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Montreal’s Molson, Bergevin Have Been Talking About Future

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There is still one more year remaining on the contract of Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin, but that hasn’t stopped owner Geoff Molson from beginning discussions on what the future will look like and whether Bergevin will be a part of it.

During Saturday’s Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said the owner and GM have sat down already and begun looking at the team’s future.

“Marc Bergevin and the owner Geoff Molson have been kind of talking about the future; how the owner feels, how the general manager feels, if there is an extension what it could potentially look like. So we’ll see where those decisions go and where those conversations go, but I think they are underway about the GM’s future with the Canadiens.”

Bergevin’s nine-year tenure in Montreal has had its ups and downs, including a rebuild in the last couple of years, which has had some success as their young players have, for the most part, developed well. Bergevin added a number of veteran players during the offseason in order to post a playoff caliber team, including adding Tyler Toffoli, Josh Anderson, Jake Allen and Joel Edmundson, but Bergevin did fire head coach Claude Julien midseason with pressure mounting for the team to make a playoff run, which they have done this year under interim coach Dominique Ducharme.

Bergevin, who signed his present contract in November of 2015, may have to wait until after the postseason to see whether he will get an extension. The Canadiens are currently the fourth seed in the North Division and are likely going to play the top-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.

Arizona Coyotes, Rick Tocchet Agree To Part Ways

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With their season complete, the Arizona Coyotes announced they have parted ways with head coach Rick Tocchet. The two sides opted to mutually part ways as the team failed to reach the playoffs this year after Tocchet, whose contract was set to expire on June 1, led them to a 24-26-6 record. The Coyotes will begin their search for a new head coach immediately.

“After meeting with Rick, we have agreed that a coaching change is in the best interest of the club,” said general manager Bill Armstrong. “This was a very difficult decision, but we believe that it is time for a new direction and new leadership. Rick is a very good coach and an incredible person, and we sincerely appreciate all his hard work and dedication to the Coyotes the past four years. We are grateful for everything that he has done for our organization and wish him the best of luck in the future.”

The 57-year-old Tocchet is the second head coach to hit the free agent market. The Columbus Blue Jackets mutually agreed to part ways with John Tortorella late Saturday as well. The coach was hired by Arizona back in 2017 and spent four years as the team’s head coach, reaching the playoffs last year, but losing in the first round. He was a highly sought-after coaching candidate back in 2017 after serving as assistant coach with Pittsburgh during their 2016 & 2017 Stanley Cup Champion runs. Tocchet finished his tenure as Arizona’s head coach with a record of 125-131-34 in 290 games.

“It’s been an honor to coach the Coyotes the past four seasons,” said Tocchet. “I have great respect and admiration for all the players I coached in Arizona, along with my coaching staff, the medical staff, the equipment managers, the PR staff and the team services staff. They are the best in the NHL, and I appreciate all their help and hard work. I also want to thank the fans of the Valley for all their support. I have loved living, playing, and coaching in Arizona and this place will always be special to me.”

Like Tortorella, Tocchet could be a highly sought-after commodity on the coaching free agent market, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, as several teams could consider him, including the expansion Seattle Kraken. Other teams had been in the mix in hiring him back in 2017, including the Buffalo Sabres, who also will be looking for a head coach this offseason.

Department Of Player Safety Hands Out Three Fines

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The Department of Player Safety has been busy since Saturday’s slate of games. The DoPS has already announced a hearing for Tampa Bay Lightning forward Pat Maroon, but it was also busy handing out fines as well. Two of the three fines came from the Tampa Bay-Florida showdown, including fines to Florida Panthers defensemen MacKenzie Weegar and Brandon Montour as well as a fine to Montreal Canadiens’ Joel Edmundson.

Montour received a $5,000 fine, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for spearing Maroon. The incident with Maroon occurred with six minutes remaining in the game, stirring up quite a fight between the two. Weegar also received a $5,000 fine for high-sticking Tampa Bay’s Mathieu Joseph. The infraction happened at the same time as the Maroon/Weegar incident. Weegar did not receive a penalty.

The third fine went to Edmundson, who received a $1,000 fine for a dangerous trip on Toronto’s John Tavares. The incident occurred late in the second period of the game between Montreal and Toronto. Tavares was not injured on the play. There was no penalty on the play.

John Tortorella Not Returning To Columbus Next Season

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Sunday: The Columbus Blue Jackets have made it official. Both Kekalainen and Tortorella released statements today.

From Kekalainen:

“Torts and I have had numerous discussions throughout the season, and we have agreed that the time is right for both he and the club to go different ways,” said Kekalainen (via NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti). “He is a great coach and his accomplishments with our club over the past six seasons speak for themselves. He has played an integral role in our success since his arrival, and we are extremely grateful for his passion and commitment to the Blue Jackets and our city. He was the right coach at the right time and helped us establish a standard that we will carry forward.”

From Tortorella:

“After discussion and consideration of the future direction of the team, Jarmo and I have come to a mutual agreement to part ways,” said Tortorella (via The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline). “I’d like to thank the Columbus Blue Jackets organization for the opportunity to coach this team and live in the great Columbus area. It has been a privilege to work with the players, coaches and hockey operations staff, which is one of the best in the League. Also, I want to thank the CBJ fans and the community for the support they’ve given the team and for the work of the CBJ family in support of the community. My family and I have loved living and working in the area. We have made life-long friends here, so we do feel considerable sadness, which is to be expected, when something so meaningful comes to an end. This is a great hockey community and I wish everyone here great success moving forward. Thank you again.”

Saturday: The Columbus Blue Jackets season has ended and so has John Tortorella’s tenure as head coach. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that Tortorella, whose contract expires at the end of this season, will not return for 2021-22.

Portzline adds that “all indications suggest” that the veteran coach wants to continue running a bench in the NHL, meaning there is suddenly a very experienced option on the market. Tortorella sits 12th on the all-time list for NHL games coached with 1,383. One more full season would put him into the top eight, passing Mike Keenan (1,386), Pat Quinn (1,400), Ron Wilson (1,401), and Dick Irvin (1,449). He has won the Jack Adams award twice, one of only four coaches to win it with two different teams.

It’s been six full seasons in Columbus, taking over in 2015-16 and leading the team to the postseason four times. This year has been very different though, with the Blue Jackets winning just 18 of 56 games and finishing behind the rebuilding Detroit Red Wings. It’s been a season full of headlines, with Pierre-Luc Dubois forcing his way out of Columbus, while Tortorella clashed with newcomers Patrik Laine and Max Domi. Big changes appear imminent for the Blue Jackets, who already sold off Nick Foligno and David Savard at the deadline, among others.

Though it has been clear for a while that Tortorella likely wasn’t being brought back, there has still been no official announcement from the team. Whenever it comes, there will be plenty of accolades heaped on Tortorella’s time in Columbus. His numbers for the organization dwarf the likes of Ken Hitchcock, Todd Richards and Dave King, the only three other coaches who have been behind the bench for at least 200 Columbus games. Tortorella’s time finishes with 447 games coached and a 227-166-54 record. He has been the coach in 31 of the team’s 41 postseason appearances.

Edmonton Oilers Making Progress On Adam Larsson Extension

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When the news came down in 2016 that Adam Larsson had been traded straight up for Taylor Hall, many mocked the Edmonton Oilers for the return they received from the New Jersey Devils. After all, Larsson had a career-high of 24 points in a season and didn’t seem like a true top-pairing option.

Part of the reason the Oilers targeted Larsson though, other than his handedness, was his contract. He had signed a six-year, $25MM deal with the Devils in 2015 that meant he would carry just a $4.16MM cap hit through this season. Hall was more expensive at $6MM per season and, now five years later, has played for four different teams.

The deal looks a little more even now that Larsson has established himself as the Oilers’ best shutdown defenseman and will look even better if they can manage to sign him to a reasonable extension. On Hockey Night In Canada this evening, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Oilers and Larsson have been in negotiations since before the trade deadline and have made good progress on an extension. Friedman expects the deal to come in around four years in length.

Larsson’s career-high is still 24 points, set in the 2014-15 season with New Jersey, but he has been a very important part of the Oilers this year. The 28-year-old trails only Josh Archibald for the team lead in hits, is far and away the team leader in blocked shots, and averages more than two minutes on Edmonton’s 11th-ranked penalty kill every night. He’s still not a true top-pairing, all-situations defenseman, but an extension makes sense for both sides.

The Oilers also have Tyson Barrie to think about this summer, but are saving some money on Kris Russell’s extension, which brings his cap hit from $4MM to just $1.25MM next season. With a deal for Larsson on the horizon, the team will have to spend carefully on the margins if they want to bring both Barrie and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins back.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Seeking Writers For Pro Hockey Rumors

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Like many other small businesses, the last year has been especially difficult for the Trade Rumors family. At the start of 2020, we were looking to hire several new writers as we expanded coverage and ramped up some new features. When the sports world came to a sudden halt, so did our search. Now, as things start to get back to some level of normalcy, we’re going to once again make a call for new writers.

PHR is looking to add multiple part-time contributors with strong evening and weekend availability. There also may be an opportunity for some daytime shifts. The position pays on an hourly basis.

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Exceptional knowledge of all 32 NHL teams, with no discernible bias.
  • Knowledge of the salary cap, CBA, and transaction-related concepts.
  • At least some college education.
  • Extensive writing experience, with professional experience and a background in journalism both strongly preferred.
  • Keen understanding of journalistic principles, ethics, and procedures. Completion of basic college-level journalism classes is strongly preferred.
  • Attention to detail — absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.
  • Ability to follow the site’s style and tone.
  • Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs. We need someone who can balance creating quick copy with thoughtful analysis. You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers, or links to other relevant articles.
  • Ability to use Twitter, Tweetdeck, and an RSS feed reader such as Feedly. In general, you must be able to multi-task.
  • Flexibility. You must be available to work on short notice.

If you’re interested, email prohockeyrumorshelp@gmail.com and in a few paragraphs, explain why you qualify. Be sure to attach your resume to the email.

We understand that many of those who read this have applied in the past. If you have previously submitted an application for PHR and are still interested, please submit it again. Many will apply, so unfortunately we cannot respond to every applicant.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 05/08/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is today’s list:

Calgary – TBA
Colorado – Devan Dubnyk
Edmonton – TBA
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov
Winnipeg – TBA

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: None

Kuznetsov remains in the protocol for the Capitals, meaning he won’t be available tonight against the Flyers in the team’s 55th game. The team will use Craig Anderson in the net as Ilya Samsonov also remains out. The netminder doesn’t need to be listed here because he is technically on the taxi squad, but the capitals confirmed yesterday he was also in the protocol.

*denotes new addition

Hurricanes Nearing Extension With Rod Brind’Amour

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Rod Brind’Amour’s contract situation in Carolina has been a discussion point for a good chunk of the season.  However, he appears to have his new deal in place as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the bench boss has inked a three-year contract extension worth around $1.8MM per season.  The agreement comes on the three-year anniversary of his initial hiring to the position.  TSN’s Frank Seravalli somewhat contradicts that report (Twitter link), saying he was told by the team that the deal is not done yet.  Having said that, Friedman having the terms suggest it’s all but done at this point which he reiterated in a follow-up tweet following the denial.

Over that stretch, the Hurricanes have become a consistent threat.  The team made the playoffs in each of his first two seasons behind the bench after missing the postseason in nine straight years.  In his first year behind the bench, they made it to the Eastern Conference Final while they were ousted in the first round a year ago after being the Rangers in the Qualifying Round.

This season, Brind’Amour has helped take Carolina to a higher level.  Entering play today, the Hurricanes currently lead the league in points with 80 in 54 games, a pace of 121 over a full 82-game season.  They’ve clinched the Central Division title and are in the top ten in goals scored (eighth) and allowed (fourth) despite dealing with some key injuries up front and between the pipes as the presumptive starter at the beginning of the year in Petr Mrazek has only been able to play 11 times.

If the deal gets finalized at the terms that Friedman reported, it’s definitely a below-market price tag as veteran head coaches have been able to command twice that much or more in recent years.  While Brind’Amour – who has led Carolina to a 120-64-20 record – doesn’t have quite the track record that coaches like Mike Babcock, Alain Vigneault Claude Julien, Barry Trotz, Todd McLellan, and Peter Laviolette all had at the time of their hires (where they received at least $4MM), it stands to reason that he could have commanded considerably more had he hit the open market.  Instead, it appears he’s going to stay where he is and is willing to take a discount to do so which is great news for the Hurricanes.

East Notes: Tanev, Subban, DeAngelo, Lundkvist

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The Penguins are optimistic that winger Brandon Tanev will be cleared to play for the start of the playoffs next week, notes Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  The veteran has been dealing with upper-body injuries in the second half of the season with his latest one keeping him out for more than a month.  However, he has resumed skating with the team in recent days which bodes well for his return.  Tanev was in the midst of his best offensive season before the injury bug struck as he has seven goals and nine assists in 32 games this season while his physicality (he’s averaging over 4.3 hits per game which is the highest rate of his career) will be a welcome addition for the grittier postseason style.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Although Devils defenseman P.K. Subban came off the COVID Protocol Related Absences List last Saturday, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters including NHL.com’s Dan Rosen (Twitter link) that he still has not resumed skating and isn’t expected to play in New Jersey’s final two games this season. His year comes to an end with five goals and 14 assists in 44 games while averaging 22:22 per contest, second only to Damon Severson.
  • While Chris Drury wasn’t the GM for the Rangers at the time that Anthony DeAngelo was dismissed from the team, he won’t be overturning that decision, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post. DeAngelo was sent home early in the year following an altercation with teammate Alexandar Georgiev and while there was believed to be some interest in him at the trade deadline, the defenseman declined the offer to terminate his contract to allow him to catch on elsewhere.  He has one more year left at a $4.8MM AAV, one that is all but certain to head for a buyout this summer.
  • Also from Brooks’ column, contract talks are expected to pick up with defenseman Nils Lundkvist in the near future. The 20-year-old has had two productive seasons with Lulea of the SHL and is ready to make the jump to North America but when the Rangers fell out of the playoff race thereby effectively eliminating the need to get a deal done as soon as his season in Sweden came to an end, those were temporarily put on the back burner.

Malmo Showing Interest In Carolina’s Joakim Ryan

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It has been a tough season for Hurricanes defenseman Joakim Ryan.  He cleared waivers in training camp and has spent the majority of the season on the taxi squad.  As a result, he has suited up just seven times this season, three with Carolina and four with AHL Chicago.  Not surprisingly, the pending unrestricted free agent is expected to head elsewhere for next season.

In this case, it appears that elsewhere may very well be in Sweden as SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson reports that Malmo of the SHL is in final negotiations to sign Ryan for next season although the deal wouldn’t officially be announced until Carolina’s playoffs come to an end.  Svensson qualifies his report by noting that a one-way NHL deal may be enough to sway Ryan to stay in North America although given how little he has played this season and the fact he already is on a two-way pact, that doesn’t seem likely to happen.

If this comes to fruition, it would be a homecoming of sorts for the 28-year-old who grew up just outside of Malmo until he was 12 when his family headed for the United States.  Several years ago, he indicated that he had a desire to play for Malmo although San Jose was able to get him to stay at that time before joining Los Angeles on a one-way deal back in 2019.

Between his time with those three organizations, Ryan has played in 144 career NHL games over four seasons but aside from his first year with the Sharks, he never has truly been able to establish himself as a regular player.  Accordingly, heading overseas would certainly make a lot of sense for him, especially if he can wind up close to home.

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