WaFd Bank Weekly Warmup: July 5

July is a monumental month for the Kraken with a team-building triple header of the expansion draft, NHL amateur draft and the opening of the league's free agency period-all packed into the final week-plus of the month. But first a Stanley Cup champion will be crowned sometime between Monday and next Sunday.
Let's drop the
WaFd Bank
Weekly Warmup puck for the first time this historic month:

Sweep at Stake

The last time there was a sweep in the Stanley Cup Final was 1998, when the Detroit Red Wings exited the Washington Capitals in four games. That Red Wings team, led by captain Steve Yzerman and all-time great defenseman Nicolas Lindstrom, both Hall of Famers, swept Philadelphia in the 1997 Final to go back-to-back with Cup wins.
There's a lot of hockey fans who would welcome the upstart Montreal Canadiens to climb back into the series or at least win one for the Quebec faithful watching their team in a Cup Final for the first time since winning the trophy in 1993. Even the Tampa Bay mayor hinted stretching the series to five games would be fine by her.

"What we would like is for the Lightning to take it a little bit easy, to give the Canadiens just the smallest break, allow them to win one at home, and then bring it back to the Amalie Arena for the final and the winning of the Stanley Cup," said Mayor Jane Castor Sunday. "We don't want to get ahead of ourselves. But they are playing some amazing, amazing hockey."
Getting back to Tampa Bay will likely rest on the shoulders of Montreal all-star goalie Carey Price, who allowed a pair of longer shots to slip by him during the opening minutes of Game 3. Both were shots Price normally stops and that NHL goalies are called to block in defensive schemes designed to prevent shots from closer range.
Montreal skaters made mistakes that led to other goals in the 6-3 win, but Price delivering on his own expectations is vital to the Canadiens extending the series.

Yzerman's Mark on TBL

The aforementioned Yzerman was general manager in Tampa Bay for nearly a decade before returning to Detroit as its GM in 2019. He did a lot to build this winner, including mentoring current Lightning GM Julien BriseBois.

Some of Yzerman's moves: Drafting scoring stars Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, along with fellow first liner Ondrej Palat. Signed Tyler Johnson and Yanni Gourde as undrafted players and developing them into stellar contributors, including Johnson as a primary driver of the team's 2015 run to the Cup Final versus Chicago.
Yzerman hired coach Jon Cooper and re-signed Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos and 2020 Cup Final MVP Victor to long-term contracts. In 2012, he drafted goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (who shut down Montreal in Game 2 with 42 saves in a 3-1 victory) in the first round using a pick he acquired in a trade with his old-new team Detroit.
Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke is widely credited with reviving the Tampa Bay fan base and establishing a strong, sustainable culture for the franchise upon his hiring as Tampa Bay CEO in July 2010. Credit owner Jeff Vinik for a genius 1-2 hire of Leiweke and Yzerman.
When Leiweke accepted the chief operating officer role for the National Football League, Yzerman was quick to praise his departing CEO and leader in building a franchise that is proving out long-term success.

"Tod's a really special person and for me personally, he's been a great sounding board over the five years - just popping his head into the office for support," Yzerman said in 2015. "A text, a phone call, sit down and chat. My relationship with him - I'll miss that. He was really good, someone for me to lean on, and when you walk out of his office, you feel good."

Long Way Back-and Long Odds

Montreal players were forced to firmly grip the standard-issue "win one game at a time" credo when talking to the media over the weekend following Friday's Game 3 loss. It's a solid choice of mindset when you consider the odds of this Canadiens team or NHL team needing to win four straight elimination games to win a best-of-seven series.
Only four teams have ever pulled off the feat during some hundred years of postseasons. And just once -- back in 1942 -- in the Stanley Cup Final.
Yet there is a thread of hope in the Canadiens repertoire: The last team to do it was the 2014 Los Angeles Kings, who stormed back from a 3-0 deficit against San Jose. The Kings went on to win their second Cup in three years that spring.

Los Angeles staved off elimination in Games 5 and 6 against the Sharks on the strength of back-to-back game-winning goals tallied by rookie Tyler Toffoli, who also scored in the clinching Game 7. Toffoli, of course, is now a Canadien forward and leads the team in scoring this postseason.
But Toffoli has not registered a goal or assist in three games against Tampa Bay. Montreal coach Dominique Ducharme announced Monday he was shaking up his squad's forward lines to look for a spark for Toffoli and others. Toffoli will skate with center Phillip Danault and wing Brendan Gallagher. Veteran Josh Anderson will take Toffoli's spot alongside dazzling young players Nick Suzuki and Cole Caulfield.

Tragic News about Columbus Goalie

Twenty-four-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks died Sunday from an apparent fireworks accident. The Latvian prospect was with friends in Novi, MI, when a "firework malfunction" caused several people, including Kivlenieks, to "flee a hot tub," per the NHL team and news reports.
Originally, local police believed Kivlenieks "slipped and fell and hit his head on the concrete," but an autopsy determined he "died of chest trauma from an errant fireworks mortar blast."

" 'Kivi' was an outstanding young man who greeted every day and everyone with a smile and the impact he had during his four years with our organization will not be forgotten," said John Davidson, Blue Jackets president of hockey operations.
"On behalf of the NHL family, we extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and teammates in both the Blue Jackets organization and his native country of Latvia," said league commissioner Gary Bettman in a statement. "His love for life and passion for the game will be deeply missed by all those who have been fortunate to have him as a teammate and a friend."
Kivlenieks played in eight NHL games over the last three seasons on his entry-level contract, third on the CBJ depth but expected to compete for more playing time during the 2021-22 season. He starred for Latvia at the World Championship, registering a shutout of powerhouse Canada in the opening round. The Latvia hockey federation called it "a big loss not only for Latvian hockey but for the Latvian people as a whole."

Draft Prospect Wins E.J. McGuire Award

Swedish defenseman William Eklund, a top prospect for the upcoming NHL amateur draft, was named winner of the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence Monday. The award goes to the draft prospect who "best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism."

Eklund played the 2020-21 as an 18-year-old defenseman in the highly regarded Swedish Hockey League, scoring 11 goals and adding 12 assists over 40 games competing against significantly older opponents. He was named the SHL Rookie of the Year and ranks No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's ranking of international skaters eligible to be drafted July 23 and 24.
"William is a highly skilled prospect who plays the game with a drive and determination and he played a prominent role with [his SHL team] Djurgarden," said Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting. "This season, William missed time with illness and an injury costing him the opportunity to play for Sweden at the World Juniors.
"Yet he persevered through these setbacks. He always came back stronger and more determined displaying his trademark competitive will to win."
After successful years as a scout and executive with NHL teams, E.J. McGuire joined the NHL Central Scouting in 2002. He was responsible for several advancements, including the development of a new scouting technology system. He was instrumental in raising both the effectiveness and profile of NHL scouting combine.
Speaking personally, McGuire always had time and a smile for any colleague or media member he encountered. He died after a short, courageous bout with cancer in April 2011.