Fox has spent the majority of the season in the East Coast Hockey League, with Kalamazoo, where he has a team-leading 26 goals and 50 points, but he's moving on up to the American Hockey League's Charlotte Checkers.
By trading fox, the #Canucks open up another contract spot. They currently have 44/50 - let the NCAA/CHL hunting begin! (hopefully)
The 22-year-old was an undrafted free-agent signing of the Canucks in 2013. He's 6-feet tall and weighs 188 pounds. He had 30 goals in his first ECHL season, after scoring 64 goals in 67 games in his final season of junior hockey.
Nazem Kadri learned a valuable lesson, according to Nazem Kadri.
A year ago this week, Kadri was suspended by the Toronto Maple Leafs for off-ice related issues. Asked about it Monday, Kadri called the suspension his "moment of clarity," according to TSN's Mark Masters.
"I mean, that could've went one of two ways. I could have taken it one of two ways," Kadri said. "I'm proud of myself for just battling my way out of it. Obviously, it was a hard time for myself, but I stuck with it, I worked hard, I didn't let that bother me and I came back with something to prove and I think I've proved that."
Kadri's numbers don't show it, but he's one of Toronto's better players this season, tied for the team lead with 35 points on an offensively-challenged team. He remains a positive possession player and elite at drawing penalties. And he hasn't let a lack of box-score results - he's shooting 5.5 percent with only 12 goals on 220 shots - influence his work ethic, which is the only thing he can control.
"Every single day I want to be the hardest-working guy in practice and I want to bring that work ethic and lead by example not only on the ice but off the ice as well," Kadri said, adding that he's matured as a player and a person.
Head coach Mike Babcock, who's been vocal in his praise for Kadri in his first year coaching him, pumped the brakes a little bit, saying the 25-year-old still has far to go.
"Well, let's not get carried away, work in progress," Babcock said. "If Naz was right here I'd say the same thing to him. A big thing for him, for all kids who come in to the league obviously, is you've got to figure out what a pro is. When you start getting paid you think you're a pro. To me, that has nothing to do with it. That just means you're getting paid. When you become a pro, you learn how to practice hard, you know how to sleep right, how to eat right, you know how to bring it every day, you know how to fight through adversity, you know how to control your emotions. There's lots of things and you're a work in progress and so Naz is that."
Rielly on Kadri: "He’s more focused on putting this team in the right direction. He’s taken more responsibility & I think it really shows."
The Maple Leafs continue to strip their roster, and are seeing an infusion of youth, as the team begins to develop its own talent. Kadri's one of the older guys now, and he'll only turn 26 in October.
"Especially with the young guys coming in, I want to be a person they can look to," Kadri said.
Kadri needs a new contract, as he's due for restricted free agency after signing a one-year bridge deal worth $4.1 million. He can help as the rebuild continues, and Toronto may be able to lock him in at a cheaper rate after his unlucky season.
With his team two points behind Minnesota in the race for a wild-card spot, head coach Patrick Roy has tabbed Semyon Varlamov to start his first game since being pulled from a 6-3 loss to the Wild on March 1.
After Calvin Pickard went 1-1 in two starts since, Roy's turning back to Varlamov, and with high expectations.
"We knew he was going to play eventually," Roy said of Varlamov after Monday's morning skate. "I thought he had really good practices (while) Pick played really well in those games. Now it's time for Varly to step up."
Varlamov has been down more than up this season, as evidenced by his save percentages by month.
Month
Games
Shots Against
Sv%
October
7
198
.889
November
7
154
.885
December
11
341
.942
January
10
287
.926
February
8
208
.897
March
1
12
.750
Roy will obviously need more of what Varlamov showed midseason, or at least something closer to his career save percentage of .917.
With games against Arizona, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton on tap, it's as good a time as any to pick up some valuable points.
Vancouver, B.C. - Vancouver Canucks General Manager Jim Benning announced today that the Canucks have traded forward Dane Fox to Carolina for future considerations.
Following a report that a decision has been made regarding the NHL's expansion process, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said no such resolution has been reached.
"We will not comment on the substance of our process, which remains ongoing," Daly said in a statement. "No final decisions have been reached and no recommendation of any kind has been made or communicated by the League Office or the Executive Committee either to the NHL Players' Association or to the NHL Board of Governors."
The statement was released Monday just hours after former NHLer Georges Laraque told 91.9 Sport the NHLPA was informed that Quebec City has been excluded from NHL expansion.
Quebec City and Las Vegas are both currently going through the NHL's formal expansion process.
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot, Winnipeg Jets centre Mark Scheifele and San Jose Sharks defenceman Brent Burns have been named the NHL's three stars of the week.
Talbot went 3-0-0 with a 0.65 goals-against average, .98...
Upon lifting the 20-year-old's suspension and announcing Drouin would report back to the AHL's Syracuse Crunch, Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman is keeping the door open for a reconciliation between the two parties.
Asked if relationship between Drouin and #tblightning is salvageable long-term, Yzerman says, "I'm not going to rule anything out."
Yzerman is believed to have been approached by several suitors prior to the NHL trade deadline, and was looking for pieces that could help the team reach its goal of winning a Stanley Cup this spring. Unable to find the right deal, he ultimately decided to hold onto Drouin's rights, but until now, it seemed as though he had played his last game with the club at any level.
For now, they're taking it one step at a time, but the addition of a player of Drouin's skill set could end up being the boost the Lightning need to get over the hump.
Would Drouin be welcomed back in #tblightning room? "Absolutely," Ben Bishop said. "If things work out...he'll be welcomed with open arms."
Lady Gaga and fiance Taylor Kinney took in the Chicago Blackhawks' victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday after participating in the Polar Plunge.
When it was their turn for the kiss cam, the couple was more than excited.
There's a precondition attached to playing goal for the Nashville Predators.
This is a requirement that won't be detailed in a standard player's contract, and it's unrelated to athleticism, flexibility, reflexes, or any performance-based standard that an elite goaltender must meet.
In fact, it's something most of us do, mindlessly, and from the couch at home. Only without the audience.
"Hey, this is what we do here."
Mic'd up
This was the basic gist of it when Carter Hutton - then new to the Predators organization - was first mic'd and informed that he would be providing in-game analysis for segments on the local broadcast.
Now a veteran, and with enough reps across three seasons backing up Pekka Rinne to locate and speak directly and articulately into a camera set up across Bridgestone Arena (and also effectively deal with the distractions at ice level during NHL games), Hutton's at the crux of one of the more insightful and interesting segments found on local hockey broadcasts.
"I have worked on it a bit," Hutton said in an interview with theScore. "I just take some pride in it; if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it right, and with the best of my ability."
Hutton might be the NHL's best game analyst in slightly sweat-soaked goalie gear and a ball cap, but he's no pioneer. The mid-game backup interview has been a staple of Predators broadcasts, and a bit that helped launch longtime backup Chris Mason's radio career.
But the key for Hutton, in this distinctive moonlighting endeavor, isn't to be something or someone else.
"You don't want to be too dry and just continue on with the same (cliches)," Hutton said. "I try to talk with education, and come across the right way. I try to provide my perspective of what I see in the game, and maybe a different spin from a goalie's point of view. I try not to be too generic."
He added: "I just try to be myself, you know. I try to approach it with a positive attitude."
That last part may be most important. Because though Nashville has firmly established its NHL roots, as confirmed by the wildly successful All-Star Game in Music City, Hutton is cognizant of the fact his in-game availability is still a marketing tool used to help package and sell the game.
So while using this platform to inform and educate a malleable audience, whether through sharing tactics or relaying the message from Peter Laviolette and the coaching staff, remains paramount, coming across as upbeat, engaging, and simply willing is a requirement, too.
"It's a chance for me to help sell the game, to promote it, so I just think negativity doesn't get me anywhere," said Hutton, who points to Darren Pang and Kevin Weekes, two analysts (and former goaltenders) that err on the side of positively for inspiration.
"At the end of the day, you can always find something negative to critique, but I think you can always find something positive from a situation too."
'Thanks for having me, guys'
Charm, of course, is far easier on nights when the game is tilted in Nashville's direction. And that's also when the entire bench gets in on the fun.
When he's not ducking under a flung towel, swatting at a stick being waved in his face, or being pestered by the training staff, it's often Hutton's duty to work a predefined keyword or phrase into the interview to appease his teammates.
The tone will change from discussion to discussion with Willy Daunic and Stu Grimson, who do the play-by-play and color commentary, respectively, but each one- or two-minute segment ends with the same fan engagement.
Hutton's legion of supporters will happily tweet his now-signature signoff - "Hey, thanks for having me guys" - back at the backup netminder, while some continue to encourage the 30-year-old to take up a post-playing career in broadcasting.
"I get it all the time," he said, adding, "It's definitely something to consider, but right now I'm focused on playing the game and having a long career - which is more important to me right now.
"But when the time comes, we'll cross that bridge."
So as long as he's a goaltender, the mentions - and instantaneous critiques - must wait. Hutton refocuses on the task at hand when the headset is removed, returning to his overriding role as Rinne's second set of eyes and offering the classified analysis that's too important to make it to air.
