NHL Roundup: Jets overtake Kraken, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff extended, and Phil Housley leaves Yotes
Anthony Scultore
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There was only one hockey game to recap in our latest NHL Roundup for May 1, 2022.
Kyle Connor led a late surge for the Winnipeg Jets by scoring the game-winner in the third period to beat the Seattle Kraken at home.
Plus, with the books now officially closed on the regular season, the 16 teams that did not qualify have all begun to do their offseason housekeeping.
NHL Roundup: Jets 4 vs Kraken 3
This was a makeup game after foul weather postponed the April 13 contest.
Connor put the icing on a three-goal rally in the final stanza to send Jets fans home happy. Other goal scorers for Winnipeg were Morgan Barron, Blake Wheeler, and Dominic Toninato. Jansen Harkins picked up two assists and goalie Eric Comrie stopped 27 pucks to the Jets fourth straight win to close the season.
The Kraken can now say their inaugural season is over and despite the lack of on-ice success, Seattle has become a hockey town.
Alex Wennberg, Daniel Sprong, and Riley Sheahan were the Kraken goal scorers respectively. Chris Driedger stopped 23 shots in the loss.
Seattle concludes their first NHL season with a 27-49-6 record for 60 points and last place finish in the Pacific.
“Obviously not the way you want to end the season,” Kraken forward Jared McCann said. “It’s going to weigh on you going into next year. But at the same time, I feel like it’s a learning experience for the entire organization. Like I said before, we’ve got a bright future and we’ve just got to go up from here.”
Jets give Kevin Cheveldayoff extension
According to Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe, Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has been given a 3-year extension despite his team not qualifying for the postseason.
The Jets have yet to announce the new deal.
This has been a wild year for the Jets, who saw head coach Paul Maurice opt to resign because he felt his message was no longer resonating.
“This is a good team. I’m a good coach,” said Maurice via Sportsnet. “But sometimes when you take over a team, it’s like you’re starting at the bottom of a mountain and you’re pushing a rock up to the top and you’re only able to get it to a certain place. And that’s where I feel I’m at. And if you would allow me some arrogance, I would say that I’m better positioned than anyone to know that they need a new voice.”
Winnipeg’s assistant coach Dave Lowry was promoted and the team finished with a respectable 39-32-11 for 6th place in the Central.
Coyotes and Phil Housley part ways
Coyotes and assistant coach Phil Housley have mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced Sunday.
Housley, 58, joined the staff in June 2019 and just completed the final season of his three-year contract.
The Coyotes (25-50-7, 57 points) finished 2021-22 with the worst record in the Western Conference under first-year head coach Andre Tourigny.
“On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Phil for everything he did for the Coyotes on and off the ice the past three seasons,” general manager Bill Armstrong said in a news release. “Phil is very well-respected, a true professional and a good coach. We wish him and his family all the best in the future.”
Housley coached the Buffalo Sabres for two seasons before he joined Arizona, compiling a 58-84-22 record from 2017-19.
–Field Level Media contributed to this article