Ducks’ Vatanen, Lindholm out longterm with torn labrums

On the heels of their season-ending loss to the Nashville Predators in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final on Monday, the Anaheim Ducks revealed severe injuries to two key blue-liners.

Defenseman Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm will both require shoulder surgery for torn labrums this offseason, general manager Bob Murray announced Thursday.

Lindholm's rehab should take four-to-five months, while Vatanen's will take longer, per Murray.

Both defenseman played in all six games versus the Predators, logging regular minutes.

The news adds to the onslaught of injuries Anaheim had to deal with throughout the postseason, as ailments to netminder John Gibson and forwards Patrick Eaves and Rickard Rakell ravaged the Ducks' roster when it mattered most.

Murray and the Ducks face a major conundrum for the upcoming expansion draft due to numerous valuable players that need protection, and the injuries to Vatanen and Lindholm add yet another wrinkle.

With Kevin Bieksa's no-movement clause, Anaheim can only protect three more defenseman if they opt for the eight skater, one goalie format. That leaves one of Vatanen, Lindholm, or the up-and-coming Josh Manson ripe for the taking.

A potential trade for one of these players may be in the works, but the market could definitely shrink with such serious injuries now in play.

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Sabres sign defenseman Viktor Antipin to 1-year deal

Newly-minted Sabres general manager Jason Botterill hasn't wasted any time making a much-needed addition to his blue line, signing 24-year-old defenseman Viktor Antipin to a one-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Thursday.

Antipin spent 2016-17 with Magnitogorsk Metallurg in the KHL, recording six goals and 18 assists in 59 games while averaging 21:58 of ice time per game. He upped his play during his team's run to the KHL finals, scoring seven times with four helpers in 18 playoff games, logging over 24 minutes per night. He was awarded a golden helmet (given to playoff All-Stars) for his postseason play.

"Viktor is a well-rounded defenseman who has played in all situations at the pro level," Botterill said in a statement released by the team. "His mobility and puck-moving skills make him a perfect match for what we're hoping to build with our defense corps next season."

Antipin will be joining a D-core in serious need of reinforcements. Rasmus Ristolainen is a true No. 1 defenseman, but after him, the projected depth chart is pretty bleak:

LD RD
Jake McCabe Rasmus Ristolainen
Josh Gorges Zach Bogosian
Viktor Antipin ???

Obviously McCabe isn't fit to play on a top pair, nor is Gorges capable of being a top-four defenseman anymore, so Botterill still has plenty of work to do, given that Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson are both pending unrestricted free agents. Nonetheless, the acquisition of the 5-foot-11 Antipin is a step in the right direction.

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Blues name Steve Ott assistant coach

The St. Louis Blues added Steve Ott to their coaching staff, the team announced Thursday.

Ott will join head coach Mike Yeo's staff as an assistant coach on a three-year contract.

"Steve was a competitor on the ice as a player and I expect him to bring that energy in this role," Yeo said. "He was highly respected as a player and a person among his teammates and I believe he will be a huge asset to our staff."

Ott played 122 games in a Blues uniform between 2013-16, racking up 157 penalty minutes to go along with 17 points.

The announcement effectively ends Ott's 16-year playing career. He most recently suited up this season for the Montreal Canadiens, including six playoff games.

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Eaves ‘would love’ to return to Ducks

Though his stay was short, the Anaheim Ducks appear to have made a good impression on Patrick Eaves.

The 33-year-old was acquired from the Dallas Stars ahead of the trade deadline, and while he played just a combined 27 games with the Ducks in both the regular season and playoffs, he seems to have enjoyed his stay.

"'I'm proud of this team," Eaves said. "I would love to be back here."

Related: Ducks' Eaves, Rakell were sidelined with high ankle sprains

Eaves will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and though he would like to return to the Ducks, he admits his decision will largely be impacted by his family, according to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register.

Ideally, Eaves would like a multi-year deal, especially after signing consecutive one-year contracts. After tallying a career-high 32 goals and 51 points in 79 games, that might not be an issue.

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Senators owner objects to being blamed for empty playoff seats

Eugene Melnyk took it upon himself to write a letter to a newspaper disputing what he feels was an unfair analysis of the Ottawa Senators' playoff ticket-selling woes.

Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun wrote Wednesday that the team owner was primarily to blame for the fact not every game this postseason has sold out. The article also ran in the Ottawa Citizen.

Brennan opined, "The only logical explanation for fans negatively stealing so much of the spotlight from the Senators' unexpectedly wondrous ride through the playoffs has to be a growing, general contempt for the team's owner, for one reason or another."

Hogwash, Melnyk retorted Thursday, via the Ottawa Citizen:

If someone chooses to put the blame on (me) for this reality, well they simply have no clue how hard I work, how passionate I am, and how committed I am to the Ottawa Senators and their success on the ice, off the ice and in our community.

We could debate for days on why things are the way they are. I will only say that I, along with our entire organization, remain steadfastly committed to working hard on numerous fronts to make the Ottawa Senators an even bigger part of this city and equally important - to our country.

Melnyk added winning the Stanley Cup has always been his primary focus as he tries to ensure a competitive hockey team takes the ice in Ottawa "with the resources we have."

He added, "Our playoff success this year is no one person's doing. I couldn't possibly name all of the people in one letter. And similarly, if there are empty seats in our building during these playoffs, it is certainly unfair to point the blame squarely on any one person - especially me."

Melnyk encouraged fans to savor the team's playoff run, which could end Thursday in Game 7 against Pittsburgh - or extend to the franchise's second modern-day Stanley Cup Final appearance.

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Look: Stanley Cup Final logo painted on Predators’ home ice

It's not a dream, Nashville hockey fans.

The Stanley Cup Final logo has officially been painted on the ice at Bridgestone Arena, which promises to be rocking when the hometown Predators take to the ice against the yet-to-be-determined Eastern Conference champions.

The final is set to begin May 29 in either Ottawa or Pittsburgh, while Nashville will host Games 3 and 4 on June 3 and June 5, respectively.

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Ducks’ Eaves, Rakell were sidelined with high ankle sprains

A pair of Anaheim Ducks weren't able to get their feet wet late in the Stanley Cup Playoffs due to high ankle sprains.

Patrick Eaves and Rickard Rakell were both sidelined with the ankle injury, head coach Randy Carlyle disclosed Thursday, according to Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times.

Rakell scored 33 goals in the regular season, while Eaves registered 32 of his own in time split between Dallas and Anaheim.

Losing Eaves in Round 2 and Rakell in Round 3, then, was not an insignificant hindrance in regards to the team's chances of advancing to the Cup Final.

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Ex-Avs’ assistant: Duchene needs to ‘forget about hockey for a little while’

A now-former Colorado Avalanche assistant coach has some offseason advice for Matt Duchene.

"I think he needs a break right now," Tim Army, who was dismissed by the club Wednesday after six seasons, told Terry Frei of the Denver Post.

"He has produced 30 goals in the league, he for sure should be a 25-goal guy every year. He has that ability and that’s a lot of goals in today’s game. I think he needs a summer to get away and forget about hockey for a little while."

Duchene has averaged 25 goals for every 82 regular-season games played, but mustered only 18 in 77 appearances in 2016-17.

His tenure with the team predated Army's, but the assistant watched as the winger experienced some ups and downs in his career trajectory, leading to an expectation that he's a leading candidate to be traded as part of a roster retooling.

But from Army's point of view, what Duchene really needs is some time to clear his head outdoors, and not a change of scenery within the hockey world.

"I think sometimes he thinks himself into trouble," Army continued. "He overthinks things and he needs sometimes to let go and just go play. When he gets a little tight, it doesn’t go his way, he starts to overthink and grips the stick too tightly. It limits his ability to attack and make plays and attack openings. When he gets on a roll, he’s scary."

Duchene did kick off his summer by playing for Canada at the World Championship, where he scored one goal in 10 games.

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Taylor Hall: ‘Nice to finally see’ Oilers eliminated

Taylor Hall is trying not to look back.

Speaking on Sportsnet 590 in Toronto on Thursday, the New Jersey Devils forward commented on what it was like to watch his former team - the Edmonton Oilers - qualify for and win a round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and whether he was rooting for them to lose Game 7 against Anaheim.

"I wouldn't say I wanted them to lose, but it was nice to finally see them maybe get eliminated," Hall admitted.

"It's a tough thing to describe to people. I think there's been enough time that's passed since the trade has happened that you finally just kind of - it is what it is now, and I'm a Devil, and I'm excited to see what we can do next season."

Hall, of course, was traded by the Oilers last summer to New Jersey in exchange for Adam Larsson. With that deal in the past, Hall reiterated he's looking forward to helping his current club achieve success.

"My focus these days and this summer is just becoming the best player that I can be, and show up to camp next year and help my team however I can," Hall said. "I'm excited that that's in New Jersey."

Hall registered 20 goals and 33 assists in 72 games in his first season as a Devil.

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