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Canucks Linked To Rick Tocchet

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01/15/23: On Sportsnet’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast last night, Friedman issued another update on the situation with the Canucks and Tocchet. He said “I do believe it will be Rick Tocchet” when or if the Canucks do decide to make a coaching change.

While still not a definite confirmation on the Canucks’ plans behind the bench, this report is a more firm indication that the Canucks are targeting the current TNT analyst to be their next head coach.

01/14/23: Bruce Boudreau has basically been on the hot seat since before the season started.  When the Canucks opted not to extend his contract last summer, it created a situation where he was entering his ‘lame duck’ year.  With a management team in place that inherited the veteran bench boss instead of hiring him, it felt it was going to be a year of uncertainty for the 68-year-old.

That’s exactly how things have played out.  Vancouver’s first half of the season was largely underwhelming with the team collecting just 37 points in their first 41 games and are well outside the playoff picture as things stand.  Between that and a perceived desire for management to hire their own coach, there has been an expectation of change basically all season long.

To that end, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in a recent appearance on The Jeff Marek Show (audio link) that the team had discussions with several coaches earlier in the season including Rick Tocchet but obviously, nothing materialized.  Friedman adds that the Canucks have since circled back and have re-engaged with Tocchet.  However, he cautioned that even with this report, a change isn’t likely imminent.

There’s certainly familiarity between Vancouver’s management group – led by GM Patrik Allvin and president Jim Rutherford – dating back to Tocchet’s time with Pittsburgh when he served as an assistant coach for three seasons, two of which saw the Penguins take home the Stanley Cup.

Tocchet also has parts of six seasons head coaching experience between Tampa Bay and Arizona, sporting a .475 points percentage.  That’s well below Boudreau’s career mark of .628 and even his points percentage with Vancouver which checks in at .566.  However, whether it’s Tocchet or someone else, it sure seems like a coaching change is going to be on the horizon at some point; it’s not a matter of if but rather when and who it will be.  Tocchet, currently an analyst for TNT, certainly appears to be garnering serious consideration for that spot whenever it’s made available.

Injury Notes: Duclair, Pettersson, Kane

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The Florida Panthers had a nice bonus at practice today when Anthony Duclair joined the group, albeit in a non-contact sweater. The injured forward is coming back from an Achilles tear last summer, and finally getting closer to getting back into game action. Head coach Paul Maurice spoke with reporters including David Dwork of WPLG Local 10, explaining that the timeline.

I’m hopeful we can get him into a full practice prior to the [All-Star] break, where he’s banging. That way he knows how to train in the break. There’s a chance [he could play] before, but realistically we’re thinking just after the break he can be a player for us. 

Maurice went on to explain that as soon as he is fully healthy, Duclair will go right back into the lineup, even if there is some rust on his game. Of course, to activate him the Panthers will need to make some other transactions, as some of his $3MM in cap space is currently being used while he is on long-term injured reserve. Duclair had 31 goals and 58 points in 74 games last season.

  • Not only is Marcus Pettersson out of the lineup tonight for the Pittsburgh Penguins – he’s not even on the trip. Pettersson did not travel and is still dealing with the illness that has kept him off the ice. The 26-year-old has turned into one of the team’s most reliable players this year, logging nearly 21 minutes a night and providing outstanding defense in a bigger role.
  • As expected, Patrick Kane confirmed to reporters including Mark Lazerus of The Athletic that he will make his return to the Chicago Blackhawks lineup tonight after missing a few games with a lower-body injury. All eyes are on Kane as the trade deadline approaches, and while he continues to climb up the all-time points list. His 1,207 regular season points put him 48th, just two behind Bernie Nicholls and three behind Bobby Clarke.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson Expected To Be Scratched

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When the Vancouver Canucks take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, it appears as though they will have a $7.26MM defenseman sitting in the press box. Oliver Ekman-Larsson was with Kyle Burroughs on the fourth pairing at the morning skate according to Patrick Johnston of The Province, with Travis Dermott taking his place next to Tyler Myers.

Head coach Bruce Boudreau was asked directly about it, and said scratching Ekman-Larsson was “potentially true” though did then go on to call him “arguably [their] best defenseman.”

Ekman-Larsson, 31, has been dreadful this season for the Canucks, who have been outscored 44-34 at even strength with him on the ice. Those 44 goals against put him 7th-worst in the entire league among defensemen, and the worst on Vancouver in particular.

Since arriving from the Arizona Coyotes in a massive 2021 trade, his goal-scoring has also dried up. A two-time 20-goal scorer, Ekman-Larsson has just six in 119 games since joining Vancouver.

What has happened to the Canucks this season isn’t all his fault, but he is emblematic of the problem the team faces. They are not competitive, and yet have plenty of long-term, big-money contracts on the books. The $7.26MM for Ekman-Larsson isn’t even his full contract – the Coyotes retained $990K per season when they dealt him. It extends through 2026-27, and includes a full no-movement clause that he would have to waive again to orchestrate any kind of exit (other than a buyout, which currently would extend through 2031).

The Canucks have more than $69MM committed to just 14 players for next season. That does not include Bo Horvat or Andrei Kuzmenko, who are both pending unrestricted free agents.

NHL Announces Coaches For 2023 All-Star Game

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The fan vote for the final player selections is still ongoing, but the NHL has finalized who will be behind the bench at the 2023 All-Star Game in Florida next month. Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour will be leading the Metropolitan, Boston Bruins bench boss Jim Montgomery leads the Atlantic, Peter DeBoer of the Dallas Stars will be running the Central, and Bruce Cassidy of the Vegas Golden Knights will be steering the Pacific.

The Hurricanes, Bruins, Stars, and Golden Knights currently lead their respective divisions, though it’s a close race in three of them. Only the Bruins have a substantial lead, with their 32-4-4 record pacing the entire NHL.

Interestingly enough, three of the four coaches named were involved in something of an employment carousel this offseason. Cassidy was fired by Boston and eventually took the job in Vegas after they dismissed DeBoer. DeBoer took a job in Dallas, one that had only been filled by Rick Bowness after Montgomery’s dismissal in 2020. Montgomery in turn took over in Boston, which gave him another chance as an NHL head coach.

Brind’Amour is the tenured professor of the bunch, taking over as head coach of the Hurricanes in 2018. He won the Jack Adams in 2021, and has an overall record of 199-95-35, plus four playoff series wins. It’s been an impressive transition from player to assistant to head coach for Brind’Amour, who basically never stopped working for the Hurricanes after arriving in 2000. He is reprising his role as head coach of the Metro, after being their last season.

The selections show just how quickly the NHL coaching wheel turns, with Cassidy and DeBoer both appearing at this game with their previous teams. DeBoer has actually gone with three in a row, appearing as the head coach of the Pacific in 2017 with the Sharks as well.

The final player selections will be announced on January 19, and the skills competition kicks off February 3.

St. Louis Blues Place Robert Bortuzzo On Injured Reserve

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The St. Louis Blues placed defenseman Robert Bortuzzo on injured reserve after sustaining a lower-body injury on Saturday, a team release stated Monday. In his place, the team has recalled defenseman Dmitri Samorukov from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.

Bortuzzo, 33, played just five shifts against the Montreal Canadiens on January 7 before leaving the game with the injury. He was previously listed as day-to-day yesterday by head coach Craig Berube.

St. Louis’ injury woes on defense could become too much to handle. Bortuzzo makes five Blues defensemen out of the lineup with injuries, with three already on injured reserve (Torey Krug, Marco Scandella, Scott Perunovich). Nick Leddy is also sidelined with no set timetable yet for a return.

Bortuzzo had just one point this season, a goal against the Minnesota Wild on December 31. A member of the Blues organization since he was traded for in 2015, his usage has dipped to below 13 minutes per game for the first time since he played just six games in 2011-12.

Samorukov, like Bortuzzo, is defensively inclined. A 2017 third-round pick, the Blues acquired Samorukov in a one-for-one swap with the Edmonton Oilers for forward Klim Kostin during the preseason. Samorukov has two goals, six assists, eight points, and a -3 rating in 34 games with Springfield in 2022-23.

It hasn’t been the best start for him with his new team, and he’s been passed over on call-up opportunities by veterans like Calle Rosen and Steven Santini. He’s getting a chance now, though, and he’ll need to capitalize if he gets into a game to reaffirm his role within the organization.

NHL Announces Initial All-Star Rosters

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According to a league release, the NHL has named the first eight selections to the four divisional All-Star teams for the 2023 NHL All-Star Game in Sunrise, Florida.

The league names one player to represent each team at the game, a rule in standing since the league switched to a divisional format for its mid-season talent showcase. A public fan vote will decide the three remaining players per division next week.

Each division’s leader in points percentage after gameplay concludes on January 11 will determine coaches for these teams. The Boston Bruins have already clinched the best such number in the Atlantic at that time, meaning Jim Montgomery will be behind the bench for the star-studded Atlantic Division, arguably the league’s best contingent of talent.

The initial rosters for each division are as follows:

Atlantic Division

Boston: G Linus Ullmark (1st appearance)
Buffalo: C Tage Thompson (1st appearance)
Detroit: C Dylan Larkin (3rd appearance)
Florida: RW Matthew Tkachuk (2nd appearance)
Montreal: C Nick Suzuki (2nd appearance)
Ottawa: LW Brady Tkachuk (3rd appearance)
Tampa Bay: RW Nikita Kucherov (4th appearance)
Toronto: RW Mitch Marner (2nd appearance)

Metropolitan Division

Carolina: LW Andrei Svechnikov (1st appearance)
Columbus: LW Johnny Gaudreau (7th appearance)
New Jersey: C Jack Hughes (2nd appearance)
NY Islanders: C Brock Nelson (1st appearance)
NY Rangers: G Igor Shesterkin (1st appearance)
Philadelphia: C Kevin Hayes (1st appearance)
Pittsburgh: C Sidney Crosby (5th appearance)
Washington: LW Alex Ovechkin (8th appearance)

Central Division

Arizona: LW Clayton Keller (3rd appearance)
Chicago: RD Seth Jones (4th appearance)
Colorado: RD Cale Makar (2nd appearance)
Dallas: LW Jason Robertson (1st appearance)
Minnesota: LW Kirill Kaprizov (2nd appearance)
Nashville: G Juuse Saros (2nd appearance)
St. Louis: RW Vladimir Tarasenko (injured) (4th appearance)
Winnipeg: LD Josh Morrissey (1st appearance)

Pacific Division

Anaheim: RW Troy Terry (2nd appearance)
Calgary: C Nazem Kadri (2nd appearance)
Edmonton: C Connor McDavid (6th appearance)
Los Angeles: LW Kevin Fiala (1st appearance)
San Jose: RD Erik Karlsson (7th appearance)
Seattle: C Matthew Beniers (1st appearance)
Vancouver: C Elias Pettersson (3rd appearance)
Vegas: G Logan Thompson (1st appearance)

The most important note on these rosters is obviously that of Tarasenko’s status. The 31-year-old is on injured reserve with a hand injury, and likely won’t be able to suit up. His replacement will be named shortly.

More to come…

Injury Notes: Wheeler, Kane, Gustavsson

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Cole Perfetti, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Nate Schmidt were all expected to jump back into the lineup soon for the Winnipeg Jets, but they had another nice surprise at practice today. Blake Wheeler was present in a full-contact sweater and practicing on the top line. All four players were taking regular turns, suggesting that the team is getting a huge group of reinforcements all at once. To make room, they will need to move at least one other player off the roster. Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet reports that Michael Eyssimont is not on the ice.

While it still leaves Mason Appleton, Logan Stanley, and Saku Maenalanen on injured reserve, getting Wheeler back is big news for the Jets. The 36-year-old seemed rejuvenated this season (like so many other Winnipeg players) and had 26 points through 29 games before going down to injury. Though he is seeing the lowest average ice time since his days with the Boston Bruins, Wheeler has been great and should be another big boost for a Jets team that is still within striking distance of the Central Division crown.

  • After leaving early on Tuesday night, Patrick Kane’s status was completely unclear. When he was absent as practice started for the Chicago Blackhawks today, alarm bells rang out. Luckily, it seems like he has avoided serious injury, as the Blackhawks listed it as a maintenance day. Andreas Athanasiou was also missing with a non-COVID illness. With so many fans expecting Kane to be the belle of the trade deadline ball this year, a serious injury could throw a wrench into the next few weeks. Hopefully, this will prove to be nothing more than a minor ailment that needs some rest.
  • During last night’s game, Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson was suddenly removed from the net. Head coach Dean Evason told reporters including Joe Smith of The Athletic afterward that he didn’t know what was going on, only that Gustavsson “skated off and puked his brains out.” Michael Russo of The Athletic confirms today that it was an illness, not an injury, that caused the departure and that there is no recall anticipated by the Wild.

Snapshots: Extension Updates, Letang, Pacioretty

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Now that the holiday break is over, teams will now shift their focus directly on the trade deadline and a push for the playoffs. Some clubs who find themselves on the bubble will have to determine whether an extension or a trade is the best option for some expiring contracts. With that in mind, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic examines several of the most intriguing contract negotiations, from David Pastrnak to Dylan Larkin.

While those two seem destined to eventually re-sign, that doesn’t seem quite as likely for the two big names in St. Louis: Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko. Blues fans holding out hope that the former will be kept won’t love the comments from agent Pat Morris, who explained that there have not been any contract negotiations for O’Reilly this season and there is “nothing new to report” on that front.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins could be without Kris Letang again, as head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Rob Rossi of The Athletic that the veteran defenseman is being evaluated for a lower-body injury. Letang played over 27 minutes last night and nearly 26 the night before that in consecutive losses.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes won’t have Max Pacioretty in the lineup tomorrow, but head coach Rod Brind’Amour said today that it is possible he returns within the next ten games. The veteran forward tore his Achilles in August and was given a six-month recovery timeline – one that he appears well ahead of. Pacioretty scored 19 goals and 37 points in 39 games for the Vegas Golden Knights last season.

Marc Crawford Hired In Switzerland

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The ZSC Lions, one of the most popular teams in Europe, has made a big change behind the bench. They have parted ways with Rikard Gronborg and hired Marc Crawford as head coach, signing the former NHL bench boss to a deal through the 2024-25 season. Crawford will be joined by Rob Cookson.

This is actually a return to Zurich for Crawford, who coached the team for four years starting in 2012-13. The Lions won the league championship in 2014 and put up a 125-47-28 record overall with Crawford in charge. His time there also included a 2015-16 season with teenage phenom Auston Matthews, who scored 24 goals and 46 points as an 18-year-old in just 36 games.

Gronborg was already going to leave ZSC at the end of the season and rumors had emerged about his connection to teams in Finland. He is a free agent now, however, and has drawn plenty of NHL interest in the past. The 54-year-old coach was with Zurich since 2019, and had previously served with the Swedish national team for many years.

Crawford, meanwhile was most recently with the Chicago Blackhawks and has served with the Ottawa Senators, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, and Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques. It was Crawford who took the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 1996 after the move from Quebec, though the rest of his NHL postseason resume isn’t quite as successful. Cookson worked with Crawford in Ottawa and served as an assistant with the Calgary Flames for many years previously.

Snapshots: Wilson, Sergachev, Holm

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Despite a strong 7-2-1 run in their last ten, the Washington Capitals remain in sixth place in the tough Metro, four points out of a divisional playoff spot. As they chase down the teams ahead of them, though some reinforcements are coming. Tom Wilson donned a regular jersey at practice today and skated on a line with Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin, though the return for the first two is still a little way down the road. Wilson and Backstrom will not travel with the team to Ottawa according to Samantha Pell of the Washington Post, though Nic Dowd, Alex Alexeyev, and Darcy Kuemper will.

Wilson, 28, is one of the most unique players in the league, able to contribute at a high level offensively while still acting like a pseudo-enforcer on the ice. Racking up at least 93 penalty minutes in each of his nine NHL seasons, he had 24 goals and 52 points in 78 games last season. Since the Capitals never put him on long-term injured reserve, they can activate him without worrying about cap implications. Backstrom, whose $9.2MM cap hit has sat on LTIR all year, is a different story; the team will need to clear quite a bit to get him back on the roster.

  • Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev’s bank account took a little hit today, as he was fined $5,000 for slashing Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting last night. That is the maximum allowable fine under the current CBA. While it doesn’t seem like much, the incident will be considered in any future supplementary discipline decisions, and could lead to increased punishment down the line. For Tampa Bay, they at least are escaping Toronto with no suspensions, after being pummeled by the Maple Leafs in a performance head coach Jon Cooper called “a complete bag of you know what.”
  • As expected, Arvid Holm has been returned to the minor leagues by the Winnipeg Jets, meaning Connor Hellebuyck has recovered enough from his illness to return to action. In his absence, David Rittich stopped 35 of 36 shots in a win over the Ottawa Senators, raising his save percentage to .909 on the year – his highest since 2018-19.

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