Ex-Flames forward Marc Savard, Dan Lambert added to new head coach Huska's staff

The Calgary Flames have hired Dan Lambert and Marc Savard to be assistants to new head coach Ryan Huska.

Lambert spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators.

Savard, who played 221 of his 800 career NHL games with the Flames from 1999 to 2003, spent the last two seasons coaching the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires.

"I know how competitive Marc is from when we played together over three seasons here in Calgary," new Flames general manager Craig Conroy said Friday in a statement.

"Savy has a great offensive mind which will help boost our power play and help drive our offensive game."

Lambert was Huska's assistant with the Western Hockey League's Kelowna Rockets for three seasons.

Lambert became head coach of the Rockets in 2015 when the club won a WHL title.

"Dan served as Ryan Huska's assistant in Kelowna from 2009 to 2014," Conroy said. "We feel those past relationships will allow us to get up to speed quicker and hit the ground running.

"While Dan will be running our defence, he also provides well-balanced experience having run the power play in Nashville the past four years. The focus is keeping the puck out of the net, but Dan's approach generates an offensive flair from the back end."

Galchenyuk to Nashville in Johansen deal

The Colorado Avalanche have filled their second-line centre void by acquiring Ryan Johansen from the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Colorado sent pending free agent Alex Galchenyuk to Nashville in a trade that essentially amounts to a contract dump but could help the 2022 Stanley Cup champions get back on top of the NHL.

"Ryan is a talented, veteran centre who helps our top six [forward group]," Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said. "He gives us size in the middle of the ice and brings leadership and experience to our roster. We look forward to adding him to our team."

The move is a big splash for the Avalanche, who lost in the first round of the playoffs to Seattle this past season. They recently learned captain Gabriel Landeskog would miss the entire 2023-24 season while recovering from cartilage replacement surgery in his right knee.

Johansen, who turns 31 in July, steps into the role previously filled by Nazem Kadri, who left after Colorado won the Cup to sign a seven-year, $49-million US contract with Calgary. Johansen is on the back half of his career, having put up 28 points in 55 games last season, but he has the potential to produce with skilled linemates on the Avalanche.

The deal is also coming at a bargain cost, as the rebuilding Predators are retaining half of Johansen's $8 million salary cap hit in each of the next two seasons. It's the first significant roster move by new GM Barry Trotz, who also fired coach John Hynes and replaced him with Andrew Brunette.

"On behalf of the Predators organization, we want to thank Ryan for his contributions to our team and community over the last seven-plus years," Trotz said. "He played a large role in our franchise's accomplishments since arriving in January 2016, helping lead us to the 2017 Stanley Cup final, the 2018 Presidents' Trophy, back-to-back Central Division titles in 2018 and 2019 and several post-season appearances."

Coyotes acquire defenceman Durzi from Kings

The Arizona Coyotes acquired defenseman Sean Durzi from the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday for a 2024 second-round draft.

The 24-year-old played 72 games with the Kings last season, tying the team lead among defensemen with nine goals and was second with 29 assists.

Durzi has 12 goals and 53 assists in 136 NHL games since making his debut in 2021-22.

The Mississauga, Ont., native was drafted in the second round in 2018 by the Toronto Maple Leafs and played parts of three seasons in the AHL after being traded to Los Angeles in 2019.