As per the league, Yandle was issued a warning after an incident during the team's game against the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 3 and was slapped with a second citation - resulting in the fine - after an offense on Jan. 31 against the Ottawa Senators.
If Yandle is caught diving for a third time he will be assessed a fine of $3,000.
Love it as he may, with Claude Julien now on the market after the Boston Bruins fired him Tuesday, the Panthers present a potential landing spot.
Rowe confirmed Thursday that the team hasn't asked permission to speak to Julien yet, but a Panthers source told Richards that the team will do so at the end of the regular season.
"It will be a group decision," Rowe said of whether or not he would return as coach next season.
In February, Panthers owner Doug Cifu said Rowe would remain the team's head coach through the rest of the regular season and "then we'll see how things shake out."
Of course, all this speculation depends on Julien remaining unemployed by season's end, which might not be the case given his track record.
That was the message from co-owner Anthony LeBlanc, who also serves as team president and CEO, on Thursday.
LeBlanc was responding to a local report that team officials had recently scouted Seattle's KeyArena and Portland's Moda Center, foreshadowing a relocation to the Pacific Northwest.
"It couldn't be farther from the truth. It is 100 percent false," LeBlanc told the "Doug and Wolf" show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. "There is absolutely no facts whatsoever in that story."
The Coyotes' search for a new arena was back on the front burner Friday after Arizona State University announced it would not go forward with a proposal to build a new facility at its Tempe campus.
But the Coyotes aren't without other opportunities for a new home in the Valley of the Sun.
"The good news for us, as we've said over the past year, is we have a number of options. (Phoenix) mayor Greg Stanton has been incredibly forthright in his statements that he'd like to see us downtown, and that's something we're very interested in," added LeBlanc, who also described a site in nearby Mesa as "intriguing."
In the meantime, the Coyotes believe their current home in Glendale is only a short-term option.
"The decision to build the facility in Glendale was prior to our ownership group. The honest answer is it was a mistake. It was the wrong location for this franchise," LeBlanc said. "We're OK staying in Glendale if we know that there is certainty of a new facility coming online and shovels in the ground."
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If you're either firmly in a playoff spot or cemented at the bottom of the standings of your fantasy hockey keeper league, it's time to seek out some value for next year. Excellent trade targets are owners who are desperately in win-now mode and focused solely on the 2016-17 season. Give them a piece to help with their goals this season, in order to acquire a much better player for the years to come.
Here are five targets who will almost certainly see their value grow next season:
D Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers
Gostisbehere has gone from putting up 46 points in just 64 games last season to being a semi-regular healthy scratch for the Flyers in 2016-17. After a plus-8 rating in his shortened NHL stint last year, he is minus-19 this season. He is shooting more often than he did as a rookie, but his shooting percentage has collapsed from 11.2 to just 3.5 percent. His average time on ice has dropped by 15 seconds.
Owners desperate to make the playoffs or win this season will be getting frustrated with Gostisbehere's occasional and unpredictable scratches. Give them a steady provider with guaranteed ice time in exchange for a defender who'll spend the next few seasons playing behind C Claude Giroux, and RWs Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds.
LW Max Domi, Arizona Coyotes
Injuries caused Domi to miss most of December and all of January, but he has returned for both of his team's first two games of February. He has played just 28 games, scoring five goals and totaling 16 points. His shooting percentage had dropped last season, but he is shooting slightly more often.
Though it's status quo for the Coyotes, they are again expected to be big sellers at the trade deadline. C Martin Hanzal and RW Radim Vrbata are highly expected to leave town, opening up more ice time for Domi for the remainder of this season. He's the best of the Coyotes' young forward corps which includes Ws Anthony Duclair and Lawson Crouse. Grab him before his upcoming breakout season.
(Photo courtesy Getty Images)
C Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
Larkin was 2015-16's breakout star until the late season emergence and surge of Gostisbehere. Like his counterpart, his 2016-17 season has been a shell of the predecessor. He has stayed healthy, playing 51 games, but he has totaled just 12 goals and a paltry seven assists. His ice time has dropped nearly 30 seconds per game from his rookie average. He's shooting similarly often and converting at a near-equal rate.
His linemates have been highly variable this season, spending similar portions with Gustav Nyquist, Frans Nielsen, Riley Sheahan, Tomas Tatar and Thomas Vanek at 5v5, per Corsica.Hockey. These combos have sub-50% Corsi For ratings. Last season he played exclusively on the wing with LW Justin Abdelkader and C Henrik Zetterberg. While they still had a negative CF%, they averaged more scoring chances per 60 minutes than any of this year's trios.
Burakovsky's role stands to grow dramatically next season, as RWs Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie are both set to become unrestricted free agents. The Capitals have plenty of young talent on the wings, and they should be expected to let one or both depart this summer. This will assure Burakovsky of significant minutes in a top-six role, playing beside either Backstrom or Kuznetsov at 5v5.
(Photo courtesy Action Images)
D Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
Josi entered 2016-17 off a 61-point season and a third consecutive year scoring at least 13 goals. His career progression was still on the upward swing as a 26-year-old, and he was expected to reach new career highs playing primarily with new defense partner P.K. Subban.
While Subban's extended injury absence has capped some of the production, it's Josi's own 3.8 shooting percentage seriously capping any upside. He is taking 2.98 SOG per game, the highest game average of his career, but he is converting at nearly half his career rate. Though his offensive production has tailed off this season, he'll be an anchor on the Predators' blue line for a long time.
Mike Babcock is doing his best to avoid starting another goalie controversy in Toronto.
Despite the fact goaltender Frederik Andersen has given up 19 goals in his last four starts - including one that saw him pulled after 11 minutes - and Curtis McElhinney was nearly perfect in the team's 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, the Maple Leafs bench boss will turn to his No. 1 on Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues.
"It hasn't been good enough. But there are times in the year when you have little dips and you just have to make sure you work hard every day and those dips are shorter and they don't happen as often and that's the challenge for him," Babcock said, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton. "He was in a situation last year where I think he played around 42 games last year. We want him to play a lot more, so the challenge for him is to be able to handle that.
"(McElhinney) did a really good job for us last game. Freddie goes tonight with an opportunity to bounce back. Our team was no good against St. Louis, we weren't competitive, so this should be a better opportunity for Freddie because our team will play better, and now he has to do his start."
Exactly a week ago Thursday, the Blues demolished the Maple Leafs 5-1 in St. Louis' first game since Ken Hitchcock's firing, with Andersen giving up all five goals on 31 shots.
Andersen started the regular season by allowing 22 goals in his first five games, but followed that up with one of the most consistent stretches of quality performances from any goalie this season, allowing two or fewer goals in 18 of his next 24 games.
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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Thursday, Feb. 9 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockeyand apply to 5v5 situations):
Dynamic Duos
C Mitch Marner (48K) & LW James van Riemsdyk (51K), Maple Leafs (vs. Blues): Marner leads all rookies in scoring, yet he comes at a bargain. He and JVR make for an affordable duo considering they play on such a high-powered offensive team. St. Louis' goaltending has vastly improved since Mike Yeo took over has head coach, but Jake Allen's road numbers are horrendous: .892 SV%, 3.11 GAA.
C Sidney Crosby (76K) & LW Chris Kunitz (33K), Penguins (at Avalanche): The Penguins are thin up front right now, but as we all know, Crosby has the ability to put the team on his back. Kunitz, 37, has jumped up to the top line and recorded five points in his last five games. His 145 hits give him a high floor in Squad Up relative to his low salary. Colorado allows more goals against per game than any other team.
LW Max Pacioretty (65K) & RW Alexander Radulov (52K), Canadiens (at Coyotes): Pacioretty and Radulov have been Montreal's two most consistent offensive producers all season long. They could each easily record multi-point games against the Coyotes, who rank dead last in xGA60 (expected goals against per 60 minutes) and SCA60 (scoring chances against per 60 minutes).
Goalie Breakdown
TARGET - Sergei Bobrovsky (91K), Blue Jackets (vs. Canucks): Bobrovsky has scuffled a bit lately, but expect him to bounce back on Thursday. The Canucks have the NHL's third-worst offense and are just 6-16-3 on the road.
BARGAIN - Carey Price (75K), Canadiens (at Coyotes): Price has also endured some struggles lately, but it's nearly impossible to overlook the best goaltender on the planet at the minimum price with a matchup against the NHL's second-worst team. Just try to look past his disastrous outing against the league's worst team, Tuesday.
FADE - Calvin Pickard (120K), Avalanche (vs. Penguins): Pickard is coming off a shutout but forking up 120K for any goaltender will significantly handcuff the rest of your lineup, let alone a goalie who plays for the league's worst team.
CONTRARIAN - Peter Budaj (75K), Kings (at Panthers): Budaj has been shelled in back-to-back starts, so his ownership will be down, but he had back-to-back shutouts in the two starts prior. Five of his league-leading seven shutouts have come on the road.
Bargain Plays
RW Connor Brown (25K), Maple Leafs (vs. Blues): Brown is fortunate enough to skate on a line with C Auston Matthews at both 5v5 and on the power play. He has been quiet offensively lately, but he could wake up at anytime. At 25K, he is worth the risk in tournament lineups.
LW Phillip Danault (25K), Canadiens (at Coyotes): Danault is also granted first-line real estate, centering the Canadiens' top two offensive players, LW Max Pacioretty and RW Alexander Radulov.
D Nikita Zaitsev (25K), Maple Leafs (vs. Blues): Zaitsev is averaging just a hair below 0.5 points per game. He has seven points in his last eight games, however. He can be drafted in both cash games and tournaments, since his willingness to throw hits (115) and block shots (90) give him a high floor.
Top Fades
C Martin Hanzal (55K), Coyotes (at Canadiens): Hanzal didn't practice Wednesday because of an illness, but even if he is able to suit up for Thursday's game, he isn't worth 55K against Carey Price.
LW Tomas Tatar (46K), Red Wings (at Capitals): Tatar has picked up his play a bit lately, but there are wiser ways to spend 46K than with a middling winger against the red-hot Capitals.
D Tyson Barrie (48K), Avalanche (vs. Penguins): Barrie has missed six of the last eight games with a lower-body injury. Even if he plays Thursday, he doesn't present much value at 48K.
Contrarian Options
C Tyler Toffoli (51K), Kings (at Panthers): Toffoli has failed to record a point in three games since returning from injury. It's a shame the right winger is listed as a center and can't be paired up with linemate Jeff Carter, but nonetheless, Toffoli, who scored 31 goals last year, will have little to no ownership.
RW James Neal (49K), Predators (at Rangers): Neal has a respectable 17 goals, but only seven assists this year. A reunion on Nashville's top line with C Ryan Johansen and LW Filip Forsberg should lead to a more consistent point total for the veteran sniper.
LW Evander Kane (46K), Sabres (vs. Ducks): Kane might be faded with a tough matchup, but the rugged winger has been placed on a line with C Jack Eichel and RW Sam Reinhart. His willingness to hit (77) provides an even higher ceiling.
That seems to be the approach of Connecticut governor Dannel Malloy, who proposed that his state invests $250 million to renovate the XL Center - the former home of the Hartford Whalers - in an effort to return the NHL to the state capital.
Partial funding for the proposed project was included in Wednesday's state budget announcement. The project would add a second concourse to the XL Center and increase its seating capacity from the current number of 14,750.
Connecticut made headlines on Friday when Malloy and Hartford mayor Luke Brodin offered use of the city-owned facility to the New York Islanders after it was reported the Brooklyn club may need to vacate Barclays Center following the 2018-19 season.
The XL Center was home to the Whalers until 1997, when the NHL franchise uprooted for Raleigh and became the Carolina Hurricanes. The arena currently houses the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, the minor-league affiliate of the New York Rangers.
Claude Julien is leaving the Boston Bruins with his head held high.
Two days after being dismissed from the club he spent the last 10 years coaching, Julien penned a letter thanking the entire organization and its fans, via Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe:
I would like first and foremost to thank the Bruins organization for allowing my family and I the privilege of spending 10 unforgettable years in Boston. We were proud to call this great city home for so long and will dearly miss it.
To the players, past and present, medical and equipment staff, doctors and communications staff, all of whom worked hard for the success of our club with a team-first mentality, I cannot thank you enough for your commitment through it all.
From the game day security crew to the volunteers that I was fortunate enough to meet throughout the years, I thank you as well.
I certainly cannot sign off without thanking the people that made this time here so rewarding- the Boston Bruins fans. Your devotion, unmistakable passion, energy and support is what makes Boston the best sports city in the entire world!
In leaving this organization, what I'm most happy about and most proud of is being part of the team that brought the Stanley Cup back to Boston for the first time in 39 years. Sharing that journey and the Stanley Cup celebrations with our players, families, staff and our fans produced so many incredible memories that I will never forget. To all that were part of it and helped along the way, I want to express a heartfelt 'thank you.
Julien leaves as the Bruins' all-time leader in both regular-season and playoff victories, with 419 and 57, respectively. He also helped the club win the Stanley Cup in 2011 and earned the Jack Adams Award in 2009 as NHL coach of the year.
With each passing day, the NHL trade deadline gets closer and closer. Early speculation suggests a number of big-name players could be packing their bags in the coming weeks.
It would be a welcomed sight, especially after last year's deadline produced very few moves, and little of significance.
While a couple of clubs - namely the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers - did their best to boost their squads for long playoff runs in 2016, neither saw their deals pay dividends.
In fact, looking back, it's quite clear that sellers walked away all the richer.
The big boys failed
After the dust settled on last year's deadline, it became clear that only two big names had traded spots - Andrew Ladd and Eric Staal.
The deals were supposed to make the Chicago Blackhawks (Ladd from Winnipeg) and New York Rangers (Staal from Carolina) contenders in their respective conferences, but both lost in the first round.
On the flip side, the Jets received a 2016 first-round pick - which they used to move up in the draft - a conditional 2018 third-round pick, and forward Marko Dano.
As for the Hurricanes, they received two second-round picks - one in 2016 and one in the upcoming draft - along with forward prospect Aleksi Saarela.
Ladd and Staal would combine for just two points in 12 playoff games (both by Ladd), so you can chalk those up as wins for the sellers.
Canadian teams get bang for their buck
With all seven Canadian teams failing to make the playoffs last season, nearly all were active in one way or another at the deadline. In nearly every case, those teams sold off assets and received favorable compensation in return.
Canadiens
Canadiens acquire
Blackhawks acquire
Phillip Danault / 2018 2nd-round pick
Dale Weise /Tomas Fleischmann
Flames
Flames acquire
Panthers acquire
2016 2nd-round pick / 2018 4th-round pick
Jiri Hudler
Flames acquire
Stars acquire
Jyrki Jokipakka / Brett Pollock / 2016 conditional 1st- or 2nd-round pick
Alex Stalock / Ben Smith / 2018 conditional 4th-round pick
James Reimer / Jeremy Morin
Note: there were a few other minor deals made by Canadian clubs, while the Jets' trade for Ladd was already mentioned above.
Looking at the trades, it's clear that Canadian teams made off pretty good.
Danault and Maroon have both produced more than either franchise would have predicted this year.
Meanwhile, Justin Schultz is having a great season in Pittsburgh, but it should be noted he produced very little during the Penguins' playoff run.
Elsewhere, Kris Russell didn't help the Stars like they'd hoped, the Panthers didn't capitalize on their deals with the Oilers and Flames, while the Maple Leafs opened up cap space and have Connor Carrick and Ben Smith playing regularly this season.
Top teams didn't need additions
In closing, it's clear that deadline moves had almost no impact on playoff outcomes.
As mentioned above, Schultz contributed just one goal and seven assists in 18 regular-season games for Pittsburgh, and just four assists while playing in 15 of the team's 24 playoff contests.
Meanwhile, the Sharks rode Martin Jones the entire way - leaving James Reimer on the bench - while their only other pickups ahead of the deadline were Roman Polak - who served on the team's third pairing - and Nick Spaling.
This season, it appears asking prices around the league for potential rentals are high once again. So if 2016 is any indication, buyer beware.
Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.
▲ Petr Mrazek
It's been a bounce-back week for the Detroit Red Wings netminder, who made three straight starts since Feb. 3. Mrazek went undefeated in regulation over that stretch, owning a 2-0-1 record alongside a .933 save percentage.
It's a stark difference from what's been a difficult season for the 24-year-old. He grabbed the top job in Detroit a year ago en route to 54 nights in the crease, but the Czech goaltender has struggled in his third full campaign with the Winged Wheel.
Through 31 games this season, Mrazek's save rate has dipped to .899, while his 3.07 goals-against average needs improvement. That's led to greater workloads for Jimmy Howard and Jared Coreau. In the meantime, the second week in February was an encouraging one for Mrazek.
The veteran goaltender has done an admirable job filling in for Kings starter Jonathan Quick, coming away with a 25-16-3 record through 47 games this season. Not bad for a netminder who found himself on the waiver wire following a poor training camp.
But after recording three shutouts in four games ending Feb. 4, Budaj followed up that performance with a pair of ugly nights against the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning. In those two matches, Budaj stopped just 27 of the 36 pucks that came his way, while his GAA reached 5.44.
After last season, in which Schneider was the Devils' most valuable player on many a night, his game has dropped off this year. His save rate's fallen from .924 to .912, while his GAA has ticked up from 2.15 to 2.66.
But in the past three games, Schneider tallied 87 saves and allowed just six goals, good for a .935 save percentage with a GAA a notch below 2.00. The Devils sit three points outside of the East's final playoff spot, and strong performances down the stretch from Schneider will be key to New Jersey making its first playoff appearance since 2012.
▼ Andrew Hammond
The good news is it can't get much worse. Hammond, the Ottawa Senators' backup goaltender, struggled through his lone start this week, a 6-0 shelling at the hands of the St. Louis Blues.
Hammond made 24 stops against the Blues, but it wasn't enough, as the B.C. native struggled through his sixth appearance this season. Hammond has yet to find the win column, and his .837 save percentage and 4.08 GAA are among the league's worst.
He appears to be a shell of the goaltender who captured a 20-1-2 record with the Senators in 2014-15 and dragged Ottawa into the postseason. The good news for Senators fans is that Craig Anderson's return to the crease is not far off, and he'll share netminding duties with interim starter Mike Condon while Hammond goes back to the minors.
