Sometimes, hockey fans just need to express their feelings, especially during the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. I am a hockey fan. I am a long-suffering Minnesota Wild fan. Currently, my feelings are injured. If you happened to watch Game 3 of the Minnesota/Vegas series on Thursday, you understand that being a Wild fan really is a miserable state of being. After Minnesota jumped out to a 2-0 lead and dominated the first period, then appeared to take a three-goal lead, it felt like it was going to be smooth sailing. But wait! There’s an offside challenge! And it’s successful!
Boom. Back to 2-0.
Vegas predictably owned every inch of the ice the rest of the way, and Minnesota lost 5-2 while getting outshot 40-16 in total.
Sometimes I think I’m cursed as a sports fan. Sometimes I think I’m ready to throw 100 percent of my fandom behind the Seattle Kraken. Sometimes I think that me being a fan of the Kraken is actually the worst thing that could happen to that brand-new franchise that frankly does not deserve this brand of constant sports-induced agony.
Anyway, if you haven’t yet gathered, playoff hockey is here, and it’s been electric, with the highest of highs for some (Avalanche fans, Hurricanes fans, etc.) and the lowest of lows for others (Wild fans, Blues fans, et al).
Seattle Kraken news
After the big announcement last week that Seattle had signed its first ever player in Blainville-Boisbriand Armada center, Luke Henman, this was a much quieter week on the Kraken front.
Instead, we had just a couple of very small tidbits. The team unveiled some more details about its plans for youth programming at the new Kraken Training Center, and also announced a Covid vaccination pop-up at the Kraken Team Store at Chandler’s Cove on Tuesday, May 25. Get a shot and get 25% off on Kraken gear! How about that?
We are also happy to share that Seattle had a pretty good troll job on the Canucks this week, after that franchise continued its downward spiral into the abyss.
for everyone asking, yes, we are accepting applications for new fans. 😏
With the first round no deeper than Game 3 in any one individual series, it really does feel like we’ve already seen it all at this point. Goalie duels, back-and-forth affairs, overtime thrillers, you name it, we’ve already seen it. One can only hope that this riveting band of hockey continues as we move forward, and if history is any indicator… It will.
Imagine not being an NHL hockey fan during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Scary moment in Toronto
The hockey world held its collective breath on Thursday when Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares got hit in the neutral zone in Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens, then fell awkwardly into Corey Perry’s knee. The video was downright scary, as medical staff rushed onto the ice and supported Tavares’s head while he went in and out of consciousness.
Tavares was eventually carried off on a stretcher and gave a thumbs up.
Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe told media on Thursday night that Tavares was conscious and communicating and his test results were coming back “clear.”
The Canadiens came away with a surprising 2-1 victory to open the NHL Playoffs, thanks to a spectacular goal by Paul Byron.
With the NHL Playoffs in full swing, people tend to forget there’s another world-class tournament that happens around this time, in which the best of the rest all get together to try to prove that they are good at hockey, despite not being able to carry their respective NHL teams. Yes, the IIHF World Championship starts on Friday in Riga, Latvia.
What’s most interesting about this tournament, though, is that it often gives some top prospects an opportunity to compete against professional players on a big stage. This year is no different as draft-eligible forward Matty Beniers will suit up for Team USA, while his Michigan teammate Owen Power and Winnipeg Jets prospect Cole Perfetti will play for Canada.
Canucks prospect Michael DiPietro will also be there, sporting one hell of a look.
Canada gets underway Friday against Latvia at 10:15AM Pacific. Team USA will start against Finland on Saturday at 6:15AM Pacific. Most of the interesting matchups throughout the tournament will be on NHL Network.
Everett Silvertips part with GM
The Everett Silvertips announced on Thursday that they would not extend the contract of general manager Garry Davidson.
Here’s SOH’s resident Silvertips expert, Josh Horton, with his thoughts on the matter:
Also, Garry was such a pro. I don’t think I heard anyone say a bad word about him while I was on the Tips beat. Amazing person to work with from my perspective and it’s going to be weird thinking of him not at the helm in Everett.
The Silvertips and Davidson have been synonymous with one another, and Everett’s success as an organization is very much thanks to Davidson’s efforts over the years.
Around the boards
Speaking of hockey executives named Davidson (I just couldn’t resist that segue), the Blue Jackets hired John Davidson as president of hockey operations and alternate governor. Davidson was canned by the Rangers on May 5 in the midst of the Great Tom Wilson Fiasco of 2021. He had previously worked for the CBJ’s in the same role up until 2019, when he left to join the Rangers. Davidson re-kindles his connection with Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who also signed an extension with Columbus through the 2024-25 season.
Team USA legend Meghan Duggan was hired by the New Jersey Devils as a player development manager this week. Duggan, 33, has seven IIHF World Championship gold medals, two Olympic silvers, and one Olympic gold.
After a cross-up behind the net between Ilya Samsonov and Justin Schultz led the Capitals to a double-overtime loss to the Bruins in Game 3, Alex Ovechkin let (presumably) Samsonov have it. In times like these, it is important to remember that it is never the goalie’s fault.
Bad boys
Nazem Kadri has been offered an in-person hearing from the NHL after nearly taking Justin Faulk’s head off in Colorado’s Game 2 win over the Blues on Wednesday.
And speaking of the Great Tom Wilson Fiasco of 2021, I was texting with a Colorado fan about the Kadri hit on Thursday. He made a fair point that it’s hard to justify suspending for a split-second, blink-of-an-eye play like this when Wilson nearly smashing two players’ heads through the ice only earned him a $5,000 fine a couple weeks ago.
But the thing is, the NHL has absolutely set a precedent that it does not want this type of hit happening on its watch. Since the Department of Player Safety was established in 2011, it has been very consistent in always suspending for these Raffi-Torres-Matt-Cooke-lookin’-a$$ hits.
Kadri will absolutely miss a couple games for this one.
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.
If it’s true that the North remembers, then this season will be unforgettable for Canadians. A whole season with an all-Canadian division is a dream come true and it hits its crescendo this week as the playoffs begin. The Toronto Maple Leafs open with the Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers take on the Winnipeg Jets.
The North divisional playoffs feature marquee players and historic franchises. What’s not to like? Unfortunately, there won’t be fans in any of the buildings to juice the intensity, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to be treated to good hockey.
Can Toronto get out of the first round? Can Connor McDavid and the Oilers break through? Is this the year the Jets put it all together?
We are about to find out.
Montreal Canadiens (4) versus Toronto Maple Leafs (1)
When: Game 1, Thursday, 4:30 Pacific, NHL Network
There are storylines abound in a matchup between two long-standing NHL traditional franchises that have not met in the playoffs since 1979 – two months before Toronto center Joe Thornton was born.
The pressure is on Toronto here. The Leafs are stacked, led by Auston Matthews (41 goals, 25 assists, 66 points), Mitch Marner (20g, 47a, 67pts), and John Tavares (19g, 31a, 50pts) Toronto can score with the best of them – the Leafs’ 187 goals led the North Division in scoring in the regular season.
"It's two organizations with a lot of rich history in this league over the last 100 plus years."
Montreal started the season on fire but faded as it went along and ended up as the No. 4 seed. The Canadiens struggled with Toronto during the regular season with a 3-6-1 record.
They don’t have the scoring that the Maple Leafs feature and allowed more goals despite having better goalies, at least in theory. Carey Price (2.64 GAA, .901 SV) has been great over his career but split time with Jake Allen (2.68 GAA, .907 SV) as the goaltending was inconsistent.
Offensively, the Canadiens are led by offseason free agent pick up Tyler Toffoli (28g, 16a, 44 pts) along with Jeff Petry (12g, 30a, 30pts), and Nick Suzuki (15g, 26a, 41 pts). They will need everyone to be on their game if they hope to keep up with the high-flying Maple Leafs.
Wild Card
The Canadiens will need to score with the Maple Leafs if they want any shot of pulling the upset. Rookie Cole Caufield could help. Since joining Montreal at the end of the season the diminutive speedster scored four goals, including a couple of game-winners. Toronto used a merry-go-round of goalies this year thanks to injury. Frederik Andersen missed the latter half of the season and the Leafs will turn to Jack Campbell in Game 1. The one thing that could sink Toronto is suspect goaltending.
Kraken Watch
One of the common assumptions in trying to predict the Seattle Kraken Expansion route in goal is that Jake Allen will be the guy Ron Francis nabs from Montreal. Price has a hefty contract and a no-move clause and unless he waives that clause, Allen will be available. How much will he play in this series? He’s performed a tick better than Price during the season so the chances of him getting ice time here is high.
Who’s winning this?
Toronto’s big three played well against Montreal in the regular season, combining for 35 points in the 10 head-to-head meetings. That’s deadly and if they average three points a game here it will lights out and the Leafs will win their first series in 17 years. Whether it’s Price or Allen, Montreal doesn’t have the firepower to score with the Leafs. This could be over quick: Toronto in five.
Winnipeg Jets (3) versus Edmonton Oilers (2)
When: Game 1, Wednesday, 6 pm Pacific, NBC
The temptation to refer to this series as the “Connor McDavid show” is strong because that’s pretty much what this season has been for the Oilers. We may have to invent new superlatives to describe what McDavid pulled off this year by piling up 105 points in just 56 games — 22 of those points came in nine games against the Jets. Obviously, he’ll be the key player in this series, but he’s not alone. On any other team, Leon Draisaitl (31g, 53a, 84pts) would be huge news but he’s been overshadowed. The Jets will be aware of him, however.
McDavid is the supernova in this series but it’s not like the Jets are devoid of offensive talent themselves. Mark Scheifele (21g, 42a, 63pts), Kyle Connor (26g, 24a, 50pts), and Nikolaj Ehlers (21g, 25a, 46 pts) are a formidable trio of scorers and will need to be on point against the Oilers.
On paper, the Jets have the edge in net with the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, Connor Hellebuyk (2.58 GAA, .916 SV) who will take on the challenge of slowing down the Oilers. Normally, that would inspire some confidence but in seven head-to-head games with the Oilers this season, Hellebyuk allowed 26 goals on a .877 save percentage. Yikes.
Wild Card
The Jets brought in Pierre-Luc Dubois this year and while he hasn’t been bad, he has not been the 2018-2019 version that scored 27 goals with Columbus. In 41 games with Winnipeg, he recorded 20 points and in a series where the Jets will need to get scoring from up and down the lineup, he needs to find his game if they want a shot.
Kraken Watch
The Oilers have interesting Expansion Draft options but a couple, Tyler Benson and Caleb Jones, may not see much playing time in this series, if any. Tyson Barrie had a good regular season for Edmonton and could be a free agent target for the Kraken.
Who’s winning this?
The Jets will need a full defensive effort to help Hellebyuk as well as all their players firing at a top level. They’re not going to be able to completely stop McDavid, but their best bet is to try and keep him from completely dominating and then holding on. Edmonton needs to ride McDavid and Draisaitl and not make too many mistakes. Look for the Oilers to move on to set up a big second-round tilt with the Maple Leafs. Oilers in five.
In the end, the two teams sitting atop the Honda West Division were the teams we all expected to be there heading into these playoffs. But most of us did not predict that the divisional title would come down to the final game of the season. The race was so tight that Vegas Golden Knights netminder Robin Lehner was publicly rooting for the LA Kings against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.
Lehner’s support was too little, too late, however, as the Avs overwhelmed the inferior Kings and rolled to a 5-1 victory, a Presidents’ Trophy, and a divisional title with 82 points. The Golden Knights also finished with 82 points, but Colorado had more regulation wins on the season to break the tie.
So the divisional field is set. Avalanche versus Blues, Golden Knights versus Wild.
Let’s do this.
Colorado Avalanche versus St. Louis Blues
GAME
DATE/LOCATION
TIME
TV
Game 1
Monday, May 17 in Colorado
7 p.m. PT
NBCSN
Game 2
Wednesday, May 19 in Colorado
7:30 p.m. PT
CNBC
Game 3
Friday, May 21 in St. Louis
6:30 p.m. PT
USA
Game 4
Sunday, May 23 in St. Louis
Time TBD
TV TBD
Game 5
Tuesday, May 25 in Colorado (if necessary)
Time TBD
TV TBD
Game 6
Thursday, May 27 in St. Louis (if necessary)
Time TBD
TV TBD
Game 7
Saturday, May 29 in Colorado (if necessary)
Time TBD
TV TBD
Can the Avs stay relatively healthy this time?
Thursday’s win over the Kings was a nice microcosm of how Colorado can play when it is on top of its game. The Avs move the puck with so much zest and creativity that their opponents end up looking two steps behind trying to defend.
Widely considered a Stanley Cup contender last season as well, the Avalanche bowed out in the second round with a Game 7 loss to the Dallas Stars. Contributing to the defeat was a whole host of injuries that hit the team at the same time, with Gabriel Landeskog, Erik Johnson, Joonas Donskoi, Matt Calvert, and goalies Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Fracouz missing at least a portion of the series.
This year, the Avs skate into the postseason with their star players mostly healthy. The one exception is Brandon Saad, who is dealing with a lower body injury and may miss the start of the playoffs.
Goaltending is again a bit of a question mark, at least at the beginning of the postseason. With Francouz missing the entire regular season, the Avs acquired Devan Dubnyk at the trade deadline to shore up its backup situation, but he is currently on Covid protocol and will not be able to return until at least Tuesday. He also hasn’t been great this season in general. Dubnyk’s absence should be moot, though, as Grubauer is good to go and has had an outstanding season, winning 30 games with a 1.95 goals against average and .922 save percentage.
Assuming they stay relatively healthy, it’s Stanley Cup or bust for this Colorado team which is just oozing with offensive talent both up front and on the blue line.
Kraken fans should keep an eye on Ryan Graves, Tyson Jost, and Devon Toews, as at least one of those three should be exposed in the Expansion Draft.
The Avalanche have won five out of eight contests against the Blues.
But it would be foolish to assume St. Louis will go quietly into the night. Remember, it has only been two seasons since head coach Craig Berube took this club from dead last in the league on New Year’s Day to Stanley Cup champions in June.
There has been a decent amount of roster turnover, with Alex Steen and Jay Bouwmeester retiring and Alex Pietrangelo departing to Vegas in free agency. But the bulk of the team remains in tact, with Mike Hoffman and Torey Krug being added in free agency to help fill the holes left by the departures.
The real star of that 2018-19 Cup run was goalie Jordan Binnington, who burst onto the scene and carried St. Louis all the way through to the promised land. Binnington, now armed with a six-year whopper of a contract worth $36 million, appears ready to go back to work in the postseason. He hasn’t had that great of a season, but he has gone 6-0-3 in his last nine starts. If Binnington falters, Ville Husso has shown flashes of brilliance lately and is fresh off a 31-save shutout of Minnesota on Wednesday.
It was largely a three-team division during the regular season, with the Blues sneaking in as the best of the rest, but little was expected of them in 2018-19 as well and look what happened then.
The Blues have gotten stellar seasons out of captain Ryan O’Reilly and David Perron, who are each north of 50 points on the year.
St. Louis has also dealt with a lot of injuries, though, and has several key players out right now. Vladimir Tarasenko, who has had a very tough ride over the last couple seasons with serious shoulder issues, is now day-to-day with a lower body injury. Vince Dunn and Colton Parayko are also day-to-day, while Oskar Sundqvist is out for the year with a knee injury.
It’s been four seasons and four playoff appearances for the Golden Knights, who are once again legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. With a platoon of top-tier netminders in Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury and heaps of talent throughout the lineup, Vegas is a well-oiled machine.
Still, there have been some odd bumps in the road this season, as general manager Kelly McCrimmon has played fast and loose with the salary cap, and it has come back to bite him. On Monday, Vegas could only dress 15 skaters because of the cap crunch and a few untimely injuries. That game was against Colorado, and a win would have clinched the Presidents’ Trophy and division for Vegas. Instead, the Golden Knights lost that night and ultimately frittered away that title chance.
The other consequence of the cap mismanagement for Vegas is that it has found itself in a tougher matchup. The Wild have surprisingly had the better of the Golden Knights, going 5-1-2 in eight meetings. Meanwhile, Vegas dominated St. Louis with a 6-1-1 record, so a first-place finish would have delivered a preferable opponent for the opening round.
Nonetheless, there’s a lot to like about Vegas’ chances. The VGK’s are so well balanced up front, with production coming from each of their top three lines. Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty have had incredible seasons, though Pacioretty has been dealing with an upper body injury, so we will see how that plays out in the playoffs. Meanwhile former Seattle Thunderbird Shea Theodore is emerging as one of the best offensive defensemen in the league.
Other than Theodore and fellow former Thunderbird Keegan Kolesar, there’s nothing to see here on the Seattle front, as Vegas is exempt from the Expansion Draft.
Wild have surprised all year
Minnesota was not really on the national radar coming into the season, but that quickly changed when fans started to learn the name Kirill Kaprizov. The 23-year-old rookie exploded out of the gate and has not looked back, notching 27 goals and 24 assists on the season and quickly playing himself into the “best player in franchise history” conversation. The budding Russian superstar is truly something special to watch.
There’s been a real changing of the guard for the Wild over the past couple seasons. Out went the likes of Eric Staal, Mikko Koivu, Jason Zucker, Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund, and Devan Dubnyk, and in came Kaprizov, Kevin Fiala, Mats Zuccarello, and Cam Talbot.
General manager Billy Guerin, hired to replace the ousted Paul Fenton in August, 2019, was not responsible for all those moves, but he has made it clear that what players have done in the past no longer guarantees them a spot on the team. Coach Dean Evason has also done a masterful job at pushing buttons and eliminating similar assumptions about playing time, even going so far as to scratch Zach Parise and his $7.5 million cap hit several times this season. Parise very well could be in the press box for most or all of these playoffs.
The Wild also have a solid platoon of goalies in Talbot and Kaapo Kahkonen, who have made the timely saves that so often alluded this team in the past. The Achilles heel for Minnesota is center depth, because there simply is none.
The Wild are remarkably healthy heading into the postseason, though they skittered to a disappointing finish to the regular season after clinching a playoff spot.
Seattle Kraken fans should keep tabs on Talbot, Carson Soucy, Marco Sturm, and Marcus Foligno who will all likely be exposed, as well as longer shots Jordan Greenway and Matt Dumba.
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.
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.
