Blues healthy scratch Hoffman
Jeremy Rutherford: The St. Louis Blues made Mike Hoffman a healthy scratch.
Jeremy Rutherford: Blues coach on Hoffman: “I just want more out of him. I just made a decision to not play him. I want more out of him. That’s basically what it boils down to. “I need more effort and competitiveness from him. He hasn’t scored in 10 games. Basically that.”
Predators sign their 2017 third-round pick
Puck Pedia: The Nashville Predators have signed their 2017 third-round pick David Farrance to a two-year entry-level deal. He’ll carry a $925,000 salary cap hit and a $1.35 million AAV.
2020-21: $832.5K salary, $92,500 signing bonus.
2021-22: $832,500 salary, $92,500 signing bonus, and $850,500 in “A” performance bonuses.
Chris Peters: “Farrance could have gone the UFA route this summer, but NSH locks him in. He had 43 points in 2019-20 to lead all NCAA D. Had 16 points in just 11 games this year as COVID protocols limited schedule. Dynamic skater with skill and vision.”
Alex Daugherty: “Importance of Farrance signing can’t be overstated; it affects several other decisions. E.g, does this make Poile more likely to deal Ekholm/d-man? Does it change x-draft strategy? 2021 draft mindset? Knowing you have an asset under control–and can’t lose it–is huge.”
Maple Leafs sign a college free agent
Puck Pedia: The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed 21-year old college free agent forward Alex Steeves to a three-year, entry-level deal. He’ll carry an $834,000 salary cap hit.
Yr 1: $750,000 salary, $75,000 signing bonus, $80,000 minors.
Yr 2: $750,000 salary, $75,000 signing bonus, $80,000 minors.
Yr 3: $775,000 salary, $77,500 signing bonus, $80,000 minors.
Caps re-sign a goaltender
Washington Capitals: The Capitals have signed goaltender Zach Fucale to a two-year, two-way contract.
COVID protocol absence list
Mike DeFabo: Pittsburgh Penguins Brandon Tanev and Mark Jankowski have been removed from the COVD protocol related absence list. Remaining players on the list.
Anaheim Ducks – Alexander Volkov.
Boston Bruins – Jake DeBrusk, Sean Kuraly and Brad Marchand.
Calgary Flames – TBA
Los Angeles Kings – TBA
Minnesota Wild – Zach Parise
Montreal Canadiens – Joel Armia, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Eric Staal.
New York Rangers – Brett Howden
Vancouver Canucks – Travis Boyd
Canadiens hope to practice today
John Lu: Montreal Canadiens players were tested between 9:00 and 10:00 this morning. They expect to get results back by 4:00 pm and start practice two hours after at 6:00 pm.
Schedule changes
NHL.com: The NHL announced another round of schedule changes.
• Game 498, Edmonton at Montreal, scheduled for March 22, is now scheduled for March 30 at 7 p.m. ET
• Game 714, Washington at Boston, scheduled for April 20, is now scheduled for April 11 at 7 p.m. ET
• Game 686, Calgary at Montreal, scheduled for April 16 at 7 p.m. ET, will now start at 6 p.m. ET
• Game 546, Ottawa at Montreal, scheduled for March 28, is now scheduled for April 17 at 4 p.m. ET
• Game 483, Boston at Buffalo, scheduled for March 20, is now scheduled for April 20 at 7 p.m. ET
• Game 726, Toronto at Winnipeg, scheduled for April 21 at 8 p.m. ET, will now start at 7 p.m. ET
• Game 721, Montreal at Edmonton, scheduled for April 20, is now scheduled for April 21 10 p.m. ET
• Game 736, Montreal at Calgary, scheduled for April 22, is now scheduled for April 23 at 9 p.m. ET
• Game 761, Montreal at Calgary, scheduled for April 26 at 10 p.m. ET, will now start at 6:30 p.m. ET
• Game 760, Edmonton at Winnipeg scheduled for April 26 at 8 p.m. ET, will now start at 9 p.m. ET
• Game 564, Montreal at Ottawa, scheduled for March 30, is now scheduled for May 5 at 7 p.m. ET
• Game 847, Montreal at Toronto, scheduled for May 7, is now scheduled for May 6 at 7 p.m. ET
• Game 510, Edmonton at Montreal, scheduled for March 24, is now scheduled for May 10 at 5:30 p.m. ET
• Game 841, Tampa Bay at Florida, scheduled for May 6, is now scheduled for May 10 at 7 p.m. ET
• Game 529: NY Islanders at Boston, scheduled for March 23, is now scheduled for May 10 at 7 p.m. ET
• Game 833, Toronto at Ottawa, scheduled for May 5, is now scheduled for May 10 at 8 p.m. ET
• Game 456, St. Louis at Los Angeles, scheduled for March 15, is now scheduled for May 10 at 10 p.m. ET
• Game 526, Edmonton at Montreal, scheduled for March 26, is now scheduled for May 11 at 7 p.m. ET
• Game 653, Boston at Washington, scheduled April 11, is now scheduled for May 11 at 7 p.m. ET