Monthly Archives: April 2016
Mike Yeo tops list as Senators begin search for new coach
Less than a week after giving bench boss Dave Cameron and his assistants their walking papers, sources confirmed a report Tuesday the newly appointed Senators GM turned his talk into action by sitting down for a face-to-face interview with former Minnesota Wild coach Mike Yeo on Sunday.
No move? Zdeno Chara doesn’t think he’s done in Boston yet
Unless things change drastically over the summer, that scenario does not figure to exist in Boston, where Chara had to be The Guy on a weakened blue line in a lost season for the team. After Don Sweeney traded Dougie Hamilton for futures, the Bruins leaned on a declining Chara for 24:06 of ice time a night, which was up 45 seconds a game from the previous season. Chara tweaked his approach to enjoy a strong offensive campaign, but he couldn’t save the Bruins’ diminished defense by himself.
The pros & cons of Oilers trading Taylor Hall
I’ve consistently been averse to the idea of the Oilers trading Taylor Hall. That is still my position. But to check that conviction it’s best to look at it from the other side: What if it really is best for the Oilers to move Hall, as a vocal faction of Edmonton fans insist is the case?
Benning said he’s hoping to sign Demko
Benning said he’s hoping to sign Demko within “the next couple of weeks.”
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) April 12, 2016
Bruins defense requires offseason repairs
The Bruins will straighten out their defense. It would be irresponsible to launch a second straight season with a leaky blue line. They are in better, although not ideal, shape to fix it this summer by spending their futures capital.
Their best chips include two 2016 first-round picks and high-level prospects (Jake DeBrusk, Jakub Zboril, Zach Senyshyn, Brandon Carlo, Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Jeremy Lauzon, and Danton Heinen). They could have cached more futures for flipping purposes by trading Loui Eriksson, but they opted to retain the unrestricted free-agent-to-be.
Maple Leafs Resign Kadri and Reilly
The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the seven Canadian teams that failed to qualify for this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, but they aren’t sitting around feeling sorry for themselves. The Maple Leafs have already started planning for next season by resigning two of their best players to six-year extensions, and improving their NHL sports betting odds of making the playoffs next season.
On Wednesday, the Maple Leafs announced that they have given Morgan Reilly and Nazem Kadri six-year contract extensions, keeping them with the team until 2022. Since both players were about to become restricted free agents this summer, the Maple Leafs don’t have to worry about losing either player to another team.
Hoffman’s future with Senators up in the air
All eyes will be on Mike Hoffman this summer.
Will he stay or will he go?
The next stop for the Senators’ high-scoring winger, who had an afternoon exit meeting with GM Pierre Dorion, will be a trip to Mexico Thursday for a post-season vacation. Whether his hockey home continues to be the Canadian Tire Centre remains to be seen.
Though Hoffman professed he’d “love to stay in Ottawa”, the reality is as a restricted free agent — who is in for a big raise and has the right to accept a one-year deal in arbitration — he could be a strong candidate to get dealt if the two sides aren’t able to come to an agreement.
Will Doan play another year?
Dave Tippett on Shane Doan’s future: “My gut feeling is Shane will play next year.”
— Dave Vest (@davest4yotes) April 12, 2016
Jimmy Vesey interest in Buffalo and playing with Eichel
Sometimes tough to gauge the validity of these things, but there are whispers of Jimmy Vesey interest in Buffalo, and playing w/Jack Eichel
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) April 12, 2016
Canucks let him down, and now Miller’s time looks up in Vancouver
The scaffolding around the soon-to-be 36-year-old goalie is still going up as GM Jim Benning prepares to go deeper into the roster renovation that was long overdue on the Canucks.
At this stage of his career, Miller hasn’t time to wait for the finished product and the Canucks, whose season next year could be as difficult as this one, no longer need a $6-million-a-year goalie.
The two sides no longer fit. Miller is a grand piano bought for a mansion. Now, the Canucks are living in a garage until the new house is built.
Iain MacIntyre: Canucks let him down, and now Miller's time looks up in Vancouver
Neither Hiller nor Backstrom will be back.
On goaltenders, Treliving confirms neither Hiller nor Backstrom will be back. Says they need to “solidify” position next season. #Flames
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) April 11, 2016
Patrik Elias admits playing for another team would tarnish his career
It seemed strange hearing Patrik Elias call the Devils “they” and “them” as he cleaned out his locker at Prudential Center Monday morning.
But Elias, who turns 40 Wednesday, said it wasn’t a slip of the tongue indicating that his career was over. He’d still like to come back for more more season.
Injuries Can’t Slow Islanders Down
The New York Islanders have been riddles with injuries all season long, which reduced their NHL sports betting odds of making the playoffs. Despite the injuries, the Islanders found a way to keep winning and qualified for the playoffs.
After losing another player to injury, head coach Jack Capuano told reporters he couldn’t remember how many times in recent weeks that his team only had five defensemen.
A visibly upset Capuano told reporters that he was tired of answering question about injuries because it has been a long month for the team and there was nothing he could do about it.
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