NHL Metropolitan

The Washington Capitals hired Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Spencer Carbery as their head coach Tuesday.

The Washington Capitals have named Spencer Carbery the team’s head coach. #ALLCAPS

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) May 30, 2023

General manager Brian MacLellan issued a statement on the move:

We are extremely pleased to name Spencer as our new head coach. Spencer is one of the best young coaches in the game who's had success at every level at which he has coached. We feel his leadership, communication skills, ability to develop players and familiarity with our organization will be a tremendous asset as he makes this next step in his coaching career.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman and The Athletic's Tarik El-Bashir reported the deal was expected to go through.

Carbery replaces Peter Laviolette, who mutually agreed to part ways with the Caps in April after they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

El-Bashir reported May 22 that Carbery was "near the top" of MacLellan's list of candidates.

The 41-year-old already has coaching experience within the organization. He took charge of the AHL's Hershey Bears in June 2018 and spent three seasons there before joining Toronto's staff in July 2021.

El-Bashir noted he worked with Connor McMichael, Aliaksei Protas, Alexander Alexeyev and Joe Snively in Hershey.

In March, ESPN's Emily Kaplan included Carbery among the list of coaches ready to step into a lead role for an NHL team and wrote he was "thought highly of in the Caps organization after three years leading its top minor league affiliate."

Capitals owner Ted Leonsis was emphatic in December when he said the organization wasn't going to embrace a total rebuild amid a difficult season and following four straight first-round exits.

Totally tearing it down might be tough as long as long as Alex Ovechkin is under contract—he's signed through 2025-26. Not to mention, Washington's veteran core is all set to return for next season.

Hiring Carbery doesn't mean those plans have changed since he's such a highly regarded coach on the rise. Given his age, though, you'd assume the front office is taking a long-term view and won't act too hastily if he fails to spark an immediate turnaround.

Kyle Okposo is staying in Buffalo.

The Sabres captain agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the franchise on Wednesday to avoid hitting the open market this summer.

THE CAPTAIN IS BACK‼️

We have re-signed Kyle Okposo to a one-year contract worth $2.5 million.

Details: https://t.co/I5tLdoR6yU pic.twitter.com/EVRdOplPQu

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) May 24, 2023

Okposo has spent the last seven seasons of his career with the Sabres. After nine years with the New York Islanders, he agreed to a seven-year, $42 million deal with Buffalo ahead of the 2016-17 campaign.

It's no surprise the veteran forward agreed to terms to remain with the Sabres for another season, especially after general manager Kevyn Adams said after the 2022-23 campaign that the franchise hoped to re-sign him.

"I can't say enough good things about him as a person, what he's done in the locker room, the way he carries the message from Donny [Granato] and the coaching staff through to the team, his selflessness, to be able to mentor and bring along players," Adams said.

"I see it over and over again, day after day, players are down, whatever's going on in their life, they're talking to him. And I just think it's we're lucky to have him."

Okposo has been a key leader in the locker room for the Sabres and has played a big role on offense over the years. In 455 regular-season games across seven seasons, he has notched 91 goals and 132 assists for 223 points.

During the 2022-23 season, the 35-year-old tallied 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points in 75 games while playing alongside Zemgus Girgensons.

With Okposo locked up, the Sabres can shift their focus to their other free agents. The franchise is expected to have nearly $17 million in cap space this summer, per CapFriendly.

The jersey Wayne Gretzky wore in his final NHL game is up for auction.

Per the official listing from Grey Flannel Auctions, the No. 99 New York Rangers jersey was worn by the Hall of Famer on April 18, 1999.

The jersey has been signed by Gretzky and inscribed with the date of his final game. It includes a letter of authenticity from former Rangers senior vice president of public relations John Rosasco.

It was one of four jerseys Gretzky wore during the game. He had a different one for warm-ups and all three periods. The jersey he used in the third period is currently in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

"Probably, subconsciously, I don't want to take it off," Gretzky told reporters after the game about still wearing his jersey during his postgame press conference. "I'm not going to pull it on ever again. It's hard. It's hard to take it off right now. I have to be honest with you. I don't want to take it off."

Bidding opened at $50,000 and will be open until June 11 at 10 p.m. ET.

Gretzky recorded the final point of his legendary career in the game with a second-period assist on Brian Leetch's power-play goal. His 2,857 points are still the most in NHL history by a significant margin. Jaromír Jágr is second with 1,921 points.

The Rangers signed Gretzky as a free agent in July 1996, reuniting him with Mark Messier after the two icons played together for nine seasons with the Edmonton Oilers from 1979 to 1988.

Their reunion only lasted one season when Messier signed with the Vancouver Canucks in free agency, but it was a terrific year for the Rangers. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Gretzky, even in the final stages of his career, was still a force on the ice. He tied for the league lead in assists in each of his first two seasons with the Rangers.

The NHL retired Gretzky's No. 99 leaguewide at the 2000 All-Star Game. The Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee and board of directors waived the traditional three-year waiting period to induct him as part of the 1999 class immediately after his retirement.

It's a never-ending party in South Florida right now.

Just 24 hours after the Miami Heat took a 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Boston Celtics, the Florida Panthers continued to match them.

The Panthers are now just one win away from their second-ever Stanley Cup Final appearance after taking a 3-0 series lead of their own over the Carolina Hurricane on Monday night at FLA Live Arena.

It was a defensive masterclass on the part of Florida as it shut the Hurricane out 1-0 to end the game in regulation for the first time this series.

In three games, it has allowed Carolina to score just three goals and that's all thanks to the continued sensational play of Sergei Bobrovsky, who seems simply unstoppable at the moment.

The 34-year-old goalie saved all 32 shots sent his way Monday, including a couple highlight reel stops to preserve the shutout. He has saved 67 consecutive shots now and has stopped 132 of the 135 shots he's seen over the entire series.

The Panthers have arguably looked like the best team in hockey since coach Paul Maurice decided to put Bobrovsky back in goal midway through the team's first-round series against the Boston Bruins.

And all it took was a second period goal by center Sam Reinhart off a power play to secure the win.

NHL Twitter heaped all the praise on Bobrovsky for yet another masterpiece.

SERGEI BOBROVSKY.

THAT’S IT. THAT IS THE FREAKING TWEET.

— x - Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) May 23, 2023

No stick? No problem. Sergei Bobrovsky is on it. 🚫 #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT ➡️ https://t.co/LaJpv7c3yx #NHLonTNT
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/uEVY6yXLpz pic.twitter.com/oImFEEOy96

— NHL (@NHL) May 23, 2023

If it's a Florida/Vegas Stanley Cup Final, win or lose, I think it would be Sergei Bobrovsky's Conn Smythe to lose.

— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) May 23, 2023

The Bob is The Unstoppable. https://t.co/gmQ5kH0qKW

— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) May 23, 2023

Panthers Sergei Bobrovsky sets record for the most saves within the first 3 games of a Conference Final or Stanley Cup Semi-Final series (126 & counting)

Previous record-holder was Johnny Bower (125 saves) for Maple Leafs vs Canadiens in the 1960 Stanley Cup Semi-Final.

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 23, 2023

sergei bobrovsky training specifically for the 2023 stanley cup playoffs pic.twitter.com/iONJ3zab9L

— Ava (@avatarrant) May 23, 2023

Only one of last 100 shots against him have gotten past Bobrovsky, who continues fabulous playoff run. Panthers up 1-0 after two periods, looking to take 3-0 series lead.

— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) May 23, 2023

Bobrovsky allowing only 1 goal per every 45 shots in this series. Absurd.

— Michael Amato (@amato_mike) May 23, 2023

right now we're in Shutdown City....Paul Maurice is your mayor...and the lead detective on the case is Sergei Bobrovsky

— Roy Bellamy (@roybelly) May 23, 2023

Florida holds on for 1-0 win in Game 3, take a 3-0 series lead over the Hurricanes

Sergei Bobrovsky did the things

— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) May 23, 2023

Sergei freaking Bobrovsky

Take a bow

— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) May 23, 2023

SERGEI BOBROVSKY AND THE FLORIDA PANTHERS

— jeremy taché (@jeremytache) May 23, 2023

Coolin' himself off because Bob brought the HEAT tonight. 🔥 #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/BaaAHcEzqC

— NHL (@NHL) May 23, 2023

The only blemish on the Panthers' performance was that captain Sasha Barkov left the game with a lower body injury in the first period and didn't return. He was questionable to come back for the rest of the night.

Barkov has been a huge piece of Florida's run thus far and would be a huge loss if he's out for an extended period of time.

After crashing into the playoffs as an eight seed, the Panthers now have a chance to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Final on their home ice in Game 4.

Game 4 is set for Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. ET.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly set to interview former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas for their GM vacancy.

Darren Dreger of TSN reported the Penguins reached out and were granted permission to speak to Dubas, whose contract will be allowed to expire at the end of the 2022-23 season.

A former player agent, Dubas had been with the Leafs organization since 2014. He became the franchise's 17th general manager in 2018.

The Leafs have made the playoffs in seven straight seasons overall but have not gotten past the second round.

The Penguins fired general manager Ron Hextall and president Brian Burke in April. The moves came after Pittsburgh failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 16 seasons.

Whoever winds up taking the Penguins' general manager job could be undertaking a roster primed for a rebuild. Pittsburgh's roster is increasingly aging and expensive, with Sidney Crosby ($8.7 million), Evgeni Malkin ($6.1 million), Jeff Petry ($6.2 million) and Kris Letang ($6.1 million) all making significant salaries at age 35 or older.

It's fair to wonder if Dubas would want to undertake a full-scale rebuild in a small (but loyal) market after cutting his teeth in hockey hotbed Toronto. It's probably an indication of where the Penguins roster stands that they're still in the relative infancy of their hiring process.

The New York Rangers are in the market for a new head coach this summer after firing Gerard Gallant following a first-round exit in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs earlier this month.

However, it appears one potential candidate's name can be crossed off the list in Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan, who told Mollie Walker of the New York Post that he is all-in on staying with the Black and Gold.

"No, I am under contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, here for the long haul," Sullivan said over the phone.

The Rangers announced May 6 that they had "mutually" agreed to part ways with Gallant after the Blueshirts blew a 2-0 series lead to the New Jersey Devils before being eliminated from title contention with a 4-0 loss in Game 7.

Gallant was hired as head coach of the Rangers ahead of the 2021-22 season, replacing David Quinn.

During Gallant's two seasons at the helm, New York went 99-46-19. In addition to reaching the playoffs this year, the Rangers made it to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals before being eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning. It marked the team's deepest postseason run since the 2014-15 campaign.

Sullivan had been mentioned as a potential head coaching candidate for the Rangers given his deep ties to the organization. New York selected the Massachusetts native in the fourth round of the 1987 NHL draft, though he never appeared in a game for the franchise. He also served as an assistant for the Rangers from 2009-2013.

The 55-year-old served as head coach of his hometown Boston Bruins from 2003-2006. He was also an assistant for the Lightning and Vancouver Canucks before being hired by the Penguins as head coach of their American Hockey League affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in June 2015.

Sullivan was promoted to head coach of the Penguins in December 2015. He has guided the franchise to a 337-187-65 record, seven playoff appearances and two Stanley Cup titles in his eight seasons.

Sullivan's status as head coach of the Penguins was put into question after the franchise finished the 2022-23 season with a 40-31-11 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season.

It was made clear that Sullivan would remain head coach of the Penguins in 2023-24 after the franchise announced in April that general manager Ron Hextall, assistant general manager Chris Pryor and president of hockey operations Brian Burke had been relieved of their duties.

John Henry and Tom Werner of Fenway Sports Group said in a statement at the time that Sullivan would "assist during the transition."

Sullivan is under contract with the Penguins through the 2026-27 season. He signed a three-year extension with the franchise in August.

The New Jersey Devils will retain Lindy Ruff as their head coach for the 2023-24 season, general manager Tom Fitzgerald told reporters Wednesday.

"He'll be back behind the bench," Fitzgerald said. "He's still the right coach for this group. He deserves that. We deserve him. He's a great partner for me and those kids love him."

Ruff, 63, has been with the Devils the past three seasons. After missing the playoffs in 2020-21 and 2021-22, Ruff took New Jersey to the second round before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Devils had missed the playoffs nine of their previous 10 seasons, so the turnaround was a major coup for Ruff, who may have been on the hot seat if the team failed to make significant strides.

New Jersey will have to move quickly to retain Ruff with his contract ending June 30. He previously coached for the Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars, winning the Jack Adams Award in Buffalo during the 2005-06 season.

The New Jersey Devils' season ended with a puck over the glass.

After Jonas Siegenthaler took a delay of game penalty in overtime of Game 5, the Carolina Hurricanes scored to eliminate Jack Hughes and the Devils from the second round with a 3-2 win Thursday night.

The Hurricanes will now advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Many hockey fans, both those watching from New Jersey and neutral observers, were unhappy to see the Devils' season end on an often-criticized penalty.

https://twitter.com/StephenR77/status/1656846239370035202

Gotta love a playoff series being decided in overtime by a puck over the glass penalty that clearly wasn’t intentional.

— Eric Fingerhut (@ericfingerhut) May 12, 2023

That was rough but on day 1 no one expected #NJDevils to be here what a season. This is my official petition to get rid of the puck over glass penalty

— nick cahill (@devilstatguy) May 12, 2023

A puck over glass penalty decides an elimination game and that sucks. Don Cherry was right.

— al (@RealSenatorials) May 12, 2023

ref allowing the season to come down to a delay of game penalty in OT is insane #NJDevils

— #7thBurg🤩 (@4getit_) May 12, 2023

Is this the offseason that the NHL finally gets rid of the delay of game penalty? Just make it so the defensive team can’t change.

— Ryan Gilbert (@RGilbertSOP) May 12, 2023

Meanwhile, Devils fans expressed sympathy for Siegenthaler, who shot the puck over the glass while clearing a pass from Tomas Tatar under pressure.

Feel so bad for Siegenthaler getting that puck over the glass penalty that led to the winning PP goal. Tough way to lose but #LetsGoCanes full value. Can’t help but root for Rob Brind-Amour. Don’t worry about #NJDevils they’ll be back. Lot of cap space and a great core.

— Steve Clark (@SteveClarkMedia) May 12, 2023

I will accept ZERO Siegenthaler slander.

Dude is a stud. Penalties happen like that sometimes.

The worst play on that was Tatar deciding to play it back into his own zone rather than forward. I love Tatar, but that was a weird decision.

— Jeff 🔴⚫️🔴 (@JMC9787) May 12, 2023

https://twitter.com/MikeHoard3/status/1656844690929381376

Siegenthaler tough puck over glass penalty in overtime but wasn't necessarily his fault. Tatar backhand pass was a grenade for him to handle, tried to move it quickly and put it over the glass. Brutal.

— Tanner Doiron (@Tan976) May 12, 2023

Can’t imagine what’s going through #NJDevils Jonas Siegenthaler’s mind right now.

— Kristy Flannery (@InStilettos_NHL) May 12, 2023

Bad maybe unlucky play by Sigenthaler for delay of game, but I put more on Tatar making a terrible decision to move it back to him as Canes forwards had on speed on forecheck when he had time to go north and make easy play. Little things this time of year are series ending plays.

— Derek Phinney (@DerekPhinney) May 12, 2023

Back in the opening period, New Jersey struggled with puck management but headed into the break with 1-0 lead after a Dawson Mercer goal, eight saves by Akira Schmid, a Carolina post hit and Jesper Fast missing an empty net.

The two teams traded goals in the second period. Then, Devils fans experienced the pain Caniacs had suffered during Fast's earlier miss when Meier forced a turnover and got the puck from Jack Hughes right in front of a wide-open net.

Meier, still wearing the full face mask he donned after a first-round collision with Jacob Trouba's shoulder, missed.

Meier misses an open net. We're even on missed open nets

— Cory Lavalette (@corylav) May 12, 2023

https://twitter.com/manlyjackmanley/status/1656818846924169217

https://twitter.com/BattleOfHudson/status/1656818469340364800

Wow. How did Meier miss that. The net was wide open

— Alex Chauvancy (@AlexC_NJD) May 12, 2023

That Meier miss will haunt my summer if they don’t pull this game off.

— Palat….Ondrej Palat (@AreYouvIn) May 12, 2023

The Devils, still riding the momentum of Meier's power-play strike, held the Hurricanes to just a single shot for 14 minutes. But in the final 30 seconds of the second period, a screened Schmid missed a long-distance wrister from Brent Burns. Carolina tied the game, 2-2.

Suddenly re-energized, the Hurricanes earned another dangerous chance off a face-off seconds later. A block from rookie Luke Hughes, who had joined John Marino on the second defense pairing for the middle frame, was all that kept New Jersey from heading into the third trailing by a goal.

https://twitter.com/HonestlyGifted/status/1656820658666459136

https://twitter.com/amazingjr87/status/1656820653209600000

luke hughes for vezina

— x - sara 😈😈 (@sarak1056) May 12, 2023

Luke Hughes has so much to learn but he also has so much in his game that you can't teach. Just watching him in this series, the ups and the downs, he's proving why everyone is so high on him and why he's going to be an elite defenseman for a long time in the NHL.

— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) May 11, 2023

After a scoreless third period, the final minutes of which were dominated by the Hurricanes as the exhausted Devils struggled to keep up, the contest went to overtime.

Siegenthaler took the delay of game penalty five minutes in to the extra frame. Fast, who whiffed on the empty net for Carolina earlier, was dead-on as he scored to end the game, 3-2.

As the Devils head back to Newark for locker clean out, the Hurricanes will go on to face either the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs currently trail the Panthers in the series, 3-1, and Game 5 will take place in Sunrise, Florida on Friday.

The Philadelphia Flyers announced Thursday they hired Daniel Brière as their next general manager.

Keith Jones will take over as the president of hockey operations as well.

"With this new Flyers leadership in place, we are committed to a collaborative approach on and off the ice," said team governor Daniel J. Hilferty. "The five leaders of the business and hockey operations will work in lockstep across all areas to restore the winning tradition of Flyers Hockey."

Welcome to A New Era of Orange. pic.twitter.com/Oplfwf7u7v

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) May 11, 2023

Philadelphia had named Brière the interim GM in March following the ouster of Chuck Fletcher, who held both the general manager and president of hockey operations titles.

Brière played 17 years in the NHL, including six with the Flyers. After retiring, he was the team president for the ECHL's Maine Mariners and worked as a special assistant to Fletcher.

With the trade deadline having already passed, there wasn't much work Brière could accomplish on an interim basis as the GM. He indicated he was hopeful of taking over in a more permanent capacity.

"I don't have a problem with the interim tag," he told reporters. "I think [ownership is] going to take the proper time to evaluate who should be full-time in that position. I see myself staying here and being part of the future. I hope they believe in me as well. It feels that way."

The Flyers finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division and collected the seventh-fewest points in the NHL (75) to miss the playoffs for the third straight year. When he replaced Fletcher, Brière said Philly "isn't a quick fix" and getting the franchise back to contention is "going to take a little while."

Now, the 45-year-old will have the opportunity to help guide that process.

Like Brière, Jones is a familiar face to Flyers fans. In addition to ending his playing career in Philly, he has been a longtime broadcaster for the team and was part of TNT's NHL coverage for the past two seasons.

As it became clear this was how Philadelphia planned to structure its front office, The Athletic's Charlie O'Connor raised some concerns, namely the lack of experience between Brière and Jones.

Aside from his brief interim GM tenure, Brière hasn't operated in a high-level executive position within the NHL. Jones isn't the sort of seasoned hand who can guide him in the transition, either.

O'Connor also wondered whether the Flyers would've benefited from looking outside the organizational bubble.

As much as Hilferty will try to present this as a new era for the franchise, plenty of fans will probably feel the Brière/Jones combo is just more of the same.