Mike Keenan Fired By KHL’s Kunlun Red Star
Once Mike Keenan was stripped of his GM role this week, it was only a matter of time before the veteran coach was out of a job entirely. The KHL’s Kunlun Red Star made it official today, relieving Keenan of his coaching duties. The KHL’s first and only Chinese team had dropped nine straight games and is struggling to get out of the basement of the KHL’s Eastern Conference. Keenan, who joined the team last month and has been coaching in the KHL since 2013, was clearly not the answer for a team still looking to make a dent as a franchise. The evidence: Kunlun won their first game without Keenan behind the bench today.
Keenan of course is well-known for his time as a coach in the NHL. A tough personality to deal with, Keenan found much success in the NHL, but never with the same team for very long. His first head coaching job in the league was with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1984-85. Keenan spent four years with the Flyers, the next four years with the Chicago Blackhawks, one year with the New York Rangers in 1993-94, in which he led the team to their most recent Stanley Cup title, then three years with the St. Louis Blues, two years with the Vancouver Canucks, one year with the Boston Bruins, three years with the Florida Panthers, and, in his final NHL job to date, two years with the Calgary Flames ending in 2008-09. Keenan made the jump overseas in 2013 to join Metallurg Magnitogorsk and won a KHL championship in his first season. Keenan joined the Red Star after being fired by Metallurg in 2016.
Keenan’s job with Kunlun now goes to his assistant, former NHLer Bobby Carpenter, with other assistants and former pros Cliff Ronning and Igor Kravchuk sticking by as well. The trio have nearly 3000 games of NHL experience between them and, as almost any coach to ever follow Keenan has found, should be able to relate better to the Red Star players.
Mika Zibanejad Out With Concussion
The New York Rangers, fresh off a loss at the hands of the Florida Panthers have confirmed that Mika Zibanejad—who missed that game with an upper-body injury—has suffered a concussion and will not practice with the team. New York did add a center in Peter Holland earlier today, but it was expected that he’ll remain in Hartford for at least the time being.
Zibanejad was scratched from the Florida game just before it started, but according to head coach Alain Vigneault (via Matt Calamia of NHL.com) he suffered the concussion during last Friday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. Symptoms didn’t present themselves until Tuesday morning. It’s a huge loss for the Rangers, who already had depth issues at center ice after trading away Derek Stepan in the offseason. Zibanejad had taken over as the top option in the middle and led the team in scoring through 25 games.
If he’s out for an extended period of time, Holland or even Filip Chytil could potentially see time in the middle once again. Chytil did begin the year with the Rangers but has been playing in Hartford for some time. The first-round pick 12 points in 13 games for the AHL club, but is still a raw prospect at just 18 years of age.
Montreal Canadiens Acquire Adam Cracknell
The Montreal Canadiens have completed a minor trade, swapping minor league forward Peter Holland for Adam Cracknell from the New York Rangers. Cracknell was claimed off waivers from the Dallas Stars earlier this year, but will report directly to the AHL’s Laval Rocket for the time being.
While this is just a minor league swap on paper, both players have considerable NHL experience. Holland was a first-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2009 but could never quite find a role as a top-six center in any of his previous stops. A natural puck-carrying forward, his offense has been limited throughout his career. For Laval this season, he had 18 points in 20 games and will certainly improve the Hartford attack.
Cracknell on the other hand has always been a hard working bottom-six player, but actually had 10 goals last season for the Stars. He was waived early on but couldn’t catch on in New York either. The 32-year old could add some size to Montreal’s group if called up, but is likely just a minor league depth addition at this point.
Morning Notes: Cole, Keenan, Weber, McDonagh
Even though trade rumors out of Pittsburgh continue to come out about Ian Cole, Bob McKenzie of TSN doesn’t believe the defenseman’s eventual departure is guaranteed. McKenzie took to Twitter to explain how he views the situation, underscoring that Pittsburgh will only make a deal if it improves their chances at the Stanley Cup this season. As he points out, the team hasn’t worried about losing potential free agents before and why should they? The Penguins are going after their third straight Stanley Cup this season and after a tough start are still in the Metropolitan Division mix.
Cole certainly should command a fairly high trade value even with his recent healthy scratches, as he’s cheap and relatively young (he doesn’t turn 29 until February. McKenzie also feels that a “quality center” is likely what the team is after in any potential deal.
- Mike Keenan has been removed from the GM role of Kunlun Red Star in the KHL, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. The infamous NHL coach will remain behind the bench for the Chinese club, despite losing their last seven games. Kunlun stands at 12-14-8 so far this season and find themselves out of the playoffs. Keenan won the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994, but has been coaching in the KHL now for 2013.
- The Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers watched their star defensemen skate this morning, as both Shea Weber and Ryan McDonagh got back on the ice. Neither player is ready to return for their respective teams, but are getting closer with every passing day. McDonagh in particular is expected to return to the Rangers lineup on Friday if all goes well this week. Weber is still working out on his own and has no clear return date.
Nieves Out With Lower-Body Injury
- The New York Rangers might be without forward Boo Nieves for a little while, according to Newsday’s Steve Zipay. The rookie center only played in 3:10 of Friday’s game against the Red Wings before he left in the second period with a lower-body injury. According to Zipay, Nieves grabbed his hip during a play during the first period. He had already missed three games earlier this year due to the flu. Veteran David Desharnais, who has been a healthy scratch for three straight games, would likely take over for Nieves.
Rangers Plan To Allow Chytil To Play In World Juniors
The Rangers will allow center Filip Chytil to participate in the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post. Chytil, the 21st overall pick back in June, has gotten off to a strong start this season. He made New York’s lineup out of training camp and since being sent to the minors, he has put up better than a point per game. Brooks adds that the Rangers are expected to assign him back to AHL Hartford following the tournament instead of loaning him back to HC Zlin of the Czech Extraliga which would have allowed him to close out the season playing closer to home.
Snapshots: Campbell, Wideman, McDavid
The Los Angeles Kings acquired Torrey Mitchell earlier tonight in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens, but it’s not the only move they’ve made recently. Late last night the team signed goaltender Jack Campbell to a two-year, $1.35MM extension. The deal is two-way for 2018-19, but becomes a one-way contract in 2019-20.
Campbell has rediscovered his game after leaving the Dallas Stars organization, who originally selected him 11th-overall in 2010. He ran with the starting job for the Ontario Reign of the AHL last season, posting a .914 save percentage and has improved on that early in this season. The 25-year old was once considered one of the top goaltending prospects in the league and will continue to try and fight his way towards the NHL. Though Jonathan Quick is signed long-term, the Kings will have an opening to back him up after Darcy Kuemper‘s deal expires this summer.
- Dennis Wideman has returned to hockey, this time as an assistant coach of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. The Rangers, who are one of the most impressive teams in the league this season, are currently coached by former NHL defenseman (and Wideman teammate) Jay McKee. Wideman, a Kitchener native, was unable to secure a contract this summer after the Calgary Flames decided not to re-sign him. In 815 career NHL games, he had 387 points.
- Connor McDavid has been playing through a serious illness according to Darren Dreger of TSN, who reports that the Edmonton Oilers captain has lost between five and ten pounds recently. Amazingly, McDavid has nine points in his last five games, the best stretch of the season so far for the reigning Hart Trophy winner. McDavid and the Oilers remain near the very bottom of the NHL standings, with just 18 points through 22 games.
Ryan McDonagh To Be Re-Evaluated Sunday
Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh will miss at least the next two games as a result of his strained abdominal muscle, the team announced via Twitter. He will be re-evaluated on Sunday per head coach Alain Vigneault. While McDonagh has yet to score for New York so far this season, he leads their defenders in average ice time (23:22, more than two full minutes per game more than their next-highest, Kevin Shattenkirk) while he sits tied for second on the team in assists with 12. As a result of the injury, Steven Kampfer drew back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the past two games.
Poll: Who Is The (Second) Best Team In The East?
The 2017-18 NHL season has not gone to plan. Ask any prognosticator from the preseason where their projected standings compare to those today and you’ll get grim looks and uninterested shrugs. The Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild and Montreal Canadiens are all far underachieving, while Vegas, Detroit, Winnipeg, Los Angeles and New Jersey are all showing that they shouldn’t be counted out so soon.
Tampa Bay of course, leads the entire league with 32 points and a whopping +28 goal differential through 20 games. Their dominance this year has led to just three regulation losses, and two early favorites for the Hart Trophy (three, if you think Andrei Vasilevskiy has a shot). Right now most would call them the class of the Eastern Conference, and who would disagree? With the best line in hockey, a stud defenseman entering his prime and an up-and-coming Vezina candidate they’re poised to compete for the Stanley Cup for at least the next few years.
But who does that leave in the second slot? Several teams have claims to stake on the silver podium, but each have their warts. Toronto had a struggling goaltender through the first month of the season, while Columbus can’t get their powerplay working properly. The Penguins have been blown out several times while the Devils have won just three of their last nine games.
Vote below on who you think is the second best team in the east, and make sure to leave a comment if you disagree with the original premise of Tampa Bay as the class of the conference. We’ve included all of the teams within 10 points of the Lightning.
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Morning Notes: McDonagh, Ekman-Larsson, Kane
The New York Rangers haven’t encountered this type of season often before, if ever. The team seems to be a bubble team with no true chance of making a deep playoff run or even winning a Stanley Cup. Yet, the team also finds itself with a handful of expiring contracts who could be utilized as key trade chips to refuel their retooling process.
New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes the Rangers need to think about dealing players like Rick Nash, Michael Grabner and Nick Holden and get what they can for them. The scribe believes that general manager Jeff Gorton will have one of the biggest challenges in front of him in a long time as he will have to make a decision on which direction the team should go. Could Nash bring back a first-rounder in next year’s draft and if they can, would it be worth his value anyway? What can they get for Grabner? Should the team go full in and start shopping captain Ryan McDonagh now?
The latter claim, Brooks writes, might make the most sense. The Rangers should be able to bring in a huge haul for McDonagh, who is still in his prime, is locked up until 2019 and is one of the top defensemen in the league. As there are quite a few playoff teams in need of defense, like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Rangers could truly change the way the franchise is heading at the trade deadline.
New York wouldn’t be better off without McDonagh, but with long-term deals already having been handed out to Kevin Shattenkirk, Marc Staal and Brendan Smith and the young talent the team has on defense in Brady Skjei, Neal Pionk and Anthony DeAngelo, the team should be able to survive without him if they can get a talented scorer in his place.
- Hidden among yesterday’s stories was TSN’s Bob McKenzie refuting rumors that the Arizona Coyotes are thinking about dealing defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to the Toronto Maple Leafs for William Nylander. McKenzie writes that as of Sunday, there had not been one conversation between the two teams about Ekman-Larsson. He also points out that since most teams do not view Nylander as a center, he wouldn’t bring enough of a return for Ekman-Larsson as just a sniper. However, from what McKenzie can see, the Coyotes are not willing to discuss moving Ekman-Larsson as of now. The Atheltic’s Sean Tierney tweeted today that with general manager John Chayka in charge, it’s hard to see the team trading Ekman-Larsson at all.
- John Vogl of The Buffalo News writes that frustration is hitting in Buffalo as the 5-12-1 Sabres continue to struggle, yet one player is thriving in Evander Kane. Dating back to last year, the 26-year-old wing has scored 40 goals in his last 79 games. He also has 11 points in the last 11 games. Kane added his 12th goal of the season Monday in the team’s 3-2 loss to Columbus. The secret to his success? Shooting the puck. He leads the team with 96 shots on goal this year.