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Pittsburgh Penguins Make Changes To Assistant Coaches

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have made sweeping changes to their coaching staff, though Mike Sullivan remains. Sergei Gonchar, Jacques Martin and Mark Recchi, all assistants with the team, will not have their contracts renewed. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford released a statement explaining the decision to fans:

We are in the process of conducting a review of our organization because we have underperformed in the playoffs the last few years. We just thought we needed to change the dynamic of our coaching staff. We have very high standards here in Pittsburgh, and we want to continue competing for Stanley Cups. The message to our fans is that ’We are not rebuilding, we’re re-tooling.’

Sullivan has escaped the executioner for now, but after Rutherford’s comments yesterday about how much change is needed in Pittsburgh you can bet his seat will feel like the surface of the sun in 2020-21.

Gonchar’s departure may be the most surprising, given his close relationship with Evgeni Malkin and history with the franchise. The former NHL defenseman won a Stanley Cup with the club in 2009 and has been with the organization since his retirement in 2015. Gonchar played in more than 1,300 career NHL games and will likely find work before long if he wants it.

In fact, all three coaches have incredible resumes and will likely be snapped up by teams around the league. Martin joined the organization in 2013 after decades of head coaching experience and has been part of championships at basically every level and tournament. Recchi, a Hall of Fame player and sixth on the all-time games played list, could also find himself in a new position quickly. Darren Dreger of TSN suggests that the five-time Stanley Cup winner (three times as a player and twice as a coach) could even move into a management position.

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford: “Changes Need To Be Made”

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The Pittsburgh Penguins were one of the biggest surprises of the qualification round, ousted by the 12-seed Montreal Canadiens. Not only was it surprising because the Canadiens likely weren’t even going to make the playoffs had the season not been cut short, but the Penguins had fought through so much adversity to even get to that point. Head coach Mike Sullivan had guided his group through catastrophic injuries to almost all of the team’s top players while dealing with a horrendous performance from his expected starting goaltender.

Now that they’re out, GM Jim Rutherford didn’t hold back when discussing the offseason with reporters including Josh Yohe of The Athletic:

There is something wrong. Changes need to be made. 

Rutherford went on to say that the team starts to “fizzle out” when things don’t go their way and that even though the coaching staff navigated the regular season well there is a pattern developing at the end of the year. The entire availability was an executive who is primed to make sweeping changes, though Rutherford did explain that he is still committed to the core—Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang especially.

The Hall of Fame GM has never been shy about pulling the trigger and making splashy headline-grabbing moves. Last summer after he felt his team needed a change Rutherford twice traded Phil Kessel, only for the first one to be blocked by the enigmatic winger. During the year he pushed his chips to the middle again and tried to give them a chance to win by acquiring Jason Zucker, only to see them go down before even reaching the regular playoffs.

This time, it sounds as though one of the big changes will come on defense. Though Jack Johnson has been pummeled in the media for his disastrous play during the short postseason, Rutherford pointed the finger directly at his partner instead. Again, from Yohe:

I know everybody picks on Jack and they have for a long time, but I think, in that pairing, Justin Schultz had a lot more to give.

Schultz happens to be an unrestricted free agent this summer while Johnson still has three years on his deal, but it now seems unlikely that the pair will be reunited in the future. The 30-year old Schultz had an outstanding season in 2016-17 when Letang was injured for much of the year and earned himself a three-year, $16.5MM extension. That deal started poorly and ended even worse, however, given the performances that followed. In 46 games this season, Schultz only recorded three goals and 12 points.

But letting Schultz walk away won’t be the only move Rutherford makes. He also once again mentioned how it will be difficult to keep both Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry, given they are both restricted free agents and the salary cap will not be increasing. Moving one of them could help in another area, but don’t be surprised if you see even more drastic and sweeping changes to the Penguins before the 2020-21 season begins.

Draft Pick Fall Out From Qualifying Round Results

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It was a dark day in the NHL on Friday as five teams were eliminated from playoff contention and, barring a miraculous last-minute comeback by the Toronto Maple Leafs, it could have been six-for-six. While the focus on these pivotal games yesterday was on those teams advancing and those team going home, there were also numerous draft picks impacted:

  • In addition to yesterday’s winners, it was also a big day for the New Jersey Devils. In a year in which the draft class is lauded for its depth, particularly in impact forwards, the Devils are now the proud owners of three first-round picks. New Jersey acquired Arizona’s first-rounder in the Taylor Hall trade and Vancouver’s first-rounder from Tampa Bay in the Blake Coleman However, both picks were lottery protected. Now that the Coyotes and Canucks have advanced, they will not take part in Monday’s second draft lottery to determine the No. 1 pick and as a result their picks have officially been sent to the Devils.
  • The Ottawa Senators will also have three picks in the first round of the 2020 Draft. Already owners of their own pick and San Jose’s, the Senators officially acquired the New York Islanders’ pick yesterday. The Isles had sent a lottery-protected first-rounder to Ottawa in the Jean-Gabriel Pageau trade, but with New York moving one they will not be in the running for a lottery pick. There is also a conditional 2020 second-round pick involved in that deal which will transfer to the Senators if the Islanders win the Stanley Cup. That dream for now remains alive for New York.
  • The clock is ticking on the Pittsburgh Penguins. The first-round pick that the team sent to the Minnesota Wild in the Jason Zucker trade contained a condition that the Penguins could keep the pick if it landed in the top 15. Now that the team has been surprisingly knocked out of the postseason, their first-rounder will fall in that range. They now have seven days to decided whether or not to retain the pick and send their 2021 first-round pick instead or to simply trade their 2020 selection. Obviously, the team will wait for the results of Monday night’s lottery, but regardless it seems likely that the Penguins will keep the pick and bet on themselves to make the playoffs next season.
  • One first-round pick that still remains undecided is the pick that will transfer to the New York Rangers as part of the Brady Skjei When the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Skjei, they promised the Rangers the later of their two first-rounders, their own and the Toronto Maple Leafs’, acquired alongside Patrick Marleau. However, the Toronto pick has conditions of its own; if the Leafs pick lands in the top 10, they will retain the selection and transfer their 2021 first-rounder instead. The only way for this to occur would be for Toronto to both lose Game Five against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday and then win the No. 1 overall pick in Monday’s draft lottery. If the Maple Leafs lose both the game and the lottery, their pick will be No. 13 and by default will be earlier than Carolina’s, meaning the Hurricanes’ own pick will go to the Rangers. Should Toronto win on Sunday, it will remain to be seen how far each team goes in the playoffs and which pick will head to New York.

Vancouver’s Micheal Ferland Injured, Leaving Bubble

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A difficult year for Vancouver Canucks forward Micheal Ferland unfortunately continues. The team has announced that the veteran has sustained an injury that will force him to leave his team and the Edmonton bubble. Ferland is not headed back to Vancouver either, but to his home in Manitoba. There is no word on the nature or extent of Ferland’s latest ailment, but he has been ruled out for the remainder of the Canucks’ qualifying round series and will be evaluated once the series has concluded.

Ferland, 28, is in his first year of a four-year contract signed with Vancouver last summer. He got off to a rocky start to his Canucks tenure when he sustained a concussion in early November. Ferland missed 15 games on his first IR stint, returned briefly in November, and then was sidelined again due to concussion symptoms, missing the team’s final 38 regular season games. As a result, Ferland played in just 14 games and recorded only five points in his first season with the Canucks.

However, the lengthy pause in the NHL season due to Coronavirus allowed Ferland to regain his health and re-join the lineup for the postseason. The physical winger was a noticeable presence in Game One of the qualifying round match-up with the Minnesota Wild too, recording five hits and drawing seven penalty minutes (and a fine). Yet, in Game Two Ferland was held to just four shifts and 2:36 TOI. This was a clear sign that Ferland was not healthy and it is no surprise that he is set to miss more time. It is safe to assume that this absence is related to Ferland’s concussion struggles, especially after a Game One fight, but his official designation is “unfit to play”. More will be known when the Canucks re-evaluate his condition following this series, should they advance.

Snapshots: Markstrom, Chayka, Hockey East

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One of the more talked-about free agent negotiations this season has been between the Vancouver Canucks and starting goalie Jacob Markstrom, who has been stellar in net this season. Markstrom had a career-best season this year, recording a .918 save percentage and 2.75 GAA. As he heads toward free agency, the Canucks have prioritized keeping him in Vancouver if at all possible. The two sides have been talking throughout the league pause and GM Jim Benning even noted that they spoke again on Tuesday. However, Benning told NHL.com that all negotiations will be put on hold until after the playoffs. “We’re going to get something figured out for him,” Benning said with confidence, but added “We both decided let’s just wait until after the playoffs are done.” How long that postseason run might last remains to be seen. The No. 7 seed out West, the Canucks are set to face the No. 10-seed Minnesota Wild in the qualifying round next week. If they emerge victorious, talks with Markstrom will stay on the back burner for a while longer, but if the Canucks fall to the Wild, they could approach talks very soon. Perhaps they will even be armed with the No. 1 overall pick to help make their case for a long-term extension.

  • As the John Chayka saga continues to unravel, Howie Kussoy of the New York Post has confirmed previous reports that Chayka was interested in a move from the Arizona Coyotes to the New Jersey Devils. It doesn’t end there though. Kussoy writes that Chayka lied to ‘Yotes ownership about having an interview with the Devils ownership, who also own the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and are a suitor for the MLB’s New York Mets. While this was not a GM position with the Devils, which Arizona had previously denied another NHL team from interviewing Chayka for, he was nevertheless deceptive about his intentions. According to Kussoy, this left his relationship with owner Alex Meruelo “irrevocably damaged” and led to the swift separation between the two sides.
  • Over in the college game, the Hockey East Conference offered some hope for NCAA fans yesterday. The historic hockey conference announced their intention to have a 2020-21 season for both men and women. Due to the convenient geography of the New England-based conference, teams will play conference-heavy schedules that will limit travel and, as a result, potential COVID-19 exposure. As many of their member institutions have seen their primary athletic conferences cancel or postpone fall sports, while other hockey schools – like those Ivy League members of the ECAC – have had all fall competition canceled, Hockey East hopes to start in the fall. They have yet to announce schedules and may delay the start of the season and play a shortened campaign, but college hockey seems to be returning next season after the Coronavirus pandemic ended the season in the midst of conference tournaments and before an NCAA champion could be crowned. The hope is that other conferences can also find a way to follow in the footsteps of Hockey East.

Nils Hoglander Loaned To SHL

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After wowing the hockey world with his incredible skill, Nils Hoglander didn’t have to wait around long to sign his first NHL contract this spring. The Vancouver Canucks signed Hoglander to a three-year entry-level contract in April, with the intention of bringing him to training camp for the 2020-21 season. Unfortunately, that training camp will now be delayed, meaning Hoglander would be waiting around for months during his most important development period. To solve that problem, he has been loaned to Rogle in the SHL where he will compete until the NHL training camp opens in mid-November.

Hoglander, 19, was a second-round pick in 2019 by the Canucks, but quickly started to generate hype thanks to his highlight-reel lacrosse-style goals in both the World Juniors and Swedish league play. The 5’9″ forward has incredible skill with the puck and finished with 16 points in 41 games for Rogle last season. While that number doesn’t jump off the page, it’s important to remember he was just an 18-year old playing against professionals at the highest level in Sweden.

Whether he can bring the same sort of jaw-dropping talent to Vancouver isn’t clear, but getting him skating and training is obviously a priority. These types of loans will be common as teams try to keep their prospects on a strong development path. Obviously, Hoglander also doesn’t have an NHL roster spot locked up when the 2020-21 season comes back, meaning they’ll have to make another decision on where he will play. His entry-level deal includes a European Assignment Clause, meaning he could force his way back to Sweden if sent to (or left in) the minors at a certain point.

Metropolitan Notes: Murray, Samsonov, Hamilton

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have a choice to make in net when they head into the 24-team playoff, deciding whether to use Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry as their starter. Though he admits it is the coach’s decision, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford told Josh Yohe of The Athletic that he believes Murray will be the choice after seeing how well the more experienced netminder performed in this week’s practices.

Murray, 26, is only a year older than Jarry but has the added benefit of two Stanley Cups and 48 playoff games under his belt. The 6’4″ netminder struggled mightily this season, however, posting an .899 save percentage. Jarry meanwhile put up a .921 and was selected to the All-Star game, but has never appeared in the postseason. The Penguins will start things off with a qualification round against the Montreal Canadiens.

  • There is another interesting goaltending situation to keep an eye on in the Metropolitan Division, and that’s what is happening in Washington. The Capitals still haven’t gotten a single practice out of young star netminder Ilya Samsonov, who has been “unfit to play” for the entire training camp so far. When asked, head coach Todd Reirden wouldn’t comment on whether Samsonov will be traveling with the team to Toronto in a few days as the Capitals enter the “bubble.” For now, Braden Holtby remains the default choice as starter for Washington despite his own struggles—to the tune of an .897 save percentage—this season.
  • After leaving practice yesterday, Dougie Hamilton was absent again for the Carolina Hurricanes this morning. The defenseman was in “visible discomfort” when leaving yesterday according to team reporter Michael Smith, who also notes that the Hurricanes are already missing Brett Pesce thanks to his shoulder surgery in March. While Pesce hasn’t been ruled out completely from participating in the playoffs, Hamilton was expected to be back to full strength after missing the last two months of the regular season. Given the league’s policy on not giving out injury information, there’s no way of telling what exactly happened to Hamilton or how long he’ll be out.

Vancouver Canucks’ Loui Eriksson Has No Plans To Retire

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Barring a trade, the Loui Eriksson era in Vancouver is far from over. In fact, quite the contrary as the veteran is preparing for the upcoming postseason with the hopes of playing a regular role with the Canucks, reports The Province’s Ben Kuzma. In an interview, Eriksson described how he has plenty of gas left in the tank, both for the playoffs this season and for years to come.

Eriksson, 35, still has two years left on his contract at an AAV of $6MM. However, the former 30-goal scorer has been relegated to a part-time role in Vancouver, playing in just 49 games this season. Many Canucks fans had hoped that Eriksson might opt to retire and leave his remaining money on the table due to the drop-off in his usage, but the veteran tells Kuzma that this won’t be the case. He plans to keep playing and the Canucks will have to find some other way to get rid of him if they no longer want him around next season. While the cap-strapped club would love to move on from Eriksson’s $6MM cap hit, which resulted in just 13 points this year, a buyout or an AHL demotion do relatively little to aid in their cap situation. Recent reports indicated that the asking price from other teams to take on Eriksson’s contract was a young roster player. As a result, Vancouver might find it difficult to move the veteran.

Fortunately, Eriksson’s personal relationship with the team does seem to be improving. This past summer, Eriksson did not exactly speak glowingly about his head coach Travis Green, stating that the two did not see eye to eye. However, he has changed his tune in talking with Kuzma, saying that the relationship between the two has been better. Eriksson also spoke about his love of the game and his desire to help the Canucks this postseason. Eriksson still believes that he can be an effective defensive forward and his performance has backed up this claim. While this may not amount to $6MM in value, it may come in handy along with his experience and leadership in the playoffs. What happens beyond this postseason remains to be seen and could very much be tied to Eriksson’s performance, but for now Canucks fans can only hope that after four disappointing seasons that their “star” free agent expenditure has saved his best for a deep playoff run this year.

NHL Releases Qualifying Round, Round Robin Schedules

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July 20: The NHL has announced some minor changes to the schedule for the round robin. The Boston Bruins-Washington Capitals game that was scheduled for August 8 will now be played on August 9. The Philadelphia Flyers-Tampa Bay Lightning game that was originally scheduled for August 9, will now be played on August 8.

July 14: After revealing the schedule earlier today for the exhibition games occurring after the conclusion of training camp, the NHL has followed up with the schedules for the games that actually matter. The league has announced the full schedule for the best-of-five qualifying round match-ups, four each per conference between the teams seeded No. 5 to No. 12, as well as the six round robin games per conference between the teams seeded No. 1 to No. 4. As a reminder, the qualifying round will serve as a knockout round to trim the list of postseason teams to 16 for a standard playoff format while the round robin games will serve as a means to seed the top team in each conference. Teams will re-seed following the conclusion of the qualifying round and each subsequent round.

The full schedule is as follows (all times ET):

Saturday, Aug. 1

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 1, 12 p.m.
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 1, 4 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 1, 8 p.m.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 1, 3 p.m.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 1, 10:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 2

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Round-robin

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins, 3 p.m.

Best-of-5 series

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 1, 8 p.m.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

Arizona Coyotes vs, Nashville Predators, Game 1, 2 p.m.
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 1, 10:30 p.m.

Round-robin

St. Louis Blues vs. Colorado Avalanche, 6:30 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 3

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 2, 12 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 2, 8 p.m.

Round-robin

Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 4 p.m.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 2, 2:30 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 2, 10:30 p.m.

Round-robin

Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 4

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 2, 12 p.m.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 2, 4 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers, Game 3, 8 p.m.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

Arizona Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators, Game 2, 2:30 p.m.
Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets, Game 3, 6:45 p.m.
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 2, 10:45 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 5

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers, Game 3, 12 p.m.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens, Game 3, 8 p.m.

Round-robin

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins, 4 p.m.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes, Game 3, 2:30 p.m.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Game 3, 10:30 p.m.

Round-robin

Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 6

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, Game 3, TBD
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers, Game 4*, TBD

Round-robin

Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers, TBD

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild, Game 3, TBD
Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets, Game 4*, TBD

Round-robin

Vegas Golden Knights vs. St. Louis Blues, TBD

Friday, Aug. 7

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers, Game 4*, TBD
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens, Game 4*, TBD
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, Game 4*, TBD

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes, Game 4*, TBD
Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild, Game 4*, TBD
Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Game 4*, TBD

Saturday, Aug. 8

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 5*, TBD
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 5*, TBD

Round-robin

Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals, TBD

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 5*, TBD
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 5*, TBD

Round-robin

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche, TBD

Sunday, Aug. 9

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 5*, TBD
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 5*, TBD

Round-robin

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, TBD

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-5 series

Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 5*, TBD
Arizona Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators, Game 5*, TBD

Round-robin

Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues, TBD

With round robin games scheduled through August 9, the first round will not begin until August 10 at the earliest. However, given that exhibition games don’t even begin until July 28, the NHL is about to cram a lot of hockey into a span of just a dozen days.

Teams Wanted A Key Young Player To Take On Loui Eriksson's Deal At The Trade Deadline

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Back at the trade deadline, teams were asking the Canucks for either defenseman Brogan Rafferty or center Adam Gaudette to take Loui Eriksson’s contract off Vancouver’s hands, reports Rick Dhaliwal of TSN 1040 and The Athletic (audio link).  Eriksson still has two years left on his contract after this one and while his salary dips (only $8MM is owed over the next two seasons), his $6MM cap hit is even more of an issue now with the salary cap levelling off for 2020-21.  If the cost to get out of the contract was a promising youngster back then, it certainly stands to reason that the price to escape from Eriksson’s contract is only going to be higher now with many more other teams soon facing cap crunches of their own.

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