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Jon Cooper’s Job Not In Danger In Tampa

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In a Q&A with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois talked about a variety of topics. However, the most interesting point that the straight-shooting executive made was that his head coach, Jon Cooper, is safe. The Lightning are not meeting expectations this season (although they are ranked tenth in the NHL in points percentage), but Cooper is not on the hot seat. At least not yet.

BriseBois tells LeBrun that Cooper’s job security “shouldn’t come up”. He states that the team has had just one truly bad week so far this season, but feels that they are working hard night in and night out. In fact, BriseBois said that the team’s play has outperformed their record whereas last year the President’s Cup champs’ record outperformed their play. Nevertheless, Cooper did coach the Bolts to a league-best 62-16-4 record last season, so he has been afforded some comfort in his position, even if the team has already lost 13 games so far this year.

However, BriseBois’ feelings toward Cooper could change if Tampa has another tough go of things in the playoffs this year. After the embarrassing first-round sweep at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets last year, Cooper’s seat could definitely get hot if the team finishes with a worse record and again disappoints in the postseason. Cooper is safe for now, but not forever.

NHL All-Star Selections Announced

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Although it took some time, with each individual team rolling out their own selections, the final rosters for All-Star Weekend have come into focus. Below are each of the four divisional team, set to face off in the Skills Competition on Friday, January 24th and the All-Star Game on Saturday, January 25th:

Atlantic Division

G Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
G Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
F Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
F Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
F Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
F Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
F David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins (C)

Metropolitan Division

G Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
G Joonas Korpisalo, Columbus Blue Jackets
D John Carlson, Washington Capitals
D Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
D Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
F Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
F Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
F Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils
F Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

Central Division

G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
F Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (C)
F Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
F Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
F Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
F Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild

Pacific Division

G Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
G Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
D Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
F Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
F Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
F Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (C)
F Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
F Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks
F Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames

Additionally, each divisional squad will have one more addition as decided by the Last Men In fan vote. Voting opens on January 1st and closes on the 10th. Here are the candidates:

Atlantic Division – Patrice Bergeron, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Larkin Aleksander Barkov, Max Domi, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Steven Stamkos, Mitch Marner

Metropolitan Division – Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Foligno, Nico Hischier, Brock Nelson, Mika Zibanejad, Claude Giroux, Kris Letang, T.J. Oshie

Central Division – Jonathan Toews, Cale Makar, Jamie Benn, Ryan Suter, Matt Duchene, David Perron Patrik Laine

Pacific Division – Ryan Getzlaf, Clayton Keller, Johnny Gaudreau, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drew Doughty, Tomas Hertl, Quinn Hughes, Max Pacioretty

Snapshots: Three Stars, Bruins, Mikheyev

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for the previous week, handing out the top honors to Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman. The big Swedish star had eight points in three games including a four-assist effort against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. Even with the Lightning struggling to find any sort of consistency this season, Hedman is having an outstanding year with 37 points in 35 games.

Second place went to St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, who has continued his outstanding play from last season and now carries a .921 save percentage on the year. The 26-year old is the backbone of a team that looks ready to compete for the Stanley Cup once again. Finishing the group is John Tavares, who takes home the third star after a seven-point week with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The high-flying Maple Leafs are scoring goals at a staggering pace, even as they deal with injuries all over the roster.

  • Speaking of injuries all over the roster, the Boston Bruins gave updates on several players today. David Krejci, Torey Krug, Charlie McAvoy and Connor Clifton will all not travel with the team to New Jersey. Brad Marchand who was absent was taking a maintenance day and will play. After getting back on track recently with a trio of wins, the Bruins have stretched their lead in the Atlantic Division back to ten points.
  • One player that will be traveling, though not to a team’s next destination, is Ilya Mikheyev. The Maple Leafs forward has been released from hospital in New Jersey and will fly back to Toronto today after having surgery to repair his lacerated wrist. GM Kyle Dubas stayed in New Jersey with Mikheyev while he was tended to and will be traveling back with him today. The rookie forward could miss the rest of the season with the injury after severing tendons and arteries in his wrist.

Minor Transactions: 12/30/19

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With just one game on the schedule for this evening, teams are licking their wounds waiting for the New Year and the second half of the NHL season. The Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins will be in action, but even those on a rest day will be making minor tweaks. As those come in, we’ll list them here.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled Timothy Liljegren and Teemu Kivihalme, two defensemen yet to make their NHL debuts. The Maple Leafs already lost Jake Muzzin to a broken foot and need to replace him on the roster. It seems Kivihalme will get the first shot, as Liljegren has already been returned to the AHL Marlies.
  • With Charlie McAvoy going onto injured reserve, the Boston Bruins have recalled Jeremy Lauzon under emergency conditions. McAvoy hasn’t played since before Christmas, though the injury isn’t expected to keep him out long-term. The Bruins got some good news on the injury front as well, activating forward Karson Kuhlman from the injured reserve and assigning him to AHL Providence.
  • Calvin Pickard has been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings once again, giving them another healthy goaltender. Pickard has ended up playing two games for Detroit this season, but has a 5.32 GAA and .818 save percentage.
  • Mathieu Joseph is heading back to the minor leagues once again, something the Tampa Bay Lightning have done several times this month. The young forward has still spent most of his season with the NHL club, but is bouncing back and forth lately.
  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled forward Joachim Blichfield from the AHL Barracuda, giving the youngster another opportunity after he made his NHL debut early last month. Blichfield has been one San Jose’s best minor league forwards this season and the struggling Sharks could use an offensive boost if he can translate his game to the next level.
  • Daniel Sprong is back in the NHL after a brief layover with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. The Anaheim Ducks called up the young forward, who has spent considerable time with the team this year, but has only actually played in one game. Sprong recorded 19 points in 47 games with the Ducks last year and already has 19 points in 25 games with the Gulls, so he has the potential to make an impact in Anaheim if given the chance.
  • With the Minnesota Wild activating captain Mikko Koivu, the team has reassigned rookie forward Nico Sturm to AHL Iowa. Sturm, a highly sought-after college free agent last spring, has 12 points in 25 games wIowa this year and a pair of points in six games with Minnesota as well.

Minor Transactions: 12/28/19

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The NHL returned to work last night, with several strange results to kick off the unofficial second half of the season. The Maple Leafs beat the Devils in overtime on a goal in which they never touched the puck, the Sabres were shutout 3-0 in a game in which they outshot the Bruins, and the Wild, Blackhawks, and Ducks all pulled off convincing upsets. As more teams return to action today, it promises to be a busy stretch for roster changes, as evidenced by a multitude of moves early on. Follow along with all of the day’s transactions here:

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled two and reassigned one, adding forward J.C. Beaudin and defenseman Christian Jaros and sending forward Logan Brown to AHL Belleville. Brown will surely be disappointed after expressing his frustration with his role in Ottawa earlier this season. At the same time, the young forward has not exactly dominated in his 23 games with the team this season, recording one goal and eight points.
  • After being sent down (in a paper transaction) yesterday, Mathieu Joseph is back with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team announced. With Carter Verhaeghe still sidelined, Joseph is needed in the Bolts lineup. He’ll need to make the most of the opportunity though, as his seven points so far this season have him off the pace of his 26-point rookie campaign.
  • Steven Fogarty has been called up by the New York Rangers, marking his first recall to the NHL this season. Fogarty played in ten games with the Rangers last year, but failed to record a point. However, his AHL numbers suggest that it’s only a matter of time before he gets that first point.
  • The New Jersey Devils have activated goaltender Louis Domingue from the injured reserve and assigned him to AHL Binghamton. With Gilles Senn currently backing up MacKenzie Blackwood, the Devils don’t need Domingue at the present time. His six appearances with New Jersey prior to his injury did little to convince the team that he is worthy of a permanent roster spot.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights announced that they have recalled winger Keegan Kolesar from Chicago of the AHL.  The 22-year-old had 20 goals in the minors last season but has been held without a tally through 18 games with the Wolves this season.
  • With the recent injuries to Ilya Mikheyev and Trevor Moore, the Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled winger Kenny Agostino and defenseman Timothy Liljegren from the AHL’s Marlies.  Agostino spent most of last season in the NHL and could find himself in a regular role with Toronto relatively quickly.  Mikheyev and Moore were placed on injured reserve to make room on the roster.
  • CapFriendly reports that the Anaheim Ducks have assigned forward Daniel Sprong to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. The 22-year-old forward was recalled a week ago and made his season debut for the Ducks, but finished with a minus-three in the game he played. He will return to the Gulls where he has seven goals and 18 points in 24 games.
  • CapFriendly reports the Boston Bruins have assigned defenseman Steven Kampfer to the Providence Bruins in the AHL. The blueliner was an emergency recall after an injury to defenseman Torey Krug. This could be a paper transaction with the team potentially recalling him officially before Sunday’s game against Buffalo.

NHL Draft Picks Participating In The World Junior Championship

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The 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship is underway from Ostrava and Trinec in the Czech Republic. The tournament began today and will run through the championship game on January 5th. Each of the NHL’s 31 teams has at least one representative at the WJC. Five teams have only one draft pick participating, while the Los Angeles Kings (9) and Arizona Coyotes (7) each have more than those teams combined. However, it only takes one player and one moment to make history at the WJC. Check out which future NHLers will have that chance this year:

Anaheim Ducks (2):

G Lukas Dostal, Czech Republic
F Trevor Zegras, USA

Arizona Coyotes (7):

F Barrett Hayton, Canada
F Jan Jenik, Czech Republic
F Matias Maccelli, Finland
D Aku Raty, Finland
D Victor Soderstrom, Sweden
F Valentin Nussbaumer, Switzerland
D Ty Emberson, USA

Boston Bruins (3):

F Jakub Lauko, Czech Republic
F John Beecher, USA
F Curtis Hall, USA

Buffalo Sabres (4):

F Dylan Cozens, Canada
F Matej Pekar, Czech Republic
G Erik Portillo, Sweden
D Mattias Samuelsson, USA

Calgary Flames (1):

G Dustin Wolf, USA

Carolina Hurricanes (5):

D Anttoni Honka, Finland
F Lenni Killinen, Finland
F Patrik Puistola, Finland
F Dominik Bokk, Germany
F Jack Drury, USA

Chicago Blackhawks (2):

F Antti Saarela, Finland
F Michal Teply, Czech Republic

Colorado Avalanche (4):

D Bowen Byram, Canada
G Justus Annunen, Finland
F Sampo Ranta, Finland
D Daniil Zhuravlyov, Russia

Columbus Blue Jackets (4):

F Liam Foudy, Canada
F Kirill Marchenko, Russia
F Dmitri Voronkov, Russia
D Tim Berni, Switzerland

Dallas Stars (3):

F Ty Dellandrea, Canada
F Oskar Back, Sweden
F Albin Eriksson, Sweden

Detroit Red Wings (5):

D Jared McIsaac, Canada
F Joseph Veleno, Canada
D Moritz Seider, Germany
F Jonatan Berggren, Sweden
F Jesper Eliasson, Sweden

Edmonton Oilers (4):

F Raphael Lavoie, Canada
G Olivier Rodrigue, Canada
F Matej Blumel, Czech Republic
D Philip Broberg, Sweden

Florida Panthers (3):

Justin Schutz, Germany
F Grigori Denisenko, Russia
G Spencer Knight, USA

Los Angeles Kings (9):

F Aidan Dudas, Canada
F Akil Thomas, Canada
F Lukas Parik, Czech Republic
F Rasmus Kupari, Finland
D Kim Nousiainen, Finland
D Tobias Bjornfot, Sweden
F Samuel Fagemo, Sweden
F Arthur Kaliyev, USA
F Alex Turcotte, USA

Minnesota Wild (1):

F Alexander Khovanov, Russia

Montreal Canadiens (4):

D Alexander Romanov, Russia
D Mattias Norlinder, Sweden
F Cole Caufield, USA
D Jordan Harris, USA

Nashville Predators (1):

D Spencer Stastney, USA

New Jersey Devils (5):

D Kevin Bahl, Canada
D Ty Smith, Canada
D Daniil Misyul, Russia
F Nikola Pasic, Sweden
G Akira Schmid, Switzerland

New York Islanders (2):

F Jacob Pivonka, USA
F Oliver Wahlstrom, USA

New York Rangers (5):

D Nico Gross, Switzerland
F Karl Henriksson, Sweden
D Nils Lundkvist, Sweden
D Zachary Jones, USA

D K’Andre Miller, USA

Ottawa Senators (3):

D Jacob Bernard-Docker, Canada
D Lassi Thomson, Finland
F Shane Pinto, USA

Philadelphia Flyers (4):

F Egor Zamula, Russia
D Adam Ginning, Sweden
F Bobby Brink, USA
D Cameron York, USA

Pittsburgh Penguins (1):

D Calen Addison, Canada

San Jose Sharks (1):

Santeri Hatakka, Finland

St. Louis Blues (2):

G Joel Hofer, Canada
F Nikita Alexandrov, Russia

Tampa Bay Lightning (3):

F Nolan Foote, Canada
F Maxim Cajkovic, Czech Republic
G Hugo Alnefelt, Sweden

Toronto Maple Leafs (3):

D Mikko Kokkonen, Finland
D Rasmus Sandin, Sweden
F Nicholas Robertson, USA

Vancouver Canucks (4):

F Karel Plasek, Czech Republic
D Toni Utunen, Finland
F Vasily Podkolzin, Russia
F Nils Hoglander, Sweden

Vegas Golden Knights (3):

F Pavel Dorofeyev, Russia
F Ivan Morozov, Russia
G Isaiah Saville, USA

Washington Capitals (2):

F Connor McMichael, Canada
D Martin Has, Czech Republic

Winnipeg Jets (2):

F David Gustafsson, Sweden
D Ville Heinola, Finland

Minor Transactions: 12/23/19

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Even though the NHL roster freeze is in effect, there are still a handful of transactions that will happen today. These are moves that are still allowed to maintain roster levels, as a huge chunk of the league will play today. Things kick off with an afternoon tilt between the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs, with Jake Gardiner returning to play his former team after signing a four-year deal in the offseason. As those few moves take place, we’ll keep track of them right here.

  • Mathieu Joseph is back with the Tampa Bay Lightning, recalled today after just a few days in the minor leagues. Joseph was a regular in the Lightning lineup for the last year and a half, but was struggling to really find his game of late and needed a reset in the AHL.
  • The San Jose Sharks, who don’t play again until Friday, returned three players to the minor leagues today. Noah Gregor, Joel Kellman and Jacob Middleton will all spend the break as part of the San Jose Barracuda, though it would come as no surprise to see at least one of them recalled again later in the week.
  • Jayce Hawryluk has been recalled by the Florida Panthers ahead of their game against the Lightning tonight. Hawryluk has three points in eight games with the Panthers this season but was injured earlier in the year. His conditioning stint has now come to an end, after six games with the Springfield Thunderbirds.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have sent Filip Zadina, Brian Lashoff and Calvin Pickard down to the minor leagues. With the Red Wings off until Saturday, they’ll have plenty of time to make the decision on who to bring back up after Christmas.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Jeremy Bracco from the minor leagues, while giving an ominous update on Trevor Moore. Moore will be out of today’s game with a mysterious injury, likely related to the issue he was dealing with recently after getting bumped in practice.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have returned Jalen Chatfield to the AHL over the break. Chatfield has been recalled several times by the Canucks this season, but has yet to actually play in an NHL game.

Minor Transactions: 12/19/19

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The NHL has ten games on the schedule for this evening after a quiet Wednesday night, including a preview of a potential Eastern Conference playoff matchup between the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. The Bruins are running away with the Atlantic Division, but the same can’t be said for the Islanders in the Metropolitan where second and fifth place are separated by just five points. As they and other teams prepare for the busy night, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Adam Brooks and Martin Marincin once again, this time not under emergency conditions. That means they can stay even when Trevor Moore returns from injury, though it is not clear if he will be ready for this weekend after suffering a minor setback.
  • Mathieu Joseph has been assigned to the minor leagues by the Tampa Bay Lightning in a somewhat surprising move, after the 22-year old played in 31 games already this season. Joseph hasn’t been nearly as effective as he was last year, but still has a bright future in Tampa Bay.
  • After claiming Stefan Noesen on waivers, the San Jose Sharks have made several other roster moves. Joel Kellman, Noah Gregor and Jacob Middleton have all been recalled from the AHL, while Radim Simek now finds himself on injured reserve again.

Minor Transactions: 12/17/19

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Eleven games on the schedule for this evening make this a busy and important night in the NHL. One of those games will feature the Arizona Coyotes with their newest star Taylor Hall take on the San Jose Sharks. As they and others prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Mitchell Stephens from the minor leagues as they deal with a minor injury to Nikita Kucherov. Stephens made his NHL debut this season and has played in four games for the Lightning.
  • The New Jersey Devils have sent Evan Cormier back to the minor leagues, bringing up Gilles Senn in his place. Senn, 23, is in his first season in North America after signing out of Switzerland and currently carries an .896 save percentage through 13 AHL games. Neither Cormier nor Senn have made an appearance at the NHL level.
  • Brian Lashoff has been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings, as they place Jonathan Ericsson on injured reserve. The team also placed Jimmy Howard on long-term injured reserve in order to send him on a conditioning stint to the AHL. Howard, injured last month against the Toronto Maple Leafs, is getting closer to a return and will get in some game action in the minors.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have swapped Carsen Twarynski and Andy Andreoff, with the latter coming up to the NHL. Twarynski has played in 15 games with the Flyers this season but will have to spend some more time in the minor leagues.
  • Though Trevor Moore was originally expected to return for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, he suffered a slight setback after being bumped in practice. Instead, the Maple Leafs have recalled Adam Brooks from the minor leagues under emergency conditions to serve as some insurance for the forward group.
  • Similarly, Adin Hill has been recalled by the Arizona Coyotes under emergency conditions to fill in for Antti Raanta, who is sick. Hill will backup Darcy Kuemper tonight, but likely won’t see any action on this recall.
  • The San Jose Sharks have sent Joachim Blichfeld back to the minor leagues, recalling Jacob Middleton in the process. Blichfeld played in two games with the Sharks but didn’t score, and will have to wait for his next NHL opportunity.

Minor Transactions: 12/15/19

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After a full slate of game Saturday night, the NHL quiets down on Sunday with just eight teams in action. Regardless, many teams will start making moves before the league’s Holiday Roster Freeze that kicks in on Thursday, Dec. 19. Keep your eyes this transaction page throughout the day to catch every team’s moves:

  • The Carolina Hurricanes announced they have assigned forward Julien Gauthier to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. The 22-year old and former first-round pick in 2016 picked up his first career NHL point Saturday in Carolina’s victory over Calgary. Gauthier has fared well in the AHL this season with 10 goals in 22 games after a 27-goal season a year ago. He has now five NHL games to his career.
  • The Montreal Canadiens announced they have recalled center Lukas Vejdemo from the Laval Rocket of the AHL, while re-assigning defenseman Otto Leskinen. Vejdemo is the Rocket’s second-leading scorer with eight goals and 16 points. The 23-year-old is in his second season in North America, having scored 13 goals and 29 points last season and looks to be exceeding that mark. If he can get into a game, it will be his NHL debut. Leskinen made his NHL debut on Dec. 5 and played in five games with Montreal. He failed to record a point in that time, but did contribute 13 hits.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they loaned forward Pontus Aberg and defenseman Martin Marincin to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. While the move could be just a simple paper transaction, it’s also possible the team hopes it can get back forward Trevor Moore, which would require the move.
  • CapFriendly reports that the New Jersey Devils have assigned center Michael McLeod to the Binghamton Devils of the AHL. McLeod had an impressive performance Saturday in the Devils’ victory over Arizona. Playing center for the team for the first time ever, the 21-year-old picked up two assists and a plus-two rating in the game, suggesting he might be ready for more extensive callups at a later time. McLeod has 13 points in 24 games with Binghamton.
  • The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark reports that the Colorado Avalanche have recalled defenseman Anton Lindholm from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Lindholm will fill in for defenseman Cale Makar, who was recently put on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The 25-year-old Lindholm has appeared in 23 games with the Eagles, scoring one goal and two points.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning announced the have assigned forward Mitchell Stephens to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. The 22-year-old forward made his NHL debut on Dec. 9 and has appeared in four games. While he didn’t register a point, Stephens was useful in the faceoff circle where he 18-of-26 (69.2 percent). He will return to the Crunch where he had five goals and 10 points this season.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have activated forward Tyler Motte from injured reserve and made space for him by assigning forward Zack MacEwen to the Utica Comets, the team announced. Motte suffered a lower-body injury on Oct. 25 and was expected to be out for four weeks. It’s taken quite a bit longer, but the 24-year-old is expected to join the team. He has only appeared in six games for the Canucks this season with one assist. The 23-year-old MacEwen has appeared in eight games with Vancouver, posting a goal and an assist.
  • As the Ottawa Senators continue to shuffle young players to and from the NHL, the latest move comes with Jonathan Davidsson being returned to AHL Belleville. Davidsson, acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets last season, has played in six games with Ottawa this season, recording just one point. He has four points in eleven games with Belleville and, in just his first season in North American, will benefit more from a large role in the AHL. than his limited action with Ottwa.

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