Brossoit has gone 3-7-1 with a 3.22 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage in 13 games with the Oilers this season. He hasn't fared much better with the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL, posting a 3.08 GAA and .901 SV%.
Melnyk announced Feb. 9 that former CEO Tom Anselmi vacated his position after just over one year on the job.
It's been a tumultuous year, at best, for Melnyk and the Senators, who have been in a seemingly never-ending free fall since reaching Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals last season. On top of the club's dwindling attendance numbers, Melnyk struck a nerve with the Senators fan base with incendiary comments regarding the possibility of relocating the franchise in December at the NHL 100 Classic, leading to the #MelnykOut trend on Twitter shortly after.
That said, the Senators did recently reach a deal in principle to redevelop LeBreton Flats - the hopeful home of a new arena in downtown Ottawa.
In the shorter term, though, Melnyk and the rest of the Senators' front office have plenty of work to do involving their roster. With Dion Phaneuf already traded, Ottawa needs to map out a plan on the rest of its rumored to be available players, including Mike Hoffman, Derick Brassard, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and of course, captain Erik Karlsson a little further down the road.
It will take another "Miracle on Ice" for the United States to revive its chances of medaling in PyeongChang.
The U.S. was completely outmatched during a 4-0 loss to the Olympic Athletes from Russia on Saturday night. In fact, the scoreline may have flattered the Americans, considering how disorganized, disinterested, and overwhelmed they looked for the vast majority of the contest.
With the exception of Ryan Donato's two power-play goals during a 2-1 win over Slovakia, the U.S. hasn't put together a stretch of competent play in this tournament. The team's disappointing performance has made it even more painful to think about what could have been under normal circumstances.
It was a wildly unpopular decision for the NHL to bar its players from participating in PyeongChang, but it didn't appear to hurt the U.S. any more than its rivals. Prior to the tournament, Canada and Finland could've argued they were the countries most affected by the ruling, with all of their top players playing in the NHL. But, after three lackluster games - which included a blown lead to minnow Slovenia, a narrow win over Slovakia, and a thorough beating from the Olympic Athletes from Russia - it's clear the Americans are suffering the most from the NHL's non-participation, with a golden generation of players stuck watching from the sidelines.
Kovalchuk after Russians’ 4-0 shutout of #teamUSA: “After last game you guys are still showing highlights of Oshie scoring goals.”
A new wave of American stars has taken over the NHL since the country finished fourth at Sochi 2014. Calgary Flames standout Johnny Gaudreau ranks second in league scoring, Auston Matthews has already earned demigod status for reviving the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jack Eichel is the focal point of the Buffalo Sabres, and Vancouver Canucks rookie Brock Boeser is the front-runner for the Calder Trophy. That core, combined with veteran stalwarts Phil Kessel, Patrick Kane and Blake Wheeler, would have been enough to win gold. Watching this year's group falter miserably only makes the contrast seem crueler.
On top of all that, the biggest difference is that the U.S. would've had its pick of standout NHL goaltenders. John Gibson, Connor Hellebuyck, Ben Bishop, or Jonathan Quick could've elevated the Americans to the top of the podium. Instead, Ryan Zapolski is nowhere near that caliber and looked completely outmatched while the Russians fired shots with pinpoint accuracy past him. A dejected Zapolski may be the enduring image of the U.S. team in PyeongChang.
Overall, it's great for USA Hockey that the country is undergoing a true renaissance with regards to player development. It's just a shame that the progress can't be displayed on the world stage. Instead, the contrast between the country's top talents and the roster in PyeongChang is apparent - and difficult to watch - every time the U.S. takes the ice.
The U.S. defeated Russia in a shootout during the group stage at Sochi four years ago, electing to use T.J. Oshie six times during a 3-2 victory. Kovalchuk tacitly disapproved of the tactic and took a shot at his opponent following Saturday's win.
"After the last game in Sochi, I think you guys are still showing the highlights of Oshie scoring those shootouts, right? So, hopefully, you’re gonna change that now," Kovalchuk said via Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press.
There may be bigger concerns for the U.S. to address. Head coach Tony Granato was reportedly incensed that the OAR team kept its top power-play unit on the ice while leading 4-0, NBC's Pierre McGuire reported via ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.
Kovalchuk and the OAR advanced to the quarterfinals with the victory.
With St. Louis looking to bolster its offense ahead of the postseason and Ottawa trending toward a firesale, there could be a match, as both players would help solidify the top end of the Blues' attack.
Hoffman, 28, has 16 goals and 23 assists in 56 games this season, and has two more years on his current contract at $5.187 million per. Brassard, meanwhile, would add flexibility to the Blues' options down the middle. The 30-year-old has notched 32 points so far in 2017-18, and is owed $5 million next season.
St. Louis has already been active in the trade market, sending the Toronto Maple Leafs a 2019 fourth-round draft pick in exchange for winger Nikita Soshnikov on Thursday.
As the trade deadline approaches, there's a high-scoring 26-year-old winger in Buffalo who's likely to command plenty of attention.
That would be Evander Kane, who has recorded 18 goals in 58 contests this season, and who's averaging 26 goals for every 82 games played over the course of his career.
Kane can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, and Sabres general manager Jason Botterill is believed to be seeking a first-round pick, a prospect or young roster player, and possibly a conditional pick based on whether Kane re-signs with the acquiring team.
The Sabres, then, are looking to cash in on this asset while they can, with the following three teams serving as logical suitors.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings are reportedly looking to trade for a forward after pulling off a deal to acquire defenseman Dion Phaneuf. One only has to look at the top line to see there’s clearly a spot for Kane on this roster.
Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown are having much-needed bounce-back seasons for Los Angeles, with rookie forward Alex Iafallo on the left side of that unit. The 24-year-old has contributed six goals and 13 assists in 55 games, but Kane would obviously provide a significant upgrade at that position.
With Jeff Carter soon to return from injury, the addition of Kane would give the Kings a formidable top six:
E. Kane - Kopitar - Brown
Tanner Pearson - Carter - Tyler Toffoli
The Kings are currently on the outside looking in at the Western Conference playoff picture, but the Phaneuf deal signals they're not ready to abdicate just yet; with Kane on board, they could reign once more.
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers general manager Ron Hextall can go big ahead of the deadline as the owner of two first-round picks this year: Philadelphia's and another acquired from the St. Louis Blues in last summer's Brayden Schenn trade.
On top of that, they also received a first-round pick in 2017 that was used to select forward Morgan Frost, who has been dominating at the OHL level this season.
Philadelphia is in position to qualify for a playoff spot after missing out last year, and Hextall has the aforementioned assets at his disposal to improve the current roster without sacrificing other promising prospects picked up over the past few years. Having said that, Buffalo could very well insist on a young defenseman to be included in a package, of which Philadelphia has plenty.
The Flyers are relying on youngsters like Nolan Patrick and Travis Konecny to complement the veteran forward core, and creating depth up front by adding Kane to the top six could benefit everyone.
Anaheim Ducks
Like their neighbors in Los Angeles, the Ducks are fighting to secure a playoff spot, and Kane would look very nice on Anaheim's second line alongside Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg.
Remember, Anaheim advanced to the Conference Finals last year, and the Ducks were counting on Patrick Eaves to provide some scoring, but he's been out of the lineup since October with Guillain-Barre syndrome with no timetable for return.
The Ducks could then even look to flip Antoine Vermette and his expiring contract to a team in need a depth down the middle, thereby possibly recouping a pick or prospect while filling the fourth-line center spot with Andrew Cogliano, who's been playing on Kesler's left side.
This team still has Cup aspirations, and Kane could certainly help these Ducks fly over that hump.
Goaltending woes have turned into goaltending whoas for the New York Islanders.
Heading into a back-to-back set of big divisional games - Thursday against the rival New York Rangers and Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes - the Islanders' goalie tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss had combined for zero shutouts this season.
Two games and 95 shots on goal later, they each have one, temporarily easing concerns over the team's issues in net.
Player
Opponent
Saves
Halak
Rangers
50
Greiss
Hurricanes
45
The Islanders have now scored 200 goals, second only to Tampa Bay for the NHL lead. But even after the shutouts, they still hold a minus-14 goal differential.
The wins bumped the Islanders into a wild-card playoff spot, and more of these performances are needed from Halah and Greiss if they want to hold onto that spot.
