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Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Guhle, Johansson, Fleury

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An early playoff exit would likely result in wide-sweeping coaching and front-office changes for the Maple Leafs, James Mirtle of The Athletic said on “The Leaf Report” Thursday. “If there’s another really disappointing first-round exit, they’re gonna want blood. And I don’t know if just firing the coach is enough. I think they’re gonna want more than that,” said Mirtle.

The appetite for playoff success in Toronto is at an all-time high. The team has played some of its best hockey down the stretch and won a playoff series in 2023 for the first time in 19 years. That first-round win over the Lightning was their first after a remarkable six straight first-round/qualifying-round losses, although they were quickly dispatched by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Panthers in five games in the second round.

A first-round exit in a likely rematch against the Panthers would likely result in the dismissal of head coach Sheldon Keefe, one of the longest-tenured bench bosses in the league now entering his fifth playoff run with the club. In terms of other executives that could get the axe, team president Brendan Shanahan has only one season left on his contract, according to Mirtle, and could be a candidate to be out of a job with new leadership in the Maple Leafs’ ownership group, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. After GM Brad Treliving was brought in only one summer ago, it seems unlikely he’d be relieved of his duties with such a small track record in the role for Toronto.

Other tidbits from the Atlantic Division:

  • Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle remains out tonight against the Islanders, Patrick Friolet of RDS said. The young defenseman skated this morning as he rehabs an upper-body injury but is sitting out of his fourth straight contest. Guhle, 22, sustained the injury minutes into a clash with the Lightning one week ago and hasn’t played since. He’s now missed five of Montreal’s last seven games, also missing a March 30 contest against the Hurricanes while serving a one-game suspension for slashing Flyers winger Travis Konecny from the Habs bench. The sophomore blue-liner remains in a top-four role, averaging nearly 21 minutes per game. He’s amassed 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 70 games, a lower points per game pace than last year, but has logged improved possession metrics with a 44.4 CF% and 45.9 xGF% at even strength.
  • Lightning goalie Jonas Johansson and defenseman Haydn Fleury still aren’t skating with the team and continue to be sidelined tonight against the Senators, per Chris Krenn of the team’s official site. Johansson hasn’t dressed in six straight due to a lower-body injury sustained outside of game action. He’s played sparingly behind starter Andrei Vasilevskiy after occupying the crease to begin the season with Vasy on the shelf, only making four starts since the beginning of February. The 28-year-old has made a career-high 24 starts and two relief appearances but has struggled despite his 12-7-5 record, logging a .890 SV% and 3.37 GAA while conceding 10.5 goals above average. Minor league call-up Matt Tomkins remains on the roster in his absence. Fleury, 27, hasn’t played since sustaining an undisclosed injury in a collision with referee Steve Kozari against the Penguins last Saturday that sent Kozari to the hospital. He’s logged 24 appearances for Tampa this season in a depth role, scoring five points with a +5 rating. With neither player on the ice for practice yet, they’re approaching doubtful territory for Game 1 of the playoffs.

Central Notes: Coyotes, Zuccarello, Gaudreau, Krug, Neighbours

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A relocation to Salt Lake City for 2024-25 seems the overwhelmingly likely end to a years-long solution to the Coyotes’ long-term future in Arizona. Reporting yesterday indicated significant progress had been made between Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo, the NHL, and prospective Salt Lake owner Smith Entertainment Group on an agreement to sell the club. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also told PHNX Sports that a move to Utah had a “90 to 95 percent chance” of going through.

What’s less certain is a timeline. Speaking on “Insider Trading” on Thursday, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun said an official announcement coming immediately after the Coyotes’ season ends next week is “a little hopeful.” Out of the multiple reports that circulated yesterday, a few suggested the sale to SEG could be announced as soon as April 18. When the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg in 2011, the most recent instance of NHL relocation, the sale wasn’t made official until late May. However, LeBrun says that’s too far down a potential timeline. If the league hasn’t confirmed a move to Salt Lake before then, it’s likely not happening this offseason, and another season in Arizona at Tempe’s Mullett Arena is likely in store.

Other news and notes from the Central:

  • Wild forwards Frédérick Gaudreau and Mats Zuccarello did not travel with the team on their West Coast road trip due to personal reasons and are both doubtful tomorrow against the Golden Knights, head coach John Hynes told Michael Russo of The Athletic. Considering there’s a possibility they may travel and join the team in Las Vegas tomorrow, it’s unlikely they’ll miss the entirety of Minnesota’s three-game road swing, their last of the season. Regardless of their availability, 2022 first-round pick Liam Öhgren will make his NHL debut, said Hynes, although it may impact where he plays in the lineup. He’s currently projected to occupy a third-line role at left wing alongside Marat Khusnutdinov and Vinni Lettieri. Gaudreau, 30, has struggled mightily in the first season of a five-year, $10.5MM extension, limited to five goals and 15 points in 65 games while posting a team-worst -21 rating. Meanwhile, Zuccarello is chugging along in his age-36 season, still sitting just south of point-per-game territory with 62 in 68 appearances.
  • The Blues could be without defenseman Torey Krug and winger Jake Neighbours tomorrow against the Hurricanes due to upper-body injuries. Krug is listed as questionable, while Neighbours has already been ruled out, interim head coach Drew Bannister told Lou Korac of NHL.com and The Hockey News. The former has missed a couple of games recently, sitting out last weekend’s contest against the Sharks due to illness and missing a late-March contest against the Senators with a lower-body injury. He’s been hot lately when in the lineup, recording three points in his last three games. He’s got 39 in 77 appearances, tying last season for his worst points-per-game rate since 2015. It’s been a more successful campaign for the 22-year-old Neighbours, who’s broken out for 27 goals and 38 points in 77 games in his sophomore campaign.

Penguins Place Ryan Graves On LTIR, Recall Vinnie Hinostroza

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The Penguins moved defenseman Ryan Graves to long-term injured reserve Thursday, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports. The move rules him out of Pittsburgh’s four remaining regular season games, including a home tilt against the Red Wings tonight that, with a regulation win, could boost their playoff chances by nearly 20%. Placing Graves on LTIR creates the necessary cap space to add winger Vinnie Hinostroza, who Rorabaugh says was recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a corresponding move.

Graves, 28, hasn’t played since sustaining a concussion against the Blue Jackets on March 28. He’s been listed as day-to-day since and will miss his seventh consecutive game tonight.

The Nova Scotian has had a disappointing start to his Penguins tenure, which began after he inked a six-year, $27MM deal with trade protection in free agency last summer. The main drag has been his point production, registering 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 70 games after pacing at nearly 30 points per season over his previous two seasons with the Devils. His overall possession metrics haven’t been ghastly (48.7 CF%, 50.6 xGF%), although they’re south of his career average and don’t stand out much from his teammates. He’s been a turnover machine as well, logging 40 giveaways compared with 19 takeaways – the second-worst differential on the team. Erik Karlsson has him beat there but has compensated with some of the best possession metrics on the team, posting a +16 expected rating and 54.6 CF%.

Graves’ absence to end the regular season means more minutes for 24-year-old Pierre-Olivier Joseph, who has slid up to a top-pairing role alongside Karlsson as the Pens chase a playoff spot. He hasn’t been ruled out for postseason play, however, and could theoretically return as soon as Game 1 of a first-round series.

Hinostroza comes up as extra depth for the time being and won’t play against the Wings, per the team. The 30-year-old made 14 appearances with Pittsburgh earlier in the season, scoring a goal and two assists while averaging 9:45 per game. It’s the first recall for the Chicago native since he was added to the roster for three days in February without getting into game action. He hasn’t suited up for an NHL game since a 3-1 win over the Islanders on New Year’s Eve.

The diminutive winger is in his first season with the Pens after inking a one-year, one-way, league-minimum deal in July. He’s spent most of the season with WBS, where he’s been one of their most adept offensive talents. He’s taken on an alternate captain role with the farm club and is among their leaders in points per game with 32 points (15 goals, 17 assists) in 39 appearances.

Blackhawks Activate Connor Murphy From Injured Reserve

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The Blackhawks announced today they’ve taken defenseman Connor Murphy off injured reserve ahead of Friday’s matchup with the Predators. He’ll return after missing 34 games with a groin injury, which he said last week was osteitis pubis, a type of chronic inflammation.

Healthcare providers term osteitis pubis a rare cause of inflammation in the groin and hip area, but Murphy isn’t the only NHLer dealing with it this season. Sharks captain Logan Couture’s season ended because of it at the All-Star break after only six appearances. While rare, sports injuries are its most common cause due to repetitive strain on groin and hip joints, muscles and tissues, per the Cleveland Clinic.

Murphy, 31, is no stranger to injuries. Before skating in 80 games last season, Murphy missed over 10% of the season in four straight seasons in Chicago from 2019 to 2022. He’s in his seventh season with the Blackhawks, who acquired him and minor league forward Laurent Dauphin from the Coyotes in 2017 in exchange for declining premier shutdown defender Niklas Hjalmarsson.

The 2011 first-round pick has since become a steady presence on the Chicago blue line, sneaking into a consistent top-four role after being buried in bottom-pairing minutes in his first season with the club. He’s failed to control possession quality at even strength through much of his time in the Windy City but has often been tasked with taking on the most difficult defensive assignments, making nearly 60% of his zone starts in the defensive zone.

Murphy hasn’t played in nearly three months, last suiting up against the Stars in a 3-1 loss on Jan. 13. In 43 games before the injury, he notched two goals, six assists, eight points, a -19 rating, and 40 PIMs while averaging 19:51 per game. His core possession metrics, a 44.4 CF% and a 44.1 xGF% are up from last season by multiple percentage points. Despite the lengthy absence, he still ranks third on the Hawks with 105 blocked shots and sixth with 106 hits.

He may not be 100% recovered, but getting into game action to close out the season should help him and the Blackhawks assess his recovery and his ability to manage the inflammation. If necessary, surgery can address the issue.

The Blackhawks made a corresponding transaction earlier this week by assigning defenseman Wyatt Kaiser to AHL Rockford. After recalling rookie Ethan Del Mastro from Rockford earlier today, they now have eight defensemen on the roster.

Murphy, an alternate captain, is signed through 2026 at a $4.4MM cap hit. His four-year extension, signed in August 2021, includes a 10-team no-trade list. He and Seth Jones are the only Chicago blueliners signed to one-way deals next season.

Pacific Notes: Coleman, Honzek, Lipinski, McDavid, Carrick

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The Calgary Flames will be without forward Blake Coleman, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, per Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg (Twitter link). Coleman suffered the injury on a hard hit from San Jose Sharks defenseman Kyle Burroughs, though he finished out the game.

Coleman has found a new layer to his game on the struggling Flames roster, posting an impressive 29 goals, 23 assists, and 52 points in 77 games. Each of those represents a career-high for the 32-year-old, who hasn’t topped even 40 points in any of his seven seasons up to this point. He and winger Yegor Sharangovich—who’s posted 30 goals of his own—have been pivotal to the Flames this season, setting the pace for the team’s limited offense.

The Flames are well outside of a playoff spot, removing some of the stress of finding a fill-in for Coleman. Kevin Rooney is expected to slot into the lineup for the short term. Calgary has five games left in its season.

One player who won’t be filling in is 2023 first-round pick Samuel Hoznek, who is in Calgary after the end of his WHL season, though he’s nursing an injury that could hold him out, per Ryan Pike of Flames Nation (Twitter link). Calgary signed Honzek last summer, loaning him to the WHL’s Vancouver Giants for the season. He returns to the Calgary organization alongside WHL teammate Jaden Lipinski, who has signed an amateur try-out contract with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. Honzek will also close out the season with the Wranglers once he’s cleared to play.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • The Edmonton Oilers haven’t received any positive news about superstar Connor McDavid, who remains day-to-day and questionable for the team’s next game, per TSN’s Ryan Rishaug (Twitter link). McDavid will be poised to miss his second game with a lower-body injury. He’s been filled in for by Dylan Holloway, who was recalled ahead of the team’s Wednesday matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights. Holloway scored his first NHL goal since February 13th in the spot start.
  • The Oilers will also be without forward Sam Carrick, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury suffered during the team’s Wednesday night matchup, per NHL Network’s Tom Gazzola (Twitter link). Carrick, who moved to Edmonton alongside Adam Henrique at the Trade Deadline, has recorded four points and 12 penalty minutes in his first 12 games with the Oilers. He’ll likely be replaced by Connor Brown.

Golden Knights Sign Noah Hanifin To Eight-Year Extension

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The Vegas Golden Knights have signed Trade Deadline acquisition Noah Hanifin to an eight-year contract extension (Twitter link). The deal reportedly carries a $7.35MM cap hit, a six-year full-no-trade clause, and full signing bonuses, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link).

Hanifin is earning front-page news once again after his trade market dominated much of this year’s Trade Deadline prep. Vegas was a surprise landing spot for the top defender, acquiring him in a three-team trade that saw them send Daniil Miromanov and a 2025 first-round and third-round pick to the Calgary Flames and a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers. Hanifin has since played 16 games with the Golden Knights, recording two goals and nine points. He’s recorded the second-most points among Vegas defensemen since joining, behind Shea Theodore’s 11 points. The scoring brings Hanifin up to 13 goals and 44 points in 77 games, flirting with his career-high 48 points posted in the 2021-22 season.

Philadelphia’s brokerage of the deal reduced Hanifin’s cap hit to just $1.2375MM – just enough for Vegas to acquire Tomáš Hertl’s $6.75MM cap hit. The Golden Knights now have just $1.464MM in off-season cap space, per CapFriendly, assuming an $87.5MM salary cap. They’ll have to negotiate with seven free agents, including Jonathan Marchessault and Alec Martinez, now the only expiring defenseman.

While they’re almost destined to face cap troubles down the line, the Vegas Golden Knights now have Hanifin, Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, and Hertl signed through the 2025-26 season. That’s not to mention the impactful supporting cast, like William Karlsson, Ivan Barbashev, and Zach Whitecloud, who are all signed through the next two seasons. Vegas wasn’t able to top 100 points this season, though they should be one of the final teams to secure a playoff spot. But they’ll have plenty of time for a more prolific season, with their core pieces – including three top defensemen – now locked up for the foreseeable future.

The deal is a shade cheaper than the rumored eight-year, $60MM deal Hanifin had discussed with the Flames earlier in the season. The AAV/cap hit on that would have come in at $7.5MM per year, meaning he’s taken $150K less annually and $1.2MM less in total over the life of the contract to extend in Vegas.

This was Hanifin’s chance to cash in on a long-term deal and his first offseason being eligible for unrestricted free agency if he chose. Fresh off his 27th birthday in January, he already has quite the career under his belt, accumulating 62 goals, 221 assists and 283 points with an even rating over 675 games with the Flames, Golden Knights and Hurricanes since his debut in 2015.

Hanifin is a definite top-pair threat but not an elite point producer or power-play contributor. That makes his cap hit, which is 8.8% of the ceiling at the time of signing, a tad steep when examining comparables. Players with similar roles and results, like the Bruins’ Hampus Lindholm and the Blue Jackets’ Damon Severson, signed eight-year extensions over the last two years with cap hits of $6.5MM and $6.25MM, respectively, which were between 7.5% and 8% of the cap ceiling at the time of signing. A slightly richer and older comparable is Maple Leafs blue-liner Morgan Rielly, who inked an eight-year, $7.5MM AAV extension in October 2021 that was 9.2% of the ceiling at the time of signing.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

East Notes: Duclair, Nosek, Rangers

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The Tampa Bay Lightning could be without winger Anthony Duclair on Thursday, with head coach Jon Cooper declaring him as “definitely doubtful” with a stomach bug, per Chris Krenn of NHL.com (Twitter link). Duclair has played in 14 games since moving to Tampa at the Trade Deadline. He’s been incredibly productive on a new roster, posting 12 points, split evenly, with Tampa after just 27 points in 56 games with the San Jose Sharks. His 0.857 points-per-game pace with Tampa is the highest of his career.

The Lightning have breathed new life into Duclair’s career, after a trade from the Florida Panthers to the Sharks last summer. The move stalled out Duclair’s production after three big seasons with the Panthers. He totaled 99 points across 137 games in Florida, adding 14 points in 34 playoff games. He’s now regaining that scoring touch across Florida, despite averaging his sparsest ice time (14:33) since the 2018-19 season.

Conor Sheary is expected to move into Duclair’s role next to Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, while Mitchell Chaffee will slot back into the lineup. Sheary has three goals and 13 points in 53 games this season, while Chaffee has four goals and six points in 27 games. Tampa has four games left in their season and has already clinched the Eastern Conference’s top Wild Card, giving them the space to rest some of their top names like Duclair.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Tomas Nosek will be out of the New Jersey Devils lineup on Thursday, per interim head coach Travis Green (Twitter link). Nosek has been in and out of the lineup all season long, totaling just 35 games on the year. He’s scored six points in those appearances, adding six penalty minutes and a -9. It’s his first year in New Jersey, joining the team on a one-year, $1MM contract this summer. While injuries have been a major concern, Nosek has provided stout play in New Jersey’s fourth-line center role when healthy. Recall Graeme Clarke is slotting into the lineup in Nosek’s place, though it’s Shane Bowers who will take over his centerman role in the bottom six.
  • The New York Rangers have shared that both Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad are okay after scary incidents in the team’s Wednesday night game, per The Athletic’s Peter Baugh (Twitter link). Kreider took a slapshot from Zibanejad and looked banged up on the bench, while Zibanejad had a blindsided collision with New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech. Both players are expected to stay in the lineup as the Rangers approach their final three games of the season.

Ducks Sign Sam Colangelo To Entry-Level Contract

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The Anaheim Ducks have signed forward prospect Sam Colangelo to a two-year, entry-level contract that begins this year (Web link). Colangelo signed an amateur try-out contract with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls on April 1st – recording both a goal and an assist in his professional debut and since totaling four points in his first four AHL games. The Ducks are quickly rewarding the strong start, signing Colangelo to a deal that now allows him to be called up.

This move continues what’s been a whirlwind season for Colangelo, who served as the leading goal-scorer at Western Michigan University before turning pro. He totaled 24 goals and 43 points in 38 games with the Broncos, a significant boost from the 24 points he scored in 35 games at Northeastern University the year prior. Colangelo’s poised playmaking has always been his calling card, but he found a new layer this season – showing an added ability to calmly make plays in a high-tempo offense. He creatively uses space along the boards and at the top of the circles to open passing lanes, and effectively drives the slot when he’s not on the puck.  Those traits helped Colangelo fit right in with San Diego’s forecheck, as he adapted quickly to the AHL’s heavy zone play.

Colangelo will now prepare for his biggest test yet, with The Athletic’s Eric Stephens reporting that he could make his NHL debut on Friday (Twitter link). Stephens added that Colangelo was skating alongside Isac Lundeström and Jakob Silfverberg at practice, giving him veteran support as he tries to hang onto a lineup spot in Anaheim’s last three games of the season.

Blackhawks Recall Ethan Del Mastro

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The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled defense prospect Ethan Del Mastro from the minor leagues (Twitter link). This is the first call-up of Del Mastro’s career, after playing through his rookie AHL season this year. He’s recorded seven goals and 37 points in 66 games with the Rockford IceHogs, leading the team’s defensemen in scoring.

The Hawks selected Del Mastro in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft, selecting him with a pick acquired when Chicago sent Madison Bowey and a 2021 fifth-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks. Del Mastro returned to the OHL for each of the last two seasons, recording 100 points across 120 games. Scoring was never his forte – with Del Mastro’s draft-year hype instead coming from his stout defense – though his 59 points in 52 OHL games last season and his strong minor league scoring this year are certainly starting to flip that narrative.

Del Mastro, 21, will join a very talented, and very young, Chicago blue-line that has also featured Alex Vlasic, Kevin Korchinski, Isaak Phillips, Louis Crevier, and Wyatt Kaiser – all U22 defensemen. The latter three names are currently on the Rockford roster, and the former two likely won’t face competition from Del Mastro. He’ll instead challenge veteran fill-ins like Jarred Tinordi or Jaycob Megna. Neither veteran has recorded a goal this season – instead boasting nine assists and two assists respectively.

Ducks’ Jakob Silfverberg Announces Plans To Retire

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Anaheim Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg has announced his plans to retire from the NHL at the end of the season (Twitter link). Friday will mark his last time suiting up at the Honda Center, as the Ducks host the Calgary Flames in their last home game of the season.

This news comes as a surprise from the 33-year-old Silfverberg. While injuries limited him as the 2020s rolled around – he’s otherwise had a generally healthy career, playing in 70-or-more games in seven different seasons, including each of the last two. His scoring has taken a major hit, though, with Silfverberg netting just 19 points in 78 games this season – less than half of his totals from just four seasons ago.

Still, Silfverberg has had a fruitful career, totaling 817 games over the last 12 seasons. All but one of those seasons came with Anaheim, who acquired the Swedish winger in the 2013 trade that sent Bobby Ryan to the Ottawa Senators. Silfverberg would go on to play in the fifth-most games in Ducks history – playing 769 with the Ducks – and score the seventh-most points with 354. He also added the fourth-most playoff points, scoring 41 in 57 postseason performances. While he hasn’t dominated the scoresheet like former teammates Ryan Getzlaf or Corey Perry, Silfverberg provided invaluable consistency for a long time in Anaheim, always carrying a controllable cap hit.

While Silfverberg’s NHL career is coming to a close, there is no indication of whether he’ll return to Sweden’s SHL or not. Silfverberg played in 166 games with Brynäs IF before moving to the NHL, after growing up through the organization’s youth program. He served as team captain in the 2011-12 season – his last year in Sweden – while wearing #100.

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