NHL Pacific

The Arizona Coyotes have officially named Andre Tourigny as their next head coach.

The team had announced in May that previous coach Rick Tocchet would not return after four seasons with the franchise.

General manager Bill Armstrong said in a statement:

"We are very pleased to name Andre as the new head coach of the Arizona Coyotes. Andre is a tremendous person and one of the best young coaches in the game today. He is a winner, a great teacher and a strong communicator who has a proven track record of developing young talent. We are confident that he is the right person to lead our team on the ice and we are thrilled to have him in our organization."

Tourigny will get his first opportunity as a head coach in the NHL after serving as an assistant with the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators. He spent the past four years as the coach of the Ottawa 67's in the junior Ontario Hockey League.

The 47-year-old found a lot of success at the junior level, winning OHL Coach of the Year in each of the past two seasons while leading his team to the best record in the league both years.

Tourigny also led Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2020 world junior championships and was an assistant for Canada at the world championships last month.

The work with younger players could be valuable as the Coyotes potentially look at a rebuild heading into 2021-22.

Arizona missed the playoffs after totaling just 54 points in 56 games last year. The team has just one postseason appearance in the last nine seasons, with the lone exception coming during the 2020 restart amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Young contributors like Clayton Keller and Jakob Chychrun will hope to turn the franchise around under Tourigny's tutelage.  

Coming off a dominant regular-season performance, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid has been named the winner of the 2020-21 Ted Lindsay Award.

For the third time in his career, Connor McDavid (@cmcdavid97) is taking home the Ted Lindsay Award as the most outstanding player as voted on by the @NHLPA! #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/HnDyzU0EMT

— NHL (@NHL) June 29, 2021

McDavid beat out Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the honor as voted upon by the NHL Players' Association.

This marks the third time in six seasons that McDavid has won the Lindsay. He previously won it in back-to-back years in 2016-17 and 2017-18.

McDavid is the most dominant offensive player in the NHL. The 24-year-old led the league with 72 assists and 105 points during the regular season. This marks the third time in the past five seasons he's been the league's leading point-scorer.

The only major offensive category McDavid didn't lead the NHL in was goals scored, but his 33 ranked second behind Matthews' 41.

McDavid's impressive season helped the Oilers make the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the North Division. Their postseason run ended abruptly with a four-game sweep at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets.

Drafted No. 1 overall by Edmonton in 2015, McDavid was entrusted to become the face of the franchise as a 19-year-old. He became a superstar virtually right out of the gate, winning NHL Rookie of the Month three times during the 2015-16 season.

McDavid has since gone on to be named an All-Star four times and a three-time winner of the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer. He is one of 10 players in league history to win the Ted Lindsay Award at least three times.

The Edmonton Oilers and forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins agreed to an eight-year, $41 million contract Tuesday.  

Ryan Rishaug of TSN first reported the news, noting Nugent-Hopkins wanted to stay in Edmonton. 

Nugent-Hopkins, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2011 NHL draft, spent the first decade of his career in Edmonton. While he's not quite lived up to the No. 1 overall hype, Nugent-Hopkins proved an aptitude when asked to transition from center to the left wing and has versatility teams covet.

Nugent-Hopkins struggled a bit in 2020-21, compiling only 35 points in 52 regular-season games. He was coming off two straight stellar seasons but got lost in the shuffle for an Oilers team that underperformed as a whole.

A contract extension seemed to be in the works before the 2020-21 campaign but fell apart, leading to a sense of uncertainty heading into free agency. Nevertheless, Nugent-Hopkins maintained he wanted to stay in Edmonton. 

"I think I've said it from the start, I love being an Oiler, I always have," Nugent-Hopkins told reporters in May. "My goal is always to stay an Oiler, and right now at this point, (free agency) is not really in my mind. Right now, I have a lot more in my head than that, so it's tough to kind of think about that and get my thoughts wrapped around that. I think I've said it from Day 1, I love being an Oiler and it's something that I've taken a lot of pride in the last 10 years."

Nugent-Hopkins' desire to remain an Oiler meant leaving money on the table, but he'll be playing in a city and in a role with which he's familiar. Having already signed one massive long-term contract in his career, Nugent-Hopkins prioritized stability rather than hitting the open market. 

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez played a significant role in the team's run to the Stanley Cup semifinals, a feat made even more impressive because he played the entire postseason with a broken foot. 

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Martinez opened up about the routine he had to go through to be able to play each game:

"In terms of my daily routine, it was a lot of rest and staying off it, and just managing the swelling and all that. I couldn't have done it without our medical staff. I sound like a broken record, but they were pretty incredible. I'm very thankful to them to be able to manage something and put me in a position where I could go compete with the guys playing the best time of the year."

Martinez didn't specify when the injury occurred, but he appeared in all 19 playoff games for the Golden Knights.

The 33-year-old had an average ice time of 23:32 per game, slightly higher than his regular-season total (22:34). He scored six points (four goals, two assists) in the postseason. 

Vegas' playoff run came to an end on June 24 with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Game 6 of the semifinals. 

This is an important offseason for Martinez. The Michigan native is set to become an unrestricted free agent after spending the past 1.5 seasons with Vegas. He was traded to the Golden Knights by the Los Angeles Kings in February 2020.

Martinez's 32 points in 53 games during the regular season were his most since the 2016-17 campaign. 

Vegas led the NHL with 40 wins in the regular season and its 82 points were tied with the Colorado Avalanche for most in the league. The franchise has made the playoffs in each of its first four seasons, including an appearance in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final.    

After missing the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, the Los Angeles Kings are looking to make significant roster changes this offseason. 

According to Darren Dreger of TSN, the Kings are looking to add "two top-six forwards" either via trades or free agency. 

The Kings currently project to have $18.9 million in cap space to upgrade their roster, per Spotrac. 

It's not a surprise that the Kings would be targeting players who can help them score goals. They finished 27th in goals scored in 2020-21, their highest ranking in that category in four seasons. 

Dustin Brown was the Kings' leading goal-scorer last season with 17, but he's 36 years old and only has one year remaining on his current contract. 

There could be a robust market of free-agent forwards for teams this summer. Alex Ovechkin, Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall are some of the notable names set to hit the market. 

Since winning the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, the Kings have won just one playoff game in two postseason appearances. They haven't finished higher than fourth in the division standings since the 2015-16 season. 

The ownership group for the San Jose Sharks will begin accepting cryptocurrency for payments toward season tickets, luxury boxes and sponsorships effective June 15.

The Sharks will be the first NHL team that allows fans to pay in crypto for "large and recurring payments," per the Bay Area News Group's Curtis Pashelka.

Sharks president Jonathan Becher explained how it won't represent a big shift for the organization. 

"We’re accepting PayPal, so then by definition, we’re accepting cryptocurrency," he said. "Why not embrace it and make it more visible as opposed to just doing it through a third party?"

The Sacramento Kings were the first major sports team to accept Bitcoin when they allowed it as a form of payment for merchandise and tickets. Since then, the practice has become more widespread as cryptocurrencies gain more traction.

In March, the Oakland Athletics opened up the sale of 10 luxury suites for one bitcoin apiece. Veteran NFL offensive tackle Russell Okung became the first player to receive a portion of his contract in Bitcoin last December, with more players following suit.

The general volatility of cryptocurrencies does, however, raise questions over whether the trend is sustainable.

When the A's began their suite sale in March, for example, the price of one bitcoin was around $59,000. One bitcoin is currently worth around $35,000 after a recent downturn.

The NHL issued Vegas Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves a two-game suspension for roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct following his actions against Colorado Avalanche defender Ryan Graves in Game 1 of the series on Sunday.

Graves was tossed to the ice, and Reaves later admitted to officials that he pulled hair out of the victim while he was on the ground, a report the official corroborated (h/t Jesse Granger of The Athletic). 

The incident occurred in the third period with the Golden Knights down 7-1. 

With the penalties against Reaves—which added up to a match penalty, a five-minute major and a double minor for roughing—as well as 10-minute misconducts handed out to four separate players following an ensuing brawl, the Avalanche went on a nine-minute power play. 

Box score was later updated to include even *more* penalties because, of course. pic.twitter.com/YIIvnFb1sq

— Alison (@AlisonL) May 31, 2021

The announcement came after Reaves had a hearing with the league's Department of Player Safety on Monday, and after he avoided further discipline following a tough hit on Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter in Game 7 of the first-round series. 

He was suspended during last year's postseason run, missing the first game of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, after he was called for an illegal check to the head of Vancouver's Tyler Motte in Game 7. 

Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer defended Reaves after the game, calling him "one of the cleanest tough guys" in the league, while Avalanche coach Jared Bednar had a different opinion of the situation.

"Graves is down in a vulnerable position, and he just stays on top of him and obviously hits him," Bednar told reporters. "So I didn't like the play. But [DeBoer] knows his player. I guess I don't think that [Reaves] is out there trying to injure people on purpose. He's just got a ruggedness to his game."

Game 2—without Reaves—is slated for Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET. 

Listen closely, hockey fans. And you'll hear it.

Particularly the closer you get to Rogers Place in Edmonton.

It's the alarm clock ticking on Ken Holland's desk. Or maybe just in his mind.

Either way, as each day passes this spring—and each hour brings the GM closer to the end of yet another unsatisfying Oilers season—the din from said clock gets louder and louder.

It's the time remaining until the franchise's signature player says enough is enough.

It's already happening in Buffalo, where Jack Eichel is using words like "disconnect" to describe his relationship with the organization and fielding questions about how long he'll be a Sabre.

And make no mistake, it could be coming to northern Alberta, too.

Whether it's via a phone call from agent Jeff Jackson, a headline citing a handful of high-placed "team sources" or an office visit from No. 97 himself, it's the fodder for a 65-year-old's night terrors.

Thanks to a four-game sweep at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets—a team the Oilers beat seven times in nine games this season—the epic sixth year of Connor McDavid's career ended exactly as each of the first five did.

No Stanley Cup hoist. No blissful parade lap. No center-ice team picture.

And, unless you're a full-on franchise apologist, there's no reason to believe any of the above are imminent.

Even though the trophy-flushed McDavid won the Art Ross this year and seems sure to capture the Hart as well. Even though the guy who won both last season, Leon Draisaitl, is also on the team.

And let's not forget that among defensemen, the Oilers boast this season's top point-getter (Tyson Barrie) and the second-highest goal-scorer (Darnell Nurse).

Still, in spite of that obvious top-end talent, the Oilers are a hollowed-out husk of a contender when compared to the deeper Jets. Though McDavid and Draisaitl were the league's highest-scoring forwards in the regular season, Winnipeg had five players with more points than Edmonton's No. 3 producer.   

And in nine games against the Jets from January to April, McDavid had 22 points—the most by a player against a single opponent in 33 years.

In four games in May, he got a more pedestrian four points on 15 shots and was a minus-2 in better than 30 minutes of ice time per game.

Nevertheless, of the Oilers' eight goals in the series, he and Draisaitl had three. Meanwhile, Winnipeg had four players with two apiece and eight more with one. 

It's an awfully inglorious position for a team whose recent history is already dubious.

Lest we forget, the Oilers were ninth in the league and fifth in the Western Conference last summer when positioned opposite the 12th-seeded Chicago Blackhawks in the COVID-prompted postseason qualifying round. And four ugly games later, it was the Blackhawks advancing and thereby wasting the MVP season in which Draisaitl scored 110 points in 71 games.

Prior to that, they'd made the playoffs just once—in 2017—since a stirring run to the Stanley Cup Final ended in a Game 7 loss at Carolina 11 years earlier. In fact, outside of that single year with Chris Pronger on the blue line, Edmonton has won exactly seven series since capturing its last championship in 1990.

Ironically, Pronger demanded a trade within days of the loss to the Hurricanes and was gone soon after to Anaheim, where he won a Cup the following season. The Oilers, meanwhile, embarked on a record run of futility, missing the playoffs for 10 straight years before the aforementioned return in 2017.

This week's flameout, however, will leave a scar that'll linger past many others.

Primarily because it wasted an historic season by McDavid, who produced a preposterous 105 points in 56 games—a per-game average of 1.875 that's been bested by six players in the past 50 years.

It's prompted comparisons to the likes of Gretzky, Lemieux and Crosby, the game's most recent generational talents—two of whom (Lemieux and Crosby) were also drafted first overall, while Gretzky arrived as part of the NHL's absorption of four teams from the World Hockey Association.

Like McDavid, each was a teenage superstar on a subpar team.

But unlike McDavid, each had won a title—or was on the verge of one—by this stage.

Crosby was in the Cup Final in his third season and won a title in his fourth, while Gretzky pulled off the same double in the fourth and fifth seasons of his career. Lemieux took slightly longer, reaching the playoffs in his fifth season and missing in the sixth before winning titles in years seven and eight.

The biggest difference? The talent that surrounded them.

The Oilers were remarkably successful through the draft in Gretzky's formative years, adding Hall of Famers Kevin Lowe, Mark Messier and Glenn Anderson in 1979, Paul Coffey and Jari Kurri in 1980 and Grant Fuhr in 1981. Lemieux's Penguins, on the other hand, were built through trades that brought in Coffey, Tom Barrasso, Kevin Stevens and Ron Francis, and a 1990 draft pick that yielded Jaromir Jagr.

As for Crosby, he was preceded in Pittsburgh by goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and joined in year two by Evgeni Malkin, before the final trade pieces arrived in the veteran forms of Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz.

McDavid, meanwhile, is having his fate decided by the likes of Josh Archibald and Mike Smith.

In fairness, Holland inherited a personnel and salary cap mess from Peter Chiarelli.

But it's not as if he hasn't had some chances to change the dynamics since his arrival.

Many labeled him a winner at the 2020 trade deadline for separate deals that netted speedy forwards Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Ennis and defenseman Mike Green.

But Athanasiou never clicked with McDavid and was released, Green injured his knee in his second game and retired before this season and Ennis broke his leg in Game 3 of the qualifier with Chicago.

This time around, it was more about what he didn't do.

Though secondary scoring was a glaring need and former Edmonton draftee Taylor Hall was available, Holland was apparently unwilling to part with enough to bring the former MVP back—though Boston got him for a second-round pick and a middling prospect and has reaped the rewards of 17 points in 21 games, including a five-game playoff elimination of the Washington Capitals.

Same goes for veteran winger Jeff Carter, a two-time Cup champ who'd been languishing in Los Angeles but has scored 12 goals in 16 post-deadline games (regular and postseason) with the Penguins, including three in four games of a first-round duel with the New York Islanders.

As for Smith, he was a 39-year-old revelation on a one-year deal—posting a .923 save percentage in the regular season, but it's not been so long since he gave up five in 27-plus minutes during last year's qualifying opener and two more in 16 seconds during Winnipeg's dagger-plunging Sunday comeback.

That all followed a goaltender frenzy in the offseason, when eight starters changed teams and a few others took big payouts to avoid such a move.

Holland was reportedly hot and heavy about ex-Vancouver stalwart Jacob Markstrom, but failed to meet the six-year, $36 million number that got him to Calgary instead.

Would Markstrom or someone else have made a Game 3 difference?

No one knows for sure.

Still, cynics are within reason to suggest that if Holland got Hall, Carter or anyone else on that level who'd been available in April, McDavid's margin for error wouldn't have been so narrow come May.

Full disclosure, the player himself has been a good company man in Edmonton.

McDavid signed a three-year, $11.325 million deal upon arrival in 2015, and extended his stay with an eight-year agreement in 2017 that's worth $100 million and has him locked down for five more seasons.

There have been no outbursts, no petulance and no holdouts. In fact, he's been a model citizen on and off the ice, and showed herculean dedication while recovering from a serious knee injury in 2019.

But like every man has his price, every man, too, has his breaking point.

Another offseason without a deep playoff run—while surrounded by a cadre of hard-working but ham-handed complements—has surely gotten McDavid closer to his.

And unless Holland responds to the ticking, it'll get here sooner than later.

The Arizona Coyotes parted ways with head coach Rick Tocchet.

Tocchet's contract is due to expire June 30, and general manager Bill Armstrong confirmed Sunday he won't be back in his present role:

"After meeting with Rick, we have agreed that a coaching change is in the best interest of the club. This was a very difficult decision, but we believe that it is time for a new direction and new leadership. Rick is a very good coach and an incredible person, and we sincerely appreciate all his hard work and dedication to the Coyotes the past four years. We are grateful for everything that he has done for our organization and wish him the best of luck in the future."

The 57-year-old spent four seasons as Arizona's coach, and the team posted a 125-131-34 record.

Tocchet guided the Coyotes to the playoffs last season, their first postseason trip since 2012. However, the team went backward in 2020-21. Despite winning their last two games, they finished fifth in the West division, three points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final playoff berth.

Especially with Tocchet's contract expiring, this offseason presented Armstrong with an opportunity to start over.

Armstrong took over as GM in September following John Chayka's abrupt departure last July. The Coyotes were clearly surprised by Chayka's decision, with the team saying at the time he had "chosen to quit on a strong and competitive team, a dedicated staff and the Arizona Coyotes fans, the greatest fans in the NHL."

ESPN's Emily Kaplan subsequently reported in January that Chayka received a suspension through the remainder of 2021 for "pursuing other opportunities while under contract with the Coyotes and terminating his contract with three years remaining on it."

Particularly along their forward lines, the bulk of the Coyotes' roster is either signed through 2021-22 or entering restricted free agency. But the franchise has experienced a prolonged stretch of futility, and The Athletic's Katie Strang reported in February on what people within the team called a "toxic" work environment under majority owner Alex Meruelo.

According to Strang, the arrival of Armstrong exacerbated "an already turbulent environment created by the changeover in ownership."

Regardless of whom the Coyotes tab to replace Tocchet, organizational stability is imperative to building a winning franchise.

San Jose Sharks winger Evander Kane is facing a $15 million lawsuit from a financial lender, according to The Athletic's Daniel Kaplan.

Professional Bank is claiming in court that Kane defrauded the company when he received a $1.5 million loan in 2019 against his seven-year, $49 million contract with the Sharks.

"Kane was in default, including by him revoking the automatic payment that was to occur from the Sharks," Professional Bank's attorneys said in the suit.

Professional Bank is also contending Kane took out loans from multiple banks in such a way he didn't intend to pay back any of the money.

Kane filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in January, saying he had assets exceeding $10 million and liabilities approaching $27 million.

Per the Washington Post's Matt Bonesteel, the 29-year-old said he had nearly $16 million in unpaid loans and lost $1.5 million from gambling. He also listed $93,000 in monthly expenses, stemming in part from having his daughter, father, sister, grandmother and two uncles listed as dependents.

In April, a judge ruled Kane's case would remain under the Chapter 7 designation after a creditor wanted it changed to Chapter 11. Kaplan noted that creditors would have the opportunity to take a portion of his future earnings in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In addition to his ballooning debt, Kane formally filed for bankruptcy in part due to uncertainty about his availability for the 2020-21 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He chose to suit up for San Jose and has posted 45 points (22 goal, 23 assists) in 52 appearances.