It was an eventful week around the NHL with plenty of seventh games, some notable coaching news, a lottery winner, and more. We recap some of the biggest off-ice news in our key stories.
Trotz Fired: Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello has quite a history when it comes to his coaching decisions with a knack for some surprising ones. He added to that reputation after he dismissed head coach Barry Trotz in a move that hardly anyone saw coming. While New York missed the playoffs this season, Trotz had led the Isles to the Eastern Conference Final the two previous years which led to an expectation he’d be back for 2022-23 and the final year of his contract. Instead, Lamoriello indicated he felt the team needs a new voice and he’ll now set out to hire a new coach or promote associate coach Lane Lambert to the top job. Meanwhile, Trotz will become a contender for the rest of the coaching vacancies out there if he wants to be back behind an NHL bench next season.
Boudreau Returns: One coach that won’t be going anywhere is Vancouver’s Bruce Boudreau. While there was some uncertainty about his future with the Canucks after management indicated there wouldn’t be a contract extension forthcoming, the team confirmed that the 67-year-old will return for next season. Boudreau took over from Travis Green midseason and led the team to an improbable second half run with a 32-15-10 record that got them within striking distance of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. He’s just one regular season win away from 600 for his career while he’s 19 away from landing in the top 20 in NHL history.
Hanging Them Up: Free agent forward Patrick Marleau wasn’t able to catch on with a team this season and has decided to officially call it a career as he announced his retirement. The 42-year-old had a very impressive 23-year NHL career with the majority of that coming with San Jose. Although Marleau never won the Stanley Cup, he leaves with his name in the…
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