Pacific Notes: Tanev, Oates, Tippett
The Vancouver Canucks have exceeded expectations so far this season and are about to get even better. With 18 points in 15 games, the Canucks hold the second spot in the Pacific Division right now and are riding a three-game win streak. Yet, they have been without stalwart defenseman Chris Tanev for the past five games and have had to find ways to earn points without his assistance. That ends tonight, as CapFriendly reports that Tanev has been activated from the injured reserve and should be active against the Detroit Red Wings this evening. With Alexander Edler still sidelined, Tanev should step right back into Vancouver’s ice time leader role and will try to improve upon his three total points so far in the campaign. Tanev’s return should be a major boost for the Canucks, who despite their relative success, are still among the bottom third of the league in points against and could use some more stability on the back end, the hallmark of Tanev’s game. To make room for Tanev, CapFriendly additionally notes that young Jalen Chatfield has been returned to the AHL’s Utica Comets. Chatfield, 22, is in his second pro season out of the OHL, but has yet to make his NHL debut.
- Following the firing of John Stevens, hiring of Willie Desjardins, and other re-shuffling of the coaching staff, the Los Angeles Kings continue to make small changes to their operations. Today, GM Rob Blake came to terms on a consulting agreement with Hall of Fame player and former coach Adam Oates, the team announced. Oates, and his Oates Sports Group, currently provide skill evaluation and development services to individual players around the league and beyond. It will be business as usual for the company and their player clients, but now special services will be offered to the Kings. Los Angeles has dealt with speed and finesse issues for years now and this move signifies that they are willing to do whatever it takes to find the solution to those problems. They hope that Oates, who recorded 1420 points over his 19-year NHL career, can lend a major hand in the pursuit of a revamped offense under Desjardins.
- In his latest 31 Thoughts article, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes that Dave Tippett has been a hotly rumored name on the NHL coaching market for a while now, with Friedman sounding somewhat surprised that he was not named as the replacement in L.A. or Chicago. When last we heard from the former Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes head coach, he had taken an advisory role with the potential Seattle expansion team. When Friedman reached out to Tippett recently for comment on the job market, he confirmed that he was happy with his current role and staying in Seattle. If Tippett really has been approached with coaching offers and has declined in favor of the status quo, that says a lot about his anticipated job with the Seattle expansion team. Tippett seems confident with his current allegiances, indicating that he is likely in line to be the franchise’s first head coach or perhaps even general manager.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Vilardi, Matthews
The NHL has announced their Three Stars for the latest week of the regular season, giving the Calgary Flames something to finally celebrate. Though the Flames are still giving up goals at an unfortunate pace, their offense has exploded and has them in first place in the Pacific Division. That’s in big part due to Sean Monahan‘s eight-point week which has earned him first star honors. The young center now has 18 points in his first 15 games this season and is on pace to shatter his previous career-high of 64 points, set last year. With 146 goals already in his young career—Monahan turned 24 just a few weeks ago—he’s on track to be one of the best scorers to ever wear a Flames uniform. Jarome Iginla is clearly the leader with 525 regular season goals for Calgary, but Monahan already ranks 17th and could jump into the top-12 by season’s end.
Young stars was the theme of this week’s awards, as super rookie Elias Pettersson and underrated center Brayden Point took home second and third star. Pettersson is one of the most exciting players in the NHL right now, while Point continues to develop into the next great two-way center even in the shadows of other Tampa Bay stars like Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning have a huge contract negotiation coming with Point at the end of this year, when he enters restricted free agency for the first time. If his point output continues at its current pace—he’s on track for just under 100—they’ll be hard pressed to find room for him among all their other talented and well paid forwards without making a corresponding move.
- Though Los Angeles Kings fans may have felt a chill run through their body upon reading Bob McKenzie of TSN’s report that Gabe Vilardi suffered a setback in an off-ice training session, Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider was told that it’s nothing to really worry about. Viladri has a tight hip flexor, but should be back on the ice in a few days. That’s great news for a player who can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to injury, and has played just 48 OHL games since being selected 11th overall in 2017. The 19-year old forward is a dominant puck possessing force when healthy, but needs to get back on the ice full-time before he can really prove he’ll be a part of the turnaround in Los Angeles.
- Speaking of getting back on the ice, Auston Matthews skated today in Toronto with a team of coaches including Haley Wickenheiser as he works his way back from his latest shoulder injury. The Maple Leafs indicated that it would be a minimum of four weeks from October 29th before Matthews would be ready for game action, meaning he’s still several weeks away from the lineup. Still, with the Maple Leafs coming off a dominating 5-0 win on Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, seeing their best player on the ice shooting pucks already has to be another morale boost as they try to keep pace with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division.
Jaret Anderson-Dolan To Undergo Surgery
When the Los Angeles Kings recently decided that Jaret Anderson-Dolan would be better served by returning to the CHL to continue his development, they didn’t know he’d be back so soon. Bob McKenzie of TSN is reporting that Anderson-Dolan is back in Los Angeles today and is expected to undergo surgery for a broken wrist. McKenzie puts the recovery timeline at six to eight weeks, and mentions how it could “negatively impact” Anderson-Dolan’s availability for the World Junior Championship.
The 19-year old forward surprised many by earning a spot with the team out of training camp, but ended up playing just five games in the NHL before being sent back to the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL. After a 40-goal, 91-point season in 2017-18 with the Chiefs, Anderson-Dolan had a chance to really put together an incredible season and dominate the WHL leaderboards this year. That doesn’t look like it will happen anymore, as he’ll miss a huge chunk of the season to injury and perhaps a chance to compete for the Canadian squad. His recovery will be watched closely by the Team Canada front office, but given the other options at forward—especially if players like Gabe Vilardi, Robert Thomas, Max Comtois or Michael Rasmussen are sent back to junior—there might not be room for him by the time Anderson-Dolan is back on the ice.
It’s valuable development time missed, but there are still high hopes for Anderson-Dolan after an impressive performance in training camp and through his first taste of NHL hockey. The Kings are struggling to find any dynamic players on their roster right now, and may be in for a rebuild over the next few seasons. Anderson-Dolan, Vilardi and others like Rasmus Kupari are key to any sort of turnaround in Los Angeles.
Reaction to Los Angeles Kings’ Coaching Changes
The Los Angeles Kings fired head coach John Stevens and assistant coach Don Nachbaur Sunday and brought in two national team coaches in Willie Desjardins (Canada) and Marco Sturm (Germany). The Kings hope that the pair will be able to try and fix the mess surrounding the 4-8-1 franchise that had high expectations going into the season. Here are some reactions from the Kings as well as the journalists around the situation:
- TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the Kings had already made their decision to fire Stevens after their 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, as many wondered why the team opted to relieve the coach of his duties after the team picked up a 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday.
- McKenzie adds that the interim tag suggests that if Desjardins and Sturm fare well behind the bench this year, the interim tag could be removed. However, if the team cannot turn the team completely around, the Kings will conduct a formal and extensive search for a new head coach after this season.
- TSN’s Darren Dreger writes that Sturm would be a prime candidate for the Kings’ coaching job next year after years of solid coaching on the international level.
- Los Angeles Times’ Helene Elliott reports that Stevens was well aware that his job security was in jeopardy and was always both classy and accommodating. He admitted last week that being on the hot seat was part of his job.
- Sportsnet’s John Shannon writes that one of the biggest problems for Kings management was a real belief that the team had lost its passion. The team believes that Desjardins, Sturm and Dave Lowry who remains from the old regime can bring that passion back to the team. “We’re going to create a desire for these players to play well here,” general manager Rob Blake said (via Los Angeles Times’ Curtis Zupke).
- Fox Sports Patrick O’Neal writes that Blake said a “complete level” of Kings needs to improve, suggesting that the GM isn’t happy with any player or any member within the organization at the moment.
- For those looking for more information on Desjardins, The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek (subscription required) wrote a in-depth piece on the coach before the Olympics in February when he was head coach of Team Canada, including how he got the job there in the first place. “I saw Willie’s teams play a lot last year scouting for Montreal,” said Sean Burke the general manager of the men’s Olympic team. “I was always impressed with how much he got out of his players. I looked at the group we were putting together and thought, ‘well that’s what we’re going to need here.’ We’re going to have a group, where the coach needs to get the most out of the guys – and there’s even more of that element to that in an Olympic event than there would be in an 82-game NHL season. If he can get it out of the NHL guys for 82 games, he can sure get it out of the guys during the Olympics.”
- The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) notes that Desjardins was a top candidate to take the Dallas Stars job in April which eventually went to Jim Montgomery. However, Shapiro also profiled the coach before Dallas had made its final decision. The profile includes his resume as well as a breakdown of his coaching style.
- The Associated Press’ Steven Whyno reminds fans that Sturm coached the German National team to the silver medal at the Olympics, a team that surprised many and almost slipped past Team Russia for the gold.
- FlamesNation reporter Ryan Pike reports that Nachbaur is considered to be a very respected coach with extensive WHL experience, but he hasn’t been able to translate those coaching talents to the NHL.
- Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen writes that Desjardins had a tough assignment as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks which started in the 2014-15 season. The scribe writes that Vancouver didn’t have enough talent to be successful, but his coaching style at Medicine Hat in the WHL showed that he likes up-tempo teams that push play up the ice.
- Sirius XM’s Nick Alberga writes that if Desjardins and Sturm don’t make a significant impact on the team, the next domino would likely be the team making trades to break up the team.
Los Angeles Kings Fire Coach John Stevens
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.
Minor Transactions: 11/03/18
It’s a busy time in the NHL, with 24 teams scheduled to square off over the course of the day. The action kicks off with a matinee featuring division rivals, Buffalo and Ottawa. Later tonight, heavyweights do battle with Tampa Bay-Montreal, Toronto-Pittsburgh, Boston-Nashville, and Chicago-Calgary. It could also be a big day for transactions, as teams get set to face the week ahead. Keep up with all of the minor moves right here:
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled forward Trevor Moore from the AHL Marlies, the team announced. Moore, 23, is off to a terrific start to the minor league season with twelve points in ten games. That effort may earn him his NHL debut on this most recent call-up. An undrafted free agent out of the University of Denver, Moore is in his third season with the organization but has played exclusively with the Marlies. After back-to-back 33-point regular season campaigns, Moore took a step forward in the postseason, registering 17 points in 20 games en route to a Calder Cup. He has kept that hot streak going this season and will now try to translate his ability to the next level. A Mitch Marner-style player, Moore could fit in nicely with the Maple Leafs if given the opportunity.
- CapFriendly reports that the Anaheim Ducks have reassigned forward Kalle Kossila to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Kossila was activated from the season-opening injured reserve last week and made his season debut for the Ducks on Thursday night. The St. Cloud product has dominated at the AHL level since turning pro in 2016, but has only managed to skate in twelve games and record two points for Anaheim. Expected to play a more regular role this season, it is possible that Kossila’s assignment is simply a paper transaction to save cap space ahead of a stretch of four games in six nights. However, it also would not be a surprise to see Kossila spend some time in the AHL, where he will quickly re-discover his scoring touch, before being handed significant minutes by the Ducks.
- The New York Islanders announced (via Twitter) that they have re-assigned goaltender Christopher Gibson to Bridgeport of the AHL. He was recalled on an emergency basis on Wednesday with Robin Lehner banged up but he is now capable as dressing as the backup goalie which eliminated the need for Gibson. The 25-year-old Gibson has struggled in the early going this season, posting 4.21 GAA and a .861 SV% through six games in the minors.
- Jon Rosen of Fox Sports reports that the Los Angeles Kings have assigned forward Austin Wagner and defenseman Sean Walker to the Ontario Reign of the AHL, but the reporter wasn’t sure who the team intended to recall. CapFriendly now reports that Los Angeles has recalled forwards Michael Amadio and Matt Luff. While Luff has yet to make his NHL debut, Amadio has been with the team for most of the season, getting into nine games. However, after scoring just one goal, the Kings sent him to Ontario to work on his game. He played one game there, posting three assists and already has been recalled.
- The Colorado Avalanche announced they have sent forward A.J. Greer to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. With the Avalanche on a four-day break before returning to work, it’s likely the team has sent Greer down to get some work. He has played in eight games for the Eagles and has posted eight points, but has appeared in just one game with the Avalanche. BSN Denver’s AJ Haefele writes that it’s likely that Greer will be back when the Avalanche return to action on Wednesday. However, if he isn’t recalled, that might suggest that center Tyson Jost might be ready to return to the ice.
- The Winnipeg Jets announced they have returned defenseman Tucker Poolman and goaltender Eric Comrie to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL after taking the pair as non-roster players on their trip to Helsinki, Finland. Poolman has played six games for the Moose and has three assists in six games. The 23-year-old Comrie has also played solidly for Manitoba this year. He has put up a .917 save percentage and a 2.80 GAA in five games.
Snapshots: “Trade Bait”, Lindholm, Spezza
The second month of the NHL season is underway and with it comes the first iteration of TSN’s “Trade Bait” board. To no surprise, unsigned Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander tops the list. With the countdown at 28 days until the December 1st deadline for Nylander to sign and play in the NHL this season, the impasse between the two sides is desperately in need of a resolution, and with each day that goes by, a trade looks more and more likely. TSN’s Frank Seravalli notes that it was the first week of November last year when No. 1-ranked trade bait player Matt Duchene was traded away, making it entirely possible that a Nylander trade or other big name move could drop in the next few days. Joining Nylander in the top six of the list are recent rumor mill highlights Kevin Hayes of the New York Rangers and Alec Martinez and Tanner Pearson of the Los Angeles Kings, as well as summer trade bait board holdout Mats Zuccarello, also of the Rangers, and perennial rumor monger Gustav Nyquist of the Detroit Red Wings. Both free agency-bound Columbus Blue Jackets superstars – Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin – feature in the top ten, as does a possible Nylander return piece Brett Pesce of the Carolina Hurricanes. A surprise addition is Winnipeg Jets defenseman Tyler Myers, who seems unlikely to move in the midst of what the Jets hope is a Stanley Cup-caliber season. So too is Wayne Simmonds, who the Philadelphia Flyers seemingly would like to re-sign and keep on as a leader and core contributor, but the Flyers’ success this season will likely determine his availability. The trade board is limited to just 15 names right now, but this initial list certainly features plenty of talent and some names that have already featured prominently in rumors. TSN may have perfect timing, as the NHL trade market seems ready to heat up.
- One of the off-season’s biggest trades almost went differently, writes Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. Fox talked to new Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters recently, who stated that he expected a different package from a different team entirely in return for defenseman Dougie Hamilton, only to find that his former club, the Carolina Hurricanes, had offered the top package of Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin. Peters (obviously) says that he likes the way the deal turned out. While Hanifin is off to a slow start in Calgary, Lindholm has been an excellent fit next to Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau on the top line and currently sports a 24.3% shooting percentage to go with a team-leading nine goals and total of 14 points.
- Fox also recently spoke with Dallas Stars center Jason Spezza, who this past week played in his 1,000th NHL game, about how he is approaching a contract year. Spezza was transparent with his answer:
“Not when you’re 35. You don’t care about the contract years… I just want to play the year, have a good year. I want to be back here next year. The money doesn’t matter. I just want to play and make sure I have a good role… It’s different when you’re at this point in my career. I just want to be on a team that has a chance to win. So, no, I can’t say that’s once played into my mind… That time has passed in my career. I’m just looking to play and be on a good team and have a good role and contribute… If you put the work into it, you get rewarded with big contracts. I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever played the game for the money.”
Spezza’s honesty is refreshing, but he also contradicts himself with a scenario that is likely to unfold as the season progresses. Spezza states that he wants to be back in Dallas next season, yet also wants a chance to finally win the Stanley Cup. Those two things may not coincide soon enough for the veteran center. The Stars currently share the 14th-best record in the NHL, but sit sixth out of seven in the powerhouse Central Division and have struggled to score goals early on this season. If Dallas cannot improve over the course of the season, Spezza will become an attractive trade rental candidate, especially since his eight points thus far indicate a bounce-back season compared to a disappointing 2017-18 campaign. Dallas may also be a few years away from really competing with the likes of Nashville and Winnipeg in the Central. A desire to win may make a continued career with the Stars less likely, but would make Spezza’s decision to waive his No-Movement Clause and choices in free agency much easier.
Boston Bruins Won’t Wait To Add Help Up Front
By most standards, the Boston Bruins are off to a strong start in 2018-19, sharing the fourth best record in the NHL. By their own standards, the campaign has been less than spectacular thus far due to the heavy reliance on the first line. The grouping of Patrice Bergeron between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak is considered by many to be the best line in the NHL. Through twelve games, Pastrnak is tied for the league lead in goals with 11 and has a total of 16 points, Bergeron is third in the league in scoring with 19 points, and Marchand has hardly looked himself and has still contributed 15 points. However, beyond those three, scoring has been hard to come by. According to Matt Kalman of WEEI Boston, it’s not a problem that president Cam Neely and company are willing to “wait too long” to solve.
Neely knows that the Bruins cannot possibly top their performance from last season, a Round Two defeat at the hands of the division rival Tampa Bay Lightning, with just one line of production. Yet, that is more or less what they have had so far. Beyond the top line, second line mainstay David Krejci has been playing well with nine points to date. However, he has had little help, as frequent linemates Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen have failed to build upon breakout rookie campaigns and have been held to just three points apiece. Calder hopeful Ryan Donato has been anything but and was recently demoted after recording just a single point in eleven games. Even surprise top-nine regulars Joakim Nordstrom and Anders Bjork have just two points each. This also comes after prospects Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Trent Frederic, and Jack Studnicka all failed to claim an open third-line center spot in camp, a role initially held by veteran David Backes, who was scoreless through seven games before getting injured. Kalman recently opined that Backes should not necessarily even return to the Bruins lineup once healthy.
Neely told Kalman that “we recognize we don’t want to sit around, wait too long, for something that may or may not happen”, as management’s patience with the lack of secondary scoring is running out. He spoke individually on each of the four struggling younsters – DeBrusk, Heinen, Donato, and Bjork – expressing varying degrees of trust in their ability to bounce back, but simply said as a group the young forwards need to improve in all three zones. There is no reason to think that any of the four will turn things around, especially without some shakeup to the roster.
So what could be the next move? Speaking with TSN 1050 in Toronto yesterday, insider Darren Dreger stated that he thinks the Bruins would be willing to part with one of Heinen, 23, or Bjork, 22, in the right deal. The pair share a similar skill set and ceiling and neither has made much of an impact thus far. Of the two, Heinen’s stock is higher, fresh off of a 47-point campaign that placed him among the top ten in rookie scorers. However, Bjork himself was on pace for a 30+ point season prior to season-ending injury and has looked the better of the two thus far this season. Using the last-place Los Angeles Kings as an example, Dreger speculates that a cap-strapped club like L.A. might be willing to part with a Tyler Toffoli or Tanner Pearson for a package based around a young, affordable, and controllable asset like Heinen or Bjork. Beyond Dreger’s hypothetical, the Bruins could also deal from their wealth of defensive prospects or dangle a mid-round draft pick in order to land some help. Established young forwards of any kind would likely be the primary target group, but impending unrestricted free agent centers could also make an immediate difference. The Bruins could kick the tires on the likes of Matt Duchene, Kevin Hayes, Jason Spezza, and Brock Nelson before too long. Neely has made it clear that the team won’t wait to fix their secondary scoring and a deal could occur any time now.
Kings’ Alec Martinez Drawing Trade Interest
The Los Angeles Kings have the worst record in the NHL right now at 3-7-1. Trade interest in top players comes with that territory. The newest name that has GM Rob Blake‘s phones ringing is veteran defenseman Alec Martinez. TSN’s Darren Dreger recently talked on TSN Radio 1290 about the growing market for the talented two-way defender, hinting that there is “a ton of interest”.
However, Dreger did state that his feeling in speaking with Blake was that the GM was not yet ready to pull the trigger on a major trade. Martinez is one of several players – Jake Muzzin, Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson, and Trevor Lewis being others – that the struggling Kings could deal away before the season ends. Yet, Blake is being patient with his team right now and, in Dreger’s opinion, is not ready to become a seller this early in the season. Dreger also notes that L.A. is dealing from a position of weakness right now due to their slow start and are likely receiving offers for Martinez not yet equivalent to his true value.
Yet, Martinez remains one of the most likely names to move out should Blake reach his boiling point and finally respond to trade interest. At 31 years old, Martinez is on the downside of his career and his decline in production last season is even further evidence. He also carries another two years of term on his current contract beyond this season at a $4MM cap hit. The cap-strapped Kings could certainly benefit from dumping his salary, but are likely to land some intriguing assets in return as well. As Dreger notes, the time doesn’t seem right just now, but as long as the Kings continue to struggle, a move is unavoidable and Martinez very well could be the first major departure.
Snapshots: Hurricanes, Nylander, Voynov, Global Series
The Carolina Hurricanes have three scouts in attendance tonight at the Dallas Stars-Toronto Maple Leafs game and, according to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, that is not just a fluke. Per Friedman, for the one team to have that many scouts in attendance on a night with 26 teams in action, there has to be a reason. Unless the Hurricanes and Stars have a deal on the table that no one has heard about quite yet, the implication would be that Carolina continues to be in hot pursuit of young forward William Nylander. Yet, Nylander is not in the Toronto lineup tonight, as he remains unsigned as a restricted free agent. Why then would the Hurricanes still be out scouting the Maple Leafs? Friedman suggests that a possible Nylander deal, which looks more and more realistic with each day, could be of a much greater magnitude than a one-for-one swap. While many have suggested that a relatively simple exchange centered around Nylander and ‘Canes defenseman Justin Faulk would make sense for both sides, it would seem to leave Toronto a little shortchanged. As such, if Carolina is watching other Maple Leafs, it would seem to indicate that the package from their side is quite larger than just one veteran defenseman. At the end of the day, there very well may never be a Nylander trade. However, the clues are building toward what could be a Toronto-Carolina blockbuster.
- The opposite of mysterious trade dealings? How about a team outright stating they have no interest in acquiring a player. That is what the Arizona Coyotes did today, with The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reporting that the team has absolutely no interest in adding free agent defenseman Slava Voynov. Voynov, 28, has been out of the NHL for four years, but today applied for reinstatement. An interested team would have to trade for his rights from the Los Angeles Kings, but dealing with a division rival is likely not what is holding the Coyotes back. Voynov’s troubled past would mean bad PR for any team he ends up with and Arizona is simply opting not to expose themselves to that onslaught. There will no doubt be interest in the talented blue liner, just not from the Coyotes.
- With NHL currently overseas as the Global Series takes place with games in Finland between the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers, commissioner Gary Bettman took the opportunity to hint at what the future of the league’s action abroad could be. NHL.com’s Brian Compton writes that Bettman is currently working toward having preseason games in Germany and Switzerland again next year, while also planning for a season-opening series in Prague, Czech Republic and a later series in Stockholm, Sweden. He also states that the league has interest in returning to Finland in the near future as well. To date, the league has played 31 games overseas and has enjoyed success with growing the game on an international scale. The Global Series seems like a venture by the NHL with no shortage of opportunities and a excellent longevity.