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Trent Cull

Pacific Notes: Demko, Richardson, Cull

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The offseason has already started for 30 of the NHL’s 32 teams, and David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period believes the busiest teams from that group has been the Vancouver Canucks. In one matter in particular, Pagnotta reports that Canucks netminder Thatcher Demko is open to a change of scenery this summer.

It’s a stark contrast from Jim Rutherford’s expressed desires at the end of the season. Rutherford bluntly said, “We would like to extend him.” Pagnotta’s report could indicate that Demko isn’t on the same page as the Canucks, is open to being traded if there isn’t an extension by the end of the offseason, or it’s just plain conjecture.

Any team interested in acquiring Demko will be trading for a gamble. He’s had storied issues staying healthy over the last two years, but still carries a career .910 SV% in 242 games. He’s reportedly entering the offseason healthy, so he’ll have a full summer of preparation, which could give goalie-hungry teams enough comfort to pull the trigger on a move.

Other notes from the Pacific Division:

  • Although the Seattle Kraken ultimately hired Lane Lambert as their next head coach, the team reportedly garnered interest from the Chicago Blackhawks’ former bench boss. Bill Meltzer, a contributor for the Philadelphia Flyers, reported that Luke Richardson expressed interest in the coaching vacancy in Seattle, but it is unclear whether he secured an interview. The Boston Bruins’ and Pittsburgh Penguins’ vacancies are the only two remaining for Richardson, and there’s no belief he’s a frontrunner for either.
  • The Calgary Flames have promoted the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. Calgary announced they’ve added Trent Cull as an assistant coach on a full-time basis for the 2025-26 NHL season. Cull guided the Wranglers to two straight postseason appearances, losing in the Pacific Division semifinals during his first year and the First Round this postseason.

Snapshots: Shore, Jets, Cull, Devils

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The Wild announced that they’ve recalled center Devin Shore from AHL Iowa.  It’s the seventh recall of the season for the 30-year-old who actually spent the bulk of the regular season with Minnesota.  Shore got into 55 NHL games this season, his highest total since the 2018-19 campaign.  However, production was hard to come by as he was limited to just one goal and four assists in those outings while logging just 8:39 per contest of ice time.  Shore was more productive in the minors, picking up two goals and eight assists in 15 appearances with Iowa.  With Iowa not making the AHL playoffs, more recalls will likely be coming in the next few days.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Jets winger Gabriel Vilardi returned to practice in a non-contact jersey, relays TSN’s John Lu (Twitter link). The 25-year-old has missed the last four weeks with an upper-body injury, bringing a career year offensively to an early end.  Vilardi had 61 points in 71 games this season but may still be a few days away from returning.  That’s also the case for center Rasmus Kupari.  Murat Ates of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that he has been cleared to return from his concussion but will need a few practices with contact before being an option to suit up.  Meanwhile, Ates adds that defenseman Ville Heinola is also dealing with a nagging injury.  That has been a familiar refrain for the blueliner who was limited to just 18 games this season due to injury trouble.
  • The Flames announced that interim assistant coach Trent Cull is returning to AHL Calgary and will return to his duties as head coach of the Wranglers heading into the playoffs. Cull was moved behind the bench with the Flames following assistant coach Brad Larsen’s indefinite leave of absence due to family reasons.  Joe Cirella had been serving as interim head coach of the Wranglers and will now resume his assistant coach duties while Martin Gelinas, who was named as an interim assistant with them following Cull’s promotion, will remain in that role for the playoffs.
  • It would be a surprise to see defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler suit up for the Devils in their series against Carolina, relays team reporter Amanda Stein (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last two-and-a-half months with a lower-body injury and had initially been ruled out for the rest of the regular season.  Clearly, Siegenthaler, who logged nearly 20 minutes a night before being injured, will need more time to recover.  Meanwhile, Stein relays in a separate tweet that defenseman Brenden Dillon was eager to return to play today after exiting in the second period but was held back by team doctors.  Nonetheless, that’s an encouraging sign for his availability heading into Tuesday’s second game.  However, there was no update on center Cody Glass who exited the game after taking a slash from teammate Jacob Markstrom.

Flames Name Trent Cull Interim Assistant Coach

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The Flames have promoted AHL Calgary head coach Trent Cull to their NHL bench to serve as an interim assistant, per a team announcement. He replaces Brad Larsen for the time being, who’s been out on an indefinite personal leave of absence since Dec. 8.

It will mark the 51-year-old Cull’s second time serving on an NHL bench. He was promoted to an assistant role with the Canucks in 2022 after five years as their AHL head coach but was fired midway through the 2022-23 campaign alongside Bruce Boudreau. Cull returned to coaching the following offseason, signing on as Calgary’s AHL head coach. He replaced Mitch Love in the role after he moved to Washington to take a job with the Capitals as an assistant.

Under Cull, the Wranglers have a 55-36-10 record since the beginning of last season. Cull previously served as an AHL assistant with the Syracuse Crunch from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2013 to 2017. In the meantime, he was the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Sudbury Wolves.

Replacing Cull as the interim AHL bench boss will be longtime NHL defenseman Joe Cirella. Cirella has been with the Flames’ farm club as an assistant since the 2018-19 campaign, which was prefaced by a lengthy career in the Ontario Hockey League as an assistant and associate coach. Cirella also served as an assistant with the Panthers in the 1997-98 season, his first after retirement.

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