Guerin is no stranger to donning the American sweater as he suited up for three Olympics in 1998, 2002, and 2006, winning a silver medal in 2002. He was also a member of the 1996 Team USA World Cup team that shocked the hockey world and created one of the most iconic moments in USA hockey history when they beat Team Canada to win the tournament. Guerin is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, having been inducted back in 2013.

Guerin retired from playing in 2010 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins and then spent eight seasons with the team in management, winning two Stanley Cups. He was then named general manager of the Wild in August 2019 and guided Minnesota to four consecutive playoff appearances before being named president of hockey operations and general manager last July.

Guerin made sweeping changes in Minnesota during his nearly five years with the franchise with his biggest moves being the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Now he is tasked with putting together a collection of American players who can bring home gold in two separate tournaments and could be the favourite in both. Team Canada will have arguably the best forward group in both tournaments; however, the Americans will likely boast the most well-rounded team, something that Guerin and his staff will start to look at in the coming months.

It is difficult to put into words all that Jerry York means to Boston College. His record as the winningest coach in NCAA men’s ice hockey and BC hockey speak for themselves, but it is his humility, decency, unwavering commitment to his players, fellow coaches, and all of us in the BC family, and the quiet ways in which he contributes to this community that make him so beloved. He is a legend and one of the classiest individuals to ever coach in college sports. It has been a joy to work with him, and on behalf of all of us in the BC community I wish him, Bobbie, and his entire family the very best in his retirement years.

In 1993, York left Bowling Green State for BC, and found a program that was in trouble. In the years since, he turned it into one of college hockey’s powerhouses, winning the national championship in 2001, 2008, 2010, and 2012. His team won the Hockey East Tournament nine times, and was named Hockey East Coach of the Year on five different occasions. Nearly countless NHL and AHL players have come through the BC program with York at its helm, including names like Johnny Gaudreau, Cam Atkinson, Kevin Hayes, Noah Hanifin, Chris Kreider, Alex Tuch, and many, many more. Jack McBain, who debuted last night for the Arizona Coyotes, is the latest product to hit NHL ice.

One of the most well-respected and well-liked coaches in all of North American hockey, York was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019 in the builder category, and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2020. There are few people who have had a bigger impact on the game in the U.S.

In his retirement, York explained that he told his coaches and players of his retirement today. It is based on a desire to “travel more with his wife, Bobbie, play golf for the first time during a weekend in the fall, spend more time with his family, and watch his two grandchildren play hockey, lacrosse, and soccer games in Pittsburgh.”

Why this decision is being made now is puzzling to say the least. Admittedly, Yandle has been sick and missed practice on Thursday. However, he was back at practice on Friday – noticeably skating on the “fourth pair”. Yandle has shown all-time durability in his career; if he is healthy enough to practice, he is healthy enough to play. Yet, Yeo and the Flyers have opted to sit him anyway, and with a healthy scratch designation no less. Philadelphia is 31 points outside of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with nothing left to play for this season, but will voluntarily end Yandle’s record streak anyway.

The major problem with the Flyer’s decision is the timing. Yandle joined the team as a free agent this summer in a move that Philadelphia hoped would help them contend for a playoff spot. Instead, the season went the complete opposite direction. Yandle is not without blame; he has been objectively poor this season, as evidenced by a league-worst -39 rating and complete lack of defensive impact. Yet, at no point was Yandle benched. His ice time was cut significantly, but the Flyers stuck with the veteran and allowed him to pass Doug Jarvis for the longest ironman streak back on January 25. So if respecting Yandle’s historic streak was important enough to keep him in the lineup early in the season when the playoffs were still a possibility, why has it changed now with nothing on the line? Yeo stated that the team wants to evaluate young defensemen like Cam York and the recently signed Ronnie Attard, which is valid. Surely the likes of Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Kevin Connauton wouldn’t have minded taking a night off though, especially to help their teammate to extend a historic streak. Yandle needed just 11 more games to hit 1,000, which would stand as a legendary achievement even if it was eventually surpassed.

Meanwhile, Phil Kessel also passed Jarvis on March 25 and sits at 967 consecutive games played. With Yandle out, the all-time ironman streak is no longer a moving target. Kessel needs just 23 more games to pass Yandle, which seems like a foregone conclusion. By staying in Arizona through the trade deadline, Kessel may have missed out on a chance at a Stanley Cup run, but the respected veteran is assured of a spot in the lineup for the remaining 14 games of the regular season, barring injury. He will then hit the free agent market this summer and, with his massive cap hit behind him, will draw widespread interest and will surely be able to find a team willing to keep him in the lineup for nine more games to pass Yandle, another ten games to hit 1,000, and potentially much longer than that. It’s too bad that Yandle is losing his chance to make it a more interesting race.

• Veteran goaltender Craig Anderson finally looks ready to return to the Buffalo crease. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams revealed on a radio spot with WGR 550 that Anderson will accompany the team on their upcoming three-game western road trip and could see game action if he continues to progress. Anderson, 40, has been out since early November with an upper-body injury. After being convinced to come out of a brief retirement by the Sabres, this isn’t what Anderson was hoping for this season. However, in his six games prior to the injury Anderson was stellar, posting a .921 save percentage and 2.50 GAA. If he can get back to playing at that level, it could all be worth it for the respected veteran to go out on a high note.
• The Sabres are bringing back a familiar face from the 90’s. No, not Dominik Hasek or Alexander Mogilny, but the literal face of the Buffalo. Chris Creamer of Sportslogos.net reports that the Sabres will bring back their 90’s primary logo, often referred to as the “Goathead” logo, to grace their third jersey in 2022-23 and beyond. Creamer even suggests that the alternate jersey could bring back the red and black scheme that the Sabres dawned for more than a decade in the mid-90’s into the 2000’s before returning to the blue and gold. It remains to be seen if that will actually be the case – the difference in appearance between the primaries and the alternate would be quite jarring – but it seems the Buffalo head logo will return regardless. A polarizing logo in its time, though far from the worst in Sabres’ history, it will be interesting to see if enough time has passed for the Buffalo fan base to embrace the return in the name of nostalgia.

While no one is comparing Marleau to Howe, who played six additional seasons in the WHA in addition to 26 years in the NHL and is considered one of the greatest of all time, Marleau has had a storied career of his own. The 41-year-old began his NHL story as the 1997 No. 2 overall pick, just one spot behind eventual long-time teammate Joe Thornton. Marleau played immediately for the Sharks, earning Calder Trophy votes in his first season, and the rest is history. Marleau played 19 consecutive seasons with San Jose before finally departing for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2017. After two seasons in Toronto, Marleau was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes and subsequently bought out. He returned to San Jose, though the Sharks gave him potentially his last chance to win a Stanley Cup last year when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It unfortunately didn’t work out for Marleau, but he was still welcomed back to San Jose again this season for a chance to break the games played record. While Marleau’s long career may not include a title, he has many other accolades. A three-time All-Star, Marleau has also received votes for the Hart Trophy five times, the Selke Trophy four times, and the Lady Byng trophy a whopping 15 times, not to mention earning a number of Sharks franchise records as well. Altogether, Marleau has 566 goals and 1196 points in his career, second and fourth respectively among all active players and top-50 all-time.

Beyond the statistics, Marleau has always provided the most important ability as well: availability. Outside of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season and these past two COVID-impacted campaigns, Marleau has never played fewer than 74 games in a season – and that low mark occurred in his rookie season. In fact, Marleau already shares in another impressive NHL games played mark. He, Jarome Iginla, and Henrik Sedin are the only players in league history to have played every game in an 82-game schedule 11 times (although Sedin holds the record with 12).

Marleau’s new career games played record could stand the test of time as well. The only active players within even 500 games of the mark are Thornton, 41, Zdeno Chara, 44, and Eric Staal, 36. Marleau has the remainder of this season to further tack on games as well. What happens beyond that point is unknown, though many speculate that Marleau could retire now that the record is set, but also given the drop-off in his performance this year. However, Thornton and Chara are also equally likely to retire, while Staal is about six full 82-game seasons from matching the mark. Marleau should be safe for quite awhile atop the all-time games played list.

Congratulations to Marleau on this tremendous achievement from everyone at PHR.

• The NHLPA is adding a pair of noteworthy names to its staff. The Players’ Association announced today that former NHLers Ron Hainsey and Sean Bergenheim have been hired to executive positions. Hainsey, whose hiring seemingly marks his retirement after playing last season and speaking to team’s this off-season, has been named Assistant to the Executive Director for Special Projects and Development Initiatives. Bergenheim, who hung up his skates in 2018 and last played in the NHL in 2014-15, will hold the title of  NHLPA European Affairs Representative. Bergenheim’s 506 career NHL games with four teams is impressive enough, but pales in comparison to Hainsey’s 1,132 career games with seven different teams. The NHLPA adds plenty of veteran hockey know-how with these additions, while both have held administrative roles in their careers as well. As for their specific duties with the Players’ Association, the press release describes each role as follows:

Bergenheim will work closely with NHL players from Europe, and on behalf of the NHLPA on matters relating to international competitions as well as professional hockey in Europe… Hainsey will work on a variety of matters related to the administration of the CBA, media and broadcast partners, and new opportunities for marketing and sponsorship, all with special emphasis on the enhancement of player communication within the NHLPA.

• For a daily dose of hockey history, it is worth noting that the last time the NHL had a trade deadline date in April was in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. Unlike today, there were a number of April 1 trades that year as well. And it was the Calgary Flames who sadly held the title of April Fools that year. The team dealt star defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for prospect forward Mark Cundari, the rights to goaltender Reto Berra, and a 2013 first-round pick. Bouwmeester would go on to play at a high level for seven more seasons with the Blues, going to the postseason six times and winning a Stanley Cup, before retiring this past off-season. As for the Flames’ return? Cundari played eight games over two seasons with Calgary and then never played in the NHL again. Berra played just half a season in Calgary, posting poor numbers, before being traded away for a second-round pick. That second-rounder became Hunter Smith, who played two AHL seasons and two ECHL seasons before retiring, having never seen NHL action. And the first-rounder from the initial deal? That was used to select Emile Poirier, who played just eight games over two seasons with Calgary and is currently playing in Europe. As they say, four strikes and you’re out. This is a trade that the Flames wish had only been an April Fool’s Day prank.

With Game Two of the Bruins-Hurricanes still scheduled for Thursday night, the teams will open their first round series with back-to-back games. As with every series this year, there is already a back-to-back scheduled, for Games Five and Six on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. As a result, Boston and Carolina could end up playing six games in nine days in this series. Backup goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and James Reimer could very well see a start or two in this series.

Additionally, the Hurricanes long wait has been extended even further. Carolina was the only team to sweep their qualifying round series, knocking out the New York Rangers last Tuesday, August 4. The team had already waited a week, but now will have gone eight days between action. The Bruins meanwhile played their final round robin game on Sunday.

Lafreniere, 18, recorded an eye-popping 112 points in just 52 games this season with Rimouski. His 2.15 per-game scoring rate was the CHL’s best since another NHL mega star, Connor McDavid, was playing juniors. It also marks a sharp increase from Lafreniere’s 2018-19 production of 105 points in 61 games, which was still good enough to take home the CHL’s Player of the Year honors last season. Altogether, Lafreniere registered 72 goals and 217 points in 113 games across his two MVP campaigns and nearly 300 points total in his three junior seasons combined. As a result, there is approximately a 0% chance that he will ever play in the juniors again.

Instead, the presumptive top pick will simply sit and wait to see where his first pro destination will be. The NHL answer could arrive as early as later this month, as the NHL Draft Lottery is scheduled for Friday, June 26th. However, if the nearby Ottawa Senators or the historically bad Detroit Red Wings or one of the other non-playoff teams does not win the first to select first overall, Lafreniere will have to wait even longer. A second lottery later this summer would determine which playoff team eliminated in the knockout round of the NHL’s adapted playoff format would have the first pick. On top of that, there is still some concern that with a possible delayed start to the 2020-21 NHL season that Lafreniere’s pro career may actually begin in Europe. The young star has entertained the thought of getting his first pro season started on time, even if that isn’t with his NHL club. He would of course be expected to return to North America once the new season does begin.

Regardless of where Lafreniere ends up, any team that has him in their lineup will receive a major boost. Lafreniere has shown for several years now that he is a special prospect and his second straight CHL Player of the Year Award puts him in elite company. Is it too early to proclaim him the next Crosby? Of course. That won’t stop the winners of this year’s draft lottery from keeping their hopes up though.

Well, at least the worst of the 21st century. Detroit is now on pace to fall short of the previous century low, set by the Colorado Avalanche in 2016-17. That year, the Avalanche finished 22-56-4 with 48 points, but even that ugly mark was a points percentage of .293. Barring an improvement in play in Detroit, Colorado looks like they will be able to remove the title of worst single season since 2000. As it stands, the Red Wings are on pace for only 47 points on the year.

Fortunately for Detroit fans, they at least don’t have to worry about being the worst ever. In fact, in the salary cap era of the NHL, it would be next to impossible for any team to ever have the worst record in league history. Should the Red Wings finish the year with their current .286 points percentage, it would rank just 43rd-worst in the league’s record books. The 1974-75 expansion Washington Capitals will likely always sit alone in the bottom spot with an 8-67-5 record and .131 points percentage that is almost inconceivable at any level of the sport.

However, the Red Wings and their supporters would probably like to avoid the “worst” title, even if it limited to this century. Luckily, there is a glimmer of hope. In 2016-17, the Avalanche traded away Jarome Iginla, one of their top-six forwards, and struggled even more down the stretch as a result. By all accounts, there is no equivalent for this year’s Red Wings. Detroit’s roster is mostly made up of promising young players that they do not want to trade or overpaid veterans that they cannot trade. Either way, the team is not expected to lose a major piece via trade this season – unless you count Mike Green or Trevor Daley as a key contributor – and what you see is likely what you get for the rest of the year from this team. If they are just consistently bad instead of becoming even worse as the year wears on like 2016-17 Avalanche, they may just have a chance of avoiding the title of worst team of the century.

Recent Results

Oftentimes, a team is only as good as it’s goaltending. That has been the case thus far for two of the most talented rosters in college hockey, as No. 15 Wisconsin and now-unranked Boston University are enduring surprising struggles this season that start in net. After sweeping No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth in October, the Badgers looked ready to make good on the high expectations placed on their young, highly-skilled squad. However, they ran into No. 8 Penn State two weeks ago and dropped both road games by a combined score of 10-3. To make matters worse, they also fell to Nebraska-Omaha this past weekend in a major upset. Starting goaltender Daniel Lebedeff has an .887 save percentage in ten games and his struggles have only been exasperated by a lack of support defensively for a team relying too heavily on freshmen Alex Turcotte (LAK) and Cole Caufield (MTL). But at least they’re not BU. The Terriers currently sit at 2-3-4 after failing to pick up a win in the past two weeks, going 0-2-2 against the University of Maine and No. 10 Providence College. Starter Sam Tucker has not played his best, but it’s backup Vinnie Purpura who has proven to be totally unreliable thus far for a BU team that simply needs more out of everyone – other than maybe red-hot Trevor Zegras (ANA). Things don’t get easier for the Terriers either, as they face No. 5 UMass in a home-and-home this weekend.

At the other end of the spectrum is No. 12 UMass Lowell, who has had a number of games stolen by the stellar play of senior keeper Tyler Wall (NYR). It’s hard to argue that Wall, the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week for three weeks running, is not the best goalie in the NCAA thus far and a possibly Hobey Baker candidate if the River Hawks continue to move up the rankings. The team already has the designation being the only Hockey East team without a conference loss after sweeping the University of Vermont and getting a win and a tie against another impressive goaltender, Jeremy Swayman (BOS) and the Maine Black Bears to stay undefeated in college hockey’s toughest conference. With freshman forward Matt Brown tied for third in the country with 15 points as well, UMass Lowell is looking strong early this season. Remove a puzzling loss and tie against Colgate and this could be a top-five team.

Two weeks back, No. 4 Notre Dame managed to escape a hard-fought weekend series with the University of Minnesota with a win and a tie, but there was some doubt about whether they could stay undefeated as they were set to go up against No. 11 Ohio State. After all, the Buckeyes had just completed a sweep of the rival Wolverines of the University of Michigan and were riding high. Yet, the Fighting Irish remained perfect by edging out back-to-back one-goal wins over Ohio State.

The other two undefeated teams in the nation hail from the ECAC, as No. 3 Cornell and No. 13 Harvard got their seasons started two weeks ago and have remained perfect thus far. Cornell picked up wins over Michigan State (twice), Brown, and Yale by a combined score of 19-7, with Morgan Barron (NYR) leaping to the league lead in points per game with five goals and five assists in four games. Meanwhile, three members of the Crimson recorded six points apiece and Mitchell Gibson (WAS) allowed two goals on 65 shots as Harvard picked up wins over Dartmouth, Princeton, and the previously-ranked Quinnipiac.

And what of former top seed Denver? After easily disposing of Niagara, the Pioneers suffered their first loss against rival Minnesota-Duluth this past weekend and managed a tie in the other game of the series. Denver falls back to No. 2 in the rankings, but could re-take the top spot from Minnesota State if they can survive upcoming series with No. 9 North Dakota and No. 20 Western Michigan.

Dugan Dominating

While game results have been up and down for No. 10 Providence College, now 5-3-2 on the year, the consistent has been scoring. The architect of the nation’s most prolific offense has undoubtedly been sophomore sensation Jack Dugan (VGK). At 24 points on the year, Dugan is already 60% of the way toward surpassing his 39 total points from last year and has done it in less than 25% of the games. Not only that, he is also miles ahead of where leading scorers were last season. No player in the NCAA hit 24 points until December last year, whereas Dugan is already there. If Providence was to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament and Dugan was to keep up this torrid pace, 100 points could potentially come into play. No one in college hockey has cracked the hundred-point mark since Maine’s Paul Kariya in 1992-93, so Dugan would be joining elite company. Yet, even if Dugan’s production falls off or the Friars are one-and-done in the tournament, the Golden Knights’ prospect still stands a realistic chance of being the highest scoring playing in the NCAA since the turn of the century – he would need just 83 points to claim that title.

Dugan’s play is also having obvious effects on his teammates. The NCAA leader in assists with 19, Dugan’s helpers are feeding the likes of Tyce Thompson (NJD) and Greg Printz. Thompson sits alone in second in the college hockey points race with 16, including eight goals, which is tied for second in the NCAA. It’s Printz’ nine goals that lead the way, and his 13 total points have him inside the top ten.

The problem for Providence right now is that they are leaning too much on their top line and getting too little from their other nine forwards and six defensemen. If the hot streak does start to cool for Dugan and company, the Friars could be in trouble.

National Signing Week

National Letters of Intent have been sent out to athletes all over the globe as today marked their first opportunity to officially commit to play college athletics. Here are some of the intriguing early names headed for NCAA hockey:

• The aforementioned Friars have had a big day. Providence College picked up a commitment from Kimball Union Academy’s Tomas Mazura (EDM), a sixth-round pick of the Oilers in June, as well as Chase Yoder and Brett Berard of the U.S. National Development Program.
• Others made official by the USNTDP: Luke Tuch, Drew Commesso, and Dylan Peterson to Boston University, Eamon Powell to Boston College, Tyler Kleven and Jake Sanderson to North Dakota, Daniel Laatsch to Wisconsin, and Brock Faber to Minnesota. Top scorer and rising first-round talent Thomas Bordeleau had previously committed to Michigan.
• Former BU Terrier Mark Cheremeta is headed back to school next year and joining Ohio State. The Florida native recorded just three points as freshman last season with Boston University, but has re-discovered his game in the USHL with eleven points in eleven games and is ready to try again in the NCAA.
• Chong Min Lee will make history when he suits up for the University of Alaska-Anchorage next year. Lee will be just the second Korean-born player to ever play Division I hockey, following in the footsteps of Kyuin Shim, who played for Northern Michigan University in 1992-93. Shim didn’t last long in the NCAA, so Lee, a standout in the BCHL, is likely trying to emulate Richard Park instead, the only Korean-born player to play in the NHL.

Granato becomes the first female pro scout in the NHL years after becoming one of the most decorated hockey players in USA Hockey history. The former forward captained team USA for many years and took home two Olympic and nine World Championship medals over her career. Granato is married to NHL analyst and former star forward Ray Ferraro and is the sister of Don and Tony Granato, both coaches after their own professional playing careers. The family is hockey royalty in the United States, and Cammi was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.

The rest of the group includes several other familiar names, including Samuelsson who played his early career with the Hartford Whalers alongside Seattle GM Ron Francis. He also served as Charlotte Checkers head coach for a time while Francis was running the Hurricanes, and was last employed under Joel Quenneville with the Chicago Blackhawks.

What makes this situation unique is that Bertuzzi was not even on the ice when the “unsportsmanlike conduct” occurred. As Player Safety’s descriptive video shows, Calvert received a hit by Detroit defenseman Mike Green in front of the Red Wings’ bench in the third period. Calvert’s stick, while still in his grip, fell into the laps of the seated Red Wings and several, although primarily Bertuzzi, hold the stick, preventing Calvert from jumping back into the play. When Calvert attempts to jar his stick loose by shoving it toward Bertuzzi, a scrum begins in which Dylan Larkin grabs Calvert and holds him in front of the bench. Bertuzzi took this opportunity to deliver several punches, including a final bare fist punch to Calvert’s head. Player Safety admits that defensive altercations on the bench are common, but Bertuzzi’s actions “rise to the level of supplemental discipline” as roughing/unsportsmanlike conduct, to put it kindly. They were convinced of the “intentional nature of the punch and the force with which it was delivered”, believing this is “not a reactionary or defensive play in any way.” Player Safety determined that a two-game suspension was fitting for Bertuzzi, although this is a stain on the player’s reputation that will last far longer.

Although this is Bertuzzi’s first suspension and a penalty was not even called, the cheap nature of the punch to a defenseless player being held by another teammate is bad optics to say the least. Bertuzzi has avoided discipline thus far in his career, but moving forward may struggle to hide from the looming shadow of his uncle’s legacy. Todd Bertuzzi, a good hockey player and tough competitor, will forever be remembered instead for his role as the on-ice assailant of Steve Moore in a 2004 match-up between the Vancouver Canucks and ironically the Avalanche. Bertuzzi hit Moore in the back of the head and drove him into the ice. Moore suffered career-ending neck and head injuries from the hit. Bertuzzi was suspended for 13 games, but was also served with criminal and civil charges. Bertuzzi was never able to escape the disdain that many fans felt and still feel towards him and his nephew, Tyler, would be better served to clean up his game as soon as possible to avoid drawing any further comparisons to his notorious relative.

The Bruins were on fire in December, posting a 10-2-2 record and are currently on an eight-game streak without a loss. After early season struggles, Rask was a major part of that success, recording an impeccable .955 save percentage and 1.22 goals against average. Rask allowed more than two goals only once in his eleven appearances and posted two shutouts one either end of December. After that performance, Rask has joined some of the league’s best goalies this season with a top-five GAA and top-ten SV%. The 2014 Vezina winner and the holder of the best career save percentage in NHL history (.923), Rask looked more like his elite self this past month than he has in two years.

Meanwhile, there’s no similar history that could have predicted this surge from Bailey. The long-time Islander had a career-high 56 points last season, but is already only six points away from matching it in 2017-18 and on pace for over 100 points. Bailey’s 50 points trails only Kucherov in the NHL and his 38 assists are tops in the league, feeding his talented linemates John Tavares and Anders Lee. In December alone, Bailey led the league with 22 points, including seven multi-point games and an 11-game point streak. Bailey’s breakout has been great for the Isles, but will be even better for the 28-year-old who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Kucherov’s nod is less of a surprise; the Lightning sniper is well-known as one of the league’s best players. Kucherov has an NHL-best 25 goals and 56 points already this season. After posting a career high 85 points in 2016-17, he’ll easily leave that mark in the dust and could flirt with 120 points this year. The early Hart favorite found the score sheet in all but one contest in December as the Bolts went 11-2-0 and continued to dominate the league. The ceiling is the roof for the uber-talented Russian forward and his Tampa Bay teammates this season.

• Another player to keep an eye on in the coming months is Minnesota Wild prospect and recently-named member of the U.S. Olympic team Jordan Greenway. As ESPN’s Emily Kaplan writes today, when Greenway suits up in Pyeongchang, South Korea for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, he will do so as the first ever African-American on the U.S. men’s hockey team. In the 98-year history of the men’s hockey tournament, Greenway is the first to don the red, white, and blue – a major step for the inclusiveness of the game. Of course, Jarome Iginla played for Canada in multiple Olympic Games and P.K. Subban made an appearance as well, but no African-American has had the same opportunity for the U.S.A. The big Boston University forward has represented the U.S. on the international stage before at several junior tournaments, but the Olympics are a whole other level. This could just be the beginning for the talented winger as well. By all accounts, Dustin Byfuglien is the best American-born African American in NHL history, with former grinder Mike Grier likely next in line and a ways behind. By the end of his promising pro career, Greenway could be known as the best American-born African-American in NHL history. He gets his start on the big stage in a matter of weeks.

• One last guy to keep an eye out for is young Calgary Flames keeper Tyler Parsons. The Flames’ recent acquisition of New Jersey Devils defenseman Dalton Prout was not-so-secretly more about ridding themselves of goalie Eddie Lack as it was bringing in an asset. Having solved their logjam in net, Calgary was finally able to promote their 2016 second-round pick from the AHL today, per the ECHL transactions page. The 20-year-old Parsons has been buried since turning pro late last season after leading the United States to a World Junior Championship title. Parsons’ path to the NHL is not without roadblocks remaining though; he still has to prove that he is the heir apparent to veteran Mike Smith by outperforming current big-league backup David Rittich and AHL competition Jon Gillies and Mason McDonald, all of whom are 25 or younger and very well regarded.

It’s shockingly accurate, it turns out. In their 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, the Coyotes became one of only two teams this season to already hit the midway mark with their 41st game. Halfway through the 2017-18 season, Arizona is 9-27-5 for 23 points. The Coyotes are on pace for only 46 points this season. In 2016-17, the Colorado Avalanche were historically bad, unlike any season this century. It was the sixth worst 82-game record of all time and, taking teams who were recent expansion franchises out of the equation, the ’16-’17 Avs were the worst established team of the modern era. Yet, Colorado finished with 48 points on the year and had 13 wins and 27 points at the midway mark. This year’s Coyotes, it seems, could be the new worst team ever.

So just how close is Arizona to being statistically eliminated on the first of the year? Even if the Coyotes were to win out – going 41-0-0 the rest of the way – they would finish with 105 points on the year. If everyone else in the Western Conference continues at their current pace, Arizona would only finish fifth in the West behind the Vegas Golden Knights, Nashville Predators, Los Angeles Kings, and Winnipeg Jets. The San Jose Sharks, in this scenario projected to finish sixth with 100 points, have played the fewest games in the NHL and have the most time to turn things around and improve on their record. If the Sharks finished with more than 105 points, then Arizona, having gone undefeated in the entire second half of the season, would still just be a wild card team out of the Pacific Division.

It’s far beyond the realm of possibility for a team to win that many games in a row in the NHL though. So, imagine instead (or at least try) that the Coyotes reverse their fortunes and play to the level of the league’s best team – the Tampa Bay Lightning – who have a .763 points percentage thus far. Arizona would take home 63 of their final 82 possible points; an amazing turnaround for the team. Where would that put them in the Western playoff picture? Way out of it. The Coyotes would finish with 86 points and, based on current projections, that would be good enough for only 13th in the conference. They would pass up Pacific foes Vancouver and Edmonton, both on pace for 78 points, and that is it. The Coyotes could be the best team in the league the rest of the way and it wouldn’t even make a difference.

The most realistic best case scenario for Arizona is that they play twice as well in the second half as they did in the first half, doubling their atrocious .280 points percentage to .560. The Coyotes would net 46 points between now and the end of the season for a total of 69 points in 2017-18. That total, despite their impressive progress in the second half, would currently project them to be the second-worst team in the NHL. Arizona could play twice as well through 41 more games and only pass the Buffalo Sabres in the league standings.

While “mathematically” the Coyotes are a ways off from being eliminated from contention this season, there is simply no way they even sniff the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. Based on current projections, Arizona would need a points percentage north of .800 to make the playoffs and that isn’t happening. So, for anyone still holding out hope that the Coyotes have any semblance of a chance this season, please stop. The only notable thing that Arizona can do in 2018 is be the worst team in NHL history.

Following the recent approval by the city of Seattle to build a new arena in hopes of recruiting NHL and NBA teams to the city, there has been no bigger story around the league than the possibility of another expansion franchise in the near future. The proposal included a projected cost of $660MM to construct the arena, but according to Bettman, that will be only half the cost to join the NHL. Bettman confirmed this evening that the Board of Governors has agreed that they will accept an expansion application from the Seattle group, led by billionaire businessman David Bonderman, but that the board has set the expansion fee at $650MM, which is $150MM more than what Bill Foley and the Vegas Golden Knights just recently paid. Bettman clarified that the application also does not guarantee that a team will be placed in Seattle.

However, it certainly seems like a plan is in motion, with an eye on the 2020-21 season. Bettman specifically mentioned that the Seattle group may begin a ticket drive, similar to the one that found great success in Las Vegas. He also was clear that the league would not be accepting bids from any other cities, despite concrete interest from Quebec City and Houston among others. He also says that – as of now – there are no teams that the league sees as re-location candidates. The conference balance that the Seattle market would bring, in addition to a city with hockey history, seems to make Seattle a perfect market for expansion.

Speaking of re-location, the Carolina Hurricanes aren’t going anywhere. Bettman confirmed the report that Tom Durndon has signed the purchase agreement to buy up the majority share of the  ’Canes from Peter Karmanos, but added the stern caveat that “this is not a team that will be moved.” Durndon will take on 52% of the team’s shares, with Karmanos holding on to 48% and Durndon having the option to buy the remaining shares over three years. The sale is not quite done yet, but should be in the books soon, with Durndon vowing to keep the team in Raleigh once he is in control.