Headlines

  • Jim Rutherford Resigns As Pittsburgh Penguins GM
  • Winnipeg Jets Acquire Pierre-Luc Dubois For Patrik Laine, Jack Roslovic
  • Minnesota Wild Acquire Ian Cole
  • Six Dallas Stars Players Test Positive For COVID-19
  • Marcus Foligno Signs Three-Year Extension
  • Jeremy Colliton Agrees To Extension With Chicago Blackhawks
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors

Pro Hockey Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • Atlantic
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Central
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Metropolitan
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Pacific
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Partners
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Brady Tkachuk

Snapshots: Tkachuk, Provorov, Hutton, Pastrnak

January 20, 2021 at 8:00 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 7 Comments

Although his entry-level contract expires after this season, Brady Tkachuk and the Ottawa Senators are not rushing into contract talks. Tkachuk spoke with the media on Wednesday, including The Ottawa Sun’s Ken Warren, and stated that he was happy with the club and not worried about negotiating an extension. “We’re not really talking about (a new contract),” Tkachuk said, “I don’t think that’s the focus for both sides. Our goal right now is to do everything we can to make the playoffs.” Neither side really has much to worry about anyhow. Tkachuk has continually stated that he enjoys playing for the team and living in Ottawa and seems committed to a long-term future with the Senators. And with more than $34MM in projected cap space for next season and few existing long-term contracts to worry about, the club should have no problem giving their young centerpiece whatever he wants in order to ensure a lengthy extension of their relationship.

  • No league discipline is coming for Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov in regards to a net front collision that injured Buffalo Sabres goaltender Carter Hutton on Tuesday. The play in question did look like it was at least partially caused by Hutton’s teammate, Brandon Montour, and there is not nearly enough evidence for NHL Player Safety to state that Provorov was definitively at fault. That hasn’t stopped Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger from publicly stating his disappointment with the situation, though. Krueger tells The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor that Provorov’s actions were purposeful: “if you look at the way the elbow comes extended, you know what you’re doing.” Krueger believes his team has already been the victims of several bad hits to the head so far this season and is clearly to get some extra attention for the next time such a situation arises. Hutton continued on in the game following the collision, but did not return after the second intermission and is currently questionable for the Sabres’ next game.
  • The Boston Bruins’ scoring woes are one of the early season’s biggest stories, but help is on the way. NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin writes that David Pastrnak is ahead of schedule in his recovery from off-season hip surgery. Initially expected to return around mid-February, Pastrnak has already re-joined practice as a non-contact participant. Head coach Bruce Cassidy now expects that he could return to action as early as late next week. The reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner will be a welcome addition to a team that has yet to produce an even strength goal through three games.

Boston Bruins| Brady Tkachuk| Brandon Montour| Bruce Cassidy| Buffalo Sabres| Carter Hutton| David Pastrnak| Ivan Provorov| NHL Player Safety| Ottawa Senators| Philadelphia Flyers| Ralph Krueger| Snapshots

7 comments

Senators Notes: Captains, Camp Roster, Brassard, Brannstrom

January 2, 2021 at 12:07 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Senators have wasted little time determining their leadership group, announcing (via Twitter) that they will go without a captain and go with three alternates again this season.  It’s a brand-new trio from the ones that started the season in that role last year as all three departed either via trade or free agency.  Wearing the ‘A’ this season will be defensemen Thomas Chabot and Erik Gudbranson as well as winger Brady Tkachuk.  Chabot and Tkachuk are core pieces of Ottawa’s rebuild while Gudbranson, an Ottawa native, was acquired from Anaheim in the offseason.  The team has not had a full-time captain since trading Erik Karlsson to San Jose back in 2018.

More from Ottawa:

  • The Sens announced their training camp roster with some notable omissions. Recently-acquired veterans Derek Stepan, Cedric Paquette, and Braydon Coburn are all not on the max-sized roster nor is top prospect Tim Stuetzle who is still at the World Juniors.  Stepan is still in Arizona with his wife recently gave birth to their third child while Paquette and Coburn are currently quarantining and won’t be able to join the team for on-ice drills for another week.  Stuetzle will eventually make his way to camp as well but will also need to go through an isolation period which will eat up most of the remaining training camp time.
  • Ottawa has one player in camp on a PTO deal in goaltender Francois Brassard. The 26-year-old was actually drafted by the Sens back in 2012 but never signed with the team.  He spent last season with ECHL Maine, putting up a 2.76 GAA with a .908 SV% in 14 appearances.  He is likely hoping to land an AHL contract with a successful tryout as the Senators already have five netminders on NHL deals.
  • Defenseman Erik Brannstrom had requested that Ottawa allow him to try to play his off-side on defense but that request was denied, relays TSN 1200’s Shawn Simpson (Twitter link). The Sens prefer him to stay on his natural side although there is likelier an easier path to playing time if he was to switch.

Brady Tkachuk| Braydon Coburn| Cedric Paquette| Derek Stepan| Erik Brannstrom| Erik Gudbranson| Ottawa Senators| Thomas Chabot| Tim Stuetzle

0 comments

2020 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced

July 27, 2020 at 3:20 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

The NHL has announced the 31 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Jason Zucker of the Minnesota Wild.

Each team submits one nominee. This year’s are:

Anaheim: Cam Fowler

Arizona: Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Boston: Patrice Bergeron

Buffalo: Jack Eichel

Calgary: Travis Hamonic

Carolina: Jordan Staal

Chicago: Jonathan Toews

Colorado: Gabriel Landeskog

Columbus: Cam Atkinson

Dallas: Tyler Seguin

Detroit: Justin Abdelkader

Edmonton: Leon Draisaitl

Florida: Sergei Bobrovsky

Los Angeles: Trevor Lewis

Minnesota: Matt Dumba

Montreal: Carey Price

Nashville: Pekka Rinne

New Jersey: P.K. Subban

NY Islanders: Matt Martin

NY Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist

Ottawa: Brady Tkachuk

Philadelphia: Kevin Hayes

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby

San Jose: Evander Kane

St. Louis: Ryan O’Reilly

Tampa Bay: Alex Killorn

Toronto: Mitch Marner

Vancouver: Alexander Edler

Vegas: Marc-Andre Fleury

Washington: Garnet Hathaway

Winnipeg: Blake Wheeler

Alex Killorn| Blake Wheeler| Brady Tkachuk| Cam Atkinson| Cam Fowler| Carey Price| Evander Kane| Gabriel Landeskog| Garnet Hathaway| Henrik Lundqvist| Jack Eichel| Jonathan Toews| Jordan Staal| Justin Abdelkader| Kevin Hayes| Leon Draisaitl| Marc-Andre Fleury| Matt Dumba| Matt Martin| Oliver Ekman-Larsson| P.K. Subban| Patrice Bergeron| Pekka Rinne| Sergei Bobrovsky| Sidney Crosby| Travis Hamonic| Tyler Seguin

4 comments

PHR Panel: Revisiting The 2018 Draft

May 15, 2020 at 5:00 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

We’re now two months into an NHL postponement and there is still no clear timeline on when professional hockey will return. While fans of the sport have received small tidbits of news over that time, including college signings and contract extensions, the thirst for discussion has rarely been quenched.

With that in mind, we’re happy to continue our new feature: The PHR Panel. Our writing staff will give our individual takes on a question many hockey fans have been wondering about. If you’d ever like to submit a subject for us to discuss, be sure to put it in the comments.

To catch up on the previous edition, click here.

Today, with the 2020 draft still not set in stone, we take a look at how some top picks are performing a few years into their careers.

Q: Who will end up being the best player from the 2018 draft?

Brian La Rose: 

Back in 2018, the answer was Rasmus Dahlin. Nearly two years later, I don’t think that answer has changed.

While the Sabres have continued to struggle even with Dahlin in the fold, it certainly hasn’t been because of him. He had a lot thrown at him during his rookie season, perhaps too much for an 18-year-old defenseman. Despite that, he still did quite well. He was even better this season and was on pace to set new career-highs in points in spite of a dip in playing time if it wasn’t for a concussion and a minor upper-body issue that cost him ten games combined.

Defensively, Dahlin is still a little shaky at times but that’s par for the course for a young blueliner. He has made considerable improvements over his first two years and that should continue as he plays more and gets stronger.

At the end of the day, I’m not sure he’ll be the top offensive defender from this class but Dahlin’s all-around game will be enough to put him ahead of Quinn Hughes in terms of value. There will be some quality scorers from the 2018 draft (there already are) but they won’t be able to impact the game like a franchise defender that should consistently log over 25 minutes a night in his prime. Buffalo picking Dahlin back in June of 2018 signaled that they felt he was the best player in his draft class. There’s little reason to think otherwise at this point.

Holger Stolzenberg:

There are quite a few players that I like from this draft, but I’m going to go with the belief that the Buffalo Sabres got it right. Yes, Dahlin may not be that flashy defenseman who immediately dominated the league like fellow young blueliners Cale Makar and Hughes. Yet Dahlin is exactly what the team needed and has filled a major role in the two years he’s been in the league.

While his numbers look rather pedestrian through two seasons with 84 combined points, considering his status as the first-overall pick in 2018, those are actually impressive numbers for a teenaged blueliner. While they hardly compare to the first two seasons that Phil Housley had with Buffalo (he had 143 points), the league was quite different back in the early 80s with more goal scoring. In fact, the Sabres average more than one fewer goal per game now than they did back then, suggesting that Dahlin is much more comparable.

Now 20 years old, Dahlin is getting close to hitting his prime and should eventually have that breakout year to prove that he’s the best player in this draft. The blueliner has proven to be solid defensively and has good offensive skills, both of which should only get better. He will be a great player for years to come. We just might have to wait a little longer to see that play out.

Zach Leach: 

The 2018 draft class has yet to produce enough players with considerable NHL experience to truly make an educated guess on this question. Many, like college standouts Scott Perunovich (STL) and Tyler Madden (LAK), have yet to even debut, while some top picks like Oliver Wahlstrom (NYI) and Evan Bouchard (EDM) have only played in a handful of games. I like all four of these players to have good NHL careers, but I simply don’t have the sample size I need to say that any could be the best player of the class.

For now, I still consider the players that I personally felt were the top four players in the 2018 class to be the leading contenders to have the best NHL career: Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov, Buffalo’s Dahlin, Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk, and Vancouver’s Hughes (I had Wahlstrom at No. 5). Even in the midst of Dahlin mania back in June 2018, I felt Svechnikov was a special talent and a dynamic presence that was deserving of being the top overall pick. That’s why I listed him first and will stick with him as the player that I feel has the best chance to be the top player in his class. Dahlin, Tkachuk, and especially Hughes have certainly shown that they can be elite players and difference-makers for their respective franchises, but I feel that Svechnikov will outplay and outlast the field.

Svechnikov, who leads the 2018 class in goals, points, and games played, has already asserted himself as a franchise centerpiece for the Hurricanes. He has the natural offensive instincts as well as the willingness to play physically and win puck battles to be a scoring threat and key presence on offense for a long time still to come. I do not see Svechnikov’s offense drying up; in fact, his growth from year one to year two shows me that he is absolutely still on the rise and his near point-per-game pace this season is just the beginning of his offensive upside and I feel he will have staying power among the NHL’s elite once he arrives. I see Alex Ovechkin as the ceiling for Svechnikov, which would certainly give him a good chance at the title of best player in the 2018 class, both in ability and longevity.

Gavin Lee:

While I may not quite be on the same level as Zach when it comes to Svechnikov—what a comparable!—I too had him ranked as the best player in 2018 over Dahlin. There’s simply nothing that Svechnikov can’t do offensively. I was actually surprised he didn’t have a better rookie season, but the Hurricanes brought him along slowly with severely limited even-strength minutes and often only had him on the second powerplay unit. There’s nothing wrong with that, but when the team let him loose this season you started to see what Svechnikov is truly capable of.

No, it’s not all lacrosse goals and nifty dangles. The 6’2″ forward is a force when he gets to full speed, and can seemingly still make crisp passes with a defender hanging onto his back. He was on a 73-point pace this season while still averaging fewer than 14 minutes of even-strength ice time. When 16:44 (total) per game starts creeping close to 20:00, watch out for a player who one day may legitimately contend for both the Rocket Richard and Art Ross (remember, he only just turned 20).

There are some outstanding players in the field, but I’ll still put my money on the big Russian.

Andrei Svechnikov| Brady Tkachuk| PHR Panel| Rasmus Dahlin

0 comments

NHL Announces Player Gaming Challenge

April 23, 2020 at 11:57 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The NHL is trying desperately to stay relevant even as their season sits in limbo and have today announced a new feature for fans to tune into. The NHL Player Gaming Challenge will be a tournament of EA SPORTS NHL 20 games featuring players from each of the 32 organizations. The tournament will go for four weeks starting on April 30th. The league and EA will donate a combined $100,000 in support of COVID-19 relief.

Because the Seattle expansion franchise doesn’t have any players to represent them at this point, Luke Willson from the Seattle Seahawks of the NHL will carry the torch.

The full list of participants:

Anaheim Ducks: Cam Fowler

Arizona Coyotes: Conor Garland, Clayton Keller

Boston Bruins: Jake Debrusk, Charlie McAvoy

Buffalo Sabres: Brandon Montour

Calgary Flames: Noah Hanifin, Matthew Tkachuk

Carolina Hurricanes: Warren Foegele

Chicago Blackhawks: Drake Caggiula, Alex DeBrincat

Columbus Blue Jackets: Elvis Merzlikins, Zach Werenski

Colorado Avalanche: J.T. Compher

Dallas Stars: Stephen Johns, Jamie Oleksiak

Detroit Redwings: Madison Bowey, Anthony Mantha

Edmonton Oilers: Caleb Jones, Darnell Nurse

Florida Panthers: Jonathan Huberdeau

Los Angeles Kings: Michael Amadio, Blake Lizotte

Minnesota Wild: Devan Dubnyk, Jordan Greenway

Montreal Canadiens: Victor Mete, Nick Suzuki

Nashville Predators: Filip Forsberg

New Jersey Devils: MacKenzie Blackwood

New York Islanders: Matt Martin

New York Rangers: Chris Kreider

NHL Seattle: Luke Willson, Seattle Seahawks (NFL)

Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk, Chris Tierney

Philadelphia Flyers: James van Riemsdyk

Pittsburgh Penguins: Zach Aston-Reese, Bryan Rust

San Jose Sharks: Evander Kane, Marcus Sorensen

St Louis Blues: Colton Parayko, Robert Thomas

Tampa Bay Lightning: Tyler Johnson

Toronto Maple Leafs: Zach Hyman

Vancouver Canucks: Thatcher Demko, Adam Gaudette

Vegas Golden Knights: Ryan Reaves, Alex Tuch

Washington Capitals: Evgeny Kuznetsov

Winnipeg Jets: Anthony Bitetto, Kyle Connor

Select games can be seen on NBC Sports and Sportsnet ONE. All matches will also air within NHL Network’s on-air programming or its Twitch channel.

Adam Gaudette| Alex DeBrincat| Alex Tuch| Anthony Bitetto| Anthony Mantha| Blake Lizotte| Brady Tkachuk| Brandon Montour| Bryan Rust| Cam Fowler| Charlie McAvoy| Chris Kreider| Chris Tierney| Clayton Keller| Colton Parayko| Darnell Nurse| Devan Dubnyk| Drake Caggiula| Elvis Merzlikins| Evander Kane| Evgeny Kuznetsov| Filip Forsberg| J.T. Compher| Jake DeBrusk| James van Riemsdyk| Jamie Oleksiak| Jonathan Huberdeau| Jordan Greenway| Kyle Connor| MacKenzie Blackwood| Madison Bowey| Marcus Sorensen| Matt Martin| Matthew Tkachuk| Michael Amadio| Nick Suzuki| Noah Hanifin

1 comment

2020 NHL All-Star Skills Participants Announced

January 23, 2020 at 8:33 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 7 Comments

Before Saturday’s All-Star Game three-on-three tournament, the NHL’s best will take the ice on Friday night in the annual All-Star Skills event. There has been considerable hype around this year’s competition, given both the new “Shooting Stars” event, in which players will fire the puck at targets on the ice from platforms in the stands, and the participation of stars from the women’s game, including their own three-on-three scrimmage. Now, the league has announced who specifically will be taking part in each event, both new and classic. Below is the lineup for each event:

Fastest Skater

Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks

Save Streak

David Rittich, Calgary Flames
Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks
Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

Accuracy Shooting

Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks
Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

Hardest Shot

Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
John Carlson, Washington Capitals

Shooting Stars

David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
David Perron, St. Louis Blues
Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
American Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)
Canadian Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)

Women’s Three-On-Three

Team Canada: Meghan Agosta, Mélodie Daoust, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Renata Fast, Laura Fortino, Rebecca Johnston, Sarah Nurse, Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner, Blayre Turnbull

Team USA: Kacey Bellamy, Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brianna Decker, Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight, Jocelyn Lamoureux-Davidson, Annie Pankowski, Alex Rigsby Cavallini, Lee Stecklein

All the action kicks off at 7:00pm local time in St. Louis, with coverage from NBCSN in the U.S and CBC, SN, and TVAS in Canada.

Alex Pietrangelo| Andrei Vasilevskiy| Anthony Duclair| Boston Bruins| Braden Holtby| Brady Tkachuk| Buffalo Sabres| Calgary Flames| Carolina Hurricanes| Chicago Blackhawks| Chris Kreider| Colorado Avalanche| Columbus Blue Jackets| Connor Hellebuyck| Connor McDavid| Dallas Stars| David Pastrnak| David Perron| David Rittich| Detroit Red Wings| Edmonton Oilers| Elias Pettersson| Florida Panthers| Frederik Andersen| Jaccob Slavin| Jack Eichel| Jacob Markstrom| John Carlson| Jonathan Huberdeau| Jordan Binnington| Leon Draisaitl| Mark Giordano| Mark Scheifele| Mathew Barzal| Matthew Tkachuk| Montreal Canadiens| Nathan MacKinnon| New Jersey Devils| New York Islanders| New York Rangers| NHL| Nico Hischier| Ottawa Senators| Patrick Kane| Philadelphia Flyers| Pittsburgh Penguins| Players| San Jose Sharks| St. Louis Blues| Tampa Bay Lightning| Team USA| Toronto Maple Leafs| Vancouver Canucks| Washington Capitals| Winnipeg Jets

7 comments

Auston Matthews To Sit Out All-Star Game

January 22, 2020 at 5:45 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 7 Comments

Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews will not participate in any on-ice events at the All-Star festivities, but will be still be there in St. Louis. Matthews is dealing with a wrist injury and has been listed as day-to-day by the Maple Leafs. In his place, Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators will join the Atlantic Division roster.

Matthews was the captain of the Atlantic squad last season when the game was held in San Jose, and took part in both of his first two years as well. While the fans won’t get to see him participate in any of the action, he will still join Maple Leafs teammates Frederik Andersen and Mitch Marner at the event.

For Tkachuk though, this is a significant honor. Not only will this be his first time at the event, he’ll get to make his All-Star debut in his hometown of St. Louis and alongside his brother Matthew Tkachuk who will participate for the Pacific Division squad. Linemate Anthony Duclair will also be there from the Ottawa Senators.

The younger Tkachuk is in his sophomore season and has 27 points through 45 games. Selected 4th overall in 2018, the big winger won’t turn 21 until September.

Auston Matthews| Brady Tkachuk| Injury| Ottawa Senators| Toronto Maple Leafs

7 comments

Atlantic Notes: Tkachuk, Bergeron, Miller, Larkin

December 8, 2019 at 2:57 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 4 Comments

The Department of Player Safety announced late Saturday that it has fined Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk $2,486.56, the maximum allowable fine under the CBA, for his cross check on Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton.

The two players had some words earlier in the game after Laughton scored the go-ahead goal, but with 30 seconds remaining in the game, Tkachuk cross-checked Laughton away from the play, knocking the forward to the ice. Tkachuk followed that up by jumping on top of him and starting a skirmish that stopped play. Tkachuk was given minor penalties for roughing and cross-checking.

  • The Boston Herald’s Marisa Ingemi reports that Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron, who was placed on injured reserve on Saturday with a lower-body injury, is expected to travel with the team on their four-game road trip next week, although there is no word on whether he will play. Bergeron has missed seven straight games now, but the 34-year-old did practice Friday with the team in a red non-contact jersey.
  • With the return of veteran Kyle Okposo, Buffalo Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger sent defenseman Colin Miller to the press box for the seventh time in 14 games, according to The Athletic’s John Vogl (subscription required). The Sabres, who were praised during the offseason for acquiring the 27-year-old from Vegas for future second and fifth-round picks, have struggled finding a role for the blueliner, who still has a $3.875MM contract that runs through 2021-22. Miller, who put up 29 points in 65 games for Vegas last year, has just four assists and only got into the previous four games due to the number of injuries at the forward position. “We thought he’s been really strong the last few days, which is one of the reasons we ended up going with seven D over the last period of time,” Krueger said. “It’s just the way we see the pairs. Right through the lineup, we’re looking for a little familiarity right now in the group.”
  • Despite the Detroit Red Wings troubles in the standings, MLive’s Ansar Khan writes the team remains thrilled that forward Dylan Larkin seems to be emerging from his slump. After being held seven games without a point, Larkin posted a goal and an assist Saturday for the second straight game, giving him four points in two games. The team is thrilled with his drive despite the team’s struggles. “His drive’s great,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “I think he’s done a good job of staying with it when we’ve gotten down. I think he’s been one of the guys to be a catalyst to not let us sink … His determination is probably one of his best attributes. He showed it there at the end.”

 

Boston Bruins| Brady Tkachuk| Buffalo Sabres| Colin Miller| Detroit Red Wings| Dylan Larkin| Ottawa Senators| Patrice Bergeron

4 comments

Quotable: Stamkos, Lehner, Tavares

March 14, 2019 at 7:16 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 3 Comments

It’s not hard to find a critic of the NHL’s current playoff format, but it refreshing to hear criticism come from a player, particularly one of the game’s biggest names. Asked by the media the other night how he felt about the current format and it’s effect on the Tampa Bay Lightning, Steven Stamkos has this to say (video courtesy of TSN):

It is what it is. It’s been that way for a while now… I understand where they’re coming from from a marketing perspective, wanting to get some rivalries early on, but from a perspective of what you’re grinding 82 games for during a season is to finish as high as you can so you can have that advantage come playoffs. I don’t think that’s an advantage to Toronto or Boston to be what could be the top three teams in the whole league from one division and then have to play that team in the first round. I don’t think that’s right…. It is what it is, you can’t change it now, but I don’t think it’s the most fair in terms of why you play and the advantage you’re supposed to have come playoff time.

Stamkos very clearly demonstrates the core problem with current format which is, in an effort to improve divisional rivalries and boost TV ratings in the postseason, the league is devaluing the entire regular season. As Stamkos references, the Bruins and Maple Leafs are inching closer to locking in the second and third spots in the Atlantic Division and a guaranteed meeting in the first round, despite the fact that they are both top-five teams in the league standings. While he avoids seeming like he’s complaining by framing the argument through Toronto and Boston, Stamkos also knows that the format is a detriment to Tampa Bay, who are awarded with a first-round win this year by likely having to play the next-best team in the conference in the second round. Similarly, the current format will prevent the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames, both top-three teams in the league, from meeting in the Western Conference final, as they will be forced to play in the second round per the current divisional emphasis. A strong performance in the regular season should offer more of an advantage to teams in the postseason, Stamkos states. For exmaple, by the old 1-8 playoff format, the Bruins and Maple Leafs could not meet until the second round and neither could play the Lighting until the conference final, while the Sharks and Flames also could not play until the conference final. The NHL has not expressed any desire to change this current format, but with a star of Stamkos’ caliber speaking out with a very logical argument, perhaps they will begin to look at changes.

  • New York Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner is back from injury and ready to put an end to skaters crashing the net and running over goalies, as Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk did to him earlier this month. Lehner told Brett Cygralis of the New York Post that he won’t be a victim again. Instead, he’s advocating that goalies do a better job of defending themselves, perhaps with some leniency from the referees, to teach skaters that there are consequences for these dangerous plays:

Got to be honest, everyone always does it on purpose… Plays like that, all of sudden, you tear a knee and [your] career is over. They’re the ones that do it. It’s still part of the game. Maybe I need to brace myself more for next time. Next time someone comes in, I’ll protect myself and we’ll see if they do it again. I think it’s a joke… You look around at all the different hits and all the different stuff, it’s so inconsistent… I don’t think they really know what they’re doing. This is a problem around the league that a lot of goalies get run into like that. I cannot complain about it, but maybe all the goalies should start protecting ourselves with our blockers and our sticks, and they shouldn’t call anything about that if we do it.

  • Toronto Maple Leafs star John Tavares has a problem with a lack of calls in net too, but different from Lehner’s. Tavares is sick of non-calls for the goal being intentionally knocked off it’s moorings. The Maple Leafs went down 5-0 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night, but mounted an impressive comeback to come within a goal of tying the game. However, in the waning seconds of the game with goalie pulled and possession in the Chicago zone, the net came loose and play was stopped and Tavares at least suspects Blackhawks goaltender Collin Delia of doing it on purpose. Tavares told the media after the game, including TSN’s Kristen Shilton, that there should be more to it than just a whistle and a face-off:

If that’s on purpose by them, especially in the last couple minutes in big situations, I would love to see that be a challenge at some point. When we get that kind of pressure, that’s kind of a free out if that’s what happened. I didn’t really see it, but…”

 

Boston Bruins| Brady Tkachuk| Calgary Flames| Chicago Blackhawks| Injury| John Tavares| New York Islanders| Quotable| Robin Lehner| San Jose Sharks| Steven Stamkos| Tampa Bay Lightning| Toronto Maple Leafs

3 comments

Shane Bowers Returns To Boston University

January 8, 2019 at 8:53 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

Fans of the Boston University Terriers were happy to see sophomore forward Shane Bowers back in the lineup Tuesday night against cross-town rival Harvard University. Bowers was participating in the World Junior Championship with Team Canada recently, but that wasn’t what had supporters and teammates alike worried. Instead, rumors had sprouted that Bowers could sign with his NHL rights holder, the Colorado Avalanche, or join his junior rights holder, the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs, after the WJC wrapped up. Instead, as the Providence Journal’s Mark Divver notes, he is back with BU for the remainder of the season.

Bowers, 19, was the 28th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators. As one of the core pieces of the Matt Duchene trade, Bowers was moved to Colorado last season. After an impressive freshman campaign with the Terriers, recording 32 points in 40 games on one of the most talent-laden teams in college hockey – Bowers led even Brady Tkachuk in scoring – there was some speculation that Bowers could sign with the Avalanche this off-season. Instead, he returned to BU for another year. So far, Bowers has just eight points in 15 games, but has displayed a more well-rounded two-way game. He also impressed for Canada at the WJC in a similar role, while adding a pair of assists in five games.

With the Avalanche struggling to find secondary scoring this season, rumblings began that perhaps the easiest way to inject energy and scoring into the lineup would be for GM Joe Sakic to get a head start on signing Bowers, who is expected to sign his entry-level contract after the NCAA season. Thus began the questioning of whether Bowers would return to BU for the remainder of the season after the WJC. That concern was compounded when the Voltigeurs acquired Bowers’ rights from the Saint John Sea Dogs late last month, a move often made with some inside information of an impending transition. In fact, the Voltigeurs simply saw the connection between Bowers and their own players, Maxime Comtois and Joe Veleno, in that all three were members of Team Canada at the recent tournament. They reportedly acquired Bowers’ rights in hopes of convincing him to continue playing with his fellow top Canadian prospects for the remainder of the season, and worked hard to do so, but apparently were not successful. Colorado also seems to have either not persuaded Bowers to leave school earlier or, as some rumors go, were never actually interested in such a move.

For now, Bowers will continue to star for the Terriers in hopes of winning a Beanpot Tournament and Hockey East title and making another NCAA Tournament. The young forward will soon be a pro, but seems content to makes the most of his remaining collegiate career. However, once the season comes to an end, expect Bowers (and Hockey East rival and future teammate, UMass defenseman Cale Makar) to join the Avalanche for the stretch run and postseason. It’s only a matter of time at this point.

Brady Tkachuk| Cale Makar| Colorado Avalanche| Matt Duchene| NCAA| Ottawa Senators| Prospects| QMJHL| Team Canada

0 comments
Load More Posts
    Top Stories

    Jim Rutherford Resigns As Pittsburgh Penguins GM

    Winnipeg Jets Acquire Pierre-Luc Dubois For Patrik Laine, Jack Roslovic

    Minnesota Wild Acquire Ian Cole

    Six Dallas Stars Players Test Positive For COVID-19

    Marcus Foligno Signs Three-Year Extension

    Jeremy Colliton Agrees To Extension With Chicago Blackhawks

    Corey Crawford Announces Retirement

    Islanders Agree To Terms With Mathew Barzal On Three-Year Contract

    Corey Crawford To Take Indefinite Leave

    Columbus Blue Jackets Extend Oliver Bjorkstrand

    Recent

    Trade Rumors: Penguins, Mete, Bjork

    Sharks Set To Return To San Jose In February

    Minor Transactions: 01/27/21

    COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/27/21

    Snapshots: Laine, Penguins, Blues

    San Jose Sharks Acquire Christian Jaros

    Jim Rutherford Resigns As Pittsburgh Penguins GM

    Yannick Weber, Jacob Middleton Placed On Waivers

    Jeremy Bracco Clears Unconditional Waivers

    Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/27/21

    Rumors By Team

    Rumors By Team

    • Avalanche Rumors
    • Blackhawks Rumors
    • Blue Jackets Rumors
    • Blues Rumors
    • Bruins Rumors
    • Canadiens Rumors
    • Canucks Rumors
    • Capitals Rumors
    • Coyotes Rumors
    • Devils Rumors
    • Ducks Rumors
    • Flames Rumors
    • Flyers Rumors
    • Golden Knights Rumors
    • Hurricanes Rumors
    • Islanders Rumors
    • Jets Rumors
    • Kings Rumors
    • Lightning Rumors
    • Maple Leafs Rumors
    • Oilers Rumors
    • Panthers Rumors
    • Penguins Rumors
    • Predators Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Red Wings Rumors
    • Sabres Rumors
    • Senators Rumors
    • Sharks Rumors
    • Stars Rumors
    • Wild Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives

    PHR Info

    • About
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

    scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version