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John Tortorella Not Returning To Columbus Next Season

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The Columbus Blue Jackets season has ended and so has John Tortorella’s tenure as head coach. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that Tortorella, whose contract expires at the end of this season, will not return for 2021-22.

Portzline adds that “all indications suggest” that the veteran coach wants to continue running a bench in the NHL, meaning there is suddenly a very experienced option on the market. Tortorella sits 12th on the all-time list for NHL games coached with 1,383. One more full season would put him into the top eight, passing Mike Keenan (1,386), Pat Quinn (1,400), Ron Wilson (1,401), and Dick Irvin (1,449). He has won the Jack Adams award twice, one of only four coaches to win it with two different teams.

It’s been six full seasons in Columbus, taking over in 2015-16 and leading the team to the postseason four times. This year has been very different though, with the Blue Jackets winning just 18 of 56 games and finishing behind the rebuilding Detroit Red Wings. It’s been a season full of headlines, with Pierre-Luc Dubois forcing his way out of Columbus, while Tortorella clashed with newcomers Patrik Laine and Max Domi. Big changes appear imminent for the Blue Jackets, who already sold off Nick Foligno and David Savard at the deadline, among others.

Though it has been clear for a while that Tortorella likely wasn’t being brought back, there has still been no official announcement from the team. Whenever it comes, there will be plenty of accolades heaped on Tortorella’s time in Columbus. His numbers for the organization dwarf the likes of Ken Hitchcock, Todd Richards and Dave King, the only three other coaches who have been behind the bench for at least 200 Columbus games. Tortorella’s time finishes with 447 games coached and a 227-166-54 record. He has been the coach in 31 of the team’s 41 postseason appearances.

Edmonton Oilers Making Progress On Adam Larsson Extension

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When the news came down in 2016 that Adam Larsson had been traded straight up for Taylor Hall, many mocked the Edmonton Oilers for the return they received from the New Jersey Devils. After all, Larsson had a career-high of 24 points in a season and didn’t seem like a true top-pairing option.

Part of the reason the Oilers targeted Larsson though, other than his handedness, was his contract. He had signed a six-year, $25MM deal with the Devils in 2015 that meant he would carry just a $4.16MM cap hit through this season. Hall was more expensive at $6MM per season and, now five years later, has played for four different teams.

The deal looks a little more even now that Larsson has established himself as the Oilers’ best shutdown defenseman and will look even better if they can manage to sign him to a reasonable extension. On Hockey Night In Canada this evening, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Oilers and Larsson have been in negotiations since before the trade deadline and have made good progress on an extension. Friedman expects the deal to come in around four years in length.

Larsson’s career-high is still 24 points, set in the 2014-15 season with New Jersey, but he has been a very important part of the Oilers this year. The 28-year-old trails only Josh Archibald for the team lead in hits, is far and away the team leader in blocked shots, and averages more than two minutes on Edmonton’s 11th-ranked penalty kill every night. He’s still not a true top-pairing, all-situations defenseman, but an extension makes sense for both sides.

The Oilers also have Tyson Barrie to think about this summer, but are saving some money on Kris Russell’s extension, which brings his cap hit from $4MM to just $1.25MM next season. With a deal for Larsson on the horizon, the team will have to spend carefully on the margins if they want to bring both Barrie and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins back.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Seeking Writers For Pro Hockey Rumors

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Like many other small businesses, the last year has been especially difficult for the Trade Rumors family. At the start of 2020, we were looking to hire several new writers as we expanded coverage and ramped up some new features. When the sports world came to a sudden halt, so did our search. Now, as things start to get back to some level of normalcy, we’re going to once again make a call for new writers.

PHR is looking to add multiple part-time contributors with strong evening and weekend availability. There also may be an opportunity for some daytime shifts. The position pays on an hourly basis.

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Exceptional knowledge of all 32 NHL teams, with no discernible bias.
  • Knowledge of the salary cap, CBA, and transaction-related concepts.
  • At least some college education.
  • Extensive writing experience, with professional experience and a background in journalism both strongly preferred.
  • Keen understanding of journalistic principles, ethics, and procedures. Completion of basic college-level journalism classes is strongly preferred.
  • Attention to detail — absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.
  • Ability to follow the site’s style and tone.
  • Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs. We need someone who can balance creating quick copy with thoughtful analysis. You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers, or links to other relevant articles.
  • Ability to use Twitter, Tweetdeck, and an RSS feed reader such as Feedly. In general, you must be able to multi-task.
  • Flexibility. You must be available to work on short notice.

If you’re interested, email prohockeyrumorshelp@gmail.com and in a few paragraphs, explain why you qualify. Be sure to attach your resume to the email.

We understand that many of those who read this have applied in the past. If you have previously submitted an application for PHR and are still interested, please submit it again. Many will apply, so unfortunately we cannot respond to every applicant.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 05/08/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is today’s list:

Calgary – TBA
Colorado – Devan Dubnyk
Edmonton – TBA
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov
Winnipeg – TBA

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: None

Kuznetsov remains in the protocol for the Capitals, meaning he won’t be available tonight against the Flyers in the team’s 55th game. The team will use Craig Anderson in the net as Ilya Samsonov also remains out. The netminder doesn’t need to be listed here because he is technically on the taxi squad, but the capitals confirmed yesterday he was also in the protocol.

*denotes new addition

Hurricanes Nearing Extension With Rod Brind’Amour

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Rod Brind’Amour’s contract situation in Carolina has been a discussion point for a good chunk of the season.  However, he appears to have his new deal in place as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the bench boss has inked a three-year contract extension worth around $1.8MM per season.  The agreement comes on the three-year anniversary of his initial hiring to the position.  TSN’s Frank Seravalli somewhat contradicts that report (Twitter link), saying he was told by the team that the deal is not done yet.  Having said that, Friedman having the terms suggest it’s all but done at this point which he reiterated in a follow-up tweet following the denial.

Over that stretch, the Hurricanes have become a consistent threat.  The team made the playoffs in each of his first two seasons behind the bench after missing the postseason in nine straight years.  In his first year behind the bench, they made it to the Eastern Conference Final while they were ousted in the first round a year ago after being the Rangers in the Qualifying Round.

This season, Brind’Amour has helped take Carolina to a higher level.  Entering play today, the Hurricanes currently lead the league in points with 80 in 54 games, a pace of 121 over a full 82-game season.  They’ve clinched the Central Division title and are in the top ten in goals scored (eighth) and allowed (fourth) despite dealing with some key injuries up front and between the pipes as the presumptive starter at the beginning of the year in Petr Mrazek has only been able to play 11 times.

If the deal gets finalized at the terms that Friedman reported, it’s definitely a below-market price tag as veteran head coaches have been able to command twice that much or more in recent years.  While Brind’Amour – who has led Carolina to a 120-64-20 record – doesn’t have quite the track record that coaches like Mike Babcock, Alain Vigneault Claude Julien, Barry Trotz, Todd McLellan, and Peter Laviolette all had at the time of their hires (where they received at least $4MM), it stands to reason that he could have commanded considerably more had he hit the open market.  Instead, it appears he’s going to stay where he is and is willing to take a discount to do so which is great news for the Hurricanes.

East Notes: Tanev, Subban, DeAngelo, Lundkvist

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The Penguins are optimistic that winger Brandon Tanev will be cleared to play for the start of the playoffs next week, notes Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  The veteran has been dealing with upper-body injuries in the second half of the season with his latest one keeping him out for more than a month.  However, he has resumed skating with the team in recent days which bodes well for his return.  Tanev was in the midst of his best offensive season before the injury bug struck as he has seven goals and nine assists in 32 games this season while his physicality (he’s averaging over 4.3 hits per game which is the highest rate of his career) will be a welcome addition for the grittier postseason style.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Although Devils defenseman P.K. Subban came off the COVID Protocol Related Absences List last Saturday, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters including NHL.com’s Dan Rosen (Twitter link) that he still has not resumed skating and isn’t expected to play in New Jersey’s final two games this season. His year comes to an end with five goals and 14 assists in 44 games while averaging 22:22 per contest, second only to Damon Severson.
  • While Chris Drury wasn’t the GM for the Rangers at the time that Anthony DeAngelo was dismissed from the team, he won’t be overturning that decision, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post. DeAngelo was sent home early in the year following an altercation with teammate Alexandar Georgiev and while there was believed to be some interest in him at the trade deadline, the defenseman declined the offer to terminate his contract to allow him to catch on elsewhere.  He has one more year left at a $4.8MM AAV, one that is all but certain to head for a buyout this summer.
  • Also from Brooks’ column, contract talks are expected to pick up with defenseman Nils Lundkvist in the near future. The 20-year-old has had two productive seasons with Lulea of the SHL and is ready to make the jump to North America but when the Rangers fell out of the playoff race thereby effectively eliminating the need to get a deal done as soon as his season in Sweden came to an end, those were temporarily put on the back burner.

Malmo Showing Interest In Carolina’s Joakim Ryan

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It has been a tough season for Hurricanes defenseman Joakim Ryan.  He cleared waivers in training camp and has spent the majority of the season on the taxi squad.  As a result, he has suited up just seven times this season, three with Carolina and four with AHL Chicago.  Not surprisingly, the pending unrestricted free agent is expected to head elsewhere for next season.

In this case, it appears that elsewhere may very well be in Sweden as SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson reports that Malmo of the SHL is in final negotiations to sign Ryan for next season although the deal wouldn’t officially be announced until Carolina’s playoffs come to an end.  Svensson qualifies his report by noting that a one-way NHL deal may be enough to sway Ryan to stay in North America although given how little he has played this season and the fact he already is on a two-way pact, that doesn’t seem likely to happen.

If this comes to fruition, it would be a homecoming of sorts for the 28-year-old who grew up just outside of Malmo until he was 12 when his family headed for the United States.  Several years ago, he indicated that he had a desire to play for Malmo although San Jose was able to get him to stay at that time before joining Los Angeles on a one-way deal back in 2019.

Between his time with those three organizations, Ryan has played in 144 career NHL games over four seasons but aside from his first year with the Sharks, he never has truly been able to establish himself as a regular player.  Accordingly, heading overseas would certainly make a lot of sense for him, especially if he can wind up close to home.

North Notes: Tkachuk, Batherson, Sandin, Oilers, Danault

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Senators winger Brady Tkachuk is leaning towards declining an invitation to play for Team USA at the upcoming World Championships, suggests Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  While he would undoubtedly be a key player for them, he is a pending restricted free agent, something that he acknowledged could be a factor in him taking a pass if he goes that route:

I haven’t made a full decision yet but it’s always an honour to represent your country and play for the guys who paved the way and USA Hockey. We’ll have to see but it’s definitely a different set of circumstances here, especially with the things going on this summer.

Tkachuk isn’t the only one leaning towards taking a pass for that reason either as Garrioch adds that winger Drake Batherson is doubtful to suit up for Canada with his restricted free agency on the horizon.  While Tkachuk is expected to land a substantial raise this summer no matter what, Batherson’s case is a bit murkier as while he has played well this year with 33 points in 53 games, it’s his only full NHL season thus far.

More from the North Division:

  • Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin isn’t expected to play in Toronto’s remaining three games for salary cap reasons, notes Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. By moving him back to the taxi squad, they would create enough cap room in order to activate Riley Nash from LTIR, allowing him to potentially get a game or two in before the end of the regular season to get him ready for the playoffs.  Nash was ruled out for the rest of the year while in Columbus but Toronto’s schedule runs nearly a week longer as a result of the COVID-related postponements.
  • While the Oilers look to be set in second place in the North, don’t expect them to rest anyone down the stretch, relays Postmedia’s Rob Tychkowski. Instead, head coach Dave Tippett wants to try to create some momentum over their final four games, something that could be more difficult with players rotating in and out of the lineup.
  • Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme told reporters today, including Sportsnet’s Eric Engels (Twitter link), that center Phillip Danault has been diagnosed with a concussion. He had previously been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.  He had already been ruled out for tonight’s game against Toronto but with that diagnosis, he will likely miss the final two games against Edmonton as well.

NHL To Relax COVID-19 Protocol For Vaccinated Playoff Teams

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Just in time for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL is set to take a major change to their COVID-19 protocol. As first reported by TSN’s Frank Seravalli, the league has issued a memo to potential playoff clubs detailing new rules relaxing the restrictions initially implemented to combat the Coronavirus. Once 85% of the team, including players, coaches, and staff, have been fully vaccinated, there will be much more freedom granted in health and safety and social interaction areas. This policy will also apply to on-ice officials, once 100% of the crew has been fully vaccinated. By “fully vaccinated”, the league requires that an individual be two weeks removed from their final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine.

Once a team receives league approval that the 85% vaccination mark has been reached, the following policies will be relaxed:

Social Gatherings

  • allowed in groups of up to eight people
  • not limited to members of the team
  • may occur indoors or outdoors
  • masks and social distancing not required
  • all individuals must be fully vaccinated

Masks

  • not required in non-public areas of arenas and practice facilities
  • not required at teams meetings

Travel and Leisure

  • permitted to gather in hotel rooms
  • permitted to eat during air and bus travel
  • permitted to dine at restaurants with outdoors seating or an exclusive indoor dining area
  • permitted to golf as a group

Testing

  • no longer required on off days

These new policies will be well-received by players, coaches, and officials alike, who have endured a very sheltered existence over the past few months. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to reap the benefits. Seravalli notes that none of the Canadian clubs are “anywhere close” to the 85% full vaccination mark and may not get there at all by the end of the postseason. Slow vaccination rates in Canada mean that few Canadian players have received their first dose of a two-dose COVID vaccine and second doses could be months away. With it still being unclear if the North Division champion will even be able to play home games in the final two rounds of the playoffs, these relaxed policies could join home ice as another benefit for the American clubs this postseason.

Max McCormick Clears Waivers

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Saturday: As expected given the lack of upside to making a claim, McCormick has safely cleared waivers, reports Hurricanes beat writer Michael Smith. The Central Division leaders will get some cap relief in the final days of the regular season while retaining the depth forward for their playoff run.

Friday: You don’t often see players placed on waivers after the trade deadline, as roster limits are lifted and teams can carry everyone they need. In today’s cap world though, there are sometimes situations that require a team to move a player down even after the deadline has passed. That’s what has happened with the Carolina Hurricanes today, who have placed Max McCormick on waivers to create some roster flexibility.

As CapFriendly points out, the rules for waiver claims after the deadline are slightly adjusted, meaning McCormick could not play for a team that claims him. If someone did claim him, it would essentially end his season, which doesn’t benefit his new team very much. Still, there is at least a slight possibility that a team would claim McCormick simply to remove him as an option for the Hurricanes as they head into the postseason. An unrestricted free agent at season’s end, there would be no real risk other than upsetting a fellow management team.

It’s a tough spot for McCormick, 29, who has played in ten games this season for Carolina. The former Ottawa Senators forward has two goals in those appearances, spending more time on the taxi squad than on any active roster.

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