Week In Review

The Stanley Cup Finals are fast approaching, though no one from the final four is giving in easily. The year’s biggest transactions are still probably a couple of weeks away, but that doesn’t mean there has been a lack of news over the last week.

Empire State Of Mind: Things kicked off with a big name arriving in the Big Apple. The New York Rangers decided that Gerard Gallant would be the team’s next head coach, signing the former Golden Knights bench boss to a four-year, $14MM contract. Gallant has never made it through three seasons with a single team, but posted a .601 winning percentage at his last stop and took Vegas to the finals in their inaugural season. With a cast of young talented players and some valuable veterans, Rangers GM Chris Drury will hope Gallant can turn another trick and get New York back to the playoffs in 2021-22.

It’s An Honor To Be Nominated, But…: After finishing the finalist announcements, the league started handing out its regular season awards. Things started with Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators taking home the King Clancy and Oskar Lindblom winning the Masterton, both awards that have just as much to do with the player’s off-ice dedication as their on-ice play. Things then got a little more interesting when Rod Brind’Amour took home the Jack Adams as the league’s top coach, Aleksander Barkov won his first Selke as the league’s best defensive forward, and Jaccob Slavin became just the fourth defenseman in history to take home the Lady Byng.

The Bod Is Back In Town: Just a few hours before Brind’Amour was awarded the Jack Adams, he received some different good news. The head coach signed a new three-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes after a long negotiation. In his press conference, Brind’Amour confirmed that the talks took so long because he was making sure his staff also received new contracts. There were several teams around the league ready to pounce if the Hurricanes happened to let their coach go, but the program they’ve built in Carolina will continue to have the same leader for the next few years.

Raise A Glass To Freedom: Though Brind’Amour is returning, it might not be the exact same group in Carolina next season. Dougie Hamilton, one of the team’s top defensemen, was given permission to speak to other teams in the league ahead of his pending unrestricted free agency. Hamilton, 28, is arguably the best defenseman in the 2021 free agent market and should be in line for a huge long-term contract. The act of letting him check out the market wasn’t a white flag from GM Don Waddell, who explained that the team still hopes to sign Hamilton but now also has an opportunity to trade his rights if he decides to go elsewhere.

Coyote Ugly: If you miss out on Hamilton, there’s always Oliver Ekman-Larsson if you’re looking for a highly-paid defenseman. The Arizona Coyotes captain is once again exploring the trade market with the team, looking for a fit for both sides. Last summer, the Coyotes approached Ekman-Larsson about waiving his no-trade clause but he decided that only trades to Boston or Vancouver would be acceptable. After that didn’t work out he spent the year in Arizona, playing 21 minutes a night and happily accepting his $8MM salary. Of course, this year a trade might be even more difficult, given the fact that he’s owed $10.5MM in 2021-22 and none of it is due as a signing bonus. Ekman-Larsson has six seasons left on the eight-year, $66MM deal he signed in 2018, carries an $8.25MM cap hit, and holds a full no-movement clause through the end of 2026-27.

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With the number of teams still playing down to four, the busy offseason draws closer.  While the biggest stories are still a few weeks away, there was still some notable news around the league over the past seven days.

Larsen Promoted: The first domino in the head coaching searches around the league has fallen.  The Blue Jackets have their new bench boss and it’s someone they’ve had all along as the team promoted assistant Brad Larsen to the top role, handing him a three-year deal.  The 43-year-old has been with Columbus since 2014-15 so he will be quite familiar with the current roster and will now be tasked with helping them get through what appears to be a pending rebuild with prized defenseman Seth Jones indicating recently that he’s not interested in signing a contract extension.

Kadri Suspension Upheld…Again: After being suspended for eight games for a hit in the first round of the playoffs, Avalanche center Nazem Kadri decided to try his luck with the appeal process.  The first went to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the eight-game ban was upheld.  The next step was to independent arbitrator Shyam Das who also upheld the suspension.  A big part of the decision was Kadri’s prior suspension history and the fact that Justin Faulk sustained an injury on the play.

Rask Needs Surgery, Wants To Stay With Bruins: Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask was dealing with lingering hip trouble all season long and now that the season is over for Boston, he’s set to undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum.  That procedure will keep him sidelined through the first half of next season.  The 34-year-old is also set to become an unrestricted free agent this month and this news certainly doesn’t help his leverage.  However, he has also made it clear that he only wants to play for Boston so he’s not in a situation where he will want to shop himself to the highest bidder.  If the Bruins are okay with Jeremy Swayman as the starter for the first half of the season, it’s possible that they could bring Rask back to have their playoff tandem back together in the second half.

Shero To Minnesota: Former Penguins and Devils GM Ray Shero has found his next team as the Wild announced that they’ve hired him as a senior advisor to GM Bill Guerin.  It’s not the first time the two have worked together as Shero acquired Guerin while with Pittsburgh and then hired him as a development coach after his retirement.  Shero will replace Jack Ferreira who spent the past three seasons in an advisory role and has worked in an NHL front office since 1980-81.

Latest On Eichel: It hasn’t been a great offseason for Jack Eichel.  The Sabres star bemoaned the “disconnect” between him and management in his end-of-season media availability and wants a surgery to repair a neck injury that the team won’t sign off on.  Now, there are reports that Buffalo would also like to move on from the 24-year-old and have a fresh start.  Top centers rarely become available and while he carries a $10MM cap hit through 2025-26, there still should be considerable interest although the standoff over his neck certainly isn’t going to help his value.

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The second round is flying by with incredible playoff action in each of the four series, but that didn’t stop big news being made off the ice as well.

Playoff Suspensions For Everyone: The week kicked off with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upholding Nazem Kadri’s eight-game suspension, making the Avalanche center now move his appeal to a neutral arbitrator. He wasn’t the only player sat down for playoff games though, as both Ryan Reaves and Mark Scheifele were given suspensions. Scheifele may not even be able to serve his entire four-game suspension in this playoffs given the Winnipeg Jets’ current situation, down 3-0 to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round.

Trophy Finalists Announced: With the regular season in the rearview, the NHL began to release the finalists for its major awards. The Vezina, Ted Lindsay, Calder, King Clancy, Lady Byng, and Selke nominees were all announced, leading to a healthy debate over the merits of each player (and award). Finalists will continue to be released for the next several days, with the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award nominees coming out on Monday morning.

Buffalo All Powered Up?: The Buffalo Sabres took home the top spot at Wednesday’s draft lottery, giving them the opportunity to take Michigan defenseman Owen Power with the first-overall selection. While Power isn’t guaranteed to go at the very top, his performance at the World Championship, helping Team Canada to a gold medal will certainly help his case. The team’s seventh defenseman at the start of the tournament, Power quickly proved his worth to head coach Gerard Gallant and ended up playing more than 24 minutes in the gold medal-clinching game against Finland. The Seattle Kraken will be picking second, with plenty of talent up for grabs at the top of the board.

Dollar Dollar Bill Kirill: While getting a finalist nod for the Calder Trophy should be enough to make it a good week, Kirill Kaprizov has much more to smile about. The Minnesota Wild have reportedly offered Kaprizov an eight-year contract extension that carries an average annual value around $8MM, meaning the young forward is about to cash in. The 24-year-old scored 51 points in 55 games and breathed new life into a Wild franchise that hadn’t had much to get excited about in recent years.

Border Exemption Officially Approved: Though it had been rumored for a few weeks, today the Canadian government officially announced there will be a travel exemption for the team that comes out of the North Division and their opponent. The agreement comes with some strict protocols that will limit all interaction with the general public, but at least allows the North champs to host playoff games at their home rink.

While it was a busy week on the ice with the second round mostly being set, it was a bit quieter off of it although there were still some notable reports which help comprise the top stories.

Rask, Bruins Table Extension Talks: While there is certainly an expectation that Boston and goaltender Tuukka Rask will get a new deal done, it won’t be happening during the playoffs as the two sides agreed to put those talks on hold until their postseason run comes to an end.  The 34-year-old has been a regular in Boston’s goalie tandem since 2009, making over 650 career appearances between the regular season and the playoffs.  While Jeremy Swayman looks like he’ll be part of their long-term plans between the pipes, there is definitely a spot to bring Rask back though it will likely need to come at a dip in pay from his $7MM AAV.

Flames Listening To Offers For Monahan: With Calgary missing the playoffs this season and the fact the only playoff round they’ve won over the past six years was the Qualifying Round in the bubble, there is an expectation of change for the Flames.  To that end, a report surfaced that the team is listening to offers for center Sean Monahan.  After an 82-point season in 2018-19, Monahan’s numbers have dropped significantly (and not just because the years were shortened due to the pandemic as his per-game rates were near the lowest of his career) but the 26-year-old would definitely be an intriguing addition as a change of scenery candidate.  Monahan has two years left on his contract and with impact centers to come by, there should be considerable interest despite the recent struggles.

Jones Won’t Sign Extension: While the Blue Jackets got an answer from Seth Jones, it wasn’t the one they were hoping for as the defenseman has declined to engage in extension talks with a preference to test unrestricted free agency next summer.  The 26-year-old has been a fixture on the back end in Columbus for the past six years, logging nearly 25 minutes per game along the way.  As we saw last fall, even in this market, top-pairing defenders are going to command a sizable contract which means Jones will be in line for a sizable raise on his current $5.4MM AAV.  Meanwhile, GM Jarmo Kekalainen may be a bit hesitant to risk losing Jones for nothing a year from now so as a result of this news, his name has already come up in trade speculation.

Breakdown In Talks For Nugent-Hopkins: After a decade with Edmonton following his first-overall selection in 2011, it has been widely suggested that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would find a way to work out an extension with the Oilers.  However, talks have apparently broken down between the team and the pending unrestricted free agent.  The 28-year-old has been on a relatively team-friendly $6MM contract for the last seven years and even in this cap environment, a small raise doesn’t seem to be too unrealistic, especially since he can play down the middle (although he has been on the left wing more in recent years).  Free agency is still nearly two months away so there is still time to get discussions back on track but all of a sudden, the odds of him hitting the open market are much higher than what they would have been not long ago.

Nygard Heads Home: The other news out of Edmonton involved another pending UFA winger Joakim Nygard.  Rather than try to catch on as a role player with another NHL team, the 28-year-old opted to go home, signing a six-year deal with Farjestad of the SHL, the longest contract in team history.  Nygard was an intriguing free agent pickup back in 2019 with his speed making him a possible threat on the wing but it didn’t materialize to much in the way of production as he managed just nine points in 42 games.  Nevertheless, a six-year deal to go back home is a nice consolation prize after struggling in the NHL.

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While the intensity was picking up on the ice as the rest of the series in the first round got underway, there was plenty of action off of it as well (including lottery odds) which is captured in our top stories of the week.

Blashill Stays: There was some uncertainty regarding Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill’s future with the team but that was put to rest relatively quickly with the team announcing that they handed their bench boss a contract extension.  The length of the deal was not disclosed.  Blashill is the third-longest tenured head coach in the NHL after being promoted to run Detroit’s bench back in 2015 but their record under his tutelage hasn’t been particularly strong with a 172-221-62 record.  While it’s true that the team has been rebuilding for a lot of that stretch, they’ve still underachieved.  However, GM Steve Yzerman clearly believes in the 47-year-old and has given him a vote of confidence with this contract.

Green Stays Too: It took a lot longer than it should have considering the mutual willingness for a new deal to get done but the Canucks and Travis Green were able to agree on a two-year deal.  While Vancouver disappointed this season, more fingers seemed to be pointed at GM Jim Benning who was also informed he’d be retained.  Green has led the team to a 122-129-31 record, a mark that isn’t particularly strong but there is certainly some hope for the future with an improving young core (two of which will be needing new deals this summer in Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson).

Eight For Kadri: Avalanche center Nazem Kadri played his way out of Toronto with some untimely incidents that led to suspensions.  He had managed to avoid any disciplinary action with Colorado, that is, until this past week.  Following a high hit on St. Louis defenseman Justin Faulk, Kadri received a match penalty at the time that was soon followed up by an eight-game suspension, ending his series with some carryover time beyond that.  It’s the sixth suspension of his career and the third in the playoffs but it was also the first time that it was long enough to ask for an appeal to a neutral discipline arbitrator.  After taking a couple of days to think about it, Kadri has decided to exercise that right and has appealed the ruling.

Davidson Returns: Following his rather surprising dismissal from the Rangers, John Davidson wasn’t out of a job for long.  He’s heading back to where he was before joining New York as the Blue Jackets re-hired him as their team president of hockey operations and alternate governor while giving him a five-year contract.  At the same time, Columbus also gave GM Jarmo Kekalainen a two-year extension that runs through the 2024-25 campaign.  Only two years removed from being in that post with the Blue Jackets, Davidson returns to the market with a good understanding of the team that’s in place now and what moves need to be made to get them back into playoff contention.

Tavares Injury: While the start of the playoffs provides no shortage of excitement, it also provided a gut-wrenching moment when Maple Leafs captain John Tavares had to be stretchered off the ice in the opening period of the first game of their series against Montreal.  After an awkward collision with Ben Chiarot (that caused an MCL sprain) that left him on the ice in a vulnerable position, Canadiens winger Corey Perry was unable to get out of the way and wound up kneeing him in the head, leaving the center visibly shaken up.  He stayed overnight in the hospital before being discharged.  There was no structural damage to his head, neck, and spine but he will be out indefinitely with his concussion.

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For the second straight week, a front office decision from the Rangers made headlines.  That wasn’t the only news from New York that is part of the key stories of the week.

Eichel’s Situation: This season was a tough one for Buffalo’s Jack Eichel both on and off the ice.  On the ice, he underachieved, scoring just twice in 21 games although he did manage 16 assists.  Off the ice, injuries were an issue and he conveyed his frustration with how the Sabres won’t let him undergo a new surgery that he wants to fix his neck injury, one that hasn’t been done on an NHL player before.  At a time where GM Kevyn Adams acknowledged that some players acknowledged they’re “open to anything” when it comes to where they play next season, many wonder if Eichel is among those on that list.  In our poll of where he’ll play next season, only 16% of voters believe he’ll be in Buffalo.

AHL Playoff Concerns: When it was announced that only one of the divisions in the AHL would be conducting some sort of playoffs, it was already a little intriguing.  Then came the recent news that more than 94% of the players in that division voted against playing as the Pacific Division title is a far cry from being crowned Calder Cup champions, nor does it provide them with an opportunity to make any sort of playoff bonus money.  Of the seven teams in that division, three of them (Henderson, Bakersfield, and Colorado) have their NHL affiliates in the playoffs so those teams won’t be able to bring up their extra reserves until this tournament ends which could be as late as May 29.

Quinn Fired: Another week, another notable change off the ice for the Rangers.  New GM Chris Drury didn’t waste much time making a decision on his coaching staff as he fired head coach David Quinn as well as assistants David Oliver, Greg Brown, and Jacques Martin.  Quinn spent three years behind the bench in New York with the team posting a 96-87-25 record over that span.  However, their only playoff appearance in that span was a sweep at the hands of Carolina in the Qualifying Round last summer in the bubble and it appears there will now be a more pronounced push to try to win now.  Drury has already interviewed one candidate as Gerard Gallant met with him before heading off to Latvia where he will coach Canada at the upcoming World Championships.

Lindgren Extension: There was some notable on-ice news for the Rangers as well as they worked out a three-year, $9MM contract extension with defenseman Ryan Lindgren.  The deal pays $2MM next season, $3MM in 2022-23, and $4MM in 2023-24, meaning his required qualifying offer will be $3.6MM in the 2024 offseason (the lower of 120% of the qualifying offer or the final-season salary).  The 23-year-old has become a quality stay-at-home blueliner for New York while bringing some physicality to the table as well.  This season, he had a goal and 15 assists in 51 games along with 98 hits while averaging 20 minutes a night.  Getting a top-four defender signed for that price tag has the potential to be a bargain if Lindgren continues to improve.

Borgstrom Signs: Prior to the trade deadline, the Blackhawks and Panthers made a deal with Chicago taking on Brett Connolly’s contract from Florida.  In the return was center Henrik Borgstrom, a 2016 first-round pick that hadn’t panned out with the Panthers and opted to go overseas instead of re-signing with them last offseason.  He had a good season with HIFK in Finland with 21 points in 30 games which was enough to earn him a deal with his new team as Chicago signed him to a two-year, $2MM contract.  The Blackhawks have done well in recent years identifying international players who can contribute in North America – recent impactful adds include Dominik Kubalik, Pius Suter, and Philipp Kurashev and they clearly believe that Borgstrom will be able to follow suit.

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The end of the regular season has arrived, at least for some teams and the coaching carousel is already underway.  However, that news still paled in comparison to the biggest controversy of the week which gets plenty of coverage in our key stories.

Rangers-Capitals: Let’s start with the big one.  Capitals winger Tom Wilson was involved in a pair of incidents of note, one with Pavel Buchnevich which only drew a $5K fine, the max allowable in the CBA.  However, a scrum in which he tossed Artemi Panarin who jumped in to protect his teammate, went without discipline which drew plenty of opinions from those who agreed and disagreed vehemently with that decision.  New York left no doubt as to where they stood on the matter, issuing a statement expressing their disappointment with the lack of discipline on the Panarin situation, noting that the winger’s season came to an end as a result of the incident.  However, the biggest story was that they called for the removal of George Parros as the head of Player Safety, calling the inaction a dereliction of duty.  Not surprisingly, that earned them a $250K fine.

It didn’t stop there, however.  The two sides met up just two days later and decided to take out their frustrations on each other.  There were six fights in the first five minutes and 100 penalty minutes in the opening period.  Six misconducts were handed out in the game with Buchnevich picking up one of them along with a major penalty, earning him a one-game suspension in the process.

Gorton And Davidson Out: In somewhat of a surprising move, the Rangers fired GM Jeff Gorton and team president John Davidson, naming Chris Drury as the successor in both roles.  Gorton had been shepherding the team through their rebuild following their letter three years ago that said they would be rebuilding the core.  Since then, they had brought in several players that are expected to be part of the next young core while landing Panarin in free agency.  Davidson, meanwhile, joined the team less than two years ago, leaving the same role with Columbus to return ‘home’ to a city where he spent the final eight years of his playing career not to mention extended time as a broadcaster.  The fact that Drury is the replacement should come as no surprise.  He eschewed opportunities to interview elsewhere in recent years with the team creating an Associate GM position back in February to elevate his responsibilities and salary.  He’ll now be tasked with finishing off the rebuild and getting the Rangers back to playoff contention.

Tortorella Leaves Columbus: In a move that shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, the Blue Jackets and head coach John Tortorella agreed to mutually part ways.  The 62-year-old was at the helm in Columbus for the last six seasons, leading the team to a .568 point percentage along the way while winning the Jack Adams Award as the coach of the year back in 2016-17.  He also helped lead them to a playoff series victory in 2019 and while that may not seem like much, it’s the only one they’ve had in franchise history if you don’t count the play-in victory over Toronto last year as a true playoff winS.  However, his combative style hasn’t always sat well with players and there has been a considerable talent drain in recent years as top free agents have headed elsewhere and some have suggested Tortorella could be part of the season.  Top center Pierre-Luc Dubois demanded a trade earlier this season and Patrik Laine, the key part of the return, had a tough time under Tortorella.  The team won just 18 games this season and will now be on the lookout for a new bench boss.

Forsberg Extension: It wasn’t just doom and gloom over the past seven days.  A nice story in Ottawa emerged when they gave goalie Anton Forsberg a one-year, $900K contract extension.  That alone doesn’t tell the tale though.  He originally started out as Edmonton’s intended third-stringer before being claimed off waivers by Carolina, Winnipeg, and eventually Ottawa in mid-March before he had even played a game.  He has spent more time in quarantine than on the ice this year but did enough in seven appearances to earn some stability for next year and a $200K raise for good measure.  As the old adage goes, good things come to those who wait.  Forsberg had to wait a while before he could even play a game but his patience was rewarded.

Coyotes Make A Change: Tortorella isn’t the only coach looking for his next opportunity as Rick Tocchet is out as head coach in Arizona after four seasons in the desert.  He helped lead them to a .490 point percentage over that span and didn’t have a lot of postseason success with the team making it just once.  While they took out Nashville on the back of Darcy Kuemper in the Qualifying Round last summer, they were quickly dispatched by Colorado after that.  The Coyotes have had trouble scoring throughout Tocchet’s tenure and GM Bill Armstrong will likely be looking for a replacement that can help get the most out of their forward group headed by Clayton Keller and Phil Kessel.

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The calendar has flipped from April to May with last month ending on a high note with the rest of their TV deal finalized and while this month started on a concerning one following some allegations regarding Vancouver’s Jake Virtanen.  Meanwhile, there was some other notable news around the league which are covered in our key stories.

Seattle Joins The League: While we’ve been talking about Seattle becoming the 32nd team for the better part of two years now, their entry to the league was contingent on the full payment of their $650MM expansion fee.  The final instalment has been received and they have now officially become the 32nd NHL franchise.  While that means that they’ll be able to take part in the draft lottery and expansion draft, in the nearer term, it also allows them to begin signing free agents right away.  While NHL players won’t hit the open market until closer to the end of July, college and international free agents are still available and can sign which would help the Kraken built up their prospect pool.

Drouin Takes Leave: After missing the previous three games with what had been listed as an illness, the Canadiens transferred winger Jonathan Drouin to LTIR while granting an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons.  It has been a tough season for the 26-year-old who has scored just twice in 44 games and some time away from the rink will hopefully help his situation.  With the placement being retroactive to his last game played, Drouin technically is eligible to return late in the regular season but obviously there is plenty of uncertainty with his situation with the team asking everyone to respect his privacy at this time.

Miller To Retire: Ducks goaltender Ryan Miller has decided to call it a career, announcing that he will retire at the end of the season.  The 40-year-old has spent parts of 18 seasons in the NHL, predominantly with Buffalo and has been Anaheim’s backup for the last four seasons.  His expected final NHL start came on Saturday and it was a good one as he allowed just two goals on 25 shots in a 6-2 victory over the Kings.  Assuming that he doesn’t see any more game action, he’ll hang up his skates with 391 career victories, the most of any American-born player in NHL history while posting a .914 SV% along with 44 shutouts over 795 appearances.

Roy Wants To Return: Patrick Roy has been out of the NHL since his abrupt resignation from Colorado as their head coach back in 2016 but it appears he is interested in trying his hand at the top level once again.  Roy has signed with Neal Glasberg of PBI Sports & Entertainment with an intention of returning to the NHL as either a coach or GM.  While he has no front office experience in the NHL, he has been the GM of the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL for 13 years over two separate stints (while serving as their head coach for most of those).  With what happened with the Avalanche though, it will be interesting to see if that winds up affecting potential interest in him as vacancies open up over the next few weeks.

Shaw Ends Playing Career: Blackhawks winger Andrew Shaw has battled frequent concussions in recent years and decided that it’s time to hang up his skates as he announced the end of his playing career.  Technically, while he has effectively retired, he still has another year left on his contract so he will land on LTIR again next season alongside Brent Seabrook.  Shaw finishes up his playing days with 247 points (116 goals and 131 assists) in 544 career NHL games between Chicago and Montreal and a pair of Stanley Cup rings with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015.

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It was a quieter week around the hockey world with some COVID-related cancellations garnering plenty of attention.  Those can be found among the top stories from the past seven days.

Hartman Extension: Wild winger Ryan Hartman decided to avoid the risk of being non-tendered this offseason, instead inking a three-year, $5.1MM contract extension.  The deal represents a $200K pay cut compared to his current contract but gives him some job security at a time where teams are expected to be more hesitant than usual to qualify role players that have arbitration eligibility.  As someone who has been in that situation before, getting a three-year deal – his longest since his entry-level pact – is something he’ll definitely appreciate.  The 26-year-old is logging nearly 15 minutes a night this season, a career-best.

Cancellations: Last week was somewhat reminiscent of a year ago when leagues and tournaments started shutting down.  This was the case at the junior level on two different fronts as the WHL revealed that they will not hold any playoffs, a decision that will allow NHL-contracted players to be recalled once their regular season comes to an end.  Meanwhile, the OHL announced that their season will not even get underway let alone hold a postseason as COVID-19 case numbers in Ontario have risen quickly in recent weeks.  That means that players that are in the minors because that league wasn’t underway means that they’ll be able to remain there for the rest of the season.  On the international front, the Women’s World Hockey Championships were abruptly cancelled as a result of an escalating COVID-19 caseload in Nova Scotia.  However, there are other cities that have shown an interest in trying to hold the event later in the summer, providing some hope that the tournament will get another shot.

Marleau Sets The Record: All records are supposed to be meant to be broken but some have stood the test of time without an expectation of being broken.  The all-time games played mark was one of those that could be classified as unlikely to be reached but Sharks forward Patrick Marleau has set the new benchmark when he played in his 1,768th career regular season game, breaking the previous record held by Gordie Howe.  The 41-year-old is in his 23rd career NHL season, three fewer than Howe who suited up in 26 NHL campaigns (plus six more in the WHA).  Marleau is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July and will have to decide if he wants to continue to add to his record or retire with his name now atop the record book.

Injuries In Detroit: It has been a tough few days on the injury front for Detroit.  Already without Bobby Ryan for the rest of the season and Robby Fabbri who has been out for three weeks, Tyler Bertuzzi and Frans Nielsen were then ruled out for the rest of the season.  Captain Dylan Larkin was then ruled out for the rest of the year, giving them five forwards on the shelf.  Long out of the playoff picture, head coach Jeff Blashill will have an opportunity to evaluate some younger players and those on the fringes of the roster down the stretch.

Jaskin Eyeing NHL Return: With KHL contracts expiring this coming Friday, there should be some players signing NHL contracts soon after.  One of those could be winger Dmitrij Jaskin whose agent Allain Roy confirmed that the 28-year-old is looking to return to the NHL for next season.  While he was more of a physical energy player in his first stint in North America, Jaskin’s offensive abilities have come to light back at home with 69 goals and 54 assists in 117 games with Dynamo Moscow which should help generate some more interest in his services.  Arizona is known to be one of the teams talking to Roy about a deal for Jaskin for next season.

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The trade deadline has come and gone and while it wasn’t as busy as some had hoped for, some notable players changed teams.  Unsurprisingly, those moves dominate the top stories of the week but the full deadline recaps can also be found below:

East Division
West Division
Central Division
North Division

Mantha To Washington: With Anthony Mantha having a tough season and three years left on his contract, he wasn’t viewed as a likely candidate to be dealt.  Instead, just before the deadline hit, Detroit struck a deal to send the winger to Washington in exchange for Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, plus first and second-round picks.  One of those selections likely was included to get the Red Wings to take the remaining two years of Panik’s deal after he cleared waivers.  Mantha and Vrana have had similar production over the past few years but Mantha’s size and upside are definitely intriguing and he has made quite the first impression, scoring in each of his first four games.  Meanwhile, our readers certainly like the trade for Detroit with over 79% giving them an A grade in our poll.

Extensions: A pair of potential trade candidates were taken off the market on Monday.  First, the Kings reached a four-year, $16MM extension with Alex Iafallo.  The undrafted college free agent has worked his way onto the top line in Los Angeles and a top-liner for a $4MM AAV is decent value.  Less than an hour later, the Flyers agreed to a five-year, $15MM deal with Scott Laughton.  The 26-year-old has spent his entire NHL career – spanning parts of eight seasons – with the Flyers and while he isn’t a significant offensive producer, he plays a strong all-around game, becoming a useful part of their core in the process.  Later in the week, likely using Laughton’s pact as a template, the Jets then inked Adam Lowry to a five-year, $16.25MM contract.  The gritty center was going to be one of the more intriguing pivots on the open market this summer but instead will stick it out in Winnipeg where he has become an integral part of their third line.

Hall To Boston: Taylor Hall had been viewed as a prominent rental that was going to be on the move at the deadline basically from the moment he signed with Buffalo.  While he has had a rough season and had just two goals with the Sabres and an $8MM price tag, there were several teams interested in his services.  However, Hall was able to leverage his no-move clause to go to his preferred destination in Boston, being traded there along with Curtis Lazar for Anders Bjork and a second-round pick with Buffalo retaining half of Hall’s salary.  Hall should give the Bruins an upgraded second line down the stretch if he does well and he’s off to a good start with two goals and an assist in four games.  Meanwhile, the rebuild in Buffalo continues with the Sabres hoping that a change of scenery can unlock some of Bjork’s potential.

More COVID Issues: The ongoing pandemic claimed some more games on the schedule as Colorado had three of their games postponed after Philipp Grubauer, Joonas Donskoi, and Bowen Byram landed on the CPRA list.  For the time being, the plan is for them to resume skating on Wednesday and their missed contests have yet to be rescheduled.  Meanwhile, Vancouver’s return was also briefly delayed following some concerns being voiced by J.T. Miller; instead of starting on Friday, they resumed play on Sunday.  That resulted in more than a dozen changes to the North Division schedule including the regular season for that division being extended to May 19th.

Carter To Pittsburgh: Another player that wasn’t expected to be on the move was Jeff Carter.  He had spent parts of ten years in Los Angeles and with another year left on his deal at more than $5.2MM, there wasn’t expected to be much trade interest.  However, the Penguins were able to get a deal done and get him to waive his no-trade protection, acquiring the 36-year-old for a pair of conditional draft picks, a 2022 third-rounder and a 2023 fourth-rounder.  The first pick can upgrade a round if Pittsburgh makes the Stanley Cup Final this season with Carter playing in half of their playoff games while the second will upgrade by a round if he plays 50 games next season.  Carter gives Pittsburgh some needed depth down the middle and was a big part of two Cup-winning teams with the Kings.

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