Evening Notes: Carlo, Olympics, OHL Draft
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are down to just four series and the start of the off-season is still a ways away, but that doesn’t mean the hockey news cycle slows down. There have been quite a few notable announcements today, including one that involves one of those few remaining active teams. After taking a hard, but clean check from New York Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck, Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo was forced out of Game Three on Thursday with an apparent head injury. Carlo has a history of concussions, including missing time earlier this season, and after his head made contact with the boards, the big defender struggled to get back up and had to be helped off the ice. The expectation of course was that Carlo could miss considerable time as a result of the check; however, the initial reports suggested that Carlo was feeling good after the game. Well, the Bruins will sit Carlo for at least Game Four, the team has announced, perhaps just out of an abundance of caution. The hope is that Carlo can return sooner rather than later, especially with fellow blue liners Kevan Miller and Jakub Zboril also injured and Steven Kampfer out for the year. In the meantime, Jeremy Lauzon will be elevated to Carlo’s spot on the second pair and Jarred Tinordi will sub into the lineup.
- It appears that the NHL is using the ongoing IIHF World Championships to work with the international governing body on an agreement for the upcoming Olympics. TSN’s Gord Miller relays word from IIHF officials that “significant progress” has been made on terms of NHL participation in the 2022 Winter Games. The two sides have been discussing the topic in-person for the first time while in Riga, Latvia this week and appear to be on the right track. Olympic participation in Beijing, China in 2022 and Milan, Italy in 2026 was negotiated as part of last year’s Collective Bargaining Agreement extension, but was pending an agreement between the NHL and IIHF as well. It seems that such an agreement is now getting close.
- The OHL wrapped up their two-day Priority Selection Draft on Saturday. The opening of the draft made headlines on Friday, with American Quentin Musty being selected first overall and Oakville Rangers U16 program contributing five of the next ten picks. However, it was pick No. 267 today that stole the show. The Sarnia Sting selected goaltender Taya Currie with the pick, making her the first female player to ever be drafted into the OHL. It is quite the honor for Currie, but she now faces the difficult decision of committing to the men’s junior game or instead reserving her NCAA eligibility to play the women’s game at the next level.
Snapshots: Development Camps, IIHF, Lundell, Abdelkader
While vaccination rates continue to grow across the NHL’s 32 cities, it doesn’t seem as if one of the staples of the offseason won’t be happening this year either. Player agent Andy Scott of Octagon Hockey told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that he doesn’t expect Development Camps to be held due to the various travel and quarantine restrictions. To that end, some rookie tournaments could also potentially be in jeopardy or will need to be shortened unless things open up considerably over the next couple of months. It will be a compressed summer schedule with the draft and free agency being later in July but there could be a couple of notable events that are absent from the usual offseason calendar.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- The IIHF announced that they have made several changes to their rulebook in an attempt to amalgamate those used in the NHL and various international leagues. Among the changes that will be noticeable is the institution of the trapezoid behind the net, expanded video review and challenge options, plus the adaptation of the NHL’s offside rule which allows for a player to be onside as long as the skate is over the plane of the blue line instead of having to have the skate touch the line. These changes will be in effect for the Women’s Worlds which were recently moved to Calgary in late August as well as the upcoming Olympic qualification tournaments.
- The Panthers intend to have 2020 top pick Anton Lundell at training camp in the fall, GM Bill Zito told David Furones of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The center was picked 12th overall and is coming off a strong season with HIFK in the SM-liiga while being Finland’s leading scorer at the World Championships. It’s worth noting that Lundell has not yet signed his entry-level deal but with Zito’s comments, it appears they expect to get him signed by then.
- Winger Justin Abdelkader was on Team USA’s entry at the Worlds before suffering a lower-body injury in their round robin victory over Germany. GM John Vanbiesbrouck told Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen that the veteran will need to have some work done to fix the injury which is speculated to be a knee issue. That could make it tougher for him to return to the NHL for next season which is his intention. The 34-year-old was productive with EV Zug in the Swiss League, notching eight points in nine regular season games plus nine more in 13 playoff contests.
Central Notes: Chicago Goalies, Quenneville, Detroit Prospects
The Blackhawks went into this season with plenty of uncertainty between the pipes with Malcolm Subban and Collin Delia battling for the number one role with Kevin Lankinen serving as a third option. Of course, by the end, Lankinen had established himself as the starter but there is still plenty of uncertainty regarding the viability of this trio. Despite that, Phil Thompson and Chris Sosa of the Chicago Tribune feel that the team would be justified sticking with that same goalie group for next season which would allow them to evaluate Lankinen’s potential viability as a long-term starter while determining if one of Subban or Delia is worthy of a full-time backup spot. All three netminders are slated to become unrestricted free agents in the 2022 offseason.
More from the Central:
- Still regarding a Chicago goaltender, USA Hockey announced that prospect Drew Commesso has been added to their roster for the World Championships, replacing Anthony Stolarz who was injured in Sunday’s victory over Canada. The 18-year-old was a second-round pick of the Blackhawks (46th overall) back in 2020 and had a .915 SV% in 11 appearances in his freshman year at Boston University.
- The fact that Seattle has yet to name their inaugural head coach is somewhat of a surprise given the veterans that have been available and the fact that GM Ron Francis wants an experienced voice behind the bench. However, Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests the reason for that could be that the Kraken are interested in Panthers bench boss Joel Quenneville, positing that Florida might be willing to let him go for financial reasons. Considering the season that they’ve had, it’d be tough to imagine that they’d simply let him go to save some money but if there is even a remote possibility of it happening, Francis’ patience in naming a coach would be justified.
- While many expect Red Wings top prospects Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond to make the jump to the NHL next season, Detroit GM Steve Yzerman told MLive’s Ansar Khan that the youngsters aren’t pencilled into a spot on the roster. While he acknowledged that Seider – recently named the SHL’s defenseman of the year – should be ready to jump into the NHL lineup, Detroit has preferred a slower development approach in recent years which could result in the youngsters getting some AHL time first.
Russia Adds Three To World Championships Roster
The early playoff exits for the Capitals and Blues is Russia’s gain. The IIHF announced today that Russia has added winger Vladimir Tarasenko from St. Louis plus defenseman Dmitry Orlov and goalie Ilya Samsonov from Washington. Meanwhile, Alex Ovechkin declined an invitation due to injury; he missed seven of the last eight games in the regular season due to a lower-body issue which he likely still hasn’t fully recovered from.
It was a tough year for Tarasenko who missed the first half of the season with a shoulder injury and then wasn’t particularly productive upon his return, notching just four goals in 24 games. He managed to pick up a pair of postseason tallies, both coming in yesterday’s 5-2 loss to Colorado. Nevertheless, he should be able to step in and be a go-to scoring threat as the tournament progresses.
As for Washington’s duo, Samsonov’s sophomore season wasn’t as strong as his first year. He had two separate stints on the COVID Protocol Related Absences List including one that made him unavailable for the first two playoff games and managed just a .902 SV% in 19 regular season appearances. Russia kept a goalie spot open presumably in case Washington was eliminated, a decision that looks wise now. Orlov, meanwhile, picked up 22 points in 51 games for the Capitals this season while chipping in with three helpers in the playoffs while seeing his playing time increase to just over 23 minutes a night. He’ll be expected to log similar minutes for Russia.
As TSN’s Gord Miller points out (Twitter link), several countries left spots open for potential late additions. Those are the following:
Canada: Five skaters
Denmark: One goaltender, five skaters
Germany: Five skaters
Russia: One skater
Switzerland: Three skaters
United States: Two skaters
Depending on what other teams get eliminated in the next few days in the playoffs, there could be some reinforcements coming for the above countries. However, they won’t be allowed to play right away and will be required to serve a six-day quarantine upon arriving in Latvia, just like Russia’s new trio of players will soon be doing.
International Notes: Jokinen, Roy, Samorukov, Kovalenko
Long-time NHL forward Jussi Jokinen has decided to call it a career, telling NHL.com’s Varpu Sihvonen that he is hanging up his skates at the age of 38. Jokinen played in 951 career NHL games over parts of 13 seasons with nine different teams, picking up 191 goals and 372 assists. After spending a year in Switzerland, he returned home to play in Karpat where he spent the last two seasons. His production dipped this season as he picked up just nine goals in 51 games which helped lead to his decision as he felt that he is no longer able to play at a high enough level to contribute as much as he wants to. Jokinen didn’t win a Stanley Cup in the NHL but picked up five medals internationally, two at the Olympics and three at the World Championships.
More from the international game:
- Jokinen wasn’t the only veteran announcing his retirement as Derek Roy did the same today via a post on his Instagram page. The center spent most of his 11-year career with Buffalo and suited up in 738 career games, notching 189 goals and 335 assists. Roy last saw NHL action in 2015 before embarking on a four-country tour over the past six seasons which ended with EHC Munchen where he had four goals and five helpers in just 12 games in 2020-21.
- CSKA Moscow of the KHL announced (Twitter link) that they have released defenseman Dmitri Samorukov, paving the way for him to return to the Oilers for next season. The 21-year-old spent last season with AHL Bakersfield but the uncertainty around the pandemic led him to stay in Russia for this season where he managed two goals and six assists in 48 games. While he’s eligible to play in the playoffs with Edmonton, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury so that won’t be happening.
- Avalanche prospect Nikolai Kovalenko told Championnat’s Alexander Kozhevnikov that he is leaving Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL due to unhappiness over his role. The 2018 sixth-rounder had a limited role this season but still managed to notch five goals and six assists in 41 games. The winger indicated that there are a couple of options he’s currently considering – signing with Colorado and coming to North America or staying in Russia and joining Ak Bars Kazan. As Kovalenko was drafted out of Russia, his NHL rights will be held indefinitely.
Sweden Announces World Championship Roster
Sweden released their roster for the upcoming World Championships, which gets underway on Friday, early this morning. While they have plenty of players in the NHL (especially on the forward group), this team primarily consists of players playing in leagues overseas. Their roster is as follows with NHL affiliations noted where applicable.
Goaltenders
Samuel Ersson (PHI)
Viktor Fasth
Adam Reideborn
Defensemen
Klas Dahlback
Albert Johansson (DET)
Viktor Loov
Nils Lundkvist (NYR)
Magnus Nygren
Lawrence Pilut (BUF)
Jonathan Pudas
Jesper Sellgren (CAR)
Henrik Tommernes
Forwards
Max Friberg
Jesper Froden
Filip Hallander (TOR)
Pontus Holmberg (TOR)
Adrian Kempe (LAK)
Mario Kempe
Carl Klingberg
Oscar Lindberg
Par Lindholm
Isac Lundestrom (ANH)
Victor Olofsson (BUF)
Rickard Rakell (ANH)
Dennis Rasmussen
Marcus Sorensen (SJ)
Andreas Wingerli
The group has quite a few NHL players on their roster, especially at the forward position, although only a handful have World Championship experience. The biggest name on the list is Anaheim’s Rakell. The 28-year-old forward has appeared in one previous World Championship, back in 2017-18 when he scored six goals and 14 points in 10 games for Sweden. Los Angeles Kings’ Kempe also headlines a solid forward group. Kempe will be appearing in his third World Championship. Olofsson is another significant name who will be appearing in his first World Championship. He is coming off a 13-goal campaign in Buffalo this year. Sorensen, who has bounced back with a solid campaign in San Jose, also joins the group.
On the prospect front in terms of those that haven’t made their NHL debut, it’s the defense that is loaded up with a number of interesting names. The most notable name is Lundkvist, who is property of the New York Rangers. It’s believed that negotiations between the 20-year-old blueliner and the Rangers will get underway soon, likely after the World Championships to bring the prospect over. He could walk right away onto the Rangers’ blueline with a solid preseason (assuming he signs). Johansson is another defenseman who has put up solid numbers in the SHL and is likely to arrive in Detroit this coming season, although he will likely need some time in the AHL. Sellgren is another player on loan to the SHL who will likely be expected to establish himself in the AHL for the Carolina Hurricanes next season. Don’t forget Philadelphia’s Ersson, who has had a solid year in net this past year in the SHL and looks ready to come over as well.
Sweden’s tournament gets underway next Saturday with a matchup against Denmark.
Finland Announces World Championships Roster
Finland is the latest country to unveil its roster for the upcoming World Championships which get underway on Friday. While they have plenty of players in the NHL, this team primarily consists of players playing in leagues overseas. Their roster is as follows with NHL affiliations noted where applicable.
Goaltenders
Jussi Olkinuora
Harri Sateri
Janne Juvonen
Defensemen
Oliwer Kaski (CAR)
Miika Koivisto
Petteri Lindbohm (STL)
Olli Maatta (LA)
Kim Nousiainen (LA)
Atte Ohtamaa
Ville Pokka
Axel Rindell (TOR)
Mikael Seppala
Tony Sund (SJ)
Forwards
Marko Antilla
Hannes Bjorninen
Jere Innala
Jere Karjalainen
Petri Kontiola
Anton Lundell (FLA)
Saku Maenalanen (CAR)
Niko Ojamaki
Iiro Pakarinen
Valtteri Puustinen (PIT)
Mikael Ruohomaa
Arttu Ruotsalainen (BUF)
Jere Sallinen
Peter Tiivola
Teemu Turunen
It’s a very inexperienced group internationally with no fewer than 14 players making their debuts at the Worlds. Among the notable names on the list is Maatta, a veteran of eight NHL seasons. He’s coming off of a particularly quiet year with the Kings as he had just four assists in 41 games while averaging just 16:26 per game, the lowest ATOI of his career. He should be in line for a much bigger role in this tournament. Ruotsalainen saw regular action down the stretch for Buffalo and on a team that struggled mightily to score, he wasn’t bad in that regard, notching five goals in 17 games while logging nearly 14 minutes per night, numbers that aren’t bad for a rookie.
On the prospect front in terms of those that haven’t made their NHL debut, Lundell is the name that stands out. The 12th-overall pick last fall, he averaged nearly a point per game in 26 contests with HIFK in the SM-liiga and was tied for third in scoring at the World Juniors. He looks like he will be a big part of Florida’s future. Puustinen was a seventh-rounder (203rd overall) back in 2019 to the Penguins and looks to have outperformed that draft slot already, finishing second in scoring with HIFK with 21 goals and 20 assists in 51 games which helped him earn an entry-level deal with the Penguins earlier this month.
Finland’s tournament gets underway next Saturday with a matchup against the United States.
Russia Announces World Championships Roster
With the World Hockey Championships now less than a week away, countries have started revealing their roster for the tournament. Russia is the latest to do so, announcing a group that has a mixture of NHL experience with several key veterans from the KHL as well. Their roster is as follows with NHL affiliations noted where applicable:
Goaltenders
Ivan Fedotov (PHI)
Alexander Samonov
Defensemen
Grigory Dronov
Vladislav Gavrikov (CBJ)
Alexey Marchenko
Nikita Nesterov (CGY)
Ivan Provorov (PHI)
Igor Ozhiganov
Rushan Rafikov (CGY)
Nikita Zadorov (CHI)
Artem Zub (OTT)
Forwards
Alexander Barabanov (SJ)
Anton Burdasov
Emil Galimov (SJ)
Mikhail Grigorenko (CBJ)
Vladislav Kamenev (COL)
Pavel Karnaukhov (CGY)
Andrey Kuzmenko
Ivan Morozov (VGK)
Konstantin Okulov
Maxim Shalunov (CHI)
Anton Slepyshev (EDM)
Artem Shvets-Rogovoy
Sergey Tolchinsky
Evgeny Timkin
Dmitry Voronkov (CBJ)
That leaves Russia two players short – one goalie and one forward. They will have two taxi squads of sorts, one with the team and one in Riga. Players staying in the bubble with the team including goalie Ivan Bocharov and forwards Ilya Safonov and Vasili Podkolzin (VAN) while draft-eligible blueliner Kirill Kirsanov and winger Kirill Marchenko (CBJ) will be in Riga. Speculatively, keeping only one extra goalie in the bubble suggests that Russia may be looking to see if someone like Washington’s Ilya Samsonov was to become available if Washington is ousted quickly in the playoffs and would turn to Bucharov if that doesn’t happen.
If you follow the KHL closely, you might have noticed that most of the KHL players are from two teams. SKA St. Petersburg has 11 players on this list while three of the top four scorers from CSKA Moscow (highlighted by Okulov who has attracted NHL interest in recent years and will again this offseason) are there as well. That familiarity should certainly be helpful in a short tournament like this one. Russia’s first game is set for Friday against the Czech Republic.
Slovakia Releases World Championships Roster
With the 2021 World Hockey Championships about to get underway, teams are starting to unveil their rosters for the tournament. So far, the teams have featured fewer notable names than usual, a trend that continued with the roster that Slovakia revealed today. The full roster is as follows with NHL affiliations mentioned where applicable.
Goalies
Julius Hudacek
Adam Huska (NYR)
Branislav Konrad
Defensemen
Martin Bucko
Marek Daloga
Daniel Gachulinec
Martin Gernat
Mario Grman
Michal Ivan
Adam Janosik
Samuel Knazko (CBJ)
Simon Nemec
Mislav Rosandic
Forwards
David Buc
Peter Cehlarik (BOS)
Martin Fasko-Rudas
Adrian Holesinsky
Marek Hrivik
Milos Kelemen
Michal Kristof
Robert Lantosi (BOS)
Adam Liska
Kristian Pospisil
Milos Roman
Pavol Skalicky
Juraj Slafkovsky
Marian Studenic (NJ)
Matus Sukel
As both Canada and the United States did, Slovakia has also added a draft-eligible player to their roster. In fact, two of them (Nemec and Slafkovsky) are there and if they play, they will become the youngest forwards to suit up for them at the Worlds; Marian Hossa currently holds that distinction.
In terms of the NHL content, Studenic saw some time with New Jersey late in the season in a depth role and will now get an opportunity to get some more playing time, likely in a higher role. Knazko was a third-round pick of Columbus last fall, used with the selection that they picked up in the Max Domi–Josh Anderson trade; the blueliner had a strong season in Finland while captaining the Slovaks at the World Juniors. Cehlarik has 40 career NHL games with the Bruins over parts of four seasons before returning overseas this season. Lantosi signed with Boston this season after playing on an AHL deal a year ago while Huska’s name may be familiar from his frequent appearances in the taxi squad shuffle as he was sent back and forth several teams.
The tournament will get underway this Friday and run through to June 6th.
New York Rangers To Interview Gerard Gallant
After firing head coach David Quinn on Wednesday, the New York Rangers and new GM Chris Drury are wasting no time in their search for a replacement. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the club has already received permission to interview one of the biggest names on the coaching market. Gerard Gallant will get the first crack at interviewing for the head coach vacancy in the Big Apple.
The Vegas Golden Knights have approved of the interview, having fired Gallant from his role as head coach last January with term on his contract – to much surprise. The former Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers bench boss is a Jack Adams Award recipient with a .550 points percentage in his nine years as a head coach. He took the expansion Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season and then back to the playoffs the following year. Gallant has never made it through three years with any of his clubs, but has nevertheless established himself as an a valued name in the NHL coaching world. If Gallant doesn’t land the New York job, he will surely have interest elsewhere, particularly from the newest expansion team in the Seattle Kraken.
The timing of this interview does have some reasoning behind it. While Gallant may indeed be the Rangers’ top candidate, the rush to interview him has more to do with his upcoming plans. Gallant is getting ready to coach Team Canada at the World Championships, which begin on May 21. Gallant will actually depart for Riga, Latvia this weekend, according to Dreger, so the Rangers wanted to touch base with him before he left and his focus was elsewhere. Of course, Drury will be very keyed into the World Championships himself as the GM of Team USA. A strong outing for Gallant leading a Canadian roster that won’t have the typical amount of talent against Drury’s American squad could be what pushes Gallant to the top of the Rangers’ shortlist to be their next head coach.