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Canadiens And Jets Among Teams To Show Interest In Rasmus Ristolainen

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Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is no stranger to trade speculation as it has seemingly become an annual tradition as of late.  Now, as he’s set to entire the final year of his contract next season before being eligible for unrestricted free agency, that speculation will only intensify.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported on the latest Insider Trading segment (video link) that several teams have shown some level of interest in the 26-year-old including the Canadiens and Jets.

Ristolainen saw his production dip sharply in 2020-21, going down to just four goals and 14 assists in 49 games, his lowest output since 2013-14, his rookie campaign.  However, he has four seasons of more than 40 points under his belt (and had a shot at getting there in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign had it not been for the schedule reduction) and has logged heavy minutes throughout his career.  That makes him one of the more intriguing offensive threats from the back to be available this summer.

Of course, there’s the matter of his defensive zone play.  It hasn’t been particularly sharp for most of his career and while Buffalo has struggled considerably throughout his career which doesn’t help matters, he hasn’t exactly helped their fortunes in that regard.  A change of scenery could help his fortunes which would go a long way towards helping his case on the open market a year from now.

Both Montreal and Winnipeg make sense as landing spots for Ristolainen.  The Canadiens have a big hole to fill on their back end with Shea Weber’s playing future in serious jeopardy while the Jets have been needing to bolster their defense corps for a while now with GM Kevin Cheveldayoff already acknowledging that he’s looking to make a move to accomplish that.

Both teams have ample cap space to bring him in as well at his $5.4MM price tag; Montreal can place Weber on LTIR to give themselves some wiggle room while Winnipeg has over $15MM coming off their books plus potential LTIR flexibility with Bryan Little as well.

We’ve seen Ristolainen in trade speculation for a while but with him about to enter the final year of his contract and a UFA market that isn’t exactly loaded with impact blueliners, the timing for a trade is certainly right.  With the NHL Entry Draft just days away and the transactions freeze set to lift on Thursday, there will likely be another frenzy of moves and the Finnish rearguard could very well be among them.

Snapshots: Jets, Tarasenko, Buchnevich

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The Winnipeg Jets will be in the market for defensemen when the trade freeze is lifted in a few days. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff spoke with NHL.com, explaining that the team is looking to improve the back end through trades or free agency, even though they have several young defensemen in the system already. Jordie Benn, Derek Forbort, and Tucker Poolman are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this summer.

There’s also the possibility that Dylan DeMelo is selected by the Seattle Kraken, leaving the Jets even more shorthanded. Currently, the team has just DeMelo, Josh Morrissey, Nathan Beaulieu, and Sami Niku under one-way contracts for next season. Logan Stanley and Neal Pionk are both restricted free agents, while Ville Heinola, who could be in line for a full-time role, is still on his entry-level contract. Even if that whole group was brought back, it simply wasn’t good enough to help the Jets really contend for the Stanley Cup, meaning a more substantial change could be in order.

  • The Seattle Kraken are reportedly considering a select-and-trade with St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko, but Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest tweets that it could get even more complicated than that. Strickland suggests a third team could be involved in any Tarasenko trade were the Kraken to choose him. That would open up the door for even more salary retention, potentially giving someone the 29-year-old forward at a bargain. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic spoke with the doctor that performed Tarasenko’s most recent shoulder surgery, who explained that it is “rock solid” and suggested the sniper would be at full strength for the start of the 2021-22 season.
  • Strickland also tweets that the Blues have serious interest in New York Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich, who is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this summer for the final time. Buchnevich is now 26, just a year away from UFA status, and appeared on Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff’s list of trade targets last week, with the scribe writing that Rangers GM Chris Drury has “engaged in conversation about the possibility of moving” him. With 20 goals and 48 points in 54 games this season, Buchnevich has blossomed into a true top-six option that could potentially replace some of the outgoing firepower in St. Louis. It’s not just Tarasenko that could be leaving the Blues, as Mike Hoffman, Jaden Schwartz and Tyler Bozak are also all pending UFAs.

Manitoba Moose Hire Mark Morrison

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After Pascal Vincent left the Manitoba Moose for the Columbus Blue Jackets the team, and their NHL affiliate the Winnipeg Jets, were on the lookout for a replacement. They’ve found it in Mark Morrison, who will become the next head coach of the Moose after several seasons with the Anaheim Ducks.

Morrison is a familiar face, having served as an assistant with the Jets affiliate when it was in St. John’s and then in Manitoba for two years. His last head coaching job was for the Victoria Salmon Kings, which at the time was the organization’s ECHL affiliate. Though he has spent the last four years as an assistant with the Ducks, there are long ties to Canada for Morrison, who twice represented the country at the World Juniors as a player and suited up many other times for his country internationally.

His time in the NHL spanned all of ten games, but Morrison had a long, successful playing career that included more than a decade with the Fife Flyers, serving as a player-coach up until his retirement in 2005. He’s now back with the Jets, where he’ll be tasked with developing the next wave of talent in the AHL.

Winnipeg had some outstanding young players at the AHL level this season, headlined by top prospect Cole Perfetti. The 19-year-old forward, selected 10th overall in 2020, put up 26 points in 32 games at the minor league level despite being too young to normally even qualify. With the OHL not playing, Perfetti took his opportunity to play with the Moose and ran with it. Unfortunately, unless the league issues exemptions, Perfetti won’t have that same opportunity in 2021-22. Still too young, he’ll either have to make the NHL squad or return to the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL at the start of the season.

The Moose went 18-13-5 this season, meaning there is lots of room for improvement by Morrison. The team will start off the 2021-22 season on October 15.

Roster Freeze Notes: Sharks, Flames, Dunn

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With NHL Expansion Draft protection lists due at 4:00pm CT today, the league has enacted a freeze in all roster transactions that goes into effect in less than an hour from now at 2:00pm CT and lasts through Thursday morning after the Expansion Draft is complete. NHL teams are not taking this deadline lightly; numerous reports suggest that the trade market is no less than a complete frenzy right now as teams look to use their expansion flexibility (or lack thereof) to make deals before the clock runs out. Bally Sports’ Andy Strickland spoke with an agent who said he has never seen so many players available for trade from so many teams.

One team that seems poised to make a move are the San Jose Sharks. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that the Sharks are attempting to add a goalie before the deadline. San Jose is likely to expose expensive, underperforming starter Martin Jones in the Expansion Draft and seemingly would be open to exposing young Josef Korenar as well if they can add another legitimate NHL goaltender worth protecting. Not many teams across the league have the luxury of adding a goalie before the expansion process begins, so the Sharks are trying to take advantage of a goalie market with far more sellers than buyers.

  • The Sharks are certainly not alone in pushing for a last-minute deal. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that among the most active teams are the Winnipeg Jets, who are shopping Mason Appleton, the Calgary Flames, and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks appear to be specifically targeting a landing spot for restricted free agent defenseman Nikita Zadorov, Garrioch notes. There has been some speculation that Chicago was not enthused about Zadorov’s asking price or potential arbitration award, but don’t necessarily want to expose him to Seattle and lose him for nothing in return. The Flames are far less single-minded; Garrioch calls the roster “unsettled” and believes that many players could be up for grabs.
  • St. Louis Blues defenseman Vince Dunn is out there in current trade discussions as well, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic.  The 24-year-old has been in trade speculation for the last couple of years now but expansion could be the pressure point to get something completed.  Many expect St. Louis to use the standard protection scheme which allows for seven forwards and three defensemen.  The three blueliners expected to be protected in that scenario are veterans Colton Parayko, Torey Krug, and Justin Faulk which would leave Dunn unprotected and seemingly a prime target for the Kraken.  They could go to eight skaters to protect Dunn but would then leave three more forwards available to Seattle.  Accordingly, if the Blues want to get an asset for Dunn, today may be the last chance that can happen.

Jets Trying To Move Mason Appleton

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With the transaction freeze now just over an hour away, the Jets appear to be trying to move a player that’s likely to be left unprotected from Seattle as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports (Twitter link) that they are shopping winger Mason Appleton.

The 25-year-old secured a full-time spot with Winnipeg for the first time this past season and certainly made the most of it, posting career highs across the board with 12 goals and 13 assists in 56 games while averaging 14:25 per night, primarily suiting up on their third line.  He chipped in with three more points in eight postseason contests.  However, while the Jets would like to protect Appleton, he’s likely to be the odd forward out when they submit their protection list to the NHL later today.

[Related: Jets Expansion Primer]

Appleton has one more year left on his deal with a more than reasonable $900K price tag which is something that most teams around the league will be able to afford.  While his overall track record isn’t the longest (just 138 career NHL games), the success he had on what was an effective third line for Winnipeg should be enough to generate some interest in his services.

Of course, one of those teams should be Seattle which is why he’s a contender to become a member of the Kraken if he’s not dealt.  The question now for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will be if a possible return for Appleton is high enough to justify moving him and losing another player off their roster or if they’re better off just losing him on Wednesday during the expansion draft.  We’ll find out one way or the other within the next hour.

Offseason Checklist: Winnipeg Jets

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The offseason is in full flight with the draft and free agency fast approaching.  We continue our series which examines what those eliminated teams need to accomplish over the coming weeks and months.  Next up is a look at Winnipeg.

This past season was an up and down one for Winnipeg.  At times, they were good enough to contend for the top spot in the North Division and others where they struggled considerably.  Things followed a similar pattern in the playoffs as they swept Edmonton before being swept by Montreal.  GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has one of the cleaner cap situations in the league at his disposal this summer, giving him an opportunity to reshape his roster.  One priority stands out amongst the rest, however.

Add Impact Defensive Help

Let’s not bother with delaying the obvious.  The back end has been an issue for the last two years after Winnipeg lost Jacob Trouba (trade), Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot (free agency), and Dustin Byfuglien (injury and eventual contract termination).  They have two proven players in Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk (part of the return for Trouba) but the depth takes a hit from there.  Dylan DeMelo is a capable third pairing player, Nathan Beaulieu is serviceable depth, and Logan Stanley and Ville Heinola have some upside but are unproven.

As they’ve found out, that combination isn’t the makings of a top-level defense or even a league-average one.  Cheveldayoff has made moves to try to raise the floor and add depth in the past two seasons since then with the pickup and re-signing of DeMelo last season, the signing of Derek Forbort (a pending UFA again this summer), and the trade deadline add of Jordie Benn this year but that isn’t going to drastically change their fortunes.  Frankly, the Jets could benefit from trying to do that again this summer but that alone can’t the only upgrades made.

At least one top-four defender needs to be added to the mix.  That would take some pressure off Morrissey and Pionk while also allowing Stanley and Heinola to continue to be eased in.  Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of impact blueliners available in free agency; you can probably count the number of top-four defenders on one hand.  But with only $61MM in commitments for next season, they’ll have the ability to be a high bidder on those players if they want to go that way.  Otherwise, it’ll have to come by a trade.

After failing to land an impact rearguard last summer, Cheveldayoff simply cannot strike out on that front again if he intends to see Winnipeg take a step forward next season.

Re-Sign RFAs

The Jets don’t have many restricted free agents to contend with this summer but they have two notable ones that will need to be addressed fairly quickly as both are eligible for salary arbitration.

The biggest one is Pionk.  He really took off following the trade from the Rangers and got better when pressed into a bigger role.  Going back to his USHL and college days, there has always been some offensive upside for Pionk and he has shown that since joining the Jets, collecting 77 points in 125 games.  The timing couldn’t have been better as he now becomes eligible for a hearing for the first time.  With two years away from UFA eligibility, the time has come for a long-term contract.  Considering how much they’ve lost from their back end in recent years and how important Pionk has become, it’s likely that Cheveldayoff will push for a deal that buys out several UFA years.  That could push his price tag close to double the $3MM AAV on his bridge contract but it’d be a price well worth paying to give them some stability.

The other is Andrew Copp who is basically Winnipeg’s Swiss army knife.  He can play in a checking role and has shown that for several years.  He has been called upon to play higher in the lineup at times as well and responded to that request by setting new career highs offensively across the board despite the pandemic-shortened season.  He’s a natural center but spent a lot of time in 2020-21 on the wing.  Role and positional flexibility is an ideal combination to have combined with the uptick in offense.  He’s well-positioned to earn well over his $2.3MM qualifying offer and since he’s only a year from UFA eligibility, Copp could simply elect arbitration and go to a hearing which is what he did last time.  They locked up Adam Lowry before the deadline on a long-term deal and will try to do the same with his linemate now.

Rebuild The Bottom Six

Winnipeg’s top five forwards are all either signed or under team control for at least the next three years so they’re pretty well set there although Paul Stastny will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the month.  However, they have a trio of bottom-six forwards that are set to hit the open market in Mathieu Perreault, Nate Thompson, and Trevor Lewis.  The latter two were added last summer to add some grit and penalty killing acumen but Perreault has been a versatile piece for the Jets for the last seven years.

This is another opportunity for Cheveldayoff to shore up the bottom of his roster.  Kristian Vesalainen and David Gustafsson are internal candidates for a regular role and with both on entry-level contracts, they’d be cheap enough for Winnipeg to afford to take a run at another top-six piece and strengthen their attack.  Alternatively, if they opt to replace all of those players with free agents, they’ll again benefit from the flat salary cap and an environment where teams will be trying to go cheaper with role players; they’ll be well-positioned to bid a bit higher on each one which should give them a leg up in those discussions.

Fill The Backup Goalie Spot

The decision to bring back Laurent Brossoit for this season was a little curious considering how much the 28-year-old struggled in 2019-20 but Winnipeg’s faith in him was rewarded as he bounced back with a 2.42 GAA and a .918 SV% this season, numbers that were actually slightly better than Connor Hellebuyck’s.  That could have Brossoit primed for a bigger deal in free agency, a pricier one than they may want to pay.

With Hellebuyck in the fold for three more years and a proven ability to log a lot of minutes, the Jets can afford to shop on the less expensive side of free agency, freeing up some extra cap flexibility elsewhere.  Brossoit made $1.5MM this season and that’s likely the price range that Cheveldayoff will want to keep his second netminder.  If Brossoit isn’t open to that deal this time around, there will be a change made between the pipes this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Winnipeg Jets Agree To Terms With Dominic Toninato

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The Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms with Dominic Toninato on a two-year contract. The deal will be a two-way contract in 2021-22, a one-way contract in 2022-23 and carries an average annual value of $750K at the NHL level.

Toninato, 27, was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer after playing just a handful of games for the Jets. In fact, because he was used as an emergency recall and placed on the taxi squad so often this year, he ended up playing just five regular season games at the NHL and AHL levels combined. He did get into three postseason games, even scoring a goal against the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, but it was still a far cry from the 46 games Toninato suited up for in 2019-20.

Of course, bouncing on and off the NHL roster is nothing new for Toninato, who has just 87 games played since he signed with the Colorado Avalanche in 2017. Originally drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2012, the 6’2″ forward spent a year in the USHL and then went to the University of Minnesota-Duluth for four seasons, even winning the NCHC Best Defensive Forward award in 2016-17.

That defensive presence will always be his ticket to the NHL, given the limited offensive upside Toninato brings. In those 87 career NHL games, he has just five goals and 15 points, though he has averaged less than 10 minutes of ice time through those matches.

This contract provides some stability for him, as well as the chance to earn a guaranteed NHL salary in 2022-23. That’s something new for Toninato, who has been on two-way deals to this point in his career.

For the Jets, his signing provides them with another player that can fill the expansion requirements at forward. Though he didn’t play much this season, the games from last year also count towards the threshold, meaning he was always likely to be extended in some fashion in order to help maximize Winnipeg’s flexibility.

Free Agent Focus: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Free agency is now just a little more than a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. Columbus doesn’t have a lot of huge names to lock up, but it’s still an important offseason for the franchise.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Patrik Laine – It was an incredibly challenging year for the Finnish winger. After being dealt to Columbus by the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for center Pierre-Luc Dubois, Laine proceeded to put up the worst season of his career playing for the Blue Jackets. Struggling under the now-departed John Tortorella’s system, Laine put up just 21 points in 45 games with Columbus and only 10 goals. It’s a sharp decline after his 63-point campaign in 2019-20. While it’s expected that Laine should bounce back under different coaching next season, it’s tough to bank on that when assessing giving out a long-term contract. Due to his struggles this year, and the potential that Laine may not want to stay in Ohio, a bridge deal is likely in order. It’ll likely take him right up until his first season of unrestricted free agent eligibility, and the Blue Jackets will hope to return to being a contender by that point.

F Alexandre Texier – Drafted 45th overall by Columbus in 2017, Texier is slowly but surely making the transition to full-time NHLer. While Texier’s offensive pace dropped slightly this year with just four goals in 49 games, his ice time spiked to almost 16:00 per game this year. He’ll likely see more chances in a top-six role this coming season as Columbus turns to a youth movement. Regardless, it should be a cheap contract extension for Texier, likely under $3MM per season on a show-me deal. The French-born forward has shown some serious flashes of promise in the big leagues, and he’s looked at as a big future piece in Columbus’ middle-six forward group.

Other RFAs: F Kole Sherwood, F Cliff Pu, F Calvin Thurkauf, D Andrew Peeke, G Cam Johnson

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Michael Del Zotto – Del Zotto was a nice surprise on the back end for Columbus this season. The 31-year-old defender has bounced in and out of the lineup in recent years due to injury and poor play, but found a stable home with Columbus this season. He started out the season well in a third-pairing role, but moved up the lineup as injuries struck Columbus’ top defenders, especially Zach Werenski. Del Zotto wasn’t a dynamo offensively with just 13 points in 53 contests, but rediscovered his transitional game this season, having arguably his most defensively sound performance since his days with the New York Rangers. With his age and injury history, it’s still unlikely Del Zotto signs anything more than a one-year deal with any team. He’d certainly fit in well again in Columbus next season, as there’s no clear heir-apparent to his spot. With them potentially losing a defender like Dean Kukan to Seattle, re-signing Del Zotto could prove important for the Blue Jackets. Even if not, Del Zotto played well enough this season by most accounts to earn an NHL job again in 2021-22.

D Mikko Lehtonen – Coming over from the KHL with high expectations, Lehtonen mostly fell off the map this season. Signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs before the season’s start, Lehtonen failed to work his way into a regular spot. In an effort to get Lehtonen some more NHL opportunity, Toronto dealt him to Columbus midway through the season. But even with the Blue Jackets, Lehtonen couldn’t work his way out of a bottom-pairing role. Logging around 18 minutes a night in Columbus, Lehtonen posted just three points in 17 games and got caved in defensively most nights. While he had promise coming into the season, it’s likely that Lehtonen will go back to a more comfortable environment overseas.

Other UFAs: F Zac Dalpe, F Mikhail Grigorenko, F Stefan Matteau, F Ryan MacInnis, F Brandon Dubinsky, D Adam Clendening, D Gavin Bayreuther

Projected Cap Space

The Blue Jackets will have plenty of space to maneuver this offseason with around $23.8MM in cap space. With the minute list of players needing new contracts, and with Laine’s and Texier’s being the only real ones of value, the team will have plenty of room to add in free agency and on the trade market. Columbus’ scoring issues have been well-documented over the past few seasons, and it’s a foregone conclusion that something will be done this offseason to address it further. That available cap hit is also expected to increase with the impending trade of Seth Jones, meaning that Columbus may be able to outbid other teams for premium talent.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Boston Bruins To Name Maine Mariners As ECHL Affiliate

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June 30: The official announcement has been made. Maine will be the new affiliate of the Boston and Providence Bruins.

June 29: The Boston Bruins are set to bring their ECHL prospect much closer to home. The Portland Press Herald’s Glenn Jordan reports that their city’s ECHL franchise, the Maine Mariners, will soon become the official affiliate of the nearest NHL team, with the Bruins expected to make an announcement on Wednesday. This will mark the end of the Mariners’ relationship with the New York Rangers, Jordan notes, as well the break-up between Boston and the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators.

This is just the latest shake-up in the ever-changing minor affiliation landscape. A relatively stable set of relationships for quite a while during the 2000’s and into the early 2010’s, the last several years have brought a number of changes to the AHL and ECHL and their associations with NHL parent clubs. Maine, a 2018 ECHL Expansion team, did not play this past season due to COVID-19 but are set to return in 2021-22 with an exciting new partnership. Ironically, Atlanta also did not play this season due to the pandemic and the Bruins sent their ECHL prospects to the Jacksonville Ice Men. Even more ironic is that Jordan reports that Jacksonville will now become the new affiliate of the Rangers in place of Maine. This will displace the Winnipeg Jets, who will need a new ECHL affiliate with the Gladiators, Allen Americans, and Norfolk Admirals to choose from. The Jets could also opt not to partner with an ECHL team, as several other NHL teams have.

There is a bit of history to this move as well. The original Maine Mariners were an AHL team from 1977 to 1992, at which time they relocated and became – the Providence Bruins. There is also a long-standing relationship between not only Boston sports teams and Maine but the Boston-Providence-Portland trifecta. The Boston Red Sox for decades housed their AAA affiliate in the Providence suburb of Pawtucket and their AA affiliate in Portland. While the Pawtucket Red Sox relocated to Worcester this year, the Portland Sea Dogs are still standing. The Boston Celtics’ G-League affiliate, the Maine Celtics (formerly Red Claws) also play in Portland. The Mariners will have some stiff competition for Maine’s most popular minor league team, but between the multiple iterations of the Mariners sandwiching a long run by the AHL’s Portland Pirates and previous QMJHL teams in the state, Portland has always belonged to hockey and excitement will be at a new high with the Boston affiliation.

Coaching Notes: Vincent, Hakstol, Boudreau, Tocchet

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New Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen is adding to his staff. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Blue Jackets are set to hire Manitoba Moose head coach Pascal Vincent as an assistant to Larsen. Vincent had previously left Paul Maurice’s Winnipeg Jets staff in favor of being the head coach for their AHL affiliate, but seemingly is back to being open to an NHL assistant role. Vincent has spent the past decade with the Jets organization and the previous dozen years as a head coach and GM in the QMJHL. With an impressive resume, Vincent may see this Columbus opportunity as a way to get his name out there beyond the confines of Winnipeg in hopes of attracting NHL head coach attention of his own down the road. Vincent will re-unite with Jack Roslovic in Columbus; he previously coached him as a prospect with the Moose but he has now become the No. 1 center for the Blue Jackets. That relationship should be mutually beneficial for the pair.

  • The big coaching news of the day was of course the hiring of Dave Hakstol as the first head coach of the expansion Seattle Kraken. And while Hakstol’s role will be in the locker room and not the front office, GM Ron Francis will certainly take his opinions into consideration. After all, it was the Florida Panthers, the former team of Vegas’ inaugural head coach, Gerard Gallant, that were swindled the worst by the Golden Knights in the last Expansion Draft. Florida traded Reilly Smith and a fourth-round pick so that Vegas would select Jonathan Marchessault over the likes of Alexander Petrovic and Mark Pysyk. While no teams should be fooled so badly this time around, Hakstol’s knowledge of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadephia Flyers – not to mention the numerous University of North Dakota alumni around the league – could come into play. The Flyers in particular are expected to have many well-known names exposed in the draft, some of whom played their best seasons under Hakstol, and the coach may know exactly how to target the team.
  • The Maple Leafs now have a vacancy on their coaching staff in the wake of Hakstol’s departure, but the club’s fans think they have already figured it out. Yahoo’s Thomas Williams writes that there has already been an outpouring of support for veteran coach Bruce Boudreau to be hired as the team’s newest assistant. The Toronto native and former Maple Leafs player spoke out this off-season as a free agent that he would like to coach his hometown team and fans seem to agree with the match. Boudreau has had a long and successful coaching career and some feel that head coach Sheldon Keefe could use the veteran support on the bench. With that said, Boudreau has never served as an assistant in the NHL and interviewed for the Buffalo Sabres’ head coach vacancy late last month. Despite any personal feelings and fan support, Boudreau will take the top job for the struggling Sabres over a No. 2 role for Toronto.
  • Of course, Boudreau is not the only candidate for the Sabres’ job, as Rick Tocchet is also among the names who interviewed for the position. Tocchet interviewed multiple times with the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, and Seattle Kraken, only to lose out on all three jobs. He has reportedly only interviewed once with Buffalo, who may not have been his top choice at first, but they are the only landing spot left, as the other remaining NHL head coach position is the post he vacated with the Arizona Coyotes. Tocchet is clearly a well-regarded and sought-after coach, so now that they are his last hope at a top job this season, perhaps the Sabres and Tocchet will get serious about a potential match.

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