In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Ottawa Senators have made a significant hire. The Toronto Maple Leafs introduced Craig Berube to the media as the new head coach, and the Edmonton Oilers move on to face the Dallas Stars, while the Vancouver Canucks look at their offseason roster.
Craig Berube Talks Maple Leafs New Playing Style
Brad Treliving introduced Craig Berube as the 32nd head coach in Toronto Maple Leafs history on Tuesday. Treliving stated that he met and spoke with nine candidates for the head coach position, but ultimately, “it all came back to Craig Berube.” Treliving noted that the character mattered and the people he spoke to all said they would go through a wall for Craig. Connecting with players and holding them accountable was a huge priority.
Treliving said he would sit down now with Berube and get to work on the roster. “We want to be a North team, we want to be fast, we want to be a heavy team,” said the new coach. It will be intriguing to see how many players on the current roster get a chance to respond to Berube’s new style and how many are ditched early in the process of rebuilding the roster under the new guidelines of how this team is expected to play.
Senators Hire Rob DiMaio
The Ottawa Senators have appointed Rob DiMaio as the Director of Player Personnel and Professional Scouting. “We are excited to add Rob’s experience and acumen to our hockey management team,” said President of Hockey Operations and GM Steve Staios. “He brings more than 30 years of experience as a player and executive and has a track record of success. Rob is a hard-working leader and a will be a great match to the team and culture we are building here in Ottawa.”
Related: Oilers Takeaways: How Edmonton Closed Out Game 7 Win vs. Canucks
DiMaio, 56, joins the Senators from the Anaheim Ducks, where he was Assistant GM and GM of the San Diego Gulls. Before Anaheim, he spent 13 seasons with the St. Louis Blues, contributing significantly to their 2019 Stanley Cup win as Director of Player Personnel.
What Happens With the Canucks Roster?
With the Vancouver Canucks being eliminated, they’ll need to solidify a roster that took huge steps this season. There’s a lot to like about the team but there are a handful of players that were key to their new success that aren’t locks to be there next season. Kristen Shilton and Ryan S. Clark of ESPN looked at their offseason plans and it focused on a few key names.
They wrote:
One of the details that allowed the Canucks to come within a game of the conference finals was how they used last offseason to rebuild their defense. It’ll be something Canucks GM Patrik Allvin and his front office staff will have to do again this offseason. Tyler Myers and Nikita Zadorov are two of the four pending UFA defensemen in need of a new deal, while Filip Hronek is a pending RFA.
They also pointed out that Elias Lindholm and Dakota Joshua are among four UFA forwards who will need new contracts. That will need to be sorted out while the team keeps an eye on next offseason, when Brock Boeser and Nils Hoglander need new deals. There is a lot of chatter out of Boston that the Bruins will heavily look at Lindholm in the hopes that they can free up the space need to sign him as a free agent.
Oilers Changes Heading Into Dallas Series
As the Oilers take on the Stars in the Western Conference Final, Dallas is the favorite due to the depth on their roster. That means the top player on the Oilers are going to need to step up more than they already have. Questions about an illness going through the Oilers locker room shouldn’t be a factor.
Some are saying McDavid was ill based on the sound of his voice in an interview post their Game 7 win, but that was more because he was hoarse from yelling in the celebration on the ice. And, if there is an illness, which coach Kris Knoblauch did hint at, they will have a few days before Game 1 to rest and get over any bug that could be affecting players.
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