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Sean Couturier

Metropolitan Notes: Bemstrom, Merzlikins, Couturier

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Blue Jackets winger Emil Bemstrom is expected to join HIFK Helsinki of the SM-liiga to start their season, reports SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson.  The 21-year-old still has two years remaining on his entry-level deal so Columbus would have to agree to loan him out before anything could be finalized.  While he played in the SHL before coming to North America, that league isn’t accepting players on loan so he had to look elsewhere.

Bemstrom played in 56 games in his rookie season, collecting 10 goals and 10 assists; half of his tallies came with the man advantage to tie for the Blue Jackets lead.  He also suited up in five postseason contests where he was held off the scoresheet.  After averaging more than 12 minutes a game, it’s safe to infer that Bemstrom should have the inside track on a roster spot with Columbus next season but a good start in Finland in more of an offensive role could certainly give him a boost heading into training camp where he’ll be looking for a bigger role.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Still with the Blue Jackets, goaltender Elvis Merzlikins told RSI Sport in Switzerland that he is hoping to get permission to train with HC Lugano next month. He is no stranger to Lugano having played there from 2009 through 2019 before coming to Columbus this season.  However, unlike before, Merzlikins has no intention of playing while he’s over there as if he is loaned, it would just be to skate with the team to stay in shape for training camp.
  • Flyers center Sean Couturier played through an MCL sprain in their final playoff game, relays Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. It’s not the first time that he has had an MCL injury in the past as he played through his final few 2018 postseason contests with an MCL tear.  The injury should be fully recovered in time for training camp.

Poll: Who Should Win The 2020 Selke Trophy?

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The finalists have been announced for all the major awards, but like every year there is much debate over who should take home each piece of hardware. In fact, with a shortened season and unorthodox playoff scenario, the views and reasoning behind each vote will perhaps vary even more wildly.

So as we get closer to the return of NHL hockey in Edmonton and Toronto, where 24 teams will try to chase the Stanley Cup, we’re going to ask you, the PHR faithful, to explain who you would vote for if given the chance.

After looking at the Calder Trophy finalists, Jack Adams nominees and Norris Trophy contenders, let’s shift our focus to the James Norris Memorial Trophy, given to “the forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game.” Despite being purely about defensive skill, the Selke is almost always given to a player who also excels at the offensive side of things. That makes it one of the most divisive major awards, especially since defensive acumen is so difficult to judge in many cases.

This year’s finalists are no different, with Ryan O’Reilly of the St. Louis Blues, Sean Couturier of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins also showing their strengths at the offensive end of the rink. The award also strongly leans towards the center position, which all three finalists are.

You have to start things with O’Reilly, given he took home the award a year ago. The Blues center has been one of the best faceoff men in the league for basically his entire career, posting a 55.4% win percentage over nearly 15,000 draws. He also is always available to help penalty kill, given he doesn’t take penalties—his ten PIM this season earned him another finalist spot in the Lady Byng voting.

O’Reilly won the award for the first time last season, but is up against the player who it may be renamed for one day. Patrice Bergeron has won the Selke four times in his career, finishing in the top-5 in each of the previous ten seasons. Taking his fifth trophy this year would move him ahead of Bob Gainey for the most all-time, a record that would be incredibly difficult to beat moving forward.

It’s easy to understand why Bergeron is always in the mix when you look at his incredible possession numbers, faceoff stats, and consistent takeaway totals. There are few players in history you’d rather want checking the opponent’s best talents, but Bergeon continues to just pour in 30-goal seasons year after year.

O’Reilly and Bergeron may be looking to repeat as winners, but they’ll have to defeat Couturier who has really taken over as the leader of the Flyers forward group. Once just known as a strong checking center, the 27-year old is now also an excellent offensive talent that rarely gives up the puck once he has it. Add that to his league-leading 59.7% faceoff percentage this season and it may finally be time for Couturier to win an individual award.

Perhaps more than any other award it is tough to know who came close to these three finalists, given how subjective the voting tends to be. Mark Stone, usually regarded as the best defensive winger in the game finished second last season and had another outstanding season in Vegas. Jonathan Toews, who won the award in 2013, had another strong year but has faded from Selke consideration in recent seasons. Sidney Crosby, whose defensive attributes are sometimes overlooked, played only 41 games and is likely to drop out of the top group.

Who do you think should take the 2020 Selke Trophy home? Feel free to vote outside the top three and explain your choice in the comments!

Who should win the 2020 Selke?
Sean Couturier 38.49% (321 votes)
Patrice Bergeron 33.57% (280 votes)
Ryan O'Reilly 23.74% (198 votes)
Other (leave in comments) 4.20% (35 votes)
Total Votes: 834

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

PHWA Announce 2019-20 Midseason Awards

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Though they have no bearing on the eventual winners, each season the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote for the Midseason Awards to give fans an idea of who is leading the charge around the NHL at the halfway point. Today those ballots have been tallied and the midseason trophies were given out:

Hart Trophy – Most valuable player

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
3. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

Norris Trophy – Best defenseman

1. John Carlson, Washington Capitals
2. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
3. Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes

Selke Trophy – Best defensive forward

1. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers
2. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Calder Trophy – Best rookie

1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
2. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
3. Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres

Lady Byng Trophy – Sportsmanship & gentlemanly conduct

1. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
2. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Vezina Trophy – Best goaltender

1. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
2. Ben Bishop, Dallas Stars
3. Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes

Jack Adams Award – Best coach

1. Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins
2. John Tortorella, Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Craig Berube, St. Louis Blues

Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award

1. Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
2. John Chayka, Arizona Coyotes
3. Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues

Rod Langway Award – Best defensive defenseman

1. Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
2. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators

Comeback Player of the Year Award

1. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
2. Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
3. Max Pacioretty, Vegas Golden Knights

Metropolitan Notes: Hall, Couturier, Chytil

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There hasn’t been much in the way of recent discussions about an extension between the Devils and winger Taylor Hall.  However, it appears as if that will be changing as Hall told NHL.com’s Mike Morreale that his agent Darren Ferris will be sitting down with New Jersey GM Ray Shero at some point during their Western road trip to talk contract.  That will represent their first meeting since the beginning of the season.

The 27-year-old came into the season with a chance at pushing for a similar price tag to Artemi Panarin, who back in July landed a record-setting $11.642MM AAV, the highest ever given to a winger.  However, while he has played relatively well so far, he’ll need to pick things up on the goal front as he has just two in a dozen games so far this season.  Nonetheless, with a current $6MM cap hit, Hall will be in line for a substantial raise regardless of whether that’s with the Devils or someone else.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Flyers center Sean Couturier is playing through a shoulder injury, reports Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Head coach Alain Vigneault acknowledged that Philadelphia’s team doctors had asked him to have him not take faceoffs in an effort to help the strain heal.  It’s believed that Couturier will need to avoid taking draws for the better part of another week.  Despite the discomfort, he’s off to another strong start to his season with nine points through 13 games so far.
  • Rangers center Filip Chytil has impressed since being recalled from AHL Hartford with a pair of goals in as many games going into Monday’s contest against Ottawa. He mentioned to Greg Joyce of the New York Post that part of the reason for his early success is that he’s playing his natural position after spending most of last year on the wing.  However, with Mika Zibanejad nearing a return from his neck issue, that opportunity to play down the middle may not be there for much longer.  It appears that he’ll have to adapt to the wing again or head back to the minors; given how he has fared thus far, the former is more likely than the latter.

Metropolitan Notes: Hall, Couturier, Capitals Depth

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Two days after criticizing New Jersey Devils fans after the team was booed during the team’s overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, Taylor Hall scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, put his hand to his ear, turned to the crowd and made a “Let’s hear it” gesture. When asked about it after the team’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Flyers, Hall said there was no ill-will towards New Jersey fans.

“That’s sports,” said Hall on Friday. “I mean, you’re up, you’re down, and that’s just kind of the way the season’s going right now. We play well enough to win and we don’t. So, we’re gonna have to work for our breaks, and no one is feeling sorry for us right now. We know we’re right there. We know this is no time to quit on our game plan or quit on each other. It’s really just about going out there and keep doing the things that we’re doing well and I think wins are going to follow.”

Hall was critical of fans after Wednesday’s games that led many to speculate that Hall may not want to play in New Jersey down the road. The 27-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and so far has resisted signing an extension with the team, which could leave the Devils forced to trade him sooner than later if they can’t get him locked up to a deal.

  • The Courier Post’s David Isaac reports that Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier played hurt on Friday when the Flyers faced off against the New Jersey Devils. The scribe writes that the left-handed Couturier struggled with his left hand or wrist and avoided taking faceoffs Friday, allowing Travis Konecny to take all, but three of the faceoffs when he was bounced from the circle. In the end, Couturier took those three faceoffs, losing them all. It’s not clear when he injured his hand, but it was before Friday’s game. “I’m not feeling 100 percent, but it’s part of a season,” said Couturier. “You got to battle through injuries. I’m just trying to do what I can to help the team win.” Couturier will remain day-to-day for now, although the team lacks quality depth at the center position if he has to miss any time.
  • The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell writes that the Washington Capitals are happier with the team’s forward depth this season as opposed to last season. The team brought in three key depth pieces in Brendan Leipsic, Richard Panik and Garnet Hathaway and with impressive play of Chandler Stephenson, Nic Dowd and Travis Boyd. It has given head coach Todd Rierden an opportunity to move players around much easier and create a climate of competition between bottom-line players. “We are in the middle of the process,” Rierden said. “Not even in the middle, but if you were to look at this to start the season, I think numbers wise you would be happy with where we are at standing-wise.”

 

Philadelphia Flyers Could Be Ready To Make Coaching Change

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Sunday: Despite the Flyers falling 5-1 to Vancouver Saturday and the road trip being completed, there has been no coaching changes made of yet, according to Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi. The scribe writes that while a coaching change MAY happen at some point, rumors that the team has hired Joel Quenneville are not accurate. Hakstol remains the coach in Philadelphia.

Saturday: While it likely wouldn’t come as any surprise, they Philadelphia Flyers may be ready to make a coaching change. The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor tweeted that he’s heard rumblings from key people that the Flyers may be ready to fire head coach Dave Hakstol after their road trip ends, which will be tonight after their game against Vancouver.

While Hakstol had an impressive coaching resume when he was hired back in 2015, that success hasn’t necessarily translated to the NHL. While he’s reached the playoffs twice on a rebuilding roster, the team has failed to get past the first round of the playoffs and the team has been abysmal in a season where many people felt the team was ready to compete for the top of their division. Instead, the Flyers have struggled this season, currently holding a record of 12-14-4, tied for last place in the Metropolitan Division.

The team’s struggles already cost the job of general manager Ron Hextall back on Nov. 26 and replaced soon after with new GM Chuck Fletcher, whose intention was to sit back and observe the team before making any changes. Hakstol’s chances are likely near an end, however, after the team’s recent losing streak as they have gone 3-7-3 in the last 13 games. That has included a recent string of tough losses, which started with a 7-1 loss to Winnipeg last Sunday, followed by a 6-5 overtime loss to Calgary in which the Flyers held a two-goal lead with 68 seconds left in the game and still lost. The team followed that up with a 4-1 loss Friday to Edmonton.

While the team seems to be waiting until after the road trip, that’s not too unusual. The Los Angeles Kings fired head coach John Stevens on Nov. 4 after the team pulled off a 4-1 victory over Columbus the day before, suggesting the team had already made up their mind about firing Stevens. The same could happen here. The Flyers are a team loaded with a core of top forwards, including Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, Nolan Patrick, James van Riemsdyk, Wayne Simmonds as well as top defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov, but haven’t been able to put anything together. The team’s goaltending situation is a mess and likely to be one of Fletcher’s first acts as GM, to find a reliable netminder. Regardless, the team doesn’t seem to be responding to Hakstol at the moment.

Metropolitan Notes: Murray, Couturier, Lundqvist, Merzlikins

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have a lot invested in their goaltender of the present and future in Matt Murray. You would think replacing Marc-Andre Fleury might be a challenging procedure, but Murray’s .923 save percentage in 49 games proved that the youngster was ready for the full-time role, one of the reasons why it wasn’t as hard to let Fleury go. However, last year’s struggles already has several fans worried about Murray’s long-term success.

Murray struggled with both injuries as well as the death of his father during the 2017-18 season in which he still played in 49 games, but didn’t fare as well, posting a .907 save percentage as well as a 2.92 GAA. However, Murray as well as the team’s other backups, Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry, have worked hard with goaltending coach Mike Buckley, who challenged each one of them, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Buckley feels that Murray has put too much pressure on himself to replace Fleury and needs to accept that he’s the “guy” now.

“The next step for him is to take it all in and enjoy it. ‘Hey, I’m the guy now. I can accept that. I don’t have to be Marc-Andre Fleury, but I can be tighter with my teammates and really open up to them.’” Buckley said.

Buckley added that Murray has worked hard on his conditioning and hopefully should be able to avoid injury, although some injuries like concussions are just unavoidable.

“In terms of how he takes care of his body, he’s meticulous,” Buckley said. “The problem is the things that you can’t control. A concussion, for example. Someone coming down and landing on you the wrong way. There’s really very little you can do about that.”

  • Sam Carchidi of philly.com writes that Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall says that No. 1 center Sean Couturier will be “absolutely” 100 percent at the start of the season in October and is already ready to resume skating. Couturier, who was expected to miss four weeks on Aug. 22 with a lower-body injury, is coming off a career-best season in which he scored 31 goals and 76 points and was a key part to the Flyers’ late-season success on a line with Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny.
  • Shayna Goldman of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that this will be a challenging season for New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who is coming off two poor seasons and now finds himself in the middle of a rebuilding project. Lundqvist has endured a very physical workload over the course of his career and didn’t get significant rest last season from then-head coach Alain Vigneault. One thing is imperative. The 36-year-old needs rest, which will be a key for new head coach David Quinn. The problem is that the team lacks an adequate backup as the no longer have either Cam Talbot or Antti Raanta serving behind him. The team now has a number of prospects, including Alexandar Georgiev, Dustin Tokarski and Marek Mazanec. However, unless one of them can step up, none seem likely to provide Lundqvist the kind of rest that he needs.
  • With the possibility that the team could lose star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to another team when he hits free agency next season, the Columbus Blue Jackets are placing more emphasis on the future suddenly, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required). While the team has their immediate goaltender of the future in their backup Joonas Korpisalo, the team is focusing their long-term hopes on Elvis Merzlikins, their third-round pick in 2014, who has been a dominant prospect for Lugano of the Swiss League. The 24-year-old has been one of the top goaltenders in the league, posting a .924 save percentage last year and is ready to come to North America next season.

Sean Couturier Out Four Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that Sean Couturier would be out for the next four weeks with a lower-body injury, which was reported by TVA Sports last night to be a re-injuring of his knee. The injury occurred on August 10th, and Couturier will be limited during the start of training camp for the Flyers, but if everything goes right should be ready for the start of the season.

Couturier, 25, is coming off his best season as a professional and one in which he jumped from solid role player to elite two-way center. With Claude Giroux’s move to the wing in Philadelphia, Couturier was given the first line center role and ran with it, scoring 31 goals and 76 points while logging nearly 22 minutes a night. He finished second in Selke Trophy voting as one of the league’s best defensive forwards, and was recently ranked one of the top-20 centers in the entire league by the NHL Network and here on PHR.

In the postseason, Couturier collided with Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas in practice and injured the MCL in his knee forcing him to miss the fourth game of their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Incredibly, Couturier was able to return for the fifth and sixth games of the series, recording a five-point game in a series-losing effort in game six. That kind of production is what the Flyers hope to get from Couturier this season, and will likely play it slow to make sure that he’s fully ready for the start of the regular season. With the team expected to once again compete for a playoff spot, they’ll need their star center in the lineup for as many games as possible.

Snapshots: Stars, Hutton, Couturier

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The Stars don’t appear to be in a hurry to find a replacement for Ken Hitchcock behind the bench.  GM Jim Nill told Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News that he plans to pare down his list of candidates in the coming weeks and then begin interviewing his short list in May.  That would appear to take them out of the running for Carolina bench boss Bill Peters, whose opt-out in his contract expires on Friday.

Nill acknowledged that he won’t necessarily be looking for a veteran behind the bench which would be a change of direction from his recent hires (Hitchcock and Lindy Ruff).  He’s open to bringing in someone without any NHL experience although he was quick to admit that some of the people he’d like to speak with are still in their respective postseasons.  It sounds like the Stars are casting a wide net to find their new bench boss but that means it may be a while before they find the right fit.

More from around the league:

  • Despite the fact that Canucks defenseman Ben Hutton spent plenty of time as a healthy scratch this season and was publicly criticized by head coach Travis Green at times, he has not asked for a trade, his agent Andy Scott told Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma. The blueliner, who turns 25 on Friday, recorded just six assists in 61 games in 2017-18 after putting up a total of 44 points over the previous two years.  With a cap hit (and salary) of $2.8MM next season that will also represent his qualifying offer in the summer of 2019, Hutton will need a bounce-back season to avoid potentially becoming a non-tender candidate.
  • Although he didn’t skate with the team at practice, Flyers center Sean Couturier could still play on Friday night against the Penguins, notes Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post. The pivot skated on his own before the team did and travelled with them to Pittsburgh.  His return would a boost to a Philadelphia squad who finds themselves facing elimination in Game Five.

Injury Notes: Hornqvist, Couturier, Jets

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will have Kris Letang in the lineup despite missing practice as a “maintenance day” but won’t be as lucky with Patric Hornqvist. The high-energy winger is out for Game 4 against the Philadelphia Flyers and has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Hornqvist has three points in the first three games for the Penguins, and is an integral part of their powerplay unit as the net front presence. The team certainly has enough firepower to get by without him, but any loss to their forward group will test the depth of the lower lines.

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