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Connor McDavid

Latest On Nikita Gusev And The Golden Knights

July 8, 2019 at 6:43 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 16 Comments

A player who a few short months ago was simply excited to finally be in North America and looking forward to playing for the Golden Knights is now in the middle of a high-pressure negotiation that could force him to be traded for the third time before even making his NHL debut. Nikita Gusev finally made the jump this spring after a phenomenal KHL career and the Russian forward was hoping to take the next step of his career with Vegas. However, the 27-year-old scorer also sought fair value, burning his entry-level deal to negotiate a fair contract. The problem is that the Knights lack the space to meet even modest demands, currently over the cap and with other players to sign. The question now is whether Gusev becomes a casualty of the cap crunch or whether Vegas is willing to move other pieces to retain him.

The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reports that the Golden Knights and Gusev’s camp are currently $2MM apart in terms of AAV on a new contract. Gusev has long been rumored to be seeking at least $4MM annually, while Granger believes the offer on the table is two years at $2MM. Granger estimates that Vegas has just over $2.5MM of cap space to work with after moving David Clarkson to the LTIR, if they make no other moves. However, Gusev is not the only player in need of a new contract, as backup goalie Malcolm Subban, standout collegiate defender Jimmy Schuldt, and potentially veteran leader Deryk Engelland are all in need of extensions. Even if Gusev were to accept the current offer or potentially even if he were to be traded, the Knights would still need to make a move to clear out cap space, so another deal is nearly unavoidable. Granger wonders if the hold up in negotiations is simply the calculus of who Vegas would have to move out to meet Gusev’s demands.

The longer that talks drag on, the more likely a Gusev trade becomes. The dynamic winger is not without fans around the league who would be willing to take a chance at his current asking price. The Hockey News’ Steven Ellis names five teams that have both the interest and the means in cap space and trade capital to acquire Gusev: the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, and Edmonton Oilers. Unsurprisingly, three of those five teams – Ottawa, New Jersey, and Columbus – are among the bottom five in the league in payroll and would have no concerns about paying Gusev. Montreal just took a big swing and miss at Sebastian Aho on an offer sheet, so they’re clearly willing to pay up for scoring as well. Edmonton would be a tight squeeze, but the Oilers could desperately use more forward talent to surround Connor McDavid. Ottawa could be most appealing to Gusev if he want to become a team’s centerpiece and boost his public image, while the upstart Devils may be his best chance at winning a Stanley Cup as soon as possible. However, Gusev’s preferences will matter little to Vegas if they do choose to move him, likely opting for the best package of picks and prospects they can find.

A resolution won’t be easy to come by, although both Granger and Ellis agree that the Golden Knights would be better served by keeping Gusev. If the team can figure out their cap situation, perhaps by moving the contracts of non-core players like Ryan Reaves and Nick Holden or Jon Merrill, then keeping Gusev is the ideal move given his ceiling and the potential for Vegas to have the most formidable forward corps in the league. Moving Gusev will likely bring back a nice return in building blocks, but at the cost of could-be superstar. It is not an easy choice for Vegas, whereas Gusev holds all the leverage as a KHL icon but unproven NHL commodity just waiting for his chance to break out, in Vegas or otherwise. So long as he gets paid a fair wage, Gusev is likely willing to begin his NHL career anywhere.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Edmonton Oilers| KHL| Montreal Canadiens| New Jersey Devils| Ottawa Senators| Prospects| Vegas Golden Knights Connor McDavid| David Clarkson| Deryk Engelland| Jimmy Schuldt| Jon Merrill| Malcolm Subban| Nick Holden| Nikita Gusev

16 comments

UFA Notes: Perry, Dzingel, Lee, Zuccarello, Talbot, Gilmour

June 30, 2019 at 2:27 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Perhaps one of the most interesting free agents out there seems to be Corey Perry. The veteran forward, recently bought out by the Anaheim Ducks has received interest from at least 10 teams, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli. The 34-year-old winger is trying to narrow his choices to the best three to four today, but new teams keep jumping into the mix.

Sportsnet’s John Shannon reports that three or four teams are aggressively pursuing Perry as several teams are looking for a short-term option to help their team immediately. The Edmonton Oilers are considered one the four teams as they are trying to add as much help to the team’s top-six as possible, hoping that Perry might be able to help either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. Perry was limited to just 34 games last season, posting six goals and 10 points.

  • Ryan Dzingel’s name has heated up recently as Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger reports that the scorer will not be returning to Columbus even with his Ohio ties. Reports that he clashed with head coach John Tortorella in his tenure with the Blue Jackets have made him look elsewhere. However, Sporting News Canada’s Murray Pam reports that two teams are vying for the 27 year old’s services, including the Chicago Blackhawks and the Colorado Avalanche. The Blackhawks could make the most sense for Dzingel as Chicago attempted to trade for him at the trade deadline, before he ended up with Columbus, and he also own a home in the Chicago area. Dzingel scored 26 goals and had 56 points between Ottawa and Columbus last season and could be a great second-line target for the right team.
  • With Anders Lee seemingly less and less likely to re-sign with the New York Islanders, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Montreal Canadiens go after the 28-year-old winger. Lee, who has tallied 68 goals over the past two seasons is looking for a long-term deal, which the Islanders have balked at so far. However, the Canadiens who are loaded with plenty of young forwards may be interested in adding a veteran leader who can help out both on the ice and in the locker room.
  • The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) reports that the Minnesota Wild are actively pursuing unrestricted free agent forward Mats Zuccarello and are prepared to offer him a long-term deal. The scribe adds that the Columbus Blue Jackets are also in the mix for the rights to the veteran forward. The 31-year-old was traded to Dallas at the trade deadline this year and he performed well in the playoffs (four goals and 11 points in 13 games), but the two opted to part ways when contract negotiations fell apart. The Wild have approximately $17.4MM in cap room to spend this offseason, although they still have to sign several of their restricted free agents, including Kevin Fiala, Ryan Donato and Joel Eriksson Ek. Russo adds the team is also looking at forward Ryan Hartman.
  • Flames radio host Pat Steinberg reports that all signs point to the Calgary Flames signing goaltender Cam Talbot Monday, likely to a one-year deal. Calgary looks like they intend to part ways with veteran Mike Smith, which could give Talbot, who has been playing for the rival Oilers for the past four years, minus the last few months when he was traded to Philadelphia. Talbot struggled last season with a 3.40 GAA and a .892 save percentage in 35 games between the two teams.
  • Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reports that there is mutual interest between the Buffalo Sabres and unrestricted free agent defenseman John Gilmour, who became a Group 6 free agent this offseason. After appearing in 28 games in the 2017-18 season, Gilmour appeared in just five games this season and didn’t look to be in the team’s plans with so many young blueliners passing him. Regardless, the 26-year-old fared well in the AHL, putting up 20 goals and 54 points in 70 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Anaheim Ducks| Buffalo Sabres| Calgary Flames| Chicago Blackhawks| Colorado Avalanche| Columbus Blue Jackets| Edmonton Oilers| John Tortorella| Minnesota Wild| Montreal Canadiens| New York Islanders Anders Lee| Cam Talbot| Connor McDavid| Corey Perry| Elliotte Friedman| Joel Eriksson Ek| John Gilmour| Kevin Fiala| Leon Draisaitl| Mats Zuccarello| Mike Smith| Ryan Donato| Ryan Dzingel| Ryan Hartman

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Pacific Notes: Donskoi, Eakins, Phaneuf, McDavid

June 16, 2019 at 11:05 am CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

The San Jose Sharks and general manager Doug Wilson have a lot on their plate this offseason as they have a number of key free agents they must deal with, including Erik Karlsson, Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton. One name that is often forgotten is free agent forward Joonas Donskoi, who has been a solid contributor as a middle-six forward the last few years.

The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that it looks like Donskoi is leaning towards going onto the open market to see what offers he might receive and could wait to see if a team comes calling when the interview period opens on June 23. Donskoi could receive quite a bit of attention as he has scored 14 goals in each of his last two seasons and had 37 points this year. While that’s hardly amazing numbers, the speedy wing is a good defender and could provide value for a lesser price tag, considering he only made $1.9MM last year.

  • While it looks like the Anaheim Ducks are moving rather slowly in naming their head coach, it looks like there are only two candidates remaining in the race in Dallas Eakins and University of Minnesota-Duluth coach Scott Sandelin, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Eakins remains the favorite, but the team is doing quite a bit of research on him, including interviewing some of the veterans on his AHL squad.
  • Jordan Samuels-Thomas of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that with Dion Phaneuf being bought out, the most likely destination for the veteran blueliner would be a young team that’s several years away from truly competing. The scribe writes that the decline in the 34-year-old’s play would likely have playoff teams looking elsewhere for veteran depth, but Phaneuf’s leadership and his ability to mentor young players would make him more valuable to a lottery team. On top of that Phaneuf could help team’s penalty killing and can provide a physical presence a young team might lack.
  • At a gathering for 500 season ticket holders, Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland said he has already met with star center Connor McDavid twice in the last 10 days, including visiting him as he was working out, according to Terry Jones of the Edmonton Journal. He reports that McDavid is doing well and is expected to ready for the start of training camp. The 22-year-old suffered a small PCL tear in his knee on the final game of the regular season, but the injury didn’t require surgery.

AHL| Anaheim Ducks| Dallas Eakins| Doug Wilson| Edmonton Oilers| Injury| Ken Holland| San Jose Sharks Connor McDavid| Dion Phaneuf| Elliotte Friedman| Erik Karlsson| Joe Pavelski| Joe Thornton| Joonas Donskoi

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Competition Committee Submits Rules Recommendations

June 11, 2019 at 7:41 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 3 Comments

The NHL and NHLPA released a joint statement this evening outlining the changes recommended by the Competition Committee, which wrapped meetings today. The players’ side, led by NHLPA Special Assistant Mathieu Schneider, included Ron Hainsey, Connor Hellebuyck, Connor McDavid, John Tavares, and James van Riemsdyk. The league side, led by NHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Opertations Colin Campbell, included Craig Leipold, David Poile, Ken Holland, Doug Wilson, and Steve Yzerman. Together, the group came up with some intriguing ideas for consideration.

The most notable suggestion, as well as the most expected one, was expanded access to video review and coach’s challenges. Few details were disclosed as to the specifics of expanded review, other than allowing referees to use video review to review calls on the ice. However, after a postseason in which incorrect calls has drawn so much media scrutiny, it’s fair to assume that changes are coming to review procedures to help remedy that situation.

Another suggested rule change bound to draw some attention is a change to the the tie-breaking procedures used to determine final regular season rankings. While the joint release did not outline the proposed changes, Sportsnet’s Elliott Friedman believes that the preference of the Competition Committee is to use simply regulation wins rather than “ROT”, regulation and overtime wins, as the primary tie-breaker. If adopted, this rule change could very well see more teams looking to end games in regular time as opposed to playing for overtime, especially late in the season in a tight playoff race.

Other suggestions included changes to face-off locations based on icing, pucks out of bounds, power plays, intentionally knocking the net over, and goalies unnecessarily freezing the puck, as well as a rule that would require players to leave the ice if their helmet is knocked off during play.

These rules suggestions still need to be approved by both the NHL’s Board of Governors and the NHLPA’s Executive Board, and many of the proposed changes will require more detailed presentations, as well as considerable discussion. After suggestions are adopted, the language will be formalized and they will officially be indoctrinated into the NHL rule book. Stay tuned for further updates on these possible rule changes when these governing bodies meet later this summer.

David Poile| Doug Wilson| Ken Holland| Los Angeles Kings| NHL| NHLPA| Players| Steve Yzerman Connor Hellebuyck| Connor McDavid| James van Riemsdyk| John Tavares| Rule Book

3 comments

Snapshots: Competition Committee, Imoo, Byron

June 10, 2019 at 9:20 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

When the NHL/NHLPA Competition Committee convenes tomorrow in Toronto, the players’ side will be represented by some of the biggest names in the game. The NHLPA has announced that Ron Hainsey, Connor Hellebuyck, Connor McDavid, John Tavares, and James van Riemsdyk will be the players in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting. McDavid and Tavares obviously stand out as two of hockey’s top talents and players whose inputs will be highly valued. Hainsey is a respected veteran who has always been involved with the players’ association. Hellebuyck will seemingly be there to represent all goalies, while – maybe unintentionally – van Riemsdyk will be the only player from an American team in attendance. The group will have a lot to talk about, as officiating concerns have only increased over recent weeks and the discussion of changing or expanding review will almost certainly be on the table.

  • The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman reports that Los Angeles Kings goaltending development coach Dusty Imoo is headed overseas. The goalie whisperer is set to join the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star in a similar role and Dillman notes that it is a major loss for the Kings. She writes that Imoo was part of a strong tandem with goalie coach Bill Ranford that has worked with Jonathan Quick for years, helped to resurrect the careers of Peter Budaj and Jack Campbell, and have been working with promising prospect Cal Petersen. Fortunately, goaltending is one of the few areas where L.A. found success last year and, even with the loss of Imoo, still have the talent and depth to stay strong in net.
  • Blaine Byron has re-signed with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, the team announced. It’s a one-year re-up for Byron, who just completed his second season with the Thunderbirds. Byron was a standout at the University of Maine and was expected to draw NHL interest as a college free agent in 2017, but instead signed with Springfield. He failed to impress in his first pro season, but after a 25-point campaign this year, it would not have been a surprise to see the Florida Panthers look into a two-way deal for the well-rounded forward. Instead, Byron returns to Springfield and will look to improve again next year.

AHL| Florida Panthers| KHL| Los Angeles Kings| NHLPA| Players| Snapshots Blaine Byron| Cal Petersen| Connor Hellebuyck| Connor McDavid| Jack Campbell| James van Riemsdyk| John Tavares| Jonathan Quick| Peter Budaj

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Edmonton Oilers Hire Dave Tippett As Head Coach

May 28, 2019 at 9:32 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

Today at an afternoon press conference, the Edmonton Oilers  made official what has been rumored for the last several weeks. Dave Tippett will be the team’s next head coach, agreeing three-year deal. With new GM Ken Holland recently taking over the front office, the Oilers have completely changed their management group since the end of the season and will now try to navigate the sinking ship back to land.

Tippett, 57, had been working with the Seattle expansion franchise but will now take his talents to Edmonton and try to coax the best out of a Connor McDavid-led group. The Oilers have been one of the most disappointing organizations in the league the last several years, continually getting high draft picks only to keep floundering near the bottom of the league standings. McDavid has made the playoffs just once since entering the league in 2015, despite being a Ted Lindsay award winner twice already—and perhaps thrice after the 116-point season he just recorded.

Holland and the Oilers management will hope they can turn that around, though they have a big task on their hands. The team must find a way to shed some dead weight financially, and bring in more effective depth players to help McDavid and Leon Draisaitl up front. Tippett meanwhile will try to get the best out of the group that remains, including finding some defensive consistency from talented-but-frustrating players like Adam Larsson and Oscar Klefbom. While the veteran coach is well regarded around the league, he doesn’t necessarily have the greatest track record in the NHL.

Through 14 years as an NHL head coach, Tippett has amassed a record of 553-413-28-120, but hasn’t achieved much success in the playoffs. In his last stop in Arizona things fell apart during his last few years, with the team posting just a .415 winning percentage from 2014-17. In fact the last five seasons of Tippett’s career in Arizona the Coyotes failed to make the playoffs at all, something he’ll be asked to change immediately in Edmonton.

The Oilers can’t afford to waste any more of McDavid’s prime years outside of the playoffs, given the immense advantage he gives the team at the moment. McDavid is signed for another seven years in Edmonton, but the expectation from owner Daryl Katz is that the team should be competitive in 2019-20 and not need to contemplate a rebuild. Holland understands that too, meaning Tippett isn’t coming in just to build a long-term program but a contender in year one.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Dave Tippett| Edmonton Oilers| Ken Holland Connor McDavid

6 comments

Western Notes: Dunn, Kampf, Stralman, Brown

May 18, 2019 at 7:29 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 4 Comments

The St. Louis Blues will be without defenseman Vince Dunn on Sunday for the ever-important Game 5 as Blues head coach Craig Berube said the 22-year-old won’t travel with the team to San Jose after taking a puck to the face during Game 3 on Wednesday, according to St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Tom Timmermann.

Berube added that Dunn will be day-to-day with an upper-body injury and he is believed to be dealing with concussion issues. He was well enough to attend Friday’s Game 4’s 2-1 victory, however.

“It’s great,” Berube said after the game. “Dunner’s back here and he’s around his teammates. … It’s awesome to see him. It’s a day-to-day thing right now. I’m not sure exactly when he’s gonna be available to play. So we’ll have to see how that goes, but it’s good to see him around for sure.”

The team did have some good news as winger Sammy Blais is expected to play in Game 5 despite having to leave Game 4 Friday after taking a Brent Burns’ shot off his foot.

  • The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) writes that the Chicago Blackhawks have begun negotiating with restricted free agent center David Kampf. The 24-year-old was signed to a two-year entry-level contract out of the Czech Republic League and has been a success in Chicago, but after making $925K the past two years, he’s in line for a slight raise. While Kampf’s eight goals and 30 points in 109 NHL games isn’t impressive, the forward has been one of Chicago’s best defensive forwards and is expected to be the team’s third or fourth-line center next season. He is eligible for arbitration if the two sides can’t agree to terms.
  • The Province’s Patrick Johnson writes that although Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman will be one of the more interesting defensemen on the free agency market this summer, he doubts that the 33-year-old defenseman would be a good fit for the Vancouver Canucks. Even with a full season of star prospect Quinn Hughes, the team desperately needs to upgrade its defense. However, Johnson writes with the team trying to re-sign Alexander Edler and trying to get one more year out of veteran Chris Tanev, the team likely won’t want to add another veteran defenseman to their lineup.
  • The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that the Edmonton Oilers should consider helping the Toronto Maple Leafs with their salary cap issues by taking forward Connor Brown off their hands. The scribe believes that the 25-year-old Brown, who has seen his offensive numbers drop in each of the last years, might be the perfect addition for a team that is loaded at the center position, but could use plenty of talent at the wing position. Brown was a former junior teammate of Connor McDavid, suggesting he might make the perfect winger for the star center. Brown scored 20 goals in his first full season with the Maple Leafs back in the 2016-17 season, with many believing he could be a consistent 20-goal scorer. However, that number dropped by six in each of the next two years, to 14 in 2017-18 and then to just eight goals this season. Brown will make $2.1MM next season before becoming a restricted free agent, but the scribe believes that if teamed with McDavid, Brown could easily go back to his 20-goal scoring ways and give the Oilers another offensive weapon that they desperately need. Of course, everything depends on what Toronto would be asking for Brown.

Chicago Blackhawks| Craig Berube| Edmonton Oilers| Free Agency| Injury| St. Louis Blues| Tampa Bay Lightning| Toronto Maple Leafs| Vancouver Canucks Anton Stralman| Brent Burns| Chris Tanev| Connor Brown| Connor McDavid| David Kampf| Quinn Hughes| Salary Cap| Vince Dunn

4 comments

Snapshots: Edmonton, Brunette, Draft Rankings

May 9, 2019 at 6:38 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The Edmonton Oilers have started a new chapter of franchise history with the hiring of GM Ken Holland, and he intends to make it a good one. Holland sat down with Sportsnet’s Mark Spector for an exhaustive interview, in which he discusses everything from his take on Milan Lucic to what his dad did for a living. The piece will give Oilers fans insight into their new executive, and when asked what he wanted to tell those fans he gave a clear answer:

I would say, when you make the playoffs once in 13 years, I understand the frustration. I’m coming here to try to make the playoffs now, but to build over time. I want Edmonton to be an elite team. I’d like to see the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup playoffs next season. I got their frustration.

Getting the Oilers to the playoffs next season will be no easy task, given they finished in 25th this year and had a -42 goal differential, but he does have Connor McDavid to work with. Holland mentions Leon Draisaitl multiple times in the piece as well, and notes that his biggest challenge will be finding a way to support his two superstars.

  • Joel Quenneville will be behind the bench of the Florida Panthers this season, and he may be bringing in an old friend to help out. Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest tweets that Andrew Brunette’s name is coming up in connection with Quenneville, and the two have a “strong relationship that goes back several years.” In fact, Brunette played under Quenneville in Colorado for three years between 2005-08, and actually experienced the best season of his career, 83 points. He finished his career playing for the legendary head coach again in Chicago for a single season. Brunette was with the Minnesota Wild organization for the past several years, but was fired along with several others last month when Paul Fenton made sweeping changes. He had served in several different roles including assistant GM, director of player personnel and assistant coach.
  • Craig Button of TSN has released his latest mock draft, and it has a drastic fall for top Russian prospect Vasili Podkolzin. Podkolzin comes in at 13th in the newest edition, with Button comparing him (in a piece written by Darren Yourk) to Arizona Coyotes Lawson Crouse. One of the biggest risers is USNTDP sniper Cole Caufield, who is all the way up at No. 5 after an incredible showing at the U18 World Championship. Caufield has scored at will everywhere he’s ever played, but measures in at just 5’7″ and 162 lbs.

Edmonton Oilers| Florida Panthers| Joel Quenneville| Ken Holland| Snapshots Connor McDavid| Leon Draisaitl

1 comment

Oilers Waiting On Ken Holland To Make Decision On GM Opening

May 5, 2019 at 8:26 am CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 4 Comments

Sunday, 9:14 a.m.: TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that Holland is expected to give his answer today and all indications suggest that he is interested in the job.

Sunday, 8:11 a.m.: Late last night, Friedman signed off, reporting that Holland’s decision on whether to take Edmonton’s five-year, $25MM offer will come in either Sunday or Monday. If Holland does accept the position, Dave Tippett would become the lead candidate for the team’s head coaching job.

Saturday, 8:37 p.m.: Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported (via Sportsnet’s Mark Spector) on Hockey Night in Canada that the Edmonton Oilers have offered Holland a five-year contract at $5MM per year to be the Oilers General Manager.

Saturday, 3:33 p.m.: No decision is expected to be made until next week, but the Edmonton Oilers could be close to choosing their future general manager. In fact, with the franchise having recently narrowed their search to three candidates in Detroit Red Wings Senior Vice President Ken Holland, interim general manager Keith Gretzky and former Toronto Maple Leafs’ assistant general manager Mark Hunter as their top candidates, The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that it already looks like Holland has the inside track on the job.

Holland is expected to return from a trip overseas Saturday night, suggesting that negotiations might heat up soon. While just a few days ago the GM race was considered to be a “two-horse race” between Gretzky and Hunter, Sportsnet’s Marc Spector revealed one day later that the Oilers were going “all-in” on Holland. The question was whether Holland was interested in waiting for a potential general manager job opening in Seattle or would be willing to take over in Edmonton.

Holland is completing his 36th season in Detroit and his 22nd as general manager, but with Steve Yzerman taking over those duties, Holland could be looking for another GM position already. He certainly has a impressive resume, including three Stanley Cup Championships, four Presidents’ Trophies, and has seen his team reach 100-season points 13 times. Unfortunately, his recent resume hasn’t been as exemplary as he has continued to try to keep his franchise-winning teams in contention with questionable free-agent signings and only recently committed to rebuilding their salary-capped franchise. In fact, the Red Wings have finished with a worse record than the struggling Oilers franchise for several years now. Now 63 years old, many people wonder what Holland has done in the NHL lately and whether running a franchise has past him by.

The Edmonton Sun’s Terry Jones writes that CEO Bob Nicholson is likely banking on the team hiring Holland, as the scribe believes that Nicholson isn’t enamored with the two other candidates. After two interviews already with Hunter, the fact that they haven’t hired him suggests that Nicholson isn’t comfortable hiring him, while Jones also adds that he doesn’t think Nicholson believes that Gretzky is an “A-list” hire. The belief is that if Holland takes the job, he would have full control of the franchise and that he would never have even begun talking to Nicholson if he wasn’t interested in being a general manager again.

Mitchell adds that if Holland does take over, he will likely bring in his own people into the front office. And while, he believes that there will be a place for Gretzky no matter what, Holland has stated that your need four or five key people in place to run a franchise. One interesting option if Holland does take over is who might become the team’s next head coach, suggesting that Holland has close connections to current Dallas Stars assistant coach Todd Nelson. Changes could also come quickly depending on Holland’s assessment of the Oilers’ core.  That core of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson and Darnell Nurse could be altered, considering he wasn’t the man to bring them in.

Dallas Stars| Detroit Red Wings| Edmonton Oilers| Mark Hunter| Seattle| Steve Yzerman| Toronto Maple Leafs Adam Larsson| Connor McDavid| Darnell Nurse| Leon Draisaitl| Oscar Klefbom| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

4 comments

2019 Hart Trophy Finalists Announced

April 28, 2019 at 3:16 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 12 Comments

The finalists for the Hart Trophy, given to the player most valuable to his team, have been announced. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the three finalists are Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov and Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid.

Kucherov is considered to be a favorite for the award after putting up a tremendous year. The 25-year-old took his game to another level as he has already captured this year’s Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in total points. He finished the year with 41 goals and 128 points, the most in the league since the 1995-96 season. His totals are also the most-ever by a Russian-born NHL player. Kucherov has also been nominated for the Ted Lindsay Award, awarded to the most outstanding player and voted on by the players. Kucherov led his team to the Presidents’ Trophy, given to the team with the best regular-season record.

Crosby had an impressive season as well. Often forgotten when talking about the league’s best players, Crosby helped lead the Penguins to the playoffs this year and did it by breaking the 100-point mark for the first time in five years. On top of that, he was 18-points better than any other players on his team, making his season quite valuable for a Pittsburgh franchise that struggled to get into the playoffs this season.

McDavid’s name is not surprising either, other than the fact that the Edmonton Oilers didn’t have a very impressive season and while they weren’t mathematically eliminated from the playoffs until late in the season, they were never truly considered to be a playoff threat this season. In fact, McDavid is just the sixth player in NHL history to be a Hart finalist from a non-playoff team. McDavid, however, who won the Hart Trophy in the 2016-17 season when he tallied 30 goals and 100 points, continues to improve on each season as he tallied 41 goals and 116 points to reach new career highs.

Several interesting players were left off the finalist list as well, including Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin and Chicago Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane.

 

Chicago Blackhawks| Edmonton Oilers| Pittsburgh Penguins| Tampa Bay Lightning| Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin| Connor McDavid| Elliotte Friedman| NHL Awards| Nikita Kucherov| Patrick Kane| Sidney Crosby

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