NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says Hurricanes relocation ...downloads.hurricanes.nhl.com › clips › clips060916.pdf · missed a beat and he has been there to support it, financially

CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS • June 9, 2016

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says Hurricanes relocation rumors unfounded

By Chip Alexander

[email protected]

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, saying he hoped to “take down the temperature” on speculation surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes, said Wednesday the franchise was on sound financial ground with owner Peter Karmanos Jr. and called relocation rumors unfounded.

Speculation about the team’s future has intensified in recent months as the NHL nears a decision on expansion, and questions recently arose about the franchise’s financial standing after a $105 million lawsuit involving Karmanos and his three adult sons was filed in Michigan.

Las Vegas and Quebec City have made expansion bids, and the league is expected to make an announcement later this month. With Las Vegas considered the front-runner to land an expansion franchise, there has been increasing speculation in Quebec City that Quebecor, the ownership group backing the expansion bid, might seek to buy the Hurricanes from Karmanos and secure NHL approval for a relocation.

“I don’t see the Hurricanes relocating, period,” Bettman said in an interview. “I think the Triangle is a terrific market. A good fan base has developed around the Hurricanes and I see the opportunity for continued growth for this franchise in the future.

“Peter Karmanos is a terrific owner. This franchise has never missed a beat and he has been there to support it, financially and emotionally. All this speculation is unfair to the franchise and its fans. It’s completely unfounded.”

The lawsuit recently filed in Oakland County, Mich., alleges Karmanos Jr. defaulted on more than $100 million he borrowed from a trust established for his sons, who also alleged the trust was used to “support the Hurricanes.” The plaintiffs allege Karmanos Jr. borrowed money from the trust, has failed to meet repayment terms and owes them $105.7 million.

Bettman, in the interview, called the suit a family “squabble” gone public, and said the trust has not been used as financial collateral for the team.

“The trust has nothing to do with the league,” Bettman said. “It’s not signatory to anything, it hasn’t secured anything. It has nothing to do with us. There’s no connection between the trust and the league.”

Asked if there were any concerns about Karmanos’ financial well-being, Bettman said the NHL doesn’t check the financial

wherewithal of the owners on a weekly or monthly basis. Of the Hurricanes, he said, “The fact is the club is meeting all its financial obligations.”

The commissioner would not say if the Hurricanes had received advances on TV revenue and revenue-sharing payment, but he said it was not unusual for teams to do that to help with cash flow.

Bettman disputed a recent media report the Hurricanes had borrowed more than $300 million from the league, calling the report ridiculous and absurd.

Karmanos joined the late Thomas Thewes in buying the Hartford Whalers franchise in 1994, moving the team to Raleigh in 1997. Karmanos and Thewes, a Compuware co-founder and Karmanos’ business partner in Detroit, each owned 50 percent of the franchise until Thewes’ death in September 2008.

Karmanos has secured investment partners, most with North Carolina ties, for the team the past five years. He hired Allen & Co., a New York investment firm, to sell his share of the team as part of what he called a “succession plan.”

Bettman said Wednesday he was not aware of a formal ongoing sales process for the Canes, indicating Karmanos was looking for a partner or partners to join him in owning the team. “If they’re the right people he wouldn’t hesitate to do that,” Bettman said.

The Hurricanes finished last in NHL home attendance this past season, with an average turnout of 12,203 at PNC Arena, a dip from 12,594 in 2014-15, when Carolina was 29th.

The low attendance also has fueled speculation the Hurricanes, who have reached the playoffs once since winning the 2006 Stanley Cup, have lost fan support in the Triangle and that other league owners might be willing support a change in ownership and a relocation.

Bettman praised the work of Canes general manager Ron Francis in building a team with good, young players, saying a strong second half to the past season was an indication of the team’s potential.

“I think the team is being built the right way,” Bettman said. “Attendance tends to lag, but again, I think the Triangle is a terrific market.”

In ending the interview, Bettman said, “I hope this conversation will take down the temperature that’s been elevated, because the temperature is way hotter than it should be.”


Tweetmail No. 108: Free Agency, Goalies & Draft

Wednesday, 06.8.2016 / 11:45 AM ET / Tracking the Storm

By Michael Smith

Hello and welcome to a weekly feature on CarolinaHurricanes.com in which I take your Twitter questions about the Carolina Hurricanes or other assorted topics and answer them in mailbag form. Hopefully, the final product is insightful to some degree, and maybe we have some fun along the way.

"I'll take the first shift."

@MSmithCanes Knowing we have $ to spend to hit the cap floor, who do you think our targets might be? #Tweetmail

There is one word that I think aptly describes this offseason: flexibility.

The Hurricanes are packing 10 picks, including two first-rounders and seven over the first three rounds, in this year’s draft. That translates into either 10 prospects to stow away or assets the team can flip for immediate help. In addition, the Canes have the sizeable contracts of Eric Staal and Cam Ward coming off the books, freeing up a good chunk of money to spend at their discretion.

That flexibility in spending is going to create a fascinating environment come July 1. The Hurricanes are going to need to spend some money, and there will likely be some key names available. Steven Stamkos is the undisputed prize of the free agent market, considering his elite skill set and the fact that he’s only 26 years old, and he’s set up to land a record-setting deal. Every team would love to sign Stamkos if at all possible, but he’s going to have the pick of the litter. Could the Hurricanes be in line for someone like David Backes? Assuming Eric Staal isn’t brought back at a discount, the Canes will be looking for some depth down the middle. Backes, 32, would fit the bill if the term and dollars are right, but that could be a big “if.”

Another aspect to consider is the salary cap. It’s reported to be either remaining “relatively flat” or perhaps even dropping a smidge. That could spell trouble for a good handful of teams who are already pressed against the cap ceiling and have some notable names ready to hit the open market – Milan Lucic in Los Angeles and Andrew Ladd in Chicago to name a couple. The Hurricanes could benefit from these situations.

Even still, it’s worth noting that Canes General Manager Ron Francis has been a cautious July 1 spender. He’s well aware of the temptations and overpayment that are prevalent when free agency opens. But if the term and dollar amount make sense for the long-term health of this organization, don’t be surprised if the Hurricanes make a play for or land a name this summer.

@MSmithCanes is there any chance the canes try to move Eddie Lack and bring back Cam?

Of the possible ways the goaltending situation could play out this summer – one of the more intriguing storylines to follow, no doubt – this is one of the more unlikely scenarios, I think.

I talked a bit more about this in Tweetmail No. 102, but here’s why this particular scenario is somewhat unlikely. Because Eddie Lack is under contract for the next two seasons, an extension that was signed, sealed and delivered before the start of the 2015-16 regular season, I would think he’s a part of the goaltending picture in the immediate future. If it makes the most sense from the Hurricanes’ perspective, I can certainly see Cam Ward returning, and if he does return, I think it’s with Lack rather than without.

Of course, I could be wrong! Recall just a year ago on the weekend of the Draft when Anton Khudobin was traded to Anaheim and Lack made his way to Carolina. Something along the same lines could happen again, I suppose. I just don’t think it’s very likely.

In any case, here’s a reminder to keep our contract chart and offseason player tracker handy during these next few months.

@MSmithCanes when will you be doing draft profiles? #tweetmail

Our comprehensive NHL Draft coverage – which will likely be structured a bit differently this year – will begin very soon. In fact, we’ll be speaking with General Manager Ron Francis and Tony MacDonald, the team’s head of amateur scouting, on Thursday, and you can expect to see #content flowing afterward.

Two weeks later, our digital team will be on a plane bound for Buffalo where we’ll have this year’s happenings covered from all angles. There’s more to come soon, so stay tuned!


Don't panic — Carolina Hurricanes are here to stay

Posted: Wednesday, June 8, 2016 11:02 pm

Andrew Schnittker, Staff Writer

Location, location, (re)location. That seems to be a big buzz around the Carolina Hurricanes lately, and something fans have had to deal with.

With owner Peter Karmanos Jr. looking to sell the team for multiple years and the team operating at a loss every year since 2009, coupled with numerous other “intriguing” developments, these rumors have been picking up lately. The recent news that Karmanos is being sued by his three sons for $105 million because he stopped making payments on a $101 million promissory note has sent these rumors into overdrive.

Yes, Karmanos is looking to sell the team, but he is looking for a succession plan with a local owner, where he remains in control of the team for a period of years as he transitions out. Karmanos has said repeatedly, he will not sell the team to someone who would move it.

The Hurricanes have a very expensive arena lease at PNC that runs through 2024, widely considered to be one of the best arena deals in sports. To buy that out would be unbelievably expensive, to say the least.

Speaking of PNC, Tom McCormick, the chairman of the Centennial Authority, the entity that owns and operates PNC Arena, recently told Chip Alexander of The News and Observer that he has personal confirmation from Karmanos that the team will be going nowhere. Alexander also reported that the Centennial Authority will spend $80,000 in 2017 for a feasibility study for an on-site practice facility for the Hurricanes. Seems like an odd move for a team destined to be packing its bags in the next couple years.

If that’s not enough assurance for you, the NHL itself has commented on the situation. At his media address prior to the beginning of the Stanley Cup Final, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said, “The Carolina Hurricanes are fine.” Deputy commissioner Bill Daly also recently said on Sportsnet’s Hockey Central that the lawsuit is a family matter and the league is unconcerned with both it and the “entire situation of what’s going on in Carolina,” and that the league knows more about both situations than the public and media.

But even with all that being said, let’s imagine for a moment that the lawsuit is a big issue. Let’s say it hits Karmanos like a ton of bricks, bankrupting him and forcing him to sell the

team, but no local buyer steps up. It’s still likely not going anywhere.

The current NHL regime is not a fan of relocation except as a last resort. It is very committed to growing the game in southern NHL markets. Since Bettman took over in 1993, only five teams have relocated, two of which came from Canada, and two from Hartford (who became the Hurricanes) and Minnesota, all four of which were sent to southern markets. In fact, in Bettman’s tenure, the Atlanta Thrashers in 2011 were the only southern team to be relocated to a northern market, Winnipeg. Even if the Hurricanes’ situation became that dire, the NHL has a history in these situations.

In 2009, the Arizona (formerly Phoenix) Coyotes declared bankruptcy. The NHL stepped in and owned and operated the team for several years until stable ownership could be found. History suggests they would do the same for the Hurricanes, who have a better arena deal, and would be the first NHL team in such a situation with a Stanley Cup Championship on its resume. Bettman’s history suggests he would have to be dragged, kicking and screaming before he moved one of his biggest non-traditional market success stories.

While the attendance numbers are troubling, the problem can easily be fixed. The Hurricanes’ poor numbers can likely be attributed to a poor on-ice performance. The team came in last in attendance this past season, but missed the playoffs last year. However, Triangle hockey fans have proven in the past that they will support a winning team, as in 2006-07 coming off the Stanley Cup win the team was 15th in average attendance. The direction General Manager Ron Francis and head coach Bill Peters have the team moving in suggests these numbers will quickly improve.

On top of all these other strikes against relocation is that the League is likely on the verge of expansion, with Las Vegas and Quebec City the two rumored targets. Each expansion team pays a $500 million fee that all 30 current owners split. Why would the League pass that up in favor of relocation when only Karmanos would pocket anything?

While as a southern NHL franchise there will unfortunately probably always be talk about the Carolina Hurricanes finding a new home, these rumors have proven to be unfounded and, frankly, don’t make sense. For a multitude of reasons, it is much more likely the team is here to stay and will continue to call Raleigh its home for years to come.


Penguins one victory from winning Stanley Cup

Can become first Pittsburgh team to clinch title at home since 1960 with triumph against Sharks on Thursday

by Wes Crosby / NHL.com Correspondent

June 8th, 2016

Game 5: SHARKS at PENGUINS

Stanley Cup Final

Pittsburgh leads best-of-7 series 3-1

TV: 8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports

PITTSBURGH -- History could be made at Consol Energy Center on Thursday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins can hoist the Stanley Cup at home for the first time with a win against the San Jose Sharks in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. A victory would make the Penguins the first major sports team from Pittsburgh to win a championship in the city since the Pirates defeated the New York Yankees at Forbes Field in the 1960 World Series.

"We're excited for Game 5," Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. "We need to come out and be at our best. We want to only think about the game. That's all we're talking about right now. We want to come out tomorrow and be the better team from the drop of that puck and that's our only goal."

The Penguins have won the Cup three times, with each clinching victory coming on the road (at Minnesota in 1991, in Chicago in 1992, and in Detroit in 2009).

The Sharks hope to spoil the Penguins' moment and keep their season alive. San Jose's one win came in overtime in Game 3, and it has not had a lead in regulation in any game of the series.

A quicker start could benefit the Sharks after playing from behind for the majority of four games.

After being noticeably outplayed in each of the series' first two games in Pittsburgh, San Jose elevated its game in the next two at SAP Center. The Sharks were more aggressive while getting 38 shots blocked in a 3-2 overtime win in Game 3, and they outshot the Penguins for the first time in the series two days later in Game 4, 24-20, but lost 3-1.

"I think the results are closer than it feels right now, I really do," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "We had some good looks. They've all been one-goal games, or late-in-the-game losses. I think it's closer than it feels and we've got to give

ourselves an opportunity that if they stumble, we're going to jump on it."

San Jose has faced elimination once during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, against the Nashville Predators in Game 7 in the Western Conference Second Round. Five Sharks scored in a 5-0 win against the Predators on May 12.

The Penguins have won three of four games this postseason when they've had a chance to eliminate an opponent. Their lone loss came against the Washington Capitals in Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Second Round, when they lost 3-1 before winning 4-3 in overtime three days later.

Sharks team scope: Forward Tomas Hertl remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury, DeBoer said Wednesday. On Tuesday, DeBoer said he is hopeful Hertl could return during this series. Before his injury, Hertl was arguably San Jose's most effective player in its first two games against Pittsburgh. Hertl scored one of the Sharks' two second-period goals in Game 1 that allowed them to climb back from a 2-0 deficit. Forward Melker Karlsson, who scored San Jose's lone goal in its Game 4 loss Monday, has taken Hertl's spot on the top line next to center Joe Thornton and right wing Joe Pavelski. Forward Dainius Zubrus has played the past two games with Hertl out. He played 5:10 on 10 shifts Monday. Pavelski, who entered the series with 22 points, has yet to score in four games after scoring at least one point in each of his previous seven. "[Pavelski] feels he can be the difference in a game," DeBoer said. "He has been for us. We wouldn't be here without what he's done through the first three rounds. … He's close to breaking out here for us."

Penguins team scope: No lineup changes are expected for Pittsburgh. Forward Nick Bonino missed practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Wednesday with a maintenance day. He is expected to play in Game 5. Bonino has four goals and 17 points in 22 playoff games centering Pittsburgh's "HBK Line" between left wing Carl Hagelin and right wing Phil Kessel. "You can feel like there's something big coming up here," Hagelin said. "The guys are ready to play. We've won games all year, and that's the plan tomorrow." Rookie goalie Matt Murray will start his 20th playoff game after making 23 saves in the 3-1 win Monday. Murray has won 14 of 19 playoff starts with a 2.09 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. Center Evgeni Malkin ended a six-game goal drought when he scored 2:37 into the second period Monday.


Anderson named Wild assistant coach

Joins staff of close friend, former teammate Boudreau in Minnesota

NHL.com @NHL

June 8th, 2016

John Anderson was named an assistant coach of the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.

Anderson joins Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Stevens, who was named an assistant on Tuesday, on Bruce Boudreau's staff.

Anderson spent the past three seasons as coach of the Chicago Wolves in the American Hockey League. He was an assistant with the Arizona Coyotes from 2011-13 and was coach of the Atlanta Thrashers for two seasons, from 2008-10.

Boudreau, named coach of the Wild on May 7 after the Anaheim Ducks fired him the previous week, was teammates with Anderson on the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1977-83, and the two have remained close.

"We've lived together, we've played together and we ran our own golf tournament together," Boudreau told the Star Tribune. "I know the man inside out. Not that it's gotten heated, but we've had frank discussions about the power play and special teams over the years, and we think very similar.

"He's been quite the confidant in my life since I was 18."

Anderson, a forward, had 631 points (282 goals, 349 assists) in 814 NHL games with the Maple Leafs, Quebec Nordiques and Hartford Whalers from 1977-89.

Boudreau was hired by the Wild after they did not retain John Torchetti, who took over for the fired Mike Yeo during the season.

Stevens and Anderson will replace assistant coaches Rick Wilson and Darryl Sydor, who also were not retained by the Wild.

Scott Stevens named Wild assistant coach

Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman will serve on new coach Boudreau's staff in Minnesota

NHL.com @NHL

June 7th, 2016

Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Stevens was hired as an assistant coach of the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

Stevens, who served as an analyst on NHL Network this season, was an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils for two seasons (2012-14) before stepping down from that role. He returned to the Devils in December 2014 as a co-coach, alongside Adam Oates and Lou Lamoriello, focusing on the defensemen. When John Hynes was named Devils coach in June 2015, Stevens decided to pursue other opportunities.

The Wild hired Bruce Boudreau as coach on May 7, after he was fired by the Anaheim Ducks the previous week. Minnesota assistant coaches Rick Wilson and Darryl Sydor were not retained after the season. "Just to bring in his expertise and history, I think that's a real bonus for us," Boudreau told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "He is one of the greatest defensemen. I think he'll have instant respect. Any team would have loved to have him, but until now, he wasn't ready to leave New Jersey."

Stevens will inherit a talented defense corps led by Ryan Suter.

"That team has a lot of potential in it," Stevens told the wild website. "I really have admired watching Ryan Suter his whole career, and this year was one of his better years as an all-around defenseman. That's what I like about Ryan. He can play big minutes. I'm very excited to have him."

Wild forward Zach Parise knows Stevens from their days in New Jersey.

"He's the quietest and humblest Hall of Famer you'll ever meet," Parise told the Star Tribune. "He's going to be so good for us and our [defense] and [penalty kill]."

Stevens played 22 years in the NHL for the Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues and Devils. The 13-time NHL All-Star captained the Devils to three Stanley Cup championships in 1995, 2000 and 2003, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2000.

In 13 seasons with the Devils, Stevens ranks first with a plus-282, fourth with 956 games, and is second among defensemen with 430 points. His 1,635 NHL games rank second all-time among defensemen, 16 games behind Chris Chelios. He is fourth in penalty minutes (2,785), 11th in shots (3,240) and 12th in points (908) among defensemen. He is 13th all-time with a plus-393 rating.

In 233 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Stevens had 26 goals, 118 points, 378 penalty minutes and a plus-34 rating.


Trevor Carrick and Jake Chelios Handle Heavy Workload On Blue Line

Written by Nicholas Niedzielski

In an organization chock-full of strong defensive prospects, two blue liners in Charlotte shined while carrying the brunt of the workload for the Checkers. With injuries and call ups rocking Charlotte’s lineup all season long, Trevor Carrick and Jake Chelios stepped up and took on increased roles. The duo embraced their spike in playing time, finishing the year ranked third and sixth on the team in scoring, respectively. “It’s kind of crazy to think that Carrick and Chelios were two of our top scorers this year,” said former head coach Mark Morris, who accepted the same position at St. Lawrence University earlier in the offseason. “We rode those guys extremely hard. But they laid it on the line for us.” For Carrick, who consistently played on the top pairing as well as on the power play and penalty kill, the heavy workload wasn’t necessarily a stretch. “In junior I kind of had the same role where I played a lot since I was an older guy there,” said Carrick. “Coming into this year, you don’t really know what to expect. You don’t know who’s going to be here. Losing [Rasmus] Rissanen and [Danny] Biega to injury for the second half of the year and with Murphy up and down there was a lot of ice time. I was just trying to get better each day.” Chelios, on the other hand, took a more challenging path to his big role. Originally penciled in as a seventh defenseman, the 25-year-old quickly worked his way to becoming an everyday player. “I was just given the opportunity,” said Chelios. “I saw it was a young group of defensemen, so I knew coming into it that I would have to earn a spot. There were a lot of injuries up top too, so things just kind of came together. I was given the opportunity and both coaches helped me a lot out there.” Two skaters that were slated early on in the season to be mainstays on the Charlotte blue line were rookies Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin, but both would quickly bolt for the NHL, where they would remain as key contributors all season for the Hurricanes. For Carrick, who had established himself as a legitimate prospect thanks to a solid rookie season with the Checkers, seeing their quick ascension provided some motivation for his sophomore campaign. “Seeing Slavin and Pesce make it in their first year of professional hockey is a confidence booster,” said Carrick. “Seeing that they can do it gives you the confidence that you

can too.” The 21-year-old would get his first NHL shot during the 2015-16 season, appearing in a pair of games for the Hurricanes, and now is taking that taste and working to make a full-time jump next year. “Getting the call was huge,” said Carrick. “Getting that experience. Hopefully I can do it a couple more times next year as well. I’m going to try to get better every day and have a good summer, get bigger and stronger, and come into next year with a good attitude.” Chelios also saw a reward for his strong play last season in the form of his first NHL contract. After bouncing between the ECHL and AHL in his rookie season with the Chicago Wolves and spending last year on an AHL contract, Chelios inked a two-way deal with the Hurricanes early on this offseason. Though he had yet to sign his new contract, Chelios expressed pleasure in the way his sophomore year turned out during his exit interview. “I felt a lot better,” he said. “The trust that the coaches had for me was great. Last year I was kind of up and down and that’s tough for anybody. This year it was nice coming to the rink and knowing you’re in the lineup.” The two defensemen will head into next season looking to crack their way onto the NHL squad. Should they not, they’ll headline a Charlotte blue line that could feature the likes of high-profile incoming prospects like Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown. Having already shown flashes of offensive flair, the duo both expressed their interest in improving their all-around game during this offseason. “I think they expect me to get stronger and put on some pounds over the summer, I’m a little underweight right now,” said Carrick. “Keep working on my offensive skill and get better and stronger in my own zone. I think being a minus 21 or 22 doesn’t look too good. So just trying to work on my defensive game and the offense will come.” “I’m going to work on my shot this summer,” said Chelios. “But my game is just keeping it simple and not overcomplicating things. Get it to the [Sergey] Tolchinsky’s and the [Derek] Ryan’s of the team and let them get me points. That and I think just getting bigger. I was a late bloomer growing and I’m still trying to figure out the whole offseason training thing. So I think that’s the biggest thing for me, trying to get to that NHL size.”


TODAY’S LINKS http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article82626492.html

http://hurricanes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=885398&navid=DL|CAR|home http://www.technicianonline.com/sports/article_9e370af8-2dee-11e6-b752-135a4b070e2b.html

https://www.nhl.com/news/penguins-sharks-stanley-cup-final-game-5-preview/c-280914768 https://www.nhl.com/news/john-anderson-named-wild-assistant-coach/c-280913240 https://www.nhl.com/news/scott-stevens-named-wild-assistant-coach/c-280907924

http://gocheckers.com/articles/1704-trevor-carrick-and-jake-chelios-handle-heavy-workload-on-blue-line

1018333 Carolina Hurricanes

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says Hurricanes relocation rumors unfounded

By Chip Alexander





“Peter Karmanos is a terrific owner. This franchise has never missed a beat and he has been there to support it, financially and emotionally. All this speculation is unfair to the franchise and its fans. It’s completely unfounded.”

[Relive the Carolina Hurricanes' run to the 2006 Stanley Cup Championship]

The lawsuit recently filed in Oakland County, Mich., alleges Karmanos Jr. defaulted on more than $100 million he borrowed from a trust established for his sons, who also alleged the trust was used to “support the Hurricanes.” The plaintiffs allege Karmanos Jr. borrowed money from the trust, has failed to meet repayment terms and owes them $105.7 million.

Bettman, in the interview, called the suit a family “squabble” gone public, and said the trust has not been used as financial collateral for the team.

“The trust has nothing to do with the league,” Bettman said. “It’s not signatory to anything, it hasn’t secured anything. It has nothing to do with us. There’s no connection between the trust and the league.”

Asked if there were any concerns about Karmanos’ financial well-being, Bettman said the NHL doesn’t check the financial wherewithal of the owners on a weekly or monthly basis. Of the Hurricanes, he said, “The fact is the club is meeting all its financial obligations.”

The commissioner would not say if the Hurricanes had received advances on TV revenue and revenue-sharing payment, but he said it was not unusual for teams to do that to help with cash flow.

Bettman disputed a recent media report the Hurricanes had borrowed more than $300 million from the league, calling the report ridiculous and absurd.

Karmanos joined the late Thomas Thewes in buying the Hartford Whalers franchise in 1994, moving the team to Raleigh in 1997. Karmanos and Thewes, a Compuware co-founder and Karmanos’ business partner in Detroit, each owned 50 percent of the franchise until Thewes’ death in September 2008.

Karmanos has secured investment partners, most with North Carolina ties, for the team the past five years. He hired Allen & Co., a New York investment firm, to sell his share of the team as part of what he called a “succession plan.”

Bettman said Wednesday he was not aware of a formal ongoing sales process for the Canes, indicating Karmanos was looking for a partner or partners to join him in owning the team. “If they’re the right people he wouldn’t hesitate to do that,” Bettman said.

The Hurricanes finished last in NHL home attendance this past season, with an average turnout of 12,203 at PNC Arena, a dip from 12,594 in 2014-15, when Carolina was 29th.

The low attendance also has fueled speculation the Hurricanes, who have reached the playoffs once since winning the 2006 Stanley Cup, have lost fan support in the Triangle and that other league owners might be willing support a change in ownership and a relocation.

Bettman praised the work of Canes general manager Ron Francis in building a team with good, young players, saying a strong second half to the past season was an indication of the team’s potential.

“I think the team is being built the right way,” Bettman said. “Attendance tends to lag, but again, I think the Triangle is a terrific market.”

In ending the interview, Bettman said, “I hope this conversation will take down the temperature that’s been elevated, because the temperature is way hotter than it should be.”

News Observer LOADED: 06.09.2016

1018346 NHL

No leaks on NHL meeting about expansion to Las Vegas

By STEVE CARP


In the 24 hours since it set sail from New York, the Good Ship Bettman hasn’t sprung any leaks. But it’s a long way until it docks June 22 in Las Vegas, and the decisions made by the NHL’s executive committee Tuesday regarding expansion very well could be public knowledge by then.

The nine-member committee comprised of owners from Boston, Anaheim, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, Toronto and Washington met for about four hours Tuesday at the league office in Manhattan and made their recommendations regarding expansion. Las Vegas and Quebec City are the two cities that submitted bids in July when the process formally opened.

The NHL’s Board of Governors is scheduled to meet the morning of June 22 at Encore to vote on the committee’s suggestions, and any announcements would be made by commissioner Gary Bettman that afternoon before the NHL Awards Show at the Hard Rock Hotel.

The NHL did not issue a statement after the meeting, which set off a new round of rumors. Blogs were reporting the deal was done and Las Vegas was getting its team. There were reports expansion was being put on hold. There were reports the Carolina Hurricanes were being sold to Bill Foley, the billionaire businessman who is behind the Las Vegas expansion bid.

The Raleigh News & Observer talked Wednesday to Bettman, who said there was no truth to speculation about the Hurricanes being sold and moved. Foley often has said his focus was on getting an expansion team and not relocating some other city’s franchise.

Foley was not at Tuesday’s meeting, and if he knows what happened, he’s not saying. There’s probably a threat of a large fine by the NHL to anyone who leaks information to the media.

But even Bettman admitted last week he anticipates word to get out before June 22. Once the agenda for the Board of Governors meeting is sent to the 30 teams in the coming days, it’s likely that what was private will become public.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 06.09.2016

1018347 NHL

Nick Bonino, Pummeled by Pucks, Revels in the Welts

By CHRIS GORDONJUNE 8, 2016

PITTSBURGH — In baseball, batters dive out of the way to avoid being clipped by a pitch. In basketball, the smallest jostle can lead to a free throw. But hockey is a little different: It is one sport in which players go out of their way to be struck by a projectile that can travel at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour.

Forward Nick Bonino of the Pittsburgh Penguins has the welts to prove it. In Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals against the San Jose Sharks, he blocked four shots, including one from Brent Burns, one of the N.H.L’s hardest shooters, that hit him squarely in the stomach. Bonino was delighted with his gut-pummeling stop.

“Those are the fun ones to block,” he said stoically on Sunday.

Bonino blocked another four shots in Game 4 Monday night, helping the Penguins to a 3-1 victory that put them one win away from capturing the Stanley Cup.

Bonino’s body may be in for even more punishment in Game 5, which takes place here on Thursday. With the Sharks desperate to keep their championship hopes alive, Coach Peter DeBoer and his players have said they will be firing as many pucks as possible, hoping that, with enough shots, some of them get past Penguins’ 22-year-old goaltender, Matt Murray.

Every team has players who pride themselves on stopping the puck by any means possible before it reaches their goaltender. For the Penguins, those players are Bonino, who leads the finals with 18 blocked shots, and defenseman Ian Cole, who on Easter Sunday this season was struck in

the chest by a shot that was so hard it bent the crucifix around his neck, leaving an imprint on his skin that is still visible.

“You can’t think, ‘Oh, man, this is going to hurt,’ because then you’re going to flinch,” Cole said Wednesday. “The sacrifice you make for your team really dulls the pain quite a bit.”

But Bonino and Cole, who has eight blocked shots in the finals, were not simply freelancing. Penguins Coach Mike Sullivan and his staff needed to find a way to stifle the Sharks’ offense, which is led by Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and Burns. The Penguins turned to having players fling themselves onto the ice to stop the puck.

San Jose’s offensive stars were deadly in the early rounds of the playoffs, leading the Sharks to the first Stanley Cup finals appearance in the team’s 24-year history. Of the 16 teams that made the playoffs, San Jose has averaged the most goals per game in the postseason. Pavelski leads the playoffs with 13 goals. Burns, who led all N.H.L. defensemen with 27 goals and 353 shots in the regular season, is tied with Pavelski for second in points in the playoffs. Couture leads the league with 26 postseason points, 4 more than Burns and Pavelski.

But Pavelski, Burns and Couture have scored no goals in the finals. They have combined for just 4 points in four games. Pittsburgh’s commitment to shot-blocking has particularly frustrated Pavelski and Burns.

San Jose’s offense relies on shots from the defensemen, which often lead to tip-in or rebound goals. But Pittsburgh has kept many of the blasts from the blue line from getting anywhere near Murray. In Game 3, the Penguins blocked 12 of Burns’s shot attempts. In Game 4, Burns fired nine pucks toward the goal. Only one of them reached Murray.

Pavelski is among the best in the N.H.L at deflecting pucks past goaltenders. But with few shots getting through to the front of the net, his scoring opportunities in the series have been limited and his points nonexistent.

”I don’t think teams get this far if they don’t have the ability to defend,” Sullivan said after Game 4. “We certainly have a lot of respect for San Jose and how good they are, but we couldn’t be more proud of our players and the way we’re playing.”

San Jose is hoping to find a crack in Pittsburgh’s defense. The Sharks have not played with a lead the entire series, their lone win coming on an overtime goal by Joonas Donskoi in Game 3. But the Penguins are committed to protecting Murray at all costs, be it with their legs, their arms, their torsos or, in the case, of Patric Hornqvist in Game 4, his head.

Even the team’s elite scorers — Sidney Crosby, Evengi Malkin and Phil Kessel — are putting their bodies in front of pucks. Throughout the regular season and the first three rounds of the playoffs, the Penguins blocked fewer than 15 shots a game on average. In the finals, that number has increased to more than 23 a game.

”It’s inspiring to see,” Murray said. “That’s how badly we want to win.”

The Penguins’ shot-blocking has helped give them a commanding advantage in the series. Of the 32 teams that have taken a three-games-to-one lead in the finals, 31 have won the league title.

On Thursday night, Pittsburgh will have the opportunity to close out the series. The Penguins have won the Stanley Cup three times, but they have never hoisted the 35-pound silver trophy over their heads on home ice.

“For the support that we get here and what the fans mean to us, it would be great,” Crosby said. “It’s going to take a big effort. We believe we can do it.”

New York Times LOADED: 06.09.2016

1018348 NHL

Sidney Crosby still has the answer to every last question: Arthur

By Bruce Arthur Sports Columnist


Last question, says Jennifer Bullano, as Sidney Crosby speaks to the media the day before he can win his first Stanley Cup in seven years. He answers the question, but another is asked. Last question, she says again. Another question. He answers, earnest and patient, wearing his ratty Penguins baseball cap and ratty beard and full pads. This happens five times. The senior director of communications for the Penguins sighs. “He and I talk about this all the time. This part bugs me, and not him.”

It has been 11 years since Sidney Crosby was officially anointed at the draft, and he is still here, still churning his way up an invisible mountain. He’s older, now 28, and wiser. Ken Hitchcock once said Sid sees a 10% play and thinks it’s a 50-50 play; Paul Martin, Crosby’s former teammate, thinks Sid has gotten better at determining risk management. Crosby has been through some hard times — the concussions, the broken jaw, the various playoff losses. No prodigy’s arc travels upwards the whole way.

“The concussion was tough,” Crosby says. “I mean, at that age (23), when you feel pretty good and you miss a year of hockey, it’s not ideal, but everyone goes through different things. I think that’s probably something that has given me more appreciation of certain things after going through that. At the time it’s really tough, trying to get back into things is tough, but once you get over it I think you try to take the positives from it. That’s what I try to do.”

So what do you appreciate more now?

“I think just playing the game you love everyday,” Crosby says. “Until it’s taken away from you I don’t think you appreciate it as much. It’s hard to with all the work we do, but until you can’t do it for an extended period of time, it’s tough.”

He always loved the work, though, always needed it. He was bookmarked as a generational player as a teenager, and has delivered. He leads the NHL in points per game since he entered the league in 2005, regular season and post-season. He still puts in the work, every day. He tries to do the little things, too. When forward Matt Cullen joined the Penguins before the season, Crosby offered to help him look for a house.

“He didn’t have to do that,” the 39-year-old Cullen says. “It helped.”

Crosby has been patient, though everything. His teammates say he still outworks everyone in practice, and signs autographs everywhere, almost without fail, and poses for pictures. A longtime Pittsburgh bartender talks about how Wayne Gretzky would come to town and the autograph lines would form outside the bar or restaurant, and Gretzky would tell the owner to let them in. Crosby has always been compared to 99 and to Mario and it hasn’t been fair, but he understands that responsibility. He says he does not measure himself by the serial icons of the game, though. How could he?

“No. I just try to be the best I can be,” Crosby says. “That’s all I can do. I mean, everyone else can kind of make those comparisons. I love the game just as much as everyone else, and I know how it’s easy to make those comparisons, everyone wants to do it, but when it comes to that kind of thing, I just try to be my best, try to be the best I can for my team, and ultimately you want to win at the end of the day.”

He’s still Sid, even if the raw numbers don’t reflect it. He was getting killed in the media in the last round, even as he scored three game-winning goals. But even with rookie Conor Sheary on his wing, he’s been dominant.

“I’ve been so impressed with him, especially this last part of the year when we got in the playoffs, and he just kicked it up another gear,” Cullen says. “Unbelievable. The way he’s playing is just driving us.”

It’s funny, hockey. We kill superstars who don’t deliver, but Crosby could win one Cup while getting injured in Game 7, and another without scoring a goal in the final. He is playing at such a high level, with such unselfishness: Would we remember that? Or would we just remember a second Cup? As Chris Kunitz says, “That’s how he’ll be measured at the end of his career, but for his time, he’s been the elite player that everybody’s put their mark against.”

Remember when people said Claude Giroux had taken Crosby’s torch after Philadelphia’s wild six-game wrestling match in 2012? Or Patrick Kane, this year? Maybe it’s Connor McDavid.

“As far as someone taking his mantle, it’s so hard,” Martin says. “I don’t know who officially decides who’s the best player, but . . . I don’t see that happening.

“He works hard, he keeps his nose clean, he does the right things. And it’s hard to do.”

Sidney Crosby’s story has been one of fidelity to hockey. How much does it matter if he wins?

“I mean, two (Cups) is better than one,” Crosby says. “I don’t know. I think it shows you’re persistent, you’re not satisfied, maybe. That’s probably what I would take from it. It’s difficult to win once, let alone twice. I think it says a lot, yeah.”

The last question has not been asked of Sidney Crosby, but he can offer another answer Thursday night. He has tried to do everything right every day, his whole life, hoping for this, for all these years.

Toronto Star LOADED: 06.09.2016

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Matt Murray is the calm behind the Penguins’ storm

By Kevin McGran Wed., June 8, 2016

PITTSBURGH, PA.—Penguins goalie Matt Murray has a small, but meaningful ritual he will go through before Thursday night’s potential Stanley Cup-clinching Game 5.

He’ll look at the back of his helmet, to remind him where he came from. “I think of my parents before every game,” Murray said. “I’ve got their initials on my helmet.”

One on side is a Dutch flag under the initials of his mother. On the other, a Scottish flag and the initials his father. In between is Thunder Bay’s famous landmark, Sleeping Giant, to honour his hometown.

That kind of grounding is helping Murray handle a kind of Matt-mania that is sweeping Pittsburgh, with the Penguins holding a 3-1 series lead over the San Jose Sharks. He has gone from a no-name rookie to the star of the show, with one suburb renaming a street after him — at least for one day — and hockey experts comparing his exploits as a rookie in net to those of Canadiens legend Ken Dryden in 1971.

“There is no comparison,” Murray said. “Nobody should be compared to Ken Dryden. Kind of makes me laugh.”

Murray has won 14 times in the playoffs, taking the No. 1 job from Marc-Andre Fleury, the Penguins’ starter since 2005.

Dryden was the surprise starter over Rogie Vachon in the 1971 playoffs and ended up winning both the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Stanley Cup before he ever lost a regular-season NHL game. He would go on to be an author, the president of the Maple Leafs and a Parliamentarian.

The best Murray has accomplished, so far, is having a street in Squirrel Hill, an east-end Pittsburgh neighbourhood, named after him. It is already called Murray Street. But a petition is getting the local council to change it for Thursday’s Game 5 to include “Matt.”

“I thought that was a joke,” Murray said. “I heard about it, but I didn’t think it was a real thing. It’s kind of funny. I don’t even know where Squirrel Hill is.”

Even Penguins captain Sidney Crosby doesn’t have a street named after him. And he’s been here a decade and has already won the Cup. “I just want to win (Thursday) night,” said Crosby. “I’m not worried about the street name.”

None of the attention seems to be getting to Murray.

“I’ve always been pretty even-keeled, a laid-back personality,” he said. “That’s just how I try to handle things. It’s not easy sometimes. Sometimes you want to celebrate after a big win or feel like trash after a loss. You take a step back, take a deep breath and realize it’s all about the next one. That’s what I’ve been able to do.”

That’s what he did even after his critics figured he let in a couple of soft goals in Game 3.


“He’s been great,” said veteran Ian Cole, whose locker-room stall is two seats from Murray. “He’s come in and showed poise, a calm demeanour back there. He’s really been the backbone of this team going through the playoffs.

“He’s a guy that never gets rattled. He stays calm. He plays great for us. A lot of people were getting on him after Game 3 for some weak goals, none of us thought that. But he came back and had a fantastic Game 4.”

He now is one win shy of tying the record for most wins by a rookie goalie in a single playoff (15) held by Patrick Roy, Ron Hextall and Cam Ward.

Murray started playing net, like a lot of Canadian kids, by rotating through on his minor hockey team.

“I used to love playing catch as a kid, in the front yard, so I like catching the puck,” said Murray. “I tried (goalie) one day. When you’re young, in Canada everyone gets their turn to play goalie. When my turn came up, I just loved it.”

Now here he is at the pinnacle of the game, a win away from the Stanley Cup.

“Nothing is ever handed to you,” he said. “You have to earn everything, not just in hockey but in life. We know it’s not going to be easy.”


1018350 NHL

Top picks for Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL playoff MVP

By Kevin McGran Wed., June 8, 201

If the Stanley Cup is handed out after Game 5 on Thursday, then so too will the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the player deemed most valuable to his team during the playoffs.

The award is reflective of all four rounds, but the final is deemed most important to the 18 voting members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Three beat writers that cover each team plus 12 at-large journalists will get their votes in before the Stanley Cup is awarded.

Here are the leading candidates:

Phil Kessel

A subplot of the playoffs is the redemption of Kessel, who has rebuilt his reputation as a big-game player. He leads the Penguins in scoring and has put up numbers consistently through a series where scoring has proved difficult. On the downside, Kessel doesn’t kill penalties and may still be carrying the baggage of his time with the under-achieving Leafs with voters.

Sidney Crosby

The Penguins captain has dominated almost all facets of the game, often in ways that can’t be measured statistically. He mapped out the game-winning play in overtime in Game 2. He leads the playoffs in faceoffs taken (516) and won (269). He has played more than any other forward on Pittsburgh, often the hardest minutes in a rope-a-dope strategy that allows the likes of Kessel to get favourable line matches. But he hasn’t scored in the Cup final.

Matt Murray

The rookie goalie has 14 wins, one shy of the record for rookie goalies in a single post-season. He has allowed a mere seven goals against in four games in the final and, while he hasn’t faced a lot of shots, he has posted a 1.65 GAA that is the fourth best by a goalie in the last 40 years, and a .929 save percentage that is tied for eighth best in a Cup final.

Kris Letang

The 29-year-old has played more minutes than any skater, averaging an astonishing 28:50 a game, 3:30 more than his closest rival, San Jose’s Brent Burns. He took on a heavier workload with an injury to Trevor

Daley. Voters, though, will remember he was suspended for one game in the second round for an illegal hit on Washington’s Marcus Johansson.


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ESPN / Pittsburgh Penguins have everything to gain, San Jose Sharks have nothing to lose in Game 5

Scott Burnside

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Grandparents, girlfriends, wives, uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters, childhood friends, anyone with connections to the Pittsburgh Penguins are arriving en masse with the anticipation -- nay, fervent hope -- that the Stanley Cup will be awarded at the Consol Energy Center on Thursday night and that they will join the celebration.

Outside those in the inner circle of players and staff, the city is in a state of delayed delirium in anticipation of what would be the first-ever Stanley Cup won on home ice here in Pittsburgh, to go with their three won on the road.

None of this is being presumptive. Sure, the Penguins are up 3-1, but the same kind of last-minute travel plans are made by family and friends of teams on the verge of winning a Stanley Cup every year. It has always been so, just as the arrival of the Cup in Pittsburgh on Wednesday is part of the routine at this juncture of the playoffs.

For the San Jose Sharks, their task in the face of all this anticipation and planning is simple: rain on the parade.

Heading into Game 5 at 8 p.m. Thursday, you can trot out all the stats that you want, fancy or plain.

The Sharks have never led at any point during any game of the Stanley Cup finals.

The Sharks' four big stars -- Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns and Logan Couture -- have yet to score in the series.

And Pittsburgh is a tidy 9-3 at home in these playoffs and has a lineup that boasts 16 different goal scorers.

None of that really matters because it comes down to this: The Pittsburgh Penguins have everything to gain and the San Jose Sharks have nothing to lose.

The attitude of both teams seemed to reflect this idea and the notion that Game 5 represents what should be an epic tilt, no matter how it turns out.

The Penguins had a vigorous workout at their practice facility Wednesday and then spoke of understanding the focus that will be required to win what would be the final game of the season.

"I think you're excited for the game," said captain Sidney Crosby, who was injured during Game 7 against the Detroit Red Wings in 2009, when the Penguins last won a championship.

"You know you've got a great opportunity, but as much as that's the case, I think you have to fall back to your routine and just do the right things to get the result you want.

"I think we've done a really good job of that this year, especially through the playoffs -- after a loss, after a win, just kind of turn the page and get ready for the next one. Having that strong mentality, I think that's probably more important now."

For Crosby, Chris Kunitz, Matt Cullen and Evgeni Malkin, they have experience to draw on in preparing for a moment like Thursday night, each having won a Stanley Cup.

For rookies Bryan Rust, Tom Kuhnhackl, Conor Sheary and goaltender Matt Murray, as well as all the other players who are looking for their first ring, well, the hours might drag a bit between now and then.


"Yeah, it's hard not to think about it," offered Sheary, who scored the overtime winner in Game 2 and whose entourage will include his grandfather and fiancé.

"I mean, realistically there's a lot going around that brings it up a lot and brings attention to it. But as much as you can, you've got to kind of just think of it as another game. We're one win away but it's still a lot of work to do. It's not done yet. So I think we just have to keep the right mindset throughout."

For the Penguins, perhaps that's the greatest challenge: actually getting to the game itself what with all the extraneous parts of preparing for a possible clinching game. Many players admitted that perhaps sleep will be difficult to come by Wednesday night or during a normal pregame nap Thursday afternoon.

"You're human," said defenseman Brian Dumoulin, who has emerged as a top-four defender in a breakout spring. "You've got to think about it, but I mean, mentally, you can't already have that in your head that it's a guarantee. We have nothing guaranteed. We've got to keep working and keep playing our best hockey, and we've got to get better throughout this series like we have in the past ones."

The Sharks, meanwhile, appeared loose and at ease with their role in this evolving drama.

As coach Pete DeBoer noted, it was pretty much business as usual at the Sharks' skate Wednesday, with guys seemingly enjoying what could be their last full workout of the season.

"Burnsy [Brent Burns] was an ass out there and clowning around," DeBoer quipped.

DeBoer admitted he was relieved to see his players bring that mindset to the rink.

"Because you never know, given the circumstances," he acknowledged.

"I think [the series is] closer than it feels," the coach added. "And we've got to give ourselves an opportunity, that if they stumble, we're going to jump on it."

EDITOR'S PICKS

Top 5 Conn Smythe candidates

If Pittsburgh finishes off the Sharks in Game 5, a Penguin will be honored as playoffs MVP. Will it be Sidney Crosby? Phil Kessel? Matt Murray? Or a surprise choice who made a compelling case?

Penguins on the verge of the improbable

Few believed earlier this season that Pittsburgh would be a contender. But after a dominant Game 4 victory over San Jose, it is one win away from winning the Stanley Cup.

Many of his players were part of a team that blew a 3-0 series lead against the Los Angeles Kings in 2014.

"We have some guys that vividly remember that," DeBoer said. "They know how quickly a win can turn the momentum."

No one shoulders as big a burden heading into Game 5 as Pavelski, the Sharks' captain who hasn't scored and who had just four shots before coming up with a five-shot performance in the Sharks' 3-1 loss in Game 4.

"We're still right here," Pavelski said. "If we can find a way to win this game, it definitely breathes a little more life into us. This group has always had a lot of fun playing, regardless of the situation. We think we've still got a push."

And so we head to Game 5, with the families gathering and the Stanley Cup being prepared if circumstances dictate an appearance, and the Sharks will do everything they can to make sure it is all for naught.

ESPN LOADED: 06.09.2016

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ESPN / Five reasons the Penguins have been mightier than the Sharks in the Stanley Cup finals

Pierre LeBrun

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins are one win away from a Stanley Cup championship. Here are five reasons they're up 3-1 in their championship series with the San Jose Sharks.:

1. They've played with a lead

The Penguins have not trailed in the entire series. They lost in overtime in Game 3 but have never played from behind. As Sharks coach Peter DeBoer pointed out after San Jose's Game 4 loss, playing with a lead allows your team so many advantages, including sticking to your game plan, rolling four lines with rhythm and avoiding the temptation to force things in order to create offense. It's what San Jose had for three rounds before the Cup finals, when the Sharks constantly played with the lead. But it's Pittsburgh that has scored first and set the tempo in all four finals games so far -- a freeing feeling, to be sure, and one that allows the Penguins to not deviate from coach Mike Sullivan's plan.

Matt Cullen (7) and the Penguins have been punishing Sharks captain Joe Pavelski all series. Allan Hamilton/Icon Sportswire

2. They have nullified the mighty Sharks power play

San Jose's lethal power play -- a weapon the Sharks employed with great impact in the opening three rounds -- has but one goal in the series. The Sharks aren't getting as many power-play opportunities as they did in the opening three rounds. But the Penguins have also clearly done their homework. Pittsburgh's penalty killers are anticipating some of San Jose's go-to plays, notably Joe Thornton either setting up Joe Pavelski for the one-timer in the slot or Brent Burns at the point. The Penguins have had active sticks, been in lanes and have been aggressive at the right times.

3. They have crazy depth

So far 16 players have scored in the playoffs for the Penguins -- including Ian Cole and Ben Lovejoy in the Cup finals -- illustrating what a four-line, three-pairing force they truly are. The fact that Sullivan hasn't been shy about putting his fourth line, centered by Matt Cullen, out against Thornton's top line says it all.

4. They have quieted San Jose's big guys

EDITOR'S PICKS

Top 5 Conn Smythe candidates

If Pittsburgh finishes off the Sharks in Game 5, a Penguin will be honored as playoffs MVP. Will it be Sidney Crosby? Phil Kessel? Matt Murray? Or a surprise choice who made a compelling case?

Can Sharks snatch finals from jaws of defeat?

The Sharks, front-runners all spring, have been chasing the Penguins in the finals and must attack first in Game 5. "Until you win four, this isn't over," says coach Peter DeBoer.

Penguins on the verge of the improbable

Few believed earlier this season that Pittsburgh would be a contender. But after a dominant Game 4 victory over San Jose, it is one win away from winning the Stanley Cup.

Pavelski, Thornton, Logan Couture and Burns have no goals yet in the Cup finals thanks to a tremendous defensive job by the Penguins, notably on Pavelski, so far. The Sharks' captain entered the Cup finals with 13 goals in 18 playoff games, a seemingly unstoppable force -- at least if you asked the Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues. Pittsburgh has done a great job of limiting time and space on the Sharks' top players. It seems like there's a Pittsburgh player right in their face as soon as they touch the puck. The Pens are simply smothering them.

5. Sidney Crosby is being Sidney Crosby

The best player in the world has been the best player in the Cup finals. No. 87's all-around game has been again on full display in the series, especially at the defensive end. He's the front-runner for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP and has cemented that with an impactful championship series.


ESPN LOADED: 06.09.2016

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Sportsnet.ca / Pavelski ‘close to breaking out’ with Sharks against the wall

DAMIEN COX JUNE 8, 2016, 7:20 PM

PITTSBURGH—The story, almost too good to be true, wasn’t supposed to end this way.

It was supposed to end with Joe Pavelski – USHLer, Wisconsin Badger, no-hope seventh round pick, late bloomer – lifting the Stanley Cup, with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, men who once held the captaincy that Pavelski now holds, smiling through their heavy beards in joyous celebration right beside him.

One big, happy family of champions.

That was the fairy tale. Harsh reality has proven to be something else entirely.

Instead, you have Pavelski, goalless in the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final, mouthing the same cliches that every team that falls far behind in an NHL playoff series has to mouth, and his coach insisting his captain’s individual cold snap is about to end.

"He’s close to breaking out," said Peter DeBoer on Wednesday. "He feels he can be a difference in a game. He always does."

That it has gone this smoothly, Pavelski’s ascendancy to the captaincy while surrounded by two, older ex-captains, has been one of the NHL’s most unusual stories over the past couple of seasons. If relatively quiet San Jose were Toronto, Philadelphia, Montreal or Vancouver, it’s impossible to think it would have happened quite so painlessly, at least from the public’s perspective.

It was way back in 2009 that Marleau had the captaincy taken away, something he accepted, at least until last fall when he asked for a trade. The trade never happened, and we’ll see where this goes in the off-season.

Thornton took over after Marleau, but two summers ago, he was stripped of the captaincy. Last season, the club didn’t have a captain, but in March the festering situation broke open when, after GM Doug Wilson said he felt Thornton had allowed the "pressure and stress" of the captaincy to affect his play, Thornton fired back, saying Wilson "just needs to stop lying, shut his mouth."

Throughout the season, Wilson had made it abundantly clear that he wanted Pavelski to take over. Head coach Todd MacLellan disagreed, and when the Sharks missed the playoffs, it was no surprise that MacLellan was fired and soon after the "C" was sewn on to Pavelski’s No. 8 jersey.

Today all three players - Pavelski, Thornton, Marleau - still happily exist on the same team, unprecedented in the history of this sport, and there’s no evidence hard feelings remain. Imagine Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin both stripped of the Penguins captaincy and still playing for the team while Kris Letang assumed the leadership of the team, particularly if Crosby had gone through a public feud with GM Jim Rutherford.

It’s a very, very strange dynamic. Yet it has worked in San Jose, with Pavelski leading the team with 38 goals and Thornton playing himself back on to Team Canada for next fall’s World Cup. Certainly, you can’t point to the very average play of the Sharks so far in this Cup Final against Pittsburgh and say Pavelski’s captaincy is one of the reasons.

But with the Sharks down 3-1, it’s time for the 31-year-old Pavelski to lead with offence. He had 13 goals in 18 games in the the post-season before this Final, but either he’s gone cold, or has found himself befuddled by Pittsburgh’s checking patterns.

PLAYOFF GWG SINCE 2007-08:#BLACKHAWKS KANE - 11#SJSHARKS PAVELSKI - 11#PENS MALKIN - 10#BLACKHAWKS TOEWS - 10#REDWINGS FRANZEN - 10

— SPORTSNET STATS (@SNSTATS) JUNE 7, 2016

There was a telling moment in Game 4 on Monday night. Pavelski found himself open to the side of the Pittsburgh net and swiped at a loose puck, which he either fanned on or jumped over his stick. He then went to boards with Nick Bonino, and it was Bonino who won the one-on-one battle and moved the puck to safety.

It was just one moment, but just not the recipe for a captain intent on leading his team to a Cup. When he scores, the Sharks tend to win. Twelve of his playoff goals this spring have come in 13 San Jose victories. Just one of his goals came in his club’s nine losses.

He’s had nine shots in the Cup Final, five in Game 4, but no goals, just like Thornton, just like Brent Burns. That absence of production has left the scoring to San Jose’s lesser lights, and left the Sharks looking nothing like the club that knocked off St. Louis in the Western Conference final.

"We just need to get our swagger back," said forward Joel Ward.

Tough to do, however, when you’re captain and best players are misfiring. So the road to a historic comeback in this season probably begins with Pavelski.

"We know what kind of belief we have in this room," said the Sharks captain.

Oddly, one of the motivating tools DeBoer was using with his group on Wednesday was the memory of his team’s 2014 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Kings in which the Sharks built a 3-0 series lead and then lost the next four games.

DeBoer even said his assistant, Bob Bougher, was kidding his other assistant, Steve Spott, about the 2014 OHL Western Conference final when Spott’s Kitchener Rangers blew a 3-0 series lead to Bougher’s Windsor Spitfires.

"We’ve just to give ourselves an opportunity that if (the Penguins) stumble, we’re going to jump on it," said DeBoer.

Only 10 Sharks remain from that disastrous ’14 playoff collapse.

"They know how quickly a win can change momentum," said DeBoer. "They’ve been where Pittsburgh is sitting right now."

Three one-goal losses, including one in OT, certainly aren’t evidence of a Sharks team in disarray or panic. There’s just an understanding of the grim reality of the situation, with Pittsburgh anxious to clinch the Cup at home Thursday night.

The Sharks know that if one of their stars, like Pavelski, gets hot, there remains in the possibility for this series to change. But San Jose’s running out of runway. It has to happen now.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.09.2016

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Sportsnet.ca / How the Penguins’ defence has shut down Sharks’ Pavelski

ANDREW BERKSHIRE JUNE 8, 2016, 6:40 PM

The Stanley Cup Final has been a lopsided affair so far, with the San Jose Sharks being dominated by the Pittsburgh Penguins to a truly unexpected degree.

The shot attempt differential favouring the Penguins isn’t surprising, they were the stronger score-adjusted Corsi team, and the second strongest team in the league heading into the playoffs, behind only the Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings out-possessed the Sharks as well, but the Sharks obliterated them in high-quality scoring chances, making short work of a team that was favoured by many to win it all. However that hasn’t happened against the Penguins.


The Sharks haven’t been able to penetrate the inner slot close to Matt Murray at anywhere near the frequency they were able to terrorize Brian Elliott, Pekka Rinne, and Jonathan Quick.

The most noticeable drop in effectiveness has come from team captain Joe Pavelski, and you can see it clear as day when you compare his playoff performance before the Cup Final to during it.

Pavelski SCF

Pavelski’s shots and shot attempts are down in general, but the biggest drops have been in his scoring chances and deflections. Pavelski’s numbers are still better than the average player, but he’s no longer getting scoring chances like an elite goal scorer does.

There has been some speculation that Pavelski is dealing with an injury, and at this stage of the playoffs he’s likely to be dealing with several with how often he takes abuse in front of the net, but some credit has to be given to the Penguins’ defensive scheme.

Pavelski isn’t a player that does it all himself, skating the puck in and ripping a wrist shot top corner like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, or Phil Kessel do, he is a hyper-elite finisher and net-front presence, meaning someone needs to get him the puck.

Heading into this series, the Sharks had been dominating teams with their puck movement, freeing up Pavelski or Logan Couture to take prime area one-timers or deflect shots and passes in. Pittsburgh has been intensely focused on taking away that puck movement through and into the slot.

In fact, the Penguins have been so excellent positionally, that the Sharks have almost stopped attempting passes to the slot, with their forwards trying just 4.5 slot pass attempts per 20 minutes, compared to the Penguins’ 7.2 attempts.

The player they’ve been most focused on, obviously, is Joe Thornton. Thornton’s 1.5 successful passes to the slot per 20 minutes played at even strength was among the league’s elite marks coming into the series, but against the Penguins he’s only been able to manage 0.3 successful passes to the slot per 20, an 80 per cent drop in production.

Missing Tomas Hertl on their line to create havoc on the cycle is obviously a factor, but the fact is the Penguins have defended Pavelski and Thornton to perfection, even though that line maintains solid possession numbers.

If the Sharks have any hope of making this a series, they have to find a way to make the Joes effective again.


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Sportsnet.ca / Resilient Maatta embodies what Penguins are all about

CHRIS JOHNSTON JUNE 8, 2016, 6:02 PM

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Olli Maatta is smiling. Like really, really smiling.

He’s talking about his parents, Tiina and Jarri, making the trip over from Finland along with his two brothers. They are here to see Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday. They are here for what could be the biggest night of his life.

This aspect of trying to win a championship is often overlooked – there is a serious challenge to be found in the level of expectation that hangs over a potential clinching game. Sidney Crosby joked Wednesday that his hometown of Cole Harbour, N.S., is currently on “high alert” and across the pond in Jyvaskyla, Finland the mood is no different.

“There’s lots of noise around us,” said Maatta. “It’s not easy.”

If you were betting on someone drowning out the sound you’d be wise to pick the Finnish defenceman.

We’re talking about a 21-year-old who has already beaten cancer, survived two shoulder surgeries and a vicious kidney bruise, suffered a head injury in Round 2 and endured a pair of healthy scratches in Round 3, and still managed to be among Pittsburgh’s best performers during the Stanley Cup Final.

“The guy’s been through some absolute life-changing situations, and he’s handled them like an absolute professional and like the absolute fantastic guy that he is,” beamed teammate Ian Cole.

In many ways, Maatta embodies what these Penguins are all about.

He’s fought through so many obstacles and setbacks and come out better for it on the other side. His play since re-entering the lineup during the Eastern Conference final stands out because it is markedly better than where he was at earlier in the post-season.

It’s helped the Penguins get within one victory of glory despite boasting a no-name defence corps beyond No. 1 man Kris Letang. Well, more accurately, they have names – just not ones most would expect to form a successful unit on this stage: Dumoulin, Cole, Lovejoy, Schultz and Maatta.

That group hasn’t skipped a beat since Trevor Daley went down with a broken ankle last round in large part because of Maatta’s contributions. He has six assists in the seven biggest games he’s ever played.

“The main thing is the mindset I’ve gone into games with,” Maatta explained. “Just not overthink it. If you’re a little hesitant out there it’s a quick game. My mind’s been just ‘go out there and play.’ No matter what happens, just go and play – play with your instincts.”

Now is not the time for Maatta to reflect on everything he’s been through along the way, but he does acknowledge that last summer was a tough one for him.

Sandwiched around his shoulder injuries was the cancer diagnosis in October 2014. A tumour was located in his thyroid and removed surgically. He also dealt with a case of the mumps that season and could be forgiven for wondering what god he had angered.

“I was thinking a lot about what’s happened,” he said. “It was a tough year last year, it wasn’t easy. It definitely came in my mind and I was thinking about ‘what can I do?”’

Becoming the first player to ever bring the Stanley Cup to Jyvaskyla this summer would be an adequate answer. That dream will become a reality if the Penguins can beat the San Jose Sharks one more time.

Should they make it happen, don’t be surprised if Maatta is front and centre in the celebration. There is universal respect for him inside the Penguins dressing room after the way he’s handled himself through difficult times.

“A lot of people have been saying the same thing about (goalie Matt) Murray – and he’s handled everything very well under a ton of pressure – but I think that pales in comparison to having cancer, to blowing out both your shoulders, to almost having a lacerated kidney when he went head-first into the boards there (in November),” said Cole.

It’s somewhat surprising to learn that Maatta is the youngest player in the Stanley Cup Final. He’s baby-faced, sure, but there’s also a maturity beyond his years that has to be shaped in part by the experiences he’s had.

One of those came with the Finnish world junior team before the 2011 tournament, when he visited the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto. That’s the closest he’s ever been to the Stanley Cup. Maatta posed for a photo beside the silver trophy in the “Great Hall” that day, but ended up losing it afterwards when his cellphone died.

“I wish I still had it,” said Maatta.

He’s got an opportunity for an even better one now. I’m sure his parents will be bringing a camera with them to Consol Energy Center.


1018398 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Resilient Maatta embodies what Penguins are all about


CHRIS JOHNSTON JUNE 8, 2016, 6:02 PM

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Olli Maatta is smiling. Like really, really smiling.

He’s talking about his parents, Tiina and Jarri, making the trip over from Finland along with his two brothers. They are here to see Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday. They are here for what could be the biggest night of his life.

This aspect of trying to win a championship is often overlooked – there is a serious challenge to be found in the level of expectation that hangs over a potential clinching game. Sidney Crosby joked Wednesday that his hometown of Cole Harbour, N.S., is currently on “high alert” and across the pond in Jyvaskyla, Finland the mood is no different.

“There’s lots of noise around us,” said Maatta. “It’s not easy.”

If you were betting on someone drowning out the sound you’d be wise to pick the Finnish defenceman.

We’re talking about a 21-year-old who has already beaten cancer, survived two shoulder surgeries and a vicious kidney bruise, suffered a head injury in Round 2 and endured a pair of healthy scratches in Round 3, and still managed to be among Pittsburgh’s best performers during the Stanley Cup Final.

“The guy’s been through some absolute life-changing situations, and he’s handled them like an absolute professional and like the absolute fantastic guy that he is,” beamed teammate Ian Cole.

In many ways, Maatta embodies what these Penguins are all about.

He’s fought through so many obstacles and setbacks and come out better for it on the other side. His play since re-entering the lineup during the Eastern Conference final stands out because it is markedly better than where he was at earlier in the post-season.

It’s helped the Penguins get within one victory of glory despite boasting a no-name defence corps beyond No. 1 man Kris Letang. Well, more accurately, they have names – just not ones most would expect to form a successful unit on this stage: Dumoulin, Cole, Lovejoy, Schultz and Maatta.

That group hasn’t skipped a beat since Trevor Daley went down with a broken ankle last round in large part because of Maatta’s contributions. He has six assists in the seven biggest games he’s ever played.

“The main thing is the mindset I’ve gone into games with,” Maatta explained. “Just not overthink it. If you’re a little hesitant out there it’s a quick game. My mind’s been just ‘go out there and play.’ No matter what happens, just go and play – play with your instincts.”

Now is not the time for Maatta to reflect on everything he’s been through along the way, but he does acknowledge that last summer was a tough one for him.

Sandwiched around his shoulder injuries was the cancer diagnosis in October 2014. A tumour was located in his thyroid and removed surgically. He also dealt with a case of the mumps that season and could be forgiven for wondering what god he had angered.

“I was thinking a lot about what’s happened,” he said. “It was a tough year last year, it wasn’t easy. It definitely came in my mind and I was thinking about ‘what can I do?”’

Becoming the first player to ever bring the Stanley Cup to Jyvaskyla this summer would be an adequate answer. That dream will become a reality if the Penguins can beat the San Jose Sharks one more time.

Should they make it happen, don’t be surprised if Maatta is front and centre in the celebration. There is universal respect for him inside the Penguins dressing room after the way he’s handled himself through difficult times.

“A lot of people have been saying the same thing about (goalie Matt) Murray – and he’s handled everything very well under a ton of pressure – but I think that pales in comparison to having cancer, to blowing out both your shoulders, to almost having a lacerated kidney when he went head-first into the boards there (in November),” said Cole.

It’s somewhat surprising to learn that Maatta is the youngest player in the Stanley Cup Final. He’s baby-faced, sure, but there’s also a maturity beyond his years that has to be shaped in part by the experiences he’s had.

One of those came with the Finnish world junior team before the 2011 tournament, when he visited the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto. That’s the closest he’s ever been to the Stanley Cup. Maatta posed for a photo beside the silver trophy in the “Great Hall” that day, but ended up losing it afterwards when his cellphone died.

“I wish I still had it,” said Maatta.

He’s got an opportunity for an even better one now. I’m sure his parents will be bringing a camera with them to Consol Energy Center.


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Sportsnet.ca / How the Penguins’ defence has shut down Sharks’ Pavelski

ANDREW BERKSHIRE JUNE 8, 2016, 6:40 PM

The Stanley Cup Final has been a lopsided affair so far, with the San Jose Sharks being dominated by the Pittsburgh Penguins to a truly unexpected degree.

The shot attempt differential favouring the Penguins isn’t surprising, they were the stronger score-adjusted Corsi team, and the second strongest team in the league heading into the playoffs, behind only the Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings out-possessed the Sharks as well, but the Sharks obliterated them in high-quality scoring chances, making short work of a team that was favoured by many to win it all. However that hasn’t happened against the Penguins.

The Sharks haven’t been able to penetrate the inner slot close to Matt Murray at anywhere near the frequency they were able to terrorize Brian Elliott, Pekka Rinne, and Jonathan Quick.

The most noticeable drop in effectiveness has come from team captain Joe Pavelski, and you can see it clear as day when you compare his playoff performance before the Cup Final to during it.

Pavelski SCF

Pavelski’s shots and shot attempts are down in general, but the biggest drops have been in his scoring chances and deflections. Pavelski’s numbers are still better than the average player, but he’s no longer getting scoring chances like an elite goal scorer does.

There has been some speculation that Pavelski is dealing with an injury, and at this stage of the playoffs he’s likely to be dealing with several with how often he takes abuse in front of the net, but some credit has to be given to the Penguins’ defensive scheme.

Pavelski isn’t a player that does it all himself, skating the puck in and ripping a wrist shot top corner like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, or Phil Kessel do, he is a hyper-elite finisher and net-front presence, meaning someone needs to get him the puck.

Heading into this series, the Sharks had been dominating teams with their puck movement, freeing up Pavelski or Logan Couture to take prime area one-timers or deflect shots and passes in. Pittsburgh has been intensely focused on taking away that puck movement through and into the slot.

In fact, the Penguins have been so excellent positionally, that the Sharks have almost stopped attempting passes to the slot, with their forwards trying just 4.5 slot pass attempts per 20 minutes, compared to the Penguins’ 7.2 attempts.

The player they’ve been most focused on, obviously, is Joe Thornton. Thornton’s 1.5 successful passes to the slot per 20 minutes played at even strength was among the league’s elite marks coming into the


series, but against the Penguins he’s only been able to manage 0.3 successful passes to the slot per 20, an 80 per cent drop in production.

Missing Tomas Hertl on their line to create havoc on the cycle is obviously a factor, but the fact is the Penguins have defended Pavelski and Thornton to perfection, even though that line maintains solid possession numbers.

If the Sharks have any hope of making this a series, they have to find a way to make the Joes effective again.


1018400 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Mitch Marner will adjust strategy for Maple Leafs training camp

LUKE FOX JUNE 8, 2016, 3:13 PM

The Mitchell Marner who tried out for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015 is not the same Marner who will arrive at the NHL training camp in 2016.

Coming off a ridiculously successful junior campaign in which all he did was win — both as an individual (MVP of the OHL regular season, OHL playoffs, Memorial Cup, and the CHL) and a teammate (Marner’s London Knights hoisted the OHL Cup and Memorial Cup) — the 19-year-old wonder vows to change his strategy heading into camp this fall.

“The nerves. I kinda went into my first training camp really nervous and not knowing how to take it,” Marner told Hockey Central at Noon Wednesday.

Like so many 18-year-old rookie hopefuls and first-round picks, Marner said he suffered from a case of the jitters in 2015. Afraid to make a mistake, he opted for the safe, simple play in camp instead of trying to create scoring opportunities — the strength of a kid who models his game after Knights alum Patrick Kane.

“That’s what was wrong with my game,” he said. “This year I have to play my game, play the game I’m used to playing and not changing it up, instead of trying to make no mistakes at all — because that’s when bad things happen.”

Toronto’s Mark Hunter, who drafted Marner fourth overall in ’15, and London head coach Dale Hunter both sound optimistic about Marner’s chances of making the show come fall.

“Hopefully,” said Marner, who starts his summer training Monday. Presumably by lifting his various 2015-16 trophies.

“It’s how I come into training camp. If my body is ready to take an 82-game season, then I think I have a good chance of making it. It’s all up to how hard I work this off-season and how much I treat my body right.”

Due to the NHL’s agreement with the CHL, the undersized Marner will either play for the big club in 2016-17 or return to London for a fourth year of junior, put up pinball numbers and try to defend the title. (The Leafs can give Marner a maximum of two weeks with the AHL’s Marlies — the ideal spot for his development — on a conditioning stint.)

If that is the case, Marner says he would not be upset to return to London.

“Really, we’re not missing too many guys next year,” Marner said. “We have another chance at a Memorial Cup championship.”

MARNER 15-16

OHL 1ST TEAM ALLSTAR

OHL MOP

OHL PLAYOFF MVP

OHL PLAYOFF SCORING LEADER

OHL CUP

MEMCUP

MEMCUP MVP

CHL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

— PLATINUM SEAT GHOSTS (@3RDPERIODSUITS) JUNE 2, 2016


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Sportsnet.ca / Cherry: Sidney Crosby ‘no question’ Conn Smythe favourite

SPORTSNET STAFF JUNE 8, 2016, 9:09 PM

With the Pittsburgh Penguins one win away from lifting the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in franchise history, much of the conversation around the Final has swayed towards Conn Smythe Trophy debate.

The current favourites to walk away as the player judged to be most valuable to his team during the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup playoffs include Penugins’ Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, Kris Letang, and Matt Murray.

Coach’s Corner co-host Don Cherry joined Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown and John Shannon on Sportsnet 590 The Fan Wednesday night and was asked who would be his pick to lift the Conn Smythe Trophy. Cherry singled out Crosby as his favourite for the hardware this spring.

"My guy's Crosby. He's on a mission, as far as I'm concerned. I have never seen him play better than he's playing right now. He's taking abuse, he's hitting, he's blocking shots...I don't know if he's going to win it or not, I know the goaltender [Murray] and all that, but I would pick Crosby there's no question in my mind," Cherry said.

Crosby has scored six goals and totalled 17 points in 22 games this post-season. The Penguins' leading scorer through 22 playoff games is Kessel, who ranks fourth among all post-season skaters with 10 goals and 21 points.

Asked if Kessel is a different player with the Penguins than he was with his former clubs, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins, Cherry said not much has changed for the 28-year-old sniper.

"No way, I always liked him in Toronto...It's just that in Toronto he played more. I think he's just the same player," Cherry said of Kessel.

The Sharks trail the Penguins 3-1 with the series shifting back to Pittsburgh for Game 5. Cherry was asked to put his coaching hat on and make a call on the Sharks splitting up stars Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton in an effort to get back in the series.

"Absolutely. I would do something," said Cherry. "This is the last gasp. They're doing nothing...I know Joe [Thornton] got two assists. Pavelski was the guy, he was the leader, he's the captain. And Logan Couture, you know what I think of him...he's done nothing. I would definitely break them up."

Game 5 is set for 8 p.m. ET Thursday night.


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Sportsnet.ca / Guy Lafleur calls Sharks’ beards ‘a disgrace for hockey’

EMILY SADLER JUNE 8, 2016, 3:26 PM


Guy Lafleur has a theory as to why the San Jose Sharks are struggling in the Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Their beards are in the way.

The Montreal Canadiens legend and Hall of Famer shared his opinion about the bushy beards on veteran Joe Thornton and defenceman Brent Burns, and he didn’t mince words.

“I think it’s a disgrace for hockey. I hate it,” Lafleur told the Montreal Gazette. “It’s not a good image for the NHL.”

Growing playoff beards has been a much-loved tradition by most — though a certain executive spoke out against the ritual last year — but the evolution of Thornton and Chewbacca Burns’ facial hair began long before April, and has become part of the players’ identities.

“I don’t mind a guy wearing a beard, but to his belly … enough is enough,” said Lafleur. “The team’s managers should put their foot down.”

“They can’t see the puck,” Lafleur joked. “That’s why they’re struggling.”

In defence of the beards, and the players sporting them, both Thornton and Burns have had strong showings this post-season. While the entire Sharks team, down 3-1 in the series, has been struggling in the Final, both were instrumental in getting the Sharks to their first-ever Cup Final. Thornton has been a top playmaker with three goals and 17 assists in 22 playoff games, while Burns has six goals and 16 assists in as many games.


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Sportsnet.ca / Measuring performance by defencemen through the neutral zone

Brent Burns is living his childhood dream, finally reaching a Stanley Cup Final with the San Jose Sharks.

I’ve written at length this post-season about the various ways defencemen can put their imprint on the run of play at five-on-five. By keying in on specific sequences through the lens of microstat tracking, whether it be zone exit attempts or zone entries against, we’ve been able to grasp a better understanding of the ‘how’ and ‘what’ individual blueliners do to help tilt the ice.

While it’s necessary to split those two facets into separate quantities in order to isolate different strengths and weaknesses, I’m a big believer that there’s still an inherent interplay between the two. Being able to effectively man the defensive blueline and disrupt the advances of the opposition in a timely fashion should theoretically feed directly into kickstarting the transition offence moving the other way. Or better put: the less time you spend defending, the more time you’ll spend attacking.

There may be no better example of this than Joe Thornton, who drew legitimate Selke Trophy buzz for his play this season despite not generally being considered that type of player. But the reality is he’s stifled most of what the opposition has wanted to do simply because his team has seemingly had possession of the puck whenever he’s been on the ice.

The inverse is true as well. What you typically see from players who make a habit of being hemmed deep in their own zone is that by the time they retrieve the puck, they’re all too happy to dump it out and get off for a change. By devoting all of their energy to defending, they’re not only suppressing any offence they may have generated, but they’re also putting the guys who come on the ice after them at a disadvantage.

This brings us to the “Net Neutral Zone Scores” charted below, which is based on an aggregate total that combines the two aforementioned components. While it’s a figure that’ll certainly require tinkering and contextual adjustments in the future, for now it can serve as a proxy for identifying how well individual defencemen have controlled their blueline. In the simplest terms: it’s a ballpark estimate for the number of pucks that cleanly move across the blueline and through the neutral zone whenever a specific player is directly involved in the play.

(The numbers are updated all of the way through the Conference Finals, and include only players who appeared in 5+ games this post-season. For a frame of reference: Upper Right Quadrant = Good, Bottom Left Quadrant = Bad.)

The Penguins are an interesting case study here, because despite all of their tremendous team success they don’t really have any standouts here beyond Kris Letang (who himself is just managing to hover above the 50 per cent plateau with his zone exits). I suspect a large amount of that can be attributed to a deliberate system they’re running under Mike Sullivan, with their top-flight forwards being tasked with a larger share of the workload than we typically see. When you have players who can maneuver through the neutral zone like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel, it’s hard to argue with that preference.

When their defencemen do attempt to make a breakout, they’ve developed quite the affinity for the “alley-oop” play where the puck is lobbed high in the air towards an open sheet of ice for the forward to go and retrieve it. While I’m generally not a huge fan of the play, Pittsburgh’s personnel and the tempo the execute the play with gives them a chance to convert a higher percentage of those plays than your average team. There’s very little hesitation with their decision-making and their north-south movement, which makes it next to impossible for the opposition to set up its defensive shell. The Penguins have proven to be an entirely different animal, and no one has been able to find an answer for neutralizing them.

One final note on the Penguins: I don’t really have an explanation for how good the Schultz and Cole pairing has been since they were put together early in the Eastern Conference Final. Especially after Schultz didn’t even have a regular spot in the lineup early in the post-season, and Cole (along with Ben Lovejoy) was half responsible for one of the least effective pairings you’ll ever see. More power to these two, because they’ve helped the Penguins survive the injury to Trevor Daley.

Fully acknowledging that there’s a certain level of nitpicking involved in finding flaws for a team that was one game away from making it back to a second consecutive Stanley Cup Final, I do think it’s worth calling into question the way the Tampa Bay Lightning have assembled their defence corps.

Despite Victor Hedman’s herculean efforts to cover up many of the holes behind him on the depth chart, the Penguins eventually exposed this group. The common thread between many of these blueliners, who were routinely picked on by Pittsburgh’s speed, is the premium Steve Yzerman and his staff have placed on size. All things being equal, valuing size is perfectly fine. But you get yourself in trouble when you start sacrificing other skills.

By putting so many of their eggs in that one basket, the Lightning were forced to give significant blocks of ice time to players like Braydon Coburn, Jason Garrison, and Andrej Sustr despite the fact they were having a hellish time keeping up with the pace. The end result wasn’t pretty. They were each completing well under half of their exit attempts, surrendering their own blueline to clean carry-ins more than half of the time, and ultimately wound up south of 50 per cent in both shot and expected goal metrics.

If you include Matt Carle in that group, the most troubling thing of all is the Lightning have more than $15 million in cap space tied up in those four defencemen heading into next season. If the Lightning are going to keep pushing for Stanley Cups they’ll need to recalibrate the attributes they’re prioritizing on the back end. If they don’t, they won’t be optimizing their otherwise tremendously talented roster.

On the other end of the spectrum is San Jose’s defence corps, whose balance and well-rounded composition held up exceptionally well through the first three rounds. Brent Burns justifiably garners the lion’s share of the attention because of his gaudy point totals, and the affable character he portrays on and off of the ice. His puck skills are obviously the driving force of his game, but his combination of aggressiveness, reach, and freakishly slick skating ability for a player of his size is underappreciated. These elements cause all sorts of trouble for the other team.

A great example of that unique package is neatly captured in the sequence below, where he single-handedly thwarted a developing man advantage for the opposition and turned it into a scoring chance for his teammate in a matter of seconds:

While Burns is more of an exception than a rule, the rest of San Jose’s top-four defenders still manage to be effective by doing a little bit of everything well in a more subtle manner. Players such as Paul Martin


and Justin Braun tend to slip through the cracks because they don’t have one single skill that’s instantly noticeable to the eye in limited viewings, but they make up for that by always being in the right place at the right time. They understand their own capabilities and make smart, (purposefully) simple plays with the puck to keep it moving in the right direction.

Unfortunately for the Sharks, the same can’t be said for all of their defenders. Their third pairing of Brenden Dillon and Roman Polak has been roasted all post-season long by whoever they’ve gone up against, with San Jose controlling just 44.9 per cent of the shots and 32.9 per cent of the goals scored whenever those two are on the ice together.

While Dillon has had his own share of difficulties, it’s really Polak – who currently sits as the league’s least effective defenceman when it comes to transitioning the puck out of his own zone – who has been exposed as a liability. It’s a little bit of a head scratcher that the Sharks, who have put together a very skilled roster, went out of their way to acquire Polak for a premium. They knew what they were getting, and it hasn’t been very good.


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Sportsnet.ca / Devils’ Patrik Elias taking Selanne’s approach to free agency


What a way to go out. What incentive to stay.

In what might end up being his farewell National Hockey League game, the New Jersey Devils‘ all-time scoring leader tacked on three more points to his legend for good measure.

On April 9, four days before his 40th birthday, Patrik Elias scored a goal, set up two others and was a plus-4 in New Jersey’s season-ending victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. A meaningless game stuffed with so much significance for Elias, whose hobbled joint limited him to a scant 16 games in 2015-16.

One week earlier, the franchise’s pace-setter in goals (408), assists (617) and points (1,025) believed he was done, but his three-game return from January’s arthroscopic right-knee surgery re-energized him, as did striking instant chemistry with fellow Czech forward Pavel Zacha — a player half his age making his NHL debut.

“I couldn’t write it better,” Elias told Scott Oake afterward (watch above). “The way I felt these three games, hopefully this is not it, but you never know.”

What we do know, after Elias underwent yet another surgical procedure on his right knee in early May, is that the unrestricted free agent will be taking Teemu Selanne’s late-career approach to free agency this summer.

July 1 means nothing to the two-time Stanley Cup winner, who will either retire late this summer or sign a one-year contract with the Devils — the club that drafted him 22 years ago.

“He desperately wants to play one more year,” Elias’s agent, Allan Walsh, told Sportsnet. “We’re not talking to other teams. If Patrik is able to play at the level he expects himself to play, if he can contribute to a team, I think New Jersey would very much love to have him back.”

Elias’s latest surgery went well and he has begun specific rehab protocols. He will take time to rest and ramp up his training through the summer and start skating in August. If his knee feels strong and Elias believes he can contribute on a nightly basis to the Devils, only then will he and Walsh open discussions with New Jersey.

Remember when Devils icon Martin Brodeur retired as a member of the St. Louis Blues?

OK. Done cringing?

Well, as eager as he is to return, don’t expect Elias to join one of the NHL’s other 29 teams in 2016-17.

“I would say it’s a similar situation to what Teemu Selanne went through with Anaheim for several years,” Walsh explained. “When he felt his knee would hold up and he felt good, he told Anaheim, ‘I’m ready to commit to another year.’ And then they worked out a deal.”

Devils GM Ray Shero, too, must be certain Elias is healthy, especially when one considers the injuries that have plagued veteran Devils forwards Michael Cammalleri (signed through 2018-19) and Ryane Clowe (2017-18). Each of those players is costing the team roughly $5 million per season.

Selanne played until age 43. Jaromir Jagr just signed on for another tour with the Florida Panthers at age 44. Look no further than the Stanley Cup Final to see aging San Jose Sharks Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, both 36, and Dainius Zubrus, 37, making an impact on the West’s best team.

“He certainly looks around the league at some of the guys. Even his good friend Zubrus, who’s playing really well with San Jose right now,” Walsh said. “Patrik is very motivated to get to the point where he can be an effective player.”

Here’s hoping Elias goes full Selanne and announces one more season with a goofy video.


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Sportsnet.ca / Joe Colborne ‘closer’ to new deal with Calgary Flames


Brad Treliving needs two hands to count all the restricted free agent forwards he must make decisions on this off-season.

The Calgary Flames‘ busy general manager has already begun contract negotiations with Joe Colborne.

Treliving must find a new head coach and prepare for the NHL Draft this month, but that didn’t stop him from opening up talks with Colborne’s agent, J.P. Barry, upon returning from Russia last month, when he co-GM’d Team Canada to an IIHF world championship.

“Since he’s been back, I know we’ve been in some talks, and hopefully we’re getting closer and closer,” Colborne told Sportsnet 960 The Fan on Wednesday.

“I’m not thinking that it’s going to take too, too long here.”

The 26-year-old Colborne grew up just 25 minutes from the Saddledome and sounded optimistic about his future in the city as he discussed his Colborne’s Forces event on-air.

With a solid No. 1 goaltender still needed and star building blocks Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan also facing free agency this summer, it’s natural to wonder if salary-cap concerns might make Colborne the odd man out.

Add less-expensive young forwards Josh Jooris, Drew Shore and Turner Elson, plus goaltending prospect Joni Ortio to the Flames’ 2016 RFA class, and the math gets tricky.

Colborne and Calgary appear eager to find common ground.

“The thing with Joe is, he’s a big body who has got ability and they’re not growing on trees,” Treliving told Sportsnet’s Eric Francis on March 30.

“I know he likes it here and we like him. It’s all got to fit in.”

Despite his team’s disappointing finish, the 26-year-old centre is coming off a breakout season statistically.

Career highs in goals (19), assists (25) and points (44), combined with a career low in penalty minutes (27), should earn the 2008 first-round draft pick a nice raise and longer commitment from the modest two-year,


$2.55-million bridge deal that expires July 1. All but five of his points came during five-on-five.

Among the Flames’ regular forwards, Colborne ranked sixth in ice time (15:09).

Critics have noted, however, that the bulk of Colborne’s production came in the back half of the season, with Calgary’s playoff hopes vanquished.

“Generally speaking, I caution people at this time of the year, when your team is out of it, putting a whole lot of stock into stats,” Treliving said.

More alarming: Colborne’s sky-high shooting percentage of 19 per cent this season — tops among all Flames — should come back down to earth next season. He converted 11.9 per cent of his shots in 2014-15 and 12.5 per cent in 2013-14.


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TSN.CA / Kessel doesn’t care about the Conn Smythe

By Frank Seravalli

PITTSBURGH — One day before perhaps the biggest game of his life, Pittsburgh Penguins winger Phil Kessel said he had a low-key night planned.

“It’s the same thing as always,” Kessel said. “The family is in [town] and stuff. I’ll go to dinner with them and that’s about it.”

That Kessel has a chance to become the fourth American-born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy did not seem to matter much to him. His only focus is on a bigger, shinier trophy: the Stanley Cup.

“I don’t really care, as long as we win,” Kessel said. “It doesn’t really matter at all as long as at the end of the day we get a win.”

It was vintage Kessel. He never seems to get rattled.

The nonchalant Kessel, 28, enters Game 5 on Thursday night as the co-favourite for MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs with teammate Sidney Crosby.

Asked whether he is playing the best hockey of his career, Kessel replied: “You guys have to answer that. I feel like I’m doing whatever I can to help the team out there.

“I haven’t changed anything. I kind of play the same way I have for my whole career.”

Kessel’s coach, Mike Sullivan, answered for him on Monday night in San Jose after Game 5. Kessel leads the Penguins in goals (10), points (21) and shots (91) in the postseason, but Sullivan said it has been Kessel’s complete game that has made the difference.

“I love Phil’s overall game. Not just tonight, I’ve liked it through these whole playoffs,” Sullivan said. “What really impresses me about Phil is just his commitment away from the puck, the play in his own end zone, the wall play that he's participating in. He's strong on the puck. He's playing the game the right way now.”

They were words few coaches had ever spoken about Kessel.

“I didn't do anything,” Sullivan said. “For me, Phil deserves the credit for his contribution to helping this team win. Him and I have had conversations throughout the course of the season. We have a very transparent relationship. I try to challenge him in areas of his game where we think he can improve, get better, help our team win. We don't get to where we're at if Phil doesn't play the type of hockey that he's played here throughout the course of these playoffs.”

While cognizant of the moment, Kessel vowed to not change anything for the Cup-clinching scenario - one that he never could have imagined after leaving Toronto a year ago.

“It’s a big change from where I was at before. It’s unbelievable,” Kessel admitted. “It’s a little different game. It’s a special game. I’m just going

out there and playing. I’m just trying my best. You don’t get many chances like this, so you try to play at your best.”

TSN.CA LOADED: 06.09.2016

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TSN.CA / Off-Season Game Plan: New York Islanders

Scott Cullen

The New York Islanders have reached the playoffs, accumulating more than 100 points, in back-to-back seasons. It’s the first time that they have had back-to-back 100-point seasons since 1982.

Off-Season Game Plan looks at an Islanders team that appears to be on the way up, but has a challenging offseason with new ownership and some significant free agents.

This summer, the Islanders’ majority ownership is transferring to Jonathan Ledecky and Scott Malkin, and new ownership could change the way the Islanders approach player acquisition.

For most of the time that the Islanders have been under Charles Wang’s guidance, the Islanders have been savvy bargain-hunters. It’s served them well, to build a cost-effective playoff team, but the Islanders haven’t been big players in free agency and it’s possible that new owners might be inclined to loosen the purse strings and spend more to acquire free agents.

This is even more interesting because the Islanders have a few notable free agents in their own right: first-line winger Kyle Okposo, second-line centre Frans Nielsen and fourth-line banger Matt Martin.

If the new owners are aggressive, maybe they can add a high-profile player or two to round out what is already a competitive roster, but may need a major acquisition or two to push them to another level.

HOCKEY OPS/COACH

Garth Snow/Jack Capuano

RETURNING FORWARDS

NAME GP G A PTS CF% RELCF% PDO OZS% ATOI 2016-17 CAP

John Tavares 78 33 37 70 51.5 1.3 101.4 64.5 19:00 $5.5M

Brock Nelson 81 26 14 40 48.8 -1.8 100.7 57.8 15:48 $2.5M

Anders Lee 80 15 21 36 51.9 0.8 99.0 57.0 14:35 $3.75M

Josh Bailey 81 12 20 32 48.9 -1.7 100.4 50.5 15:51 $3.3M

Casey Cizikas 80 8 22 30 48.4 -3.4 101.4 39.9 12:41 $3.35M

Mikhail Grabovski 58 9 16 25 49.2 -2.2 101.4 50.9 14:06 $5.0M

Cal Clutterbuck 77 15 8 23 48.3 -3.4 102.1 40.0 11:55 $2.75M

Nikolay Kulemin 81 9 13 22 46.8 -4.7 103.6 47.8 14:04 $4.188M

FREE AGENT FORWARDS

NAME GP G A PTS CF% RELCF% PDO OZS% ATOI 2015-16 CAP STATUS

Kyle Okposo 79 22 42 64 50.6 0.2 99.6 54.9 18:12 $2.8M UFA


Frans Nielsen 81 20 32 52 51.1 0.9 100.1 48.2 17:43 $2.75M UFA

Ryan Strome 71 8 20 28 50.6 0.5 98.6 56.8 15:39 $863K RFA

Matt Martin 80 10 9 19 49.4 -1.8 101.5 41.2 10:33 $1.0M UFA

Shane Prince 62 6 11 17 49.7 -1.5 102.3 49.1 11:14 $700K RFA

Steve Bernier 24 1 5 6 45.3 -6.0 103.1 46.6 11:14 $750K UFA

Eric Boulton 6 0 0 0 35.7 -10.9 93.3 65.2 9:29 $575K UFA

A furious finish (6 G, 6 A in the last seven regular-season games) and a solid playoff performance (6 G, 5 A in 11 GP) helped salvage an otherwise disappointing season for star centre John Tavares. He finished with 70 points, which is certainly respectable, but it was his lowest points-per-game (0.90) rate since 2010-2011, and a notable drop from a career-high 86 points in 2014-2015. Of course, Tavares also played just 19:00 per game, his lowest since his rookie season (2009-2010), so one way to boost his poiont totals would be to get him on the ice more frequently.

24-year-old Brock Nelson finished second on the Islanders with a career-high 26 goals, but managed just seven in his last 44 (regular season plus playoff) games. Aside from his goal total, Nelson’s numbers were a bit down the year before, not the kind of progress that was anticipated at this stage of his career. And yet, he’s a big forward who can put the puck in the net, so that shouldn’t be taken for granted either.

Anders Lee is a power forward whose season ended prematurely with a broken leg. The 25-year-old’s production dipped a bit last season, due in part to poor percentages, but he’s a solid contributor in a scoring role.

He now qualifies as a veteran forward, but Josh Bailey hasn’t been able to bust out with a big season – he had career-highs of 15 goals and 41 points in 2014-2015 – so he’s considered somewhat disappointing since he was the ninth pick in the 2008 Draft (to be fair, these are the forwards drafted after Bailey in the first round that year: Cody Hodgson, Kyle Beach, Zach Boychuk, Joe Colborne, Anton Gustafsson, Jordan Eberle, Mattias Tedenby, Greg Nemisz, Tyler Ennis, Viktor Tikhonov and Daultan Leveille). Maybe getting a solid top-nine winger isn’t such a bad deal after all.

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One of the first priorities for the Islandes in the offseason was signing Casey Cizikas to a new contract.

The Islanders showed a lot of faith in Casey Cizikas, signing him to a new three-year contract that brings with it a $3.35-million cap hit. That’s a hefty raise for a player who has been a fourth-line center for the bulk of his career and is coming off a career-best 30-point season that was partially-fueled by inflated on-ice shooting percentage (9.6% compared to 7.3% for his career).

While Mikhail Grabovski has been a reasonably productive complementary player since joining the Islanders, injuries have been a major issue as he’s played 109 of 164 regular-season games in two seasons with the Islanders. He ended last season on the DL with a concussion, and since he’s had multiple concussions it gets more and more difficult to put any expectations on what the 32-year-old could provide in the future.

Hard-hitting winger Cal Clutterbuck continued to agitate opponents and scored 15 goals (his most since 2011-2012), even though his shot rate (1.04 per game) was the lowest of his career. Clutterbuck has limitations, but there’s little reason to complain about a fourth-line winger who scored 13 even-strength goals last season, as many as Andrew Ladd, David Backes, Scott Hartnell, Patrick Marleau and Patrick Sharp, among others.

It might as well have been another lifetime ago that Nikolay Kulemin was a 30-goal scorer (as he was in 2010-2011 for Toronto), as he’s not scored more than 15 goals in a season since, finishing with nine or fewer in four of the past five seasons. That lack of production makes Kulemin an expensive penalty killer. He’s good at it, but still pricey.

Ryan Strome looked like he was headed in the right direction after he scored 50 points in 2014-2015, but he crashed to 28 points and several

healthy scratches last season. Suddenly, questions linger about the fifth pick in the 2011 Draft, and whether he’ll be a bona fide scoring winger.

Acquired in a trade with Ottawa, Shane Prince has a modest 18 points in 64 career games, though he was a solid possession player with Ottawa (not so much with the Islanders). He’s an inexpensive and skilled depth option up front.

With new ownership coming in, the Islanders could be poised to be major players in free agency. That just tends to be the way with new owners. They could take a run at Steven Stamkos, but even failing that (and especially if Kyle Okposo and/or Frans Nielsen depart as free agents), the Islanders should be in the mix for at least one of the top forwards like Milan Lucic, David Backes, Andrew Ladd, Loui Eriksson or Eric Staal. With some cap room, the Isles could also be poised to add a player from a team needing to cut costs; a veteran player along the lines of Columbus’ Scott Hartnell, for example.

RETURNING DEFENCEMEN

NAME GP G A PTS CF% RELCF% PDO OZS% ATOI 2016-17 CAP

Nick Leddy 81 5 35 40 50.6 0.3 99.8 50.4 22:37 $5.5M

Johnny Boychuk 70 9 16 25 48.9 -2.1 102.5 48.3 21:22 $6.0M

Travis Hamonic 72 5 16 21 49.7 0.1 99.4 49.9 23:49 $3.857M

Thomas Hickey 62 6 11 17 47.8 -3.2 103.3 53.2 17:24 $2.2M

Calvin de Haan 72 2 14 16 50.0 -0.5 99.4 49.9 20:38 $1.967M

Ryan Pulock 15 2 2 4 51.7 6.8 101.7 57.5 15:44 $863K

FREE AGENT DEFENCEMEN

NAME GP G A PTS CF% RELCF% PDO OZS% ATOI 2015-16 CAP STATUS

Marek Zidlicky 53 4 12 16 48.8 -3.3 102.5 61.8 15:35 $1.5M UFA

Brian Strait 52 1 5 6 47.2 -6.1 100.9 54.3 15:26 $775K UFA

Smooth-skating 25-year-old Nick Leddy has steadily improved and is now a quality first-pair defender who can keep the puck moving. His possession numbers weren’t as strong last season, compared to previous years, but his workload has become increasingly difficult, with more defensive zone face-offs last season.

Though Johnny Boychuk played more than 21 minutes for the third straight season, and he’s a physical defensive defenceman, he had a possession decline last season which raises some concern, not least of all because he’s 32-years-old and defencemen that hit and block shots don’t necessarily age well. He’s signed through 2022, so the Islanders will hope Boychuk’s dip in possession numbers is an aberration.

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It appears that Travis Hamonic will be sticking around with the Islanders.

When it came out early last season that Travis Hamonic wanted to be traded, ideally to Western Canada, the Islanders were in a tough spot – they couldn’t easily find another first-pair defenceman, signed to a very economical long-term contract – and doing nothing seems to have worked out for them. Hamonic has rescinded his trade request so the Isles will have the physical presence patrolling their blueline for the foreseeable future.

Thomas Hickey’s role diminished a bit last season, but he’s serviceable as long as he remains on the third pairing, and that’s where he settles on this Islanders defence corps.

He’s not flashy (and tied a career-best with 16 points last season), but Calvin de Haan is a steady top-four defenceman, who played more than 20 minutes per game last season and is one of five defencemen to


record at least 200 hits and 250 blocked shots over the past two seasons.

The 15th pick in the 2013 Draft, Ryan Pulock made his NHL debut last season and while his defensive game is still a work in progress, he has a booming shot that makes him a threat on the power play.

It appears that the Islanders have their top four (if not top six) settled on the blueline, so any additions are likely to be for depth. Prospects Scott Mayfield and Adam Pelech offer additional options, but the Isles might want to add a veteran to handle seventh defenceman role.

RETURNING GOALTENDERS

NAME GP W L T SV% EV SV% 2016-17 CAP

Jaroslav Halak 36 18 13 4 .919 .919 $4.5M

Thomas Greiss 41 23 11 4 .925 .934 $1.5M

FREE AGENT GOALTENDER

NAME GP W L T SV% EV SV% 2015-16 CAP STATUS

Jean-Francois Berube 7 3 2 1 .914 .924 $563K RFA

A core injury ended Jaroslav Halak’s season early, but he was an above-average starter while healthy last season. However, the Islanders were certainly satisfied with the performance of Thomas Greiss last season, so they might consider moving Halak in order to give Greiss the starting role. The opportunity to save $3-million, that could be spent elsewhere on the roster, could make it worthwhile.

30-year-old Thomas Greiss played a career-high 41 games last season, before starting all 11 playoff game games, and he performed well, posting a combined .924 save percentage in those 52 games. As a result, the Isles could be willing to try Greiss as an inexpensive number one next season.

Jean-Francois Berube hung around as a third goaltender in Brooklyn last season. He didn’t play much, starting six games, but the 24-year-old could be a capable NHL backup.

TOP PROSPECTS

PLAYER POS. GP G A PTS +/- TEAM (LEAGUE)

Mathew Barzal C 58 27 61 88 +22 Seattle (WHL)

Michael Dal Colle LW 60 35 45 80 +17 Oshawa (OHL)

Ilya Sorokin G 28 .953 CSKA Moscow (KHL)

Ryan Pulock D 51 7 17 24 +6 Bridgeport (AHL)

Anthony Beauvillier LW 47 40 39 79 +21 Shawinigan (QMJHL)

Josh Ho-Sang RW 66 19 63 82 +28 Niagara (OHL)

Devon Toews D 40 7 23 30 +27 Quinnipiac (ECAC)

Adam Pelech D 27 2 5 7 +3 Bridgeport (AHL)

Scott Mayfield D 54 5 7 12 +9 Bridgeport (AHL)

Alan Quine C 56 19 29 48 +1 Bridgeport (AHL)

Mitchell Vande Sompel D 46 10 28 38 -15 Oshawa (OHL)

Doyle Somerby D 39 5 8 13 +4 Boston University (HE)

Carter Verhaeghe C 30 6 9 15 +3 Bridgeport (AHL)

Parker Wotherspoon D 71 11 45 56 -16 Tri-City (WHL)

Ryan Pilon D 68 11 41 52 +36 Brandon (WHL)

DRAFT

19th – Dante Fabbro, Max Jones, Alex DeBrincat

FREE AGENCY

The Islanders have approximately $56.7M committed to the 2016-2017 salary cap for 16 players.

NEEDS

Two top-six forwards, depth forwards, depth defencemen

WHAT I SAID THE ISLANDERS NEEDED LAST YEAR

One top-four defenceman, backup goaltender

THEY ADDED

Steve Bernier, Marek Zidlicky, Thomas Greiss, Jean-Francois Berube

TRADE MARKET

Josh Bailey, Ryan Strome, Nikolay Kulemin, Jaroslav Halak, Jean-Francois Berube

PROJECTED 2016-2017 DEPTH CHART

LEFT WING CENTRE RIGHT WING

Milan Lucic John Tavares Anders Lee

Josh Bailey Brock Nelson Ryan Strome

Nikolay Kulemin Casey Cizikas Lee Stempniak

Shane Prince Mikhail Grabovski Cal Clutterbuck

Michael Dal Colle Alan Quine Justin Fontaine

Rob Klinkhammer Carter Verhaeghe Josh Ho-Sang

LEFT DEFENCE RIGHT DEFENCE GOALTENDER

Nick Leddy Travis Hamonic Jaroslav Halak

Calvin De Haan Johnny Boychuk Thomas Greiss

Thomas Hickey Ryan Pulock Jean-Francois Berube

Adam Pelech Scott Mayfield

Matt Finn Devon Toews

(projected line-ups include projected acquisitions)


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TSN.CA / Craig's List: Matthews No. 1 because position matters

By Craig Button

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating one final time as we approach the NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo on June 24: position matters. That’s why Auston Matthews, a complete, elite centre, gets the nod over explosive winger Patrik Laine at the top of the final Craig’s List.


Laine scored more goals than Matthews during the 2015-16 season - 48 to 41 - but he did it in 96 games, while Matthews netted his in 64. That gives Matthews the goals per game average nod over Laine (.64 to .5).

There is no doubt Laine had a season for the ages and one not seen from a draft- eligible player since Jaromir Jagr in 1990. He excelled at the World Juniors then followed it up with MVP performances in the SM Liiga playoffs and at the World Championships, leaving no doubt about his terrific talent.

An argument can be made that Laine may score more at the NHL level, but as a centre, Matthews can impact the game in more ways. My view is simple: Without a complete, elite centre, a team will have a very difficult time being successful.

Jesse Puljujarvi, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Matthew Tkachuk have all shown they have the capabilities to be front-line players in the NHL, combining considerable size with high-end skill. Their impact was significant this season, and the trio have the tools to do the same at the professional level — perhaps as soon as the 2016-17 season.

TSN's resident scout Craig Button joined the Big Show for some NHL talk including the favourite for the Conn Smythe, Edmonton's off-season options impacting their fourth overall draft pick and why Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine should be the top-two names called at the upcoming NHL draft.

Clayton Keller and Logan Brown come in at six and seven respectively. The two Americans are separated by eight and half inches in height and 44 pounds in weight, but there is not much separating their ability to impact the game offensively. Keller’s imagination and creativity is unmatched in this draft, conjuring up Images of Patrick Kane.

Brown has grown, literally and figuratively, over the course of this season with the Windsor Spitfires. His game has become increasingly impactful and he reminds me of Joe Thornton when he passes the puck and makes plays for teammates.

Craig Button says Logan Brown will go early in the draft. A 6'6" centre who plays like Joe Thornton, according to Button who also says at some point, the Canucks are going to have to replace Henrik Sedin. Big bodied number one centremen don't come along very often.

Mikhail Sergachev not only made a smooth transition to the OHL with the Spitfires, he was voted the best defenceman in the entire league. He excels in every single area of the game. He can skate, pass, shoot, has a physical element and very well may be the most complete blueliner available in the draft.

Olli Juolevi has excellent hockey sense that allows him to always feel the rhythm and pace of the game. That gift allowed him to play with effortless command all season long for the London Knights.

So there you have it, the end of the line for Craig’s List, 2016 Draft Edition. The end for us is just the beginning for these players. There is real excitement for what these prospects could mean to a franchise. If the performances we’ve seen leading up to the draft are an indication of what lies ahead, NHL fans are in for a treat.


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TSN.CA / Is the NHL still a superstar-driven league?

By Frank Seravalli

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Mike Sullivan remembers the clutching and grabbing.

He played through the hooking and holding in the 1990s. He coached against it from behind the bench of the Boston Bruins in 2003-04 - the last season before the NHL lockout changed the game beyond recognition.

But Sullivan didn’t hesitate for a second Monday night when he said that it is harder to score now than it ever was back then.

“This is the hardest hockey that I’ve witnessed in all the years I’ve been associated with this league, just as far as how hard both teams have to work for their ice out there,” Sullivan said after Game 4. “You’ve got to work for every inch of ice.”

The Dead Puck Era is long gone; the game is faster and cleaner now. If anything, you could argue that the one thing this Stanley Cup final is lacking - aside from competitive balance - is a nasty edge.

Yet, league-wide scoring dipped this season to its lowest rate (5.42 goals per game) since Sullivan’s 2003-04 campaign with the Bruins (5.14). Goal totals are even lower when accounting for the severe uptick in empty-net goals compared to 12 years ago.

Perhaps, with all due respect to Patrick Kane and maybe Connor McDavid, it is fair to wonder whether the NHL is entering the Post-Superstar Forward Era. At the very least it's time to temper the expectations we place on stars’ offensive production.

How else to explain that the Pittsburgh Penguins are closing in on their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history without otherworldly performances from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?

Malkin scored his second goal in 16 games on Monday. Crosby was the best player on the ice in the first two games of the final, but he has yet to score a goal. Pittsburgh swatted Washington, the team that lapped the NHL in the regular season, with a combined one goal and three assists from Crosby and Malkin in six games.

The Penguins are on the brink because of the sum of their parts. It has been about a different contributor every night - from Bryan Rust to Conor Sheary to Nick Bonino to Phil Kessel to Ian Cole. Nice players, all, but none of them are stars.

That wasn’t how it worked in 2009, when Malkin lifted the Conn Smythe and Crosby netted 31 points in 24 games.

“The game has a little changed,” Malkin said Sunday. “We have a different team. We had a different coach and we not play two lines, we play four lines. I like what we do. We have a great team. I’m not seeing a big problem for me and for my linemates. It’s a little bit different.”

This seems to be more than just unlikely heroes emerging during playoff moments. Remember, the NHL’s scoring champion failed to top 90 points last season for the first time since 1967-68. This year, Kane was the only one to break 90, topping out at 106.

Those trends have continued in the playoffs.

Take the Sharks, for instance. Look at their goal scorers in this Cup final: Justin Braun has two, while Melker Karlsson, Tomas Hertl, Joonas Donskoi, Joel Ward and Patrick Marleau all have one.

Joe Pavelski paces the postseason with 13 goals, but he doesn’t have a point in this series. Logan Couture, Brent Burns and Joe Thornton have all been limited to two assists apiece.

It certainly isn't for a lack of effort.

“Guys are trying,” Couture said. “Pavs has scored 13 goals in these playoffs - that’s a pretty ridiculous streak that he [was] on. He’s had a great playoffs. It’s not an easy game. It’s pretty tough out there to score goals.”

So, why is that the case?

Ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr said at January’s All-Star Game that he felt he is a better player now, at 44, than he was during his Hart Trophy years in the late 90s.

“The difference is everyone else caught up to me,” Jagr said. “The league is way better now. There are no bad players.”

The coaching is also significantly better, too. Advantages are rarely exploited for long in this copycat league. Coaches can teach players how to defend, but they can’t teach them how to score.

“As talented as both of these teams are offensively, this is something we've said to our team all year long: ‘It doesn't matter how many goals we score, we have to learn how to defend,’” Sullivan said. “I know this team can score. When we start making a commitment to playing away from the puck, keeping the puck out of our net, now we become a team that’s, in our opinion, a contender.


“Teams don’t get this far if they don’t have the ability to defend. I think the top players get the most attention from probably the better defenders. It doesn’t surprise me that goals are hard to come by because both teams are making such a sincere commitment to playing away from the puck. That’s just the type of hockey it’s become. It’s not an easy environment. It’s hard hockey.”

The NHL is going the opposite way of the professional sports landscape. The NBA, MLB and NFL - particularly with regard to quarterbacks - are more reliant on stars now than ever.

This setup fits the traditional ‘team-first’ hockey mantra. But it won’t put butts in the seats.

It just puts salary cap crunchers on notice.


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USA TODAY / With a Stanley Cup in sight, Penguins not looking too far ahead

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports 5:37 p.m. EDT June 8, 2016

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa – The Pittsburgh Penguins’ plan heading into Thursday’s potential Stanley Cup-clinching game is to remember that the late Yogi Berra was right.

It’s not over until it’s over.

While Pittsburgh fans bubble over about the possibility of celebrating an NHL championship for the first time on home ice, the Penguins are focused on approaching Game 5 against the San Jose Sharks (8 p.m. ET, NBC) with the same mindset they have employed since the playoffs began two months ago.

“When you are looking too far in the future, it really takes away from what you are doing at the present time,” Penguins defenseman Ian Cole said. “For us right now, it’s important to live in the moment. That’s something that (coach Mike Sullivan) has been preaching for a while now.”

USA TODAY

Pittsburgh looks to Penguins for first title won at home in 56 years

Distractions are everywhere. The city is buzzing. Many businesses have "Go Pens" placards visible in storefronts. It seems as if everybody is trying to find a ticket. As of 5 p.m. ET Wednesday, tickets were on sale for between $1,148 and $10,000, on ticketexchange.com.

“We only want to think about the game,” Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. “That’s the only thing we are talking about.”

The Penguins’ three Stanley Cup championships were won in Bloomington, Minn. (1991), Chicago (1992) and Detroit (2009).

“When you talk about biggest games in Pittsburgh in the last 50 years, this game is in the conversation,” said Joe Starkey, talk radio host for Pittsburgh's 93.7 The Fan.

With a 3-1 advantage in the best-of-seven series, the Penguins have looked dominant. But each of their wins have come in tight games. One win came from Nick Bonino in the closing minutes of regulation. Another came on Conor Sheary's overtime tally. Game 4 wasn’t sealed until Eric Fehr scored an insurance goal with 2:02 left in regulation.

USA TODAY

2016 NHL mock draft: Early look at Round 1

“We have to keep a level head,” Pittsburgh winger Chris Kunitz said. “You have to keep it from becoming a roller-coaster ride.”

It’s easy for Pittsburgh fans to get ahead of themselves. Out of 32 teams that have fallen behind 3-1 in a Cup Final, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs are the only one to come back to win the Stanley Cup.

In this series, the Penguins have scored first in every game and the Sharks have never played with a lead. The Sharks won their only game in overtime.

But this Sharks squad had the NHL’s best road record (28-10-3) in the regular season. They have also won 13 playoff games this spring.

“I think the results are closer than it feels right now,” San Jose coach Pete DeBoer said. “We had some good looks. We’ve got to give ourselves an opportunity that if they stumble we’re going to jump on it.”

The Sharks were loose in practice Wednesday. “I would have been worried had they come in quiet or dragging a little bit,” DeBoer said.

USA TODAY

For Phil Kessel, Joe Pavelski, a tale of two Stanley Cup Finals

The Penguins understand what it takes to come from behind in a series. They trailed 3-2 against Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference final before winning Games 6 and 7.

“We had our backs against the wall against Tampa Bay,” Kunitz said. “We know how tough it is to get that last win. We are telling ourselves this has to be our best game.”

Captain Sidney Crosby said the Penguins have a good read on the Sharks. “We know the last four games have been tough games,” he said. “We know the next game will be the toughest. I think guys have kept things in perspective. We know we have some work left.”

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USA TODAY / Pittsburgh looks to Penguins for first title won at home in 56 years

Erik Brady and Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports 1:23 a.m. EDT June 9, 2016

PITTSBURGH — Henry Tucker can still hear the roar, echoing through time. He was walking home from St. Edmund’s Academy in 1960 when Bill Mazeroski hit a home run to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a World Series championship over the lordly New York Yankees during the dying days of the Eisenhower administration.

Tucker was in elementary school then. Now he’s a retired real estate agent, eating a late dinner at the end of the bar at the Squirrel Hill Café on Forbes Avenue, not far from where Forbes Field once stood. Tucker, 65, wears a black-and-gold pullover with the word "PENGUINS" in large block letters across his chest.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are on the cusp of adding to the full-throated roar of this city’s gold-plated sports history. They’ll win the Stanley Cup Thursday night if they beat the San Jose Sharks at the Consol Energy Center. And that would make them the first Pittsburgh team to win a major championship at home since Mazeroski’s ninth-inning blast over the 406-foot mark in left field on Oct. 13, 1960.

“Everyone was honking their horns,” Tucker tells USA TODAY Sports. “I’ll never forget it.”

The self-anointed City of Champions boasts three rivers and multitudinous titles. The Pittsburgh Steelers won six Super Bowls at neutral sites. The Pirates won the 1971 and 1979 World Series in Baltimore. And the Penguins won Stanley Cups in Bloomington, Minn., in 1991, in Chicago in 1992 and in Detroit in 2009. That’s 11 major championships, and none at home, since Mazeroski put the home in home run.

"I’ve heard the stories about that home run my whole life,” Penguins fanatic Jackee Ging says. “Now I’m ready to see history for myself.”

Ging, 49, owns half of a Penguins season-ticket plan. She gets every other home game in the playoffs. Game 5 is hers. Friends tell her she should sell her seat to pay for next season’s plan. Game 5 tickets are going for well over $1,000 — and up — on the secondary market. That


kind of cash is tempting but Ging’s mind is made up. “I need to be there,” she says.

When the Penguins won their first Stanley Cup, Ging and her mother and several friends drove to the airport to greet the team’s plane. They got caught in an epic traffic jam and stayed up all night, settling for high fives from the windows of the team bus in the parking lot. And then mother and daughter went straight to 6 a.m. Mass at St. Bernard Church.

This time her mother watches games from a hospital bed. She’s 91 and broke a hip on Mothers’ Day. Ging styles it a lower-body injury, in the binary parlance of NHL coaches. She says these playoffs have been a blessing, helping reduce the stress of her mother’s extended hospital stay.

The Penguins have a 3-1 series lead. NHL teams are 31-1 in the Stanley Cup Final since 1939 when they hold that position. But Ging remains nervous. The Sharks had the league’s best road record this season.

“I think it’s hard not to get ahead of yourself,” Pens defenseman Ian Cole says. “It’s easy to start thinking, ‘Man, it will be great if we win.' ”

Captain Sidney Crosby’s mission is to make sure the Penguins remember the Cup is not theirs until it is won. “I feel like we’re in a good mental state right now,” he says. “No one is thinking too far ahead.”

'Long time coming'

Joe Starkey, sports talk radio host on 93.7 The Fan, thinks Thursday’s game is in the conversation for biggest played in Pittsburgh in the past 50 years, maybe even since the 1960 World Series.

“Pittsburgh has won more than most towns,” he says, “but people are dying to celebrate on home turf” — or home ice.

Starkey says old-timers know precisely where they were when Mazeroski’s homer soared like a fairy tale. Another such championship moment “has been a long time coming,” he says. “This team has captured the city’s imagination with the way it plays, which is fast and furious.”

The Pens clearly captured Bob Friend’s imagination. The former Pirates pitcher roots for them to join his 1960 teammates as the most recent champs to win their titles within city limits. “Our generation wasn’t brought up on hockey,” Friend says, “but then Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby came around and you can’t help but be a fan.”

The Pittsburgh Pipers won the American Basketball Association championship in 1968 and the Pittsburgh Triangles the World Team Tennis title in 1975, both at Civic Arena. But Pittsburgh fans tend not to count those teams among the city’s major championships. Tattoo artist Garrick Dauberger, 30, has never heard of them.

A day after the Pens’ Game 4 victory, Rob Pavlik walked into South Side Tattoo and Body Piercing and asked for an indelible penguin. The artwork he chose combines the Pirates’ block P with the Steelers’ tri-diamond logo and the Pens’ pesky penguin. Dauberger spent 2½ hours inking the holy trinity of Pittsburgh sports on the backside of Pavlik’s shoulder. Cost: $200.

“With everything going on, I thought now was a good time,” says Pavlik, who didn’t realize the Steel City is without a championship won at home since Mazeroski’s mighty swing. Forgive him: He’s 22 — and even his parents weren’t born yet in 1960.

Anita Kulig, 59, was alive for that World Series but too young to remember it. She sips from a 16-ounce can of Iron City beer at Casey’s Draft House and ponders what a Game 5 victory would mean. “Totally magnificent,” she says at last. “I’d just want to drink forever.”

Casey’s is on East Carson Street, where revelers will fill the bars Thursday night. When the Steelers last won a Super Bowl in 2009, celebrants flipped cars and torched couches. Police are gearing up to make sure that doesn’t happen this time. The city will enforce a 90-minute window for street celebrations should the Pens win, less if things are out of control.

Carson is the calm before the storm: Local TV reporters air live shots from there, like Miami TV reporters on a tranquil beach with a potential hurricane on the way.

No place like home

Clinchy is a ceramic penguin who lives at Excuses Bar and Grill. Patrons kiss Clinchy on the head after Pens’ wins. One time, when Clinchy’s nose broke, bartender Erin Mohan repaired it with a red pourer from a liquor bottle. Emergency nose job, she says.

Also at home behind the bar is a jar of Tang signed by Penguins defenseman Kris Letang. No one dares use it, even to make the drink named for him. Le Tang is a shot of vodka topped with Tang for $3.50. Other specials include the Five Hole (shot of Irish cream with hazelnut and raspberry liqueur and a side of nuts, $3.75) and the Hat Trick (shot of Canadian Club topped off with American honey, $3.50).

“We’re kind of a Penguin old-time bar,” owner George Pantelas says. “And when the season is over, players like to stop in. We’ve had Sid in the back singing karaoke.”

Regulars are expected early for Thursday’s game. They’ll watch on a projection TV in the back room. The projector mounted on the ceiling has a crushed Pabst Blue Ribbon can to hold it steady. They’ll listen to the radio broadcast of Penguins play-by-play voice Mike Lange, synced up to the TV. There’s a frozen mug on ice for Lange anytime he comes in, with a chip off the bottom of it, like a winger’s front tooth.

A framed photograph just to the right of the projection screen is serendipitously placed given this chance at hometown history. The autographed black-and-white shot is of Mazeroski joyously running into history as fans run onto the field.

That remains the only walk-off homer in World Series Game 7 history. It’s immortalized in bronze outside PNC Park, where Mazeroski is captured midstride. The statue is rimmed by the actual section of wall over which the ball sailed, a holy relic in red brick.

Penguins fans, take note: Maz, in this forever moment, is heading for … home. As Dorothy Gale of yellow-brick fame could tell you, there’s no place like it.

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Wall Street Journal / If Only Every Sport Had a Conn Smythe Trophy...

By MICHAEL SALFINO

Hockey awards often don’t make a lot of sense. The NHL has one trophy for the player who best exhibits gentlemanly conduct and another for the most defensive offensive player. But hockey does get one right, and the other sports can learn from it: the Conn Smythe Trophy.

If the Penguins win the Stanley Cup on Thursday in Pittsburgh against the Sharks, the award will go to the most valuable player for the entire playoffs—not just the final round—which began nearly two months ago. None of the other four sports has a comparable award. For them, the MVP is all about what have you done for me lately. Because of this, recent history has deprived several playoff heroes of proper recognition.

ENLARGE

For example, Andre Inguodala, and not Stephen Curry, won the 2015 NBA Finals MVP for the Warriors despite Curry outscoring him by 376 points over 21 games in the 2015 playoffs. The year prior, Tim Duncan of the Spurs lost out to Kawhi Leonard despite leading his team in three key categories (points, rebounds, blocks) for the duration of the postseason.

Last year’s World Series MVP Salvador Perez of the Royals would have earned fewer Conn Smythe award votes after hitting .136 in the AL Championship Series. Meanwhile, the best reliever in the game’s most dominant bullpen—Wade Davis—would likely have a big trophy and a new Chevrolet if he only played hockey.

The playoff hero for the 2013 Seahawks was not the Super Bowl-MVP Malcolm Smith but rather cornerback Richard Sherman, who shutdown the potential game-winning pass in the NFC Championship game. But somehow, the NFL did happen upon the right choice the last two years. Both Von Miller (Broncos) and Tom Brady (Patriots) were the reason their teams got to—and won—the Super Bowl.


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Calgary Flames

The saga surrounding Dennis Wideman is apparently not over.

Reports on Wednesday indicate that the National Hockey League filed a lawsuit against the National Hockey League Players’ Association, seeking to restore a 20-game ban that was originally instated on the Calgary Flames defenceman. Wideman’s suspension was for hitting linesman Don Henderson during a game on Jan. 27.

The court document was filed by New York City law firm Proskauer Rose LLP, the attorneys for the plaintiff NHL. According to the document, the league wants the suspension vacated, claiming the NDA (Neutral Discipline Arbitrator) exceeded his authority under the collective bargaining agreement and “applied his own brand of industrial justice by disregarding the standard of review set forth in the CBA.” The league also says the arbitrator didn’t provide “substantial evidence” against the initial ruling.

NHLPA spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon pointed out that under the CBA, the arbitrator’s decision is binding and not subject to review.

Carolina Hurricanes





Minnesota Wild

One day after hiring an assistant coach he has no previous history with, Bruce Boudreau is leaning on one of his closest friends as his second assistant.

John Anderson, the longtime minor-league coach and former coach of the Atlanta Thrashers, will run the Wild's power play.

New Jersey Devils

Patrik Elias' agent, Allan Walsh, told SportsNet that Elias will either re-sign with the Devils for another year, or he would retire at the end of the summer.

"He desperately wants to play one more year," Walsh told Sportsnet. "We're not talking to other teams. If Patrik is able to play at the level he expects himself to play, if he can contribute to a team, I think New Jersey would very much love to have him back."

Ottawa Senators

Five years to the day he led the Binghamton Senators to a Calder Cup championship victory in Houston on June 7, 2011, the 55-year-old Kurt Kleinendorst signed a contract on Tuesday to go back behind the bench of Ottawa’s American Hockey League affiliate next season.

Kleinendorst, who will have longtime Baby Sens assistant Steve Stirling on his staff, will replace Binghamton coach Luke Richardson, who left after missing the playoffs in April to pursue an NHL job.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The prospect of raising the Stanley Cup on Thursday night failed to change anything about the way the Penguins practiced Wednesday at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.

Only Nick Bonino missed the practice with what coach Mike Sullivan described as a “maintenance day.”

San Jose Sharks

Center Tomas Hertl missed practice Wednesday at Consol Energy Center. He has not played or participated in a full practice since Game 2 June 1 because of an undisclosed injury. Coach Peter DeBoer said he remains day to day but there’s little to indicate he’ll be in the lineup tonight for Game 5.

Karlsson, who scored the Sharks’ lone goal in a 3-1 home loss in Game 4 Monday, has filled in for Hertl primarily on the team’s top line alongside centers Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton.

DeBoer continued to to dispute a report from a Czech media outlet which stated the Czech-born Hertl’s season was done.

St Louis Blues

The Blues recently lost two assistants on Ken Hitchcock's staff because those coaches were uninterested in returning on one-year contracts. The club could be losing out on their replacements for the same reason.

It was announced last week that Hitchcock would return for a final season behind the Blues' bench in 2016-17. His staff was offered identical one-year extensions, but Kirk Muller and Brad Shaw declined and moved on.

The job of Blues general manager Doug Armstrong to fill the shoes of Shaw and Muller was expected to be a challenge because the one-year term being offered limits the number of interested candidates, or at least the quality of coaches willing to walk into that situation, and that has proved to be the case.

The Blues met with former Minnesota coach Mike Yeo last week, but they have yet to come to any agreement.

END

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