Today’s News Clips Jan. 9, 2020

Chicago Tribune

Robin Lehner is ready to return from a knee injury, but Dylan Strome will miss at least one game with a sprained ankle

Jimmy Greenfield Jan. 8, 2020

The Blackhawks finally received some good news on the injury front Wednesday.

The team sent goalie Kevin Lankinen back to Rockford, paving the way for Robin Lehner to return after he sat out two games with a right knee injury suffered last week against the Canucks.

How much time Dylan Strome will miss after spraining his right ankle in Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Flames is still a bit murky. Strome was at the on Wednesday and walking around without crutches, but Hawks coach said he will not play Thursday against the Predators.

“It’s still pretty soon after,” Colliton said. “We’ll know more as we get a little further away.”

The Hawks are already without forwards Andrew Shaw (concussion), Brandon Saad (right ankle) and Drake Caggiula (concussion). There isn’t a timetable for Shaw’s return, but Colliton said Saad is “getting better” and the initial target of playing in mid-January hasn’t changed.

Colliton also said Caggiula was "close" to playing after being out since Nov. 10.

Lehner will be available to play against the Predators after Corey Crawford went 1-1 while stopping 45 of 49 shots in starts against the Red Wings and Flames.

Lehner initially believed his knee was fine after the Canucks’ Tanner Pearson fell into him late in the third period on Jan. 2, but it became worse over the next couple of days before subsiding.

“Thought it was going to be a few weeks at least,” Lehner said after Wednesday’s practice at the United Center. “But it’s good.”

Chicago Tribune

Blackhawks rookie Kirby Dach is doing everything right — except finding the scoresheet

Jimmy Greenfield Jan. 9, 2020

Kirby Dach has done everything the Blackhawks have asked of him without complaint since being the No. 3 pick in the NHL draft last summer.

When they asked him to participate in the NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Mich., before training camp, he went.

When Dach suffered a concussion during the tournament, he worked with the Hawks medical staff and patiently waited to get back on the ice.

When he finally made his NHL debut on Oct. 20, he moved from line to line, getting comfortable with new teammates and showing off a work ethic and skill set that quickly led the Hawks to realize they weren’t sending him back to his junior team. Ever.

The only thing Dach hasn’t done is score a whole lot. But the Hawks haven’t asked him to score — at least not yet.

The points will come later. At least they had better.

No. 3 picks aren’t drafted to be role players. But no one in the Hawks organization expects that out of Dach, who at 18 is just getting his feet wet and contributing in ways other than filling the scoresheet.

At 6-foot-4 with a long reach, Dach has been a tireless forechecker and effective at carrying the puck into the offensive zone.

His most recent linemates, Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome, have taken it from there. Since Colliton put the trio together six games ago, DeBrincat has five points and Strome six while the line has only allowed one defensive .

"Ever since we put them together they've been arguably the best line," Colliton said.

Dach, however, hasn’t scored in those six games. In fact, the center has just one point in his last 23 games, a beautiful goal he swept in from a nearly impossible angle to help the Hawks to a comeback win against the Avalanche on Dec. 21.

Remarkably, Dach doesn’t have an assist since Nov. 19 despite playing in every game and averaging 14 minutes, 9 seconds of ice time. To put that into perspective, 11 NHL goalies have had assists since Dach last had one — and the Lightning’s has had three in that span.

“I think he can produce more,” Colliton said. "He can be more of a shooter, take the puck inside, take the puck to the net. But I also think he’s been a big part of the goals that his line has scored. A lot of those goals, he’s an integral part of scoring. He just doesn’t get a point.

“We have to evaluate the whole picture of his game and we’re pretty happy with it.”

Dach has been on many lines, and it looks as if — at least temporarily — he’ll have another new linemate with Strome out for at least one game after suffering a right ankle injury Tuesday against the Flames.

“There’s going to be a little bit of an adjustment period when you lose one of your linemates, and you’ve got to find new chemistry with guys," Dach said. "At this point everybody is comfortable playing with everybody in this locker room, and you’ve just to find the right fits in each line to help us win.”

When Dach was playing his final season with the ’s Saskatoon Blades, he had 25 goals and 48 assists in 62 games, which was 30th in the league and well behind Dylan Cozens (34 goals, 50 assists), whom the Sabres selected four picks after Dach.

But Cozens is back in the WHL for another season while Dach is with the Hawks learning how to make it in the NHL.

“The only thing I really need to do more to help myself offensively is maybe shoot the puck more,” Dach said. "There’s times in the game where I could just put a puck on net, and that’s why the guys who lead the league in points and goals every year are the guys who shoot the puck the most.

“You’re going to get a bounce here and there, and it’s going to go your way. I’ve just got to do that a little bit more and keep playing the way I’m playing, and hopefully they’ll go in.”

Dach has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 38 games. DeBrincat had 13 goals and 12 assists in his first 38 games during rookie season of 2017-18, but he wasn’t asked to play a 200-foot game like Dach and was a year older.

“He’s been doing a great job with helping our line, helping the team really get that depth back,” DeBrincat said of Dach. “Can’t really worry about (not scoring) too much. It’s a tough league. He’s 18 years old. It’s not going to go in every night, so you’ve just go to handle it the best you can. It’s tough going from junior and scoring every night to coming in here and not doing the same.”

It might be tough but it doesn’t seem to be taking its toll on Dach, who credits advice from veterans Brent Seabrook, Patrick Kane and , among others, with helping him adjust to life in the NHL.

“Each game I’ve taken a step more confidently and being better and focusing on playing a good 200-foot game,” Dach said. “I take a lot of pride in being a plus player and not being scored on. I’ve tried to improve my defensive game and at the same time contribute offensively. I’ve got a find way to do both.”

He does need to find a way. But for now, with his whole hockey life still ahead of him, Dach believes the points will come.

At least they had better.

Chicago Tribune

Blackhawks Q&A: Should they tank? How will they use their $11 million in salary- cap space? Will Corey Crawford be traded?

Jimmy Greenfield Jan. 8, 2020

It’s finally 2020 and the new year is, well, looking a lot like 2019 for the Blackhawks.

They can’t build any real momentum toward the playoffs and another key player — this time Dylan Strome — will miss some time after injuring his right ankle against the Flames.

Now that they have some games under their belt, the rookies appear to be playing better. Do you think this is why of late the arrow is pointing up for the Blackhawks? — Charles S.

Absolutely. Most of their rookies have been contributing during the last few weeks when they typically have been playing six of them on a given night.

Dominik Kubalik is a rookie by the NHL’s eligibility rules, but at 24 he’s not quite the same as the others. But he really has made a jump the last few weeks and has a great chance at a 20-goal season.

Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist are still teenagers, so while their numbers aren’t very good — Dach has one point in his last 23 games — the fact that they’re holding their own against much older competition is what’s impressive. That will pay even bigger dividends next season and beyond.

Dennis Gilbert has been decent as a third-pairing defenseman and Matthew Highmore is fine as a fourth-line forward.

The rookie to keep an eye on the rest of the way is Alex Nylander, who played Tuesday against the Flames after being a healthy scratch for three straight games. At 21, Nylander should be better by now, and his struggles should be a huge concern.

He makes too many mistakes, isn’t scoring enough — he has five goals and nine assists in 40 games — and isn’t showing he was worth trading defenseman Henri Jokiharju to the Sabres.

But just as Dach, Boqvist and Kubalik have improved recently, maybe it’s Nylander’s time for the lightbulb to go on. How he performs could be one of the keys to the rest of the season, especially if the right ankle injury Dylan Strome suffered Tuesday keeps him out for an extended period.

Bottom-five teams in the Western Conference are the Blackhawks, Predators, Sharks, Ducks and Kings. Arguably the best teams over the previous 10 years. To get back on top, the Hawks should focus on a total rebuild for the future, like they did when they were a last-place team in the 2000s. If they continue to think they can still contend from their present position, they will stay at the bottom of the conference for the next decade. Agree or disagree? The core contracts are what they are. I’d be looking to trade guys like Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome and anyone in the 20-25 range, all for draft picks. Tank the rest of this season and all of next season, and another 10-year run at Stanley Cups might only be a few years away. — Doug E.

There’s a lot to unpack here. Let me repeat what I said earlier in the season that I don’t think any of the Hawks players — Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews included — should be untouchable. So on that we agree.

But you want to trade Strome and DeBrincat for draft picks? What would that solve? All the Hawks would be doing then is praying those draft picks turn into ... players like Strome and DeBrincat.

The main issue you’re pointing out is that the Hawks can’t decide if they’re a contender or in need of a rebuild. They will never use the word “rebuild,” that’s just not in the DNA of team President John McDonough, so don’t expect to see them behave like a rebuilding team anytime soon.

Which leaves them where they are now: A team with one superstar, a few really good players and a ton of question marks. One of the worst things that has happened to the Hawks in recent seasons is, assuming they miss the playoffs again, they will never have made it to the postseason when DeBrincat, Strome and Erik Gustafsson were dirt cheap.

This season they’re making a combined $3 million or so. Next season, Gustafsson is likely to be gone and DeBrincat and Strome will be getting around $11 million or so combined.

With Kane and Toews eating up $10.5 million apiece in cap space — unlike the Bruins, Penguins and Capitals, whose top stars make considerably less — it’s essential that the Hawks strike while young players are performing at a high level on their entry-level deals.

Dach and Boqvist each have two more seasons with cap hits under $1 million. The Hawks expect them to continue to improve and be important players, but their value won’t be the same once their next deals kick in.

Ever since the Blackhawks put Brent Seabrook and Calvin de Haan on long-term injured reserve I’ve been curious to know what ’s options are with the $11 million-$12 million of cap space that opened up for the rest of this season. They are unlikely to go after high-priced rentals like they did in 2015, given the fact they aren’t in a position to realistically make a Cup run, so what other options are available to them? — Jason T.

Hey, Jimmy, now that the Hawks have $13 million free from Seabrook and de Haan out, who can they get to shore up their defense? — Tony C.

To be clear, the Hawks have roughly $11.7 million in cap space right now, according to capfriendly.com. If they will use it and how will they use it are two huge questions without obvious answers.

An important thing to keep in mind is that the cap space available because Seabrook and de Haan are on long-term injured reserve disappears when the season is over. So they’re not likely to go after anybody whose contract would hamper them during the summer free-agency period or next season.

The three players who are on expiring deals and would be good fits are Devils defenseman Sami Vantanen, Kings forward Tyler Toffoli and Senators forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau.

But these guys are not being dealt for spare parts. So if Bowman is getting any of them, he’ll have to give up something of value, and it’s just not something I see happening unless they go on a long winning streak over the next month.

Hi, Jimmy. Two questions. Is there a chance Corey Crawford could be traded? It makes sense to me for a lot of reasons. Also, are you as afraid as I am that Bowman will make yet another mistake and trade important draft picks or prospects for a rental player just because of the temporary cap space? Just sneaking into the playoffs to get rocked in Round 1 is not worth it. — Jonathan S.

It’s extremely unlikely Corey Crawford gets traded unless he wants to be. He has a limited no-movement clause that allows him to name the 10 teams he can be dealt to, so it’s still largely in his control.

If he doesn’t want to go anywhere, his agent can figure out which 10 teams would have little need for a 35-year-old goalie and give that list to the Hawks.

The other factor is that there just aren't many, if any, contending teams in need of a starting goalie. And also keep in mind that Crawford isn't a clear-cut starter anymore.

He has been really good at times and has had two really strong games while Robin Lehner has been dealing with a knee injury, but he’s the No. 2 goalie now on a team that likely isn’t making the playoffs.

Will there be a market for him? Sure, but at best the Hawks would get a late-round pick and I can't imagine they're willing to dump their two-time winner to take a flyer on the 150th pick in next year's draft.

As for Bowman trading for a rental, I don’t think that’s his mindset. Not because he wouldn’t want to desperately avoid a third straight season without the playoffs, but because he’s smart enough to know it’s a real long shot and because the Hawks simply don’t have the assets.

There is a huge gap between their top young players — Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist — and the next tier of Evan Barratt, Philipp Kurashev and Nicolas Beaudin. Dylan Sikura isn’t a prospect anymore and is young enough with some potential upside to entice some teams, but he’s hardly a centerpiece to any trade.

I do believe Bowman will make some moves before the Feb. 24 trade deadline if the Hawks stay close to a playoff spot, but there are only 18 games left until then and they have a brutal road schedule in February. They may be far enough back by then that no trade to help them this season will be worth making.

What’s the status on Andrew Shaw and timeline for return? — Mark M.

Andrew Shaw’s condition is becoming one of the more perplexing storylines of the season, but that’s often the case with concussions. Unlike Drake Caggiula, who has been out with a concussion since Nov. 10 but has been skating for over a month, Shaw hasn’t been practicing with the Hawks.

It's not clear when Shaw suffered the concussion or even if it happened during the last game he played for the Hawks on Nov. 30 against the Avalanche. There's no timeline for his return.

Keep in mind that Shaw has a history of concussions, which he used to try to conceal to get back on the ice. Only after experiencing deep anxiety, depression and headaches did he come to the realization that getting back to playing at all costs wasn't the way to go.

“If there’s something wrong, right away you have to speak up and say something,” he told Canadian network in 2017.

The Hawks do not provide updates on players who have concussions, and with Shaw not practicing he hasn't been available for interviews. But there's no indication he's any closer to returning than he was a month ago.

Despite the team’s overall performance it seems like Robin Lehner is enjoying his Chicago experience. Do you think that will hold any weight during free agency? — Kevin P.

Yes, especially since the Hawks have exclusive-negotiating rights with him until free agency begins July 1. But Lehner thought he was getting a long-term deal last summer from the Islanders — a team he loves after how they supported him through his addiction recovery — so loyalty may not be as big a part of the equation as one might expect.

Also, while the Hawks will gain $6 million from Corey Crawford’s expiring contract, they’re not in a great position with the salary cap. Including getting Crawford’s money back, the Hawks will have only about $15 million in cap space for next summer.

That doesn’t include the possibility of trades and buyouts to give them more money to work with, but in addition to Lehner they’re also going to need to re-sign Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik, both of whom are unrestricted free agents.

My guess is Lehner returns on a four-year deal worth around $25 million, but if he doesn’t sign before free agency starts, then teams with more money to spend and a glaring need at goal could make a play for him.

Chicago Sun-Times

Blackhawks’ Alex DeBrincat looks to affect game in more ways beyond scoring

Madeline Kenney Jan. 8, 2020

Blackhawks right wing Alex DeBrincat used to obsess over his scoring droughts. But as he has gotten older, he realized that wasn’t productive.

Now in his third NHL season, DeBrincat has a different perspective when it comes to scoring goals.

“They’re going to come,” he said. “If you’re a goal scorer, you’re not going to score every night and for me, I just try to keep [that in mind] and stick with the process, and hopefully it’s going to go in sooner than later.”

That’s something DeBrincat has had to remind himself often this season, which hasn’t gone to plan for the 22-year-old, who started the 2019-20 campaign by signing a three-year extension before the opener in Prague.

In 44 games, DeBrincat has scored only 10 goals, his slowest start to his career. Last season at this time, he already had 19 and went on to finish second on the Hawks in scoring with 41.

DeBrincat is still firing plenty of shots, but they just aren’t going in. His shooting percentage has decreased drastically from 18.6 percent last season to just 8.1 percent.

“He just hasn’t converted at the same rate that he did last year,” coach Jeremy Colliton said Wednesday after practice. “He’s had a lot of chances, so that’s something that I’m sure he would like to change.”

DeBrincat really has no explanation why the scoring hasn’t come as naturally as it has in the past.

“It is what it is,” he said. “They don’t seem to be going in.”

But DeBrincat is confident that his luck will turn eventually. In the meantime, he’s trying to affect the game in other ways.

One way he’s doing that is by drawing twice as many penalties this season compared to last, according to Natural Stat Trick. He also has 20 assists, which is five more than he had last season at this time.

“I’m still contributing a little bit and trying to do anything I can to help the team win, whether it’s winning pucks back or getting points,” DeBrincat said. “Whatever it is, I think they’re going to find that each and every time.”

Colliton is pleased with how DeBrincat has been playing.

“Our feedback to him is more about how he’s playing,” Colliton said. “And when he’s getting chances we’re happy with it. And we constantly remind him that we want him to be active, away from the puck, skating, pressuring, great back pressure and then that’s going to put him in a position where he has a lot of speed going back and then he’ll get even more chances.

“So I’m not unhappy with his play, of course, we would like him to score, but I think he’s been good for us, especially since [Kirby] Dach and [Dylan] Strome combination, we put that together, that line was probably our best line.”

Note: Coach Jeremy Colliton couldn’t offer a timeline on Dylan Strome, who left the game in the second period Tuesday with a right ankle sprain. He did, however, rule the center out for the game Thursday against the visiting Predators.

Meanwhile, goalie Robin Lehner, who suffered a right knee injury last Thursday against the Canucks, was a full participant in practice. With Lehner cleared, the Hawks reassigned goalie Kevin Lankinen to the Rockford IceHogs.

The Daily Herald

On 70th NHL shot on goal, ' Sikura finally finds back of net

John Dietz Jan. 8, 2020

It's no secret that many pro athletes are superstitious.

Down to the tiniest detail, they'll stick to their pregame routine, believing any deviation could spell disaster.

As for the struggling athlete who can't buy a basehit, sink a jump shot or score a goal? They'll often do anything and everything to try to turn the tide.

And that's exactly what Blackhawks forward Dylan Sikura did as his goal drought grew from seven games to 10, 15, 20 and beyond.

"I would switch up my routine every day," Sikura said. "And if I were to score, I would stick with that. Just little things. Like when I walked out (Sunday) there were a bunch of nets there and I put my hands in one of the nets. Just anything."

And guess what?

Sikura's 43-game drought finally ended that night when he pounded a shot into a wide-open net after Erik Gustafsson's blast caromed off the skate of a player. An overjoyed Sikura leapt into Gustafsson's arms and began a celebration that resonated with each and every one of his teammates.

"I blacked out pretty much," said Sikura, who scored on his 70th career shot on goal. "I saw Gus there and he was firing me up. It was a cool moment. Couldn't hold back there."

Said captain Jonathan Toews: "It's a long time coming. I mean he's been close a bunch of times. A lot of guys say when they get their first goal early on, they're like: 'Oh, it's nice to get that first one out of the way' because you don't want it to snowball.

"Poor Sikky. That was one of those things that just kind of built into something that wasn't really there."

Sikura, who isn't sure if he'll keep sticking his hands in a net every game day, was nowhere close to setting a record for longest goal drought to begin a career for a forward. That mark is held by Tony Twist, who scored in his 180th game for the St. Louis Blues. Twist, who logged 1,121 career minutes in a 10-year career, finished with 10 goals in 445 games.

Sikura, quite obviously, hopes he ends up with more than that, but it's difficult to say exactly how he fits into the Hawks' long-term plans.

They selected Sikura in the sixth round of the 2014 draft and allowed him to develop for four years at Northeastern University. He then racked up 17 goals in 46 games with Rockford last season and also played 33 games with the Hawks.

Some believed Sikura would carve out a significant role right out of training camp this season, but he was instead assigned to Rockford where he scored nine times in 22 games. He's getting another chance to prove what he can do at the NHL level due to injuries to Brandon Saad, Andrew Shaw and Drake Caggiula.

Sikura's realistic though and knows he could be sent back to the minors at any moment. It's a tough way to live, and the day-to-day uncertainty can definitely weigh on a player.

"You can ask the (other) guys that do it here -- it's not easy," Sikura said. "(You're) kind of walking on broken glass. You feel like you don't know where you're going to be the next day."

The key for Sikura -- and other call-ups like Matthew Highmore, John Quenneville, Adam Boqvist and Dennis Gilbert -- is to play their games and not worry about making mistakes.

Easier said than done, right?

"You've got to be on your toes, which is good for a lot of guys, but at the same time it can be stressful and tough," Sikura said. "There's a lot of things you've got to deal with as a young player. To overcome that and be an everyday guy it's going to take a little time, and hopefully I can do that here."

Coach Jeremy Colliton likes how Sikura's game is trending and went out of his way to compliment the forward's effort at Calgary on New Year's Eve. And while Sikura believes he has a good relationship with Colliton, he doesn't expect the same one-on-one time he received last season.

"I'm not really a first-year guy anymore," Sikura said. "I've seen how everything goes down and know how it works. Now there's younger guys that need that attention.

"I learned a lot last year and grew a lot as a person and as a pro. Hopefully I can take that into my play."

NBC Sports Chicago

Robin Lehner close to returning from knee injury

Scott King Jan. 8, 2020

Corey Crawford was able to shake off the rust this week and give the Blackhawks two solid starts, but the team will be happy to welcome back goalie Robin Lehner, who's very close to returning.

Crawford and the Blackhawks were able to win one of two to start this week's four game homestand. The Hawks beat the Red Wings 4-2 on Sunday and lost to the Calgary Flames 1-2 on Tuesday.

Lehner, 12-7-4 with a 2.92 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage (10th in NHL), suffered a right knee injury in Thursday's 7-5 loss at Vancouver. Lehner had his fourth consecutive start in Vancouver, which meant he had just emerged as the team's No. 1 goalie.

After participating in some of Tuesday's morning skate and in Wednesday's full practice, he thinks he's ready to come back in.

"I'm back to full practice, so we'll see when [I] get the opportunity," Lehner said.

Wednesday afternoon The Hawks sent goalie Kevin Lankinen back to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. Lankinen was recalled to serve as a back up to Crawford following Lehner's injury. The move likely means Lehner will be in the lineup on Thursday, but the question is: in what capacity?

Blackhawks Jeremy Colliton should know tomorrow whether Lehner will be serving as a starter or back up against Nashville on Thursday, or remain out to be safe.

"I don't know yet," Colliton said. "Haven't talked to trainers or Robin. We'll find out probably tomorrow for sure."

Lehner remained in last Thursday's game after Canucks forward Tanner Pearson crashed the net and fell onto his right knee in the third period. The goalie didn't think the injury would have him sidelined following the game.

"That's the thing with knees, it's just a little complicated," Lehner said. "But I'm happy it wasn't worse."

Lehner and the Hawks are fortunate there wasn't a serious issue with his knee.

"I think that's the reality of it for everyone, you don't want to be injured," Lehner said. "This is our job and our livelihood, you want to be out there and help the team.

"But injuries are part of the game, you just have to go through them and do the best with it. I'm happy it wasn't anything worse."

The Athletic (Chicago)

‘He remembers everything’: Can Patrick Kane name the 20 goalies he’s scored on the most?

Mark Lazerus Jan. 9, 2020

“Pekka Rinne.”

I hadn’t even finished presenting Patrick Kane with the story idea — testing his eidetic hockey memory by asking him to name the 20 goalies he’s scored on the most in his NHL career — and he was already off and running.

“Rinne’s got to be up there.”

No. 1, in fact. Kane has beaten the Predators’ longtime goalie 19 times in his career, 12 in the regular season and seven in the playoffs.

“Oh, we’re doing playoffs, too?” Kane asked.

Well, sure. I figured that’d be easier for him. While the NHL doesn’t count Kane’s 50 postseason goals as part of his career total — he’d have passed 1,000 points early last season, instead of in the coming days, if playoff points counted — I figured it would be unfair to ask him to separate the two in his memory.

A silly thought in retrospect. This is Kane we’re talking about, the human hockey encyclopedia. This is the same guy who, during his 26-game point streak during the 2015-16 season, recounted off the top of his head how Wayne Gretzky — during his record 51-game streak — reached No. 44 by scoring an empty-netter in Chicago. The same guy who, after becoming the first American to win the scoring title, remembered in detail how Mario Lemieux came back and stole the title from Pat Lafontaine during the 1992-93 season. The same guy who has spent the season describing every goal in vivid detail to my colleague, Scott Powers.

It’s Sunday morning at the United Center, and I’m holding a list of 114 goalies on whom Kane has scored. I openly wonder if we had more time, if he could name all 114. That might be pushing it. Anyway, the goal is to beat Alex Ovechkin, who got 13 of 20 — with an awful lot of help, I might add — when Craig Custance tried it with the generation’s greatest goal scorer.

And off we go…

Kane: OK, so Rinne.

Long pause.

Kane: (exhales) I’m going to say (Kari) Lehtonen from Dallas.

Lazerus: Yep, 11.

Kane: He’s 11th?

Lazerus: No, you’ve scored 11 times on him.

Kane: Oh, OK. (Jonathan) Quick, right?

Lazerus: Quick is at 15, yeah. That’s tied for fourth.

Kane: Fourth? OK.

Lazerus: Six of those in the playoffs. Three of them in one game, I seem to recall.

Kane: (laughs) Yeah, I remember that one. Let’s see here.

Another long pause.

It’s funny, I can’t think of this all of a sudden. Dubnyk?

Lazerus: Yeah, Devan Dubnyk. Tied with Quick at 15.

An even longer pause. Multiple sharp exhales. Kane’s tapping the seat of his locker stall. Is he choking?

Kane: Trying to think of the teams we’ve played in the playoffs. (Roberto) Luongo?

Lazerus: Yeah, he’s second at 16. Nine in the playoffs.

Kane: That’s what I’m trying to think of, the teams we played in the playoffs over the years.

Lazerus: You already got most of the big playoff ones. One of these is really surprising. It’s a name from the past that I wouldn’t have thought you’d have this many goals against.

Kane: Really?

Lazerus: But try thinking in the division.

Kane: Marty Turco?

Lazerus: Turco’s on there, yeah.

Kane: (surprised) Is he?

Lazerus: Seventh.

Kane: Was that in the top 20 or no?

Lazerus: Yeah. Anyone you scored six or more against.

Kane: Trying to think. This shouldn’t be this hard.

Lazerus: Ovechkin couldn’t name all 20, for what it’s worth.

Kane: Really? Trying to think of St. Louis’ goalie, but they’ve had some different goalies. Who else is in our division here, we got Colorado…

Lazerus: Well, St. Louis is one of them, so you’re on the right track.

Kane: Really?

Lazerus: Been there a while.

Kane: Allen?

Lazerus: Yep, Jake Allen’s at 11. You’ve gotta think you’re playing him four or five times a year.

Kane: Yeah that makes sense. Who else is in our division now, Colorado, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis…

Lazerus: There’s one that I’m surprised you haven’t —

Kane: Mike Smith?

Lazerus: Yeah, Mike Smith, 11, also. All right, you’ve got the top seven already. There’s one more at 11, which is the one that surprised me. Here’s a big hint: Two of them came in the playoffs against him.

Kane: (Miikka) Kiprusoff?

Lazerus: That’s the one. I don’t know why, but I think of him as like a guy from the ’90s.

Kane: Yeah, I know, right? (laughs).

Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat and Kane were, as usual, hanging out in the players lounge before a practice recently. They had arrived early to the rink, as usual. And they had NHL Network on the TV, as usual.

“Then (Kane) starts talking about 2014 and who his linemates were in the playoffs, and how he was playing with someone — I think it was (Brandon) Bollig? — late in the season,” Strome said. “He remembers everything.”

Sure enough, trotted out the rather inexplicable line of Brandon Bollig, Marcus Kruger and Patrick Kane off and on late in the 2013-14 season before coming to his senses in time for the postseason, and reuniting Kane and Jonathan Toews.

Strome is a kindred spirit of Kane’s. Not the way Artemi Panarin was on the ice; this mind-meld is off the ice. Simply put, the two are huge hockey nerds. They text each other while watching games, they break down little plays to the granular details, and they both recall seemingly every facet of every play.

“I think you’d be more impressed the way we talk about other teams the night before (a game),” Strome said. “I watch a lot of highlights and a lot of games, and he does, too.”

LeBron James is often lauded for his total recall during postgame press conferences. Golfers can usually tell you their club and distance on just about every shot they took in a day’s round. But Kane’s memory is unusual in the hockey world, especially given how many goals he’s scored.

“When you score a goal, you seem to remember it,” Kane said. “I don’t know if it’s because you watch the highlight over and over again or what. I just think some guys can do it. I mean, some guys can go up and down the players in the league and they’ll know which way every guy shoots, which hand. I feel like I’m one of those guys. (Patrick) Sharp was always one of those guys. I feel like Strome’s a little bit like that, too.”

“I am,” Strome said. “But not like Kaner.”

Kane: So we’re at seven?

Lazerus: No, you’ve got nine so far.

Kane: Nine? All right. Varlamov?

Lazerus: Yep you’ve got eight against him.

Another long pause.

Lazerus: You might see one of them tonight.

Kane: Really? Jimmy Howard?

Lazerus: Yeah, you’ve got seven against him.

Kane: Oh, yeah, he used to be in the division. Playoffs, too.

Lazerus: Two in the playoffs, yeah. 2013.

Kane: Hmmm.

Lazerus: OK, another hint. A former Team USA teammate.

Kane: Ryan Miller?

Lazerus: Yeah, nine against him.

Another exhale.

Kane: No hint, lemme think for a minute.

Another pause.

Lazerus: You have 24 against empty nets, if you were wondering.

Kane: Twenty-four? (Laughs.) That’s a lot.

Lazerus: That’s your best goalie.

Kane: That’s almost two a year. Hmm…

Lazerus: Most of these guys are still playing.

Kane: OK, let’s see here. I’m going to say Schneider?

Lazerus: Cory Schneider, seven against him, same as Turco and Howard. Two more that you’ve scored seven on. Think of one more big playoff name.

Kane: I want to say — I keep thinking (Sergei) Bobrovsky, but he’s probably way down the list.

Lazerus: You had four against him; he’s not top 20.

Kane: (Henrik) Lundqvist?

Lazerus: No, he’s at three.

Kane: Three. Hmm.

Lazerus: You weren’t part of “17 Seconds,” but…

Kane: No, I — really? Tuukka?

Lazerus: Yeah, seven on Tuukka Rask. Three in the playoffs. Wait, you had three that series? Is that right?

Kane: Yeah, yeah, that’s right.

Lazerus: Well, you did win the Conn Smythe that year, so…

Kane: True. (Laughs)

Lazerus: All right, there’s one more at seven. Used to see him a lot. Bounced around a bit. I’m not even sure where he is these days. Philly? No, not Philly. Must be out of the league, now that I think about it.

Kane: You thinking about Brian Elliott?

Lazerus: No, but you had five against him.

Kane: Um…

A very long, awkward, almost painful pause.

Lazerus: OK, let’s break it up. Do you know how many current or former teammates you’ve scored against? Guys that you’ve played with at some point? There’s eight of them.

Kane: Eight? Wow.

Lazerus: You already mentioned Turco.

Kane: I don’t know, I’m at a loss now.

Lazerus: Really? C’mon. You’ve got Carter Hutton, Antti Niemi, Robin Lehner —

Kane: How many on Lehner?

Lazerus: You got two on Lehner.

Kane: Two? All right.

Lazerus: Nikolai Khabibulin, Michael Leighton, and you’ve got one on Scott Darling and one on J-F Berube. You might remember the Leighton one.

Kane: I think I do, yeah.

Lazerus: Steve Mason’s the one I was thinking about, by the way.

Kane: Steve Mason? Oh, really? Shit. I played with him in juniors, I should have known that.

Lazerus: Here’s the full list. Anyone surprise you?

Kane looks it over for a while.

Kane: I should have gotten (Ondrej) Pavelec. (Ilya) Bryzgalov, maybe. Ah, I should have known (Nicklas) Backstrom, too (just outside the top 20 at five goals).

Lazerus: Yeah, it’s all the division guys. Also (Jaroslav) Halak, (James) Reimer, (Ben) Bishop and (Frederik) Andersen.

Kane: I guess once you’re down here, though, there’s a lot of different goalies.

Lazerus: Look at some of these names. You’ve got Dominik Hasek, J-S Giguere — you’re older than I thought. Shit, I covered Johan Hedberg when I was 21 years old in Pittsburgh.

Kane: I am getting old. Thirty-one.

Lazerus: You did pretty good, pretty good. You got 15. That’s two more than Ovechkin, and he had help.

Kane: Good run. Good run.

Before I let Kane go, I wanted to try to stump him. I had typed out the whole list — all 114 goalies — and there were several I had never even heard of. So I picked the most random, long-ago goal I could find.

Hannu Toivonen. St. Louis. 2008.

“Oh, St. Louis, yeah, I remember that,” Kane said, immediately. “, it was 4-on-4. I was out there with Tazer, (James) Wisniewski and (Niklas) Hjalmarsson. Wisniewski shot it from the point and I went to the net, got a rebound and smacked it in.”

Ha! It was Niklas Hjalmarsson who shot it from the point off a pass from Wisniewski. Totally nailed him.

“Wisniewski tied it in the last minute, too,” Kane added.

Goes back to press room.

Checks scoresheet.

Long pause.

Exhales.

Of course, he did.

The Athletic (Nashville)

On his first day as Predators coach, sees exactly what ails them

Adam Vingan Jan. 8, 2020

The Predators’ charter flight from Long Beach, Calif., landed in Nashville on Monday at 3:22 p.m. Over the duration of the three-hour, 21-minute flight, players were unaware of what was to come. They deplaned and went home.

Austin Watson was watching “Moana” with his daughter, Olivia, when he got the alert from the NHL app that and Kevin McCarthy had been fired. Filip Forsberg first heard about it from a friend in Sweden, who texted him a tweet. Kyle Turris’ wife, Julie, broke the news to him.

Most of the players learned of the coaching change at the same time as the rest of the hockey world. The majority of them came of age under Laviolette, who received the news from general manager shortly after the team returned from its road trip Monday.

“It was shocking news to me,” Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. “It’s part of the business, but I enjoyed the years that (Laviolette and McCarthy) were here. I was thinking about that last night, bringing back memories and how they turned my career into what it is today. I’m really grateful for what they did for us.”

On Tuesday morning, John Hynes arrived, and it became his responsibility to diagnose the Predators’ problems and correct them while their playoff hopes are still realistic.

“It’s tough, because you see two guys get fired,” Predators forward Rocco Grimaldi said. “It seems like people might blame them for everything, but that’s not the case. It’s on all of us. We all feel bad, because it’s on us. Two guys had to be the scapegoats for a problem that all of us are part of.

“It’s just a fresh slate for everyone. It’s a clean slate. Now we’ve all got to perform and show (Hynes) what kind of players we are. I’m sure he already knows, but it’s just a new chance for us to play and to show what we can do.”

Poile, visibly distraught Tuesday as he explained his out-of-character decision to fire Laviolette and McCarthy, came close to exonerating them, placing much of the blame for their dismissals on the players.

“I would’ve been happy to work with Peter and Kevin for a lot longer,” Poile said. “It’s not them. Maybe a little part (of it was) them. It’s our players. They have to make up their mind to play the way they can. … If our new coach wants to have different line combinations, wants to scratch different players, wants to play a different system, it’s his job.”

Hynes didn’t start that process Tuesday. He met with the players in the morning to introduce himself and explain some of his concepts but otherwise leaned on holdover assistants Dan Muse and Dan Lambert to prepare them for the .

“One of the things I’m really looking forward to is that there isn’t a lot of prior relationships,” Hynes said. “Sometimes, that’s a good thing. … It’s a clean slate for the players, which is a bonus for them. But every game you play, there’s an evaluation.”

At one point during his introductory press conference, Hynes said he could see “some inconsistencies in the (Predators’) game from afar.” He certainly saw them up close during the Predators’ 6-2 loss, which played like a greatest-hits compilation of their worst traits.

The Predators played inspired, but only in spurts. Their defensive play was haphazard, and the penalty kill was a mess. As forward Matt Duchene said, “Kind of the same story as the season — the wrong mistakes at the wrong times.”

“There were a lot of ups and downs,” Hynes said. “There were some moments where we played really well and we had some strong identity things that we want to be able to do. And then there were some times that we weren’t consistent enough in those areas. I think that’s a big learning lesson coming out of this game.

“Now having been on the bench with the players and going through a game and seeing the ups and downs, I really feel they have a strong grasp of some areas that I think we can improve — some of our attention to detail, some of the consistency in how we need to play. I’m really excited to get back to the rink (Wednesday) and get better and get better the morning of the Chicago game (Thursday). We’ll be a better team then.”

Specifically, Hynes mentioned defensive-zone coverage and becoming “more threatening on the inside of the ice” in the offensive zone by “managing the puck better (and) being harder on the puck” as areas he’ll look to improve first. He will begin implementing his vision Wednesday, when he leads his first practice.

“This was a game, although we don’t like what the result was, I think it gave everybody a good feel of how things are going to be,” Hynes said. “And it certainly gave the coaching staff a clear vision of what we need to move on to (Wednesday).”

But more importantly, Hynes, who ascended the coaching ranks because of his ability to motivate, wants to instill confidence in a down-on-its-luck group.

“It’s not all tactics,” Hynes said. “Some of it is mentality. Some of it is identity. Some of it is having guys believe more in certain things or believe in themselves. There are going to be tactical things that you’re going to do, and anytime you teach people, you can’t overwhelm them, so it’s got to be very specific — things that they can work on, things that are essential. And then we just keep building and building. But the most important thing is the mentality, how we play for each other and the camaraderie in the room, and then just building their belief into being very consistent. I think that will come over time.”

“I know we’ll be making some changes to our game,” Duchene said. “I know that everyone’s going to buy in. We have a heck of a group in here. I know we believe in ourselves. We believe in each other. At the end of the day, we’re going to buy into what he’s putting on the table.”

The Tennessean

New Predators coach John Hynes will try to play catch-up after taking over for fired Peter Laviolette

Paul Skrbina Jan. 7, 2020

A billboard in the bowels of on Tuesday morning read: "Welcome Coach Hynes."

But John Hynes was nowhere to be found on the ice for the Predators' morning skate, mostly because he officially had been on the job as the team's new head coach for about 15 minutes while his players warmed up ahead of Tuesday's game against the Bruins.

Hynes became just the third coach in franchise history and the sixth David Poile has had in 38 seasons as a general manager.

Poile didn't want hindsight to be 20/20. So he set his sights on Hynes for 2020 – and beyond – one day after firing Peter Laviolette, a decision that didn't come easily for Poile.

"This has been the hardest year I've ever had," Poile said. "We've totally been unable to meet expectations. ... My message to the players was that I'm responsible for this, but you as players have to share in responsibility of what's taking place. ... I'm very sorry we had to make a coaching change. ... I felt if we have any chance to play better in the second half of the season to get into the playoffs ... we needed a new voice."

New cat in town

The new voice Poile chose was Hynes, whom Poile said he thought was "getting at the right time of his career."

And the right time for the Predators, who were 19-15-7 at the midway point of the season and are in second-to-last place in the Central Division, four points out of the second wild-card spot.

The 44-year-old coached the for four-plus seasons before he was fired in December. When he was hired in 2015 by the Devils, he was the youngest head coach in the league.

The Boston University graduate had previous experience coaching the U.S. national team for six seasons and also led the United States to three medals in the World Under-18 Championships, including a gold medal in 2006.

He also coached the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for five seasons.

Hynes received high praise from Devils general manager , a Predators employee from 1998-2006, as well as former Predators captain Tom Fitzgerald, the Devils' assistant general manager.

Hynes also played with Predators Director of Player Personnel Jeff Kealty at Boston University and has ties to Poile through USA Hockey.

In 2018, Hynes took the Devils to their first playoff appearance since the 2011-12 season and compiled a 150-159-45 record. He was fired after a 9-13-4 start.

He said he first was contacted by the Predators "about a day ago." Poile said he made the decision to fire Laviolette and associate coach Kevin McCarthy after Sunday's loss against the Ducks.

The team also announced that Rob Scuderi has joined the staff as an interim assistant coach.

Hynes has plenty of catching up to do to get to know his players' strengths and weaknesses. He said he plans to have a "strong attack mentality" that utilizes speed and managing the puck while fighting "for middle ice."

"You can see some inconsistencies in the game from afar," Hynes said. "The encouraging thing is there's pockets and times ... you see Predator hockey, which is a difficult team to play against. ... It seems over the course of time there's either been pushback in the game that the team hasn't responded overly well (to), or some mental mistakes."

He, like Poile, also emphasized, without naming names, that there are some players who really need to "elevate their play."

Poile expressed his regret at feeling the need to fire Laviolette and McCarthy, instead aiming the blame at himself and his players, many of whom he said have not played to expectation.

But Poile will turn 70 on Valentines Day, and the Hall of Famer and the winningest general manager in NHL history still is without a Stanley Cup.

Laviolette was 248-143-60 with the Predators, leading them to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, the Presidents' Trophy and first division titles in franchise history the next two years.

"It's not them," Poile said of Laviolette and McCarthy. "It may be a little part of them, but it's not them. It's our players. They have to make a choice."