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Eastern Notes: Williams, Canadiens Trade Options, Pettersson

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With the Carolina Hurricanes season over a little quicker than they would have hoped for after a quick four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference champ, there are now a bunch of questions surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes, with one question about what to do with soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Justin Williams.

The veteran captain will turn 38 years old early on in the season next year, but he was a key piece for Carolina’s success, posting 23 goals and 53 points last season as well as four goals and seven points in 15 playoff games. The News & Observer’s Chip Alexander writes that after signing a two-year deal at $4.5MM turned out great for Carolina two years ago and believes that Williams would be willing to come back on a one-year deal at roughly the same price.

“I know how much he’s put into this and I know there’s only so much gas in the tank, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I’m going to make sure he takes a couple of months before he makes a decision.”

  • Eric Engels of Sportsnet writes that with the top two free agent defensemen that Montreal Canadiens’ Marc Bergevin can add this offseason in Jake Gardiner and Alexander Edler (both of whom may not be worth the money it would take to sign them), the Canadiens might have to solve their need for a top-four defensemen via trade. The scribe suggests the team might have to move some of their top young prospects to improve its blueline and might have to consider moving either Nick Suzuki, Ryan Poehling, Cayden Primeau, Jesse Ylonen or Alex Romanov for help. One idea would be to try to pry Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere away with one of those top prospects as the 26-year-old could be moved to add more long-term help. Gostisbehere might immediately upgrade a defense which still needs help on their top-four. The scribe adds that Florida’s Mike Matheson could also be a candidate if the Panthers need to move out some salary to sign top free agents, which is expected.
  • TribLive’s Jonathan Bombulie writes that with Jake Guentzel’s new contract kicking in this season as his salary goes from $925K to $6MM next season, the team must be real careful in their negotiations with their five restricted free agents. The team expects that defenseman Marcus Pettersson should walk away with the biggest raise, as the team projects that Pettersson’s salary should increase from $794K to somewhere under $2MM per season. The 23-year-old defenseman established himself in Pittsburgh’s crowded defense after the Penguins acquired him in December for forward Daniel Sprong. Pettersson had two goals and 19 points in 57 games in Pittsburgh and had a plus-13 ratio on the ice.

Eastern Notes: Canadiens, Armia, Capitals’ Defense, Kadri

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After a couple of down years, the Montreal Canadiens had a much more respectable season last year and with things looking up, general manager Marc Bergevin is going to want to add to his team. With close to $10MM to spend this year, the team could consider going after big-name free agents.

However, Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette writes that a second option would be for the Canadiens to go after Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner. While offer sheets in the NHL are quite rare, that could change this offseason with so many intriguing restricted free agents out there. The team could conceivably sign Marner to an offer sheet and if the Canadiens offer a deal between $8.54MM to $10.56MM, and successfully pry him away from Toronto, the compensation would be reasonable in two first-round picks, a second-rounder and a third-rounder.

Even if Toronto matches any offer sheet, the Canadiens will have still accomplished quite a bit as the rival franchise is currently struggling with salary cap issues and a big offer would only hamper general manager Kyle Dubas’ long-term plans.

  • Sticking with the Canadiens, while one of the main reasons that the Montreal Canadiens took Joel Armia in the Steve Mason deal was that Armia was from the same hometown in Finland as last year’s top pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Armia has been significant in helping Kotkaniemi to transition to North America. However, while Armia’s numbers have been solid when playing next to Kotkaniemi on the ice, his numbers when playing without him haven’t been that good. The Athletic’s Marc Dupont (subscription required) writes the team needs to be cautious about signing Armia, who hits restricted free agency this summer, to a long-term contract. Armia, who tallied 13 goals as a third-liner, and probably should be signed to a short-term deal to assess for now.
  • The Washington Capitals didn’t get back to the Stanley Cup Finals liked they hoped and with continuous salary cap issues to deal with, there is a good chance the Capitals’ blueline will have to be reconstructed, according to the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan. The scribe writes that the team might be ready to move on from veteran defenseman Matt Niskanen, after the team acquired Nick Jensen at the trade deadline. Jensen is four years younger than Niskanen and has the same skillset. The team is also expected to move on from Brooks Orpik, giving more opportunity to the team’s young defensive prospects it has been amassing over the last couple of years, including Jonas Siegenthaler, Lucas Johansen, Alex Alexeyev, Connor Hobbs, Colby Williams and Tyler Lewington.
  • Sam Carchidi of Philly.com writes that the Philadelphia Flyers are going to want to make some type of splash to add a big-name player either through free agency or via trade. While throwing out names like Matt Duchene and Kevin Hayes are one option, the scribe suggests that the Flyers should consider trading for Toronto Maple Leafs’ Nazem Kadri, who is coming off a career-low 16 goals. With Toronto management down on him somewhat, the Flyers could get a steal of a deal as the center has three years on his deal at a reasonable $4.5MM AAV. Kadri would make an excellent second-line center, who could slide back to the third line once Nolan Patrick is ready to move up.

2019 Memorial Cup Preview

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The biggest event in junior hockey begins tonight, as the year-end Memorial Cup Tournament opens in Halifax, Nova Scotia. For a refresher, the champions of the three Canadian Hockey League member leagues – the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Western Hockey League – and a rotating host team square off in a round-robin tournament each year to determine Canadian junior hockey’s premier team. Each of the four contenders play one another once, after which the standings allow for a semi-final and final round. The action begins tonight and continues through the week, with the playoff rounds scheduled for May 24th and 26th. As for the competitors, the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) play host to the Guelph Storm (OHL), Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL), and Prince Albert Raiders (WHL). Below is a summary of each team’s season and top players for those interested in following the action over the next ten days:

Halifax Mooseheads (49-15-4)

This year’s host team was nearly a league champion themselves. The Moosheads fell to the Huskies in six games in the QMJHL Final, but will have a second chance against the team at least once in the Memorial tournament. Halifax is led by 20-year-old undrafted center Samuel Asselin, whose 86 points led the team and were a top-ten finish in the league, but all eyes will instead be on his young, draft-eligible line mate. Raphael Lavoie, who has had an up-and-down season, picked a good time to be on the up. With the NHL Draft a month away, Lavoie caught fire in the QMJHL playoffs. The 6’4″ right wing recorded 32 points in 23 postseason games, almost half of his 73 regular season points, which was far-and-away the most on the Mooseheads and second-best in the league. Most draft rankings and mock drafts have Lavoie falling somewhere in the middle ten picks of the upcoming first round and the Memorial Cup is his final chance to prove he should go earlier instead of later. The big winger plays a physically dominant game that often looks effortless, but he can also flip a switch and show off stellar skill. Also up front for Halifax are are a pair of recent Anaheim Ducks second-round selections, Benoit-Olivier Groulx and Antoine Morand, and New York Islanders’ sixth-round sleeper pick Arnaud Durandeau. Leading the defense is the daunting pair of top Detroit Red Wings blue line prospect Jared McIsaac and promising 2020-eligible rearguard Justin Barron, a likely first-round pick next year. The Mooseheads are as strong in the top-six and on the top pair as any team in this tournament, but it is in their depth that they could fall short. However, there is always the chance that goaltender Alexis Gravel, the Chicago Blackhawks’ 2018 sixth-rounder, could steal a game if the skaters fall short. Gravel finished in the top five in both save percentage and goals against average among QMJHL starters this season.

Guelph Storm (40-18-10)

No one expected Guelph to be here. The Storm, who entered the playoffs with the eighth-best record in the OHL, were down 3-0 in their second-round series against the division rival London Knights and managed to mount a four-win comeback to advance. They then fell behind by two games against both the Saginaw Spirit in the third round and Ottawa 67’s in the OHL Final to win it all. This team is nothing if not resilient and will be a tough out in this tournament. While Arizona Coyotes’ forward prospect Nate Schnarr enjoyed an excellent season, leading Guelph with 102 points and finishing in the OHL’s top-ten in points and assists, there is little argument that he is still the best forward for the Storm. Acquired in January, Montreal Canadiens top prospect Nick Suzuki has been superhuman since arriving in Guelph. The talented forward recorded 49 points in 29 games to close out the regular season and then another 42 points in 24 playoff games en route to a championship. Suzuki might be the most dangerous player in the Memorial Cup tournament, which is a major boost for the Storm. He’s not alone though; Suzuki and Schnarr lead a forward corps that includes NHL-bound power forwards Isaac Ratcliffe of the Philadelphia Flyers, MacKenzie Entwistle of the Chicago Blackhawks, and Liam Hawel of the Dallas Stars. The defense is also stout behind mainstays Dmitri Samorukov of the Edmonton Oilers and draft-eligible Owen Lalonde and trade additions Markus Phillips and Sean Durzi the Los Angeles Kings. Guelph would be the favorites to win the Memorial Cup if it wasn’t for their goaltending issues. If Anthony Popovich can find his game and that weakness goes away, the Storm are in good shape. The OHL is traditionally the strongest of the three CHL leagues, which is evidenced by the depth of talent that Guelph, the eighth-best OHL squad in the regular season, has versus the best teams of the QMJHL and WHL.

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (59-8-1)

Rouyn-Noranda’s regular season mirrored that of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The team was dominant from beginning to end and won the QMJHL regular season title by a whopping 12 points and finished with a goal differential of +182. Fortunately for them, the similarities ended in the postseason. The Huskies continued to roll all the way to the league championship. Leading the way, regular season and postseason, has been league scoring title-winner Peter Abbandonato. Abbandonato, 21, recorded 111 points this season and tacked on another 27 in the postseason. An undrafted prospect, Abbandonato has not let the lack of NHL commitment slow him down as he has been near-impossible to stop all season. He also has a deep supporting cast, including talented first-time draft-eligible prospect Alex Beaucage, and over-agers Raphael Harvey-Pinard and Felix Bibeau, as well as Boston Bruins draft pick Jakub Lauko and Montreal Canadiens signee Joel Teasdale. Trade acquisition Noah Dobson, the twelfth overall pick last year by the New York Islanders, has also had a massive impact for the team both defensively and offensively. Dobson is arguably the best player in the tournament and could be the x-factor for the Huskies. The story of Rouyn-Noranda’s season to this point though has been the stellar goalie tandem of Samuel Harvey and San Jose Sharks pick Zachary Emond, both of whom posted a save percentage of better than .925 and a goals against average below 2.10 in the regular season. Harvey, who started 20 of 21 playoff games, put up even better numbers when it mattered most. If the 21-year-old net minder keeps up that level of play, the Huskies will be hard to beat.

Prince Albert Raiders (54-10-4)

The Raiders were just as, if not more dominant in the WHL as the Huskies were in the QMJHL, winning the regular season title by 11 points and recording a goal differential of +151, more than 50% better than the next-best team. Yet, Prince Albert accomplished such a campaign without much game-breaking talent, perhaps why they came within an overtime goal away from losing in the WHL Final to the Vancouver Giants. The Raiders have good players, but on paper they pale in comparison to the other three competing teams. That doesn’t erase what they have already accomplished this season, but it could put them at a disadvantage in inter-league play. Leading the Raiders is a player whose name hockey fans will know before the NHL Draft, if they don’t already. 20-year-old forward Brett Leason is a once-in-a-generation late bloomer who was passed over in two drafts already before breaking out this season. His play has caught seemingly everyone’s eye, as he earned a spot on Team Canada’s World Junior team earlier this year and is considered by some to be a first-round pick possibility in June. Leason’s numbers back up the hype; not only is he 6’4″ and over 200 lbs., but the power forward scored 36 goals and totaled 89 points in just 55 games this year. He then added 25 more points in 22 postseason games. Leason is a force in the offensive end – shooting, passing, possessing, and forechecking – and will be one of the tougher players to match up with in the tournament. Right beside Leason all season long has been San Jose Sharks selection Noah Gregor, who finished just one point behind Leason but still within the WHL’s top ten scorers. Cole Fonstad, property of the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators free agent addition Parker Kelly, and another intriguing draft prospect, Alexei Protas, also play key roles up front for Prince Albert. Outside of WHL plus/minus leader Brayden Pachal, the Raiders are pretty thin on the blue line, but star goalie Ian Scott hasn’t let it affect him. The Toronto Maple Leafs’ keeper of the future has been phenomenal this season, posting a sub-2.00 goals against average and .932 save percentage in the regular season and replicating those numbers in the postseason. Gravel and Harvey may be able to steal a game in the Memorial Cup, but a hot Scott could steal the whole tournament.

Snapshots: Monarchs, Myers, Wagner

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The Manchester Monarchs are no more. The ECHL team announced today that they would be ceasing operations after 18 seasons, meaning the Los Angeles Kings no longer have an affiliate in the league. According to Jon Rosen the Kings are expected to share an ECHL affiliate with another NHL team, though it is not yet clear who that will be.

The Monarchs franchise was actually founded in 1993 as the Huntington Blizzard, and have gone by several other names over the years including the Ontario Reign—the two minor league affiliates swapped in 2015, keeping a professional team that had been there since 2001 in the city. During their four-year run as the Monarchs in the ECHL, the team made the Kelly Cup playoffs every season and advanced to the third round in 2017. Several NHL players have spent time with the team, including 2018-19 rookies Jayce Hawryluk, Josh Brown and Jacob Middleton.

  • Team Canada is now without Brandon Montour for the rest of the IIHF World Championship, so were desperately trying to find a defenseman who could be added in the final roster spot. That defenseman is Philippe Myers, who today was added from the Philadelphia Flyers. Myers finally made his NHL debut this season and will now get the chance to represent his country on the world stage.
  • The Boston Bruins have received huge contributions from depth forwards like Chris Wagner in the postseason, but will have to find another source for the time being. Wagner has returned to Boston for further tests on his injured arm, one that was seen in a sling after he blocked a shot against the Carolina Hurricanes and was forced to exit game three. The Bruins will insert Noel Acciari into the lineup for game four in Carolina. If Wagner does not return in these playoffs he’ll end the postseason with an impressive 44 hits in 12 games while contributing two goals.

Offseason Keys: Philadelphia Flyers

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While the playoffs are well underway, many teams have already started their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league in what is shaping up to be a likely busy NHL offseason?  Next up in our Offseason Keys series is a look at the Philadelphia Flyers.

There has been plenty of change in Philadelphia over the past several months.  Ron Hextall was dismissed as GM with Chuck Fletcher taking over.  After a little while, he then let Dave Hakstol go as head coach, promoting Scott Gordon in an interim role.  While this was all happening, the Flyers were battling a litany of injuries between the pipes and underachieving overall.  As a result, they missed the postseason which has led to more off-ice changes.  Gordon is headed back to the AHL with Alain Vigneault taking over as head coach while two new assistants in Michel Therrien and Mike Yeo have been brought in.  Now with all of that off-ice work done, here are the on-ice keys for Fletcher and the Flyers this summer.

Add An Impact Forward

Last summer, James van Riemsdyk was brought in to bolster their attack.  While he didn’t have a bad season statistically (27-21-48 in 66 games), his addition didn’t have the desired effect as Philadelphia went from a team that was slightly above the midpoint offensively to slightly below.  The good news for the Flyers is that they have plenty of cap space to work with so they will be able to dip back into the UFA market again if they so desire.

After adding a winger last offseason, there’s a good chance that Fletcher will prioritize adding a center this time around.  While Sean Couturier has emerged as a quality top liner, there are some question marks behind him.  Claude Giroux can play down the middle but appears to be more effective on the wing at this stage of his career.  Nolan Patrick has the upside to get to that level one day but after a 31-point sophomore season, he’s probably not ready for that role yet.  Scott Laughton had a career year but he’s probably better served as a bottom six pivot.

While Matt Duchene and Joe Pavelski sit atop the list of unrestricted free agent centers, Brock Nelson and Kevin Hayes could also make some sense as second line options so there are a few options to choose from.  Landing a player from that group would go a long way towards really deepening Philadelphia’s attack for 2019-20 and beyond.

Defensive Decisions

Coming into the season, Ivan Provorov appeared to be in line for an expensive second contract.  He had just completed a dominant sophomore campaign, one where he looked like the potential number one defenseman that every team covets.  He could still ascend to that level but his 2018-19 season saw him take a bit of a step back, creating some questions as he enters restricted free agency.

What is the better route to go?  Does a bridge deal make more sense for Provorov now with the hopes that he’ll get a much better contract a couple of years from now?  Does Philly want to wait to lock him up or are they going to push for a long-term pact right away?  Considering their cap room, it seems reasonable to think that they will try to skip the bridge and do a long-term contract but it may make more sense for the 22-year-old to take a short deal and look for the bigger payday in a year or two.

They’re also going to have to make a call on Shayne Gostisbehere who had been involved in trade speculation leading up to the deadline.  His point output dipped considerably in 2018-19, going from 65 the year before to just 37.  He won’t be winning any awards for being the best defender in his own end but his offensive upside alone is enough to yield plenty of suitors while his contract ($4.5MM AAV through 2022-23) is also enticing.  Fletcher will need to determine if he’s part of the future and if not, he could bring back a sizable return on the trade market.

Backup For Hart

Heading into the season, it looked like the Flyers were going to be able to give Carter Hart some time in the minors while Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth would hold down the fort in Philadelphia.  That didn’t come close to working out as planned as by mid-December, the rookie was in the NHL and was there to stay as he took over the number one job.

Now, the Flyers have to find a backup for him and it’s not as simple as some other searches around the league will be.  Given Hart’s inexperience, they’re going to be looking for someone that has some experience working with a younger netminder while still being able to play a significant workload if the youngster struggles or is injured next season.

With that in mind, Fletcher brought in Cam Talbot before the deadline in what looked like a tryout for that role.  Instead, he only made three starts down the stretch so he may not wind up being the answer after all.  Elliott could also be an option to bring back while there are several other veterans that will be available as well.  While it’s only a backup goalie, finding the right one to work with Hart potentially for multiple seasons makes it a bit more important than a typical search for a number two.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Morning Notes: Flyers, Nutivaara, Duchene

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The Philadelphia Flyers will have an entirely new look behind the bench next season, with head coach Alain Vigneault and assistants Michel Therrien and Mike Yeo. Vigneault explained today to reporters including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer how the assignments will be divided, indicating that Therrien will handle the powerplay and forwards while Yeo will construct a penalty kill and run the defensemen.

That leaves Ian Laperriere, who was retained from the previous staff, as the “eye-in-the-sky.” Laperriere will no longer coach the Flyers’ penalty killing unit, which has not performed very well under him in the past. The last three seasons the Flyers have ranked 22nd, 29th and 26th in the league a man down, never cracking the 80% mark.

  • Markus Nutivaara is dealing with a torn left oblique, suffered when Nikita Kucherov hit him in the first round. Kucherov received a one-game suspension for hitting Nutivaara from behind into the boards while he was already down, but the defenseman would not return to playoff action. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports that it is normally a four to six week recovery time for this type of injury, which would obviously allow Nutivaara to be ready for training camp later in the summer.
  • Sticking with the Blue Jackets, Matt Duchene was once again asked about his pending free agency today and explained to team reporter Jeff Svoboda that he will explore his options but keep Columbus involved. Duchene experienced more playoff action this season than his entire combined career previously, but it still wasn’t enough to get a real sniff of the Stanley Cup. With 727 regular season games now under his belt, the 28-year old has suited up just 18 times in the playoffs.

Philadelphia Flyers Hire Michel Therrien, Mike Yeo

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The Philadelphia Flyers will have an extremely experienced coaching staff next season. The team announced today that joining new head coach Alain Vigneault behind the bench will be Michel Therrien and Mike Yeo, both former NHL head coaches themselves. Scott Gordon, who was serving as interim coach this season will return to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms as head coach, while Ian Laperriere, Kim Dillagbaugh and Adam Patterson will also remain with the NHL coaching staff. Kris Knoblauch and Rick Wilson will not be returning.

Vigneault had this to say about his new coaching staff:

I am excited to add Michel and Mike on our coaching staff to work alongside Ian Laperriere, Kim Dillabaugh and Adam Patterson. Both men have enjoyed success at all levels throughout their coaching careers, including working together at the NHL level. Each brings a considerable amount of experience and knowledge to our group, which I have no doubt will help lead our team to immediate success.

The head coach is referring to Therrien and Yeo’s time together with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, when the latter served as an assistant on the former’s bench at both the AHL and NHL levels. That familiarity will hopefully help them as they transition to the Flyers, and lead to a playoff berth as soon as possible. Philadelphia is loaded with young players and prospects, but hasn’t been able to put it all together and contend in recent years.

It is important to note Knoblauch here, as the 40-year old was a highly touted coaching prospect before he joined the Flyers two years ago. He had coached both the Kootenay Ice and Erie Otters to league championships, taking both teams to the Memorial Cup. His overall record as a head coach in the CHL was 298-130-29 and several teams had considered him for their own coaching vacancies in the past.

Flyers Expected To Hire Michel Therrien As An Assistant Coach

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It appears veteran coach Michel Therrien will be back behind an NHL bench for next season.  TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that the Flyers are expected to announce in the next few days that he will be joining them as an assistant head coach to new bench boss Alain Vigneault.

Therrien last coached in the NHL back in 2016-17 with Montreal (his second stint with the team) before being let go in February in favor of Claude Julien (who was getting his second go-round with the Canadiens).  He also spent parts of four seasons with Pittsburgh from 2005-06 through 2008-09.  Overall, his head coaching record is 406-303-105 for a respectable .563 points percentage but that didn’t help him garner much consideration for open vacancies over the last couple of years.

This will be Therrien’s first foray as an assistant coach at the NHL level.  In fact, it will be his first time as an assistant at any level since he spent two years as an assistant in the early 1990’s with Laval of the QMJHL.  Philadelphia already has three assistants on their staff in Kris Knoblauch, Ian Laperriere, and Rick Wilson so it will be interesting to see if there will be any further changes coming.  It’s worth noting that Wilson had retired a year ago when he was with Dallas before changing his mind and joining the Flyers in December.

Kirill Ustimenko Signs Entry-Level Contract

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The Philadelphia Flyers have signed goaltending prospect Kirill Ustimenko to his three-year entry-level contract according to agent Dan Milstein.

It’s been a long time since the Flyers could claim to have some of the best goaltending depth in the league, but amazingly that statement may become true in the next few years. 20-year old Carter Hart has already staked his claim to the starting role in the NHL, while 22-year old Felix Sandstrom posted another great season in the SHL. Ustimenko, another 20-year old this time from Russia, has been one of the MHL’s best goaltenders for several years.

Originally selected in the third round in 2017, Ustimenko has posted three consecutive dominant years with the MHL Dynamo St. Petersburg team in Russia. With save percentages of .938, .929 and .927, he has developed into a legitimate goaltending prospect that is ready to make the leap to North America. While he may not be ready to compete at the NHL level just yet, there’s good reason to believe he and Sandstrom could form an excellent duo in the AHL.

The question will be where they each land however, as the Flyers still have Alex Lyon under contract for another season. Perhaps he’ll move up to the NHL with Brian Elliott and Cam Talbot both on expiring deals, but the team may want to bring in a veteran option to help out Hart and take some of the pressure off the young goaltender. In that case, there may simply be too many talented goaltenders to go around for the Flyers in the minor leagues, something they haven’t been able to say for quite some time.

Central Notes: Berube, Modano, Trouba

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Just a little more than 24 hours ago, St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award along with Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper and the New York Islanders’ Barry Trotz, an honor which goes to the best NHL coach. Strangely enough though, Berube isn’t the team’s permanent coach. Berube was brought in to replace the fired Mike Yeo on Nov. 20, but was handed the interim tag, a role he still has despite leading the franchise to an impressive run that got them into the postseason and through the first round of the playoffs.

Tom Timmermann and Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wonder why the franchise hasn’t removed Berube’s interim tag and named him the team’s permanent coach. He’s definitely earned that. Regardless, Berube isn’t too worried about it:

Honestly, I’m not even focused on that. I’m focused on the playoffs. That’s the honest truth. I have nothing to say about it. It’s a great honor for sure to be in the conversation with those other coaches. I’ve said that all along, it’s an organizational thing. Doug (Armstrong)’s done a great job of putting the players together and my coaching staff – obviously a great coaching staff – they’ve done a great job with these guys and the players.

  • Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Minnesota Wild are close to bringing former local star Mike Modano to the organization in a front-office role. The Hall of Famer and franchise face played his first five seasons with the Minnesota North Stars before moving with the franchise to Dallas, where he played the next 16 seasons, but is now ready to move his family back to Minnesota where he will likely start on the business side in an ambassador-type of position. However, Russo adds that he will also likely have more of a hockey ops role down the road as well.
  • Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press suggests that the Winnipeg Jets need to act quickly and trade off defenseman Jacob Trouba before the team loses him in a year for nothing. Trouba, who has shown a reluctance to sign a long-term extension, will be a restricted free agent for the final time this off-season. If he opts to sign a one-year deal, he could be an unrestricted free agent after the 2019-20 season. McIntyre suggests the team needs to swap Trouba for a young, inexpensive defender, suggesting several teams, including the Philadelphia Flyers, as a trade partner. If they can make that trade quickly enough, it could give the Jets the opportunity to bring back Tyler Myers, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, with the money they saved from moving Trouba.

 

 

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