Deen’s Daily: O’Connor Has Hip Surgery; Finding a Fit For Necas; DeBoer Fired!

One of the Avs’ longest-tenured forwards is going to miss the start of the season. Rumors around Martin Necas’ availability might lead to interest from other clubs. In Dallas, the head coach has been axed and in Edmonton, the Oilers fell in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — June 7.

Colorado Hockey Now

The Avalanche dropped a considerable bit of news on Friday. Forward Logan O’Connor had hip surgery that will keep him sidelined for 5-6 months. That means the soon-to-be 29-year-old will not be ready for training camp and will miss the first part of the regular season.

O’Connor had another hip procedure done in March 2024, and it kept him out of the playoffs that year. He had an excellent postseason this year before opting for another surgery.

I don’t have full details of his latest surgery, but it seems to me like the one he had in 2024 was more of a quick fix before opting for a more serious procedure with a longer recovery timeline. I can’t confirm that, but it’ll be one of the first questions we ask the front office when they speak around the draft and free agency. Let’s hope all goes well for his recovery. We saw just how important a player he was in the postseason, especially on that line with Jack Drury and Parker Kelly.

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Read More: Deen’s View: Nelson Deal Sets the Table — Now the Real Work Begins for the Avalanche (+)

Dan Hinote accepted a job as assistant coach to Jon Cooper in Tampa Bay. He’s already got eight years of assistant coaching experience in the NHL, and needed just one season in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles to get another NHL gig.

Hinote was one of three names I wondered about for the open spot on Jared Bednar’s staff. All three of those names are now off the board.

Hinote is in Tampa Bay.

David Quinn joined the New York Rangers staff.

Derek Lalonde accepted a job on Craig Berube’s staff in Toronto.

Who will replace Ray Bennett? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

Stanley Cup Final Recap

Game 2: This might be one of the more opening two games of a Stanley Cup Final that I could remember. The Oilers and Panthers exchanged goals throughout the first period before Florida took control in the second. The reigning Stanley Cup champions held a 4-3 lead late in regulation. But with the goalie pulled, Edmonton would not be denied. Corey Perry scored the latest game-tying goal in Stanley Cup Final history at 19:42 to force overtime.

Neither team was able to capitalize in the first OT period before Brad Marchand scored his 10th career SCF goal at 8:05 of the second OT to lift Florida to a 5-4 victory. The series is knotted up at 1-1 heading to Sunrise for two games.

Stanley Cup Final Series

Game 1: EDM 4-3 OT (Series: 1-0 EDM)
Game 2: FLA 5-4 OT (Series: 1-1 tied)
Game 3: EDM at FLA (Monday, June 9)
Game 4: EDM at FLA (Thursday, June 12)
Game 5: FLA at EDM (Saturday, June 14)
Game 6: EDM at FLA (Tuesday, June 17)
Game 7: FLA at EDM (Friday, June 20)

Around The NHL

Jack Adams Award: The winner of the Jack Adams as coach of the year is Washington’s Spencer Carbery. The first year head coach  collected a whopping 81 out of a 103 first-place votes. Avs coach Jared Bednar had two second-place votes and a third-place vote.

Pete DeBoer Fired: The Dallas Stars fired Pete DeBoer on Friday with one year remaining on his contract. DeBoer’s tenure lasted three years, which included the most points in the regular season in that span and three consecutive Western Conference Final appearances.

It’s a shiny record for a guy that was let go, but it likely had to be done after the way the Jake Oettinger pull was handled in the series-ending Game 5 loss to Edmonton. DeBoer has a history of being tough on his goalies, and Oettinger is about to start an eight-year contract with an $8.25 million AAV. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon. The coach had to be let go.

I feel like it wasn’t a coincidence that Dallas waited until Boston hired Marco Sturm as head coach before announcing that DeBoer would not be returning. There were a ton of rumors out there that the Bruins were awaiting Dallas’ decision just in case DeBoer became available.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Like the Avs, Pittsburgh is another team looking for assistant coaches. Here’s a name that could make sense.

Philly Hockey Now: Should the Flyers try to acquire Martin Necas?

New Jersey Hockey Now: What about Necas in New Jersey? There’s a common theme with some of these teams… They’re all on the East coast. If in fact Necas is unhappy in Colorado, could a return to the East and easier travel be the thing he’s looking for?

Boston Hockey Now: How Sturm can improve the Bruins in his first year as coach.

Vegas Hockey Now: There was a lot of discussion between Vegas and Toronto last year regarding Mitch Marner. Could he still be a landing spot for the Golden Knights on July 1?