Folks, the time has come! The NHL Playoffs are here and so far they are spectacular.
John, Andy, and Darren intentionally keep this episode of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast a bit shorter than usual to try to keep things more current, but they hope you get some good chuckles out of it along the way.
The show is rounded out with Sound Of Hockey’s Three Stars, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week, with additional chatter about the Lightning going way over what would be the NHL salary cap in the playoffs and some compliments for the good people of Sunrise, Florida.
The playoffs kicked off over the weekend, so I threw together my annual Pacific Northwest Stanley Cup Playoff Guide. Each year, I like to run through all the rosters to identify the players and coaches that have ties to the Pacific Northwest. There should be some familiar names here, but there are a few newcomers as well.
Central Division
Carolina Hurricanes
Nino Niederreiter played two years with the Portland Winterhawks during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons where he averaged over a point per game. Niederreiter was second on the Hurricanes in goals scored this season.
Morgan Geekie played three seasons with the Tri-City Americans and could be a Seattle Kraken target from the Carolina Hurricanes.
Morgan Geekie played three full years with the Tri-City Americans. During the 2017-18 WHL playoffs he put up 17 goals over 14 games. Geekie put up nine points for the Hurricanes over 36 games this season, and he is also on the Kraken watchlist as a potential Expansion Draft candidate.
Jake Bean also played for the Tri-City Americans for a half of a season in 2017-18. Bean has started to establish himself in the NHL this year but will most likely be a bubble player for cracking the lineup during the playoffs.
Florida Panthers
Backup goalie Chris Driedger started his WHL career with the Tri-City Americans in 2010-11 before playing the next three years with the Calgary Hitmen. Driedger has had a breakout NHL season and could be considered as a future goalie for the Seattle Kraken. If Sergei Bobrovsky falters in a game or two, we should expect Driedger to be given a shot.
Radko Gudas played his one and only season in the WHL with the Everett Silvertips during the 2009-10 season. Gudas does not put up a lot of offensive numbers, but he should contribute quite a bit defensively and physically if Florida is able to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Noah Juulsen played four seasons with the Everett Silvertips from 2013-14 to 2016-17. Juulsen only got into four regular season games this season and is not expected to get much playing time during the playoffs.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tyler Johnson was born and raised in Spokane. He played four years with the Spokane Chiefs and was part of the Memorial Cup-winning team back in 2008. Johnson is a middle-six forward that is known to score some big-time goals in the playoffs.
Let us not forget, friend of the Sound Of Hockey podcast and the assistant equipment manager of the Lightning, Jason Berger. Berger was the head equipment manager for the Seattle Thunderbirds from 2007 to 2011.
Nashville Predators
Ryan Johansen played two seasons with the Portland Winterhawks during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. Johansen centers the top line for the Predators and will be needed to perform if they expect to advance past the first round of the playoffs.
East Division
Pittsburgh Penguins
Colton Sceviour played two-plus seasons with the Portland Winterhawks from 2005-06 to 2006-07. He is not a regular in the Penguins starting lineup, but as injuries start to pile up, expect Sceviour to crack the lineup.
Maxime Lagace played 11 games for the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL in 2015-16. Lagace is the third goalie on the Penguins roster but backed up Tristan Jarry in Game 1 against the Islanders as usual backup goalie, Casey DeSmith, is currently injured.
Boston Bruins
Brandon Carlo has been a steady blueliner for the Boston Bruins over the last four seasons. He played three seasons for the Tri-City Americans from 2013-14 to 2015-16 and should get plenty of ice time during these playoffs.
Jeremy Swayman was born and raised in Anchorage Alaska and was one of four goalies used by the Bruins this season. He may not start any games, but he backed up Tuukka Rask in Game 1 against the Capitals on Saturday night.
Washington Capitals
Brenden Dillon played four years with the Seattle Thunderbirds including the last season in KeyArena and the first season at the ShoWare Center in Kent. He was also the captain in his final season with the Thunderbirds in 2010-11. Dillon had a goal in Game 1 against the Bruins.
TJ Oshie is the most local Seattle player in the playoffs this season. Oshie grew up in Mount Vernon, Washington and played for Seattle Junior until he moved away to Warroad, Minnesota for high school and for his hockey development. It’s impossible not to root for Oshie this playoff.
Nic Dowd was born in Huntsville, Alabama, but his hockey journey took him through Wenatchee, Washington. He played for the Wenatchee Wild which was then in the NAHL during the 2008-09 season. Dowd had 71 points over 56 playoff and regular season games with the Wild.
The Game 1 overtime winner had a very Pacific Northwest feel as Dillon blocked a shot in the defensive zone that triggered a rush the other way. Oshie floated a shot from the point where Dowd tipped it past Rask.
New York Islanders
Mathew Barzal played 3 years in the WHL
(Photo Credit Brian Leisse. Courtesy of the Seattle Thunderbirds)
By now you probably realize Mathew Barzal played four seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds from 2013-14 to 2016-17 and was a huge part of the 2017 WHL Championship team. The Islanders do not play the most offensive style, but Barzal is still exciting to watch. He led the team in points this season with 45 over the 55 games he played.
Thomas Hickey also played with the Thunderbirds from 2005-06 to 2008-09. Hickey spent most of the season in the AHL with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers but managed to get into five NHL games in the middle of the season. If the Islanders have some injuries to their blueline, expect Hickey to get the nod.
Braydon Coburn played four seasons with the Portland Winterhawks in the early 2000’s. Like Hickey, he is also a depth defenseman who is expected to be called upon in case of injuries.
Kieffer Bellows played one season with the Portland Winterhawks after spending a year at Boston University. Bellows got into just 14 games with the Islanders this year, so like Hickey and Coburn, he is only expected to get playing time if there are injuries to other forwards.
West Division
Colorado Avalanche
Jacob MacDonald was born in Portland, Oregon. Prior to this year, the 28-year-old defenseman had only played two games with the Florida Panthers in 2018-19. This year, he played 33 games with the Avs. He might not start the playoffs in the lineup but expect him to get some playing time as the playoffs continue.
Avs head coach, Jared Bednar, played for the Spokane Chiefs for two years from 1991 to 1993. In his only complete season with the Chiefs, he amassed 200 penalty minutes in 62 games played.
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas Golden Knights Defenceman Shea Theodore is off to a hot start in the playoffs. (Photo by Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire)
Shea Theodore played with the Thunderbirds for four years from 2011-12 to 2014-15. Theodore is emerging as one of the elite defensemen in the league. Last year there was talk about Theodore as a Conn Smyth candidate. If Vegas makes a deep run in the playoffs, expect Theodore to be a big part of it.
Keegan Kolesar was also part of the Seattle Thunderbirds 2016-17 WHL Championship season. Prior to this year, “Keegs” only had one NHL regular-season game. This year he played 44 of the Golden Knights’ 56 regular-season games. Kolesar centered the fourth line in game one.
Dylan Coghlan played four years with the Tri-City Americans from 2014-15 to 2017-18. This undrafted defenseman played in half of the Golden Knights’ regular-season games. He did not start in Game 1, but I anticipate he cracks the lineup if Vegas makes a deep run.
Cody Glass was the first amateur draft pick in Golden Knights history. Glass played four seasons with the Portland Winterhawks from 2015-16 to 2018-19. He played just 27 games this season for Vegas and could crack the lineup in a limited role.
Minnesota Wild
Jared Spurgeon played five seasons with the Spokane Chiefs from 2005-06 to 2009-10. Along with Tyler Johnson, he was part of the Spokane team that won the Memorial Cup in 2008. Spurgeon was named the captain of the Wild over the offseason and logs over 22 minutes per game. He is a pillar of the Minnesota defensive corps and will be relied upon heavily if the Wild are to go on a run.
Defenseman Matt Dumba joined the Portland Winterhawks in 2013-14 for 26 regular-season games and 21 playoff games. He has been an excellent defenseman for the Minnesota Wild, and there is an outside chance he could be exposed in the Expansion Draft.
St. Louis Blues
Colton Parayko played three seasons for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks from 2012-13 to 2014-15. He has been a stable defenseman for the St. Louis Blues and was a big part of their Stanley Cup win in 2019.
North Division
Toronto Maple Leafs
Jack Campbell played 27 games for the Idaho Steelheads over two seasons in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Campbell has been carrying the bulk of the goaltending load with Frederik Andersen battling injuries the second half of the season. Freddie is back, but we anticipate the Leafs starting the playoffs with Campbell between the pipes.
Nicolas Petan played four seasons with the Portland Winterhawks from 2011-12 to 2014-15 averaging 1.4 points per game over his WHL career. He only got into seven games for the Leafs this season and will only suit up in the playoffs if there are a few injuries.
Edmonton Oilers
Kailer Yamamoto was born in Spokane and played four seasons with the Spokane Chiefs. He was the first-round pick of the Oilers in 2017 and played his first full season in the NHL this season.
Ethan Bear was another big part of the Seattle Thunderbirds WHL championship in 2017 and played for the team for four seasons. Bear’s contributions may have dropped off this year but that can all be forgiven with a big Stanley Cup Playoff performance.
Jujhar Khaira has been a steady winger for the Oilers the last four seasons. He played one full season for the Everett Silvertips where he put up 43 points in 59 games.
Caleb Jones played two seasons with the Portland Winterhawks during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. Jones is just starting to establish himself in the league. He played roughly two thirds of the Oilers’ games and should be getting on opportunity to contribute in the playoffs.
Oilers Head Coach, Dave Tippett, joined the organization formerly known as ‘NHL Seattle’ in the summer of 2018 to take care of a lot of the hockey operations items and strategy, including locker room designs and AHL affiliate, just to name a few. “Tip” made several public appearances on local TV shows, at WHL Games, and even on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast.
Winnipeg Jets
Nate Thompson (right) with Pearl Jam, lead guitarist Mike McCready (center) and former Seattle Thunderbird and current NHL linesman Ryan Gibbons. (Photo courtesy of the Seattle Thunderbirds)
Nate Thompson played for the Seattle Thunderbirds from 2001-02 to 2004-05. Thompson centers the fourth line and is not expected to contribute much on the offensive side of the game. Thompson is a great person and an easy guy to root for in these playoffs.
Montreal Canadiens
Carey Price has established himself as one of the best goalies in the NHL over the last 10 years, but before that he played for the Tri-City Americans from 2003-04 to 2006-07. His regular-season numbers may have dropped off this year, but Price is known for saving his best performances for the playoffs.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are back, and the MassMutual East Division opens this weekend with a couple of enticing matchups as the Boston Bruins face the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the New York Islanders.
It starts Saturday with a fun matchup between two veteran teams with opposite strengths, and Sunday we get to see if the Penguins are truly back. This is just the beginning so prepare your couch for heavy use as we watch it all play out over the next month and a half.
Here’s a look at the first round matchups for the MassMutual East Division:
New York Islanders (4) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (1)
The Matchup – Two years ago these teams met in another first-round matchup that resulted in a sweep by the Islanders. The Penguins come into this series hot, winners of three in a row and eight of the past 10. It’s not the same for New York, which started the season strong but has trailed off down the stretch and limped into the playoffs.
Pittsburgh had a resurgent season of sorts and after two early postseason exits in a row will have some pressure to go further this time around. Offensively, Crosby has been what you’d expect him to be and will be the focus again. The Penguins overcame some injuries this season but got Malkin back in the fold near the end of the season and are firing on all cylinders while scoring the most goals in the division and second-most in the NHL.
New York held onto top spot in the division at one point, but it’s been a struggle for coach Barry Trotz and his troops. To try and add some offensive punch, the Islanders picked up Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri from New Jersey. The two longtime Devils have not provided said punch, however, and have combined for just three goals.
The Penguins have the league’s fourth-best power play, which sets up a strength-on-strength situation in this matchup as the Islanders are sixth on the kill. Conversely, the Islanders are near the bottom of the stack in power-play rankings while the Penguins have struggled to consistently kill off penalties.
Wild Cards
While the trade with the Devils didn’t pan out as the Islanders had hoped, they have been getting contributions from rookie Oliver Wahlstrom who potted 12 goals and 21 points in 44 games. He could end up being a factor providing some much-needed secondary scoring for the offensively challenged Islanders.
The Penguins added Jeff Carter at the deadline and the veteran has been hot, potting nine goals. He adds more options for the already stacked Penguins attack.
Both clubs have some options for the Seattle Kraken to track in preparation of July’s Expansion Draft. Pittsburgh will have choices to make between protecting quality depth forwards Teddy Blueger, Jared McCann, or Brandon Tanev. The Islanders have some cap issues that could expose guys like Leddy, Bailey, Michael Dal Colle, or potentially rookie Keiffer Bellows.
Who’s going to win this?
In one corner the Penguins have one of the top offensive attacks in the NHL, and they’ll be facing one of the stingiest teams in the Islanders. This will come down to who can impose their will more. Trotz will try to slow things down for the Islanders to hinder Crosby and company. In the end, the Penguins have too much firepower resulting in a Pittsburgh win in six games.
Washington ended the season tied with Pittsburgh but lost out on the division title because of a tiebreaker. Both are veteran-laden teams that still have pieces from their most recent Stanley Cup triumphs, so there won’t be an experience edge for anyone. Storylines abound in this series as Boston legend Zdeno Chara returns to face the Bruins as a Capital.
Boston’s top line of Pastrnak, Bergeron, and Marchand continue to be among the best in the league and the Capitals will need Chara and Brenden Dillon to stand tall on the back end. The Bruins rely on the big three for scoring – they scored 72 of Boston’s 168 goals this year – but that might not be enough. Players such as David Krejci and Craig Smith need to find a way to score. In goal, Rask is playing in what could be his last season in Boston and that will be motivation for one more kick at the can.
Washington has been consistent all season and appears to have overcome an injury scare to Ovechkin late in the season. The Russian star can still fire the puck, and while the Bruins have one of the best defenses in the NHL, nothing seems to stop Ovechkin. One of the top goal-scoring teams, the Capitals have depth scoring and outside of their top players, T.J. Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Tom Wilson can pick up the slack scoring wise.
Both teams are good on special teams, which should be a wash. But in any playoff matchup, discipline is key.
Wild Cards
Boston won the trade deadline’s biggest chip by landing Taylor Hall from Buffalo. Since joining the Bruins he’s been good with 14 points in 16 games. The Bruins struggled to score consistently prior to Hall arriving, and he could be the key to closing the gap with Washington. Vanecek has been a revelation for the Capitals this year, but he is unproven. The rookie has never played in a Stanley Cup Playoff game, and he’ll need to rise to the occasion to beat the Bruins in this matchup.
Kraken watch
Seattle could end up getting some key players at the Expansion Draft out of this playoff matchup. For Boston, they may end up exposing players such as Nick Ritchie up front or defenders Jeremy Lauzon or Connor Clifton. Washington is an interesting team to watch for the Kraken. Vanacek could be an option in goal but has played so well that Washington could end up protecting him and exposing Ilya Samsonov instead.
Who’s going to win this?
The Bruins are the defensively oriented team while the Capitals scored all the goals this season. It’s always a fun playoff matchup when strengths are at odds. Boston needs to find secondary scoring and could get it from Hall. Will he be enough to push the Bruins past the rookie Vanacek and into the second round? Yes, Boston in six.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs start this weekend in the NHL, and it will be the last time that the Seattle Kraken will be mere spectators for it. In the future it will be easy to choose what to root for in the playoffs. But what about this year?
Maybe it’s your last go-around with the NHL team that you have rooted for prior to the existence of the Kraken. Maybe you have a favorite player who’s making one final run in his career.
There is plenty to root for in the playoffs and we have chosen a few items to help point in you in a rooting direction. This is by no means a list of demands.
You’re free to root for whatever or whomever you want. We have somewhat open minds. This is a list for those not sure. Should you root for Vegas in these playoffs? No, no you shouldn’t, and we explain why in our list below.
What are you going to be rooting for during the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Root for plastic rats in Florida
It was back in 1996 when Florida Panthers forward Scott Mellanby one-timed a rat that had snuck into the home locker room. The legend of Mellanby’s ‘rat trick’ – he went out and scored twice with the rat stick – grew and soon Florida fans would flood the ice with plastic rats whenever a Panther scored.
It was great.
The Panthers, in their third year of existence, made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final that year. Obviously, they were powered by the toy rats. The Panthers have their best team since then as they prepare to face Tampa Bay in the first round, and it’s time to bring the rats back.
Sure, in 1996 the NHL put a stop to it by threatening to enforce delay of game rules against the Panthers for the rats, but that was a long time ago. Surely, we can get a couple of games’ worth of rats before the NHL reacts. Bring them back!
Root for the Panthers-Lightning series to be contentious
For the first time ever, the two Florida-based teams are facing off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and we are rooting for it to get intense. Hockey in Florida has never quite taken hold as the NHL hoped but the potential is there.
The Lightning have had more success as a franchise, but a hard-fought, nasty series here could help explode the sport. Playoffs help grow rivalries and a knock-down seven-game series in this matchup will help create some must-see Florida hatred. They played each other at the end of the regular season, and it was chippy so let’s root for that to continue into the playoffs.
Root for a Connor McDavid-Auston Matthews battle
If Toronto avoids a first-round meltdown – and what are the odds of that? – the Maple Leafs and Oilers are slotted to meet in the second round, and it would be glorious. It would lead to two of the best players in the world facing off for a shot to advance to the Conference Finals. The popcorn is being popped now.
A series like this won’t get the attention it deserves in the U.S. because, well, reasons, but it could bring Canada to a halt. McDavid turned in a season for the ages with 104 points in 55 games and Matthews’ bid for 50 goals came up just short at 41 – still amazing. This would be the Gretzky-Lemieux playoff series we never got to see, and we could get it in HD television.
Root for a Maple Leafs loss in Conference Finals
The Toronto Maple Leafs are Canada’s team. At least that’s what the Toronto media and fans would have you believe. We’ve all enjoyed their consistent first-round exits despite a roster full of star players. It’s been fun, but the script needs to be juiced up as the story is becoming stale.
Wouldn’t it be better if they made it all the way to the Conference Finals only to lose a horrible, gut-wrenching Game 7 debacle? We like the schadenfreude that the Maple Leafs provide, and it will be extra tasty if it comes one step away from the Cup Final. Queue the distraught Mitch Marner meme now.
Root for more thrill from Kirill
Minnesota rookie Kirill Kaprizov burst onto the scene this year and was so good that he made the Minnesota Wild interesting. They used to be a bore, but now you can root for the Wild as they suddenly play exciting hockey. At the center of it is Kaprizov, who will easily win the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year. More Kirill, which comes with a run of sorts, will make the playoffs that much more entertaining.
The Vegas Golden Knights were a great story when they shocked their way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, their first year. Since that early run, they’ve continued to be one of the top teams in the NHL and last year made a second appearance in a conference finals series. All that success has placed near-impossible pressure and expectations on the Kraken for their first season. Enough already. We get it, but now it’s time to root against Vegas in the playoffs. Let’s calm things down a beat.
Root for the Northwest to represent
As always, there are a number of players with Northwest connections in the playoffs. That makes it easy to root for their teams throughout all the playoff series. Some have better chances than others and while this list isn’t exhaustive, let’s all root for guys who are on contending teams like Washington’s T.J. Oshie (Mount Vernon native) and Brenden Dillon (Seattle Thunderbirds), Tampa’s Tyler Johnson (Spokane Chiefs), New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal (Seattle Thunderbirds), Florida’s Radko Gudas (Everett Silvertips), and Vegas’ Shea Theodore (Seattle Thunderbirds) and Keegan Kolesar (Seattle Thunderbirds).
Root for the playoffs to end quickly
Normally, we want the Stanley Cup Playoffs to last forever, but this year let’s root for them to end quickly. The playoffs are what is standing between us and the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft in July. No, shorter series won’t push up the Draft date but once the playoffs end, all attention will turn to Seattle. Turns out, we’re narcissists so let’s root for these playoffs to go by in a blink so we can continue to speculate on coaches and potential players that the Kraken will be adding.
It was only a matter of time. From the moment the Seattle Kraken officially became the NHL’s 32nd team almost two weeks ago, we knew this news was on the horizon. Now the Kraken have signed their first player in franchise history, agreeing to a three-year entry-level deal with 21-year-old center Luke Henman.
Henman has played the last four full seasons (plus a portion of 2016-17) with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he has also served as captain the last two years. He has put up impressive numbers in that league, and during his captaincy has been better than a point-per-game player.
Henman was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft but did not get signed, becoming an unrestricted free agent. He wasn’t a particularly big guy when he was drafted — Francis referred to him as “slight” when he addressed the media on Wednesday — but Henman has since filled out a bit and is now officially listed at 172 pounds.
Regardless of if he ever cracks the NHL roster for the Kraken, Henman will always be remembered as the franchise’s first player. As such, the team needed a guy with the pedigree to handle the additional spotlight that goes with that distinction.
“I’m a pretty passionate guy about hockey,” Henman, who comes across as affable and polished, said Wednesday. “You know, there’s a few morals that I live by. Being a hockey player is just to compete hard every day and be a good teammate and be a likeable person. If you can do that, good things will happen.”
Francis also shared that additional weight was placed on finding the right guy to shoulder the extra attention.
“I think that’s important in all our players. We’ve done it in the past when I’ve worked with other organizations, and to me character is a big part of who you want in your organization,” Francis said. “It’s always easy when things are going well, but when things are tough, it’s the guys with character that are able to pull you out of those tough situations. The fact that he was a captain for a couple years, and his leadership skills sort of bear that out, there’s no doubt that was a big part of our decision making.”
Henman highlights
Henman, a Dartmouth, Nova Scotia native, notched a few beauties in his junior career.
The QMJHL also put out a pretty great video in March centering on Henman’s game-day routine. In it, Henman’s Armada teammates and coaches speak very highly of him as both a player and as a human being.
This is only a first step for Seattle, but it’s an important one. Francis and his scouting staff needed to get not just the right player, but the right person to be remembered as the first-ever Kraken.
Early indications are that the team has nailed it with Henman.
The Armada are in the midst of a five-game quarterfinal playoff series with the Victoriaville Tigres and currently trail 2-1. The remaining games of the series can be watched via the Canadian Hockey League’s streaming service, CHL TV.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
While general manager Ron Francis tries hard to keep his coaching search under wraps, it’s very likely that his top choices to become the Seattle Kraken’s first head coach are still under contract somewhere else.
Back in November, Kraken ownership reportedly gave the front office permission to hire a coach whenever it felt ready. Last month Francis said he expects a decision by the end of the second quarter and is patiently waiting to see in “the next month or two” who will be available (coaches looking for work, on expiring contracts or “other situations that may be looking to make a change,” i.e., soon to be fired). Clearly, if Francis’ first choice had already been available, the Kraken would have hired him by now.
Another quality that’s not necessary, but will certainly help, is Francis’ close ties and familiarity with coaching candidates. After playing 23 seasons in the NHL and working another 13 years in NHL front offices, Francis has accumulated quite a lengthy list of connections.
Just look at some Kraken hockey operations personnel, for example. Assistant GM Ricky Olczyk and pro scout Mark Hunter worked for the Hurricanes when Francis held front office roles in Carolina. Assistant GM Jason Botterill worked alongside Francis on Hockey Canada’s management team for the 2019 World Ice Hockey Championship. Director of player personnel Robert Kron, director of amateur scouting Norm Maciver and pro scout Stu Barnes were NHL teammates with Francis. Pro scout Jon Goodwin was Francis’ junior hockey teammate on the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds.
It’s been said we’re all linked to everyone else by six degrees of separation. But if you want the plumb NHL job as the Seattle Kraken franchise’s first head coach, good luck if you’re more than one degree removed from Francis.
Unfortunately for the Kraken, these notable Francis connections won’t be available: Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville, Edmonton Oilers coach Dave Tippett, Washington Capitals coach Peter Laviolette, Philadelphia Flyers coach Alain Vigneault and Minnesota Wild coach Dean Evason.
Inasmuch as it would be refreshing to hire a new face instead of the usual suspects who end up being recycled around the league, Seattle will need a seasoned coach who can command respect and get results from a veteran-laden lineup. Comments by Francis back this up, and it would take an incredible audition and interview for a coach without NHL head coaching experience to blow away the Kraken.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Saturday, and it would be nice to get the new coach involved on player assessments well ahead of the July 21 Expansion Draft. So here’s a rundown of the Kraken’s coaching candidates, divided into three groups: Francis connections, backup plans and longshots. NHL head coaching records are in parentheses.
Friends of Francis
Rod Brind’Amour (120-66-20 in three seasons with Carolina)
Brind’Amour coached the Hurricanes to the Eastern Conference finals in 2019, the conference semifinals in 2020 and first place in the Central Division this year. Carolina’s 80 points are tied with Vegas for most in the NHL through Tuesday night. He is the first Hurricanes coach to make three consecutive playoffs and is a front-runner for the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year. Yet, Carolina has bewilderingly dragged out negotiations on a contract extension and might lose him after this season.
Recent reports have the two sides getting closer to an agreement, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has said Brind’Amour won’t re-sign unless his coaching and training staff also get new deals. But the longer these negotiations take, the chances increase for the Kraken to swoop in and land the best man for their job.
Brind’Amour was Francis’ teammate on the Hurricanes from 2000-01 to 2003-04 and succeeded Francis as Carolina’s captain. He was also an assistant coach for Carolina when Francis held various front office roles, including GM and director of hockey operations.
John Stevens (171-148-43 in seven seasons with Philadelphia and Los Angeles)
In his second season as head coach, Stevens took the Flyers to the 2008 Eastern Conference finals but hasn’t won a playoff round since.
As an assistant coach in L.A., Stevens helped the Kings win two Cups and became a highly sought-after head coaching candidate. After the Kings fired him from his head coaching duties early in the 2018-19 season, Stevens has been an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars for the past two seasons.
Stevens helped the Stars reach the Cup Finals last season, but they missed the playoffs this year. He’s been in charge of the forwards and the team’s 5-on-5 offense, which ranks 21st in the NHL with 101 goals.
Stevens was a member of the 1990-91 Hartford Whalers along with Francis.
Todd Nelson (17-25-9 in one season with Edmonton)
Nelson played only three NHL games, but one of them was alongside Francis on the 1991-92 Penguins.
After playing many years in the minor leagues, Nelson paid his dues coaching in the American Hockey League and United Hockey League. Nelson served as a head coach for eight seasons in the AHL, winning the Calder Cup championship in 2017 with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
His only NHL head coaching job was on an interim basis for the Oilers after Dallas Eakins was fired 31 games into the 2014-15 season.
Nelson just completed his third season as an assistant coach for the Dallas Stars where he works on the power play with fellow assistant Derek Laxdal. The Stars’ power play ranks fifth in the NHL (23.6 percent) this season.
Rick Tocchet (178-200-60 in six seasons with Tampa Bay and Arizona)
Tocchet was a formidable power forward in his playing days but hasn’t had close to the same success behind the bench. His only playoff appearance came during last year’s pandemic bubble where the Coyotes lost in five games to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round (though they beat the Nashville Predators in the play-in round).
Arizona dumped Tocchet on Sunday after four seasons. His reputation for what Friedman describes as “one of the best around at handling players that are not easy to reach” could get the attention of his former teammate on the 1992 Stanley Cup champions. Francis and Tocchet played together on the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1991-92 to 1993-94 and in juniors with The Soo.
Paul Maurice (761-670-125 – and 99 ties – in 23 seasons with Hartford/Carolina, Toronto and Winnipeg)
Winnipeg was cruising nicely through most of this season, but a recent slump that had the Jets losing nine out of their past 11 games raises questions about Maurice’s job security. A quick playoff exit against the potent Edmonton Oilers just might bring an end to Maurice’s eight-season run in Winnipeg.
Among active NHL coaches, only Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper has been in his current job longer than Maurice. Fair or not, the shelf life of hockey coaches doesn’t last very long.
Maurice is well-respected around the league, has his players’ backs, and won’t have to wait long for a new job if he hits the market. He coached Carolina when Francis returned to play for the Hurricanes/Whalers organization from 1998-99 to 2003-04.
Francis and Vellucci were teammates on Hartford in 1987-88, and Vellucci served as assistant GM and director of player development in Francis’ front office with the Hurricanes from 2014 to 2017.
Plan B coaching options
Gerard Gallant (270-216-51 – and four ties – in nine seasons with Columbus, Florida and Vegas)
Gallant is high atop most everyone’s Kraken coaching list after he took the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in their first season.
Knowing how to squeeze the most out of a first-year expansion team is invaluable. But he’s been unemployed for a little more than a year. If the Kraken really valued and wanted Gallant, they could have landed him by now. Being perceived by some as unwelcoming toward analytics doesn’t help his case with the progressive-minded Kraken either.
Mike Babcock (700-418-164 – and 19 ties – in 17 seasons with Anaheim, Detroit and Toronto)
Winning a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings and two Olympic gold medals with Canada speak for themselves. But Babcock’s history of mind games and questionable treatment of some players can’t be brushed aside. That and the $5.875 million per year he’s being paid to not coach the Maple Leafs through 2022-23 will likely be tough obstacles to overcome.
Travis Green (123-130-31 in four seasons with Vancouver)
Green’s Canucks improved every season until a sudden regression had them miss the playoffs this year. Vancouver’s surprising run to the 2020 Western Conference semifinals was probably more indicative of Green’s abilities than this year’s COVID-19 train wreck. Green’s contract ends after this season, and the Canucks’ baffling indecisiveness in re-signing him could end up sending a rising coaching star to Seattle.
Bruce Boudreau (567-302-115 in 14 seasons with Washington, Anaheim and Minnesota)
In his favor, the longtime coach has never had a losing season in the NHL and worked with Kraken director of hockey strategy and research Alex Mandrycky in Minnesota. Boudreau hasn’t won a playoff round since 2015, however.
We’ll have to see if the Kraken want Boudreau.
Claude Julien (667-445-152 – and 10 ties – in 19 seasons with Montreal, New Jersey and Boston)
Julien won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011 and took them to the Cup Final again in 2013. But he hasn’t won a playoff round since 2014 and an emergency heart procedure caused Julien, 61, to miss part of the Canadiens’ 2020 postseason. Montreal fired him 18 games into this season after he couldn’t pull the team out of an early slump.
Rikard Gronborg
If the Kraken really like to do things differently, then hiring Gronborg would fit that model perfectly. The former national team coach for Sweden just completed his two-year deal with the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League and reportedly has designs on landing an NHL job. New Jersey pursued him last year before hiring Lindy Ruff, and we can expect Gronborg’s name to be linked to more NHL coaching rumors.
Gronborg, who was an assistant coach for the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs in 2004-05, has won two World Championships and 16 medals for Sweden. It’s only a matter of time before he becomes the third European to coach in the NHL.
David Quinn (96-87-25 in three seasons with the New York Rangers)
Fresh off being fired Wednesday by the Rangers, Quinn should land a second chance somewhere after MSG chairman James Dolan got impatient with the team’s rebuild. Quinn’s background in college hockey (Boston University) sets him up better to work with younger players.
Longshots to be Kraken coach
John Tortorella (673-541-132 – and 37 ties – in 20 seasons with Tampa Bay, New York Rangers, Vancouver and Columbus)
Tortorella won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning and has had impressive results nearly everywhere he’s coached. But his old-school style and abrasiveness wouldn’t be a good fit in a new market. The Kraken coach needs to be on board for selling hockey to new fans, and Torts’ frequent condescending or curt responses to questions from the media won’t help.
Kirk Muller (80-80-27 in three seasons with Carolina)
In one of his first moves as Hurricanes GM in 2014, Francis fired Muller after he missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season. Have assistant and associate coaching gigs with St. Louis and Montreal since then made Muller better suited to lead an NHL team?
Dave Hakstol (134-101-42 in four seasons with Philadelphia)
Since he was fired by the Flyers, Hakstol has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with Toronto. He oversees penalty killing, which ranks 26th (79.9 percent) in the NHL. He never got out of the first round in two playoff appearances with the Flyers, but the former University of North Dakota coach could get another shot at a head coaching job in the NHL.
Hakstol and Francis worked together on Team Canada when Hakstol was an assistant for Alain Vigneault’s coaching staff at the 2019 World Championships.
Samuelsson first left the Kraken to become head coach of Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League in 2019-20. He previously coached MODO in Sweden for two seasons and was 39-29-8 as head coach of the Charlotte Checkers, Carolina’s AHL farm team, in 2016-17 when Francis was Hurricanes GM.
Francis has obviously aided Samuelsson’s coaching aspirations, but can the Kraken GM objectively determine if Samuelsson is ready to be an NHL head coach?
Jim Wilkie is a longtime Northwest journalist, former NHL editor and NHL Insider writer for ESPN.com, onetime GSHL All-Star, and SJHA hockey dad. Follow him on Twitter @jimwilkie.
