Hockey headlines for April 15, 2023

Saturday, April 15, 2023

Penguins fire Ron Hextall and Brian Burke, cleaning house in front office (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Nathan MacKinnon hat trick clinches Central Division title for Avalanche, first round matchup with Seattle Kraken (Denver Post)
A promising season over, Sabres shift focus to next step: 'Playoffs is the expectation' (Buffalo News)
Capitals part ways with Peter Laviolette after three seasons as coach (Washington Post)
Ducks fire coach Dallas Eakins after 4 seasons (Orange County Register)
Van Ryn, MacTavish out as Blues assistant coaches (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
He'll be a Blackhawk forever: Toews reflects on his emotional farewell and what's the next step (Chicago Daily Herald)
Kadri downplays any tension with Sutter (Calgary Sun)
Senators captain Brady Tkachuk on D.J. Smith: 'He's the coach for us' (Ottawa Sun)
Can anyone stop the Bruins from winning the Stanley Cup? (Globe & Mail)
Canada confident, ready for challenge ahead in semi-finals of women’s hockey worlds (Globe & Mail)
Fenway Sports Group non-committal on future of Penguins coach Mike Sullivan (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
The future of the Penguins hockey operations remains to be seen (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Blue Jackets drop finale, finish with second-best lottery odds (Columbus Dispatch)
Nashville Predators season ends with hard-fought loss to Colorado Avalanche (The Tennessean)
Brad Larsen's future as Blue Jackets' coach hangs in the air (Columbus Dispatch)
Changes are coming to the San Jose Sharks. How drastic will they be? (San Jose Mercury News)
Ottawa Senators roster changes have begun, but what's next for Alex DeBrincat? (Ottawa Sun)
Canadiens and Cole Caufield don't appear to be close on long-term deal (Montreal Gazette)
Blackhawks could pick anywhere from first to fifth in NHL draft after 30th-place finish (Chicago Sun-Times)
Steve Yzerman confident Red Wings headed in right direction (MLive.com)
Young and entertaining Senators must take another step, with or without D.J. Smith as head coach next season (Ottawa Citizen)
The Flyers’ 25-and-under core’s late-season momentum provides hope for the future (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Flyers’ Cam Atkinson is eager ‘to be part of the solution’ next season after missing 2022-23 due to neck surgery (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Kevin Hayes awaits his future, Flyers anticipate other key veterans returning next season (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Kings and Oilers brace for another superb playoff clash (Los Angeles Daily News)
Panthers should be no pushover for Bruins (Boston Herald)
Division champion Hurricanes are in the NHL playoffs, so now what? The Islanders await (Raleigh News & Observer)
Rangers have greater expectations for this year's playoffs (New York Newsday)
Maple Leafs are heading into NHL playoffs on the right note (Toronto Sun)
Wild will play Dallas Stars in first round of NHL playoffs next week (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
Will their super season matter when the Kings come calling? (Edmonton Sun)
Old friends, older enemies, as Jets take on Vegas Golden Knights (Winnipeg Sun)
After not winning a playoff series since '15, this year's Wild built differently (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
Barzal will play Game 1 for Islanders (New York Newsday)
Romanov's availability for Isles-Hurricanes remains unclear (New York Newsday)
Jets' Gagner intends to keep playing after hip surgery (Winnipeg Sun)
How Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson turned himself into a star (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
Stuart Skinner and Oilers not concerned about lack of playoff experience (Edmonton Sun)
Why Nico Hischier is Devils’ perfect ‘weapon’ for possible Stanley Cup run (NJ.com)
Zach Hyman and Derek Ryan both suit up for 500th game with Edmonton Oilers (Edmonton Sun)
Lowry’s leadership, grit key to making playoffs (Winnipeg Free Press)
For Quinn Hughes, being 'as good as anyone right now' isn't good enough (Vancouver Province)