NHL Thread Because There Isn't An NHL Thread

Clarification of the supposed 14 days absence for Ducharme: the Canadiens spokespeople sent a text to newspapers in the evening saying that "it's not the information they have".

The length of his absence is still unknown and being figured out with the health authorities and the NHL since his situation is in uncharted territories (he's double vaccinated and the NHL tests everyone every day).
 
Oliver Ekman-Larsson is on the trade block again, but the Arizona Coyotes captain is entering the process with a more open mind this time around.

The Swedish blue-liner was involved in trade rumors last offseason but was reportedly willing to accept a move only to the Boston Bruins or Vancouver Canucks by using his full no-movement clause.

However, the Coyotes and Ekman-Larsson's camp will use a different approach this summer.


"What Ekman-Larsson has told the Coyotes and what the Coyotes have agreed to do is, 'We're going to go out there, we're going to check the market, and we're going to bring a deal to you, and then you can decide whether you're comfortable with that team,'" Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on "Saturday Headlines".

Ekman-Larsson tallied three goals and 21 assists in 46 games in 2020-21 while averaging 20:58 of ice time per contest - the lowest since his rookie campaign. The underlying numbers haven't been kind to him at even strength over the last three years, though he's produced on the power play, according to Evolving-Hockey.

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Evolving-Hockey
Ekman-Larsson turns 30 years old in July and has six seasons remaining on his contract carrying an annual cap hit of $8.25 million, according to CapFriendly.

The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers were reportedly among the other teams to show interest in Ekman-Larsson last summer.

Ekman-Larsson said in October he's "never really wanted to do anything but to stay in Arizona."
 
Rick Tocchet is on the Seattle Kraken's shortlist for their head coaching vacancy.

The former Arizona Coyotes bench boss is a finalist to become Seattle's first-ever head coach, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on "Saturday Headlines."

Last month, it was reported that Tocchet had interviews lined up with both the Kraken and New York Rangers, who ultimately hired Gerard Gallant earlier this week.


Tocchet and the Coyotes parted ways on May 9. The 57-year-old's contract was set to expire on June 30.

The former NHL forward guided Arizona for four seasons, posting a 125-131-34 record and helping the club reach the postseason in 2019-20 for the first time since 2011-12.

Tocchet won back-to-back championships as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017 before the Coyotes hired him. He was the Tampa Bay Lightning's head coach for parts of two seasons from 2008 to 2010.

The Ontario-born former winger played 18 years in the league before joining the coaching ranks. He amassed 440 goals and 512 assists in 1,144 games with six teams.
 
Robin Lehner is the Vegas Golden Knights' starting goaltender for Game 4 of their Stanley Cup semifinal series against the Montreal Canadiens, reports ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

Vegas head coach Peter DeBoer informed Lehner and fellow Vegas netminder Marc-Andre Fleury of the decision Saturday, adds Kaplan.

DeBoer wouldn't confirm his starter when asked about it after Sunday's morning skate. Lehner was the first Golden Knights puck-stopper off the ice at the session, and that generally determines who gets the nod.
 
Hollywood said:
DeBoer wouldn't confirm his starter when asked about it after Sunday's morning skate. Lehner was the first Golden Knights puck-stopper off the ice at the session, and that generally determines who gets the nod.
Click to expand...

So they don't have any more information than what all the other sources already reported then. That observation from practice is why media were asking DeBoer in the first place.

(EDIT: I guess that previous line suggests ESPN have an inside track that Vegas made the call yesterday though. Either way, it does look like they're making the change... but this being the playoffs, you never know)
 
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So the Vegas GM tested positive for COVID.

Before this was known, it was reported in local media that the NHL had given him and George McPhee a warning because they were maskless in their booth at the Bell Center. SMH.
 
Vegas Golden Knights netminder Robin Lehner's outstanding performance in Game 4 against the Montreal Canadiens was apparently fueled by his doubters.

Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer's decision to start Lehner on Sunday drew plenty of criticism. He played in just one prior game this postseason and got burned for seven goals on 37 shots, while fellow netminder Marc-Andre Fleury was solid aside from his Game 3 blunder.

Lehner, who's fairly active on social media, turned in a marvelous 27-save outing in Vegas' 2-1 overtime win and thanked his haters for the motivation.


"Not many people know I come to the game four hours early," Lehner told reporters. "I get my own bus, I come four hours early. I sat for two hours and watched you guys talk shit on Twitter on me to get me motivated. It was great, just to see all what you guys had to say, I don't care what people think."

He also chimed in on Twitter after his press conference.


The Habs won the high-danger-scoring chance battle by an astounding 18-1 margin, according to Natural Stat Trick. DeBoer said he knew his goaltender was capable of such a heroic effort.

"He was excellent. I knew he'd be good. A lot of things went into it," DeBoer said postgame, according to NHL.com's Danny Webster.

"We wouldn't be here without Flower," he added, noting that Fleury's gaffe in Game 3 "had nothing to do" with the decision. "Knowing Lenny, the gamble to play him was no bigger than playing a fatigued goalie with no rest on the horizon."

Lehner posted a .913 save percentage and a 2.29 goals-against average in 19 regular-season contests. The Golden Knights rotated Lehner and Fleury every other game during the campaign when both netminders were healthy. The duo shared the Wiliam M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the league.

The series, which is now tied 2-2, shifts back to Sin City for Game 5 on Tuesday, and Lehner is almost certainly bound to get the starting nod once again.
 
Minnesota Wild assistant general manager and former NHL defenseman Tom Kurvers has died after a battle with lung cancer, the team announced Monday. He was 58.

The Wild hired Kurvers in 2018. He previously worked in the Tampa Bay Lightning's front office.

"Tom's kindness and enthusiasm will be greatly missed by the countless number of people on whom he had a positive influence throughout his life," the Wild's statement read. "We join the State of Hockey in mourning the loss of a great hockey player and an even better person."


Kurvers, a Minnesota native, had a prolific collegiate career with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He won the Hobey Baker Award as the nation's top player in 1983-84 after notching 76 points in 43 games.

The Montreal Canadiens drafted Kurvers in 1981. He won the Stanley Cup with the franchise in 1986. Kurvers also played for the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, and then-Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

He had 421 points in 659 NHL games.
 
SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Kraken have hired former NHL forward JT Brown as the television analyst for their inaugural season, the team announced Monday.

Brown has not played in the NHL since the 2018-19 season with Minnesota. He spent the past year playing with Bjorkloven in Sweden. His announcement that he is joining the broadcast team in Seattle was made simultaneously with his announcement that he's retiring from playing.

Brown will be paired with veteran television announcer John Forslund on Kraken broadcasts.


“It was a big decision to hang up my skates, but one that was made easier by the opportunity to work alongside John Forslund for the Seattle Kraken,” Brown said. “I am excited for the opportunity to continue my career within the hockey world and to join an organization that is dedicated to making forward progress within the sport, and I look forward to the ability to make a lasting impact on the game I’ve loved for over 25 years.”

Brown spent parts of seven seasons in the NHL with Tampa Bay, Anaheim and Minnesota. His best season came in 2015-16 when he had career highs in points, games and ice time with the Lightning.

Off the ice, Brown has been a major supporter of increasing diversity and inclusion in hockey. Brown has supported the “Black Girl Hockey Club” that works to make hockey more inclusive for Black women and girls, and has used his presence as a Twitch streamer to raise funds for the NHL’s “Hockey is for Everyone” campaign.

Brown was named to the NHL’s “Fan Inclusion Committee” in 2020.

Brown made headlines in 2017 when he raised his fist during the national anthem during Tampa Bay’s first road game in an effort to highlight racial inequality. It was believed to be the first known demonstration of any kind during the anthem in an NHL regular-season game. Brown later said he received death threats after the demonstration.

“Off the ice, JT’s values and dedication to the community reflect our own and we know he will be a great addition,” Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke said.

___

More AP NHL: NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
 
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