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Snapshots: Murray, PHF, Johnson

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The Calgary Flames have hired former Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray as a scout, according to Eric Francis of Sportsnet. The long-time executive resigned his position with the Ducks a day after the team put him on administrative leave while an investigation was conducted into improper professional conduct. When he resigned, he indicated that he was entering an alcohol abuse program. Anaheim has since conducted and completed a search to fill the vacant GM position, hiring Pat Verbeek earlier this month.

According to Eric Stephens of The Athletic, Murray attended the Ducks’ recent game against the San Jose Sharks in a scouting capacity for the Flames. Murray and Flames head coach Darryl Sutter played together with the Chicago Blackhawks and have been connected several times since, most recently when Sutter was hired by the Ducks in 2019 as a coaching advisor.

  • The PHF has tweaked some salary cap and roster rules as they head into the last part of their season, allowing teams to sign up to two new players from other professional leagues, spend over the salary cap, hold an extra skater on the roster, and dress an extra skater for each game. The league is set to more than double the salary cap for next season, after securing huge private investments earlier this year. In a statement, commissioner Tyler Tumminia–who will be moving on from the PHF after the 2022 Isobel Cup playoffs–used the words “attracting world class talent” in regards to this new rule tweak. That could indicate teams are going to target players from the PWHPA, which still includes many of the best women’s hockey players in the world.
  • Tyler Johnson appears to be ready to return to action in the coming days, as Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago notes that the injured forward is practicing on the first powerplay unit at practice. Should he make his return on Friday as Roumeliotis suggests, it would mean a recovery period even shorter than Jack Eichel’s, who had the same artificial disk replacement surgery. Johnson last played for the Blackhawks on October 29 and underwent the procedure on December 3.

Snapshots: AHL, PWHPA, Simmonds

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The Utica Comets have had their Friday matchup against the Rochester Americans has been postponed due to COVID protocols, with a make-up date not yet announced. The Americans have been dealing with their own COVID outbreak, but this postponement is apparently due to protocols affecting the Comets.  Rochester hasn’t played since March 10 and is now postponed until at least March 24, their next scheduled game against Utica.

It’s not just those two teams facing a developing situation either. The Grand Rapids Griffins and Chicago Wolves have also had their matchup for tomorrow postponed, though in the release there is some optimism it can be rescheduled soon. In this unique, irregular schedule, minor league players are certainly not experiencing the same kind of grind a normal AHL season entails.

  • The PWHPA has formed a partnership with another NHL team, this time linking up with the St. Louis Blues to play a showcase at the Enterprise Center on April 12. The tour had already partnered with the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs previously and have announced this showcase in St. Louis will be the last one before players go to international camps for the women’s World Championships in May. The event will also include a game at the Centene Community Ice Center on April 11.
  • Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed that Wayne Simmonds’ return from a broken wrist is “imminent” though wouldn’t commit to playing him tomorrow night against the Calgary Flames. Simmonds’ return should have an impact on the trade deadline as the Maple Leafs have been very open about their desire to add a forward down the stretch. When ready, the team will need to activate Simmonds from long-term injured reserve and add his $1.5MM cap hit back to the roster. That move will further complicate an already tight cap situation in Toronto that will make any deadline moves difficult and may force them to send money out at the same time.

NWHL Suspends Remainder Of Season

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March 8: There’s a reason why the league never used the word canceled. The NWHL will complete its 2021 season later this month at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, Massachusetts. On March 26-27, four teams will compete for the Isobel Cup championship, with the games broadcast on NBCSN. No fans will be in attendance. The Toronto Six take on the Boston Pride in the first semi-final, while the Minnesota Whitecaps will take on the Connecticut Whale in the second.

Feb 3: The NWHL had already seen two teams remove themselves from competition at their Lake Placid bubble and now, thanks to more positive COVID-19 test results, the entire league has decided to suspend the remainder of the 2021 season. There had been several outbreaks that left really no choice but to shut things down, an unfortunate result just before the playoffs were going to be aired on NBC Sports in the coming days.

The Toronto Six, Buffalo Beauts, Boston Pride, and Minnesota Whitecaps were scheduled to play in the semi-final round on Thursday, while the winners would play the Isobel Cup final on Friday.

As Marisa Ingemi of NBC writes, there had been additional players brought into the “bubble” over the last few days, sparking some controversy over how secure the health protocols actually were. Two teams, the Connecticut Whale and Metropolitan Riveters, who shared a hotel (along with the Whitecaps), had already pulled themselves from the competition.

Greg Wyshynski of ESPN tweets that internally, the NWHL hopes that the streaming numbers and “unprecedented mainstream interest” can still result in some positives being drawn from the tournament, but notes it is now a “critical time” as the league changes staff.

The PWHPA on the other hand, another professional women’s hockey organization that has at times been rivals with the NWHL, announced some encouraging news today instead. The New York Rangers and Madison Square Garden will host the Dream Gap Tour on February 28, claiming the first time that professional women’s hockey will be played in the arena.

League Notes: Bettman, Draft, PWHPA

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Canceling the 2019-20 NHL season without awarding the Stanley Cup is not something commissioner Gary Bettman is “even considering” according to Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Bettman was confident in his answers that this season would be completed at some point, even if it does appear more and more likely that any resumption of play would move directly into a playoff.

Other reports have emerged, like the one from Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now, indicating that Arizona could be a hub to host playoff games at some point. That comes after the state’s governor announced that major league sports will be able to operate after Friday, May 15th. That very clearly does not mean that the NHL will be jumping back onto the ice in Arizona this weekend, but it does mean there may be a path forward for the state to host some games in the future—especially considering Bettman’s confidence that the season will resume.

  • As for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, deputy commissioner Bill Daly had his own update. Daly told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) that they will likely have some news to announce next week on when the draft will be held. A June draft before the completion of the season, which at one point seemed inevitable, has lost momentum recently but is still an option for the league. Of course, the draft will be virtual and is not expected to be held in Montreal as originally planned.
  • Though not exactly a league, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association has announced some changes in its own structure for the upcoming season. After spending a year touring the continent playing showcase tournaments, the PWHPA will now focus on five regional training hubs for their members based in Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, New Hampshire and Minnesota. There will now be try-outs for each training group (which will consist of 25 players) and they will be provided with additional resources.

NHL Announces All-Star Rosters For Women’s 3-On-3 Competition

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The NHL All-Star Weekend will have several new events this year, including the Elite Women’s 3-on-3 competition. 20 of the top players will face off in a game on the first day of the weekend, reigniting the Canada-USA rivalry that has existed since the women’s hockey scene began. This follows the last several years where players like Kendall Coyne Schofield, Hilary Knight and Brianna Decker took part in the festivities, with the former even being an official competitor in last year’s fastest skater event.

The full rosters are as follows:

Team USA:

F Alex Carpenter
F Kendall Coyne Schofield
F Brianna Decker
F Amanda Kessel
F Hilary Knight
F Jocelyne Lamoureaux-Davidson
F Annie Pankowski
D Kacey Bellamy
D Lee Stecklein
G Alex Cavallini

Team Canada:

F Meghan Agosta
F Melodie Daoust
F Rebecca Johnston
F Sarah Nurse
F Marie-Philip Poulin
F Natalie Spooner
F Blayre Turnbull
D Renata Fast
D Laura Fortino
G Ann-Renee Desbiens

The game will be on January 24th, broadcast on NBC in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada.

All-Star Notes: Vasilevskiy, Letang, PWHPA

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The NHL has announced that Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy will replace Tuukka Rask at the upcoming All-Star Game, though no reason was given for why the Boston Bruins netminder will miss the game. If Rask isn’t injured and doesn’t have a league-accepted excuse for missing the game, he would be subject to a one-game suspension.

Vasilevskiy joins Frederik Andersen as the goaltenders for the Atlantic Division after recently going on an incredible run. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has won his last eight appearances, posting a .946 save percentage in those games. Even more recent were back-to-back shutouts last week that earned him first star honors from the league.

  • In the absence of Alex Ovechkin, who informed the league that he will not be attending the All-Star festivities, Kris Letang has been named captain of the Metropolitan team. Letang was not even originally named to the team, but added when the Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh’s original selection, suffered a season-ending injury.
  • The All-Star competitions will not only feature NHL players this season, as members of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association will also take part in a 3-on-3 game during the first day of the event. Hailey Salvian of The Athletic (subscription required) reports the latest details on the game, which is expected to only include players from the PWHPA, a group currently boycotting the NWHL and showcasing their talent in the “Dream Gap Tour.” Members including Hilary Knight, Kendall Coyne-Schofield and Brianna Decker have been included at the All-Star festivities in the past—with Coyne-Schofield even being an official competitor in the fastest skater event last year.

Morning Notes: Krug, Coyne-Schofield, Horvat

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The Boston Bruins have two defensemen still unsigned in Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy, so Torey Krug’s contract negotiations haven’t even started yet. That’s what the veteran defenseman told media including Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press, explaining that though he hasn’t had any talks with the Bruins about extending his contract—which is scheduled to expire after the 2019-20 season—he can understand why as they try to get his teammates back in time for training camp.

Krug will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if an extension isn’t worked out, and likely among the most sought-after names on the open market. The 28-year old is coming off three consecutive seasons in which he has recorded at least 51 points, including an incredible 53 in just 64 games last year. Krug could also have been in the running for the Conn Smythe trophy had the Bruins taken home the Stanley Cup, after posting 18 points in 24 postseason games. Though he has been involved in constant trade speculation for the last several seasons, Krug may carry even more importance on the Boston blueline to start the season if either Carlo or McAvoy (or both) miss time.

  • Kendall Coyne-Schofield will join the San Jose Sharks broadcast team as a color analyst for select games this season, as she continues her boycott of the professional women’s hockey leagues. Coyne-Schofield, who gained increased public exposure when she took part in the NHL All-Star Fastest Skater competition last season, was part of a group of more than 200+ women who decided to announce a boycott in May to further their pursuit of increased resources for the women’s game. The PWHPA, formed soon after, will be putting on a showcase of the top talent this fall, but Coyne-Schofield will not be taking part in the Toronto stop on September 21.
  • Bo Horvat is ready to take on the captaincy of the Vancouver Canucks, if the team decides to give it to him. Horvat told media including Frank Seravalli of TSN that he would welcome the honor and that it “would change the type of player [he] wants to be.” Horvat was dubbed a potential future captain from the moment he hit the ice for the first time with the Canucks in 2014, and has developed into an extremely important part of their lineup. The 24-year old center is coming off his best season as a professional, in which he scored 27 goals and 61 points in 82 games.

Snapshots: PWHPA, Barbashev, Hoglander

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In May, some of the top women’s hockey players in the world announced the formation of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association in their ongoing fight for more resources and support for their sport. The same way that the NHLPA protects players’ rights and fights for larger pieces of the financial pie, the PWHPA was meant as a “a vehicle dedicated to promoting and supporting the creation of a single, viable women’s professional league in North America.”

Today, the PWHPA has announced that Jayna Hefford has been named operations consultant, essentially taking over leadership of the union. The legendary women’s hockey star has been at the forefront of the sport both on the ice and as a former commissioner of the CWHL before it’s dissolution recently. Hefford is one of the most decorated Canadian hockey players of all-time, taking home four Olympic and seven World Championship gold medals over her career. She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.

  • The St. Louis Blues still have some unfinished business this summer with unsigned restricted free agent Ivan Barbashev. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express passes on a report out of Russia that has Barbashev looking for a two-year, $4MM deal with the Blues, while the team has offered just a two-year, $2.6MM contract. A report recently had Barbashev looking at his overseas options, though no decision has been made at this point.
  • Nils Hoglander will spend another season in Sweden according to Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet, who reports that the Vancouver Canucks discussed a contract with the young prospect but won’t sign him this offseason. The 18-year old forward was selected with the 40th pick of the 2019 draft and can continue to develop in the SHL in 2019-20.

Snapshots: Free Agency, Nash, PWHPA

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Free agency is just around the corner and speculation has already begun regarding the landing spots of some top talent. Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) released his early list of the top 20 unrestricted free agents, and Artemi Panarin’s name lands on top with little surprise. The Columbus Blue Jackets’ superstar is expected to have many suitors this offseason, but Custance and others have suggested there may be a deal coming earlier than July 1.

The scribe writes that “it would be a bit surprising” if Panarin makes it that far, instead examining a potential sign-and-trade scenario in order to secure an eight-year contract. That would get Columbus some assets back, though given the lack of historical precedent it is not clear how valuable a move like that would be. Once again Panarin is linked to former head coach Joel Quenneville, who is now with the Florida Panthers.

  • Rick Nash may not be playing professional hockey anymore, but that doesn’t mean he’s completely given up the game. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) details how Nash has been shadowing Blue Jackets’ GM Jarmo Kekalainen for some time, including attending the current IIHF World Championship. Nash will also attend the NHL Entry Draft with the Columbus contingent, though there is no official word on what his role with the organization will be moving forward. The former star forward was forced to retire due to health concerns stemming from several concussions over his long career.
  • Kendall Coyne Schofield, Hilary Knight, Marie-Philip Poulin and many other players have announced the formation of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association. The organization “will serve as a vehicle dedicated to promoting and supporting the creation of a single, viable women’s professional league in North America.” Earlier this year more than 200 top players announced a boycott of the NWHL and other leagues for this season, as they seek a more financially sustainable league that can provide the resources required for them to play at a high level.

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