Blues Rumors & News

Bleacher Report "Evgeni Malkin has played nearly 1,000 regular-season games and another 177 in the playoffs while establishing himself as one of the most prolific players in recent history. Three Stanley Cups, two scoring titles, a most valuable player award and better than 500 goals and 1,300 points..." May 17

Daily Faceoff "In Round 1, Daily Faceoff resident coach Jon Goyens identified eight key battlegrounds that had significant impacts on the outcome of each series. He was the first to use the word ‘boring’ to describe the start of that Calgary-Dallas series, which ended up being..." May 17

Pro Hockey Talk "1. Will Cale Makar take over another series? After having one of the best regular seasons for a defenseman in recent NHL memory, Makar showed up in the First Round against Nashville and absolutely took over in the Avalanche’s four-game sweep. He was a..." May 17

Daily Faceoff "Okay. That was extreme. Pretty sure the hockey universe is still measuring its collective heart rate after five Game 7s over two days to close out the first round of the NHL playoffs. Early on in those series, though: I have to admit to being disappointed in the quality of the games on the ice...." May 17

Pro Hockey Rumors "The St. Louis Blues have added an interesting goaltending prospect, signing Vadim Zherenko to a three-year entry-level contract. Zherenko spent this season playing in Finland, mostly for Ilves Tampere at the highest level. Selected 208th overall in 2019, just a few spots..." May 17

Clutch Points "The Toronto Maple Leafs were defeated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That’s a phrase attributable to any of the past six NHL seasons and still holds true in 2022. The Leafs blew a 3-2 series lead against the Tampa Bay Lightning and were defeated 2-1 in Game 7, once again..." May 15

The Hockey Writers "The Minnesota Wild had high expectations for the playoffs following a franchise-best campaign in the 2021-22 NHL season. Unfortunately, the St. Louis Blues proved to be too tough of a task to handle in the opening round as they eliminated the Wild in six games. Outside of Kirill..." May 15

Pro Hockey Rumors "Despite relatively low fanfare, one of hockey’s biggest names is set to be become an unrestricted free agent this summer. New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban will become a UFA for the first time in his career, having just finished the final year of an eight-year, $72MM..." May 15

The Hockey Writers "The Chicago Blackhawks are expected to be one of the busiest teams this offseason. General manager (GM) Kyle Davidson has made it clear that the club is rebuilding and more moves should be on the way. However, although this is the current state of the team, that doesn’t..." May 14

Pro Hockey Rumors "Per CapFriendly, the St. Louis Blues have placed forward Mackenzie MacEachern on waivers. MacEachern, 28, has been on long-term injured reserve for the past month after sustaining an upper-body injury on April 8 in a regular-season game against the Minnesota Wild. He was..." May 14

Pro Hockey Rumors "The St. Louis Blues are happy to be advancing to the second round of the playoffs, that much is certain. However, their series win over the Minnesota Wild is not without complications. Veteran center Tyler Bozak earned a $100K bonus with the Blues advancing, CapFriendly reports,..." May 14

The Athletic "Welcome to a weekend of Game 7s. If your favorite team isn’t playing in one, prepare to be entertained. If they are, well, prepare for pain. Whenever I make a ranking, I know what I’m in for. It’s a fun format to play with, and readers usually enjoy them, but..." May 13

ESPN "The 2021-22 NHL season included a great deal of highlights, from the dominance of the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers to the goal-scoring prowess of Auston Matthews and Chris Kreider to spectacular goaltending from Igor..." May 13

Daily Faceoff "If any first round Stanley Cup playoff matchup was built for seven games, it was the St. Louis Blues versus the Minnesota Wild. Or so we thought. The Blues won Game 6 by a score of 5-1. And despite a slow start in the first period, they deserved it. From special teams to goaltending,..." May 13

Daily Faceoff "A few months back, I wrote an article for The Coaches Site about a term I coined: ‘Trap Goals.’ I came up with the idea after working remotely for an NHL head coach during the 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. During pre-scouts and analyzing in-game..." May 12

ESPN "Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said something absolutely astonishing before Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes. He announced a goalie change from Linus Ullmark to Jeremy Swayman, which was to be expected when one is down in a series. But to justify his..." May 12

TSN "Thomas Chabot will serve as Team Canada's captain at the 2022 IIHF World Championship in Finland. Hockey Canada announced Thursday that Chabot will wear the "C," while Montreal Canadiens winger Josh Anderson, Winnipeg Jets forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois and Adam Lowry,..." May 12

Sportsnaut "The Vegas Golden Knights suffered a disappointing end to the 2021-22 NHL season, tumbling out of a playoff spot over the final few months. This is the first time in franchise history that they’ve missed the playoffs. As a result, head coach Peter DeBoer has found his name swirling in the..." May 11

Clutch Points "Vladimir Tarasenko stepped up when it mattered in the St Louis Blues’ 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. Tarasenko posted 3 goals en route a clutch hat trick which led the Blues to a crucial win. St Louis now leads the series with Minnesota..." May 11

The Athletic "This has been a strange first round on a number of fronts. Scoring is up, penalties are being called, teams are holding onto multi-goal leads, the margin of victory has never been higher, and series have never been closer. It’s been a very different Stanley Cup playoffs. The..." May 10

The Hockey Writers "You’ve heard the news. Jeff Blashill will not be behind the Detroit Red Wings’ bench next season, and now the search for Hockeytown’s next head coach has begun. General manager Steve Yzerman has the ultimate say in who will fill that vacancy, but he did say this..." May 10

ESPN "The 2021-22 NHL season included a great deal of highlights, from the dominance of the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers to the goal-scoring prowess of Auston Matthews and Chris Kreider to spectacular goaltending from Igor..." May 10

Daily Faceoff "For this week’s edition of McKenna’s Musings, I decided to stay in my lane. All goalie. During the Stanley Cup playoffs, there’s never a shortage of crease-related topics. So here’s a closer look at two of the major goaltending..." May 10

ESPN "Each series in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs has now gotten through Game 4, with no shortage of goalie drama, blowouts and controversy with on-ice officials. This postseason has certainly been thrilling, and following wins Monday by the Florida..." May 10

The Score "Scorers can't be stopped Disregard the old saying that it's harder to score in the postseason. Offense surged in 2021-22 to heights unseen in 26 years, and the trendline has kept rising in May. Teams combined to score 6.28 goals per game..." May 10

Daily Faceoff "The Montréal Canadiens picked the Wright time to bottom out in the NHL standings. Yes, the pain of finishing in 32nd place some 300 days after skating in the Stanley Cup Final is real, but the payoff is the Canadiens now hold the best odds in the history of the NHL Draft..." May 10

The Athletic "How many NHL coaches woke up on Monday, heard that Barry Trotz was freshly unemployed and audibly groaned? Fifteen? Twenty? Thirty-one? Yep, a big, unexpected name has cannonballed into the coaching carousel. It seems we can thank Lou Lamoriello for that. Now,..." May 10

ESPN "It's round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the Boston Bruins are facing the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Tensions flare early, as Boston winger David Pastrnak collides with Carolina goalie Antti Raanta,..." May 09

Pro Hockey Rumors "The roster is set, with just a few days to go before things kick off for Hockey Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Championship. The defending gold medalists will be icing a rather youthful roster this season, highlighted by some of the league’s up-and-coming stars, along with some established..." May 09

Bleacher Report "The regular season is the main measuring stick for evaluating an NHL player's performance when he's eligible to become a restricted or unrestricted free agent. However, a strong effort in the postseason can also provide a significant boost to their stock. The..." May 07

Daily Faceoff "Two years ago, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo delivered an all-time performance during the Stanley Cup playoffs. In an agonizing five-overtime defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of their Round-1 matchup, he stopped 85 shots. That broke Kelly Hrudey’s..." May 07

NHL.com "Shane Wright, a center with Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League, is No. 1 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters for the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft. Central Scouting on Thursday revealed its final list of the top North American skaters and goalies, and..." May 06

The Athletic "Since the NHL regular season came to a close last weekend, three head coaching vacancies have opened up already, with possibly one or two more to come. NHL teams are rarely as cutthroat as their NFL counterparts where on Black Monday, non-playoff teams cut a swath through coaching..." May 06

Daily Faceoff "Momentum. It’s a word we hear a lot during the Stanley Cup playoffs, far more often than we do during the regular season. If you’ve watched all 16 games in Round 1 so far, you’ve probably heard “momentum” discussed several or even dozens of times per..." May 06

The Score "With the 2022 NHL Draft just two months away, New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald has made it clear his team's first-round selection could be in play. "I said this two drafts ago when we had the three first-round picks, I'm open to whatever can help..." May 05

The Score "While other leagues have expanded their postseason pictures in recent years, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday he wouldn't change a thing about the Stanley Cup Playoffs. "The reason this is as good as it is is because the regular season and the playoffs are..." May 05

ESPN "Have we ever discussed how the Conn Smythe Trophy might be the NHL's weirdest award? Let's start with the hardware itself. In 1964, the trophy was donated to the NHL by Maple Leaf Gardens, to be awarded to the Stanley Cup playoffs MVP and as a bauble to honor Hockey Hall of..." May 05

Pro Hockey Rumors "After the 2023 IIHF World Junior tournament was stripped from Russia last month, a new host nation and city needed to be found quickly. The destination has been decided, as Hockey Canada officially announced today that Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick will hold the..." May 05

The Hockey News "The United States has announced a 24-man roster for the upcoming men's World Hockey Championship in Finland, set to begin on May 13.  The team is led by veteran defenders Seth Jones and Nate Schmidt, with Jones being the most experienced player with two previous World..." May 05

Pro Hockey Talk "The 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway and if you’re wondering what the longest overtime game in NHL playoff history is, we’ve got a list of the top 10 below. Top 10 Longest Overtime Games in NHL Playoff History: 116:30, 6 OT – March 24,..." May 05

The Athletic "The playoffs are here, and the pressure is intense. That’s true for everyone. You’re a rookie in your very first postseason? Pressure. A veteran chasing that elusive ring? Pressure. A coach, GM, a referee or the guy who has to run out and fix the broken glass? Pressure. A..." May 04

Bleacher Report "The 2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs are underway as 16 teams begin their quest to win hockey's greatest prize. Only one will be hoisting the big mug by the time the Stanley Cup Final ends in late June. We recently examined the reasons why each of this year's postseason..." May 04

Daily Faceoff "It’s NHL playoff time, and that means the intensity will ratchet up to a new level. With players sacrificing their bodies to jump in front of pucks and their opponents, injuries are bound to be a factor. It’s a war of attrition, and often the teams with the most depth are the ones..." May 04

NHL.com "The National Hockey League today announced the 32 team nominees for the 2021-22 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is presented “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his..." May 04

Bleacher Report "Sixteen teams have a chance to win the 2022 Stanley Cup. Some are more likely to pull it off than others. We grouped them into five tiers to evaluate their likelihoods of ending the season on top.     Tier 1:..." May 03

The Athletic "It’s playoff time, and almost everyone knows who they’re rooting for. Almost everyone. Obviously, half the league’s fan bases get to watch their own team in the postseason, so that’s easy. Of the teams that didn’t make it, plenty of you will be..." May 03

ESPN "Toronto Maple Leafs forward Kyle Clifford has been suspended one game by the NHL's Department of Player Safety for boarding Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ross Colton. The decision makes Clifford unavailable for Game 2 of the Leafs and Lightning..." May 03

The Athletic "The Anaheim Ducks hired veteran executive Rob DiMaio as assistant general manager, the team announced Tuesday. DiMaio will also serve as GM of the San Diego Gulls, Anaheim's AHL affiliate. DiMaio has been an NHL executive for 14 seasons so far following 19 years in the league as a..." May 03

Pension Plan Puppets "At the time of the hit, Clifford received a five-minute penalty for boarding and a game misconduct. In general, the game misconduct carries some weight in a hearing as a kind of “time served”. The option is open for the Department of Player Safety to levy a fine, a..." May 03

TSN "Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon received a $5,000 fine from the NHL's Department of Player Safety for a cross-checking incident in Game 1 against Pavel Buchnevich of the St. Louis Blues. After the two players collided and fell to the ice while chasing a puck late..." May 03