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Paul Maurice

Central Notes: Maurice, Colorado Trade Talk, Panarin, Toews, Schwartz

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While there are some mitigating factors to their struggles, some of the blame for the struggles of the Winnipeg Jets this season has to fall at the feet of head coach Paul Maurice, argues Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun.  After missing the playoffs last season, the Jets have only shown marginal improvements in offense (despite the presence of Patrik Laine whose 17 goals sit third league-wide) while their special teams play is largely the same; the power play is slightly better and the penalty kill is a little bit worse.

The Jets have had a tough schedule so far, leading the league in games played with 32.  As a result, they’re facing some lighter weeks ahead which Wyman suggests will be critical for Maurice’s future.  If they pick up their play and get back into the postseason hunt, that might be enough to demonstrate that he remains the right coach for the job.  If they don’t do that and some of the concerns continue (such as being one of the least discipline teams in the league), then questions about his future will certainly start to swirl.  Improved goaltending would certainly help as well as the Jets have a team save percentage of just .901, ranking them tied for 26th overall.

Other notes from the Central Division:

  • The Avalanche are looking to be active on the trade market, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. While it’s believed that GM Joe Sakic is not willing to move center Nathan MacKinnon, all other Colorado players could be open for discussion.  Garrioch suggests that the pressure is off of Sakic to win this season with the departure of Patrick Roy which could make them a team to watch between now and the trade deadline.
  • Chicago left winger Artemi Panarin is in some rare company, writes CSN Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis. With his goal against Dallas on Sunday, Panarin hit 100 points for his career, doing so in just 110 games.  Panarin is only the 27th player in league history to reach 100 points in that few of games.  Coincidentally, the last player to do so was teammate Patrick Kane.
  • The Blackhawks will have center Jonathan Toews return to the lineup tonight, reports Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). The captain has missed the last nine games with a back injury but despite the layoff, he doesn’t anticipate having to play reduced minutes.
  • The Blues are shifting Jaden Schwartz to center tonight against the Predators, notes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He has played primarily on the left wing this season but the swap allows St. Louis to load up their three top scorers on one line in Schwartz, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Robby Fabbri.  The move also allows Alex Steen to return to his natural left wing position, a spot he hasn’t played in more than a month.

Garrioch’s Latest: Coaches, Pouliot, Islanders, Canadiens, Hayes

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With Gerard Gallant being the first coach fired, talk has quickly swirled to who may the next to go.  Ottawa Sun columnist Bruce Garrioch reports in his latest Insider Trading column that several executives around the league believe that Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice and Buffalo bench boss Dan Bylsma are both on the hot seat.  The suggestion is that the Jets have played well enough that they should be firmly in a playoff spot instead of fighting for a Wild Card berth while the Sabres have underachieved even after factoring in the long list of injuries they’ve had to deal with.

Garrioch also provided some information about several players that are available on the trade market and what some teams are looking to acquire:

  • The Edmonton Oilers have held trade talks with a few teams regarding left winger Benoit Pouliot. He’s off to a slow start this season with just four goals and one assist in 23 games while also spending time as a healthy scratch.  The 30 year old has two years left after this with a cap hit and salary of $4MM.  Garrioch clarifies that GM Peter Chiarelli isn’t actively shopping Pouliot but he is trying to see if there is any interest in him throughout the league.
  • Islanders GM Garth Snow is looking for a top line winger to play alongside John Tavares. Long-time linemate Kyle Okposo signed in Buffalo back in July while Andrew Ladd has struggled considerably with New York so far.  Even though Tavares won’t be a free agent until July of 2018, Snow is aware that finding him another winger that he’s comfortable with would go a long way towards helping them re-sign him.  One winger who doesn’t appear to be the solution is Nikolay Kulemin, who the Islanders are actively shopping.
  • Philadelphia would like to trade defenseman Andrew MacDonald. However, with a cap hit of $5MM through 2019-20, that is a move that will be much easier said than done.  The 30 year old cleared waivers last season and almost undoubtedly would again if they tried to clear his contract through that route.
  • Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin has been calling teams looking for a defenseman that could play alongside Shea Weber on their top pairing. Alexei Emelin is currently forming the other half of that duo but he’s better suited as a bottom pairing player.  Speculatively, the team would likely be looking for more of a mobile puck mover to go along with the physical Weber.
  • Boston “wouldn’t mind moving” right winger Jimmy Hayes. He has had a disastrous start to this season, scoring just a single goal in 22 games and is playing just over ten minutes per night, not exactly what they were hoping for when they dealt Reilly Smith for him back in July of 2015.  Hayes has a cap hit of $2.3MM through 2017-18 which may present some challenges to move considering his current struggles.

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