Atlantic Notes: Swayman, Bussi, Houle
While a Linus Ullmark trade is the expected outcome when it comes to what happens with Boston’s goaltending situation, Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe discusses the other possibility on the trade front. Instead of moving Ullmark and signing Jeremy Swayman to a long-term deal, perhaps extending Ullmark and moving Swayman could be the better way to go for the Bruins.
Swayman has two years of club control remaining (with arbitration eligibility) and is coming off the better year between the two plus a strong playoff showing that saw him post a 2.15 GAA and a .933 SV% in a dozen starts. His trade value would be considerably higher as a result, giving the Bruins a chance to potentially fill multiple needs, including an impact center and a defensive upgrade. At this point, it doesn’t seem likely to happen but if trade talks surrounding Ullmark stall out over extension discussions, the Bruins could certainly consider flipping the script. Considering how quickly the goalie market moves in the summer, however, it’s a decision they’d have to make rather quickly.
More from the Atlantic:
- Speaking of Bruins netminders, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports (Twitter link) that the team has made progress on a new deal for pending RFA goaltender Brandon Bussi. The 25-year-old is coming off a strong year with AHL Providence where he had a 2.67 GAA with a .913 SV% in 41 games. Depending on if Boston has to take a goalie back in the eventual trade and how they plan to use their cap space, it’s possible that he could be in line to take over the second-string duties next season despite not having yet made an appearance at the NHL level.
- Just weeks after signing him to a three-year contract, Jean-Francois Houle is no longer the head coach with Montreal’s AHL affiliate in Laval. The Canadiens announced on Friday that they’ve agreed to mutually part ways with Houle, allowing him to be hired by Clarkson University for their head coaching position. It’s a return home of sorts for Houle as he played there and also began his coaching career with them as an assistant before moving on to the QMJHL and then the professional ranks. With free agency on the horizon, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Montreal try to fill this vacancy before the end of the month.
Canadiens Extend AHL Head Coach Jean-Francois Houle
May 29: The Canadiens confirmed a multi-year extension for Houle and the rest of his staff – assistant Martin Laperrière, goalie coach Marco Marciano and video coach Charles Juneau.
May 28: The Canadiens are signing AHL head coach Jean-François Houle to a multi-year contract extension, as reported by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (X link). It’s a three-year commitment, TFP’s Dennis Bernstein adds.
Houle, 49, has spent the last three years heading up the Canadiens’ top farm club, the Laval Rocket. The son of winger Réjean Houle, who won five Stanley Cups with Montreal, Jean-François began his coaching career as an assistant with Clarkson University in 2003 after a brief collegiate and minor-league playing career.
By 2010, he’d made the jump to head coaching in the major junior ranks, taking over the reins of the Lewiston MAINEiacs of the QMJHL. He won the QMJHL’s Coach of the Year award in 2011-12 behind the bench of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, guiding the expansion franchise to a 40-win inaugural season with a roster thin on NHL prospects, aside from future depth players Xavier Ouellet and Cédric Paquette.
Houle landed his first professional coaching job as an assistant with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors in 2014, staying on when they jumped to the AHL the following season to become the Oilers’ primary affiliate. He remained there until taking the head coaching job with Laval in 2021.
He’s guided the Rocket to a middling 105-86-25 record during his three seasons behind the bench. The team missed the playoffs this season for the third time in its seven seasons of existence. However, Houle did aid Habs prospects Logan Mailloux and Joshua Roy to AHL rookie seasons that exceeded expectations, earning them both their first NHL call-ups. They’ll be in contention for roster spots when October rolls around.
Montreal hopes Houle can continue doing the same work with their young players as they rely heavily on their development to exit their rebuild. 2023 fifth-overall pick David Reinbacher could very well end up starting next season under Houle on the farm as the defender begins his first full campaign in North America.