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CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS • April 12, 2016

Canes reassign Murphy to Checkers

From staff reports

The Carolina Hurricanes on Monday reassigned defenseman Ryan Murphy to the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League.

Murphy will join the Checkers for the team’s final two regular-season games on Thursday and Friday in Cleveland against the Lake Erie Monsters. Charlotte is in a tight race for a spot

in the AHL’s Western Conference playoffs and can secure a postseason berth with wins in both games against the Monsters.

Murphy, 23, has split the 2015-16 season between the Hurricanes and the Checkers. He earned 10 assists in 35 NHL games with Carolina, and has seven goals and 15 assists in 30 AHL games with Charlotte.

Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Schedule

Games begin Wednesday, April 13

NHL.com

April 10th, 2016

The National Hockey League today announced the dates, starting times and national television coverage for the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round, which begins Wednesday, April 13.

All times ET, subject to change

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Florida Panthers (A1) vs. New York Islanders (WC1)

Thu 4/14, 8pm: NYI @ FLA | CNBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Fri 4/15, 7:30pm: NYI @ FLA | NHL Network, SN360, TVA Sports

Sun 4/17, 8pm: FLA @ NYI | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Wed 4/20, 8pm: FLA @ NYI | USA, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

*Fri 4/22, TBD: NYI @ FLA | TBD

*Sun 4/24, TBD: FLA @ NYI | TBD

*Tue 4/26, TBD: NYI @ FLA | TBD

Tampa Bay Lightning (A2) vs. Detroit Red Wings (A3)

Wed 4/13, 7pm: DET @ TBL | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Fri 4/15, 7pm: DET @ TBL | CNBC, CBC, TVA Sports

Sun 4/17, 7pm: TBL @ DET | CNBC, CBC, TVA Sports

Tue 4/19, 7pm: TBL @ DET | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

*Thu 4/21, TBD: DET @ TBL | TBD

*Sun 4/24, TBD: TBL @ DET | TBD

*Tue 4/26, TBD: DET @ TBL | TBD

Washington Capitals (M1) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (WC2)

Thu 4/14, 7pm: PHI @ WSH | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Sat 4/16, 7pm: PHI @ WSH | CNBC, CBC, TVA Sports

Mon 4/18, 7pm: WSH @ PHI | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Wed 4/20, 7pm: WSH @ PHI | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

*Fri 4/22, TBD: PHI @ WSH | TBD

*Sun 4/24, TBD: WSH @ PHI | TBD

*Wed 4/27, TBD: PHI @ WSH | TBD

Pittsburgh Penguins (M2) vs. New York Rangers (M3)

Wed 4/13, 8pm: NYR @ PIT | USA, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Sat 4/16, 3pm: NYR @ PIT | NBC, CBC, TVA Sports

Tue 4/19, 7pm: PIT @ NYR | USA, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Thu 4/21, TBD: PIT @ NYR | Sportsnet, TVA Sports


*Sat 4/23, TBD: NYR @ PIT | TBD

*Mon 4/25, TBD: PIT @ NYR | TBD

*Wed 4/27, TBD: NYR @ PIT | TBD

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Dallas Stars (C1) vs. Minnesota Wild (WC2)

Thu 4/14, 9:30pm: MIN @ DAL | NBCSN, SN360, TVA Sports

Sat 4/16, 8pm: MIN @ DAL | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Mon 4/18, 8:30pm: DAL @ MIN | CNBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Wed 4/20, 9:30pm: DAL @ MIN | NBCSN, SN360, TVA Sports

*Fri 4/22, TBD: MIN @ DAL | TBD

*Sun 4/24, TBD: DAL @ MIN | TBD

*Tue 4/26, TBD: MIN @ DAL | TBD

St. Louis Blues (C2) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (C3)

Wed 4/13, 9:30pm: CHI @ STL | NBCSN, SN360, TVA Sports

Fri 4/15, 8pm: CHI @ STL | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Sun 4/17, 3pm: STL @ CHI | NBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Tue 4/19, 9:30pm: STL @ CHI | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

*Thu 4/21, TBD: CHI @ STL | TBD

*Sat 4/23, TBD: STL @ CHI | TBD

*Mon 4/25, TBD: CHI @ STL | TBD

Anaheim Ducks (P1) vs. Nashville Predators (WC1)

Fri 4/15, 10:30pm: NSH @ ANA | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Sun 4/17, 10:30pm: NSH @ ANA | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Tue 4/19, 9:30pm: ANA @ NSH | USA, SN360, TVA Sports

Thu 4/21, 8pm: ANA @ NSH | CNBC, FX Canada, TVA Sports

*Sat 4/23, TBD: NSH @ ANA | TBD

*Mon 4/25, TBD: ANA @ NSH | TBD

*Wed 4/27, TBD: NSH @ ANA | TBD

Los Angeles Kings (P2) vs. San Jose Sharks (P3)

Thu 4/14, 10:30pm: SJS @ LAK | CNBC, CBC, TVA Sports

Sat 4/16, 10:30pm: SJS @ LAK | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Mon 4/18, 10:30pm: LAK @ SJS | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Wed 4/20, 10:30pm: LAK @ SJS | USA, CBC, TVA Sports

*Fri 4/22, TBD: SJS @ LAK | TBD

*Sun 4/24, TBD: LAK @ SJS | TBD

*Tue 4/26, TBD: SJS @ LAK | TBD

*if necessary

Flyers owner Snider dies

Founder remembered as humanitarian, successful businessman

by Brian Hunter @BrianHunterNHL / NHL.com Staff Writer

April 11th, 2016

Ed Snider, owner of the Philadelphia Flyers since their inception 50 years ago, died Monday at the age of 83.

Snider, one of the most recognizable owners in the NHL, had been battling cancer.

"Ed Snider was the soul and the spirit of the Flyers, who have reflected his competitiveness, his passion for hockey and his love for the fans from the moment he brought NHL hockey to Philadelphia in 1967," Commissioner Gary Bettman said.

"Ed created the Flyers' professional, no-nonsense culture, fostered their relentless will to win and set the highest standards for every activity on and off the ice, including such initiatives as the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation and the Flyers Wives Carnival. While the loss of Ed Snider tears

a hole in the heart of the Flyers and the city of Philadelphia, and leaves a massive void in the city's sports landscape, it also challenges all who knew him to carry forward the great works that are his legacy.

"On a personal note I have valued Ed's counsel, I have admired his philanthropy and truly have cherished his friendship. Ed was an unmistakable presence and an unforgettable personality. Like most people who had the pleasure of knowing Ed, I will miss him terribly.

"As the NHL family grieves Ed's passing, we also celebrate his courage, his vision, his leadership and his commitment to future generations of players and fans. We send our thoughts of compassion, comfort and strength to his family, his friends and all whose lives he touched."

Snider is survived by his six children, Craig, Jay, Lindy, Tina, Sarena and Samuel, as well as 15 grandchildren, and his wife Lin Spivak.

"I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and admiration for Ed," Spivak said. "He was a man of tremendous vitality.


At the core he was a wonderful family man. He loved his children and grandchildren, and they truly loved him. I join them in expressing gratitude today to all of those who have shared their thoughts and feelings about Ed. Our time together, while far too short, was filled with extraordinary moments and wonderful adventures. We loved each other deeply. I will treasure my memories, and will miss him greatly."

Snider's children released a statement Monday: "Our Dad was loved and admired for his big heart, generosity of spirit, and dedication to his family. Despite his considerable business achievements and public profile, he was first and foremost a family man. He never missed a birthday, important family event or the opportunity to offer encouragement. We turned first to him for advice in our personal and professional lives. We grew up tagging behind him in arenas, stadiums and locker rooms; and his players, management and team personnel were our extended family. He treated his employees with respect regardless of rank or position, and the man they called 'Mr. Snider' always would have preferred simply to be called 'Ed.'

"From him we learned the importance of helping others and the value of supporting our community and beyond. He was a man with deep convictions and never hesitated to promote causes in which he believed. His children and grandchildren will continue his philanthropic mission for years to come through the work of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation and the Snider Foundation. Revered in his adopted city of Philadelphia, we too were captive in the orbit of his brilliant light and magnetic personality.

"During his lifetime, he cultivated a cherished circle of friends whom he loved dearly -- and who loved him back -- whether in Washington, D.C., Monmouth, Maine, Philadelphia or Montecito, Calif. Unrivaled, however, was his love for the Philadelphia Flyers Hockey Club, the team he created 50 years ago and to which he remained fiercely devoted through his final days. With every game during the push to make the playoffs this spring we hoped he would survive to see the Flyers win just one more game. He gave the last ounce of his indomitable energy and strength to live through this hockey season, but now the Flyers must win without him.

"He fought his last years, months and days with courage and grace and recounted his love for many including his Flyers family and fans. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from the community, his friends and all those who were fortunate to have been touched by him in some way, large or small."

Bob Clarke, the Hockey Hall of Fame center who captained the Flyers' two Stanley Cup championship team and later served two stints as general manager, told CSNPhilly.com that his relationship with Snider was "somewhere between close friends and father and son. Somewhere halfway in between.

"He was not only a friend but he was a great man. And I know that's been said about lots of people, but those of us who played hockey in Philadelphia know that 'great' does describe him."

The Flyers clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 3-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday. Prior to the game, anthem singer Lauren Hart had Snider on FaceTime on her mobile phone so he could be part of the pregame festivities.

"If Ed Snider couldn't be in the building, I'm bringing the building to him," Hart told CSNPhilly.com.

A number of Flyers players also said Snider was in their thoughts Saturday.

"You get a little emotional when you start thinking about it," Flyers captain Claude Giroux said. "We know that he's happy we made the playoffs. He's excited. It's going to ... we're definitely playing for him right now."

Said Flyers president Paul Holmgren: "For all of us, he is the Flyers. He is the face of the Flyers. He is, he was, he always will be."

It was 50 years ago that Snider, Jerry Wolman and others were awarded a "Second Six" expansion team by the NHL Board of Governors. The group paid $2 million for the team and invested $12 million into building the Spectrum, the Flyers' home through the 1995-96 season.

Snider's love of hockey -- "The greatest spectator sport I had ever seen" -- was born from watching a New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden and his belief that Philadelphia fans would embrace a team. That's what made the Flyers a reality and a success.

"I just had the belief that if you're a regular guy and know what regular guys like, you can't be wrong," Snider said.

He wasn't -- eventually.

A crowd of 7,812 came to the Spectrum for the first home game in Flyers history, and though they finished first in their inaugural season in the West Division (established for the six expansion teams that began play in 1967-68 and where the Flyers remained until moving into the Patrick Division in 1974-75), part of the covering on the roof of the arena blew off during a storm and the Flyers were forced to relocate their home games for more than a month.

The Flyers made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in three of their first five seasons but failed to win a round. During that time, the Spectrum went into bankruptcy, and though Snider was trying to establish firm footing with the Flyers, he gambled again and took over control of the arena from Wolman, along with its $8 million debt.

"I did it because I believed that the Flyers and the Spectrum could not fail," Snider told the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1986. "I knew if I worked hard, stuck it out, that I would succeed. Thank God that's what happened."

The Flyers, known as the Broad Street Bullies for their style of play, would become the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, doing it in the 1973-74 season. They won the Stanley Cup again the following season.

Snider's influence as a businessman went beyond the realm of hockey; he was the longtime chairman of Comcast Spectacor, the sports and entertainment company that controlled the Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA; the arena they played in, Wells Fargo Center; and the regional sports network that televised their games.

"This is a very sad day for Ed's family, the Flyers, Comcast Spectacor and his many fans in Philadelphia," said Brian L. Roberts, chairman and CEO of Comcast Corp. "Our business partnership lasted more than 20 years, which seemed improbable at the time, and ultimately transcended into a cherished and special friendship. We are so sad but


relish the many accomplishments Ed achieved during his amazing lifetime. He was completely unique, incredibly passionate and will be terribly missed."

Born Jan. 6, 1933, in Washington, D.C., Snider was the son of a successful grocery-store chain owner and earned an accounting degree from the University of Maryland. After briefly working as a certified public accountant, he became the first president of the National Association of Record Merchandisers. His company, Edge Enterprises, went national before Snider sold it for a significant profit.

Soon after, he joined his brother-in-law, Earl Foreman, and Washington-area builder Wolman in purchasing the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, taking over the business operations.

"Ed was a true visionary and a pioneer who did tremendous things for our city and for the sport of hockey," current Eagles owner and CEO Jeffrey Lurie said. "He was driven by a relentless pursuit of winning and his passion for the sport was genuine. That's one of the reasons I think he was so loved and respected by the fans of our city and by his players and staff. They knew he cared just as much as they did.

"Under Ed's guidance the Flyers became one of the most consistently successful franchises in the NHL, and he used his leadership to help foster a classy organization across the board. But perhaps more than anything, I think the legacy that Ed will leave behind is his commitment to helping young people in our city succeed in life through his youth hockey foundation. Our thoughts are with his family and the entire Flyers organization during this difficult time."

The Philadelphia Phillies, who will play their home opener Monday against the San Diego Padres, announced they will have a moment of silence to honor Snider.

Snider eventually created Spectacor as a holding company for the Flyers and the Spectrum. Spectacor would be responsible for creating the regional cable sports network PRISM, and WIP, which became the first all-sports-talk radio station.

Those who spoke about Snider in the Inquirer story -- during a period when the Flyers were between two appearances in the Stanley Cup Final in a three-year span -- painted the picture of a driven man who was tough but had a softer side and desire to do good within his community.

"In addition to being smart, he's got the courage to forge ahead with an idea he believes in despite the risks," said Bill Giles, one of Snider's contemporaries as president of the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball.

John Ziegler, then president of the NHL, said, "Ed Snider is a humanitarian who has won the respect and admiration of everyone who knows him."

In 1972-73, the Flyers' sixth season, they won a playoff series for the first time, defeating the Minnesota North Stars before losing to the Montreal Canadiens. The building blocks for a champion were in place, and the re-acquisition of goaltender Bernie Parent during the offseason sparked Philadelphia to Stanley Cup victories against the Boston Bruins in 1974 and the Buffalo Sabres in 1975. The Flyers lost in the Final to Montreal in 1976 and to the New York Islanders four years later.

With Snider as owner, the Flyers made four additional Cup runs but did not win, losing in the Final to the Edmonton Oilers in 1985 and 1987, the Detroit Red Wings in 1997, and to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010 to end a run as a seventh seed that qualified for the playoffs by winning a shootout on the final day of the regular season.

"It just seemed like he cares so much about the players and the team and it seemed like he enjoyed the season, seeing his team do well and to be around," former Flyers forward Daniel Briere said. "He's always there, he's always on top of things and he really knows what's going on."

Snider was about more than sports; he was a founding member of the Institute for Cancer and Blood Diseases at Hahnemann University Hospital and a member of the board of the National Museum of American Jewish History.

During his later years, he created the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, which used hockey as a base to teach inner-city children important life skills and provide educational assistance. In 2008, a $6.5 million donation by Snider helped save three city-owned public skating rinks and made them operational on a year-round basis.

"Hockey is the greatest game ever invented, and my hope is to provide a chance for a whole new generation of children to learn and play the game," Snider said when the Foundation was created. "Through hockey, I want our participants to be able to learn about life, achieving successes and scoring goals, not just on the ice, but in life."

Snider preferred to remain behind the scenes in his charitable endeavors, wanting to leave behind something that would stand as a mark to how much he came to care about the sport of hockey.

"The rinks are the only thing I've put my name on," he told the Philadelphia Daily News during a 2011 interview. "And the reason I did is that I want them to be my legacy, when I'm gone. They're very important to me."


Maloney fired as general manager of Coyotes

Arizona missed playoffs for fourth straight season

by Jerry Brown / NHL.com correspondent

April 11th, 2016

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Don Maloney was fired as Arizona Coyotes executive vice president and general manager Monday, two days after the Coyotes missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a fourth straight season.

Arizona president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc praised the work Maloney did during his nine-year tenure but said the decision was based on philosophical differences.

"We believe a change in leadership is needed in order to move our franchise to the next level," LeBlanc said. "Essentially, it is fair to say there has been a difference in philosophy in regards to how the ownership group would like to manage the operation moving forward.

"We wish to operate in a different manner and under a different overarching philosophy. This is about a few key points moving forward: Collaboration, communication and the modernization of our entire processes."

LeBlanc said assistant general managers John Chayka and Chris O'Hearn will manage the hockey operations department until a new general manager is hired. LeBlanc said that person will be in place well in advance of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, which will be held June 24-25 in Buffalo.

Maloney was named the NHL General Manager of the Year in 2010 and guided the Coyotes through a tumultuous era of ownership changes and clashes with the city of Glendale over issues with Gila River Arena.

Arizona missed the playoffs in Maloney's first three seasons but got in three straight starting in 2010, including advancing to the 2012 Western Conference Final.

The Coyotes are in the midst of a rebuilding project and improved by 11 wins and 22 points this season from 2014-15 when they finished last in the Western Conference.

Rookie forwards Max Domi and Anthony Duclair combined for 38 goals and 96 points, and a highly touted crop of prospects, headed by centers Dylan Strome and Christian Dvorak, could join them in Arizona next season.

"This year had some success. It was a good next step," LeBlanc said. "It has to do more with the overall ecosystem. This decision is not being made because it's the fourth year of not making the playoffs."

LeBlanc said the Coyotes have studied the model of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League and see their operations structure as a model for their future.

"A model of success in which ownership, management, coaches and the team itself interacts with each other," LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc said criticisms that ownership did not put enough money into the product were "somewhat short-sighted," and that Maloney had resources available that could have been used more wisely.

He pointed to the Florida Panthers, New York Islanders, Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators as teams that are in the bottom-third in the League in spending but made the playoffs this season.

"There is an absolute difference between spending money and spending money wisely," LeBlanc said. "We don't think our track record has been particularly stellar on that front.

"If you look over the last year, the Coyotes have absolutely been in the discussions in regards to either recruiting or attempting to recruit highly-touted free agents or re-signing players. Money was available to be spent and was not the reason transactions did not occur."

LeBlanc said Coyotes owners, with a background in technology and finance "are a strong believer in new trends that are emerging in sports, analytics being a big part of that. There are a lot of things that we can steal from other businesses."

LeBlanc said Chayka, 25, brought in for his analytical knowledge, was an upgrade for the organization this season.

"I really got to witness it in [our] war room in Pittsburgh at the trade deadline, the sheer amount of [analytical] knowledge he brings," LeBlanc said. "But it's not the be-all, end-all. We're not going to turn ourselves into a Wall Street firm and have 25 young kids crunching numbers. But there is a fine balance and that's what we're going to try to find."

LeBlanc said coach Dave Tippett and his staff would return next season. Tippett did not comment Monday.

The Coyotes were packing up their lockers Monday when the news broke of Maloney's departure.

"Don was the person who signed me and took a chance on me to be the starter here," goalie Mike Smith said. "He signed me to a contract that I was secure in with my family and I owe a lot to him and I'm sad to see him go.

"But it's a result-oriented business and when you don't make the playoffs for four years … someone takes the fall for it."


Matthews remains top international skater

Arizona native had strong season in Switzerland; Laine jumps to No. 2

by Mike G. Morreale @mikemorrealeNHL / NHL.com Staff Writer

1:36 AM

Auston Matthews, the American-born center who took the unique route of playing in Switzerland during his draft season, is No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of international skaters for the 2016 NHL Draft.

Matthews, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound native of Scottsdale, Ariz., had 24 goals and 46 points in 36 games for Zurich in National League A, Switzerland's top professional league. He played against older, more experienced competition, some of whom had played in the NHL, and succeeded. Matthews was second in voting for league MVP.

"The expectations were that he would be able to play [in Switzerland] but I don't think the expectations were that he'd be able to impact the way he did," said Dan Marr, Director of NHL Central Scouting. "I think anyone who has followed his career was pleasantly surprised how he was able to go over there and handle himself and contribute the way he did."

Matthews also helped the United States win the bronze medal at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, tying for the tournament lead with seven goals in seven games. He also tied for the U.S. lead with 11 points and was named to the tournament all-star team.

His goal total was one short of Jeremy Roenick's U.S. record set at the 1989 WJC.

"During the season [Matthews] improved most in plays without the puck, and his shooting is already high end," said Thomas Roost, who evaluates talent in Switzerland and Germany for NHL Central Scouting. "He is very strong on the puck and can shed off attacking defensemen, sometimes with ease. He comes out of the corners with the puck, creates options and is a good playmaker."

Matthews also intensified his physical game during the NLA playoffs, according to Roost.

"He managed his zone entries with unbelievable ease thanks to good skating and excellent puck management," Roost said.

Matthews remained No. 1 from the January midterm rankings, but there were changes in the players rated behind him.

The most notable change is right wing Patrik Laine, who plays for Tappara in Liiga, Finland's top pro league. He moved one spot ahead of right wing Jesse Puljujarvi of Karpat in Finland for No. 2 on the list.

"Laine has proven [in the second half of the season] that he is at his best in the big games," said Goran Stubb, NHL

Central Scouting Director of European Scouting. "Puljujarvi has also played great but has not scored the big goals. Both are great, great players, sensational teenagers dominating the Finnish playoffs right now.

"Laine, at the present, is just a little bit better."

A 6-4, 206-pound forward, Laine had 17 goals, 33 points and 253 shots on goal in 46 games, and averaged 17:16 of ice time. He also tied Matthews for the WJC lead with seven goals to help Finland win the gold medal.

"Laine is a typical sniper with a very impressive one-timer; he came up big in big spots," Stubb said. "Puljujarvi is a hard worker all over the ice and an all-around player."

Puljujarvi (6-3, 203) also was part of Finland's gold-medal winning WJC team. He led the tournament with 17 points and was named the best forward and most valuable player of the tournament. His point total was the second-highest by an under-18 player at a WJC. Jaromir Jagr of Czechoslovakia had 18 points at the 1990 tournament.

Puljujarvi had 13 goals, 28 points and 175 shots on goal while averaging 15:04 of ice time in 50 games with Karpat.

Stubb said there isn't much separating the top three international skaters.

"Any one of these three could go first," Stubb said. "Depending on if a team needs a complete center [Matthews], an excellent, hard-working forward [Puljujarvi] or a sniper who is also a playmaker [Laine]."

The last time three European skaters went among the top five picks at the draft was 2001 when Ilya Kovalchuk of Spartak in Russia went No. 1 to the Atlanta Thrashers, Alexander Svitov of Omsk in Russia went No. 3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Stanislav Chistov of Omsk went No. 5 to the Anaheim Ducks.

Rounding out the top five on Central Scouting's final ranking of international skaters are center Rasmus Asplund of Farjestad in the Swedish Hockey League, and center German Rubtsov of Russia's under-18 team in the top Russian minor league.

Asplund (5-11, 176) had four goals, 12 points and a plus-10 rating in 46 games for Farjestad. Rubtsov (6-2, 178) had 12 goals, 26 points, a plus-12 rating and 78 shots on goal in 28 games.

"Asplund is a finesse-type of player and Rubtsov is a hard-working all-around skater with an excellent set of tools," Stubb said. "Rubtsov might be the sleeper among the top players in this draft."

The No. 1 international goaltender is Filip Gustavsson of Lulea in Sweden's junior league. The 6-1, 184-pound left hander was 4-2-0 with a 2.17 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in six games.


Therrien will stay as Canadiens coach

Montreal GM not planning drastic moves after Price injury sinks season

by Sean Farrell / NHL.com Correspondent

April 11th, 2016

BROSSARD, Quebec -- The Montreal Canadiens have a long summer ahead figuring out how they went from having the most points in the NHL for the first two months of the 2015-16 season to the least in the League the rest of the way.

Just don't expect a major shake-up.

Montreal was 38-38-6 and finished sixth in the Atlantic Division. The pivotal date for the Canadiens was Nov. 25, when goalie Carey Price sustained what was revealed last week to be a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Price, who won the Hart and Vezina trophies in 2014-15, missed the rest of the season.

Despite going 28-36-6 (.443) without Price, general manager Marc Bergevin does not anticipate making any drastic changes after Montreal missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in four seasons. Coach Michel Therrien and his staff will return, with the exception of consultant Craig Ramsay.

"Yes, we need to get better in some aspects of our game, no doubt about it," Bergevin said Monday. "And we will address it, but at the end of the day, I think, you look at last year, this team pretty much finished second overall. Are we the second-best team in the NHL last year? By our points, we did. Carey was the MVP, yes, but I think the other players need credit, Michel and his staff need credit, so to start throwing people out the door based on what happened this year, I'm not prepared to do that."

Price, who missed eight games earlier with a lower-body injury before spraining his MCL in a 5-1 win at the New York Rangers, was limited to 12 starts; he was 10-2-0 with a 2.06 goals-against-average, a .934 save percentage and two shutouts.

"I believe with a healthy Carey Price we're not sitting here today," Bergevin said.

Bergevin, Therrien and president Geoff Molson spoke after Canadiens players gave their thoughts about their 19-34-3 record over their final 56 games, the worst record in the League over that stretch. Montreal started 19-4-3 and led the NHL with 41 points on Dec. 1.

Price was one of five goalies to start and win a game for the Canadiens, including rookie Mike Condon, who went 21-25-6 with a 2.71 GAA and .903 save percentage. Condon's 55 games were the most by a Canadiens rookie goalie since Ken Dryden played 64 in 1971-72, but neither he, Dustin Tokarski, Ben Scrivens nor Charlie Lindgren were up to filling the void created by the loss of Price.

"We failed to play .500 hockey, and I don't have those rosy glasses, I know that," Bergevin said. "At some point, the players failed, [Therrien] failed and I failed."

WHAT THEY SAID: "Well, you don't expect the season to go this way, so I was expecting all roses," left wing Max Pacioretty said about his first season as Canadiens captain.

"I was expecting to win 82 and then win a [Stanley] Cup. But it was hard at times. Obviously, you want to say the right things to the media, but you also want to be honest. And also we know certain things, most of the things have to stay in the room and we want to make sure that everyone knows we have the right group in here, we believe in what we have and that's genuine, and I can usually come up here and you turn on the cameras and I could just say what you want me to say, but my teammates will be watching the TV later and they'll kind of roll their eyes. That's not who we are in this room. We have to make sure that we're all honest with ourselves and we look in the mirror and we all take responsibility because, yes, we miss Carey Price this year, but we all have to be better. I think that doesn't change the fact that we believe in who we have, in what we have and the system we play, and the guys that we have and the leadership group that we have. But if we're all honest with ourselves and look in the mirror and say we have to be better as a group, every individual has to step up and do what it takes to win for the team, then we'll come back with the right mentality and start to, I think, make some noise."

THE BURNING QUESTION: Will Price's right knee fully heal and be ready to resume the rigors of NHL competition? Price did not have surgery on his knee, and his recovery took much, much longer than originally expected. His rehab played out daily week after week once he resumed skating as he progressed to wearing goalie equipment before facing shots and then rejoining his teammates at practice. But he fell short of returning to play a game, and now will have to wait until coming back at the elite level of international hockey, playing for Canada at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

INJURIES: Price's injury was the iceberg that sank Montreal's season, but there were many others that lined the Canadiens' route through the rest of the way. Defenseman P.K. Subban was leading Montreal with 51 points when he sustained a neck injury March 10. He missed the final 14 games and had to decline an invitation to play for Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Championship in Russia because he is not yet cleared to return. Defenseman Jeff Petry is recovering from season-ending surgery for a sports hernia. Right wing Brendan Gallagher missed 29 games, including 17 after having surgery to repair two broken fingers on his left hand. Gallagher, who will play for Canada in Russia, had a goal and four assists in Montreal's final four games after he was sidelined a dozen games because of a lower-body. The Canadiens lost 348 man-games to injury compared to 88 in 2014-15.

WHO COULD GO: Defensemen Tom Gilbert and Scrivens can become unrestricted free agents and are unlikely to be back. Gilbert sustained a season-ending knee injury prior to the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline, and Scrivens finished the season with St. John's of the American Hockey League. Forward Mike Brown and defenseman Victor Bartley are also potential unrestricted free agents.

WHO COULD ARRIVE: One or two top-six forwards, and Bergevin believes he can never have enough depth on defense.

2016 DRAFT PICKS: The Canadiens have seven picks at the 2016 NHL Draft, including two in the second round, theirs and the Minnesota Wild's.


REASON FOR OPTIMISM: Alex Galchenyuk established himself as the Canadiens' top center in his fourth season. On Saturday, Galchenyuk, who was selected by Montreal in the first round (No. 3) of the 2013 draft, became the third-youngest Canadiens player to score 30 goals in a season after Bernie Geoffrion and Stephane Richer at 22 years, 57 days. He had his best offensive season with 56 points, up

from 20 goals and 46 points the previous season. Galchenyuk clicked with Pacioretty and Gallagher over the final four games, giving Montreal a potent top line heading into next season. Pacioretty scored his second goal of the game into an empty net to give the Canadiens two 30-goal scorers. He led Montreal with 64 points. Gallagher had 19 goals and 38 points in 53 games.

Eric Staal excited for return to playoffs

Rangers forward hasn't been to postseason in seven years

by Shawn P. Roarke @sroarke_nhl / NHL.com Director of Editorial

April 11th, 2016

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- The transition for Eric Staal to the New York Rangers has not gone as smoothly as the veteran forward would have liked.

But he knows the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is the opportunity to forge a much more palatable path to the finish line.

"Now is the time of the year when you want to be playing, you want to be on the ice, contributing," Staal said Monday when the Rangers began preparations for their first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. "The biggest thing here is wins. I'm not worried about my individual stats, but if I can contribute offensively, it's going to help us win games. The biggest thing is the wins and that is what this group has been after."

The Eastern Conference First Round series begins in Pittsburgh on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; USA, SN, TVA Sports, MSG, ROOT).

Big playoff games under the national spotlight are what Staal signed up for when he agreed to be traded from the Carolina Hurricanes after playing the first 12 seasons of his career there and was the captain. He agreed to go to the Rangers in part because they have a recent pedigree of going deep into the postseason and had the pieces in place to continue that trend.

But he knows he has to do his part.

Staal has played 20 games with the Rangers and has three goals and three assists, which is not the level of production he or anyone expected; he scored more than 30 goals five times and has 322 goals in 11-plus seasons with the Hurricanes.

Rangers coach Alain Vigneault would also like to see more goals from Staal, but believes the veteran has brought intangibles to the team. Staal's willingness to play on the

wing, instead of at his more natural center position, has allowed the Rangers to become a much deeper team.

"I think what is transpiring is what I expected," Vigneault said. "I feel that his line with Kevin [Hayes] and Jesper [Fast] has been a very efficient line for us in the past four or five games.

"You have a guy in there that has playoff experiences. He's won [the Stanley Cup] and he has gone to the Final. I'm banking he will share his experience, his love of the game. There is no doubt in my mind that he wants to win and he wants to win [badly]. He's going to bring it."

In the final game of the regular season, Staal collided with Fast and fell to the ice in pain. He left the game and did not return. However, Staal was a full participant in practice Monday.

"It didn't feel good initially, but [I had a] good day [Sunday]," Staal said. "I feel fine. I'll be 100 percent for sure. I'm not worried about it. It was one of those freaky little plays that scared me for a half a second."

Staal won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006, scoring 28 points in 25 games. Three seasons later, the Hurricanes made it to the Eastern Conference Final; Staal had 15 points in 18 games.

The Hurricanes have not been to the postseason since that run to the Eastern Conference Final seven years ago, but Staal still remembers how the buildings got louder, the players became more focused and the emotions were magnified.

Getting back to that level is the main reason he agreed to uproot what he acknowledges was a very good life in Raleigh, N.C.

I think you don't get the full feeling until you are out there for the start of Game 1, but you can feel the energy already, just coming to the rink; more people around, everybody is talking about [the playoffs]," Staal said. "It's been something that has been a long time for me the last couple of years to get that feeling again. I'm really excited. It's a good group of guys that I'm looking forward to battling with. It should be fun."


Weekly Report: April 11, 2016

Created: April 11, 2016 - 10:33 am

Written by Nicholas Niedzielski

The Checkers wrapped up the home portion of their regular season schedule with a tough week against two playoff-bound division rivals. The destiny of Charlotte’s season now rests in the balance of a pair of games in Cleveland against the Lake Erie Monsters at the end of this week.

Week in Review

Team Statistics

• Overall record 36-30-8

• Home record 17-17-4

• Road record 19-13-4

• Last week's record 1-3-0

• Last 10 games 4-4-2

• Division Standings 5th

• Conference Standings 8th

• League Standings 17th

Checkers 2, Rockford 1 (OT)

The Checkers’ final home stand rolled along as they squared off with the Rockford IceHogs for the fifth time in under four weeks. The Checkers were all over the visitors, outshooting them 42-22, but Brendan Woods’ early first period goal would mark their only goal in regulation. Rockford’s Vinnie Hinostroza found the equalizer midway through the final frame and the contest would head to overtime. The extra frame was tightly contested and it looked like things would have to be decided in a shootout, but with exactly one minute to go Anthony Camara crashed the net and put home a rebound to earn the Checkers a 2-1 win and a crucial two points in the standings. Full recap

Rockford 2, Checkers 1

The next night’s rematch would prove to be very similar to the previous game, as the Checkers vastly outshot the IceHogs but neither side could produce much offensively. Rockford pushed ahead to a two-goal lead when captain Jake Dowell lit the lamp early in the third, but red-hot Anthony Camara pulled the Checkers back within striking distance midway through the frame. But despite a huge push down the stretch, including outshooting their opponents 18-2 in the third period, the Checkers could not find a way to solve

IceHogs netminder Mac Carruth and stumbled to a 2-1 defeat. Full recap

Milwaukee 6, Checkers 3

Next up for the Checkers was a two-game slate with the Central Division-leading Milwaukee Admirals. Charlotte started off strong, with Brody Sutter opening the scoring early in the first and then erasing the Admirals’ answer quickly in the second. Things exploded in the middle frame, with the visitors scoring four goals on just six shots to carry a 5-3 lead into the third, where Adam Payerl would notch his second of the night to cement the Admirals’ lopsided victory. Full recap

Milwaukee 4, Checkers 2

Finishing their home schedule with a quick turnaround for a noon start the next day, the Checkers put up a fight but couldn’t find a way past the surging Admirals. Despite a strike from David Wohlberg early on in the second, the Checkers found themselves down by two goals heading into the final minute of the period. But Justin Shugg chipped in a rebound with just 15 seconds remaining on the clock to pull his team within one and breathe life into them heading into the final 20 minutes. The Checkers came up with a big push, including a few posts and a late power play, but they couldn’t produce the equalizer, and an empty netter for Milwaukee in the final minute squashed the home team’s hopes for a comeback and sealed a 4-2 Admirals win. Full recap

Three Stars Of The Week

3rd Star

Anthony Camara - 2g, 1a

2nd Star

Brody Sutter - 2g, 1a

1st Star

Justin Shugg - 2g, 1a

Notables

Playoff Picture

Despite losing their third straight game on Sunday, the Checkers retain control of their playoff destiny with two games remaining in the regular season. All Charlotte has to do to guarantee its place in the postseason is win its final two regular-season games at Lake


Erie this Thursday and Friday. Doing so would make whatever its chief competition for the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division, San Jose, accomplishes in its final two games against Stockton on Saturday and Sunday irrelevant. Another way to explain it is that Charlotte cannot allow San Jose to earn more points than it does in the final week of the season. Should the Checkers drop even one point against Lake Erie, they would need San Jose to do the same against Stockton this weekend to book a trip to the playoffs. Speaking of Stockton, the Heat remain alive as the only other team in the Western Conference with a chance of making the postseason, though they would have to win each of their three remaining games, the next of which is Tuesday at Bakersfield, to have any shot whatsoever.

Down To The Wire

This will mark the third instance in the Checkers’ six-year AHL history that the team’s playoff hopes will be decided in the final two games of the regular season. The most recent occurrence was in the 2013-14 campaign when the Checkers traveled to Milwaukee for the second-to-last game of the season. They would fall to the Admirals 5-1 which, combined with Oklahoma City earning a point on the same night, eliminated Charlotte for playoff contention. Two seasons prior, a nearly identical situation happened, with the Checkers heading to Milwaukee on the last day of the regular season needing just one point but losing 6-1 to fall short. Should the Checkers make the playoffs this season, it would be the first time since 2012-13. If they don’t, they would join the Iowa Wild as the only team to not make the playoffs in any of the last three seasons (Bridgeport would be in that group as well should they fall out of their race).

Struggles Between The Pipes

Since joining the team at the AHL trade deadline, John Muse has taken over the goaltending reins for Charlotte, starting 16 of the last 18 contests. Muse started his stint strong but hit a bump in production last week. He started all four games but after earning a 21-save 2-1 win in the first game, Muse surrendered eight goals on 55 shots over the next three, good for a 0.855 save percentage. Daniel Altshuller entered Saturday’s game in the second period to relieve Muse but didn’t fare much better. Getting thrown in against a lethal Milwaukee club, the rookie let in each of the Admirals’ first two shots and finished with three goals allowed on eight shots.

Missing The Captain

• Checkers Release Derek Arnold and Ryan Rashid From PTOs Read More

Last Week's News

• Watch Party At Queen City Q This Thursday

• Checkers Add Brendan Woods and Ryan Rashid

• Hurricanes Prospect Nicolas Roy To Join Checkers For Remainder Of Season

• Patrick Brown Returned To Charlotte

• Notebook: The Final Stretch

• Derek Ryan Rejoins Hurricanes

• Charity Shopping Event at Athleta in SouthPark Mall on April 16

• Hurricanes Assign Tolchinsky To Charlotte

The Checkers’ lineup suffered a serious blow on Thursday night when their captain, Derek Ryan, suffered an injury in Carolina’s final home game against Montreal. There was no immediate update from Carolina on the condition of Ryan, whose 12 points in nine games between March 19 and April 6 were the most of any AHL player, though Checkers coach Mark Morris acknowledged Friday that, “It doesn’t look good.” Carolina head coach gave an update Saturday that Ryan was "progressing well". An AHL All-Star this season, Ryan leads the Checkers in goals, assists and points.

Smile For The Camara

Since joining the Checkers in a deadline-day trade with the Boston Bruins involving John-Michael Liles, Anthony Camara has posted eight points in 13 games. Camara’s three goals as a Checker equal what he posted in the last season and a half with Providence, where he registered 13 points (3g, 10a) in his last 92 contests.

Shuggernaut

Last season’s leading scorer, Justin Shugg put up three points in last week’s four games, giving him seven points in his last eight contests since returning from injury.

Milestones In Sight

With two games remaining on the regular season schedule, several players have a chance to land their names on the Checkers' record book. Leading the team for the second straight season, Kyle Hagel needs one more penalty minute to take over sole possession of the second-highest single-season total in franchise history. He is currently tied with Justin Soryal’s 2011-12, though he trails Zack Fitzgerald’s 2010-11 total by 65 minutes. David Wohlberg is the ninth player in franchise history with two shorthanded goals in a single season, and one more would tie him with Zac Dalpe for the most. Trevor Carrick needs one more goal to tie Bobby Sanguinetti’s 2011-12 campaign for second-most in a single season by a defenseman. The record is held by Mark Flood, who potted 13 in 2013-14. Mike Cornell is six away from matching Matt Corrente’s 136 penalty minutes in 2013-14, the second-most by a blue liner in franchise history behind Fitzgerald. Sergey Tolchinsky needs three points to move into a tie with Victor Rask for most points in a season by a rookie.


By The Period

The Checkers snapped a perfect streak by allowing first period goals in both games to Milwaukee, but have still been stingy in opening frames as of late. They have surrendered just three goals in their last 13 first periods. The second period has been a different story, however. Over their last 12 contests, the Checkers have given up 19 goals in the middle frame, including at least one in 11 of those games. On the season, Charlotte has been outscored 83-56, the fourth-biggest differential in the league. The Checkers have been best in the third period overall this season, with their 84 goals standing as the third most in the AHL.

Ranks

• Kyle Hagel is tied for the AHL lead in major penalties (18) and fourth in penalty minutes (164)

• Mike Cornell leads all AHL defensemen and is tied for third in the league overall in major penalties (16)

• John Muse ranks 17th in the AHL in goals against average

• Trevor Carrick is tied for seventh among league defensemen in scoring (41)

Injuries

• Danny Biega missed 42 games starting 1/8

• Dane Fox missed 11 games starting 3/12

• Andrew Miller missed eight games starting 3/26

• Rasmus Rissanen missed eight games starting 3/26

• Blair Jones missed four games starting 4/5

Transactions

Incoming

• April 10 - (LW) Brendan Woods assigned by Carolina (NHL)

• April 8 - (C) Patrick Brown assigned by Carolina (NHL)

• April 6 - (LW) Sergey Tolchinsky assigned by Carolina (NHL)

Outgoing

• April 11 - (F) Ryan Rashid released from PTO

• April 11 - (C) Derek Arnold released from PTO

• April 7 - (C) Derek Ryan recalled by Carolina (NHL)

By the Numbers

Team Statistics

CATEGORY RECORD AHL RANK

LAST WEEK

Power play 19.0% 8th t-6th

Penalty kill 83.8% t-13th 12th

Goals per game 2.85 t-12th 10th

Shots per game 30.39 12th 13th

Goals allowed per game 2.99 18th t-18th

Shots allowed per game 28.66 8th 8th

Penalty minutes per game

14.35 15th 16th

Team Leaders

CATEGORY LEADER(S)

Points Andrew Miller (44), Trevor Carrick (41), Sergey Tolchinsky (36)

Goals Andrew Miller (18), Brock McGinn (17), Sergey Tolchinsky (14)

Assists Trevor Carrick (32), Andrew Miller (26), Jake Chelios (23)

Power play goals Brock McGinn (7), Andrew Miller (6), Three tied (4)

Shorthanded goals

David Wohlberg (2)

Game-winning goals

Andrew Miller (5), Blair Jones (3), Four tied (2)

Shots on goal Trevor Carrick (151), Justin Shugg (124), Sergey Tolchinsky (121)

Penalty minutes Kyle Hagel (164), Mike Cornell (130), Keegan Lowe (71)

Plus/minus Dennis Robertson (+14), Ethan Werek, Valentin Zykov (+7)

Wins John Muse (18)

Goals-against average

John Muse (2.54)

Save percentage John Muse (.910)


Checkers Release Derek Arnold and Ryan Rashid From PTOs

Created: April 11, 2016 - 9:25 am Written by Nicholas Niedzielski

Following their regular season home finale, the Checkers have released forwards Derek Arnold and Ryan Rashid from their PTOs. Arnold suited up for five games with the Checkers and came away with a goal and an assist, both AHL firsts. The rookie was called upon to fill in on a depleted Charlotte forward corps, even centering the top line in Saturday’s big matchup with Milwaukee. The 26-year-old Arnold will now return to the ECHL’s Manchester Monarchs as they begin the Kelly Cup playoffs. Rashid was brought on Sunday morning as insurance in case Brendan Woods wasn’t able to get to Charlotte from Florida, where he played with the Hurricanes Saturday night,

in time for puck drop. Woods ended up making it, so Rashid served as a healthy extra in the Checkers’ 4-2 loss to Milwaukee. The second-year pro's ECHL team, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, saw their season end on Saturday. The Checkers have a few days to regroup before heading to Cleveland for their two most important games of the season. As it stands they have 13 healthy options at forward, as well as two injured players – Andrew Miller and Valentin Zykov – who have been skating with the team in an effort to return to action. In addition, Derek Ryan and Phil Di Giuseppe, both of whom are in Carolina after suffering injuries, are eligible to return to Charlotte should they recover from their ailments.

TODAY’S LINKS http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/canes-now/article71194162.html

https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-playoffs-round-1-schedule/c-280159064 https://www.nhl.com/news/ed-snider-of-philadelphia-flyers-dies/c-280257622

https://www.nhl.com/news/coyotes-fire-don-maloney-as-general-manager/c-280265898 https://www.nhl.com/news/auston-matthews-matthews-remains-top-international-skater-for-2016-nhl-draft/c-280263054

https://www.nhl.com/news/canadiens-to-keep-therrien-as-coach/c-280272878 https://www.nhl.com/news/eric-staal-of-new-york-rangers-excited-for-return-to-playoffs/c-280264582

http://gocheckers.com/articles/1669-weekly-report-april-11-2016 http://gocheckers.com/articles/1668-checkers-release-derek-arnold-from-pto

1010161 Carolina Hurricanes

Canes reassign Murphy to Checkers

From staff reports

APRIL 11, 2016 4:02 PM


Murphy will join the Checkers for the team’s final two regular-season games on Thursday and Friday in Cleveland against the Lake Erie Monsters. Charlotte is in a tight race for a spot in the AHL’s Western

Conference playoffs and can secure a postseason berth with wins in both games against the Monsters.

Murphy, 23, has split the 2015-16 season between the Hurricanes and the Checkers. He earned 10 assists in 35 NHL games with Carolina, and has seven goals and 15 assists in 30 AHL games with Charlotte.

News Observer LOADED: 04.12.2016

1010275 NHL

NHL awards show to stay in Las Vegas, move to Hard Rock

By STEVE CARP


The annual NHL Awards Show is staying in Las Vegas. But it is moving to a new venue.

The Hard Rock Hotel will host the league’s annual gathering of its best players on June 22 at The Joint. The NHL confirmed Monday the site and date.

The league’s Board of Governors are also expected to hold their meetings that week in Las Vegas. The owners have been studying for several months whether or not to expand to Las Vegas and/or Quebec City for the 2017-18 season.

However, a decision on whether or not to expand is expected before the owners come to Las Vegas in June. If that decision is made prior to June, it would be done through a special meeting called by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. At the moment, no decision has been made.

The Hard Rock will be the fourth different location the NHL has used since it began coming to Las Vegas in 2009 for its postseason gala. The Palms hosted the Awards Show from 2009 to 2011. Wynn Las Vegas hosted from 2012 to 2014. Last year’s event was held at the MGM Grand Garden.

The NHL was looking to return to the MGM. But there were scheduling conflicts with both the Grand Garden and T-Mobile Arena, so the league explored the Hard Rock, which has The Joint, a 4,000-seat venue.

Information on public sale of tickets will be announced in the next couple of weeks.

At least four players know to save the date. Chicago center Patrick Kane won the scoring title and will be the recipient of the Art Ross Trophy. Kane had 46 goals, 60 assists and 106 points for the Blackhawks.

Washington’s Alex Ovechkin won his fourth straight Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy and sixth of his career after leading the NHL in goals with 50. And Anaheim’s goaltending duo of John Gibson and Frederik Andersen won the William M. Jennings Trophy which goes to the team whose goalies who play at least 25 games apiece and allow the fewest goals. The duo allowed just 192 goals this year.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.12.2016

1010412 Websites

ESPN / Coyotes fire GM Don Maloney after 9 seasons

The Arizona Coyotes missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season, costing general manager Don Maloney his job.

Coach Dave Tippett has two years remaining on his contract and is expected to remain with the team.

The Coyotes finished with 22 more points than in 2014-15 and were knocking on the door of the playoffs in January, but they couldn't keep the momentum going.

"On behalf of our ownership group and the entire Arizona Coyotes organization, I would like to sincerely thank Don for all of his hard work and the many contributions he made to our organization during his tenure," Coyotes president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said in a statement. "The Coyotes had some success with Don, but we believe a change in leadership is needed in order to move our franchise forward in a new direction."

The Coyotes statement said that assistant general managers John Chayka and Chris O'Hearn will manage the hockey operations department until a new general manager is selected.

Maloney, 57, had one of the most difficult jobs in sports, leading a team operating under the financial restraints of being owned by the NHL for four seasons. Maloney handled it better than expected, bringing in gritty, low-salaried players who fit Tippett's defensive style of hockey.

The Coyotes lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2010 and 2011, but rallied fans across the Valley of the Sun with an unexpected run to the 2012 Western Conference finals.

A new ownership group, led by Anthony LeBlanc and George Gosbee, stuck with Maloney after buying the team in 2013 and kept him as GM after Andrew Barroway bought 51 percent of the team in 2014.

Maloney leaves the organization with several high-profile prospects and young players, including rookie forwards Max Domi and Anthony Duclair. Maloney orchestrated a rebuilding phase for the franchise last season, trading away several core players and their large contracts to give the team financial flexibility and the younger players in the system a chance to blossom.

But the Coyotes have struggled with injuries to key players, particularly goalie Mike Smith, and have not finished higher than fourth in the Pacific Division the past four seasons.

Arizona lost out on a huge opportunity when it fell to third in last year's NHL draft lottery despite having the league's second-worst record the year before, costing it a chance to draft Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. The Coyotes still managed to get a good player in center Dylan Strome, but he did not make the team out of training camp and was sent to Erie of the OHL.

Arizona was also embroiled in controversy surrounding the All-Star selection of enforcer John Scott. After fans selected him to captain the Pacific team, partly as a lark, partly as a tribute to his years of service, the NHL and the Coyotes scrambled. Scott was at first sent down to the AHL and subsequently traded to Montreal. The league finally allowed him to take part in the game and he ended up being named MVP.

Maloney played for the Rangers, Whalers and Islanders from 1978 to '91. He served as Islanders GM from 1992 to '95 and Rangers assistant GM from 1996 to 2007, when he took over the Coyotes.

Tippett has coached the Coyotes since 2009-10. The team had 107 points that season, his best with the franchise.

ESPN LOADED: 04.12.2016

1010413 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / No Canada? No problem. Let the drama unfold

DAMIEN COX APRIL 11, 2016, 12:41 PM

Different, but dramatic.

That’s how the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs shape up, with the absence of any Canadian-based participants providing the difference, and eight tight first round match set to provide the drama.

The NHL has become a league of streaks, and while Pittsburgh was the hottest team down the stretch, almost all the other 15 first round teams were, at one time or another, absolutely sizzling. That means that unless you strictly define an upset as a team with more points during the regular season being defeated by one with less, it’s hard to see any of the first round matchups as upsets in the making.

Perhaps Nashville over Anaheim would be an upset, but the Preds did have 96 points. Minny dumped St. Louis in the first round last year, so the Wild have proven they can be dangerous out of a wild card position.

The Islanders and Lightning look like wounded bears, while the Rangers and Pittsburgh are two teams needing to prove all the short-term investments they’ve made will pay off.

Washington and Dallas, meanwhile, are in that awkward position of having played very well during the regular season, but getting very little advantage to show for those performances now that the playoffs are here.

Playoff series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs are all about narratives and storylines, and while Canadian fans mourn the absence of their teams, these playoffs have all kinds of plots in each and every series.

Chicago could be a modern dynasty if it can repeat. Can the Caps finally get over the hump? Will Tyler Seguin play? Pavel Datsyuk is suddenly in his final days as the star of the Red Wings. Can Shayne Gostisbehere


and Artemi Panarin find just as much success in the second season as they found as regular season rookies?

No Canada? No problem. Let the drama unfold.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Let me know when the Caps are in the third round. Anything else will be a failure for a team that was the best in the East by a significant margin but has a long history of failing in the playoffs with Alex Ovechkin as its leader. You can say Barry Trotz has changed everything, but under Trotz the Caps did blow a 3-1 series lead to the Rangers in the second round last year. They can change that historical narrative this spring. This team, on paper, is built to go deep.

The first round may be the trickiest against an intriguing Philly team that charged to the playoffs under rookie head coach Dave Hakstol, improving after dumping the contracts of vets Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn partway through the season and letting rookie defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere roam like an old-time rover and put himself into the Calder Trophy conversation. The Flyers have been winning at a .615 clip since Christmas. Brayden Schenn has really upped his game, and he’ll need to find a way to equalize the centre-ice battle in this series against Washington’s 1-2 punch of Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov. We’ll see if Mr. Game 7, Justin Williams, can make the same impact for the Caps as he has done in the past with other clubs.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Detroit Red Wings

This is a battle of the wounded and weary. The Lightning are seriously banged up, while Detroit backed into its 25th consecutive post-season tournament and has leader Pavel Datsyuk talking about going home to Russia after the season. These two teams played last year and the Wings were up 3-2 before losing the series, with Tampa going all the way to the Stanley Cup final. The Bolts score a little more and defend a little better than the Wings, but their power play is inconsistent.

The Wings have super-rookie Dylan Larkin, but Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are fading and some of Detroit’s other young players have been mildly disappointing in terms of taking a big step forward this year. It’s anybody’s guess how Jeff Blashill will use his two goalies in this series. We’ll see how healthy Tampa centre Tyler Johnson and winger Nikita Kucherov are, but we know the Lightning won’t have Steven Stamkos or blueliner Anton Stralman. The inclusion of Jonathan Drouin alters Tampa’s dynamic. At this point in time, regardless of which club advances, neither look like a Cup contender. Both are desperate hockey clubs, which could make for an emotional first-round clash.

Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders

Like the Lightning, the Islanders have suffered crushing injuries in the final weeks of the season, including those to defenceman Travis Hamonic (probable for Game 1), winger Anders Lee, goalie Jaroslav Halak and centre Mikhail Grabovski. The ice at their Brooklyn rink is awful, which could turn this series into a trudge through the slush. Still, the Isles have some grit to their game, particularly on the fourth line, and can win ugly.

They won’t make things easy for a “Spacey in Space” fuelled Florida team who has enjoyed a breakthrough regular season, getting more out of aging stalwarts Jaromir Jagr, Brian Campbell and goalie Roberto Luongo than anyone could have imagined. The challenge will be that Aaron Ekblad, Alexander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad don’t have a single playoff game between them. Jagr and Luongo can help steady their nerves, but can’t go out there and do it for them. John Tavares only has 13 playoff games on his resume, but he has some. Both teams are in the bottom half of the league in terms of possession, which makes this one a little tricky to forecast. Islander injuries versus Florida inexperience could be the matchup to watch.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers

Had the Islanders not won on the final day of the season, they would have faced red-hot Pittsburgh (14-2 in the last 16), and the Blueshirts would have faced Florida. As it is, the up-and-down Rangers get to tangle with the club they eliminated in five games last year. With no Evgeny Malkin for the Pens, the Rangers can game plan only against Sidney Crosby, a nice advantage for Alain Vigneault.

Kris Letang has generated a lot of positive energy for Pittsburgh in the second half, and he’ll have to try to do the same while being assaulted

with waves of ill-intentioned Ranger forecheckers. New York should have a huge advantage in goal with in Henrik Lundqvist with both Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray banged up in the Penguin crease. But the Rangers are a dreadful possession team and have slipped significantly on the defensive side this season. Plus Ryan McDonagh is hurt. This could easily be the most compelling, most back-and-forth series of the first round in the east.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild

It’s easy to want to see the Stars get this done. They play a pleasing offensive game for the most part, something we just don’t get enough of these days. Even Wayne Gretzky says the game lacks imagination. “Offence wins championships,” however, isn’t how the cliche goes, and everyone’s just waiting to see the league’s No. 1 attack get knocked off early. Minnesota is the team to do it, with sturdy Devan Dubnyk in the net and enough playoff experience at all positions to make life awfully unpleasant for the Stars.

The coaching switch to John Torchetti saved the season in the Twin Cities, and Zach Parise seemed to find his game down the stretch in a injury-plagued season, but may be iffy for Game 1 with an undisclosed injury. The likely absence of Tyler Seguin (Achilles laceration) from the Dallas lineup – he’s expected to start practicing Monday – and the uncertainty over who will be in goal for Lindy Ruff, meanwhile, means the addition of ex-Chicago stalwarts Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya could be critical for the Stars in a long, tough series. There’s historical entanglements – the Stars left Minny for Dallas – but that won’t matter a hoot in terms of emotional sub-text here.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues

For the second time in three years, we’ll see the untapped playoff potential of St. Louis against the proven championship pedigree of Chicago. Bodies will bang in this one. The question that can only be answered in these playoffs is what, exactly, is the connection between last spring’s championship Hawks team and this one. The core players are the same, but so many other things have changed, particularly the depth players in the Chicago lineup. That doesn’t mean the new faces can’t do the same jobs. It just means they have to prove they can, and not leave scoring champion Patrick Kane to carry the load. Star defenceman Duncan Keith will miss Game 1 to suspension, so he’ll be nice and rested.

You’d love to say the Blues come into this series with their goaltending figured out, but once more, that’s not exactly the case, although with either Brian Elliott (no playoff starts since 2013) or recuperating Jake Allen in between the pipes, they were a mighty difficult team to score on. GM Doug Armstrong gave Ken Hitchcock and this group one more chance this season, and we’re going to find out if that was a mistake. St. Louis was 14-4 down the stretch and won three of five vs. the Hawks, but two were in OT and one in a shootout.

Los Angeles Kings vs. San Jose Sharks

How long does a hockey scar take to heal? That was a nasty psychological wound the Kings inflicted on the Sharks back in the 2014 playoffs, spotting San Jose a 3-0 series lead before fighting back to win the series and then go on to capture the Cup. Many, if not all, of the participants are the same, and no series lead will be safe for the Sharks, not until they win a fourth game. San Jose is an intriguing group and are still led in many ways by old captains Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, but are trying to hand over the reins to new captain Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. It’s the younger Sharks that need to step up here, and play like they have no memory of that ’14 collapse.

The Kings look heavy and dangerous, although they weren’t great down the stretch and can struggle to score. They are still the league’s best possession team, and have nearly a perfect core group with Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick. Tyler Toffoli became a top scorer this season. There is uncertainty in the Sharks net, with James Reimer and Martin Jones both vying for starts. Neither has a resume of NHL post-season success.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators

Nashville believed it was getting the No. 1 centre it had never had when Ryan Johansen was acquired from Columbus. Well, we’re going to find out if that’s true in the first round, aren’t we? The regular season (8 goals in 42 games with the Predators) was inconclusive, and now Johansen


will go head-to-head against Ryan Getzlaf or Ryan Kesler. The Ducks lost only 10 of their final 49 games in regulation, are the league’s best defensive squad and can boast of superb special teams. A dreadful start that nearly cost Bruce Boudreau his job now seems to be a rallying point for this team. If there’s a question, it’s in the crease, where Fredrik Andersson looks likely to start, but John Gibson has played well enough to get some time.

In Filip Forsberg, the Predators have as good goal-scoring threat as they’ve had, and the strength of the team remains the Shea Weber-led blue line corps. Pekka Rinne has been up-and-down all season. The challenge for the Preds, really, will be to prove early in this season whether they have any business being in the same rink as the Ducks.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 04.12.2016

1010414 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / No Canada? No problem. Let the drama unfold

DAMIEN COX APRIL 11, 2016, 12:41 PM

Different, but dramatic.

That’s how the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs shape up, with the absence of any Canadian-based participants providing the difference, and eight tight first round match set to provide the drama.

The NHL has become a league of streaks, and while Pittsburgh was the hottest team down the stretch, almost all the other 15 first round teams were, at one time or another, absolutely sizzling. That means that unless you strictly define an upset as a team with more points during the regular season being defeated by one with less, it’s hard to see any of the first round matchups as upsets in the making.

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS:

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Perhaps Nashville over Anaheim would be an upset, but the Preds did have 96 points. Minny dumped St. Louis in the first round last year, so the Wild have proven they can be dangerous out of a wild card position.

The Islanders and Lightning look like wounded bears, while the Rangers and Pittsburgh are two teams needing to prove all the short-term investments they’ve made will pay off.

Washington and Dallas, meanwhile, are in that awkward position of having played very well during the regular season, but getting very little advantage to show for those performances now that the playoffs are here.

Playoff series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs are all about narratives and storylines, and while Canadian fans mourn the absence of their teams, these playoffs have all kinds of plots in each and every series.

Chicago could be a modern dynasty if it can repeat. Can the Caps finally get over the hump? Will Tyler Seguin play? Pavel Datsyuk is suddenly in his final days as the star of the Red Wings. Can Shayne Gostisbehere and Artemi Panarin find just as much success in the second season as they found as regular season rookies?

No Canada? No problem. Let the drama unfold.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Let me know when the Caps are in the third round. Anything else will be a failure for a team that was the best in the East by a significant margin but has a long history of failing in the playoffs with Alex Ovechkin as its leader. You can say Barry Trotz has changed everything, but under Trotz the Caps did blow a 3-1 series lead to the Rangers in the second round last year. They can change that historical narrative this spring. This team, on paper, is built to go deep.

The first round may be the trickiest against an intriguing Philly team that charged to the playoffs under rookie head coach Dave Hakstol, improving after dumping the contracts of vets Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn partway through the season and letting rookie defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere roam like an old-time rover and put himself into the Calder Trophy conversation. The Flyers have been winning at a .615 clip since Christmas. Brayden Schenn has really upped his game, and he’ll need to find a way to equalize the centre-ice battle in this series against Washington’s 1-2 punch of Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov. We’ll see if Mr. Game 7, Justin Williams, can make the same impact for the Caps as he has done in the past with other clubs.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Detroit Red Wings

This is a battle of the wounded and weary. The Lightning are seriously banged up, while Detroit backed into its 25th consecutive post-season tournament and has leader Pavel Datsyuk talking about going home to Russia after the season. These two teams played last year and the Wings were up 3-2 before losing the series, with Tampa going all the way to the Stanley Cup final. The Bolts score a little more and defend a little better than the Wings, but their power play is inconsistent.

The Wings have super-rookie Dylan Larkin, but Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are fading and some of Detroit’s other young players have been mildly disappointing in terms of taking a big step forward this year. It’s anybody’s guess how Jeff Blashill will use his two goalies in this series. We’ll see how healthy Tampa centre Tyler Johnson and winger Nikita Kucherov are, but we know the Lightning won’t have Steven Stamkos or blueliner Anton Stralman. The inclusion of Jonathan Drouin alters Tampa’s dynamic. At this point in time, regardless of which club advances, neither look like a Cup contender. Both are desperate hockey clubs, which could make for an emotional first-round clash.

Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders

Like the Lightning, the Islanders have suffered crushing injuries in the final weeks of the season, including those to defenceman Travis Hamonic (probable for Game 1), winger Anders Lee, goalie Jaroslav Halak and centre Mikhail Grabovski. The ice at their Brooklyn rink is awful, which could turn this series into a trudge through the slush. Still, the Isles have some grit to their game, particularly on the fourth line, and can win ugly.

They won’t make things easy for a “Spacey in Space” fuelled Florida team who has enjoyed a breakthrough regular season, getting more out of aging stalwarts Jaromir Jagr, Brian Campbell and goalie Roberto Luongo than anyone could have imagined. The challenge will be that Aaron Ekblad, Alexander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad don’t have a single playoff game between them. Jagr and Luongo can help steady their nerves, but can’t go out there and do it for them. John Tavares only has 13 playoff games on his resume, but he has some. Both teams are in the bottom half of the league in terms of possession, which makes this one a little tricky to forecast. Islander injuries versus Florida inexperience could be the matchup to watch.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers

Had the Islanders not won on the final day of the season, they would have faced red-hot Pittsburgh (14-2 in the last 16), and the Blueshirts would have faced Florida. As it is, the up-and-down Rangers get to tangle with the club they eliminated in five games last year. With no Evgeny Malkin for the Pens, the Rangers can game plan only against Sidney Crosby, a nice advantage for Alain Vigneault.

Kris Letang has generated a lot of positive energy for Pittsburgh in the second half, and he’ll have to try to do the same while being assaulted with waves of ill-intentioned Ranger forecheckers. New York should have a huge advantage in goal with in Henrik Lundqvist with both Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray banged up in the Penguin crease. But the Rangers are a dreadful possession team and have slipped significantly on the defensive side this season. Plus Ryan McDonagh is hurt. This could easily be the most compelling, most back-and-forth series of the first round in the east.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild

It’s easy to want to see the Stars get this done. They play a pleasing offensive game for the most part, something we just don’t get enough of these days. Even Wayne Gretzky says the game lacks imagination. “Offence wins championships,” however, isn’t how the cliche goes, and


everyone’s just waiting to see the league’s No. 1 attack get knocked off early. Minnesota is the team to do it, with sturdy Devan Dubnyk in the net and enough playoff experience at all positions to make life awfully unpleasant for the Stars.

The coaching switch to John Torchetti saved the season in the Twin Cities, and Zach Parise seemed to find his game down the stretch in a injury-plagued season, but may be iffy for Game 1 with an undisclosed injury. The likely absence of Tyler Seguin (Achilles laceration) from the Dallas lineup – he’s expected to start practicing Monday – and the uncertainty over who will be in goal for Lindy Ruff, meanwhile, means the addition of ex-Chicago stalwarts Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya could be critical for the Stars in a long, tough series. There’s historical entanglements – the Stars left Minny for Dallas – but that won’t matter a hoot in terms of emotional sub-text here.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues

For the second time in three years, we’ll see the untapped playoff potential of St. Louis against the proven championship pedigree of Chicago. Bodies will bang in this one. The question that can only be answered in these playoffs is what, exactly, is the connection between last spring’s championship Hawks team and this one. The core players are the same, but so many other things have changed, particularly the depth players in the Chicago lineup. That doesn’t mean the new faces can’t do the same jobs. It just means they have to prove they can, and not leave scoring champion Patrick Kane to carry the load. Star defenceman Duncan Keith will miss Game 1 to suspension, so he’ll be nice and rested.

You’d love to say the Blues come into this series with their goaltending figured out, but once more, that’s not exactly the case, although with either Brian Elliott (no playoff starts since 2013) or recuperating Jake Allen in between the pipes, they were a mighty difficult team to score on. GM Doug Armstrong gave Ken Hitchcock and this group one more chance this season, and we’re going to find out if that was a mistake. St. Louis was 14-4 down the stretch and won three of five vs. the Hawks, but two were in OT and one in a shootout.

Los Angeles Kings vs. San Jose Sharks

How long does a hockey scar take to heal? That was a nasty psychological wound the Kings inflicted on the Sharks back in the 2014 playoffs, spotting San Jose a 3-0 series lead before fighting back to win the series and then go on to capture the Cup. Many, if not all, of the participants are the same, and no series lead will be safe for the Sharks, not until they win a fourth game. San Jose is an intriguing group and are still led in many ways by old captains Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, but are trying to hand over the reins to new captain Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. It’s the younger Sharks that need to step up here, and play like they have no memory of that ’14 collapse.

The Kings look heavy and dangerous, although they weren’t great down the stretch and can struggle to score. They are still the league’s best possession team, and have nearly a perfect core group with Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick. Tyler Toffoli became a top scorer this season. There is uncertainty in the Sharks net, with James Reimer and Martin Jones both vying for starts. Neither has a resume of NHL post-season success.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators

Nashville believed it was getting the No. 1 centre it had never had when Ryan Johansen was acquired from Columbus. Well, we’re going to find out if that’s true in the first round, aren’t we? The regular season (8 goals in 42 games with the Predators) was inconclusive, and now Johansen will go head-to-head against Ryan Getzlaf or Ryan Kesler. The Ducks lost only 10 of their final 49 games in regulation, are the league’s best defensive squad and can boast of superb special teams. A dreadful start that nearly cost Bruce Boudreau his job now seems to be a rallying point for this team. If there’s a question, it’s in the crease, where Fredrik Andersson looks likely to start, but John Gibson has played well enough to get some time.

In Filip Forsberg, the Predators have as good goal-scoring threat as they’ve had, and the strength of the team remains the Shea Weber-led blue line corps. Pekka Rinne has been up-and-down all season. The challenge for the Preds, really, will be to prove early in this season whether they have any business being in the same rink as the Ducks.


1010415 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Calgary Flames go into summer looking to regain confidence

ERIC FRANCIS APRIL 11, 2016, 7:45 PM

The Calgary Flames’ summer wish list is headed by a proven NHL goalie and a big, skilled winger.

However, if anyone believes those two adds can cure the Flames’ woes they are as lost as the Flames were this season.

There needs to be change.

But as Flames general manager Brad Treliving made clear Monday that change doesn’t necessarily mean an influx of newcomers.

“It’s unrealistic to say there are going to be 25 new faces here,” said Treliving following his exit meetings with players. “There’s three ways to improve – bring someone in from the outside, potentially improve by eliminating someone from the inside and, more often than not, it’s internal growth. That was a big message today.

“This is a very critical summer for every player and for us as an organization.”

While optimists can point to the fact the team’s top three defencemen and four of their top nine forwards had career years, the reality is the Flames were only a handful of losses away from being the worst team in the NHL. And they blew that (and the 20 per cent lottery odds) by winning too many meaningless games down the stretch and bolstering individual stats in the process.

Flames will have an 8.5 per cent chance of winning the draft lottery, which would go a long way towards addressing their need to add skill up front. It’s a lot to count on though.

Unlike teams like, say the Edmonton Oilers, the Flames aren’t in need of a major cultural shift – that already happened when Mark Giordano took over from Jarome Iginla as captain.

This team needs some more maturity to go with its emerging skill and tireless work ethic.

“The fact is we rely on very young players to carry this team,” said Treliving, whose leaders will continue to be Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, T.J. Brodie and Giordano.

“You can improve quickly in this league – you have to make the right decisions. There is a very good young nucleus here and solid veterans. We need to make some changes that can put us right back in a playoff spot next year. There needs to be moves made and that’s the GM’s job. But we need internal growth.

“Coming back with the right mental approach is important. I’m confident we can do the things we need to get back into the playoffs next year. But the group coming back here needs to make steps as well.”

Joe Colborne said he expects plenty of change this summer given the Flames 20-point decline from a year earlier.

He hopes he isn’t part of the moves though. He very much wants to stay in his hometown – and his combination of size and skill are exactly what the Flames need more of – but the third-liner may be used as trade bait.

The 6-foot-5 winger finished with a career high 19 goals and 44 points, putting the restricted free agent in line for a raise that will at least double his $1.27-million salary. With huge contracts in the works for restricted free agents Gaudreau and Monahan combined with the need for a proven goalie, money is going to be extremely tight for the Flames moving forward.

Last year the Flames made two significant additions in Dougie Hamilton and Michael Frolik, and the Flames went from a playoff spot to 26th overall.


Why the young Flames failed to live up to expectations following their improbable playoff appearance a year earlier revolved largely around a start that saw the Flames win one game in regulation in their first 14 outings.

Treliving will try getting to the bottom of whether the start is a result of the players believing their own press clippings, being unprepared, immature or simply not being good enough.

Their start cost the club the confidence it spent the entire year beforehand building brilliantly.

No matter how far behind they were in a game or how long the odds were last year, the Flames so often dug down to find a game-tying goal or game-winner late in the evening in 2014-15. Those comebacks disappeared this year, as did their playoff chances.

“All year it just felt like we had a bit more swagger and confidence last year and we were able to have that push we didn’t have this year,” said Giordano. “All those comeback wins and those extra points were huge too.

“The one good thing coming out of this is you won’t take for granted getting into the playoffs.”

Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano. (Jonathan Hayward/CP) Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano. (Jonathan Hayward/CP)

Treliving was hit with a series of disappointing developments Monday as several key players rejected great opportunities to continue growing their games.

The co-GM of Canada’s world championship team was turned down by Hamilton (wants to “focus on his summer”), Brodie (not feeling 100 per cent), Giordano (family reasons) and Monahan (says he’s banged up).

Despite slow starts, all three defencemen had career years for the Flames but we will see how consideration for the World Cup of Hockey will be affected by the worlds rejection.

Jyrki Jokipakka (hip), Jakub Nakladal (ankle) and Frolik (groin) have also turned down their countries due to injury.

The only Flame going to Russia for the worlds is Sweden’s Mikael Backlund. Gaudreau said he hasn’t made a decision on playing for the U.S. team at the worlds yet but that he is unlikely given he is without a contract for next season and has little to play for having already been named to Team North America’s under-23 team at the World Cup this fall.

“From a Team Canada hat I’m disappointed – those are good players,” said Treliving, who would have liked his players to gain more experience and perhaps taste winning on a big stage.

“From a Flames perspective I get it. I try to pride myself with having a strong relationship with the players and we talked through it. As I told them all – I want hockey players playing and I think it’s a great experience. But I support them and understand where they are coming from.”

No position was more heavily scrutinized this season than Calgary’s goaltending, which will be radically different next year after ranking last in several categories. Treliving informed unrestricted free agent Jonas Hiller Monday he won’t be back next year.

Karri Ramo, who found his groove as the team’s starter before Christmas, is an unrestricted free agent who said he’d consider returning. He likely won’t be asked though.

The one goalie who does make sense as a returnee is restricted free agent Joni Ortio who played well enough down the stretch to be re-signed to a deal worth $660,000 and given a chance to compete for the backup gig next fall.

As for what went wrong, the Flames’ confidence of a year earlier disappeared when the first month of the season went awry, making it impossible for the team to recover.

The club hopes late pushes by players like Backlund, Monahan, Colborne and Hamilton in meaningless games bode well for a better start next season and the internal growth Treliving is counting on to turn things around.


1010416 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / No guarantees Bergevin, Canadiens will progress over summer

ERIC ENGELS APRIL 11, 2016, 8:13 PM

BROSSARD, Que. — The 2015-16 edition of the Montreal Canadiens never came close to adding a Stanley Cup banner to the 24 that hang from the rafters at the Bell Centre.

According to general manager Marc Bergevin, the reason for that was mostly to do with losing goaltender Carey Price for what turned out to be 59 games from the day (Nov. 25) he suffered an MCL sprain that was only supposed to keep him sidelined for six-to-eight weeks.

If it was foreseeable that the Canadiens would struggle without the reigning MVP, it was unfathomable that they’d have the league’s worst record from Dec. 2 through the end of a season they kicked off with a franchise-best nine consecutive wins.

It was the kind of collapse that one would think necessitates drastic change. But as owner Geoff Molson, general manager Marc Bergevin and head coach Michel Therrien met with the media — roughly 500 feet adjacent to the replica Cup banners that hang above the ice at their South Shore training facility — all three of them used the word “stability” to outline the course of action the team will follow.

“The decision I made four years ago was to hire Marc Bergevin, and I think he’s the best person to manage the team and make it better,” said Molson in French. “Another priority of mine was to institute long-term stability and Marc’s guidance allows for that.”

It was in that same vein that Bergevin guaranteed Therrien and his staff would remain in place for the start of the 2016-17 season.

“Michel Therrien is a guy who’s fair, strict and firm, and that’s the reason he’s still here to this day,” said Bergevin. “Surely there will come a day — there will even come a day for me — when he and I won’t be here.

“But today isn’t that day for Michel Therrien because I’m behind him and I believe in him and our players believe in Michel Therrien.”

Bergevin took no exception to the coach’s insistence that forward Alex Galchenyuk — who was the second-highest goal scorer in the NHL from the minute he was made Montreal’s top centre on March 5 up until season’s end — wasn’t ready for more responsibility in January after the team had averaged less than two goals per game for over a month.

The GM also saw no issue with the coach’s strategy, which never changed — even as the Canadiens suffered below-average goaltending from December to February.

His ringing endorsement of coach Sylvain Lefebvre, whose St. John’s IceCaps (formerly the Hamilton Bulldogs) haven’t made the playoffs in four seasons, was met with surprise. But Bergevin had his reasons.

“In a perfect world St. John’s makes the playoffs and they win the Calder Cup,” he said. “The way I look at it is when players come to Montreal, are they helping us? And this year, towards the end, we had many injuries and there’s players who have come up and done a pretty good job for us.”

Forwards Daniel Carr and Sven Andrighetto and defencemen Mark Barberio, Joel Hanley and Darren Dietz — who all filled in for some of the 17 regulars who missed games due to injury — were singled out by Therrien as players who fit Bergevin’s description. Their futures with the organization appear secure.

Meanwhile Bergevin’s stated intention to retain all the core players of the Canadiens was anything but convincing.

“Wayne Gretzky was traded,” reminded Bergevin. “Am I trying to move [defenceman] P.K. Subban? No. Am I trying to move Carey Price? No. Am I trying to move Max Pacioretty? No. Am I trying to make this team better? Yes. To move any of these guys and to move P.K. it would have


to be something special, and as a hockey manager I have to look at all my options. Is that a reality? Probably not.

“But if I don’t look at all my options, I’m not doing my job as a general manager.”

Molson added the following in a letter penned to fans Monday afternoon: “No stone can be left unturned in looking for ways to improve. You have my full commitment that we will do everything possible to improve our team.”

Bergevin insisted he’ll be a player in free agency, albeit a cautious one considering the uncertainty of the Canadian dollar and its effect on the salary cap. In order to be one, he’ll surely have to shed some salary given roughly $65 million already committed to 19 players under contract.

What that means for Tomas Plekanec, Lars Eller and David Desharnais — who all play the centre position and are currently tying up $13 million in space — is anybody’s guess. And defenceman Alexei Emelin, who makes $4.1 million on the cap and generated interest on the trade market back in Februrary, might be a player Bergevin looks to move as well.

But the Canadiens are far from assured their most pressing needs will be fulfilled through trade and free agency.

“Every team in the league needs scoring,” said Bergevin. “There’s not one general manager in the NHL who’s going to tell you, ‘You know what? I have too much scoring.’ Scoring is a premium in this league, and obviously guys that are able to score at a high level are very, very seldom available if ever.”

The Canadiens can fall as low as 12th but will most likely draft ninth overall barring the possibility they beat the odds at the April 30 lottery by landing a top-three pick. And even in the unlikely event they get lucky, there are no guarantees they’ll add a player who can help them immediately.

“Over these 82 games I learned a lot,” said Bergevin. “I learned that there are no guarantees no matter how successful you are at the start or at any point during the season.”

That same uncertainty will hang overhead as a new quest begins to put an end to a 23-year Cup drought.


1010417 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Shanahan: It’s now ‘a lot easier’ to attract talent to Toronto

DANIEL GOFFENBERG APRIL 11, 2016, 7:09 PM

Brendan Shanahan was on Prime Time Sports on Sportsnet 590 The Fan on Monday, where he spoke with Bob McCown and Damien Cox about the current, and future, state of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs just wrapped up a season that saw them finish at the bottom of the NHL standings with a 29-42-11 record, but with a guaranteed top-four pick at June’s upcoming NHL Draft and considerable cap space, Shanahan believes the city is an attractive place for NHLers to play in.

“I think it’s a lot easier than it was at this time last year,” he said. “I think we’ve got a clear vision. We’ve got a player who knows who the coach is gonna be for the next seven years, maybe longer. He knows everything he needs to know about the general manager (Lou Lamoriello), he’s the only general manager that’s in the Hall of Fame.

“We’ve gotten rid of a lot of entitlement that I think used to exist in Toronto. I give credit to our coaching staff and players for turning that around.”

The Leafs president said that while he plans on building through the draft, he remains open to acquiring players through trade and free agency. This year’s free agent class is expected to contain big names like Steven Stamkos, Milan Lucic and Loui Eriksson.

“From the very beginning right when we stated what our vision was of what we wanted to become, we wanted to become good as quickly as

possible but not at the expense of our future,” said Shanahan. “So if something glitzy and glamourous comes along and we think that it fits into what we want to be going down the road, then we’re going to pursue it.”

Shanahan also touched on the difficulties of overseeing a team going through so many growing pains, saying he felt for his first-year head coach Mike Babcock.

“It was probably hardest on Mike because he’s down on the frontlines,” said Shanahan. “There were some nights where Mike was walking out of that arena and you say, ‘I don’t know if he’s coming back in the morning, he looks really upset.’

“And every morning he came to work, first guy at work with a renewed enthusiasm for the next day. That’s just who he is.”


1010418 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Arizona Coyotes fire Don Maloney, launch GM search

LUKE FOX APRIL 11, 2016, 3:40 PM

Arizona’s Don Maloney era is over.

The Arizona Coyotes general manager was relieved of his duties Monday.

Arizona will not name an interim general manager at this time. The search for a new GM begins immediately and should conclude in two to six weeks.

The rebuilding Coyotes have missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons, finishing 24th overall this seasons with a record of 35-39-8.

Coyotes majority owner, chairman and governor Andrew Barroway, alternate governor Gary Drummond (who oversees the Coyotes hockey operations department) and president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc will lead the hiring search, and a new GM should be in place for June's draft.

Leblanc pointed to philosophical differences with ownership and not the Coyotes' playoff drought for Maloney's firing.

Assistant general managers John Chayka and Chris O’Hearn will manage Coyotes' hockey operations until a new GM is selected.

NOT SURE IT'S NECESSARILY TO BE THE GM BUT THE COYOTES HAVE ASKED THE STARS FOR PERMISSION TO TALK TO LES JACKSON, A GREAT JUDGE OF TALENT.

— CRAIG CUSTANCE (@CRAIGCUSTANCE) APRIL 11, 2016

“On behalf of our ownership group and the entire Arizona Coyotes organization, I would like to sincerely thank Don for all of his hard work and the many contributions he made to our organization during his tenure,” said LeBlanc. “The Coyotes had some success with Don, but we believe a change in leadership is needed in order to move our franchise forward in a new direction.”

Head coach Dave Tippett, who has two years left on his contract, is expected to get an elevated role with a franchise now flush with young talent. Tippett's advice will be sought during the GM search.

NEW TREND IN #NHL HAS COACHES MOVING TOWARD MORE INVOLVEMENT IN PLAYER PERSONNEL. POSSIBLE SCENARIO WITH TIPPETT STAYING WITH #COYOTES.

— NICK KYPREOS (@REALKYPER) APRIL 11, 2016

Maloney, 57, served as GM of the Coyotes since 2007. He was named the NHL's General Manager of the Year in 2010 — the first season the award was handed out.

An NHL forward with 765 career games with the Rangers, Whalers and Islanders, Maloney served as GM of the Isles from 1992 to 1995. He then worked in the Rangers' front office under Glen Sather before taking the Coyotes job nine years ago.


"We want to get on a winning page and get back in the playoffs, so obviously someone takes the fall for it," No. 1 goaltender Mike Smith told reporters.

"We've had a lot of growth in our organization this year. I think the fans should be excited about what's to come going forward."

Arizona has a 6.5 per cent chance of winning the first-overall selection and a chance to select hometown prospect Auston Matthews at the NHL Draft.

LeBlanc said the team will be active in free agency, looking to add a defenceman.

ANTHONY LEBLANC CLEARLY MIFFED ABOUT THE OUTSIDE PERCEPTION THAT OWNERSHIP ISN'T WILLING TO SPEND MONEY. "THERE HAS BEEN MONEY AVAILABLE."

— CRAIG MORGAN (@CRAIGSMORGAN) APRIL 11, 2016

"THERE IS ABSOLUTELY 100% NO POTENTIAL THAT WE WOULD TRADE OLIVER EKMAN-LARSSON FOR A DRAFT PICK." - @ANTHONYDLEBLANC

— YOTES (@ARIZONACOYOTES) APRIL 11, 2016

SHANE DOAN ON HIS FUTURE AS A COYOTE: "WE'LL TALK AS A FAMILY... WE'LL MAKE A DECISION AND IT'S ONE THAT THEY'LL KNOW FIRST."

— YOTES (@ARIZONACOYOTES) APRIL 10, 2016

HANZAL IS IN AN INTERESTING SITUATION. DON MALONEY WANTED TO SIGN HIM TO AN EXTENSION THIS SUMMER. NOW MALONEY IS GONE. 1 YEAR LEFT ON DEAL.

— CRAIG MORGAN (@CRAIGSMORGAN) APRIL 11, 2016

CERTAINLY A SEASON OF PROGRESS. THANKS #COYOTES NATION FOR THE TREMENDOUS SUPPORT. SEE YOU NEXT SEASON. IS IT EARLY TO ASK #ISITOCTOBERYET ?

— ANTHONY LEBLANC (@ANTHONYDLEBLANC) APRIL 10, 2016


1010419 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / NHL’s Bill Daly: Draft lottery ‘finally compelling TV’

LUKE FOX APRIL 11, 2016, 3:00 PM

Tanking is a testy issue for the National Hockey League, a circuit that prides itself on parity and keeping the playoff races thick and alive until the final buzzer.

Yet smart fans of lottery-bound teams had every logical reason to root against their favourite club as they played out the string. The issue was thrust in the spotlight earlier this month when Josh Doan, son of Arizona captain Shane Doan, began rooting for Dad to lose.

“My son is literally the biggest Coyotes fan that you’ll ever meet,” Doan told The Arizona Republic. “He lives, breathes — he, until very recently, would be physically upset when we lost, and it’d break your heart. And I remember him cheering after games, being mad, but being happy we lost — like cheering against us.”

The league’s deputy commissioner, Bill Daly, tackled the popular topic on Hockey Central at Noon Monday.

"I hear that a lot. I don't think the teams themselves are celebrating not winning," Daly said.

"I don't see a lack of effort in trying to win the game. Obviously the player makeup is the issue. We certainly don't want a perception that our teams don't want to win, aren't playing to win every night."

The NHL recently installed changes to its draft lottery, "smoothing the odds," Daly pointed out, and giving all 14 non-playoff teams a shot at

securing the first-overall pick. Still, the worse a team performs on the ice, the better its odds of winning a top-three pick become.

"This year, by picking the first three teams by virtue of lottery, we're trying to dull any incentive for any team to finish lower in the standings," Daly said.

Traditionally, Daly gets the honour of announcing the winners of the draft lottery, which will be aired live on April 30.

"It's finally going to be some really compelling television," he said.

Daly said it was not ideal that no Canadian teams qualified for the post-season but was quick to point out the tournament's Canadian content.

Canadian players make up 47 per cent of the playoff rosters; 110 communities north of the border will be represented this spring.

The deputy commissioner also defended playoff teams' rights to rest star players once they've locked up a playoff spot.

"I'm not offended by what I saw over the last weekend. Look, these guys worked really hard over 190 days to get to the position where they are, to clinch a playoff berth," Daly said. "Really, they should be trying to position themselves to have success in the second season."

INTERESTING. BILL DALY KNEW NHL DRAFT LOTTERY WINNER IN ADVANCE OF FLIPPING THE CARD FOR EVERY YEAR EXCEPT 2015.

— LUKE FOX (@LUKEFOXJUKEBOX) APRIL 11, 2016

Daly noted that 2015 — the Connor McDavid lottery — marked the first year he did not know the lottery winner prior to revealing the card himself.

After an internal meeting, the league has decided to keep it that way for 2016's Auston Matthews sweepstakes.

"Having a genuine emotion is probably better," Daly said.


1010420 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / 2016 NHL draft lottery odds: Canada has best shot at No. 1

LUKE FOX APRIL 11, 2016, 11:43 AM

Add up the 2016 NHL Draft Lottery odds, and you’ll find there is a great chance No. 1 prospect Auston Matthews will need to file some immigration papers.

Fans of all seven Canadian clubs will be crossing their fingers on April 30, with a 68.5 per cent shot that the logo of a Canadian team will be emblazoned on a gold card.

Matthews is the all-but-certain 2016 first-overall pick and the Scottsdale, Ariz., native is expected to be followed by Finnish super wingers Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi in the draft order. (The NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau will release its final prospect rankings Tuesday at 11 a.m. ET.)

For the first spring ever, the draft’s first three spots are all up for grabs. The non-playoff team with the lowest point total could drop as far as fourth, instead of second under the 2015 rules. Odds of capturing the second- and third-overall picks increases on a proportional basis, depending which team won the previous draw.

2016 NHL Draft Lottery, No. 1 pick odds.

With the NHL's regular season complete and the first all-U.S. Stanley Cup tournament since 1970 on deck, we take a brief look at the lottery odds of each Canadian team. The lottery will be held April 30.

Toronto promised pain and delivered with an abysmal 82 games and the best-looking shot at securing its first big, top-line centre since Mats Sundin departed.


Chance at No. 1: 20%

Chance at No. 2: 17.5%


Worst possible draft position: 4th

The Oilers dropped four of the their final five games and are well-positioned for a shot to steal their fifth first-overall pick in seven seasons. Even better are the Oilers' odds at winning a triggerman to flank their franchise face (and 2016-17 captain?) Connor McDavid.





Vancouver found out the hard way that rebuilding on the fly is not so easy, but the Canucks now have a 42 per cent chance of securing an elite young forward.





Calgary saved face by winning three of its final four contests and still have better than a 26 per cent chance of leapfrogging into the top three.



Chance at No. 3: 9%


Winnipeg's end-of-season pride spoiled the Los Angeles Kings' bid for the Pacific Division crown and worsened its lottery odds. Of all the irrelevant teams skating out the string, the Jets were the best, winning four straight. Good news if you believe karma is more powerful than math.





Montreal dropped from first to 22nd overall, which gives GM Marc Bergevin a five per cent chance to draft a player who could give Alex Galchenyuk a run for the No. 1 pivot spot.

Chance at No. 1: 5%




The Senators have the longest lottery odds of any Canadian club and are the only team north of the border with a chance to fall all the way to 14th overall — the worst possible draft position of a non-playoff team.



Chance at No. 3: 3%


For fun, we ran Sabres fan Rob Zaenglein's addictive NHL Draft Lottery Simulator one more time this morning.

And, yes, a Canadian club came up No. 1.


1010421 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / No guarantees Bergevin, Canadiens will progress over summer

ERIC ENGELS APRIL 11, 2016, 8:13 PM

BROSSARD, Que. — The 2015-16 edition of the Montreal Canadiens never came close to adding a Stanley Cup banner to the 24 that hang from the rafters at the Bell Centre.

According to general manager Marc Bergevin, the reason for that was mostly to do with losing goaltender Carey Price for what turned out to be 59 games from the day (Nov. 25) he suffered an MCL sprain that was only supposed to keep him sidelined for six-to-eight weeks.

If it was foreseeable that the Canadiens would struggle without the reigning MVP, it was unfathomable that they’d have the league’s worst record from Dec. 2 through the end of a season they kicked off with a franchise-best nine consecutive wins.

It was the kind of collapse that one would think necessitates drastic change. But as owner Geoff Molson, general manager Marc Bergevin and head coach Michel Therrien met with the media — roughly 500 feet adjacent to the replica Cup banners that hang above the ice at their South Shore training facility — all three of them used the word “stability” to outline the course of action the team will follow.

“The decision I made four years ago was to hire Marc Bergevin, and I think he’s the best person to manage the team and make it better,” said Molson in French. “Another priority of mine was to institute long-term stability and Marc’s guidance allows for that.”

It was in that same vein that Bergevin guaranteed Therrien and his staff would remain in place for the start of the 2016-17 season.

“Michel Therrien is a guy who’s fair, strict and firm, and that’s the reason he’s still here to this day,” said Bergevin. “Surely there will come a day — there will even come a day for me — when he and I won’t be here.

“But today isn’t that day for Michel Therrien because I’m behind him and I believe in him and our players believe in Michel Therrien.”

Bergevin took no exception to the coach’s insistence that forward Alex Galchenyuk — who was the second-highest goal scorer in the NHL from the minute he was made Montreal’s top centre on March 5 up until season’s end — wasn’t ready for more responsibility in January after the team had averaged less than two goals per game for over a month.

The GM also saw no issue with the coach’s strategy, which never changed — even as the Canadiens suffered below-average goaltending from December to February.

His ringing endorsement of coach Sylvain Lefebvre, whose St. John’s IceCaps (formerly the Hamilton Bulldogs) haven’t made the playoffs in four seasons, was met with surprise. But Bergevin had his reasons.

“In a perfect world St. John’s makes the playoffs and they win the Calder Cup,” he said. “The way I look at it is when players come to Montreal, are they helping us? And this year, towards the end, we had many injuries and there’s players who have come up and done a pretty good job for us.”

Forwards Daniel Carr and Sven Andrighetto and defencemen Mark Barberio, Joel Hanley and Darren Dietz — who all filled in for some of the 17 regulars who missed games due to injury — were singled out by Therrien as players who fit Bergevin’s description. Their futures with the organization appear secure.

Meanwhile Bergevin’s stated intention to retain all the core players of the Canadiens was anything but convincing.

“Wayne Gretzky was traded,” reminded Bergevin. “Am I trying to move [defenceman] P.K. Subban? No. Am I trying to move Carey Price? No. Am I trying to move Max Pacioretty? No. Am I trying to make this team better? Yes. To move any of these guys and to move P.K. it would have to be something special, and as a hockey manager I have to look at all my options. Is that a reality? Probably not.


“But if I don’t look at all my options, I’m not doing my job as a general manager.”

Molson added the following in a letter penned to fans Monday afternoon: “No stone can be left unturned in looking for ways to improve. You have my full commitment that we will do everything possible to improve our team.”

Bergevin insisted he’ll be a player in free agency, albeit a cautious one considering the uncertainty of the Canadian dollar and its effect on the salary cap. In order to be one, he’ll surely have to shed some salary given roughly $65 million already committed to 19 players under contract.

What that means for Tomas Plekanec, Lars Eller and David Desharnais — who all play the centre position and are currently tying up $13 million in space — is anybody’s guess. And defenceman Alexei Emelin, who makes $4.1 million on the cap and generated interest on the trade market back in Februrary, might be a player Bergevin looks to move as well.

But the Canadiens are far from assured their most pressing needs will be fulfilled through trade and free agency.

“Every team in the league needs scoring,” said Bergevin. “There’s not one general manager in the NHL who’s going to tell you, ‘You know what? I have too much scoring.’ Scoring is a premium in this league, and obviously guys that are able to score at a high level are very, very seldom available if ever.”

The Canadiens can fall as low as 12th but will most likely draft ninth overall barring the possibility they beat the odds at the April 30 lottery by landing a top-three pick. And even in the unlikely event they get lucky, there are no guarantees they’ll add a player who can help them immediately.

“Over these 82 games I learned a lot,” said Bergevin. “I learned that there are no guarantees no matter how successful you are at the start or at any point during the season.”

That same uncertainty will hang overhead as a new quest begins to put an end to a 23-year Cup drought.


1010422 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Calgary Flames go into summer looking to regain confidence

ERIC FRANCIS APRIL 11, 2016, 7:45 PM

The Calgary Flames’ summer wish list is headed by a proven NHL goalie and a big, skilled winger.

However, if anyone believes those two adds can cure the Flames’ woes they are as lost as the Flames were this season.

There needs to be change.

But as Flames general manager Brad Treliving made clear Monday that change doesn’t necessarily mean an influx of newcomers.

“It’s unrealistic to say there are going to be 25 new faces here,” said Treliving following his exit meetings with players. “There’s three ways to improve – bring someone in from the outside, potentially improve by eliminating someone from the inside and, more often than not, it’s internal growth. That was a big message today.

“This is a very critical summer for every player and for us as an organization.”

While optimists can point to the fact the team’s top three defencemen and four of their top nine forwards had career years, the reality is the Flames were only a handful of losses away from being the worst team in the NHL. And they blew that (and the 20 per cent lottery odds) by winning too many meaningless games down the stretch and bolstering individual stats in the process.

Flames will have an 8.5 per cent chance of winning the draft lottery, which would go a long way towards addressing their need to add skill up front. It’s a lot to count on though.

Unlike teams like, say the Edmonton Oilers, the Flames aren’t in need of a major cultural shift – that already happened when Mark Giordano took over from Jarome Iginla as captain.

This team needs some more maturity to go with its emerging skill and tireless work ethic.

“The fact is we rely on very young players to carry this team,” said Treliving, whose leaders will continue to be Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, T.J. Brodie and Giordano.

“You can improve quickly in this league – you have to make the right decisions. There is a very good young nucleus here and solid veterans. We need to make some changes that can put us right back in a playoff spot next year. There needs to be moves made and that’s the GM’s job. But we need internal growth.

“Coming back with the right mental approach is important. I’m confident we can do the things we need to get back into the playoffs next year. But the group coming back here needs to make steps as well.”

Joe Colborne said he expects plenty of change this summer given the Flames 20-point decline from a year earlier.

He hopes he isn’t part of the moves though. He very much wants to stay in his hometown – and his combination of size and skill are exactly what the Flames need more of – but the third-liner may be used as trade bait.

The 6-foot-5 winger finished with a career high 19 goals and 44 points, putting the restricted free agent in line for a raise that will at least double his $1.27-million salary. With huge contracts in the works for restricted free agents Gaudreau and Monahan combined with the need for a proven goalie, money is going to be extremely tight for the Flames moving forward.

Last year the Flames made two significant additions in Dougie Hamilton and Michael Frolik, and the Flames went from a playoff spot to 26th overall.

Why the young Flames failed to live up to expectations following their improbable playoff appearance a year earlier revolved largely around a start that saw the Flames win one game in regulation in their first 14 outings.

Treliving will try getting to the bottom of whether the start is a result of the players believing their own press clippings, being unprepared, immature or simply not being good enough.

Their start cost the club the confidence it spent the entire year beforehand building brilliantly.

No matter how far behind they were in a game or how long the odds were last year, the Flames so often dug down to find a game-tying goal or game-winner late in the evening in 2014-15. Those comebacks disappeared this year, as did their playoff chances.

“All year it just felt like we had a bit more swagger and confidence last year and we were able to have that push we didn’t have this year,” said Giordano. “All those comeback wins and those extra points were huge too.

“The one good thing coming out of this is you won’t take for granted getting into the playoffs.”

Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano. (Jonathan Hayward/CP) Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano. (Jonathan Hayward/CP)

Treliving was hit with a series of disappointing developments Monday as several key players rejected great opportunities to continue growing their games.

The co-GM of Canada’s world championship team was turned down by Hamilton (wants to “focus on his summer”), Brodie (not feeling 100 per cent), Giordano (family reasons) and Monahan (says he’s banged up).

Despite slow starts, all three defencemen had career years for the Flames but we will see how consideration for the World Cup of Hockey will be affected by the worlds rejection.

Jyrki Jokipakka (hip), Jakub Nakladal (ankle) and Frolik (groin) have also turned down their countries due to injury.


The only Flame going to Russia for the worlds is Sweden’s Mikael Backlund. Gaudreau said he hasn’t made a decision on playing for the U.S. team at the worlds yet but that he is unlikely given he is without a contract for next season and has little to play for having already been named to Team North America’s under-23 team at the World Cup this fall.

“From a Team Canada hat I’m disappointed – those are good players,” said Treliving, who would have liked his players to gain more experience and perhaps taste winning on a big stage.

“From a Flames perspective I get it. I try to pride myself with having a strong relationship with the players and we talked through it. As I told them all – I want hockey players playing and I think it’s a great experience. But I support them and understand where they are coming from.”

No position was more heavily scrutinized this season than Calgary’s goaltending, which will be radically different next year after ranking last in several categories. Treliving informed unrestricted free agent Jonas Hiller Monday he won’t be back next year.

Karri Ramo, who found his groove as the team’s starter before Christmas, is an unrestricted free agent who said he’d consider returning. He likely won’t be asked though.

The one goalie who does make sense as a returnee is restricted free agent Joni Ortio who played well enough down the stretch to be re-signed to a deal worth $660,000 and given a chance to compete for the backup gig next fall.

As for what went wrong, the Flames’ confidence of a year earlier disappeared when the first month of the season went awry, making it impossible for the team to recover.

The club hopes late pushes by players like Backlund, Monahan, Colborne and Hamilton in meaningless games bode well for a better start next season and the internal growth Treliving is counting on to turn things around.


1010423 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Ed Snider was a visionary for the Flyers and NHL

JOHN SHANNON APRIL 11, 2016, 12:30 PM

News of Ed Snider’s passing came quickly. The very private health battle he was fighting for months now only became public in the past fews weeks.

The image of anthem singer Lauren Hart FaceTiming with the Flyers’ owner on Saturday afternoon shed a new light on his battle. His Flyers’ were on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs, and the fact he wasn’t there to witness it was enough to tell all just how sick he was.

It surely was serious.

LAUREN HART FACETIMING ED SNIDER. #FLYERSTALK PIC.TWITTER.COM/L3AWAUIWMA

— NICK M BROADCAST (@SPORTSDIRECTTV) APRIL 9, 2016

Snider was one of a kind and bigger than life. No, he was bigger than that. After he fell in love with hockey in the 1960s, he cobbled together a group to buy one of the six NHL expansion franchises in 1966. His name has always appeared on the masthead of his hockey team from that day forward. And while in recent years he wasn’t the majority owner of the club, he was always perceived as the owner. He wore ownership well. It fit him like the finely tailored suits he loved.

He was a visionary for Philadelphia and for the NHL. He believed in his city and his team. On so many levels, he never wanted his city to live in the shadow of New York. The best way Snider could do that was to build a model franchise, not just in hockey but in all of pro sports. He built two

generations of arenas for his city. First the Spectrum, and then in the mid 1990s, the now Wells Fargo Center.

Snider was an active owner. Tired of seeing his team being pushed around on the ice, it was his vision for the the Broad Street Bullies that changed the fortunes of the Flyers. He put his faith in Fred Shero, Bobby Clarke, Gary Dornhoefer, Dave Schultz, Don Saleski, Orest Kindrachuk, and Bernie Parent.

They repaid him with back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1974 and 1975. Those teams and Mr Snider became synonomous with their city, and that brand of hockey. And the loyalty we spoke of? Every Flyer from every team always glowed about “Mr Snider.”

He treated his players like they were his own children. And they treated him like a surrogate father. Who can forget his tirades against the league, and its officials? He would fight for his team, and his players, just as he felt they did for him on the ice.

Snider was a big voice in the NHL and beyond. He believed in the value of television and connecting with the fanbase. With Cable TV in its infancy, he built a thing called “Prism.” It was movies, sports, concerts and almost everything that went on at the Spectrum.

He understood the 500-channel universe was on its way, and he was on the cutting edge. In the board rooms, he became a driving force for protecting the value of the NHL brand. He was the leader of a group that took on long-time hockey rights holder, Molson, in the mid-1980s, calling for an open market, and more competition for television rights in both Canada and the United States.

#FLYERS FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN ED SNIDER, 1933-2016. PHOTOGRAPHED HERE IN 2010 PIC.TWITTER.COM/EQ2ZZ267NZ

— DAVE STUBBS (@DAVE_STUBBS) APRIL 11, 2016

Snider also had a giant vision beyond hockey. He was a driving force in creating an arena management company, in cities big and small, that could compete for concerts and other events, as well as creating efficiencies in running the buildings. And while he started his career in an analogue world, Snider became an advocate of a digital one.

He believed in Gary Bettman, and became one of the commissioner's sounding boards. He certainly had national vision, but he never forgot the Delaware Valley. He never forgot the Flyers were the engine that drove the machine.

He wanted to win every game, every season. And when his Flyers didn’t, he wore it on his sleeve.

Fans in Philadelphia knew he wanted to win. The players knew he wanted to win. The rest of the league knew he wanted to win.

As the Flyers enter their 50th season of NHL play, there will be a bittersweet feeling that Mr. Snider will not be there to celebrate it. He loved his hockey team. But long after his passing, every person who has had contact with the man, every player who has donned the the orange and black sweater will always think Ed Snider still owns the Flyers.

Always did. Always will.

He was a Philadelphia Original.

BELOVED ED SNIDER’S BELOVED FLYERS MADE PLAYOFFS SATURDAY. WISH GRANTED. RIP. #PALSFOREVER #NHL #EDSNIDER #PHILADELPHIAFLYERS

— ALAN THICKE (@ALAN_THICKE) APRIL 11, 2016

.@TEDLEONSIS STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF MR. ED SNIDER. PIC.TWITTER.COM/GPNTRC1H0Q

— WASHINGTON CAPITALS (@WASHCAPS) APRIL 11, 2016

I FEEL PRIVILEGED TO HAVE KNOWN SUCH A GREAT LEADER. REST IN PEACE MR. SNIDER, YOU WILL BE MISSED.HTTPS://T.CO/I4LK3BSHW8

— CLAUDE GIROUX (@28CGIROUX) APRIL 11, 2016

WE ARE SADDENED BY THE PASSING OF ED SNIDER, ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED & LEGENDARY MEN IN PHILADELPHIA SPORTS.

— PHILLIES (@PHILLIES) APRIL 11, 2016


COMMISSIONER BETTMAN STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF ED SNIDER: PIC.TWITTER.COM/0NNNLK8CV3

— NHL PUBLIC RELATIONS (@PR_NHL) APRIL 11, 2016


1010424 Websites

TSN.CA / Coyotes: Not trading Ekman-Larsson for No. 1 pick

By Frank Seravalli

The rumour lingered out there for weeks, then resurfaced again on Monday when the Coyotes fired general manager Don Maloney after nine years on the job.

It went something like: Maloney purportedly clashed with ownership over his willingness to trade All-Star defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson in a do-whatever-it-takes package for Phoenix native and likely No. 1 overall pick Auston Matthews.

Coyotes president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc put that notion to rest again on Monday.

“I am mystified at some of the pure fantasy that is written,” LeBlanc told reporters. “There is absolutely, 100 per cent no potential that we would trade Oliver Ekman-Larsson for the draft pick. It’s just not going to happen.

“I have seen it written out of Canada. Please stop whatever you’re drinking, whatever you’re smoking.”

Rather, LeBlanc explained, Coyotes ownership decided to cut Maloney loose because of a “difference in philosophy.” He said the ownership is seeking more “collaboration, communication and the modernization of our entire processes.”

Coach Dave Tippett is expected to have an increased say in hockey personnel decisions. LeBlanc’s reference to “modernization” was a nod to ownership’s interest in analytics, which was piqued with the hiring of 26-year-old assistant GM John Chayka last year.

Maloney, 57, was the sixth-longest tenured manager in the NHL. He survived a long bankruptcy saga, including three ownership changes and the difficulty of having to answer to the league for player personnel decisions while the NHL kept the club afloat.

Through it all, Maloney did more with less than just about any other GM in the league. He guided the Coyotes to a 326-291-87 record (.586 points percentage) and three playoff appearances, including a trip to the 2010 Western Conference final. He was named the inaugural GM of the Year in 2010 by his peers.

The Coyotes have missed the playoffs in four straight years, but made a 22-point improvement this year and have one of the top-ranked prospect cupboards according to The Hockey News.

“This isn’t to say that one (philosophy) is right or wrong. It is simply to say that we have made a decision and we wish to operate in a different manner and under a different overarching philosophy,” LeBlanc told reporters. “Not all of it is on Don by any stretch of the imagination. We are not parting on bad terms. He is an absolute professional.”

LeBlanc refuted the notion that Maloney was kept to an internal budget. He said Maloney’s “track record hasn’t been particularly stellar” with regard to “spending money wisely.” He pointed out that the Predators, Ducks, Panthers and Islanders all qualified for the playoffs this year spending in the bottom-third of the league. He also expressed concern that the Coyotes will have the necessary salary cap space to retain impact players coming off entry-level contracts.

“There is an absolute difference between spending money and spending money wisely,” LeBlanc told reporters. “Money was available to be spent and that was not the reason transactions didn’t occur.”

LeBlanc rarely mentioned Tippett during the press conference, but said Tippett will “not be the next GM of the franchise.” Sources indicated

Tippett and Maloney often clashed on philosophy over the years. Tippett seemed to win out, with help from his close connection to Coyotes alternate governor Gary Drummond, who manages hockey operations for the ownership group.

The Coyotes will not hire an interim GM, but expect one to be in place well before June’s draft in Buffalo. Assistant GMs Chayka and Chris O’Hearn will handle transactions until then, including whether or not to re-sign Martin Hanzal and at potential new deal for captain Shane Doan. LeBlanc said the Coyotes would be “thrilled” if Doan decided to return.

LeBlanc did not rule out making an internal hire, possibly elevating Chayka to the role. Majority owner Andrew Barroway will have final say in the hiring process, LeBlanc said, but it is clear Tippett will hold sway.

“There’s no question that we’ll see coach Tippett’s advice and input as we go forward with this incredibly important decision,” LeBlanc told reporters. “We’ve learned what it means to be owners over the last three years. We’ve evolved. We were like giddy school kids when we first took over. This is the first of many announcements that will come in a very busy offseason.”

TSN.CA LOADED: 04.12.2016

1010425 Websites

TSN.CA / What it was like to cover Ed Snider

By Frank Seravalli

I knew it was coming.

My phone buzzed. It was a call from the Flyers’ offices at Wells Fargo Center. Ed Snider’s longtime assistant, Ann Marie, was on the other end.

“Frank, please hold. Mr. Snider would like to speak with you,” she said.

Gulp.

It was Dec. 2013. Two weeks earlier, I wrote about Snider’s growing uneasiness with the NHL’s lockout and how he was interested in bringing former president Bill Clinton into the mix as a mediator to get teams back on the ice.

It put Snider in a bad spot, particularly as one of commissioner Gary Bettman’s close friends and strongest allies. It didn’t help that the story broke while Snider was touring Italy with his best friend (and former Devils owner) Lewis Katz, who just happened to be a Clinton confidante and owner of the newspaper I worked for at the time.

Snider unleashed the fury before I could even say hello. He ripped into me.

“I’ve spent the last two weeks conducting a thorough investigation to plug the leak where you’re getting your (bleeping) information,” Snider started. “I want you to know that your story was bull(bleep).”

The call lasted maybe 30 seconds. It felt like 30 years.

“And do me a favour,” Snider said. “Lose my number. Don’t (bleeping) call me again.”

Click. You could hear him smash the phone into the receiver. I didn’t even get a word in.

It was one of those moments where you’ll never forget where you were. I was pacing in the apartment of a Flyers player in Glens Falls, N.Y., working on a feature about him passing the lockout in the AHL.

He heard the entire conversation. I wasn’t on speakerphone.

“Who was that?” the player asked. “That was the most crisp tongue-lashing I’ve ever heard.”

I was mortified - and all but certain my career covering the Flyers was over. I would soon be reassigned to the Arena Football League, or something.


But the NHL lockout ended a month later on Jan. 6, 2013, in the early hours of Snider’s 80th birthday.

Snider held an impromptu press conference just before that truncated season began. It was my first time seeing him since that phone call, and I was nervous as to how he was going to react.

Before it began, he walked over and gave me a hug.

He didn’t say a word. No words were necessary, really. It was his way of apologizing.

More than the Stanley Cups, the Spectrum and the Flyers’ logo, that gesture is how I will remember Ed Snider: a fiery and emotional competitor who, at his core, was a decent man.

Thursday’s playoff opener against Washington will mark the first of 4,222 Flyers games where Snider wasn’t notified of the score at least once every period for games he wasn’t attending. Employees would call (and later text) him an update.

Snider passed away on Monday at his home in California at the age of 83 after a brave battle with cancer. Tributes poured in for the Flyers’ founder and owner from around the hockey world.

Snider was an entrepreneurial genius who created two all-encompassing arena management companies, two regional sports cable networks and the first all-sports radio station years before those ideas became standard practice. He was also one of the few remaining NHL owners, along with Detroit’s Mike Ilitch, to predate Bettman. He was a true NHL powerbroker, the only owner on the competition committee and also a member of the 10-owner executive committee.

Snider will be remembered for threatening to not pay the Soviet Red Army after they walked off the ice at the Spectrum during the 1976 Super Series. And for his legacy charity at the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. And for his penchant to push his GMs and coaches to ice the best team now, even if it sometimes meant sacrificing future success. It resulted in more trips to the Stanley Cup final than any team except for the Canadiens.

His passion was always burning.

When he was inducted in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011, I spent two days with him travelling on his private jet to the ceremony for a profile story. It was an all-access pass: nothing was off-limits during meals, conversations, quiet time before the event, and after.

For such a famously combative personality, those 36 hours revealed a side of Snider that most weren’t privileged to see, as a warm family man. His youngest daughter, Sarena, recounted how Snider would stay up late to help her write topic sentences for history papers. Daughter Lindy told how a superstitious Snider locked her in the bathroom during a Stanley Cup playoff game because the Flyers scored while she was in there.

His players and longest-serving employees greeted him as “Mr. Snider” as a sign of respect, though he hated that. His favorite title was “Dad.”

My sincere condolences to the entire Flyers and Snider family, including Jay, Craig, Lindy, Tina, Sarena and Sam, as well as Snider’s wife, Lin. The hockey world has lost a true original.


1010426 Websites

TSN.CA / NHL Playoff Picks: Slow starters, fast finishers

By Scott Cullen

Five the past six Stanley Cups have gone to either the Chicago Blackhawks or Los Angeles Kings.

It would be easy enough to pile onto those bandwagons and force others to knock them off. While the defending-champion Blackhawks haven’t been the dominant possession team that they have been in previous years, the Kings have continued as the league’s best possession team.

Given the championship pedigree of their respective cores, it’s really difficult to go against the Blackhawks and Kings, and yet, my picks are pulling me in other directions.

How you project the playoffs to turn out always impacts the value of players in playoff pools, but especially so if you open up the field beyond the traditional favourites, and even moreso when considering the daunting matchups that those favourites face in the first round.

Both the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues have made a habit of falling short in the playoffs, which is a tough reputation to have when running into the Blackhawks, Kings and Anaheim Ducks while trying to navigate the Western Conference. It’s not as if those teams won’t be in the way again this year, but I’m being drawn (again) to the Blues, who are nearly healthy for the first time all season.

I swore, after they lost to Minnesota last year, that I was done picking the Blues, but they sure seem to be catching a vulnerable Blackhawks team. It’s entirely possible that the Blackhawks will be able to flip the switch once the postseason begins, but their possession decline this year is a real concern.

Ultimately, I have the Ducks taking advantage of their more favourable path -- earned with a win in Game No. 82 -- and reaching the Stanley Cup Final, where they will meet the Pittsburgh Penguins. A pair of teams that stumbled out of the gate to start the season, but have been playing as well as any over the past four months. The Penguins have a pressing issue, with goaltenders Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray injured, but if Jeff Zatkoff can provide even adequate netminding off the start, the Penguins could run through the Eastern Conference. The sooner they get Evgeni Malkin back from injury, the more that they are likely to have the firepower to withstand their goaltending challenges.

Here is my breakdown for the 2016 NHL Playoffs, and I'm looking at this as a time for change, with only one of my Conference Finalists this year a repeat from last year's final four teams.

So, make your own picks and enjoy. Good luck and have fun!

For more information, please check out the Playoff Payoff, a more detailed stats breakdown, with strategy, likely line combinations and stats for notable players on each team.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

The Pick: Capitals in six.

Why? Washington ran away from the rest of the Eastern Conference and have a deep and talented roster that has legitimate designs on a Stanley Cup. As well as the Flyers have played to surge into the postseason, they have more holes and will likely need Steve Mason to steal the series if they are going to knock off the Capitals. The challenge there is that while the Capitals are a middling possession team, they always have a great power play and Mason has struggled in shorthanded situations this year, so if the Flyers are going to overcome the Capitals, they will need to somehow avoid getting burned by Alex Ovechkin and company with the man advantage.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. NEW YORK RANGERS

The Pick: Penguins in six.

Why? The bigger question might be ‘why not?’ The only pressing concern for the Penguins is goaltending, where Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray are both injured, leaving Jeff Zatkoff to backstop one of the top teams over the past four months. Since changing coaches in December, the Penguins have been dominating puck possession and have steamrolled the opposition late in the year, winning 14 of 16, even with star centre Evgeni Malkin and young blueliner Olli Maata, among others, on the injured list. Going up against a Rangers team that is the worst possession team in the postseason – even before accounting for the loss of captain Ryan McDonagh – and that means the Blueshirts will need goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to stand on his head.

FLORIDA PANTHERS vs. NEW YORK ISLANDERS

The Pick: Panthers in six.

Why? Neither team impresses as a legitimate championship contender, but the Panthers bolstered their lineup at the trade deadline and that depth should give them an edge. Florida should also hold an edge in goal, where Roberto Luongo continues to be great and, after an injury to Jaroslav Halak, the Islanders have turned to Thomas Greiss.


TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING vs. DETROIT RED WINGS

The Pick: Lightning in seven.

Why? If they were healthy, the Lightning would be a conceivable pick to get back to the Cup Final, but they are most definitely not healthy, missing Steven Stamkos and Anton Stralman, at the very least and that should make this a competitive series. Both teams have defensive groups that can be exposed, so Tampa Bay’s edge in goal – Ben Bishop is my pick for the Vezina this season – is enough to give them the nod.

ANAHEIM DUCKS vs. NASHVILLE PREDATORS

The Pick: Ducks in six.

Why? When the Ducks started the season miserably, and couldn’t score, they found a way to win anyway, by becoming a dominant defensive team. That’s really paid off now that they are finding the net and it’s what makes Anaheim such a formidable matchup in the postseason. They have depth throughout the lineup and between young goaltenders John Gibson and Frederik Andersen, should have enough in net to go on a long playoff run. That the Ducks are really good presents a challenge for the Predators, who have assembled a quality team too, and they have more offensive upside than they have had in the past, but the question that hangs over Nashville is goaltending. Pekka Rinne had a .908 save percentage this season and that’s not nearly good enough to get the job done, but if Rinne plays well, maybe the Ducks could be stopped before they even get started.

LOS ANGELES KINGS vs. SAN JOSE SHARKS

The Pick: Sharks in six.

Why? After missing the postseason last year, both the Kings and Sharks are back and could be legitimate Cup contenders this year. So, naturally, they meet in the first round. The last time they met, in 2014, the Sharks raced to a three-games-to-none series lead, only to collapse and lose in seven games. The Kings have been the league’s dominant possession team all year, but they don’t appear to have a clear edge over the Sharks. This one’s probably close to a toss-up, with the winner having a legit chance to go to the Cup Final.

DALLAS STARS vs. MINNESOTA WILD

The Pick: Stars in five.

Why? The Stars have been one of the most fun teams to watch all season, with an up-tempo attacking style, and if they get Tyler Seguin back from his Achilles injury, they will have the horses to push the attack. Minnesota stumbled down the stretch, yet still reached the playoffs, but they’re also dealing with some injuries and it looks like they will need a standout performance in net from Devan Dubnyk (or, conversely, a poor performance from Dallas’ two tenders) if they are going to make this a competitive series.

ST. LOUIS BLUES vs. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

The Pick: Blues in six.

Why? It would be easy to pencil in the Blackhawks to go on another playoff run, because they have embodied postseason excellence over the past six years, winning three Stanley Cups. And yet, they come into the playoffs as a mediocre possession team, lacking depth on the blueline and missing suspended star defenceman Duncan Keith for the first game. These might be hurdles that the Blackhawks can overcome, but they’re also meeting a Blues team that has fought through adversity all year long, constantly dealing with injuries to key players. Heading into the playoffs, though, the Blues are relatively healthy and have the depth (behind a game-breaker like Vladimir Tarasenko) to push play against Chicago.

Future Series Picks

WEST

Anaheim over San Jose

St. Louis over Dallas

Anaheim over St. Louis

EAST

Pittsburgh over Washington

Florida over Tampa Bay

Pittsburgh over Florida

STANLEY CUP FINAL

Pittsburgh over Anaheim

Here is my list of playoff projections, obviously influenced by my team picks. If you have different picks -- and I'm sure many of you do -- do not follow my player picks to the letter; perhaps use the Playoff Payoff to find value on the teams you like best this spring.


1010427 Websites

TSN.CA / Study author claims to find ‘piece of the puzzle’ in diagnosing CTE in living patients

By Rick Westhead

The author of a new medical study on brain injuries in retired National Football League players says science may be a step closer to diagnosing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in living patients.

In a study to be presented Monday in Vancouver to the American Academy of Neurology, Florida neurologist Dr. Francis Conidi says 43 per cent, or 17 of the 40 former NFL players he has treated have shown signs of traumatic brain injury.

Dr. Conidi said his study is the first of former NFL players that detected brain trauma using a special MRI technique that’s called diffusion tension imaging, which measures the movement of water that naturally moves through the brain. Abnormal or slower than average flow may indicate a brain injury, Dr. Conidi said.

Being able to more definitively diagnose traumatic brain injuries, and show that NFL players are more likely to have suffered them than the general public is a significant scientific advance, said Dr. Conidi, of the Florida Center for Headache and Sports Neurology in Tallahassee, Fla.

Dr. Conidi, the study’s lead author, said he has surveyed 40 former NFL players since 2011, whose ages ranged from 27 to 56. The majority of those have been out of the league for less than five years. The survey subjects played in the NFL between two and 17 seasons, and suffered an average of 8.1 concussions in their NFL careers, Dr. Conidi said in an interview with TSN.

“We found another piece of the puzzle,” he said. “We may have found a link to CTE in living athletes. Our study showed some pretty impressive numbers. Everyone doing CTE research would say the cause is brain trauma. So one could say this is a significant link.”

Currently, CTE can only be confirmed with certainty during an autopsy.

The fact it can't be conclusively diagnosed in living patients has left pro sports leagues to take different approaches to the science.

While the NHL continues to deny a link between fighting, concussions and long-term cognitive problems, a top official with the NFL recently acknowledged a link between football and brain trauma.

Dr. Conidi said linemen and running backs were the most likely former players to show signs of brain injuries.

“The problem isn’t just the number of concussions an athlete has, it’s the continuous sub-concussive blows that happen on the line in football on every play,” he said. “It suggests that we should move away from this type of contact at least during practice.”

In addition to the special MRI, study subjects were given a comprehensive medical exam and screening, as well as exams using a standard MRI.

Dr. Conidi said he has already examined other pro athletes and plans to begin conducting research in coming months on former National Hockey League players.



1010428 Websites

TSN.CA / Crosby still searching for signature Stanley Cup moment

By Frank Seravalli

When it is over, 60 gruelling nights from now, gloves and helmets will litter the ice in glory.

The final score from that sticky June night will slide from memory. The hits, stats, saves and stitches — the sacrifice for spectacular — will blend into the background, remembered more by the losers.

Only the truly indelible moments last. Every Stanley Cup playoff has one — maybe two in an exceptional spring.

Sidney Crosby is still searching for his signature Stanley Cup moment.

How could that be? We have the image of a 21-year-old Crosby burned on our brains, when he became the youngest captain to hoist the Stanley Cup since Mike Grant of the Montreal Victorias in 1895.

That Polaroid makes it easy to forget that Crosby only skated 32 seconds in the third period of that 2009 Game 7 against Detroit because of a knee injury. And that Max Talbot scored both goals in the 2-1 win. And that Evgeni Malkin captured the Conn Smythe and carried the Penguins.

When we think of Crosby, we think Golden Goal. Some of his most dramatic moments have come on the international stage.

In the NHL, he has no Michael Jordan flu game, no John Elway miracle drive, no Mark Messier guarantee on his resume. No one is suggesting three-time Ted Lindsay Award winner Crosby is a poor playoff performer – even if he has scored in just two of his last 23 playoff games. His playoff numbers place him among the all-time greats, but he is missing that iconic moment in the NHL.

This spring, Crosby holds his best chance in years to create one, with his Penguins striding into the playoffs as hockey’s hottest team.

“We just wanted to play the right way and have some momentum heading into the playoffs,” Crosby said. “We’re not coming in having to change up anything or to flip a switch. I think you always give yourself the best chance when you do that. But you have to understand that the playoffs are a whole new level and everyone starts fresh and starts from scratch. It’s making sure we understand that.”

That wasn’t Pittsburgh’s story last year.

“We were just scraping to get in,” Crosby said. “This is a much different feeling.”

They qualified on the final day last season, and Crosby was largely snuffed out by the Rangers for the second year in a row, held to one two-goal effort in the five-game series.

By then, Pittsburgh was in full-blown playoff panic mode, a mental minefield rooted all the way back to 2010. As defending Stanley Cup champions, the Penguins — and Crosby — somehow were transformed from juggernaut to a team that came up small in the biggest moments.

It is a trend that Crosby and the Penguins have struggled to shake.

Crosby has piled up 118 points in 100 Stanley Cup playoff games, the best active playoff points-per-game mark by a fairly wide margin. But in his team’s ultimate round of any playoff year, Crosby’s points-per-game shrinks to less than half (0.7) of his production from previous rounds (1.6).

It is a complicated mess to sift through, trying to separate player from team failures. Most all players see their point production slip in their team’s final round, but few have felt such a precipitous drop as Crosby. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, for instance, slides from 0.99 points-per-game in his previous rounds to 0.67 in Chicago’s ultimate round.

In 2010, Crosby had 14 points in a first-round rout of Ottawa. He managed just one goal against Montreal in the second round and set the tone with a terrible penalty in the first 10 seconds of a losing Game 7.

He was injured in 2011. In 2012, Crosby was remembered for petulantly pushing away Jakub Voracek’s glove against the hated Flyers, telling reporters after: “I don’t like them.” Claude Giroux provided the defining moment of the series with “The Shift” in Game 6, levelling Crosby after the opening draw before scoring in Pittsburgh’s elimination game.

He didn’t register a single point in a 2013 sweep by Boston in the Eastern Conference final.

In 2014, Pittsburgh blew a 3-1 series lead against New York in the second round. GM Ray Shero and coach Dan Bylsma were fired in short order.

Crosby appeared unhappy under Bylsma’s replacement, Mike Johnston, registering just six goals and 13 assists in the first 28 games of this season. He’s exorcised those demons with Mike Sullivan behind the bench, closing the year with 30 goals and 36 assists in 52 contests.

“Since I’ve taken this team over, he’s really embraced our message and made a full commitment. He’s all in,” Sullivan said. “It’s hard for me to speak to what happened before that because I wasn’t close to it. I wasn’t really here.”

Sullivan couldn’t put his finger on the turning point in Crosby’s season.

“I don’t know if there was any one instance,” Sullivan said. “I think there was an accumulation of instances.”

Perhaps it was Crosby’s hat trick against Ottawa in February. Or his four-point night the next week. Or a key defensive-zone face-off on a night when the Penguins dressed three young centres due to injury during Crosby’s Selke-worthy season.

Maybe, just maybe, the turning point was on New Year’s Eve in Detroit. The Penguins entered the third period tied. Crosby netted a highlight-reel goal from his knees, a relentless top-shelf effort from the slot. Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang each scored to pull away at Joe Louis Arena, the same building where they reached the summit seven years ago.

Sullivan said, “Since I’ve taken this team over, he’s really embraced our message and made a full commitment. He’s all in. Just to watch him on a daily basis, his preparation, his work ethic, his determination, you can’t help but admire how he goes about his business every day.”

Crosby and Letang have been locked in since Detroit. The Penguins ripped off a 30-10-2 mark after that until Sullivan rested everyone on Saturday in Philadelphia. It’s possible the Penguins’ pulse has never been so in-sync with Crosby as it was the second-half of this year.

Everything is aligned for Crosby to manufacture that defining moment, the one we crave to watch, which will shape the conversation of his career.

Will he do it?

“Anything can happen in the playoffs,” Crosby said. “I think we’re going about it the right way though, to give ourselves a chance to do that.”


1010429 Websites

TSN.CA / Statistically Speaking: The numbers to help win your playoff pool

By Scott Cullen

Playoff hockey begins Wednesday and this year's Playoff Payoff has the numbers and information to help you win your playoff pool.

When it comes to standard NHL playoff pools, the basic strategy is simple: pick players from the four teams you think will reach the Conference Finals; that will give the players selected enough games to score points for your squad. It's difficult, if not altogether impossible, to


win without having a solid presence among the final four teams because no matter how many points get accumulated in early rounds, if your team runs out of active bodies before the Conference Finals, then you're going get caught.

In most years, the focus would be on top seeds and there is nothing wrong with loading up on players from No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, provided you can get quality players. At the same time, even the very top teams seem vulnerable enough, so there is nothing wrong with seeking better value from team that will provide better players at cheaper (draft) prices.

By no means should you ignore top players on favoured teams, but there are enough realistic possible outcomes to this year’s playoffs that you can find value in a lot of different places.

There will come a time that you have to decide whether you would rather have the best player on a low seed or a lesser player on a top seed and the answer may come by looking at the players you've already selected.

BEST PLAYER vs. PLAYER ON BEST TEAM

If you can take the best player off a lower seed, and it won't contradict any of your early picks, then it's likely a good move. If you don't have representation on a highly-seeded team already, it's generally not worth it to start investing in lower-tier players.

So, Rickard Rakell could be a good value pick in Anaheim, but if he’s the best Ducks forward available to you, maybe the Ducks aren’t going to be your team. Though, if you have Rakell and a power-play defenceman like Sami Vatanen, maybe the Ducks become a little more appealing.

Thus, it makes sense to seek out top players on lower seeds that offer bigger if they could pull off at least one upset. The San Jose Sharks have been hanging in the rearview mirror of the Ducks and Kings in the Pacific Division this season, and have a tough matchup with the Kings in Round One, but maybe that means Joe Thornton or Logan Couture are available a little later than they might be otherwise.

What about Pavel Datsyuk? The Red Wings don’t look terribly threatening, but they’re in a bracket with Florida, the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning. Is it not at least possible that the Wings escape from that group to reach the Conference Final? It might be worth a late-round pick to secure some upside.

INJURIES

Injuries are always a factor, and this year’s stretch run has seen some serious injuries that ought to significantly affect various teams. Stay on top of the playing status of top players heading into the postseason, both for the potential line combinations and to have some idea who might be filling in if a significant player remains sidelined.

NHL teams are vague at best, or dishonest at worst, regarding injuries, but you may want to avoid, or at least decrease the value of, guys who are already going into the playoffs with injuries.

As the playoffs start, there are a number of high profile players that may not be ready or, if they are, may be just coming back from injury. That list includes: Tyler Seguin, Evgeni Malkin, Steven Stamkos, Anton Stralman, David Perron, Vincent Trocheck, Tyler Johnson, Victor Hedman, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Marian Gaborik, Thomas Vanek, Ryan McDonagh, Travis Hamonic, Anders Lee, Olli Maatta, Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray.

STACKING

When it comes to Daily Fantasy, it’s common practice to stack a lineup based on favourable opposition. Since you’re looking ahead for, hopefully, four rounds of playoff hockey, the opposition isn’t so much the concern, but the idea of getting multiple players on the same line does have appeal when the value is right. If you set your sights on Ryan Kesler early, maybe Jakob Silfverberg a round or two later will pay double in the long run. Who knows how lines might shake out upon the return of Evgeni Malkin to Pittsburgh’s lineup, but going with Phil Kessel then Nick Bonino could provide nice value. It certainly did late in the season. During the small sample of an NHL playoff tournament, a hot line can go a long way and if you happen to pick the right one then that can swing the results of your pool.

TAKE A CHANCE

Don't be afraid to roll the dice on a sleeper pick late in the draft. The nature of a short series of games lends itself to unexpected results, like Jakob Silfverberg and Alex Killorn each producing 18 points last season,

Bryan Bickell scoring 17 points in 2013, Bryce Salvador scoring 14 points in 24 games in 2012, Joel Ward scoring 13 points in 12 games in 2011, Ville Leino tallying 21 points in 19 games in 2010 or many others, from Ruslan Fedotenko to R.J. Umberger to Fernando Pisani, generally unheralded players who have had double-digit goal totals in a single playoff year. Late in your draft, roll the dice on a player that could be looking at a decent opportunity. Some sleepers that intrigue me: Jonathan Drouin, Marian Gaborik, Robby Fabbri, Tom Kuhnhackl, Michael Raffl and Calle Jarnkrok.

THE NUMBERS

Given these basic plans, the following team lists will provide information to help organize your drafting priorities. Each player listed has their points per game listed and that's a general value to start with.

Then, look at what the player has done in the later portion of this season with points per game after the All-Star break; those splits can reveal some changing roles. If the point totals are higher, maybe it's a young player who is taking on more responsibility, or a veteran whose playing situation changed due to trade. Jamie McGinn and Andrew Ladd are a couple of wingers that have been getting plum opportunities with their new clubs.

The third rate included for each player is their NHL career playoff scoring average. In the vast majority of situations, that number will be lower than players' career averages because the playoffs are tighter checking games that involve the best teams. Even some great players have lower career scoring averages in the playoffs because they didn't contribute much early in their career and they've since emerged as elite postseason perfomers.

Pavel Datsyuk and Marian Hossa are among the high-profile players that didn't produce early in the playoffs, but have had many productive postseasons since then.

Previous playoff production doesn't have to eliminate a player from consideration -- because sometimes a player is unproven in the postseason, until suddenly he is -- but if a player has made a career of under-performing in the playoffs, then it might be worth letting someone else take that risk.

Power plays rule the postseason so make sure your roster is loaded with players who get time with the man advantage. Power play defencemen, in particular, have more value in the playoffs so don't let these players slip by you in the middle-to-later rounds of the draft. Duncan Keith, Victor Hedman, Sami Vatanen, Keith Yandle, Brent Seabrook, Dan Boyle, Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm all hit double digits in last year’s playoffs. Power play point totals are included as a general guide for which players are most likely to get those man advantage opportunities.


1010430 Websites

USA TODAY / Ed Snider, founder and owner of Philadelphia Flyers, dies at 83

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports 12:55 p.m. EDT April 11, 2016

Ed Snider was the rare professional sports team owner whose impact on his team matched the efforts of his best athletes.

He was the old-school owner of the Philadelphia Flyers, a man who fueled his team with the proper blend of money and passion. He was highly involved, meddlesome some would say, in both his team and his league. But there was never any doubt that his priority was always to make the Flyers the best organization he could. He was a fan’s owner, a man who rode the roller coaster of emotions about his team as much as the people who bought his seats.

“Ed Snider was the soul and spirit of the Flyers who have reflected his competitiveness, his passion for hockey and his love for the fans from the moment he brought NHL hockey to Philadelphia in 1967,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Ed created the Flyers’ professional,


no-nonsense culture, fostered their relentless will to win and the set the highest standards for every activity on and off the ice.”

The Philadelphia Flyers announced Monday morning that Snider, 83, the most senior of NHL owners, died of complications resulting from his battle with bladder cancer.

“He’s always thinking about our fans, and how we’re going to make sure they’re comfortable getting to the game, enjoy the experience and obviously winning as many times as he can at home,” Flyers president Paul Holmgren said in a recent interview.

Snider loved the Flyers the way the late George Steinbrenner used to love the Yankees. Snider was a hand-on owner who pushed his employees to be overly aggressive in the name of winning.

Holmgren said Snider let his managers do their job, but not without oversight.

“He'll question you,” Holmgren said in an interview prior to Snider’s death. He might disagree with you. He might ask you some real tough questions, 'What do you mean by that?' 'What do you mean so-and-so is not doing this, or we can't do that. Why not?' Then you get in a big debate with him about this. He's very good, and he listens well. He asks great questions."

In 49 years, the Flyers have never changed their logo and now have a prestige the equal of an Original Six team. But that wasn’t the case when Snider launched the franchise in 1967.

In an interview with USA TODAY Sports several years ago, Snider recalled that the Hockey News voted his franchise the least likely to succeed among the six new franchises.

"Every hockey team that had been in the city at any level, including an NHL team in the 1930s, had failed," Snider said. "The NHL team was there for one year and had the worst attendance in NHL history at that time and the worst record. … Everyone thought I was nuts."

The Flyers became the first of the six 1967 expansion teams to win a Stanley Cup, in 1974. He was in command, and relished the team’s image, when the Flyers were known as the Broad Street Bullies because of their toughness in the 1970s.

The Flyers also won the Stanley Cup in 1975, but haven’t been able to win since, even though Snider never lost his passion for his team.

“His long tenure has set a tone," former Flyers president and current Florida Panthers president Peter Luukko told USA TODAY Sports in an interview four years ago. "Fans know that Ed plays every year to win it all. There is no such thing as we have a three-year rebuilding process."

Snider was very active in NHL politics, owned considerable clout on the Board of Governors.

“Ed was an unmistakable presence and an unforgettable personality,” Bettman said in a statement released Monday. “Like most people who had the pleasure of knowing Ed, I will miss him terribly.”

USA TODAY LOADED: 04.12.2016

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Wall Street Journal / The Man Behind the Masks of the NHL

How a Swedish artist raised the bar for creative design of goalie helmets

By TOM PERROTTA

April 11, 2016 7:49 p.m. ET

When Ben Bishop, the goalie for the Tampa Bay Lightning, received his new mask last year, he had a thought. The mask had a splotch of glow-in-the-dark paint on it, about the size of a quarter. Bishop liked it. A lot. So he called David Gunnarsson, the NHL’s mask maestro, with a question.

“I asked if we could make the whole thing glow,” Bishop said. “That was the first one in the league like that.”

Painted masks have a long history in the NHL. Gerry Cheevers, who drew black stiches on his white fiberglass faceplate, is known as the first player to doctor his mask, in the 1960s. Ken Dryden’s mask looked like a bulls-eye with Montreal’s colors. Ed Belfour’s mask had an eagle; Curtis Joseph, nicknamed CuJo, wore a mask with a rabid dog inspired by the Stephen King novel of the same name.

In today’s NHL, pretty much every goalie has a custom mask, except the details, themes, and colors are wilder and more intricate than ever. That’s because of Gunnarsson, a 39-year-old self-taught artist who lives in Sweden. He estimates that he has painted masks for half the teams in the league (he has worked for goalies on all but three of this year’s playoff teams). Gunnarsson painted his first NHL mask 15 years ago for Johan Hedberg, a fellow Swede nicknamed Moose. He now hires helpers to sand and prep masks, which allows him to paint at least eight hours a day, he said.

“During my 20 years I have never, never had problems with my creativity or ideas,” he said. “It just comes like water.”

His output stuns fellow painters.

“He’s the lion of the group, we’re all just like the cubs,” said Paintzoo Studios’ Franny Drummond, a Pennsylvania-based painter whose zombie mask is worn by Flyers goalie Steve Mason (Drummond also paints motorcycle helmets). “People are going, ‘He can’t paint that many masks in a week, it’s impossible.’”

Gunnarsson’s masks start with a conversation, then a sketch, then a full-color drawing for goalies to review. He paints mostly with an airbrush—a paint gun connected to an air compressor—but sometimes relies more on a sketch pen, like he did for Buffalo Sabres goalie Robin Lehner, whose mask is a tribute to a Swedish death metal band.

Gunnarsson has one crucial painting companion: movies, mostly action and sci-fi flicks like “Independence Day,” “Ghostbusters,” “Back to the Future,” and “Jurassic Park.”

“I have some favorites that I have watched 20 or 30 times,” he said. Because of this, many of his masks have movie characters or scenes, like “The Shining” mask of Vancouver goaltender Richard Bachman (whose name is the same as a pen name used by King, the book’s author).

The glowing, circuit-like lines in Bishop’s Lightning mask were inspired by the movie “Tron,” a Gunnarsson favorite. For Fredrik Andersen of the Anaheim Ducks, Gunnarsson painted Lego figures, a nod to the most famous export from Andersen’s native Denmark. His Ghostbusters-themed mask was perfect for Cam Talbot when he played for the New York Rangers, but then Talbot was traded to the Edmonton Oilers and Gunnarsson had to tweak it. The mask now has a heavy dose of the ectoplasm ghost Slimer, except he’s orange to match Edmonton’s colors.

“Cam showed me pictures of Bill Murray signing the mask, also Dan Aykroyd, the whole team,” Gunnarsson said. “I almost fainted.”

Henrik Lundqvist’s current mask, named “Rangers Razors Unleashed,” includes the Statue of Liberty and sharp silver spikes seemingly cut from her crown. Gunnarsson has made dozens of masks for Lundqvist, including several for his MSG show The Mask, which auctioned off masks for charity.

“Lundqvist, he likes clean designs with strong contrasts and a lot of glitter,” Gunnarsson said. “He likes when it’s bling-bling.”

Goalie masks are not always symbolic of a goalie’s psyche. Take Dryden’s famous Canadiens mask with its pattern of blue, white and red circles, like a target. Dryden didn’t ask for a target, or intend for others to see the mask as a target. He wanted a mask with concentric Cs—for Canadiens—in the team’s colors. There was no deeper meaning.

“I heard from people later, saying that they felt kind of sorry for me that I was wearing a target,” Dryden said. “They assumed that was my expression of irony, ‘Well, if I am a target, then why wouldn’t I dress like one to make it that much clearer?’”

The goalie mask has changed goaltending in ways that early goalies could not have imagined. Dryden’s mask offered mediocre protection: A hard-hit puck, he said, would often smash the mask against his cheek and open up a gash. He perfected the stand-up style, with his head held


above the crossbar so fewer pucks hit him in the face. Masks evolved. They now include cages, padding and custom fits. Stand-up goaltending is long gone, replaced by the superior butterfly techniques.

“You have a whole let less to shoot for because of the evolution that began with the perfect mask,” Dryden said. “You’ve got a feeling that this is really your mask, that it’s made for you. It’s part of your face.”

The goalie mask has no parallel in other sports, whose gear and helmets conform to team logos and color schemes. (College football teams sometimes have helmet stickers, which Dryden dismissed as a poor comparison. “They look extremely cluttered.”) But Bishop, the Lightning goalie, expects one sport will soon follow in the footsteps of hockey: baseball.

“I’m waiting for the day that MLB catchers will do it, because I have a feeling that they might,” he said.

Wall Street Journal LOADED: 04.12.2016

Arizona Coyotes

The search for a new general manager will begin immediately after the Coyotes relieved Don Maloney of his duties Monday.

"On behalf of our ownership group and the entire Arizona Coyotes organization, I would like to sincerely thank Don for all of his hard work and the many contributions he made to our organization during his tenure," Coyotes President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said in a statement. "The Coyotes had some success with Don, but we believe a change in leadership is needed in order to move our franchise forward in a new direction."

An interim general manager will not be named. The search for a new GM will be led by Majority Owner, Chairman and Governor Andrew Barroway, Alternate Governor Gary Drummond (who oversees the Coyotes hockey operations department) and LeBlanc.

The team's Assistant General Managers John Chayka and Chris O'Hearn will manage the Coyotes' hockey operations department until a new general manager is named.

The Coyotes have assigned forwards Laurent Dauphin and Eric Selleck, defenseman Alex Grant and goalie Marek Langhamer to the American Hockey League.

Boston Bruins

Amid the lingering mysteries of the Bruins’ late-season collapse, David Krejci cleared up one of them Monday, the veteran pivot revealing he soon will undergo surgery for a left hip he injured late in the season.

Offering scant details about the nature of the injury, he told media members during the club’s breakup day at the Garden he was hurt with roughly a quarter of the season to go, and the team’s medical staff helped get him through the final 4-6 weeks of the schedule.

The Bruins took a step in upgrading their scoring punch by signing prospect Danton Heinen, a forward who led the University of Denver this season with 48 points in 41 games.

Carolina Hurricanes


Chicago Blackhawks

Bryan Bickell's time back with the Blackhawks was short-lived.

The team re-assigned Bickell to Rockford on Monday after Bickell played in just two games during his third stint with the Hawks this season.

The Hawks also reassigned center Dennis Rasmussen and recalled defenseman David Rundblad.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard had ankle surgery Monday, finally treating an injury that had dogged him for several weeks.

Savard had a loose bone chip that needed to be pinned in place, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. Savard will need six to eight weeks to recover but should be ready for camp.

Dallas Stars

Stars RW Brett Ritchie did not practice Monday. He has missed the last seven games with a lower body injury.

Edmonton Oilers

Four Edmonton Oilers players are extending their season in the American Hockey League.

The Oilers announced Monday afternoon they reassigned defencemen Darnell Nurse, Griffin Reinhart and Jordan Oesterle, and goalie Laurent Brossoit, to the Bakersfield Condors, their AHL affiliate. The National Hockey League’s season ended on Saturday night with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild held a long practice today at Xcel Energy Center in preparation for Thursday’s series opener in Dallas.

Once again, Zach Parise and Erik Haula didn’t practice, nor did Thomas Vanek, who has already been ruled out for the start of the playoffs. They’re all listed as day-to-day.

Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk played his best hockey of the season with a broken finger. Galchenyuk said he was skipping an appearance with Team USA at the coming world championships to allow the finger to heal. But the dented digit didn’t seem to bother him as he scored 11 goals and added seven assists over 17 games to finish as the team’s second-leading scorer.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils’ season may be over but there will still be games for forwards Joseph Blandisi, Reid Boucher and Pavel Zacha and defenseman Damon Severson.

The four were assigned to Albany (AHL) on Monday as the A-Devils gear for their playoff run.

New York Rangers

The status of Ryan McDonagh’s right-hand injury was put in no uncertain terms by Rangers coach Alain Vigneault on Monday, just two days before the team begins its first-round playoff series with the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

“He’s definitely not going to start [the series],” Vigneault said, “and he’s day-to-day.”

The captain was hurt blocking a Brandon Dubinsky shot during the team’s playoff-clinching victory over in Columbus on April 4, missing the final three games of the season with what The Post reported was a small break of the metacarpal bones in his right hand. He skated before his teammates on Monday afternoon, but did not handle his stick with his right hand.

Vigneault said he was still deciding if rookie left-hander Brady Skjei would take McDonagh’s roster spot, or if another rookie, righty Dylan McIlrath, would come in, thus likely moving veteran Dan Boyle to his unnatural left side.

Defenseman Dan Girardi skated before and after Monday’s practice, still recovering from his upper-body injury suffered on April 5 against the Lightning, which kept him from the final two games of the regular season. Vigneault had always expected Girardi to be ready for the start of the playoffs, and added that if nothing unexpected happened Monday night, then Girardi would practice fully with the team on Tuesday and he’ll “be fine.”

Forwards Mats Zuccarello and Viktor Stalberg both practiced fully after missing the final game of the regular season with assorted minor ailments. Vigneault proclaimed them both “good to go.”

Ottawa Senators

After almost 12 years with the Ottawa Senators – including once leading the team to the Stanley Cup finals – and nine years as the team’s


general manager, Bryan Murray is heading for semi-retirement, continuing to fight Stage 4 colon cancer and hoping to spend more time with his family.

Happily for Ottawa, the 73-year-old Murray will continue advising the Sens. Even after a decades-long career, it looks like you can’t quite take the man away from hockey, or from the Senators. His replacement, Pierre Dorion, 43, will face the challenge of trying to make the team into a playoff contender in coming seasons.

Philadelphia Flyers

Even in his failing days as he battled bladder cancer, Ed Snider had the urge to let general manager Ron Hextall know how much a Stanley Cup playoff run would mean to him - and to subtly suggest that maybe, just maybe, it might be a good idea to make a deal.

Snider, who died at his California home Monday at 83, was known for being impatient and signing high-priced free agents during many of his years as the Flyer chairman. However, after Hextall became the GM two years ago, Snider was on board with his plans to rebuild the team through the draft.

Pittsburgh Penguins Though he made no promises after Monday's practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex about his availability for the Penguins' playoff opener Wednesday, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury hinted at his eagerness to test his health under game conditions.

“It's one day at a time,” said Fleury, who worked with the rest of the team for the first time since suffering a concussion in a March 31 win over Nashville. “It's always another step up when you play a game. That's why I was hoping to get one before the end of the (regular) season, but that just didn't happen.”

The return of Fleury, one of several Penguins with questionable health statuses, provided at least some clarity to a situation that grew cloudy after Matt Murray left Saturday's regular-season finale in Philadelphia after his head met with Flyers winger Brayden Schenn's leg in a play at the crease.

Coach Mike Sullivan on Monday described Murray as “day to day” with an upper-body injury. He placed the same day-to-day label on winger Beau Bennett (upper-body), who did not practice, and forwards Bryan Rust (lower-body) and Evgeni Malkin (upper-body), who worked out before the team took the ice.

Defenseman Olli Maatta participated in practice for the first time since suffering what Sullivan described as a lower-body injury, one that came with a “week-to-week” time frame for recovery, on March 24.

Like Fleury, Maatta left his availability for Wednesday open to interpretation. He said he did not have any restrictions for practice. Rebuilding conditioning ranked as his top priority.

“I really can't say for sure, but I felt good today,” Maatta said of the likelihood he plays in the postseason opener.

Maatta partnered with oft-scratched Derrick Pouliot for drills that required defensive pairings, a sign he might not land in the lineup.

Fleury, meanwhile, served as one of three goaltenders at practice. Tristan Jarry, the rookie called up on Sunday, and season-long backup Jeff Zatkoff also faced shots.

San Jose Sharks

The list of significant, superstar players out with injuries as the Stanley Cup playoffs approach is an extensive one (our friends at NBC have the rundown, here).

The Sharks, though, are remarkably healthy for the month April. Injured defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and forward Matt Nieto, who both missed the last 12 games of the regular season, took part in the team’s first playoff practice on Monday and are on track to be in the lineup for Game 1 on Thursday against the Kings.

St Louis Blues

The Blues got a couple of players back on the ice for their first practice of the postseason Monday, but neither was one whom most people expected.

So while goalie Jake Allen and forward Steve Ott were full participants in a longer-than-normal practice Monday, forward David Backes was not.

Nor was another forward, Troy Brouwer, and coach Ken Hitchcock passed on a chance to term Brouwer’s absence a maintenance day, as he did when Brouwer didn’t take part in the morning skate Saturday but played that night. “We’ll let you know tomorrow,” Hitchcock said.

Backes said in a television interview Saturday night that there was nothing holding him back from returning to action, which sounded a lot like he would be on the ice Monday. But he wasn’t, with Magnus Paajarvi skating in his spot on a line with Alexander Steen and Patrik Berglund. Brouwer’s spot alongside Robby Fabbri and Paul Stastny was taken by Dmitrij Jaskin.

The big test will be Tuesday. It’s possible that the decision on holding them out had more to do with Monday’s practice being longer and more intense, and that they could return when the practices get shorter.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Forward Tyler Johnson didn’t skate for the Lightning on Monday, but three of his previously injured teammates practiced in preparation for the opening-round playoff series against Detroit.

Defenseman Victor Hedman (upper body) and wingers Ryan Callahan (lower body) and Nikita Kucherov (undisclosed injury) skated two days before the start of Game 1 at Amalie Arena, where the Lightning will face an experienced Red Wings team that took Tampa Bay to seven games a year ago.

Johnson, who was shoved into the boards late in the first period at Montreal on Saturday night and didn’t return, was walking around in shorts at Ice Sports Forum and did not appear to be in discomfort.

His status for Wednesday’s opener will likely be a game-time decision.

Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals are likely to have their full lineup available for their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, as versatile forward Jay Beagle is expected to be available by then.

“I mean, he’s day-to-day,” General Manager Brian MacLellan said on Monday. “We’ll see how he progresses here, but I would anticipate he’s playing unless there’s some setbacks.”

Beagle suffered an injury when he blocked a Vladimir Tarasenko shot with his left leg in Saturday’s game at the St. Louis Blues. He crumpled to the ice in pain and limped back to the bench without putting any weight on his left leg, out for the rest of the game. Beagle didn’t play in the season finale on Sunday, and Coach Barry Trotz said he was “day-to-day.”

An even more encouraging sign for Beagle’s status is that Washington returned center Zach Sill to its American Hockey League affiliate in Hershey on Monday. Sill was an emergency recall for Sunday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks, as Washington scratched stars Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom because they were “banged up.” It was a sort of a maintenance day for them.

Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets have begun to turn the page on a forgettable season by signing one of their top prospects to an NHL contract.

College freshman sensation Kyle Connor, a first-round Jets draft pick last year, has decided to leave the University of Michigan to turn pro.

NHL Daily Transactions

TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

San Jose Sharks Mantas Armalis Signed as Free Agent, One-year contract

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Anaheim Ducks Corey Tropp Sent to minors, San Diego-AHL

Anaheim Ducks Stefan Noesen Sent to minors, San Diego-AHL


Anaheim Ducks Michael Sgarbossa Sent to minors, San Diego-AHL

Anaheim Ducks Anton Khudobin Sent to minors, San Diego-AHL

Arizona Coyotes Alex Grant Sent to minors, Springfield-AHL

Arizona Coyotes Eric Selleck Sent to minors, Springfield-AHL

Arizona Coyotes Marek Langhamer Sent to minors, Springfield-AHL

Arizona Coyotes Laurent Dauphin Sent to minors, Springfield-AHL

NHL Daily Transactions

Boston Bruins Colin Miller Sent to minors, Providence-AHL

Boston Bruins Noel Acciari Sent to minors, Providence-AHL

Boston Bruins Danton Heinen Signed, Three-year contract

Boston Bruins Max Talbot Sent to minors, Providence-AHL

Boston Bruins Frank Vatrano Sent to minors, Providence-AHL

Buffalo Sabres Cody McCormick Retired

Carolina Hurricanes Ryan Murphy Sent to minors, Charlotte-AHL

Chicago Blackhawks Bryan Bickell Sent to minors, Rockford-AHL

Chicago Blackhawks Dennis Rasmussen Sent to minors, Rockford-AHL

Chicago Blackhawks David Rundblad Called up from minors, from Rockford-AHL

Edmonton Oilers Laurent Brossoit Sent to minors, Bakersfield-AHL

Edmonton Oilers Griffin Reinhart Sent to minors, Bakersfield-AHL

Edmonton Oilers Jordan Oesterle Sent to minors, Bakersfield-AHL

Edmonton Oilers Darnell Nurse Sent to minors, Bakersfield-AHL

Minnesota Wild Adam Gilmour Signed, Two-year contract

Nashville Predators Marek Mazanec Sent to minors, Milwaukee-AHL

Nashville Predators Corey Potter Sent to minors, Milwaukee-AHL

New Jersey Devils Pavel Zacha Sent to minors, Albany-AHL

New Jersey Devils Damon Severson Sent to minors, Albany-AHL

New Jersey Devils Joseph Blandisi Sent to minors, Albany-AHL

New Jersey Devils Reid Boucher Sent to minors, Albany-AHL

New York Islanders Scott Mayfield Sent to minors, Bridgeport-AHL

New York Islanders Bracken Kearns Sent to minors, Bridgeport-AHL

New York Islanders Alan Quine Sent to minors, Bridgeport-AHL

New York Islanders Ross Johnston Sent to minors, Bridgeport-AHL

Ottawa Senators Ben Harpur Sent to minors, Binghamton-AHL

Ottawa Senators Buddy Robinson Sent to minors, Binghamton-AHL

Ottawa Senators Phil Varone Sent to minors, Binghamton-AHL

Ottawa Senators Matt Puempel Sent to minors, Binghamton-AHL

Washington Capitals Zach Sill Sent to minors, Hershey-AHL

Winnipeg Jets Kyle Connor Signed, Three-year contract

END

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