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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 7/5/2021 1216908 Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: may get a coaching mentor, and analytic flexibility’ 1216909 ‘He’s going to help so many people’: Stephen Johns finds purpose, and Bobby Ryan, at end of #MentalMiles journ Red Wings 1216910 2019 draft review: makes first imprint on rebuild 1216911 Wild GM still confident about signing Kirill Kaprizov Canadiens 1216912 After a tough year, are the Canadiens up for another challenge? 1216913 Canadiens Notebook: Lightning have chance to win Cup on Montreal ice 1216914 Cowan: Canadiens fans happy to see a final game live 1216915 'Just stay positive,' Canadiens' Josh Anderson says ahead of Game 4 1216916 Todd: No need for scapegoats as Habs magic wears off 1216917 Canadiens Stanley Cup notebook: A heavy dose of PP, the coaches’ common paths and a peek into the athlete’s mi 1216918 Islanders target signing their key restricted free agents in offseason 1216919 Rangers’ wants to ‘dominate games’ after earning Harvard degree Penguins 1216920 Penguins A to Z: What is 's value? 1216921 Top 5 Penguins July Fireworks; Trades & Free Agents 1216922 teaches. He motivates. He delegates. Mostly, he just wins. 1216923 Lightning’s Game 4 watch party at sold out 1216924 Lightning’s top candidates for the Trophy 1216925 Lightning forward ’s playoff run is something ‘we’ve never seen’ Maple Leafs 1216926 Down 3-0, Canadiens' Josh Anderson says, 'We’re not finished yet' 1216927 Four years later, Misfit Line still producing for Golden Knights 1216928 Recent Contracts Set New Precedent for Vegas Golden Knights Summer Websites 1216930 .ca / Facing elimination, Canadiens hint at changes: ‘We’re not finished yet’ 1216931 Sportsnet.ca / To raise awareness, Indigenous Canadiens fans will peacefully protest anthem 1216932 USA TODAY / Why face elimination against Tampa Bay Lightning in Stanley Cup Final Jets 1216929 Five things the Jets can learn from this year's SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1216908 Columbus Blue Jackets “But I think everybody can use a mentor. I’ve always tried to have a mentor, and now that John Davidson’s back (as president of hockey operations), he’s great at that. Everybody in their jobs can use a mentor.”

Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: Brad Larsen may get a coaching The Blue Jackets have suffered the growing pains of inexperience many mentor, and analytic flexibility’ times through the years. The most vivid example was in 2010-11, the season after Ken Hitchcock and his assistants, and Claude Noel, were sent packing. By Aaron Portzline Jul 4, 2021 Scott Arniel replaced Hitchcock and and were hired as his assistants. Arniel was a first-time NHL . Boughner had never coached above the OHL. Berry had mostly coached COLUMBUS, Ohio — A collection of notes, insights, ruminations, and in college with two years as an AHL assistant. did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Blue Jackets: That, coupled with a front office that was thin on experience, sent the Blue Jackets looking for experience and expertise when the 2010-11 Item #1: The experience factor season went off the rails by December. Longtime NHL executive Craig During the process of interviewing candidates to replace coach John Patrick was hired as an adviser to oversee the entire operation. Tortorella, the Blue Jackets were deeply impressed by , Item #2: Larsen and analytics who has been a rising star in the ranks for some time now. It’s no leap to suggest that Vincent would have been the Every NHL team uses analytics. Every sports franchise uses analytics. choice if Brad Larsen hadn’t accepted the job. The only questions are what data they value and how much value do they put into that data? Vincent was still in the running to be head coach of the when the Blue Jackets circled back to offer a fall-back plan. Would he still Tortorella was more open to analytics than many would assume, but we consider joining Columbus in a different capacity? wondered where Larsen stood on the topic now that the big chair is his.

When Vincent was ruled out by the Coyotes — they eventually hired “There’s absolutely a place for them in my coaching,” Larsen said. “Like Andre Tourigny out of the Hockey League — talks rekindled with anything, you need to bring it into a really clear lense for your group, Columbus. Vincent was named Blue Jackets associate coach two weeks specifically. You have to know who you are and what you do well before ago. you can put a value on a certain statistic or , before you can establish the ways that you want to measure yourself. Then, last week, Larsen filled the other opening on his staff by hiring longtime NHL player to coach the defense and “Everybody wants to grab numbers, put them in a nice, tight box and say kill. Lefebvre has spent the last nine seasons in the AHL, the last three this is where you need to get to, but that’s not always possible. How do as an assistant with Anaheim’s affiliate in San Diego. we grade those numbers on a talent curve? That’s my question, and that’s some of the stuff we’ll get through later this summer with our staff “They balance each other well, complement each other really well,” Blue here before camp.” Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said. “That was one of our goals. We know Lars well. We know what his strengths are and what kind of staff In other words, the numbers used by the Blue Jackets to measure their he’d need around him to be as good as he can be. That was the focus, performance will be different than the numbers used by, say, Tampa Bay, finding the right fit.” because the Lightning — loaded with talent — can realistically expect to play a much different game. Larsen was clearly looking for coaches who exude positive energy, and all three coaches have extensive coaching experience with young It’s a “same planet, different worlds” situation. players. Those two elements will be of utmost importance in the coming seasons. “We look at Tampa Bay and say, ‘This is what they do,'” Larsen said. “We know they pass the puck through the slot, they use the Royal Road on But something’s missing with this group, too. None of the three coaches power plays, they do this and that to generate really dangerous shots … has ever been an NHL head coach. In fact, nobody in the entire so how do we get there? organization has been an NHL head coach, including the hockey operations staff, scouts, etc. “Well, that’s a scary predicament, because that team has cornered the market on every award in the league right now, from the Vezina to the “I’m not concerned about that,” Kekalainen said. “(The coaches) all have Norris, the Hart.” head coaching experience (at other levels). Pascal has been a coach for 24 years. Larsen has been a coach for many, many years. Sylvain, too.” Larsen is waiting to see what the next few weeks — trades, the expansion and entry drafts, free agency — will do to the Blue Jackets’ We did some math for Kekalainen: Larsen, Vincent and Lefebvre roster. There could be major upheaval or just a few prominent moves, but combined have 15 seasons as NHL assistants, 13 seasons as AHL head it will almost certainly affect how the Jackets plan to play in 2021-22. coaches and six seasons as AHL assistants. Vincent also spent 11 seasons as a head coach in the Major Junior Hockey League. Once he gets a reasonable idea of what his lineup will look like, Larsen will sit with assistant coaches to draw up a system and playing style that But while Kekalainen said he’s not concerned about it — “Hey, Scotty best fits their group. Then, he’ll meet with the analytics department to Bowman started as a head coach at some ,” he noted — he also build a profile of how they want to measure performances, what numbers showed that he’s not oblivious to it, either. will be weighted, etc.

The Blue Jackets, Kekalainen acknowledged, have considered adding an “We have a good analytics department and they do a good job of adviser to the coaching staff, a veteran coach who can mentor Larsen listening to what’s important to (us coaches),” Larsen said. “Pascal and the others. (Vincent) is very progressive that way, too, and we both agree that if we’re going to bring a certain set of numbers into our group, we gotta One name that surfaces quickly is veteran coach Jacques Martin, 68, believe in it and it’s gotta make sense.” who is said to be seeking such a role after a long and successful career in coaching. But the biggest thing he’s looking for, Larsen said, is hard to quantify.

Martin has been a head coach in St. Louis (two seasons), (nine), “You can’t put a number on how big somebody’s heart is,” Larsen said. Florida (two), and Montreal (three), with stops in Quebec/Colorado, “That’s the part of hockey that’s so meaningful and important. I think it’s Pittsburgh and with the New York Rangers as an assistant. 50-50. I really look at it that way. Fifty percent can be measured by analytics. The rest … that’s character, self-motivation, leadership. You “It’d be somebody like that, somebody who has experienced all of the can’t put a number on how guys live their lives and treat each other and roles in coaching and could work closely with our head coach,” play for each other, but it’s so, so important.” Kekalainen said. “As closely as Lars worked with Torts the last five years, he’s got that experience of exactly what a coach goes through, and so I Item #3: A momentous month ahead think he has plenty of experience to make the tough decisions. After a brief respite in his native Finland, Kekalainen spent the weekend There’s one other Columbus connection for Lefebvre: “Is Perry Ganchar traveling back to Columbus. He’s expected to arrive on Monday, knowing still in Columbus?” he wondered. Ganchar, a former NHL who had that a pivotal month for the franchise is nigh. a magnificent run with the IHL Lumberjacks in the early , had been a coach in the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets program before stepping The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun did a masterful job laying out the NHL’s down last year. Example No. 3,429,553 that hockey is the smallest world: offseason calendar following the COVID-altered season, and the Blue Ganchar was of the AHL Sherbrooke Canadiens in 1987-88 Jackets are expected to be among the more active clubs. when Lefebvre turned pro.

The Jackets have until 5 p.m. on July 17 to submit their expansion We noted early last month that forward would not be protection list to the NHL and they’re still fine-tuning it, Kekalainen said. back with the Blue Jackets after signing a contract to play in the KHL. The idea of exposing left winger Eric Robinson is no longer an easy call, This week his agent revealed that he’ll play for CSKA . not just because of Robinson’s gradually improving play but how this The Athletic LOADED: 07.05.2021 year’s playoffs have reminded everybody that big and fast never goes out of style.

“We’re looking at it hard from every angle,” Kekalainen said. “Whether there’s another player we can expose that we think we should protect, but they might not be taken for certain reasons … we’ll have to see. It’s always a bit of a gamble.

“If you have a guy with an ACL injury and he’ll be out for four months next season … I don’t think Seattle is going to claim that guy.”

Blue Jackets forward doesn’t have a knee issue, but he had shoulder surgery in early June and is expected to miss the first month or two of next season. Maybe Kekalainen was foreshadowing.

The NHL Draft begins July 23. History tells us that the draft floor and the draft itself are often the impetus to swinging big deals, so it will likely be a hectic time for the Blue Jackets.

Defenseman Seth Jones is likely to be traded, and the Blue Jackets are expected to trade one of their top two , either Joonas Korpisalo or Elvis Merzlikins. There could be other deals, too, with left winger Patrik Laine believed to be available and the Blue Jackets’ later two first-round picks potentially in play.

“I don’t know if I’d use the word hectic,” Kekalainen said. “Every once in a while the timing is right that you have to make more of those decisions than you do in a normal year, and when it’s involving players who are important, then they’re bigger decisions.

“As we’ve said on Seth Jones all along, we hope he changes his mind. We’d love to have him. He’s a great guy and a great player. But if he doesn’t want to stay (in Columbus), we have to make decisions.”

Snacks

One change to the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement that could impact the Blue Jackets trading Jones, who has one year remaining on his contract before he can become an unrestricted free agent. With such players previously, it was fairly commonplace for teams to acquire conditional picks as part of the return, payable in the event that the player is signed to a contract extension. Remember the Blue Jackets’ trade with Ottawa in 2019 for ? The Jackets gave up, among other things, a first-round pick and a conditional first-round pick. The condition was that if they signed Duchene to a contract extension, Ottawa would have received the second first-round pick from the Blue Jackets. (The Jackets didn’t sign Duchene, but you get the point.) Well, that type of condition — related to future contract signing — is no longer allowed by the league. It just means that both sides will need to have their cards on the table if a deal is done later this month.

The Blue Jackets have had only one French-Canadian coach throughout their 20-plus years. Claude Noel was born in Ontario, but raised near the Quebec border and spoke only French until he was 10. Now the Blue Jackets have hired two French-Canadian coaches in the span of three weeks. Vincent was born in Laval, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal. Lefebvre was born in Richmond, about 30 minutes east. “I told Lars that we could help him with his French if he wants it,” Lefebvre joked. “Actually, Lars said a few things to me in French last week. It was not too bad.”

Lefebvre has four kids, all between the ages of 25-32. He made a few trips to Columbus through the years for youth hockey games. “I wouldn’t say we know it extremely well, but it’s not unfamiliar to us. My kids have friends in Columbus. and Todd Marchant … they absolutely loved the place and can’t say enough about it. So just listening to them, I feel like I know the place.” Dineen, an original Blue Jacket, was coach of AHL San Diego while Lefebvre was an assistant. Marchant, who played in Columbus from 2003 to 2006, is the Ducks’ director of player development. 1216909 Dallas Stars “I just got my clearance to start skating after surgery, so I got off the ice and put rollerblades on within the hours, and I haven’t put those on in years,” Ryan said. “We did a couple of back road miles, nothing killer … we also had that chance to sit down, hash stuff out and learn about each ‘He’s going to help so many people’: Stephen Johns finds purpose, and other. It was really rewarding for me and awesome to hear about his Bobby Ryan, at end of #MentalMiles journey journey.”

Johns and Ryan have different stories, but both want to share a message about mental health and how finding strength within vulnerability is vital By Sean Shapiro Jul 4, 2021 to changing a hockey culture that has been defined by machismo and avoiding any semblance of weakness.

Stephen Johns’ voice has changed. In February 2020, Ryan opened up about his struggles with alcoholism and how he still battles the demons from a childhood where his father It’s still soft and steady, a taste of his native Western Pennsylvania mixed changed the family name to evade law enforcement after he was with Canadian tones, common of someone who’s grown up and went accused of domestic assault against his wife. through their formative years in ice rinks across North America. Parts of Ryan’s story had been public, but he had been afraid and But he’s laughing more. unwilling to share the deeper details about the mental toll it took on him and his family. Admitting that he struggled and needed help, he had long About a month ago when he told me he was rollerblading across the been afraid it would be viewed as a weakness. And within the culture of , his voice would find fleeting moments of happiness, which the sport he was raised in, admitting weakness goes against hockey’s would turn to a more subdued, almost lethargic tone. When we met in code. rural Ohio a week later, he had begun his journey, which has since crafted the #MentalMiles mission. “I knew it was going to be a story and I wanted to avoid the story, so unfortunately I went along with the way I was living for way too long,” Now, a little over two weeks after he put rubber to pavement, as Johns Ryan said. “We have to get to a point where guys don’t feel like it’s not plans to wrap up his journey this weekend from Wampum, Penn., to masculine to say, ‘I have some deeply-seeded issues.’ And whether Portland, Ore., primarily on rollerblades, his voice is energized and filled those issues are mental, whether it’s alcohol abuse, whatever it might be, with purpose. He’s laughing as he details a journey that started as more people need to know how much weight can be lifted and you can something he said he needed and has turned into a movement that has finally see the light at the end of the tunnel when you can be honest resonated throughout the hockey world and beyond. about what you are actually dealing with.” “When I first posted that first Instagram it was about me, that was it,” Stephen Johns, left, and Bobby Ryan. (Jeff Toates) Johns said. “It turns out it was a lot bigger than me just from the start.” Hockey has made some strides, but it’s still sometimes difficult to What started as an idea and a phone call to Jeff Toates, a friend traveling reconcile the importance of mental health with the expectation that and filming the journey, has turned into a legitimate movement. hockey players must be different or tougher, able to hide anything that #MentalMiles has evolved from a hashtag to a community, now with real could be seen as a weakness. It’s celebrated each spring in the playoffs charitable power after Johns partnered with the Dallas Stars Foundation as players press through injuries, sacrificing themselves for the team. and Mental Health America of Greater Dallas and started selling T-shirts, of which the first print run already sold out. This is why Johns and Ryan say their stories are so important. Johns’ career is prematurely over because of head injuries. Ryan nearly lost his Inspired by Johns, hundreds across the country have started walking, because he turned to substance abuse as a coping mechanism. skating, biking or running their own #MentalMiles, many tagging Johns on Instagram to spread the message, while others have been able to join But both found strength within embracing their vulnerability. The dark, Johns in person on his journey. suicidal thoughts Johns has dealt with at times over the past two years haven’t won out because he says he was willing to share his story and Johns connected with Notre Dame hockey players in South Bend, Ind., continued asking for help as he struggled to find answers. and he was presented a new gold helmet, upgrading from the one he wore when he played at Notre Dame and had been using to start the Ryan said the frustrating thing about this is that the culture overshadows journey. He met up with former Stars teammate Joe Pavelski in the people within it. Both he and Johns have seen incredible support Wisconsin and hosted a large community skate in Chicago. from other players when admitting their weakness, which goes against the ideology that everyone has to be the typical picture of masculinity. One of the skaters to join Johns in Chicago was wearing heavy sunglasses and had to use earplugs because of a severe case of “I wish I had learned earlier that the support would be there,” Ryan said. tinnitus. Johns has dealt with a similar ringing in his ears, at one point “I line up next to guys on the ice all the time in the heat of the moment in when he tried to return to the NHL he took the ice with earplugs and had a big battle game and they talked to me about (my journey) … it’s helped to leave practice after a puck hit the post and it was unbearable. me through. I got, everybody does, right, I got days where I want to revert back to the old life for sure. But those days get easier because you know “Meeting that kid, that really touched me because I think like with my that your journey is inspiring somebody else or just helping in some small symptoms, I was like, ‘Holy shit, how could anybody else live through way. It makes a huge difference.” this’ and then I meet someone like that,” Johns said. “It’s just that really put it into perspective, he couldn’t do anything for months and was just Sharing the message at the NHL level is important, Ryan said, because it getting outside again. Stuff like that has put so much shit into reverberates through the sport. Ryan said he’s hopeful that Johns’ perspective, it’s been overwhelmingly amazing like I can’t put it into journey has those types of ripples, that whether Johns notices or not, words, and I never thought (this trip) would be like this.” he’s changing hockey culture for the better by taking this trip.

When Johns publicly announced his retirement from the NHL and The #MentalMiles journey, even with support, hasn’t been easy for intention to skate across the country, one of the first, if not the first, Johns. It’s important to know that, and it’s something that’s going to be NHLer to reach out was Bobby Ryan. paramount in the documentary Johns and Toates are filming about the adventure. Ryan and Johns had never met in person off the ice, but are permanently linked after both were finalists for the 2020 Memorial While he started to find purpose early in the trip, he continues to fight an Trophy, which Ryan won. They had done media availabilities together via internal battle on a daily basis. As he reached Badlands National Park in Zoom, but missed out on the opportunity to sit down and share stories South Dakota, Johns took a truly positive turn as he reflected on what personally like they would have in a pre-COVID-19 world. this journey has meant to both himself and others.

On Wednesday night Johns and Toates took their journey through Coeur “That’s when I had my good mental breakthrough,” Johns said. “I was d’Alene, Idaho, to meet with Ryan. They had dinner on Wednesday, and rollerblading through the park and it was just wild thinking where I was on Thursday morning, Ryan, who hadn’t put on inline skates in years, three weeks ago. From that point (three weeks ago) when I was joined Johns for a couple of miles along with Ryan’s skating coach Allie incredibly low, drinking my life away, to how incredibly different this was. Lacombe. That was a pretty freaking awesome moment in my life.” This specific journey is going to end this weekend. Johns plans to roll into Portland on either July 4 or 5, capping a three-week trek where he’s accumulated half-a-dozen blisters and somehow only had to change wheels twice.

But it’s just the start of his #MentalMiles movement. On Thursday night he sat down in front of a camera to tell his full story, including many details he’s kept to himself throughout this struggles, and plans to use the eventual documentary, which Toates will edit and produce, to help connect with even more people.

Bonnie L. Cook is the executive director for Mental Health America of Greater Dallas, and said Johns’ impact is going to be larger than he will ever be able to imagine.

“He’s going to help so many people that he will never know about,” Cook said. “He’s showing people they aren’t alone, that the one-in-four people dealing with mental illness aren’t by themselves. It’s powerful, he’s going to help someone who sees that he’s skating or open about this, and he will never know, but he’s changed that person’s life by simply helping normalize that being vulnerable is OK, that you can put priority on your mental health.”

The Athletic LOADED: 07.05.2021 1216910 Detroit Red Wings Round 2: F Robert Mastrosimone Drafted: No. 54 overall.

Draft year: 31 goals, 29 assists in 54 games with (USHL). Detroit Red Wings 2019 draft review: Steve Yzerman makes first imprint on rebuild Scouting report: High-end competitor with great hands and hockey sense.

Wingspan: Mastrosimone (5-10, 170) appeared in 15 games for Boston HELENE ST. JAMES University in his sophomore season. His three goals and five assists work out to a 0.53 points-per-game average, a slight uptick over his freshman year’s 0.50 average. This is the fourth of a five-part series evaluating the most recent NHL drafts leading up to the 2021 event July 23-24. Round 2: D Albert Johansson

Steve Yzerman made his first imprint on the Detroit Red Wings rebuild in Drafted: No. 60 overall. 2019, helming their draft table two months after being named general Draft year: Five goals, 19 assists in 40 games with Farjestad in Sweden’s manager. SuperElit. The Wings finished with the fourth-worst record that season, but were Scouting report: Smooth, mobile defender. Bit of a dark horse. pushed back to sixth in the draft lottery. The selected first for the second time in three years after moving up two spots; the Wingspan: Johansson (6-0, 168) had a good 2020-21 season with New York Rangers moved from sixth to second; and the Chicago Farjestad in the SHL, recording eight goals and 11 assists in 44 games Blackhawks moved from 12th to third. That meant the Wings missed out — six more goals than he scored the previous season in 42 games. He on Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, two highly touted forwards who went followed up with two assists in six playoff games. Johansson contributed first and second, respectively. three assists in five games for Sweden at the World Juniors. He’s developing nicely as a puck-moving defenseman, especially as he gains Yzerman consoled himself with quite a prize: a 6-foot-4, right- strength. defenseman who over the past two years has reinforced the selection. Moritz Seider is poised to join the Wings’ lineup this fall, his chest laden Round 3: F Albin Grewe with honors. Drafted: No. 66 overall. Loaned to Rögle in the last fall because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Seider had such good a season he was named the Draft year: 13 goals, 21 assists, 102 penalty minutes in 25 games with SHL defenseman of the year. He then starred for his native Germany at Djurgarden’s SuperElit squad. the World Championship, where he was named best defenseman of the Scouting report: Relentless competitor with loves to hit and aggravate. tournament by the International Federation directorate. Seider is deft with the puck, an adept shooter and passer who doesn't Wingspan: Grewe (6-0, 176) spent most of the 2020-21 season in the shy away from physicality. He looks like a cornerstone of the rebuild for SHL, tallying three goals and three assists in 39 games for Djurgardens the years to come. IF. Grewe then came to North America and suited up in 11 games for the Griffins. The gritty winger (he models his game after Boston uber-pest Seider was one of 11 picks the Wings made in June 2019 in , Brad Marchand) is slated to play for the Tampere Ilves in Finland’s top . Here is a closer look at each selection. hockey league next season.

Round 1: D Moritz Seider Round 4: F Ethan Phillips

Drafted: No. 6 overall. Drafted: No. 97 overall.

Draft year: Two goals, four assists in 29 games with in Draft year: 16 goals, 27 assists in 50 games with Sioux Falls (USHL). Germany’s highest league), and five assists in 14 playoff games. Scouting report: Small but fast and creative. Scouting report: Mobile two-way defenseman who can play in all situations. Wingspan: Phillips (5-9, 154) played 31 games in 2019-20, his freshman season at Boston University. An injury limited him to one game this Wingspan: Seider, 20, had a solid first year of hockey in North America in season. 2019-20, tallying 22 points in 49 games with the . When COVID-19 kept hockey leagues in North America shuttered last Round 5: D Cooper Moore fall, Seider went to Sweden and was a huge success, showing off his high-end hockey sense and physicality while producing 28 points in 41 Drafted: No. 128 overall. games for Rögle. He helped the team advance to the championship Draft year: 13 goals, 18 assists in 28 games with Brunswick (USHS- round, with five points in 13 games. At Worlds, he logged five assists in Prep) 10 games. He has played three straight seasons in a men’s league, and is clearly poised to make the NHL his next home. Ideally paired with a Scouting report: Swift skater with a hard shot. veteran such as Danny DeKeyser, or if he is re-signed, Seider should slot into a top-four spot and be in heavy rotation on power plays. Wingspan: Moore (6-1, 185 pounds) spent his first season at North Dakota, recording two goals and three assists in 18 games. BELIEVE THE HYPE: Why Moritz Seider's buzz is building with Wings ahead of 'a huge step up' Round 6: F Elmer Soderblom

Round 2: D Antti Tuomisto Drafted: No. 159 overall.

Drafted: No. 35 overall. Draft year: Nine goals, eight assists in 44 games with Frolunda in Sweden’s SuperElit. Draft year: Nine goals, 26 assists in 45 games with Assat (Jr. A SM-) Scouting report: Solid playmaking skills. Scouting report: Intelligent, good first pass, hard to knock off the puck. Wingspan: The 6-7 Swede appeared in 10 games in the SHL for Wingspan: Tuomisto (6-4, 195) came to North America last year after a Frolunda in 2019-20, and upped that number to 28 this past season, solid 2019-20 in Finland, where he recorded 15 goals and 34 assists in picking up thee goals and two assists. He also represented Sweden at 48 games in the top junior league. He did not play in the men’s league in the World Juniors (three points in five games). order to protect his ability to play at the University of Denver. He appeared in 24 games for the Pioneers during the pandemic-shortened Round 6: D Gustav Berglund season, recording two goals and nine assists. Tuomisto, 20, shoots right, Drafted: No. 177 overall. plays a mature game, and is on a good developmental path. Draft year: 13 goals, 16 assists in 37 games split across Djurgarden’s club leagues in Elite, Allsvenskan and SuperElit.

Scouting report: Good skater with offensive potential.

Wingspan: Berglund (6-2, 209) spent the past season in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-highest league, recording five assists in 31 games for Vasteras IK. He previously played with Frolunda’s hockey club and made it into eight games at the SHL level in 2019-20. The right-shot defender is slated to play next season for Mora IK in Sweden.

Round 7: F Kirill Tyutyayev

Drafted: No. 190 overall.

Draft year: 19 goals, 41 assists in 60 games for Avto Yekaterinburg (top Russian junior league).

Scouting report: Skilled and smart.

Wingspan: Tyutyayev (5-9, 146) spent 2020-21 in the Belarusian Extraleague, recording 11 goals and 21 assists in 43 games for Yunost Minsk, plus 10 points in 13 playoff games. He’s earmarked to play for the Griffins next season, so Wings personnel will have a chance to see this offensively gifted winger in person. Tyutyayev, who turns 21 in August, shares his hometown of Yekaterinburg, , with former Wings great .

Round 7: G Carter Gylander

Drafted: No. 191 overall.

Draft year: 16-4-0, 2.43 goals-against average, 0.915 save percentage and three in 22 games for Sherwood Park (Alberta Junior Hockey League).

Scouting report: Sound technically.

Wingspan: The 6-5 gained about 10 pounds of muscle last offseason. He finished his first year at Colgate University with a 6-9-4 record, posting a 2.69 goals-against average and .901 save percentage in 19 games.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 07.05.2021 1216911 Minnesota Wild

Wild GM Bill Guerin still confident about signing Kirill Kaprizov

By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: July 4, 2021 at 4:47 p.m. | UPDATED: July 4, 2021 at 5:04 p.m.

Wild Bill Guerin is still confident in his ability to sign budding superstar Kirill Kaprizov at some point this offseason. He made that clear on Saturday when talking to reporters for the first time since a report surfaced last month that suggested contract negotiations have stalled.

“It has not gone cold, contrary to what some people have reported,” Guerin said, referencing specific wording in a recent tweet from NHL Network analyst . “We have got an open dialogue going. There’s nothing new to report. But it’s not like things have stopped.”

In a perfect world for the Wild, the 24-year-old Russian would sign for the max term of eight years, thus keeping him around the Twin Cities well into his prime. That said, it’s been widely reported that Kaprizov would prefer a shorter-term deal.

His agent, Paul Theofanous, recently reached out to Guerin to keep the conversation going. The plan is for both parties to chat next week.

“It’s not like we are talking every day,” Guerin said. “But there’s nothing that’s been cut off or dried up or anything like that. It’s just an ongoing process. Sometimes it takes three days. Sometimes it takes three months. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just part of the process.”

The fact that Kaprizov doesn’t want to sign long term at the moment shouldn’t be too big of a concern. It’s rare that a rising star wants to fully commit to a certain team so early in his career. Plus, the Wild haven’t proven to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender at any point in their existence.

“This is not abnormal,” Guerin said of the back-and-forth contract negotiations. “This is something that happens all the time on every team. We are not special. We are not above this sort of thing. It’s just going to take time.”

In addition to Kaprizov, the Wild also have to sign skilled winger at some point this offseason. They recently inked Joel Eriksson Ek to an eight-year contract that will keep him on the Wild through the 2028- 29 season.

As for Kaprizov, Guerin reiterated that he expects him to be a part of the Wild next season.

“There’s got to be compromise in everything,” Guerin said. “You’ve got to understand the other side and where they’re coming from. They are trying to accomplish something and so are we. I think when there’s maybe a bit of a disagreement it takes a little bit more time to come to a compromise. But I do believe there’s a deal to be had there. I’m confident in Kirill and his wanting to be here and his willingness to play in Minnesota. And I’m confident that Paul sees that.”

Pioneer Press LOADED: 07.05.2021 1216912 Montreal Canadiens “We were down a couple of years ago and had to look at a lot of things about our team,” said Ryan McDonagh, a veteran for Tampa Bay. “We had to look inside ourselves as individuals and realized that if we want to get to a greater we had to do it as a team. After a tough year, are the Canadiens up for another challenge? “It takes getting knocked down in hard fashion and looking at yourself and what’s important and how bad you want something in this game.”

Marty Klinkenberg6-7 minutes 7/4/2021 Montreal’s players speak now about having to attack this one game at a time. The Lightning’s players talk about how winning Game 4 is always

the hardest of all. About how its opponent will be desperate. To a point, They are two organizations. One is on the verge of the ultimate each of those things is true. achievement for the second successive year. The other, on the cusp of They are two teams on the verge. One closing in on another Stanley disappointment. Cup, the other hoping for a miracle in its first final in 28 years. The Tampa Bay Lightning needs to win just once more on Monday to “We’re not finished yet,” said Josh Anderson, the Canadiens’ forward. “I capture its second consecutive Stanley Cup. The Canadiens need to win can tell you that.” four times, which while not impossible is unreasonable to expect. Montreal is 0-3 in the final round so far. This has been a challenging season for everyone, but even moreso for Montreal. Win four? At this point, one seems improbable. A fired coach. Games suspended because of COVID-19. A late-season The Canadiens haven’t held a lead in any game during the series. They slump. A 3-1 disadvantage in Round 1. A coach in quarantine for parts of proved they are good at holding one this postseason, but the Lightning the semi-final and final rounds. An 0-3 hole to climb out of in the final hasn’t given them much of a chance. round. Tampa Bay has ground the Canadiens up and spat them out. They have “It has been a difficult year,” Anderson said after the team worked on its been outscored 14-5. Everyone in the Lightning lineup is chipping in. power play during what could be its final full practice of the season. Montreal has had its moments, but not nearly enough. “Challenges were presented throughout the course of it. I wouldn’t expect “This series is over as far as I’m concerned,” , who provides anything but that now. commentary for NBC, said at the conclusion of Friday’s 6-3 Tampa Bay “I think everybody in here believes in our group. We don’t want to see the victory. “I know they’ve got to play one more game – but this is all done.” Lightning with the Stanley Cup. We will focus and make sure to play the Game 4 is at the Bell . It is either the end for the Canadiens or right way and win one game [on Monday] night.” perhaps a start. Even so, it is most likely a delay of the inevitable. Only They’d like more. You don’t always get what you want. one team – the 1942 Maple Leafs – has overcome a 3-0 disadvantage in the Stanley Cup final. Globe And Mail LOADED: 07.05.2021 Teams that hoist the trophy often first experience disappointment in the final round. St. Louis three times. and . Washington. Carolina. Los Angeles and Anaheim. It is not a short list.

Tampa Bay won in its first opportunity in 2004. It lost in 2015, and in 2019 got swept by Columbus, a wild-card qualifier, in the first round. Now it is 60 minutes from going back to back.

There is a connection there, and perhaps a lesson for the Canadiens.

Three seasons ago, when the Lightning laid an egg against the Blue Jackets, there was a question whether Jon Cooper would keep his job as head coach. Tampa Bay was the best team in the NHL during the regular season, and then collapsed.

“I am sure there are a couple of teams that went right into winning, but I can’t think of one off the top of my head,” Cooper said on Saturday. “It’s a journey, right? There are a lot of teams that get gut-punched.

“When you go through tough times you try to build on them. It is like a snowball starting small at the top of the hill and going down. When you get a taste of success, you just want more. It is like an addiction. [My players] are feeling it now and hopefully we keep it together and finish this one off.”

The Lightning has outplayed the Canadiens at almost every level. Nikita Kucherov is a goal always waiting to happen. Defencemen are scoring. The goaltender, , has been spectacular.

His counterpart for Montreal, , has looked flummoxed. He is a future Hall of Famer but over three games he has an .835 save percentage. It is his first Stanley Cup final after 12 years in the league.

“You can talk about one guy or the other, but it is all of us,” said Dominique Ducharme, the Canadiens’ interim head coach. “We all need to be better.”

Montreal has been the most pleasant surprise among the 16 teams that made the playoffs. It barely made it, and then dispatched the Maple Leafs, and Vegas Golden Knights in earlier rounds.

The Canadiens trailed 3-1 before running the table against Toronto. They will fall back on that experience for inspiration now. There is little similarity between the Maple Leafs, a team that thinks it can’t, and the Lightning, which already knows it can. 1216913 Montreal Canadiens “All the guys in this locker room, the management, the staff, the players, it’s a family,” he said. “It’s a bond that the guys have been through a lot during this year and we’ve been through it together, but we’ve stuck together and we’ve made it this far. So we got one more job to do and Canadiens Notebook: Lightning have chance to win Cup on Montreal ice that’s all to come together and just take it one game at a time and keep chipping away and hopefully we’ll have success and the bounces are

going to start going our way. Stu Cowan • Publishing date:Jul 04, 2021 • 5 hours ago • “We got nothing to lose at this point so everyone’s going to be ready for tomorrow night, I can tell you that,” Anderson added. “We’re not finished yet, so take it one game at a time and come in tomorrow night ready to There is only one visiting team that has ever beat the Canadiens on play.” home ice at the Forum to win the Stanley Cup. Working on the power play That was the in 1989 when they won the best-of-seven series in six games, winning Game 6 by a 4-2 score. The Canadiens spent most of the time at practice Sunday working on the power play and Petry took Erik Gustafsson’s spot on the first unit. The Tampa Bay Lightning have a chance to become the first visiting team to win the Stanley Cup on Montreal ice since then when they play That suggests that Gustafsson might not be in the lineup for Game 4, the Canadiens in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at the (8 since the defenceman is considered to be a power-play specialist. p.m., CBC, SN, NBC, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM). The “We’ll see tomorrow,” Ducharme said when asked if Gustafsson would Lightning have a chance to become the first team to sweep a Stanley play Monday night. “You guys saw some power-play work today and we’ll Cup Final since 1998 when the Detroit Red Wings won four straight see tomorrow about the rest.” against the . Petry is believed to be playing with two disclocated fingers on his right “We don’t want to see the Lightning with the Stanley Cup at all,” hand, which has made it difficult for him to shoot the puck. Canadiens defenceman said Sunday when asked about the possibility of the Lightning winning the Cup at the Bell Centre. “You’re not “I think my injury has gotten better, so it’s given me the ability to shoot going to win four games by winning one tomorrow. Our goal is to win the puck better, harder,” he said. “Whether that has to do with it or is it tomorrow’s game and deal with flying out and preparing for a game in just putting out a (power-play) unit that had worked previously together, Tampa when that time comes. Our focus is to make sure that we play the that’s something that the coaching staff decided and we got some good right way, a strong, hard game and win one game tomorrow.” reps in this morning. You might get one power play, you might get four. We have to be ready to go on the first one and be sharp and even if we If the Canadiens win Monday night, Game 5 would be Wednesday night don’t score bring momentum. So I think that was why we worked on it in Tampa. this morning.” After losing Game 3 by a 6-3 score on Friday night at the Bell Centre, the The Canadiens are 1-for-6 on the power play in this series. Canadiens had an off-ice training session Saturday at the Bell Centre and were on the ice for a practice on Sunday. Here’s how the two power-play units looked at Sunday’s practice:

“I think it helps give us a day yesterday to kind of reset and refresh and FIRST UNIT then today we were working on a few specialty teams and getting on the ice and had a meeting this morning,” Petry said. “I think it was a good Perry day yesterday to kind of reset, refresh and make sure that we’re ready to Caufield – Toffoli – Suzuki take this challenge head on.” Petry Petry added that the Canadiens are trying to keep the mood light and have a positive attitude heading into Game 4. SECOND UNIT

“Still have fun coming into this rink every day and not hang our heads,” Staal he said. “We have a big challenge ahead of us. We’ve had a challenging year all year. So just to come in and enjoy it every day has been the Armia – Gallagher – Anderson message. I think everyone is in good spirits today.” Weber

The New York Rangers also won the Stanley Cup on Forum ice in 1928, First goal is huge beating the to win the best-of-five series 3-2 with a 2-1 victory in Game 5. The Lightning have scored the first goal in the first three games of this series. A ‘special group’ The Canadiens hope to change that in Game 4. This Canadiens team has been through a lot this season, including head coach Claude Julien, associate coach and goalie coach “I think it’s huge against any team,” Ducharme said about scoring first. Stéphane Waite all getting fired. “Especially it would be something important. But, at the same time, we cannot stop playing if you don’t score the first goal. We want to have a tested positive for COVID-19 in March, shutting the good start. I thought last game it’s not that we had a bad start it’s just Canadiens down for more than a week because of NHL protocol. When they made us pay right away on an icing and a power play — a puck that the Canadiens returned to action, they had to play their final 25 games in we threw in the stands. So we need to manage the start the right way, 44 days and then they fell behind the 3-1 in their come out dynamic, active, playing our game and getting that first goal for first-round playoff series before winning in seven games. They head sure would be important.” coach Dominique Ducharme tested positive for COVID-19 and had to spend 14 days in isolation at his Montreal home with assistant coach The Lightning had a 2-0 lead only 3:27 into Game 3. taking over the head-coaching duties. Ducharme wants the Canadiens to get back to playing the same way “I’ve been saying it for a while now, even before the playoffs,” Ducharme they did in Game 2 when they outshot the Lightning 43-23 but lost 3-1. said. “During the regular season we faced a lot of adversity and we said — I said — that we have a great group and that group has grown “It’s just that that game we made three or four mistakes and they stronger together throughout those moments and adversity and facing capitalized on two of them and that made the difference,” he said. “But those situations. We show it every day and sometimes we lose a game we’re going to push that to another level. So the adjustment is not major. or it doesn’t go exactly like you wanted, but there’s one thing that’s for We know what we need to do and we know it’s about executing. It’s sure: it’s not a lack of trying, it’s not a lack of will. And our guys are about executing under pressure. It’s about making those plays at the dedicated to the group and they showed that yesterday again, today, and right time and we know how to do it and we’ll do it.” they’re going to put it on the ice tomorrow.”

Josh Anderson said the Canadiens are a “pretty special” group. For all the latest on the Canadiens’ quest for their 25th Stanley Cup, sign up for our special time-limited newsletter, HI/O: Montreal’s Road to the Cup, at https://montrealgazette.com/newsletters.

The schedule

Here’s the rest of the schedule for the Stanley Cup final:

Monday, July 5 (Game 4): at Montreal, 8 p.m. x-Wednesday, July 7: at Tampa, 8 p.m. x-Friday, July 9: at Montreal, 8 p.m. x-Sunday, July 11: at Tampa, 7 p.m. x-if necessary

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.05.2021 1216914 Montreal Canadiens Hing said he’s not going back to Calgary until the series is over and he still hopes to attend a Stanley Cup parade on Ste-Catherine St. He and his wife plan to watch Game 4 at one of the outdoor viewing parties in Montreal since he figures tickets on the resale market will be too Cowan: Canadiens fans happy to see a Stanley Cup final game live expensive.

“You can’t count this team out based on what’s happened, but it’s hard to do the math in your head,” he said. “We were already such heavy Stu Cowan Publishing date:Jul 04, 2021 • 7 hours ago underdogs against this team, how are we possibly going to come back? But you try and stay optimistic and remind yourself that this is still an amazing run and it bodes well for the future. There are lots of positives to The seats in the second level at the Bell Centre cost Parker $900 each be taken from this season, for sure.” and would be worth a lot more than that on the resale market since attendance was limited to 3,500 because of COVID-19 restrictions. Spoken like a real fan.

Parker and his brother, Robert, split the half-season ticket package they Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.05.2021 have had for the last five years and the debate started.

“4 tickets purchased!! Sell or cheer!????” Parker posted on his Facebook page.

Parker said he was offered $1,400 per ticket — and he probably could have got much more — but he really wanted to go to the game.

“I didn’t care about the money, I just wanted to cheer the team on,” the resident said.

Parker ended up keeping the tickets and went to the game with his brother’s son, Brandon, while selling two of the tickets to his friend Robert Porco at face value so he could go with his son Justin.

The Canadiens ended up losing the game 6-3 and will be facing elimination when they play the Lightning in Game 4 Monday at the Bell Centre (8 p.m., CBC, SN, NBC, TVA Sports, OMNI, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

“It wasn’t the result we wanted, but I can say it was worth every penny,” Parker wrote on his Facebook page after Game 3. “The place was loud even though we were outplayed. It’s not over yet but we sure made it challenging. Hey we beat the LEAFS and NO ONE can ever take that away from us!! Go Habs Go!”

Parker is as big a Canadiens fan as you will ever meet. Two years ago, he built an ice castle/bar in his backyard to watch games with friends. Last winter, he built a giant Olaf snowman wearing a Canadiens sweater and also an ice sculpture of Hall of Fame goalie in his legendary pose in front of the net. Parker has enjoyed this playoff run and is happy he was there for the first Stanley Cup final game played in Montreal since the Canadiens won the championship in 1993 and the first at the Bell Centre since the building opened in 1996.

“I think we got lucky in the playoffs and I think we showed up at the right time,” Parker said Sunday. “When we were playing the Leafs (in the first round) and we were down 3-1, like everyone else on the planet, I thought: ‘Oh well, our crappy season just continues.’ But once we beat them I thought anything was possible.”

Anything is still possible, but it’s very unlikely the Canadiens are going to win four straight games against the defending Stanley Cup champions. The only team in NHL history to come back from being down 3-0 in a Cup final was the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, who beat the Detroit Red Wings.

Robert Hing won two tickets to Game 3 in the season-ticket lottery but never thought about selling them, even though he lives in Calgary. Hing, who grew up in Pembroke, Ont., became a diehard Canadiens fan after his uncle took him to a game at the Forum when he was 13. Since then, he had a dream of becoming a Canadiens season-ticket holder, so he put his name on the team’s waiting list about 12 years ago. Two years ago when his name came up for a half-season package, he jumped at the chance, even though he lives more than 3,000 kilometres away. Hing tries to come to Montreal as often as possible and sells the tickets he doesn’t use.

There was no way he was selling his tickets to a Stanley Cup final game — worth $600 each in the upper deck — so he got on a plane with his wife, Alayne, and they flew from Calgary to Montreal and are staying at his cousin’s house.

“It’s a once-in-a lifetime … well hopefully not a once-in-a lifetime experience,” Hing said Sunday. “But first time in almost 30 years … I’ve been waiting for this since I was in high school. So we were like: You know what, whatever, we’ll swallow the cost. Just come.” 1216915 Montreal Canadiens

'Just stay positive,' Canadiens' Josh Anderson says ahead of Game 4

Stu Cowan • Publishing date:Jul 04, 2021 • 10 hours ago •

When the Canadiens were trailing the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 in their first-round playoff series this year, said the players had to look at themselves in the mirror.

“I think when we had our back against the wall I think we all looked at ourselves in the mirror and I think we all saw that we had to be much better … this couldn’t be it,” Danault said after the Canadiens came back to win the best-of-seven series against the Leafs 4-3. “It couldn’t be like that … our year we’ve been through a lot. We got a tight group, good energy in the locker room. (Carey) Price has been really hot every game and giving us a chance, so we had to step up and we all did it all together at the same time.”

The Canadiens now find themselves in an even tougher situation, trailing the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final with Game 4 Monday at the Bell Centre (8 p.m., CBC, SN, NBC, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM). The only team in NHL history to come back to win the Stanley Cup Final after falling behind 3-0 was the 1942 Maple Leafs, who won four straight to beat the Detroit Red Wings. The only time the Canadiens have ever been swept in a Cup final was in 1952 when they lost to the Red Wings.

“It’s been a difficult season,” Jeff Petry said Sunday after the Canadiens practised at the in Brossard. “It’s presented challenges throughout the course of it. Challenges in different ways. So, obviously, we have another one and I wouldn’t expect it any differently than the year we’ve had. Like we’ve said, it’s a big challenge ahead of us and we’ve faced challenges before and we’re not looking at the end result. We’re looking at one game tomorrow and take it day-by-day and one game at a time. I think everybody believes in our group in here. Like I said, one day at a time, one game at a time, and we’ll go from there and see what happens.”

If the Canadiens can win Game 4, the next game would be Wednesday night in Tampa against the defending Cup champions.

“Just stay positive,” Josh Anderson said about the Canadiens’ approach to Game 4. “We’re here for a reason and, obviously, we’ve dug ourselves a little bit of a hole here. But the mood’s light right now and we have a job to do and we’re going to do everything we can to stay in this thing and fly out to Tampa on Tuesday. So everyone just getting prepared for tomorrow night’s game and we’re all going to compete and work hard and put a full effort in.”

Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme said his players can reflect on what happened in the Toronto series and build off that.

“We’ve experienced a similar situation before,” Ducharme said. “We all remember being down 3-1 in the first-round series against Toronto and we got ourselves in trouble in a similar manner. But we also found a path to success at some point, too.

“We know the things we need to improve and we’ve managed to do that before,” Ducharme added. “Tampa Bay deserves credit. They’ve made it tough on us. But we’re aware of the adjustments that need to be made. We know the effect that can have on a game. There are 29 other teams that aren’t playing anymore. Those cities would all love to still see hockey being played. We’re still alive, and we’ll make the most of the chance we have in front of us.”

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.05.2021 1216916 Montreal Canadiens There remains a tiny crack of light through the door and enough sweet memories to keep us smiling until October. Youngsters , and acquitted themselves well in the pressure cooker of the postseason and kept it up through the final, an Todd: No need for scapegoats as Habs magic wears off experience that will serve them well through the rest of their careers. Caufield is not yet in his rookie year and he will have 19 or more playoff

games under his belt, including at least four in the final. Jack Todd • Publishing date:Jul 04, 2021 • 8 hours ago Every other player in the lineup deserves to take a bow, along with the hard-pressed coaching staff and much-maligned upper management.

Nick has an entertaining gadget — a goal light set up under his television The Canadiens lit up this town after more than a year of pandemic and synched to his phone so that it flashes when the Canadiens score. gloom, so spare them the finger-pointing and accusations and enjoy Game 4. It may be the last for a while. Because he had switched to the NBC broadcast, the gizmo and the game were not quite in sync. I hadn’t even noticed the goal light when, Montreal Gazette LOADED: 07.05.2021 just past the 11-minute mark in the first period, Nick announced, “there’s a goal coming.” The light was flashing and a few seconds later, Phillip Danault scored to pull the Canadiens within 2-1 of Tampa Bay and create the illusion that they were in the game.

That fantasy was quickly blown up by the great Nikita Kucherov early in the second period — but I found the goal-light gadget highly entertaining. The heightened anticipation is exhilarating when you know there’s a goal coming. Then again, I’m ancient and easily entertained.

Unfortunately, had the goal light been synced to Lightning goals instead, it would have gone off six times Friday evening and 14 times through the first three games of this series. The Canadiens have lit the lamp only five times.

This has been a beat-down. There’s no way to sugar-coat it. The Lightning are up three games to none because they’ve been vastly better than the Habs — not because of Chris Lee or or vanished ghosts or anything else.

Tampa is a great team, perhaps the best of the salary cap era. They have Kucherov, a superstar scoring machine who actually shows up in the postseason. They have a huge and mobile defence augmented by ’s contribution (in the form of ) and they have the best goaltender in the universe.

If there was a way for the Habs to get to that parade along the usual route, it was in Game 2, when they needed to kill three-10ths of a second off the clock and get to the room after the second period tied 1-1, giving themselves a chance to win it in the third period or . Blake Coleman’s lunging goal a split second before the buzzer was the backbreaker.

A miracle now is not impossible, it’s just highly unlikely. If the Canadiens are going to avoid being swept in the final for only the second time in their history (they lost to the immortal and the Detroit Red Wings in four straight in 1952) they would need to beat Andrei Vasilevskiy on Monday night at the Bell Centre and then three more times in six days.

With some luck and a lot more from Carey Price and a dozen others, the Canadiens might salvage some pride Monday night at the Bell Centre. Even if they don’t, there’s no shame involved. This has been a run for the ages, emerging from a pandemic winter to turn the tables on Toronto, sweep Winnipeg and run the powerful Golden Knights out of the playoffs. (If you think making the final is easy, remember the Leafs haven’t been there since 1967, the last time they won the Cup.)

There’s no need to seek scapegoats. Every player on this roster has distinguished himself with the sort of flat-out effort that drains legs, lungs and spirit. Against Tampa, they seemed to have run out of energy and magic simultaneously. The defence started making beautiful tape-to-tape passes onto opposition sticks, the forwards coughed up pucks in the offensive zone and Price whiffed on shots he normally saves with ease. It happens.

Look, I don’t understand either why Alexander Romanov isn’t playing. But it would take more than one young defenceman to overcome another Russian, Andrei Vasilevskiy. He’s the fence topped with razor wire standing between the Canadiens and the Stanley Cup. In his last 11 games against the Canadiens, Vasilevskiy is now 11-0-0 with a 1.81 goals-against an a .946 save percentage.

For the Canadiens to have a chance in this series, Price had to be better than Vasilevskiy and so far, it hasn’t been close. If the 2021 Canadiens were not one of the most resilient teams we’ve ever seen, we’d say there is absolutely no chance at all. 1216917 Montreal Canadiens That is why Ducharme had his power play run through every situation, five-on-four, five-on-three, even four-on-three, because he can’t leave anything to chance with the Canadiens’ season on the line in Game 4. When you have so few power play opportunities, and you are scoring so Canadiens Stanley Cup notebook: A heavy dose of PP, the coaches’ few goals, every opportunity matters that much more. common paths and a peek into the athlete’s mindset “You might get one power play, you might get four,” Petry said. “We’ve got to be ready to go on the first one and be sharp.”

By Arpon Basu and Marc Antoine Godin Jul 4, 2021 So, yes, spending an entire practice working on the power play when you might only get one or two might not seem to make a whole lot of sense.

But for the Canadiens right now, it actually makes all the sense in the The Canadiens began filing out onto the ice Sunday for their first full world. practice since the Stanley Cup Final began. They took a few laps around Memories of Russia the ice as they normally do. Carey Price and stretched together in the corner of the ice as they normally do. Everything seemed Canadiens practice reminded Arpon of a scene he witnessed at the normal, except for one thing. Sochi Olympics:

Brendan Gallagher was in a red jersey while his regular linemates Phillip Just prior to the start of the knockout round in Sochi, the host team was Danault and were dressed in white. Josh Anderson was struggling. Russia finished outside the top-four in the preliminary round in red and his linemates Jesperi Kotkaniemi and were also in and was forced to play a qualifying game against Norway to enter the white. Were there changes coming? Was this a hint? quarterfinals.

This is how reporters watch practice, with a completely neurotic attention Throughout the tournament, the Russian power play was a source of to detail. And this is also indicative of a trap we can fall into, because the controversy, going 2-for-13 in the preliminary round while relying on two only thing the jersey colours indicated was this would be a special teams balanced units, balance that meant was playing on the practice and the players who would be taking reps on the power play second unit while Alex Ovechkin, , Pavel Datsyuk, were dressed in red, those who wouldn’t were dressed in white. and Andrei Markov made up the first unit. Many had trouble understanding why Russia would isolate Malkin from the top Still, seeing Kotkaniemi and more importantly Erik Gustafsson in white group. jerseys was indeed a hint of what we may see for Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. Kotkaniemi’s spot on the second On a practice day prior to the game against Norway, Russia stepped on power play unit was taken by Joel Armia and Gustafsson was replaced the ice and immediately began working on the power play, much like the on the top unit by Jeff Petry. Canadiens did Sunday. Those who were not on the power play were left on their own at the other side of the ice, basically goofing around. It But that’s a little beside the point. would not be fair to say the Canadiens players who were working out The practice was unusual because Dominique Ducharme spent more Price were goofing around in Brossard on Sunday, but the vibe was very than 30 minutes working on the power play and did almost nothing else. similar. Yes, the players in white who weren’t being asked to serve as penalty The difference was that during that practice in Sochi, Malkin took killers were working out Price at the other end of the ice with a variety of Radulov’s spot on the top power play unit. Russia worked on the power shots, but it wouldn’t be all that surprising if some of the players in white play for roughly 30 minutes, with all four of their coaches watching the barely even broke a sweat. power play and tinkering with various things. But Malkin remained on that Why spend so much time on the power play when the Canadiens might top unit throughout. only get one or two in Game 4? When it came time to play the qualifying round game against Norway, That’s the wrong way of looking at it. however, Malkin was back on the second power play unit. It was either the greatest case of gamesmanship I had ever witnessed, staging an They were spending so much time on the power play because they might entire practice to throw, of all teams, Norway off the scent, or Russia only get one or two in Game 4, and those opportunities take on added simply decided after all that work that Malkin was better off on the second importance when every goal matters as much as it does in the Stanley unit. Cup Final. An added quirk to this memory? The head coach of that Russian team “I feel that our guys are well aware of how we want to do things five-on- was , who is Alexander Romanov’s grandfather. five; we’ll have another skate tomorrow morning,” Ducharme said. “And we needed to take that time to work on our power play. Sometimes Now, with Gustafsson being taken off the power play at Canadiens during a round or toward the end of the year it was hard to do because practice Sunday, it would be fair to speculate that he might be giving up we didn’t have time. And if we have two power plays (Monday), we want his lineup spot to make room for Romanov. to make the most out of them. If we have more, we want to make a Wouldn’t it be ironic if Ducharme decided, after all that work Sunday, to difference with that, too.” dress Gustafsson and use him on the power play anyway, taking a page It is not difficult to ascertain that Ducharme looks at the four-on-three from Romanov’s grandfather’s book? power play at the end of the first period and the full two minutes on the Dominique Ducharme (Éric Bolté / USA Today) power play to start the second period of Game 2 as a turning point in the series. Not scoring with such a golden opportunity and then allowing a Ducharme and Cooper and the path to becoming a champion coach goal not long after the second power play expired could be looked back upon as what cost Montreal the series. It was a fleeting moment, but an Young players like Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Kotkaniemi will surely important one, even if the Canadiens did tie the game before allowing the learn a lot from the Canadiens’ appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. But Lightning to score the final two goals on two terrible giveaways. Ducharme will surely learn from it as well, even if his experience has a two-week hole in it while he was in forced quarantine. Maybe those giveaways matter a little less if the power play were able to convert in that situation, maybe even twice. It is not every year that a rookie NHL head coach leads his team to the final. Ducharme has some experience to draw on with his time coaching Then there was the power play they had at the end of the first period in at the world junior championships or the Memorial Cup, but nothing Game 3, after Phillip Danault had brought the Canadiens to within a goal matches the Stanley Cup Final. after they spotted the Lightning a 2-0 lead early in the game. A goal there would have allowed the Canadiens to enter the intermission tied, it would His counterpart in Tampa, Jon Cooper, is now the longest-tenured coach have taken Price off the hook for the two early ones and allowed the in the NHL but was only in his second full season behind the Lightning whole team to have a little reset in what was a must-win game. Instead, bench when he led them to the final against the in they didn’t score, and the Lightning scored twice in the first four minutes 2015. of the second period off a terrible Canadiens line change and a bad pinch “My toughest moment was losing in the Stanley Cup Final,” Cooper told at the Lightning blue line. colleague Joe Smith in 2018 (prior to the Lightning being swept in the first round by Columbus). “It was the first time in my career a team I with the Stanley Cup raised above his head at the Forum was, to say the coached had ever lost in a final. least, an unusual sight.

“I have zero memory of what Chicago did on the ice. I couldn’t watch it. If Would avoiding this scene from repeating itself, preventing the Lightning I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it myself, not watch somebody else do from winning the Cup at the Bell Centre, be a source of added motivation it. I was leaving the ice. And came up and said some for the Canadiens this time around? uplifting words to me, probably to make me feel better. It was a cool moment because it was Scotty Bowman. It was coming from the heart. I’ll It was a legitimate question. always remember him saying to me, ‘I lost my first three Cup finals “We don’t want to see the Lightning win the Stanley Cup at all,” Petry series, I was 0-12 in Cup Final games.’ And he goes, ‘You’ll be back.’” responded without a second of hesitation.

Cooper did indeed make it back. Twice. What his answer reveals is that the Canadiens players refuse to see this said of Cooper on Sunday that he has always shown a as delaying the inevitable. To admit that they don’t want this to happen lot of confidence in his own abilities, and that might explain why he was on home ice would in a way suggest that it will be happening eventually, won at every level he has coached. But self-confidence often isn’t one way or the other. enough; a coach also has to show confidence in his players. So it is not only Game 4 that the Canadiens intend on winning, but the “He’s obviously grown as a coach since he’s been here in Tampa, but next one, and the next one. And the one after that as well. he’s always maintained that expectation that guys go out there and play “Like Dom said, you’re not going to win four games by winning one with what got them on to this level,” Stamkos said. “And you’ve seen tomorrow,” Petry said. “Our goal is to win tomorrow’s game and deal with everyone who’s come into our lineup has played with that confidence, flying out and preparing for a game in Tampa when that time comes. Our and it shows on the ice.” focus is to make sure we play the right way, a strong, hard game and win Personality-wise, Ducharme and Cooper are very different. one game tomorrow.”

Cooper is a bit of an extrovert and it was partly because of his outgoing Having the Stanley Cup in the building always gives a different feel to the personality that a judge approached him in Cooper’s days as a lawyer to game. For the Lightning, they have no intention of allowing the thought to coach his son’s high school hockey team. Ducharme, however, is more enter their minds that they would rather win it on home ice, in front of a of a cerebral type, but he values communication and one-on-one packed building of their fans, after winning it in an empty rink in interaction with his players as much as Cooper does. Edmonton last year.

The two coaches also have some things in common. “No, that will never sneak into our locker room,” Cooper said. “We dealt with that last year, in a different way. There’s a mindset that’s developed Not only did neither of them play a single game in the NHL — which with our players. We had a chance to knock out the Islanders last year reinforces their respect for what their players are able to do — but their and didn’t do it. We had a chance to knock out Dallas last year and we coaching careers came from equally modest beginnings. Ducharme didn’t do it. It’s a learning process to go through that. By no means does began coaching in Junior triple-A in his hometown of Joliette while that guarantee any results with what’s going to happen in tomorrow’s Cooper began in Texarkana, a town in Texas that sits near the borders of game, but I know our mindset is different going into these games, on Arkansas and Louisiana, three states that are hardly hockey hotbeds. these close-out games.

In the NHL, the two coaches have also proven they are not afraid to go “Regardless it’s about winning, it’s not about where you win. That’s all we against the grain and stick to what they believe in. Cooper often uses 11 care about.” forwards and seven defencemen, an unconventional lineup that has its benefits, but which is a tough sell for players and goes against the The Athletic LOADED: 07.05.2021 prevailing notion that you need to roll four forward lines to have success.

Ducharme also sticks with his beliefs in the face of conventional wisdom. The way he managed the Canadiens’ approach to three-on-three overtime in the regular season was a perfect example.

It’s somewhat normal that Ducharme is somewhat minimizing the grandness of the Stanley Cup Final stage he finds himself on to avoid feeling overwhelmed by it. In any case, whatever his past experience, whether it was in junior or as Claude Julien’s assistant in Montreal, Ducharme has to rely on the tools he has at his disposal right now.

But in a few years, he will clearly be able to look back at the 2021 and realize how much he learned. And seeing as this run should in all likelihood ensure Ducharme will be back coaching the Canadiens next season, he has set himself up to have more learning moments in the years to come.

“When you’re in the NHL, it’s the best of the best here and you’re just hoping to keep up,” Cooper said. “And so I’ve learned a ton from other coaches, watching other coaches and then from the game. The longer you’re around and you see tendencies in the game and things that you think you can improve upon, it just takes time.

“I guess that’s why it’s called experience.”

Winning or losing the Cup in Montreal

The end of the sixth game was extended somewhat because of an icing with five seconds left, and the was in near silence. Once the horn sounded to confirm the Calgary Flames had won the game 4-2 and the Stanley Cup, that near silent crowd had to acknowledge the Flames had been the stronger team. They rose to their feet and applauded — it was more than simply polite — to salute the Flames victory.

It was in 1989, the first and only time in Canadiens history a visiting team won the Stanley Cup in Montreal. Watching Lanny McDonald twirl the ice 1216918 New York Islanders Beauvillier, who just turned 24, could sign another bridge deal coming off a two-year, $4.2 million contract. But now as an established top-six forward for the team, his new deal could carry a cap charge closer to $4 million. Islanders target signing their key restricted free agents in offseason "I want to stay here and have the group stay together," Beauvillier said. "We have a special bond here. Everyone wants to win together and we’ve been through so much together." Updated July 4, 2021 9:29 AM By Andrew Gross Forward Michael Dal Colle, who had a goal and three assists in 26

games but was injured during the playoffs, is also an RFA with arbitration Other moves and signings may come first. But, make no mistake, Lou rights. But Lamoriello did not make it clear whether he was including the Lamoriello’s priority this offseason is to re-sign his key restricted free former first-rounder in the list of RFAs that would definitely be re-signed agents. this offseason.

It won’t be easy given the Islanders’ tight salary-cap situation under the Busy July flat, $81.5 million ceiling, but goalie Ilya Sorokin, defenseman Adam It will be a busy July once the Stanley Cup Final concludes as NHL Pelech and speedy left wing Anthony Beauvillier will get new deals. All teams conduct the bulk of their condensed offseason business and the three are arbitration eligible. 2021-22 schedule will be released at some point. Teams, of course, can The Islanders president and general manager vowed during his end-of- re-sign their own free agents at any time. season media conference this week there would be no repeat of last Here’s what’s coming up: offseason’s reluctant trade of defenseman Devon Toews — who garnered a handful of third-, fourth- and fifth-place votes in the Norris July 17 – Deadline to submit protected lists for expansion draft Trophy balloting — to the Avalanche for two second-round picks because of cap considerations. July 21 – Expansion draft

"There’s no hidden secret that our cap forced us to make a decision or July 23 – NHL Draft, first round two last year," Lamoriello said on Tuesday, later adding, "we have no July 24 – NHL Draft, rounds two through seven intention of allowing the respective three restricted free agents to not be signed." July 28 – Free agent market opens

Island Ice Ep. 105: Into the offseason we go Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 07.05.2021 Andrew Gross and Neil Best discuss the Islanders' offseason plans, the roster, free agency and more.

Sorokin, Pelech and Beauvillier all are now considered core players for a team that has fallen just one round short of the Stanley Cup Final in two straight seasons.

Pelech, the top-pair defenseman who has become the team’s best shut- down option, will likely get the biggest raise coming off a four-year, $6.4 million deal. He turns 27 next month and is one year away from potentially testing the market as an unrestricted free agent. But the Islanders can ill-afford to have both Pelech and partner Ryan Pulock, whose two-year, $10 million deal expires after next season, become UFAs at the same time.

So, it seems likely the Islanders will likely want to lock up Pelech long term and that will likely mean his $1.6 million cap hit rises past Pulock’s current $5 million hit. Of course, Lamoriello could take his chances on giving Pelech a one-year deal but even with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the re-admittance of fans into the NHL arenas, the cap may rise by only $1 million for 2022-23.

"It’s something I haven’t given much thought to," Pelech said this past Sunday as the Islanders conducted exit interviews. "With the playoffs and everything you’re taking it day by day and totally invested in what’s going on there. Everyone definitely wants this group to stick together and we think we have something special here. Whatever happens, happens and I’m excited to be a part of this team and continue going forward."

Sorokin smartly signed two one-year deals when he finally joined the Islanders for the playoff bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton in 2020. He played this season on a one-year, $2 million deal. He turns 26 next month and could also push for another short-term deal with a chance to eventually cash in as a UFA. Like Pelech, Lamoriello may push for a longer-term deal with Sorokin, which will come with a higher cap charge.

Semyon Varlamov has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $20 million deal and, given that the two Russians will likely share the net, it’s not off- base to think Sorokin’s representation will push for a deal closer to Varlamov’s $5 million cap hit.

"No, I don’t think about this," Sorokin said.

"Ilya is such a talent," Varlamov said. "He played very well for us during the regular season and he played outstanding in the first round against Pittsburgh. He played out of his mind a couple of games. It was a lot of fun to work with him this year. I know he doesn’t have a contract yet but I’m sure the team will figure out that part." 1216919 New York Rangers

Rangers’ Adam Fox wants to ‘dominate games’ after earning Harvard degree

By Mollie WalkerJuly 4, 2021 | 8:43pm | Updated

We’re less than two months into the Rangers’ offseason, but Adam Fox has been busy in more ways than one.

Busy making NHL history as just the second player to win the Norris Trophy after his second season — a feat that only the legendary accomplished in 1968 on the way to his league record eight wins as the league’s top defenseman. Busy joining the likes of , Harry Howell and as the only Rangers to earn a majority of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association’s votes for the honor, which is bestowed on the defenseman who “demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position.”

Busy becoming the first Ranger to win a major NHL award since future Hall of Fame goaltender took home the nine years ago.

Oh, and on top of all that, Fox is taking his final two classes to graduate from Harvard this summer.

“It will be nice to finally get the degree,” the 23-year-old defenseman nonchalantly told The Post over the phone.

So after the dust settles from winning the Norris and he completes his two online courses to earn his psychology degree from Harvard, where does Fox, who was one point removed from leading all NHL defensemen in scoring this season, go from here?

“I think just making an impact on every shift,” Fox said of what he hopes to improve in his game. “I’ve said it during the season, just the way I play hockey, I try to just make the right play. I don’t really try and get out of what I can do. Just like anyone, you want to make an impact play or be able to dominate games.

“For me, it’s what I want to try and do. Just playing with the great players we have, I’m the guy that tries to make plays and get them the puck. I think, for me, not much changes.

“Just trying to be a good two-way defender, obviously getting a little more responsibility defensively is important to me. Just being trusted. Nothing too crazy, I think just keeping it simple and trying to make the right play shift in and shift out.”

But there is nothing simple about Fox, who will enter the final year of his entry-level contract with the Blueshirts in 2021-22. The Jericho native has become one of the most important cornerstones of the organization as it tries to reestablish itself as a legitimate playoff contender.

As half, with , of the Rangers’ top defensive pairing, one of the youngest and most effective duos in the NHL, Fox simply made the Rangers a more dynamic team in all areas of the game. He not only posted a team-high 23 power-play points while quarterbacking the top unit, he also improved the team’s overall effectiveness at even strength and on the penalty kill, and bolstered transition play out of the defensive zone.

The Rangers have gotten all that for the bargain price of Fox’s $925,000 cap hit. Considering Fox will be a restricted free agent without arbitration rights after next season, he won’t have a chance to test the open market, which makes him more likely to sign for less than his actual value.

But in the flat salary cap world, the Rangers would be wise to lock Fox down on a long-term deal sooner rather than later. Fox is eligible for an extension this summer and is poised to only continue upping his price tag next season.

So how much is a Norris Trophy-winning defenseman with a degree from Harvard who has only scratched the surface of his potential worth?

New York Post LOADED: 07.05.2021

1216920 his mid-30s who does have a history of medical woes and is still prone to errors that can lead to offensive chances for the opposition?

As indicated by his ninth-place finish in voting for the James Norris Penguins A to Z: What is Kris Letang's value? Memorial Trophy, an honor that recognizes the top overall defenseman in the NHL, Letang is still one of the better rearguards in the NHL and is critically vital to just about every aspect of the Penguins’ overall game. And as a right-handed defenseman, he is inherently more valuable than SETH RORABAUGH | Sunday, July 4, 2021 10:01 a.m. most southpaws.

Trying to figure out what Letang is worth as approaches his 35th birthday In 55 games this past season, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang had 45 on April 24, 2022 won’t be an easy task for Hextall and company, points (seven goals, 38 assists). especially given the NHL’s woeful economic situation due to the pandemic. With the Penguins in the midst of their offseason, the Tribune-Review is looking at all 48 players currently under NHL contracts to the But there are few players who have been - and remain - as valuable to organization in alphabetical order, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari this franchise as Kris Letang. to top-six winger . Tribune Review LOADED: 07.05.2021 Kris Letang

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Right

Age: 34

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 201 pounds

2020-21 NHL statistics: 55 games, 45 points (seven goals, 38 assists)

Contract: Seventh-year of an eight-year contract with a salary cap hit of $7.25 million. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2022

(Note: According to Cap Friendly, Letang’s contract has a no-movement clause as well as a modified no-trade clause which allows him to submit a list of 18 teams he would accept a trade to.)

Acquired: Third-round draft pick (No. 62 overall), July 30, 2005

2020-21 season: Kris Letang experienced something of a rarity this past season.

That’s to say he was healthy as he missed only one game in early February due to an undisclosed injury.

That was quite an accomplishment for a player who has had his career derailed at times by all kinds of devastating ailments such as herniated discs in his neck, concussions and even a stroke. And by the way, the 2020-21 campaign included a condensed schedule while dealing with the realities of a global pandemic.

But Letang was much more than just a body in the lineup most nights. He was one of the Penguins’ most dynamic and reliable players this past season.

Reunited with assistant coach Todd Reirden, Letang posted 45 points in 55 games, one more point than the 44 he recorded in 61 games in 2019- 20.

Part of that success could be tied to his ice time. The Penguins effectively managed Letang’s workload as he averaged 24:39 of ice time per games this past season. In contrast, he logged an average of 25:51 per contest over his previous six campaigns.

In the postseason, Letang led his team, as underwhelming as it was, in scoring with six points (one goal, five assists) in six games as the Penguins fell to the New York Islanders.

The future: In the aftermath of a quick ejection from the postseason for a third consecutive year, it was fair to wonder if Letang would remain with the Penguins heading into the final year of his contract.

General manager quashed that speculation on June 2 when he suggested “the core” – i.e. Letang as well as forwards and Evgeni Malkin – still has a future with the Penguins.

(Note: Letang’s no-movement clause means the Penguins must protect him in this month’s expansion draft for the franchise.)

So what does that mean in regards to a potential contract extension? All parties concerned seem legitimately interested in maintaining this marriage. With a salary cap hit of $7.25 million a season, Letang’s deal has become something of a bargain as the years have passed. But what kind of money and term should the Penguins invest into a defenseman in 1216921 Pittsburgh Penguins Mike Sullivan’s philosophy and center Evgeni Malkin. The pair were red- hot until Malkin was injured and Kessel played with Bonino.

Neither Kessel nor the Penguins were ever the same. Top 5 Penguins July Fireworks; Trades & Free Agents #2: Goodbye, Jaromir

July 11, 2001, became one of the darkest days in Penguins’ history. Published 16 hours ago on July 4, 2021By Dan Kingerski Reports of the time indicated the Penguins scouting department jumped for joy when the Penguins got three first-round drafted prospects (, Michael Sivek, Ross Lupaschuk) and a truckload of cash for Jaromir Jagr and defenseman Frantisek Kucera. July is a feeding frenzy for NHL teams as July 1 typically opens the flood gates for free agency as players and agents gobble large. Some teams Fireworks ensued. smile for years. Others grimace as ill-fitting players linger for years on overpaid contracts. The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a few spectacular The prospects all fizzled spectacularly. None established themselves as July celebrations, one of which crippled their franchise, another saved it, NHL regulars. It was like a torrential downpour just before the grand and one provided an unheralded re-signing that ultimately saved a finale. Jagr didn’t win a Stanley Cup for Washington, either. It was the Stanley Cup. biggest trade in the NHL since tearfully apologized to Messier and accepted a deal to the LA Kings in August 1988. And the Penguins organization had one July 1, which sparks months of debate followed by two years of celebration. Perhaps someday, the Penguins and Jagr will officially make up, and Jagr will take his place among the Penguins Hall of Famers. Of course, Honorable Mention: Signing Brandon Tanev Jagr will have to retire first.

On July 1, 2019, the Pittsburgh Penguins overpaid for Winnipeg Jets 1. Draft Day, 2005. fourth-liner Brandon Tanev. Former GM splashed a six- year, $21 million deal. Sidney Crosby. Kris Letang.

Surely, you don’t pay that much for a fourth-liner?! It’s the second-best draft day in Pittsburgh Penguins history, behind 1984, when the team rejected all offers and picked . The Penguins and fans have come to love “Turbo,” who provides a Following the locked-out season, the Penguins were the improbable much-needed spark throughout the Penguins lineup and a dose of winners of the 2005 NHL Draft Lottery, which included all 30 teams. physicality. The ping pong ball picked the Penguins, who had the worst record in the 5. Trade NHL during the 2003-04 season before the 2004-05 season was lost.

Goodbye soft third-line center, hello Nick Bonino. On July 28, 2015, the Hello, Sidney Crosby. July 30, 2005. Penguins shuffled the soon-to-be well-paid Brandon Sutter to Vancouver for middling center Bonino, depth defenseman Adam Clendening, and a However, the third-round pick has been just as long-lasting, very second-round pick. influential to the organization, and is one of the last three members of the Penguins core. The Penguins later used the pick to select Filip Gustavsson, a centerpiece of the Penguins trade for Derrick Brassard, which is another Combined, Crosby and Letang have played 1902 games with 620 goals topic for another day. and 1907 points. Oh, and three Stanley Cups.

Bonino was a little-producing pivot for most of his first season with the Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 07.05.2021 Penguins. He had just 10 points in his first 40 games. Then Evgeni Malkin was injured, and Bonino slotted between Carl Hagelin and some cat named Phil Kessel.

H-B-K line was born. The Pittsburgh Penguins 2016 Stanley Cup was a direct result.

4. Hello, Rob Scuderi

Scuderi was a minor leaguer who spent more than four seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He had a 57-game run with the Penguins, followed by a full NHL season in 2006-07. Scuderi was an afterthought-type d-man. He was easily replaceable or upgradeable, right?

On July 2, 2007, the Penguins issued a two-year $1.425 million contract. No big deal, right? At the end of that two-year contract, this was the result.

#3: Phil the Thrill

After hammering away at a trade for weeks, the Toronto Maple Leafs and GM Brian Burke were still holding onto 40-goal scorer Phil Kessel.

Kessel had worn out his welcome in Toronto, the fans were getting vicious and the media made the fans look tame.

Former Penguins GM Jim Rutherford patiently waited for the Kessel market to thin and the price to fall to his liking. Many thought it could happen at the 2015 draft, but there were still no Kessel takers.

Until July 1, 2015. Instead of splashing the cash on free agents, the Penguins landed a hot-dog champion. In exchange for top prospect Kasperi Kapanen, who was the Penguins’ first-round pick a year prior, a 2016 first-round pick, and useable depth players, the Penguins got Kessel…who became a two-time Stanley Cup champion.

Kessel didn’t overwhelm anyone until February of 2016. After a lackluster, almost quiet season, Kessel began to warm to new coach 1216922 Tampa Bay Lightning Just two years ago, there were Internet warriors who were calling for Cooper’s head. For all of Tampa Bay’s regular-season success, they continually fell short in the playoffs and Cooper became an easy target as the guy with no NHL pedigree. Jon Cooper teaches. He motivates. He delegates. Mostly, he just wins. To be fair, some of that was justified. The Lightning may have had an incomplete roster in some ways, but it was Cooper’s responsibility to hide those flaws and create something greater than its parts. He didn’t in By John Romano 2019. He has the past two seasons. Published Yesterday Of course, it’s easy to say Cooper is winning with the NHL’s best roster. To suggest it is a breeze to coach when Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy and are in your lineup. One more win, and you walk among the legends. But that argument ignores the past MVPs and Vezina winners sitting at This has been Jon Cooper’s message to his players all season. Putting home in other markets today. It ignores the other teams that eclipsed the your name on the Stanley Cup is one thing, but winning two in a row is salary cap, as the Lightning did, with the long-term injured reserve list. It entirely different. In the last 30 years, only three teams have pulled it off ignores all the pitfalls that have kept the Canadiens, the Maple Leafs, the and they’ve been led by names such as Lemieux, Yzerman and Crosby. Rangers, the Flyers and other historic organizations from winning a Stanley Cup the past two decades. It’s a smart, simple gimmick on Cooper’s part. It cuts through all the other noise and provides a simple motivation to players who had already The story is no longer about Jon Cooper’s unusual journey to the NHL. climbed the mountaintop. The idea is that this postseason is what will separate you from almost everyone else. One more win, and it’s all about what he’s done since he arrived.

But shouldn’t the same thing apply for the coach? Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.05.2021

If the Lightning win any one of the next four games against the Canadiens, Cooper will be joining some elite company when it comes to NHL coaches. Forget the back-to-back novelty, in the last half-century only seven coaches have won multiple Stanley Cups.

And fewer still have done it as quickly and efficiently as Cooper.

Among coaches with at least 410 games in their career (the equivalent of five full regular seasons), Cooper’s points percentage of .647 is second only to the legendary Scotty Bowman. Not bad for a lawyer with almost zero name recognition 10 years ago.

By now, even casual hockey fans know the story of a college lacrosse player who went on to work on Wall Street, then became a defense attorney and eventually landed a job coaching a woebegone high school hockey team in Lansing, Mich.

But what is becoming clear is that Cooper’s background is not a novelty but rather an asset in the locker room. He’s not a screamer. He’s not blustery. He’s not going to pretend to be something he is not. What Cooper, 53, does well is articulate and motivate.

“He’s just got a great way of communicating things in layman’s terms, not trying to get too caught up in analyzing things,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “You guys hear enough of him in the media, he’s got good quote after good quote (and) analogies and trying to put things in perspective. It’s no different with our group. You can paint a picture black-and-white and be pretty specific and analyze things, but he does a great job of keeping that message positive and keeping the message coming in different directions.

“We know he’s going to set our team up for success when he’s breaking things down X’s and O’s. Ninety percent of the time though, it’s about our attitude and mindset.”

That’s an assessment that Cooper would probably endorse. He can out- scheme you on a given night — and there was evidence of that in the first three rounds of this postseason — but he did not get this job because he was a ground-breaking tactician.

Cooper manages people. He teaches, he delegates, he needles. He emboldens and he encourages. Yes, he stands in front of the white board with a blue marker, but that may be the least important thing he does.

The bigger picture is building a culture and a chemistry, and that’s something Cooper has been doing since he was winning titles in the AHL, the USHL and the NAHL before arriving in Tampa Bay.

“He’s confident, and that’s something that has always spilled over to the teams he’s coached. Probably why a lot of them have gone on to become champions, including ourselves,” captain Steven Stamkos said. “He expects everyone in the room to do their job. The accountability is huge from the coaching staff to the players, and from the players to the players.

“But at the same time, he wants guys to do what they’re best at and be confident doing that.” 1216923 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning’s Game 4 watch party at Amalie Arena sold out

By Mari Faiello

Published Yesterday

Updated Yesterday

TAMPA — The Lightning have tried to make Amalie Arena a second home for their fans during this season’s Stanley Cup run by allowing them inside the venue to watch the team play on the road.

The team is expected to do the same Monday night — rain or shine, thanks to Tropical Storm Elsa. And with the potential for Tampa Bay to clinch a second straight Cup, the party has sold out.

The Lightning lead the best-of-seven series against the Canadiens 3-0 and will have the first of four chances to end the series in Game 4 Monday at Bell Centre in Montreal.

After hosting around 2,000 fans for the opening-round watch parties, the Lightning had 13,752 in attendance for Friday’s 6-3 win in Game 3. It is expecting close to 16,000 for Monday’s gathering.

“I’ve watched other teams’ jerseys be fairly prominent in our arena to now you really have to find one,” Cooper said. “When I first got here, it always felt like Tampa was everybody’s second-favorite team, because somebody was from somewhere else and that was their team and (until) they got knocked out, we would be the second-favorite. But now it feels like we’re everybody’s favorite team.

“The town is a sports town. It is a passionate (area) from the Lightning to the Bucs to the Rays. It’s a unique situation of camaraderie between not only the athletes and the franchises, but the fans and there’s a lot of pride in the town, and I’m proud to be proud to be part of it.”

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.05.2021 1216924 Tampa Bay Lightning save percentage (.938) and has the second-lowest goals-against average (1.94).

He might have been at his best in a Game 2 win over the Canadiens, Lightning’s top candidates for the stopping 42 of the 43 shots he faced to steal a game in which the Lightning was badly outplayed, tilting the series heavily in their favor.

Maybe most impressive, Vasilevskiy has not lost back-to-back games at By Mari Faiello any point over the past two postseasons and closed out four straight playoff series, including three this season, with shutouts. Published Yesterday Case against: While no player may have been more valuable to his team Updated Yesterday this postseason, history is against Vasilevskiy. Well, his position, anyway.

Only 16 goaltenders in NHL history have won the Conn Smythe, most TAMPA — At some point this week, the NHL will crown its next Stanley recently the Kings’ in 2012. While Quick’s numbers (1.41 Cup champion. GAA, .946 save percentage) are better than Vasilevskiy’s, it’s worth pointing out that the leading scorers that postseason, Los Angeles’ But before the winning team receives the trophy, the NHL will award the Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar (eight goals, 20 points) didn’t come Conn Smythe Trophy to the playoff MVP as determined by select anywhere close to those put up by Kucherov and Point. reporters in the Professional Hockey Writers Association the night of the Cup-clinching win. There’s also the recency effect. Though Vasilevskiy has been a stalwart throughout the postseason, he allowed three goals — at least one of Should the Lightning win, there are three obvious candidates. All three which he should have stopped — in the most recent game, and that’s have more-than-adequate resumes, but not one is a complete shoo-in. likely to be in the minds of voters.

Here are the cases for and against this year’s frontrunners, in Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.05.2021 alphabetical order:

Case for: Kucherov has swept the hockey world off its feet in his return after missing the entire regular season following offseason hip surgery. Well, the part of it that wasn’t accusing the Lightning of circumventing the salary-cap rules, anyway.

Kucherov leads the league in postseason scoring with 32 points (eight goals and 24 assists). His nine-point lead over Brayden Point (23 points) ties Wayne Gretzky (in 1988) for the third-biggest margin in NHL history. Gretzky and Mario Lemieux had 10-point leads in 1985 and 1991, respectively.

Kucherov has three goals and five points in the Cup final, including two goals in the Lightning’s Game 1 win. He has had nine multi-point games, including six with three or more, including a four-point game in the opening round against the Panthers. He has been held without a point in just five of 21 postseason games.

Kucherov’s remarkable run leaves you shaking your head, wondering how he can be skating circles around opponents just seven months after lying on an operating table.

Case against: One could argue Kucherov had a bit of an edge because no team played against him during the regular season and had little to go on for preparation.

He also was more rested entering the playoffs than players who competed during the 56-game regular season, giving him an advantage at a time when players are battling injuries and fatigue more often than not.

But those are more excuses than anything, and neither would diminish Kucherov’s candidacy in any way.

Case for: Point’s 14 goals lead the league this postseason, six more than the five players — including Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn — who come next on the list. Point has scored in all but eight of the 21 games he has played.

Incredibly, he scored in nine straight playoff games, one short of the all- time record of 10 set by the Flyers’ in 1976.

Point’s 36 goals over the past four postseasons are more than any player in the league. He has the third-highest goals-per-game average (.55) among those who have played in at least 50 career postseason games in the past 30 years, behind only Mario Lemieux (.67) and Nathan MacKinnon (.56).

Case against: While Point’s postseason numbers are impressive, they’re nowhere close to last season’s Stanley Cup run, when he had 33 points in 23 games.

More importantly, he has just three assists in the final against the Canadiens and no points in the past two games.

Case for: Vasilevskiy, 26, and a Vezina finalist for the fourth straight season, leads the league in postseason wins (15), shutouts (four) and 1216925 Tampa Bay Lightning “What’s even more impressive about it is the era he’s doing it in,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “We’re talking about the high-flying ’80s and the scoring (then). It’s remarkable in today’s day and age when goal scoring and getting points is at such a premium. If you can do it over Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov’s playoff run is something ‘we’ve never multiple playoffs, it says something special about you and your talents to seen’ be able to perform in the biggest moments. That’s what separates the good from the great.”

Cooper said the transformation of the Lightning into a Stanley Cup legacy By Eduardo A. Encina coincided with the transformation of Kucherov as a player. He has Published Yesterday special tools, and Cooper marvels daily about Kucherov’s hockey IQ and vision on the ice.

When the Lightning were swept by Columbus in the first round two years Like pretty much everyone else at Amalie Arena, NHL Network analyst ago after winning the Presidents’ Trophy, Cooper calls Kucherov’s Mike Rupp watched Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final with his eyes on suspension for Game 3 after an illegal hit in a lopsided Game 2 loss a Nikita Kucherov, trying to gauge how much he was playing through an tipping point. injury. “Kuch has got so much pride, and I know in the end, if he could reverse In 5-on-5 play, Kucherov still could make plays most can’t with the puck that, he would,” Cooper said. “But ever since then, talk about somebody on his stick, but didn’t show that rare ability to weave through traffic. He that’s learned from experience, it’s been him. When he was doing all the didn’t have that extra burst that he can usually tap into when he needs it. right things you want as a player, our team just gravitated to him. So when he does speak, literally everybody listens on the bench. “I kept telling myself, ‘He’s not right,’ said Rupp, an 11-year veteran who won a Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2003. “He just doesn’t look like “He is the guy orchestrating a lot of the stuff that goes on in the games himself. And then it sounds extremely foolish, because he ended up where you’re getting pucks deep and saying all those things that you being the first star of the game and had two goals and an assist. It just don’t often hear come out of skill players’ mouths. An enormous reason goes to show how special a player he is, because we all know he’s hurt.” we are where we are today is the emergence of the maturity of Nikita Kucherov.” As the Lightning close in on their second straight Stanley Cup — they lead their final series against the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 heading into Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.05.2021 Monday’s Game 4 at the Bell Centre — Kucherov leads all players with 32 postseason points.

Since taking a crosscheck that forced him out of Game 6 of the semifinals against the Islanders, Kucherov has five points in four games, including two multipoint contests. Even though he’s far from 100 percent physically, he still might be the best player on the ice.

“A lot is made about superstar players not being around when the biggest games are happening, including the Stanley Cup final,” NBC Sports hockey analyst Keith Jones said. “It’s pretty remarkable that Kucherov has gone through missing an entire regular season (due to hip surgery) and has battled through all the issues that would come with being in game condition to get to this point of the playoffs where he’s taken hacks and whacks every night.

“He’s targeted on a nightly basis and he still finds a way to not just produce but produce at an extremely high rate. It’s been phenomenal to watch.”

Rupp says we are witnesses to something amazing, something unprecedented.

“What he’s doing now, we’ve never seen it,” Rupp said. “Honestly, this should be story 1-A on SportsCenter. I mean it really should. In sports, we’ve never seen this. Even Michael Jordan’s never missed a whole season. If he did, you think he’d lead the playoffs in points?

“I’ve never seen that done in sports, I don’t know if we will see it done again.”

Some have refused to embrace this moment. They claim the Lightning intentionally stashed Kucherov to become cap compliant, even though the NHL investigated everything related to placing Kucherov on long-term injured reserve and found no flaws. It was a gamble that Kucherov would make the first few rounds of the postseason. He returned a month ahead of the six-month timetable.

“It’s comical hearing all the noise after being through that surgery before,” said ESPN analyst and former Lightning forward . “He’s ahead of the timetable. It’s not like they held him back.

“I’ve been through that same exact surgery and It almost took me about a year until I really felt comfortable with it and felt 100 percent on that hip. So for him to jump into a playoff game and put together a playoff run like this and the success he’s had, it just shows the tremendous work he put in off the ice just to make sure he was ready for Game 1.”

Kucherov now has back-to-back 30-point postseasons putting him in company only with Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Kucherov’s 1.52 points per game in the playoffs rank sixth all-time in the elite company of such greats as Gretzky, Lemieux, and . 1216926 Toronto Maple Leafs Montreal might be able to win Game 4. Maybe they will even win two in a row. But four straight? Against a team that hasn’t even lost two straight in the playoffs? That probably isn’t happening.

Down 3-0, Canadiens' Josh Anderson says, 'We’re not finished yet' “Obviously, we’ve dug ourselves a little bit of a hole here, but the mood’s light right now,” said Anderson. “We have a job to do and we’re going to do everything we can to stay in this thing and fly out to Tampa on Tuesday.” Michael Traikos When asked if there is motivation in not wanting Tampa Bay to celebrate Publishing date:Jul 04, 2021 • 10 hours ago winning the championship in Montreal, Petry said: “We don’t want to see the Lightning win the Stanley Cup at all.”

So this is what the end looks like. And so, it’s now one-game-at-a-time for a team that might only have one game left. Down 3-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a one-sided Stanley Cup final that could be over on Monday, there were no grand pronouncements “We’ve got nothing to lose at this point so everyone’s going to be ready coming from the Montreal Canadiens. No one guaranteed that the best is for (Monday) night, I can tell you that,” said Anderson. “We’re not finished yet to come. That they would somehow orchestrate the of all yet.” comebacks and win the next four games. That they would soon be Toronto Sun LOADED: 07.05.2021 adding their names to the history books of teams that achieved the impossible.

No one promised that they could still take the series. No one was even willing to promise a victory in Game 4.

The players, who seemed resigned to the fact that this series is all but over, were too smart for those kinds of things. Instead, with heads held high, they said the best is yet to come.

“We have a big challenge ahead of us,” said defenceman Jeff Petry. “We’ve had a challenging year all year. Just come in and enjoy it every day has been the message.”

What else is there to say?

There’s no sense in hanging their heads. This has been a great season for the Canadiens. Losing in the final, whether it’s in four games or seven games shouldn’t change that.

This team, which barely made the playoffs and barely made it out of the first round, got further than anyone expected and accomplished more than anyone thought was possible. They were a team of destiny. A scrappy bunch of underdogs in the truest sense of the word. The Canadiens came back after being down 3-1 to the Maple Leafs; they punched above their weight by sweeping the Jets; they stunned a Golden Knights team that was built to win.

“It’s pretty special,” forward Josh Anderson said of this journey. “All the guys in this locker room, the management, the staff, the players, it’s a family. It’s a bond. The guys have been through a lot during this year and we’ve been through it together but we’ve stuck together and we’ve made it this far. We’ve got one more job to do and that’s all to come together and take it one game at a time and keep chipping away and hopefully have success and the bounces are going to start coming our way.”

Six weeks after it all began, it’s all coming to a crashing end.

Montreal has finally hit a roadblock in its bid to become the first Canadian team to hoist the Cup in 28 long years. The Habs aren’t just losing this series — they are about to be swept. It’s through no fault of their own. The Lightning, which won the Cup a year ago and which finished first in the regular season the year before that, has been too good, too dominant, too formidable of an opponent for anyone in the NHL to handle.

Not that the Canadiens are throwing in the towel just yet. They know they have more to give. They know they haven’t played their best. They know they can win at least one game here.

“Even before the playoffs, the end of the regular season we faced a lot of adversity and I said that we have a great group and that group has grown stronger together throughout those moments in adversity in facing those situations,” said head coach Dominique Ducharme. “They show it every day. Sometimes, you lose a game or it doesn’t go exactly like you wanted, but there’s one thing that’s for sure, it’s not a lack of trying, it’s not a lack of will. Our guys are dedicated to the group … and they’re going to put it on the ice (on Monday).”

As much as the Canadiens are trying to remain upbeat and optimistic, everyone understands the gravity of the situation. Yes, they have faced adversity in the past. But being down 3-0 to the defending Stanley Cup champions is not like being down 3-1 to a Maple Leafs team that hasn’t won a playoff round in 17 years. 1216927 Vegas Golden Knights They’re all under contract for next season too, so it’s likely they return for at least one more year together.

It’s conceivable the Golden Knights look to move Smith, who makes $5 Four years later, Misfit Line still producing for Golden Knights million against the cap in the final year of his contract, and elevate fellow right winger to a top-six role, but as of now they’re all planning on coming back. Marchessault has three years left at a $5 million cap hit, and Karlsson has six years left at a $5.9 million cap hit. By Justin Emerson As long as they’re all Golden Knights, they’ll be on the same line Sunday, July 4, 2021 | 2 a.m. together. Sometimes lines get reconfigured throughout the season but they always find their way back to each other.

Since they’ve existed, the Golden Knights have relied on their group of Because when you find a line that works — and has worked for four Misfits. seasons — you ride that wave as long as you can.

Left winger , center William Karlsson and right “It’s been a dream come true to be able to play with those guys for as winger Reilly Smith took the hockey world by storm in 2017-18 in leading long as we have,” Smith said. “Knock on wood that we stay together for the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in their maiden season. That as long as possible.” team was affectionately called the Golden Misfits, and the three have LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 07.05.2021 been dubbed the Misfit Line as some of the most important players from the original team that are still with the franchise.

They were spectacular in the inaugural season and have continued to play big roles ever since, including in this year’s playoffs. In a postseason where Vegas forwards struggled to score, Karlsson led the team in assists and points, Marchessault led in goals, and Smith trailed only Karlsson in assists from forwards.

It’s rare one line stays together for four years, but when it comes to the Misfit Line, there’s no reason to fix what isn’t broken.

“I truly feel fortunate to be able to share the ice with those guys all the time,” Smith said. “Two guys that compete just as hard as anyone. They’re hard-workers who really care about the game, care about the process, doing things the right way.

“I’ve learned a lot playing with them. Hopefully I’ve shed some insight on their careers as well.”

That first season everything went right, with Karlsson netting 43 goals and all of them clearing 60 points, the only time any of them have done that in their careers. Their point totals all finished in the 50s the next season, so even though they couldn’t maintain their stratospheric heights, they remained terrific players.

But as the Golden Knights grew older, their roster evolved. , and Chandler Stephenson have taken up the top-line mantle, allowing the inaugural top line to thrive against other teams’ second lines.

In the playoff rounds against Colorado and Montreal, Stone and his line shut down Colorado’s top line with Nathan MacKinnon and struggled against the Canadiens’ shutdown line led by center Phillip Danualt.

It drew matchups the Misfits were happy to exploit. While Stone, Pacioretty and Stephenson combined for 14 points (and 10 from Pacioretty) in those two series, Karlsson, Marchessault and Smith combined for 27. They were particularly lethal in the Avalanche series, where Karlsson and Marchessault had seven points each, including five goals from Marchessault.

“I think they’re the identity of this franchise,” coach Pete DeBoer said during the Avalanche series. “They’re three guys that all bring something different to the table, all have been probably overlooked at some point in their career. They have great chemistry. They hop over the boards and work hard every single night and hard to play against. That chemistry they have is hard to replicate so we haven’t messed too much with it.”

Four years later, Karlsson, Marchessault and Smith serve as a warning for 30 teams going into the Seattle expansion draft this summer. Vegas is exempt and won’t lose a player, but all three players came to the Golden Knights as part of side deals at the 2017 expansion draft.

Karlsson was selected from Columbus as part of a deal that had Vegas take on David Clarkson’s contract while also acquiring a first- and second-round pick. Marchessault was the pick from Florida as part of an agreement where Vegas would also take Smith in exchange for a fourth- round pick.

They were all basically throw-ins to the Golden Knights to protect other players Columbus and Florida deemed more valuable, and in return Vegas got the cornerstones of its new team. 1216928 Vegas Golden Knights Patrick Brown. All three players are nearing 30 years old and would love to sign a deal that takes them further down the road at a time in their careers when uncertainty is the name of the game for bottom-six forwards. Vegas will have to make some hard decisions as they’re Recent Contracts Set New Precedent for Vegas Golden Knights Summer extremely unlikely to hang onto all three players. But whichever player(s) they do retain, we could see the exchange of a longer term for less

money. Published 11 hours ago on July 4, 2021By Tom Callahan I’m not saying these are the types of players you dole out an eight-year deal to, nor am I saying to expect a massive bargain because of the lower cap. From the player’s point of view, knowing you have a job or at There hasn’t been a lot of news coming out of the Vegas Golden Knights, least a contract that means you’ll get paid for X number of years is better or even the NHL as a whole. Generally, this is a down period when than the uncertainty of trying to scrap your way into a lineup and falling teams take time to assess and grade things organizationally. Especially victim to a numbers game. around the Day/Fourth of July holiday this year, things should be quiet. In a normal year, we’ve just had the Stanely Cup, NHL Awards and One other predictable fallout from the cap’s lack of growth over this five- NHL Entry Draft. Free agency would be ready to explode out of the gate. year period is some players – especially mid-to-late career European This year none of that has happened yet. So taking time away over what players – may return to the continent to play pro hockey in or near their is a holiday time in both the United States and Canada makes sense. homeland. Generally, they enter as a top-tier signing and the glow of an NHL career, often netting them more money than they might find by However, there have been two major contracts signed that are showing trying to stay in North America. The difference in salary between the Vegas Golden Knights – and the rest of the NHL – what the new spending most of a season in the AHL on a two-way deal or a full season economic blueprint will be with the cap likely remaining flat until 2022-23. in Europe (along with perks teams are able to offer) can be substantial. If Witness the deals signed by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with the Edmonton a player is looking to either maximize earning potential or return home for Oilers and Joel Eriksson-Ek with the Minnesota Wild. Both players signed family reasons, anything less than a better NHL offer won’t keep them for eight years, with RNH getting $41M and Eriksson-Ek $42M for AAVs here. just over $5M per. This is the new reality in the NHL. Mid-level players in all positions will The stats of those players are not the focus here, although they could have a choice to make. We may still see the occasional monster deal always come up as comps in future arbitration deals. What the deals say handed out, or a contract that makes everyone wince. But as you see the to me is that in the era of a flat cap for the next few years and then a summer unfold through contract extensions and then into free agency slight rise after things begin to come back around again, term is the new later this month, keep your eye on how the struggle between term and salary. money plays out. And most importantly how it affects the Vegas Golden Knights. To put it another way, players would rather have a little less money per season in exchange for the max eight (or seven if it’s not your current Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 07.05.2021 team) years should that be an option. It’s interesting how thoughts on length vs. salary have changed in an economically restricted cap environment.

If this swing is indeed a burgeoning trend, it will actually help teams like the Vegas Golden Knights if they’re willing to eat the potential of a few dead or unproductive years at the end of a deal for a “win now” mentality that might help them shave just enough money off the cap.

Minnesota signs this deal because they have a few more years of bloated deals for Ryan Suter and Zach Parise to manage and it helps them to know they have a solid, young player locked up long term. When those other contracts are gone, the Wild have more room to go shopping but didn’t lose a player with the potential to be one of their best for the next five years on both ends of the ice.

Edmonton inks this deal because they too have a lot of money tied up in two big names, but theirs are producing at MVP-caliber rates. It’s a slightly different pitch if you’re a forward in Edmonton, where you’re not being asked to be the guy but rather someone who will contribute in a secondary role. RNH in different times might have looked for a raise from his previous deal coming into a contract negotiation like this. Instead, he takes the secure path of eight years and the chance that if Edmonton puts it together in net or even on defense, they could be a real contender.

For Vegas, this might have a slight ripple effect on the upcoming negotiation but probably not too big. It will be a decision for Martinez to make on whether he wants longer-term or more money. This could be his last contract and players tend to look for as many years as they can get in this situation, but players must consider the cash as well. It’s a balancing act. When it comes to Martinez I think Vegas might want to offer two years, but giving the player that third year may bring down the cap hit in exchange for security.

Vegas, much like Edmonton and Minnesota, has big contracts on the books. Some of those are here to stay for a while, and some will be gone in a year or two if not sooner like Marc-Andre Fleury‘s $7M cap hit and Reilly Smith‘s $5M cap hit, both of which expire at the end of this season. Both teams and players have had to adjust expectations in light of new and unexpected math brought on by missing revenue streams for the past two seasons. It’s not pretty, but it looks like this will be the summer players, agents and organizations begin to figure out a real path through the wilderness.

Where fans will see more of this trend in play will be among the forwards up for renewal this summer in Mattias Janmark, Tomas Nosek and 1216929 Winnipeg Jets Lewis was quite efficient at times, even if you'd have liked a bit more offence from that trio. All three are pending UFA's, so an overhaul is coming.

Five things the Jets can learn from this year's playoffs Don't overlook the importance of this group. Going the distance as a three-line team is pretty much impossible, even when you have a top nine as impressive as Winnipeg's.

Mike McIntyre11-14 minutes 7/3/2021 3) PUT A PRIORITY ON PUCK POSESSION:

They may be opening plenty of eyes with their improbable playoff run, but the underlying numbers would tell you Montreal deserves to be here. MONTREAL — Be honest, Winnipeg Jets fans. How many of you have They finished second in the NHL during the regular-season in the Corsi tuned out the Stanley Cup final simply out of spite? category, trailing only powerhouse Colorado. After all, seeing the Montreal Canadiens, the team that crushed your In layman's terms, that would suggest they actually underachieved — hopes and dreams, do battle with the Tampa Bay Lightning on the thanks in no small part to a brutal scheduling crunch caused by a mid- biggest hockey stage has to sting at least a little bit. So it would be season COVID outbreak. Puck-moving blue-liners, plenty of offensive understandable if you decided to take a pass rather than re-open a still skill up front and a system that taps into these strengths are all keys. very fresh wound, electing to occupy your time with something more fulfilling such as re-organizing your sock drawer, trimming your nose Tampa is no slouch in this department either, finishing ninth-overall. hairs or watching The Masked Singer. (They were sixth last year when they won the Cup).

Regardless of your personal habits, there's no question the powers-that- The Jets, who have never been analytics darlings due to a style-of-play be within the Jets organization are keeping a close eye on things. And, that seems to put way too much pressure on Hellebuyck to save the day, for their sake, hopefully taking some notes in addition to muttering under were 21st. Which was actually a step up from last year, but still not close their breath how it coulda, woulda, shoulda been them playing for all the to good enough. This is very much on Cheveldayoff, and coach Paul glory. Maurice and his staff, to find a way to fix. And fast.

As the old saying goes, those who fail to learn from history are doomed 4) SIGN COREY PERRY: to repeat it. And there are plenty of lessons to be learned from this year's finalists which, if applied properly, might help them ultimately get to the I kid. Sort of. Although it's notable the future Hall of Famer (and pending promised land. UFA this summer) is playing in his second straight Cup final after making it to the dance with Dallas last year. There's no guarantee, of course. Hockey, more than any other major sport, requires an incredible amount of good luck and good fortune to win But this speaks to a bigger issue — experience matters, especially when it all. And every year, there will be 31 (32 starting next season) teams the spotlight gets brightest. who come up short of their ultimate goal. Montreal GM Marc Bergevin added the likes of Perry, Staal, Edmundson, Still, you want to do everything possible to put yourself in a position to , Josh Anderson and backup goalie to the mix this succeed. And in a copycat league, here's five valuable pointers the Jets season. Tampa made its biggest additions last year, prior to winning the can take away from this year's playoffs. Cup in the Edmonton bubble, with players such as Maroon, Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman. Savard joined the party at this year's trade 1) BUILD YOUR BLEEPIN' BLUE LINE: deadline.

Just like the Habs and Bolts, the Jets have a world-class goaltender. I'll Drafting and developing is great, but you also need to complement your put Connor Hellebuyck up with the likes of Andrei Vasilevskiy and Carey existing core with the proper pieces. And both these clubs have done that Price any day of the week. in spades.

Unlike those two teams, Winnipeg's defence core is very much a work-in- Once again, the floor is yours, Mr. Cheveldayoff. progress. For starters, there's no clear No. 1 such as a Victor Hedman or . There used to be, but he's now spending his days hunting 5) IF ALL ELSE FAILS, FIND A WAY TO LEGALLY CIRCUMVENT THE and fishing and enjoying retirement in Minnesota. SALARY CAP:

Tampa and Montreal are hardly one-trick ponies, with the likes of Mikhail Yes, this is a direct shot at the Lightning, who are currently playing with a Sergachev, Ryan McDonagh, David Savard, Jeff Petry, roster that would be nowhere close to cap-compliant during the regular- and . No offence to the likes of pending unrestricted free season. agents Tucker Poolman and Derek Forbort, but every one of those Nikita Kucherov spending the entire 56-game campaign on long-term skaters would look real nice in Winnipeg's top four. injured reserve, then being perfectly healthy for puck drop during the The Jets hope they have some internal solutions on the horizon with the playoffs when money is no longer an object, was either a stroke of pure likes of Ville Heinola and Dylan Samberg, plus the emerging Logan luck, or pure genius, depending on your perspective. Steven Stamkos Stanley (provided he isn't lost to Seattle in the expansion draft later this also taking a stint on LTIR further helped the cause. month). But there's no question adding to the back-end should be For what it's worth, the NHL has found nothing nefarious with what general manager 's top priority this summer. Tampa did, although you wonder if change is eventually coming to the Whether it's free agency or a big trade, the current key three of Josh collective bargaining agreement in which the salary-cap ceiling, currently Morrissey, Neal Pionk and Dylan DeMelo need some big-time help at $81.5 million, would continue into the playoffs. around them in the form of size and skill. Hey, if you're not cheating, you're not trying, right? 2) BE A FOUR-LINE TEAM: The Jets have spent to the cap ceiling in recent years and will likely This series arguably involves the NHL's two best fourth lines. continue to do so. But it's become a delicate juggling act, one that has seen them bid farewell to several key players — including Chiarot — in On the Montreal side you have Corey Perry, and Joel Armia. the past. That's where getting contributions from players still on entry- On the Tampa side, you have Tyler Johnson, and Ross level deals, or value contracts, is critical. Colton, at least when everybody is healthy. (Johnson played Game 2 and 3 up on the second line for the injured Alex Killorn, while Mathieu Joseph Now, back to the Stanley Cup final. Or the Masked Singer. Whatever came into the lineup with Maroon and Colton). floats your boat.

Both coaches trust them enough to roll them out regularly, regardless of Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 07.05.2021 the situation, which allows your high-end forwards to be at their most effective.

The Jets actually took a solid step in this direction this past season, and the "Dirty 30's" line of , and Trevor 1216930 Websites The practice session was punctuated with happy whoops and yodels, playful chirps and goal celebrations. Plenty of them came from Maroon, who could threepeat Monday like some sort of blue-collar Michael Jordan. Sportsnet.ca / Facing elimination, Canadiens hint at changes: ‘We’re not finished yet’ “Playoff time is the best part of the year, and we’re loving every second of it,” said Yanni Gourde.

Towards the end of practice, the nets were pulled to the blue lines for a Luke Fox July 4, 2021, 3:49 PM miniature 3-on-3 scrimmage tournament.

When Maroon’s line scored the winning goal, the Big Rig’s arms outstretched high in the air, where Stanley Cups get held. MONTREAL – The chirping is the best part. “I know our mindset is different going into these closeout games as it has The NHL’s mini docuseries Quest for the Stanley Cup reveals behind- [been] in the past,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. the-scenes footage and mic’d-up moments from these intense playoff battles, and the chirping almost always is the best part. A refreshing dash “It’s about winning. It’s not about where you win. And that’s all we care of colour to contrast the buttoned-down formality of the daily Zoom about.” conference. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 07.05.2021 In one particularly enjoyable moment from Friday’s episode, which gathers footage from Game 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup final, Tampa Bay Lightning fourth-liner Patrick Maroon is laying into Montreal Canadiens winger Josh Anderson, ironically calling him “tough guy” a couple times before hitting the well-compensated Anderson with the zinger:

“You have the same amount of points as me, buddy. It’s embarrassing,” Maroon says, with glee. “The same amount of points as me! Ha-ha!”

Even if Maroon’s claim isn’t exactly accurate (Maroon has three playoff points to Anderson’s four), every joke contains a nugget of truth.

The Canadiens are getting thwacked 14-5 through three games in this slanted Final, and Anderson is just one of many Montreal weapons with doughnuts on the scoresheet.

So difficult to come by are quality 5-on-5 chances that Montreal coach Dominique Ducharme opted instead to drill down on power-play work Sunday in what threatens to be the club’s final practice of the season.

“We needed to take that time to work on our power play. Sometimes during a round or toward the end of the year, it was hard to do because we didn’t have time. And if we have two power plays tomorrow, we want to make the most out of them,” Ducharme explained.

“We can’t say we’ve had a lot of production there.”

Whistles have largely gone quiet in the series thus far, with Tampa’s elite 5-on-4 group cashing in on two of seven power plays. Montreal has one power-play strike in six attempts and has been operating at 20.4 per cent in the post-season.

Ducharme swapped out defenceman Erik Gustafasson on the point of the top unit in favour of Jeff Petry. Petry is gaining strength and confidence in his shot, firing nine pucks on net in the past two games.

“Have a positive attitude, still have fun coming into this rink every day and not hang our heads,” Petry said. “We have a big challenge ahead of us. We’ve had a challenging year all year. Just to come in and enjoy it every day has been the message. I think everyone was in good spirits today.”

As fans clamour for the return of Alexander Romanov, and and Tomas Tatar remain options, Ducharme hinted that more lineup tweaks could be in order for Monday’s Game 4.

“I’m not worried about putting any of our players in the lineup. They’ll be ready to play,” Ducharme said. “For Gustafsson, we’ll see tomorrow. You saw the power play units today, and that’s what it will be tomorrow, but we’ll see for the rest of our lineup.”

Anderson maintains that the mood is “loose and confident” in the Habs dressing room, even as they face the Herculean task of winning four straight games against a team that hasn’t lost four in a row since February of 2020.

“We’re going to do everything we can to stay in this thing and fly out to Tampa on Tuesday,” Anderson asserted.

“We got nothing to lose at this point, so everyone’s gonna be ready for tomorrow night, I can tell you that. We’re not finished yet.”

While the Canadiens insist they are loose and confident, the Lightning certainly looked that way during Sunday’s well-attended 30-minute optional. 1216931 Websites beaten so badly he was sent to the infirmary and cared for by a veterinarian instead of a doctor or nurse.

“There’s so many recountings of the abuse, the neglect and now, of Sportsnet.ca / To raise awareness, Indigenous Canadiens fans will course, we’re hearing about a lot of the deaths — some from peacefully protest anthem experiments, some that were just murdered. And then stories about a kid disappearing and his friends being told to plant trees but knowingly digging a grave for him.”

Eric Engels July 4, 2021, 12:32 PM It is the stuff of nightmares, things that have elicited a deep emotional response Bonspiel struggles to put into words.

“Let’s put it this way, I didn’t go through it, but I spoke with a residential MONTREAL — On Monday, as the Montreal Canadiens attempt to stave school survivor for two hours (on Wednesday) and I was visibly shaken,” off elimination and stage the first leg of a historic comeback in the Bonspiel said. “I had to take a ride on my own to just cry. I was so Stanley Cup Final, Steve Bonspiel will be among 3,500 fans at the Bell disgusted by these men and women put into authority positions, Centre intent on standing and cheering them on through every second of committing these acts against kids. It’s just gross, and I want to raise game action. awareness about it.” But for roughly one-and-a-half minutes before it all gets started, when the It is a more important reason to be at the Bell Centre on Monday than the Canadian national anthem gets belted out at full volume, he and his wife, one that’s initially bringing Bonspiel and Jacobs there to see their team Onawa Jacobs, will sit and complete what they feel is a much more try to win the first of four games to come back and beat the Tampa Bay important mission. They’re Mohawks from Kahnawake, a First-Nations Lightning. Though they are diehard Canadiens fans, with the 45-year-old reserve on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. They’re Bonspiel narrowly missing out on attending the last Cup Final game in descendants of people who owned this land thousands of years before Montreal and not wanting to lose this opportunity 28 years in the making, the birth of the country, they’re survivors of intergenerational trauma they feel this is a chance to extend the conversation on Indigenous more recently experienced in the now-defunct residential school system history and rights in Canada at a time when it is being amplified. and they want to raise awareness about how their communities have been treated by Canada. For the first time in his life, Bonspiel feels that, with the media and big corporations making efforts to spotlight this story, momentum is gaining For Bonspiel, born Soherise (pronounced Zo-heh-ree-ze) Bonspiel, and on the quest for true reconciliation. Onawa (Oh-na-wah), the wounds run deep. He has friends and relatives affected, and three of her four grandparents were scarred so badly that “I think it’s very important. Those steps are important,” he said. “The first the very mention of residential school is verboten for the two remaining steps you take as a child can lead you towards being an Olympic runner. ones. You’re not going to start off as an Olympic runner, you have to take baby steps. Seeing those orange ribbons every time I watch hockey — we They won’t speak about it, but Bonspiel and Jacobs will with this gesture. watch everything in the playoffs, not just the Canadiens games — and “I think it’s about getting people to understand,” Bonspiel said in an seeing ( host Kyle) Bukauskas the other day do interview with Sportsnet earlier this week. “The average Canadian will a land acknowledgment (prior to puck drop) and seeing the Canadiens say, ‘Why are you doing that? This country’s great,’ and I will counter and do their tribute at the Bell Centre (after the Kamloops discovery), those say, ‘How do you know what I’ve been through? Ask me why in a nice, things make you feel good because it makes you feel like you’re being respectful way and I’ll explain it to you.’ heard.

“By sitting down for the anthem, I’m hoping people will talk to me. I’m “Of course, there’s a long way to go and there’s a whole lot more things hoping people will understand that this country is great and there’s a lot to do. But if we’re starting there, that means we’re going to continue from of great things about it, but there’s a lot of deep, dark things that have there hopefully. If we don’t do any of that, like the networks have done never been resolved. I’m hoping people look past whatever indignity they forever before that, then we’re just going to continue doing the same think it is, and if they’re going to compare me sitting down for the anthem things, we’re just going to continue to treat Indigenous peoples as sub- to thousands and thousands of children who are dead in unmarked humans.” graves, whose parents never knew where they went, there’s no That Bonspiel also sees the seeds for change being planted on a societal comparison. I’m just doing a small part to keep that conversation going.” level is eye-opening for him. Editor’s note: If you are a former residential school student in distress, or “I do have some really good feelings about the people who have reached have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you out, who have tweeted their support and have kind of educated can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866- themselves,” Bonspiel said. “I see a lot of changing. It gives 925-4419, or the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free line me a lot of hope because it’s way different from when I was reporting on at 1-800-721-0066. residential schools 15 years ago, where the average Canadian said it It is a subject that has many Canadians recoiling in disbelief and dismay, didn’t happen or thought it was a lie because they had never heard of it with the discovery last month of 215 unmarked graves of children at a before. residential school in Kamloops, B.C., awakening them to a reality most of “Now it’s in their face. I’ve seen the two solitudes of, ‘Hey, we believe and them weren’t taught about in their own upbringing. The shame of a nation we support you,’ and then the other side of, ‘F off, you don’t deserve is deepening with every discovery that’s been made since — 751 anything, get over it.’ unmarked graves were found near the former site of the Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan on June 25, another 182 were “There’s no getting over it. And I would tell people that if your son or revealed near the St. Eugene’s Mission Residential school in Cranbrook, daughter was abused somewhere for many years and came home or B.C. on June 30 — and at least four new investigations spanning from never came home, would you ever get over it? Of course, you wouldn’t. the Pacific all the way to Nova Scotia are underway. That’s what we’re dealing with as Nations is this intergenerational trauma. But I do hold hope, and I do see a lot of differences in people not Stories from survivors are both unfathomable and gruesome. just turning away from it and people acknowledging that there’s some Bonspiel, born in Kahnawake’s neighboring reserve of Kanesatake, is the shame to feel as Canadians because this happened in Canada.” owner of a local publication called the Eastern Door. In addition to And there are many Canadians who don’t know anything about it, and covering sports, profiling some of the community’s rising stars and others who continue to choose to look away from it. Those are the people sharing human interest stories, he’s lately been spending much of his Bonspiel and Jacobs hope to reach with what they’re doing at the Bell time interviewing people who experienced the horror of residential Centre on Monday. school. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 07.05.2021 “I’ve heard stories of authorities performing obscene sexual acts on children and all kinds of abuse, of kids always being hungry, kids getting the hell beaten out of them for speaking their language,” Bonspiel said. “One person I know tried to escape twice and the second time was 1216932 Websites The Canadiens pride themselves on all the adversity they have overcome this season, including Ducharme being sidelined six playoff games with a COVID-19 positive test.

USA TODAY / Why Montreal Canadiens face elimination against Tampa Their playoff opponents also have had adversity. Maple Leafs captain Bay Lightning in Stanley Cup Final was injured on a fluke play, Jets forward received a four-game suspension, and Vegas Golden Knights first-line center Chandler Stephenson missed the first four games of the semifinals. Mike Brehm Those teams were hurt by those absences, but the Lightning managed to

overcome the loss of second-liner Alex Killorn in Game 1. They moved The Montreal Canadiens have been the surprise of the NHL playoffs, up Tyler Johnson in Game 2 and he got an assist. They moved him back reaching the Stanley Cup Final despite finishing with the fewest points to the fourth line for Game 3 and he scored twice. among the postseason teams. USA TODAY LOADED: 07.05.2021 But against the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning, they find themselves facing elimination, down 3-0 heading into Monday's Game 4 (8 p.m. ET, NBC) in Montreal.

The Canadiens will try to stay alive at the Bell Centre, where the rafters include banners for the club's record 24 Stanley Cup titles.

Only four NHL teams have overcome a 3-0 series deficit to win and none has done it in the Final since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs rallied past the Detroit Red Wings.

"Those who think we'll just go away don't really know us," said Canadiens coach Dominique Ducharme, who overcame a 3-0 deficit in junior hockey. "We'll fight. That's all we're thinking about right now."

Why the Canadiens are on the brink:

Too many mistakes

The Canadiens outplayed Tampa Bay in Game 2, but the Lightning went ahead 2-1 on a goal with 1.1 seconds left in the second period. They took a 3-1 lead after a Montreal defensive miscommunication.

In Game 3, Eric Staal was penalized for putting the puck over the glass, and Tampa Bay scored to make it 2-0 in the first period. They outplayed Tampa Bay for the rest of the period, getting one goal back, but a bad line change in the second period led to a 2-on-0 break, a Nikita Kucherov goal and a 3-1 lead.

"That's a talented team," Ducharme said. "They make you pay for your mistakes. If we look at the scoring chances in Game 3, it was almost equal. But we gave them a few scoring chances as a result of mistakes."

They're not scoring first

When the Canadiens rallied from a 3-1 series deficit against the Maple Leafs and then swept the Winnipeg Jets, they scored first in all seven games. They thrive in that situation by playing physical and relying on goalie Carey Price.

Lightning striking twice: Is Tampa Bay officially 'Titletown' if Bolts win second cup?

Analis Bailey, a current resident of Tampa, dives into the magical run the city's sports teams have gone on over the last year and examines if the city can truly claim itself as the 'Titletown.'

Sports Seriously, USA TODAY

But the Lightning have scored first in all three games of the championship round, and Montreal's offense isn't as strong as Tampa Bay's. The Canadiens are 11-2 in the playoffs when they score first and 1-6 when they don't.

The Lightning are disrupting Price

The big Montreal defense did a good job in the first three rounds of clearing the area in front of Price. If he can see shots, he will stop them.

But the Lightning have found ways to screen Price. They did so on the first two goals in Game 3.

They're also doing a nice job with side-to-side passes and scored several Game 1 goals on deflections.

Price had a 2.02 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage over the first three rounds. In the Final, his numbers are 4.39 and .835.

The Lightning can overcome adversity, too