Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for April 2024

Maple Leafs Notes: Nylander, Lyubushkin, Brodie, Matthews

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Star winger William Nylander has finally received some positive momentum in his return from injury, with head coach Sheldon Keefe telling The Athletic’s Luke Fox that Nylander will be a game-time decision ahead of Game Four (Twitter link). He has missed the first three games of the series with a migraine issue, though his exact diagnosis hasn’t been confirmed. When asked about it earlier, Nylander said, “Look, that’s just personal so I’m not going to get into that … but anything else you guys want to discuss [I’ll comment on].”

There’s no arguing that Toronto is simply better with Nylander in the lineup. The 27-year-old forward just wrapped up his second consecutive season with 40 goals and set a career-high 98 points along the way. He’s now missing his first games of the season, after playing in all 82 regular-season games for the second year in a row. Migraines have plagued Nylander for years now, even pushing him to switch to a tinted visor ahead of last season. He’s now overcoming those challenges once again and could be poised to make a big impact in a series that Toronto is trailing 2-1.

Other notes from Toronto:

  • Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin welcomed the birth of his first daughter, and third child, on Friday morning. He traveled home to be with his wife during the process, missing Toronto’s Friday morning skate. Despite that, Keefe says he’ll still be an option in Saturday’s Game Three, shares the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan (Twitter link). Lyubushkin has so far appeared in all three games this series, recording one assist, one penalty, and one shot on net. He’s a part of a rotation of Leafs defensemen vying for a lineup spot, competing with Joel Edmundson, Simon Benoit, and Conor Timmins.
  • Speaking of that competition, veteran T.J. Brodie is expected to step into the lineup over Timothy Liljegren, per Fox (Twitter link). Liljegren has yet to record a point through three playoff games, with his only stat change coming in the form of a -2. That’s despite averaging over 19 minutes of ice time through the start of the series. He’ll be replaced by Brodie, who’s managed 55 games of postseason experience over his 14-year NHL career. This includes 11 games with Toronto last season, with Brodie managing three assists, a -3, and 12 penalty minutes.
  • Superstar Auston Matthews also missed the team’s Friday skate with an illness that NHL insider Chris Johnston says he played through on Wednesday (Twitter link). Per Johnston, Keefe dubbed Matthews’ absence as a maintenance day, and didn’t make it seem like the historic goal-scorer was at risk of missing time. Toronto will certainly hope that’s the case, as Matthews is currently tied for the team-lead in playoff scoring with three points in as many games. His scoring has been matched by linemate Max Domi.

Morning Notes: USA Hockey, Milano, Lomberg

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

USA Hockey has rounded out its coaching staff for the upcoming IIHF World Championship, announcing four assistant coaches to serve behind head coach John Hynes. The new additions include Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde, Ottawa Senators associate coach Jack Capuano, Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Ty Hennes, and U17 NTDP head coach Greg Moore.

This is, most notably, a big step in Lalonde’s ever-growing involvement with USA Hockey. He made his World Championship debut as an assistant coach for last year’s squad, serving as a part of Team USA’s fourth-place finish behind leading scorer Rocco Grimaldi. Lalonde’s only international appearances before that tournament were at the World Junior-A Challenge in 2013 and 2014, first serving as an assistant and then taking on the head coaching role. USA took home Gold in both of those tournaments, on the back of strong performances from Vinnie Hinostroza and Nick Schmaltz. Lalonde will look to rekindle that success as he heads to the main stage for the second year in a row, regrouping with his Detroit starter Alex Lyon on the Team USA lineup.

This news also marks the first time that Hennes and Moore have coached for the Men’s National Team. Both are young coaches who have climbed the ranks of the coaching circuit over the last few years. Success at the World Championship would only provide more wind behind their sails.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Winger Sonny Milano shared that he’s good to go for Game Three, after missing Thursday’s practice with an undisclosed injury, shares NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). Gulitti also shared that Capitals rookie Ivan Miroshnichenko is expected to make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut on Friday. Miroshnichenko played in the first 21 NHL games of his career this season, recording two goals, six points, six penalty minutes, and a -4. He also recorded 25 points in 47 AHL games. He’ll step in for Nicolas Aube-Kubel, who hasn’t scored through Washington’s first two playoff games. The Capitals trail the New York Rangers 2-0 in the Round One series.
  • Florida Panthers bruiser Ryan Lomberg is still feeling under the weather after missing the team’s last two games to illness. He is expected to remain out of the lineup in Game Four, with Kyle Okposo remaining on the fourth-line in his place, head coach Paul Maurice shared with Colby Guy of Florida Hockey Now (Twitter link). Okposo played in his first playoff game since 2016 on Thursday, recording one assist in a game where the fourth line stood out. It was the first point of Okposo’s seven-game career with the Panthers. He now gets a chance to continue making an impact, and might even solidify his spot in the lineup with another strong performance.

Avalanche Recall Arvid Holm

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Colorado Avalanche have brought goaltender Arvid Holm back to the NHL lineup after sending him down on Monday (Twitter link). Holm served as the backup to Ivan Prosvetov in the Colorado Eagles first game of the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs – a 4-2 loss against the Abbotsford Canucks. This loss puts the Eagles on the brink of elimination, which could be why the Avalanche are recalling the AHL backup for added depth ahead of their own Game Three.

Prosvetov and Holm are two of the six goaltenders who have played games with the Eagles this season. Prosvetov has managed a solid 11 wins, .921 save percentage, and 2.33 goals-against-average in 21 AHL appearances, while Holm is the only routine starter with a sub-.900 save percentage, posting an .887 and six wins in 12 games. Holm has also spent time in the ECHL this season, recording two wins and a .907 in four appearances.

Holm has yet to receive his NHL debut, despite now six call-ups to the NHL in the last two years. All but two of those came before this season when Holm was a member of the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg drafted the Swedish netminder in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft but chose not to extend him a qualifying offer last summer. That left him open to sign a one-year, two-way, $775K contract with the Avalanche. He joined a crowded goalie room and has since been competing with Prosvetov, Justus Annunen, and Trent Miner for NHL opportunity behind starter Alexandar Georgiev. Holm seems to be closer to the bottom of the depth chart, though he’s set to once again serve as the Avalanche’s emergency third-string goalie this postseason.

Jesper Fast Expected To Miss The Rest Of Playoffs

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News is reporting that Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast could miss the rest of the NHL playoffs with a neck injury. The news comes from Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour who told Bally Sports South’s Tripp Tracy that Fast re-injured his neck in Carolina’s final regular season game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and is unlikely to return this season. Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell had previously called Fast’s injury a neck strain, and it appeared to be tweaked after Fast was crosschecked into the boards by Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson

Fast completed his fourth year with Carolina after originally signing with the team as an unrestricted free agent back in October 2020. He hasn’t played the first two playoff games and is not in the lineup this evening. The 32-year-old had six goals and 13 assists in 73 games this year in what was his worst offensive season since he broke into the league back in 2014-15 with the New York Rangers.  While his scoring dropped off this year, he remained a big part of Carolina’s shutdown line with Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal.

Brind’Amour was somber when speaking before the game, however, the Hurricanes have not officially shut Fast down for the season as they will reportedly re-evaluate him a month from now (according to Cory Lavalette of North State Journal).

Pacific Notes: Boeser, Demko, Kraken

at CDT | by 6 Comments

Harman Dayal of The Athletic tweeted that Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet downplayed Brock Boeser’s early exit from practice today. Boeser had left the ice after taking a shot up high on the wrist during a powerplay drill. Tocchet said that Boeser was fine as far as he knew and added that Boeser hadn’t said anything about a potential ailment.

The Canucks are already dealing with a significant injury with goaltender Thatcher Demko out of the lineup and can ill afford to lose more key pieces from their team. Boeser has just one assist through the first two games of round 1 but is coming off a career year having posted 40 goals and 33 assists in 81 regular season games.

In other Pacific Division notes:

  • Speaking of Demko, the netminder travelled with the Canucks to Nashville (according to SportsNet’s Dan Murphy). Although he made the trip, there doesn’t appear to be any change to his status as he remains week-to-week. Patrick Johnston of Postmedia writes that his sources tell him that Demko wouldn’t be able to return from injury until the Conference Finals, while Donnie & Dhali of CHEK TV believe he could return late in round 2 if the Canucks can survive until then.
  • The Seattle Kraken announced a new partnership today that will see their local broadcasts shift from ROOT Sports over to TEGNA-owned stations KONG as well as KING 5. KONG will broadcast all non-nationally televised Kraken games while KING 5 will simulcast 15 games as well. The deal effectively ends the Kraken’s relationship with ROOT Sports, who had broadcast Seattle games for their first three seasons. In addition to the new local television deal, the Kraken will also see all non-nationally televised games broadcast on Amazon Prime Video for people in Washington State, Oregon, and Alaska at no extra cost. Seattle becomes the first NHL team to strike a deal with Prime and could become a model for other franchises going forward.

East Notes: Senators, Lomberg, Capitals

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Ottawa Senators have hit a snag in their pursuit of moving to the LeBreton Flats, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. The Senators have been working with the National Capital Commission to facilitate the move for the last two years, establishing a memorandum of understanding with the NCC that dedicated a parcel of land for a new arena. But the parcel is just seven acres, compared to the Senators’ current 75-acre plot, leading the team to worry they may not have room for public parking.

Still, Senators’ CEO Tobi Nussbaum shared with Garrioch that the NCC has room for flexibility, and that the team remains confident that LeBreton is the right spot for them. The two sides will face a soft-deadline of September to decide if they are going to move forward with the LeBreton arena, though Nussbaum added, “Should (the rink) not happen, there is a Plan B for those parcels within LeBreton Flats. If the two sides aren’t able to come to an agreement or the Senators make a decision that they’re not going to build there, then we’ll move to our second option”

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Forward Ryan Lomberg will remain out of the Florida Panthers lineup in Game Three due to illness, head coach Paul Maurice told Florida Hockey Now’s Colby Guy (Twitter link). Guy added that Lomberg traveled with the team, but needs another day of feeling good before returning to their facilities. Kyle Okposo will step into the lineup in his place, set to play in his first postseason game since 2016, when he scored eight points in 11 games with the New York Islanders. Okposo has yet to record his first point as a Panther, despite appearing in six games. Pending a big Game Three performance, he’ll likely step back out of the lineup when Lomberg is back to full health.
  • The Washington Capitals could be without forward Sonny Milano in Game Three due to an upper-body injury, shares Sammi Silber of The Hockey News (Twitter link). Milano appeared in both of Washington’s postseason games so far, recording no scoring and a -2. Silber also shared that defenders Rasmus Sandin and Nick Jensen are each continuing to progress from the injuries that’s so far held them out of the postseason lineup. That means Alexander Alexeyev and Dylan McIlrath will remain in the lineup, after rookie Vincent Iorio was also sidelined with injury.

Metropolitan Notes: Chytil, Fast, Martin, Seeley

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New York Rangers will be joined by centerman Filip Chytil when they travel to Washington D.C. for Games Three and Four, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post (Twitter link). It’s another substantial step in Chytil’s storied return from a November 2nd concussion. The 24-year-old hasn’t played a game since and took time away from the team around the holidays to recover in his native Czechia. He returned to New York in late January and received clearance to return to practice just two games before the end of the regular season.

Chytil has since worked his way out of a no-contact jersey, and back to full conditioning, even serving in Alexander Wennberg’s slot as the fourth-line center during the team’s Thursday morning practice while Wennberg took a maintenance day. There has been no indication of Chytil’s game availability, but his traveling is certainly an encouraging step. He’s been out of the lineup for six months and 74 games, ending his season with six assists in 10 games.

Other notes from the Metro Division:

  • Forward Jesper Fast will remain out of the Carolina Hurricanes lineup in Game Three, shares team reporter Walt Ruff (Twitter link). Fast hasn’t skated since exiting the team’s season-finale with an upper-body injury, missing the last two games. He was a steadfast piece of Carolina’s fourth line this season, recording 19 points in 73 games while averaging roughly 12-and-a-half minutes of ice time. His absence has made way for Jack Drury to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, after playing in 13 games in last year’s postseason. Drury has recorded two assists in two games but is still searching for the first postseason goal of his career.
  • New York Islanders veteran Matt Martin sustained an undisclosed injury and will be a game-time decision for Game Three, head coach Patrick Roy shared with The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (Twitter link). Martin has averaged just north of 10 minutes of ice time through the first two games of the series, recording 16 penalty minutes, five hits, and two blocked shots. Forwards Ruslan Iskhakov and Oliver Wahlstrom will likely contend for the open spot should Martin sit. Iskhakov was impressive when he received his NHL debut in the team’s season finale, recording an assist and seeming well-adjusted. He’d be an interesting change-of-pace option if the Islanders are looking for a spark, though Wahlstrom’s 32 NHL games this season could earn him the edge. The Islanders are currently down 2-0 in their First Round matchup with the Hurricanes.
  • Carolina has recalled defenseman Ronan Seeley as a black ace, shares Walt Ruff (Twitter link). Seeley has yet to make his NHL debut, though he did record 14 points in 58 AHL games this season. He’s in his second pro season, after being drafted in the seventh-round of the 2020 NHL Draft. Seeley is one of four extra defenders on Carolina’s roster, alongside Scott Morrow, Dylan Coghlan, and the injured Brett Pesce.

Logan Stankoven Wins AHL Rookie Of The Year

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Dallas Stars winger Logan Stankoven has won the 2024 Red Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL’s Rookie of the Year (Twitter link). This comes after Stankoven posted 24 goals and 57 points in his first 47 minor-league games. His 1.21 points-per-game is the highest scoring pace from an AHL rookie since Jack Quinn posted 61 points in 45 games in the 2021-22 season. Quinn also won the league’s Rookie of the Year award that year. The last AHL rookie to come close to Quinn and Stankoven’s scoring pace was Jake Guentzel all the way back in the 2016-17 season.

While it’s usually hard to find a correlation between most awards and NHL success, the AHL Rookie of the Year typically manages a fine NHL career – something made evident by past winners Quinn, Joshua Norris, and the 2015 tie between Mikko Rantanen and Frank Vatrano. Stankoven seems on a fast track to join his peers, gaining a consistent role in Dallas’ top-six just a few games into his NHL career. He finished the regular season with 14 points in 24 NHL games. He’s also recorded one point in his first two Stanley Cup Playoff appearances, looking plenty adjusted to the fast pace of the NHL postseason.

Dallas is undoubtedly giddy over just how well Stankoven’s first professional season has gone. The former Kamloops Blazers captain was very highly acclaimed during his four-year WHL career, posting 260 points in 179 games and becoming the highest-scoring Blazer since 2013. But played-out concerns about his 5’8″ frame and ability to engage physically dropped Stankoven to the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, where Dallas quickly took advantage of the rest of the league’s oversight. Two years later, he’s now being awarded for a dazzling start to his pro career and playing meaningful minutes in the postseason. Stankoven was Dallas’ second pick of the 2021 Draft, follwoing the team’s selection of Wyatt Johnston at 23rd-overall.

Stankoven was one regular-season game shy of solidifying this year as his NHL rookie season. That means he’ll remain eligible for the Calder Trophy next season, when he’s sure to have a much more clear-cut role in Dallas’ electric offense. He could also be more formally regrouped with center prospect Mavrik Borque, who led the AHL in scoring this season and formed a dynamic duo with Stankoven earlier in the year.

Maple Leafs Notes: Nylander, McMann, Grebyonkin

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The reason for William Nylander’s playoff absences has been revealed, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman sharing that the star winger has been facing severe migraines. Friedman adds that the exact reason for the migraines hasn’t been narrowed down, explaining why the club has stayed quiet about Nylander’s absences. Migraines have been an issue throughout his career, with Nylander even swapping to a tinted visor at the start of the 2022-23 season to try and remedy the issues.

Nylander’s last appearance was in the club’s regular-season finale – a 4-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s so far missed all three games of Round One, though Friedman shares that there’s hope he could be ready for Game Four. The Maple Leafs will certainly hope that’s the case, as Nylander represents one of their most dangerous postseason assets. He has 17 goals and 40 points across 50 career playoff appearances, and most recently posted 10 points in 11 games in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

And there’s reason to think Nylander could enter these playoffs with even more bite. The 27-year-old scored a career-high 98 points in 82 games this season while chasing his second-consecutive 40-goal season. He showed just how flexible he could be, too, stepping into a variety of roles and lines. The Maple Leafs are averaging just 2.0 goals per game in Round One, after posting a 3.70 average through the regular season.

Other notes out of Toronto:

  • Winger Bobby McMann is expected to miss the upcoming Game Four, though he hasn’t been ruled out for the series, per TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). McMann missed Toronto’s has missed the team’s last five games, going back to their second-to-last regular season game, with a lower-body injury. He’ll offer valuable depth whenever he’s able to rejoin the lineup, though he’ll need to get over a scoring drought – having posted just one point in his last eight appearances. McMann, who posted 15 goals and 24 points this season, has yet to play in the first Stanley Cup Playoff game of his career.
  • Toronto could be poised to sign forward prospect Nikita Grebyonkin to his entry-level deal – and may even slot into the Stanley Cup Playoffs – per Alexey Shevchenko of Russian media site Sport Express. Grebyonkin is coming off a Gagarin Cup win with the KHL’s Mettalurg Magnitogorsk. He served a pivotal role in the team’s championship run, ranking second on the team in regular-season scoring with 41 points in 67 games and adding six points in 23 playoff games. Icing Grebyonkin in the playoffs would burn the first year of his assumed three-year entry-level deal, though that may not be too costly for the 21-year-old winger. Toronto originally drafted Grebyonkin in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Draft.

Senators Linked To Craig Berube, Dean Evason

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Senators are hunting for a new head coach this summer after firing D.J. Smith in December after an 11-15-0 start. Former Sens coach Jacques Martin stepped in as interim the rest of the way, and longtime captain Daniel Alfredsson joined his staff as an assistant, but it was clear neither name was expected to be the long-term solution as Ottawa tries yet again to exit their years-long rebuild.

As the Sens enter a long summer, it appears they’d like to get their coaching vacancy sorted out sooner rather than later. Multiple reports suggest they’ve started the interview process, with Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reporting the team has “legit interest” in former Blues bench boss Craig Berube for the role. The team has also been granted permission to talk to and subsequently interviewed ex-Wild coach Dean Evason for the role, per The Athletic’s Michael Russo. Berube and Evason were sacked by their respective teams during the 2023-24 campaign.

Ottawa would be Berube’s third try leading an NHL bench. His first stint was brief, coming with the Flyers for nearly two full seasons over the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns. It came after nearly a decade of working in the organization as an assistant and AHL head coach. Let go after failing to make the postseason in 2015, Berube returned to coaching after a season off in the Blues organization, manning their AHL affiliate for a year before being upgraded to associate coach on the NHL bench. The rest was history, taking over for Mike Yeo in the 2018-19 season and guiding St. Louis to its first Stanley Cup on the back of breakout goalie Jordan Binnington.

A below .500 season in 2022-23 and a below .500 start this year cost Berube his job in December, a month after the same fate befell Evason in Minnesota. Plagued by injuries and poor goaltending to start the season, Evason’s Wild sputtered to a 5-10-4 start despite being viewed as a playoff contender in the Central Division for the fifth straight season. Even after the club named John Hynes as his permanent replacement, though, they couldn’t rebound quite enough to squeak into a playoff spot. Minnesota was Evason’s first job as an NHL head coach, compiling a strong 147-77-27 record over parts of five seasons.

Like the Sabres bringing back familiar face Lindy Ruff earlier this week to replace Don Granato behind the bench, Ottawa’s front office is going for a more aggressive, veteran coach to instill accountability across the board. Coaching wasn’t their primary issue by any stretch this season, though. Despite finishing seventh in the Atlantic, the Sens had the possession numbers of a much better team. At 5-on-5, they controlled 51.0% of shot attempts, 50.2% of all scoring chances and 51.4% of high-danger chances. Unfortunately, their 9.6 shooting percentage was a tad below the league average. Big free-agent pickup Joonas Korpisalo crashed and burned between the pipes, conceding nearly 21 goals above average with his .890 SV% in 55 appearances. It was the exact same story as last season when they put up almost identical possession, shooting, and SV% numbers across the board.

Whoever their next hire is will be their third full-time head coach since 2016, a surprisingly low turnover rate for a club that’s fallen short of expectations multiple times in the past few years.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top