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Austin Lemieux Retires From Hockey

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Austin Lemieux won’t be following in his famous father’s footsteps, at least not exactly. The son of all-time NHL great and Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux and a forward for Arizona State University, Lemieux did not appear on the Sun Devils’ 2020-21 roster when it was released Thursday. College Hockey News’ Greg Cameron reports that this is because Lemieux is no longer with the team. He has reportedly decided to retire from hockey.

Lemieux, 24, was never drafted into the NHL but was still considered a pro prospect due to his large frame and high hockey IQ. Lemieux earned a scholarship to Arizona State and joined the program in 2017. After redshirting for his first season, Lemieux helped the team to their first NCAA Tournament berth in 2018-19 with 13 points in 31 games. He followed that up with 14 points in 35 games this season for a Sun Devils squad that very likely would have made the tournament again if it had not been canceled. Although these are not remarkable numbers for Lemieux, he was a key piece of the ASU team. In several appearances at Pittsburgh Penguins development camp, he was also considered a standout participant.

For whatever reason, Lemieux has decided – with two years of NCAA eligibility remaining – to hang up his skates and abandon his NHL dreams. However, he is not done with his aspirations of being a pro athlete like his dad. Cameron writes that Lemieux plans to pursue a career in professional golf. While he did not play collegiately at Arizona State, Lemieux was a very successful amateur golfer while growing up in Pennsylvania and it appears that he now plans to re-focus his efforts onto golf as his sport of choice.

Jim Rutherford Confirms Justin Schultz Won't Return

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Jim Rutherford’s comments last month that singled out defenseman Justin Schultz certainly made it seem like the Penguins would be walking away from the pending UFA next season.  He put any possibility of a reunion to rest recently, confirming to Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that they won’t bring the veteran back:

Schultz was quite productive in his first full season with the Penguins when he had 51 points in 78 games but he has had trouble staying healthy since then, suiting up in just 75 games over the last two seasons combined.  His production has tapered off in that time while he struggled defensively as well.  A change of scenery could certainly do the 30-year-old some good although he’ll certainly be looking at a big dip in pay from the $5.5MM cap hit he had this season.

Pittsburgh Penguins Hire Todd Reirden, Mike Vellucci

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have found a pair of names to replace the outgoing assistant coaches and both come with considerable experience. Todd Reirden and Mike Vellucci will be the new assistants for head coach Mike Sullivan, while goaltending coach Mike Buckley has also received a two-year extension. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford, who recently fired Jacques Martin, Sergei Gonchar and Mark Recchi, released the following statement on the move:

I am pleased to add Todd and Mike to our coaching staff, and believe they will compliment Mike Sullivan’s coaching style. Todd is a Stanley Cup winning coach with a decade of NHL experience as both an assistant and head coach. Mike brings championship experience at both the AHL and OHL level, and is very familiar with how we function as an organization.

Reirden will be responsible for the team’s defensive group and power play unit, while Vellucci will oversee the forwards and penalty kill.

Both men come with considerable experience with the other members of the organization. Reirden, who was recently removed as head coach of the Washington Captials, spent four seasons as an assistant with the Penguins between 2010-2014. Those years followed a stint as head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate.

Vellucci has that same connection, having served as head coach (and GM) of the baby-Penguins in 2019-20. That’s not where his experience with Rutherford ends, however. In fact, if you go back through Vellucci’s career in hockey, Rutherford is almost everywhere. Before he joined WBS, the 54-year old Vellucci was with the Carolina Hurricanes organization, where he served as assistant GM, head coach of the AHL affiliate and director of hockey operations. He was hired for that job just after Rutherford departed, but it was because of the long connection he had with him and then-Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos. Karmanos also owned the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL, which Rutherford oversaw and Vellucci served as head coach and GM. Even before that the two were intertwined, meaning Vellucci comes as no surprise on the bench for Pittsburgh this season.

Because of the promotion for Vellucci, the Penguins have begun a search for the next head coach of their AHL affiliate.

Sidney Crosby Undergoes Wrist Surgery

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The Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has undergone arthroscopic wrist surgery, the team announced today. The star forward has been given an expected recovery period of three-to-four weeks.

Though this is obviously not major surgery, it does suggest that Crosby was playing through injury in the team’s qualification round matchup against the Montreal Canadiens. Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports that the organization does not believe this will set Crosby back significantly, given the distant state date of the 2020-21 season.

Crosby, 33, is coming off his 15th consecutive season scoring at least a point per game. In November he underwent sports hernia surgery and missed two months of the regular season.

Senators Could Make Sense As A Landing Spot For One Of Pittsburgh's Goalies

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  • While the Senators appear to have their goalie tandem intact for next season already with Anders Nilsson and Marcus Hogberg, Postmedia’s Don Brennan argues that Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion should be inquiring about the availability of Pittsburgh’s goaltenders. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford mentioned earlier this week that he has had interest in both Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry and suggested one will likely have to be moved.  While Ottawa has amassed a lot of prospect depth between the pipes (including former Pittsburgh prospect Filip Gustavsson), they don’t have anyone that necessarily projects to be a starter and either of Murray or Jarry would represent an upgrade.

Pittsburgh Penguins Extend Chad Ruhwedel

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed Chad Ruhwedel to a one-year extension, keeping him under contract through the 2021-22 season. Ruhwedel’s current deal carries a cap hit of just $700K for next season, but the new extension will pay him the increased minimum of $750K. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford released a statement on the signing:

Chad is a reliable, depth defenseman who is a great teammate. He keeps himself in great shape and is always game-ready, which is important for a player in his role and the success of our team.

Ruhwedel, 30, has been in-and-out of the Penguins lineup for the last four seasons, acting as the seventh defenseman in most cases. He played 41 games in 2019-20, recording six points and averaging just under 15 minutes a game. Through 170 career NHL games, the undrafted college signing has 25 points.

More important than his regular season success though, and hinted at by Rutherford in his release, is how Ruhwedel has stepped into the lineup for the Penguins at important times. He played six games in the Penguins 2017 playoff run that ultimately ended in a Stanley Cup, and 12 the year after. That reliability is exactly what you want out of a seventh defenseman and is something that Rutherford and the Penguins coaching staff has come to expect.

He will now be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2022.

Penguins Receiving Trade Interest In Their Goaltenders

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It appears as if Pittsburgh isn’t wasting any time with their offseason planning.  They acquired winger Kasperi Kapanen from Toronto earlier today and it appears as if they’re making some progress on another trade front as well.  GM Jim Rutherford told Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) that there has been interest in both Tristan Jarry and Matt Murray and that “there’s a very, very good chance that we’re going to have to move one of them”.

Rutherford clarified that discussions aren’t in the final stages by any stretch but that he has a good understanding of what type of return could be available.

Both netminders are slated to become restricted free agents this offseason and have salary arbitration eligibility.  With more than $72MM committed in payroll for next season already to only 17 players, it’s difficult to see a scenario where they can keep both goalies in the fold without making a move to free up some salary.  Considering that would essentially the opposite of what they did today, that doesn’t seem too likely to happen.

Murray is likely to be the higher-priced goaltender of the two considering he comes with a $3.75MM qualifying offer and is only a year away from UFA eligibility.  However, the 26-year-old isn’t coming off the best of seasons as he had a 20-11-5 record with a .899 SV% and a 2.87 GAA in 38 regular season starts and while Murray opened up their Qualifying Round series against Montreal as the starter, he wasn’t between the pipes at its completion.  That certainly won’t help his market value.  On the other hand, he has a good overall track record in the playoffs with a pair of Stanley Cup titles and would represent an upgrade for some teams looking for goalie help.

As for Jarry, this was his first full season in the NHL after breaking camp as the backup.  He didn’t stay in that role for too long though as he got off to a great start to his year, earning an All-Star Game nod in the process.  Overall, he posted a 20-12-1 record to go along with a .921 SV and a 2.43 GAA in 33 games during the regular season.  His qualifying offer will be much cheaper, checking in at just $735K although he stands to earn much more than that.  On the other hand, his still limited NHL track record could limit the number of suitors that would be willing to part with a sizable return.

The trade market for goaltenders could be an interesting one over the coming months as the number of starting netminders available on the unrestricted free agent market is rather limited with Jacob Markstrom, Braden Holtby, Robin Lehner, and Corey Crawford being the only ones fitting the bill.  Accordingly, trading for a younger (and potentially cheaper) option could be more palatable to teams that are looking to structure their rosters to fit a flat $81.5MM Upper Limit for next season.

From that standpoint, it would seem that Pittsburgh is in good shape to make a move with a pair of marketable goalies.  Goaltenders haven’t yielded significant returns in recent years but with a number of teams likely looking for improvements, this appears to be a good time to try to move one which should have Rutherford well-positioned to get a notable return.

More On The Kasperi Kapanen Trade

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The instant reaction from many fans and media members upon hearing the news this morning that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins had completed a trade revolving around Kasperi Kapanen was not exactly one of shock. The two teams had both made it clear that changes needed to come after qualification-round exits, though this may have been a little sooner than even most people expected. Kapanen was sent to Pittsburgh for a package that included the Penguins first-round pick this season and prospect Filip Hallander, a deal that earned Toronto GM Kyle Dubas plenty of praise online.

Now that the dust has settled a bit, it’s easy to see why this deal can be regarded as a positive for Toronto. The team is basically recouping an asset that had been lost while gaining some cap flexibility and an interesting prospect to boot. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the Maple Leafs had been working the phones hard to try and get a first-round pick for this year—something they’d given away last summer in order to get Patrick Marleau’s contract off the books. LeBrun reports that Dubas and the Maple Leafs front office had spoken with the New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes about Kapanen, trying to get a first-round pick from almost all of them.

The Maple Leafs now sit with the 15th overall pick in a draft that is expected to be deep with NHL talent, especially at the center ice position. That’s a spot where the Toronto pipeline is thin, despite having two bonafide stars in the middle on the NHL roster. Beyond Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Alexander Kerfoot, who currently slots into the third-line center role, there aren’t any obvious choices in the organization that could play top-nine minutes. The team used a mix of Frederik Gauthier, Jason Spezza and Pierre Engvall in the middle during the season but none are exceptional options at this point in their respective careers.

Pittsburgh meanwhile, is going for it once again with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin another year older. In the press release announcing the trade, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford specifically said that Kapanen could improve the team’s top-six, something that he repeated when speaking to Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

We’ll have to see how it goes in camp and what (coach Mike Sullivan) decides. (Bryan) Rust and Kapanen are top-six guys. It will be a matter of what works for everybody. Kapanen could go with Malkin. Or Rust could go with Malkin and the other guy with Sid. We’ll see how it plays out.

Rutherford explained that he “wasn’t going to wait” when he learned that Kapanen was available and thinks the speedy forward can be in Pittsburgh “for a long time.” Of note, Kapanen is under contract for two more seasons but will still be a restricted free agent at the end of 2021-22, able to be re-signed to a longer deal.

As for Hallander, the prospect that has Maple Leafs fans excited? Rutherford admitted that the Penguins liked him but didn’t project he could have the same kind of top-six impact. That’s obviously the key to the deal for Pittsburgh as they look to directly surround Crosby and Malkin with talent and push for another Stanley Cup.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Kasperi Kapanen

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are sending Kasperi Kapanen back to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the organization that drafted him. As Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported a few weeks ago, the teams eliminated from postseason contention can already complete trades without waiting on the playoffs to finish. The Maple Leafs will send Kapanen, Jesper Lindgren and Pontus Aberg to Pittsburgh, while receiving the Penguins’ 2020 first-round pick (15th overall), Evan Rodrigues, Filip Hallander and David Warsofsky.

It wasn’t so long ago that Kapanen was a budding young first-round pick in the Penguins organization. Selected 22nd overall in 2014, he was actually Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford’s first draft pick with the organization after coming over from the Carolina Hurricanes. Rutherford knew the name well, given Kapanen’s father Sami played for both Hartford and Carolina under the executive. The younger Finn was traded just a year later when the Penguins acquired Phil Kessel from the Maple Leafs, where he has blossomed into a strong middle-six winger.

Kapanen’s best attribute is his speed, which he uses routinely on the penalty kill to create shorthanded chances for himself and his teammates. Over the last two seasons, he’s totaled 33 goals and 80 points in 157 games but hasn’t quite been able to develop into the top-line player that some imagined when he was dominating the minor leagues.

For the Maple Leafs, this deal is all about balancing their roster. The team has so much salary tied up in their forward group, they needed to move some of it out in order to address the defense. In the meantime though, they’ll restock their prospect capital with a first-round pick (remember, the Maple Leafs didn’t have one this year because of the Patrick Marleau trade) and Hallander, who was one of the Penguins’ top prospects. The 20-year old center has played the last two seasons in the SHL, recording 35 points in 72 games.

While the Maple Leafs say goodbye to Kapanen’s $3.2MM cap hit, the Penguins will gladly welcome it into the mix for the next few seasons. The 24-year old is under contract through the 2021-22 campaign and will still only be a restricted free agent at the expiry of his current deal. His speed and goal-scoring ability will give the team a dimension they have had success with in the past with players like Carl Hagelin, but also gives them some more youth to build around.

As for the rest of the deal, Aberg and Warsofsky both spent the year in the minor leagues and are unlikely to have huge impacts on their new teams. The former is a restricted free agent and coming off a $700K cap hit, while the latter is signed for that amount through 2020-21. Rodrigues perhaps brings the most intrigue, but appears destined to go unqualified this fall. His current cap hit of $2M means the Maple Leafs would have to extend him the same amount in a qualifying offer to retain his rights, something that doesn’t seem justified after he recorded just 6 goals and 10 points in 45 games this season.

Snapshots: Colorado, Gaudreau, Bjorkqvist

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The Colorado Avalanche will be without both Philipp Grubauer and Erik Johnson for the next while, as head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that the pair would be out “indefinitely.” Luckily they have Pavel Francouz to step into the net and takeover, as he did so many times this season. The 30-year old undrafted goaltender put up a .923 save percentage in 34 appearances for the Avalanche this season, his first full year in the NHL.

On defense, it will be Kevin Connauton inserted into Johnson’s spot. The veteran NHL defenseman has plenty of experience in the regular season, but hasn’t seen a playoff game since 2014. You can bet the Avalanche won’t be leaning as heavily on Connauton as they did on Johnson, who had been averaging over 19 minutes this postseason.

  • When the Calgary Flames collapsed and allowed seven straight goals to the Dallas Stars in an elimination game, many fans called for the team to be blown up. Johnny Gaudreau was the target of much of the frustration, with Eric Francis of Sportsnet even calling him a “likely trade candidate” after he struggled to produce any even-strength offense in the playoffs once again. For what it’s worth, Gaudreau told reporters today including Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia that he loves playing in Calgary and wants to spend the rest of his career with the Flames. He even directly addressed the rumors that have always swirled about his desire to return to the east coast (Gaudreau is from New Jersey and attended Boston College), saying he is “really comfortable” in Calgary, a place that is “special” to him and his family.
  • Kasper Bjorkqvist has played just six games at the minor league level, but he won’t be playing another for a while. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect been loaned to KooKoo in Finland’s Liiga for the 2020-21 season. Bjorkqvist, a 2016 second-round pick, played three years at Providence College before signing his entry-level deal in 2019. He played just six games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before injuring his knee and requiring surgery, ending his 2019-20 season.

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