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Randy Carlyle Inks Extension In Anaheim

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Head coach Randy Carlyle has been extended as head coach of the Anaheim Ducks, per the team’s twitter. The contract is good through 2018-19, with an option for 2019-20. Trent Yawney and Rich Preston will be returning for at least one season, with Todd Marchant returning as Head of Player Development.

The organization is opting to stay the course in what many anticipated could be a tumultuous summer. With Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry getting another playoff older, and Randy Carlyle in the midst of his second tour of duty in Orange County, those central figures all look to remain locked in place for the foreseeable future. Although familiarity is often a good thing, there was a subsection of the Anaheim fanbase hoping for greater change. All three were present when the Ducks won their first and only Stanley Cup 10 years ago. Carlyle had been let go in 2011 before returning this season. His stint in Toronto was the topic of great scrutiny league-wide, but his all-time coaching record remains a sterling 410-283-93.

It’s hard to argue with his relative success this year, however. If the Ducks had lost to the upstart Oilers in the second round, perhaps this extension wouldn’t sit quite as well with fans. These Ducks had a fantastic regular season performance with Carlyle at the reigns, finishing 46-23-13. Their resilience in the post-season (exemplified by a 3-goal comeback late to win Game 5 against Edmonton) was the marvel of the league. Captain Getzlaf looked totally rejuvenated and ready to lead his team back to Finals contention, while youngsters such as Rickard Rakell and Cam Fowler made great strides in their game. Carlyle’s hard-nosed brand of hockey was adopted by this team, which got them to Game 6 of a Conference Final. Whether or not his old school mentality will lead to success long-term remains to be seen. GM Bob Murray doesn’t seem concerned, and stated his unequivocal confidence in the bench boss.

Marchant has done quite well in his front office role since he retired as a skater to don a suit back in 2011. In those 6 years, Marchant has played a large part in the successful ascendance and development of young draftees Fowler (2010), Rakell (2011), John Gibson (2011), Josh Manson (2011), Hampus Lindholm (2012), Frederik Andersen (2012), Shea Theodore (2013), Nick Ritchie (2014), and Brandon Montour (2014). His familiarity with the last two years’ draft picks will be invaluable as well, as Jacob Larsson (27th OV 2015), Julius Nattinen (59th OA 2015), and Max Jones (24th OA 2016) try to build pro careers. Assistant Trent Yawney was promoted from the Norfolk Admirals 3 seasons ago, after his head coaching career in Chicago ended in disastrous results back in 2007. Rich Preston has served has an assistant coach for multiple teams dating back to the 1990s, with a successful return to coach his hometown Regina Pats that ended in 2013.

Snapshots: CBA, Getzlaf, Ekman-Larsson, De La Rose

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While the expiration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement is still several years away (the earliest expiration date is September 15, 2020), NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly has already brought up one element that the owners will be looking to tweak.  Speaking at the Sports Lawyers Association Annual Conference, Daly told the attendees, including Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal (Twitter links), that they will be looking to redefine the definition of Hockey Related Revenues, more commonly referred to as HRR, which set the salary cap and floor.  He clarified that they want to make definitions more precise and that it wouldn’t necessarily mean that they would be looking to exclude (or include) certain income as part of HRR.

On the union side, Steve Fehr, special counsel for the NHLPA, noted to Mullen (Twitter link) and others in attendance that the biggest issues they intend to look at are escrow and cap management issues.  Escrow has risen sharply since being instituted to the point where some expect that the players won’t exercise their cap inflator next month in an effort to reduce the percentage that is withheld off of each pay.

CBA talks are still probably another couple of years away but we’re already starting to hear what some of the key points will be when discussions get underway.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf has been fined $10K for a homophobic remark uttered during Thursday’s Game Four against Nashville, the league announced. The fine is the maximum allowed under the CBA.
  • There will be two Ekman-Larssons in the Coyotes organization next season. Arizona’s AHL affiliate in Tuscon announced the signing of defenseman Kevin Ekman-Larsson to a one year, minor league contract.  He is the younger brother of Coyotes blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson.  The 22 year old has spent the past two seasons with Tingsryds AIF of the Swedish Allsvenskan.
  • Canadiens center prospect Jacob de la Rose is drawing interest from the SHL, he told Värmlands Folkblad’s Johan Ekberg (link in Swedish). However, the pending RFA noted that his priority is to remain playing in North America and that talks have already started with Montreal on a new contract.  He played in just nine NHL games this season, the fewest in his three years with the Canadiens.

Morning Notes: Flames Burn Out, Toronto’s Unlikely Hero, Looking Ahead

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Saturday April 15th was a riveting evening of hockey for any fan of the sport. The Blackhawks were dominated 5-0 by the Predators in Game 2, but the other three games were all nail-biters. The Flames looked to take the lead after climbing out of a 2 goal deficit in the 2nd period, but the call on the ice of goalie interference against John Gibson kept the game tied. The Ducks would go on to get a bizarre ricochet goal from the stick of Ryan Getzlaf with just 4:46 remaining in regulation to secure an ugly win, and go up 2-0 in the series.

  • The Leafs’ Kasperi Kapanen has not been in the spotlight – the likes of Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Auston Matthews have been so phenomenal that he is easily forgotten in the mix. The promising young crafty forward was the centerpiece of the Phil Kessel deal, which until now, had undoubtedly looked to favor the Penguins. Serving 4th-line duty, the forward had only scored one goal in his 8 games up with big squad this season. In the second overtime of Saturday’s Game 2 versus the Capitals, the forward crept in to the back post as Brian Boyle used his lanky frame to fool the netminder into sealing the near post in anticipation. The result was a gorgeous finish to a game where an unlikely hero was desperately needed. If the forward can build on this huge goal, perhaps he can become an X-factor in a series where they are the underdogs. He seems to be confident in the team’s chances.
  • The Senators would not go down quietly. Down 2 goals through 40 minutes, the squad rallied to tie the game with tallies from Chris Wideman and Derick Brassard. As mentioned in an earlier post, Chara’s late regulation delay-of-game penalty proved quite costly, as the Senators capitalized on the powerplay’s momentum and ended the overtime quickly. Dion Phaneuf hammered one home after the team had hit two posts previously in quick succession. The series has been incredibly tight, but surely Bruins fans will lament the lost opportunity, especially in light of their badly bruised defensive squad.
  • Four games will take place this Sunday. The Wild will try to avoid going down 3-0 in hostile territory, the Blue Jackets will hope to dodge a similar fate with cannons firing, and the Sharks and Rangers look to go up at home after splitting the first two on the road.

Pacific Notes: Getzlaf, Ritchie, Miska

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While much of the pre-series chatter of the Flames-Ducks playoff series centered around how the Ducks would be able to defend against Flames’ stars Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, Game 1 reversed those thoughts. After Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf took control of Friday night’s game, people now wonder how Calgary might be able to stop him instead.

The Orange County Register’s Eric Stephens writes the 31-year-old scored the opening goal 52 seconds into the playoff series, then assisted on Rickard Rakell’s game-tying goal and then led the penalty killing unit in the final minutes to hold on for the victory. “He was huge for us last night,” said Rakell. “I mean, he did it all. When he plays like that, I think everybody else just wants to follow him. Hopefully that can just keep going”

The oft-overlooked Getzlaf has been leading the team with his energy and also has led the team in minutes played in Game 1. He fared well on faceoffs winning 12 of 20 Friday as well. Getzlaf has also been taking the lead on power plays, creating new problems for the Flames. “He’s got such good vision and poise with the puck,” Flames penalty killing defenseman Michael Stone said after Game 1. “He hangs on to it. You think he’s going to do one thing and he changes up and does something else. He’s got all the weapons when he’s back there looking at the whole ice.”

Other Western Notes:

  • Ducks’ forward Nick Ritchie is expected to return to the lineup after a two-game suspension for tonight’s Game 2 playoff game against the Flames. Ritchie was suspended for the regular season finale and Game 1 of the playoffs for punching Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival on Apr. 6. Ritchie finished the season with 14 goals and 14 assists in 77 gacmes this season. Because of his return, prospect Ondrej Kase was sent back to San Diego. Kase had two shots on goal in Game 1.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have agreed to sign the University of Minnesota-Duluth freshman goaltender Hunter Miska, who led the Bulldogs’ hockey team to the NCAA Championship game last month. Duluth News Tribune’s Matt Wellens writes that Miska, who went undrafted, will forgo his final three years of eligibility to sign with the Coyotes. The 21-year-old backstop posted a 2.20 GAA and a .920 save percentage in his lone season for UMD. For Arizona, it gives the Coyotes a young prospect to develop after a season in which Arizona finished with the third-worst Goals Against with a 3.15. This is the second year in a row that Minnesota-Duluth has lost their starting goalie to the NHL. Last year, sophomore goalkeeper Kasimir Kaskisuo signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

 

 

 

Injury Updates: Subban, Streit, Tatar, Bishop, Benn, Brouwer, Getzlaf

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Nashville blueliner P.K. Subban took a step forward in his recovery from an upper body injury (that is believed to be a herniated disc) as he took part in their optional morning skate today, reports Adam Vingan of The Tennessean.  However, GM David Poile acknowledged earlier this week that his return will be closer to three weeks instead of the two that the team was hoping for.  He was placed on IR on January 1st so Poile’s comments would suggest he’s still likely another 10 or so days away from returning.

Subban has been out of the lineup since December 15th and the Preds have won just five of their 12 games in his absence.  Through 29 games this season, the 27 year old has seven goals and 10 assists but also has a team-worst -11 plus/minus rating.  If healthy by then, Subban will be Nashville’s lone representative at the All-Star Game.

Other injury news from around the league:

  • Flyers defender Mark Streit is hopeful that he can return from a sprained left shoulder on Saturday, notes CSN Philly’s Tom Dougherty. Streit has missed the last 12 games heading into tonight and is currently on long-term injury reserve.  When he’s fully healthy and ready to play, Philadelphia will have to make a roster move to get back under the cap before they can activate him back onto their active roster.  Prior to the injury, the 39 year old was off to a strong start with 16 points in 31 games.  For comparison, he had just 23 points in 62 contests last year.
  • While he will remain in the lineup, Detroit left winger Tomas Tatar is dealing with lingering shoulder issues and told reporters, including Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News (Twitter link), that he will likely require surgery at the end of the season. Tatar has underperformed this year (this issue likely has something to do with it) with nine goals and 10 assists through 41 games but still sits tied for fourth overall in team scoring with rookie Anthony Mantha.
  • Tampa Bay will be getting their starting goaltender back earlier than expected as Ben Bishop has been activated off injured reserve and will start tonight against the Sabres, reports Bryan Burns on the Lightning’s team website. Bishop has missed the last nine games with a lower body injury and the team has struggled without him, winning just three of those contests with Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes while they’ve also dropped out of a playoff spot in his absence.
  • Stars captain Jamie Benn expects to return to the lineup tonight against the Red Wings, he told Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge (Twitter link). He has missed the last four games with a foot injury and has 34 points (10-24-34) in 38 games this season.  Mike Heika of the Dallas News adds that Benn is expected to play on the top line alongside Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza.
  • Calgary right winger Troy Brouwer has been given the green light from doctors to return to the lineup tomorrow against New Jersey, notes Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson (Twitter link). Brouwer has been out since breaking his finger on December 23rd.  Through 36 games this year, the 31 year old has 17 points (8-9-17).
  • Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf is expected to return tonight against Colorado, reports Kyle Shohara on Anaheim’s team website.  He has missed the last four games after sustaining a lower body injury on January 1st.  He’s expected to reprise his role on a line alongside Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell.  The 31 year old has had no issues putting up assists this year as he leads the team with 25 but on the flip side, he has scored just five times through 38 games.

Getzlaf Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury

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Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf will miss tonight’s game versus Detroit with a lower-body injury suffered Sunday against the Flyers, according to Eric Stephens via Twitter. Fortunately for Anaheim, it doesn’t appear as if they will be without their #1 pivot for long since the team considers Getzlaf day-to-day at this point.

Getzlaf was on the ice for just one third period shift in Sunday’s 4 – 3 SO win over the Flyers and was replaced on the Ducks top line by Rickard Rakell. Rakell, who has 16 goals and 23 points in 28 games this season, was in that spot at practice yesterday and would likely remain there as long as Getzlaf is out. The team is also likely to insert Chris Wagner, recalled yesterday from San Diego, into the lineup.

Now in his 12th NHL campaign, Getzlaf has scored five goals and 30 points in 36 games this season but has tallied just one goal in the last five. His current plus/minus rating of -8 puts him on pace to register the worst rating of his career. Despite not having his best season to date, Getzlaf is still among the top centers in the game and the hope is he will be back in the lineup sooner rather than later.

Pacific Notes: Sharks, Puljujarvi, Getzlaf, Perry

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While it’s still a couple of months before the trade deadline, CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz suggests in a reader mailbag that San Jose’s roster isn’t likely to change much between now and the end of February.

Like quite a few teams this season, the Sharks find themselves quite tight to the salary cap.  Tomas Hertl is currently on LTIR which frees up a bit of extra space in the short-term but any payroll they add between now and his return would have to be freed back up before they could activate him off of injured reserve, which should be sometime late next month.

Further complicating things potentially is the strong play of recent call-ups Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc.  Both have played well enough to lock down a spot full-time which could force the Sharks to make some tough decisions once Hertl is ready to return, assuming no one else gets hurt between now and then.

One area that Kurz thinks they could try to make a move in is between the pipes to get another backup goalie to take Aaron Dell’s spot.  The rookie has started only four of 35 games this season which has forced Martin Jones to play more than the Sharks probably would like.  Of course, their limited cap space would limit their options but there typically are a couple of cheap, veteran backups that are made available close to the deadline.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • Despite making him a healthy scratch more than he has played this month, the Oilers plan to keep rookie Jesse Puljujarvi up with the big club instead of sending him to their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, notes Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun. Head coach Todd McLellan anticipates that the rookie, who has played in in just five of the last 13 games, will see more ice time with the season-ending injury to Tyler Pitlick.  Puljujarvi’s rookie campaign hasn’t gone as anticipated as he has just one goal and seven assists in 25 games.
  • In an effort to jump-start their two top veterans, the Ducks have split up long-time linemates Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, writes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. While the two have combined for 56 points this year, only 11 of those have been goals which isn’t enough from one of the highest priced forward duos in the league with a combined cap hit just shy of $17MM.

Full List Of Mandatory-Protection Players In Expansion Draft

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Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston has published the full list of players who, due to no-movement clauses in their current contracts, must be protected in the upcoming expansion draft for the new Vegas Golden Knights. These are players who will count against the protection limits should they choose not to waive their NMC rights prior to the draft.

Each team has the right to protect either:

A) Seven forwards, three defenders, one goaltender

or

B) Eight skaters, one goaltender

These players will count against those numbers, and as Johnston points out, there are some notable inclusions and omissions from this group. Players like Jordan Staal, Rick Nash and Bobby Ryan all had incorrect information spread about their contracts. The former two will now need protection, while the latter will not, due to his deal only having a no-movement to the minors clause.

The Chicago Blackhawks, with eight players listed, will have little flexibility at the draft, with only four forward spots (or one defenseman) left to use. Many others, according to Johnston, including Toronto’s Nathan Horton, are likely to be made exempt if they are still on LTIR as the draft approaches.

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Snapshots: Russell, Lucic, Ducks, Pardy, Rangers

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Following yet another disappointing campaign for Edmonton in 2015-16, GM Peter Chiarelli orchestrated several changes to his team’s roster this offseason in an effort to build a playoff contender. Chiarelli dealt away two former first overall draft picks, Taylor Hall and Nail Yakupov (receiving Adam Larsson, a marginal prospect and a conditional draft choice in return), while signing free agents Milan Lucic and Kris Russell in free agency. Many in the hockey community at large weren’t particularly fond of Chiarelli’s moves and while it’s far too early to make any definitive judgement, through two games Lucic and Russell have done exactly what the Oilers and Chiarelli hoped for, as David Staples of the Edmonton Journal writes.

Staples has been tracking scoring chances for and against for every Oilers skater through two games. His research shows that Connor McDavid, who has simply been phenomenal already with six points on the young season, has been Edmonton’s best player by far, helping to generate better than six more scoring chances for than against, per 15 minutes of ice time. Lucic is second in that category with a differential of 4.82. Russell leads the defense corps with a 2.34 differential per 15 minutes of ice time. Incredibly, Russell has yet to make a single error leading to an opposition scoring chance through two games, based on Staples’ tracking.

Again, it’s too early to conclude anything for certain but the early returns on Lucic and Russell have to be encouraging for Chiarelli and Co. Obviously this team will only go as far as their superstar captain McDavid will lead, but should his two prized free agent acquisitions continue to perform at this level, Edmonton might yet prove the pundits wrong and compete for a playoff spot in 2016-17.

Elsewhere in the NHL:

  • Could the Anaheim Ducks soon find themselves at a crossroads with a roster core too old to compete for a Stanley Cup? Eric Stepens, who covers the team, asks that question in a post that appears in the Los Angeles Daily News. Stephens notes that the team’s three best forwards, Ryan Getzlaf (31), Corey Perry (31) and Ryan Kesler (32) are all on the wrong side of 30. At the same time, many of the league’s top stars – Johnny Gaudreau (23), McDavid (19), Auston Matthews (19) – are in their early-20’s or even younger. Getzlaf, Perry and Kesler also account for $23.75MM, or nearly one-third of this year’s salary cap, now that Kesler’s massive extension kicked in. These commitments leaves less space for the Ducks to flesh out the rest of their roster with quality talent as evidenced by their struggles to reach agreements with restricted free agents Rickard Rakell and Hampus Lindholm.
  • After being released from his PTO with Florida, Adam Pardy has agreed to sign an AHL deal with the Panthers organization, tweets Harvey Fialkov. Pardy will report to Springfield and provide an experienced blue line depth option for Florida. He has appeared in 338 NHL games over parts of eight seasons. Pardy previously has seen action in the league with Calgary, Buffalo, Edmonton, Dallas and Winnipeg.
  • New York Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault was quite specific in how he put his forward lines together to start the 2016-17 campaign. By design, the team would ice three lines capable of scoring while the fourth line was to be comprised of “penalty killers and defensive specialists.” But after introducing rookies Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey to the lineup, a couple of skilled veterans slid down the depth chart and onto the team’s fourth line. As Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post writes, the presence of Brandon Pirri and Michael Grabner at the bottom of the Rangers lineup has already paid dividends for the Blue Shirts. Grabner, a once tallied 34 goals as a member of the Islanders, netted the first marker of the season for the Rangers. Pirri, meanwhile, assisted on Grabner’s goal and potted his first as a New York Ranger on the power play. As long as the duo remain defensively-responsible, their ability to put the puck in the net will be welcome on the teams fourth line.

World Cup Snapshots: USA National Team, Getzlaf, Krueger

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Coming off a tremendously disappointing World Cup appearance, the USA National Team appears to be on the precipice of making some changes. Craig Custance broke down the World Cup roster’s chances of returning, should the NHL participate in the 2018 Olympics (ESPN Insiders link).

The obvious returning players, according to Custance, are Patrick Kane, Ryan Suter, Ryan McDonagh, John Carlson, and goalie Cory Schneider.

The “bubble” players are Joe Pavelski, Blake Wheeler, Ryan Kesler, Dustin Byfuglien, T.J. Oshie, and Ben Bishop. These guys will be in the conversation to appear in the red, white, and blue in two years.

Jonathan Quick headlines the “thank you for your service” category. Quick’s play sunk the Americans at the World Cup, with an 0.836 SV% and a 3.56 GAA in two games. The other notable players who Custance believes have played their last game for the USA at the national level are Zach Parise and Max Pacioretty, among the rest of the roster. Parise and Pacioretty have not performed well in best-on-best tournaments recently, and will need big efforts to survive the coming youth movement.

  • Ahead of the first game of the World Cup Final on Tuesday night, Team Canada forward Ryan Getlzaf is taking a maintenance day. Claude Giroux is taking his place alongside John Tavares and Steven Stamkos on the Canadian “third line”. He’s not expected to miss any of the final. Other than Getzlaf, the Canadians have not made any lineup changes.
  • Before the World Cup began, Team Europe coach Ralph Krueger said any team who wants to beat Canada will need a “magical day” and a “world-class goaltending performance”. TSN’s Frank Seravalli believes Krueger is the secret weapon that Europe will need to utilize to defeat Canada, citing Krueger’s defeat of Canada in the 2006 Olympics prior to joining the Canadian front office for Sochi. Canada GM Doug Armstrong said Europe is a big story, and “shame on [Canada] if we don’t take them seriously for what they’ve done to this point.”

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