Latest On Rod Brind’Amour
May 2: Talks between Brind’Amour and the Hurricanes have advanced since yesterday’s report, Dreger said in a follow-up Thursday. The two sides have had additional contract talks in the last 24 hours while Carolina preps for its second-round series against the Rangers, and signs are “encouraging” that an extension will get across the finish line.
May 1: The Hurricanes have pulled an extension offer previously on the table for head coach Rod Brind’Amour, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports Wednesday.
Brind’Amour’s current deal expires after this season. There have been extension talks throughout the year, but they did not discuss the framework of a deal last summer, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and TSN reported in September. Other reporting over the past few months indicated Brind’Amour was waiting until extensions were also in place for assistants Jeff Daniels and Tim Gleason before putting pen to paper on his own deal, but it’s unclear whether that’s the reason the offer has been taken off the table.
After eliminating the Islanders last night, the Hurricanes have now won a series in all six years of the 53-year-old’s tenure behind the bench. Brind’Amour is the second head coach in NHL history to have a career-opening six-year playoff series win streak, joining three-time Jack Adams Award winner Pat Burns.
Since replacing Bill Peters behind the Carolina bench ahead of the 2018-19 season, Brind’Amour has accumulated a 278-130-44 record, good enough for a .664 points percentage. He’s already second in wins in Hurricanes/Whalers franchise history, trailing Paul Maurice’s 384 in 920 games coached.
The 2021 Jack Adams winner has been a part of the Hurricanes organization for 24 years as both a player and coach. He racked up 473 points in 694 games for the Canes after they picked him up from the Flyers in a blockbuster 2000 trade, with Keith Primeau headed the other way. His Carolina tenure included collecting back-to-back Selke Trophies in 2006 and 2007 and captaining the team to its only Stanley Cup in 2006.
Immediately upon retiring in the 2010 offseason, Brind’Amour joined the Hurricanes’ front office as their director of player development. He was named an assistant coach ahead of the 2011-12 campaign and remained there until his promotion in 2018.
If Brind’Amour and the Canes’ extension talks continue to fall apart, he would immediately become the top coaching candidate available. Six teams – the Blues, Devils, Kings, Kraken Senators and Sharks – do not have a full-time head coach in place for 2024-25. The Sabres were the seventh team on the list after firing Don Granato last month but promptly replaced him with franchise wins leader Lindy Ruff for his second go-around with the club.
Before Dreger’s report Wednesday, Carolina general manager Don Waddell told reporters that Brind’Amour “wants to be a Hurricane for life” and that “there’s going to be a solution here very quickly” (via the team’s Walt Ruff). Whether that solution involves the Canes making a more acceptable offer to Brind’Amour or extending his assistants remains to be seen.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
NHL Utah Plans To Add Top-Six Forwards, Top-Four Defenseman
NHL Utah general manager Bill Armstrong is among those getting a fresh start from Smith Entertainment Group’s purchase of the Coyotes’ hockey operations assets. He’ll have a comparatively endless cash supply this summer, with the ability to spend up to the salary cap and roughly $43.25MM in offseason space, among the most in the league.
Armed with a gigantic supply of second and third-round draft picks over the next few seasons as well, many have speculated that Armstrong will be one of the most aggressive GMs in the coming months. That seems to be the case, with The Fourth Period reporting NHL Utah will scour both the free-agent and trade market for a second-line center, a top-six winger and a top-four defenseman to add to an already promising core of ex-Coyotes talent.
The Coyotes still fell far short of a playoff spot this year, but their 36-41-5 record was their best since the COVID-shortened 2021 season. Their success was mainly influenced by their best depth scoring in years. They ranked 16th in the NHL in scoring with 256 goals after finishing with 207 and 228 in each of the last two campaigns.
Team defense was still an issue, failing to control the majority of shot attempts and scoring chances at 5-on-5. Goaltending took a step forward in the form of Connor Ingram‘s strong .907 SV% and six shutouts, but backup Karel Vejmelka‘s poor season over his 38 appearances dragged their overall puck-stopping just below league average.
Still, the players who needed to improve did. 19-year-old Logan Cooley had a strong rookie season, finishing the year with 20 goals and 44 points while averaging 15:49 per game after a middling start to the season that saw him demoted to fourth-line usage at times. Offseason trade acquisition Sean Durzi was passable as their number one defenseman, putting up 41 points in 76 games with a 52.2 CF% at even strength to lead Arizona blue-liners.
The roster wasn’t built for playoff contention yet, especially after one-year UFA pickups Mathew Dumba and Jason Zucker both flamed out and were traded for scraps at the deadline. But with another step forward from Cooley and full seasons from youngsters Josh Doan and Dylan Guenther, both of whom put up great per-game numbers in more limited action, they should be expected to stay in the conversation for a longer period of time next season.
And that’s before adding any external pieces into the equation. Adding in a second-line center leaves Nick Bjugstad and Barrett Hayton to more comfortably slot into bottom-six roles down the middle after holding their own in top-six spot duty the past few campaigns. Options on the open market are slim – Elias Lindholm likely leads the way among true centers that are pending UFAs, but he still may cost a bit too much for Utah’s blood with their entire defense core, including RFAs Durzi and J.J. Moser, needing new deals. He’d also likely have options for more dedicated first-line minutes elsewhere after averaging north of 18:30 per game in six straight seasons.
There are some other capable options, like Chandler Stephenson, who will almost definitely go to market with the Golden Knights fresh out of cap space next season. Jonathan Marchessault is an understandably higher priority to re-sign. Max Domi has done well rebuilding his value in Toronto and could reunite with the new incarnation of the Coyotes club that drafted him 12th overall in 2013.
Some spicier and more impactful names exist on the winger market, dominated by Jake Guentzel, Sam Reinhart and Steven Stamkos. It’s hard to imagine them choosing what’s essentially an expansion market over other opportunities, but if Armstrong comes calling with a truckload of cash, the thought of playing an impactful veteran role to supplement Clayton Keller among Utah’s up-and-coming offense could be appealing. Someone like Viktor Arvidsson, Matt Duchene, Vladimir Tarasenko or Teuvo Teräväinen is likely a more attainable target.
And they could end up being a better value proposition than the big names, something that could be important considering a top-four defenseman is their biggest hole to fill. Moser and Durzi are fine as a top pair but not ideal for a contending team – especially with very few proven commodities behind them outside Juuso Välimäki. Adding a right-shot defenseman will likely be the play to slot in with Välimäki behind Durzi. There are multiple true impact options available there, including Brandon Montour, Brett Pesce, Matt Roy and Chris Tanev.
It’s a tad early to know which names will pop up on the trade market, which Armstrong could likely use to plug their declared second-line center vacancy, given the lack of attractive options on the free agent market.
Stars Reassign Mavrik Bourque
The Stars returned top center prospect Mavrik Bourque to AHL Texas on Thursday, the team announced.
Bourque was recalled last Friday for injury insurance after center Radek Faksa and left winger Mason Marchment sustained undisclosed injuries in Dallas’ Game 2 loss to the Golden Knights. However, he’s been a scratch in the Stars’ three straight wins to take the series lead, with the more experienced Ty Dellandrea and veteran Craig Smith slotting into the lineup instead.
This year’s AHL MVP will still get playoff action, though. Texas’ Central Division Semifinal series against Milwaukee begins tonight, and today’s transaction permits Bourque to suit up for Game 1 of that series. The 22-year-old had two goals and two assists in Texas’ two-game sweep of Manitoba in the First Round last week.
Dallas selected Bourque with the 30th overall pick in 2020, and he’s since emerged as a top-two prospect in their system along with small but versatile forward Logan Stankoven. Stankoven is slightly ahead of Bourque in his development, graduating to full-time NHLer status late in the season, but the latter’s impeccable sophomore professional season shouldn’t be ignored.
His 77 points (26 goals, 51 assists) in 71 games with Texas led the league in scoring, just ahead of established veterans Adam Gaudette and Rocco Grimaldi. He earned his NHL debut on April 6 against the Blackhawks, recording a hit and two shots on goal in 10:56 of ice time.
While today’s move could solely be to ensure Bourque won’t miss any playoff action with Texas, it also suggests at least one of Faksa and Marchment will be able to return for tomorrow’s Game 6. They’ve been game-time decisions in all of Games 3, 4 and 5 but haven’t played.
Bourque will make a strong push to crack Dallas’ opening night roster next season with one year left on his entry-level contract. For now, he carries a cap hit of $894,167 and will be eligible to sign an extension beginning July 1 to avoid reaching restricted free agency next summer.
Bruins/Maple Leafs Notes: Matthews, McMann, Toronto Black Aces, Heinen
Unlike Game 5, we won’t have to wait until warmups of tonight’s Game 6 to know whether star Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews will be available. He’s already been ruled out of the lineup as Toronto aims to push the series back to Boston for a Game 7, head coach Sheldon Keefe said this morning (via The Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby).
Matthews hasn’t played since the second period of Toronto’s Game 4 loss, missing Game 5 with what multiple reports indicate is a combination of an illness and an undisclosed injury. The Leafs responded well to keep their season alive without him on Tuesday, outshooting Boston 33-28 en route to an overtime win off the stick of rookie Matthew Knies.
After scoring a franchise-record 69 goals in the regular season, Matthews was held without a point in three of his four appearances in the series thus far. He did have a dominant performance in Game 2, though, factoring in on every goal Toronto scored in a 3-2 win.
His line with Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi has been the most high-event trio Toronto has iced, leading them in both expected goals for (4.68) and expected goals against (4.83) per 60 minutes, per MoneyPuck. Domi shifted to center between Bertuzzi and Mitch Marner for Game 5, controlling 65.7% of shot attempts and factoring in on defenseman Jake McCabe‘s game-opening goal. That trio projects to stay together tonight.
Other updates ahead of Game 6, tonight at 7 p.m. CT:
- Leafs depth forward Bobby McMann is “progressing” in his recovery from a lower-body injury that’s kept him from making his playoff debut, but Keefe said today he isn’t close to returning and shouldn’t be expected back tonight or for a potential Game 7. McMann, 27, had 15 goals and 24 points with a +13 rating in a career-high 56 appearances in the regular season but hasn’t been a full participant in practice since sustaining the injury on April 10 against the Red Wings.
- Toronto’s AHL club was eliminated by the Belleville Senators in a best-of-three First Round series in the Calder Cup Playoffs earlier this week. With Marlies players’ seasons done, the Leafs added nine players to their playoff roster, per CapFriendly. Forwards Nicholas Abruzzese, Kyle Clifford, Dylan Gambrell and Alex Steeves; defensemen Mikko Kokkonen, Maxime Lajoie, Topi Niemelä and Marshall Rifai; and goaltender Dennis Hildeby are now available to dress for Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Leafs if needed.
- Switching over to the Bruins’ side, forward Danton Heinen will not be in the lineup for Game 6 due to an undisclosed injury, The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa reports. He’s listed as day-to-day, and while he hasn’t missed any game action yet in the series, he’s missed some practices over the last few days. Now in his second stint in Boston, the 28-year-old has been riding shotgun on the first line with Pavel Zacha and David Pastrňák for most of the series but has been moved down the lineup after managing a lone assist and a -1 rating in five games. Rookie John Beecher is expected to re-enter the Boston lineup in a fourth-line role alongside Jesper Boqvist and Pat Maroon after being scratched in Game 5.
Predators Recall Kevin Gravel
The Predators recalled defenseman Kevin Gravel from AHL Milwaukee on Thursday morning, per a team announcement.
Gravel, 32, is expected to serve as Nashville’s lone healthy scratch on defense for tomorrow’s Game 6 against the Canucks. Out of their eight previously rostered defensemen, Spencer Stastney has already been ruled out week-to-week with an upper-body injury sustained in Game 3, while veteran Luke Schenn was a late scratch ahead of Game 5 due to illness. His recall indicates Schenn will likely remain unavailable tomorrow.
Dante Fabbro and Tyson Barrie have entered the lineup in Stastney’s and Schenn’s absences, both serving in top-four roles alongside Roman Josi and Ryan McDonagh, respectively. The Preds trailed Vancouver 3-1 in the series entering Game 5, but a 2-1 road win – including a secondary assist from Barrie on Josi’s power-play goal to tie the game in the third period – kept Nashville alive.
Gravel has 132 regular-season games of NHL experience under his belt, but none came this season. For the third time in the past four seasons, he spent the entire season in the minors.
As he enters the latter half of his career, the Michigan native has lost some of the offense he used to provide for minor-league clubs, but he’s remained an effective leader and shutdown presence for Milwaukee. He served as the team’s captain this season, logging a goal and nine assists with a +2 rating in 63 appearances.
A fifth-round pick of the Kings back in 2010, Gravel will miss the beginning of Milwaukee’s Central Division Semifinal series against Texas in the Calder Cup Playoffs, which begins tonight. The 6’4″, 205-lb blue liner is in the final year of a two-year, two-way contract he signed in July 2022 but signed another two-year, two-way extension in January that will keep him with the Preds organization through 2025-26.
Gravel has one game of Stanley Cup Playoff experience under his belt, coming in Game 2 of the Kings’ first-round sweep at the hands of the Golden Knights in 2018. He recorded no shots and a -1 rating in 20:05 of ice time as Los Angeles fell late in double overtime on an Erik Haula goal.
His last NHL action came last season with Nashville when he posted an assist and a -10 rating in 23 appearances. He solely occupied a depth role, averaging under 15 minutes per game with poor possession results (42.3 CF%, 41.4 xGF% at even strength).
NHL Announces 2024 Bill Masterton Trophy Finalists
The NHL has announced the three finalists for the 2023-24 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The award is given to “the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.” The nominees are goaltenders Frederik Andersen of the Carolina Hurricanes, Connor Ingram of the Arizona Coyotes, and defenseman Oliver Kylington of the Calgary Flames.
Andersen started the season well with a 4-1 record in his first five games. However, he was diagnosed with a blood clotting issue early in the year and missed four months of action that ended up totaling 49 games. He returned to the Hurricanes crease late in the season and finished the year off on an elite level, posting a 1.30 GAA and a .951 SV% as he went 9-1-0 down the stretch. He’s continued his solid play in the postseason, going 4-1 with a .912 SV% and a 2.25 GAA as Carolina dispatched the Islanders in five games in the first round.
Ingram was close to retiring in 2021 but received assistance through the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program to deal with lingering mental health issues, which he said earlier this year was undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder. Blossoming into a true starter this season with the Coyotes, he registered a .907 SV%, a 2.91 GAA and a 23-21-3 record. He also tied for the league lead with six shutouts and played in a career-high 50 games.
Kylington spent a year and a half out of the NHL and made his return at the midway point of the 2023-24 season. He was also away from the game for mental health reasons, staying on personal leave for the entire 2022-23 season and working with support staff during his time away from the Flames. The 26-year-old re-established himself as a regular upon his return, averaging 17:15 in ice time per game with three goals and five assists.
The NHL has yet to announce an official date and place for the NHL awards show.
Morning Notes: Johnson, Zavragin, Matthews
The Philadelphia Flyers have reportedly expressed an interest in bringing back veteran defenseman Erik Johnson for next season. The news comes from Kevin Kurz of The Athletic who writes that, “The Flyers have not closed the door on the veteran defenseman’s return.”
Johnson was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at the NHL trade deadline for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft. He dressed in 17 games for Philadelphia down the stretch, chipping in two goals and an assist. The native of Bloomington, Minnesota played last season on a one-year $3.25MM contract that he’d signed with the Sabres on July 1st, 2023 and it’s hard to envision him doing much better on his next contract given his lack of offense and poor possession numbers.
In other morning notes:
- Flyers goaltending prospect Yegor Zavragin has reportedly agreed to a three-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg. The 18-year-old netminder was drafted by the Flyers in the third round of the 2023 NHL entry draft (87th overall) and has yet to sign an NHL contract or play in the KHL. Zavragin has spent the past three seasons splitting time between the MHL and VHL in Russia and has posted stellar numbers in both leagues. He posted a save percentage above .940 in both leagues this year and has been above .920 in the previous two seasons.
- TSN insider Chris Johnston is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews did skate earlier this morning with Bobby McMann at Scotiabank Arena but is not taking part in the Maple Leafs’ formal team skate. Matthews did not play in Toronto’s game 5 victory over the Boston Bruins and early indications today suggest he will not be able to dress tonight when the Maple Leafs once again face elimination. Matthews has just a goal and two assists in four playoff games and has been dealing with an ailment or illness for the better part of a week now. He was pulled from a game 4 loss and did not return, however, he has skated on several occasions this week but hasn’t been able to ramp up his workouts.
East Notes: Green, Bennett, Hedman, Fehervary
While Devils interim head coach Travis Green is under consideration for the full-time position, the team has given him permission to speak to other teams about their head coaching openings, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. To that end, Garrioch notes that Green is believed to be on the radar of the Senators for their vacancy. Green led New Jersey to a record of 8-12-1 after taking over for Lindy Ruff and has a 141-159-35 career record including his time with Vancouver. He joins Todd McLellan, Dean Evason, and Craig Berube as experienced head coaches who have been connected to the Sens thus far.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- Panthers center Sam Bennett is set to skate tomorrow for the first time since suffering a wrist injury in the second game of the first round, relays Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. The 27-year-old was a key secondary scorer for Florida this season, picking up 20 goals and 21 assists in 69 games while anchoring the second line alongside Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. Head coach Paul Maurice stated that “it’s a very real possibility” that Bennett will be available for their second-round matchup against either Toronto or Boston.
- Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman will take part in the upcoming World Championship later this month, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link). The 33-year-old hasn’t had many opportunities to take part in the tournament in the past but has been consistent about going when he could. This will be Hedman’s fourth time playing in the event and his first since 2016-17.
- Another player heading to the Worlds is Capitals blueliner Martin Fehervary; Slovakia’s GM Miroslav Satan announced (Twitter link). The 24-year-old logged a little under 20 minutes a night this season for Washington while finishing in the top three on the team in hits and blocked shots. Fehervary also was their leading scorer in the playoffs, picking up two goals and an assist in their sweep at the hands of the Rangers. This will be Fehervary’s fourth time playing in this tournament.
Lightning Have Started Extension Talks With Steven Stamkos And Victor Hedman
There has been plenty of speculation regarding the future of Steven Stamkos in Tampa Bay after it was announced in training camp that there wouldn’t be any extension discussions during the season. However, now that their year has come to an end, GM Julien BriseBois told reporters including Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times that he has already reached out to Stamkos’ agent to discuss a new deal before his current one expires on July 1st. Additionally, he indicated that he has also spoken with the agent for defenseman Victor Hedman to begin extension discussions for him.
Stamkos has been a franchise fixture for the Lightning since they selected him first overall back in 2008. Since then, he has been one of the top scorers in the NHL, notching 555 goals and 582 assists in 1,082 regular season games along with 50 goals and 51 helpers in 128 playoff contests, helping lead the team to a pair of Stanley Cup titles.
While Stamkos’ prime years are now behind him, he is still a very productive player. The 34-year-old is coming off another season of more than a point per game, picking up 40 goals and 41 assists in 79 games this season. His 81 points are good for second among all pending unrestricted free agents, behind only Florida’s Sam Reinhart.
Accordingly, there’s a strong case to be made that Stamkos should be in line for a raise on his current $8.5MM AAV. However, with Tampa Bay already having over $75MM in commitments to 16 players for next season per CapFriendly, fitting in a raise for Stamkos would make it that they couldn’t afford to fill out the rest of their roster. As a result, BriseBois will either have to get his captain to agree to a below-market contract or he will have to move a player or two out to open up the cap room to re-sign him.
As for Hedman, he has also been a Lightning lifer thus far, having been with the franchise since picking him second overall in 2009. For most of that time, he has been their undisputed top blueliner and surpassed the 1,000 games played mark this season. He’s coming off one of the best years offensively of his career, collecting 13 goals and 63 assists in 78 games. With Mikhail Sergachev missing more than half of this season due to injuries, Hedman certainly was able to pick up the slack.
The timeline for a new deal for Hedman isn’t as tight as Stamkos’ is. The 33-year-old isn’t even eligible to sign a contract until the final year of his current contract begins on July 1st. With that in mind, any discussions in the next couple of months will likely be of the preliminary variety.
Hedman currently carries a $7.875MM cap charge, one that is certainly well below market value for a proven top-pairing defender like he is. Like Stamkos, there’s a very strong case to be made that he’s worthy of a raise on his next agreement which is easier said than done given their salary structure. Having said that, BriseBois has been aggressive when it comes to trying to sign his core players to early extensions so it wouldn’t be surprising if one gets done in July when he becomes eligible to sign.
Hurricanes Notes: Pesce, DeAngelo, Brind’Amour, AHL Affiliate
The Hurricanes could get a key reinforcement on their back end at some point in their upcoming series against the Rangers. Speaking with reporters today including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, GM Don Waddell indicated that blueliner Brett Pesce is no longer in a walking boot and is progressing to the point where he may play at some point in the series. The 29-year-old, who has already been ruled out for the opening contest, was injured in the second game of their series against the Islanders. Pesce has been a key shutdown defender for the Hurricanes for several years now and considering he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer, a strong finish to his postseason when he’s able to come back could help cement him toward being near the top of that class on the back end.
More from Carolina:
- Also from Alexander, Waddell indicated that blueliner Tony DeAngelo was not seriously injured after taking a slash in the arm in the final game of the series against the Isles. X-rays were negative so he should be good to play in the opener. DeAngelo was in and out of the lineup during the season, suiting up just 31 times but with Pesce’s injury, he played in the final three games of the opening round and should stay in the lineup until Pesce is cleared to return.
- Earlier today, a report emerged that the team had pulled its extension offer to head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Despite that, Waddell said in an interview with The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription link) that he’s not worried about the state of negotiations. Instead, he stated that a new deal will get done and that his bench boss wants to be a Hurricane for life. Brind’Amour would undoubtedly be highly sought after if the two sides aren’t able to agree on an extension to his contract that expires at the end of June.
- Carolina operated without its own AHL affiliate this season after AHL Chicago opted to operate as an independent franchise. However, that might not be the case for long as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that there is some chatter that the Wolves could be aligned with the Hurricanes next season. That would certainly be a much better outcome for Carolina who had to loan prospects to several organizations while loaning a handful of others to teams overseas to ensure they had places to play. With a deep prospect pool, being able to have more of those players on one team would certainly be beneficial. Inside AHL Hockey’s Tony Androckitis adds that the affiliation agreement, if finalized, will be for three years with a pair of one-year extension options.