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Evening Notes: Bunting, Team Canada, Heinola

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Pittsburgh Penguins forward Michael Bunting earned praise last night from his head coach Mike Sullivan (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). Sullivan compared Bunting to former Penguins player Patric Hornqvist, saying that Bunting has the ability to get under the opponent’s skin.

It wasn’t that long ago that Bunting appeared to be getting under the skin of Sullivan, as the 29-year-old had just a single assist in his first 12 games this season. Bunting found himself a healthy scratch in mid-October and had to work his way out of the doghouse and back into the lineup. November wasn’t exactly a month to remember, but it did enough to quiet trade rumors as Bunting was back to his usual production, posting five goals and four assists in 14 games.

In other evening notes:

  • TSN’s Pierre LeBrun tweeted that Team Canada’s 4-nations roster has been finalized and will be announced after the deadline tomorrow. LeBrun added that the final decisions were made last night and the decision on the final few roster spots was quite difficult. Team Canada already named their first six players back in June, and those names were Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Brad Marchand, Brayden Point and Nathan MacKinnon.
  • Winnipeg Jets defenseman Ville Heinola was scratched once again today, marking the second game in a row he has sat in the press box (as per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press). The 23-year-old was recalled from his AHL conditioning assignment last Sunday and played twice this past week, going scoreless while averaging 13:01 in ice time per game. Logan Stanley remained in the Jets lineup today, presumably over Heinola, and struggled as he took three minor penalties against the Stars.

Metro Notes: Flyers, Romanov, Reilly, Hayes, Thompson

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As hinted earlier, the Philadelphia Flyers will be a little thin in the crease tonight. The organization announced that Aleksei Kolosov will not dress tonight due to a lower-body injury and Ivan Fedotov will make his fourth start of the season.

With Samuel Ersson still on the shelf with a lower-body injury, the Flyers needed to find a backup netminder for their contest tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The role will be filled by Kyle Konin whom the team has signed to an amateur tryout agreement for tonight’s game.

Konin hasn’t played competitively in quite some time and there’s no expectation he’ll play this evening. He last suited up in 2019-20 for the Grand Valley State Lakers playing in five games split between the university’s DII and DIII club teams. Konin also served as an emergency backup netminder for the Lightning and the St. Louis Blues although he did not play.

Other Metro notes:

  • The New York Islanders will still be light on the blue line with Andrew Gross of Newsday reporting defensemen Alexander Romanov and Mike Reilly won’t re-enter the lineup tonight. Both blue-liners haven’t played since the team’s November 1st game against the Buffalo Sabres as they’re both nursing injuries. Tonight marks the third game without the pair and the Islanders have surrendered eight total games in the two games without Romanov and Reilly.
  • The play-by-play voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Josh Getzoff, reports Kevin Hayes is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. This confirms Hayes won’t be in the lineup tonight as the Penguins take on the Carolina Hurricanes and should make him questionable for tomorrow’s contest against the Washington Capitals. Hayes’ absence won’t dramatically affect the Penguins’ lineup as he’s only averaging 9:27 of ice time in his first year with Pittsburgh.
  • We’re only a few weeks away from full rosters being announced for the 4 Nations Face-Off and one of the bigger topics of conversation has surrounded Team Canada’s goaltenders. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported earlier that Capitals’ netminder Logan Thompson has put himself on Team Canada’s radar with his solid start to the season. Thompson hasn’t recorded a loss yet this season after six starts and has managed a .903 save percentage. Should he find a spot on Team Canada’s roster, it’ll be Thompson’s first international play since the 2022 IIHF World Championships.

International Notes: Team Canada, Cracknell, Day

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St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong will have his hands full for the first half of the 2024-25 NHL season. Armstrong recently took part in an interview with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun where the two spoke at length about Team Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Faceoff in 2025 and the announcement that teams will need rosters in place by December 2nd, 2024.

The first six players of Canada’s roster were already announced on June 28th, 2024 as Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand, Connor McDavid, and Brayden Point have already made the team. Canada ices the majority of players in the NHL (41.7% of opening night rosters in 2023-24) which makes Armstrong’s job in scouting that much more difficult in determining the next 17 players and three goaltenders in three months.

LeBrun adds that goaltending is the biggest question mark facing Team Canada as the team no longer has access to Carey Price, Martin Brodeur, or Roberto Luongo. Armstrong isn’t as worried about the goaltending situation for Canada as he said, “The only goalies to win a Stanley Cup over the last decade have been Russian or Canadian. So we’re in pretty good shape if you’re using that as a barometer“.

Other international notes:

  • Journeyman forward Adam Cracknell will take his talent overseas for the first time since the 2020-21 season as Slovakia’s HK Poprad announced a one-year contract for the veteran. Cracknell spent all last season with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights collecting 18 goals and 35 points in 53 games. He has 210 NHL games under his belt with the Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, and Anaheim Ducks but has not played in an NHL contest since the 2018-19 season.
  • Former top prospect Sean Day is heading overseas as HV71 of the SHL has announced a two-year deal for the defenseman. Day became the fourth player to be granted ’Exceptional Player Status’ by Hockey Canada behind John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, and McDavid but floundered almost immediately upon joining the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads in 2013-14. He was eventually drafted 81st overall by the Rangers in the 2016 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 28th, 2021.

International Notes: Team Canada, Kuznetsov, Chernyshov, Rendulic

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Team Canada is already making significant preparations for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament that is set to take place in mid-February next year. The organization announced four assistant coaches who will be on the bench with the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Jon Cooper. Bruce Cassidy of the Vegas Golden Knights, Peter DeBoer of the Dallas Stars, Rick Tocchet of the Vancouver Canucks, and Misha Donskov of the Stars will all represent their native Canada in next season’s tournament.

All four assistant coaches have previously served with Team Canada in varying capacities. Cassidy suited up for Team Canada in the 1984 IIHF World Junior Championship but did not earn a medal while also playing for Canada’s National Team during the 1986-87 season where he scored three goals and nine points in 12 games. As a player and a coach, the 4 Nations Face-Off will be Cassidy’s official return to Team Canada.

Tocchet joins Cassidy as the only other member of the staff to be joining Team Canada as a coach for the first time. Tocchet played in the 1987 and 1991 iterations of the Canada Cup where Canada secured gold against the Soviet Union and the United States. Vancouver’s head coach suited up for Team Canada’s World Championship after his dominant 1989-90 season concluded.

DeBoer and Donskov have considerable experience coaching Team Canada with most of their work coming in the World Junior Championships. DeBoer served as an assistant coach with Team Canada for the 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2015 tournaments with Canada winning gold in the final year. Similarly, Donskov served as a video coach to Team Canada during their pursuit of gold in 2015 while winning another gold medal with the team in 2016 as an assistant coach.

Other international notes:

  • Former forward for the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes, Evgeny Kuznetsov will be leaving for his native Russia as SKA St. Petersburg announced they had signed the veteran to a four-year contract earlier today. Kuznetsov will earn $950K in each year of his deal with access to substantial bonuses. According to Daria Tuboltseva of RG.org, Kuznetsov will earn $3.5MM if he reaches the top three in scoring, $3.5MM if he reaches the top three in goal scoring, $3.5MM if he reaches the top three in +/-, and $1.2MM for winning the Gagarin Cup. This means that on his four-year contract, Kuznetsov will have the opportunity to earn $47MM in salary if he can achieve all his bonus markers.
  • Beat writer for the San Jose Sharks, Curtis Pashelka, reports that Sharks’ prospect Igor Chernyshov has terminated his contract with Dynamo Moscow and will head to North America for the 2024-25 NHL season. There has been no indication that San Jose is trying to sign Chernyshov to his entry-level contract. Chernyshov was a potential first-round talent in the 2024 NHL Draft that fell to 33rd overall in the second round. The OHL’s Saginaw Spirit selected Chernyshov in the most recent OHL Import Draft with the 56th overall selection, and he will likely suit up for them next season.
  • Former depth forward for the Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks, Borna Rendulic, has decided to extend his stay with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. According to EliteProspects, Rendulic is in agreement with St. Petersburg on an extension that will keep him with the organization for the 2024-25 KHL season. Rendulic was acquired from HC Sochi last year and 11 goals and 27 points in 51 games to close out the season.

Blackhawks Notes: Johnson, Bedard, Kurashev, Captaincy

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The Chicago Blackhawks can expect to lose Tyler Johnson this summer, reports Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link), with the veteran forward instead hoping to sign with a playoff contender. Johnson told Pope, “I’m obviously thankful for being here, I’ve met a lot of good people, but it wasn’t exactly like I envisioned or wanted.”

Johnson’s Blackhawks career certainly hasn’t gone as the team may have expected either. He joined the Hawks ahead of the 2021-22 season, after years of filling a solid role, and routinely challenging 50 points, with the Tampa Bay Lightning. But as forewarned by his last two years in Tampa Bay, injuries have heavily limited Johnson’s career in Chicago. He’s missed 97 games over the last three seasons, including playing in just 26 games in 2021-22 due to a neck injury. Those absences have kept him from finding a true groove with the Blackhawks, scoring just 70 points in 149 games and never averaging more than 16 minutes of ice time. Chicago iced one of the youngest lineups in the league this season and seems bound to do much of the same next year, as they attempt to build a franchise around Connor Bedard. After years of injury issues and low scoring, it’s easy to see why the 33-year-old Johnson may prefer a more productive end to his career. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.

Other notes out of Chicago:

  • Speaking of Bedard, he’s confirmed that he is headed to the World Championship with Team Canada, per The Athletic’s Scott Powers (Twitter link). This is hardly a surprise – Bedard has been a fixture of international hockey since he tied Connor McDavid’s record for U16 scoring (14 points) at the World U18 Championship in 2021. Bedard has officially totaled 21 points in 11 games with Canada’s U18 team and 31 points in 14 games with the U20 team. He’ll look to build on that phenomenal scoring this summer, now at the top level of international play.
  • Bedard’s linemate, Philipp Kurashev, will also be headed to the World Championship to play for Team Switzerland, shares Pope (Twitter link). Kurashev and Bedard quipped that their top goal will be to score on Petr Mrazek, who will suit up for Team Czechia. This will be Kurashev’s fourth consecutive season attending the World Championship, having totaled 13 points in 24 games over the last three tournaments.
  • Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson shared that the team isn’t yet sure if they’ll have a captain next season, per NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis (Twitter link), adding that it’ll be an off-season conversation with the coaches. The Hawks haven’t had a captain since Jonathan Toews’ career ended in the 2022-23 season, though they did have five different alternate captains last year. Whoever takes on the role will be setting history, becoming the first Blackhawks captain since a 20-year-old Toews took on the role in 2008. Toews’ 14-year tenure in the role makes him one of the longest-tenured captains in NHL history – a list led by Steve Yzerman’s 19 seasons leading the Detroit Red Wings.

Don Sweeney, Jim Nill To Manage Team Canada At 4 Nations

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Team Canada has announced that Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney will serve as the team’s general manager for the upcoming 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill has been named the associate general manager (Twitter link). They were chosen by Doug Armstrong, the management group lead for Canada’s National Men’s Team, with support from Ryan Getzlaf, Scott Salmond, Katherine Henderson, and Pat McLaughlin.

This will be Sweeney’s first time managing an international team – and his first time managing a team not called the Bruins. He’s been confined to the Boston organization since his managerial career began in 2006-07, serving as Boston’s GM for the last nine seasons. His only international experience to this point was 11 games at the 1997 IIHF World Championship, where Sweeney potted four points as Canada paved their way to a Gold Medal. He’s since added the 2011 Stanley Cup and the 2019 General Manager of the Year award to his trophy cabinet, on top of leading some of the most impressive regular season performances the NHL has ever seen.

Sweeney will be flanked by Nill, who has plenty of international experience under his belt. Nill served as Canada’s GM at the 2004 and 2015 World Championships, winning a Gold Medal both times. He also garnered plenty of experience as a player – joining Canada at the 1980 Winter Olympics, the site of America’s prolific Miracle on Ice. That experience could light a fire under Nill, who is bound to face tough competition from the United States at 4 Nations.

The duo of Sweeney and Nill not only connects two of the top GMs in the NHL, it marks the first big step from Armstrong and his new management group for the Canadian National Men’s Team. They will look to takeaway  all of the learning lessons that they can, with the 2026 Winter Olympics rapidly approaching.

Rick Nash Named GM Of Canada’s World Championship Roster

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Team Canada has announced that former Rocket Richard winner Rick Nash will serve as the team’s general manager at the World Championship (Twitter link). Nash served as an assistant general manager on Canada’s 2022 World Championship roster that would go on to earn a silver medal.

This will be Nash’s first foray into general managing, though he’s been in the Columbus Blue Jackets front office since the 2019-20 season – serving as a special assistant to the general manager for two years before taking on the Director of Player Development title that he holds today.

Nash, 39, is pursuing a managerial career after a very successful 15 years in the NHL. He was one of the league’s most potent goal-scorers through the mid-2000’s, managing three different 40-goal seasons between 2003 and 2015. Nash remains Columbus’ franchise leader in goals (289), assists (258), and points (547) – carrying a 145-point lead over Cam Atkinson in second place. He has achieved plenty on the top stage, including winning the Rocket Richard for his 41-goal season in 2003-04, winning two Olympic gold medals, and even winning a championship and MVP title in Switzerland’s National League during the 2004-05 lockout.

Nash has also been highly acclaimed at the World Championship, winning a gold medal and MVP award at the 2007 World Championship and serving as Team Canada’s captain in 2011, his last appearance at the tourney. He’ll now return 13 years later, as Canada looks to build on their gold medal win last season.

Bill Guerin Named GM Of U.S. Four Nations And Olympic Teams

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Minnesota Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin has been named the general manager of Team USA for the upcoming 2025 NHL Four Nations Face-Off as well as the 2026 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team. The announcement was made official this morning and allows the three-time U.S. Olympian to take some time before selecting his first six players for the Four Nations tournament, which is something the NHL has asked each team to do early this summer.

Guerin is no stranger to donning the American sweater as he suited up for three Olympics in 1998, 2002, and 2006, winning a silver medal in 2002. He was also a member of the 1996 Team USA World Cup team that shocked the hockey world and created one of the most iconic moments in USA hockey history when they beat Team Canada to win the tournament. Guerin is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, having been inducted back in 2013.

Guerin retired from playing in 2010 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins and then spent eight seasons with the team in management, winning two Stanley Cups. He was then named general manager of the Wild in August 2019 and guided Minnesota to four consecutive playoff appearances before being named president of hockey operations and general manager last July.

Guerin made sweeping changes in Minnesota during his nearly five years with the franchise with his biggest moves being the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Now he is tasked with putting together a collection of American players who can bring home gold in two separate tournaments and could be the favourite in both. Team Canada will have arguably the best forward group in both tournaments; however, the Americans will likely boast the most well-rounded team, something that Guerin and his staff will start to look at in the coming months.

Hockey Canada Issues Updates On 2018 Investigation

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Earlier today, after the London Police Service held a press conference regarding the investigation into several players of the 2018 U20 Team Canada roster, Hockey Canada released several updates of their own. The major takeaway from the report is that all members of the 2018 U20 Team Canada roster remain suspended from Hockey Canada-sanctioned events, pending an appeal process started in 2023.

For this specifically, Hockey Canada is investigating whether or not any team members breached the organization’s code of conduct and what sanctions should be imposed on the individual players. With respect to the investigation and the legal process, Hockey Canada was unable to comment further and did not give a clear timeline as to when the appeals process may reach its conclusion.

Depending on the timeline, this will bar all players from the 2018 U20 Team Canada roster from playing in any international events, except the “4 Nations Face-Off” in 2025, as it is an NHL-sanctioned event. Without getting into the specifics, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hockey Canada, Katherine Henderson was quoted as saying:

“Hockey Canada recognizes that in the past we have been too slow to act and that in order to deliver the meaningful change that Canadians expect of us, we must work diligently and urgently to ensure that we are putting in place the necessary measures to regain their trust, and provide all participants with a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment on and off the ice”.

Outside of Hockey Canada, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers will receive cap relief for players currently on leave who have been charged in the 2018 Team Canada legal proceedings. Without specifying how much cap relief the teams would receive, it is reasonable to assume that the full dollar amount of each player’s contract will now be taken off the books for the foreseeable future, meaning $2.3MM, $2.2MM, and $3.98MM, respectively.

Evening Notes: Campbell, Okposo, Beck, Donovan

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The Edmonton Oilers are planning to shop around goaltender Jack Campbell as the trade deadline approaches, general manager Ken Holland tells The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. But LeBrun doesn’t think there will be many suitors for Campbell’s $5MM cap hit ahead of the deadline, speculating that the team will instead have to wait until the summer to decide what to do with the netminder – whether that’s a buyout or trade.

Campbell’s time in Edmonton has certainly not gone as expected. The 31-year-old is in his second team with the club, after signing a five-year, $25MM contract with the club. He lost the starter job to Calder Trophy finalist Stuart Skinner last season, setting a 21-9-4 record and .888 save percentage through 36 games with the team. But he was only allowed five games with the Oilers this year, putting up a meager .873 save percentage before being placed on waivers and sent to the minor leagues. He’s since made 11 appearances with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, setting a 5-6-0 record and .893 save percentage.

Campbell was a productive goaltender in the two years he spent playing significant time for the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier in his career but hasn’t looked the same since moving across Canada. His status will be one of the Oilers’ biggest questions to answer this summer.

More notes from around the league:

  • Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo returned to the team’s practices on Monday, working his way back from a lower-body injury that’s held him out of the team’s last two games. Okposo is still designated as day-to-day but is nearing a return. He’s managed 14 points in 38 games this season – his 17th NHL season.
  • Polarizing Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck has had his rights traded in the OHL, moving from the Peterborough Petes to the Saginaw Spirit. Saginaw sent Aiden Young and three draft picks the other way. Beck has managed 30 points in 25 points with Peterborough this season, adding one goal in five games at the World Juniors. He went 33rd overall to the Canadiens in the 2022 NHL Draft.
  • The Ottawa Senators also had a prospect moved to Saginaw, as the Spirit acquired defenseman Jorian Donovan from the Brantford Bulldogs. Saginaw sent eight draft picks the other way, including two second-round picks and four third-round picks. Donovan has 28 points in 34 OHL games this season and also attended the World Juniors, though he went scoreless in all five Team Canada games. He was a fifth-round selection in 2022.

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