Category Archives: Hockey News

Penguins’ Malkin expected to return Saturday vs. Jets

The Pittsburgh Penguins could get a gigantic boost ahead of a critical stretch of games as Evgeni Malkin is expected to return to the lineup Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets.

In the meantime, Malkin will miss his ninth consecutive game due to a lower-body injury Wednesday against the Boston Bruins.

The 29-year-old forward has 23 goals and 26 assists in 49 games this season.

The Penguins have gone 5-2-1 in his absence, sitting just one point up on the New Jersey Devils for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

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Former Wild coach Yeo: Getting fired ‘buckled me’

Mike Yeo might have seen the writing on the wall before being fired by the Minnesota Wild, but the former head coach admitted Wednesday that it still affected him.

"I wasn't prepared for what it would feel like. ... When it first happened, it buckled me," Yeo told Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Yeo said things just didn't seem right, even when the Wild were winning earlier in the season.

"We had the best (first half) in franchise history, and things never felt right."

Even though the Wild's previous success ultimately played a role in his dismissal, Yeo said he was most proud of the fact that the Wild raised expectations.

Minnesota fired Yeo on Feb. 13 after suffering their eighth straight defeat, a 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins.

After the game, the 42-year-old said, "I'm a realist. You can't lose every game and expect to think that there's not going to be changes."

Yeo conceded Wednesday that trade rumors proved to be a distraction, particularly the team's pursuit of Ryan Johansen before the forward was dealt to the Nashville Predators, according to Chad Graff of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

He also said the Wild would have made the playoffs had he not been fired.

As for the immediate future, Yeo has some big things on the agenda.

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Wild place Zucker on IR with concussion

Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker was placed on injured reserve Wednesday.

Zucker suffered a concussion when he was leveled by an open-ice hit from Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival during Sunday's Stadium Series game.

The news comes after interim head coach John Torchetti told reporters Tuesday that Zucker had not suffered a concussion.

With the 24-year-old sidelined, the club recalled forward Jordan Schroeder from the Iowa Wild.

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Scott Hannan announces retirement

Longtime San Jose Sharks defenseman Scott Hannan officially announced his retirement from the NHL on Wednesday.

Hannan played 16 seasons in the league, spending parts of 11 as a member of the Sharks. He went unsigned as a free agent this season.

"I was extremely fortunate to play in the NHL with five great organizations," Hannan said in a release. "I'd like to thank all of my teammates and coaches over the years who have contributed so much to my career. It's also very gratifying to end my NHL career where it started - with the San Jose Sharks.

"I'd be remiss for not also thanking Bruce Hamilton and Lorne Frey with the Kelowna Rockets for putting me on the path to have a chance to play in the NHL. Most importantly, I want to thank all of my family, particularly my wife Kristina and my boys, Gage and Owen. Their sacrifices have allowed me the opportunity to follow this dream of playing in the National Hockey League."

The 37-year-old sits sixth on the Sharks' all-time games played list with 626, and is one of only six Sharks to suit up in more than 600 games with the franchise.

After being drafted by the team in the first round in 1997, Hannan spent his first six seasons in San Jose before stints with the Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Calgary Flames, and Nashville Predators.

Hannan returned to the Sharks for his final three seasons.

He concludes his career with 38 goals and 217 points in 1,055 games played.

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VIDEO: Maple Leafs’ Clune cuts WWE-style promo ripping Predators’ Bass

Clune Intermission Interview - Feb 23, 2016 - Streamable

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Rich Clune gave one of the best intermission interviews you'll ever see Tuesday night.

Clune told TSN's Mark Masters what he said to Nashville Predators center Cody Bass when the two tough guys got up close and personal during the pregame warmup prior to the Predators' 3-2 win.

It's as close as the NHL gets to cutting WWE-style promos, and it didn't take long for others to make that connection.

Clune might have a future in wrestling when his hockey career is over.

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On the Fly, NHL Roundtable: Valuing Weise, Parenteau, McGinn at the deadline

On the Fly, theScore's NHL roundtable series, continues. With the trade deadline less than a week away, we're looking at what certain rental players will cost on or before Feb. 29.

Dale Weise

Mark Millard: Weise will be able to fetch the Montreal Canadiens a second-round pick by the trade deadline.

The 27-year-old forward has been a bright spot in an otherwise very difficult season in Montreal. Primed for career highs with 14 goals and 11 assists in 55 games, Weise has proven he's very capable of producing in a third-line role.

Weise also put up 10 points over 28 playoff games - highlighted by a pair of overtime winners - in two seasons with the low-scoring Canadiens. He isn't afraid to play a significant postseason role, like he did when he agitated Milan Lucic throughout a heated seven-game series against the Boston Bruins in 2013-14.

Combined with the fact he only carries a $1.25-million cap hit, there's sure to be no shortage of suitors looking to round out their rosters for a Stanley Cup push, which will only drive up the price by Feb. 29.

P.A. Parenteau

Navin Vaswani: If Shawn Matthias is worth a fourth-round draft pick, and Roman Polak and Nick Spaling are worth two second-round picks, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Parenteau is absolutely worth a late first-round selection. At least, that's what general manager Lou Lamoriello should be holding out for. Keep in mind: Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli got Toronto a first-round pick and prospect Brendan Leipsic from the Nashville Predators prior to last year's deadline.

Related: Alter - Parenteau, Boyes likely the next Maple Leafs to go

Parenteau has 15 goals - six more than Eric Staal and Jiri Hudler. And one fewer than Andrew Ladd. There's more working in Parenteau's favor: Nine of his 30 points, including six goals, have come on Toronto's god-awful, dead-last, 14.3-percent power play .

The 32-year-old Quebec native knows his role - he will be acquired by a contender to be a low-maintenance goal scorer for a few months, which he'll do adequately. If he can play for Mike Babcock, he can play for anybody. And he won't cost a thing, only needing to be paid what's left of his $1.5-million salary (he carries the same cap hit).

Toronto should accept nothing less than a first-round pick for P.A.

Jamie McGinn

Josh Gold-Smith: Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray has a tough decision to make with McGinn. The 27-year-old left winger was an afterthought in the Ryan O'Reilly trade, but he's exceeded expectations in his first season with Buffalo, ranking fourth in scoring and getting plenty of top-line duty.

Murray hasn't been reluctant to make deals since taking over as GM, and he should continue that assertiveness by trading McGinn, a pending unrestricted free agent whose value is conveniently high as the trade deadline draws near.

So what's he worth? Considering the Maple Leafs got a pair of second-rounders from the San Jose Sharks in the Polak trade, McGinn is worth at least one. He's probably not going to fetch a first-round pick, but given the market, Murray can justifiably use what the Leafs received for Polak and Spaling as a reference point.

McGinn would be a nice fit as a third-line winger on a playoff-bound team, providing a blend of physicality and scoring, but Murray may decide to sign him to an extension before the deadline. If the rebuild is going to continue unabated, turning McGinn into a second-round pick and a mid-to-low-level prospect makes sense.

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