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CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS • June 1, 2017

NHL referee makes semifinals of US Amateur Four-Ball golf

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

[email protected]

PINEHURST

Garrett Rank has grown an affinity for Pinehurst golf courses, in part, because of the Carolina Hurricanes.

To be more specific, because of his job, which involves the Hurricanes.

Rank is an NHL referee. The 2016-17 season was his first as a fulltime ref in the league, and he said some Canes games in Raleigh allowed him the time to slip down to Pinehurst for a few rounds of golf.

“I never play on game days but I had a few trips start and end here in North Carolina,” Rank said. “It was just a matter of taking a couple of extra days off to play golf in the winter.”

Rank, who did not have any Stanley Cup playoff duties in his first year, has returned for more Pinehurst golf, this time to compete in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club. Playing with Patrick Christovich of New Orleans, the team reached the match-play semifinals for the second straight year in the tournament.

Rank and Christovich opened match play Monday on Pinehurst No. 2 with a 1-up victory over Akshay Bhatia and Grayson Wotnosky, the teenagers from Wake Forest. Then came two close matches Tuesday, as Rank and Christovich edged Matt Naumec and Billy Walthouse 2-and-1 in the round of 16, and took a 2-up victory over former U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Scott Harvey of Greensboro and Todd Mitchell in the quarterfinals.

In Wednesday’s semifinals. Rank and Christovich were beaten by Clark Collier and Kyle Hudelson in a match that went 19 holes.

Rank, 29, grew up in a hockey family in Elmira, Ont., and often tagged along as his father, Rich, refereed local hockey games. He played right wing and center as a junior and said while he was a strong skater, his skill level was only average.

“If I had better hands I probably would have played for a living,” he said.

Nor did Rank play much junior golf. It wasn’t until later that he began spending time on his game and competing in

tournaments, earning a golf scholarship at the University of Waterloo.

Rank reached the final of the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur and has won the Canadian Mid-Amateur the past three years, gaining exemptions into the RBC Canadian Open, a PGA Tour event.

Rank missed the cut in 2015 but used a first-round 69 last year to survive the 36-hole cut and hopes to repeat it again this summer.

“It was really neat to play the weekend on the PGA Tour and kind of get a taste of that lifestyle,” he said.

He also made a big move up in hockey. After splitting time in the American Hockey League and NHL, he said he worked 75 NHL games this past season.

“A ton of travel,” he said, smiling. “There are no home games for us, really. We’re in an airplane or at an airport every other day. It was a long season but a great experience.”

Early in the season, Rask felt the sting of a slapshot by Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.

“Hit the post, hit the glass and then hit me in the face,” he said. “It didn’t feel good but it was just a bump. I just carried on, basically.”

There have been tougher times. Rank was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2011 but said the treatments were successful and he has since been cancer-free. His father passed away in January 2014, before Garrett was able to referee an NHL game.

Rank smiled again when asked if, given the choice, he’d rather have a PGA Tour card or play in the NHL. A tour card, he said, would be hard to pass on.

Then again, being a full-time referee in the NHL is a nice gig, too.

“One of the coolest jobs in the world,” Rank said.

Chip Alexander: 919-829-8945, @ice_chip


Stanley Cup finals littered with Canes connections

Posted 10:57 a.m. Monday Updated 11:50 a.m. Monday

By Adam Gold

RALEIGH, N.C. — Here we are again.

For the 29th time in the 2016-17 National Hockey League season, I get to remind you — the loyal, supportive Carolina Hurricanes fan — that the Hurricanes haven’t made the playoffs since 2009. That’s just a fact, not an opinion, not an indictment, not a reason to question the job being done by general manager Ron Francis. It’s undeniable that Francis, who took over for Jim Rutherford three summers ago, has the Canes pointed in the right direction. Though, I understand the restlessness of the diehards.

Carolina has made great progress over the last couple of years. But it’s hard to break through into the post season when your draft nets very good — though not great — players while also maintaining a healthy distance from the salary cap.

Sorry, I promised myself I wouldn’t sink into a tangent about the state of the Hurricanes. They’ll be fine. Francis will make some trades, a couple of young players will make next year’s roster and the team will get off to a better start in the fall than they have in previous years.

Yes, that last part may be wishful thinking, but now let’s get back to the matter at hand, the reason why I started this by lamenting — again — that the Hurricanes have not made it to the post season since 2009.

This year’s Stanley Cup Finals will be yet another reminder that things were once very different on Edwards Mill Road. Every time the NBC cameras focus in on the Nashville Predators bench or up to the suites, where the brain trust of the Pittsburgh Penguins are keeping tabs, we’re going to be confronted with the past of the Canes franchise.

Peter Laviolette, who’s relentless, team-building yet hard-driving style guided the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup 11 years ago, is trying to shatter yet another glass ceiling. Like Raleigh, Nashville is, in many ways, an NHL outsider. A city with no real hockey tradition, but who cares when you have fans with disposable income.

Maybe that’s too harsh, although, what other reason would the NHL bring a franchise to Tennessee other than money? You think there’s a team in Arizona because of deep-hidden ties to the original six?

Laviolette has now taken a third different franchise to the Stanley Cup Finals, something only three other coaches in NHL history have accomplished — among them, the legendary Scotty Bowman. Yet, there’s something in his style that runs it’s course. Case-in-point, 30 months after having his name engraved on the Cup, with the team hovering around .500, Laviolette was out as head coach of the Hurricanes. But, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, right? 366 days later, he was hired by the Flyers.

That Philadelphia just barely squeezed into the playoffs that year, thanks to a final day of the season shootout win, is immaterial. Laviolette got another team to believe in a cause and the magic just started to happen. In the second round, the 7th seeded Flyers were in danger of being swept by the Bruins only to become the third team in league history to rally from 0-3 down to win a best of seven series. They would eventually lose to the Black Hawks in the Finals, but Laviolette still had that way about him that created a sense of belief.

Three games into the 2013-14 season, Laviolette was fired again. That’s the NHL in a nutshell. Proven head coaches, recycled like cardboard, only to show up behind another bench and see if they’ve still got the touch. Well, apparently, Laviolette does.

So too, does Rutherford.

The last handful of years for Rutherford in Raleigh were a struggle. Dotted with unsuccessful drafts, questionable contracts and head-scratching decisions, the Hurricanes are left trying to ascend what appears to be the down escalator. However, to blame Rutherford for all the ills is to ignore what he accomplished over two decades. We don’t need to rehash his resume`. 2006 stands on it’s own. Next to it, the near-miracle of 2002, when Carolina stood 74 seconds away from 2-1 series lead over a Detroit team drenched in Hall of Fame talent.

In sports, you’re always in a state of “prove it”, and anyone that knows Rutherford knew that his “retirement” after the 2013-14 season was momentary. A general manager with his name on the Stanley Cup, who’d tried in vain to return the franchise to the post season for five years since last playing deep into the spring, would be tempted to take another swing. But, when…?

On June 6, 2014, just six weeks after stepping aside, the Pittsburgh Penguins called. And, even though Rutherford’s preference would have been to stay away from the game for a year or so, there are only so many chances you get to run a team that already had two Hall of Fame pieces.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin won the Stanley Cup in 2009, the same year the Canes last reached the post season. In fact, the Pens swept away Carolina in the conference finals. But, they’d not played for the Cup since and had won just four playoff series in those five years. For some franchises, that would have been huge success.

Not in Pittsburgh. Not with Crosby and Malkin and the ghosts of Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and —yes — Francis hovering in the rafters. These are the expectations that come


along with super stars still in their prime. Rutherford couldn’t say no.

In fact, were it not for timing, Laviolette might have been the first coach of the Rutherford-era Penguins. He said this week, in advance of the series, that would have been his druthers once the decision was made for Pittsburgh to move on from head coach Dan Bylsma. However, before leaving for the Steel City, he vouched for his former head coach when Nashville GM David Poile, was looking to move on from their long-time head coach Barry Trotz. Trotz was the only coach in Predators history, but with just two post season series wins to show for it, it was time for something different. Had Rutherford known then that he would soon be in a position to hire a head coach he might not have been so quick to offer up his first choice to a potential enemy.

Hurricanes fans never grew tired of Laviolette, he wasn’t here long enough. The euphoria of winning the Stanley Cup

still hung in the air when he was fired in the fall of 2008. The same could not be said for Rutherford who, as the non-playoff years mounted, became one of the primary targets of the critics. Of course, that goes with the territory in professional sports, and those in that arena come to the game fully aware of the slings and arrows.

That doesn’t mean one’s professional pride doesn’t sting. Like Laviolette who, in 15 years and four mailing addresses as a coach, is still driven to prove himself a champion, the same is true for Rutherford. Two years after arriving in Pittsburgh, he put his name back on the Stanley Cup. Monday night, he will watch his team try to get him there a third time, going up against a coach whom he coveted twice and looking for his second. Both men left a legacy and a championship behind in Raleigh that can’t be taken away.

From them, or us.

Tweetmail No. 146: Three Keys, Animals & Lunch

by Michael Smith @MSmithCanes / CarolinaHurricanes.com

May 31st, 2017

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

Let's get to it.

30 May

Michael Smith @MSmithCanes #Tweetmail time! Who has questions? Send them along now for tomorrow's web Q&A.

Katie Chatman @KNJohnson93 @MSmithCanes What are the top 3 keys to the Canes make the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2018? #Tweetmail 9:27 PM - 30 May 2017

Good question! I feel like the Hurricanes making the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the 2017-18 season is certainly an attainable endpoint, and here's how the team can do it.

1. Better Goaltending

This one is no secret or no surprise. In 2014-15, the Hurricanes ranked 29th in 5-on-5 save percentage at .909. In 2015-16, the Hurricanes ranked 28th at .915. Last season, the Hurricanes ranked 29th at .913.

Not even a month into the offseason, the Hurricanes upgraded their goaltending in trading for and signing

goaltender Scott Darling. Darling broke into the league in 2014. Since then, his .923 career save percentage is bested only by Carey Price (.929) among goaltenders who have played at least 75 games in that stretch. Additionally, Darling's .929 career even-strength save percentage ranks seventh in the league in the same time frame.

Darling, ready to take the next step in his career, figures to be the Canes' starter. If he can help to elevate the team's goaltending stats, the Hurricanes will be well on their way to a return to the playoffs.

2. Improve Offense

At the other end of the ice, the Hurricanes need to see more consistent production out of their offense. The Canes ranked 27th overall in goals for per game in 2014-15 and 2015-16, improving to 20th overall in 2016-17 with a 2.59 goals per game mark. That's a step in the right direction, and it needs to continue to advance heading into 2017-18. Finding that extra offensive muscle could also help turn some of the Canes' 16 overtime losses from 2015-16 and 15 overtime losses from 2016-17, both league-leading marks, into two points.

3. Avoid Long Negative Streaks

The Hurricanes assembled a franchise-best 13-game point streak down the stretch of the 2016-17 season, which helped keep the team's playoff hopes alive, slim as they may have been.

But, that couldn't make up for how streaky the team was in the opposite direction. The Canes won just three of their first 13 games (though four of those were also overtime losses). The Canes dropped five in a row - all in regulation - leading into the All-Star break. The Canes went winless in five


games around the bye week and posted a 1-6-3 record from early February to early March.

Even a 13-game point streak wasn't enough to right those three wrongs. Losing and/or winless streaks like that have to be avoided in 2017-18 if the Hurricanes want to return to the postseason.

30 May

Michael Smith @MSmithCanes

Still in search of your #Tweetmail questions!

Nancy Staten @Raleighcaniac @MSmithCanes If the caniacs were to throw anything on the ice like the catfish that the preds fans throw, what would it be? #Tweetmail 10:51 PM - 30 May 2017

Disclaimer: I cannot and do not condone any of this, but in the spirit of answering the question …

There's the octopus in Detroit and the catfish in Nashville. The animal tie-in for the Hurricanes is already represented in the team's mascot, but I can't imagine Stormy would enjoy being hoisted and chucked over the glass. That leaves the pig head.

Note, though, that the Canes' newest goaltender is not a fan.

Scott Darling BBQ Challenge

Also, it's gross. Just don't do it.

30 May

Michael Smith @MSmithCanes #Tweetmail time! Who has questions? Send them along now for tomorrow's web Q&A.

Mike Sundheim @MSmithCanes What road lunch spot do you find yourself craving the most with the season still four months away? (Mine is @Reubensmtl) #Tweetmail 9:15 PM - 30 May 2017

I think I have three answers for this, and coincidentally they are all located in Canada. You named one: Reuben's in Montreal. Readers, if you're ever in Montreal, visit this place for lunch and order The Original 76. It's a smoked meat sandwich that is simple, done right and delicious.

A related lunch spot I've been craving: The Corned Beef House in Toronto. Literally in a house, or at least something that quite resembles it, this place serves up some tasty sandwiches, including Montreal smoked meat if you're missing Reuben's.

Last but certainly not least - and, you'll notice a theme here - is Meat & Bread in Vancouver. This joint was featured on "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives" a few years back, and I've made it a point to visit ever since. In fact, I went two days in a row when the team was in Vancouver last season. Like the other two joints above, these sandwiches are simple but scrumptious. The porchetta is the specialty, but you can't go wrong with any of their creations.

30 May



Andrew Clarke @AwaitingAndrew @MSmithCanes movie(s) you're most looking forward to this summer? #Tweetmail 9:22 PM - 30 May 2017

"Dunkirk," a World War II film from Christopher Nolan, might be at the top of my summer movie list.

But really, we're all just killing time until "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" comes out in December. And then the Han Solo anthology flick hits screens just five months later. I've died and gone to a galaxy far, far away. I. Can't. Wait.

30 May




Carolyn Christians @HMof2 @MSmithCanes Is it October yet? #Tweetmail 9:09 PM - 30 May 2017

*checks calendar*

*sighs*

It's not even June yet.

*sad violin music fades in*

*stares longingly at the calendar*

***

Join me next week for more questions and more answers!

If you have a question you'd like answered or you enjoy the Hurricanes covfefe provided on this site, you can find me on Twitter at @MSmithCanes or drop an email here.

2017 NHL Draft Profile: Elias Pettersson could be the Hurricanes’ latest Swedish success

The Swedish center still has room to grow, but brings an exciting skill set and could be a key contributor in a few years.

by kleblanchockey@kleblanchockey May 30, 2017, 3:35pm EDT

In our 2017 NHL Draft Preview, we look closely at some of the prospects that could be available when the Hurricanes draft at 12th overall. These profiles will lean forward-heavy, due to not only the players who will be available when the Hurricanes select on June 23rd, but also the organizational depth that Carolina currently has.

We have profiles running multiple times over the next four weeks, so check back to meet the players who could be standing next to Ron Francis in a Hurricanes jersey after the Canes pick in Chicago.

Elias Pettersson

• DOB: November 12, 1998 - Sundsvall, Sweden

• Timra - Swedish Allsvenskan (2nd Division)

• Center/Wing | Shoots: L | 6’2”, 160 pounds

• 2016-17 Stats: 43 GP - 19G, 22A, 41 Points, 14 PIM

Prospect Breakdown

Pettersson is a lanky, supremely skilled center who has plied his trade in the Swedish Allsvenskan (second division) for Timra over the last two seasons. Playing in 43 games in 2016-17, the crafty playmaker scored 19 times and added 22 assists, finishing second on the team in scoring behind Canucks prospect Jonathan Dahlen. He was the straw that stirred the drink for his club, registering a primary point on nearly 60% of the team’s even-strength goals. The forward was a member of Sweden’s World Junior team that finished fourth this winter, but failed to make a huge impact on the tournament, finishing with just one point in six games.

Next season, Pettersson will make the jump to the top-tier Swedish Hockey League and play with Vaxjo. In the SHL, he

will not be allotted the same kind of space that he is now when in possession, and likely will have bigger and more physical players to compete against in puck battles. The 2018 World Juniors will be a big tournament for Pettersson who will be a returning player and should be one of Sweden’s leaders.

The 18-year-old is currently ranked second overall among European Skaters by Central Scouting, but draft analysts have him ranked all over the first-round board. Personally, I could see him going as high as fifth, and would be shocked to see him selected lower than 20th.

Scouting Analysis

If the draft was based strictly around skill, Pettersson would be among the top picks in Chicago. He is incredibly creative and poised with the puck and is lethal both in open space and in one-on-one situations with the goaltender. His best assets are his playmaking and his ability to read game situations both with and without the puck.

At 160 pounds, Pettersson is quite underweight but does not typically shy away from puck possession or battles on the defensive side of the puck. His hands and ability to control the puck not only through traffic but also when engaged in a one-on-one battle is elite and is a must for a player with such a slight frame. His skating isn’t his top asset, but also does not hinder him. As he continues to jump levels, his quick twitch abilities will need to improve, but he has a good gear after a couple strides.

Pettersson is a rare prospect who can control the game just based off of how well he sees plays develop. He is an absolute power-play nightmare for opposition penalty kills as he sets up shop on the half-wall and loves to thread passes backdoor to his teammates. His shot is good enough to keep teams honest when in the offensive zone, and he has soft


hands to finish when in close. He is a willing defender, and should be a two-way asset down the road as he develops.

Final Thoughts

The Hurricanes have selected just two European-league players in the first round in their 20-year draft history. One, Igor Knyazev in 2001 was one of the worst draft picks in team history, playing in zero NHL games in his career. The other, Elias Lindholm, taken fifth overall in 2013 has fared much better in his Hurricanes career, and will be a core player for years to come. Past indications don’t trend towards

the Canes drafting a European player with their first selection, but the talented center certainly would infuse some elite talent into the Carolina system that is stocked full of bigger forwards.

As has been noted, Pettersson is supremely talented, and his ceiling is among the highest in the draft. Unfortunately, he has some risk and red flags, mainly centering around his ability to strengthen his slight frame and his thus-far pedestrian performance internationally. If a team is willing to take on that risk and have patience in his development, they could be rewarded with a game changing prospect down the road.

Carolina Hurricanes RFA Offer Sheet and Trade Options

In a wacky offseason, even RFA offer sheets will be an option for the Hurricanes, a team with plenty of cap room and draft picks to spare.

by Brett Finger@brettfinger May 30, 2017, 12:37pm EDT

The modern day restricted free agent offer sheet is few and far between. As a matter of fact, zero offer sheets have been offered to a player since the Flames went after Ryan O’Reilly in 2013.

Offer sheets are dangerous animals. They require money, draft picks, and more often than not, a big risk.

The last successful offer sheet came in July of 2007 when the Oilers pried Dustin Penner out of Anaheim at an offer sheet of five years and $21.5 million. In that move, Edmonton said goodbye to their first, second, and third-round draft picks in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

The then young Penner went on to eclipse the 50-point mark just once, a 32-goal, 62-point season in 2009-10, and they failed to make the playoffs throughout the duration of that contract and it contributed to the continued downfall of the Oilers organization. Penner was traded out of Edmonton with a year and a half remaining on his deal.

This is just one example, but the risk involved in offer sheeting is apparent, and if the Hurricanes plan on taking that risk this offseason, here’s the potential draft pick compensation they’ll be held to:

2017 offer sheet compensation chart. Sportsnet.CA

With the compensation in mind, let’s take a look at some viable options for the Hurricanes in the RFA market.

Note: The Hurricanes own all but one of their draft picks over the next four seasons, except their own fifth-round pick that was traded to Chicago for Kris Versteeg, Joakim Nordstrom, and a 2017 third-round draft pick, so they are able to compensate for any player they would submit an offer sheet for.

Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers

Emerging star Leon Draisaitl is coming off of his entry-level contract and is the most notable restricted free agent this

summer, and with Zack Kassian, Eric Gryba, and Kris Russell all due for new contracts, the Oilers could run out of money fast.

This first and very unlikely option would fill Carolina’s first-line center hole and immediately bolster the team’s offense. The German-born center is fresh off of a 48-assist, 77-point season in Edmonton. He then took another step forward for the Oilers in the postseason, where he logged 16 points in 13 games.

Draisaitl would require a huge offer sheet, likely in the fifth tier of compensation, which would cost Carolina a first, second, and third-round draft pick in the 2018 draft.


On the surface, this seems like a no-brainer for Carolina. Draisaitl’s value is at least that given his age and production as an NHL player through two seasons. However, Edmonton would match that offer in a heartbeat.

They could be strapped for cap room, but Draisaitl would undoubtedly be their top priority. A slightly more likely option for the Hurricanes would be trading for Draisaitl’s rights or executing a sign and trade with the Oilers. That would likely require Justin Faulk and prospects/draft picks going the other way, and they’d be competing with almost the entire league.

Draisaitl is the most talked about pending RFA, but he’s more than a longshot, he’s a near impossibility. It would be one of the most shocking successful offer sheets in the history of the league.

Radek Faksa, C, Dallas Stars

A more realistic option can be found in Dallas’ young center Radek Faksa. Like Draisaitl, Faksa is a former first-round draft pick coming off of his ELC, but his path to being an NHL regular was much tougher.

He spent two more years in the OHL after this draft years and saw his fair share of AHL time with the Texas Stars before finally playing his first full season with the Stars a season ago.

Faksa, who was rumored as a potential draft option for the Hurricanes in 2012 before they traded for Jordan Staal, is a big center who is good in the faceoff circle, drives possession and has offensive upside.

He won 50% of his faceoffs and posted a 52% Corsi share on his way to netting 12 goals and logging 33 points last season.

With Derek Ryan potentially on the way out, Faksa would be an upgrade as a third-line center, and his youth gives him room to grow as a player. He’d likely be slotted in the third tier of compensation, which would cost Carolina a second-round draft pick in 2018.

Seeing a second-round pick go would be tough, but exchanging it for a young center with size and the ability to fit in perfectly in what Carolina is doing down the middle makes it far more palatable.

Nino Niederreiter, LW/RW, Minnesota Wild

Once upon a time, Nino Niederreiter was drafted fifth overall by the New York Islanders and then promptly had one point in 55 games as a rookie a season later.

Now a member of the Wild, the young Swiss winger has turned things around and is fresh off of a 25-goal, 57-point season, both career highs, and is due for big raise from his current $2.7 million salary.

Minnesota is one of the teams that will be running into cap trouble this offseason. With big money players Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Mikko Koivu, Jason Pominville, and Jared Spurgeon all under contract and players in for big raises like Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund, Erik Haula, and Matt Dumba, they’ll have to do something about their current jam, and Carolina could be a great suitor for them.

The Wild will not pick until the third round (85th pick) in June’s draft after trading away both their first and second round picks for Martin Hanzal and Chris Stewart, respectively, over the past two seasons. Carolina, on the other hand, has six picks in the first three rounds and would be willing to part with some of them for the right deal.

Signing a lofty RFA offer sheet for Niederreiter would make some sense, but trading for the player’s rights would make even more sense, as it would for Draisaitl or Faksa. The player’s name has been involved in trade rumors due to his expiring deal and Minnesota’s cap concerns.

On top of the cap trouble, Minnesota is a team that will be in trouble in the expansion draft. No matter how you cut it, they’ll lose a player like Niederreiter, Dumba, or Brodin in expansion. And if you’re Minnesota, you’d rather get something as opposed to nothing for these players, especially given their lack of draft picks.

He would fit right into Carolina’s top-six as a big, goal-scoring winger. He’s a guy that could open up room for guys like Sebastian Aho or Jeff Skinner and he has the skill to net 25+ goals on his own.

His possession numbers are also great. He drove a 55.41% Corsi rate last season on a team that plays very similarly to the Hurricanes and his ability to play either wing is also a plus for Carolina.

In a scenario in which Minnesota trades Niederreiter, it would have to be for picks and/or expansion exempt players, so Justin Faulk wouldn’t be used here. Given his contract situation, none of Carolina’s current top-four d-men would be dangled in a trade for him, unless it was a sign and trade situation that Ron Francis is on board with, which is unlikely given how he could easily exploit Minnesota’s situation and get the player for much less.

Minnesota fails to check all three boxes here: cap, expansion, and draft picks. Carolina, on the other hand, is set up perfectly in all three areas, so this could be a situation where Ron Francis can take full advantage of the Wild and the Hurricanes would make out like gangbusters.


The Carolina Hurricanes could go big in the trade market this offseason

The Canes have all offseason to consider the seemingly endless trade options within the NHL. Which trades would bring the most to the table?

by andrewahr and Brian LeBlanc May 26, 2017, 4:33pm EDT

Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis has not built a reputation as a big free agent market buyer, but instead he has chosen to take much more calculated risks as he rebuilds the Carolina Hurricanes. The free agent market is a dangerous place, and perhaps the Hurricanes should be looking for tried and true talent elsewhere this offseason.

What players currently under contract with other teams would have the best impact on the rebuilding franchise? And maybe most importantly, what would the Canes have to give up? Here is a look at three players who would make a great addition to the Canes’ young roster.

Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild

Tale of the Tape

• Age: 23

• 2016-17 Season: 3 goals, 22 assists, 25 points in 68 games

• Career (MIN): 18 goals, 61 assists, 79 points in 331 games

• 2016-17 Advanced Stats: 50.1% Corsi-for, 101.0 PDO, 47.0% zone starts, 55.3% goals for

• 2016-17 Salary: $4,500,000

• Contract: Signed through 2021, $25 million total, $4.167 million AAV

Why Brodin?

Obviously, the Wild would prefer to keep Brodin, but the expansion draft is throwing a significant wrench in those plans. With four players on no-movement clauses and required to be protected, the Wild are going to lose a key piece to someone, whether it’s the Vegas Golden Knights or another team in a trade.

Still only 23, Brodin has just finished his fifth NHL season, and he could be a key piece to the Canes’ blue line for years to come. His acquisition could also allow for the Canes to be more aggressive in acquiring a forward, having a top-four defenseman already in the fold instead of needing to rely on a rookie or a depth defenseman in a more key role.

Should the Canes target Brodin - or, for that matter, Matt Dumba, who is in a similar situation - they would need to send the Wild an NHL-ready, expansion draft-exempt defenseman. Haydn Fleury fits the bill, and given the circumstances the Wild would have to seriously consider a straight-up trade of Fleury for Brodin or Dumba. That deal would solve a bunch of problems for the Wild, giving them salary-cap relief while solving their expansion draft conundrum, while also providing the Canes all sorts of flexibility at the same time.

Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning

Tale of the Tape

• Age: 21


• Career (TBL): 18 goals, 22 assists, 40 points in 68 games


• 2016-17 Salary: $667,500

• Contract: Completed first year of three-year ELC

Why Point?

The Tampa Bay Lightning are in a unique situation this offseason. After failing to make the playoffs, the team that previously seemed poised to win a Stanley Cup is trending downwards. Three of their biggest offensive producers — Jonathan Drouin, Tyler Johnson, and Ondrej Palat — are all restricted free agents this summer. Furthermore, defenseman Andrej Sustr is also an RFA in need of a new contract. They have some wiggle room with about $17.5 million in cap space, but chances are the team will be tying a lot of that up this summer.

So why would the Canes target a player like Brayden Point? He is a young, promising center who scored 18 goals and 40 points in his rookie season in the NHL. Point projects to be a top-two center in this league and would be a great addition to the young Hurricanes core. Additionally, the Hurricanes would likely not pay quite as much for him as they would a tried and true top-six guy in the league.

I would propose either Cam Ward or Eddie Lack, Fleury, and a 2017 second round pick for Point. The Lightning are operating without a backup right now, and either goaltender would fill that role well for them next season. At the same time, Fleury would give the Lightning much needed defensive help. Brayden Point would be a wonderful addition to the Hurricanes and would work wonders in the middle of the lineup in the future.

Jordan Eberle, Edmonton Oilers

Tale of the Tape

• Age: 27


• Career (EDM): 165 goals, 217 assists, 382 points in 507 games


• 2016-17 Salary: $6,000,000

• Contract: Signed through 2019, $36 million total, $6 million AAV

Why Eberle?

The Oilers are finally a playoff team again. The club has found ways to convert their ridiculous amount of lottery picks into a team that appears to be Stanley Cup contenders in the near future. The fans in Alberta are happy again.


However, a name that continues to be thrown around in trade talks is right winger Jordan Eberle. Despite a pretty consistent offensive production, the 27-year-old seems to be closer to his way out of Edmonton than anyone else. Eberle’s offensive prowess cannot be denied. He’s scored at least 20 goals in five of his seven NHL seasons, and some of his most productive years came on Oilers teams that were historically bad. Quite frankly, Eberle does not get enough credit in Edmonton. The winger would bring good valuable experience to the Hurricanes as well as bona fide scoring potential.

So what would the Hurricanes have to give up in order to land Eberle? Most likely, the team would have to give up established NHL talent. However, this trade is made more likely by the recent injury to former Hurricane defenseman Andrej Sekera. A torn ACL will put him out of commission for 6 to 9 months, likely missing at least two months of next season.

The loss of a top pairing defensemen leaves the Oilers pretty vulnerable on the blueline. The Oilers would most likely ask for Justin Faulk, but I just don’t see this as a favorable trade on our end. Faulk is under contract until 2020 at under $5 million a year; a great contract for the performance of the Canes’ alternate captain. Eberle, on the other hand, is getting $6 million a year until 2019, when he becomes a UFA.

$6 million isn’t bad for what Eberle brings to the table, but trading for him would only guarantee two years, as he would likely look to cash in after that on his last big contract. I would propose the Canes offer Brett Pesce and a 2017 first round pick. This would replenish the Oilers’ defensive corps with a solid blueliner and afford them some wiggle room in the coming expansion draft.

Ultimately, I see Eberle as a great trade target for the Hurricanes. His current club’s need for defensive help and the Canes’ lack of scoring potential would make him a solid acquisition in Carolina.

ROLAND MCKEOWN RE AD Y TO TAK E NEXT STEP IN PROGRESSION

Written by Nicholas Niedzielski Published: May 31, 2017

Given the glut of talented defensive prospects in Charlotte, it’s easy to forget that a rookie was the only one to make the NHL squad out of training camp. A second-round pick by the Kings acquired two years ago in the Andrej Sekera trade, Roland McKeown kicked off his first pro season by scoring himself an extended stay at Hurricanes training camp. Though he didn’t end up making his debut before being the final player assigned to Charlotte, that look did wonders for the young blue liner’s confidence. “It was great out of camp,” said McKeown. “Winning the prospect tournament and then making the team out of camp was a really positive step for me. They gave me the opportunity that I felt I earned.” Upon joining the Checkers the 21-year-old was thrown right into the action, taking on a heavy load of minutes while adjusting to the pro style of play. “I thought I came down here and had a good first year,” said McKeown. “It was a trying season statistically at times, but I thought that my play was actually pretty good throughout most of the year. In the middle part of the season it was a bit of a roller coaster ride, one of those rookie things where you have those ups and downs.” “It’s tough to come in and play regular shifts with a lot of minutes like he did,” said head coach Ulf Samuelsson. McKeown, who had a strong offensive edge while staring for the Ontario Hockey League’s Kingston Frontenacs, wasn’t necessarily able to replicate that in Charlotte, finishing with

11 points. But even so, he understands that it was never going to come easy. “It doesn’t always translate,” said McKeown. “In junior you’re playing in all situations and probably playing five or six more minutes a night. It’s more challenging here.” But while the points were hard to come by, McKeown continued to ramp up the defensive side of his game as the season progressed. His minus-10 rating for the year sticks out, but that can be attributed to a rocky start, as the rookie was even across the final 40 games of the year, settling into a reliable piece on the back end. “I think defensively I became more stable as the experience wore on,” said McKeown. “I think in that first stretch of the season we had that California road trip where we went 0-6 and we were decimated, so that never helps. But it’s always nice to have a stable partner and Robo [Dennis Robertson] was just that. With the even minutes and rolling six D, it’s a perfect amount of ice time where you’re both fresh and into the game. That was a huge key for me.” Making the NHL out of camp and then never returning for the rest of the year can be a tough pill to swallow for young prospects, but McKeown seems to be even more determined to do it all again next year. “Only one defenseman got recalled throughout the whole season so in terms of that it was just one of those things where both rosters stayed healthy,” he said. “Sometimes that’s the way it goes. I’ll just have to go into camp and do the exact same thing. I thought I had a good mindset going in


there last year.” Among the strides he took throughout his rookie campaign, McKeown wants his biggest focus during this summer to be fine-tuning his offensive game in hopes of translating it to the pros. “I’m going to watch a lot of video over the summer and work with some skills coaches to get my shot better,” said McKeown. “I think I had a lot of chances to score and I just wasn’t burying them. It wasn’t for a lack of chances, it’s a lack of burying the puck, so I want to look at that and how I can create more offense from the blue line or joining in the rush. “It’s a lot of building and working with the right people. I’m

going to go back to [former NHLer] Gary Roberts and work out with him because I think if you want to be the best you have to be around the best and there’s a lot of good pros there.” If all goes according to plan, be on the lookout for McKeown’s sophomore jump. “I’m well-rounded right now and good in a lot of areas of the game,” he said. “But I want to get great.” “McKeown is a solid player who is good at everything,” said Samuelsson. “He had a really good year. It wouldn’t surprise me if he takes another step early next year to become a great player.”

TREVOR CARRICK F INDS PLUSES IN DOWN OFFE NSIVE Y EAR


The stat sheet doesn’t tell the whole story of Trevor Carrick’s 2016-17 campaign. A glance at his numbers would show a dip in production, falling from a career-high 42 points a year ago to 16 this season. But Carrick was able to take strides in other areas of his game, including a huge leap from minus-19 and minus-21 in his first two years to a plus-four rating this year. “It wasn’t my greatest year offensively,” he said. “But I thought I played more solid defensively and was harder to play against. My plus-minus was in the plus, unlike the last couple of years, so there were a couple of positives to take away.” While his scoring totals took a dive in his third pro season, the 22-year-old was a key piece atop the Checkers’ defensive corps. Manning the number one pairing alongside Jake Chelios, who had a glowing review for his partner, Carrick’s play helped carry his team to the playoffs for the first time in his pro career. “For me it was a hell of an experience,” said Carrick of the team’s red-hot run to the postseason. “It was the most fun I ever had playing hockey.” But even with his elevated play in other places, Carrick’s lack of offense weighed on him as the season went on. “The bottom line is I struggled to get points this year,” he said. “I don’t know if it was one thing in particular but our

power play wasn’t running very high, and when you don’t have a good power play it’s hard to get those points. Then there were a lot of other skilled defensemen who were stepping up too. So it was a matter of a couple different things.” The importance of possessing an offensive edge in order to make the jump to the next level isn’t lost on Carrick, nor is the growing number of talented prospects in Carolina’s system. “They’ve got a good core and a lot of depth at the position right now with a lot of good, young, skilled players who are good at moving the puck and good offensively,” he said. “That’s today’s game, you’ve got to be good at moving the puck and join the rush. There’s no such thing as a stay-at-home defenseman anymore. You’ve got to have a little bit of offensive game in you.” Carrick now heads into his first season outside of his entry-level contract. Looking to regain his scoring touch and build off a playoff series that saw him become a top physical force for the team, Carrick is also looking to solve a question that has long eluded him: how can he make the leap to the NHL level? “You know, I’ve been trying to figure that out for the last couple of years now,” he said. “For me personally, I just need to be hard to play against and bring that physical presence to be a fifth or sixth defenseman. Just get the puck to the forwards and be reliable and don’t make mistakes.”


CHELIOS T AKES ADV ANT AGE OF OP PORTUNITY ON CH ARLOTTE BLU E L INE


In just his third pro season, 26-year-old Jake Chelios would hardly be considered a veteran. But on a youthful Charlotte blue line, he emerged as a go-to option. “As weird as it is, I was one of the older guys back there,” said Chelios. “But it was awesome.” The Michigan native embraced the role, teaming up with fellow third-year-pro Trevor Carrick to form one of the team’s premier pairings, earning the trust of the coaching staff to be deployed in all scenarios. “I played my off-side for the first time and playing with Trev is so easy,” said Chelios. “We’re good at reading off each other even though we never played together last year. It was a bit of a learning curve for a couple weeks but after that it was smooth.” Chelios enjoyed a breakout season in 2015-16, his first season with the Checkers, as was rewarded last summer with an NHL contract from Carolina. An undrafted skater who had previously only ever been on AHL deals, Chelios took full advantage of his new situation this season. “It was nice to be rewarded for having a good season like that,” said Chelios. “When you’re on an AHL deal you’re focused on staying in the AHL and when you get on an NHL deal you set your goals a little higher. It was really nice of them to give me that and I hope that it continues.” While he saw his goal total drop off from a year ago, Chelios was able to set a new career high in assists this season and land just one point shy of last year’s total. Perhaps more importantly though, is that the once offensively minded

Chelios showed growth on the other side of the puck. “I wasn’t too focused on the points, even when they weren’t coming,” said Chelios. “As a defenseman that’s not really where you want to be focused. I wanted to be able to be trusted against the other team’s top line and I think I got better at that.” Chelios proved to be an asset off the ice as well, earning the coaching staff’s trust as a member of he leadership group, even wearing the captain’s C for a stint when Patrick Brown was in Raleigh. “It was awesome,” said Chelios. “To get to experience that and be recognized with a letter is something that I’ve never had and it was awesome. It was a great group of guys to lead.” Fresh off his first NHL contract, Chelios is ready to head into another summer of proving himself. “I’m just trying to get better every summer,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do every summer. Since I started not on an NHL deal, it’s always going to be tougher. But the goal is still to make the NHL.” With a bevy of young blue liners already in the system and even more on the way, Chelios’ year brought him a long way towards attaining that goal. “Chelios had a tremendous year,” said head coach Ulf Samuelsson. “He’s now considered, in my opinion, a strong two-way NHL prospect.”


Hurricanes Fans Happy for Hainsey

MAY 31ST, 2017 MARK SHIVER

Ron Hainsey is a former Carolina Hurricanes defenseman. For three and a half years he was the anchor on the ‘Canes blue line, often paired with All-Star, Justin Faulk. In many respects, he embodied the typical NHL defenseman, in that he came to work and took care of his business without fanfare or the desire to be in the spotlight. Hainsey epitomizes the blue-collar NHL player, with a work-ethic that was never an issue with ‘Canes fans.

Hainsey Traded to Penguins

On February 23 of this year, Hainsey was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, and minor league forward, Danny Kristo. The trade made sense for the Penguins at the time, as they were dealing with injuries one the defensive side and were in a battle for playoff positioning.

They got a true veteran in Hainsey, the 36-year-old from Bolton, CT who quickly assimilated into his former Metropolitan Division foe.

The announcement of the trade at NHL.com included a quote from Penguins head coach, Mike Sullivan about adding Hainsey to the roster. He said,

It’s a little bit of a challenge, but I don’t think it’s anything that’s overwhelming for our team. I think we have a good veteran group. I think our guys have a real understanding of how we’re trying to play. I think there’s a real clear vision in here on how we want to play down to the details. When we add new players into the group, these guys will help them along the way. I don’t think it’s anything where we’re not capable of meeting that challenge.

A player of Hainsey’s pedigree had no problem at all fitting in with Pittsburgh’s defensive corps. The trade has proven to be an excellent acquisition for the Pens. He picked up right where he left off in Carolina, working hard, avoiding the spotlight and taking care of business.

Hainsey’s History

I had forgotten that Hainsey was a first-round pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, which goes along with his low-key approach to the game. Though, not in the limelight, as was former teammate Eric Staal, or current teammate Sidney Crosby, he was inspiring enough 17 years ago to be selected 13th overall by the Montreal Canadiens.

Today, names like McDavid and Dillon fill the pre-draft marquee, and deservedly so. But, of the 15 top draft picks in 2000, only Hainsey and two other players, Marian Gaborik and Scott Hartnell remain in the NHL. Again, a testament to the hard-working, steadiness that is his nature. He has

remained while others have fallen off, and now is playing on hockey’s grandest stage, the Stanley Cup Finals.

T.J. Smith @TJSmith61 I am cheering for Ron Hainsey. He's been around for quite awhile now. @penguins 9:08 PM - 29 May 2017 · East Hants, Nova Scotia

In 907 games played, Hainsey has scored 49 goals and recorded 204 assists. His value has not necessarily been as a torrid scorer or offensive threat but in his reliable play. The fans of the Hurricanes appreciated that reliability when he was in Raleigh, and are happy that Hainsey is getting a chance to win the Cup with the Penguins. A look through the Hurricanes Facebook page finds comments like, “Hainsey got a good deal. Happy for him.”

Hainsey Now and Looking Ahead

While Hurricanes fans also have alum Matt Cullen on the Penguins roster, the overall feeling from the fanbase is not very warm toward the Pens. Many feel like former ‘Canes and current Penguins GM Jim Rutherford did very little to help the team in his final few years in Raleigh. Many are hoping for a Nashville Predators victory in the Stanley Cup Finals, particularly borne of a fondness for former Hurricanes head coach, Peter Laviolette, who led the team to a Cup victory in 2006.

Regardless of the outcome of the Finals, Hurricanes fans have always been supportive of their former players getting a chance to do well with another team. Now, it is Hainsey getting a chance to realize the ultimate fruit of his nearly two decades of hockey labor.

Win or lose, Hainsey will have decisions to make in the upcoming offseason. On May 23, Brett Finger wrote at canes country.com that Hainsey coming back to the Hurricanes would make logical sense: “Ron Hainsey served as the veteran piece on Carolina’s young blue line over the past few years and his play justified his role as a top-six defenseman. His play in Carolina was impactful beyond the leadership role that he took on. He was a consistent partner for whoever he lined up with.”

Hainsey is focused on one thing, winning the Stanley Cup with the Penguins. In a couple of weeks, he will need to look ahead. Will he retire? Will he return to the Hurricanes organization? Will he go somewhere else? Whatever he does or where he lands, he will always be well-liked by Hurricanes fans.


Ron Francis Holding Prime Cards

MAY 29TH, 2017 MARK SHIVER

Ron Francis, GM of the Carolina Hurricanes is holding prime cards. As the 2017 NHL Entry Draft approaches, and with it the poaching of players by the NHL expansion Vegas Golden Knights, Francis is his usual stoic self. He knows he’s got a good hand and, like World Series of Poker players, believes he will turn an additional card or two that will make him and his team a winner.

The Francis Strategy

At the end of the season press conference, Francis shared his straight forward strategy approaching the draft and expansion melee. Addressing the Hurricanes’ goaltending situation, Francis said:

No, I think we’re in a position where we have some options to look at doing some things. And certainly, with the expansion draft, there may be goaltenders that teams are going to lose that they’re willing to trade, so we can look at that. I think (there are) free agent goaltenders that will hit the free agent market, we can look at that. And also, we’ll dive deeper into our situation and try to figure out what’s going on there, as well.

The Francis strategy is found in his statement, as it can be extrapolated to include more than just goaltenders, a position which Francis almost immediately filled with former Chicago Blackhawks’ backup, Scott Darling. Knowing that the Knights will be hungry to fill its roster, Francis will quietly watch the landscape of the protected list unfold, and hope to bring players to Carolina that teams want to get something in return for, rather than losing them outright in the expansion draft.

With 10 picks overall, including six in the 1st three rounds, Francis is in a great spot to make more deals in the next few months. He believes, correctly, that as he found a willing trade partner in the Blackhawks, he will find others over the next month or so.

It won’t be for situations like Matt Duchess of the Colorado Avalanche, a move at first glance might make sense. Why not give up a pick or two and bring his talent to the Hurricanes? Because, his impending free agency sours the deal for long-range planners like Francis, who will be looking for a combination of a player who can help the team, but won’t become a financial liability in a year or two.

Francis on the Hot Seat?

A few weeks ago, Charles Taylor at cardiaccane.com wrote this opinion in an editorial:

While not totally his fault, Carolina has lacked the headline grabbing moves to really help draw attention back to the team. For some franchises, that meant the draft lottery. For others, that’s through trades and free agency. It is time for that to happen in Carolina. The Canes have a golden

opportunity to really surprise this off-season and it must be taken advantage of.

The point of Taylor’s piece was that time may be running out for Francis to get his team into the playoffs, the highlight is on Taylor’s confirmation that this summer presents a golden opportunity for Francis and the Hurricanes. Finding a proven player that a team cannot protect before they lose him to the expansion draft is what Francis is looking for this offseason.

On May 2, Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer also wrote a piece that hinted at the pressure to produce a playoff team being on Francis’ shoulders. DeCock wrote:

After three years of stockpiling prospects and dumping contracts under Francis, the Carolina Hurricanes have built a solid foundation for the future, but none of that will mean much if that eight-year playoff drought doesn’t end, and after falling short again this season, there will be no excuse next season…There will never be a summer more ripe for making moves than this one. Francis has spent three years laying the groundwork for this. It’s time for his vision to come to fruition.

I would not go as far as to say that Francis is on the hot seat. He is loved and revered by the majority of “Caniacs.” But, the fans are restless, eager to see their team back in the playoffs. Many fans have abandoned going to games, giving the Hurricanes the distinction of the lowest average attendance in the NHL this season.

OakCitySportsJournal @OakCitySJ The #canes are building through the draft. Expect Ron Francis to flip some of these for an established playmaker https://twitter.com/chartinghockey/status/866617378385383428 … 9:58 AM - 22 May 2017

Winning should help the attendance woes, but the team would benefit from more fan support in the meantime. Nevertheless, I would say that Francis is holding prime cards in the form of draft picks, cap space and only missing a few pieces that could make the difference. If he plays his cards right, getting a playmaker/scorer or two, this coming season could see the Hurricanes competing more seriously for a playoff position.

Francis’ young guns are developing well, but the team needs a veteran player with proven ability. Francis has proven that he has a plan and he is sticking to it. Thus far, it’s a plan that is building hope for the future. But, his tenure as Hurricanes’ GM would be greatly bolstered if he can put together a playoff team this season.


Perspective: Preds mirror 2006 Stanley Cup Champ Canes

David Kehrli, TSN Correspondent

RALEIGH, N.C. — As Monday’s Game 1 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final approaches between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators, I can’t help but be reminded of the 2006 Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes — the state of North Carolina’s first and only major-league championship team.

The similarities between today’s Predators and that magical Canes squad from 11 years ago go well beyond being led by head coach Peter Laviolette — the fourth coach ever to lead three different teams (Carolina, Philadelphia, Nashville) to the Stanley Cup Final.

They’ve arrived (and are for real) moment

While the 2006 Canes finished second in the Eastern Conference, fans and national media alike weren’t sure how good of a team they were, especially after losing their first two playoff games at home to the Montreal Canadiens with the series heading back to hockey-obsessed Montreal.

What followed was the Canes winning four straight (three on the road) against the Canadiens to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, proving to the hockey world they were a legit threat and the regular-season record was no fluke.

Nashville, the 16th of 16 teams to make the 2017 NHL playoffs, drew the powerhouse Chicago Blackhawks, who had won three Stanley Cups in the previous seven years, in the first round.

Almost no one gave the Predators a chance against such a potent offensive team, but Nashville shocked the world by sweeping the Blackhawks, and allowing just three total goals in the four games.

There’s no better way to announce to the world you’re the real deal than beating the top team in the Western Conference and the closest thing to a modern dynasty in the NHL.

Goaltending leads the way

Rookie netminder Cam Ward replaced the Hurricanes No. 1 goalie Martin Gerber, who backstopped Carolina to a franchise record 112 points in the regular season, in Game 2 against Montreal with the team down 3-0.

It was Ward’s net the rest of the way as he carried the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup Championship, posting a .920 save percentage and 2.14 goals against average en route to winning the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoffs MVP).

Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne has put up incredible numbers up to this point of the postseason, and if he keeps it up in the Stanley Cup Finals, he has a great shot of winning the Conn Smythe Trophy, even if the Preds lose the series.

His .941 save percentage and 1.70 goals against average rank first among all playoff netminders, as he has proven to clearly be the best goalie of the current postseason.

Young forwards carry offensive workload

At just 21 years of age, Eric Staal led the Hurricanes in both regular season and postseason scoring.

After a breakout season in which he scored a career-high 100 points in the 82-game regular season, Staal carried it over to the playoffs, scoring 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 25 games.

Nashville has been led offensively up until this point by a duo of young forwards.

22-year-old Filip Forsberg ranks first on the team in playoff scoring with 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 16 contests.

24-year-old Ryan Johansen was Nashville’s best forward in the playoffs, scoring 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 14 games, until an injury in the Western Conference Finals ended his postseason.

Southern “non-hockey market”

“Hockey doesn’t belong in the South; this is Canada’s game.”

Don’t tell that to the people of the Carolinas and Tennessee.

Yes, the Hurricanes attendance problems have been well documented recently, but don’t forget what RBC Center (currently PNC Arena) was like when Carolina put a good team on the ice.

In 2006 the Hurricanes blew up the notion that hockey couldn’t be popular in the South by packing RBC Center to full capacity while being loud and rowdy.

Players and media in Raleigh during that playoff run credited RBC Center as being one of, if not the loudest building in the NHL at the time.

Fast forward to 11 years later and much of the same is being said about Nashville and Bridgestone Arena.

Preds defenseman P.K. Subban, who spent his entire career in the hockey mecca of Montreal up until this season, recently told reporters after a game:

“I played in an A+ market my whole career. There’s not a city in the League that has anything on Nashville.”

Key offseason additions

Coming out the NHL lockout of 2004-05, people expected the game to evolve, and general managers scrambled to put together rosters suitable to play a changing style of hockey.

The Hurricanes general manager at the time, Jim Rutherford (currently Pittsburgh’s GM) made several crucial signings before the 2005-06 season.

Forward Cory Stillman was signed to a three-year deal and instantly became a key part of the Canes offense.


Stillman finished the regular season tied for second on the team in points with 76 in 72 games played.

He continued that pace in the playoffs, scoring 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 25 games, finishing only behind Staal in playoff points for the Canes.

Rutherford also signed defenseman Frantisek Kaberle, who provided some offensive punch from the blueline.

Kaberle easily led the Carolina defensemen in points with 44 in 77 regular season games.

In the playoffs, Kaberle put up 13 points, and more importantly scored the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers.

Nashville general manager David Poile made one of the biggest trades the NHL has seen recently following the 2015-16 season, sending Shea Weber to Montreal in exchange for Subban.

Subban, a more exciting, talented and productive version of Kaberle, has undoubtedly been a superstar in Nashville.

He helped stabilize the Nashville defense while adding a needed offensive threat, evidenced by his 40 points in 66 regular season games.

In the playoffs, Subban has pitched in with 10 points, while leading the Preds defense in ice time with 25:52 a game.

Finishing the job

With one final series to play, Laviolette and the Predators have one final step to take.

If they do so successfully, they will bring the Stanley Cup to a deserving fan base in the South.

Hurricanes fans who experienced it all in 2006 can relate.

Carolina Hurricanes expansion draft preview part one: setting the table

Andrew Schnittker, Sports Editor

The addition of a 31st franchise means a busier offseason than normal around the NHL. With the Vegas Golden Knights joining the ranks next season, hockey’s newest team will get the chance to fill out its roster at the expense of its competitors. At the NHL Expansion Draft June 21, Vegas will select one player from each of the existing 30 teams.

Of course, this has implications for the entire league, not just the Golden Knights. Each team will lose a player from its organization, some losses more impactful than others. A handful of teams are set up well, due to the league’s rules for this version of the expansion draft, to both not lose an impactful player, but perhaps add to their rosters as other teams look to move players for assets rather than lose them for nothing to Vegas. The Carolina Hurricanes are one of those teams sitting in a good spot as the expansion draft approaches.

Over the next three weeks leading up to the event, we’ll look at the rules for expansion and what they mean for the Canes, who the team may lose and some trade targets for the pre-draft wheeling and dealing.

Let’s start with the first item on that list, and look at the rules for the draft and their implications for the Carolina.

Teams have two options for protecting players from the expansion draft, either seven forwards, three defensemen and a goalie, or eight skaters, regardless of position, and a goalie.

The Canes are almost certain to use the first option. Of the defensemen on the roster, only Justin Faulk needs to be protected (we’ll get to that in a bit). And really, he’s the only one worthy of a protection spot. The team would likely use one protection on prospect Trevor Carrick as well, but he is

unlikely to be selected. Other than those two, it’s tough to find a third blueliner for protection. 2011 first-rounder Ryan Murphy certainly has not shown he’s worthy of a spot, and the team might hope Vegas takes him off its hands. The Canes are well-positioned to add an upgrade on defense from a team with a surplus on the blue line before Vegas makes its selections.

Up front, there are essentially five “locks” to be protected. Forwards Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, Elias Lindholm, Jordan Staal and Teuvo Teravainen should all be shielded from Vegas. Each proved himself to be a valuable part of the Canes’ forward group last season. Skinner had a career year and was the team’s leading scorer; Lindholm also broke out as a top-notch playmaker. Staal is a valuable two-way center, capable of producing offense while shutting down the other team’s top scorers. Teravainen proved himself to be a useful secondary scorer in his first year with the Canes, and Rask, though he did suffer a brutal slump in last year’s second half, has shown his ability as a two-way pivot and is locked in long-term for a reasonable price.

The sixth and seventh slots are where it gets interesting. The Canes could opt to hold on to veteran Lee Stempniak, one of seven 40-point scorers on the Canes last year and a player who has been around the block, capable of providing leadership, leaving one of promising young forwards Brock McGinn and Phil Di Giuseppe exposed. Those same qualities could make Stempniak attractive to the Golden Knights. Or, the team could decide to shield both McGinn and Di Giuseppe; going with youth in two players that add some physicality to the bottom-six.

The third option here is Carolina using an asset, likely one of its extra entry-draft picks to add a player or two from other


teams looking to recoup an asset for said player rather than losing them to Vegas for no return. General manager Ron Francis has already stated his intention to use the expansion draft to his advantage, and could do so to add some needed scoring punch to his team.

In net, the protection question is easy. Scott Darling, recently acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks and signed to a four-year deal, will be the choice here. Darling is the Canes’ goalie of the present and future, and the team should not sweat losing either Cam Ward or Eddie Lack, who both have posted subpar numbers the past two years, to expansion.

Players with no-movement clauses in their contracts must be protected

Staal is the only Cane with a no-movement clause. He was a virtual lock to be protected anyway, so not much change here.

All players with two or fewer years of professional experience, and unsigned draft picks are exempt from expansion

This rule is the one that benefits the Hurricanes perhaps more so than any team in the league. It is what has Francis in such a great place to both protect his core and add to it. Falling under this umbrella are several key contributors to the Canes’ roster. The strong trio of American defensemen, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce and Noah Hanifin, each of whom broke in as rookies in 2015-16 and continued to develop last season, establishing themselves as key cogs in the Canes’ top four on defense, are exempt.

Finnish forward Sebastian Aho, who burst onto the scene as a rookie last season and finished second on Carolina in points, placing fifth in a loaded freshman class, is exempt. Having these important young pieces safe from the expansion draft, without having to use a protection slot, leaves the Canes in a position to protect all of their current core players and add some outside help.

Each team must expose one defenseman who played either 40 or more games last season or 70 games combined the last two years, two forwards that meet those same requirements and one goaltender, all of which must be under contract for 2017-18

The Hurricanes are set here. It was thought heading into the season that Murphy would be used to fit the requirement on defense, but a late-season injury kept him from reaching the needed games-played threshold. The Canes had a backup plan, however, and signed blueliner Klas Dahlbeck to a one-year, one-way extension last month. With 43 games played for the Canes this past season, he fits the bill.

Forward-wise, any two of Stempniak, Di Giuseppe, McGinn or Joakim Nordstrom could be used to satisfy the exposure rule.

In net, again, an easy choice. Darling will be protected. Ward and Lack, both of whom are under contract for next season and thus are eligible to fulfill the requirement, will be exposed.

That’s a wrap for expansion draft rules as far as they concern the Hurricanes. Next week we’ll take a look at who may be packing their bags and heading to the Golden Knights.

After waiting 14 years, Penguins defenseman Ron Hainsey grateful for first shot at Stanley Cup

Tal Pinchevsky

PITTSBURGH -- It's been 14 years since Ron Hainsey last enjoyed an extended playoff run. A first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2000, the defenseman was developing with the club's American Hockey League affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, when they advanced all the way to the 2003 Calder Cup Final before losing to the Houston Aeros in seven games.

It was a sad ending but ultimately a gratifying experience for Hainsey, who endured a combined 28-38-6 record over two seasons at UMass-Lowell and never sniffed the postseason. But as a first-round pick (13th overall) who was emerging on a competitive AHL team, there was little doubt he would get another shot at a pro hockey title. An NHL promotion was on the horizon -- and with it the seemingly inevitable thrill of competing in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

More than a decade after that Calder Cup run -- and after playing 907 regular-season games without a postseason appearance, which was the longest streak in the NHL --

Hainsey played in his first Stanley Cup Final on Monday night.

"It was fun. The puck was bouncing, and I think that made maybe the first-period jitters a little worse," Hainsey said after the Penguins' 5-3 win against the Nashville Predators in Game 1. "You're amped up and excited to play. It was a great atmosphere, and getting the lead was obviously good."

The 36-year-old Hainsey wasn't sure what to expect in his first appearance on hockey's biggest stage. He certainly didn't anticipate seeing a 3-0 lead vanish during a 37-minute span in which Pittsburgh failed to fire a shot on goal, only to eke out a victory and grab a 1-0 series lead against the Predators, who outshot Pittsburgh 26-12. All of this madness occurred while Hainsey admittedly dealt with the requisite jitters that naturally come when a player -- especially one who has suffered through one losing season after another -- finally gets his title shot.

"After the first period, you've got some time to regroup and get back in the flow of it," Hainsey said. "We really just didn't


spend enough time on their half of the red line after we got the lead."

Hainsey has been a welcome addition on a Penguins blue line that has been wracked by injuries since he was acquired in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 23. And if the veteran had any jitters before the game he's been waiting to play in all his life, his teammates certainly didn't notice.

"Ronnie's pretty laid-back and a good pro," said Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz. "He's been huge for us since we got him. It's cool to see him here."

Before coming to Pittsburgh, Hainsey had played in 891 regular-season games with the Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets and Hurricanes without experiencing a single second of playoff intensity. Almost overnight he was asked to add an element that the Penguins desperately needed -- especially on Monday night against the Predators: a calming veteran presence capable of maintaining composure in the eye of an unyielding storm.

"He's been around for so long. He has that veteran presence we need in the locker room," teammate Olli Maatta said on Sunday. "He kind of calms [us] down when the stakes get high."

By the time Hainsey joined the Penguins, the team was all but assured a playoff berth. As the defending Cup champions, they'd surely be considered among the favorites to win it this season. All of that occurred to Hainsey as he suddenly faced the prospect of playing hockey in June.

"I certainly thought this was a team that had a chance to do this," Hainsey said on Sunday.

But given that the playoff format this season was divided along divisional lines, Hainsey knew the task wouldn't be easy. During his time in Carolina, the Hurricanes were bottom-feeders in arguably the NHL's most competitive division. So if anyone knew how challenging it would be to

emerge from the Metropolitan Division, it was Hainsey. That was particularly true in a season in which the Washington Capitals led the league with 118 points and the Blue Jackets enjoyed their first 50-win season.

Pittsburgh defeated Columbus and then Washington before dispatching the Ottawa Senators in seven games in the Eastern Conference finals. For Hainsey's teammates, those wins were made sweeter by the knowledge that his playoff adventure would continue.

"We all know it's his first time in the playoffs. I was telling him the other day, 'You're undefeated, you've never lost a series,'" defenseman Trevor Daley said Sunday. "That's a pretty good record so far. He's doing well."

After posting a plus-2 in just less than 20 minutes of ice time in his Cup finals debut, Hainsey now has five points in the playoffs while averaging 21:08 per game, second on the team behind Brian Dumoulin. More than anything, he's added his signature stability to a team looking to make history.

If the Penguins go on to win three more games and hoist the Stanley Cup again, they would become the first team to win consecutive championships during the salary-cap era. Winning the Cup with a respected veteran whose trip to the finals has been a long time coming would make it only more special.

"It's crazy that this is the first time he's been in the playoffs in his 14-year career," Dumoulin said Sunday. "He's the type of guy who is not taking this for granted at all. He's loving every second of it. To be able to potentially get that guy a Stanley Cup would be awesome."

That's a sentiment Hainsey echoes, using the exact same word to describe his first postseason: "Awesome."

LONG TIME COMING: HAINSEY'S NHL PLAYOFF DROUGHT ENDS WITH STANLEY CUP CHANCE

By: Ken CampbellMay 31, 2017

PITTSBURGH – Every other year of his NHL career, Ron Hainsey would have spent his Memorial Day weekend on the golf course and playing with his kids. “Those are pretty much my only two activities at this point,” he said.

One thing he wasn’t doing was playing hockey. And he wouldn’t have been this spring, either, had Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford not picked him up at the trade deadline from the Carolina Hurricanes for prospect Danny Kristo and a second-round draft pick. At the time, it was viewed as a depth move, but that was before Penguins defensemen started dropping like flies. Not only has Hainsey played in every playoff game for the Penguins, he’s second on the team in average ice time behind defense partner Brian Dumoulin.

Hainsey isn’t used to all this work at this time of year. After the regular season ended this year, Hainsey had played in a total of 907 NHL games. Not one of them was a playoff game. Not a single one. He was a first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2000, but those were lean years for the Habs. Two of the three years he was in the organization they made the playoffs, but he was in the minors. Then he moved on to a laundry list of bad teams, first the Columbus Blue Jackets, followed by the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets and then the Hurricanes. Every year when they totaled up all the points, Hainsey found himself on the outside looking in, wondering whether he’d be destined to become a modern-day Guy Charron, who had a 734-game NHL career without ever seeing the post-season. (Poor bugger was Canadiens’ property, but was dealt at the trade deadline in 1971, his first season as an NHLer, as part of the package


Montreal used to land Hall of Famer Frank Mahovlich. Coincidentally, Charron was an assistant coach with the Canadiens when Hainsey broke into the league in 2002-03.)

“I didn’t know what to think, to be honest,” Hainsey said. “It wasn’t like I sat around the house beating my head against the wall about it.”

Things started out pretty well for Hainsey. In 2002-03, his second pro season, he helped the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs get to the Calder Cup final before losing Game 7 to the Houston Aeros. Game 2 of that series, which was played 14 years ago yesterday, needed four overtimes before the Bulldogs won 2-1.

Hainsey has never had a playoff beard as an NHL player and this year has afforded him the chance to grow his facial hair for two months. More importantly, the experience could also help the 36-year-old Hainsey gain further employment with the Penguins. Due to become an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, Hainsey could be an affordable option for the Penguins, who have only three defensemen under contract for next season and are facing a cap crunch.

You don’t get the sense Hainsey spent a lot of time fretting over his lack of playoff participation, but it’s clear he’s very appreciative of the opportunity. Rutherford had a familiarity

with him from their days with the Hurricanes, and it turned out that the acquisitions of Hainsey and Mark Streit have served the Penguins well. Hainsey has always been a workhorse, averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time over the course of his career, which is bang-on what he has averaged so far in the playoffs (21:08). In a perfect world, Hainsey would be a third-pairing defenseman, with the ability to move up the depth chart in the event of injuries.

There’s a good chance no player will go as many games in his career without playing a playoff game as Hainsey did. The current leader in that category is Buffalo Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian, who has played 534 games without appearing in the post-season. In order to catch Hainsey, Bogosian would have to play five more seasons without making the playoffs. Jay Bouwmeester went 750 games before playing his first in the playoffs, while Jeff Skinner of the Hurricanes (497), Evander Kane of the Sabres (496) and Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils (453) are also starting to get up there.

“You always want to play,” Hainsey said. “The game goes by faster when you’re going right back out there all the time. We’ve actually had some games where we only had five ‘D’ because of injuries. It’s been a lot of fun to play and we have to keep doing that for another couple of weeks.”

Grand Rapids' Michelle McMahon lands expanded TV role for Stanley Cup

By Peter J. Wallner | [email protected] on May 28, 2017 at 10:30 AM, updated May 29, 2017 at 7:05 AM

Michelle McMahon has a story like many young, post-grad professionals. She graduated college and worked sales to offset her part-time job and full-time passion of broadcasting until she reached the crossroads.

The dual-career thing couldn't go on.

"I had to decide if was I going to do sales my whole life or take a chance, quit and give it my all in broadcasting," McMahon said.

That was October, 2014.

It appears to be a chance well taken. On Monday, the Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern and 2012 University of Michigan graduate will work the Stanley Cup Finals for the NHL Network, a reward for what has been a dizzying year.

McMahaon will report on the Pittsburgh Penguins' side of the finals, providing pre- and postgame coverage for the network. That's in addition to her position since October, 2016 as studio host of the weekday "NHL Now" alongside E.J. Hradek and Steve Mears.

The Stanley Cup Finals between the Penguins and Nashville Predators begins 8 p.m. Monday on NBC.

"It's been an incredible journey," McMahon said. "I can't even begin to express how grateful and humble I am to be there."

McMahon is a testament to hard work combined with tenacity to make good fortune happen. The former Wolverines volleyball player graduated with an average amount of experience behind a mike but with more than enough knowledge and, well, pluck to make herself known.

"My biggest experience was being a student-athlete and that was something I leveraged," McMahon said. "I could say, 'Hey, maybe I don't have the on-camera experience but I have a perspective that this kids with a gazillion internships doesn't have. So, that was my strategy."

Moving to Chicago, McMahon quickly discovered part-time jobs don't pay full-time bills. She worked sales for a couple of companies and appeared occasionally on the Big Ten Network. She also worked CSN Chicago, ESPN3 and even broadcast high school volleyball games ... until she was fed up.

That's when she decided to quit sales, jump in and chip away at broadcasting full time, utility bills be damned. It started with the Big Ten Network.

"What can you give me? I want to do volleyball, I want to do football, I want to do hockey," she said as she did


began doing regular hockey reports. "Just trying to get my foot further in the door."

Her first break came, she said, in July, 2015 when the Carolina Hurricanes approached her and she became the team's pre-game show on FOX Sports Carolinas and FOX Sports South. She also served as a television and web host for the team.

The biggest break, however, came just over a year later when the NHL Network brought her in to join the already-established Hradek and Mears for their daily show.

They're the best," McMahon said. "They made me feel welcome. Totally different experience from what I had been doing as far as my role. So, for the first couple of weeks I was, 'Oh my god, what am I doing here?' And they

made the transition so seamless. They are mentors of the game, so helpful and the epitome of the hockey world."

McMahon was born in Chicago, moved at an early age to Grand Rapids and remains a Detroit Red Wings fan (with still a soft spot for the Blackhawks).

As for Predators-Penguins, she is looking for the best storylines like a good broadcaster. But, McMahon admits, she wouldn't mind a Penguins victory. That would put her in the middle of the celebration.

And that would be fitting for her past couple of years, too.

"I can't say I knew this is what I always wanted to do from a real early ago, but I always had a passion for sports and it evolved from there," she said, adding moments later, "It has already been so amazing."

TODAY’S LINKS http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/golf/article153490169.html

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/the-canes-cup-connections/16730212/ https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/tweetmail-number-146-three-keys-animals-lunch/c-289689516

http://www.canescountry.com/2017/5/30/15708162/2017-nhl-draft-profile-elias-pettersson-carolina-hurricanes-sweden-timra-vaxjo-shl http://www.canescountry.com/2017/5/30/15709844/carolina-hurricanes-rfa-offer-sheet-trade-options-leon-draisaitl-radek-faksa-nino-niederreiter

http://www.canescountry.com/2017/5/26/15700810/carolina-hurricanes-trade-targets-jordan-eberle-jonas-brodin-brayden-point-oilers-wild-lightning http://thehockeywriters.com/carolina-hurricanes-fans-happy-for-hainsey/

http://thehockeywriters.com/ron-francis-holding-prime-cards/ http://trianglesportsnet.com/archives/15257

http://www.technicianonline.com/sports/article_550118b2-467d-11e7-a40e-4fa0c6cbaae4.html http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/19496066/2017-stanley-cup-finals-penguins-ron-hainsey-grateful-first-shot-stanley-cup

http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/long-time-coming-hainsey-s-nhl-playoff-drought-ends-with-stanley-cup-chance http://www.mlive.com/sports/2017/05/grand_rapids_michelle_mcmahon.html

http://gocheckers.com/articles/features/roland-mckeown-ready-to-take-next-step-in-progression http://gocheckers.com/articles/features/trevor-carrick-finds-pluses-in-down-offensive-year

http://gocheckers.com/articles/features/chelios-takes-advantage-of-opportunity-on-charlotte-blue-line

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FOXSports.com / Predators’ Pontus Aberg victimizes Penguins with sick goal in Game 2

Pete Blackburn @PeteBlackburn

May 31, 2017 at 9:26p ET

The opening period of Wednesday’s Game 2 between the Penguins and Predators was an eventful affair, but the best highlight came from Nashville’s Pontus Aberg.

The 23-year-old Swedish forward scored his first Stanley Cup Final goal and, boy, it was a beauty. Aberg managed to make his way around Pittsburgh defenseman Olli Maatta with a nutmeg-esque move before showing patience and beating goaltender Matt Murray with a top shelf shot.

For Aberg, it was his second goal of the playoffs and it gave the Preds an early 1-0 lead. It was also the kind of gorgeous tally that makes hockey fans just a little more familiar with your name.

FOXSports.com LOADED: 06.01.2017

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CNN/Sports Illustrated / As Stanley Cup Final shifts to Nashville, Predators must solve ‘opportunistic’ Penguins

ALEX PREWITT

3 hours ago

PITTSBURGH — There went Pekka Rinne, headed down the visiting tunnel and into the dark, leaving his stick on the carpet and a two-game series deficit on the ice. It had all vanished so suddenly for Nashville and its goalie, snatched away by this black-and-gold nitrous button of a Pittsburgh Penguins team. “They turn the game fast,” Rinne said later, after learning the hard way at the worst possible time: three goals over three and a half minutes, one 10 seconds into the third period, the others spaced 15 seconds apart. The haymakers landed hard.

After Wednesday night’s 4-1 loss, the prevailing buzzword was “opportunistic” inside the Predators’ gobsmacked dressing room. “There’s no real answer for it,” defenseman Ryan Ellis said, by way of demonstration. “They’re an opportunistic team. Quick stretch of hockey and we found ourself down in both games.” Yes, the Penguins required slightly longer in Monday’s Game 1—three goals spanning 4:10 during the first period—but the aftermath felt similar. They were mathematically out-shot, largely outplayed, and unquestionably moved closer toward claiming back-to-back Stanley Cup titles. “The results aren’t there,” Ellis said. “This is a winning business, and at the end of the day you just have to win.”

Over in the corner, Rinne was waiting by his stall when the doors opened. He spoke about the “limited chances” that Pittsburgh converted, and about “feeling positive” as the series shifts to Nashville, and about the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity facing him, who like most of the Predators had never before appeared on this stage.


But after Evgeni Malkin buzzed the fourth goal over Rinne’s glove and coach Peter Laviolette summoned backup Juuse Saros in relief, the question is whether the 34-year-old franchise bedrock will get another chance. Asked about Rinne’s potential to start Game 3, Laviolette praised his goalie to the heavens but fell a few wedding rings short of full commitment: “Pekka has been excellent for us all year long. There's things that we could have done. All three goals in the third period were odd-man rushes.”

When at its its best, Nashville does not allow odd-man rushes. “Hardly ever in the playoffs,” captain Mike Fisher said. Yet there was Malkin, free to choose between the top corner and Phil Kessel on the backdoor, choosing wisely. And Kessel, heaving a two-on-one centering pass that ricocheted off Predators center Vernon Fiddler’s skate and through Rinne’s five-hole. And Jake Guentzel, hydroplaning a juicy rebound into a virtually empty net, becoming only the second rookie ever with a dozen goals in a single postseason. And a 1-1 tie—assembled by Pontus Aberg's marvelous solo move and Guentzel squeezing a backhander through a coin slot-sized hole in Rinne's padding—quickly blown off its hinges. “They’re opportunistic,” Laviolette said. (Buzz!) “They’ve got good players.”

Which allows these underdog Predators even slimmer margins moving forward. Since Mike Sullivan took over behind the Penguins' bench in Dec. 2015, his team has dropped four of five on just two occasions—immediately after former coach Mike Johnston’s firing and during a four-game slide this March that included two shootout losses. They are not steamrolling opponents like last spring—goalie Matt Murray needed to make 37 saves in Game 2—though ascribing a rope-a-dope strategy doesn’t quite fit either. It’s not like they’re scheming to endure shot droughts of 37:00 and 9:50, as was the case in Games 1 and 2, respectively; their meter just happens to flick between hibernation and domination, with little else in between.

“I think this team has an inner belief that we can score goals,” Sullivan said, “and they’ve provided plenty of evidence to suggest that.”

The Predators, too, have offered plenty of proof that they aren’t cooked. Through 60 minutes, they have out-attempted Pittsburgh by 43 and held Malkin and Sidney Crosby to a combined six shots. They are headed home to Bridgestone Arena, that earsplitting palace of soccer-style chants and live guitar licks, where have lost just once this postseason. “We’re here for a reason,” Ellis said. “Our system’s worked all year. We made the playoffs, we got through three rounds, and our strongest thing is our system. Once in awhile it’s going to break down.

“It just seems like every time it does, it’s a chance or it’s a goal.”

CNN/Sports Illustrated LOADED: 06.01.2017

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Sportsnet.ca / Opportunistic Penguins keep defying gravity with Game 2 win

Chris Johnston

@reporterchris

May 31, 2017, 11:17 PM

PITTSBURGH – They will wait for you to beat yourself. The patient Pittsburgh Penguins are content to stay steady on the rudder with confidence that a game will eventually bend in their favour.

For huge chunks of Game 2 it looked as though they were merely surviving.

The boat was taking on some water – the Nashville Predators fired six shots on goal in one frantic 17-second stretch – but it never capsized.

Then the puck was dropped to start the third period and the Penguins pounced. Three goals past poor Pekka Rinne in the opening 3:28 and suddenly you have a comfortable 4-1 victory from a Pittsburgh team now two wins short of lifting the Stanley Cup again.

"We’ve got some talented players on this team so any time we can get them into some open ice good things happen," said defenceman Ian Cole.

They don’t need much to break your heart. The Predators were wondering what hit them as they flew home in a 2-0 hole after Thursday’s game.

It was opportunistic rookie Jake Guentzel who once again delivered the damage, scoring twice to boost his playoff-leading goal total to 12. At the start of this season he wasn’t on the radar of his current teammates – Sidney Crosby didn’t know anything about him – and now the 22-year-old from Nebraska has worked his way into the Conn Smythe Trophy conversation.

"He seems pretty calm and cool on the outside," said Crosby. "Sitting next to him (in the dressing room), he seems like he’s really excited to be in the NHL. He’s willing to do anything. I mean he’s obviously contributing with scoring goals, but he really cares about doing well out there."

This Penguins team has developed a knack for defying gravity.

Lose all-world defenceman Kris Letang to a season-ending neck injury? No problem.

Come up against the Presidents’ Trophy winners in Round 2? See ya, Washington. Get pushed to double overtime in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final by the Pesky Sens? No sweat.

They’ve seen their possession numbers crater in Letang’s absence and have been routinely outshot during this playoff run. Even that hasn’t slowed them.

"Both of our goalies have done a great job of handling those shots, especially in some of these instances it’s heavy first periods where teams have come out hard and tried to throw a lot at the net," Crosby said after his team improved to 8-2 in playoff games in which they’ve been outshot.

Matt Murray certainly outplayed Rinne again in Game 2 with 31 saves by the second intermission. That set the table for a third-period explosion which had fans at PPG Paints Arena chanting "We want the Cup!" while Evgeni Malkin’s father, Vladimir, danced in the stands.

There is no guarantee we’ll even be back here for another game – although it’s worth pointing out that Pittsburgh was up 2-0 on San Jose in last year’s final and still needed six games to close it out.

The Penguins exude a quiet confidence and have enough experience to keep their minds from wandering too far. No one seemed interested in discussing how close they are to repeating as champions.

"I’m trying not to think about that," said Malkin. "Every win is closer to the Cup, but it’s still lots of work. We understand, you know, it’s not easy. We go to Nashville and it’s a hockey town, (great) crowd, and they play unbelievable at home.

"We need to work, we need to play better and win."

You can expect it to be a tough battle inside Bridgestone Arena on Sunday night. The stakes are incredibly high. And Game 2 essentially devolved into frontier justice.

Not long after P.K. Subban knocked Sidney Crosby to the ice, Chris Kunitz delivered a danger cross-check to the neck of the Predators defenceman. In the second period, Nashville agitator Cody McLeod slammed directly into Murray and wasn’t whistled for a penalty.

Matt Cullen hammered Mattias Ekholm with a clean hit and Viktor Arvidsson returned the favour on Guentzel. Kunitz sent Yannick Weber cartwheeling head over heels with a hip check.

Once the game got out of reach, Subban and Malkin even dropped the gloves for a wrestling match.

"I like (him), he’s a good player," said Malkin. "He asked me ‘you want to fight?’ I don’t care. It was lots of emotion. Next game we forget that. It’s not my game to fight."

Above all, the Penguins know their game is good enough to win. Nashville may boast the most formidable blue line in the entire NHL, but Pittsburgh’s forwards are still an awful lot to handle.

"They work hard and they get bounces," said Subban. "We have to work twice as hard to make sure we sharpen up in those areas, making sure that we’re getting pucks in, pucks out and tightening up in our crease and making sure that we’re eliminating bodies. You’ve got to give them credit, they capitalized on mistakes, but for us we’ve done a lot of good things well.

"But this is the Stanley Cup Final, that’s the Stanley Cup champion over there, you can’t just play well. You have to be great to win at this point in time."


The series isn’t over, not yet. But the margin for error has been reduced dramatically.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.01.2017

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Sportsnet.ca / Pekka Rinne pulled in Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final after allowing four goals

Sportsnet Staff

May 31, 2017, 10:43 PM

Nashville Predators starter Pekka Rinne has had a terrible start to the Stanley Cup Final.

After allowing four goals on 11 shots in Game 1 (the Penguins added an empty-netter), Rinne allowed four more through a little more than two periods in Game 2, this time on 25 shots against.

The Predators had been dominating the Penguins defensively in Game 2, but were tied 1-1 through two periods. At the start of the third, the Penguins scored a flurry of three goals in a little more than three minutes to open up a 4-1 lead.

Just three-and-a-half minutes into the third, Rinne was removed and backup Juuse Saros came into the game.

Rinne had been one of Nashville’s best players through the first three rounds, but as the Preds have outplayed their Stanley Cup final opponent, goaltending has been a major area of concern. The Preds’ starter has a .777 save percentage so far in the final, after posting .976, .932, and .925 totals in the first three rounds against Chicago, St. Louis and Anaheim, respectively.


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Sportsnet.ca / Ron & Don: Penguins look ‘lousy’ in Stanley Cup Final

Emily Sadler

May 31, 2017, 9:56 PM

Despite coming away with the series-opening win, the Pittsburgh Penguins admitted Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final was not their best effort.

Don Cherry agrees.

“Pittsburgh looks lousy as far as I’m concerned,” Cherry said during the first intermission of Game 2 Wednesday night. “You know what they’re playing like right now? A team that’s got nothing left in the tank.”

The Penguins were limited to just 12 shots on goal in Game 1 — and went without a shot for 37 minutes — but still managed to come away with a 5-3 win thanks to a game-winner from rookie Jake Guentzel and an empty-netter from Nick Bonino.

Though they matched Game 1's shot total just 20 minutes into Game 2 (Nashville had 18), Cherry didn't have much praise for the Penguins.

"The only reason they're in this game is on account of (Matt) Murray again," Cherry said. Murray also came up big in Game 1, stopping 23 of 26 shots in what was a bit of a rough outing for the netminder.

"I don't understand," he said. "The only thing I think of, there's no gas in the tank the way they're playing. They're playing lousy."

Cherry was also critical of the Penguins' power-play tactics.

"I don't understand it. Kessel's got the puck all the time — he's a trigger man. There's Malkin — magic. You got Crosby — magic. The only guy that's handling the puck is Kessel. It doesn't make any sense," he said.

"That's all I can say about Pittsburgh. I'm very disappointed in the way they're playing."


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Sportsnet.ca / The page is turning on playoff heroics of Rinne, Subban

Gare Joyce

@garejoycenhl

June 1, 2017, 1:41 AM

PITTSBURGH — Pekka Rinne was the odds-on favourite to win the Conn Smythe coming into the Stanley Cup Final based on his play through three rounds this spring. Even Don Cherry designated him the frontrunner.

After two games in Pittsburgh, all that good work and tire-pumping seems like a long time ago for the Nashville goaltender.

Though Rinne was the key player on the Predators in these playoffs, P.K. Subban was their biggest story. It’s not fair to say that his was a quest for redemption after being traded out of Montreal a year ago — it was just a scenario that he could only dream of when it came to sticking it to his critics. After two games, well, that scenario is threatening to come completely undone.

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ 4-1 victory over Nashville Wednesday night had the Western Conference champions looking for explanations and consolation, which occasionally overlapped.

“I thought we played a strong game and created a lot of chances the first two periods especially,” Rinne said. “[After two periods] it’s a tight game, obviously. A quick goal, a couple of odd-man rushes in a row, a bit unfortunate on the second [goal] and then [Evgeni] Malkin buried the one [that made it 4-1]. And that was the game.”

The quick goal was Jake Guentzel’s second game-winner in the Cup Final. The lucky one for the Penguins was credited to Scott Wilson but was basically kicked in by Nashville’s Vernon Fiddler. And Malkin’s was wired in the top corner on the glove side, spelling the end of Rinne’s night. He was pulled in favour of backup Juuse Saros.

The three goals came in a flurry that took only slightly longer than Rinne needed to summarize it. The game went from a 1-1 tie in which the Predators had an advantage in play, both territorial advantage and shots on goal, to a 4-1 hole in three and a half minutes.

“It’s very disappointing,” Rinne said, trying to stay stoic about his team’s prospects heading to Nashville. “I treat this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’ve played for a long time and this is the first time playing for a Cup.”

In his statement of purpose, Rinne might have provided a cause for Pittsburgh’s wins: It’s once in Rinne’s lifetime but not so for most of the Penguins. A bunch of players are holdovers from last year’s team that hoisted the Cup. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz lifted the Cup back in ’09 as well.

The Predators outplayed the home team by a ridiculous margin in Game 1 and yet ended up with an L. Game 2 featured a fair bit more give and take through two periods, but still the game mostly trended in Nashville’s favour. The Predators were quicker to the puck on the forecheck and more creative when they had possession in the offensive zone — and for the Penguins it was a seen-it-all-before proposition, never breaking down having been there and done that.

That point wasn’t lost on Subban. “That’s a championship team in there,” he said. “They know how to win. At the end of the day you have to work hard to get bounces. They work hard and get bounces. You have to give them credit. They capitalized on mistakes. We’ve got guys in here who are learning. We’re going to learn from our mistakes and get better.”

Subban was speaking in the future tense but the Predators can’t afford more than a couple of practices to digest those teachable moments and raise their play.

For Rinne’s part, he talked about having to forget about his performances in Pittsburgh — four goals on 11 shots through 59 minutes in Game 1 and a goal every 70 seconds to start the third.

“You have to bury these two games and move ahead,” the goaltender said.

And therein lies the challenge for the Predators and the conundrum: figuring out a way to learn from the losses and then wiping out all memory of the source of the knowledge.

You wouldn’t put it past the Predators to win in Nashville, level the series and throw a scare into the defending champions. That seems not as far-fetched as, say, the Predators as a wild card sweeping top-seed Chicago with Rinne surrendering only three goals in the process. And you could


see Subban desperate to shake things up, dropping the gloves with Malkin late in the third period after a verbal exchange.

Rinne winning the Conn Smythe and Subban giving the Canadiens trader's remorse: Stranger things have happened … in fact they’ve already happened this week.


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Sportsnet.ca / Four expensive players Vegas should consider taking in expansion

Jonathan Willis

May 31, 2017, 4:51 PM

The NHL Expansion Draft is rightly presented as a challenge to the NHL’s 30 existing clubs, but it’s also an opportunity for a few teams to offload problem contracts on to the league’s newest franchise.

The Vegas Golden Knights should be a better team than previous expansion teams thanks to a more generous draft process, but even so they will need to play a long game, ramping up over several years before challenging established clubs.

In the meantime, though, Vegas must hit certain minimum spending thresholds and ice a team that can play. That means GM George McPhee should be open to at least a few deals in which the Golden Knights receive prospects and draft picks in exchange for taking on other teams’ cap headaches.

That generosity will not be boundless.

The term on some contracts would be a non-starter, such as in the case of L.A.’s Dustin Brown and the five years left on his deal. Other teams just have too many good young players to pass up. Washington could try to pawn off Brooks Orpik, but the sweetener would need to be rich to make up for passing on Nate Schmidt or Philipp Grubauer.

Additionally, those more expensive slots would ideally go to player-types who will be hard to find via the expansion draft. Versatile players, capable of playing many minutes and in multiple situations, would obviously be preferable. Such players would also need to either be long-term fits, or have trade potential within the next two seasons.

We’ve identified four candidates who check off those boxes.

Bogosian is one of the NHL’s young veterans. He doesn’t turn 27 until mid-July, but he’s already logged more than 500 games in the league and played three seasons with the now-extinct Atlanta Thrashers. With three seasons left on his current contract, he would be a long-term gamble on the Vegas blue line.

Although Bogosian fell to fourth on the Sabres depth chart this year, he does have history logging major minutes in the past, especially at even strength and on the penalty kill. He brings size, mobility and a right shot to the blue line; it’s hard to find all of those qualities in one package.

However, he’s been less than the sum of his tools for the Sabres. Since arriving in Buffalo in February 2015, he has the worst on-ice goal numbers of any Sabres defender and his shot metrics have been middle-of-the-pack:

(Brief aside: If you ever wondered why analytics types like Cody Franson, wonder no longer.)

Vegas would be banking that his shot numbers tell the true story here, and going in knowing that they’re overpaying a No. 4 even-strength defenceman with some value on special teams. The Sabres, bogged down with bad contracts like Bogosian, Tyler Ennis and Matt Moulson, should certainly be willing to pay the Golden Knights for the privilege.

Unlike Bogosian, Pouliot would be half player, half trade asset for the Golden Knights. He has two years left on his current $4 million AAV contract, and the hope would be to get him back on track in Year 1 and then flip him at the trade deadline in Year 2.

It’s a more realistic possibility than many might think. Pouliot had 33 goals in just over 100 games for the Oilers between 2014-16, the first time in his career he was really used in an offensive role.

For seven seasons, between 2009 and 2016, Pouliot was the NHL’s hidden gem in terms of scoring efficiency, averaging two points for every

hour of 5-on-5 ice time he played. That’s the 56th-best number (a little below an average first-line forward) in the NHL over that period, ahead of players like Claude Giroux, Jarome Iginla, Zach Parise and myriad of other more highly regarded skaters.

The Oilers have made it clear they don’t see him in that vein and, with new deals coming to Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, would love to free up some money and would surely incentivize such a selection by Vegas, especially since it would prevent the embarrassing possibility of losing Griffin Reinhart for nothing.

The Golden Knights, in return, would take on a big, fast skater who can kill penalties and might explode offensively in the right situation.

There aren’t going to be a lot of decent centres available in the expansion draft. Stajan isn’t ideal for the role of third-line pivot at this point in his career, but Vegas has limited options. Besides, like our other skaters, the Calgary pivot can contribute in multiple roles, giving the Knights much-needed versatility.

At least as importantly, he’s in the final season of his current contract. Centres are also notoriously difficult to find at the trade deadline, which is why Arizona was able to command a first-round pick and more for Martin Hanzal, and why Toronto paid a second-rounder for fourth-line pivot Brian Boyle.

Vegas would take Stajan knowing they plan to flip him at the trade deadline after 50-odd games of steady play down the middle.

McPhee knows how good Varlamov can be; his Capitals team drafted, developed and ultimately traded the goaltender to Colorado for first- and second-round draft picks.

That doesn’t change the fact that he’s coming off a miserable 6-17-0, .898 save-percentage performance, or that his cap hit is a hefty $5.9 million. The Knights have other goalie options, so they aren’t likely to take on such a pricey reclamation project without a substantial bribe coming the other way.

Whether or not the rebuilding Avs are willing to pay such a bribe will come down to how quickly the club’s management thinks it can compete again and how badly it wants Varlamov off the roster. If their interest is high enough, the plan for Varlamov would be the same as the plan for Pouliot: One year of recovery and re-establishing his reputation, followed by a trade for younger assets in Year 2.


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Sportsnet.ca / Pekka Rinne pulled in Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final after allowing four goals

Sportsnet Staff

May 31, 2017, 10:43 PM

Nashville Predators starter Pekka Rinne has had a terrible start to the Stanley Cup Final.

After allowing four goals on 11 shots in Game 1 (the Penguins added an empty-netter), Rinne allowed four more through a little more than two periods in Game 2, this time on 25 shots against.

The Predators had been dominating the Penguins defensively in Game 2, but were tied 1-1 through two periods. At the start of the third, the Penguins scored a flurry of three goals in a little more than three minutes to open up a 4-1 lead.

The shots Rinne faced in the second period are hilarious. Pure defensive dominance by NSH pic.twitter.com/xy679w1ZjZ

— Andrew Berkshire (@AndrewBerkshire) June 1, 2017

Just three-and-a-half minutes into the third, Rinne was removed and backup Juuse Saros came into the game.

Rinne had been one of Nashville’s best players through the first three rounds, but as the Preds have outplayed their Stanley Cup final opponent, goaltending has been a major area of concern. The Preds’ starter has a .777 save percentage so far in the final, after posting .976, .932, and .925 totals in the first three rounds against Chicago, St. Louis and Anaheim, respectively.



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Sportsnet.ca / Trading Alex Ovechkin would be nearly impossible for MacLellan

Mark Spector

@sportsnetspec

May 31, 2017, 5:35 PM

Washington general manager Brian MacLellan had his hand on the door, with every chance to slam it shut. But he deliberately left it open, just a crack.

“Maybe at some point if there’s a legitimate hockey deal,” was his response to a question about whether or not the Capitals would deal their captain and face of the franchise, Alex Ovechkin.

OK — those weren’t his only words. To be fair, the quote was much longer:

“People are looking for a major solution to what we have going on,” MacLellan said in his belated, season-ending, state of the franchise media address. “I think part of it is they watch certain things in his game, and then it shows up and they say that’s not acceptable. But he’s a big part of our franchise, a big part of our history. He’s been a big part of where we’re at as an organization and just to casually say, ‘Let’s trade him?’ For what? For who?

“I don’t think it makes sense from an organizational point of view. Maybe at some point if there’s a legitimate hockey deal that came available, but I don’t know if that’s where we’re at right now.”

So, you’re saying there’s a chance?

As long a MacLellan is going to leave the door open, let us walk you through what the prospects of having Ovechkin on the open market might look like.

First, some facts:

• Ovechkin, who turns 32 in September, is the Capitals captain and highest-paid player, with an average annual value of $9.5 million for the next four seasons. According to Capfriendly.com, Ovechkin has a modified no-trade clause: He can list 10 teams that he can not be traded to, leaving 20 destinations open for a deal.

• This would be an owner-approved trade, and Caps owner Ted Leonsis owes his loyalty to the player whose presence led hockey’s turnaround in D.C. Ovechkin has made Leonsis not just millions but quite possibly billions along the way. My bet: Leonsis retires Ovechkin in Washington, years from now.

Here’s what Washington’s Ovechkin experiment has taught hockey: Your best player can’t be a winger. By extension, your most expensive one shouldn’t be a winger either. Especially one who doesn’t really make the players around him better.

So, if Ovechkin — whose game is in decline — were to go to a legitimate contender, one of two things would have to occur: Washington would have to retain a good percentage of his salary, and/or take back a Dustin Brown, a Marian Hossa, a Dion Phaneuf… an aging player with at least four years remaining on his contract.

That doesn’t help the Capitals at all.

So let’s get creative.

The man who drafted Ovechkin is the new GM in Las Vegas. He might love the idea of having a legitimate NHL star in his lineup full of cast-offs, and winning a Cup in the next four years is out of the equation in Vegas.

Building a fan base is.

McPhee could barter with draft picks — Washington doesn’t have one until Round 4 of the June 23-24 draft in Chicago — and could offer up a couple of his best NHL Expansion Draft picks, like a defenceman from Anaheim, or a player MacLellan likes from someone else. But it says here, this move would mean Vegas is more interested in selling tickets than building a winner.

Then there is New Jersey.

What about a sign-and-trade for Ilya Kovalchuk? Kovalchuk is believed to be shopping for a deal around the NHL, but the Devils own his rights. It

would be complex, but perhaps there is a Russian roulette to be had between the Caps and Devils?

The NHL’s new economics, where the cap only rises artificially if the players choose to exercise their five per cent inflator, really puts the kibosh on swapping a $9.5 million player. Even an embryonic team like Edmonton or Toronto is looking at salary issues in the relatively near future. Adding a big ticket is entirely out of the question for them, while a place like Arizona or Carolina might have the cap space but likely not the wherewithal to use it.

And Ovechkin, by MacLellan’s own admission, is one of those aging players that is slowing down while the game gets faster around him. We’ve seen what happens when a player loses a stride — his production plummets.

With 33 goals in 82 games, Ovechkin’s goal scoring sunk to a career low in 2016-17. What happens from here?

“He’s getting in the low 30s,” the Caps GM said. “I think he’s going to have to think of ways he can evolve into a player that still has a major impact on the game. The game’s getting faster. He’s going to have to train in a different way – a more speed way instead of a power way. He’s gonna have to make adjustments to stay (relevant) in the game.”

The only thing about Ovechkin that is not trending downward is his salary.

Truly, it makes any trade out of Washington nearly impossible.


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Sportsnet.ca / Carrie Underwood offered $70,000 to throw catfish on ice in Game 2

Sportsnet Staff

May 31, 2017, 8:21 PM

A collection of various personalities has conspired to offer country star Carrie Underwood $70,000 towards a charity of her choice to throw a catfish on to the ice at PPG Paints Arena in Game 2.

Fox Sports analyst Clay Travis appeared to get things started with $30,000, and got golfer Brandt Snedeker and ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit involved as well.

They were each game for $10,000.

Underwood, who earned $20 million in 2016, politely declined the offer, but offered an alternative…

In case you somehow weren’t aware, Predators captain Mike Fisher is Underwood’s husband.

By the time puck drop came around the offer went all the way to $70,000.


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TSN.CA / Rinne: From Conn Smythe to collapse as Predators down 2-0

By Frank Seravalli

PITTSBURGH — Pekka Rinne was standing there, ready to face the music, the moment the door to the Nashville Predators’ dressing room opened.

Hours earlier, Rinne was standing in the same spot, talking about trying to find a “happy place” as he readied to bounce back from a shaky opening to the biggest series of his life.

What he found instead inside PPG Paints Arena was his own personal hell.

The rock and backbone to the Predators’ first-ever run to the Stanley Cup Final unravelled for all to see. Rinne has still never won a start against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He was yanked by coach Peter Laviolette after allowing three goals on stream of six shots to start the third period. A tied game turned into a full-on Penguin rout.


Just like that, from leading Conn Smythe candidate to total collapse. Rinne seemingly caved to the weight of the moment.

“Obviously, it’s very disappointing right now,” Rinne said. “For me, I treat this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’ve played a long time, and the first time having a chance to play for the Cup. I think you just have to bury these two games and move ahead.”

Two games, yes, but two of the most spectacularly bad goaltending performances in recent memory. Now, Nashville is staring down a 2-0 hole, territory this team has not waded through on this run.

The Predators have outshot the defending Stanley Cup champions by a 64-39 margin through two games, but have nothing to show for it because Rinne couldn’t make a save. They haven’t led for a single second in the Stanley Cup Final.

Fellow Finn, Juuse Saros, was left to mop up Rinne’s mess after Pittsburgh scored twice in a span of 15 seconds to roll to an easy, 4-1 victory that during the second intermission somehow seemed destined for overtime.

Rookie Jake Guentzel struck twice for the Penguins, including his fourth game-winner of the post-season, to push his playoff-leading goal total to 12.

Some goals that squeaked through Rinne were frankly hard to explain.

“We’re not looking at anybody,” P.K. Subban said. “We’re looking at ourselves.”

Laviolette was purposely vague when asked post-game whether he would stick with Rinne for Game 3 in the Music City on Saturday night, where his team has been nearly unbeatable in the playoffs with a 7-1 record on home ice.

“Pekka has been excellent for us all year, like I said,” Laviolette responded. “There’s things that we could have done [better]. All three goals in the third period were odd-man rushes.”

Rinne, 34, will have to rebound in a big way. He has allowed eight goals on just 36 shots (.778 save percentage) after entering the Stanley Cup Final with a sparkling .941 mark that led all playoff netminders.

It was goaltending that also did in Laviolette in his last run to the Cup Final. Michael Leighton allowed 20 goals in six games against the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, being pulled twice, after a .948 run through the playoffs to that point.

Maybe it’s just the Penguins - who have been incredibly opportunistic through the first two games - that are the root of Rinne’s struggle. Rinne is now 0-7-2 in nine career starts against Pittsburgh, including the regular season and playoffs.

His only career win against the Penguins came in relief of Dan Ellis on Jan. 8, 2009. Rinne’s paltry record and .865 save percentage against Pittsburgh are both his worst stats against any NHL opponent.

Rinne’s counterpart, Matt Murray, continued his stellar play, serving as cover-all for a Penguins power play that went 0-for-7 and another 9:50 spell without a single shot on goal.

That means that the Penguins went a combined 46:50 without one shot on net through the first two games and still won both. Murray allowed four goals on 64 shots to start the series (.938).

“We’re more concerned about where the series is,” Predators captain Mike Fisher said. “We’ve got to be better defensively and find ways to beat Murray … He made some big saves, there’s no question. We’ve got to find ways to beat him. It’s those moments.”

It’s those moments, in a tied game with a chance to break through and take a series split back home, that Rinne wilted. Subban said both games were decided in a span of three minutes.

“There’s no frustration,” Subban said. “We’re learning. We’re going to learn from those two games. There’s not one ounce of doubt in this locker room.”

They were chanting “We Want The Cup” as Rinne gave way to Saros, another Stanley Cup seemingly now within grasp for Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Predators win both at Bridgestone Arena, but it’s only possible if Rinne finds a way to get off the mat.

“Pekka has been our best player all year,” James Neal said. “He’s going to continue to be our best player all year. He’s the least of our worries.”

TSN.CA LOADED: 06.01.2017

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TSN.CA / Swiss contingent puts friendship on hold for Cup final

By Frank Seravalli

PITTSBURGH - One way or the other, Lord Stanley’s silver mug is heading to Bern, Switzerland this summer, but the two sides battling for hockey’s ultimate prize are definitely not neutral on the result.

Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Mark Streit lives a two-minute bike ride from Nashville Predators star Roman Josi in Switzerland’s capital city.

A typical day during a Swiss summer might start with Streit and Josi playing tennis at Bern’s Lawn Tennis Club, where they are members, include a workout at some point, and then golf in the afternoon with Preds defenceman Yannick Weber.

“It’s a crazy story,” Streit said. “We all have a really close relationship. That’s put on hold now in the final. Since the playoffs started, everyone was on their own. There hasn’t been a lot of communication. We’ll talk after.”

This, right now, is the height of Swiss power in the NHL.

A country that has produced just 29 total players in league history now has four on rosters in the Stanley Cup final. The fourth is Predators winger Kevin Fiala, who went down in the first round with an injury and is sidelined until next season.

On top of that, Nico Hischier could become the first ever Swiss-born player to be selected No. 1 overall in the NHL draft next month.

“It’s almost a little bit surreal,” said Weber, a former Montreal Canadien and Vancouver Canuck.

Call it a Swiss awakening in the NHL. Amazingly, Weber said few have noticed in a country where soccer and Olympic sports are king. He said he was surprised that not a single reporter from Switzerland came to the final to document it all. That's fine with them.

“I think it’s a great time to be Swiss,” Josi said. “There are more guys coming, too.”

Hischier, 18, hails from Naters, but he played for Bern in the Swiss National A league last season – against Auston Matthews in Zurich --– before joining the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads for his draft-eligible season.

Not surprisingly, Hischier skated with Josi, Streit and Weber last summer. The Swiss hockey contingent isn’t a large one. Word travels fast.

“You could see he was extremely skilled,” Josi said. “I haven't seen him play a game yet, but he seems like a really great kid, too. It’d be great for Switzerland if he could go first overall.”

With Hischier unlikely to fall past the Philadelphia Flyers, who have the No. 2 overall pick, he is virtually guaranteed to become the highest drafted Swiss-born player ever. Nino Niederreiter will cling to that distinction for a few more weeks anyway – he went No. 5 overall to the Islanders in 2010.

“The last few years, his name came up more and more,” Weber said of Hischier. “I would’ve never expected him to be the first-overall pick. You’re able to tell he’s a very talented kid, but you never know how he’s going to react to the small ice in his first year. It’s such a different game. He had an unbelievable year.”

The only Swiss players with their name on the Stanley Cup are David Aebischer and Martin Gerber. Both were backup goaltenders who won with Colorado (2001) and Carolina (2006).

But it is Streit, now 39, who is the godfather of Swiss hockey in the NHL. He was the first skater to really make it in the NHL when he finally broke through in 2005 at the age of 28. Streit toiled for nine years in the Swiss


league, with one failed attempt in the AHL in the middle. He blossomed into one of the highest-paid NHL defencemen over the past decade.

“He opened the door for guys to dream bigger,” Weber said. “He took me and Roman under his wing in the summer. We’ve been training together for a lot of years now. When he got traded to Pitt, I was excited for him to play on a team with a chance to really make it far. He never really had a chance, playing so many years for the Islanders.”

Streit, who was a healthy scratch for the Penguins in Game 1, is three wins from a Stanley Cup in likely his final year in the NHL. His contract expires on June 30.

He didn’t even expect to be with the Penguins, hoping to remain with the Flyers before a bizarre trade deadline saw him moved to the Tampa Bay Lightning, then the Penguins in a matter of an hour with the Flyers not wanting to deal with their cross-state rival.

Streit now has a chance to do what former teammate Kimmo Timonen did with the Blackhawks in 2015 and go out on top.

“I ran into him in Columbus and he told me to hang in and be patient,” Streit said. “I’m ready and I’m here to help the team. He went through a little bit of the same thing in Chicago. It worked out pretty well for him.”

Weber said Streit is easily the most popular player in Switzerland – not Josi. It hasn’t necessarily been easy for Streit, who said there were always so many unrealistic expectations for him on the international stage, expected to shoulder the load in years when he didn’t have much help.

When Josi and Weber and others, like Timo Meier, Raphael Diaz, Sven Andrighetto, Fiala, Mirco Mueller and Sven Baertschi came along, the load was lightened.

The result was a surprise silver medal in the 2013 IIHF World Championship in Stockholm. That was the biggest moment in Swiss hockey history.

Until now.

“I’m really happy for those guys that they’re doing so well,” Streit said. “I think we need to keep working, because all of the other nations, they’re pushing, too. Everyone is getting better. If you want to call it Swiss power, sure. It’s a great story. It’s history.”

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USA TODAY / Penguins explode in third period to take 2-0 Stanley Cup Final lead on Predators

Kevin Allen , USA TODAY Sports Published 11:09 p.m. ET May 31, 2017 | Updated 3 hours ago

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins exploded for three goals in the opening 3:28 of the third period to down the Nashville Predators 4-1 in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final.

Jake Guentzel broke a 1-1 tie by scoring his second goal of the game 10 seconds into the third to give the Penguins their first lead. His goal was the fastest to start a period in Penguins’ playoff history. Scott Wilson (3:13) and Evgeni Malkin (3:28) followed with goals to chase starting goalie Pekka Rinne. He was replaced by Juuse Saros.

“One of strengths of our team this season is that we’ve been able to adapt and find ways to score,” Penguins center Matt Cullen said.

Here’s what is important from Game 2:

Right goalie move: Since Penguins coach Mike Sullivan switched goalies in the conference final, new starter Matt Murray is 5-1 with a 1.54 goals-against average and .943 save percentage. He made 37 saves in Game 2.

“He has a calming presence back there for us,” Penguins defenseman Ian Cole said.

Moving to Music City: The series now shifts to Nashville for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday. The Predators are 7-1 at home in this postseason.

“Maybe we just need some consistency,” Predators coach Peter Laviolette. “Will be happy to get home."

Rinne not sharp: Rinne has been the Predators’ top performer in the postseason, but he has not looked sharp in the Predators’ first two games of the Cup Final. He has given up eight goals in less than six full periods.

Guentzel for MVP? With an NHL-leading 12 goals in the playoffs, rookie Guentzel is making his case. He has five game-winners, and has been the offensive hero in each of the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final.

Guentzel’s five game-winners are a new NHL rookie record, passing Chris Drury(Colorado, 1999) and Claude Lemieux (Montreal, 1986). Guentzel also ties Mario Lemieux's team record for game-winners, set in 1992.

Malkin leads the NHL in postseason points with 26.

Could have been worse: Patric Hornqvist appeared to score the Penguins’ fourth goal of the third period, but it was nullified by an offside call on a coach’s challenge by Nashville’s Pater Laviolette. Cullen was the player who was in the zone ahead of the play as the puck was brought in by Chris Kunitz.

USA TODAY LOADED: 06.01.2017

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USA TODAY / Mike Sullivan's move to unflappable Matt Murray has elevated Penguins' game

Kevin Allen , USA TODAY Sports 1:28 a.m. ET June 1, 2017

PITTSBURGH — It wasn’t what Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said between periods that made the difference in Wednesday’s series-turning 4-1 win against the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

It was what Sullivan did 12 days before.

That’s when he announced that Matt Murray would once again be the team’s starting goalie. Since then, the Penguins are 5-1. Since then, they have looked more dangerous. Since then, they have moved within two wins of becoming the first team in 19 years to repeat as Stanley Cup championships.

Nothing was wrong with the way Marc-Andre Fleury was playing in net, but it seems clear that Sullivan believed the team would perform better with Murray reinserted as the team's No. 1 goalie. He was right.

It’s about Murray’s unflappable demeanor. This is the Stanley Cup Final, and Murray acts as if he’s stopping shots out on the pond.

“He’s so mature, so poised,” Pittsburgh defenseman Ian Cole said.

The reporting of Game 2 will center on Jake Guentzel spearheading a third-period goal explosion to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Penguins have now scored nine goals, including one empty-netter, in the first two games. It's Penguins' tradition to score goals in bunches. It's who they are. It has been since the days when Mario Lemieux was a player, not the owner.

But it was Murray’s 37 saves that set the stage for Guentzel’s heroics. The Penguins have given up 10 goals in six games since Murray regained the starting job.

Players always say they play the same, regardless of who is in the net. But that's untrue. Unquestionably, the Penguins believed in Fleury. He’s a popular guy. But they are different with Murray in net.

Are they more confident? Do they have a more pronounced swagger? You can call it whatever you want, but they seem to have more flair when Murray is covering their rear.

“He never gets rattled,” Cole said. “He’s mature beyond his years.”

Murray is only 23, and yet it seems as if he’s already unlocked the secret of goaltending.

“It doesn’t matter if we are up or down, my job doesn’t change,” he said. “My job is to stop the puck... That's my mindset."

He is now 20-7 as an NHL playoff goalie, and his numbers this postseason (1.54 goals-against average, .943 save percentage) are better than the statistics he had last season (2.08, .923) on Pittsburgh's championship team.


Murray’s strong play has been made more valuable by the reality that Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne hasn’t looked invincible as he did earlier in the postseason.

“Pekka has been terrific through this entire playoffs,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “There are things we can do better. All three goals in the third period, we could have done something better. We’re leaving them odd-man rushes … making it more difficult.”

All of that is true. But it’s also true that Rinne let goals leak through him in each of the first two games.

This series is far from over. The Predators have showed themselves to be resilient in this postseason. But with Murray playing as sharply as he is, Rinne needs to be dominant again, and Nashville’s defensive coverage needs to be tighter, or this series will be shorter than anyone expected.

USA TODAY LOADED: 06.01.2017

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