In what Matt Duchene admitted is "probably the biggest decision I'll ever have to make," the pending unrestricted free agent is at least considering re-signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
"I've really enjoyed my time here and we will definitely be talking with (general manager Jarmo Kekalainen) and the Blue Jackets and seeing what's in store," Duchene told reporters during the team's locker cleanout day.
Still accepting a Game 6 loss in the second round of the playoffs, Duchene is far from settled on a destination. He said he will make a "hockey decision" and intends to explore all opportunities.
Duchene tied his career high with 70 points this past season and increased his value with 10 points in as many playoff games. Centers of his caliber and age (28) rarely hit the open market.
The Blue Jackets already have limited draft picks after Kekalainen's pre-deadline splurge, but if Duchene re-signs, the Ottawa Senators will receive Columbus' first-round pick in 2020.
"Obviously, it would be a great thing if it could continue, so we'll see what happens," Duchene said.
When asked what resources he'll use to help make his decision, Duchene said he may reach out to good friend John Tavares, who left the New York Islanders last summer to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Ken Holland's first task as general manager of the Edmonton Oilers is to find a head coach, but that hasn't stopped him from eyeing possible improvements to his roster - specifically between the pipes - when free agency begins July 1.
"Many teams have two goalies now," Holland told TSN1260's Jason Gregor on Wednesday. "I'd like a goalie who could play 30-to-35 games and they challenge and push each other. Ideally, I'd like one who has pro experience. I will talk to teams, but right now we likely will find one in free agency."
Mikko Koskinen is the only netminder on Edmonton's roster with a contract for next season. Just two days before his dismissal, former GM Peter Chiarelli signed Koskinen to a three-year extension with a $4.5-million cap hit. After arriving back in North America on the heels of a successful KHL stint, the 30-year-old posted a .906 save percentage and a 2.93 goals-against average in 55 games.
The free-agent goaltending class this summer is headlined by Sergei Bobrovsky and Vezina Trophy nominee Robin Lehner, both of whom are expected to be out of the cap-strapped Oilers' price range.
Here are the other top options, ranked in order by their save percentage last season:
Goalie
Team
Age
GP
GAA
SV%
Petr Mrazek
CAR
27
40
2.39
.914
Curtis McElhinney
CAR
36
32
2.57
.912
Ryan Miller
ANA
38
20
2.76
.912
Semyon Varlamov
COL
31
48
2.85
.910
Anders Nilsson
OTT
29
35
2.98
.908
Brian Elliott
PHI
34
26
2.96
.907
Mike Smith
CGY
37
41
2.72
.898
The Oilers project to have roughly $12 million in cap space for next year.
Ken Holland's first task as general manager of the Edmonton Oilers is to find a head coach, but that hasn't stopped him from eyeing possible improvements to his roster - specifically between the pipes - when free agency begins July 1.
"Many teams have two goalies now," Holland told TSN1260's Jason Gregor on Wednesday. "I'd like a goalie who could play 30-to-35 games and they challenge and push each other. Ideally, I'd like one who has pro experience. I will talk to teams, but right now we likely will find one in free agency."
Mikko Koskinen is the only netminder on Edmonton's roster with a contract for next season. Just two days before his dismissal, former GM Peter Chiarelli signed Koskinen to a three-year extension with a $4.5-million cap hit. After arriving back in North America on the heels of a successful KHL stint, the 30-year-old posted a .906 save percentage and a 2.93 goals-against average in 55 games.
The free-agent goaltending class this summer is headlined by Sergei Bobrovsky and Vezina Trophy nominee Robin Lehner, both of whom are expected to be out of the cap-strapped Oilers' price range.
Here are the other top options, ranked in order by their save percentage last season:
Goalie
Team
Age
GP
GAA
SV%
Petr Mrazek
CAR
27
40
2.39
.914
Curtis McElhinney
CAR
36
32
2.57
.912
Ryan Miller
ANA
38
20
2.76
.912
Semyon Varlamov
COL
31
48
2.85
.910
Anders Nilsson
OTT
29
35
2.98
.908
Brian Elliott
PHI
34
26
2.96
.907
Mike Smith
CGY
37
41
2.72
.898
The Oilers project to have roughly $12 million in cap space for next year.
A second Game 7 in as many nights will take place when the San Jose Sharks host the Colorado Avalanche Wednesday, and we're all better off for it.
Here are three significant storylines to monitor ahead of - and during - the decisive contest:
Pavelski's health
The biggest question heading into this Game 7 is simple: Will Joe Pavelski play?
San Jose has been tight-lipped about Pavelski's availability. Head coach Peter DeBoer essentially labeled his captain a game-time decision Tuesday, but cautioned "he'd be playing right now if he had a clean bill of health," according to NHL.com's Tim Campbell.
San Jose has survived the entire series without the 34-year-old center so far, but his return would take pressure off the team's depth forwards and return their workloads to more typical levels.
Simply put, Pavelski is the heart and soul of the Sharks. If he doesn't play, they've proven they can compete without him, but if he does, it could make the difference in what's been an incredibly tight series.
Secondary scoring
Matthew Stockman / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Colorado's explosive top line and the Sharks' talented top six have delivered in these playoffs, but both clubs need more out of their respective supporting casts in Game 7.
The Avalanche have gotten production from the likes of Colin Wilson (four goals and seven points in 11 games), Matt Nieto (ditto), and J.T. Compher (four goals and six points).
Compher notched a pair of markers and an assist in Colorado's Game 6 victory, and while top-liner Gabriel Landeskog won it in overtime, that contest was a shining example of how dangerous the Avalanche can be when their role players make big contributions offensively.
San Jose needs the third line to get back on track, while Colorado needs production from more than just Compher outside of its dominant first line.
Dormant power plays
Matthew Stockman / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Both clubs have struggled mightily with the man advantage in this series.
The Avalanche are a combined 2-for-20 on the power play in six games, while the Sharks are 2-for-17.
That's a far cry from their first-round output, when Colorado went 5-for-25 and San Jose 8-for-34.
Neither club converted on the power play in Game 6, but whichever team is able to break through and be more effective with the man advantage in Game 7 might just book their ticket to the conference finals.
If we've learned one thing about these St. Louis Blues, it's that they leave nothing to chance.
Sitting 31st in a 31-team league on Jan. 2, St. Louis didn't suddenly rise from the ashes in the last week of the regular season and sneak into the playoffs. No, the Blues roared up the standings with chests puffed to finish in a three-way tie for 10th overall and third in the Central Division.
A month later, head coach Craig Berube and Co. continue to amaze. Following a dramatic double-overtime Game 7 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night, St. Louis has earned the right to face the winner of Wednesday's series-deciding matchup between San Jose and Colorado in the Western Conference Final.
How did this happen? Let's explore some key factors that powered the Blues to that 2-1 Game 7 victory, and their playoff run in general.
Thomas found clutch gear
After 86 minutes of hockey on Tuesday, Patrick Maroon took center stage by potting the game-winning goal. The tally simultaneously ended Dallas' season and the (totally warranted) drool-fest over Ben Bishop's astounding 52-save performance.
Suddenly, the Blues, not Bishop's Stars, were advancing. Local boy Maroon was the hero, and his teary-eyed young son was there to witness it all. What a moment.
Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
If you take that emotional connection out of the equation, however, it was actually Maroon's linemate - rookie Robert Thomas - who drove the bus for St. Louis in Game 7.
The 19-year-old was a catalyst on both goals, recording a pair of assists. He fed the point ahead of Vince Dunn's opening goal, and on the winning sequence created chaos around Bishop by firing the puck off the post. All told, the cerebral winger made his presence known in all three zones over a career-high 22:52 of ice time.
With Thomas on the ice at 5-on-5, the Blues controlled 71 percent of the shot attempts, 63 percent of the shots on goal, and 67 percent of the scoring chances, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. In the biggest game of his career, the teenager from Aurora, Ont., looked mega-comfortable alongside veterans Maroon, 31, and center Tyler Bozak, 33.
Funnily enough, none of them was on last year's roster. A rookie and two free agents setting the tone in Game 7? Bravo, Blues GM Doug Armstrong.
Binnington outlasted Bishop
Heading into Tuesday's tilt, Bishop had more assists (2) than goals against (0) in two Game 7 appearances. An excellent performer over a 49-game playoff career, he's developed a sterling reputation.
It was no surprise, then, that the Vezina Trophy finalist stood on his head against a St. Louis squad that threw everything but the kitchen sink at him. Bishop faced 54 shots, 24 more than counterpart Jordan Binnington. The contrast hit a peak in the second period when Dallas managed one shot to St. Louis' 18.
Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images
Anybody with half a brain would anoint Bishop the game's MVP, especially considering the shot-attempt discrepancy - 103-57 in favor of St. Louis. Bishop had to react to a potential shot on goal at least 103 times. That kind of workload will wear any goalie down, and Bishop stood his ground.
Ultimately, though, the fresher goalie got the last laugh. The record shows a 'W' beside Binnington's name. The series was partly a goaltending battle and, unfortunately for him, Bishop's teammates let him down in Game 7. The Stars were chasing the play for the bulk of regulation and it seemed only a matter of time before the Blues solved the towering 'tender in overtime.
Mind you, Binnington does deserve a healthy dose of praise. The rookie used some fine puckhandling to help break the puck out of St. Louis' zone countless times. He also faced a higher quality of shots than his Stars counterpart and didn't crack; Dallas' lone goal featured a bad bounce off a referee.
MoneyPuck.com calculates an advanced statistic called expected goals, which estimates the number of goals that should go in on an average NHL goalie. The Stars held the slight edge in this department in Game 7, earning the higher expected goals total - 3.3 to 3.1 - because they boasted higher shot quality.
The graphics below, courtesy of MoneyPuck, illustrate the respective opportunities Dallas and St. Louis generated Tuesday:
Stars scoring chances in Game 7
MoneyPuck.com
Blues scoring chances in Game 7
MoneyPuck.com
There's a huge clumping of Stars chances right in Binnington's face. Bishop, on the other hand, starred down shots from all over the zone.
Clearly, Binnington wasn't as busy as Bishop, but he certainly was a calming influence for the Blues - especially in overtime - and an underrated reason for his club's win.
Everybody rowed in the right direction
The Blues were in complete control of Game 7.
They broke the puck out of their zone with ease over and over again. They limited the effectiveness of Dallas' difference-makers, namely Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov, and Miro Heiskanen. They didn't take a single penalty. They stuck to their game plan, even though goals were hard to come by. And they received valuable contributions from a slew of players.
Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
Similar to what's going on with the Carolina Hurricanes, there's a top-to-bottom buy-in to what Berube - who began the season as an associate coach before assuming the head role on an interim basis in November - is preaching. There are few weak links night-to-night. The all-for-one, one-for-all mentality has manifested itself on a number of occasions through two rounds, and Tuesday was no exception.
On defense, for instance, Dunn had a hell of a game. The smooth-skating, 22-year-old blue-liner scored his first career playoff goal and wreaked havoc in the neutral zone shift after shift. Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko - the team's cornerstones on the back end - asserted their alpha-male playing styles. Joel Edmundson, Jay Bouwmeester, and Carl Gunnarsson were all solid.
From the defense corps to Thomas and the bulk of the forward group to Binnington between the pipes, the Blues came to play Tuesday. They were the better team and have been rewarded with a trip to the conference final.
By now, with this 31st-to-final-four trajectory, it feels like the St. Louis freight train is virtually unstoppable.
The St.Louis, Miss., native scored the winning goal in double over time of Game 7 against the Dallas Stars in front of friends and family to propel the Blues into the Western Conference Final for the second time in four seasons.
"The biggest goal of my career, what a moment it's been," Maroon told Sportsnet after the game.
"It's been an emotional rollercoaster for me all year, and to score a big goal like that in front of my home town, my son in the stands tonight, fiance, friends and family," said Maroon.
Maroon's 10-year-old son, Anthony, watched from the seats as his father delivered one of the biggest goals in the franchise's 51-year history. Following the contest, Anthony was given a chance to share his thoughts on the big moment.
"I was looking at the page with all the players, where they’re from and all that stuff," Anthony said according to The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford. "All I heard was everybody scream. My friend turns around and says, ‘It’s your dad!’ I just started crying.”
The 31-year-old signed a one-year, $1.75-million contract with the Blues on July 10 after receiving little interest from other teams around the league. Just 10 months later, Maroon is the hero in the city he grew up in.
"I saw my son - he was crying," Maroon said according to NHL.com's Lou Korac. "I saw him and I pointed to him. I’m proud. I’m proud to be from St. Louis and I’m proud to put that jersey on every night and I’m proud to work hard in front of these fans and to work hard for these guys that deserve it in here."
The Blues will face either the San Jose Sharks or Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final starting later this week.
With Game 7 between the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues requiring extra time to decide their second-round series Tuesday night, three win-or-go-home affairs in these playoffs have required overtime.
That's the most ever in a single playoff year, according to the league.
Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz has been battling a serious medical condition.
Katz has dealt with a life-threatening, bacteria-resistant sinus infection for the past few years, the club confirmed to The Canadian Press on Tuesday.
Sportsnet's John Shannon shared the details of Katz's ailment Tuesday after the owner's appearance at Ken Holland's introductory news conference caused concern.
Daryl Katz says he’s excited about the hiring of Ken Holland. Says Holland “will have full autonomy as General Manager.”. #oilers#yegpic.twitter.com/fIxsP9kbYg
The infection comes with a 50-50 survival rate. The owner has undergone three surgeries over the past 10 months, with one more procedure remaining, Shannon tweeted.
Katz's condition is the primary reason he hasn't been around Edmonton and the team. He carried an IV bag at all times during the Oilers' playoff run in spring 2017, according to Shannon, who added that Katz is "through the worst of it" and the long-term prognosis is positive.
The 57-year-old billionaire didn't address his health on Tuesday. He's owned the Oilers since 2008.
