Courtesy: Scott Kane/ICON SMI
– Alex Ovechkin was injured in the Worlds on Sunday in Belarus. He was checked in the knee on an open ice hit by Germany’s Marcus Kink, who, when asked by reporters about the incident, stormed off after the game. Ovechkin was on the ice for 2-3 min before being carried off and taken to the hospital in an ambulance. He seems to be ok for now, but ‘Ovi-watch’ is in effect. Hopefully it’s just a sprain.
– Zenon Kenopka of the Buffalo Sabres was suspended by the NHL for 20 games for using an illegal DHEA substance that he says was given to him by a non-team doctor. The NHL has never really been involved in doping scandals, but this could lead the league into a different direction about how often they test and what substances could be added to the list.
– Milan Lucic is not very sorry for his actions in the handshake line following Boston’s series loss to the Canadiens. Lucic told Canadiens Dale Weise and Alexi Emelin that was ‘going to f*cking kill’ each of them next season. Lucic said, “I’m not the first guy to do it, I’m not the last guy to do it. I’m not sorry that I did it. I can’t take back what I said. I’m not apologizing for what was said in the handshake. It’s just unfortunate that what was said on the ice gets leaked out and gets blown out of proportion.” And while that is true, and it is funny if you think about, maybe Lucic should have just kept his mouth shut and lost with some class.
– Per Slava Malamud: IIHF president: ”Gary Bettman said in Sochi it was unbelievable and if same happens in Korea, (NHL) will come. Puck is in players’ hands.” Which probably means the NHL got a nice pay day from ‘letting’ the players go to Sochi and play for their respective countries. We’ll see what happens in 4 years.
GM Search:
– The Vancouver Canucks are most likely going with Boston Assistant GM, Jim Benning. He had his second interview recently and all signs point to the Canucks having him take over for the recently fired Mike Gillis. Former Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson also had a second interview.
– The Pittsburgh Penguins recently fired GM Ray Shero, but kept Head Coach Dan Bylsma on board… for now. Shero failed to give the Penguins the right mix of players the last few season to play alongside Crosby – although many people, myself included, are calling Shero the escape goat for a team that relies too heavily on a player that has lost some motivation. No word yet on who the Penguins would hire, but Asst. GM Jason Botterill could be ready if the Penguins want to go that route. Mike Gillis will no doubt get attention as well.
– The Washington Capitals may have already picked their new GM, but were waiting until after the Wizards were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs – perhaps to not draw attention away from the Wizards’ success. The Caps have been taking their time, which they should, and if they do have someone in the wings, maybe they are also waiting to announce the new Head Coach at the same time – which will probably be Trotz. The short list, according to Elliotte Friedman of the CBC, could be Paul Fenton (Asst. GM Nashville), Ray Shero (Pittsburgh) and Don Sweeney (Boston Bruins Management Team). Gretzky’s name has still been toyed with, but I don’t think that has anything to do with a GM spot. I’ll talk more about this later.
Courtesy: Sports Illustrated/CNN
Head Coaching Jobs:
– Dan Bylsma was not fired. Yet. Some sources are saying he was retained because the Penguins were afraid of him going to a rival team (Washington?). There is also a rumor that Bylsma will coach another year then be fired, just in time for the Penguins to take a shot at Detroit’s Mike Babcock as his contract is up at the end of the season.
– Barry Trotz could be the Capitals new Head Coach, but there hasn’t been any new news on that. If the Penguins had fired Bylsma, Trotz was reportedly their guy, which is another reason why I think Trotz already has something lined up. Florida could also be a landing spot.
– Mike Babcock said he couldn’t see himself anywhere else but in Detroit: “When you’ve been in a place nine years like I have, going into my 10th year, it becomes a mutual thing. You want to be someplace where they want you. If they don’t want you, you move on. I’m going to coach in the league for a long time yet, there’s going to be opportunities for me. I like what we’ve done in Detroit; we’ve rebuilt on the fly…I think we have a chance to be better next year and better in the future. So, I tell people all the time: I’ve got a good place to hunt, I’ve got a good place to water ski, my family’s happy, my youngest girl is finishing school next year so I’m free that way. But there’s no reason to move if you don’t have to move or if it doesn’t excite you to. I’ve always been a believer that the grass is greener right here at home as long as you fertilize and water.” (Hockey Night in Canada) If Detroit decides to part ways with him, Babcock will certainly command the NHL’s attention for teams who are looking for an upgrade. San Jose and Pittsburgh should be on watch.
Trade and Free Agent Rumors:
– The St. Louis Blues just re-signed Brian Elliot for three years, which means they’re more than likely to sever ties with Ryan Miller after a disappointing playoffs. Miller will draw a lot of attention from teams looking to upgrade their goaltending. Anaheim and San Jose will be very interested.
– R.J. Umberger has requested a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets. After limited playing time towards the end of the season, Umberger approached management and they both agreed a move was in order. Both sides have been cooperative. Umberger’s Limited Trade Clause kicks in July 15th, where he cana pick 10 teams he does NOT want to be traded to, so chances are, he’s dealt at the deadline unless the Blue Jackets can’t get a good return.
– The Caps have to figure out what to do with Brooks Laich. The oft-injured center could be bought out unless the Caps believe he can thrive under a different coach. However, in order to be bought out, he’d have to pass a physical, which he failed at the end of the year. I’d hate to see Laich be bought out, but if he can’t perform like he used to, then the Caps will do something.
– Jason Spezza will be dealt, most likely, this summer. Teams that could be interested are Toronto, Anaheim, Dallas and Florida. Spezza would have to waive his no-trade clause for up to 10 teams, which he may have done already.
– Ryan Kesler could be dealt to someone like the Ducks, but Vancouver might want to hang on to him while they figure out which direction they are going with a new GM and coach.
– The San Jose Sharks will not be re-signing Dan Boyle, which means the Rangers could come calling. They’ve been Boyle-hungry for a while now, but watch for Detroit to sneak in. I also wonder if Dallas or St. Louis would be interested.
– Evander Kane’s name is coming up in Philadelphia again, and now that Ron Hextall is GM, it could happen. Claude Giroux needs a little more speed and toughness to play with and Kane could be the answer. It could cost them a Schenn or two, but not necessarily to Winnipeg.
– Dion Phaneuf name is all over the place recently, but that doesn’t mean he’s going anywhere. The Maple Leafs are listening to teams, but they’re going to have to be wowed. Phaneuf’s stock may have fallen a bit, but he’s still one of the top d-men in the league. Playing in Toronto is a tough job, and Phaneuf hasn’t lived up to THEIR expectations, which are always too high. Edmonton and Calgary could be landing places, as they’ll have the cap room. Colorado would have to move money out to bring him, unless Toronto retains some salary.
– The Penguins may look to shop James Neal and Kris Letang. Neal would have some good trade value, and a team like St. Louis could be interested or maybe even Florida (my opinions). Letang’s health might scare teams off, but he did play very well in the playoffs. Teams like Colorado or Detroit would covet him.
I’ll have more Rumors later as it’s getting closer and closer to the end of the playoffs and teams are already talking about what to do at the draft.
More to come…
