NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Senators, Devils, Blues, Kings

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports:

“Sources tell Postmedia the deal is done and Travis Green is the Sens new head coach. Expectation is announcement will be made today. Green will be introduced tomorrow with press conference by POHO/GM Steve Staios. Owner Michael Andlauer will also be in town.”

Drew Bannister Is Now Officially Blues Head Coach

The St. Louis Blues removed the interim tag from Drew Bannister and made him the Blues head coach on Tuesday. He was signed to a two-year contract, which will give him a chance to prove himself as the Blues go through a retool.

Devils Coaching Plans

As per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun , the New Jersey Devils hope to have a new coach hired within the next 7-10 days. They should have a clearer picture of things by the end of the week. Green was a serious candidate in New Jersey and reports are the team did talk to Craig Berube.

“The word on New Jersey is they want to take a big swing,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, “They want to see if there is a big swing they can take out there. Obviously, John Cooper (Tampa Bay Lightning) and/or Mike Sullivan (Pittsburgh Penguins) would be as big of a swing as you can take, and Craig Berube is obviously right there, as I previously mentioned.”

Latest on Los Angeles Kings

LeBrun also notes that the Los Angeles Kings haven’t decided their course yet on the head coaching front. GM Rob Blake will meet with Jim Hiller next week. Kings liked how Hiller handled himself. Rob Blake also said today there are no plans to buy out Pierre-Luc Dubois, who has been in the rumor mill after a disappointing season and could be bought out at 1/3 his salary if done before his 26th birthday.

More Buzz About the Maple Leafs

There is a ton of chatter surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mitch Marner already said he’s looking to sign a long-term deal with the team and that he’s not looking to go anywhere. Meanwhile, other pending free agents were asked if they’d like to return and many of them said they would.

“That’s definitely something I’m open to,” said Tyler Bertuzzi when asked about an extension with the Maple Leafs. When asked about a possible return, Max Domi responded, “Do I want to come back? Absolutely. I think this team has everything it takes to do something special, and I’d love to help them do that. But it’s obviously beyond my control. So, leave that up to my agent and management here.”

The Leafs will be looking at their options and trying to determine the best course of action after another season ended in disappointing fashion. Friedman noted on 32 Thoughts that they may look at some different UFAs and mentions Brandon Montour and Brett Pesce as targets. He called these two options if the Leafs move on from Marner. He said the team needs a strong puck-mover and/or a solid two-way defenseman.

But, who makes these decisions isn’t entirely clear yet. The Leafs have moved Thursday’s scheduled end-of-season management media availability to Friday and will have Keith Pelley, Brendan Shanahan, and Brad Treliving in attendance. Some believe this means they are running it back with the same management team. Keefe is not scheduled to be there.