-old has fared well when healthy, but he hasn’t played more than 40 games since the 2015-16 season, which isn’t great considering the team is paying him $4.53MM per year for four more years. Head coach Bob Boughner was thrilled to see Luongo back on the ice, but has no intention of bringing him back until he is 110 percent healthy.

“He’s a huge part of this team. And you can see, no slight to anybody else, this team’s missed him,” Boughner said. “We’re a different team when he’s playing.”

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets also had good news as winger Brandon Dubinsky participated in Sunday’s morning skate, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required). Dubinsky has been out since Oct. 8 with a partially torn oblique muscle, but there remains no timetable for his return. The original diagnosis for Dubinsky’s injury was four to six weeks. He hasn’t been out three weeks yet, but the 32-year-old said that he’d be disappointed if he didn’t play on the team’s upcoming road trip, starting Thursday and going through Sunday. “I would say I’m ahead of schedule, but I don’t want to come back early and set myself back a few weeks,” Dubinsky said. The veteran had only played in two games before getting injured, but already had a goal and an assist.
  • The Colorado Avalanche may be without one of their top youngsters for a while as BSN’s Adrian Dater reported that the team will be without center Tyson Jost indefinitely. Jost, who suffered a head injury Friday in the third period against Ottawa, has a goal and an assist in 11 games so far this season. The 20-year-old scored 12 goals in his rookie season last year, but had worked his way higher up in the lineup this year.
  • Newsday’s Colin Stephenson reports that New York Rangers head coach David Quinn said that defenseman Adam McQuaid is day-to-day with a lower-body injury he sustained in the first period Thursday. He is not expected to play Sunday against Los Angeles, which could open up another chance for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo, who has only appeared in two games for the Rangers this season.

Injury Notes: MacKenzie, Edler, Krug

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The Florida Panthers moved to a different leadership group this season when they named Aleksander Barkov captain and pulled the “C” off the sweater of Derek MacKenzie. That didn’t mean the former captain had any less importance to the roster though, and he was set to remain a consistent presence in the bottom six and veteran one in the locker room. His support of Barkov’s new role was key for the team, and after acknowledging it would be his final season, MacKenzie was set to go out on his own terms.

That all changed when he suffered a shoulder injury on opening night, and quickly decided that surgery would be the best option for his long-term health. MacKenzie was officially placed on injured reserve today, and will have the corrective surgery when the team returns from their two games in Finland next week. According to George Richards of The Athletic, the team has not made a corresponding roster move yet.

  • Alexander Edler suffered an injury early in Wednesday night’s game against the Arizona Coyotes, and will undergo an MRI to see if there is any major damage. Edler is just another walking wounded for the Canucks, who have seen Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Chris Tanev all exit the lineup recently with injuries. The team is expected to get the two young forwards back before long, but may have to be without Edler for a while longer if the tests show any structural damage.
  • Speaking of losing a defenseman for a while, the Boston Bruins have been without Torey Krug all season as he works his way back from an ankle injury suffered at the end of the preseason. That absence may be coming to an end though, as head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters that Krug was “very close” to a return and could be in the lineup as early as Saturday evening when the Bruins take on the Montreal Canadiens. Boston has been struggling to find any consistency on their blue line as they deal with injuries to several key players, but are still 6-2-2 through their first ten games.

Update On Health Status Of Canucks’ Elias Pettersson

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It has been a week since Vancouver Canucks rookie forward Elias Pettersson was thrown to the ice by Florida Panthers defenseman Michael Matheson. Pettersson was injured on the play while Matheson did not even receive a minor penalty for his actions. Matheson was later suspended for two games by the Department of Player Safety, but the story was already written in the minds of many: the NHL yet again failed to protect one of its young stars. It may seem like a harsh take, but – as The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell writes –  it is a difficult one to ignore. The talented rookie undresses the veteran defenseman, only to then become the victim of a dirty play in retaliation, one that the referees did not see as an issue. It is a bad look for the league and one Campbell opines is far too common.

Yet, things could have been worse. Pettersson was placed in the league’s concussion protocol after landing hard on his head, but The Province’s Ben Kuzma wrote earlier this week that there was come concern that he had sustained more than just a concussion. Canucks doctors viewing the hit thought that Pettersson could have suffered from neck and shoulder injuries in addition to what was clearly a concussion. A neck strain in particular, Kuzma relays, can leave a player susceptible to reoccurring injuries and can flare up and cause headaches at any time.

Fortunately, it seems Pettersson has avoided any ancillary injuries. Fears were calmed substantially today when, as Kuzma notes, the promising rookie took the ice with a Vancouver skills coach and seemed to be skating naturally. This would seem to indicate that he is both progressing through the concussion protocol and has avoided injuries that would make skating uncomfortable. Kuzma states that quite a few steps remain – increased training, hard skating, and full contact drills – but this is an encouraging first step. The Canucks will likely have their first-year star back sooner than anyone expected.

Michael Matheson Suspended Two Games

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The decision has come down, and the Florida Panthers will be without Michael Matheson for the next few days. The Department of Player Safety has suspended Matheson two games for interference and unsportsmanlike conduct in regards to the incident with Vancouver Canucks rookie Elias Pettersson on Saturday night. As the accompanying video explains:

This is not a hockey play. What causes this incident to rise to the level of supplemental discipline, is that it encompasses two separate and distinct acts. First, Matheson pins Pettersson to the boards in a legal and effective defensive maneuver. Then with the puck long separated from the area, and Pettersson unable to defend himself, Matheson drives him directly downward and into the ice with force, causing an injury.

This is the first suspension for Matheson, who does not have a history of dirty play. His defense of the situation included stating that Pettersson’s “lightness” surprised him, per agent Kent Hughes, but nevertheless the dangerous act of throwing him down is still worthy of a suspension. Matheson forfeits just over $52K of his $3MM salary for the year. Matheson will miss contests against the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals and will be eligible to return to the Panthers’ lineup on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings.

Meanwhile, Pettersson has entered the league’s concussion protocol and the Canucks expect that he will miss seven to ten days. While some may feel that the Matheson’s punishment doesn’t fit the crime, seeing as Pettersson was concussed on a purposeful play by the Panthers defenseman, a seven-day absence would only cost the young center three games. Considering Matheson maintains that he did not intend to hurt Pettersson, this seems like a fair response to the incident.

Michael Matheson To Have Phone Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The results are in (despite our poll being less than an hour old), and Michael Matheson will indeed have a phone hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety according to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos. That decision seems to be the one our PHR community agrees with, since more than 75% of voters currently think he should be suspended. Since it is a phone hearing and not an in-person one, any possible suspension will five games or fewer.

Just having a hearing does not guarantee that Matheson will face suspension at all, but it certainly does not bode well for him. Plays like this on vulnerable targets are often punished by the league, but there will still be many fans who saw it as a hard hockey play on an undersized opponent. That’s what the DoPS will determine, and like always will give a video explanation if they do issue a suspension.

The Panthers are back in action on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, likely meaning that the decision will be handed out at some point today or tomorrow. If he is kept out of the lineup, that only hurts the Panthers already rough start to the season. The team is 0-2-1 through three games and hasn’t been able to close out the third period effectively. Luckily, the team activated Bogdan Kiselevich recently who will at least give another option on the blue line.

Poll: Does Michael Matheson Deserve A Suspension?

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Even with some spectacular games and finishes last night, many people in the hockey world were focused on an incident that happened behind the net in the Florida Panthers-Vancouver Canucks game. After putting his talents on display again, by eluding several defenders, Elias Pettersson was run into the boards by Florida defenseman Michael Matheson, who then seemed to throw the young Vancouver star into the ice. Pettersson, one of the lightest players in the league, was injured on the play and had trouble even getting to his feet before leaving the game.

Immediately there was outcry from the Canucks faithful that Matheson deserves a suspension, and today Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted that the league is indeed reviewing the incident. As of this writing no hearing has been offered to the Panthers defenseman, but many believe he should be facing several games for something that could be construed as “intent to injure.” Vancouver head coach Travis Green certainly seems to think so, repeatedly saying after the game that it was a “dirty play.”

There are of course many who oppose the idea of any supplemental discipline for Matheson, saying that the incident looked worse than it actually was because of Pettersson’s slight frame. Though officially listed at 176-lbs, the rookie phenom may well weigh even less than that and certainly doesn’t have the sort of size or strength of many around the league. Incidentally neither really does Matheson, who is listed at 193-lbs himself and is not regarded as an overly physical player.

It’s easy to see the arguments on both sides, but what do you think? Should Matheson be given a suspension for the play last night? Does the fact that he was not even penalized on the play come into the decision, or the fact that Pettersson suffered an injury? Vote below and share your thoughts about the incident in the comment section.

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