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Snapshots: Strader, Hutton, Alfredsson, Cullen, Coaching Vacancies

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Some sad news out of Dallas today as the team announced that their play-by-play announcer, Dave Strader, has been diagnosed with cancer.  Strader just completed his first season as the voice of the Stars and has been in play-by-play booths for the last 36 years.  Everyone at PHR sends their best wishes to Dave and his family through this difficult time.

Other news and notes from around the NHL:

  • The re-signing of goalie Marek Mazanec in Nashville earlier today brings forth some doubt as to Carter Hutton’s future with the team. GM David Poile confirmed the two sides are in talks on a new contract but that he feels that “Going to another team will give him a better opportunity to get more games and to probably extend his career” and that “It’s not over yet, but I would say that is probably the way that Carter is leaning”.  Hutton has spent the last three years with the Preds, posting a 33-23-12 record in 75 games with a 2.55 GAA and a .910 SV% and will be an unrestricted free agent July 1st.
  • Former NHLer Daniel Alfredsson has signed a one year extension to stay on as Ottawa’s Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations, a role he first began in this past season. Alfredsson is the Senators’ All-Time scoring leader, collecting 1,108 points over 17 seasons with the team.
  • Pittsburgh center Matt Cullen has yet to decide on his playing future. The 39 year old is an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and played with a broken toe since Game 2 of the Conference Finals.  Cullen was the fifth oldest NHLer to suit up in a game this past season.
  • It appears that one of the two remaining head coaching vacancies is close to being filled as Calgary GM Brad Treliving said in a radio interview this morning that their search would be “coming to a conclusion very quickly”.
  • Following Lake Erie’s AHL title, Columbus will now look to fill their replacement for former Associate Coach Craig Hartsburg. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that Lake Erie coach Jared Bednar, as well as Darryl Sydor and Brad Shaw, are likely to be interviewed for that position.

Red Wings Notes: Datsyuk, Howe, And Blashill

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The hockey world mourned with the Detroit Red Wings when legend and ambassador Gordie Howe passed away last Friday at the age of 88.  Tributes poured in, and San Jose even included a video tribute during the first intermission of last night’s Stanley Cup Final Game 6.

Howe’s wake will be held at the Joe Louis Arena tomorrow and open to the public to offer their respects. Howe’s death also affects the ramifications of the discussion between General Manager Ken Holland and Pavel Datsyuk on his expected retirement. Datsyuk’s contract will prove to hamper the Red Wings as it was extended when Datsyuk was 35. This of course means the full amount of his final year, $7.5MM, will remain on the books despite his retirement.

Already with the season over, speculation has run rampant over where the contract will be moved should Datsyuk indeed retire. The most likely places for his contract to be dealt to are Arizona, or Carolina. Most pundits have Arizona as the front runner since they have nearly $37MM of cap room to work with according to General Fanager. Once the meeting between Holland and Datsyuk takes place, it’s expected that the Red Wings will move accordingly to rid themselves of the contract. One element that Ken Holland has mentioned is his unwillingness to include a prospect or high draft pick to dispose of the contract. That may prove problematic since teams know how the contract hinders any offseason moves the Red Wings would want to make.

MLive.com’s Ansar Khan answered a lot of questions regarding head coach Jeff Blashill and the hiring of assistant coaches this offseason. Doug Houda and former Wild interim head coach John Torchetti were added in the past few weeks. Blashill came under fire for the regression of many players, namely forwards Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, who were both expected to carry the team offensively. Blashill lost Tony Granato to the University of Wisconsin, where Granato once played and now serves as the head coach. Additionally, assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler was moved to the press box after the power play was dismal in the Red Wings first round loss to Tampa Bay.

St. Louis Blues Hire Mike Yeo As Associate Coach

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With the retirement of head coach Ken Hitchcock expected after the 2016-2017 season, the St. Louis Blues added former Wild boss Mike Yeo as an associate coach and head coach in waiting. According to the team’s official release, Rick Wilson will also be brought aboard as an assistant coach and the expectation is that Yeo will take over as the head coach upon Hitchcock’s retirement. The deal is over three years.

The news is an interesting wrinkle as Yeo was tasked with guiding a winner in Minnesota, which never materialized despite consecutive playoff appearances. Yeo failed to move the team past the second round of the playoffs, losing both times to the Chicago Blackhawks in both the 2013-2014, and 2014-2015 seasons. Yeo’s Wild also lost to the Blackhawks in the 2013 playoffs, but that time in the first round. Upon his firing this past February, General Manager Chuck Fletcher said that the team’s struggles led to Yeo’s departure.

Yeo is now tasked to work alongside Hitchcock with a team that exorcised some playoff demons by finally advancing to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2001. The pressure remains on as the Stanley Cup Final drought extends another year.

Hitchcock’s future has been murky at times, but this year’s success earned him a final year on the bench and the ability to retire on his own terms. Though the Blues roster is more complete in terms of talent, especially in the net, Yeo is hardly walking into an ideal situation.

The Blues first have to determine who to re-sign with captain David Backes, and winger Troy Brouwer among others scheduled to hit the market. Jaden Schwartz is a restricted free agent, and will command a much higher salary than the $2.35MM he was making before. General Manager Doug Armstrong has his work cut out for him in deciding who to keep, and possibly, who to shuttle to maintain the depth and prowess that powered the Blues out of past playoff failures.

Inevitably, Yeo will be measured against the more recent success and his ability to take the Blues to not only a Stanley Cup Final, but to finally bring the trophy home for the franchise. His failures with the Wild serve as a cautionary tale, but that was a team heavily dependent upon stars Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. With more balance throughout the lineup and a much more stable presence in the net, Yeo and the Blues might be what each other need to finally reach the promised land once Hitchcock steps away.

Minor NHL Transactions: 6/13/16

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Some free agent signings to report around the NHL:

  • The Montreal Canadiens have re-signed defenseman Mark Barberio to a 2-year deal worth $1.5MM. The 26-year-old spent last season with the Canadiens before a concussion ended his season in March. Barberio had two goals and ten points in 30 games last season.
  • The Nashville Predators inked G Marek Mazanec to a one-year, $575,000 deal according to a team report. The 24-year-old netminder was signed to a two-way contract and spent the 2015-2016 season playing for the Milwaukee Admirals, Nashville’s AHL affiliate.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes agreed to a 3-year deal with 18-year-old  forward Sebastian Aho. The cap hit is $925,000. Aho was a second round pick for the Hurricanes in the 2015 draft and spent last season in the Finnish league Liiga where he registered 45 points in as many games. Aho will also play for Team Finland in the World Cup of Hockey.  They also inked 19-year-old forward Aleksi Saarela to a two year, entry level deal.  Saarela was acquired as part of the Eric Staal deal prior to the trade deadline.
  • The Calgary Flames signed G David Rittich to a one-year, $925,000 deal. A team report stated that the 23-year-old Czech netminder agreed to a two-way contract. Rittich spent last season with BK Mlada Boleslav of the Czech Extraliga.

Pittsburgh’s Salary Cap Situation And Stanley Cup Final Notes

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Now that the Pittsburgh Penguins have captured the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in team history, the NHL offseason officially kicks off with the NHL draft just two weeks away and free agency right around the corner. Some news and notes as the city of Pittsburgh basks in the glow of Lord Stanley’s chalice.

  • The Penguins find themselves facing a different type of opponent as they look to defend their title. The Washington Post’s Mike Hume reports that the Penguins face a difficult question as the offseason kicks off: what to do with Marc-Andre Fleury. While the salary cap is expected to rise to $74MM, it’s the likelihood of an expansion draft that threatens the Penguins’ continued dominance. Matt Murray, who backstopped the Pens to the Cup, has forced Pittsburgh’s hand with former #1 overall pick and franchise goalie Fleury.  Murray’s cap friendly contract keeps him under team control while Fleury’s $5.75MM cap hit makes him an expensive backup. Should the expansion draft take place, Fleury’s no-movement clause eliminates him from being taken off their hands. Instead, it would be Murray exposed to the expansion draft. Moving Fleury would be tricky as well since he has final say over any trade, and teams looking for goaltending, such as the Calgary Flames, are not a favorite to win the Stanley Cup anytime soon.
  • The signing of Phil Kessel paid huge dividends for the Penguins writes ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun. The former Maple Leafs star notched 22 points in 24 games with 10 of those points being goals. The interesting part of Kessel’s resurgence is his cap friendly contract. Though his cap hit should be $8MM, Toronto agreed to pay $1.2MM of his contract when they traded the star winger to Pittsburgh last summer. The core of Kessel, captain Sidney Crosby, and star Evgeni Malkin remains intact for at least another few seasons thanks to savvy financial work.
  • The Stanley Cup runner up San Jose Sharks had a great run thanks to the solid play of Martin Jones. Jones, obtained from Boston for a first round pick last June, kept the Sharks in the Final and would have been a top pick to take the Conn Smythe Trophy had the Sharks fortunes been different. Strong goaltending was always a weakness for San Jose, but Jones’ inexpensive $3MM cap hit keeps him with the Sharks until the 2018-2019 season. Backup goalie James Reimer is an unrestricted free agent and could fetch a number of offers from teams looking for a strong goalie tandem.

2016 Stanley Cup Finals: Conn Smythe Award

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With the Stanley Cup Final heading back to San Jose for Game 6, the Penguins will have a second chance to close out the Sharks. If they are able to, the only remaining question will be who wins the Conn Smythe Award as the playoff MVP. If Pittsburgh is able to win tonight, there are a handful of Penguins who can take home the hardware, with these three leading the charge:

Sidney Crosby– The Penguins captain hasn’t produced at the point per game consistency he usually does but he has still been very productive with 17 points in 23 games. Crosby’s top-notch puck protection and vision have allowed him to control the play in the offensive zone. Not only has he dominated offensively, but Crosby has played a consistent 200 foot game. Crosby’s calming presence in the defensive zone has helped stabilize what was thought to be a below average defense, especially after the injury to Trevor Daley.

Phil Kessel– The addition of Kessel and his monster cap hit before the season seemed questionable, especially after Pittsburgh started the year as one of the lowest scoring teams in the league. Don’t look now but Kessel has been the Penguins leading scorer these playoffs. Kessel has one of the quickest releases in the NHL and he hasn’t been afraid to shoot the puck, boasting a league leading 95 shots (for reference teammate Patric Hornqvist is second in the playoffs with only 77 shots). Kessel has been incredibly consistent, being held scoreless in just 7 of 23 games.

Matt Murray– No one expected 21 year-old Matt Murray to be in this conversation, let alone between the pipes in the Stanley Cup Final for the Penguins. Murray has been an absolute revelation for Pittsburgh since he was called upon in game 3 of the first round against the New York Rangers. Murray has posted a 2.14 Goals Against Average and .923 Save Percentage since being named the starter. Without Murray stepping up, Pittsburgh would be in huge trouble. Back up goalie Jeff Zatkoff was pulled for Murray after playing poorly in the first series and Marc-Andre Fleury struggled mightily after returning from injury.

 

If the San Jose Sharks are able to take care of business at home, the series will return to Pittsburgh for a winner-take-all Game 7. If they can take down the Penguins, there are plenty of Sharks who deserve the Conn Smythe. These are the three at the top of the list:

Logan Couture– Logan Couture leads the league in scoring these playoffs with 29 points in just 23 games. Couture’s playmaking ability has been a nightmare for opposing defenseman, setting up linemates Patrick Marleau and Melker Karlsson. The second line combination has worked wonders for coach Peter Deboer, forcing opponents to play a game of pick-your-poison when deciding to play its top pairing against either Couture’s line or the first line of Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, and Joonas Donskoi.

Brent Burns– Burns leads all defenseman in playoff scoring with 23 points in 23 games. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is second with just 14 points. Burns has been dominant on the offensive side of the puck. He is uncommonly poised handling the puck on the blue line, and is a force joining the rush and carrying the puck into the offensive zone. Where Burns is typically criticized is in his own zone, but he has been terrific there as well. He is second in the playoffs in plus/minus at 11, only trailing teammate Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

Martin Jones– Martin Jones is the reason the Sharks are still alive playing in a game 6. In game 5 Jones stood on his head, stopping 44 of 46 shots. The Sharks were severely outplayed but Jones time and again bailed out his team with terrific pad work. Jones has posted a 2.16 Goals Against Average and a .922 Save Percentage.

My picks: If the Penguins win, Sidney Crosby. If San Jose pulls it out, Martin Jones.

NHL Award Predictions: Calder Trophy

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The 2016 NHL Awards will take place on Wednesday, June 22nd in Las Vegas.  Between now and then, we will be making our predictions on who will take home the hardware.

First up for a closer look is the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top rookie.  The finalists are:

D Shayne Gostisbehere , Philadelphia Flyers – It’s rare that a player who starts the season in the American Hockey League becomes a finalist for a major award but Gostisbehere’s impact upon being recalled was just too much to ignore.  Despite missing 18 games while playing for the Flyers’ AHL affiliate in Adirondack, the 23 year old led all NHL defensemen in goals (17), assists (29), points (46), and power play points (22).  He also set NHL records for most overtime goals by a rookie (4) and for the longest point streak by a rookie blueliner (15 games).

C Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers – The top pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft lived up to his draft status in 2015-16 as he quickly took over as Edmonton’s top centre.  Unfortunately for him and the Oilers, he missed 37 games due to a fractured left clavicle.  Despite that, the 19 year old still posted 16 goals and 32 assists in 45 games, good for third in team scoring.  McDavid also led all rookies with a points-per-game average of 1.07; he was the only first year player to average higher than one point per contest.

LW Artemi Panarin, Chicago Blackhawks – Signed as an undrafted free agent last offseason, Panarin made an immediate and significant impact for the Hawks.  The 24 year old led all rookies offensively with goals (30), assists (47), points (77), power play points (24), and game winning goals (7).  His point total was good enough for a tie for ninth overall amongst all NHL players and second best on Chicago, only behind the NHL’s top point getter, Patrick Kane.  Kane, coincidentally, is the last Blackhawk to win the Calder Trophy.

Prediction: This is one the best rookie classes in a long time.  All three finalists made more than a typical rookie impact and were among the NHL’s best in certain categories.  Had McDavid been healthy all year, he would have had a strong chance but it would be hard to give him the nod since he missed 45% of the season due to injury.  Gostisbehere was huge for the Flyers but he also missed considerable time early on so at the end of the day my pick to win the award is Panarin.  I think the writers who vote on this award will have too hard of a time looking past a rookie finishing in the top ten in scoring league wide on one of the NHL’s top teams in the regular season.

Around The League: Coaching Vacancies, Goalies, Hertl, Datsyuk, Maatta

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As we sit less than two weeks before the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, there are two head coaching vacancies that still need to be filled, Anaheim and Calgary.  Elliotte Friedman’s latest 30 Thoughts column expanded on some of the likely candidates for each team.  For the Ducks, Rick Bowness, former Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle, and Travis Green are under consideration while for the Flames, Glen Gulutzan and Mike Yeo have come up.  Teams generally like to head their head coaches determined before the draft so it’s expected that these vacancies will be filled in the near future.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Bruce Garrioch discussed the potentially intriguing trade market for goaltenders in his latest Sunday column. He highlights a trio of goalies that could be of interest this offseason, Anaheim’s Frederik Andersen, Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury, and Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop.  Andersen is a restricted free agent this offseason while Fleury and Bishop are under contract through 2018-19 and 2016-17 respectively.  Each of those teams has a high potential young netminder that has made a case that they’re ready for a larger workload.  Given that the free agent class is relatively light between the pipes and the potential for an expansion draft as soon as 2017-18, there’s a case to be made that those teams should be investigating what the trade market is for their veterans.
  • San Jose winger Tomas Hertl will not play in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday night. Head coach Peter DeBoer noted that he’s “getting better every day”.  Hertl has not been ruled out for a potential Game 7 on Wednesday night should the Sharks extend the series once again.
  • Detroit GM Ken Holland was scheduled to meet with Pavel Datsyuk early this week but that meeting has been delayed due to the passing of Red Wings legend Gordie Howe. Datsyuk has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $7.5 million.  It has been reported that the 37 year old would like to play in Russia next year but if he does so, his cap hit will not come off Detroit’s books.
  • It won’t be a quiet offseason for Pittsburgh defenceman Olli Maatta. As soon as the Stanley Cup Final ends, he will return home to his native Finland to begin his mandatory military training which will span the next two offseasons.

Key Offseason Dates

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Everyone in the hockey world knows July 1st as the official beginning of free agency.  There are, however, several other important dates and deadlines during the offseason that aren’t quite so well known.   Here are the key dates and times to watch for in the weeks and months ahead.

48 hours after the Stanley Cup Final ends: First buyout period begins.  It’s also the deadline for First Club-Elected Salary Arbitration (4:00 PM CST).

June 24th, 25th: NHL Entry Draft

June 25th: Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) interview period begins.  Teams may meet with and interview players that they are interested in signing although they cannot put pen to paper on a contract until July 1st.

June 27th: Deadline for teams to submit Qualifying Offers (4:00 PM CST).  Players who do not receive Qualifying Offers are eligible to become UFA’s on July 1st.

June 28th: Restricted Free Agent (RFA) interview period begins.  Similar to the UFA interview period, teams cannot sign players to offer sheets until July 1st.

June 30th: First buyout period ends.

July 1st: Free Agent Signing Period (for both UFA’s and RFA’s) begins (11:00 AM CST).

July 5th: Deadline for Player-Elected Salary Arbitration (4:00 PM CST).  One minute later, the Second Club-Elected Salary Arbitration window opens.

July 6th: Deadline for Second Club-Elected Salary Arbitration (4:00 PM CST).

July 15th: Expiration of Qualifying Offers (4:00 PM CST).

July 20th – August 4th: Salary Arbitration hearings.

Habs Notes: Andrighetto, Muller, Draft Pick

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After news broke that Montreal Canadiens inked Sven Andrighetto to a one-year, $650,000 dollar deal yesterday, details of the contract came fast and furious.  It’s a one-way deal that will see the forward reach arbitration next summer if he plays in at least 10 games this season. For the Canadiens, he represents the first of eight upcoming restricted free agents who played for their team this year.  With Andrighetto’s 17 points in 44 games, he was arguably the most important RFA they had; the trio of Darren Dietz, Joel Hanley and Mark Barberio on the back end look like the next priority.

More from the Habs:

  • After bringing Kirk Muller back as an associate coach earlier this month, the former Montreal great will again face criticism about his inability to speak French.  When asked if he thought a Montreal coach needed to be able to speak the language, legendary Hab Guy Lafleur responded: “To me it’s not the question of French, English, Russian or whatever. If you’re behind the bench, you have to do the job and you have to do it right, and make sure the players are playing at their potential and at their best.“
  • On the matter of P.K. Subban and his reported poor dressing room presence, Lafleur related a story: “I was right beside the dressing room one night with Yvan Cournoyer and P.K. was outside screaming and dangling, and Yvan looks at me and says: ‘It wouldn’t have worked out in our days. Somebody would have smacked him with a stick.'”  Though Subban continues to be brought up in trade scenarios, TSN’s Darren Dreger recently squashed some rumors, reporting one GM was told “flat out” that he would not be traded.
  • As noted this morning, Elliotte Friedman recently reported that the Canadiens are trying to move up from their slot at ninth overall in this year’s Entry Draft. Moving up to get a player like Pierre-Luc Dubois would surely ignite a fan base that had to suffer through a disappointing season after the injury to Carey Price.  Dubois could go as early as fourth in the draft, meaning that the Canadiens would have part with some big pieces to secure the Quebec native.

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