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Toronto Maple Leafs Part Ways With Steve Briere

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It seems the chaotic season in the crease that was for the Toronto Maple Leafs has met a resolution. Sportsnet reports that the team is parting ways with long-time goalie coach Steve Briere, whose contract was set to expire this offseason.

The Maple Leafs brought Briere into the organization for the 2015-16 season as an unknown. Briere had spent the previous five seasons as the goalie coach for the Topeka Roadrunners in the NAHL, the second-most competitive American junior league. He’s proceeded to serve as Toronto’s goalie coach for seven consecutive seasons, but he won’t be back for an eighth.

Across the board, Maple Leafs goalies struggled this season outside of Jack Campbell, who was injured for a good portion of the regular season. Backup Petr Mrazek battled multiple injuries as well, but even when in the lineup, posted just a .888 save percentage, which was the first time he’d posted a sub-.900 save percentage in a season at the NHL level. Now, whether or not Briere’s coaching or Mrazek’s health was to blame for that performance is up for debate, but the team still felt like a change was necessary to get the most out of their netminders moving forward.

Toronto’s goaltending situation is incredibly murky next season, though, and adding a new goalie coach into the mix will heed a complete refresh in the crease. Campbell is an unrestricted free agent and it’s unclear whether the team will have the cap space necessary to retain his service, and they’ll certainly try to trade Mrazek and his $3.8MM cap hit. One of Erik Kallgren or Joseph Woll is sure to get a shot at a full-time NHL role to help keep the team’s cap hit down, and the team will need to select their next goalie coach carefully as to not put a wrench into their development.

Atlantic Notes: Cassidy, Soderblom, Campbell

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After being eliminated last month, Bruins president Cam Neely indicated he hoped to have a new contract in place for GM Don Sweeney within the coming days who would then decide the fate of head coach Bruce Cassidy.  More than two weeks have passed and there has been no word on either front yet.  Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe opines that Neely and Sweeney – the talent suppliers – are the ones to blame for their recent early exits while he suggests firing Cassidy wouldn’t make sense based on how the team has performed during the regular season in recent years even without the playoff success they were hoping for.  That said, a change for the sake of change to bring a new voice in the room – which is a lot like what happened when Cassidy took over for Claude Julien – could certainly happen but a determination on his future won’t come until Sweeney and Neely can work out a new deal.

More from the Atlantic:

  • The Red Wings are hoping to work out an entry-level contract this offseason with prospect Elmer Soderblom, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. The hulking winger stands 6’8 and weighs 249 pounds and is coming off a good season in the SHL that saw him put up 21 goals in 52 games with Frolunda of the SHL.  His deal in Sweden is now up so assuming the 2019 sixth-rounder does sign, he’ll almost certainly play in North America next season instead of being loaned back overseas like Detroit did with prospect blueliner Albert Johansson this season.
  • At this point, it appears as if Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell will test unrestricted free agency next month, TSN’s Chris Johnston suggested in a recent appearance on TSN 1050 (audio link). Toronto knows what Campbell’s asking price has been for quite some time dating back to contract talks in the fall and they haven’t been willing to meet that just yet.  Campbell, who was named to the All-Star Game this season, had an up and down year, posting a 2.64 GAA along with a .914 SV% in 49 games.  He’s set to be one of the better goalies to hit the open market and could push for three times the AAV he had on his expiring deal which checked in at $1.65MM.

Latest On Jack Campbell

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The Toronto Maple Leafs don’t currently have a starting goalie for next season. Petr Mrazek is signed but has already worn out his welcome with fans after struggling through injuries and poor play in his first go-round with the team. Handing him the majority of the starts would be flirting with disaster after his .888 save percentage in 2021-22. Erik Kallgren and Joseph Woll are both on two-way deals for next year and have shown at least some ability to contribute at the NHL level, but again aren’t really options to start.

That situation has always suggested that the team would bring back Jack Campbell, an unrestricted free agent this summer after finding his game in Toronto. Perhaps that shouldn’t be assumed, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest 32 Thoughts column that the two sides were far apart the last time they talked, and Campbell’s agent tells him there has been “no material contract conversation” since the end of the season.

While that certainly doesn’t guarantee a split between Campbell and the Maple Leafs, it would be easy to understand why, if it did happen. Even with Mark Giordano giving the team a substantial discount on his new deal, Toronto is still in a very tight cap situation for next season, partially because of the $3.8MM that Mrazek carries. If the team can’t get rid of that number somehow, it stands to reason that they will be forced to rely on him as at least a tandem option.

There are still several weeks before free agency opens, and things like contract negotiations can change dramatically with one phone call, but the Maple Leafs goaltending situation is an interesting one to watch. With the market looking rather scarce on starting options, it’s hard to know what direction the team will take if they can’t get a contract worked out.

For Campbell himself, this is likely the best chance he’ll ever have at a substantial payday in the NHL. The 30-year-old goaltender has posted a .916 save percentage in 77 appearances with Toronto, including a career-high 49 this season. While there have certainly been rocky periods, he has also shown brilliance for stretches and confirmed that he can at least be an above-average option at the NHL level. A multi-year contract with a significant raise on the $1.8MM he made this season seems likely. Whether it will be in Toronto remains to be seen.

Snapshots: Toronto Maple Leafs, Pulock, Johnsson

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Auston Matthews’ hunt for a 60-goal season ended Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings, scoring numbers 59 and 60 in a 3 – 0 win. Unfortunately for those hoping to see the Hart Trophy candidate exceed 60 goals, the Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to sit Matthews, along with forward Mitch Marner and goaltender Jack Campbell when they take on the Boston Bruins tomorrow night, reports Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, Toronto’s final game of the season. Sitting the three shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, with the Maple Leafs place in the standings, second in the Atlantic Division, completely secured, giving no reason to risk the health of these three incredibly important players.

In addition to Matthews and his 60 goals, Mitch Marner had himself another season to remember, putting up 35 goals and 62 assists for 97 points in 72 games this season. Campbell on the other hand, has had his struggles. An All-Star this season, Campbell was discussed as a potential Vezina Trophy candidate as recently as January, but struggles in net and injury made for a tough second half of the season for the veteran netminder. On the season, Campbell has a .914 save percentage and 2.64 goals-against average in 49 games, but after the All-Star break, Campbell sported just an .894 save percentage and 3.28 goals-against average in 17 games. As concerning as that shift is for Toronto, there is a reason for optimism, as Campbell has a .915 save percentage and 2.59 goals-against average in nine games in the month of April.

  • The New York Islanders will be without defenseman Ryan Pulock tonight as they take on the Washington Capitals (link). Pulock is out with a non-COVID illness, the same illness that has made its rounds through the Islanders’ locker room the past couple of weeks, forcing several players to sit out in that time. With just one game left in their season after tonight, the Islanders will hope to get Pulock back and keep the rest of the lineup intact for their final game against the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night. Pulock has enjoyed another strong season on the Islanders blue line, but has dealt with injury, missing time in November and December. In 55 games this season, the defenseman has five goals and 15 assists, averaging just over 21 minutes per game.
  • The New Jersey Devils also announced that forward Andreas Johnsson would miss tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes with a non-COVID illness (link). It’s unclear what illness Johnsson has come down with, but for tonight at least, the Devils will have to proceed without him. New Jersey has just one game after tonight, coming tomorrow night against the Detroit Red Wings. Johnsson has enjoyed a solid season thus far, tallying 13 goals and 22 assists over 71 games and will hope to build on it next year, his final with the Devils before becoming a UFA next offseason.

Toronto Places Kase On LTIR, Recalls Three On Emergency Basis

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After losing three starters in Tuesday night’s game against the rival Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs were left with little choice but to tweak their roster. Up against the salary cap and managing a number of injuries, Toronto has opted to move forward Ondrej Kase to the Long-Term Injured Reserve, CapFriendly reports. This raised the Leafs’ LTIR pool just enough to make three emergency recalls while staying under the upper limit of the cap. Promoted to the NHL roster are defensemen Mac Hollowell and Filip Kral and goaltender Michael Hutchinson, who will replace Justin Holl, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Petr Mrazek, each of whom exited last night’s game.

Kase has been out since suffering a head injury earlier this month. As of Friday, the team had still not ruled it a concussion, but given Kase’s extensive history of head injuries it hardly matters. The dynamic, but oft-injured winger will need plenty of time to return to action, allowing the team to move him to LTIR. He joins defensemen Jake Muzzin and Rasmus Sandin on the long-term shelf, bringing the Leafs’ LTIR salary pool to $7.77MM, the amount that they may exceed the salary cap as a means of replacing those players. However, Muzzin and his $5.625MM cap hit are expected to be activated sooner rather than later, which will drastically change the calculus for Toronto.

Meanwhile, Holl, Lyubushkin, and Mrazek join starting goaltender Jack Campbell as the Leafs’ other injured players. Mrazek’s injury history and inconsistency this season make his absence both relatively unsurprising and somewhat inconsequential. However, the major hit to the blue line depth cannot be ignored. While Toronto impressed in a 6-4 win over Boston on Tuesday, they can ill-afford to continue battling this injury bug. They sit just two points ahead of the Bruins and one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning in the race for Atlantic playoff position and are set to face Tampa and the Florida Panthers next week.

While the veteran Hutchinson is battle-tested and ready for the challenge, he and rookie Erik Kallgren splitting the net for the Leafs is unlikely to be successful for too long. On the back end, Hollowell and Kral have no NHL experience and are an even bigger liability. Toronto is hoping that these emergency recalls are just that and their regulars will be back in action soon.

 

Jack Campbell Out With Rib Injury; Erik Kallgren Recalled

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Erik Kallgren from the AHL under emergency conditions, as Jack Campbell will be out for a minimum of two weeks with a rib injury. This is Kallgren’s first recall to the regular roster this season.

With Campbell out, the focus will turn to Petr Mrazek, the inconsistent netminder that Toronto signed to a three-year contract in the offseason. Mrazek dealt with injuries of his own early in the season and has made just 15 appearances so far, posting an .890 save percentage in those games. He does have a 10-5 record as the Maple Leafs have been able to outscore their goaltending woes fairly regularly, but with the pressure now squarely on Mrazek’s shoulders, things are going to have to improve.

In the case of Kallgren, the team has an interesting name to pivot to in this situation. A seventh-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2015, the 25-year-old netminder spent the last two seasons playing in Europe, where he rediscovered his game and earned another NHL contract. With the Toronto Marlies this season, Kallgren has a 15-8-1 record and a .904 save percentage in 26 appearances. Whether he’s ready to help the Maple Leafs or not, he’ll serve as the backup for the time being.

Joseph Woll, the other young netminder that the Maple Leafs have used this season, played two days ago for the Marlies and stopped 27 of 29 shots. His .903 AHL save percentage on the season isn’t much different than Kallgren, however, and it’s unclear who would really be able to step up if Mrazek were to suffer an injury or struggle.

Morning Notes: Skills Results, Bruins, KHL

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The NHL held their Skills Competition as part of their All-Star festivities last night.  The winners for each event are as follows:

Fastest Skater: Jordan Kyrou (Blues)
Save Streak: Jack Campbell (Maple Leafs) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (Lightning)
Fountain Faceoff: Zach Werenski (Blue Jackets)
Hardest Shot: Victor Hedman (Lightning)
Breakaway Challenge: Alex Pietrangelo (Golden Knights)
21 in ’22: Joe Pavelski (Stars)
Accuracy Shooting: Sebastian Aho (Hurricanes)

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • There are teams with some interest in Bruins youngsters Jack Studnicka and Urho Vaakanainen but there are questions as to what the upside for both players are, suggests Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic (subscription link). Studnicka started the season in Boston’s top six but has spent most of the season in the minors while Vaakanainen’s limited experience makes it hard to project whether or not he could become a second-pairing rearguard.  Both players are potential trade options if the Bruins try to make a splash at the trade deadline but those questions of upside will make their value considerably varied around the league which could complicate things in a trade.
  • The KHL announced that they have canceled the remainder of their regular season. The season was paused in mid-January due to several COVID outbreaks and while teams have less than 10 games remaining, the Olympic break would make it too difficult to play the rest of the season without compressing the playoff schedule too much.  Instead, they’ll elect to start their postseason on March 1st with more of a normal schedule while the seedings will be based on win percentage.  The IIHF World Hockey Championships are slated to begin in mid-May so this isn’t a situation where the KHL could have played later in the spring; they want to be finished by then so their players can participate in this tournament.

NHL Announces Player Assignments For Skills Competition

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The NHL All-Star Skills competition will take place tomorrow night in Las Vegas, and the league has announced ahead of time which players will participate in which events. The player assignments for the seven events are as follows:

Fastest Skater

Chris Kreider, NYR
Adrian Kempe, LAK
Kyle Connor, WPG
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WSH
Jordan Kyrou, STL
Dylan Larkin, DET
Cale Makar, COL
Connor McDavid, EDM           

Save Streak

Jack Campbell, TOR
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL
Frederik Andersen, CAR
Tristan Jarry, PIT
Cam Talbot, MIN
Juuse Saros, NSH
Thatcher Demko, VAN
John Gibson, ANA

Fountain Face-Off

Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA
Claude Giroux, PHI
Jordan Eberle, SEA
Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson
Roman Josi, NSH
Nick Suzuki, MTL
Zach Werenski, CBJ
Mark Stone, VGK

Hardest Shot

Adam Pelech, NYI
Timo Meier, SJS
Victor Hedman, TBL
Tom Wilson, WSH

Breakaway Challenge

Goalies: Manon Rhéaume & Wyatt Russell

Kirill Kaprizov, MIN
Trevor Zegras, ANA
Jack Hughes, NJD
Alex DeBrincat, CHI
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK

Las Vegas NHL 21 in ’22

Nazem Kadri, COL
Auston Matthews, TOR
Joe Pavelski, DAL
Steven Stamkos, TBL
Brady Tkachuk, OTT

Accuracy Shooting

Leon Draisaitl, EDM
Clayton Keller, ARI
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF
Sebastian Aho, CAR
Jake Guentzel, PIT
Troy Terry, ANA
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY
Patrice Bergeron, BOS
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK

Two new events, the Fountain Face-Off and 21 in ’22 will be held outside in the Bellagio fountain and Las Vegas strip respectively. Individual winners of each event will earn $30,000.

Trade Rumors: Canucks, Tippett, Mrazek, Ducks

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek didn’t hold back on their reporting late this evening on “Hockey Night in Canada”. The duo behind “32 Thoughts” had plenty to contribute, starting with Friedman’s report on the Vancouver Canucks. With the Vancouver front office finally coming together, with Patrik Allvin being named GM of Jim Rutherford’s new-look front office, the Canucks are starting to get busy in trade talks. Although the .500 club is still in the Western Conference wild card race, the reality is that any true playoff success for Vancouver lies in the future. It should come as no surprise then that the Canucks are listening to trade offers – and not just for talked-about target J.T. Miller. Friedman reports that nearly any Vancouver forward could be had for the right price outside of captain Bo Horvat and young star Elias Pettersson. That includes Conor Garland, who the team just acquired themselves this past summer and signed to a reasonable five-year, $24.75MM deal. It is believed that the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, and New York Rangers are in pursuit of Garland, though there is likely no shortage of interest in the skilled forward, who has 102 points in 155 games dating back to the start of the 2019-20 season.

  • The Florida Panthers are one of the biggest surprises of the season, currently leading the top-heavy Atlantic Division with a .744 points percentage that is also third-best in the NHL. The Panthers are expected to go all-in on a Stanley Cup run this season and specifically are hoping to land a legitimate top-four defenseman. As they go about working the phones, Marek reports that one major name they are dangling is Owen Tippett. The 2017 first-rounder still has yet to make his mark in the NHL, struggling to find enough consistency at the top level to stick in the Florida lineup. However, he is only 22 and still a well-regarded as well as well-liked prospect. Tippett will likely end up as the centerpiece to any big trade the Panthers make this season.
  • With Jack Campbell playing at an elite level this season while Petr Mrazek has struggled with injuries and inconsistency, the latter has proven to be little more than a pricey backup for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season while the former will be the team’s offseason priority as an impending free agent. As a result, teams have begun to inquire about Mrazek’s availability. If Campbell does stay in Toronto, the team will have a proven starter and have some promising young options like Joseph Woll and Ian Scott behind him. Marek also adds that the Maple Leafs are in hot pursuit of undrafted OHL standout Mack Guzda, who would further boost the depth chart if Toronto can win a heated race for his services. This hypothetically makes Mrazek and his $3.8MM cap hit expendable, even though he just signed with Toronto this past summer. However, for now the Leafs are maintaining that Mrazek remains a part of their plans. Marek was not so sure about that, but does report that any decision on a Mrazek trade will have to wait for the offseason.
  • Among the other suitors for Guzda are the Ducks, Hurricanes, Islanders, Rangers, Penguins, and Predators. (Notably, Guzda is a Tennessee native.) One of those teams is about to get much more serious in their pursuit, as well as in the trade market. Friedman notes that Anaheim is closing in on naming a general manager. While there are still several names in contention, he believes that Pat Verbeek is the odds-on favorite. Once a permanent GM is named, the Ducks will become a fascinating team to watch; they are both well within the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, yet also possess numerous high-value rentals.

2022 NHL All-Star Game Rosters Revealed

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Jan 26: After Batherson was injured last night, the league has announced that Brady Tkachuk will replace him and be the Senators’ representative.

Jan 13: During a live reveal on ESPN’s SportsCenter program in the United States, the National Hockey League unveiled their four divisional rosters for the 2022 NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Eight skaters and two goalies were announced for each team, leaving one skater spot open for each division. That last spot will once again be decided by a fan vote, who they can select by voting at NHL.com/LastMenIn.

The head coaches of each team were announced earlier, decided by the teams in first place (by points percentage) in their division on New Years Day. Florida’s Andrew Brunette heads the Atlantic Division, Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour will coach the Metropolitan Division, Colorado’s Jared Bednar is the bench boss for the Central Division, and Vegas’ Peter DeBoer will serve as the Pacific Division’s coach.

Below are the full rosters for each division.

Atlantic Division

F Auston Matthews “C” (Toronto Maple Leafs)
F Drake Batherson (Ottawa Senators)
F Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins)
F Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida Panthers)
F Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings)
F Nick Suzuki (Montreal Canadiens)
D Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres)
D Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning)
G Jack Campbell (Toronto Maple Leafs)
G Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Metropolitan Division

F Alex Ovechkin “C” (Washington Capitals)
F Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes)
F Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers)
F Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils)
F Chris Kreider (New York Rangers)
D Adam Fox (New York Rangers)
D Adam Pelech (New York Islanders)
D Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets)
G Frederik Andersen (Carolina Hurricanes)
G Tristan Jarry (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Central Division

F Nathan MacKinnon “C” (Colorado Avalanche)
F Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets)
F Alex DeBrincat (Chicago Blackhawks)
F Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild)
F Clayton Keller (Arizona Coyotes)
F Jordan Kyrou (St. Louis Blues)
F Joe Pavelski (Dallas Stars)
D Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)
G Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators)
G Cam Talbot (Minnesota Wild)

Pacific Division

F Connor McDavid “C” (Edmonton Oilers)
F Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)
F Jordan Eberle (Seattle Kraken)
F Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames)
F Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles Kings)
F Timo Meier (San Jose Sharks)
F Mark Stone (Vegas Golden Knights)
D Alex Pietrangelo (Vegas Golden Knights)
G Thatcher Demko (Vancouver Canucks)
G John Gibson (Anaheim Ducks)

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