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Claude Julien Fired By Montreal Canadiens

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The Montreal Canadiens have made a change behind the bench, relieving head coach Claude Julien and associate coach Kirk Muller of their duties. Dominique Ducharme, who had been serving as an assistant, will serve as interim head coach, while Alexandre Burrows has joined the coaching staff. Luke Richardson and Stephane Waite will retain their respective duties with the staff.

GM Marc Bergevin released a statement:

I would like to sincerely thank Claude and Kirk for their contributions to our team over the past five years during which we worked together. I have great respect for these two men whom I hold in high regard. In Dominique Ducharme, we see a very promising coach who will bring new life and new energy to our group. We feel that our team can achieve high standards and the time had come for a change.

Earlier in the season, the Canadiens appeared ready to challenge for the top spot in the North Division, with a high-powered offense led by newcomers Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson. Unfortunately, some of that offense has dried up and the team has come apart at the seams, losing back-to-back games against the Ottawa Senators. Those two losses certainly punctuate a drop in play, but it was obvious for some time that the Canadiens weren’t as good as their early-season results.

They had the Vancouver Canucks number especially, but against non-Vancouver teams, the Canadiens had just a 5-5-3 record on the year. Recently, the coach had made drastic moves to try and spark the team like scratching Tomas Tatar, the team’s 2019-20 scoring leader. When that didn’t work, the hammer had to come down on someone and it turned out to be Julien.

It’s not like Ducharme has no experience running a bench though. The interim coach was an incredibly successful junior coach, winning the CHL Coach of the Year award in 2013. He has been the head coach of Canada’s World Junior team twice, winning gold in 2018. This will be, however, his first time as a head coach in the NHL. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that there is not another change expected before the end of the season.

For Julien, the term “relieved of duties” was used because he has one more year on his contract at $5MM, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. That means any team hoping to hire Julien will need to approach the Canadiens and negotiate a deal to pay at least some of that remaining salary. Otherwise, Montreal will pay him to stay at home for the next year.

If the old hockey adage of “show me a good coach and I’ll show you a good goalie” is true, perhaps it is the opposite that has cost Julien his job. Although Carey Price has looked rejuvenated at times this season, the simple fact is that he’s not stopping the puck enough for the Canadiens to contend each night. Price has just an .893 save percentage on the season and though some of that can be attributed to the play in front of him, his numbers have been trending down for several seasons now—not to mention Jake Allen’s .932 behind the same team. If Ducharme is to turn the Canadiens around this season (or in any of the next five), that performance has to improve.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Senators Acquire Ryan Dzingel From Hurricanes

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Ryan Dzingel is on his way back to Ottawa as the Senators have acquired the winger from Carolina in exchange for center Cedric Paquette and winger Alex Galchenyuk.  Both teams have announced the deal which carries no salary cap retention on any of the players.

Dzingel was a bit part of Ottawa’s lineup just a few years ago, notching over 20 goals in both 2017-18 and 2018-19.  However, the 28-year-old has struggled considerably since then between his stints in Columbus as a trade deadline acquisition and Carolina, who signed him back in 2019.  This season, Dzingel has two goals and two assists in 11 games while averaging just 13:12 per night, his lowest ATOI since his rookie season.  He carries a $3.75MM cap hit this season with a $3.5MM salary.

Paquette was brought in as part of a cap-clearing move from Tampa Bay that also saw the Sens add defenseman Braydon Coburn and a second-round pick for injured winger Marian Gaborik and goalie Anders Nilsson who both went straight to LTIR.  While he was an effective fourth liner with the Lightning, that hasn’t been the case in Ottawa and the 27-year-old has been a frequent healthy scratch while barely averaging 10 minutes a game when he was in the lineup.  Paquette has a salary and AAV of $1.65MM.

As for Galchenyuk, it has not been a fun season.  The 27-year-old seemed like a low-risk, medium-reward acquisition in free agency when he signed a one-year, $1.05MM deal but he also has been a frequent scratch with Ottawa and has just one goal in eight games this season.  He’s still only two seasons removed from a 41-point season in Arizona (and three years removed from a 51-point campaign with Montreal) but he struggled considerably last season and is off to a worse start this year.  He’s now joining his fifth different team in less than three years.

It’s a low-risk deal for both teams as all three players are set to be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season.  If they rebound with their new teams, it’ll work out well and if they don’t, none were particularly irreplaceable where they were.  From Ottawa’s standpoint, they get a player who was effective for them not that long ago and free up a roster spot for another young player while for Carolina, they save some money and add a capable energy player in Paquette and an offensive wild card in Galchenyuk who they hope will be able to fill the role they envisioned for Dzingel, just at a lower price tag.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported that Dzingel was on his way to Ottawa with Paquette in the deal while TSN’s Frank Seravalli was the first to report Galchenyuk’s inclusion in the swap.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pittsburgh Penguins Hire Brian Burke, Ron Hextall

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Not only have the Pittsburgh Penguins hired Ron Hextall as the team’s next GM, but Brian Burke will be joining him. Burke will be installed as President of Hockey Operations, with Hextall as General Manager. Burke last held a similar role with the Calgary Flames until 2018 when he stepped down, joining the Sportsnet broadcast team and working in media since. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Hextall’s contract is four years long (with another option year), with the rest of the 2020-21 season counting as the first.

Penguins’ CEO David Morehouse released a statement on the hires, which were made official Tuesday afternoon:

We feel incredibly lucky to bring in two highly-respected executives with a combined 50-plus years of NHL management experience. Ron and Brian are well-known in the hockey world as fierce competitors with championship pedigrees. They’re very well-connected and experienced in all aspects of the game. They are both excited to get to work here in Pittsburgh, blending their skills and building on our long tradition of success.

Patrik Allvin, who served as interim GM since Jim Rutherford’s sudden resignation last month, will resume his role as assistant GM under Hextall.

This is certainly a change for the Penguins, who had been under the control of Rutherford since 2014. He had seen talented assistants come and go during that time, but it was ultimately Rutherford’s voice that ran the show. Now, by bringing in two veteran executives, there will be more voices in the room as they decide where to go next.

Burke, who famously mocked those who suggested the “Pittsburgh model” was one to follow while the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, first joined an NHL front office in 1987 and has been around the game basically his whole life. While there is some debate to how much credit he should actually receive, the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007 under his leadership and he has plenty of experience at the international level with USA Hockey, including a silver medal in 2010. There may be some who question his decisions, but there’s no one that questions the experience that Burke brings to the table.

Hextall’s arrival in Pittsburgh will come as a confusing moment for many Penguins fans, given how much he was hated during his playing days. A legend of Philadelphia Flyers hockey, the fiery goaltender was an easy villain for the cross-state rivals. That rivalry was reborn in retirement when Hextall took a position with the Flyers scouting department in 1999. After several years with the team, he left for the Los Angeles Kings, getting his first taste of managing by running the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL while serving as an AGM for the NHL squad. In 2013 he returned to Philadelphia and by the next year was named GM.

By 2018 however, he was fired from his job with the Flyers after seemingly being too patient in his approach. The team was slowly laying a foundation through the drafting and development of prospects, but Hextall refused to sacrifice any of it to take a big swing in trades or free agency. That foundation appears to be paying off for the Flyers now, as they contend for the East Division crown while also still having a strong prospect system.

In Pittsburgh, he’ll be challenged right away, given the team’s win-now decree. The Penguins still have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to anchor their forward group, meaning the Stanley Cup should always be a goal. But with those two stars and Kris Letang heading into their mid-thirties, it’s unclear if that’s a real possibility for the team at this juncture. Now it’s up to Hextall and Burke to decide where the franchise goes from here.

Mikko Koivu Announces Retirement

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In a sudden move, Columbus Blue Jackets center Mikko Koivu has announced his retirement after just seven games this season. The 37-year-old released a statement explaining his decision:

This was not an easy decision for me as I have loved every minute of my short time in Columbus and really hoped to be able to help this team accomplish its goals this season, but the bottom line is I haven’t been able to get to the level of play that I need to be true to myself and fair to my teammates, so the time is right for me to retire from hockey. I have been extremely blessed and I am eternally grateful to the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets organizations for the opportunities they have given me to live out my dreams of playing in the National Hockey League for the past 16 years.

Koivu will forfeit the rest of his one-year contract that carried a $1.5MM salary this season and his cap hit will come off the books for Columbus. His career ends with 1,035 regular season games, all but seven of which came with the Minnesota Wild. Just two of his 711 career points came with Columbus.

This seven-game, two-point season with Columbus is an odd addendum to a great career that was spent almost entirely with one franchise. Koivu is the Wild franchise leader for games played, assists, points, and plus/minus, while also being the longest-tenured captain in Minnesota history. The team decided to part ways with him in the offseason after several down seasons, but instead of retiring Koivu gave it one last try in Columbus.

It has been obvious for some time that Koivu wasn’t the same two-way wizard he was for so long in Minnesota, but this season he was limited to just over 12 minutes a night for the Blue Jackets. He played just nine minutes on Sunday, was a healthy scratch on Monday, and now retired on Tuesday. If he wasn’t going to play much, it never really made sense for the veteran player to put his body through a gruelling COVID-affected season, especially after so many major injuries have taken their toll on Koivu over the years.

Though he unfortunately never found much playoff success, Koivu did reach the postseason on nine different occasions throughout his long career. He’ll be remembered as one of the most consistent defensive centers of his era, receiving Selke Trophy votes in ten different seasons and finishing in the top-five on three different occasions.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Jim Rutherford Resigns As Pittsburgh Penguins GM

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In shocking news, the Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that Jim Rutherford has resigned as general manager, citing personal reasons. Patrik Allvin, the team’s assistant general manager has been promoted to interim GM while the team begins an immediate search for a new GM. Rutherford has been with the Penguins since 2014 and released a short statement on his departure:

It has been a great honor to serve as general manager of the Penguins, and to hang two more Stanley Cup banners at PPG Paints Arena. I have so many people to thank, beginning with the owners, Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux, and team president David Morehouse. There always has been so much support from everyone involved with the Penguins, both on the hockey and business staffs, and, of course, from a special group of players led by Sidney Crosby. The fans here have been tremendous to me and my family. I know it’s a little unusual to have this happen during a season, but just felt this was the right time to step away.

Allvin was only just named AGM in November, having previously worked with the team in several roles including director of amateur scouting. He has been with the Penguins for more than a decade, but will now be thrust into the spotlight as the team’s front office leader. The release indicates that Allvin will consult with Lemieux for input and advice during the interim period.

Rutherford has been a pillar of the NHL for decades, first as a goaltender that appeared in 457 NHL games over 13 seasons, and then as an executive. Named general manager of the Hartford Whalers in 1994, he remained with the team through their relocation to Carolina and won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006. During his tenure in Pittsburgh, he put together a team that won back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017. Rutherford was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that this was “absolutely” Rutherford’s decision, while Ken Campbell of The Hockey News reports it is not health-related.  The long-time manager leaves the Penguins in the midst of a unique season and with a 4-2-1 record early on. The team has lost several key players to injury but still sit in a playoff spot for the time being. Critics may say that success is in spite of Rutherford’s recent mistakes (of which there have been many), but there have been several outstanding moves by the veteran GM as well that have kept the competitive window open around Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. John Marino, for instance, was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers for a sixth-round pick, only to quickly turn into one of the best defensemen on the team.

Never one to shy away from a blockbuster, Rutherford’s departure from the ranks of NHL general managers will be a loss for hockey fans all over the league. It remains to be seen how Allvin operates, but he may not even be in charge very long. LeBrun notes that the Penguins will look at both internal and external options but doesn’t believe they will “want this to drag too long.”

Winnipeg Jets Acquire Pierre-Luc Dubois For Patrik Laine, Jack Roslovic

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Morning has arrived and with it the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade that was reported as imminent yesterday. The Winnipeg Jets, considered the favorite late last night, have completed a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets to add the cornerstone center, as first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger. The club has parted ways with two disgruntled young pieces of their own: winger Patrik Laine, selected one spot ahead of Dubois in 2016, and RFA center Jack Roslovic, a Columbus native. The Jets also receive a 2022 third-round pick alongside Dubois. Both teams have confirmed the trade.

The Jets have retained 26% of Laine’s salary for the final year of his current contract, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli, bringing his cap hit down to $4.995MM and making the cap exchange of the two players even given Dubois’ $5MM AAV. Of course, Roslovic will also contribute to the Blue Jackets’ cap and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that he has already agreed to a two-year contract. Colleague Chris Johnston believes Roslovic’s new deal carries a $1.9MM AAV; PuckPedia adds that the breakdown is as follows:

2020-21: $1.3MM
2021-22: $2.5MM

The qualifying offer at the end of the deal will be $2.28MM, the lower of 120% of the AAV and the final-year salary.  It’s also worth noting that with the contract being signed in-season, the AAV will vary each year.  This season, the cap charge will be just under $2.018MM while next season, the charge will be a little under $1.844MM.

There seemed to be too much in common between these two clubs for this not to be the eventual deal that ended the Dubois saga in Columbus. Dubois and Laine are a very similar caliber of player, with almost identical draft billing and both currently playing on bridge deals. Both were also not content with their current surroundings. Then there is Roslovic, who was an unsigned restricted free agent still living at home in Columbus early on this season. Perhaps the most disgruntled of all, Roslovic likely could not be happier with staying home. Dubois also has ties to the city of Winnipeg and the organization as his father, Eric Dubois, serves as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and his parents live there year-round.

With that said, Columbus’ own beat writer for The Athletic, Aaron Portzline, was skeptical that Laine and Roslovic would be headed to Columbus without another substantial sweetener alongside Dubois. He noted that the Jets were also thought to be seeking a defenseman, an area of strength on the Blue Jackets’ organizational depth chart. Not only did Columbus succeed in making this deal without giving up a Vladislav Gavrikov but they also held on to young blue liners like Andrew Peeke and Gabriel Carlsson at the cost of a third-rounder.

All things considered, the Blue Jackets make out very well in this trade. Dubois is a tough piece to give up, but there is a very strong argument to be made that Laine is the best player in the deal. The big, sniping winger has notched 140 goals and 250 points in 306 NHL games, finishing in the top ten league-wide in goal scoring twice in just four seasons. The 2017 All-Star is one of the most dangerous shooters and power play assets on the planet and should help to bring along some of Columbus’ young centers. That now includes Roslovic, who is 23 years old just like Dubois and Laine and a first-round pick as well. The young pivot has shown flashes of high-end ability and will finally land a permanent top-nine role in Columbus. Of course, the final judgement on the deal will have to wait a couple of years. The Blue Jackets have struggled to retain top talent and head coach John Tortorella has a history of clashing with players, so how contract negotiations play out between the team and Laine (and potentially Roslovic as well) will dictate how successful this move was for Columbus’ long-term success.

As for Winnipeg, the team adds yet another skilled center to a roster that was already deep on the wing and now has the talent to match down the middle. Dubois has recorded 159 points in 239 NHL games, not including a 2020 postseason where he tallied ten points in ten games and averaged nearly 23 minutes per night. While Dubois will miss some time with a mandatory 14-day quarantine, Laine was out of action on injured reserve anyhow. Once Dubois joins the Jets, who have the second-best record in the North Division early on, the team could be primed for a strong season and playoff success. They also will have nearly two seasons to evaluate Dubois before he needs a new contract. The hope in Winnipeg is that playing closer to family and having more sustained success will be enough to keep Dubois content and committed to the club long-term.

While many sources believed that the Jets were the most likely team to wind up completing a deal for Dubois, they were not the only team still in pursuit. Friedman reported last night that the Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, and Montreal Canadiens were still very much in the mix. He added that the Ducks, a team chock full of talented prospects, were thought to have significantly improved their offer recently. Well-off contenders like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche were even been linked to the young forward, who has the makings of a long-term top-six center. In fact, TSN’s Frank Seravalli says that it is easier to name the teams who were not interested in Dubois and assume all other at least kicked the tires. That list of non-suitors includes the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vegas Golden Knights. Practically anyone else could have still made a competing offer in time, but with Laine and Roslovic on the table for the Jets, Winnipeg was always likely to come out on top.

Minnesota Wild Acquire Ian Cole

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The Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche have swapped a pair of veteran defensemen. The Wild have acquired Ian Cole in exchange for Greg Pateryn, with CapFriendly also reporting that the Avalanche have retained $800K of Cole’s cap hit.

Cole, 31, carries a $4.25MM cap hit in the final season of a three-year, $12.75MM contract he signed with Colorado in 2018. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and had recently seen his role on the Avalanche greatly reduced. Though he has experience on both sides of the ice, the left-handed defenseman was made somewhat redundant now after the team acquired Devon Toews from the New York Islanders in the offseason. Add in the smooth development of top prospect Bowen Byram who is pushing for a full-time role on the NHL roster, and you can see why the Avalanche had floated Cole’s name in recent weeks.

In Pateryn, 30, the Avalanche bring in a right-handed option that could be a better fit for the team in a depth role. Though he made his debut in 2012-13, Pateryn has still played just 270 games in the NHL and has never averaged more than 20 minutes a night. His cap hit is also quite a bit lower than Cole’s at just $2.25MM this season, though the retention does reduce the savings. In Colorado, it’s hard to see Pateryn even getting much more opportunity than the 12:36 he averaged through Minnesota’s first three games.

For the Wild though, upgrading from Pateryn to Cole could be a real difference-maker. Minnesota’s top four defensemen have all averaged more than 23 minutes a night through the early part of the season, with very little trust being placed in Pateryn and Carson Soucy. The two-time Stanley Cup winner Cole can take some of the pressure off those stars, while perhaps rejuvenating his own career. It was just last season that Cole recorded 26 points in 65 games for the Avalanche, nothing to sneeze at for a player without any powerplay time. His all-around ability will be a nice addition in Minnesota for a team racing for a playoff spot.

That new opportunity may also be exactly what Cole was looking for with free agency looming. Even though the Colorado prospect pipeline had pushed him down the depth chart, he seems likely to enter the offseason as a sought-after target at age-32. Adding to the 89 career playoff games he has suited up for would only improve his stock. That is of course if Wild GM Bill Guerin even lets him go that far; the two have a history from their days together in Pittsburgh and the Minnesota executive has shown a willingness to spend heavily on his defense.

Perhaps the biggest winner here though is Byram, who likely will be given a chance to jump into Colorado’s lineup on at least a part-time basis. The fourth-overall pick in 2019, the 19-year-old looked dominant during the World Junior Championship a few weeks ago and should quickly make the transition to the NHL. Though returning to junior would still technically be an option if and when the WHL starts up, there seems little more that Byram can learn from his time there after scoring 149 points in his last 139 games for the Vancouver Giants.

Michael Russo of The Athletic was first to report the deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Six Dallas Stars Players Test Positive For COVID-19

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January 15: The Stars will begin their season on January 22 against the Nashville Predators. Games scheduled for January 14, 15, 17, and 19 have been rescheduled for later in the season, as the NHL details in today’s release. Several other games have been rescheduled as well, though they’re much further down the road.

The changes mean that Florida and Tampa Bay, the two opponents that were supposed to take on the Stars to start the season, will have substantial breaks. Tampa Bay for instance plays tonight and then will not play again until next Thursday, while the Panthers are still waiting until Sunday to start their year. The Stars will now play a 56-game schedule in just 108 days.

January 8: The Dallas Stars will not start the season on time. The team has released the following statement, explaining the sudden cancelation of practice today:

The National Hockey League announced today that six Dallas Stars players and two staff members have recently confirmed positive tests for the COVID-19 virus. Those individuals are self-isolating and following CDC and league protocols. As a result of the positive tests, and as an appropriate precaution, the team’s training facilities have been closed, effective immediately, and will remain closed for several days while further daily testing and contact tracing is conducted. The league is in the process of reviewing and revising the Stars’ regular season schedule with the expectation that the team will not open its 2020-21 season earlier than Tuesday, January 19.

The Stars organization has, and will continue to follow, all recommended guidelines aimed at protecting the health and safety of its players, staff and community at large as set by the NHL, local, state and national agencies.

The Stars were set to open the season against the Florida Panthers on January 14, a game that will obviously have to be postponed. Games on January 15 and 17 are also in jeopardy as well.  The league did not release the names of the players that have tested positive.

If the other major professional sports are any indication, this is the first of many outbreaks this season. The league and teams will need to be flexible and adapt to changing schedules and protocols on a near-daily basis, leaving roster depth as arguably the most important thing in the NHL this year. It’s hard to imagine that the Stars will have their full contingent of players even by January 19, though no specifics have been released in regards to that.

Marcus Foligno Signs Three-Year Extension

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Moose isn’t going anywhere for a while. The Minnesota Wild have signed Marcus Foligno to a three-year extension that will keep him under contract through the 2023-24 season. The deal carries an average annual value of $3.1MM. Foligno currently carries a cap hit of $2.875MM on the final season of his four-year, $11.5MM deal signed in 2017.

The 29-year-old Foligno may not contribute a ton at the offensive end of the rink, but he is one of the few rare players in the NHL that doesn’t really need to. Standing 6’3″ and close to 230-lbs, the power forward combines speed, power, and fearlessness to create a valuable middle-six winger that punishes defenders constantly while limiting chances against. Foligno posts strong possession numbers every year, averages around 200 hits per season, and even received Selke Trophy consideration in 2019. He’s well-liked by management in Minnesota and this early extension only confirms how committed they are to him.

Interestingly, Foligno actually experienced something of a breakout offensively last season, scoring 11 goals and a career-high 25 points in just 59 games. That’s nice, but it’s not what he’s paid for. Expected to line up beside Jordan Greenway and Joel Eriksson Ek on the Minnesota third line, he’ll hunt down defenders, cause havoc in the corners, and backcheck relentlessly.

Still, and it’s important to note this even if you’re a Minnesota fan happy to keep Foligno around, the Wild have made a habit of committing early to their core players and this new deal only locks up more cap space moving forward. The team now has nearly $58MM on the books for 2021-22 with just 13 players signed, seven of which (including Foligno) will be at least 30 when that season begins. For a franchise that hasn’t experienced any real playoff success in its history, sticking with the same core may not be the best strategy.

Of course, as Michael Russo of The Athletic points out, this new extension for Foligno does not include trade protection of any sort. He’s not guaranteed to stay in Minnesota throughout the deal and in fact, easily could become a target for the Seattle Kraken in the upcoming expansion draft. The Wild have a lot of tough decisions to make before that expansion process is completed, given all of the no-move clauses they’ve handed out over the years.

For now, Foligno has some financial security in hand and a season to play with the team he has known since 2017. Minnesota kicks things off on Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings.

Jeremy Colliton Agrees To Extension With Chicago Blackhawks

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Earlier this morning, the Chicago Blackhawks decided their young coach deserved an extension, signing Jeremy Colliton through the 2022-23 season. Colliton is heading into his third year behind the bench in Chicago. Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman released a statement explaining why the team felt an extension was warranted:

Jeremy has shown an innate ability to develop young talent throughout his two seasons as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks. This, coupled with his vast knowledge of the game, exceptional communication skills and determination to win, makes us extremely confident Jeremy has what it takes to lead our team back to an elite level as we continue to build a roster that can compete year in and year out.

That first sentence is perhaps the most important, given that the Blackhawks are inching towards an existence without any of their Stanley Cup-winning core. Jonathan Toews is already absent as he deals with a health issue, Brent Seabrook is desperately trying to get back on the ice to continue his career and Duncan Keith will turn 38 in a few months. Even Patrick Kane, who is still 32, healthy, and ready to lead the Blackhawks this season has just three seasons left on his contract and will be soon entering a decline phase whether he likes it or not. Colliton’s ability to develop the next wave of Blackhawks stars is perhaps the most important task for the organization right now.

Of course, that doesn’t mean winning isn’t important. The 35-year-old coach led the Blackhawks to a playoff appearance last season, shocking the Edmonton Oilers in a qualification round before bowing out quickly to the Vegas Golden Knights. Colliton’s overall record since taking over from legendary coach Joel Quenneville is 62-58-17 and it’s not expected to improve very much this season. Chicago heads into the year with a completely unproven goaltending tandem, plenty of questions on defense and several key forwards out due to injury. It will be a challenge to be sure.

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