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East Notes: Zetterberg, Brassard, Popugayev

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Although the NHL believes Detroit’s classification of Henrik Zetterberg’s back injury being a career-ender is legitimate, the league plans to investigate to make sure of its validity, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required).  This shouldn’t be construed as concerning for the Red Wings as the same thing happened last season with Joffrey Lupul and Marian Hossa with the NHL’s independent doctor reaching the same conclusion that their respective team doctors came to.

Daly also noted that they’re satisfied that there was no side deal in place that Zetterberg didn’t intend to fulfill the final few years of his contract (which are much cheaper in terms of salary relative to his cap hit of just under $6.1MM).  Interestingly enough, the veteran himself suggested last year that the final two years of the 12-year pact were added on simply to lower the AAV of the deal.  Despite that, there won’t be any penalties for the Red Wings although Zetterberg won’t formally be able to retire until his contract expires to avoid any salary cap recapture.

Elsewhere out East:

  • Penguins forward Derick Brassard skated with the team for the first time in training camp today as he works his way back from a lung infection, notes Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He’s hopeful to make his preseason debut this weekend.  Brassard is expected to spend some time on the wing in the exhibition season in an effort to give him more playing time in offensive situations than he would receive if he stayed at his natural position down the middle.  Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him play in most of their remaining games once he gets the green light to play.
  • Devils prospect Nikita Popugayev is on the move as his KHL rights were dealt from CSKA Moscow to Amur Khabarovsk, per a team release from the Tigers (link in Russian). The 19-year-old was the 98th overall pick of New Jersey back in 2017 but spent most of last year (and the first three games of this season) at the lower levels in Russia but he now is expected to get a shot at the KHL level.

2018-19 Season Primer: Ottawa Senators

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With the NHL season now just a month away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Today, we focus on the Ottawa Senators.

Last Season: 28-43-11 record (67 points), seventh in the Metropolitan Division (missed the playoffs)

Remaining Cap Space: $8.7MM per CapFriendly

Key Additions: F Mikkel Boedker (trade with San Jose), D Dylan DeMelo (trade with San Jose), F Chris Tierney (trade with San Jose)

Key Departures: F Alex Burrows (retirement), D Fredrik Claesson (free agency, NY Rangers), F Mike Hoffman (trade with San Jose – later flipped to Florida), D Erik Karlsson (trade with San Jose)

[Related: Senators Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: D Thomas Chabot – For the last couple of years, Chabot has been viewed as Ottawa’s top defenseman of the future.  He had a very strong junior career and became a regular for the Sens last season where there were some expected ups and downs.

However, with their recent moves (particularly the Karlsson trade earlier this month, the Dion Phaneuf trade last season, and losing Marc Methot in expansion), the 21-year-old isn’t going to have the luxury of being eased into things anymore.  In fact, given their depth on the left side which primarily features role players, there’s a very good chance that he’ll be on their top pairing to start the season.

How will he fare going from a role where he was somewhat sheltered to likely facing top competition on a near-nightly basis?  If he struggles, things could get ugly quickly with there being no real in-house option to take that role.  However, it has the potential to be good for his development in the long haul while also positioning himself for a nice second contract.  If he spends the next two years in that role, the Senators will be in tough arguing that he should accept a bridge contract.

Key Storyline: In a nutshell, who’s next?  The team has been up front that they are in a rebuild and their trade of Karlsson for a package primarily highlighted by future assets only hammered that fact home.  No one expects this to be the final move of that process, however.

Ottawa has a pair of high-end pending unrestricted free agents up front in winger Mark Stone and center Matt Duchene.  Although the Sens would like to keep them around, it will be difficult for them to do so with their budgetary restraints while it’s also tough to see both players willingly choose to stay in a rebuilding situation when they can wait a few months and pick their next team.

At some point, one (if not both) of them will be moved and it’s basically a question of when it’s going to happen.  It’s unlikely that Ottawa will want to take any sizable contracts back which could make a trade more likely as the season progresses where the acquiring team is taking on less money.  With owner Eugene Melnyk admitting that significant roster turnover is on the horizon, as soon as one goes, the question will simply be who’s next?

Overall Outlook: Last year was painful for the Sens.  Their move to add Duchene didn’t work and they found themselves near the basement in the Atlantic.  2018-19 projects to be no exception although this time around, Ottawa won’t have their first-round pick at their disposal as it now belongs to Colorado.  That’s going to be painful come the draft lottery in April so their hopes of adding to their future core will have to come from the trades of Stone and/or Duchene at some point during the year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacific Notes: Ducks, Theodore, Forbort

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While the Sharks ultimately wound up acquiring defenseman Erik Karlsson, Ducks GM Bob Murray acknowledged to Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register that they had discussed a similar package of players.  However, Murray stated that they opted to drop out of the talks when they realized that they wouldn’t have been able to realistically give him a contract extension:

“I couldn’t afford him, so I didn’t hold Pierre (Dorion, Senators GM). I said, ‘Hey, I can give you the things you got.’ I was more than capable of giving him what he got. But, if you can’t afford a person, why are you going to do that?”

While Anaheim has more than $6MM in cap space for the upcoming season (an amount that will drop once they re-sign winger Nick Ritchie), they already have over $69MM committed to just 14 players for 2019-20.  Even if the salary cap goes up again as expected next summer, there’s no way the Ducks would have been able to afford an extension for Karlsson and have enough space to fill out their roster without moving out someone of significance.  Instead, they’ll face off against him in San Jose where GM Doug Wilson is optimistic they can work out a new deal.

More from the Pacific:

  • Golden Knights RFA defenseman Shea Theodore is open to both a short-term bridge deal or a long-term pact, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted in an appearance on Sportsnet 650 (audio link). However, the team is not happy with the numbers Theodore’s side has proposed in either case.  While blueliners Josh Morrissey and Darnell Nurse signed nearly identical two-year pacts over the past few days, Theodore doesn’t quite have the track record that the others have as he has just 114 career regular season games (plus 40 postseason contests) under his belt which will make it difficult for him to seek a similar payday.
  • Although he was classified as week-to-week with a back injury at the start of camp, Kings defenseman Derek Forbort may resume skating with the team as early as Saturday, reports Curtis Zupke of the LA Times (Twitter link). The injury was sustained at some point this past summer but if he’s able to participate in practice over the next few days, he should be on track to be available for the start of the season.

Snapshots: Stone, Panthers, Olofsson

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As if being an Ottawa Senators fan wasn’t hard enough right now, a report surfaced this morning that suggested Mark Stone wanted out of the city when his contract expired at the end of this season. Stone settled with the Senators this offseason on just a one-year deal that will pay him $7.35MM this season and qualifies for unrestricted free agency on July 1, 2019. The 26-year old forward was asked about the report after practice today, and denied it vehemently.

I love it here. This has been a great month for me, I’ve enjoyed my previous four years here and I want to continue to be here. 

As a player you’re looking to win every time you step on the ice. No matter who you’re playing with, no matter who’s in the lineup you have to look at it the same way. Obviously [the Senators front office] has said they’re rebuilding, but I think for the guys in this locker room we’re looking to win hockey games and looking to win as many as we can.

Stone could potentially be one of the very best forwards available on the open market next summer if he decides not to re-sign with the Senators, and can’t actually put pen to paper on a contract extension until January 1st, 2019. Even if he is enjoying things right now, it’s a dangerous situation for the Senators to be in given their expected struggles this season. Still, Stone has never said anything to make Ottawa believe that he wouldn’t be willing to stay and was even in discussions on a long-term deal this offseason at one point.

  • Not only do the Florida Panthers have a new captain in Aleksander Barkov, but today they announced their entire leadership group. Keith Yandle, Aaron Ekblad, Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Huberdeau will all wear an “A” as alternate captains at various times this season, solidifying that group of five as the core of the team going forward. Among them, only Yandle is older than 25 while Barkov and Ekblad are still just 22 and 23 respectively, giving the Panthers a chance to keep most of the group together for a long time. In fact, all five are signed through at least the 2021-22 season and should help Florida return to the playoffs at some point in the next few years.
  • Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) is reporting that Gustav Olofsson has suffered another shoulder injury, and there is fear that it is serious. Olofsson underwent an MRI yesterday, but there has been no update from the team as of yet. The 23-year old defenseman played 41 games for the Wild last season and could have perhaps battled for a full-time spot had he not suffered the injury. Selected in the second round five years ago, Olofsson has been limited by injury throughout his professional career and will hope for good news this time around.

Talks Quiet Between New Jersey Devils, Miles Wood

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After Sam Reinhart signed his two-year bridge deal with the Buffalo Sabres earlier today, just four restricted free agents remain unsigned now several days into the preseason. One of those players is Miles Wood, who has been generally overlooked among this group due to the star power of some of the other names sitting out. Bob McKenzie of TSN gave an update on the situation today on Twitter, noting that there has been “virtually no dialogue” of late and that the two sides are not close to a deal. Wood may not have the name recognition of a William Nylander or Shea Theodore, but is still an important player for the New Jersey Devils that they need to get under contract at some point or risk heading into the season without his contribution in the lineup.

Wood, 23, was a big part of the New Jersey breakout last season, scoring 19 goals in 76 games while being an effective checking forward. Though playing fewer than 13 minutes a night, Wood was able to create 170 shots on net and use his speed and size to convert on those opportunities on a regular basis. While the team may not want to hand out a long-term deal on the back of a career year, he certainly looked the part this season and should be looking for a substantial reward.

The lack of previous success or draft pedigree is what makes Wood’s situation different to that of Nylander or Reinhart, and could very well be the sticking point between the two sides. There is little to suggest that he’s on a path to 60-point seasons, but Wood does have leverage as the team’s fourth-leading goal scorer from a year ago. The Devils now expect to compete for the playoffs after such a successful Cinderella run in 2017-18, and Wood knows he is a big part of that. Settling for a short-term deal at this point may not be considered a win for his camp, even if it would get him playing again.

Of course, when you don’t have that long track record of success or a huge draft investment from the team, there is substantial danger to holding out through training camp. For every day Wood misses there will be another opportunity for a younger player to show that he can replace that role effectively this season, and likely at a cheaper cost. There’s only so much you can demand as a fourth-round pick with 137 games under your belt.

Connor Murphy Out At Least Eight Weeks With Back Injury

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Sep 19: The Blackhawks issued an update on Murphy’s status, indicating that he will be off the ice for the next six weeks and is looking at somewhere between eight and twelve weeks before actually getting back into the lineup. That confirms that the Blackhawks will be without him for a good chunk of the season, and will need to find someone else to step up on the blue line.

Sep 14: The Chicago Blackhawks have question marks all through their group of defenseman, and got another one today when it was announced that Connor Murphy will miss the next eight weeks with a back injury. Murphy was locked into a role with the team heading into camp, but will have to sit out well into November as it turns out. The team also announced that Brent Seabrook will miss a week with an abdominal injury, and Gustav Forsling continues to work his way back from wrist surgery.

After a down year from Seabrook and Duncan Keith, Chicago is coming into the season without a real obvious plan on the blue line. Murphy’s injury will only complicate things and could lead the Blackhawks to bringing along a young player like Henri Jokiharju for the first part of the season. Jokiharju, Chicago’s first round pick from 2017, had an outstanding 2017-18 season with the Portland Winterhawks and could be ready for NHL competition even at the tender age of 19. The Finnish defenseman has shown an incredible ability to move the puck under pressure and could quickly become the primary option for the Blackhawks on the powerplay.

Still, that’s a lot to ask of a teenager at this point, especially given the pressure that is on the Blackhawks to perform this season. After a down year the team is still stuck in contract purgatory given their huge commitments to Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Seabrook and Keith, and needs to find a way back into the playoffs immediately. There’s no rebuild happening in Chicago, though the organization does have several interesting young names who will play a big role up front this season. Jokiharju, or whoever is given an opportunity in Murphy’s absence, will be asked to shoulder a lot of responsibility right away.

Dallas Stars Sign Ty Dellandrea To Entry-Level Contract

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The Dallas Stars have signed their first round pick, inking Ty Dellandrea to a three-year entry-level contract. Dellandrea was sent back to the Flint Firebirds of the OHL just moments later, where he’ll be expected to take the next step in his development.

Selected 13th overall in June, Dellandrea was a bit of a surprise pick by the Stars. With other flashy prospects like Joel Farabee, Ty Smith, Rasmus Kupari and Joe Veleno still available, the Stars instead stayed true to their board and picked the well rounded forward from Flint who has yet to really blossom at the OHL level. That could easily happen this year though after an impressive performance in the rookie tournament and an exciting summer from all accounts. He’ll almost assuredly improve on the 59 points he recorded last season in 67 games, especially if the Firebirds can find even a modicum of success after years of turmoil in the front office and coaching staff.

Dallas may have to wait for their newest prospect to develop into an NHL player, but with the franchise expected to experience somewhat of a bounce back campaign and other young stars taking the spotlight off him, Dellandrea can quietly go about his business in the junior and minor leagues for the next year or two. He could be a key player at the World Juniors this winter, after suiting up for Canada at the Summer Showcase.

Buffalo Sabres Re-Sign Sam Reinhart

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There are five remaining restricted free agents without a contract for the upcoming season, and among them is Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Reinhart. Though there has never seemed to be any animosity between the two sides, training camp and the preseason schedule is now underway without Reinhart officially on the Buffalo roster. That is about to change though, as the Sabres and Reinhart have signed a two-year deal that carries an average annual value of $3.65MM per season. We’ve seen other holdouts end up taking short-term deals over the last few days, with Darnell Nurse and Josh Morrissey both signing two-year contracts to get them back on track for the start of the season.

Reinhart, 22, still hasn’t experienced the breakout many have expected since his dominant junior career but is a very good player for the Sabres whose numbers should improve this season just by virtue of playing with more talented linemates. He did register a career-high in goals and points last season with 25 and 50 respectively, though those numbers are just slightly ahead of his first two years in the league. Now, with new forwards like Jeff Skinner, Casey Mittelstadt, Conor Sheary, Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka and Tage Thompson in the lineup the Sabres should be able to take some pressure off of some of the younger players. Reinhart and Jack Eichel may benefit from this deeper forward group tremendously, and be able to operate away from the very toughest matchups on a nightly basis.

Of course, that’s what both sides are hoping after signing a short-term deal. Reinhart is giving up a chance at a long-term contract in the hopes that he can secure a much more lucrative deal in the future, while the Sabres expect to get some relatively cheap production over the next two seasons while they continue their rebuild. Already a player of Reinhart’s talent is a steal at $3.65MM, and if he can take a step forward this season the second year of his deal could be one of the better bargains in the league. Reinhart will still be a restricted free agent at the end of this deal, but the short term allows both to reevaluate their position in a year’s time. Next July 1st the two sides could potentially work out an extension, with the benefit of another year of production in the books.

The contract also could be of some use to the other restricted free agents, namely William Nylander just up the road in Toronto. The Maple Leafs forward was selected just six spots after Reinhart in the 2014 draft, and has almost the same number of points in his short career—though in far fewer games. Toronto is infamously in a tight cap situation given their future negotiations with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, though Bob McKenzie of TSN tweets that he doesn’t believe the Maple Leafs or Nylander want to sign a short-term bridge deal.

There is a lot of optimism around the Sabres this season, and now with their final piece signed and heading for training camp the battle for relevancy can once again begin. After finding themselves near the bottom of the standings for some time, the addition of Rasmus Dahlin has the Sabres interested in more. GM Jason Botterill has done plenty of work over the last year to revamp the roster, including trading away key forwards in Evander Kane and Ryan O’Reilly. If this group is to take a step forward, Reinhart and others will need to show they’re ready to compete with the best offensive players in the league.

Bob McKenzie of TSN was first to confirm the deal, while Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported the cap hit.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Training Camp Cuts: 09/19/18

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NHL regular season action is just a few weeks away, and as the preseason schedule gets started teams are reducing their training camp rosters. We’ll keep track of all the cuts right here:

Arizona Coyotes (per team release)

F Tyler Steenbergen (to Tucson, AHL)
F Kelly Klima (to Tucson, AHL)
D Jordan Gross (to Tucson, AHL)
D Jacob Graves (to Tucson, AHL)
D Jalen Smereck (to Tucson, AHL)
D Kevin Ekman-Larsson (to Tucson, AHL)
F Liam Kirk (to Peterborough, OHL)
F Nate Schnarr (to Guelph, OHL)
D Kevin Bahl (to Ottawa, OHL)
D Dennis Busby (to Flint, OHL)
D Noel Hoefenmayer (to Ottawa, OHL)
G Ivan Prosvetov (to Saginaw, OHL)
G David Tendeck (to Vancouver, WHL)
F Jan Jenik (to Liberec, Czech Rep.)

Boston Bruins (per team release)

F Austin Fyten (to Providence, AHL)
F Brett McKenzie (to Providence, AHL)
F Tanner Pond (to Providence, AHL)
D Olivier Galipeau (to Providence, AHL)
D Joel Messner (to Providence, AHL)
D Wiley Sherman (to Providence, AHL)
G Alex Sakellaropoulos (to Providence, AHL)
F Cedric Pare (to Saint John, QMJHL)
D Daniel Bukac (to Brandon, WHL)
G Kyle Keyser (to Oshawa, OHL)
D Mark Fayne (released from tryout)
F Marcel Noebels (released from tryout)

Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)

F Philipp Kurashev (to Quebec, QMJHL)
D Jake Ryczek (to Halifax, QMJHL)
G Alexis Gravel (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Shaw Boomhower (released from tryout)

Colorado Avalanche (per team release)

F J.C. Beaudin (to Colorado, AHL)
F Matthew Boucher (to Colorado, AHL)
F Josh Dickinson (to Colorado, AHL)
F Grayson Downing (to Colorado, AHL)
F Julien Nantel (to Colorado, AHL)
D Turner Ottenbreit (to Colorado, AHL)
D Kevin Davis (to Colorado, AHL)
D Nolan De Jong (to Colorado, AHL)
F Nick Henry (to Regina, WHL)
F Brandon Saigeon (to Hamilton, OHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

F Trey Fix-Wolansky (to Edmonton, WHL)
F Egor Sokolov (released from tryout)
D Jordan Sambrook (released from tryout)

Dallas Stars (per Mark Stepneski of NHL.com)

F Riley Damiani (to Kitchener, OHL)
F Brett Davis (to Kootenay, WHL)
F Ty Dellandrea (to Flint, OHL)
F Curtis Douglas (to Windsor, OHL)
F Liam Hawel (to Guelph, OHL)
F Jermaine Loewen (to Kamloops, WHL)
F Jason Robertson (to Kingston, OHL)
D Dawson Barteaux (to Red Deer, WHL)
G Anthony Popovich (released from tryout)

Edmonton Oilers (per team release)

F Nolan Vesey (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Ostap Safin (to Saint John, QMJHL)

Los Angeles Kings (per team release)

F Aidan Dudas (to Owen Sound, OHL)
F Nathan Dunkley (to London, OHL)
G Jacob Ingham (to Mississauga, OHL)
D Michal Ivan (to Acadie-Bathurst, QMJHL)
D Markus Phillips (to Owen Sound, OHL)
F Mark Rassell (released from ATO)
F Akil Thomas (to Niagara, OHL)
G Matthew Villalta (to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)

F Gabriel Fortier (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Jackson Leppard (to Prince George, WHL)
F Mathew MacDougall (to Windsor, OHL)
F Chase Wouters (to Saskatoon, WHL)
F Walter Flower (to Halifax, QMJHL)
D Montana Onyebuchi (to Everett, WHL)
D Radim Salda (to Saint John, QMJHL)

Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)

C Lucas Elvenes (to Rogle, SHL)
G Dylan Ferguson (to Kamloops, WHL)

Washington Capitals (per team release)

F Eric Florchuk (to Saskatoon, WHL)
F Kody Clark (to Ottawa, OHL)
F Riley Sutter (to Everett, WHL)
F Alex Kannock-Leipart (to Vancouver, WHL)
D Alexander Alexeyev (to Red Deer, WHL)
D Martin Fehervary (to HV71, SHL)
G Logan Thompson (released from tryout)

Jake Dotchin Reported “Extremely Out Of Shape”

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Just last night, it was reported that Jake Dotchin’s recent termination by the Tampa Bay Lightning for a material breach of contract due to poor conditioning had caught the attention of the NHLPA and players across the league. Many felt that if the Lightning did not have any hard line rules in place regarding fitness, Dotchin’s termination could open a can of worms about teams’ subjective use of a player’s conditioning to cut them from the roster and could become a major bargaining point. However, if the latest news on the situation proves true, the status quo has changed considerably and Tampa Bay will have a much easier time justifying their actions.

Speaking on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver this evening, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman relayed some new information on Dotchin. Friedman stated that sources told him that Dotchin reported to training camp with a body fat percentage of 25%, which was described as “extremely out of shape” and “way too high for an NHLer”. BMI, or body mass index, is the percentage of an individual’s body that is made up of fat, is a commonly used measure to determine health and physical fitness. The CDC lists a 25% BMI as the beginning of the “overweight” range for adults, which – as Friedman says – is totally unacceptable for a professional hockey player. While the CDC’s BMI formula only takes height and weight into account, which would not be accurate for any athlete weighed down by lean muscle, there are different ways to determine body fat percentage in athletes, procedures that Tampa Bay’s medical team are surely aware of. If these BMI results are indeed true, few could argue that Tampa was out of line to terminate Dotchin.

Again, Dotchin played a full season of hockey last season and didn’t appear to be slowed by poor conditioning. There were also reports that Dotchin has already received ample interest from other teams, though he has yet to sign anywhere. If Dotchin is able to pass a conditioning inspection with another team and return to being a competent NHL player, he would retain a solid case if he choose to file a grievance against the Lightning. However, Tampa Bay now has an equally strong argument that – regardless of Dotchin’s performance with another team – such a high BMI was simply unacceptable to the team and a completely objective decision. It still remains more likely that the two sides come to a resolution on this manner, but this news certainly brings the Lightning’s motivations into a new light.

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