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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 7/8/2021 1190248 Ducks add Newell Brown as assistant coach, his third stint 1190273 Viktor Arvidsson thinks he can benefit the Kings – and vice with the team versa 1190249 Ducks’ new assistant coaches discuss power-play 1190274 Viktor Arvidsson will bring a valuable ‘shooting mentality’ improvement, communication and defensive depth to the Kings, according to former coach Rob Scuder 1190275 Introducing Viktor Arvidsson 1190276 Kings Seasons In Review – Carl Grundstrom 1190250 Jay Varady returns to Tucson Roadrunners as head coach after 1 season with Arizona Coyotes Canadiens 1190251 Arizona Coyotes hire Alan Hepple as director of pro 1190277 The united under their scouting banner despite falling short of the 1190278 The Canadiens supplied Canada with a much needed COVID-19 breather 1190252 Bruins re-sign Cameron Hughes, Joona Koppanen 1190279 Vasilevskiy wins Trophy as NHL playoff 1190253 2021 NHL Awards voting: Marchand, McAvoy among MVP Bruins who stood out 1190280 Lightning beat Canadiens 1-0 to win Stanley Cup 1190254 Offer Sheets, GMs Fear Lamoriello, NHL Trade Market | 1190281 In the Habs' Room: 'Our expectations were to win this BHN+ series,' Gallagher says 1190255 Theo Epstein, , Bill Belichick … and: Who 1190282 'We were so close to winning': Canadiens fans come are the 10 best GMs in Boston sports history? together outside Bell 1190283 Canadiens' magical Stanley Cup run ends as they lose 1-0 in Game 5 1190256 What the Sabres can learn about their Owen Power 1190284 Stu Cowan: Canadiens' Corey Perry remains a kid at heart decision from previous defensemen drafted No. 1 in Cup chase 1190285 Canadiens Game Day: Habs simply weren't good enough to beat Lightning 1190257 Calgary Flames arena argy-bargy, Farkas under fire 1190286 Most of Canada supports Habs' quest for the Stanley Cup, survey suggests 1190287 What the Puck: Wisdom of vets, jump of kids are key to 1190258 Carolina Hurricanes add 2018 draft pick to roster on a Habs comeback three-year deal 1190288 Todd: The Canadiens team you see now is Marc Bergevin's baby 1190289 Canadiens have straddled the line between present and 1190259 ‘He checks every box’: Avalanche 2020 top pick Justin future for years, and it’s never been more difficult Barron ready to push for NHL after impressive pro debut 1190290 Canadiens offence fires blanks as remarkable run ends, 1190260 The Avalanche should give Gabriel Landeskog an Lightning emerge with Stanley Cup: Playoff plus/minus eight-year deal 1190291 ‘He never stopped believing in us’: When Dominique 1190261 The Avalanche will lose a good one to Seattle, but who Ducharme led a QMJHL team back from a 3-0 series might it be? deficit 1190262 'Unspeakable tragedy:' Columbus Blue Jackets president, 1190292 What is the right contract for Mikael Granlund and the general manager address death of Matiss Kivlenieks Predators? 1190263 Police: Fireworks tube accidentally tipped, angled toward Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks 1190264 In hours after Matiss Kivlenieks’ death, Blue Jackets 1190293 Beat Montreal Canadiens to Keep coach Brad Larsen raced to comfort Manny Legace, Elvis the Stanley Cup M 1190294 Devils, Sixers CEO announces he’s leaving to pursue new opportunities 1190295 The Hunt: A deep dive into the Devils’ search for a goalie 1190265 Columbus Blue Jackets: Matiss Kivlenieks' death an to partner with Mackenzie Blackwood 'unspeakable tragedy' 1190266 has options if he mines Sweden again with Detroit Red Wings' top draft pick 1190296 Is Islanders Jordan Eberle Expendable with Oliver 1190267 Red Wings position breakdown: Prospects offer hope, Wahlstrom Waiting in the Wings? promise to defense 1190268 'It's just time': Channel 7 sports reporter, anchor Justin Rose leaving broadcast TV 1190297 Ryan McDonagh’s playoff legacy grows, and Rangers fans 1190269 911 calls detail fireworks mishap that killed NHL goalie groan: How has the trade aged after his second Cup win? Matiss Kivlenieks 1190270 Free agent forwards: Red Wings could use a couple of Senators right-handed shooters 1190298 The ‘Uber Incident’: Did a secret video destroy an NHL career? 1190271 Lowetide: Oilers 2021-22 roster projection, including trade and free agent targets 1190299 Penguins A to Z: Joshua Maniscalco needs some results in 2021-22 1190300 Tim Benz: No, Twitter. Tampa Bay Lightning don't need an 1190272 Florida Panthers reveal plan to get involved with NIL deals asterisk if they win back-to-back Stanley Cups. 1190301 What the Penguins (and Hockey) Need to Learn from Tampa Bay & Montreal 1190302 Sharks president Becher doubles down on disinterest in rebuild 1190303 Patrick Bacon Thinks Eklund 4 Times More Likely To Be Star Than Power St Louis Blues 1190304 Maroon does it again, wins a third straight Stanley Cup 1190305 Blues' Tarasenko wants out of St. Louis 1190306 Blues Vladimir Tarasenko requests a trade, per sources: Why he wants out, possible destinations and mor Tampa Bay Lightning 1190307 The Lightning have won the Stanley Cup, along with all our hearts 1190308 Lightning’s takes home Conn Smythe Trophy 1190309 Tampa Bay Lightning’s second straight Stanley Cup season commemorated 1190310 Could there be a better storyline than a Steven Stamkos game-winner? 1190311 ‘They’ll be viewed as one of the best’: Why back-to-back Stanley Cups make the Lightning a team for the ages 1190312 on Conn Smythe winner Andrei Vasileskiy: ‘He could be one of the best ever’ Maple Leafs 1190313 Lightning strikes twice as Tampa Bay defeats Montreal to win second straight Stanley Cup 1190314 Maple Leafs trade and UFA targets: Ranking the 16 goalies who make sense for Toronto 1190322 Canucks top 10 prospects: Viktor Persson’s puck play makes for an intriguing late pick 1190315 The Gifted: Why Golden Knights prospect Jack Dugan is the anti-power forward, and that’s OK 1190316 As They Celebrate Another Stanley Cup Title In Champa Bay Wednesday, Back In Las Vegas They Could Only Be Thin 1190317 Whatever Happens Next, Vegas Made Fleury a Hall of FamerPublished 12 hours ago on July 7, 2021 1190318 Will the Caps look to add on defense this offseason? 1190319 Leonsis wants to make NFTs 'understandable and accessible' for fans 1190320 Capitals’ way-too-early 2022 Stanley Cup odds released 1190321 Monumental launches NFT collection for Caps, Wizards Websites 1190323 The Athletic / Is this the NHL’s summer of the blockbuster? Here are 5 stars who could be traded 1190324 The Athletic / What to expect from NHL Draft-eligible prospect Dylan Guenther 1190325 The Athletic / Down Goes Brown: Who wins, an all-time roster of stars with no Cups or stars who won Cups with 1190326 .ca / Forged by disappointment, Lightning ride out every storm to win Stanley Cup 1190327 Sportsnet.ca / From the painful end of Canadiens’ fabled run, a future champion may emerge 1190328 Sportsnet.ca / Kucherov takes at Montreal fans but spews truth in epic press conference 1190329 USA TODAY / Nikita Kucherov doesn't hold back in press conference after Tampa Bay Lightning win Stanley Cup 1190330 USA TODAY / Tampa Bay Lightning repeat as Stanley Cup champions with Game 5 win against Montreal Canadiens 1190331 USA TODAY / Lightning try to clinch Stanley Cup at home: What to know about Game 5 vs. Canadiens SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1190248 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks add Newell Brown as assistant coach, his third stint with the team

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | [email protected] | Orange County Register

PUBLISHED: July 7, 2021 at 12:13 p.m. | UPDATED: July 7, 2021 at 12:13 p.m.

Newell Brown rejoined the Ducks coaching staff Wednesday, beginning his third stint as an assistant coach with the team. He was an assistant to Craig Hartsburg from 1998-2000, and he also served on Randy Carlyle’s staff from 2005-10, winning the Stanley Cup in 2006-07.

Brown spent the past four seasons with the Vancouver Canucks and his duties included overseeing their power play units. Vancouver had the NHL’s fourth-best power play in 2019-20, but slipped to 25th this past season. The Ducks’ 8.9 percent on the power play in 2020-21 was the worst in league history.

In addition to the Ducks and Canucks, Brown also has been an assistant with the Arizona Coyotes (2013-17), the Columbus Blue Jackets (2000- 04) and the (1996-98). He was on Alain Vigneault’s staff from 2010-13, his first stint with the Canucks.

The Ducks hired Geoff Ward and Mike Stothers last month. The addition of Brown completed an assistant coaching shakeup on Dallas Eakins’ staff. , Mark Morrison and Marty Wilford were Eakins’ assistants the past two seasons.

Orange County Register: LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190249 Anaheim Ducks candidates. I don’t know Mike myself. I haven’t worked with Mike personally, but we have people in common that we know and have worked with before. I think Dallas leaned on some people that know both Ducks’ new assistant coaches discuss power-play improvement, of us. communication and defensive depth “We had a good conversation. And then it just carried forward from there as these things do. It was good and I’m excited about it.”

By Eric Stephens This is Ward’s fourth club. He spent seven years with Claude Julien in Boston and three with John Hynes in New Jersey. In Nov. 2019, during Jul 7, 2021 his third season as associate coach in Calgary, Ward took over as interim head coach after Bill Peters resigned following the revelation of

his usage of a racial slur toward one of his former players, Akim Aliu. Faced with his latest coaching task — fixing an Anaheim power play that In Ward, the Ducks are bringing in someone who has been part of broke last season for good after malfunctioning for years — Geoff Ward numerous winning teams. And while it ended quickly with the Flames, couldn’t help but have a hearty chuckle when it was suggested that he Ward did guide them to a postseason appearance last summer, after a was playing with house money. play-in series win over Winnipeg that got them into the first round. His The power play has been no laughing matter for the Ducks. General “interim” tag got dropped in Sept. 2020. manager Bob Murray has groused about it for years, vowing that it had to Anaheim is coming off its third straight losing season. The Ducks have get better with each passing season, then watching it only get worse. It never gone four years without a playoff berth. They have been trying to might seem daunting, if not foolhardy, to take over a group that just transition a roster more toward youth without doing a major teardown, but reached record levels of futility. the process has been bumpy to say the least. Maybe it’s just the right time for Ward to seize this opportunity. There’s But the Ducks’ current state doesn’t dim Ward’s enthusiasm. He has no way it could get any worse. been a part of immediate turnarounds in Boston and Calgary and he “I guess that’s one way to look at it,” Ward mused after letting loose that once watched Taylor Hall drag the undermanned Devils into the . chuckle. He calls Anaheim’s youth “exciting” and feels there is strong leadership within the locker room. John Gibson, in his mind, has been a top Could it be any more inept? Perhaps, but the Ducks scored only 11 times . He’s also watched a lot of video from last year and concluded with the man advantage last season, for an 8.9 success rate that was the “there’s an awful lot of things there that I can think can be improved, NHL’s worst mark since the league started tracking power plays in 1977- obviously, in terms of where the team needs to go.” 78. “I like the vision and the path that Dallas has talked about a little bit,” True, it was only a 56-game schedule instead of a full 82. But a Ward said. “We haven’t gone through it in-depth and it’s going to happen respectable power play only would have saved Anaheim from the when we come out for meetings in the middle of July. But the things that ignominy of being the league’s worst offensive team. It wouldn’t have he’s been talking about, sort of watching what’s been happening over the kept them from another playoff-less season, but perhaps a few extra wins last year, there’s some exciting parts. So, when you take a look at that, might have been celebrated. when you’ve got a guy that you’re going to work for that sort of has similar philosophies in the game, you talk about things and you very There are quite a few things with the Ducks that need fixing. Murray quickly see where the common ground is. So, there were a lot of things started this offseason by changing up the coaching staff, removing that were sort of attractive about it. assistants Mark Morrison and Marty Wilford and replacing them with Ward and Mike Stothers, which gave Dallas Eakins a seasoned veteran “I think there’s a lot of upside to the team and I think it’s a team that could of a few NHL benches (Ward) and a coach Eakins often matched wits move ahead here fairly quickly. All those things were certainly on the list against (Stothers). The Ducks on Wednesday also hired veteran when I thought about making the decision to come to Anaheim.” assistant Newell Brown, who previously was with the club from 1998- 2000 and 2005-10. It has been a decade since Stothers coached in the NHL, assisting Craig Ramsay during the Atlanta Thrashers’ final season in 2010-11 before Changing the roster of a team that went 17-30-9 could happen in due they were moved to Winnipeg. His other job in the league came in the time, particularly once the Seattle expansion draft is behind them this late 1990s as an assistant with the , first under month. But for now, Ward and Stothers, brought in to let Eakins “be free Ramsay and then Bill Barber. to just go around – what he does best is communicate,” as Murray said, have been studying their new team, taking notes off the video they’ve But Stothers has had no problem finding employment. From the moment watched and taking in what could work, what hasn’t worked and where he ended his playing career in 1992, the Toronto native has stood behind they can devise plans on offense and defense. a bench virtually every year since. He had a two-year break after coaching the AHL’s a season before he latched on “One of the things I like is the communication aspect,” Stothers told The with Ramsay in Atlanta. Otherwise, Stothers has either been an assistant Athletic. “I’m looking forward to hearing from the players themselves and or ran the show at the Canadian major junior, AHL or NHL level. also hopefully delivering some good messages to them that’ll again translate into Anaheim having some great success.” Until this past season. The 59-year-old lived through the pandemic at his home in Owen Sound, , after the Los Angeles Kings did not Just four months ago, 24 games into a truncated 2020-21 NHL season, renew his contract as the head coach of their AHL affiliate. But the man Ward was overseeing Calgary’s 7-3 rout of Ottawa on a Thursday night. who many refer to as “Stutts” is familiar to those who follow the Ducks closely, especially the . Stothers coached in the AHL for Shortly after, the 59-year-old coach was out of a job. He took the fall for six seasons, and won the in 2015 with the Manchester the Flames’ inconsistent 11-11-2 start to a season that contained high Monarchs before they moved to Southern California and became the expectations. General manager Brad Treliving replaced Ward with two- Ontario Reign. time Stanley Cup-winning coach Darryl Sutter, giving him a second go- around with the Flames after he led them to the Cup Final in 2004. In four of his five years with the Reign, Stothers coached against Eakins and the Gulls numerous times as part of their division-heavy schedule. Irony has a firm place in hockey. Sutter was working with Anaheim as a Eakins was promoted to Anaheim in June 2019. But while there were long-distance advisor to Eakins. The move to place Sutter’s firmer hand many heated battles with Ontario, the Ducks’ head coach knew Stothers on the Flames didn’t pay off, as they never gained traction in the inside and out and learned that they were much more similar than reconfigured North (Canadian-only) Division and missed the playoffs. different in thought and process. Ward is now with the Ducks, having been officially hired with Stothers on June 15. “There was always a mutual respect between myself and Dallas, whether we were playing against each other or coaching against each other,” “I got a call from Bob (Murray),” Ward told the The Athletic. “And, of Stothers said. “I think we always left it on the ice as competitors and course, Bob has been around the business for a long time. The fact (is) respectfully admired each other’s accomplishments, to the where I that I’ve been fortunate enough to be in it for a while. He was familiar with always felt comfortable talking to Dallas before games, after games. We me and Dallas is as well. I know Dallas did his homework on the stayed in touch in the offseason sometimes. If questions came up, we The way Ward sees it, a productive power play starts with winning the ran some ideas by each other. first faceoff and gaining control of the offensive zone to get the structure set up – “You’ve saved yourself 30 seconds probably,” he noted – and “Over the course of many years, we developed this friendship and then outworking the opposing kill. Sure, there also is knowing relationship. And now we’ll take it to working together as opposed to where and when to attack, moving the puck quickly and crisply and the working against each other.” all-important act of actually shooting the puck.

Their association goes back to their days as defensemen in the AHL, But there is an element he feels is often overlooked, the one that can put with Stothers playing for the and Eakins starting his pro a penalty kill in scramble mode and tire it out. career on the Baltimore Skipjacks’ blue line. “It was a great rivalry back then,” Stothers said with glee. Eakins gauged his interest in joining the “The other thing, too, I think is huge is a lot of times, when you recover Ducks’ staff. Murray followed up with a call and the two “had a good pucks, you’ve got the opportunity to take the puck to the net right away conversation.” as opposed to letting the box reset itself and trying to come back through it again,” he said. “What you do with the puck immediately after recovery It also helped that Murray brought into Anaheim’s front office Jeff is extremely important. You’ll hear us talk a lot about understanding Solomon, a longtime Kings executive who Stothers knew very well. An where the next play is. Where is your next play? And that’s going to be eager Stothers is counting down the days until training camp opens in something that is going to be critical for us in terms of having a fast September. attack and in terms of keeping the puck in the offensive zone.”

“It’s one of those where you want to get back behind the bench and the In Stothers’ case, he isn’t starting from scratch with the Ducks’ competitive juices start flowing,” he said. defensemen. They don’t have the best group, but they’ve got a deep one, It helps to have pure offensive talent that can run a successful power and it can be quite capable when the particulars are playing well. There play. Outside of individual stars like , Teemu Selanne, Corey is a longtime nucleus of Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler and Josh Perry and , the Ducks have never been known for their Manson. Kevin Shattenkirk was signed to bring more puck movement firepower up front. and offensive-zone acumen. Haydn Fleury showed promise as a potential solution to their often-troublesome third pairing. Jacob Larsson, They did manage to lead the NHL in goals in 2013-14 and had the Josh Mahura and Simon Benoit all could return. league’s most proficient power play in 2015-16. But these Ducks are a long way from the group that was racking up division titles. Perry is gone, And there is Jamie Drysdale, who jumped right into a top-four role and having played in consecutive Cup finals with Dallas and Montreal in a seems destined to push for top-pairing status. What has hurt the limited but successful supporting role. At 36, Getzlaf is heading in that effectiveness of the entire group is Lindholm and Manson incurring direction from a role standpoint, and hasn’t yet indicated if he will return injuries that knocked them out of the lineup for extended periods. As for 2021-22. is essentially retired, his body and years of Murray said at the end of the year, “Without Hampus and Josh in the hard play doing him in. lineup for big parts of the year, that puts big pressure on a guy like Cam. Huge pressure. And you could see it was wearing on him.” The Ducks are now without players who can carry a franchise. Rickard Rakell hasn’t been the same since the have withered. Jakob But Stothers sees many positives in the personnel he could be working Silfverberg and Adam Henrique are productive veterans who are better with. as support players. Without any finishers operating at a high level, the “I think the talent and the ability is there,” he said. “When I was watching Ducks’ power play has become an embarrassment. Getzlaf, long known the games, you could see it. I think the biggest thing is trying to get as a pass-first center, led the Ducks with three power-play goals last healthy. The way the season was last year, there was no real training season. camp. (With) the condensed schedule, guys get banged up. They get Ward has dug into Anaheim’s power play over the past four weeks. He nicked up or they get hurt. It’s hard to recover. There’s just no time. I isn’t going to have all the answers right away, but he has drawn some think now that you’ve got the summer, which is typically when teams or conclusions. players that have been banged up during the course of the previous season have a chance to let their body mend a little bit and then rehab if “I think really what it is it’s developing some confidence,” he said. “It’s need be. And then get to the work on strengthening and getting ready for looking at areas where you need to improve a little bit of skill. It’s coming the anticipation of the upcoming training camp. up with a plan that all of the guys that are going to be on the power play can buy into. It’s something that’s going to be simple. And I think the “If the stars are aligned and we can stay healthy, I think it’s a real good biggest thing is we want to make sure the power play is supplying mix of guys. I think it’s a real good base to build on.” momentum to the team. Whether you’re scoring or not, at least it gives Since he became coach, Eakins has encouraged his defensemen to you some momentum.” activate in the offensive zone, to push the pace. The Ducks haven’t been One thing Ward will have to anticipate is Anaheim getting fewer go-for-broke over his two seasons, but their blue-liners do take more opportunities. Since the NHL added Vegas as its 31st team in 2017-18, chances, which has required forwards to cover for those who jump up in the Ducks have had the fewest power plays (733). Theories have been the play. But it hasn’t translated into production when the Ducks get raised over the years. Maybe they don’t have dynamic players who can inside the opponent’s blue line. draw penalties. Perhaps their past as a bruising team that complained The lack of finish by forwards deserves some blame. But it doesn’t speak emphatically about calls is being held against them. Maybe they’re well to potency when the 12 defensemen Anaheim used last season, unwilling to embellish contact to get the attention and benefit of the doubt combined, were outscored by Edmonton’s combo of Tyson Barrie and from officials. Darnell Nurse. Stothers wants his defenders moving their feet and the But when you’re a team lacking in elite talent that is getting fewer puck, but he also wants them thinking and acting quickly. advantages and is particularly bad at converting those, that’s a “We want, or we are going to encourage, these guys to be part of the concoction for an offensive meltdown. To Ward, mindset on the power attack,” Stothers said. “You see the teams now, it always seems like it’s a play is just as important as skill. four-man rush. And I think that’s important. The key to probably having “We want to make sure we’re a shooting power play,” Ward said. success is how quickly you can exit your zone. If you spend too long in “Shooting power plays score. They have for years in the league. And we there, there’s just only a couple of things that can happen and it’s usually want to make sure we’re putting pucks and bodies to the net and we’re bad. You’re either taking a penalty or you’re getting scored on. good on our recoveries and we want to just repeat. “I think that’s a big thing for me, how quickly we can exit our zone and “It’s simple. But you want to make sure that you’ve got a good plan, that then play through the neutral zone, and hopefully more extended O-zone the guys are confident in the plan, that the guys buy into what is going to grind time will hopefully lead to more goals. Certainly, getting the D happen on the power play. I’ve got to have some conversations with the actively involved. A little movement in the offensive zone and actually guys that we’re going to be employing on the power play throughout making sure that they get their shots through. I think that’s important. training camp and into the regular season and get everybody there. And Guys are getting so good at blocking shots. But if you can lay off the then it’s just a matter of working your plan and making sure that you’re back swing and get pucks in the net front area, you certainly got a better building confidence with it.” chance of contributing to the offense.” The Ducks have two bright lights in Drysdale and Trevor Zegras, who could be at the heart of a new younger core they’re trying to build. Some of the excitement from the new assistants comes from the thought of working with players who could become foundational pieces. Ward will have both of them on the power play, while Stothers will be charged with helping to bring out the best in Drysdale on the blue line.

About the 20-year-old Zegras, Ward said, “He’s got tremendous poise. That’s the first thing that jumps out to me when I watch him work on the power play. He knows what he wants to do. It’s almost like he can see a play ahead of where he needs to go with it. But he’s got tremendous poise and patience with the puck. He’s able to draw defenders to himself in order to create opportunities to break the box down.”

None of Zegras’s 13 points in 24 games with Anaheim last season came on the power play. But anyone could easily see that the center was right at home when he operated with the man advantage. The Ducks were much more of a threat when he was on the ice. The top unit figures to run through the center, with Drysdale quarterbacking from the blue line.

“Not to compare him to people, because I think that’s unfair, but I see a lot of similarities between him and David Krejci with respect to how they operate on the power play,” Ward said. “He’s got the same sort of skill level as a lot of real good half-wall guys in the league have on the power play. That’s exciting to have in a young player. For him to exhibit that much poise this early in his career is promising.”

Because they did not reach the 25-game threshold last season that qualifies them for the Calder Trophy, Zegras and Drysdale will be considered rookies in 2021-22. The Ducks have never won the award. Kariya finished third in 1994. Bobby Ryan was a runner-up in 2009.

About the 19-year-old Drysdale, Stothers said, “He’s an exceptional young talent. I think there is a lot of potential, a lot of growth to improve the overall back end when you’ve got his ability. Again, it’s just a matter of kind of channeling and keeping it in the right direction. Just playing and getting experience. Getting minutes, getting reps, getting touches.”

“There’s probably going to be some hiccups along the way with younger defensemen,” he continued. “Having experienced that myself, I know it sometimes it takes a little bit longer for a defenseman, especially one of this skill and ability, to reach their full potential. But the opportunity is going to be there. The minutes are going to be there. It’s part of the puzzle that makes you seven strong or eight strong.”

The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190250 Arizona Coyotes

Jay Varady returns to Tucson Roadrunners as head coach after 1 season with Arizona Coyotes

José M. Romero

Arizona Republic

A new Arizona Coyotes head coach is in place, and building his staff of assistants is under way. For the Tucson Roadrunners, a familiar name is back in the fold as their head coach.

Jay Varady has agreed to a three-year contract to return as head coach of the Coyotes' AHL affiliate, the NHL team announced Wednesday. It come after Varady spent one season spent as a Coyotes assistant on former head coach Rick Tocchet's staff.

It's believed that Steve Potvin, who served as Roadrunners head coach this past season, and assistant John Slaney will also return to work with Varady, who was the Roadrunners' head coach for two seasons from 2018 to 2020.

Upon the restart of the 2020 NHL season and with the AHL shut down, Varady came to Glendale to work with the Coyotes as they prepared for the postseason bubble in Edmonton. It led to him being asked to stay on with the NHL club for the next season.

Now, with André Tourigny as Coyotes head coach, Varady didn't figure to remain as a Coyotes assistant. But the opportunity to return to Tucson is a welcome one for him.

"I am very excited to be back in the city of Tucson and working with our great players and staff,” said Varady in a statement from the Coyotes. “We will be committed to winning hockey games and developing Coyotes prospects and I’m looking forward to having our tremendous fans back in TCC (Tucson Convention Center) to provide us with an incredible home ice advantage.”

Varady's Roadrunners won the AHL Pacific Division in 2019-20, and he coached in the league's All-Star Game in 2020 before the pandemic shutdown. Varady and his Tucson staff have worked extensively with a number of current Coyotes, including Michael Bunting and Adin Hill, and players the team has called up for NHL stints.

He ran taxi squad practices for the Coyotes this past season.

“Over the past three years, he has done a tremendous job developing our prospects and we are thrilled to have him back as our head coach in Tucson," Coyotes General Manager Bill Armstrong said of Varady.

Arizona Republic LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190251 Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes hire Alan Hepple as director of pro scouting

Staff Report

BY ARIZONA SPORTS

JULY 6, 2021 AT 4:11 PM

The Arizona Coyotes have hired Alan Hepple as the team’s new director of pro scouting, Arizona announced on Tuesday.

“We are very pleased to welcome Alan to our organization,” Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong said in a press release. “Alan is extremely knowledgeable and is an excellent talent evaluator. He played a very important role in building the current Colorado Avalanche roster and we are thrilled to have him lead our professional scouting department.”

Hepple started off his scouting career with the Nashville Predators as an amateur scout from 1997-2002.

After 6 years with the Nashville, Hepple then joined the Colorado Avalanche to continue his scouting career in 2002.

In 2009, the Avalanche promoted Hepple to assistant director of amateur scouting. He was then later prompted to director of amateur scouting for Colorado prior to the 2015-16 NHL season.

Since joining the Avalanche organization in 2002, Hepple was a part of 10 playoff appearances with Colorado.

The NHL draft is set to begin on Friday, July 23 through July 24 on the NHL Network.

The Coyotes do not own a first-round pick in this year’s draft but do hold six draft picks in the draft.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190252 Boston Bruins

Bruins re-sign Cameron Hughes, Joona Koppanen

By STEVE CONROY | [email protected] | Boston Herald

PUBLISHED: July 7, 2021 at 5:05 p.m. | UPDATED: July 7, 2021 at 5:11 p.m.

The Bruins kept a couple of depth pieces in the organization on Wednesday with the re-signings of forwards Cameron Hughes and Joona Koppanen.

Both players signed one-year, two-way deals worth an NHL salary cap hit of $750,000.

Of the two players, the 24-year-old Hughes would seem to have the better shot at cracking the Boston roster in the fall. At 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, the left-shooting Hughes notched 5-16-21 points in 25 games with Providence last year. Hughes, a 2015 sixth-round pick out of the University of Wisconsin, also played in the B’s regular-season finale in Washington against a mostly veteran Capitals lineup and he was one of the Bruins’ best players that night. Hughes could be on the fourth line, especially if unrestricted free agent Sean Kuraly does not re-sign.

The 6-foot-6, 205-pound Koppanen, a 23-year-old 2015 fifth-round pick from Finland, had three goals and three assists in 21 games in Providence last season.

Boston Herald LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190253 Boston Bruins

2021 NHL Awards voting: Marchand, McAvoy among Bruins who stood out

BY NICK GOSS

BRUINS

Zero players for the Boston Bruins took home any trophies Tuesday night when the 2021 NHL Awards were announced, but two players stood out in the voting.

One was Brad Marchand, who was selected to the first All-Star team at left wing. The only player who tallied more voting points than Marchand at any position was Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, who also won the Hart Trophy as league MVP.

Report: Bruins 'believed to have interest' in Garland, Ekman-Larsson

Marchand also finished fifth in Hart Trophy voting -- a sign of the respect he has earned as an elite player. The veteran left winger has scored at a point-per-game rate or better in five consecutive seasons.

Here's a breakdown of the Hart Trophy voting:

Connor McDavid receives all 100 first-place votes in the Hart Trophy voting. Guy might be good. pic.twitter.com/xpoAkI0hkJ— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) June 30, 2021

Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy finished fifth in Norris Trophy voting. McAvoy was an elite two-way defenseman for the Bruins this season and continued that stellar play during the team's playoff run. He should've been a finalist (top three) for the award, but it was encouraging for the B's to see him go from 10th in the Norris voting last season to fifth this year.

Here's a breakdown of the Norris Trophy voting:

James Norris Memorial Trophy voting (by members of @ThePHWA).

Penguins defenseman Kris Letang finished ninth: pic.twitter.com/KyOrnEvXiv— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) June 29, 2021

Another Bruins player who finished in the top 10 for an award was goaltender Tuukka Rask. He placed eighth in voting. Rask finished second last season and won the award in 2013-14.

Here's a full recap of Bruins players who received votes for various 2021 NHL Awards:

Brad Marchand (1st, All-Star LW; 5th, Hart Trophy; 9th, Selke Trophy)

Patrice Bergeron (1st, Messier Leadership Award; 2nd, Selke Trophy; 27th, Lady Byng)

David Pastrnak (5, All-Star RW; T-19th, Hart Trophy)

Charlie McAvoy (5th, Norris Trophy; 6th, All-Star D)

Jakub Zboril (7th, All-Rookie D)

Bruce Cassidy (11th, )

Don Sweeney (11th, GM of the Year)

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190254 Boston Bruins That’s a lot of talent and not a lot of cap room.

Also remember, teams must have their original draft picks to make an offer. For example, a team without a first-round pick can’t acquire one via Offer Sheets, GMs Fear Lamoriello, NHL Trade Market | BHN+ trade and use it as OS compensation.

Off the record:

Published 17 hours ago on July 7, 2021 “I know some GMs don’t want to be on Lou Lamoriello’s revenge list, but By Jimmy Murphy in this climate, I can see teams definitely going after the Islanders,” the exec said. “Think about how many teams – including the one you cover (Boston Bruins) – are looking for a big top 4 left-shot defenseman. He’s that gritty and yet skilled guy you want to have in the playoffs. The Isles The NHL trade market continues to be active with chatter but not much may be in some trouble here. I know Lou is the smartest and the action…yet. Could the New Jersey Devils be the one to get things going, Godfather, but he may lose a player here to an offer sheet.” and who are they targeting? If chatter has any credibility, we could finally see more offer sheets to star RFAs, such as breakout defenseman Cale This exec also said that he expects Lamoriello to be very active on the Makar, this offseason. NHL trade market as he tries to maneuver a way to keep these three players. And just as important is the drama surrounding how teams who hold the RFAs will respond to the previously taboo but perfectly legal maneuver. Perhaps Francis Ford Coppola will direct the movie of Lou’s revenge?

Don’t take your eyes off the New York Islanders. 2. Devils Ready To Bolster Defense

According to one NHL exec, not much player movement will occur until Speaking of defenseman, New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald is NHL GMs can figure out GM ’ “poker face.” already hard at work trying to reshape his blue line on the NHL trade market, and when July 28 hits, Fitzgerald will be a major player. The For a deeper look into that, read more in the latest ‘Off The Record.’ Devils have $33.3 million in salary-cap space to play with, and their only 1. Could Islanders Be Offer Sheet Targets? key free agent remaining is center Igor Sharangovich, an RFA.

Every offseason since the salary cap era began, we wait in anticipation Here’s a bit for the NHL trade mill: According to multiple sources, the for NHL GMs to finally use the offer sheet tool. Since the cap was Devils are again gauging interest in veteran defenseman P.K. Subban installed in 2005-06, and GMs had the option to poach restricted free and listening on Will Butcher. Both defensemen are entering walk years. agents from other teams, we’ve seen just nine total offer sheets signed Defensemen Matt Tennyson, Ryan Murray, and Connor Carrick are all and just one accepted. In 2007, the Anaheim Ducks chose not to match unrestricted free agents, and all could conceivably walk, too. the five-year, $21.25 million offer sheet that the Edmonton Oilers To say the Devils’ blue line will have a different look next season is an delivered to forward Dustin Penner. understatement. That was the infamous Edmonton-Anaheim dust-up with former Anaheim Off the record: GM Brian Burke hurling a few choice words at Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe. “It’s no secret what Fitzy’s focus is this offseason but he’s got a lot of work with that D because he’s basically trying to create a brand new top- “We do not believe these salaries make sense,” said Burke in 2007. “If I four,” an NHL Exec told OTR recently. “The good thing for him though is think they don’t make sense and I match them, then I’m just as dumb as he’s got a ton of prospects upfront to offer in trades and plenty of cap the team that extended the offer.” space.” The fight has shaped more than a decade of behavior. Could they try to steal Pelech from their rivals via an offer sheet? The most recent signed offer sheet was the five-year, $42.27 million one 3. Kraken Poker Face that the Montreal Canadiens offered to Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho in July 2019. The Hurricanes matched it, and the idea of a While all of this offer sheet, free agency, and NHL trade market chatter is team not matching continued to be a giant tease. wonderful, nothing big is expected to happen until July 17 when NHL teams must submit their protection lists for the 2021 NHL Expansion As one high-ranking NHL team player personnel member told OTR Draft. There are plenty of teams trying to complete lesser trades with the recently: Kraken right now to secure who Seattle selects from their list, but the “This could finally be the summer we see multiple offer sheets. It’s now or action isn’t expected to pick up until a week from Saturday. That’s why never, really. With the flat cap and some teams about to enter cap hell for Kraken GM Ron Francis basically controls the NHL trade market and, to the foreseeable future, it’s now or never for offer sheets, I think.” an extent, the free-agent market for now.

Perhaps Montreal GM Marc Bergevin broke the ice with the Aho offer. Off the record: Bergevin is having a pretty good summer, too. “I’m telling you right now, George McPhee had a brilliant poker face when There’s already been plenty of speculation that a team will put an he was in Ron’s spot, but Ron’s may be even better,” an NHL exec told aggressive offer sheet before Colorado Avalanche RFA defenseman and OTR. “Everyone is constantly checking in with him and trying to talk to Norris Trophy finalist Cale Makar. The Avalanche have until July 28 to ink other GM’s to see what they’re hearing, and really, no one knows for Makar to a contract and avoid the situation, but there’s also little doubt certain yet. The one thing I can say is Ron and his staff are very focused that Avalanche GM would match an offer sheet in a heartbeat– on the development and not just going all in and risking the future.” if he can.

There’s also quiet offer-sheet speculation surrounding Columbus Blue Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 07.08.2021 Jackets sniper Patrik Laine, too.

An offer sheet worth $10.276 million AAV or more results in four first- round draft picks as compensation if the team doesn’t match. An AAV between $8.221 million and $10.276 million on an offer sheet this year means two first-round picks, a second and a third for compensation.

With that in mind, another NHL exec told OTR to focus more on “second- tier” players and not superstars as potential offer sheet candidates. The exec also said to keep an eye on the New York Islanders as a primary target for teams looking to poach players via an offer sheet. The Islanders have three key RFA’s to sign in forward Anthony Beauvillier, defenseman Adam Pelech and goalie Ilya Sorokin. They currently have $5.7 million in salary cap space. 1190255 Boston Bruins owners Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca traveled to Washington D.C. to pay Auerbach a courtesy call at his apartment and were amazed to discover Red was still using a rotary telephone.

Theo Epstein, Red Auerbach, Bill Belichick … and: Who are the 10 best 2. Theo Epstein, Red Sox GMs in Boston sports history? Years as GM: 2003-2011

A Brookline native who grew up a couple of miles from Fenway Park, Steve Buckley Epstein was just 28 when he was named GM of the Red Sox. The club Jul 7, 2021 he assembled for 2003 nearly made it to the World Series — we don’t need to go into Sox manager Grady Little leaving Pedro Martinez on the mound in Game 7 of the ALCS, do we? — but the ’04 Sox won it all, thereby erasing “1918” as an annual talking point. That alone should This is the way it works in professional sports: When our teams win — as place Epstein No. 2 on this list. But then the Red Sox won the Series in winning the whole enchilada — it’s the players who get the again in 2007. Epstein added David Ortiz to the 2003 Red Sox after he’d endorsement deals and the trips to Disney World. It’s the players who do been cut loose by the Twins, and made the famous Thanksgiving Day the late-night talk-show circuit and get the movie deals, and may I add visit to Curt Schilling’s Arizona home that led to the Big Schill coming to here I’m anxiously awaiting the day when the first Rob Gronkowski action Boston for 2004. Identifying closer Keith Foulke and on-base machines film hits the big screen. Bill Mueller and Kevin Millar as must-gets were Epstein masterstrokes. But when things go horribly wrong with our professional sports teams, And recognizing that defense was a potential “fatal flaw” on the 2004 Red that’s when we point to the suits upstairs and ask a variety of questions Sox, he dared to part with Nomar Garciaparra at the trade deadline in a that generally boil down to this: Who put this &#%[email protected]?! four-team deal that brought first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz and team together? shortstop Orlando Cabrera to Boston. More than merely making history, Epstein discarded decades of old narratives. What’s more, he saw to it There are, of course, exceptions. No discussion about those 17 Boston that the 2004 Red Sox were not one-hit wonders. He built the roster that Celtics championship banners hanging from the rafters at TD Garden can would win the 2007 title and then kept adding players (such as Xander even begin without acknowledging that the rosters for 16 of them were Bogaerts and Mookie Betts) who would become foundations of later Red stitched together by the late, great Red Auerbach. Though something of Sox clubs. Epstein had moved on to the Cubs when the Sox again won a film noir character — cigars, Chinese food, living out of a suite on the the World Series in 2013, yet his fingerprints were all over the roster that ninth floor of the Hotel Lenox — Auerbach was as good a deal-maker in took out the Cardinals in six games. the 1980s as he was in 1950, when, with nothing in the way of fanfare, he arrived in Boston. 3. Bill Belichick, Patriots

“Meet Red Auerbach, he tells me he always wanted to coach basketball Years as GM: 2000-present in Boston,” said Celtics president Walter Brown at an introductory press Remember what we said at the beginning of this exercise: These choices luncheon. “The opportunity has come. How long he holds the job are based on the person in charge. If this were a ranking of the best depends on what he makes of the sport during the coming season.” Boston coaches, then Belichick would probably check in higher. But this Be it as coach, general manager, president or president emeritus, he is about Belichick the GM, and he has had the final word in terms of would remain employed by the Celtics for the rest of his life. Patriots grocery shopping for 20-plus years. It’s his administration, then, that gets the credit for assembling nine rosters that made it to the Super With Danny Ainge leaving his position last month as the Celtics’ Bowl, six of them bringing home Lombardi trophies for the Kraft family president of basketball operations, this is a good time to go big picture mantelpiece. If you believe it was all Tom Brady all the time, with and assemble a roster of our own: The greatest general managers in everyone else serving as chorus dancers, then we can’t help you. And Boston sports history. We’re going to use 1950 as a jumping-off point, anyway, Belichick was on the scene in 2000 when the Pats selected since prior to that the Boston sportscape was mostly limited to the Red Brady in the sixth round, 199th overall — relying on key (indeed, history- Sox, Braves and Bruins, and the owners back then had a lot of say as to making) input from the late Dick Rehbein, the team’s quarterbacks how the rosters were built. (Such as Sox owner Tom Yawkey laying out coach. It’s true there have been some really, really bad draft picks during big bucks to liberate future Hall of Famers Lefty Grove and Jimmie Foxx the Belichick era — Chad Jackson, come on down! — but one of the from the cash-starved Philadelphia Athletics and Braves owner Emil hallmarks of the Pats’ success is that they never seemed to run out of Fuchs signing a past-his-prime Babe Ruth to be a gate attraction.) depth.

The term “general manager” has become a little dusty in modern-day big- 4. , Bruins league board rooms, with everyone getting a job title that’s commensurate with whatever fancy college diploma that’s hanging on the Years as GM: 1972-2000 wall. But for this exercise we’re going to toss out the résumés and go First, a request: Please adhere to decorum and good taste if you decide with a catch-all — general manager — that everyone understands. to weigh in via the comments section below. Sinden, who turns 89 in I am judging these folks based on all moves made during their tenure, September, is enjoying a comfortable retirement and is as clear and keeping in mind that in many cases those moves were/are the result of focused as ever … but he remains a lightning rod for those Bruins fans suggestions or input from other people in the organization. In the end, it’s who believe he didn’t do enough to propel the team to a Stanley Cup. the person at the top who makes the call — and thus gets most of the Sinden was GM of the Bruins for 28 years, until Mike O’Connell was credit or all of the blame. promoted in 2000. He retained the presidency until 2006. That’s a lot of front-officing without a Cup, but the B’s had 26 playoff appearances — Here’s our list: including 24 in a row — and made it to the Cup final five times during his GM tenure. While critics will argue Sinden was “too cheap,” he made 1. Red Auerbach, Celtics sure the Bruins were always relevant. He also made one of the best Years as GM: 1950-1984 deals in franchise history when, on June 6, 1986, he sent Barry Pederson to the Vancouver Canucks for Vancouver’s 1987 first-round draft pick Duh. We should have made this a list of the top 10 general managers in (which turned out to be Glen Wesley) and a young forward named Cam Boston sports history not named Red Auerbach, right? Auerbach Neely who turned 21 the day the trade was made. Sinden’s Greatest Hits famously traded Easy and Cliff Hagan to the St. Louis include the 1976 deal that sent an aging to the Rangers for Hawks in 1956 for the rights to the Hawks’ first-round pick in that year’s 22-year-old forward Rick Middleton. Hodge, a mainstay of the Big, Bad draft — — thus establishing the Celtics as the NBA’s first Bruins, only had two NHL seasons remaining. Middleton played 12 dynasty. Decades later, Auerbach was equally adept in drafting Larry seasons for the Bruins, scoring 402 goals. And, yes, it was Sinden who Bird a year before the future Larry Legend’s final season at Indiana sent goaltender Ron Grahame to the Los Angeles Kings for the Kings’ State. (Big assist to Red’s assistant, Jan Volk, for that one.) Whereas 1979 first-round draft pick, which led to Raymond Bourque coming to Auerbach long believed rookies should take the money they’re offered Boston. and like it, he showed a willingness to change with the times when he paid Bird top dollar before he’d ever played a game for the Celtics. We 5. , Bruins could go on and on, but I’ll leave it at this: In 2002 newly-minted Celtics Years as GM: 1967-1972 Ainge away from a baseball career with the to play basketball. During the summer of 2007 Ainge acquired Kevin Garnett and Uncle Miltie’s first trade after being named general manager of the Bruins Ray Allen and teamed them up with to form a vaunted new turned out to be one of the biggest heists in Boston sports history: In May “Big Three” that carried the Celtics to the 2008 NBA championship. Ainge 1967, the B’s obtained , Ken Hodge and from showed up at Garnett’s Malibu home and talked the future Hall of Famer the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Gilles Marotte, Pit Martin and into agreeing to the contract extension that was needed to make the deal Jack Norris. Espo wound up centering a line with Hodge and Wayne possible. Bonus points to Ainge for personally scouting high schooler Cashman and became the top -scorer of the Big, Bad Bruins. (“Jesus Rajon Rondo of Oak Hill Academy three years before he drafted him. saves, Esposito scores on the rebound” became almost as famous in the More bonus points to Ainge for later sending the underperforming Rondo 1970’s as “Spahn and Sain and two days of rain” from the 1948 Boston to Dallas in the 2014 deal that brought Jae Crowder to Boston. In 2013, Braves.) Stanfield, also a center, teamed up with John McKenzie and Ainge sent Pierce and Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a deal that John Bucyk to give the Bruins the best No. 2 line in franchise history. brought a boatload of first-round picks back from the Nets. Ainge used With these guys, and teenaged defenseman coming off his one in 2016 to draft Jaylen Brown. He struck gold a year later when he rookie season, the Bruins were about to take Boston by storm. They won used another Nets pick to draft Jayson Tatum. And here’s a bit of razzle- the Stanley Cup in 1970 and ’72 and Schmidt’s deal with the Blackhawks dazzle that would have made Red proud: As part of a three-team trade in is a big reason why. 2015, Ainge brought Isaiah Thomas to Boston for what turned out to be a (By the way, it might be an all-time great signing, but you won’t find the short but very exciting run. The lack of a second championship general manager who signed Bobby Orr on this list. In 1961 a collection notwithstanding — the loss in Game 7 of the 2010 Finals to the Lakers of Bruins brass — including the team’s owner, Weston Adams Sr. — will surely always sting — Ainge presided over two sustained periods in traveled to Canada to scout two young amateurs only to discover an which the Celtics were NBA title contenders. He stamped out the undersized 13-year-old defenseman from Parry Sound, Ont., — Orr. memory of the darkest days of the franchise — remember ? — After that it was Bruins scout Wren Blair — later the first head coach and when the Celtics became an NBA laughingstock. Trading Garnett and general manager of the and then GM of the Pierce gave him the currency to rebuild the Celtics again. It didn’t lead to Pittsburgh Penguins — who did the schmoozing and heavy lifting, Banner 18, but Ainge has lots to be proud of from his 18-season run atop making regular visits to the Orr home. The Orrs were fond of Blair, which the Celtics. went a long way toward making them comfortable signing a “C Form” that 8. Peter Chiarelli, Bruins bound the future No. 4 to Boston. Orr was 14 at the time. As Orr notes in his autobiography, “Orr: My Story,” Wren Blair “was like a dog with a Years as GM: 2006-2015 bone, and no one was going to horn in on his prospect. For a year and a half, those visits never stopped, and we got to know and trust Wren.” No If we’re going to applaud Ainge for doing his part to see to it that all four disrespect to Lynn Patrick, who was GM when the Bruins scouted Orr, or of Boston’s pro sports teams won championships in the 21st century, we to , who ran the shop when Orr signed his first NHL contract, must do the same for Peter Chiarelli, the former Harvard hockey captain but this was a Wren Blair production.) who was running the front office when the Bruins toppled Vancouver in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. It was Boston’s first Cup since 1972. The 6. Dick O’Connell, Red Sox Bruins also made the 2013 Cup final under Chiarelli (losing to the Blackhawks) and made seven trips to the playoffs during his nine Years as GM: 1965-1977 seasons in charge. One of the most underrated trades made by a Boston This is another well-sure-but-he-never-won-a-championship discussion. team in the 21st century was Chiarelli’s March 4, 2009, acquisition of 41- But the work Dick O’Connell did with the 1967 Red Sox not only year-old future Hall of Famer Mark Recchi. As a 23-year-old in 1991 he propelled the Sox into the World Series (where they lost to the St. Louis helped the Pittsburgh Penguins bounce the favored Bruins from the Cardinals in seven games) but changed the entire outlook for baseball in Wales Conference finals; as a Bruin he was a savvy veteran who Boston. Whereas the 90-loss, ninth-place 1966 Red Sox drew only became an important part of the 2011 Cup run. Chiarelli traded Phil 811,172 fans to Fenway Park, the ’67 Impossible Dreamers packed the Kessel to the Maple Leafs in 2009 for draft picks that brought Dougie pews to the tune of 1,727,832 worshippers, tops in the American League. Hamilton and Tyler Seguin to Boston … but he later gave Seguin away to Thus was born what came to be known as Red Sox Nation. O’Connell the . After Chiarelli was fired in 2015, Bruins CEO Charlie made shrewd moves, such as installing fiery Dick Williams as manager, Jacobs and president Cam Neely stumbled through an awkward press but his biggest contribution to Boston sports history was his unflinching conference, unable to explain why they were making the change. attitude toward signing players of color. The Red Sox were the last team Chiarelli did not build the entire core of the Bruins that won the Cup in to promote a Black man to the big leagues (Pumpsie Green, 1959), but 2011 but he fortified and extended it. He signed Patrice Bergeron, David under the watch of O’Connell and director of minor league operations Krejci and Tuukka Rask to long-term deals that kept them in Boston with Neil Mahoney (an underrated figure in Red Sox history) such players as Zdeno Chara in the salary cap era. And we should acknowledge that Joe Foy, Reggie Smith, George Scott and John Wyatt became key fuzzy period in 2006 after Chiarelli was hired away from the Ottawa contributors in ’67. O’Connell once said, “I don’t care what color a player Senators in May but did not take formally take over the Bruins until July. is as long as he can play … if he is any good, I want to sign him.” But as During that time they signed Chara (from Chiarelli’s old team!), traded is noted in “Red Sox Century” by writers Richard Johnson and Glenn Andrew Raycroft for Rask and drafted Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic. Stout, “While those words had long been mouthed by Boston’s front Chiarelli had said in May when he was hired that he’d have input into office, O’Connell meant it and backed it up with action.” what the Bruins were doing. So he’s got to get some credit for that stuff, even if he didn’t sign the papers. O’Connell also set up the Red Sox for a generation of winning seasons, as it was during his administration that such players as Bill Lee, Rick 9. Chuck Fairbanks, Patriots Burleson, Dwight Evans and future Hall of Famers Carlton Fisk and Jim Years as GM: 1973-1978 Rice came up through the farm system. On May 17, 1971, O’Connell signed a 30-year-old right-hander named Luis Tiant to a minor-league Through their first three seasons following the AFL-NFL merger, the contract after Tiant, trying to make a comeback from a shoulder injury, Patriots were still trying to play NFL football. They went 11-31. Team had been released by the Atlanta Braves. The news merited little more president Billy Sullivan knew it was time to make a splash. So on Jan. 26, than a dot-dot-dot mention in the papers. The Cuban-born “El Tiante” 1973, after reportedly being turned down by Joe Paterno (Penn State), won 122 games in eight seasons with the Red Sox and is a Boston cult John McCay (USC) and Bob Devaney (Nebraska), the Patriots hired 37- figure to this very day. year-old Chuck Fairbanks as coach and general manager. Fairbanks was coming off six seasons at Oklahoma, where he had coached the Sooners 7. Danny Ainge, Celtics to a 52-15-1 record. In his first draft — with Bucko Kilroy serving as Years as GM: 2003-2021 director of player personnel — the Pats had the fourth, 11th and 19th picks and invested them in guard John Hannah, running back Sam “Bam” Considering it was only a few weeks ago he left the Celtics, this is Cunningham and wide receiver Darryl Stingley. Hannah, one of the all- probably a goofy time to be hoisting a Danny Ainge banner to the rafters. time greats at his position, played his entire Hall of Fame career with the So let us be brief: The Celtics remain Boston’s greatest franchise ever — Patriots. Cunningham would be a force in the New England backfield for sorry, Pats loyalists — but by the 21st century a new generation of fans the next seven seasons. Stingley played four seasons with the Patriots wasn’t much interested in grainy Bill Russell and highlights. until his career tragically ended as a result of the Jack Tatum hit during a Ainge delivered only one championship but in doing so channeled the 1977 preseason game in Oakland. It didn’t end there. Fairbanks drafted deal-making wizardry of Auerbach, the man who years earlier spirited Steve Nelson, Russ Francis, Raymond Clayborn and Stanley Morgan. All went to multiple Pro Bowls in New England. Haynes went to the Hall of Fame. (He also traded his quarterback, former No. 1 overall pick Jim Plunkett, to San Francisco in 1976, which gave him extra draft capital.) Then in 1975 the Pats selected Kansas State quarterback Steve Grogan at pick No. 116. OK, so it’s not quite as eye-popping as when the Pats drafted Brady in 2000 at No. 199, but it’s up there. Grogan would be a Patriot for 14 seasons. Newly rebuilt, the Patriots finally arrived as a top NFL team by 1976, going 11-3. They were a legit contender but lost a divisional round playoff game to Oakland — thanks to referee Ben Dreith’s roughing the passer call on Sugar Bear Hamilton.

Things did end badly for Fairbanks in New England. He felt his power to sign players had been usurped by Sullivan, who suspended his coach for a game in 1978 after it had been revealed Fairbanks had already agreed to take over the football program at Colorado. The Pats were 11-5 that year, but the season came to a crashing end via a 31-14 divisional round playoff loss to the Houston Oilers on a freezing New Year’s Eve afternoon in Foxboro. After much legal wrangling and finger-pointing, Fairbanks was finally let out of his contract. But if only for a little while, he gave the Pats a taste of what it’s like to be a real, live NFL contender. You had to be there to appreciate it. Fairbanks, who died in 2013, could be cold and gruff. But anyone who followed the Pats in the 1970s — particularly in the year of the Bicentennial, 1976 — owes him a debt of gratitude. Plus, several players from the Fairbanks era — Hannah, Clayborn, Nelson, Morgan, Grogan — were still in place in 1985 when the late Dick Steinberg, by then director of player development, assembled New England’s first Super Bowl roster.

10. Dan Duquette, Red Sox

Years as GM: 1994-2002

The Red Sox didn’t win a World Series during the Duke’s tenure. They didn’t even get to the World Series. And yet the Dalton, Mass., native and Amherst College grad made some of the best deals in Red Sox history, laying a foundation for championships to come. Trading pitching prospects Carl Pavano and Tony Armas to the Montreal Expos for Pedro Martinez wasn’t just a great deal for the Red Sox from a baseball perspective, it was also a deal that provided a stage for Martinez — with his Hall of Fame talents, Hall of Fame personality and Hall of Fame smarts — to blossom into a sports icon whose presence can be felt to this day. Duquette also swindled the Seattle Mariners when he acquired two prospects — catcher Jason Varitek and right-hander Derek Lowe — for not-to-be-trusted reliever Heathcliff Slocumb. Lowe and Varitek would blossom into Red Sox stars, whereas Slocumb spent parts of two seasons in Seattle and then went the journeyman route. Duquette signed free agents Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon, and he signed Tim Wakefield off the scrap heap after the knuckleballer had been released by the Pirates. Duquette was fired by new ownership during spring training in 2002, but he’s part of the reason why the 2004 Red Sox were World Series champions.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190256 Buffalo Sabres though Power is expected to mimic him. Power is leaning toward one more season at Michigan so he can enjoy a fan-filled college experience and make a run toward an NCAA title on a stacked squad.

What the Sabres can learn about their Owen Power decision from Johnson and Minnesota reached the final eight in 2006-07, but he hasn’t previous defensemen drafted No. 1 enjoyed the same success as a No. 1 pick. He missed the second year of his career after tearing knee ligaments in a golf cart mishap. The Blues traded him in 2011 to Colorado, where he’s spent the past 11 seasons By John Vogl averaging 19 points and 22:36 per game.

Jul 7, 2021 Jordan Staal, meanwhile, helped the Penguins win two Stanley Cups. The 32-year-old has eclipsed the 1,000-game mark while averaging 38

points. The NHL has held 58 drafts. A defenseman has gone first just 14 times. The forward would have been the better play. So, Owen Power, why should you be the 15th? 1996: , J.P. Dumont “I’m just a two-way defenseman that could play in all situations and log a The Senators retired Chris Phillips’ No. 4 in 2020, making him just the lot of minutes,” Power said. “I think any team in the NHL would want third Ottawa player to earn the honor behind Frank Finnigan and Daniel someone like that.” Alfredsson. Philips was a dependable, stay-at-home defenseman for 17 The defenseman is the presumed No. 1 pick for the draft July 23, and the seasons after spending one more year in juniors following his draft. Sabres are on the clock. Buffalo was the last team to draft a defenseman J.P. Dumont needed two more years of juniors and two years in the at the top, selecting Rasmus Dahlin in 2018, and would join the Panthers, minors before becoming a regular in the Chicago lineup. Once that Senators and Capitals as the only clubs to pick multiple blueliners at No. happened, the Blackhawks traded him and to Buffalo for 1. forward Michal Grosek. Dumont topped 20 goals in four of his five It’s caused debate because Dahlin and Power both play the left side and seasons with the Sabres. the Sabres have bigger organizational needs up front. But Kent Johnson, Ottawa, though, remains happy with its choice. Power’s teammate at the University of Michigan, is among those who think his 6-foot-6, 213-pound friend will hear his name first. 1995: , Chad Kilger

“I could definitely sing his praises all day,” said Johnson, who is ranked After spending one post-draft season in juniors, Bryan Berard became No. 3 by NHL Central Scouting. “Right when I got to Michigan, I could tell one of the top offensive defensemen in the NHL. He ranked 21st in how special he was.” points from 1996 to 2000, shining for the Islanders before helping lead the Maple Leafs to the 1999 Eastern Conference finals. Power has his share of backers, which tends to happen when his size meets quality skating and a solid hockey mind. The 18-year-old’s favorite But he was clipped in the eye with a stick in March 2000 and lost most of player to watch is Tampa Bay defenseman , and he’s his vision, which forced him to miss an entire season. Despite a belief trying to follow the big Swede’s lead. Berard’s career was over, he returned for six more seasons. From 2002 to 2006, he ranked 10th among defensemen in goals. “We’ve just got similar attributes with our size and our skating,” Power said. “How good he is defensively in closing gaps and killing plays is Chad Kilger, who went fourth in the draft behind Berard and fellow something I really watch and try to put in my game. And then, obviously, defensemen and , was a career bottom-six he’s really good offensively and on the power play.” forward. He reached 10 goals just four times in his 13 seasons.

Where they could differ is draft status. Hedman was the No. 2 pick in Even with the eye injury, Berard was the better pick while winning the 2009, going to the Lightning after went to the Islanders. In Calder Trophy in 1997 and the Masterton Trophy in 2004. a redraft, it’s possible Hedman goes first. 1994: , But what about the 14 defensemen who went No. 1? Would they remain in the top spot? Or would the first forward taken vault past them? Ed Jovanovski started the run of three straight defensemen at No. 1. After an additional season of junior hockey, he helped the Panthers As the Sabres look to the future, the past could be a guide. We’ll test the reach the Stanley Cup Final as a rookie in 1996. Nicknamed “Jovo-Cop” common belief that defensemen need more time to develop and because of his defensive presence, he also set career highs of 17 goals contribute, see whether the No. 1 picks had more staying power and and 51 points. whether the defensemen earned more accolades than their offensive counterparts. Radek Bonk was a longtime middle-six center who had a few successful years in Ottawa with Alfredsson on his wing. It’s too early to judge Dahlin against Carolina forward Andrei Svechnikov, who was selected second in 2018, so we’ll start four years earlier. We’ll Once again, the defenseman was the right choice. skip the two pre-1970 drafts in which defensemen went first because the 1992: Roman Hamrlik, Alexei Yashin No. 1 forwards topped out at 14 games. We’ll also stick with the first forward drafted rather than find the best skater since the drafting teams There were 112 players from the 1992 draft who made it to the NHL. didn’t have the advantage of hindsight. None of them played more games than Roman Hamrlik, who skated in 1,395 for the Lightning, Oilers, Islanders, Flames, Canadiens, Capitals 2014: Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart and Rangers. Though Hamrlik was a three-time All-Star who helped Aaron Ekblad immediately joined the Panthers while Sam Reinhart Czech Republic win Olympic gold in 1998, he was never regarded as a returned to juniors after a nine-game tryout with the Sabres. Ekblad also top blueliner. made an immediate impact, finishing fourth in Florida with 39 points and Alexei Yashin spent one post-draft year in Russia before immediately ranking 11th among defensemen with 12 goals. He’s averaged 22:42 of producing into the NHL, scoring 30 times and putting up 79 points with ice time during his seven-year career, becoming the two-way workhorse Ottawa. He topped 40 goals twice and eclipsed 30 three more times, that was forecast heading into the draft. finishing his career with 781 points in 850 games.

Following Reinhart’s additional year of seasoning, he’s topped the 20- While Hamrlik was reliable for two decades, Yashin was the more goal mark in five of six seasons. He scored at a 38-goal pace during this impactful player (though Islanders fans may disagree after the team shortened season. bought him out six seasons into a 10-year, $87.5 million contract).

Still, the Panthers made out fine with a defenseman at the top. 1982: Gord Kluzak,

2006: , Jordan Staal Gord Kluzak went No. 1 to Boston despite missing much of his junior Erik Johnson spent a season at the University of Minnesota following his career with a knee injury. He then missed two of his first five seasons draft. He’s the last No. 1 pick who failed to immediately jump to the NHL, with knee injuries and retired at age 27 after just 299 games. Injury problems aside, Kluzak had little chance of matching Brian Bellows’ career. He recorded 485 goals and 1,022 points in 1,188 games. Bellows made three Stanley Cup Final appearances, winning with Montreal in 1993.

The forward would have been the right choice in 1982.

1979: Rob Ramage, Perry Turnbull

In an era of offensive defensemen, Rob Ramage held his own after jumping right into the Colorado Rockies’ lineup. During his first eight seasons, he ranked 12th in points and 13th in goals, putting his name near Larry Murphy, and Paul Reinhart. He slowed down after that, putting up more penalty minutes than points, but carved out a 1,044-game career.

Perry Turnbull was a solid power forward, scoring 30 goals three times in his first four seasons. The success was short-lived as he finished with 188 goals in 608 games.

Ramage gets the nod over Turnbull, so Colorado made the right pick of the two.

A real debate could be made with their more famous draft mates: defenseman versus forward . But, again, it’s just No. 1 blueliner against top-drafted forward.

1976: Rick Green, Blair Chapman

Rick Green was a 6-foot-3, 220-pound defender who played in 845 games with Washington, Montreal, Detroit and the Islanders. He never scored more than eight goals and topped 30 assists just once.

Still, he played twice as many games as Blair Chapman. The forward scored 71 goals in 69 junior games heading into the draft, then totaled 106 goals in seven NHL seasons.

The defenseman was the better pick.

1974: Greg Joly, Wilf Paiement

Greg Joly had the “honor” of being the first pick in Washington Capitals history. The Caps went 8-67-5 in their opening season. After two seasons in Washington, Joly went to Detroit and bounced between the Red Wings and their minor-league club. His totaled 21 goals and 76 assists in 365 games.

Wilf Paiement reached 20 goals a dozen times, including two 40-goal seasons.

It’s no contest.

1973: , Tom Lysiak

Denis Potvin is one of the greatest defensemen in history, a Cup- winning, high-scoring, hard-charging beast. The Islanders’ leader finished with 1,052 points in 1,060 games and added 164 points in 185 playoff appearances. He’s a Hall of Fame legend.

Tom Lysiak was no slouch. He was a top-six forward for Atlanta and Chicago, topping 30 goals three times.

But no one taken in 1973 can match Potvin.

Will anyone taken in 2021 match Power, should he go first as expected? There are candidates, but there’s no clear-cut No. 1. That’s usually why a defenseman goes at the top in the first place.

It’s historically a safe pick. Aside from Kluzak and Joly, the No. 1 defenseman is solid for more than a decade. Potvin and Phillips became local icons. Others enjoyed shining moments. It might be 2030 before anyone knows if Power is the best in his class, but odds are good he’ll be in the conversation. At the very least, the Sabres won’t regret taking him — should they do so.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190257 Calgary Flames “This was intended to do nothing, nothing short of breach a closed- session meeting and make someone look like the hero who is saving Calgarians from a project.”

Calgary Flames arena argy-bargy, Farkas under fire And we’re off to the races.

Ward Sutherland, a northwest Calgary councillor, goes after Farkas. But Rick Bell the drama really goes up a notch with the appearance of Jeff Davison, a third councillor running to replace Nenshi. Publishing date:Jul 07, 2021 He led the charge for the arena.

Davison is “overly offended,” saying Farkas suggesting people didn’t do Late. Under cloak of darkness. Standard operating procedure. their job on the arena deal is “laughable” coming from “somebody who has absolutely no construction management skills whatsoever.” Two hours or so. A closed-door meeting. Also standard operating procedure. Davison says if anyone on council doesn’t like the arena numbers come the end of the month, when all is to be revealed, they can vote no. This is Calgary city hall where truth is a game of hide-and-seek. “Until then, please stop gaslighting what you think you know. What you Jeromy Farkas, one of three councillors running for mayor, asks know and what is reality are two very different things.” questions. Again, standard operating procedure. Wait … Gondek is back. Did I tell you she was running for mayor? A simple question kicks off this yarn. “Now the impression’s been left that one member of council is interested Farkas asks how much the new still-being-designed Flames arena is in highlighting the truth and no one else is,” she says. over budget. The answer? As much as $60 million. Nenshi weighs in on whether Farkas let anything confidential out of the In April your scribbler pegged it around $70 million. The original total cost bag. was $550 million. The mayor says no. A pause. But a million here and a million there and pretty soon you’re talking real money. “In this case. I do believe you have done it in the past.”

A city suit explains they are still working on the budget estimate. All of this late Monday night.

Farkas is just warming up. He asks about the fate of a community rink at Tuesday and Nenshi is on CBC going on about the arena. one time contemplated for the new arena … er … event centre. He talks about “a bunch of really ridiculous politics” and accuses Farkas There is no community rink. of “trying to make political hay” out of the arena with “accusations of stuff being hidden.” The city bigwig says there is no approved design for the new Flames arena and no approved budget. The budget number that’s over budget is “As Calgarians, we’ve got to stand up against that kind of division and an estimate. anger. It’s super-frustrating.”

Farkas asks how the parties to the deal managed to get the budgeted Does that mean Farkas is not getting Nenshi’s endorsement for mayor? number for the arena so wrong. Tuesday and you have to ask Farkas why he decided to try to blow the The bigwig can’t hear the last word. Farkas repeats it. Wrong. lid off the arena deal, knowing he’d get blowback from others on city council. The bigwig doesn’t answer but goes on about trying to work the numbers out. “I wasn’t elected to be a loyal little city hall foot soldier. The perfect city hall politician is one who is seen but keeps their mouth shut. Needless to Farkas asks why council isn’t trusted with all the information about the say, I’m not the model city hall politician.” arena. Why no paperwork?

“Because it all gets leaked,” pipes up Coun. Diane-Colley Urquhart. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 07.08.2021 Nenshi tells the councillor it’s not her question.

The city bossman says city hall is working within the project’s existing agreements.

Farkas tries again. Why is council in the dark?

The city bossman says council is not in the dark.

Enter Mayor Naheed Nenshi.

“I understand you want more and you want more and you want more,” says the mayor to Farkas.

“But the aspersion council is being kept in the dark could not be further from the truth.”

The political temperature rises. It will get hotter.

Farkas says he still doesn’t know why the arena is over budget.

The councillor adds Calgarians were promised answers now.

Jyoti Gondek, another councillor running for mayor, is clearly upset. She says the council agreed to discuss the questions behind closed doors.

Gondek asks why Farkas is not held accountable for going public with questions.

Nenshi tells Gondek she can go to the city’s Integrity Commissioner and complain. The councillor says she will. 1190258 Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes add 2018 draft pick to roster on a three-year deal

BY STEVE WISEMAN

JULY 07, 2021 02:09 PM

The Carolina Hurricanes added a promising young forward to their payroll Wednesday, agreeing to terms with Jack Drury on a three-year, entry-level contract.

A former top collegiate player at Harvard who played in Sweden last season, the 21-year-old Drury will earn $832,500 each season while on the Canes’ roster at the NHL and $70,000 with in the minors in the American Hockey League. He’ll receive $277,500 in signing bonuses as part of the deal, the team announced.

“Jack is an outstanding two-way forward who perfectly fits our system and plays the right way,” Canes GM said in a statement. “We expect him to be an important piece for the Hurricanes in the very near future.”

Drury was a highly touted recruit at Harvard given his familial lineage, and he didn’t disappoint. He was third on the Crimson in goals as a freshman with nine, often playing on the top power play unit with young NHL defensive star Adam Fox. He led the team as a sophomore with 20 goals, and was second in points with 39.

As a first-year pro with Växjö Lakers of the last season, the 5-11, 174-pound Drury tallied 30 points in 41 games, scoring 10 goals. He was among three finalists for the league’s rookie of the year.

Carolina originally selected Drury in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft with the 42nd overall pick. He would add a measure of scoring depth to the Canes’ young forward group, though he isn’t known as a grinder the likes of Warren Foegele or Jordan Martinook, key depth players for the Hurricanes still questionable to return to the team next season.

In international play, the native played on the U.S. team in 2019 and 2020 World Junior Championships, winning silver at the 2019 tournament in Canada.

His father, Ted, and uncle, Chris, are both former NHL players with Ted Drury having played in 50 games for the from 1994-95 prior to the team’s relocation to North Carolina. Chris Drury is currently the New York Rangers president/general manager.

News Observer LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190259 Colorado Avalanche “It was definitely disappointing,” he told The Athletic this week, noting his family had no history of blood clots. “Two days before I felt completely healthy. It was just shocking.”

‘He checks every box’: Avalanche 2020 top pick Justin Barron ready to The doctors told Barron the diagnosis would not have long-term effects, push for NHL after impressive pro debut but he’d have to go on blood thinners for a few months. The clot also led him to go through a corrective procedure — thoracic outlet decompression surgery — last September. Lightning goalie Andrei By Peter Baugh Vasilevskiy had a similar surgery in 2015 to deal with a blood clot.

Jul 7, 2021 Morgan said his brother was anxious to recover but handled the process well. Two weeks after the diagnosis, Justin was able to resume working

out and skating, though he was not able to return to contact hockey for During an AHL game in May, Colorado Eagles coach Greg Cronin kept three months. Seven games after he got back in the Mooseheads’ lineup, an eye on 19-year-old Justin Barron as Ontario’s Martin Frk sped into the the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League halted due to the COVID-19 offensive zone. Cronin didn’t like what he saw: Barron overpursued Frk, a pandemic. The ordeal impacted his draft stock, and he didn’t know what winger in the Kings system with NHL experience, and didn’t look over his to expect going into draft day in October. The Avalanche ultimately shoulder to locate an oncoming Ontario attacker. Because of this, the snagged him in the first round with the 25th pick. young defenseman positioned his stick poorly, giving Frk a lane to make “It felt like a long day sitting there,” he said. “Once you get your name a pass and, ultimately, assist an Ontario goal. called, you kind of forget about all that. You realize how special it is to get Cronin doesn’t mind calling out his players and, when Barron returned to actually drafted to the NHL.” the Eagles bench, the coach gave him an earful. “At our pick, he was our top player on the board,” Avalanche general “What are you doing?” Cronin remembered barking at the Avalanche manager Joe Sakic said after the pick. “He’s a bigger guy. Skates real prospect. “We just talked about this! C’mon Justin! Wake up!” well. Moves the puck. May not be the highest point producer, but he plays a solid two-way game and he’ll really complement our D.” Barron, Colorado’s first-round pick in 2020, took the criticism. He didn’t look lost or confused or angry at the coach for calling him out. Instead, Barron didn’t join the Avalanche organization immediately, instead almost immediately, he told Cronin he understood what he did wrong. He returning to the Mooseheads for another season. He scored 31 points in knew he’d made a dumb play. 33 games as Halifax’s captain, and Russell said he was “an extension of the coaching staff.” “I got firm with him a few times on the bench (during the season) and he didn’t blink,” Cronin said. “I was like ‘Oh if I could have 20 of those guys “He was good at everything,” said the Halifax general manager, who …’” spent the last year of his NHL playing career with Avalanche in 1998-99. “He just matured and improved and got stronger and faster and just kept Though Barron played only nine AHL games this season, he quickly developing. There wasn’t one weakness that you looked at as something made an impression on Cronin. He proved himself as a player constantly that might hold him back. You could tell he had all the tools.” striving to learn, always working to improve. And his coach saw that spirit as genuine; the young defenseman says he wants to get pushed, and he So in April, Barron made the leap to professional hockey, signing his first means it. That attitude, paired with Barron’s well-rounded play style, contract and reporting to the Colorado Eagles. bodes well for both him and the Avalanche. Growing up in Halifax, the Barron brothers frequently went to “If you catalog what a good top-four defenseman needs to be in the Mooseheads games, and they closely followed the 2013 squad, which NHL,” Cronin said, “he checks every box.” won the . The team featured Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin and — funnily Barron grew up in a hockey-crazed household in Halifax, Nova Scotia. enough — Martin Frk, the winger that led Cronin to chastise Justin in During the winter, his parents would place a tarp on the backyard, May. surround it with two-by-fours and use the hose to flood it. The water would freeze overnight, giving Barron and his older brother, Morgan, a But the team’s star was an intense, explosive, bottle of competition makeshift ice rink. The family house’s basement walls still feature chips named Nathan MacKinnon. and small holes from floor hockey games, and the now-22-year-old Now, eight years later, Barron is hoping to become teammates with Morgan has a small scar over his lip from a Justin high-stick he took in MacKinnon, the Avalanche’s superstar center. the backyard. Before bed, the boys would frequently watch hockey on TV. “I’d like to think I’m not too far away (from making the NHL),” Barron said. “I’m excited for camp, to go in and showcase myself, play my game and Morgan, who was less of a can’t-miss prospect than his younger brother, give myself the best opportunity I can to make the team.” made his NHL debut this season for the Rangers, appearing in five games. Now, Justin isn’t far from joining him at the highest level. When evaluating NHL prospect pools in January, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked the 6-foot-2 Barron as the Avalanche’s No. 4 prospect, “I just know you can insert him in (an NHL) lineup this year at times and it noting his ability as an outlet passer and puck carrier. In Wheeler’s wouldn’t hurt the team at all,” said former NHLer Cam Russell, now article, Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny, who coached Barron at the World general manager of the , for whom Barron played Junior Championship, described the 19-year-old as “rock solid.” major junior hockey. “I think he’s ready to play.” “Barron can get over his toe caps a little too much when he moves from “I don’t know what his limitations are going to be,” added Cronin. “He’s an upright stance to a chase,” Wheeler wrote in his evaluation, “but he’s got a lot of assets to explore.” otherwise an impressive skater who plays a mature game defensively Justin Barron didn’t feel anything too out of the ordinary as he went and a smart, heads-up style offensively.” through his day on Nov. 30, 2019. Sure, his arm might have felt a little Barron’s goal is to make the Avalanche out of camp. He showed an funny, but that wasn’t going to stop him from playing in the Mooseheads’ ability to skate at the professional level with the Eagles, tallying seven evening game against the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. points in nine games, and has looked good during summer training As he skated in the game, though, his arm started feeling heavier. Still, sessions, his brother said. he was playing well, so he ignored the discomfort until after the game “I don’t say this too much, particularly about young kids,” Cronin said, when he found the athletic therapist. By that point, his arm was swollen “(but) I was really impressed with the kid.” and discolored. Making an NHL team is a tricky task, though, especially one as loaded as A night that started with a little pressure in his arm ended with a trip to Colorado, which features standout defensemen Devon Toews, Samuel the local hospital. Doctors put him on blood thinners, and the next Girard, Ryan Graves and Norris Trophy finalist Cale Makar. Barron is not morning, he went through an ultrasound that revealed a blood clot. a prospect at the level of Makar, who slotted into the lineup and became a power-play contributor immediately after signing. But if he continues to improve, Barron seems poised to sooner or later emerge as an NHL option.

“I won’t hedge what I say,” Cronin said. “He does everything really well. And if he doesn’t do something really well, he wants to know how he can do it better.”

The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190260 Colorado Avalanche milehighsports.com LOADED: 07.08.2021

The Avalanche should give captain Gabriel Landeskog an eight-year deal

By Aarif Deen

July 7, 2021

Joe Sakic celebrated his 52nd birthday Wednesday with a lot on his mind.

Not only is the Avalanche’s general manager tasked with navigating the next contract of young stud defenseman Cale Makar, but his captain and one of the core pieces of this generation’s Avs, Gabriel Landeskog, is a pending unrestricted free agent.

It’s no secret that Landeskog would prefer to stay in and Colorado would love to keep him. The 28-year-old was drafted by the team 10 years ago and has been around long enough to grow from a young 18-year-old to one of the longest active captains in the NHL and a husband and father.

But the money has to make sense for Landeskog. And more importantly in a post-COVID world where the salary cap is expected to remain flat for numerous years — it must make sense for the Avalanche.

His next deal could prove to be difficult because of the stagnant cap. But the Avs are in their window to win over the next number of years. And in order to save on cap space, Sakic should offer Landeskog maximum term in exchange for a lower cap number.

Landeskog is coming off a seven-year contract signed in 2013 that paid him upwards of $5.5 million per season. He made $39 million on that deal coming out of his entry-level contract.

On one hand, he’s is still a crucial piece of the Avalanche’s top line alongside superstar center Nathan MacKinnon and right winger Mikko Rantanen. He also has been one of the team’s best soldiers, most notably after an embarrassing season in 2016-17. When trade rumors started to circulate that summer, Landeskog was open and honest about wanting to be a part of the solution.

And he has been exactly that.

But on the other hand, the style of game he plays has a shelf life. And the final two or three years of an eight-year contract could be hard to fathom if you’re the Avs. But if the first five years get you a Stanley Cup or two, then who cares?

The Edmonton Oilers recently signed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to an eight- year extension. Like Landeskog. Nugent-Hopkins was a pending UFA. And like Landeskog, he was coming off a lengthy contract (seven years, $42 million). He re-signed with Edmonton for eight years at just $41 million. The $5.125 AAV (annual average value) is far less than he would’ve gotten on the market. But the Oilers are the only team with the ability to give eight years.

They sacrificed a bit on the term in exchange for a lower AAV.

Landeskog could likely get $7 million a year on the market. But it’s hard to imagine any team giving him that big a number over seven years.

If his options are, for example, six years, $42 million elsewhere, or eight years, $43 million with the Avs, would it make sense to just stay put and see this rebuild all the way through?

Unlike another pending UFA in goalie Philipp Grubauer, who has yet to cash in on a big contract, Landeskog’s $39 million in the bank may make it easier to accept a bit of a discount for longer term.

Regardless of which way Sakic and Landeskog choose to go, it’s also important to note that the Avs — assuming they bring back their captain — would be smarter to wait until after the Seattle expansion draft on July 21 to announce a deal. Signing him before then means they’d have to use one of their slots to protect Landeskog.

Free agency begins in three weeks. The Landeskog contract saga will have an ending by then.

1190261 Colorado Avalanche The Avs are already at seven total protected players. This is where the fork in the road now presents itself for GM Joe Sakic and the rest of the Avs brass.

The Avalanche will lose a good one to Seattle, but who might it be? To protect Ryan Graves—and thus automatically taking the 8/1 route and only protecting one more forward—or to expose (and very likely lose) Ryan Graves, but get to protect four more precious forwards. That is the Published 18 hours ago on July 7, 2021 question. And it isn’t an easy one to answer.

By Scott MacDonald You might have to let go of Ryan Graves, just given the wealth of forward talent that would be exposed to Seattle if GM Joe did decide to protect

his young, budding 26-year-old D-man. As the Seattle expansion draft nears the horizon, in just two weeks, the But by exposing Graves, this affords the Avalanche four more forwards to Avalanche will be forced to sacrifice a roster player. And whichever way protect. Here’s my best guess: you slice it, Colorado is going to lose a good one. Protect: Before we get into it, let’s quickly go over the rules—just in case it’s not already well-ingrained in your head from the superfluity of Seattle Nazem Kadri — yes, even if he did drop the ball in the playoffs and was a expansion what-ifs scattered across the web. ghost in the final 20 games of the regular season, he has more value than what he’s done in his recent past. Here it is: The Avalanche, along with the other 29 NHL teams (remember, Vegas is given a pass on this expansion draft and does not Joonas Donskoi — He has two years left on his relatively team-friendly have to sacrifice a player to Seattle), will have two tracks to choose from contract. He’s had two pretty solid seasons in Denver and is coming off a with regards to protecting a player. Teams can either pick 7 forwards, 3 career-high 17-goal regular season. He’s also one of the only players on D-men and 1 goalie to protect, OR they can protect any combination of 8 the roster with a decent amount of playoff experience (something the Avs total forwards and/or defensemen and 1 goalie. critically lack). He’s an above-average middle-six player.

To save some time on this next part, I’ll bullet-point the bureaucratic, Andre Burakovsky — He’s still young and can be a great second-line nitty-gritty details: guy. But consistency has been an issue. Give him another chance and protect him, hoping he goes off in a what is about to be a contract year Players with No-Movement Clauses must be one of the team’s protected for the 26 year old. players (unless the player agrees to waive their NMC) That leaves one spot left, with three players who I think deserve it. All first- and second-year players are exempt, as well as all unsigned draft picks Tyson Jost, Val Nichushkin and Logan O’Connor.

Teams MUST expose at least: This past season, Jost proved he could actually be a contributing NHL player. He morphed into the most reliable defensive forward on the team, 1 D-man and 2 forwards, who are under contract for the 2021-22 season who killed penalties, played power play and was trusted by head coach and played in at least 40 NHL games in 2020-21, or 70 total NHL games Jared Bednar in critical situation, particularly in the defensive zone. But over the past two years given Jost is due for a pay raise from his ridiculously-cheap $874k 1 goalie, who is under contract for the upcoming season, or is a RFA this contract, can Colorado afford him? year (however, he must receive his qualifying offer from his team before Val Nichushkin could be a worthwhile protection for just about all the being exposed) same reasons as Jost. Nichushkin is never going to knock your socks off, Players with potentially career-ending injuries, who have missed the but he does his job and he does it well. The Avalanche need more of previous 60 consecutive games will NOT count as exposed players and those bottom-six guys who can hold their own. Again, your bottom-six are also considered exempt. wins you championships.

Seattle must pick at least 20 players who are under contract for the 2021- And then Logan O’Connor. I’m a big fan of this kid. Always have been. I 22 season. They’ll need to take at least 14 forwards, 9 defensemen and covered him from his start with the Colorado Eagles and watched him 3 goalies total. rise through the ranks and turn into a special NHL player. Perhaps for that reason I’m a little biased on this matter. But what’s so special about With that said, here’s how that applies to the Avalanche: OC is his attitude and effort—the intangibles. The Avs lack that kind of heart up and down the lineup (Scott Takes column on this coming Erik Johnson is the only player with an NMC on the roster. However, I’d soon…), and O’Connor is like an octopus. That is to say, he’s got plenty almost guarantee he waives it for the good of the team of heart(s).

So a tough choice indeed. Here are your exempt Avalanche, courtesy of CapFriendly: But I have to take Tyson Jost here (column forthcoming on this matter, as Still with me? Good. well…).

Now, in looking at the Avs roster, Colorado will have a tough decision to But let’s be honest, if Ryan Graves is on the table, I think Seattle takes make on whether to take the 7/3/1 track or the 8/1. Let’s start with the him for sure. No need to worry about losing O’Connor or Nichushkin. If pretty-much-guaranteed protected players: you expose a young, reliable, up-and-coming player like Tyson Jost, well, maybe then Seattle considers taking him over Graves. And some of you Forwards: Anti-Josters are probably thinking that maybe that’s a good thing. Depends on your stance on the value of Jost vs. Graves. Feel free to Nathan MacKinnon chime in in the comment section. Mikko Rantanen Here’s what my protected list looks like now: Gabe Landeskog Forwards: Defensemen: Nathan MacKinnon Cale Makar Mikko Rantanen Devon Toews Gabe Landeskog Sam Girard Nazem Kadri Goalie: Joonas Donskoi Philipp Grubauer Andre Burakovsky Tyson Jost

Defensemen:

Cale Makar

Devon Toews

Sam Girard

Goalie:

Philipp Grubauer

Notable Avs exposed:

J.T. Compher

Val Nichushkin

Logan O’Connor

Brandon Saad

Ryan Graves

Erik Johnson

Of the list above, Ryan Graves and J.T. Compher are probably who Seattle would covet in this situation. Both Compher and Graves are still young at 26, and are both signed for the next two years on pretty cap- friendly $3.5M/year and $3.16M/year deals, respectively. Both would be attractive options for the NHL’s newbie franchise, who is under the same covid-induced cap crunch that all of the other 30 teams are under.

We’ll find out soon enough.

But what say you? This is your time to shine, my fellow Armchair GM.

Colorado hockey now LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190262 Columbus Blue Jackets Legaces and Merzlikins. After receiving the news in the middle of the night, Larsen logged a couple hours of restless sleep and then got into his vehicle.

'Unspeakable tragedy:' Columbus Blue Jackets president, general He spent two-plus days at Legace’s home, supporting members of his manager address death of Matiss Kivlenieks Blue Jackets “family” by listening to their memories of Kivlenieks and consoling them through a flood of tears.

Brian Hedger “At first, you’re just in shock and devastated for Matiss,” Larsen said. “And then, right away, my thought and heart went right to Manny. And I The Columbus Dispatch know Elvis, how close they were with him and how much they loved that kid … and then just everybody else there. It’s just everybody grieving.

There’s really no other way to say it.” It’s been a heart wrenching week for the Blue Jackets. Lots of down faces. Rather than focusing solely on key offseason tasks to be checked off, the Not just within the Blue Jackets’ circle, either. Fans are expressing their entire franchise was dealt a gut punch Sunday night with the tragic death sadness too, posting about it online, leaving hockey sticks on front of goalie Matiss Kivlenieks after a fireworks mishap in Novi, Michigan. porches and adding to a makeshift memorial outside Nationwide Arena. “I’ve seen a lot of down faces around here,” John Davidson, the team’s Flowers, posters and balloons now festoon one of the building's president of hockey operations, said Wednesday in a joint press entrances. conference with general manager Jarmo Kekalainen. “This kid was “I’d also like to thank our fans, the Columbus community and the hockey available. He made people smile. He’s just a great kid. So, we’ll do what world for the outpouring of love they’ve shown ‘Kivi’ these last three we can to help anybody that needs it.” days,” Davidson said. “It’s been spectacular. The prayers and messages Grief counselors are at the ready for any employee of the team. Hotlines of support have been overwhelming and very much appreciated by all of are available, along with professionals available through text and online us.” chat services. Davidson also thanked his wife and daughters, Blue Jackets majority The Jackets’ collective grief hung thick inside the media room, where owner John P. McConnell, team president Mike Priest, Kivlenieks’ agent, Davidson’s reddened eyes and Kekalainen’s hushed tone spoke every bit Jay Grossman, and Viesturs Koziols of the Latvia Federation as clearly as their words. Davidson’s deep, baritone voice froze nine of – who is helping the team communicate with Kivlenieks’ mother, Astrida, his words in time. who doesn’t speak English and lives 4,500 miles away in Latvia.

“I’ve seen a lot of down faces around here.” That part needs to be sorted out too, how to unite a mother with her fallen son for a proper memorial service amid a COVID-19 pandemic that One belongs to him. isn’t over yet.

Others he sees in the team’s front office or downstairs near the locker Final interview: Kivlenieks was excited about his bright future room. Players are crushed. Coaches and staffers are devastated. Even the team’s PR head, Todd Sharrock, was visibly shaken. There are questions that remain, several key to what happened.

Details about what happened, how it happened and who was involved One that Davidson did answer is something many have wondered since were not discussed. No opinions were shared about potential culpability the Oakland County chief medical examiner’s autopsy Monday showed for the incident, which took place at the offseason residence of Blue that Kivlenieks died from a fireworks mortar striking his chest and not a Jackets goalie coach Manny Legace during a wedding there for his head injury sustained in a fall from a hot tub. daughter. Novi police initially believed a head injury caused his death, after “The police report will take care of that,” Davidson said. “I can’t comment, witnesses saw Kivlenieks fall from the tub. The autopsy suggests he fell one way or the other. I’m confident in the people that were there. This, to after being struck with a high-speed fireworks mortar with a 3-inch me, seems like a tragic accident, but the police report will take care of diameter — the largest Michigan law allows for legal consumer use. that.” So, why was there no mention of fireworks in the Blue Jackets’ statement Who will take care of Legace? Monday morning, which stated that Kivlenieks had sustained an ‘apparent head injury’ in a fall? He’s known and coached Kivlenieks the past four years and has been described by some as a “father figure” to him. “All I can say is that we said what we were told, and we said ‘apparent head injury,’” Davidson said. “We didn’t say it say it was a head injury. Who will take care of Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins? We said ‘apparent,’ and obviously, once they raced to get Kivi to the hospital and tried everything they could, with everybody being there and He and Kivlenieks were so close that he called him his “little brother” and Kivi being supported, we did the work and this is what we found out. We opened his home to the young goalie this summer, where they lived tried to be ahead of it, tell the truth and that’s where we were. It was an along with Merzlikins’ wife, Aleksandra – due for the couple’s first child in ‘apparent head injury.’ I think, obviously, we’ve learned a lot more since.” early September. They’ve grieved a lot too. Who will take care of Legace’s daughter, Sabrina, or the man she married or the guests who were present when it happened? Memories of Kivlenieks, particularly his smile and outlook on life, are now helping his friends, family and teammates cope. That's a lot of down faces. “Our players who played with him said it the best, that he always came to “It was a day and a night celebrating one of the most cherished events, a the rink with a smile on his face, a great positive attitude,” Kekalainen wedding,” Davidson said. “The daughter of our goaltending coach Manny said. “I remember the trip to Sioux City (Iowa) like it was yesterday. We Legace, Sabrina, was married. It ended in a horrific accident that took the watched him play in the USHL and thought greatly of his potential. A big life of a wonderful young man. I’ll ask that you keep the Legace family, part of that was his attitude. It’s just so sad to have him … gone.” who considered ‘Kivi’ a son and a brother, in your prayers. They are understandably distraught.

I would also ask that you do the same for Elvis Merzlikins. His wife, Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 07.08.2021 Aleksandra, who was there, too … they were Kivi’s closest friends and they were with him that night. This is a devastating loss for them and for all of us, one that will always be with us.”

Brad Larsen is also feeling the weight of loss.

The Blue Jackets’ recently appointed head coach, promoted from John Tortorella’s staff, headed to Michigan early Monday to be with the 1190263 Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 07.08.2021

Police: Fireworks tube accidentally tipped, angled toward Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks

Brian Hedger

The Columbus Dispatch

Police in Novi, Michigan, have provided more details regarding the fireworks accident that killed Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks on Sunday.

Police believe a fireworks mortar tube accidentally angled toward a hot tub where Kivlenieks was seated with others and that all nine shots were dispensed from the tube, including the second one that struck the 24- year old goalie in the left side of his chest. Kivlenieks was hit by a 3-inch- diameter shell.

Nobody else was injured in the incident, police said.

Michael Arace: RIP, Matiss. You died far too young

Blue Jackets goalie coach Manny Legace owns the home and was hosting his daughter's wedding there Sunday, which coincided with the July 4 holiday. Kivlenieks and Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins attended the wedding and gathering. A team source told the Dispatch Wednesday that no other Blue Jackets players attended.

Meier, who is investigating, hasn't released or confirmed the identity of the homeowner, address of the home or identity of the person operating the explosive device.

Sad tribute: Blue Jackets fans gather to mourn Kivlenieks

The Blue Jackets scheduled a joint press conference Wednesday at Nationwide Arena with president of hockey operations John Davidson and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.

According to Michigan fireworks laws, a 3-inch diameter mortar shell is the largest allowed for consumer use. Anything larger is considered professional to "military" grade and professional fireworks shows typically use shells that are 6-10 inches in diameter. Some shows fire up to 14- inch shells, but those are less common.

Since the investigation is ongoing, no police report has yet been issued. One could be released at some point this week. Unanswered questions to this point include where the fireworks in question were purchased, who purchased them and who was in charge of lighting them.

Meier said there are no indications the person operating the device was consuming alcohol at the time or previously. He said there were no indications the fireworks were used illegally and that no illegal activity had been discovered.

Investigators are considering the incident a "tragic accident."

Police initially believed Kivlenieks' cause of death was related to a slip- and-fall incident in which his head hit the cement surrounding the hot tub. But Oakland County chief medical examiner Dr. Ljubisa Dragovic, who performed the autopsy, said the mortar shell caused suffered "extensive" external and internal injuries and that the internal injuries were fatal.

Dragovic's autopsy observations showed that no head trauma occurred.

Police have released three 911 calls made from Legace's residence seconds after the accident and none of the callers mentioned a fall or head injury. Meier said it appears Kivlenieks tried to escape the tub after the first round, like others did, but his "fall" likely occurred after being struck with the mortar shell.

All three callers to 911 dispatchers mentioned the emergency was a fireworks misfire and two said somebody had been hit with a fireworks charge. It's unclear whether the calls came from the same person. All three arrived to 911 operators in less than two minutes, and EMS crews arrived at the home four minutes, 38 seconds after the first call was received.

Kivlenieks was transported to Ascension Providence Hospital in Novi, where he was pronounced dead. 1190264 Columbus Blue Jackets Davidson said the Blue Jackets have made grief counselors available to Blue Jackets’ players and staffers.

“This has far-reaching effects,” Davidson said. “And this was Manny’s In hours after Matiss Kivlenieks’ death, Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen daughter’s wedding. And all those people were there. And this tragedy raced to comfort Manny Legace, Elvis Merzlikins happened. So, we’ve got to deal with it, we have to deal with it in the right way, which I’m very confident we are.”

By Aaron Portzline The Blue Jackets are also continuing to work on plans for a memorial service for Kivlenieks, with an announcement expected soon. Jul 7, 2021 Kivlenieks was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017, ending his plans to attend Mankato State (Minnesota) on a college scholarship. Other NHL teams were interested, but thought he was college-bound, COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Blue Jackets learned of Matiss Kivlenieks’ Grossman said. death around midnight on Sunday, less than two hours after a fireworks mishap took his life in the backyard of goaltending coach Manny He went directly to the American Hockey League and two years later won Legace’s home in Novi, Mich. his NHL debut in Madison Square Garden, leading the Blue Jackets to a 2-1 win over the New York Rangers. These memories and more have A few hours later, before the sun had risen and before the tragedy was come flooding back in recent days. known to most of the hockey world, Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen was driving to Michigan. “Four years ago we got on a plane — myself, Jarmo, (former assistant general manager) Bill Zito and Ian Clark, our former goaltending coach,” “Going to see them had nothing to do with me being a coach,” Larsen Davidson said. “We flew to Sioux City and met with Kivi and Kivi’s agent told The Athletic, pausing frequently to fight back tears. “You know (Grossman). Kivi’s eyes were about as big as the restaurant. He was just they’re hurting so bad … and there’s nothing you can say to make it any a young man, a kid actually. better. “He had dreams; he wanted to be a major league, NHL goaltender and “I just wanted to be there with them (pause) … to hug ’em and cry with we wanted to have him come and be a part of the Blue Jackets them, and just be there for them, be present.” organization. You could see the passion in his face, you could hear it in Kivlenieks, 24, was a promising young goaltender, expected to be an his voice. He had a dream and he lived his dream.” NHL regular perhaps as soon as 2021-22. Kekalainen sat sullenly to Davidson’s left, allowing Davidson to do most The relationship between Legace and Kivlenieks was more like father of the talking. and son than coach and player, Larsen said. Fellow goaltender Elvis “Our players who played with Kivi said it best, that he always came to the Merzlikins, also a native Latvian, was Kivlenieks’ close friend and “little rink with a smile on his face, a great positive attitude,” Kekalainen said. “I brother,” he has said in social media posts. remember the trip to Sioux City like it was yesterday. “It’s a unique position, goaltending,” Larsen said. “You connect on a “We watched him play in the USHL and thought greatly of his potential. A different level, not just because there are only two or three big part of that was his attitude. It’s just so sad to have him … gone.” with the one coach — it’s not like the other positions — but because you’re the only guys on the team that really understand that position like Davidson saved a special mention on Wednesday for Larsen — a they do. “gigantic, huge thank you” — for reaching out to Legace, Merzlikins and their families. Larsen was an assistant coach in Columbus for seven “Manny took that kid (Kivlenieks) under his wing and helped him out in seasons before he was promoted to head coach in May. life, not just in goaltending. They loved that kid. They all really connected on a different level. There was really a bond.” “He has been there with the families, supporting and leading and showing compassion,” Davidson said. “This is a spectacular person, what Both Legace and Merzlikins were witnesses to Kivlenieks’ death on he’s done.” Sunday, which may only make the anguish of his loss more overwhelming. Larsen spent all day Monday and Tuesday in Michigan before returning home on Wednesday. By noon Wednesday, the only car in Legace’s “When I found out the news, my heart just broke for Kivlenieks and his driveway belonged to Merzlikins, who left later on Wednesday afternoon. family,” Larsen said, “and then it instantly went to Elvis and Manny and the people who were closest to him. It just devastated me thinking about The mood inside the Legace’s home was heavy and tenuous, Larsen them. said.

“I didn’t know what I could do other than be there. There are no words. I “It’s literally hour by hour,” Larsen said. “They’re grieving, and everybody don’t even know what ‘help’ looks like in that moment. I just wanted to grieves differently. You have your good moments and your struggling make sure they weren’t alone, and they weren’t. They were surrounded moments.” by tremendous people. I was just one of many people trying to pour love into them. Larsen said part of his time in Novi was spent making sure the well- wishes from people made it to Legace, Merzlikins and others. “That’s the only thing I was thinking while I was there: ‘How can I show them that I love them and that I’m here for them?” There have been numerous examples. A group of fans gathered on Monday at the RBar to honor Kivlenieks. A makeshift memorial has Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson and general sprung up at the main entrance to Nationwide Arena. Social media has manager Jarmo Kekalainen held a press conference on Wednesday in been flooded with tributes. Nationwide Arena. They declined to answer questions about Sunday’s tragedy, saying the police report — expected to be released in the next But there have also been hundreds of calls and text messages to Larsen, couple of days — will handle those details. from players, coaches, agents and others in the hockey world.

Davidson, visibly choked up as he spoke, expressed deep sorrow for the “The people who were contacting me when I was there … nobody knows Kivlenieks’ family, as well as gratitude to Kivlenieks’ agent Jay Grossman what to say or do. They want to help, how do you help?” Larsen said. “I and others helping them communicate with his family back in Latvia, and was just relaying all the things I was seeing or people would send me. their deep appreciation to the hockey world, which has reached out from The hockey community is incredible in these moments when there’s such all points of the globe to express sympathy. heartache and tragedy. People pull together and put aside differences and they understand the heartbreak. “As we’ve tried to get our arms around this unspeakable tragedy, our focus has been on family,” Davidson said. “Both Matiss’ in Latvia and our “If anybody reached out, I would try to relay that the people who were Blue Jackets’ family here. We’re doing everything we can to support there, just let them know that so and so wants me to give you a hug, or everyone.” so and so says they love you and they’re there for you. That’s really all anybody can do right now.”

Davidson made another request from Blue Jackets fans. “I’ll ask that you keep the Legace family, who considered Kivi a son and a brother, in your prayers. They are understandably distraught,” Davidson said. “I would also ask that you do the same for Elvis Merzlikins and his wife, Aleksandra, who was there, too. They were Kivi’s closest friends and they were with him that night.

“This is a devastating loss for them and for all of us, one that will always be with us.”

The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021

1190265 Detroit Red Wings Detroit Free Press LOADED: 07.08.2021

Columbus Blue Jackets: Matiss Kivlenieks' death an 'unspeakable tragedy'

Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

The Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday addressed “the layers of terribleness” following the tragic death of goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks in a fireworks incident in Novi.

Kivlenieks died Sunday night at the home of Manny Legace, the Blue Jackets goaltending coach and former Detroit Red Wings goalie. An autopsy concluded Kivlenieks suffered percussive injuries to his internal organs as a result of a fireworks explosion. Kivlenieks was 24.

“As we try to get our arms around this unspeakable tragedy that occurred Sunday night, our focus has been on Matiss’ family in Latvia, and our own Blue Jackets family here,” president of hockey operations John Davidson said Wednesday afternoon. “We are doing everything we can to support everyone.

“There’s always layers of terribleness that happens with these things.

“This was Manny’s daughter’s wedding. All those people were there, and this tragedy happened. We have to deal with it and deal with it in the right way, which I am very confident we are.”

On Monday, Novi Police Lt. Jason Meier said Kivlenieks and others were seated in a hot tub when fireworks “accidentally went off and launched in the direction of Mr. Kivlenieks.” Paramedics arrived at the home at 10:13 p.m. and found Kivlenieks unresponsive. He was transported to Ascension Providence Hospital in Novi where he was pronounced dead, Meier said.

Initial reports stated Kivlenieks slipped and hit his head as he fled the hot tub.

“All I can say is that we said what we were told, and we said apparent head injury,” Davidson said. “We didn’t say it was a head injury, we said 'apparent.' Obviously, we’ve learned a lot more since.”

Legace, who played for the Wings from 2000-2006, has not commented. Davidson said team personnel would limit comments while the police report was ongoing.

Based on early investigations, police do not believe the individual who launched the fireworks was consuming alcohol, nor that was an illegal activity.

Asked if anyone should be held responsible, Davidson said, “the police report will take care of that. I can’t comment one way or the other. I’m confident in the people that were there. This, to me, seems like a tragic accident. But the police report will take care of that.”

Mental health professionals have been made available to everyone in the organization.

“We supply all the help that we possibly can,” Davidson said. “It’s an option for the players, their families, people that work for the Blue Jackets. I’ve seen a lot of down faces around here.

“This kid was available. He made people smile. He was just a great kid. We’ll do what we can to help anybody that needs it.”

Kivlenieks appeared in two games this season, playing May 7 and 8 against the Wings. He had a 3.09 goals-against average and .899 save percentage in eight career NHL games. He was considered a bright prospect in the organization and an always-welcome sight.

“Matiss always had the right attitude,” general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. “He came to the rink with a smile on his face whether he was playing or a backup or just trying to get better every day. That’s been said pretty much by every player that’s made remarks on the terrible incident. That speaks volumes of his character, when all his teammates have had the same message.”

1190266 Detroit Red Wings

Steve Yzerman has options if he mines Sweden again with Detroit Red Wings' top draft pick

Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Red Wings have had great success mining Sweden for their draft picks, and could for a second straight year use their first selection on a player out of that Nordic hockey powerhouse.

When asked during a video conference Tuesday afternoon which NHL players he admired, top 2021 draft prospect Simon Edvinsson, a defenseman, didn’t hesitate.

“One I really looked up to is of course Nicklas Lidstrom,” Edvinsson said.

The Wings drafted Lidstrom in the third round in 1989, and he went on to help them win four Stanley Cups.

“He’s a legend here in Sweden,” Edvinsson said. “Every defender knows who he is. He’s a terrific guy, he makes great effort for team. When he played, he was a leader, and that’s the goal.”

The Wings hold the sixth and 22nd pick in the first round of the draft, which is scheduled to be held virtually July 23. Michigan star defenseman Owen Powers is projected to be the first overall selection, but beyond that, it’s tougher to predict who goes where. If Edvinsson is available, he’d be a nice addition at 6 feet 5 and 207 pounds. He and fellow big man Moritz Seider could be an imposing pairing down the road.

Edvinsson split the 2020-21 season between Vasteras IK (five points in 14 games) in Sweden’s second-tier league and Frolunda (one point in 10 games) in the Swedish Hockey League. One of his teammates with Frolunda was Lucas Raymond, the Wings’ first-round selection, at No. 4, in 2020.

“I trained with him this week,” Edvinsson said. “We talk a little bit.

Another possible option out of Sweden for general manager Steve Yzerman is William Eklund. The 5-10, 172-pound center/left wing posted 23 points in 40 games with Djurgarden in the SHL this past season. Eklund said he thinks he needs “another year in Europe to develop into a better player,” noting he needs to improve his shooting. But the Wings don't expect their first-round pick to make an immediate transition to the NHL — Seider didn’t, and neither did Raymond.

Ultimately Eklund knows where he wants to fit.

“I want to be a top-six forward,” he said. “Maybe not the first year, but work myself into that spot. I think I bring energy to teams. I want to be an offensive threat every time I touch the puck. I want to be a guy you can count on in different situations.”

While Lidstrom is the greatest of the Wings’ Swedish draft picks, there’s also Tomas Holmstrom (257th, 1994) (210th, 1999) and Niklas Kronwall (29th, 2000), Johan Franzen (97th, 2004) and Gustav Nyquist (121st, 2008).

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190267 Detroit Red Wings contract ($5 million cap hit) and could be valuable trade bait at the deadline. He's also a veteran presence on this roster.

► Hronek: Only Hornek and Staal played all 56 games, and Hronek led Red Wings position breakdown: Prospects offer hope, promise to the Wings with 26 points (24 assists, two empty-net goals). What appeals defense to the coaching staff possibly the most is Hronek's competitiveness and intensity, and willingness to battle for everything on the ice. Hronek plays with an edge.

TED KULFAN | The Detroit News ► Lindstrom: It's a close call as to whether Lindstrom could be protected for the expansion draft (the Wings are likely to protect three

defensemen). Lindstrom isn't a flashy player, but he's a safe player on Editor's note: This is part of a three-day series, as The Detroit News the ice who doesn't make the big mistake and is quietly effective. Given takes a closer look at each position group in the Red Wings’ the opportunity, Lindstrom could play in the NHL for a while. organization. Today: Defense. ► Troy Stecher: Quietly, Stecher became a fan favorite for his Detroit — There are two things that stand out when looking over the determined play on the ice, throwing himself into whatever situation in defense in the Red Wings' organization. order to make a play or prevent a scoring chance for the opposing team. Stecher was an alternate captain for Canada's recent world At the NHL level, there's a crying need for a left-side defenseman. After championship tournament victory, and played well. Could be tempting for trading away Jon Merrill and Patrik Nemeth at the deadline, and with Seattle in the expansion draft, if Stecher is left exposed. Marc Staal a potential unrestricted free agent, only Danny DeKeyser and Dennis Cholowski (who has split time between the Wings and Grand Grand Rapids Rapids) are on the depth chart. ► Seider: Spent last season in Sweden to play regularly, given the One other item of interest also jumps out when looking over this unit. pandemic issues in North America. In some circles, Seider is considered the No. 1 prospect outside of the NHL. Fans are excited to see him finally There's a lot of youth here, with a lot of potential, and the Wings are wear an NHL jersey. correct to feel good about the depth and future at the position. ► Donovan Sebrango: At the tender age of 19, Sebrango was a You start with defenseman Mortiz Seider, who is generally regarded revelation for the Griffins, not looking out of place at all. The 2020 third- among the top three prospects in the game. Seider is the big, mobile, all- round draft pick established himself as a prospect, playing sound around top-pairing defenseman every organization craves to have in its defensively and with a physical style. lineup. ► Jared McIsaac: The key has been keeping McIsaac healthy, which There are multiple prospects in Grand Rapids who have shown enough hasn't been easy. The 2018 second-round pick turned pro and played in to be intriguing possibilities at the NHL level. 10 games in Grand Rapids — then, got hurt. He can be used in a variety of roles and has bite to his game, but McIsaac has to stay on the ice. And for this exercise, junior players and recent draft picks, who have yet to arrive even in Grand Rapids, aren't included. But defensemen such as ► Seth Barton: The 2018 third-round pick quietly has been an intriguing Albert Johansson, Antti Tuomisto, Eemil Viro, and William Wallinder are prospect for his skating and size (6-foot-3, 185 pounds). Barton starred at all exciting prospects who could someday arrive in the NHL. Massachusetts-Lowell and looked good in four games with the Griffins. Barton has put himself in the mix. And the NHL roster hasn't even been mentioned, where players such as Filip Hronek, Cholowski and Gustav Lindstrom all are at varying stages of ► Wyatt Newpower: Keep an eye on Newpower, who played in the their young careers, with Hronek having quickly established himself as a Columbus system last season. Newpower, 23, is 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, top-pair defenseman. and had an impressive rookie pro debut, a defensive defenseman who contributed 10 points in 24 games with Cleveland. Newpower will be in The Wings were a horrid defensive team two seasons ago. With the help the hunt for an NHL job in training camp, and could win one with a good of veterans, both on defense and forward, but specifically some poised showing. free-agent defensemen who joined the Wings, this was a vastly better Wings' defensive team.

“Clearly a better defensive team,” coach Jeff Blashill said late in the Detroit News LOADED: 07.08.2021 season. “I don’t necessarily believe in a whole bunch of stats that you can make an argument for one way or another. But we’ve got stats we trust, like Grade A (scoring chances) against in different situations, Grade A’s against for the season, and (the Wings gave) our goalies a chance to make saves on a more consistent basis.”

Expect general manager Steve Yzerman to address that left-side hole with a free-agent signing or two, including bringing back either Staal, Merrill (Grand Blanc/Michigan), or even both.

"We have one player under contract, Danny DeKeyser, and restricted free agent Dennis Cholowski who I anticipate getting signed, so we have holes on the left side of our defense that we will need to address," Yzerman said at his season-ending media press conference.

But when talking position groups, the defense offers the most hope, be it for now or in the future. There are a lot of pieces who might be available to contribute, and do it fairly soon.

Here is a look at the current players at the NHL/AHL level:

► Cholowski: The former first-round draft pick is out of minor-league options, but it would be somewhat surprising if the Wings leave Cholowski unprotected and give Seattle a chance to pluck him in the expansion draft. Cholowski twice has opened the season in the NHL, only to be eventually sent down to Grand Rapids, mainly for defensive issues. In a late-season look-see last season, Cholowski appeared to be progressing defensively.

► DeKeyser: DeKeyser returned from back surgery and got stronger as last season progressed. DeKeyser is 31, has one more season left on his 1190268 Detroit Red Wings Rose has covered all the pro sports teams and the big colleges, and a variety of marquee stories, while anchoring during his time at Channel 7. He broke a big story Aug. 5, 2015, when he was in the lower bowels of Comerica Park and saw then-Tigers president and general manager 'It's just time': Channel 7 sports reporter, anchor Justin Rose leaving Dave Dombrowski go into a room, and come out a short while later with broadcast TV his son, who was crying. Dombrowski had been fired. He was at "Trouble with the Snap," which he calls "the most insane moment of my

professional career." TONY PAUL | The Detroit News He's covered a variety of major sports on the Tigers, Red Wings, Pistons, Lions and Michigan and Michigan State football and basketball.

Not too many folks are fortunate enough to figure out their career path in But one story that sticks out is his feature from 2015 on Novi football high school. team manager Robby Heil, who has Down Syndrome. As a senior, he was put into the game and scored a touchdown with mother, Debbie, Justin Rose is one of the lucky ones. who was battling terminal bone cancer, watching from the stands. Rose still keeps in touch with Heil. They text. They FaceTime. They plan to go It was 2002, and he had just finished playing in a JV basketball game for to a Tigers game this summer. St. Clair High when he hopped on the mic to call the varsity game with the lead play-by-play man — who just so happened to be his dad, Rick. "That story registers with me," Rose said. "What an opportunity to learn That cameo helped lead Rose to Michigan State, where he majored in personally about somebody else." journalism, and on to sports-reporting jobs in West Virginia, Lansing, Pittsburgh and eventually Channel 7 (WXYZ) in September 2014. Rose graduated from St. Clair High in 2003 and Michigan State in 2007, and is a four-time Emmy winner — three for reporting and one for On Sept. 1, Rose, of Huntington Woods, will be leaving the station and anchoring. the business — at least, the traditional broadcasting business.

"I'm just ready for a new opportunity," Rose said this week, after wrapping up his coverage of the PGA Tour's Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit News LOADED: 07.08.2021 Detroit Golf Club. "I think seven years is a long time to stay in a place.

"When I look at the landscape, the media landscape, moving forward, it's way more digital-heavy.

"And I want to be a part of that."

Rose hasn't officially mapped out his next step, but he knows it will continue to be in story-telling, in some fashion — preferably, he said, an outlet where he can tell feel-good stories, in longer form, and digitally. There are time restrictions in broadcast TV that frustrate so many anchors and reporters.

But, as often is the case in the media business, there's more to the story.

Rose began considering his future during the pandemic, when he found himself working from home, and having more time to spend with wife Caity (and on his golf game; a member at Red Run in Royal Oak, he's a single-digit handicapper). Justin and Caity will be celebrating their two- year anniversary Aug. 31, the day before his official last day at Channel 7.

"I want to have more work-life balance," Rose said.

Channel 7 has been a two-man sports staff since then-sports director Tom Leyden left for a job in Boston in 2015, elevating Brad Galli to the sports-director position. A two-man sports staff means when one was on vacation, it was going to be a super long week for the other.

Rose was offered a contract extension by Channel 7, Metro Detroit's ABC affiliate, this spring, but he already had begun exploring his options.

"I just kind of surveyed a lot of different things, and I decided to kind of throw myself out in the wild and see what my skill set can do," Rose said. "The sky's the limit.

"I'm so excited. I feel like a weight was lifted off my chest."

Rose was nothing but complimentary of Galli, who, even though at 32 he's five years younger, has served as a mentor in many ways. And, vice-versa.

"He's been a great friend and a great colleague," Rose said of Galli. "It's a great mutual respect we have for another, and that will continue.

"It's just time. That's the headline for me."

Said Galli: "Justin loves the Detroit sports scene, the sports scene in Michigan. It was awesome to work with him, and it's gonna be awesome to work him over these next couple months. He worked his tail off, man, and he brought a passion for the job every day that was unquestioned. He certainly did with us every single day, and that can be tough to find sometimes."

Channel 7 has hired Rose's replacement; an announcement is expected in the coming days. 1190269 Detroit Red Wings

911 calls detail fireworks mishap that killed NHL goalie Matiss Kivlenieks

Updated Jul 06, 8:59 PM; Posted Jul 06, 4:30 PM

By Ansar Khan | [email protected]

Matiss Kivlenieks was conscious and breathing when three 911 calls were placed after a fireworks mishap Sunday in Novi that killed the 24- year goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Novi police said on Monday that Kivlenieks died due to chest trauma caused from a fireworks mortar that tipped over.

On one of the calls released Tuesday by Novi Police, a woman told 911, “Someone was hit by fireworks; can you come here immediately?”

The dispatcher asked, “Is he awake and talking to you?”

The woman responded, “He’s breathing … we have a nurse here, he’s breathing but he’s doing not very well.”

A third woman who called told 911 that Kivlenieks was “getting ready to go into convulsions.”

Portions of the audio were redacted to conceal the address of where the incident occurred. The Columbus Dispatch reported that it happened at the home of Manny Legace, a former goalie for the Detroit Red Wings and the current goaltending coach for the Blue Jackets.

Novi Police Lt. Jason Meier said fire and paramedics were dispatched to the home at 10:13 p.m. Sunday and found Kivlenieks unresponsive. He was transported to Ascension Providence Hospital in Novi where he was pronounced dead shortly after.

Meier said an investigation of the case was ongoing but there is not believed to be any criminal intent.

Police originally believed Kivlenieks died when he slipped and hit his head on concrete while attempting to flee from a hot tub during the accident. An autopsy on Monday revealed the cause of death as chest trauma.

“This young man sustained deadly injuries to his heart and lungs as the result of a fireworks mortar shell blast into his chest,” Dr. Ljubisa Dragovic, Oakland County medical examiner, told MLive. “They were discharging fireworks. Something got out of hand. A loaded shell got propelled into the body of this man who wasn’t involved.”

Dragovic offered a reminder of the dangers of fireworks.

“It’s a good idea to remind people that fireworks are basically explosives and the handling of those without extraordinary care and attention can result in deadly outcomes, and that’s what happened here,” he said. “You don’t have to be directly involved to sustain major injuries. The public health message out of this is care and caution when handling fireworks.”

A native of Riga, Latvia, Kivlenieks appeared in two NHL games this past season, the final two games of the year against the Red Wings and played in four games for Latvia at the 2021 World Championship in his home country.

He appeared in 85 games over parts of four seasons with the AHL and in eight games for the ECHL in 2018-19.

Condolences have poured in from the hockey world over the past two days. A moment of silence was observed Monday prior to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens.

Michigan Live LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190270 Detroit Red Wings Tomas Nosek, Vegas, 28 ($1.25 million): A checking-line forward who has chipped in eight goals in each of the past three seasons for a strong Golden Knights team that claimed him from Detroit in the 2017 expansion draft. Free agent forwards: Red Wings could use a couple of right-handed shooters Kyle Palmieri, N.Y. Islanders, 30 ($4.65 million): After averaging 26 goals a season during a five-year stretch with New Jersey, this right-shooting winger’s production dipped to 10 goals and 21 points in 51 games between the Devils and Islanders. He picked it up in the playoffs with Updated Jul 06, 11:33 AM; Posted Jul 06, 6:05 AM seven goals in 19 games. He probably would cost more than the Red By Ansar Khan | [email protected] Wings want to spend.

Corey Perry, Montreal, 36 ($750,000): The Red Wings had interest in him two years ago when he signed with Dallas. A right-shooter who can Between players under contract, their own restricted free agents and any provide some secondary scoring, the two teams he signed with since prospects projected to earn roster spots in 2021-22, the Detroit Red being bought out in Anaheim reached the Stanley Cup Final. Wings have no right-shooting forwards. Bobby Ryan, Detroit, 34 ($1 million): He is a right shooter who can fit in Signing a few right shooters will be a priority for general manager Steve the top six and is a good influence on young players, but he is coming off Yzerman when free agency begins on July 28. His options include three late-season triceps surgery, which might prompt the club to focus on of his own -- Luke Glendening, Sam Gagner and Bobby Ryan. Gagner instead.

The Red Wings also will explore the market, for right shooters and lefties. Paul Stastny, Winnipeg, 35 ($6.5 million): His numbers are declining but Most of their available cap space will be exhausted after they re-sign he could fill the second-line center spot if he’s willing to take a significant many of their restricted free agents, a list that includes Jakub Vrana, pay cut. Tyler Bertuzzi, Adam Erne, Michael Rasmussen and Filip Hronek. But they will still have holes to fill. Tomas Tatar, Montreal, 30 ($5.3 million): The former Red Wing is a six- time 20-goal scorer who has been a frequent healthy scratch during long Yzerman, in his first two years as the club’s GM, has signed reasonably playoff runs with Vegas in 2018 and the Canadiens this season. He can priced free agents to short-term contracts (one or two years). That still provide offense for a team that needs it. strategy is likely to continue this summer given where the team is in its rebuilding stage. Alexander Wennberg, Florida, 27 ($2.25 million): Another first-round bust for Columbus, this left-shooting center is only 26 and scored a career- “You can look at free agency, the players that might be there today, I high 17 goals with the Panthers this season. don’t know that they’re going to be there once free agency opens,” Yzerman said after the season. “What are they going to cost and are we a fit for them? We’ll explore it. In trades I’d like to add younger players; in Michigan Live LOADED: 07.08.2021 free agency I’m more open to anything.”

The list of top free-agent forwards includes Alex Ovechkin (Washington), Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado), Taylor Hall and David Krejci (Boston), Zach Hyman (Toronto), Mike Hoffman (St. Louis) and Blake Coleman (Tampa Bay).

These players will either re-sign with their current club or look to join a playoff-contending team in all likelihood. They probably would not be interested in joining a rebuilding team like the Red Wings or would cost more (in money and term) than Detroit is willing to spend.

Here is a look at some potential unrestricted free-agent forwards who might be available for the Red Wings (with age on July 28 and 2020-21 cap hit):

Nick Bonino, Minnesota, 33 ($4.1 million): A two-time Stanley Cup winner in Pittsburgh who still is productive (26 points in 55 games) and good in the face-off circle.

Derick Brassard, Arizona, 34 ($1 million): The sixth overall selection in the 2006 draft is a left-shooting center who has played for eight teams in the past nine seasons.

Sam Gagner, Detroit, 31 ($850,000): His right shot, ability to play the bumper on the power play, leadership qualities and low cost are among the reasons the Red Wings likely will look to bring him back.

Luke Glendening, Detroit, 32 ($1.8 million): He would draw interest in the market because of the many things he does that don’t appear on the scoresheet (defense, penalty killing, face-offs, shot-blocking, energy, physicality). But that is also why the Red Wings have resisted trading him and want him back.

Erik Haula, Nashville, 30 ($1.75 million): He hasn’t been the same since his 29-goal, 55-point season in 2017-18 with expansion Vegas.

Darren Helm, Detroit, 34 ($3.875 million): The longest-serving Red Wing can still be an effective checker and energy player with his speed. He fit in well on a line with Glendening and Erne. Odds are, both sides will move on, however.

Mattias Janmark, Vegas, 28 ($2.25 million): A third-round Red Wings pick in 2013 who can play all three forward positions, both specialty teams and move up and down the lineup, he had a decent playoff showing (four goals, eight points in 1190271 Edmonton Oilers If the additional player isn’t Keith, it’s likely to be a similar veteran who management believes can slide into the second pairing role. Elliotte Friedman mentioned a possible Keith buyout on the podcast edition of 31 Lowetide: Oilers 2021-22 roster projection, including trade and free agent Thoughts; that would be a far less expensive route (free-agent signing) targets for Holland to acquire his target.

Right defence

By Allan Mitchell This position looks straightforward and inexpensive over the coming season, depending on the price point for Larsson. All indications have Jul 7, 2021 team and player on the way to a deal and that will solve one half of the biggest question mark on defence (second pairing).

One thing Holland will have to ponder is the cost of Ethan Bear’s next Oilers fans are running hot in a tinder-dry summer, as trade overpays, contract, just one summer away. My reading of the player suggests he acquisitions of defencemen in their final years and precious cap room should be a long-term option, but if the difference between Bear’s third disappearing seem to be the rumours of the day. contract is not far from the price to re-sign Tyson Barrie this summer, the Nobody ever said being an Oilers fan was easy. general manager might contemplate a roster shuffle.

If general manager is to build a Stanley Cup contender from As it stands, the depth chart is likely to be young and deliver a variety of this point, changes have to be made. He has already stepped up and talents from this position. made one major move (signing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to an eight-year Edmonton’s right side depth chart on defence features a shutdown deal), a transaction considered a priority by much of the fan base. (Larsson), two-way (Bear) and offensive (Evan Bouchard) defender. There are at least five (starting goalie, Connor McDavid’s winger, No. 3 There’s a lot of specialization and no complete player. That may change centre, both portions of a second pairing) significant pieces to come. in the coming season, as Bear could emerge and deliver on the promise of his rookie NHL campaign. Bouchard is also a player with more range What will the final roster look like? Who is incoming? At what price point? than his reputation implies, but he lacks the experience to be trusted in Will prospects be dealt? How many trades? Will the Bakersfield Condors certain roles. That will come only with playing time and repetition in have quality recall options? Let’s have a look, position by position. defending rushes from NHL forwards.

Goaltending It’s a good group but will need some room to grow. That means some mistakes along the way. The Oilers are in a good spot for expansion, as protecting AHL starter Stuart Skinner allows the club to expose Mikko Koskinen and his $4.5 There is no obvious recall, meaning a lefty (Russell or Koekkoek) likely million (one year left) contract. Veteran Alex Stalock will also be available serves as the backup right-side defender. to the Seattle Kraken, but there’s very little chance Edmonton loses a goalie. Centre

The club appears destined to sign Mike Smith ($2-plus million with Edmonton needs to improve its depth at the position but the top end another $1 million in bonuses possible) early in free agency, and as (McDavid, Leon Draisaitl) is the peak of the sport. there’s almost no chance Holland will find a trade partner for Koskinen, At five-on-five last season, McDavid averaged 16:44 per game while the most likely scenario involves returning both veterans from one year Draisaitl (sans McDavid) averaged 10 additional minutes per game. If the ago. Oilers run the two men on separate lines all season, 32-34 five-on-five There has been some talk of Chris Driedger or Linus Ullmark via free minutes per game seems reasonable, leaving about 16 to 18 minutes to agency, but Edmonton may wait one year until Koskinen’s deal is up and divide between a third- and fourth-line pivot. Last season, Edmonton turn over the position without penalty. By the summer of 2022, the team averaged 49:55 per game in the discipline, according to Natural Stat will have a better idea about the three AHL prospects. However, the free Trick. agent pool after the 2021-22 season (Darcy Kuemper of the Arizona That means dividing those 16 to 18 minutes between two centres should Coyotes, Elvis Merzlikins of the Columbus Blue Jackets) is razor thin. be easy to do, although getting results has been an issue and one Left defence wonders if those depth players need to play more of the game to stay sharp. I wrote about the idea of addition at the position recently, and Darnell Nurse is the rock of Edmonton’s defence. He can play massive Derek Ryan emerged as the obvious and frugal choice. minutes (25:37 last year including all game states) and was over 30 minutes in four games during 2020-21. The Ryan signing would be key, as he can both handle those minutes and won’t cost the moon. That will allow Holland to spend dollars on the After that, things get much less predictable. All indications have the wing. One issue that becomes obvious: Edmonton’s AHL centre depth Oilers acquiring from the Chicago Blackhawks in what chart is going to include several AHL contracts like Brad Malone. That’s promises to be an explosive trade. The deal may never happen, but less than ideal, fans might see the Oilers venture into the low end of NHL several possible pieces (Kyle Turris, Caleb Jones) have been mentioned. free agency to sign players like Dominic Turgeon and Chase De Leo. Beyond that possible transaction, the expansion draft could take away That would give the Condors an improved centre depth chart and a more another lefty. substantial recall pool in case of injury.

There is a strong group pushing from the AHL Bakersfield Condors, and Left wing that has to be a consideration in the possible deals of summer. Holland’s big purchase of summer will be a winger for his most valuable Trades and signings could impact this position, but based on current player. The acquisition of Keith, should it happen, may aid the big free- knowledge this could be the pro depth chart at training camp this fall. agent signing of summer.

I wrote about Keith and his acquisition cost recently and have omitted Brandon Saad should be at or near the top of Edmonton’s list, he has Jones from this depth chart as part of a potential price. Keith’s recent size, skill and is a proven scorer. If the organization can add this kind of performance with the Blackhawks would suggest he’d be more quality, an area of weakness becomes stronger in a heartbeat. A buyout successful in a third-pairing role with the Oilers, but he played much of of James Neal is also a likely move at the position. last season with very young partners. A veteran (like Adam Larsson) and fewer minutes overall should improve performance. Saad and Nugent-Hopkins should give the Oilers the kind of skill at left wing enjoyed during the period when Taylor Hall and David Perron If acquired, he’ll start on the second pair. scored 27 and 28 goals, respectively, seven years ago. It should give the Oilers an extra gear offensively. Although Jones is not on this list, he’ll be protected if Edmonton doesn’t make a deal for an additional in the weeks before the This is surely Tyler Benson’s best chance to make the NHL as a regular, expansion draft. Slater Koekkoek is currently an unrestricted free agent, and he should be able to slide in on the third or fourth line. If he begins but management probably wants some insurance behind Kris Russell and William Lagesson. the year sharing time with Devin Shore and extra centre Jujhar Khaira as No. 4 left winger, Benson could ease into the role.

Dylan Holloway can jump past him at any time based on performance, and that competition begins at training camp.

Right wing

This is an area of the roster where Holland probably wants to add. Trading Zack Kassian would be ideal, but the veteran winger will need to build value during the 2021-22 season in order for that to be an option.

Youngsters Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto will man the skill lines, with Josh Archibald filling in as a checker and main penalty-killing component. There are minor league options bubbling under, but none are likely to impact the NHL team in the coming year.

This is where Edmonton’s cap room should be able to work for the organization. Veteran wingers on cap-strapped teams should be available for low cost in the days leading up to the expansion draft and free agency. Names like Bryan Rust of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Reilly Smith of Vegas Golden Knights, Vincent Trocheck of the Carolina Hurricanes and Alex Killorn of the Tampa Bay Lightning chould be available if Edmonton can afford to take the contract for only picks or prospects.

I used Rust in our example, but there are a surprising number of productive wingers who are employed by cap teams and do not have NTCs. This is a wrinkle in the system Holland should (and probably will) take advantage of over the summer.

The projected roster

Using CapFriendly, the roster above comes in with a little over $1.7 million in cap room. Smith’s contract will have bonuses, but Holland should have some room to wheel during the season and plenty of walking around money for deadline additions.

This team is going to need the Keith-Larsson pairing to deliver beyond expectations, and the third line must be far better than a year ago. McDavid and Draisaitl have several wingers to mix and match, with Holloway in the minors. Puljujarvi may keep his job on McDavid’s right wing, and that would mean the top three lines would be dynamic for the first time in a very long while.

The room is there to make this happen. Most of the money is being spent up front, and it’s likely young defencemen developing in Bakersfield are needed sooner than later. The goaltending gets an overhaul in the summer of 2022.

This is a playoff team, and a strong deadline could make it something else.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190272 Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers reveal plan to get involved with NIL deals

By TIM REYNOLDS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

JUL 07, 2021 AT 7:53 PM

The Florida Panthers may soon be signing a quarterback. Or a center who plays basketball. Or a goalie who plays soccer.

It all makes sense.

The Panthers are the first NHL team, and they believe the first U.S. major pro sports team, to establish an opportunity for college athletes to align with them as part of recent rule changes that allow college athletes to profit off their name and celebrity.

Florida unveiled the plan Wednesday, starting the process of gauging interest from athletes who attend college nearest to where the Panthers play — primarily meaning Miami and Florida Atlantic.

“Right now, at the very least, we’re getting an understanding of who’s interested,” Panthers Chief Strategy Officer Sam Doerr said.

“We’re really trying to understand what schools, who they are, what program, kind of their social media following and then we’ll internally set guidelines about who will qualify for the program.”

Doerr is hoping the Panthers can have some deals in place within the next four weeks. The team will value diversity, he said, and wants to ensure women’s athletes and those from Olympic sports are part of the program.

Final details on what will be involved are still being arranged, but the Panthers are for now planning to offer merchandise such as jerseys to the college athletes that get signed, along with the opportunity to earn money through a “pretty robust social media marketing campaign,” Doerr said.

“They’ll get paid probably per post or per campaign,” Doerr said. “They’ll benefit off of posting. It’s really taking the existing infrastructure of social media influencer marketing and extending it to college athletes, but using a pro team as an extension of that.”

There are no NCAA hockey teams in South Florida, but there are many schools with club teams. It remains unclear how, or if, the Panthers may be able to involve some of those players in its endorsement program.

“We’re plowing forward,” Doerr said. “I’ve already gotten a bunch of texts from folks at Miami saying they have kids interested. I’m sure we’ll see the same from FAU and some of the other schools. So far, so good, and we’ll see where it goes.”

Sun Sentinel LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190273 Los Angeles Kings While the Kings have had notable Swedish players like former captain Mattias Norstrom and prolific winger Tomas Sandstrom, their pinnacle in the early to mid 2010s was all but entirely bereft of Swedes. Last season, they had four Swedish players on the roster, including forward Adrian Viktor Arvidsson thinks he can benefit the Kings – and vice versa Kempe, with whom Arvidsson competed at the World Championships, and winger Carl Grundstrom, who like Arvidsson hails from the snowy

North of Sweden. By ANDREW KNOLL | Another player with a more tenuous Swedish connection is Kings captain PUBLISHED: July 7, 2021 at 2:22 p.m. | UPDATED: July 7, 2021 at 3:07 Anze Kopitar. The Slovenian center cut his teeth in Sweden’s pro system p.m. before making the leap to the NHL. Kopitar has been the Kings’ perennial scoring leader since. Many have speculated that Arvidsson could be one of the wingers flanking him next season.

From Skelleftea, Sweden, to Nashville and now to Los Angeles, newly “We’ll see where I slot in, but obviously he’s an unbelievable player and a acquired Kings winger Viktor Arvidsson’s passion for hockey has great leader from what I’ve heard, so it’s going to be to be part of a team propelled him up the ice and carried him across the globe. where he is,” Arvidsson said.

Arvidsson, 28, came to the Kings on July 1 in a trade that sent a 2021 In addition to welcoming Arvidsson at the beginning of the month, the second-round draft selection and a 2022 third-rounder to the Nashville Kings also extended the contract of defenseman Christian Wolanin, who Predators, the organization with which he had spent all seven seasons of signed a one-year, two-way deal worth $750,000 on Tuesday. his career. He has three years remaining on his contract, carrying a cap hit of $4.25 million annually.

“I’m really excited. I feel like it’s a great opportunity for me and for the Orange County Register: LOADED: 07.08.2021 team. We have something really up-and-coming with young players and older players that really want to win,” Arvidsson said.

The first feeling Arvidsson had was a bit of forlornness for his closest teammates, and that sentiment was mutual. Nashville winger and fellow Swede Filip Forsberg responded to the trade with a terse but crystal clear thumbs-down emoji on social media.

Yet Arvidsson quickly turned his attention to the potential that awaited him in Los Angeles. Arvidsson thrived in Nashville under their former coach Peter Laviolette, whose offensive system bore some similarities with that of current Kings bench boss Todd McLellan. Both systems were high-tempo and high-volume in terms of shooting.

Under Laviolette, Arvidsson pieced together three seasons in which he scored 94 goals and led the Predators in goals each year. In 2016-17, he helped spark the Predators run from wild-card longshot to Stanley Cup finalist, placing third on the team in postseason scoring and tying for the team lead in playoff assists. In 2017-18, he led the Predators in game- winning goals, a feat he’d duplicate the following season. He set a franchise record for goals in 2018-19 despite missing 24 games during that campaign.

Yet scoring is just one of Arvidsson’s talents. Other than perhaps Andreas Athanasiou, he may be the fastest skater on the Kings’ roster. He relishes opportunities to challenge opponents with his speed and to create rush chances wherever possible. Despite his relatively short stature, he is hardly intimidated by the corners or the net front. He capably creates traffic with screens and deflections and remains willing to engage physically.

Pete Weber, a former broadcaster for the Kings who now works with Nashville, recently compared him to former Predators winger Patric Hornqvist, who tormented the Kings frequently during his time with Nashville.

Arvidsson has been at his most potent five-on-five, but can also contribute on the power play and kill penalties. At his best, his tenacity and skill have proved valuable in wearing opponents down gradually or providing game-breaking individual plays.

“Of course, I love to score goals and I see myself (as a scorer), but I also feel like I’ve got a lot more in my repertoire than just goal-scoring,” Arvidsson said. “I can play in any situation and take pride in playing in any situation.”

Over the past two seasons, injuries have hindered Arvidsson, being struck in the midsection by a teammate’s slap shot and also breaking his thumb. Even in what could be considered down years that took place during the pandemic, Arvidsson notched 53 points in 107 games over the past two seasons. That was more than all but three Kings wingers over the same span, all of whom played more games.

“I feel like I’m taking care of my body to the highest level I can. Of course, as a hockey player, I think I speak for a lot of them that you never feel 100 percent,” Arvidsson said. “I feel great; I feel like I’m on the right track.” 1190274 Los Angeles Kings “You’ve got to deal with it and you push your body to the limit,” Arvidsson said. “And you want to come back as fast as you can because you want to help your team win.

Viktor Arvidsson will bring a valuable ‘shooting mentality’ to the Kings, “So it’s frustrating sometimes, but you got to sometimes take a step back according to former coach Rob Scuderi and just feel your body and get ready for what’s coming. So that’s what I’ve been doing and I feel 100 percent ready.”

Scuderi, who played in 783 NHL regular-season games, knows how By Lisa Dillman difficult it is to return to form in the midst of a season.

Jul 7, 2021 “When you get that early-season injury, and I believe he had one a couple seasons ago (in 2019-20), it’s like trying to catch a moving train

the rest of the year,” Scuderi said. “I’ve gone through it personally and Rob Scuderi was on the bench as an assistant coach for a limited portion I’ve seen it happen a bunch of times. You try to fight through it. You don’t of Viktor Arvidsson’s time with the Nashville Predators. That gave the want to use any excuses. It’s just hard to catch up. And I have no doubt former NHL defenseman enough of a view to know what the Kings are that guys have tried, including Viktor. getting in the 28-year-old forward, a proven scorer who is comfortable on “You’re trying to come back, trying to do all the right things and you think either wing. you’re doing everything in your mind. When you get into the game, things In their first meaningful offseason move, the Kings acquired Arvidsson on don’t seem right, and then maybe (you) start to self-correct and look for July 1, when they sent a second-round pick in 2021 and a third-rounder things that aren’t there. And then it’s like you’re playing in quicksand.” in 2022 to Nashville. Arvidsson said he felt like he still had a good season in 2020-21, noting Scuderi won Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the scoring chances he helped create and how much he was involved in 2009 and the Kings in 2012 and moved into a development role with the scoring. Predators in the 2019-20 season. He joined the coaching staff as an “I’m looking forward to come into L.A. and show what I can do,” he said. assistant later that season but is now back in development. Undoubtedly, the first game against the Predators will bring out some “When you look at him, he’s definitely a top-six forward. He’s very emotion. Arvidsson has played his entire NHL career in Nashville and talented,” Scuderi said of Arvidsson in an interview with The Athletic. “I has a close connection with countryman and former linemate Filip thought he fit in with many different types of centermen, a great Forsberg. Forsberg posted a “thumbs down” image on his Instagram complement to almost any type of center. He uses his speed to stretch account shortly after the trade was announced last week. the ice well when the possibilities and chances are there. “He’s been there one more year than me and we played together for a “He’s played a lot of roles on the power play. I’ve seen him play net-front, very long time and with each other, and we have a special bond,” on the flank as a shooter. He definitely plays with a shooting mentality. Arvidsson said. “I guess I would have been upset too if he got traded. So You can’t have a team of passers. He’s just got that downhill mentality to it’s obviously a hard thing when it happens that quick and you’ve been shoot the puck. And he’s also played the PK. I’m not sure if that’s an with each other for so long. And we know each other from junior age. option Los Angeles is going to consider, but he has done it in the past.” “So it’s absolutely tough. And I get how he reacted, and it’s totally It allows Kings coach Todd McLellan to consider more options, and could normal.” help take some of the penalty-killing burden off the shoulders of Anze Kopitar, Alex Iafallo and Adrian Kempe. Importantly, the Kings are adding a consistent producer at even strength. The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 Another scouting report of Arvidsson’s game came from the man himself when he spoke to the media on Wednesday from his home in Sweden, via a video call.

“Of course I love to score goals and I see myself as that I can score, but I also feel like I got a lot more in my repertoire than just goal-scoring,” he said. “I can play any situation. I take pride in playing in any situation.

“So, I think just because I scored 30 goals, I don’t think that’s just how you should look at me. You should look at me as (an) all-situation player that can contribute in any way.”

One question I had for him was about the evolution of his shoot-first mentality. His career shooting percentage is 11.4, and his 151 shots on goal this past season led the Predators and would have been tops among the Kings.

He had a twist on the famous line, which seems to appear on Twitter on a daily basis.

“If you don’t shoot, you’re not gonna score,” Arvidsson said. “Every time you don’t shoot, you can’t score. So that’s kind of been my mentality through my whole career. And then I came to Nashville with Peter Laviolette — there was a lot of shooting and a lot of that really fit my game and I broke through there.

“From there, I’ve been a shot-first (player) every time and challenge people with my skating. So that’s kind of where it came from. But I think I’ve been like that my whole life.”

Another topic worth addressing came up on the video call – injuries.

Arvidsson played close to a full season in 2017-18 (78 games) and was limited to 58 games the following season but still had a team-leading 34 goals. This past season, he had 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 50 games with the Predators. It would have put him sixth among the Kings in points, tied for fifth in goals and tied for fourth in assists.

The injuries have been frustrating on multiple levels. 1190275 Los Angeles Kings The Skelleftea, Sweden native said that he’s spoken with Rob Blake and Todd McLellan, but just at an initial stage thus far. He said they haven’t necessarily discussed potential roles or expectations at this stage, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t thought about, or talked with, any of his new Introducing Viktor Arvidsson teammates.

Arvidsson was a teammate of Adrian Kempe at the 2018 IIHF World Championships, representing Team Sweden. Arvidsson said he texted By Zach Dooley with Kempe the day after the trade, and he’s looking forward to continuing to build their relationship, now teammates for both club and country. He also added that he knows Carl Grundstrom a bit as well, with Last week, the LA Kings made the first move in what could shape up as their hometowns back in Sweden being close to each other. an offseason of interest, by adding forward Viktor Arvidsson from the Nashville Predators. When asked about the prospect of playing alongside Anze Kopitar this season, Arvidsson echoed his thoughts regarding talking to Blake and Arvidsson was an important add for the Kings, who ranked fifth from the McLellan, noting that he still doesn’t know exactly who he’ll be playing bottom of the NHL in terms of goals scored. Arvidsson is a two-time 30- with, or in what capacity. That didn’t stop him from praising his new goal scorer, including a career-high of 34 in 2019. Adding a goalscorer to captain, however. a team in need of goals? Sounds like a great match. Don’t sell Arvidsson’s game short though. In his own words, he believes he’s much “He’s obviously an unbelievable player and a great leader, from what I’ve more than just a goalscorer. heard. It’s going to be fun to be a part of a team where he is.”

“Of course I love to score goals, but I also feel like I have a lot more in Regardless of what line he features on, his role on the power play and my repertoire than just goalscoring,” Arvidsson said, on a conference call penalty kill, or his potential linemates, the Kings are getting a versatile, earlier today. “I can play in any situation, I take pride in playing in all talented forward in Arvidsson. And versatility is a universally good thing. situations, 4-on-5, 6-on-5, whatever it is, I take pride in it and I’ll do my He confirmed that he is equally comfortable on both the left and right best in every situation. I think, just because I scored 30 goals, I don’t sides, giving the Kings added flexibility when building out, or better put at think that’s just how you should look at me. You should look at me as an this point, envisioning, what a potential 2021-22 lineup could look like. all-situations player, who can contribute in any way.” “I can play either side, I played a lot on the right side in Nashville, Viewing himself as an all-around player doesn’t diminish his shooting and because of the system, it was a lot of skating on the right side,” he said. scoring abilities, however. “I like being a part of the skating game, but I can play both. I started on In his last three full seasons, Arvidsson scored 29 or more goals in each the left when I came to the , and moved over to the right campaign, ranking inside the NHL’s Top 20 leaguewide from 2016-19, because I felt like I was more involved in the game. with his 74 even-strength goals ranking ninth. Arvidsson spoke to his Arvidsson also assured that the Kings are getting a healthy player, after shooting mentality earlier today, which saw him ranked similarly in that injuries slowed down his last two campaigns. timespan in shots on goal, as well as shot attempts. Although in a traditional sense, no one in the NHL played full seasons in “I think I’ve always had it,” Arvidsson said of his shooting mentality. “I either 2019-20 or 2020-21, Arvidsson was nagged by a couple of injuries, love to score goals, and if you don’t shoot, you’re not going to score and that cost him six games in this past regular season, as well as four of six every time you don’t shoot, you can’t score. That’s kind of been my postseason games, not to mention the handful he missed during the mentality throughout my career. I came to Nashville with Peter Laviolette, season prior. With those woes hopefully now in the past, Arvidsson feels and it was a lot of shooting that really fit my game. I broke through and like he’s on the path back to a clean bill of health. from there, I’ve been a shot first [player] and I challenge people with my skating.” “I feel great, I feel like I’m on the right track,” he noted. “Of course I had some bad luck, some injuries that you can’t do anything about, but I’m on Looking at his 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns, by comparison, might the right track.” leave you wanting a bit more when compared to his dynamic three- season run beforehand. The underlying stats from this past season, As we now stand approximately two months from the start of training however, show a player who was actively involved in creating camp, Arvidsson is the first piece put into place, during a complex opportunities, even if they didn’t always wind up in the back of the net. offseason puzzle for the Kings. Adding scoring, particularly at even strength, was a natural objective for the team exiting the 2021 campaign No Nashville player had more individual scoring chances, or high-danger and bringing Arvidsson on board with three years remaining on his chances, than Arvidsson this season. No Predators forward was on the contract helps with that ambition. ice for more scoring chances for, either, than Arvidsson was. Good signs pointing towards returning to those loftier raw numbers in the season to The likely reality is that there are additional moves to come, and with come. Arvidsson on board, the Kings are another step forward in the plan, and another step forward in the development process. “I still feel like I had a good season, if you look at how many scoring chances I created and how much I was involved in scoring chances for the team,” he noted. “I’m looking forward to coming to LA and showing what I can do.” LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 07.08.2021

The 28-year-old winger joins a new organization for the first time in his NHL career, having spent the first 385 games of his NHL career, spread across seven seasons, with the Nashville Predators. Arvidsson played in a Stanley Cup Final in Nashville, he found personal success in Nashville and he built relationships in Nashville.

After learning of the trade, Arvidsson said he first thought of his teammates with the Predators, the friendships he’d made. After the initial, and natural, emotion, his focus turned to excitement of joining an up and coming organization in the Kings, with a mix of younger players and established veterans ready to take the next step forward.

“My first reaction was my teammates that I had been with for seven years,” he said. “I was thinking about them and how much fun I had with them. After a while, I looked to what I’m coming to and I’m really excited. I feel like it’s a great opportunity for me and the team, we have something really up and coming, with young players and older players who really want to win and are hungry to win. I’m really, really excited to be a part of it.” 1190276 Los Angeles Kings 2021-22 Status – Carl Grundstrom falls into a similar situation as many of the other young forwards on the Kings roster, which will be pushing and fighting for an NHL roster spot come September.

Kings Seasons In Review – Carl Grundstrom He did separate himself from other certain individuals on the so-called “bubble” this season, but he will need to continue that process entering the season to come.

By Zach Dooley The Kings have several wingers on the fringe, with a new player added to the mix in Viktor Arvidsson, who will likely be positioned in a Top 6 role 16 hours ago234 Comments come training camp, taking up one more spot amongst the 12 in the lineup. Grundstrom’s chemistry with Anderson-Dolan and Moore creates an interesting possibility as a potential third or fourth line for the Kings, Insiders, hope that everyone had a great holiday weekend! but with several younger players pushing for opportunities, and eventually full-time jobs, Grundstrom will need to earn his place, and We’re back, and back in action with the player seasons in review, picking cement a permanent role, in the lineup moving forward. up where we left off, on the left wing with Carl Grundstrom, who completed his fourth professional season and his first full campaign at Grundstrom is on the second season of a two-year contract extension the NHL level. signed in September 2020 and will be on a one-way deal this season.

As always, included below is an audio evaluation with Jesse Cohen and Daryl Evans of the LA Kings Audio Network. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 07.08.2021 After spending the last two seasons split between the Kings and the AHL’s Ontario Reign, Carl Grundstrom made the opening-night roster this season and never relinquished his spot, spending the entire season at the NHL level. Grundstrom maneuvered between positions in the lineup, working his way mostly around the bottom six at both winger positions, as he appeared in a career-high 47 NHL games.

Trending Up – At his best, Carl Grundstrom is a hard-nosed, physical presence on the forecheck, capable of creating turnovers in the offensive zone and turning them into offensive opportunities. At times this season, we saw that player. Grundstrom plays a heavier game than most and has a solid shot for a player who isn’t necessarily expected to be a point producer.

His best qualities were emphasized when paired on a line with Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Trevor Moore. Grundstrom, when playing on that line, saw his possession numbers jump up, controlling more shot attempts, and a massively large jump in scoring chances and high- danger chances when a part of that unit. That line controlled more than 55 percent of high-danger chances when together, a massive jump from Grundstrom’s individual totals.

“I think we’re all skating, helping each other out,” Grundstrom said. “We want to play fast, and I think we have the same mindset. I think that’s a big key.”

Grundstrom showed to be one of the team’s better forecheckers throughout the course of the season, again a trait emphasized when playing with Anderson-Dolan and Moore, who shared similar beliefs.

Similar to what he showed as a rookie in 2019, Grundstrom also has an ability to get to the front of the net and create goals in tight spaces. Four of his six goals this season came either as redirections in front, or goals right in or around the blue paint. The other two – goals in St. Louis and Minnesota in January – showcased his wrist shot, but he’s made most of his money right outside of the crease and has shown an ability to generate offense in those dirty areas.

Trending Down – With Grundstrom, when he was on his game, you really saw the type of player he can be, the player mentioned above. We just didn’t see that player every night. Getting night-in, night-out consistency is perhaps the hardest thing for a young player to achieve, and we saw elements of inconsistency, game to game, from Grundstrom this season.

His raw production, when put into perspective with his ice time, is fair for a bottom-six player, though his possession numbers, looking especially at scoring chances and high-danger chances, rate below team averages. Separating Grundstrom’s figures when playing on a line other than with Anderson-Dolan and Moore see his totals fall, particularly in the latter two categories. It’s not the end all, be all, and it’s certainly not a bad thing to click with a certain line, but you’d also like to see players be able to post solid metrics in multiple situations as they develop.

In a lot of ways with Grundstrom, we don’t leave the 2020-21 season with a clearer outlook than when we started it. Entering, was saw a player with a pretty unique toolbox among the Kings forwards, and that stays the same exiting it. We also saw a player who had yet to establish a full- time role at the NHL level, and we find ourselves asking the same question here in July. 1190277 Montreal Canadiens a 12-foot-high Canada flag with stripes of blue duct tape flanking the Maple Leaf.

“We had such a great series, you can’t be sad about it. It’s promising for The Montreal Canadiens united Canada under their banner despite the future,” said William Daviau, a 19-year-old fan who waited since 5:00 falling short of the Stanley Cup p.m. to secure a spot where he could get a glimpse of the game through the windows of La Cage, a nearby sports bar.

“More fans means more friends,” he said, while brandishing the Alex Cyr Canadiens emblem of his Cole Caufield jersey. “It’s not a French and English thing… I think this year, these guys were the country’s team… I’ll 5-6 minutes 7/8/2021 never forget this.”

As the Tampa Bay Lightning hoisted their second consecutive Stanley Globe And Mail LOADED: 07.08.2021 Cup, and the clock struck midnight for the Montreal Canadiens, Habs fans walked home in despair from downtown viewing parties late Wednesday night. By the thousands, they eroded the red, white and blue paint on Montreal’s Stanley Street crosswalks, which faded along with Le Bleu Blanc Rouge’s championship dreams.

Ross Colton’s goal in the second period propelled the Lightning to a 1-0 victory and a 4-1 series win over the underdog Canadiens. The Bolts paraded hockey’s greatest trophy around Amalie Arena in front of 16,300 fans, as the Habs watched from their bench, battered and teary-eyed.

In Montreal, thousands of supporters wearing red and white packed Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montreal, the street in front of the Bell Centre. They cheered for the team that defied odds all season, and who revived a series considered just a few days ago to be more defunct than the ghosts of the old Montreal Forum.

The Canadiens were the last team to make the playoffs, and proceeded to eliminate the , the , and the Vegas Golden Knights to make its first Stanley Cup final appearance since 1993, and gained supporters from across the country in the process.

“The Habs are Canada’s team. If you weren’t cheering for them at this point, you’re silly,” said Jada Nahas, a fan who drove to Montreal from her home in Halifax for Game 3, and then decided to stay for the remainder of the series.

“Some people still don’t like the Habs… but I think they deserved all our support this year.”

Before their cup run, the Canadiens had divided observers into supporters and opponents for most of their history. From the Richard Riot of 1955 to their decades-long rivalry with the in the seventies, to the recent chapters of their endless strife with the Leafs, the Canadiens had forced onlookers to pick a side. They are the Matrix series, the Johnny Depp, the black jellybean of the hockey world: you either love them or hate them.

During this playoff run, even their own fan base was divided in two camps: the younger crowd that does not remember the last time the Habs won a Stanley Cup, and the old timers who remember the days when the Canadiens seemingly won a title every three years.

Opinions about the Habs, however, rarely came up in casual conversation until they started winning playoff games. With each win they stole from higher-ranked teams, they strengthened their bid to become known as Canada’s team. Still, that honorary title was met with hesitancy - the hashtag of #OuiLeNord, a French spin on “WeTheNorth (the slogan of the ’ 2019 campaign) poked its head on Twitter at times, but failed to trend.

By the time the Canadiens made the , they had gained fans from across the country. Donald George could not believe how many people texted him to tell him their allegiances were now with the Habs. The resident of Bellegarde, , a French-speaking hamlet of fewer than 100 people, said friends teased him for years for flying a Canadiens flag in his front yard. Lately, he said, many of the teasers had jumped on the bandwagon.

“Now these people text me to tell me that they’re cheering for the Habs? They’ve always hated them!” he said, with a chuckle.

In a rare moment in front of the Bell Centre on Wednesday, public opinions about the Canadiens merged. Those newly won over blended with lifelong fans to form a sea of red too mesmerized by the big screens to roughhouse or riot. One fan wore a Toronto jersey with a printed photo of a Canadiens logo duct-taped on top of the Leafs crest. Another waved 1190278 Montreal Canadiens A meaningless game to which we may well give far too much meaning, but a distraction much needed by so many. Some 50 years ago, Bruce Kidd and John Macfarlane wrote that, “Hockey is the dance of life, an affirmation that despite the deathly chill of winter we are alive.” Despite The Canadiens supplied Canada with a much needed COVID-19 winter, yes, but this year we can add daily case counts, overflowing breather ICUs, vaccine delivery hitches and that red shockwave that screams “BREAKING” below the news broadcasts. The ,

even if played in July and August, are the affirmation, this year, that we Roy MacGregor are still alive. Author Morley Callaghan long ago called hockey “our own national drama.” It has long been so, even though there has been no 7-8 minutes 7/8/2021 happy ending in this drama since 1993, when these same Montreal Canadiens briefly returned the Stanley Cup to its birthplace.

Hockey matters to Canadians and perhaps mattered these past two The Montreal Canadiens react after their 1-0 defeat against the Tampa difficult years more than ever. It was the needed distraction, the Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Amalie necessary small talk to blunt the aggressive, angry talk about Trump and Arena on July 7, 2021 in Tampa, Fla. the depressing endless chatter about the pandemic and vaccines. We Corey Perry gets it. know this game matters even when others say its import is vastly overrated and overstated. When Keith Spicer’s Citizens’ Forum on At the end of Montreal Canadiens’ dramatic 3-2 overtime victory against Canada’s Future was going about the country following the death of the the presumed Stanley-Cup-champion Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday, Meech Lake Accord, they eventually concluded that “ordinary Canadians” the 36-year-old Montreal veteran told reporters, “It’s just hockey. Be placed a priority on two Canadian values – health care and hockey. prepared to work, but at the end of the day it’s just hockey. Have fun.” Former Toronto Star columnist Joey Slinger once took a delicious poke Just hockey, indeed. And perhaps never so appreciated as it has been at novelist W.P. Kinsella – who wrote the short story that became the these past several weeks of an impossibly-Cinderella run through the baseball movie classic Field of Dreams – when Slinger wrote that, “The third wave of a soul-crushing pandemic. field of our dreams is flooded and frozen and has a net at either end.” Every game, it seemed, provided a new storyline, usually surprising. Only a fool would suggest that the national game is as pure and clean as a frozen slough. It has huge imperfections, including sad realities that In Game 4, held Monday in Montreal, interim head coach Dominique include physical, psychological and sexual abuse. It is also a violent Ducharme took on the mantle of genius. Ducharme had scrambled his sport, as evidenced these playoffs by that end-to-end charge by the lines and defence in a last-ditch, desperate move to inject some life into Winnipeg Jets’ Mark Scheifele that sent Montreal forward Jake Evans off his team, down three games to none against the Tampa Bay Lightning. the ice on a stretcher. In 2021 it remains a mystery why this sport, unlike And the coach saw his gut pay off at once as inserted defenceman Brett virtually every other contact sport, supports fisticuffs despite so much Kulak led a charge up ice that resulted in a goal by Josh Anderson, a scientific evidence of tragic death and brain damage suffered by those last-minute addition to the Canadiens’ charming “Kids Line” of Nick who essentially made their hockey living by fighting. Not much has Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Suzuki set up the goal with a perfect saucer changed since former Toronto Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe smirked pass from behind the Tampa net. at a question about fighting by saying, “If we don’t put a stop to it, we’ll have to start printing more tickets.” The Canadiens needed to win if they were going to avoid being swept in the Stanley Cup final for only the second time in their history, having But it does have its moments when played as well as the Tampa Bay once before lost four games to none to the 1952 Detroit Red Wings. The Lightning showed in the final and the Montreal Canadiens in the previous last time a team came back from being down three games to none in the rounds. There is no shame to be felt here in Montreal. There should, final was 1942, when the Toronto Maple Leafs came all the way back instead, be an appreciative applause from a country desperately in need against the Red Wings. of distraction. It’s just hockey. But it was also so much more.

Corey Perry would never have called it “fun” when, well into the second Thank you, Montreal Canadiens. period of Game 5, he was one of the Habs guilty of not clearing a puck that ended up in the Montreal net, leading to the only goal of a 1-0 win that clinched a Stanley Cup championship for the Lightning, their second Globe And Mail LOADED: 07.08.2021 in two wonky, unimaginable seasons. All the same, cue the scriptwriters for the book/movie/tale of the 2021 Montreal Canadiens.

So many stories. After an absolutely irregular regular season – no Canadian fans during the pandemic – the Canadiens became the underdog’s underdog. They came back from being down 3-1 against the much-favoured Toronto Maple Leafs to take the opening series, swept the second round against the much-favoured Winnipeg Jets, then took out the much-favoured Vegas Golden Knights in six games. They brought in the kids, who excelled. Brendan Gallagher’s slashed and hacked face alone became a chapter. The goaltender, Carey Price, became again the best goalie in the world for a while. The general manager had lucky suits. The interim coach had to be replaced with an interim interim coach when the interim coach tested positive for COVID- 19.

It was a team that transformed Montreal from a sorry state to a state of bliss. And the affection for this oddly-charmed team spread across the country, with jerseys, caps and car flags found in every city. You can debate all you want as to whether this charming group of multinationals is “Canada’s Team,” but there is no debate as to whether or not this has been Canada’s welcome distraction.

A Canadian team – even if made up of multinationals – advancing in the Stanley Cup playoffs when no one expected them to became a welcome respite from nearly two years of soul-crushing news. When a day is filled with impending pandemic waves, new variants, Donald Trump’s lost election and attempted insurrection, blazing oceans and lately, historical discoveries so grim and incomprehensible that many Canadians wanted to cancel Canada Day, these playoffs became a healing forest bath for many. 1190279 Montreal Canadiens “His compete level is as high as it can be,” Kucherov said. “I remember him when he was 16. He was always the guy that cares about the game and wants to be better and he wants to be No. 1. And, as we can see, he is.” Vasilevskiy wins Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL playoff MVP

Globe And Mail LOADED: 07.08.2021 Stephen Whyno

4-5 minutes 7/8/2021

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy hoists the Stanley Cup after the 1-0 victory against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 to win the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena on July 7, 2021 in Tampa, Fla. Vasilevskiy was named the Conn Smythe winner as the Stanley Cup playoffs MVP.

When Andrei Vasilevskiy was thrust into the 2015 Stanley Cup Final with starting goaltender Ben Bishop injured, he was a shy, unknown player at the beginning of his NHL journey.

Six years later, he’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion at the peak of his career after backstopping the Tampa Bay Lightning to a second consecutive title. Continuing to validate the organization’s faith in him, Vasilevskiy had a in all four series clinchers, never lost back-to- back games and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

So focused on raising the Cup again, Vasilevskiy didn’t even hear NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman call his name.

“It was a big surprise,” Vasilevskiy said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

His five consecutive series-clinching dating to the 2020 final are a league record. After carrying the Lightning to another championship, Vasilevskiy sipped a sports drink leaning against the bench while his teammates celebrated – a much deserved breather while fans chanted, “Va-sy! Va-sy!”

Despite teammate and Russian countryman Nikita Kucherov continually calling him the best and saying he’d be MVP, Vasilevskiy said – with the Conn Smythe Trophy next to him – “I still can be better.”

“The whole team deserves it for sure,” Vasilevskiy said. “We were able to shut down the teams four times in a row in clinching games and that’s just amazing. it’s not about me. It’s about our team.”

Weeks away from his 27th birthday, Vasilevskiy is a much different goalie and more confident person than he was during his first trip to the final, a loss to Chicago, and the result of that is another chance to hoist the Cup.

Vasilevskiy was at his best when Tampa Bay needed him to be. He stopped 135 of 141 shots in games after a loss, including Wednesday night’s season finale. He was a rock in a Game 2 win during the final, stopping 42 of 43 shots when the Montreal Canadiens tilted the ice toward him.

“Just the absolute competitive gamer that we know he is,” veteran defenceman Ryan McDonagh said. “Night in, night out (the) backbone of this team.”

That was Bishop’s role in 2015 before a torn groin derailed his Cup final. Vasilevskiy had started a total of 13 NHL games at that point and had the spotlight on him at age 20 on hockey’s biggest stage.

Coach Jon Cooper said Vasilevskiy had to learn quickly, and he has. The Russian netminder is now squarely in the debate as the best in the world, a label that had often belonged to Montreal’s Carey Price.

“Torches get passed and I think Carey is still carrying the torch but it’s getting passed to guys like Vasy,” Cooper said. “It’s the mental makeup. Carey Price has a demeanour about him that it exudes confidence. And (Vasilevskiy) has an ability to turn the page. He has an ability to play at big moments, and he’s grown into that.”

Tampa Bay wouldn’t have won a second consecutive championship without Vasilevskiy’s growth. His play this run made him playoff MVP over Kucherov, who again led the Lightning in scoring and joined Wayne Gretzky and as the only players with 30-plus points in consecutive post-seasons.

Kucherov has seen and appreciated Vasilevskiy’s value for a decade. 1190280 Montreal Canadiens Fans in the arena erupted when Colton finally broke the deadlock. As it turns out, it was the only goal Tampa Bay would score and the only one they needed.

Lightning beat Canadiens 1-0 to win Stanley Cup Montreal was in a perilous state on Tuesday when it flew to Tampa to land ahead of tropical storm Elsa, which grazed Florida’s Gulf Coast and then made landfall Wednesday further to the north.

Marty Klinkenberg Only three teams had ever rallied from 3-0 down to force a Game 6 in the Stanley Cup final and only one had ever won it all. That was the Maple 6-8 minutes 7/8/2021 Leafs in 1942.

Nobody every expected the Canadiens to get this far. They won fewer There will be no Oui The North in hockey this year. times than they lost during the regular season and fell behind Toronto 3 games to 1 in the first round before winning the next three. After a surprising six-week run through the playoffs, the Canadiens’ season came to an end with a 1-0 loss to the Lightning in Game 5 of the They swept Winnipeg and eliminated Vegas in the semi-finals in six final round of the Stanley Cup. games. The Lightning just proved to be too tough.

It is the second straight coronation for Tampa Bay, which won last year’s “Give them credit,” Shea Weber, Montreal’s captain, said. “They are a championship in six games over Dallas in a heck of a team. They were better than us.” pandemic-free bubble in Edmonton. The Lightning won Wednesday night Weber is 35 and in his 15th season in the NHL. This was the first time he before a packed crowd on home ice at Amalie Arena. It is their third ever reached the Stanley Cup finals. Stanley Cup since they joined the league in 1992. Their other title came in 2004. “A lot of us are at a loss for words right now,” Weber said. “You play for this reason, and it is hard to get this close. I am very proud. This group Steven Stamkos, the Lightning captain, was thrilled. has a lot of character. We went up against a lot of adversity this year and “It is amazing,” he told NBC minutes afterwards. “To do it in front of our proved people wrong.” fans, families and friends, that’s what means the most. We can’t wait to The Canadiens pushed hard for the tying goal but could not get a puck celebrate with them.” past Vasilevskiy. He made a spectacular save on a rush to the net by Ross Colton, a rookie centre, scored the winning goal with 6:33 Josh Anderson early in the third. remaining in the second period. It was his first of the series and fourth of Fans began to sing and chant. “We want the Cup,” they said over and the postseason and followed a brilliant pass by defenceman David over. Savard. After three tough games to begin the series, Price played well in the final Tampa Bay is the first team to win back to back since the Pittsburgh two. He ended up with 29 saves in the defeat. It was a bitter loss for him Penguins in 2016 and 2017. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who was nonetheless. The 33-year-old was drafted by the Canadiens in 2005 and spectacular throughout the playoffs, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the has spent his entire career with the organization. It was also his first time in the final round. He is the first goaltender to win to reach the final round. the award since of the Los Angeles Kings in 2012. “It is incredibly disappointing,” Price said. “It is hard to look ahead right Vasilevskiy turned away 22 shots in Game 5. He went 7-0 in games that now.” followed a loss in the 2021 playoffs and had four shutouts. He is 14-0 over the last two postseasons in games after a defeat. The crowd rose to its feet and cheered wildly for the final two minutes.

It was a disappointing finish for the Canadiens, who reached the final Eventually, Price skated to the bench so Montreal could put an extra round for the first time in 28 years. It is another year without a Stanley attacker on the ice. Cup for Canada; Montreal was the last Canadian team to win in 1993. With 1:24 remaining Montreal called a timeout. “It is hard right now,” Brendan Gallagher, Montreal’s feisty forward, said. He spoke haltingly and stumbled over his words. “We have so many The Canadiens’ Tyler Toffoli got off a hard shot that Vasilevskiy stopped players who have played so many games for so many years to get here. with 59 seconds to go. Right now it stinks.” When the clock wound down, the Lightning’s players dropped their sticks Tampa Bay left wing Patrick Maroon became the first player in NHL and hugged en masse by their net. history to win three Stanley Cups in a row with two different teams. He Montreal’s players stared glumly. They watched NHL commissioner Gary won with St. Louis in 2019 and last year with the Lightning. Bettman awarded the Conn Smythe trophy to Vasilevskiy. Then he “Guys are stars in different ways,” Jon Cooper, the Tampa Bay head presented the cup to the winning team. coach, said after Wednesday’s morning skate. “There are guys that are “There are no moral victories,” Gallagher said. “Our expectation was to stars in the room and guys that are stars on the bench. When you get to win the series. Our expectation was to be the team celebrating right now. the situation that we and Montreal are in, guys pitch in in different ways. That’s why it’s so painful.” “The guys gravitate to Patrick. He always says the right thing when it is needed and he has got swag to him. He is a star in our book.” Globe And Mail LOADED: 07.08.2021 The team that scored the first goal won each game in the series. The Canadiens ended up 12-2 in the playoffs when they scored first and 1-6 when they didn’t.

Montreal struggled to get untracked at the start on Wednesday. The Canadiens were outshot 13-4 in the first period but Carey Price was sharp for the second straight game. He had 32 saves in Monday’s triumph.

The Lightning’s best chance of the first period came when a wrist shot from Tyler Johnson clanked off the crossbar with 5:21 remaining.

The action picked up considerably over the second 20 minutes. Nikita Kucherov, who led all players during the postseason with 32 points, had a dangerous chance denied 2 minutes 44 seconds in. Vasilevskiy then stepped up and thwarted tries by Ben Chariot and Artturi Lehkonen. 1190281 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.08.2021

In the Habs' Room: 'Our expectations were to win this series,' Gallagher says

Pat Hickey • Montreal Gazette

Publishing date: Jul 08, 2021

Carey Price found his game too late to prevent the Tampa Bay Lightning from repeating as Stanley Cup champions.

Price allowed only one goal in each of Montreal’s last two games in the final series, but it wasn’t enough to overcome subpar performances in the first three games of the best-of-seven series.

“At the end of the day, I just don’t think I played well enough in the start of the series,” said Price, who gave up 13 goals in the first three games.

Canadiens captain Shea Weber, Price’s longtime friend, came to the goalie’s defence and said: “I don’t think we were good enough in front of Carey. Give them credit — they’re a good team. They’re here for a reason, and they were better than us.”

Price surrendered only one goal on 30 shots in Tampa Wednesday, but that wasn’t good enough. His Tampa Bay counterpart, Andrei Vasilevskiy, made 21 saves for a 1-0 shutout victory, which allowed Tampa Bay to wrap up the best-of-seven Stanley Cup final series in five games. Vasilevskiy, who finished each of the four rounds with a shutout, captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.

For many, the Canadiens were the surprise team in the playoffs. The last team to qualify for a playoff spot, Montreal upset Toronto, Winnipeg and Vegas en route to the final. But you couldn’t tell an emotional Brendan Gallagher this team didn’t belong in the final.

“We’re taking nothing out of moral victories,” Gallagher said as he choked back tears. “At the start of the year, we sat down as a group and our goal was to be here. We expected to be here. Regardless of what people thought of our team, our expectations were to win this series. I know we surprised a lot of people, but our expectation was to be the team that’s celebrating right now, and that’s why it hurts so much. We believe in this group.

“Every single guy gave everything they had every single night to this run,” added Gallagher. “You look at our group (and) there are a lot more talented teams, but there’s no team that’s stronger as a group, the resiliency we showed. It’s a good team to be part of.”

Gallagher said the Canadiens could learn from their experience in these playoffs.

“From every tough playoff loss, I think I’ve learned something,” he said. “We have a lot of young guys that are a key part of this team going forward. As painful as this is now, sometimes you need to feel this to call yourself a champion. I wish it wasn’t the case, but maybe this is the journey we need. You take more from a loss than a win, but right now it stinks.”

Phil Danault, who played a key shutdown role throughout the playoffs and led a penalty kill that held the hjgh-powered Lightning to two goals on 15 opportunities, said he was proud of the Canadiens’ run after a tumultuous regular season.

“We couldn’t get a rest during the year, we couldn’t get our game going, but we got to the playoffs and everything clicked for us,” said Danault. “We made it to the final and I’m very proud of this group.”

So was head coach Dominique Ducharme, who deserves to have the “interim” dropped from his title.

“I told the guys after the game, we had to go through a lot of things, and you talk about practice, you talk about injuries, scheduling, COVID, even through the playoffs, being down, being up — many things,” said Ducharme, “and we kept moving forward. We kept getting better. So we grew as a team. We’ve got to use that the right way. And we want to make it back here with a different result.” 1190282 Montreal Canadiens However, seconds after the game ended, the crowd dispersed quietly. After about 20 minutes, it seemed like there were more police officers than Canadiens fans downtown.

'We were so close to winning': Canadiens fans come together outside “We wanted fireworks; we wanted to celebrate. We got none of that,” said Bell Centre Mackenzie Seres, 17, from Kirkland, who was with her friend Olivia Padula, 18. “But we still got to the Stanley Cup finals. We’re proud. We hope to be there next year.”

Jason Magder • Montreal Gazette

Publishing date: Jul 08, 2021 Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.08.2021

They celebrated until time ran out on the clock.

Cheering, dancing, wearing jerseys and face paint, fans in Montreal seemed to squeeze out as much happiness and encouragement as they could Wednesday in the hopes of extending the Canadiens’ season with yet another improbable win.

In the end, the Canadiens couldn’t manage a goal past Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, losing 1-0, and all the cheering turned into silent pouting as fans walked away from the Bell Centre quietly and peacefully.

“That was sad. We were so close to winning,” said Sonia La Ronde, who moved from Mexico City a decade ago and immediately took up an interest in hockey. “I love the passion of Montreal when this happens. Montreal is a totally different city when hockey is on. It’s passionate, and inclusive. No matter where you are from, if you like the Canadiens, you are in.”

Wearing a Gallagher jersey, La Ronde said the passion of fans, along with the easing of pandemic restrictions, allowed for the atmosphere to be even more festive outside the Bell Centre downtown this summer.

Thousands gathered outside the arena Wednesday night to watch from screens in La Cage and Madisons restaurants, which were visible from the street.

Among those who came downtown was Toronto-area resident Nicholas Parsons. He convinced his parents and grandmother to make the trip to Montreal so he could finally feel at home watching a Habs game.

“Everywhere I go (near) Brampton, I wear my hat, and people roll down the windows in their cars and scream, ‘Habs suck!’ ” said Parsons, 18, while standing outside Madisons.

On Wednesday, Parsons bought a patch that read “” and got it sewed on his Suzuki jersey. He was hoping to experience a win that would force a Game 6. He was watching the game as his family members were walking around the city, before returning to their hotel.

“They won’t watch the game; they’re not such big fans,” Parsons said.

Parsons made friends with Montrealer Giancarlo Fracasso, 25.

It was the second time this week Fracasso took in a game in front of the Bell Centre.

“It’s once in a lifetime. The energy here with all the Habs fans is just great,” he said.

Roughly an hour before the game, several streets around the Bell Centre were closed, and groups of police officers were gathering on corners around downtown.

Fracasso said he hoped events after the game would not get out of hand. He said he enjoyed the festive atmosphere after Game 4 on Monday.

“When the riots start and people start breaking stuff, it’s not so nice, but I’ll enjoy the celebrations while they’re kosher.”

The festive atmosphere never really got out of hand.

Officers continually passed through the crowd, as a show of force in hopes of maintaining the peace. They broke into the crowd a few times and pulled out some people, apparently to give them warnings. Toward the end of the game, officers surrounded the crowd and put on protective equipment, such as helmets and shin pads, to prepare for potential violence. 1190283 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens' magical Stanley Cup run ends as they lose 1-0 in Game 5

Pat Hickey • Montreal Gazette

Publishing date: Jul 07, 2021

The Tampa Bay Lightning won their second consecutive Stanley Cup Wednesday night as Andrei Vasilevskiy made 21 saves for the shutout and the Lightning defeated the Canadiens 1-0 at Amalie Arena. The victory gave the Lightning a 4-1 win in the best-of-seven final series.

Carey Price did his best to keep the series alive as he made 29 saves, but the Canadiens’ offence couldn’t find a way to beat Vasilevskiy, who allowed only eight goals in five games.

Rookie Ross Colton scored the game’s only goal when he redirected a pass from David Savard at 13:27 of the second period. Steven Stamkos freed the puck from a six-man scrum along the boards and passed to Ryan McDonagh at the blue line. He effectively drew Corey Perry out of his defensive position when he faked a shot. McDonagh found Savard alone on the right side and he fed the pass to Colton, who got the inside position on defenceman Joel Edmundson.

After playing on their heels in the first period, the Canadiens held their own in the second period and outshot the Lightning 10-6. But they found no joy on their three power plays in the game. They failed to get a shot on goal, although they did hit a couple of posts on their third advantage.

Josh Anderson, who scored twice in Game 4, had a partial breakaway early in the third period. Defenceman Erik Cernak caught up to Anderson and spun him around as he approached the net. The Montreal forward was knocked off balance and he slammed into the left post with his back. Anderson was slow getting up and went to the dressing room to be examined, but he was back for his next shift.

As expected, the Lightning came out flying in the first period but Price and the penalty kill led the way as the Canadiens weathered the storm and went into the dressing room tied 0-0.

Tampa Bay outshot Montreal 13-4, but Price did a good job of limiting rebounds when the Lightning fired pucks at him.

Nikita Kucherov had two shots on the first Tampa Bay power play and Price handled both of them. The Lightning, which went 0-for-5 on the power play in Game 4 Monday, had two power plays in the first period and were limited to three shots on goal.

The Canadiens had one power play in the first and it never got into gear. The Canadiens spent the first 30 seconds of the advantage in their own zone. They not only failed to get a shot on goal with the extra man, but they allowed Tampa Bay three short-handed shots.

The Canadiens turned Game 4 into a bit of a street fight, but the Lightning sent a message that it wasn’t going to be pushed around as it outhit the Canadiens 25-18 in the first period.

The Lightning power play finished the night 0-for-3 and Montreal’s penalty-kill limited Tampa Bay to two goals on 15 advantages in the series.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190284 Montreal Canadiens “He’s unbelievable,” Caufield said about Perry. “He’s a guy that I really look up to. The other day Nick (Suzuki) and I were talking that he was our favourite player to watch growing up. So it’s just kind of crazy that you get to be on the same team as him, do the same things, eat together, just Stu Cowan: Canadiens' Corey Perry remains a kid at heart in Cup chase spend time with each other. He’s been great to us. He’s a good mentor and he’s been an unbelievable player for us this post-season.”

Perry’s message to his teammates heading into Game 5 Wednesday Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette was to be confident and play to win instead of trying not to lose. Publishing date: Jul 07, 2021 “It’s just hockey,” he said Tuesday. “Have fun, be prepared to work but, at the end of the day, it’s just hockey and have fun.”

It was 1993 and the Canadiens had won the Cup that year. Éric It’s nice to know there’s still some of that 8-year-old kid from the hockey Desjardins, a key member of that championship team, is from Rouyn- school in Rouyn-Noranda left in Corey Perry. Noranda and brought the Cup to the school.

Fourteen years later, Perry was having his photo taken again with the Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.08.2021 Stanley Cup, this time after he won it with the Anaheim Ducks in only his second NHL season. In hindsight, Perry has said he probably didn’t appreciate that championship as much as he should have, thinking he’d probably have a chance to win every year.

He never made it back to the Stanley Cup final again until last year with the Dallas Stars, losing in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Perry made it back this year, but once again came up short as the Canadiens lost 1-0 to the Lightning in Game 5 Wednesday night.

Perry spent the first 10 years of his life in the Northern Ontario town of New Liskeard, near the Quebec border, with his father, Geoff, who was working for the Ontario Provincial Police. It was there that he became a big Canadiens fan and he remained one even after his family relocated to Peterborough, Ont.

So when Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin called three weeks before the start of this season and offered Perry — an unrestricted free agent — a one-year deal worth US$750,000, he jumped at the opportunity even though he would be starting the season on the taxi squad.

“Losing Game 6 of a Stanley Cup final … I mean, it just rips you apart and you’re hungrier for more,” Perry said after signing the contract. “That’s what this team is looking like and giving me. That’s what I see in this team. I’m excited to be here, I’m excited to be a Canadien and away we go. It’s going to be fun.

“I’ve always wanted to play in a Canadian city and growing up Montreal was my favourite team, being so close to the border in Northern Ontario,” he added. “This is exciting for me. It’s a new chapter and I’m looking forward to it.”

Perry wasn’t playing for the money this season. He has already earned more than US$88 million during his NHL career, according to CapFriendly.com. He signed with the Canadiens because he thought they had a legitimate chance to win the Stanley Cup after Bergevin’s off- season moves. Winning another Cup is what drives the 36-year-old and the chance to do it with the team he grew up cheering for was extra special.

“You got to come in and you got to prove yourself each and every day and that’s why I’m here,” Perry said after joining the Canadiens. “I want to prove myself again. And then the next day, you come into the rink you got to prove it again. So there’s nothing given to anybody and we’re all here for one reason and that’s to win the Stanley Cup.”

The Canadiens came close, but ran into a powerhouse team in the final with the Lightning becoming the first back-to-back Stanley Cup champions since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

Perry spent the first five games this season on the taxi squad before getting in the lineup. It didn’t take long to prove himself again and he quickly became a very valuable player on and off the ice.

“He’s a leader,” Ben Chiarot said about Perry after Wednesday’s morning skate. “One of the best players in the NHL for the last 15 years. Premiere goal-scorer in the league for a long time. Team Canada player. So any time you’re around someone like that you try and soak in as much as you can of what they do and how they go about their business. … He just loves the game. That’s the biggest thing I’ve taken from him is how much he enjoys being at the rink, how much he enjoys being on the ice. He loves hockey and I think that’s why he’s had so much success in his career.”

Cole Caufield was only 6 when Perry won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks. Now they’re teammates. 1190285 Montreal Canadiens When asked what he would say to his teammates, Gallagher responded: “Just thank you. Every single guy gave everything they had every single night through this run. You look at our group, obviously there’s a lot more talented teams. There’s a lot of teams that do a lot of things, but there’s Canadiens Game Day: Habs simply weren't good enough to beat no team that is stronger as a group and the resiliency that we showed … Lightning just a good team to be a part of.”

They just weren’t good enough to beat the Lightning.

Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette The Canadiens — especially their young players — will learn a lot from this long and unexpected playoff run. Publishing date: Jul 08, 2021 “From every tough playoff loss I’ve had I’ve felt like I’ve learned

something,” Gallagher said. “We have a lot of young guys that are going Brendan Gallagher was doing everything he could to fight back the tears. to be a key part of this team going forward and as painful as this is right now sometimes you need to feel this to be able to call yourself a Carey Price put the blame on himself. champion. I wish it wasn’t the case, but maybe this is the journey we needed. It stings, for sure, but you take more from a loss than you do Head coach Dominique Ducharme revealed some of the injuries key from a win. If we’re able to learn from this experience, maybe the positive members of the Canadiens were playing with in the Stanley Cup final. side, maybe we can be better off. But right now I don’t know what to tell But in the end it was pretty simple — the best team won. you … it just stinks.

The Canadiens put up an impressive fight, but still lost 1-0 in Game 5 “I take nothing out of moral victories,” Gallagher added. “At the start of Monday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa and the Lightning won the the year we sat down as a group, our goal was to be here, we expected Stanley Cup for the second straight season, taking the best-of-seven to be here. Regardless of what people thought of our team, the series 4-1. expectations were to win this series. I know we probably surprised a lot of people, but our expectations were to be the team celebrating right now The Lightning were simply too good for the Canadiens, who had the and that’s why it hurts so much. We tell you guys all the time how much worst regular-season record of the 16 teams that made the playoffs and we believed. I wasn’t lying. We believed in this group. Like I said, it’s just then upset the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden a tough pill to swallow.” Knights to get to the Stanley Cup final for the first time since winning the championship in 1993. Price called the Cup final loss “incredibly disappointing.”

After Monday night’s game, Ducharme confirmed that captain Shea “But I’m only disappointed in the result,” he added. “Our young guys did Weber had been playing with a thumb injury, Jeff Petry had a finger injury get a lot of experience, but it’s hard to look ahead right now. So we’ll just and the coach added that Tyler Toffoli had a groin injury, while Brendan take some time off and lick our wounds and get back at it eventually. Gallagher had a groin injury “and more.” “I’m just proud of them,” Price added about his teammates. “It’s an “I don’t know if I forget other things, but a lot of guys banged up,” incredible run that we had. That’s all there is to say.” Ducharme said. “But they fought. They bled, they fought, they never This was Price’s 14th NHL season and it was the 16th for Weber. It was quit.” the first trip to the Stanley Cup final for both of them. No, they didn’t. Weber said he was “very proud” of his teammates. When Price was asked what the difference in the series was, he said: “At “This group has a lot of character and went up against a lot of adversity the end of the day, I just don’t think I played well enough at the start of this year and we proved a lot of people wrong in a tough year to boot, the series.” where things weren’t normal,” he said. “Guys stuck together and battled Weber, who was in the same Zoom session with Price, quickly hard and I wouldn’t change it for anything and I’m super proud of these responded: “I don’t think that’s the case at all. To be honest, I think that guys. we weren’t good enough in front of Carey. Give them credit, they’re a “I think a lot of us are lost for words right now, to be honest,” he added. heck of a team. They’re here for a reason and they were better than us in “It’s tough … I think everybody knows that. You play for this reason, you the end.” get so close, just can’t get it done. We’re proud of everyone but, at the Price didn’t play well in the first three games, posting an .835 save same time, I think we learn from this and the young guys and everybody percentage as the Canadiens lost 5-1, 3-1 and 6-3. He was outstanding takes experience from it and come back from it. the last two games — allowing only three goals and posting a .953 save “Great group of guys. One of the tightest groups that I’ve had in 16 years. percentage — but the Canadiens still needed overtime to beat the A lot of that weird season, you could say, it brought us close together and Lighting 3-2 in Game 4 before getting shut out in Game 5. The the difficulties brought us closer and we had a lot of fun with what we Canadiens never would have gone this far without Price, who was could do.” outstanding through the first three rounds of the playoffs. After missing the entire regular season because of hip surgery, the Lightning rookie Ross Colton scored the only goal of Game 5 at 13:27 of Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov led the NHL in playoff scoring with 8-24-32 the second period on a beautiful setup in front of the net from David totals in 23 games. Savard. Price had no chance of stopping it. After winning the Cup, Kucherov decided to take a cheap shot at Price finished the playoffs with a 13-9 record, a 2.28 goals-against Montreal fans. average and a .924 save percentage. Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy was better, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy with a 16-7 record, a 1.90 “I didn’t want to go back to Montreal,” he said. “The fans in Montreal, GAA and a .937 save percentage. come on, they acted like they won the Stanley Cup last game. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Their final was the last series, OK.” Gallagher scored only two goals in 22 playoff games and none in the last 14. Toffoli finished the playoffs with five goals and none in the last nine Lightning captain Steven Stamkos took the high road when asked about games. But even if they were healthy and scoring, it probably wouldn’t beating the Canadiens. have been enough to beat the Lightning. “That was the toughest game, me personally, I’ve ever had to play,” When asked what this group of players means to him, Gallagher Stamkos said. “We knew their backs were against the wall, it was 3-0, struggled to hold back tears. they get a win on home ice, then we’re coming back here and then it’s just … you want to win so bad and you’re so pissed off about last game “I’ve played on a lot of really good teams with a lot of really good guys,” and you come in this game and we just reset and we just used everything he said. “It’s hard right now … sorry … Sorry, I’ll try and answer. We got as motivation this year. Kuch wasn’t here in the regular season, we did so many players that worked their entire career to get to this point and it’s our job, we made the playoffs. He comes back, we know we got a a tough pill to swallow.” chance. “We know going forward with the salary-cap world that this might be the last game that this particular group plays together,” Stamkos added. “I can’t say how much that motivated us. We talked about it midway through the playoffs, we talked about it going into Game 5 of the Islanders series. Let’s take advantage of this opportunity. It’s not very often you get this chance to play with a talented team like we did and we just believed. It’s so hard to win the Stanley Cup and then you do it two years in a row, I mean, you deserve to go down in history. This group, no matter what happens from here on out, this group is going to be etched in history forever and that’s pretty f-ing special. I’m so proud of the guys.”

Lightning coach Jon Cooper also took the high road when asked about the goaltending matchup between Price and Valisevskiy.

“Let’s be honest, the best goalie in my era, we just played against,” Cooper said. “And the best goalie now in this next era is the goalie that just won a Stanley Cup. So I think hockey fans were privileged to watch two generational goalies play tonight. A torch has been passed.”

The Lightning outshot the Canadiens 30-22, outhit them 56-48 and won 52 per cent of the faceoffs.

Both teams went 0-for-3 on the power play.

Weber led the Canadiens with 24:23 of ice time, followed by Ben Chiarot with 23:39, Petry with 23:23 and Joel Edmundson with 22:02. Phillip Danault led the forwards with 21:37, followed by Nick Suzuki with 21:32 and Toffoli with 17:01.

Josh Anderson, Cole Caufield and Chiarot tied for the team lead with three shots each. Chiarot had a team-leading nine hits, followed by Josh Anderson with six, and Weber and Petry with five each.

Danault went 13-13 on faceoffs (50 per cent), Jake Evans went 6-6 (50 per cent), Eric Staal went 4-3 (57 per cent) and Suzuki went 3-6 (33 per cent).

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190286 Montreal Canadiens

Most of Canada supports Habs' quest for the Stanley Cup, survey suggests

Nationally, 57 per cent of Canadians support Montreal vs. 14 per cent for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Staff Report

Montreal Gazette

Publishing date: Jul 07, 2021

Most of Canada and Canadians are supporting the Montreal Canadiens’ quest for victory in the Stanley Cup final, a new survey suggests.

However the level of support found in the Prairies — Saskatchewan and Manitoba — was the lowest recorded across the country, and more than 40 per cent of poll respondents ages 18-42 said they wouldn’t even be watching the games.

Nationally, the Habs received the support of 57 per cent of Canadians compared with 14 per cent for the Tampa Bay Lightning, their adversaries and defending Stanley Cup champions.

Not surprisingly, support for the Canadiens was highest in Quebec (71 per cent), followed by the Atlantic provinces (58 per cent), Alberta (54 per cent) and Ontario and British Columbia (53 per cent).

The only region where the majority of respondents did not support the Habs was in Manitoba-Saskatchewan (46 per cent).

Majority support for the Canadiens was recorded in every respondent age group except for 18-24, where it was 44 per cent. Support was highest among those ages 55-64 (68 per cent).

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190287 Montreal Canadiens Then there’s Weber. He played his greatest game as a Hab Monday and it was moving to hear his teammates say after the game that there was no way they were going to let their captain down by allowing the Lightning to score during that late-game double-minor to the Man What the Puck: Wisdom of vets, jump of kids are key to Habs comeback Mountain. They weren’t going to hang Dad out to dry.

But maybe more than anyone, it’s on the shoulders of Perry to keep these guys focused. He had yet another great sound bite Tuesday. Brendan Kelly • Montreal Gazette “You have to play to win, not to lose,” said Perry. “That would kind of be Publishing date: Jul 07, 2021 my message to the guys (Wednesday). … It’s just hockey, have fun.”

Those are the kind of words that are just the thing for the young stars-to- Does it feel more like ’93 or ’42 or ’10? How about all of the above? As be Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield and I’m thinking they’ll have an epic in: improbable playoff success is always possible. Game 5, just like they did in that Toronto series, when they combined to create the overtime heroics. In 1993, Montreal won a Stanley Cup no one thought they’d win. Same with Toronto in 1942. In 2010, the Habs beat two of the best teams in So, yeah, Habs in seven. hockey — the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals — when everyone figured they’d be toast. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.08.2021 Here’s my feeling this morning: It can be done. Since Montreal went down 0-3 in this series versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, everyone has been talking about the fact that only one other team in the history of the National Hockey League has been able to surmount such a deficit in the Stanley Cup final. That was the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, who did just that against the Detroit Red Wings in an era when the Leafs still won playoff series.

Okay, it has happened just once. But I prefer to look at the fact that in the history of the league, four teams have come back from 0-3 in playoff series, including the ’42 Leafs. The other examples are the New York Islanders versus the Penguins in 1975, the Philadelphia Flyers against the Boston Bruins in 2010 and the Los Angeles Kings versus the San Jose Sharks in 2014.

Montreal doesn’t have to come back from a 0-3 deficit because the score in the series is 3-1 for the Bolts. And being down 1-3 is old hat for these Montreal Canadiens. That’s where they were at all those years ago — or so it feels — in the first round this spring versus the Leafs.

How’d that desperate situation work out? The Good Guys won in seven. Who predicted that? No one. Of course it’s easier to come back against Toronto for the very good reason that Auston Matthews’s team is the ultimate NHL playoff choker. It underlines that when everything is on the line, this Montreal squad is at their best.

But it won’t be easy. This Tampa Bay team is by far the best Montreal has faced in these playoffs. They appear nearly perfect, with more than a few older Habs fans noting that the team constructed by Steve Yzerman and his successor Julien Brisebois is reminiscent of those great Habs teams from the ’70s.

There are no chinks in the armour. They have no shortage of talented guys who can score. Their power play is awesome (though somehow Montreal survived five penalties on Monday). The defense has unreal depth. And that goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is as good as anyone in hockey.

But the Canadiens have shown they can play with these champs. If there were any justice in the world, and there ain’t, Montreal would have won Game 2. They were the better team, but they made a couple of mental errors that cost them the game. Then the Habs won Game 4 with that never-to-be-forgotten OT goal by Josh Anderson. This series is anything but a blowout.

Maybe the most encouraging thing for Habs fans is that Vasilevskiy is starting to look human. He’s let in three goals in each of his last two games. This is something to build on.

The Lightning have not lost two games in a row in either of their last two playoff runs. But Wednesday night seems as good a time as any for the Habs to toss that statistic on the trash heap of history.

Like this entire playoff run, tonight will be all about the wisdom of the old dudes and the adolescent jump of the kids. The three seasoned leaders of this team are Carey Price, Shea Weber and Corey Perry. They’ll set the tone, in The Room and on the ice. Did you see Saint Carey after that OT win Monday? He didn’t celebrate with his team-mates. He just calmly turned around, picked up his water bottle from the net and headed off. He knows nothing is won yet. He’ll be showing uncharacteristic emotion only when they really do make it to the promised land. 1190288 Montreal Canadiens that Bergevin won the deal hands down — but Canadiens’ supporters are not always (ahem!) entirely rational.

That leaves the one significant trade Bergevin has lost, the deal that sent Todd: The Canadiens team you see now is Marc Bergevin's baby young defenceman Mikhail Sergachev to Tampa for Jonathan Drouin. Sergachev is now a tower of strength on the Lightning blue line, while Drouin has left the team for personal reasons.

Jack Todd • Special to Montreal Gazette That one was a clear loss — but it hasn’t prevented Montreal from ascending the heights through this dazzling spring and summer, in large Publishing date: Jul 07, 2021 part through Bergevin’s work during the last off-season, when he acquired Anderson, Tyler Toffoli, Jake Allen and Joel Edmundson.

Marc Bergevin wore a quiet blue jacket during Monday night’s Game 4 of Yet there was a point, when the team was down 3-1 to Toronto and this Stanley Cup final. apparently destined for a meek first-round exit, when Bergevin’s job (and Ducharme’s, by extension) were likely hanging by a thread. The flaming red suit that had become both symbol and lucky charm (once the fashion shock wore off with Montreal fans) was presumably in If the fans have been tugged hither and yon during this roller-coaster mothballs. It had served its purpose — the image of the red-suited, long- season, imagine how it has been for the guys on the two hottest seats in haired general manager dancing like a dervish after a series win will town. Bergevin made another gutsy call when he fired Claude Julien and remain an enduring meme of this unique playoff run. If the red suit handed the job to Ducharme in the midst of a pandemic season — yet eventually ran out of juju, well, that’s true of the finest talismans, isn’t it? that too has paid off.

As he watched, the drama on the ice was propelled by the Bergevin Win or lose or postpone Wednesday night, with Tropical Storm Elsa deals, which turned Alex Galchenyuk into Josh Anderson. Anderson bearing down on Tampa, Bergevin will be back next season and beyond. scored twice against Tampa Monday night, including the game-winner in Red suit optional. overtime to keep the Canadiens alive.

Galchenyuk was Bergevin’s first draft choice after he was hired in 2012. The third overall pick, Galchenyuk was not a clean miss — he did, after Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.08.2021 all, once score 30 goals in the National Hockey League. But Galchenyuk never seemed to figure out what to do in his own end and he always seemed more under the influence of his father than anyone on the coaching staff.

In June 2018, Bergevin traded Galchenyuk to Arizona for Max Domi and was rewarded with a solid season. But when Domi became sulky and unpredictable during his second season with the Habs, Bergevin dealt him to Columbus for Anderson.

It’s impossible to imagine this run to the final without Anderson. He is big, physical and fast. He hits and he skates miles. If his scoring touch deserted him at times, it returned Monday when some line juggling left him with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield and the goals he scored were the biggest of his career.

During his nine years on the job, Bergevin has often reached the point where maligning him became a cottage industry. As much as anything, he has been ripped for the sheer length of his tenure — the fact that he has gone nine years without winning a Stanley Cup.

That, I have always believed, is irrelevant in a 31- or 32-team league. It’s not how long you have been on the job that matters but the direction in which your team is headed. Nothing else matters. And the arrow for the Canadiens points straight up, meaning Bergevin will be back, most likely with an extension on his current contract (which has one more year to run) and so will his interim head coach, Dominique Ducharme. It’s not only fair, it’s in the team’s best interest.

This team, after all, is Bergevin’s baby, put together a piece at a time, often with some deft maneuvering that has gone mostly unnoticed by the fans, some of whom still want to see him shown the door.

Only two players on this team are not Bergevin’s guys — Brendan Gallagher (drafted by Pierre Gauthier in 2010) and Carey Price (chosen by in 2005). Even Gallagher and Price have become part of the Bergy Club by dint of long association.

Many of the key components of this club are in Montreal entirely because of Bergevin’s managerial dexterity. Like Joel Armia, acquired by offering some cap relief to Winnipeg. Or Jeff Petry, brought in through a trade with Edmonton for second- and fifth-round picks in the 2015 draft. Or Paul Byron, claimed off the waiver wire from Calgary in 2015. Or Phillip Danault, obtained in a trade with Chicago for Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann.

So why did Bergevin become such a target?

One deal: The charismatic P.K. Subban for Shea Weber. Subban was as loved in Montreal as any player since . Whether or not it was justified, hearts were broken when he was traded.

Today, any rational person taking into account the decline in Subban’s career and Weber’s pivotal role in this long playoff run would conclude 1190289 Montreal Canadiens That sentiment might have been best encapsulated by this one play early in the third period Wednesday, just after Josh Anderson had a partial breakaway but was stopped by a combination of Andrei Vasilevskiy and Erik Cernak. Nick Suzuki got the puck near the Canadiens’ blue line, Canadiens have straddled the line between present and future for years, looked up and saw Corey Perry behind the Lightning defence at the and it’s never been more difficult opposing blue line. Suzuki needed to elevate his pass to get it past a defender and through the neutral zone, but he elevated it too high and it

sailed past Perry and all the way down the ice. By Arpon Basu Suzuki raised his hands and put them behind his head in frustration. He Jul 8, 2021 knew what that opportunity meant and couldn’t hide his disappointment at failing to capitalize on it. Suzuki is 21, Perry is 36 and is one of the Cup winners brought in this season to help deliver a 25th Stanley Cup for the Canadiens. Perry last won the Cup in 2006-07. TAMPA — Brendan Gallagher had to fight back tears. It was difficult for him to speak. He apologized for it, but no apologies were necessary. He was 21 at the time, the same age as Suzuki today.

Those tears were the perfect reflection of where the Canadiens were, “Our young guys did get a lot of experience,” Price said, “but it’s hard to and are, because none of them can know at this moment if they will ever look ahead right now.” have an opportunity like this again. It is, because looking ahead is about the future, and Price is about the Gallagher has been in the NHL for nine seasons. He had played in one present. conference final before this year. He had never been this close to the trophy he wants to win so badly, to have his name engraved on it. For Price typically doesn’t say a lot, but so many of his teammates in the past Carey Price, it’s been 14 seasons. For Shea Weber, 16 seasons. Hockey and present have said that when he does speak in the dressing room, it lifetimes. carries more weight because he doesn’t talk for the sake of talking.

Gallagher’s tears, his inability to speak, spoke volumes. Which is what made these words so compelling. They were only 10 words, but they said everything. “I played on a lot of really good teams with a lot of really good guys,” Gallagher finally said. “It’s hard right now. Sorry. Sorry, I’ll try and “It’s incredibly disappointing,” Price said. “But I’m only disappointed in the answer. result.”

“We’ve got so many players that worked their entire career to get to this The first part is obvious. Price was so close, and in his mind he feels he point, and it’s a tough pill to swallow.” didn’t play well enough at the start of the series to make the difference in this series, something he has always prided himself on doing. Being a The Canadiens lost a 1-0 game Wednesday to the Tampa Bay Lightning difference-maker. and then watched as the Lightning celebrated a second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. A 1-0 game. Think of all the moments those “At the end of the day, I just don’t think I played well enough at the start players will think about in that game, the moments that could have made of the series,” Price said. a difference. Though Weber immediately refuted Price’s analysis of the series, what On the winning goal, Eric Staal was slow to react to a puck that was matters here is that this is what Price thinks. He has wanted this for so dumped in the Canadiens zone, a board battle ensued, the Lightning won long, and to feel that he is the reason why he didn’t get what he wanted it, and a net-front battle was won by Ross Colton against one of the when he has never been this close will likely be excruciating for him. better net-front defenders the Canadiens have in Joel Edmundson to tip Price is being unfair in evaluating his own performance because he is home the Cup-winning goal. Two of the six Stanley Cup winners that taking this one series out of context. If there was one player most general manager Marc Bergevin brought in to perform in this exact responsible for the Canadiens being in a position to play for a Stanley situation conspired on that winning goal. Cup, it was Price.

That is not meant to place blame at the feet of anyone. Plays like that But the second part of that 10-word quote reflects the real conflict happen multiple times a game, and in this one highly consequential because Price is proud of what this team accomplished, of the growth it instance, it just so happened to be those two guys. And the irony is that it showed to reach this point, coming together after a hellish regular season was Colton who scored, one of the only Lightning players without a and being down 3-1 in the first round to the Toronto Maple Leafs to reach Stanley Cup ring. this stage, only to fall short.

But the arrival of all those Cup winners to the Canadiens is also a Price saying he is only disappointed in the result was his way of reflecting reflection of where this team finally found itself this season. Bergevin that pride. knows the window for guys like Price and Weber might be closing, that But it is difficult to feel pride when you are standing on your own bench they are running out of time to accomplish this goal that means so much watching the Lightning celebrate at the other end of the rink, wondering to them. There are young players on this team that represent the future, what that would be like because 14 seasons into your NHL career you but it is the present that is top of mind for the organization. Which has have never had that feeling, waiting to shake hands with your opponent been the inherent conflict of this team the last three years as Bergevin but having to watch this unfold before doing so. attempted to infuse the team with youth while also keeping them competitive to give Price and Weber and Gallagher and Phillip Danault “Just disappointment,” Price said when asked what he was thinking as and others this opportunity that seemed so far away, so far off the map at the Lightning celebrated. “It’s not fun to watch somebody else do what the time. you want to be doing. Whether you’re watching it on TV or standing there on the bench, it’s still the same feeling.” So talking about how that youth will benefit from this experience is hard to talk about for some of these guys, because that benefit might only That’s where it hits home. For Price, and likely for all his teammates, show up when some of them are gone because these opportunities don’t what happened Wednesday night was no different than all the other come around every year. And no one knows that better than the guys playoff appearances that ended in disappointment. Whether you lose in who have waited their entire careers to be here. the first round or lose in the final, the feeling is the same. Which is why it is difficult to look forward because the present is so disappointing. “We have a lot of young guys who are going to be a key part of this team going forward. As painful as this is right now, sometimes you need to feel After watching the celebration for a bit and likely wallowing in the this to be able to call yourself a champion,” Gallagher said. “I wish it experience, Ben Chiarot turned to Price and put his arm around him. It wasn’t the case. Maybe this is the journey we needed. It stings for sure, looked as though he said a few words, though what can you really say in but you take more from a loss than you do from a win. If we’re able to that moment that will make it better for Price? Teammates congregated learn from this experience, maybe the positive side is we can be better around Weber on the ice, consoling him at a time when he was off. inconsolable. “But right now, I don’t know what to tell you. It stinks.” Getting Price and Weber to this stage and allowing them to win is what has driven so much of what Bergevin has done the last three years. To come this close and fall short has to be killing them.

But if that was the primary motivation behind this unexpected and magical playoff run, it will only be intensified by how close it came to being realized.

“That’s the reason why we won’t stop,” coach Dominique Ducharme said. “For us, for me, and for the group, there’s no way those guys are leaving without that trophy one day. But it’s a long road. I think all the players on our team deserve another chance. So it’s up to us to give them that chance. Nothing’s guaranteed, nothing’s easy, but we’re going to work. We showed that we had a lot of resiliency, we grew a lot as a group, and now we’re going to use it the right way. We don’t want to finish with this feeling.”

It was a feeling that had Gallagher in tears with the world watching, unable to speak, apologizing. The uncertainty of whether this opportunity will ever come again was the likely source of those tears. No one knows more than Price and Weber how rare these opportunities are, but as difficult as it is for Price or anyone on the Canadiens to look ahead right now, that is what they are forced to do.

Looking at the present is too painful, but it does provide hope for the future, once they are ready to look ahead.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190290 Montreal Canadiens a 29-save performance in Game 5. His finest save came in the third as his team fought to battle back down one goal. The team in front of him, however, didn’t play well enough to get a win when it really mattered.

Canadiens offence fires blanks as remarkable run ends, Lightning While his postseason ends in a loss, Price can say he did everything he emerge with Stanley Cup: Playoff plus/minus could to bring the Canadiens to the Final just as many fans and pundits were ready to write him off. Vasilevskiy is the undisputed No. 1 goaltender in the league, but Price has proved he’s still an elite goalie when needed. A Stanley Cup Final appearance might have also helped By Julian McKenzie his case for Hall of Fame candidacy, but that’s another story for another Jul 8, 2021 time.

Shea Weber: Just like Price, Weber can say he was a key component to the Canadiens’ success. He was aggressive in Game 5, but he let his Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin might have felt as emotions show while on the bench in the latter stages of the game. And exasperated, and perhaps helpless, as a Canadiens fan watching Game his best deflection came in the postgame media availability, just as Price 5. was about to take the blame for the series loss.

The Canadiens had to fend off an early barrage of Lightning chances yet Nick Suzuki: What a postseason for the 21-year-old. He’s had many emerged unscathed after 20 minutes. The Canadiens outshot the games where he stood out as the best forward for his team. While he had Lightning in the second period, but Ross Colton’s first goal of the nothing to show offensively, he was among the team’s leaders in scoring postseason put Montreal behind. All the while, the Canadiens’ ability to chances. He was also good in his own end, despite taking some brutal score seemingly dried up. It ultimately led to their downfall and a Stanley hits from the Lightning. We’ll look past his faceoff percentage for tonight. Cup Final loss against a stacked Lightning team that had no time for pleasantries with everything on the line. Josh Anderson: Just as he did throughout most of the playoffs, Anderson wasn’t afraid to get his nose dirty. If you’re the Canadiens, you’re just Tyler Toffoli, who was leaned upon for goals through most of the season, hoping he didn’t damage his shoulder on that drive to the net. was held pointless in his last six games of the playoffs. He had two shots in Game 5, one more than linemate Brendan Gallagher and two more The minuses than Phillip Danault. Through 40 minutes of play, Artturi Lehkonen was The Pressure Line, Ben Chiarot and Joel Edmundson: The Lightning took the only forward with more than one shot on goal (2). After two periods, advantage of the space allotted to them in the offensive zone on their first Ben Chiarot(!) led the Canadiens in shots (3). goal. Ryan McDonagh got Perry to go down for a shot block when he When the Canadiens were given chances on the power play, they could was actually thinking pass. The puck eventually went to David Savard, barely get time in the offensive zone, let alone shots. In the third period, who took his time searching for a stick in front of the net. All the while, with their Cup hopes on the line, the Canadiens had one shot on goal in Chiarot failed to take away his shooting or passing lane. Finally, Savard’s an 11-minute span. The Lightning were intent on shutting down the seeing-eye pass made it through Chiarot and Edmundson, who allowed Canadiens’ offence, even if it meant clinging to a one-goal lead (it worked Colton to power to the net. If you really want to go further, both Eric Staal for them in Game 7 against the Islanders, too). and Joel Armia lost a puck battle along the wall leading to the goal.

On paper, the Canadiens weren’t good enough to hang with the Lightning Canadiens power play: Montreal struggled to make clean zone entries to ahead of the Final. The Canadiens weren’t supposed to hang with them settle its power play. It took until the third opportunity to record a shot offensively and they were supposed to have the inferior goaltender. In with the man advantage. It was a bad time for the Canadiens to have Game 5, the Canadiens, who were going to have to be a chippy, strong- their worst power-play effort of the series. minded defensive squad and close to perfect against a loaded Lightning Tyler Toffoli: His postseason ends with a thud. Specifically, a six-game team, lost because of those very attributes. Montreal didn’t test Andrei pointless streak dating to the third round against the Golden Knights. An Vasilevskiy often enough until the very end, largely thanks to Tampa’s eight-game goalless streak, as well. He battled injury and you could tell defensive efforts. he was labouring. Admittedly, it’s a glass-half-empty way of looking at it. So, for those who Brendan Gallagher: The Canadiens needed him to be the heart and soul need it, here’s a glass-half-full view: The Canadiens made it to the Final throughout the Final. Despite showing grit and tenacity in certain when not many thought they would. It was a remarkable run. The moments, he had one assist in the series and one shot on goal in the Canadiens had a great start to the season before they fell into mediocrity. final game. Gallagher, like Toffoli and others, was battling injury, but They woke up and played their best hockey at the best possible time, more was needed from him. giving fans — in particular those who weren’t around 28 years ago — memories that will stay with them forever.

A moral victory, but some might not be in the mood for that yet. You only The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 get so many cracks at winning the Stanley Cup.

The Canadiens will enter the offseason with pressure to improve their roster with the hopes of embarking on another Stanley Cup playoff run. It won’t be easy as the North Division is no more and they’ll return to the not-so-friendly confines of the Atlantic Division and all of its playoff- aspiring teams, including the Lightning.

But at least the Canadiens can say they proved many a pundit wrong through this run. The postseason experience gained by players such as Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Alexander Romanov, Jake Evans, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and others will be beneficial as they hope to create more playoff memories.

And with that — for the last time this postseason — here’s the good and the bad.

Thank you to everyone who read this column. If we’re being honest, this probably wasn’t likely to last longer than the first round because, well, the Canadiens weren’t supposed to last this long either. Funny how things work out!

The pluses

Carey Price: The goaltender made it clear after Game 3 that he needed to be better. He followed it up with a 32-save performance in Game 4 and 1190291 Montreal Canadiens And that was all the bulletin board material Ducharme and the Mooseheads needed.

“We spoke about it,” Ciampini said. “These guys are laughing at us. We ‘He never stopped believing in us’: When Dominique Ducharme led a can’t go down without a fight. We chip away one period at a time, a game QMJHL team back from a 3-0 series deficit at a time.”

Amid the storm brewing around the Mooseheads and their playoff lives, then-Mooseheads captain Cameron Critchlow — currently playing for the By Julian McKenzie ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen — remembers Ducharme as “calming,” “composed” and “stoic.” He credits him as a huge reason the Jul 7, 2021 Mooseheads were eable to claw back into the series.

“Despite the scenario, he said to us that we put ourselves in the Prior to Game 4 at the Bell Centre, the Canadiens acknowledged three situation,” Critchlow said. “We have a really good opportunity moving legends — , Guy Lafleur and — sitting in a forward. And we just had to cowboy up and away we went. I just suite at the top of the arena. remember him being very calming, very good demeanour, very stoic. He was a big impact on allowing us, at the time teenagers and kids, to reach Roy’s presence seemed particularly fitting. The Hall of Fame goaltender their full potential. We never stopped believing and he never stopped was, of course, a huge part of the last Canadiens team to win the Stanley believing in us.” Cup. But he was also present for a lesser-known feat with some direct ties to what the Canadiens are trying to do and the predicament they The Mooseheads won their next three games, including two one-goal face. contests at home, to force a Game 7 at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City. The Remparts raced to a 3-1 lead partway through the second period. The Canadiens hope to come back from a 3-0 series deficit (now 3-1 Critchlow, who had already scored once, then ended the period with two after a Game 4 overtime victory) against the reigning Stanley Cup more goals of his own. After a goal from Adam Erne gave Quebec the champion Tampa Bay Lightning. lead, Critchlow once again tied the game six minutes later. Four goals in a series-deciding game despite being flipped around on different lines “This is something we’ve been through before,” Canadiens coach and even positions by Ducharme. Dominique Ducharme told the media a day before Game 4. “ You look at the series against Toronto, it’s a bit similar to how we found ourselves in “It kind of just felt that, at that point, there was no way that it was going to trouble, so to speak. But it’s also where we found success.” be taken away from us,” Critchlow said. “We’re going to get this job done. It was a good time for me to have the best game of my career.” The comeback against Toronto wasn’t the first time Ducharme led a team out of a deep playoff hole. “Captain Critchlow. He was clutch, man,” Ciampini said.

In 2012, in his first year as coach of the Halifax Mooseheads of the In the intermission before overtime, Critchlow remembers the locker Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Ducharme’s team faced a 3-0 room being loose. deficit in a second-round series against the Quebec Remparts. The man behind the Remparts bench? Patrick Roy. “We just kind of looked around and said ‘alright boys, we’ve come this far, who’s it going to be? Let’s go out, get this done, and get the f**k Nine years later, the characters, settings — and the stakes — are home.” different. Still, there may be more to draw on than familiar faces as the rookie coach attempts to once again walk a most improbable path. The Mooseheads eventually got their game-winning goalscorer in Jonathan Drouin. The future Canadien also scored in Game 4, Game 6 At Ducharme’s introductory press conference as head coach of the and set himself up for a series-ending goal in Game 7. Mooseheads in 2011, team owner — once a Stanley Cup- winning member of the Canadiens — revealed a key moment from his “I remember Nathan MacKinnon was coming down the left side,” job interview. Critchlow said. “He was down below the goal line. He did one of his patented turns with the puck back up ice. Made a quick turn. I was going Smith wanted to give Ducharme the chance to add anything he didn’t get towards the back door. I thought he was going to hit me, kind of looked to say during his interview, and Ducharme took advantage. me off. He gave a pass to Jonathan. Probably to the far hash marks, he was coming down on the right side. He handled it on his backhand. And “He said ‘I want my teams to be aggressive. And I’m going to be then just let a backhander go and it went top shelf. aggressive right now,” recalled Dan Robertson, then a Mooseheads play- by-play announcer for Eastlink, a communications company that offers “I remember him trying to get away from the celebration and I cable to various parts of Canada, including the Maritimes. “He said ‘I clotheslined him behind the net. We just all dogpiled on top of each other. really want this job and I think I’m the man for the job.’ ” It was pretty cool.”

His confidence played a part in winning over Smith who eventually “You could hear a pin drop at the Colisee at that point,” Ciampini said. handed the keys to the Mooseheads to Ducharme. The team boasted some talent, including two future top-three NHL Draft picks in Nathan Halifax would eventually lose in the semi-finals against the Rimouski MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin as 16-year-olds. Ducharme guided Oceanic, but Ducharme and the Mooseheads rebounded to win the Halifax to a second-place finish in the Maritimes Division and an opening- Presidents Cup and the Memorial Cup the following year. All that in round 4-0 sweep over the Moncton Wildcats. Ducharme and his team Ducharme’s second season as head coach. Not only did Ducharme earned themselves a showdown against the Quebec Remparts, led by come back from a 3-0 series deficit, but his first-year success also set the coach, general manager and owner Patrick Roy. The Remparts also table for a better sophomore campaign. boasted future NHLers in Anthony Duclair, Mikhail Grigorenko and Louis So, there is a blueprint for Ducharme to look back on if he needs it. This Domingue. time, of course, is a much different circumstance. “It was really highly billed and highly anticipated,” Robertson said. “I think it’s such a long time ago,” said Robertson, who now calls The Mooseheads dropped the first three games of the series, including a Canadiens games for TSN 690 AM in Montreal. “It’s nothing that he’s 5-3 loss in Game 3. The game was capped by an empty-net goal from forgotten. That’s for sure. I think just because with the emotions of junior Quebec forward Jeremie Malouin. Despite falling to the ice with a hockey, that when a team starts to freefall like Quebec did, I don’t think it defender behind him, Malouin fired the puck into an empty net. He then happens nearly as much at this level.” jumped up and twice banged on the pane of Plexiglass in celebration. Ciampini, however, wouldn’t be surprised if Ducharme made sure his Mooseheads forward Luca Ciampini, now a hockey coach for the Canadiens players would be motivated similarly to when his Mooseheads Montreal Spartans youth hockey team, remembers Malouin skating in were down 3-0 in 2012. front of the bench and pointing up to the scoreboard, a sign in his mind “As soon as I saw that mayor call out (that) they’ll lose (Game 4) and win that the game, and possibly the series, was over. in Tampa in front of (their) fans, I can guarantee you all that stuff was posted all over their dressing room. You’re just looking for something to flare up the boys.” Ciampini said.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190292 Nashville Predators 6.29 365-594

Marcus Johansson What is the right contract for Mikael Granlund and the Predators? 28

2019-21 By Adam Vingan $4.5 million Jul 7, 2021 5.52

334-588 By trading Viktor Arvidsson to the Los Angeles Kings last week, the Predators created an additional $4.25 million in salary-cap space. Dom Luszczyszyn’s Game Score Value Added (GSVA) model is less optimistic about Granlund’s long-term outlook. It projects that Granlund In a flat-cap world, that is a serious chunk of change. The Predators have will provide $3.4 million of value next season, but that drops to $2 million close to $23 million in projected cap space at their disposal this in 2021-22 and $1.6 million in 2022-23. offseason, according to CapFriendly. A contract similar to those of veteran forwards Tyler Bozak and Marcus Several players need new contracts, including Mikael Granlund. The 29- Johansson would be reasonable for Granlund. As Luszczyszyn’s model year-old forward, who signed a one-year, $3.75 million deal in December shows, the Predators should be wary of committing to him for too long. 2020, played a key role in the Predators’ 20-7-1 resurgence in the They have enough problematic contracts on their books. second half and embodies the hard-working identity that the team has worked to build under coach John Hynes. A potential deal for Granlund would not be formalized until after the Seattle Kraken expansion draft July 21. That way, the Predators would “You need to have guys like that to win, because he maximizes what his not have to protect him. The Kraken will have an exclusive window from potential is,” Hynes said last month. “He maximizes his talent level and July 18-21 to negotiate with unprotected free agents. If they sign a free his potential because of his durability, his competitiveness. He’s a highly agent, it will count as their selection from that player’s previous team. skilled player, but he doesn’t rely on skill. He relies on his work ethic. … That’s why he earned the minutes that he got. He was a really big impact Notable free-agent centers player for us.” PLAYER AGE PREVIOUS CAP HIT In 79 games with Hynes, hired in January 2020, behind the bench, Granlund has been the Predators’ most utilized and productive forward, Ryan Getzlaf averaging more than half a point per game. 36

Mikael Granlund under John Hynes $8.25 million

STATISTIC TOTAL (FORWARD RANK) David Krejci

Games 35

79 (1st) $7.25 million

Goals Paul Stastny

24 (1st) 35

Points $6.5 million

43 (2nd, Filip Forsberg) Phillip Danault

TOI/GP 28

19:20 (1st) $3,083,333

S% (min. 50 shots) As the Predators negotiate with Granlund, they will need to determine 18.8 (1st) which position he will play. Granlund transitioned to center when suffered an injury in early March that sidelined him for six Granlund’s agent, Todd Diamond, told The Athletic over the weekend weeks. that negotiations have not begun. Unlike last offseason, when Granlund was set on exploring the free-agent market, the Predators hope that it In that time, Granlund formed a connection with Calle Jarnkrok and Luke does not get to that point this time. Kunin. Together, they outscored opponents 16-7 at five-on-five during the regular season, according to Natural Stat Trick. Contract projections can be tricky. Evolving-Hockey’s model, which pulls from CapFriendly’s database and is a go-to source for such matters, Granlund retained that role even after Duchene, who signed a seven- estimates that Granlund will most likely receive a three-year contract with year, $56 million contract with the Predators two summers ago to anchor a $5.185 million cap hit. That would represent around 6.4 percent of the the second line, returned to the lineup. $81.5 million cap. (For comparison, a two-year contract would come with “I think the good thing with Matt is he can play wing and center,” Hynes a $4.403 million cap hit, according to Evolving-Hockey.) said. “He does feel comfortable on the right side. He does feel These players were of similar age and had comparable numbers to comfortable in the middle. I think that’s important … if there are some Granlund, who has 379 points in 591 NHL games, when they signed their changes to our team.” recent deals: Last month, 51 percent of readers said it was “somewhat” important for PLAYER AGE YEARS CAP HIT C.H.% STATISTICS (P- the Predators to re-sign Granlund. Another 35.2 percent considered it GP) “very” important. The team feels the same way.

Tyler Bozak

32 The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021

2018-21

$5 million 1190293 New Jersey Devils received the puck from Ryan McDonagh and beamed a nifty pass into the crease toward Colton, who outmuscled Montreal defenseman Joel Edmundson for position and redirected the puck past Price with 6 minutes 33 seconds remaining in the second period. The Lightning’s Tampa Bay Lightning Beat Montreal Canadiens to Keep the Stanley Cup defensive commitment — epitomized by Goodrow’s block of Shea Weber’s slap shot — made certain they didn’t need to score again.

“I was crying basically on the bench with a minute 40 left,” said forward By Ben Shpigel Patrick Maroon, who has raised the Cup for three straight seasons. “I Published July 7, 2021 couldn’t even throw my stuff off.”

Updated July 8, 2021, 1:42 a.m. ET The last Canadian team to win the Cup was Montreal, in 1993, the same year Tampa Bay, heralding the N.H.L.’s Sun Belt expansion, completed its inaugural season. The Lightning won their first title in 2004, then meandered in the N.H.L. wilderness for the next decade, winning only In one of hockey’s most cherished rites, the Stanley Cup usually spends two playoff series until embarking on this dynastic stretch. the off-season gallivanting with players around villages in Canada and hamlets throughout Scandinavia and burgs across the United States. But Image with the coronavirus pandemic raging last autumn, the silver chalice lingered for a good, long while near Tampa, Fla., where the Lightning Tampa Bay’s Ross Colton tipped the puck past Montreal goaltender relished their time with it so much that they went ahead and won it once Carey Price for a second-period goal, the winner in Game more. 5.Credit...Douglas Defelice/USA Today Sports, via Reuters

Tampa Bay closed a chaotic N.H.L. season dominated by a viral No team has won more games since the 2014-15 season — in either the scourge, with truncated schedules and reconfigured divisions and regular season or the playoffs — than Tampa Bay, which has reached at traveling practice squads, by defeating the Montreal Canadiens four least the league’s semifinal round five of the last seven years. The games to one in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals to win its third title. Lightning’s flair for developing their young players has replenished their talent base, and their masterly manipulation of the salary cap has Nine-and-a-half months after enduring a 65-day stay in Canadian playoff preserved much of the core that lost in the finals to Chicago in 2015, a bubbles to hoist the Cup, the Lightning edged Montreal, 1-0, in front of a core that has transformed and evolved, in style and spirit and personnel. capacity home crowd at Amalie Arena on Wednesday to complete their second consecutive romp through an N.H.L. postseason. In doing so, A team that had embraced what Cooper called a “kind of greatest show they followed up the N.F.L.’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers by adding yet on ice” attitude, that tried to score as many goals as it could while another title to a region suddenly spoiled by championships, and also depending on its goalie to rescue it, needed to get “grittier” after in 2019 joined the Pittsburgh Penguins, in 2016-17, as the only teams since the absorbing one of the more confounding postseason meltdowns in major dawn of the salary cap era in the 2005-6 season to repeat as champions. professional sports history: After dashing to 62 victories in 82 games, tying a league record, the Lightning were swept in four games by “It was just like we were doing it for the first time again,” Lightning Coach Columbus in the first round. Jon Cooper said. “It was amazing to have fans in the building. And so it’s like we’ve won two completely different Stanley Cups. That’s what makes “We went from the new kids on the block that, oh my gosh, in 2015, it extremely special for us.” these guys are so much fun to watch, to all of a sudden it gets tilted and now we’re the team that can’t get it done to now you’re throwing the word In winning their last eight playoff series, the Lightning have never lost dynasty around,” Cooper said. “That’s a huge wave of emotions in a consecutive games. In this series, they did not trail until late in the first seven-year, six-year span, to go through. But this core went through it period of Game 4 against the upstart Canadiens, who finished 18th together.” among 31 teams during the regular season — and with a negative goal differential — but energized Montreal with a glorious charge to their first In response to being humbled by the Blue Jackets, the Lightning finals appearance in nearly three decades. eliminated some of the risk in their game, stressing defensive responsibilities. They added rugged but skilled bottom-six forwards like Bidding to become Canada’s first champion since 1993, the Canadiens Goodrow and Coleman, who supplied the defining moment of this series, outlasted Toronto, Winnipeg and Vegas. But they could not counter the in Game 2, with a diving goal in the closing seconds of the second comprehensive excellence of the Lightning, who outclassed Montreal at period. Those players meshed with stalwarts like Alex Killorn, Steven every position, especially goalie. Stamkos, Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson, who is among the many players unlikely to return next season, a victim of circumstance. Even as Carey Price rescued the Canadiens in Game 4 on Monday and stopped 29 of 30 shots Wednesday, he could not match Andrei The Lightning circumvented the league’s salary-cap system by adding Vasilevskiy, who reinforced his standing as the league’s best goalie. He Kucherov for the playoffs, but they won’t be able to retain everyone — had a .943 save percentage against Montreal, allowing eight goals on especially not with the Seattle Kraken expansion draft looming — a 140 shots, and ended this series with a shutout — as he did last round situation that Cooper said had conferred upon this run a certain “last day against the Islanders, and in the second round against the Carolina of school” feeling. Hurricanes, and in the first round against the Florida Panthers. Stamkos, the team’s captain, said it was impossible to overstate how “I still can’t believe it,” said Vasilevskiy, who was awarded the Conn much of a motivating force the team’s pending breakup was as they Smythe Trophy, given to the most valuable player of the playoffs. “The chased another championship. They discussed taking advantage of this whole team deserves it, for sure. To have five shutouts in one playoffs, opportunity midway through the playoffs and again heading into Game 5 it’s all about the team.” of their semifinal series against the Islanders.

The Lightning represent the modern ideal of an N.H.L. team, loaded with “It’s not very often you get this chance to play with a talented team like scorers, elite defensemen and a brilliant goalie, and they rampaged we did, and we just believed,” said Stamkos, who missed most of the through the playoffs after regaining the star winger Nikita Kucherov, who 2020 playoffs with an injury. “It’s so hard to win the Stanley Cup and then missed the 56-game season while recovering from hip surgery. All he did you do it two years in a row. I mean, we deserve to go down in history. was amass 32 points in 23 games to join Wayne Gretzky and Mario And this group, no matter what happens from here on out, this group is Lemieux as the only players to amass at least 30 points in consecutive going to be etched in history forever.” postseasons. Afterward, amid the hugs, handshakes and tears on the ice, Vasilevskiy “I don’t know anybody else that could miss the entire regular season, FaceTimed his parents in Russia, and Cooper spoke with his father, and come back and do what he did,” Lightning forward Blake Coleman said. players all around looked for family and friends, the people not permitted to share in their joy last September when Tampa Bay beat Dallas in an Still, Tampa Bay’s most imposing asset might be its depth. Anthony empty arena in Edmonton, Alberta. It is unclear whether, unlike then, Cirelli and Barclay Goodrow blocked shot after shot, Erik Cernak and Jan players and coaches will be able to spend a day with the Cup in their Rutta backchecked with vigor, and David Savard and the rookie Ross hometowns. Maroon, though, had an idea. Colton — the only two players in the lineup who hadn’t won a Cup — combined for Wednesday’s lone goal: Savard, a late-season acquisition, “What we’re hoping is getting two days with the Cup, back-to-back days, because we missed our day last year,” Maroon said. “So, N.H.L., wake up.”

Two days for two championships. The Lightning’s latest coronation, altogether new and the same, came Wednesday.

New York Times LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190294 New Jersey Devils workforce, with the Sixers being named one of the “Top 50 Cultures” in the nation by Entrepreneur (2017). O’Neil’s leadership and role as a change agent within the sports and entertainment industry was widely lauded, as Philadelphia Magazine recognized him one of the “Most Devils, Sixers CEO announces he’s leaving to pursue new opportunities Innovative Leaders” in Philadelphia. Sports and technology outlet SportTechie named O’Neil as 2017′s “Most Innovative Executive,” and

most recently, the Sixers were bestowed five Clios, including one for By Mike Rosenstein “Team of the Year” in 2021.

Change is coming to the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers. Star Ledger LOADED: 07.08.2021

Scott O’Neil is stepping down as CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the parent company which owns the Devils and Sixers. The teams released a statement Wednesday morning:

After eight successful years guiding Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) through exponential growth and expansion, CEO Scott O’Neil has elected to step away from the organization in order to pursue new opportunities. O’Neil has over two decades of leadership experience within the sports and entertainment industry, including his most recent tenure with HBSE, a leading sports and entertainment company centered around marquee assets, the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils.

“I would like to thank Josh Harris and David Blitzer for inspiring, engaging and empowering me to bring together the most talented executive team in sports and entertainment,” O’Neil said. “Josh and David are extraordinary leaders, partners and friends. Their commitment to our teams, brands, employees - and most importantly - their commitment to serving the City of Philadelphia, Newark and Camden - made our success together possible. To be trusted with the opportunity to steward epic brands - as well as buy, build, integrate, acquire, and grow complimentary businesses to create HBSE as it is today - has been the ride of a lifetime, one for which I am humbled and grateful.”

“HBSE is the best organization I have ever been a part of, with the highest degree of difficulty I have ever encountered, and the most fun I have ever had, because every day brought a new opportunity to learn and develop. This company has grown through a culture of extraordinary teammates willing to be innovative, having the discipline to do the work, and a courage to lead from the front. While I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of my time here, I am even more excited to build, grow, and drive my next platform.”

“Scott has accomplished so much on behalf of the organization in a relatively short amount of time, driving our growth, culture, and commitment to strengthening the communities in which we live, work, play, and win,” said HBSE Co-Founder Josh Harris. “I cannot overstate how much we value Scott’s enormous contributions to the company and how grateful I am for his leadership and partnership in creating a best-in- class culture at HBSE. We know he will find great success in whatever he chooses to accomplish in the future, and we will always be among his biggest advocates.”

“We are immensely grateful to Scott for his partnership over these past eight years of unprecedented growth,” said HBSE Co-Founder David Blitzer. “His ambition, strategic outlook, and innovative mindset have been and will continue to be instrumental to the long-term success of our business. On behalf of everyone at HBSE, we thank Scott for his transformational leadership, drive and passion, and we look forward to celebrating his future successes.”

Under O’Neil’s leadership, HBSE was built from a single-entity team, the Sixers, to an all-encompassing sports and entertainment franchise that spans two professional teams, an e-sports business, a leading arena and entertainment business, and several growth and venture investments across sports technology. He led the Sixers to sign the first jersey patch sponsorship in “Big Four’' sports history, oversaw construction on the largest and most technically advanced training complex in professional sports, the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex, established an industry- leading Innovation Lab, and became the first U.S. professional sports franchise to acquire a world-renowned esports team. Additionally, he became acting Co-Managing partner for Elevate Sports Ventures, a sports and entertainment agency he helped to create in a partnership between HBSE, Live Nation Entertainment | Ticketmaster, the San Francisco 49ers and Oak View Group. He also helped create HBSE Venture Fund and HBSE Real Estate to round out the portfolio.

During his time with HBSE, O’Neil and his team were recognized for his impact in creating an innovative and best-in-class workplace and 1190295 New Jersey Devils 2021: 16 games played, .900 save percentage, 3.11 goals-against average

Wedgewood was supposed to be the No. 3 in 2021, but Corey The Hunt: A deep dive into the Devils’ search for a goalie to partner with Crawford’s retirement changed the plan. The Devils added multiple Mackenzie Blackwood goalies on waivers, but Wedgewood had a strong camp and never really let go of the No. 2 spot. When the expectations rise in New Jersey, the Devils are going to need better than .900 from one of the two goalie spots but Wedgewood had a few great outings. Goalies have weird By Corey Masisak development curves — it wouldn’t be that crazy if Wedgewood became a Jul 7, 2021 solid No. 2 in the NHL over the next few years.

Akira Schmid

For the past three seasons, the Devils have secured points like a Age: 21 competent, competitive hockey team when Mackenzie Blackwood is in Contract: ELC for three years the lineup. 2021: Sioux City (USHL) When Blackwood has not played, New Jersey has been the worst team in the NHL. While that isn’t entirely on the play of the various goaltenders Schmid could be a long-term answer, but expecting him to play in the who have spent time partnering with or filling in for Blackwood, closing NHL with any regularity over the next two seasons isn’t fair. He has that gap in performance could be the easiest path to significant dominated the USHL twice in a three-year span, with a hip injury messing improvement in the standings in 2021-22. up the one in between. He is big and has exciting tools, but going from the USHL to even the AHL is a huge jump for goalies. And while Blackwood’s development remains the key to the Devils becoming a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, finding him a consistent Nico Daws partner/1B option/backup could be a critical part of helping New Jersey become a playoff team in the next couple of seasons and for seeding Age: 20 purposes in the years to come. Contract: ELC for three years This is the third edition of “The Hunt,” a series of stories that will attempt 2021: ERC Ingolstadt (DEL) to identify some targets to fill the Devils’ biggest needs as they try to complete this rebuilding project and climb back toward the top of the NHL Daws is the highest pick (No. 84) at the position by the Devils since standings. The first one looked at the search for a high-end defenseman Blackwood in 2015. He was supposed to play in the OHL last season, but (or two), and the second looked at potential bona fide goal scorers. ended up in Germany and didn’t get a lot of games in. His transition might be a little smoother than Schmid’s, but it’s been a weird couple of The Devils are 47-41-11 in the games that Blackwood has started in his years for both of them. If either of them is ready to be Blackwood’s career, which is nearly an 87-point pace over 82 games. Not great, but partner by the third year of their contracts, it will be a nice success story certainly competitive. for New Jersey’s newly formed goaltending department. In that span, New Jersey is 41-59-18 when Blackwood does not start. Evan Cormier That is about a 61-point pace over 82 games. The Red Wings have secured points at a 63-point pace over the past three seasons. Age: 23

The second/backup goaltender spot can be fluid, and contending teams Contract: RFA can cycle through them — particularly ones that are squeezed by the salary cap. But it’s also possible to find a veteran 1B/backup who can 2021: Binghamton (AHL) settle in and become an integral part of the team — see guys like Cormier did not have good numbers with the B-Devils in 2021, but the Jaroslav Halak in Boston and Anton Khudobin in Dallas. Having team was extremely young and often a bit of a mess in front of him. The someone who can keep a good team humming even when the starting Devils have also passed on giving him a contract before, and he earned goalie is injured can be pretty valuable, especially given the nature of the one from them later in the year anyway. position and the number of injuries that happen. Gilles Senn The Devils signed Scott Wedgewood to a one-year, two-way contract Tuesday. He could be Blackwood’s backup this season, but the contract Age: 25 suggests the Devils plan to make him the No. 3 goalie who can swing back and forth between the new AHL affiliate in Utica and New Jersey. Contract: RFA (signed in Switzerland)

Akira Schmid and Nico Daws are recent draft picks who signed entry- 2021: Binghamton (AHL) level contracts that begin next season. If the Devils do add another It’s entirely possible that Senn will spend the next two seasons playing veteran goalie, Schmid and Daws would likely compete for the spot next well in the Swiss league and there will be renewed interest in him as a to Wedgewood in Utica when everyone is healthy and the other would be potential NHL goalie. Will that be with New Jersey? Hard to say at this the starter in Adirondack, the ECHL affiliate. The Devils could also move point, but other goalies have played in Europe deep into their 20s and them back and forth to level out the playing time, but one injury ends the still become NHL players. crowded net situation. 2021 draft options The Devils still have the rights to Evan Cormier and Gilles Senn, because both are restricted free agents. Senn has already signed a two-year Jesper Wallstedt/Sebastian Cossa contract with Davos at home in Switzerland. Cormier’s future with the club should be determined soon. It doesn’t look like there is a spot for Wallstedt and Cossa are the top two goalies in the 2021 class and him unless the Devils plan to go with Wedgewood as the No. 2 or carry appear set to be first-round picks. Are the Devils going to spend a first- six goalies. That would mean putting two of them with Adirondack or round pick on a goalie with Blackwood settled in as the No. 1? This was loaning one to another minor-league club. a thing last year with Yaroslav Askarov, and the Devils did not take him. If one of those two guys fell to No. 29, there’s an argument for taking him Cole Brady is going to be a sophomore at Arizona State next season. as a pure value play. The Devils have drafted a goalie every year since 2015. Alexei Kolosov Internal options Age: 19 Scott Wedgewood 2021: Dinamo Minsk (KHL) Age: 28 Pros: He played with Yegor Sharangovich in the KHL and at the world Contract: $825,000 for one season championships this past season, so the Devils have certainly seen plenty of his work. He’s also a second-year eligible guy, just like Daws was (and Talbot is a little older than Allen, but he’s also had a .915 save the Devils have tabbed other older prospects in recent drafts as well). percentage or better in six of the past eight years and 30 games of excellent playoff work since 2017 as well. The Wild don’t want to lose Cons: He’s listed at 6-foot-1. Here is the height of the Devils’ last six Talbot, but it’s either exposing him or 24-year-old Kappo Kahkonen to drafted goalies: 6-4, 6-5, 6-5, 6-5, 6-3, 6-4. Notice a trend there? Seattle.

Aku Koskenvuo It’s plausible the Kraken will just take Talbot and make him their starting Age: 18 goalie, but Minnesota also likely has to expose defenseman Mathew Dumba as well. Is there a way Fitzgerald could swing a deal with his old 2021: HIFK U-20 (Finland junior league) pal for Talbot or possibly one with Seattle GM Ron Francis after the Kraken select him? It feels like a long shot, but Talbot could Given that the Devils have two rookie goalies set to play in the really help. AHL/ECHL this season, and Brady likely a couple of years away from being an option, it would make sense if New Jersey takes a long-term Marc-Andre Fleury, Golden Knights project in this draft. Daws was a more immediate play, but Koskenvuo is big (listed at 6-foot-4), raw and scheduled to join Harvard for the 2022-23 Age: 36 season. That means he could marinate/develop for a long time before the Contract: $7 million for one season Devils need to make a decision on signing him. Given the depth chart, he could be a perfect fit for this draft class in a later round. 2021: 36 GP, .928 SV%, 1.98 GAA

Pre-expansion-draft trade options Yes, the 2021 Vezina Trophy winner is on this list. Fleury has had a wonderful, yet uniquely weird career. He finished the 2021 playoffs on The Athletic’s beat writers recently submitted projected protection lists for the bench, and the Golden Knights have Robin Lehner signed for four the Seattle expansion draft. Is there anyone out there who might get more seasons. Fleury has a special connection in Vegas and has said exposed whom the Devils could pry away in a trade before it’s Seattle’s he’d like to stay, but the Golden Knights are a Cup contender and could turn to pillage? try to reallocate that cap space.

Teams are only allowed to protect one goaltender, so the Kraken are Fleury has connections in New Jersey — Tom Fitzgerald and Dan going to have some interesting options. It’s worth noting that Vegas MacKinnon were in Pittsburgh with him, and was his selected three goalies in 2017 and only kept one of them — Calvin childhood idol. He might not be a long-term solution, but he could Pickard was traded to Toronto and Jean-Francois Berube was a pending certainly help the Devils be better next season and maybe the idea of free agent that did not sign with the Golden Knights. They did keep Marc- being the second player to chase down Patrick Roy in career wins in a Andre Fleury, and that has worked out well for them. New Jersey uniform would have some appeal if he wants to play beyond Who is going to be the Kraken’s version of Fleury? Could Seattle grab a 2021-22. couple of intriguing goalies and then flip them for more young Tristan Jarry, Penguins assets/draft capital? Or could other teams see that coming and trade their top expansion option before July 17 instead of losing him for Age: 26 nothing? Contract: $3.5 million for two years Jake Allen, Canadiens 2021: 39 GP, .909 SV%, 2.75 GAA Age: 30 Jarry bombed in the playoffs after replacing Matt Murray as the starting Contract: $2.875 million for two years goalie in 2021. He wouldn’t be the first Penguins goalie to do that and resurrect his career (like the guy right above him on this list). Pittsburgh 2021: 29 GP, .907 SV%, 2.68 GAA could expose him to Seattle, and still try to trade him if the Kraken pass Montreal has Michael McNiven to expose to Seattle if the Canadiens to add more cap flexibility. decided to trade Allen before the protection lists are due. Allen has a It feels like a bit of an odd fit for the Devils, though — Jarry is around the solid resume and a nice contract for someone who could play a lot if the same age as Blackwood, has played about the same number of games Devils needed him to. A potential question for New Jersey is what would but also has a slightly more expensive contract. it be worth in a trade to grab Allen before the free agent market opens? It looks like there could be some enticing options available on July 28, and Joonas Korpisalo or Elvis Merzlikins, Blue Jackets there were some interesting bargains for teams last year with UFA goalies. Age: Both are 27

Vitek Vanecek, Capitals Contract: Korpisalo – $2.8 million for one year; Merzlikins – $4 million for one year Age: 25 2021: Korpisalo – 33 GP, .894 SV%, 3.30 GAA; Merzlikins – 28 GP, .916 Contract: $717,000 for one season SV%, 2.77 GAA

2021: 37 GP, .908 SV%, 2.69 GAA The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported the Blue Jackets were likely to trade one of their goaltenders this offseason, but that was before the The Capitals had two young goalies this year, with Vanecek playing most tragic death of Matiss Kivlenieks, who would have slotted in next to of the season but Ilya Samsonov getting the majority of the playing time whichever goalie remained. Trading a goaltender is the furthest thing in the playoffs. Now, they can only protect one. Samsonov has the first- from GM Jarmo Kekalainen’s mind right now. round pedigree, but he was also one of the guys who broke COVID-19 protocol rules early in the season and was out of the lineup for Free agent options disciplinary reasons for a game in early May. Petr Mrazek, Hurricanes Still, if the Capitals protect Samsonov, they have multiple other goalies who fulfill the exposure requirements and could look to recoup an asset Age: 29 for Vanecek. One upside to trading for Vanecek instead of waiting for a Contract: $3.125 million cap hit in 2021 free agent — he is still an RFA after this contract. 2021: 12 GP, .923 SV%, 2.06 GAA Other trade options Mrazek had a .912 save percentage in 166 games for the Red Wings, a Cam Talbot, Wild .911 save percentage in 92 games for the Hurricanes and a .911 in 29 Age: 34 career playoff games. For the right price, the Devils should be ecstatic if the non-Blackwood goalie gives them a .911 save percentage over the Contract: $3.667 million for two years next few seasons.

2021: 33 GP, .915 SV%, 2.63 GAA James Reimer (Jerome Miron / USA Today) James Reimer, Hurricanes this point, so Brossoit would need to move to find more consistent playing time. Age: 33

Contract: $3.4 million salary in 2021 The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 2021: 22 GP, .906 SV%, 2.66 GAA

He’s had at least a .911 save percentage in seven of his 11 NHL seasons, but not in two of the past three. Reimer has played for four teams and seems like he could a good fit as a mentor for Blackwood. But there also might be a few guys available who you’d be more confident in being a consistent .910-plus goalie over the next few seasons. Side note: Imagine the Devils rolling with “Big Mac,” “Optimus Reim” and “Wedgie” in net — good luck finding a better collection of nicknames at the position.

Antti Raanta, Coyotes

Age: 32

Contract: $4.25 million cap hit in 2021

2021: 12 GP, .905 SV%, 3.35 GAA

Raanta still has a career .919 save percentage, but he’s also been limited to 12 games in two of the past three seasons because of injuries. If the Devils are confident he can stay healthy and the injuries haven’t eroded his ability, he’d deserve five fire emojis. He’s been a great teammate at three NHL stops and could be the perfect “mentor who can still really play.”

Chris Driedger, Panthers

Age: 27

Contract: $850,000 cap hit in 2021

2021: 23 GP, .927 SV%, 2.06 GAA

He could end up with Seattle or as one of the top goalies available on July 28. He’s got 35 regular-season games with excellent numbers over the past two years. If another team sees him as a no-doubt No. 1, the contract terms might get a little pricey. But if the market is depressed for the goalies like it was a year ago, someone might end up with a high- level goalie on a reasonable deal.

Linus Ullmark, Sabres

Age: 27

Contract: $2.6 million in 2021

2021: 20 GP, .917 SV%, 2.63 GAA

Ullmark has been very good for a terrible team the past couple of seasons. The Devils have seen him at his best, too. Much like Driedger, Ullmark probably deserves a chance to be a clear-cut No. 1 goaltender. But given how many teams have cap issues and also the shift toward tandems, the Devils could be a more attractive option than you might think. Still, it feels like an older guy would also add a mentorship component for Blackwood.

David Rittich, Maple Leafs

Age: 28

Contract: $2.75 million in 2021

2021: 19 GP, .901 SV%, 2.86 GAA

His save percentage has dipped for three straight seasons, but 19 games are not nearly large enough of a sample to make any judgments on his 2021. He wouldn’t necessarily be a bad option, but it’s a testament to who is or might be available that he definitely isn’t one of the best ones.

Laurent Brossoit, Jets

Age: 28

Contract: $1.5 million in 2021

2021: 14 GP, .918 SV%, 2.42 GAA

Brossoit has signed three consecutive one-year contracts to be Connor Hellebuyck’s backup in Winnipeg. He has a .913 save percentage in 54 games over the past three years since becoming a full-time NHL goalie. Hellebuyck is firmly established as one of the league’s top 3-5 goalies at 1190296 New York Islanders Oliver Wahlstrom has had a knack for putting the puck on net. We saw him take 94 shots this past season, which is roughly 2.14 shots per game. While Eberle averaged 2.33 shots per game, it seems that the third-line winger’s shots were more effective at creating chances for his Is Islanders Jordan Eberle Expendable with Oliver Wahlstrom Waiting in linemates. the Wings? He created 13 rebounds (.30 per game), while Eberle only created three (.05 per game). Given the need for offense, Wahlstrom makes a case here on how effective he can be alongside Barzal and Lee if he can keep Published 21 hours ago on July 7, 2021 this number up. By Stefen Rosner In regards to the powerplay, Wahlstrom was much more effective than Eberle.

With the NHL salary cap stagnant for a second straight season, New In 51:58 fewer power-play minutes than Eberle, Wahlstrom collected four York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello must get creative to goals and six assists. Eberle only scored once on the man advantage, keep the Islanders under the cap without decreasing the talent if with four assists. possible. Less than a year ago, restricted free agent Devon Toews was Eberle has been known to be a streaky player, while Oliver Wahlstrom shipped to Colorado to save the Islanders money and sign back key free was certainly one this past season. agents and now a similar situation could be developing with Oliver Wahlstrom In 55 games Eberle saw two streaks of seven or more games without a goal, with three multi-goal games. In Wahlstrom’s 44 games, he saw two Defenseman Noah Dobson showed Lamoriello and head coach Barry streaks of 10 or more games without a goal, scoring in back-to-back Trotz enough in his first season, 2019-20, which allowed Toews to games three times. become expendable. Has Wahlstrom done the same to make another player become expendable? Eberle failed to do so once this season.

The 11th overall pick in 2018 showed signs in year one that he could Now Eberle could very well remain with the Islanders. He could be become a prolific goal scorer for the Islanders, who haven’t had one of protected in the expansion draft as keeping him only makes the Islanders those in quite some time. Although Wahlstrom’s first season did not see a deeper team. However, seeing Eberle go not only allows for his $5.5 him as a Calder Trophy Finalist, his play put him in the spotlight. He million cap hit to be used to sign a goal-scorer like Kyle Palmieri but also showcased a strong shot and a knack for shooting without hesitation. allows for Wahlstrom to play more minutes, which in turn should mean more offensive production. Despite not having played a full 82-game schedule, it seems that Wahlstrom is ready to be an everyday player. The question becomes does he stay on the third line, or does he see his role elevated? NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 07.08.2021 Trotz Doesn’t Regret Sitting Oliver Wahlstrom, but Where Does That Leave Him Next Year?

Again, it comes down to Trotz and his belief in the young forward.

It also comes down to what Lamoriello can do to relieve some cap pressure.

With the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft on the horizon, the belief that Wahlstrom could take a big step in year two may have significant barrings on who is protected.

In a recent article, we looked at two Islanders players that may be left unprotected to shed much-needed cap space. Jordan Eberle was one of those players, and despite a solid regular season and postseason, is he potentially holding Wahlstrom back from more minutes?

In 11 fewer games and 4:22 fewer minutes per game, Wahlstrom finished the season just four goals shy of Eberle.

Now Eberle did have a factor that certainly contributed to his production, and that was the loss of Anders Lee after Game 27 of the regular season.

Nevertheless, the 31-year old forward finished the regular season third on the Islanders in scoring, with 16 goals in 55 games (0.29 GPG). He was fourth on the team with 14 assists (0.31 APG) and finished the shortened season fourth on the Islanders with 33 points (0.60 PPG). He ended the season with a shooting percentage of 12.5.

After appearing in nine games in 2019-20, the Massachusetts native had a much more significant role this past season. He had to earn his minutes, as a few Islanders got a chance on the third line. While the grind of the hectic season seemed to get to Wahlstrom towards the end of the year, he was able to be a contributing offensive piece to a lineup that was offensively challenged during the regular season.

Wahlstrom’s production was not as high as Eberle’s, since he played in 12 fewer games. Even with that glaring difference, the numbers showcased that the young forward still averaged fewer points per game (0.48), goals per game (0.27), and assists per game (0.20). These statistics show that Wahlstrom’s knack is scoring goals, while Eberle seemed to bring more to his game.

His assist numbers were not particularly close to Eberle’s on a game-to- game basis, but Wahlstrom created rebounds at a significantly higher rate. And that holds value when Lee is a potential linemate. 1190297 New York Rangers sixth (with Marc-Andre Fleury) among active players in playoff games played. By comparison, is the record holder with 266. Mark Messier, a six-time Cup champ, played in 236. played in only 95, thanks to the sinking of the franchise after the 1996-97 season. Ryan McDonagh’s playoff legacy grows, and Rangers fans groan: How Henrik Lundqvist holds the Rangers’ record with 130 playoff games has the trade aged after his second Cup win? played, many of those behind McDonagh.

But — and here’s the big but — McDonagh, now 32, was closing in on his 29th birthday when the Rangers traded him, already with mega By Rick Carpiniello playoff miles on his body and quite a few injuries racked up (not that any Jul 8, 2021 of that slowed him down a smidge this postseason). He was also a year away from unrestricted free agency, at which time he’d be 30, and the Rangers knew it would be costly and, frankly, risky to re-sign him. They figured he’d get more than he ended up getting, even, from Tampa Bay, So there was Ryan McDonagh, Stanley Cup in his hands, up over his which plays in a no-income-tax state. head. Again. They were correct in that calculation, I believe, and the Lightning signed Certainly, there is a portion of the Rangers fan base not particularly him for a $6.75 million cap hit per year through 2025-26, a deal the Bolts pleased about this development, about seeing it for the second year in a might eventually regret. Well, they’ll get over the regret when they look at row. Probably, though, there is also a portion of the fan base that’s very the rings on their fingers, just as the Rangers don’t much regret some of happy for McDonagh and his success. Perhaps there is even some the soul-selling (and prospects-selling) they did to win in 1994. overlap in those portions of the fan base. The 2017-18 season was going to be a rebuilding year for the Rangers Though I still feel the blockbuster that sent the then-Rangers captain to and then-GM Jeff Gorton even before The Letter went out. The Tampa Bay at the 2018 trade deadline was a necessary step, and a opportunity was perfect, the Rangers possessing a bunch of veteran gigantic opportunity to kick-start a top-to-bottom rebuild, I’m well aware players who could bring back prospects, draft picks and young players. that many hate it to this day because of the return, and that’s very fair. It started with the Derek Stepan trade to Arizona that summer — the It has also has left the Rangers without a captain for three-plus seasons Rangers not bothering to replace their No. 1 center. Then they had Rick running. Nash, Michael Grabner and Nick Holden all headed to unrestricted free We’ll get to the trade itself in a minute. But first, in the direct aftermath of agency, plus McDonagh. They also figured they weren’t going to be another Cup for the Bolts, this much is clear: McDonagh has had a fairly willing to meet the expected price to re-sign restricted free agent J.T. remarkable career in terms of playoff runs, right? Miller, who was still having maturity/risk/hockey IQ issues.

He arrived on the scene in the middle of the 2010-11 season and made At the deadline — Nash, Grabner and Holden already gone — the the playoffs as a rookie, though the Rangers were quickly dispatched in blockbuster materialized: McDonagh and Miller to Tampa Bay for forward five games in the first round by Washington. The next season, the fun Vladislav Namestnikov, two prospects (defenseman Libor Hájek and started, with McDonagh and the upstart Rangers going to the 2012 center Brett Howden), a first-round pick in 2018 (Nils Lundkvist) and a Eastern Conference finals. A second-round loss the next year cost coach conditional second-rounder in 2019 (it would have been a first if Tampa John Tortorella his job (actually the mutiny is what finished him off). That Bay won the Cup in 2018 or 2019 and ultimately turned into center was followed by a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, then a prospect Karl Henriksson). Presidents’ Trophy in 2014-15 and a Game 7 loss to Tampa Bay in the To be fair, a lot of you at the time didn’t like Hájek and Howden, didn’t conference finals. The Rangers’ window was clearly closing when they think they were top-tier prospects. The Rangers, and also to be fair, got stomped by Pittsburgh in the first round in 2016 and managed to get several NHL scouting people, plus then-Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman, to the second round and lose to a very mediocre Ottawa team in 2017. felt they were. Gorton obviously did. The first rebuild year trade deadline placed McDonagh in Tampa. Since Howden’s progress has been slow, to say the least, and it appears he will then, the Lightning have gone to Game 7 of the conference finals in 2018 top out as a fourth-line NHLer. Hájek has made some strides, but with against eventual champ Washington, been shocked as Presidents’ the Rangers stacked with young defensemen, he figures to be a third- Trophy winners in a first-round sweep by Tortorella’s Columbus Blue pair player at best as K’Andre Miller and Ryan Lindgren man the left side Jackets in 2019 and now won consecutive Stanley Cups. for years to come. So, to add it up: Tampa Bay was quick to move on from J.T. Miller, who had a sensational McDonagh has won two Presidents’ Trophies, been to the conference first year in Vancouver but came back to earth a bit after that and carries finals six times, been to the Stanley Cup Final three times and won it a $5.25 million cap hit for two more seasons. While Miller, a 2011 first- twice. rounder, sure has a lot of skill and plays with the truculence the Rangers now desire — and at center — is he better, at age 28, than Ryan Strome, It’s players like McDonagh (and Pat Maroon, who won his third Cup in a who turns 28 next week? row, first with St. Louis, then a pair with the Bolts) who put good teams over the top. Who help them understand the highs and lows of a playoff I’m sure that Gorton would have loved to be one of those perfect GMs gauntlet. Who help them forget a loss and move on. Who play with poise who hit on every single transaction (that’s sarcasm, folks). But in the and calm, almost as if the action is slowed down for them. So the winning nature of the top-to-bottom rebuild, there were surely going to be whiffs follows. Or does it follow them around? and home runs. This one looks to have been a whiff, based solely on the return, but it was a swing that needed to be taken. Potentially two first- “I’d like to think they’re not a coincidence,” McDonagh said. “Just rounders, two supposedly top prospects and an NHL player … not to speaking about Patty Maroon, he’s got a savviness that he brings with mention the cap savings. him into the locker room, and it rubs off to guys and brings a certain level of confidence — not over the top, but just enough to know that if you do Now only Lundkvist, who signed his entry-level contract in the spring and the right things, if you play to your team’s structure, you have a chance to will be in coach Gerard Gallant’s first training camp in September, can win every night. And he keeps our group pulling in the same direction. save it. Namestnikov, incidentally, was dealt to Ottawa for a fourth-round pick that comes due later this month. “So as far as leadership goes, that’s what you want, you know? That’s what I try to be, that’s what (Alex) Killorn tries to be, and Patty. All of us The deal, of course, was also part of a larger movement of players from that have been around the league a long time and have played in playoff New York to Tampa Bay in the mid to late 2010s. Ryan Callahan, Brian series, you’ve got to get everybody into the fight and pulling in the same Boyle and Dan Girardi were all part of it, Kevin Shattenkirk won a Cup direction. We all do a great job of stepping up in different moments and with the Lightning last season, and now McDonagh has two. It isn’t lost playoff series, and of getting our group with the right mindset to go out on anyone that it was also the Lightning (with Boyle and Callahan) who and play.” ended the Rangers’ last lengthy playoff run.

McDonagh has now played in 162 playoff games — the equivalent of a Nor is it lost that there’s some irony to a McDonagh trade falling flat for full major-league baseball season, or two NHL seasons — and in 12 the Rangers after, to start his NHL career, he was part of one of the playoff series for the Lightning after 16 with the Rangers. He is tied for greatest trades in team history — and clearly the best under then-GM Glen Sather.

Sather foisted Scott Gomez’s cap hit of $7.357 million onto Montreal’s books, along with Michael Busto and Tom Pyatt, in exchange for McDonagh (seen at the time as a good prospect), Chris Higgins and Pavel Valentenko. The next day, he used the cap space savings to sign free agent Marian Gaborik, who would have two 40-goal seasons as a Ranger. He later flipped Higgins and Ales Kotalik to Calgary for (I apologize for using those last two words around Rangers fans) and ultra-tough and useful winger Brandon Prust.

It changed the immediate history and the culture of the Rangers and launched them into half a decade of playoff runs.

If not for McDonagh’s broken foot — and injuries to fellow defensemen Girardi, Marc Staal and Keith Yandle — I believe the Rangers would have won Game 7 of the 2015 conference finals and gone to the Stanley Cup Final instead of the Lightning. The 2015 team, in my opinion, was stronger than the ’14 team that lost to Los Angeles in the Final, and the ’15 team had a better season, in McDonagh’s first season as captain.

If you recall, before Game 7 of that series, McDonagh had his broken foot frozen, but the freezing didn’t take right away. So the Rangers scrapped their four-line game to dress an extra defenseman (Matt Hunwick, who was hired last month to work in Chris Drury’s new hockey operations department) in case McDonagh couldn’t play. He played, but his skating suffered and the Rangers were blanked in Game 7.

Now, you listen to McDonagh speak about the way the Lightning go about their business, and it almost sounds as if he’s laying out a lesson for the Rangers. A lesson they didn’t learn last season:

“I think most importantly, our play with the puck, our decision-making with the puck, our understanding of when there’s a play to be made and when there’s not, to be high-percentage,” McDonagh said. “It’s been the biggest key to our success the last handful of years, for sure last year. … It’s just not feeding teams, not turning pucks over.

“That’s when you obviously find yourself out of sorts, out of structure, maybe on the wrong side of things, guys going off for changes. When you turn the puck over and don’t manage the game the right way when the puck’s on your stick, that’s when things can get out of sorts. I think that’s something we stress all the time, that we’ve got some skill and we like to make plays. If the play’s there to be made, try and make it, but if it’s not, try not to force things.”

Gallant and Drury and whoever the Rangers’ next captain might be, if they ever get around to naming one, ought to jot that down.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021

1190298 In Dorion’s office, Wideman knew he would be jettisoned from the organization. His thoughts were a blur. He’d have to tell his fiancee, Caroline Morehead, not to renew her gym membership. Instead, she’d have to head to Home Depot to pick up boxes for their upcoming move. The ‘Uber Incident’: Did a secret video destroy an NHL career? To where? He didn’t know.

Wideman also thought about his father, who had always told him, “Never give anybody a reason not to play you.” He knew that he had ignored that Jeremy Rutherford Jul 7, 2021 bit of advice and that the effect of that mistake would be profound.

Eighteen days later, on Nov. 22, Wideman was traded to Edmonton. Chris Wideman stood shoulder to shoulder with six Ottawa teammates in Dorion declined to be interviewed for this story, but those familiar with general manager Pierre Dorion’s office. It was Nov. 4, 2018, and his how Ottawa handled the situation suggest there was an imbalance in the career with the Senators would soon be over. protection given to Duchene, who was in the final year of a $30 million deal, and even Chabot over a player like Wideman. Just a few minutes earlier, Wideman had been playing soccer in the lower level of the Canadian Tire Centre before a game against Tampa He was taking the fall and actually accepted it. He had made it to the Bay. When a media-relations person came to get him and the other NHL because he was a good soldier and didn’t want to be a distraction. players, Wideman’s first reaction was: “We’re all being traded?” The trade was the beginning of an odyssey that saw him dealt three In Dorion’s office, Wideman was lined up alongside Matt Duchene, times in four months and included two minor-league stops. He played for Thomas Chabot, Dylan DeMelo, Alex Formenton, Chris Tierney and five teams in 2018-19. And wherever Wideman went, the Uber incident Colin White. They were looking up at a TV mounted on the wall, and followed. Promising opportunities evaporated. Was he a disposable when the GM hit play, it didn’t make sense to Wideman. He had no clue player in his late 20s whose time had run out? Or had he been what he was watching. blackballed by one regrettable misstep? There were lots of nights laying in hotel beds in minor league cities when he’d look up at the ceiling and The grainy video was from a few weeks earlier. A supposed private ponder that question. conversation during an Uber ride in Arizona had been secretly recorded. It showed the players jammed into an SUV, talking smack about their Wideman still doesn’t know the answer, but he’s not letting that stop him own team and assistant coach Marty Raymond, in particular. from chasing his NHL dream a second time. He went to Russia to re- establish himself this season, and did so, winning the KHL’s defenseman Dorion went down the line, addressing the players. “I traded for you,” he of the year award. That led to an invitation to play for Team USA at the said to DeMelo and Tierney. “You’re supposed to be a leader,” he said to World Championships in Latvia this spring. Duchene. But the KHL is a much different league than the NHL, and Wideman is 31 Then Dorion got to Wideman, and it was clear he would be the years old now. Also, has enough time passed since the Uber incident scapegoat. that teams will evaluate him solely on his performance? He’ll find out when free agency opens later this month. “I was told that someone’s head was going to roll and it was going to be me,” Wideman says. Today, when Wideman watches the video, he’s remorseful but says the players weren’t being malicious or deceitful to the club. On Oct. 29, 2018, the Senators were on a routine NHL road trip to Arizona to face the Coyotes. The night before the game, Wideman and “It was guys talking about their jobs and frustrations with some of the his six teammates went to dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak house. When results we had been getting, and the results were a direct correlation of they finished, Wideman summoned an Uber for the return trip to the most of our performances,” Wideman says. “It’s something that we were team’s hotel, the Renaissance, just a couple of miles away and passionate about and clearly frustrated. conveniently located across the street from the Gila River Arena in downtown Glendale. When the Toyota Sienna van arrived, they all piled “I’m sorry to the coach (Raymond) that was involved. What was said … in for the short ride back to the hotel, Wideman sliding into the front was unfair to him. I do feel bad for that. As far as the way that it’s passenger seat next to the driver, James Sparklin. affected me, unfortunately it’s hard to say that it hasn’t. Without that happening, things would be different.” As the vehicle left the restaurant, the players began criticizing their penalty-killing unit and Raymond’s coaching. By NHL standards, many people call the players’ commentary tame.

Sparklin asked the players what team they played for and Wideman “Hockey is a really emotional sport, and venting is part of the releasing of replied, “Ottawa.” Then Wideman sarcastically added, “As you can energy,” says Ken Hitchcock, who coached Wideman in Edmonton. “It’s probably tell, we’re really pleased with …” and a few other players like that for players and it’s like that for coaches. When you work together finished the sentence. in an organization, you get through the venting so you can be productive.” Wideman and Duchene did a lot of the talking, but the group played off each other. Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop, who grew up with Wideman, says those kinds of conversations “happen in hockey all the time.” “Do you notice that when (Raymond) runs the video, if you actually do pay attention, he doesn’t ever teach you anything?” Wideman said. “He After seeing the video, Wideman’s dad, Gary, thinks back to what he just commentates what’s happening.” taught his son. “Give them a reason to play you. Don’t make it easy for them and give them a reason not to.” “We don’t change anything, ever,” Duchene added. “So why do we even have a meeting? I haven’t paid attention in three weeks.” But even Gary thinks the Senators overreacted, saying the players weren’t drinking or taking drugs. “They were talking hockey and they After a few minutes, the Toyota pulled up to the hotel and the players were talking facts,” he says. “These kids, there’s passion, and if they climbed out. didn’t care, they wouldn’t be talking about it.’”

All of it was captured on a dashboard-mounted camera. Wideman was 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds when he was drafted by Ottawa in the fourth round, at No. 100, in the 2009 NHL Draft. He played four Sparklin drove off and Styx’s “Come Sail Away” played quietly on his seasons at Miami University and the first three of his pro career with the stereo. Peeking at his phone, he muttered, “Fuck you,” perhaps upset , Ottawa’s AHL affiliate. about the tip. He thought the players were “cheap entitled kids” and eventually uploaded the Uber video of the group on YouTube and sent He finally cracked Ottawa’s lineup in 2015-16, putting up 13 points in 64 the link via Twitter to the Ottawa Citizen. games, and a year later a career-high 17 points in 76 games.

With a local newspaper possessing the video and all of the preexisting He was fitting in well with the team, too. dysfunction in the Senators’ organization, another scandalous story was about to become an instant headline in the NHL. “He was a social guy and could bring some leadership that way,” says Duchene, who joined Ottawa in a trade from Colorado in 2017. Wideman had overcome long odds, and he also dodged a potential Wideman did return to St. Louis for the AHL All-Star break, and while health disaster in 2016. Doctors feared he had cardiomyopathy, a home, heard that the Thunderbirds wanted him to stay there. The family disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder to pump blood to the was infuriated, but Wideman said, “I’m not giving up.” rest of the body and can lead to heart failure. He went back to Springfield with the hope of being moved by the Wideman was sent to the Ottawa Heart Institute and later the Mayo looming NHL trade deadline. He was sitting in the same hotel room that Clinic. He was diagnosed with an enlarged heart, not cardiomyopathy, had hosted many depressing nights when his phone rang on Feb. 25, and given the OK to resume his career. 2019.

Then, a month into a terrific start to the 2017 season, Wideman tore his It was the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had made a trade with Florida and hamstring when Pittsburgh’s fell on him. wanted Wideman to come straight to Pittsburgh. He was back in the NHL and told the Penguins, “You’re basically going to save my career.” He had surgery Dec. 1 in New York and rehabbed for eight months during the final season of his two-year, $1.6 million contract with the But in the time it took to tell his fiancee that Pittsburgh had acquired him, Senators. the Penguins were calling back.

“It probably could have ended my career if I didn’t attack it the way that I “Hey, we just traded for Erik Gudbranson,” the caller said. “So there’s a did,” Wideman says. “It taught me a lot about myself and persevering car service that’s going to pick you up, and you’re going to Wilkes-Barre through a physical injury and the mental part of being injured during a (Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate).” contract year.” “What in the fuck is going on?” Wideman thought. In June of 2018, four months before the Uber incident, Wideman received a one-year, $1 million contract extension. Once again, his mom was worried. Where would he go from here? “Was he just going to walk away from the game?” she wondered. “Possibly.” When the trade to Edmonton went down, Ottawa was playing in Dallas. It was Thanksgiving week, and Wideman was planning to have dinner at At that point, Wideman trusted only those close to him. Bishop tried to Bishop’s house. keep his friend positive, reminding him that teams were still trading for him. In the ultimate irony, Wideman was in an Uber on the way to Bishop’s when he learned he was being sent to the Oilers. “But when you get traded three or four times in a season, it can start to get very fatiguing mentally,” Bishop says. “I’m sure he was probably “He was excited,” says Bishop, who had been traded three times in his saying ‘If we had just got a different Uber in Arizona, maybe we wouldn’t career and helped Wideman understand what to expect. He even drove be in this scenario.’” his friend back to his hotel to pick up his stuff and then to the airport. Wherever Wideman went, everyone wanted to know about Uber. Morehead flew to Ottawa to ship Wideman’s belongings to Edmonton. They waited three weeks for the packages to arrive, leaving Wideman In Edmonton, he went out to dinner with captain Connor McDavid and a without a heavy winter coat in the frigid Alberta temperatures. few Oilers players, and there was a brief discussion about it. By the time he got to Wilkes-Barre, he told the team, “If you guys want to hear about But that wasn’t the baggage that concerned him. this, come hear it now because I’m not going to talk about it again.”

“I had been with the Ottawa organization for 10 years, and I’ve got this It wasn’t just in the locker room. Players’ wives and girlfriends routinely Uber thing that I’m worried about,” Wideman says. “It’s like, ‘How much asked Morehead what happened. She wasn’t trying to hide it, but says, mental capacity did I have to really focus on my game?’” “How do you even describe it?’”

His time in Edmonton lasted about a month and just five games. The Meanwhile, the six players who rode the Uber with Wideman didn’t seem Oilers needed more size, so they traded him to Florida for 6-4, 216- to be experiencing repercussions. pound Alexander Petrovic. Duchene was traded to Columbus in February 2019. He became a free While disappointed, Wideman was looking forward to playing for his first agent after the season and signed a seven-year, $56 million free-agent U.S.-based NHL team. The Panthers, he says, gave him a business card contract with Nashville. for a local realtor and told him to find a place to live. “It’s a very different situation, obviously, than ‘Wides’ because I was in But the day after playing his first game, Wideman was house-hunting control, or had a bit of control, and with him, he hasn’t,” Duchene says. “It when the Panthers called to say they were placing him on waivers. If he happens to so many great players in this league. It’s part of the cleared, he would be sent to their AHL affiliate in Springfield, Mass. business.”

Waivers is a 24-hour process in which 30 other clubs could put in a bid A year after Uber, DeMelo (28 years old) was traded by Ottawa to for him. So the next day, on Wideman’s 29th birthday, he sat in a Winnipeg. But the remaining players Chabot (24), Formenton (21), Starbucks parking lot with his fiancee, refreshing his social media. Tierney (26) and White (24) remain with the Senators.

It was in that lot that Wideman learned, via Twitter, that he was headed It’s possible Wideman’s issues weren’t solely about Uber. He was a then- back to the AHL, where he’d won the defenseman of the year award with 29-year-old depth defenseman who might have been on his way out of the Binghamton Senators in 2014-15 and “basically proved everything I the league anyway. could in that league.” In an interview during the summer of 2019, Wideman couldn’t say with Many of his possessions had yet to arrive in Florida from Edmonton, but certainty that he’d still be in Ottawa if not for the incident but insisted he suddenly he was off to Massachusetts and a 450-square-foot hotel room. wouldn’t be in the situation he was. And he was alone. Morehead returned to St. Louis, their offseason home, to get the couple’s salon business off the ground. “But what that situation is, I couldn’t really tell you,” he said at that time.

Wideman admitted that he had his guard up in Springfield, which might Wideman thought his chances of playing in the NHL again, for whatever have rubbed his new teammates the wrong way. There were a lot of reason, were slim. sleepless nights where he wondered, “How did I get here?’” Then in mid-July of that year, he was back, receiving a one-year, two- His dad was calling two to three times per day, and they would talk for way contract from Anaheim. hours. When the deal was announced, one of the first congratulatory texts was “His mental state — his drive — he was so discouraged. We were very from Duchene. concerned,” Gary says. “I’m really happy for him and I hope that he gets an opportunity,” “I believed he had some kind of breakdown and we were deciding, ‘Do Duchene said then. we fly there?’” Julie says. Anaheim GM Bob Murray and head coach Dallas Eakins had discussed Gary was ready to book the flight, but his son politely asked him not to. Uber before offering the contract and suggested they weren’t worried He wanted to tough it out. about it. “The reality is, man, that’s some adversity for that kid to go through,” TORPEDO'S @CHRIS_WIDEMAN  HAS SCORED 41 PTS IN 59 GP Eakins says. “Good on him for getting through it, and good on Bobby AND WAS NAMED KHL TOP DEFENSEMAN OF THE Murray for going, ‘Hey, this is a good player. We’re not going to worry YEAR!#KHLAWARDS PIC.TWITTER.COM/N3LQYZWD1G about that stuff.’” — KHL (@KHL_ENG) JUNE 8, 2021 They told Wideman if he played well, he’d be in the NHL, and that’s all he was hoping to hear. But after what he thought was a solid training camp Three days after Torpedo’s season ended, Wideman and Caroline flew in Anaheim, Wideman was sent down to the team’s AHL affiliate, the San back to St. Louis. When he walked in the front door of their home, he was Diego Gulls. greeted by his GoldenDoodle, Shooter, who was 50 pounds when he left and 90 pounds when he returned. Eakins says the Ducks had a competition for a couple of depth spots on defense and went a different direction. Though he was an AHL All-Star, “He was like, ‘Where the hell have you been?’” Wideman says. “He he was called up just once briefly and didn’t get into a game. basically followed me into the shower for the next week.”

Wideman would have to head overseas if he was going to prove himself If only the NHL were so welcoming. again. After quarantining, the defenseman has been back in the gym and on the The wedding was small — only 10 including the bride and groom — and ice, preparing for free agency. the backdrop in Montecito, Calif., on July 29, 2020, was beautiful. “In the history of the league, 100-something years, there have been like But as happy as Wideman was to make Morehead his wife, he couldn’t 7,000 players,” Wideman says. “But how many guys have made it twice? shake the thought that he would be leaving for Russia soon. Like, it’s hard to make it once, and it’s super hard to stay, but it’s super hard to get back once you’ve been kicked to the curb a little bit.” Wideman had signed with the KHL’s Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo in May, and just 13 days after the nuptials, he’d head to training camp without If it doesn’t happen, whether it’s because of Uber or the fact that he’s 31 her. years old and two years removed from an NHL game, people surrounding Wideman just want others to know that what appeared on Morehead told her new husband “when you play in the NHL, you’re gone that video shouldn’t shape everyone’s entire opinion of him. anyway, so it doesn’t matter if you’re in Russia or on the moon, you’re going to be away. If you’re going, play well and make it worth your while.” “It’s unfair to get that league-wide impression when really that’s not who you are,” Bishop says. “It just stinks that he had to be the guinea pig for Wideman arrived in Nizhny Novgorod at around 3 a.m. He checked into a that. I think people are more aware now of their surroundings when hotel with a room so small that it barely fit his luggage. When the sun they’re in Ubers and cars, as far as cameras. Somebody had to be the came up, he pulled down a set of shades that didn’t live up to their name. first to go through it, and unfortunately it was Chris.”

He was operating on adrenaline. He hadn’t been on the ice for two weeks Wideman’s parents say that with all he’s overcome, it’s hard to watch this because of the wedding, so he was rusty. And the KHL is a different style incident define him. of game, so he struggled at the start. “He put himself in this situation, but clearly, he’s owned it,” Gary says. “I remember the first five games, I got undressed by guys on the other “As a parent, you tell your kids that you have a reputation and you have team three or four times, like worse than I’ve ever had in my career,” character. It takes a long time to build that, and it only takes a split- Wideman says. “I was like, ‘I can’t handle it over here.’ I was ready to second to affect it. It’s just a shame that in this vacuum, he looks like he’s come home.” a bad person. He gets moved four times and he’s a bad-character person.” He credits Torpedo defensive coach Sandis Ozolinsh, who played nearly 900 games in a 15-year NHL career, with keeping him positive. Ozolinsh “It’s been very hard to not want to throw in the towel, not on him, but on told him “just play … if I was as good with the puck as you are, I’d still be this whole hockey thing,” Julie says. “I was a huge hockey fan growing playing.” up, and it’s just very difficult to watch a game now. But as far as Chris is concerned, there’s nothing he can do that will change the way I feel and The other help for Wideman was having former Miami University how proud I am of him.” teammate Andy Miele with him in Russia. Wideman thanks his parents and wife, along with his brother Alex, for When Wideman got the offer, he called Miele, who had played previously their support and apologizes for what he put them through. But three with Torpedo. Miele not only advised Wideman to take the deal; he years later, he’s almost glad Uber happened. terminated his contract with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, Arizona’s affiliate, and joined him. “I look at it now like, ‘There was a plan for me to kind of go through this at some point in my life,’” he says. “It made it really fucking hard for a while, Early in the season, with Torpedo losing and Wideman struggling, but it’s made me a better husband, a better friend, a better business Wideman wondered if he had made the right decision. But then his play owner, and it’ll make me a better father. picked up, he became a leader, and after five long months, his wife’s visa was approved and she joined him in Russia. “Yeah, Uber disappeared (from the headlines), but for one guy, it didn’t. It never did. I want people to know that I am sorry. I want people to know “We were at a Courtyard Marriott in Nizhny Novgorod with about 900 that I have learned a lesson. But I want people to know that even after square feet, but it was great,” he says. everything, I didn’t stop working.” Morehead arrived around the time of Wideman’s birthday, and after a Ottawa Sun LOADED: 07.08.2021 Torpedo game, the couple celebrated by going to dinner with a few North American players. The team’s GM, Maxim Gafurov, was at the same restaurant and bought Russian vodka shots for the group.

Four nights later, it was Caroline’s birthday, and Wideman scored a goal on his first shift. They went out again. It was like date night every night.

When they returned to the hotel after games, Caroline would stay up late on her computer, running the St. Louis salon from Russia. She had 31 employees and kept everyone on the payroll through the pandemic. That was part of the reason Wideman played in Russia; to help keep the company afloat.

“She’s supported me so much, and I just wanted to support her any way I could,” Wideman says.

The other reason was to rejuvenate his career, and that worked out, too. He finished with 41 points in 59 games and became the first American to be named KHL defenseman of the year. 1190299 Pittsburgh Penguins By no means is he a lost cause. He has all the base elements of being a modern NHL defenseman. Namely, he can skate and move the puck up ice. Plus, he’s a right-handed shot, always a valuable commidity on the blue line. Penguins A to Z: Joshua Maniscalco needs some results in 2021-22 The fact that Maniscalco spent more time practicing and refining his defensive game than playing in an AHL season that was abbreviated due to the pandemic probably wasn’t the worst thing in the world for him. SETH RORABAUGH | Wednesday, July 7, 2021 11:05 a.m. But he needs to take a big step forward in 2021-22. The Penguins

invested quite a bit into signing him as three-year entry-level contracts In eight AHL games in 2020-21, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins aren’t typically offered to undrafted players. (Nor do most players get a defenseman Joshua Maniscalco had no points. phone call from Mario Lemieux recruiting them to sign with the organization.) With the Penguins in the midst of their offseason, the Tribune-Review is looking at all 48 players currently under NHL contracts to the Maniscalco still has plenty of potential. He needs to supplement it with organization in alphabetical order, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari results next season. to top-six winger Jason Zucker. Tribune Review LOADED: 07.08.2021 Joshua Maniscalco

Position: Defensemen

Shoots: Right

Age: 22

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 205 pounds

2020-21 AHL statistics: Eight games, zero points (zero goals, zero assists)

Contract: First year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $853,333. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2023.

(Note: Maniscalco is exempt from waivers should he be assigned to the American Hockey League.)

Acquired: Signed as an undrafted free agent, Aug. 21, 2020

2020-21 season: It was easy and tempting to make the comparison.

A right-handed defenseman.

Some offensive touch.

And the Penguins sure made a strong push to sign him, convincing him to leave school early to turn professional.

Could Joshua Maniscalco be the next John Marino?

As it turned out, he wasn’t. At least not yet.

Maniscalco put up some big numbers as a sophomore at Arizona State in 2019-20 as he recorded 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in only 36 games.

He would have returned for his junior season, but given the uncertainty involving how the NCAA would orchestrate a 2020-21 season due to the pandemic, Maniscalco embraced the security of the three-year entry- level contract the Penguins offered him.

After attending the Penguins’ NHL training camp in early January, Maniscalco was assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

After playing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s first two games of the season (Feb. 8 and 11), Maniscalco did not see another game until March 31.

Management opted to scratch Mansicalco for the better part of two months in favor of players on AHL contracts as it was thought he was just not ready for the professional game, particularly as it pertained to the defensive details of his position.

All the while, Maniscalco was shuffled between the AHL roster and the taxi squad in transactions that were geared towards getting him some instruction with NHL coaches as well as day-to-day salary cap management.

His final game of the season came May 9. In a 6-2 road loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Mansicalco primarily skated on the third pairing and put up a season-best three shots.

The future: There is really nowhere to go but up for Maniscalco after such a lackluster first professional season. 1190300 Pittsburgh Penguins — Nathan Starszak (@NStarszak) July 5, 2021 A good point. Also would point out that the lightning will have won 2 cups

on shortened and very unordinary seasons. Tim Benz: No, Twitter. Tampa Bay Lightning don't need an asterisk if — Southern Yinzer (@steelpengos42) July 6, 2021 they win back-to-back Stanley Cups. Granted, both regular seasons were shortened. Two years of funky

playoff formatting made things odd. So did the all-divisional regular TIM BENZ | Wednesday, July 7, 2021 6:08 a.m. season format in 2021. And the bubble environment lessened the travel grind during the 2020 playoffs as well.

But as TheHockeyWriters.com pointed out after Tampa’s win last year, Regardless of what happens the rest of the way in the Stanley Cup Final, many arguments could be advanced that claiming the 2020 Cup was the Tampa Bay Lightning are about to accomplish something every bit as hard—if not harder—because of the bubble schedule and monumental. circumstances.

They’ll either eliminate the Montreal Canadiens with their next victory to I won’t go that far. But I will defend the Lightning against those who want become a rare squad that can boast back-to-back championships. Or to besmirch their potential back-to-back victories. they’ll blow a 3-0 series lead in historically ignominious fashion. Especially Penguins fans. Because I remember fielding a lot of sports Given that Tampa Bay is up 3-1 and heading back to Florida for a talk show phone calls, tweets, texts and emails from hockey fans in potential elimination game, my money is on the former. Pittsburgh dismissing such an argument back in 2013.

Even though their mayor did everything in her power to jinx the franchise Remember that season? It was the lockout-shortened 48-game with her request that the Lightning allow the Canadiens to win Game 4 to campaign in which the Penguins were favored to win the Eastern avoid a sweep, thus allowing Tampa’s Cup celebration to occur on home Conference heading into the playoffs. That was the “ year.” ice. And any such mention of an asterisk to what — at the time — would’ve been the franchise’s fourth Stanley Cup was met with frothy-mouthed HOT TAKE: Mayor @JaneCastor thinks the Bolts should ditch the sweep fury by this fan base. and win the #StanleyCup in 5. What do ya think, #bolts fans? #GoBolts @TBLightning @BN9 @SpecSports360 pic.twitter.com/edPLUlAR3H The Boston Bruins made that whole conversation a moot point in the Eastern Conference Final. But let’s avoid being hypocrites anyway. — Adria Iraheta (@AdriaIrahetaTV) July 4, 2021 In the end, the Chicago Blackhawks won the crown that summer. Their By Tuesday — after the Lighting ended up losing 3-2 in overtime — she second of three over a six-year span. realized how dumb of a thing that was to say, even in jest. I don’t see a lot of people going back in time and demanding an asterisk Mayor @JaneCastor just now during Elsa presser: “Don’t try to be funny for them. Similarly, the 1994-95 Devils won a Cup during a 48-game when you’re the mayor, especially when it comes to sports!” regular season. They only lost four times during the playoff run, and it (In reference to this video) was the first of three titles in eight years. Do they deserve an asterisk as well? — Adria Iraheta (@AdriaIrahetaTV) July 6, 2021 Much like those two teams, this Tampa outfit is in a run of excellent Political hexes aside, I still think the Lightning win one of their next three hockey. Going back to 2015, this is the franchise’s third trip to the Final. games to claim the Stanley Cup for a second straight season. That would Plus, it has two other Eastern Conference Final appearances which make them just the third franchise to do so since the end of the resulted in seven-game defeats to eventual Champions (the Penguins in Edmonton Oilers dynasty of the 1980s. 2016 and the Washington Capitals in 2018). Not to mention that 62-win Presidents’ Trophy juggernaut in 2019 that somehow got swept by the The Penguins turned that trick twice in 1991-92 and again in 2016-17. Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round. The Detroit Red Wings went back-to-back in 1997-98. So it’s not as if you can argue that the shortened regular seasons and Predictably, hockey fans in other markets are preemptively trying to rejiggered playoff formats have allowed Tampa to somehow fluke their minimize Tampa Bay’s accomplishment, suggesting that an asterisk way to success these past two seasons exclusively. should be attached since a 2020-21 double-dip will have occurred during a pair of coronavirus-impacted seasons. When opinions raged at the outset of the pandemic about whether or not it’d be worthwhile to restart sports under modified conditions, I argued If the Lightning win again do we call them the Kings of Covid? Back to then that debates over asterisks exist in the moment. Then they fade into Back asterisk Cups? forgotten footnotes. But the teams themselves — and the memories they create — do not. — N€₩T○N (@ajnecho) June 28, 2021 I feel the same way coming out of the pandemic while watching this club Oh I’m on the Habs train for this final. Just want to make sure the from Tampa. Lightning are aware of their 2* cups wins. #asterisk In Wednesday’s podcast, Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network — Mike Hall (@MikeHall_84) June 27, 2021 joins me to debate this topic, some offseason Penguins plans, the Lightning about to have 2 asterisk Stanley cups network broadcast move to ESPN/Turner and if the Lightning are poised to close out the Stanley Cup Final Wednesday night. — Kevin (@2032President) June 26, 2021 Tribune Review LOADED: 07.08.2021 I despise the whole lightning team. Putting an asterisk against both these stanley cups (if they win this yr) for my own personal pleasure lol.

— Ricky Mitchell  (@mitchell_ricky) June 9, 2021

The lightning are gonna have back to back mickey mouse asterisk cups wow

— Mark Weathers (@markweathers15) June 5, 2021

Yes, it appears the Penguins are part of the conversation, too.

I will say Pittsburgh two cups wins are better then The Lightning Cup wins. Lightning have better players and they were over the salary cap. Plus, they have better superstar talent than the Penguins did 1190301 Pittsburgh Penguins But one thing they should not overlook is fresh legs and the increased performance both in the regular season and the playoffs.

Scratch in the second of back-to-back games? Yep. What the Penguins (and Hockey) Need to Learn from Tampa Bay & Scratch Evgeni Malkin on a Saturday night so he can get three days of Montreal rest?? Yep.

Juggle the lineup for a game and risk defeat? You betcha. By Dan Kingerski The Pittsburgh Penguins played some remarkable stretches in the 2020- 21 season. They had 13 games in 24 days and 17 games in 33 days. It was grueling. Somewhere on a stone tablet where hockey was founded by Mi’kmaq natives and Irish settlers in the early 1800s, it is written that hockey Their reward for winning the division was a Round One match with the players must play through injury, play through all aches and pains and be New York Islanders. Yay. That made the journey all worthwhile, eh? there for their team. Few teams have suffered as many injuries as the As the Penguins proved this season (and last, and the one before that), Pittsburgh Penguins, and few have fought through more nagging pains the energy of new players can be contagious. It can overcome the lack of than Sidney Crosby. a star player in short bursts. Looking at the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning in the And when the star players return, they are better, which gives teams a Stanley Cup Final, one question arises. better chance to win those games, too. That’s a win-win. Why? Teddy Blueger proved to be a capable third-line center. Jeff Carter put up Why do hockey players push through injuries, and why do coaches plug points as a second-line center, too. So, it’s time to rest Crosby and in their star players for as many of the 82-game schedule (or 56-games) Malkin, especially. Perhaps a lesser workload will even lessen the as the player can wear skates? injuries, too.

At some point, proving toughness is counterproductive. So, it’s time to step into the 21st century. Players grinding for 82 games may be necessary for shallow teams which fight and scrap to make the While Tampa Bay has a few star players who are Conn Smythe-worthy, playoffs. Maybe it’s not the best solution for other teams. the player with the biggest advantage is Nikita Kucherov. He missed the regular season after December hip surgery and is fresh as a daisy in the For a team keeping a mid-30s core intact, some January or March rest playoffs. may just reduce their offseason rest. And that’s what the Stanley Cup Final can teach the Penguins and the rest of hockey. Look at the results. Kucherov has joined Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux as players who have averaged more than one point per game in Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 07.08.2021 consecutive playoff runs.

The Tampa Bay winger has 32 points (8-24-32) in just 24 games–the only 24 games he has played this season. The burst in his skates is always noticeable, but it’s even more noticeable without the burden of being pummeled by the regular season.

Steven Stamkos also missed a chunk of time and got a bit of a rest at the end of the regular season when he too could have possibly returned. Stamkos has 18 points (8-10-18) in 22 games and has been pretty, pretty good, too.

Montreal’s best player is rookie Cole Caufield. The electric winger is going to be a superstar. He played just 10 games in the regular season after finishing his sophomore season at Wisconsin.

Remarkably, Montreal head coach Dominique Ducharme didn’t immediately insert Caufield into the playoff lineup. But Ducharme relented in Game 3 of the Round One series, and Caufield took off.

Caufield, 20, has 12 points (4-8-12) in 19 games for the low-scoring Canadiens.

Tell me again why Sidney Crosby has to play in every game? Or Kris Letang or Evgeni Malkin?

Why do hockey teams, not just the Pittsburgh Penguins, grind their best players in the regular season? Baseball and basketball have adopted resting strategies for their players because the math showed the players performed better.

The playoffs chase is more difficult in hockey. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has brushed aside questions about resting star players based on the difficulty of making the playoffs (I know because, in previous years, I’ve asked).

But the Penguins won the East division without half of their forwards crew for large chunks of the season.

Crosby will turn 34 in August. Malkin will turn 35 this month, and injuries have already taken a giant bite out of his last two playoff performances.

There are plenty of things to copy from Tampa Bay and Montreal. Defensive hockey, heavy defensemen, star players, and great goaltending. Teams will browse the buffet of things to take from the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. 1190302 San Jose Sharks

Sharks president Becher doubles down on disinterest in rebuild

BY ALEX DIDION

The Sharks haven't made the playoffs since the 2018-19 season, and finished second-to-last in the Honda West Division this past year. Despite the recent struggles, Sharks president Jonathan Becher doubled down on the organization's public stance that a rebuild is not in the cards.

"Yeah I'll reiterate what Doug has said, our owner, (Sharks general manager Doug Wilson) Doug, myself, that's not something we wanna live through," Becher told reporters Monday during a virtual press conference. "It'd be hard for me to sell a three-year season ticket plan to someone and say 'we plan not to be good for the next three to four years.' "

Wilson laid out his expectations for next season in May, indicating that he expects the Sharks to return to contention in 2021-22.

"I expect this to be a very good hockey team," Wilson said (h/t Associated Press). "I expect a team every year to compete for the playoffs. If we add the right things, players get back in their cycle, they're able to do that. I think we'll be a very good team next year. I really do."

As San Jose Hockey Now's Sheng Peng pointed out a few months ago, this past season marked just the third time in franchise history that the Sharks have missed the playoffs in back-to-back years, and the first time in 24 years.

The Sharks have a number of veterans with contracts that extend three to four years into the future, contracts that could be difficult to offload without surrendering draft picks that would be integral to kickstarting a rebuild.

Rebuilds are difficult to sell to fans, especially teams that struggle to maintain a foothold of support in a market.

The Sharks' top brass appear to be in agreement that rebuilding isn't an option, but after a last-place finish in the Western Conference in 2019-20 and not much improvement last season, changes will need to be made this offseason.

However, a majority of the current roster also helped lead the Sharks to the Western Conference Finals in 2018-19.

Wilson and the front office currently have $10.3 million in cap space (per CapFriendly) and eight draft picks, including the seventh overall pick, in their possession.

The pressure is on to avoid what never has happened in franchise history: three consecutive years without a playoff appearance.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190303 San Jose Sharks So how would the young analytics whiz turn around his favorite team, back-to-back seasons out of the playoffs?

Let’s talk about that tomorrow. Patrick Bacon Thinks Eklund 4 Times More Likely To Be Star Than San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 07.08.2021 Power

By Sheng Peng

William Eklund is almost four times more likely to be an NHL star than presumptive first-overall pick Owen Power.

That is, according to data scientist Patrick Bacon’s projections. In fact, Power doesn’t even make Bacon’s 2021 NHL Draft top-five, in terms of likelihood for stardom:

William Eklund 71.25 %

Cole Sillinger 62.52 %

Dylan Guenther 50.04 %

Matthew Coronato 45.48 %

Brandt Clarke 38.58 %

You’ll notice a couple of brand-name prospects not on this list besides Power — Matthew Beniers and Luke Hughes, for example. Check out his full 2021 Draft list here.

So what’s so special about Eklund?

“I found the SHL was a pretty tough league to score in. And what it really comes down to is William Eklund scored very well in the SHL in his Draft year. Nobody else in this Draft displayed as good an adjusted scoring in their draft year,” Bacon told San Jose Hockey Now. “That’s really what it comes down to. The model is very high on the SHL — perhaps it’s too high on that league.”

Bacon elaborated: “I built the models to basically put a value on points scored in each league. Points scored in the SHL, points scoring in the USHL, mean something different [in the NHL].

“It was a very long process that tested a ton of different things. I ultimately used five-fold cross-validation statistical techniques to determine the way the model could best predict scoring.”

He further explains his process at TopDown Hockey.

Essentially, Bacon’s Draft projections are based on his own NHLe, or NHL Equivalencies, model. NHLe was developed by hockey analytics pioneer Gabe Desjardins to answer this question, “What’s a goal in one league worth in another?”

Besides the Draft, NHLe can also be applied to older prospects.

Good news for the San Jose Sharks: Jonathan Dahlen and Ivan Chekhovich had terrific seasons according to Bacon’s NHLe model. Dahlen’s 71 points in 45 Allsvenskan tilts was the equivalent of a 45-point NHL campaign, while Chekhovich’s 34 points in 43 KHL contests was the equivalent of a 50-point year.

Bacon, however, was quick to caution: “The NHL equivalency itself is not necessarily projecting anything. By nature, I think the NHL equivalency is really just descriptive. They had very good seasons in those leagues at their ages.”

Essentially, it’s better to take NHLe as a reflection of how exceptional Dahlen and Chekhovich’s 2020-21 campaigns were — it doesn’t mean they’re locks to score 40-plus points for the San Jose Sharks next season.

That said, Bacon concedes Dahlen’s robust NHLe has made him a little more bullish about the polarizing 23-year-old winger.

“I’m a little higher on him after seeing this than I was before,” he said. “Allsvenskan is not a bad league.”

If Dahlen and Chekhovich hit, that also would be good news for Bacon. He’s a Bay Area resident and a life-long San Jose Sharks fan.

“[My parents] had season tickets back when it was HP Pavilion,” the 24- year-old Bacon shared. 1190304 St Louis Blues

Maroon does it again, wins a third straight Stanley Cup

Tom Timmermann

The kid from Oakville has done it again.

St. Louisan Pat Maroon moved into a rare spot in NHL history on Wednesday night as he won his third consecutive Stanley Cup, doing it with two different teams. He won with the Blues in 2019 and now with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021 after their 1-0 win over Montreal in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final in Tampa, Fla.

“It’s crazy,” he said.

Maroon is the first player since 1964 to win three or more consecutive Cups with two different teams. The most recent player to do it was Ed Litzenberger, who won the Cup with Chicago in 1961 and then with Toronto the next three seasons. It was also done by Ab McDonald with Montreal and Chicago from 1958-61 and with Ottawa and the Toronto St. Patricks from 1920-23.

Getting there was special for Maroon.

“I was kind of getting emotional there with a 1:40 left,” he said. “I had to keep it together there. Obviously I’m not out there, I’m watching these guys block shots and smuck it up and do everything they can for an opportunity to win. I’ve been very fortunate, very blessed to be part of three runs, three very good teams.

“You might not see me on the scoresheet. I try to bring a different element to the room, chip in when I can, just kind of relax your team a little bit. I can’t put it into words right now. I was crying basically on the bench with 1:40 left. Couldn’t even through my stuff off (at the end). Being a Stanley Cup champ three years in a row is pretty special. It takes a group, it takes a group of 25 men, and we did it, and I’m very proud of these guys. We worked in such a short season. I’m going to reminisce when I retire with my son, but right now I’m just going to soak it all in.”

While the Cup he won in St. Louis stands out because of his spot as the Hometown Hero, the past two with Tampa Bay, won in less than a year, are special for their own reasons.

“COVID, going into the bubble for 60 plus days (last season),” he said, “then starting the season with COVID, no fans and having a shortened season, bouncing back after we win the Cup two months later, starting the season with 56 games, back to backs, every other day, it takes a lot, and to win the Stanley Cup: guys are banged up, guys are hurt, and it takes a group of men to compete hard every single night and we did that. We come to the playoffs, it was truly remarkable to see our guys work in every series, in every game, how we want to win games. I think this one for sure is the hardest one. We had like two months off, now we just won back to back, I don’t even know what to say. F---ing amazing.”

As so often happens with Maroon, he didn’t log a lot of ice time, playing just 8:35 in the game, with four shots on goal. He averaged just 9:24 for the postseason, with two goals and two assists in 23 games.

A year ago, when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in the Edmonton bubble, the team didn’t get the traditional day with the Stanley Cup.

“So what we’re hoping is getting two days with the Cup,” Maroon said, “back-to-back days because we missed our day last year, so NHL, wake up.”

While many players on the Lightning have won two Cups in a row, Maroon winning three stands out to his teammates.

“This is incredible,” said defenseman Ryan McDonagh. “Unbelievable.”

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190305 St Louis Blues “Obviously, he wasn’t happy and neither were we (with his season),” coach Craig Berube said in his season-wrapup Zoom conference. “He didn’t get going like maybe we thought or he thought.

Blues' Tarasenko wants out of St. Louis “Listen, he’s been out for two years, really. It’s almost two years that he was out and then he’s back, so I think it takes some time for sure.”

But Berube also said that Tarasenko needed to keep working to evolve Jim Thomas his game

“I know he scored a couple goals in the final playoff game, but overall he needs to get his legs going again,” Berube said at time. “Use his body It’s looking more and more as if Vladimir Tarasenko has played his last and just play a harder game down low in the offensive zone, and get to game for the Blues. the harder areas to score goals.” Late last month, the Daily Faceoff reported that the Blues were exploring St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 07.08.2021 a trade of Tarasenko and that Tarasenko appeared to have alerted the Blues about several teams to which he’d be willing to be dealt.

On Wednesday, The Athletic took it a step further, reporting that Tarasenko had in fact requested a trade.

The Post-Dispatch confirmed Wednesday night that Tarasenko has asked for a trade. A source familiar with the situation told the Post- Dispatch that Tarasenko has submitted a list of teams he’s willing to go to via trade and that he wants out of St. Louis.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong declined comment Wednesday night. Tarasenko’s new agent, Paul Theofanous, did not respond to a request for comment.

Beyond the trade request, the source told the Post-Dispatch that Tarasenko was upset over the Blues’ handling of his shoulder issues. He has had three shoulder surgeries over the last three years three months, with two of the three surgeries believed to have been performed by members of the team’s medical staff.

Tarasenko has not gone public with any complaints about the Blues’ medical staff to this point

Trading Tarasenko will be difficult, especially in terms of getting much value in return. He carries a salary cap hit of $7.5 million over the final two seasons of his contract, including a base salary of $9.5 million this season according to Capfriendly.com.

Since his second shoulder surgery, early in the 2019-20 season, Tarasenko has played in only 32 of 140 Blues regular-season and postseason games, scoring six goals with 10 assists.

Before the shoulder issues, Tarasenko was one of the most feared offensive weapons in the National Hockey League. Over a five-year period, from the start of the 2014-15 season through the 2018-19 campaign, Tarasenko scored 182 regular-season goals — the third- highest figure in the league behind only Alex Ovechkin (236) and John Tavares (183).

But since scoring 33 regular-season and 11 postseason goals for the Blues’ Stanley Cup championship team, his production have been derailed because of ongoing shoulder problems. Besides those issues, Tarasenko also missed eight of the team’s final nine regular-season games this season because of a groin injury.

After playing in all four playoff games in the Blues’ first-round ouster by Colorado, he surprised most observers by deciding to play for Team Russia in the World Championship, registering two assists and a game- winning shooting goal in three contests.

There could be other factors at play in Tarasenko’s decision to seek a trade, including his unhappiness over not being named Blues captain before the start of last season. (Ryan O’Reilly was named team captain instead.)

“Of course when you play for eight years at a club and have been an assistant (alternate captain) for a long time you count on it,” Tarasenko told Russian website SPORT24 through Google translate.

He added in that interview: “There were hopes, but how it happened, it happened. I just have to accept it, go out and play.”

Once Tarasenko returned to action in early March, there were ups and downs in his play. The team was 14-8-2 before his return to the lineup, and then went into a 2-8-4 tailspin once he returned. As the season wound down, Tarasenko was moved to the net front on the first power- play unit, yielding his trademark spot on the flank to Mike Hoffman. There were also a few occasions when he wasn’t on the first power play unit. 1190306 St Louis Blues The team did not immediately answer requests for a comment for this story.

Tarasenko’s role was also adjusted in the playoffs, making him the Blues’ Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko requests a trade, per sources: Why he net-front presence on the power play, and that didn’t sit well with him, wants out, possible destinations and more according to sources.

Meanwhile, there was lingering disappointment from Tarasenko after the Blues named Ryan O’Reilly as the 23rd captain in team history the By Jeremy Rutherford Jul 8, 2021 previous summer. That story, which originated in Russian media, died because Tarasenko was unavailable for comment to local media until he

returned to the lineup three months later, when it became a moot topic. What is expected to be an active offseason for the Blues now has a clear But sources say the lack of loyalty after eight seasons with the Blues — No. 1 priority: trading Vladimir Tarasenko. on top of the growing trust issues — reinforced his belief that a change of Tarasenko has officially requested a trade from the club, multiple sources scenery was necessary. have told The Athletic. What are the likely destinations for him? The right winger asked for the move earlier this offseason, and Blues Before we can focus on any destinations, we first have to wonder what general manager Doug Armstrong is currently attempting to facilitate the the interest level is in Tarasenko, who turns 30 in December and has had deal, according to league and team sources. There is no apparent three shoulder surgeries. timetable for a move, but the expectation is that it could happen before the start of the 2021-22 season. On Wednesday, The Athletic surveyed a handful of NHL general managers, who confirmed that Armstrong has quietly been shopping Tarasenko, 29, is entering the seventh year of an eight-year, $60 million Tarasenko for a while. Those GMs were aware of his availability but are contract ($7.5 million annual average value). His full no-trade clause not interested. It’s a small sample but could be a glimpse of the difficulty kicked in two years ago. the Blues can expect in trying to move him. He joins a fairly substantial list of NHL stars who could potentially be There has been speculation that Tarasenko’s camp has supplied the changing uniforms this offseason: Buffalo’s Jack Eichel, Columbus’ Seth Blues with a shortlist of teams to which he’d approve a trade, but sources Jones, Washington’s , Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau say the list includes as many as 10 teams. and Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson are among the names out there. It would make sense for Tarasenko, who switched to agent Paul So why did Tarasenko request a trade? What are the likely destinations Theofanous from Mike Liut this summer, to be open-minded about where for him? What could Armstrong get in return? And with the protected list he’s potentially going. If he limited the number of clubs to which the Blues for the upcoming Seattle expansion draft due on July 17, is a deal could trade him, he’d be lessening his chances of getting moved. imminent? The salary cap is staying at $81.5 million in 2021-22, and according to Let’s dive in … CapFriendly, almost half of the NHL’s teams have less than $15 million Why did Tarasenko request a trade? left in projected space and multiple players still to sign. Money can always be moved around to make it work, but Tarasenko’s $7.5 million Tarasenko was drafted No. 16 overall by the Blues in 2010. He’s the AAV is no small sum to squeeze under the cap. second-longest-tenured player on the roster behind Jaden Schwartz. He was part of the franchise’s first Stanley Cup. Another potential complication is that Tarasenko’s actual salary in 2021- 22 is $9.5 million — $2 million more than his cap hit. That’s because he So why does he want out? According to sources familiar with the received a lesser amount in previous seasons, and in fact, is due just situation, he is upset with the team’s handling of his shoulder surgeries in $5.5 million in actual salary in the last year of his deal in 2022-23. 2018 and 2019 — his first two of three such surgeries, which were both Coming out of a season in which NHL owners lost millions because of performed by Blues physicians — and feels there’s no trust left between the pandemic, that $9.5 million salary next season might thin out the him and the organization. pack of suitors.

In March, The Athletic wrote about those procedures and a third one, in Furthermore, Tarasenko will likely want to play for a contender, and the 2020, which was carried out by non-club doctors at the Steadman Clinic list of those teams with limited cap space next season includes Tampa in Edwards, Colo. The ligament damage from the first injury was not Bay, Pittsburgh, the New York Islanders, Vegas, Washington, Montreal, corrected in either of the first two operations, sources say, and wasn’t Toronto and Florida. They make up eight of the 16 teams that made the caught until Tarasenko was seen by the doctors at Steadman. postseason this year, and the number is nine including the Blues.

VLADIMIR TARASENKO’S RETURN TO THE BLUES: SHOULDER The Islanders, who were knocked out of this year’s playoffs by Tampa SPECIALISTS SEE REASON FOR OPTIMISM BUT WARN THIS Bay, have been mentioned as a possible fit. The New York Rangers, who COULD BE HIS ‘LAST SHOT’ #STLBLUES HTTPS://T.CO/9JGMJ4E3MI have Tarasenko’s close friend Artemi Panarin (who is also represented by Theofanous) could be another. Would he waive his no-trade clause to — JEREMY RUTHERFORD (@JPRUTHERFORD) MARCH 4, 2021 play in Edmonton with Connor McDavid and company? Furthermore, sources say that Tarasenko complained about discomfort in There could be options, but with the salary-cap constraints and lack of his shoulder before rejoining the Blues for the playoffs in the Edmonton interest among some clubs, Tarasenko may not have his pick of the litter bubble in 2020 and that he believes the club waited too long before doing if he wants to be moved in a timely manner. additional testing. What could Armstrong get in return? Tarasenko appeared in four playoff games against Vancouver that postseason and left the bubble early to return to St. Louis for further Well, there are two factors at play. evaluation. It was then that he opted to have the third surgery on the same shoulder in the span of 28 months. No. 1, in an exclusive interview with The Athletic recently, Blues owner Tom Stillman echoed Armstrong’s stance earlier this year that the club’s After that surgery last summer, Tarasenko returned to the lineup in championship window is still open. That would suggest that the team March and scored four goals in 24 regular-season games and two in four would not be interested in trading Tarasenko for draft picks and postseason games — both coming in Game 4 of a series sweep at the prospects. hands of the Colorado Avalanche. No. 2, the Blues may have to retain some of Tarasenko’s $7.5 million cap There was a lot of criticism of Tarasenko’s performance last season — hit in a trade, and how much they remain on the hook for could determine even within the organization — and sources say the lack of trust became the size of the return. a bigger issue at that point because the Blues weren’t taking ownership for the mishandling of the first two surgeries. TOM STILLMAN ON SPENDING TO THE CAP DURING A PANDEMIC: “WE’D BE REMISS IF WE DIDN’T INVEST NOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THAT (CHAMPIONSHIP) WINDOW. YOU COULD HAVE FALLEN BACK AND DROPPED THE SPENDING, BUT YOU DON’T GET CHANCES LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME.”

STORY HTTPS://T.CO/0Q5KNGSZV1

— JEREMY RUTHERFORD (@JPRUTHERFORD) JANUARY 19, 2021

Do the Blues dream big and go after Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk?

Sources say the club has interest in Tkachuk, the oldest son of former Blues player Keith Tkachuk, who is a college scout for the team. The 23- year-old may not be available now, but he has just one year left on his three-year, $21 million contract, after which he’ll be a restricted free agent and could force the Flames’ hand to trade him before he becomes unrestricted.

According to sources, it would take much more than Tarasenko to pry Tkachuk away from Calgary, and that’s if Tarasenko would even waive his no-trade clause to go to western Canada, which isn’t a guarantee.

Another possibility for the Blues is dealing Tarasenko in a cap-savings move and allowing David Perron and Jordan Kyrou to man top-six spots at right wing. There appears to be interest in re-signing Schwartz, a pending UFA, but if that doesn’t happen, the team could use the savings from a Tarasenko trade and what would have gone to Schwartz to help land a more expensive left winger like Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog.

There’s also the option of dealing Tarasenko for a defenseman or using his cap savings to sign a blueliner in free agency.

Is a deal imminent?

The answer at the moment seems to be no, but that could change quickly.

There are just 10 days left before the Blues must submit their protected list for the upcoming Seattle Kraken expansion draft. They are expected to protect seven forwards, and if Tarasenko remains on the roster, he would likely take one of those spots.

In 2017, the Blues used one of their seven spots to protect forward Ryan Reaves and then traded him to Pittsburgh shortly after the Vegas expansion draft. That’s not a lot of time to get a trade of this magnitude done, so one would have to think Armstrong would do the same if he doesn’t have a deal done with Tarasenko before July 17.

IF YOU WERE BLUES GM DOUG ARMSTRONG AND HAD TO PROTECT SEVEN FORWARDS, THREE DEFENSEMEN AND ONE GOALIE FOR THE SEATTLE EXPANSION DRAFT, WHO WOULD THEY BE?

HERE'S MY LIST …HTTPS://T.CO/PHNMQMKT1R #STLBLUES

— JEREMY RUTHERFORD (@JPRUTHERFORD) JUNE 11, 2021

The Blues aren’t going to trade Tarasenko for nothing, so at this point, there appears to be no rush. In 531 regular-season games, he has scored 218 goals, which ranks fifth in club history behind (527), Bernie Federko (352), Brian Sutter (303) and Garry Unger (292). He has 35 goals in 78 playoff games.

Though Tarasenko has had three shoulder surgeries, he still possesses one of the most lethal shots in the league when healthy. But he hasn’t been healthy, which has led to underperforming, which has led to criticism.

The relationship between the Blues and the star winger appears irreparably damaged, and those close to him say it’s time to move on.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190307 Tampa Bay Lightning In a bizarre way, the experience made the past two years even more enjoyable. Or, at least, made us all appreciate just how difficult it is to survive four rounds of the postseason, no matter how many records you challenge. The Lightning have won the Stanley Cup, along with all our hearts That 2019 group may have been a team to admire, but this is a team to embrace.

By John Romano For sure, there were big moments along the way. Late goals early in the postseason, and Andrei Vasilevskiy standing tall in the net in the final two

rounds. And the idea that two of the only newcomers — Ross Colton with TAMPA — This is how you will always remember them. the goal and David Savard on the assist — teamed up for the first goal in Game 5 is even a nice separator between the two Cups. Dancing on the ice, joyous and triumphant. Engaging the crowd, rapturous and noisy. Holding one of the most precious trophies in sports Because, for the most part, this run wasn’t as dramatic as 2020. No above their heads, ferocious and proud. overtime winners and less of a desperation feel. Instead, the best memories of this team will be more introspective. It will be the kinship Yes, the Lightning have done it again. and camaraderie of a group of players that you have grown attached to.

They have put their names in the history books, and they have showered And so now we are dancing in Ybor City, and raising our mugs on Beach Tampa Bay in glory. The Lightning won a second straight Stanley Cup Drive. We’re buying championship swag in Clearwater, and bragging to Wednesday night with a 1-0 victory in Game 5 against the Canadiens, neighbors in Brandon. Sports fans in Tampa Bay are on an 11-month and a community’s winning streak continues unabated. bender unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.

Rewind the video and replay the moment. Look at the sweat, the bruises, A Stanley Cup that was followed by a World Series appearance that was the blood, the euphoria. chased by a Super Bowl title and was then topped off with another Stanley Cup on Wednesday night. Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos, teammates for a dozen years, wrapped their arms around each other while streamers dropped from the New York? Boston? Philadelphia? rafters, and when they finally let go, Hedman gently kissed his friend on the forehead. Ryan McDonagh seemed to cry harder with each Today, they are lightweights. teammate he embraced. Coach Jon Cooper lifted the Stanley Cup above Four decades of ridicule in Tampa Bay stadiums and arenas has been his head and mouthed, “I love you,” as he looked out at the crowd. obscured by the shine of all that bling in 2020 and ’21. And no trophy has “It was motivation with the group that we have, knowing that this is, spent more time here than the Stanley Cup. No big-time team has ever realistically, probably the last time all of us will play together,” Stamkos gone back-to-back in Tampa Bay like the Lightning have done. said. “And then the motivation to do it in front of our fans, in front of our This is their moment, but it is also their era. families and friends, was amazing.” Since Jeff Vinik’s first full season as owner in 2010-11, the Lightning are Pat Maroon, who became the first player in nearly 40 years to win the third in the NHL in regular-season victories and are now one of four Cup in three consecutive seasons, took a trip around the glass, filming teams to have won two Stanley Cups in that time. fans in the front rows with his smartphone. Nikita Kucherov danced while his teammates carried the Cup around the ice and then, upon seeing We’ve watched these players grow, and that’s not a mere platitude. himself on the video scoreboard, cupped his hand to his ear as the crowd Stamkos was 18 when he first skated in a Lightning uniform. Hedman roared “Kuuuch!” was, too. Both are over 30 now. Tyler Johnson, Killorn, Kucherov and Ondrej Palat were all in their early 20s when they arrived. “I can’t put it into words right now. I was crying, basically, on the bench with 1:40 left,” Maroon said. “To be a Stanley Cup champ three years in a We’ve seen them start families, and put down roots. We’ve seen them row is pretty special. It takes a group, it takes a group of 25 men, and we return from injuries, slumps and holdouts. did it and I’m very proud of these guys.” We’ve seen them fall two games short of the Stanley Cup, and we’ve In that moment as the music played and the emotions swirled, it was as if seen them fail to make the playoffs at all. We’ve seen them skate for nothing else mattered. Not past heartbreaks, nor impending departures. , Rick Tocchet and Guy Boucher before Cooper arrived to Not awards, not contracts, not last year’s postseason in the bubble. Just cash his first NHL paycheck. the game they loved, and the journey they have taken. We’ve seen a team rise and a city blossom. We’ve seen a story unfold Once upon a time, we thought they were a team for the ages. A team little by little, player by player, memory by memory over the course of a that seemingly scored on command and collected regular-season decade. victories like pennies in a piggy bank. But it turns out, they were more than that. Bless you, boys. We’ll not forget you.

The Lightning clinched their second straight Stanley Cup with a 1-0 Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.08.2021 victory over the Canadiens in Game 5 at Amalie Arena.

They were a team for our hearts.

A group of stars that reinvented themselves as a team of overachievers. A handful of tough forwards, and a collection of sturdy defensemen. Battlers, grinders, hard cases. Lovable characters playing alongside the MVP, Vezina and Norris Trophy winners. A team that could win consecutive series clinchers by a 1-0 score.

“Just a special, special, special group,” Cooper said. “And, who knows, I guess we’ll see if we can threepeat.”

The memory of a Lightning team that won 62 games in a historic regular season and then collapsed in the first round of the playoffs in 2019 no longer feels bitter or forlorn. Now, it’s just part of a greater story of resilience and growth.

“We’ve been through a lot together. I think back to 2015 when we went to the finals (and) Columbus when we got swept (in 2019),” said Alex Killorn. “At that point a lot of people were writing us off and didn’t think we had what it took to win. This group in the salary-cap era, to go back-to back, I think we’ll go down as one of the better teams to ever do it.” 1190308 Tampa Bay Lightning The last goalie to win the Conn Smythe before Vasilevskiy was the Kings’ Jonathan Quick in 2012.

Kucherov said Vasilevskiy, who placed second in Vezina Trophy voting Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy takes home Conn Smythe Trophy — general managers pick the best goaltender in the regular season — would win that honor every year if he was in a different market. Who needs the Vezina when you can be the MVP of the playoffs? His coach had the final word.

“He makes guys like us look good,” Jon Cooper said. “But what’s By Mari Faiello remarkable to me is I can’t believe how he shuts the door in the biggest games of his career. … He’s remarkable to watch.”

How we voted TAMPA — Winning the Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup are pretty good consolation prizes for missing out on the Vezina Trophy. Eduardo A. Encina:

Andrei Vasilevskiy claimed the postseason MVP award Wednesday night 1. Andrei Vasilevskiy after the Lightning’s 1-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens, repeating as Stanley Cup champions. He’s the first goaltender born outside of North 2. Nikita Kucherov America and the third Russian to win the honor. 3. Ryan McDonagh “No question he’s the best,” right wing Nikita Kucherov said of 1. Andrei Vasilevskiy Vasilevskiy. “I was telling him every day, ‘Vasy, you’re the MVP. You’re the best player.’” 2. Nikita Kucherov

Vasilevskiy had a stellar postseason coming off an incredible regular- 3. Brayden Point season run. His 16 wins in the playoffs led the league as well as his shutouts (five). He’s the third goalie in NHL history to post multiple Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.08.2021 shutouts in Stanley-Cup clinching games (also Game 6 of the 2020 Stanley Cup final against Dallas).

It was sometimes hard to find the right words to describe what Vasilevskiy does night in and night out for his teammates.

“Vasy, he’s just a competitor,” defenseman Victor Hedman said. “He’s never satisfied, he always battles to become better. I don’t know what it is with those Russian kids, but they’re just warriors — Kuch, Sergy (Mikhail Sergachev) and Vasy — they just work their asses off all the time, just try to be a difference maker.”

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, left, presents the 2021 Conn Smythe Trophy to Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]

Vasilevskiy’s goals-against average (1.9) was the second-lowest among postseason goaltenders, and his .937 save percentage topped the leaderboard. Vasilevskiy is also the first goaltender since the Canadiens’ to play in every playoff game en route to back-to-back Stanley Cups (1977-78).

“His work ethic is out of control,” said left wing Pat Maroon, who won his third straight Cup on Wednesday. “You guys don’t see that side of it when we’re in the rink and how he competes, and how he works … he’s just truly remarkable. I’m very proud of Vasy. He deserves it and that’s why he’s the best goalie in the league.”

Vasilevskiy’s streak of wins following a loss is also still intact. The Lightning have not lost back-to-back games at any point over their last two playoff runs, moving to 14-0 on Wednesday following the Game 4 overtime loss in Montreal.

Vasilevskiy wasn’t expecting the honor. He was anticipating Kucherov, who led the league with 32 points, would take home the franchise’s third Conn Smythe.

When commissioner Gary Bettman said Vasilevskiy’s name during the trophy ceremony, the former All-Star goaltender didn’t hear it until his teammates turned to him and told him to go claim it.

“I still can’t believe it,” Vasilevskiy said. “The whole team deserves it for sure and just to have five shutouts in one playoffs (run), it’s all about teamwork. ... It’s not about me, it’s about our team.”

After the trophy ceremonies, Vasilevskiy called his family in Russia while still on the ice, just like he did last year. He wanted to show appreciation to those who waited up until 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. watching him and the Lightning make history.

“That’s amazing, just to share this moment with them,” Vasilevskiy said. “I felt their support.”

With the Conn Smythe honor — which is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association — Vasilevskiy becomes the 16th goalie to win the award and the first Lightning goaltender to do so. 1190309 Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning’s second straight Stanley Cup season commemorated

By Times Staff Writer

It wouldn’t be Champa Bay without a hardcover book produced by the award-winning Tampa Bay Times sports and photography staffs.

The Times will commemorate the Lightning’s second consecutive Stanley Cup title with a new hardcover coffee table book, Striking Twice.

The book isn’t done, of course. (We’re fast skaters, just not that fast.)

The Tampa Bay Time's newest book, commemorating the Lightning's back-to-back Stanley Cup run. [ Times ]

But you can get your order in now. Striking Twice can be preordered at www.Bolts.ChampsBook.com to make sure you don’t miss out. This is a limited-edition, heirloom-quality book. And you can save big if you act quickly. The book retails for $39.95, plus shipping and tax. If you buy now, the book is discounted $10 for a limited time.

The 160-page book will feature hundreds of photographs from the regular season and every round of the playoffs from photographers Dirk Shadd and Douglas R. Clifford, as well as pages of photographs from the upcoming celebrations.

The book also will include insights from the Times sports team covering the Lightning: Eduardo A. Encina, John Romano, Mari Faiello and Frank Pastor.

We’ll spend the next few weeks assembling the final chapters. It will ship directly to your home in early September.

We’ve had a lot of practice with these championship books lately, so you know ours is going to be thunderously fantastic!

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190310 Tampa Bay Lightning Some of that might be due to matchups, and some of it might simply be a small sample size. No matter the reason, the time is right for an enduring Stamkos moment.

Could there be a better storyline than a Steven Stamkos game-winner? Of course, a Stanley Cup title is rare enough that the details need not be exaggerated. And, should it come tonight or in the coming days, the John Romano | Call it poetic justice. Call it nostalgia. Call it a wish for players and community will celebrate gratefully no matter whose name Tampa Bay in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final against Montreal. ends up in the headlines.

But there is some poetic justice to the idea of Stamkos delivering the decisive blow. Maybe even a sense of closure for the player, and a nod By John Romano toward nostalgia for longtime fans.

Just imagine Victor Hedman sending a pass to Nikita Kucherov on the TAMPA — Give me the fairy tale. right side of the ice, and Kucherov faking a shot before delivering the puck to Stamkos in the left faceoff circle. The stick draws back, and the Give me a tie score, and a screaming crowd. Give me thunder and rain shot is delivered as the years pass before your eyes. and Lightning. Give me daring on the ice, and prayers in the bleachers. Oh, yes please, give me the fairy tale. And in the end, give me Steven Stamkos with a shot that lives forever. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.08.2021 Would there be a better story in Tampa Bay lore? The Lightning meet the Canadiens in Game 5 Wednesday night with the Stanley Cup hanging in the balance, and the salary cap police waiting outside the locker room doors.

This is a moment that has been 13 years in the making, ever since the Lightning finished dead last in the NHL and John Tortorella lost his job. Tampa Bay cashed in its 48.2 percent chance in the draft lottery, and won the right to choose a teenaged Stamkos with the No. 1 pick.

He never did become Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin or Mario Lemieux, but Stamkos is the most prolific goal scorer in Lightning history and he is among the most beloved athletes the Tampa Bay community has ever known.

And, like it or not, there is at least a small possibility this could be his final game wearing a Lightning jersey.

Stamkos, 31, has a full no-trade clause in his contract so he will ultimately decide when his time in Tampa Bay is completed, but the Lightning appeared to be contemplating a trade last season and might explore it again this summer in order to re-sign potential free agents.

Lightning center Steven Stamkos celebrates his second goal of Game 5 against the Islanders in the Stanley Cup semifinals. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]

From a cold-hearted numbers perspective, a trade makes sense. Stamkos’ $8.5 million salary was considered team friendly when he signed five years ago, but the Lightning have younger, more valuable scorers in the lineup and a desperate need to free up cap space.

From a sentimental perspective, a trade sounds abhorrent.

Stamkos is the very blueprint of a local hero, even if his body has occasionally betrayed him and his on-ice impact has slowly dwindled. He has been humble and accountable. Polite and responsible. Above all else, he has been loyal. He’s never left, and he’s never complained. He lived through some lean years with the Lightning, and is now enjoying the best two-year run any Tampa Bay franchise has known.

He got his name on the Stanley Cup last year and even got a time- capsule moment when he dragged his ailing torso onto the ice and scored a goal against Dallas in Game 3 of the finals in the only 2:47 of ice time he got in the entire postseason.

But this is the postseason that Stamkos has worked his entire career to reach. The Lightning lost in his first trip to the Stanley Cup final in 2015, and he was a spectator for almost all of that 2020 run.

This time around he is healthy, or at least reasonably so, and he’s scored a career-high eight postseason goals. He’s been huge on the power play and crucial in the locker room as coach Jon Cooper’s go-to guy for taking temperatures and passing along messages at the right moment.

Stamkos even got the game-winner in Game 4 against the Hurricanes with a power-play goal late in the second period of a 4-4 game, but he has not yet had that special, defining play you have been waiting to see.

Even with his role on special teams, Stamkos is seventh among Tampa Bay forwards in ice time during the playoffs. He averaged better than a point per game during the first two rounds against Florida and Carolina, but has had less playing time and far less impact in the last two rounds. 1190311 Tampa Bay Lightning Steven Stamkos hoists the Stanley Cup. (Douglas DeFelice / USA Today)

You look at this remarkable run by the Lightning core and it’s easy to ‘They’ll be viewed as one of the best’: Why back-to-back Stanley Cups wonder if they could have won more Cups. make the Lightning a team for the ages They burst on the scene as a young and skilled group — led by the “Triplets” line — in a surprising dash to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Blackhawks. Had both Tyler Johnson (broken wrist) and Ben Joe Smith Jul 8, 2021 Bishop (torn groin) not gotten hurt, maybe that’s their first time hoisting hockey’s holy grail.

“It was a very, very close series,” said Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman, Martin St. Louis caught Wednesday’s Stanley Cup-clinching game from a who is a Blackhawks senior advisor. “It could have gone either way.” Buffalo bar, but he’s watched this Lightning championship core grow from up close. What followed were two losses in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals in 2016 and 2018 — losing to eventual champions Pittsburgh and St. Louis was a mentor in the early years for the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Washington after holding 3-2 series leads. The Lightning have 70 playoff Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Alex Killorn and more. As the bridge wins in the last seven seasons, the best run since the 2009-15 from the 2004 Cup team to the current one, St. Louis provides Blackhawks. perspective on what is one of the greatest teams he’s ever seen. “When we played them, we got a couple pretty big breaks that helped us “I truly believe they’ll never play on as good a team as this one,” St. Louis go on and win,” said former Penguins GM Jim Rutherford. “Tampa was said. “They’ll be viewed as one of the best.” good enough to win the Cup that year also. But now they’ve got the Coach Jon Cooper told this group if they win another Cup they can walk maturity. They learned how to deal with some adversity, and that’s why with legends, joining the 2016-2017 Penguins and 1997-1998 Red Wings they’re a stronger group. as the last back-to-back champs in the last 25 years. If this was indeed “In the end, you need some breaks.” this group’s “Last Dance” together due to the pending salary-cap crunch, this was one hell of a swan song in a 1-0 victory over the Canadiens. And, it turns out, heartbreak.

“This group, no matter what happens from here on out, you deserve to go Much has been made and written about how the stunning sweep by the down in history,” Stamkos said. “And that’s pretty f-ing special.” Blue Jackets in the spring of 2019 served as a springboard for this back- to-back Cup run. It was humbling, eye-opening, embarrassing. And it The first Cup was their redemption. forced Tampa Bay to look in the mirror and make changes. They went This one was their legacy. from the “greatest show on ice” to a blend of will and skill.

As Stamkos hoisted the Stanley Cup, the 18,110 fans at Amalie Arena Killorn said, at that point, “A lot of people were writing us off and didn’t stood on their feet and roared. They had chanted “WE WANT THE CUP” think we had what it took to win.” for the entire third period, and now it was theirs. Still. Fans and family “We were knocked down pretty far, pretty hard there,” McDonagh said. “A couldn’t be there for Tampa Bay’s title run in the bubble, but they came in lot of times, it’s ‘Let’s get back up and try again.’ It didn’t work out for us full force Wednesday night. Hedman hugged best friend and fellow that way. When we were down and had to look at a lot of things as a franchise cornerstone Stamkos, kissing him on the forehead. Ryan team, look inside ourselves and realize there’s a greater goal here. We McDonagh fought back tears. Kucherov danced to DJ Khaled’s “All We need to do this as a team, not as individuals. This group sacrifices, it’s a Do is Win.” Cooper hoisted the Cup and mouthed “I love you” to the fans. lot different feeling here.” “We’re going to party all night,” McDonagh said. The Lightning’s transformation coincided with that of their best offensive Their loudest cheer, as always, came for Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Conn player, Kucherov, who let his emotions get the best of him (and allowed Smythe winner who racked up a shutout in his fifth straight series- himself to get suspended) in the Columbus sweep. By last season’s Cup clinching game, an NHL record. “I still can’t believe it,” Vasilevskiy said. A run, he was a vocal leader on the bench and in the room, yelling for guys close second came for rookie Ross Colton, who scored the game-winner to “play the right way.” Only two other players in NHL history have racked late in the second period — his first goal in a month — fittingly set up by up 30-plus points in back-to-back playoffs: Wayne Gretzky and Mario the only other Lightning player without a Cup, deadline addition David Lemieux. Savard. All this after missing the entire regular season following hip surgery. And “Just a special, special, special group,” Cooper said. “And, who knows, I playing the last six games with a fractured rib. guess we’ll see if we can threepeat.” “The guy is just a special, special player,” Coleman said. “And a big part Years from now, they’ll remember this team for Kucherov’s historic of the reason we’re celebrating. I don’t know anyone else who can miss playoffs after missing the regular season due to hip surgery; he also the entire regular season and come back. He played through some played the final with a fractured rib, according to agent Dan Milstein, grueling injuries in these playoffs. That’s not skill, that’s all heart.” needing multiple injections during the series. They’ll never forget the “He’s the best goal scorer in the NHL,” Vasilevskiy said. “The smartest series-swinging Yanni Gourde line eliciting memories of the Red Wings’ player in the NHL. I’m surprised he didn’t get the Conn Smythe.” Grind Line. Blake Coleman’s diving goal. McDonagh’s dominance. Pat Maroon’s chirps. Barclay Goodrow and Killorn hobbling off the ice after There are many teams that have dealt with the gut-punch of losing before blocking shots (Killorn broke his fibula, had surgery and was still hoping finally winning, from the late ’90s Red Wings to the modern Capitals. to play). Cooper repeating, “Process over outcome, work over hope and Cooper said once they realized what they needed to change from those no fucking mercy.” playoff defeats, the ensuing success was like a snowball.

Most of all, they’ll be remembered as one of the best teams of this “You start getting the taste of it and you want more,” Cooper said. “It’s generation, a relentlessly determined group that won two Cups in 10 like an addiction.” months during a pandemic. Not many teams are given the patience to evolve and come out on top. “You’re watching history,” said former NHL GM Craig Button, who won a But a turning point in this golden era of Lightning hockey was in the Cup with the Stars. “Back-to-back puts you in a group that makes it spring of 2019 when GM Julien BriseBois met with owner Jeff Vinik at his special. It hasn’t been done very often. But considering the home. They decided they weren’t going to “blow it up” and change circumstances, this is unique. No one else has had to do it ever.” coaches or their core. They were bullish in their belief.

“You look back at this back-to-back and go, ‘That’s as good a run as Vinik, who praised the team’s resilience and mental toughness in a we’ve seen,” said , a Cup winner with the Rangers. “No postgame dressing room speech, said the “pain we suffered for so many disrespect to the Penguins and Red Wings, but this is as good as it gets.” years, so many years of being close” made them enjoy this more. And he said not “blowing things up” after the Columbus sweep was one of And the Lightning aren’t done yet. BriseBois’ best decisions. “We knew what we had,” he said. Cooper said last season was like the “first day of school” with all the new players, and this one was like the last day. The Lightning know this team It didn’t mean they were blind. They made necessary changes, both in will look much different next season, as they’re already $5 million over dedicating to defensive mindset and bringing in the necessary personnel the salary cap with just 19 players. It’ll be hard to keep both Coleman and to complete their roster. They brought in character in Maroon, Luke Goodrow. Savard is a free agent. They’ll lose another player in the Schenn and Kevin Shattenkirk last year. They added some sandpaper to Seattle expansion draft. go with their skill in Coleman and Goodrow at last year’s deadline. Together, they formed the dynamic third line with Gourde that’s been a Perhaps Killorn or Gourde could be a salary-cap casualty, same with difference-maker in both runs. “They were the final piece,” Cooper said. Johnson.

“They’re champions and they know how to win,” Rutherford said. “And But those are tomorrow’s problems. they can win a game whatever way it’s played. If you want a high-scoring game, they can do it. You want a shutdown defensive game? They can The Lightning still believe they have a core to chase another Cup or two. do that too. They’ve got the top goalie in the league, top defenseman … Their run is not over. Olczyk said if you look at it, they’ve got four of the They’re just a well-built team. They can enjoy this for a little while. No top-25 players in the league in Kucherov, Vasilevskiy, Hedman and one can ever take it away from you.” Point.

Pat Maroon has won three Stanley Cups in a row. (Kim Klement / USA “With the cap and everything that goes with it, they have to stickhandle Today) their way through it,” Olczyk said. “But you look at it, how can they not (go for another Cup)? When you look at their ages, there’s still a lot of watched the first game of this Stanley Cup Final and hockey to be played by their core. You’d probably be disappointed if they started to have flashbacks. didn’t win again.”

Engblom, the Lightning color analyst, played for the Canadiens teams in The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 the late 1970s that won four straight Stanley Cups. He sees many similarities in both groups, from the strength of their lines to their toughness when they need it. They could play with skill or a grinding game.

The Kucherov line reminds him of Guy Lafleur’s top line. The Gourde line wins “empty your guts” kind of series like the Doug Risebrough, Mario Tremblay line. Hedman brings back memories of Larry Robinson, McDonagh like and Mikhail Sergachev like Guy Lapointe. It was different eras, of course, and there were just 21 teams in the NHL back in the late ’70s.

“It’s hard to compare because the league is more balanced with the salary cap,” Engblom said. “So when you win two in a row, it’s a big deal. The chance to win three-four in a row seems impossible. The Lightning are right there. The best comparison is Pittsburgh because they did two in a row, but this group is really, really special.”

This back-to-back champion team isn’t lightning in a bottle.

“It’s been a pretty astute building of a team,” Bowman said. “A real banner drafting and signing.”

There were mid-round steals like third-rounders Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point, seventh-rounder Ondrej Palat. They took a chances on Russians before most teams would, selecting Kucherov 58th in 2011, Vasilevskiy 19th in 2012. With the salary cap, you need young (and cheap) players to step in, rookie Colton and Mathieu Joseph did that in this playoff run.

Their blue line, other than Hedman, was built through trades.

“When you’ve got the D they can roll out there, that’s big, mobile, hard defense,” Olczyk said. “There are a lot of teams that think they can get by on small, skilled, soft defense. Sorry, that’s not the case.”

The Lightning won this Cup because of their stars, with Kucherov and Point putting together record runs, and Vasilevskiy remaining their rock in net.

They won because of their depth, with Johnson playing his best hockey, his selfless handling of a tumultuous year another example of the team’s culture.

They won because of Maroon, who helped turn their season around last year off the ice and is now the first player to win three straight Cups with two different teams.

“It’s tough to put into words,” Maroon said. “I was basically crying on the bench with 1:40 left. … We just won back to back. Fucking amazing.”

They won because of their blue line, with Hedman, McDonagh and Sergachev a “Murderers’ Row” on the left side.

“We’ve got a group that believes in how to play and what you need to shut a game down,” Cooper said. “There’s a plan in place, but guys have to execute it. They work so damn hard and they sacrifice. When you have that mentality and everyone puts the team first, good things — magical things — happen.” 1190312 Tampa Bay Lightning Why did I help him? I think a couple things. When I first skated with him, I’m like, “Wow, this kid is really special,” I knew my time was limited. Just because you could see what he is today. I saw that future for him when I first skated with him. This guy has the opportunity to be great. When I got Ben Bishop on Conn Smythe winner Andrei Vasileskiy: ‘He could be one traded (to Dallas), I told people he could win the next 10 Vezinas, and of the best ever’ now he’s been nominated four straight. You could see that potential. What are you going to do? When I came up, I had good mentors in Chris

Mason and Manny Legace and Tyler Conklin, they were all great to me By Joe Smith Jul 8, 2021 when I was a kid. I just wanted to give him all the support I could, anything I could to help. He was a good kid, which made it easy to work with.

When Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded another series- He’d ask good questions and I had no problem rooting for him. You could clinching shutout in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he see the future that he had. You want to leave a good impression for the said, “I just wanted to be like ‘Bish.’ young kids, especially as you get older. I was a little bit younger but I could see him being a great goalie for a long time. I didn’t see any reason ‘Bish’ is former Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop, a three-time Vezina to be rude or take that route. Trophy finalist who served as Vasilevskiy’s mentor during the early years of his career. They considered each other ‘big brother’ and ‘little brother’ I’ll always remember sitting next to each other in the locker room — a ‘goalie team’ as Vasilevskiy put it — with Bishop helping until he was together, basically talking about hockey, talking about life. We sat next to eventually traded in February 2017 to make room for the new No. 1. each other every single day and had little pranks here and there, have fun with each other. It was more stuff he did on me, put my tape rolls into With Vasilevskiy a two-time Stanley Stanley Cup champion and now a balls, hide my stuff. He loved messing with my tape. You got to see that Conn Smythe winner, Bishop offered his take on the evolution of what sense of humor once we got closer. could be “one of the best ever.” We still text each other, we keep in touch, try to get together when we In Ben Bishop’s words, as told to The Athletic’s Joe Smith. play each other. We’ve had a lot of fun together, a lot of good memories. I just remember seeing Vasy on the ice for the first time. Just that raw I consider him a little brother as far as hockey-wise. The first time I had skill that he had. The flexibility and power, and then all the work ethic that someone where I could mentor in the game of hockey. I was always the went along with it. You could tell from the first time I skated with him the one who had a mentor, so to flip the switch and be the guy that could future he could have. help him out, it was great. Now he’s become the guy, so it’s on him.

You can have all the tools, but it doesn’t mean you’re going to be the He said he wanted to be like me, now I’m watching him trying to learn best. He had the work ethic that went along with it, he was willing to learn from what he’s doing. I want to be like him. The Lightning know how to and try new things. You could see why he’s turned into arguably the best play in those important games, you don’t ever set out to try to get a goalie in the world. shutout. But they’re an experienced group and he’s been awesome. He’s played every single minute and it’s pretty impressive. The ability to be When he first came to Tampa, he was still learning English. He knew that consistent in the playoffs, on the best team, it’s something special. more than he’d admit in the beginning. But he was like any other rookie, he was a little shy at the beginning. He started to open up a bit more, and I wanted to stay in Tampa, we had a great thing going. That was never we started going back and forth and having some fun pretty naturally. something I would have wanted to leave. But you understand the game, the business. You see a kid coming up with that much potential. I could The biggest thing he was really interested in learning about puck see how good he would be. What separates him is the raw talent, the handling. It’s fun to see how fast he’s come along with that. When he first flexibility, the power and the puck handling, just everything goes into one, came in, he was pretty raw. He worked on it every single day. He really and now he has the mental side to go along with it. Not many guys are got to be good at it. He worked on it and had fun with it. He asked that gifted physically; it’s a treat to watch. He’s going to be arguably one questions here and there, but just watching him and how powerful he of the best ever. was, how hard his pushes are — little things like that — and then just seeing him on a daily basis, the saves he was making were incredible. My message to him now is to “Keep going and don’t stop.” He’s got a bright future. I’ll be rooting for him. Everyone talks about his work ethic. He put time in on and off the ice, at a young age. He always wanted to be the first guy on, last guy off. He’d The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 be stretching, doing all the little things that make him who he is today. He wanted to be great, and it takes time. I don’t know if he came in wanting be the best in the world, he just wanted to come in and do everything he could to give him the best shot of being a good NHL goalie. He wasn’t going to take any days off. He just came in with an open mind.

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My first “wow” moment with Vasy was the first time I skated with him. We were doing skating drills and you could see how powerful he was, how flexible he was. In his first couple years, he had some struggles. You saw the potential, but it wasn’t like from day 1 he was the guy. There was a process to get to where he is now, the best in the world. Early on he won a lot of games 6-5, he doesn’t do that anymore.

Part of it was on the mental side. He had the skill set, but he had to learn how to manage your time in practice, in games, and realize you’re not going to be perfect every night. You’re going to have some off nights, and you can’t let it bother you. At first, he might have let those bad nights bother him. But he’s learned how to handle it to the point where he knows what he’s doing. There’s a process of learning how to take the good with the bad, kind of the law of averages. Sometimes it’s not going to go your way ,and you have to get over it and learn. 1190313 Toronto Maple Leafs the dead in a first-round series to Toronto, before sweeping Winnipeg and upsetting Vegas to reach the final for the first time since 1993. That they couldn’t pull off the fairy tale ending was more a result of their opponent than their own play. Lightning strikes twice as Tampa Bay defeats Montreal to win second straight Stanley Cup Tampa Bay was simply too good, too deep and too determined. More than that, they were just too darn methodical.

The Lightning blew out the Canadiens 5-1 in Game 1, relied on their Michael Traikos goaltending to win 3-1 in Game 2, and then overpowered the Habs 6-3 in Game 3, before a 3-2 overtime loss in Game.

Game 5, which Tampa Bay’s mayor had wanted so that the team could It was a few days ago when Jon Cooper was asked what winning a win on home ice, was more of a grind than a victory lap. second straight Stanley Cup would mean for a team that spent so long trying — and failing — to win just one. After a scoreless first period and a combined five power-play opportunities, rookie Ross Colton finally gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead with According to the Tampa Bay Lightning head coach, “it becomes like a 6:33 remaining in the second period after redirecting a pass in front from legacy thing.” defenceman David Savard — two players who were not part of last Win once and you are forever remembered as a champion. Win twice year’s championship team. and you move into legendary status. Win twice in a row and you may as “They’re cheering for him. There’s no doubt about that,” Cooper said of well start preparing your speech. Savard, who was acquired from Columbus at the trade deadline. “When “You talk about some of the great teams in a decade span, and you hope you’re with a group where pretty much everybody on the team has a ring the Tampa Bay Lightning would be mentioned in that,” Cooper said. “You from last year, I think you kind of feel a little bit left out.” sit back and say, ‘Look what Chicago did, they won three in six (years). That was all Tampa Bay needed, as Vasilevskiy shut the door in a game And look what L.A. did, and look what Pittsburgh did. Multiple Cups, it’s that the Lightning controlled. street cred for the guys, for the organization, it shows what ownership and management and everyone all the way down and all the hard work Might as well get used to it. It’s been like that for a while now. they do, and their values are paying off.” Toronto Sun LOADED: 07.08.2021 Following a 1-0 win against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5, in which rookie Ross Colton scored his first goal of the playoffs and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy earned his fifth shutout, you can now officially add Tampa Bay’s name to that list.

It turns out that lightning can indeed strike twice. With the number of star players expected back on this modern-day dynasty, don’t be surprised if it strikes for a third time.

That’s how dominant the Lightning has been these past several years. In 2018-19, it tied the NHL record for wins in a season. Last year, it lost just six games in the bubble to win the COVID — er, Stanley — Cup. After defeating the Habs in five games, it did it again to become only the ninth team to repeat and cement its spot amongst some of the best of all time.

In the end, Montreal could not complete the comeback. That the Habs even managed to win once seemed like a major accomplishment. Really, they never had a chance. With a payroll that exceeded the limits of the salary cap by $18-million or something like that, no one did.

Tampa Bay, which beat Florida in six games, Carolina in five games, and the New York Islanders in seven games, won the first three games of the final by a combined score of 14-5, before granting their mayor’s wishes and dropped Game 4, so that they could come back and win on home soil.

“You can’t explain it. It’s out of this world,” said Victor Hedman, last year’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner. “Winning a Stanley Cup is one thing, but doing it in front of our fans, family means the world.

“We’ve been up and down obviously the last few years. It’s going to go down in the history books — this team, these players, forever together.”

Tampa Bay had it all: Goal-scoring, goaltending, and a defence that was the envy of the league. The Lightning had the top-5 scorers in these playoffs, with Nikita Kucherov leading with 32 points and Brayden Point leading with 14 goals. They also had a goalie in Vasilevskiy who allowed just eight goals in the final and improved to 15-0 in playoff games following a loss over the past two years.

The scariest part of it is, all of them are coming back.

At times, it wasn’t fair. It certainly didn’t seem that way to Montreal, which came away looking overwhelmed and overmatched. What they should not have felt was embarrassed.

“We’ve got so many players that worked their entire career to get to this point. It’s a tough pill to swallow,” said Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher. “There’s no team that is stronger than this group and the resiliency that we showed, it’s just a good team to be a part of.”

The Canadiens made it farther than anyone had expected or believed was possible. They had been a team of destiny, having come back from 1190314 Toronto Maple Leafs Were his contract a year shorter, Anton Khudobin might be an ideal partner for Jack Campbell. (Jerome Miron / USA Today)

13. Antti Raanta Maple Leafs trade and UFA targets: Ranking the 16 goalies who make Raanta finished effectively tied with Khudobin in our ranking. His biggest sense for Toronto issue over the years, however, has been health, with a long list of injuries limiting the number of starts he’s been able to make. Raanta has played just 57 games the past three seasons, which significantly hurts his By Jonas Siegel and James Mirtle Jul 7, 2021 “upside” ranking in our calculations. That said, he has some obvious ability and is a pending UFA. It’s hard to imagine he’ll command big

dollars on his contract, either. (He was making $4.25 million a season on With Frederik Andersen set to be a free agent, the Maple Leafs will have his last deal.) If Kyle Dubas is in a gamblin’ mood, this would be one that one giant hole to fill in their crease this summer. could make some sense if he comes at a big bargain.

While it’s possible Andersen is back, it is more likely Jack Campbell has 12. James Reimer a new tandem-mate next season. Five years have passed since Reimer last played for the Leafs, just The Leafs’ plan at this point is for it to be a goalie capable of sharing — before he was dealt to San Jose for Ben Smith, Alex Stalock and a third- or even taking over, as required — the net from Campbell. But who best round pick at the 2016 trade deadline. Time flies. Reimer has been more fits that description among the many goalies available in free agency and or less an average NHL goaltender since then — not bad, not great … via the trade market? just OK ( ). He’s 33 now and would offer the Leafs a solid, if unspectacular, No. 2 option behind Campbell. The sunny, nice-guy vibes We spent the past two weeks scouring the league for possibilities and of that crease would be off the charts. Our sources say it’s unlikely the talking to sources about the goalie market this offseason. After compiling Leafs will turn back the clock to their former No. 1, however. a list of contenders for the Leafs’ vacant role, we scored the top 16 goalies in a variety of categories in order to come up with what we’re 11. Jonathan Bernier calling the Mirtle Goalie Algorithm™. Speaking of former No. 1s. … We’re a little surprised Bernier didn’t rank The results comprise our rankings. higher in our calculations. He is coming off a fairly solid season on a bad Detroit team and has proven a dependable 35-games-a-season goalie Note: With all due respect to David Rittich, he did not make our list. The since he left Toronto. Bernier’s advanced stats are basically right around Leafs need a better partner for Campbell. We also didn’t include Philipp Reimer’s at this point, and he, too, will turn 33 shortly. It feels likely Grubauer and Tuukka Rask under the assumption they will re-sign in Bernier will be able to command a bit more money on his next deal than Colorado and Boston. Reimer, including some term, so that makes him less of a fit as a 1B with The five categories we evaluated potential Leafs goaltenders on were: Campbell. Plus, honestly, there just seemed to be some bad juju the last time he was with the Leafs. Ability: This is a measure of how good the goalie projects to be. 10. Petr Mrazek Upside: How good can this goalie be? A Vezina Trophy winner will score higher than someone like Andersen, who’s proven to be shy of the elite. Mrazek’s results have been a little scattered in his career and he’s coming off an injury-plagued season when he appeared in just 12 games, Acquisition cost: Do the Leafs have to give up something to get this so it’s hard to forecast exactly where he fits on a list like this. He scores goalie. And if so, how much? extremely well in metrics such as goals saved above expected over the past few years, which is a mark in his favour, and at only 29 years old, he Cap impact: What impact will adding this goalie have on the Leafs’ cap? obviously still has more to give in an NHL crease than a lot of the names Pedigree: Does this goalie have a track record of success? on this list. Even with the fact he hardly played this past season, he likely commands term and something in the $3 million range on his next deal, 16. Joonas Korpisalo which might be workable for the Leafs. Not a bad option, overall.

Korpisalo takes the lowest rung on our list. While Leafs fans likely 9. John Gibson remember him for silencing Toronto in the 2020 play-in series, his numbers in a larger sample are mediocre at best, with a .901 save There have been whispers the Ducks starter might be available. And that percentage the past three seasons, which ranks 64th among the 77 the Leafs contemplated the idea. Gibson’s numbers have sagged some most-frequent starters in that span. His goals saved above expected is on a bad Anaheim team of late, but he was one of the premier even lower, ranking him fourth from last in the NHL. He is only 27 years netminders for years and is only 27 years old. The two complicating old and is signed for one more year at $2.8 million, which are marks in factors for the Leafs are going to be 1.) the Ducks’ asking price and 2.) his favour, but we believe the Leafs will aim higher in their goalie search. that contract. Gibson is signed for another six years at $6.4 million a The Blue Jackets are expected, however, to deal one of their netminders. season. Toronto really doesn’t have the cap flexibility to spend that much in goal this coming season, given their needs up front, so they would 15. Elvis Merzlikins likely have to persuade Anaheim to retain salary. And that would mean the trade return would need to increase further. This one feels too tough Speaking of Blue Jackets goaltenders. … Merzlikins would be a better to pull off, as intriguing as it is. bet for the Leafs across the board, in that his numbers are better, albeit in a smaller sample size than Korpisalo. But he has played just 61 NHL John Gibson’s lengthy contract makes him a complicated possibility for games and has one year left on his contract at a $4 million cap hit before the Leafs. (Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today) he becomes a UFA. Columbus realizes Merzlikins is the better goaltender and would expect more of an asset in return, too. Does it 8. Linus Ullmark make sense for the Leafs to give up something of value for a goalie who Ullmark ranks higher than you might think on our list for two reasons: is untested, looking for a big new contract and who might last only a First, he’s likely going to be cheap(ish) in free agency. His last deal with year? Perhaps not. the Sabres was for one year and a $2.6 million cap hit and, in a cluttered 14. Anton Khudobin goalie market, it might be difficult for him to get much of a raise. Second, he has upside. Ullmark hasn’t played a lot of NHL games (117 in all), but We both liked Khudobin’s talent — in fact, he scored well above average he’s performed increasingly well, spinning together the fifth-best five-on- in “ability” — but the negative factors dropped him down the list. For one, five save percentage (.932) over the past two seasons (min. 1,000 he’s 35 years old. He is also coming off a disappointing season, albeit minutes). He managed that behind a mediocre Buffalo team that finished only a year after he led the Stars to the Stanley Cup final. Khudobin also last. Ullmark will turn 28 later this month. He does have a spotty injury has two years left on his contract, at $3.33 million, which could cause history — he played in only 20 games last season — and his thin track issues for the Leafs if and when they want to give Campbell an record makes him something of a wild card. But for a change of pace and extension. That said, there could be a fit if the Stars are willing to retain value, potentially, on a short-term deal, Ullmark might make some sense. salary and don’t want much in return for him. Khudobin has, after all, been a very effective tandem goaltender for a long time now. 7. Frederik Andersen The optics of bringing back Andersen wouldn’t be great, especially after RANK PLAYER SV% last offseason when management looked around for replacements, found none and bet again on their longstanding No. 1, who then struggled 1 some more and ultimately lost his job. Why would the Leafs run it back Juuse Saros again? The simple answer: The other options we’re looking at here don’t pan out for one reason or another or feel like definitive upgrades on .945 Andersen. The Leafs at least know Andersen, warts and all. He’s also 2 expressed interest in returning. Then again, if Andersen is reaching for a sizable contract, in term or dollars, he’s an easy pass for the front office. Alex Nedeljkovic

6. Jaroslav Halak .945

Halak could be the ideal 1B for the Leafs. He performed well in that kind 3 of role with Boston the past three seasons, sharing much of the load with Tuukka Rask. What’s appealing about Halak is he appears capable still, Chris Driedger at age 36, of chewing up starts as an unthreatening No. 2 — or even .942 running with the starting job if necessary. He’s also started 37 playoff games, including a stretch in place of Rask in 2020. Of course, with 4 advancing age comes increased injury risk. Yet, aside from a spell with COVID-19 last season, Halak hasn’t missed significant time with injury Semyon Varlamov since 2016. Not only should Halak come cheaper than Andersen — his .937 one-year contract last season carried a $2.25 million cap hit plus another $1.25 million in easily attained bonuses — there’s a case to be made, 5 based on recent history, that he’s a more trustworthy option at this point. He scored well in every category but “upside” in our ranking. Andrei Vasilevskiy

5. Alex Nedeljkovic .933

Carolina’s unlikely No. 1 is headed for restricted free agency this 6 summer. Perhaps the thrifty ‘Canes won’t be willing to pay up, giving the Marc-Andre Fleury Leafs a chance to roll the dice on the 25-year-old’s future? A highly touted prospect who was a second-round pick in the 2014 draft, .929 Nedeljkovic thrived with his first real NHL opportunity. He gave up two goals or fewer in 16 of his 23 starts and was a Calder Trophy finalist. 7

Alex Nedeljkovic had a stellar rookie season in Carolina. His Thomas Greiss inexperience makes him a riskier bet for the Leafs. (James Guillory / USA .928 Today) 8 Listed at 6 feet and under 200 pounds, Nedeljkovic is on the smaller side at a position that’s trended bigger. He’s also played in just 29 NHL Jack Campbell games. The Leafs will already be gambling (somewhat) on Campbell. It would be a bold move to further gamble on Nedeljkovic, even if he has .928 promise. And the cost to acquire him could be high. 9

4. Robin Lehner Mike Smith

Vegas is exempt from the upcoming expansion draft, so this won’t be one .927 of those situations where a team feels inclined to fetch an asset for a player it might lose anyway. Still, Vegas might not be inclined to allocate 10 $12 million in cap space to goaltending again next season after Igor Shesterkin struggling to score in the playoffs. Lehner’s appeal is obvious. One, he’s signed for the next four seasons at the reasonable price of $5 million on .927 the cap. More importantly, at a position of great fluctuation, he’s been reasonably steady. His annual save percentages the past five seasons, 2. Chris Driedger dating back to the 2016-17 season: .920, .908, .930, .920, .913. He’s Here’s the good with Driedger: He owns a .929 save percentage in his potentially an upgrade over Campbell and could offer long-term stability first 38 NHL games. He stopped nine five-on-five goals above expected in goal, as Campbell can become a UFA next summer. That said, would last season, easily outperforming Sergei Bobrovsky when he got the Lehner really be the guy for Vegas to move? Not Marc-Andre Fleury, who chance in Florida’s crease. Driedger is 6-foot-4 and only 27 years old. has only a year left on his contract? And what exactly do the Leafs have There’s some upside potential here for the pending UFA. Then again, — and would be willing to give up — that Vegas would covet? Lehner is how much insulation is he really for Campbell, who has more alluring, sure. But the acquisition cost could be a problem. experience? Driedger has no real pedigree: He was a third-round pick by 3. Darcy Kuemper the Senators in 2012 and was in the ECHL as recently as the 2018-19 season. Another problem: Driedger might be Seattle-bound in the Kuemper has been an intriguing target for the Leafs for a while now. expansion draft. (Bobrovsky has a no-movement clause and must be Though the asking price to acquire him from Arizona last year was protected) But would he sign there or test unrestricted free agency, rumoured to be a first-round pick, that has likely dropped considerably, hoping someone makes a bet on him despite his limited sample size? given his injury-riddled season and the fact so many goalies are The biggest argument for someone like this over a more experienced available. In fact, the Coyotes risk losing him to Seattle in the expansion goaltender for the Leafs is that Driedger won’t cost an asset to acquire draft if they opt to protect another goaltender like Adin Hill, so it might be and could come cheap on the cap, which is important given Toronto’s prudent for them to get an asset in return for their starter in the coming needs elsewhere. weeks. When healthy, Kuemper, 31, has been one of the better NHL goalies, putting up the fifth-best save percentage and goals saved above 1. Marc-Andre Fleury expected in the league the past three seasons. His $4.5 million cap hit for There’s Ed Belfour-esque potential with Fleury: add an aging (36) but still another year is likely a bit more than the Leafs want to allocate to a successful goalie in a push for playoff success, as the Leafs did 19 years second goalie, but perhaps there could be some salary retention involved ago with Eddie The Eagle. Fleury won his first Vezina Trophy after a here. There’s an argument to be made that he’s the best fit on this list — remarkable season this year: six shutouts with a .928 save percentage — he finished first on Mirtle’s scorecard — depending on Arizona’s in his 17th NHL season. Though he’s had playoff hiccups at times, Fleury willingness to deal him. And the injury factor. has nevertheless won three Stanley Cups and reached five Stanley Cup NHL leaders save percentage (5-on-5) Finals. He and Campbell stand to be a pretty good combo next season, after which the Leafs could sort out their future in goal. But would the Golden Knights be willing to eat some of Fleury’s $7 million cap hit if there’s a trade to be made? And how high would the cost be to acquire the popular goalie who just took home the Vezina? Big questions. But definitely an intriguing option for the Leafs, who would benefit from someone with Fleury’s ability and experience, even if it was only for one season.

How we built the ranking

Given how cluttered the NHL’s goalie landscape is this offseason, the biggest challenge in evaluating the options for the Leafs was there were so many of them. So we wanted to add a level of exactness to the process by thoroughly evaluating the candidates rather than simply using one or two statistical measures.

Each goaltender was scored out of 10 in the five main categories. Those categories were then weighted based on their projected impact — with “ability” being the most important trait — and every score was averaged between the two writers.

For acquisition cost and cap impact, a higher score indicates that it’s expected they will cost less to acquire (i.e. signed as a UFA) or receive a lower projected dollar value on their contract. These measures were the result of extensive reporting and analysis.

The result of all of those calculations is indicated in the final score out of 10.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021

1190315 Vegas Golden Knights But why not? Why can’t length and strength be used as assets in facilitation as well?

Why can’t they be used in a player’s ability to hold the puck off his hip The Gifted: Why Golden Knights prospect Jack Dugan is the anti-power and not drive or in a player’s ability to back defenders off only to bend forward, and that’s OK and shape passes around them with a long stick? If we teach bigger players to think one thing (impose themselves) and one thing only, that’s what they’re going to do. They’re going to drive. By Scott Wheeler They’re going to push. And they’re going to get rid of the puck when those things aren’t there so that someone else can do the things they Jul 7, 2021 aren’t wired to. But Dugan is one of those rare bigger, heavier players who doesn’t fit In hockey, as in life, there are archetypes built on hyperbole and into that niche. His game is about slowing things down, surveillance and buzzwords that try to fit every player into a predefined box. Scouts and passing. He’ll sooner slow down and pull up to wait for a seam to develop evaluators often fall prey to lazily characterizing young prospects in this than attack because there isn’t one there. way: the power forward, the two-way center, the one-dimensional scorer, He (No. 8 in all clips) will sooner step around a defender one-on-one with the stay-at-home defenseman. But sometimes, just sometimes, there’s a his hands than lean on them to push past them. Watch this little player who is so different from everyone else in approach or ability that forehand-to-backhand deke into a pass at the top of the offensive zone to he can distinguish himself through his uniqueness. These players have set up a goal: turned one skill into the body of their games and highlight all of the ways hockey can be played at the highest levels. “The Gifted” is a 10-part Here’s that same play from another angle. Notice, on this one, the little series that examines, through video, the NHL’s most fascinating stop-up in control (a play we more often see from smaller, more fleet-of- prospects and the unique skill sets that define them. By popular demand, foot players). He wants to be the play creator, rather than a passive “The Gifted” is back for a fifth year at The Athletic. contributor. Jack Dugan has never carried the cache that he is probably owed. The development of his patience and comfort level with the puck on his stick has also opened up the way that he’s seen the ice over the years. Providence College assistant coach Joel Beal will tell you that he was “one of the most prolific playmakers in college hockey that we’ve seen in Dugan’s ability to read through traffic and find his teammates on the the last five or six years.” Those who worked with him with the Chicago backside of pressure is a major asset and reason number one why he Steel before Providence, and at Northwood School before that, will tell should play the flank and help run the power play instead of playing the you that he’s been a legitimate NHL prospect for years. His rookie slot/net front. season in the AHL, which included 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points in 37 games made him the Henderson Silver Knights’ second-leading That’s true on the left wing, where he regularly makes plays like this to scorer — and one of the AHL’s most productive rookies. the backdoor: His trophy case tells a similar story: 2018 USHL First All-Star Team, Or like this one to a similar spot while moving (movement which he uses 2019 Hockey East All-Rookie Team, 2020 NCAA leading scorer and to pull the defenders away from his intended target): Hobey Baker finalist. And it’s true on his strong side on the right wing, where, among other But he was also an overaged, late-blooming, slow-skating, heavyset fifth- things, he does a really good job pulling defenders toward the corner only round pick. And even after he made quick work of his two-and-done to find the trailer. Watch the way he sells the shot to the net with his eyes college career, he’s now a 23-year-old who only has one professional here, only to force the opposing team to collapse toward the net so that season under his belt and one year remaining on his entry-level contract. he can throw a pass across the ice to the high guy: So the clock is ticking and the natural question becomes “What is Jack That approach, which is about reading the ice on his peripherals before Dugan?” he makes his decision to shoot, is a hard one to teach. And it also applies when he’s skating away from the net. The net can be used as a The answer to that question is trickier than you might imagine, though, tool to sell the shot, but play doesn’t always have to be moving forward because he’s a pretty singular player who plays a style you might not for heads-up passers to make an impact. expect. Good playmakers also know how to pull people away from the net to And it’s a style that I think really works — and one which should make make plays toward it. Watch this little blind pass from high in the zone for him a top-nine NHLer who can improve a power play and give his line a better sense of what I mean: something a little different. So he’ll make plays toward the net. But he wants to read all of his options Here’s why. and make the best play before tunnel-visioning to it. And a play to the net isn’t always a shot at it. The tape That’s not always a slow process, either. He’ll use delays and baits to If you were to pull up a stat page for a 6-foot-2, 209-pound winger who wait for something to open. But when things are moving fast, he’ll read has been among his league’s leaders in penalty minutes in three of his his options quickly too. This assist, which includes finding the trailer but last four seasons, what would you assume of his offensive production or doing it much faster, is a good example of that. He knows that he can his style of play were I not to fill in the rest of the blanks? play the puck to the middle or the far post with both of his streaking I’m guessing the first thing you’d envision is a physical, power-forward linemates (he knows that before he even gets the puck), but he hits the type who occasionally crosses the line, isn’t particularly skilled, plays the trailer for the higher percentage play instead: net front on the power play (if he’s on it), forechecks hard, creates room And here, on a similar play, he makes the other play, feeding the for his linemates and does most of his work on the cycle. backdoor for the assist instead of the trailer because of how fast he has But Dugan is almost none of those things. He’s physical, sure, but he identified that as his best play (and because of how close he was to doesn’t often chase it. He’s good on the cycle, sure, but he’d rather be a being closed out by the San Diego defender): few feet off the boards making things happen. He’s a perimeter Though Dugan’s skating isn’t a major asset by any stretch, his spatial playmaker more than a net-driven attacker. He’s much better suited for awareness and poise in those settings make him an effective rush player either of the flanks on the power play than the net front. And instead of even without that speed because he’s comfortable making so many fitting in as a complementary piece for more talented players on his line different plays. You saw him hit the trailer above. You saw him hit the at even strength, he’s actually better suited as an active, highly skilled backdoor above. And here’s a little drop pass off a carry to the middle: carrier and distributor who can create for them instead of playing off them. The above play also highlights the ways that he does use his size and presence to impose himself. There, after giving the puck high in the zone, Are there elements to his game that fit into that “power forward” box? he uses his big body to stick in that lane and drive through the middle of Sure. But there are more that don’t than that do. the ice to the front of the net. He doesn’t end up scoring the goal (even We often expect players of certain compositions to play a certain way. If though the camera zooms in on him like he has) but his presence there you’re big, you should be using that size to get to the guts of the ice, helps influence the play. leveraging your frame against opposing players. You shouldn’t be drifting to the outside to look to pass. Right? And while he tends to do most of his damage as a passer from the outside with the puck, plays like that are common in his approach without it. Just because he doesn’t play with a ton of power and presence in possession doesn’t mean he does the rest of the time. He regularly goes to the slot and the front of the net when the play calls for it. Great tip here doing just that: When he’s not leading the rush, he’ll use his size to get to the crease and stay there, like he did on this goal: Hell, he’ll take the puck right into the net if that’s what’s required: The same hands that help him hang onto the puck and make plays help him finish this partial break and the size doesn’t hurt him either in protecting from not one but two opposing players trying to reach in on him. So don’t confuse poise for passiveness. He’s a long way from passive. Watch the way he pounces off the wall when he sees an opening on this goal: That’s evident in the way he forechecks, too. If there’s a battle to be won, he’s going to do everything he can to fight through contact and get the puck. If there’s a loose puck to race down, he’s going to hunt it. He does both on this impressive shift, which starts with him pushing the puck up the boards in his own zone and ends with him blocking a pass in the other: He’s also a sound positional player, which blended with his headiness to make this soft little chip play to spring a rush from his own zone: But he does more of his work from the outer thirds of the ice than the middle one. Even as a shooter, he’s more likely to slide off pressure to the perimeter or shoot off the flank from his spot on the power play than drop a shoulder and drive. A lot of his goals come from the faceoff circles, not the home plate. Here’s one from that spot: Here’s a second: I’d like to see him slide high and use power instead of positioning a little more to bring those shots higher into the slot, though. Because his shot can pop off his stick when he’s got time as well: And hard shots also create rebounds, like this one from high in the faceoff circle did (leading to a goal): So what is Jack Dugan? He’s a bit of an anti-power forward. He gives you something you maybe don’t expect. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I’d argue that difference is an asset to a team because there are more players that look like the prototypical power forward than the hybrid one that he is. If the Golden Knights can recognize that and encourage him to play his game while giving him opportunities that suit him (i.e. The wall on the power play instead of the net front), I fully expect him to thrive and provide the team with a unique skill set.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190316 Vegas Golden Knights

As They Celebrate Another Stanley Cup Title In Champa Bay Wednesday, Back In Las Vegas They Could Only Be Thinking, What If?

July 7, 2021 By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com

In the 11 PM darkness of the Channelside section of downtown Tampa where Amalie Arena sits with a giant metal lightning bolt on its plaza, they went crazy. The Tampa Bay Lightning had just won its second straight NHL championship. But 2,322 miles to the west, where the light was fading in Summerlin, Red Rock Canyon and Las Vegas, the Vegas Golden Knights could only be thinking, “What if.” The four-year-old Golden Knights knocked out two tough teams, Minnesota and Colorado, before losing to the upstart and unheralded Montreal Canadiens — the scrappy, gritty Stanley Cup finalist squad that lost, 1-0, to the Lightning in game five in Tampa Wednesday evening. The Lightning, anchored by the Stanley Cup playoffs MVP, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, was expected to play Vegas in a final for the ages before Montreal threw cold water on that idea in the semis. In the end, Tampa Bay won its Cup in five games over Montreal, ending a bizarre COVID-19 pandemic season that began with no preseason games and a 56-game regular season that had realigned teams playing only teams in their own division. The Golden Knights normally play in the Pacific Division, which does not included the and Colorado Avalanche. But the VGK ended up beating the Wild in seven games in round one and the Avs in round two. Most of the handicappers and pundits thought the Knights, which tied Colorado with most points during the regular season (and had the most wins), would dispatch a Montreal team that was seeded 16th out of 16 playoff teams. The Knights, however, lost four of the final five games against Montreal after winning game one at T-Mobile Arena. The VGK never did seem to regain their swagger and mojo after an embarrassing puck-handling gaffe by popular goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury allowed Montreal to tie the score with less than two minutes to go in game three. The Habs eventually won that game, 3-2, in overtime and defeated Vegas in six games. Knights players after losing to Montreal in six games. Who knows whether Vegas could have defeated Tampa if the Knights had reached the Cup final. Instead, Tampa Bay owner Jeff Vinik — one of the best team owners in all of major league sports — celebrated for a second consecutive NHL season. Vinik donates thousands of dollars to community groups at every Lightning home game and is redeveloping the Channelside area around the team’s arena in downtown Tampa. He’s a model team owner, one that VGK owner Bill Foley would be wise to emulate. And maybe one day, Foley will celebrate Stanley Cup titles like Vinik did tonight, too.

LVSportsBiz.com LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190317 Vegas Golden Knights A kid at heart, even at 36-years-old. The Penguins did their level best to re-acquire Fleury last offseason.

VGK ownership and GM Kelly McCrimmon declined the Penguins’ efforts Whatever Happens Next, Vegas Made Fleury a Hall of FamerPublished to the betterment of the Golden Knights. 12 hours ago on July 7, 2021 But how much longer can the dual goalie arrangement exist? Vegas has needs. And a need to get a little better to get past Colorado By Dan KingerskiMarc-Andre Fleury Vegas Golden Knights Robin Lehner again, and other challengers in the Western Conference may arise. VGK The Golden Knights goalie may not be the Golden Knights netminder for much longer as the front office huddles to determine their path forward towards the 2021-22 season and beyond. The Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights and then-GM George McPhee bluffed the have $12.5 million committed to goaltending with Fleury and Robin Pittsburgh Penguins into giving the Golden Knights a second-round pick Lehner, which is luxury spending in times of belt-tightening. in addition to franchise face Marc-Andre Fleury. While other misfits needed a chance, Fleury was fresh from a dominant playoff performance Fleury’s $7 million salary may be what goes. No one wants that, but that Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan controversially cut short for Matt harsh realities don’t care about feelings. Murray to finish the 2017 Stanley Cup run. After a transition and saving the seat beside him for his old buddy Sidney It was like walking into the bank for the Golden Knights, emptying the Crosby on the VGK charter flights, Fleury is Vegas. And Vegas is Fleury. vault, and taking a lollypop, too. No matter what happens next, Vegas is where Marc-Andre Fleury However, Fleury was not without baggage and some questions. He was became a Hall of Famer. the 2003 first-overall pick after the Penguins traded up from the No. 3 spot to No. 1 to grab him. But his career was dotted with highs like the 2009 Stanley Cup victory and Game 7-saving stop on Nicklas Lidstrom Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 07.08.2021 and lows like jaw-dropping playoff meltdowns in 2012 and 2013. A sports psychologist got Fleury on the right path in 2014, and his career arc finally carried him onto the verge of the game’s elite goalies. Over the past four seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights, Fleury posted a cumulative .917 save percentage. Fleury ranks eighth in save percentage of the 28 goalies who made more than 140 starts in the past four seasons. Ninth in appearances. With some irony, the goalie who ranked seventh–just ahead of Fleury in save percentage–is teammate Robin Lehner. But those stats don’t strongly portray Fleury’s ascension into the rarified air of the best goalies in the game. “…I never expected to play this long, either,” Fleury said when talking about his Vezina Trophy win. “…I never went into the season, or after the season, ‘Oh, I’ve got to win the Vezina’… It’s always about winning that game you’re playing in. Then win the next one. That’s what’s important.” Fleury has played on a few great teams. He backstopped the rise of Sidney Crosby, and the Penguins like John Bonham backstopped Led Zeppelin. However, Fleury was the frontman who brought the room together when the original Vegas Misfits charged to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season. Goaltending is often a team effort, but it’s also not a coincidence when the best goaltenders have the most wins across multiple teams. Fleury has consistently elevated his teams, on and off the ice. It wasn’t until Vegas and 2021 that Fleury won a coveted Vezina Trophy. He posted a career-best .928 save percentage, just a tenth higher than his true breakout season as a solo star in 2017-18. And it wasn’t until Vegas that Fleury became a Hall of Fame goalie. Fleury now stands third all-time in wins (492). He stands above Hall-of- Famers and future Hall members Henrik Lundqvist, Ed Belfour, and Roberto Luongo. Fleury now stands with goaltending legends Patrick Roy (551) and all- time leader Martin Brodeur (691). “Age, experience. I’ve been around for a little while now. I understand the game a little better,” Fleury said last week. “A few little tweaks with my goalie coach. And my teammates the way they bought-in, played the system–they made me look better.” The “Flower” made changes to his style this season. It may seem preposterous for a 36-year-old goalie to be tweaking his game, especially in significant ways, but that’s what he did. Marc-Andre Fleury moved back in the net. He said he challenged shooters less and played deeper in the crease to use his cat-quick reflexes to make more saves and give fewer rebounds. “Throughout my career, I’ve had to change and adapt. There are always new techniques that come out here and there,” said Fleury. “I have a goalie coach in the summer when I go back home and skate…I love hearing what’s new. I love watching goalies, seeing what they do–and I love trying it, right?” 1190318 Washington Capitals

Will the Caps look to add on defense this offseason?

BY J.J. REGAN & ANDREW GILLIS

With a flat salary cap, some expiring contracts and the Seattle expansion draft, this is going to be a busy offseason for the Capitals. To get you ready, Capitals writers Andrew Gillis and JJ Regan are breaking down the biggest offseason questions with their thoughts. Today's question: Will the Caps look to add on defense? Andrew: “Add” is a tricky way of describing what I think the Capitals are about to do on defense. Because they’re going to be adding a few players at the expense of others. As of now, the Capitals have five left-handed defensemen that can conceivably step into the lineup next fall in Dmitry Orlov, Brenden Dillon, Michal Kempny, Martin Fehervary and Alexander Alexeyev. On the right side, they’ve got John Carlson, Justin Schultz, Nick Jensen and Trevor van Riemsdyk as right-handed shots. And for as much as Brian MacLellan and every other GM in the league loves defensive depth, the Capitals simply won’t, and frankly cannot afford to carry all those defensemen in the AHL and NHL next season. I think the Capitals are going to wait for expansion to see what that brings in the way of who they’ve got left on defense, and then they’ll make their decision on how to optimize the blue line. But it looks like at least one defenseman on the Capitals right now won’t be next year. It doesn’t appear any major additions are coming for the Capitals on defense, and I think that’s for the best. They'll be able to get younger, cheaper, and perhaps even better on the blue line with just a few moves that appear to be on the precipice already. JJ: In terms of adding, quite simply, they can't afford to. On Brian MacLellan's to-do list this offseason will be to move a defenseman This is going to happen. Andrew already listed the bodies on the blue line. They have too many and not enough cap space to keep them all. The good news is the team is well-positioned if Seattle selects a defenseman in the expansion draft, but, one way or another, they are going to have to move a left defenseman this offseason. They have no choice. With little cap room and already a surplus at the position, it seems unlikely the team would make any additions. Whatever money you bring in, you have to ship back out so any additions they make would result in slashing salary somewhere else. The only "addition" I see is Fehervary taking a full-time role, but that's it.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190319 Washington Capitals

Leonsis wants to make NFTs 'understandable and accessible' for fans

BY RYAN HOMLER

With an announcement that Monumental Sports & Entertainment would be launching NFT collections for the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals -- a first of its kind venture -- Founder & CEO Ted Leonsis made it clear on Wednesday that he wanted to introduce this digital world to a larger fanbase. Why? Because Leonsis believes that these non-fungible tokens are something fans of the teams would enjoy. The only reason they haven't before this is because not many know what it is. Now, he's working to change that. “We want to, with today’s announcement, make NFT’s understandable and accessible to our fanbase," Leonsis said in a Clubhouse conversation with The Action Network's Darren Rovell. NFTs have been around for a little time now, and while it has boomed into a large market for some, there is still a large population that is uninformed of what, exactly, that market consists of. They are described as "one-of-a-kind digital assets which have an exclusive owner and exist through blockchain technology" -- meaning people can purchase a one- of-a-kind digital moment or piece of memorabilia with verifiable ownership and pricing. A major player in the world of cryptocurrency, NFTs made their way into sports when NBA Top Shots -- officially licensed digital collectible moments -- broke onto the scene. Seeing the success it brought, the league wanted its teams to get involved, but at a slow rate. For Leonsis, that meant figuring out the right way to do just that. “So our challenge as a group is how do we something that is unexpected? How do we do something within the rules of the NBA?" Leonsis said. "And how do we make this accessible to our fans and activate, if you will, something broad that’s very endemic to D.C.?" Leonsis and company were able to do that by meshing NFTs with the franchises fans adore. With artwork up for auction and additional perks that include tickets, meet-and-greets, jersey and more, it's a way for fans to enter a new world by connecting it with something they are already very familiar with. In the end, that's what Leonsis is striving for. Just like he enjoys seeing the memorabilia that line his office, he wants to create more ways for fans to own a moment that they can remember forever. “It combines sports, D.C., local artists, digital artists and tries to bring it out to our fans in a fun, unexpected way," Leonsis said.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190320 Washington Capitals

Capitals’ way-too-early 2022 Stanley Cup odds released

BY BIJAN TODD

Place your bets: the Washington Capitals’ odds to win the 2022 Stanley Cup have already been released. According to PointsBet Sportsbook, the Capitals are tied with the Edmonton Oilers with the ninth-best odds to take home Lord Stanley at +2200. The Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights are the favorites, both posting odds of +550 to win it all in 2022. Tampa, Carolina, Toronto, Boston, Pittsburgh and Minnesota are the rest of the teams who are favored to win the Cup over the Caps. Washington’s 2020-21 campaign came to an end in late May with a Game 5 loss at the hands of the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs—the culmination of a somewhat disappointing year for Capitals’ fans. The Capitals will surely look a bit different as they head into the 2021-22 season, though. Teams have until July 17 to announce which players they will protect from the expansion draft. With the Seattle Kraken gearing up to snag a few Capitals for their inaugural season, certain players’ futures are in doubt in the nation’s capital. Alex Ovechkin’s future has yet to be nailed down as well, as no. 8’s contract expired at the conclusion of last season. However, it’s all but certain that Washington is waiting to sign Ovechkin to a long-term deal until after the expansion draft, so that the team wouldn’t have to waste a protection spot on him. Both Ovechkin and the Capitals have expressed their desire for the legend to finish his career in the nation’s capital. Two days after the expansion draft, the 2021 NHL Draft will take place. Washington will not have a first-round pick in the draft as the team traded its selection as part of the Anthony Mantha deal earlier this season. The draft is seven rounds long, though, so the Caps will have plenty of picks to make after the first day. Will they shore up their defense, or elect to add more stamina at the forward position? There are a plethora of questions facing the Washington Capitals during the 2021 offseason. They’ve been given the ninth-best odds to take home the Stanley Cup next year, so their answers to those questions will undoubtedly have a massive impact on whether those odds hit.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190321 Washington Capitals

Monumental launches NFT collection for Caps, Wizards

BY RYAN HOMLER

Monumental Sports & Entertainment announced on Wednesday that it has officially launched NFT collections for the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals. By doing so, it becomes the first time in the industry that a launch has taken place simultaneously in two leagues. NFT's, also known as a non-fungible token, are described in the release as "one-of-a-kind digital assets which have an exclusive owner and exist through blockchain technology." Essentially, an NFT is similar to a collector's edition baseball card or memorabilia, but it is a digital version of a moment or item that allows ownership and uniqueness to be verified. By heading over to the Capitals and Wizards NFT pages, fans now have a chance to own some team- centric items. For the Capitals, the collection features two different themes that were created by artist Robert Generette III. The first relates to the 2018 Stanley Cup season, with the major prize being a one-of-a-kind minting of the team's Stanley Cup ring. The winner of the auction will also be giving a physical replica of the ring as well as VIP access to a practice, a jersey and more. Fans can also try and obtain one of the 16 minted versions of the team's 2018 Stanley Cup banner. The other theme relates to Washington's Screaming Eagles era which began when the logo was introduced in 1995. The main item up for auction will feature a "Past to Present Experience" NFT as well as tickets to a 2021-22 game, more gameday experiences, a replica jersey and a meet-and-greet with former players. As for the Wizards collection, the team worked with Lawrence Atoigue, professionally known as Naturel, to create six different NFT options. This is meant to represent the starting five and sixth-man on the court. The First Starter NFT is focused on the artist, as the owner of the NFT will get bonus content from the artist, attend a game courtside with Naturel, get a commissioned piece of art, receive a game-worn jersey and meet owner Ted Leonsis. The Second Starter NFT also features courtside tickets as well as dinner with a member of the basketball operations department and team alumni. The owner will also receive a game-worn jersey and get a chance to chat with Leonsis. The Third Starter has 50 minted pieces and includes tickets to a home game and a City Edition jersey. Fourth Starter has 125 minted pieces and features a City Edition Jersey. The Fifth Starter has 200 priced minted pieces while the Sixth Man version has 500 that are free to fans. The first five collections will be on sale through OpenSea from 9 a.m. on July 12 to 9 p.m. on July 14. The Sixth Man pieces will be shared through social media and the team. “We are thrilled to share these incredible digital collections with Caps and Wizards fans and provide them an accessible entry into the exciting world of NFTs, blockchain technology, and cryptocurrencies,” Ted Leonsis, Founder & CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, said. “Monumental Sports & Entertainment is a digital first company, and we consistently innovate to provide fans the richest, most immersive, and state-of-the-art experiences. To have the chance to do that and partner with Naturel and Rob Zilla III, two renowned D.C. digital artists – and Caps and Wizards fans, respectively – has been phenomenal.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190322 Vancouver Canucks EliteProspects’ Daniel Gee watched a fair bit of Persson this past season, mostly in his games for Strömsbro.

“Persson combines shoulder manipulations, weight-transfers, and plus- Canucks top 10 prospects: Viktor Persson’s puck play makes for an puck protection ability to create dangerous large-ice transitional attacks. intriguing late pick His penchant to join into the rush, attack the centre lane and distribute as he magnetizes defenders, represents the most exciting aspect of his game,” Gee told Postmedia. Patrick Johnston Gee rated Persson as an above-average passer who is able to find his teammates even through tight defending. Publishing date: Jul 07, 2021 That said, he’s not a great shooter from the point, a clear area for improvement. That said, some scouts see him as having power-play- It is something of a statement about the depth of the Vancouver quarterback potential. Canucks’ prospect pool that a seventh-round pick from last year’s draft “His best sequences came when he activated on-puck and rotated already finds himself as a top 10 prospect. opposing defenders,” Gee said. Viktor Persson was a bit of an off-the-radar pick when the Canucks Scouts rate Persson as a very good straight-line skater, but he needs to nabbed him last fall, but that’s what seventh-round picks are supposed to improve his ankle and hip flexibility to become a more dynamic defender. be. Once upon a time, a team’s final pick in the draft might get burned on a player who had family links to the team, or as a favour to a veteran “His stride inefficiencies caused Persson to take an extremely aggressive scout. approach when handling opposing attackers, eliminating them before they could exploit his sub-par pivoting ability,” Gee noted. This But those types of moves are a true rarity nowadays. aggressive tendency can eventually lead him to end up with poor body Modern drafting, no matter who is making the picks, is universally positioning. understood as a process that should always be about swinging for the “Opponent changes in speed really affect him negatively. He brings his fences. aggressiveness when defending against sustained pressure; Persson Many times those cuts miss. does well at initiating and bogging down cycle plays on the perimeter,” he added. He is successful at this by being able to quickly scan the ice As former Florida Panthers scout Rhys Jessop tweeted recently: “Most of surface around him. your prospects are probably bad.” “He is generally proactive. The flip side is this style of defending can lead That’s a simple truth. to positioning issues when the puck escapes the pile. The smaller-ice surface game in Kamloops will most definitely blend with his current skill It’s not easy to become a powerhouse draft-and-develop team like the set,” Gee said. Tampa Bay Lightning. But that also doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.

The Canucks’ 2020 draft crop isn’t great. Joni Jurmo is a big, toolsy player who has big question marks about his hockey sense, and while he Vancouver Province: LOADED: 07.08.2021 may have been a big swing he’s already missed out on selection to the Finnish world junior team. Jackson Kunz may have a touch around the net but he is a weak skater, a player far too similar to Ethan Keppen in the minds of several scouts of who spoke with Postmedia, the 2019 draft pick who the Canucks walked away from last month. Jacob Truscott didn’t score much in his freshman year at Michigan, and it’s not clear whether he’s much more than a run-of-the-mill NCAA defender. In comparison, Persson does seem to have upside. He’s confident with the puck and makes smart decisions with it, though like many junior-aged players he needs to improve his skating agility. Persson was a late cut from the Swedish world junior team last winter. And if he hadn’t suffered some injuries in 2019-20, he might have had a bigger profile heading into last year’s draft. He was meant to play in Kamloops this past season, but the late start to the season and the realities of a very tight border meant he spent the whole season in Sweden, playing 31 games in all: 20 for Brynäs’ U20 and Swedish Hockey League teams, and 11 more on loan with Strömsbro of the third-tier . He didn’t play much in those four SHL games, an unfortunate situation for his development as he would have benefited from playing more minutes in one of the world’s best pro leagues. Persson is headed to Kamloops this fall, assuming everything goes OK with the pandemic, and you would hope he’ll use the lessons learned last season playing against men — even if it was lower-division — to dominate WHL forwards. VIKTOR PERSSON (Prospect No. 10 in daily countdown) Age: 19. Height: 6-2. Weight: 192 pounds. Shoots: Right. Position: Defence. Draft year: 2020, 7th round. Current team: Kamloops Blazers. Outlook: Seventh defenceman. 1190323 Websites behave and bring your ‘A’ game,” the longtime NHL scout said. “I wouldn’t want him driving the bus.”

Vogl: Eichel trade talk started during the 2020 offseason with the The Athletic / Is this the NHL’s summer of the blockbuster? Here are 5 Rangers, and they’re still lingering. New York president and GM Chris stars who could be traded Drury had the same agent as Eichel during his playing days, and they also share a Boston University connection. The Ducks can dangle the No. 3 pick while the Kings have the No. 8 selection and a group of prospects that makes Buffalo salivate. Vegas makes sense for all the By Scott Burnside, John Vogl and more reasons Scott mentioned. While there’s certainly a team conducting Jul 7, 2021 clandestine talks, it’d be a surprise if Eichel lands anywhere but the bright lights of New York, Southern California or Las Vegas.

What Needs To Come Back? Is this the summer of the blockbuster? Burnside: So many holes to fill for the Sabres and with the potential that No, not a Thanos/Avengers blockbuster, but knock your socks off elite Adams may have to deal both Eichel and restricted free agent Sam NHL players on the move and not just in free agency? Reinhart, who has been the team’s most consistent forward the past two seasons, there’s going to be a couple of gaping holes in an already slight Oh, I know you’ve heard it all before. Big names on the move, promises lineup. Still, it does feel like the team isn’t trying to deal themselves into a of cornerstone players simply packing up and moving on to another ’22 playoff race with assets from an Eichel deal but rather collect assets team, blah, blah, blah. But we’re serious. This time it’s really going to that can grow with a new young core of Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Cozens happen. and Jack Quinn and so on. So, start with a first-round pick and then build Don’t believe us? The Athletic writers Scott Burnside, John Vogl, Aaron from there with a top NHL-ready player or two and a collection of Portzline, Hailey Salvian, Tarik El-Bashir and Thomas Drance have picks/prospects. The Sabres could even sweeten the deal by bringing on identified a group of five cornerstone players who are or could be in play some salary. right now and how things might play out in the coming weeks. Vogl: When Eichel leaves, the Sabres will need a new face of the Jack Eichel, Center, Buffalo Sabres franchise, someone who’ll get the beaten-down fan base excited. The first part of the trade has to include that energizing figure. It could be an Backstory elite prospect like the Kings’ Quinton Byfield. It could be a young, proven skater like the Flames’ Matthew Tkachuk. What it can’t be is a middling In the interest of brevity, we won’t unpack all of Jack Eichel’s mostly mix of Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka and Tage Thompson, which is disappointing run in Buffalo but suffice it to say that since the Sabres what the Sabres got for Ryan O’Reilly in 2018. The Sabres aren’t winning earned the consolation prize of the second pick in the Connor McDavid next season. They might not win the year after that. But they want to be draft in 2015, Eichel and the Sabres have managed to play in zero contenders by the time Dahlin and Cozens are 24 — which is Eichel’s playoff games. Eichel has played for three coaches in his short tenure in age now — so getting a few more players in their age range is a must. Buffalo and that number would be four had Eichel not been injured when Don Granato took over for Ralph Krueger midway through this season. End Result The Buffalo captain is also on his third GM. Apart from the dismal organizational decisions that have helped make the Sabres a Burnside: Kings — Spoke to a longtime scout and executive who laughingstock, there is the ongoing dispute between Eichel and the believes the Los Angeles Kings have coveted Eichel for a long time and Sabres over his treatment for a neck injury that limited him to 21 games it’s hard not to love the idea of Eichel growing into a star role in an this season. Last offseason, the first whispers regarding a possible trade important market behind iconic Kings players like Anze Kopitar and Drew emerged and now those whispers have turned into a full-throated Doughty. Plus, the Kings have the assets and it gets Eichel out of the scream. A number of sources we spoke to believe it’s not if but when conference which is an added bonus for the Sabres. Eichel is dealt. Vogl: Kings — It’s always easy to find reasons why a trade won’t work. Trade Degree of Difficulty (Scale of 1-10, 10 being most difficult) That’s certainly the case with the Kings. They’ve built a stable of young prospects who could put L.A. among the elite in a few years. Why toss Burnside: 5 — Eichel has zero trade protection so rookie GM Kevyn away multiple pieces for one guy who may not be the same because of Adams controls when, where and if he trades his top player. Well, sort of. injury? Well, because it makes sense. Kopitar and Doughty might not Eichel is under contract at $10 million annually for the next five years, have enough game left when those prospects mature. Bringing in Eichel which will limit trade options. And then there is the neck injury that cost improves the Kings immediately and lets them take advantage of their Eichel half a season and which must be resolved before any deal is stars’ final good seasons. finalized. There is also the fact Adams doesn’t have to trade Eichel so he can ask for the moon (which is apparently the case) and if he doesn’t get Backstory it hope the relationship between player and team somehow repairs itself. The talent drain out of Columbus continues unabated, which we don’t But if sources are correct and both parties believe the only recourse in truly get but that’s a story for another day. But credit cornerstone this marriage is annulment, well, the clock is ticking to what would be one defender Seth Jones for informing the Blue Jackets in a timely fashion he of the biggest trades in recent NHL history. does not plan to sign an extension as he enters the final year of his Vogl: 6 — Normally, teams would be ringing Adams’ phone nonstop and current deal. As a result, GM Jarmo Kekalainen will move the talented lining up with their offers. But things are rarely normal in Sabreland, and defenseman he acquired from Nashville for center Ryan Johansen in this is no different. Eichel has wanted to schedule an artificial disk January 2016. Kekalainen is also likely to move one of his two replacement since suffering a neck injury in March. The organization netminders, Joonas Korpisalo or Elvis Merzlikins, and there is also talk says the procedure has never been done on an NHL player and it has no that Patrik Laine, a restricted free agent acquired in another forced desire for its captain to be the guinea pig. Certainly, the Sabres are not blockbuster deal early in the 2020-21 season for Pierre-Luc Dubois, alone in that anti-surgery stance, which cuts down the trade partners could also be on the block. All of these elements are connected as the before even getting to salary, fit and talent. But Eichel’s camp is team has to identify whether they are looking at trying to reset on the fly convinced he’ll be fine just two months after the surgery. And when or go longer term in what would be a more formal rebuild. But it all starts healthy, Eichel is that good. He finished eighth in Hart Trophy voting with Jones. during his last full season and was a three-time All-Star before that. The Degree of Trade Difficulty right trade partner is waiting regardless of the neck concerns. Burnside: 3 — Jones has one year left on his deal at a totally Possible Destinations manageable $5.4 million and a limited no-trade where, according to Burnside: Basically any team looking to add a top-flight center should be CapFriendly, he can identify 10 teams to which he will not be traded. in this discussion, so think Minnesota, the Rangers, Los Angeles, Jones did not have a banner year with 28 points in 56 games but name Anaheim and Columbus to start with. With Vegas’ collapse against one Blue Jackets player who did have a banner year. Even though his Montreal in the semifinals there is a lot of buzz that GM Kelly analytics numbers have declined and he ended up with a minus-18 McCrimmon will try to address a deficiency down the middle and the plus/minus, scouts and managers still view the 26-year-old as a top-four team has assets that could be of interest to Buffalo starting with defenseman and captain material. Columbus has made it clear they do prospects like Cody Glass and Peyton Krebs and some solid young NHL- not want to repeat the stressful dynamic of 2018-19 when pending UFAs ready defenders like Nicolas Hague and Zach Whitecloud. Both Vegas Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin played out a full season knowing and L.A. fit the bill for one longtime talent evaluator who feels Eichel they were headed out the door without assets returning so Jones is going needs to be around a strong veteran core. “Just sit the fuck down and to be moved, just a matter of where and what kind of treasure trove of assets comes back. Portzline: 2 — Jones, until recently, has been a consistent Norris Trophy three-game suspension from the NHL. Then, this past season, he was candidate, but it’s always been a fight to gain national attention because scratched for being late to a team function, there were two trips to the of his marketplace (Columbus) and that he’s a two-way defenseman, not COVID-19 protocol list and finally, a desultory three-game appearance in just a points generator. But very few NHL defensemen move across the the playoffs where Kuznetsov did not register a point as the Capitals blue line with Jones’ fluidity. Very few are as smart and anticipate plays were bounced in the first round for the third straight season. To say the as well as he does. He can dial it up physically, too, and has done so in Caps are disgruntled with Kuznetsov’s career arc is an understatement. the playoffs, eating big minutes and becoming a heavy player. Jones has One source familiar with the team put it this way; “he’s a flake and a done the Blue Jackets a big favor in making his plans clear but he could gamble.” do the Jackets another solid by making it clear which clubs he’d consider signing with on a long-term contract. Barring that, we’d expect any trade Trade Degree of Difficulty to include a conditional draft pick that would be turned over to the Burnside: 7 — Kuznetsov has, according to CapFriendly, a 15-team no- Jackets if Jones signs an extension with his new team. trade list and a $7.8 million cap hit through 2024-25. If you’re a team on Possible Destinations Kuznetsov’s list that kind of term isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If he can get his act together. If he can’t regain his form, well, that term suddenly Burnside: Jones’s limited no-trade complicates the proceedings at least a looks like a prison sentence and there’s no way to know which way this little. For instance wouldn’t Jones look good in a Winnipeg Jets jersey? turns. Possible the Caps would have to end up eating some of Yes, he would. But would Jones be willing to go to Winnipeg? Well, that’s Kuznetsov’s salary if, indeed, they are determined to part ways. another story altogether. Philadelphia is a team that has the assets to make such a deal and GM Chuck Fletcher is under pressure to add a El-Bashir: 9 — I suspect it’s going to be difficult to move Kuznetsov for all top-four defenseman. Would Kekalainen prefer to move Jones out of the of the reasons Scott laid out. Kuznetsov’s missteps haven’t gone conference let alone the division? Of course. But the return is the key unnoticed by the rest of the NHL. Nothing really egregious. Just enough more so than the location. How about Colorado? Love the idea and we’re for teams, including the Caps, to question his level of commitment. guessing Jones would too even if GM Joe Sakic would have to do some Here’s another way to look at it: Considering all the baggage, the on-ice serious juggling to make it happen. One veteran scout familiar with the inconsistency and the flat cap, would a team sign Kuznetsov to a four- Avs felt Colorado was exposed on the back end by Vegas in the playoffs year, $31.2 million deal today? and that Jones could become the missing piece to the Avs’ as yet Possible Destinations incomplete Stanley Cup puzzle. Burnside: Columbus is desperate for a No. 1 center. Minnesota needs Portzline: While not speaking directly about Jones, Kekalainen has someone to play with Kirill Kaprizov. Anaheim is also looking to redefine always made it clear that he’ll take the best offer in any trade talks. Put itself offensively. Our personal favorite is Vegas, where there has to be another way: if Philadelphia makes the best pitch for Jones, the 6-foot-4, some reckoning after their entire forward corps disappeared in a six- 215-pounder will be a Flyer, even though the Blue Jackets and Flyers game series loss to Montreal in the semifinals. And George McPhee, share space in the Metropolitan Division. Chicago is said to be interested president of hockey operations in Vegas, drafted Kuznetsov while GM in in acquiring a top-notch defenseman this summer. Would Jones fit or Washington. does it make more sense for Chicago to pursue pending unrestricted free agent Dougie Hamilton? Colorado and Toronto have surfaced in rumors, El-Bashir: Ottawa is in the market for a first-line center, too, which brings too, but both of those clubs would need to clear significant salary to make us back to the 15-team no-trade list. Although we don’t know who’s on it, it happen. The Blue Jackets could also be one of the few teams with we can be sure of this much: Players demand trade protection precisely salary-cap space under the flat-cap realities of next season and perhaps for moments like these. Why would Kuznetsov, a 29-year-old who is could sweeten a Jones deal by taking on a contract in exchange for a married with kids and has spent the past eight seasons in Washington, sweet draft pick or a hot prospect. This could go a lot of different ways. accept a trade from a contender to a cellar dweller? Or to a city where he does not want to live for the next four years? I don’t think he does. Fans What Needs To Come Back? need to keep that in mind when mulling potential matches. Burnside: Columbus has been looking for a franchise center since, well, What Needs To Come Back? since they dealt Johansen to Nashville for Jones. It’s not necessarily a one-for-one proposition, though. Jones doesn’t have to return an Burnside: Talked to one source who felt it would be a victory for emerging NHL center although that would certainly be a tidy Washington to get out from under Kuznetsov’s salary and his divisive arrangement. But the assets Kekalainen obtains have to be significant presence. If that’s the case mid- to late-round picks and a prospect or enough that the Blue Jackets could turn around and at some point two might be enough. The real asset for the Caps is in the cap space. massage them into a No. 1 center. Maybe that center is Eichel although “So many options if he’s gone,” the source said. we’ll let Aaron address that. Certainly adding an established player like Eichel sends a different message vis a vis the Blue Jackets’ long-term El-Bashir: A big part of what’s made the Caps so good for so long is their plan. But if the idea isn’t to add for the coming season but for long term is depth down the middle. Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom are a great 1- a first-round pick and another later round pick, Alex Newhook and 2 punch. Meanwhile, Lars Eller remains one of the game’s best third-line Samuel Girard enough to get a deal done with Colorado? centers and Nic Dowd is a very good fourth-liner. Subtract Kuznetsov from that mix, though, and a strength suddenly becomes a question Portzline: The return of John Davidson to the organization as president of mark. Backstrom also turns 34 in November and was banged up at the hockey operations has slammed the brakes on a quick reload. No more season’s end. So what are their options? The ideal scenario would be patching tires; the Blue Jackets seem poised to rebuild. Don’t rule them getting a first-line center back in the transaction. The not-ideal-but- out of the Eichel sweepstakes, but his neck injury is a major concern and potentially-workable scenario would be getting a middle-six center back the price tag required to acquire him is apparently outrageous. The return and hoping that Backstrom, Eller, the new player and Dowd are good for Jones will be heavily shaded toward “futures” — top prospects, high enough as a group. The Caps’ No. 1 prospect, Connor McMichael, is a picks and perhaps conditional picks. I wouldn’t rule out a current NHL center and they’ve got big plans for him. But internally the 20-year-old roster player being included, but that player won’t likely be the biggest isn’t viewed as being ready to step into a full-time top-six role next part of the return for Columbus. season. End Result End Result Burnside: Avalanche — It won’t be easy but the Avs are in win-now mode Burnside: Golden Knights — Love the idea of Kuznetsov in Vegas and and need to address a lack of stability on the back end and Jones checks believe, if he can regain his form, he might represent the missing Stanley every box (sorry analytics people). Cup puzzle piece for the Golden Knights. And Kuznetsov might solve Vegas’s center depth problem without costing key assets in the way that Portzline: Flyers — I could very well see that, Scotty B., because Denver Eichel might. is a place that’s near and dear to Jones’ heart. He might end up there long term. But I’m putting my loonies and toonies on the Flyers. Fletcher El-Bashir: Capitals — The Caps were frustrated by Kuznetsov’s season has done a poor job of containing his excitement ever since Jones’ name and disappointed by the way things ended. But first-line centers don’t hit the market earlier this summer. It feels like this is the move that grow on trees and it’s hard to imagine the Caps getting a fair return given defines Fletcher’s summer. everything we’ve discussed. In the end, I think GM Brian MacLellan has some conversations and kicks some tires but ultimately stands pat. Backstory Backstory Let’s start with the fact the talented center was our vote for playoff MVP when the Capitals won their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2018. Since then, Where to start with a Flames team that continues to sink beneath the though, it’s been more rags than riches for Kuznetsov. There was a surface of relevancy in spite of its talent and promise? Two years ago, decline in play post-Cup, a positive test for cocaine at the 2019 World the Flames were the top team in the Western Conference and got Championship which yielded a four-year international suspension and bounced by eighth seed Colorado. In the bubble of 2020, they beat a decimated Winnipeg Jets team in the play-in round and then let a series Salvian: It may sound obvious but at the end of the day the Flames need against eventual Stanley Cup finalist Dallas get away from them after an to make moves this offseason to improve their team. injury to Matthew Tkachuk. This season? Out of the playoffs in spite of acquiring top free-agent goaltender Jacob Markstrom. The Flames have This is where a Gaudreau move gets tricky. For everything said about his won one best-of-seven playoff round since advancing to Game 7 of the decline in play or disappointing seasons (and playoffs), the Flames Stanley Cup Final in 2004. One. GM Brad Treliving can’t simply roll the struggled to consistently score goals and generate offence this season, dice again with this core. Can he? One longtime NHL player and scout and Gaudreau led the team in goals (19) and points (49). He’s arguably believes there is serious internal discussion about moving on from at still the club’s most dynamic player. I like your idea about using this trade least one core piece which is why we’ve identified Johnny Gaudreau to clear cap space to get a meaningful player on the open market. because the Flames have good depth on the wings, especially the left However, unless you’re getting a better player or a package that takes side. you to the next level in return, doesn’t trading Gaudreau make you worse? Trade Degree of Difficulty End Result Burnside: 5 — One of the reasons that the Flames might be considering moving Gaudreau — apart from the fact that he has shown little ability to Burnside: Ducks — Talked to a longtime NHLer and talent evaluator elevate his game in critical moments — is that he has a limited no-trade familiar with the North Division. He believes there has been an obvious that allows him to identify five potential trade partners that kicks in before decline in Gaudreau’s effectiveness. “But when he’s on his game he’s a the start of free agency on July 28. So, the timing of any potential deal is very dynamic guy that makes a lot happen offensively or with the puck,” critical. Getting ahead of his no-trade clause will allow the Flames to take he said. “But it just feels like the league has figured him out a little bit. full advantage that Gaudreau, who has expressed a desire to remain with Personally, I would move (Sean) Monahan.” Honestly, I’m not sure the Flames, has one more year left on his deal at a manageable $6.75 there’s the will in Calgary to make these kinds of moves even as it seems million. And for all of the disappointments, Gaudreau remains in his prime critical that the Flames do something. But if it happens I like Anaheim GM at 27 and in 2018-19 had 99 points. So finding suitors shouldn’t be Bob Murray to get in on the talented winger. difficult. Salvian: Flames — It’s hard to disagree with what the former NHLer said Salvian: 5 — It’s been well documented that if the Flames are going to there. Monahan is probably a likely trade target this year, with many move on from Gaudreau, it should be before his five-team trade list kicks teams in need of a center this summer. And when Gaudreau is on his in this summer. And I agree with that. Ideally, the approach with game, there aren’t many players who can create at his level, which is Gaudreau this summer is to either re-sign him or trade him rather than what makes the idea of losing him so difficult for fans. I’m in the camp risk watching him walk away as a UFA in the summer of ’22. that would like to see Gaudreau back in Calgary. This is a difficult one to predict. I could realistically see Gaudreau moved in the next month, Talk of changing up the core is nothing new around Calgary, and mostly due to that pesky modified no-trade clause. For now, I’ll go with a certainly not after another disappointing season. However, flipping one of gut feeling, and say he stays. your steadiest point-producers just so you can say you’ve overhauled your core makes little sense. Of course, a return that would actually Backstory improve this team would be welcomed, but I’m not sure if Gaudreau’s Last offseason the Coyotes explored whether they might move on from current value — two years removed from his 99-point season — pulls their captain and highest-paid player, Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Ekman- that kind of return. All that said, I agree with you Scott. Larsson, through his agent Kevin Epp, responded with a two-team list of Possible Destinations potential destinations; Vancouver and Boston. With a full no-move clause such was Ekman-Larsson’s right and when a deadline established by the Burnside: Sounds counterintuitive to suggest a guy that hasn’t responded player and agent passed without a deal those talks were tabled. Ekman- well to pressure situations go to a place where they are this close to Larsson, 29, played 46 games last season collecting 26 points and being a Cup champ but I think Gaudreau would be a good fit with the delivering disappointing advanced stats along with a minus-17 Islanders and Barry Trotz especially if they end up moving on from Kyle plus/minus. Ekman-Larsson told Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider that Palmieri. The Isles need to get a little more dynamic especially on the the effort to move him impacted his confidence. Now it appears the wing. And after a slow start Gaudreau did come around under head Coyotes would like to revisit a possible trade and that Ekman-Larsson is coach Darryl Sutter, who replaced Geoff Ward in early March. Gaudreau, more amenable to being moved which, in theory, will open up the options from New Jersey, would help an emerging Devils team but they’re for Arizona GM Bill Armstrong. looking to get bigger on the wings and back end so not sure that’s a fit. But what about another hometown team in Philadelphia? The Flyers are Trade Degree of Difficulty in the market for a difference-making defenseman but Gaudreau would Burnside: 8 — Lots of moving parts that will make facilitating a trade very certainly look good in the top six and the Flyers might be interested in difficult. First, Ekman-Larsson’s contract carries an $8.25 million cap hit moving D-man Shayne Gostisbehere, which could be a fit. And what through 2026-27. Also, he’s owed $10.5 million in real dollars for the next about Anaheim, where the Ducks need to find some scoring oomph to three seasons. His actual salary goes down to $5.25 million in the final help accelerate their reboot? And new assistant Ward knows Gaudreau two years of the deal but no matter how you slice it that’s a lot of weight well from their time in Calgary. to move when it comes to actual dollars. Then there’s his declining level Salvian: This is always a big guessing game but the one landing spot I of play. Finally, the no-move clause means that even if Ekman-Larsson is always go back to is Philadelphia. In April, I did one of our “Who says no” open to moving he still holds all the cards when it comes to finding a new trade proposal stories and the most popular proposal was Gaudreau for home for the veteran defender who was the No. 6 pick in 2009. Travis Konecny, which is intriguing for both sides. Drance: 10 — The difficulty of making this deal has been ramped up by Konecny didn’t take the step the Flyers hoped he would this season after Ekman-Larsson’s struggles last season, in stark contrast with the rise of a solid 2019-20 campaign. However, Konecny is only 24 — four years his teammate Jakob Chychrun. Now Ekman-Larsson is seen around the younger than Gaudreau — and a right-shot right winger, which is a big league as a player you’re gambling on to bounce back, a big bet to place hole in Calgary that he could fill. This could be a shake it up trade for considering his contract represents a $40 million salary liability over the both Calgary and Philadelphia. As an aside, Gostisbehere would be life of the deal. It isn’t just that Ekman-Larsson’s performance makes this intriguing, especially if the Flames were to lose captain Mark Giordano to deal more complicated this summer. Honestly, it’s difficult to escape the Seattle in expansion, as that would leave a massive hole on the left side impression that the Coyotes missed the boat here as they paid Ekman- of the blue line. The question with all of the potential landing spots is: Are Larsson a $4 million signing bonus last offseason and still couldn’t get a these teams comfortable trading for Gaudreau when they could have a deal done. This is a trade that was probably a 7 last season even with a shot at him in free agency in 2022? shorter list of teams that Ekman-Larsson was willing to be dealt to, as opposed to what it is now a full 10 in my opinion. What Needs To Come Back? Possible Destinations Burnside: If the point of this exercise is for Calgary to tinker with a key part or two in the hopes of finding the elusive playoff combination as Burnside: Boston was interested as they’d like a top-four left-hand shot we’ve seen teams like St. Louis and Washington do successfully in defender and may remain so assuming Arizona eats as much as half of recent years then maybe it’s not what comes back in assets so much as the outstanding monies owed. Our pal Craig Morgan wondered aloud at what you do with the key asset of cap space. For instance, if getting a a possible fit in Edmonton where Ekman-Larsson could reunite with package of picks and prospects from an acquiring team for Gaudreau former coach Dave Tippett. If the Oilers move on from Tyson Barrie (who allows the Flames to sign a free agent who can play in the top six and is a right-hand shot pending UFA) maybe there’s a way to make that help the power play like Mike Hoffman or two-time Cup champ Brandon work especially if the Coyotes not only eat some of Ekman-Larsson’s Saad that should be — or could be — a net gain which is the point, right? salary but took on one of the Oilers’ onerous deals like James Neal. In recent days the Oilers have been linked to veteran Chicago defender Duncan Keith so lots of moving parts to the Oilers option. The reality is that unless a team believes wholeheartedly that Ekman-Larsson can return to being an elite defender with the confidence to make plays, contribute to the power play and log big minutes, the contract makes acquiring Ekman-Larsson an enormous risk. Drance: Edmonton makes a ton of sense. I can’t really see Boston as a fit, unless the Coyotes retain a ton of money. The Bruins’ need on the left side is obvious, but they’re going to have better options and the cap flexibility to pounce on them. Perhaps Vancouver could revisit things too if the Coyotes lowered their demands significantly from the last time out and also took some of Vancouver’s bad money back. The club still likes the player, even if there was some frustration on both sides with how the non-deal played out. What Needs To Come Back? Burnside: This isn’t an assets trade. The Coyotes recently hired highly regarded junior and international coach Andre Tourigny as their new head coach, signaling a trend to a more youthful Coyotes roster. So, whatever cap space is created by moving Ekman-Larsson is the key here. Even if Arizona has to take on another unhealthy contract or toss in a late-round pick or mid-range prospect this is all about short-term pain for long-term gain as GM Bill Armstrong tries to chart a course back to respectability for the beleaguered franchise. Drance: Scott is dead on, but this is too bad for Arizona because the Coyotes were asking for a ton last season and missed a relatively unique opportunity to offload this contract. Now, just nine months later, we’re all in agreement that any Ekman-Larsson trade will solely return cap space? Tough place for the Coyotes and their second-year general manager to be in. End Result Burnside: Coyotes — As one longtime scout familiar with the Coyotes put it, Ekman-Larsson simply isn’t an elite defender anymore. “You can’t take this guy with that kind of load,” he said referencing Ekman-Larsson’s contract. Best case scenario seems to be that Ekman-Larsson is rejuvenated with a new coaching staff in Arizona and the team can return to a possible trade next offseason when the cost and the hence the exposure for another team declines at least some. Drance: Coyotes — The flat cap just makes it so difficult to solve big money, big cap space problems like this one for Arizona. There just isn’t enough flexibility in the system to lubricate this kind of trade. Unless Arizona accepts that they’ll be taking some inefficient short-term money back in any deal, eating some salary in retention in the deal and getting little of hockey value back, there’s no chance this deal happens. At this juncture, it will take a salary cap Houdini quality escape for the Coyotes to move this deal.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190324 Websites NHL scout: “There’s a lot to like about this player. He’s a great skater. He’s very skilled. He can score a lot of goals. He’s not going to run people over, but he’s a worker. He knows where he needs to give a little extra to win a race or create pressure.” The Athletic / What to expect from NHL Draft-eligible prospect Dylan Guenther NHL scout: “There’s no denying the talent, no denying the scoring touch and his production. I wonder if in the NHL he’s a primary driver of a line, or is he more a secondary guy who needs a top center to create the offense?” By Corey Pronman NHL scout: “The way he plays in Edmonton is not the way he played for Jul 7, 2021 Canada’s U18 team. There was a lot of deferral to Shane Wright at that tournament. In the WHL, he’s the guy with the puck. He makes things happen.” I want to highlight the Edmonton Oil Kings’ Dylan Guenther, my No. 2 prospect for the 2021 NHL Draft, and discuss why, in my mind, he has Dave Barr, Canada’s U18 coach: “He’s got a great stick, he has a great somewhat distinguished himself as the top forward prospect in the draft shot and he skates well. He’s an excellent player.” class. Projection The videos below will show a player who doesn’t have one attribute that’s Guenther is a little boring for a No. 2-ranked prospect. Kent Johnson has truly elite but does a lot very well. more skill. Matthew Beniers has better compete. Luke Hughes is a better Here is my latest mock draft so you can see the analysis behind skater. What Guenther does do, though — and those three players do Guenther’s potential landing spot. not — is check every box. His skating, skill, vision, shot, size and compete are all NHL-quality, projecting as NHL average or better in Skating every aspect. This is rare in a prospect. He combines that with production in his draft season and underage season, which is very Guenther’s skating isn’t the main thing that draws me to him, but it is a impressive. His U18 worlds were good, not great, lacking spectacular strong point of his game that looks NHL-quality. That he grew over the moments that get one excited, but he still led the gold medal-winning last year from 6 feet to nearly 6-foot-2 and still looks quick is a positive. team in ice time, playing all situations. Puck skills He is a player, because of the combination of his tools and consistency, Guenther is a very able forward who can make skilled rushes at a quick whom I can see as a top-line NHL forward. He’s the forward prospect pace, generating a lot of controlled zone entries. That combination will who has the best chance of anyone in the 2021 NHL Draft to become a help him beat NHL defenders one-on-one. star, playing a type of game similar to Andrei Svechnikov even if the two are not directly comparable skill-set-wise. He has great offensive-zone creativity and can create space for himself because of his combination of speed and skill. Shot The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 Guenther is mainly known as a goal scorer. His shot doesn’t jump out at you like, say, Alexander Holtz’s or Cole Caufield’s in recent drafts, but it is a very good shot. He can pick corners from midrange. He can beat goalies from a long way away. He’s also a versatile player in how he uses shots, with a great wrist shot and one-timer. Plus, he knows how to use screens well. Compete level Guenther’s talent and production draw you to him. But it’s his work ethic that makes me believe he has the most potential of any forward in this draft class. Guenther isn’t an overly physical player, but he creates a lot of havoc with his compete level. He attacks the net and generates a lot of turnovers. He’s a strong defensive forward who penalty killed for Edmonton and Canada’s U18 team and can create offense off his defensive play. He works on the backcheck and forecheck, using his speed and effort to be first on pucks. Vision Guenther is primarily a shoot-first type, but he is a good passer as well who can make tough passes to create chances. He can make unique distributions, such as this one, where he pops it from the boards to an open player in front: On the power play, Guenther is a threat because of his shot, but he’s able to make seam passes to create for his teammates as well. Production Here is the production of some top-10 picks in their respective NHL drafts from the WHL as compared with Guenther in his draft year: The sample on Guenther is obviously an issue because of his shortened WHL season. His production would have likely regressed over a full season. How much? Who can really know? Maybe it comes down to 1.75 points per game, 1.60, 1.50 or fewer. We can use that same group of players but only look at their underage seasons with a more similar number of games: It still reflects well on Guenther, although the production looks more realistic in this grouping, which is to be expected. What the hockey world is saying 1190325 Websites Trottier’s the best player from this group, but I think Team No Cup has the more dangerous threesome. We’ll give them an edge as we move on to the bottom six. The Athletic / Down Goes Brown: Who wins, an all-time roster of stars Third line with no Cups or stars who won Cups with multiple teams? The hits just keep on coming for Team No Cup, who have an embarrassment of riches still available to them. For example, let’s build a third line out of Mike Gartner, and Gilbert Perreault. Just By Sean McIndoe a quick 1,700 goals and 4,000 points to toss over the boards when the top six need a breather. No big deal. Jul 7, 2021 By contrast, Team Multi-Cups is losing steam. We can still put a 500-goal man down the middle with , who won with the 1989 With a new set of names soon to be engraved on the Stanley Cup and Flames, 1999 Stars and 2003 Devils. But the pickings are getting slim on the offseason looming, let’s kill some time with a roster challenge. the wings, where I’ll have to settle for (Habs, Devils and Avs) and (Lightning and Blackhawks). Two very good How about this one: Who wins, a team made up of guys who never won players, and maybe even borderline Hall candidates to some eyes, but the Stanley Cup or guys who won Stanley Cups with multiple teams? there’s really no contest with what Team No Cup is putting out there. This is starting to get away from Team Multi-Cups. Let’s start with the obvious. By setting the rules like this, we’re wiping out the vast majority of NHL stars. That’s the beauty of it. By definition, we Fourth line lose all the guys who only ever played for one franchise, like Mario Lemieux, Nicklas Lidstrom, Joe Sakic or Denis Potvin. We lose everyone The sheer volume of talent still available for Team No Cup is getting silly. who only won a single Cup, like Ray Bourque, Teemu Selanne, Brian We’re not even going to use Pat LaFontaine, , Mats Sundin, Leetch and Luc Robitaille. And we lose anyone on the surprisingly long Michel Goulet, Bernie Federko or Peter Stastny, although you could list of players who played for multiple teams and won multiple Cups but easily swap any of those guys onto the roster and I wouldn’t complain. only ever got a ring with a single team, including Wayne Gretzky, Instead, I’m going to offer a gift to a fan base that could use some Dominik Hasek, Bobby Orr and Jaromir Jagr. positivity these days by building out a Canucks super-line of with Henrik and Daniel Sedin. That’s clearly a better unit than Team Who’s left? Enough to make two pretty good rosters, although it won’t be Multi-Cups’ third line, and maybe even better than their second. Team No easy. Then again, why would we do this if it was? Cup is just stacked. But first, a few ground rules. We’ll limit this to the modern era, which is to Team Multi-Cups can’t compete here, although they do get to start their say post-1967, and when in doubt we’ll lean toward more recent Stars. fourth unit with a Hall of Famer in Guy Carbonneau, who won with the We’ll try to keep position in mind, although we’ll assume that some of the 1986 and 1993 Habs and again with the 1999 Stars. He was known as a best players in history can shift around if we need them to. We’re checker, and he’s going to have to be for this team. We’ll give him a 50- disqualifying any active player from the “no Cups” roster; if they’re still goal power forward in Adam Graves (Oilers and Rangers), and finish the playing, it’s not fair to say that they won’t win a Cup. And we’re obviously line with (Hurricanes and Kings) just in case this goes only looking at Cups won as a player, without worrying about any rings a seven games. guy may have earned as a coach or executive. Team Multi-Cups is icing some solid players, but there’s really no contest Makes sense? Cool, let’s make up some fake rosters to argue about. here. Team No Cup has the better forwards, by a little in the top six and by a lot on the depth lines. This might not be as close a battle as I was First line hoping for, as Team Multi-Cups will have to make up some ground on There’s no surprise on who’s heading up the top unit on Team No Cup. defense if they want to have any shot. It’s the same name that always shows up on these lists: Marcel Dionne, First pairing one of the greatest offensive players of all time but a guy who never made it out of the second round. We’ll make him captain, and we’ll give Team No Cup continues to impress, adding two more big names to him two of my personal favorite players on his wings in Jarome Iginla and anchor the blue line. They’ll take Brad Park and Borje Salming, a pair of Paul Kariya. That’s three Hall of Famers and about 1,750 goals. Not a ’70s stars who never managed to get their names on the Cup. Park had a bad start. few trips to the final with New York and Boston but always fell short, while Salming played for the Maple Leafs so you do the math. Can Team Multi-Cup match them? They can get off to a solid start down the middle with their own captain in Mark Messier, who had Cups with That’s an imposing pairing for Team Multi-Cup, who need to make up the Oilers and Rangers and (checks notes) not the Canucks. Let’s put some ground after losing the forward battle. But they respond nicely, as Brett Hull on one wing, thanks to Cup wins in Dallas and Detroit, and they can offer up two of the very best of the ’80s and ’90s in Chris hope nobody’s manning the replay review booth. Chelios and . Chelios earned his rings with the Habs and Red Wings, while Coffey hoisted the Cup for the Oilers and Penguins (and As always, left-wingers are tough to find, especially since six-time champ also came close with the Red Wings and Flyers). Frank Mahovlich just misses our post-expansion cutoff based on his last Toronto title coming in 1967. But we can at least give them a winger who This is a tough call that spans a couple of different eras. Park and shot left, as Mark Recchi joins Team Multi-Cup’s top line thanks to rings Salming were easy Hall of Fame picks, but neither won a Norris — earned in Pittsburgh, Carolina and Boston. That gives us a top line that thanks, Bobby Orr — while Coffey and Chelios combined for six. I think accounts for roughly 4,800 points. we have to give the edge here to Team Multi-Cup, who’ll need to keep that momentum going as we round out our blue lines. Three players per roster into this, and it’s too close to call. Team Multi- Cup has slightly better numbers, but I kind of want to see Team No Cup Second pairing in action a little more. Let’s call it even and move onto the second lines. For the first time, Team No Cup is starting to struggle to find truly elite Second line names, although they can still land some Hall of Fame talent in Mark Howe and . Neither won a Norris, and both had to wait for Team No Cup still has plenty of options, but I’m going to give this line a induction, but they’re in now, so Team No Cup’s HHOF streak continues. mid-90s focus. We’ll start with a pair of players who had a ton of real-life The door is open for Team Multi-Cup, though. Can they take advantage? success together, as we put Adam Oates at center and give him Cam Neely on his wing. Will it makes Oates sad to see Hull on the other side? I think they can, as they offer up a pairing of and Larry Maybe, but I’m guessing he’ll be OK, especially when he looks over on Murphy. Niedermayer won two Cups and a Norris in New Jersey before his other wing and sees converted center Eric Lindros. How much room adding another Cup and a Conn Smythe in Anaheim. Murphy didn’t do you think a finesse guy like Oates would get with Lindros and Neely collect as much personal hardware but did win back-to-back Cups with running around out there? The answer: All the room. both the Penguins and Red Wings, and I think Team Multi-Cup takes another win here. Team Multi-Cup has an elite option available down the middle, as makes the team thanks to four Cups with the Islanders dynasty Third pairing and two more with the early-90s Penguins. We’ll give him another six- time champ on one wing, as Glenn Anderson’s late-season trade to the Team No Cup can add another Hall of Famer in Doug Wilson, who also 1994 Rangers pays off. And we’ll round out the line with Joey Mullen, claimed a Norris. But as best I can tell, this is where their all-HHOF run who won with Trottier in Pittsburgh after already earning a ring in Calgary will end. Of the 26 Hall of Fame defensemen whose careers lasted into with the 1989 Flames. our post-expansion era, the only remaining ones without a Cup are Harry Howell and Leo Boivin, who both played the vast majority of their careers We’ve got four extremely accomplished names here, plus a few more before our timeframe, and Pat Quinn, who was elected as a builder, not a available if we need them. But with all due respect to the others, Bowman player. That doesn’t mean Team No Cup can’t find a good player to is the best coach in NHL history, so he gives Team Multi-Cups a big round out the blue line, though. We could consider names like Kevin boost. Hatcher, Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik, but let’s go with the only eligible Norris winner who isn’t in the Hall and put Randy Carlyle on the team. (Remember, Carlyle’s win as coach of the Ducks doesn’t count.) The Athletic LOADED: 07.08.2021 Meanwhile, Team Multi-Cups can keep rolling out Hall of Famers, although just barely. We still haven’t used Sergei Zubov, who won with the 1994 Rangers and 1999 Stars, so he’s an easy call. And since our post-expansion cutoff means we can’t use legendary eight-time winner Red Kelly, we’ll give our last spot to Kevin Lowe, another member of the Oilers dynasty who stuck around to win with the Rangers. Should Lowe be in the Hall of Fame? That’s a debate for another time, but having a stay-at-home guy on the third pairing should work well here. I think that’s another win for Team Multi-Cups, who sweep the blue line categories and may have erased a good chunk of Team No Cup’s advantage earned up front. This one’s tightening up as we head to the goaltenders. Let’s start the Team No Cup section with a tough call: Do we consider Henrik Lundqvist to be an active player? If not, he’s clearly going to be one of our two goalies. He’s 39, didn’t play at all last year and is coming off major heart surgery, so it’s not hard to read the writing on the wall for one of the cap era’s greatest players. But he hasn’t announced his retirement, and the optimist in me would love to see him come back for one more run. Legends deserve to go out on their own terms, so we’ll let The King tell us when he’s done. He hasn’t yet, which means Team No Cup loses out on a star. We run into another question with Tony Esposito. The longtime Blackhawks starter was a rookie backup on the 1969 Canadiens, but never saw the ice during their playoff run. Does that count? Not according to his hockey-reference page, but I think they’re wrong. Esposito’s name is on the Cup, so I can’t put him on this team. With two top candidates out of the running, Team No Cup fans might be getting worried. But they still have some options, including Hall of Famer Ed Giacomin. I did say I was going to lean toward the modern era, so let’s give the goaltending spots to Roberto Luongo and . Neither won a Vezina, but they combined for nearly 950 wins, and there haven’t been many guys in the modern era who were significantly better. There are a few, though, and one of them qualifies for Team Multi-Cups, as Patrick Roy earns our starter’s job thanks to four Cups split between the Canadiens and Avalanche. The second spot gets tricky, as our timeframe means we can’t use Terry Sawchuk (Wings and Leafs). I don’t see any HHOF options, so I’m going to have a bit of fun with our backup slot. Hey Patrick, make some room for , who won with the 1989 Flames and 1997 Red Wings. I believe you two may have met? The goaltending is a close one. Roy’s pretty clearly the best of the four, but you could argue that Luongo and Joseph might be a better overall combo, especially after Roy and Vernon are done bloodying each other. I’m still going to give the nod to Team Multi-Cups, who continue to hold an edge on the back end. What, you thought we were done? We usually would be, but this sort of exercise feels like it’s calling out for a coach and GM slot. So let’s do that, keeping in mind that we’re only looking at Cups won in a particular role — championships from playing days or different jobs won’t count. That’s going to turn out to be important in the next paragraph. For Team No Cup, it’s probably not surprising that my best picks behind the bench are a couple of former Leafs coaches. I was originally leaning toward Pat Quinn, who could make a case for GM duties as well. But I think I’ll go with Roger Neilson, a brilliant innovator and who took the 1982 Canucks to the final but never got any further. He’ll report to Harry Sinden, who was the Bruins’ GM for 28 years and guided them to five finals without ever seeing them win it all. Sinden did win a Cup as Bruins coach in 1970, so we’ll make him leave his ring at home before showing up for work. (But if you insist that a coaching Cup should disqualify him, we’ll have Bryan Murray on standby, and David Poile ready to step in the moment he retires.) For Team Multi-Cups, I’ve got fewer options than you might think, especially once our timeframe takes and Tommy Gorman off the board. But it doesn’t matter, because we only need one coach and the most obvious pick on the board is right there for us: Scotty Bowman, who won with the Habs, Penguins and Red Wings. His boss in the front office will be Jim Rutherford, who won with the 2006 Hurricanes and again with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017. 1190326 Websites “I think it’s just the calm inside the room,” said Savard, ironically a former member of that Blue Jackets team. “I think there’s never ever some panic. I think no matter what happens, we stay focused. Sportsnet.ca / Forged by disappointment, Lightning ride out every storm “You learn from guys who have been through that road.” to win Stanley Cup The Lightning didn’t blink after missing a chance to eliminate the Islanders in Game 6, or after failing to complete a sweep of the Canadiens in Game 4 at the Bell Centre. They just continued to prioritize Chris Johnston @reporterchris process over results — a message Cooper hammered home repeatedly. July 7, 2021, 11:37 PM They also wrapped their arms around the chance to become just the second NHL team in two decades to go back-to-back, openly acknowledging that salary cap challenges will force BriseBois to make TAMPA, Fla. — Go figure that a team known as the Lightning would some tough roster decisions this summer. become the NHL’s best at riding out a storm. Tampa was only spared from that reality ahead of this season because of Whether it was Hurricane Elsa, a do-or-die Game 7 or a magical run by Kucherov’s December hip surgery, which forced Kucherov to sit out the the Montreal Canadiens, nothing could knock the Tampa Bay Lightning entire 56-game schedule before returning for Game 1 of the playoffs. off course in their pursuit of a second-straight Stanley Cup. They finished third in the Central Division without him, forcing them to They went from kings of the Edmonton bubble to back-to-back open a first-round series with Florida on the road. champions in just 282 days, by far the shortest span between Stanley “We had so much uncertainty,” said Cooper. “Anybody can say what they Cup victories by one NHL organization. want, but when you take the most dynamic offensive player out of your No one handled the unique pandemic challenges better. No one reacted lineup, and say, ‘Hey you’re going to still make the playoffs’ — you’re not more favourably to unpredictable circumstances. The Lightning blistered so sure about that all the time.” through eight playoff rounds with a 32-13 record — not so much as losing Once they welcomed Kucherov back and got into the comfort of the post- consecutive games in the process. season they found their legs. Kucherov led all scorers for the second- “It’s so hard to win the Stanley Cup. And then you do it two years in a straight year, finishing with 32 points. row, you deserve to go down in history,” said Lightning captain Steven “I don’t know how anyone can miss the entire regular season, come back Stamkos. “And this group, no matter what happens from here on out, this and do what he did,” said Blake Coleman. “He deserves all the credit.” group is going to be etched in history forever and that’s pretty effing special. Brayden Point also had another standout run and fell one game short of matching an NHL record by scoring in nine-straight games. Stamkos, “I’m so proud of the guys.” limited to just five shifts and one memorable goal during the bubble Cup, Remaining Time -9:06 was a full participant this time around and contributed eight goals. Lightning raise Stanley Cup after beating Canadiens in Game 5 The Coleman-Yanni Gourde-Barclay Goodrow line was a tone-setter, and Coleman provided a memorable dagger by diving to meet the puck Tampa overwhelmed the Canadiens in the Final, completely smothering and score with one second left in the second period of a Game 2 that them Wednesday while clinching their fifth-straight playoff series with a Montreal had been dominating. shutout: 1-0. “It was a tough season playing against the same teams over and over That was enough for Andrei Vasilevskiy to secure the Conn Smythe again, but the closer we got to the playoffs, it felt like our game really Trophy as playoff MVP following a run where he finished with a league- came together and then the playoffs started and it was just like we picked best .937 save percentage and five shutouts. up where we left off last last post-season,” said Victor Hedman. “If he played in a different market, he would win the Vezina every year,” This second Stanley Cup might have been even sweeter. said Nikita Kucherov. They clinched it in front of a frothing Amalie Arena crowd that included The winning goal came courtesy of two players who didn’t lift the Cup in 200 friends and family members after doing it in the quiet of Rogers September, with trade deadline pickup David Savard firing a perfect pass Place in September. There’ll almost certainly be another championship to rookie Ross Colton at the edge of Carey Price’s crease. boat parade to celebrate in the days ahead. And this summer the Cup is expected to travel again, potentially giving players the chance to bring it Just like in the 1-0 win over the New York Islanders in Game 7 last to their hometowns after getting individual days in the Tampa area last round, that was all they needed. fall. “The biggest thing we didn’t talk about publicly, is the team knows we’re Even after winning it once, the Lightning remained hungry. probably not going to be back together next year,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. “That was the conversation: ‘Don’t let this end, it’s too “You can’t soak it in yet,” said Stamkos. “It’s so fresh. It’s so new. You special of a group.’ don’t even realize what’s going to happen. We won the Stanley Cup and we still have the Stanley Cup. That’s just amazing.” “They weren’t going to go out without raising a trophy.” The rainbow on the other side of the storm. This was night-and-day from the scene at Rogers Place on Sept. 28. Gary Bettman looked around the packed stands at Amalie Arena and said it was a sign things had returned to normal before Stamkos and his teammates came to accept the Cup. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 07.08.2021 Then every player took a full lap and soaked it in while passing the trophy from Stamkos to Victor Hedman to Savard to Alex Killorn to Ryan McDonagh to Pat Maroon to Kucherov to Vasilevskiy. “I’m so happy. I didn’t want to go back to Montreal,” said Kucherov. “The fans in Montreal, come on. They acted like they won the Stanley Cup last game. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Their Final was last series, OK?” The Lightning forged their mettle from disappointment. They were swept out of the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2019 after tying an NHL record with a 62-win season, prompting general manager Julien BriseBois to make roster moves that sharpened the edges around his sterling core. Then they ruthlessly picked apart opponents while reeling off two straight championships. Bad bounces or injuries like the one that knocked Killorn out of the Cup Final didn’t introduce any doubt. 1190327 Websites “Right now, I don’t know what to tell you. It stings.” There’s no turning away from that part of it.

The 35-year-old Weber had never been past the second round of the Sportsnet.ca / From the painful end of Canadiens’ fabled run, a future playoffs before captaining the Canadiens to this Final. Perry and Staal, champion may emerge who consistently reinforced to their teammates how rare and special opportunities to play in the playoffs are, may never come this close again to earning another Cup. Eric Engels @EricEngels They’re 36, without contracts for next season, and each of them are well July 8, 2021, 1:52 AM over 10 years removed from their last championship. Carey Price is three years younger and 14 years into a career that’s seen him win everything but a Cup. The superstar goaltender came into the TAMPA, Fla. — This is pain. The deep-cutting, searing kind that leaves playoffs having missed the final 13 games of the regular season with a scars. Scars that will never heal. concussion, and he turned in miracles to get the Canadiens into position But that’s not all the Montreal Canadiens are left with after this fabled run to play the Lightning. through the playoffs left them three wins away from lifting their 25th They proved formidable through the first games, making Price look Stanley Cup. It may feel like it’s all they’ve got on this night, with the fallible when they’d have made any of the great goaltenders in history Tampa Bay Lightning — back-to-back champions — celebrating across look foolish, and he couldn’t shake the idea that he had somehow cost from them after a 1-0 win in Game 5, but this group still gained the Canadiens this opportunity because of it. something in all of this. “At the end of the day, I don’t think I played well enough at the start of the The Canadiens were the 18th-ranked team in the NHL. A group their series,” Price said before Weber interjected. coach, Dominique Ducharme, said the rest of the world took for idiots for believing in themselves before stamping their ticket as last entrant into “I don’t think that’s the case at all, to be honest,” Weber said. “I think that the playoffs. They weren’t David to Goliath; they were David’s scrawny we weren’t good enough in front of Carey. And give them credit, they’re a kid brother — the longest of longshots to go anywhere, let alone to the heck of a team. They’re here for a reason and they were better than us.” Final. This Lightning team was better than everyone, with Nikita Kucherov But the Canadiens defied the odds and played their hearts out. breaking the 30-point barrier for the second consecutive playoffs and Andrei Vasilevskiy capturing the Conn Smythe Trophy after earning a 22- “They bled, they fought, they never quit,” said Ducharme after revealing save shutout that brought his save percentage to an eye-popping .937 captain Shea Weber played all 22 games with a busted thumb, that Jeff and his goals-against average to a ridiculous 1.91. Petry played the final two series with damaged fingers, that Tyler Toffoli sustained a groin injury and that Brendan Gallagher also had one, “and Look at everyone in between, the scoring they got up and down and the more.” incredible defensive commitment they supported it with. Several more Canadiens played banged up and played all out to lift The Lighting were virtually unbeatable, and it earned its designation as a Montreal out of its darkest hour. From down 3-1 against the Toronto special team. Maple Leafs and left for dead in Round 1, to trouncing the Winnipeg Jets in a sweep before conquering a juggernaut Vegas Golden Knights team “It’s unbelievable,” said Steven Stamkos. “I mean, so cliché to say, but and, ultimately, succumbing to a truly special Lightning team, they united there’s no words. For this group to go back-to-back after everything we a city forced into division by the pandemic. They brought everyone out to went through last year in the bubble… to go through this year, ups and the streets in celebration, until all hours of the night, after they were all downs… I mean, it’s amazing.” under lock and key for months on end. And as Lightning coach Jon Cooper said, they’ll be hard-pressed to do it This result will be something the Canadiens want to forget, but the again. process they underwent created memories that will last a lifetime. Ross Colton, who scored the winner 13:27 into the second period, will be But that’s not all. among the many Lightning players to return. But this team, which used long-term injury reserve to ice the NHL’s most talented roster, knows it This run may have given birth to a future champion — especially when will be significantly altered come next October. you consider who helped drive it. There was 21-year-old Nick Suzuki right at the helm, leading the Canadiens in goals (seven) and points (16) As for the Canadiens, the pieces around the core will shift, but they’re in the playoffs for the second time in his two-year career. young and blossoming and so much better off for what they just went through together. And even if that’s tough to keep in perspective at this Cole Caufield, 20, rode shotgun on his line and came up with four goals moment, it will come into focus with every day that passes. and 12 points in his first 20 playoff games. His professional career is months old, with 32 games between the AHL and NHL regular seasons For now there’s pain. and these playoffs under his belt. “I take nothing out of moral victories,” said Gallagher. “Start of the year, Jesperi Kotkaniemi may have three seasons and two playoff runs under we sat down as a group, our goal was to be here. We expected to be his belt, but he just turned 21 on Tuesday. He may have sat out the first here regardless of what people thought of our team. The expectations game against Toronto and the last two against Tampa, but he’s gained were to win this series. I know we probably surprised a lot of people, but the type of experience players 10 years older than him haven’t. our expectations were to be the team celebrating right now. And that’s why it hurts so much. Even the sparingly used Alex Romanov grew by leaps and bounds. The 21-year-old’s first year in this league will only help him fulfill his promise “I told you guys all the time how much we believed. I wasn’t lying. We as a future top-pairing defenceman. believed in this group. It’s just a tough pill to swallow.” Just think about who he learned from on this stage. Think about the lessons he took from Weber, Petry, Ben Chiarot and Joel Edmundson — Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 07.08.2021 four pillars at the position who played like warriors. Suzuki, Caufield, Kotkaniemi and 24-year-old centre Jake Evans flew under the wings of triple gold members Corey Perry and Eric Staal. They all grew together, suffered this heartache together and must take something out of it together. “From every tough playoff loss I’ve had, I felt like I’ve learned something,” said an inconsolable Gallagher. “We have a lot of young guys who are going to be a key part of this team moving forward, and as painful as this is right now, sometimes you need to feel this to be able to call yourself a champion. I wish it wasn’t the case, but maybe this is the journey we needed. It stings for sure, but you take more from a loss than you do from a win. And if we’re able to learn from this experience, maybe the positive is that we can be better off. 1190328 Websites “I can’t believe how he shuts the door in the biggest games of his career,” coach Jon Cooper said. “He’s the Big Cat, and when he locks in, he is remarkable to watch. Sportsnet.ca / Kucherov takes shot at Montreal fans but spews truth in “And you look at the guy he’s going against [Carey Price]: Let’s be epic press conference honest, the best goalie in my era, we just played against. And the best goalie now in this next era is the goalie that just won a Stanley Cup. And so, I think hockey fans were privileged to watch two generational goalies play tonight. And a torch has been passed.” Luke Fox @lukefoxjukebox Vasilevskiy is only 26 and is already charging a path towards the Hockey July 8, 2021, 2:19 AM Hall of Fame. The Russian’s playoff numbers (16-7, 1.90, .937) are not matched by A low-event Stanley Cup finale blessed us with a high-event ego. championship Zoom call. Appearing as some sort of soft-spoken anti-Kucherov, Vasilevskiy sat After the double lapping and amidst the cork popping, Nikita Kucherov next to his Conn Smythe and deflected praise. delivered a press conference that might garner more enthusiastic replays “It’s not about me. It’s about the team,” Vasilevskiy said of his individual than the game itself. trophy. “The whole team deserves it, for sure.” The Tampa Bay Lightning winger’s dismissal of the Montreal Canadiens So caught off-guard was the goalie that he’d been named MVP that he fan base should slap him with the villain tag and earn him Bell Centre needed prodding from his teammates to skate up and accept the Conn boos till eternity: Smythe. For sure, Vasilevskiy thought, Kucherov deserved it. Maybe “I didn’t want to go back to Montreal,” Kucherov said. “The fans in Brayden Point. But not him. Montreal, come on. They acted like they won the Stanley Cup last game. Vasilevskiy gathered his phone before leaving the ice. He called his Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Their final was last series.” parents and then his brother back home to rejoice while so many of the His chirping of the press conference itself was amusing: other Lightning’s family members swarmed the ice. When Kucherov couldn’t decipher a question, he told a reporter to “buy a “It’s probably like 4 or 5 a.m. in Russia now, and they were watching me new microphone.” And once his podium time outlasted his beverage, he in the morning,” Vasilevskiy said. marveled: “Well, it’s a lot of questions too today. Come on. I’m used to “So that’s amazing to just share this moment with them. Unfortunately, one, two questions. Today’s like what, five? I can make a record.” they couldn’t get here for this game because it’s a little complicated, but I But at his heart, Kucherov — typically a superstar of few words, and felt their support, and that’s just amazing.” fewer worth quoting — wanted to make a point about his friend, no Equally amazing was the support Vasilevskiy received from hypeman matter if it ruffled a few feathers. Kucherov. After storming into view like a one-man party, crashing some fantastic Yes, his press conference will surely go viral and get trigger some and revealing post-game commentary from Victor Hedman, Steven laughs. But there is something beautiful about a guy speaking so strongly Stamkos and Alex Killorn, a shirtless Kucherov sat down alone and in support for a friend who downplays his own role on this historic night. owned centre stage like it was a post-season scoring race. “He’s very humble guy,” Kucherov said. “He doesn’t want people near Championship cap pulled on backwards and askew, smiling wide, he him to say he’s the best. He wants to prove me he’s the best, but I know clapped his hands five times and raised two fingers, one for each time his he’s the best, you know? He wants to prove me, but I’m like, ‘Vasi you name will be etched in the Stanley Cup. prove me a f—ing long time ago. When I was 15, you proved it to me.’ Then he tilted his neck back and guzzled a hungry swig. “Even though he’s getting robbed every year by NHL, not getting the Kucherov slapped the table, wiped domestic beer from 16 wins’ worth of Vezina, he’s still humble, he still works hard. If he would play in a beard growth and prepared for launch: “Let’s go.” different market, he would take this Vezina year after year. He would beat all the records, whatever, blah, blah, blah. He’s the best.” At one point he sent someone away to fetch champagne. Drop the mic. He was sloppy in the happiest way and happy in the sloppiest way. Pumped full of the serum, Kucherov spewed truth. Plan the parade. Kucherov’s five minutes and 20 seconds on the mic were as refreshing Mix in a water. as a first Bud Light and about as unhinged as a sixth. Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 07.08.2021 world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what they think about it. Rambling and profane as it may have been, the Conn Smythe runner-up had a good point to make about the trophy’s deserving winner, Andrei Vasilevskiy. “Vasi was outstanding. MVP. I was telling him every day: ‘Vasi, you MVP. You’re the best player.’ And then they give it to whatever the guy in Vegas [Marc-Andre Fleury], the Vezina. Last year they gave it to somebody else [Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck]. Number 1 bullshit. Number 1 bullshit,” Kucherov said. “Vasi took both Cups, and then he took MVP… Another shutout by him. Remarkable. Can’t even tell more. I’m so happy.” In blanking the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 on home ice in Game 5 of the final, Vasilevskiy became the first goaltender to hoist the Stanley Cup in consecutive playoff years with a goals-against average under 2.00 in each postseason since Montreal’s Ken Dryden (1976-1978). Vasilevskiy won all 32 of Tampa Bay’s games in the two triumphant tournaments. His backup, Curtis McElhinney, never saw so much as a minute of ice. More impressive: Vasilevskiy has now recorded a shutout in five consecutive series-clinching wins. 1190329 Websites

USA TODAY / Nikita Kucherov doesn't hold back in press conference after Tampa Bay Lightning win Stanley Cup

Mike Brehm USA TODAY

The Conn Smythe Trophy choice came down to Tampa Bay Lightning leading scorer Nikita Kucherov (32 points) and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (five shutouts). Vasilevskiy walked away with the award Wednesday, but Kucherov was the MVP of the postgame news conferences after the Lightning won their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. Showing up for the Zoom session shirtless and drinking a beer, he went on a rant about Vezina Trophy voters and Montreal Canadiens fans. Vasilevskiy is a four-time finalist for the goaltending award, but general managers gave it to the Vegas Golden Knights' Marc-Andre Fleury this season in a close vote. "Vasy was outstanding. MVP," said Kucherov. "I was telling him every day, Vasy MVP. You’re the best player. And they give it to whatever the guy in Vegas, the Vezina. And last year, they gave Vezina to somebody else. No. 1 (expletive). No. 1 (expletive). Vasilevskiy gave the Lightning the win in Game 5 with a 22-save shutout. Kucherov was grateful because he didn't want to go back to Montreal for Game 6. “They acted, the fans in Montreal, like they won the Stanley Cup last game," he said. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Their final was last series.” When answering the next question, someone brought him another drink and he pointed out it was Bud Light, not champagne. “That’s No. 1 (expletive) again,” he said. But he got serious when talking about sharing another championship with his longtime teammates. “I’ve been in love with those guys, ups and downs," he said. "I said one time, you give us one time to win, we’re going to win twice, and that’s what happened.” Kucherov had missed the regular season after having offseason hip surgery but returned for Game 1 of the playoffs. “Just to miss the whole season and come back in the playoffs and get (the most) points for the second playoffs (in a row) is amazing," Vasilevskiy said. "Great player. Great personality, and to be honest, I was surprised he didn’t get the Conn Smythe.”

USA TODAY LOADED: 07.08.2021 1190330 Websites Maroon makes it three Lightning forward Pat Maroon picked up his third consecutive Stanley

Cup title, including the 2019 one with the St. Louis Blues. USA TODAY / Tampa Bay Lightning repeat as Stanley Cup champions He's the first person to win three consecutive Cups with different teams with Game 5 win against Montreal Canadiens since Ed Litzenberger did it with Chicago in 1961 and Toronto from 1962- 64. Mike Brehm The Lightning didn't get their day with the Stanley Cup last year because of the pandemic. USA TODAY "What we're hoping is to get two days with the Cup, back-to-back days, because we missed our day last year, so NHL, wake up," Maroon said. The Tampa Bay Lightning are back-to-back Stanley Cup champions after Canadiens fall short defeating the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Price carried the 18th-place Canadiens to the Final and put together a They are the second team of the salary cap era to repeat, joining the second consecutive strong performance Wednesday night with 29 saves. 2016-17 Pittsburgh Penguins, though salary cap issues could make some parts of the team look different next season. But he blamed himself partly for the loss in the championship round after recording a 4.39 goals-against average and .835 save percentage as the Still, the Lightning will have top scorers in Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point Canadiens fell behind 3-0 in the series. and Steven Stamkos, a top defenseman in Victor Hedman and a great goaltender in Andrei Vasilevskiy. “At the end of the day, I don’t think I played well enough at the start of the series," he said. “We’ve been knocking at the door for so many years, and now to be able to do it back-to-back, that kind of cements this group as special," Weber quickly interjected: “I don’t think that’s the case at all, to be honest Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. with you. I don’t think we were good enough in front of Carey. Give them credit. They’re a heck of a team. They were here for a reason, and they Vasilevskiy had another strong bounce-back performance after a loss were better than us in the end." with a 22-save shutout to give the city its third championship in less than a year. The Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in February. Vasilevskiy picked up the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP with his USA TODAY LOADED: 07.08.2021 fifth shutout. Counting the 2020 Stanley Cup title, he has recorded shutouts in five consecutive series clinchers. “I still can’t believe it," he said. "Obviously, the whole team deserves it for sure. Just to have five shutouts in one playoffs, it’s all about team.” The Lightning won their 2020 championship in a bubble environment in Edmonton last fall, but this time, they got to celebrate in front of their fans at Amalie Arena. The Lightning are the first NHL team to clinch a Stanley Cup title at home since the Chicago Blackhawks did it in 2015 against Tampa Bay. "We really wanted to seize this opportunity in front of the crowd, in front of family, and found a way to get it done," said defenseman Ryan McDonagh. "It's a great feeling. We're going to celebrate all night long." A look at Game 5: Rookie scores Forward Ross Colton and defenseman David Savard weren't part of the Lightning's 2020 championship. But they hooked up for the lone goal at 13:27 of the second period. Savard took a pass from McDonagh, skated to the right faceoff circle and fed a pass out front, which Colton tipped past Montreal goalie Carey Price. It was Colton's fourth goal of the playoffs. He had moved up to the second line after an injury to Alex Killorn. Colton was in the American Hockey League last season when the Lightning made their run. Savard was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets at the deadline with some clever salary cap maneuvering by Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois. Vasilevskiy shines Because of Vasilevskiy's play, the Lightning didn't lose back-to-back games in two consecutive postseasons. He was 7-0 last season and 7-0 this season following a loss. The Lightning played strong defense in front of him in Game 5, but he fended off Montreal's pressure before Colton's goal. He also stopped Montreal's Josh Anderson and made a blocker save on Brendan Gallagher in the third period. "I can't believe how he shuts the door in the biggest games of his career," Cooper said. "When he locks in, he's remarkable to watch." The Lightning also blocked nine shots in front of Vasilevskiy. Barclay Goodrow had three of them, including a big one on the Canadiens' hard- shooting captain Shea Weber in the third period. "That exemplifies everything with our team," Cooper said. 1190331 Websites

USA TODAY / Lightning try to clinch Stanley Cup at home: What to know about Game 5 vs. Canadiens

Mike Brehm USA TODAY

The Tampa Bay Lightning's 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 continued a playoff trend for the defending Stanley Cup champions. That game marked the fifth time in six series that the Lightning had lost their first opportunity to clinch. But in the other four series, Tampa Bay always won the next game. A lot of that has to do with goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who hasn't lost two in a row in the playoffs since 2019. He is 6-0 with three shutouts this postseason following a loss. The Lightning, up 3-1 in the Stanley Cup Final against the Canadiens, will try to clinch the championship at home Wednesday night. No team has done that since the 2015 Chicago Blackhawks, who beat the Lightning that year. What to know about Game 5: When and where is Game 5? The game broadcast is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at Tampa's Amalie Arena. How can I watch Game 5? The game will be shown on NBC. It also can be streamed on NBC Sports live. If the Lightning win, it would be the last NHL game shown on NBC, with the league shifting its national broadcast partners to ESPN and Turner Sports. How did Montreal win Game 4? Coach Dominique Ducharme's lineup changes paid off. Defenseman Alexander Romanov, added to the lineup, scored a goal that was assisted by Jake Evans, another of the additions. Josh Anderson, who was moved to a different line, scored twice, including in overtime. The Canadiens killed all five Lightning power plays, include a late double minor to Shea Weber. Montreal also played a physical game against the Lightning's top stars. "Every night, you have to continue to do the small, little things like putting the puck in deep and banging the body," Canadiens forward Corey Perry said. "It takes a toll on guys." Who's hot? Montreal forward Nick Suzuki has a three-game point streak. His linemate, rookie Cole Caufield, has three points over the past two games. Tampa Bay linemates Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman have a point in every game of the series. Who's not? Tampa Bay's Brayden Point has no goals since his nine-game goal streak ended five games ago. He has no points in his last three games. Weber delivered several big hits against him in Game 4. "You just try to fight through it," Point said. "You don’t try to change the way you play. You try to embrace it and try to find a way to get things done."

USA TODAY LOADED: 07.08.2021