No Extension Talks Yet Between Canucks And Alex Edler
- There haven’t been any extension talks yet between the Canucks and defenseman Alex Edler, notes Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston. The 35-year-old has spent his entire 15-year career in Vancouver and in the past, he has expressed a desire to stay there until he’s ready to retire. However, with the team already tight to the cap for next season; while they have nearly $16MM in room per CapFriendly, most of that will be going to restricted free agents Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson. Unless Jim Benning can free up some wiggle room, they may not be able to afford to bring Edler back unless he’s open to a substantial cut from his current $6MM price tag.
Zack MacEwen Suspended One Game
The Department of Player Safety has handed out another suspension, this time giving Vancouver Canucks forward Zack MacEwen a one-game ban for kneeing Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse. The incident occurred partway through the second period in last night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that while we agree with MacEwen’s assertion that the contact is not excessively forceful, the concept of intentionally kneeing a vulnerable player in the head is simply unacceptable. This is not a hockey play. It is only because the impact of this play is so light that MacEwen is not facing a substantial suspension for this action.
Nurse did not suffer a serious injury on the play and MacEwen has never been fined or suspended previously in his short NHL career. Both things would have helped the suspension stay at just one game, though couldn’t help him avoid the supplementary discipline entirely.
The Canucks and Oilers are set to play a rematch tomorrow night, which MacEwen will not be eligible to participate in. The two teams do have one other game on the schedule for Saturday, May 15. This is the second kneeing suspension the Canucks have received this season after Alexander Edler was given a two-game ban for his hit on Zach Hyman.
Zack MacEwen To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
For the second time in a few weeks, a Vancouver Canucks player is having a hearing with the Department of Player Safety for kneeing. Zack MacEwen has a hearing today after a hit that occurred in last night’s game against Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse.
This one is a little different than the incident with Alexander Edler earlier this season (which resulted in a two-game suspension) as Nurse was already down on the ice when MacEwen appeared to extend his leg to hit him again. The two were battling all night, even dropping the mitts and fighting in the third period.
Nurse did not suffer a serious injury from the knee, but MacEwen will likely be sat down for at least one game. The Canucks play the Oilers again tomorrow night, meaning the two will not be able to continue their war right away. The two teams do play again on May 15 however, meaning there could be some more shenanigans on the horizon.
Coaching Notes: Tocchet, Green, Brind’Amour
It seems that Rick Tocchet‘s days as the head coach of the Arizona Coyotes could be numbered. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that there is growing speculation that Tocchet and the ‘Yotes will part ways this off-season. Tocchet’s contract expires at the end of the season and Dreger does not believe that it will be extended. If not for the NHL’s expanded playoff structure last season, Tocchet would have failed to make the playoffs in each of his four seasons as the bench boss in Arizona. The team was statistically eliminated from contention this season with last night’s loss to the Los Angeles Kings, marking the end of what at one time looked like a promising playoff push. However, this is the third consecutive season that the ‘Yotes have remained in the playoff picture until the very end of the season. Last year, it earned them a play-in series berth which the team turned into an upset win over the Nashville Predators and a first-round match-up with the Colorado Avalanche. Considering that Tocchet took over a team that finished last in the Pacific Division in his first season, three years of fringe contention and a play-in series win is far from failure for the veteran coach. Dreger does not definitively state that the separation is a unilateral decision by Arizona and it could be that this is an amicable breakup coming between Tocchet and the team. A highly-regarded assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins before joining the Coyotes, Tocchet should have no problem finding a job this summer and it could be that both sides equally want a fresh start.
- Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green is still waiting for his contract extension. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that a resolution is expected to come before the end of the season – which for the Canucks is still almost two weeks away – but he adds that there has not been any change to the status quo of late. Green, like Tocchet, took over a struggling team in 2017-18 and has improved the group, including finishing third in the Pacific Division last season and advancing to the second round of the playoffs. While the current campaign has not gone as planned, with Vancouver on the verge of statistical elimination even with a number of games in hand on their North Division competitors, the organization is happy with Green and LeBrun notes that there continues to be mutual interest in a new multi-year deal. With that said, Green is among the bottom-third of coaches in terms of compensation and is seeking a raise, but LeBrun reports that the Canucks have not improved their offer recently. If the two sides truly want to get a deal done before the end of the regular season, they need to get to work.
- Rod Brind’Amour is another coach who is awaiting a contract extension and there is little doubt that the leader of the President’s Trophy favorites will get a new, long-term deal. However, Dreger notes that the Hurricanes want to get the new deal done before the postseason, which leaves little time to work out the details. Brind’Amour has previously stated that he wants all of his fellow coaches and support staff to also have new deals finalized before he inks his own deal, so the Carolina Hurricanes have a number of negotiations to complete over the next week or two.
Canucks, Devils To Relocate AHL Teams
May 6: The AHL Board of Governors has approved the relocations to Abbotsford and Utica, from Utica and Binghamton respectively. The new divisional alignment will be announced at a later date, but Vancouver will be using Abbotsford and New Jersey using Utica for the 2021-22 season.
In addition, Utica and New Jersey have announced a new ten-year affiliation agreement. The organization will remain the Utica Comets, but jersey designs and colors will be revealed later in the year.
May 4: Amidst speculation that their current AHL affiliate in Utica will become New Jersey’s affiliate next season, Vancouver has found a new home for their prospects. The Canucks announced today that they will move their AHL squad to Abbotsford for next year, pending approval from the AHL’s Board of Governors on Thursday. Team owner Francesco Aquilini released the following statement:
With momentum starting to build, we are pleased to confirm our goal to bring our AHL franchise and Canucks prospects home to the City of Abbotsford. The move would bring significant opportunities for both our team and the community and it would begin a new chapter, bringing Canucks hockey to even more fans throughout the Lower Mainland.
Vancouver intends to operate the team out of the Abbotsford Centre which hosted Calgary’s AHL team from 2009 through 2014 after previously playing in Moline, Illinois. Travel was a concern as they were the westernmost city in the league and eventually, Calgary opted to head to New York.
Interestingly enough, the Canucks are taking the opposite approach, leaving New York to go to Abbotsford. Clearly, the fact that they’ll be able to have their AHL prospects in the same province is certainly ideal from a development standpoint but travel shouldn’t be as significant of a concern now with there now being an entire Pacific Division. At first glance, it would seem likely that Abbotsford would join that group, making it an eight-team division for next season with Palm Springs set to join that group for 2022-23.
Nikita Tryamkin Signs Two-Year Extension To Stay In KHL
Ever since 6-foot-7, 253-pound defenseman Nikita Tryamkin left the Vancouver Canucks back in 2017, they have been working to bring him back. There was plenty of optimism recently that the Canucks were close to convincing the blueliner to return to the team. Instead, it looks like Tryamkin’s chances of returning to Vancouver could be over after the KHL announced he signed a two-year extension with Yekaterinburg Automobilist. To make matters worse, Tryamkin’s rights with Vancouver will expire in two years, meaning he will be an unrestricted free agent in 2023-24.
The two sides did attempt to work out a deal recently, but were not able to work out a deal, according to Canucks reporter Rick Dhaliwal.
“I told the Canucks what it would take on both a 1 or 2 year term and they told me what they could guarantee today and the gap was just too wide for Nikita,” said Tryamkin’s agent, Todd Diamond. “Nikita didn’t want to wait and be in a situation like last summer where the team didn’t act and the KHL Club had nearly exhausted its budget.”
Diamond, revealed earlier this year that he believes Tryamkin was ready to take another chance in the NHL after struggling in his two years with the team years ago. The 26-year-old has developed into a solid two-way defenseman and could have had a major impact on the Canucks defense next year had they been able to come to terms. The blueliner was already known as a good skater considering his size, but only averaged 16:52 of ice time with Vancouver between 2015-17. He has excelled with Automobilist, scoring 17 goals and 63 points over four seasons there.
Canucks Place Jake Virtanen On Leave Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations
The Canucks have placed winger Jake Virtanen on a leave of absence following allegations of sexual misconduct. The team released the following statement:
We have become aware of the concerning allegations made about Jake Virtanen. Our organization does not accept sexual misconduct of any kind and the claims as reported are being treated very seriously by us. We have engaged external expertise to assist in an independent investigation and we have placed the player on leave as we await more information.
Glacier Media provides some background about the alleged incident which occurred back in September of 2017. Virtanen has declined to comment while NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly indicated that the league is aware of the allegations but wouldn’t comment further than that.
We are aware of this issue and have been in contact with the club regarding appropriate response. We don’t have any further comment at this time.
Thatcher Demko Injured, Canucks Recall Arturs Silovs
As if the Vancouver Canucks hadn’t been hit with hard enough luck this season, a case of bad timing has now struck the team. According to multiple sources, including The Province’s Ben Kuzma, starting goaltender Thatcher Demko was injured at morning skate on Monday. The Canucks had been well-prepared all season for the absence of one of their NHL goalies, with top prospect Michael DiPietro waiting in the wings on the practice squad. However, with DiPietro having not played in a game all season, the team finally decided to assign him to the AHL’s Utica Coments – on Sunday, less than 24 hours before Demko’s injury. Now, with no timetable for Demko’s return and DiPietro over the border and at least seven days from being eligible to re-join the roster, the Canucks enter a stretch of four games in six nights (repeated in each of the next three weeks) with backup Braden Holtby and untested recall Arturs Silovs in net. Eight points back of the Montreal Canadiens for a playoff spot in the North Division, but with five games in hand, can the Canucks’ new tandem keep them in the race?
Fortunately, Holtby appears to shaken off a difficult start to his Vancouver career and has been terrific of late. In three starts since the Canucks returned from their COVID layoff, Holtby is 3-0-0 with seven goals allowed on 107 shots for a save percentage of .935. The veteran netminder knows how to handle pressure and the hope is that he can shoulder the load with Demko sidelined and help lead the Canucks to some much-needed points as they make up their missed games.
However, with four back-to-backs scheduled before the end of the season, including Wednesday and Thursday of this week, Silovs will likely have to play at some point before Demko can return or DiPietro can be recalled. A 2019 sixth-round pick, Silovs has played just one pro game in North America, suiting up for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose for one game in February. The Latvian keeper has played pro back home, including on loan earlier this season, and spent last season in the OHL. At no point in his career has Silovs produced eye-popping numbers, but with good size and a variety of experience he is still considered a good prospect. Vancouver may need him to be more than that though and adjusting to the NHL could prove difficult for the 20-year-old.
With that said, Kuzma writes that the team is still unsure of the extent of Demko’s injury and there is still a chance that he may only be out day-to-day. If that isn’t the case, and Demko is out longer than a week, they could also decide that it is worth it to recall DiPietro from Utica. Either way, assistance should be on the way at some point. In the meantime though, every point is crucial and Holtby and Silovs will have a lot of pressure facing them during this busy stretch.
Canucks Unlikely To Move AHL Affiliate To Abbotsford
- As it appears that the Canucks will be looking for a new AHL affiliate, it doesn’t appear as if it will be in their own backyard. Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province notes that Vancouver hasn’t held any discussions yet with the operator of the Abbotsford Centre, the arena that used to house Calgary’s farm team when it was in British Columbia. Teams have made more of an effort to get their affiliates closer to their NHL squads in recent years so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them look for a city out West after being in Utica, New York since 2013.
Vasili Podkolzin Won't Play For Canucks This Season
- At the beginning of the season, it was expected that the Canucks would bring top prospect Vasili Podkolzin over to North America at the end of his KHL season and have him burn the first year of his entry-level deal for the stretch run. However, his agent Sergey Isakov told Sport 24’s Maxim Samartsev that Podkolzin will instead stay in Russia and focus on earning a spot with their entry into next month’s World Championships. It’s a logical decision as by the time that Podkolzin secures a work visa and gets through quarantine, Vancouver’s season would be close to over if not finished already. The 20-year-old had 11 points in 35 games with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL this season.