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Latest On Pittsburgh Penguins Front Office Search

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are in for a busy offseason, replacing key front-office fixtures after missing the playoffs for the first time in almost two decades. In addition to yesterday’s reporting on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ intention to hire two separate people for the roles of general manager and president of hockey operations, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun expanded in detail today on the current status of Pittsburgh’s search to fill their vacant roles.

LeBrun relayed previously corroborated reports from league sources that the Penguins have conducted initial Zoom interviews with potential candidates for the general manager role, with this number set at around a dozen. From this group, Pittsburgh has begun the process of narrowing down individuals for in-person second-round interviews for the job.

LeBrun has now confirmed seven individuals who were part of that complement of about 12. Among them is Los Angeles Kings senior advisor Marc Bergevin, Carolina Hurricanes assistant general manager Eric Tulsky, St. Louis Blues VP of hockey operations Peter Chiarelli, Buffalo Sabres associate general manager Jason Karmanos, and three members of the New Jersey Devils organization: senior vice president and assistant general manager Dan MacKinnon, assistant general manager Kate Madigan, and director of player development Meghan Duggan. There are two other likely candidates that LeBrun could not confirm, Tampa Bay Lightning assistant general manager Mathieu Darche and Seattle Kraken assistant general manager Jason Botterill, who previously held the same role with Pittsburgh.

Some candidates from the first round of interviews were informed today that they are no longer being considered for the positions, LeBrun said.

Also in line with previous reporting, LeBrun mentioned the Penguins expressed interest in including Brad Treliving, the former general manager of the Calgary Flames, in their first round of interviews. However, the Flames denied permission, given Treliving’s expiring contract with the team legally expires on June 30.

As for a president of hockey operations, LeBrun also linked the Penguins to former Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka. Chayka held his post with the Coyotes from May 2016 to July 2020, when he abruptly resigned before the start of the delayed Stanley Cup Playoffs. The NHL later suspended Chayka from working in the league for the entire 2021 calendar year after he pursued other league opportunities while still under contract with Arizona. It also later came to light that, under Chayka, the Coyotes had held an illegal private scouting combine for eligible draft prospects in direct violation of league rules, resulting in multiple pick forfeitures for Arizona.

Surprisingly, the reason for the uncertainty about Chayka’s potential involvement with the Penguins isn’t due to his concerning NHL history – rather, LeBrun reports Chayka could have additional NHL opportunities available to him outside of Pittsburgh.

New Jersey Devils Extend Timur Ibragimov On AHL Contract

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New Jersey Devils prospect Timur Ibragimov will be staying in the organization next season on an AHL contract. The Utica Comets announced today they’ve reached a one-year agreement with Ibragimov, who New Jersey acquired from the San Jose Sharks in the Timo Meier trade.

San Jose had selected Ibragimov, 22, in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Draft. The Russian winger has split the last two seasons between the AHL and ECHL, trying to acclimate his offensive game to North American ice.

Some extended ECHL time with the Wichita Thunder seemed to help Ibragimov this season, recording 32 points in 53 games there. While they aren’t earth-shattering numbers by any means, and likely why he didn’t earn an NHL contract with the Devils this offseason, he did have six points in 15 games with the Comets after the trade from San Jose.

Ibragimov also has two years of professional experience overseas under his belt, with the Russian minor league VHL in 2019-20 and a 51-game loan to TPS in the Finnish Liiga in 2020-21. With TPS, he recorded 14 points in 51 games, eventually losing in the league final.

He boasts decent size at six feet and 201 pounds, but he’ll need to maintain the scoring pace he displayed near the end of the season in Utica to avoid another ECHL demotion, especially as he’s not signed to an NHL contract.

Arbitration Eligibility Could Lead Devils To Non-Tender Sharangovich

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Devils winger Yegor Sharangovich took a step backward offensively this season, notching just 13 goals and 30 points after putting up 24 and 46 respectively in 2021-22.  Things weren’t any better for him in the playoffs when he became a frequent healthy scratch.  The 24-year-old is a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration eligibility and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relayed in a recent appearance on Sportsnet 590 (audio link) that there was some speculation around the trade deadline that New Jersey was considering moving him then over concerns about his arbitration award.  While his playoff performance won’t bolster his case, his numbers from 2021-22 will likely push that award well beyond his $2.05MM qualifying offer and with the team needing to re-sign both Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier and deal with several other UFAs, what Sharangovich could get awarded might be more than they can afford.

Erik Haula Wants To Remain With Flyers

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Center Erik Haula is among the list of pending unrestricted free agents that the Devils will have to re-sign or replace this summer but if he has his way, he won’t be going anywhere.  Speaking at his end-of-season media scrum (video link), the 32-year-old indicated that he doesn’t want to play for another team and relayed that in his meeting with GM Tom Fitzgerald earlier today.  Haula came over in an offseason swap last year with Boston and was a capable secondary producer, notching 14 goals and a career-high 27 assists during the regular season before adding six more points in their 12 playoff contests.  Haula should be in line for a raise from the $2.375MM AAV on his expiring contract, especially with the UFA market being weak down the middle.

Devils Notes: Nemec, Blackwood, Schmid, Hischier

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Devils defenseman Simon Nemec is expected to join Slovakia for the World Championship, reports Dennik Sports’ Tomas Prokop.  The 19-year-old was the second-overall pick last year and had a strong post-draft campaign, picking up 12 goals and 22 assists in 65 games with AHL Utica.  He also was Slovakia’s captain at the World Juniors while picking up five points in as many contests.  Nemec was among New Jersey’s ‘Black Ace’ recalls once Utica’s season came to an end which prevented him from joining the Slovak roster early but now that they have been eliminated, he’s now free to participate in the tournament.

More from New Jersey:

  • Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood revealed in his end-of-season interview (video link) that he dealt with a groin and an MCL injury during the season. It was a disappointing year for the 26-year-old who was limited to 22 appearances where he struggled, posting a 3.20 GAA with a save percentage of just .893.  The end result was him slipping to third on the depth chart down the stretch.  Blackwood is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility while being owed a $3.36MM qualifying offer.  With how his season ended, it’s hard to imagine New Jersey will make him that offer; if they don’t, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent this summer unless they can trade his rights to someone who will tender him at that price tag.
  • Meanwhile, in his scrum (video link), goaltender Akira Schmid indicated that he hasn’t decided if he’ll join Switzerland at the Worlds. The 23-year-old posted a 2.13 GAA and a .922 SV% in 18 NHL appearances this season, moving him into the starting role for the playoffs (while pushing Blackwood to third-string status).  He’s signed for one more year on his entry-level deal and as things stand, he should be a full-timer with New Jersey next season after splitting time between them and AHL Utica in 2022-23.
  • While Schmid is uncertain about playing for Switzerland, captain Nico Hischier is less hesitant as NHL.com’s Mike Morreale relays (Twitter link) that the center is expected to join the Swiss squad once interviewing is finished in New Jersey. Hischier had a career year this season, reaching the 30-goal and 80-point marks for the first time.  However, he was quieter in the playoffs, scoring just once in 12 games although he managed to collect six assists as well.

Ryan Graves To Miss Game Four

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Game Four roster of the Carolina Hurricanes will look a bit different, as forward Mackenzie MacEachern replaces Jesse Puljujarvi in the lineup before tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils. MacEachern has been out of the Hurricanes lineup since the series-winning Game Six victory against the New York Islanders in late April.

In his first taste of action for the Hurricanes this season, MacEachern scored one goal and one assist in Carolina’s Game Four victory against the Islanders in this year’s playoffs. Throwing 10 hits in three playoff games, the Hurricanes could use some more physicality in the lineup after their blowout loss to the Devils in Game Three of the second round.

[SOURCE LINK]

  • In unfortunate injury news for the Devils, a lead reporter for New Jersey, Amanda Stein reports that defenseman Ryan Graves will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury. Coming off an impressive year on the defensive side of the puck, the Devils will once again have to weather Carolina’s offense without one of their top defenders. However, replacing Graves in the lineup is rookie defenseman Luke Hughes, who registered two assists in his first look at playoff action at the NHL level.

Tomáš Tatar Fined For High Sticking Sebastian Aho

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New Jersey Devils forward Tomáš Tatar has been fined $5K for his high stick infraction on Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho. NHL Player Safety tweeted the news on their official Twitter page early on Monday morning. The fine was the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.

The high-sticking incident occurred in the first period of the Devils’ 8-4 Game 3 victory and resulted in a two-minute minor penalty for the 32-year-old. The play looked ugly but, thankfully, didn’t result in any serious injuries. Tatar swung his stick wildly at the back of Aho’s head after taking a cross-check in the lower back from the Finnish forward. Aho’s cross-check swung Tatar around and as the Devils’ forward was spinning, he hit Aho in the back of the head with his stick. Aho was okay and took two minor penalties of his own later in the game. The stick swing drew a crowd of Hurricanes players who were not happy with the Slovak player.

Tatar is not known for his aggressiveness, having only recorded over 30 PIM four times in his 12-year NHL career. It appears he was frustrated by a very routine cross-check from Aho and had it boil over. Tatar has been a non-factor in the series thus far, going pointless in three games with a -5 against the Devils. He has struggled throughout this year’s playoffs with just a single goal in ten games, this comes on the heels of a solid season that saw him put up 48 points in 82 games.

The Hurricanes lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 going Tuesday night in New Jersey. The Devils looked lifeless in the first two games but exploded yesterday for eight goals. It will be interesting to see if they can turn the series into a best-of-three heading back to Raleigh.

New Jersey Devils Recall Eight Players

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The New Jersey Devils announced multiple additions to their 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs roster today in the form of eight Black Aces from the AHL’s Utica Comets:

F Graeme Clarke
F Nolan Foote
F Brian Halonen
F Alexander Holtz
F Tyce Thompson
D Šimon Nemec
D Topias Vilén
G Nico Daws

Clarke, a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, tallied 25 goals and 33 assists in 68 regular-season games for the Comets and added six points in six playoff games. Foote, initially a Tampa Bay Lightning first-round pick in the 2019 draft, notched 37 points in 55 games for the Comets this season and added a goal in six games for New Jersey.

Halonen, an undrafted free agent signing late last season out of Michigan Tech, recorded 17 goals and 13 assists in 57 games with Utica in his first full professional season. Holtz, the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, had the most NHL experience this season out of any of the above recalls and scored three goals and an assist in 19 games with the Devils.

Thompson, a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft, scored 26 points in 56 games for the Comets after missing most of the 2021-22 campaign with an injury.

The Devils also added two promising young defenders to their playoff roster in Nemec and Vilén. Nemec, the second overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, broke out for 34 points in 65 games with the Comets in his post-draft year, a remarkable feat for a 19-year-old. Vilén, 20, played one playoff game for Utica after playing nearly all of the 2022-23 season with Pelicans in the Finnish Liiga.

Daws, 22, posted a .904 save percentage and two shutouts in 33 games for Utica after making 25 appearances for New Jersey in the 2021-22 season.

Luke Hughes Makes Playoff Debut

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For Devils’ fans, the moment they have been waiting for is finally here, as defenseman Luke Hughes will make his playoff debut in Game Three against the Carolina Hurricanes. Unfortunately for the New Jersey Devils, this comes with some unfortunate news, as Hughes will be filling in for defenseman Ryan Graves, who is out with an upper-body injury.

The speed that Hughes brings to the table to New Jersey’s back end will undoubtedly be a benefit to a team that has been unable to put together much offense in the second round of the playoffs this year. When asked about what Hughes offers the Devils, head coach Lindy Ruff said, “We know he’s going to skate. He got a little taste at the end of the year. We feel the skating can help us. We’re excited to see him get in and play.”

As the Devils find themselves down two games to none against the Metropolitan Division champion Hurricanes, New Jersey definitely has a tall task ahead of them. As they toe the line of playoff hockey desperation, Hughes will be an exciting player to add to the mix for the Devils.

[SOURCE LINK]

Lindy Ruff Named Jack Adams Award Finalist

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The finalists are Dave Hakstol of the Seattle Kraken, Lindy Ruff of the New Jersey Devils, and Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins.

Of the three finalists, only Ruff has already won the award earlier in his career. Ruff won it in 2006 on the back of an impressive 52-win campaign. In his third season as the Devils’ bench boss, Ruff has guided a young team out of their rebuilding phase and into Stanley Cup contention. Under his guidance, Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier have emerged as superstar talents and the Devils won their first playoff series since their 2011-12 run to the Stanley Cup Final.

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