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Coaching Notes: Blashill, Hiller, Savard

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Entering this season, the second-longest tenured coach in the league behind future Hall-of-Famer Jon Cooper was Detroit Red Wings bench boss Jeff Blashill. After just one playoff appearance (in his first year as coach), though, the rebuilding squad finally decided to move on as they try and begin their rise back toward contention. That makes the 48-year-old Blashill an experienced option on the open market, as he’s been in coaching roles since 1998 and coaching professionally since joining the Detroit organization in 2011. While he doesn’t have the shiniest resume, some of that can be attributed to the poor roster he was given in Detroit.

With a change potentially on the horizon in the Sunshine State behind the bench of the Florida Panthers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that he’s heard a connection between the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners and Blashill. It’s unclear at this point whether the Panthers will retain interim head coach Andrew Brunette, who was a nominee for the Jack Adams Award this past season after guiding Florida to a 122-point season. It would be a puzzling choice from the Panthers to move on from Brunette for someone like Blashill who hasn’t made any notable achievements at the NHL level, undoubtedly.

  • After getting fired by the New York Islanders today, Jim Hiller is on the radar of the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings (among other clubs) for their head coaching vacancies, reports ESPN’s Kevin Weekes. It would be a return to the Red Wings organization for Hiller, who got his first NHL job there as an assistant in 2014-15 after five seasons as the head coach of the WHL’s Tri-City Americans. He’s been with the Islanders since 2019-20 and has overseen their two back-to-back runs to the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 and 2021.
  • The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf today downplayed the link between the Dallas Stars and Marc Savard for their open spot behind the bench. While Yousuf didn’t rule out Savard as a candidate in the team’s search, he says that nothing from the team has indicated him as a frontrunner.

More On Edmonton Oilers Offseason Plans

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After the conclusion of the Edmonton Oilers’ season on Monday at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, the organization held the standard media availability and wind down, custom of teams at the conclusion of their season, where new details emerge about the current state of the organization. Today was no different, with news coming out that none of Edmonton’s injured players need surgery, and that Ken Holland will address his goaltending, but didn’t seem too enthusiastic about forward Jesse Puljujarvi’s expiring contract and arbitration eligibility. Intriguing as those storylines are, there is plenty more as it comes to the Oilers’ offseason to-do list, including the head coach position, forward Evander Kane, and free agent forward Andrei Kuzmenko.

Oilers GM Ken Holland said in his availability that he would love to have head coach Jay Woodcroft back for next season, though he still has to talk to the coach and about their respective plans (link). It’s no surprise that Edmonton would want their coach to return after the impressive stretch he lead the team on after replacing former head coach Dave Tippett in mid-February. At the time of the change, Edmonton was five points out of a playoff spot, but with Woodcroft, the team went 26-9-3, finishing second in the Pacific Division, and of course leading them to the Western Conference Finals. With the availability of a myriad of head coach options, including elite names like Barry Trotz and Bruce Cassidy, it could be tempting for Edmonton to try to upgrade at the position, but after Woodcroft’s success with a group that seemed destined to free-fall down the NHL standings, it would be hard not to try to replicate that success over a full season.

Holland also put forth the same sentiment towards Kane as he had for Woodcroft, saying he would love to have him back next season, but of course he would still need to work that out. Interestingly, the GM added that while Kane played for a $2MM cap hit this year, he doesn’t expect Kane to play for that same number again next year. Given Kane’s excellent performance for the Oilers after signing with them in January, his sensational playoff run, and his apparent chemistry with Edmonton’s stars, it’s clear why Holland would want to re-sign him, but also clear why he does not believe it will be for the same $2MM cap hit. In 43 regular season games, Kane had 22 goals and 17 assists, and followed it up with 13 goals and four assists in 15 playoff games.

Moving from one talented winger the Oilers would like to have to another, The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal tweets that free agent forward Andrei Kuzmenko arrived in Los Angeles today and will begin meeting with teams on his short list. Sportsnet’s Mark Spector adds that Edmonton is among the teams on Kuzmenko’s shortlist. Recall last week, when Thomas Drance reported on Sportsnet that Kuzmenko was going to begin the process of second interviews with teams. Interestingly, considering the circumstances, Kuzmenko shares an agent with Evander Kane in that of Dan Millstein. The similarity won’t necessarily give Edmonton any edge in signing either player since the decision is the player’s, but should give Holland and Millstein a sense of comfort and familiarity if they work on both. As Spector points out, the pitch to Kuzmenko would also be very similar to the one they gave Kane when he had his pick of teams in January: come play with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and build value for the next contract.

Kuzmenko, who has spent his entire professional career in the KHL, doesn’t appear to have the allure that other point-producers on this year’s free agent market seem to have, which could be due in some part to several factors, including but not limited to the political situation in Russia, the fact that the KHL plays at times generally inaccessible to most North American fans, and the up and down results from other KHL free agents who have made the jump to the NHL. These factors aside, the 26-year-old winger is not wanting for production. After a slow start to his career, Kuzmenko has slowly but steadily improved his play year after year, culminating in a dominant 2021-22 for St. Petersburg, where he scored 20 goals to go with 33 assists in 45 games, adding another seven goals and seven assists in 16 playoff games. If Edmonton can secure his services, he should factor as another strong top-six option the organization can give McDavid and Draisaitl to utilize, and should give Kuzmenko an easy opportunity to show off his skillset as well.

Snapshots: Bergeron, Sauve, Strome

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Boston Bruins Captain Patrice Bergeron spoke with the media Sunday following the announcement that he won his record-breaking fifth Selke Trophy. During his availability, Bergeron broke the news that he had surgery on his left elbow last week to repair a tendon (link). As NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin writes, Bergeron’s recovery is expected to take 10-12 weeks from the date of the surgery last week, and he is still yet to make up his mind about his future. Interestingly, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press asked Bergeron why, other than being unsigned, would he be considering retirement, considering the current state of his game. Bergeron responded that being unsigned is in fact the reason he is currently taking the time to consider his future.

The Selke-winner, who has only ever played for the Bruins at the NHL level, is an impending UFA coming off an eight-year, $55MM contract that held an AAV of $6.875MM. After reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2019, falling to the St. Louis Blues, the Bruins have taken steps back in the past few seasons, and now face difficult questions regarding their salary cap, which could impact Bergeron’s next contract.

  • Turning to the PHF, as reported by Jeff Marek on the 32 Thoughts segment of Hockey Night in Canada last night, the Buffalo Beauts are expected to sign goaltender Kassidy Sauve for the upcoming season. A goaltender who can trace her family roots back to Georges Vezina, Sauve was a standout in the NCAA, spending three seasons with The Ohio State University before transferring to Clarkson University for her final season. Sauve, now 26, had her most impressive season while at Clarkson, posting an eye-popping 1.71 goals-against average and .937 save-percentage in 36 games, compiling a 27-2-7 record. Most recently Sauve splayed for HPK in the Finnish women’s league, where she again had incredible numbers, going 8-0 with a 0.88 goals-against average and .964 save-percentage.
  • New York Rangers forward Ryan Strome left today’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning with an apparent injury. Strome took a hit from Tampa’s Ondrej Palat in the second period and immediately appeared to be in distress, heading straight down the tunnel. The Rangers forward was absent for several minutes before returning to take one shift, but indicated to trainers that he could not continue, heading back to the locker room shortly thereafter. In Strome, the Rangers lose a key top-six forward and member of their powerplay; after a 54-point regular season, Strome has added another nine points in 16 playoff games heading into today’s action. Time will tell how significant Strome’s injury is, and though he is yet to be ruled out for the remainder of this game, his initial return only to quickly exit again is not a good sign for the Rangers.

Patrice Bergeron Wins 2022 Selke Trophy

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For a record-breaking fifth time in his NHL career, Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron has won the Frank J. Selke Trophy (link). The Selke goes to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. A likely Hall of Famer when all is said and done, this is Bergeron’s first Selke since the 2016-17 season, however his reputation throughout his career as an elite two-way center has not wavered in the slightest in that time.

In addition to his five Selke Trophies, Bergeron has not finished outside the top three in Selke voting since 2010-11, when he finished fourth for the award. Bergeron’s 11 consecutive seasons as a finalist are the most of any player for any award, surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s 10 straight seasons as a Hart Trophy finalist. Perhaps his best skill, Bergeron was again spectacular in the faceoff circle this season, leading the league in faceoff percentage at 61.9% and in faceoffs won, with 991. His 1,600 faceoffs taken in 2021-22 was second in the NHL only to Leon Draisaitl. On the other side of the puck, Bergeron was again a key contributor for Boston, tallying 25 goals and 40 assists in 73 games this season to go with a plus-26 rating.

Following Bergeron in the voting were a host of familiar names, including Elias Lindholm, Aleksander Barkov, Ryan O’Reilly, and Anthony Cirelli, rounding out the top five. Barkov and O’Reilly are past winners of the award and like Bergeron are regarded as some of the best two-way players in the sport. Cirelli is yet to win the award, but is among the players considered most likely to win the award who have not yet. Lindholm’s second place finish is the best in the history of the Calgary Flames, and is his third season in the past four receiving Selke votes (link).

The award comes amid a time of speculation about Bergeron’s future in the NHL. While still an elite player, Bergeron is a pending UFA with the Boston Bruins, who do have to make some tough decisions when it comes to the salary cap. Soon to be 37, the Bruins’ captain has played 1,216 NHL regular seasons games and another 167 playoff games spanning 18 seasons, including a 2011 Stanley Cup. Still being capable, if not supremely talented, might indicate that Bergeron would want to continue to play and chase another Stanley Cup, however being on top of his game, evidenced by the record-breaking Selke Trophy could also give Bergeron incentive to retire if he so chooses, allowing him to go out on his own terms, at the top of his game.

Jim Nill Discusses Robertson And Oettinger’s Next Contracts

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Recently, Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill discussed with the media the upcoming negotiations he has on the table with impending RFAs Jason Robertson and Jake Oettinger (link):

“We’ll have to see what they’re looking for. The cap’s been a flat cap. They might look at it, their representatives might look at it different that the cap’s going to go up. Is it going to jump another 6, 7, 8% over the next four or five years? Are they better to go short term? Those are things that we’re going to have to walk through to see what works.”

Nill’s comments appear to suggest that on one hand, if the players’ representatives see the current flat salary cap as something that won’t go up reliably, they could take a safe approach, resulting in a long-term contract. On the other hand, if either player sees the salary cap rising significantly or reliably coming out of the flat cap, then a bridge-deal leaving them with UFA status as the cap begins to expand could be another smart option.

A long-term deal at a reasonably higher AAV could be an option either way, as it would guarantee something both sides want regardless of the cap situation. If that were the case, it could put Dallas in a tricky cap situation during the flat-cap years, but could be a favorable deal thereafter, and regardless, it locks up a franchise cornerstone player for the long haul. For the player, if the salary cap did expand, they would still have the benefit of a guaranteed long-term contract which could pay them, based on the result of the negotiation, more than they may have made during their RFA seasons.

To state the obvious, Robertson and Oettinger are not everyday RFAs for Dallas. A first-round pick in 2017, Oettinger made an immediate impact for Dallas in his debut for the Stars last season, following it up with another standout performance in 2021-22. The 2022 playoffs were Oettinger’s true introduction to the NHL though, as he almost single-handedly eliminated the Calgary Flames in the first round, playing to an incredible 1.81 goals-against average and .954 save-percentage in seven games. The start to Oettinger’s career sounds remarkably similar to that of Matt Murray, who had a strong, but quiet debut for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2015-16 before bursting onto the scene in the 2016 playoffs, dominating for the Penguins en route to a Stanley Cup. Murray would follow it up with a strong showing in his first full season in the 2016-17 regular season and playoffs before signing a three-year, $11.25MM contract with Pittsburgh. If Oettinger were to take a bridge deal while waiting out the flat cap, one could expect it to look similar to this. Best yet for Oettinger is after Murray failed to replicate his early success during the life of that contract, he still was able to sign a four-year, $25MM deal after being dealt to the Ottawa Senators, signing before the 2020-21 season.

Impressive as Oettinger’s breakout was, Jason Robertson arguably stole the show. Dallas’ second-round pick in 2017, Robertson debuted for three games in 2019-20 before a strong rookie season in 2020-21, where he tallied 17 goals and 28 assists in 51 games. Already established as a key piece for Dallas, Robertson became a superstar in 2021-22, scoring 41 goals to go with 38 assists in just 74 games, adding another four points in seven playoff contests before hitting the RFA market. Like Oettinger, Robertson has put himself in a strong position going forward, but must decide how to approach the negotiations, considering the state of the salary cap.

As the above-mentioned article suggests, Robertson could go for the shorter bridge deal, potentially leading to a cap hit of $7MM, but could find himself with a cap hit as high as $9MM should he agree to a long-term deal. New York Islanders’ forward Mat Barzal signed a three-year bridge deal worth $7MM prior to the 2020-21 season. Though Robertson’s 2021-22 season was stronger than Barzal’s 2019-20, Barzal did have three years of success, including an 85-point rookie season, as well as significant playoff experience, as compared to Robertson’s two full seasons of overall similar quality to Barzal.

Looking at a long-term contract, there isn’t much precedent for a contract in the $9MM AAV range for players coming off of their entry-level contract. Kyle Connor signed a seven-year contract with an AAV just shy of $7.15MM after back-to-back 57 and 66 point seasons and Nick Suzuki signed an eight-year contract with an AAV of $7.875MM after 41 points in 71 games in his rookie season and another 41 points in a lesser 56 games in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. Notably, Suzuki also produced an outstanding 23 points in 32 playoff games over those two seasons. Going the other way, Mitch Marner signed for six-years at just over $10.9MM per season after 94 points in 82 games the season prior; this season, Robertson was on pace for 87 points over 82 games. Unlike Robertson, Marner began his career with 61 and 69 point seasons. With no perfect comparison to Robertson, taking the history of these three comparable players shows that a long-term deal for Robertson in the $9MM AAV range is certainly within reason.

After an impressive playoff performance, Nill will have plenty on his plate this offseason to help a Stars organization complete with a mix of veteran and young talent take the next step and ultimately transition it from the veteran core to the young core. The first of these steps will be a big one, necessitated by these two big RFA contracts.

Larry Hillman Passes Away At 85

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Former NHL defenseman and Stanley Cup Champion Larry Hillman has passed away, confirm the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hillman was 85 years old. The Maple Leafs released the following statement following his passing:

“We are deeply saddened to learn the passing of Larry Hillman. Larry played in the National Hockey League between 1955 and 1973 and had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup six times, including four with the Maple Leafs in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967. An active member of our alumni, Larry was a gentleman with a warm and generous smile. He was a proud husband, father and family man. Our thoughts are with his loved ones.”

Not the household name of some of his Stanley Cup teammates, Hillman made a long career for himself, spanning 22 seasons, as a reliable, shutdown defenseman for his teams. The defenseman began his career in 1954-55 with the Detroit Red Wings as a teenager, a team that would go on to win the Stanley Cup. After parts of three seasons with Detroit, Hillman was claimed on waivers by the Boston Bruins, where he would play parts of three more seasons before again being claimed on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hillman would spend the next eight seasons in Toronto, helping the team to four Stanley Cups.

After leaving Toronto, Hillman would bounce around for five seasons, spending time with the Minnesota North Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and Buffalo Sabres. Prior to the 1973-74 season, a 36-year-old Hillman would depart the NHL for the rival WHA, where he spent three seasons, the first two with the Cleveland Crusaders, and finally with the Winnipeg Jets, then of the WHA. All told, Hillman played 789 games in the NHL over 19 seasons, tallying 36 goals and 196 assists along with 565 penalty minutes. Hillman also had a brief coaching career, spending two seasons as the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, compiling a record of 78 wins, 55 losses and eight ties in two seasons behind the bench for the Jets, still of the WHA.

Everyone at PHR sends their condolences to Hillman’s loved ones.

Injury Notes: Price, Point, Kuemper

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After playing only five games this season, Carey Price is preparing to get back on the ice with the Montreal Canadiens, as he said today. However, his status is still unknown. The 34-year-old had a Platelet-Rich Plasma injection in his knee and is waiting for it to take hold before he gets back to training and preparing. The netminder said that “I wish I felt better about the situation, but I don’t.”

Price had knee surgery in the 2021 offseason and the injury got reaggravated this season after he returned from personal leave to participate in the NHLPA Player Assistance program. In April, he had a meeting with his surgeon in Manhattan and is now under treatment. Being without their number one goaltender for the next season is a reason for concern for the Montreal Canadiens. If he doesn’t recover in time, they will have to make a plan and go after a goaltender this offseason with Price on LTIR.

  • Tampa Bay fans can celebrate, albeit hesitantly. Forward Brayden Point was doing drills in practice for the first time since his injury in Game 7 in Toronto, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. He participated for 55 minutes, doing drills with the taxi squad. While this is not an indicator that he could be back for Game 3, it’s still good news for the team. It can be a needed boost for the current Stanley Cup champions in the series against the Rangers if he’s able to get back.
  • Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports that Darcy Kuemper’s injury doesn’t seem too serious, but that backup netminder Pavel Francouz will likely start Game 3 in any event. Francouz is coming off a 24-save shutout in Game 2 that sparked the Avs to a 2-0 series lead.

Anze Kopitar Wins 2022 Mark Messier Leadership Award

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Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar is the recipient of the 2022 Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award. Per the league, the trophy is awarded “to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice during the regular season.”

The team had the following to say with Kopitar’s victory:

As a spokesperson and contributor in several team fundraising events, Kopitar strives to represent the organization at every opportunity, including local institutions such as the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Make a Wish Foundation, Wags and Walks and Kings Care Foundation. Kopitar also hosts a hockey academy yearly in his native Slovenia, which serves aspiring youth players who may not have access to similar programs. Typically attracting nearly 200 players per year, the academy has drawn players from more than 15 countries.

The winner of the award is chosen by Messier himself, and he announced the selection live during ESPN’s broadcast of Game 1 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Final.

Given out since the 2006-07 season, Kopitar becomes the second King to win this award. Former Kings captain and fresh retiree Dustin Brown won the trophy back in 2014 after guiding the Kings to their second Stanley Cup in three seasons. The Slovenian veteran forward has worn a letter on his jersey for Los Angeles since 2008 and has been the captain since replacing Brown in 2016. With two Stanley Cups under his belt, Kopitar’s 1,210 games are second in Kings history. He’s also just one of four players to register at least 1,000 points as a King.

The 34-year-old remains under contract with the Kings until 2024.

Coaching Notes: DeBoer, Vigneault, Boucher

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With just four teams left vying for Lord Stanley’s Cup, the focus is strong on building next season’s roster for most NHL teams. That includes the coaching carousel, which will be active with many big names available this offseason. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun took a wide-angle lens look around the list of coaching free agents to examine where each could end up moving forward.

One of the coaches named is Peter DeBoer, fired by the Vegas Golden Knights last month after the team missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. However, LeBrun notes that while he’s one of the biggest names available, it’s not a sure thing he’ll start the season behind an NHL bench. DeBoer is still owed money for the last year of his Vegas contract, something LeBrun says will allow him the flexibility to take his time on deciding. He surmises that a mid-season hire could be likely for a team looking to make a change after a poor start, but stops short of counting out DeBoer signing full-on with a team before the start of the 2022-23 season.

  • LeBrun says that the “odds are” Alain Vigneault’s NHL coaching career is done. Vigneault will still be paid by the Flyers through June of 2024, so finances aren’t a factor for Vigneault in the short term. LeBrun notes that he’ll be 63 when that contract is over. With 1,363 games under his belt as a head coach and no Stanley Cup, it’s unclear how many offers he’ll get anyways.
  • One wild card name mentioned by LeBrun as a potential offseason hire is Guy Boucher. While he’s been out of a job since 2019, he has a “get rich quick” reputation around the league as a coach who brings short, but immediate success to his new team (2011 Tampa Bay Lightning, 2017 Ottawa Senators). Boucher had been holding out on taking NHL jobs for family reasons, but LeBrun says he’s now ready to get back in the picture.

Arizona Coyotes Sign Ronald Knot

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June 1: The Coyotes have officially announced the contract, with general manager Bill Armstrong releasing the following statement:

We are very pleased to have Ronald join our organization. He is an experienced defenseman with great size who will add depth to our blue line.

May 31: It appears the Arizona Coyotes have added to their depth, signing free agent defenseman Ronald Knot to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2022-23 season (link). The contract is worth $750K at the NHL level and $150K at the AHL level, but does guarantee Knot a minimum of $200K either way. The signing comes at an otherwise quiet time around the league as the playoffs reach their halfway point, however for the rebuilding Coyotes, which have an uncertain future in regards to their rink, an opportunity to bring in a free agent with upside, who could compete for ice-time with the NHL club makes plenty of sense.

At 27 years of age, Knot is no longer a prospect, however a lengthy and solid career in Europe, primarily in Czechia, shows the veteran defenseman is a consistent performer on the back end who could possibly translate his game to the NHL. Knot has played parts of eight seasons in Czechia, debuting with Slavia Praha before moving onto Mlada Boleslav, Chomutov Pirati, and most recently Liberec Bili Tygri in 2019-20 and 2020-21. After recording just 11 points in his first 114 games in Czechia, Knot broke out in 2018-19 with Chomutov, putting up 17 points in 51 games, then another 29 in 101 games over two seasons with Liberec. This season, Knot took another step forward, signing with Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik of the KHL and despite stepping up to the KHL level, his production remained roughly the same, recording 17 points in 49 games.

Internationally, Knot has represented Czechia on several occasions, most recently playing in four games at this year’s Olympics and was a member of their team  at the 2014 World Junior Championship. Unlike many signings at this time of year, Knot is not a player Arizona will now hope to develop over the next few years; a seasoned veteran in Europe who has proven his game could translate by jumping to the KHL, the Coyotes will give Knot a chance to impress and show that his game can once again translate and work in North America. Though he may not necessarily be a regular for Arizona this year, he will have plenty of eyes on him and a chance to impress an organization in the midst of roster turnover.

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