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Five Key Stories: 02/10/20 – 02/16/20

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Can you really pick just five? In a news cycle in which superstar Erik Karlsson being ruled out for the season doesn’t even crack the top ten headlines, here are the five most important stories (admittedly with some other notes sprinkled in) of the week that was:

Bouwmeester Suffers Cardiac Incident: The hockey world stood still on Tuesday night, after the game between the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks was suspended under very scary circumstances. Veteran defenseman Jay Bouwmeester suffered a “cardiac event” while on the bench during the first period of the contest, collapsing onto the ground. Bouwmeester required resuscitation by the teams’ training staffs to re-start his heart before he was rushed to the hospital. While awaiting word on his condition, there was an outpouring of support from teams and players in all corners of the hockey world for the well-respected veteran. Fortunately, the team issued a statement that Bouwmeester was in stable condition, followed by a report on Friday that he had undergone successful heart surgery. While questions remain about Bouwmeester’s availability to the reigning Stanley Cup champs this season, as well as the future of the impending free agent’s career, the focus will be on rest and rehabilitation for a while still to come.

Minnesota Fires Boudreau: In 13 seasons as an NHL head coach, Bruce Boudreau has only missed the playoffs twice and those seasons occurred seven years apart. However, one of those seasons was 2018-19 and things were not looking good for a return to the postseason in Minnesota this year. New GM Bill Guerin opted to cut ties with his veteran coach on Friday before he could miss consecutive postseasons for the first time in his career. Assistant Dean Evason was named the interim replacement, while Boudreau will begin looking for a new home – a process that historically has not taken him very long.

Elsewhere in the division, Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice received the opposite treatment, despite similar struggles this season. Already one of the longest-tenured coaches in the NHL, Maurice received a three-year contract extension from the Jets.

Penguins Acquire Zucker: Firing Boudreau was not the only major shake-up in Minnesota this week. Long-time Wild star Jason Zucker was finally traded on Monday after more than a year of speculation, even through front office changes. In the end, he winds up with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the same team that nearly acquired him this summer for Phil Kessel. Former Pittsburgh executive Bill Guerin made good on his major trade as Minnesota GM, landing a 2020 first-round pick, top prospect defenseman Calen Addison, and a capable forward and potential extension candidate in Alex Galchenyuk. Meanwhile, the Penguins add the forward they have been seeking – especially in light of Jake Guentzel’s season-ending injury – in Zucker, a veteran with the speed and skill to keep up with Sidney Crosby and three more years remaining on his contract at a reasonable rate. Zucker scored two goals in just his second game with the Penguins on Friday.

Devils Deal Two Key Players: The trades kept rolling on Sunday with the New Jersey Devils as the center of attention. Another new GM, Tom Fitzgerald, is making good on his promise to maximize the return on tradable assets from the rebuilding club. In two separate deals, the Devils added a first-round pick and second-round pick in 2020, promising forward prospect Nolan Foote, and minor leaguer David Quenneville. Of course, it came at a cost, as long-time captain Andy Greene was dealt to the rival New York Islanders and fan-favorite forward Blake Coleman was moved to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Still, with such strong returns and pieces like Sami Vatanen, Wayne Simmonds, and more expected to go as well, this is the beginning of potentially franchise-altering deadline for New Jersey.

Oilers Extend Nurse: The Edmonton Oilers needed some good news this week, with superstar Connor McDavid out two-to-three weeks with an injury and fellow forward Zack Kassian suspended for seven games. They got it with news of a contract extension for young defenseman Darnell Nurse. Nurse, 25, signed a two-year, $11.2MM deal prior to restricted free agency and a potential arbitration battle this summer. The new AAV for Nurse represents a sizeable salary bump, but for good reason, as he has established himself as a dependable top-pair defender and a point-producer. While the relationship between Nurse and the Oilers was once a concern, it now seems to be in good order, with expectations already that the two sides will negotiate a more long-term extension after next season.

Wild Fire Bruce Boudreau

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It has been a disappointing season in Minnesota with one big change already being made when Jason Zucker was traded to Pittsburgh.  Another big change has come with the team announcing that head coach Bruce Boudreau has been relieved of his duties.  They also announced that assistant coach Dean Evason is taking over on an interim basis.

The Wild currently sit in a tie for fifth place in the Central Division with Nashville and are three points out of the final Wild Card spot in the ultra-tight Western Conference.  If they fail to make the playoffs, it’ll be the second straight year that they miss after six straight appearances from 2012-13 through 2017-18.

Boudreau was in his fourth season with the team with Minnesota playing to a 158-110-35 record under his guidance.  That’s the twelfth-best points percentage in the league since 2016 when he took over.  The Wild made the playoffs in the first two seasons but lost in the first round both times.  The timing of the change comes after Minnesota blew a 3-1 lead against the Rangers on Thursday night but the Wild are still 6-3-1 in their last ten games.

Boudreau’s contractual situation is also worth noting.  As Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic notes (Twitter link), Boudreau was in the final year of his deal as head coach with two more years left on his contract after that in a consulting role.  From Guerin’s point of view, once he fully decided that Boudreau wouldn’t be kept on as coach following the season, making the move now makes sense even if it comes just ten days before the trade deadline.

Boudreau has twice been fired but hasn’t stayed on the market for long.  It took just two days from him to go from Washington to Anaheim in 2011-12 and only a week to do from the Ducks to the Wild in 2016 although that move came after the season.  Considering the frequency of coaching changes this season – this is number eight – it’s certainly possible that his time on the market could be short-lived once again.

As for Evason, this will be his first head coaching job at the NHL level.  He’s in his second year behind the bench as an assistant with Minnesota but before that, he spent six seasons as the bench boss with AHL Milwaukee.  TSN’s Darren Dreger notes (Twitter link) that the job is expected to be his for the remainder of the season with a permanent hire to come in the offseason.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report Boudreau’s firing.  Michael Russo of The Athletic first reported Evason’s promotion.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Colorado’s Nazem Kadri Out “Weeks”

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The surging Colorado Avalanche have suffered a setback in their pursuit to overtake the St. Louis Blues for the lead in the Central Division and Western Conference. Head coach Jared Bednar revealed to the media on Tuesday that center Nazem Kadri has suffered a lower-body injury and is set to miss “weeks, not days.” Kadri was injured in the second period on Sunday against the Minnesota Wild and return for just one shift in the third period before exiting the game.

Kadri, 29, has played an integral role for the Avalanche this season after coming over from the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer. In a campaign that has featured lengthy absences from the likes of Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog, Kadri has been a steady secondary scorer for Colorado, recording 19 goals – second only to Nathan MacKinnon – and 36 points. Had Kadri stayed healthy, he would have been on pace for the second-best season of his career. He has also been far and away the team’s best face-off man and among the leading forwards in power play time and hits.

Kadri’s absence, especially as the Avs are in the midst of a 7-1-2 run a rolling on all cylinders, is a stroke of bad luck for player and team. The good news is that the injury occurred prior to the trade deadline, with enough time to react and refocus their trade pursuits. Colorado was already considered a top buyer at the deadline, given their position in the standings and considerable cap space, but now they have even more incentive to add depth up front. It’s fair to consider the Avalanche players for nearly every top name on the market. In the meantime, the team will have to lean more heavily on their other secondary scorers, particularly centers J.T. Compher and Tyson Jost, and hope that slumping star Landeskog can rediscover his game. Colorado will need help in some way, shape, or form as they await a return from Kadri, likely not until next month.

Trade Rumors: Hall, Wild, Rangers, Hurricanes

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After spending the first few months of the season obsessing over him, few want to see Taylor Hall’s name back in the rumor mill. Fortunately, that doesn’t appear to be likely. Even though the Arizona Coyotes have failed to improve since acquiring the star forward from the New Jersey Devils in December and are far from a lock for the playoffs this season, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun confirmed on tonight’s segment of “Insider Trading” that the Coyotes have no intention of flipping Hall before the deadline. Although holding on to the high-profile impending free agent is a risk, the team remains intent on re-signing Hall, with the full backing of new owner Alex Meruello. In fact, LeBrun reports that Meruello, GM John Chayka, and Hall’s agent, Darren Ferris, all recently met and are on the same page that Hall will not be dealt this season and that extension talks will begin once the Coyotes’ season has come to an end, whenever that is. LeBrun believes that Arizona’s ability and willingness to offer Hall and eight-year term on his next contract could tip the scales toward the former Hart Trophy winner staying in the desert.

  • TSN colleague Darren Dreger reports that even after trading away long-time forward Jason Zucker to the Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday, new Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin may not be done dealing. Dreger states that the team is still listening to offers for young defenseman Matt Dumba, who has popped up in rumors over the last few weeks, as well as fellow rearguard Jonas Brodin. With that said, a trade of either skilled defender seems more likely to occur in the off-season, as Dreger believes the asking price for both would be a top-line center or a second-line center plus a pick or prospect. No contender will be in position to make a deal of that magnitude ahead of the trade deadline, but suitors could circle back this summer, perhaps even before free agency opens and the Wild have to make a decision on captain Mikko Koivu.
  • Another deal that could take place this summer is a resolution in the crowded net of the New York Rangers. Alexandar Georgiev was the name suggested by many as being available for trade, but TSN’s Bob McKenzie does not see a deal happening this season. He reports that the Rangers continue to listen on Georgiev but are not actively shopping him and head coach David Quinn is content to carry three goalies and ride the hot hand. However, the best keeper of late has been Igor Shesterkin, not future Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist. McKenzie wonders if Lundqvist will be content in New York moving forward if he is playing more of a backup role to Shesterkin or if he could ask for a trade this summer or perhaps even at the deadline.
  • The insiders wrapped up with LeBrun relaying word from sources around the league that the Carolina Hurricanes are openly offering a first-round pick in exchange for a top-four defenseman with term. The Hurricanes are owners of two top picks, their own and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ from the Patrick Marleau trade, and GM Don Waddell clearly feels that he could part with one of the two if it means landing long-term help. Even after trading Justin Faulk before the season, the Hurricanes are still considered one of the deeper blue line units in the NHL. Yet, they have been on the hunt for a Faulk replacement much of the year and that search was amplified by the injury to Dougie Hamilton. In that vein, LeBrun adds that the team has had talks on rentals Sami Vatanen of the Devils and Brenden Dillon of the Sharks as a short-term fix with Hamilton out, but owner Tom Dundon has encouraged Waddell to avoid rentals and target term if he is going to trade a first-rounder.

Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire Jason Zucker

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have finally landed their man. The Penguins have acquired Jason Zucker from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk, Calen Addison and a conditional 2020 first-round pick. Should the Penguins miss the playoffs this season, they will have the option to instead give the Wild their 2021 first-round selection.

Zucker, 28, has been a target of Penguins’ GM Jim Rutherford for some time. Last summer there was a deal agreed upon between the two teams that would have sent Phil Kessel to Minnesota, but the enigmatic sniper refused to waive his no-trade clause. Kessel was eventually dealt to the Arizona Coyotes instead with Galchenyuk a big part of the return. Zucker is signed through 2022-23 at a $5.5MM cap hit, giving the team a lot more cost certainty than Galchenyuk, who is a pending unrestricted free agent.

The last several years have been quite the rollercoaster for Galchenyuk. The third overall pick in 2012 scored a career-high 30 goals in 2015-16 with the Montreal Canadiens but will now join his fourth organization in three seasons. Despite coming in to potentially replace Kessel in the Pittsburgh top-six, the 25-year old couldn’t find a fit beside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin and was dropped down in the lineup. With just five goals and 17 points in 45 games it has been a disaster for him, especially given he’ll be negotiating a new deal in a few months.

Though Zucker and Galchenyuk will fill most of the headlines, Addison isn’t to be overlooked. The 19-year old defenseman is the real gem in the deal for the Wild, who are trying to add more prospect talent to the organization. Selected 53rd overall in 2018, the puck-moving blueliner has 43 points in 39 games for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and was one of the best players for the gold medal-winning Team Canada at the World Juniors. McKenzie tweets that the Penguins didn’t want to include Addison in the deal, but given Wild GM Bill Guerin’s familiarity with the Pittsburgh organization it’s not surprising that he was a target.

The fact that the Wild will also add a first-round selection makes this quite the package, especially if they can either re-sign or flip Galchenyuk for even more. Zucker does appear to be a perfect fit for the Penguins however, especially given Jake Guentzel’s long-term injury.

Not only is capable of creating plenty of offense—he currently sits at 14 goals, 29 points through 45 games—he also brings the one attribute that has worked so well in the past alongside Crosby: speed. Zucker is still one of the best straight line skaters in the league and will give the team another weapon at even-strength and on the powerplay.

It comes as no surprise that Rutherford has landed one of his top targets several weeks before the deadline. The veteran executive has never been shy to pull the trigger on a big deal, and with his dynamic duo getting older there is no time to waste when pursuing another Stanley Cup.

One statistic that may cause some anxiety in Pittsburgh fans? Zucker has just eight points in 31 career playoff games, and was held scoreless during his most recent series in 2018.

Bob McKenzie of TSN was first to break the deal on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Three Stars, Fenton, Hamonic

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The NHL has released the Three Stars for last week, and to no one’s surprise Elvis Merzlikins has received the top honor. The Columbus Blue Jackets’ goaltender went nearly 180 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal, posting two shutouts and a minuscule 0.67 goals against average. The 25-year old rookie now has a .930 save percentage on the season.

Second and third place go to more familiar faces, as Kyle Connor and Andrei Vasilevskiy take home the honors. The Winnipeg Jets forward had eight points last week and now is just two goals away from his third consecutive 30-goal season. Tampa Bay meanwhile has been on fire with the reigning Vezina Trophy winner showing exactly why he should never be counted out. Vasilevskiy now leads the league in wins with 29 after a slow start to the season and is all the way back up to a .918 save percentage.

  • After being fired by the Minnesota Wild just 14 months into his tenure as general manager, Paul Fenton has found a new home. The long-time Nashville Predators assistant GM is working his way through the turn of the century expansion clubs, now taking a job with the Columbus Blue Jackets’ scouting department according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. Fenton has always been known as a strong judge of talent, but things quickly went south when he was put in charge of the Wild.
  • Travis Hamonic has left the Flames and returned to Calgary for further testing according to Wes Gilberton of Postmedia. The defenseman left Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, complicating the upcoming trade deadline even further for the Flames’ front office. Hamonic was one of several defensemen that are on expiring contracts and could have been moved, but with captain Mark Giordano already out it will be hard to subtract from the Flames’ blue line at this point. The team has recalled Alexander Yelesin from the minor leagues.

Snapshots: Kapanen, Dumba, Puistola

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Kasperi Kapanen owned up to the reasoning behind his benching on Saturday night when he met with the media this morning. Kapanen had been a healthy scratch, but head coach Sheldon Keefe declined to provide any details as to why in his post-game media availability. It turns out that Kapanen had specifically asked for the opportunity to speak about the issue. Kapanen told a number of reporters, including Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, that he had overslept on Friday and was late to a team meeting and practice. This was not the first incidence of this, as Kapanen had previously had problems being punctual in the AHL, also under Keefe. He stressed this morning that these were honest mistakes and he does not want his coaches and teammates to think that he does not care about being the best player that he can be. It seems that Kapanen and Keefe are ready to move past this but these locker room issues won’t help to quell the trade rumors surrounding the young winger.

  • In an entertaining article that was mostly educated guesses, Pierre LeBrun did manage to drop a few rumor nuggets in his recent trade deadline piece for  The Athletic. One such report was that the Carolina Hurricanes – known to be seeking defense – had inquired about the Minnesota Wild’s Mathew Dumba. Not only does this say that the Hurricanes are at least looking into options beyond rentals, with Dumba signed for three more years at $6MM, but it implies that the Wild are at least listening to offers on the young defenseman. New GM Bill Guerin has stated that the team is open for business, but moving Dumba would be a major move for the franchise. The team would have to recoup some highly valueable  pieces to warrant trading away one of their few young difference-makers.
  • Hurricanes prospect Patrik Puistola is on the move in the Finnish Liiga yet again. Puistola, 19, has struggled while playing for the team that owns his rights, Tappara, with just two points in 24 games. However, in an earlier loan this season to Jukurit, the swift winger posted five points in just seven games. Tappaara will try to loan him out again now, announcing that he has been sent to Kookoo. If Puistola performs with Kookoo as he did with Jukurit or at the World Juniors, where he posted eight points in seven games, then the team will be very happy about this temporary arrangement. Meanwhile, as Puistola’s attachment to Tappara continues to diminih, the odds are improving that he will make the jump to North America next season.

Chicago Blackhawks Claim Nick Seeler

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The Chicago Blackhawks have claimed Nick Seeler off waivers from the Minnesota Wild. The team has sent Dennis Gilbert to the minor leagues to make room.

Seeler, 26, is actually signed through the 2020-21 season, meaning the Blackhawks have bought themselves a little depth for the next season and a half. The physical defenseman carries a $725K cap hit, but has only played in six games for the Wild this season after suiting up 71 times in 2018-19.

With a claim, Seeler will be staying in the NHL for the time being as he tries to show his new club he can be a regular at the highest level. Coincidentally, the Blackhawks will play the Wild tomorrow night when they travel to Minnesota.

Western Notes: Vegas AHL Affiliate, Minnesota, Winnipeg

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Just recently, the Vegas Golden Knights were reportedly working on purchasing an AHL team and bringing it to Las Vegas to be their new minor league affiliate as quickly as next season, possibly calling them the Henderson Silver Knights. While it looked to be just speculation, it looks to be true as the Chicago Sun-Times’ Brian Sandalow writes that Vegas’ current AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, are expected to find a new franchise to work with starting next season.

“The Chicago Wolves will be here next season,” chairman Don Levin told the Sun-Times before the Wolves beat the Manitoba Moose 5-2 on Saturday. “But I don’t know who we’ll be affiliated with.”

Levin went on to say that there is “no scenario at all” in which the Wolves would be affiliated with the Vegas Golden Knights next season. He added that he’s heard that Vegas has talked to every independent team if they wanted to sell, but hasn’t heard whether the Golden Knights’ franchise has found a buyer.

  • The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) writes that changes in Minnesota may be coming soon after the Minnesota Wild suffered an embarrassing 4-0 shutout loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. While the scribe is just conjecturing, he said that it might not be coincidence that the entire Minnesota front office is in town, including advisor Jack Ferreira and general manager Bill Guerin looked upset and stood for 10 straight minutes after David Pastrnak scored to give Boston a 4-0 lead. The team has quite a few issues to deal with, the most challenging is the fact that it has just one unrestricted free agent coming off the books this summer in Mikko Koivu.
  •  The Winnipeg Jets and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will soon have to make a decision about whether the team will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. After a big victory over the first-place Blues Saturday, The Athletic’s Murat Ates (subscription required) writes that what the Jets need more than anything is secondary scoring. The team is without their top two checkers in Adam Lowry and Mathieu Perreault, both injured, meaning instead of sending out their checking line to stop the opposing team’s top line, Winnipeg is now forced to send their top line out instead. The team needs help in its secondary scoring, although the play of Jack Roslovic of late could make quite a difference if he can keep it up. The team could have some cap room to work if it’s true that Dustin Byfuglien will miss the season due to injury.

Minnesota Wild Place Nick Seeler On Waivers

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The Minnesota Wild have placed defenseman Nick Seeler on waivers in hopes of sending him to the Iowa Wild of the AHL, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Seeler has spent the majority of the season in Minnesota’s press box as he just hasn’t been able to crack the team’s lineup.

Seeler has appeared in just six games for Minnesota all season and hasn’t seen any NHL action since Dec. 7. In those six games, the 26-year-old has no points, eight penalty minutes, a minus-6 rating and averaged just 10:12 of ATOI. That’s a far cry from last season where Seeler was a regular for the franchise, appearing in 71 games with two goals and seven points, 64 penalty minutes, a minus-4 rating while averaging 12:20 on the ice.

Even when veteran Jared Spurgeon sat out for most of December with a broken hand, Seeler remained a healthy scratch in 15 of the team’s 17 games, suggesting head coach Bruce Boudreau had lost confidence in him. The Wild then sent Seeler to Iowa on a conditioning stint on Jan. 3 where he played in six games for the AHL team. He picked up two assists and had a plus-9 rating and was recalled on Jan. 15, but has been a healthy scratch for all five games since.

The move likely suggests the team is ready to move on from Seeler and hope they can pass him through to Iowa and open up a roster spot for another defenseman.

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