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Snapshots: Team Sweden, Bennett, Kuzmenko

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Team Sweden named their leadership group for the 2024 IIHF World Championship ahead of their opening game on Friday (Twitter link). Long-time Swedish star Erik Karlsson will serve as the team’s captain, flanked by Victor Hedman and Lucas Raymond as assistant captains.

Karlsson is taking on a significant leadership role in his first appearance with Sweden since the 2017 World Cup. And while he wore an ‘A’ with Sweden in that tournament, this news marks his first time wearing the ’C’ with his home country. Karlsson is no stranger to leadership, having served as the Ottawa Senators captain from 2014 to 2018. He’s also no secret to international hockey, with 23 points across 28 games with Sweden’s Men’s team, including appearances at the World Championship, World Cup, and Olympics.

Sweden won their first contest of the 2024 Worlds, beating Team USA 5-2 thanks to a three-point performance from Joel Eriksson Ek and 28 saves from Filip Gustavsson. They’ll look to maintain the confident start through the rest of the tourney, chasing their first Gold Medal win since 2018.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Florida Panthers welcomed forward Sam Bennett back to the lineup on Friday (Twitter link). It was his first game since suffering an upper-body injury in Game 2 of Round 1. Bennett recorded a primary assist on Florida’s second goal of the matchup, stepping right back into his role alternating with Anton Lundell. Nick Cousins stepped out of the lineup to make room for Bennett. Cousins has appeared in seven games this postseason, recording one assist and 20 penalty minutes. Bennett offers a big boost to a Florida lineup that’s gone blow-for-blow with the Boston Bruins. He was a major piece of their success last spring, posting 15 points in 20 postseason games.
  • Calgary Flames winger Andrei Kuzmenko has changed agencies, now represented by Newport Sports. The swap was first reported by former Sportsnet reporter Irfaan Gaffar, and seconded by Ryan Pike of Flames Nation (Twitter link). Kuzmenko will now be represented by the same management company as Robert Thomas, Vasily Podkolzin, and Tomas Hertl. He leaves Gold Star Agency, where he was notoriously represented by Daniel Milstein, who served a role in Kuzmenko’s swap from the Vancouver Canucks to the Flames. Kuzmenko found a strong scoring groove in Calgary, netting 25 points in 24 games, and should be poised for a top role next season.

Poll: Who Will Be The Devils Next Head Coach?

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The New Jersey Devils are once again searching for a new head coach, poised to hire their fifth bench manager in as many years after turning over both Lindy Ruff and Travis Green this season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman described New Jersey’s vacancy as the role with the highest ceiling amidst a long list of teams searching for new hires – and it’s clear to see why. The Devils have one of the most exciting lineups in the league, with the one-two punch of Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier flanked by elite wingers and top defense prospects.

The next head coach will assume a young and talented lineup that should only get better this off-season, with the Devils boasting the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft following Monday’s draft lottery. The team is reportedly open to trading the pick in exchange for impactful lineup pieces, which could only strengthen their ability to make a strong run next season. That certainly seems to be the priority of general manager Tom Fitzgerald, who’s now faced with his toughest decision yet in who to name head coach.

Luckily, the coaching carousel is in full gear, and there is no shortage of strong options available to the Devils. They seem to be assessing every fit they can, even being linked to Sheldon Keefe, the NHL’s most recent free-agent coach after being fired by Toronto on Thursday. Keefe offers the coveted experience of coaching superstar talent before, coming off five years overseeing Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. Finding a way to balance so much skill isn’t always easy, but Keefe made the most of it, with all three stars rivaling 100 points at some point over the last few seasons. Keefe would be greeted by a much stronger defense in New Jersey, giving him a well-rounded roster much more akin to his time with the Toronto Marlies rather than the Maple Leafs. But the Devils have Stanley Cup aspirations, and Keefe’s postseason track record is certainly flawed. That could be the deciding factor in a coaching market with Cup-winning talents available.

Craig Berube, who led the 2019 Cup-winning St. Louis Blues, is reportedly the most popular coach on the market, being linked to nearly every coaching job available, including New Jersey, Toronto, and Ottawa. The popularity could leave the choice up to Berube on where he wants to go next – and the coveted Devils seat could look enticing for a man who had to endure 1,054 career games as a player, and 182 as an NHL head coach, before finally lifting the Stanley Cup. Berube’s chemistry with St. Louis’ younger talent certainly came into question during his time in Missouri, especially near the end of his tenure, but his commandeering style could be exactly what the Devils need after a year of disarray.

Long-term Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan could also offer Cup-winning precedent, should he hit the open market. Sullivan still remains under contract with the Pittsburgh, but could soon be searching for a new home amidst a list of coaching changes in the Penguins organization. Sullivan kicked off his first years in Pittsburgh, and some of his first years as a head coach, with a bang when he won back-to-back Cups in 2016 and 2017. He led Pittsburgh to playoff berths in the subsequent five seasons, though postseason absences in the last two years has his job on the fritz. Sullivan has only served two seasons as a head coach outside of Pittsburgh, making his next steps a bit unprecedented. And while it’s hard to leave a lineup of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang behind, the trio of Hughes, Hischier, and Dougie Hamilton could be a fine replacement.

There are plenty of other options earning coaching interviews around the league, including Gerard Gallant, Todd McLellan, and Jay Woodcroft. But New Jersey will need to be diligent in making their decision. The shift from Ruff to Green showed just how impactful coaching was to this Devils lineup – made most evident by Timo Meier’s 24 points in 21 games under Green after scoring at a 0.62 points-per-game pace under Ruff. He was one of many Devils to find a new groove under Green, and will be among the most important players for a new coach to prioritize. There is plenty of potential throughout the Devils lineup, but after a year of injuries and inconsistency, they’re still searching for their groove. Finding a new head coach will set the bar for just how much a young, ambitious Devils lineup can achieve next year.

(poll link for app users)

Canucks Recall 13 Black Aces Ahead of Game 2

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The Vancouver Canucks have brought up reinforcements from the minor leagues following the Abbotsford Canucks’ elimination from the AHL playoffs, recalling 13 players (Twitter link). The full list includes forwards Arshdeep Bains, Linus Karlsson, Danila Klimovich, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Vasily Podkolzin, Aatu Räty, and Max Sasson; defenders Nick Cicek, Matt Irwin, Cole McWard, Elias Pettersson, and Christian Wolanin; and goaltender Zach Sawchenko.

The list features four of the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks top five scorers, following the team’s elimination from the AHL’s Pacific Division Finals at the hands of the Ontario Reign. Abbotsford went on a strong postseason run after tying for fourth in the AHL in goals scored during the regular season. Now, their best and brightest will bolster a Vancouver lineup that’s currently up 1-0 on the Oilers. Thatcher Demko is the only Canuck currently out with injury, likely keeping any of today’s recalls from slotting into the lineup right away. But the team will have a wide array of options to choose from should they need a fill-in – ranging from highly-skilled prospects in Lekkerimäki and Räty, to hard-nosed forwards Bains and Podkolzin, to rangy defenders Irwin and Pettersson.

While Podkolzin, Bains, Karlsson, and McWard have each played in NHL games this season, the former is the only one to earn a significant role. Podkolzin played in 19 games and recorded two assists this season, averaging just under 11 minutes of ice time. He’d likely be the first bet for a fill-in should Vancouver need a forward, while Irwin – the only member of the list with Stanley Cup Playoffs experience – likely leads the defenders.

Leon Draisaitl Will Be Game-Time Decision For Game 2

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Sportsnet is reporting that Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl will be a game-time decision tonight when the Oilers take on the Vancouver Canucks in Game 2 of their second-round series. The report comes one day after Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch told the media that Draisaitl was day-to-day after he’d missed practice. The 28-year-old left halfway through Game 1 but ultimately returned for the third period in the Oilers 5-4 loss. After the game, Knoblauch told reporters that Draisaitl had been dealing with equipment issues and cramping that caused him to miss significant time.

The Cologne, Germany native is once again playing dominant hockey in the playoffs and his injury comes at a time when the Oilers haven’t been able to generate much offense at even strength. Draisaitl has five goals and seven assists in six playoff games thus far and has carried the scoring for the Oilers alongside Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman and Evan Bouchard.

Draisaitl will take the warm-up with the Oilers and a decision will be made afterward on whether he can play. Some pundits have speculated that he suffered an injury when he took a shot to the back from Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers. The hit didn’t look like much as Draisaitl was able to maintain possession of the puck, but it could have him in a spot where he didn’t have padding.

It’s not the first time he’s dealt with health issues in the playoffs, two years ago Draisaitl played through a high-ankle sprain that he suffered in the first round. He continued to play through the pain and was dominant offensively, although his defensive game fell off as he struggled to keep up with the play in the defensive zone.

Afternoon Notes: Hedman, Landeskog, Reilly

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Joe Smith of The Athletic writes that Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois plans to re-sign defenseman Victor Hedman before the end of his current contract which expires on July 1st, 2025. The Lightning reportedly started engaging in contract talks with the 33-year-old last week but can’t officially sign a new deal until July 1st, 2024.

Hedman remains one of the NHL’s elite defensemen coming off another strong season in which he posted 13 goals and 63 assists in 78 games while averaging just a tick under 25 minutes of ice time per game.

The Lightning are no longer the perennial Stanley Cup contender of a few years ago but they remain a strong team with a very good core and have been aggressive in extending their group long term having locked up six regulars to contracts beyond the 2028-29 season.

In other afternoon notes:

  • Ryan Boulding of NHL.com tweeted that Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told reporters that forward Gabriel Landeskog is increasing the time he’s on the ice, and increasing the repetition in his workouts but he isn’t close to practicing with the team. Landeskog had knee cartilage surgery exactly one year ago today, and while the projected recovery time for that type of procedure is usually one year, it doesn’t appear as though he will return anytime soon. Bednar remained non-committal when pressed by reporters, simply saying that the team doesn’t know a timeline for a return.
  • Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News writes that New York Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly is hoping to sign an extension with the team before his contract expires on July 1st. Reilly has played with six different NHL teams in his short career and it’s not surprising to see him looking for the stability of an extension. Reilly was bought out last summer by the Boston Bruins but then signed a one-year, $1MM contract with the Florida Panthers before he was acquired off waivers in November by the Islanders. He played 50 games for New York, notching five goals and 14 assists during that time and providing the Islanders with a lot of good work in their transition game. The Islanders don’t have much in the way of cap space this summer but would have room to fit Reilly in, should they want to keep him with the team.

Atlantic Notes: Peeke, Heinen, Bennett

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Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke is available to return to the lineup tonight after missing the last two and a half weeks with a finger injury (via Conor Ryan of Boston.com). The 26-year-old hasn’t played since Game 2 of the Bruins first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs and played just 38 games in the regular season. Peeke dressed in 15 games for the Bruins down the stretch tallying just two assists. He finished the regular season with a single goal and nine assists in 38 games and saw his average ice time for the season drop by almost five full minutes.

Boston acquired Peeke from the Columbus Blue Jackets at the trade deadline in exchange for defenseman Jakub Zboril and a 2027 third-round pick. Zboril was a former first-round pick of the Bruins who was selected during Boston’s disastrous 2015 draft.

No word yet on who Peeke could replace if he does dress for Game 3.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters that forward Danton Heinen remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury (via Conor Ryan). Heinen has missed four consecutive games and hasn’t scored a goal since April 13th, a span of seven games. The 28-year-old bounced back this year in Boston after a down year with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Heinen posted 17 goals and 19 assists in 74 games after signing a one-year, $775K contract on October 30th. When Heinen is ready to return, his spot in the lineup may not be guaranteed after the emergence of young forward Justin Brazeau who has made an impression the past few weeks.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett will be a game-time decision tonight for Game 3 against the Bruins. The Holland Landing, Ontario native hasn’t played since April 23rd when he took a Brandon Montour shot off his left hand in the Panthers’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bennett would be a big boost for the Panthers after he posted 20 goals and 21 assists in 69 games during the regular season. Besides the boost to their depth scoring, Bennett would also add a physical element to the Panthers lineup should he return, something that Florida would certainly welcome after the theatrics of Game 2.

Maple Leafs Notes: Trades, Shanahan, Injuries

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While the Maple Leafs’ management didn’t give any updates about their search for a head coach during Friday morning’s end-of-season media availability, there was still a handful of information divulged worth discussing.

That includes team president Brendan Shanahan confirming nothing has been ruled out regarding possible trades or other changes to the roster this summer (via Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman). After this year’s first-round loss to the Bruins, Toronto has lost eight of its nine playoff series in the Mitch Marner/Auston Matthews/William Nylander era. Matthews and Nylander have signed recent extensions and won’t be moved after career seasons, but Marner and captain John Tavares each are pending UFAs beginning July 1.

Both Marner and Tavares have full no-move clauses, though, something that makes general manager Brad Treliving’s job much harder if they do opt to free up a sizable amount of cap space by moving a core piece. Even with a lack of scoring largely dooming them against Boston this year, expect any of Treliving’s moves or adds this summer to be centered around defensive or physical play – he confirmed as such today (via TSN’s Chris Johnston). That would fall in line with the moves Treliving made before this year’s trade deadline, picking up shutdown defensemen Joel Edmundson and Ilya Lyubushkin as well as checking forward Connor Dewar.

Other updates from Leafland:

  • After the team fired head coach Sheldon Keefe yesterday, many thought Shanahan’s job could be in jeopardy as well since he’s overseen all of the Maple Leafs’ playoff losses since Matthews was drafted in 2016. That won’t be the case, though. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley confirmed the organization would retain Shanahan this summer with one year left on his contract (via the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan). Shanahan has been in the president/alternate governor role for the Leafs for over a decade now, joining the club in April 2014 after serving as the NHL’s director of player safety.
  • Treliving also spoke to the injuries that plagued many of Toronto’s core pieces throughout the first round, including Matthews and Nylander (via The Hockey News’ David Alter). Namely, he confirmed that Matthews’ absence in Games 5 and 6 – which they both won – wasn’t solely due to the illness he’d picked up earlier in the series, but rather a head injury sustained in Game 4. Treliving also confirmed that Nylander’s absence through the first three games of the series was due to migraines, while goaltender Joseph Woll sustained an SI joint sprain in his back during Game 6 that kept him out of their Game 7 loss. The lower-body injury that kept depth winger Bobby McMann out of action was an MCL sprain sustained near the end of the season, and he would have been available to return during the second round if they made it. Dewar, who doesn’t have a contract next season but is a restricted free agent, also requires shoulder surgery but will be ready for training camp.

Penguins Sign Valtteri Puustinen To Two-Year Extension

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The Penguins have signed winger Valtteri Puustinen to a two-year contract extension, general manager Kyle Dubas announced Friday. It’s a one-way deal carrying the league minimum base salary of $775K each season, indicating the team intends on him making the opening night roster next season.

Puustinen, 25 next month, encroached on NHL regular territory for the first time this season. The 2019 seventh-round pick of the Pens spent most of the season on the NHL roster, signed to a two-way deal ($775K/$385K) after spending all of 2022-23 with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

He proved himself as one of Pittsburgh’s better depth point producers among a bottom six that otherwise struggled to score. Making 52 of his 53 career NHL appearances, Puustinen notched five goals and 15 assists for 20 points. Despite averaging less than 12 minutes per game, his 0.38 points per game ranked eighth among Penguins forwards, excluding Jake Guentzel, who was dealt to the Hurricanes at the trade deadline.

The 5’9″ Finn was waiver-exempt this season, but that designation will lapse on July 1. In the unlikely event that Puustinen doesn’t crack Pittsburgh’s opening night roster in October, they’ll need to expose him to waivers to assign him to the AHL. Signing him to a one-way contract with a bit of term slightly lowers the probability that he’d be claimed, but a league minimum cap hit still makes him an attractive target for other teams looking for depth scoring.

Despite his age, Puustinen was a pending Group Six unrestricted free agent because he’d logged fewer than 80 NHL games while playing three or more professional seasons. The Penguins would not have controlled his signing rights if they had not agreed on an extension before July 1.

Notably, Puustinen also had above-average possession metrics this season, with a 52.3 CF% and 52.7 xGF% at even strength, per Hockey Reference. If he can again comfortably tackle bottom-six minutes next season, this is a tidy bit of work from Dubas to lock in some extremely cheap depth scoring for the next two years.

Puustinen will be a true unrestricted free agent when his new deal expires in 2026. The Penguins now have 32 of a maximum 50 standard player contracts signed for next season.

Penguins RFA Filip Lindberg Signs With Liiga’s SaiPa

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Penguins restricted free agent netminder Filip Lindberg has signed a one-year deal with SaiPa of the Finnish Liiga, per a team release (translated to English).

Lindberg, 25, hasn’t played in North America since his entry-level contract with the Penguins expired after the 2022-23 season. A seventh-round pick of the Wild in 2019, they failed to sign him to an ELC before his exclusive signing rights lapsed, and he ended up with Pittsburgh in free agency after three seasons of excellent hockey at UMass.

The Finnish puck-stopper struggled with injuries in college and never won the starting role outright, platooning with Stars netminder Matt Murray during his time in Amherst. But when Lindberg was in the crease, he was dominant, recording a 1.58 GAA, .937 SV%, 11 shutouts and a 29-10-6 record in 50 appearances.

Unfortunately, injuries followed him to Pennsylvania after he turned pro. After being named the AHL’s goalie of the month in October 2021, he played in just 26 games for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton over two seasons in the Penguins organization. He did have solid numbers (3.03 GAA, .901 SV%) behind a weak team but failed to replicate his collegiate play.

The Penguins retained his NHL rights by extending him a qualifying offer after the 2022-23 campaign ended, but Lindberg opted not to sign it and returned home to suit up for the Liiga’s TPS this season. He managed to stay healthy, but his level of play fell off a cliff, struggling to a 2.54 GAA, .883 SV% and 6-12-11 record in 31 appearances.

Unsurprisingly, the Espoo native decided to try his hand elsewhere and didn’t extend with TPS. He now lands with SaiPa, whose goaltenders posted similarly poor numbers last season, to bolster their crease.

Lindberg carries 10.2(c) status in the eyes of the NHL, meaning he’s ineligible to sign an offer sheet with another team while his signing rights are still the property of the Penguins. Pittsburgh must sign him to a contract before free agency opens in 2026 to avoid letting his signing rights lapse.

Sharks Interview Assistant Ryan Warsofsky For Head Coaching Vacancy

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The Sharks have interviewed assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky recently, reports Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. He’ll be considered for a promotion after the team fired bench boss David Quinn last month with one season left on his contract.

Warsofsky, 36, has never been a head coach in the NHL, but this isn’t the first time he’s received interest. After a quick rise up the ranks in the AHL, reports indicated he was generating buzz among NHL front offices in the summer of 2022, although he settled for an assistant role on Quinn’s staff in San Jose.

His two-year run as an assistant with the Sharks thus far is his first-ever role in the NHL as a player or coach. After a collegiate career and one-year professional stint in 2011-12 that included stops in the Netherlands and American low minor leagues, Warsofsky ended his playing career and returned to his alma mater, Curry College, to assist their Division III program.

After one season, Warsofsky landed a job as an assistant with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, then the second-tier affiliate of the Bruins. Serving on the staff of future Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery, Warsofsky remained in his assistant role for three seasons before taking over as head coach in 2016 after Carbery left to be the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit.

The Stingrays, now affiliated with Washington, continued a solid success with Warsofsky as their head coach and director of hockey operations. They didn’t win a division title under Warsofsky, but they did make the playoffs both times and advanced to the Kelly Cup Final in 2017. After posting an 88-44-12 record in two campaigns in South Carolina, Warsofsky joined the Hurricanes organization as an assistant coach with their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.

Warsofsky lasted just one season in Charlotte before being promoted, assuming head coaching duties for the 2019-20 season after serving on Mike Vellucci’s Calder Cup-winning staff the year prior. He remained with the Hurricanes when they changed their AHL affiliation to the Chicago Wolves for 2020-21, capping off his time in the organization with a Calder Cup championship of his own in 2021-22 with future Carolina regulars Jalen Chatfield, Jack Drury, Pyotr Kochetkov and Stefan Noesen playing integral roles.

It was at that point that Warsofsky started garnering NHL consideration. After landing with the Sharks in 2022, he received his first call to the U.S. men’s national team, serving as an assistant under Quinn at the 2023 World Championship.

If he gets the job, Warsofsky would become the youngest head coach in the NHL by a mile, beating out Carbery by six years. The Sharks haven’t been firmly linked to other candidates on the market. However, there’s been a fair amount of speculation about Lightning assistant Jeff Halpern, Kraken assistant Jay Leach, former Sharks winger and AHL Ontario head coach Marco Sturm, ex-Sharks assistant and Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft, all of whom Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested as fits on the “32 Thoughts” podcast late last month.

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