via the Toronto Maple Leafs,

Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brad Treliving today announced that Sheldon Keefe has been relieved of his role as head coach. The organization will immediately begin the search for a new head coach, and decisions regarding the remainder of the coaching staff will follow.

“Today’s decision was difficult. Sheldon is an excellent coach and a great man; however, we determined a new voice is needed to help the team push through to reach our ultimate goal. We thank Sheldon for his hard work and dedication to the organization over the last nine years, and wish him and his family all the very best.”

Keefe coached the Maple Leafs to a 212-97-40 record in 349 regular season games. The club recorded three consecutive 100-point seasons under Keefe, including a team-record 115-point season in 2021-22. Keefe was also at the helm of the Toronto Marlies (AHL) for five seasons, during which the team won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the AHL’s top regular season team on two occasions and the franchise’s first Calder Cup Championship in 2018.

from Nick Kypreos at the Toronto Star,

On Friday, when newly appointed MLSE CEO Keith Pelley, Leafs president Brendan Shanahan and general manager Brad Treliving speak to the media, it’s fully expected that they’ll be aligned on the team’s short-term plans to get this runaway train back on the rails.

Unlike in years past, it will come with a different tone that no longer supports the idea of the Core Four.

Marner is now expendable because of what it will take to re-sign him, while it’s time for Tavares to go due to his diminishing role. These factors will be the driving force in why the Leafs will be seeking trades for these two as early as this June’s draft.

Both players have full no-movement clauses that they can exercise until they are free agents after next season, but what’s the point of waiting? If the Leafs can find Marner a destination where he’s willing to go and his new team has the means to sign him to a long-term contract with an annual salary he can’t refuse, then why delay the inevitable?

Here is the good news for Marner: there are already multiple NHL teams that have reached out and shown a keen interest in a three-time all-star player who closes in on 100 points every season. And that’s with the knowledge that his next contract could land him as much as $100 million.

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from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman likely will take the highest player on the team’s draft board with the 15th pick, whether he’s a center, winger or defenseman.

Ideally, he’ll be a winger who can put the puck in the net. That’s the biggest organizational need.

The Red Wings used their past two first-round picks on two-way centers, Marco Kasper is 2022 and Nate Danielson in 2023. They have a decent stable of young defensemen: Moritz Seider is well-established, Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson will be on the roster at the start of next season and Axel Sandin-Pellikka might not be far behind. Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine are their goaltenders of the future.

They need goal-scorers.

The draft is top-heavy with defensemen. As many as six might be selected in the top 10. That could leave more scoring options for the Red Wings in the middle of the first round. Here is a look at some who might be available at No. 15 during the first day of the draft June 28 at the Sphere in Las Vegas:

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, 6-1, 198, RW, Mora (Allsvenskan, Sweden): The top Norwegian prospect of all-time, his game has been progressing nicely in the Swedish leagues. The Sporting News says, “The right winger is incredibly well-rounded with few holes in his game. He does a lot of things well, including scoring from range and handling the puck.”

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via the YouTube page of the NHL on ESPN,

Hear from the head coaches of the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers, Jim Montgomery and Paul Maurice, as well as David Pastrnak after Game 2 where Pastrnak fought Matthew Tkachuk in the third period...

from Kevin Woodley at the NHL's website,

Nikita Zadorov and Conor Garland scored 39 seconds apart in the third period, and the Vancouver Canucks came back from three goals down to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round at Rogers Arena on Wednesday.

Zadorov tied it 4-4 at 13:47 with a one-timer from the left point through traffic. Garland then put Vancouver ahead for the first time at 14:26, faking a slap shot off the rush at the right dot before sliding a sharp-angled wrist shot through the legs of Stuart Skinner....

J.T. Miller also scored in the third period, Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and Arturs Silovs made 14 saves for the Canucks, who are the No. 1 seed from the Pacific Division.

“The belief is always there,” Joshua said. “Just to know that you got to keep playing to the end, anything can happen and in the third, once the crowd gets behind us and gives us a little bit more confidence, you could see it spread throughout the team."...

“They’re a good team and they were doing everything they could to come back and we were doing everything we could to hold onto the lead,” said Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who had one assist but no shots and was minus-1 in 24:03 of ice time. “That happens in the playoffs, you try to hold onto a lead and sometimes you’re maybe a little too passive. We were doing a good job of holding onto the lead, but they find a way to get two and find a way to get a third to win.”...

“Up until 10 minutes left in the third, I thought we controlled the action,” Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. “Sometimes that happens, that’s the emotional ups and downs of the playoffs, they get three quick ones and that’s the game right there. We can be encouraged by the way we played for the first 50 minutes. A little bit of a disappointing ending, but at the end of the day, when we’re at our best and to a certain point, I didn’t think we maybe earned it in the third.”

read on

Below are the game highlights.

* The Canucks pulled off a stunning win to take a 1-0 series lead as they joined the Avalanche as the second team in as many days to record a three-goal comeback victory. Two of four Game 1s in the 2024 Second Round have featured the winning club overcoming a three-goal deficit.

* Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour helped the Panthers erupt for six unanswered goals against the Bruins and even their Second Round series at 1-1.

* The 2024 Second Round continues Thursday as the Hurricanes aim to cut their series deficit in half as games shift to Carolina, while the Stars aim to even their series at home.

Hopefully a duplicate of the games played last night. It was a great night for a hockey fan.

via TSN's YouTube page,

Gino Reda and Darren Dreger discuss Sheldon Keefe's status as head coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs and when we may learn more about the direction the team is heading in.

Dreger believes a coaching change will be made and mentions some candidates

from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,

The essence of Hockeytown is certainly evident in the puckstopping crew that will be performing for USA Hockey at the upcoming IIHF World Championship.

Alex Lyon was the first netminder to gain selection to the American team. He set career highs for games played (44), wins (21) and minutes played (2499) with Detroit this season....

USA Hockey was also naming Trey Augustine to their squad. Detroit’s 41st overall selection in the 2023 NHL entry draft, Augustine just completed his freshman season at Michigan State. He would lead all Big Ten goalies in saves (1216) and was second in wins (23) as the Spartans won both the conference regular season and tournament titles.

Augustine also backstopped the USA to the world junior title....

Lyon and Augustine split netminding chores as the USA was downing Slovakia 6-2 in a pre-tournament game.

Lyon played the first two periods and made 17 saves on 19 shots. Augustine made four saves in the final period. The teams would partake in a shootout following the game and Augustine stopped all five shots he faced.

USA Hockey was filling the final goaltending slot on the roster Tuesday with another familiar name to Red Wings fans. Alex Nedeljkovic will be joining the squad.

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TORONTO (May 8, 2024) – The National Hockey League Players’ Association announced today the three finalists for the 2023-24 Ted Lindsay Award are forwards Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The TLA is presented annually to “the most outstanding player in the NHL,” as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA.

This season’s trio of finalists includes two past recipients, Kucherov (2018-19) and Matthews (2021-22), who are each seeking their second TLA, as well as MacKinnon who is looking to receive his first award in his third season as a finalist (also 2017-18, 2019-20). Kucherov and MacKinnon were announced as finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy on Tuesday, while Matthews was recently named a finalist for the Selke Trophy and Lady Byng Trophy for the 2023-24 regular season.

Formerly known as the Lester B. Pearson Award, the TLA is the namesake of the first president of the original Players’ Association and NHLPA pioneer, Ted Lindsay. This season marks the 53rd presentation of the only NHL award voted on by the players themselves.

The three TLA finalists received the most votes from their peers based on their 2023-24 regular season campaigns, and are listed in alphabetical order as follows:

Over 17 minutes long.

* Vincent Trocheck became the eighth different player in franchise playoff history with the winning goal in a game requiring multiple overtimes as the Rangers improved to 6-0 during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* Miles Wood scored the winner after Nathan MacKinnon, who was named a finalist for the 2023-24 Hart Memorial Trophy alongside Connor McDavid and Nikita Kucherov, helped the Avalanche erase a 3-0 deficit in regulation. McDavid and the Oilers open their Second Round series with the Canucks in one of two games tonight.

* The Sharks won the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery and own the first overall drafting position for the First Round of the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft, which will be held at Sphere in Las Vegas.

* NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman presided over the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery, which was conducted at NHL Network's studio in Secaucus, N.J. Click here to watch a video featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the drawing procedure.

from Taylor Baird at the NHL's website,

Miles Wood scored at 11:03 of overtime for the Colorado Avalanche, who rallied from three goals down to defeat the Dallas Stars 4-3 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round at American Airlines Center on Tuesday.

Wood skated down the left wing past Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen, cut across the crease, and tucked a backhand past the left pad of Jake Oettinger.

Cale Makar had a goal and two assists, Valeri Nichushkin and Nathan MacKinnon each had a goal and an assist, and Mikko Rantanen had two assists for the Avalanche, who are the No. 3 seed from the Central Division. Alexandar Georgiev made 19 saves.

Jamie Benn had a goal and an assist for the Stars, who are the No. 1 seed from the Central. Oettinger made 22 saves.

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The game highlights are below.

from Wait Ruff of the Hurricanes website,

They Said It...

Jordan Staalfollowing the loss...

"There's not much else there to talk about, really. It's pretty evident. The PK has got to kill and the power play has got to convert on probably one and we'd find a way to win. I thought our five-on-five game was great. It was a hard-fought game, obviously. It's going to sting, but we've got to find a way to get it done at home and then we'll find a way from there."

Jake Guentzelexpressing his frustrations and then discussing what needs to be different on the power play...

"We're right there. It's a small margin of error in the playoffs. We've got to buckle down on the power play and find a way to get one there. We'll go home, play in front of our fans, and move on... I just think we're a bit too on the outside right now and we've got to shoot the puck more. That's when we're at our best."

Rod Brind'Amourlooking at the picture as a whole and also addressing the man advantage woes...

"I thought we played really well. I'm happy with (the five-on-five) for sure. Both games, I thought we were good at that department and I thought we were even better tonight than the other night. We had our opportunities... We've got to be sharper (on the power play). We've got to get inside. We're spending too much time on the outside. That's not how we do it. We've got to get back to the way we know how."

more on the game...

The game highlights are below.

NEW YORK (May 7, 2024) – The 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft™ will be held at Sphere in Las Vegas on Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29, the National Hockey League and Sphere jointly announced today, marking the first time the event will be held in Las Vegas. Additionally, the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be the first event televised live from Sphere.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made the official announcement during tonight’s broadcast of the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery.

The New York Rangers would like to go 2-0 at home tonight while the Carolina Hurricanes want to steal home ice advantage.

Colorado/Dallas has the possibility to be a high scoring affair.

Plus this- The 2024 NHL Draft Lottery will take place Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET from NHL Network’s Secaucus, N.J., studio, ahead of the Second Round Game 2 between the Hurricanes and Rangers (ESPN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports).

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

Shanahan used to urge patience, as did his former GM Dubas, but the time for patience has passed. This Leafs team has proved to be more frustrating for Leafs Nation than the Maple Leafs teams that missed the playoffs 10 of 11 years after the lost season to lockout of 2005.

Back then, the Leafs were just pathetic. That we much understood. You are not pathetic when you have Matthews, Marner and Nylander up front, which is not that far off from the Red Wings once having Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov and Shanahan up front.

That Detroit team played in three Cup finals, with three different goalies, won their three championships winning 12 of 13 Stanley Cup final games.

That team, in performance, with Nicklas Lidstrom on defence, with the legendary Scotty Bowman coaching, had an all-time feel about them and still does.

The Maple Leafs are known now as the team that almost won in Round 1. That came so close.

Not in Round 2. Not in any round beyond that. Not losing in the final or any final....

There aren’t any teams like the Leafs out there. They have been the third-best team in hockey in an Shanahan era that began with gifts named Matthews, Marner and Nylander. Gifts that were covered in riches before they had earned them. And now what?

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In a paywall article, Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now discusses four possible trade options, Holl, Maatta, Husso and Fabbri.

He also states this...

Throughout Yzerman’s career, he has managed to pull off trades that the hockey world did not see coming. Would he trade defenseman Jake Walman whose trade value has probably never been better. Could Yzerman find a taker on Andrew Copp’s $5.6 million-per-season cap hit for the next three seasons? Both of those players have modified no-trade clauses.

With Yzerman, it’s not about whether he likes the player or not. It’s always about improving his team. His managerial career as been tales of the unexpected:

Probability of deal happening: 15 percent

more ($)

via the Ottawa Senators,

The long-awaited search for the next head coach of the Ottawa Senators has officially come to an end. President of Hockey Operations and GM, Steve Staios announced that Travis Green has been named the next head coach in franchise history, a title he will hold through the end of the 2027-28 NHL season.

This marks Green’s second stint as a full-time NHL head coach after leading the Vancouver Canucks from the 2017-18 season until midway through the 2021-22 NHL season. After working his way up through the AHL ranks with the Utica Comets between 2013-2017, Green became the Canucks bench boss for leading to a 133-147-34 record in 314 games.

NEW YORK (May 7, 2024) – Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid are the three finalists for the 2023-24 Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team,” the National Hockey League announced today.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the Hart Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists.

Following are the finalists, in alphabetical order:

4 1/2 minutes of your time.

ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today the team has signed a two-year contract with Drew Bannister to make him the 27^th head coach in franchise history.

Bannister, 50, was originally named Blues interim head coach on Dec. 12, 2023. In 54 regular-season games, he led the Blues to a 30-19-5 record (65 points) which stood as the 12th-best points percentage overall during that span. The Blues also posted an 18-9-2 record at Enterprise Center which ranked as the 10th best home mark.

We’re in the most anticipated time of the 2023/24 NHL season, with the best of the best fighting for a place in the Stanley Cup final. The 2024 NHL Playoffs began on April 20 with 16 teams, eight from each conference. Each division is represented by four teams for this year's playoffs. At the end of the regular season, the New York Rangers finished with the best record with 114 points. The Dallas Stars followed closely with 113 points, while the Carolina Hurricanes claimed 111 points. The Vancouver Canucks also made it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020 after finishing top of the Pacific division with 109 points.

from Lyle Richardson of Spector's Hockey,

Check out the latest on Leafs winger Mitch Marner, Kings center Pierre-Luc Dubois and Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

SHOULD THE LEAFS TRADE MITCH MARNER?

SPORTSNET: Luke Fox believes a Mitch Marner trade makes sense for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 27-year-old winger is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next July. They cannot let him walk out the door for nothing.

Fox admits it would be difficult to move someone with an expensive salary cap hit ($10.9 million annually) like Marner. However, it’s not impossible, pointing to Jack Eichel and Erik Karlsson as recent examples.

The catch is how much Marner truly loves playing in Toronto. “That, we don’t know,” writes Fox.

At face value, Leafs general manager Brad Treliving can’t win a Marner trade. He’d risk the same criticism then-Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli faced in 2016 when he shipped Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for top-four defenseman Adam Larsson.

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