12/2: The Panthers have made a pair of roster moves heading into tomorrow’s game against Pittsburgh.  The team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Chris Driedger has been recalled from AHL Charlotte while winger Mackie Samoskevich has been re-assigned to the Checkers.

This is expected to be a short-term move for both players.  Veteran goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky did not accompany the team on the road with his wife expecting to give birth to their second child in the near future.  Because Florida doesn’t have enough cap space to recall Driedger outright, Samoskevich, their lone waiver-exempt player, is the roster casualty to allow the team to remain cap-compliant.

Driedger rejoined Florida back in the summer, inking a one-year, one-way deal worth $795K to serve as their third-string option behind Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight.  The 30-year-old has played in eight games with the Checkers so far this season, putting up a 3.22 GAA with a .885 SV%.  Driedger has 67 career NHL appearances under his belt (35 of which came in his first stint with the team), posting a 2.45 GAA with a .917 SV%.

As for Samoskevich, the 22-year-old is doing well in his first full NHL season.  He has played in 22 games with the Panthers so far, notching five goals and four assists while averaging 11:35 per game.  His nine points put him in the top ten in scoring among all NHL rookies.  Charlotte is off until Friday so there’s a good chance Samoskevich won’t even suit up in the minors while on assignment given that he’s likely to be brought back up by the weekend.

Lysowski’s update was relatively vague aside from the update that Dahlin wouldn’t be in the lineup. He added a note from head coach Lindy Ruff who claimed it’s expected to be a short-term absence for the team’s best defenseman but “you never know.” It’s not exactly something that strikes confidence in the idea that Dahlin will return soon.

Buffalo’s captain has become irreplaceable for the organization as he sits third on the team in scoring with six goals and 19 points in 25 games. The Sabres will have a tough time keeping up with a surgical Winnipeg offense tonight with their best defenseman. He’s the only blue liner on the roster with an expected +/- higher than 0.

Other Atlantic notes:

• There’s at least one positive development for Buffalo’s blue line as Lysowski also shared that defenseman Mattias Samuelsson is close to returning from his lower-body injury. It’s been nearly a month since Samuelsson last suited up for the Sabres and the team is hoping to get him a few more practices before activating him from the injured reserve. They’ll need him to be better once he does return as Samuelsson has only managed an 83.2% on-ice save percentage in all situations, far beneath his career average.
• It’ll still be a few days before Sergei Bobrovsky returns to the Florida Panthers. Katie Engleson of Scripps Sports reported the Panthers are hopeful Bobrovsky returns on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks but they’re prepared if he can’t. He’s currently on personal leave from the team as he and his wife, Olga, recently welcomed their second child.

Other quick notes from around the league:

• In the name of fairness, the Oilers are facing an injury scare of their own, with former-100 point forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins missing the team’s Sunday practice with illness, per Jim Matheson of NHL.com (Twitter link). Nugent-Hopkins has been one of Edmonton’s top contributors this postseason, recording 22 points in 24 playoff games. That includes two points in Edmonton’s three-game win-streak – so far his only scoring in the Stanley Cup Finals. Nugent-Hopkins would leave a major role vacant should he be unavailable for Game 7, though there’s been no indication that Edmonton is expecting him to sit.
• Pittsburgh Penguins winger Reilly Smith has changed agencies ahead of the final year of his contract, now represented by CAA Hockey, per PuckPedia (Twitter link). CAA is the choice agency of many NHL stars, including Sidney Crosby, Matthew Beniers, Mathew Barzal, and Cole Caufield. It’s also the agency most akin to changing scenery – representing the recently-traded Pierre-Luc Dubois, rumored trade chip Rutger McGroarty, and hardened trade rumor veteran Jack Eichel. Smith takes on the new representation while looking to vindicate his final year at a $5MM price tag, though his 13 goals and 40 points last season fell short of expecations.

In a debate between a stifling McDavid and a struggling Bobrovsky, it seems Aleksander Barkov would be the de facto beneficiary. Barkov – the reigning Selke Trophy winner – has closely shadowed McDavid for most of the Cup finals so far, doing as well as any player could to keep McDavid close before Florida’s breakdown in Game 4. Barkov has added four points in four Cup finals games as well, bringing his postseason totals up to a team-leading 21 points in 21 games. Barkov has been perhaps the biggest piece of Florida’s success both this postseason and across the last few seasons as a whole. Barkov has shown elite two-way ability throughout this postseason, likely earning him a spot above any other Panthers skater in the Conn Smythe debate. But there’s no arguing the hefty impact Bobrovsky has brought to these playoffs. He was boasting a .916 save percentage through 20 games before his abhorrent Game 4, when he allowed five goals on just 17 shots. Bobrovsky is also a finalist for the Vezina Trophy and could cement a ’Hall of Fame’ legacy with a win of both the Vezina and the Cup.

Of course, the Oilers boast two prime Conn Smythe candidates of their own in McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Florida is just three periods away from a Stanley Cup win, while the Oilers will need at least nine, significantly hampering Edmonton’s chance of taking home playoff MVP. After all, a member of the losing team hasn’t won a Conn Smythe since Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003. But McDavid’s rivaling – and likely soon topping – of 40 playoff points could be enough to warrant the nod. That feat has only been managed by two other players – three times by Gretzky and once by Mario Lemieux. Crossing 40 points has resulted in a Conn Smythe win in three of those four cases, though Gretzky lost the 1993 trophy to Patrick Roy. If not McDavid to buck the trend, then Draisaitl is certainly a strong candidate – boasting 30 points in 22 playoff games and willing the Oilers through the first two rounds with unprecedented scoring.

The list of Conn Smythe candidates has come down to just a few, though who could take home the hardware seems up in the air after a shocking Game 4. And while the decision will, of course, lean on which team wins – it could also come down to deciding between history and precedent. So, with finalists in mind, who do you think will take home the Conn Smythe Trophy? Tell us in the poll below, and discuss in the comments.

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Other notes as the weekend (and end of the season) draws near:

• The Hurricanes’ recent confirmation of an extension for defenseman Jalen Chatfield was a long time coming. Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports Friday that the team tried to engage in contract discussions midseason, but Chatfield’s camp opted to delay talks in hopes of boosting his market value down the stretch. It worked out well for the blue liner, who still takes a slight discount on what he could have likely landed elsewhere in free agency but earns a nearly 400% raise over his previous average annual value with a large portion of the deal paid upfront via signing bonuses.
• Earlier this week, the Wild announced that Mike Snee is returning to the organization as their vice president of the Minnesota Wild Foundation and community relations. Snee was one of the first people hired by the team before their inception for the 2000-01 season, working in sales and sponsorship. A longtime member of the governing board for USA Hockey, Snee has spent the last 12 years as the executive director of College Hockey, Inc., working to develop several new NCAA hockey programs as well as landing a Canadian broadcasting rights agreement for the collegiate circuit.

This year’s finalists are the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck, the Florida Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky, and Vancouver Canucks’ Thatcher Demko.

Hellebuyck likely leads the pack, after vindicating his six-year extension signed last summer by leading all goalies with 30 or more appearances in save percentage. Hellebuyck posted 37 wins and a .921 save percentage in 60 starts this season, already winning the William M. Jennings Trophy alongside batterymate Laurent Brossoit for the highest save percentage from a goaltending tandem. It was Hellebuyck’s highest save percentage since the 2017-18 season when he posted a .924 in 67 appearances. Hellebuyck finished second in Vezina voting that season, and went on to win the award following the 2019-20 season. He’d become the fifth netminder to win the award multiple times since 2000, should he take home hardware this summer.

Hellebuyck would join a list of repeat winners that already contains Sergei Bobrovsky, who won the award in the 2013 and 2017 season, both with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky could be on track to hear his name once again, following a smash year with the Florida Panthers that saw him post 36 wins and a .915 save percentage in 58 games. While Bobrovsky’s time in Florida hasn’t always gone smoothly, he seemed to rediscover his groove this season, looking dialed-in from the start to the end. He’s now poised to stamp his place in history, with the potential to become just the third goalie since 2000 to win the award three-or-more times. He’d join legendary goaltenders Dominik Hasek and Martin Brodeur in the accolade, should he win.

And while Hellebuyck and Bobrovsky have strong cases to return to the podium, Thatcher Demko could be poised to squash their reunion and becoming the 11th-different player to win the award in as many years. Demko was a cornerstone piece of Vancouver’s surprising run to the top of the standings, posting 37 wins and a .918 save percentage in 51 games. Demko missed 14 games with a knee injury near the end of the regular season, limiting his chance to put a bow on his standout season, but his performances aren’t going unrecognized, with this being his first time as a Vezina finalist.

The award will be announced at the NHL Awards this summer. That event is still pending a time and location.

More from the Eastern Conference:

• At the moment, the Rangers don’t have any players on PTOs heading to training camp with them. However, Arthur Staple of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that GM Chris Drury hasn’t ruled out the idea of bringing one in over the coming days.  New York doesn’t have many openings on their roster and they have a handful of forwards and blueliners that should contend for a spot so unless there’s a proven upgrade willing to come to camp on a tryout, it might make more sense for the Rangers to stay with what they have.
• Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight spoke with Ken Campbell of The Hockey News to discuss the events that transpired that ultimately resulted in him stepping away from the team in February to enter the NHL/NHL Players’ Association Player Assistance Program. Knight didn’t return during Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup Final but participated in their development camp this summer and is expected to be a full participant in training camp next week when he’ll look to reclaim the other spot in their tandem with Sergei Bobrovsky.

The 22-year-old is in his first professional season after signing with Florida last year as an undrafted free agent.  Although Guzda has been up for the better part of the last month, he has yet to see any NHL action, instead serving as a backup netminder.  He has suited up in 26 games with the Checkers this season, posting a 2.86 GAA along with a .899 SV%.

Guzda’s demotion means that Sergei Bobrovsky has been cleared to return from the undisclosed injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the last week and a half; George Richards of Florida Hockey Now notes (Twitter link) that the veteran will serve as the backup tomorrow against Washington.  While it might seem odd that Bobrovsky won’t start right away, Alex Lyon is coming off a career-high 56 saves last night against Ottawa and has won his last five games.  If nothing else, they’ll have a capable second netminder behind him as they look to lock down a Wild Card spot in the final week of the season.

Thompson’s return to practice is a lifeline for the Sabres, who are still barely hanging in the Eastern Conference playoff race and have, arguably, their most important game in a decade tomorrow against the Florida Panthers. Per CapFriendly, Thompson is listed as a game-time decision. Thompson’s 44 goals still rank sixth in the league, and his 89 points lead the team. His impact in such a crucial game could be immeasurable, and if at all possible, he’ll be suiting up Tuesday night.

• On the other side of the coin, the Florida Panthers could again be without goalie Sergei Bobrovsky against the Sabres as he continues to deal with a rather nasty illness, per Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards. He did not practice today and, like Thompson, is expected to be a game-time decision. The 34-year-old netminder has been sidelined for the past three games, but he’s been relieved well by Alex Lyon, who’s allowed just four goals in Bobrovsky’s absence.
• In addition to news earlier today about Alex Belzile and Sean Monahan, rookie Juraj Slafkovsky is also officially done for the year due to a lower-body injury, per Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. Slafkovsky was issued a three-month recovery timeline in mid-January, putting any potential return right at the end of the regular season, so the news isn’t entirely unexpected. He finished his rookie campaign with 10 points in 39 games.

Bobrovsky, 34, last played on January 19, but lasted just two minutes before being pulled with a lower-body injury. That was his 30th appearance of the season, and things haven’t gone very well. One of the most inconsistent netminders in recent history, Bobrovsky can alternate between Vezina-caliber superstar and backup-level cap anchor on a near daily basis.

Almost no one can compete with his athletic ability if he is fully healthy and playing his best. A two-time Vezina winner, he also led the league in wins just last season when he posted a .913 save percentage. This year that number has dropped all the way to .897, and Bobrovsky has lost more times than he has won.

Despite his poor play, the Panthers have managed to stay within striking distance of the playoffs. The club is just three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wildcard and has enough talent on the roster to make a run. To do that, though, they’ll need a goaltending tandem performing much better than they did in the first half. It starts tonight, with Bobrovsky trying to keep the Tampa Bay Lightning shooters at bay.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

• Senators prospect Tyler Kleven is expected to turn pro after this season, mentions Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The defenseman was a second-round pick by Ottawa in 2020 (44th overall) and the team tried to get him to sign before this season but the 21-year-old wanted to stay for one more year at North Dakota.  That year is going pretty well as Kleven has 11 points along with 52 penalty minutes in 21 games so far.
• Islanders winger Hudson Fasching is listed as day-to-day due to a lower-body injury, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). The 27-year-old missed Thursday’s game and did not take part in the morning skate today.  Despite the setback, it has been a successful season thus far for Fasching who has played in a career-high 19 games so far, notching three goals and two assists while logging over a dozen minutes a night.
• While the Canadiens lost a key forward in Cole Caufield today, they’re closer to getting another one back as TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie relays (Twitter link) that center Sean Monahan took part in the morning skate in a non-contact jersey. The 28-year-old has missed the last six weeks with a foot injury but had gotten off to a good start before that with 17 points in 25 games.  A pending unrestricted free agent, Monahan is expected to be one of Montreal’s top trade chips heading into the March 3rd trade deadline.

According to Johnston, it’s a “question of when, not if” the Canucks will end up replacing their current coach, Bruce Boudreau, with Tocchet. Johnston reports that the Canucks are currently in contract negotiations with Tocchet and that an official signing (and the coaching change that would result from that) could be coming “in the next few days.”

For some other notes from across the NHL:

• New York Islanders forward Hudson Fasching has quietly set a career-high in NHL games played this season, already having skated in 19 contests for the Islanders. He’ll have to wait to add to that number, though, as the Islanders have announced that Fasching is out with a lower-body injury. Per the team, his status is considered day-to-day.
• The Florida Panthers have had a highly disappointing season so far, and their inconsistent form is made all that much worse by the fact that their first-round pick belongs to the Montreal Canadiens. Starting netminder Sergei Bobrovsky’s play has been a contributing factor to that disappointment, as he has an .897 save percentage through 29 games this year. Bobrovsky seems to have hit another speed bump this season as he left the ice tonight’s game against Montreal in its early stages. With backup goalie Spencer Knight already sidelined with his own injury, the team will now turn to Calder Cup champion Alex Lyon between the pipes.

Lyon, 29, is fresh off winning the Calder Cup with the Chicago Wolves, where he posted a .923 save percentage in 12 playoff appearances. An undrafted free agent signing out of Yale in 2016, he has been strong in the minor leagues but only appeared 24 times in the NHL.

He may not get any more chances this year but is at least a strong option should one of Bobrovsky or Knight face an injury.

Bitetto meanwhile is in a similar situation, save for the recent Calder Cup win. The 31-year-old defenseman has 197 games under his belt at the NHL level but none of those came in 2021-22. Instead, he split the year between the Hartford Wolf Pack and the San Jose Barracuda, scoring 17 points in 53 games.

If he’s playing regular minutes with the Panthers it is because they are dealing with serious injuries but should represent a stable veteran presence in the AHL.

Suddenly, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning squad went from the elation of advancing in the playoffs for the first time since 1996, to a team judged as a huge disappointment. Things like interim head coach Andrew Brunette’s future, which seemed so clear just a few weeks ago, have immediately come into question.

The same could be said about Sergei Bobrovsky, the veteran netminder with a checkered (if not downright bad) history in the playoffs. No team can blame their goaltender when they score just three goals in a four-game stretch but given his contract, which extends through 2025-26 and carries a $10MM cap hit, Bobrovsky was still expected to do more than the .911 save percentage he posted in the playoffs. It doesn’t ever help to be directly compared to Andrei Vasilevskiy at the other end of the rink, but given that he makes more money than the Tampa Bay netminder, some obviously will.

It’s not really about whether Bobrovsky was to blame, though. Nothing can change that fact, and the Panthers still have the core of a Stanley Cup contender in place. The question now is whether the 33-year-old goaltender will be the one playing behind them next season, especially given the presence of top prospect Spencer Knight.

Because the team selected Knight 13th overall in 2019, Bobrovsky’s name has been continuously thrust into trade speculation. But now with Knight pushing for more playing time and Bobrovsky’s game still not back to the Vezina-winning level he found in Columbus, there’s good reason for that speculation. Elliotte Friedman even spoke about how the Panthers did some work in that regard this year in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast for Sportsnet:

I suspect that they tried hard to trade him this year, or at least lay the groundwork to do it. I don’t know if it’s possible. I’ve heard they really worked on it. They really tried to see if it was possible. 

Even if the Panthers worked hard, a trade isn’t really even up to them. Bobrovsky holds a full no-movement clause through the end of 2023-24. At that point, it would change to a 16-team no-trade list, meaning the team could potentially get out of the last two years. As of right now, anything would have to go through the veteran netminder.

Notably, the Panthers have quite a few pending free agents and a buyout penalty that jumps to more than $6.5MM for the 2022-23 season. Combine that penalty with the rising salaries of players like Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe, and you have a team that is almost already right up against the cap ceiling for next season. Moving Bobrovsky would obviously alleviate that problem, though there is certainly no guarantee the team would actually improve.

While Knight is still one of the top young goaltending prospects in the world, it is not like he has absolutely dominated to this point. The 21-year-old had a .908 save percentage in 32 NHL games this season, and a .905 in 11 minor league appearances. While there isn’t much doubt that he should become a legitimate NHL starter in time, the Panthers want to contend now with the in-their-prime core they have built.

This all leads to a very difficult summer for general manager Bill Zito and his front office, who has to make some tough decisions about the direction of the franchise.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Each team submits one nominee. This year’s are:

Anaheim: Cam Fowler

Arizona: Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Boston: Charlie Coyle

Buffalo: Jack Eichel

Calgary: Mikael Backlund

Carolina: Jordan Staal

Chicago: Connor Murphy

Colorado: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

Columbus: Cam Atkinson

Dallas: Esa Lindell

Detroit: Dylan Larkin

Edmonton: Kyle Turris

Florida: Sergei Bobrovsky

Los Angeles: Trevor Moore

Minnesota: Mats Zuccarello

Montreal: Jonathan Drouin

Nashville: Pekka Rinne

New Jersey: P.K. Subban

NY Islanders: Anders Lee

NY Rangers: Chris Kreider

Ottawa: Thomas Chabot

Philadelphia: Scott Laughton

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby

San Jose: Kurtis Gabriel

St. Louis: Ryan O’Reilly

Tampa Bay: Alex Killorn

Toronto: John Tavares

Vancouver: Tyler Motte

Vegas: Marc-Andre Fleury

Washington: Garnet Hathaway

Winnipeg: Blake Wheeler