All posts by Cory Wilkins

Julien earns 600th career win as Canadiens down Senators

Welcome to the 600-win club, Claude Julien.

Saturday's victory over the Ottawa Senators saw the Montreal Canadiens head coach record his 600th career victory, good for 18th on the NHL's all-time list. He trails former Canadiens bench boss Jacques Martin by just 13 victories for 17th all-time.

Julien, who coached the Boston Bruins to a Stanley Cup in 2011, is in his second stint with the Canadiens. He rejoined the Habs in 2017 after an initial stint from 2002 to 2006.

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Report: Oilers’ Klefbom out 6-8 weeks following finger surgery

The Edmonton Oilers will be without Oscar Klefbom well into the new year as the defenseman is expected to miss the next six to eight weeks following finger surgery, Sportsnet's John Shannon reports.

Klefbom suffered the injury against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday. After the game, Oilers head coach Ken Hitchcock told reporters he expected Klefbom to miss "weeks not days."

The 25-year-old has already missed two games due to the injury this season.

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Coyotes won’t seek goaltending help with Raanta likely out for season

It appears it may be Darcy Kuemper's time to shine.

With goaltender Antti Raanta set for an extended absence following surgery Sunday, the Arizona Coyotes will now look to Kuemper to carry the load between the pipes.

"Obviously with Antti out, (Kuemper is) an important piece for us moving forward. I think he's shown to be one of the best backups in the league," Coyotes general manager John Chayka told team reporter Dave Vest.

"Any time there is an injury there is opportunity. There will be an opportunity for him to get an extended look, and he'll get that opportunity to show that he can be a starter in the league."

Chayka added that the Coyotes will not recruit goaltending help while Raanta recovers, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

However, Kuemper needs to return from an injury of his own before he can show his stuff as the starter. The 28-year-old has missed the last seven games with a lower-body ailment and is considered day to day.

Kuemper owns a 4-5-2 record and .914 save percentage across 11 games this year.

In his absence, Arizona has turned to farmhand Adin Hill, who has come away with four wins and a .939 save rate across seven games.

The Coyotes also have Calvin Pickard as an option. The former Philadelphia Flyers netminder was claimed off waivers in late November but has only filled in as the backup since arriving in Arizona.

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Maple Leafs’ Hyman to have hearing for late hit on McAvoy

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman will have a hearing Sunday following a late hit on Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy.

The play in question occurred midway through the third period of Saturday's contest when Hyman hit McAvoy in the corner:

Hyman was assessed a five-minute major for interference, plus a fighting major and a game misconduct after an ensuing scrum with Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk.

Toronto's next game comes Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

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Forbes: NHL franchise values keep rising; Rangers, Leafs lead way

The average value of NHL franchises rose 6 percent over the last year to a record $630 million, according to Forbes' annual report on the sport's finances.

For the fourth year running, the New York Rangers are the most valuable team, coming in at $1.55 billion, a 3 percent increase over 2017.

Three other franchises - the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, and Chicago Blackhawks - are valued at more than $1 billion.

Here's the full list:

Franchise Value 2017-18 Revenue
Rangers $1.55B $253M
Maple Leafs $1.45B $232M
Canadiens $1.3B $239M
Blackhawks $1.05B $201M
Bruins $925M $191M
Kings $810M $193M
Flyers $800M $186M
Red Wings $775M $171M
Canucks $735M $168M
Capitals $725M $194M
Penguins $650M $185M
Golden Knights $575M $180M
Oilers $540M $145M
Stars $525M $144M
Sharks $510M $148M
Wild $490M $142M
Blues $465M $148M
Ducks $460M $134M
Devils $455M $166M
Flames $450M $132M
Lightning $445M $146M
Islanders $440M $107M
Senators $435M $124M
Avalanche $430M $119M
Predators $425M $132M
Hurricanes $420M $109M
Jets $415M $135M
Sabres $375M $128M
Blue Jackets $320M $111M
Panthers $295M $99M
Coyotes $290M $96M

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Report: Penguins ‘tested the market’ for Kessel trade

Phil Kessel can't seem to escape the rumor mill.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Pittsburgh Penguins "tested the market" on a possible trade involving the high-scoring winger.

While a deal never came to fruition, the Penguins have been active in the trade market in recent weeks, parting with Carl Hagelin and Daniel Sprong while bringing in Tanner Pearson and Marcus Pettersson.

Prior to the deals, general manager Jim Rutherford floated the possibility of a roster shakeup if there wasn't improvement on the ice. The Penguins currently sit two points back of a playoff position in the Metropolitan Division.

As for Kessel, it's not the first time his name has surfaced in trade talks. Last offseason, a report indicated that the 31-year-old was open to a move to the Arizona Coyotes. Arizona, of course, is coached by Rick Tocchet, who was an assistant in Pittsburgh during the team's Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017.

Kessel is owed $8 million for three more seasons, but $1.2 million of his salary is retained by the Toronto Maple Leafs. His contract also allows him to grant a trade to just eight teams of his choosing.

Across part of four seasons with the Penguins, Kessel has picked up 93 goals and 157 assists in 272 games.

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Report: Golden Knights’ Reaves won’t be disciplined for Wilson hit

Vegas Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves won't be called to the carpet following a hit he delivered to Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson, a source told Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post.

The incident occurred late in the second period of Tuesday's game. Reaves was assessed a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct following the play.

The Golden Knights and Capitals split their season series and will not face off again this year unless it is in the playoffs.

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Mantha out 4-6 weeks with hand injury

Detroit Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha will be sidelined for the next four-to-six weeks after suffering a hand injury, the team announced Tuesday.

Mantha was hurt Sunday during a fight with Patrik Nemeth of the Colorado Avalanche. The 24-year-old will undergo hand surgery Tuesday.

In 27 games, Mantha has picked up nine goals and five assists.

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Flyers hire Fletcher as new GM

Chuck Fletcher is the new general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, the club announced Monday.

The multi-year agreement makes Fletcher the eighth man to serve as GM in franchise history. His hiring comes after the team fired Ron Hextall in November.

The 51-year-old was most recently a senior adviser with the New Jersey Devils. He was also GM of the Minnesota Wild for nine seasons until April 2018.

His tenure in Minnesota included six playoff appearances and was highlighted by the team's big-ticket free-agent signings of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

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Kings’ Kovalchuk out 4 weeks following ankle surgery

Los Angeles Kings forward Ilya Kovalchuk will be sidelined for the next four weeks after undergoing an ankle procedure, the team announced Sunday.

Kovalchuk is in his first season with the Kings after inking a three-year, $18.75-million pact in the summer.

The Russian star sits third in team scoring - 14 points in 25 games - after a strong start to the season during which he picked up four goals and seven assists in 13 games.

However, Kovalchuk has seen his ice time reduced and has been benched multiple times since Willie Desjardins replaced John Stevens behind the bench.

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