The Seattle Kraken have announced they have fired head coach Dave Hakstol.
Assistant coach Paul McFarland has also been let go.
In 3 seasons with the expansion Kraken, Hakstol had a 107-112-27 record and had one playoff appearance.
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Craig Berube drawing interest
According to Andy Strickland, both the New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators are possibilities for coach Craig Berube.
He also mentions the Sabres made an attempt to hire Berube before making Lindy Ruff their coach.
Given that he’s drawing plenty of interest, it might make sense for Berube to wait a bit before making his decision to see the full range of possibilities for him. The Los Angeles Kings have only committed to Jim Hiller as an interim head coach, and there may be other teams that fire their head coach after a disappointing early exit from the playoffs.
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Blackhawks re-sign Alex Vlasic
The Chicago Blackhawks have re-signed Alex Vlasic to a 6-year extension.
Vlasic, 22, had his first full-time season in the NHL in 2023-24, recording 2 goals and 14 assists in 76 games. The 6-year contract covers 4 RFA seasons and 2 UFA seasons.
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Sharks fire David Quinn
The San Jose Sharks have fired head coach David Quinn.
Quinn was 41-98-25 in two seasons with a Sharks’ roster that was not equipped to compete for the playoffs.
No replacement has been named.
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Ducks to pursue top of lineup players
Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek says that his team will pursue right-handed shooting players this off-season–both top-six forwards and top-four defensemen.
There are plenty of options for him to choose from on the UFA market: Sam Reinhart, Jonathan Marchessault, Tyler Toffoli up front and Chris Tanev, Brett Pesce, Sean Walker on the blueline, to name a few.
The Ducks will also have a top-five pick in the entry draft, where it’s unlikely they will get a right-handed shot to step into their lineup in 2024-25, but could snag a right-handed shooting defenseman that could be a part of their organization for a long time, like Artyom Levshunov, Zayne Parekh or Carter Yakemchuk.
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Flyers re-sign Ivan Fedotov
The Philadelphia Flyers have re-signed goaltender Ivan Fedotov to a 2-year contract.
Fedotov finally came over from Russia this season after a long battle over his contract rights. In only 121 minutes with the Flyers, he put an 0.811 SV%.
Fedotov will be a UFA once this contract is complete.
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Report: Sabres to hire Lindy Ruff
The Buffalo Sabres appear to be close to making Lindy Ruff their head coach once again.
Ruff had been the head coach of the Devils since the 2020-21 season, before being let go by the team midway through this season. He was previously the Sabres head coach from 1997-98 to 2012-13.
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Could Penguins move on from Reilly Smith?
According to Josh Yohe of the Athletic, Reilly Smith never wanted to come to the Penguins:
“The lack of offense was a real problem. His attitude was even worse.
Team sources said Smith never wanted to be traded to Pittsburgh, and it’s hard to question that after you’re around him for a few minutes. I never had the feeling Smith would be willing to skate through a wall for the Penguins.”
Given that Smith never apparently warmed to the idea of playing for the Penguins, the team might find it the best route to try to move the winger. Smith, 33, has one more season at a $5 million cap hit on his contract. He had 13 goals and 27 points in 76 games with the Penguins.