MID-SEASON SHAKEDOWN
What The Puck?!
Written by Chase Howard
1st Branch
What is happening with Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers? According to currently unsubstantiated Russian reports, he has taken a leave of absence with team consent after being shaken by allegations regarding an assault on an 18-year-old girl in 2011. Panarin vehemently denies the allegations, which are being made by former NHL forward and Kontinental Hockey League coach Andrei Nazarov, according to reports. Nazarov was Panarin's coach in the KHL during the 2011-2012 season, the time the alleged incident occurred.
There might be more to the story as Panarin has been vocal through social media in his support of Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader in Russia against President Vladimir Putin, and the KHL has come out and questioned the report. Meanwhile, the NHL has stated it supports Panarin and is monitoring the situation
Russian professional ice hockey winger Artemi Panarin; Source: Larry Brown Sports | Photo from USA Today
2nd Branch
Claude Julien was fired as Head Coach of the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday along with assistant Kirk Mueller. Julien, who had a year left on his 5-year contract signed back in 2017, was 129-123 in his second stint with Les Habitants but only managed two first-round playoff exits. The Canadiens were 7-1-2 through their first ten games but sputtered to 2-4-2 in their past eight, dropping way down in the North Division standings. Regarding the change, General Manager Marc Bergevin said he "had frequent talks with Julien in recent weeks". He went on to say that "it happens in all sports. Claude is a very good coach, it's just at some point; the players need a new voice. That's what I saw happening with our club in recent weeks."
Montreal has now turned the reigns to Dominique Ducharme for the rest of the season and added former NHL player Alexandre Burrows in an assistant role. Dominique Ducharme, who lost his debut 6-3 to Winnipeg, is a well-traveled coach. The new bench boss has spent the last two years as an assistant on Julien's staff; clearly, there was some desire for continuity. Ducharme coached Canada to a Championship at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship after a second-place finish the year before. The 47-year-old also spent seven seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with Halifax (2011-16) and Drummondville (2016-18), winning the Memorial Cup in 2013. Let's see if Ducharme can bring that winning pedigree to Montreal.
3rd Branch
Speaking of interesting coach situations, Bruce Boudreau openly expressed interest in the Seattle (release the) Kraken job this week. Boudreau was quoted as saying "The thing about that job is it would be great to start with a team that is starting fresh and to be the builder of something."
Boudreau, who was fired by the Wild last season, has previous experience in this situation. He was a part of expansion teams with the CHL (1991) and the ECHL (1996). Despite a quality resume for the coach who sits 22nd all-time in wins, he's not a shoo-in as there are plenty of other quality candidates. I'm sure expansion experience will be high on the Kraken head coach wish list. Speaking of lists, without further ado, a quick Seattle Kraken head coach candidate power rankings.
Gerard Gallant - This would clearly be a good fit, as GG coached the Vegas Golden Knights to the best expansion team record in league history and a berth in the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season. Since being released by the Knights last year, the 2018 Jack Adams winner as best NHL coach has interviewed for the Washington Capitals, a job that ultimately went to Peter Laviolette, and in his own words is "anxious to get back at it"
Bruce Boudreau expressed an interest in the job and has an impressive resume (see above). Boudreau is 2nd all-time in winning percentage (at least 100 NHL games coached) however, he has a reputation for playoff letdowns.
Todd Nelson - has a minor league resume as strong as anybody, spending the last ten seasons in the UHL and AHL. He never missed the playoffs and won championships in each league. Currently, he continues to learn as an assistant for the Dallas Stars.
The Mikes (Babcock and Yeo) – Babcock'sBabcock's name is bound to come up due to his career success (8th all-time in wins). The question is how do people feel about him, especially young players, after his nasty fallout with the Leafs? Mike Yeo had somewhat successful stints with the Wild and the St Louis Blues and now is doing well as an assistant for the Philadelphia Flyers; he's a guy likely to get another chance at the big chair in this league.
Rod Brind'Amour - Has the connection the Kraken GM Ron Francis and his contract in Carolina are up at the end of the season. This one may not be likely. Still, it's not an outlandish scenario either. However, given the Hurricanes' current performance, they would be best served to nip this in the bud and extend their Head Coach ASAP. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell better make him an offer he can't refuse.
Quick Hits
Henrik Lunquist is reportedly skating for the first time since open-heart surgery in January. The Washington Capitals goaltender acknowledged it would be a while before a possible return decision is made. Hopefully, we will get to see former King Henrik in his armour once again.
Jack Eichel's name has been flying around in rumours, and would you look at that, he was a late scratch the other day. Could Buffalo be ready to sell on his stock, or is this just another stroke of bad luck for a team having plenty? Pair this with a recent run of healthy scratches for the freshly minted Jeff Skinner (Year 2 of an 8 yr/$72mm contract), and Buffalo currently has nearly 25% of their yearly cap committed to spectators in the press-box.
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