The week following the holiday break is typically a quiet one and this was no exception, aside from a key veteran signing a contract extension. It’s among the news highlighted in our key stories.
Crawford To Switzerland: One veteran coach is off the free agent market as Marc Crawford has been hired by Zurich in Switzerland on a three-year contract. If you’re thinking you’ve seen this headline before, it’s actually the second time that Crawford has coached this franchise as he had a four-year stint with the club beginning in 2012-13. Crawford was last behind an NHL bench last season with Chicago but hadn’t caught on anywhere this season. Meanwhile, the outgoing coach in Zurich is also of some note as it’s Rikard Gronborg. The 54-year-old has received NHL interest in the past and now that he’s a free agent, teams could come calling again.
Wounded Coyote: One of the early bright spots for the Coyotes has been rookie winger Matias Maccelli. Entering the holiday break, he sat second in the league for points by a first-year player despite largely flying under the radar. Unfortunately for him and Arizona, the 22-year-old will miss the next six weeks with a lower-body injury. Maccelli played in 23 games last season and had just six points but had three goals and 19 assists in 30 games prior to the injury which was sustained in their final game before the break against Los Angeles.
Staying In Dallas: Veteran center Joe Pavelski had a very productive 2021-22 campaign, earning himself a one-year extension. He’s off to a similarly productive first half this season and he has once again earned a one-year extension, this time signing it on the first day he was eligible to. The 38-year-old will receive $3.5MM in base salary plus $2MM in achievable bonuses (maxed at 20 games played) along with a no-move clause. The deal is similarly structured to the one he’s on this season, giving Dallas some flexibility as bonuses can be rolled over and charged against the cap the following year. Pavelski has 200 points over his first 243 games with Dallas, giving them some steady and reliable production at the top of their lineup.
Good News/Bad News For Avs: It has been a rough year injury-wise for the Cup champs as Colorado has been missing several key players all season long. They did get one of those players back this weekend when center Nathan MacKinnon was activated off IR after missing the previous 11 games with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old has 34 points in 24 games this season (a pace of 116 over a full 82-game schedule) and will give the Avalanche a second top scoring threat at the top of their lineup. However, it wasn’t all good news on the injury front as winger Valeri Nichushkin has re-injured his surgically repaired ankle with no timetable for his return. He has been a point-per-game player when he has played this season so his absence will once again be felt.
Hanging Them Up: Veteran winger Devante Smith-Pelly has decided to call it a career, announcing his retirement at the age of 30. He played in parts of eight NHL seasons with Anaheim, Montreal, New Jersey, and Washington, recording 101 points and 799 hits in 395 games, a pretty good career for the 2010 second-round pick. Smith-Pelly last saw NHL action in the 2018-19 campaign but had caught on with AHL teams since then, spending the second half of last season with Montreal’s AHL affiliate in Laval.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.