Evander Kane To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The Edmonton Oilers already need to reverse-sweep the Colorado Avalanche in order to keep their season alive, and they now might have to accomplish that feat without one of their best wingers. The NHL Department of Player Safety announced today that Evander Kane, the mid-season signing who has fit so well in Edmonton since his arrival, will have a hearing regarding his hit on Nazem Kadri, a boarding penalty that has knocked out Kadri for the rest of the Western Conference Final and perhaps even longer.
The hit in question happened only a minute into last night’s game. Kadri was chasing a loose puck into the Edmonton corner, and Kane was pursuing him. As Kadri began to stop to retrieve the puck which had bounced to his left, Kane shoved Kadri and Kadri went tumbling into the boards. A nearby official immediately called for a penalty, and Kane was assessed a five-minute major for boarding.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar referred to the play as “the most dangerous play in hockey,” and Kadri’s agent, Darren Ferris, took his comments a step further, calling on the league to “address the targeted hit” on his client, one that he deemed “serious and dangerously callous.” ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski highlighted a different line of thinking regarding the hit, relaying a sentiment from league sources that the hit was “reckless and unfortunate but not intentional.”
Kane has a prior disciplinary history, racking up fines for elbowing and kneeing in the past as well as suspensions for things such as elbowing, cross-checking, and abuse of officials. Kane has also previously criticized the Department of Player Safety for its decisions, and it remains to be seen the effect Kane’s prior actions will have on this upcoming decision.
If Kane is suspended, the Oilers will find the prospect of scoring goals on Colorado to be even harder than it has been for the past two games. The typically lethal Oilers offense has been limited to just two goals in that time frame. Without Kane, who has been nearly goal-per-game in these playoffs with 13 in 15 games, getting back on track should be even harder.
Should the Oilers lose on Monday, this hit and likely suspension could cast a shadow on Kane’s upcoming unrestricted free agency. As mentioned, Kane has been extremely productive in these playoffs and was nearly a point-per-game player in the regular season. Interested teams will have to balance Kane’s undeniable offensive talent with his controversial off-ice reputation when considering pursuing him as a free agent. This hit and a potential upcoming suspension could end Kane’s season on a decidedly sour note before a very important summer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Oilers Expected To Terminate Ilya Konovalov’s Contract
Oilers prospect Ilya Konovalov hasn’t had a great first season in North America and it appears he won’t be getting a second one as Dynamo Moscow’s GM Alexei Sopin told Championat’s Sergei Yemelanov that an agreement is in place to bring the netminder back to the KHL next season. The move is pending a contract termination from Edmonton which is expected to come once their playoff run comes to an end.
The 23-year-old was a third-round pick of Edmonton back in 2019, going 85th overall. He remained with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL for two seasons after being picked before opting to come to North America for this season. However, Konovalov was limited to just 17 games with AHL Bakersfield this season, posting a 2.73 GAA with a save percentage of just .893. He was briefly up with Edmonton on their taxi squad but didn’t get into any NHL action.
This move has been in the works for a while as last month, Dynamo Moscow traded for Konovalov’s rights at the beginning of the KHL’s transactions window. Assuming the termination goes through as planned which should come sometime later this month, Edmonton will lose Konovalov’s NHL rights but free up a contract slot. They’d also clear out the logjam in the AHL crease with both Olivier Rodrigue and recent college signing Ryan Fanti already under contract for next season.
Zack Kassian Earns Fine For Unsportsmanlike Conduct
The Department of Player Safety has handed out a $2,500 fine to Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian for unsportsmanlike conduct, following his actions in last night’s game. Notably, this is not the “maximum allowable under the CBA,” words hockey fans have come to know (and hate) in recent years.
With the Oilers down 3-0 in game two of their third-round series, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram took a hit and ended up partially on his opponent’s bench. Kassian, on the bench, decided to not let Byram leave intact and pulled the helmet off the Colorado defender. When Byram retaliated by shoving the Oilers forward, they both ended up with minor penalties.
Kassian will earn a little bit more on review, as the league hands him a fine today. The Oilers are down 2-0 in the series as they head back to Edmonton, and this incident will cause the league to keep a bit of a closer watch over Kassian the rest of the way. While it isn’t a suspension, the fine can be taken into account in any future disciplinary decisions.
In fact, it’s already the second fine that Kassian has received in these playoffs, following the cross-check he delivered to Sean Durzi earlier on. It’s not exactly a “three strikes” rule in the NHL but the league likely will escalate the penalties at some point if the Oilers forward continues to be involved in supplementary discipline decisions.
Darcy Kuemper Out; Pavel Francouz Likely Starter
Darcy Kuemper wasn’t on the ice for the Colorado Avalanche at morning skate according to Gene Principe of Sportsnet, as Pavel Francouz and Justus Annunen occupied the nets instead. The veteran netminder was pulled from game one with an upper-body injury, and head coach Jared Bednar wouldn’t comment on the specifics yesterday, other than to say “we’ll see” if he would be ready for game two. Bednar confirmed following the skate that Kuemper is indeed out for tonight’s match.
Kuemper, 32, has dealt with injury issues his entire career and already had a bad-luck incident in the playoffs that took him out for a few games. Against the Nashville Predators in the first round, a stick came through Kuemper’s mask and hit him in the eye, forcing Francouz into the net for a game and a half. While the Avalanche had no trouble finishing that series, they’re in tough against an Edmonton Oilers team that has had no trouble scoring goals.
If it is Francouz, it’s another chance for him to prove not only that he can handle an NHL playoff game, but that he can be part of a tandem for next season. Kuemper is a pending unrestricted free agent, while the 31-year-old Francouz is signed through 2023-24. To this point in his short NHL career, and despite strong regular season numbers, the Czech netminder has been completely unreliable in the postseason, recording an .891 save percentage in nine appearances. Six of those came in the 2020 bubble playoffs when the team ultimately went with Michael Hutchinson in the deciding game seven against the Dallas Stars.
The Oilers meanwhile had their own goaltending issues in game one, which saw Mike Smith pulled from the net after allowing six goals on 25 shots. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that there is a “strong indication” that the team will go back to Smith for game two, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise given how much faith they have shown in the veteran netminder thus far.
Through 13 games this postseason, Smith has a solid .917 save percentage and even leads the playoffs with two shutouts. While he can be a bit of an adventure at times, there’s little doubt at this point that he gives them the best chance to win.
Leon Draisaitl Practices For The First Time Since The First Round
- Oilers center Leon Draisaitl participated in practice today for the first time since sustaining an ankle injury late in the first round, notes Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The injury didn’t slow the 26-year-old down (he had 17 points in five games against Calgary last round) but he hadn’t been taking part in practices in an effort to help the injury heal. The fact he returned to the ice today has to be considered a positive sign for Edmonton as they get set to open their series against Colorado on Tuesday.
NHL Announces Conference Final Schedule Scenarios
After one-half of the conference finalists have been set, the NHL has released the potential schedule matrix for the 2022 Eastern and Western Conference Finals.
No matter what, the Eastern Conference Final will start June 1, whether it be in Raleigh or Manhattan. The Tampa Bay Lightning will be the visitor after sweeping the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Florida Panthers in the Second Round. The Lightning actually finished with the same point total as the New York Rangers (110), but surrender the tiebreaker, so it’s impossible for them to start the series at home. They would also start on the road against the Metropolitan Division champion Carolina Hurricanes. The Eastern Conference Final will be televised on ESPN in the United States.
For the Western Conference, the schedule depends on the result of tonight’s Game 6 between the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues. If Colorado is victorious tonight, the series will start on May 31st in Denver. If it goes to a Game 7, the Edmonton Oilers will travel to either Denver or St. Louis for Game 1 on June 2. In the United States, the Western Conference Final will be on TNT.
The last possible day for Conference Final action is June 15, with a potential Western Conference Final Game 7 between the Oilers and either the Avalanche or Blues.
Snapshots: PWHPA, Kane, Chiasson
The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association has entered into a relationship with Billie Jean King Enterprises and The Mark Walter Group according to Hailey Salvian of The Athletic, with the purpose of exploring the launch of a new professional league. The list of “foundational pieces” needed for a new league are as follows:
- A six-team league with 23-player rosters and three coaches
- A 32-game schedule played from January to April
- A four-team playoff with three best-of-five series to determine the league’s champion
- A minimum salary of $35,000 and a league-average salary of $55,000
The PWHPA recently met with the PHF–currently the only pro women’s league in North America–along with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Ties were cut soon after and as Salvian reports, the PWHPA board unanimously voted to end discussions of collaboration between the two sides.
- Evander Kane did not travel with the rest of the Edmonton Oilers, as he was away for the birth of his son. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic tweets that there is not yet an update on whether Kane will be available for game five tomorrow. The 30-year-old winger has been outstanding for the Oilers in the playoffs, scoring 12 goals in 11 games to lead the entire league. He also leads in shots, as Edmonton’s top line continues to dominate play whenever on the ice.
- With rumors circling that Alex Chiasson may be on his way to Switzerland last season, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV reached out to Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford. The executive explained that the team “will not make a decision on him until after free agency,” presumably meaning following the frenzy of early July. Chiasson, 31, ended with 13 goals and 22 points in 67 games after signing a one-year, $750K contract on the first day of the season.
Filip Berglund Signs In SHL
After failing to make it to the NHL, Filip Berglund is taking his talents back overseas. The pending restricted free agent forward has signed a new two-year contract with Orebro in the SHL, meaning the Edmonton Oilers won’t even be able to keep his exclusive rights.
Berglund, 25, signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Oilers back in 2020, but with the uncertainty of the AHL season in 2020-21, he remained in Sweden for the first year. This time around he joined the Bakersfield Condors, but the 6’3″ defenseman didn’t find a ton of success, registering just six points in 53 regular season games. With Bakersfield knocked out of the Calder Cup playoffs, he has obviously jumped at an opportunity to return home.
While a qualifying offer would keep him on the Oilers reserve list this summer, Berglund will turn 27 before this new contract in Sweden expires, meaning he’ll be an unrestricted free agent again in 2024. Whether a return to North America is possible at that point likely depends on his production over the next two years, and whether or not any team was impressed enough with his AHL play to consider giving him another NHL contract.
The 2016 Oilers draft class continues to struggle, as the five picks they had in the first three rounds have combined for 102 career points–98 of which have been from Jesse Puljujarvi.
Edmonton Oilers Recall Seven Players
The Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, were eliminated from the Calder Cup playoffs on Friday, and as a result, the Oilers became free to call up players without fear of their absences negatively impacting their affiliate team. Today, the Oilers announced that they have called up seven players from the Condors, a group that will form the team’s “Black Aces,” or players who practice, travel, and remain ready for their NHL teams but typically do not see game action. Those seven players are:
- Stuart Skinner
- Philip Broberg
- Markus Niemelainen
- Dmitri Samorukov
- Dylan Holloway
- Seth Griffith
- Brad Malone
Perhaps the most significant name there is the goaltender, Skinner. In the unfortunate and unlikely circumstance that the Oilers’ starting goaltender, Mike Smith, gets injured or is otherwise unable to play, it’s possible that coach Jay Woodcroft could prefer to start Skinner over backup Mikko Koskinen, given their respective performances in the regular season. Koskinen played in 45 games this regular season and had a .903 save percentage and a 3.10 goals-against-average. Skinner, on the other hand, posted a .913 save percentage this year, albeit in only 13 games of work at the NHL level.
The Oilers are obviously hoping that they won’t have to make such a choice, but now with Skinner and some top prospects such as Broberg, Holloway, and Samorukov in the fold, they have some more options in case this version of the Battle of Alberta proves to be especially violent.
Injury Notes: Crosby, Jarry, Draisaitl
After dropping back-to-back games against the New York Rangers to let them back into the series, there seems to be some great news on the health front for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sidney Crosby is practicing with the team on Saturday morning after sustaining a reported concussion during Game 5 in New York and subsequently missing Game 6.
Crosby saved his best hockey this season for the playoffs, notching nine points in five games, tied for the team lead with Jake Guentzel. It’s never good to see one of the best players of all time go down with an injury, but concussions are even scarier, especially with Crosby. He’s battled back from multiple hits to the head throughout his career to still maintain his status as one of the best of the best. The captain’s return to the lineup would be an incredible boost as they head into tomorrow’s Game 7 on the road at Madison Square Garden.
- That’s not all the good news today from Penguins practice. The Tribune-Review’s Seth Rorabaugh reports that ideal starting netminder Tristan Jarry is also practicing today, receiving the bulk of the work while fill-in Louis Domingue is primarily a spectator. Jarry, who had a .919 save percentage this season, hasn’t played since suffering a foot injury on April 15. Domingue has done as much as you’d expect a third-string netminder to do, guiding Pittsburgh to a 3-3 record with a .898 save percentage.
- Leon Draisaitl isn’t taking morning skate for the Edmonton Oilers, reports TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. While not necessarily an indication that he’ll miss tonight’s Game 7 against the Los Angeles Kings, it is surely confirmation that he isn’t playing at 100% health. He’s been dealing with an ankle injury throughout the series and, despite still managing eight points in six games, has been exposed defensively at numerous points during the series.