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Bob McKenzie

Vancouver Canucks To Hire Travis Green As Next Head Coach

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The Vancouver Canucks have hired Travis Green to become their next head coach. The deal extends through the next four seasons.  The team fired Willie Desjardins earlier this month after another disappointing season, and have looked internally for their next bench boss. Green had been coaching the Canucks’ AHL affiliate Utica Comets for the past four seasons, turning in a winning record in each of them.

Green played 970 games in the NHL for six different teams, scoring 455 points including a career-high 70 in 1995-96. A three-time 20-goal scorer, he was celebrated more for his checking ability and faceoff acumen than offensive game. His first coaching opportunity came with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, which he led to a championship after taking over as head coach midway through the 2012-13 season.

He’ll now take the reins of a team looking to get younger and start a real rebuild, despite still having some money tied up in several aging players. At the trade deadline, the Canucks started accumulating assets, dealing off Jannik Hansen and Alex Burrows for prospects. They’ll now look forward to this Saturday where they’ll find out which slot they will be drafting in come June. Regardless of where they fall at the top of the draft, they’ll be adding another blue chip prospect to go along with Olli Juolevi from last year’s draft.

Bob McKenzie of TSN was the first to report the deal on Twitter, while Dan Murphy of Sportsnet reports it will be for four years.

Latest On Ilya Kovalchuk’s NHL Return

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When it was reported on Saturday night’s Hockey Night In Canada broadcast by Elliotte Friedman that Ilya Kovalchuk could return to the NHL next season, it caused fans around the league to imagine the Russian winger on their team’s top line and hope he could bring some of the elite scoring ability he showed before bolting for the KHL in 2013. While it is still possible for him to play anywhere in the league, Bob McKenzie of TSN wanted to set the record straight on the requirements for Kovalchuk’s return. Ilya Kovalchuk

Since Kovalchuk is still on the Voluntary Retirement List (VRL) for New Jersey, he is able to sign a contract with only the Devils should he return, unless every single team in the NHL signs off on a contract with someone else. Though nothing is impossible, McKenzie (and we here at PHR) believe that getting the entire league to sign off is incredibly unlikely and isn’t the route for Kovalchuk into the league.

Instead, the 34-year old would need to sign with the Devils and then be traded to whichever team won the bidding, likely resulting in an asset for the Devils in return. The team cannot trade his rights while he is still on the VRL, meaning they would need to do a sign-and-trade should he expect to play for a different team. Of course, that would likely remove several teams from contention since the Devils would not want to watch Kovalchuk play on a rival squad.

Though he’s been away from the NHL for several years, Kovalchuk is still regarded as one of the top scoring wingers in the world and would draw significant interest if he was a normal free agent. Because of the New Jersey requirement however, it may sour some teams on the whole process, unsure of what exactly they’re getting and for how long. Though the NHL and KHL generally respect each other’s contracts, Kovalchuk has been involved in grey-area transactions before and likely doesn’t have all that many more elite-level years left anyway. It will be interesting to see who pursues him, or if it is the Devils themselves that bring him back into the fold. For a team that has trouble scoring goals, but has a lot of money tied up in their aging core, perhaps adding a player of Kovalchuk’s stature would be a last-ditch effort to create a contender in New Jersey with this group.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Morning Notes: Gallant, Dallas, Carlson, Polak

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When the Dallas Stars snatched up Ken Hitchcock this morning just days after firing Lindy Ruff, it took away one of the veteran options the Vegas Golden Knights could have considered for their head coaching job. Bob McKenzie of TSN tweets that with the Dallas vacancy filled, Gerard Gallant should be considered a front-runner for the Golden Knights job.

Gallant was fired from the Florida Panthers early in the year to the dismay of much of the hockey world, a decision that seems regrettable now that Tom Rowe has also been relieved of his duties in the sunshine state. Gallant has been considered an excellent head coach for years, though his actual record isn’t awe-inspiring. In the three years he’s made it through a full season, he’s only taken his team to the playoffs once and holds a career 152-140 record in the regular season.

  • The Dallas staff will have an entirely different look next year, as the entire coaching staff save Curt Fraser have been let go according to Andy Strickland of Fox Sports. Even Fraser could be let go, but will have a discussion with Hitchcock in the next few days. The former Atlanta Thrashers head coach, Fraser has been with the Stars for five seasons, longer even than Ruff.
  • John Carlson was back at Washington Capitals practice today and skating on the top unit with Karl Alzner according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post. He was previously listed as probable for the game, but as Khurshudyan puts it now “he’s playing, y’all”.
  • The Maple Leafs on the other hand, first-round opponents of the Capitals, had Roman Polak back at practice today after leaving their final game with a lower-body injury. Perhaps more importantly though, rookie defender Nikita Zaitsev was absent once again. Zaitsev took a hard hit from Nick Foligno and was diagnosed with an upper-body injury.

Vancouver Canucks Fire Willie Desjardins

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It’s that time of year, and another team has decided to fire their head coach after a disappointing season. The Vancouver Canucks have fired Willie Desjardins along with assistants Doug Lidster and Perry Pearn. The team finished last in the Pacific Division with a 30-43-9 record and will miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

After taking the Canucks to the playoffs in his first year in Vancouver, Desjardins has seen both the performance on the ice and his popularity in the city plummet recently. The former Calder Cup and WHL Champion has found success at every level of coaching until now, and will be considered for open jobs around the league again very shortly. Though his teams haven’t performed well the last two years, some may point to their construction more than his tactics as there have been very few success stories coming out of free agency or the trade market for the Canucks recently. Whether it is signing Loui Eriksson long-term, or drafting Jake Virtanen and then bouncing him up and down between leagues, there have been quite a few questionable moves from management in recent years.

Desjardins nonetheless hasn’t gotten the best out of this group and will pay the price for it. The Canucks will be in another prime lottery position, finishing second last in the league thanks to an eight-game losing streak to end the year. With new leadership behind the bench, and another high draft pick perhaps the franchise will buy into a real rebuild. At the deadline, they did well to acquire Nikolay Goldobin and Jonathan Dahlen for expiring contracts and will now attempt to find a new voice to lead the new direction. With just one year remaining on the contracts of the Sedin twins, the Canucks have a huge amount of salary coming off the books for 2018-19 and could be in fine shape in two year’s time.

Bob McKenzie of TSN was first to break the news that Desjardins had been relieved of his coaching duties.

Charlie McAvoy Signs Three-Year ELC, Will Play In First Round

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After the Boston Bruins lost both Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo in the last few games of the regular season, they’ve now been forced into something they hoped to avoid. Charlie McAvoy is at Bruins practice, and has signed a three-year, entry-level deal that will start this season.

McAvoy and the Bruins had been negotiating back and forth on whether to sign his deal for this season (2016-17) or start it next year (2017-18). He’s been playing on an amateur tryout with the Providence Bruins, where the team could make sure he was ready for the next step. Now, with the injuries that have befallen them in the last few days they have no choice but to get him under contract and insert him into the lineup.

The Bruins open their series on the road against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night, meaning McAvoy needed to be officially signed and activated by then. Krug was injured last week and seen with crutches, while Carlo suffered an upper-body injury after being run into the corner by Alex Ovechkin on Saturday night. Those two have likely been the Bruins best defenders this year, despite Carlo’s young age and relative inexperience. While it is not guaranteed that they won’t be able to go for Game 1, it does not look likely.

McAvoy was the Bruins first-round pick this past summer, going 14th overall before heading back to Boston University for his sophomore season. He put up another solid offensive year, while again showing that he can handle himself in the defensive end. One of the young defender’s best talents is his cool demeanor under pressure, easily collecting loose pucks and moving them out of the zone. While debuting in the playoffs would be a tough ask of anyone, McAvoy seems primed and ready for NHL action and should be able to impact the game positively.

Bob McKenzie of TSN was first to report that the team would sign him and activate him Monday, while Aaron Ward of TSN reported that he was at Bruins practice.

Vladimir Sobotka Arrives In US, Signs Three-Year Extension

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After days of rumors that Vladimir Sobotka was working on a multi-year deal with the St. Louis Blues, the team has announced that he has signed his previously awarded arbitration contract, and agreed to a three-year extension worth $10.5MM ($3.5MM AAV) that will kick in next season. Sobotka will meet the team in Carolina for their Saturday night matchup against the Hurricanes, and is eligible for the playoffs. He will burn through a prorated version of his current $2.725MM deal this year, earning around $45K in the last four days of the season.

Sobotka has remained a thorn in the side of Doug Armstrong ever since. At times teasing that he would return, media and fans have discussed a reunion between the two sides for years now without one ever happening. Now, with just three games left in the St. Louis season, Sobotka will return to the NHL and look to make an impact right away. Vladimir Sobotka

The 29-year old center scored 30 points for Omsk this season in the KHL, and continued to show why fans hoped he would return. Despite never being the biggest player on the ice, Sobotka plays a fast, bang-and-crash style that can be effective against any opponent. He’ll never be a first-line player, but can provide a strong amount of depth down the middle and has been one of the best faceoff men in the world for several years.

All of these traits helped Sobotka play on both special teams in the past, and he could help the Blues in those areas once again—though, the team ranks fairly high in both already. With the team deciding to move Ivan Barbashev up to the first line today, Andy Strickland of Fox Sports commented on how head coach Mike Yeo believes Alex Steen is more dangerous from the wing. Adding Sobotka will help keep Steen there, while keeping the third line dangerous. Perhaps he can even get more out of Nail Yakupov, who has just nine points on the season.

At the end of the day for Blues fans, Sobotka’s return is an important one for the playoffs. Whether you think of him as a redundancy on a roster that gave Patrik Berglund a five-year extension just before the trade deadline, or the NHL version of a spurned-lover who can never be forgiven, if the team wants to go far into the playoffs depth is important. At this point, Sobotka represents an upgrade over some of the players who would be forced into the spotlight if a star suffered an injury.

Next year may be a different story, with the Blues committing a lot of money to players who are likely on the wrong side of their performance curve. With Colton Parayko in line for a big raise should they want to lock him up long-term, the team will find themselves pressed pretty tightly up to the cap. Only Scottie Upshall is coming off the books as an unrestricted free agent. In terms of the expansion draft, Sobotka was always eligible, but back on US soil and with a contract extension in tow, he would look much more attractive to the Vegas Golden Knights should he be left unprotected. That poses a bit of an issue, as the Blues have at least eight forwards (and likely a few more) that deserve protection. It will be interesting to see who they decide to expose, and if the Golden Knights go after potential or performance when selecting a Blues player.

Bob McKenzie of TSN was first to report that Sobotka was on US soil and undergoing his physical.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Suzuki, Thornton, Malkin, Giordano

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Now that Jack Hughes will be heading to the US Development Program, the expected first overall pick in the upcoming OHL draft was vacated. While Hughes would have been a shoe-in for the Barrie Colts selection, Bob McKenzie of TSN now reports that it will be Ryan Suzuki going first. If that last name strikes you as familiar in regards to a hockey draft, you’re not crazy—Nick Suzuki, Ryan’s older brother, is expected to go in the first round in this summer’s NHL entry draft. The older Suzuki is playing with the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL and has a chance at a Memorial Cup bid this spring. In 70 games this season (including five playoff contests), the 17-year old centerman has 106 points.

  • Shawn Thornton will call it quits after this season, and transition into a business position with the Florida Panthers according to Craig Davis of the Sun Sentinel. Thornton will finish with 705 career games played and over 1100 penalty minutes. The rough, physical forward hit double digit goals only twice in his career, but was part of two different Stanley Cup winning teams. At 39-years old, he’s carved out an impressive career for a player drafted in the seventh round who never even recorded 30 points in his junior career. While a lot of that success has to do with his fists, he’s also a testament to work ethic and perseverance.
  • Penguins’ head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters that the team is “optimistic” Evgeni Malkin will be ready for the start of the playoffs. After getting news that Kris Letang would miss 4-6 months following neck surgery, getting Malkin back as soon as possible is extremely important if the Penguins want to do any damage in the postseason. Malkin has been skating by himself for a few days, and took shots before practice this morning.
  • Mark Giordano will not receive any supplementary discipline for the hit that injured Cam Fowler last night, according to Mike Halford of NBC. Giordano went knee-on-knee with Fowler, but did receive a punishment of sorts when Josh Manson decided he deserved some justice. Losing Fowler for any length of time would be a big hit to the Ducks as they head into the postseason.

Minor Moves: Ingram, Backman, Khaira

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When the Kamloops Blazers were eliminated from the WHL playoffs by the Kelowna Rockets on Sunday, Connor Ingram became a goalie without a net. That limbo won’t last long, as Bob McKenzie reports that Ingram has signed an amateur tryout contract with the Syracuse Crunch—Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate—for the rest of this season, and an entry-level deal with the Lightning starting next season.

Ingram played exceptionally well this season, posting a .922 save percentage in the regular season before increasing that number to .946 for their short playoff run. While he didn’t have the best tournament at the World Juniors, his inclusion on a team that has a long history of elite goaltending goes to show how highly regarded he is in the CHL. Ingram was selected in the third round by Tampa Bay last summer, and has all the makings of an NHL starter one day.

  • Sean Shapiro of NHL.com tells us that the Dallas Stars organization expects Mattias Backman to return to Sweden next season. At the AHL trade deadline, the Stars loaned Backman to Hershey for their playoff run but he has only played a handful of games since then. The former fifth-round pick never did make it to the NHL, and will now return home to compete in the SHL next season.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have sent Jujhar Khaira back to the AHL, ending what has been a long stretch of NHL time without much NHL action. Playing in just 10 games this season, the young Khaira has registered just a single goal. With Bakersfield in a battle for the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division, Khaira will provide some depth up the middle. The 22-year old was drafted in the third round in 2012, and has struggled to make an impact at the NHL level.

Snapshots: China, Kitchener, Fazio

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After it was announced earlier this month that the NHL would be holding two preseason games in China next season, many linked that to the upcoming Beijing Olympics in 2022. Growing the game prior to sending NHL players to one of the biggest sporting events in the world seemed prudent. In his latest column, John Shannon of Sportsnet walks us through why growing the game in China doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the Olympics and instead is more because of the “virgin market” the country presents.

What’s different and noteworthy about this venture in China is that the Chinese want the NHL there, and not just because the 2022 Olympics will be in Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping has apparently developed a passion for hockey and as a result, 3,000 hockey arenas are to be built in the country.

Shannon goes on to note that several teams in the league already have agreements with companies and leagues in China, including Toronto who apparently have 6000 kids playing Maple Leafs-branded hockey each week. Though it’s just preseason next year, perhaps China will be the next destination for the SAP NHL Global Series. In 2017, the NHL will be headed to Stockholm for two games between the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators.

  • The Kitchener Rangers of the OHL have a new boss, and it’s a name familiar to hockey fans across North America. Mike McKenzie will take over as GM of the junior franchise after Murray Hiebert has transitioned into the Director of Hockey Operations role. McKenzie is the son of TSN Insider Bob McKenzie, a long-time face of hockey in print and television in Canada and the United States. The Rangers are currently down 3-1 in their OHL playoff series against the Owen Sound Attack.
  • The Charlotte Checkers (affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes) have signed Justin Fazio to an amateur tryout now that his Sarnia Sting have been eliminated from the OHL playoffs. The Sting were swept out of the first round by the powerhouse Erie Otters. The undrafted goaltender will turn 20 in just over a month, and will replace Tom McCollum on the roster as he deals with personal issues. The Checkers have been down their starter Alex Nedeljkovic while he backs up Cam Ward in Carolina after Eddie Lack’s recent injury. Fazio had an .896 save percentage for the Sting this season.

Winnipeg Jets Sign Tucker Poolman To Entry-Level Deal

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Winnipeg Jets fans can relax now, as the team has come to an agreement with University of North Dakota standout Tucker Poolman. Recently a wrench was thrown into his future in Winnipeg as he suffered a shoulder injury that requires surgery and will keep him out for the next four to six months. Bob McKenzie of TSN wondered if that could jeopardize a contract with the Jets, as he would become a free agent this summer and would be free to sign with any team.

The deal will be a one-year entry-level contract worth $1.775 million (salary+bonuses) for next season. Because Poolman will turn 24 this summer, this was the longest deal the Jets could give him, and he will become a restricted free agent come 2018. It will be interesting to see where Poolman plays next season, as McKenzie seemed to hint that the Jets would be willing to put him in the NHL right now. With Tyler Myers, Jacob Trouba and Dustin Byfuglien all installed long-term on the right side for the Jets, someone will have to play their off side. For what it’s worth, Poolman spent much of this season of the left side at UND and had success, meaning he’ll possibly debut there next year.

The big-bodied defenseman has incredible offensive instincts and jumps into the play often, even protecting the puck down low on the powerplay and eluding defenders with his deceptive quickness. For a 6’3″ 210-lbs player, he moves smoothly on the ice and has a crisp, accurate first pass. While he can crank it up with a slap shot at times, he often uses a powerful wrist shot to get the puck on net.

While Poolman isn’t expected to become a star in the league, he is NHL ready and could anchor a bottom pair and play in all situations. For a team like the Jets who are trending in the right direction with a young core, he could easily become an effective role player behind their big-4 on defense. Hopefully the surgery—which is scheduled for tomorrow—will go well enough to allow him a full training camp, as four months would have him ready for the beginning of August.

Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald was first to report the deal, with Gary Lawless of TSN reporting the terms.

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