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Rick Tocchet Wins 2024 Jack Adams Award

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While Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet is still understandably down after Vancouver was eliminated earlier this week, he did get some good news on Thursday.  The league announced that he has won this year’s Jack Adams Award, given to “the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success,” as selected by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association.  Tocchet released the following statement on the team’s website:

This really is a team award, and I couldn’t have done any of this without the support of our staff and complete buy-in from the players. I am truly honoured and humbled by this achievement and look forward to getting back to work this summer as we continue to work on improving our hockey team. Vancouver is a passionate hockey market and our fans were a huge part of our success this season.

Tocchet had his first full season behind the Vancouver bench this season after taking over for Bruce Boudreau partway through the 2022-23 campaign.  It was certainly a successful season on the ice for the Canucks as they took home the Pacific Division total with the third-most points (109) in franchise history, following a 50-23-9 effort.  They became one of the stingier teams defensively, going from allowing 3.61 to 2.70 goals per game, good for a tie for fifth-fewest league-wide.

Vancouver also had a fairly successful showing in the playoffs.  In their first playoff appearance since 2019-20 (and second since 2014-15), the Canucks overcame an opening-game injury to Thatcher Demko to get past Nashville in six games in the opening round.  They then took Edmonton to a seventh and deciding contest, ultimately falling 3-2 back on Monday.  Nevertheless, the Canucks winning the division and going two rounds into the playoffs wasn’t necessarily an outcome that many were expecting.

That thought held true in voting as Tocchet took home 82 of 114 first-place votes while landing in the top three on 109 ballots.  That gave him a decisive victory over Nashville’s Andrew Brunette and Winnipeg’s Rick Bowness who finished second and third respectively.

Tocchet becomes the third coach in Canucks history to take home the Jack Adams Award.  The others were Pat Quinn in 1992 and Alain Vigneault back in 2007.

It will be the better part of a week before the next end-of-season award is announced.  The King Clancy Memorial Trophy is next on the list with the winner of that one being revealed on Tuesday.

Flames And Assistant Coach Marc Savard Mutually Part Ways

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After just one season behind the bench in Calgary, the Flames announced that they and assistant coach Marc Savard have mutually parted ways.  GM Craig Conroy released the following statement on the move:

We would like to thank Marc for his commitment last season and also for his professionalism during this process to arrive at today’s decision. We wish Marc success with his future endeavors in the game.

Savard joined Calgary last June, joining Ryan Huska’s staff after he was appointed as their new bench boss.  It was his first time being back behind an NHL bench since the 2019-20 season when he was with St. Louis.  In between that time, Savard spent two years as head coach with OHL Windsor which helped get him back on the NHL coaching radar.

Savard was responsible for running Calgary’s forward group and power play this season, units that didn’t exactly light it up.  The Flames scored seven fewer goals than 2022-23 while they had just a 17.7% success rate on the man advantage, good for 26th league-wide after being 18th the year before.  Of course, it bears mentioning that they moved out their two top point-getters from 2022-23 in Tyler Toffoli and Elias Lindholm which certainly wouldn’t have helped things.

Savard’s time with St. Louis is notable as there has been speculation that Toronto head coach Craig Berube would be interested in adding Savard to his staff.  That outcome is a lot easier to make happen now as a result of Savard parting ways with the Flames.

Bruins Announce Offseason Plans

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Speaking to the media this morning, the General Manager of the Boston Bruins, Don Sweeney, announced his plans and goals for the upcoming offseason. With the press conference later summarized by TheFourthPeriod, Sweeney illustrates that his main goal is to build up the team’s secondary scoring.

To quote Sweeney, the veteran General Manager stated, “There are some things that we need to address from the standpoint of free agency and/or internal growth. I have to be able to find some players that can come in and provide secondary scoring. We’re going to be aggressive to be able to complement what we currently have in some areas… I’ve got to find the players that complement our group and push us forward”.

Heading into the summer, the Bruins will have approximately $22MM to work with, but a decent chunk of that will go to goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1st. After an impressive three-year run in Boston, Swayman will likely be asking for a contract similar to that of Connor Hellebuyck, who signed a seven-year, $59.5MM contract to remain with the Winnipeg Jets organization last summer.

If the Bruins are ready to hand out that kind of money to Swayman, they will certainly have to move on from Linus Ullmark, who will have one-year, $5MM remaining on his contract for the 2024-25 NHL season. As good as the duo has performed for Boston over the last two years, it is hard to conceptualize a competitive team spending close to $14MM on goaltending even if it is only for one year.

Assuming the Bruins can move out the contract of Ullmark without taking any money back in return, and factoring in the hypothetical extension for Swayman, the team should have around $18MM in cap flexibility to peruse the trade block and free agent market. Since Sweeney is putting a premium on secondary scoring this summer, they should be able to realize that goal if that is ultimately the cap space they are working with.

As far as internal options go, the Bruins already have a quick solution in Jake DeBrusk, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in a few short weeks. Depending on the price, Boston should be able to retain DeBrusk on a short- to mid-term contract, as he will be one of the better secondary scoring options on the market regardless. Throughout his seven years in Massachusetts, DeBrusk has been able to regularly produce between 20-30 goals a year, normally finishing top five on the team each year in that particular department.

Luckily for the Bruins, the free agent market will be flooded with secondary scoring options this summer, as they will have the opportunity to sign the likes of Patrick Kane, Tyler Toffoli, Chandler Stephenson, Anthony Mantha, Anthony Duclair, as well as others. There is not one individual player in that group that should take too much of a chunk out of Boston’s available cap space; assuming the team is not going after the likes of Jake Guentzel, Sam Reinhart, or Steven Stamkos.

After the conclusion of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, this summer’s trade market should start materializing into more of a clearer picture than where it’s at right now. However, it is already expected that Martin Necas of the Carolina Hurricanes will be moved this summer, as the Hurricanes do not appear willing to meet his contractual demands. If Carolina is intent on moving him, Necas would be a nice piece to add to the Bruins’ top six.

No matter the direction they ultimately take, Boston will have an abundant pool to pick from this summer to add to their secondary scoring. Additionally, the emergence of a few prospects this past season may allow the Bruins to deal from their list of already established players, which would give them even more cap flexibility heading into the offseason.

Game 1 Notes: Panthers, Oettinger, Henrique, Lindgren

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When they take on the New York Rangers tonight in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Florida Panthers will have a fully healthy roster. Earlier today, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reported that Sam Bennett, Dmitry Kulikov, and Niko Mikkola skated at practice this morning, and the trio would be in the lineup this evening.

Bennett, who has seemingly become one of the more controversial players in this year’s postseason, has already had to sit out five games with a hand injury. In Game 2 of the team’s Round One series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Bennett took a slapshot off the hand from teammate Brandon Montour, and would not play again until Game 3 against the Boston Bruins. Likely still dealing with some nagging pain from the injury, it is not expected to keep Bennett out of the action moving forward.

Unlike Bennett, there were no formal announcements of injuries for either Kulikov or Mikkola, although the latter left Florida’s bench with about three minutes remaining in Game 6 against the Bruins. With both players confirmed to be in the lineup for Game 1 tonight, a completely healthy defensive core for the Panthers should give the Rangers quite a bit of trouble in generating offense.

Other Game 1 notes:

  • On the other side of the bracket, the Dallas Stars may be dealing with some trouble in the net ahead of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Edmonton Oilers, as goaltender Jake Oettinger left practice early today with an illness (Article Link). The team is expecting Oettinger to be healthy and ready for the opening matchup tomorrow night, but it could certainly complicate matters in the crease. In this year’s playoff against the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche, Oettinger has started in all 13 games for the Stars, producing a solid .918 save percentage and 2.08 goals against average.
  • Staying in the Western Conference Finals, the Oilers are not expecting back forward Adam Henrique until at least Game 3 (X Link). Dealing with an undisclosed injury, Henrique only managed to play in Game 2 of Edmonton’s Round Two series against the Vancouver Canucks, and has not returned to the ice since. Now that the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs have shrunk to only four teams, the Oilers will need all the help they can get up front to take down the Stars.
  • Moving back to New York, Dan Rosen of the NHL is reporting that defenseman Ryan Lindgren will enter into the lineup for Game 1. Although he has not missed a game this postseason, Lindgren did not skate with the team during Sunday’s optional skate and missed the team’s practices on Monday and Tuesday due to maintenance. Nevertheless, it appears that Lindgren will be good to go for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals this evening.

Sharks Sign Luca Cagnoni To Entry-Level Deal

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The Sharks have signed Luca Cagnoni, one of the organization’s top defense prospects, to an entry-level contract. It’s a three-year deal for the 19-year-old, per the team. The contract carries an $895K cap hit with the following breakdown, PuckPedia reports:

2024-25: $775K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K games played bonus
2025-26: $800K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $55K games played bonus
2026-27: $825K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $30K games played bonus

Since Cagnoni will turn 20 before January 1, 2025, he is not eligible for an entry-level slide. His contract will begin next season regardless of how many NHL games he plays.

Viewed as a potential late first-round selection in the 2023 draft, Cagnoni fell all the way to the fourth round, where the Sharks snapped him up with the 123rd overall pick, acquired from the Kraken for depth defenseman Jaycob Megna. Seattle had previously acquired the pick from the Avalanche in exchange for Kurtis MacDermid.

Now, it looks like a difficult trade to stomach for both teams that passed up the pick. Cagnoni had an electric post-draft season for the Western Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks, leading the league in assists (72) and points (90) by a defenseman in 65 games. But despite posting the best offensive season by a WHL blue liner in 30 years, he wasn’t named one of the four finalists for their Defenseman of the Year award, passed over in favor of Avalanche prospect Graham Sward as the U.S. Division nominee.

Size remains Cagnoni’s main limitation. NHL teams were universally cautious about his 5’9″ frame, and he doesn’t have the elite defensive awareness to compensate for his lack of ability to box out larger opponents.

Still, he’s an incredible offensive threat who also put up nearly a point per game with Portland in his draft year. 2020 first-round pick Shakir Mukhamadullin, acquired from the Devils in last year’s Timo Meier trade, takes the cake as the organization’s top overall defense prospect after a strong season in the AHL, but Cagnoni has the highest ceiling in terms of point production of any defender in the San Jose system.

His December birthday also means he’s eligible for assignment to AHL San Jose next season, a likely scenario given he has nothing left to prove in juniors. He had 13 points in 13 playoff games as the Winterhawks advanced to the WHL championship but lost to the Moose Jaw Warriors in a sweep.

Cagnoni’s deal will expire after the 2026-27 season, at which point he’ll be a restricted free agent.

Lightning Sign Dyllan Gill To Entry-Level Contract

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The Lightning have signed right-shot defense prospect Dyllan Gill to his three-year, entry-level deal, per CapFriendly. It carries an $870K cap hit, including $775K in base salary, a $95K signing bonus, an $80K games played performance bonus, and a minors salary of $82.5K annually.

Tampa would have lost Gill’s exclusive signing rights if they hadn’t inked him to a deal by next month. This would have allowed him to re-enter the draft and be eligible for selection in 2024.

Gill, 19, has spent his major junior career in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. While he served as captain this season, his campaign was cut short after just 12 games due to an upper-body injury.

The defender had a strong post-draft season with Rouyn-Noranda in 2022-23, though, posting eight goals and 49 assists for 57 points in 68 games with a +12 rating. He’s intelligent with the puck in his own end and has good size at 6’2″.

The New Brunswick native turns 20 next month and is eligible for assignment to AHL Syracuse next season. However, after missing most of last year due to injury, the Lightning could loan him back to Rouyn-Noranda for an overage season if the club has an open spot. Canadian Hockey League clubs are allowed to carry three 20-year-olds on their roster at any given time.

Gill will become a restricted free agent when his deal expires after the 2026-27 season. His younger brother, Spencer Gill, is also a right-shot defenseman and is expected to be a second or third-round pick in this year’s draft.

Kings Sign Aatu Jamsen To Entry-Level Deal

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The Kings signed forward prospect Aatu Jämsen to a two-year, entry-level contract last night, per CapFriendly. The deal carries an $852.5K cap hit and will pay him $775K in base salary, a $77.5K signing bonus and a minor-league salary of $80K each season.

Notably, Jämsen’s contract does not have a European assignment clause. He was entering the final season of his contract with Liiga’s Pelicans, but it now appears he’ll come over and make his North American professional debut for AHL Ontario next season.

Jämsen, 22 in July, has been on a solid development path since being drafted by the Kings in the seventh round in 2020. The 6’2″ winger has been a solid middle-six depth scorer for Pelicans over the past two seasons, putting up 14 goals each year. He was limited by injuries this year, appearing in 36 out of 60 games, but still managed 14 goals and 25 points with a +7 rating.

That kind of production in a professional league at a young age is a promising sign as he makes the move to Southern California. Expecting him to receive an NHL call-up next season would be premature, but he should slot into a significant role on the farm with the Reign.

Jämsen will be waivers exempt for the life of the entry-level deal unless he plays more than 70 NHL games. He’ll become a restricted free agent upon expiry in 2026.

Capitals Re-Assign Vincent Iorio

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After sustaining an injury in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Capitals rookie defenseman Vincent Iorio is ready to return. That’s good news for their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, who are still alive in the Calder Cup Playoffs and will add his services for the remainder of the season, per a team announcement.

Washington picked up Iorio from the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, going 55th overall. He’s seen limited major-league action in each of the past two seasons, recording an assist and a +1 rating in nine games while playing an extremely minimal role, averaging 11:20 per game.

The 21-year-old was forced into playoff action for the Caps after Nick Jensen and Rasmus Sandin went down with injuries near the end of the regular season, but logged just two shifts in Game 1 of the first round against the Rangers. He sustained an upper-body injury that knocked him out of the remainder of the four-game sweep.

Iorio, a 6’3″ right-shot defender, has been a good two-way force for the most dominant team in the AHL over the past two years. Since turning pro, the British Columbia native has six goals, 36 points and a +43 rating in 123 games for the Bears. He had a goal and four assists in 15 games for Hershey in last year’s run to the Calder Cup.

A strong passer and breakout puck-mover, Iorio will be in contention to land a spot on the Caps’ blue line next season. He has two seasons remaining on his entry-level contract with a $814K cap hit.

Kings Sign Jim Hiller To Multi-Year Extension, Remove Interim Tag

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1:07 p.m.: Hiller has officially been named the team’s 30th head coach in franchise history. They did not disclose the length of the extension.

8:57 a.m.: The Kings have removed the interim tag from head coach Jim Hiller and signed him to a multi-year contract extension, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports Wednesday. He was widely expected to land the vacancy after Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said Monday that he was the “overwhelming favorite” to take over behind the bench full-time.

Hiller assumed head coaching duties coming out of the All-Star break after Todd McLellan was fired following a January skid that put their playoff positioning in jeopardy. He was able to stabilize their slide, posting a 21-12-1 record behind the bench in the final few months of the season as they finished third in the Pacific Division.

While there was a fair amount of speculation the Kings would go for an external hire after a third straight first-round loss to the Oilers, it never turned into full-on rumor status. No notable candidates were ever linked to L.A.’s vacancy, and Hiller spoke with the rest of the Kings’ hockey operations department during their end-of-season press availability.

Hiller, 55, continues to assume the head coach title for the first time in a decade. His only professional coaching experience has been in assistant roles, although he was the bench boss of the Western Hockey League’s Chilliwack Bruins and Tri-City Americans from 2006 to 2014. He joined the Kings as an assistant on McLellan’s staff ahead of the 2022-23 season after being let go by the Islanders.

Today isn’t the end of the Kings’ coaching decisions this offseason, however. They still need to add an assistant to replace Trent Yawney, who they mutually parted ways with last week.

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