Snapshots: Futa, Seattle, Ference
As he did last year when interviewed by the Buffalo Sabres for their GM job, Mike Futa has reportedly pulled out of the running for the Carolina Hurricanes vacancy. That’s according to Elliotte Friedman and John Shannon of Sportsnet, who explain that Futa is focused on the Los Angeles Kings’ playoff run instead of getting caught up in a possible promotion.
Last year, Futa said that he was excited for his new role with the Kings as he’d just recently been promoted to assistant General Manager, and now it looks like they’re in no danger of losing him. The Kings are in third place in the Pacific Division and are still among the league leaders in fewest goals against.
- Tod Leiweke, brother of Tim Leiweke who is heading the group applying for an expansion franchise in Seattle, has left his role in the NFL and will join the group bringing hockey to the Pacific Northwest. As Shannon reports, Tod Leiweke has been involved with several NHL teams in the past including Tampa Bay and Vancouver. The brothers are joined by David Bonderman, a billionaire investor, and several other high-profile names determined to bring hockey back to Seattle. The expansion application has already been filed, and the city’s season ticket drive was a huge success.
- Andrew Ference was a respected leader during his playing career, and will now join the NHL as Director of Social Impact, Growth & Fan Development. Ference played parts of 16 years in the NHL, suiting up for 907 regular season games and raising the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011. He served as captain in Edmonton for two seasons, where he grew up and still resides.
Andrew Ference Retires From NHL
After barely playing at all the past two seasons, Andrew Ference has officially announced his retirement. Ference turned 38 in March and was without a contract after his most recent deal with the Edmonton Oilers expired at the end of the year. 
In 16 NHL seasons, Ference played a total of 907 regular season games and another 120 playoff contests. Never a pure offensive defensemen, he did put up a solid 263 combined points including a career-high of 31 in 2005-06. He was better known for his willingness to engage physically when he needed two, but mostly played a solid two-way game. His career featured a Stanley Cup victory in 2011 with the Boston Bruins, being named captain in Edmonton for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, and winning the King Clancy award in 2014 for his Leadership and Humanitarian efforts.
Ference, born in Edmonton, was a huge part of the Alberta city’s community after he returned a few years ago. Involvement in charitable programs like the November Project (a widespread fitness initiative), the Hope Mission Shelter and toy drives for the Stollery Children’s Hospital have made him a beloved figure in Edmonton even as his on-ice play diminished.
Last year, he spent the entire season on long-term injured reserve but remained focused on helping the NHL’s renewable energy initiative that he has been a big part of since the start. Though he didn’t contribute on the ice, he’ll have a lasting effect on the game and city.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Oilers Notes: Hart Trophy, Lander, Hall
The Edmonton Oilers may have lost a big game to their division rivals in Anaheim last night, but it was a big night for their captain, Connor McDavid.
McDavid scored a goal and three points to increase his lead at the top of the scoring race. He now has 85 points in 73 games, which is four points more than Sidney Crosby has, albeit in 66 games. Brad Marchand and Patrick Kane each have 80 points in 73 games.
While he’s leading the scoring race, a bigger question is where he’s at in the MVP race. While Cam Talbot has been superb for the Oilers this season, there’s no question that McDavid is the main reason for the team’s rise up the standings. The Oilers surpassed last season’s win total in mid-February, and have improved their goal differential by 63 goals. They finished in 29th last season, and are currently sitting in a divisional playoff spot this season. The biggest difference between this year and last? McDavid is healthy and arguably tied with Crosby for the title of best player in the NHL. Winning the scoring race would clear things up; in the past five years, the Hart has gone to either the Art Ross or Rocket Richard winner four times.
If McDavid does end up winning the Hart Trophy for league MVP, he will be the first Oilers player to win a major award since Andrew Ference won the King Clancy Award for off-ice leadership in 2013-14. McDavid would be the first Oiler to win an award for on-ice play since 1989-90 when Mark Messier and Bill Ranford took home the Hart, Lindsay, and Conn Smythe.
- Oilers minor-league centre Anton Lander has signed with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL for next season, according to KHL insider Aivis Kalniņš. A former second-round, Lander has struggled at the NHL level with just 35 points in 215 games. His only sustained success was back in 2014-15, when he scored 20 points in 38 games. But in the AHL, Lander is dominant. He has 22 goals and 46 points in 31 games this season for the Bakersfield Condors. The deal will be announced after the AHL season ends, and will make Lander one of the highest-paid imports in the KHL according to Kalniņš. Back in October, we reported on the top KHL salaries, and the highest-paid import on the list was Stephane Da Costa who makes approximately $1.3MM USD. That range would be a nice raise over Lander’s current contract which pays him $990K. It seems unlikely that the Oilers will tender Lander a qualifying offer in the spring.
- Taylor Hall may not be in Edmonton anymore, but he can’t escape the questions about his former team. Hall was asked today if he would watch and cheer for the Oilers in the playoffs. His answer? “No.” After six bottom-ten finishes with the Oilers, Hall once again finds himself at the bottom of the standings with the Devils while his former team is going to make the playoffs. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox quoted Hall as saying the situation has “a weird dynamic. You’re happy for your friends, that they’re doing well and they’re going to experience the playoffs, but you can’t help but be a bit jealous.”
Andrew Ference Not Expected To Play This Season
Oilers defenseman Andrew Ference, who played in just six games last season due to hip problems, doesn’t anticipate he’ll be able to play again, writes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. Ference underwent surgery back in March and while he has been able to ride a bicycle and swim since, he hasn’t yet skated or run since then. While he’s not retiring (he’s still under contract for one more year with a cap hit of $3.25MM and is expected to be placed on LTIR when the season begins), he acknowledges his playing days are over:
“What is the terminology? I have a career-ending injury. That’s the way I’m looking at it.”
Ference believes that the cause of his hip ailment dates back to his time in Boston in a playoff series six years ago:
“There was a playoff series and I snapped my adductor muscle in my groin and wound up having sports hernia surgery. There was a tear in my abdominal wall … I’m pin-pointing it because from that year on, the hip would always flare up.”
Ference has been with the Oilers for the last three seasons but is best known for his time in Boston where he spent seven seasons with the team and won a Stanley Cup back in 2010-11. For his career, the 16 year veteran has suited up in 907 games, collecting 43 goals and 182 assists along with 753 penalty minutes.
Ference was Edmonton’s captain in his first two years with the team before becoming an alternate last season. It’s widely anticipated that 2015 top pick Connor McDavid will get that title this season and the 37 year old believes he’s ready for the job despite the fact that McDavid is still a teenager:
“No doubt about it. He’s so mature and who he is is who he is. He’s not faking it. I don’t care how old a guy is, if you have those qualities, you’re ready, 100 per cent. “It’ll be a real fresh start with the culture of that room, too. That’ll help him immensely. It’s his culture.”
Ference also told Matheson that he doesn’t intend to get involved in the business/management side of the games when he formally retires following the season but would still like to be involved in Edmonton’s charitable ventures.