Nashville Predators forward Kevin Fiala has been ruled out for the remainder of the postseason due to a fracture of the left femur suffered during Game 1 against the St. Louis Blues.
"He (Fiala) underwent successful surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis and is resting comfortably," general manager David Poile said in a statement. "He is extremely disappointed that he will not be able to help his teammates in their quest for the Stanley Cup, but is looking forward to starting his rehabilitation upon his return to Nashville."
Fiala had scored two playoff goals for the Predators prior to the injury.
The Boston Bruins are looking to build upon an encouraging portion of the season that saw them return to the playoffs for the first time in three years.
In an end-of-season press conference Thursday, general manager Don Sweeney began by saying the team was excited to officially name Bruce Cassidy its head coach after the interim tag was removed this week.
The GM added that he liked how the Bruins - who went 18-8-1 down the stretch under Cassidy - responded to the coaching switch from Claude Julien, saying they played with a more "aggressive bent," while scoring more without losing defensive structure, per Mike Loftus of The Patriot Ledger.
An organizational commitment to winning was also reiterated, and while Sweeney believes in the core group of high-end players, he added, via Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe: "We need to be a deeper, more talented team."
Sweeney on what needs to improve: "The middle part of our lineup is an area we need to continue to get better at."
Whether that depth is added from within through the promotion of prospects or though trades and free agency is yet to be determined, with salary cap and expansion draft considerations always front of mind.
And since Boston just finished play a few days ago, Sweeney admitted no hard and fast decisions have been made in terms of pending free agents. It's safe to assume, though, that there'll be a measure of change in regards to the roster in an effort to build on the relative success achieved under Cassidy.
The search for the next general manager of the Buffalo Sabres is rumored to have extended to the desert.
But if asked, Arizona will reportedly not allow Buffalo to speak with John Chayka, the Coyotes' general manager, according to Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports.
The 27-year-old has four years remaining on his current contract with the club, as Morgan reports, clarifying that he's not saying the Sabres have formally inquired.
Chayka joined the Coyotes in 2015 as the assistant GM responsible for analytics. He moved into the top job last offseason following the firing of longtime executive Don Maloney.
The Sabres are in search of a new GM and head coach after dismissing Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma last Thursday.
A move to Western New York would mark a homecoming of sorts for Chayka, who hails from the nearby Niagara Region.
Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.
The Toronto Maple Leafs won't win the Stanley Cup this season, but their coach could soon take home a little hardware of his own. He's one of four key bench bosses to make headlines this week:
▲ Mike Babcock
Babcock's trophy case is well decorated. From two Olympic golds, a world junior win, a World Cup, and a Stanley Cup during his time with the Detroit Red Wings, there's just one thing missing.
The Maple Leafs bench boss has never captured Coach of the Year honors, but has a chance to do so this season. Babcock was nominated for the Jack Adams Award alongside Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan and John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Babcock's best selling point may be the quick turnaround he pulled off with the Maple Leafs. After finishing dead last a year ago - and earning the top odds to draft Auston Matthews first overall - Toronto rebounded in a big way this season, qualifying for the playoffs for just the second time since 2004.
No team has gone from last place to the dance in less time since the Philadelphia Flyers did so in 2008.
▼ Bruce Boudreau
Boudreau dominates in the regular season. It's spring hockey that continues to be a hurdle for the Minnesota Wild coach.
After piecing together a 106-point season for the best finish in franchise history - including a 12-game win streak through December - the Wild face-planted in the opening round of the playoffs, losing out to the St. Louis Blues in five games.
The elimination ended another season abruptly for Boudreau, who - despite his regular-season success (his teams have won their divisions in eight of 10 seasons) - hasn't quite figured out how to win in the postseason.
Through stints with the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, and now the Wild, Boudreau has advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs just once.
▲ Bruce Cassidy
Win and you're in.
The Boston Bruins made a change behind the bench this season, relieving veteran bench boss Claude Julien - the longest-tenured coach at the time of his firing - replacing him with Cassidy, who previously led the Bruins' farm team in Providence.
The adjustment paid off, as the Bruins went 18-8-1 under their new coach, putting together a performance that snapped a two-year skid where Boston was on the outside of the playoff picture.
Despite falling to the Ottawa Senators in the opening round, Cassidy earned his keep, and the Bruins were quick to drop the interim tag from his title and grant him the full-time gig.
▼ Joel Quenneville
Nobody saw this coming.
Knocked out of the playoffs in a four-game sweep to the Nashville Predators, the Chicago Blackhawks were quick to evaluate their early exit. While general manager Stan Bowman noted his longtime coach was safe, changes quickly followed behind Quenneville's bench, much to his chagrin, as the team fired his longtime assistant Mike Kitchen.
After capturing three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks, it's hard to find fault with Quenneville's performance in Chicago. Still, he wasn't able to get his top players going against the Predators to reverse the tide, as the Blackhawks netted just three goals in the four-game set.
It marked the first playoff sweep against Quenneville since 2008 when he coached the Colorado Avalanche.
On the seventh anniversary of his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut, P.K. Subban stole the show.
Subban scored a goal and added two assists in Nashville's Game 1 win over the St. Louis Blues, becoming the first defenseman in Predators history to record three points in a postseason game.
On April 26, 2010, and with only two regular-season games under his belt, Subban made his playoff debut as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. He's clearly relished the opportunity to perform on the big stage ever since.
"I guess you could say that I started my career in the playoffs, so whenever I get back here I get a certain feeling that just makes the game fun and makes me want to elevate my game," Subban said, per Arpon Basu of NHL.com. "It's not an easy thing to do, but let's face it; we can sugarcoat it, but that's why they pay me, you know?
"It's to come up big in these games and perform."
Following the offensive outburst in Game 1, Subban now has 43 points in 60 career playoff appearances, good for a point-per-game average of 0.72, up from his regular-season mark of 0.64.
If he keeps this up, Subban could very well be heading to the conference finals for the second time in his career, while helping the Predators reach the third round for the first time ever.
A massive performance on the part of Edmonton Oilers defenseman Adam Larsson raised an inevitable line of questioning following a Game 1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Larsson scored two goals - including the game-winner - and recorded an assist to become the first defenseman in team history to register at least three points in the third period of a playoff game, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
Of course, no one will ever forget that the Swede came to Edmonton by way of a trade with the New Jersey Devils that saw star winger Taylor Hall sent the other way. Following the win, Oilers head coach Todd McLellan was asked about the impact Larsson has had on the club, once again having to address the merits of the deal.
"We needed to improve our blue line, and we needed an anchor back there. Larsson has become that," McLellan told reporters.
"We could have kept floundering without fixing that hole. ... What (Chiarelli) did to change the complexion of our team takes a lot of courage. It's not an easy thing to do when you're trading a player of Taylor's caliber and popularity in the community. Taylor's a tremendous player, but Larsson does solidify things back there for us."
Larsson isn't known as an offensive dynamo, having recorded 19 points during the regular season with one previous three-point outing along the way.
It's his defensive prowess that caught the Oilers' eye, and so far in the playoffs, he leads the team in total ice time with positive possession numbers at even strength, per Corsica Hockey. In other words, he's shouldering a heavy load and largely succeeding in keeping the puck away from goaltender Cam Talbot.
The trade will continue to draw questions, but in the meantime, Larsson is indeed proving to be a key piece for the new-look Oilers.
The Toronto Maple Leafs surpassed everyone's expectations in 2016-17. Not only did they qualify for the playoffs, but they took the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals to six games in the first round, with five of them needing overtime.
All this one year after the Leafs finished dead last in the league.
The Leafs have a legitimate chance to challenge for a Stanley Cup over the next few seasons before their young core of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner get paid top dollar. This could arguably be the most important offseason in the history of the franchise.
Despite the rapid growth of this young team, there are still pressing issues that need to be taken care of this summer.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Acquire 3 defensemen
Easier said than done, but possible nonetheless.
One of these defensemen must be capable of logging top-four minutes, while the other two would need to be able to make up the third pairing.
In an ideal world, this fourth defenseman is a right-handed shot, a stable presence, brings some much-needed size and physicality to the table, and fits the timeline with regard to the rest of the team.
The problem is, blue-liners like this are rare, and teams that have one that fits the description likely aren't willing to part ways with him.
Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba would be a perfect fit, though it would likely cost the Leafs one of Nylander or Marner - an avenue they probably don't want to take.
One team that may be open to trading a young defenseman that can play top-four minutes is the Carolina Hurricanes. Here's a look at their situation on the back end:
Name
Age
Contract Status
Justin Faulk
25
$4.83M cap hit through 2019
Noah Hanifin
20
RFA 2018
Brett Pesce
22
RFA 2018
Ryan Murphy
24
RFA 2018
Klas Dahlbeck
25
RFA 2018
Jaccob Slavin
22
RFA 2018
Matt Tennyson
27
UFA 2017
It's highly unlikely the Canes are able to hang on to the five defensemen who are restricted free agents following the 2017-18 season. Given the demand for young blue-liners around the league, Carolina is in the driver's seat when it comes to making a deal.
The one the Leafs would be smart to target is Jaccob Slavin. Though he isn't a right-handed shot, or all that physical, he brings size (6-foot-2) and is already mature beyond his years.
This past season he ranked second in the NHL with 82 takeaways, while only giving the puck away 54 times, despite logging over 23 minutes per game. It's no wonder he was plus-23 on a non-playoff team. He probably wouldn't cost Toronto one of its "big three."
However, if the trade route doesn't work out, Toronto will have to turn to the free-agent market to acquire a top-four D-man.
It's possible the Leafs could splurge on Kevin Shattenkirk or Karl Alzner to help solidify their back end, but both will likely come with hefty asking prices.
Options who will come cheaper but are still somewhat capable of playing top-four minutes include Michael Del Zotto, Michael Stone, and Dmitry Kulikov. Serviceable, but less than ideal.
As for the fifth and sixth defensemen, it's possible Toronto brings back Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak, both unrestricted free agents. However, upgrading the bottom pairing could go a long way in providing more depth and stability on the blue line. Signing veterans on short-term deals here isn't out of the question, considering prospects Andrew Nielsen and Travis Dermott, both 20, are only a year or two away from being NHL-ready.
Lock up Nikita Zaitsev
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
TSN's Bob McKenzie reported March 30 that the Leafs and Zaitsev were working toward a seven-year contract extension. Later that day, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the deal would be worth $4.5 million per season.
Not much has been reported since, but talks will likely heat up now that the Leafs' season's over.
In his first NHL season, Zaitsev averaged 22:01 per game and tallied 36 points. At 25, he was old for a rookie, but a deal such as the one reported above would take him through the prime years of his career at a reasonable rate.
Zaitsev isn't anything to drool over, but he is an exceptional skater who can move the puck and play reliably in his own zone.
If the reported deal comes to fruition, Toronto would have Rielly, Gardiner, and Zaitsev under contract at $5 million or less per year.
Trade James van Riemsdyk
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
James van Riemsdyk is a legitimate top-six forward, but it's difficult to imagine him being a part of this team long term since he's an unrestricted free agent after next season. As a perennial 25-30 goal-scorer who currently makes $4.25 million per year, he's due for a hefty pay raise.
If the Leafs were to hang onto van Riemsdyk, they would likely have to pay him $6 or $7 million per year. That may sound like a bit much, but take a look at what some comparable players are making per season:
Player
Cap Hit
Bobby Ryan
$7.25M
Brandon Saad
$6M
Loui Eriksson
$6M
Kyle Okposo
$6M
Milan Lucic
$6M
Andrew Ladd
$5.5M
A case can be made that van Riemsdyk is better than all of these players. With even larger pay increases on the horizon for Matthews, Nylander, and Marner, it doesn't make much sense for Toronto to invest a hefty sum in JvR.
Since van Riemsdyk is in his prime (he'll turn 28 on May 4), Toronto could use him as its primary trade chip in order to acquire a top-four defenseman.
The Leafs have a plethora of internal forward depth that could be used to replace van Riemsdyk's top-six role. Kasperi Kapanen had a great year in the AHL and scored some clutch goals for the big club down the stretch and in the postseason. He seems primed for a promotion.
In addition to Kapanen, Josh Leivo was excellent whenever he was called upon. Brendan Leipsic had a superb season in the AHL and seems ready for a full-time role in the NHL. With the projected growth of its young core in place, Toronto could survive the loss of their second-leading point-producer.
