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Snapshots: Schmaltz, Gaunce, Emelin

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The St. Louis Blues have sent Jordan Schmaltz back to the AHL to join the Chicago Wolves for their playoff run. With Robert Bortuzzo firmly in the lineup, there was no room for Schmaltz as the Blues continue their series against the Minnesota Wild. Instead, he’ll return to the AHL where he has dominated this season, scoring 25 points in 42 games.

Drafted in the first round in 2012, Schmaltz played exceptionally well at the University of North Dakota before making an impact as an AHL rookie last year. With another solid season and his NHL debut under his belt, he’ll be a leading candidate for a full-time job with the Blues next season. He’ll be entering the final year of his entry-level deal, and could sign an extension as soon as July 1st.

  • The Vancouver Canucks’ Brendan Gaunce will have surgery to repair his shoulder and begin rehab to try and be ready for next season. Apparently he and the medical staff had been trying to avoid surgery, but have no other choice after his “response to treatment.” Gaunce played 57 games for the Canucks this season, recording just five points. He still hasn’t shown that high-end potential that was so apparent in junior, but is still just 23 years old and can still improve his game.
  • The Montreal Canadiens are expected to insert Alexei Emelin into their lineup for Game 5 against the New York Rangers, though he is technically a game-time decision. The injured defenseman has yet to play in the series, but will add another element of toughness to a group that has been pushed around physically by the normally smaller Rangers team. With 203 hits in the series, New York easily paces the entire NHL playoffs. Emelin, as Canadiens head coach Claude Julien told TSN’s John Lu, will make you keep your head up when he’s on the ice.

Philip Larsen Signs Two-Year Deal In KHL

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Just after the Vancouver Canucks learned that they’d lost Nikita Tryamkin to his old KHL club, the league announced that Philip Larsen has signed a two-year deal with Salavat Yulaev. Larsen was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, after playing just 26 games with the Canucks this season. He’ll be returning to the league in which he found so much success, scoring 36 points in 52 games during the 2015-16 season.

Larsen was acquired from the Oilers last spring, and signed a one-year deal with the Canucks hoping to become the powerplay quarterback he had been in Russia. Instead, tragedy struck when he was destroyed by a Taylor Hall hit behind the ice and had to leave the game on a stretcher. He would eventually return more than six weeks later, but played just a handful of games down the stretch for Vancouver.

Originally drafted in the fifth round by the Dallas Stars, Larsen has never been quite able to put together a full NHL season. His future always seemed to be overseas, either in the KHL or closer to his native Denmark. He spent his formative years playing in the Swedish Elite League, where he was first spotted by Dallas. While it’s not determined if he’ll ever return to the NHL, at 27 he’s found his niche in the KHL and could easily stay there. Unfortunately, Denmark will not participate in the 2018 Olympics in hockey, with their qualification stage being one of the toughest against both Slovenia—who eventually won the group and will play in Pyeongchang—Poland and Belarus.

Canucks’ Nikita Tryamkin Returning To KHL

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The KHL has claimed their first NHL victim, as Vancouver Canucks’ defenseman Nikita Tryamkin has re-signed with his old KHL club for next season. After repeating their desire to bring back some of their homegrown talent, the KHL has succeeded by baiting Tryamkin back after just one full season with the Canucks. The 22-year old defender was a restricted free agent this summer, and looked like he could be a part of the Canucks’ blueline for a long time.

Drafted in the third round in 2014, Tryamkin was always a risk to return to the KHL as he had previously warned that he would leave North America should he not stay in the NHL all season. His contract even contained an out clause should the Canucks try to send him to the AHL, likely signaling a hesitation to dedicate himself fully to the North American game. It’s hard to blame the big defender, who will be returning to play for his hometown team in Yekaterinburg.

The 6’7″ defenseman was a surprisingly good addition to the Canucks blueline this year, dealing out big hits and moving around the ice with ease. While he obviously needed some polish to his game, he could have easily turned into a solid piece on the blueline. Vancouver will now go forward without him, though they will retain his rights and keep him on their reserve list should he ever wish to come back. It’s not clear how long the contract is for, but with his youth and relative success this year, a return is not out of the question.

Expansion Notes: Bieksa, Sutter

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The Anaheim Ducks have taken a 3-0 lead in the playoff series with the Calgary Flames, mostly due to the success of its defense (although perhaps not in the first 30 minutes of last night’s game. Los Angeles Times’ writer Helene Elliott praises the play of veteran defenseman Kevin Bieksa, who she says put in one of his best performances of the season.

However, while the 35-year-old blueliner has been playing well leading a young, talented defensive corps, there continue to be issues on how the Ducks will handle their offseason protection list in June.

Bieksa has a no movement clause, which will force the Ducks to use one of their four defensive spots on the veteran. The team already has a bunch of young blueliners who they must protect or potentially lose to the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Even with the team using  the 4-4-1 option in the draft (four forwards, four defensemen and a goalie), the team is likely to protect Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen and Cam Fowler.

However, because of Bieksa’s no movement clause, they would be forced to expose several young defenders, including Josh Manson. The Ducks may be ready to move on from him next year, but that no movement clause, as well as his $5.0MM cap hit will definitely stand in their way, unless the team can convince him to waive that.

Will Anaheim be able to convince Bieksa to waive his no-trade clause? His recent playoff success might only complicate matters, but no one in Anaheim is complaining at the moment as the Ducks look towards a sweep of the Flames tomorrow in Game 4 in Calgary.

  • The Vancouver Canucks have a similar issue about what to do with center Brandon Sutter, their veteran center. Many feel that Sutter has been a disappointment after a season in which he scored just 17 goals and 17 assists after signing a five-year deal in the offseason. That $4.375MM cap hit over the next four seasons makes many in Vancouver believe that they need to expose the high-priced center in the expansion draft or possibly trade him if that doesn’t work. Fansided Alex Hoegler suggests that the team should consider holding on to him, despite his disappointing first season. Sutter may not be proving to be a top-line center, however, but at age 28, he should be able to provide many 15-20 goals over the next four seasons and provide depth to a young team.

Editor’s Note: This article originally listed Brandon Montour as eligible for expansion. This is incorrect, as his 14 games in the AHL in 2014-15 were played under an amateur tryout and thus do not count towards his professional experience.

West Notes: Green, Stastny, Eakin

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While the Canucks are still considering several different options to fill their head coaching vacancy, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that Travis Green, the bench boss at their AHL affiliate in Utica, remains the front runner for the job.  He adds that more interviews will be held this week.

Green recently completed his fourth season with the Comets, his only coaching experience at the professional level.  He has interviewed for NHL jobs in recent years though obviously he hasn’t been able to land a spot yet.  Green is no stranger to the NHL game though, having played parts of 14 seasons with five different organizations before retiring in 2007.

Of course, Green isn’t the only coach that has been linked to Vancouver as earlier today, it was reported that one of the others being considered is former Edmonton coach Ralph Krueger.

Other news from the Western Conference:

  • Blues center Paul Stastny returned to practice on Tuesday, Tom Timmermann and Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch note.  Head coach Mike Yeo had him skating with the third line and was pleased with his progress: “I thought he was skating well. I thought he was involved in every drill and conditioning didn’t look like an issue and timing and execution didn’t look like it was an issue either.”  With St. Louis comfortably up 3-0 in their series against the Wild, they can afford to take their time with their top center so it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll be back in the lineup in what could be the clinching game tomorrow night.
  • The looming expansion draft is going to result in some notable players hitting the trade market and one of those could be Stars center Cody Eakin, suggests Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. He notes that as things stand, Eakin may be forced to shift to the wing for next season, a position he hasn’t had as much success at in the past.  Accordingly, it may make sense for GM Jim Nill to try to move him in advance of the draft which would free up another protection slot up front to work with.  Eakin is coming off a tough year with just 12 points in 60 games but had at least 35 in each of the past three years which may be enticing to other teams around the league.

Morning Notes: Krueger, Bernier, Coyotes

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet woke the hockey world up this morning with some news on the Vancouver Canucks head coaching vacancy. When he reached out to Ralph Krueger about the rumored interest, the former Edmonton Oilers head coach replied “I have had some interesting chats these past weeks, but my focus remains fully on the Saints for now.” The Saints of course is referring to the Southampton Football Club with which Krueger holds the chairman role and has since his 2014 exit from hockey.

Krueger of course coached the European team at this fall’s World Cup of Hockey, ushering them all the way to the final game against Team Canada. Kruger held the Edmonton job for just one season before being dismissed, but many around the hockey world believe he could easily step behind an NHL bench once again. His players at the World Cup praised him tremendously, and there have been rumors since his exit that he would eventually make his return to the sport.

  • It wasn’t just an overtime winner that thrilled Maple Leafs fans last night, but a goalie switch for the Anaheim Ducks. Jonathan Bernier came on in relief of John Gibson last night, and helped the Ducks claw their way back from a 4-1 deficit. While it’s not clear if that would ever warrant a start from the former Leaf, their fan base would clearly welcome it. The Maple Leafs would receive a draft pick if the Ducks made it to the Finals with Bernier starting more than half the games; a second-rounder if they were to win it all, and a third should they lose in the final series. Gibson allowed four goals on 16 shots, but will likely get back in the net with the Ducks up 3-0 in the series.
  • The Arizona Coyotes are hoping the Minnesota Wild can claw back from their own 3-0 deficit to the St. Louis Blues. When the Coyotes traded Martin Hanzal to Minnesota at the deadline, they agreed to a condition that would see them receive a draft pick based on how many series the Wild win in the playoffs. Should the Wild be eliminated by the Blues, Arizona will get a 2019 fourth-rounder, but if they somehow climb back it could move all the way to the second round with two series victories.

Snapshots: Tolvanen, Lowry, Senators

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Adam Kimelman of NHL.com goes in depth on draft prospect Eevi Tolvanen in his latest article, detailing the move from Finland to the USHL for the undersized forward. Tolvanen put up a huge year for the Sioux City Musketeers this season with 54 points in 52 games, but it was his work at the defensive end that leads some to believe he can be an impact NHL player. While his offense is clearly his calling card, his willingness to work on the other parts of his game are what really excite scouts. Speaking to Kimelman, Sioux City GM Mark LeRose spoke of that defensive maturity:

I’m not going to say he’s defense-first, but he is responsible defensively. It’s not his passion to play defense, his passion is to score goals and create offense. But he does understand, especially this time of year with the playoffs starting, he can create offense from defense, so if he’s good defensively he’s going to get the puck in transition quicker.

That’s where Tolvanen will make his mark, not by being an elite defender but by doing just enough to keep the puck off his opponent’s stick and in the offensive zone. At a World Junior tournament that saw Finland do everything wrong, Tolvanen was one of the bright spots at just 17. Ranked #8 among the CSS final North American skaters, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him go in the top-10 in June.

  • According to Victoria Sports News (h/t Mike Halford at NBC Pro Hockey Talk), Dave Lowry, head coach of the Victoria Royals and former NHL assistant with the Calgary Flames has been in talks with the Vancouver Canucks for up to six weeks about a possible coaching position of some sort. While there is no indication that it would be the head coaching job, Lowry would be a solid addition to a staff after his fifth straight winning season in Victoria. While Travis Green, coach of the AHL Utica Comets, keeps coming up regarding the NHL head coaching job, Lowry is clearly familiar to the Canucks having played there and coached in their backyard for the past few years.
  • Brent Wallace of TSN reports that the Ottawa Senators had several new faces practicing with the starters today, including Marc Methot who took his normal place beside Erik Karlsson. As Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports, a decision will be made on the defenseman tomorrow morning ahead of their game 2 tilt with the Boston Bruins. Methot has been out since his finger was shattered by a Sidney Crosby slash late in the season, and Ottawa has felt his absence in the defensive zone. After losing game one, they would be glad to welcome back the natural pair for Karlsson, and take some pressure off Dion Phaneuf and Mark Borowiecki. They’ll play at 2pm tomorrow, in the early slot of a full day of playoffs.

Injury Notes: Murray, Krejci Down For Game 1

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Matt Murray went down with an apparent lower-body injury per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Dave Molinari. Marc-Andre Fleury will replace him in net for Game 1 against Columbus. Further details are not available, but the seriousness of the injury may have a significant impact on Pittsburgh’s Cup hopes. Murray’s stats were substantially better than Fleury’s throughout the season, securing his role as the starter after question marks last summer regarding the latter’s future. Murray’s .923 save percentage was good for 8th in the league among tenders, with 32 wins and 4 shutouts. Fleury, by comparison, only had a .909 save percentage, securing only 18 wins and 1 shutout.

GM Jim Rutherford opted to not move Fleury before the draft, and again held pat before the trade deadline even with the looming expansion draft posing complications to the two-goalie plan. Depending on the severity of the injury to Murray, these decisions may have been strokes of genius for a team that has been plagued by injuries all season long. Whether Fleury will revert to his championship form of 2008 or 2009, or flounder as he did in 2012 or 2013 remains to be seen. The statistics from this past season suggest that against Vezina favorite Sergei Bobrovsky, Marc-Andre Fleury may struggle to stack up.

David Krejci was a late scratch for the Boston Bruins before their game 1 against Ottawa. Although injury information this time of year is often hard to come by, Krejci had been expected to play earlier in the day. The only information we have regarding the nature of the ailment is that it is upper-body. Sean Kuraly took his spot in the lineup. Krejci is easily one of the top offensive threats on the Bruins, so if this ailment is nagging, they will be hard-pressed to replace his production or experience. On a team restocked with promising youngsters, Krejci boasted a total of 77 points in 93 total playoff games. The Bruins’ fortunes in this series would be substantially improved if Krejci can return quickly.

Minor Moves: Canucks, Devils, Sabres, Red Wings

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With the Utica Comets two points out of a playoff spot with three games remaining, their parent club the Vancouver Canucks have sent them some reinforcements. Nikolay Goldobin, Richard Bachman and Yan-Pavel Laplante have all been sent down to the AHL. The trio were all up with the Canucks for the final game of the season, but will now try to go on a Cup run of their own.

Despite never having suited up for the Comets, Goldobin is actually playoff eligible thanks to a paper transaction on March 1st. In fact, the same type of transaction was needed for Bachman because he was up with the club at the time. Goldobin should provide a solid offensive presence for the Comets, after he scored 41 points in 46 games for the San Jose Barracuda before being traded for Jannik Hansen at the deadline.

  • New Jersey has sent their own troops down to try and hold off those Comets, as the Albany Devils will welcome back Joseph Blandisi, Blake Coleman, Ben Thomson and Miles Wood from the NHL. Albany is the team just two points ahead of the Comets for the last playoff spot in the North Division. Coleman and Blandisi especially will help the offense of the Devils, with both scoring nearly a point-per-game during their AHL time this season. The group will try to improve on a round two exit last season, despite a much worse record heading into the playoffs.
  • Buffalo has returned Alexander Nylander, Evan Rodrigues and Linus Ullmark to the Rochester Americans, though the team is not headed for the playoffs. The trio will play the last few games before hanging up the skates for the summer and working to win full-time jobs again next fall. All three are in contention for the NHL come September, with Ullmark hoping the team decides not to bring back pending UFA Anders Nilsson.
  • Matt Lorito, Tomas Nosek, Ben Street and Robbie Russo are all headed to Grand Rapids for their own Calder Cup run, as Detroit sends them down to keep playing. The quartet should be welcomed into the second place Griffins who look as dangerous as anyone in the AHL this year. Head coach Todd Nelson will be happy to get the group back after a recent 4-5-1 stretch that has seen them lose their first place standing to the Chicago Wolves.

Vancouver Canucks Fire Willie Desjardins

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It’s that time of year, and another team has decided to fire their head coach after a disappointing season. The Vancouver Canucks have fired Willie Desjardins along with assistants Doug Lidster and Perry Pearn. The team finished last in the Pacific Division with a 30-43-9 record and will miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

After taking the Canucks to the playoffs in his first year in Vancouver, Desjardins has seen both the performance on the ice and his popularity in the city plummet recently. The former Calder Cup and WHL Champion has found success at every level of coaching until now, and will be considered for open jobs around the league again very shortly. Though his teams haven’t performed well the last two years, some may point to their construction more than his tactics as there have been very few success stories coming out of free agency or the trade market for the Canucks recently. Whether it is signing Loui Eriksson long-term, or drafting Jake Virtanen and then bouncing him up and down between leagues, there have been quite a few questionable moves from management in recent years.

Desjardins nonetheless hasn’t gotten the best out of this group and will pay the price for it. The Canucks will be in another prime lottery position, finishing second last in the league thanks to an eight-game losing streak to end the year. With new leadership behind the bench, and another high draft pick perhaps the franchise will buy into a real rebuild. At the deadline, they did well to acquire Nikolay Goldobin and Jonathan Dahlen for expiring contracts and will now attempt to find a new voice to lead the new direction. With just one year remaining on the contracts of the Sedin twins, the Canucks have a huge amount of salary coming off the books for 2018-19 and could be in fine shape in two year’s time.

Bob McKenzie of TSN was first to break the news that Desjardins had been relieved of his coaching duties.

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