Atlantic Notes: Schenn, Senators, Roest
In last week’s rendition of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman alluded to the idea that St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn was willing to waive his no-trade clause to join the Toronto Maple Leafs under one condition: that the team also acquire his brother, Luke Schenn.
Specifically, Friedman said, “I heard…Brayden Schenn wasn’t going to waive to Toronto unless the Leafs also got Luke; when all that was going on about teams uniting the Schenn brothers, that’s what I think Toronto was trying to do.” Since he used the past tense and suggested that the team was trying to unite the brothers, it seems likely that this was something the Maple Leafs attempted last year rather than at the present moment.
However, it’s certainly something Toronto could revisit this season. Brayden has less trade protection than he did last year, seeing his full no-trade clause drop to a 15-team no-trade list this season, while Luke is a pending unrestricted free agent playing on a disappointing Winnipeg Jets team. The Maple Leafs have decent depth on the right side of their defensive core, but could use additional insurance should Brandon Carlo go down with injury again.
Additional notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Recently, there has been significant discussion surrounding the Ottawa Senators, particularly regarding the team’s strong statement refuting rumors that circulated online about goaltender Linus Ullmark and the reasons for his personal leave. In a recent interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, General Manager Steve Staios said he wouldn’t change his timing, saying, “So I felt strongly that we had to be there for him, (that) I had to make a statement. And whatever comes with that, I can live with. I’m not going to apologize for standing up for my players when they need it.”
- Jarmo Kekäläinen has made another significant addition to the Buffalo Sabres front office. Earlier today, the Sabres announced that they’ve hired Stacy Roest as a professional scout. It’s technically a step backward for Roest in his professional career, as he was the longtime Director of Player Development and Assistant General Manager for the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2013-14 to 2024-25.
Metropolitan Notes: Penguins Coaching, Roest, Kuokkanen
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ coaching search continues to headline news out of the Metropolitan Division, as the squad seeks out their first change at head coach in the last decade. Their final rounds of interviews have led to two candidates emerging above the rest – Washington Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love, and former Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
Love has been behind the Capitals’ bench for the last two seasons, after spending the two years prior serving as the head coach of Calgary’s AHL squad. Love worked in the WHL and Canada’s U17 and U18 squads for the better half of the 2010’s. He supported Team Canada’s Gold Medal wins at the 2016 U17 World Hockey Championship, 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and 2020 World Junior Championship. He also won the AHL’s ‘Coach of the Year’ award in both of his two years in the league – 2021-22 and 2022-23. The past two years in Washington have marked Love’s first in the NHL in any capacity, and a move to head coach would mark a quick reward after he supported Pittsburgh’s rival to a second-round exit this season.
Smith sits as an interesting option opposite of Love. He has spent the last season-and-a-half in an assistant or associate coach role with the Los Angeles Kings, who hired him on the same day that he was fired from the Senators’ head coaching role in 2023. Smith posted a combined 131-154-32 record in just over four years with the Senators. He also has six years of experience as an NHL assistant coach, spread between tenures with the Toronto Maple Leafs and L.A. Kings. He’d be a hotly debated addition, though offers a much hardier pro coaching resume than Love.
Other notes from the Metro Division:
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have parted ways with assistant general manager and AHL general manager Stacy Roest, per Ashley Wenskoski of CNY Central. Roest was a colleague of freshly-hired New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche during their shared time in Tampa Bay, and could be a candidate to join their front office. Roest has been with the Tampa Bay organization since the 2013-14 season, when he joined on as a Director of Player Development and AHL assistant coach. He was promoted to AHL GM in the 2019-20 season. Roest also played in 244 career games in the NHL, split between tenures with the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild. He ended his career with nine years in Switzerland’s National League, which allowed him to support Team Canada at six separate Spengler Cups.
- Former Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils centerman Janne Kuokkanen has extended his tenure overseas. He has signed a four-year contract with the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks. Kuokkanen played one season with Malmo in 2023-24 – scoring 44 points in 43 games – but opted to move to the National League for this season. He’ll reverse that decision one season later, after netting just 25 points in 35 games with Lausanne HC. Kuokkanen was a second-round selection in the 2016 NHL Draft and played in 119 NHL games split between the Hurricanes and Devils. He scored 14 goals and 42 points in those appearances.