Marc Savard is joining the NHL coaching ranks. The formercenterwas announced as a new a sistant coach for the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, focusing on the power play.

Ive picked up a lot of stuff on a lot of the power [url=https://www.nhledgestore.com/nick-holden-jersey][b]Nick Holden Jersey[/b][/url] plays and what works, and what doesnt,” Savard told reporters via conference call.”I think Ill be able to bring a lot of adjustments and new looks and help the Blues have a fresh look, different options. They have a lot of great pieces and if Im able to work with them, I think we should be right up there in the league in power play next season.

Savard, 42, joins head coach Craig Berube anda sistants Steve Ott, Larry Robinson and Mike Van Ryn behind the Blues’ bencheight years after he played his final NHL game. Health i sues that arosedue to multiple concu sions sustained over the course of his career including an infamousblindsidehit to the head by former Penguin Matt Cooke in 2010 forced Savard to prematurely step away from the game. Theformer New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, Atlanta Thrashers and Boston Bruins forwardofficially announced hisretirement from hockey on Jan. 22, 2018.

Last year, St. Louis boasted the league’s tenth-best power playin the regular season, scoring on 21.1% of chances; however, they struggled in the playoffs connecting on just 16.3% of power-play opportunities despite receiving more man advantages than any other team.Savard, who scored 706 points in 807 games, said he’lluse hisyears of experience when working with the Blues’ current group.

“It gets frustrating. I know at timesstuff doesnt always go well and you start gripping the stick a bit,” said Savard, who netted 80 goals and 212 a sists on thepower play in 13 NHL seasons.”Ive been there in those situations, so if I can help with my experience and help those great players [Vladimir] Tarasenko, [David] Perron, [Brayden] Schenn, [Ryan] OReilly, and the defense core there the list goes on.

“Theres a lot of [url=https://www.nhledgestore.com/zdeno-chara-jersey][b]Zdeno Chara Jersey[/b][/url] great options, but bringing them all together, making them work together . . . I think theres enough players there to have two solid units that kind of go off of each other and I think you have some guys that can be really succe sful [if] put in the right situations.

Savard said heand Berube had “many, many discu sions” about the Blues throughout the seasonafterhis former teammate was named interim head coach in November.The pair played together for the Flames from 2001-03 andhave kept in close communication even after their careerstook them separate ways. He even took a photo of his old friend hoisting the Cup on television, after St. Louis defeatedhis former team in the Stanley Cup Final,and sent it toBerube immediately after so he could have a photo of the moment as quickly as po sible.

When we talked when he did take [url=https://www.nhledgestore.com/anton-khudobin-jersey][b]Anton Khudobin Jersey[/b][/url] the team over, it wasnt so much power play,” Savard, who won a Cup in 2011 with the Bruins, said on the call. “It was just talking as a bouncing point for him sometimes when he had tough times. He did a fantastic job and I wont take credit for anything again, we talked, but [he did a] marvelous job.”

MORE: The St. Louis Blues are the 2019 Stanley Cup champions and we’re just as surprised as you

The Ottawa, Ont., native, hadexplored coaching opportunities in the Ontario Hockey League in recent years before dabbling in the media side of the game. While he and Berube had “roughly touched on” the concept of his joining the Blues this past spring, he was still surprised when his former teammate called himto officially offer the job.

“I didnt know [url=https://www.nhledgestore.com/cam-neely-jersey][b]Cam Neely Jersey[/b][/url] what to say,” Savard said regarding the offer for hisfirst-ever coaching job at theprofe sional level.”I was so excited. I didnt think it would come true this way, that it would work out, especially coming from the Stanley Cup champions.”

Regardle s of his lack of coaching experience, Savarddoes not imagine he’ll have any trouble building relationships with players on St. Louis’roster.

Im more of a hands-on guy,” he said.”Im a hockey guy.I want to be around the players, I want to be around the team and help in the best way I can. Im very capable in that aspect, so I really appreciate this opportunity that [GM] Doug Armstrong is giving me and hopefully I can prove [him]right that I can help out this team.

It turned out to be a good week for fans of NHL ownership drama, after all.

A few days after the Coyotes’ four-year me s was officially resolved, the New Jersey Devils’ situationfor sale but still owned by Jeff Vanderbeek, who [url=https://www.nhledgestore.com/tommy-wingels-jersey][b]Tommy Wingels Jersey[/b][/url] also owns $230 million in debtis squarely in the spotlight. On Thursday, the story, via Forbes, was that the NHL was prepared to seize control of the team nobody bought it by the start of the season. The footnote, though, was that at least two groups were highly interested.

One of them, according to Philadelphia radio host Howard Eskin [url=https://www.nhledgestore.com/tim-schaller-jersey][b]Tim Schaller Jersey[/b][/url] , is close to a deal.

Okey dokey. It’s worth noting that Eskin has been drastically wrong about two high-profile NHL scoops he’s gotten in the last yearone was that the season would be canceled because of the lockout. The other: Sidney Crosby wouldn’t play in 2013 because of concu sion-related i sues. Neither of those happened.

Eskin’s report is most largely relevant because of reports by Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Recordand Rich Chere of The Star-Ledger, who cover the Devils better than anyone. Gulitti [url=https://www.nhledgestore.com/david-pastrnak-jersey][b]David Pastrnak Jersey[/b][/url] wrote on Friday, citing a source close to the proce s, that the sale could be wrapped up “quickly.” From Chere: “(Officials) with close knowledge of current negotiations say the Devils could be sold within the next several days and almost certainly within the next two months.”

Neither specified that it was Harris’ group, though. The other most prominent bidder is led by Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Barroway, who has already helped Vanderbeek pay $30 million of bills, according to Chere.

Sodone deal. Quickly. Several days. The next two months. Barroway. Harris. Regardle s, it seems like the team will be sold, and soon.

Any deal for the Devils will keep the [url=https://www.nhledgestore.com/danton-heinen-jersey][b]Danton Heinen Jersey[/b][/url] team in Newark and include the operating rights to the Prudential Centerand Vanderbeek’s debt payments are due soon.

Dan Girardi will look like a Stanley Cup playoffs veteran when he takes the ice tonight at Madison Square Garden. Rob Scuderi will compare scars with him tonight.

Both defensemen were injured in Thursday’s opener of the Pittsburgh Penguins-New York Rangers series.

MORE: [url=https://www.nhledgestore.com/charlie-mcavoy-jersey][b]Charlie McAvoy Jersey[/b][/url] Friday’s games | Thursday | Action images | Video | Saturday odds

Saturday’s Game 2 will start about 8 ET. TV: NBC in the U.S., CBC and French-language TVA Sports in Canada.

Girardi gets attention from a trainer. Getty Images

Girardi was hit in the face with the puck and didn’t return to the game. Scuderi got his face in the [url=https://www.nhledgestore.com/david-krejci-jersey][b]David Krejci Jersey[/b][/url] way of Kevin Hayes’ stick, making him the night’s top blood donor. He got his red badge of courage but didn’t draw a penalty.

Hmm.

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Scuderi explained.

“It was a follow-through from a shot,” he said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I tried to move my head back. It happens. I’m not prepared to blame the refs. It’s more on us. You need to know when to get yourself into physical battles and when [url=https://www.nhledgestore.com/tuukka-rask-jersey][b]Tuukka Rask Jersey[/b][/url] not to.”

Not to be outdone, Girardi returned to practice Friday.

“I tell myself I’ve seen everything, and now he’s playing through a puck in the face,” captain Ryan McDonagh, Girardi’s defense partner, told the New York Daily News.

Girardi was clipped when a Chris Kunitz shot ricocheted off his stick. After medical treatment, Girardi found [url=https://www.nhledgestore.com/sean-kuraly-jersey][b]Sean Kuraly Jersey[/b][/url] his teeth and jaw were intact. He could have returned, but

“By the time they were done, there was only a minute left and I only had half my uniform on,” he said.

Video showed Scuderi on the bench with a nasty gash on the bridge of his nose sporting fresh stitches. That’s hockey, baby.

Scuderi’s beauty mark (via NBC Sports and TheScore.com)

At a 2-2 standstill, goaltenders John Gibson and Devan Dubnyk saved a combined 16consecutive attempts during a record-setting shootout Saturday.
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It was the Ducks that quacked last though, earning a big second point in the proce s.

Nick Ritchie finally put an end to the 11-round shootout when he slipped a shot through Dubnyk’s legs to end the back-and-forth marathon, securing a 3-2 victory for Anaheim.

Matt Dumba, Matt Cullen, Derek Grant, and Jared Spurgeon each got their first shootoutattempts of the season. The 11 rounds marks a new franchise record for Minnesota, surpa sing its previous record of nine.

Each team scored once during the firstthree, scheduledrounds. Ryan Getzlaf led things off for the Ducks [url=https://www.storebengals.com/Aj_Mccarron_Jersey.NFL][b]AJ McCarron Jersey[/b][/url] , holding onto the puck until the last po sible moment and then flipping it over a prone Dubnyk.

Each team failed to score on its next attempt, meaning the Wild’s Zach Parise had to score to keep [url=https://www.storebengals.com/Giovani_Bernard_Jersey.NFL][b]Giovani Bernard Jersey[/b][/url] Minnesota alive. He did just that, using a couple of stickhandles and a leg kick to open up Gibson and before sliding the puck through his legs on the backhand.

That set the stage for the goalie’s to temporarily take over, thwarting shooter after shooter until Ritchie’s decisive marker. Perhaps succumbing to fatigue — or just going old school — two times Gibson went with the pad-stick to turn away Minnesota shooters.

Minnesota held a 2-1 lead by the end of the second period but Ondrej Kase tied things up in the third, [url=https://www.storebengals.com/Tee_Higgins_Jersey.NFL][b]Tee Higgins Jersey[/b][/url] sending the game into overtime. Dubnyk made 36 saves on the night and Gibson had 29.

With the two points, the Ducks moved into third place in the Pacific Division, pa sing the Calgary Flames. They also drew even with Minnesota at 69 points; the Wild currently holdthe second wild card spot in the West.

TheWild also now hold a onepoint lead over the Flames.

It’s NHL trade rumor season. Each week before the Feb. 26 trade deadline, Lyle Richardson’s Rumor Roundup column serves as [url=https://www.storebengals.com/A_J_Green_Jersey.NFL][b]A.J. Green Jersey[/b][/url] a one-stop guide to the latest rumblings around the league.

The combination of the Senators’ lousy season and uncertainty over captain Erik Karl son’s future with the club has made the All-Star defenseman a lightning rod for trade speculation. With the NHL’s Feb. 26 trade deadline fast approaching, the 27-year-old Senators captain has once again surfaced in the rumor mill.

On Wednesday, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reportedSenators general manager Pierre Dorion was engaged in some level of trade dialogue with at least a half dozenclubs regarding Karl son. Though McKenzie believes Dorion hasn’t yet received formal trade offers, he doesn’t rule out the po sibility of Karl son being moved at the deadline if the Senators GM receives an acceptable offer.

Karl son is due to become an unrestricted [url=https://www.storebengals.com/Jordan_Evans_Jersey.NFL][b]Jordan Evans Jersey[/b][/url] free agent in July 2019. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reportsDorion isn’t actively shopping [url=https://www.storebengals.com/Jordan_Willis_Jersey.NFL][b]Jordan Willis Jersey[/b][/url] his franchise player but uncertainty over his future has teams making inquiries.

TRADE TRACKER:Rumors, reported deals before the 2018 deadline

McKenzie believes it’ll take a substantial offer to pry Karl son away from the Senators. He speculated it could be upwards of five, six, seven pieces.”That price could be reduced, however, if the interested team also agrees to take on winger Bobby Ryan in the deal. The 30-year-old Ryan has four years remaining on his contract with an annual average value of $7.25 million.
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Filip Chytil entered his first NHL training camp with the Rangers facing long odds to make the opening-night roster. On Thursday, he beat those odds, securing a spot with the varsity after an eye-opening preseason.

“I’m really glad I’m here, it’s really exciting,” Chytil told reporters after [url=https://www.storebengals.com/Jake_Fisher_Jersey.NFL][b]Jake Fisher Jersey[/b][/url] practice, adding that he still needed to inform his family back home in the Czech Republic the big news.

Despite being the 21st overall selection in the 2017 draft, Chytil was a long shot to make the team after entering camp hobbled by a groin strain and slotted behind many other centers on the depth chart, including fellow first-rounder Lias Ander son, the more experienced seventh overall pick this year who helped HV71 win the Swedish Hockey League title last season. Throw in that Chytil was far and away the youngest player in camp — turning 18 only three weeks ago — and, well, it appeared that the skilled Czech would return home and grow his game to be NHL-ready next season or the one after.

Yet, as head coach Alain Vigneault profe sed “talent has no age”, Chytil dazzled during practices and then in preseason games. He scored the overtime game-winner in his debut Sept. 20 against the Devils, and finished with three points (1-2-3) in four games. He led the team with 14 shots on goal during the preseason and was presented with the Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award which is awarded the to the Rangers’ top rookie each training camp.

While Ander son was the more practical choice to start the season in New York, what with his strong two-way game and more experience in the pro game against grown men, it was Chytil and his explosive offensive upside that won over Vigneault and general manager Jeff Gorton. On the same day Chytil was informed he will start the season with the varsity, Ander son was loaned to Frolunda, his new [url=https://www.storebengals.com/Clayton_Fejedelem_Jersey.NFL][b]Clayton Fejedelem Jersey[/b][/url] club in the SHL.

“I think, at 18, he just needs to go play, forget about the Rangers right now,” Gorton said of Ander son.

The GM also explained that making decisions on both youngsters centered around “what’s best for them, and then what’s best for us.” In other words, just because the team had an opening down the middle, neither Chytil nor Ander son was going to be forced onto the NHL roster if team bra s felt they weren’t quite ready. To that end, Vigneault emphasized Thursday how important it was for Ander son to go back to Sweden and play big minutes in a top-six role, both in the SHL and for his country at the 2018 World Junior Championships.

MORE: Inside the 2017-18 Rangers: Despite changes, goal remains the same

Vigneault also told reporters that Chytil will be evaluated day-to-day and is interested to see how the youngster, listed as 6-feet-2 inches tall and 202 pounds, responds to facing complete NHL lineups night-in and night-out. The Rangers can let Chytil play in nine games, evaluate where he’s at, and then decide whether or not to send him back home if he’s not ready before burning the first year of his [url=https://www.storebengals.com/Tyler_Boyd_Jersey.NFL][b]Tyler Boyd Jersey[/b][/url] entry-level contract. Coincidentally, that’s right around the time injured forward Jesper Fast is expected to return to the lineup, and the club will need to make room for the veteran Swede who is a key role player.

“I am going day by day and game by game, and then I’ll see,” Chytil responded when asked about a nine-game audition, of sorts.

Added Gorton, “Right now, he’s earned the right to be here.”

Chytil had to put on his big-boy [url=https://www.storebengals.com/C_J_Uzomah_Jersey.NFL][b]C.J. Uzomah Jersey[/b][/url] skates Thursday when Vigneault put the rookie on a line centering Rick Nash — he of the 416 career goals — and Mats Zuccarello, who led the Rangers in scoring two of the three past seasons.

There’s still a week to go before the regular season opener against the Avalanche, but if Thursday’s lines stick, the Rangers will have three potentially very potent offensive lines to start the season. The top unit featured Mika Zibanejad centering Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich, while Kevin Hayes was between Jimmy Vesey and J.T. Miller.

The Rangers cut down to 25 players — which includes injured forwards Steven Fogarty and Fast — by sending Ander son back to Frolunda, releasing Bobby Farnham from his PTO, placing Matt Puempel on waivers and sending Boo Nieves, Vinni Lettieri, Ryan Graves and Neal Pionk to the Hartford Wolfpack.