NHL Notes: John Tavares, Sean Monahan, Taylor Hall, and more
Welcome to DFO’s Daily NHL notes. Today we have an injury update on John Tavares, a report that the Calgary Flames are listening to offers on Sean Monahan, words from Taylor Hall about the trade deadline, and more.
John Tavares returns to the ice
One week ago today, @John Tavares was taken off the ice on a stretcher after suffering a terrifying head injury. The Maple Leafs announced after Game 1 that their captain had suffered a concussion and a sprained MCL on the play and that he would be out of the lineup for at least two weeks.
On Thursday, Tavares hit the ice for the first time since his injury, participating in some light skating for about 20 minutes.
John Tavares departs the ice after skating for about 20 minutes.
Heck of a comeback, all things considered. pic.twitter.com/5AdBlYnnLP
— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) May 27, 2021
There still isn’t a timetable for Tavares’ return but seeing him back on the ice is certainly a positive. At the time of the injury, it appeared as though Tavares would be out for the remainder of the playoffs. Now it appears as though a return could be in the cards if the Leafs go deep.
Toronto carries a 3-1 series lead over the Montreal Canadiens and can win their first playoff series since 2004 with a win tonight. If they don’t get the job done, they’ll have to go back and play in Montreal in front of 2,500 Habs fans.
Calgary listening to offers for Sean Monahan
This could be an off-season of changes in Calgary.
Things have been sour for the Flames since they finished the 2018-19 season with the best record in the Western Conference. They got upset in the playoffs by the No. 8 seeded Colorado Avalanche that spring, fell flat in 2019-20, and continued to decline in 2021, ultimately going 25-27-3 and finishing well out of the playoffs.
The Flames have a trio of key players with soon-to-expire contracts. @Johnny Gaudreau and @Mark Giordano are unrestricted free agents after 2021-22 and @Matthew Tkachuk is a restricted free agent with a $9,000,000 qualifying offer price tag.
There has been talk about all three of these players getting moved in the off-season, and the list doesn’t end there.
Over at the Ottawa Sun, Bruce Garrioch mentioned that the Flames are listening to offers on Sean Monahan. This quote comes as Garrioch discusses a handful of options the Senators have for acquiring a veteran, top-line centre this off-season.
The Calgary Flames are listening to offers for centre Sean Monahan. He had only 10 goals and 28 points in 50 games this season and hasn’t lived up to expectations. He has two years left at $6.125 million in 2021-22 and $6 million in 2022-23 so he’s only a short-term commitment for a team that wants help. His deal has a standard 10-team no trade clause.
The Flames haven’t seen virtually any playoff success in the Gaudreau-Monahan era and this could be the summer they opt to move in a different direction.
Taylor Hall didn’t hold out for the Bruins
Likely the best move by an NHL team at this year’s trade deadline was Boston’s acquisition of @Taylor Hall.
Boston sent Buffalo Anders Bjork and a second-round pick for Hall and Curtis Lazar and he’s fit in seamlessly with the Bruins. In 16 regular-season games, Hall scored eight goals and 14 points and he put up three points in the team’s five-game series win over Washington.
Speculation after the deadline was that Hall, who had a no-movement clause on his contract with Buffalo, held out to be traded specifically to Boston. Hall recently told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan that wasn’t the case…
“Leading up to the deadline, there were a couple teams that were interested, I’m not going to say who they were, but if it would have worked out, I would have gone there. I wasn’t just holding out for Boston. I was eager to join a playoff team. I was eager to join somewhere that had good culture, and where winning was sustainable. Because I was looking for somewhere I could re-sign, not just the 20 games to end the season.
Zdeno Chara unsure about playing future
Could this be the end of the line for future Hall of Famer @Zdeno Chara?
The veteran defender told reporters after the Capitals got eliminated from the playoffs that he has to speak with his family before he can decide if he wants to continue playing.
“I think it’s not always a decision I can make myself. Sometimes there are things in life you have to realize, and I have to have a conversation with my wife and children and see where we want to be in the next few days or weeks. After those conversations, I’m going to probably let the emotions settle in and see where I’m at.”
Despite being 44 years old, Chara can still hack it as a defender in the NHL. He left Boston after 14 seasons to join the Capitals last off-season and was a rock on the Capitals; blueline. Chara played in all but one of Washington’s games and averaged 18:19 per night while playing heavy defensive zone minutes.
If he wants to keep playing, there’s no doubt Chara will find a job.