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Archives for January 2020

Nashville Predators Announce John Hynes As New Head Coach

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After firing Peter Laviolette last night, the Nashville Predators have worked quickly to secure their next head coach. The team has hired John Hynes as the third head coach in franchise history. Hynes of course was also fired earlier this season by the New Jersey Devils. GM David Poile released a short statement on the hire:

John Hynes is bright young coach and great leader who has a track record of both effectively developing young players and successfully motivating veterans. We love his coaching resume and are confident that he has learned from every stop during his career, and has the best skill set to get the maximum potential out of our team.

Hynes was hired by the Devils in 2015 after a successful run as head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL, and actually led the team to an immediate improvement. New Jersey posted a winning season at 38-36-8, though still weren’t good enough to qualify for the playoffs. That would come in 2017-18 when Hynes took them from near the bottom of the standings to a 97-point finish on the back of Taylor Hall’s Hart Trophy performance, and everything looked to be on track for the Devils to continue a strong rebuild.

Unfortunately, that rebuild took a huge step backwards last season and even after bringing in high profile players was a disaster again this year. The Devils were 9-13-4 when they fired Hynes, meaning his overall record at the NHL level sits at 150-159-45.

Even with that mediocre record, Hynes’ hiring in Nashville comes as little surprise. Many around the hockey world immediately thought of him when Laviolette was let go, in part because of the connection to Poile. The two have worked together in the USA Hockey system and Ray Shero, who hired Hynes when he was with Pittsburgh and then again with New Jersey, is a former protege of Poile from his time in Nashville.

That familiarity will come in handy as Hynes and Poile try to right the ship in Nashville. The team has a ton of talent all over the roster, but currently sit sixth in the Central Division with a 19-15-7 record. While that is certainly not out of the race, a much more dominant season was expected by the Predators after signing Matt Duchene in the offseason to a huge free agent contract.

The start of the Hynes era in Nashville starts tonight when they take on the Boston Bruins.

Minor Transactions: 01/07/20

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It’s another busy Tuesday in the NHL with 12 games on the schedule, including the Nashville Predators playing without Peter Laviolette behind the bench for the first time in years. The Predators have yet to announce who will be coaching them tonight, but they’ll have to take on the tough Boston Bruins no matter who it is. As they and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled Kaapo Kahkonen from the minor leagues under emergency conditions. The team doesn’t play until Thursday, meaning it won’t be clear just yet who will be in net for the team when they take on the Calgary Flames. The Wild have also recalled veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski from AHL Iowa. Bartkowski has yet to log any NHL minutes this season after playing in a pair of games with Minnesota last season and over 250 games total in his ten-year pro career.
  • After trading away one of their defensemen, the Buffalo Sabres are giving a young player another chance. Lawrence Pilut has been recalled, once again giving the team eight defensemen even after they traded Marco Scandella away.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have sent Kiefer Sherwood back to the minor leagues after just two days in the NHL. The 24-year old forward has 14 points in 18 games for the San Diego Gulls, but hasn’t entered an NHL game yet this season.
  • Kale Clague has been sent back to the minor leagues after Derek Forbort made his return to the lineup last night. Forbort played just 14:25 in his first game of the season, but will likely take on a bigger role moving forward.

2019 Year In Review: December

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2019 has been a very busy year throughout the hockey world.  There have been several big trades and free agent signings (including a record-setting contract), plenty of changes behind the bench, and much more.  Over the last few weeks, PHR has taken a look at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis.  Finally we get to December, which provided plenty of news after teams started to realize exactly where they stood for the 2019-20 season.

Coaching Changes: Both the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars made changes behind the bench in December, firing Peter DeBoer and Jim Montgomery respectively. The moves came for very different reasons however, as DeBoer’s Sharks were vastly underperforming expectations while Montgomery was dismissed for “unprofessional conduct.” Assistant coaches took over in both situations, with Bob Boughner taking over in San Jose and Rick Bowness getting another head coaching shot in Dallas.

Calgary Gets A Rink: Though it had been expected for some time, the city of Calgary and the Flames officially signed an agreement to build a new taxpayer-funded arena. The rink is expected to be ready for the 2024-25 season, but there’s obviously no guarantee in that timeline so far out. The fight over a new arena was very contentious and public, but hopefully the Flames can gain some stability now that fight is behind them.

Andersson Wants Out: After being unable to secure a full-time role with the New York Rangers through his first few professional seasons, Lias Andersson requested a trade and left the organization. He was subsequently suspended, and it appears his time in the NHL is over until such a time when GM Jeff Gorton decides he wants to move on. The seventh overall pick in 2017, Andersson has just nine points in 66 career NHL games.

Kovalchuk Terminated Again: Speaking of players leaving their organization, Ilya Kovalchuk became a free agent once again after his final bonus payment was made. The Los Angeles Kings and Kovalchuk agreed to terminate the remaining year and a half on his contract after they removed him from the lineup in November. The enigmatic winger eventually signed in Montreal, though it would take a few weeks.

Hall & ’Yotes: The New Jersey Devils didn’t wait around the move their best trade asset, benching Taylor Hall for a few games and then trading him to the Arizona Coyotes in the middle of December. The former Hart Trophy winner secured the Devils several assets, though some critiqued the quality of each as Kevin Bahl—who was recently part of the gold medal-winning Canadian World Junior team—was really the best of the bunch.

#OskarStrong: The most devastating news of the month came when the Philadelphia Flyers announced young forward Oskar Lindblom was diagnosed with cancer. The entire hockey community came together to wish Lindblom the best and help raise awareness.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Nashville Predators Fire Peter Laviolette

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The Nashville Predators have decided to move in a different direction. The team announced that head coach Peter Laviolette has been relieved of his coaching duties, along with associate coach Kevin McCarthy. General manager David Poile released a short statement:

Under the leadership of Peter and Kevin, our organization reached unprecedented heights – from our franchise-altering run to the Stanley Cup Final to a Presidents’ Trophy and our first two Central Division titles. Their passion for the game, ability to motivate a team and drive to be the best makes this a difficult decision. On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Peter and Kevin for all their contributions to the Nashville Predators over the past five-and-a-half seasons.

Just a few days ago Poile had claimed that Laviolette’s job was not in jeopardy, but that apparently didn’t last long. The Predators lost again last night in a shootout to the Anaheim Ducks, putting them at 19-15-7 on the season despite a positive goal differential. Their stars have been good, but the team can’t seem to get any sustained success, only once having a winning streak of more than two games. Perhaps most embarrassing was a loss to the Dallas Stars in the Winter Classic, even after getting out to a 2-0 lead.

Amazingly, the Predators are now looking for only their third coach in franchise history. Barry Trotz coached the team for their first 15 seasons, and Laviolette has been in charge since 2014. In that time he led the team to the Stanley Cup final and compiled a regular season record of 248-143-60, but clearly wasn’t the choice for the team at this point. A team representative told reporters including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that the head coach for the Predators’ game tomorrow night is “to be announced” as there was no interim coach named in the release.

It will be interesting to see if Laviolette quickly lands somewhere else in the NHL, as he has had an extremely successful career behind the bench. A Stanley Cup winner in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes, he has an all-time head coaching record of 637-425-25-123 in the regular season and 75-68 in the playoffs.

Los Angeles Kings Make Several Roster Moves

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The Los Angeles Kings have activated Trevor Lewis from injured reserve, meaning he, Dustin Brown and Derek Forbort are all expected to make their returns tonight. Because of the roster crunch, Martin Frk has been sent to the minor leagues. He’ll be joined there by Tobias Bjornfot and Rasmus Kupari who have both been recalled from their World Junior loans. Kupari was forced from the tournament due to injury, but there is no update on his condition yet.

Getting Lewis and Forbort back in the lineup may not change the Kings’ fortune this season, but both are potential trade deadline assets for the club. They only become assets if they’re healthy and playing though, meaning their return will help build up some value over the next several weeks.

Bjornfot meanwhile is coming back after a disappointing bronze medal finish at the World Juniors. He was part of an elite defensive group playing mostly alongside Edmonton Oilers prospect Philip Broberg, and will come back to continue his development in the minor leagues.

Justin Braun Out Through All-Star Break

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The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that defenseman Justin Braun will not play until after the All-Star break later this month. Braun is dealing with a groin injury, meaning Robert Hagg will get back into the lineup for the Flyers tomorrow night. Philadelphia has eight games remaining before the break.

Braun, 32, was one of the big offseason additions for the Flyers, meant to help stabilize a defensive group that was talented but inconsistent. While his ice time has dropped considerably since his days with the San Jose Sharks, he’s still seeing more than 17 minutes a night and will be missed most on the penalty kill where he is a regular.

Even though he was only acquired last summer, Braun is an interesting name to watch at the upcoming trade deadline thanks to an expiring contract. The Flyers have a whole group of young defensemen looking for more opportunity at the NHL level and even another prospect in Yegor Zamula that looks like he might have a future at the highest level. While the team is currently still right in the thick of the Metropolitan Division playoff race, if they should fall back in the standings selling off expiring assets like Braun will be a tempting strategy.

Snapshots: Three Stars, QMJHL Trades, Jets

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, with Nathan MacKinnon taking home top spot. The Colorado Avalanche superstar had eight points in three games and has now almost caught Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid in the NHL scoring race. MacKinnon has 25 goals and 64 points on the season, a pace that would see him easily eclipse his personal best of 99 points set last season.

In second place is another exceptional center in Mark Scheifele, who posted eight points of his own in three games. The Winnipeg Jets forward now has 20 goals and 48 points this season, while averaging close to 22 minutes a game. The third star went to Zach Werenski, who incredibly scored five of the eight goals that the Columbus Blue Jackets totaled last week. The 22-year old defenseman now has double digit goal totals in each of his first four seasons, and 13 this year in just 35 games.

  • With the World Juniors over, several CHL players that took part in the tournament will likely see their rights traded as teams load up for Memorial Cup runs. Nowhere is that more obvious than the QMJHL, where both Raphael Lavoie and Dawson Mercer were dealt today. The pair of Canadian gold medalists are on the move to Chicoutimi where they’ll join a Sangueneens team that is 27-7-4 on the season.
  • Andrew Copp has been officially activated from injured reserve by the Winnipeg Jets, with Nathan Beaulieu taking his place. Copp hasn’t played since the middle of December, but is an important depth forward for the Jets. In 34 games this season the 25-year old has 14 points, seeing more playing time and better linemates than ever before in his career.

Three Players Clear Waivers

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Monday: According to CapFriendly, all three players have cleared waivers. Holm’s contract can now be terminated.

Sunday: There are three defensemen hitting the NHL waiver wire today, though none should come as much of a surprise. New Jersey’s Matt Tennyson, who cleared waivers earlier this season, has again been waived for the purpose of reassignment to the AHL. Meanwhile, Montreal’s Christian Folin is also on waivers after being a healthy scratch for more than two months.  Chicago’s Philip Holm, who has not seen any NHL action this season, has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination.

Folin, 28, played well down the stretch with the Canadiens last season after a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers and did enough to earn a one-year extension with the team this season. Signing a one-way deal to stay in Montreal, many expected that Folin could be a regular piece of the roster this season. However, he has hardly been utilized instead, playing in five games with the Habs, seven games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, and watching most games from the press box. After the Canadiens acquired Marco Scandella last week, it was clear that a re-shuffling of the blue line was in order and Folin is now headed back to the minor, pending safe clearance through waivers.

Tennyson, 29, has been a serviceable defender for the Devils this season, playing in 19 games already, which is equal to his past two seasons combined. Tennyson signed a two-year, two-way contract with New Jersey this summer and was expected to play the role of AHL veteran and deep depth option, but has already provided more value than that. However, he landed on the injured reserve back in early December and the Devils have gotten healthy and learned to play without him in the weeks since. Now healthy, Tennyson will return to the minors, unless another team was impressed enough with his early-season play to claim the affordable depth option.

Holm, 28, returned to North America this season after spending last year in the KHL. The former SHL standout took his time coming over initially, waiting until 2017 before signing with the Vancouver Canucks. Potentially as a result of his unfamiliarity with the NHL style, Holm has struggled to translate his ability. He played in one game with the Canucks early in the 2017-18, zero with the Vegas Golden Knights following a mid-season trade, and zero with the Blackhawks this season. His opportunity and thus his production has been better in Europe, making it far from a shock that he is abandoning his one-year, two-way contract with Chicago early to pursue other options. Expect his contract to be terminated tomorrow once he clears waivers.

Minor Transactions: 01/06/20

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Another week starts in the NHL with four games on the schedule, including the expected debut of Ilya Kovalchuk with the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal will take on the Winnipeg Jets, who Kovalchuk never played for yet holds many all-time records. Those records of course were set when he was a member of the Atlanta Thrashers before the organization relocated, the real prime of Kovalchuk’s career. As the teams in action tonight prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Andrew Agozzino while sending Thomas Di Pauli to the minor leagues. Di Pauli made his NHL debut just a few days ago, but will now have to return to the AHL and wait for his next opportunity.
  • Niko Mikkola is on his way back to the NHL from the San Antonio Rampage, flipped for Jake Walman by the St. Lous Blues. Walman made his debut on Saturday night and played just over 11 minutes, but will be replaced by Mikkola who is still hoping to get into an NHL lineup for the first time. The Blues play the San Jose Sharks tomorrow night and will try to get back on track after three consecutive losses.
  • Steven Kampfer has been recalled by the Boston Bruins to serve as an extra defenseman as they head on the road. The Bruins will play the Nashville Predators tomorrow, trying to crack their own three-game losing streak and stay above the pushing Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning.
  • Dalton Smith has been sent back to the AHL after just 86 seconds of NHL ice time. The veteran minor league forward was given a contract with the Sabres recently but he’ll have to head back to the Rochester Americans for the time being.
  • Joel Kiviranta is back with the Dallas Stars after a short trip to the AHL. The 23-year old forward has already been involved in three transactions since the start of the year, moving up and down between the two leagues.

Igor Shesterkin Recalled By New York Rangers

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Welcome to the three-headed goalie monster known as the New York Rangers. The team has recalled top prospect Igor Shesterkin from the minor leagues, giving them three top netminders on the roster. Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev remain, and Larry Brooks of the New York Post confirms that the recall has nothing to do with any health issues.

It is important to note that Shesterkin, who signed his entry-level contract in the summer, had a European Assignment Clause and could have exercised it to return to the KHL. Given that he is seen as the future in goal for the Rangers, they obviously didn’t want that to happen, though it is not actually clear if he had threatened to use it at this time. Instead, this may simply be a situation that New York’s front office was always planning for. Lundqvist is getting closer to the end of his career, and though Georgiev has been excellent this season the team still needs to find out just how good Shesterkin can be at the NHL level.

All indicators at this time point towards his skill translating quite well. The 6’2″ netminder was a fourth-round pick in 2014 but quickly became one of the top goaltending prospects in the world. In his final three seasons in the KHL with St. Petersburg, Shesterkin recorded .937, .933 and .953 save percentages. Any doubt that he could perform like that in North America has been put to bed with a .932 save percentage through 23 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Now that Shesterkin is up in the NHL, trade rumors will begin again surrounding Georgiev, who is actually a few months younger. The undrafted goaltender has been excellent in his NHL appearances so far, posting a .913 save percentage over 63 appearances through three seasons. While his upside may not be quite as high, there are plenty of teams who could use a talented young goaltender to either serve as a backup or tandem starter. Georgiev is also a restricted free agent after this season, meaning he’ll be looking for a raise of his own. Lundqvist still has one more season on his deal at $8.5MM.

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