Art Ross, Richard, Jennings Trophy Winners Confirmed
With the last day of the regular season schedule behind us, the three major stat-based award winners for the 2023-24 season are set in stone. Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov has won his second career Art Ross Trophy as the overall scoring champion, while Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews takes home his third Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy after setting the salary cap era goal-scoring record. Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck clinched his first William M. Jennings Trophy as well, with Winnipeg allowing the fewest goals against in the league.
Kucherov’s season was a franchise-defining performance in every sense offensively. With a Lightning-record 144 points (44 goals, 100 assists) in 81 games, Kucherov finished four points clear of Avalanche pivot Nathan MacKinnon. He joins Martin St. Louis as the only Tampa player to win the Art Ross multiple times and becomes the fourth active player to do so, alongside Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Connor McDavid.
The 30-year-old Russian contributed to exactly half of the Lightning’s 288 total goals and will be the favorite in what’s expected to be an extremely tight Hart Trophy race with Crosby, MacKinnon, Matthews and McDavid all as potential challengers. He’s the 12th player all-time to register points on at least 50 percent of his team’s scoring within a single season.
Kucherov capped off his regular season Wednesday in Toronto by becoming the fifth player in league history to put up 100 assists in a single season, joining McDavid, who’d only done it two days before. He registered a point 68 of his 81 appearances, including 41 multi-point games, 23 three-point efforts, and eight games with at least four points.
Matthews, who takes home his third goal-scoring title in four years in a rather dominant fashion, is not to be ignored. His 69 goals in 81 games were a Maple Leafs record and the most in a single season since Penguins star Mario Lemieux in 1995-96. He was 12 goals ahead of second-place Panthers winger Sam Reinhart. He became the second player in the modern era to record hat tricks in each of his first two games. His 18 multi-goal performances were the most since the Sabres’ Alexander Mogilny in the early ’90s.
Hellebuyck gets to add to his trophy chest ahead of his seven-year, $59.5MM extension kicking in next season. The Jets were the only team to allow fewer than 200 goals, and the three-time Vezina finalist is mostly responsible, posting a .921 SV%, five shutouts and a league-leading 33.1 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. He was a wide margin ahead of Canucks starter Thatcher Demko in that category, who had 22.0 GSAx, while Panthers backup Anthony Stolarz managed to work his way into the top three with 20.1 GSAx despite making only 27 appearances. As he was the only Jets netminder to play more than 25 games, he’s the first sole recipient of the award since the Kings’ Jonathan Quick in 2018. The 30-year-old held opponents to three or fewer goals in 50 of his 60 appearances.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Marlies Sign Sam Stevens To One-Year AHL Contract
The Toronto Marlies have signed Boston University forward Sam Stevens to a one-year AHL contract set to begin next season (Twitter link). He’ll finish off this year on an amateur try-out contract with the Marlies. Stevens is turning pro after completing his fifth year with the Terriers, totaling 142 games across his collegiate career. That’s the most any one player has played for Boston University since 2018 when Brandon Hickey wrapped up his collegiate career with 147 games.
Stevens never found much of a scoring groove in Boston, totaling just 50 points in his appearances. 35 of those points came in the last two seasons when Stevens managed 18 and 17 points respectively. And while certainly modest scoring, Stevens was able to earn his keep with very stout defense for a centerman. He’s simply reliable, winning faceoffs and guarding opponents well. He’ll certainly need to improve his energy on the offensive side of the red-line as he approaches pro hockey, but Stevens’ ability to shut down play in his own zone could adapt well to the next level. He’ll look to slot into one of the Marlies remaining two games this regular season.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Buffalo Sabres will have good reason to tune into the 2024 World Championship, as five different Sabres are expected to represent their country, per Rachel Hopmayer of Spectrum News in Buffalo (Twitter link). This includes Owen Power, Bowen Byram, and Dylan Cozens representing Team Canada; Rasmus Dahlin representing Team Sweden; and John-Jason Peterka representing Team Germany. Zach Benson and Jack Quinn also mentioned that they haven’t yet been contacted by Team Canada, though they’d have to discuss with general manager Kevyn Adams before committing, per X (Twitter link).
- Taylor Hall won’t be slotting into the Chicago Blackhawks’ season finale, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times (Twitter link). This news comes despite Hall appearing at the team’s Thursday morning skate. He’ll close his season having not played since November 19th, when he suffered an ACL injury that required surgery. Hall played in just 10 games this year, the fewest games of a season in his 14-year career. He scored four points in those appearances. Hall is under contract with Chicago through the end of next season, carrying a $6MM cap hit.
- William Carrier and Mark Stone both took the ice at the Vegas Golden Knights’ optional Thursday practice, donning no-contact jerseys, per SinBinVegas (Twitter link). Both players are working their way back from long-term injuries, with Stone out since February 20th with a spleen injury and Carrier sidelined since March 25th with an upper-body injury. Stone returned to practice on April 12th and will push to be ready for the start of Vegas’ playoff race this weekend, though his continued no-contact assignment could shed doubt on his Game One availability.
Maple Leafs Notes: Domi, McMann, Järnkrok, Edmundson
Maple Leafs forward Max Domi is expected to miss the final two games of the regular season, head coach Sheldon Keefe said (via David Alter of The Hockey News). It’s an undisclosed injury that’s been nagging him for a while, Keefe said, although he’s aggravated it slightly in recent outings. It’s not expected to plague him heading into the postseason, so they’ll hold him out now with a playoff spot under wraps and make sure he’s ready to go. The 29-year-old has been a late-season revelation, excelling since being bumped up to the first line alongside Auston Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi. He’s scored just nine goals but has 47 points in 80 games on the year. 37 of his 38 assists have come at even strength, placing him inside the top 15 league-wide.
Elsewhere in Leafland:
- While there’s still a glimmer of hope for Domi to suit up in the regular-season finale Wednesday against the Lightning, the same can’t be said for Bobby McMann. His lower-body injury will keep him out of both their remaining contests, Keefe said. He also didn’t confirm McMann’s availability for Game 1 of their likely opening-round series against the Panthers, saying, “We’ll see where he’s at as that approaches” (via Mark Masters of TSN). McMann left Saturday’s overtime loss to the Red Wings after skating only four minutes. The undrafted free agent has been Toronto’s most unlikely producer, working his way up from the ECHL over the past few seasons and eventually solidifying his spot as an everyday NHLer this season. He has 15 goals and 24 points in 56 games this season, ranking ninth among Leafs forwards in points per game.
- Winger Calle Järnkrok‘s availability for Game 1 is also in doubt as he continues to recover from a hand injury. Keefe said that his status is “still to be determined, but I think he’s more in a day-to-day situation. Unfortunately, we’re running out of schedule here” (via Masters). Järnkrok was a partial participant in today’s practice and did travel with the team on their regular season-ending road trip to Florida. He hasn’t played since March 14, sustaining his second hand injury of the season after missing over a month with a knuckle fracture in February.
- Defenseman Joel Edmundson will be re-evaluated by the team’s medical staff ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Panthers, Keefe said (via Masters). The defenseman practiced today as he continues to try and shake an undisclosed injury, which Keefe called a “positive sign” for the trade deadline pickup. He’s been injured for most of his Toronto tenure, missing 10 of 18 games. When in the lineup, he’s averaged 17:56 per game with a +3 rating.
Toronto Marlies Sign Defenseman Chas Sharpe
Boston Bruins defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk has been fined $2,734.38 for unsportsmanlike conduct in last night’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins (Twitter link). It is the maximum allowable fine under the collective bargaining agreement. Shattenkirk earned the fine when he reached over the bench and slashed Bunting on the wrist as he was skating by, after Bunting tripped Linus Ullmark. Shattenkirk wasn’t assessed a penalty during the game and went on to score Boston’s third goal in their eventual 6-4 victory.
This is just the second run-in Shattenkirk has had with the Department of Player Safety in his 950 career games, with his last punishment being a two-game suspension for charging Los Angeles Kings defenseman Kevin Gravel in March of 2017.
Shattenkirk has managed four points across his last five games, heating up at the perfect time. Boston will be glad he avoided suspension, as they chase the top spot in the Atlantic Division with two games left in the season.
Other notes from around the league:
- The New York Islanders may need to finish their season without top defender Noah Dobson, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury per head coach Patrick Roy and Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). Roy also shared that forward Kyle MacLean felt sick after practice, though he’s still expected to play tomorrow. The Islanders have two games remaining in their season, and could technically still lose their playoff spot – if they drop both games and both the Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals win-out. Robert Bortuzzo will step back into the lineup in Dobson’s absence.
- Los Angeles Kopitar captain Anze Kopitar missed the team’s practice once again, remaining day-to-day with an undisclosed injury that held him out of the team’s Saturday night win over the Anaheim Ducks, per Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider (Twitter link). Dooley adds that the team doesn’t seem concerned about Kopitar’s availability. That’s certainly good news, with the future Hall of Famer certain to be a main factor in their postseason success, after posting 26 goals and 70 points in 79 games this season. The Kings opted to ice seven defensemen in Kopitar’s absence, returning Jacob Moverare to the lineup. They could continue that approach in their final two games of the season, though Arthur Kaliyev is their extra forward should they want to ice four full lines.
- The Toronto Marlies have signed defenseman Chas Sharpe to a two-year, minor-league contract set to begin in 2024-25 (Twitter link). Sharpe, 20, joins the team as an undrafted free-agent, having spent the last four seasons with the Mississauga Steelheads. He recorded 19 goals and 53 points in 67 games this season, and served as Mississauga’s captain.
Maple Leafs Sign Nicolas Mattinen To One-Year Contract
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenseman Nicolas Mattinen to a one-year, two-way contract that’s set to begin in 2024-25 (Twitter link). The Leafs originally drafted Mattinen in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, though they lost his rights in 2018 after not signing him.
Mattinen has since had a bit of a journeyman career. After four years in the OHL, he moved to USports in the 2019-20 season, playing at the University of Ottawa until 2022, though he lost one season to COVID-19 cancellations. He played eight AHL games with the Laval Rocket at the end of the 2021-22 season, recording three goals in eight games, though he opted to move overseas for the last two years – playing in both Austria and Germany. He’s been incredibly productive in the new setting, recording 16 goals and 46 points in 52 DEL games this season – a mark that led all DEL defensemen in scoring and earned Mattinen the DEL’s Player of the Year award.
Mattinen has now earned his way back into the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, inking a deal that makes him eligible for an NHL call-up, should he earn it. The Leafs have certainly shown no shyness towards their minor-league defenders this season, awarding each of Simon Benoit, Conor Timmins, Marshall Rifai, and Maxime Lajoie a chance at routine ice time. Benoit has proven the proudest of the bunch, with his stout defense and play along the boards earning him a daily lineup role. Mattinen will fight to join their ranks next season, playing in his first full year of North American pros.
Bobby McMann Leaves Game With Lower-Body Injury
- In a similar fashion to Ekman-Larsson, the Toronto Maple Leafs have lost forward Bobby McMann for the remainder of their game tonight against the Detroit Red Wings (X Link). Suffering from a lower-body injury, McMann fell awkwardly in the Toronto defensive zone and very gingerly skated back to the Maple Leafs’ bench. Regardless of the severity, it may also be likely for Toronto to hold McMann out the final two games of the regular season so that he is at full capacity for the postseason.
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Domi Will Play Tonight, Edmundson Injured
- Despite missing Friday’s practice with an undisclosed injury, Maple Leafs center Max Domi will play tonight against Detroit, notes David Alter of The Hockey News (Twitter link). The 29-year-old is just one of two Toronto players who have played in every game this season (William Nylander is the other). Domi has picked up 47 points in 79 games so far. Meanwhile, Alter adds that defenseman Joel Edmundson won’t play tonight; head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that “something popped up” regarding the veteran. Edmundson has been limited to just eight appearances with Toronto since being acquired last month at the trade deadline.
Maple Leafs Assign Matt Murray To AHL On Conditioning Loan
For the last several weeks, Maple Leafs goaltender Matt Murray has been skating with the team as he works his way back from bilateral hip surgery performed back in October. He’s now taking the next step in the rehab process as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned Murray to AHL Toronto on an LTI Conditioning Loan.
At the time Murray had the surgery, the expected recovery timeline was six to eight months and it appears the 29-year-old will be on the shorter end of that. Last season, Murray was limited to just 26 games where he posted a 3.01 GAA and a .903 SV% and didn’t play at all in the playoffs after suffering a late-season concussion; he was relegated to third-string status upon his return.
That had the veteran as a speculative buyout candidate but the hip injury would have taken that option off the table had the team tried to pursue it. Instead, they elected to do with surgery, delaying that procedure until the start of the season which helped the Maple Leafs from a salary cap perspective as they were able to spend his $4.6875MM AAV in full on replacement players rather than having to keep it available for a midseason return.
With this being an LTI loan, there are some more stringent rules than a typical conditioning assignment. Murray can be with the Marlies for up to three games and six days and if he needs more time, the team can request a one-time two-game extension. That should be ample time to assess if Murray has indeed fully recovered and the original allotment is enough to get through the end of the regular season with him still on LTIR, removing any salary cap concerns.
Even if Murray does well in that stint, it would be surprising to see him see any action with the Maple Leafs in the postseason who are set with Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll as their tandem with veteran Martin Jones waiting in the wings as well. But a decent showing there could certainly help his cause as he’ll test unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer.
Maple Leafs To Sign Cade Webber
Cade Webber’s college season came to an end on Thursday when Boston University was eliminated by Denver in the Frozen Four semi-finals. However, his 2023-24 campaign hasn’t come to an end just yet as Joe Smith of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the blueliner will be signing an entry-level deal with Toronto and joining the team for its upcoming road trip.
The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Carolina back in 2019, going 99th overall. However, he informed the team earlier in the season that he was leaning toward not signing with them and would test free agency in mid-August. That resulted in them flipping him to the Maple Leafs back in March in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Webber is a throwback defensive defenseman; he scored just once in his four-year collegiate career and had just six assists this season. He led the NCAA in blocks with 137 this year, 35 ahead of second place and at 6’6, has the size and reach to be disruptive and effective in the defensive zone.
Since Webber was on Toronto’s reserve list at the trade deadline, he is eligible to play for them in the playoffs. However, with their defensive depth, it seems rather unlikely that he would. Instead, he’ll likely serve as a Black Ace and burn the first of what will be a two-year, entry-level deal in the process.
At the moment, Toronto has just $547K in cap space, per CapFriendly. While the terms of Webber’s deal aren’t known yet, it can’t be lower than $775K so they’ll have to make a roster move to free up the cap room to add him. The easiest path to do that would be to paper winger Nicholas Robertson back to AHL Toronto for the final few days of the regular season, then recall him for the postseason.
Leafs Ownership Considering Multiple Firings If Eliminated In First Round
An early playoff exit would likely result in wide-sweeping coaching and front-office changes for the Maple Leafs, James Mirtle of The Athletic said on “The Leaf Report” Thursday. “If there’s another really disappointing first-round exit, they’re gonna want blood. And I don’t know if just firing the coach is enough. I think they’re gonna want more than that,” said Mirtle.
A first-round exit in a likely rematch against the Panthers would likely result in the dismissal of head coach Sheldon Keefe, one of the longest-tenured bench bosses in the league now entering his fifth playoff run with the club. In terms of other executives that could get the axe, team president Brendan Shanahan has only one season left on his contract, according to Mirtle, and could be a candidate to be out of a job with new leadership in the Maple Leafs’ ownership group, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. After GM Brad Treliving was brought in only one summer ago, it seems unlikely he’d be relieved of his duties with such a small track record in the role for Toronto.