NHL Weekly Roundup: Jonathan Drouin Return, Ilya Kovalchuk Saga, & More
By Aly Dhanani
NHL Weekly Roundup: Drouin Return, Kovalchuk Saga & More
Starting from this week on, I will be writing an NHL weekly roundup column every Monday and Sunday to catch you up on all the latest news and rumors from around the league.
On Jonathan Drouin…
After a month and a half long holdout, Jonathan Drouin returned to action with AHL Syracuse Friday, picking up an assist. Saturday, Drouin continued to show he still has the offensive flare that made his NHL rookie season so hyped, picking 2 goals in the second half of a back to back stint.
Sorry fans, but it doesn’t seem like Drouin’s trade request is still active, but it’s possible he does get moved at next years deadline because he is an RFA in the summer of 2017, as he has now burned the 2nd year of his ELC. Who moves? Ben Bishop or Drouin?
On Ilya Kovalchuk…
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Over the past 2 weeks, KHL star and former NHL star Ilya Kovalchuk has been clashing with his club SKA St. Petersburg, in a series of events that has many speculating he will return to the NHL this summer. After scoring 49 points in 50 regular season games and leading SKA to the playoffs, he was stripped of his captaincy and scratched for the first 2 games of the series.
Kovalchuk reportedly said that if he was scratched a third or fourth game, he would terminate his contract and head to the NHL. And yet again, things have boiled over as Kovalchuk was benched yesterday by SKA, but it doesn’t seem to be personal. In 3 playoff games, Kovalchuck has failed to register a point with SKA.
Ilya, 32, has expressed mutual interest to someday return to the NHL, and if he does indeed decide to cross the seas this summer, all 30 NHL teams would have to approve his decision to come out of retirement. According to NHL.com, the New Jersey Devils still hold his rights. What would his trade value be, and who would be interested?
On Steven Stamkos…
Steven Stamkos sure looked good last night, scoring two goals and adding an assist in a 4-0 win over the Blue Jackets. But what jersey will Stamkos be wearing next season?
The following quote is via the Eklund Buzz blog on Hockey Buzz: “A lot can happen of course, and I do believe Stamkos will give the Bolts an opportunity to be competitive in the market and maybe match whatever offer he draws from Toronto, Montreal, Long Island, Detroit or New Jersey…but at the end of the day I am hearing more about contingency plans without Stammer in Tampa than I am with him staying put.”
TSN‘s Bob Mckenzie also states that the Vancouver Canucks could take a run at Steven Stamkos in free agency this summer.
Marc Crawford returning to the NHL?
According to a report from TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, ZSC Lions (a Swiss powerhouse team) coach Marc Crawford has informed ZSC that he will not renew his contract with the team, and is pursuing an NHL job for next season.
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Crawford won the Jack Adams award for best coach in 1995 with the Colorado Avalanche, winning a Stanley Cup the year after, but since then it’s been a rocky road. Crawford last coached in the NHL during the 2010-11 season, with the Dallas Stars.
However, Crawford did a great job with the Lions this year, and got to work with one of the best prospects (other than Connor McDavid) to come into the draft since Sidney Crosby: Auston Matthews. Even though ZSC was upset in the first round of the playoffs, Crawford did an excellent job of easing Matthews into the European game, and they both reaped the rewards. Is Crawford’s next job behind the bench (assistant or head) of Matthew’s next team?
GM Meetings Update:
According to Elliote Friedman of Sportsnet, it is unlikely that changes to the punishment for missing the All Star game are made. It has also been confirmed the NHL will add cameras to the boards and crossbar so they can have a new angle on offside’s and goals for the playoffs.
Next: Malkin Out 6-8 Weeks: Wild-Card Spot at Risk
There has been a push to alter the draft lottery so a certain team can only win a certain amount of times, but nothing has been agreed on. Another thing to keep you ears open for is the Salary Cap number for next year. It could affect the future of upcoming RFA’s.
Hope you enjoyed!