Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Lightning Rumors

Barzal, Boeser, Keller Nominated For Calder Trophy

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The NHL released the names of the 2018 Calder Trophy nominees as the New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal, Vancouver Canucks’ Brock Boeser and the Arizona Coyotes’ Clayton Keller were named as the league’s top rookies. The award will be voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association with the winners to be announced on June 20 in Las Vegas.

In a year in which there were a large amount of talented rookies, several good players didn’t get nominated, including the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Yanni Gourde, Boston Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy, New Jersey Devils’ Nico Hischier, Chicago Blackhawks’ Alex DeBrincat and Winnipeg Jets’ Kyle Connor.

Barzal is the likely hands down winner after putting up a great rookie year with 22 goals and 83 points, centering the Islanders’ second line for most of the season. He was the only rookie to average more than a point per game (1.04) and had three five-point performances throughout the season. His emergence could lessen the blow if teammate John Tavares opts to leave via free agency as Barzal could easily take over as the team’s franchise player.

Boeser’s chances are slimmer after only playing in 62 games when he was lost for the season with a back injury. However, in that time, he put up 29 goals, 55 points and was named MVP of the 2018 All-Star Game. He should be a constant presence along with Bo Horvat with the young core of forwards that are coming in as the team’s rebuilding project begins to come to fruition.

Keller led all rookies in ice time (18:05) and put up 23 goals and 42 assists in his freshman campaign and also led the team in goals, assists and points. He provides the franchise with another core piece as the Coyotes begin to build their team back to contending status.

NBC Sports’ Sean Leahy was the first to report the news.

Miller And Lightning Have Been A Perfect Match

at CDT | by 4 Comments

  • J.T. Miller is thriving with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the former Ranger has been a key part in Tampa’s first round success writes Newsday’s Colin Stephenson. With four points in five games, Stephenson reports that being on a line with Steven Stamkos certainly helps his performance, but it’s Miller’s grit and tenacity that has made him so valuable on a team loaded with skill. Whether it’s his work on the ice leading to goals, like his screen of Cory Schneider during Nikita Kucherov’s goal, or his knack to win crucial faceoffs (currently 56% through five games), he’s a guy, according to Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper, who “can make plays.”
  • Emily Kaplan of ESPN (Insider Subscription needed) offers a post-mortem of the Devils season and writes that the team has to add some defensive depth as it was a glaring need during the five game loss to the Lightning. She writes that both Sami Vatanen and Will Butcher are great building blocks for a strong defensive corps, but “reinforcements” are needed to get the Devils back into the playoffs and beyond. She also touches on predictions for next season, and what the Devils should do concerning Patrick Maroon and Michael Grabner.

Michael Bournival Signs One-Year Extension With Tampa Bay Lightning

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Tampa Bay Lightning are having a busy day. After signing another prospect just an hour ago, the team announced a one-year, two-way contract extension for Michael Bournival. Bournival was set to become a restricted free agent this summer. No financial details have been released.

Bournival, 25, has been a huge part of the Syracuse Crunch lineup this season, recording 34 points in 57 games and playing a key role as a defensive presence up front. Selected in the third round by Colorado eight years ago, he’s never been able to really establish himself at the NHL level but can be a solid short-term injury replacement. He does have 113 games under his belt, with 22 NHL points.

For the Lightning, signing players like Bournival is key to maintaining their depth at both the NHL and AHL levels. Having players that can be relied upon to reasonably fill in should injuries arise, and take some of the burden off their young call-ups is important for a team with annual Stanley Cup aspirations. Bournival played five games for them this season, and will likely see at least a few games again next year.

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Otto Somppi To Entry-Level Contract

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Watch out NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning have signed another talented late-round pick. Today, the team announced a three-year entry-level contract for Otto Somppi, signing him ahead of the June 1st deadline. Somppi’s Halifax Mooseheads were eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs earlier this month, likely ending his junior career.

Selected in the seventh round in 2016, Somppi broke out this season in a more offensive role, scoring 83 points in 59 games for the Mooseheads. Known for his incredible hands—and semi-regular lacrosse-style plays—the 20-year old Finnish forward has many things teams look for in young prospects. A good defensive mind, if a little weak on his stick at times, Somppi can play a solid two-way game and contribute at both center and the wing. That versatility will come in handy as he tries to carve out a role for himself at the next level.

Tampa Bay has continued to develop a pipeline of talent in their minor league system, graduating players like Ondrej Palat (7th round, 2011), Jake Dotchin (6th round, 2012), Brayden Point (3rd round, 2014) and Anthony Cirelli (3rd round, 2015) in recent years. Though Somppi has a long way to go to be an impact player at the NHL level, he’s another talented player for the system to work with and hopefully squeeze some value out of.

Minor Moves: Niku, O’Reilly, Peca

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Sami Niku as expected, now that Josh Morrissey has been suspended for Game 5. If Niku does get into the lineup, he’ll be checking another box in what has been an outstanding season. Not only did he make his North American professional debut in the AHL, he won the league’s award for most outstanding defenseman, was named to the All-Rookie and First All-Star team, and scored in his NHL debut. A playoff appearance would be icing on the cake for the seventh-round pick.

More minor moves from around the league…

  • Cal O’Reilly has been recalled by the Minnesota Wild as another “Black Ace.” He’s unlikely to get into a game for the team, as Michael Russo of The Athletic tweets his recall was just delayed. O’Reilly has been an elite minor league player for more than a decade, and put up another excellent season with the Iowa Wild. 64 points in 75 games marked the fifth time he’s put up at least 60 in an AHL season.
  • Matthew Peca has been returned to the Syracuse Crunch ahead of their first round playoff series, despite the Tampa Bay Lightning being in the NHL playoffs. It was unlikely that Peca was going to get into a game without an injury, so he’ll go back to the AHL to stay ready. Unlike O’Reilly, Peca could be given an opportunity in the NHL playoffs if Tampa needs an extra body at some point. He’ll start his first round AHL series against the Rochester Americans tomorrow evening.

Vezina Finalists Announced; Is The Evaluation Process Flawed?

at CDT | by 21 Comments

The NHL has announced the three finalists for the Vezina Award, given each year to the league’s best goaltender, as voted on by the league’s general managers. Vying for the trophy at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas this June will be the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck, the Nashville Predators’ Pekka Rinne, and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy. This is the first nomination for Hellebuyck and Vasilevskiy, while Rinne has previously been up for the award three times.

At first glance, the three nominees are not surprising. All three have had great seasons and are clearly among the top goaltenders in the league. However, hockey analytics guru Rob Vollman makes a pretty good case for why the evaluation process my be flawed. As Vollman points out, the only category in which the trio were tops in the league is wins, a statistic based entirely off of team performance, not individual performance. Hellebuyck and Vasilevskiy led the league with 44 wins, while Rinne was right behind with 42.  Yet, only Rinne was top three in the league among goalies with 41+ starts in save percentage, quality starts percentage, and goals saved above average, Vollman’s stats of choice. By those standards of evaluation, Vasilevskiy should have been nowhere near Vezina contention. Instead, Vollman’s poster boy for proper evaluation is the Anaheim Ducks’ John Gibson, who was a top-four finisher in each of those three categories and a top-ten finisher in wins. Also garnering some more attentions should have been the Vegas Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury and the Arizona Coyotes’ Antti Raanta, both of whom were excellent statistically, but lacked the number of starts and wins that are apparently requisite for Vezina contention in today’s NHL.

It’s no surprise that the three contenders for best goaltender are who they are. However, that doesn’t mean it’s correct, especially in a season so many other obvious choices. General managers surely do not evaluate goalies based on wins alone when evaluating them for acquisition, so why does a clearly-flawed statistic hold so much weight in the Vezina race? It’s a question worth asking and Vollman’s reaction, as well as others’, may change the voting results come next season. In the meantime, look for Rinne to finally take home the hardware this year in his fourth try, a result that was likely even with proper evaluation.

Morning Notes: Trotz, Stamkos, Boeser

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The playoffs are important for every coach in the league as they try to secure their job and legacy in the league. None more than for Barry Trotz though, who could face unemployment if he can’t get the Washington Capitals past the second round, despite winning the Metropolitan Division for the third consecutive season.

Trotz is in a unique position, as detailed by Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post. Svrluga writes that assistant coaches Todd Reirden and Blaine Forsythe both have contracts beyond this season, despite Trotz being in his final year. Brian MacLellan was also just signed to a new multi-year extension, meaning the coach will likely take the heat should Washington fail once again.

  • Steven Stamkos hasn’t played since the first of April, but that won’t stop him from getting into the lineup for Game 1 in the Tampa Bay Lightning-New Jersey Devils series. Stamkos has been confirmed healthy enough to go, giving the Lightning back another superstar just in time.
  • Brock Boeser was one of the brightest lights in the entire NHL this season, starring for the Vancouver Canucks in his rookie year. That all came to an end when he suffered a broken bone in his back in early March, an injury that could have been much worse. “That injury could have ended my career, honestly” Boeser told Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet, while discussing the pain he went through in the hospital. The young forward is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of the 2018-19 season.

Poll: Who Will Be Eastern Conference Champions?

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Yesterday, we asked who would come out of the next few weeks with the title of Western Conference Champions, and 37% of our readership agreed. The Nashville Predators easily led the poll, with the Colorado Avalanche bringing up the rear with just 3% of the total vote. Interestingly, the vote pegged the Los Angeles Kings as the third-most likely to win, despite finishing the season as the seventh best team in the West.

Will the public perception be the same in the Eastern Conference? We ask you the same thing, who will be champions when the first three rounds have been decided?

Can the Tampa Bay Lightning ride their conference lead all the way to the top? Will the Pittsburgh Penguins reach their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final? Are the Washington Capitals really cursed, or is it finally time for Alex Ovechkin to lift the Cup?

Make sure to leave your reasoning in the comments below, and share the poll on Twitter so you can disagree with even more people.

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

NHL Releases Playoff Schedule

at CDT | by 1 Comment

A snow storm and significant flooding in Boston back in early January led to tonight’s rescheduled regular season finale between the Bruins and Florida Panthers. While the Philadelphia Flyers put an end to Florida’s impressive late-season playoff push with their win yesterday, the Bruins are still playing for something this evening, with the top seed in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference on the line. That could have potentially caused some delays in scheduling for the postseason, but the NHL has come armed and ready with two different schedules, depending on the result of tonight’s game.

If the Bruins can pull off a win, in any fashion, to finish their impressive regular season, Sportsnet’s John Shannon reports that this is how the first round schedule will shake out for both conferences:

If instead the Panthers play spoiler and the Bruins can’t land two points, the Tampa Bay Lightning will retain the top spot in the East and the schedule will look like this:

Keep an eye on the final score of tonight’s regular season culmination before beginning to schedule your postseason watching. In either scenario, the puck drops on the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday night.

Atlantic Notes: Bruins, Boucher, Ristolainen, Zetterberg, Bertuzzi

at CDT | by 5 Comments

There is just one game remaining on the NHL regular season schedule and the league schedulers picked a good one as the Boston Bruins will host the Florida Panthers today in the lone game. While many people thought the game would have significant meaning for the Panthers (Philadelphia’s victory Saturday officially eliminated Florida from the playoffs), it instead has an effect on Boston.

If the Bruins win, they will jump over the Tampa Bay Lightning as the top seed of the Eastern Conference and get home ice advantage in the first three rounds of the playoffs. A win of any kind would give them a matchup with the New Jersey Devils. A loss will pit the Bruins against the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team they have struggled with this year. The only known matchup in the Eastern Conference are the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“Let’s face it, we were trying to find our own game and get to where we thought we were at the start of the year, which was definitely a playoff team,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy via NBC Sports Joe Haggerty. “We just didn’t know where we would fit, and the way Tampa got out of the gate, and Toronto for that matter, it was going to be an uphill battle. But here we are. We’re in a position to take it, and that’s a credit to the guys. We’ve worked hard to get here. This wasn’t by accident. We didn’t back in.”

  • The Ottawa Senators, who ended up finishing in 30th place this season, must make a decision on their coaching situation. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen writes that Guy Boucher is in a strange situation as he did everything right a year ago at this time and has done little right since. The team’s defense and special teams were atrocious this year and need to get fixed. The question is, will it be Boucher or another coach? Garrioch says that even if Boucher survives, expect changes to the staff as last year is considered unacceptable.
  • Jon Vogl of the Buffalo News writes that the Buffalo Sabres need to make sweeping changes to avoid another dismal season next year, but unfortunately, the team has a lot of contracts with term which will be hard to move, so the team will need to be creative in trades. The defense has six players already under contract and few top-four players, citing that Rasmus Ristolainen is considered their No. 1 defenseman and he is no where even close to that. He will have four more years on his contract at $5.4MM AAV and has shown little improvement and isn’t the leader they hoped he would be.
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press writes that Detroit Red Wings’ Henrik Zetterberg must decide whether he wants to keep playing. The 38-year-old still has three years left of the 12-year contract he signed in 2009 at $6.083MM AAV, but back then it was assumed players wouldn’t play the entire contract out. He’s logged over 1,000 and if he chooses to retire, the Red Wings would save $6MM in cap space if the team is able to place him on long-term injured reserve. St. James adds, however, that the veteran might want to come back for one more year as he is just 42 points away from reaching 1,000 points.
  • St. James also tweets that the Red Wings have decided not to send forward Tyler Bertuzzi to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL for their playoff run. They believe Bertuzzi has done enough at the AHL level and want him to hit the gym and get stronger with a full offseason of workouts.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top