We ain’t winning. As nice as it would be, we’ll likely wind up with the 3rd pick at best.
NHL Thread Because There Isn't An NHL Thread
- Thread starter Absolut Kaz
- Start date
to the Buffalo 
Sabres on winning the 2021 NHL Lottery Draft!
Hollywood
Well-Known Member
The Buffalo Sabres are the winners of the NHL draft lottery and will select first overall at the 2021 draft in July.
The Seattle Kraken moved up from third to second, dropping the Anaheim Ducks from second to third. There were no other changes based on the pre-lottery odds.
Here's the order of the first 15 picks:
The Arizona Coyotes forfeited their first-round pick for violating the NHL's combine testing policy in 2019-20. A redraw would've occurred if the Coyotes won.
There's no consensus top player in this year's draft. Canadian defenseman Owen Power is the top-ranked North American skater, while Swedish winger William Eklund is the No. 1-ranked international skater, according to NHL Central Scouting.
More to come.
The Seattle Kraken moved up from third to second, dropping the Anaheim Ducks from second to third. There were no other changes based on the pre-lottery odds.
Here's the order of the first 15 picks:
The Arizona Coyotes forfeited their first-round pick for violating the NHL's combine testing policy in 2019-20. A redraw would've occurred if the Coyotes won.
There's no consensus top player in this year's draft. Canadian defenseman Owen Power is the top-ranked North American skater, while Swedish winger William Eklund is the No. 1-ranked international skater, according to NHL Central Scouting.
More to come.
Hollywood
Well-Known Member
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ron Hextall doesn't sound like someone who's ready to hit the reset button.
The Pittsburgh Penguins general manager said Wednesday he believes in the team's core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang and is in no hurry to move on to the franchise's next chapter.
The East Division champions are smarting from a third straight first-round playoff exit — this time a six-game loss to the New York Islanders — but Hextall will spend his first offseason with the team retooling around Crosby, Malkin, and Letang rather than rebuilding.
“We see a future with this core,” Hextall said. “These guys have been here a long time. We had a good year. It certainly didn’t give me pause to think about what we should do with this core. It certainly didn’t give me pause to think about what we should do with this core.”
Hextall added he expects to have all three back next season “for sure.” The same apparently goes for goaltender Tristan Jarry.
Hextall, hired in February after Jim Rutherford's abrupt resignation, expressed confidence in Jarry despite Jarry's shaky playoff performance. Jarry's ill-advised outlet pass in Game 5 led directly to Josh Bailey's game-winning overtime goal. He followed it up by allowing five goals in Game 6 as Pittsburgh's season came to an abrupt halt.
“You saw what happened in Game 5, an unfortunate error there. And then Game 6 wasn’t the best. But I don’t think we would have been where we were without Tristan and we all have to remember Tristan is a young player,” he said. “He’s going to learn from this and he’s going to come back better in September.”
As will coach Mike Sullivan. Hextall said he and president of hockey operations Brian Burke are in sync with the two-time Stanley Cup winner. Sullivan emphasizes speed and skill in his approach, something Hextall doesn't plan to get away from while allowing the Penguins might benefit a bit from a bigger lineup.
"Of course we’d like to add a little bit of size, a little bit of toughness. Yes, it would be nice,” Hextall said. “But there’s not a lot out there. We’ll look at what’s there this summer and we’ll make adjustments. But if we go into next season with this group we’re comfortable.”
That includes focusing on players who can make an immediate impact with Crosby, Malkin, and Letang all in their mid-30s. Hextall stressed the team remains in “win-now” mode heading into 2021-22. Pittsburgh's streak of 15 consecutive postseason berths is the longest active streak in major North American professional sports.
"We’re comfortable with our team,” Hextall said. “We had a real good regular season and played well in the playoffs. That doesn’t mean we won’t look to get better. You always look to get better. If we can find ways to tweak things and get better, we will.”
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More AP NHL: NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
The Pittsburgh Penguins general manager said Wednesday he believes in the team's core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang and is in no hurry to move on to the franchise's next chapter.
The East Division champions are smarting from a third straight first-round playoff exit — this time a six-game loss to the New York Islanders — but Hextall will spend his first offseason with the team retooling around Crosby, Malkin, and Letang rather than rebuilding.
“We see a future with this core,” Hextall said. “These guys have been here a long time. We had a good year. It certainly didn’t give me pause to think about what we should do with this core. It certainly didn’t give me pause to think about what we should do with this core.”
Hextall added he expects to have all three back next season “for sure.” The same apparently goes for goaltender Tristan Jarry.
Hextall, hired in February after Jim Rutherford's abrupt resignation, expressed confidence in Jarry despite Jarry's shaky playoff performance. Jarry's ill-advised outlet pass in Game 5 led directly to Josh Bailey's game-winning overtime goal. He followed it up by allowing five goals in Game 6 as Pittsburgh's season came to an abrupt halt.
“You saw what happened in Game 5, an unfortunate error there. And then Game 6 wasn’t the best. But I don’t think we would have been where we were without Tristan and we all have to remember Tristan is a young player,” he said. “He’s going to learn from this and he’s going to come back better in September.”
As will coach Mike Sullivan. Hextall said he and president of hockey operations Brian Burke are in sync with the two-time Stanley Cup winner. Sullivan emphasizes speed and skill in his approach, something Hextall doesn't plan to get away from while allowing the Penguins might benefit a bit from a bigger lineup.
"Of course we’d like to add a little bit of size, a little bit of toughness. Yes, it would be nice,” Hextall said. “But there’s not a lot out there. We’ll look at what’s there this summer and we’ll make adjustments. But if we go into next season with this group we’re comfortable.”
That includes focusing on players who can make an immediate impact with Crosby, Malkin, and Letang all in their mid-30s. Hextall stressed the team remains in “win-now” mode heading into 2021-22. Pittsburgh's streak of 15 consecutive postseason berths is the longest active streak in major North American professional sports.
"We’re comfortable with our team,” Hextall said. “We had a real good regular season and played well in the playoffs. That doesn’t mean we won’t look to get better. You always look to get better. If we can find ways to tweak things and get better, we will.”
___
More AP NHL: NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
BjorgenFjorgen
Well-Known Member
Brutal. This is what the league gets when it continually ignores dangerous hits and headshots unless Nazem Kadri is involved. Hope he's okay.
wokeupnew
Well-Known Member
You can bet that if Nazem Kadri’s name was actually Nate Carter the league would look the other way
Turbo
Well-Known Member
Seems he was talking with players after the game. I'm guessing he's off to the hospital for observation but he's likely out for a while.
I'm hoping Scheifle got himself a ticket out of the series with that. Minimum a meeting with the league and 5 I expect. They should make it 6 or more just to make sure he doesn't come back. He may not have a history but that was much worse than Kadri. He didn't even try to play the puck and turned to his other shoulder before launching himself.
Hollywood
Well-Known Member
Winnipeg Jets star Mark Scheifele will have a hearing Thursday for charging Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans in Game 1, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced.
The hearing isn't in-person, meaning he can face a maximum suspension of only five games. Scheifele has never been suspended in his career.
The Jets pivot lined up Evans from across the ice as he buried an empty-netter with less than a minute remaining in the contest. Evans was stretchered off the ice.
Scheifele was handed a charging major and game misconduct.
Habs defenseman Joel Edmundson took issue with the hit, saying there will be repercussions if Scheifele appears again in the series.
"It was a dirty hit, but the league's going to take care of it," he told reporters postgame, according to TSN's John Lu. "If (Scheifele) gets back in the series, we're going to make his life miserable."
Jesperi Kotkaniemi also defended his teammate.
"It's disgusting. Little respect for the players out there," Kotkaniemi said. "Just seeing (Evans) moving (on the stretcher) after a thing like that was huge."
Evans had movement in his arms as he left the ice.
Montreal held on for the 5-3 win.
The hearing isn't in-person, meaning he can face a maximum suspension of only five games. Scheifele has never been suspended in his career.
The Jets pivot lined up Evans from across the ice as he buried an empty-netter with less than a minute remaining in the contest. Evans was stretchered off the ice.
Scheifele was handed a charging major and game misconduct.
Habs defenseman Joel Edmundson took issue with the hit, saying there will be repercussions if Scheifele appears again in the series.
"It was a dirty hit, but the league's going to take care of it," he told reporters postgame, according to TSN's John Lu. "If (Scheifele) gets back in the series, we're going to make his life miserable."
Jesperi Kotkaniemi also defended his teammate.
"It's disgusting. Little respect for the players out there," Kotkaniemi said. "Just seeing (Evans) moving (on the stretcher) after a thing like that was huge."
Evans had movement in his arms as he left the ice.
Montreal held on for the 5-3 win.
Turbo
Well-Known Member
It's... OK-ish? In the ballpark I think. At least the league interpreted the incident correctly in their synopsis.
Hollywood
Well-Known Member
Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele believes his four-game suspension for charging Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans is too harsh a punishment.
"Pretty excessive. I wasn’t expecting that, and I was pretty shocked," Scheifele said in his first public comments since the hit, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.
Scheifele added he reached out to Evans and is hoping the Canadiens forward can make a quick recovery.
"My intention on that play was to try and negate a goal. There's no intent or no malice there," Scheifele said.
Scheifele skated nearly the entire length of the ice and drilled Evans as he tucked in an empty netter to secure Montreal's Game 1 victory. Evans laid unconscious on the ice and was stretchered off. The 25-year-old's since been diagnosed with a concussion and is sidelined indefinitely.
The 28-year-old had no prior suspensions through his eight seasons as an NHL regular. Scheifele's eligible to return to the second-round series in Game 6 if it goes that far.
Game 2 goes Friday night in Winnipeg.
"Pretty excessive. I wasn’t expecting that, and I was pretty shocked," Scheifele said in his first public comments since the hit, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.
Scheifele added he reached out to Evans and is hoping the Canadiens forward can make a quick recovery.
"My intention on that play was to try and negate a goal. There's no intent or no malice there," Scheifele said.
Scheifele skated nearly the entire length of the ice and drilled Evans as he tucked in an empty netter to secure Montreal's Game 1 victory. Evans laid unconscious on the ice and was stretchered off. The 25-year-old's since been diagnosed with a concussion and is sidelined indefinitely.
The 28-year-old had no prior suspensions through his eight seasons as an NHL regular. Scheifele's eligible to return to the second-round series in Game 6 if it goes that far.
Game 2 goes Friday night in Winnipeg.
Hollywood
Well-Known Member
With the NHL offseason underway for more than half of teams, the league's coaching carousel is now in full swing. There are currently four clubs without a head coach and two others with decisions to make about their interim bench bosses.
The coaching free-agent class is full of intriguing names. Veteran NHL head coaches Mike Babcock, John Tortorella, Claude Julien, Bruce Boudreau, Gerard Gallant, Rick Tocchet, David Quinn, and more are all up for grabs.
Several other people could also become first-time NHL head coaches: New York Islanders assistant Lane Lambert, Providence College's Nate Leaman, University of Minnesota Duluth's Scott Sandelin, and the Zurich Lions' Rikard Gronborg are all names to keep in mind.
Below, we predict who each club will hire as its head coach this offseason.
Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes and Tocchet agreed to part ways after he guided the team for four seasons. Arizona has undergone ownership and front office changes since hiring Tocchet, so a fresh start seemed inevitable.
Owner Alex Meruelo has a reported history of thriftiness - to put it lightly - so don't expect the Coyotes to land a big-name head coach. It's also an undesirable job due to the mediocre roster and underwhelming prospect pipeline, so it's hard to imagine the club would've been able to lure a big fish anyway. Even highly regarded candidates looking to become first-time head coaches might be scared off.
However, Jay Varady is a logical candidate. Varady enjoyed two successful seasons as the head coach of Arizona's AHL affiliate, the Tuscon Roadrunners, before the team promoted him to an assistant coach this past season.
If the Yotes go external, don't be surprised if they pluck someone from the St. Louis Blues organization. Bill Armstrong worked in St. Louis for 16 seasons before Arizona hired him as its GM in 2020. Blues assistants Steve Ott and Mike van Ryn are prime candidates. Van Ryn has ties to the desert, too - albeit under the old regime - as he was the Roadrunners' head coach for their most successful season in 2017-18.
Prediction: Mike van Ryn
Buffalo SabresIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Don Granato took over head coaching duties on an interim basis midway through the 2020-21 campaign after the Sabres relieved Ralph Krueger of his duties, and he did a respectable job. Granato's 9-16-3 record is nothing to write home about, but the club did hire him in the midst of an 18-game losing streak. The temporary bench boss went 9-11-2 once that ended - and that was primarily without Jack Eichel, Taylor Hall, Brandon Montour, Eric Staal, and starting goaltender Linus Ullmark.
If Buffalo opts to keep Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen, and the rest of the gang together to try and right the ship, then bringing in a veteran head coach with a proven track record would make sense.
However, if the team decides to tear it down - which seems more likely - promoting Granato to full-time head coach is logical. Some of the Sabres' key building blocks, such as Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt, seemed to thrive under Granato. The development of those young players will be crucial in the rebuild, which justifies keeping Granato around.
Prediction: Don Granato
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets enter the offseason in a precarious position. The club's about to undergo some sort of rebuild, retool, or reset - choose your buzzword - after a miserable season, which followed the most successful run in franchise history.
Tortorella is out, and Columbus needs to bring in a coach that can get the most out of Patrik Laine, who struggled mightily after arriving in Ohio. Considering the Jackets are in a small market, don't expect the team to empty its pockets for a big-name head coach - especially after all of the 2020-21 campaign's lost revenue.
Still, Boudreau could be a fit - he has a strong track record of regular-season success and getting the most out of skilled players.
However, with John Davidson back in the fold as team president after a two-year stint with the Rangers, Quinn is an obvious fit after the duo worked together in New York.
Lastly, if one NHL franchise were to go outside the box and hire the third European head coach in league history, it would probably be the one with Jarmo Kekalainen - the first European GM in NHL history - calling the shots. That leaves former Swedish national coach Gronborg, as well as Finnish national coach Jukka Jalonen, as possibilities.
Prediction: Rikard Gronborg
Montreal CanadiensIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Dominique Ducharme is currently the interim bench boss after the Canadiens fired Claude Julien midseason. Ducharme did not fare well in the regular campaign, going 15-16-5, but he made up for it in a big way during the playoffs, leading Montreal to a massive come-from-behind first-round upset over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That series likely saved GM Marc Bergevin's job, which should almost certainly result in Ducharme's promotion to full-time head coach.
Given that the Habs stick to hiring only French-speaking head coaches, there aren't many other options available. Guy Boucher, Bob Hartley, Marc Crawford, and even Patrick Roy would be candidates among retread options, but all come with question marks. It's clear Ducharme has earned the rights to the full-time gig.
Prediction: Dominique Ducharme
New York Rangers
Rangers owner James Dolan believes his team is in a position to win now. That's part of the reason president John Davidson, GM Jeff Gorton, and Quinn were all fired. The Blueshirts seemed to be progressing in the right direction after declaring a rebuild just three years ago, but ownership clearly had visions of success sooner.
Given Dolan's eagerness, hiring someone with NHL head coaching experience seems like a given - especially since his last hire, Quinn, came from the college ranks.
Early indications back this theory up as well, as the organization has already interviewed veterans Gallant and Tocchet. GM Chris Drury has no prior connection to either coach, so it's unclear if either one of them may have the upper hand. It's also possible the New York club could interview other retreads like Babcock or Boudreau. A reunion with Tortorella seems unlikely, though.
Gallant should be a hot commodity after the fantastic job he did with the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite not getting a job last offseason, he may end up having his pick of the litter. If that's the case, it's hard to find a more desirable job than the Rangers, given all of their young talent.
Prediction: Gerard Gallant
Seattle KrakenDave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
Gallant may be the best man for the job given his history of instant success with an expansion team, but it's hard to imagine he'd choose the Kraken if a team like the Rangers came calling.
Boudreau, Tortorella, and Babcock could all receive consideration for the position, but if GM Ron Francis opts to choose a candidate with league experience, Tocchet stands out above the rest.
Francis and Tocchet go way back. The pair were teammates in junior with the OHL's Soo Greyhounds and in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where they won a Stanley Cup together in 1992. The phrase "it's all about who you know" seems to matter a lot in this industry, as executives often want to surround themselves with people they're familiar with.
Prediction: Rick Tocchet
The coaching free-agent class is full of intriguing names. Veteran NHL head coaches Mike Babcock, John Tortorella, Claude Julien, Bruce Boudreau, Gerard Gallant, Rick Tocchet, David Quinn, and more are all up for grabs.
Several other people could also become first-time NHL head coaches: New York Islanders assistant Lane Lambert, Providence College's Nate Leaman, University of Minnesota Duluth's Scott Sandelin, and the Zurich Lions' Rikard Gronborg are all names to keep in mind.
Below, we predict who each club will hire as its head coach this offseason.
Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes and Tocchet agreed to part ways after he guided the team for four seasons. Arizona has undergone ownership and front office changes since hiring Tocchet, so a fresh start seemed inevitable.
Owner Alex Meruelo has a reported history of thriftiness - to put it lightly - so don't expect the Coyotes to land a big-name head coach. It's also an undesirable job due to the mediocre roster and underwhelming prospect pipeline, so it's hard to imagine the club would've been able to lure a big fish anyway. Even highly regarded candidates looking to become first-time head coaches might be scared off.
However, Jay Varady is a logical candidate. Varady enjoyed two successful seasons as the head coach of Arizona's AHL affiliate, the Tuscon Roadrunners, before the team promoted him to an assistant coach this past season.
If the Yotes go external, don't be surprised if they pluck someone from the St. Louis Blues organization. Bill Armstrong worked in St. Louis for 16 seasons before Arizona hired him as its GM in 2020. Blues assistants Steve Ott and Mike van Ryn are prime candidates. Van Ryn has ties to the desert, too - albeit under the old regime - as he was the Roadrunners' head coach for their most successful season in 2017-18.
Prediction: Mike van Ryn
Buffalo SabresIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Don Granato took over head coaching duties on an interim basis midway through the 2020-21 campaign after the Sabres relieved Ralph Krueger of his duties, and he did a respectable job. Granato's 9-16-3 record is nothing to write home about, but the club did hire him in the midst of an 18-game losing streak. The temporary bench boss went 9-11-2 once that ended - and that was primarily without Jack Eichel, Taylor Hall, Brandon Montour, Eric Staal, and starting goaltender Linus Ullmark.
If Buffalo opts to keep Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen, and the rest of the gang together to try and right the ship, then bringing in a veteran head coach with a proven track record would make sense.
However, if the team decides to tear it down - which seems more likely - promoting Granato to full-time head coach is logical. Some of the Sabres' key building blocks, such as Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt, seemed to thrive under Granato. The development of those young players will be crucial in the rebuild, which justifies keeping Granato around.
Prediction: Don Granato
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets enter the offseason in a precarious position. The club's about to undergo some sort of rebuild, retool, or reset - choose your buzzword - after a miserable season, which followed the most successful run in franchise history.
Tortorella is out, and Columbus needs to bring in a coach that can get the most out of Patrik Laine, who struggled mightily after arriving in Ohio. Considering the Jackets are in a small market, don't expect the team to empty its pockets for a big-name head coach - especially after all of the 2020-21 campaign's lost revenue.
Still, Boudreau could be a fit - he has a strong track record of regular-season success and getting the most out of skilled players.
However, with John Davidson back in the fold as team president after a two-year stint with the Rangers, Quinn is an obvious fit after the duo worked together in New York.
Lastly, if one NHL franchise were to go outside the box and hire the third European head coach in league history, it would probably be the one with Jarmo Kekalainen - the first European GM in NHL history - calling the shots. That leaves former Swedish national coach Gronborg, as well as Finnish national coach Jukka Jalonen, as possibilities.
Prediction: Rikard Gronborg
Montreal CanadiensIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Dominique Ducharme is currently the interim bench boss after the Canadiens fired Claude Julien midseason. Ducharme did not fare well in the regular campaign, going 15-16-5, but he made up for it in a big way during the playoffs, leading Montreal to a massive come-from-behind first-round upset over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That series likely saved GM Marc Bergevin's job, which should almost certainly result in Ducharme's promotion to full-time head coach.
Given that the Habs stick to hiring only French-speaking head coaches, there aren't many other options available. Guy Boucher, Bob Hartley, Marc Crawford, and even Patrick Roy would be candidates among retread options, but all come with question marks. It's clear Ducharme has earned the rights to the full-time gig.
Prediction: Dominique Ducharme
New York Rangers
Rangers owner James Dolan believes his team is in a position to win now. That's part of the reason president John Davidson, GM Jeff Gorton, and Quinn were all fired. The Blueshirts seemed to be progressing in the right direction after declaring a rebuild just three years ago, but ownership clearly had visions of success sooner.
Given Dolan's eagerness, hiring someone with NHL head coaching experience seems like a given - especially since his last hire, Quinn, came from the college ranks.
Early indications back this theory up as well, as the organization has already interviewed veterans Gallant and Tocchet. GM Chris Drury has no prior connection to either coach, so it's unclear if either one of them may have the upper hand. It's also possible the New York club could interview other retreads like Babcock or Boudreau. A reunion with Tortorella seems unlikely, though.
Gallant should be a hot commodity after the fantastic job he did with the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite not getting a job last offseason, he may end up having his pick of the litter. If that's the case, it's hard to find a more desirable job than the Rangers, given all of their young talent.
Prediction: Gerard Gallant
Seattle KrakenDave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
Gallant may be the best man for the job given his history of instant success with an expansion team, but it's hard to imagine he'd choose the Kraken if a team like the Rangers came calling.
Boudreau, Tortorella, and Babcock could all receive consideration for the position, but if GM Ron Francis opts to choose a candidate with league experience, Tocchet stands out above the rest.
Francis and Tocchet go way back. The pair were teammates in junior with the OHL's Soo Greyhounds and in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where they won a Stanley Cup together in 1992. The phrase "it's all about who you know" seems to matter a lot in this industry, as executives often want to surround themselves with people they're familiar with.
Prediction: Rick Tocchet