from Sportsnet,
The Maple Leafs will acquire right-handed shooting defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks in a three-team trade involving the Carolina Hurricanes, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.
As part of the trade, the Ducks will retain 50 per cent of Lyubushkin’s salary and receive a third-round draft pick. The Hurricanes will retain 25 per cent of Lyubushkin’s salary and receive a sixth-round pick.
NEW YORK (Feb. 29, 2024) – Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe has been fined $25,000 for unprofessional conduct directed at the officials that resulted in a game misconduct at 17:46 of the third period of NHL Game No. 931 on Tuesday, Feb. 27, the National Hockey League announced today.
NEW YORK (Feb. 29, 2024) – Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato has been fined $25,000 for unprofessional conduct directed at the officials that resulted in a bench minor at 9:01 of the third period of NHL Game No. 928 on Tuesday, Feb. 27, the National Hockey League announced today.
The fine money goes to the NHL Foundation.
from Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet,
In the vortex of “noise” swirling like a cyclone around Elias Pettersson these days, the most important sound is what his coach thinks of him. And Rick Tocchet says the Vancouver Canucks star can play better.
“Petey... is maybe just OK,” Tocchet told reporters after Wednesday’s practice. “We have 22 games or whatever left to get his game going.”
While the Canucks’ other alpha forward, J.T. Miller, has been driving the team through its struggles the last couple of weeks, Pettersson has been quiet.
The 25-year-old centre has just one goal and two assists in his last six games, and the Canucks have gone 1-4-1. Excluding a three-point game against Detroit two weeks ago, when Vancouver last won in regulation, Pettersson has only four points in his last nine games.
Pettersson remains 10th in National Hockey League scoring with 29 goals and 75 points in 61 games, and most of his recent decline in scoring can be attributed to a downturn in his on-ice shooting percentage at five-on-five and his failure to collect points at five-on-four during the Vancouver power play’s 3-for-31 slump.
But Pettersson’s sudden drop in production coincides with an eruption of conjecture and debate about his future with the Canucks that was topped by DailyFaceoff insider Frank Seravalli’s tweet Wednesday evening reporting that “significant progress” has been made in contract talks between the Canucks and Pettersson’s agents and that an eight-year contract extension “could be finalized in the coming days.”
It's the 21st leap year day in NHL history. These moments happened on the past 20 leap year days.
* ArtemiPanarin and ConnorMcDavid – two of the League’s top five scorers – each tallied three points to spur their respective club to victory Wednesday, as New York climbed into first place in the NHL and Edmonton moved within a point of the reigning Stanley Cup champions in the standings. McDavid (22-72—94 in 55 GP) now sits six points away from his seventh career 100-point season while Panarin (35-47—82 in 60 GP) pursues his first.
* The reigning Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins and Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights face off at 7 p.m. ET on Sportsnet programming before Nathan MacKinnon and fellow No. 1 pick Connor Bedard, who are each in the running for at least one NHL Award this season, go head-to-head for the third time when the Avalanche visit the Blackhawks at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
* The latest documents from #NHLStats taking a look at the 21st leap year day in League history and the upcoming 2024 Hockey Day in Finland are now available at the NHL’s media site. As trade winds pick up, with Chris Tanev joining the Stars via a three-team deal Wednesday, the Stats Pack for the upcoming Trade Deadline (March 8) also is available.
Trade call still pending but hearing Chris Tanev is being traded to Dallas
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 29, 2024
added 8:10pm,
#Flames are getting a 2nd round pick, a prospect and an additional conditional pick in exchange for Chris Tanev.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 29, 2024
from Ian Mendes of The Athletic,
The previous regime constantly made bold moves to try and push this team into the playoffs. Pierre Dorion routinely traded away first-round picks, making splashy, aggressive win-now moves. In many ways, he was reactionary, impulsive and emotional in the general manager’s seat.
This current iteration of management has the luxury of behaving in the opposite manner heading into the trade deadline.
They have the benefit of being cold, calculated and deliberate in their actions.
But when they look through that lens, they should see the same picture that angry, emotional Ottawa fans see.
Because no matter what perspective you’re looking at — big picture or small — this team has been utterly disappointing.
more ($)
from Rosie DiManno of the Toronto Star,
First game home after a long road trip, a scenario typically susceptible to a stumble. Facing the same opponent — reigning Stanley Cup champions, no less — you humiliated just a few days ago. The Vegas Golden Knights were huffing steam out of their nostrils.
Situation ripe for the stars to misalign. For the Maple Leafs to sink below the horizon of a seven-game win streak screeching to a halt. Most of these guys have never even been in that time zone before.
For nearly 30 minutes on Tuesday evening at Scotiabank Arena, Ilya Samsonov — the sublimely resurrected Samsonov, on a personal hurtle of six consecutive wins (didn’t start last Thursday’s dismantling of the Knights off the Strip) — looked like he might singlehandedly dictate this encounter. And in a way he did, in the 6-2 defeat....
It was as stinko a game as the Leafs have put up circa ’24, the team inexplicably so much better on the road this season: 15-11-2 at home now. Not quite meek in submission — Keefe would later claim it had been the team’s best start to a game all season, which is a jaw-dropping exaggeration — but it lacked resolve after Toronto had barrel-housed along this past fortnight. The offence dried up and the defence got snookered, most notably the reunited (until the third period) tandem of Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie, minus-four for each on the night.
All good things must end, and this one with a thud.
“We lost two points today, yeah?’’ a downcast Samsonov said afterward. “It’s a hard loss for us, especially for me.
“I think we, especially right now, we play better, yeah? We a better team, yeah? I don’t know. I’m so … so mad (that) we lost two points like that.’’
Game highlights are below.
* Patrick Kane continued to make an impact for the Red Wings as the 35-year-old extended his point streak to nine games in a contest that saw Detroit score eight goals in a contest for the first time in six years.
* The Golden Knights snapped the Maple Leafs’ winning streak at seven games, became the fastest franchise to 300 wins and eclipsed the previous mark by 28 contests.
* Sidney Crosby climbed another NHL all-time list after he recorded his 1,000th career even-strength point in a Penguins comeback overtime victory.
* Connor McDavid will continue his come-from-behind pursuit of a fourth consecutive Art Ross Trophy when the Oilers host the Blues on a national broadcast in both the U.S. and Canada.
from Sonny Sachdeva of Sportsnet,
In the wake of comments from Winnipeg Jets owner Mark Chipman that spurred a familiar wave of worry from fans who lost their NHL club once before, commissioner Gary Bettman arrived in town this week and made a point to dispel any confusion about the league's position on the Canadian franchise.
“This is a place where hockey matters,” Bettman said at a press conference in the city Tuesday, while in town for his annual visit. “I believe that this is a strong NHL market. I believe that ownership has made extraordinary commitments to the Jets, to this arena, to the downtown area, involving hundreds of millions of dollars, and I’m not sure why people are now speculating that somehow they’re not going to be here.”
The speculation in question stemmed from comments made by Chipman in a recent interview with The Athletic, wherein the Jets owner voiced his concern about the state of the club’s attendance and season-ticket sales.
"I wouldn’t be honest with you if I didn’t say, 'We’ve got to get back to 13,000 (season tickets),'" Chipman said in the piece. "This place we find ourselves in right now, it’s not going to work over the long haul. It just isn’t."
On Tuesday, Bettman suggested Chipman’s comments were more about the club's ability to compete as best it can as an NHL franchise rather than the viability of remaining in Winnipeg.
TSN’s Hockey Insiders discuss the trade speculation surrounding Jakob Chychrun, if the Stars are frontrunners for Chris Tanev, the Devils and Tyler Toffoli, why Jamie Drysdale’s injury won’t affect Philly’s decision on Sean Walker and Nick Seeler, and how Adrian Kempe's MRI will determine the Kings' trade deadline activity.
NEW YORK/TORONTO (Feb. 26, 2024) – The National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association announced today that Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin has been cleared to resume practicing with the team and has entered the follow-up care phase of the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. Nichushkin has not yet been cleared to return to game action.
Nichushkin’s care continues to be administered pursuant to the player assistance program.
from Ryan Dixon of Sportsnet,
- Detroit’s win in Chicago was its second of the weekend after a 6-1 shellacking of the St. Louis Blues 24 hours prior. Combine that with Tampa Bay ending a miserable three-game skid with a victory on Long Island on Saturday followed by another in New Jersey on Sunday and, suddenly, the Eastern Conference wild-card picture is beginning to crystalize. On the flip side, the “Fi-re Lin-dy!” chants are back at the Prudential Center thanks to the Devils’ 4-1 loss to the Bolts. With Tampa and Detroit looking pretty solid in the wild-card slots (though the Lightning have played the most games in the East) it’s starting to feel like Jersey’s only chance to salvage this season is to catch Philly for third in the Metro. And even the Flyers might have felt out of reach had Sidney Crosby not put together an incredible four-point performance on Sunday in a wild 7-6 win over his Pennsylvania rivals in Pittsburgh.
- The Rangers’ 10-game winning streak ended on Sunday at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Leafs have posted seven straight W’s after their win in Denver on Saturday, but that team gets a lot of attention even without Tyler Bertuzzi scoring a birthday hat trick. Less noisy, but nearly as impressive, is the five-game streak the Nashville Predators have put together, with all five victories coming on the road after triumphs Saturday in San Jose and Sunday in Anaheim. Nashville suddenly has one hand — or at least a few fingers — on the final Western Conference playoff berth and you have to wonder if that changes the calculous when it comes to potentially dealing Juuse Saros. The Preds are pretty openly future-focused right now, but thinking big picture is a tick harder when you’re actually in a post-season spot as opposed to floating around the fringes.
* Nikita Kucherov potted another four points in a road game for the Lightning to become the NHL’s first 100-point scorer in 2023-24 and joined a small list of active players with at least four 100-point campaigns.
* It was a night to remember at United Center as Patrick Kane scored the overtime winner in his first game back in Chicago after spending 16 seasons donning a Blackhawks uniform, hours after Chris Chelios asked him not to “steal his thunder” on Chelios’ jersey retirement night.
* Sidney Crosby tallied his 39th career four-point game – already the most among active players – to propel his club to a win in the latest instalment of the ‘Battle of Pennsylvania’.
* A four-game Monday features a pair of games on Sportsnet and TVA Sports starting with the Senators visiting the Capitals before the Oilers welcome the Kings.
What a moment for Patrick Kane, seeing an amazing tribute video from his original team, the Chicago Blackhawks, during the first TV timeout. 🤩😭#LGRW | @88PKanepic.twitter.com/KGqHrNy2Rb
— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) February 25, 2024
from Joe Smith of The Athletic,
Marc-Andre Fleury isn’t hiding the fact he’s scoreboard watching as the Wild fight their way back into playoff contention.
“I love hockey,” he said. “I watch who is doing what. It’s going to be a tight race until the end.”
And Fleury, 39, wants to remain in Minnesota to see it through.
With the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline less than two weeks away, Fleury could draw some interest from contenders looking for goaltending help. President and general manager Bill Guerin has said Fleury will “call the shots” on whether he wants to get dealt — a right the future Hall of Famer has earned. The three-time Cup champion has a full no-move clause. But with Minnesota having won seven of its past nine games and currently just two points out of the West’s second wild-card spot, Fleury indicated it’d be hard to envision finishing the season anywhere else.
“If we were last in the conference, maybe it’d be a little bit different,” Fleury told The Athletic on Saturday night. “But this is my team. We’ve been battling together, right? I take pride in winning with this team. I want us to make the playoffs. That’s my first priority. I think being in the hunt, it’s fun, it’s challenging. And I want to be here and see this team make the playoffs.”
from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,
- When Bob Johnson was coaching in the NHL, he figured the best way to shut down Gretzky was to ignore him. This came after years of trying to shadow him. Instead of shadowing Gretzky, Johnson chose to shadow linemate Jari Kurri instead. The strategy worked at the time.
- If NHL hockey can’t sustain itself in Winnipeg, then commissioner Gary Bettman will have no choice but to move the team to one of the many American cities that could. The Jets have the wealthiest owner in the NHL. But losing money and trending in the wrong direction isn’t the way to go. Bettman will fight forever to keep hockey in money-losing Arizona. And while he’s fought for Edmonton and Calgary before, we’re not sure he has it in him to do it one more time in Canada.
- At the NHL all-star break, Bettman was quite complimentary about Toronto and how much it has meant to the league. You could, however, reverse the equation and calculate how little the NHL has actually done for the Maple Leafs over time. This is the 19th season since the salary cap was added to hockey. The Leafs were against it then, and probably against it now. In the past 18 years, the Leafs have been in the post-season eight times, missed it 10 times, and are 1-8 in playoff rounds since the cap was introduced.
- The injury to Mark Stone in Vegas gives crafty GM Kelly McCrimmon all kinds of LTIR money to play with as the trade deadline approaches. No doubt, Stone will be back for the playoffs, where dollars don’t count and the McCrimmon will be at the front of the trading line with money to spend.
from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,
In short, no member of the Toronto Maple Leafs needed a night like Saturday more than Bertuzzi — who celebrated his 29th birthday with a hat trick, a 4-3 comeback victory over the mighty Colorado Avalanche, and the franchise's longest winning streak in more than 20 years.
"Felt good. That was a great road trip for us, collecting eight points. And being able to go home on that note was awesome," Bertuzzi said, swapping out the birthday cake for a post-game chocolate protein shake.
"Everyone's just buying in. We're at a point in the season where we got to kinda turn things on and have a winning mentality. Take no games off and try and be as consistent as possible."
Partly to help Bertuzzi get off the schneid, coach Sheldon Keefe threw speedy playmakers Max Domi and William Nylander on his line and threw him onto the deadly top power-play unit, asking captain John Tavares to step back.
"I mean, look at the types of goals he scored here tonight. He's been getting those shots and those chances all season long, and the puck hasn't fallen for him," Keefe said. "So that's why you just kind of stay with it. And obviously we've increased his opportunity to get even more of those types of looks. Thrilled for him."
Game highlights are below.
via the YouTube page of Sportsnet,
Paul Coffey joins After Hours to discuss his playing days with the Oilers, the numerous Battle of Alberta's he was part of, his decision to return to coaching, the evolution of today's game in the NHL, and more.
* Tyler Bertuzzi scored three times on his birthday and joined Toronto’s train of hat tricks, accounting for the club’s fourth this month – a feat only three other teams in the past 25 years have accomplished. With every hat trick this season, AstraZeneca has donated $5,000 to the Hockey Fights Cancer Fund of the V Foundation up to $500,000 – click here for more information.
* Matt Rempe, who made League history by debuting in the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series last weekend, scored the first goal of his NHL career as the Rangers extended their winning streak to double digits and matched a franchise record.
* Sunday’s slate features an NHL on TNT doubleheader as the network celebrates Hockey Day in America as well as the Blackhawks raising Chris Chelios’ No. 7 to the rafters at United Center and welcoming Patrick Kane for the first time as a visitor on Sportsnet and NHL Network.
via Sportsnet's YouTube page,
On this edition of Saturday Headlines, Elliotte Friedman breaks down the trade deadline outlook for six NHL teams, including the Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks.