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Blackhawks Fire Jeremy Colliton

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The Blackhawks have decided to make a change behind the bench as the team announced that head coach Jeremy Colliton along with assistants Tomas Mitell and Sheldon Brookbank have been relieved of their duties effective immediately.  Derek King, who had been coaching with AHL Rockford, will take over as interim head coach while Marc Crawford remains on as an assistant coach.  Anders Sorenson, meanwhile, replaces King as the head coach with the IceHogs.  Interim GM Kyle Davidson released the following statement:

Our on-ice goal remains the same: to build an elite system of hockey – and we have not delivered on that. The fact is our play and competitiveness must improve. Every game, every shift. Today’s coaching changes are difficult, especially given the incredible personal connections Jeremy and others have made with our players in their development. We appreciate Jeremy’s contributions to the organization over the last three seasons, and we wish him and his family the best.

We appreciate Derek’s willingness to step in behind the bench as we embark on our search for our next permanent head coach. His NHL experience as a player and work with our younger players in Rockford over the last four years gives us great confidence in his ability to lead the Chicago Blackhawks in this interim role.

The dismissal comes three years to the day that Colliton took over from former head coach Joel Quenneville.  Over that stretch, Chicago hasn’t really progressed.  The team posted a 87-92-26 record with the 36-year-old behind the bench with their only playoff appearance coming in 2019-20 where they lost in five games to Vegas in the first round.  That, of course, was the season that the postseason was expected in the summer bubble; their record wouldn’t have been good enough to qualify otherwise.

After a tough showing last season, now-former GM Stan Bowman tried to bolster the roster, adding Seth Jones and Jake McCabe to their back end, Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes, and Tyler Johnson up front while welcoming Jonathan Toews back to the fold as well.  At a minimum, they were expected to be considerably better if not contending for a playoff spot.  Instead, they struggled mightily as Chicago has just a 1-9-2 record this season while they’ve allowed the most goals in the league with 47.  Clearly, something wasn’t working and Davidson has decided that a fresh voice is needed to try to turn things around.

While King is quite familiar with several players on Chicago’s roster having worked with them with the IceHogs since 2016-17 (including as the head coach since 2018-19), it will be his first coaching role at the NHL level of any kind.  That, coupled with the hole they’ve dug themselves in the standings, puts the 54-year-old in a tough situation, not entirely dissimilar to the one Colliton was in when he took over for Quenneville.

The fact that Davidson, himself only in the GM role on an interim basis, was given the green light to make this significant switch is noteworthy.  CEO Danny Wirtz indicated in a statement that Davidson has “our full confidence and autonomy to make hockey decisions” which certainly suggests he’ll be given consideration for the full-time GM position.  In the meantime, Chicago will be conducting parallel searches with the team looking to determine Bowman’s replacement and Davidson likely heading up the search for the full-time head coach.  It’s not too often that a team has both an interim head coach and general manager but that’s the situation that the Blackhawks now find themselves in moving forward.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan was the first to report that Colliton had been let go with King taking over.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Atlantic Notes: Campbell, Lightning, Foligno

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There were reports earlier this week that the Maple Leafs had started extension talks with goaltender Jack Campbell.  However, his agent Kurt Overhardt told Postmedia’s Michael Traikos that no such discussions have taken place:

That’s so inaccurate. I can tell you that there’s been no material discussions (with the Leafs). Jack just wants to play hockey. That’s it.

The 29-year-old is in the second and final season of a deal that pays $1.65MM, a bargain considering he has posted a 2.16 GAA with a .923 SV% since coming over in a trade from Los Angeles back in February of last year.  The Kings made that move in part to open up a spot for Calvin Petersen.  Interestingly enough, Petersen’s recent contract – a three-year, $15MM pact – may be an attainable contract for Campbell but with Toronto’s cap situation, it’s unlikely the Maple Leafs will be able to afford to bring him back at a price tag anywhere near that amount.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • The Lightning did show interest in bringing back defenseman Luke Schenn this summer, notes Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription link). However, Schenn opted to go to Vancouver which paved the way for Tampa Bay to add Zach Bogosian on a three-year deal worth less than $1MM per season which should work out even better for them once he’s able to return from his lower-body injury later this month.
  • Bruins winger Nick Foligno returned to practice on Friday, relays Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty. The veteran has been dealing with an upper-body injury that sidelined him in the second game of the season and while he has been ruled out for tonight’s game against Toronto, he could be an option to return soon after that, perhaps as early as Tuesday versus Ottawa.

PHR Mailbag: Red Wings Defense, Hertl, Maple Leafs, Sleepers, Finances

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Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Detroit’s back end, what Tomas Hertl’s next contract could look like, Toronto’s roster composition, under the radar minor leaguers who could make an NHL impact over the next few years, and a note on teams who may have needed financial help last season.  If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s mailbag.

Johnny Z: Filip Hronek was healthy scratched for two games. He has been the Wings’ leader in TOI for two years and logged big minutes for the first four games. Is Stevie about to trade him? It seems plausible as his value seems very good and has three years left on his deal.

Benching a player at this time of the season is rarely for a trade.  A few days before the trade deadline, sure, it’s protecting the asset but in the first few weeks, it’s to send a message.  Obviously, Jeff Blashill wasn’t overly impressed with Hronek’s play and decided to get that point across early on.  It seems to have worked as Hronek has been better since coming back.

You’re absolutely correct in that he would have a lot of trade value.  Few others on their team have the type of value that Hronek does.  But at the same time, he’s someone that should be viewed as part of their future core.  On the back end, Moritz Seider looks promising, but he’s about the only one other than Hronek on the current roster that plausibly has a shot at being an impact piece when they come out of their rebuild.  (Gustav Lindstrom could factor in as well but as more of a depth player than an impact one.)  With that in mind, they should be looking to hold onto Hronek.

YzerPlan19: With the hole on the right side in LA and the ton of young assets they have could the Kings be a potential trade partner?

The fit that I see isn’t one that would yield one of those young assets.  Hronek and Seider aren’t moving.  Lindstrom is too young to be moved just yet.  That takes three of the four righties on the NHL roster off the table.

Then there’s Troy Stecher, a player who has felt like a placeholder from the moment he signed with the Red Wings.  He’s someone that can play on the second pairing if needed or be a minute-eater on the third pairing.  That’s more of what the Kings are looking for to replace Sean Walker (since they can’t do a lot to replace Drew Doughty as he’s expected back six weeks or so from now).  He’s a rental and at $1.7MM, he’s cheap enough that it would leave them enough wiggle room to afford to recall someone from the minors into the rest of Walker’s LTIR space.  The on-ice fit is there and the cap fit is there.

But here’s the thing.  The return isn’t going to be overly significant.  I don’t think he’d land a second-rounder at the deadline so that sort of sets the baseline of a third-rounder or equivalent prospect here with maybe a late pick tacked on.  That’s not the type of young asset you may have been hoping for but if they want to give Lindstrom a longer look, it’s a move that is probably worth making from Detroit’s perspective.

mz90gu: What kind of contract can Hertl expect?

This is the type of question that should probably get its own article at some point closer to free agency.  Hertl has a lot going for him – he’ll only be 28 (so a max-term deal is realistic), he plays a premium position that is in high demand and short supply, and he’s played around a 70-point pace for the last few years.  That’s a great combination to have heading into a walk year.

At first glance, I think Sean Couturier’s extension with Philadelphia is the ballpark of where Hertl’s deal will fall.  They’re a year apart age-wise and have produced at similar extrapolated numbers over the past few seasons.  Couturier has a Selke Trophy which Hertl doesn’t (and won’t get) so it’s not a perfect comparison but he’s going to get a premium if he makes it to the open market.

Couturier signed for eight years and $62MM, a $7.75MM AAV.  I think Hertl’s range sandwiches that amount, falling between $7.5MM and $8MM.  If he re-signs with the Sharks, the ability to add an eighth year to the contract could push the cap hit towards the lower part of that range.  That said, making the cap situation work with a raise like that will be easier said than done for GM Doug Wilson.

KAR 120C: Odds that Dubas either trades one of his four or loses his job. As a result of putting 50% of the cap into four players and it not working out well (imho).

@Darrell_Samuels: ’Simple’ question – how do you fix the Toronto Maple Leafs?

I’m going to combine these as the answers sort of go together.

Dubas will eventually lose his job – all general managers do; it’s part of the business.  So I’m going to put odds on one of those things happening this season.  I’ll set it at around 10%.  I don’t think Toronto will move one of their ‘core four’ up front during the regular season and it’s difficult to move big contracts for full value in-season.  And unless things fall completely off the rails over the next couple of months, there probably isn’t going to be an in-season GM change either.

A lot depends on whether they can get out of the first round.  That’s the barometer for success this year; numbers during the regular season aren’t going to matter if they’re quickly bounced again.  Before the season, I predicted they’d win a round so I’ll stick by that and if that happens, Dubas will likely stick around.

But since these questions came out, Morgan Rielly signed his new deal, one that puts another big contract on the books.  I’m not sure they should try the same approach of rounding out the roster with a bunch of low-cost deals and hoping that the end result is different this time but it’s not as if they have a lot of options as their top two centers aren’t being moved.

It sounds a little counter-intuitive to say that moving a top forward is how to fix things but with how their cap is structured, it’s the only way to really change things; swapping sub-$1MM players isn’t going to move the needle much.  If Mitch Marner is moved for a top-six winger making half as much as he is plus some futures, there’s the cap space to keep Jack Campbell and maybe have a bit left over to put towards upgrading one of their cheaper forwards.  If they want to risk going with Petr Mrazek as the full-fledged starter and go cheap on the backup goalie, then the Marner move would give them a chance to add another middle-six piece to deepen the roster and a bit more quality depth up front.

Long term, their hope is that players like Nicholas Robertson, Rodion Amirov, and maybe someone like Alex Steeves can come in and play a regular role and lengthen the lineup.  At that time, that extra offensive depth could push them over the proverbial hump; at least, that’s the plan.

Is that truly fixing things though?  Not really but they’ve made this commitment and it’s a hard one to get out of.  If Auston Matthews decides to walk in free agency in 2024, that would be the next opportunity to dramatically change the shape and structure of the roster.  Until then, they either stick with their current direction or move a winger to give themselves a bit of wiggle room to fill other areas of the roster.  If I had to guess right now, I’d lean towards sticking with the current plan so I’d put the odds of moving a winger at 45% or close to a coin flip.  The next few months will be interesting on that front.

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Central Notes: Avalanche Injuries, Goligoski, Neighbours

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Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz is about a week away from returning from his lower-body injury, notes Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.  The 31-year-old hasn’t played since the 2019-20 campaign and with Darcy Kuemper not getting off to a particularly strong start this season with a .904 SV% in his first seven starts, Francouz’s return would be a welcome addition if he can find the form he had before his injuries.  Meanwhile, Chambers adds in a separate column that winger Martin Kaut is listed as week-to-week after suffering a shoulder injury on Wednesday versus Columbus.  The rookie is averaging just under nine minutes a game through six appearances so far this season.

More from the Central:

  • Minnesota hopes to have defenseman Alex Goligoski back in the lineup tonight after he missed the last three games due to an upper-body injury, relays Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The 36-year-old is in his first season with his hometown Wild and has been a steadying presence on their second pairing while chipping in with three assists.  Despite the injury, Goligoski has remained on the active roster so they won’t need to make a roster move to get him in the lineup.
  • The Blues could be slow-playing their pending decision on winger Jake Neighbours until Oskar Sundqvist is able to come off LTIR, suggests Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 19-year-old has played in seven games this season, two away from the decision on whether or not to burn the first year of his entry-level deal.  Neighbours has held his own so far with a goal and an assist in those seven contests while averaging nearly 10 minutes a night but more time in the WHL may be best for him in the long run.

AHL Shuffle: 11/06/21

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As is often the case on a Saturday, it’s a busy day in the NHL with 24 teams in action including a matchup of the only two teams that have yet to lose in regulation this season in Carolina and Florida.  We’ll keep track of today’s roster movement here.

Atlantic Division

  • The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled goaltender Joseph Woll from AHL Toronto. Petr Mrazek did not take part in Toronto’s morning skate today and Woll will be backing up Jack Campbell tonight.
  • The Panthers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve brought up goaltender Christopher Gibson from AHL Charlotte. Sergei Bobrovsky left Thursday’s victory over Washington with an upper-body injury and it appears he won’t be able to dress against Carolina tonight.
  • The Sabres have also recalled a goalie as they’ve brought up Aaron Dell per a team release. The move suggests that one of their netminders won’t be able to suit up tonight versus Detroit.  To make room on the roster, forward Brett Murray was sent down to AHL Rochester.
  • With Tyler Ennis out due to a non-COVID illness, the Senators announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Parker Kelly from AHL Belleville.  The 22-year-old played in four games with Ottawa last month, logging nearly minutes per game on the fourth line.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning re-assigned defenseman Andrej Sustr to the Syracuse Crunch, per The Athletic’s Joe Smith. Sustr has just a goal in eight games this season, averaging 10:35 per night. The move leaves Tampa with no extra defensemen on the roster, signaling that the injured Zach Bogosian could be close to a return.

Metropolitan Division

  • The Capitals announced that they’ve sent Aliaksei Protas back to Hershey of the AHL.  The center was only recalled just yesterday to serve as an extra forward but with the Bears in action tonight, he’ll go back down while Washington will only carry 12 forwards on the active roster for their game against Philadelphia.
  • The Devils have placed defenseman Christian Jaros on IR, freeing up a roster spot for them to recall Colton White from Utica.  White played in a pair of games after breaking camp with New Jersey before being sent down last month when Ty Smith was activated.  As for Jaros, he has played in two games with the Devils this season after being acquired in July from San Jose.
  • CapFriendly reports the New York Rangers assigned Greg McKegg to Hartford, making room for Ryan Reaves on the active roster as he was activated from injured reserve today. McKegg has been held without a point in eight games this season.

Central Division

  • After playing in his first game of the season on Friday, Blackhawks defenseman Nicolas Beaudin is headed back to AHL Rockford, per a team release.  The 2018 first-rounder has played in 21 career NHL contests and has been productive in limited minor league action between last season and the start of 2021-22 with 13 points in 14 games with the IceHogs.

Pacific Division

  • The Sharks have recalled forward Joel Kellman from the Barracuda, the team announced (Twitter link).  The 27-year-old was up earlier in the week on an emergency recall although he didn’t suit up.  It could be a similar scenario this time around although San Jose still has several players in COVID protocol with no changes being made on that front today.
  • The Ducks have recalled center Mason McTavish from his conditioning stint along with defenseman Simon Benoit, per the AHL’s transactions log.  McTavish had a goal and an assist in three games with the Gulls as he worked his way back from a lower-body injury.  Goaltender Lukas Dostal was sent down to San Diego in a corresponding move after serving as the backup last night.
  • The Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that they’ve brought up forward Paul Cotter from AHL Henderson.  The 21-year-old has yet to play in the NHL and has two goals in eight games with the Silver Knights this season.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Metropolitan Notes: Lapierre, Hamilton, Komarov

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With Capitals center Hendrix Lapierre averaging only nine minutes per game in his first five NHL appearances, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he’s returned back to junior.  He has been scratched in five other games to buy them some more time to make the decision, one that GM Brian MacLellan acknowledged to Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (subscription link) should be coming soon:

We’re going to do what’s best for him development-wise. He’s done a great job up until this point. Everything he’s done has benefited his growth — off-ice workouts, being around the guys, practicing with the big club.

But at some point here, we’re going to make a decision on what’s going to be best for him moving forward, to grow his game.

Lapierre can play in four more NHL games before officially burning the first year of his entry-level deal and MacLellan admitted that the cap element – in particular, having another cheap season from him – will also play a factor in their decision.  At this point, it feels like the Capitals returning him to the QMJHL is a matter of when, not if.

Elsewhere in the Metropolitan:

  • Prior to Dougie Hamilton leaving in free agency, Carolina GM Don Waddell felt that there was some progress on a new deal that would have stopped him from reaching the open market. However, the defenseman didn’t feel the same way, telling ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski that he never felt that he was wanted.  He certainly got that feeling from the Devils, who signed him to a seven-year, $63MM contract on the opening day of free agency and he has done well so far, collecting six points in eight games while averaging 21:59 per contest.
  • Islanders winger Leo Komarov has yet to report to Bridgeport despite clearing waivers and being assigned more than two weeks ago, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross. However, GM Lou Lamoriello indicated that the veteran is rehabbing a minor injury and will report soon once that has cleared.  Players generally aren’t permitted to be waived when they’re injured although since Komarov is still collecting his full salary (without escrow now that he has been sent down), it shouldn’t be much of a concern for him.

Poll: Grading The Jack Eichel Trade

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It was a saga that dragged on and on (and on) for months but on Thursday, Jack Eichel’s tenure in Buffalo officially came to an end as he was traded with a 2023 third-round pick to Vegas in exchange for winger Alex Tuch, center Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2023 second-round pick.

The Golden Knights had long been speculated as a landing spot for Eichel.  Their desire to add a number one center had been well-known and they’ve had a tendency to find ways to land impact players in the early years of the franchise including the acquisitions of wingers Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty plus the signing of Alex Pietrangelo in free agency.  Now, they have a legitimate top middleman, or at least that’s the hope assuming all goes well with his upcoming surgery.

The fact that Vegas was able to land Eichel without giving up a player from their current roster is impressive but it also is going to create some other challenges down the road from a salary cap perspective.  Eichel joins Pacioretty and Stone on LTIR which keeps them cap-compliant for the next few months at least.  But when they’re all ready to return, they will be well over the Upper Limit and some other moves will need to be made.  Even if one of them stays on LTIR for the rest of the regular season, there’s still 2022-23 and beyond to think about.  They have $78.735MM committed to 11 players for 2022-23, per CapFriendly, with an expected Upper Limit of $82.5MM.  It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that more subtraction needs to come.

Whatever those moves ultimately wind up being will ultimately have to be factored into the cost of this deal for Vegas.  They’ve given up Krebs, Tuch, and the two picks so far but what will the other ramifications be?

Meanwhile, Buffalo’s cap situation was at the exact opposite end to the point where they had to take on Johnny Boychuk’s injured contract from the Islanders merely to get back to the salary floor.  But they were able to move Eichel without taking significant salary commitments back which appeared to be a goal when they started down this path last season.

In Krebs, they hope to have another center to build around alongside Dylan Cozens; the two were both first-rounders back in 2019 (seventh overall for Cozens while Krebs went ten spots later).  The center spot has been the weakness of their quickly-expanding prospect pool and this certainly helps on that front although as is the case with all prospects, things may not go as planned.

As for Tuch, the Sabres add a power forward that has long been perceived as someone that could have another level in him if he had the chance to play a bigger role.  He’ll get that chance with Buffalo and with five years of team control at a reasonable $4.75MM AAV, Tuch will be another long-term building block.

To get two potential top-six pieces plus a pair of draft picks (one being a first-rounder) is by no means a bad return but when you look at Eichel’s track record and how he was supposed to be the focal point of Buffalo’s rebuild, it’s understandable if it feels a little underwhelming as well.  The Sabres are certainly a victim of circumstances here with his neck injury but it’s at least in part by their own design with their unwillingness to allow Eichel’s desired surgery, thereby delaying his return.  Accordingly, there will be a ‘What If?’ element to this trade that will go on for years to come.

It only seems fitting that following all of the uncertainty for months leading up to the eventual trade, there’s still an awful lot of uncertainty even after it was made.  Who else will need to leave Vegas to make the money work and what could have been the return had Sabres GM Kevyn Adams perhaps done things differently?

Of course, we can’t evaluate those scenarios but we can evaluate the trade itself.  How do you feel both teams made out in this swap?  Vote in the polls below to award your grades.

[Mobile links for Vegas and Buffalo]

Pacific Notes: Athanasiou, Andersson, Eichel, Tkachuk

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Kings winger Andreas Athanasiou is expected to be activated off injured reserve and make his season debut on Friday, notes Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider.  The 27-year-old suffered an undisclosed injury late in September and while it was hoped that he wouldn’t be out long, he hasn’t played since, missing the first ten games of the season in the process.  Athanasiou had 10 goals and 13 assists in 47 games with Los Angeles in 2020-21.

Meanwhile, Dooley adds that center Lias Andersson has been ruled out of Saturday’s contest due to his groin injury.  Head coach Todd McLellan indicated that the plan is to “see how he is as the week goes on”.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • Golden Knights center Jack Eichel will have his disk replacement surgery next Friday in Denver, relays David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. GM Kelly McCrimmon indicated yesterday that the hope is that the 25-year-old will be able to return three to five months after having the procedure.  That would have Eichel returning sometime between February and April.  While that is a bit of an extended timeline, the fact it hasn’t been performed on an NHL player before leads to some uncertainty.
  • Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk has been fined $5K for his high sticking infraction on Stars defenseman John Klingberg on Thursday night, the league announced. The incident occurred in the third period of the game with a minor penalty being assessed on the play.  The fine is the maximum allowable in the CBA.

Krug Placed In COVID Protocol; Schenn Returns To St. Louis

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The St. Louis Blues will be without the services of another important player, announcing that Torey Krug has been placed in the COVID protocol. The team has recalled Calle Rosen from the AHL, moving Dakota Joshua down in his place. Not only is Krug is unavailable for the time being, but so is Brayden Schenn, who is dealing with an upper-body injury and has returned to St. Louis for further evaluation.

It’s not all bad news for the Blues, who also are getting Ryan O’Reilly back after his own COVID quarantine. General manager Doug Armstrong explained that O’Reilly has rejoined the team on the road trip and is expected to be ready to play on Sunday. The captain’s return comes at the perfect time as the team deals with both injuries and COVID-related absences.

In fact, the Blues could be in a very tricky situation if anyone else is ruled out. Armstrong told reporters including Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic that given they have just 21 players now and could have to play short. St. Louis doesn’t have the cap space to recall anyone else, given they were already using almost all of the flexibility created by placing Oskar Sundqvist on injured reserve. If they do have to play short at any point, the team would be able to make an emergency recall afterward to bring up a player without his cap hit. That would only be until the injured players are ready to return, but would at least keep them from icing a shortened roster.

Losing Krug and Schenn at the same though is a brutal hit for the team given how important they are. Krug averages nearly 21 minutes of ice time and has eight points in his first nine games, while Schenn had been carrying a big part of the load at center with O’Reilly out. The 30-year-old forward’s six points in nine games trails several others, but he is still a huge part of their game plan at both ends of the rink.

Austin Watson Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Ottawa Senators have announced that forward Austin Watson has been placed in the COVID protocol. Watson played last night against the Vegas Golden Knights, but will be unavailable for an indefinite period of time.

As a reminder, inclusion in the protocol 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 COVID Protocol Related Absences list 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.

Watson only made his season debut a few days ago after returning from an ankle injury he suffered in the preseason. At the time, his head coach D.J. Smith noted how important his intensity and leadership is to the group, noting that they could use his help on the penalty kill as well. Just two games later and he’s out of the lineup again, at least until he is removed from the protocol.

The Senators play again tomorrow, but unfortunately, that game is in the afternoon. It seems unlikely at this point that Watson will be able to go, though because of the lack of details it is unclear at this point.

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