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Central Notes: Berube, Modano, Trouba

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Just a little more than 24 hours ago, St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award along with Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper and the New York Islanders’ Barry Trotz, an honor which goes to the best NHL coach. Strangely enough though, Berube isn’t the team’s permanent coach. Berube was brought in to replace the fired Mike Yeo on Nov. 20, but was handed the interim tag, a role he still has despite leading the franchise to an impressive run that got them into the postseason and through the first round of the playoffs.

Tom Timmermann and Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wonder why the franchise hasn’t removed Berube’s interim tag and named him the team’s permanent coach. He’s definitely earned that. Regardless, Berube isn’t too worried about it:

Honestly, I’m not even focused on that. I’m focused on the playoffs. That’s the honest truth. I have nothing to say about it. It’s a great honor for sure to be in the conversation with those other coaches. I’ve said that all along, it’s an organizational thing. Doug (Armstrong)’s done a great job of putting the players together and my coaching staff – obviously a great coaching staff – they’ve done a great job with these guys and the players.

  • Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Minnesota Wild are close to bringing former local star Mike Modano to the organization in a front-office role. The Hall of Famer and franchise face played his first five seasons with the Minnesota North Stars before moving with the franchise to Dallas, where he played the next 16 seasons, but is now ready to move his family back to Minnesota where he will likely start on the business side in an ambassador-type of position. However, Russo adds that he will also likely have more of a hockey ops role down the road as well.
  • Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press suggests that the Winnipeg Jets need to act quickly and trade off defenseman Jacob Trouba before the team loses him in a year for nothing. Trouba, who has shown a reluctance to sign a long-term extension, will be a restricted free agent for the final time this off-season. If he opts to sign a one-year deal, he could be an unrestricted free agent after the 2019-20 season. McIntyre suggests the team needs to swap Trouba for a young, inexpensive defender, suggesting several teams, including the Philadelphia Flyers, as a trade partner. If they can make that trade quickly enough, it could give the Jets the opportunity to bring back Tyler Myers, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, with the money they saved from moving Trouba.

 

 

2019 Calder Memorial Trophy Finalists Announced

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The finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy, given each year to the most proficient first-year player in the NHL, have been announced. The three rookies are Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson, St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, according to Sportsnet’s John Shannon. New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal was the 2018 winner of the award.

While it seemed like a forgone conclusion that the Canucks’ Pettersson would walk away with the award early in the season, the young Swede has gotten some good competition from Binnington as well as fellow Swede Dahlin. However, Pettersson remains the front runner. The 20-year-old came over from Sweden this year and immediately posted 28 goals and 38 assists for 66 points, making the loss of both Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who retired a season ago, less noticeable. What’s interesting is that Pettersson was initially pegged to play the wing for a season as he transitioned to North American hockey. Instead, within a week or two of training camp the team announced he would play center immediately and fared extremely well at that. Despite the impressive numbers, the other two candidates have a legitimate chance at the award, as much of Pettersson’s production was concentrated in the first half of the season. He tallied 23 goals and 45 points in the first 40 games of the season, but struggled more in the second half, totaling just five goals and 21 points in his final 31 games.

Binnington didn’t make his first start this year until Jan. 7, but he made it count, posting a shutout against the Philadelphia Flyers and leading a struggling Blues team to the playoffs with a 24-5-1 record with a 1.89 GAA and a .927 save percentage. The 25-year-old netminder was not even considered the team’s top goalie prospect at the start of the season, as he was behind Ville Husso in San Antonio of the AHL, but a strong start to the season with the Rampage and his immediate success with St. Louis give the goaltender a good chance at challenging for the Calder.

Dahlin comes from a much more conventional place, as he was the 2018 No. 1 overall pick and immediately steadied a struggling Buffalo defense this season. He had one of the best seasons for an 18-year-old defensemen ever, as he posted nine goals and 44 points, second most in the NHL history for his age and position. Only his former coach, Phil Housley, did better as an 18-year-old defender, as Housley put up 57 points back in the 1982-83 season. Dahlin also played the second-most minutes among NHL rookies, averaging 21:09, behind Dallas Stars’ defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who many felt deserved to be among the top three in this race. Dahlin is the first Buffalo Sabres player to be a finalist for the award since Tyler Myers was nominated in 2009-10.

2019 Jack Adams Award Finalists Announced

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The finalists for the Jack Adams Award have been announced, given each year to the NHL’s best head coach. The three coaches are Craig Berube of the St. Louis Blues, Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Barry Trotz of the New York Islanders. The award was given to Vegas Golden Knights’ head coach Gerard Gallant in 2018, and Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella in 2017.

In 2016, Trotz won the award when he was still coach of the Washington Capitals after a 56-18-8 season. Two years later he would lead the Capitals to his first Stanley Cup, before moving onto the Islanders organization this season. Trotz has completely turned around those Islanders, changing them from one of the worst defensive teams in hockey to one of the best in short order. He put together a 48-27-7 season to get his club into the playoffs despite losing their captain John Tavares in the offseason, and has them in the second round after sweeping his old rivals from Pittsburgh. Trotz is one of the most successful regular season coaches in hockey history, with 810 wins to his name.

Cooper meanwhile is on his way to that same level of regular season success. Through his first 508 games he has authored a record of 305-159-44 (.644 winning percentage) including a historic 62-16-4 record this season with Tampa Bay. Unfortunately his Lightning were swept out of the first round of the playoffs, an occurrence that is not considered for this award given that the broadcasters vote before the postseason begins. Cooper has never won the Jack Adams before.

Neither has Berube, who amazingly is still not actually the permanent head coach of the Blues. The former Philadelphia Flyers bench boss was named interim coach when Mike Yeo was fired early in the season, but he found a way to turn things around dramatically and form St. Louis into a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. There is little doubt that he will be named the head coach after taking a Blues team that was in last place on January 2nd to the second round and beyond. Berube doesn’t have an extensive history as an NHL head coach, but it has been a successful one, as he now holds a 113-77-34 record in his career.

Some other names that were likely considered are Arizona Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet, who dealt with endless injuries but still almost got his team to the playoffs, and Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour who finally got his team back there after nearly a decade.

NHL Announces Second Round Playoff Schedule

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The NHL was ready for either outcome last night in Game Seven between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals, although they waited alongside the rest of us as the game went to double overtime. The Hurricanes emerged victorious, knocking out the defending champions, as well as the fourth and final division leader. The stage is now set for the next round of playoff action, as this unpredictable postseason rolls on. Per the league release, here is the lineup for the remaining eight teams over the next few weeks:

Eastern Conference

A2 Boston Bruins vs. WC2 Columbus Blue Jackets

Thursday, April 25th @ 7pm ET
Saturday, April 27th @ 8pm ET
Tuesday, April 30th @ 7pm ET
Thursday, May 2nd @ 7:30pm ET
Saturday, May 4th (if necessary)
Monday, May 6th (if necessary)
Wednesday, May 8th (if necessary)

M2 New York Islanders vs. WC1 Carolina Hurricanes

Friday, April 26th @ 7pm ET
Sunday, April 28th @ 3pm ET
Wednesday, May 1st @ 7pm ET
Friday, May 3rd @ 7pm ET
Sunday, May 5th (if necessary)
Tuesday, May 7th (if necessary)
Wednesday, May 8th (if necessary)

Western Conference

P2 San Jose Sharks vs. WC2 Colorado Avalanche

Friday, April 26th @ 10pm ET
Sunday, April 28th @ 7:30pm ET
Tuesday, April 30th @ 10pm ET
Thursday, May 2nd @ 10pm ET
Saturday, May 4th (if necessary)
Monday, May 6th (if necessary)
Wednesday, May 8th (if necessary)

C3 St. Louis Blues vs. WC1 Dallas Stars

Thursday, April 25th @ 9:30pm ET
Saturday, April 27th @ 3pm ET
Monday, April 29th @ 8pm ET
Wednesday, May 1st @ 9:30pm ET
Friday, May 3rd (if necessary)
Sunday, May 5th (if necessary)
Tuesday, May 7th (if necessary)

 

Why There's A Good Chance Robin Lehner Will Remain With The Islanders

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After the season, Gordon indicated that his stint with the Flyers – one that was relatively successful as the team posted a .529 points percentage during his tenure – rekindled his interest in being a head coach at the NHL level.  His first stint with the Islanders from 2008 to 2010 did not go well so he admitted to not giving much thought to getting another shot.  However, with a few vacancies available, it’s quite possible that Gordon could find himself in the mix for another NHL opportunity if he decides to try to land one of those positions.

  • The Islanders have a lengthy list of potential unrestricted free agents this summer and one player that has quietly gone under the radar is goalie Robin Lehner. Larry Brooks of the New York Post details why New York should be confident about him sticking around beyond this season as few teams are in the market for a starting goalie.  While a long-term, big money contract isn’t likely given Lehner’s previous track record, a medium-term deal at a sizable raise is one that would be a reasonable compromise for both sides.  The Isles have less than $48MM committed for next season which gives GM Lou Lamoriello plenty of financial flexibility for the upcoming offseason.

2019 Vezina Trophy Finalists Announced

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The NHL has announced the finalists for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the best goaltender in the league as voted on by all 31 general managers. The finalists are Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Robin Lehner of the New York Islanders and Ben Bishop of the Dallas Stars.

This is second year in a row that the 24-year old Vasilevskiy has been among the finalists for the award, after once again leading the league in wins. Though he started just 53 games on the season due to injury, a .925 save percentage helped him compile a 39-10-4 record that included six shutouts. Vasilevskiy is arguably the most athletic young goaltender the league has seen in some time, but unfortunately wasn’t good enough to help the Lightning past the first round of the playoffs. The voting only takes regular season performance into account however, meaning he is certainly a strong candidate to take home the trophy for the first time in his career.

It’s hard to write a better comeback story than the one Lehner has penned (literally, at times) this season. The 27-year old goaltender did not receive a qualifying offer from the Buffalo Sabres last summer as the team decided to go in a different direction, meaning Lehner was left to sign a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Islanders just for a chance at redemption. It wasn’t clear if he would even get a chance to start in New York given the fact that Thomas Greiss was still under contract. If Barry Trotz’ system was the biggest reason that the Islanders turned around their defensive woes, Lehner might have been next in line as he posted an incredible .930 save percentage in 46 games including six shutouts. He and Greiss—who had a .927 in 43 games and likely deserved some votes of his own—took home the Jennings Trophy as the goaltenders for the team with the lowest goals against average. It is the first time Lehner has ever received Vezina votes, let alone be named a finalist.

Speaking of comebacks, how about the 32-year old Bishop who was ushered out of Tampa Bay two years ago to make room for Vasilevskiy in the first place. The two-time Vezina finalist posted the best save percentage of his career this season, leading the entire league with a .934 mark. The 6’7″ netminder has battled through injuries the last few years including this one, but was outstanding for the Stars as they punched their ticket to the playoffs. With four more years on his contract the Stars would have been happy with more of the level he played at last season, but Bishop has always had more in the tank.

Snapshots: Gagarin Cup, Sorokin, Carr

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The 2019 Gagarin Cup belongs to CSKA Moscow after finishing off their sweep of Avangard today. The club was a powerhouse all season as usual, but finally won their first  championship after getting to the final in three of the last four years. Former NHL forward Mikhail Grigorenko led the way with 13 goals and 21 points in the playoffs for CSKA, while Cody Franson did his best for Avangard with 17 points to lead all defenders.

With the KHL season now officially over, we’ll start to see more and more rumors pop up about the next wave of Russian talent heading to North America. Contracts technically go through the end of April, but even players on CSKA will now be able to negotiate their future in the NHL if they so choose.

  • The winners couldn’t have gotten there without New York Islanders draft pick Ilya Sorokin, who was named playoff MVP. The 23-year old goaltender stopped 36 of 38 shots in the final game giving him a .947 save percentage for the playoffs. The incredible young netminder recorded five shutouts during his 20-game Cup run, showing once again why he is considered one of the best goaltenders currently outside of the NHL. Sorokin’s contract with CSKA extends through 2019-20, and at this point it is not clear when he plans on coming over to North America, if at all.
  • Speaking of outstanding performances from outside of the NHL, Daniel Carr was named AHL MVP today and will receive the Les Cunningham Award. Carr played just 52 games this season for the Chicago Wolves but was an absolutely dominant presence during them. The 27-year old forward recorded 71 points, putting him third in league scoring despite playing 20 fewer games than his contemporaries.  Carr is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and can sign with the team of his choosing, likely looking for another chance at the NHL. The undrafted forward has 35 points in 100 career NHL games.

Morning Notes: Smith-Pelly, Boychuk, Sweden

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The Washington Capitals have recalled Devante Smith-Pelly ahead of their next game against the Carolina Hurricanes. T.J. Oshie “won’t be playing any time soon” according to head coach Todd Reirden after the forward was run into the boards by Carolina’s Warren Foegele last night. Foegele will not receive any disciplinary action from the league for the hit, but the Capitals will still have to find a way forward without one of their leaders up front.

In comes Smith-Pelly, who spent a good chunk of the year in the minor leagues after being waived by the team earlier this year. The 2018 playoff hero had 14 points in 20 games for the Hershey Bears, but will now try to prove that he still belongs on the NHL team. In 48 career playoff games, Smith-Pelly has 13 goals—just one off the highest regular season total of his career.

2019 Masterton Trophy Finalists Announced

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The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. The award has been voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2019.

Past winners of the award include Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), Jaromir Jagr (2016), Devan Dubnyk (2015), Dominic Moore (2014) and Josh Harding (2013).

Each team provided a nominee for the award. The finalists this season are Nick Foligno from the Columbus Blue Jackets, Robin Lehner from the New York Islanders and Joe Thornton from the San Jose Sharks.

Foligno, 31, captained the Blue Jackets to a playoff berth and first-round upset of the Tampa Bay Lightning while also dealing with major health scares for two of his children. Twice the veteran forward had to leave the team to deal with family issues, including when his 22-month old son Hudson’s lung collapsed while in the hospital with pneumonia. It’s been an incredibly trying year for the captain, making the Blue Jackets’ playoff success even more deserved.

Lehner, 27, has finally found some balance in his life as part of the Islanders, after battling addiction and mental health issues for years. Lehner wrote a piece for The Athletic in September detailing his bipolar diagnosis and struggles with alcohol while part of the Buffalo Sabres organization. He went on to post an incredible .930 save percentage this season, winning the Jennings trophy as the goaltender for the team with the lowest goals against average.

Thornton, 39, fought back from several major knee injuries over the past two seasons to suit up 73 times in 2018-19. The legendary playmaker ended with 51 points, the 17th time he has broken the 50-point threshold in a season. Even at the late stage of his career he was pushing hard to be healthy and productive for the Sharks, and now has four points through four games in the playoffs.

Metropolitan Notes: Eberle, Nash, McCann

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With his success on the ice in the New York Islanders’ first two playoff games, Jordan Eberle is only helping his stock this summer. The 28-year-old has scored in each of the team’s victories against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs, including the game-winner Friday. And with Eberle’s contract about to end, the skilled winger is getting more and more interested parties looking to sign him this summer, according to the New York Post’s Brett Cyrgalis. Eberle spoke briefly about the situation:

“It’s not like I’m going on the ice thinking about my contract. I don’t think about it at all, to be honest. You kind of just let things happen as they do. I think the biggest thing is when you’re a kid, you dream of playing in the playoffs, and that chance is here. The farther you go as a team, the better it is for the individual.”

Eberle, who racked up 34 goals back in the 2011-12 season and has since been a consistent 20-goal scorer since, saw his stock declining this year. Considering that he will be 29 when he signs his next contract and a disappointing 2018-19 season in which he’s put up just 19 goals this season, his lowest output since the 2012-13 season, there were many who believed that Eberle’s value would be at an all-time low this summer. Instead a fast start in the playoffs could force him out of the Islanders’ price range.

  • After Rick Nash announced his retirement, it was predicted he might find work in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ front office. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) writes that Nash has been seen watching recent games with Columbus management, including president of hockey operations John Davidson, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and assistant general manager Bill Zito, suggesting that he could soon join the team’s management in the near future. “Jarmo’s been doing a lot of chatting with Rick about learning the management aspects of the game,” Davidson said. “They’re just feeling it all out and seeing where it goes. There’s nothing in stone yet.”
  • Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jared McCann practiced Saturday after being injured in Game 1 of the team’s first-round series against the Islanders. The 22-year-old suffered an upper-body injury and was forced to sit out of Game 2 Friday. However, the forward is optimistic that he should be ready to return to the lineup for Game 3 on Sunday, according to TribLive’s Joe Rutter. “I’m feeling really good,” McCann said. “The last day there didn’t feel great, and I wasn’t comfortable. Today is a different story. I feel good, and we’ll see where we go from there.”

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