Vancouver Canucks Send Three To AHL
Now that the Vancouver Canucks’ season is over, they’ve sent Nikolay Goldobin, Tyler Motte and Ashton Sautner to the Utica Comets for their upcoming playoff run. While Sautner was up under emergency conditions and could always be sent back, both Goldobin and Motte had been involved in paper transactions at the trade deadline to make them eligible for the AHL playoffs. Reid Boucher, who is also eligible, would need to clear waivers in order to be assigned to the AHL.
The Comets have clinched their playoff spot with three games remaining, but are looking at a first round matchup with the Toronto Marlies if they can’t catch the Rochester Americans in the next few days. Though anything can happen in a playoff series, the Marlies have been the best team in the AHL for much of the season and will head in as the top seed.
Goldobin especially should be a huge help for the Comets, as he finished fifth in team scoring despite playing just 28 games in the minor leagues this season. His 30 points in those games continued the near point-per-game pace he’s set in the minors. The 22-year old forward should spend most of the season in Vancouver again next year.
Ben Hutton Hoping For A Restart In Vancouver
Just a couple of years ago, Canucks defenseman Ben Hutton was viewed as a key cog in their future plans. Fast forward to today and the 24-year-old is coming off a campaign where he failed to score a goal in 61 games and spent considerable time as a healthy scratch. Following their loss on Saturday, he acknowledged to Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province that “a restart button would be nice”.
While the implication in the article is that Hutton would welcome a fresh start with Vancouver next season after being called out on multiple occasions by head coach Travis Green, Botchford notes that many around the team have Hutton pegged as a possible trade candidate this summer. He carries a cap hit of $2.8MM through next year which also serves as his qualifying offer in June of 2019 and if his role doesn’t change with the Canucks for next season, he’d certainly be a non-tender candidate. Accordingly, it may make sense for the team to look to move him this offseason even though they’d be selling low.
Western Notes: Blackhawks, Greenway, Horvat, Dahlen, Kovalchuk
Don’t expect too many changes in the Chicago Blackhawks roster this season. At least that’s what Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times writes as he examines the roster and the team’s salary cap flexibility.
Coach Joel Quenneville admitted that many things went wrong this year, but he believes that if the team comes back and all play better, the Blackhawks should return to the playoffs next season. Factor in the loss of Marian Hossa, the injury to goaltender Corey Crawford and some down years by several key players, perhaps a turnaround is possible.
“If we all collectively have better years in all aspects … I believe we’re very capable of [rebounding],” Quenneville said. “We’ve seen many games this year where we look like we could be a really good team. [It’s] just that consistency, putting that in place.”
Lazerus writes that the team should look into adding a top-four defenseman, but was quick to point out that it’s unlikely the team will go after Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson as that pricetag would be too high even though it looks as if the Blackhawks should have considerable cap space. He also adds the team desperately needs to find a quality backup goaltender to avoid the problems the team had to endure during the second half of this season.
- Sarah McLellan of the StarTribune writes that while the Minnesota Wild’s bottom line of Tyler Ennis, Matt Cullen and Charlie Coyle has been successful of late, but head coach Bruce Boudreau might break it up as it sounds like the coach is leaning towards starting rookie Jordan Greenway over Ennis. “I don’t know where he’s going to play [in the playoffs], but I’m sure I’ll find a spot,” Boudreau said.
- Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet tweeted that Vancouver Canucks forward Bo Horvat received an invitation to play for Canada at the upcoming world championships in Denmark this summer.
- Dhaliwal also adds that Vancouver Canucks prospect Jonathan Dahlen will rest for a few days before reporting to the Utica Comets of the AHL. Dahlen, a prospect the Canucks acquired at the trade deadline in 2016 for Alexandre Burrows, has been lighting up the Allvenskan league and helped lead his team Timra to be promoted to Sweden’s top tier league.
- European reporter Alex Nunn tweeted that KHL star Ilya Kovalchuk has confirmed that he will spend the next two or three seasons in the NHL. Kovalchuk will be an unrestricted free agent on April 15, when he turns 35 years old.
New York Rangers Fire Coach Alain Vigneault
Hours after putting up an egg in their 5-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, the New York Rangers fired their head coach Alain Vigneault after five years. After four playoff appearances, the Rangers struggled, finishing 34-39-9 on the season. In all, however, Vigneault had quite a bit of success in his time in New York, which included taking the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2013-14, his first season with the team. He led the team to a 226-147-37 record over the five years.
The firing also came after Vigneault himself stated in his post-game press conference that he deserved to stay and defended his record, according to Newsday’s Colin Stephenson.
“Yes, yes. Without a doubt,’’ he said when asked if he thought he would hold on to his job despite the Rangers’ 34-39-9 record, which caused them to miss the playoffs for only the second time since the NHL lockout that canceled the 2004-05 season. “I think my staff is the right staff for this job. I think — and this is just my opinion — but I think one of the strongest assets of this organization is its coaching staff and their experience.’’
Some of Vigneault’s struggles were not his doing as the Rangers decided to rebuild on the fly, sending out a letter on Feb. 7, telling fans about their decision to rebuild the team. The Rangers followed that by selling off several veterans including Michael Grabner, Rick Nash, Nick Holden, J.T. Miller and captain Ryan McDonah.
However, Stephenson also points out several issues that came up this season that forced the Rangers to head in that direction. After re-designing its defense with the acquisitions of star free agent Kevin Shattenkirk and re-signing Brendan Smith, the team was hoping to possess one of the best defenses in the league. Instead, the team started slowly at 1-6-2 in its first nine games and was 3-7-2 after 12 in which Vigneault almost lost his job. The team was able to right the ship after that, but only because of the impressive play of both the team’s goaltenders in Henrik Lundqvist and Ondrej Pavelec. Neither goalie was able to sustain their great play.
Injuries also played a part. Shattenkirk was playing hurt, while Smith came into camp out of shape and never returned to form before eventually being sent down to the AHL. Winger Chris Kreider missed 24 games due to a blood clot that led to surgery on his ribs. Center Mika Zibanejad missed nine games with a concussion, while Shattenkirk had knee surgery in January and never came back.
The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello writes (subscription required) that there were other reasons as well that stand out when it came to Vigneault. The coach’s lack of success at the blueline have been issues for years as his system had failed repeatedly. Vigneault had undergone three different defensive assistant coaches in three years, including Ulf Samuelsson, Jeff Beukeboom and Lindy Ruff and replaced most of the defense and still failed to get them going. His tough love was also an issue as he butted heads with many players, especially Miller and Pavel Buchnevich. However, the most telling numbers is the team’s record from Jan. 7 to Feb. 25, when Vigneault led the team to just a 5-16-1 record.
Vigneault has a 648-435-98 overall record throughout his career with the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks and the Rangers. He won the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year in 2007.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie was the first to report the news.
Florida Panthers’ Radim Vrbata To Retire After Season
The Florida Panthers honored veteran Radim Vrbata during tonight’s game and announced that tonight’s game against the Buffalo Sabres will be his final appearance in an NHL uniform. He is not expected to play tomorrow and will retire at the end of the season, confirms Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington.
The 36-year-old winger has only appeared in 41 games this season and hasn’t played since March 8. He has just five goals and 19 points this season, a far cry from a season ago, when he scored 20 goals and tallied 55 points with the Arizona Coyotes.
In his 17-year career, Vrbata has played for multiple teams, including the Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks and the Panthers. He has played in 1,056 games, putting up 284 goals and 339 assists for 623 points and had two 30-goal seasons.
Adam Gaudette Wins Hobey Baker Award
Canucks prospect Adam Gaudette has won the Hobey Baker Award for the top player in men’s NCAA hockey, his now-former college squad, the Northeastern Huskies, announced (Twitter link). The 21-year-old had a dominant junior year, recording 30 goals and 30 assists in just 38 games to lead all Division I players in scoring and becomes the first Vancouver prospect to win the award. Gaudette recently signed his entry-level deal and has played in four games with the Canucks this season, logging just shy of 13 minutes per game in ice time. Henrik Borgstrom (Florida) and Ryan Donato (Boston) were the other finalists for the award.
Penguins Sign Anthony Angello To Entry-Level Deal
It may have been a disappointing end to the season for Cornell, a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament upset in their first game, but for one player the year will end on a positive note. Anthony Angello, a junior forward for the Big Red, has signed an entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to a team release. The two-year deal will begin next season, but Angello will join the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on an amateur tryout to close out the season.
It’s hard to argue against the results that the two-time defending Stanley Cup champs have had with bringing in college talent in recent years. Conor Sheary, Bryan Rust, and Zach Aston-Reese have all been successful college free agents who signed in Pittsburgh, while Brian Dumoulin and Jake Guentzel, draft picks who chose the college route, have been even better. Angello, a 2014 fifth-round pick, will gladly take the career trajectory of any of those players as he transitions to the pro game.
A hulking 6’5″ center who anchored the Cornell squad, Angello was also among the team’s top scorers this season. Angello finished the year tied in points and goals with linemate Trevor Yates, a recent signing of the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, due in no small part to his ability in front of the net. Angello’s checking game and two-way intelligence also contributed to an impressive +16 rating. The Penguins don’t have a forward with Angello’s size and skill set anywhere in the pipeline and have to be excited to bring in the big 22-year-old. The Big Red scorer could be donning Pittsburgh black and yellow sooner rather than later.
Snapshots: Bozak, World Championships, Fast
The Vancouver Canucks received some financial certainty today, when Henrik and Daniel Sedin confirmed their intention to retire at the end of the season. With their decision comes the fact that the Canucks have $14MM coming off the books, and should have ample room to make a splash in free agency if they choose.
Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 notes that he’s hear Tyler Bozak‘s name as a player the Canucks could have interest in, should he go unsigned by Toronto and reach free agency. Bozak, 32, isn’t a top-line player anymore (if he ever was) but should still command a multi-year deal as one of the better center options on the open market. Where he fits into a Canucks rebuild isn’t clear, but the Vancouver front office has been clear that they aren’t willing to turn the entire franchise over to the young guns, and want some experience to help guide them through the next few years.
- The World Championships are coming fast, and several players indicated their intentions today over whether to play in it or not. Matt Duchene told media that he wouldn’t play for Team Canada in the upcoming tournament, while Ryan O’Reilly confirmed to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that he would be. O’Reilly has competed five times previously, including being named an alternate captain last year. With two golds and one silver, he will be a welcome addition to a team that looks like it could be a powerhouse.
- Jesper Fast will likely not play again for the New York Rangers this season, after suffering a groin injury that should keep him out the rest of the year. That ends what has been a career year for the 26-year old, with 33 points in 71 games. The Rangers will hope that progression can continue over the next two years of his current contract, as he’ll be relied upon as a key forward while the team rebuilds with their eyes on contention down the road.
Henrik And Daniel Sedin Announce This Will Be Their Final Season
It wasn’t clear what the future held for Henrik and Daniel Sedin, as the twin forwards wouldn’t talk about it during the season. Today, they’ve decided to break that silence and announce that 2017-18 will be the last season of their careers. In a letter to Vancouver Canucks fans, the twins explained:
We started the year with the mindset that a decision would be made in the postseason. But it became clear, after discussions with our families throughout the year, that this will be our last season. This feels right for all of us.
Being part of the Canucks family for 18 seasons has been the best period of our lives. But it’s time to focus on our families and life after hockey. It’s time to help with homework every night. It’s time to be at every birthday party and to stand in the cold at every hockey rink, soccer game and riding lesson on weekends. It’s time to be at home for dinner every night.
The Sedins were scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this summer, and there was some question about whether the Canucks should even want to re-sign them at this point, as the team continues to try to rebuild around young stars like Brock Boeser. The 37-year old forwards were each earning $7MM this season, meaning the team will have quite a bit of extra room to play with in the coming years.
In 1999, the brothers from Ornskoldsvik, Sweden would need some draft floor magic from then-GM Brian Burke to end up on the same team. After several trades to position himself with the second and third overall picks, Burke would proudly select both brothers at the same time, a connection that would in effect never be broken. Though their arrival would be delayed by another year spent playing for MODO in the Swedish Elite League, the Sedins would never look back after making their way to Vancouver.
Breaking into the league just a few days after turning 20, Henrik and Daniel would only show flashes of their eventual brilliance in those first few seasons. The playmaking Henrik was famously left out of the Calder voting altogether, while Daniel—who always leaned more towards goal scoring—would garner just a handful of votes. Still, as they matured they also refined an incredible ability to find each other on the ice and dominate shifts by seemingly never giving up the puck. Playing on the same line for the vast majority of their careers resulted in some phenomenal seasons, and individual success for both of them.
First in 2010, when Henrik took home the Hart Trophy as the league MVP and won the scoring race with 112 points. Like always, Daniel wasn’t far behind and won the Art Ross with 104 points the following year, finishing second in Hart voting but winning the Lester B. Pearson (now Ted Lindsay) award for best player as voted by his peers.
Even through their incredible careers, there was never a moment where they could lift the Stanley Cup together. Though there was one Finals appearance, Vancouver was generally unable to find much postseason success through their 18-year career, and this year will be no different.
In 2,630 combined regular season games, the Sedin twins have amassed 2,106 points and have always been regarded as some of the classiest and friendly players in the game. They were the faces (or is it just face?) of the Vancouver franchise for more than a decade, and will surely go into the Hall of Fame together.
Never ones to quit before the season is over though, they signed off with one last promise to Vancouver fans:
In the meantime, we still have some games to play, and we still have some work to do.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Keller, Makar, Boeser
The NHL announced its three stars for the month of March as Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid has found his way to the top once again, named the first star. McDavid picked up 13 goals and 15 assists in 16 games, which pulls him into the lead for the Art Ross Trophy race. Despite the Oilers struggles, McDavid has taken his game to a new level as he has hit career highs in goals (41) and points (103) and remains six points ahead of Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov for top spot in the NHL.
Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand is the league’s second star for March as he had 10 goals and 16 assists in 15 games. Anaheim goaltender John Gibson picked up third star honors after playing in 13 games, picking up nine wins and boasting a .931 save percentage during that span.
- Arizona Coyotes announced rookie Clayton Keller was named NHL Rookie of the Month for the second time this season. Keller, who won the award in October, had a strong start to the season, but struggled during the winter months before picking it back up recently. He picked up 19 points in the month of March, including six goals over 17 games. The 19-year-old is ranked second among rookies in points with 63 behind the New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal.
- BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater tweets that the Colorado Avalanche will have to wait a little while longer to get bring in 2017 first-round pick Cale Makar into the fold. The fourth-overall pick has decided to return to the University of Massachusetts – Amherst for his sophomore year. An elite power-play defenseman, Makar had a solid freshman year at Amherst, putting up five goals and 21 points and the Avalanche had hopes of instantly upgrading its defense for next year.
- Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal tweets that it is doubtful that Vancouver Canucks rookie Brock Boeser plays for Team USA at this year’s 2018 IIHF World Championships in Denmark. Boeser went down for the season with a back injury and likely will spend his summer getting ready for the 2018-19 season. The 21-year-old had a great rookie season in which he scored 29 goals and picked up 55 points.