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Ducks Linked To David Carle, Jay Woodcroft, Joel Quenneville

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Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek is in the midst of his second search for a head coach after just his third full season in the club’s top role. After failed tenures with Dallas Eakins and Greg Cronin, Verbeek is pulling out all of the stops. Anaheim reportedly interviewed top coaching prospect David Carle and former Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft recently, and plan to also hold a second interview with record-holding head coach Joel Quenneville, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. LeBrun added that the trio of heavy-hitters aren’t the only names on Anaheim’s list.

Whoever lands in the Ducks’ head coaching vacancy will have one clear goal for next season: making the postseason. Verbeek put heavy emphasis on that goal in Anaheim’s final press conference of the season, and said he would be aggressive in the coaching circuit and free agency to achieve that goal. The Ducks haven’t made the postseason since 2018, when they closed a six-year run of playoff berths by getting swept by the San Jose Sharks. That Ducks squad leaned on clearly aged veterans – including a 32-year-old Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, and a 33-year-old Ryan Kesler. Kesler retired and Perry left after the subsequent season, while Getzlaf hung up the skates in 2022. Those departures thrust the Ducks into a rebuild that Verbeek hopes to end with a return to the playoffs in 2026.

Anaheim will have some dazzling coaching candidates to choose from. Leading the pack is the coach with the second-most wins in NHL history. Quenneville hasn’t been deemed as a clear front-runner for the vacancy, but a second interview is a mighty bode of confidence for a man who was barred from coaching from 2021 to 2024, due to his involvement in assault allegations from the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. There was only one coaching vacancy by the time Quenneville was reinstated late last summer, and he reportedly wasn’t considered for the role. That makes attention from Anaheim particularly notable, marking Quenneville’s first chance to prove himself after not coaching a full, 82-game season since 2019-20. He won three Stanley Cups with the dynasty-era Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, 2013, and 2015.

Two strong candidates will headline the competition for Quenneville’s bid. Carle has gained plenty of acclaim from the hockey world after leading the University of Denver to two national championships in 2022 and 2024. Those rings have been intercut by a conference final loss in 2023 and a frozen four loss this season. He also won back-to-back World Juniors gold medals in each of the last two seasons. Carle has staked his claim as one of the most accomplished coaches in college hockey – a remarkable feat considering he is still only 35-years-old, with just seven years of head coach experience under his belt. Carle did withdraw his name from consideration for the Chicago Blackhawks coaching vacancy, and is expected to return to the Denver Pioneers next season – but a strong pitch could convince the burgeoning coach to move to Southern California.

Woodcroft doesn’t have the multiple years of championship pedigree of Quenneville and Carle, though he did lead the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors to a Calder Cup in the shortened 2020-21 campaign. He was promoted to the NHL partway through the following season and led the Oilers to a pair of playoff berths before being axed after a 3-9-1 start to the 2023-24 season. He is another young head coaching candidate with 20 years of experience behind pro benches. That could serve him well as Anaheim looks to strike a balance between winning now and building for their future.

Jeff Blashill, Jeff Halpern, Jay Leach Drawing Interest For Head Coach Vacancies

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Bruins assistant coach Jay Leach and Lightning assistant coaches Jeff Blashill and Jeff Halpern are among the names under consideration for the eight active head coaching vacancies across the league, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.

Leach has another year left on his contract in Boston, Pagnotta relays, but the Bruins have evidently granted him permission to speak to other teams as he’s already begun the interview process for a few positions. He landed with the Bruins last summer after being a finalist for the Kraken’s HC job – he was an internal promotion option there, but they opted for the recently-fired Dan Bylsma instead. He was also a candidate for Boston’s head coach vacancy in 2022 after departing the organization for the Kraken.

The 45-year-old Leach now has a decade of coaching experience after retiring as a player in 2013, including four years as head coach of the Bruins’ AHL affiliate in Providence from 2017-18 through 2020-21. The New York native was an assistant coach for Adler Mannheim in 2014-15 when the German club won the DEL championship with a roster featuring former NHLers Jochen Hecht, Glen Metropolit, and Brandon Yip, among others.

Pagnotta also implied Blashill, still active in the playoffs with Tampa, has already completed some interviews. He’s taken a back seat to Jon Cooper with the Bolts since being let go by the Red Wings in 2022 following an unceremonious tenure as head coach there. Blashill only made the playoffs once in his first season with the rebuilding Wings, compiling a 204-261-72 (.447) record. He was a candidate for the Sharks’ vacancy last year and even had a second interview, but was passed over for rookie bench boss Ryan Warsofsky.

As for Halpern, teams are waiting until the Lightning’s postseason comes to an end before being given permission to talk to him. Halpern has been on Cooper’s staff as an assistant since 2018 and has only ever coached within the Lightning organization, serving as a development and assistant coach with AHL Syracuse from 2015-16 through 2017-18. The veteran of nearly 1,000 NHL games as a player was interviewed by the Capitals during their hiring cycle in 2023, but they opted to go with Spencer Carbery instead.

Western Conference Notes: Landeskog, Pickard, Poturalski

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After recently playing for the first time in 1,032 days, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is set for a bigger role in game four of their matchup with against the Dallas Stars, per an NHL release.

The veteran is expected to join the top power-play unit and slot in on a line alongside Brock Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin. In his game three return, a 2-1 lost, Landeskog remarkably led all players with six hits in 13:16 of total ice time. He skated on the Avs third line next to Charlie Coyle and Joel Kiviranta.

After captaining the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022, the winger, 32, underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, which put his career in jeopardy. But after nearly three years of intense rehab, the Swedish-born forward has made his return, something that has greatly inspired the organization.

As head coach Avalanche Jared Bednar stated today: “It’s remarkable, really. When you think about the time he’s been away, and then you see the way he played the other night, I thought he was incredible under those circumstances.”

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • The Edmonton Oilers have announced goalie Calvin Pickard will start game three of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, per TSN. Pickard replaced Stuart Skinner in the third period of the team’s 6-2 loss in game two. Coach Kris Knoblauch noted the team will need a big game from Pickard, adding that the Oilers need “big saves at big times.” Pickard had a solid showing in the regular season, finishing with 22-10-1 record and .900 save percentage. Skinner, meanwhile, struggled for a starter with a .896 save percentage on the year through 51 appearances. And through two playoff starts, the 26-year-old holds a rough .810 save percentage and staggering 6.11 goals against average. If the Oilers have any hope of making another deep playoff run, they’ll need significantly better play between the pipes.
  • While not much went right for the San Jose Sharks this season, their AHL-affiliate does have something big to celebrate. San Jose Barracuda forward Andrew Poturalski was announced as the winner of the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL’s most valuable player, per a league release. Poturalski, 31, scored 73 points in 59 games to lead the Barracuda to their best record since 2019 (while missing the final three weeks of the regular season due to injury). Poturalski has had a phenomenal AHL career, securing three scoring titles and two Calder Cup championships. However, he has never been able to showcase that success in the NHL, appearing in just nine games with three assists.

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

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The playoffs have arrived while half of the teams in the NHL have started their offseason.  Several teams will have a viable chance to win the Stanley Cup while several others will be embarking on some big changes in the coming months, some of which have already started in the form of coaching changes.

With all that in mind, it’s a good time to open up the mailbag once again.  Our last call for questions yielded enough for three separate columns.  Among the topics in the first were Devon Levi’s time with Buffalo and if he can one day live up to expectations and going over the big changes for the Rangers and what moves could be coming this summer.  The second included Joel Hofer’s strong season in St. Louis and Nashville’s season that was anything but strong.  Lastly, the third included thoughts on the thin goalie market this offseason, Detroit’s back end, and the possibility of Mackie Samoskevich being an offer sheet candidate in July.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter/X or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on Saturday.

Canucks Notes: Willander, Demko, Center

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The Vancouver Canucks’ General Manager Patrik Allvin and President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford held their end of season press conference earlier today. As one of the most important revelations from the media availability, Harman Dayal of The Athletic received a confirmation from Allvin that top prospect Tom Willander intends to return to Boston University for his junior season.

Allvin’s announcement comes with little surprise, given that a report a few days ago indicated that contract negotiations weren’t going well between the parties. The report suggests that the Canucks are low-balling Willander on Schedule ’A’ bonuses, obviously something the 2023 first-round pick isn’t interested in accepting.

Still, it’s not necessarily a worst-case scenario from Vancouver’s perspective. The organization still owns Willander’s contractual rights until after the 2026-27 NCAA season. That reality gives the Canucks a lot of control over the negotiations, having time on their side in repairing the relationship.

Other notes from the Canucks’ media availability:

  • In a surprising admission, Thomas Drance of The Athletic quoted Rutherford as saying, “We would like to extend him,” regarding netminder Thatcher Demko. The negotiations will be interesting to observe due to concerns about Demko’s health over the past year. He’s signed through next season on a $5MM cap hit and was only healthy enough to participate in 23 games for Vancouver this year. Meanwhile, the Canucks signed his tandem partner Kevin Lankinen to a five-year, $22.5MM extension in February.
  • Lastly, Randip Janda of Sportsnet publicized one of the more brutally honest quotes from the press conference. The quote in question was concerning the Canucks’ need for a center with Rutherford saying, “It will be expensive. But it will be expensive not to get one.” After trading J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers, Vancouver finished the season with a lethargic group down the middle, led by an unimpressive performance from Elias Pettersson, who scored four goals in 19 contests after the deal.

Kings Recall Pheonix Copley

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The Kings have recalled Pheonix Copley from AHL Ontario to serve as their league-mandated emergency backup during the postseason, the team announced.

Normally, teams recall depth names from the ECHL or other relative unknowns in the system to fill the role if their AHL affiliate is in the Calder Cup Playoffs. That’s not the case here. Copley, 33, appeared in 42 of Ontario’s 72 regular-season games and was their unquestioned starter with a 2.49 GAA, .904 SV%, 24-17-1 record, and two shutouts. Backup Erik Portillo, who made his NHL debut this season, managed 15 wins but only a .889 SV% in 24 outings.

Nonetheless, it appears Copley won’t be available to Ontario as they begin their first-round series against the San Jose Barracuda. That’s a huge declaration of faith by the organization, not only in Portillo but in 18-year-old Carter George, who’s finishing the season with the Reign after his Owen Sound Attack was eliminated in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. The 2024 second-round pick is widely regarded as a top-five prospect in the organization and has allowed just one goal on 61 shots to begin his professional career, posting a 0.50 GAA and .984 SV% across two games with Ontario over the last week. With Copley out, the door is open for him to play professional playoff hockey, a rare feat for a teenage netminder.

As for Copley, it’s nice to see the veteran get back on track after ACL surgery in December 2023 upended his career. He only made one NHL appearance in relief this year, allowing two goals on 12 shots against the Maple Leafs early in the year, but he was L.A.’s No. 2 option as recently as two years ago when he went 24-6-3 with a .903 SV% and 2.64 GAA in 37 games in the 2022-23 season. An infrequent backup option throughout his lengthy professional career, he’s likely ticketed for AHL action as long as he’s still in the game.

Mathew Barzal, Semyon Varlamov Expect To Be Ready For Training Camp

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New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov and forward Mat Barzal both expect to be ready for the start of next season, per Ethan Sears of the New York Post.

Varlamov has been out since November with an injury that required season-ending surgery. The 36-year-old appeared in only 10 games on the season, finishing with a 3-3-4 record and an undesirable .889 save percentage. Speaking to reporters, Varlamov noted the injury is something that he’s been dealing with for quite some time. He added that he is looking forward to returning to action next season.

If healthy, Varlamov should provide the Isles with a solid backup option behind star Ilya Sorokin. Marcus Högberg ended up appearing in 15 games this year, but didn’t make the most of his opportunity, finishing with a 2-6-3 record to pair with a .878 save percentage. Varlamov has two years remaining on his contract, paying a $2.75MM AAV. Despite a rough 2024-25 season, he’s just one year removed from providing New York with a .918 save percentage and 2.67 goals against average. If he can rediscover that type of play, the combination of him and Sorokin should help the club’s efforts to return to the playoffs.

Barzal, who suffered an injury to his knee back in early February, also expects to be 100 percent for next season. In fact, had the Isles made the playoffs, there’s a chance Barzal could have played. In 30 games on the year, he posted six goals and 20 points. The three-time All-Star is coming off of an 80-point season and has produced 190 points in the three seasons prior to this year. The 27-year-old still has six years remaining on his $9.125MM AAV deal.

Atlantic Notes: Lindholm, Roy, McCabe, Ekman-Larsson, Puljujärvi

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Bruins center Elias Lindholm dealt with a back injury throughout his first season in Boston, he revealed to reporters at today’s exit meetings (via Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub). He sustained it in August, and it’s what caused him to miss most of training camp before playing all 82 games for the Bruins. It should offer some explanation for his continued offensive struggles, posting 17-30–47 for a 0.57 points per game rate after signing a massive seven-year, $54.25MM deal with Boston in free agency. This year marked Lindholm’s second straight campaign with less than 20 goals after he potted 42 for the Flames in 2021-22. He remains one of the league’s better faceoff-takers with a 55.2% win rate on nearly 1,400 draws, but that alone doesn’t justify his $7.75MM cap hit without increased offensive production. Boston will hope for a rebound next year to aid in their retooling.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Canadiens prospect Joshua Roy won’t be on their playoff roster, at least to start. The team announced that they’ve sent him to AHL Laval, which is on the verge of clinching the AHL’s regular-season title and is set to begin a playoff run themselves. The 21-year-old winger had been on Montreal’s roster since March 10 but was a healthy scratch in their final 11 games as they successfully chased a wild-card berth. A 2021 fifth-round pick, Roy ends his second NHL season with just two goals and a minus-six rating in 12 appearances. He’s been a continued first-line threat in Laval, where he scored 20-15–35 in 46 games before his most recent call-up.
  • The Maple Leafs expect defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe to be available for Game 1 of their first-round series against the Senators on Sunday, head coach Craig Berube said today (via David Alter of The Hockey News). Neither will dress in tonight’s season finale against the Red Wings. OEL will end up missing the final four games of the season with an upper-body injury, while McCabe will miss a seventh straight game with an undisclosed injury. Both have been invaluable pieces of Toronto’s blue line in 2024-25, averaging north of 21 minutes per game with some of the best two-way metrics on the team.
  • Panthers winger Jesse Puljujärvi was sent to AHL Charlotte yesterday ahead of the playoffs, but he won’t be available immediately if Florida decides to recall him during the postseason. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced they’ve suspended him for two games for an illegal check to the head of Lightning winger Mitchell Chaffee in Tuesday night’s game. It’s the first supplemental discipline of Puljujärvi’s eight-year career.

Injury Notes: Heineman, Rutta, Hayes

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Montreal Canadians’ left winger Emil Heineman returned to the lineup tonight in an all-important matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes, per Eric Engles of Sportsnet. He is slotted on the fourth line alongside Jake Evans and Joel Armia. Heineman has missed the last five games due to his upper-body injury.

In 61 games this season, the 23-year-old has produced 10 goals and 18 points. The 6’2, 200-pounder has also contributed 171 hits while maintaining a low amount of penalty minutes (20). His return comes after his second extended injury of the year. He previously missed five weeks with an upper-body injury sustained on a road trip in Utah when he was struck by a car. The Habs need a win against the Hurricanes to secure their place in the playoffs.

Other injury updates of note:

  • Veteran defender Jan Rutta was on the ice for the San Jose Sharks’ morning skate and could be inserted back into the lineup, per Max Miller of the Sharks Hockey Digest. Miller noted that Luca Cagnoni was sent back down to the AHL yesterday, perhaps clearing a path for Rutta’s return. Rutta missed nearly two months with a lower body injury before recently returning to the lineup. However, the team opted to sit Rutta out in game two of a back-to-back on Monday. Rutta recently expressed his desire to re-sign with the Sharks. The 34-year-old is set for free agency this summer but has enjoyed his opportunity to play in San Jose. On the season, Rutta has produced nine points, 80 blocked shots, and a minus-three rating.
  • Penguins’ forward Kevin Hayes is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, NHL.com reporter Wes Crosby. With Pittsburgh having one game remaining on the season (Thursday against the Capitals), Hayes’ season is more than likely done. Hayes has produced 13 goals and 23 points in 64 games on the season. Despite spending time early in the season as a healthy scratch, Hayes has produced solid numbers in a mostly fourth line role. He was also recently nominated as the team’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy nominee. The award is given to the player who best exemplifies leadership and made significant contributions to the community. Hayes has one year left on his current deal and comes with a $3.5MM AAV (Philadelphia retains half of his salary).

Devils Recall Nico Daws, Mike Hardman

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The Devils announced they’ve recalled goaltender Nico Daws and forward Mike Hardman from AHL Utica. They’ll presumably dress for tonight’s regular-season finale against the Red Wings to allow a couple of players to rest ahead of their pending Game 1 of the playoffs against the Hurricanes.

Daws’ time in New Jersey this year has been short and sweet. There haven’t been many opportunities for upward mobility for him this year, with veterans Jacob Markström and Jake Allen having strong seasons, but when he gets the chance to play due to injuries, he’s seized it. He’s won all three of his starts and made an additional two relief appearances, posting a shining .966 SV% and 0.88 GAA – including a 29-save shutout against the Predators on Feb. 23. That’s good for a remarkable 6.9 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.

Puzzlingly, the 24-year-old hasn’t fared nearly as well in the minors. He’s logged a 3.16 GAA and .893 SV% with one shutout and an 11-20-3 record in 34 showings for the Comets. It’s his second straight AHL season below the .900 mark. The 2020 third-rounder still has another year left on his contract with an $812.5K cap hit. It changes from a two-way to a one-way deal for next year, though, so he’ll get a significant raise even if he stays in the minors.

Hardman has made a lone appearance for the Devils this year, slotting into a game against the Rangers in early December. It was the 38th appearance of his career, which has spanned parts of four NHL seasons. The 26-year-old has been an infrequent call-up option for Chicago and New Jersey over his pro career, signing with the Blackhawks as an undrafted free agent out of Boston College in 2021.

After three-plus years in the Blackhawks organization, Hardman achieved Group VI unrestricted free agent status last summer and inked a two-year, two-way deal in New Jersey, so they’ve got him as depth for next season, too. The 6’2″, 205-lb forward leads Utica with a +11 rating and ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 18-17–35 in 57 games. He has 1-4–5 in his 38 career NHL appearances.

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