Fox enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign, finishing second among all blue-liners with 47 points in 55 games. With Fox on the ice at five-on-five, the Rangers scored 57.5% of the goals and 54.3% of the expected goals. Without him, they posted a 49.3% goals share and 44.8% expected goals share.
Hedman is a Norris finalist for a fifth consecutive season, the longest streak since fellow Swede Nicklas Lidstrom's six-year run from 1998-2003. Hedman won the award in 2017-18 and finished third in voting the other three years. The 30-year-old's most recent campaign was arguably his worst during that stretch, as he reportedly played through much of the second half with a shoulder injury that requires offseason surgery. However, he still racked up 45 points - tied for third among defensemen - in 54 contests.
Makar is a finalist despite missing 12 games due to injury. His 44 points were tied for fifth among defensemen and the best on a per game basis. He finished second among qualified blue-liners with a 61.8% expected goals share.
With the NHL offseason underway for more than half of teams, the league's coaching carousel is now in full swing. There are currently four clubs without a head coach and two others with decisions to make about their interim bench bosses.
The coaching free-agent class is full of intriguing names. Veteran NHL head coaches Mike Babcock, John Tortorella, Claude Julien, Bruce Boudreau, Gerard Gallant, Rick Tocchet, David Quinn, and more are all up for grabs.
Several other people could also become first-time NHL head coaches: New York Islanders assistant Lane Lambert, Providence College's Nate Leaman, University of Minnesota Duluth's Scott Sandelin, and the Zurich Lions' Rikard Gronborg are all names to keep in mind.
Below, we predict who each club will hire as its head coach this offseason.
Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes and Tocchet agreed to part ways after he guided the team for four seasons. Arizona has undergone ownership and front office changes since hiring Tocchet, so a fresh start seemed inevitable.
Owner Alex Meruelo has a reported history of thriftiness - to put it lightly - so don't expect the Coyotes to land a big-name head coach. It's also an undesirable job due to the mediocre roster and underwhelming prospect pipeline, so it's hard to imagine the club would've been able to lure a big fish anyway. Even highly regarded candidates looking to become first-time head coaches might be scared off.
However, Jay Varady is a logical candidate. Varady enjoyed two successful seasons as the head coach of Arizona's AHL affiliate, the Tuscon Roadrunners, before the team promoted him to an assistant coach this past season.
If the Yotes go external, don't be surprised if they pluck someone from the St. Louis Blues organization. Bill Armstrong worked in St. Louis for 16 seasons before Arizona hired him as its GM in 2020. Blues assistants Steve Ott and Mike van Ryn are prime candidates. Van Ryn has ties to the desert, too - albeit under the old regime - as he was the Roadrunners' head coach for their most successful season in 2017-18.
Prediction: Mike van Ryn
Buffalo Sabres
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Don Granato took over head coaching duties on an interim basis midway through the 2020-21 campaign after the Sabres relieved Ralph Krueger of his duties, and he did a respectable job. Granato's 9-16-3 record is nothing to write home about, but the club did hire him in the midst of an 18-game losing streak. The temporary bench boss went 9-11-2 once that ended - and that was primarily without Jack Eichel, Taylor Hall, Brandon Montour, Eric Staal, and starting goaltender Linus Ullmark.
If Buffalo opts to keep Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen, and the rest of the gang together to try and right the ship, then bringing in a veteran head coach with a proven track record would make sense.
However, if the team decides to tear it down - which seems more likely - promoting Granato to full-time head coach is logical. Some of the Sabres' key building blocks, such as Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt, seemed to thrive under Granato. The development of those young players will be crucial in the rebuild, which justifies keeping Granato around.
Prediction: Don Granato
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets enter the offseason in a precarious position. The club's about to undergo some sort of rebuild, retool, or reset - choose your buzzword - after a miserable season, which followed the most successful run in franchise history.
Tortorella is out, and Columbus needs to bring in a coach that can get the most out of Patrik Laine, who struggled mightily after arriving in Ohio. Considering the Jackets are in a small market, don't expect the team to empty its pockets for a big-name head coach - especially after all of the 2020-21 campaign's lost revenue.
Still, Boudreau could be a fit - he has a strong track record of regular-season success and getting the most out of skilled players.
However, with John Davidson back in the fold as team president after a two-year stint with the Rangers, Quinn is an obvious fit after the duo worked together in New York.
Lastly, if one NHL franchise were to go outside the box and hire the third European head coach in league history, it would probably be the one with Jarmo Kekalainen - the first European GM in NHL history - calling the shots. That leaves former Swedish national coach Gronborg, as well as Finnish national coach Jukka Jalonen, as possibilities.
Prediction: Rikard Gronborg
Montreal Canadiens
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Dominique Ducharme is currently the interim bench boss after the Canadiens fired Claude Julien midseason. Ducharme did not fare well in the regular campaign, going 15-16-5, but he made up for it in a big way during the playoffs, leading Montreal to a massive come-from-behind first-round upset over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That series likely saved GM Marc Bergevin's job, which should almost certainly result in Ducharme's promotion to full-time head coach.
Given that the Habs stick to hiring only French-speaking head coaches, there aren't many other options available. Guy Boucher, Bob Hartley, Marc Crawford, and even Patrick Roy would be candidates among retread options, but all come with question marks. It's clear Ducharme has earned the rights to the full-time gig.
Prediction: Dominique Ducharme
New York Rangers
Rangers owner James Dolan believes his team is in a position to win now. That's part of the reason president John Davidson, GM Jeff Gorton, and Quinn were all fired. The Blueshirts seemed to be progressing in the right direction after declaring a rebuild just three years ago, but ownership clearly had visions of success sooner.
Given Dolan's eagerness, hiring someone with NHL head coaching experience seems like a given - especially since his last hire, Quinn, came from the college ranks.
Early indications back this theory up as well, as the organization has already interviewed veterans Gallant and Tocchet. GM Chris Drury has no prior connection to either coach, so it's unclear if either one of them may have the upper hand. It's also possible the New York club could interview other retreads like Babcock or Boudreau. A reunion with Tortorella seems unlikely, though.
Gallant should be a hot commodity after the fantastic job he did with the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite not getting a job last offseason, he may end up having his pick of the litter. If that's the case, it's hard to find a more desirable job than the Rangers, given all of their young talent.
Prediction: Gerard Gallant
Seattle Kraken
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
Gallant may be the best man for the job given his history of instant success with an expansion team, but it's hard to imagine he'd choose the Kraken if a team like the Rangers came calling.
Boudreau, Tortorella, and Babcock could all receive consideration for the position, but if GM Ron Francis opts to choose a candidate with league experience, Tocchet stands out above the rest.
Francis and Tocchet go way back. The pair were teammates in junior with the OHL's Soo Greyhounds and in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where they won a Stanley Cup together in 1992. The phrase "it's all about who you know" seems to matter a lot in this industry, as executives often want to surround themselves with people they're familiar with.
Scheifele left his feet, led with his elbow, and appeared to make contact with Evans' head.
Habs defenseman Joel Edmundson took issue with the hit, saying there will be repercussions if Scheifele appears again in the series.
"It was a dirty hit, but the league's going to take care of it," he told reporters postgame, per TSN's John Lu. "If (Scheifele) gets back in the series, we're going to make his life miserable."
"It's disgusting. Little respect for the players out there," Kotkaniemi said. "Just seeing (Evans) moving (on the stretcher) after a thing like that was huge."
Evans had movement in his arms as he left the ice.
A scary scene in Winnipeg as Jake Evans was stretchered off the ice after taking a hit from Mark Scheifele. pic.twitter.com/XFNlzcdy5I
The Buffalo Sabres will select first overall in July after winning the NHL draft lottery.
The Seattle Kraken moved up to second, dropping the Anaheim Ducks to third. There were no other changes based on the pre-lottery odds.
Here's the order of the first 15 picks:
The Arizona Coyotes forfeited their first-round pick for violating the NHL's combine testing policy in 2019-20. A redraw would've occurred if the Coyotes won.
There's no consensus top player in this year's draft. Canadian defenseman Owen Power is the top-ranked North American skater, while Swedish winger William Eklund is the No. 1-ranked international skater, according to NHL Central Scouting.
The Sabres have picked first overall three times in franchise history. They selected Gilbert Perreault in 1970, Pierre Turgeon in 1987, and Rasmus Dahlin in 2018.
"Doesn't look good," Brind'Amour said postgame, according to Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer. "I don't know the extent of it at this point but, obviously, he couldn't continue. You know he would have come back and played if he could."
Trocheck collided with teammate Warren Foegele in the second period. He returned to start the third but departed again.
After returning for the start of the third, Vincent Trocheck has gone back to the Canes' locker room.
Carolina's forward depth will be tested if Trocheck misses any time, as winger Nino Niederreiter has already been ruled doubtful to play in the series.
Trocheck enjoyed a bounce-back regular season, finishing second on the Canes with 43 points in 47 games. His 0.91 points per game tied a personal best. He entered Tuesday with two goals and one assist in seven playoff appearances.
The Winnipeg Jets will allow 500 fully vaccinated healthcare workers to attend Games 1 and 2 of their second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens.
This will mark the first Jets game at MTS Place with fans since March 9, 2020 - before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Toronto Maple Leafs did something similar, allowing 550 fully vaccinated healthcare workers at Scotiabank Arena for Game 7 against the Habs on Monday.
The Canadiens will likely host five times the number of fans as the Jets when the series shifts back to Montreal. The Quebec government allowed 2,500 fans for Game 6 against the Leafs. It was the first time that fans had attended an NHL contest in Canada since the pandemic began.
Carey Price reminded everyone Monday why he's still in the conversation for best goalie in the world.
The Montreal Canadiens goaltender stopped 30 of 31 shots during a spectacular performance in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was less than two minutes away from a shutout before William Nylander beat him with a meaningless tally after Montreal already scored an empty-netter en route to a 3-1 win.
Habs forward Brendan Gallagher, who scored the opening goal in Game 7, was highly complimentary toward his netminder.
"We gave him one goal, it was almost like we knew it was going to be enough," Gallagher said postgame, per Sportsnet.
"It's a different level of confidence when you know Price is back there - especially in these elimination games," Gallagher added. "He's the best I've ever seen."
Price is now 22-10 with a 2.00 goals-against average, .929 save percentage, and three shutouts when facing elimination across all competitions, including international play, in his career, per Sportsnet. He's also 7-2 with a 1.54 goals-against average, .944 save percentage, and two shutouts in winner-take-all games.
However, since 2017-18, he owns a pedestrian .909 save percentage and minus-7.7 goals saved above average in the regular season. Yet, time and time again, he's proven to step up big when it matters most. He recorded a .936 save percentage during last year's playoffs and a .931 mark in the first round against Toronto this year.
The media asked Price postgame if this is the best hockey he's ever played, but he calmly deflected the question, just as he did to most of Toronto's shots in the series.
"That was our best game of the series," the 2015 Vezina Trophy winner said.
Price will go toe-to-toe with the reigning Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck in what could be a goaltender's duel for the ages when the Canadiens take on the Winnipeg Jets in Round 2.
Montreal came all the way back from a 3-1 series deficit. They never trailed after Game 4.
Brendan Gallagher opened the scoring for Montreal 3:02 into the second period, beating Jack Campbell five-hole following a Mitch Marner turnover. Corey Perry added some insurance later in the frame, redirecting a point shot on the power play with his knee.
Toronto didn't score until after Tyler Toffoli had already buried the empty-netter to seal the series.
The Habs will face the Winnipeg Jets in Round 2. The winner will take on the victor between the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights, which means the winner of the East Final will battle the winner of the Central Final in Round 3.
The Maple Leafs still haven't won a playoff series since 2004. They've now lost in the opening round in five straight years dating back to 2017.
In the third period, with Vegas getting blown out, enforcer Ryan Reaves received a match penalty for attempting to injure Avs blue-liner Ryan Graves. A match penalty, rather than a game misconduct, means Reaves is suspended indefinitely until the commissioner rules on the issue.
Graves was bloodied and stayed down on the ice before getting back on his feet.
Graves was dealt a two-minute minor for interference for the hit. Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer said postgame that the hit was "dirty," according to Fox's Vince Sapienza.
Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog took issue with Reaves' mindset.
Landeskog was asked about the Golden Knight's physical play in the 3rd period. "I don't know if you can call that physicality...Reaves is on a mission to hurt somebody there in the 3rd, and that's what he does." #GoAvsGo@CBSDenverpic.twitter.com/Isy7yThY5s
Colorado ended up receiving a unique nine-minute power play. The Avs scored one goal with it in what ended up being a dominant 7-1 rout. The match finished with a total of 76 penalty minutes.
