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Poll: Who’s Going To Win The Presidents’ Trophy?

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Nearly half of the current playoff field has clinched postseason berths, so attention is quickly turning to playoff positioning battles and who can finish atop the regular-season standings with just over two weeks left in the campaign. The field is crowded at the top, with seven teams within five points of first place.

The Rangers currently hold the edge as the only 50-win team and 104 points (.703 points percentage), ranking among the top six teams in both goals for and goals against. Leading them across the board offensively is winger Artemi Panarin, who should get some outside Hart Trophy consideration with a career-high 44 goals and 107 points. Season-ending injuries to Filip Chytil and Blake Wheeler have damaged their forward depth, but early returns on their trade deadline replacements, Jack Roslovic and Alexander Wennberg, have been positive. With top-five defenseman Adam Fox leading their blue line and one of the better goalie duos in the league this year with Jonathan Quick and Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers are looking to win the Presidents’ Trophy for only the fourth time in their 98-year history and the first since 2014-15.

Moving over to the crowded Central Division, the Stars are keeping pace at the top of the division with an 8-2-0 record in their last 10. Their 103 points and .687 points percentage are both second in the league, but they’ll need some help to catch the similarly hot Rangers, who’ve played one less game. Fuelled by an incredibly deep forward corps and a breakout season from 22-year-old Thomas Harley alongside Miro Heiskanen on the team’s top defense pair, Dallas is chasing its first division title since 2016, when Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza all had 30-goal years and powered the league’s best offense. After shoring up their blue line with deadline pickup Chris Tanev and boosting their third line with the promotion of rookie Logan Stankoven from the minors, the Stars are hoping to make back-to-back Conference Final appearances for the first time since appearing in three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Hot on Dallas’ tails for guaranteed home-ice advantage through Round Three are the breakout Canucks, whose jump from 24th to fourth in goals against has fuelled their first trip to the postseason (sans the 2020 bubble) in nine years. A franchise record-breaking season from Quinn Hughes on the blue line, plus a rebound from Thatcher Demko in the crease, have created the core for what Vancouver hopes is a lengthy era of contention with J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson centering their top two lines. Some view them as the NHL’s flukiest team with a league-high 9.8% shooting percentage and 102.8 PDO at 5-on-5, a narrative they’ll look to dispel by extending their season into May and June.

The new-look Avalanche went big-game hunting at the trade deadline and remain in contention for division and league titles, tied with Vancouver with a .676 points percentage (100 points in 74 games). With new faces Brandon Duhaime, Casey Mittelstadt, Yakov Trenin, and Sean Walker providing reinforcements in the absence of captain Gabriel Landeskog for a second straight season, Colorado will look to stay hot down the stretch and avenge last year’s first-round upset at the hands of the Kraken.

Over in the East, the Bruins, Hurricanes and Panthers remain in the hunt for the regular-season title, but at three or more points behind the Rangers with no games in hand, it seems unlikely with New York on a hot streak. MoneyPuck awards each of them less than a 4% chance at capturing the first-overall crown.

Tell us – who’s your pick to win the Presidents’ Trophy and aim to become the first regular-season champion since 2013 to hoist the Stanley Cup?

Mobile/app users, use this link to vote.

Hurricanes Expected To Sign Scott Morrow

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The Hurricanes are expected to get defense prospect Scott Morrow inked to an entry-level deal before his exclusive signing rights expire in August 2025, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Other teams have been calling the Hurricanes about trading for his rights, with some doubt circulating that he would sign in Carolina, but that talk has now ceased.

Morrow, 21, had his junior season with UMass come to an end Thursday after dropping an overtime heartbreaker to Denver in the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament. He has one season remaining of collegiate eligibility and hasn’t decided if he’ll turn pro ahead of next season, but all signs point to the Canes getting a deal signed either this summer or next.

The offensive-minded blue-liner was taken with the 40th overall pick in 2021, which found its way to Carolina via Nashville and Los Angeles as part of the Viktor Arvidsson trade and a subsequent pick swap. Drafted straight out of high school, Morrow was among the most skilled defensemen in the class but had his draft stock limited by defensive shortcomings. Those haven’t exactly faded away as his career with UMass has progressed, but he has consistently managed to dominate offensively and in transition. The Connecticut native has 28 goals, 66 assists and 94 points in 109 games, ranking second among all NCAA defensemen in scoring over the past three years. Only Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson has more.

Morrow checked in at #3 in The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s yearly ranking of Hurricanes prospects, trailing only top KHL blue-liner Alexander Nikishin among defenders. With the future of most of Carolina’s blue line uncertain – Jalen Chatfield, Tony DeAngelo, Brett Pesce, and Brady Skjei are all pending UFAs – Morrow is in line to play a significant NHL role within a few years’ time. Expecting him to be plopped into the Canes’ opening night lineup this fall might be bullish, though. If Carolina can secure a full-time AHL affiliate next season, some time in the minors would be beneficial for Morrow to adjust to the pro game and avoid being an unplayable defensive liability when he reaches the majors.

Jesper Fast Probable To Return Saturday Against Canadiens

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  • Hurricanes winger Jesper Fast will likely return tomorrow against the Canadiens, head coach Rod Brind’Amour said. He’s missed Carolina’s last five games and hasn’t played since March 19 with an undisclosed injury. If he’s not quite ready to go, he’ll re-enter the lineup against the Bruins next Thursday, per Brind’Amour. The 32-year-old Swede has six goals and 18 points in 66 games for the Canes after signing a two-year, $4.8MM extension to remain in Raleigh last summer.

Snapshots: Cates, Fast, Liljegren

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that forward Noah Cates will be out on Thursday due to personal reasons (Twitter link). Cam Atkinson will step back into the lineup in his place, marking the first game Atkinson has played since March 16th. The veteran Atkinson will step back into the lineup looking to snap a 16-game scoring drought. He’s managed 25 shots in that stretch, though his only other stat changes have come via a -9 and, interestingly, the first fight of Atkinson’s 10-year career. He squared off against Tampa Bay forward Michael Eyssimont, who used his two-inch size advantage to pummel Atkinson.

Atkinson is taking on more grit and responsibility as he finds himself fighting for a consistent spot in the lineup. The Flyers will hope he can find his groove soon, as he fills in for Cates’ role on the fourth-line. Cates has just 13 points through 51 games this season – a far step down from his 38 points as a rookie last year. He’s sacrificed scoring for a much more poised, all-around role, improving his faceoff percentage by five percent this season and yet to record a penalty this season. Atkinson will face pressure from healthy scratches Garnet Hathaway and Nicolas Deslauriers if he can’t make an impact quickly.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Jesper Fast will miss his fifth straight game on Thursday, per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff (Twitter link). Fast has been recovering from an upper-body injury and returned to the team’s practice in a no-contact jersey. He’s served in a quaint role when healthy, managing six goals and 18 points in 66 games while averaging 12:48 in ice time. Jack Drury and Stefan Noesen have gained a boost in ice time with Fast out, though Carolina could also lean on healthy scratch Brendan Lemieux if needed.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren has been removed from the team’s lineup on Thursday, per NHL Network’s David Alter (Twitter link). He was a late call for head coach Sheldon Keefe and will now miss the game with an upper-body injury. Liljegren’s absence opens the door for Mark Giordano to return to the lineup, marking his first game since February 29th. Giordano, the NHL’s oldest player, has one goal and seven points in 38 games this season.

Evening Notes: Fast, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks

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Carolina Hurricanes reporter Walt Ruff tweeted that Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast has re-joined team practice after missing Carolina’s last three games with an apparent upper-body injury. Fast hasn’t played since March 19th and is “nursing something” according to Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind ’Amour.

Fast had struggled leading up to the injury announcement, tallying just a single assist in his last six games. Fast has never been an offensive juggernaut but has been a consistent 30-point producer and has seen a drop off this season in his scoring. Through 66 games, the 32-year-old has just six goals and 12 assists and his shooting percentage has dropped four percent below his career average to just 8.6% on the season.

In other evening notes:

  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic writes that the Columbus Blue Jackets are unlikely to interview director of player development Rick Nash for their vacant general manager position even though he was just named the general manager of Team Canada for the upcoming IIHF World Championships. Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson spoke with The Athletic on Saturday to discuss his search for the team’s next GM after firing Jarmo Kekäläinen. Davidson reiterated that he is looking to hire a person with experience as an NHL GM and that he planned to look outside Nationwide Arena for the next hire. Davidson told The Athletic that he has spoken with Nash and others within the organization to let them know that they will not get an interview for the position as the timing isn’t right for them to move into the role of general manager.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks had a trio of injured players on the ice today as Taylor Hall, Connor Murphy, and Reese Johnson skated before the teams practice. Hall won’t be back into the lineup until next season after undergoing ACL surgery on his right knee in November. While Hall’s timeline is fairly clear, Murphy’s return date is murky at this point as he has not played since January 13th and may not return before the end of the season. Murphy was initially diagnosed with a groin injury, but that was eventually changed to a core injury. Johnson also joined the other veterans after being ruled out due to concussion protocol. The 25-year-old last played on March 12th and sat out the last five games. He has dressed in 42 games this season for Chicago and has two goals and three assists.

Waddell: He And Brind'Amour Have 'Agreed On Everything' Regarding Contract Talks

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While most teams prefer not to have their head coach in the last year of their contract, the Hurricanes have now done so twice when it comes to Rod Brind’Amour who is once again on an expiring deal.  Despite that, GM Don Waddell told NHL.com’s Dan Rosen that a lot of the legwork might already be done, saying they’ve “agreed on everything”.  They sat down before the trade deadline but haven’t crossed paths much since then with Waddell on the road at one point and now Carolina is just wrapping up a road trip.  At this point, it’s a matter of when, not if, a new contract for Brind’Amour is completed.

Hurricanes Sign Spencer Martin To One-Year Extension

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Spencer Martin has made a positive impression since joining the Hurricanes on waivers in mid-January.  He was rewarded for his efforts today as the team announced they’ve signed the goaltender to a one-year, one-way contract extension worth $775K.  GM Don Waddell released the following statement on the move:

Spencer has been an excellent addition to our team. He stepped right in and played well for us, and we’re excited to sign him for next season.

Waddell is certainly correct about Martin playing well since Carolina picked him up.  The 28-year-old has made five starts with his new team, winning four while posting a 1.97 GAA along with a .922 SV%.  Those numbers are a vast improvement on the 3.65 and .887 marks he put up in 13 appearances with the Blue Jackets.

Martin has bounced around this season.  He attended training camp with Vancouver but was waived soon after they picked up Casey DeSmith from Montreal.  Columbus quickly scooped him up with Daniil Tarasov being injured to start the season.  Once he returned, the Blue Jackets briefly carried three goalies before putting him back on the wire where Carolina picked him up with injury concerns of their own.

At the moment, Martin is Carolina’s third-string goalie with Antti Raanta playing in the minors.  That’s likely to remain his role for next season with Pyotr Kochetkov and Frederik Andersen both under contract for 2024-25.  Martin could have become an unrestricted free agent in July but instead, he has decided that staying put is the right course of action with what will be his third-straight season on a one-way agreement.

Senators Acquire Jamieson Rees From Hurricanes

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The Senators have acquired center prospect Jamieson Rees from the Hurricanes, per a team release. Ottawa has sent their 2024 sixth-round pick to Carolina in return.

This is the Senators’ second minor-league pickup of the day after nabbing center Wyatt Bongiovanni from the Jets. Both players are ineligible to play for Ottawa down the stretch as they were acquired after the March 8 deadline, but they can suit up for the team’s AHL affiliate in Belleville for the remainder of the season. Today was the AHL’s trade deadline, explaining the flurry of minor-league movement.

Carolina is selling Rees at a loss after drafting him in the second round in 2019. The 23-year-old has been affected by the Hurricanes’ lack of an AHL affiliate this season more than anyone in the organization, recording just four assists in 37 games split between the Springfield Thunderbirds and Charlotte Checkers. Last season, Rees finished fourth on the Chicago Wolves (then Carolina’s primary affiliate) in scoring, notching 14 goals and 42 points in 65 games.

While the 5-foot-11 pivot has continued to display his high-end skating at the pro level, he hasn’t scored with consistency. 2022-23’s showing was a breakout campaign at 0.65 points per game – he’s notched 0.48, 0.39 and 0.14 points per game in his other three full AHL seasons. A Calder Cup champion with Chicago in 2022, there’s still upside to be had if he can regain his confidence along with some organizational stability in Ottawa, but a write-off season this late in his development is concerning.

Rees is in the final season of his entry-level contract, with a cap hit of $839K. He’ll be an RFA this summer if the Senators issue him a qualifying offer, although he does not have arbitration rights.

Hurricanes Re-Sign Brendan Lemieux

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The Hurricanes announced Monday that they’ve re-signed left wing Brendan Lemieux to a one-year contract for the 2024-25 season. Lemieux will earn the league minimum $775K salary next season, per the team.

Lemieux, 27, gets some stability after suiting up for three teams since the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign. Initially a second-round pick of the Sabres in 2014, his signing rights were dealt to the Jets less than a year later as part of that year’s Evander Kane/Tyler Myers blockbuster trade. He signed his entry-level contract the following summer. Lemieux then jumped around the league, providing some sandpaper in a bottom-six role, also suiting up for the Rangers, Kings, and Flyers before heading to Carolina in free agency last summer.

Before signing with the Canes, Lemieux had scored 33 goals and 69 points across 275 career appearances with 484 PIMs. Often a willing combatant in fights, Lemieux’s ability to provide offense has diminished since his career-high nine goals and 18 points in 59 games with the Rangers in 2019-20. His possession metrics don’t paint him as a reliable defensive talent, either, posting a career 47.4 CF% and 48.0 xGF% in relatively even offensive/defensive zone usage. As such, he’s slipped out of a regular role in the lineup on a deep Hurricanes offense this year, recording two goals and an assist in 25 games while averaging a career-low 7:46.

The Canadian national was waived shortly before the trade deadline to give Carolina GM Don Waddell some roster flexibility. However, another team didn’t claim him and was never assigned to the minors.

The 6-foot-1, 213-lb Canadian national was a pending UFA. The extension marks a $25K pay cut from this season’s $800K salary, but it remains a one-way deal.

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