The talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs has shifted greatly from their first three games against the Ottawa Senators to the last two.

The Maple Leafs were on the verge of sweeping the Senators after the first three games of their first-round playoff series. While the Senators probably deserved to win at least one of those first three games, the competitive pendulum swung the other way in Games 4 and 5. The Maple Leafs probably deserved to win one of those two games, only to lose both of them as Ottawa clawed its way back to respectability.

What we’ve wound up with is a series that is considerably closer than people who were talking about a sweep had figured on. The truth is, predicting the Maple Leafs would be in a Game 6 situation versus the Senators is not surprising.

If things played out slightly differently, and it was a straight-ahead back-and-forth, we-punch-you, you-punch-back situation from game to game, alarmist Leafs fans might not be as up in arms as they are at the moment.

“We expected it to be challenging,” Leafs blueliner Morgan Rielly told reporters on Wednesday. “No one expected it to be easy. So, again, we're up in a series, and we're in a position where we have a chance to regroup and refocus and go out there and play some good hockey.”

Indeed, we picked Toronto to win this series, but we picked the Buds to win in six games. It doesn’t make a difference exactly how we arrived at this moment – the truth is, the Senators were never going to roll over and be embarrassed en route to a sweep. Ottawa is a well-coached, dynamic and talented group, and so are the Maple Leafs. Nothing we’ve seen through five games has changed our mind in that regard.

“We’re up 3-2 in the series, so we’re fine,” Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev told reporters after Tuesday’s Game 5 loss. “We’re going to prepare for our game Thursday, and we’ll make the adjustments that we need to.”

We’re still confident the Maple Leafs can pull this one out with a Game 6 win in Ottawa, if not then, then in Game 7. The Leafs have already shown they can win at home and on the road, and they’ve been a resilient bunch throughout the regular season and thus far in the post-season.

Of course, we completely understand why Leafs fans would be swimming in anxiety right now. The history with this collection of talent does not lend itself to optimism at crossroads moments like these. Until Toronto proves it can close out opponents, there’s going to be significant doubt among Leafs Nation that it can do so.

But you know what? Sometimes teams do take that next step in their evolution. Sometimes teams can shake off the demons of the past. That’s where we see the Leafs right now. Beating the Sens is certainly not going to be easy. However, Toronto management and coaching have prepared Leafs players for this challenge.

These Maple Leafs Were Supposed To Be Different, But In Game 5, It Was More Of The SameAnyone who has watched the Toronto Maple Leafs over the past decade has seen Game 5 of the Battle of Ontario so many times.

The Leafs know the ramifications that await them if they can’t get the job done. A complete collapse could trigger massive changes from top to bottom in the organization. That pressure may well choke them out, but it’s equally likely that it motivates them to prove their doubters wrong. And so, if Toronto wins in six or seven games, no one should be surprised. 

Sometimes the pundits do get things right, and the way things are shaping up in this emotional and rollercoaster series, the Leafs are in the position many of us thought they’d be in. That’s what makes this particular series so compelling. Toronto and Ottawa are worthy rivals for one another, and the rest of this showdown promises to be high drama.

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As the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in Game 5 on Wednesday, the first second-round matchup of the Stanley Cup playoffs is set. 

The Capitals eliminated the Canadiens and will face the Carolina Hurricanes, which knocked out the New Jersey Devils in five games. 

During the regular season, the Capitals and Hurricanes played each other twice in April, leading up to the playoffs. If those outings showed anything, these two clubs don't like each other. 

On April 2, the Canes beat the Caps 5-1 at the Lenovo Center, with two goals from Carolina rookie Jackson Blake. However, it wasn’t the goal-scoring or the high-flying skills that were highlighted from this contest, but the antics between whistles.

This game had a total of 142 penalty minutes between the teams, 74 for Washington and 68 for Carolina. There were eight misconducts from scrums after stoppages.

The bad blood didn’t stop there. At the end of a fight between Connor McMichael and Jalen Chatfield, Chatfield took down McMichael with what was argued as a slew-foot. Despite the arguments and debate across the hockey world, Chatfield didn’t receive any supplemental discipline.

MMA-Style Takedown In NHL Fight Could Have Ended Very BadlyEverything in Connor McMichael's life is going wonderfully at the moment. At the age of 24, the Washington Capitals winger has established himself as a legitimate scoring power forward on one of the best teams in the NHL and has reached the 25-goal mark for the first time in his career.

Eight days later, these teams faced off again, this time at Washington’s Capital One Arena. The Capitals took down the Hurricanes in a shootout, 5-4. There weren’t nearly as many penalties, but it’s not to say it wasn’t a physical match.

Brandan Duhaime came to McMichael’s defense, fighting Chatfield in the first period.

The season series finished 2-2, with Carolina earning the extra point from the shootout. Now, these teams have another chance at beating each other in the second round.

Despite the Capitals and Hurricanes advancing in five games, it wasn’t as easy as it looked, especially for Washington. The young Canadiens refused to go down without a fight and put together some strong performances, even if they are the youngest team in the NHL, according to eliteprospects.com.

The Capitals had some spirited battles with the Canadiens, including heavy hits, warmup antics at center ice, fights on the bench and more moments.

"We knew that they were gonna play kind of cheap and try and get us off our game," Wilson told reporters after beating the Canadiens. "So it got crazy at times. But that's why hockey's so fun, and that's why we all love the sport and we love playing and love competing. So it was a heck of a physical series, but that's what playoffs is all about."

Washington should be ready for the battle Carolina will bring when their series begins.

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Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming nightly during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.

After the big game of the night, our experts go live to react to the match that was, break down the key moments and storylines, provide updates on the rest of the night's NHL slate and read your opinions.

On tonight's show, Katie Gaus and Andrew McInnis react to the Washington Capitals beating the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in Game 5 and advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

Capitals vs Canadiens Game 5 - Playoff Frenzy | The Hockey NewsWelcome to Playoff Frenzy Live by The Hockey News presented by STIX.com, where we give our live reactions and break down the latest news to all the biggest g...

They also look at the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning facing off in Game 5.

Share your thoughts in the comments and live chat, and the hosts may discuss your message during the stream.

Check out the show right now.

The Los Angeles Kings looked on the way to eliminating the Edmonton Oilers for the first time in their four straight first-round series. They’re now on the brink of going home empty again.

The rollercoaster affair had the Kings winning the first two games and leading in Game 3 before the Oilers stormed back to win that night and the next two games,including a 3-1 victory Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

While some people may see one bad coach’s challenge as a turning point in this matchup, the Kings have only a series of blown leads to blame for where they are in the series at the moment.

Without a doubt, Kings coach Jim Hiller coach’s challenge for goaltender interference on Evander Kane’s equalizer in Game 3 was not a good look. The review quickly determined the goal would stand, and the resulting penalty led directly to the game-winning goal being scored on the Oilers’ power play. That’s not up for debate. 

That’s not the reason why Los Angeles dropped three games in a row. The key issue for the Kings is that they’ve deviated from their strong regular-season play when they knew how to hang onto their leads.

The Kings were 25-4-3 this season when leading after the first period, and they were even more impressive when leading after two periods at 35-1-2. 

But in the first round, Los Angeles is 2-1 when leading after 20 minutes, and they’re 2-2 when leading after two periods. They’re already two-thirds of the way to their blown third-period leads in the regular season.

When you break down the games even further, you’ll see the Kings constantly squandering advantages they managed to carve out.

In Game 3 on Friday, the Kings overcame a 2-0 Oilers lead, scoring three straight goals before Edmonton tied it. Los Angeles again took the lead late in the second period, only to allow the final three goals of the game. 

In Game 4 on Sunday, the Kings built a two-goal lead – and after the Oilers cut the lead in half, L.A. restored its two-goal advantage, only to allow the next three goals to Edmonton, including the overtime-winner. And finally, in Game 5, the Kings scored the first goal, then allowed two straight Oilers goals, plus an empty-netter.

Oilers' Evan Bouchard Joins Rare Company With Clutch PerformancesWhen you put Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard in the playoff spotlight, he can put up points from the blueline like not many others.

Clearly, one bad coach's challenge is not responsible for L.A. blowing leads time and again. A lost coach’s challenge didn’t help matters, of course. But that’s in one game only. 

The Kings’ defensive deficiencies are the real culprit here. And to be sure, Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper isn’t the goat, although his 3.44 GAA and .899 SP aren’t moving the needle in a positive way for his team. It’s the defense in front of Kuemper that’s the root cause of three straight defeats.

In the first two games of this series, the Kings’ offense was the difference in their favor, posting six goals in both games. But Los Angeles has messed around by trying to run-and-gun with Edmonton’s high-octane offensive attack, and they’ve found out that’s not a great idea.

As it stands, L.A. is on the brink of elimination – and once again, the team could be heading home for the summer courtesy of an Oilers team it knows all too well. The stakes are sky-high for them now, as one loss in the next two games could spell the end of the line for Kings GM Rob Blake and could lead to roster changes this summer. You can’t keep running back the same core, lose in the first round four straight seasons to the same team and expect to keep your job.

Ultimately, the Kings can’t say they didn’t know how to build a lead against Edmonton. They just didn’t know how to hold one. And consequently, they’re on the verge of exiting the playoffs and becoming a gigantic disappointment yet again.

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To say Taylor Hall has been well-travelled over his 15-year NHL career would be an understatement. 

The former Hart Trophy winner has been on seven teams since the Edmonton Oilers selected him first overall in 2010, and he was considered an ancillary move in the massive three-way deal that brought Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in January.

The 33-year-old ended up fitting in with his new club while Rantanen got traded again to the Dallas Stars. On Wednesday, the Hurricanes announced they signed Hall to a three-year, $9.5-million contract extension worth about $3.167 million annually.

"(Getting term was a) big part of that, just moving around, and now that I have a family, it's important to be somewhere where I'm comfortable," Hall said on a media call on Wednesday. "This team, right from the moment I got here, made me feel comfortable. The coaching staff pushed me, and the guys in the room have been just incredible at making me feel welcome and making me feel like this is a place that I want to be." 

The Calgary native struggled with injuries in his first six seasons with Edmonton and was dealt to the New Jersey Devils in 2016. With the Devils, he scored a career-high 93 points (39 goals, 54 assists) in 2018 and won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP.

After failing to negotiate a contract extension, Hall was dealt as a rental to the Arizona Coyotes. The big left winger signed a one-year, $8-million deal with the Buffalo Sabres in 2020 to play under former Oilers coach Ralph Krueger, but his tenure with the Sabres was rough, and after scoring two goals in 37 games, Buffalo dealt him to the Boston Bruins.

Hall found his footing with the Bruins and signed a four-year, $24-million contract in 2021. After two seasons, Boston needed to clear salary and swapped him to the Chicago Blackhawks for a pair of minor leaguers. 

With the Hawks, the intent was to have him play with 2023 top pick Connor Bedard, but a knee injury ended his season after only 10 games. In the final year of his deal, Hall avoided injury but was moved up and down the lineup. He was eventually folded into the Rantanen deal, in which the Hawks retained 50 percent of his salary. 

With the Hurricanes, Hall posted 18 points in 31 games to finish the regular season.

Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky did not have the same issue of getting the veteran winger to sign in Carolina as he did with Rantanen.

"We've been talking since the day of the trade – I think we've had a sense of where it was going to be," Tulsky said. "Most of the conversations between myself and Taylor's agent, Darren (Ferris), we've been sort of hammering out some of the details of how some specifics of the deal would work." 

"Darren was talking to Taylor, making sure he was comfortable with it. I don't think either of us ever doubted that it would get done. It was just a matter of finding the deal that got everybody what they wanted."

Hall played a part in the Hurricanes beating the Devils 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs, eliminating his former team on Tuesday. He had a goal and three points in five games while averaging 15:56.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins opened up a particularly appealing job after parting with coach Mike Sullivan on Monday. 

After all, who wouldn’t want to be behind the bench coaching icon Sidney Crosby? 

In any case, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has three distinct roads to move forward on as the team’s transitional period continues following its third straight playoff miss. The coaching choice Dubas makes will dictate the competitive road he chooses. 

With that in mind, here are three potential paths for the Penguins to take – and three potential coaches for each of those roads.

Path 1: Return The Penguins To The Playoffs And Stanley Cup Contention ASAP

“You can hope in one hand and s— in the other, and see which one fills up first,” Dubas said to reporters at the end-of-season press conference, seemingly shooting down the notion of a long and full rebuild.

That would almost certainly mean the Penguins will be aiming for a retool this summer. It could also mean the next coach will have lots of experience and be highly demanding, focusing on wins over learning and developing.

Dubas’ options for a veteran bench boss include Rick Tocchet, John Tortorella and Peter Laviolette. Tocchet parted with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday and is now a free agent.

Tortorella, meanwhile, was fired by the Philadelphia Flyers, and the New York Rangers fired Laviolette. They are still widely respected coaches with a track record of success, and their pedigree could be appealing for Dubas as he tries to get his team back in the playoff mix right away.

The Pittsburgh Penguins Parting With Mike Sullivan Is The Best Thing For ThemThe Pittsburgh Penguins kind of, sort of, tried it Mike Sullivan's way. Not only were they not good enough to contend for a Stanley Cup, but they weren't good enough to contend for a playoff spot.

Path 2: Keep Pittsburgh Competitive During A Transitional Period

In his press conference announcing the end of Sullivan’s tenure, Dubas talked about a period of transition, which suggests perhaps choosing a coach with either experience as an assistant or head coach. While Sullivan previously coached the Boston Bruins, he spent years as an assistant coach and AHL coach before getting a chance as an NHL bench boss again in Pittsburgh.

That could lead to the Penguins taking a chance on someone whose name may not immediately jump out as a front-runner, and who could currently be working on a team still in this year’s playoffs.

For instance, current Toronto Maple Leafs associate coach Lane Lambert has experience running a team from his time with the New York Islanders. This year, Lambert has had success running Toronto’s penalty kill. 

Current Washington Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love has also been speculated to be in the running for multiple NHL jobs. And longtime Carolina Hurricanes assistant coach Jeff Daniels has had great success with the team, including a Cup championship in 2006. Any of those three choices could step in for Pittsburgh and get them through this transitional stage.

Path 3: Focus On Developing The Penguins’ Younger Players And Next Core

Dubas may ultimately decide the Penguins should be focused on teaching the team’s youngsters and grooming the incoming core of the organization. There are numerous options out there if that’s the approach Dubas and the franchise want to take.

For example, current University of Denver coach David Carle is highly regarded as a teacher who has thrived working with young players. Carle may have his pick of a number of NHL jobs, but the chance to work with Crosby while at the same time developing Pittsburgh’s prospects may be especially appealing.

Elsewhere, current Boston Bruins assistant coach Jay Leach worked with Sullivan at the AHL level and was part of the Penguins organization before moving on to a solid coaching career in the AHL and NHL. 

Veteran coach Brad Shaw, who served as the Flyers’ interim coach after Tortorella was fired, could step in for the Pens and be a teacher for the foreseeable future if the Flyers don’t make him the permanent coach. One of those three could have at least a couple of years implementing a program that’d help Dubas build a new core for the long term.

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If you’re a parent, which is worse: having to choose between your boys’ NHL playoff series, or watching them square off against each other?

Jeff and Rita Schenn are finding out, as their sons Luke and Brayden Schenn battle it out in the first-round playoff series between the Winnipeg Jets and the St. Louis Blues.

After the Blues chased Connor Hellebuyck twice in St. Louis and recorded a pair of wins, the series is all square at 2-2. Game 5 goes Wednesday, back in Winnipeg (9:30 p.m. ET).

Born less than two years apart, Luke and Brayden both hit the 1,000-game milestone this season – just the eighth set of brothers in NHL history to get the silver stick honor. 

Now into their 30s, they were both fifth-overall draft picks who have become Stanley Cup champions. 

Luke Schenn, the defenseman, went first to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2008. He won his Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021. Brayden Schenn, the center, went to the Los Angeles Kings one year later. His Cup came in his second season with the Blues, in 2019, and he became the team’s captain in 2023.

Two months ago, Jeff and Rita were probably mapping out very different plans for this time of year. At the February break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, Luke’s Nashville Predators were mired in 30th place in the NHL standings, and Brayden’s Blues were below .500 – eight points out of a Western Conference wild-card spot. 

Leading up to the March 7 NHL trade deadline, Brayden Schenn was rumored to be available, but the asking price would be sky high. There was even some chatter that perhaps the brothers could be a package deal for the right organization.

On March 5, Luke was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Two days later, his seventh playoff run became a near-certainty when he was flipped onto the league-leading Jets. 

As for Brayden Schenn, he stayed put after the Blues went 5-1-1 out of the break. 

“I give the guys a ton of credit, GM Doug Armstrong told reporters on deadline day. “The players tell us what we’re supposed to do, and to their credit, they've really played fantastic hockey right now.”

Given the Blues’ baked-in, never-say-die mentality, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that they were able to level the series on home ice after dropping the first two games in Winnipeg. So far, Jordan Binnington’s nine goals against and .907 save percentage are easily besting Vezina favorite Hellebuyck. He has given up 15 goals, sits at .817, and was pulled in the third period of Game 3 and Game 4 – but remains unfazed.

“You don’t love giving up that many goals, but we’re 2-2 in the series,” Hellebuyck said Monday. “That’s all that matters. Win the next one. Am I going to be better? I am going to be better.”

The Schenn brothers have also played noticeable roles in the playoffs.

Luke has been providing steady third-pair minutes and plenty of muscle, just as coach Scott Arniel would have hoped. Averaging 16:00 a game, he leads the Jets with 20 hits and, thanks to 10-minute misconducts in both Game 1 and Game 4, leads the entire playoffs with 30 penalty minutes.

The 35-year-old also picked up an assist in the Jets’ 5-3 series-opening win. And even though he finished at minus-2 in Game 3 and Game 4, the Jets have dominated play when he has been on the ice, controlling over 55 percent of expected goals at 5-on-5 according to naturalstattrick.com. 

As for Brayden, he picked up his first points of the series in Game 4, with a goal and an assist in the Blues’ 5-1 win. He’s centering a high-octane line with Jake Neighbours and Jordan Kyrou, averaging 16:31 a game, and also has two misconducts already – from Game 1 and Game 3.

For the series, Brayden’s advanced stats aren’t great, with an expected goals share of 43.34 percent. But he was much better on home ice, at 55.70 percent.

Per the NHL, the Schenns are the sixth set of brothers to go head-to-head in a playoff series in the last 20 years. We saw it last season, too, when Ryan Lindgren’s New York Rangers swept Charlie Lindgren’s Washington Capitals in Round 1.

In the past, we’ve seen some parents try to Frankenstein jerseys together to show their loyalty. Mr. and Mrs. Schenn prefer to just blend into the crowd.

“I think they’ll be pretty neutral," Luke Schenn said. "They’re not going to be wearing jerseys. I don’t see them ever wearing a jersey to the games.”

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Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad was suspended for elbowing Brandon Hagel in the head, but he wasn't penalized when he did it.

Now, Hagelwon't play for the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Battle of Florida, while Ekblad scored the tying goal in Game 4's comeback win for the Panthers.

There were only four people in the world who had the power to do anything about it during the game. And in the NHL, infractions that are called can be reviewed but not ones that aren't.

That should change. We're not lobbying for a review of every infraction, but if the NHL wants to further prevent and punish head contact, it has to get this right. Whether that's having an eye-in-the-sky official who has the power to call headshots or giving the control room in Toronto the power to intervene and have the officials review them, something has to be done.

Today's video column has more.

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In the end, it came down to more than just money for Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet.

The Canucks said they were prepared to make Tocchet the team’s highest-paid coach ever on a long-term extension, but the 61-year-old declined that offer on Tuesday, citing personal reasons.

As team president Jim Rutherford pointed out when he spoke to the local media on Tuesday afternoon, the Canucks have not historically been a team that hangs onto its coaches for long periods of time — even before the carousel started spinning at breakneck speed throughout the NHL over the last few years. 

Until last week, Rutherford was confident that Tocchet would return. He said Tuesday he hadn’t put much thought into a candidate list yet but expected his phone to start ringing imminently.

While he won two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh with Mike Sullivan, who became available on Monday, Rutherford said the former assistant to John Tortorella with the Canucks is aiming to stay out east, so he’s not an option to return.

And while the goal is to get the Canucks back into contention — and convince Quinn Hughes there’s plenty of reason to stick around — extensive NHL experience is not necessarily a prerequisite for the Vancouver job.

“They have to understand that playing in Vancouver, travel can be tough at times,” Rutherford said. “Can they manage the schedule when we practise, when we travel, all those things? You have to have some experience. You have to have leadership qualities. You have to have a good structure and system that the players can lean to when they're not playing well. Those will be some of the things that we're going to look for.”

Here are two names that Rutherford said are up for consideration and some others who could fit that script.

Peter Laviolette

The 60-year-old is on the market after a brutal season with the New York Rangers. But he won a Cup under Rutherford with the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2006, so the familiarity is there.

Laviolette has spent most of his coaching career on the East Coast, but he also worked in Nashville. Would the Massachusetts native consider the white-hot spotlight of a Canadian market for the first time in his career?

Coach Rick Tocchet Explains Why He's Leaving The Vancouver CanucksVancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet decided not to return to the team for next season.

Manny Malhotra

In his first year behind the bench with the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks, Malhotra served up the hottest streak in the history of any Vancouver team affiliate down the stretch and now has his team into the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs.

A seventh-overall pick in the 1998 NHL draft who established a reputation as a responsible two-way center and faceoff ace, Malhotra played 159 of his 991 career NHL games with the Canucks. 

Malhotra also has seven years of experience as an NHL coach — three seasons under Travis Green in Vancouver, and four under Sheldon Keefe in Toronto. 

“Based on the job he did (in Abbotsford) and the experience he has in the league, he will certainly be on the short list,” Rutherford said.

Jeremy Colliton

Abbotsford’s previous bench boss is also young, articulate and collected 205 games of NHL experience with the Chicago Blackhawks when he was elevated after Joel Quenneville’s shock firing in 2018.

Looking for more opportunity at the NHL level, he signed on as Keefe’s assistant with the New Jersey Devils for 2024-25 — which means his season ended on Tuesday night.

Organizations usually won’t stand in the way of assistants interviewing for head-coaching jobs. Could Colliton return to the West Coast? And could that Devils connection possibly help untangle the knotty Hughes brothers situation that now lingers in the background of every organizational decision?

Rikard Gronborg

After guiding Sweden to back-to-back gold medals at the 2017 and 2018 World Championships, Gronborg had major momentum to become the first Swede with an NHL head-coaching job. But it didn’t happen.

Gronborg went to Switzerland, then Finland, and Anders Sorensen earned the honor when the Blackhawks tapped him as the interim replacement for Luke Richardson earlier this season.

The Canucks have had a strong Swedish connection for decades. With Patrik Allvin overseeing a crucial mission to get Elias Pettersson back to being his best self, Gronborg could help. Before joining the Canucks, Pettersson was part of that gold-winning 2018 squad at worlds.

How Bad Can It Get For The Vancouver Canucks?Imagine you’re a Vancouver Canucks fan at the end of the 2023-24 season. 

David Carle

Let’s be clear: this is a massive long shot. 

The two-time world junior gold medalist with Team USA and two-time Frozen Four champ with the University of Denver has a sparkling resume. But the 35-year-old has made it clear he’s not looking to leave the Pioneers unless it’s for an exceptional opportunity. That means solid compensation, stability for his young family and a real chance to win. 

Carle is already rumored to have turned down the Blackhawks. Even though he was born in Alaska and might appreciate the rugged geography around Vancouver, the scrutiny and criticism that comes with playing in a Canadian market is probably not especially appealing.

Two other NCAA coaches are currently carrying some buzz for NHL jobs: Pat Ferschweiler from the Frozen Four-champion Western Michigan Broncos and two-time Cup winner Jay Pandolfo, who coaches Canucks prospects Tom Willander and Aiden Celebrini in the strong Boston University program.

Jessica Campbell

When Rutherford arrived in Vancouver late in 2021, he quickly broke down gender barriers by hiring Emilie Castonguay and Cammi Granato as assistant GMs. Both are still with the team, and the Canucks’ player development and scouting has improved under Granato’s watch.

So don’t rule out the possibility that Rutherford could bring in the NHL’s first woman coach — especially after seeing Campbell work her magic against his team as an assistant with the Seattle Kraken this season.

The Kraken are also coach-hunting after cutting ties with Dan Bylsma, so that could be a more natural fit. But don’t rule out the prospect of Campbell interviewing in Vancouver.

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Recent news regarding the New York Rangers focused on who would become their next coach following their recent firing of Peter Laviolette. 

The latest speculation has Mike Sullivan joining the Blueshirts after recently parting ways with the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

As for potential player trade candidates, Chris Kreider seems the most likely to be moved. The 34-year-old left winger has two years left on his contract with an average annual value of $6.5 million and a 15-team no-trade list. 

Center Mika Zibanejad was mentioned in trade rumors, but moving him would be difficult. He has more term left on his contract than Kreider (five years) and a larger average annual value ($8 million). Zibanejad also has a full no-movement clause. 

Nevertheless, Zibanejad recently told the New York Post's Mollie Walker that he's aware his disappointing performance this season puts his tenure with the Rangers at a crossroads. He was also unhappy with how management handled what Walker called “certain business” this season, perhaps alluding to the departures of Jacob Trouba and Barclay Goodrow since last June. 

Regarding his clause, Zibanejad said he knows what his contract says. 

“Both parties agreed to it, and like I said, I think I earned it,” he told Walker. “Until it's time to adjust it, I have no plans of going anywhere. I've invested a lot of years here.”

Still, Walker wondered if GM Chris Drury might meet with Zibanejad to discuss adjusting his no-move clause. 

Turning to the Boston Bruins, there was recent conjecture over whether they might make Jeremy Swayman a trade candidate. The 26-year-old goaltender is their only high-priced player lacking no-trade protection for next season. 

It was suggested the Bruins might peddle Swayman to free up cap space. However, that move seems unlikely, coming less than a year after re-signing him to his eight-year extension. Besides, there is no suitable replacement within their system or available in the trade and free-agent market.

Joonas Korpisalo is the more likely candidate if the Bruins move a goaltender. RG.Org's James Murphy reports sources claim his agent, Markus Lehto, told management that his client would welcome a trade if they don't intend to give him more starts next season. 

Korpisalo, 31, was acquired from the Ottawa Senators last June in exchange for Linus Ullmark. He's signed through 2027-28 with an average annual value of $4 million, with the Bruins carrying $3 million and the Senators $1 million. 

Murphy indicated Lehto was unavailable for comment, and no formal trade request was made to the Bruins. Nevertheless, his situation could be worth monitoring. The limited goalie options in this summer's trade and free-agent markets could make him enticing for clubs seeking depth between the pipes for next season. 

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