New York Rangers Fire John Davidson, Jeff Gorton
4:35pm: The Rangers have made it official, announcing that Davidson and Gorton are “leaving the organization” effective immediately. Drury has taken over as president and general manager, while senior advisor Glen Sather will help him during the transition. Dolan has released a statement:
We want to thank JD and Jeff for their contributions to the organization. They are both great hockey professionals who worked hard for the Rangers, however, in order for the team to succeed in the manner our fans deserve, there needs to be a change in leadership. Chris is a very sought-after executive and a strong leader, who has proven himself to be one of the top young minds in hockey. We are confident he will effectively guide the team to ensure the long-term success we promised Rangers fans.
1:50pm: In a stunning development, the New York Rangers have fired team president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. This comes less than 24 hours after the team issued a harsh statement critiquing the league and Department of Player Safety head George Parros. Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that the two men “scurried to distance themselves” from the statement, telling other executives that they did not know it was in the works until after it was released. Larry Brooks of the New York Post tweets that associate GM Chris Drury will remain with the organization in a prominent role and Friedman reports that it will be as president and GM.
Darren Dreger of TSN has been told that the firings are not related to the statement and Friedman adds that James Dolan, the team owner, was unhappy with the team this season and wanted a change. Dolan was also behind the statement, reports Friedman.
While the Rangers are going to miss the playoffs again this season, the rebuild is going pretty much exactly as planned. Three years ago, the team issued a letter to fans telling them that they would be trading franchise icons in order to amass a new young core to put them back in contention for the Stanley Cup. Names like Ryan McDonagh, Mats Zuccarello, Rick Nash, J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes, Brady Skjei, and Marc Staal were all shown the door, while Gorton and his staff compiled prospects and picks to build for the future. The team went out and signed Artemi Panarin to a huge contract in free agency to move things along and even took part in the postseason last year, losing to a much more experienced Carolina Hurricanes team in the qualification round.
This season they will miss the playoffs thanks to a brutal East Division, sitting ten points behind the New York Islanders but holding a 26-21-6 record. The Rangers would hold a playoff position in two of the other divisions with the same record and have the 13th-best goal differential in the NHL.
Apparently, that rebuild has not gone the way ownership envisioned. Davidson and Gorton are out, adding two respected and experienced executives to the market for teams to go after this summer. It was less than two years ago when Davidson resigned his role with the Columbus Blue Jackets to take a similar job with the Rangers, noting that it was a homecoming of sorts for the former player and broadcaster. That homecoming is now over, but it seems very unlikely that Davidson is without work for long if he wants to continue in an NHL front office.
Of course, even though they are moving on from two experienced executives, the Rangers have a ready-made replacement in Drury. An Olympic medalist as a player, Drury has been one of the most sought-after young managers in the league the last several years but has continued to commit himself to the Rangers whenever a new opportunity presented itself. He joined the team as its director of player development in 2015 and has worked his way up the ranks, also serving as GM for Team USA at the World Championships. There’s no doubting Drury’s ability in the role, though his appointment does come suddenly and with plenty of surprise.
Jonathan Drouin Takes Leave Of Absence
The Montreal Canadiens have announced that Jonathan Drouin will take an indefinite leave of absence for the team for personal reasons. The team has asked everyone to respect his privacy and placed him on long-term injured reserve. Drouin hasn’t played since April 21 against the Edmonton Oilers, missing the last three games. That means he could be placed on LTIR retroactive to his last appearance, and could potentially return before the end of the season after missing his mandated ten games.
It has been a difficult season performance-wise for Drouin, who has just two goals in 44 games this season. After the announcement, there was an immediate outpouring of support on social media from fans and media alike, wishing him the best as he deals with whatever is going on.
With Drouin on LTIR, the Canadiens shouldn’t run into any more cap issues in relation to Cole Caufield or Jake Evans and could use the two young forwards down the stretch. Both were on the ice at morning skate according to John Lu of TSN as the team prepares for a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening.
Patrick Roy Interested In NHL Return
Patrick Roy is a Hall of Fame goaltender and a former NHL head coach and executive. However, since 2016 he’s been out of the league entirely. He’s now hoping to change that. According to agent Neil Glasberg, who was recently hired by Roy, the experienced hockey mind is looking for a way back to the top league in the world and he’ll take any opportunity that presents itself.
Roy is currently the head coach and general manager of the QMJHL’s Quebec Ramparts, a role he returned to in 2018 after previously working in those roles for the team since 2003. Of course, Roy was also the head coach and vice president of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche from 2013 to 2016.
With so much experience in various departments, Roy is not looking to focus on just one type of NHL opportunity. “He could be a president of hockey ops. He could be a GM. He could be a co-GM. He could be a head coach,” Glasberg stated. “It’s going to be situational.”
Roy had previously been linked to head coach and president opening with the Ottawa Senators and could circle back with the team on a potential role. His hometown Montreal Canadiens are currently operating with an interim head coach, as are the Buffalo Sabres, while there could be openings with the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets among other this summer. In the front office, any number of teams could have openings – or make openings – in order to add Roy to the staff. As Glasberg notes, they will wait to see what becomes available this off-season and make a decision from there. With so many possibilities, the hope is to see Roy back in the NHL soon.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Cole Caufield
April 26: It took another ten days, but the Canadiens are finally giving Caufield a shot. The team has assigned Alexander Romanov to the taxi squad in order to give them the cap space needed to recall the young sniper, who will make his NHL debut tonight against the Calgary Flames. Because several other forwards are currently dealing with injuries, Caufield is technically an emergency recall according to CapFriendly, meaning they can bring Romanov back down the line.
April 16: It’s happening, Montreal Canadiens fans. The team has officially recalled Cole Caufield from the AHL and placed him on the taxi squad. Montreal plays tomorrow evening against the Calgary Flames, where the Hobey Baker Award winner could potentially make his NHL debut. The team also recalled Cayden Primeau to the active roster under emergency conditions.
Of note, the Laval Rocket recently had several upcoming games postponed, meaning Caufield could just be up with the taxi squad to get some practice time in. After his early performance in the AHL however–the 20-year-old forward scored three goals (including two game-winners) and four points in two appearances for Laval–Canadiens fans are hoping he’s in the NHL lineup before long.
There’s been no stopping Caufield so far in his hockey career. Despite never reaching the size and strength of some other top prospects, the 5’7″ forward continues to outproduce almost everyone he comes in contact with. Caufield broke records set by people like Phil Kessel and Auston Matthews with the U.S. National Team Development Program, he was a point-per-game freshman in the NCAA and just recently led the entire nation in scoring with 30 goals and 52 points in 31 games for Wisconsin.
It seemed as though professional hockey may slow him down, but that certainly wasn’t the case in his debut for Laval. Caufield recorded five shots on goal, scored on the powerplay and at even strength, and added a helper in his professional debut, flying all over the ice with the puck. He came back with another four-shot performance on the next night, once again providing must-see action for the Rocket.
Now the next step is getting his first game with the Canadiens, who are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Flames on Wednesday. The team has scored just five goals in their last three games and could certainly use a bit of punch from their star prospect.
Carey Price Returns To Montreal For Treatment
The Montreal Canadiens aren’t scheduled to play again at home until Wednesday, but Carey Price will be there waiting. The star goaltender has returned to Montreal to receive further treatment for his concussion. On Tuesday, head coach Dominique Ducharme ruled out Price for at least a week, though with concussions the return timeline is always a little hazy.
For the first time since assuming head coaching duties, Ducharme did not announce his lineup decisions to the media ahead of tonight’s game at Calgary, but had said that he hoped to get Cayden Primeau into one of the games against the Flames. Jake Allen played (and lost) yesterday, meaning it would be the obvious time for Primeau’s season debut. The 21-year-old appeared in two NHL games last season but has been limited to just AHL duty this time around. With Price out, he’ll get a chance to show what he can do, even if it is in a limited role behind Allen.
The more important question is whether Price will be healthy for the playoffs, which are just a few weeks away. The team has just ten games remaining after tonight, meaning there isn’t a lot of time for him to make it through this concussion period and then get back up to speed. With Allen already outplaying Price all season, Ducharme is going to have quite the decision on his hands should the Canadiens hold onto the final playoff spot.
Carey Price In Concussion Protocol
After leaving last night’s game following the first period, it wasn’t clear exactly what the prognosis was for Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price. He wasn’t on the ice for this morning’s practice either, and now head coach Dominque Ducharme has explained that his starting netminder has been placed in the concussion protocol and will be out at least a week.
Jake Allen, who finished last night’s game, and Cayden Primeau were the goalies on the ice today. It appears as though they’ll have to carry the load for a little while.
Although he played out the period, Price did have his head contacted by Alex Chiasson early on. That is where Ducharme believes the concussion occurred, but at any rate, the team will have to go without their high-priced netminder.
It’s been a brutal year for Price overall, with a 12-7-5 record and .901 save percentage through 25 appearances. He has been steadily outplayed by Allen, who was supposed to be the clear backup but now takes over as the obvious number one until Price is cleared to return. Even then, as much as they don’t want to admit it, the Canadiens have a controversy brewing as the playoffs approach. A recent concussion for Price will only strengthen the case to have Allen in net for game one, should Montreal hold onto the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division.
As for Primeau, who now steps into a backup role, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports tweets that the young goaltender is expected to make his season debut against the Calgary Flames later this week. He has been recalled to the NHL squad under emergency conditions and will likely start one of the back-to-back matches on Friday/Saturday.
North Notes: Canadiens, Foligno, Hutton, McLeod
Despite being lauded for his trade deadline moves, Montreal Canadiens general manager finds that his team is struggling, much because of the team’s sudden roster inflexibility. The team has already used up all but one of their post-deadline recalls, bringing up Xavier Ouellet, Alexander Romanov and Paul Byron immediately after making the trades to acquire Jon Merrill and Erik Gustafsson as well as putting defenseman Victor Mete on waivers (and losing him to Ottawa). Most of these moves were made to accommodate the loss of Mete and the pending additions of Merrill and Gustafsson, both who have to quarantine for seven days before being able to join the team.
Now, with just one recall remaining and quite a few games left to go this season, head coach Dominique Ducharme doesn’t have many options to make roster moves, according to The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required). One significant issue the team could address is the sudden poor play of Eric Staal. Despite scoring the game-winning goal in his debut, Staal has struggled in the seven games he’s played since, scoring no points with just seven shots and boasting a minus-eight plus/minus. However, the team doesn’t have the ability to replace him in the lineup for a game or two with energy-man Jake Evans, who currently is sitting on the taxi squad since they are not ready to use their final recall.
That leaves the team with multiple roster issues for the next few weeks until the team is ready to spend their final recall.
- Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby writes that Toronto Maple Leafs’ newly acquired Nick Foligno and Ben Hutton will have their seven-day quarantine expire in a couple of days. However, it remains unknown whether either player would join the team for their five-game road trip that starts today due to their quarantine as well as the recent COVID-19 breakout that forced the postponement of three Toronto Marlies’ games. Of course, getting both Foligno and Hutton into the Toronto lineup so both can pick up their system is crucial.
- The Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that the Edmonton Oilers have another internal candidate they should consider when it comes to boosting their offense: Ryan McLeod. The 2018 second-round pick has had a great season in the AHL so far with 14 goals and 28 points in 28 games. At $834K and the ability to play center, he could be a valuable chip for the team as the playoffs approach.
NHL Announces Changes To North Division Schedule
In response to the Vancouver Canucks’ recent medical testing (as well as some choice comments from J.T. Miller) the league decided that tonight’s game was not able to be played. Tomorrow’s scheduled match against the Toronto Maple Leafs has also been pushed, with it now being set for Sunday evening. The ripple effect of these changes spread out across the entire North Division (save for the Ottawa Senators), with more than a dozen other schedule alterations announced today.
- Game #697, Toronto at Vancouver, scheduled for April 17, is now scheduled for Sunday, April 18 at 7 p.m. ET
- Game #710, Toronto at Vancouver, scheduled for April 19, is now scheduled for Tuesday, April 20 at 9 p.m. ET
- Game #726, Toronto at Winnipeg, scheduled for April 21, is now scheduled for Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m. ET
- Game #829, Edmonton at Vancouver, scheduled for April 16, is now scheduled for Monday, May 3 at 10 p.m. ET
- Game #844, Edmonton at Vancouver, scheduled for May 6, is now scheduled for Tuesday, May 4 at 10 p.m. ET
- Game #593, Vancouver at Edmonton, scheduled for May 4, is now scheduled for Thursday, May 6 at 9 p.m. ET
- Game #526, Edmonton at Montreal, scheduled for May 11, is now scheduled for Wednesday, May 12 at 5 p.m. ET
- Game #647, Vancouver at Calgary, scheduled for May 3, is now scheduled for Thursday, May 13 at 9 p.m. ET
- Game #741, Toronto at Winnipeg, scheduled for April 23, is now scheduled for Friday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET
- Game #673, Vancouver at Edmonton, scheduled for May 13, is now scheduled for Saturday, May 15 at TBD
- Game #567, Calgary at Vancouver, scheduled for April 21, is now scheduled for Sunday, May 16 at TBD
- Game #864, Calgary at Vancouver, scheduled for May 15, is now scheduled for Tuesday, May 18 at TBD
- Game #634, Vancouver at Calgary, scheduled for May 16, is now scheduled for Wednesday, May 19 at TBD
Tomorrow’s game between the Oilers and Jets has also been pulled up three hours to fill the now-vacant primetime spot on Hockey Night In Canada.
Important to note here is that the North Division schedule now extends through May 19, the last day the NHL had built into their “buffer” before the playoffs are set to begin. Perhaps even more telling is that all those games scheduled past May 15 are between the Canucks and Flames, two teams who could be eliminated from postseason contention at that point.
North Notes: Chiarot, Hyman, Ritchie
The Montreal Canadiens are expecting to have Ben Chiarot back in the lineup tonight, just four weeks after breaking his hand in a fight. Chiarot is returning nearly two weeks ahead of schedule, a nice boost for a Montreal team that is still perched precariously in the final North Division playoff spot. As head coach Dominique Ducharme noted to reporters including TSN’s John Lu today, however, Chiarot’s return from long-term injured reserve complicates the Canadiens cap situation and could delay the debut of top prospect Cole Caufield who was recalled to the taxi squad today–or even many of the team’s other reserves.
Of course, as Eric Engels of Sportsnet tweets, this could change quickly and certainly won’t keep the active roster static for the rest of the season. Though Ducharme’s comments may have been concerning to Montreal fans, the important news today is Chiarot’s return to his familiar spot next to Shea Weber with just 16 games left in the season.
- Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman will sacrifice $5,000 for his high-stick on Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk, but won’t face any suspension for the incident. Near the end of last night’s game, Hyman was involved in a net-front battle and after receiving a slash from Pionk, turned and struck Pionk in the face with the blade of his stick. The Maple Leafs forward was given a penalty on the play and now faces the maximum allowable fine under the CBA.
- Before joining the Vegas Golden Knights, first as assistant GM and then as GM, Kelly McCrimmon ran the entire Brandon Wheat Kings organization for decades. The owner of the WHL franchise, McCrimmon acted as GM and quite often head coach as well through 2015-16. One of the important members of that front office, in fact the man who took over as GM in 2019, is also now heading to the NHL. Darren Ritchie, who has been with the Wheat Kings since 2006 in various roles, most recently general manager, has left the junior club to take an amateur scouting position with the Maple Leafs. The Wheat Kings have named AGM Doug Gasper as his replacement.
The 2021 NHL Trade Deadline Deals That Didn’t Happen
The 2021 NHL Trade Deadline came and went with relatively little fanfare. Deadline day saw just 17 trades made (a new 8-year low) that involved only 26 players (a new 20-year low). The obvious downside to a quiet deadline is that it’s not very exciting to follow and doesn’t create the same number of stretch run storylines to follow. The upside? With so little news to cover, nothing slipped through the cracks. Insiders, such as Elliotte Friedman, have come out with more “almost-trades” than in most years and they have been compiled below. Enjoy reveling in what could have been:
Nicolas Deslauriers to the Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins and Anaheim Ducks came so close on a trade for Deslauriers that an article was published on the topic. Friedman reported that a deal was done, but then backtracked as talks fell apart. Pittsburgh ended up adding experience to their bottom-six from another West Division source, adding Jeff Carter from the Los Angeles Kings.
Jamie Oleksiak to the Edmonton Oilers
In the middle of the deadline day chaos, several pundits reported that Dallas Stars defenseman Oleksiak was on his way to Edmonton. Yet, as time ticked by and there was no announcement, it became clear that a deal had not been completed. Oleksiak had been linked to both Edmonton and the Toronto Maple Leafs but stay put, with the speculation now being the the Stars hope to re-sign him. The Oilers, who also missed out on Patrik Nemeth, ended up finding their stay-at-home defenseman in the New Jersey Devils’ Dmitry Kulikov.
Alex Goligoski, Vladislav Gavrikov, or Nikita Zadorov to the Winnipeg Jets
One of the biggest misses of the deadline was the Jets’ failure to add an impact defenseman. Winnipeg did add Jordie Benn late, but that hardly fills their gaping hole in the top-four. In retrospect, the mistake may have been focusing too much on defensemen who weren’t truly available. Friedman believes that the team tried to acquire either Gavrikov or Goligoski, or perhaps even both. Gavrikov would have been a very nice addition for the Jets, but by all accounts the young Columbus Blue Jackets defender was not really for sale. And while the Arizona Coyotes were expected to listen to offers for their expiring contracts, they ended up standing pat and not moving the veteran Goligoski. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Chicago Blackhawks were at least listening to offers for RFA blue liner Zadorov as well and the Jets made a push, but to no avail.
Taylor Hall to the New York Islanders or Vegas Golden Knights
Friedman began his post-deadline “31 Thoughts” by confirming the suspicions that Hall left the Buffalo Sabres little choice but to trade him to the Boston Bruins, stating that Hall had decided that was where he wanted to go and used his No-Movement Clause to make it happen. However, two other teams made a strong push and that was the Islanders and the Golden Knights. Hall was even open to joining New York, but once they acquired Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac he turned his focus to Boston even though the Isles maintained interest. The Sabres were seemingly very interested in making a deal with Vegas, as Friedman notes that multiple teams were contacted about acting as a salary cap broker for a potential deal. In the end, Hall preferred Boston and that is all that mattered.
Daniel Vladar or Jeremy Swayman to the Buffalo Sabres
Many have been critical of the Sabres’ return for Hall – a Boston second-round pick and forward Anders Bjork – but they tried their best to get more. Friedman reports that Buffalo asked Boston about moving one of their promising young keepers, as both Vladar and Swayman have shown NHL ability in recent weeks as the injury replacements in the Bruins net. However, once Boston knew that Hall wanted to go there and could control the decision, they held all the leverage. The team easily declined moving either talented netminder.
Conor Garland to the Toronto Maple Leafs or Vegas Golden Knights
While the team ended up acquiring Nick Foligno instead, Friedman notes that the Toronto Maple Leafs did express interest in affordable Arizona Coyotes forward Garland. Garland would have fit nicely under the cap, but would have been expensive to require and near impossible to re-sign for the cap-strapped Leafs. The team thus went in a different direction. The Golden Knights were also linked to Garland, but could not make a deal work with their division rival. Garland remaining with the Coyotes could be what is best for both parties in the long run anyhow.
Ryan Getzlaf to the Vegas Golden Knights or Montreal Canadiens
The Golden Knights just missed out on seemingly everyone, huh? Friedman notes that the team was close to adding Anaheim captain Getzlaf and the career Duck was open to the nearby move. However, Vegas allegedly was unwilling to meet the trade demands for the veteran center. For the same reason, the Canadiens likely missed out. Friedman notes that they had serious interest, but talks never got far. Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now adds that the Penguins kicked the tires on Getzlaf as well, but never made a serious offer. Anaheim clearly put a high price tag on the face of the franchise and never even approached him about waiving his No-Movement Clause.
Travis Zajac to the Pittsburgh Penguins
While it’s easy to lose track of when trades were made and talks were had around the deadline, per Friedman it seems the Penguins had their sights first set on Zajac from New Jersey, then Getzlaf, and finally Carter. The Kings veteran is not a bad acquisition for a third choice. The Penguins do have to face Zajac on a fellow East Division contender the rest of the way though and surely hope that Carter proves to be the superior player head-to-head.