In today’s NHL rumors rundown, reports are the Boston Bruins were trying to be a lot more active than they were at the NHL Trade Deadline. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins might make a play to bring Jake Guentzel back this summer. What is the latest on the head coaching search in Ottawa? Finally, are things getting ugly in Philadelphia where the coach isn’t talking to Sean Couturier about why he’s being scratched?
Bruins Tried to Get More Done at the Deadline
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was a guest with Gord Stellick and Scott Laughlin on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio and was asked about the Boston Bruins and their trade deadline activity. Wondering if they tried to do more than what went on, Friedman responded:
“I think a couple of things like it’s a good question Gordo. I think the Bruins, I think the Bruins had a lot of things going on it didn’t happen. And it makes me wonder about I think they wanted to be busier than they were. And we’ll see where that heads into going into the summer.”
(h/t NHLRumors.com for the transcriptions)
Could Guentzel Return to Pittsburgh?
Considering the reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins decided last minute to trade Jake Guentzel, some are wondering if they might rethink their position and offer him a contract in free agency this summer. Josh Yohe of The Athletic was asked this question in a recent mailbag segment and didn’t rule it out after talking with team sources. Yohe believes Guentzel could be in play if his asking price is within $8 million annually rather than $10 million.
He writes:
From everything I’ve heard, Jake is happy in Raleigh and excited about a potential Stanley Cup run. But he’s not planning on signing a contract anytime soon. I think he wants to head to July 1 as a free agent. Who could blame him? I have long assumed the Penguins wouldn’t bring him back simply because they had a year to sign him to an extension and never seemed particularly eager to do so. However, team sources have told me in recent days not to be surprised if he signs with the Penguins again this summer.
souruce – ‘Will Jake Guentzel sign with the Penguins as a free agent?: Mailbag’ – Josh Yohe – The Athletic – 03/21/2024
Yohe did say that he think it’s unlikely to see Guentzel return and that if he wants to test free agency, he’ll get better offers from other teams.
Who are Senators Looking at to Be the Next Head Coach?
Bruce Garrioch, writing for the Ottawa Sun, reports that the Ottawa Senators are in no rush to hire a new coach. Jacques Martin will finish the season before continuing in his advisory role and then assist Steve Staios in the search for the next bench boss. As for candidates, the search is already underway. Names like Craig Berube, Todd McLellan, Brad Shaw, Dean Evason, and John Gruden are being considered.
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Staios did say the Senators are not in a rush. He noted:
“The process has started. We have a list of people. We want to be patient with our approach because things do change into the off-season. We want to make sure that we have all the information that’s afforded to us to make the decision on bringing in the best coach for this group at this point in time.”
source – ‘GARRIOCH: Five top coaching candidates for vacant Ottawa Senators post’ – Bruce Garrioch – Ottawa Sun – 03/20/2024
There could be more coaching dismissals depending on how the season ends for some teams. The Senators want to make their selection from the biggest pool of coaches they can.
Sean Couturier Situation Getting Ugly in Philadelphia?
Sean Couturier‘s agent, Erik Lupien spoke publicly about John Tortorella’s decision to scratch the Flyers’ forward for a second straight game. What seems to be the biggest issue is a lack of communication between the coach and the player. Couturier was first surprised by a diminished ice time and still doesn’t know why he’s being made a healthy scratch.
Related: Flyers’ Great Effort Not Enough in 3-2 OT Loss to Hurricanes
“He was clueless about his ice time, why his ice time went down,” Lupien said. But, Couturier took it in stride and told himself that he would play the best he could with the ice time he was given. From there, even though Couturier believed he had a good relationship with the coach, communication got worse. Lupien said:
“From my point of view, when I saw the news (Couturier was scratched), I’m like, I really hope the communication why and the reasons why are really clear. I hope he’s going to get an explanation soon because he’s the captain, a leader of the team, and he has ‘Philadelphia’ tattooed on his chest since he got drafted. That’s why he wanted to sign there and to sign a long contract. I hope he’s going to get that respect from John Tortorella…. With your captain, you have to work together as a team. You want to send a message to the other guys, it has to go through your captain and your assistant. So now you’re not communicating with him. So, OK, what’s next?”
source – ‘Sean Couturier’s agent calls out Flyers’ lack of communication after captain scratched’ – Kevin Kurz – The Athletic – 03/19.2024