The Colorado Avalanche began and ended the 2024-25 NHL season on a low note. 

They came out of the gate 13-12-0 and ended their year losing to the Dallas Stars in a first-round Game 7 where they held a lead for much of the game. But in between those competitive valleys, the Avalanche remade their roster about as radically as any team this season.

Although the Avalanche got burned in Game 7 by the star they traded away, right winger Mikko Rantanen, Colorado’s president of hockey operations, Joe Sakic, spoke out about the trade on Tuesday and defended the move.

“You look at where we were the last few years, we weren’t good enough – we weren’t deep enough,” Sakic told media Tuesday. “This stings not because Mikko is on the other side, it stings because…we were close…We felt we had the team to move on and really compete.”

It’s difficult to argue with Sakic’s rationale for the Rantanen trade. The Avalanche could’ve been a top-heavy team, with three highly paid stars in Rantanen, center Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar. 

Instead, Colorado wound up with very good right winger Martin Necas, center Jack Drury and trade deadline acquisitions Brock Nelson, Ryan Lindgren and Charlie Coyle. Considering that the Avalanche went 21-10-2 after the Rantanen trade, you can see why Sakic and Avs GM Chris MacFarland chose to move Rantanen and make their roster deeper.

Heading into next season, the Avalanche have a projected $8.7 million in salary cap space. Now that Rantanen has signed an extension with Dallas at $12 million per season, that amount of Avs cap space would’ve been significantly less had he remained in Denver. That would’ve led to a top-heavy Colorado team that had to flesh out its roster with league-minimum players.

Rantanen, McDavid Or Nylander: Who Are The Early Conn Smythe Favorites?The Conn Smythe Trophy does not get awarded in the first or second round of the playoffs. But less than three weeks into the post-season, it's already clear that some players have emerged as early MVP favorites.

The Avalanche aren’t the only team forced into this kind of financial crossroads, and other teams have chosen to build their team differently. Certainly, the Toronto Maple Leafs have famously built around their ‘Core Four’ of star forwards Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander. And consequently, they’ve had no choice but to pay much of the rest of the roster a relative pittance to stay under the cap ceiling. 

The moves have led to the Maple Leafs getting into the second round of this year’s playoffs, but if Toronto gets eliminated by the Florida Panthers in the rest of the second round, there will be calls for Leafs management to abandon their current team structure and go the way the Avalanche have gone with their financial pyramid.

The Avalanche’s cap space this summer will permit them to potentially bring back Nelson or Lindgren and pay another mid-tier player or two to fill out their lineup. That means Sakic and MacFarland made the right move, and with a full season of a more balanced roster and the return of captain Gabriel Landeskog, the Avalanche may have a better record next year. That may lead to a longer playoff run for them next spring.

If that’s the way it plays out for them in 2025-26, it will be because Avs management had the stones to swing big in the trade department this year. The Rantanen deal didn’t work out perfectly, but in the long-term picture, moving away from a top-heavy lineup was the best thing for the Avalanche to do.

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The Vatican conclave to elect a new Pope has officially concluded, but there are other conclaves generating buzz around the National Hockey League.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of six teams in search of a new head coach, and with a wide pool of options to choose from, the NHL coaching conclaves should be interesting to follow. 

But as for the Penguins specifically, who should be annointed the new bench boss? Penguins' POHO and GM Kyle Dubas wants to put a focus on development, and with highly coveted David Carle out of the picture, there are still some good names out there who aren't exactly NHL re-treads, either.

Here are five Cardinals - erm, candidates - who should top the list during the Penguins' coaching conclaves.

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Todd Nelson

We've discussed Nelson as a possibility before, and without Carle in the running, he should be the name at or near the top of the candidacy.

Nelson is currently the head coach of the AHL's Hershey Bears, which is the affiliate of the Washington Capitals. He was hired prior to the 2022-23 season and immediately led the team to back-to-back Calder Cup championships - with, potentially, a third on the way, as the Bears won the Atlantic Division title and are currently battling Lehigh Valley in a five-game divisional semifinal series. 

At the AHL level, he has also coached the Chicago Wolves and Grand Rapids Griffins. He also has some experience at the NHL level with now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers, Dallas Stars, and Edmonton Oilers.

Oh, and Nelson was drafted by the Penguins in 1989, appearing in only one NHL game with the organization. But, hey, that's some prior experience nonetheless.

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Jay Woodcroft

Even if a "re-tread" isn't the most desirable option, experience is important.

And, honestly, Woodcroft is barely a re-tread, anyway. In February 2022, Woodcroft was promoted from the Bakersfield Condors to become the interim head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, and he led them to the Western Conference Finals. He then led the Oilers to a 50-23-9 finish the following season before getting shown the door - perhaps, prematurely - after a rough start to the 2023-24 season. 

He's been out of the picture since then - at least, aside from some international experience with Team Canada as an assistant coach at Worlds in 2024 - but his work with young players is well-respected, and he was also well-liked in the Edmonton locker room.

He was passed on for the Anaheim Ducks' coaching vacancy despite getting interviewed, so it's entirely possible that he is already in the mix for other teams as well.

Highly Coveted Coach Officially Out Of Running For Penguins' JobAfter the Pittsburgh Penguins parted ways with former head coach Mike Sullivan last week, Penguins' POHO and GM Kyle Dubas gave some hints as to the type of coach they might be looking for to replace him.

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Mitch Love

Another Capitals connection, Love, 40, has a great track record in developmental leagues and helped aid Washington to the best regular season finish in the Eastern Conference this season as their defensive coach.

He started coaching as an assistant in 2011 with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and was there until 2018, when he moved on to the Saskatoon Blades as a head coach. He led the Blades to the playoffs in his first season and put together a .665 win percentage in his three seasons there.

After that, he was brought on as head coach of the Stockton Heat, which was the Calgary Flames' AHL affiliate before they relocated and became the Calgary Wranglers. He led the team to the ninth-best finish in AHL history during his first season and won back-to-back coach of the year awards in 2023 and 2024.

Love has the winning track record - and the reputation in developmental leagues and with young players - to be a prime choice for the Penguins' search.

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Jessica Campbell

Campbell, who made history this season as the first woman to be behind the bench of an NHL team, is another candidate who has climbed the ranks of developmental leagues.

After a successful playing career on the collegiate, professional, and international stages, she ran JC Powerskating and worked with NHL player and Olympic clientele. She then moved on to become an assistant coach for the Nurnberg Ice Tigers of Germany's premier ice hockey league, Deutsche Eishockey Liga, and she was also an assistant for the German men's national team.

Campbell was then brought on as an assistant coach for the Coachella Valley Firebirds - AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken - in 2022 before being promoted to an NHL assistant for the Kraken prior to the 2024-25 season.

Campbell's specialization in development, work with young players, and diverse resume should give her some consideration for the Penguins' head coaching position, should she choose to pursue the opportunity despite getting retained as an assistant in Seattle.

Kraken Retaining Jessica Campbell Shows Faith In Early Positive SignsThe Seattle Kraken parted ways with Dan Bylsma after just one season as the head coach, and while many thought Jessica Campbell may have followed, the organization is rewarding her with another season after some early positive returns.

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Mike Hastings

Another name we've already thrown out there, Hastings has all the makings of the kind of developmental track record Dubas and the rest of his staff should be looking for.

No, he doesn't have any NHL coaching experience - unlike everyone else on this list - but that's not necessarily a bad thing. 

Hastings began his coaching and management career in the USHL program, which he helped bolster as a whole significantly during his 14-year tenure as a head coach and general manager there - winning USHL Coach of the Year twice for the Omaha City Lancers and General Manager of the Year five times.

He then went on to coach in the NCAA, helming the Minnesota State Mavericks for more than a decade and leading them to the Frozen Four in 2021. He was also named an assistant coach for the 2022 U.S. Men's Olympic team before the NHL backed out of the games. 

Now - having been with the Wisconsin Badgers for the last two seasons - Hastings has earned a stay at the NHL level, and his "self made-ness" should interest Dubas and the Penguins in their search for the organization's next Po - erm, coach - to oversee the team through their rebuild onward to contention.

8 Possible Replacements For Mike Sullivan As Penguins Head CoachWith the shocking news that the Pittsburgh Penguins and longtime coach Mike Sullivan have mutually agreed to part ways, it comes as no surprise that one of the first talking points is who will be the one replace him.

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Matvei Michkov did all he could to become the first player in the Philadelphia Flyers’ history to win the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s rookie of the year.

The 20-year-old right winger had more goals (26) than any rookie in the NHL, and he also topped the Flyers in that category.

In addition, he led rookies in even-strength points, and he played with Bobby Clarke-like passion and drive.

Yet, he was not one of the three Calder finalists in voting by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Instead, the writers made Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson (rookie-leading 66 points), San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (63 points) and Calgary goalie Dustin Wolf (2.64 goals-against average, .910 save percentage) the top three rookies.

Wolf, 24, played 17 games the previous season but was still considered a rookie this year based on NHL qualifications.

Michkov, who started this season at 19, came in cold. He spent 48 games in the KHL in 2023-24. The Hockey News contacted three members of the Flyers’ front office. None returned calls or texts about Michkov being overlooked.

Back In The Day

Bill Barber knows all about being snubbed in the rookie of the year voting.

In 1972-73, the left winger finished second to the New York Rangers’ Steve Vickers. Barber lost despite having better stats than Vickers.

All these years later, Barber said it “never felt disappointing” because he was focused on team goals. But he added a kicker.

“If anything, it gave me more incentive to do better,” he said.

Like Barber, Michkov has downplayed the Calder Trophy. Earlier this year, he said he was aware of the Calder race, but his concentration was on winning games.

Overcame Obstacles

The Calder finalists have strong qualities, but it’s difficult to understand how all three were placed ahead of Michkov.

Fact is, Michkov, a Russian, had more obstacles to overcome than the other three — he had to adjust to the bigger NHL rinks while learning a new language. And he played for an ultra-demanding coach (John Tortorella) for most of the season. Tortorella limited Michkov’s ice time and even benched him for two games.

When Tortorella was fired and Brad Shaw was named the interim coach late in the season, he took off the leash. Michkov got lots more playing time (19:36 per game compared to 16:41 under Tortorella). In nine games under Shaw, Michkov had 12 points (six goals, six assists).

Michkov, who was tied for second among rookies with 63 points, answered most of the questions about his ability this season, though his defense was sometimes a challenge. He finished at minus-18. Celebrini finished at minus-31.

How 'Proficient' Are NHL Calder Finalists Hutson, Celebrini And Wolf?The NHL’s Calder Trophy race this season led to a rare scenario.

From here, Michkov deserved to be a finalist. He and Hutson were the two best rookies. It would not have been a disgrace to finish second to Hutson, who tied an NHL record for a rookie defenseman with 60 assists. Hutson helped Montreal reach the playoffs, and he deserves the Calder.

Meanwhile, Michkov can take solace in the fact that legends like Barber and Eric Lindros had great rookie seasons for Philadelphia but didn’t win the Calder, either. Those players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

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The Ottawa Senators held their seasonal exit meetings last Saturday, the final assignment for a fine young NHL club that took a huge step forward this season, forcing their way into the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

After seven months of battling, they said their goodbyes, not knowing for sure if they'll ever play together again. Most of them will. Some will not. It's always the way.

For GM State Staios, some major choices lie ahead, and for every roster addition he considers, there's at least one other move required to accommodate it.

So let's begin with the Senators taking care of their own to see how much money they have to go shopping with.

Staios has several NHL players on expiring contracts. They include unrestricted free agents Claude Giroux, Nick Cousins, Adam Gaudette, Matthew Highmore, Travis Hamonic, Dennis Gilbert, and Anton Forsberg.

With Nik Matinpalo now taken care of, the list of NHL-calibre restricted free agents includes defenceman Tyler Kleven, winger Fabian Zetterlund, and goalie Leevi Merilainen.

At the moment, according to Puckpedia, the Senators have $17.57 million in cap space to work with for next season. Conservatively, it’s fair to expect the three RFAs to absorb around $5 million of that, bringing their spending room down to $12.5 million.

In all likelihood, the Senators won’t re-sign Hamonic, Gilbert, or Forsberg. With the emergence of Kleven and Matinpalo, Hamonic and Gilbert watched from the press box in the playoffs. Acquired in the Josh Norris trade from the Buffalo Sabres, Gilbert played just four regular-season games with the Senators.

Forsberg is a solid backup and a great teammate, but with a younger and less expensive option in Leevi Merilainen ready and waiting in the wings, the Sens will likely welcome the cap savings. Mads Sogaard is also in play, armed with a one-way deal for this fall.

But we're banking on Merilainen, so our summer spending money is still at roughly $12.5 million, which brings us to Giroux, Cousins, Gaudette, and Highmore. The Giroux of ten years ago might have take all that remaining cap space.

But you don’t have to dig deeply into Giroux’s stats to see that his decline has begun. Age eventually gets everyone. He missed only one game total in his last three seasons in Ottawa, and his point totals have declined every year:

2022–23: 79

2023–24: 64

2024–25: 50

It should be noted that Giroux got 48 fewer power-play minutes this season than he did the previous one.

But he remains a valuable asset, loaded with intangibles and leadership. Giroux said on Saturday that he hasn’t spoken with the team about a contract yet, but it’s clear to everyone that he wants to stay. The Sens want him to stay. The fans want him to stay. It’s impossible to believe the two sides won’t work something out on a one- or two-year deal.

Expect Giroux to pull roughly another $3.5 million out, leaving the Sens with $9 million in their allowance. If Giroux's ask is much more than that, and we doubt it will be, then that conversation might change.

Gaudette, Cousins, and Highmore were useful players who saw plenty of action this season. None of them cost more than a million dollars, so it wouldn’t take much to lure them away. By the same token, the Sens aren’t so smitten with them that they’d overpay to keep them.

In glass-half-full scenarios, since Gaudette and Highmore have finally found their way back to regular and semi-regular NHL status, they may not want to mess with a good thing. Cousins, who’s on his sixth team in as many years, may be hoping to put some roots down—with a two-year-old in tow and a baby boy on the way this month.

As long as they’re not asking for meaningful raises, it’s easy to see at least a couple of those guys coming back. But even if they all leave, their replacements will probably come in, also hovering near the NHL’s version of minimum wage, or roughly $2.5 million total.

Thanks to the league's $7.5 million hike in the cap, the Sens still have money to play with at $6.5 million. While it’s easy for us to say, we’ll assume that Michael Andlauer is willing to continue spending to the max, now $95.5 million in 2025–26.

Right now, if it goes as outlined above, the roster looks like this:

Tkachuk-Stutzle-Giroux*
Perron-Cozens-Batherson
Greig-Pinto-Amadio
Cousins*-Gaudette*-Zetterlund*
Highmore*

Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Matinpalo

Ullmark
Merilainen*

* No contract yet for 2025-26

That’s not a great deal of change from this year’s entry. Granted, the team should be naturally better through playoff experience and being another year older, although the theory that getting older is good doesn't apply to the five veterans who are well north of 30. 

But the Senators can’t just rely on internal maturing because it probably won’t be enough. There also isn’t a single prospect in the system that’s a slam dunk to make the team this fall, let alone be an impactful NHL player.

To be considered a Cup contender, they’ll probably need two more top-nine forwards and another defenceman who can play with a hard edge at playoff time.

It will be hard to find even one of those assets with $6.5 million in cap space, so someone has to go. Fans should expect a body or two (and their contracts) to head out the door, and that's beyond the obvious UFAs who won’t be retained.

It's not dramatically different than last year when, for various reasons, Sens fans bid farewell to useful players like Jakob Chychrun, Mathieu Joseph, and Mark Kastelic. 

But there’s really no other option. Whether you look at things financially or athletically, “Steady Steve” still has some rebalancing to do this summer, and to make it happen, we're betting that his list of untouchables isn't very long.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News 

The Vegas Golden Knights are attempting to level the series at one win apiece tonight against the Edmonton Oilers, but will once again do so without Pavel Dorofeyev and possibly Alex Pietrangelo.

The first game of the series saw the Golden Knights jump out to a quick 2-0 lead before allowing four unanswered goals to lose Game 1. Tonight, the Golden Knights must be aware that no lead is safe from Connor McDavid and the Oilers.

"There's always some good in there, but we got to get better," said HC Bruce Cassidy of tonight's game.

Cassidy has elected to make several changes to his lineup, reverting to the lines the Golden Knights used frequently throughout the regular season. If Pietrangelo cannot play, Kaedan Korczak will remain in the lineup, skating alongside Nicolas Hague as he did in Game 1. Victor Olofsson will slide in beside Brandon Saad and Tomas Hertl, hoping to fill the vacant role of Dorofeyev.

The Oilers will stick with the lines that have brought them success recently, as they are currently on a five-game win streak.

"This is our home ice, and look to get it all even, squared up. Another big opportunity to go out and play a full 60, play well, and play well in front of our fans," said Zach Whitecloud.

"We want to take it one shift at a time tonight, big game for us. We want to go back to how we want to play," Nicolas Roy said. 

A fast start is needed, but more importantly, a full 60 minutes needs to be played. If the Golden Knights find themselves ahead, taking their foot off the gas and playing passively will not serve them well against the Oilers, a hard lesson they've already learned. 

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A former Florida Panthers head coach is back in the NHL.

Joel Quenneville was hired by the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, the team announced.

The Stanley Cup winning bench boss now joins his fifth NHL franchise as a head coach.

"This is the organization I wanted to restart my career with and am truly grateful for this opportunity," Quenneville said in a statement released by the team. "The Ducks have incredible ownership, management and passionate fans. In nearly four years away from the game, I have learned from my prior mistakes and realized it will be actions over words that demonstrate my commitment to being a better leader."

Quenneville coached Florida from 2019 until seven games into the 2021-22, when he resigned from the Panthers following the fallout of the investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks treatment of Kyle Beach.

An independent report that was completed in October of 2021 outlined the failures by the Blackhawks organization in addressing allegations made by Beach regarding sexual assault at the hands of Chicago's then-video coach, Brad Aldrich.

The allegations were made as Chicago was embarking on their Stanley Cup run in 2010.

Eventually, the NHL ruled that three members of the Blackhawks, former GM Stan Bowman, former executive Al MacIsaac, and Quenneville, were essentially banned from working for any teams in the league.

The Blackhawks organization was also fined $2 million.

Less than three years later, in July of 2024, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman lifted the ban, with the league saying in a statement:

“While it is clear that, at the time, their responses were unacceptable, each of these three individuals has acknowledged that and used his time away from the game to engage in activities which, not only demonstrate sincere remorse for what happened, but also evidence greater awareness of the responsibilities that all NHL personnel have, particularly personnel who are in positions of leadership. Moreover, each has made significant strides in personal improvement by participating in myriad programs, many of which focused on the imperative of responding in effective and meaningful ways to address alleged acts of abuse."

That same month, Bowman was hired to be the next general manager of the Edmonton Oilers.

Quenneville had been overseeing the start of the Panthers ultimate turnaround, as he and Florida General Manager Bill Zito had begun reshaping the team with veteran additions like Patric Hornqvist and Radko Gudas to surround their core of Sasha Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Jonathan Huberdeau and Sergei Bobrovsky.

Following Quenneville's resignation, Florida briefly handed the keys to one of Quenneville's assistants, Andrew Brunette, and the Panthers went on to win the Presidents' Trophy that season.

That offseason, however, Zito and his staff decided to take their gritty, skilled team and shift ideologies, hiring a defensive-minded head coach who had been in the league for three decades in Paul Maurice.

It's worked out nicely for the Panthers, who have reached the second round of the playoffs in four straight seasons and won the Stanley Cup in their second of back-to-back trips to the final in each of the past two postseasons.

We'll see how things work out for Quenneville, now 66 years old, with his new team out west.

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During the golden era of Chicago Blackhawks hockey from 2009 to 2017, they were one of the best teams in the NHL. They had a handful of trips to the Western Conference Finals and won the Stanley Cup three times. 

Head coach Joel Quenneville led the way on the ice during those runs. He was a master at getting the most out of a group committed to team defense. 

After being let go during the 2018-19 season, Quenneville took a job as the bench boss of the Florida Panthers ahead of the following season. His time in Sunrise came to an unexpected end due to off-ice reasons. 

Quenneville resigned due to his role in the Bradley Aldrich sexual assault scandal against former player Kyle Beach. The NHL cleared Quenneville to return to the NHL in July of 2024. 

Former Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman was cleared to return to the NHL at the same time as Quenneville but it didn’t take him as long to find work. He became the GM of the Edmonton Oilers quickly thereafter. 

The Anaheim Ducks conducted a massive search of Quenneville during the hiring process. They found that he was doing the proper things to work in hockey again. 

Ducks GM Pat Verbeek feels that his findings from the background check on Joel Quenneville suggest that he has learned from his mistakes and is ready for a second chance. 

TSN’s Darren Dreger and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported on his background check and the Ducks speaking to Kyle Beach before making this decision, ahead of the Ducks making it official. 

Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) on XAnnouncement coming shortly. Sources say the Ducks did an extensive background check specific to the Kyle Beach case, including the work Quenneville has done to reform from mistakes made during that time. He was the first candidate Anaheim spoke with after firing Cronin.Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) on XThe Ducks are hiring Joel Quenneville as head coach, as @DarrenDreger first reported. David Carle had a two day interview before extending with DU. Jay Woodcroft & Rick Tocchet were other final candidates. Anaheim did an extensive search into Quenneville’s role in Blackhawks

Kaplan also mentioned that other head coaching candidates, including Jay Woodcroft and David Carle, were in consideration. After weeks of rumors, their decision to go with Quenneville became official on Thursday. 

On the ice, Quenneville’s teams have had great success, which is what makes him appealing to the Ducks. After making a large (21-point) improvement in 2024-25, they feel that this is a necessary step toward becoming a playoff team once again. 

He enters this job as the NHL’s second-place leader in all-time wins. He only trails Scotty Bowman for the top spot, whom he will attempt to eclipse in the coming years with this young Ducks team looking to advance their development. 

Can he get the most out of young stars like Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish, and Trevor Zegras, as he did with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith? Only time will tell. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

EDMONTON – Well, what have we here?

Nearly 10 months after the Edmonton Oilers hired Stan Bowman to be their GM, another individual who did not respond adequately to sexual assault allegations will be given an NHL job.

Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more. 

Several reports indicate that the Anaheim Ducks will name Joel Quenneville as the successor to Greg Cronin in the head coach position. 

This move raises a significant volume of eyebrows – but it shouldn’t surprise anyone. The writing was on the wall once the Oilers offered the GM job to Bowman.

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The NHL is a league predominately ruled by executives who want a return on their investment. This leads to “safe” business choices. 

In the eyes of an executive, hiring a head coach with a Stanley Cup-winning pedigree is a safe business decision. Does it make it right? On the surface, it doesn’t.

Does that stop them from making the decision? No.

That is part of the issue involving the hockey world. Innovation is often interpreted as risky, something penny-pinching executives typically avoid. However, innovation is how the game can expand, reaching new audiences and allowing new voices to be heard in hockey's inner circles.

See how the day unfolds, but indications are Joel Quenneville is going to be the next head coach in Anaheim. Suggestion of an announcement today.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) May 8, 2025

If an organization is going to hire someone who failed to respond to serious allegations, it’s imperative to ask that individual what they have done to avoid similar future scenarios. How will they avoid putting other players into challenging scenarios due to their inaction? 

When Bowman was hired by the Oilers, he referenced his work with Sheldon Kennedy and the organizations with which he is involved. Kennedy was present at the press conference when Bowman’s hiring was announced, showing his support for the new GM.

While it's unfortunate to see an organization recycle the same people for the same positions instead of injecting new thought into the NHL, hopefully Quennville has done the work and has a higher regard for the safety of players in vulnerable situations.

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Joel Quenneville is returning to the NHL as the 12th coach of the Anaheim Ducks.

Quenneville is an NHL coach for the first time in more than three years as he replaces Greg Cronin, who was fired by the Ducks on April 19.

Before the hire became official, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the Ducks conducted an extensive background check on Quenneville, including his work to reform from mistakes he made in the handling of a player’s sexual assault allegations toward a video coach. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan added the team spoke with the player, Kyle Beach, too.

Quenneville resigned as coach of the Florida Panthers on Oct. 29, 2021, in the wake of a sexual assault investigation from an incident with the Chicago Blackhawks.

It was determined that Quenneville, along with GM Stan Bowman and VP of hockey operations Al MacIsaac, had an inadequate response to allegations that the team's video coach, Brad Aldrich, sexually assaulted left winger Kyle Beach during the team's 2010 Stanley Cup run.

As of July 10, 2024, all three of them were reinstated and were allowed to pursue NHL positions again.

“Over the last two weeks, we conducted interviews with many outstanding coaching candidates, while simultaneously conducting a comprehensive review of what took place while Joel was head coach of the Blackhawks in 2010,” Ducks GM Pat Verbeek said in a news release Thursday. “We spoke with dozens of individuals, including advocates for positive change in hockey and leadership of the NHL, which last July officially cleared Joel to seek employment in the league.”

In July 2021, Quenneville initially said in a statement he was not aware of the allegations at the time. The report released by law firm Jenner & Block in October 2021 reported that Quenneville did learn of the allegations during the 2010 playoff run but said they could not deal with the allegations at the moment.

“Our findings are consistent with Joel’s account that he was not fully aware of the severity of what transpired in 2010,” Verbeek said. “It is clear that Joel deeply regrets not following up with more questions at the time, has demonstrated meaningful personal growth and accountability and has earned the opportunity to return to coaching."

The Ducks made big steps this season, finishing with a 35-37-10 record for 80 points. That’s a 21-point improvement from the 2023-24 campaign, when they had a 27-50-5 record for 59 points to finish seventh in the Pacific Division.

Anaheim is the fifth-youngest team in the NHL with an average age of 26.65, according to eliteprospects.com. Verbeek said hiring Quenneville could be the next step in helping the team grow into a playoff contender.

“Joel is a proven winner and one of the top coaches in NHL history,” Verbeek said. “We believe this is a major step forward in our process of being a perennial playoff contender.”

Dreger reported that Quenneville was the first candidate that Anaheim pursued. Kaplan added that Jay Woodcroft and Rick Tocchet were among the final candidates to be the Ducks’ coach.

Kaplan also mentioned David Carle had a two-day interview before he committed to the University of Denver, signing a multi-year extension with the NCAA program.

Quenneville has been a coach in the NHL for more than two decades, dating back to his first bench boss role in the 1997-98 season with the St. Louis Blues. He went on to coach the Colorado Avalanche, the Blackhawks and the Panthers.

With Chicago, he won three Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013, and 2015. He won the Jack Adams Award in the 1999-2000 season with St. Louis, as well as in 2012-13 with Chicago and 2020-21 with Florida.

The 66-year-old is the second-winningest coach in NHL history, with a 969-572-150 record, along with 77 ties. He is 276 wins from overtaking Scotty Bowman, who has 1,244 victories in the NHL.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice is just below Quenneville with 916 wins in 1,930 regular-season games behind the bench.

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The Hockey News Big Show is here to look around the NHL playoffs and beyond, with help from a special guest.

Second-Round Storylines In The NHL Playoffs, Ft. Drew Shore by The Big Showundefined

Here’s what Michael Traikos, Ryan Kennedy and ex-NHL player Drew Shore discussed in this episode:

0:55: Does Sunrise, Fla., get enough credit for how good of a city and Florida Panthers home crowd it is to play?  

1:31: How important are line matchups between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Panthers going to be now that the series is headed to Florida, where Paul Maurice will have the last change? 

3:06: Which line should Florida match up against Auston Matthews or William Nylander's line, as the top line?

6:05: Will the Florida Panthers try to slow play down and win with low-scoring games?

7:06 The Mikko Rantanen Show was on full display again. Have we ever seen one player take over like this before?

9:42: How will the Winnipeg Jets stop Rantanen?  

10:26: Is Jim Nill the best GM in the Modern Era? 

14:28: The Carolina Hurricanes is up 1-0 against the Washington Capitals, but can you see this series going to six or seven games? 

16:14: What is it like being coached by Rod Brind'Amour?

17:30: Is there something about Carolina's style of hockey that doesn’t translate into the playoffs? 

18:36: Sebastian Aho has the type of slight build that shouldn't work in the playoffs. What makes him so effective as a competitor?

20:46: Will goaltending be Edmonton's Achilles heel, or is it good enough? 

24:15: Alex Pietrangelo and Pavel Dorofeyev of Vegas were absent from practice. How big would these losses be?

27:56: World Championship: which players have the most to gain/lose?

32:27: Why has James Hagens dropped so far in the rankings heading into the NHL draft?

34:47: Joel Quenneville is reportedly joining the Anaheim Ducks. Is he the right coach for this team?

36:55: Kraken/Golden Knights/Mammoth: which recent new team has the best name?

37:35: Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel: Regular seasons aside, who has been the better playoff performer?

39:12: Home teams aren’t performing very well in the second round of the playoffs, so is home-ice advantage real? 

40:25: Who is your early Conn Smythe pick? Anyone else besides Rantanen?

41:02: Would the Avalanche have been better off with Rantanen or depth?

42:30: What's your current pump-up song? 

  Watch the full episode here.

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Laperriere offers Flyers solid internal candidate for head coaching job originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

As the Flyers search for a new head coach, we’re looking at potential candidates to fill the vacancy.

“Communication and teaching are probably two things that will be at the forefront of our next coach,” general manager Danny Briere said April 19 at his end-of-the-season press conference. “When you have a young team in place, I really think those two attributes are extremely important.”

We’ve profiled Mike Sullivan (hired by the Rangers), Rick Tocchet, Pat Ferschweiler, Brad Shaw and Jay Woodcroft. Next up in our series is Ian Laperriere, the head coach of the Flyers’ AHL affiliate Phantoms.

Why Laperriere would be a fit

There’s plenty of familiarity with the roster and organization.

Laperriere has coached Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim from his time as an assistant with the big club. As Lehigh Valley’s head coach, he has worked with a ton of the younger players and prospects.

He played alongside Briere on the 2009-10 Flyers team that went to the Stanley Cup Final. Going back to his playing days, Laperriere has spent over 15 years with the Flyers, so he knows well about the expectations of the organization and its fans.

The 51-year-old is enjoying his best season as a head coach. The Phantoms have won four playoff games, their most under Laperriere, and they have the back-to-back Calder Cup champions on the brink of elimination in the Atlantic Division semifinals. Lehigh Valley holds a 2-1 lead in its best-of-five series against Hershey heading into Friday night’s Game 4 at PPL Center.

The Phantoms have been to the playoffs in three of Laperriere’s four seasons. Having a job in which players are suddenly taken from or added to his roster, Laperriere has shown a promising ability to roll with the punches. He also has a good blend of relating to his players but also demanding a lot from them.

Why Laperriere would not be a fit

Finding the new head coach of their rebuild is a huge decision for Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones. It’s possible they’d want a candidate with more experience at the NHL level, a deeper résumé of turning teams into contenders.

Laperriere has not been an NHL head coach. He was at times the subject of criticism when he oversaw the Flyers’ penalty kill as an assistant coach. In 2019-20, he moved into a pre-scout role.

It’s also possible the Flyers might want an outside voice. A fresh perspective can often be what’s best for a team. Laperriere, to no fault of his own, can only do so much there. He has been in the organization and has tried to operate in cohesion with the big club.

If the Flyers talk to Laperriere about the job, he has earned that consideration. If they ultimately want to see him continue his work with Lehigh Valley, that would make sense, too.

Most people argue that recycling is a positive thing.

Those people typically talk about pop cans and cardboard boxes, not old-school NHL head coaches.

Several reports on Thursday morning indicate that former Colorado Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville will be announced as the new head coach of the Anaheim Ducks.

Bookmark The Hockey News Colorado Avalanche team site so you never miss the latest news, game day coverage, and information on the Avalanche players.

Last week, a report was released detailing how Quenneville had been interviewed for the vacant Ducks’ position, and the “ball was in his court.”

Fast-forward to Thursday, and he has accepted this position. According to Pierre LeBrun, this announcement will be made at 1:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Thursday.

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This report reveals that the Ducks have done “an extensive review over the past two weeks of the Kyle Beach case.” They will report their findings at the announcement later on Thursday.

Quennville hasn’t coached in the NHL since the 2019-20 season. He resigned after a law firm revealed that the Chicago Blackhawks organization did not “properly address the allegations” back in 2010. 

See how the day unfolds, but indications are Joel Quenneville is going to be the next head coach in Anaheim. Suggestion of an announcement today.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) May 8, 2025

Back on July 1st, the NHL reinstated Al MacIsaac, Stan Bowman, and Quennville. Bowman was named the GM of the Edmonton Oilers shortly after that.

Quennville is a winning coach—there is no mistaking that. Hopefully, he has done the work to adequately address serious future allegations. Winning is great, but not at the expense of players’ safety.

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Edmonton Oilers aim for commanding 2-0 series lead over Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday

The Golden Knights were stunned in their first game versus the Oilers as Leon Draisaitl and company came back from a two-goal deficit with four unanswered goals for a shocking 4-2 victory. 

Vegas will look to come back and even up the series while Edmonton looks to take a commanding 2-0 series lead before heading back home.

For bettors, this matchup provides a chance to capitalize on some of our recent strong trends, like our 31-21 record on our last 51 picks, including perfect records during Game 1 and 4 of the Maple Leafs-Senators series. 

All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.

More NHL: Edmonton Oilers vs Vegas Golden Knights Betting Guide: Best Bets, Strategies and Future Options

Edmonton Oilers vs Vegas Golden Knights Best Bets:

• Golden Knights ML (-134)
• Golden Knights Over 3.5 goals (+104)
• Golden Knights Score First (-125)
• Tomas Hertl Over 0.5 points (-156)
• Ivan Barbashev Over 0.5 points (+142)

It would be very surprising to see the Golden Knights drop both of their home games to start the series as they've done this just once in their last 19 home playoff games.

We can expect a much harder effort in this spot and there's a pair of forwards that should snap point droughts in Tomas Hertl and Ivan Barbashev, who both have gone three games without finding the scoresheet. 

Barbashev dominated during the Golden Knights series versus Edmonton in 2023 with three goals and three assists for six points through as many games.

More NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers Betting Guide: Best Bets, Strategies and Future Options

The 29-year-old Russian winger is listed on Vegas' top line and will most definitely continue seeing chances while playing with a superstar centre in Jack Eichel and the Golden Knights top playoff performer in recent years with captain Mark Stone. 

Hertl hasn't found the same success in this matchup with one point over his last six games versus Edmonton but that could mean he is due for a big game. 

The former San Jose Shark has been red hot to end the season and into the first round with four goals and three assists for seven points over a five-game stretch before his recent cold streak. He also plays meaningful minutes as he's slated on the team's second line and mans the top power play unit. 

The two should give the Golden Knights a massive push on offence while the Oilers continue to have defensive woes with three or more goals allowed in five of their seven playoff games so far.

More NHL: Utah Hockey Club Announces New Team Name

Most of the focus for Minnesota Wild followers will be on the club's efforts to re-sign left winger Kirill Kaprizov. 

The 28-year-old superstar is eligible for UFA status next summer, and the earliest the Wild can sign him to a contract extension is July 1. 

While Wild management works on retaining their franchise player, they must also decide the fate of Marco Rossi. 

The 23-year-old center is completing his entry-level contract and finished this season sitting second among Wild scorers with 60 points in 82 games. That's a 20-point improvement over his performance last season over the same number of games. 

However, the Athletic's Michael Russo and Joe Smith pointed out Rossi was buried on the Wild's fourth line following a difficult period down the stretch and into the opening game of their first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Rossi was the subject of trade rumors earlier this season until GM Bill Guerin dismissed that speculation in December. He lacks arbitration rights, prompting Russo and Smith to suggest he could receive an offer sheet from a rival club this summer.

Meanwhile, in Montreal, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes came to the defense of Patrik Laine during the club's end-of-season press conference on Monday. 

Laine, 27, drew criticism from some local pundits for his defensive play and declining production down the stretch, prompting speculation the Canadiens could trade the left winger or buy out the final season of his contract. 

Hughes was having none of it. Speaking in French, he told reporters the Canadiens wouldn't have reached the playoffs this season without Laine. 

In Ottawa, a Postmedia report claimed Drake Batherson's name surfaced in the rumor mill before the March trade deadline. The Senators opted instead to trade Josh Norris, shipping him to the Buffalo Sabres for Dylan Cozens. 

The report said several teams wonder if Senators GM Steve Staios would be open to offers for Batherson this summer. His affordability is one reason, as the 27-year-old right winger has two years left on his contract with an average annual value of $4.975 million. 

It would take a significant offer to pry Batherson away from the low-scoring Senators. He's exceeded the 60-point plateau in three straight seasons, including a career-high 68 points in 2024-25.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have won just two playoff rounds in 21 years; needless to say, Auston Matthews and co. have never made it past the second round. On Wednesday night, the Leafs had the opportunity to go up 2-0 against the Florida Panthers, and it was a chance they wouldn’t let slip away.

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Thanks to a 4-3 win over the Cats, Toronto now has a serious option in the series, but to get there, they needed big input from two former Montreal Canadiens: Max Pacioretty and Max Domi.

Former Habs captain Pacioretty put the Leafs on the board on the power play after falling behind 1-0 on an Alexander Barkov goal midway through the first frame. The man advantage marker was scored with less than two minutes left in the period and came with assists from Morgan Rielly and Domi.

The Panthers regained the lead 15 seconds into the second frame, but Pacioretty notched the primary assist on William Nylander's game-tying goal a little over four minutes later. Domi then gave Toronto a one-goal lead less than three minutes before the end of the period.

Tie Domi - 98 career Playoff games, 7 goals, 19 points (238 PIM)

Max Domi - 58 career Playoff games, 9 goals, 30 points (76 PIM)#LeafsForeverpic.twitter.com/QctLiDodMp

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 8, 2025

The Leafs again allowed the Panthers to come back when Anton Lundell scored five minutes into the final frame, but Mitch Marner called the game with a big goal just 17 seconds later.

Pacioretty and Domi were named the first two stars of the game with a pair of points each, while Marner grabbed the third. Domi’s stay in Montreal was short-lived. After being acquired from the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes in return for Alex Galchenyuk, the second-generation NHLer had a great first season in town, picking up 70 points. His second year with the Habs didn’t go as planned, however, and his production dipped to 44 points in 71 games.

By the time the “bubble playoffs” turned up, he had lost coach Claude Julien’s confidence and found himself skating on the fourth line, a sign of things to come. In return for Josh Anderson, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the next off-season.

Since then, Tie Domi’s son has played for five teams but seems to have found a home in Toronto. This is his second season with the Leafs, and he is delivering for them in the playoffs, just like he did last year when they were dispatched in seven games by the Boston Bruins. His performance led the Toronto front office to sign him to a four-year deal with a $3,375,000 cap hit.

It's a shame it didn’t work out for Domi in Montreal since he can play with a bit of sandpaper when needed, but ultimately, so can Anderson, who has been a more than suitable replacement.

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