All posts by Brandon Maron

Dumba, Subban, Lundqvist named King Clancy Trophy finalists

Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban, and New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist are the finalists for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, the league announced Friday.

The award is handed out annually to the player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community." The winner will be revealed during the upcoming conference finals.

Dumba, along with several other current and former NHL players, recently co-founded the Hockey Diversity Alliance in response to the ongoing civil unrest across the United States. The 26-year-old also spearheaded a number of fundraising initiatives over the last year, including efforts to fight against COVID-19, aiding wildfire relief in Australia, and helping to rebuild Minnesota following riots and protests after the death of George Floyd.

Subban was one of the first major athletes to donate to a fundraiser for George Floyd's daughter. His $50,000 led to other contributions from athletes worldwide. Additionally, through the P.K. Subban Foundation, the 31-year-old initiated several charitable efforts this year. He continued his "Blueline Buddies" program, which brings together local police and youth to attend Devils games.

Lundqvist and his wife, Therese, have raised over $3.2 million since the creation of the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation in 2014. Their initiatives through the foundation continued this year during the fight against COVID-19. Lundqvist donated $100,000 to help feed New Yorkers, which provided 68,000 meals and aided 8,000 children and their families.

The winner of the award will receive a $25,000 donation from the NHL Foundation to benefit a charity of his choice. The two runners-up will receive $5,000.

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Poile: ‘All options are on the table’ as Predators aim to improve

Nashville Predators general manager David Poile insists he's open to anything that will improve his team ahead of the 2020-21 season.

"Some players aren't going to be brought back. ... We're not satisfied, and going to make some changes. We have to manage better, John (Hynes) and his staff have to coach better, and players have to play better," Poile said, according to NHL.com's Mike Morreale.

"All options are on the table for making our team better for the 2020-21 season," he added, according to the team's director of digital and radio, Thomas Willis.

The Predators were knocked out of the qualifying round after falling to the Arizona Coyotes in four games. Nashville has failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.

Poile criticized the team's second line, which often featured Matt Duchene, Kyle Turris, and Mikael Granlund. Duchene, who inked a seven-year, $56-million deal last summer, managed only 42 points in 66 regular-season games and two points in four postseason contests.

"The second line was a weak point of our team," Poile said. "They did not get it done."

Poile did praise the play of Norris Trophy candidate Roman Josi and the resurgence of his top line comprised of Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, and Viktor Arvidsson.

Nashville has just six players in need of new contracts this offseason, including forwards Granlund and Craig Smith as well as defensemen Yannick Weber and Dan Hamhuis.

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Rangers GM: Plan for next season is to carry 2 goalies

The New York Rangers plan to carry two goaltenders on the active roster for the 2020-21 season, general manager Jeff Gorton revealed to the media on Tuesday, according to Newsday's Colin Stephenson.

The Rangers had three goaltenders on their NHL roster for majority of the 2019-20 season; Henrik Lundqvist, Alexandar Georgiev, and Igor Shesterkin. Georgiev started 32 games, Lundqvist started 26, and Shesterkin started 12.

Team president John Davidson said that he's already spoken to Lundqvist following the team's elimination from the postseason, adding that the team will "handle things the right way."

The 38-year-old has spent the last 15 seasons backstopping the Rangers after New York selected him in the 2000 NHL Draft. Georgiev, 24, has been with the team since 2017-18, while Shesterkin, also 24, joined the team mid-season after spending the past six seasons in the KHL.

Lundqvist has one year left on his contract, which carries an average annual value of $8.5 million. Shesterkin's entry-level contract runs through the 2020-21 season, and Georgiev's expires this offseason.

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Pens’ Rutherford: ‘There is something wrong. Changes need to be made’

After yet another early postseason exit, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford knows he has to make some changes.

"There is something wrong," Rutherford said, according to The Athletic's Josh Yohe. "Changes need to be made."

In regards to the team's coaching staff, Rutherford added: "We had a good regular season and dealt with adversity and got through that. You look at that and give credit in the right places. You also have to look at what happened here at the end of these last two seasons and there's a pattern here."

The Penguins were eliminated from the playoffs last week at the hands of the 12th-seeded Montreal Canadiens despite finishing the regular season as one of the league's top teams. Pittsburgh was swept by the New York Islanders in the opening round of last year's playoffs.

Despite the Penguins' lack of recent postseason success, Rutherford confirmed that he doesn't plan to make any changes to their aging core, which includes stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.

"I plan to move forward with the core. These are good players. They still have good hockey left in them," Rutherford said. "I always have to say, if some amazing trade comes along, you have to look at it, but I will not actively be looking at trying to trade our core players."

However, Rutherford acknowledged that he may not be able to keep his team's goaltending duo intact due to the flat salary cap. Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry are both set to become restricted free agents this offseason.

The Penguins currently have 11 impending free agents on their active roster.

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Dougie Hamilton expected to suit up for Game 1 vs. Bruins

Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour expects defenseman Dougie Hamilton to make his 2020 postseason debut in Game 1 against the Boston Bruins Tuesday, he said, according to The Athletic's Sara Civian.

Hamilton will take part in the team's warmup ahead of Game 1 before the team makes an official decision.

The 27-year-old didn't participate in the team's qualifying round series after suffering an undisclosed injury during Phase 3. Hamilton broke his fibula in January, but the current injury was reportedly not connected to it.

Before his injury during the 2019-20 season, Hamilton was among the best defencemen in the league. He racked up 14 goals and 26 assists in 46 games while averaging 23:17 minutes of ice time per game.

After sweeping the New York Rangers in the play-in round, the Hurricanes will kick off their series against the Bruins on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.

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Rangers win 2020 NHL Draft lottery

The New York Rangers won the draft lottery Monday night and will get the No. 1 selection in the upcoming 2020 NHL Draft.

The Rangers haven't selected at the top of the draft since 1965 when they drafted Andre Veilleux. They picked Kaapo Kakko with the second overall pick in 2019.

Each team participating was given an equal 12.5% chance to win the lottery. The Rangers finished with the league's 18th-best regular-season record at 37-28-5.

QMJHL phenom Alexis Lafreniere is the consensus projected top pick. He was named CHL Player of the Year in each of the past two seasons after accumulating 72 goals and 217 points in 113 games across both campaigns.

Here's the full order for the first 15 picks in the draft:

Pick Team
1 Rangers
2 Kings
3 Senators (via Sharks)
4 Red Wings
5 Senators
6 Ducks
7 Devils
8 Sabres
9 Wild
10 Jets
11 Predators
12 Panthers
13 Hurricanes (via Maple Leafs)
14 Oilers
15 Penguins*

*Pittsburgh has seven days to decide whether it will keep the 2020 pick or transfer it to the Wild. Minnesota would get the Penguins' 2021 pick if Pittsburgh keeps its 2020 selection.

The Maple Leafs traded their first-round pick to the Hurricanes along with Patrick Marleau last summer. The pick was top-10 protected, which means Carolina now owns the 2020 selection.

Pittsburgh's pick was sent to the Wild in exchange for Jason Zucker prior to this season's trade deadline. The Penguins now get the choice to keep it because the pick fell between Nos. 1-15.

The 2020 NHL Draft is set to take place Oct. 9-10.

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Wild GM Guerin: ‘There definitely have to be changes’ this offseason

After failing to make it past the qualifying round, Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin knows that he will have work to do in his first full offseason at the helm.

"I think we’re a good team, but there definitely have to be changes,” Guerin said, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo. "We haven’t had success here. Things need to get better, that’s just the way it is."

The Wild have made the postseason four times in the last five years, but have failed to advance past Round 1 each time. Last week, they lost their qualifying round matchup against the Vancouver Canucks in four games.

In his first season as general manager, Guerin made several big moves, including trading out veteran Jason Zucker to bring in Alex Galchenyuk, Calen Adisson, and a first-round pick. He also fired head coach Bruce Boudreau in his fourth season with the team.

Guerin pointed to the fact that the team has been lacking a true No. 1 center, and says he will do what he can to fulfill that need this offseason.

“Teams don’t trade No. 1 centers. They just don’t,” Guerin said. “Usually it’s got to be done in the free-agent market or through the draft. It’s a position that I think this organization has needed for quite some time, and we’re going to try to address it. It’s not the easiest thing in the world.”

The Wild only have five players on their roster that need new contracts ahead of the 2020-21 season, so Guerin very well may have his hands full in the near future.

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Tortorella defends Leafs’ Keefe: What he’s criticized for ‘pisses me off’

Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella is well-known for his unapologetic attitude, but this time he's showing support for first-year Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe after his squad fell in the qualifying round to the Blue Jackets.

"I just can't get over people ripping Sheldon Keefe and his staff as far as the job he's done with that Maple Leafs team," Tortorella said, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline. "They have done a terrific job with that team."

"Some of the things I read, some of the things I watched last night ... it just pisses me off for a fellow coach in the league, and I know it's Toronto, a great city, great hockey town, love being here," he added. "But some of the things he's criticized for are beyond belief, and it just shows that people have no clue what's going on in this game. I just want to support him."

After shutting out Toronto on Sunday in the decisive Game 5, many fans and critics began pointing fingers at Keefe and the coaching staff for the loss. The Leafs have now failed to advance past the first round of the postseason since 2004.

The two coaches have a history together before the series. The Tampa Bay Lightning drafted a 19-year-old Keefe in 1999, right as Tortorella came in as head coach for the 2000-01 season. Keefe spent time between the NHL and AHL while playing for Tortorella, totaling 125 NHL games.

Keefe, who took over as head coach of the team in November, recorded a 27-15-5 record before the season's pause on March 12.

Columbus will now take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs. Last season, the Jackets shocked the hockey world by sweeping the No. 1 ranked Lightning in the opening round.

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Werenski, Korpisalo to play Game 5 vs. Maple Leafs

Columbus Blue Jackets defensemen Zach Werenski and Ryan Murray will both be in the team's lineup for the deciding Game 5 match against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, head coach John Tortorella said, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

Werenski was injured during the third period of Game 4 Friday and didn't return to the game. Murray was scratched after appearing in the first three games of the series.

Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo will also be back in the starter's net after conceding the Game 4 start to teammate Elvis Merzlikins, Johnston added.

More to come.

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