Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Snapshots

Snapshots: Tarasenko, AHL, North Playoffs, Soucy

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko has decided to change agents according to Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland (Twitter link).  After being represented by Octagon’s Mike Liut, he will now be repped by Paul Theofanous of TMI, LLC, who represents several prominent Russian players including Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Semyon Varlamov.  The timing of the switch is a little odd as Tarasenko has two years remaining on his current contract which means the earliest that he could sign an extension with St. Louis is July of 2022.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The AHL is considering adding a play-in round for their playoffs, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest Saturday Headlines segment (video link). It’s unclear if the idea is for next season or for 2022-23 when Seattle’s affiliate in Palm Springs becomes the 32nd team in that league, meaning that half the league will make and miss the playoffs.  Currently, their postseason format in a normal year is the top four teams in each division get in with no Wild Card which is a bit different than the normal format for the NHL’s playoffs.  The AHL is often used as a trial balloon for ideas that could one day make their way to the NHL and this could be another one of those.
  • A decision has still not been made about whether the winner of the North Division will be able to host games in their home city or be forced to relocate to a neutral site in the United States, notes Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link). There continues to be a mandatory quarantine period for anyone travelling from the U.S. to Canada and a special exemption would need to be granted from the Canadian federal government to allow some of the games to played in Canada.  LeBrun suggests that a decision will need to be made by the start of the second round so there should be more news on this front within the next week or so.
  • Wild defenseman Carson Soucy will miss tonight’s fifth game against Vegas due to an upper-body injury, notes Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He has logged just over 13 minutes a game on their third pairing through the first four games of the series.  Prospect Calen Addison, who got into three games back in February, will take Soucy’s spot in the lineup and make his playoff debut in the process.

Snapshots: Kampfer, Stars Goaltenders, Caufield

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Boston Bruins lost some of their defensive depth today when head coach Bruce Cassidy said that Steven Kampfer will miss the rest of the playoffs with an arm injury, according to NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin. No word on how he got hurt.

Kampfer has only appeared once in the last 13 games for Boston, including no playoff games. The one game he did play, back on May 11, he did get 24:05 of ice time. For the season, the 32-year-old appeared in 20 games, scoring two goals and five points, while blocking 24 shots.

The team will have to depend more on some of their remaining defensive depth, including Connor Clifton and Jarred Tinordi. With an injury to Kevan Miller, the team will turn to Tinordi to fill in.

  • Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News writes the Dallas Stars will have a goalie logjam next season with the return of Ben Bishop. While there was some early speculation that the team believed that the Seattle Kraken might grab veteran Anton Khudobin in the expansion draft (Jake Oettinger is exempt and Bishop has a no-movement clause), the scribe believes that Khudobin’s disappointing season, his age (35 years) and two years on his contract at $3.33MM doesn’t make that much sense for an expansion team. While the expansion draft is one potential way to fix the issue, the team might be better off trying to trade Khudobin to team looking for a solid backup. With many goaltenders going for quality prices, the team could pick up a solid draft pick if they decided to go that way.
  • The Montreal Canadiens got the split they needed in Toronto and now have home-ice advantage for the time being. However, The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required) believes the team needs youngster Cole Caufield to step into Game 3. The scribe notes that Montreal spent much of the second period of Game 2 short-handed mainly because Toronto controlled the puck almost entirely. To fix that problem, the team must add speed, something that Caufield and defenseman Alexander Romanov could provide the team. When asked, coach Dominique Ducharme shrugged. “Possible, like everyone available,” he said. “We have depth, and we’re going to use it.”

Snapshots: Staal, Mukhamadullin, Peterka, Hlinka Gretzky Cup

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Red Wings defenseman Marc Staal is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and despite the tough year that Detroit had, he isn’t ruling out a return.  The veteran told reporters, including Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News, that he enjoyed the change of scenery from New York and that he’d be open to returning.  Regardless of where he winds up, the 34-year-old will be facing a steep pay cut from the $5.7MM AAV on his now-expiring contract.  Staal averaged 18:25 per night on the back end and acknowledged that he may be interested in playing with one of his brothers; Jordan remains under contract in Carolina while Eric will be an unrestricted free agent as well after playing out the playoffs with Montreal.

More from around the league:

  • Devils prospect Shakir Mukhamadullin underwent successful shoulder surgery and should be ready to play next season, relays Corey Masisak of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 19-year-old was the 20th pick back in October and had a regular role with Salavat Yulaev of the KHL while notching 10 points in 39 games.  He has one more year left on his deal overseas with Masisak adding that New Jersey expects to sign the defenseman at the conclusion of his 2021-22 campaign.
  • Sabres associate GM Jason Karmanos had high praise for prospect J.J. Peterka, telling Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that had Pittsburgh (where he worked previously) been able to secure a first-rounder last fall, they’d have picked Peterka with that selection. Buffalo wound up nabbing him early in the second round and the 19-year-old had a strong season split between Munchen in Germany and Salzburg in Austria while being dominant at the World Juniors with ten points in five games.
  • After being cancelled due to the pandemic, Corey Pronman of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Hlinka Gretzky Cup could still happen this summer somewhere in Europe, albeit without Canada’s participation. The under-18 tournament is typically the first event on the calendar for draft-eligible prospects and typically features eight countries.

Snapshots: Tavares, Bodie, Da Costa

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With John Tavares now resting at home following his scary injury last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs must continue without their captain for the time being. The team confirmed that he suffered a concussion and everyone that watched last night’s frightening episode is just hoping Tavares can get back to full health. The 30-year-old has felt the support from the hockey community. He released a statement this afternoon through Twitter:

The support I’ve felt since last night cannot be put into words. I’m thankful to share that I’m back home and recovering. Thank you to my family, friends, teammates, the Maple Leafs organization, Leafs Nation and the hockey community for being by my side. 

Also, thank you to both medical teams, emergency services and everyone at St. Mike’s Hospital for their exceptional care to help me get back on my feet.

I look forward to when I can wear the Maple Leaf on my chest again. Until then, I’ll be cheering on the boys along with Leafs Nation as we compete in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

The Maple Leafs will bring Pierre Engvall and Alex Galchenyuk into the lineup for game two tomorrow night, scratching newcomer Riley Nash after just one game with the team. Tavares’ absence will be felt throughout the entire lineup, with trade deadline acquisition Nick Foligno taking his spot in the middle of the second line.

  • Troy Bodie, who served as the Maple Leafs’ director of pro scouting, has moved on to the Seattle Kraken organization, taking a position as director of hockey and business operations for their AHL affiliate in Palm Springs. Bodie is married to the daughter of Tim Leiweke, former Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment CEO, and current CEO of the Oak View Group, which is involved in the ownership and management of the Kraken properties.
  • Stephane Da Costa, who last played in the NHL during the 2013-14 season, has once again re-signed in the KHL. The 31-year-old inked a new two-year deal with Yekaterinburg after his outstanding 57-point season for Ak Bars Kazan in 2020-21. Da Costa has been a star in the KHL for several seasons, making the league All-Star Game on three different occasions.

Snapshots: Lafleur, Sedins, Seider

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The QMJHL will never again have a player wearing No. 4. Guy Lafleur’s number will be retired league-wide as of next season, celebrating his status as the league’s all-time greatest player. Before all of his success at the NHL level, Lafleur dominated the Q, recording 379 points in 118 regular season games. Amazingly, he scored more than 100 goals in each of his two seasons in the league, including seven in a single game (and five in a period!).

Lafleur would go on to be the first player from the league to be selected first overall and won five Stanley Cup championships during his Hall of Fame career. He will actually join Sidney Crosby as the only players to have their numbers retired league-wide, though it seems likely that at least Mario Lemieux will join them before long.

  • Though rumblings continue to emerge about more drastic changes in the Vancouver Canucks front office, no official announcements have been made by the team. Darren Dreger of TSN however has heard that team ownership is in talks with Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin about potential roles in the organization, without giving any specifics on what those would be. Thomas Drance of The Athletic tweets that the discussions are “not centered on a president or GM-type top decision maker role.” The twins are two of the greatest players to ever pull on a Canucks sweater and will likely be linked to the organization in some fashion for the rest of their lives; an official role would only be an extension of that connection.
  • Get excited Detroit, Moritz Seider is coming. The 20-year-old prospect was named Defenseman of the Year for the SHL this season after recording 28 points in 41 games for Rogle. Selected sixth overall in 2019, Seider signed his entry-level contract later that year but has yet to play a game for the Red Wings. Instead, he spent the entire 2019-20 season in the AHL developing his game with the Grand Rapids Griffins, before heading to Sweden to ensure a full season this time around. Playing against opponents sometimes more than a decade his elder, Seider was a dominant force at both ends of the rink.

Snapshots: Blues, Varlamov, Hurricanes, Tortorella

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The St. Louis Blues added their third player on the COVID-19 protocol list Saturday when leading scorer David Perron found himself on the list, but so far there are no concerns about cancelling practice or postponing games, according to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (subscription required).

“There is always concern when Players or Club staff test positive for COVID-19,” Daly wrote in an email. “The level of concern is always a function of the precise circumstances involved. “At the current time, there is no consideration being given to postponing games.”

The Blues held an optional skate Saturday with many veterans taking a maintenance day off, but flew to Denver after the practice to get ready for their playoff game Monday.

  • Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov will practice again on Monday before a decision is made regarding his status for Game 2. Varlamov missed Game 1 due to a lower-body injury, although head coach Barry Trotz said he was taken out of the lineup due to precautionary reasons. The coach said he had to make a decision Saturday night and chose to take Varlamov totally out of the lineup. Cory Schneider served as the backup to Ilya Sorokin, who led New York to a overtime victory Sunday.
  • Raleigh News & Observer’s Chip Alexander reports that several injured players were back on the ice Sunday for practice, including Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce and Cedric Paquette. Slavin was considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury and sat out the regular season finale. Pesce also sat out the regular season finale with an undisclosed injury. Paquette, on the other hand, had missed the last six games of the season with an undisclosed injury. Carolina faces off against Nashville on Monday.
  • The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) writes that former Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella, who split with the Blue Jackets more than a week ago, tried to step down from his head coaching position last season. One main reason the veteran coach decided to come back for one final season as coach was due to the urging of Nick Foligno. The captain sat down with the coach and convinced him to give the veteran core one more chance.

Snapshots: Doughty, Goodrow, Blackhawks

at CDT | by 8 Comments

When Drew Doughty inked his then record-setting eight-year, $88MM contract, he wasn’t signing up for a rebuild but that’s what the Kings have been doing lately.  Speaking with reporters in an end-of-season media conference (video link), the veteran called on GM Rob Blake to make some significant additions to the roster this summer:

Me and ’Kopi,’ ’Quickie,’ ’Brownie,’ we’re all getting older. We all had, I thought, phenomenal seasons, but we’re running out of time. You’ve got two of the best players at their position, both ways, two of the most complete players at the position. And with all this cap room, yeah, we’ve got to bring guys in. That’s it, for sure. There’s no point just waiting for these prospects to develop when you’ve got guys in their prime, guys that are hungry to win and guys that are sick of losing so, yeah, we’ve got to bring guys in.

Doughty is certainly correct in that the Kings have ample cap room; per CapFriendly, as they have a little over $20MM in space with no high-priced players to re-sign.  That’s one of the benefits of having a roster that features several prospects on low-priced entry-level deals and as those will be getting expensive quicker, the time to strike for win-now veterans may very well be in the coming months.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Lightning head coach Jon Cooper told reporters, including Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link) that forward Barclay Goodrow will be out for at least another week due to his upper-body injury. The 28-year-old was an important piece of Tampa Bay’s bottom six in the playoffs last year but will have to wait a bit longer to start this postseason.  It’s not all bad news though with winger Nikita Kucherov and center Steven Stamkos expected to be available for tomorrow’s opener against Florida.
  • The Blackhawks have started contract talks with several of their restricted free agents including defenseman Nikita Zadorov, notes Phil Thompson of the Chicago Tribune. GM Stan Bowman noted that talks are at the beginning stage for each of them.  Zadorov’s arbitration eligibility makes his case a higher priority as it stands to reason that they do not want the defender to file, making him a non-tender candidate if they can’t get a deal done.  Other restricted free agents this summer include winger Brandon Hagel and forward Pius Suter.

Snapshots: Hartman, Hamaliuk, Senators

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The NHL has issued a $5,000 fine to Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman for a “dangerous trip” on St. Louis Blues forward Sammy Blais. This is the maximum allowable fine amount under the CBA, once the incident was deemed to not deserve a suspension.

The incident occurred partway through the second period in last night’s game. As the puck was dumped into the corner, Hartman pushed his stick into the back of Blais’ leg and caused the Blues player to tumble backward. Hartman was given a two-minute penalty on the play and will have to fork over a few dollars as well.

  • Now that his WHL season is over, Dillon Hamaliuk has been added to the San Jose Barracuda roster for the Pacific Division playoffs. Hamaliuk, 20, scored 13 points in 16 games with the Kelowna Rockets this season and will get his first taste of professional hockey down the stretch. The 6’4″ forward signed his entry-level contract with the Sharks way back in October 2019, a few months after being selected 55th overall in the draft.
  • The Ottawa Senators haven’t had a captain since trading away Erik Karlsson, but that could be changing soon. At his year-end media availability today, GM Pierre Dorion told reporters including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia that he will sit down with owner Eugene Melnyk and head coach D.J. Smith to discuss the captaincy, suggesting either early next year or through the season the team will name one.

Snapshots: Holloway, Corrado, Playoffs

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Edmonton Oilers won’t have Dylan Holloway in the lineup this season as his entry-level contract starts next year, but that doesn’t mean they won’t get a close look at him in the meantime. The young forward has signed an amateur tryout with the Bakersfield Condors and will finish the season in the AHL.

Holloway is coming back after suffering a thumb injury at the end of his college season and will be getting his first taste of professional hockey. Still just 19, he recorded 11 goals and 35 points at the University of Wisconsin, anchoring the second line behind the Cole Caufield-driven top unit.

  • Frank Corrado won’t be returning to the NHL anytime soon, as the veteran defenseman signed a contract with Dinamo Riga in the KHL. He spent this season with MODO in the Swedish second league, recording 17 points in 34 games. The Vancouver Canucks draft pick played 76 games in the NHL and several seasons in the minor leagues before taking his game overseas.
  • The Stanley Cup Playoffs could start as soon as Saturday, according to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. Daly spoke with Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com, explaining that though the North Division doesn’t actually finish their regular season schedule until May 19, the other three divisions could start as early as May 15. In fact, the North could actually start their playoff schedule just hours after the regular season concludes, since the last few games are likely between two non-playoff teams in Calgary and Vancouver.

Snapshots: Coyotes, Seguin, Hintz, Lightning, Ryan

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Arizona Coyotes and head coach Rick Tocchet have mutually parted ways and the team announced they will begin the search for their next head coach immediately. However, knowing that Arizona is struggling financially, it’s seems likely that the team will be looking at cheaper options for their head coach.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun points out that the team has as many as 10 candidates already for their open head coaching position with a strong likelihood they will reach out to several interesting hires, including New York Islanders assistant Lane Lambert, San Jose Sharks associate coach Rocky Thompson and Providence College’s Nate Leaman, who recently coached Team U.S.A to a gold medal at the 2021 World Junior Championship.

All three come with interesting resumes if the Coyotes can convince them to leave their current posts.

  • It looks like the season is over for two Dallas Stars. Head coach Rick Bowness said that forwards Tyler Seguin and Roope Hintz will not play in the team’s final two games, according to Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks. With no playoffs this year, the team will allow both players to rest. Seguin has appeared in three games after missing most of the season due to hip and knee surgeries. Hintz has been playing with a lower-body injury for months, so now that the team has been eliminated from a playoff berth, both will be held out to prevent any more injuries.
  • When asked whether Tampa Bay Lightning defensemen Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh and Jan Rutta, who are all considered day-to-day, would be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs, head coach Jon Cooper didn’t give a convincing answer, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required). “I don’t know,” Cooper said. “I hope so. We’re planning on it. But we’ll have to see.” Hedman is dealing with a lower-body injury, McDonagh with an upper-body injury, while Rutta is dealing with a lower-body injury. There is a report, according to Smith, that Hedman, who missed his first game of the season Saturday, was injured in a collision against the boards against Columbus on March 30 and had to be helped off. While he came back to the game not too long after, the rumor is that he might require surgery after the season, although Smith was not able to get that confirmed by Tampa Bay staff.
  • Despite briefly considering retirement before his triceps surgery, Detroit Red Wings forward Bobby Ryan said he is eager to return for a 15th season and hopes it can be with the Red Wings, according to MLive’s Ansar Khan. The 34-year-old, who signed a one-year deal last offseason with Detroit and will now be an unrestricted free agent, scored seven goals and 14 points in 33 games before going down with an injury on March 28. “I want to play hockey next year. I hope it’s Detroit,” Ryan said. “I haven’t had those conversations yet. I expect they’re going to come sometime down the line.”

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top