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Sean Monahan To Undergo Hip Surgery

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The last four games of the season for the Calgary Flames are not really worth anything, given the North Division playoff spots are already decided. So why not get a head start on injury rehab? Sean Monahan will not play again this season and is scheduled for hip surgery next week. The Flames expect Monahan to be a full participant in training camp for next season.

It was a disappointing year for the 26-year-old center, who scored just ten goals in 50 games and registered a career-low 28 points. Monahan had scored at least 22 goals in every season of his career to this point, a pace he wasn’t on even if this season had been a full 82. He actually had 15 points in his first 20 games of the year, but managed just five goals and ten points in the 26 games with Darryl Sutter behind the bench. His ice time in those games was also greatly reduced, totaling fewer than 15 minutes on several occasions down the stretch.

While a hip injury could obviously be a part of those struggles, Sutter wasn’t afraid of calling out his best forwards when they couldn’t find the back of the net. Monahan was moved to the wing for the Flames a few days ago, a surprise that complicates the offseason even further. The team quite obviously needs a refresh if they want to compete for the postseason next year, but Monahan has been entrenched as a center for the last eight years in Calgary. If Sutter, who it should be noted has also pointed out the positives in Monahan’s game several times during his tenure (and even before it), believes that he’s no longer best-suited for the middle of the ice, perhaps they target another center to take his place.

Monahan has two years remaining on his contract and carries a $6.375MM cap hit. His deal also includes a 10-team no-trade list.

New York Rangers Fire David Quinn

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The New York Rangers have a new president and GM in Chris Drury, and he’ll get to handpick his next coach. The team has fired David Quinn and most of his assistants, opening the role up for a new coaching search that will begin immediately.

Quinn, 54, was only behind the bench for three seasons with the Rangers and had two years left on his contract. The team will still have to honor that but will go in a different direction after missing the playoffs once again. David Oliver, Greg Brown, and Jacques Martin were also relieved of their duties, with only goaltending coach Benoit Allaire avoiding the culling.

Drury, who was installed as the new front office head after a shocking firing spree earlier his month, will now have to find the team to lead his new vision of the team. There are certainly several qualified candidates on the market, with Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet noting just yesterday that Mike Babcock, John Tortorella, Bruce Boudreau, Gerard Gallant, Claude Julien, and others are available. Rick Tocchet also recently parted ways with the Arizona Coyotes and is expected to be taking interviews today, while others like Travis Green in Vancouver are still without contract extensions for next season.

The Rangers finished 11 points behind the New York Islanders for the final East Division playoff position, but would have made the postseason in two of the other divisions with their 27-23-6 record. Many believe this season was actually a strong step forward for the group, but chairman James Dolan didn’t agree, firing president John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton earlier this month. Dolan explained at the time the move was made so that Drury could be in place for the exit interviews, which have obviously led to him going in a different direction behind the bench.

Under Quinn, the Rangers were 96-87-25 overall but failed to qualify for the playoffs. In last year’s bubble, they lost all three games in the qualification round.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Jack Capuano Named Team USA Head Coach

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The IIHF World Championship will begin in less than two weeks and the U.S. team now has a head coach. National team GM Chris Drury announced today that Jack Capuano will lead the squad, with Nate Leaman and Adam Nightingale serving as assistants. Kevin Reiter will be the goaltending coach and Mike King the video coach for the event, which opens May 21 in Riga, Latvia.

Drury released a short statement:

We’re extremely fortunate to have an outstanding coaching staff, led by Jack Capuano. Their involvement with USA Hockey in various ways over the course of time and combined international experience will be of great benefit as we head into the tournament.

The choice of coach had a little more intrigued tied to it this year because Drury was only just named the president and GM of the New York Rangers. Current Rangers head coach David Quinn has two years left on his contract, but there has been a near-constant call for his firing by many fans as the team missed the playoffs this season. It’s not clear if Drury would consider any of the names announced today, but it does give them another chance to work closely together.

Capuano, 54, has been working as an associate coach with the Ottawa Senators the last two seasons and has experience with Team USA from the 2017 World Championship and World Cup. He served as head coach with the New York Islanders for several seasons between 2011-2016 but has yet to get another chance to lead at that level. The tournament will serve as a nice resume point for Capuano.

Leaman meanwhile is one of the most intriguing coaching prospects in the game right now, serving as head coach at Providence College the last decade and taking the U.S. World Juniors to gold this year. If he ever wanted to leave college hockey there is no doubt a job would be waiting for him at the NHL level, but to this point he has no experience at that level.

Arizona Coyotes, Rick Tocchet Agree To Part Ways

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With their season complete, the Arizona Coyotes announced they have parted ways with head coach Rick Tocchet. The two sides opted to mutually part ways as the team failed to reach the playoffs this year after Tocchet, whose contract was set to expire on June 1, led them to a 24-26-6 record. The Coyotes will begin their search for a new head coach immediately.

“After meeting with Rick, we have agreed that a coaching change is in the best interest of the club,” said general manager Bill Armstrong. “This was a very difficult decision, but we believe that it is time for a new direction and new leadership. Rick is a very good coach and an incredible person, and we sincerely appreciate all his hard work and dedication to the Coyotes the past four years. We are grateful for everything that he has done for our organization and wish him the best of luck in the future.”

The 57-year-old Tocchet is the second head coach to hit the free agent market. The Columbus Blue Jackets mutually agreed to part ways with John Tortorella late Saturday as well. The coach was hired by Arizona back in 2017 and spent four years as the team’s head coach, reaching the playoffs last year, but losing in the first round. He was a highly sought-after coaching candidate back in 2017 after serving as assistant coach with Pittsburgh during their 2016 & 2017 Stanley Cup Champion runs. Tocchet finished his tenure as Arizona’s head coach with a record of 125-131-34 in 290 games.

“It’s been an honor to coach the Coyotes the past four seasons,” said Tocchet. “I have great respect and admiration for all the players I coached in Arizona, along with my coaching staff, the medical staff, the equipment managers, the PR staff and the team services staff. They are the best in the NHL, and I appreciate all their help and hard work. I also want to thank the fans of the Valley for all their support. I have loved living, playing, and coaching in Arizona and this place will always be special to me.”

Like Tortorella, Tocchet could be a highly sought-after commodity on the coaching free agent market, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, as several teams could consider him, including the expansion Seattle Kraken. Other teams had been in the mix in hiring him back in 2017, including the Buffalo Sabres, who also will be looking for a head coach this offseason.

John Tortorella Not Returning To Columbus Next Season

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Sunday: The Columbus Blue Jackets have made it official. Both Kekalainen and Tortorella released statements today.

From Kekalainen:

“Torts and I have had numerous discussions throughout the season, and we have agreed that the time is right for both he and the club to go different ways,” said Kekalainen (via NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti). “He is a great coach and his accomplishments with our club over the past six seasons speak for themselves. He has played an integral role in our success since his arrival, and we are extremely grateful for his passion and commitment to the Blue Jackets and our city. He was the right coach at the right time and helped us establish a standard that we will carry forward.”

From Tortorella:

“After discussion and consideration of the future direction of the team, Jarmo and I have come to a mutual agreement to part ways,” said Tortorella (via The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline). “I’d like to thank the Columbus Blue Jackets organization for the opportunity to coach this team and live in the great Columbus area. It has been a privilege to work with the players, coaches and hockey operations staff, which is one of the best in the League. Also, I want to thank the CBJ fans and the community for the support they’ve given the team and for the work of the CBJ family in support of the community. My family and I have loved living and working in the area. We have made life-long friends here, so we do feel considerable sadness, which is to be expected, when something so meaningful comes to an end. This is a great hockey community and I wish everyone here great success moving forward. Thank you again.”

Saturday: The Columbus Blue Jackets season has ended and so has John Tortorella’s tenure as head coach. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that Tortorella, whose contract expires at the end of this season, will not return for 2021-22.

Portzline adds that “all indications suggest” that the veteran coach wants to continue running a bench in the NHL, meaning there is suddenly a very experienced option on the market. Tortorella sits 12th on the all-time list for NHL games coached with 1,383. One more full season would put him into the top eight, passing Mike Keenan (1,386), Pat Quinn (1,400), Ron Wilson (1,401), and Dick Irvin (1,449). He has won the Jack Adams award twice, one of only four coaches to win it with two different teams.

It’s been six full seasons in Columbus, taking over in 2015-16 and leading the team to the postseason four times. This year has been very different though, with the Blue Jackets winning just 18 of 56 games and finishing behind the rebuilding Detroit Red Wings. It’s been a season full of headlines, with Pierre-Luc Dubois forcing his way out of Columbus, while Tortorella clashed with newcomers Patrik Laine and Max Domi. Big changes appear imminent for the Blue Jackets, who already sold off Nick Foligno and David Savard at the deadline, among others.

Though it has been clear for a while that Tortorella likely wasn’t being brought back, there has still been no official announcement from the team. Whenever it comes, there will be plenty of accolades heaped on Tortorella’s time in Columbus. His numbers for the organization dwarf the likes of Ken Hitchcock, Todd Richards and Dave King, the only three other coaches who have been behind the bench for at least 200 Columbus games. Tortorella’s time finishes with 447 games coached and a 227-166-54 record. He has been the coach in 31 of the team’s 41 postseason appearances.

Hurricanes Nearing Extension With Rod Brind’Amour

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Rod Brind’Amour’s contract situation in Carolina has been a discussion point for a good chunk of the season.  However, he appears to have his new deal in place as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the bench boss has inked a three-year contract extension worth around $1.8MM per season.  The agreement comes on the three-year anniversary of his initial hiring to the position.  TSN’s Frank Seravalli somewhat contradicts that report (Twitter link), saying he was told by the team that the deal is not done yet.  Having said that, Friedman having the terms suggest it’s all but done at this point which he reiterated in a follow-up tweet following the denial.

Over that stretch, the Hurricanes have become a consistent threat.  The team made the playoffs in each of his first two seasons behind the bench after missing the postseason in nine straight years.  In his first year behind the bench, they made it to the Eastern Conference Final while they were ousted in the first round a year ago after being the Rangers in the Qualifying Round.

This season, Brind’Amour has helped take Carolina to a higher level.  Entering play today, the Hurricanes currently lead the league in points with 80 in 54 games, a pace of 121 over a full 82-game season.  They’ve clinched the Central Division title and are in the top ten in goals scored (eighth) and allowed (fourth) despite dealing with some key injuries up front and between the pipes as the presumptive starter at the beginning of the year in Petr Mrazek has only been able to play 11 times.

If the deal gets finalized at the terms that Friedman reported, it’s definitely a below-market price tag as veteran head coaches have been able to command twice that much or more in recent years.  While Brind’Amour – who has led Carolina to a 120-64-20 record – doesn’t have quite the track record that coaches like Mike Babcock, Alain Vigneault Claude Julien, Barry Trotz, Todd McLellan, and Peter Laviolette all had at the time of their hires (where they received at least $4MM), it stands to reason that he could have commanded considerably more had he hit the open market.  Instead, it appears he’s going to stay where he is and is willing to take a discount to do so which is great news for the Hurricanes.

NHL To Relax COVID-19 Protocol For Vaccinated Playoff Teams

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Just in time for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL is set to take a major change to their COVID-19 protocol. As first reported by TSN’s Frank Seravalli, the league has issued a memo to potential playoff clubs detailing new rules relaxing the restrictions initially implemented to combat the Coronavirus. Once 85% of the team, including players, coaches, and staff, have been fully vaccinated, there will be much more freedom granted in health and safety and social interaction areas. This policy will also apply to on-ice officials, once 100% of the crew has been fully vaccinated. By “fully vaccinated”, the league requires that an individual be two weeks removed from their final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine.

Once a team receives league approval that the 85% vaccination mark has been reached, the following policies will be relaxed:

Social Gatherings

  • allowed in groups of up to eight people
  • not limited to members of the team
  • may occur indoors or outdoors
  • masks and social distancing not required
  • all individuals must be fully vaccinated

Masks

  • not required in non-public areas of arenas and practice facilities
  • not required at teams meetings

Travel and Leisure

  • permitted to gather in hotel rooms
  • permitted to eat during air and bus travel
  • permitted to dine at restaurants with outdoors seating or an exclusive indoor dining area
  • permitted to golf as a group

Testing

  • no longer required on off days

These new policies will be well-received by players, coaches, and officials alike, who have endured a very sheltered existence over the past few months. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to reap the benefits. Seravalli notes that none of the Canadian clubs are “anywhere close” to the 85% full vaccination mark and may not get there at all by the end of the postseason. Slow vaccination rates in Canada mean that few Canadian players have received their first dose of a two-dose COVID vaccine and second doses could be months away. With it still being unclear if the North Division champion will even be able to play home games in the final two rounds of the playoffs, these relaxed policies could join home ice as another benefit for the American clubs this postseason.

Ondrej Kase Returns To Practice, Could Play For Boston This Week

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For the first time in 110 days, the Boston Bruins had winger Ondrej Kase back at practice on Friday. Kase suffered a concussion in just the second game of the season back on January 18, at least the fourth of his pro career, and had been unable to return to team activities ever since. There have been various reports for months about Kase skating, both independently and with the team, but he had never formally returned to practice. That changed yesterday, as the team reported that Kase was a full participant and taking line rushes. Head coach Bruce Cassidy addressed the excitement over Kase’s return by noting that Kase would not play on Saturday, but could return to the lineup in one or both of the Bruins final games on Monday and Tuesday – if he was feeling up to it.

Of course, expectations should be tempered for Kase’s return to game action after so much missed time. On talent alone, Kase likely has a spot in the lineup, even in the Bruins deep forward corps, but it will take him some time to get back up to speed. The former Anaheim Ducks standout was acquired last year in a deal that saw a first-round pick and promising prospect defenseman Axel Andersson head to Anaheim, so expectations have always been high for the 25-year-old forward. However, after missing eight games down the stretch and two in the playoffs last year due to injury (unrelated to concussions) and most of this season, Boston has still not seen much of Kase and may not rush him into the lineup. Playing in the final regular seasons games is a good start, but may not guarantee him a spot to begin the playoffs.

With that said, Kase did record four points in the postseason last year while showing chemistry with center David Krejci and playing top-six minutes for the Bruins through the team’s playoff run. While a spot next to Krejci may not be available right now, given the recent success that the veteran has had with Taylor Hall and Craig Smith, Kase could provide a spark to a third line that has not had as much luck. Kase split reps in practice on Friday at third-line right wing, skating with Sean Kuraly, Nick Ritchie, and Jake DeBrusk. Charlie Coyle will also be back in the third line mix when he returns from his own injury. With all but Coyle having spent time on the fourth line at times this season, Kase could prove himself worthy of a third line role thus knocking one of the others down the lineup. While injuries have prevented Kase from playing more than 66 games in any of his five NHL seasons, his 82-game pace during his time in Anaheim projected 20+ goals and 40 points while his posession stats have been consistently strong, numbers the Bruins can’t ignore for long if Kase is at full strength.

The Bruins face a series of difficult decisions this off-season regarding Kase and will certainly appreciate some added action this season with which to make their determination. A restricted free agent, Kase is owed a $2.6MM qualifying offer in order for Boston to retain his rights. While the club does not have the same serious salary cap issues as many other contenders, that is a sizeable amount of space to commit to a player that still remains such a mystery. If the Bruins do decide to qualify Kase, which is probably more likely than not, the next question will be how negotiations go from there. Does Kase accept his QO as a “show me” deal in 2021-22? Do the two sides discuss a multi-year extension, perhaps even at a lower AAV? Or does Kase instead file for salary arbitration and try go get more money based on his potential? The Bruins must also decide if Kase’s upside is worth protecting from the Seattle Kraken in the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft or if they can take the risk of the league’s newest team not selecting a player with an extensive injury history. There are more questions than answers when it comes to Kase, but both sides hope that his return to practice and possibly game action could lead to some playoff impact that helps to clarify the situation and lead to an extension in their relationship.

 

Coaching Notes: Tocchet, Green, Brind’Amour

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It seems that Rick Tocchet’s days as the head coach of the Arizona Coyotes could be numbered. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that there is growing speculation that Tocchet and the ’Yotes will part ways this off-season. Tocchet’s contract expires at the end of the season and Dreger does not believe that it will be extended. If not for the NHL’s expanded playoff structure last season, Tocchet would have failed to make the playoffs in each of his four seasons as the bench boss in Arizona. The team was statistically eliminated from contention this season with last night’s loss to the Los Angeles Kings, marking the end of what at one time looked like a promising playoff push. However, this is the third consecutive season that the ’Yotes have remained in the playoff picture until the very end of the season. Last year, it earned them a play-in series berth which the team turned into an upset win over the Nashville Predators and a first-round match-up with the Colorado Avalanche. Considering that Tocchet took over a team that finished last in the Pacific Division in his first season, three years of fringe contention and a play-in series win is far from failure for the veteran coach. Dreger does not definitively state that the separation is a unilateral decision by Arizona and it could be that this is an amicable breakup coming between Tocchet and the team. A highly-regarded assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins before joining the Coyotes, Tocchet should have no problem finding a job this summer and it could be that both sides equally want a fresh start.

  • Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green is still waiting for his contract extension. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that a resolution is expected to come before the end of the season – which for the Canucks is still almost two weeks away – but he adds that there has not been any change to the status quo of late. Green, like Tocchet, took over a struggling team in 2017-18 and has improved the group, including finishing third in the Pacific Division last season and advancing to the second round of the playoffs. While the current campaign has not gone as planned, with Vancouver on the verge of statistical elimination even with a number of games in hand on their North Division competitors, the organization is happy with Green and LeBrun notes that there continues to be mutual interest in a new multi-year deal. With that said, Green is among the bottom-third of coaches in terms of compensation and is seeking a raise, but LeBrun reports that the Canucks have not improved their offer recently. If the two sides truly want to get a deal done before the end of the regular season, they need to get to work.
  • Rod Brind’Amour is another coach who is awaiting a contract extension and there is little doubt that the leader of the President’s Trophy favorites will get a new, long-term deal. However, Dreger notes that the Hurricanes want to get the new deal done before the postseason, which leaves little time to work out the details. Brind’Amour has previously stated that he wants all of his fellow coaches and support staff to also have new deals finalized before he inks his own deal, so the Carolina Hurricanes have a number of negotiations to complete over the next week or two.

Overseas Notes: Skelleftea, Khokhlachev, Langhamer

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After falling in the SHL semifinals, Swedish powerhouse Skelleftea AIK is already moving forward with their plans for next season. The team has announced a list of players who will not be returning in 2021-22 and it includes some notable NHL names. Edmonton Oilers’ defenseman Philip Broberg, Detroit Red Wings’ forward Jonatan Berggren, and Carolina Hurricanes’ defenseman Roland McKeown are all among those who will not return to Skelleftea next year and all are expected to instead be in the NHL. Broberg, 19, has in fact already made the jump, as he was recalled by the Oilers earlier this week. The 2019 No. 8 overall pick has been in Skelleftea on loan for two years since being drafted, but the big two-way defenseman is ready for the next step in his career. Berggren appears to be prepared to make that leap as well. Detroit’s 2018 second-round pick was Skelleftea’s leading scorer this season, recording 45 points in 49 games. The 20-year-old skilled play-maker is one of a number of promising Red Wings prospects, but Berggren’s dominance at the pro level this year should give him a leg up in training camp battles. McKeown is the outlier of the group; the 25-year-old blue liner made his European debut this season on loan from the Hurricanes. The former top prospect out of the OHL had faded from relevance among the Hurricanes’ deep defensive group and wished to stay in Sweden this year rather than play yet again in the AHL. While McKeown may join Carolina as a depth option in the playoffs now that his SHL season is over, his days with the organization are numbered. Slated for Group 6 unrestricted free agency this summer, McKeown may not be back with Skelleftea but he certainly won’t be staying in Raleigh either. He will have other options on the open market to find a more clear path to NHL opportunity.

  • Another prominent name in Europe who won’t be returning to his current team is Boston Bruins center Alexander Khokhlachev. The 27-year-old center was a key cog for Gagarin Cup champions Avangard Omsk this season, recording 34 points in 59 games as a top-six forward, but the team has nonetheless announced that Khokhlachev has decided to leave the club. This could very well mean that Khokhlachev is finally eyeing a return to North America after five years away, and the timing of the move is key. The Bruins’ rights to Khokhlachev finally expire on June 30th. While it’s not impossible that Khokhlachev could give the Bruins another shot under his old AHL head coach Bruce Cassidy, there are certainly better opportunities for an NHL role elsewhere if he instead waits to become a free agent this summer.
  • One player who isn’t rushing back to his NHL rights holder is goaltender Marek Langhamer. Despite the possibility that the Arizona Coyotes could have some more opportunity in net next season with Antti Raanta headed for free agency, Adin Hill expected to be exposed in the Expansion Draft, and Darcy Kuemper still a hot name on the rumor mill, Langhamer won’t be involved. Even after two strong seasons in the KHL, Langhamer has decided to stay in Europe, signing a one-year-deal with the Liiga’s Illves. It’s unclear if Langhamer is averse to re-joining the ’Yotes or just the NHL overall, but regardless he will see his rights expire on June 30th of next season and can then return to North America as a free agent if he chooses.

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