Sports
Toronto Maple Leafs Rumours: Toronto has done due diligence on goaltending options, inquired about Linus Ullmark in Buffalo – Friedman – Maple Leafs Hot Stove
In today’s Leafs Links, the insiders discuss the likelihood of the Toronto Maple Leafs adding to their goaltending depth before the deadline, the options that are available via trade, and the latest on the Taylor Hall sweepstakes.
Leafs Links
Friedge: Leafs doing their due diligence on goalie options in case (WGR550)
On his weekly appearance on The Instigators, Elliotte Friedman suggested the Leafs have called Buffalo to inquire on pending UFA goaltender Linus Ullmark in case the injury news is worse than feared with Frederik Andersen.
The situation I heard his name in, and I don’t necessarily think it was anything like, “Let’s talk about a deal,” but I do think that Toronto, in doing their due diligence as they try to sort out in their net, has called Buffalo to ask what the Sabres are thinking there [with Ullmark]. I don’t know where that is going to go.
Frederik Andersen has an appointment today, and they’re hoping to get better clarity on what his situation is. If he is out for the year or anything like that, Toronto is going to get serious about what they have to do in goal. I do think they have touched base with Buffalo at least asking what their plans are with Ullmark.
“If we need to do this, would there be an option there?”
Friedman on the likely price of Ullmark:
I don’t think it is a first-rounder. I think there is some value there. Kevyn Adams can always say, “You are desperate, and let’s see what I can heist out of you.” That is his responsibility and he should do that. I just don’t know if I see that being a first-rounder.
We’ll find out about Andersen today, and then we’ll know if the Leafs have to go get another goaltender.
Friedman on the Leafs‘ deadline priorities:
It is a go-for-it year. Five on five, they’re really good. They just played Edmonton and Winnipeg back-to-back and played extremely well. I think they would like to get another forward to play with Tavares and Nylander. They are all of a sudden wondering if they have to get a goalie because of the injuries. Both Campbell and Andersen have been hurt.
Friedman on the Taylor Hall sweepstakes:
The one thing about Hall is, because he has such a big cap number, even though the Sabres are willing to eat some of it, they might have to wait until the cap number goes down. There are not a lot of teams with room. I can see that one being closer to the 12th as opposed to soon.
CJ: “I’m confident the Leafs will look different up front on April 13” (SN590)
Chris Johnston joined Leafs Hour on Thursday to discuss the team’s goaltending situation, whether they’re in the market for help in net, and the current state of the trade market across the league.
The Carolina Hurricanes have said they would move one of their goalies: Nedeljkovic or Reimer. You have a few goaltenders on expiring contracts like Linus Ullmark in Buffalo and Jonathan Bernier in Detroit, although [Bernier] is out with an injury right now.
Let’s face it: More or less, we are not talking about anyone that is going to be a big headline grabber. That is part of the argument not to do it. Totally depending on Frederik Andersen’s situation, but if you have reason to believe Andersen is going to be back to playing in a week or two or three, you might just try to get through it.
If Andersen can play, you are splitting starts with him and Campbell, the concerns about managing Campbell’s body is a little different if you have a goalie you are more than comfortable rolling out there with him.
I do think it is fair to say that Andersen wasn’t the same goalie last year or this year that he was in his first three years in Toronto, but I do think — especially this season, with the way his play trended — it is tied to the fact that he wasn’t healthy. If he comes back healthy, you might end up with a decent duo here.
Somebody asked Sheldon Keefe if he felt like he was walking a tightrope a bit with his goaltending, and he said, “Yeah, I do.” I don’t think there is any hiding from it. The problem is that there isn’t an obvious goaltender to go trade for that they can use their cap space on and go do it. Anyone they bring in, you are going to go, “Okay, but not great.”
Johnston on sorting out buyers vs. sellers ahead of the deadline:
It is murkier than ever. Two weeks ago, I was certain Nashville was going to be a seller. Now they have six or seven wins in a row. They have won enough games that it is not totally crazy for them to talk themselves into trying to make the playoffs again. Someone like Mikael Granlund — who I think is someone reasonable to tie to the Leafs — is on a one-year deal, but they might just keep him.
There are still going to be sellers. What Buffalo is selling is going to be expensive. To trade a Taylor Hall is easier to do closer to April 12th — the cap hit is less to take on. Every day that passes, he is $100,000 cheaper, or whatever it is.
At some point, it is going to reach a point where teams have to make a decision one way or another. I think Vancouver is being closer to being a seller with some of their depth forwards. It is a weird market and a weird year. I still think there are going to be trades, but it’s not taking shape the way I would’ve guessed. Some teams have been stubborn, won a bunch of games, and have given their GMs some second thoughts.
Johnston on what the Leafs are most likely to do by April 12 and how committed they are to buying:
I am confident that the Leafs are going to look different up front on April 13th — maybe before, but certainly the day after the deadline. I still think they are willing to trade that asset if they have to. The pick they drafted Rodion Amirov with at 15th overall — they were willing to move that pick at the time before even making a draft selection. They just didn’t have a trade that made sense.
I am not identifying Amirov as a player they are necessarily going to move, but they have been willing to move from the top end of their prospect pool all along because they are all in on trying to win now while they have their players under contract. They know they have a good team and just want to make it better.
Dreger: Don’t think TOR is deeply concerned about goalie injuries (TSN1050)
On TSN Overdrive, Darren Dreger threw some cold water on the notion of the Leafs pursuing a goaltender based on long-term health concerns with either Frederik Andersen or Jack Campbell.
Based on the information I get, they are not deeply concerned about the injury status of either. They are nagging things. My sense is on Freddy Andersen that they hoped he would be further along than he is now, but he is healing and getting better. They expect he should be able to return to the ice sometime soon.
Does that mean in the next week? I don’t know if they have that information yet, but they are comfortable that the rest he is receiving is remedying the situation. It is not believed to be a bigger issue or a longer-term problem.
… Is there at least reason to have an internal discussion on whether you need to improve your #3 and find whatever upgrade there might be on Michael Hutchinson? I think they’re having those discussions. I just don’t believe there is a heightened level of urgency to it.
Dreger on the teams active in the goalie market:
Who would be surprised if the Hurricanes use one of the goaltenders as a pawn in the trade market? I know that the Washington Capitals want to add a goaltender — they would prefer to add some experience at the position. Is Colorado set with their small acquisition? Maybe you could put Toronto in that category, but I just don’t get that sense from Leafs sources based on the health status of Freddy Andersen or Jack Campbell.
Lebrun: Leafs have done due diligence in net to some degree (TSN1050)
On Leafs Lunch, Pierre LeBrun provided his sense of how urgently the Leafs are pursuing goaltending options.
I think they have done their due diligence to some degree. I don’t know if that is a move they are going to make.
Would I do it if I were Kyle Dubas? No. I don’t think, with how little capital they have with the cap… And Jack Campbell has proven a lot. As long as you believe Frederik Andersen will be back and healthy, that is not a bad one-two punch.
Unless they are under the impression that they are not going to believe in Andersen again this year, that is a different question. As long as he is back and healthy at some point, knowing Jack Campbell is doing some special things, that is not where I would be using my salary cap leverage at this point if I am Toronto. I would be looking at another piece up front.
Scouring the TradeBait list for Leafs targets (MLHS Podcast)
In Episode 9 of the Maple Leafs Hot Stove Podcast, Ian Tulloch and Anthony Petrielli debated the options on the TSN TradeBait list, Zach Hyman and Joe Thornton’s fits in the lineup, the team’s goaltending situation (and if they should add another option), and much more.
Sports
Utah NHL owner Smith says season ticket deposits now top 20,000 – TSN
Owner Ryan Smith told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun Friday that Utah’s NHL team has received just over 20,000 season-ticket deposits.
The news comes less than 24 hours after the NHL’s Board of Governors unanimously approved sale of the Arizona Coyotes from Alex Meruelo to Smith and subsequent relocation to Salt Lake City for the 2024-25 season.
<twitter-embed blockquotehtml="
Just got off the phone after doing an interview with Utah NHL owner Ryan Smith and he said the updated total is now at just over 20,000 season-ticket deposits.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun)
April 19, 2024“>
The team is expected play out of the Delta Center in the city’s downtown core, the home of the Utah Jazz, which currently has about 12,000 unobstructed seats for hockey. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday Smith and his ownership group will raise the seating capacity to about 17,000 after renovations.
“As everyone knows, Utah is a vibrant and thriving state, and we are thrilled to be a part of it,” Bettman said in a statement. “We are also delighted to welcome Ashley and Ryan Smith to the NHL family and know they will be great stewards of the game in Utah. We thank them for working so collaboratively with the League to resolve a complex situation in this unprecedented and beneficial way.
“The NHL’s belief in Arizona has never wavered. We thank Alex Meruelo for his commitment to the franchise and Arizona, and we fully support his ongoing efforts to secure a new home in the desert for the Coyotes. We also want to acknowledge the loyal hockey fans of Arizona, who have supported their team with dedication for nearly three decades while growing the game.”
The move ends years of uncertainty surrounding the Coyotes franchise and wraps up a nearly three-decade existence of mostly poor on-ice results and chronic mismanagement over the course of multiple owners.
Utah’s team will not carry over the Coyotes moniker and will instead develop a new brand identity. LeBrun reported on Thursday’s edition of Insider Trading the franchise may take until beyond the start of next season to pick a team name and Smith has hired a firm to look into branding for the NHL’s newest franchise.
The Coyotes finished the 2023-24 campaign 36-41-5, missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth time in a row and 11th time in the past 12 seasons.
Sports
Marchand says Maple Leafs are Bruins’ ‘biggest rival’ ahead of 1st-round series – NHL.com
BOSTON – Forget Boston Bruins-Montreal Canadiens.
For Brad Marchand, right now, it’s all about Bruins-Toronto Maple Leafs.
“You see the excitement they have all throughout Canada when they’re in playoffs,” Marchand said Thursday. “Makes it a lot of fun to play them. And I think, just with the history we’ve had with them recently, they’re probably our biggest rival right now over the last decade.
“They’ve probably surpassed Montreal and any other team with kind of where our rivalry’s gone, just because we’ve both been so competitive with each other, and we’ve had a few playoff series. It definitely brings the emotion, the intensity, up in the games and the excitement for the fans.
“It’s a lot of fun to play them.”
The Bruins and Maple Leafs will renew their rivalry in their first round series, which starts Saturday at TD Garden (8 p.m. ET; TBS, truTV, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS). They’ll be familiar opponents.
Over the past 11 seasons, the Bruins have faced the Maple Leafs four times in the postseason, starting with the epic 2013 matchup in the first round. That resulted in an all-time instant classic, the Game 7 in which the Bruins were down 4-1 in the third period and came roaring back for an overtime win that helped propel them to the Stanely Cup Final.
That would prove to be the model and, in the intervening years, the Bruins have beaten them in each of the three subsequent series, including going to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference First Round in 2018 and 2019.
Which could easily be where this series is going.
“Offensively they’re a gifted hockey club,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Thursday. “They present a lot of challenges down around the netfront area. We’re going to have to be really sharp there. We’re a pretty good team defensively when we stick to what our principles are. So I expect it to be a tight series overall.”
But if anyone knows the Maple Leafs — and what to expect — it’s Marchand. In his career, he’s played 146 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, 11th most of any active player. Twenty-one of those games have come against the Maple Leafs, games in which Marchand has 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists).
“They’re always extremely competitive,” Marchand said. “You never know which way the series is going to go. But that’s what you want. That’s what you love about hockey is the competition aspect. They’re real competitors over there, especially the way they’re built right now. So it’s going to be a lot of fun, and that’s what playoffs is about. It’s about the best teams going head-to-head.”
But even though the history favors the Bruins — including having won each of the past six playoff matchups, dating back to the NHL’s expansion era in 1967-68 and each of the four regular-season games in 2023-24 — Marchand is throwing that out the window.
“That means nothing,” he said.
The Maple Leafs bring the No. 2 offense in the NHL into their series, having scored 3.63 goals per game. They were led by Auston Matthews and his 69 goals this season, a new record for him and for the franchise.
“You have to be hard on a guy like that and limit his time and space with the puck,” forward Charlie Coyle said. “He’s really good at getting in position to receive the puck and he’s got linemates who can put it right on his tape for him. You’ve just got to know where he is, especially in our D zone. He likes to loop away after cycling it and kind of find that sweet spot coming down Broadway there in the middle. It’s not just a one-person job.”
Nor is Matthews their only threat.
“They have a lot of great players, skill players, who play hard and can be very dangerous around the net and create scoring opportunities,” forward Charlie Coyle said. “You’ve just got to be aware of who’s out there and who you’re against, who you’re matched up against, and play hard. Also, too, we’ve got to focus on our game and what we do well and when we do that, we trust each other and have that belief in each other, we’re a pretty good hockey team.”
Especially against the Maple Leafs.
Marchand, who grew up in Halifax loving the Maple Leafs, still gets a thrill to see their alumni walking around Scotiabank Arena in the playoffs. And it’s even more special to be on the ice with them, to be competing against them — even more so when the Bruins keep winning.
But that certainly doesn’t mean this series will be easy.
“They’ll be a [heck] of a challenge,” Marchand said.
Sports
NHL sets Round 1 schedule for 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Daily Faceoff
The chase for Lord Stanley’s silver chalice will begin on Saturday.
After what could be described as the most exciting season in NHL history that saw heartbreaks and last-ditch efforts to clinch playoff spots, players and staff now get ready as 16 teams go to battle.
We saw the Vancouver Canucks have a massive year and finish first in the Pacific Division with captain Quinn Hughes leading all defensemen in points. The Winnipeg Jets set a franchise record for most points. The Nashville Predators went on a franchise-record winning streak in order to lock themselves into a Wild Card spot, and the Washington Capitals clinched the last Wild Card spot in the East after a wild finish that saw the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers see their playoff hopes crumble in front of them.
While Auston Matthews missed out on scoring 70 goals, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid and Tampa Bay Lightning standout Nikita Kucherov became the first players since 1990-91 to record 100 assists in a single season. They joined Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr as the only players to do so.
With the bracket set, it’s time to expect the unexpected.
Here is the schedule for Round 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs:
Eastern Conference
#A1 Florida Panthers vs. #WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning
Date | Game | Time |
Sunday, April 21 | 1. Tampa at Florida | 12:30 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 23 | 2. Tampa at Florida | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Thursday, April 25 | 3. Florida at Tampa | 7 p.m. ET |
Saturday, April 27 | 4. Florida at Tampa | 5 p.m. ET |
Monday, April 29 | 5. Tampa at Florida | TBD |
Wednesday, May 1 | 6. Florida at Tampa | TBD |
Saturday, May 4 | 7. Tampa at Florida | TBD |
#A2 Boston Bruins vs. #A3 Toronto Maple Leafs
Date | Game | Time |
Saturday, April 20 | 1. Toronto at Boston | 8 p.m. ET |
Monday, April 22 | 2. Toronto at Boston | 7 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, April 24 | 3. Boston at Toronto | 7 p.m. ET |
Saturday, April 27 | 4. Boston at Toronto | 8 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 30 | 5. Toronto at Boston | TBD |
Thursday, May 2 | 6. Boston at Toronto | TBD |
Saturday, May 4 | 7. Toronto at Boston | TBD |
#M1 New York Rangers vs. #WC2 Washington Capitals
Date | Game | Time |
Sunday, April 21 | 1. Washington at New York | 3 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 23 | 2. Washington at New York | 7 p.m. ET |
Friday, April 26 | 2. New York at Washington | 7 p.m. ET |
Sunday, April 28 | 2. New York at Washington | 8 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, May 1 | 2. Washington at New York | TBD |
Friday, May 3 | 2. New York at Washington | TBD |
Sunday, May 5 | 2. Washington at New York | TBD |
#M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. #M3 New York Islanders
Date | Game | Time |
Saturday, April 20 | 1. New York at Carolina | 5 p.m. ET |
Monday, April 22 | 2. New York at Carolina | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Thursday, April 25 | 3. Carolina at New York | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Saturday, April 27 | 4. Carolina at New York | 2 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 30 | 5. New York at Carolina | TBD |
Thursday, May 2 | 6. Carolina at New York | TBD |
Saturday, May 4 | 7. New York at Carolina | TBD |
Western Conference
#C1 Dallas Stars vs. #WC2 Vegas Golden Knights
Date | Game | Time |
Monday, April 22 | 1. Vegas at Dallas | 9:30 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, April 24 | 2. Vegas at Dallas | 9:30 p.m. ET |
Saturday, April 27 | 3. Dallas at Vegas | 10:30 p.m. ET |
Monday, April 29 | 4. Dallas at Vegas | TBD |
Wednesday, May 1 | 5. Vegas at Dallas | TBD |
Friday, May 3 | 6. Dallas at Vegas | TBD |
Sunday, May 5 | 7. Vegas at Dallas | TBD |
#C2 Winnipeg Jets vs. #C3 Colorado Avalanche
Date | Game | Time |
Sunday, April 21 | 1. Colorado at Winnipeg | 7 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 23 | 2. Colorado at Winnipeg | 9:30 p.m. ET |
Friday, April 26 | 3. Winnipeg at Colorado | 10 p.m. ET |
Sunday, April 28 | 4. Winnipeg at Colorado | 2:30 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 30 | 5. Colorado at Winnipeg | TBD |
Thursday, May 2 | 6. Winnipeg at Colorado | TBD |
Saturday, May 4 | 7. Colorado at Winnipeg | TBD |
#P1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #WC1 Nashville Predators
Date | Game | Time |
Sunday, April 21 | 1. Nashville at Vancouver | 10 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 23 | 2. Nashville at Vancouver | 10 p.m. ET |
Friday, April 26 | 3. Vancouver at Nashville | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Sunday, April 28 | 4. Vancouver at Nashville | 5 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, April 30 | 5. Nashville at Vancouver | TBD |
Friday, May 3 | 6. Vancouver at Nashville | TBD |
Sunday, May 5 | 7. Nashville at Vancouver | TBD |
#P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. #P3 Los Angeles Kings
Date | Game | Time |
Monday, April 22 | 1. Los Angeles at Edmonton | 10 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, April 24 | 2. Los Angeles at Edmonton | 10 p.m. ET |
Friday, April 26 | 3. Edmonton at Los Angeles | 10:30 p.m. ET |
Sunday, April 28 | 4. Edmonton at Los Angeles | 10:30 p.m. ET |
Wednesday, May 1 | 5. Los Angeles at Edmonton | TBD |
Friday, May 3 | 6. Edmonton at Los Angeles | TBD |
Sunday, May 5 | 7. Los Angeles at Edmonton | TBD |
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