Month: May 2023

Report New Leafs GM Brad Treliving has already reached out to Auston Matthews camp

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Brad Treliving wasted little time in introducing himself to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ biggest star.

Before he even finalized his multi-year contract, the incoming Leafs GM reached out to Auston Matthews’ camp to open the lines of communication as early as possible, according to a report from Sportsnet’s Luke Fox.

Here’s what Fox had to say:

We can tell you that even before signing up his multi-year pact with the Maple Leafs, a contract that should extend Shanahan’s own current deal, Treliving reached out to Auston Matthews’ camp to open the lines of communication with the franchise’s brightest star. Treliving and Matthews’ agent, Judd Moldaver, have a good working relationship, just as Moldaver and Dubas did.

Matthews is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason as his five year deal with the Leafs is set to expire at the end of this season. Matthews’ current contract carries a cap hit of $11.6 million.

The Leafs officially announced the signing of Treliving on Wednesday afternoon.

“I’m very pleased to welcome Brad into the Maple Leafs organization,” said Brendan Shanahan. “Brad brings a wealth of knowledge from his years of experience as a General Manager and hockey executive in Calgary, Arizona and beyond. He has earned tremendous respect amongst his peers throughout his years in the NHL and has built excellent relationships at all levels within the game. We are confident that Brad’s leadership and strategic vision will elevate the Maple Leafs in our continued pursuit of a championship.”

“I am very excited and honoured to join the Toronto Maple Leafs as General Manager,” said Brad Treliving. “I would like to thank Brendan, MLSE and its Board for their support throughout this process. I’m thrilled to join an Original Six team and recognize how much the Maple Leafs mean to this community. This is a very exciting day for my family and I.”

Treliving spent over a decade with the Phoenix Coyotes in various roles before replacing Jay Feaster as the general manager of the Calgary Flames ahead of the 2014-15 season. He led the Flames to five playoff appearances over the course of nine seasons and parted ways with the organization following a disappointing result in 2022-23.

The Calgary Flames should avoid hiring Gerard Gallant as head coach

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With the Stanley Cup Final matchup set, all we have to do now is wait for the final series of the 2022-23 NHL post-season to begin. However, that doesn’t mean the news stops, as the coaching carousel was in full swing with firing, hirings, and considerations for jobs across the hockey landscape reported by NHL insiders.

Continue reading “The Calgary Flames should avoid hiring Gerard Gallant as head coach”

Vancouver Canucks sign defenceman Jett Woo to one-year two-way contract

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed defenceman Jett Woo to a one-year two-way contract, general manager Patrik Allvin announced Wednesday. According to Rick Dhaliwal, Woo’s contract carries an NHL salary of $775,000 and an AHL salary of $100,000.

Woo’s story has been an interesting one to follow up to this point in his career. After the Canucks selected him 37th overall in the second round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Woo had a big season with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors in his D+1 season, tallying 12 goals and 54 assists through 62 games while being a rock defensively.

Woo was traded to the Calgary Hitmen the following season and the point totals unfortunately weren’t there that season, as Woo registered 46 assists through 64 games. As a top NHL prospect, a decline in production in a player’s junior season two years out of the draft is not typically a great sign.

After two rather mediocre seasons in the AHL, Woo was in danger of not receiving an NHL contract at the end of this season. Instead, Woo took a massive step this past year in Abbotsford. Not only did he start putting up points again, but Woo also showcased an ability to play in all situations, and during the playoffs, was one of Abbotsford’s most trusted defencemen.

Ryan Johnson spoke glowingly about Woo’s progress at the Abbotsford GM’s year end press conference.

“Jett’s put himself in a conversation to come and compete for a spot next year in Vancouver or worst case, I see him as a guy that’s going to play games next year because of the growth and how far he came along here as a player, a person, and a professional,” Johnson said. “He’s been a great story for us. He’s taken a most massive step in forming out his identity as a pro. He’s played a very physical game, skates very well, and his reads have improved immensely in the neutral zone.”

Woo showed he’s capable of playing both the left and right side — further improving his versatility and in turn, his chances of one day making it to the NHL.

“I think I’m just trying to take this next year as another development year and really try to hone into my game being more strong defensively, move pucks, and at the right times, be offensive as well,” Woo said of his progression this season on a recent episode of Canucks Conversation. “With all the injuries and call ups that have happened this year I’ve been able to capitalize on my opportunities to step in and help the team where they need me.”

Watch out full conversation with Woo below!

Oilersnation Everyday Freezing cold takes from the 2023 season

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Every season, we all have opinions that turn out to be a disaster. On today’s show, Tyler Yaremchuk and Liam Horrobin reveal what they were most wrong about this season. Head over to the Oilersnation YouTube channel and leave your freezing cold take in the live chat.

The guys have two player grades to take care of today, with one of them being much quicker than the other. Coming up first is Ryan Murray after playing 13 games for the Oilers throughout the regular season. Injuries plagued his time in Edmonton preventing him from truly showcasing what he could have brought to the team. The other player being graded is Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl had a monster season for the Oilers in the regular season and playoffs, which means grading him should not be a tough task.

Frank Seravalli from Daily Faceoff released his top five likely buyout candidates, and one player on that list was Anthony Manatha from the Detroit Red Wings. Instead of buying him out, the trade machine found an alternative option that could work nicely for both teams.

Viewers can catch Tyler Yaremchuk and Liam Horrobin on Oilersnation Everyday on the Oilersnation YouTube Channel. You can also view the show on Twitter and Facebook. After the show has streamed live, you can find it on all your podcast providers.