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Buffalo Sabres Add Ralph Krueger To Head Coaching List

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With several coaching vacancies still out there, the Buffalo Sabres have added a new name to their coaching candidates list as the team has reached out to former Edmonton Oilers head coach Ralph Krueger, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman late Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada.

Krueger was with the Oilers in 2010 as an associate coach in 2010 and was promoted to head coach for the 2012-13 strike-shortened season, but was let go after one season after leading the team to a 19-22-7 record. He left hockey in 2014 when he turned his attention to association football and became director of Southampton FC, having left in April of this year, although there were rumors earlier that Krueger was interested in a front-office role in the NHL. However, it looks like Buffalo is considering him for the head coaching role instead. Krueger is well known for coaching a surprising Team Europe to a gold medal game at World Cup of Hockey in 2016. He hasn’t coached in the NHL since getting fired in 2013.

While Friedman added that Krueger is just a candidate, and not necessarily a front-runner, he’s in the mix. The 59-year-old is considered to be a defensive-minded coach, he also has been known to have some good offensive teams over the years. After struggling under rookie head coach Phil Housley the past two years, the Sabres are likely looking at a veteran coach that can control the locker room and get the team’s young talents to develop properly. The two other key names that have been associated with Buffalo’s coaching search are also veteran coaches in Dave Tippett and Jacques Martin, although the team is not done in its search. The team was also linked to Swedish coach Rickard Gronberg, but he signed a two-year deal with the ZSC Lions of the Swiss NLA after it was rumored that the Sabres’ were not interested in adding a first-year NHL coach.

Ralph Krueger Resurfaces As Head Coaching Candidate

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Since leading Team Europe to a second place finish at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, Ralph Krueger’s name has come up every time a coaching vacancy appears in the NHL. That has happened once again, as Darren Dreger of TSN reported on Insider Trading last night that Krueger is interested in returning to the NHL but “only if the fit is right.” It’s not clear what kind of fit that would be, but there’s obviously still interest in bringing him back overseas.

Krueger, 59, last coached in the NHL during the 2012-13 season when he served as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, but is currently serving as chairman of the Southampton Football Club in the English Premier League. Krueger has repeatedly said in the past that he is happy in the role he now occupies, but almost yearly around this time his name surfaces as a potential candidate.

There’s good reason for that interest from teams around the league. Players rave about working under Krueger despite his relative lack of experience at the NHL level, and he is credited with being a huge driving force behind the development of Swiss hockey. As head coach of the Swiss National team for more than a decade, he prepared his clubs spectacularly for matches that they were regularly outclassed in, often playing spoiler to some of the more traditional hockey powerhouses.

With the NHL season coming close to an end there will surely be some more coaching vacancies that open over the next few weeks and months. Already there are roles open in Los Angeles, Anaheim, Ottawa and Edmonton (as long as Ken Hitchcock doesn’t return), while other coaches like Scott Gordon and Craig Berube are technically still under interim labels.

Evening Notes: 2020 World Cup, Luongo, Mantha, Hughes

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NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said today that there is a chance there will be a 2020 World Cup, but one major obstacle is the collective bargaining agreement, according to The Athletic’s Corey Masisak.

With the collective bargaining agreement coming up, both the NHL and the NHL Players Association exercise their right to terminate the agreement next year. If either the NHL of NHLPA opts to do that, a World Cup would be “unlikely” to happen.

The last World Cup was in 2016 when Canada defeated Team Europe (a team made up of countries that didn’t make it into the tournament) in a two-game sweep of the best-of-three finals. If they can pull off a 2020 World Cup, it would be the fourth instalment. There was a World Cup in 1996 and 2004.

  • The Florida Panthers may be without their starting goaltender again as Roberto Luongo was forced out of tonight’s game against Tampa Bay. NHL.com’s Corey Long writes that Luongo will not return after a scramble in front of Florida’s net when Panthers defenseman Mark Pysyk and forward Frank Vatrano collided in front of the net with Vatrano falling on top of Luongo’s right leg at 12:21 of the second period. Luongo, who had made 13 saves, needed assistance getting off the ice, which could force the injury-prone goaltender to miss some time again. James Reimer took over for Luongo.
  • Dana Wakiji of NHL.com writes that Detroit Red Wings’ newly acquired veteran Thomas Vanek has been especially impressed by the play of Anthony Mantha and believes that the 24-year-old will develop into a top-line power forward sooner than later. “I think he can become the next power forward in this league,” Vanek said after the Wings’ practice Saturday. “His size, his skill-set, his skating, you don’t see that combination that much. He’s still young. The consistency is probably for all us, still not quite there, but he can become a real good power forward in this league.” The winger posted 24 goals last season and at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, is capable of doing more. He will play alongside Dylan Larkin this year, which should increase his chances of goal-scoring success.
  • Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News released his list of the Top 75 collegiate players with the Vancouver Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche owning the rights to the top two college players, Michigan defenseman Quinn Hughes and University of Massachusetts defenseman Cale Makar. Hughes, the fifth-overall pick in this year’s draft had 29 points as a freshman for the Wolverines last year, while Makar, the fourth overall pick in 2017, posted 21 points as a freshman last year for the Minutemen.

Ralph Krueger Linked To Arizona Coyotes Coaching Search

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In an interesting turn, Frank Seravalli of TSN has heard Ralph Krueger’s name in relation to the Arizona Coyotes’ head coaching search. Krueger had previously said he was offered two NHL jobs that he turned down. Which jobs those were aren’t clear, but there was some rumors linking him to both Vancouver and Buffalo at times.

Krueger is currently serving as Chairman of the Southampton Football Club in England, a job he took after being fired by the Edmonton Oilers. That was his last NHL coaching job, though he did get back behind the bench at last fall’s World Cup for Team Europe. That sparked praise from his players and much speculation about a possible return to the game.

The Coyotes moved on from long-time coach Dave Tippett just before the draft, and immediately started their search for the next leader of their club. After bringing in Niklas Hjalmarsson, Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta, the Coyotes have made a clear effort to climb out of the basement and start competing again. Krueger would be the next step in that evolution, though he comes with many question marks.

Well respected throughout the league, it still would be only his second NHL head coaching gig and he would be returning to a league (and sport) he hasn’t been a part of for several years. It will be interesting to see how far that progresses, if at all.

Trade Candidates: Dennis Seidenberg

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.

The Islanders may be 8-3-2 since they replaced head coach Jack Capuano with Doug Weight, but their early season struggles still have them in a hole in the pursuit of a playoff spot. The Islanders trail the Toronto Maple Leafs by three points for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, still sit a point back of the Philadelphia Flyers as well and must make the most of their games in hand to catch the Boston Bruins. Their 7-1 loss to the Leafs last night doesn’t help the cause. The Islanders will surely take the rest of the month to decide if they are sellers, but if they do, Dennis Seidenberg is clearly a prime target. Seidenberg signed late in the off-season, September 28th to be exact, to an affordable, one-year deal and has provided the Islanders with more value than anyone could’ve anticipated. Should they swap him for a pick or prospect at the deadline, it would only make the deal that much better.

Contract

Seidenberg is on a one-year, $1MM deal and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. His cap hit will have been accumulated to around only $250K by the March 1st Trade Deadline.

2016-17

Though a fan favorite with the Boston Bruins, Seidenberg struggled in his final three seasons with the team. Between battling injuries and struggling to put up points, it seemed as though Seidenberg had hit a wall in his early 30s. When the Bruins decided to re-sign John-Michael Liles and not bring back Seidenberg, many felt it would be the end of his career. However after an impressive performance at the World Cup of Hockey for Team Europe, the New York Islanders decided to give the veteran blue liner a shot. Their decision has paid off; Seidenberg is in the middle of his best season since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign and has been a key component in the Isles’ turnaround. At 34 years old, the German defender is on pace for what could be his best offensive year since the 2010-11 Cup-winning season in Boston. He also leads the Islanders with a whopping +18 rating, twice what the next man up, Casey Cizikas, has on the year. Seidenberg appears to be back to his old self, and his old self was one of the premiere shutdown defensemen in the NHL over the last decade.

Season Stats

48 GP: 4 goals, 13 assists, 17 points, +18 rating, 87 hits, 100 blocks, 19:34 ATOI

Suitors

If the Islanders choose to trade Seidenberg, that likely means that either they are struggling or the Boston Bruins are continuing their strong play under new head coach Bruce Cassidy. What better story for Seidenberg than a return to Boston for yet another playoff run. Many said this summer that Seidenberg felt he would either play for the Bruins or retire, as he wanted to remain in the city of Boston. While the Bruins have Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug on the left side, as well as the veteran Liles, they have been using right-shot defenseman Kevan Miller as the pair-mate of young Colin Miller, also a right-handed shot, and could stand to upgrade that slot. The Bruins have made it known that they are looking for another left-handed defenseman, and while their search may be more for a long-term replacement for Chara, they likely would not turn their back on a deal to bring back one of the most successful players in recent memory of Bruins hockey. That is, if it’s at the right price. With Liles likely a goner after this season, the Bruins may be more willing to acquire Seidenberg if they plan to give him another year as a veteran safety net on a defense that could lose a contributor in the Expansion Draft.

There certainly are teams with a greater need on defense though, and willing to pay higher prices as well. Atlantic contenders like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets, and New York Rangers are all in need of defensive depth. However there’s always the possibility that the Islanders refrain from trading Seidenberg within the division on the off chance that they keep pace in the postseason race following March 1st. The last thing that GM Garth Snow wants is for his diamond in the rough off-season addition to be a cause of the Islanders playoff elimination.

Out west, one team in desperate need of a veteran top six defenseman is the Los Angeles Kings. While the Kings would likely rather add a right-shot defenseman, those can be hard to find and Seidenberg presents a great option for the team regardless. Seidenberg has a history of playing on the right side, and would be a significant upgrade to Kevin Gravel on the bottom pair. Also, don’t be surprised if the Nashville Predators start sniffing around for a stay at home defensive defenseman like Seidenberg prior to the trade deadline. Although they have tremendous blue line depth, the Predators could use a player with Seidenberg’s two-way tendencies and defensive instincts. Seidenberg would fill out what would likely be the best six-man blue line group in hockey.

Likelihood Of A Trade

Seidenberg’s trade fate is obviously tied to the success of the Islanders. New York is battling just for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and assuming they have that space locked up on March 1st, even if they are currently in position then, is a precarious situation. If the Islanders want to hedge their bet on a postseason run, they may choose to trade Seidenberg, who could potentially earn them a good return. Meanwhile, Seidenberg is an  ideal trade candidate for a contenders due to his extensive postseason experience and performance history, his checking ability and strong two-way game, and of course a cap hit that will hardly make a dent. For all those reasons though, the Islanders could also choose to simply retain the big veteran. They don’t have a readily available option to step in as a replacement and they too face a very strong chance of losing a defenseman in the Expansion Draft and could seek to extend Seidenberg. For those reasons the probability of this deal will remain uncertain unless the next couple of weeks really paint a clear picture of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Pacific Division Notes: Brown, Gaborik, Bieksa

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Former Los Angeles Kings team captain Dustin Brown was scratched from this afternoon’s road contest in Boston. According to Jon Rosen of L.A. Kings Insider, Brown is battling an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

Brown, who was stripped of the captaincy and replaced by Anze Kopitar this last summer, has had a moderate bounce-back campaign after the worst season of his career in 2015-16. Through 30 games Brown has contributed 14 points to the Kings attack and he’s already halfway to his points total from last year when he tallied 28 in 82 games. He is a five-time 20-goal scorer and netted 18 in the strike-shortened 2012-13 season.

With the expansion lurking around the corner, it’s been wondered whether the Vegas Golden Knights would gamble and take Brown, who is almost assuredly going to be left exposed by the Kings. While he is still capable of playing a physical role on a team’s third-line and obviously would provide the new franchise with veteran leadship, Brown has another five seasons left on his pact with an AAV of $5.875MM. Some have suggested the price tag would simply be too high for Vegas but if the Kings were willing to retain salary then it’s at least feasible the two sides could work out a trade following the expansion draft.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division on this Sunday:

  • Rosen also pointed out that it appeared right wing Marian Gaborik would be a healthy scratch today for the Kings based on what he saw at this morning’s warm-ups. That premise was confirmed by Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Gaborik, who has been prone to injuries throughout his career, has missed all but nine games this season after hurting his foot while representing Team Europe in the recent World Cup of Hockey. He has potted just a single goal to go along with three helpers in those nine appearances and it could be that Kings head coach Darryl Sutter is growing impatient waiting for the Slovakian sniper to find his offensive game. Gaboriak is averaging just 14:28 of ice time per game, a rate that is 3 1/2 minutes below his career average. Like Brown, Gaborik is in the midst of an expensive, long-term contract that has four seasons remaining beyond 2016-17, and comes with a cap charge of $4.875MM.
  • Kevin Bieksa has spent the vast majority of his 11-year career as a reliable, two-way top-four blue liner. Now in his second season with Anaheim, the 35-year-old Bieksa is averaging less than 20 minutes of ice time per game for the first time since his 39-game debut campaign in 2005-06 while with Vancouver. As Eric Stephens of The Orange County Register writes, Bieksa is not only adjusting to a lesser role but he is adapting his playing style to mask the fact he is no longer a player in his prime. Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle has encouraged the veteran blue liner to embrace the adjustments: “I think every player has to become somewhat of a chameleon,” Carlyle said. “You have to change with the game and what’s going on with it. I coached Kevin Bieksa when he was in his first year pro out of college. He was not a player, I can tell you, that many people would have believed was going to be an NHL prospect. He worked and he committed. “His personality is one that he’s a striver. And he’s done that and he’s done very well. He’s had a great career. … There’s never ever been a doubt that this guy’s not going to try. He’s going to give you everything he’s got.” As Stephens noted, Bieksa has played less than 15 minutes in each of the team’s last two contests and is skating on the third-pair. Bieksa understands the situation he is in, and as always is willing to whatever it takes to help his team: “To be a good teammate, sometimes you have to take a role that maybe you don’t like,” he said. “But if that’s what they think is in the best interests of the team, you take it, accept it and you do the best that you can.” With a plethora of NHL-caliber defenders in the organization and little cap space available to upgrade the roster elsewhere at the deadline, there have been some suggestions the team could look to move Bieksa, who has one year left at $4MM, to create added flexibility. He does possess a NMC, which adds a further layer of complexity to making a deal beyond his salary and age, however.

Islanders Activate Seidenberg, Place Pelech On IR

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As reported earlier today, Dennis Seidenberg has gotten some great news to start December. The team has removed him from their injured reserve list and he’ll make his return tonight against the Washington Capitals.  To make room, the team has moved Adam Pelech to IR retroactive to November 28th with an upper-body injury.

Seidenberg had hoped that he could return by Sunday against the Red Wings, but he’ll in fact make it back into the lineup less than three weeks after suffering a broken jaw on a Michael Matheson shot. The veteran defenseman was off to a great start in New York after signing a $1MM deal with the team this offseason. The deal followed a buyout by the Boston Bruins of the last two seasons of his four-year, $16MM extension he signed just after the start of the 2013 season. The 35-year old has eight points in fifteen games this season after suiting up for Team Europe at the World Cup and Germany in Olympic qualifiers this summer.

His return comes at the expense of Adam Pelech though, who was moved to IR following his injury Monday night. Though originally just reported as soreness, he’s obviously in enough pain to keep him out for the minimum of seven days (which would rule him out until Tuesday’s matchup against the New York Rangers). Pelech had originally been an injury replacement for Travis Hamonic, who was originally given a 4-6 week timeline but came back within eight days of his injury.

The Islanders have had a revolving door on their blueline this season, with injuries happening to several players and at times dressing seven defensemen. They’ll look to get back a little bit of stability with the return of Seidenberg, who will make three solid pairings for the team as it looks to get back into the playoff hunt.

 

Krueger The Top Candidate For Las Vegas Head Coach?

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In his bold predictions for the 2016-17 season, TSN’s Frank Servalli predicts that the head coach of the Las Vegas expansion team will be Ralph Krueger. The head coach of Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey last month, a team that exceeded everyone’s expectations, Krueger has gotten plenty of buzz as a top coaching candidate for any spots that open in the near future. No NHL coaching gig will get as much attention as the man picked to helm the new team in Las Vegas next season.

The only problem? Krueger is currently the chairman of Southampton FC of the English Premiere League, and yes that is a soccer team. Although Krueger grew up in Canada and was a hockey player, he was born in Germany, and his German roots and time spent playing and coaching overseas also made him a big soccer fan. He was named director of Southampton in 2014, and was soon after promoted to chairman. As of now, he has pledged his dedication to his switch to soccer, but Servalli notes that Krueger also added in a World Cup interview that he would “never say never”.

Should Las Vegas GM George McPhee convince Krueger to return to hockey and coach the league’s newest team next year, it would not be his first stint as an NHL bench boss. Krueger began working for the Edmonton Oilers in 2010 and was promoted to head coach for the 2012-13 season. After finishing below .500 and missing the playoffs, Krueger was relieved of his duties after just one season. However, his recent success at the World Cup shows that the former Oilers coach still has a passion for the game of hockey, as well as an innate ability to coach it. It is a certainty that Las Vegas will inquire about Krueger’s interests in a return, and if you believe Servalli, he will be the first head coach of the franchise in 2016-17.

Injury Notes: Monahan, Seguin, Kronwall

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When Sean Monahan had to pull out of the World Cup with a back injury, many Flames fans clutched their hearts and hoped for the best. Indeed, with Johnny Gaudreau still without a contract, a Monahan injury could have spelled the end for the Flames before the season even started.

After returning to the ice a few days ago however, Monahan skated without the dreaded no-contact jersey today, according to Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet. A full participant in practice, Monahan should be ready for the start of the regular season. With a Gaudreau contract sounding at least a bit closer to a reality, perhaps Flames fans have nothing (or at least less) to worry about.

  • Another World Cup deserter, Tyler Seguin, will ramp up his skating workload today, according to Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. Seguin suffered a hairline fracture in his foot just before the tournament began, but has never been expected to miss the start of the regular season. Lindy Ruff stands by that, telling Heika that he assumes Seguin will be ready for opening night.
  • Niklas Kronwall, one of the injured Red Wings was on the ice for the first time today during his rehab of a knee injury. While Kronwall isn’t expected to take part in any preseason games, Ansar Khan of MLive reports that head coach Jeff Blashill thinks he has a chance at opening night in Tampa Bay next Thursday. Tomas Tatar, Frans Nielsen and Thomas Vanek all re-joined in practice today as well, the trio coming off the silver medal winning Team Europe.

Boston Offers Christian Ehrhoff Professional Tryout

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According to Bob McKenzie via Twitter, the Boston Bruins have offered defenseman Christian Ehrhoff a professional tryout. After an impressive performance with Team Europe, Ehrhoff was given the chance to extend his NHL career with the Bruins. During the World Cup of Hockey, Ehrhoff had three assists in six games.

Last season, Ehrhoff signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract with the Kings but the move never panned out. Instead, he was dealt to Chicago for Rob Scuderi and played sparingly with the Blackhawks. In 40 games with the Kings, he had 10 points (2-8) while with Chicago he had 2 assists in 8 games. He did not appear in any playoff games during the Hawks’ seven game series loss to the Blues.

NBC’s Cam Tucker points out that while Ehrhoff is on the wrong side of 30, and has seen his skill set steadily decline, he has a chance to work in with a “seasoned” group of defenseman that include Zdeno Chara, and John-Michael Liles.

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