Daily Bean: Draft Lottery Day, NHL Second Round, John Chayka Introduced to Toronto

It is Draft Lottery day, and the Boston Bruins have a chance at a top-seven pick in this year’s draft. 

Yes, they made the playoffs, but the Maple Leafs did not. And by virtue of another Bruins trade with Toronto, Boston has a chance at yet another high draft pick. In other Bruins news, Marco Sturm did not commit to naming a captain ahead of this year, but that can change as conversations with Don Sweeney have not happened yet. 

We will hear more from Sweeney, Cam Neely, and Charlie Jacobs on Wednesday. 

There were two playoff games last night, both involving teams that wear orange, and neither of them won. The Hurricanes took a 2-0 series lead, and the Golden Knights picked up a Game 1 win. 

Elsewhere around the league, John Chayka was introduced to the Maple Leafs media, and Mats Sundin made his return to Toronto. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) CEO Keith Pelley was also at the press conference, and he was grilled about the hiring process. 

The NHL also announced the three finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy yesterday. 

Happy Cinco de Mayo, catch up on Bruins and league news in today’s Daily Bean:

Boston Bruins

CAPTAIN: At breakup day on Sunday, Marco Sturm did not commit to naming a captain, though he said more conversations are needed with GM Don Sweeney. He also said not having a ‘C’ went “real well.” 

DRAFT LOTTERY: The NHL Draft Lottery is today. The Bruins have a 58.2% chance at selecting with either the sixth overall pick (44.0%) or the seventh overall pick (14.2%). 

If the Maple Leafs win or hold their position, the Bruins’ pick transfers to 2027 or 2028. 

The lottery will follow last year’s format with the drawing happening live. 

MCAVOY: Charlie McAvoy will have an in-person hearing on Monday, May 11, at the NHL office in New York City.

NHL (video via 𝕏): Patrice Bergeron went to Rhode Island with the Stanley Cup and surprised the Blackstone Valley hockey team at Saint Raphael Academy in Pawtucket. 

Nothing but the best from the old captain. 

Prospects Update

PROVIDENCE: The Providence Bruins are in Western MA for Game 3 of the AHL Atlantic Division Semifinals. They will take on the Springfield Thunderbirds (STL) for the first of two games at the MassMutual Center this week. 

• Game 1: at Providence – SPR wins 3-2
• Game 2: at Providence – PRO wins 2-1
• Game 3: at Springfield – Tuesday, May 5, 7:05 PM
• Game 4: at Springfield – Thursday, May 7, 7:05 PM
• Game 5*: at Providence – Saturday, May 9, 7:05 PM

MAINE: The Maine Mariners are looking to close out their series against the Adirondack Thunder (NJD) tonight. The series shifts back to Maine for Game 6; if necessary, Game 7 will be tomorrow night. 

• Game 1: at Maine – MNE wins 2-1 (OT)
• Game 2: at Maine – ADK wins 3-2
• Game 3: at Adirondack – MNE wins 5-2
• Game 4: at Adirondack – MNE wins 5-4
• Game 5: at Adirondack – ADK wins 3-2 (OT)
• Game 6: at Maine – Tuesday, May 5, 7:00 PM
• Game 7*: at Maine – Wednesday, May 6, 7:00 PM 

NHL News & National Hockey Now

Carolina Hockey Now: The Carolina Hurricanes took a 2-0 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers last night. They went down early, but tied the game in the third period; Seth Jarvis scored his first goal in a month. Former Bruin Taylor Hall won the game in overtime. Rachel Barkley has more from the winning side. 

NHL (video via YouTube): Here is Taylor Hall’s overtime winner. 

Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers got off to a great start, scoring their first first-period goal of the postseason, then adding another just 39 seconds later. But the lead vanished. Will James has more from the losing side. 

There were 30 total penalty minutes in this game; the Flyers went 1-for-7 on the power play, the Hurricanes went 1-for-6. 

NHL.com: The Vegas Golden Knights started their second-round series on the right foot, picking up a 3-1 home win against the Anaheim Ducks. Ivan Barbashev scored with 4:58 to go in the third, only 65 seconds after Mikael Granlund tied the game for the Ducks. Mitchell Marner sealed the win with an empty-netter with six seconds left. 

Sportsnet: The big news from yesterday was the press conference in Toronto. New GM John Chayka was introduced to Toronto, and Maple Leafs’ legend Mats Sundin returned to the place where he called home from 1994-2008. Luke Fox of Sportsnet has more from the press conference, ranging from the search, Auston Matthews, and the Leafs’ head coach, Craig Berube. 

CP24 (video via YouTube): Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun hit MLSE CEO Keith Pelley with an aggressive question about the hiring process, citing 19 of 20 people he spoke to did not have a vote of confidence in the hire. 

Toronto Hockey Now: But wait, there’s more. The Coyotes are long gone, but the reporters and insiders are still there, and one was loud about the Maple Leafs hiring John Chayka. From calling him a “total fraud” to questioning his draft choices in the desert, the reaction to this hiring has not been pretty. Dave Litman has more. 

NHL.com: Rasmus Dahlin (BUF), Gabe Landeskog (COL), and Jonathan Toews (WPG) are the three finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded “to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” 

Today’s NHL Schedule

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