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Archives for April 2018

Montreal Canadiens Fire AHL Coach Sylvain Lefebvre

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The Montreal Canadiens have announced that Sylvain Lefebvre, head coach of their AHL affiliate the Laval Rocket, has been relieved of his duties. GM Marc Bergevin released a statement along with the announcement:

I would like to sincerely thank Sylvain for his loyalty, his hard work and his contribution to the Montreal Canadiens’ organization over the past six seasons with Hamilton, St. John’s and Laval. Challenges are extremely demanding as a Head Coach in the AHL, and Sylvain and his group had to overcome several difficult situations over the years. The decision to remove Sylvain from his coaching duties was a difficult one because I have a lot of respect for him and I consider him to be an excellent coach. I took the time to discuss the situation with Larry Carrière, and concluded that our development team needed a new direction in the head coaching position.

There was little reason to expect Lefebvre to be back, after the Rocket finished dead last in the AHL. The team won just 24 games and allowed a league-high 281 goals. That record came after a twelve game losing streak to finish the season, where the team had obviously lost any spark they once had.

Though the Rocket did supply their parent club with some talented youngsters, there wasn’t a consistent pipeline of support for the team when the struggled with injury. With Montreal still considering themselves playoff contenders, the minor league system has to be better at providing NHL-ready talent when called upon. Much of that falls on the front office, but some part at least sits with Lefebvre and his staff. Laval should get some added depth next season after another year of draft picks graduate to professional hockey, but a new coaching staff will be the ones who develop them into NHL players.

Injury Notes: Hornqvist, Couturier, Jets

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will have Kris Letang in the lineup despite missing practice as a “maintenance day” but won’t be as lucky with Patric Hornqvist. The high-energy winger is out for Game 4 against the Philadelphia Flyers and has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Hornqvist has three points in the first three games for the Penguins, and is an integral part of their powerplay unit as the net front presence. The team certainly has enough firepower to get by without him, but any loss to their forward group will test the depth of the lower lines.

Winnipeg Jets Recall Sami Niku From AHL

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Fresh off being named the AHL’s most outstanding defenseman, Sami Niku could get his first taste of the NHL playoffs. The Winnipeg Jets have recalled the defenseman ahead of Game 4 tonight against the Minnesota Wild as they deal with an injury to Tyler Myers.

Niku, 21, has dominated in his first taste of North American professional hockey, registering 54 points in 76 AHL games and even scoring in his single NHL contest. The seventh-round pick is one of the best puck-moving defensemen in the minor leagues, and is set to make an impact in the NHL before long.

The Manitoba Moose start a playoff series on Saturday, which could be enough time for Myers to return so that Niku can go back down. The Jets are cautiously optimistic about their big defenseman, though there’s no clear return set. Even without Niku, the Moose are a powerhouse that could be capable of taking home the Calder Cup in the AHL, but will have to get through the defending champion Grand Rapids Griffins in the first round.

John Torchetti Will Not Return To Detroit Red Wings

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The Detroit Red Wings have already made their decision on bringing head coach Jeff Blashill back for another year, but he won’t be coming with the same group of assistants. John Torchetti, who has served as an assistant coach since 2016, will not return according to Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required).

Torchetti, 53, has a long history of coaching in the NHL, serving briefly as head coach of Florida, Los Angeles and Minnesota during transition periods for the three organizations. He also has experience as a head coach in the AHL and CHL, and even a year behind the bench of CSKA Moscow in the KHL.

Under Torchetti, the Detroit powerplay sat 24th in the league this season at just over 17% and the club struggled to score enough goals on a regular basis. The Red Wings finished 28th in goals for, and clearly needed a change to their offensive identity. For better or worse, that change will come as a new assistant for Blashill’s group, who will likely be tasked with improving their efficiency with the man advantage next season.

Pavel Datsyuk Signs One-Year Extension In KHL

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Though there had been some speculation that Pavel Datsyuk could potentially return to North America next season, since his contract with SKA St. Petersburg was ending, agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey ended any rumors today. Milstein announced that Datsyuk had signed a one-year extension with SKA to remain in the KHL, and is preparing for the World Championships.

Not only will Datsyuk not be returning to the NHL, but he also is off the market for a return to his hometown club in Russia. Instead, he’ll remain with the powerhouse St. Petersburg team for another year, and try to win another Gagarin Cup.

The legendary Detroit Red Wings forward added an Olympic gold medal to his trophy case this year, putting him into the exclusive “Triple Gold” club with Stanley Cup and World Championship victories. Add in a Gagarin Cup as KHL champion and an RSL Championship before coming to North America in the first place, and Dastyuk has basically won everything he could ever dream of. The four-time Lady Byng and three-time Selke winner left the NHL in 2016 with 918 points in 953 games, citing a need to be closer to his growing family.

Poll: What Should The Stars Do With Jason Spezza?

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To say that the 2017-18 season didn’t go well for the Dallas Stars would be an understatement.  Buoyed by a deep attack and the addition of Ben Bishop between the pipes, they were a trendy pick to have a long postseason run but instead, they’re on the outside looking in at the playoffs and on the market for a new head coach for the second straight year.

Leading the list of underachievers was center Jason Spezza.  He was expected to lead their second line, even with the addition of Martin Hanzal (who spent more than half the season on injured reserve due to a litany of injuries).  They had even tinkered with the idea of having him spend some time on the wing to ensure he’d still see lots of ice time in scoring situations.

Suffice it to say, none of that turned out as planned.  He posted just 26 points (8-18-26) in 78 games; his 0.33 points per game average was by far the lowest of his career.  Accordingly, his ice time also plummeted by more than three minutes per game to just 13:00.  The only time he averaged less than that was his rookie campaign back in 2002-03.  In other words, not a whole lot went well for him.

Spezza will be entering the final year of his contract next season but he carries a hefty price tag at $7.5MM in both cap hit and salary.  They certainly didn’t receive good value on that deal this year and as a result, he is an early speculative candidate for a buyout in June.  Doing so would cost them $2.5MM against the salary cap for the next two years.

If that was to happen, Dallas would free up an additional $5MM in cap space to work with this offseason and with the team having over $57MM committed to just 13 players for next year per CapFriendly (a total that includes Spezza), they could certainly use the extra flexibility.  However, that extra $2.5MM on the books for 2019-20 may make things a bit trickier as they try to get a new deal in place for top center Tyler Seguin who is eligible for unrestricted free agency following the 2018-19 campaign.

Of course, this isn’t the only option for the Stars.  They could opt to keep Spezza in the fold and hope that 2017-18 was an outlier and with a new coach behind the bench, maybe he reverts to his form from recent seasons.  Regardless of how much he struggled, his body of work over 15 years in the NHL suggests that he is certainly capable of playing better next season.

Alternatively, they could look to trade Spezza and retain on the contract.  They would be able to hold back up to 50% ($3.75MM) and while that would lessen their potential savings next year on a buyout, there wouldn’t be any carryover to 2019-20 either.  If Dallas looks to go that route, it’s worth noting that Spezza has a ten-team no-trade list.

Which route is the best for the Stars to take when it comes to Spezza?  Should they keep him and let him play out his deal, try to trade him with some retention on his contract, or buy him out in the summer?  Have your say by voting in the poll below.

Mobile users, click here to vote.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Pettersson, Haula, Lundqvist

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Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson is likely to play on the wing to start next season if he makes the NHL roster, GM Jim Benning acknowledged to Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma.  Pettersson, a natural center, spent most of this past season on the wing so it’s hard to foresee him switching back to the tougher position while trying to get used to playing at the NHL level.  Accordingly, Kuzma speculates that Vancouver could be in the market this offseason for a veteran on a short-term deal that could act as a bridge for players like Pettersson and Adam Gaudette to allow them to ease into NHL duty.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Golden Knights center Erik Haula will not face a disciplinary hearing for an incident involving Kings center Anze Kopitar on Sunday, notes Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.  After being knocked down, Haula hit Kopitar in the face with what appeared to have been the butt-end of his stick but a league spokesman stated that there were no plans to review the play.  That means that Haula will be available as Vegas goes for the first round sweep on Tuesday night.
  • Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has declined an invitation to join Team Sweden for the upcoming World Championships, notes Larry Brooks of the New York Post.  The veteran has been battling a knee issue that was initially sustained last year in that tournament although he still played in 63 games for New York this season.  Brooks reports that Lundqvist will receive platelet-rich plasma treatment and will rest for around the next three weeks before kicking off his offseason training routine.

Injury Notes: Burakovsky, Myers, Komarov

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The Washington Capitals are down 2-0 in their first round series after two heartbreaking overtime losses on home ice, and now they have injury trouble to deal with as well. Andre Burakovsky will be out at least two games with an upper-body injury and is not travelling with the team to Columbus.

Burakovsky didn’t take the step forward that many had hoped for this season, registering just 25 points in 56 games while dealing with injury. The 23-year old first-round pick has now failed to crack 20 goals or 40 points in each of his first four seasons, while suiting up for just 252 games. Washington will have to try and climb out of the hole without him, a tough task as they head on the road to an arena that smells blood.

  • The Winnipeg Jets wouldn’t offer a real update on Tyler Myers’ status after leaving yesterday’s game with an apparently lower-body injury. Head coach Paul Maurice instead deferred to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun for an update, who jokingly announced Myers to be day-to-day. Maurice disagrees with the decision that Marcus Foligno’s hit on Myers isn’t worth supplementary discipline, but wouldn’t go further on his thoughts regarding it. If Myers is forced from the lineup, Tucker Poolman could draw in for the Jets as they look to bounce back from a 6-2 loss.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs will go without Leo Komarov in tonight’s matchup with the Boston Bruins, after the veteran forward suffered a lower-body injury in Game 2. That means, when combined with the absence of Nazem Kadri who is still serving his three-game suspension, that Tomas Plekanec will suddenly be promoted to the second line. Plekanec will center Patrick Marleau and Mitch Marner in an attempt to slow down the Boston offense, which has scored 12 goals in two games and dominated the Maple Leafs in scoring chances. Komarov could be back for Thursday’s tilt, but head coach Mike Babcock couldn’t confirm his status either way.

AHL Calder Cup Playoff Matchups

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Yesterday, the AHL season came to a close and 16 teams advanced to the Calder Cup Playoffs. Though it’s not exactly like a Stanley Cup pursuit, the AHL playoffs are a battleground created specifically to test the mettle of young players, while providing a chance for glory to veterans who may not get another opportunity in the NHL.

Below are the eight matchups, with some interesting storylines to watch in each one:

All times CST

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Philadelphia) vs Providence Bruins (Boston)

Game 1 – Fri. Apr 20, 2018 – 7:05PM | LV @ PRO
Game 2 – Sat. Apr 21, 2018 – 7:05PM | LV @ PRO
Game 3 – Fri. Apr 27, 2018 – 7:05PM | PRO @ LV
Game 4 – Sat. Apr 28, 2018 – 7:05PM | PRO @ LV
Game 5 – Mon. Apr 30, 2018 – 7:05PM | PRO @ LV

While the Flyers and Bruins do battle in their respective NHL playoff series, their AHL affiliates will take each other on in the first round. Phil Varone, fresh off winning league MVP, will try to lead the Phantoms all the way to the Calder Cup finals. He’ll have to go through the previous MVP to do it, as Kenny Agostino heads a diverse Bruins attack.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh) vs Charlotte Checkers (Carolina)

Game 1 – Fri. Apr 20, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  WBS  @  CHA
Game 2 – Sat. Apr 21, 2018 – 5:00PM  |  WBS  @  CHA
Game 3 – Thu. Apr 26, 2018 – 6:05PM  |  CHA  @  WBS
Game 4 – Sat. Apr 28, 2018 – 6:05PM  |  CHA  @  WBS
Game 5 – Sun. Apr 29, 2018 – 2:05PM  |  CHA  @  WBS

Daniel Sprong was the top scorer for the WBS Penguins this season, recording 65 points in 65 games. That kind of production is excellent from anyone, but Sprong is in just his first full season of professional hockey and looks poised to make the jump to the NHL before long. Charlotte has their own talented offensive piece though in Lucas Wallmark, who had 55 points in just 45 AHL contests between NHL call-ups.

Toronto Marlies (Toronto) vs Utica Comets (Vancouver)

Game 1 – Sat. Apr 21, 2018 – 3:00PM  |  UTI  @  TOR
Game 2 – Sun. Apr 22, 2018 – 3:00PM  |  UTI  @  TOR
Game 3 – Wed. Apr 25, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  TOR  @  UTI
Game 4 – Fri. Apr 27, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  TOR  @  UTI
Game 5 – Sun. Apr 29, 2018 – 3:00PM  |  UTI  @  TOR

Toronto had the best goaltending in the league en route to a historically dominant season, but if there was a team that could match them in net it would be Utica. Thatcher Demko put up a .922 save percentage as the absolute MVP of a relatively average Comets team, and could end up stealing a series if the Marlies aren’t careful.

Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay) vs Rochester Americans (Buffalo)

Game 1 – Fri. Apr 20, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  RCH  @  SYR
Game 2 – Sat. Apr 21, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  RCH  @  SYR
Game 3 – Wed. Apr 25, 2018 – 6:05PM  |  SYR  @  RCH
Game 4 – Fri. Apr 27, 2018 – 6:05PM  |  SYR  @  RCH
Game 5 – Sat. Apr 28, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  RCH  @  SYR

Though the Buffalo Sabres didn’t have much fun this season, but their affiliate is headed back to the playoffs for the first time in four years. If the Sabres want to build a different culture for their organization and expose their young players to the idea of winning, having Rochester go deep in the playoffs is the first start. They’ll have to topple one of the league’s best teams to do it, as Syracuse is still loaded with future NHL talent.

Chicago Wolves (Vegas) vs Rockford IceHogs (Chicago)

Game 1 – Sat. Apr 21, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  RFD  @  CHI
Game 2 – Sun. Apr 22, 2018 – 3:00PM  |  CHI  @  RFD
Game 3 – Thu. Apr 26, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  RFD  @  CHI
Game 4 – Sun. Apr 29, 2018 – 3:00PM  |  CHI  @  RFD
Game 5 – Mon. Apr 30, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  RFD  @  CHI

You could call this this All-Chicago series, as Blackhawks prospects will take on the Wolves in a series that spans only about 75 miles. Though technically the Vegas Golden Knights’ affiliate, the Wolves still house several players from the St. Louis Blues including Beau Bennett, who put up 57 points in 60 games this year.

Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit) vs Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg)

Game 1 – Sat. Apr 21, 2018 – 1:00PM  |  GR  @  MB
Game 2 – Sun. Apr 22, 2018 – 1:00PM  |  GR  @  MB
Game 3 – Wed. Apr 25, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  MB  @  GR
Game 4 – Thu. Apr 26, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  MB  @  GR
Game 5 – Mon. Apr 30, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  MB  @  GR

If you think the Winnipeg Jets are good, just wait until the next wave of talent comes up from Manitoba. Sami Niku was named the league’s top defenseman, while Mason Appleton earned Rookie of the Year honors. Both will be on full display when they take on the reigning Calder Cup Champion Griffins.

Tucson Roadrunners (Arizona) vs San Jose Barracuda (San Jose)

Game 1 – Thu. Apr 19, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  TUC  @  SJ
Game 2 – Sat. Apr 21, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  TUC  @  SJ
Game 3 – Wed. Apr 25, 2018 – 6:05PM  |  SJ  @  TUC
Game 4 – Fri. Apr 27, 2018 – 6:05PM  |  SJ  @  TUC
Game 5 – Sat. Apr 28, 2018 – 6:05PM  |  SJ  @  TUC

Like the Americans, the Roadrunners will try to make up for their NHL parent team’s failures this season. The Coyotes minor league team got a huge boost when Dylan Strome was returned, perhaps for the last time in his professional career. Strome is expected to make the jump to the NHL next season, and could put a stamp on what has been a solid year with a long playoff run.

Texas Stars (Dallas) vs Ontario Reign (Los Angeles) 

Game 1 – Thu. Apr 19, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  ONT  @  TEX
Game 2 – Fri. Apr 20, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  ONT  @  TEX
Game 3 – Sun. Apr 22, 2018 – 2:00PM  |  TEX  @  ONT
Game 4 – Tue. Apr 24, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  TEX  @  ONT
Game 5 – Mon. Apr 30, 2018 – 6:00PM  |  ONT  @  TEX

If the Los Angeles Kings bow out quickly enough we could see the Reign get a boost for their playoff chances, as Michael Amadio, Paul Ladue, Jonny Brodzinski and Oscar Fantenberg are all eligible for the AHL playoffs. The Kings could be eliminated as soon as tomorrow night, meaning the Reign could welcome back several key names for Game 1.

Team Canada Names First 18 Players For IIHF World Championship

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April 16: Add Josh Bailey to the Canadian team, as the New York Islanders forward has agreed to join his teammates for the tournament. Unfortunately, Hockey Canada announced that Dunn would be unable to participate, meaning another spot has been opened up on the blueline.

April 12: For all those players who have missed the playoffs, the World Championships provide some respite and a chance to play some more meaningful hockey. For some, it is the highest level of international competition they will ever play in, for others just another chance to represent their country on the world stage.

Team Canada has released a list of 18 players set to compete in the upcoming tournament, with more to come as the playoffs eliminate teams.

Goaltenders:

Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes

Defensemen:

Thomas Chabot, Ottawa Senators
Vince Dunn, St. Louis Blues
Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues
Joel Edmundson, St. Louis Blues
Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers
Darnell Nurse, Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Pulock, New York Islanders

Forwards:

Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
Anthony Beauvillier, New York Islanders
Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders
Bo Horvat, Vancouver Canucks
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers
Brayden Schenn, St. Louis Blues
Jaden Schwartz, St. Louis Blues
Ryan O’Reilly, Buffalo Sabres
Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ottawa Senators

The Canadians will be coached by Bill Peters (Carolina Hurricanes), with Mike Yeo (St. Louis Blues) and Bob Boughner (Florida Panthers) assisting. They obviously will have more players added to this group, but already it is quite formidable. The forwards are especially strong, with a half dozen excellent options for the four center positions.

This will be O’Reilly’s fourth straight appearance for Canada, winning two golds and a silver in the last three tournaments. Last year’s squad featured Calvin Pickard and Eric Comrie in net, but both are heading to the playoffs with their respective AHL teams. Chad Johnson, the other goaltender to play last year, is coming off a terrible season in Buffalo.

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