from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

The wait continues around Little Caesars Arena.

The regular season ended Saturday for the Red Wings, but a decision regarding the future of coach Jeff Blashill has yet to be announced.

Tuesday came and went with no word from general manager Steve Yzerman regarding a decision as to whether Blashill will return for a seventh season.

The delay is a mild surprise.

Yzerman said during his news conference after the trade deadline in March that he would meet with Blashill quickly after the season.

Maybe the two have met, but an announcement on Blashill’s future still hasn’t made public, leading to more speculation and guessing regarding Blashill’s job security with the Wings.

The lack of news surrounding Blashill comes at a time while other NHL teams already have made decisions.

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from Frank Seravalli of TSN,

The Carolina Hurricanes know that tune, but they haven’t exactly been in rhythm with Hamilton’s camp over the past number of months on a contract extension, which is why the soon-to-be 28-year-old has emerged as the No. 1 free agent available ahead of the Frenzy.

Hurricanes GM Don Waddell told the DFO Rundown Podcast in late March that the two sides agreed to put off talks until after the season. Sources on both sides indicate there is a significant gap between what Carolina appear willing to pay and what Hamilton’s camp believes is market value.

To that end, it makes little sense for the Hurricanes to even re-sign Hamilton at the moment, with July’s Expansion Draft looming. Protecting the pending free agent Hamilton would mean the Hurricanes would also have to expose defenceman Jake Bean.

The Expansion Draft is just one complicating factor, ahead of a third consecutive off-season with the same $81.5 million salary cap due to COVID-19, that makes 2021 one of the largest and most intriguing free agent classes ever.

For the first time ever, TSN Hockey’s Top 30 Free Agents includes a coach in Rick Tocchet. The Arizona Coyotes and Tocchet announced their decision to part ways this week and Tocchet is expected to receive interest from multiple teams, including some that may opt for a coaching change specifically because the three-time Stanley Cup winner (once as Penguins player, twice as Penguins assistant coach) is up for grabs. Tocchet, 57, did more this season with less than almost any other coach in the league in Arizona.

It also includes an intriguing Group VI free agent in Arizona's Michael Bunting, who some teams think may be this season's Carter Verhaeghe or Jonathan Marchessault.

more with a list...

What a save, huge save, 2nd effort, etc.

A little over 2 minutes long and from a CBJ game on April 27th.

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said he will take his time, which makes sense because his hire might be determined by personnel choices. Seth Jones said Monday, “I really have to take a step back and think about what I want.”

That’s the biggest question facing the franchise. Columbus has let him know a huge payday awaits, and likely the captaincy, too. Opposing players said the strain of the season, both on-ice and off, noticeably weighed on Jones, so taking time away isn’t a bad idea. The Blue Jackets also want clarity on Zach Werenski, eligible for an extension two years from unrestricted free agency. If both commit, the path is clear. If not, do you rebuild or deal for immediate help?

- Chris Drury is pretty popular. Not sure what he’s going to do with his front office, but there’s a lot of interest in working for him, and, by extension, the Rangers.

- The Boston-Washington kicks off the playoffs on Saturday night. Canadian teams are expected to begin next Wednesday. It might just be me, but do the North Division playoff teams need to wait for Calgary and Vancouver? I can see Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg annoyed at waiting and getting a tougher schedule.

It’s going to be weird without many late-night games, as Vegas is only Pacific time-zone team in the post-season.

many more Thoughts, including Jack Eicher...

NHL players advise us on their favorite nicknames.

from Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News,

If you're the rookie GM of the 31st-place club trying to look good in front of ownership, it's probably a pretty easy sell that you're going to build your team around Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Cozens, Casey Mittelstadt, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Jack Quinn, Mattias Samuelsson, Arttu Ruotsalainen, a re-signed Ullmark and whoever you draft in the top three in July.

As bad a day as Monday felt like, go read the previous paragraph again. It makes things look less dark. And that's before you add whatever players or picks they might get in any deals for Eichel, Reinhart or Ristolainen.

Maybe that's what they should do. The veterans didn't seem to go out of their way to throw any olive branches on Monday to Don Granato. Frankly, it doesn't look like they give a damn who the coach of this team is going forward. It's not like they perform for anybody who's been behind the bench here at all in recent years, their odd love for Ralph Krueger notwithstanding.

Remember, this franchise has won exactly nothing with those three guys. It hasn't played a single playoff game with a No. 8 pick in 2013 and guys taken No. 2 the two following years. Nobody can argue this trio hasn't given a lot over nearly 1,400 combined NHL games between the three of them. It hasn't meant a thing.

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So to start to evaluate where Eichel could be traded, we asked The Athletic’s NHL staff to evaluate their team’s level of interest in Eichel and what they could offer in a package.

Detroit Red Wings: The Red Wings have the cap space, draft capital and farm system to put together a highly competitive offer for Eichel, who is a high-end No. 1 NHL center with elite scoring. That’s the kind of piece the Red Wings sorely need, and he fits their age range. But the cost to acquire him would be high, perhaps prohibitively so. The Sabres could reasonably ask for top defense prospect Moritz Seider, plus a high-lineup current NHLer and Detroit’s top 10 pick, at which point the Red Wings wouldn’t be much closer to contending than they are today. And Eichel wouldn’t likely be any happier, either. Yzerman should do his due diligence, but it’s not a great fit between two rebuilding teams. -Max Bultman

more (paid) teams...

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

What “very quickly" means to one person is not necessarily reflected in another person’s meaning.

The Detroit Red Wings’ season has been over since an overtime loss Saturday night in Columbus, and general manager Steve Yzerman still hasn’t shown his hand regarding Jeff Blashill’s coaching future. Last month, Yzerman said he’d sit down with Blashill “very quickly” after the season ended, but it has been two days and counting since the final horn.

Yzerman’s comments April 12 indicated he already knew what he was going to do: Extend Blashill’s contract, inform him his time with the organization is over — or perhaps tell Blashill there’ll be a new coach coming in, and offer him a different position, such as scouting.

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from Bill Dow at the Detroit Free Press,

As part of his series on former Detroit sports figures, Bill Dow caught up with former Detroit Red Wings coach and hockey legend Scotty Bowman....

Bowman on coaching players:

“When you go to a new team, it takes a while to get to know everybody. Some players, you cater to more than others. Some players have to be pushed and prodded and some you have to be quiet with. Some players you can’t get on them or they’ll pack it up.

"I never tried to sugar coat it with the players and I think they wanted you to be honest with them. You have to tell them what is truthful and what is not. But when it’s all said and done, to get the most out of the good players they needed someone to be pushing them and that’s how they got into the NHL.”

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THREE HARD LAPS

* Some matchups and seeds are still to be determined, but the field is set for the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Canadiens clinched the 16th and final berth on Monday.

* Both matchups in the MassMutual East Division First Round were confirmed – the Panthers also clinched the No. 2 seed in the Discover Central Division.

* Tonight’s two-game slate features the Capitals and Bruins contesting their season finale before meeting in the 2021 First Round, while the Jets look to earn one point and clinch the No. 3 seed in the Scotia North Division.

NEW YORK (May 10, 2021) – The National Hockey League today announced the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round series between the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals will begin on Saturday, May 15 at 7:15 p.m. ET in Washington. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series between the MassMutual East Division rivals will be broadcast on NBC in the United States and on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports in Canada. The complete 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round schedule will be announced in the coming days.

Leo Komarov.

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

I don’t believe the Rangers have any intention of replacing Mika Zibanejad with Jack Eichel next season. It is possible they could add Eichel, whose relationship with the Sabres represents a case study of next-level dysfunction, but no one should make that assumption, either.

The Blueshirts need to import a veteran leader with a track record of NHL team success. There was a reason, former GM Neil Smith said back in the day, that he traded for Oilers and not Sharks. Not only hasn’t one player on the roster won the Stanley Cup, Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba (once as a Jet) are the only guys who have even played in the conference finals.

Eichel, coming off a herniated disk and other assorted ailments, has never played in a playoff game in his six years in the league. Is that necessarily on the 24-year-old team captain? Of course not, but neither does he check the box about veteran leadership or having a successful team résumé.

The Rangers also need a player for their top-six who will set a physical tone and force the opposition to back off. Would Eichel do that?

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This post belongs to you, feel free to comment on the games tonight or anything NHL

Below, find the schedule and some scenarios still to play out.

Just short of 3 minutes long.

Photo via: Flickr

Sports fans love an underdog. Underdogs are what make it so great. We can assure you, sports wouldn’t be half as exciting as it is had the possibility of underdogs usurping favorites and upsets not been a thing. There’s nothing like watching a person or team given virtually no chance of overcoming certain odds triumph through adversity and become a powerhouse in the process.

NEW YORK (May 10, 2021) – Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid and Alberta Health Services program manager Aleem Rajani have been named the NHL’s “First Stars” for the week ending May 9.

Throughout the 2020-21 season the NHL is celebrating the remarkable efforts of the off-ice stars who make it possible for us to play our games amid a pandemic by honoring frontline healthcare heroes from the regions represented by the League’s weekly and monthly “Stars.”

via the NHL PR department,

The Professional Hockey Writers Association announced today the nominees for the 2021 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game.

Each of the 31 PHWA member chapters nominated a player from the 31 NHL clubs they cover.

Ballots will soon be distributed to all PHWA members to determine the winner, which will be unveiled at the 2021 NHL Awards. Last season, each of the 31 nominees received at least one vote.

The National Hockey League (NHL) saw an additional nine franchises added in the period spanning 1990-2000. The league was also going through a stellar period with the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemiuex dominating and the successful EA video game franchise bringing a host of new fans.

Here we take a look at some of the stats for each of the new teams.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Jack Capuano (Cranston, R.I.), associate coach of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, has been named head coach of the 2021 U.S. Men’s National Team that will compete in the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championship May 21-June 6 in Riga, Latvia.

Capuano will be joined by assistant coaches Nate Leaman (Providence, R.I./Providence College) and Adam Nightingale (Cheboygan, Mich./NTDP). In addition Kevin Reiter (Pittsburgh, Penn./NTDP) will serve as goaltending coach and Mike King (Center Conway, N.H./Ottawa Senators) as video coach.

“We’re extremely fortunate to have an outstanding coaching staff, led by Jack Capuano,” said Chris Drury, general manager of the U.S. Men’s National Team. “Their involvement with USA Hockey in various ways over the course of time and combined international experience will be of great benefit as we head into the tournament.”

The three beat writers for the Wings all have articles up this morning and to read any of them, you need to be a subscriber.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

Some intriguing decisions regarding the Red Wings are about to be made, including the one that might have the most importance.

Who is going to coach the Wings next season?

After Saturday’s 5-4 overtime loss in Columbus ended what was a promising yet another losing season, the future of coach Jeff Blashill becomes front and center for the immediate future.

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from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

The Wings’ resilience made Blashill recall a saying favored by his predecessor, Mike Babcock.

“Babs used to talk about steadying the rudder,” Blashill said. “That was something he used to say lots. Our team did a good job of being steady on the rudder. We lost our way in that one stretch where we were missing those guys, but really if you look back, we’re seven games under .500, somewhere in that range. That COVID stretch was a tough stretch for us, but other than that, I thought we did a good job of responding when things went bad.

“I say this lots when I talk to people, I talk to businesses — like, it’s not about whether or not you get knocked down, you’re going to get knocked down. It’s if you continuously get back up. I thought our group continuously got back up. There’s a lot of good men in that room. On a night-to-night basis, we worked and competed to the Nth degree, and that’s something I’m proud of our group for.”

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from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

Now that Steve Yzerman’s second season as Detroit Red Wings general manager is over, the bulk of his work begins.

Yzerman has many items to cross off his checklist before players gather for training camp in mid-to-late September, in preparation for an NHL regular season that will start a week later than usual, on Oct. 12.

One task, figures to be completed quickly, as Yzerman indicated last month he will speak with coach Jeff Blashill immediately after the season to discuss his future.

Over the course of the next several weeks, and months, Yzerman has a number of decisions to make:

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from Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic,

What has it been like to have the best year of your career in what must be one of the most challenging years of your life?

It’s actually not. It’s not the most challenging year of my life. Not by a long shot. I have taken a lot of relief and the best I have felt in a long time. Yes, it’s been stressful to deal with a lot of the bankruptcy. It’s definitely been stressful. But it was a relief because I didn’t have to try and hide it anymore. I didn’t have to try to pretend. It was a big weight off my shoulders in a way. For years, I was dealing with all these things. It’s having that constant stress. Everybody has stress. But once I made that decision (to file for bankruptcy), people think it is the start of something. Really, it’s the end of this chapter of my life. I think that is where the big misconception is about this. I have a wife that I’ve been married to for almost three years. I have my daughter who turned 10 months two days ago. When you grow up, there’s different decisions you have to make. They are not always easy. But for me, it was the best decision I have made in a long time.

read on (paid)

THREE HARD LAPS

* The final playoff spot, Presidents’ Trophy and last division crown all are up for grabs on a nine-game Monday in the NHL.

* The Canadiens can lock up the 16th and final spot in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs when they face the Oilers at Bell Centre. Montreal will clinch if they get at least one point.

* The Golden Knights will look to claim their third division title and first Presidents’ Trophy when they battle the Avalanche at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas would clinch both with a victory of any kind.

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller have declined invitations to play for Team USA in the upcoming World Championship Tournament that will be played in Riga, Latvia, The Post has learned, while Alexis Lafreniere is expected to decline an invitation to represent Canada.

NHL players have lived under restrictions for months that did not apply to the general population and will face COVID-19 protocols during the tournament that will be played from May 21 through June 6. Lafreniere would face a quarantine upon returning from Latvia to his home in Quebec.

In addition, Miller has been in the New York area since last July and has not been home for close to 10 months. Lafreniere has been in the area since the first week of July and has not seen his parents or family since then. Both need time home and away from the rink.

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