NHL Metropolitan

Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ivan Fedotov has reportedly been detained in Russia on suspicion of evading Russian military service.

According to Radio Free Europe, Russian media outlets are reporting that Fedotov was detained in his native Russia on Friday after police and military officials "launched a manhunt ... at the request of the military prosecutor's office."

Per Joshua Manning of Euro News Weekly, Russian reports said Fedotov was then taken to the military registration and enlistment office. Fedotov could face up to two years in prison if convicted, per Manning.

Fedotov has spent parts of six seasons playing in the Russian KHL, including spending last season with KHL power CSKA Moscow, but he signed an entry-level contract with the Flyers in May and announced his intention to go to the NHL.

Fedotov is 25 and Russian law requires all men between the ages of 18 and 27 to serve at least one year in the military.

Russia entered into military combat this year when it invaded Ukraine in February, and the war is still ongoing.

Fedotov, who was a seventh-round draft pick by the Flyers in 2015, has established himself as one of the top goaltenders in Russia over the past few years.

During the 2021-22 season with CSKA Moscow, he went 14-10-2 with a 2.00 goals-against average and .919 save percentage, marking the fourth consecutive season he had a GAA of 2.21 or better and a save percentage of .919 or better.

Fedotov also led Moscow to a Gagarin Cup win, which is the KHL equivalent to the Stanley Cup.

Additionally, Fedotov represented the Russian Olympic Committee at the 2022 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal.

The plan had been for Fedotov to potentially compete with Carter Hart for the Flyers' starting goalie job next season, as Hart is the only NHL goalie under contract for Philadelphia next season with Martin Jones hitting free agency.

The Washington Capitals announced Thursday they've promoted Emily Engel-Natzke to the role of video coordinator, making her the first woman to serve as a full-time member of an NHL coaching staff.

Engel-Natzke previously filled the same role with the Hershey Bears, the Caps' AHL affiliate. She discussed her place in hockey history with Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press:

"It's kind of surreal. I've never kind of really looked at myself in that lens, and I think if you may have asked me a week ago, I wouldn't have wanted it to be a big deal. But with everything that's going on kind of geopolitically, I think I'm more so just honored to be, I guess, the first. Hopefully that just opens the door even further for people who want to get into this job and this profession."

Engel-Natzke played hockey at Adrian College and started her coaching career at the University of Wisconsin in 2015, working for the Badgers' men's and women's hockey teams as a video coordinator. She's also worked for U.S. Hockey's youth national teams and the senior women's team at the 2019 World Championships.

She joined the Capitals organization with the Bears ahead of the 2020-21 season. Her performance with the minor league affiliate, which posted the AHL's best record in her first year, gave the front office confidence she was ready to join the NHL staff.

"We are extremely pleased to name Emily as our new video coordinator," general manager Brian MacLellan said. "Emily's work ethic, skill set, and passion were displayed in her tenure with the Hershey Bears, and we feel she is ready and deserving of this opportunity. She will be a tremendous asset to our coaching staff."

The 31-year-old Colorado native also received praise from Caps head coach Peter Laviolette, per Whyno:

"This was earned and deserved. We feel like we hired really a qualified person that we brought into the organization two years ago and came in and did an outstanding job, and that's what development is all about. For me, we got the best person and that's the most important thing."

Engel-Natzke joins Chicago Blackhawks assistant GM Meghan Hunter and New Jersey Devils director of player development Meghan Duggan as women who've recently been promoted to high-profile roles within NHL organizations.

Engel-Natzke told Whyno:

"It's been really encouraging that you're seeing women in different roles, whether it's in coaching, whether it's in management, athletic training and equipment management. Hopefully the door just keeps opening a little bit more and I hope in a couple years it's not as big of a deal—it's kind of just another hire."

Washington, led by superstar winger Alex Ovechkin, has reached the playoffs in eight straight seasons, highlighted by winning the 2018 Stanley Cup title.

The 2022-23 NHL season is scheduled to get underway Oct. 11.

There is reportedly a growing feeling within the NHL that star forward Evgeni Malkin's tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins is nearing its conclusion.

According to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, multiple NHL agents have said they believe it is "unlikely" Malkin will re-sign with the Pens, and some within the Penguins organization have reportedly expressed the same sentiment.

Malkin has spent his entire 16-year NHL career with the Penguins, but he is set to become a free agent when the market officially opens on July 13.

Since going No. 2 overall to the Penguins in the 2004 draft, Malkin has carved out a Hall of Fame career, racking up countless accolades.

The 35-year-old is a seven-time All-Star, two-time Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL's leading scorer and one-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner as NHL MVP. He also won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2007 as the NHL's Rookie of the Year.

Malkin has been a playoff stalwart as well, leading the Pens to three Stanley Cup wins and taking the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2009 as postseason MVP.

In 981 career regular-season games, Malkin has recorded 444 goals and 702 assists for 1,146 points, plus he has another 67 goals and 113 assists for 180 points in 177 playoff contests.

Despite being part of a storied franchise that has showcased Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and longtime teammate Sidney Crosby, Malkin is at or near the top of most major offensive categories in Penguins history.

He ranks second in regular-season games played, third in goals, third in assists and third in points. Malkin is also second in career playoff points behind only Crosby.

Malkin and Crosby have long formed one of the most productive, successful superstar duos in NHL history, as Malkin has spent his entire 16-year NHL career as Crosby's teammate.

The 6'3" Russian has reached the 100-point mark in a season three times, and while his production in recent years hasn't quite reached the level it did earlier in his career, he has averaged more than a point per game in 10 of the past 11 seasons.

That includes this past season when he racked up 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 points in 41 games after his campaign got off to a late start due to injury.

It is somewhat difficult to envision Malkin in another uniform, but his free agency comes at a difficult time for the Pens, since they have several key free agents to consider.

In addition to Malkin, defenseman Kris Letang, goalie Casey DeSmith and forwards Rickard Rakell and Evan Rodrigues are all set to hit the open market.

Malkin is the most integral player among them, but given how much the Penguins have invested in Crosby, Jake Guentzel, Jason Zucker and Bryan Rust, re-signing one of the franchise's all-time greats may not be in the cards.

Former New York Islanders bench boss Barry Trotz won't immediately jump back into coaching next season despite interest from a number of teams with head coaching vacancies, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

The Winnipeg Jets made Trotz an offer to become their next head coach after Paul Maurice resigned. However, Trotz has informed the franchise of his decision and "intends on continuing to focus on family," Dreger added.

Trotz has not ruled out a return to coaching entirely.

The 59-year-old also told NHL.com's Tim Campbell:

"I've got some things personally that I've got to take care of, family-wise that I've got to take care of. I didn't feel… if I'd said I'll take the job, I think I would have done any team a little bit of a disservice and myself a disservice because to be a coach in the NHL, it is demanding and it requires your all. It just does, emotionally it just does, mentally it just does. So I couldn't go down that path.

"It doesn't mean I'm not going to coach. Just not going to coach right now. I've been doing this for 25 straight years and I've put a lot of stuff on the back burner and I think it's time. The one thing I do know, and it's a mistake that everybody makes, is you think you have time and you don't. And so this is my time when I can get to a lot of things I've put on the back burner. I have to take care of those, for peace of mind for everything so I will be 100 percent in if I get back into it and I'll be a better coach for it."

Trotz was one of the most coveted head coaching candidates on the market. In addition to being offered a deal by the Jets, he also drew interest from the Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars this summer.

The Islanders announced Trotz's firing in May after the team finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 37-35-10 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

New York's decision to fire Trotz was met with criticism and confusion after he helped turn the Islanders around and made them one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. In his four seasons at the helm, Trotz went 152-102-34 and led the team to three straight playoff appearances from 2018-19 to 2020-21, including a berth in the Eastern Conference Final in 2020.

Speaking with reporters following Trotz's firing, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said the team needed a "new voice." However, he refused to get into specifics about the veteran coach's firing.

"I'd rather not get into any of the reasons, because that's my job upon the information that I have, and the experience to make these types of decision," Lamoriello said.

He added: "These types of decisions are made for going forward, not for the backward. With this group we have, and they're on notice right now, that new voice is necessary to have success... My opinion is what makes these decisions."

In addition to coaching the Islanders, Trotz served as head coach of the Nashville Predators for 15 seasons and spent four seasons with the Washington Capitals, winning the Stanley Cup in 2018.

The Islanders replaced Trotz with assistant Lane Lambert, who will serve as an NHL head coach for the first time.

As for the Jets, they're still searching for a new bench boss. However, The Athletic's Murat Ates reported earlier this month that former Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery was "Winnipeg’s top current target." It's unclear if he's still in the running.

Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin is selling off his stake in the group that owns that Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Rubin is divesting his 10 percent stake in Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment because of "looming conflicts in the expansion of his Fanatics business into sports betting and individual player partnerships."

The move comes amid Fanatics' expansion into gambling with an online sportsbook on the horizon as well as its move to have individual partnership deals.

According to Wojnarowski, those elements of Fanatics' business would create "numerous conflicts with collective bargaining rules" in all sports leagues.

There was previously some concern about Rubin's relationship with James Harden when the Sixers were being linked to the former NBA MVP.

Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes said in January on his Posted Up podcast (h/t Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire) that some rival executives were "prepared to get the league involved on a potential collusion case" if Harden went to the 76ers in a sign-and-trade deal during the offseason because some of them believed there was "some talk going on now between both sides."

It didn't come to that because Harden was traded to Philadelphia by the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 10.

Selling his stake in the 76ers and Devils allows Rubin to maintain his relationship with individual players and not having to worry about potential conflicts.

Josh Harris is the managing partner of the 76ers and the co-managing partner of the Devils, with David Blitzer holding the reverse roles with each franchise. They were part of an investment group that bought the Sixers in 2011 and Devils in 2013.

Harris and Blitzer founded Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment in 2017 to consolidate their existing business ventures as well as any shared future endeavors.

Rubin was an original member of the investment group that purchased the 76ers in 2011. The 49-year-old founded Fanatics that same year and is CEO of the company.

Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has won the 2021-22 Hart Trophy as the player viewed to be the most valuable to his team, it was announced Tuesday. He beat out Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid and New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin for the honor.

This marks Matthews' first Hart Trophy victory, and he is the first Maple Leaf to win the award since Ted Kennedy in 1954-55. He was also nominated for the award during the 2020-21 campaign but came in second behind McDavid.

Matthews had a dominant season for the Maple Leafs, scoring a career-high 60 goals and 46 assists for 106 points in 73 games. It was his third consecutive season with at least 40 goals, and he has never scored less than 34 goals in each of his six seasons.

The 24-year-old's efforts helped Toronto finish second in the Atlantic Division with a 54-21-7 record. The team's 54 wins and 115 points were the most in franchise history.

The Maple Leafs selected Matthews first overall in the 2016 NHL draft, and he has been one of the best forwards in the league since. He has tallied 259 goals and 198 assists for 457 points in 407 games.

In addition to winning the Hart Trophy, he won the 2021-22 Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's top goal scorer and the Ted Lindsay Award. He also won the Rocket Richard during the 2020-21 season and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie during the 2016-17 season.

Matthews signed a five-year, $58.2 million deal with the Maple Leafs in 2019 and will be a free agent after the 2023-24 season. Based on the way he's been playing, he'll be in for a massive extension worth more than the $11.6 million annually he makes now.

New York Rangers star Igor Shesterkin has won the 2021-22 Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender, beating out Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators) and Jacob Markstrom (Calgary Flames) for the honor.

The 26-year-old becomes the third goaltender in Rangers history to win the award, joining Henrik Lundqvist and John Vanbiesbrouck. Lundqvist was last to win the award for the franchise in 2012.

The news comes as little surprise as the third-year netminder dominated play and led the Rangers to a second place finish in the Metropolitan Division.

Shesterkin won 36 of his 52 starts, going 36-13-4 with six shutouts and a 2.07 goals-against average and .935 save percentage. He led the NHL in even strength save percentage (.934) and goals saved above average (26.38), per Natural Stat Trick.

In addition, the Russian recorded a .866 high-danger save percentage at even strength, which ranked second behind New York Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin.

The Rangers selected Shesterkin in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL draft. He spent the 2019-20 season as a backup and emerged as the team's starter during the 2020-21 season, posting a 16-14-3 record in 35 games (31 starts).

With a Vezina Trophy to his name, Shesterkin will be due for a significant extension after the 2024-25 season. He's currently on a four-year, $22.6 million deal that he signed before the 2021-22 season, making $5.6 million per year.

John Tortorella was named the 23rd head coach in Philadelphia Flyers history this week, and he knows he has to do a lot of work to get the team back to a place where it can contend for a Stanley Cup.

"I'm not gonna sit here and say that we're going to be Stanley Cup contenders next year," Tortorella told reporters. "Having said that, I know there's some work to do. That's what I want to do."

The 2021-22 campaign was disappointing for the Flyers based on their roster, including Carter Hart, Cam Atkinson, Sean Couturier, Kevin Hayes, James van Riemsdyk and Joel Farabee.

Philadelphia traded its longtime captain, seven-time All-Star Claude Giroux, to the Florida Panthers in part because of its lack of success.

The Flyers fired former head coach Alain Vigneault last December following an 8-10-4 start. Mike Yeo served as the team's interim head coach and led the team to a 25-46-11 last-place finish in the Metropolitan Division.

With the team missing the postseason for the second consecutive year, the Flyers announced Yeo would not return as head coach.

Tortorella should be able to get more out of Philadelphia's current roster in 2022-23, and he called the Flyers the "right fit" for his coaching comeback, per ESPN. However, it'll be a difficult task getting the team ready to compete with the likes of the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference.

The 63-year-old most recently served as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2015-21, going 227-166-54 and becoming the winningest coach in franchise history. He led the team to the playoffs four times in his six seasons, though it only advanced past the first round once.

Tortorella also coached the Lightning for seven seasons from 2000-08, leading the team to a Stanley Cup title in 2004, and has also coached the Rangers and Vancouver Canucks. He most recently served as an NHL analyst for ESPN.

Former New York Rangers winger Sean Avery has been convicted on attempted criminal mischief stemming from a road rage incident from 2019.

According to TMZ Sports, Avery was accused of slamming his scooter into a car. He was found guilty of the misdemeanor charge Thursday in Manhattan.

A spokesperson from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said Avery has been sentenced to time served. He had originally been facing up to three months in prison. According to the New York Post, Avery had turned down multiple plea deals from prosecutors.

Avery damaged the car of a New York-based businessman during a dispute over the vehicle blocking a bike lane.

Avery told the New York Post in 2019, "If I need to be the poster boy for defending the bike lanes, I will absolutely do that. We need to be able to just bike in freedom."

The man said his four-year-old daughter was in the car during the incident, and Avery's attack left a hole in the door near where she was sitting. The judge presiding over the case issued full orders of protection for the victims in the case.

The 42-year-old Avery testified Thursday and admitted to raising his voice during the altercation, but he claims he changed his tune when he noticed that a child was present.

"It was three years ago, I can’t exactly remember whether the vehicle was damaged. … As soon as I saw the kids, everything, just you know, changed," he said.

Avery retired from the NHL in 2012 after a 10-year career.