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Penguins To Name Kevin Acklin President of Business Operations

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The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to overhaul their front office and management after a recent sale to Fenway Sports Group. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Mike DeFabo reports that the team is expected to name Kevin Acklin the team’s President of Business Operations, filling the role left by longtime executive David Morehouse.

Morehouse vacated the role two months ago when the CEO of 16 years stepped down, reportedly on his own terms.

As DeFabo notes, Acklin is an internal promotion. Since 2018, Acklin had been the team’s COO and general counsel. Similar to Morehouse, Acklin is a Pittsburgh native.

The changes in leadership come as the Penguins are set to embark on a tough road ahead over the next decade or so. As stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang age and/or leave the organization, the team will need strong leadership to avoid the business concerns the team has had in the past during periods of poor play. Acklin will now have a big part to play in that role, and his choices will have a significant effect on the team’s future.

Crosby, Rakell, Jarry All Playing In Game 7

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Some fantastic news for Pittsburgh Penguins fans just minutes ahead of puck drop on an obviously pivotal Game 7 against the New York Rangers. Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, and Tristan Jarry are all in the lineup after dealing with injuries.

The news is monumental for the Penguins, who greatly missed the presence of all three players in Game 6.

Crosby was injured in Game 5 on a controversial hit from Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba. Prior to the hit, he had a stellar nine points in five games. He returns to center the top line between Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust, who have both performed well in this series. Crosby was sidelined with reported concussion symptoms after the hit, however, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported this morning that Crosby did test negative for a concussion.

Rakell, the team’s big trade deadline acquisition, was injured after playing just 4:28 in Game 1’s triple-overtime win. With 13 points in 19 games down the stretch in Pittsburgh, he proved he could be an impactful scorer for them. He’ll fill out the top six on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Kasperi Kapanen.

Jarry is potentially the biggest piece to return, though. Not having played for a month, Jarry comes in to replace third-string netminder Louis Domingue, who had performed admirably but struggled in Games 5 and 6. They’ll rely on Jarry to exorcise last year’s playoff demons and deliver for them in a big way tonight.

It’s not all good news, however. Assistant coach Mike Vellucci, whose main areas of emphasis are the penalty kill and the forwards, entered COVID protocol and is unavailable for the game.

Snapshots: Wild, Babcock, Trouba

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Questions are sure to arise this offseason in the State of Hockey. The Minnesota Wild, although they forced the series to six games, were dealt with pretty handily in the final days of their season by the St. Louis Blues, capped off by a 5-1 rout in Game 6.

Now, with the full effect of the controversial Zach Parise/Ryan Suter buyouts kicking in next season, many wonder how the Wild will be able to manage their cap space moving forward. NBC Sports’ James O’Brien looks at a few routes the Wild could go down to manage their salary cap situation next season. The buyouts take up a combined $12.74MM next season, and although the team’s cap situation is fuzzy due to the amount of playoff Black Aces still on the active roster, they’ll surely have less than $10MM to work with this offseason. That includes signing Kevin Fiala, who’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights (again), to a new deal, and finding a goalie to replace (or to-resign) Marc-Andre Fleury. While Fiala could be dealt, especially after an underwhelming playoff performance, they could also look to clear out some depth names. O’Brien names Dmitry Kulikov, who carries a $2.25MM cap hit next season, as another trade piece, although he does have an eight-team no-trade list (somehow).

  • While there hasn’t been any official link, and there likely won’t be knowing the tight-lipped Lou Lamoriello, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz names former NHL bench boss Mike Babcock as a potential fit for the New York Islanders’ coaching vacancy. Kurz references Lamoriello’s history with Babcock in Toronto, and Lamoriello’s history of opting for tougher, more aggressive voices in the room as a solution to unsatisfactory team performance. Since then, he’s served as a senior adviser at the University of Vermont and the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan.
  • After Jacob Trouba’s controversial hit that gave Sidney Crosby a reported concussion, The Athletic’s Eric Duhatscheck looked at whether the NHL could examine a potential rule change to penalize similar hits in the future. Duhatschek notes that penalizing all hits to the head is extremely unlikely, as evidenced by current NHL leadership’s hesitation against cracking down on body contact. While illegal head contact exists in the NHL, by its definition, the league viewed Trouba’s hit as legal.

Sidney Crosby Out For Game Six With Concussion

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1:35pm: Multiple reports including from Emily Kaplan of ESPN and The Athletic have now surfaced confirming that Crosby suffered a concussion on the hit from Jacob Trouba. For any player that is concerning, but especially so for the Penguins’ captain given his history of head injuries. It is not clear when he will be able to return to the lineup.

10:44am: The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without captain Sidney Crosby for a pivotal game six against the New York Rangers, after he suffered an upper-body injury on Wednesday night. Head coach Mike Sullivan explained that Crosby is in a “good place” in his recovery, and the injured forward did skate on his own today.

Additionally, the Penguins updated the status of a few other injured players. Brian Dumoulin is still working through his off-ice recovery and his status has not changed, while Rickard Rakell is now considered a game-time decision. Tristan Jarry, who has been skating the last little while, will not play tonight, meaning it’s Louis Domingue’s net for at least one more game.

If there was ever a time for pending free agents Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang to put a stamp on the first-round series, it’s tonight in an all-important chance to eliminate the Rangers. On home ice, the Penguins will have to find a way past Hart Trophy nominee Igor Shesterkin once again, as the Rangers will put him back in the net after securing the win in game five. It’s been an up-and-down series for the Rangers goaltender, who has allowed 19 goals in five games but still has a save percentage of .905 as the Penguins continue to rack up shots.

Morning Notes: Team Canada, Crosby, Bokk

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The Canadian contingent for the IIHF World Championship has named their leadership group, with Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot given the captaincy. The team will go with a group of alternates including Josh Anderson, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Adam Lowry, and Damon Severson for the event, likely rotating each game.

The tournament, which starts tomorrow, is a nice way for Chabot to get some more on-ice reps after missing a huge chunk of this season, though with the amount he plays it has already been a long year. In 59 games this season, the Senators’ defenseman scored 38 points and averaged more than 26 minutes a night for the third season in a row.

  • There’s no update yet on Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, as head coach Mike Sullivan only confirmed that his captain is dealing with an upper-body injury and will be evaluated further on their return home. Crosby took a hit from Jacob Trouba in last night’s game that kept him out, and obviously has a long history with head injuries. The Penguins stayed in New York after last night’s loss and will fly to Pittsburgh today to prepare for tomorrow’s game six.
  • After spending half of this season playing back home in Germany, Dominik Bokk is coming back to North America. His club team announced today that Bokk will re-join the Carolina Hurricanes organization for the 2022-23 season, a previously agreed upon decision. After playing 32 games in the AHL this year, Bokk was loaned to Eisbaren Berlin in the DEL for the stretch run, where he scored 11 points in 14 games and another three in 12 playoff contests. The first-round pick originally selected by St. Louis in 2018 has one year left on his entry-level deal.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Crosby, Shanahan

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, led by a player who could very well go down as the all-time leader in goals by the time he hangs up his skates. Alex Ovechkin added another outstanding week, recording eight points in four games and passing Brett Hull on the all-time goals list. The nine-time Rocket Richard award winner isn’t all goals though, Ovechkin has 14 assists this season for 26 total points through 15 games.

A couple of college hockey stars take second and third, as Charlie McAvoy and Troy Terry have been selected respectively. The Boston Bruins defenseman had seven points in four games while playing basically every second shift, while the Anaheim Ducks forward stretched his point streak to 14 games by adding six more points in three contests. Terry has already matched his career-high of 20 points and it took him only 15 games to do it.

  • If you’re still holding your breath hoping for some supplementary discipline to come down on Sidney Crosby for the incident with Martin Fehervary last night, exhale, it’s not coming. Crosby will not be given any punishment from the league according to Samantha Pell of the Washington Post, who also points out that there was no penalty called on the play in question.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t had any playoff success under president Brendan Shanahan, but that doesn’t mean his seat is getting hot. As Luke Fox of Sportsnet writes, ownership is still “fantastically supportive” of the Maple Leafs front office boss and the direction he is leading the franchise. Shanahan was hired by the team before the 2014 season; the team has a 275-211-66 regular season record since he took over, but hasn’t made it past the first round even a single time.

Crosby, Others Added To COVID Protocol For Penguins, Blackhawks

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Nov 4: Head coach Mike Sullivan will not be behind the bench for the Penguins tonight, as he too has been added to the COVID protocol. Assistant coach Todd Reirden will take over head coaching duties while Sullivan is out. In better news, Letang has been officially activated and is in the lineup.

Nov 3: The Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks have added several players to the COVID protocol. For Pittsburgh, it’s a worst-case scenario, as Sidney Crosby and Brian Dumoulin have entered the protocol. Both are confirmed positives, and while Dumoulin is asymptomatic, Crosby is experiencing mild symptoms. That means the captain is out for at least ten days.

Crosby only just returned from injury, playing one game for the Penguins on Saturday. He managed over 19 minutes in his return, but certainly seemed to have a bit of rust after a long injury rehab. He was dominated in the faceoff circle and was on the ice for three of New Jersey’s four goals (the other was a penalty shot), failing to record a point. He’ll now be taken away from the rink for a while longer, certainly not helping him shake off that rust.

Losing Dumoulin though is just as defeating for the Penguins, if not more so. The veteran defenseman is averaging more than 21 minutes a night this season, helping to carry the load while Kris Letang was in the protocol and some of the younger options struggle. If he doesn’t experience any symptoms, there’s a chance he could return before Crosby, though it will depend on his test results in the coming days.

In Chicago, things aren’t much better. Though Henrik Borgstrom has been removed from the protocol, Tyler Johnson and Isaak Phillips have been added, meaning they’re unavailable for tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Blackhawks have not confirmed whether either one is a confirmed positive case.

Chicago has dealt with quite a few COVID-related absences this season, but had recently been restored to full availability as players like Patrick Kane, Riley Stillman and Jujhar Khaira came out of the protocol. While Johnson and Phillips aren’t the team’s most important players, the group can ill afford to lose any depth while they try to climb out of the basement. The Blackhawks only just secured their first win of the season and are well behind the pack for the playoffs.

Penguins Activate Sidney Crosby And Jeff Carter

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The Penguins will have their top center back in the lineup tonight as the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been activated off injured reserve and will play against New Jersey.  Meanwhile, head coach Mike Sullivan also confirmed to reporters including Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that center Jeff Carter has been cleared from COVID protocol and will also suit up.

Crosby has missed all seven games this season after undergoing wrist surgery in early September to repair what GM Ron Hextall termed as something that the captain has played through for several years.  The 34-year-old has averaged more than a point per game in all 16 of his NHL seasons and will be a huge addition to a Pittsburgh attack that has been down several key pieces.

One of those was Carter whose strong start on the top line was suddenly stalled with his placement in COVID protocol.  The 36-year-old has a goal and three assists in four games this season while logging nearly 20 minutes a night.  His playing time should decrease with Crosby returning but he’ll still play a prominent role inside their top six.

Pittsburgh had been carrying two open roster spots with just the minimum of 12 forwards so there will be no corresponding roster moves necessary to activate both players.

While this is undoubtedly a big boost for the Penguins, they’re still without defenseman Kris Letang (COVID protocol), winger Bryan Rust (who skated with a non-contact sweater today), and center Evgeni Malkin who remains sidelined as he works his way back from a knee injury.

Morning Notes: Blackwood, Crosby, Maple Leafs

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One of the interesting storylines to follow when it comes to potential Olympic participation was the goaltending competition for Team Canada. The long list had six names, including Carey Price, but it’s not at all clear who will actually be selected for the final roster. Mackenzie Blackwood was one of those listed, but his status was up in the air because to participate at the Olympics, a player needs to be fully vaccinated. To this point, Blackwood had declined the COVID-19 vaccination.

That has changed now, as Mike Morreale of NHL.com confirms Blackwood received his first shot at the end of last week and is on track to be fully vaccinated before the New Jersey Devils take their first road trip to Canada in early December. Blackwood will now be eligible to play for Team Canada as well, should he be one of the goaltenders selected.

  • Sidney Crosby was back practicing with the main group after some more individual work today, as the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to roll without their captain. The veteran forward is inching toward a return, though it’s not clear yet if he’ll be ready for tomorrow’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jeff Carter and Kris Letang, who are in the COVID protocol, were both absent, while Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust skated before practice.
  • After an embarrassing loss to the Penguins over the weekend, the Toronto Maple Leafs have overhauled their lines according to Mark Masters of TSN, splitting up Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner for the first time since the 2019-20 season. The team also had injured goaltender Petr Mrazek on the ice with the main group, as he works his way back from a groin injury. The Maple Leafs haven’t scored more than three goals in a single game yet this season, and have just 12 total in six games.

Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Trocheck, Backstrom, Rangers

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The Penguins had close to a full group at practice today with winger Jake Guentzel returning from COVID-19 protocol while center Sidney Crosby participated once again.  However, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that those two as well as winger Zach Aston-Reese, have all been ruled out for tomorrow’s season-opener.  However, Guentzel is a possibility to play on Thursday night while Crosby is unlikely to play on their road trip.  An IR placement for him appears likely which could open up a roster spot for the expected signing of veteran Brian Boyle.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • While Carolina placed center Vincent Trocheck on IR over the weekend, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes’ team site notes (Twitter link) that the team remains optimistic that he will be available for their season-opener against the Islanders on Thursday. Trocheck had 43 points in 47 games last season while primarily playing on Carolina’s second line, a role he’s likely to reprise in 2021-22.
  • Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom has been making progress as he works his way back from a hip injury but the team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran has been designated as injured/non-roster on their season-opening roster. Head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters, including NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link) that the 33-year-old has to start skating.  As a result, it appears it will be a little while longer before Washington’s top pivot is in the lineup.
  • While the Rangers were expected to name a captain before the season started, that is not the case. Instead, the team revealed (Twitter link) that they have named six alternates – defenseman Jacob Trouba plus forwards Barclay Goodrow, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome, and Mika Zibanejad.

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