In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Game 3 versus the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues was an injury-riddled one as both Samuel Girard and Jordan Binnington were hurt.
There are quite a few updates on the Dallas Stars, including talk about their coaching vacancy. The Philadelphia Flyers will meet with Barry Trotz and are the New Jersey Devils open to trading the No. 2 overall draft pick in the upcoming draft?
Avalanche Lose Girard Remained of Playoffs
The Avalanche lost defenseman Samuel Girard for the rest of the playoffs to a broken sternum, as per reports and confirmation by the team. There are many wondering how Barbashev didn’t even get a penalty on the hit but it was not a boarding penalty according to the rules and he did not leave his feet until after there was contact with Girard.
Blues Lose Binnington
Meanwhile, the Blues have lost starting goaltender Jordan Binnington for an undetermined amount of time. It is possible that he may not see the playoffs again either. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports that “good sources” say Binnington suffered a “possible knee sprain” and could be out for “multiple weeks.” Meanwhile, Emily Kaplan of ESPN is reporting he is expected to miss at least Game 4.
The injury happened when he was barreled into by both Nazem Kadri and Calle Rosen who were going for a loose puck at the top of the crease. Kadri is taking some heat because of his reputation and actually said that he thinks Binnington threw a water bottle at him during his post-game media conference. That said, it doesn’t sound like Kadri’s actions will be looked into by the league.
Andy Strickland writes, “The @NHLPlayerSafety is not expected to react to the Nazem Kadri bulldoze of Jordan Binnington. Told the league feels the collision with the defenseman (Calle Rosen) as they’re both going for a loose puck causes the goalie contact.”
Flyers to Interview Trotz
Marek also tried to clear up rumors that the Philadelphia Flyers and former Islanders coach Barry Trotz are linked together in coaching talks. He confirmed that Trotz will meet with the Philadelphia Flyers next week about their coaching vacancy. He notes they like his reputation as a good coach and the fact he’s spent a lot of time coaching teams from their division. At the same time, if the Flyers are seriously looking at Trotz, they won’t rush a decision to hire or not hire him. Even if that means the Flyers lose out on other potential coaching candidates, they will take their time with this.
Related: 4 Canadiens Unlikely to Return For 2022-23 Season
As for other teams interested in Trotz, Friedman notes that Vegas and Detroit are interested, as are the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets were considered an obvious favorite, but Friedman says the Jets will also meet with Scott Arniel and Pascal Vincent, two coaches who do have ties of course to Manitoba.
Stars Looking at Rick Tocchet and Marc Savard?
Elliotte Friedman noted during the 32 Thoughts report on Saturday that it will be interesting to see if the Dallas Stars circle back to Rick Tocchet as a possible head coaching candidate for next season. Friedman noted that the Stars considered a coaching change at this past All-Star break and they zeroed in on Tocchet at that time. They couldn’t work out the overall situation and finalize a deal on term but they could look at him again.
Jeff Marek then noted that another person to keep in mind and who could be on Dallas’ radar is Marc Savard. Savard is a former NHLer and former assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues, but now works with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. He has experience coaching Wyatt Johnson, who is regarded as one of Dallas’ top prospects.
Devils Willing to Trade No. 2 Overall Pick
Finally, Friedman reports the New Jersey Devils are considering all their options when it comes to their first-round draft pick this, which so happens to be the second pick overall because of the Draft Lottery results. GM Tom Fitzgerald said the Devils would consider trading that pick prior to the lottery and that situation hasn’t changed. For the right return, the Devils would be willing to move the No. 2 selection.
The Devils are expected to soon make a list of players that they would be interested in acquiring in exchange for that pick.