Toronto Maple Leafs Win 2016 NHL Draft Lottery

The National Hockey League held the 2016 Draft Lottery to determine the selection order of the non-playoff teams for NHL Entry Draft in Toronto, Ontario on Saturday night.

This year the draft lottery would determine which of the bottom 14 teams would be lucky enough to slide all the way up to one of the first three positions for the NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, New York on June 24 to June 25. The lottery was weighted based on how the non-playoff teams finished in the standings. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs won the rights to that first pick in the draft. The Winnipeg Jets took home the second pick and the Columbus Blue Jackets were awarded the third overall pick. 

The Maple Leafs, who finished with the worst record during the 2015-2016 season, had the best chance to win the draft lottery at 20 percent, while the Boston Bruins, who just missed the post season had the lowest odds to get one of the top three slots. 

Three drawings were held, with each determining which team would be the first overall pick, who would be the second pick and which club would draft third. The remaining picks number four through 14 would then be determined by the order in which they finished the season, with the lower seed being slotted in the better positions. 

Before revealing the winners of the top three slots, the league opened the envelopes for spots four through 14, in reverse order. Spots seven through 14 remained the same order where the teams were originally slated to draw. As a result of the new format, the team with the worst record was no longer guaranteed to get one of the top two picks. 

Spots four through 14 went to, the Bruins (14), Carolina Hurricanes (13), Ottawa Senators (12), New Jersey Devils (11), Colorado Avalanche (10), Montreal Canadiens (9), Buffalo Sabres (8), Arizona Coyotes (7), Calgary Flames (6), Vancouver Canuks (5) and Edmonton Oilers (4). These results meant that the Oilers had slipped from the number two to the fourth spot, the Canuks had dropped from three to five and the Flames fell from five to six. 

The league then revealed the winners of the top three spots, in no particular order. Those teams turned out to be Blue Jackets, Maple Leafs and Jets. 

After a short break, the league then revealed that the Blue Jackets had climbed up from the number four spot to the third and that the Jets moved up four spots from number six all the way to the second overall. This meant that the Maple Leafs had kept the number one spot that they held going into the lottery. 

The Maple Leafs had not drafted first overall, since the 1985 draft, when they chose Wendel Clark. They are also the first “Original Six” team to get the number one pick, since 2007, when the Chicago Blackhawks drafted Patrick Kane. 

If the Leafs decide to choose Austin Matthews, a Scottsdale, Arizona native, Central Scouting’s top rated international skaters, he will become the first American born player since Kane to be a number one overall selection. Matthews has been playing in the top professional league in Zurich, Switzerland.

Maple Leafs President, Brendan Shanahan said, “He is obviously a player who has played a lead role all his life. He has good size, he plays center and I feel like he can score from the perimeter. But he also has the knack for going to the net and banging some garbage goals home as well. He is definitely someone who has earned the right to be where he is today.”

Shanahan also noted that he hopes Saturday’s results helps offer added excitement and hope for Leaf’s Nation. He said, “I think there will be good presence in Buffalo at the draft, our Leaf fans have been so supportive of what we have set out and told them we would do.”

He added, “They have showed up enthusiastically and to all the games, and even when I see them on the street, they are behind us. They needed some good news and while there is still work to be done, this was good news for them and they deserve it.”

 

NHL Announce the Nominees for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

The National Hockey League announced the nominees for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy on Saturday. 

The top three vote getters are Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers, Loui Eriksson of the Boston Bruins and Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings. The winner will be announced during the 2016 NHL Awards, at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 22.

The Lady Byng Trophy is presented to the player that demonstrates the most sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. 

Kopitar, is also nominated for the Selke Trophy, presented to the top defensive forward. In 81 games this season, he led the Kings with 74 points and was second in the league with a plus-34 rating. He had only 16 penalty minutes while averaging 20:52 minutes of ice time per game. 

Last season he finished third in the voting for the Lady Byng. The last Kings player to win the Lady Byng was Wayne Gretzky, who won it 1994. 

Barkov, had an NHL career best in goals with 28, assists with 31 and points with 59 during this past season. In 66 games, Barkov only had eight penalty minutes. He becomes the first Panther to be a finalist for the Lady Byng, since Brian Campbell won the award in 2012.

Eriksson, is a finalist for the second time in his career. In 2011, he finished third in the voting. This past season, he put up 30 goals and 63 points, while only spending 12 minutes the sinbin in 82 games during 2015-2016. The last Bruins player to win the Lady Byng was back in 1982, when Rick Middleton won the award.    

Anaheim Ducks fire former head coach Bruce Boudreau after five seasons

(photo credit: Getty Images)

The Anaheim Ducks have fired former head coach Bruce Boudreau, the team announced on Friday. The team was two days removed from another disappointing exit from the playoffs. Boudreau has had much success during the regular season, but the reason he was fired was because of his inability to win in the playoffs. 

Bob Murray, Ducks general manager exclaimed, "I just think the last four years, the way they've ended, all very similar, that I didn't think it would be a good situation to go forward in," Murray said. "In no way, shape or form is this pointing a gun at Bruce's head. 

Let's make that perfectly clear. But you've got to start somewhere." Boudreau has had outstanding success in the regular season with Anaheim, he went 208-104-40 during five seasons. But, what got Boudreau the pink slip was the playoffs. 

The Ducks have lost four straight game sevens, and they’ve blown 3-2 series leads in all of them.

"Regular-season success is OK," Murray said. "Making the playoffs is the most important thing, and then anything can happen. ... I just felt it wasn't going to work going forward." "It's the way we went out," Murray said. "Let's face it: I'd like to know where the heck they were in Games 1 and 2. The players are going to have to answer that the next four or five days. Where were they? They showed up in Game 7, but where was that passion, the controlled emotion? Where the heck was that? They're going to have to be held accountable, too." 

Anaheim just lost to the Nashville Predators in Game 7 of the first round, after blowing the 3-2 series lead. Anaheim got off to just a 1-7-2 start, but they would end up winning the Pacific Division. Not all can be put on Boudreau, as a core containing Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Ryan Kesler was unable to get the job done. Boudreau will probably not be out of a job for long, as the Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators both have coaching vacancies.

NHL Names Norris Trophy Finalists

The National Hockey League released the top three vote getters for the James Norris Memorial Trophy, presented to the top defensive player, who demonstrates an all-around ability in the position, on Friday.

The nominees who will find out if they won the award during the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on June 22, include, Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks, Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings and Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators. 

Karlsson established a single season record by a Senators defenseman for assists with 66 and points 82. He led the league in assists during the past season, and for the third straight year and fourth in five, ranked first for defensemen in points. 

In five-on-five situations, his puck possession was a 51.47 Corsi-percentage. His 7.2 percent Corsi rating put him ranked fourth amongst NHL defensemen, meaning the Senators attempted seven percent more shots when Karlsson was on the ice compared to his teammates. 

He became the first NHL defenseman to score 82 points in one season, since former New York Rangers defenseman, Brian Leetch put up 85 and former Boston Bruins defenseman, Raymond Bourque scored 82 back in the 1995-1996 season.  

Karlsson appeared in all 82 games during the 2015-2016 season, for a third straight season that he had not missed a game, leading the league in ice time with 2375:55. His even strength ice time of 1,885:26 and 28:58 average per game were also career highs.   

Burns is a first time Norris finalist. He set Sharks records for goals with 27, assists with 48 and points at 75. Burns also set a Sharks record with 353 shot on goal. 

He played in all 82 games for the Sharks, for a second straight season, leading the team in ice time with an average of 25:51 per game. In five-on-five situations, the Sharks took more shots than they allowed when Burns was on the ice. 

Doughty had a league leading Corsi-percentage of 58.89 while driving the puck possession in five-on-five situations. He ranked third in average ice time with 28:01 per game, while helping the Kings to a third consecutive top five defensive finish, with a team goals against average of 2.34. 

His 14 goals and 512 points in 2015-2016 was the most he’s scored since the 2009-2010 season when he lit the lamp 16 times and had 59 points. His plus-24 rating was a career high for him. 

The Kings took 537 more shots than they allowed, in five-on-five situations, when Doughty was on the ice. This is Doughty’s third time as a finalist for the Norris Trophy, he finished third in 2099-2010 and second in 2014-2015.