The Tampa Bay Lightning said it was a no-brainer to involve Steven Stamkos in the trophy presentation and team photo after advancing to the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night.
"Even though Stammer's not playing, he's still the leader of this team and he's such a good influence in the room during practices and morning skates, so he's still a big reason (why) we're here where we are," Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman told the assembled media, including Sportsnet, postgame.
Stamkos hasn't been able to suit up due to injury since the NHL resumed play, but he joined his teammates on the ice following their series-clinching victory over the New York Islanders in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final.
"Stammer's a huge part of our team," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. "He's our captain, he's been our captain for almost every day that I've coached, and he's a big reason why we're here. This season, he hasn't played in the postseason, but he was a big reason (why) we made the playoffs ... and finished pretty high in the conference."
The Tampa Bay bench boss said he appreciated his players' gesture and implied it was an example of how united they are as a team.
"What I loved most about it was the three (alternate) captains were going up there, but they wanted to make sure Stammer was a part of it, and he deserves to be a part of it," Cooper said. "That's probably why (we're in) the position we're in right now, because everybody cares so much for each other and we wanted to make sure he was in that picture."
Stamkos has starred for the Lightning for his entire 12-year career. He split the captaincy with Martin St. Louis in 2013-14 and donned the "C" full time the following campaign, helping Tampa Bay reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2015.
This is the third edition of theScore's rankings of the top candidates to be named 2019-20 playoff MVP. We've featured only players still competing in the postseason, which officially included the qualifying round and round-robin stage.
5. Miro Heiskanen
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
Heiskanen has cooled off lately, registering a lone point in five games during the Western Conference Final courtesy of an assist in Game 3. However, the Dallas Stars phenom has remained a workhorse, averaging 25:07 of ice time per game in the series and 25:43 per contest throughout the playoffs.
His contributions often go beyond the scoresheet. The defenseman, who turned 21 in July, has already proven he can drive possession at an elite level, posting favorable expected goals for (55.16), scoring chances for (54.05), and Corsi For (50.61) percentages over the entire postseason.
Even while struggling to produce offensively, the young blue-liner improved at the possession game, posting a 59.99 xGF%, a 58.54 SCF%, and a 50.29 Corsi For rating across the five conference final games.
4. Nikita Kucherov
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Kucherov has been instrumental to his club's success as several of his talented Tampa Bay Lightning teammates have missed time due to injury.
The dynamic forward produced an NHL-leading 26 points in 19 games through Round 3. Though only six of those were goals, the 2018-19 Hart Trophy winner scored all of them at even strength, and he leads all forwards still competing in average ice time through the postseason at 21:58.
Kucherov has also driven possession at a significant clip, posting expected goals for, scoring chances for, and Corsi For percentages above 60% at five-on-five in these playoffs.
3. Anton Khudobin
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Khudobin has been solid throughout the postseason, but he's been absolutely unreal lately. The Stars goaltender authored an incredible .950 save percentage in the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights, turning aside 153 of the 161 shots his opponents fired on goal.
He has also faced more shots than anyone in the 2019-20 playoffs (610 in 19 games, or 32.1 per contest), and Lightning puck-stopper Andrei Vasilevskiy faced 27 fewer shots in the same number of games.
Khudobin leads his counterpart with an .872 high-danger save percentage in these playoffs, compared to Vasilevskiy's mark of .836. Only two goaltenders have bested Khudobin's high-danger prowess while playing more than five games since the NHL resumed, and both appeared in four fewer contests than the Stars netminder.
His postseason excellence at age 34 - with Ben Bishop having been out for most of the playoffs due to injury - is the biggest reason Dallas is playing in the Stanley Cup Final.
2. Brayden Point
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Kucherov has registered four more assists, but Point has scored three more goals. More importantly, the 24-year-old has outperformed his Russian teammate on a per-game basis while playing through an injury in this postseason, leading all NHL players still competing with 1.47 points per contest.
Point is also tied with three others for the league lead in playoff goals among those yet to be eliminated with nine, and all three have played more games than the Tampa Bay center. In addition, eight of Point's nine markers have come at even strength.
When he has suited up, the younger Lightning star left little doubt that he's been one of the most valuable players in this postseason. He notched a goal and an assist in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final after missing the previous contest, and he logged nearly 26 minutes of ice time in the Game 6 clincher after sitting out Game 5.
1. Victor Hedman
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Hedman is accustomed to producing while shouldering a heavy workload, but the towering Lightning defenseman has taken his game to an even higher level in these playoffs.
He buried his ninth goal of the postseason Thursday night, and he's been on a scoring tear of late, racking up six markers in his last eight games. The veteran's remarkable endurance is on full display as well, as he leads all skaters still competing in average ice time during this postseason with 26:31 after logging 30:41 in Game 6 and a whopping 36:12 in Game 5.
Considering Point's injury and the fact that Steven Stamkos has missed the entire postseason with an ailment of his own, Hedman has stepped up significantly and has clearly been the most valuable player in these playoffs.
The NHL released the full schedule for the 2020 Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars moments after the Bolts punched their ticket to the series with a Game 6 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.
The battle begins Saturday evening.
Game
Date
Time (ET)
Networks
1
Sept. 19
7:30 p.m.
NBC/CBC/SN/TVAS
2
Sept. 21
8 p.m.
NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS
3
Sept. 23
8 p.m.
NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS
4
Sept. 25
8 p.m.
NBC/CBC/SN/TVAS
5*
Sept. 26
8 p.m.
NBC/CBC/SN/TVAS
6*
Sept. 28
8 p.m.
NBC/CBC/SN/TVAS
7*
Sept. 30
8 p.m.
NBC/CBC/SN/TVAS
* - If necessary
The teams will have one day off between each contest except Games 4 and 5, which are scheduled for back-to-back nights.
The Lightning will be considered the home team in Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 after earning more points than the Stars in the regular season.
Dallas has been idle since Sept. 14 after eliminating the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the Western Conference Final.
Additionally, the Oilers, Flames, and Boston Bruins have checked in on Arizona captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson's availability, Friedman said, adding that there are undoubtedly even more interested teams.
Kuemper was one of the NHL's best netminders this season, although he was not one of the three Vezina Trophy finalists. He finished third in the league with a .928 save percentage, third with a 2.22 goals-against average, and fourth with16.65 goals saved above average.However, injury limited him to just 29 games.
The 6-foot-5 Kuemper was stellar in 2018-19 as well, posting a .925 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average in 55 games. The 30-year-old is under contract for two more seasons with a $4.5-million cap hit.
The Oilers and Flames have obvious needs between the pipes. Mike Smith and Cam Talbot are pending unrestricted free agents. Mikko Koskinen and David Rittich remain under contract, but neither goalie has proven capable of handling No. 1 duties.
Ekman-Larsson, meanwhile, is coming off one of the worst offensive seasons of his career, tallying 30 points in 66 games. However, he averaged 17 goals and 45 points per year over the previous six campaigns. The 28-year-old just completed the first season of his eight-year extension, which carries an annual cap hit of $8.25 million, and has a full no-movement clause, per CapFriendly.
The Coyotes have named St. Louis Blues draft guru Bill Armstrong as the team's new general manager. Steve Sullivan served as the interim GM ever since John Chayka and the club parted ways.
Aube-Kubel was scheduled for restricted free agency this offseason.
The 24-year-old was drafted by the Flyers in the second round of the 2014 draft. He established a role in Philadelphia's offense this season, recording 15 points in 36 regular-season games before adding three more in 12 playoff contests.
The Flyers have a projected $7.8 million in available cap space with Aube-Kumel signed. Defensemen Philippe Myers and Robert Hagg, as well as 2017 second overall pick Nolan Patrick, are also due new contracts as RFAs.
Toronto expects to make an official announcement later on Thursday, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Malhotra has been with the Vancouver Canucks organization since 2016 when the team hired him as a development coach. They promoted him to assistant coach in 2017.
The Leafs have openings on their coaching staff after losing Paul McFarland to a head coaching gig with the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs and letting go of Andrew Brewer.
The Mississauga, Ontario native has played 991 NHL games and totaled 116 goals and 179 assists. The veteran was well known during his career for his two-way abilities and his proficiency in face-offs.
This year's World Junior Championship will take place in the Edmonton hub, reports TSN's Darren Dreger.
The tournament was originally set to take place in both Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, beginning Dec. 26. It remains unclear if it will begin as scheduled.
Alberta will also host the 2022 tournament, Dreger adds.
The Edmonton bubble was utilized throughout the summer to host NHL teams during the postseason. The hub housed players and staff in three hotels within walking distance of Rogers Place.
Since arriving at the hub in late July, the NHL hasn't recorded a positive COVID-19 test despite playing multiple games daily at the arena.
