SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 7/1/2021 1190073 Arizona Coyotes set to announce new head coach 1190098 Detroit Red Wings hire old nemesis to help coach up Thursday at Gila River Arena power play: Alex Tanguay 1190074 Reports: OHL’s Andre Tourigny draws interest in Coyotes’ 1190099 Red Wings turn to old nemesis, new assistant Alex coaching search Tanguay to help build up power play 1190075 Reports: Arizona Coyotes expected to sign Andre 1190100 Red Wings hire Alex Tanguay as assistant coach Tourigny as head coach 1190101 Former Red Wings defenseman joins ESPN as NHL analyst Bruins 1190102 Canadiens look to cap remarkable run as Lightning eye 1190076 Jay Pandolfo leaving Bruins to be associate head coach at repeat , report says 1190077 Young Bruin Trent Frederic looks to the future — but where will that be? 1190103 Connor McDavid equalling the feats of hockey's all-time 1190078 Bruins’ named to NHL’s First All-Star greats Team for second time 1190104 Oilers’ Connor McDavid wants ‘more consistency’ with 1190079 Trent Frederic looking to build on his first full season with NHL playoff officiating; still hopes to play in Olympics Bruins 1190105 Lowetide: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ future value to the Oilers 1190080 After rookie season, Trent Frederic says 'I have a lot more will be defined by his adaptability to offer' 1190106 The Gifted: Evaluating Oilers prospect Carter Savoie is 1190081 Frederic Admits He Has “A Lot More To about what he is, not what he isn’t Offer” 1190107 Eight years ago, the Florida Panthers drafted Sasha 1190082 's 'Donnie Meatballs' nickname picks up Barkov steam, sparks invite to judge Street Brawl 1190108 Kings Seasons In Review – Adrian Kempe 1190083 Tom Dundon completes full purchase of Carolina Hurricanes 1190084 Tom Dundon takes over full ownership of the Carolina 1190109 Kirill Kaprizov's Calder reaffirms value — and Wild's tricky Hurricanes negotiations 1190085 Which Hurricanes player might the snag in 1190110 Kaprizov wins NHL's top rookie award after rewriting Wild the NHL expansion draft? record book 1190086 Tom Dundon on taking full ownership of Hurricanes, Carolina’s delayed outdoor game and ads on NHL jerseys Canadiens 1190111 Vasilevskiy slams the door on Habs as Lightning take a 2-0 series lead 1190087 Could be headed out of Chicago after 16 1190112 ’s Public Health Department will not allow more seasons? Report floats rumored talks involving the fans at the Bell Centre 1190088 says he plans to return to the Chicago 1190113 Behind the mask: How Blackhawks and reveals the illness that kept him out las pushed himself to succeed 1190089 Blackhawks reportedly considering trading Duncan Keith 1190114 In the Habs' Room: Montreal's offence struggling to solve 1190090 Sweet relief: Video shows us that Jonathan Toews is alive Vasilevskiy and well 1190115 Canadiens suffer demoralizing 3-1 loss in Game 2 vs. 1190091 'My body just fell apart': Blackhawks' Toews announces Lightning his return for the coming season 1190116 Only 3,500 fans will be allowed at Bell Centre for Cup final 1190092 Report: Blackhawks working on Duncan Keith trade games 1190093 Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews opens up about the longest 1190117 Stu Cowan: Lightning have strong connections to year of his life: ‘The best worst thing that’s ever happ Canadiens and Quebec 1190118 Canadiens looking to to bring Stanley Cup back home 1190119 'I saw the picture,' Habs' Brendan Gallagher says about 1190094 LeBrun: Cale Makar an offer sheet target; Seth Jones bloody face trade interest from Avs, Flyers, Blackhawks 1190120 Canadiens Game Day: Habs beat themselves 3-1 in 1190095 “The hockey world is a small world” – Alex Tanguay on Game 2 of Cup final becoming a Red Wings coach 1190121 Todd: Trio left behind in 2003 are key to Habs’ Stanley Cup run 1190122 What the Puck: Geoff Molson and Valérie Plante are in a 1190096 Sylvain Lefebvre hired to round out Columbus Blue Twitter fight Jackets coaching staff 1190123 Canadiens at Lightning: Five things you should know 1190124 ‘We’re going to find our offence’: How the Canadiens can learn from what worked in Game 2 to break through in 1190097 Stars forward Jason Robertson finishes second in Calder 1190125 Canadiens adjust their game plan in Game 2, but mistakes Trophy voting hurt them again: Playoff plus/minus 1190126 Report: Preds could put Viktor Arvidsson on trade block 1190127 Devils, 76ers CEO Scott O’Neil announces he’s stepping 1190156 Month of July for Leafs' GM Dubas will should build to a down boil from a simmer 1190128 How Devils prospect Graeme Clarke made the most of a 1190157 LeBrun: Cale Makar an offer sheet target; Seth Jones weird, unexpected year trade interest from Avs, Flyers, Blackhawks Canucks 1190129 Islanders look forward to a normal season, finally 1190163 Duncan Keith could be on the move to a 'Pacific 1190130 NYHN Daily: Islanders Pageau Has Surgery, Expansion Northwest' NHL team: report Draft, & More Vegas Golden Knights 1190158 Golden Knights look forward to normal 2021-22 season 1190131 Rangers will have to lose players to make offseason noise 1190159 Golden Knights have big decision to make on ‘warrior’ free 1190132 Rangers' Adam Fox sought to gain more trust, agent responsibility in second season 1190160 Did Marc-Andre Fleury Vezina Win Cement Him Staying With VGK? NHL 1190133 Every , and Second, Counts for Tampa Bay 1190161 Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin headline recent Hart Ottawa Senators Trophy vote runaways 1190134 Senators Finnish goaltending prospect on his way to 1190162 Potential free agent fits for the Capitals from the Tampa Kingston Bay Lightning Websites 1190135 ESPN’s new NHL roster has several Flyers connections, 1190164 The Athletic / NHL Mock Draft: Scott Wheeler maps out including a once-hated foe who goes after Owen Power in the first round 1190136 Soon-to-be dad Konecny gearing up for new life, on and 1190165 The Athletic / The rise of , the breakout off the ice media star of this NHL season 1190166 The Athletic / Down Goes Brown: The NHL’s 18th place team is on the verge of a Stanley Cup. It has to mean som 1190137 Penguins A to Z: Sam Lafferty needs to find more offense 1190167 .ca / Price looks less than superhuman at wrong 1190138 Tim Benz: Numbers from time as Canadiens fall behind 0-2 postseason run are replicating Penguins' Stanley Cup 1190168 Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens hit roadblock in Tampa as luck success runs out in Game 2 1190139 Penguins offseason preview: Where does Bryan Rust fit 1190169 Sportsnet.ca / ENOUGH TALK into the club's future? 1190170 Sportsnet.ca / NHL Betting Guide: How props could 1190140 Two Possible Penguins Free Agent Targets Coming Off help you win big on Cup Final the Board? 1190171 USA TODAY / Andrei Vasilevskiy, Blake Coleman's 1190141 Next Contract: Zach Aston-Reese Worth and Market buzzer-beating goal lead Lightning past Canadiens in Collide Game 2 1190172 USA TODAY / Chicago Blackhawks Jonathan Toews opens up about health condition that held him out 1190142 After ‘extraordinarily large’ financial losses, Sharks hopeful of 202 that fans’ return will provide a boost SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1190143 Has Bias Against Drafting Goalie in 1st Round Gone Too Far? Seattle Kraken 1190144 Former players of Kraken coach Dave Hakstol tell of hard work, team-first attitude: ‘Seattle’s going to be ver St Louis Blues 1190145 A Tarasenko trade would fetch the Blues some cap space - but what else? Tampa Bay Lightning 1190146 Lightning’s Stanley Cup journey runs right through ’s homeland 1190147 Lightning reach deep for Game 2 win over Canadiens 1190148 Stanley Cup final: Lightning-Canadiens Game 2 live updates 1190149 This Lightning fan dances his heart out at postseason home games 1190150 Titus O’Neil surprises Tampa fire captain with Stanley Cup tickets 1190151 Lightning increasing Amalie Arena to full capacity 1190152 With Alex Killorn out, Mathieu Joseph draws in for Lightning 1190153 How to watch the Lightning play Montreal in the Stanley Cup final 1190154 Lightning’s Mikhail Sergachev blossoming into sound two-way defenseman 1190155 Behind the Blake Coleman buzzer-beating goal that will forever live in Lightning lore 1190073 Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes set to announce new head coach Thursday at Gila River Arena

José M. Romero

The Arizona Coyotes announced a news conference for Thursday morning at which the team will introduce its new head coach. Signs to it being longtime national team and junior-level coach André Tourigny.

Tourigny, a 47-year-old native of Quebec, earlier this month helped Team Canada to the gold medal as an assistant coach at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship. He's believed to be the leading candidate after a Coyotes' search for a coach that began right at the end of the regular season last month.

Tourigny, head coach and vice president of hockey operations for the Ottawa 67s of the (Canada) Hockey League for the past four seasons, has three seasons of experience as an NHL assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators.

He has coached since 1998, starting in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and has been a head coach and assistant at both the junior and senior national team levels for Hockey Canada.

The Coyotes have found the successor to Rick Tocchet, with whom the club parted ways after four years on May 9. The search for a new coach got under way immediately with that decision, and General Manager Bill Armstrong targeted 10 original candidates that were eventually whittled down to a smaller group of finalists earlier this month.

Armstrong had said he hoped to have a head coach in place before the NHL draft, and one is in the fold with three weeks until that takes place. The Coyotes will start the draft on its second day, July 24, with a second- round pick.

Tourigny coached Coyotes forward Barrett Hayton as an assistant at the 2019-20 IIHF World Junior championship, and earlier this month worked with current Coyotes Michael Bunting, Darcy Kuemper and Adin Hill at the IIHF World Championship.

Coyotes Chief Hockey Development Officer was the assistant general manager for Team Canada.

A two-time OHL Coach of the Year and one-time Canadian junior hockey Coach of the Year, Tourigny had a 130-52-16 record with the 67s. He is under contract with Hockey Canada to be an assistant coach at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, head coach at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Alberta, Canada, and head coach at the 2022 IIHF World Championship in Finland.

Arizona Republic LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190074 Arizona Coyotes

Reports: OHL’s Andre Tourigny draws interest in Coyotes’ coaching search

BY ARIZONA SPORTS

The Arizona Coyotes have done extensive vetting of Ottawa 67s () coach Andre Tourigny as they continue their head- coaching search, according to multiple reports over the past week.

Coyotes Insider reporter Craig Morgan said Tourigny met with the Coyotes face-to-face.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic added Tuesday that talks between the two sides have “intensified,” while TSN’s Elliotte Friedman said Monday that Arizona has done a “very deep dive” on Tourigny’s candidacy.

With the 67s, Tourigny captured back-to-back OHL Coach of the Year honors in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons to go along with two division titles.

He has NHL assistant coaching experience as well. In 2013, Tourigny accepted a job on staff with the Colorado Avalanche. He would eventually resign in 2015 before becoming an assistant coach for the Ottawa Senators. He was fired a year later.

After his NHL stint, Tourigny returned to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 2016, taking over head coaching duties for the .

His time with the Mooseheads lasted one season, with Tourigny joining the 67s as the team’s head coach and VP of hockey operations in 2017.

Tourigny was an assistant coach when the Canadian Junior National Ice Hockey Team took home a gold medal at the 2020 IIHF World Under-20 Championship. He was named head coach of the junior team for the 2021 IIHF World Under-20 Championship, helping Canada secure a silver medal.

Tourigny originally got his start in the QMJHL as the head coach and general manager of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies from 2002-13. He was named the QMJHL Coach of the Year in 2005-06. Tourigny was also an assistant on the Canadian junior team in 2010 and 2011.

The Coyotes continue their head-coaching search after the team and former head coach Rick Tocchet agreed to part ways May 9.

Tocchet spent four seasons as Arizona’s head coach, going 125-131-34 with a single playoff appearance in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season.

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Reports: Arizona Coyotes expected to sign Andre Tourigny as head coach

BY ARIZONA SPORTS | JUNE 30, 2021 AT 7:47 PM UPDATED: JUNE 30, 2021 AT 7:50 PM

The Arizona Coyotes are reportedly hiring Hockey Canada coach Andre Tourigny to become their eighth head coach in franchise history, according to the Associated Press.

The announcement is expected to be made by the team on Thursday.

The hiring comes after the Coyotes and former head coach Rick Tocchet agreed to part ways on May 9.

Tocchet spent four seasons as Arizona’s head coach, going 125-131-34 with a single playoff appearance in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season.

Tourigny has experience in two minor-league levels, three years as an NHL assistant coach and also has served in the upper-levels of Hockey Canada’s junior and men’s national teams.

He is familiar with Coyotes chief hockey development officer and former captain Shane Doan, who is assistant general manager for the national team of Hockey Canada. Tourigny was an assistant coach for the men’s national team in 2021 and head coach of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship squad.

With the men’s national team, Tourigny has coached current Coyotes goalies Darcy Kuemper and Adin Hill, plus forward Michael Bunting.

Tourigny led the Canadian Junior National Ice Hockey Team when it took home a gold medal at the 2020 IIHF World Under-20 Championship. Canada’s junior team secured a silver medal in 2021.

Tourigny originally got his start in coaching in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as the head coach and general manager of the Rouyn- Noranda Huskies from 2002-13. He was named the QMJHL Coach of the Year in 2005-06.

In 2013, Tourigny headed to the NHL, accepting an assistant coaching job with the Colorado Avalanche. He would eventually resign in 2015 before becoming an assistant coach for the Ottawa Senators. He was fired a year later.

Tourigny returned to the QMJHL in 2016, taking over head coaching duties for the Halifax Mooseheads.

His stint with the Mooseheads would last just one season, with Tourigny joining the Ottawa 67’s (Ontario Hockey League) as the team’s head coach and VP of hockey operations in 2017.

With Ottawa, Tourigny captured back-to-back OHL Coach of the Year honors in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons to go along with two division titles.

In 2018, Tourigny was named the head coach of the Canadian Under-18 National Team for the , where it took home gold.

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Jay Pandolfo leaving Bruins to be associate head coach at Boston University, report says

By Matt Porter Globe Staff,Updated June 30, 2021, 10:03 p.m.

Bruins assistant coach Jay Pandolfo is reportedly leaving ’s staff to be associate head coach at his alma mater, Boston University.

New England Hockey Journal reported that BU head coach Albie O’Connell informed the team Wednesday.

It would be the first associate head coaching position for Pandolfo, 46. He spent the last five years as a Bruins assistant. He joined Claude Julien’s staff along with Cassidy in May 2016, after spending two seasons with the Bruins’ player development department. He was director of player development in 2015-16.

New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello, who as New Jersey GM drafted Pandolfo out of BU in 1993, said he could not confirm the news. “But if it’s true, you know my comments,” Lamoriello told the Globe. “It’s well deserved, and he’ll be great at it.”

It’s unclear where the Bruins would turn to fill the empty spot. One possible option: Providence coach Jay Leach, the head coach there since 2017. According to a report from longtime Arizona Coyotes reporter Craig Morgan, Leach recently interviewed for the vacant Arizona head coaching gig.

In an interview before the Bruins’ second-round series against the Islanders, Cassidy said Pandolfo “predominantly works with the forwards, he does a lot of our [offensive] zone stuff, spacing, how to attack their D, what areas of the ice … where you can get some different looks, where the team’s the most vulnerable,” Cassidy said. “Me and him work on the power play together, our entries, O-zone, how teams kill, push down pressure versus D pushing up. That’s where he makes his mark with our team.”

Cassidy said Pandolfo, as the youngest coach on the staff and most recently retired player (2014), was a valuable resource.

“That benefits us with his relationship with the players,” Cassidy said. “We can go to him with those things, when players don’t quite look right he’s able to go to their ear. He’s a Stanley Cup champion, so for that on the staff that’s invaluable insight in these playoff series. That’s what we lean on him mostly for. Great guy.

“And as for head coaching, you never know till you try ... If that’s the path he wants to choose he should pursue it and I think he’d do great.”

Pandolfo, who lives in Winchester, starred at Burlington High and b was part of the 1995 national championship BU team. As a senior in 1995-96, he was captain, scored 67 points in 40 games, and was a Hobey Baker Award finalist.

Known for his checking and defensive acumen during his pro career, Pandolfo played 13 of his 15 NHL seasons with New Jersey, winning Stanley Cups in 2000 and 2003. He spent one year with the Islanders before finishing his career with the Bruins in 2013.

The left wing was a second-round pick (32nd overall) of the Devils in 1993. In 899 NHL games, he recorded 100 goals and 226 points.

O’Connell, 45, has been his alma mater’s head coach the last three years. The former associate head coach earned the promotion after David Quinn left for the New York Rangers. O’Connell, a freshman while Pandolfo was a senior, is 39-36-13 behind the bench.

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Young Bruin Trent Frederic looks to the future — but where will that be?

By Matt Porter Globe Staff, Updated June 30, 2021, 6:40 p.m.

Trent Frederic is still a young NHLer, as evidenced by his résumé and current location. When he spoke to reporters over Zoom Wednesday, he was in his bedroom at his parents’ house in St. Louis, where he spends his offseasons. He has yet to put down roots in Boston.

The 23-year-old forward, who last week signed a two-year deal worth $1.05 million annually, has to get through the next month before he knows whether he will return as a Bruin. General manager , who drafted Frederic 29th overall in 2016, could leave him exposed in the expansion draft when he submits his protected list to Seattle July 17. When the Kraken make their picks four days later, Frederic’s rugged bottom-six game could be an attractive add.

But Frederic, 6 feet 2 inches and 203 pounds, has some growing to do before he takes up permanent residence on an NHL roster.

After three years trying to earn a spot as a regular, he has yet to play in a playoff game. In the last two seasons, he got sick at the wrong time.

Frederic, who contracted COVID back home before last summer’s training camp, missed a few days upon return and did not crack Bruce Cassidy’s lineup in the Toronto bubble. Frederic’s promising start to 2021 did not lead to a playoff debut, even though the Bruins faced heavy opponents in the Capitals and Islanders. Blame the dreaded “rookie wall,” and another illness, for that.

Frederic played in the Bruins’ first 36 games, skating left wing on the third and fourth lines and bringing an agitating element. His offense flourished during a stretch in late February and March in which he scored all four of his goals (three of which were game-winners). His only assist of the year, Jan. 23 against Philadelphia, was a slick feed from the wing to .

But come late March, Cassidy felt the rookie’s game was tailing off. Ice time told part of the story. Frederic, who logged 12-15 minutes regularly in the first half of the shortened season, saw his TOI dwindle from mid- March onward.

To make matters worse, he contracted what the Bruins at the time called a non-COVID illness. He missed all 11 games from April 8-27.

Asked about the nature of the illness, he said, “I don’t know exactly. I had a fever. I think it was lower 100s for a couple days, so we don’t really know exactly what it was, but it wasn’t COVID. It was worse than when I had COVID, to be honest. But I know some people had COVID worse than others.”

When he returned, he was scratched for three of the Bruins’ final nine games, and was a Black Ace in the postseason.

Healthy , Frederic wants to return to Bruins camp with improved puck-handling and playmaking confidence. The stickhandling and shooting range in the basement at Gaye and Bob Frederic’s house should help. He also trains with ex-Bruins farmhand Jeff Lovecchio, hoping to turn a self-described “bigger person with bigger feet” into a skater with a quicker first step.

“I think it was a good year,” he said in review of 2021. “I think I came out hot. I’m sure there’s points where I wasn’t as good of a player as I wanted to be and there’s times where I played well. I thought overall it was a good season. It was a bummer we came up short.

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Bruins’ Brad Marchand named to NHL’s First All-Star Team for second time

By Matt Pepin Globe Staff,Updated June 30, 2021, 8:16 a.m.

Bruins left wing Brad Marchand was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team for the second time, the league announced Tuesday during its annual awards ceremony, which was held online for the second straight season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Marchand, who was third in the NHL in points this season with 69, was joined on the first team by Edmonton’s Connor McDavid at , Toronto’s Mitchell Marner at right wing, Adam Fox of the New York Rangers and Colorado’s Cale Makar on defense, and Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Marchand also was named to the first team in the 2016-17 season, and was on the second team in both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. He finished fifth in voting for the league MVP award after a 29-goal season that ended with a loss to the Islanders in the second round of the .

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association voted for the NHL’s all-star teams after the conclusion of the regular season. Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy was fifth in voting for the Norris Trophy given to the NHL’s top defenseman.

The Second All-Star Team had Toronto’s Auston Matthews at center, Florida’s at left wing and Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen at right wing, with Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman and Carolina’s Dougie Hamilton on defense and Las Vegas’s Marc-Andre Fleury in goal.

Hamilton played for the Bruins from 2012-15.

Boston Globe LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190079 Boston Bruins York Rangers. The B’s most recent ECHL affiliation was with the .

“The Bruins and Mariners have a long player development history, Trent Frederic looking to build on his first full season with Bruins as well as having a passionate fan base in Portland and throughout the Pugnacious forward wants to work on skating, hands state of Maine,” said Bruins GM Don Sweeney, who began his pro career with the when the team was a part of the . “We are looking forward to building a strong working relationship with Spectacor, (team president) Daniel Briere, and By STEVE CONROY | PUBLISHED: June 30, 2021 at 4:31 p.m. | the coaching staff of the Mariners.” UPDATED: June 30, 2021 at 9:33 p.m. Three Boston teams have minor league affiliates based in Portland with

the Sea Dogs (Red Sox), the and now the Mariners. Trent Frederic’s rookie NHL season started out with much promise, “We are extremely excited to be affiliated with the Bruins organization especially for old school fans who loved his rough-and-tumble style of and we’re proud to solidify the Boston-Portland connection with all three play reminiscent of so many Bruins of the past. of Maine’s professional sports franchises,” said Briere. “We can’t wait to But somewhere along the way, it seemed Frederic and that promise ran bring live hockey action back to Portland this fall, and we know that smack into some sort of rookie wall that has afflicted many first-year Mariners fans will be thrilled to watch players from the Bruins players before him. organization playing right here in Maine.”

Still, Frederic, who signed a new two-year deal worth $1.02 million Boston Herald LOADED: 07.01.2021 annually last week, believes there were things to build upon.

“I think it was a good year. I think I came out hot. I’m sure there’s points where I wasn’t as good of a player as I wanted to be and there’s times where I played well. I thought overall it was a good season,” said Frederic on Wednesday. “It was a bummer we came up short, but overall, it was a good season. What I need to work on is probably just my skating, more confidence with the puck. Making that right play with confidence, I guess.”

Frederic became an early fan favorite with his brash trash talk and his willingness to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Washington’s Tom Wilson.

But in the end, fewer and fewer teams were willing to engage physically with Frederic and the required level of production was not enough to keep him in the lineup, especially after an illness knocked him out of the lineup. During that time, the B’s acquired Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar, creating a personnel logjam that kept him out of the playoffs. He finished with just four goals an assists, a minus-8 rating and 65 minutes in 42 games.

Frederic’s potential is not yet clear. He could be an effective fourth liner or, if he can continue to work on his shot and skating, perhaps he could bump up to a third line role.

He looks at this past year as “getting his feet wet.”

“I think this was just the beginning for my hockey career, and I think I have a lot more to offer,” said Frederic. “Obviously, I was disappointed that we didn’t make it and that we’re not playing right now. Obviously, I wanted to help out as well. But everything happens for a reason and sometimes it’s out of your control and you just have to keep working hard and work for the next day.”

Frederic had contracted COVID during the layoff between the 2019-20 regular season and the bubble playoffs and he did not suffer severe symptoms. The illness he had during the season in April was not COVID, but he wasn’t sure what he had.

“I don’t know exactly. I had a fever. I think it was lower 100s for a couple days, so we don’t really know exactly what it was, but it wasn’t COVID. It was worse than when I had COVID, to be honest. But I know some people had COVID worse than others,” said Frederic.

Jay Pandolfo appears headed to alma mater

A source confirmed “the hiring process is underway” for Bruins’ assistant Jay Pandolfo to join Albie O’Connell’s Boston University coaching staff.

The Hockey Journal first reported that Pandolfo, who has been an assistant with the Bruins for five seasons and was a four-year Terrier from 1992-96 before embarking on an 18-year pro playing career, would join O’Connell’s staff as an associate head coach. Paul Pearl recently left the BU staff.

Now, it appears the B’s will need to fill an opening. coach Jay Leach is highly regarded and could be a possibility.

Bruins renew ties to Maine Mariners

The Bruins officially announced that their new ECHL affiliation will be the Maine Mariners, who had most recently been connected with the New 1190080 Boston Bruins

After rookie season, Trent Frederic says 'I have a lot more to offer'

BY NICK GOSS

The Boston Bruins recently signed forward Trent Frederic to a two-year contract extension, and after a difficult rookie season, he's motivated to show more during the 2021-22 NHL campaign.

"I think this was just the beginning for my hockey career, and I think I have a lot more to offer," Frederic said Wednesday on a Zoom call with reporters when asked about last season.

"Obviously, I was disappointed that we didn't make it and that we're not playing right now. Obviously, I wanted to help out as well. But everything happens for a reason and sometimes it's out of your control and you just have to keep working hard and work for the next day."

Illness prevented Frederic from playing a full first season at the NHL level. He played 42 games for the Bruins during the regular season, tallying four goals and one assist. He did not make an appearance in any of the team's 11 Stanley Cup playoff games, even though the fourth line struggled during the second-round series versus the New York Islanders.

Frederic was a first-round pick of the Bruins in 2016 -- the same draft where they took defenseman Charlie McAvoy at No. 14 overall. The B's took Federic a little higher than he was projected to be drafted, and in the last five years, he hasn't made the kind of on-ice impacted expected of a first-round selection.

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

One of the Bruins' primary weaknesses over the last several seasons has been a lack of scoring depth. One of the ways Frederic can make a profound impact on next year's Bruins squad is giving the bottom-six forward group the boost of scoring it desperately needs.

Frederic has the right attitude, though. He wants a larger role and is willing to work for it.

"That's what I'm striving towards. I've got a lot of work to become that," he said. "I think I have the ability to become it and I think I will, but obviously, I have some work to do for that."

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Boston Bruins Frederic Admits He Has “A Lot More To Offer”

By Joe Haggerty

Things didn’t end as well as they started for Boston Bruins rookie power forward Trent Frederic, but he’s excited at the possibilities moving forward.

The 23-year-old Frederic finished with four goals and five points along with 65 penalty minutes and a minus-8 in 42 games during his first full season at the NHL level, and got Bruins fans excited when he dropped the gloves and held his own with Washington tough guy Tom Wilson among others.

But then the strapping, physical Frederic was a healthy scratch in the playoffs after playing sparingly down the stretch. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Frederic had trouble shaking a non-COVID illness that kept him out for an extended period of time and played just six games after the Bruins traded for fourth line center Curtis Lazar at the NHL trade deadline.

Even when Lazar got hurt and Jake DeBrusk was scratched in the , it was Karson Kuhlman that had his name called for postseason duty rather than a guy in Frederic that could have been a physical presence in the playoffs.

All of that led Frederic to admit that he has “a lot more to offer” moving forward for the Black and Gold after signing a two-year contract last weekend with a cap hit of $1.05 million.

“For sure, [this season was] getting my feet wet. I think this was just the beginning for my hockey career, and I think I have a lot more to offer. Obviously, I was disappointed that we didn’t make it and that we’re not playing right now,” said Frederic. “Obviously, I wanted to help out as well. But everything happens for a reason and sometimes it’s out of your control and you just have to keep working hard and work for the next day.

I think it was a good year. I think I came out hot. I’m sure there’s points where I wasn’t as good of a player as I wanted to be and there’s times where I played well. I thought overall it was a good season. It was a bummer we came up short, but overall, it was a good season. What I need to work on is probably just my skating, more confidence with the puck. Making that right play with confidence, I guess.”

The skating is a big component for Frederic as he’ll need to generate more speed to land more heavy hits on the forecheck that should become part of his bread and butter.

Frederic will need to get through the NHL expansion draft next month where there’s a pretty decent chance he’ll go unprotected, but the expectation among Bruins sources is it will be a Boston defenseman taken by the Seattle Kraken rather than a bottom-6 guy like Frederic.

Either way, Frederic should be even more of an identity player for the Boston Bruins next season and beyond as he settles into a heavy, physical role that will continue to make him a fan favorite with the Black and Gold.

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190082 Buffalo Sabres

Don Granato's 'Donnie Meatballs' nickname picks up steam, sparks invite to judge Street Brawl

Ben Tsujimoto Jun 30, 2021

With the interim tag removed from his head coaching title with the Buffalo Sabres, Don Granato can also further embrace his nickname.

"Donnie Meatballs," a playful moniker that has picked up steam on Twitter shortly after he was named interim coach in March, has been embraced by Granato and the Sabres' video team, with the coach's welcome video on Twitter featuring a plate of spaghetti and meatballs faded in the background.

pic.twitter.com/qNrmBbUpl0

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) June 29, 2021

Alerted by several people to the coach's nickname on Wednesday, Nick Pitillo, owner of Italian restaurant Osteria 166 in downtown Buffalo and founder of the Meatball Street Brawl, is sending a public invite to Granato to be a celebrity judge at the festival planned for Sept. 19 outside his restaurant at 166 Franklin St.

"Understanding that our new permanent head coach's nickname is 'Donnie Meatballs,' we would like to officially invite Coach Meatballs to be a guest judge at the fifth annual Meatball Street Brawl," Pitillo said in a statement.

Granato has not responded to the invitation yet. He is expected to meet with reporters Thursday.

The food festival's mission is self-explanatory, with a of local restaurants invited to determine who can craft the best meatball in two categories, traditional to specialty, as voted on by attendees, media and celebrity guests. Among the winners at recent Meatball Street Brawls were Frankie Primo's, Finnerty's, 31 Club, Sinatra's, This Little Pig, Bada Bing, host Osteria 166 and more.

Osteria 166 owner Nick Pitillo has eagerly invited the Sabres' new official head coach, Don Granato, to judge the fifth annual Meatball Street Brawl.

During an interview last month with U.S. Olympic hockey gold medalists , Don's sister, and AJ Mleczko "On the Bus with Cammi and AJ" podcast, the then-interim Sabres head coach chimed in about the nickname in relation to his Italian background.

"I'm OK with it as long as I'm coaching, that's fine – you can call me whatever you want," Don said on the podcast. "I find some humor in it; there's a big Italian portion of the population here in Buffalo, proud of our heritage as Italians and obviously pasta and meatballs go right with it."

The nickname was first mentioned by a contributor for Expected Buffalo, a hockey blog and podcast, on Twitter, but soon became the lighthearted term used occasionally to identify Granato in social media discussions that preceded his eventual full-time hiring.

Buffalo News LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190083 Carolina Hurricanes

Tom Dundon completes full purchase of Carolina Hurricanes

BY CHIP ALEXANDER AND LUKE DECOCK

The NHL on Wednesday approved Tom Dundon’s buyout of Peter Karmanos and the remaining minority partners of the Carolina Hurricanes, making him sole owner of the team.

Dundon, who bought the team from Karmanos in January 2018, had an option to sell the team back to Karmanos after three years or purchase his share completely. That was pushed back because of COVID and the sale of the team is now complete.

Karmanos bought the Hartford Whalers in 1994 and moved them to Raleigh in 1997, renaming them the Hurricanes. The team spent two years playing in the Greensboro Coliseum while what is now known as PNC Arena is being constructed. He was inducted into the in 2015.

But Karmanos, who founded the Detroit software company Compuware, ran into personal financial difficulties even before the team won the Stanley Cup in 2006 and lost his silent partner when Thomas Thewes died in 2008. As the NHL’s salary range rose, the Hurricanes were often at or near the bottom of it.

Dundon, a Dallas billionaire who made his money in subprime auto loans, started sniffing around the team in December 2017 and purchased a majority interest from Karmanos in January 2018. By the end of that summer, he had fired general manager Ron Francis and coach Bill Peters, traded for Dougie Hamilton and drafted Andrei Svechnikov.

Team president and interim general manager Don Waddell was elevated into the permanent position and Rod Brind’Amour, captain of the 2006 champions, was promoted from assistant to head coach. The Hurricanes have made the playoffs in all three of the full seasons since Dundon bought the team, ending a 10-year playoff drought while maintaining a payroll at or near the .

“Pete has had a tremendous impact on the sport of hockey in the since the 1970s,” Dundon said in a statement. “His vision laid the groundwork for the success we now enjoy in Raleigh, and his legacy will always remain a part of this organization.”

News Observer LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190084 Carolina Hurricanes

Tom Dundon takes over full ownership of the Carolina Hurricanes

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

Tom Dundon, who has been majority owner of the Carolina Hurricanes since January 2018, now holds full ownership of the team.

Canes president and general manager Don Waddell announced Wednesday that Dundon had bought out all remaining minority shares of the team. That bring to an end the association of Peter Karmanos, Jr., who relocated the team to North Carolina in 1997, renamed it the Carolina Hurricanes and was the principal owner of the Canes’ Stanley Cup championship team in 2006.

The sale of the minority shares to Dundon was unanimously approved by the NHL’s Board of Governors, the team announced.

“We are fortunate to have a passionate fan base that supports what we believe is a team that can compete every year for the Stanley Cup,” Dundon said in a statement. “That is the only option.”

Dundon, 49, has been the chief executive officer, owner and governor of the Hurricanes since Jan. 12, 2018. The Hurricanes have qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of Dundon’s three full seasons under coach Rod Brind’Amour, who was promoted by Dundon.

Karmanos has owned at least a minority share of the Hurricanes franchise since he first acquired the Hartford Whalers on June 28, 1994.

“Pete has had a tremendous impact on the sport of hockey in the United States since the 1970s,” Dundon said in his statement. “His vision laid the groundwork for the success we now enjoy in Raleigh, and his legacy will always remain a part of this organization.

“We are also grateful for the efforts of the Hurricanes Holdings minority investors who provided important support to the franchise over the years.”

In the initial transaction, Dundon bought 61 percent of the franchise, which was valued at about $500 million. Karmanos retained a minority stake.

News Observer LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190085 Carolina Hurricanes Team, joining Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning. That will add to his value.

“The door is wide open. We love Dougie,” Canes president and general Which Hurricanes player might the Seattle Kraken snag in the NHL manager said recently. “We’re certainly all hoping he comes back.” expansion draft? GOALIE

Protected: Alex Nedeljkovic. BY CHIP ALEXANDER JUNE 30, 2021 10:00 AM, Tough call: All NHL teams must expose one goalie who is under contract for the 2021-22 season or who has been qualified as a restricted free Ron Francis was a frequent visitor at PNC Arena late in the Carolina agent. Nedeljkovic is an RFA who will be re-signed. Jeremy Helvig is Hurricanes’ 2021 season and during the Stanley Cup playoffs. another RFA who would be on the unprotected list if he receives a qualifying offer from the Canes. The Canes also could re-sign Antoine Francis knows his way around the place. Odds are, the general manager Bibeau, a pending UFA. of the Seattle Kraken also knows which Hurricanes player he wants to select July 21 when the NHL holds its expansion draft, during which the Decision time: It won’t be a tough one. Nor will the Kraken likely take Kraken will stock their roster. whomever is unprotected.

So, who is it going to be? THE KRAKEN’S CALL

Francis, a former Canes captain and general manager, recently was The guess here is that Bean, 23, will be exposed to the draft by the described as “super secretive” by members of the NHL media. Good Canes and Francis and the Kraken will take him. choice of words. He is. Who knows, Francis might have his eyes on Morgan Geekie, 22, a right- The Kraken, who play their first season in 2021-22, will take one player shot center with offensive upside. Things can be unpredictable during an from each of the 31 teams. It will be a repeat of 2017, when the expansion draft, with much going on behind the scenes and the GMs expansion Vegas Golden Knights drafted their team, picking from a fairly exchanging calls. deep player pool and making goalie Marc-Andre Fleury their No. 1 In 2017, Francis was the Canes’ GM and worked a side deal with Vegas selection. general manager George McPhee before the expansion draft. The Canes A $650 million expansion fee, the Kraken’s up-front ante for entry, can sent a fifth-round draft pick to the Golden Knights, who then picked get you a pretty good team. The Golden Knights, who paid $500 million, Connor Brickley, a forward who had played that season for the Charlotte selected well enough to reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2018, their first Checkers, then the Canes’ AHL affiliate. season, and the playoff semifinals this season before running into the Considering Francis’ less-than-ideal departure from the Canes, it’s hard Montreal Canadiens. Four seasons, four playoff appearances for Vegas. to say how many conversations he has had Don Waddell. But an The expansion draft process is the same as in June 2017. Teams can expansion draft can make for strange bedfellows. either protect seven forwards, three defensemen and a goalie; or protect Speaking of strange, what if Dougie Hamilton signed with Seattle and eight skaters and a goalie. The Canes, as they did in 2018, are expected was playing for Francis and the Kraken next season? to go with the 7-3-1 list, and there will be some tough decisions before the expansion draft lists are due into the NHL on July 17. News Observer LOADED: 07.01.2021

The X-factor: defenseman Dougie Hamilton, due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 28., when free agency begins If signed to a new contract by the Canes before July 21, he’ll need to be protected in the expansion draft, which means someone else will go unprotected.

Here’s a look at what the Canes might do:

FORWARDS

Protected: Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Andrei Svechnikov, Vincent Trocheck, Nino Niederreiter. Martin Necas, with a year remaining on his entry level contract, is exempt from being drafted.

Tough call: Protect Warren Foegele or Jesper Fast?

Decision time: The Canes could qualify Foegele, who is a restricted free agent, and expose him to the draft. Fast has two years left on his contract at a reasonable price ($2 million) before becoming an unrestricted free agent. Either could fit into the Kraken’s plans.

Carolina Hurricanes left wing Warren Foegele (13) loses his stick as he moves the puck in front of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) during the first period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series Saturday, June 5, 2021, in Tampa. Chris O'Meara AP

DEFENSEMEN

Protected: Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce.

Tough call: Protect Jake Bean or Brady Skjei?

Decision time: Skjei is a top-four D-man for the Canes and his pairing with Pesce was solid. Bean is a former first-round draft pick — by Francis, when he was the Canes’ GM — coming off an uneven rookie season. He has skill and can quarterback the power play, but still is a slender type who needs more physical maturity.

The caveat: if Hamilton has been re-signed, both Skjei and Bean will be available. Hamilton finished fourth in the Norris Trophy voting for the league’s top defenseman and was named to the NHL Second All-Star 1190086 Carolina Hurricanes

Tom Dundon on taking full ownership of Hurricanes, Carolina’s delayed outdoor game and ads on NHL jerseys

By Sean Shapiro Jul 1, 2021

Tom Dundon became the full owner of the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday when the NHL Board of Governors approved his buyout of the remaining minority owners, including former majority owner Peter Karmanos.

This was always part of Dundon’s plan after he became the majority owner in 2018. It’s also the first time since 1994 that Karmanos hasn’t had at least a partial share of the franchise.

“This was always sort of set up this way … this was just the way we structured the deal. Pete stayed involved for a few years, and then (I had) the option to buy the rest of the team … Obviously, I really enjoy it. And I think we have a good team. So an easy decision,” Dundon said Wednesday night.

And while this was expected, the Hurricanes have been in the news this week after the franchise wasn’t awarded a Stadium Series game for the 2021-22 season; they missed out on an originally scheduled one this season that was canceled because of the pandemic.

Hosting an outdoor game had been on Dundon’s radar since he first bought the team, but even landing a game required some flexibility. The NHL was wary about going to Carolina, fearful the game wouldn’t sell out, so the Hurricanes agreed to a deal where the team’s payout would be reflective of how many tickets are sold for Carter-Finley Stadium. Typically, NHL teams get a check reflective of a normal sellout, usually around $2 million.

Dundon said the Hurricanes were willing to be flexible with the league coming out of the pandemic, and getting an outdoor game, in general, was more important than pushing to get one during the 2021-22 season.

“I think just as you have the different conversations and you’re trying to plan. Since we had got everyone excited and didn’t get to get this one (last season). Clearly, we didn’t want that to happen again,” Dundon said. “And then as we started thinking about our options, with what’s happened with COVID. We were open to different outcomes … whether it’s this year, next year, we’re open-minded.”

Dundon also pointed out that it wasn’t his decision to delay the game.

“Totally their decision,” Dundon said. “We were willing to wait a year or we were willing to do it this year.”

The Hurricanes look at the outdoor game as a way to grow the fan base. In the short term, the initial announcement of an outdoor game helped boost season ticket sales. Dundon also thinks the outdoor game can play well in a market that has a large college football following, which has a tailgating culture embedded into the market.

In the same news conference where announced Carolina wouldn’t be getting an outdoor game next season, the commissioner also confirmed NHL helmet ads are here to stay. The logical next step is ads on jerseys, which is something Dundon and other owners are hoping will happen sooner than later.

“Look, I’d be on the very, very extreme end,” Dundon said. “Like for me if we look like Formula 1 or NASCAR, that’d be fine with me. I think the league is constantly looking at how do they maintain tradition plus maximize revenue and figure out the balance? And I think they’re doing a good job of it. But yeah, if it were left to me, it would probably be a good subset of people that didn’t like what I did.”

On the ice, Dundon looks at the Hurricanes as a contender after the team lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the playoffs.

“We’re at a point now, you’re not going to get a lot better … you can always get better, you can always improve, but we’ve got a pretty good group,” Dundon said. “Improve where you can but also realize they have really good players and just because we lost doesn’t mean that we didn’t have good players … sometimes you lose.”

The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190087 Chicago Blackhawks

Could Duncan Keith be headed out of Chicago after 16 seasons? Report floats rumored trade talks involving the veteran Blackhawks defenseman.

By PHIL THOMPSON CHICAGO TRIBUNE |JUN 30, 2021 AT 7:06 PM

Chicago Blackhawks veteran defenseman Duncan Keith reportedly has been the subject of trade rumors.

Sportsnet.ca reported Wednesday that there are “rumblings” of a potential Keith trade to a team in Western Canada or the Pacific Northwest. That would make the , , Jets and the expansion Seattle Kraken possible destinations.

“Word is Keith and team are working together to get him to a place he wants to go,” Friedman tweeted. “We will see where this goes.”

The Tribune reached out to the most recent agent listed for Keith but didn’t receive a response.

Keith was born in Winnipeg, , and spends his offseasons in his hometown of , , about 160 miles from Vancouver and roughly 265 miles from Calgary, Alberta.

Keith’s contract, which runs through 2022-23 and carries a $5.5 million annual cap hit, has a no-movement clause, giving him the right to reject any trade.

The Hawks have seen an exodus of Stanley Cup-era players in recent seasons.

Corey Crawford, and have stepped away from the game, all since December, and the Hawks traded Brandon Saad to the Colorado Avalanche last offseason.

Keith is one of three remaining Hawks, along with and Jonathan Toews, who were on all three Cup teams in 2010, ’13 and ’15. Keith was named the winner in 2015 as the playoffs’ most valuable player.

He also is a two-time Norris Trophy winner (2010, 2014) as the league’s top defenseman and a three-time All-Star. Keith in 2017 was named as one of the 100 greatest players in NHL history, as were Kane and Toews.

Keith, 37, a 16-year veteran, led Hawks skaters in average ice time (23 minutes, 25 seconds) for a 13th consecutive season in 2021.

But the Hawks have been in rebuilding mode — with an eye on returning to Cup contention — and have a several defensemen in the pipeline that the organization is high on. Some of those young blue liners, such as Ian Mitchell, Wyatt Kalynuk and Nicolas Beaudin, received significant ice time last season, and they and others likely will push for more minutes next season.

Before last season, Keith embraced the youth movement.

“I don’t really know what the word ‘rebuild’ means,” Keith said in January. “As an organization it seems like the wording was that they wanted to give young guys opportunities and young guys have been getting opportunities.

“You need young guys to play and you need young guys to be a big part of your team to have success.”

The Hawks selected Keith in the second round (No. 54 overall) in the 2002 draft. He is second to on the franchise’s games-played list with 1,192, sixth in assists with 520, 10th in points with 625 and first in defensive point shares with 70, according to Hockey Reference.

He also won gold medals with Team Canada in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190088 Chicago Blackhawks fourth-line center David Kampf filled in admirably throughout the lineup and even put in shifts on the top line for a time.

Faceoffs, however, suffered during Toews’ absence, and that contributed Jonathan Toews says he plans to return to the Chicago Blackhawks and to offensive and defensive problems. reveals the illness that kept him out last season: ‘My body just fell apart’ Among players who took at least 50 faceoffs in 2019-20, Toews led the team with a 57.3% percentage. He has won 56.9% over his career. The By PHIL THOMPSON Hawks ranked 29th (46.3%) this past season after ranking 17th (49.9%) in 2019-20.

Toews slipped a bit as a scorer in 2019-20 (a career-low 18 goals over Jonathan Toews, who missed the entire 2020-21 season for the Chicago 70 games), but he was still a playmaker, contributing 42 assists, second Blackhawks, revealed he has “chronic immune response syndrome” in a to Kane. And the previous season Toews scored a career-high 35 goals. video tweeted Wednesday morning. The loss of Toews as a locker-room leader was something players “I just think there were a lot of things that just piled up where my body addressed on several occasions in 2021, so it will be interesting to see just fell apart,” Toews says in the video announcing his plans to return to what effect he has on a youthful group that received a lot of experience in the team. “So what they’re calling it was chronic immune response his absence. syndrome where I just couldn’t quite recover and my immune system was reacting to everything that I did, any kind of stress. Anything that I would “He’s an extremely important player for us, for our team,” coach Jeremy do throughout the day.” Colliton said after the Hawks’ season ended in May. “He’s meant a lot for the organization and the success we’ve been able to have. Toews also told the Athletic that he’s “probably a COVID long-hauler” dating to February 2020, but he didn’t say definitively whether he “Of course, we hope he’s going to be back. He’s a great player and he’d received a positive test at the time. really help us, but (we’ve) got to give him time to sort things out and we’ll go from there.” In Wednesday’s two-minute video, Toews walks through the doors of Fifth Third Arena, the Hawks’ practice facility. The star center and captain Chicago Tribune LOADED: 07.01.2021 said before last season that a then-unspecified illness left him feeling “lethargic.” He later was placed on long-term injured reserve and missed the entire season.

“It feels great. It’s been a long time,” Toews says in the video. “Honestly, I haven’t taken this much time off in probably ever, since I was a kid at least. It’s nice to be back in Chicago, see the guys again. Slowly but surely just settle in again into the life and the routine again. So it’s a good feeling.”

As he talks over footage of him skating and chatting with a few players and coaches, he addresses the effect that not knowing when he would return had on him.

“That was the frustrating part was not knowing when or how we were going to get over the hump,” he says. “But thankfully got a great support team of people that helped me through it. I learned a lot about the stress that I put on my body over the years, and I appreciate all the support.

“A lot of people were worried and (I) definitely felt bad to a certain degree that people were that worried and thought it was serious. But I definitely knew in the back of my mind that I’d get through it. It was just a matter of time.”

The Hawks had their highs and lows during the season and faded out of playoff contention down the stretch — but Toews’ absence hung like a cloud. The Hawks deflected repeated questions about his status.

In the video, Toews acknowledged he “wasn’t too vocal about the things I went through this year.” He thanked fans, teammates and Hawks management for their support.

“That’s the biggest thing, you realize there is more to life than hockey, but I’m excited to get back to the United Center and play,” Toews says. “Just go out there and have fun, and I think my best is going to come through.”

Toews, 33, is a six-time All-Star, a Conn Smythe Trophy winner as MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs and a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Canada. He captained the Hawks to Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

He last played for the Hawks on Aug. 18, 2020, a 4-3 elimination loss to the Vegas Golden Knights during the return-to-play postseason in the Edmonton, Alberta, bubble after the 2019-20 regular season was shortened to 70 games by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He played nine games during the Hawks’ playoff run and led the team with five goals. He tied Patrick Kane for the team lead with nine points.

The probable return of the 13-year veteran provides a big boost down the middle of the ice, where the Hawks had to make do for much of the season without Toews and Kirby Dach, who broke his right wrist in December.

Dach returned and played 18 games, and the Hawks discovered promising options at center in Pius Suter and Philipp Kurashev. Usual 1190089 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks reportedly considering trading Duncan Keith

The Hawks and the longtime veteran defenseman are working on a trade to send Keith closer to home in Western Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Wednesday.

By Ben Pope Jun 30, 2021, 6:58pm CDT

The Blackhawks are considering a trade involving veteran defenseman Duncan Keith, according to a report Wednesday.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman tweeted the Hawks are looking to deal Keith, who has a no-movement clause in his contract that allows him to control or veto any trade, to a team in the ‘‘Pacific Northwest or Western Canada.’’

‘‘Word is Keith and team are working together to get him to a place he wants to go,’’ Friedman said. ‘‘We will see where this goes.’’

There are rumblings Chicago is working on a potential Duncan Keith trade to either the Pacific Northwest or Western Canada. Word is Keith and team are working together to get him to a place he wants to go. We will see where this goes.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 30, 2021

Keith, who will turn 38 on July 16, has spent his entire NHL career with the Hawks, establishing himself as a core defenseman even before the Stanley Cup era.

But age has taken a toll on his performance in recent seasons, even though he has continued to play big minutes and mentor young defensemen such as Ian Mitchell and Adam Boqvist.

A trade — never previously considered possible because Keith never wanted to leave Chicago — would make sense for several reasons.

Keith grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and lives in the offseason in Penticton, British Columbia. His now-8-year-old son stayed in Penticton — along with much of the rest of Keith’s family — this season after Keith helped coach his youth team last fall.

As his career winds down, Keith might want to play closer to home. The Canucks, Oilers, Flames, Jets and expansion Kraken are all possibilities.

From the Hawks’ standpoint, trading Keith would open a protection spot for the Kraken expansion draft, allowing the Hawks to protect Connor Murphy, Nikita Zadorov and Riley Stillman instead of Murphy and one of the others.

A trade also would remove Keith’s roughly $5.5 million cap hit (with two years left on his deal), freeing more space to pursue Seth Jones or Dougie Hamilton this summer.

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190090 Chicago Blackhawks Toews didn’t talk about the challenges his illness might present as he works back into playing shape. But all of that is background noise, a discussion for another day. He’s better now. That’s all that matters. We Sweet relief: Video shows us that Jonathan Toews is alive and well saw, with our own eyes, that he’s OK. Toews or someone else was smart enough to understand the importance of his showing himself to fans and After months of mystery, Blackhawks captain reveals that he has Chronic media in a video. For too long, there was nothing visual to make us feel Immune Response Syndrome, also known as biotoxin illness. better about the superstar. Now we see. Now we believe.

So take another deep breath and let the relief wash over you, Blackhawks fans. Your captain, the player who always seemed to do the By Rick Morrissey Jun 30, 2021, 12:53pm CDT right thing at the right time, is back among you. And life is good.

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 07.01.2021 Everybody take a deep, cleansing breath. Pull in the air until you can’t pull in any more. Now let it out slowly. Feel that? That’s relief. That’s the wonderful, overwhelming sensation that comes with knowing that Jonathan Toews is OK. That he is not in the grips of a debilitating disease that will cost him his life.

The Blackhawks captain, the team’s beating heart, released a video Wednesday morning and put a name to the illness that kept him off the ice last season and us in the dark: Chronic Immune Response Syndrome (CIRS). It’s a condition associated with exposure to biotoxins, such as mold. Most people’s bodies can process biotoxins. Those with CIRS can’t, causing immune-system dysfunction.

“There’s a lot of things that piled up, where my body just fell apart,” Toews said in the video, which he put on Twitter. “… I just couldn’t quite recover, and my immune system was reacting to everything that I did — any kind of stress, anything that I would do throughout the day, there was always that stress response.

“I took some time, and that was the frustrating part — not really knowing when or how we were going to get over the hump. But thankfully I’ve got a great support team of people that helped me through it, and [I] learned a lot about the stress I put on my body over the years.’’

Toews has started skating at the Hawks’ practice facility and signaled that he plans to play next season. Some of you might accuse me of burying the news — he’s going to play again! — but that’s a very, very distant second in the importance department. No. 1 is that he’s still with us and that it appears he’s healthy.

“I appreciate all the support,’’ he said. “A lot of people were worried, and I definitely felt bad to a certain degree that people were that worried that they thought it was really serious, but in the back of my mind, I knew I’d get through it. It was just a matter of time.’’

I’m not sure I understand why he didn’t let the public know of his diagnosis earlier, but that was his right. It’s his life, his body and his condition. Perhaps it took him all this time to feel comfortable with what he had. Maybe he couldn’t process what was happening to a body that had helped bring the Hawks three Stanley Cup titles.

I wasn’t too vocal about the things I went through this year. I appreciate the understanding and support and wanted to share this message on where I’m at. pic.twitter.com/3qgftKki10

— Jonathan Toews (@JonathanToews) June 30, 2021

But I can’t tell you how many times over the past six months I heard whispers that Toews had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal illness. That’s how the world works. Somebody always knows somebody who says they know something. Before you know it, Toews is on his deathbed, and we’re wondering if Last Rites is capitalized or not.

We can dismiss all of it as silly now, but at the time, there was nothing silly about it.

The Hawks were never going to tell us what Toews’ condition was, even if they knew it. There are laws against that sort of thing, of course, but secrecy is as part of hockey as much as smelly locker rooms are. (Secrecy might be why they’re facing two lawsuits over an alleged sexual-assault cover-up.) You couldn’t even get an upper- or lower-body designation out of them. Given what Toews’ malady turned out to be, they would have listed “body’’ as the injury.

It doesn’t matter now. It was great to see Toews on that video Wednesday, sounding like Toews, skating like Toews, being serious like Toews. For 13 seasons, the Hawks — and us — were blessed with his presence, and when that presence went away, it was a massive physical and emotional void. How are you supposed to skate with one leg? That’s how it felt. 1190091 Chicago Blackhawks "I'm excited to get back to the United Center and play, get back in front of the fans, and go out there and have fun," he said.

"I think my best is going to come through." 'My body just fell apart': Blackhawks' Toews announces his return for the coming season Daily Herald Times LOADED: 07.01.2021

Mike Smith

Worry -- and wonder -- no longer, says Captain Serious.

Jonathan Toews is in Chicago, feeling good, and can't wait to step on the United Center ice.

The Blackhawks captain, who sat out last season, announced Wednesday he's back.

I wasn't too vocal about the things I went through this year. I appreciate the understanding and support and wanted to share this message on where I'm at. pic.twitter.com/3qgftKki10

— Jonathan Toews (@JonathanToews) June 30, 2021

"I just think there's a lot of things that kind of piled up where my body just fell apart. What they're calling it is chronic immune response syndrome where I couldn't quite recover and my immune system was reacting to everything that I did," Toews, 33, said in a video posted to his Twitter account.

"Any kind of stress, anything I would do throughout the day, it was always kind of a stress response. ... It took some time. That was the frustrating part. ... I learned a lot about the stress I've been putting on my body over the years."

The syndrome, according to multiple medical websites, is "a progressive, multi-system, multi-symptom illness characterized by exposure to biotoxins."

Toews said the uncertainty of the recovery period was trying, especially "not knowing when or how we were going to get over the hump.

"In the back of my mind I knew I'd get through it. It was just a matter of time."

In the video Toews is seen entering the Blackhawks' training facility and later skating and practicing. It is not known when the video was shot.

"It feels great (to be back). It's been a long time. Honestly, I haven't taken this much time off the ice probably ever ... since I was a kid, at least.

"It's nice to be back in Chicago. See some of the guys. ... Slowly but surely settle back into the life and the routine again," Toews said.

The Blackhawks announced in late December Toews would not be joining the team for training camp, and would be out indefinitely for the 2020-21 season with a medical issue.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion said at the time he had an unspecified medical issue leaving him "drained and lethargic."

"I wasn't too vocal about the things I went through this year. I appreciate the understanding and support," Toews said.

"A lot of people were worried. The No. 1 think is I've had so many people across the hockey world and fans ... that have shown their support. I think that's the biggest thing is you realize there's more to life than hockey."

The Winnipeg native has played in 943 regular season games with 345 goals and 470 assists. He has 45 goals and 74 assists in 137 playoff games.

Toews was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2006 NHL draft, and has played since 2007 and been captain since 2008. The Stanley Cup champ in 2010, 2013 and 2015 won the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP in 2010.

Toews won the Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward for the 2012-13 season, and earned the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award in 2015.

Toews is looking forward to the new season. 1190092 Chicago Blackhawks

Report: Blackhawks working on Duncan Keith trade

BY MICHAEL ALLARDYCE

The end of an era is nearing. The Chicago Blackhawks are exploring trade options for defenseman Duncan Keith, according to Elliotte Friedman.

There are rumblings Chicago is working on a potential Duncan Keith trade to either the Pacific Northwest or Western Canada. Word is Keith and team are working together to get him to a place he wants to go. We will see where this goes.— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 30, 2021

The Blackhawks are looking for landing spots in the Pacific Northwest or Western Canada, presumably for Keith to be closer to home. Keith spends his summers in British Columbia, several hours outside of Vancouver.

That limits Keith's landing spots to a handful of teams: Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flame, Edmonton Oilers and the newly formed Seattle Kraken team.

Another hurdle to finding a trade partner is Keith's contract. He's owed a little over $5.5 million in each of the next two seasons and quickly approaching 40.

It comes on the heels of news that team captain Jonathan Toews will return next season after missing the 2021 season with medical issues.

Keith has spent his entire NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks, winning three Stanley Cups along the way, plus a Norris Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy to boot.

Keith's 1,192 games ranks second in franchise history behind only Stan Mikita. His long-time defensive partner Brent Seabrook also eclipsed the 1,000 games played mark, making the duo only the seventh in NHL history to play 1,000 games together - and the first pair of defenseman to do so.

Keith also won Olympic Gold Medals for Team Canada in 2010 and 2014.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190093 Chicago Blackhawks head. My body has been under so much stress for a long time. I’ve had some different times where I just hit the wall. I don’t think I ever really recovered the way I should. It’s kind of crazy to say you went through Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews opens up about the longest year of his life: your 20s and never felt your best, but that’s what it was. So I think there ‘The best worst thing that’s ever happened to me’ are a lot of things that added up, just different stress factors and underlying issues that I’ve been dealing with, health-wise, plus catching COVID.”

By Mark Lazerus Jun 30, 2021 Well, Toews is back. Back in Chicago, back on the ice with teammates, back in the gym, back to his life. He’s not all the way back yet, but he has

“no doubt” he can be Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks Legend again. But Call a timeout. Get Jonathan Toews out there. What are you doing?! he’s more careful now. He’s learned not to take the next day — let alone the next game — for granted. Blackhawks fans across the world were screaming that at their televisions in August in the waning moments of Game 3 against the So does he plan to be on the ice opening night in October? “Absolutely.” Vegas Golden Knights. The Blackhawks were down 2-1, frantically trying But is that an expectation, or a goal? to tie the game, and Toews had just finished a nondescript 55-second . Jeremy Colliton looked down his bench and instead of sending his “It’s a goal,” he said. “That’s what I want. But I’m putting myself first, my captain, his best faceoff guy, one of the most clutch athletes in Chicago own health first, and we’ll go from there.” history over the boards, he sent … Dylan Strome. Toews knows the timing here isn’t great. The Blackhawks are the target And for the final 82 seconds of the game, Toews didn’t touch the ice. It of two lawsuits, one alleging sexual abuse of two players by 2010 video looked like an egregious failure by Colliton, who was excoriated for the coach Brad Aldrich, and another alleging the Blackhawks brass knew decision. Yet another fray in the seemingly tense Toews-Colliton about it and failed to report it, leading to a minor being assaulted when relationship. Aldrich was a volunteer assistant coach at a high school in Michigan.

Except it wasn’t. From a public-relations standpoint, Toews breaking his silence and announcing he’s back on this day seems awfully convenient, and was “I actually thanked him for taking the flack in the situation, because he justifiably met with equal parts elation and skepticism from the hockey was criticized for not having me out there,” Toews told The Athletic on world. Perhaps no other story could have ever-so-briefly broken the bad Wednesday in his first interview in nearly a year. “When the truth was I news cycle engulfing the club. But Toews has been back in Chicago for a was sitting there just staring at the ground on the bench, with no desire while now, skating at a public rink. It was only a matter of time before he and no real ability to move. He had my back there. I was toast.” was spotted. He had been planning this announcement, a video he Toews used the word “toast” a handful of times in the discussion, as the tweeted out, for weeks. This was his decision to go public, not the mystery illness that cost him the entire 2020-21 season remains Blackhawks’ decision. somewhat elusive to him. In a video to fans addressing his absence, he And the allegations and investigation and litigation aren’t going away used the term “chronic immune response syndrome,” an unspecific anytime soon. Whenever he made this announcement, it was going to diagnosis from his two doctors that is really more of an umbrella term for look bad. his mostly inexplicable symptoms. “I’m not really concerned with this story overshadowing that,” he said as I WASN’T TOO VOCAL ABOUT THE THINGS I WENT THROUGH THIS Connor Murphy, Vinnie Hinostroza and Jake Wise, his usual skating YEAR. I APPRECIATE THE UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORT AND partners, carved up the ice at Fifth Third Arena. “I’m not trying to hype WANTED TO SHARE THIS MESSAGE ON WHERE I’M AT. this up or anything. I’m just happy to be back in Chicago, being around PIC.TWITTER.COM/3QGFTKKI10 and seeing the guys that are here. I had a crazy amount of support from — JONATHAN TOEWS (@JONATHANTOEWS) JUNE 30, 2021 people I never even expected to hear from, like players and coaches and fans around the league. I wanted to thank them. Obviously, it’s He was lethargic. He was fatigued. He’d wake up in the morning and take unfortunate, the way the story is going right now.” a sip of water and his stomach would immediately bloat. His arms and legs felt like lead weights. His breathing was labored. His sinuses were Toews is the first current Blackhawks player to address the allegations, stuffy. He’d have days when he could barely get out of bed. His digestion and perhaps the most significant one. As the captain, Toews has said in was off. His immune system was triggering, working to put out flames the past that it’s his job to know what every guy in the locker room is that didn’t seem to exist. Then he’d string together a couple of good days going through off the ice, to know how best to push them (or offer comfort and excitedly hit the gym or the ice, only to be back at square one the and friendship) on the ice. But Toews took issue with the 2010 player next day. He left Chicago and holed up somewhere mostly alone — he who told The Athletic “every guy on the team knew.” won’t say where — for months on end, cutting himself off from his team, Toews said he didn’t hear about the allegations against Aldrich until right from his teammates, from his fans, from his life as he tried to find what before training camp at the end of that summer of celebration. Aldrich was wrong and fix it. was just gone — nobody knew if he left on his own or if he had been Now, there’s another catch-all term for Toews’ illness, another set of fired. That’s when, Toews said, he heard the stories from “those two symptoms that doctors are still learning to diagnose, to treat, to project. players.” Yes, Toews acknowledges, he’s probably a COVID long-hauler, having “I don’t know who the player (that talked to The Athletic) is, but it kind of had all the telltale signs of a particularly nasty bout with COVID-19 back annoyed me because it seemed like it fed the fire a little bit,” Toews said. in February 2020, before the pandemic had consumed life in the United “When that player commented that everybody on the team knew, that States. wasn’t true. As far as I know, some guys may have caught whispers of it But for Toews, who has spent his entire adult life trying to perfect his and some guys were clueless until the next year. I don’t think that was an eating, his sleeping, his training — all of which he said he struggled with accurate statement.” in his early years in the NHL — it’s not that simple. COVID-19 was the Toews said he couldn’t comment much beyond that, offering sympathy likely catalyst, but the cumulative effect of 943 regular-season games, for the players who were allegedly assaulted, calling it a “tough situation” 137 playoff games, countless practices and training sessions, and the and saying he couldn’t say for sure “if the team mishandled it.” heavy, grinding style with which he plays is what cost him essentially a year of his life. Another term Toews used a lot besides “toast” is “checking all the boxes.” Because that’s all you can do when you don’t know what’s wrong “I have a hard time mentioning the word COVID because then everyone’s with you. All the myriad blood tests and deep dives into his flagging asking about it and that’s going to be the headline,” Toews said. “So I’m metabolism and his struggling adrenal system came up mostly empty. trying to stay away from that. And I’m not a doctor, but from what I’ve And when you can’t pinpoint what you do have, all you can do is cross off learned about a lot of these COVID long-haulers is that a lot of them had what you don’t have. pre-existing conditions or some kind of stress they’re dealing with, and all of a sudden, (COVID) is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. That’s And Toews didn’t have a lot of things. But mostly, he didn’t have any why I look at this thing as a whole. I think a lot of things just came to a answers. “We all want simple answers to simple questions, and it’s not always like happened to me.” His mind is at peace now. And his body seems to be that,” he said. following suit. He’s 33 years old, but he feels rejuvenated.

And so Toews, who’s constantly seeking “total human optimization,” Will he be taking that opening faceoff on opening night in October? plummeted lower than he’d ever felt. He cut himself off from just about Toews hopes so. He believes he will. But he knows better than to everyone, wallowing in despair and endlessly “mulling over” everything guarantee it. If the past year has taught him anything, it’s what “one day that was happening to him, everything that scared him, everything he at a time” — the grandest of hockey cliches — really means. couldn’t explain. There were days he didn’t want to get out of bed. Days when he didn’t answer his phone or respond to texts from concerned “I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity in my life to have that quiet, and teammates. Days when he wondered if his career was over. that space, and that stillness,” he said. “I’ve been playing hockey year- round, on a year-round schedule, for as long as I can remember. Since I If life as he knew it was over. was a young teenager. And when you’re doing that, no one really respects the fact that you’re a human being. They look at you as this “I feel like I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter who you are, or what your person who’s got it all figured out, but that’s the furthest thing from the standards are for your life, what your career is,” he said. “People know truth. … You look at guys like Seabs, () and Shawzie — the things they’re capable of, and they know what they enjoy, and they those are pretty early retirements that came at a heck of a price. They know what is the purpose and the excitement in their lives. And there gave a lot to this organization. I’m thankful that, knock on wood, it’s not were definitely times when it was hard not to feel sorry for myself, ending that way for me yet. But if I would have kept going down that road because it was just so repetitive — just waking up in the morning and just I was going down, there’s no doubt it would have. feeling that dead weight of no desire, no excitement, no inspiration to do anything at all. It was tough mentally. I definitely learned to have a little “I don’t know. I guess sometimes you have to kind of go through the shit more sympathy for people that are going through that, whether it’s people to come out better on the other side.” with different illnesses or people with mental illnesses like depression, all that sort of thing. I finally had to come to a point like, hey, it gets a lot The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 worse than this. You’ve got to just keep moving and not get too negative or pessimistic. What other choice do you got?”

It took months for him to reach that point. The symptoms really took over Toews’ life around June last year, and he struggled through the summer training camp that preceded the bubble postseason in Edmonton. Colliton gave him a few maintenance days, but Toews felt miserable most of the time.

Somehow, he managed to have a spectacular, vintage series against the Oilers, scoring two goals in both Game 1 and Game 3, and adding three assists in the four-game series victory. In the next round against Vegas, Toews’ play dropped considerably, with just a goal and an assist in a five-game loss. It’s easy to assume he felt good against Edmonton and bad against Vegas, but he said he felt equally awful in both series. He said Vegas’ speed and strength just magnified it, is all.

The next few months were a numbing dance of one step forward, two steps back. Every time he felt even a little better, he’d excitedly “get back on the horse,” in his words, only to be thrown right off it. The constant setbacks took a mental and emotional toll. In November, he was skating with some players in Arizona. Ten minutes after he took the ice, he disappeared without a word.

“Everyone is wondering where I went,” he said. “And that’s when I started questioning it. What am I doing? Why am I going out on the ice when I feel this awful? What am I accomplishing here? It hit me like a ton of bricks. But needless to say, I did the same thing again. Took a week off and tried to go back on the ice.”

Shortly before Christmas, it happened again, and Toews decided to step away. Like, really step away. He didn’t linger around the boys like Brent Seabrook and Andrew Shaw did. He told himself, “This is no joke,” and vanished. Sometimes, he’d answer the phone. Sometimes, he’d return a text. He’d passively watch Blackhawks games, not celebrating goals, not screaming at the refs. Mostly, he’d work with doctors to figure out why his body — his temple, his instrument, his entire life — was betraying him.

And he was getting nowhere.

With about 20 games left in the Blackhawks’ season, life started returning to Toews’ body, and his spirit. Suddenly, he was actively watching those same games, agonizing like a fan while simultaneously musing at how slow and easy the game looks on TV. He was able to work out days in a row. He was able to hit the ice.

He was starting to feel a little like Jonathan Toews again.

He’s not on a magic medication that’s making it all better. He still doesn’t know exactly what he’s dealing with here, hence the amorphous umbrella terms. He’s still dealing with some stomach issues and stuffy sinuses. He knows the other symptoms can return at any moment, too. After a lifetime of playing no matter what, he’s learned to listen to his body better, to embrace failure, to acknowledge that there are days to pull back, not push through.

To those he’s closest with, those he never truly cut himself off from over the past year-plus, Toews keeps calling it “the best worst thing that’s ever 1190094 Colorado Avalanche Obviously, if you’re the suitor, you’d rather not be faced with giving up four first-round picks. But if the offer isn’t high enough, and you’re not making Colorado sweat, what’s the point of the exercise?

LeBrun: Cale Makar an offer sheet target; Seth Jones trade interest from It’s a tough one. How many teams feel they’re going to be good enough Avs, Flyers, Blackhawks after acquiring Makar that they won’t at all regret giving up four unprotected first-round picks?

By Pierre LeBrun Jun 30, 2021 So is the magic AAV on a Makar offer sheet $10.2 million flat, just under the threshold? Is that enough to make Colorado sweat?

Fellow young RFA stud blueliner Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars The flat cap environment, one would think, would actually encourage might be another intriguing target for an offer sheet depending on how more offer sheets but as we saw last fall, none were tendered. negotiations play out, but I think all things being equal, people view the Avs as a more vulnerable team. Despite having so many teams on the ropes with the frozen salary cap, which in theory would put them at risk for the hostility of an offer sheet, That’s because captain and Vezina Trophy finalist last offseason came and went without one. Philipp Grubauer are pending unrestricted free agents, so is top-six winger Brandon Saad (not clear whether or not they can keep him), and Whether it’s because Montreal’s offer sheet matched by Carolina in July the Avs need room a year from now for a monster extension directed at 2019 scared teams off for a while — some front-office executives have Nathan MacKinnon (who is up in the summer of 2023, but can sign one mentioned that to me — it’s hard to tell for sure. year out.) Knowing how likely it is that a team will match has always been a There have been preliminary discussions so far between Makar’s camp deterring factor given the hard feelings it creates. I’d be surprised if and the Avs, but nothing substantive quite yet. Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has forgiven the Habs. (Hey, Jesperi Kotkaniemi is a restricted free agent this summer! Just kidding. I think.) I would think the Avs’ approach would be to sell Makar hard on keeping the band together in this flat cap environment. That would certainly be my But I will say one offer sheet possibility has popped up in a few approach. conversations I’ve had this week: Cale Makar. A key part of this is term. On the one hand, there’s merit in going shorter I also talked about this on TSN’s Insider Trading on Tuesday. if it means massaging the AAV and giving Colorado a better chance to First of all, believe me when I say the Colorado Avalanche internally are compete in the next few years. cognizant that this possibility might lurk out there and are guarding For example, Zach Werenski signed a second contract for three years at against it. They’re a smart front office and will be prepared for anything. a $5 million AAV in 2019. Charlie McAvoy the same year signed a Secondly, no question the Avs would match any single offer sheet to their second contract for three years at a $4.9 million AAV. prized blueliner. But if you’re Makar’s camp, why limit yourself to defensemen Third, there’s zero evidence Makar and his camp led by agent Brian comparables. I would point out the fact Matthew Tkachuk signed for three Bartlett have any plans to seek one out at this juncture. By all indications, years at a $7 million AAV on his second contract and Point for three Makar loves it in Denver and wants to simply sign a fair deal in his years at $6.75 million AAV. second contract. And so this is where it’s going to get interesting. If the AAV creeps up And this is an important factor, as an offer sheet requires a player willing north of $7 million on a three-year deal, the Avs are probably going to to sign on the dotted line. There were teams that inquired with Brayden say not worth the short-term savings at that point — let’s go longer then. Point’s camp two years ago on this. The player had zero interest in going They signed star winger Mikko Rantanen, for example, to a second that route. contract at six years and a $9.25 million AAV. Still, what the Makar camp can’t control is which teams may or may not Maybe there’s a six-year deal that makes sense here for Makar. pick up the phone when free agency opens July 28, if the Avs haven’t signed the superstar RFA yet, and blow them out of the water with a Can the Avs get it done before teams are allowed to make offers on July massive offer sheet number that makes them think. 28? Does it truly matter?

That’s the intriguing part. That’s where some of the smoke is coming Or, like we saw last fall, is the specter of an offer sheet all a mirage. from right now. Is there a team lying in the weeds waiting to pounce come July 28? We shall see.

There are two reasons you might consider it if you’re a team that can Speaking of the Avs swing it. One crazy rumor that popped my way this week via two league sources 1. If there’s ever a player that’s worth the aggravation of what an offer is that the Avs were kicking around the idea of renting out Seth Jones for sheet brings in terms of the subsequent wrath of the Avalanche, it’s a 22- a year in a trade with Columbus and going all-in for the Cup next season. year-old blueliner who already has a Calder Trophy to his name and was I mean, yes! a runner-up Norris Trophy finisher. But again, as I’ve stated before, I assume the Blue Jackets at all costs 2. Even if the odds are very high the Avs would match, the damage it need to explore the market where Jones is traded after signing an might do to Colorado as far the player or two they would have to move to extension with his new team, which therefore would maximize the asset be able to match the offer sheet could be worth it alone if you’re a value. Western Conference rival. Secondly, as noted above, the Avs have their hands full with Makar and And again, you can take it to the bank the Avs front office is aware of all other key free agents. these things. Still, I do love the idea of loading up for a year if you can live with the One rival front-office executive I spoke with this week figures you’d have acquisition price. You’ve got another two years before MacKinnon’s big to put the offer sheet at least $11 million or $12 million a year to even extension will be a cap-eating reality. make it worth the hassle. Otherwise, what’s the point? The Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks probably make more As a reminder, any offer sheet this year that is worth $10.276 million AAV sense for Jones. I’ve mentioned that a few times with the Flyers. They’ve or more results in four first-round draft picks as compensation if the team got the parts to make a deal work. But if Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen doesn’t match. An AAV between $8.221 million and $10.276 million on wants Jones dealt West … an offer sheet this year sees the compensation at two first-round picks, a second and a third. My colleague during our Insider Trading segment Tuesday reported Chicago’s interest in either Jones or pending UFA Dougie Hamilton, either of whom would certainly make sense for the The continued growth of young centers Nick Suzuki and Kotkaniemi Blackhawks, who are seeking an elite defenseman. makes it clear that, as valuable as Danault has been yet again for the Canadiens, and he really has been in these playoffs, his future in Leafs reached out to Andersen camp Montreal is as a third-line center, albeit on a team constructed with I will freely admit that when the Maple Leafs’ season ended, I thought minutes more evenly spread in its top nine. Frederik Andersen was most definitely headed to the free-agent market. So perhaps he hits the market to see what’s what. And I am honestly so It just felt to me like his time in Toronto had come to an end. The intrigued to see how other teams value him if he’s there on July 28. emergence of Jack Campbell plus perhaps some hurt feelings from The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 Andersen as far as the perception of his value in the Leafs’ market gave me the distinct impression he was gone.

And he may still be, come July 28, of course.

But , the agent for the pending UFA netminder, told me Tuesday that Leafs management has reached out recently to ask if Andersen had interest in returning.

And the answer from Lemieux to the Leafs was yes.

Now, having mutual interest is one thing; converting that into a contract that satisfies both sides within the Leafs’ salary cap situation, well, that’s another thing.

But it is nevertheless revealing that the conversation happened and that Lemieux told the Leafs that Andersen is absolutely comfortable coming back and sharing the net with Campbell.

So stay tuned on that one.

Danault’s worth as a free agent?

Is there a more unique pending UFA than Phillip Danault?

The man who helped shut down offensive stars in Toronto, Winnipeg and Vegas this playoff season finds himself in need of a contract after the season.

He’s 28. There’s still lots of good hockey ahead. But what’s a top shutdown center with limited offensive ability worth in today’s market?

It’s a question I put to a few rival front-office executives this week.

One said that, while he has great respect for Danault’s shutdown ability, he can’t see Danault making more than $4.5 million AAV on the market given the flat cap and his offensive numbers.

Another saw Danault at around $4 million a year on a four- or five-year deal.

And then there’s the third team executive I reached out to, who pointed out a rather interesting comparable: Jordan Staal, who makes $6 million a year and shares similar shutdown duties.

Consider:

• Staal over the past five seasons has 184 points over 325 games, which averages out to 46 points over an 82-game season.

• Danault over the past five seasons has 189 points over 339 games, which averages out to … you guessed it, 46 points over 82 games.

Now, it’s not a perfect comparable because Staal just completed the eighth season of a 10-year, $60 million deal he signed two CBAs ago. Those deals aren’t allowed anymore. There’s an eight-year max. And so even trying to figure out the comparable value of an outdated contract like that is difficult.

Plus, well, the pandemic hit.

Adam Lowry, also 28 and a very good defensive center in Winnipeg, re- signed for five years and a $3.25 million AAV back in April. Yes, Danault is rated ahead of Lowry skill-wise, but by how much?

As another rival front-office executive pointed out to me Tuesday as we were talking about Danault, how does Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ new deal affect other pending UFA forwards?

Now, Nugent-Hopkins is more of a winger than center, so it’s not a direct comparison. But still, if a 28-year-old forward who outproduces Danault offensively is worth $5.125 million AAV, albeit on an eight-year deal, where does that put Danault, as excellent as he is as a shutdown player?

Keep in mind, both La Presse and Le Journal de Montreal reported in January that Danault turned down a six-year, $30 million offer from the Habs last offseason. 1190095 Colorado Avalanche

“The hockey world is a small world” – Alex Tanguay on becoming a Red Wings coach

By Adrian Dater

Alex Tanguay, a member of the Detroit Red Wings organization. If you’d said that out loud in any year from roughly 1999-2004, you might have been committed to a Colorado mental institution for blasphemy. In the year 2021? It’s a reality.

“The hockey world is a small world,” Tanguay chuckled to Colorado Hockey Now Wednesday afternoon.

The Avalanche-Red Wings rivalry was a literal Blood Feud (gee, someone should have written a book about that).

Tanguay on Wednesday accepted an assistant coach position with the Red Wings. After a couple of years in the Minnesota Wild organization as an assistant coach, the former Avs left wing and first-round pick from 1999 will serve as one of the underlings to head coach Jeff Blashill.

As Tanguay said in a podcast with me a few months ago, he’s been ready to take the next step in the coaching ranks. The Avs-Wings rivalry has cooled just a bit from those days of yesteryear, but Tanguay acknowledged that many longtime Avs fans probably did a double-take when they saw the news today.

“Even though we battled for the championship vs. the Red Wings in the early 2000s, we always had great respect for the quality of their players and individuals, and I think the feeling was same on their side as well,” Tanguay said. “There were great competitors on both sides.”

Alex Tanguay was a great power-play performer as a player, and he is fast developing a reputation as a top coach in that area now. He could be the person in charge of revitalizing a Red Wings power play that was once awesome but has been awful the last few years. Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman made the hire. Tanguay worked with (AHL) in the Wild organization the last two years.

Iowa had one of the AHL’s most productive offenses, improving from 3.08 goals per game in 2019-20 to 3.15 goals per game over a 34-game schedule in 2020-21. The Wild also had the second-best shot-per-game average in the AHL in each of the past two seasons, averaging 32.68 combined in Tanguay’s stint with the club.

After retirement, Tanguay worked briefly as an analyst for the NHL Network.

“I’m happy to be working with Jeff, Steve and the Detroit Red Wings organization,” Tanguay said.

Who woulda thunk it?

Colorado hockey now LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190096 Columbus Blue Jackets in 15 games. Voronko also had 2-4-6 for Russia at the men’s world championship. Getting him to Columbus after the final two years of his current deal in the KHL will be key.

Sylvain Lefebvre hired to round out Columbus Blue Jackets coaching After going for broke at the 2019 trade deadline, adding forwards Matt staff Duchene and Ryan Dzingel to top a list of four players acquired by Lefebvre, a former NHL defenseman and longtime AHL coach, has inked general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, Columbus entered that draft with a three-year deal to leave organization only two picks. They traded their pick in the third round (No. 81) for two fourth-rounders, selecting defenseman Eric Hjorth (No. 104) and Voronkov (No. 114), then added center Tyler Angle in the seventh round (No. 212). Brian Hedger Angle became a nice surprise with the this year,

earning an NHL contract that starts next season, but Voronkov’s size and The Blue Jackets’ coaching staff is now complete. physical play down the middle is even more tantalizing. It's a tough pill to swallow, waiting until he's 23 before presumably getting his signature on The team announced Wednesday that Sylvain Lefebvre, a former NHL an NHL deal, but the wait might just be worth it. defenseman and longtime coach in the American Hockey League, will join coach Brad Larsen’s first staff in Columbus. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 07.01.2021

Lefebvre, 53, joins a team that added former Manitoba Moose head coach Pascal Vincent as associate coach last Friday, pulling him away from the Winnipeg Jets organization. Lefebvre coached the past three seasons as an assistant with the San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks). He is expected to coach defensemen and coordinate the penalty kill, while Vincent, 49, works with forwards and the power play.

“Sylvain was an honest, hard-working defenseman who was undrafted out of junior, but turned himself into a player with over 1,000 NHL regular season and playoff games and a leader on a Stanley Cup championship team," Larsen said in a press release. "He brings that same dedication and work ethic to coaching and will be a great asset for our players and our coaching staff.”

Lefebvre and Vincent signed three-year contracts that match the term of Larsen’s deal, which was signed June 10 to make him John Tortorella’s replacement. Larsen is a first-time NHL head coach, while Vincent and Lefebvre have limited NHL experience as assistants.

All three should bring enthusiasm and energy to their new roles.

Unlike Vincent, whose background is based heavily in player development on the coaching side, Lefebvre spent 14 seasons (945 games) as an NHL defenseman prior to his coaching career. He played with four NHL organizations and won the Stanley Cup in 1995-96 with the Colorado Avalanche in the first year after that team formerly known as the relocated to Denver.

Lefebvre spent one season as a scout with the Avalanche before embarking on his coaching career, which has included mostly AHL stops in a 14-year span. Lefebvre spent three years as an NHL assistant with the Avalanche (2009-2012) and the other 11 in the AHL, including the past nine in a row.

He’s leaving the Gulls after a three-year stint, including the past two as an assistant for head coach , a former Blue Jackets forward. Lefebvre has held head coaching roles in the AHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs (2012-15), St. John’s IceCaps (2015-17) and (2017-18), and began his coaching career as an assistant with the Lake Erie Monsters (2007-09) — who’ve since become the Blue Jackets’ top affiliate and changed their name to the Cleveland Monsters.

Lefebvre has worked with some of the Ducks’ top defense prospects the past two years, including Jamie Drysdale (2020 sixth overall pick) this season. His penalty-kill units with the Gulls have all finished with a success rate above 80%, including the past two years ranking among the top 10 in the AHL.

This season, San Diego’s PK ranked second in the league at 85.1% and the Gulls also scored five shorthanded goals, tied for fourth-most.

Voronkov signs new KHL deal

Blue Jackets prospect Dmitri Voronkov has restructured his contract with Ak Bars Kazan in the Kontinental Hockey League.

According to the team, his new contract retains the same end date following the 2022-23 KHL season, meaning he will merely be paid more per year after a breakout season this year. Voronkov, 20, has developed into an impressive 6-foot-4, 190-pound center prospect who has opened eyes both in the KHL and internationally with Russian national teams.

He had seven goals, 12 assists and 19 points in 53 regular season games this season for Ak Bars and turned it up in the playoffs with 6-4-10 1190097 Dallas Stars

Stars forward Jason Robertson finishes second in Calder Trophy voting

By Matthew DeFranks 6:38 PM on Jun 29, 2021 CDT

Despite a late-season charge that solidified Jason Robertson as one of the Stars’ best players, the rookie left wing could not overtake Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov for the Calder Trophy.

Robertson finished second in voting, done by the Professional Hockey Writers Association and meant to recognize “the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the .” Carolina Alex Nedeljkovic finished third.

Robertson’s second-place finish was the highest for a Stars player since 19-year-old Mike Modano finished second to 31-year-old Sergei Makarov in 1989-90. Only two players in franchise history have won the Calder (Bobby Smith in 1978-79 and Danny Grant in 1968-69), and none since the team relocated to Dallas.

Kaprizov collected 99 of the 100 first-place votes, while Robertson picked up one first-place vote, 94 second-place votes, three third-place votes and two fourth-place votes.

This is how I voted on all the NHL Awards that I was given a ballot for. If you have any questions about my voting, I can address them. If not, that's cool, too. pic.twitter.com/4Xl0PChaVM

— Matthew DeFranks (@MDeFranks) June 29, 2021

Robertson posted 17 goals and 28 assists in 51 games, finishing six points behind Kaprizov in the rookie scoring race though Kaprizov played four more games than Robertson. In an 82-game season, Kaprizov would have been on pace for 40 goals, a feat accomplished by just two rookies since 1993: Auston Matthews and Alex Ovechkin.

When the 21-year-old Robertson was on the ice, the Stars were a completely different team offensively, scoring 2.15 more goals per 60 minutes with Robertson than without him. That difference was the second-most on the Stars behind Roope Hintz and fourth-biggest in the league behind , Connor McDavid and Hintz.

Robertson, a second-round draft pick in 2017, figures to play on the top line next season, possibly alongside Hintz and Joe Pavelski again. He has one more year on his entry-level contract before he becomes a restricted free agent.

This season marked the third straight year that a Stars rookie received Calder Trophy votes. Last year, Denis Gurianov finished 11th in voting after leading the Stars in goal-scoring. In 2018-19, Miro Heiskanen placed fourth.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190098 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings hire old nemesis to help coach up power play: Alex Tanguay

Helene St. James

The Detroit Red Wings have hired a familiar face to help them behind their bench: Former Colorado Avalanche forward Alex Tanguay.

Tanguay, 41, is expected to handle the forwards and the power play, replacing Dan Bylsma, whose contract was not renewed after the 2020- 21 season.

Tanguay has spent the last two years as an assistant coach with the AHL , helping to guide the team to a combined 54-31-8-4 record, with a second place finish in the Central Division and Western Conference during the 2019-20 campaign.

[ Red Wings await 2021-22 schedule: Will it include 2022 Beijing Olympics? ]

Most importantly to the Wings, the Wild had the AHL’s fifth-best power play in Tanguay’s first season behind the bench at 21.9%, and its offense was among the league’s most productive, improving from 3.08 goals per game in 2019-20 to 3.15 goals per game over a 34-game schedule in 2020-21.

The Wings have struggled on the power play the last few seasons.

PLAYING FOR KEEPS:If Wings re-sign Sam Gagner or Bobby Ryan, they should choose this player

Tanguay played 16 years in the NHL, with the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and Arizona Coyotes, logging 863 points (283 goals), a plus-163 rating and 527 penalty minutes in 1,088 games.

Tanguay played for the Avs from 1999-2006, which was part of the heyday of the rivalry with the Wings.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190099 Detroit Red Wings But having played recently, Alex can still look at it from a mindset of a player because it's still fresh, it wasn't long ago he played.

"I was really impressed for a guy who had a real successful career and Red Wings turn to old nemesis, new assistant Alex Tanguay to help build he started a successful career on TV, and chose to get out of that and up power play get to Iowa as an assistant coach. That, to me, spoke volumes about his commitment to be a coach."

Ted Kulfan Get instant updates via our app

Ted Kulfan's 2021 NHL mock draft 1.0: Will Wings mine Sweden or Ann Arbor for future star? Detroit — Alex Tanguay, the former Avalanche star, is coming over to the other side. 'Driven' Red Wings prospect Joe Veleno shows progress during long, busy season Tanguay, who participated in the heated rivalry between the Detroit and Colorado organizations some 20-25 years ago, was named an assistant Marc Staal open to return to Detroit, where there appears to be a fit on coach Jeff Blashill's staff on Wednesday. Tanguay's success with Iowa's power play gives hope to a Wings team And Tanguay is already hearing from Red Wings' alumni from those that ranked next to last in the NHL on the power play, and has struggled days. now for several seasons.

"Kris Draper called me a couple of days ago and said, 'You're the first "For us to be better on the power play, we all have to be better — myself, one to cross that bridge,'" Tanguay said during a media Zoom call Alex who will oversee it, and our players," Blashill said. "We all announcing the hiring. "It was such a unique rivalry. I missed much of the collectively have to take responsibility. fighting from the 1990s. I was drafted in '98 and started playing in '99, but "Through his (Tanguay's) mindset, through the way he sees the game the Joe was such a special place to play, and the organization was so and find ways to get open more, and that's a critical thing for the power good and the team. play, scan for the best options. He was a cerebral player himself and he "I'm just glad to be part of the organization now." can glean those experiences to our players as he goes through the process." Tanguay, 41, joins Blashill’s staff after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Wild’s minor league affiliate, the Tanguay believes power plays have become more spread out and Iowa Wild. personnel are being used differently from when he played. But ultimately, it's simple coaching. Iowa was 54-31-9 over the last two seasons, had the ’s fifth-best power play (21.9%) in Tanguay’s first season and averaged "This is not about reinventing hockey," Tanguay said. "It's putting players 3.15 goals per game during this shortened 34-game season. in situations to succeed and facilitate for them. We'll try to work different things and try to make some adjustments to work and make the power Iowa also had the second-best shot-per-game average in the AHL in play better and more consistent. It's going to be an every day challenge." each of the past two seasons, averaging 32.68 combined in Tanguay's tenure with the club. During his playing career, Tanguay, a former Colorado first-round draft pick, went from Colorado to Calgary, Montreal, Tampa Bay and Arizona, "I wanted to find somebody unique, especially from the offensive side of recording 283 goals and 580 assists with a plus-163 rating in 1,088 the puck, somebody who thought a little different perspective," Blashill games. said. "I wanted to find somebody who thought offensively in somewhat unique ways and ultimately Alex was a great fit for us because of that. He added 59 points (19 goals, 40 assists) in 98 career playoff games, He's got offensive beliefs based on his playing career, playing including scoring the Stanley Cup-clinching goal for Colorado in 2001. experience, coaching experience and just how the way his mind thinks Tanguay has seen many of the Wings' prospects in Grand Rapids the hockey. last two seasons while coaching in Iowa, and will study individuals on the "One of his greatest strengths will be helping our individual players get NHL roster the rest of the summer. better within our structure and find ways to ultimately be more offensive." Because like Tanguay said, he might be more versed on former Wings.

Tanguay went into broadcasting with the NHL Network after retiring as a "I'm more familiar with the (Wings) alumni," Tanguay said. "You don't player and spent three seasons doing television before the competitive have to remind me it will be the 20-year anniversary of the 2002 (Wings' juices started flowing again. Stanley Cup, after defeating Colorado in the Western Conference Finals). "I missed the competition a little bit," Tanguay said. "Tim Army, the coach I remember that. It's still very fresh in my mind." in Iowa, was an assistant coach in Colorado and he had a spot available Injury update on his staff. I took the job and ran with it and tried to build my own theory and learn from the coaches I've had in the past but be my own self." Blashill said injured forwards Dylan Larkin (neck/upper body) and Tyler Bertuzzi (back surgery) are on their respective timelines in recovery, but Tanguay met with Blashill and general manager Steve Yzerman, and felt wouldn't say for sure either player would be ready for the start of a positive connection with both. September's training camp.

"It's a big challenge (joining the Wings). I was looking for an opportunity "(Larkin) hasn't started training yet but he's along the timeline we to get myself inside the door of the NHL and conversations with different expected in his recovery," Blashill said. "Tyler probably has been able to people within the hockey circles," Tanguay said. "When I started talking do a little more lately and he's getting to the stage where he can start to with Jeff, I had a real good interaction and started talking strategies and get out of the pure rehab and get into strength training, trying to build his what he was looking for and had conversations with Steve. It was great body back up. conversations. "I've seen both of them, and both are in good spirits and headed in the "I'm real happy to be a resource now for those guys and become part of right direction in terms of their recovery. their team and help make this team grow and get their young players to be better and more effective." "We expect both of their recoveries to be along a timeline that they're ready for camp. Whether that happens, or doesn't happen, you just don't As a former, and somewhat recent, NHL player, Tanguay may have a know and that's true of all our players. But we anticipate the timelines to perspective that will be beneficial relating to many players on the Wings' be in a spot where they'd be ready for camp." roster. Detroit News LOADED: 07.01.2021 "When I coached in Grand Rapids, Chris Chelios helped us out there and I always thought Chris thought like a player still, and in a good way," Blashill said. "As a coach, when you coach a long time, you start thinking like a coach and there's nothing wrong with that. That's a positive thing. 1190100 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings hire Alex Tanguay as assistant coach

By Ansar Khan

The Detroit Red Wings have hired Alex Tanguay, a one-time forward with the bitter rival Colorado Avalanche, as an assistant coach.

Tanguay, 41, spent the last two years as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. He replaces Dan Bylsma, who wasn’t retained after the season, on head coach Jeff Blashill’s staff.

The Red Wings were seeking an assistant coach who could help improve a power play that ranked second-to-last in the NHL in 2021 and has been a problem area for several years.

During Tanguay’s two seasons with the Iowa Wild, the team combined for a 54-31-8-4 record. Iowa had the AHL’s fifth-best power play in Tanguay’s first season behind the bench at 21.9 percent, but ranked last in the league this past season at 13.9 percent.

Tanguay played 16 seasons in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and Arizona Coyotes, collecting 283 goals and 863 points. He played over half of his career (598 games) during two stints with the Avalanche (1999-2006; 2013-2016),

Michigan Live LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190101 Detroit Red Wings

Former Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios joins ESPN as NHL analyst

By Brandon Champion

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Former Detroit Red Wings defensemen and hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios has joined ESPN as an NHL analyst.

Chelios, who won two Stanley Cups with the Red Wings during his 10- year tenure, joins a roster of analysts that includes fellow Hall of Famer Mark Messier, , , Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Kevin Weekes, , A.J. Mleczko, Rick DiPietro, Hilary Knight and former NHL player and coach, and ESPN legend, .

ESPN will begin broadcasting the league in the 2021-22 season as part of a rights deal that will last through the 2027-28 season. The NHL last aired on ESPN in 2004.

“This new and groundbreaking lineup will bring the NHL to an expanding legion of passionate fans,” said Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman of ESPN and Sports Content.

“We set out to put together a roster that would excite, engage and educate the entire range of fans – from diehard to casual – while inspiring the next generation. With this lineup, we believe we have done just that. We could not be more excited to welcome this talented and diverse group to the ESPN hockey family.”

GOOSEBUMPS

The NHL returns to @espn this fall. pic.twitter.com/YnBJ02Tqfa

— NHL (@NHL) March 10, 2021

Chelios played 26 seasons in the NHL before retiring as the all-time leader in games played as a defenseman. During that time, he won three Stanley Cups and was awarded the Norris Trophy three times as the NHL’s best defenseman.

In addition to his NHL play, Chelios was a member of Team USA in four , including captaining the 2002 silver medal team. He also served as an assistant coach for the 2018 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey team.

Most recently serving as an ambassador to the Chicago Blackhawks, Chelios has also worked as an analyst for ESPN calling the World Cup of Hockey. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.

ESPN’s play-by-play commentary will be led by the award-winning Sean McDonough, with Steve Levy leading the studio team and calling several games throughout the season.

John Buccigross, Bob Wischusen and Leah Hextall will also add their voices to play-by-play.

Michigan Live LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190102 Detroit Red Wings The Lightning, despite their wealth of talent, needed to sweat out a 1-0 Game 7 victory over the New York Islanders in the semifinals.

This series will be close, too, but not quite that tight. Canadiens look to cap remarkable run as Lightning eye Stanley Cup repeat Prediction: Lightning in 6.

Michigan Live LOADED: 07.01.2021

By Ansar Khan

The Stanley Cup playoffs often are about getting on a roll at the right time and riding a hot goaltender.

It’s a combination that can carry a team that finished the regular season on the fringe of the top 10 all the way to the Final.

The Montreal Canadiens, though, shocked the hockey world by advancing to the Final for the 34th time in franchise history, seeking to add to their record total of 24 Stanley Cup championships.

They finished 18th overall (24-21-11), behind two teams that didn’t qualify for the postseason (Rangers, Stars).

Now the surprising Canadiens face their toughest challenge in the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, who finished third in a temporarily realigned Central Division behind Carolina and Florida but surprised no one by reaching the Final for the third time in seven seasons.

Game 1 is tonight at Amalie Arena (8 p.m., NBC Sports Network).

The Canadiens were on the verge of being ousted in the first round by Toronto, trailing three games to one, before the Leafs did what the Leafs do – find a way to blow it. Montreal won Games 5 and 6 in on the way to the series comeback.

The Canadiens then swept perennially underachieving Winnipeg and eliminated Vegas in six games.

Once again, we’re witnessing how far a great goaltender can take a team in the playoffs. Carey Price is 12-5 with a 2.02 goals-against average and .934 percentage, a leading candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Montreal is the first Canada-based team to reach the Final since Vancouver in 2011. No Canadian club has hoisted the Cup since the Canadiens in 1993 with Patrick Roy in net and former Detroit Red Wings coach Jacques Demers behind the bench.

Luke Richardson coached the Canadiens the final four games of the Vegas series after interim head coach Dominque Ducharme was required to quarantine following a positive COVID-19 test. Ducharme, who took over for the fired Claude Julien on Feb. 24, said he expects to return for Game 3.

If the Canadiens do the improbable and complete this stunning run, three former Red Wings will earn Cup rings -- including their general manager Marc Bergevin.

Defenseman Jon Merrill, dealt to Montreal at the trade deadline for a fifth- round pick and prospect Hayden Verbeek, missed seven games midway through the playoffs with an injury but played the final five games against Vegas, another of his former teams. Tomas Tatar (one assist in five games) has been a healthy scratch since the first round.

History is filled unlikely finalists, as recently as last season, when Dallas made it there after finishing 10th overall. In the past 10 years, expansion Vegas (2018), Nashville (tied for 15th in 2017), San Jose (11th in 2016) and the Rangers (12th in 2014) all reached the Finals.

They all have this in common: They lost. That’s because the best team almost always wins it.

The Lightning are far and away the superior club. They boast the top four playoff scorers in Nikita Kucherov (27 points), Brayden Point (20 points), Alex Killorn and (17 points each).

Then there’s Victor Hedman, the best defenseman in the league, who is tied for fifth in scoring (16 points).

And as good as Price is, Andrei Vasilevskiy is at least his equal, if not better. He is 12-6, with a 1.99 GAA, .936 save percentage and four shutouts. He has recorded shutouts in all three series-clinching games. 1190103 Edmonton Oilers “The players have to perform under any circumstance,” began McDavid, who hasn’t drawn a single penalty in eight playoff/play-in games over the last two years. “And the refs have such a tough job to do, the game is so Connor McDavid equalling the feats of hockey's all-time greats quick and things happen so fast, it’s hard sometimes for them to see.

He joins Gretzky, , Gordie Howe and Alex Ovechkin as the “However, I do wish that there was maybe a little more consistency. only players to win multiple Hart trophies before the age of 25 That’s what we’re looking for as players. That’s what everyone wants, consistency throughout. The other sports have been able to do that, from he regular season to the playoffs.

Robert Tychkowski “But like I said, the refs have such a hard job, I have a lot of respect for them.”

• One thing McDavid has never done is his hockey career is play for He posted the highest point-per-game total since Mario Lemieux. Team Canada at the Olympics, but he is confident that will happen at the He joins Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe and Alex Ovechkin as the next Winter Games in 2022. The NHL hasn’t committed yet, but McDavid only players to win multiple Hart trophies before the age of 25. fully expects they will.

At just 24 years of age, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is “I’ve never been before and I’m fully planning on going,” he said. “When doing things that have only been accomplished by players on the Mount we signed our last CBA, the players were really pushing for a Rushmore of hockey. commitment from the league to allow us to go to the Olympics. My understanding is we got that commitment and the league is going to do And he’s even pushing that envelope — factoring in on 57.38 per cent of everything in their power. Edmonton’s goals this year is the highest single-season percentage in NHL history. “It sounds like it’s going back a little bit, but I’m sure they’ll find a way to get it done. As players, we’re expecting to go and we’re expecting the At times, it’s even difficult for McDavid himself to put his young career league to make that happen.” into perspective. In an NHL media availability a day after winning his second Hart Trophy and third Award to go with his third Art Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 07.01.2021 Ross, the runaway best player on the planet admitted he’s overwhelmed by the accolades.

“Being voted by the players and recognized by them means a ton,” McDavid said of his Ted Lindsay. “To be able to win this award three times now is so humbling. I’m very grateful to the players for voting for me.

“And for the writers to vote me for the Hart, that’s the prestigious one. It’s so special. It means a lot as well.

“It’s a feather in the cap to do it unanimously. Anytime you’re in the same breath as you’re obviously doing something right. I appreciate the writers viewing it that way.”

Looking back at his season, McDavid says he never put much, if any, thought into putting up 100 points in 56 games, or turning the NHL scoring race into hockey’s version of Secretariat at the 1973 Belmont Stakes.

“It was something that was talked about a lot during the year, something I was asked about a lot, and I was giving my honest answer, I wasn’t worried about it,” said McDavid. “I was just worried about winning games and playing the best hockey I could play.”

But eventually the 100-point pace became too big to ignore. And when his teammates began telling him how much it meant to them, he knew he couldn’t let them down.

“There was a stretch there where we were going in and out of COVID breaks and kind of stalled a little bit, so it was tough to think about it, but as we got back in the swing of things and the team was playing very well, it obviously crosses your mind.

“It was a special season. We came up short in the playoffs, but personally it was a special season to be feeling so good and being able to stay healthy and play at a high level. It was definitely lots of fun.”

McDavid also touched on a number of other issues in his video media conference, including the contract extension signed by Ryan Nugent- Hopkins a few hours before Tuesday’s awards haul.

“He’s a guy who is so important, not only on the ice but in the locker room as well. He’s a guy I’ve become very close with. To see him lock in at eight years is exciting.

“That’s kind of a statement by him to want to be in Edmonton forever and play out his career as an Oiler. It says a lot about him as a guy, what he feels about the city and what he feels about our group.”

• On the subject of NHL officiating, an area where McDavid has always been given a short straw, he tried to be as diplomatic as possible without sounding as ridiculous as Commissioner Gary Bettman did during his Pollyanna assessment earlier this week. 1190104 Edmonton Oilers

Oilers’ Connor McDavid wants ‘more consistency’ with NHL playoff officiating; still hopes to play in Olympics

By Daniel Nugent-Bowman Jun 30, 2021

Oilers captain Connor McDavid would like to see some changes in the way NHL games are officiated in the playoffs.

Speaking to reporters one day after earning the Ted Lindsay Award and being named the unanimous Hart Trophy winner, McDavid said he’d like games in May called a lot more like those in January.

“You have to perform under any circumstance. The refs have such a tough job to do. The game is so quick, and things happen so fast. It’s hard for them to see,” he said. “However, I do wish there was maybe a little more consistency. That’s what we’re looking for as players. What everyone wants is just consistency throughout. The other sports have been able to do that from the regular season to the playoffs.”

The Oilers won just one of eight games against Chicago and Winnipeg over the last two postseason appearances. McDavid played 211 minutes, more than 167 of which at even strength, and didn’t draw a single penalty.

McDavid had nine points against Chicago but just four against Winnipeg. That output came after a historic regular season that saw him record 105 points in 56 games – the ninth-best offensive campaign in NHL history when adjusted for era, according to Hockey-Reference.

McDavid was 21st in penalties drawn per 60 minutes during the regular season. Officials called 29 fouls opponents made against McDavid on his 1,182 shifts.

The NHL’s officiating has come under intense scrutiny during the 2021 playoffs ever since the Oilers were swept by the Jets.

However, league commissioner Gary Bettman doesn’t see any issue.

“The teams will decide how they want to play a series,” Bettman said Monday. “Unlike the regular season, when you’re playing series of multiple games there are adjustments that will go on. We saw more of that this year when teams were playing divisional play in multiple games against the same teams in a row.

“We believe the officiating standard is, and should be, called consistently. Overwhelmingly, it is. But the stakes get higher, and the players ramp it up. That’s the nature and the competitiveness of our game.”

Though Bettman sees no concern with how penalties are meted during postseason contests, he has “real concern” about whether NHL players will attend the 2022 Olympics. He cited several issues, including the COVID-19 virus.

The NHL didn’t send players to the 2018 Games but agreed to allow them to participate in the Olympics in 2022 and 2026 as part of the four- year extension of the collective bargaining agreement last summer. The agreement didn’t guarantee players would compete in Beijing. The NHL still needed to iron out issues with the International Olympic Committee that the league said prevented participation in 2018.

McDavid already missed out on the chance to play in one Olympic tournament.

The NHL’s top talent is a shoo-in to make Team Canada. He fully expects the NHL to uphold its end of the bargain.

“When we signed our last CBA, the players were really pushing for a commitment from the league to allow us to go to the Olympics. My understanding is we got that commitment, and the league was going to do everything in their power,” he said. “We’re expecting to go. We’re expecting the league to make that happen.

“I’ve never been before, and I’m fully planning on going if I’m lucky enough to make the team and represent my country at the Olympics. It would be so special.”

The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190105 Edmonton Oilers In Year 3, 2013-14, Nugent-Hopkins received a different treatment. He played on the No. 1 line, against top opposition and with the best teammates available. As had been the case since his rookie season, Lowetide: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ future value to the Oilers will be defined Nugent-Hopkins did get a nice zone-start push. He posted a 1.55 points by his adaptability per 60 at five-on-five, good for fourth among Edmonton’s forwards, and his power-play resourcefulness remained.

In the year before Connor McDavid’s arrival, Nugent-Hopkins remained By Allan Mitchell Jun 30, 2021 on the top line (with Taylor Hall and ) and delivered more goals for than against. He posted a handsome number at five-on-five

(1.91 points per 60), the best since his rookie campaign. He was also Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland and pending free-agent facing No. 1 competition (confirmed by Puck IQ), spending almost 38 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ representation got a deal done Tuesday that saw percent of his five-on-five minutes against the league’s best opponents. some give from each camp. It will keep the player in Edmonton for Although his DFF (smart Corsi) possession number was 41.6 percent, another eight seasons. Nuge’s line outscored elite competition 18-14.

Holland spoke compromise and talked about risk with The Athletic’s At the end of the first four seasons of his career, looking at his five-on- Daniel Nugent-Bowman after announcing the deal, and it’s clear both five stats with his most common linemates (Hall and Eberle in all four) sides felt more comfortable with each other than the wild free-agent gives us an idea of how his career was progressing (via frenzy coming in July. NaturalStatTrick):

For Nugent-Hopkins, it’s about hanging around for the completion of a SEASON TOI SHOT DIFF. % GOAL DIFF. % long and difficult journey. 2011-12 For the Oilers, signing a skill winger who can also play centre, post 275 impressive numbers on the power play and help on the penalty kill is a big deal. The fact he is an integral member of what the organization has 53 been trying to build for a decade acknowledges the importance of building, as opposed to rebuilding. 59

One of the main reasons this contract got done and Nugent-Hopkins will 2012-13 remain with the Oilers is adaptability. It started early and continues to this 344 day. 57 The rookie 53 Nugent-Hopkins played his first NHL game on Oct. 9, 2011. He scored in the third period to force overtime, and the Oilers went on to win in a 2013-14 shootout over the Penguins. His linemates were Taylor Hall and Ales Hemsky, and at five-on-five, the trio won the goal differential (1-0) and 433 shot differential (10-5). 47

Nugent-Hopkins faced the Joe Vitale line that night, and the Deryk 57 Engelland-Kris Letang pairing. Evgeni Malkin missed the game and was still recovering from concussion issues, while 2014-15 Pittsburgh’s top centre (Jordan Staal) was matched against the Ryan 357 Smyth-Eric Belanger-Jordan Eberle line. 49 It was one of the few times in the decade to come that Nugent-Hopkins would get a break on matchups. 53

Early seasons in a prominent role He didn’t get a slow introduction to the deep end of the NHL but spent much of his first two seasons getting a zone-start push (as much as Nugent-Hopkins as a young player was ideally suited to crushing the soft available) and playing against second-level opponents. That would parade. If he had been gifted Hall-Hemsky and faced the centres like Joe change in years three and four, as the Nugent-Hopkins line faced veteran Vitale throughout his NHL career, the numbers would have been gaudy. elites who carried more experience, strength and, in some cases (like As it turned out, the club gave Nugent-Hopkins a solid spot in the batting Anze Kopitar and Ryan Getzlaf), equal or more skill on the line. The trio order as a rookie. was still outscoring opponents even with less than 50 percent of the shot share. Edmonton couldn’t afford to use him to tear at the soft underbelly of opponents, because the centre position couldn’t support that kind of Change was in the air. usage in 2011-12. Despite playing against second-line quality opposition, McDavid, Chiarelli and the need to adapt he finished his rookie NHL season with 1.96 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five (No. 81 among regular forwards) and 7.39 points per 60 on Nugent-Hopkins didn’t pass many centres on the Edmonton depth chart the power play (No. 3 among qualifying forwards). between 2011 and 2015, because he was a feature player out of the box. As a rookie, Sam Gagner averaged 14:02 per game at five-on-five, He did have top-calibre linemates and received a zone-start push from Nugent-Hopkins 13:51 and that’s the last time he trailed any centre in his then-coach Tom Renney, who put him as close to an ideal situation as first four NHL seasons. possible under the circumstances. Beginning in 2015-16, Nugent-Hopkins had company at the top of the Only an injury (a complete fluke shoulder injury after he tripped and centre depth chart. His 14:28 per game at five-on-five trailed Leon crashed into the boards) kept him from a big season (he finished 18 Draisaitl and barely eclipsed the new arrival McDavid, and from that point goals and 52 points in 62 games) and robbed him of winning Edmonton’s on, he was no longer the top centre in the organization. first Calder Trophy for rookie of the year. The 2016-17 season offers a good glimpse into the team’s dynamic at The shoulder injury and a re-injury a few weeks later derailed Nuge’s first centre and how coach Todd McLellan deployed the group. There is season and had a major impact (more time away, impacting world juniors crossover (Draisaitl played wing), but using Puck IQ we get an accurate eligibility and his being 100 percent when the lockout ended) on his look at who was pushing the river against elites, as Edmonton built a sophomore campaign. He also had some bad luck and a seasonlong team in the regular season that would go deep in the playoffs: issue with getting his shot on net (it was always high, leading some to believe the shoulder issue lingered). His five-on-five points per 60 (1.12) PLAYER TOI ELITES % DFF % DFF REL GOAL DIFF. were almost half the previous number. He remained a power-play genius, though. Connor McDavid 479 65

36.4 2018-19

56 Milan Lucic-Alex Chiasson

17.5 95

27-14 41

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 33

451 These seasons reflect Edmonton’s changing guard on the No. 1 line, while also showing an extreme lack of depth on the other lines. Nugent- 41.7 Hopkins isn’t a driver like Hall was in Edmonton or McDavid is today, but 45 when he had support that was sufficient (2016-17 and 2017-18), the numbers were there. -6.3 At some point in these seasons, Nugent-Hopkins had to adjust (often in- 12-14 game) to being a winger as well as a centre, and he posted some solid offensive seasons. Leon Draisaitl January 2020 422 In late December of 2019, the Oilers recalled young winger Kailer 35.8 Yamamoto, and for the first time since 2015-16, Edmonton had a scoring 52 line hotter than the McDavid trio. In 317 minutes at five-on-five, Yamamoto, Nugent Hopkins and Draisaitl outscored opponents 28-8. 9.2 Music!

18-12 It represented the strongest run of success for Nugent-Hopkins since 2011-12 and the days of Hall and Eberle. Mark Letestu Nugent-Hopkins moved over to left wing on the line, and the shots that 168 were missing the net almost a decade earlier found the range. From 23.1 January to the season’s end due to the pandemic, Nugent-Hopkins scored 11 goals (leading the team) and 25 points at five-on-five (also the 45 highest team total) over 29 games. The Oilers outscored opponents 30- 14 at five-on-five with Nugent-Hopkins on the ice during those games. -8.7 It was the hottest run of his career. 12-6 A strange turn His percentage of minutes against elites in 2016-17 was the highest in the group, so although his total ice time trailed Draisaitl by a minute and There are reasons that players have extreme performance downbeats. McDavid by over two minutes, he was still facing tough minutes just as They include injury, aging, change in deployment, trades and he had every game since arrival. The results showed McDavid was innumerable off-ice issues. already miles ahead of the rest, and that gap would continue to grow. Whatever impacted Nugent-Hopkins’ 2020-21 season — and my belief is During these years, Nugent-Hopkins would miss time due to various that the worry over the contract he finally signed Tuesday is a leading maladies and (partly because of missing time) become the subject of candidate — his results were miserable compared to his past. trade rumours. Some of the numbers are borderline impossible. Example: In 391 The big impact on his results during the early McDavid years came minutes of five-on-five play with McDavid, he scored four goals and mostly due to the quality of his linemates. He was losing the group he seven points (1.07 per 60). In 2018-19, when he played with McDavid, arrived with, first Hall and then Eberle. A look at Nugent-Hopkins’ most he’d scored five goals and 12 points in 376 five-on-five minutes (1.91 per common linemates at five-on-five by season through this period offers 60). some insight: That’s not even the strangest part about it: During their time together in SEASON MOST COMMON LINEMATES TOI SHOT DIFF. % 2018-19, McDavid scored four goals and 15 points (2.39 per 60). In GOAL DIFF. % 2019-20, the captain had even better numbers with Nugent-Hopkins: seven goals and 17 points (2.61 per 60). 2015-16 So, Nugent-Hopkins was on the ice with McDavid as the captain Benoit Pouliot-Jordan Eberle delivered two doppelganger seasons. Meanwhile, Nugent-Hopkins was 214 Dr. Jekyll one year and Mr. Hyde the next.

48 The five-on-five on-ice goal differentials for the two men playing together: 19-19 in 2018-19 and 20-19 this past season. Nugent-Hopkins’ personal 44 lack of scoring during this time is a mystery.

2016-17 The future

Milan Lucic-Jordan Eberle For Edmonton, the yearly cap total for Nugent-Hopkins’ new contract is 331 comfortable and the two years tacked on the end are tomorrow’s problems. For the player, he gets a chance to see how this turns out live 52 and in colour.

50 One of the reasons this deal happened is adaptability. During his time in Edmonton, Nugent-Hopkins has been the phenom rookie, the No. 2 2017-18 centre who dominated opponents, the tough-minutes No. 1 pivot fighting Connor McDavid-Ty Rattie elite competition to a standstill.

129 He further adapted when McDavid came along, playing No. 2 centre and then a utility role depending on how the coach decided to deploy 48 Draisaitl. He is now a scoring winger.

As the summer arrives and Nugent-Hopkins can relax, secure in the knowledge his new deal is done. He has a chance to play his entire career as a member of the Oilers. Among top-flight talents, it’s never been done.

And the Oilers have received some certainty of their own. Despite the risks suggested by last season’s five-on-five output, Nugent-Hopkins’ exceptional utility means he can fill several areas depending on where he’s needed.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190106 Edmonton Oilers As I’ve often argued, though, there are pitfalls to being too defined about what it is you want your team to look like. There’s something to be said for culture or for a manager’s or coach’s desire to have their team and its The Gifted: Evaluating Oilers prospect Carter Savoie is about what he is, players play one way. But hockey’s obsession with those things — not what he isn’t whether it’s a twisted idea of what a team-first, high-character guy looks like or our fetishization of players who “play hard” or “play heavy” — has often led its coaches and managers astray.

By Scott Wheeler Jun 30, 2021 Eventually, you start to lose the war and you get beat because you’ve spent too much time working on an identity while others spend theirs on

a broader scope of players. In hockey, as in life, there are archetypes built on hyperbole and The reality is that great teams have players of all shapes, sizes and buzzwords that try to fit every player into a predefined box. Scouts and makeups. Not every line has to look or play the same. You can win the evaluators often fall prey to lazily characterizing young prospects in this Stanley Cup with Phil Kessel (twice as it turns out). You can win without way: the power forward, the two-way center, the one-dimensional scorer, a 60-game starting goalie. There are different ways to solve the puzzle. the stay-at-home defenseman. But sometimes, just sometimes, there’s a player who is so different from everyone else in approach or ability that While the game has made slow progress in some ways, with fresh voices he can distinguish himself through his uniqueness. These players have in sports science departments around the league, a few younger leaders, turned one skill into the body of their games and highlight all of the ways and a small number of teams that appear committed to building in more hockey can be played at the highest levels. “The Gifted” is a 10-part diverse ways (I see you, Carolina, Seattle and Toronto), it’s still a game series that examines, through video, the NHL’s most fascinating that’s very much steeped in Mandalorian-style “this is the way” creeds. prospects and the unique skill sets that define them. By popular demand, “The Gifted” is back for a fifth year at The Athletic. Even at the draft, as teams develop affinities for a new kind of prospect, old habits die hard. I think there’s value to be found in reading the room 2017 series: Carl Grundstrom | Jordan Kyrou | Vitaly Abramov | Juuso and finding ways to take advantage of some of those habits. Because Valimaki | Vili Saarijarvi | Filip Chlapik | Travis Sanheim | Timo Meier| every draft class still has those players that scouts watch and say “I’m Kirill Kaprizov | Elias Pettersson not interested” for the wrong reasons. We know that size bias still creeps in. We see it in the way Chicago and Montreal have and will profit from 2018 series: Miro Heiskanen | Casey Mittelstadt | Dylan Strome | Oliver taking players like Alex DeBrincat and Cole Caufield. But the game has Wahlstrom | Gabe Vilardi | Adam Boqvist | Evan Bouchard | Kristian caught up more there than on players who are perceived not to work Vesalainen | Jonathan Dahlen | Morgan Frost hard enough. 2019 series: Cale Makar | Nick Robertson | Jason Robertson | Aleksi That’s where the real value is. It’s in players like Arthur Kaliyev, Noel Heponiemi | Adam Fox | Dante Fabbro | Emil Bemstrom | Cody Glass| Gunler, Jeremie Poirier, Anttoni Honka and Carter Savoie. Even if they Martin Necas | Bode Wilde don’t work out, they’re normally available in a spot where I’ll take their 2020 series: Jonatan Berggren | | Mikhail Abramov | odds — and the upside within them — over the many alternatives drafted Thomas Harley | Robin Salo | Raphael Lavoie | Alex Newhook | Bobby behind or ahead of them. Brink| Samuel Poulin | Patrik Puistola I’ve written about the first four players in that list at length. Now it’s 2021 series: Noel Gunler | William Wallinder | Jayden Struble | Shane Savoie’s turn. Pinto | Zac Jones | Kasper Simontaival | Carter Savoie | Jack Dugan | Savoie was selected 100th in 2020. He was ranked 32nd on my board Jakob Pelletier | Veeti Miettinen and he would have been my best player available (based on who else in Scouting is about choices. You choose what matters to you. You choose front of him was left on my board and where they were taken) as high as what doesn’t. Then you try to choose between players who inevitably the 73rd pick. have a little from Column A and a little from Column B. Every player So if we’re talking about thresholds and when that tipping point was should, in theory, be evaluated on some kind of a scale where those between some of the concerns I shared about his game and the drop-off columns are sorted and balanced against one another. between him and other players, that’s where it would have been. But it’s hard to build a proper scale when its inputs don’t hold equal And there were players picked ahead of 73rd who I never would have weight and can’t quite be reduced to a number (though scouting is taken in front of Savoie (Tyler Kleven, Leevi Merilainen, Cross Hanas, becoming more methodical as hockey enters more of an information age, Will Cuylle and a few others) but it’s the ones taken after, the ones it’s still a long way from a perfect science). drafted between 73 and 100, where I think teams began to really lose And when scouts and teams don’t have the proper tools to manage that sight of that balancing act. Drafting Jake Boltmann, Leo Loof, Alexander balancing act, they can abandon it altogether. It’s easy to create arbitrary Ljungkrantz, Oliver Tarnstrom, etc. over Savoie never should have lines where if something is a little too heavy in Column B, we lose sight of happened. what’s at the other end. Terms like “Do Not Draft” become part of the If those teams didn’t realize that at the time, they probably began to lexicon because of it. about midway through his freshman season at Denver, when he got off to I have never quite subscribed to that kind of thinking, though. The one of the hottest starts in college hockey. And they will have no choice arbitrary lines set for my board are about the person and behaviour. I to if Savoie reaches his ceiling, even if all of those other players do too have often left players off my list due to their off-ice conduct. (they won’t).

But when the choices come down to on-ice makeup, I see no reason why Here, through an evaluation of three of Savoie’s games spread across those boundaries should be narrow or restricted. There are exceptions to different months of the season, I’ll explain why through the tape. every rule and players who don’t fit into the prescribed boxes we may Before I jump in, some housekeeping on the games I tracked: think they do. Dec. 15 vs. Western Michigan: 17:30 time on ice, one assist (primary), It should be all about thresholds. Instead of “Do Not,” it’s “When?” When even plus-minus, and three shots on goal in a 3-2 win. do concerns about Skill X or Approach Y get outweighed by the prevalence of Tool Z? When does the risk of taking a player with a major Jan. 18 vs. North Dakota: 22:39 time on ice (on the tail end of a back-to- flaw, the kind that other teams will steer clear of altogether, begin to be back), zero points, minus-1, and nine shots on goal (which dropped his less than the risk of taking a less talented player? When does the pile up shooting percentage from 17.8 to 14.8 in a single game at the time) in a of “Do Nots” that other teams have created become an inefficiency that 5-1 loss. you can exploit? Feb. 25 vs. : 14:09 time on ice, one assist (secondary), Those “When?” questions are most common with players who are plus-1, and five shots on goal in a 5-1 win. perceived to be lazy, slow or out of shape, the three most common “Do Not” reasons for NHL clubs. Three-game totals: 65 shifts, 18:06 average ice time, 17 shots on goal (5.7 per game), two assists, even rating. The tape nicely. There were times in the AJHL where his game with the puck felt a little too reliant on his linemates getting him touches when he got open The big concerns most had (and still have to varying degrees) with (which he does such a good job of doing) inside the offensive zone. This Savoie’s game in advance of the 2020 draft were about his work rate off year, his improved speed and acceleration through his edges added the puck. On offence, he showed a tendency to flee the zone early and another dimension to his game, both on the perimeter (which is not drifted in and out of shifts when he wasn’t getting touches. On defence, necessarily a negative word!) inside the offensive zone and off the rush there was a lot of reaching in, a lot of standing around, and just not in transition. enough effort to involve himself (he’ll finish his checks when they’re there, but his effort level wasn’t always there when they weren’t). The Watch the way he separates from his man below the goal line here: result was a game that came and went, where he’d finish with two or three points a game because of his skill but wasn’t actively driving play Aside: Great job intercepting the pass at the start of the sequence (after like he could have at the Jr. A level. And then with the puck, even when tracking the play from the neutral zone) as well. There’s that progress! he was getting touches he was prone to trying to do too much. And watch the way he gets going around the outside of the offensive Many found him frustrating to watch. Even when I spoke with the staff in zone (two different times) in the sequence below. On the first, he catches Sherwood Park, they confessed to understanding some of the concerns that puck from a standstill and instead of stopping to look to make a low- many had (between raving about his unique skill level). to-high play, he gets moving in an attempt to initiate some switches and pull eyeballs to his presence as a scoring threat. This season, his first in college, came with some of the same habits and tendencies, too. Notice, too, how Savoie never has his head down when he’s in possession of the puck, even when he reaches close to top speed. In the In my review, there were a fair number of frames inside the defensive above sequence, his comfort in control allows him to be in constant zone where he wasn’t in the camera shot because he was trying to sneak surveillance of the ice. Even when his carry nears the offensive zone behind coverage. blue line and he’s at risk of going offside, he adjusts from a two-hand carry to a brief one-handed one mid-stride. That may seem like a little He (No. 8 in all clips) still wants to go and cheat up ice early. Even here, thing, but I can assure you that the majority of the other players who after he has supported play from the top of his crease, he can’t help shared the ice with him are much less aware of their surroundings than himself when the play goes the other way: he is in the same position.

Sometimes, that mentality produces the intended result. He had a partial The following exit and entry is a prime example of what I mean on both break (or a few) per game in my viewings. Nice little deception with his counts (the skating and his heads-up comfort). Watch his head, not the eyes to look at the net (where every goalie expects him to shoot it … puck, as he builds speed behind the net. He’s looking over his shoulder, more on that later!) and feed the backdoor here: then he’s surveying the ice in front of him, and then instead of reversing But it can also kill plays and he would almost always be better served the puck and slowing down his movement, he makes the right decision to moving up ice as a unit with his line (which provides better options for the attack into the space with his feet. Even in the neutral zone, when passing defencemen on exits and the puck carrier on entries through the pressure comes and you can see him briefly drop his eyes to the puck in neutral zone). front of him as he swerves past it, notice how quickly that head picks back up. Some of the other issues Savoie commonly runs into were also on display in my review, including his propensity to try to force a play You can see it here, too, when he splits the defence on entry. He’s himself. always looking into the space he intends to play to the puck to rather than down at the blade of his stick (even when that pressure collapses This play, where he hangs onto the puck out of the offensive zone and and most players have a harder time feeling the puck in those instances). then tries to re-enter himself one-on-three, only for the Tigers to go the other way, was probably the best (worst) example of that: That combination of improved skating, his heads-up awareness, and his willingness to involve himself in the play a little more also helps him on I would argue, however, at least anecdotally, that each of these the forecheck. Here he is recognizing it’s his job to chase and comes up tendencies were less frequent than a year ago. They weren’t crippling to with another steal: his game. When you spend enough time digging into what he doesn’t do, though, And there were legitimate signs of progress elsewhere, including: you’ll still come away from the progress made in the above areas a little worried about each of them. A more consistent presence low in his own zone to help out. But when you hone in on what he does do, and what he’s capable of A more pronounced willingness to stay in plays, whether that’s sticking doing, you quickly realize that he’s more than his draft selection with the forecheck, not giving up on battles, or playing through contact in indicates. control. It gets easier to look past some of the holes when you consider that he Improved skating. followed a goal per game (and nearly two points per game) AJHL season Watch here how he picks up No. 29 in white, swings into a help position as a 17- and 18-year-old by leading Denver in goals (13) by five in his along the wall to make himself available as a second pressure option to freshman year of college, a freshman year which earned him a deserved the puck (or for a bump pass if Denver gets it back). nod on the NCHC’s All-Rookie Team.

There, once he’s done all of those things, you actually like him hustling to And though he didn’t score in the three games that make up this review, go the other way and get open because if he’s trying to get ahead of the he hit four posts and the mere threat of his shot opened up all kind of play he can’t (he’s moving with his linemates there, instead of ahead of options for him. them, even though he’s trying to get up ice first). In fact, I’d argue that while his seven assists in 24 games don’t leap off And then here’s some of that contact absorption I talked about. Below, he the page (though they did combine to make him Denver’s second-leading comes back to provide an option again (this time in the neutral zone), scorer), that his ability to make plays is perhaps the single most uses the speed that swing has given him to create an entry, fights important part of his game. The finishing touch is its best. He’s going to through one hit, and then takes a second as he’s making his play to his pick his spots and score from areas on the ice where most can’t or won’t. teammate to establish the Pioneers inside the offensive zone. But all of the time I’ve spent watching him over the last three years tells me that facilitation piece is going to explode sooner than later (and that That approach, in terms of hanging onto the puck and pushing through his low totals had more to do with Denver’s lack of other scorers). engagements, also drew a handful of penalties in the three games that made up this assessment (all on plays where he drove the outside, kept If you watched closely on the last video above, you noticed not just the his feet moving, and forced defenders to scramble after he’d caught them steal behind the net but a quick read to then feed the slot. Those quick flatfooted). choices and low-to-high sense are everywhere in his game inside the offensive zone. Which brings me to his skating. Watch this cycle sequence, where he uses his feet to spin off pressure Though Savoie isn’t an explosive player through his forward pushes, his and slide a pass to the slot through two Tigers defenders: ability to generate speed through his crossovers has developed really It’s nice, again, to see him making plays through contact more consistently, but it’s the small-area pass that really distinguishes the play.

He makes those little plays under pressure or in traffic all over the ice. Watch this little play upon entry under the triangle of the defender’s stick:

Or this little one, in nearly identical fashion (notice, too, how his high grip helps him shape those passes with the flick of a wrist):

And then when the passes and/or a clean look at the net for his shot aren’t there, he’s got the inventiveness and the skill to adjust around pressure.

Here, notice that high grip that I talked about in his ability to pull and drag pucks through his feet (he shows off some great footwork here to accommodate his stick as well) so that he can beat the first layer, pull eyes to him, and then find the shot or the pass (the pass in this instance) a moment later:

And though some of the above plays are little passes through one layer or quick reads to get a puck into open space, he also does a good job seeing deeper into the zone through multiple layers.

Here, he combines that vision with the knowledge that if he waits and attacks into space, opposing players will pull away from the backdoor to try to cover his shot. The result is one of his two assists:

He created several chances throughout the three games very similar to the above one that his teammates didn’t bury, too. Here’s one on the left wing where he waits for the seam to open and then hits it:

Here’s another, on the right wing this time, where he hits the seam a little quicker to switch sides on a bit more of a give-and-go:

Final thoughts

There’s more to like than dislike about Savoie’s game when the parts are pieced together. There always has been. He’s got unteachable tools in there.

Yes, there are going to be times when he cheats. But it also comes with its fair share of rush chances (and the chances that follow those when he gets his rebound or tracks down a loose puck). Here, there’s the improved skating which helps him get open, there’s the near goal, and there’s also the quick read to find the trailer when he gets it back:

Same idea below. The breakaway creates a chance for himself, but his quick pass out of it nearly creates another:

I talked about his blend of quick decisions and his comfort level in control throughout as well. The quick decisions look like this nifty little pass across the zone where, as soon as he catches it he already knows where he’s going with it (some kids just aren’t processing and anticipating the game this quickly):

The comfort in control created his second assist, too. The assist itself comes off a simple drop pass. But it’s the low-to-high pass from below the goal line, the little lift to get the puck back at the faceoff circle (a lift he didn’t make as much a year ago), and then the carry across the blue line that helps set it up.

And then there are little things hidden within his game that I haven’t even touched on, like his constant shoulder checks into loose pucks. Here, before he gets the puck he’s already read the zone to decide on the simple play to the point:

It’s particularly good to see all of that playmaking, and some of that new detail and work, coming to fruition because the goal scoring will always be there. It wasn’t in my review here, but that wasn’t due to a lack of quality scoring chances (of which he had more than a dozen). Here’s one of those posts I talked about (if you watch closely, you can actually see him smack the glass with his stick in frustration because he knows he could have scored there):

As he continues to build on the things that he’s good at, if he can get himself into less trouble in the other areas (a lot of which comes down to decision-making and maturity), he’s going to make his 100th overall selection look like a home run for one team and a blunder for 30 others.

And I’m more confident in that today than on his draft day, not less.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190107 Florida Panthers — Connor McDavid won the Hart Trophy and it was a unanimous decision as expected. (TSN)

— Marc-Andre Fleury gets himself the Vezina. (VHN) Eight years ago, the Florida Panthers drafted Sasha Barkov — Was Cale Makar shafted in Norris Trophy voting? (CHN)

— A number of National Hockey Now writers opine on what Evgeni By George Richards Malkin’s next contract will look like. (PHN)

— Looking at the Islanders offseason. (NYIHN)

Eight years ago today, the Florida Panthers had the second overall pick — Are these Detroit players worse than the ‘Dead Wings?’ (DHN) in the 2013 NHL Draft and took a 17-year-old center from Tampere, Finland, who went by the nickname of ‘Sasha.’ Drafting Aleksander LOCALS ONLY Barkov may have been one of the best things the franchise ever did. The Marlins rallied but ended up losing again — this time in Philadelphia. Barkov, of course, has become one of the top players in the franchise’s (Miami Herald) history. He recently completed his eighth NHL season, one in which put him in the conversation as being an elite talent in the NHL. Barkov won — Some Hurricanes recruiting news. (MH) the franchise’s first Selke Trophy and on Tuesday ended up sixth in — The UM hoopsters are getting one of their players back. (MH) balloting for the league MVP award. — A look at what Coach Spo’s role with Team USA is. (MH) Not too shabby. — All these years later, Ndamukong Suh reveals why he failed with The Panthers obviously had plenty of options with that No. 2 pick. With Dolphins. (Sentinel) Colorado taking Seth McKinnon with the top pick, Florida had to chose between top defenseman Seth Jones as well as forward Jonathan — Melvin Randall, the most decorated boys’ coach in Broward Drouin. County history, is applying for the vacant Dillard job after legendary coach Darryl Burrows retired in May. (Sentinel) As I wrote that day in Newark, “the Panthers needed a player ready to step into the NHL right now.” Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 07.01.2021

Unknown to us at the time, but the team was up for sale.

General manager Dale Tallon did not have the green light to spend any money that offseason and the team never made an offer to pending free agent Stephen Weiss because of it.

Barkov, at the very least, would slide into the lineup. Vinnie Viola ended up buying the team a few months later, Barkov made his NHL debut following that.

Get complete coverage of the Florida Panthers from the offseason through the playoffs with a subscription to FHN today!

“He’s big, strong, creative and can play in all three zones,” said Tallon, who told us he decided the pick was Barkov after their final interview.

“He makes other players around him better. He has great vision, great hands. He’s a rare commodity, a big center with skill. He fits into what we already have coming in size and speed. He gives us real strength up the middle.”

Barkov, who spent two seasons playing professionally in Finland, was ready to make the jump to the NHL. But who could have thought this pick would have been so big?

Today, eight years later, the Panthers and Barkov are synonymous. The two sides can extend their relationship next month as Barkov — who could become a free agent in 2022 — is able to sign a contract extension.

“I want to play in the NHL and this is my chance,’’ Barkov said shortly after the selection. “I have improved my game. I think I will (leave Finland) and play in Florida. I will be ready.’’

Yep.

FLORIDA PANTHERS LINKS

The Panthers made an addition to their coaching staff on Tuesday with joining Joel Quenneville & Co. (Florida Hockey Now)

— Jonathan Huberdeau’s terrific season was rewarded with a little recognition Tuesday as he was named to the All-NHL second team. (Florida Panthers)

— Anthony Duclair surprises some young kids learning how to the play the game of hockey. (FP)

— Goldie joins Zaslow on The Ticket. (790)

AROUND THE NHL

The Lightning are a nightmare matchup and the Canadiens found that out Sunday in Game 1. The second game of the Finals come tonight from Tampa. (TSN) 1190108 Los Angeles Kings Kempe said. “I think, for me, I would like to see a more consistent mix of lines for the team, but I’m not the coach. Either way, whoever you play with, I just try to do the best I can out there. Building consistency in lines Kings Seasons In Review – Adrian Kempe can build a lot more chemistry as well.”

You could point to his 5-on-5 possession numbers from a few different directions as well. Kempe was as consistent as they came in terms of By Zach Dooley never ranking at the top of the bottom of any particular metric and was exactly 0.6% lower than the team average without him on the ice in shot

attempts, scoring chances and high-danger chances. At the same time We’ve looked at the , we’ve looked at the defensemen, and though, Kempe is an important player for the Kings, and you’d like to see now, as we close out the month of June and enter into the start of July, that 0.6 number flipped on the positive side, showing a consistent player we’re looking at the forwards! on the right side of the team average.

Though the team’s forwards were much less consistently slotted than the Lastly, while his overall production was the best of his NHL career, defensemen, we’ll start with those who played predominantly on the left, Kempe’s 5-on-5 production rate was below that of his 2017-18 and 2018- then in the middle and finally on the right. The Kings have eight forwards 19 seasons, though some of that can likely come down to puck luck. The under contract for next season who spent the entirety of the 2020-21 Kings shooting percentage with Kempe on the ice was the third lowest campaign at the NHL level. amongst team forwards, which indicates you might see an uptick moving forward. It only makes sense to start with one of the most versatile members of the Kings from this past season though, in Adrian Kempe. Kempe played 2021-22 Status – Kempe will begin the third season of a three-year perhaps the largest variety of roles of any Kings player this season, contract signed in September 2019 and would become a restricted free skating at all three forward positions, on all four lines, at various stages. agent for the second time in his career at the completion of the 2021-22 Kempe’s versatility was frequently lauded by the coaching staff, and his season. ability to find success in different situations, as well as on special teams, Kempe’s progression across his career has led to a productive player at was certainly encouraging. the NHL level and a player who McLellan seems to value. Kempe’s Adrian Kempe combination of skating ability and size, combined with his puck handling, has turned him into a versatile NHL contributor. With Kopitar and the NHL Statline – 56 games played, 14 goals, 15 assists, -18 rating, 28 expectation of at least a couple young centers behind him, it will be penalty minutes interesting to see where Kempe winds up in next season’s lineup, and if he will be able to establish some consistency on a line. Possession Metrics (Relative To Without) – CF% – 47.5% (-0.6%), SCF – 44.4% (-0.6%), HDCF – 45.0% (-0.6%) LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 07.01.2021

Kempe was a swiss army knife for the Kings. He played at least 90 minutes of 5-on-5 time with six different forwards, but no more than 200 with any of them. Kempe moved around the lineup as needed for the Kings, typically with circumstances around him dictating the movement.

Kempe was a key player for the Kings on both special teams units, as he continued to improve his all-around game. With solid production and praise from coaches, Kempe had a strong campaign.

Trending Up – Looking strictly at raw production, Kempe has his best season at the NHL level. At .52 points-per-game, Kempe was above the “half point per game” mark for the first time in his NHL career, while his 14 goals from 56 games put him exactly at a .25 goals per game clip. Those totals over 82 games would add up to more than 20 goals and more than 40 points, which are solid numbers from a middle-six player.

Kempe was also a top contributor on special teams. With the power play converting at a high rate in the first half of the season, Kempe excelled on zone entries, as the player primarily responsible from transporting the puck into the offensive zone and retaining possession. Production wise, only Anze Kopitar and have more power-play points than Kempe, who collected a career-best 14. On the PK, Kempe ranked fourth amongst forwards in total time on ice, and had the best goals conceded rate amongst the regular six penalty-killing forwards.

The versatility that Kempe provide is also an obvious plus. Kempe skated at times on the wing with Kopitar, he skated on the wing with Gabe Vilardi and Quinton Byfield, he centered the fourth line in a few games and played in the middle six with Blake Lizotte. And that’s not all. Kempe was able to effectively fill a variety of roles, often with little time to really settle in. Players like that are important to have.

“Players that have those tools in their toolkit, the ability to play in different positions at different times and still have success, they’re very valuable. Adrian’s become that for us,” McLellan said midseason. “He’s played on the right, (on the) left, played in the middle and he’s played with various linemates. I guess you could consider him on the back end on the power play as well.”

Trending Down – You can look at how frequently he was moved around the lineup a number of different ways. While Kempe’s versatility is undoubtedly positive, he never really cemented a permanent home on any line, or with any particular linemates, which was something he acknowledged was difficult at times.

“Sometimes it’s hard to know what kind of player you’re playing with now, when you adjusted to playing with certain players for a couple of games,” 1190109 Minnesota Wild

Kirill Kaprizov's Calder reaffirms value — and Wild's tricky negotiations

Kaprizov ended up as the runaway winner of the league's top rookie honor, getting 99 of a possible 100 votes as the award was announced Tuesday. Next up for the Wild is figuring out how to secure Kaprizov's long-term future in Minnesota.

By Michael Rand Star Tribune JUNE 30, 2021 — 9:01AM

In the end, there was no debate.

Wild rookie sensation Kirill Kaprizov was the landslide Calder Trophy winner as the NHL's top rookie, earning 99 of a possible 100 first place votes — arriving at that Gretzky-esque total while Dallas rookie Jason Robertson earned the lone remaining first place vote and almost all the second-place votes.

But if the honor served to reaffirm just how special Kaprizov was during a rookie season in which he injected life into a Wild team that badly needed it, it also underscores that in meaning so much to Minnesota Kaprizov holds some cards as the two sides try to agree on a contract extension this offseason.

As I talked about on Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast, Kaprizov is the type of player the Wild should open up the figurative checkbook for (even if I can't remember the last time I wrote a check) as it plots out a long- term future.

Complicating matters a little is Minnesota's short-term financial picture, which includes limited cap flexibility and other high priority players like Joel Eriksson Ek and Kevin Fiala needing new deals for more money.

Complicating matters an undefined amount is trying to discern what Kaprizov really wants — and how that fits into what the Wild wants.

NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes stirred things up a couple weeks ago when he tweeted that talks between the Wild and Kaprizov have "gone cold" and that Kaprizov might want to return to playing in Russia.

Those who have followed enough contract negotiations, though, can probably discern that a threat like that is probably just a leverage play, given that Kaprizov can't negotiate with any other NHL team aside from the Wild.

The question then becomes: Is Kaprizov trying to gain leverage to get a shorter deal from the Wild in order to maximize his value on his next deal? Or is he just trying to squeeze whatever he can out of a long-term deal with the Wild, a contract that can be up to eight years?

If it's the former, Wild fans would be fretting a new deal almost as soon as it was signed. But if it's the latter, the Wild might have to overpay a little to keep their budding star happy.

In the end, though, there's this: It might not be possible to overpay Kaprizov given what we saw from him this season. For the sake of everyone involved, a hefty eight-year deal that acknowledges both Kaprizov's current and future value would be the happiest solution.

Star Tribune LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190110 Minnesota Wild Unlike Fiala and Eriksson Ek, who are restricted free agents with arbitration rights, Kaprizov has the unique distinction of not meeting restricted free agency or unrestricted free agency requirements. He's only allowed to negotiate and sign with the Wild, is ineligible for an offer Kaprizov wins NHL's top rookie award after rewriting Wild record book sheet from another team and doesn't have arbitration rights. The longest the Wild could sign him for is for eight years. Not only did Kirill Kaprizov's 27 goals lead the Wild and all NHL rookies, but they ranked eighth overall in the league. Next up for the Wild: Signing "I enjoyed everything about the game," Kaprizov said. "I enjoyed the him to a new contract. atmosphere in the locker room. I enjoyed playing on the ice with my teammates. I enjoyed the playoff atmosphere and the rinks we played in.

The organization was amazing." By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune JUNE 30, 2021 — 9:09AM Star Tribune LOADED: 07.01.2021

Kirill Kaprizov played like the NHL's best rookie all season long, and now he has the hardware to prove it.

The Wild newcomer won the on Tuesday, getting crowned the league's top first-year player during a televised NHL Awards show.

"I really enjoyed everything, from my play on ice to the team game," Kaprizov said through a translator on the TV broadcast. "Everything this season kind of came together, and it was truly special."

Kaprizov is the first Calder recipient in Wild history, accruing a whopping 99 of 100 first-place votes.

This is the highest percentage of first-place votes in Calder balloting since 1992-93, when Winnipeg's Teemu Selanne was the top pick on all 50 ballots. Kaprizov was also named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team.

Dallas forward Jason Robertson finished second for the Calder Trophy and Carolina goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic rounded out the top three. Wild goalie Kaapo Kahkonen tied for 15th in award voting, which is done by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Although he was drafted in the fifth round in 2015, Kaprizov didn't sign an entry-level contract with the Wild until last summer – a lag in which he turned into the organization's most prized prospect while competing in his native Russia.

His pre-NHL accolades included a gold medal from the 2018 Winter Olympics and two KHL championships; twice Kaprizov led the league in goals.

And once he made his NHL debut with the Wild, Kaprizov didn't slow down.

Instead, he continued to dazzle to help the Wild make the playoffs in a transition year.

Not only did his 27 goals lead the Wild and all NHL rookies, but they ranked eighth overall in the league. Kaprizov's 51 points in 55 games were also tops on the Wild and among first-year players, along with his eight power play goals and 157 shots. His 24 assists were second.

Kaprizov also rewrote the Wild record book, claiming multiple categories including goals, assists and points. The 24-year-old left winger went on a six-game point streak, a four-game multi-point game streak and a five- game goal streak – all franchise firsts for a rookie. He's also just the third player in NHL history to score in overtime in his debut, a memorable three-point effort Jan.14 at Los Angeles that set the tone for Kaprizov's dynamic season.

Kirill Kaprizov's 2020-21 statistics

Aside from acknowledging his family and friends for their support, Kaprizov thanked the Wild after receiving the award.

"Without them, none of this would be possible," Kaprizov said. "From all of my teammates to all of the coaching staff to the organization to the administrative team, everyone has helped me tremendously both on and off the ice."

Nabbing the Calder Trophy repositioned the spotlight over Kaprizov's strong first impression, but he was never going to slip off the radar this summer.

Kaprizov is up for a new contract and re-signing him is a priority for the Wild in the offseason; same with the team's other offensive leaders in Kevin Fiala and Joel Eriksson Ek. 1190111 Montreal Canadiens Tampa Bay failed to score on two power plays in the first, and Montreal missed a golden opportunity when Sergachev was sent to the box for four minutes spanning the end of the first and start of the second. Canadiens centre Phillip Danault was the victim and went to the bench Vasilevskiy slams the door on Habs as Lightning take a 2-0 series lead with blood running out of his nose.

The first game between them was a fast, hard-hitting affair. It was really the first time this postseason that an opposing team outworked the Marty Klinkenberg Canadiens and matched their bruising style of play.

Brendan Gallagher’s face is covered with gashes and red marks and The Canadiens played outstanding on offence and better \on defence but welts as the result of his team’s deep run in the postseason. On Monday still came up short against the Lightning in the on night he skated off in the third period with blood dripping from his Wednesday at Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa. forehead after he was thrown face-first to the ice by Sergachev. Gallagher said Tuesday that he was evaluated for a concussion both at Tampa Bay got goals from Anthony Cirelli, Blake Coleman and Ondrej the time of the incident and again the following morning and was cleared Palat and brilliant goaltending from Andrei Vasilevskiy in a 3-1 victory to to play. take control of the best-of-seven series. “I took a pretty good shot,” Gallagher said following the morning skate. The defending champions head to Montreal for Games 3 and 4 on Friday “The ice is pretty hard, but I felt fine and am ready to move on.” and Sunday. Teams that win the first two meetings during the final have gone on to win 46 of 51 times. This is the first time Montreal has fallen Gallagher is just 5 feet 9 and 183 pounds but in Game One took on the behind in a series 2-0 during its postseason run. six-inch-taller and 30-pound-heavier Sergachev during a fracas in front of the Lightning’s net. Vasilevskiy won the goalie duel with Carey Price for the second time in a row. The big Russian withstood a barrage of 43 shots and only let in one “He is that in-your-face guy who is not going to be stopped even after his by Nick Suzuki. Price, who allowed five goals on 26 shots in the opening face is cross-checked into the ice,” acting head coach Luke Richardson game on Monday, gave up three on 23 attempts. said. He has filled in behind the Montreal bench since the team’s interim head coach, Dominique Ducharme, tested positive for COVID-19 during “I thought we played a heck of a hockey game tonight,” , the semi-final round. “The picture [afterward] looked vicious, but Brendan Montreal’s 36-year-old winger, said. “At the same time, it wasn’t enough. had a smile on his face and said he was okay. He definitely leads by We just have to find another gear. example with the energy and the battle level that he has. The guys love that about him.” “The playoffs are so close. It comes down to a bounce here or there or a timely goal. The difference between teams is minimal.” The Canadiens had right wing Joel Armia back in the lineup after he was replaced by Jake Evans in Game 1. Armia was placed on the NHL It looked like the Canadiens would head into the dressing room with the COVID protocol list Sunday but was removed Monday and flew on score tied 1-1 after 40 minutes. Instead, Coleman scored a spectacular Monday on a private jet to Tampa. goal, his first in 19 games. The Tampa Bay centre was falling to the ice when he swiped the puck past Price only two seconds before the teams The Lightning was without forward Alex Killorn, who sustained an headed for their dressing rooms. undisclosed injury in the series opener when he blocked a shot by Montreal Jeff Petry. “It is definitely something you don’t want to do,” , Montreal’s captain, said. “You don’t want to give up a goal in the first or last minute The Canadiens entered the night 11-2 when they have scored the first of a period. goal during the playoffs and 1-4 when the opposition gets on the board before them. Make that 1-5 now. “Overall I think we played a pretty solid game all around. We made a few mistakes that cost us. I think we deserved a little better. They are a very The series heads to Montreal now, where thousands of fans have been opportunistic team.” jamming the streets outside the Bell Centre. The Canadiens hoped to have more than 3,500 spectators in the rink on Friday but a request to do The Canadiens entered the game 11-2 during the playoffs when they so was turned down on Wednesday by government officials in Quebec. have scored first and felt it was critical to get a good start on Wednesday. The team wanted the limit imposed as a precaution against COVID-19 They did that, outshooting the Lightning 13-6 over the first 20 minutes. raised to 10,500. Vasilevskiy, who faced only 19 shots in the first game, stopped a That won’t happen, but they will welcome a return home and Ducharme’s backhand on a rush by Suzuki from nine feet away a little more than two return to the bench after a period of isolation. The better performance in minutes after the puck drop, and a wrist shot from close in by Tyler Toffoli Game Two also has them feeling more optimistic. later on during a 2 on 1. Perry spoke to his teammates in the dressing room following the defeat. The Canadiens were controlling the play when Cirelli directed what He won a Stanley Cup while with the Anaheim Ducks. looked like a harmless shot at the net from 59 feet away with 13:20 left in the second period. The puck squeezed through several bodies and “The message was to not stop doing what we have been doing eluded Price. Suddenly, Tampa Bay had a 1-0 lead. throughout the playoffs,” Perry said. “You continue to do the things that got you here, and you have success.” A roughing penalty on Mikhail Sergachev gave Montreal a man advantage with 9:57 remaining in the second period. Thirty-three Globe And Mail LOADED: 07.01.2021 seconds later Suzuki beat Vasilevskiy with a backhand that went through his legs. At that point, Montreal had 23 shots to the Lightning’s eight.

Suzuki, a 21-year-old centre, was held without a shot in Monday’s first game. He was easily the best skater on the ice on Wednesday. He had nine shots, two hits, one take-away and went 6-4 in the faceoff circle.

He was happy the Canadiens played better, but disappointed as well.

“I thought we had a good bounce-back game,” Suzuki said. “We had a lot of good chances. We have to find a way to put the puck in the net, myself included.”

Palat scored unassisted with 4:18 left to put the game out of reach.

Price was sharper than he was on Monday. He stopped Kucherov, who leads all scorers during the playoffs with 30 points, on three shots in the first period alone. 1190112 Montreal Canadiens

Quebec’s Public Health Department will not allow more fans at the Bell Centre

Staff

The Montreal Canadiens say Quebec’s Public Health Department will not allow more than 3,500 fans at the Bell Centre for the team’s upcoming home games for the Stanley Cup final.

The team’s public relations department made the announcement Wednesday night on Twitter.

The Canadiens first home game in the Stanley Cup final series against the Tampa Bay Lightning is scheduled for Friday. The Habs trail in the series 1-0.

The Montreal Canadiens organization said Tuesday it had asked the government to ease COVID-19 health restrictions and increase capacity at the Bell Centre to 10,500 people, up from 3,500.

Earlier Wednesday, Dr. Richard Masse, a strategic medical adviser at the Health Department, said discussions around the request were ongoing but he expected a decision to be announced later in the day.

Masse said the government wanted to be careful about making exceptions to public health orders because doing so would inevitably lead to other groups demanding similar treatment.

“This is why when we come up with measures, we want to be sure that these measures can be applied elsewhere,” Masse said.

France Margaret Belanger, the hockey team’s executive vice-president and chief commercial officer, said the team believes that 10,500 people – half of the arena’s capacity – can be accommodated safely.

Masse said public health is open to the idea of having outdoor screenings of upcoming Canadiens games, which had been suggested by Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante.

The Health Department did not respond Wednesday afternoon to a request for comment about when the decision will be announced.

Globe And Mail LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190113 Montreal Canadiens All goalies read shooters, searching for their tells. But of the many that Mr. McCue faced during his career, including several that went on to the NHL, he’d never seen one with quite so much prescience.

Behind the mask: How Montreal Canadiens Carey Price pushed himself “When I would whiff the puck or even if it was a hard shot but not where I to succeed wanted it to go, I would say to him, ‘I was going there.’ And he’d be like, ‘Yeah, I know.’”

By the end of the workouts, Mr. McCue was drilling Mr. Price for trade Grant Robertson secrets, and the goalie was happy to oblige. “He said in the NHL there are players who will look like they’re going low right and it goes high left.”

Mr. Price’s intellectual side has been on display more these past few Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price makes the save against months than perhaps any other point in his career. A minimalist in Tampa Bay Lightning forward Tyler Johnson during Game 1 of the 2021 interviews, he sometimes comes across blunt or uninterested. But it’s NHL Stanley Cup final at Amalie Arena on June 28, 2021 in Tampa, often a product of how direct the answers are. Florida. After eliminating the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was asked about the No one knows more about trying to score on Carey Price this season graves of 215 children reported at the Kamloops Indian Residential than Beau McCue. School in May. His answer was short and to the point: “I’d advise a lot of From regular-season games to the Stanley Cup final, Mr. Price has faced people to look into residential schools,” said Mr. Price, whose about 1,200 shots this year, according to the official stats. But Mr. McCue grandmother attended one such school. At a time when national anger has that number beat. During a three-week span before the season had boiled over following the discovery, he wasn’t about to wax poetic. began, Mr. McCue fired more than 7,000 pucks on Mr. Price, ripping Nor was he about to dodge the question. His message to Canadians was between 500 and 600 a day at the Montreal Canadiens’ all-star goalie. clear and unapologetic: Do your research.

Canadiens’ goaltender Price a standout even at 14, says his junior GM On his way to Game 2 in the second round of the playoffs, Mr. Price stopped outside St. Mary’s Cathedral in Winnipeg to talk to Gerry It happened when 26-year-old Mr. McCue, a former junior hockey player Shingoose, a residential school survivor and retired social worker who who lives in Kennewick, Wash., got a call in December that Mr. Price was helped tie 215 orange ribbons outside the church and was waiting to visiting the area where his wife’s family is from, and needed someone to meet with the archbishop. Ms. Shingoose gave Mr. Price a ribbon and a practise with. So, taking the ice by themselves for an hour or two each tobacco tie. Mr. Price later returned the favour with a puck from that day, Mr. McCue and Mr. Price got to know each other, drill by drill, and night’s warmup. shot by shot. Mr. Price’s pride in the Ulkatcho First Nation where he grew up in British That makes Mr. McCue one of the few people outside the Habs Columbia is probably the most personal side of him the goalie has shown organization to have witnessed first-hand the alchemy that makes the to the hockey world. He has the characters of the band’s logo tattooed intensely private and poker-faced Mr. Price one of the most feared down the arm of his hand, including a grizzly bear, an obsidian goalies in the National Hockey League. arrowhead, and Anahim Peak, a mountain that runs across the northern side of the territory. The tattoo also bears an image of a Piper Cherokee, He’s also had an inside look at just how hard Mr. Price has worked to get an homage to the small plane his dad flew him to practice in when he to his first Stanley Cup final, down 1-0 heading into Wednesday’s Game played for Williams Lake, which was five hours away by car. 2, and just four wins shy of one of the few titles left that he hasn’t won. On the ice in Kennewick this off-season, Mr. McCue and Mr. Price “He pushes himself extremely hard,” Mr. McCue said. “When we would bonded over their small-town upbringings. Mr. McCue, who grew up in shoot, if he wasn’t hitting the position he wanted, or getting where he Montana, had been on ice with Mr. Price before. During the 2012-13 NHL wanted to in time, I could just see his determination. No one’s a bigger lockout, Mr. Price, also a former Tri-City American, practised with the critic than him on himself.” team a few times when Mr. McCue was a rookie. But it wasn’t until this It’s a side of Mr. Price the world doesn’t necessarily see. Over his 14- season that he got to appreciate how good Mr. Price is at the craft, year career, Mr. Price’s image has consistently been that of the league’s particularly at moving across the net and cutting down angles. most chilled-out goalie, rarely showing emotion. For Mr. McCue, that But the mystery that seems to shroud Mr. Price may not be that much of much was evident – but Mr. Price’s drive for master-level perfection a mystery at all. As Mr. McCue puts it: Yes, he is that good. Yes, he is during their 14 or so one-on-one workouts was as obvious as it was that chilled-out in real life. The goalie on TV is the same one he trained unspoken. with. “The thing that’s crazy is he makes what he does look easy and it’s not,” Of the more than 7,000 shots he estimates he took, Mr. McCue can’t say Mr. McCue said. how many went in. Not that many. “I got a few,” he said, adding that he For Mr. Price, this Stanley Cup final represents his best shot at a intends to tell his grandchildren about each of those goals. championship, the only significant box left unchecked on his Hall of He’s now fully behind the Habs for the Cup. “When you see someone Fame-calibre résumé. After being taken fifth overall in the 2005 draft and work that hard, you want them to get the payout,” he said. winning an American Hockey League title with Montreal’s minor-league affiliate, Mr. Price’s career has been a mixture of stellar performances And if Montreal should win, perhaps Mr. Price will be back next derailed by untimely injuries or early playoff exits. Until recently, the team offseason. Mr. McCue, who recently wrapped up his minor-pro career, often lacked enough depth so that Mr. Price didn’t have to shoulder most said he’ll be ready. “I’ll make sure I’m available.” of the load himself. Globe And Mail LOADED: 07.01.2021 But with a reconstituted roster, and a reinvigorated Mr. Price, that picture has changed. At 33, Mr. Price has been playing some of his best hockey in these playoffs. But what is it, exactly, that makes him so good?

Mr. McCue saw a lot of things as Mr. Price’s designated shooter. But even Mr. McCue, a winger who racked up 85 goals in 270 games as the captain of the ’s Tri-City Americans and later dabbled in the minor-pro ranks, struggles to explain it. There were times, for example, that Mr. Price just knew exactly where he was going to shoot, even if Mr. McCue was hiding it.

“He’s very good at reading shots. He reads not only the way the stick is angled, and where the release point is, but also the body [of the shooter],” Mr. McCue said. “He was using his peripheral vision to kind of read my body, where I was putting more or less weight, to determine where and how hard the shot was going.” 1190114 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.01.2021

In the Habs' Room: Montreal's offence struggling to solve Vasilevskiy

Lightning goalie stops 42 of 43 shots in 3-1 win as the Canadiens head home with a 2-0 series deficit in the Stanley Cup final.

Pat Hickey Montreal Gazette

They outshot the Tampa Bay Lightning 43-23.

They scored a power-play goal and killed off three Lightning power plays.

They kept Nikita Kucherov, the top scorer in the playoffs, off the scoresheet.

They won more faceoffs than they lost.

But they didn’t get enough pucks past Andrei Vasilevskiy and they lost 3- 1 to fall behind 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.

Vasilevskiy made 42 saves as he limited the opposition to fewer than two goals for the 10th time in the playoffs. He lowered his goals-against average to 1.89, with a playoff-best .939 save percentage.

The Canadiens continued to hurt themselves with bad decisions. With time running out in the second period, the usually reliable Phil Danault failed to get the puck through the neutral zone and the result was a Tampa Bay rush that resulted in a go-ahead goal by Blake Coleman with three-10ths of a second remaining.

And an errant pass by Joel Edmundson late in the third period landed on Ondrej Palat’s stick and he banked a shot off Carey Price’s skate for the insurance marker.

“Their goaltender played extremely well.” acting coach Luke Richardson said. “We didn’t get some bounces that way and we had a little bit of a puck-management thing right at the end of the second, which was unfortunate. We had such a good period in the second playing our style of game.

There was also some questionable management behind the bench. The Canadiens had a 4-on-3 power play late in the first period and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to showcase Cole Caufield’s skills, but he remained on the bench.

Richardson said the Palat goal effectively ended Montreal’s chance for a comeback.

“Unfortunately, we had a goal that kind of got in at the end there to take our momentum away,” Richardson said. “You pull the goalie and have a chance, but that shot makes it really difficult to climb that two-goal hill against this team.”

The lone Montreal goal was scored by Nick Suzuki. The 21-year-old appeared overwhelmed in Game 1 and was on the ice for three of the five Tampa Bay goals. He seemed more poised Wednesday as he fired a team-high nine shots on goal and won six of his 10 faceoffs.

“(With) Nick and Cole, I was not concerned at all,” Richardson said. “I know there were people mentioning the spotlight and the moment’s too much for them. I think they showed it isn’t tonight. They both had chances to score. Nick got one on the power play. And I thought they did fine against that line when they were out there against them. They definitely pushed the pace and really showed a lot of character in young men playing in this finals.”

“I don’t know if I learned anything new about him,” Paul Byron said of Suzuki. “He’s an unbelievable hockey player. We really like his game. We like how he plays. When you play the best team in the league, sometimes you’re going to have an off-night. It happens. He’s a young guy. But the way he bounces back, the way he carries himself and the way that he works, he’s a tremendous hockey player. We have a lot of faith in him. He’s played incredible for us and we know he’s going to have some big games for us going forward, too.”

The Canadiens return home for Games 3 and 4 Friday and Monday. The province rebuffed the team’s request to allow more than 3,500 fans in the Bell Centre, but interim head coach Dominique Ducharme will be back after he missed eight games following a positive test for COVID. 1190115 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens suffer demoralizing 3-1 loss in Game 2 vs. Lightning

Montreal fires 43 shots at Tampa goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, but last- second goal in second period by Blake Coleman proves to be the winner.

Pat Hickey Publishing date:Jun 30, 2021

Andrei Vasilevskiy is winning the goaltending battle against the Canadiens’ Carey Price. Vasilevskiy made 42 saves to lead the Tampa Lightning to a 3-1 win over the Canadiens Wednesday night at Amalie Arena. The victory gave the Lightning a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup final.

The series now moves to the Bell Centre for Game 3 Friday (8 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN-690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

The Canadiens outplayed the Lightning by a wide margin in the second period, but went into the second intermission trailing 2-1 after Blake Coleman scored with three-10ths of a second remaining in the period. The Canadiens failed to advance the puck through the neutral zone and Barclay Goodrow led a two-man rush after he eluded a hit from Ben Chiarot at the blue line. Goodrow’s cross-ice pass was off-target, but Coleman dove to the ice and got his stick on the puck as he was being checked by Phil Danault.

The Canadiens were outshooting the Lightning 16-2 in the period before Tampa Bay went on a power play at 16:38 and recorded the last five shots in the frame.

While Montreal peppered Vasilevskiy with pucks all game, the only shot that beat him was a harmless looking backhander from Nick Suzuki on a power play midway through the second. Corey Perry was providing a screen in front and the rolling puck went though Vasilevskiy’s pads.

The Lightning opened the scoring on Anthony Cirelli’s seeing-eye shot from the point. There were four players in front and the puck went through Jon Merrill’s legs before going in off Price’s blocker.

Ondrej Palat took advantage of a giveaway by Joel Edmundson to score an insurance goal late in the third period.

Neither team was able to score in the first period, but the Canadiens outshot the Lightning 13-6 and tested Vasilevskiy with three breakaways — two by Nick Suzuki and one by Tyler Toffoli.

The Canadiens had an anxious moment midway through the period when Price came out of his net to play the puck and his pass to the corner was picked off by Steven Stamkos. He made a beeline to the net, but was unable to get off a good shot because he was slashed by Paul Byron.

The Montreal penalty-kill had its string of 32 consecutive kills broken when Stamkos scored a power-play goal late in Game 1, but it started a new streak when it killed three power plays. The Canadiens went 1-for-3 on the power play and each team had five shots with the extra man.

Both teams made lineup changes.

Joel Armia replaced Jake Evans on the fourth line with Corey Perry and Eric Staal. Armia had a false positive test for COVID on Sunday and didn’t accompany the team on their charter flight. He took a private flight Monday, but the Canadiens decided to give him extra time to adjust.

Alex Killorn, who took a Jeff Petry shot off the foot in Game 1, did not dress. His spot on Tampa’s second line was filled by Tyler Johnson, who moved up from the fourth line to join Cirelli and Stamkos. Mathieu Joseph filled Johnson’s spot on the fourth line.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190116 Montreal Canadiens

Only 3,500 fans will be allowed at Bell Centre for Cup final games

Canadiens' request to provincial government and health officials for an increase to 10,500 fans is turned down.

Stu Cowan Publishing date:Jul 01, 2021

The Canadiens announced Wednesday night that the Quebec government and provincial health officials will not allow them to have more than 3,500 fans at the Bell Centre for Stanley Cup final games against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Canadiens made the announcement during the first period of Game 2 Wednesday night in Tampa. The Canadiens lost the game 3-1 and now trail the best-of-seven series 2-0 after losing Game 1 by a 5-1 score. There were 3,500 fans at the Bell Centre Wednesday night to watch Game 2 on the giant screens.

The Canadiens had requested that they be allowed to have 50-per-cent capacity at the Bell Centre for Games 3 and 4, which will be played Friday and Monday. Game 6 will also be played at the Bell Centre if the series goes that long.

“Basically, we’re in conversations with the government and public health to obtain more capacity at the Bell Centre,” France Margaret Bélanger, the Canadiens’ executive vice-president and chief commercial officer, said during a Zoom conference Tuesday. “Those conversations have been officially started for this additional capacity request since last Friday. We’re looking to have 50 per cent of our capacity — so 10,500 people. Basically we’re maintaining the number of zones.”

Bélanger noted there are 14 zones at the Bell Centre with different entrances so the Canadiens were looking to have “a few hundred people” specifically designated in each zone. She said fans would also be required to wear masks and maintain social distancing.

Bélanger said that Dr. Benoît Mâsse from the Université de Montréal’s school of public health provided a scientific backing to the Canadiens that they provided to the government about moving up to 50-per-cent capacity.

Because of COVID-19 concerns, that wasn’t enough to convince the government to allow more fans at the Bell Centre.

“I know they’d love to be in the building, but it’s just not the case in the world we’re living in right now,” the Canadiens’ Nick Suzuki said after Wednesday night’s game when asked about only 3,500 fans being allowed to watch the next two games at the Bell Centre. “But we love playing in front of our fans. We feel the energy out in the streets. It’s been a lot of fun to play back at the Bell Centre and we know the 3,500 that will be there will be cheering us on and the rest will be supporting us.”

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190117 Montreal Canadiens BriseBois and Darche are at the top of what is a strong Quebec connection with the Lightning, who have five players on their roster who were born in La Belle Province and another who grew up here. Yanni Gourde is from Saint-Narcisse, Mathieu Joseph is from Laval, Alex Stu Cowan: Lightning have strong connections to Canadiens and Barré-Boulet is from Montmagny, Daniel Walcott is from Île-Perrot, David Quebec Savard is from St. Hyacinthe and Alex Killorn grew up in Beaconsfield after being born in Halifax. GM Julien BriseBois and director of hockey operations Mathieu Darche have six players on Tampa roster who grew up in La Belle Province. When I was in Tampa last year covering the Canadiens just before COVID-19 shut down the season, I had a nice chat with Darche about his

new job and life in Tampa. Stu Cowan Publishing date:Jun 30, 2021 “It’s great,” he said. “It’s a great city, great ownership, great fans, great organization, and the weather on top of it. The weather’s a bonus … the rest of it is the most important thing. The people I work with, Julien and A couple of summers ago I noticed something special when I arrived at the organization, the team. But you get the weather and a great city, so Empire Park in Greenfield Park for my weekly Monday night game in the it’s tough to beat.” Over the Hill Softball League. BriseBois would certainly agree. While walking toward the softball diamond I spotted a tall man with his wife and two children kicking a soccer ball around on an adjacent field Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.01.2021 with what must have been the kids’ grandparents. It was one of those priceless family moments on a beautiful summer evening and it put a smile on my face.

As I got closer I realized the tall man was Julien BriseBois, the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who is from Greenfield Park. Empire Park is a busy place on a summer night (before COVID-19) with kids’ soccer leagues, a football field, a swimming pool, a basketball court and a park with swings and a slide. But nobody bothered BriseBois because they probably had no idea who he was.

I remember thinking to myself: he could never enjoy that special private time with his family at that park if he was GM of the Canadiens.

Before the Lightning hired BriseBois as an assistant GM under Steve Yzerman in 2010, he spent nine years with the Canadiens, starting out as director of legal affairs before becoming director of hockey operations and then vice-president of hockey operations. Before getting into hockey management, BriseBois graduated from the Université de Montréal faculty of law and earned a Master’s degree in business administration from the John Molson School of Business at . He then worked for the Heenan Blaikie law firm in Montreal, specializing in sports law and representing several NHL and MLB clubs in arbitrations cases as well as acting as an advisor in contract negotiations.

“When I worked for the Canadiens I was very fortunate,” BriseBois said during a Zoom conference before the start of this Stanley Cup final between the Lightning and Canadiens. “I was very young and, to be completely honest, I wasn’t bringing that much to the table. I was learning a lot more than I was contributing at that point. I was very fortunate that there was so many great alumni around the team. Bob Gainey eventually came a couple of years after I joined the team and, obviously, he was a huge influence. But I remember Guy Carbonneau was around and Rick Green and Rolland Melanson and Pierre Mondou and a lot of the guys from the ’70s were still around. Réjean Houle, Mr. (Jean) Béliveau was still around and when I ended up getting my first office at the Bell Centre his office was right next to mine. He wasn’t there necessarily on a regular basis, but every now and then he’d pop in and just to interact with him and all of those great alumni. They were so generous with me. I asked them a lot, a lot, a lot of questions and they were very generous in sharing their experiences and I got to learn from them.”

In Tampa, BriseBois was able to take what he learned about management with the Canadiens and combine it with what Yzerman learned as a Hall of Fame player during 22 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, winning three Stanley Cups. When the Red Wings brought Yzerman back as executive vice-president and general manager in April 2019, BriseBois took over as GM and vice-president of the Lightning. Last year, the team Yzerman and BriseBois built together won the Stanley Cup and now the Lightning are looking to make it two straight.

A month after taking over from Yzerman as GM of the Lightning, BriseBois hired Mathieu Darche to be his director of hockey operations. Darche earned a commerce degree, majoring in marketing and international business, from McGill University while also playing for the Redmen before playing nine seasons in the NHL, including three with the Canadiens. Before becoming BriseBois’s right-hand man, Darche spent six years as vice-president of sales and marketing in Canada for Delmar International Inc., based in Montreal. 1190118 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens looking to to bring Stanley Cup back home

No Canadian team has won championship since the Habs in 1993, but they have a chance to change that now against the Lightning.

Stu Cowan Montreal Gazette

When the Canadiens won their last Stanley Cup in 1993, the headline on the front page of the Montreal Gazette the next day was: “CUP COMES HOME!”

No Canadian team has won the Cup since.

The Canadiens are back in the Stanley Cup final this year for the first time since 1993. They’re the first Canadian team to play in the final since the Vancouver Canucks lost to the Boston Bruins in 2011.

Canadiens assistant coach Luke Richardson played 21 seasons in the NHL as a defenceman — including five with the Toronto Maple Leafs, six with the Edmonton Oilers and two with the Ottawa Senators — and never made it to the Stanley Cup final.

Now, Richardson is in the final for the first time as a coach. The Canadiens are trailing the best-of-seven series against the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 after losing Game 2 by a 3-1 score Wednesday night in Tampa. Game 3 will be Friday at the Bell Centre (8 p.m., CBC, SN, NBC, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

“It’s an honour to be part of the Montreal Canadiens, especially this far into the playoffs,” Richardson, who is an Ottawa native, said after the Canadiens’ morning skate Wednesday in Tampa. “It’s definitely very rewarding and you feel proud that there’s so much history and respect to the organization that you want to add to that. You want to be the team that adds to that. We’re really looking to try and add to the Cup collection and we’re excited to be here. The guys are really proud and pushing as well.

Hanging in my office at home pic.twitter.com/dE8iu5cAQe

— Christopher Mcintosh (@cmac1978) June 30, 2021

“For myself, growing up in Canada, I grew up watching the Montreal Canadiens every Saturday night so you know when you watched all those teams play and win and the excitement and that becomes expectations,” the 52-year-old added. “I think that’s what we want to create in Montreal again. We want to create expectations. It’s not just a one-off. You want to build and build and it’s not just build for today. It’s build today and then get better tomorrow and keep building. I don’t think it’s a pressure. I think there’s a pride and the guys have shown that we’ve gone through some adversity, obviously, through the year and through the playoffs and they have a good character about them that nothing’s going to stop us. We’re going to try and get this done.”

The Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher was asked Wednesday morning if he had visited the old Montreal Forum to maybe gain some inspiration. The Canadiens haven’t won the Cup since moving to the Bell Centre in 1996 when it was called the Molson Centre.

“I’ve been to the Forum, but for anyone who’s been there now it’s a movie theatre,” Gallagher said. “So there’s not a whole lot … there’s a few (Forum) seats left from it.

“But we’re well aware of the history of what it means to be a Montreal Canadien,” Gallagher added. “We have legends all around our team. Get the chance to speak to them, talk to them, they come watch us play and these just aren’t names. These are some of the biggest names to ever play the game. You don’t need any more inspiration than just looking up and seeing all the championship banners. So every single guy in that locker room has an understanding of what it means to be a Montreal Canadien and how special and how great of an opportunity it is.”

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190119 Montreal Canadiens

'I saw the picture,' Habs' Brendan Gallagher says about bloody face

Stu Cowan Montreal Gazette

It would have been almost impossible for him not to.

The photo of Gallagher with a gash on his forehead and blood streaming down his face during the Canadiens’ 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final Monday night was everywhere on social media.

“I saw the picture,” Gallagher said after the Canadiens’ morning skate Wednesday in Tampa before Game 2 of the final. “I can’t really tell you what was going through my mind at that time. Probably not very happy.”

With 6:18 left in the third period, Gallagher got into a skirmish in front of the Lightning net. Gallagher lost his helmet while tussling with Mikhail Sergachev after the whistle and was then tackled by the Lightning defenceman with his head slamming into the ice. Gallagher was dazed, but still managed to get up and skate off the ice covered in blood.

Gallagher said he didn’t suffer a concussion.

“They obviously ask,” he said. “Any time you get hit in the head they ask. I have a pretty specific way of reacting when I have a concussion … it usually involves me yelling a lot. I think the trainers understood I was with it, pretty calm. They’ve seen me when I had those things. There were no worries there. They obviously checked on me the day after, not all that concerned about it. I took a pretty good shot. The ice is pretty hard, but felt fine and ready to move on.”

Guerrier.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/H1P5b72QXc

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) June 29, 2021

Assistant coach Luke Richardson wasn’t surprised Gallagher would be back in the lineup for Game 2 and added that the 5-foot-9, 183-pound right-winger won’t change his style of play.

Gallagher never does.

“I think you’ve seen Brendan enough that you know he’s that in-your face guy that you’re going to cross-check his face right into the ice but you’re still not going to stop him,” Richardson said. “He’s going to get up and keep going and smile. I think he always charges our players up the way he plays and is a good leader that way. Seeing him at the end of the game — everybody’s always a little concerned when you see a little bit of blood, but everybody knows when you have a cut on your head and your blood’s pumping and you’re sweating it looks a lot worse than it is. So the picture definitely looked very vicious. But Brendan’s got a smile on, said he’s OK and he’s ready to go and the guys love that about him. It definitely is a lead by example with the energy and the type of battle level that we have to have.”

Oof pic.twitter.com/r4RGky6OFR

— Sports by Tampa Bay Times (@TBTimes_Sports) June 29, 2021

Defenceman Jon Merrill joined the Canadiens before the NHL trade deadline this season and quickly learned what kind of leader he is.

“Gally’s a competitor through and through,” Merrill said. “You can see it from the first time you step in this dressing room. He’s the guy who drives the bus around here. He’s pushing the pace in practice, in the weight room he’s the guy who’s definitely leading the charge when it comes to intensity and bringing that work ethic. So when you see a guy like that laying it all out there and doing whatever he can for this team to win it’s definitely a motivating factor for us.”

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190120 Montreal Canadiens of game and play it hard — and we did. So we’re getting better and we just plan on getting better the next game and winning that Game 3.”

If the Canadiens don’t, this series against the defending Stanley Cup Canadiens Game Day: Habs beat themselves 3-1 in Game 2 of Cup final champs could be basically over.

Fall behind 2-0 as series shifts to Montreal for Game 3 Friday night in #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/QgW2TOIuhs front of only 3,500 fans at Bell Centre. — NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) July 1, 2021

Vasilevskiy shines Stu Cowan Montreal Gazette If the Canadiens are going to win this series they’ll have to find a way to score more than one goal a game against Vasilevskiy, who now has a 14-6 record in the playoffs this year with a 1.89 goals-against average The Canadiens beat themselves 3-1 to fall behind 2-0 in the best-of- and a .939 save percentage. seven series. Price saw his playoff record fall to 12-7 with a 2.22 GAA and a .926 save After being outplayed for most of Game 1 and losing 5-1, the Canadiens percentage. bounced back Wednesday night and took it to the Lightning early in Game 2, outshooting them 13-6 in the first period. However, the Vasilevskiy is now 10-0 in his last 10 games against the Canadiens, Canadiens couldn’t beat Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and the allowing only 15 goals on 335 shots over that span for a .955 save score was 0-0 at the intermission. percentage. The last time Vasilevskiy lost to the Canadiens was on Jan. 4, 2018, when he stopped 37 of 38 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss. The Canadiens had a four-minute power play after Lightning defenceman Ryan McDonagh high-sticked Phillip Danault and drew blood at 17:32 of “I think our guys have had good looks at Vasilevskiy and he’s definitely a the second period, but they couldn’t take advantage of it. The Canadiens great goaltender,” Richardson said. “We’ve seen it with other teams with played even better in the second period than they did in the first, Carey … it gets in your head. I think what we have to do is just keep outshooting the Lightning 16-7, but they went into the second being simple. The scouting reports, we’ll read them and use them to our intermission trailing 2-1. advantage and look at some video. I think if we keep getting those chances — which we will, I think this team does give up chances — I The Lightning opened the scoring at 6:40 of the second period on a think we’ll start scoring and once we get one, two, I think we can build screened shot from the blue line by Anthony Cirelli that goalie Carey our game and go on to win that important game that we need in Game Price didn’t see until it was too late. Nick Suzuki put the Canadiens on 3.” the board at 10:36 of the period with a weak backhander from far out that somehow found its way through Vasilevskiy’s legs and it looked like the Canadiens forward Corey Perry said the key to beating Vasilevskiy is to teams would go into the second intermission tied 1-1. continue getting pucks and bodies to the net.

But with six seconds left in the period, Danault turned the puck over at “If he sees the puck he’s going to stop it,” Perry said. “He’s a world-class the red line and then defenceman Ben Chiarot made a bad decision at goalie. He’s big, he challenges, he can stop the puck. So you continue to the blue line, playing the puck instead of the man, resulting in a two-on- make him work, make him look over somebody, make him battle for that one with Blake Coleman scoring with 0.3 seconds left on the clock. extra opportunity. We just keep wearing him down that way.”

Talk about a momentum killer. Tied right back up in Game 2! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/NZaXzuXGdP

The final goal by Ondrej Palat came at 15:42 of the third period on a — NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) July 1, 2021 brutal giveaway by Canadiens defenceman Joel Edmundson behind the Suzuki bounces back net. Suzuki was minus-3 in Game 1 and failed to get a shot on net. The Canadiens ended up outshooting the Lightning 43-23, but still lost because of their mistakes. The 21-year-old centre was much better in Game 2, scoring the Canadiens’ only goal while getting a team-leading nine shots in 18:51 of “These guys are very opportunistic and very lethal offensively if you do ice time. He still finished minus-1. make mistakes in certain areas and, obviously, they showed that again tonight,” Canadiens assistant coach Luke Richardson said. “I don’t think “I thought we had a good bounce-back game,” Suzuki said. “Had a lot of hockey is a mistake-free game. It’s too fast, it’s not football where you chances, but just got to find ways to put the puck in the net, myself stop and start and draw up plays. So you have to play as best you can included. So we just got to stick with that. I thought we had a good playing north and as little time in the offensive zone as you can against a bounce-back game.” team like Tampa and I thought we did a better job tonight. So we’re going to continue to get better and we’re going to find our offence and we’re Richardson was impressed by the play of Suzuki and his 20-year-old going to start scoring a few goals and I think that will give us some linemate Cole Caufield, who was also minus-3 in Game 1. confidence that way. I think that means we have the puck more as well. “I think Nick and Cole, I was not concerned at all,” Richardson said. “I So I thought we did a better job tonight and we’ll continue to do better know there was people mentioning that they think the spotlight and the and push forward in Game 3. moment’s too much for them. I think they showed that it isn’t tonight. “This team plays well with the lead,” Richardson added about the They both had chances to score, Nick got one on the power play and I Lightning, “and we got to make sure that we try and get that first goal thought they did fine against that line (of Brayden Point between Palat next game if we can and play with the lead on them and try and turn the and Nikita Kucherov) when they were out there against them. They tables.” definitely pushed the pace and really showed a lot of character in young men and playing in this final.” Game 3 will be at the Bell Centre on Friday (8 p.m., CBC, SN, NBC, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM) in front of 3,500 fans after the Teammate Paul Byron called Suzuki “an unbelievable hockey player.” Canadiens’ request to the Quebec government and provincial health “We really like his game, we like how he plays,” Byron added. “You play officials to allow 10,500 fans was turned down. the best team in the league, sometimes you’re going to have an off-night. “Their goaltender played extremely well.,” Richardson said about It happens … he’s a young guy. But the way he bounces back, the way Vasilevskiy. “We didn’t get some bounces that way and we had a little bit he carries himself, the way he works, he’s a tremendous hockey player of a puck-management thing right at the end of the second, which was and we have a lot of faith in him. He’s played incredible for us and we unfortunate. We had such a good period in the second playing our style know he’s going to have some big games for us going forward, too.” of game. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/wd5aM8WMz7

“But I thought the guys had a lot of character,” Richardson added. “They — NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) July 1, 2021 came out and played hard in the third and, unfortunately, it didn’t go our way. I was confident that the guys would bounce back and play our style What’s the message? The veteran Perry was asked what the message will be to his teammates Interim head coach Dominique Ducharme is expected to be back behind now heading into Game 3. the Canadiens bench for Game 3 at the Bell Centre after completing 14 days of quarantine at his home in Montreal following a positive COVID-19 “The message is don’t stop doing what we’ve been doing all playoffs,” he test. said. “You look at what happened in the first round. We were down 3-1 (to the Toronto Maple Leafs) and we stayed focused, stayed within our Ducharme hasn’t been behind the bench since Game 2 of the semifinal game plan, never changed, never did anything and continued to push. series against the Golden Knights, but he has still been involved with the It’s no different now. It doesn’t matter first round, second round, third team. round, final, whatever it is. You continue to play your game, continue to do the things that got you here you’re going to be successful. I said it in ““He’s on Zoom,” defenceman Jon Merrill said when asked about the room. I said: ‘It’s fun … this is hockey, it’s fun. Enjoy it.’ Ducharme after the morning skate. “He’s involved in the meetings, he’s involved in the process. Not, obviously, as much as he was before he got “The playoffs are so close,” Perry added. “A bounce here, a bounce stuck with COVID, but he’s definitely still a big part of this team and we there, a timely goal, whatever it is. The games are so minimal. It’s just look forward to seeing him when we get back to Montreal.” one of those things. They get a break at the end of the second (period) — point–five seconds left or whatever it is. That’s a momentum swing. I Sign up for HI/O newsletter thought we played well tonight. I thought we had a lot of great chances. I For all the latest on the Canadiens’ quest for their 25th Stanley Cup, sign thought we were skating, we were forechecking, we had the puck a lot of up for our special time-limited newsletter, HI/O: Montreal’s Road to the the night. If we continue to do that we’ll keep wearing them down.” Cup, at https://montrealgazette.com/newsletters.

#StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/ArgTkPzqjb Here’s the rest of the schedule for the Stanley Cup final:

— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) July 1, 2021 Friday, July 2: (Game 3): at Montreal, 8 p.m.

Armia back in lineup Monday, July 5 (Game 4): at Montreal, 8 p.m.

Richardson said after the morning skate that Joel Armia would be a x-Wednesday, July 7: at Tampa, 8 p.m. game-time decision after being replaced by Jake Evans on the fourth line with Eric Staal and Perry for Game 1. x-Friday, July 9: at Montreal, 8 p.m.

Armia was put in NHL COVID-19 protocol last Sunday following a false x-Sunday, July 11: at Tampa, 7 p.m. positive test. After being cleared from protocol, he flew to Tampa on a x-if necessary private jet Monday, but the decision was made to put Evans in the lineup instead for Game 1, partly because Armia hadn’t skated since the Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.01.2021 Canadiens eliminated the Vegas Golden Knights last Thursday in the semifinals. Armia did take part in the pregame warmup before Game 1 and he was back in the lineup for Game 2.

Armia logged 14:03 of ice time with two shots, two hits and was minus-1.

“He’s had a great playoffs,” Richardson said after the morning skate about Armia, who has 5-3-8 totals and is plus-3 in 18 games. “He’s a big body, he holds on to the puck in the offensive zone, gives us more time there. He’s got good hands for a big guy. A big, key part to the penalty- kill, so definitely with his reach and his stick skills whenever he gets back in this series is going to be a huge help to us against Tampa because they’re very dangerous with seaming pucks on the power play and killing plays in their own end. They like to get going fast on the offence, so if we can hold on to that puck and play a little bit more O-zone time, tire them out there, it will create more chances offensively for ourselves.

“Joel definitely is very dependable defensively,” Richardson added. “But I think Jake is as well. No problem putting either one of them, or that line out there at any point against anybody. I find they’re veterans … Jake’s younger, but very aware and very responsible defensively. But since Army’s in there those three guys have been really good and solid in the playoffs no matter who they’ve played against and created quite a bit of offence at the same time.”

The @TBLightning take a 2-0 series lead in the #StanleyCup Final! pic.twitter.com/EKVvDAO0rW

— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) July 1, 2021

Some stats

The Canadiens outshot the Lightning 43-23 and won 53 per cent of the faceoffs. Tampa led 40-36 in hits.

The Canadiens went 1-for-3 on the power play and the Lightning went 0- for-3.

Chiarot led the Canadiens in ice time with 24:19, followed by Shea Weber with 23:28, Edmundson with 22:08 and Jeff Petry with 21:37. Tyler Toffoli led the forwards with 19:52, followed by Suzuki with 18:51 and Danault with 18:04.

Suzuki had a team-leading nine shots, Petry had five, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Josh Anderson had four each. Byron, Chiarot and Edmundson had four hits each.

Danault went 14-9 on faceoffs (61 per cent), Staal went 6-4 (60 per cent), Suzuki went 6-4 (60 per cent) and Kotkaniemi went 3-5 (38 per cent).

Ducharme back for Game 3 1190121 Montreal Canadiens The stellar addition to the lineup, however, has been former Anaheim Ducks spit disturber Corey Perry. After making the final with the Dallas Stars last season, Perry has become an adored figure in Montreal, where he was willing to take $750,000 and a spot on the taxi squad for a Todd: Trio left behind in 2003 are key to Habs’ Stanley Cup run chance to play.

Three of the star players from that draft are playing key roles for the When that chance came, Perry did not disappoint. He racked up nine Canadiens in this Stanley Cup final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. goals and a dozen assists in 49 games and it’s conceivable that the Canadiens would not have made the playoffs without him.

In the postseason, Perry has become a dominant leader, matching Jack Todd Publishing date:Jun 30, 2021 bloody faces with Brendan Gallagher, visibly schooling and encouraging young sniper Cole Caufield on the ice, a pivotal leadership figure along with Weber, Gallagher, Paul Byron and Price. As he approached the draft table in Nashville on June 21, 2003, Bob Gainey had a dynasty on his stick. As endearing as smiling youngsters Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi can be, it’s hard to imagine the Habs going as far as they All he had to do was to complete a couple of passes and the Canadiens have without the grizzled trio from the 2003 draft. would be reborn from the ashes of the 1995 Patrick Roy trade that had so crippled the game’s greatest team. The Canadiens, make no mistake, were badly rocked in Game 1 against Tampa. If they’re going to recover, they will need every shred of Gainey swung mightily — and missed. experience and courage they can muster, which means they will have to rely heavily on Staal, Perry and Weber. With their picks in the first and second rounds of one of the great drafts in NHL history, the Canadiens could have built a dominant team from the Still, it’s impossible to watch them all these years later without wondering smorgasbord of talent on display in Nashville that day that would make or what this team might have been like had Gainey nabbed Perry and break teams for at least the next 15 years. Weber in 2003, when they were there for the taking, with their long, brilliant careers still ahead of them. When Gainey made his first pick, , Dustin Brown, Brent Seabrook, , Ryan Getzlaf, , , Corey Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.01.2021 Perry, Patrice Bergeron and Shea Weber were still available.

Gainey, newly hired and (by his own admission) somewhat out of touch after his years in Dallas, relied heavily on demoted and underrated GM André Savard and scout Trevor Timmins — but the final call with the 10th pick was his.

The Canadiens made their surprising selection: forward Andrei Kostitsyn of Belarus, who was playing for CSKA Moscow at the time of the draft. The claim was that Kostitsyn fell as far as he did only because of the possibility he had experienced epileptic seizures.

Whatever medical problems Kostitsyn had were managed with modern medicine. What the doctors couldn’t cure, however, was Kostitsyn’s complete lack of heart and an unfortunate predilection (shared with brother Sergei) for hanging out with low-level mobsters.

Kostitsyn wasn’t a complete bust. He would play almost 400 games in the NHL and rack up 103 goals and 119 assists. In his best season, with the Habs in 2007-2008, he had 26 goals and 27 assists.

But oh, the talent Gainey left on the table that day. Especially after he squandered the 40th overall pick on Cory Urquhart of the Montreal Rocket, a big centreman who would never play a game in the NHL, with Bergeron and Weber still available.

With the 20/20 clarity of hindsight, we could draft Perry and Bergeron, or either of those two forwards with Weber. Put them together with , Andrei Markov and 2005 first rounder Carey Price and you have a team for the ages.

Ironically, three of the star players from that draft are playing key roles for the Canadiens in this Stanley Cup final against the Tampa Bay Lightning: Eric Staal (drafted second in 2003) Perry (taken 28th) and Weber (the 49th pick overall). Better late than never.

Weber is the Canadiens’ captain and although there are still occasional rumbles from the Never Let It Die club, most fans today acknowledge that the trade that sent P.K. Subban to Nashville for Weber on June 29, 2016, was a big win for the Habs. Subban’s career has been on a downward slope while Weber (much maligned as usual during the regular season) has been a critical part of this remarkable drive to the final.

Staal, whose presence in the lineup brought little except hoots of derision after he was acquired from Buffalo at the trade deadline, has anchored the Old Guy Line (or the Retirement Line, if you prefer) with Perry and 28-year-old youngling Joel Armia (who absolutely has to be inserted in the lineup for Game 2 if the Canadiens are to have any chance against Tampa).

Staal had two goals and one assist in 21 regular-season games with the Canadiens but he has two goals and six assists in 17 playoff games and the boo-birds are off his back. 1190122 Montreal Canadiens Go Habs Go!!! Nos partisans sont les meilleurs au monde. Best fans who have been so amazing so far! No time or place for negativity from our Mayor. Nous avons une mission et nous allons tout faire pour réussir. Match #1 demain…cheer hard!!! #GHG https://t.co/h1fExHInlG What the Puck: Geoff Molson and Valérie Plante are in a Twitter fight — Geoff Molson (@GMolsonCHC) June 28, 2021 This is a time for joy and celebration, not petty schoolyard fights. Those are fighting words. Was Plante really full of negativity?

I’m not sure it’s appropriate for the CEO of a billion-dollar company — Brendan Kelly Montreal Gazette and one of Quebec’s highest-profile corporations — to publicly scold the mayor of Montreal. You’d think Molson would be a little more reserved on

social media. One of the weirder storylines of this Stanley Cup Final is this argument But what really has tongues wagging is the history behind the conflict. between Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante and Montreal Canadiens owner Former mayor Denis Coderre, who is running against Plante this fall, was Geoff Molson. Let’s just say that neither Plante nor Molson comes out turfed out of office in 2017; one of the main reasons for his defeat was smelling roses here. the controversial Formula E electric car race. In 2018, the city’s inspector I mean, c’mon folks. Really? The mayor and the president of the general issued a report saying the race was set up inappropriately and Canadiens are throwing muck at each other on social media. Grow up. that Coderre essentially gave the job of organizing it to Evenko. This is a time for joy and celebration, not petty schoolyard fights. There was also controversy surrounding Coderre’s decision to invest $10 And if Plante and Molson really do have their differences, why not pick up million in public funds to increase the capacity of the amphitheatre at the phone and try to work it out privately rather than in front of tens of Jean-Drapeau Park from 45,000 to 65,000. The move greatly benefited thousands of people on Twitter? Because that’s exactly what happened Evenko, which holds major festivals like Osheaga on the islands. on Sunday. Following Plante’s election, the city came up with a plan for Jean- Plante wants to organize public screenings of the Canadiens-Tampa Bay Drapeau Park that is less favourable to Evenko. In April, Plante Lightning Stanley Cup Final games. This is not a bad idea given that announced a $970-million redevelopment plan for the islands. Osheaga there are already plenty of impromptu outdoor screenings happening — Canada’s leading music festival — wasn’t mentioned at the across the city, including at N.D.G. Park on Sherbrooke St. W. She announcement. tweeted that they are still waiting for the green light from public health Under the plan, Osheaga will lose two of its stages and will have to drop authorities. capacity by around 25 per cent. The Evenko bosses were not amused. Depuis jeudi dernier, et l’accession de nos @CanadiensMTL à la finale In short, there’s no love lost between Plante and the Montreal Canadiens de la @StanleyCup, nous travaillons très fort sur différents scénarios qui and Evenko. permettraient aux partisans du CH de voir les matchs de la finale, à l’extérieur et en toute sécurité. #polmtl 1/3 But maybe, just maybe, it’s time for the mayor of Montreal and the owner of the Canadiens to behave like grownups and resolve their differences — Valérie Plante (@Val_Plante) June 27, 2021 behind closed doors. That wasn’t so controversial. Then came the dig at Molson’s In a normal world, the mayor should be making a good-natured bet with organization: “Since the CH alerted us that they don’t have the logistical the mayor of Tampa about the series. She had a chat with Tampa Mayor and financial resources to organize the screenings, we are continuing to Jane Castor Monday in which “our only disagreement was on the winner work with other partners to find solutions that will please fans and also of the series.” respect public-health guidelines.” J’ai eu l’occasion de m’entretenir avec la mairesse de Tampa Bay, Comme le CH nous a avisés ne pas avoir les ressources logistiques & @JaneCastor. Belle discussion au cours de laquelle nous avons discuté financières pour organiser des visionnements, nous poursuivons le de nos deux villes, et de la finale de la Coupe Stanley. Notre seul travail avec les autres partenaires pour trouver des solutions qui feront désaccord portait toutefois sur le vainqueur de la série ;) #GoHabsGo plaisir aux partisans tout en respectant les règles de santé #polmtl 3/3 — Valérie Plante (@Val_Plante) June 29, 2021 — Valérie Plante (@Val_Plante) June 27, 2021 I wrote a column the other day about how this magical Habs run is uniting Boom! Plante knew she was sending a poison arrow. To suggest they a divided province. Too bad the mayor and the Habs remain divided. don’t have the financial resources to set up screenings is hilarious. This is a company that’s worth over a billion U.S. dollars. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.01.2021 The decision to not organize screenings shows the short-term thinking of the Canadiens, according to a friend who also said: “The fans who would come out and experience this will have the CH tattooed on their hearts for the rest of their lives.”

It didn’t take long for the Canadiens to fire back.

Paul Wilson, senior vice-president of communications and public affairs, took to the Twittersphere to set the record straight.

“Should Health Authorities approve of these initiatives, we can facilitate this by providing contacts of different suppliers/stakeholders to the City of Montreal, as we have already done. But the Montreal Canadiens will not organize this as we have our hands full right now” 3/3

— Paul Wilson (@prpwilson) June 28, 2021

It’s funny that the company that owns Quebec’s leading concert promoter, Evenko, is claiming they’re too busy to organize a few screening parties.

Then Molson himself weighed in. The big boss took a surprisingly tough shot at the mayor, making many of us think there’s some bad blood between them. He said this is “no time or place for negativity from our mayor.” 1190123 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens at Lightning: Five things you should know

The Canadiens have prided themselves on being the more physical team in these playoffs, but they might have met their match in Tampa Bay.

Pat Hickey Montreal Gazette

Here are five things you should know about Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final between the Canadiens and the Lightning at Amalie Arena Wednesday (8 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN-690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

Where we’re at: The Lightning won the first game in the best-of-seven seres 5-1 Monday night. The Canadiens were able to keep the score close through two periods, but Nikita Kucherov, the leading scorer in the playoffs, showed that he’s healthy as he sparked a three-goal explosion in the third period with two goals and an assist. The Canadiens managed only 19 shots on Andrei Vasilevskiy and their only goal was the result of a shot from the blue line by defenceman Ben Chiarot that caromed off two Lightning players on its way into the net.

Match game: The biggest advantage of being the home team is the ability to have the last line change and Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper took full advantage of it. He was able to keep the Canadiens’ shutdown line centred by Phil Danault away from his top line of Brayden Point, Ondrej Palat and Kucherov. Instead, his top line feasted on the line of Nick Suzuki, Tyler Toffoli and Cole Caufield. The Suzuki line managed only three shots on goal and was on the ice for three of the five Tampa Bay goals.

Physical to the max: The Canadiens have prided themselves on playing a physical game and they have outhit their opponents on a consistent basis throughout the playoffs. They even managed the feat in the semifinal against the Vegas Golden Knights, who were the tallest and heaviest team in the NHL this season. But Montreal may have met its match in Tampa Bay. The Canadiens were credited with a playoff-high 58 hits in Game 1, while the Lightning were right behind with 57. Five of the seven penalties assessed were for roughing and Shea Weber was fined the maximum $5.000 for a late-game slash on Kucherov.

Round one to Vasilevskiy: The much-anticipated goaltending duel between Carey Price and Vasilevskiy failed to materialize. Vasilevskiy received a lot of help from his defence, which limited Montreal to 19 shots on goal and blocked 15 shots. The Russian has allowed two or fewer goals in 11 of his 19 playoff games and he lowered his goals- against average to 1.94 with a playoff-best .936 save percentage. Price had to deal with turnovers, traffic in front of his net and a defence that managed to block only five shots. Price also gave up five goals in Game 2 in the first-round series against Toronto.

Learning from the past: The Canadiens don’t have to think too far back to recall that they lost the opening game of the semifinal against Vegas 4-1 or that they were down 3-1 in the first-round against Toronto and came back up win three elimination games. The Canadiens’ trademark this season has been resiliency and they will need to go into Game 2 with a positive attitude. One aspect of the past they don’t want to dwell on is their record at Amalie Arena in recent years. They have one win their 16 games in Tampa and are 0-7 since their last win at Amalie Arena, a 2-1 overtime victory on April 1, 2017.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190124 Montreal Canadiens puck-possession derby but still wind up having two of the only mistakes you make all game leave you trailing on the scoreboard?

Are the Canadiens going to be forced to play mistake-free hockey to win ‘We’re going to find our offence’: How the Canadiens can learn from what this series? Is that even possible? worked in Game 2 to break through in Game 3 “These guys are very opportunistic and very lethal offensively if you do make mistakes in certain areas and obviously they showed that again tonight,” Richardson said. “You know, I don’t think hockey is a mistake- By Arpon Basu Jul 1, 2021 free game. It’s too fast, it’s not football where you stop and start and draw up plays. You have to play as best you can playing north and (allow) as

little time in the offensive zone as you can against a team like Tampa, Lost in the Game 1 pity party over puck management and poor matchups and I thought we did a better job tonight. was the Canadiens scored only one goal, and that goal came off a shot “We’re going to continue to get better, and we’re going to find our offence from the blue line that bounced off two Lightning players before finally and we’re going to start scoring a few goals, and I think that’ll give us making its way behind Andrei Vasilevskiy. some confidence that way.” The Canadiens were unable to get to the front of the net the way they Doesn’t that sound familiar? had in the first three rounds, they weren’t able to generate rebounds and convert on them the same way, they weren’t able to generate zone time. Richardson is not Price, but that sounds a lot like what Price said after But the focus remained on puck management and matchups, mistakes Game 3 of the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs when the that wound up in the back of their own net. If they cleaned that up, if they Canadiens’ inability to produce offence looked like it would lead to an put pucks behind the Lightning’s massive defence, the offence would early elimination from the playoffs. That time, it took getting shut out in naturally flow from that. Game 4 before the Canadiens finally did find that offence.

The Canadiens, as they have throughout much of these playoffs, took They don’t have that luxury this time. They need to find it next game, or that point of emphasis on puck management (they didn’t seem to care else they might be down 3-0 in this series and all but dead. that much about the matchups) and applied it in Game 2. They didn’t turn pucks over in dangerous areas, for the most part. They made it difficult The saying goes you’re never in trouble in a series until you lose a game for the Lightning to get through the neutral zone. They got pucks behind at home. The next game for the Canadiens is at home. Here is how they the Lightning’s massive defence and did indeed spend more time in the can avoid trouble. offensive zone as a result. The good news for the Canadiens is they don’t need to change a lot from They did all those things, they got 43 shots on net as opposed to the 19 what they did in Game 2 to flip the result in their favour. The biggest they got in Game 1, and yet they scored one goal on a shot from the blue challenge will be to recreate the things they did well while adding layers line – a backhand, no less – that bounced off two Lightning players to that strong play, also knowing that their performance in Game 2 before finally making its way behind Vasilevskiy. They got nothing else, served as a wake-up call for the Lightning even if the result was not in and while Vasilevskiy was consistently excellent, it is not like he was Montreal’s favour. forced into making a ton of highlight-reel saves during the Lightning’s 3-1 “The enemy has a vote,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “Montreal had win Wednesday. a vote in why we didn’t play great, so it wasn’t just on us. They had a And, again, the few mistakes the Canadiens committed still wound up in plan and they stuck to it. That’s part of what goes on here. It’s two really the back of their net. good hockey teams out there. You’re just fighting for who can win four first.” The process was wildly different, and yet the result was ultimately the same. And in the playoffs, especially in the Stanley Cup Final, sometimes The Lightning got away with one, but what Cooper said is correct. It was good process simply isn’t good enough. what the Canadiens did that forced the Lightning to chase the game even though they were leading. And it was two shifts midway through the “This team plays well with the lead,” Canadiens assistant coach Luke second period with the Canadiens trailing 1-0 that swung the momentum Richardson said. “And we’ve got to make sure to try and get that first of the game. The first came from the line of Paul Byron, Jesperi goal next game if we can and play with the lead on them and try and turn Kotkaniemi and Josh Anderson, spending their shift in the offensive zone the tables.” and creating opportunities off a strong cycle, then managing to get a change in and having the line of Joel Armia – making his return from the It used to be the Canadiens’ opponents who were saying that. COVID-19 protocol list – Eric Staal and Perry do what they do so well, The Canadiens had a partial breakaway from Nick Suzuki in the opening spending even more time in the offensive zone on the cycle. minutes of the game nullified by a smart poke check from Vasilevskiy, a On the next shift, Mikhail Sergachev was called for interference on Artturi partial breakaway from Tyler Toffoli turned aside by Vasilevskiy – that Lehkonen on a puck retrieval after Sergachev had spent his shift up until was a nice save – and a two-on-one with Suzuki and Cole Caufield that point chasing after the Staal line. On the shift after that, the shortly afterward nullified by an excellent defensive play by Erik Cernak. Canadiens scored the tying goal on the power play. They had a four-on-three power play where they inexplicably kept Caufield on the bench, going with Suzuki, Toffoli, Shea Weber and Erik The lesson here is that the Canadiens, who normally create a lot of their Gustafsson instead, and it was passive and ineffective. offence off the rush and did on some occasions in this game, need more shifts like those two by the Kotkaniemi and Staal lines, heavy shifts The Canadiens had opportunities early to play with a lead, something playing in the offensive zone tiring out their defence and forcing they have done so incredibly well throughout these playoffs, at one point Vasilevskiy to be focused and alert for extended stretches, which has its going seven consecutive games without trailing once. And yet they own exhaustive quality on a goaltender. entered the second period without a lead because their multiple opportunities went unrewarded. And once they string together those shifts, maybe getting to the front of the net and making Vasilevskiy’s life more complicated will become a bit Then the Canadiens made a mistake in the second period when Corey less difficult. Perry blindly passed the puck into the neutral zone, not all that dangerous a turnover, but a turnover nonetheless, and not long afterward “You know, they’re a good team and they’re strong,” Richardson said. the puck was behind Carey Price on a shot he probably should have “And they protected the inside well. We had chances. We just couldn’t stopped. Then just prior to the end of the second, two of the Canadiens’ get those secondary chances and put them home.” most reliable players throughout this run – Phillip Danault and Ben Chiarot – tag-teamed a second mistake that wound up in their net with The more of those shifts the Canadiens can string together, the more 1.1 seconds left in the period on a diving goal by Blake Coleman that mistakes they can start to force the Lightning to make. Because the Price almost had, and maybe would have had earlier in the playoffs, but Canadiens are not the Lightning, they can’t score on three mistakes, they didn’t on this night. need multiple mistakes to convert. Playing that heavy cycle game against this team gives them the best chance at creating them. How do you reconcile that? How do you play 40 minutes of near-perfect hockey on the road, generate excellent chances early and then go on a Process does only get you so far in the playoffs. Results are what matter because process has a tendency to require time to fully translate into results, and you don’t have time in the playoffs. The Canadiens don’t have time right now. They have to win Game 3 at home, and they know it.

“Obviously, we don’t want the series to get away from us,” Suzuki said. “You’ve got to win your home games. We’re going back home, play two games there, and we have a good opportunity to bring a 2-2 series back here.

“We know what’s at stake. And we’ll be ready to go.”

But one thing focusing on the process can do is provide some added belief. The Canadiens don’t lack that, they have believed in themselves throughout this run despite no one else really believing in them. In fact, it could even be because no one else really believes in them. But it would be normal for Game 1 to create some doubts in their minds, and though they lost Game 2, it did provide a road map to how they can beat the Lightning in Game 3.

The Canadiens will be playing in front of their fans, and though it will be only the 3,500 people they’ve grown accustomed to and not the 10,500 the Quebec public health authorities rejected as an option, it will still be their building and their fans. They will have the final change and therefore control of the matchup. And they will have their coach Dominique Ducharme back with them after a two-week absence due to a positive COVID-19 test at the worst possible time.

There are things for the Canadiens to build on, and as Danault said about his team Tuesday, they tend to be at their best when their backs are against the wall, which is definitely the case now.

“The message is, don’t stop doing what we’ve been doing all playoffs,” Perry said. “You look at what happened in the first round, we were down 3-1. We stayed focused, stayed with our game plan, never changed, never did anything, and continued to push. It’s no different now.

“It doesn’t matter first round, second round, third round, finals, whatever it is, if you continue to play your game, you continue to do the things that got you here, you’re going to be successful. I said it in the room, I said, ‘It’s fun. This is hockey. It’s fun. Enjoy it.’”

This is hockey. It’s fun. Enjoy it.

Players love saying this is the most fun time of year. The Canadiens have already had the most fun run this city has seen in 28 years. If they repeat their performance in Game 2 with a few added layers of efficiency, if they continue to wear down the Lightning, and if they take Perry’s advice, they could extend that fun a little bit longer.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190125 Montreal Canadiens Through two periods they had 29 shots, albeit with just one goal to show for it. Until Blake Coleman’s buzzer-beater, the Canadiens had every right to feel good about their effort.

Canadiens adjust their game plan in Game 2, but mistakes hurt them The penalty kill: The Canadiens were perfect again on the penalty kill, again: Playoff plus/minus successfully shutting down three Lightning opportunities. One big reason was the aggression from their forwards covering the point. Joel Armia and Artturi Lehkonen were two of the Canadiens’ best penalty killers Wednesday night, forcing turnovers at the blueline. By Julian McKenzie Jul 1, 2021 THAT'S SOME GOOD PENALTY KILLING BY JOEL ARMIA

PIC.TWITTER.COM/OGFARAW6BU The key for the Canadiens to win Game 2 was to adjust to the Lightning’s — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) JULY 1, 2021 style of play that was on display in Game 1. The minuses In the first game of the series, the Canadiens made too many turnovers, which led to goals allowed. That’s something you cannot afford to do Having two forwards and two defencemen, and no Cole Caufield, on a 4- against a Lightning team that can strike at will. It didn’t help that the on-3: The Canadiens were given an opportunity with the man advantage Canadiens saw their streak of successful penalty kills snapped. in the latter stages of the first period. For the majority of the 4-on-3, the Canadiens opted to use two forwards and two defencemen. Neither of Montreal also failed to get the matchup it wanted in Phillip Danault going the defencemen were named Jeff Petry. Instead, they deployed Shea toe-to-toe with Brayden Point’s line, as Jon Cooper used the last-change Weber and Erik Gustafsson. advantage to allow his top line to feast upon the trio of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Tyler Toffoli. The Canadiens had Nick Suzuki and Tyler Toffoli on the ice, while Cole Caufield didn’t see time until there were mere seconds left on the 4-on-3. Ahead of Game 2, Canadiens acting head coach Luke Richardson laid He backchecked and blocked a shorthanded opportunity before starting out what needed to be done for his team to draw even in the series. the second period on the power play (at 5-on-4). But the Canadiens had “We got to play a more respectful game to our system,” Richardson said a golden opportunity to get him to produce in an ideal situation. Wednesday afternoon. “Managing that puck. Playing 200 feet. Our battle I HAVE TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING WHY YOU WOULD NOT USE level, and our compete level, has got to rise. And I’m sure it will. It has in COLE CAUFIELD ON A 4-ON-3. every series. And I know the guys are eager to get back and play a better game tonight. Just those three things alone are going to give us a better — ARPON BASU (@ARPONBASU) JULY 1, 2021 chance in the game tonight and in the series.” Instead, the Canadiens spent much of the 4-on-3 trying to cycle the puck And a lot of that happened Wednesday night. The Canadiens played like along the blueline. While they got some shots on net, they weren’t the better team through 40 minutes, especially in the middle frame. particularly lethal. Montreal and Tampa Bay were nearly even in high-danger chances by game’s end. But once again, mistakes — specifically turnovers — proved On one instance, Gustafsson carried the puck and circled around the to be the Canadiens’ Achilles’ heel in a 3-1 loss. For the second faceoff circle to Andrei Vasilevskiy’s left. He then passed to Suzuki consecutive game, the Lightning scored thrice off Canadiens turnovers. before the puck was returned to him in the slot. The defenceman failed to get a clean shot. The play was a good one, but the Canadiens might’ve Richardson got his players to raise their compete level to the point where seen the puck go in had another forward been in his place. they dictated the pace of play at points. But the Canadiens haven’t improved their abilities with the puck, and it’s arguably the biggest reason Limiting turnovers: The margin of error has proven to be very thin against they’re down 2-0 to Tampa as the series moves to Montreal for Game 3 the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Canadiens weren’t as generous with their Friday. turnovers as they were in Game 1. Still, two goals allowed came off turnovers in the neutral zone. And the third came off a blunder much Some adjustments, such as a more aggressive penalty kill, were clear closer to the net. positives for the Canadiens. Then there was whatever the Canadiens were thinking with their 4-on-3 opportunity in the first period. Corey Perry tried to clear the puck from the defensive zone, only to have the Lightning immediately retrieve it in the middle of the ice. Moments THERE WAS SO MUCH WRONG WITH THAT 4-ON-3, FROM later, Anthony Cirelli fired a shot past a screened Carey Price. In the PERSONNEL TO POSITIONING TO EVERYTHING. WHY WERE THEY dying seconds of the second period, Weber tried to feed Phillip Danault SET UP SO FAR OUT? I CAN UNDERSTAND USING WEBER IF HE'S with a pass as he skated through the neutral zone. Ben Chiarot failed to IN AN ACTUAL SHOOTING POSITION, NOT STANDING EITHER OUT keep Barclay Goodrow off the puck and the next thing you knew, he was AT THE BLUE LINE OR NEAR THE BOARDS. helping Blake Coleman with his Superman impression.

SO MUCH WRONG. BLAKE COLEMAN

— ARPON BASU (@ARPONBASU) JULY 1, 2021 WHAT A GOAL! SUPERMAN STYLE! PIC.TWITTER.COM/WQMASSS7H9 It’s time for the good and bad. — OMAR (@TICTACTOMAR) JULY 1, 2021 The pluses The Canadiens’ most egregious mistake came in the dying seconds of Nick Suzuki: Wednesday night will go down as one of Suzuki’s best the third period when Joel Edmundson tapped the puck off the boards playoff performances. He was an asset at both ends of the ice, scoring behind Price. He probably thought Petry would be there to pick it up, but his team’s only goal and creating chances. Partway through the second he was behind Ondrej Palat. The Lightning forward was gifted with a period, he had as many shots on net as the Lightning did (eight). On his freebie when he raced to the puck and buried it to ice the game. own, Suzuki outshot the trio of Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. Suzuki was also solid in the defensive end, making up for his The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 line being on for three goals against in Game 1. He also emerged with a favourable faceoff percentage at 60 percent. He was the team’s best forward through 60 minutes.

NICK SUZUKI, CONFIRMED GOOD AT HOCKEY PIC.TWITTER.COM/SU8RZURYSY

— SCOTT MATLA (@SCOTTMATLA) JULY 1, 2021

A shutdown second period: For most of the second period, the Canadiens neutralized the Lightning attack. They kept them from getting shots on Carey Price thanks to their defence taking away prime scoring areas in the slot. Meanwhile, the Canadiens threw the puck on goal. 1190126 Nashville Predators

Report: Preds could put Viktor Arvidsson on trade block

28-year-old Swede has missed 42 games over last three seasons due to injury

MICHAEL GALLAGHER JUN 30, 2021

Nashville Predators General Manager David Poile will tell anyone willing to listen that the Predators found their identity during the 2020-21 season.

That identity, which both Poile and head coach John Hynes describe as “difficult to play against,” will presumably shape the team’s 2021 roster decisions as Poile picks and chooses which players to expose in the upcoming expansion draft before turning his attention to constructing his opening-night lineup.

If the 2021 Predators want to be a team that plays with tenacity and physicality, there are a handful of players on the current roster that don’t seem to fit that bill, particularly Viktor Arvidsson.

The 28-year-old forward has growing durability concerns after missing 42 games over the last three seasons, including large chunks of time at crucial stretches. And with the emergence of , Arvidsson appears to have lost his spot on Nashville’s top line.

Due to his $4.25 million per year salary, the Predators could look to get out from under his cap number and move on from the 5-foot-9 Swede. According to a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Predators could make Arvidsson available via trade sometime in the not-too-distant future.

“Another name I’ve heard (on the trade block is) Nashville’s Viktor Arvidsson,” Friedman wrote in his 31 Thoughts column. “Tough, hard- working player. Three years left at $4.25 million.”

Arvidsson is just two seasons removed from setting the franchise’s single-season goal record. He was one of the Predators’ more dominant forwards from 2016-19, scoring 94 goals and 170 points over that stretch.

However, he has suffered a handful of injuries since and has been less effective, with a drop in offensive production. In his last 85 games, Arvidsson has notched 19 goals and 38 points and is producing 0.44 points per game. In the 294 games prior to that injury, he totaled 108 goals, 201 points and 0.68 points per game.

Arvidsson is still young enough for another team to take a flier on, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly interested. A third- or fourth- round pick would be a solid return.

Nashville Post LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190127 New Jersey Devils

Devils, 76ers CEO Scott O’Neil announces he’s stepping down

By Jared Greenspan June 30, 2021 | 12:46pm | Updated

Scott O’Neil is stepping down from his role as CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the company which owns the New Jersey Devils and , the teams announced on Wednesday. O’Neil is leaving after eight years to “pursue new opportunities.”

“I’m not riding off into the sunset,” O’Neil told Sportico. “I like big opportunity.”

The 76ers went from being valued at $415 million in 2013 to a current value of $2.5 billion, according to Sportico.

“I’m leaving because it’s time,” O’Neil told the Associated Press. “I remember what it was like when we first walked in here, and to think we’ve grown this business, over $2 billion in value over six times in eight years, that’s what I do. Hypergrowth, super growth. I think that the right person coming in here will be a wonderful steward of this brand for years. But I think I’ve done what I came here to do.”

Scott O’Neil is stepping down as the CEO of the Devils and 76ers.

Under O’Neil’s direction, the 76ers became the first U.S. professional sports franchise to own an e-sports team and notched the first jersey patch sponsorship in “Big Four” sports history. Last December, O’Neil secured the NHL’s first helmet sponsor for the Devils.

HBSE first hired O’Neil as its CEO in 2013. Prior to joining HBSE, O’Neil served as president of Madison Square Garden Sports and worked in the NBA league office.

New York Post LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190128 New Jersey Devils “He went from a guy that you think you have an NHL prospect based on what he’s done in major junior to knowing you have an NHL prospect,” MacKinnon said.

How Devils prospect Graeme Clarke made the most of a weird, Getting as many games as possible in the 2020-21 hockey season unexpected year despite the pandemic was critical for every young hockey player, just as finding some normalcy in 2021-22 will be. It was magnified for Clarke, who missed a big chunk of the 2019-20 campaign after he felt his ‘shoulder fall off’ early in the campaign. He only played 16 games in By Corey Masisak Jun 30, 2021 2019-20.

Not counting exhibitions, Clarke has played 44 games that counted in the It takes a minute for Graeme Clarke to remember them all, cataloging the standings since Oct. 14, 2019. number of times he has had to quarantine during the COVID-19 “This is the least amount of games I’ve ever had probably in my whole pandemic like trips to the doctor’s office. life,” Clarke said. “You just have to find your way around it. Practices There was the one during summer training when a breakout happened at have to somewhat resemble games. If you can do some small area 3-on- his local gym. There was another when he was with Hockey Canada 3 type of stuff, that can resemble a game. I’m definitely looking forward to competing for a spot at the world junior championship. Then one after he hopefully getting back on track and having a full year next season.” came back from playing in Slovakia. And the one when he went home to There were some benefits to the extended break before the 2021 Ontario after the season ended. NHL/AHL seasons. Clarke was able to work on his body more. He said That doesn’t even include the initial one when the entire world essentially there were “smaller details” about his game on the ice that he could hone shut down in March 2020. Or when Binghamton had games postponed in on, instead of just trying to improve the big-picture assets like his shot, because of COVID-19 protocols, including one that was stopped after the his skating and his strength. first period. He also had the chance to play with his brother, Brandt, for HC Nove Through it all, the Devils prospect was constantly waiting to see if the Zamky in Slovakia. Brandt is one of the top prospects in the 2021 NHL league he was supposed to be playing in — the OHL — was ever going draft and could be an option for the Devils with the No. 4 pick. to start a 2021 season. It didn’t, and Clarke ended up spending the full — “It was a good experience for both of us,” Graeme said. “I was only there well, what counts as full in 2021 — AHL season with Binghamton. for like a month or so, played some games. It was almost like just a “It was definitely weird,” Clarke said. “I packed for not staying here the warmup for me, because I hadn’t played in a while. But for him, I think it whole year. I didn’t expect it would be the whole year. I was definitely was a really good opportunity. He played almost a full year there and it texting buddies here and there, just like, ‘Have you heard anything?’ was really good for his development. We had never played together on a Then your agent is starting to hear a little rumblings, but then more team so to just be able to say that now forever we played together is COVID stuff happens again in Canada or Ontario. It was definitely a really cool.” crazy year of that, just like never knowing really what’s next. It really The Devils selected the elder Clarke with the 80th selection in the 2019 turned out well for me individually.” draft. He’s always been a natural goal scorer. He scored 82 goals in 81 Despite all of the stops and starts, the emotional setback of just missing games as a U-16 AAA player for the in the GTHL, out on Canada’s WJC team and being one of the youngest players in the according to Elite Prospects. New Jersey also selected the center who AHL, Clarke was one of the bright spots for the B-Devils. He led kept feeding him the puck with the Marlboros that year in the 2019 draft Binghamton with eight goals and finished second with 18 points in 31 — Jack Hughes, 79 picks before Clarke. games. He scored 30 times in 73 games for the Ottawa 67s in his draft year, and He also led the team in shots on goal and in a short season with a lot of might have posted silly numbers in 2019-20 on a loaded roster were it players shuffling in and out of the lineup, was one of seven to play at not for the shoulder injury. Then he led an AHL team in goals despite not least 30 of the club’s 35 games. being old enough to eligible for the league in a non-pandemic season.

“I think he probably would be the first player I’d bring up in terms of what “He can shoot the puck. He can create a shot for himself. He sees the ice we took out of this year’s American League season,” said New Jersey well,” Binghamton coach Mark Dennehy said. “He’s smart enough to get assistant general manager Dan MacKinnon. “There were a lot of himself in position to shoot. So if those are some of the prerequisites for positives. You look at the record with 35 games, but that doesn’t really being a natural goal scorer, then he checks off some of the boxes. He tell the whole story. By design, this was an opportunity to get a lot of our also creates a lot of shot opportunities for himself. I think a lot of times, young prospects reps at the American League level, an extremely tough snipers or natural goal scores are the beneficiaries of a good playmaker, league. but he’s more than that. He’s got a little bit of deception in his game.

“He’s headed back to the OHL, or so we thought, and you’re thinking, “This was a bonus year for him. You would expect a guy who should be ‘Where’s he going to be a year from now?’ We’ll do the best job we can, playing in the OHL to come in and sort of be overwhelmed by the pace of and you know he was going to be a good player in the OHL. You’re play, by the physicality, the strength. And he wasn’t. He came in, and it hoping he keeps the right habits and we’ll send our development was a relatively seamless transition for him. We quickly recognized that coaches to talk to him like we do with all our guys at the amateur levels he is a smart player. He’s got good puck skills. It wasn’t perfect by any on other teams. Then all of a sudden he’s right under your roof and stretch of the imagination and, as with all players but definitely younger there’s nights where he’s your best forward and there were a few nights players, there were ups and downs. But we liked how he responded to where he was the best forward for both teams. You get excited about some of the adversity. We liked how we responded to some of the that. He’s getting the constant feedback from just not just the AHL challenges.” coaching staff, but the other resources that are there in the big building, Clarke had half of his 18 points in the final 12 games of the season. If and his confidence is growing.” there had been another 30-35 games like a normal AHL season, he Binghamton played its shortened season in Newark, using the Devils’ might have really started to get the production rolling. A few of the young practice facility as its home rink. There were no playoffs for the AHL’s Devils’ prospects had similar circumstances the year before when the North Division, and the B-Devils were a very young team, often icing a team got hot and they improved their output just before COVID-19 ended lineup with three or four AHL rookies on defense. the season early.

It led to a lot of losses, but also a lot of opportunities for younger players “I think the biggest thing was sometimes it didn’t go as well as I wanted it when in a normal campaign there would likely be more AHL veterans to and there were some nights where I was frustrated,” Clarke said. “I’d getting some of the prime assignments. Clarke had a chance to play on look back on the game or I’d watch it again the next day and feel like I the power play, on the penalty kill, up in the lineup at even strength and didn’t get enough shots off or I didn’t get enough opportunities. I scored in overtime/shootout situations. some goals this year, but I think it wasn’t even near what I can do or what I wanted to do. “I think next year, if this had just been a normal season, I would have come into camp as just one of the OHL young kids. I think I was able to establish myself a little bit and show that I can play at the pro level and be effective. It just gave me a head start for the next camp. I’m going to compete for a spot in New Jersey next year. I’m coming in with that confidence. I’ve got 30, 31 pro games under my belt with Binghamton. It was really good for my development that I was in New Jersey all year. I know the staff and how they want to run things.”

The Devils need to find a high-end goal scorer, or two. Yegor Sharangovich looked like a potential long-term option during the 2021 NHL season. Clarke is one of a few prospects, including 2020 first-round pick Alexander Holtz and Nolan Foote, a first-round pick in 2019 by Tampa Bay, who look like the best internal options to help fill a big need before the franchise is ready to be a consistent playoff contender and eventually compete for the Stanley Cup.

“The one player we’ve all been talking about is Graeme Clarke,” Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. “He’s a very smart player. Lots of skill. Gets to the inside. He’s got good speed. He’s grown, not that he was small. There’s a lot to like about his game and seeing that at this level is really exciting.”

The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190129 New York Islanders were happy to get in there and we’re happy about that so, yeah, next year will be better."

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 07.01.2021 Islanders look forward to a normal season, finally

By Andrew Gross

The Islanders navigated two COVID-19-impacted seasons, playing in postseason bubbles after a lengthy layoff, then playing at Nassau Coliseum, first without fans but then with attendance steadily increasing. There was daily testing and strict guidelines on social interactions both at home and on the road.

Each year, the Lightning kept them one round short of reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1984.

Now, there will be a shorter-than-usual offseason before training camp opens in mid-September. But the Islanders and the rest of the NHL can look forward to a full 82-game season in 2021-22 season, played in front of full capacity — or close to it — crowds in the usual October-to-June window.

"It’s a change that we’re all kind of looking forward to," Jordan Eberle said on Sunday as the Islanders conducted their exit interviews. "Not just hockey, but in the world in general. Just being able to go out on the road and have dinner with the guys. I think you saw things starting to transition to normalcy toward the end of the year, which was nice."

Island Ice Ep. 105: Into the offseason we go

Andrew Gross and Neil Best discuss the Islanders' offseason plans, the roster, free agency and more.

The Islanders, after a decades-long odyssey to secure a modern home to generate the necessary revenue, will have even more organizational stability next season — and the seasons to come — as the $1.2 billion UBS Arena at Belmont Park is targeted to open in November.

"I think Belmont should be refreshing," coach Barry Trotz said. "It’s got to be exciting. It’s a fantastic facility, a fantastic location. I’m guessing, from my experience, we’ll probably start on the road a little bit and probably open a little later at Belmont just to give a cushion with construction.

"We’ll have to be ready for it," Trotz added. "Hopefully, we take it as a real positive. Things are opening up. That should energize not only myself but the players and the fan base. Right now, we’re feeling disappointed [after being eliminated]. But we feel there’s momentum in terms of organizationally."

There are still some lingering pandemic-related concerns heading into next season. Notably, the NHL re-aligned last season to complete an all- divisional-play, 56-game regular season that cut down on travel. All seven Canadian teams played in one division and the Canadian government still has not fully eased the restrictions for U.S. teams or citizens to enter that country.

Then, there’s the compact offseason.

"It’s hard, physically and mentally," Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who underwent surgery on his hand on Monday, said of the Islanders’ lengthy playoff run. "It drains a lot out of you. I think everyone’s going to probably need some time just to disconnect a little bit with hockey.

"But, knowing that group of guys, the character there is and how competitive everyone is, I know everyone is going to show and just want more again," Pageau added. "We were right there, we could taste it almost. It’s something in us that we always want more. I’m sure that will be the goal set next year to make it even further."

Trotz said even just having July and August off should be enough time for his players to get adequate rest and recovery.

"It’ll be more the emotional thing," Trotz said. "Can you get it cranked up to do another 82 games? It’ll be strange to play 82 games."

Strange because everything once taken for granted as normal has been disrupted.

"It’s been a tough year for everyone," defenseman Scott Mayfield said. "But I think everyone’s just ready for things to open up. I think when the fans were let back in, they showed that. They brought the noise. They 1190130 New York Islanders Charlie McAvoy also finished a career-best fifth in the Norris Trophy voting behind a pair of other young D-men in Adam Fox and Cale Makar. (Boston Hockey Now)

NYHN Daily: Islanders Pageau Has Surgery, Expansion Draft, & More Daniel Sprong went from being a part of a minor league trade to finding a home on the Washington Capitals roster. And to take things a step further, he’s made quite a case for himself as a permanent top-6 talent. (Washington Hockey Now) By Stefen Rosner As the major NHL awards were handed out on Tuesday night, Pittsburgh

Penguins center and captain Sidney Crosby on Tuesday missed out on The New York Islanders are now dealing with the offseason, as their are the Ted Lindsay Award, which goes to the Most Outstanding Player as many things that general manager Lou Lamoriello needs to take care of determined by a vote of NHL Players Association. Kris Letang finished before the 2021-22 season. Jean-Gabriel Pageau had surgery on his ninth, including one first-place vote, in PHWA voting for the Norris Trophy hand and will be ready by next season. There is a case for Nick Leddy for the top defenseman. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now) and Jordan Eberle to be left unprotected and become an option for the The Florida Panthers have made an addition to their coaching staff, Seattle Kraken. Next season will begin on the road as UBS Arena will adding former NHL forward Tuomo Ruutu as an assistant coach. Ruutu, most likely not be completed in time for start of season. These stories 38, has spent the past two seasons with the New York Rangers and was and more in today’s daily links! their assistant director of player development last season. (Florida Lou Lamoriello confirmed on Tuesday that Jean-Gabriel Pageau had Hockey Now) surgery on his hand on Monday to repair an injury he suffered Former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios was one of several presumably the playoffs. Jean-Gabriel Pageau had hinted that it was a analysts that will work for ESPN next season when they return as one of possibility on Sunday when he met with reporters following exit the NHL’s two national television rights holders. Chelios will join Mark interviews, but did not say what had ailed him during the New York Messier, Ray Ferraro, Brian Boucher, Kevin Weekes, A.J. Mleczko, Islanders postseason run. Lamoriello said that Pageau would be ready Kevin Weekes, Ryan Callahan, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Hillary Knight 100 percent ready for training camp in September. (NYI Hockey Now) and Barry Melrose. (Detroit Hockey Now) The NHL Expansion Draft is less than a month away and the New York Finally, the NHL has recognized something Vegas Golden Knights fans Islanders will likely lose a piece of the puzzle that got them to the Stanley have known all along: Marc-Andre Fleury is the best goaltender in the Cup Semifinals to the Seattle Kraken. While no one can read into the NHL. Now he has the hardware to prove it after winning his first Vezina thought process of team general manager Lou Lamoriello, two Islander Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. The award completes a career players that played every day could be unprotected given their struggles year for Fleury, who won the William Jennings Trophy with teammate this season. There is no easy choice for Lamoriello, but leaving Leddy Robin Lehner for allowing the fewest goals against in the regular season. and Eberle exposed in the draft could protect the Islanders from losing a Fleury posted a 26-10-0 record, along with career-bests with a 1.97 piece that had been a bigger cornerstone to their success the past two goals-against average and .928 save percentage. Fleury also recorded seasons. Here is the case for leaving Leddy and Eberle unprotected in six shutouts this season, good for third place in the league. (Vegas the Expansion Draft. (NYI Hockey Now) Hockey Now) For the second straight year, the New York Islanders are watching the For Adrian Dater, he believes that Cale Makar was the only logical choice Stanley Cup Final. They were a game closer this year than last at the for the Norris Trophy. However, he does not have a vote. He has the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning, taking them right to the limit of a stats to back up his claim. (Colorado Hockey Now) seventh game. But alas, the result ended up the same. With that being said and a cap crunch looming, here’s how the Islanders offseason will RFA Rudolfs Balcers’s negotiations with the San Jose Sharks appear to be impacted by some of their biggest looming questions. (NYI Hockey be going smoothly. “Rudolf Balcers’s talks with the San Jose Sharks on a Now) new contract are moving forward at a good pace. The Latvian’s camp is aiming for a two-year contract,” Ulvis Brože of Sportacentrs tweeted this It seems that is all but set in stone that the New York Islanders will begin morning. “They hope that everything will be signed by mid-August so that the 2021-22 season on the road as construction on UBS Arena, their new Balcers can play in Olympic qualification in Riga.” (San Jose Hockey home at Belmont Park, is completed in the fall. Islanders president and Now) general manager Lou Lamoriello had been the latest team official to discuss the idea during his final media availability of the season. UBS Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers won the Hart Trophy Arena is expected to open in the fall, but not until November, which unanimously voted as the most valuable player in the NHL on Tuesday. would be well after the 2021-22 season’s targeted start date. (NYI McDavid received each of the 100 first-place votes after he led the NHL Hockey Now) with 105 points (33 goals, 72 assists), 21 ahead of teammate Leon Draisaitl. (NHL) The Islanders fell just short of the Stanley Cup Final for a second consecutive season. And also for a second consecutive season, the Isles Adam Fox of the New York Rangers won the Norris Trophy voted as the have a tricky path to staying a Cup contender in 2021-22 thanks to the best defenseman in the NHL on Tuesday. Fox was second among flat salary cap, the Seattle expansion draft in three weeks, and a slew of defensemen with 47 points (five goals, 42 assists), one behind Tyson restricted and unrestricted free agents, just about all of whom Lamoriello Barrie of the Edmonton Oilers. He was plus-19 in 55 games and led the would love to retain. Here’s the Islanders president/general manager on Rangers in average ice time per game (24:42), more than three minutes a number of topics during his Tuesday conference call. (The Athletic) more than defenseman Jacob Trouba, who was second (21:29). (NHL)

Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello did not Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild won the Calder Trophy voted as sugarcoat the difference between what a player or organization wants NHL rookie of the year on Tuesday. The 24-year-old forward is the first and the financial realities of the NHL. Re-signing impending unrestricted Wild player to win the award. (NHL) free agents and Kyle Palmieri may be difficult even with mutual interest in both returning to the Islanders. “This is a very special Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers won the Ted Lindsay Award on core group,” Lamoriello said on Tuesday during his end-of-season Tuesday, given annually to the most outstanding player in the NHL as conference call with the media. “We will do everything we can to keep, voted by members of the NHL Players’ Association. McDavid led the certainly, the core together. It will be impossible because of the NHL with 105 points (33 goals, 72 assists), 21 ahead of teammate Leon expansion year and also because of free agency. And, also, some of our Draisaitl, who was second with 84 points. The center led the NHL in young players who we think might be ready for NHL time. “So, these will assists, even-strength points (68) and power-play points (37) and was be difficult decisions.” (Newsday) second in goals and game-winning goals (11). It was the third time McDavid led the NHL in scoring (100 points in 2016-17; 108 in 2017-18). While the Boston Bruins didn’t live up to their hopes and aspirations while (NHL) bowing out in the second round of the playoffs, they did end up having some pretty good showings for the NHL Awards.Brad Marchand finished NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 07.01.2021 a career-best fifth in the Hart Trophy voting for the NHL’s MVP Award and also finished as a First Team All-Star at left-wing. Defenseman 1190131 New York Rangers too much baggage to carry forward into next season. A new voice was needed.

But the remarkable ascension of Adam Fox from a guy competing for a Rangers will have to lose players to make offseason noise roster spot as a rookie in 2019-20 to being selected the league’s best defenseman for 2020-21 as a sophomore should be a reminder that players did develop and improve playing for Quinn.

By Larry Brooks June 30, 2021 | 7:38pm | Updated Those who proclaim that Fox was a finished product when he arrived are spouting nonsense. They are ignorant, willfully so or not.

Quinn constructed the Ryan Lindgren-Fox pair. Both improved. Both Regarding the Rangers, the first non-playoff team in NHL history to thrived under increased responsibility. Pavel Buchnevich improved under produce a Norris Trophy winner: Quinn. Mika Zibanejad had the best year of his career playing for Quinn. 1. Of course Phillip Danault would look mighty good wearing the Blueshirt So did Panarin. So did Ryan Strome. K’Andre Miller made the all-rookie next season, so would Blake Coleman and so would Barclay Goodrow. team playing for Quinn. There is not much question about that. That is worth remembering. The three impending free agents currently playing in the final — Danault New York Post LOADED: 07.01.2021 for Montreal, Coleman and Goodrow for Tampa Bay — would all bolster the grit and grind ingredients that the Rangers lack. They would all fit.

But GM will have to clear out space to add any one of them. I’m not talking about cap space. I’m referring to space in the lineup that does not currently exist. Where are these hypothetical additions going, where are they playing, whose spot would be taken?

That is the curiosity with the Rangers. Here’s a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in four years and there are no openings. I guess it’s because of all the prospects needing to play, but it’s kind of a comical situation.

The team needs to bulk up and reinvent itself under incoming coach , but it won’t be possible unless and until Drury does a similar kind of housecleaning with the playing personnel as he has affected with the front office.

I left out as a pending free agent who would make an impact with the Rangers even though he could and should be a prime candidate under alternate circumstances. Do you know why?

Because he is a left wing, that’s why. It doesn’t matter who the left wing is and what qualities he would add, there is no room for him on a team that lines up with Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Alexis Lafreniere on that side. What’s that you say? By bumping one to the right?

OK, then pretty much forget about Vitali Kravtsov having a top-nine spot with incumbents Pavel Buchnevich and Kaapo Kakko in place and in line for top-six roles. Plus, is anyone clamoring for a rerun of Lafreniere or Kreider on the wrong side?

Rangers GM Chris Drury, seen here behind the bench last season, has his hands full this offseason.

Danault as third-line center? Fine by me if the contract makes sense, but what happens to Filip Chytil? Or you’re just figuring that the Czech will be gone before he celebrates his 22nd birthday in early September?

And now explain to me where there is an opening for Morgan Barron unless it is on the fourth line, either in the middle or on the wing.

Yes, Gallant said in his introductory press briefing last week that he is not a fan of playing kids on the fourth line, as if any coach is. But where is there a spot for Barron in the top nine?

Drury needs to be in the import and export business, just like Art Vandelay. The GM won’t be able to add players without subtracting. And that is why two-for-one’s or three-for-one’s makes sense for the Rangers. Because they cannot address their deficiencies without moving out incumbents.

2. front offices figured this out maybe 15 years ago. When a player with a large contract is traded, the money factors into the return. Or it most certainly should. That’s why it would be insane for any team to meet Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams’ outlandish demands in return for .

Taking the annual $10 million hit for the next five years in a flat cap era constitutes an element of the trade. If Buffalo is willing to eat 50 percent of it, then the return would become more expensive. For $10 million a year, maybe one high-quality roster player, a prospect and a No. 1. For $5 million, another asset would be added to the mix.

3. I am not arguing or suggesting that David Quinn should have been brought back for a fourth year behind the bench. There would have been 1190132 New York Rangers

Rangers' Adam Fox sought to gain more trust, responsibility in second season

By Colin Stephenson

Now that he is only the second player to win the Norris Trophy in his second season — Bobby Orr was the first — Rangers defenseman Adam Fox said his focus now is on lifting the team to new heights.

"From my rookie year to this year I just tried to gain more trust,’’ Fox, a Jericho native, said on a Zoom call late Tuesday night after he became the fourth American and first Long Islander to win the award. "I think people knew I could be an offensive player, but I wanted to have a little more sense of responsibility. And I obviously got trusted this year with killing penalties and being out there in defensive situations a little more. And I think it just helped me, and I think I just tried to play well, game in and game out, and help the team win. I think when you do that, personal success comes from that, and I think the next step is just team success.

"Being a Ranger is [to belong to] one of the best organizations in the league,’’ he said. "We’ve got a lot of young pieces and I think just having team success will benefit me and benefit everyone. I think that's the next step.’’

Fox, 23, will take that next step with a new coach in Gerard Gallant. He replaces David Quinn, who was fired by new president and general manager Chris Drury after the season. Quinn coached the Rangers the past three years and kept giving Fox more and more ice time. He was as responsible as anyone for Fox’s becoming a star so early in his career.

"Yeah, of course, the coaching staff, management, everyone involved is helpful in where I'm at and obviously gave me the opportunity to play and showcase what I could do,’’ Fox said. "Coach Quinn trusted me, and I'm grateful for that. And yeah, we've kept in touch a little bit and he's congratulated me, and I wish him the best. But, you know, those type of business decisions are not for me to make, and I obviously wish those guys the best.’’

Fox led all NHL defensemen with 42 assists. His 47 points (in 55 games) was second in the league.

He garnered 40 first-place votes and earned 743 points in the voting. Runner-up Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche had 31 first-place votes and 655 points, and Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning finished third, with 22 first-place votes and 433 points. Carolina’s Dougie Hamilton was fourth and Boston’s Charlie McAvoy, another Long Islander, was fifth, earning two first-place votes and 125 points.

Fox also was named to the NHL's first All-Star team, joining Makar, Tampa goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, Edmonton center Connor McDavid, Toronto right wing Mitchell Marner and Boston left wing Brad Marchand.

Fox was asked if he now owns bragging rights over his close friend, McAvoy, of Long Beach, for being the first Long Islander to win the award.

"Charlie, you know, is a great friend that I've known since we were little kids, and it's great to see the success he's having,’’ Fox said with a smile. "I don't know if either of us ever even mentioned the word ‘Norris Trophy’ in our childhood conversations. But it's great for Long Island to see the success he's having, [and] myself being on the Rangers and being from Long Island… I think it's just great for the future Long Island hockey.’’

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190133 NHL Upon reflection, and they did have an off day on Tuesday to sift through the detritus, the Canadiens seized on the notion of simplicity. As in, keep doing what they have been doing — just do it better, and with more verve. Every Shot, and Second, Counts for Tampa Bay The first period unspooled as if Montreal had heeded Danault’s charge. The Lightning’s Blake Coleman dived to tip in the winning goal in the final Instead of defending odd-man rushes, the Canadiens created them. They seconds of the second period to help Tampa Bay triumph despite being sprang two breakaways, sprayed shots from all angles and penetrated heavily outshot. the once-impermeable space in front of Vasilevskiy. They also did not score.

When Tampa Bay opened the scoring at 6 minutes 40 seconds of the By Ben Shpigel second period, on Anthony Cirelli’s point shot that whistled through a thicket of bodies, it came against the run of play. The Canadiens kept peppering Vasilevskiy, kept driving play to the outside, and were TAMPA, Fla. — It was a cute idea, really it was. This notion that as the rewarded when Nick Suzuki dribbled in a backhander from the slot that final seconds ticked off and play lingered in the neutral zone, the middle appeared to deflect off at least one Lightning player. period of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals would end, just end, with the score still tied but the Montreal Canadiens in control. A puck, though, can His goal evened the score at 1-1 at 10:36, and it stayed that way for most do some wondrous things, and Lightning wing Barclay Goodrow flipped it of the second period — but not all of it. past one Montreal defenseman, then maneuvered it past another to whip New York Times LOADED: 07.01.2021 a backhand pass across the slot.

There was no time left until there was just enough. Smoke sprayed from behind Canadiens goalie Carey Price, and the crowd whooped and yelled, and the man whose diving flick sent the puck into the net barreled headfirst toward the boards. Two years ago Blake Coleman scored one of the most unbelievable goals in recent N.H.L. annals, but this effort — an eventual game-winner, with three-tenths of a second remaining in a period, in the Stanley Cup finals — far surpassed it.

After their 3-1 win Wednesday at Amalie Arena, Tampa Bay leads the best-of-seven series by two games to none, and the Canadiens must be wondering how they could do so many things right and yet still might wind up watching the Lightning hoist the Stanley Cup next week in Montreal.

That is the inherent problem with playing the Lightning, who can also do so many things wrong — uncharacteristic things — but have the quick- strike potential to crush dreams and souls.

The Canadiens nearly doubled Tampa Bay’s shot total, 43-23, and lost. They lost because they couldn’t solve Andrei Vasilevskiy, who saved 42 shots, and they couldn’t get out of a period that was over until it wasn’t.

Coleman plays on Tampa Bay’s sandpaper third line, which Coach Jon Cooper has deployed against Montreal’s top line, all but erasing it. He and his linemates — Goodrow and Yanni Gourde — embody this new incarnation of the Lightning, a team with copious amounts of speed and skill, yes, but also snarl and a defensive identity.

Goodrow initiated the decisive sequence by knocking the puck past Ben Chiarot and then driving toward the net. He shimmied ever so slightly to gain space to send the puck from circle to circle, toward Coleman, who was draped by Phillip Danault. And as Coleman fell, his stick met Goodrow’s pass and nudged it inside the near post, just before — maybe three-tenths of a second before? — Price slid over.

Maybe it all felt familiar to Coleman, who seems to specialize in scoring goals he shouldn’t. As a member of the Devils, he jolted a one-handed shot into the net while falling against the Winnipeg Jets. In college at in Ohio, he did the same in a playoff game against Western Michigan.

The Tampa Bay fans’ roar was deafening, almost as loud as the chants that rang long and true: “Vasy! Vasy! Vasy!” They echoed not after Vasilevskiy thwarted the Canadiens’ first breakaway of the opening period, or their second, or the in-tight backhander, but before the puck was dropped Wednesday night and the American and Canadian anthems were sung.

Price has been outplayed this postseason only by Vasilevskiy, who punctuated all three series clinchers — against the Florida Panthers, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Islanders — with shutouts and has yielded just two goals, one in each game, against the Canadiens.

The Canadiens played hockey in this bizarre alternate universe in Game 1, a place where they resembled not the team that rampaged through the playoffs but all the opponents they vanquished: disjointed and discombobulated, reckless with the puck and unstructured without it. Like spectators, Danault said. 1190134 Ottawa Senators

Senators Finnish goaltending prospect on his way to Kingston

Ken Warren

The Ottawa Senators top goaltending prospects will be playing less than an hour apart along the 401 next season.

Leevi Meriläinen, the Senators third round pick (71st overall) in the 2020 NHL draft, was selected by the Kingston Frontenacs in Wednesday’s Canadian Hockey League import draft, meaning the Senators won’t have to go far to see him in action.

Meriläinen, who turns 19 in August, had an outstanding 2020-21 season with Karpat in Finland’s under-20 league, posting a record of 21-0-3, with a goals against average of 1.71 and a save percentage of .928.

The Senators signed Meriläinen to a three-year entry level contract two weeks ago and general manager Pierre Dorion has high hopes that the 6-2, 178-pound goaltender could play for Finland at the 2022 world junior championships.

The Senators currently have plenty of goaltending depth. Matt Murray, who will be looking to bounce back from a shaky 2020-21 season, along with Anton Forsberg, are expected to start the season in the NHL. The club also has Filip Gustavsson and Joey Daccord, who played well in injury relief last season. The Senators will, however, need to make a decision on whether to protect Daccord or Gustavsson in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft.

Also currently ahead of Meriläinen on the Senators’ depth chart are Kevin Mandolese and Mads Sogaard, who finished up the 2020-21 season with the Belleville Senators in the American Hockey League, less than an hour’s drive from Kingston.

Meanwhile, the Ottawa 67’s went back to Austria in the CHL’s import draft, selecting right winger Vinzenz Rohrer. The 67’s struck gold several years ago when they drafted Austrian Marco Rossi.

The Gatineau Olympiques chose German centre Haakon Frederik Hanelt with their import draft selection.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190135 Philadelphia Flyers

ESPN’s new NHL roster has several Flyers connections, including a once-hated foe

Rob Tornoe

At one point, Chris Chelios was the most-hated man in Philadelphia.

ESPN has announced it hired Chelios, a Hall of Famer and three-time Stanley Cup winner, as part of the network’s studio coverage when it begins broadcasting NHL games next season. ESPN will pair Chelios with another Hall of Famer, Mark Messier, who played 25 seasons in the league, mostly for the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers.

Chelios was a defenseman on the Montreal Canadiens during the 1989 playoffs when he injured former Flyers left winger Brian Propp with a dirty hit during Game 1 of the Wales Conference (now Eastern Conference) finals.

The hit was so violent, medics had to carry an unconscious Propp off the ice on a stretcher. A cut on the back of Propp’s head left a large pool of blood on the ice.

The Canadiens would go on to defeat the Flyers in the series. Faced with elimination in Game 6 and with time running out, then-Flyers goalie Ron Hextall skated out to the wall and attacked Chelios, repeatedly punching him.

“As a result, fights broke out on several parts of the ice. A dangerous, prolonged, really scary rain of beer cups and other debris poured from the Stands,” Rich Hoffman recounted in the Daily News. “Montreal goaltender Patrick Roy said he was hit by a Sprite bottle.”

Hextall, who was eventually suspended 12 games for the incident, was unapologetic after the fight and didn’t understand why reporters seemed so surprised.

“Blind rage? Did you see what he did to Brian Propp? Come on. I think we owed him something,” Hextall told reporters.

Chelios reflected on the incident in 2013 at a fan forum at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

“I know what he was thinking,” Chelios said. “I had it coming for what I did to Propp. What goes around comes around. Thank God I saw him coming at the last second and got my head turned.”

ESPN also hires former Flyers goaltender Brian Boucher

Former Flyers goalie Brian Boucher has also signed with ESPN, leaving NBC to join the network’s hockey coverage as a lead analyst.

“Boosh,” as he’s known around the hockey world, was drafted by the Flyers in the first round of the 1995 NHL Draft and spent 13 seasons in the league, which included three separate stints in Philadelphia.

His broadcasting career began at Comcast SportsNet in 2013, where he did studio work on pre- and post-game coverage of the Flyers. He graduated to NBC in 2015, where he’s worked on the network’s lead NHL broadcast team alongside Mike “Doc” Emrick and .

ESPN announced its full roster of NHL talent on Tuesday, which includes longtime SportsCenter anchor Steve Levy leading the studio team. Former Monday Night Football announcer Sean McDonough will be the lead play-by-play voice, along with John Buccigross, Bob Wischusen, and Leah Hextall — cousin of Ron Hextall and the first woman to do play- by-play for a nationally televised NHL game.

In addition to Boucher, ESPN also added analysts Ray Ferraro, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Kevin Weekes, Ryan Callahan, A.J. Mleczko, Rick DiPietro, and Hilary Knight. They’ll join longtime NHL analyst Barry Melrose, who has been with the network since 1994.

The network will officially kick off its coverage of the NHL in July, when it airs the Seattle Kraken expansion draft on July 21 and the NHL Draft beginning July 23.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190136 Philadelphia Flyers know it was difficult. For me, I was working out out of my garage for as long as I could until I was allowed to get back into my regular gym, trying to find ice, it was difficult. Everyone went through it, every team went through it — it was a weird year for everybody. Hopefully we can figure it Soon-to-be dad Konecny gearing up for new life, on and off the ice out next year and everyone's training situations are better this year. If they're not, they can figure out a way to improve it and we'll start with

that." BY JORDAN HALL Konecny is still only 24 years old and already has an All-Star season to his name. He has three 24-goal seasons, with the third coming in 2019- 20 when he was on pace to finish for 30-plus until the regular season The atypicality and disappointment of the 2020-21 season should give was cut short because of COVID-19. Over the last four seasons, the Flyers plenty of self-reflection this offseason. Konecny has 69 even strength goals, more than guys like Patrik Laine (67), Mika Zibanejad (65), Mikko Rantanen (64) and Mike Hoffman (61). For Travis Konecny, he'll have a good escape from the danger of overthinking. Konecny and his fiancee Karly are expecting their first child He'll come to September training camp with first-time dad duties. The in late August. Flyers will come with expectations to get back into the playoffs and they'll need Konecny right in the middle of it all. "That's something exciting for me," Konecny said in May at his end-of- the-season press conference. "I’ve got a lot to look forward to in the New life for everyone. summer months here, so I'm going to be back down here sometime in July getting ready to have a baby. We're both really excited for it. Can't Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.01.2021 wait."

The baby prep and fatherhood are new elements to Konecny's offseason. The life moments will surely require adjustments, in all the right ways. But if Konecny needed practice in patience and perspective, he got some of it throughout a strange 2020-21 season filled with obstacles.

And struggles.

As the Flyers collectively took a surprising and steep step backward, Konecny's production dipped after he broke out for an All-Star season in 2019-20. Last season, Konecny led the Flyers in both goals (24) and points (61) over 66 games. He also scored a team-high 19 goals at even strength. This season, the winger finished with 11 goals and 34 points in 50 games, while seven of his markers came at even strength.

When asked after the season about the drop-off in goals, Konecny was left searching for answers.

"I wish I could tell you, I would have fixed it," Konecny said. "I'm not too sure. I think this season was weird in general and if you had any sort of issues in your game, it was hard to work on certain things and get back to where you need to be because there was no practice time to reset and maybe get your confidence back. Other than that, maybe I wasn't shooting the puck as much as I was last year, trying to do too much. Maybe just get back to simplifying my game. I'm going to have some time to reflect on that and hopefully figure it out over the offseason."

It's possible Konecny seldom felt in rhythm or recharged during the crammed season and one could understand if that was the case. Konecny did not get a lot of breaks. He had five goals, three assists and a plus-5 rating through the Flyers' first eight games, but was then benched by head coach for their ninth game. Konecny went scoreless over the next four games before the Flyers' season was brought to a halt by COVID-19.

The team was shut down from Feb. 9-15. Konecny tested positive for the coronavirus and was placed on the NHL's COVID protocol list Feb. 14. As a result, he had a mandatory 14-day quarantine, so he went 22 days without playing a game and 19 without skating.

"I did have symptoms," Konecny said March 2 when he returned to the lineup. "It's no joke, it's a serious virus. ... I got it pretty good and it's just a matter of time, getting back into things and everything will start coming back.

"With my girlfriend being pregnant, I spent a lot of my time just in my room by myself. It was a long quarantine for me. I spent a lot of time just texting, trying to FaceTime and stay in touch with guys. With some of the guys that were doing their quarantines, playing Xbox and stuff."

After coming back, Konecny had six goals and 20 assists through the Flyers' final 38 games. The Flyers went 14-19-5 over that stretch and missed the playoffs after starting 11-4-3. Following the season, Vigneault and general manager Chuck Fletcher mentioned how some of the Flyers' younger Canadian players experienced difficulty with training last offseason amid the tight COVID-19 restrictions. Konecny is a native of Canada and trains there in the offseason.

"I mean, it's easy to look back now and make excuses. Other teams have the same amount of people from different countries and they made it work, so I'm not going to say the fault is all training," Konecny said. "I 1190137 Pittsburgh Penguins Additionally, don’t expect the Penguins to protect him in next month’s expasion draft and don’t expect the Seattle Kraken to select him.

Lafferty, who can line up at center as well, has the one base component Penguins A to Z: Sam Lafferty needs to find more offense required to be in the NHL and that’s his speed. And it’s not just speed from one end of the ice to the other. He can move in quick bursts in tight areas while reacting to plays.

SETH RORABAUGH | Wednesday, June 30, 2021 8:22 a.m. And he’s certainly not afraid to throw his body around. That’s an attribute that became more popular with this organization ever since executives

Brian Burke and Ron Hextall came on board in February. In 34 games last season, Penguins forward Sam Laffery had six assists. But he needs to develop a greater offensive component to his game. With the Penguins in the midst of their offseason, the Tribune-Review is Granted, that’s difficult to do in a role primarily limited to fourth-line looking at all 48 players currently under NHL contracts to the duties. But he’s shown he can chip in the occasional bit of offense as organization in alphabetical order, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari evidenced by the 13 points (six goals, seven assists) he put up in 50 to top-six winger Jason Zucker. games as a rookie in 2019-20.

Sam Lafferty A little bit of offense can go a long way for Lafferty in 2021-22.

Position: Right winger Tribune Review LOADED: 07.01.2021

Shoots: Right

Age: 26

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 195 pounds

2020-21 NHL statistics: 34 games, six points (zero goals, six assists)

Contract: First year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $750,000. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2022.

Acquired: Fourth-round draft pick (No. 113 overall), June 28, 2014

2020-21 season: Sam Lafferty already had a place in Penguins history as one of the relatively few natives of Western Pennsylvania to suit up for the franchise.

The Hollidaysburg native added to his list of benchmarks fairly early into the 2020-21 campaign when he became the franchise’s first player to be assigned from the NHL roster to the temporary taxi squad on Jan. 19.

Unlike a lot of the paper transactions the Penguins undertook with the taxi squad for the benefit of the salary cap, this one was almost exclusively based on performance.

Lafferty just wasn’t very good.

After logging 10:55 of ice time in the season opener on Jan. 13, Lafferty saw his ice time drop dramatically by the second game (6:36) then the third game (3:08). And before the season as even a week old, he was sent to the taxi squad.

Once recalled to the NHL roster on Jan. 28, he never left but he was hardly a regular presence in the NHL lineup.

Despite being part of roster that was pockmarked by injuries, particularly to the forward ranks in the latter half of the season, Lafferty was a healthy scratch for 18 of the 52 games he was eligible to play in this past regular season.

On the occasions he was in the lineup, there was little he offered in the way of being an offensive threat. In fact, no forward in the NHL played in more games last season without scoring a goal than Lafferty.

The one thing Lafferty did do was hit. And often.

Despite being such an infrequent part of the lineup, he was fourth on the team with 89 hits.

Arguably, his most prominent highlight of the season — among a limited field of candidates, admittedly — was when he chopped down 6-foot-9, 250-pound Washington Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara during a 3-1 home loss on Feb. 16.

By the time the postseason opened, most of the Penguins’ forwards were healthy and as a result, Lafferty was a healthy scratch for all six games of his team’s first-round loss to the New York Islanders.

The future: The 2021-22 season will be vital for Lafferty on a personal level. He is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career and he’ll need to bounce back from a rather mundane — to be kind — season to get any kind of contract that doesn’t involve a two-way designation. 1190138 Pittsburgh Penguins (2016-17) since the 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings. Already, just by getting to the Cup Final, Tampa joins the 2008-09 Red Wings and Penguins and the 2016-17 Penguins as the only teams over the course of the last 15 years to get to the final round in consecutive seasons. Tim Benz: Numbers from Tampa Bay Lightning postseason run are replicating Penguins' Stanley Cup success “They basically revamped their back end through trades and free agency,” Linnelli said. “And they’ve done a really good job of drafting and developing at the forward position, too. So it has been a really good mixture. You can see why they have been put in this position to do what TIM BENZ | Wednesday, June 30, 2021 6:00 a.m. the Penguins did.”

Also in the podcast, Linnelli and I talk about the Tampa Bay power play Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov attempts a shot before versus Montreal’s penalty kill, the chippy nature of Game 1 and the the first period of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final series against the difference between Tampa Bay and other teams the Canadiens have Montreal Canadiens on Monday in Tampa, Fla. upset this postseason.

As the Tampa Bay Lightning march through their Stanley Cup title Tribune Review LOADED: 07.01.2021 defense, they are clipping along at a rate reminiscent of past Pittsburgh Penguins achievements.

Coach John Cooper and his team are up 1-0 over the Montreal Canadiens in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final. That’s the result of a 5-1 throttling Monday in the series opener.

Nikita Kucherov had three points, with two goals and an assist.

One and done for Kuch pic.twitter.com/LPZAyWZ9jQ

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 29, 2021

That gives him 30 points so far this postseason. He had 34 during last year’s Stanley Cup run.

The only other players who can boast back-to-back 30-point postseasons are Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Gretzky hit that threshold three seasons in a row with the Edmonton Oilers — 1983 (38), 1984 (35), 1985 (47). He did so again in 1987 (34) and 1988 (43).

Lemieux had 44 points in 1991 and 34 points in ’92. Most remarkably, he played in only 15 of the Penguins’ 21 postseason games in 1992 because of injuries. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy during both of those seasons.

Meanwhile, Gretzky won the Conn Smythe in ’85 and ’88. Kucherov didn’t win it last year, even though he led the club in scoring. His teammate, Victor Hedman, claimed the honor.

Kucherov has also managed to accrue those 30 points in 19 games. The only player to reach that mark faster over the past 25 years was Penguins center Evgeni Malkin in 2009. He finished that season with 36 points and a Conn Smythe. Sidney Crosby’s best two playoff point totals were in 2008 (27) and ’09 (31).

Pittsburgh native Greg Linnelli joined me for Wednesday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. He is the game-day host for the Tampa Bay Lightning Radio Network. And he says Kucherov never fails to impress.

“Kucherov is a unique talent,” Linnelli said. “He is not like a Malkin or a Crosby. He’s built differently. But he is shifty enough that he eludes defenders. His passing may be better than his shot. And his hockey IQ is off the charts.”

Linnelli also drew a Penguins connection between goaltenders Andrei Vasilevskiy and Marc-Andre Fleury. Both goalies broke into the league young. And both will likely spend the bulk of their careers with successful franchises. Fleury has been in the playoffs every year since 2007. Vasilevskiy is under contract in Tampa through 2028.

“I think Vasilevskiy is the best goalie in the league. I think he has been for quite some time,” Linnelli said. “He is a generational type of talent back there. He is going to have numbers — if he stays healthy — that are going to be similar to Marc-Andre Fleury’s because he is going to be on some really good teams.”

Fleury maneuvered himself into third place all time for regular-season goaltender wins (492) this season. He also has 90 postseason wins, good for fourth all time.

Vasilevsky — who began his NHL career at age 20 — has 190 regular- season victories at age 26, 46 in the playoffs. Fleury — who began his NHL career at age 19 — had 184 regular-season wins by that age, 41 in the playoffs.

Then there’s the fact the Lightning may repeat as Stanley Cup champions. They’d be the only team to do so besides the Penguins 1190139 Pittsburgh Penguins In what was one of his last big swings as Penguins general manager, Jim Rutherford doubled down on the formula that brought back-to-back Stanley Cups when he reacquired Kapanen last offseason.

Penguins offseason preview: Where does Bryan Rust fit into the club's Speed is the first word almost anyone would use to describe a player future? whose father, Sami, several times competed in the NHL’s fastest-skater competition. That attribute was obvious on so many occasions this year, when Kapanen scored on breakaways. He also found great chemistry with Evgeni Malkin, especially off the rush where his speed was a focal Mike DeFabo point.

But what does the new front office think of Kapanen’s games? With the NHL offseason right around the corner, Post-Gazette reporters He’s another interesting case study. He enters this year on the final Matt Vensel and Mike DeFabo are going position by position to examine season of a deal that carries a $3.2 million cap hit. However, due to his areas the Penguins must address. The five-part series continues today age and experience, the Penguins will still have two more years of club with right wingers. control, as Kapanen will be a restricted free agent after this season and When Bryan Rust inked a four-year extension in June of 2018, yes, he also after the 2022-23 campaign. was already a two-time Stanley Cup champion with a knack for scoring Kapanen, who did drop the gloves once this year, does bring a certain big goals in big games. But really, more than anything, he factored into edge to his game even when he’s not chucking knuckles. He also has the equation as a young, 26-year-old role player. good size at 6-1, 194. It would appear likely he’d be protected in the His willingness to trade pain for points in the standings helped earn the expansion draft due to his age and the compensation the Penguins gave Notre Dame product a spot in the Penguins’ bottom-six as a speedy, up to acquire him. But if the team wants to fortify depth up the center by shot-blocking, penalty-killing forward. He was a piece of the puzzle, but protecting players like Jeff Carter and Teddy Blueger, there could be not necessarily a catalyst atop the lineup. some intriguing decisions around Kapanen.

Now? Will Brandon Tanev get a chance to expand his role?

“I don’t know that when I look back on my experiences, I can’t think of Eyes rolled around Western Pennsylvania in the summer of 2019 when another guy that has developed his game as much as Rusty has,” the Penguins inked Tanev to a six-year deal that carries a $3.5 million Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said this season. average annual value. But in the two years since, the pesky winger has made those who questioned the deal eat their words. In the years since he signed that deal, Rust took what was a steady game and elevated it to the next level. The offensive evolution has been His non-stop engine, fast-twitch game and reckless abandon has made especially profound. A once-streaky scorer has become one of the Tanev a critical role player and a fan favorite. He’s established a Penguins’ most consistent offensive forces, earning a promotion to consistent place in the Penguins lineup on the right wing of the Teddy Sidney Crosby’s wing and regular minutes on the top power play unit. Blueger line.

Consider that on a team that features an all-time great like Crosby, a But is there more there? future Hall of Famer in Evgeni Malkin and an All-Star like Jake Guentzel, Sullivan has kept that Blueger line intact more than any other trio over it’s actually Rust who scored more goals over the last two seasons (49) the last two seasons, trusting them with key defensive zone starts and than any other Penguin. frequently deploying them against the opponent’s best line. While there’s Now, here comes the question: Where do they go from here? a lot of value in a tight-checking line like this, could Tanev eventually earn his way into the top-six? When Sullivan reshuffles his deck mid- Rust enters this offseason with just one year remaining on that 2018 game or during injury-marred stretches, it’s often Tanev who earns the extension, which carries a $3.5 million average annual value. If the team promotion to the scoring lines. and Rust aren’t currently at a crossroads, they may soon be approaching one. If he can establish in a role in the top-six long-term, part of that likely depends on what happens to Blueger. He enters the offseason as a Option 1: Extend him again. If the Penguins want to win in this Crosby restricted free agent. The expansion draft also adds another wrinkle, as window, keeping a talented winger who has chemistry and comfort with Blueger is probably one of those players right on the fringe — with good the captain wouldn’t be a bad move. The challenge, however, may be arguments on both sides about whether he should be protected. giving yet another winger a pay raise that fits under the flat $81.5 million salary cap. Will the club resign Freddy Gaudreau?

Currently, Rust is scheduled to play this season on a deal that pays him After spending the entire 2019-20 season in the AHL, Gaudreau earned $3.5 million annually. At some point, whether it’s now or in free agency, a promotion to the NHL when the Penguins went through one of their he’s going to see that number bumped up, likely by several million dollars brutal, injury-ravaged stretches. He played so well at center, that the a year. Penguins eventually found a place for Gaudreau on the right wing once all of their centers returned from injury and Jeff Carter joined the club via Option 2: Trade him. The Penguins roster will evolve in some form or a trade. fashion so long as Ron Hextall and are making the decisions — likely with bigger, more rugged bodies. If the club is open to shopping The 28-year-old Gaudreau enters this offseason as a free agent. The a winger, the 5-foot-11, 192-pound Rust has to be one of the players who Penguins won’t be able to keep everyone given salary cap constraints. could bring in one of the heftiest returns. On one hand, it might make But it would be worth considering signing Gaudreau as a low-cost, sense to move on now from a 29-year-old player whose best attribute is versatile, bottom-six player. his skating rather than offering him an extension. On the other hand, it Post Gazette LOADED: 07.01.2021 doesn’t matter what kind of style of hockey you want to play, games are won by putting the puck in the back of the net — and Rust has done that more than any Penguin over the last two years.

Option 3: Let him play out the string. If the Penguins are truly in win-now mode, they could simply play this season with one of their best wingers, allow him to become an unrestricted free agent and find out then if he fits into the budget. This could mean losing Rust next offseason for nothing, but it might also mean getting another cost-controlled season out of a valuable forward.

Is Kasperi Kapanen a style fit for the new regime? 1190140 Pittsburgh Penguins Leafs is: Is Andersen interested in potentially signing with Toronto and staying put? The answer from Lemieux to the Maple Leafs was ‘yes.’”

As part of the report, Andersen is open to sharing the net with Campbell, Two Possible Penguins Free Agent Targets Coming Off the Board? much like the potential Penguins situation.

Perhaps the renewed chatter surrounding a Penguins trade for Vezina winner Marc-Andre Fleury has changed the goalie landscape. It could By Dan Kingerski also be a momentary shift in positions from Toronto. Or, the Penguins could decide to go in a different direction.

The thing about free agency chatter one month before free agency is– According to the TSN Insiders, a couple of ideal gets to fill the Pittsburgh nothing is ever completely solid, and nothing is firm until it is signed on Penguins offseason shopping list might not make it to market. the dotted line. The 2021-22 Penguins already have a few holes in the lineup. They are But it looks like two potential Penguins solutions won’t hit the market. likely to accumulate another or two in the process of the coming expansion draft, Cody Ceci’s free agency, and perhaps if one or more of Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 07.01.2021 their RFAs with arbitration rights want too much money.

The flat cap has already stretched the Penguins salary cap dollars thinner than my post-college paychecks when I snagged empty boxes at Aldi instead of spending 50 cents for bags because that allowed me to buy one more frozen burrito.

(Yes, I still eat like an unchaperoned child at a birthday party…but I can afford to buy the good plastic bags now.)

Ceci’s pending unrestricted free agency coupled with a lack of prospects means Penguins general manager Ron Hextall will necessarily have to go outside the organization to fill the opening at RHD. Ceci played strong top-four minutes for the Penguins for the second half of the season and was quite good.

They have the option to elevate John Marino to the second-pair with Mike Matheson and look for a third-pair right-side defenseman, or clear salary and look for a top-four defenseman.

Again–that’s if they don’t sign Ceci.

According to the TSN Insiders:

One prime option to fill that RHD spot was Adam Larsson, whose contract with the Edmonton Oilers is expiring. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound defenseman is a heavy stay-at-home rearguard. He would be the ideal get for the Penguins to balance Matheson, but it appears Larsson may not make it to the market.

According to the TSN Insiders, after signing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to a team-friendly deal on Tuesday, the Edmonton Oilers are making a push to sign Larsson and keep him off the NHL free agent market.

“I believe the Larsson negotiations are into the final stretch and will get done soon,” TSN Insider Daren Dreger said.

Welp, scratch that potential.

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And there’s one more that could affect the Pittsburgh Penguins offseason discussions. A few weeks ago, a reliable source told PHN the Penguins are looking into experienced goalies with playoff experience to be a prominent backup to Tristan Jarry.

The source mentioned a goalie like Frederick Andersen, who lost his net to Jack Campbell with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Fans and media (and perhaps the organization, too) gave Andersen a meaty dose of blame for Toronto’s failure. The team did not escape Round One during his tenure, and all signs pointed towards free agency.

And a possible phone call from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

However, that possibility may not come to pass, either. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, Toronto reached out to Andersen to gauge his interest to stick around.

“This is a bit surprising given that a lot of people around the situation felt that Andersen was probably for sure headed towards free agency…,” LeBrun said. “Claude Lemieux, Andersen’s agent, told me that he spoke with Leafs management on Monday and the question they got from the 1190141 Pittsburgh Penguins Aston-Reese is worth we’ll more to the Penguins than $1 million per season. He’s worth well more as an unrestricted free agent, too.

This season, Aston-Reese scored 15 points (9-6-15). He is one of the Next Contract: Zach Aston-Reese Worth and Market Collide Penguins top penalty killers. His nine-goal output is akin to a 16 goals in an 82-game season.

Generally, a 15-goal player who received Selke votes is worth around $3 By Dan Kingerski million on the open market.

Buckle up.

Two years ago, Zach Aston-Reese smiled broadly. The then-restricted But the RFA status, a flat salary cap, and the Penguins inability to waste free agent was relieved that he didn’t have to go through a bruising a few hundred thousand to make a player happy combine to create a arbitration battle and happy that he was about to sign a two-year, $2 situation in which Aston-Reese will have to accept a contract in the $2 million deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. million range or go through arbitration to get a bit more.

Aston-Reese is again an RFA. This time, the player may stand his ground and go through a soulless three-hour arbitration hearing, hear all of his negatives and why he’s not Two years ago, the Penguins took Aston-Reese to the limit for a new worth the money he wants, just to get a below market raise. contract. Aston-Reese was already seated for the arbitration hearing when the Penguins substituted a contract for an argument. The Penguins In this case, it could mean a 200% raise if he goes through with it. got a good AAV and the player got term. That could also force the Pittsburgh Penguins hand. Realistically, if a Aston-Reese, 26, built on his contract by earning Selke Award votes team feels it could be priced out of the market by an arbitration award, with teammate Brandon Tanev. According to metrics guru Micah Blake not offering a QO (qualifying offer) is a possibility. McCurdy, Aston-Reese was statistically the best defensive forward in the NHL in 2019-20. The team loses exclusive rights on July 28 (July 1 in normal seasons), but can re-sign the player to any deal to which the parties agree. It This season, despite the shortened COVID schedule, the Penguins seems that’s a real possibility that will be heavily influenced by Aston- forward popped a career-high nine goals. Reese’s salary ask.

As part of the Penguins grind line with center Teddy Blueger and winger Insiders suggest he’s worth about $2.25 million. In a normal time, he Brandon Tanev, Aston-Reese formed a line that became an integral part would probably start at $2 million. But these aren’t normal times and the of the Penguins game plan. Until the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Jeff Penguins salary cap situation is murky. Carter at the NHL trade deadline, the line was the Penguins third line. After the deadline, they dropped to their previous fourth-line spot. What is he worth? That answer is–what he will accept.

The extra minutes and extra need for offense spurred the line to achieve The cap, the market, and reality collide. career-highs, each member of the line achieved a career milestone in Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 07.01.2021 various categories.

Defensively, they often skated against the opponents’ top line and won those battles. Their shots and scoring chances were below 50%, in part because of the quality of competition, but also because the line only took 20% of their faceoffs in the offensive zone.

Those are hard minutes.

Because of injuries throughout the Penguins lineup, the trio only played 17 games together (140 minutes) but they did not give up a goal. ZERO. They scored six.

Now–I’m highlighting the trio’s success because it’s uniquely important. When one member of the line was not present, the numbers dropped.

Without Tanev, Aston-Reese and Blueger were outscored 10-8 in 208 minutes.

Without Aston-Reese, Blueger and Tanev were outscored 5-2 in 93 minutes.

Interestingly, Aston-Reese played 94 minutes without Blueger and Tanev. His advanced stats were pretty good. He was in the red with shots and scoring chances, but well in the black with goals (5-3), and had an expected-goals for of 7.05. That’s about double the expected goals for the Blueger line and triple the number when the line was missing one member.

All stats courtesy of the Line Tool at Natural Stat Trick.

He had a nagging shoulder injury cleaned up in the offseaosn and his skating was markedly improved in 2020-21. He did a no-carb diet in the offseason and was leaner and quicker this season.

I’ll repeat what I’ve quietly said for a couple of years–Aston-Reese has more to give. His biggest limitations are himself and shrinking to an assigned role.

So what is Aston-Reese worth to the Pittsburgh Penguins?

Herein lies another very difficult question because his worth, the market and the situation will collide with a bang. The Penguins need only offer Aston-Reese $1 million to keep his rights. That is a move they will likely make. San Jose Sharks November that unless steps were taken to appease the team, it could 1190142 force them out of SAP Center.

The primary issue from the Sharks’ perspective is that all of the projects After ‘extraordinarily large’ financial losses, Sharks hopeful that fans’ — which include Google’s development, a BART station, and nearby return will provide a boost Diridon Station expansion — would make it difficult for fans to easily access the building with so much construction happening concurrently. A reduction in parking is also a worry. By Kevin Kurz While Becher admitted that the Sharks didn’t get everything they wanted in their negotiations with the city, there was progress. As plans continue, Jun 30, 2021 “there’s a chance for us to weigh in at various points,” he said. “This reduces — but doesn’t eliminate — the likelihood that we get forced Sharks president Jonathan Becher wouldn’t put a number on it, saying out of SAP Center at some point in the future,” he said. “The fact that this only that the organization lost an “extraordinarily large” dollar amount last agreement makes it much more likely that we maintain something that’s season. The biggest home crowd was just under 1,700 fans, for the good access, has reduced (the fans’) level of stress.” season finale on May 12. That was one of only seven games at SAP Center that was not completely empty due to local COVID-19 regulations. The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 The Sharks were fortunate that billionaire owner Hasso Plattner covered it all. “We’re lucky to have the owner that we have that, despite those losses, still paid all the employees,” Becher said on Monday in a video call with select local media. “We didn’t do a mass layoff like many sports franchises did. We didn’t furlough people. I will confirm the number is quite big, but that’s not the main talking point around the water cooler.” What surely is one of the main talking points, though, is how difficult it might be to get attendance back to pre-pandemic levels. It was already starting to lag in the second half of the 2019-20 season, before anyone had even heard of the coronavirus, due mainly to the Sharks languishing near the bottom of the league standings. In 2021, the Sharks were only marginally better, landing in seventh place in the eight-team West Division with a 21-27-8 record. It was the first time in the Doug Wilson era that the Sharks failed to qualify for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Further, Santa Clara County residents have shown to be a bit more reluctant than other parts of the country when it comes to returning to daily, maskless life, despite the area having one of the nation’s highest rates of vaccination. Will Sharks fans be prepared in October to stroll into a crowded, indoor arena again, to see a team that almost certainly won’t be a Stanley Cup contender? Becher believes they will. And, the team plans to continue to utilize digital ticketing, while implementing more contact-less features such as ordering concessions through an app to make them more comfortable. “I’m not so worried because the trend line looks pretty good. But, for sure, we’re assuming there will still be some of that (reluctance) in the first half of the season,” he said. “I’m estimating it will impact maybe five percent of the fans until January of next year. That’s assuming no return to some kind of COVID issue, or no variant shows up.” Still, season-ticket renewals are down. The Sharks’ full-season equivalents — a number that combines full-season ticket packages with partial plans — sits at approximately 9,000, according to Becher. It was at 10,500 two years ago, when the Sharks were coming off of an appearance in the Western Conference finals. Many fans have gone from full season-ticket packages to half-seasons, which the Sharks have made more flexible. The Sharks averaged 16,428 fans in 2019-20, their lowest total since 2003-04. The renewal rate is currently around 84 percent. The average yearly renewal rate is 85 to 88 percent, again, according to Becher, who also attributes an exodus of fans moving out of the Bay Area as one reason for the reduction. Ticket prices have remained flat. Interestingly, Becher offered a window into the organization’s philosophy about messaging and the on-ice product. While many fans feel like the current roster needs to be blown up and rebuilt, that’s not something he, Plattner or Wilson are willing to do at this stage. A big part of the reason for that is that they believe attendance would plummet. Wilson has said the Sharks, who have a number of expensive, long-term contracts on the books, are currently in a “reset” and still plan to contend in the near future with much of the current core intact. “Our owner, Doug, myself — (a rebuild) is not something we want to live through,” Becher said. “It’s hard for me to sell a three-year season ticket plan and say we plan to not be good for the next three or four years. That doesn’t feel right to me, and I think it would be hard in this market.” On a more positive note, the organization has made progress with the city and Google when it comes to the downtown San Jose construction projects that will ramp up in the coming years. Becher threatened last 1190143 San Jose Sharks So how many of these selections were top-10 picks? 30.0 % of inactive top-10 skaters — 88 of 293 — dressed for 1,000 or

more games Has Bias Against Drafting Goalie in 1st Round Gone Too Far? 19.0 % of inactive top-10 goalies — 4 of 21 — played in 600 or more games Published 2 hours ago on June 30, 2021 Luongo, Fuhr, Barrasso, and Lehtonen are the inactive top-10 netminders who played 600-plus games By Sheng Peng It’s a small sample size, but this better supports the notion that drafting a keeper in the top-10 is riskier. That said, when Marc-Andre Fleury and Carey Price retire — they’re the only active top-10 goalies right now — The conventional wisdom is that drafting goalies in the first round is a that 19.0 % will jump up to 26.0. dangerous thing. Of course, 1,000 games is a lofty standard: Only 354 skaters have But there’s been pushback against this widely-accepted notion recently, reached that milestone in NHL history. And if 600 games is the prompted by a Conference Finals that featured four first-round pick goaltending equivalent, just 52 netminders have achieved that bar. So starters: Carey Price, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Marc-Andre Fleury, and let’s lower our expectations: What’s the goaltending equivalent of a Semyon Varlamov. skater’s 500 games? For the San Jose Sharks, this is especially relevant. The Sharks have Funny enough, 300 contests for a netminder looks like a solid proxy. 22.9 suffered from below-average goaltending for the last three seasons, they % of all inactive NHL skaters have dressed for 500-plus games, while have the seventh pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, and top netminding 19.6 % of all inactive NHL goalies have appeared in 300-plus tilts. prospect Jesper Wallstedt could be available to them at No. 7. That’s still a pretty good NHL career. Is Wallstedt worth the risk for San Jose? 42.7 % of inactive first-round skaters — 404 of 945 — suited up for 500 It’s worth noting that the San Jose Sharks have never selected a goalie or more games higher than the 55th pick, the immortal Terry Friesen in 1996. So going with Wallstedt at No. 7 would be all kinds of history for the franchise. 39.6 % of inactive first-round goalies — 21 of 53 — played 300 or more games Sharks Have Been Leading on This Current Draft Trend Since ’90s And there’s still a bias for defensemen: If the Swedish wunderkind goes in the top-10, it would be the first time since Price went fifth to the Canadiens in 2005 that a netminder has been 41.8 % of inactive first-round forwards — 263 of 629 — dressed for 500 picked that high. or more games That’s 16 years ago, begging the larger question: Is it time to reconsider 44.6 % of inactive first-round defensemen — 141 of 316 — dressed for the groupthink against drafting a keeper in the first round? 500 or more games To attempt to answer the question, I wanted to evaluate all first-round Anyway, it’s hard to draw a conclusion for the San Jose Sharks or for the skaters and goalies in a standardized way, by games played. NHL at large here. But it does seem the bias against picking a goaltender in the first round of the NHL draft might be a little overstated? The wrinkle? Skaters and goalies are obviously expected to play a different number of games in a given season, so a flat comparison of The odds of getting a successful NHL’er — or a bust — in the first round games played doesn’t make sense. seems fairly even whatever position you pick. My solution: I tried to figure out the goaltending equivalent of a skater dressing 1,000 or more games. I chose this milestone because it’s pretty much equal opportunity for forwards and defensemen, unlike say points, San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 07.01.2021 and a good indicator of a high playing ability i.e. these aren’t busts. Pure fourth-line forwards and bottom-pairing defensemen aren’t likely to last that long in the league. So what’s the goalie equivalent of 1,000 games? Per NHL.com, 5.1 % of all inactive skaters, from 1917 to now have played 1,000 or more NHL games. I’m only evaluating inactives because actives are obviously still adding to their totals. For goaltenders, 6.4 % of all inactive netminders have played 600 or more games. So a goalie playing 600 games is the rough equivalent of a skater suiting up for 1,000. Next, what percentage of first-round skaters play in 1,000-plus games? What percentage of first-round goalies play in 600-plus games? Here’s what I found, from 1963 on: 14.9 % of inactive first-round skaters — 141 of 945 — dressed for 1,000 or more games 13.2 % of inactive first-round goalies — seven of 53 — played 600 or more games Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, Grant Fuhr, Tom Barrasso, Olaf Kolzig, Cam Ward, and Kari Lehtonen are the inactive first-round netminders who played 600-plus games Digging a little deeper: 14.3 % of inactive first-round forwards — 90 of 629 — dressed for 1,000 or more games 16.1 % of inactive first-round defensemen — 51 of 316 — dressed for 1,000 or more games These findings don’t scream, “Don’t draft a goalie in the first round!” — though defensemen appear to be slightly safer picks. Seattle Kraken By the 1999-2000 season, the Musketeers had four Seattle-area players 1190144 – Olsgard, forwards Matt Scherer from Lake Forest Park and Brandon Schmidt of Arlington and goalie Steve Jones from Lake Stevens. They again made the playoffs in Hakstol’s final campaign before he’d join Former players of Kraken coach Dave Hakstol tell of hard work, team- North Dakota and unite with another Seattle-area player, T.J. Oshie of first attitude: ‘Seattle’s going to be very well-off’ Stanwood, now a Washington Capitals mainstay who could be exposed to the Kraken in the July 21 expansion draft.

Scherer, 39, played only half that 1999-2000 season in Sioux City under June 30, 2021 at 6:00 am Hakstol before being traded, but said the coach made a lasting By Geoff Baker impression on him when he then was only 17 and uncertain about his long move from Seattle to further his career. Seattle Times staff reporter “I remember my first two exhibition games, I got in fights with 20-year-old guys and they kicked the snot out of me,’’ Scherer said. “I went to my first day of high school in Sioux City with two black eyes. So, at the end of Upon his introduction last Thursday as the Kraken’s first coach, Dave practice right after that, he (Hakstol) comes over and we did some Hakstol revealed he’d visited Seattle a quarter century ago to recruit sparring. He taught me a few things. It was just the one time he did that, players from the Sno-King organization. but when you’re 17 and your coach grabs your sweater out of nowhere, Hakstol back then had broken into coaching with a United States Hockey it’s jarring. I’m like ‘What? You gonna throw?’ But it helped me, that’s for League (USHL) junior level squad from Sioux City, Iowa with “protected sure. team” rights to players from Eastside-based Sno-King. He even “Right after, we go play up in and I get in another fight and mentioned texting one of his former Seattle players Thursday morning it was the first fight I ever won.’’ right before being named Kraken coach. That gave Scherer confidence to stick with the USHL for four seasons. “I’m sure he had no idea why he was getting a random text from me this He played four more for the University of Connecticut, then five with the morning,’’ Hakstol told the assembled media. “But he’s a tremendous pro of the ECHL – winning a championship in young man and a product of the Seattle hockey community. And that was 2009 under current Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar. one of my first opportunities to experience hockey here in Seattle.’’ Scherer still lives in South Carolina, running a Charleston-based Though Hakstol didn’t mention the player’s name, some roster-combing insurance advisory firm, and touches base with Hakstol from time-to- from those late-1990s Sioux City Musketeers teams pinpointed a former time. Sno-King winger named Chris Olsgard, 41, originally from Saskatchewan, who’d relocated with his family to Issaquah as a “He was a straight-edged, tough-nosed kind of a guy,’’ Scherer said. “He teenager. was very sincere and to the point. I think Seattle’s going to be very well- off.’’ After leaving Sno-King and playing two seasons for Hakstol in 1998-99 and 1999-2000, Olsgard became an alternate team captain at Ohio State So does Olsgard, who agreed Hakstol didn’t play favorites and gave University and now runs a wealth management company based in equal tutelage to whoever gave the effort. Columbus. “In hindsight, it felt like he was really invested in me and that he wanted “He was basically just looking for the name of the program I’d played for,’’ the best for me as a player regardless of where I wanted to go,’’ Olsgard Olsgard said with a chuckle of Hakstol’s text when reached this week. “I said. “He really valued a gritty player – somebody that’s going to put the don’t think he could recall that it was Sno-King off the top of his head.’’ team ahead of himself. And I think I carried that to Ohio State. I really tried to emulate that style of leadership.” Olsgard said he initially found it “a bit strange’’ to get a text out of nowhere from Hakstol, who did not tell him about the pending Kraken Olsgard said he feels the Kraken will succeed under Hakstol if the announcement. But Olsgard had previously messaged Hakstol in makeup is similar to those Sioux City squads. December 2018 wishing him well after his firing by the Philadelphia Flyers, and everything made more sense once Hakstol was named “Every single guy in that locker room that he and the other coaches Kraken coach a few hours after Thursday’s text. recruited were just quality guys,’’ he said. “And I can’t emphasize that enough. Being around the sport and seeing how you build a team, it’s And though Hakstol has done much coaching since Sioux City — 11 those blue-collar guys that make it. Certainly you need some skill to go years at his University of North Dakota alma mater, 3 1/2 more with the along with that, but that team-first mentality is really what Hak was all Flyers and the past two as an assistant with Toronto — his four about.’’ Musketeers seasons set a foundation for demanding hard work and that his players buy-in to a team-first attitude that reputedly still holds true. And after the upcoming expansion draft, we should know better what the Kraken is about and how much of a roster impact Hakstol is already Olsgard said Hakstol was different from his other coaches and clearly having. destined for bigger things.

“He’s pretty honest about who you are as a player and what he’s asking for from guys,” Olsgard said. “I knew he was a tough coach and that Seattle Times LOADED: 07.01.2021 Sioux City was kind of a smaller (arena) barn and it was going to be a physical style of play. “I think that’s what kind of drew me to him. I knew that the harder I worked with a guy like Hak, the more opportunity I would have.’’ Coaching at Sioux City differed from anything Hakstol experienced as a defenseman for North Dakota and in the minor professional ranks. A serious knee injury had Hakstol contemplating a career shift toward playing in Europe when Sioux City’s coach abruptly resigned one game into the 1996-97 season. Hakstol’s former North Dakota coach was by then the USHL’s commissioner and thought his ex-player would make a terrific bench boss. So, Hakstol took over an awful Musketeers group, losing his first game 16-4 and winning just eight of 53 contests he coached that season en route to the league’s worst record. The Musketeers used 41 players that season as Hakstol struggled to find working combinations. But he implored players to keep working hard and by the following season, the Musketeers halved their 5.63 goals-per- game allowed and made the playoffs. Olsgard arrived the following season and the Musketeers — with future NHL players David Hale, Rusty Klesla and Ruslan Fedotenko also recruited by Hakstol into their ranks — made the playoffs again. St Louis Blues A: The brothers over at Evolving Hockey were discussing this last night, 1190145 and were stunned -- I think it's fair to say that -- that people seem to think the Blues will be exposing Vince Dunn. They are very high on Dunn. They think the Blues would be stupid to expose Dunn, and Seattle would A Tarasenko trade would fetch the Blues some cap space - but what be stupid to pass on him. They think Faulk should be exposed and feel else? Dunn projects to be the better defenseman going forward. So if Dunn is exposed, it's hard to see Seattle taking someone else, unless there's a very specific need they see someone else addressing. If Tom Timmermann the Blues were to protect Dunn -- and they can protect only three defensemen under the framework that allows them to protect the most players -- and leave Faulk exposed, I would think he would go, unless We weigh in on the pressing offseason questions in our weekly chat with Seattle had qualms about his contract. Blues fans. Q: Will the Blues make a run at Gabriel Landeskog? I hope they’re not Q: What's your 2 cents regarding the trade rumors surrounding Vladimir trying to re-sign Jaden Schwartz, who has not produced up to the salary Tarasenko? levels he was receiving the last couple of years. Blues swept from playoffs with 5-2 loss to Colorado A: If Landeskog hits the market, the Blues would have to consider him. Projected over a full season, he would have had 29 goals last season, A: Well, it's not exactly surprising. With Doug Armstrong predicting a though it's unlikely he would get that many with the Blues because of busy offseason throughout the league and the need to send a jolt to his their style of play. He won't come cheap (he made $5.5 million last team, the possibility of a trade of Tarasenko had to be on the table. It's season), but if the Blues were to open space by moving Vladimir been talked about in this chat pretty much every week. For those who Tarasenko or not re-signing Schwartz (or something else, like losing didn't see it, Frank Seravalli, formerly of TSN in Canada, now on his own, Justin Faulk in the expansion draft), they could fit him in. Ryan O'Reilly reported Tuesday that Tarasenko is on the market and has agreed to likes him, and the Blues need to re-up the number of Swedes on the waive his no-trade clause for certain teams. I know not the teams, and roster. They're down to Oskar Sundqvist now. have nothing to add beyond what Frank reported. Q: If Ville Husso were to be grabbed by Seattle, what is the Blues’ goalie The challenge is going to be what kind of return the Blues can get for depth? I'm assuming if that were to happen they would be looking at Tarasenko. While there may be teams willing to acquire him, the question cheap free-agent backups. will be what are they willing to give up. People talk about Matthew Tkachuk, but trading a young forward for an older forward who has had A: The Blues like their goalie depth, though the guys waiting in the three shoulder surgeries and has a $7.5 million cap hit seems like a bad minors -- Evan Fitzpatrick, Joel Hofer and Colten Ellis -- all are probably move for Calgary. Tarasenko still has the potential to be a 20-plus-goal at least a year away. They like Hofer the most, but he's coming off a scorer. His days as a 30-plus goal scorer may well be gone. But it's a season where he played only 10 games, so they would have to go out crapshoot, and a team acquiring him will be taking a risk. That's why he and sign a backup. Fitzpatrick has been around the longest, but he may be worth more to the Blues than he is to another team. A straight-up seems to have been passed by. He played only three games last season. trade for an equivalent goalscorer seems unlikely. If you start throwing in other players, who knows what's possible? Q: It’s speculative, but how many “big” moves can you see actually happening this offseason? Would the Blues trade him for a minimal return to open up cap space so they could sign a free agent with that money? They might, but with the A: One move, losing someone in the expansion draft, is a given. As Doug flat cap, there won't be a lot of teams able to take on a contract like that, Armstrong has said, the Blues are going to lose someone they wished and those that can are probably not very good. So unless Tarasenko has they could keep. If it's not Dunn they lose, then they will have exposed a desire to play in Detroit, those teams may not be on his list. someone like Vladimir Tarasenko or Justin Faulk, and losing any of those three constitutes a significant change in the team. Beyond that, any other I don't know that the Blues get the return they want to see on a move comes with a corresponding move. If they don't re-sign Jaden Tarasenko trade. If they do, they should jump on it, because it would not Schwartz, they will spend that money on someone else. If they trade only be a chance to improve the team, but it would be a chance to add Tarasenko, they will get someone in return and/or spend that money on some certainty to the situation. Tarasenko will be a question mark going someone else. So I think you're looking at three significant moves this into the season. offseason. That's probably where it ends, unless they find another attractive option or something unforeseen happens. Q: The willingness of Tampa Bay to get down low reflected in the first game against the Montreal defense The Blues absolutely need the Q: I can't see a scenario where Torey Krug, Vince Dunn and Scott bodies to get in front and take the punishment. And if bigger guys like Pat Perunovich, who all play the same type of game, are on the team at the Maroon are needed, then that must be one of the needs for this same time. Who has greater trade value? offseason. Thoughts? A: If you're measuring in terms of what you'd get back, Krug would get A: Even if the Blues go out and get someone willing to play in front of the you the most, because he's the best player, but his contract would limit net, they need other guys on the team to do it, too. It's not like Maroon is the number of teams that would take him. Dunn has good value and out there every shift. He averages just over nine minutes per game in the would be the easiest to move because he's young, has proved he can postseason, so he's out there one every six shifts. Other guys have to do play in the NHL and is cost-contained in the short term. Perunovich it in between. Jaden Schwartz, Brayden Schenn, Ryan O'Reilly, Vladimir hasn't played in the NHL, so he's an unknown commodity and won't get Tarasenko, Zack Sanford and Sammy Blais are guys that can do it and you as much, but there would be no shortage of takers for him. will have to. The Blues were well below the league average in shots in the area in front of the net last season. If you look at the last five seasons, the only one where the Blues were above average in shots in St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 07.01.2021 front of the net was 2019. But this was their worst season on shots in front of the net in almost a decade. It was a black hole. So that's something that needs to be worked on. As an aside, Tampa Bay this season was only slightly above average on shots in front of the net. Q: Could the Blues get a late first-round pick from a team that has multiples for Vince Dunn? Blues swept from playoffs with 5-2 loss to Colorado A: They would like that, and that's what they were thought to be seeking during the season, but nothing appeared to have been offered because Vince Dunn remains on the roster. The nearness of the expansion draft, and the reality of the season, may make things change. Detroit, Columbus, New Jersey and Minnesota have multiple first-round picks, by the way. Columbus has three. Q: Who are the Blues most likely to lose in the expansion draft? Tampa Bay Lightning That international dominance helps galvanize a nation where the east (a 1190146 manufacturing bastion) remains at odds with the west (a reservoir of raw materials). Lightning’s Stanley Cup journey runs right through ice hockey’s “The pressure is on Canada to win the gold medal always,” said homeland Zimmermann, who also was skating at age 3. “As far as the Olympics go, yeah, major pressure. Canada’s always regarded as the top team, even over Russia and the U.S. now. There is a By Joey Knight lot of pressure for the coaching staff and the management. If you don’t win, you’re not there next year.”

The 2021 Canadiens don’t feel the weight of such pressure. Winners of As a kid growing up outside Calgary in rural western Canada, Bobby only 24 games during the NHL’s abbreviated regular season, their surreal Taylor would peer at his family’s backyard vegetable garden, longing for playoff run — highlighted by a seven-game conquest of rival Toronto the spring day when it would yield a rink instead of roughage. after a three-games-to-one deficit — has stretched longer than their most Tom Taylor, a janitor who worked night shifts, would pile dirt around the apologetic fans could have envisioned. garden in clumps about 6 inches high, forming a trough of sorts. When But a lack of pressure doesn’t equate to a lack of pride. The Canadiens the initial freeze hit, he’d break out the hose and fill the trough. are representing their sport’s birthplace (the first indoor match was held A 100-watt bulb on the back porch illuminated the fresh sheet of ice. in Montreal on March 3, 1875), and that stately silver chalice for which Voila, another had manifested itself. they’re playing is named after the onetime governor general of Canada (Lord Stanley of Preston). “Everybody had their own backyard rink, or it seemed like everybody did,” said Taylor, a former NHL goalie and longtime Lightning studio That robust red maple leaf on the Canadian flag? It doesn’t wilt so easily. analyst known universally as “Chief.” “I think that’s exactly the word for it — just pride,” Shilton said. “I think just “I never played indoors until I was 14 years old.” to be able represent this country, I’m sure for them is a real sense of pride.” Contemplate, for a moment, the passion, tension and unbridled zeal that ferments in the South when college football kicks off. Now multiply that by 10, Taylor says, and you might have an idea of Canada’s hockey Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.01.2021 obsession. “It’s a culture, even more so than any sport in the U.S.,” said Ontario native Gordie Zimmermann, CEO and co-owner of Wesley Chapel’s AdventHealth Center Ice, one of the Southeast’s largest ice-sports facilities. “The U.S. has multiple sports that are popular, but in Canada, it is hockey.” For all the Lightning’s dominance of Montreal in Game One of the Stanley Cup finals, any presumption they’ll cross the border and dispatch the Canadiens in short order may be a tad misguided. Pride doesn’t backpedal or concede the blue line, especially to outsiders. In Canada, you learn to skate before you learn to spell. Among the country’s most valuable exports: crude oil, cars and centers who deliver blistering one-timers. Couples remain wary of scheduling a winter wedding in conflict with Hockey Night in Canada (Saturday night NHL broadcasts). Only a few days ago, StubHub indicated the cheapest secondary-market ticket for Game Three at Montreal’s Bell Centre was going for $3,600 (U.S. currency). By contrast, a ticket for Game One at Amalie Arena could be found for $266. “If you had a birthday in the winter, it was probably being held at some sort of ice rink,” said Ontario native Kristen Shilton, Toronto Maple Leafs beat writer for TSN, Canada’s English-language sports specialty channel. “We actually had a rink (where) we would go for gym class to skate. There were so many rinks around when I was younger, we actually had one right next to our school. So we would go over there, and instead of having gym inside, most days we’d just go skate.” A survey earlier this year conducted by the Angus Reid Institute — a non-profit, public opinion research foundation — found nine in 10 Canadians say hockey provides a sense of identity and community in the country. The same survey showed 82 percent of the respondents either disagreed or strongly disagreed that hockey is too dangerous for kids under 14. “We never thought of growing up to play or basketball or football,” said Taylor, who learned to skate when he was 3. “You played for the Stanley Cup every spring when you were out on the driveway or on the roads.” A Cup drought notwithstanding (no Canadian franchise has won it since 1993), generations of Canadians have been reared to believe ice hockey not only is their sport, but their sport to rule. The country’s nine Olympic gold medals are most in the world, with three golds in this millennium alone (2002, 2010, 2014). Its under-20 team has won the IIHF World Junior Championships (“World Juniors”) a staggering 18 times since the event’s inception in the mid-1970s. Tampa Bay Lightning Coleman’s diving goal was a carbon copy of one he scored in Game 2 of 1190147 last year’s second-round playoff series against the Bruins.

“Literally in my head I’m like, ‘Did he just do that again?’” Cooper said. “A Lightning reach deep for Game 2 win over Canadiens little bit different scenarios, but it was remarkably similar. Just the timing was epic.”

The score, which electrified the Lightning’s first full-capacity home crowd By Eduardo A. Encina in more than two years, certainly tilted the ice for Tampa Bay. Published Earlier today Just a few games ago, Coleman committed a turnover in his own end that led to the decisive goal in the Lightning’s loss to the Islanders in Updated 4 hours ago Game 6 of their semifinal series. Since then, Coleman played well in the Lightning’s Game 7 win over New TAMPA — Blake Coleman’s stick is 62 inches long, and he needed every York and assisted on Yanni Gourde’s goal and recorded 11 hits in Game last one to make what might have been the biggest play of the 1 of the final. Lightning’s Stanley Cup run. “I told Coleman after (Game 6), ‘Don’t you dare lose a night of sleep over In order to win the greatest trophy in sports, it sometimes takes jaw- your turnover that he felt like cost us that game.’” Cooper said. “I was dropping moments, and Coleman provided a great one in Game 2 of the like, ‘You are one of the straws that stir the drink for this team.’ And all Stanley Cup final Wednesday night at Amalie Arena. he’s done is had a remarkable Game 7 and two remarkable games here. He’s a winner. Turns the page and moves on and delivers, and he did Coleman’s game-winning goal with 1.1 seconds left in the second period that tonight.” — his first since the Lightning’s first playoff game — and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy’s stellar 42-save performance were the difference in a 3-1 win that was far from Tampa Bay’s best team effort. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.01.2021 “I’ll be honest” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “There were some remarkable individual performances tonight ... but it definitely was an unremarkable team game we had going on.” Still, the Lightning now stand two wins from claiming back-to-back Stanley Cups. At the end of a second period that Montreal dominated, Tampa Bay closed the period with a rare rush — they had just 13 shots over the first two periods — with Barclay Goodrow taking the puck in the neutral zone and heading north as the final seconds ticked down. He fed Coleman, who was blanketed by Canadiens center Phillip Danault, leading him just a bit too much as Coleman closed on the left post. “I knew time was tight,” Goodrow said. “I could hear our bench yelling, ‘Shoot.’ It was a big goal for us and something we desperately needed at that time.” Despite a less-than-perfect game, the Tampa Bay Lightning persevere through a lopsided disparity in shots after Blake Coleman scored a second-period buzzer-beater forging a 3-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 in the Stanley Cup final. Coleman then went full extension, diving forward — his reach was a little farther than Danault’s — flicking the puck off his blade and past Canadiens goaltender Carey Price. “I just tried to do everything I could to give (Goodrow) an option and it was an incredible area pass from him and, fortunately, we beat the clock.” Vasilevskiy set the tone early, turning away Nick Suzuki’s backhanded breakaway shot with a perfectly timed poke check. He stopped 28 of 29 shot attempts before Coleman’s goal gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh called Vasilevskiy “the backbone of this team.” “We certainly wanted to make it easier of a night for him,” McDonagh said. “But man, he’s an absolute warrior and competitor and was probably the biggest piece of our win here tonight.” Vasilevskiy’s only blemish was Suzuki’s score with 9:24 left in the second off a wobbly puck that seemed to fool Vasilevskiy by its lack of thrust. One day after Vasilevskiy was snubbed of his second Vezina Trophy — he lost to winner Marc-Andre Fleury by nine voting points — his 42 saves were his second-most in regulation in 78 career postseason games. The Canadiens certainly rebounded well after dropping the series opener, totaling 67 shot attempts on the night. Following a scoreless first period, Anthony Cirelli gave the Lightning the lead with a seeing-eye wrister from just inside the blue line above the right circle that went through two Canadiens players and two Lightning players before beating Price stickside. With 4:18 left in the third, Ondrej Palat took advantage of a sloppy Montreal play in the Canadiens’ zone, picking off a bad pass and flicking the puck off Price and into the net to put the Lightning up 3-1. Tampa Bay Lightning LIGHTNING GOAL! Anthony Cirelli scores under Price’s right arm with a 1190148 shot from the right point, just inside the blue line. It was only Tampa Bay’s second shot in the previous 15-1/2 minutes. Lightning 1, Canadiens 0. Stanley Cup final: Lightning-Canadiens Game 2 live updates Vasilevskiy makes a right pad on Jeff Petry shot from the right point

Hedman blocks Armia shot By Frank Pastor Tyler Johnson blocks Kotkaniemi shot from above the right circle. Published Yesterday Johnson in obvious pain on the bench Updated 6 hours ago Jeff Petry shot saved by Vasilevskiy Eric Staal wrist shot saved by Vasilevskiy Anthony Cirelli, Blake Coleman and Ondrej Palat scored goals, and Vasilevskiy gloves Shea Weber shot Andrei Vasilevskiy made 42 saves as the Lightning beat the Canadiens 3-1 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final Wednesday at Amalie Arena. Sergachev penalized for interfering with Lehkonen With the win, a franchise-record fifth straight on home ice, Tampa Bay Johnson, who had gone to the locker room, is back on the Lightning moved to within two victories of its second straight Stanley Cup bench championship. CANADIENS GOAL: Suzuki scores on the power play. Backhand shot Teams that go ahead 2-0 in a best-of-seven Cup final have won more from above the circles deflects off McDonagh’s stick and goes through than 90 percent of the time. Vasilevskiy’s legs with Perry in front of the net. Lightning 1, Canadiens 1. Here’s how it happened: Vasilevskiy makes a save on Armia from the slot after a Hedman turnover in his own zone Third period Kucherov shot from the high slot is blocked Barclay Goodrow wrist shot saved by Carey Price Joseph hit in the nose with a high stick from McDonagh Blake Coleman wrister saved by Price Vasilevskiy makes a skate save on Gallagher redirect of Petry shot from Tyler Johnson wrist shot saved by Price the right point Joel Edmundson wrist shot saved Andrei Vasilevskiy Vasilevskiy makes save on Josh Anderson as he makes a power move to the net Ondrej Palat wrist shot saved by Price Armia penalized for high-sticking Coleman Price stops Goodrow from the slot Price makes save on Price shot from the hashmarks Jesperi Kotkaniemi wrist shot saved by Vasilevskiy Stamkos shot saved by Price, and Point can’t get a stick on the rebound Artturi Lehkonen shot blocked by Victor Hedman with an open net in front of him Edmundson wrist shot saved by Vasilevskiy Canadiens clear the puck Wraparound attempt by Yanni Gourde doesn’t get past Price Suzuki clears Vasilevskiy stops Suzuki backhand shot low in the left circle Stamkos pass deflected, and Suzuki clears the zone Vasilevskiy makes a save on Tyler Toffoli Price tries to clear the puck, and it deflects off Kucherov Kucherov misses the net on a partial breakaway Maroon shot deflected by Edmundson and saved by Price Kucherov redirection goes wide Canadiens kill the penalty Sergachev in pain as he leaves the ice after being cross-checked from LIGHTNING GOAL! A diving Blake Coleman scores with 0.3 points behind remaining. Goodrow chips the puck past Chiarot at the blue line, then Danault’s shot from the right circle blocked by Hedman sends a backhand pass through the slot to Coleman. Lightning 2, Canadiens 1. LIGHTNING GOAL! Joel Edmundson passes off the end boards behind the Canadiens net right to Ondrej Palat, who shoots of Carey Price’s (Lightning lead 2-1 after two periods) skate into the net. Jeff Petry was calling for a reverse but expected the First period puck in the corner. Lightning 3, Canadiens 1. Barclay Goodrow backhand shot goes off the side of the net Canadiens pull Price for an extra attacker with less than two minutes remaining Carey Price deflects Erik Cernak shot from the top right circle wide of the net Puck goes off the end boards out to Perry in front of the net, but Vasilevskiy makes the save Jan Rutta shot from the right circle hits Shea Weber Vasilevskiy stops Caufield shot from the left point Andrei Vasilevskiy makes a poke check to break up a Nick Suzuki breakaway attempt as Suzuki tried to go to his backhand. Joel (Lightning win 3-1) Edmundson set up the opportunity with a stretch pass from the Montreal Second period zone. The Canadiens will carry over 1:32 of power-play time from the first Brayden Point misses the net from in front period Mikhail Sergachev shot from the left point blocked by Brendan Gallagher Nick Suzuki wrist shot saved by Vasilevskiy Barclay Goodrow shot blocked from low in the left circle by Jesperi Cole Caufield shot blocked by Yanni Gourde Kotkaniemi Josh Anderson backhand shot saved by Vasilevskiy Lightning go on the power play early as Jeff Petry trips Brayden Point Joel Edmundson shot blocked by Anthony Cirelli Anthony Cirelli takes Alex Killorn’s spot down low Shea Weber shot blocked by Barclay Goodrow Shea Weber clears the puck out of the zone Gourde shot wide of the net Pass eludes Cirelli, and the Canadiens send the puck back down the ice Erik Cernak shot gloved by Carey Price Another Canadiens clear Nick Suzuki sends the puck down the boards, and the Canadiens kill the Montreal, which plays a similar tight-checking, counter-attacking style to penalty the one the Islanders used to extend Tampa Bay to seven games in the semifinals, will be desperate for a win in Game 2 tonight at Amalie Arena Vasilevskiy makes a save on Tyler Toffoli from the edge of the crease to avoid returning home for Games 3-4 in an 0-2 hole. Paul Byron penalized for slashing Steven Stamkos low in the slot after a Lightning second-line wing Alex Killorn, who also plays on the top power- Montreal turnover play unit and is part of the Bolts’ penalty kill, is out with an undisclosed Price stops Kucherov shot from the right circle injury after blocking a shot in Game 1. Meanwhile, the Canadiens could get fourth-line forward Joel Armia back in the lineup. Armia was removed Point shoots wide from the slot from the COVID-19 protocol list Monday. Hedman shot misses wide The Lightning will need to match the Canadiens’ intensity while continuing to do the things they did so well in Game 1: controlling the Kucherov shot blocked neutral zone, managing the puck, putting pucks on net, getting traffic in front of Price and playing as a five-man unit in all areas of the ice. Lehkonen sends the puck out of the zone Do that, and they’ll move to within two wins of becoming just the second Kucherov one-timer from the right circle stopped by Price team in the salary-cap era to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Lightning now 0-for-2 on the power play. Two shots on their latest chance Follow our live updates, starting at 8 p.m., as Tampa Bay aims to grab a with the man-advantage two-game lead in the series in front of a full-capacity crowd at Amalie Joel Armia shoots from the sideboards. The puck deflects into the crease Arena. Teams that take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven Cup final have won and is covered by Vasilevskiy more than 90 percent (46 of 51) of the time. Erik Gustaffson shot from the left point saved by Vasilevskiy Gameday scene Tyler Johnson takes a shift on the fourth line with a faceoff in the Palat-Point-Kucherov Lightning zone Johnson-Cirelli-Stamkos Toffoli shot from the right circle off the rush blocked by Vasilevskiy Coleman-Gourde-Goodrow Suzuki shot from the right circle on a 2-on-1 saved by Vasilevskiy Maroon-Colton-Joseph Weber steers Kucherov redirect high of the net Hedman-Rutta Price with a blocker save on Sergachev McDonagh-Cernak Weber blocks Jan Rutta shot from the right point Sergachev-Savard Vasilevskiy sticks aside Byron shot from the left point Vasilevskiy in net Cernak and Byron receive coincidental roughing minors, so we’ll have 4- on-4 play for two minutes Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.01.2021 That didn’t last long. Canadiens get a four-minute 4-on-3 power play as McDonagh is penalized for high-sticking Phillip Danault Toffoli redirect from down low misses the net Goodrow clears the puck Hedman blocks a shot from the right circle Suzuki shot from the right side saved by Vasilevskiy Goodrow clears the puck Vasilevskiy stops Kotkaniemi shot Cirelli shorthanded shot from the left circle blocked out of play Cernak and Byron are out of the box, so Canadiens now have a 5-on-4 power play (No score after one period) Pregame scouting report The Canadiens entered the Stanley Cup final with a reputation for shutting down opponents’ top players, a distinction they earned while defeating the Maple Leafs, Jets and Golden Knights in the first three rounds. Goaltender Carey Price had allowed two goals or fewer in eight of his previous nine games, and Montreal’s penalty-killing unit had not given up a power-play goal in an NHL playoff-record 13 consecutive games. Well, so much for that. The Lightning’s top line of Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat combined for seven points in Monday’s 5-1 victory in Game 1. Kucherov had two goals and an assist, Point handed out three assists and Palat assisted on Erik Cernak’s opening goal. Tampa Bay put more pucks behind Price than the Canadiens goaltender had allowed in any game this postseason, and Steven Stamkos scored on the power play, ending Montreal’s penalty-killing streak at 32. But while the defending champion Lightning were favored over a Canadiens team that had the fewest regular-season points of any team in the playoff field, not every game in the series can be expected to be that easy. Tampa Bay Lightning Allanson and McQuillen don’t know when their game streak will end. 1190149 Entering Wednesday night, the Lightning had lost once in seven contests since they had been attending. Allanson has become a good luck charm around these parts. This Lightning fan dances his heart out at postseason home games These Stanley Cup playoffs have meant more to them than McQuillen can verbalize. By Mari Faiello “I can’t find the words to describe the feelings that go with it,” McQuillen said. “It’s been a pleasure to watch and it’s something I’ll never forget for Published Earlier today the rest of my life... He’s my best friend.” Updated 6 hours ago Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.01.2021 TAMPA — Every game day this postseason Ellis Allanson has asked his stepfather, Dave McQuillen, the same question: “Dave, tickets? Do we have tickets?” On May 30, Allanson and McQuillen pulled a double, watching the Rays host the Phillies that afternoon before driving across the bridge for the Lightning’s Game 1 watch party against the Hurricanes. The two already were having a great day with a 6-2 Rays win at Tropicana Field. Then Allanson put on a show, dancing in the aisles inside Amalie Arena. The camera spotted him and zoomed in on the 22- year-old Winter Haven native. The crowd loved Allanson’s energy, and he danced for the rest of the right as the Lightning won 2-1. That’s when a member of the Blue Crew — the in-game hype team that energizes the crowd during home games and watch parties — walked over to Allanson and McQuillen and invited them to the next home playoff game, giving them a pair of tickets in the 100s level by the Zamboni entrance. The trend has continued since with playoff tickets to every home game. “He was doing his thing,” McQuillen said. “If he sees a Jumbotron, he’s doing everything in his power to get on it. That’s what he does.” Allanson has become an icon around Amalie Arena since his video board debut. In Monday’s series opener against Montreal, fans came up to Allanson — you can’t miss his blue hair — and called him by name, asking for photos in a nearby parking lot. Even national anthem singer Sonya Bryson-Kirksey wanted a picture with Allanson. “It’s that unfiltered passion that he brings,” said Lightning in-game host Greg Wolf. “We’ve almost adopted him as our little brother.” In a way, Allanson is an adopted member of the Blue Crew. “We need 100,000 more Ellises,” said Wolf, who has been the Lightning’s in-game host for 14 seasons. “He’s kind of swept everyone off their feet with that passion of it doesn’t matter win or lose, I’m still going to give it 100 percent every time I’m in this building, and that’s starting to wear off on fans.” Allanson, who has Down syndrome, works at Publix part-time and volunteers at AdventHealth Heart of Florida hospital in Davenport once a week. On Wednesday, he napped after his shift, just like how many hockey players prepare for their big night. Allanson’s dances aren’t scripted. He just goes where the music takes him and when it gets time for the dance-off portion of the in-game presentation, he’s more than ready to bust out all kinds of moves. “The people just love him,” McQuillen said. When Allanson isn’t dancing or watching the game — talking about his favorite player Steven Stamkos or teammates like Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov — he’s walking around the lower bowl. “In between periods, I just kind of follow him around and let him do his thing,” McQuillen said. “He just walks around, high-fives other fans. ... He walked around the other night with the Canadiens fans, we were getting drinks, he’s shaking their hands and wishing them good luck. “It’s just cool to watch people’s interaction with him. Ellis changes people’s opinion about handicaps. Everybody that knows Ellis, loves Ellis. He’s that infectious. If you have any preconceived conceptions about special needs people, any of them, he’ll change them for you just because of who he is.” Ahead of the Lightning’s Game 2 against the Canadiens, Allanson got an official warmup puck from Stamkos. He also led the “Be The Thunder” chant. 1190150 Tampa Bay Lightning

Titus O’Neil surprises Tampa fire captain with Stanley Cup tickets

By Eduardo A. Encina Published Yesterday Updated 6 hours ago

TAMPA — Dan Quatrino hadn’t been to a Lightning game in 17 years, when he watched Tampa Bay make its first run to the Stanley Cup during the 2004 playoffs. Quatrino, a longtime fan and captain for Tampa Fire Rescue, received a surprise while doing a training session Monday at Station 1 in downtown Tampa. WWE global ambassador and area philanthropist Titus O’Neil tapped Quatrino on the shoulder and asked him if he was going to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final. Quatrino said no too quickly, and O’Neil presented him with tickets for him in his family to attend the opener as guests of the NHL and the Lightning. Quatrino was nominated by Tampa Fire Rescue chief Barbara Tripp. “I was kind of confused how (O’Neil) knew who I was, and initially it was just a lot of shock and surprise,” Quatrino said. “But I kind of realized what was going on, I saw my family. … It’s something that I, personally, never thought I would get, and not in a bad way, but I just come to work, do your job and that’s pretty much it.” The Quatrinos — Dan, his wife Kenyon; daughters Avery, 13, and Anna, 11; and son J.D., 8 — watched the Lightning’s 5-1 win over the Canadiens from a few rows behind the boards next to the penalty box. They saw Thunder Alley get set up for the watch party, as well as some of the pregame festivities. During the game, Quatrino was recognized on the Amalie Arena video board during a break in the action, receiving an ovation from the crowd. “Some people have sent me some texts and videos of it,” Quartino said. “I look at myself as just an ordinary person and everything else, and to receive recognition like that other stage like that was humbling but also proud to be a part of Tampa Fire, to represent Tampa Fire, the city of Tampa. But it was also real cool to have my kids there to be able to see their dad in that capacity.” Quatrino, who grew up in Tampa, has been with Tampa Fire Rescue since 2005, serving as a firefighter, paramedic and driver engineer before he was promoted to captain nearly six years ago. “I was so happy just to be hired by Tampa, but because I went through fire school and EMT school, my goal was always to work in Tampa,” Quatrino said. “As time goes on, you start moving up the ranks, and some of these goals or dreams become a reality. Sometimes you look back and shake your head and you can’t believe that things have worked out the way that they have.” One of the best parts of Monday’s experience was watching his children fall in love with hockey while attending their first live game, just like when he and Kenyon watched their first game 17 years ago. “It’s just beautiful to see,” Quatrino said. “When you have an interest in something, and then your kids take an interest in it, anything that you can share and bond with them over is great. I sat next to them and watched them just be totally fixated on the ice and watching all the action. “And then, one of the first questions my middle daughter asked when we got out was, ‘When are we going back?’ For me to go, ‘Hey, I want to go to a hockey game’ because I want to go to do it, and everybody wants to go with you, it’s just a great feeling.”

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190151 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning increasing Amalie Arena to full capacity

By Eduardo A. Encina Published Yesterday Updated Yesterday

TAMPA — For the first time in more than two years, Amalie Arena will be at full postseason fan capacity starting with tonight’s Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final. The Lightning have received approval from the league to expand their capacity to approximately 18,600 fans, which is the most the facility is allowed to normally hold given that some seats are required by the league to be reserved for media. When the Lightning won the Cup last year, no fans were inside the bubble in Toronto and Edmonton. The Lightning have gradually increased capacity throughout this postseason. Capacity for Monday night’s Game 1 was 16,300 and they played Game 7 of the semifinals in front of 14,805. The postseason opened with just 7,000 at Amalie Arena. The crowd will change when the series moves to Montreal, where capacity has been limited to 3,500. The Canadiens were working with the government to increase capacity to 10,500. Game 3 is Friday at the Bell Centre. The league has mandated improved airflow requirements in order to fill arenas to a certain capacity. Teams had to order HVAC system upgrades to keep increasing attendance. That’s why you’ll see large machinery and airflow tubes along the south side of Amalie Arena.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190152 Tampa Bay Lightning

With Alex Killorn out, Mathieu Joseph draws in for Lightning

By Mari Faiello Published Yesterday Updated 4 hours ago

TAMPA — With Alex Killorn missing his first game of the postseason, Mathieu Joseph was in the Lightning lineup for Wednesday’s 3-1 win over the Canadiens at Amalie Arena. Joseph had four hits and one shot on goal while playing 6 minutes, 23 seconds in his first game in more than a month. He last played in Game 3 of the opening-round series against the Panthers on May 20. “You do your shift, you focus on how you want to play when you’re on the ice, when you leave the ice it’s thinking about the next one,” Joseph said. “You have to have a short memory. I mean, it’s the Stanley Cup final, it’s exciting. “You always want to perform to help the team to win. Every time you get out there, you try to do your best and I thought that’s definitely what I tried to do tonight and hopefully I can do that next game, too.” Killorn was injured blocking a shot in the second period of Game 1 on Monday. He was limited to three shifts totaling 1:58 the rest of the period and just one 23-second shift in the third. Head coach Jon Cooper announced at Wednesday’s morning skate that Killorn would be unavailable for Game 2. “Alex is a piece of the puzzle,” Cooper said. “He’s a depth-veteran player you can depend on game in and game out.” The game marked the first time since the opening-round series that the Lightning were missing one of their key forwards (Barclay Goodrow missed the first five games against the Panthers before returning for Game 6. Killorn’s absence undoubtedly impacted the Lightning’s game. He plays on the top power-play and the penalty kill in addition to joining right wing Steven Stamkos and center Anthony Cirelli on the second line. “Killer’s a big part of our team,” forward Tyler Johnson said Wednesday morning. “It’s going to be everyone having to step up in different roles, and that’s the great thing about our team is we have that depth and it’s going to take everybody.” Fourth-line center Tyler Johnson moved up to the second line to take Killorn’s spot, with Joseph stepping into Johnson’s place on the fourth line alongside Pat Maroon and Ross Colton. Cirelli filled in for Killorn on the top power-play unit, and Yanni Gourde picked up his minutes on the second penalty-kill unit. Killorn has averaged 17:32 of ice time per game this postseason, third- highest among Lightning forwards, behind Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. He has eight goals and nine assists in 19 games this postseason. His 17 points are fourth-most on the team.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.01.2021 Tampa Bay Lightning Lightning shut out of NHL Awards: Lightning goaltender Andrei 1190153 Vasilevskiy and defenseman Victor Hedman were finalists for the best at the positions. Neither came home with any extra hardware. How to watch the Lightning play Montreal in the Stanley Cup final Montreal’s Shea Weber fined for slash on Nikita Kucherov: The Canadiens defenseman was fined $5,000 for his slash on the star winger, which was a non-call in Game 1. By Mari Faiello What has two Cup runs cost the Lightning? The Lightning have dealt first-round draft picks and prospects to finally build a defense than can Published Yesterday handle the rigors of Stanley Cup play. Updated 4 hours ago No Winter Olympics for NHL players? It’s a possibility. After skipping in 2018, the league told players the Beijing Games were a possibility. That’s looking less likely. If it feels like we’ve been here before, it’s because we have. It’s been fewer than nine months since Tampa Bay’s last Stanley Cup chase. Signature calls in Tampa Bay, state: Which sports broadcaster has the most indelible, endearing call of a score or splash play? The Lightning are in the midst of their first Cup final against the Montreal Canadiens, who in a normal year are Atlantic Division opponents and Game 1 coverage of the Stanley Cup final: would never see each other this far in. But with this year’s realignment Nikita Kucherov leads the scoring surge with two goals and an assist in due to the coronavirus, here we are. the victory. It’s Andrei Vasilevskiy against future Hall of Famer Carey Price. It’s Victor Lightning-Canadiens Game 1 report card: Tilting the ice: Tampa Bay Hedman against Shea Weber. controls the neutral zone in taking the first game of the Stanley Cup final. Here’s how to watch/listen Lightning forward Alex Killorn ‘couldn’t go down the stretch’: The forward Game 1: Monday, June 28, Tampa Bay won 5-1 played one shift in the third period after blocking a shot in the second. Game 2: Wednesday, June 30 (8 p.m. NBCSN) Lightning take Game 1 against the Canadiens: In the 5-1 win, Kucherov logged a three-point night (two goals, one assist) in just a 20-minute Game 3: Friday, July 2 (8 p.m. NBC) span. Game 4: Monday, July 5 (8 p.m. NBC) Tampa Bay defenseman Erik Cernak nets first career postseason goal: After 46 career playoff games and a Stanley Cup, the blueliner scored his Game 5:* Wednesday, July 7 (8 p.m. NBC) first goal. Game 6:* Friday, July 9 (8 p.m. NBC) Lightning will revisit old times in series vs. Montreal: With the series split between Tampa Bay and Montreal, teams agreed to return to protocols Game 7:* Sunday, July 11 (7 p.m. NBC) from the beginning of the year to complete the series. * if necessary Lightning will play their first outdoors game next year: Tampa Bay will Did you miss anything? head to Nashville to face the Predators at Nissan Stadium on Feb. 26. Game 2 coverage of the Stanley Cup final: Winning the Stanley Cup opener isn’t everything for the Lightning: Tampa Bay had never won a Game 1 in the NHL’s championship series (until Lightning reach deep for Game 2 win over Canadiens: Tampa Bay didn’t this year) but has won the Cup twice. have its best game, but Blake Coleman’s second-period buzzer beater gave the Lightning a boost. Vasilevskiy vs. Price is the matchup Lord Stanley’s Cup deserves: The Stanley Cup has not seen a goaltender matchup as enticing as Tampa This Lightning fan dances his heart out at postseason home games: Bay and Montreal in quite some time. Lightning in-game host Greg Wolf says Ellis Allanson’s passion and positivity influence other fans. “We need 100,000 more Ellises.” Lightning aren’t full in pursuit of back-to-back Cups: Tampa Bay enters the Cup final with the opportunity to be “special,” according to head Greased Lightning? John Travolta latest famous face at Amalie Arena: coach Jon Cooper. The Lightning have been a hot ticket for musicians, athletes and celebrities all season. Jeff Vinik sees a Lightning team that’s evolved: The Lightning owner is impressed by how players learned the lessons that have turned them into Lightning singer Sonya Bryson-Kirksey shares her blue lipstick secrets: potential back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. The singer’s blue lips, coated bit-for-bit in glitter, pop on television every time she steps up to sing the Star-Spangled Banner. It’s mesmerizing. Canadiens’ Corey Perry is ready for a second chance vs. Tampa Bay: And it’s not surprising that she has makeup skills. The Montreal forward, acquired from Dallas in the offseason, is facing Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup final for a second straight season. Despite a less-than-perfect game, the Tampa Bay Lightning persevere through a lopsided disparity in shots after Blake Coleman scored a What it means to Lightning to have Steven Stamkos in this playoffs run: second-period buzzer-beater forging a 3-1 victory over the Montreal Tampa Bay’s captain played less than three minutes last postseason but Canadiens in Game 2 in the Stanley Cup final. hasn’t missed a game yet this year. Titus O’Neil surprises Tampa fire captain with Stanley Cup tickets: Montreal in the Cup final? Montreal has the weakest regular-season Captain Dan Quatrino’s first game in 17 years was to Game 1 against the record of any team to reach the Stanley Cup final in the past 25 years, Canadiens. but the Canadiens have been a different team in the postseason. Rain expected to clear out ahead of Lightning watch parties Wednesday ‘No injury’ for Kucherov: The star forward clearly has put the injury that and Friday: Wednesday and Friday will be full of rain, just not during knocked him out of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup semifinals behind him. game time, according to the National Weather Service. Beware, Lightning: Canadiens have success locking up top forwards: In Alex Killorn out, Mathieu Joseph in for Game 2 vs. Montreal: Killorn will each postseason series, Montreal has made the opposing team’s best miss his first game of the postseason as Tampa Bay tries to get the 2-0 players non-factors thanks to exceptional 5-on-5 hockey. series lead over the Canadiens. Meanwhile, Joseph draws in for his first Julien BriseBois changed the course of Lightning history:The general game since May 20. manager deserves more credit than he has received for the finishing New to the Lightning? Please, don’t do these things during the game: touches on a team that’s made back-to-back Stanley Cup finals. Lightning fans are happy to welcome newcomers into the fold. Just don’t jinx anything if you’re at a watch party. No pressure to win in five, Lightning: If the Stanley Cup final goes to six games, Lightning owner Jeff Vinik will not be in Montreal. His oldest son Mikhail Sergachev: Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev entered the league will be getting married the following day in Rhode Island. as a offensive-minded player but is becoming an impact-maker with his defense. Here’s our coverage out of the Stanley Cup semifinals win: Game 7 report card: None better in his own zone: Ryan McDonagh did all the little things to help Tampa Bay build and then protect a one-goal lead. Lightning return to Cup final with Game 7 shutout win over Islanders: Yanni Gourde’s second-period goal stands up as Tampa Bay dispatches New York in Game 7. No superstitions here. Lightning’s Hedman touches conference trophy for second straight year: Just like last year, and in less than 10 seconds, the Lightning are kicking any superstitions out of their way. “Do you STILL WANT TAMPA???’: Twitter reacts to Lightning win: With a 1-0 win over the Islanders, the Lightning move on to their second straight Stanley Cup Final. Lightning have become the team that refuses to yield: Since being humiliated in the 2019 playoffs, Tampa Bay has won seven consecutive series. Kucherov returns for Game 7: Tampa Bay’s top scorer is in the lineup after exiting Game 6 early with an injury. Stanley Cup final to start Monday: Tampa Bay has home-ice advantage over the Canadiens by virtue of having more points during the regular season. Tampa Bay tries to balance emotions ahead of Game 7: As Tampa Bay’s first elimination game in three years approaches, players and coaches try to feed off the excitement while blocking out the distractions. How will Lightning adjust to potentially being without Kucherov? Coach Jon Cooper remains unsure whether the Lightning’s star forward will be available Friday night. Lightning lean on playoff experience ahead of Game 7: Tampa Bay hasn’t been in a do-or-die game recently but knows the feeling of winning and losing them.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.01.2021 Tampa Bay Lightning helped Sergachev. He’s taken notes watching the veteran duo take their 1190154 games to the next level the past two postseasons.

“It’s just learning from them, how they lead the team,” Sergachev said, Lightning’s Mikhail Sergachev blossoming into sound two-way “because I want to be a leader on the team and I’m trying to do the same defenseman as they do on the ice: blocking shots and playing heavy when I need to be, bringing offense when I need to bring offense. They’re the best players in the world, and I’m really lucky to have them here.” By Eduardo A. Encina Sergachev has also upped his physicality. In fact, he’s one of just two players to register at least 50 hits and 40 blocks this postseason. Published Yesterday Montreal defenseman Ben Chiarot is the other. Updated Yesterday “I think he likes to be offensive and use his skill,” McDonagh said. ”He’s pretty special in that aspect, but the thing I love about him is his willingness to get better in all areas. He knows he can be offensive and TAMPA — Mikhail Sergachev came up through the hockey ranks much help distribute the puck, and he’s got a great shot. But I think he wants to like many of today’s talented defensemen do. Gifted with a combination work at being a 200-foot, all-around defenseman, and he’s definitely of size, speed and skill, he was a man among boys in the junior ranks. coming into his own there in that aspect.” He could skate and score all night.

But when you get to the NHL, you have to learn how to defend. Being an offensive-minded defenseman, being a great skater with a shot to match, Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.01.2021 can only get you so far, and it took him a while to learn that. Friday, his 23rd birthday, might have been the highlight of Sergachev’s young NHL career. If you weren’t listening closely, you probably didn’t notice his coach and teammates raving about the 30 seconds he spent defending the Lightning net to help preserve a one-goal lead in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup semifinal series. “One of the best games I’ve seen from him since I’ve been a part of this team, just from an inspirational standpoint,” Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. The Islanders were making one final push with their season on the line and their goaltender pulled for an extra attacker. Sergachev was officially credited with one shot block in the final 30 seconds. Not only did he make a sliding block on Ryan Pulock’s slap shot from the point, he also broke up two passes from the corner toward the front of the net and slid in front of Islander forward Anthony Beauvillier to interrupt his open look coming across the left circle. Lightning coach Jon Cooper called it a “clinic.” On a veteran-laden team full of stars like the Lightning, it’s easy for Sergachev’s development into an all-around defenseman to slip under the radar. But it has been essential to Tampa Bay moving to within hree wins of back-to-back Stanley Cups following Monday’s Game 1 victory over Montreal. The Lightning acquired Sergachev from the Canadiens as an 18-year-old in 2017 when then-general manager Steve Yzerman sent forward Jonathan Drouin to Montreal. Drouin, the former third overall pick by the Lightning, has struggled to meet expectations in his native Quebec and was placed on long-term injured reserve for personal reasons in April. “It was great getting traded here,” Sergachev said. “That’s all I’m gonna say about that.” One thing that stood out to Cooper in his first days with Sergachev was that he never played with two hands on his stick, which hindered his defensive game. “He could use his legs to get out of trouble, but he had to learn how to use that big frame, and it just took time,” Cooper said. “Really, our mandate with him was how to play in his defensive zone and how to play like a man down there, and it took him a couple years to do that. But boy has he ever gravitated to it now and takes pride in it. “It’s been fun to watch him work, because that kid’s got a bright future.” Sergachev’s four goals and 30 points in the regular season were his lowest in four years with the Lightning. While he’s still a big part of the Lightning offense, shooting pucks from the point and playing on the second power-play unit, Tampa Bay has a bevy of goal-scoring weapons. Sergachev’s greater value comes on the defensive end. “Games are never perfect, so I make some mistakes here and there, but I’m trying to be in the right spot all the time, not get out of position so I can block a shot or be in a lane or have a good stick,” Sergachev said. “I’m trying to battle, win battles and get pucks to our forwards. “My offense is not going right now, but I’m not really worried about that, because we’ve got guys who can put the puck in the net. I’ve just got to dish it to them and see what happens.” Having Victor Hedman, one of the game’s top two-way defensemen, and McDonagh, one of the league’s top shot-blockers, to learn from has also Tampa Bay Lightning “Literally in my head, I’m like, ‘Did he just do that again?'” Cooper said. 1190155 “Little bit different scenarios. But it was remarkably similar.”

This time, Coleman was a step ahead of Danault. When did he decide to Behind the Blake Coleman buzzer-beating goal that will forever live in dive? Lightning lore “Just kind of reflex, really,” Coleman said. “I knew they had a backchecker there and I just tried to beat him to the puck. I don’t think anybody is planning to dive onto the ice, but that was all I had, and By Joe Smith Goodie put it in a good spot. I don’t know why these goals happen, but it was a big win for our team.” Jul 1, 2021 Danault dove, too. But Coleman got enough lumber on it to sneak it through Canadiens goaltender Carey Price with 1.1 seconds left. “It takes Lightning wing Blake Coleman said he still gets called “Goodie” once a tremendous effort,” Goodrow said. “To dive like that for the puck and still week in the dressing room. get wood on the shot, enough to get it at the net and raise over the pad. A pretty special play.” As Coleman slid into the boards, the 17,166 fans in It’s the nickname of Barclay Goodrow, the Lightning’s other main Amalie Arena — which had been quiet for most of the period — erupted. deadline acquisition last spring. Tampa Bay doesn’t win last year’s They jumped to their feet and roared. Stanley Cup, nor are the Lightning two wins away now, without them. The same could be said for the Lightning bench, which got a much- “We’ll always be tied in that way,” Coleman said. needed boost heading into intermission. And after Wednesday night, the two will forever be linked to one of the “We got outworked that period, they out-chanced us, outbattled us,” most memorable goals in Lightning playoff history. No, it didn’t have the McDonagh said. “No doubt that was a remarkable play by those two in season-saving stakes of Martin St. Louis’ double-overtime goal in Game the last second of a period like that. A huge, huge swing for sure.” 6 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final. It wasn’t as iconic, or symbolic, as captain Steven Stamkos’ goal in the Cup Final last year, which led his ice “The timing was epic,” Cooper said. “Definitely a big lift going into the time (2:47) to get printed on T-shirts. There was Vinny Lecavalier’s second.” between-the-legs goal against Montreal in the ’04 Cup run, Tyler That goal was all the Lightning needed as Vasilevskiy shut the door. One Johnson had his buzzer-beating winner against the Canadiens in 2015. day after surprisingly not winning the Vezina Trophy, Vasilevskiy let his But one day years from now, if Tampa Bay pulls off its historic Stanley play do the talking with one of his better playoff performances. His save Cup repeat, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a statue of a soaring on a Nick Suzuki early in the game allowed Tampa Bay to settle in, and Coleman converting another one of his famous diving goals to spark a 3- his array of stops in the second kept it a tied game. “Man, he’s an 1 victory in Game 2. absolute warrior,” McDonagh said. “Probably the biggest piece of our win.” “It’s one of those where the announcer says, ‘You’ll see that on ‘SportsCenter’ tonight,'” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. But when Lightning fans talk about this game years later, they’ll likely always remember the goal where Coleman left his feet — and put The Lightning were in a bad place. They had been outworked, out- everyone else on theirs. Of his diving goals, this one might be on top. chanced and outbattled by the Canadiens for most of the first 40 minutes. At one point midway through the second period, Montreal forward Nick “It happens in the Stanley Cup Final, it’s pretty memorable for you,” Suzuki had as many shots (eight) as Tampa Bay’s team. Had it not been Coleman said. “This one is definitely up there. With the circumstances in for a herculean effort by goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who set a playoff the game, this one will stick in my mind.” career high with 42 saves, the Lightning might have been down a few It’s been a storybook year for Coleman, who has seen his wife, Jordan, goals instead of being tied 1-1 heading into the final seconds of the give birth to two beautiful, healthy daughters, Charlie and Carson, who second period. arrived a few weeks ago. And now, along with Goodrow, he could win his But that’s when Goodrow and Coleman went to work. second straight Stanley Cup. With about eight seconds left, Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber sent You can credit Coleman’s resilience for that. It was his turnover in a breakout pass up the right boards to Phillip Danault, as they were trying overtime that led to the Lightning’s Game 6 loss on Long Island to the to run out the clock. But the pass was behind the Selke Trophy Islanders. But Cooper approached Coleman after the game and told him: candidate, and that allowed Coleman to pounce, hitting Danault near “Don’t you dare lose one night of sleep over your turnover. You are one mid-ice and forcing the turnover. of the straws that stir the drink for this team.” The puck went to Ryan McDonagh just outside the Lightning blue line, “And all he’s done is had a remarkable Game 7 and two remarkable and the veteran defenseman quickly flipped it to where Goodrow could games here in the final,” Cooper said. track it down by Montreal’s blue line. With about four seconds left, And, to think, many people wondered if the Lightning gave up too much Goodrow had the presence of mind — and skill — to poke the puck past at last year’s deadline, dealing a couple of first-round picks and top Ben Chiarot and into the zone. forward prospect Nolan Foote in separate trades for Goodrow and That’s when Coleman darted in on the left side to join him. Coleman. “I knew the clock was winding down, but I saw Goodie make that heads- “They are pieces of the puzzle, but they were the final piece,” Cooper up play in the neutral zone, that little poke past their D,” Coleman said. “I said. “We kind of tried this recipe a little different. Unlike other teams who just tried to do everything I could to give him an option.” are going for top-six forwards or top-four D, we’ve kind of gone the other way, looked for middle-six forwards or the third set of D. I think if you’re By the time Goodrow could corral the puck, there were 2.9 seconds left looking for winners, those guys are winners. They’ve proved it time and and he was still above the right circle. Weber was closing in. time again. “I knew that time was tight,” Goodrow said. “I could hear our bench “At this time of year, when every shift is under a microscope, players that yelling, ‘Shoot!'” aren’t used to really playing with grit are playing with grit. Games are elevated, and the microscope is on you. There are guys who rise to the But Goodrow didn’t. occasion and sometimes there are guys that don’t. These guys, the He saw Coleman streaking out of the corner of his eye, and as he moment doesn’t seem to be too big for them.” reached the right faceoff dot, he flipped to his backhand to attempt a pass. Why didn’t Goodrow shoot? The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 “I’m not too sure,” Goodrow said. “I saw Blake drive the net. I figured if I could maybe get it over to him, it’d probably have a better chance of going in than shooting from where I was. Lucky we had enough time.” Now, Coleman has a history of scoring diving goals, dating to his career at Miami University. Then there was one with the Devils, and another for the Lightning in the second round last year against the Bruins. That goal against Boston is what immediately came to Cooper’s mind when he saw the play unfold from the bench. Toronto Maple Leafs account he will be getting a raise over his $1.65-million cap hit, keeping 1190156 Andersen would have to come cheaply.

As for the Leafs’ other free agents, a healthy Nick Foligno would be at Month of July for Leafs' GM Dubas will should build to a boil from a the top of our re-sign list, if it made sense financially. , Riley simmer Nash, Alex Galchenyuk and Ben Hutton, not so much. WESTERN EXPANSION Terry Koshan The Leafs weren’t impacted by the expansion draft in 2017, when the Vegas Golden Knights plucked forward Brendan Leipsic from the Toronto Publishing date: Jun 30, 2021 roster. This time around, they won’t be as lucky. Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas will be checking his phone a We’ll find out in a few weeks whether Dubas chose to protect seven lot during the month of July with the expansion draft, the entry draft and forwards, one defenceman and a goalie, or eight skaters and a goalie. free agency all on the schedule over the next month. Either way, the consensus thinking is that one of defencemen Justin Holl Article content or , or forward Alex Kerfoot, will be a member of the Kraken in the near future. In with a whimper, out with a bang. If it’s Kerfoot — who would be replaceable — that’s a cap hit of $3.5 It’s not usually how the month of July unfolds in the National Hockey million off the book for the next two seasons. League, of course, but the pandemic has been creating exceptions in all areas of life, and it’s no different in the NHL. Losing either Holl or Dermott would be a bigger disappointment. Holl is fine value at $2 million for the next two seasons, while the 24-year-old Canada Day normally is among the busiest days on the NHL calendar, Dermott hasn’t yet hit his potential and could do that in Seattle. with the doors to free agency swinging open every July 1. The yearly tradition of NHL teams overpaying players, however, has been delayed JULY 28 until July 28, when unrestricted free agents will be available to the highest bidder starting at 12 noon Eastern. Given the cap constraints, we don’t expect Dubas to be overly active in free agency. Re-phrase that: If Dubas is busy on the market, it’s possible The first round of the NHL draft will be held on July 23, with Rounds 2-7 that it will replicate what we saw last year, when a slew of veterans was following the next day. And don’t get too excited from a Leafs standpoint. signed to one-year deals. As of now, they have only three picks — in the second, fifth and sixth rounds. In other words, Dubas will be adding spare parts in free agency as long as the $40-million core four remains with the Leafs. The initial order of business for the NHL, coming days after the Stanley Cup is awarded to the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Montreal Canadiens, We won’t be surprised if the GM makes a bigger splash via trade (though will be the Seattle Kraken expansion draft on July 21. Teams must we don’t think dealing Morgan Rielly a year out from free agency makes submit their protected lists to the NHL no later than 5 p.m., on July 17. sense). There has been past interest in the Arizona Coyotes winger Conor Garland, and it’s possible that option is revisited. For Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, the next month will represent his greatest opportunity to re-shape the Leafs for the 2021-22 As tight as it is for Dubas, we’ve seen in the past he has no issue with season. taking significant steps with trades (Jake Muzzin, Campbell and Foligno the most-recent examples). If we had to bet, we figure Dubas will It’s not a straightforward task that awaits Dubas. If it holds true that the manage to get something similar done this summer. Leafs don’t trade any of their four salary-cap eating forwards — Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, captain John Tavares (who has a no-move Whether it helps in the playoffs next year, we won’t know until the puck clause) and William Nylander — Dubas likely will embark on a similar drops in Round 1. path to what he did for the most part during the off-season last fall, when he went about filling in depth blanks. Toronto Sun LOADED: 07.01.2021 And that group of Matthews and pals, by the way, is going to have to be at the forefront of developing the killer instinct that team president identified as missing after the Leafs were eliminated by the Canadiens in the first round. Dubas got it right for the regular season in 2020-21, but as we quickly learned by the end of May, that didn’t matter. That has to be vexing for the GM. Everything that looked so good for four months evaporated in a span of five nights. As much as the Leafs’ front office wants us to believe that continuous past playoff failures will build resolve, here are the Canadiens competing for the Stanley Cup. In its previous five seasons, Montreal lost in the first round twice — once after surprising the Pittsburgh Penguins in the best-of-five play-in last summer — and didn’t make the playoffs in three other years. A look at what will be on the Leafs’ to-do list in the coming weeks.’ IN-HOUSE MOVES Dubas got some paperwork out of the way on the free-agent front recently, retaining forwards Jason Spezza (one year) and Wayne Simmonds (two years). Of the other Leafs headed for free agency, nothing has changed with Zach Hyman’s situation. Unless Dubas is able to clear up some cash — the Simmonds signing brings the Leafs to approximately $70.6 million on 16 roster spots, with just less than $11 million to spare before hitting the cap — Hyman will be no more than a Leafs memory at this time next month. The Leafs have expressed an interest in re-signing defenceman Zach Bogosian, and though the assumption has been that goalie Frederik Andersen’s days in Toronto are done, there reportedly has been mutual interest between the sides in getting a new contract signed. Considering Jack Campbell will need a new deal after next season, and taking into Toronto Maple Leafs It’s a tough one. How many teams feel they’re going to be good enough 1190157 after acquiring Makar that they won’t at all regret giving up four unprotected first-round picks? LeBrun: Cale Makar an offer sheet target; Seth Jones trade interest from So is the magic AAV on a Makar offer sheet $10.2 million flat, just under Avs, Flyers, Blackhawks the threshold? Is that enough to make Colorado sweat? Fellow young RFA stud blueliner Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars might be another intriguing target for an offer sheet depending on how By Pierre LeBrun negotiations play out, but I think all things being equal, people view the Avs as a more vulnerable team. Jun 30, 2021 That’s because captain Gabriel Landeskog and Vezina Trophy finalist Philipp Grubauer are pending unrestricted free agents, so is top-six The flat cap environment, one would think, would actually encourage winger Brandon Saad (not clear whether or not they can keep him), and more offer sheets but as we saw last fall, none were tendered. the Avs need room a year from now for a monster extension directed at Nathan MacKinnon (who is up in the summer of 2023, but can sign one Despite having so many teams on the ropes with the frozen salary cap, year out.) which in theory would put them at risk for the hostility of an offer sheet, last offseason came and went without one. There have been preliminary discussions so far between Makar’s camp and the Avs, but nothing substantive quite yet. Whether it’s because Montreal’s offer sheet matched by Carolina in July 2019 scared teams off for a while — some front-office executives have I would think the Avs’ approach would be to sell Makar hard on keeping mentioned that to me — it’s hard to tell for sure. the band together in this flat cap environment. That would certainly be my approach. Knowing how likely it is that a team will match has always been a deterring factor given the hard feelings it creates. I’d be surprised if A key part of this is term. On the one hand, there’s merit in going shorter Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has forgiven the Habs. (Hey, Jesperi if it means massaging the AAV and giving Colorado a better chance to Kotkaniemi is a restricted free agent this summer! Just kidding. I think.) compete in the next few years. But I will say one offer sheet possibility has popped up in a few For example, Zach Werenski signed a second contract for three years at conversations I’ve had this week: Cale Makar. a $5 million AAV in 2019. Charlie McAvoy the same year signed a second contract for three years at a $4.9 million AAV. I also talked about this on TSN’s Insider Trading on Tuesday. But if you’re Makar’s camp, why limit yourself to defensemen First of all, believe me when I say the Colorado Avalanche internally are comparables. I would point out the fact Matthew Tkachuk signed for three cognizant that this possibility might lurk out there and are guarding years at a $7 million AAV on his second contract and Point for three against it. They’re a smart front office and will be prepared for anything. years at $6.75 million AAV. Secondly, no question the Avs would match any single offer sheet to their And so this is where it’s going to get interesting. If the AAV creeps up prized blueliner. north of $7 million on a three-year deal, the Avs are probably going to say not worth the short-term savings at that point — let’s go longer then. Third, there’s zero evidence Makar and his camp led by agent Brian Bartlett have any plans to seek one out at this juncture. By all indications, They signed star winger Mikko Rantanen, for example, to a second Makar loves it in Denver and wants to simply sign a fair deal in his contract at six years and a $9.25 million AAV. second contract. Maybe there’s a six-year deal that makes sense here for Makar. And this is an important factor, as an offer sheet requires a player willing to sign on the dotted line. There were teams that inquired with Brayden Can the Avs get it done before teams are allowed to make offers on July Point’s camp two years ago on this. The player had zero interest in going 28? Does it truly matter? that route. Or, like we saw last fall, is the specter of an offer sheet all a mirage. Still, what the Makar camp can’t control is which teams may or may not We shall see. pick up the phone when free agency opens July 28, if the Avs haven’t signed the superstar RFA yet, and blow them out of the water with a Speaking of the Avs massive offer sheet number that makes them think. One crazy rumor that popped my way this week via two league sources That’s the intriguing part. That’s where some of the smoke is coming is that the Avs were kicking around the idea of renting out Seth Jones for from right now. Is there a team lying in the weeds waiting to pounce a year in a trade with Columbus and going all-in for the Cup next season. come July 28? I mean, yes! There are two reasons you might consider it if you’re a team that can swing it. But again, as I’ve stated before, I assume the Blue Jackets at all costs need to explore the market where Jones is traded after signing an 1. If there’s ever a player that’s worth the aggravation of what an offer extension with his new team, which therefore would maximize the asset sheet brings in terms of the subsequent wrath of the Avalanche, it’s a 22- value. year-old blueliner who already has a Calder Trophy to his name and was a runner-up Norris Trophy finisher. Secondly, as noted above, the Avs have their hands full with Makar and other key free agents. 2. Even if the odds are very high the Avs would match, the damage it might do to Colorado as far the player or two they would have to move to Still, I do love the idea of loading up for a year if you can live with the be able to match the offer sheet could be worth it alone if you’re a acquisition price. You’ve got another two years before MacKinnon’s big Western Conference rival. extension will be a cap-eating reality. And again, you can take it to the bank the Avs front office is aware of all The Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks probably make more these things. sense for Jones. I’ve mentioned that a few times with the Flyers. They’ve got the parts to make a deal work. But if Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen One rival front-office executive I spoke with this week figures you’d have wants Jones dealt West … to put the offer sheet at least $11 million or $12 million a year to even make it worth the hassle. Otherwise, what’s the point? My colleague Darren Dreger during our Insider Trading segment Tuesday reported Chicago’s interest in either Jones or pending UFA As a reminder, any offer sheet this year that is worth $10.276 million AAV Dougie Hamilton, either of whom would certainly make sense for the or more results in four first-round draft picks as compensation if the team Blackhawks, who are seeking an elite defenseman. doesn’t match. An AAV between $8.221 million and $10.276 million on an offer sheet this year sees the compensation at two first-round picks, a Leafs reached out to Andersen camp second and a third. I will freely admit that when the Maple Leafs’ season ended, I thought Obviously, if you’re the suitor, you’d rather not be faced with giving up Frederik Andersen was most definitely headed to the free-agent market. four first-round picks. But if the offer isn’t high enough, and you’re not It just felt to me like his time in Toronto had come to an end. The making Colorado sweat, what’s the point of the exercise? emergence of Jack Campbell plus perhaps some hurt feelings from Andersen as far as the perception of his value in the Leafs’ market gave me the distinct impression he was gone. And he may still be, come July 28, of course. But Claude Lemieux, the agent for the pending UFA netminder, told me Tuesday that Leafs management has reached out recently to ask if Andersen had interest in returning. And the answer from Lemieux to the Leafs was yes. Now, having mutual interest is one thing; converting that into a contract that satisfies both sides within the Leafs’ salary cap situation, well, that’s another thing. But it is nevertheless revealing that the conversation happened and that Lemieux told the Leafs that Andersen is absolutely comfortable coming back and sharing the net with Campbell. So stay tuned on that one. Danault’s worth as a free agent? Is there a more unique pending UFA than Phillip Danault? The man who helped shut down offensive stars in Toronto, Winnipeg and Vegas this playoff season finds himself in need of a contract after the season. He’s 28. There’s still lots of good hockey ahead. But what’s a top shutdown center with limited offensive ability worth in today’s market? It’s a question I put to a few rival front-office executives this week. One said that, while he has great respect for Danault’s shutdown ability, he can’t see Danault making more than $4.5 million AAV on the market given the flat cap and his offensive numbers. Another saw Danault at around $4 million a year on a four- or five-year deal. And then there’s the third team executive I reached out to, who pointed out a rather interesting comparable: Jordan Staal, who makes $6 million a year and shares similar shutdown duties. Consider: • Staal over the past five seasons has 184 points over 325 games, which averages out to 46 points over an 82-game season. • Danault over the past five seasons has 189 points over 339 games, which averages out to … you guessed it, 46 points over 82 games. Now, it’s not a perfect comparable because Staal just completed the eighth season of a 10-year, $60 million deal he signed two CBAs ago. Those deals aren’t allowed anymore. There’s an eight-year max. And so even trying to figure out the comparable value of an outdated contract like that is difficult. Plus, well, the pandemic hit. Adam Lowry, also 28 and a very good defensive center in Winnipeg, re- signed for five years and a $3.25 million AAV back in April. Yes, Danault is rated ahead of Lowry skill-wise, but by how much? As another rival front-office executive pointed out to me Tuesday as we were talking about Danault, how does Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ new deal affect other pending UFA forwards? Now, Nugent-Hopkins is more of a winger than center, so it’s not a direct comparison. But still, if a 28-year-old forward who outproduces Danault offensively is worth $5.125 million AAV, albeit on an eight-year deal, where does that put Danault, as excellent as he is as a shutdown player? Keep in mind, both La Presse and Le Journal de Montreal reported in January that Danault turned down a six-year, $30 million offer from the Habs last offseason. The continued growth of young centers Nick Suzuki and Kotkaniemi makes it clear that, as valuable as Danault has been yet again for the Canadiens, and he really has been in these playoffs, his future in Montreal is as a third-line center, albeit on a team constructed with minutes more evenly spread in its top nine. So perhaps he hits the market to see what’s what. And I am honestly so intrigued to see how other teams value him if he’s there on July 28.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 Vegas Golden Knights left wing Jonathan Marchessault said. “It was kind of fun to just be a little 1190158 more comfortable.”

Perhaps the biggest change will be having fans back for the entire Golden Knights look forward to normal 2021-22 season season. T-Mobile Arena was only at full capacity for six playoff games, and the largest road crowd the Knights played against was 10,495. By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal “We got to do what we love, which is play hockey,” Stone said. “We got June 30, 2021 - 4:02 PM to hang out as a team for the majority of the season and have that camaraderie. I definitely want to get back to normal.”

Mark Stone missed stepping into Madison Square Garden this season. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 07.01.2021 Or playing in front of a sold-out crowd in Toronto. Or returning home to Winnipeg to see family and friends. There was so much that he and the rest of the Golden Knights would have experienced in a normal season. But the NHL schedule was condensed into 56 regular-season games, and teams only played within their division. COVID-19 restrictions limited where they could go and what they could do. The league hopes that will change for the 2021-22 season. And the Knights hope that means they will be able to experience the working life they had before the pandemic. Commissioner Gary Bettman said Monday the season will start in the first half of October — “it’ll probably be in the double digits” — and the schedule will be released after the Stanley Cup Final but before the NHL draft, which begins July 23. “It was definitely a tough year for players all over the league and their families with rules and restrictions and no fans in some arenas,” Knights left wing Max Pacioretty said. “I thought we handled it very well right through up until the very end.” Including the regular season and first two rounds of the playoffs, the Knights played Minnesota 15 times, Colorado 14 times and the other five West Division teams eight times each. It will be a change of pace for the Knights to see former division foes Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver again. Or Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Or the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning. They’re used to seeing the NHL’s full picture during the regular season. This year, they only got a snapshot. “I do miss going out East,” right wing Alex Tuch said. “I miss traveling to Canada and stuff and all over the country. It’ll be nice to get back to it.” The Knights also will be happy to have a little more down time next season. The NHL is expected to return to its normal 82-game schedule, but it won’t be as crammed as this season’s was. The Knights played 82 games in 185 days in their last full season in 2018-19, averaging a game every 2.26 days. They played 56 in 119 days this season, or a game every 2.13 days. That number drops to 1.96 by removing the team’s nine-day COVID-19 pause. It would have been even lower if the NHL didn’t extend the regular season because of postponements. Coach Pete DeBoer said he’s looking forward to more practice days after the team scrapped a lot of skates to prioritize rest. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said it will be good for players to get extra time to heal, too. “For some guys, for myself, when you have an injury it takes a lot longer because you’re not getting the opportunity to rest,” Pietrangelo said. “When those things linger, it isn’t fun. In a normal year, you have opportunities to take breaks. This year we didn’t.” One thing that might stay, at least somewhat, is series-style scheduling. The Knights typically played the same team twice in the same city before moving on to another opponent. It was done to limit travel during the pandemic, but players liked the change. The NHL Players Association’s annual poll said 66.3 percent of the 442 members surveyed wanted the format to stay. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league will “incorporate it on an increased basis going forward,” but can’t do it all the time during its normal schedule format in which many teams play each other an odd number of times. “It was kind of nice to come in, new city, and just unload your suitcase for four days instead of not unpacking nothing because you’re leaving right after the game for another city and you’re always living in your suitcase,” Vegas Golden Knights more open to a personnel makeover, it could both sign Martinez and 1190159 upgrade other parts of the roster.

The Golden Knights are unlikely going to want to extend Martinez a Golden Knights have big decision to make on ‘warrior’ free agent Alec longer-term offer because of his age, but neither are other teams. Martinez It may all come down to how determined Vegas is to keep Martinez. He’s undoubtedly one of the most important roster decisions of the summer. By Justin Emerson (contact) The team’s decision on Martinez will dictate a host of other moves. Whether he comes back or signs somewhere else will be determined Wednesday, June 30, 2021 over the next month, but either way, it’s clear how much the organization has valued having him around during two trips to the Stanley Cup playoff semifinals. Three key questions facing Golden Knights headed into the “I can’t understate the importance of him to our group here the time he’s offseasonThree key questions facing Golden Knights headed into the been there with me,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “He rises to the occasion offseason at the tough moments, and you can never have enough guys like that.” Knights’ competitive window remains open despite another upset playoff exitKnights’ competitive window remains open despite another upset playoff exit LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 07.01.2021 If there were any questions about the extent Alec Martinez was willing to go to win this postseason, they were answered in his postgame exit interviews last weekend. The Golden Knights defenseman revealed he played the entire postseason on a broken foot. His absence in practices throughout the playoffs indicated some sort of injury, but nothing was apparent from watching him play as he led all players in blocks during Vegas’ three rounds in the tournament. There’s a reason his teammates called him a “warrior” all season despite him despising the nickname. Martinez has become a dependable presence and beloved teammate in less than two full seasons in Vegas, but now the Golden Knights face a tough decision as it pertains to him. He’s an unrestricted free agent, and for a team tight up against the salary cap, it’s going to be tough to keep a player like Martinez who’s due for a raise. He’ll also turn 34 years old before the start of next season, so Vegas must also assess if and how he’ll fit long-term. “To be quite honest I haven’t really thought about it that much,” Martinez said of his free agency. “I’m obviously aware I am a UFA (unrestricted free agent). Obviously the loss is pretty fresh, just a couple days ago. I don’t really know yet. We’ll see what happens.” There’s no question now that his $4 million cap hit and the two second- picks the Golden Knights shipped to the Kings to acquire him last year ended up being a bargain price, which wasn’t the overwhelming thought when the trade went down. Martinez solidified the top four of the Golden Knights blue line, pairing with Shea Theodore last season before shifting to the top pair with Alex Pietrangelo this season. After adjusting numbers to a per-game basis because of the pandemic- shortened season, Martinez put up career highs in goals (9), assists (23) and points (32) this season. He was the only Golden Knights’ defenseman with a power-play goal in the regular season, and the only one regardless of position to score one in the postseason. He was also second among Vegas defenseman to Theodore with 8.3 goals above replacement, according to Evolving Hockey’s analytical model. There’s a good argument to be made that he was Vegas’ most consistent defenseman from the start of the season to the end — even while playing on one healthy foot. “Alec had a great year, really since we acquired him at the trade deadline a year ago, he’s been a great addition,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “His offensive production this year was very high-end. He was, many nights, our best defenseman.” His asking price might ultimately be the deciding factor on whether he returns. Coming off one of his best seasons, a salary as high as $6 million per year would be within reason. That price tag would be tight for Vegas, but not unmanageable. The Golden Knights project to have about $6 million in cap space before making decisions on free agent forwards Tomas Nosek and Mattias Janmark. The Golden Knights could, therefore, afford to give Martinez a raise and bring back close to the same team that reached the Stanley Cup semifinals but it would leave them with little space for improving elsewhere. That’s assuming they don’t go other routes to create additional cap space such as moving one of their goalies or high-priced forwards. If Vegas is 1190160 Vegas Golden Knights

Did Marc-Andre Fleury Vezina Win Cement Him Staying With VGK?

Published 13 hours ago on June 30, 2021 By Tom Callahan

The Vegas Golden Knights face quite the conundrum with Marc-Andre Fleury. He’s been the face of the franchise since he arrived and is no doubt one of the most popular players I’ve ever seen on any team. Fans love him, teammates love him, broadcasters love him. He’s just one of those guys you want to talk to because he’s always smiling. Fleury has also expressed his desire to stay in Vegas and finish out his career. Reading between the lines, it almost sounds like he is thinking about retiring after his current contract is up, or if he does decide to play on, doing it on a far more team-friendly deal. It’s hard to know right now what kind of impact actually winning the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender in the NHL will have on him. It might give him more of a sense of finality. It might light the fire to compete even longer. Either way, he’s still going to carry a $7M cap hit next season and that’s tough for the Vegas Golden Knights to deal with. What will be interesting to find out is the ripple effect of him winning the Vezina across the rest of the league. Did it drive up interest in acquiring him? And did it drive up the price to do so? I feel that GM Kelly McCrimmon has approached the Golden Knights roster from a mostly practical standpoint. He’s tried to wring every last cent out of the salary cap but Vegas has had to pay the piper a few times during the regular season when it comes to the lineup. Having that much free cap space would go a long way towards helping the team improve the power play and get a top center, both of which are areas of need. Those players aren’t cheap. On its face, making a trade for one year of Marc-Andre Fleury would help very few teams. He’s only getting older and you know there’s a decline coming soon. It’s uncertain as to when – some guys just stay relevant longer than others. But he’s already pushing Father Time beyond the normal limits. So perhaps the return from another win-now team is minimalized, and would likely be much younger. A top draft pick would be lower down the ladder. A prospect might be the best return but that’s always uncertain as well. Does the Vezina win up the ask? Is there a team with a crowded situation at forward or defense that could use a goaltender and make someone expendable? Vegas certainly isn’t in the position to eat a bad contract in return, and while retaining salary is always on the table, it still doesn’t quite accomplish the goal of moving Fleury: major cap space. Yet you have to feel that his value has indeed increased with the award, and it shows other teams that not only is he capable of playing at a high level, but he’s also capable of being the best goaltender in the league. That’s not a player you can acquire any day of the week. To be clear, there’s not much other reason to move him. But cap space is the most important currency in the game. It’s what allows some teams to make deals that would otherwise seem impossible from a hockey standpoint, or prevents teams from making deals they would otherwise love to make. And right now the only thing that seems to be holding the Vegas Golden Knights back from a Stanley Cup is cap space. The question remains if it’s worth it to move your Vezina-winning goaltender who just saved your bacon last season to accomplish that. Without him carrying the team for a large stretch of the regular season you might not have been as good as you were, but is it good enough to just make the playoffs and then take your chances? And would strengthening the team in other areas negate the need to have a goaltender carry you as much? These are all questions the Vegas Golden Knights have to answer in exploring a trade. That’s if they could even move Marc-Andre Fleury at all.

Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 07.01.2021 1190161 Washington Capitals

Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin headline recent Hart Trophy vote runaways

BY ANDREW GILLIS

CAPITALS Connor McDavid was this year’s runaway Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP and was just the second unanimous Hart Trophy selection in the 97-year history of the award. The only other player to ever be awarded the honor unanimously was Wayne Gretzky in 1981-82. McDavid received 100 of a possible 100 first-place votes over second- place Auston Matthews, who received 69 second-place votes. Nathan MacKinnon placed third. McDavid, 24, had a ridiculous 2021 season and scored 33 goals and had 72 assists in just 56 games played. He put up 1.88 points per game, which was the 22nd best in NHL history and the best since Mario Lemieux’s 2.30 points per game in 1995-96. In fact, McDavid’s runaway MVP season was one of the highest margins of victory since Alex Ovechkin won the award in the 2007-08 season with 97.99% of the vote and 128 first-place votes. And surprisingly, the MVP vote is never as close as it might seem. That season, Ovechkin scored 65 goals and had 47 assists to lead the Capitals back to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. That 07-08 season was the first of back-to-back MVP awards for the Russian winger, who put up a career-high in goals. Ilya Kovalchuk of the was next in goals, with 52. In 2008, Ovechkin received 1,313 votes for MVP and had 126 more first- place votes than and Nicklas Lidstrom, both of whom had two first-place votes. Each year since, until McDavid went nuclear, the Hart Trophy has been awarded in a closer race. In the following year after Ovechkin’s first MVP, he followed up with another where he carried 95.04% of the vote after a 56-goal season. Ovechkin narrowly lost out to in 2010 which ended a chance of a three-peat. Ovechkin won the award in the 2013 season where he scored 32 goals in a lockout-shortened 48 game season, the last time he was named MVP. Other runaway MVP seasons include Evgeni Malkin in 2012, who had 144 first-place votes ahead of second-place Steven Stamkos (one first- place vote) and third-place (three votes). Sidney Crosby won the award in 2014 with 128 first-place votes, ahead of second-place Ryan Getzlaf (five votes). Carey Price won the award in 2015 with 139 first-place votes (compared to Ovechkin’s eight). Patrick Kane won the next season with 121 first- place votes (compared to Crosby’s 11). Nikita Kucherov had a staggering 164-first place vote campaign in 2019, far ahead of Crosby in second, who finished with three first-place votes. In short, while the NHL usually has an MVP that feels imminent, McDavid has joined the elite of the elite with Gretzky as a unanimous choice and Ovechkin, Malkin and Crosby as players who were close to getting every first-place vote possible.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.01.2021 Washington Capitals If Savard wants anything close to the $4.25 cap hit he has now then this 1190162 is all moot because the Caps can't add that to their cap in 2021. They just can't afford it. Potential free agent fits for the Capitals from the Tampa Bay Lightning This is not a move that makes sense for Washington with the roster as it is currently constructed. The Caps have four right defensemen under contract for next season already so this is not a major area of need, but it could become one based on the expansion draft. BY J.J. REGAN If the Caps should lose one of their right defensemen to the Seattle Kraken, Savard becomes a player worth exploring, but, again, only if he CAPITALS comes down from his current cap hit which I find to be unlikely. The Stanley Cup Final is underway. The Capitals are not in the final this D Luke Schenn year, but there are a number of pending free agents who are. Those are A veteran, right-shot depth defenseman the team could sign for cheap? the players Caps fans and general manager Brian MacLellan should be The Caps already have one of those in . watching to see if there are any potential fits to pursue in the offseason.

When going through this exercise, you quickly discover two problems. First, there is very little that the Caps actually need. The results have not Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.01.2021 been there in the playoffs the last three years, but really, on paper, this roster is stacked. Second, they have no cap room so even if you talk yourself into a player, the next question is, yeah but at what cost? With that in mind, however, let's look at some of the Tampa Bay Lightning's pending free agents to see if there are any potential fits for Washington. F Blake Coleman Coleman is a middle-six forward who produced 31 points last season (which would have ranked sixth on the Caps) and an additional six thus far in the playoffs. His current cap hit is $1.8 million and that's going to up significantly, thus pricing him out of interest for Washington. If you want to go the whole, "wouldn't he want to take less money for a chance to win" route, OK, but that's an argument for why he should stay in Tampa. I'm not sure why he would want to accept less than market value to leave the Lightning and play for Washington. Even if he does leave Tampa Bay, it sounds like it will be for Dallas if anywhere. F Ross Colton (RFA) As an arbitration-eligible RFA, you have to wonder if Colton could be a cap casualty. Barring another injury to a superstar that keeps him on LTIR for the entire regular season until right at the moment the salary cap no longer applies, the Lighting will have to find ways to shed a whole bunch of salary this offseason. Having said that, at just 24 years old, Colton scored nine goals in 30 games in his rookie season this year and an additional three goals and two assists in the postseason. That's the type of player you want to keep around or, at the very least, trade if you have no choice but to move on. I can't imagine this pending RFA actually makes it to free agency, but if he does, of course, the Caps should pursue him. He's ready to contribute now. F Barclay Goodrow The Lightning traded for Goodrow at the 2020 deadline when they realized they needed to be a harder team to play against. He certainly fits the mold of the type of player the Caps seem to covet and, while he should get a raise from his current $925,000 cap hit, I don't see him as a player who will break the bank. Looking at the Caps' bottom-six depth, I am not sure exactly where Goodrow would fit with Conor Sheary and Daniel Sprong in tow. If they are the third-line wingers and if head coach Peter Laviolette wants to keep the fourth line together after a superb year for them offensively, I just don't see a regular spot for Goodrow in the lineup. G Curtis McElhinney Goaltending was a question heading into the season for Washington and will continue to be a question until one of their netminders establishes himself as a No. 1 starter. Ilya Samsonov started to do that in the playoffs a bit, but not enough to make goaltending cease to be a question mark for this team. This leads to the question of whether the Caps need a veteran netminder to serve as the No. 3 and the occasional backup McElhinney, however, makes little sense. His play has dropped off precipitously over the past few years and his save percentage has dropped in each of the past three seasons going all the way down to .875 in 2021 after just 12 games. Even if the Caps do want a veteran netminder, there will be better options than McElhinney. D David Savard 1190163 Vancouver Canucks

Duncan Keith could be on the move to a 'Pacific Northwest' NHL team: report

Patrick Johnston Publishing date: Jun 30, 2021

Chicago Blackhawks captain Duncan Keith could be suiting up for a new team next fall, according to a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. According to Friedman, Keith has been working with the Blackhawks to set up a trade to a team in either the Pacific Northwest or Western Canada. There are rumblings Chicago is working on a potential Duncan Keith trade to either the Pacific Northwest or Western Canada. Word is Keith and team are working together to get him to a place he wants to go. We will see where this goes. Such a list would include the Vancouver Canucks, Seattle Kraken, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. And perhaps the Winnipeg Jets, but given a particular item suggested to Postmedia by a source, it seems likely the Jets are too far east. According to the source, Keith’s desire is to play for a team closer to his eight-year-old son, who lives in Penticton with his mom, Keith’s ex-wife. Another source told Postmedia that, as it stands, the Canucks are not believed to be a team interested in trading for Keith, though of course they do have a hole on the left side of their defence. Their cap situation remains very tight and they seem inclined toward re-signing Alex Edler to fill the left-D hole. Keith has two years left on his contract, which carries a cap hit of $5.38 million per season, but is owed just $3.6 million in actual salary over those remaining two seasons. The Oilers have cap space to work with, as do the Kraken, of course. And both are relatively short flights from Penticton. The Flames seem unlikely, given how tight their cap situation is. Keith, who turns 38 in just over two weeks, was born in Winnipeg but grew up in the , playing minor and junior hockey in Penticton and Kelowna.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 07.01.2021 Websites on the balance of consensus rating and internal dynamics). Whether they 1190164 want to admit it or not, their star player being outspoken about his desire to play with his brother does factor into the decision, especially when his brother is a defensible pick in this slot in his own right. It doesn’t make it The Athletic / NHL Mock Draft: Scott Wheeler maps out who goes after a sure thing. There are half a dozen or so players they could realistically Owen Power in the first round consider here. But there are none with stronger ties and I’m not going to invent any.

5. Columbus Blue Jackets: Simon Edvinsson, LHD, Frölunda Scott Wheeler HC/Västerås Jun 30, 2021 My rank: No. 11 The Blue Jackets proudly walk to the beat of their own drum at the draft It’s mock draft season and I’ve spent the better part of the last couple of and they’ve never shied away from taking a risk on a player. Edvinsson, weeks asking around about potential fits and considering targets for each who has one of the highest ceilings and one of the lowest floors among of the clubs that will be selecting in the first round. this class of top prospects, certainly qualifies. They’ve also used their last four picks inside the first two rounds at the draft on forwards, having not This will be my only mock draft in advance of the real thing and is not to selected a defenceman in Rounds 1 or 2 since they picked Andrew be confused with the picks that I would make at each slot. Instead, it tries Peeke at No. 34 in 2016. There’s definitely a desire within the to match my sense for the consensus with each NHL team’s habits and organization (and among its fans) for the team to target a top forward tendencies. prospect and specifically a centre, which may make McTavish interesting here, but Edvinsson still feels like the more likely pick even after a bit of a It’s my best guess for how things will play out, with contingencies and topsy-turvy season. Clarke wouldn’t surprise me as the pick here for all of other options listed wherever I feel comfortable speaking to them or the same reasons Edvinsson feels like he could be their guy, too. hypothesizing. 6. Detroit Red Wings: William Eklund, C/LW, Djurgårdens IF For my complete evaluations of these players, check out my final top-100 for 2021. My rank: No. 5 1. Buffalo Sabres: Owen Power, LHD, University of Michigan It’s easy to assume that the Red Wings covet a centre and therefore this pick is most likely to be McTavish. I think there’s a strong chance that My rank: No. 1 happens, too, and debated taking him here. I do think you can count on the Red Wings to take a forward for the second year in a row, which It’s been a year of hemming and hawing about the lack of a clearcut No. 1 pick in this draft and yet here we are at the end and I’m nearly certain would rule out whichever of the four defencemen are left. But I don’t think it’ll be Power. There’s this narrative that he emerged as “the guy” after that necessarily means it’s McTavish by default. Though Eklund and his performance at the World Championship for Canada, but I’d been Johnson both played wing this year, both also have experience at centre hearing from virtually everyone I talked to that he’d separated himself and I wouldn’t rule either out from ending up down the middle, though months before that (and, for posterity’s sake, he sat atop all three of my Eklund is more likely to than Johnson (which factored in here). They’ll be lists). I think the Sabres got a little too cute when they selected Jack very familiar with both Eklund and Johnson as well. We know their affinity Quinn at No. 9 in 2020 with Marco Rossi, Cole Perfetti and Anton Lundell to Swedes in recent drafts. We know that the University of Michigan is in still available, and the leaks that they’re higher on this class than others their backyard. So I don’t think we can ignore those possibilities. And and have it all figured out probably worries fans more than reassures then there’s the consensus I think that still exists which suggests that them because trust in them is so waning, but I think they’ll take Power. Eklund is the slightly favoured prospect, even after McTavish made a strong case down the stretch in Switzerland with his club team and in He’s the right selection and it’ll pocket them a tiny bit of goodwill with the Texas at U18s with Canada. fan base. 7. San Jose Sharks: Mason McTavish, C/W, Peterborough Petes/EHC 2. Seattle Kraken: Matthew Beniers, C, University of Michigan Olten My rank: No. 4 My rank: No. 10 The way the Kraken have hired their staff and look to be constructing their organization (forward-thinking, diverse, data-driven personnel), they The Sharks are a bit of a wild card because I think the next two picks are don’t strike me as a management group that is going to let extenuating slam dunks if they take McTavish here, but I’m not absolutely sure they circumstances influence the way they scout and acquire talent, which will will. The presence of Ryan Merkley in their system probably makes it a likely focus on skill and upside as they try to develop the stars they’ll lack little less likely that they’d outright target Clarke, another playmaking, at the jump. But Beniers has as strong a case as any to be the No. 2 roving right-shot defenceman whose game tilts toward offence and prospect in the draft. Plus it doesn’t hurt that he’s an American-born comes with some risk (though they’re much different in attitude and centre who, in a draft full of players with quirks that make their outcomes skillset, there are some similarities there in handedness and approach). volatile, projects safely to his floor as an up-tempo, play-driving pivot who But their pool is definitely stronger at forward than on defence, which will fit into the hardworking identity a team like the Kraken will start with adds an interesting wrinkle (I think they’d be much more willing to take out of necessity (which isn’t to say he’s not skilled, because he absolutely Hughes or Edvinsson than Clarke). I suspect they’re fond of Eklund based on the way they drafted a year ago. I really liked their run of picks is). You don’t want your first pick in team history to bust and Beniers isn’t from the second round through to the seventh with Thomas Bordeleau, going to. Tristen Robins, Daniil Gushchin, Brandon Coe and Alex Young and 3. Anaheim Ducks: Dylan Guenther, LW/RW, Edmonton Oil Eklund would fit in nicely as their new No. 1 prospect. But with Eklund Kings/Sherwood Park Crusaders gone, I could also see them taking Johnson. So this was between him and McTavish. McTavish gives their pool a little bit of a different look than My rank: No. 6 Johnson, though, adding a goal-scoring/physicality element that the aforementioned 2020 picks lack. That gave him the edge. I expect the Ducks will take a forward here and I expect that forward will be selected with their potential fit with Trevor Zegras in mind (i.e. turning 8. Los Angeles Kings: Brandt Clarke, RHD, Barrie Colts/HC Nove Zamky passes into goals). That probably gives Guenther and Mason McTavish the edge over William Eklund or Kent Johnson. If the Ducks view Zegras My rank: No. 3 as a winger long-term, that may help McTavish’s case because he can play down the middle. But I’ve talked to a lot of people who think The Kings’ pool has virtually everything except a true No. 1 defence McTavish’s game is better suited for the wing, most see Zegras as a prospect. It has unmatched depth down the middle. With Arthur Kaliyev, centre, I agree on both, and if the Ducks agree on either then the Samuel Fagemo, Martin Chromiak and Kasper Simontaival it has some decision becomes about two wingers and Guenther probably wins out goal-scoring punch and slick playmaking options on the wing (to among a consensus of scouts. complement some of the centres who will inevitably have to move to the wing if they are to make it). And while they also have enviable depth on 4. New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes, LHD, U.S. NTDP the back end with Helge Grans, Tobias Bjornfot, Jordan Spence, Cole Hults, Mikey Anderson, Brock Faber, Sean Durzi, Kim Nousiainen and My rank: No. 7 the rest of their blueliners, none of those players are true game- changers. I suspect they take one of the four defencemen as a result — I said in a recent live Q&A that if I had to place a bet on the Devils taking and that they’re thrilled if that defenceman is Clarke, who offers a one of The Brothers (in case you haven’t heard, Luke Hughes is the dynamism they covet. I didn’t flip-flop on this one. brother of Jack, and Brandt Clarke is the brother of Graeme!) versus the field, I’d take The Brothers (with Hughes as the more likely than Clarke 9. Vancouver Canucks: Kent Johnson, C, University of Michigan My rank: No. 2 end up on the wing (Bourgault, for example, played on the wing all season) and the conversations I’ve had with scouts suggest that 13 is Based on the conversations I’ve had, I get the sense the Canucks will probably a little high for each. And then when I defaulted to other players take whichever of Johnson, Eklund and McTavish are left, but that their that look like Flyers draft picks (Coronato, who I went with, and maybe preference is in that order. So I think they think this would be a big win for Fabian Lysell, who I don’t think they’d be scared to take) or have ties to them. Johnson doesn’t play a game anything like Elias Pettersson’s. players they’ve already picked (they would have been very impressed They’re different in style, tools and substance. But there would definitely with what they saw out of Carson Lambos while scouting eventual 2020 be a little deja vu if the Canucks were to take one of the draft’s most pick Connor McLennon a year ago because he looked like a top-10 pick purely talented players while other teams passed in part due to concerns at the time, and Oskar Olausson plays with 2020 pick Emil Andrae with about a wiry frame and the translatability of those skills. HV71), they all played the two positions where their pool is most 10. Ottawa Senators: Chaz Lucius, C, U.S. NTDP abundant: right-shot wingers and left-handed defencemen. So the truth is, I don’t know! If Sillinger’s there, I bet it’s him. If not, this one’s tough to My rank: No. 8 nail down (with Svechkov or Bolduc being the most likely centres). Coronato’s definitely their type, though. I’m sure the Senators would be happy to take one of the consensus top- nine skaters if they were to fall, but if (or when) that doesn’t happen I 14. Dallas Stars: Sebastian Cossa, G, Edmonton Oil Kings think it’s safe to assume they go one of two ways with their pick: My rank: No. 19 They take a goalie (Jesper Wallstedt almost surely) to address an ongoing need. Even though they already have a couple of promising Jake Oettinger’s one of the better young goalies in the sport, but Colton netminders in the system, none rise to the level Wallstedt (or even Point hasn’t panned out like anyone hoped, Anton Khudobin’s 35, and Sebastian Cossa) and the Matt Murray concerns are already real. they’ve clearly got a desire to bolster the position or they wouldn’t have both drafted Remi Poirier and signed Adam Scheel. Though I’d bet on They take a scoring forward (Chaz Lucius or Cole Sillinger). They’re Wallstedt being gone, Cossa could be available and makes sense here. more well-positioned on defence with Thomas Chabot already Oettinger remains the only young goalie option they can feel confident established, Erik Brannstrom finally beginning to establish himself and about and Cossa would give them a second. If they don’t go goalie, Jake Sanderson and Jacob-Bernard Docker on their way. though, I suspect they take a forward before a defenceman here. I like Mavrik Bourque better than the next guy, but Thomas Harley’s a better I’m partial to the forward route and Lucius (probably the best pure scorer top D prospect than he is as a top forward prospect. So maybe they in the draft) specifically because though they’ve got an impressive consider a swing on someone like Lysell (that would align with some of developing core of versatile forwards with Josh Norris, Shane Pinto, the chances they took on players others wouldn’t in last year’s draft, Drake Batherson, Alex Formenton and company beginning to support including Antonio Stranges and Evgeni Oksentyuk) to add some upside their more dangerous twosome of Tim Stützle and Brady Tkachuk. The to their pool up front. But Cossa feels like the more likely fit for this slot latter two aren’t going to be the one-two punch on a Stanley Cup-winning based on the conversations I’ve had. team and they still need another player who really skews offensively. Lucius fits the bill. It’s time they take a cut on talent and upside over 15. New York Rangers: Zachary Bolduc, C/W, Rimouski Océanic roundedness and predictability. My rank: No. 35 11. Chicago Blackhawks: Jesper Wallstedt, G, Luleå HF I’d be surprised if the Rangers don’t go forward here. That’s the My rank: No. 12 expectation with this year’s first-rounder given how much young depth they have on the back end both now with the NHL club and in the system The goalies are always the wild cards but several scouts I’ve talked to (Nils Lundkvist, Braden Schneider, Zac Jones, Matthew Robertson, feel like the Blackhawks are destined to take one of the two here and Tarmo Reunanen, Hunter Skinner, etc.). And though Bolduc probably Wallstedt is the consensus first choice if he’s still available. I know the wouldn’t be my choice, most NHL scouts expect him to go between 15 Blackhawks really like 2020 second-round pick Drew Commesso — and and the early 20s, with the Rangers as a potential landing spot. Bolduc deservedly so, he’s a legitimate prospect — but Chicago’s got a void that would inject some skill and scoring into their pool’s forward group, and it they’re going to need to fill in net (with all due respect to Kevin Lankinen), doesn’t hurt that he has experience at centre (though he could well end Commesso projects more as a 1B/backup, and a young goalie of up on the wing). Wallstedt’s calibre doesn’t come around very often, even if it feels like they do every year after Spencer Knight and Yaroslav Askarov preceded 16. St. Louis Blues: Carson Lambos, LHD, Winnipeg Ice/JYP him in consecutive drafts. This would be a really good outcome for them. My rank: No. 15 12. Calgary Flames: Cole Sillinger, C/LW, Medicine Hat Tigers/ The Blues have taken a forward with their first pick of the draft in five straight years, and even took forwards with their second pick in three of My rank: No. 9 those years. Outside of Scott Perunovich in the second round in 2018 and Vince Dunn in the second round in 2015, they really haven’t The Flames have taken a forward with their last two first-round picks but dedicated any picks of consequence to a defender in a long, long time. there’s a bit of a chasm here between the talent level of someone like Their positioning in this draft perfectly opens up the opportunity to Sillinger and the next-best defencemen once the Big Four (Power, change that trend because this is more or less when the next-best Edvinsson, Hughes and Clarke) are off the board. Sillinger would give defencemen will begin to go once the Big Four are off the board. While their pool a dynamic quality on the puck and some goal-scoring acumen there’s no guarantee both Lambos and Corson Ceulemans are available that Connor Zary and Jakob Pelletier lack. There’s also a strength and (I’ve talked to different teams who still believe in Lambos as a 10-to-15 heaviness to his game on the puck that’s above and beyond those two guy and others who argue Ceulemans has risen as high as that range), I (as well as Emilio Pettersson, Dmitry Zagorodny, Ryan Francis and suspect one will be and I suspect the Blues will have interest. I’m not company). He’d immediately become their No. 1 prospect and likely convinced Lambos will be the pick. He comes with a little unexpected eventually offer their top-six forward group something it sorely needs. baggage now after an up-and-down year for his play (though I think he Lucius, if he’s on the board, would also likely be of interest for the goal- was better in Finland than he gets credit for) and his health, and scoring reasons (though Lucius isn’t built like Sillinger). Ceulemans’ strong showing at U18 worlds will linger on the minds of scouts. I leaned Lambos if only because of the name-value/cache he still Cole Sillinger. (Jasen Robbennolt / Sioux Falls Stampede) carries as a player who many believed was a top-10 prospect a year ago. 13. Philadelphia Flyers: Matthew Coronato, LW/RW, 17. Winnipeg Jets: Fabian Lysell, LW/RW, Frölunda HC/Luleå HF My rank: No. 17 My rank: No. 13 It’s funny. I think I’ve got as good a sense for the type of player the Flyers The Jets won out at the 2020 draft when they pounced on Cole Perfetti look for in the draft as I do for any other team in the league. I think they’d as he slipped a little due to concerns over his size, athleticism and probably really like to draft a centre here because their system is thin skating. I suspect a team takes that same kind of swing on Lysell and it down the middle, and Sillinger feels like the perfect fit for them (both in wouldn’t surprise me if that team’s Winnipeg. Lysell is all over teams’ terms of his profile and his position). That would have been one of the draft boards. There are teams that have him firmly in the front half of the easier picks to make if I didn’t also think he made a lot of sense for the first round and others that think he’ll go closer to the tail end of it. He Flames. And yet, this was the hardest pick of this exercise because I’m profiles a lot differently than Perfetti, too. Perfetti was in a completely not sure Sillinger will be there and there really aren’t any other natural different tier as a prospect, for one. But their games also contrast each centres who will be taken in this range that fit the mold. There are lots of other pretty starkly as well. What makes Perfetti so good is the way he players who can play centre and could be taken in the teens or 20s. reads the ice and navigates within it. That’s Lysell’s biggest concern. Fedor Svechkov, Aatu Raty, Zachary Bolduc, Xavier Bourgault, He’s got an electrifying skill-skating package, and he works diligently off Francesco Pinelli, Zach Dean, etc. But some of those players will likely the puck, but there are worries about his approach/processing. The Jets would be the first Russian off the board. Now that’s not a sure thing. But will likely consider Lambos, as he has played in their backyard, here as the way this shook out, the forwards taken in front of him felt a little more well. likely for those individual teams. If he’s around for the Red Wings’ second pick, he’s probably a slam dunk, though, especially if they don’t take 18. Nashville Predators: Corson Ceulemans, RHD, Brooks Bandits McTavish/take a winger at No. 6. Their need (and desire) for centres is My rank: No. 22 no secret. The gut reflex with the Preds is to continue the never-ending search for 23. Florida Panthers: Nikita Chibrikov, C/W, SKA St. Petersburg the top forward it feels like they’ve always lacked. But outside of last My rank: No. 28 year’s selection of Askarov, they’ve gone to the forward well almost exclusively and the result is a pool/team that has slowly thinned out what There had been some softening on Chibrikov among scouts this season has always been a strength: defence (in part because they traded before his U18 worlds performance reaffirmed him as a definite first- Samuel Girard as part of the deal that netted them Kyle Turris). Between rounder. He started the year as a candidate for the front half of the first taking Luke Evangelista after Askarov in 2020, using their first three picks round for many and there was a time where he probably fit in as more of on forwards in 2019 (Philip Tomasino, Egor Afanasyev, Alexander a 25-to-40 guy. I expect he goes somewhere in between now and the Campbell) and the Eeli Tolvanen pick in 2017, there has been a lot of Panthers (at No. 23) are the team that I’ve most often come back to. energy put in to strengthening their group up front. They’ll have forwards they like in this range, so taking a defender isn’t a lock, but I suspect they 24. Columbus Blue Jackets (from Toronto): Aatu Räty, C, Kärpät strongly consider Lambos and Ceulemans if either is available. My rank: No. 16 19. Edmonton Oilers: Brennan Othmann, LW, Flint Firebirds/EHC Olten This just makes too much sense for everyone involved. Jarmo My rank: No. 23 Kekalainen and his staff will have done their due diligence on the Finn, they love a reclamation project, they need to build their centre depth for There are few people in NHL scouting departments who are as familiar the NHL club through their pool (their best prospects, from Kirill with Europe’s landscape (and specifically Switzerland’s) as Oilers Marchenko on down, are currently wingers), and though they also have director of European scouting Keith Sullivan is, so you can count on them serious holes to fill in their system on defence, they’ll likely have filled having done their due diligence on Othmann while he played in the those at No. 5. There aren’t many D who could realistically go in this second-tier Swiss League. And even after taking forwards with all six of range. their 2020 picks, I suspect the Oilers feel pretty comfortable with what they have coming on the back end in Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg 25. Minnesota Wild (from Pittsburgh): Sasha Pastujov, LW, U.S. NTDP and go back to the forward well (at least with their first pick) here. My rank: No. 14 Othmann’s blend of finesse, playmaking, and scoring touch (plus his history of success playing off talented players dating back to his time I’m still not convinced Pastujov is going to be selected in the first round, flanking Shane Wright in minor hockey) make him a natural bet for the as great as his season was (the data and production scream first- Oilers in their continued pursuit of players who can play with Connor rounder). I’ve had multiple sources express concern about his skating for McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. There are some who have varied concerns that kind of a range. But there are others who believe firmly in his talent about Othmann in this range, but Edmonton makes a lot of sense. and the Wild feel like a team that will like him for all of the same reasons they’ll probably like Bourgault. Brennan Othmann. (EHC Olten / Marc Schumacher) 26. Carolina Hurricanes: Isak Rosén, RW, Leksands IF 20. Boston Bruins: Daniil Chayka, LHD, CSKA/Zvezda/Krasnaya Armiya Moskva My rank: No. 25 My rank: No. 49 The Hurricanes are the team that has drafted most in line with the way my board has looked in the last several years and I think they’re well- The Bruins are the team whose picks most regularly mystify me. Mason positioned to tap into good value with a player whose Lohrei’s a better prospect today than the one I thought he was when they skill/handling/maneuverability components all grade out highly. There are drafted him 58th a year ago. Jack Studnicka has panned out as a five players who kind of scream “Hurricanes picks” here. They are: second-rounder. But almost every single one of the 15 other picks Rosén, Mackie Samoskevitch, Logan Stankoven, Francesco Pinelli and they’ve made in the last four drafts has made me scratch my head for Sean Behrens. I went with Rosén because he’s got a slight edge in a either where they took a player I liked (too high) or for taking players I survey of scouts and he really fits the mold. I expect Pastujov will also be wouldn’t have even considered drafting at all. I think their pool has in that mix if he’s available. suffered as a result (on top of trading two of their last three first-rounders, which doesn’t help their scouts). So there’s a little bit of reverse logic at 27. Colorado Avalanche: Zach Dean, C, Gatineau Olympiques play in this selection because it feels like a team is going to take Chayka in this range (in fairness, there are plenty around the league who believe My rank: No. 38 he’s a first-rounder, so the Bruins wouldn’t be on an island), even though I don’t have any real intel that the Avalanche like Dean but I’d be pretty he’s a player I wouldn’t. I can’t help but wonder if that team will be surprised if he’s not one of the players they’re fond of. He’d just fit in Boston. seamlessly with how they play/what they’re all about. He’s a 21. Minnesota Wild: Xavier Bourgault, C, Shawinigan Cataractes hardworking, good-skating, middle-lane player who operates in the guts of the ice and plays between races. That’s “The Avalanche Way” these My rank: No. 21 days. This is more or less where he’s expected to be picked, too, and they’ve taken defencemen with each of their last two first-rounders. I’d bet on the Wild going after two forwards with their picks in the 20s. Not because their pool needs them more than defenders, but because of 28. New Jersey Devils (from the Islanders): Simon Robertsson, LW/RW, the availability of players their scouting group is likely to target. A couple Skellefteå AIK of scouts have pointed me in the direction of Bourgault as a potential candidate for the first of those picks. He probably doesn’t make it to No. My rank: No. 30 25 and he may not even be around here (some view him as a teens guy), The Devils’ second pick is a tough one to handicap because, well, all of but if he is, there are elements to his game that the Wild have targeted in their picks (outside the top 10) have been difficult to handicap for the last other recent forward picks, and elements he lacks that they’ve shown several years. There are some trends in there. They’ve taken a lot of they’re not particularly worried about in those they tend to go after. They Russians (especially defencemen). They’ve taken a lot of Ottawa 67’s. desire roundedness in their forwards and they don’t seem too fussed if But there are none of the latter and the only of the former left and really they aren’t the fastest in the world (see: Matt Boldy, Rossi, Adam fits into this range is maybe Kirill Kirsanov and I expect he’ll be a second- Beckman, Alexander Khovanov, etc.). Bourgault fits the mold. rounder. My sense is Robertsson falls in this range, though, and the 22. Detroit Red Wings (from Washington): Fedor Svechkov, LW/C, Lada Devils definitely like their multifaceted forward prospects who can Togliatti contribute but aren’t necessarily dynamic. My rank: No. 36 29. Vegas Golden Knights: Mackie Samoskevitch, RW, Chicago Steel I’m probably going to hear from a scout or two after this, telling me that My rank: No. 27 Svechkov will likely be gone by this point. They’ll probably be right, too. I A year after taking his Chicago Steel teammate Brendan Brisson, I like think he could go as early as No. 13 and debated him for a couple of Samoskevitch, who oozes speed and puck skill but has work to do in other teams before this point, including the Wild with the pick directly in other areas and didn’t produce like some hoped he would, for the Golden front of Detroit. For a while, it looked like Nikita Chibrikov or Chayka Knights at the back end of the first round of the draft. They’re one of the best drafting teams in the league for my money and Samoskevitch could provide the kind of value they tend to find. I imagine they’d like this next pick too, though … 30/31. Montreal Canadiens: Francesco Pinelli, C, /HDD Jesenice My ranking: No. 24 I think there’s a very good chance Pinelli goes higher than this. But the way things played out here, the forwards taken ahead of him just felt like they made a little more sense for each of those teams. He’d be a great get for the Canadiens — and a player I’d bet they would have been interested in earlier in the draft had they been eliminated earlier in the playoffs. He’d check a lot of skill/possession/distribution boxes for a pool that, with Cole Caufield’s graduation, now looks much stronger on defence than at forward. 30/31. Columbus Blue Jackets (from Tampa): Oskar Olausson, LW/RW, HV71 My rank: No. 20 Any time a team has three picks in the first round, there’s a history of getting a little cute with one of them to really go off the board for a player you’re not sure you’ll get with a later pick. I’ve talked to scouts and managers about this urge and they acknowledge it’s real, even if it shouldn’t be and even if it does, in some small way, reduce the value of the pick. I really like Olausson as a player with some qualities/traits that the Jackets have clearly targeted in recent years though (there are shades of Marchenko, Yegor Chinakhov and Dmitri Voronkov) and if they get a defenceman and a centre with their first two picks then that may reduce the urge to chase one of them here. There are going to be some better wingers available at the end of the first round than there will be defencemen/centres. Best player available into Day 2: Logan Stankoven, LW/RW, Kamloops Blazers My rank: No. 18 Stankoven’s really hard to plot into a mock draft. I’d take him over many of these players without thinking twice. There are several NHL teams that would too. But there are enough that will still shy away from taking a 5- foot-8 player with Stankoven’s makeup (for the wrong reasons, I’d argue), and those who do like him are likely to have a couple other players available in their range that they also covet. So he could linger.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 Websites Botterill said her parents created a supportive, positive environment, and 1190165 never put pressure on her or Jason to play hockey or aspire to represent Canada at the highest level. The Athletic / The rise of Jennifer Botterill, the breakout media star of this “There was unconditional support from them,” she said. “But growing up NHL season in that environment, it was more that they just encouraged us to be involved in sport. … And I think they provided the right source of motivation and inspiration for doing things for the right reason, along with that drive for excellence.” By Hailey Salvian Botterill tried many sports but ultimately chose to focus on hockey, and Jun 30, 2021 rose quickly through the game. She debuted for the national team at the 1997 3 Nations Cup, and cracked Canada’s roster for the first Olympics to include women’s hockey in 1998. At 18, she was the youngest player Jennifer Botterill shook her head. on the team. She had just made an impassioned on-air speech about the importance Team USA won the historic first gold medal at the Games. of player safety in the aftermath of the controversial incident in May Botterill, still just a teenager, returned home before committing to play between Washington’s Tom Wilson and New York Rangers forwards college hockey at Harvard. Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin. And now, her co-analyst on Sportsnet’s “Hockey Night in Canada” was comparing Wilson’s actions to Stone remembers the first time she walked into Harvard’s locker room a “noogie.” during Botterill’s freshman year. All of the players were partially geared up waiting for the coaches, and Botterill was in her chair, helmet on, What resulted was a passionate, authentic debate on national television, gloves at her knees, ready to get on the ice. with last year’s HNIC breakout star Kevin Bieksa on one side and this year’s newest star, Botterill, on the other. “I walk in and there’s Jen, a fresh little freshman, and she’s sitting up extremely straight in her chair … and just looking like, ‘I’m ready,’” Stone “What I loved about that whole exchange is that she didn’t defer to him,” said. “I never forgot it because I thought, all right, this is a special Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek said. “She’s pretty new on ‘Hockey Night’ and individual.” she’s pretty new at our shop and normally, like in sports, some people sort of defer to the vets. … But, she’s walked in, and she’s not deferring. And she was. She’s not saying, ‘Well, yeah, you have a point,’ and she’s not just siding At Harvard, Botterill led the Crimson to their first-ever national title in her with someone to make it more comfortable. She’s got her opinions and freshman year, was a four-time All-American and a two-time national she’s happy to dig in her heels.” player of the year and ended her career with 157 goals and 340 points in Botterill, one of the most successful players of her era, has transitioned 113 games (and an honours degree in psychology). She still holds smoothly to a broadcasting career. This season, she got widespread several NCAA and Harvard records. exposure through her work with Sportsnet, and she could be on to even “She was clutch,” Stone said. “Jen was not just skilled, but she was bigger things soon. always prepared, there was never a doubt that she was going to be “Media and broadcasting is something that I absolutely love,” Botterill told ready. … When we needed something, we needed a goal, we needed The Athletic. “The connection with the game and the opportunity to something done, she was there, and she always delivered. potentially impact fans of the game and those who love hockey to make it “She was a gift to our program.” even better for them is something I really enjoy.” At the international level, Botterill was a five-time world champion for Botterill, 42, joined the “Hockey Night in Canada” crew this season after Canada and a two-time MVP of the tournament, while also winning three two years as an analyst with MSG Networks. At Sportsnet, she had a few silver medals. After the disappointment in 1998, Botterill was a key trial shows on the network’s pregame show “” and quickly member of Canada’s dominant run at the Olympics, with gold medals in worked her way up to “Wednesday Night Hockey” and ultimately to 2002, 2006 and 2010. “HNIC” through the regular season and up to the conference finals. A few weeks after the 2010 Games in Vancouver — where she got the Technically a freelance broadcaster, she isn’t scheduled to be part of assist on Marie-Philip Poulin’s winning goal in the gold-medal game — Sportsnet’s Stanley Cup Final coverage. And where she lands next Botterill announced her retirement. season is still a question. But, the media landscape is wide open right now with TNT and ESPN filling out their rosters on the U.S. side, which “I loved my time as a competitive athlete, but in some ways, it’s very all- should give Botterill plenty of opportunities in the future. consuming,” Botterill said. “I look back, and was super fortunate, but I did feel this interest and intrigue and excitement about having adventures It’s been a long and successful path in hockey, one that culminated in and having the energy and the capacity to focus on some new making Botterill’s segments must-watch television this season. And in challenges with some new adventures in my life.” many ways, she’s doing on Sportsnet, what she’s always done: excel. Marek was being a (self-proclaimed) prima donna. And that is reflected in her decorated playing career. Botterill won 17 gold medals for Canada, including three at the Olympics and five world He had just finished working a doubleheader of games on “Wednesday championships. Her name is all over the Harvard hockey record books, Night Hockey” and was in the makeup room when he made a comment and she is the only player to win the Patty Kazmaier Trophy as the top about the makeup removing wipes irritating his skin. player in women’s college hockey twice. It’s a 14-year career primed for Hockey Hall of Fame enshrinement. Sitting nearby was Botterill, who had just worked her first Wednesday show, and her first show with Marek. “She is a star, there’s no question about it,” said , the longtime Harvard women’s hockey coach who recruited Botterill more “I had a throwaway little comment, right? So, I don’t think about this for a than two decades ago. “She’s a wonderful human being and what you’re second,” Marek said. “Then the next week, Jen shows up and she comes seeing on TV is authentic. I think that’s what people gravitate toward. over to me and she goes, ‘Here try these, they’re a lot easier on your They understand how sincere she is, and they know she’s been there, skin.’” done that at every possible level of hockey she could.” A long-time broadcaster and host at Sportsnet, Marek was surprised by In Winnipeg, there weren’t many conversations at the Botterill family the gesture. dining table that didn’t revolve around sports. “I shouldn’t be surprised at this,” Marek said, “because she’s grown up Her mother, Doreen, was a two-time Olympic speed skater. Her dad, Cal, playing on teams, but I think that she really gets the idea — and usually it is a well-known sports psychologist who also played hockey. And her takes sort of newer broadcasters on the team a while to understand this brother, Jason, won three world junior championships for Canada, played — that this is a team, and that everybody needs to take care of each professionally and has worked in NHL front offices for over a decade, other and trust each other. And even if it’s just tiny little things like giving with stops as the general manager of the Buffalo Sabres, and now as the prima donna some different wipes so his sensitive skin won’t feel as assistant GM in Seattle. burned. “We had a very athletic family, and sport was a big part of both my mom “That’s Botterill, man. That’s Jennifer.” and my dad’s lives,” Botterill said. “So, it was just a part of the culture that Being a good teammate is just one element that has made Botterill we grew up in. And I think they taught my brother and I to pursue successful as a player and a broadcaster. And of course, she’s not excellence in everything that we did.” completely new to TV. Botterill had only just retired when she was approached to do work for by Smith,” Filippi said. “It’s really the why, the how, what set it up. It’s the the Women’s World Championships with TSN, a longstanding broadcast next level analysis, but also done in sort of a simple way. Don’t talk in partner of Hockey Canada. hockey jargon, don’t talk above the audience. Talk to the audience and try to help them understand what they want to learn. And Jen does a Botterill made her broadcast debut in 2011 and worked for the network great job of that.” for several tournaments. She covered the 2014 Sochi Games with CBC, and became a co-host for Sportsnet’s “Hometown Hockey” before the Having played the game for so long, Botterill said she makes it a priority network went down to one host, Tara Slone. to use her knowledge and experience to add to the viewers’ experience and understanding of the game. In 2018, Botterill joined her former Harvard teammate and Olympic rival A.J. Mleczko as an analyst with MSG Networks. With Mleczko based in “Maybe it’s something that they didn’t notice, or something I could Boston and Botterill in Toronto — and both women with young families — provide a little more detail or a different perspective on,” she said. “I a full slate of games would have been too much travel and time. So, the guess my goal is to always make our segments as interesting as possible duo split the role. and to make the game even better to watch for everyone that follows.” “It was almost like somebody had pre-planned it,” said Jeff Filippi, the Former Team Canada captain Campbell-Pascall knows Botterill well from senior vice president of programming and executive producer at MSG their playing days. Networks. “They were teammates, and they won a national championship, and then they were rivals in the Olympics and World “I’m just never surprised at anything with her. Whatever she sets her Championships, so they had this great connection. And if we couldn’t get mind to, she can do it, you know?” she said. “But, who you see on TV, on one, getting both was actually sort of a cool thing. ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ right now, that’s Jennifer Botterill. There’s no other version. “We thought it was just such a stroke of serendipity and it worked out tremendously,” he added. “It really exceeded our expectations because “I still think there’s more personality that’ll come out when she just gets they were both so good at their job and Jen just did a great job for us.” more comfortable, and that just takes time. It’s a big show. It’s a big stage, right? It comes with a lot of pressure and she’s doing an amazing Her role as a studio analyst was different from her previous work job, but I think she’ll grow even more.” between the benches as a rinkside reporter or host on “Hometown Hockey.” At MSG, Botterill started to hone her skills and shine. Even as a new member of the Sportsnet crew, Botterill is a calming presence on set, Marek said. Regardless of what happened in games, “I think one of the important qualities I always think of and tell people who she never panicked and always was the most prepared person in the want to do this is, you sort of have to be likable and believable. And I room. think Jen has both of those qualities in spades,” Filippi said. “She comes across as someone you’d like to hang out with, you know? She’s very “One of the things about Jennifer is, I get the sense that she approaches friendly and outgoing and obviously knows the game very well and has every show, probably like she approaches every game,” Marek said. the credentials to back it up. So, when you put all those qualities “She works hard. She’s authentic. And she approaches everything with together, it will usually create somebody who’s pretty successful in doing honesty.” what she did as an analyst.” Success is not foreign to Botterill, and neither is work. That’s what Filippi Botterill could have still been with the network this year, covering the said sets her apart from other former athletes trying to break into media. Islanders’ run to the conference finals. But, the COVID-19 pandemic put “There are people who played the game and have the credentials, and a stop to her travel, first during last year’s bubble, and then during the they sort of come at it with the mindset of, ‘I know the game, I’m here, I entirety of the 2020-21 season. can do this,’” he said. “But the people who are really successful at it are With her work stalled, Botterill’s agent, Brant Feldman, worked the the ones who look at it as another skill to get better at just like skating phones, and just before the start of this season, he got her an opportunity and shooting, and stick handling.” to fill in on a handful of “Hockey Central” pregame shows with Caroline Simply put, Botterill puts in the work, and it all goes back to lessons Cameron. learned from her family. “They sounded very intrigued in terms of me coming in, but I hadn’t “I’ve just tried to continue that idea of pursuing excellence, to continue to worked with them in the past in this capacity,” Botterill said. “It was just get better,” she said. “That’s something that I take a lot of pride in, and some ‘Hockey Central’ shows to start with perhaps some opportunities even talking about my preparation and being ready for the shows and the down the road.” games. I think that’s just something I want to make sure that I’m thorough Rob Corte, Sportsnet’s vice president of Live Events and NHL and doing everything in the best possible way and to try to reach my full Production, said the network had been keeping Botterill on their radar potential as often as possible.” during her work with MSG, and that her first few shows made it “really Exactly where Botterill goes from here remains to be seen. easy” to keep her on air. Working with Sportsnet on a freelance basis technically makes her a free “It was clear right away that she was exceptional,” he said. “She has agent in what is shaping up to be an interesting offseason for broadcast presence. It’s little things that are great broadcasting techniques, like her media. Her agent, Feldman, jokingly equated it to a “media free-agent posture. She sits up straight, and you laugh, but those are very important frenzy,” and he’s not wrong. things that allow her to project her voice. And when she comes on right away, you take notice, just by her physical presence. And then of course, With the NHL’s U.S. broadcast rights moving from NBC to a joint deal when she starts to speak, you put the two of them together, and it’s a between ESPN and Turner Sports next season, there has been plenty of home run.” movement and some major hires. Botterill turned that audition into regular appearances on the pregame On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN announced its roster of play-by-play show, working up to “Wednesday Night Hockey” with Marek and commentators, hosts, and analysts, which included Mleczko, Campbell- ultimately “Hockey Night in Canada.” And like Bieksa last year, Botterill Pascall and six-time Stanley Cup champion Mark Messier. That is quickly endeared herself to colleagues and fans. expected to be ESPN’s full broadcast roster for next season. She turned into the breakout media star of 2021. Meanwhile, TNT also has been building out its roster, most notably signing Wayne Gretzky on as an analyst to join play-by-play “Both Kevin and Jennifer have been fantastic for us in the short time commentator and analyst Eddie Olczyk. they’ve been a part of the team,” Corte said. “It’s rare, especially on social media and Twitter in particular, to have more positive than As reported by The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro, it is believed that there are a negative reactions. And Jennifer certainly is one of those rarities, where it number of Canadian-based broadcasters who could be in play to join seems like most of the comments about her and her performance are either network, as we’ve seen with ESPN hiring Campbell-Pascall and positive, which that in itself would tell you something.” Ray Ferraro. Shapiro wrote that some industry observers say that “ESPN and Turner have shown a willingness to present salaries that would make Many intelligent and articulate athletes have struggled to make a moving to the United States much easier.” successful transition from playing to broadcasting. But what has set Botterill apart from her peers is her ability to break down the game in a After a standout first year with Sportsnet, Botterill is going to have some complex way, while making it easy to digest. When Botterill speaks, options, which likely will include staying at Sportsnet, going back to MSG viewers typically learn something. And that’s not always easy to do. or being poached by TNT in their search to match ESPN’s broadcast team. “It really doesn’t help matters if our analyst says, ‘That was a great pass by Smith,’ because the fan at home is going to see that was a great pass Of course, she also has a young family based in Toronto. And she and her husband own a high-performance training centre in Toronto called Journey to Excel. But, with travel restrictions loosening, it’s possible she could travel for the job and still call Toronto home, the way she did while working for MSG. All of this begs the question: What’s next for Jennifer Botterill? Is it media? A move to the U.S.? Maybe a front-office role like her brother? Right now, she said she’s focused on her business with her husband, her keynote speaking — a personal venture called Excel in Life — and continuing to improve as a broadcaster. “I feel so fortunate that I’ve found a few avenues that I absolutely love right now,” Botterill said. “And I think my focus is to continue to improve in these roles, be the best that I can, and have the most positive impact that I can.”

The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 Websites good on special teams, especially the penalty kill. They don’t have any 1190166 big-name stars who rack up stats and personal glory, but they do have a bunch of guys willing to lay it all on the line for the team. The Athletic / Down Goes Brown: The NHL’s 18th place team is on the Maybe the playoffs really are different. And more intriguingly, maybe verge of a Stanley Cup. It has to mean something. But what? Bergevin understood that in a way that most of us don’t and built a team that was just good enough to get into the postseason and perfectly positioned to be a force once they were there. He added veterans with Cup rings, including Corey Perry and Eric Staal. He went out and got a By Sean McIndoe big body in Josh Anderson, even coming off a terrible season, because Jun 30, 2021 those are the guys who are hardest to handle in the playoffs. He had guys like Brendan Gallagher and Phillip Danault and Paul Byron who’d leave everything on the ice. And he built it all around Carey Price and Shea Weber, two Team Canada veterans who’ve played on the biggest Here are the facts: The Montreal Canadiens went 24-21-11 this year, stages but are hungry for their first Cups. losing eight more games than they won. They finished with the 18th best record in a league where 16 teams make the postseason, earning the He built that team knowing that if they could be good enough during the last spot in the North Division by a mere four points. They were 19th in season and have the old Price show up in time for the playoffs, they’d be goals differential and finished tied with Chicago and Arizona for 19th in contenders. He was right. wins. They were 17th in goals scored and 18th in goals against, the latter partly due to their star goalie finishing the season with the seventh-worst Why it might not: It starts sounding a little too convenient, right? Sure, the save percentage among goalies who played at least 25 games. They playoffs aren’t the same as the regular season, but it’s not a whole new were the only playoff team to hit double-digits in loser points, with 11. sport. And it gets a little too easy for those of us in the narrative business They did not have a single player finish in the top 10 for the Hart, Norris to just wait until the Final, then knowingly point at the two teams left and or Vezina. They fired their coach a month into the season, then saw their say that they “knew how to play playoff hockey” and all the other teams record get even worse under the new one. Then they went into the didn’t. It’s weird how we never manage to figure any of this out until we playoffs cold, on the heels of a season-ending five-game losing streak. already know the right answer. Now they’re in the Stanley Cup Final. That’s not to say there isn’t anything to this idea or that Bergevin doesn’t deserve credit. But if he’s truly cracked the code, this success should be What? sustainable and not just a one-year wonder. I guess time will tell. On the surface, this doesn’t make sense. It’s sports, and sports are Theory #3: It’s time to accept that the regular season doesn’t matter supposed to have upsets and underdogs, but this seems extreme. If you just look at those basic numbers up above, then what’s happening in The theory: This is a slightly more nihilistic version of Theory No. 2. It’s Montreal seems borderline impossible. We haven’t seen a team turn a not just that the playoffs are different. It’s that they’re practically random, regular season like this into a championship since 1949, but the Habs are with tiny two-week samples that lend themselves to flukes, hot streaks on the verge of doing it. And they’re kind of making it look easy. and weird bounces. It has to mean something. But what? The regular season tells us which 16 teams make the playoffs, and that’s it. Once the postseason starts, we’re just flipping coins, which is why the Spoiler alert: I have no idea. But I want to think it through, so I’ve come 18th best team in the league basically has as good a shot as anyone. up with 10 theories about what’s happened to the Montreal Canadiens over the course of this run and what the rest of us can learn from it. Why it might work: We can certainly point to plenty of outcomes over the There may be some truth to a few of them or even most. They may all be years that support the idea. We’ve all seen series that turned on a wrong. bounce here or a weird play there. And even the math seems to back us up here, showing that the NHL playoffs seem to be far more luck-based Let’s try to find out. I’ll give you 10 theories, why they work, and why they than other leagues. might not, and then you head to the comments and tell me which ones I should buy into. The Habs’ run to the final happened because they made the playoffs, which means they had a 2-in-16 chance just like everyone else. We don’t Theory #1: The Habs aren’t a bad team and never were need to explain it any more than we’d try to explain a coin coming up heads three flips in a row. The theory: Let’s start with what might be both the easiest answer, and also the most complicated: The standings lied. The Canadiens went Why it might not: It’s sure not a very satisfying answer, is it? through their ups and downs like any team, but they were always a good team that was a threat to have the sort of run they’re having. If you That doesn’t mean it’s wrong, but it might mean that we shouldn’t poke at missed that because you didn’t look any deeper than what the standings it too much. And sure enough, lots of fans roll their eyes at this sort of page said, that’s on you. thinking. They’ll insist that the best team always wins in the playoffs, because if you don’t win then you can’t be the best. This ends up being Why it might work: There’s a decent argument to be made that a simple more of a philosophical argument than anything, and I understand why glance at the Canadiens’ record is at least misleading. For starters, they some fans don’t want any part of it. got all those loser points because they went 3-8 in overtime and 1-3 in shootouts; in regulation, when real hockey is played, they basically broke But there’s a more concrete objection to the “just flipping coins” school of even (20 wins and 21 losses). That late-season losing streak came when thought: If this is all random, where are all the fluke champions we should they already had a playoff spot largely wrapped up, and they were tired be seeing? We get upsets, sure, but which Cup winners from the cap era from a condensed schedule due to COVID-19 delays. Carey Price was would you say were big underdogs? Maybe you point to the 2019 Blues, hurt for a lot of the year, so throw his stats out the window. And the but they were great in the second half. The 2006 Hurricanes were way team’s underlying numbers were good, with Natural Stat Trick having better than you want to remember. The 2018 Caps were a bit of a them 10th in five-on-five expected goals percentage and second in five- surprise, but we’d been waiting on them to figure it out for years. The on-five Corsi, but the seventh worst PDO in the league (and worst among 2012 Kings are probably the answer, but the analytics crowd told us they playoff teams). were good all along, and they won again two years later. Why it might not: All of that does seem like a pretty convincing argument If Montreal wins this year, you could make a strong case that they’ll be that the Canadiens weren’t a bad team, but I’m not sure it adds up to the first truly shocking Cup winner since … when? The 1995 Devils? them being especially good. The various models out there, including Maybe the 1990 Oilers? Before that? If this is all just random, it’s weird Dom’s, all take underlying numbers into account, and most of them still how the best teams seem to keep winning. didn’t think much of Montreal’s chances. So at best, this theory only gets Theory #4: This run is just more proof that the playoffs are all about us part of the way there. Let’s keep going … having the hottest goaltender Theory #2: The playoffs are just different and Marc Bergevin understood The theory: NHL teams spend all offseason and most of the regular that season building rosters around top-end talent, useful depth, a mix of The theory: We’re constantly told that the playoffs are a different game. experience and youth, and the right guys in the right roles across every Marc Bergevin knew that and he built a team that was designed for the position in the lineup. Then the playoffs start, and it just comes down to postseason. whichever team’s goalie gets hot for a few weeks. Why it might work: Go down the list of postseason cliches, and the Habs Heading into Game 1, there was only one goalie with even better playoff do check a lot of boxes. They play defense. They block shots. They’re numbers than Carey Price, and what a surprise, it’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, the other goalie who made the Final. This same story plays out every Why it might not: Because it’s dumb. I’ve included it here only because year, why are we acting surprised about it happening again? I’ve seen some variation of it pop up in more than a few spots, but it doesn’t really make sense. Why it might work: (Looks at the results of pretty much every postseason of the cap era, and even beyond.) Yeah, this one kind of checks out. The reality is that we’re probably reading way too much into one or two series outcomes, and we’ll probably never know how the divisions really Why it might not: The theory is right, but I think it’s too dismissive of what stacked up in a year without any regular-season crossover. But at least Montreal is doing. Yes, Price has been great, and maybe we should have we can agree that the last few weeks did not make all those “the North seen that coming and maybe we shouldn’t. But it’s not like the Canadiens Division is basically the AHL” takes look very smart. are getting badly outplayed and getting bailed out by their goalie. Look at the Vegas series. If Montreal was getting outshot 45-22 every night and Theory #8: It’s all the referees’ fault Price was standing on his head, then sure, you just shrug-emoji and say the Knights got goalied. But that didn’t happen, and if anything, the The theory: The 18th best team in the league can win the Stanley Cup Canadiens were the better team in that series. On a few nights, it wasn’t because once the playoffs start, the rulebook goes out the window and a all that close. bad team can just hook and hold and tackle their way to a win over opponents with actual skill. You can’t win if your goalie plays poorly, and it’s obviously going to help if he’s hot. But we didn’t need the Canadiens to teach us that, and it’s not Why it might work: Everyone hates the officiating these days, and they’re the only thing powering their run. not wrong about it. If we’re going to stop calling the rulebook during the playoffs, then yeah, that’s probably going to help the bad teams at the Theory #5: They’ve just been lucky expense of the good ones. The theory: The Canadiens faced a Leafs team that lost John Tavares for Why it might not: At the risk of sounding like one of those annoying the series early in the opener; Toronto was one goal away from knocking “watch the games” guys, well, watch the games. Maybe a bad team Montreal out, and there’s a good chance a Tavares line could have could beat good ones by playing rugby rules, but the Canadiens aren’t provided it. Then Montreal faced a Winnipeg team that lost its top scorer doing that. Remember, Montreal has had freakishly good penalty killing to suspension after one game. Then they were about to go down 2-1 to this postseason, which was maybe the biggest factor in their wins over Vegas, only to have Marc-Andre Fleury hand them the goal that turned offensive powerhouses like Toronto and Vegas. If anything, the Habs the series. Now they’re going to face a Tampa Bay team where Nikita shouldn’t mind if the officials call a tight game, because they have the Kucherov is probably nowhere near 100 percent. special teams edge. Don’t overthink it. Sometimes a team just gets lucky, and that’s all that’s That doesn’t mean they haven’t benefited from some missed calls here happening to the Habs. and there like every team does. But if the officiating has been awful, I’m not sure that’s worked in Montreal’s favor. And it certainly doesn’t explain Why it might work: I mean, all of that did happen. how they’ve won three rounds and counting. Why it might not: We’re skipping over a lot of important stuff if we go with Theory #9: We still don’t understand the parity era this version, especially the way that key players like Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, Blake Wheeler and Mark Stone keep getting shut The theory: It will feel shocking if the 18th best regular-season team wins down by the Canadiens. I guess you could chalk that up to luck too, the Cup, but maybe it shouldn’t. After all, we wouldn’t be blown away if although Phillip Danault might disagree. the eighth-best regular-season team won. What if the difference between eighth and 18th isn’t anywhere near as big as we think? But sure, you have to be lucky to be good. Welcome to sports. The Habs have certainly had their share of breaks, and maybe more. You could say Why it might work: The NHL sure seems to want this to be true. They’re that about pretty much every Cup winner, though, so it doesn’t really constantly harping on parity and the virtues of “competitive balance.” We explain much on its own. have a hard cap that forces good teams to get worse. We have a draft system that helps bad teams get better. We have a loser point to smooth (Also, having your coach get sent home for two weeks in the middle of out the standings. The modern NHL is already a low-scoring game, your run doesn’t seem super lucky to me, but let’s not let details get in especially in the playoffs, meaning almost every game is determined by the way.) just a handful of plays. How much separation are we really expecting? Theory #6: The North Division was actually better than we thought Many of us grew up in the era where dynasties like the ’70s Habs or ’80s The theory: We heard it all year long — the North was the league’s Islanders and Oilers could roll over everyone because they really were weakest division by far, and nobody should get too excited over anything miles better than an average team. We might still expect the league to that was happening there because whichever team emerged would just work like that, but it doesn’t. get swept by a real team in the third round. Uh … whoops? Or to put it differently: Maybe the Habs really are a mediocre team, but Why it might work: The Habs, as you may have noticed, did not get there just isn’t much difference, practically speaking, between a mediocre swept. Not only did they beat a “real” team in the Golden Knights, who team and a good one anymore. finished tied for the most points in the league, they did it while being the Why it might not: The eighth-best team in the league this year, according better team for most of the series. to the standings, was the Lightning, and they finished 12 wins and 16 So maybe the North wasn’t that bad after all. In fact, maybe it was good. points ahead of Montreal in a shortened season, so while this theory Maybe the naysayers had it exactly flipped, and the Habs had a works for a lot of the upsets we see in a typical playoff year, I’m not sure deceivingly unimpressive record because they were playing in a strong it does for the Canadiens. division against better competition. (A side note that could make for its own theory if this post wasn’t already Why it might not: Hold that thought until the next theory … too long: I think the Habs are also proving that a lot of us don’t understand how odds work. If you’re an underdog with only a 25 percent Theory #7: The North Division was actually worse than we thought chance of winning a series, well, 25 percent isn’t zero. Neither is 10 percent or even 2 percent. Longshots are still supposed to come in some The theory: The Habs were a bad team that backed into the playoffs in a of the time, and even if there’s a team or two per year in each conference terrible division, then got to face a bunch of chokers in the Maple Leafs with a minuscule 1 percent chance of winning it all, it should still happen and a very mediocre Jets team. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights had to every few decades. If the Habs are truly the worst team in 70-plus years fight through a much tougher schedule, face an excellent Wild team in a to play for the Cup, well, maybe the models aren’t broken and the series that went the distance, and then claw back to beat the Presidents’ oddsmakers aren’t dumb. Maybe it’s just a once-in-a-lifetime longshot Trophy-winning Avalanche in a six-game series. By the time they faced coming through, just like they’re supposed to roughly once in a lifetime.) Montreal, they had nothing left. The Habs are just a bad team that keeps getting easy playoff matchups. Theory #10: This was just a weird year, and there just aren’t any bigger lessons to be found Why it might work: The beauty of this theory is that whatever happens in the Final will prove it true. If the Habs lose to the Lightning, well, there The theory: We just had a shortened season that starting in January, with you go, they never had a chance. And if they beat the Lightning, who are weird divisions and weird rosters and a weird schedule, one where coming off seven tough games against the Islanders, it will be another multiple teams were shut down for extended periods and just about case of a better team being worn out by facing real competition. Theories everyone had to move games around just to get to the finish line. Two that can never be proven wrong are the best ones. teams had to keep playing the regular season after the playoffs started! Why are we looking for any meaning in any of this at all? Of course the 18th place team is going to win the Cup. It’s a weird year. Just roll with it. Why it might work: (gestures at 2020 and 2021) Why it might not: Actually I think this one might be on to something.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.01.2021 Websites That’s just how it’s been for 15 years in Montreal. Price shouldn’t bear 1190167 much responsibility for two losses in Tampa, but there’s still room for him to plant a small seed of doubt. Sportsnet.ca / Price looks less than superhuman at wrong time as We’re talking about a fierce competitor who has won everything except a Canadiens fall behind 0-2 Stanley Cup. And a man who can’t be assured of ever seeing another chance as good as this one to put his name on that trophy.

“He’s got a Hall of Fame career if he retires right now. That’s just the Chris Johnston @reporterchris reality,” said Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois. “I know that everyone in that organization, they watch Carey, they see his July 1, 2021, 1:42 AM commitment to excellence, they see how hard he works in the off- season, how committed he is to being the absolute best — how it drives him. TAMPA, Fla. — It is an image that will immediately be burned in Stanley Cup lore: Blake Coleman stretching out like a runner trying to steal “That’s what drives his life. They see how he works in practice, they see second base and somehow scoring a buzzer-beating goal in the process. how he competes in games and then how he performs in games, and for all of those reasons that’s why I’m sure they all believe that he’s the best And yet it’s the man on the wrong end of that play we wonder about goalie in the world.” most. A special goalie still looking for his signature moment in this Stanley Cup Carey Price can’t truly be faulted for that goal against, nor the 0-2 hole in Final. this series his Montreal Canadiens head home with. But these weren’t just any two games in a Hall of Fame career and that wasn’t just any goal to slip through the smallest available space above Price’s right pad and Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 07.01.2021 below his blocker. It stood up as the winner in a 3-1 victory that moved the Tampa Bay Lightning within two wins of a second straight Stanley Cup. “It’s one of those where the announcer says, ‘You’ll see that on SportsCenter tonight.”’ said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper. “That’s what it was.” Said Canadiens forward Paul Byron: “It was just a nice goal from them at a bad time for us.” There’s never been a good time for Price to be something less than superhuman in Montreal. But after nearly 800 career games and all these years as a generational goaltending talent, this is a particularly challenging moment for him to allow eight goals on 50 cumulative shots no matter what bounces went the wrong way or who fired the pucks past him. We don’t actually know how Price is handling the roller-coaster of his first Stanley Cup Final. He was requested to speak after Game 2, but wasn’t made available to reporters during Zoom availability. The man who expertly backstopped Team Canada to a gold medal at the Sochi Olympics and has long lifted the Canadiens to a level exceeding their collective talent had been burning for this chance at a championship. “Just excitement,” Price said of his mindset before the series began. “It’s been something we’ve been working toward our whole lives and finally getting the opportunity, we’re just looking forward to it.” He then heard “Carrrrreeyyyyy!!!” derisively chanted inside a packed Amalie Arena. The five-goal Lightning outburst in Game 1 could easily be chalked up to inopportune turnovers and Wednesday’s goals felt more unfortunate than misplayed. You’d probably like Price to stop Anthony Cirelli’s opening strike that sailed through four players, but Corey Perry wasn’t wrong when he described it thusly: “I didn’t know if I was in his way. It was a seeing-eye shot. It went through one set of legs, went by my leg and went in the net.” The Canadiens were generating significantly more quantity and quality through 40 minutes. But Coleman’s diving goal at 19:58 of the second period put them behind 2-1 on a desperation play where Price was a touch slow on the read. Then, as if to add insult to injury, Joel Edmundson turned the puck over behind his own net and left Price with no chance on the 3-1 goal. At the other end you had Andrei Vasilevskiy making 42 saves in a first- star performance. The kind of thing that Price might be asked to do as the series shifts to Bell Centre with some already reading to crown the Lightning again. Only one elite goaltender has carried an outsized load so far. “I think our guys have had good looks at Vasilevskiy and he’s definitely a great goaltender,” said Canadiens assistant coach Luke Richardson. “We’ve seen it with other teams when Carey gets in your head. I think what we have to do is just keep being simple. The scouting reports, we’ll read them and use them to our advantage and look at some video.” And they’ll almost certainly count on Carey to elevate, too. Websites But in Game 2, that dynamic took on an even uglier complexion. They 1190168 reduced the mistakes to practically nil and still ended up having to fish the puck from their net two more times than Tampa did. Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens hit roadblock in Tampa as luck runs out in And that was after the Lightning committed enough mistakes to lose two Game 2 games. “I think these guys are very opportunistic and very lethal offensively if you do make mistakes in certain areas, and obviously they showed that again Eric Engels @EricEngels tonight,” said interim coach Luke Richardson. “I don’t think hockey is a mistake-free game. It’s too fast. It’s not football where you stop and start July 1, 2021, 1:01 AM and draw up plays. So, you have to play as best you can playing north and (spend) as little time as possible in the (defensive) zone as you can against a team like Tampa. It was a game that made you wonder if the clock had finally struck midnight on this Cinderella run the Montreal Canadiens have been on. A “And I thought we did a better job tonight, so we’re going to continue to game they dominated and lost 3-1 to fall down 2-0 to the Tampa Bay get better. We’re going to find our offence and we’re going to start Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final. scoring a few goals, and I think that will give us some confidence that way, and I think that means we have the puck more as well. I thought we It seemed ominous when a first-period tripping penalty for Jeff Petry did a better job tonight and we’ll continue to push forward and be better coincided with the Canadiens’ public relations staff announcing the in Game 3.” organization’s plea to Quebec health authorities to increase attendance at the Bell Centre from 3,500 fans to 10,500 was summarily rejected. It Call on a ghost or two at the Bell Centre, and it might even result in a was ominous when Anthony Cirelli threw a hope shot through four bodies Canadiens win. Because right now it feels like the magic’s going away at and beat Carey Price to open the scoring after the Lightning spent the the least opportune time. first six minutes and 40 seconds of the second period watching the Canadiens buzz by them at full speed. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 07.01.2021 Oh, the bounces. They snuck up and bit the Canadiens—none of them harder than Artturi Lehkonen’s full-body ricochet off the boards after Mikhail Sergachev made a dangerous play from behind and drove him into them from three feet away. Somehow, the one the Canadiens got smacked with after Nick Suzuki caught a great bounce—with a flipped backhand from 60 feet away that squirted right through Andrei Vasilevskiy to tie the game 1-1—knocked the glass slipper right off their foot. Tampa’s Barclay Goodrow made a great play to break into Montreal’s zone and shoveled the puck over to Blake Coleman, who dove and stabbed it into Price’s net with less than two seconds remaining in the second period. It was Tampa’s seventh shot of the frame, its 13th of the game, and it was a dagger. The kind the Canadiens haven’t met in these playoffs to date. “Playoffs are so close,” said Montreal’s Corey Perry, who’s won a Cup and is battling for another one for the fourth time in just 13 post-season appearances. “It’s a bounce here, a bounce there, a timely goal. Whatever it is, the (difference in) games (is) so minimal. “It’s just one of those things (where) they get a break at the end of the second (at) .05 seconds, whatever it is. That’s a momentum swing.” A botched reversal from Joel Edmundson to Petry landed right on Ondrej Palat’s stick with 3:18 to play in the third period for the goal that made it 3-1, and that was just spoiled mayonnaise on a you-know-what sandwich for the Canadiens. “I thought we played a heck of a hockey game tonight,” said Perry after captain Shea Weber said he thought the Canadiens deserved better. “But at the same time, it wasn’t enough, and we’ve got to find that extra gear.” How the Canadiens do it is hard to fathom. Even when they beat the Lightning, which they did on multiple occasions in a game where Tampa coach Jon Cooper referred to his team’s performance as “unremarkable,” they still have to find a way to solve Vasilevskiy. No one had a better chance to do that on Wednesday than Suzuki, who got lucky enough on one shot and was quite unlucky on half of his eight others. He had a full breakaway in the first and three more Grade-A chances as the night went on, with Vasilevskiy stuffing him on all of them. The Canadiens generated another 34 shots on top of Suzuki’s and came up with nothing. It was like reaching for the rabbit in the hat and catching a glimpse of it scurrying around side-stage. And this feels like a different form of adversity than everything else this team has faced and overcome in the lead up to this moment. They’ve handled the doubts, the injuries, bumps, bruises and COVID-19 locking away their double-vaccinated coach for four of the six games of the semifinal, but they haven’t had to deal with the kind of misfortunate they ran up against in Game 2 of this series. Even going back to Game 1, in which the Canadiens were unquestionably the worst of the two teams and lost 5-1, they still had excellent looks at an early lead and saw the only real mistakes they made result in goals against. Websites language from hockey is less about simply making the game more 1190169 welcoming, and more about keeping kids alive.

McGillis was six years old the first time he put the possibility into words. Sportsnet.ca / ENOUGH TALK He was watching a movie with his parents, and saw a gay character on screen. “What if I’m gay?” he’d asked them.

“If you’re gay, you’re gay,” they’d said. “You’re Brock. We love you.” But By Sonny Sachdeva | Illustrations by Caitlin Taguibao when he eventually set off on that journey for The Wall, he found a very different message at the rink. In the locker room, being gay wasn’t met with the love and acceptance his parents had shown. “Back then it was Eradicating homophobic language from hockey isn't just about making just, this is bad. Everyone’s saying this is bad. They’re only using this in a the game more welcoming — it's about keeping kids alive. negative way,” McGillis says. “So, my thought process was fully, ‘I’m hearing people call each other f–s when they’re joking with each other, In the beginning, Brock McGillis just wanted to end up on the Wall of when they’re trying to say [someone is] less than. I’m hearing people Fame. The monument stood in his great uncle Norm’s house, adorned chirp each other on the ice saying language like that. It’s in the locker with photos of friends and family who’d found their way in the hockey room, it’s on the ice, it’s always negative.’ world. Even now, 30 years on, thinking back to the moments that first spurred his journey in the sport, two stand out among the rest: watching “I’m hearing the adults say it, I’m hearing the players say it, I’m hearing the Montreal Canadiens lift the Stanley Cup in ’93, and first staring up at everyone say it — coaches, management,” he continues. “How am I The Wall. going to be me and play the game? They’re not going to let me play.” As a young goaltender, McGillis dreamed of charting a path from When those questions finally hit him, during his time in junior, McGillis Northern Ontario to the big leagues and cementing his place among was pushed into a full-blown identity crisis. “That’s when it became those photos. The plan he devised to get there was simple enough: tough. That’s where it went from, ‘Okay, I can suppress this and I’ve outwork anyone and everyone who stood in his way, divert all focus to never really seen it so I don’t understand it’ to ‘I hate myself.’ Like, ‘I that singular goal, build his game up until he was undeniable. “I just had really hate myself,’” McGillis says. “‘I can’t be this. I can’t be this, a dream, and my dream was I was going to be a hockey player and make because then I can’t play hockey.’” the NHL, and ultimately nothing else in my life mattered, you know?” he To McGillis, at the time, accepting his sexuality was impossible if it meant says. “I was just adamant that I would end up on that wall.” giving up his identity as a hockey player. The pressure to maintain the So he went to work. At the humble arena down the road from his family latter had already set in. “If you’re in Canada and you’re good at hockey, home in Markstay, Ontario, he collected hours on the ice like other kids it becomes your full identity,” he explains. “It’s what people talk to you collected hockey cards. The routine was automatic: Finish school, sling about. It’s what you’re recognized for, whether it’s relatives, whether it’s his hockey bag over his shoulder, and set off for that beige-and-white parents of friends, whether it’s teachers at school — everyone talks to block of a building hunkered down on Millichamp Street. On weekends, you about hockey. So, for me, that became my identity. So, how do I rip he piled up so many hours in the familiar chill of the rink, his parents [apart] my identity because I am gay? Those are two separate identities would come by in the morning to drop off his meals for the day. that felt like such polar opposites.” Out on the sheet, it didn’t matter much who else was present. His father, “I really hate myself. I can’t be this, because then I can’t play hockey.” Brian, a longtime AAA and junior coach in the area, was chummy with What’s worse, McGillis had to navigate the maelstrom alone. He hadn’t the local arena manager, so McGillis had the green light to hop the yet come out to his family. With a brother also well-established in hockey boards and work on his craft whenever the ice lay empty. When teams — a first-round pick in the OHL and eventual pro — and a dad with more from nearby Sudbury rolled through town down a goalie, he was there to than three decades in the sport as a coach and OHL scout, he felt letting fill in regardless of the details — older or younger, competitive or not, he them know the truth was too risky. Not because they might not accept was game. That was on top of tending goal for his own AA team, and him — precisely the opposite. He feared one of them would begin to then there was the house league team that his coach also manned the recognize the damage done by the language tossed around in the locker bench for — McGillis suited up for them, too. By his early teens, McGillis room and stand up to it, accidentally outing him, accidentally pushing him was skating 15 times a week and spending his summers in Montreal, out of the game. “So, I had nobody to talk to. I was all alone,” McGillis training with famed goalie coach Francois Allaire, mentor to one of says. “And then your thoughts start going, and every night you start McGillis’s on-ice idols, Patrick Roy. The schedule was gruelling, but it set questioning, and every time you think about a guy, or being gay, now him on the path he’d hoped: past Markstay’s best, past Sudbury’s and on you’re angry at yourself…. I just wanted to be numb. I just didn’t want to to the OHL, eventually to a Soo Greyhounds club where he played think.” alongside now-familiar names like Jeff Carter and the late Ray Emery. The impact that had on a burgeoning hockey career was predictable. But it’s there that McGillis’s path diverged from those other elite McGillis’s vaunted work ethic faded. That kid who’d made the daily trip prospects, that the lines connecting the points on the timeline he’d down the road to the arena in Markstay for any spare second of ice plotted for himself frayed and unwound. Because McGillis had a secret. disappeared. He fell into injury after injury, his body paying a physical toll Really, it was a simple truth, but as the sport he loved showed him day for the tumult. after day, there was nothing simple about being gay and a hockey player. “I was depressed, not sleeping, drinking daily, suicidal,” he says. “My life It created an impossible choice between the two identities, asking him to changed, because the weight of this was just so heavy and so lonely.” either give up the sport that had come to define him or exist within it as an incomplete version of himself. For years, his all-encompassing focus There’s nothing new, nor mysterious, about in sport and the on the game had muscled out the need to confront that dichotomy. damage it causes. A half century’s worth of research has been done on Eventually, though, the decision became simply too much to bear. the subject, decades upon decades of evidence that should have long Eventually, it pushed him to the brink. Eventually, it became bigger than ago pushed us towards urgent solutions. Mapping out the impact that The Wall. homophobic language had on McGillis is less a guessing game than a matter of seeing well-established patterns repeat, of his experiences “How am I going to be me and play the game? They’re not going to let aligning with the pain and isolation felt by countless young, LGBTQ+ me play.” athletes every year. What convinced McGillis that two fundamental parts of himself couldn’t Erik Denison, a researcher with the Behavioural Science Laboratory at coexist wasn’t outright and unbridled hatred, a concentrated act of malice Australia’s Monash University, whose work focuses on prejudicial that made a scene of telling him he didn’t belong. Instead, his journey behaviours in sport, has studied those patterns for years. Originally from was so profoundly derailed by a slow, daily trickle. It was being Vancouver, Denison endured his own trials in youth sport before going surrounded, day after day, in locker room after locker room, by the casual on to become a member of Australia’s first gay rugby team, the Sydney homophobic language embedded so deeply in hockey culture. It was Convicts Rugby Club, and was the lead author of Out on the Fields, the hearing “gay” and “bad” connected so often and so matter-of-factly in that first international study on homophobia in sport. “Essentially it’s a environment that it became clear if he was gay, he must be bad, too. cognitive drain,” he says of the state young LGBTQ+ athletes are put into To understand the gravity of the situation hockey’s persistent and when they hear this language every day. “It puts them in a state of stress pervasive use of homophobic language creates, you first have to when they’re in sport environments. And that state of stress, we believe, understand two things: One, that McGillis’s experience is heartbreakingly is why gay kids, but also straight kids, are more likely to experience common. And two, that the science around how exactly this language depression, anxiety, but also attempt suicide and complete suicide, affects young gay athletes has been known for years. And what that because they’re just less resilient to any other stressor that comes into science tells us is that the time for fact-finding is long past, that urgent their life. Because they’re in this environment where they’re constantly action is the only way forward. What it tells us is eradicating homophobic having to watch themselves.” It’s that constant, draining fear of being exposed that pushed McGillis off Ontario. It eventually led him to Montreal, sat on his couch doing course so early in his career, and that he continued to feel the impacts of schoolwork, paying half-attention to the television as a Maple Leafs– long after his playing days. But this damage to young athletes’ mental Canadiens game hummed along in the background. “There was this health is just one impact of hearing this language. A 2016 International young guy being interviewed between periods, and he was talking about Olympic Committee consensus statement clarified some of the others, following in his father’s footsteps and making the NHL as a GM,” he including, for example, the troubling impact its presence can have on remembers. “And then he said, ‘And I’m gay.’” McGillis’s head whipped situations of sexual abuse — research shows that in homophobic around, his eyes now glued to the screen. “I had never heard somebody environments boys may not report abuse that occurs for fear of being say they’re gay in hockey, unless it was calling somebody gay as an seen as having invited it. Aside from that disturbing damage, there’s also insult. So I was shocked.” harm from a pure sports perspective — kids who play the game in environments where homophobic language is common and accepted The young man was , son of longtime NHL executive have been found to not actually get the social benefits of sport, according Brian Burke. McGillis tracked down Brendan’s number through the to research from Denison’s team. And, per a 2017 study from UBC, gay hockey grapevine and sent him a message. “I came out to him, and we kids have been found to play team sports at half the rate of straight kids formed a friendship,” McGillis says. Just like that, Brendan became the due in part to feeling unwelcome or unsafe because of the language only person connected to the hockey community who knew the truth. used. The two spoke every day. “We talked about advocacy and changing “They’re twice as likely to attempt suicide if they’re exposed to hockey culture and sport culture and making it inclusive,” McGillis says. homophobic language.” “We talked dating — I finally had somebody in my life I could talk to about my breakup. The only thing worse than dating somebody for three years As devastating as any of these impacts are, though, at its heart, the issue without anyone knowing is breaking up with them and being sad, and is less about participation numbers and inclusivity than something far nobody knowing why you’re sad, you know? It was so nice to have more urgent. “We need to deal with homophobia because kids are killing somebody to talk to.” themselves because of homophobia,” Denison says. “They’re twice as likely to attempt suicide if they’re exposed to homophobic language, and “If I didn’t figure out who I was, and this continued, I wasn’t going to live gay kids attempt suicide at five times the rate of straight kids.” much longer.” CDC data from as recently as 2019 showed that a staggering 26 per cent One day in early February 2010, a message from Brendan appeared on of American 16- and 17-year-old LGBTQ+ teens had attempted suicide, McGillis’s phone. “I can’t wait for the day that you’re out to your family compared to five percent among straight 16- and 17-year-olds — like I am to mine,” it read. He remembers seeing it pop up on the screen; numbers that would be similar in Canada, according to Denison. The role remembers throwing his phone to his bed and ignoring it. He remembers homophobic language plays in that equation is clear: Among LGBTQ+ the same fears beginning to well up — that telling his family meant teens who experienced this type of verbal abuse — that is, heard the F- opening up more opportunities to be exposed. Even here, nearly 30, word, or other such slurs — 33 per cent harmed themselves, while 40 per nearly out of the game, McGillis still worried about what a future looked cent considered doing so. Those figures were roughly double those of like in a hockey world that knew him fully. So he ignored the message. LGBTQ+ teens who did not experience this verbal abuse. “This is why we “Those ended up being the last words Brendan ever said to me. Two need to stop the language,” Denison says. “And this has been known for days later, he passed away in a car accident,” McGillis says. “I was quite a while. The first sports psychology paper to document this was in sitting there in Montreal, and I had this breakup that I was still trying to 1986, so this isn’t new information to the sport industry.” process and get over, alone, internally. I had nobody to talk to about it, For the hockey world in particular, the lack of meaningful change is partly and now my only friend who knows my life has passed away — and due to the fact that those who govern youth hockey in North America nobody else in my life even knows that this is my friend. continually frame the issue as one of making the game more welcoming, “So, I thought, ‘Well, what can I do?’ And I knew in that moment I had to rather than keeping children safe from harm. “Unfortunately, hockey has honour his last message to me. So I sat my brother down… I said, ‘Cory, almost exclusively put its focus on the inclusion argument, which is ‘We I’m gay.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, so? Brock, I love you.’ And then I told my should just be inclusive and nice to people, and allow them to play parents. sport,’” says Denison. “And I told all my friends who were outside of hockey, and didn’t have But that approach fails to address the gravity of the situation, and the any links or connections to the sport.” need for immediate solutions — and, says Denison, the legal obligation to stop behaviour that harms children. “These are not things that are For a sport that turns so often to metaphors of family, men’s hockey is optional,” he says. “You know, it’s optional to be inclusive. It’s not often poorly equipped to live up to the comparison. If it’s a family, it’s one optional to protect children from harm. And that’s why this is viewed as a that forces some to hide who they are from the rest, instead of being able serious public health problem that needs urgent action.” to turn to their brothers for support and acceptance. For young gay players, whatever bonds are formed through shared experiences at the By 26, McGillis had all but given up on his hockey dreams. It was 2009 rink are often betrayed by the language that punctuates them. “Any of the and he was living in Montreal, enrolled at Concordia and suiting up for gay hockey players I have interviewed, whether closeted or not, have the university team on the off-chance he eventually felt compelled to take said that one of the main reasons that they didn’t come out was the another run at it all. But even seven years on from his OHL days, he was [homophobic] language that they heard,” says Dr. Cheryl MacDonald, still navigating the unending maze of life as a gay man in the hockey who’s been studying attitudes towards homosexuality within hockey for world. more than a decade. “I think when that kind of language gets drilled into The path from the Greyhounds to the Concordia Stingers, winding as your head for so long — if you’ve played hockey your whole life, you’ve ever, had taken McGillis overseas for a spell, giving him a shot as a pro probably heard it your whole life — you start to internalize that.” with the Dutch club Duindam Wolves Den Haag. It was there, half a world Though MacDonald and others have seen subtle signs to suggest overall away from home, that he first turned a corner. Still numbing himself with awareness around the issues facing the LGBTQ+ community may be a steady stream of alcohol, still simply trying to survive and draw as little growing in the hockey world, the increase in understanding hasn’t led to attention to himself as possible, he reached a point he thought he might a marked decrease in homophobic language. “It’s the insular nature of not come back from. “I went from being on an NHL Draft list, thinking I our sport,” says NHLer , who suited up for the San Jose was going to have this linear trajectory to the NHL, to constantly being Sharks in 2020–21, explaining the slow struggle to change damaging hurt, being depressed, struggling mentally, and now I’m playing in the behaviours. “Hockey’s a predominantly white, middle- to upper-class minors of Europe,” McGillis says. “I thought to myself, if you don’t figure sport. You play with the same kids. Especially the guys that we call the out who you are, and this continues… one, my career was about to end, role models now, at the higher levels — they’ve been elite players for a and more importantly, I wasn’t going to live much longer.” long time, played with the same kids, from the same city.” So, he made a decision. He returned home to Ontario after that season It’s more than who players are around, though. It’s the whole process, and went on a date with a man in Toronto — a date that grew into a too, says McGillis. “You’re in the same locker room with the same 20 kids three-year relationship. It was a huge step toward accepting himself, but every single night. And then you move away to junior, and now the only with McGillis still embedded in the Ontario hockey scene, finally opening people you know are your teammates. So you hang out with people who up to that part of his identity only brought more secrecy, more worry. “It come from the same culture, in a different place, and now it’s being actually got worse, because now I wasn’t suppressing my sexuality, I had reinforced seven days a week. Then you go home in the summer and accepted it — but I was now closeted, hiding it,” he says. “And not only who do you hang out with? The other hockey players.” was I hiding myself, but I was hiding another person. I dated somebody for three years without a soul in my life knowing.” And, adds Gabriel, the whole time you’re guided by coaches who came through the same system. “They’ve learned the culture from coaches The end of that relationship, along with the culmination of years of on-ice who played at a time when it was more normal to be saying those things, injuries, pushed McGillis to step away from the game for a time, and from and views against LGBTQ people were much worse. It just perpetuates The fear eventually gave way to the realization that these young players down the line,” he says. “It’s just kind of like an echo chamber.” knew the truth and had already chosen to keep working with him. He wondered whether it was time to come out publicly, whether this was how “There was a lot of, ‘We’re just a hockey team. Why does this matter? he could begin to shift the culture. But first, he took the opportunity Why are we supposed to weigh in on LGBTQ issues?’” afforded by the unique position he found himself in and observed how the That said, as far as Gabriel can tell, the presence of homophobic players acted around him. He noticed homophobic language still being language at the pro level has diminished. And Patrick Burke, Brendan’s thrown around at times — but when it was, the players would freeze up, brother, has seen signs of that progress, too, in the years since his turn to McGillis and apologize. That seemed to be progress, some type of brother’s passing. awareness in the moment of the impact of their words. “Or maybe they know I’m gay, so they apologize to me because they like me, but then In 2010, hoping to continue Brendan’s legacy, Patrick co-founded the they go to school or the rink or anywhere else and call kids f–s,” he says. project, which has since become a key voice in efforts to “I had no idea.” promote inclusivity in the game. “I look back to early phone calls reaching out to teams and asking them to do various things, and getting a lot of But one day soon after, McGillis wasn’t able to work with the young crop confusion or, you know, ‘Why is this necessary?’ or ‘Okay, well, who else of big-league hopefuls, so he had a sprint coach train them instead. The is doing this? We don’t want to be the only ones doing something,’” stand-in relayed what happened in his absence. It was near the end of Burke says. “There was a lot of, ‘We’re just a hockey team. Why does the day, a two-hour grind of a workout already endured, and the coach this matter? Why are we supposed to weigh in on LGBTQ issues?’” informed his young pupils they had 10 more 200-metre sprints on deck. In response, one of the younger kids in the group, around 15 years old, Now the NHL’s senior director of player safety, Burke says he’s seen that looked at the coach and said, “This is so gay. I don’t want to do this.” hesitation subside. “There’s obviously still work left to be done — I think it would be naive to say that everything’s perfect and everything’s fixed, “One of the older players, who was already in the OHL, looked at the because that’s definitively not the case,” he says. “But in the past 10 younger player and said, ‘We don’t say that here. Give me 50 push-ups,’” years or so, since my brother’s accident, the hockey world has taken says McGillis. “That became something my athletes adopted. And huge leaps and bounds forward in regards to diversity and inclusion — in because hockey players in our culture, especially elite players, are regards to language, (and) in regards to player education and influencers in society, they took that to their peers at school, to their involvement.” friends, to their teammates, and other people started doing push-ups when they would say something homophobic. That’s when I realized And yet, the data bears out a crucial point amid all this perceived shifts can happen in this culture.” progress. Even with young players seemingly more aware of the issues facing the LGBTQ+ community, even with what appear to be genuine To be able to remove something that has so deeply infected the sport for steps forward at the NHL level, little has changed where it matters most. so long, you have to first be able to identify how and why it’s spreading. Drawing from more than 50 studies over the past two decades that have It’s in this latter aspect that much of the hockey world’s response to the tracked whether kids in sports have heard homophobic language used, issue of homophobic language has fallen short. The reason it is still Denison says the results are relatively unchanged. Homophobic spreading even as attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community appear to language persists. be shifting, according to recent research from Denison and his team, comes down to the process by which this language is learned and It was going back to where it all began that helped McGillis find his path passed on in the locker room. forward. After making the decision to finally walk away from his on-ice career, he left Montreal and moved back to Sudbury to finish his studies. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle, Denison explains. It starts with a new, Before he could plan his post-grad steps, though, a chance encounter young player first hearing the language thrown around the locker room by with a few young hockey players at a local gym, who heeded his advice a coach, by teammates. The player observes positive responses to the about new exercises to try out and asked McGillis to train them, led to a language, observes that its use earns laughs and social status. The new career working with young athletes in the area. Soon the ravenous player also perceives that no harm is being caused by the language, work ethic he’d shown as a young netminder not far away in Markstay because the assumption, due to the stereotypes inherent in hyper- was channelled into developing the next generation. He turned his masculine sports like hockey, is that everyone in the room is straight. So, garage into a gym and started building up his clientele. Within a few with clear incentives and no obvious consequences, the player uses the years, he was working with more than 100 players daily. language to conform, to gain acceptance within the group. When the next young player eventually comes into the environment for the first time, the But he was still living with the same secret he’d held all those years cycle starts anew. before. “I feared at that point that if parents knew that their kids, their teenage sons, were training with a gay guy, they wouldn’t want them to,” Understanding this process is crucial, because it makes one thing clear: he says. “So I didn’t tell anyone. And then my business grew, and before Unless this cycle is interrupted or upended, larger-scale efforts to provide I knew it, I had an on-ice training business, a goalie training business, education about the LGBTQ+ community and shift individual attitudes, and an off-ice training business…. I feared that telling them would end appear to have limited impact. If the language is in the locker room my work.” already, it will be — continually revived by this self-perpetuating process — until the cycle is broken. Even years removed from the locker room, the fear remained. “I was still in that self-preservation mode,” McGillis says. “I didn’t know how to get “I still have the urge to say things sometimes, and I’m catching myself. It out of that mode in this culture. But then something happened that takes effort, because it’s so ingrained in us.” changed it. I got a call from a hockey mom.” Gabriel, who earned a King Clancy Memorial Trophy nomination this By this point, McGillis had been running his hockey businesses for a half- season due in part to his work advocating for hockey’s LGBTQ+ decade, his double-life intact. That morning, he picked up the phone, community, has seen firsthand both the impact of education on these ready to hear the usual hockey-parent qualms — not enough power-play issues, and the pervasiveness of that cycle. On one hand, having the time, where should my son play next season, and on and on. Instead, the issue humanized for him and getting educated about the issues facing voice on the other end of the line said, “Brock, I want to set you up on a the LGBTQ+ community have brought Gabriel a long way from his early date.” years in the sport. “I was using it,” he says of the homophobic language common in the locker rooms of his youth. “I was that kid playing hockey “My initial thought process was: ‘Oh shit. What do I say?’ So I said, and just saying things that were what everybody said. It’s kind of strange ‘What’s her name?’ to say, looking back on it now. But just because my intentions weren’t there doesn’t mean I wasn’t hurting anyone.” “And she said, ‘Steve.’ On the other hand, even amid all the progress he’s made himself, even “I said, ‘What?’ as one of the LGBTQ+ community’s most vocal allies in the game, he still feels the weight of the sport’s pull to conform at times. “[At AHL Lehigh] “She said, ‘Brock, you’re gay.’ some of the guys would get on me a bit being language police. But I’m “‘How do you know this?’ right there with [them]. I used to say these things. I still have the urge to say things sometimes, and I’m catching myself. It takes effort, because “She says, ‘Oh, my son told me.’ Her son was 15 at the time. She’s like, it’s so ingrained in us.” ‘All the boys know. They’ve known for years.’ In November 2016, McGillis finally stepped out of the shadows, his “And I panicked. I freaked out. I thought, ‘I’m going to lose my decades of fear giving way to a historic truth, as he became the first businesses. They’re not going to want to work with me,’” McGillis says. professional men’s hockey player to come out as gay. A confluence of events led him there. The mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando — “One of the older players, who was already in the OHL, looked at the the deadliest attack against LGBTQ+ people in American history — younger player and said, ‘We don’t say that here. Give me 50 push-ups.’” happened just five months prior, a painful reminder for McGillis of the importance of queer spaces and identities. A local hockey association LGBTQ+ community in the sport: the harm still being done by the had barred him from training young athletes, just as he’d feared, when everyday use of homophobic language. That comes down to the dynamic word about his sexuality began to spread. A few other threads began to in each and every locker room. It comes down to the authority figures in unravel too, he says, until he felt compelled to make a change. So he those rooms taking seriously the well-known harm caused by that finally told the hockey world who he truly was. language, and doing something to eradicate its use. “You can’t really fix homophobia without addressing the systemic problems that are “I just did it to empower myself,” he says. “I thought, ‘Nobody can use my supporting racism and sexism, because they’re all very closely aligned,” sexuality against me anymore, and whisper behind my back. Because it’s Denison says. “And that’s this banter culture. It’s the coaches not doing out there.’” their job. That’s a fundamental thing — these are coaches of children, The impact of that decision hit much harder and in a different manner and they’re not doing their basic job of making sure children are safe.” than he thought. It catapulted him into an entirely different space in the The other key is dismantling that self-perpetuating cycle that’s kept this sport, flooded his inbox with roughly 10,000 messages — most of them language alive in locker rooms. In Denison’s view, that has to be done positive — and made him the face of something he had been running through the most influential voice, or voices, in each environment. That’s away from for his whole hockey life. It also gave him the chance to do the the basis of the approach he and his team have used for three years with work he and Brendan had talked about all those years before. with rugby teams in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and He’s used that opportunity to great effect in the years since, emerging as the one they’re now developing with the University of British Columbia for one of the leading voices for hockey’s LGBTQ+ community, granting the hockey community. “Individualism is not celebrated in hockey. It’s visibility to a group that has long been forced to the background. But this very much conformity [that] is celebrated in hockey,” Denison says. “The new position has also granted McGillis a unique view of how prevalent person who’s deciding what the norms are is largely the captain [and these issues still are in the sport, as young players routinely reach out to assistant captain], but also the coach. So those people need to be him with stories of their own trials, desperate for support and advice on recruited.” The goal, in essence, is to use hockey’s reliance on how to survive it, like he did. conformity — giving team leaders the tools to alter the norms to which their fellow players will conform. “I get kids coming to me that are dealing with the same stuff I dealt with 20-plus years ago,” he says. “It’s the same culture. It’s the same thing…. Stepping back, the key for McGillis comes down to how those in the sport Most of them don’t even realize the issues. They don’t know that these view this problem — whether it’s understood only as a large-scale issue issues exist. It’s never been humanized for them. And hockey isn’t doing of statistics and policies or seen through the human prism of his own a good job of bringing people in with a lived experience in the culture to story, and all the others like his. What must come first, though, is a wider humanize the issues for players. commitment from the hockey community to meaningfully engage with either approach, to view this as a chance to grow the game rather than “Maybe it’s a little less overt, but there’s still a lot of homophobia and as an attack on it. “When I say all this and I’m critical of hockey culture there’s still a lot of bias that exists. It hasn’t gone away…. And it’s a real and critical of the sport, people get very defensive, because it’s so damn shame that it’s been 20-plus years and I feel like we’re just personal to them,” McGillis says. “Just like there’s white fragility, I think spinning the tires.” there’s straight fragility…. Instead of just going, ‘How do we make this better for everyone?’ there’s, you know, ‘Well, that’s not true. My child’s a What will it take to turn spinning tires into movement? Even with a good kid,’ and blah blah blah. Nobody’s disputing that your child’s a good greater understanding of the issue, the solutions aren’t simple. The most kid. public, polarizing and oft-discussed work happening in the hockey space so far has been the NHL’s Pride Nights. While they’ve drawn criticism “It’s not that I think these people are bad. It’s that [the issue] hasn’t been from some corners for being a band-aid solution for a deep, painful issue, humanized for them.” they have served an important purpose, says Denison. “Hockey deserves credit on that end, in terms of these more visible events, marketing kind Any effective solution seems to require both approaches — just like of activities, that have been really useful. That’s helped normalize the McGillis saw years ago in Sudbury, when his players changed the culture idea of addressing homophobia, which is important, because even of their locker rooms. When the issue was humanized for them through though it’s against the law that this occurs, laws aren’t enforced unless their relationship with McGillis, when they understood the need to alter the norms align.” the norms their teammates conformed to, when they showed the ones who came after that this language had no place in their room. The central issue with the approach in his view, though, is that these efforts to promote awareness can give some the sense that key problems “We’ve seen what happens when things are humanized,” McGillis says. in the sport are being dealt with, when evidence shows they persist. “People don’t even realize that this game is an oppressive tool, and if they did, if we taught them that they need to rally around these issues — And while the NHL’s immense influence comes with a responsibility to the same way they rally around cancer, the same way the hockey world help push the game forward on this front — and in that sense, there’s came together when Humboldt happened — [they would].” surely more work for the league to do — the most urgent action is required not in the professional ranks, but at the youth level. “The It just takes opening the door, allowing those who’ve experienced the difference between how things have been done in North America and pain the game can dole out to share those experiences. It takes teaching other countries where they’ve probably made a bit more actual traction,” the sport’s leaders why this is worth fighting for, and empowering them to says Denison, “is in North America almost everything’s focused on the begin breaking those cycles. “We can humanize the experiences of a professional leagues, which doesn’t make any sense at all. Because they queer person in a men’s locker room without vilifying [everyone else]. have no connection to where this harm is actually occurring.” ‘This is what I went through as a gay man in a locker room, and I’m telling you this is what kids are going through.’ More people than not Mandi Duhamel, a former university-level and CWHL coach who now would rally around that,” McGillis says. serves as the NHL’s regional director of industry growth and youth hockey, is part of a team working within the league to figure out how it “If we teach them, they’ll rally.” can expand its impact in this area. Part of the Youth Hockey Inclusion Committee formed in September 2020 with the goal of developing programs to support underrepresented groups in the game, Duhamel’s Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 07.01.2021 own experiences as a member of the LGBTQ+ community working in the sport has given her a firsthand understanding of the progress needed. She says the Committee’s focus is currently on creating model programming — potentially in partnership with Hockey Canada and USA Hockey — and working with the league’s current programs (Learn To Play, First Shift and Future Goals) to set safer standards and expectations of youth hockey environments, and move the league from trying to lead by example to having a more direct impact. “We’re trying to establish what that means,” she says of where that process is at. “We’ve done a fantastic job of exploring it, being honest about it, getting the right people to have opinions on it, and going to the experts in these areas. And now it’s about implementation and continuing to fight for the culture change that needs to be done.” “These are coaches of children, and they’re not doing their basic job of making sure children are safe.” But regardless of how these big-picture efforts play out, none figures to serve as a significant solution to the most urgent problem facing the 1190170 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / NHL Betting Guide: How goal props could help you win big on Cup Final

Ryan Sullivan @Sullivancouver June 30, 2021, 12:43 PM

To tie this series at a game apiece, the Montreal Canadiens are going to need to fire a heck of a lot more than 19 shots at Andrei Vasilevskiy. They’re also going to need a little luck in the process. It’s no easy strategy, but the more rubber sent on net in Game 2 (at both ends) could be a great thing for you. With that in mind, let’s talk goal props and how you could win big! The Pinata Bet says Hola! What is this guy talking about!? What do pinatas have to do with the Stanley Cup Final? Well, right now at Sports Interaction, their rare pinata bet is paying 46-1. You simply click it and hope for the best. It’s kind of like putting your loonie into the old hockey card machine. You might strike gold with a signed Pavel Bure rookie or strike out with a checklist or a Frank J. Zamboni card (don’t act like you never got it). This bet could be considered a wild card, but if you look at these two team’s playoff scoring histories, the inconsistencies could be your friend here. The Habs have shown that they’re generally a lower scoring club, but with the Bolts making up for their lack of production on the board, you could be sitting pretty. Let’s investigate further. Tampa Bay has a 44-per cent power play on home ice. The Bolts have five of the top six leading scorers in this post-season. They’ve also averaged 3.125 goals-per through their last eight. They’ve gone from four goals one game, eight another and five most recently. Your X-factor is that the Bolts have also scored 42 of their 63 playoff goals within the comfy confines of Amalie Arena. In other words, a roll of the dice is a good thing for this bet, and it could pay nicely. Then, on top of that, it’s just a fun novelty prop that’s low risk with a potentially huge return. Spread it around Is the blind pinata leap of faith too much for you? No problem. If you want some better odds, like playing a game of roulette, you can spread it around at Bodog. Simply scroll down to the Correct Score odds and go nuts. You can pick any score with either team being victorious and there are some excellent bets to be had with some strong payouts as well. Of course, for many, you want to have the numbers in-hand. The blind leap is too much for your senses and that’s okay. This a judgement-free zone, my friends. The good news for you, once again, is that any bet here is a strong one given the scoring history. We looked at Tampa’s post-season resumé a moment ago, so why don’t we further build your confidence with a check of Montreal’s numbers? The Habs currently sport the best penalty kill in the game. Tampa cracked their mind-blowing streak late on Monday night, but their 91.8 per cent is still the best by a mile. This bodes well for a lower scoreboard. What also could bode well for that low board is that the Habs have hit the UNDER in six of their last eight when their opponent tallies five or more the game before. The Habs are also winless in their last seven in T-Bay and are only averaging 1.66 goals per through their three Game 2’s thus far. So, with all of that in mind, chucking some chips around (roulette reference again) could spread it around nicely and play the odds well on Wednesday night. In recent articles, we’ve chatted NHL Awards props along with which coach will end up where. Now it’s time to talk dollars. On now, if you guide your way to the Futures menu, you can bet on which player will pull in the largest deal in free agency and which team will spend the most when the window opens on July 28. So, if the Stanley Cup Final bets are too much for you to tackle, do not worry. There are still plenty of options out there that you can take your time with.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 07.01.2021 Websites He also got the Canadiens on the scoreboard on the power play with a 1190171 long backhander that bounced off Lightning players and past Vasilevskiy.

The goal, which tied the game 1-1, was the sixth of the postseason for USA TODAY / Andrei Vasilevskiy, Blake Coleman's buzzer-beating goal Suzuki. lead Lightning past Canadiens in Game 2 "The way he bounces back, the way he carries himself, the way he works, he’s a tremendous hockey player and we have a lot of faith in him," said Canadiens forward Paul Byron. Mike Brehm Solid goaltending USA TODAY The Lightning emerged from the second period with a lead despite being outshot 16-7. The Montreal Canadiens won the first three playoff rounds as series Credit Vasilevskiy, who recorded his second-most saves in a regulation underdogs by winning at least one of the first two games on the road. playoff win. But the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning handed the "Just the absolute competitive gamer that we know he is," said Lightning Canadiens their first 2-0 series deficit of the 2021 postseason after defenseman Ryan McDonagh. "Night in and night out, the backbone of pulling off a 3-1 victory Wednesday in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. this team." Though the Canadiens outplayed the Lightning for much of the game, The Canadiens will have to figure out how to get the puck past Vezina Trophy runner-up Andrei Vasilevskiy made 42 saves to make Vasilevskiy, who has allowed only two goals in the series. Blake Coleman’s buzzer-beating goal in the second period stand up. "The scouting reports, we'll read them, and use them to our advantage "There were peaks and valleys in our game, but (Vasilevskiy) stood tall and look at some video," said Habs interim coach Luke Richardson. "I when we were down," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. think if we keep getting those chances, which I think we will (because) this team does give up chances, we'll start scoring." The series will switch to Montreal for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Monday, with Tampa Bay needing two more wins to become the NHL's Lineup changes first repeat champion since the 2016-17 Pittsburgh Penguins. Tampa Bay forward Alex Killorn sat out Game 2 after blocking a shot in A look at Game 2: the opener. Mathieu Joseph joined the lineup and played on the fourth line, allowing Tyler Johnson to move up to Killorn's spot on the second The buzzer-beater line. Johnson drew an assist on Cirelli's goal. Everything about Coleman's second-period goal was great. Montreal's Joel Armia returned after missing Game 1. Jake Evans was First Barclay Goodrow knocked a loose puck past Canadiens scratched. Brendan Gallagher played after missing the end of Game 1 defenseman Ben Chiarot and raced into the zone. As Montreal's Shea with a bloodied face. Weber went to him, he fed a diving Coleman, who knocked the puck past Series heads to Montreal Carey Price. The Canadiens are scheduled to have coach Dominique Ducharme back The time left on the clock: 1.1 seconds. after he finishes his isolation period for testing positive for COVID-19. "I knew the time was tight," said Goodrow. "I kept hearing our bench The Canadiens' first Stanley Cup Final home game since 1993 won't shout, 'Shoot.' " have a full house, though. Quebec health officials are continuing to hold attendance at the Bell Centre to 3,500 fans. The team had asked for Said Coleman: "I saw (Goodrow) make the heads-up play in the neutral 10,500 but was denied. Said Suzuki: "I’d know they’d love to be in the zone with a little poke past their D. I tried to do everything I could to give building, but that’s not the case with the world we’re living in now. … We him an option. Incredible area pass by him and fortunately we beat the know the 3,500 that will be there will be cheering us on, and the rest will clock." be supporting us." The goal was Coleman's first since Game 1 of the first round, ending an 18-game drought. USA TODAY LOADED: 07.01.2021 "The timing was epic," said Cooper. "Definitely a big lift going into the (third period)." The Lightning got breathing room on a third-period goal from Ondrej Palat after a miscommunication by the Montreal defense. "They’re opportunistic, so it only takes a couple mistakes for them to score," Weber said. Lightning score first again The Canadiens had been playing tight defense against the high-powered Lightning and held them without a shot for about 15 minutes. But Tampa Bay went up 1-0 on Anthony Cirelli's seeing-eye shot past Price at 6:40 of the second period. Corey Perry asked Price if he had screened the goalie on the play. "The difference between the teams is so minimal," Perry said. "The bounces normally we’d like to go our way, but they just haven’t the past two games." The Lightning have scored the game's first goal 16 times in the playoffs, including both games of the Final. Their record when scoring first: 14-2. Canadiens' top line rebounds The Tyler Toffoli-Nick Suzuki-Cole Caufield line struggled during Game 1, going minus-9 with three shots. But the players redeemed themselves in Game 2, giving the Canadiens hope as they can get the matchups they want at home. Suzuki was particularly impressive as his eight shots through two periods were just five fewer than the Lightning had during that time. He finished with nine shots and his line had 14. 1190172 Websites

USA TODAY / Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews opens up about health condition that held him out of 2021 season

Lorenzo Reyes USA TODAY

Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews opened up about a previously unspecified health condition that forced him to miss the entire 2020 season and revealed the condition that had been ailing him. "I think there's just a lot of things that piled up where my body just fell apart," Toews said in a video interview that he posted Wednesday to his verified Twitter account. "What they're calling it is chronic immune response syndrome, where I just couldn't quite recover and my immune system was just reacting to everything, any kind of stress, anything that I would do throughout the day, it was always that kind of stress response. So it just took some time. That was the really frustrating part, not knowing when or how I was going to get over the hump." Toews, 33, a captain of the Blackhawks and a three-time Stanley Cup champion, had announced in December that he was dealing with an unspecified medical issue that left him feeling "drained and lethargic." Then, in January, Chicago placed Toews on long-term injured reserve. Since the announcement, Toews had not been seen at the team facility and hadn't issued any public comments about his condition until Wednesday. "I learned a lot about the stress I've put on my body over the years and I appreciate the support," Toews continued. "A lot of people were worried and I definitely felt bad to a certain degree that people were that worried and thought it was really serious, but in the back of my mind, I knew my getting through it was just a matter of time." Toews also said he "wasn't too vocal about the things I went through this year" and expressed his gratitude to the fans, Blackhawks organization and his teammates. In the video announcement, there is footage of Toews walking into the Fifth Third Arena, the Blackhawks' practice facility in Chicago. There is also footage of Toews skating and doing light training on the ice, taking shots on goal and handling the puck. "It feels great," Toews said. "It has been a long time. I probably haven't taken this much time off the ice, probably ever, at least since I was a kid. So it has been nice to be back in Chicago and see some of the guys again and just slowly but surely settling into the life and into the routine again, so it's a good feeling right now." In the video, Toews did not comment about a specific timeline about a potential return to game action. With Toews absent, the Blackhawks missed the postseason in 2021 for the third time in the last four seasons, but stayed in contention after some younger players stepped up. The Blackhawks had an NHL-high 42 goals scored by rookies. They finished 24-25-7 on the season.

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