Archives for June 2016

Snapshots: Shaw, Fowler, Red Wings

June 24, 2016 at 2:57 pm CDT | by natebrown 1 Comment

Mark Lazerus tweets that the possibilities of the Blackhawks shuttling Marcus Kruger increase because Andrew Shaw may cost too much to keep both. Further, Shaw may price himself out of Chicago altogether. Lazerus believes that Kruger is tougher to replace than Shaw, but that losing either player hurts the Hawks’ depth. Lazerus indicated that Shaw may be looking for a deal in the neighborhood of $4.5MM, and it might be too rich for a Blackhawks team that just got out from under the Bryan Bickell deal. He also listed Florida as a possible destination for Shaw should the Hawks try to move him. Lazerus also penned a piece on how the Blackhawks current cap headache is a product of their own making.

Other news as the draft approaches:

Helene St. James writes that the Red Wings should seriously consider Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler. The 24-year-old defenseman has been linked with a number of teams, namely Buffalo. But the Wings, according to St. James, have the assets to pull off a deal should they dangle their 16th overall pick and possibly top prospect Anthony Mantha. St. James comments that while it would be a steep price, it’s one with tremendous upside as Fowler could become the top pairing defenseman the Red Wings have lacked since the retirement of Nicklas Lidstrom. Detroit also has a glut of younger scoring forwards in Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, and Dylan Larkin. Other top prospect Evgeny Svechnikov waits as another option for the Wings.
In other Red Wings news, Brian Manzullo reports that prospect Vili Saarijarvi has been traded from the Flint Firebirds to the Mississauga Steelheads. The defenseman played last season with Flint, which included a tumultuous situation that included their coaching staff being fired twice, and the OHL stepping in to strip Rolf Nilsen of any control over hockey operations.

Wild To Buy Out Thomas Vanek

June 24, 2016 at 2:23 pm CDT | by natebrown Leave a Comment

Per a tweet from Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild will in fact buy out Thomas Vanek’s contract. CapFriendly tweeted the financial implications, which would include a $1.5MM cap hit in 2016-2017, and a $2.5MM hit in 2017-2018. Russo also reported that the deal would save the Wild $5MM next season and gives them about $14MM in total cap space. TSN’s Bob McKenzie tweeted yesterday that a buyout was very possible.

Vanek’s numbers dipped a bit in the past season, getting 41 points (18-23) in 74 games. Vanek, once a two-time 40 goal scorer with Buffalo, has seen his production fall after signing a 3 year/$19.5MM deal with the Wild prior to the 2014-2015 season. Vanek was counted on to provide consistent goal scoring for Minnesota but only mustered 39 total goals in two seasons. The additional cap room will assist the Wild in trying to find someone to take the role Vanek was expected to fill.

Snapshots: Subban, Kulikov, Fowler, Shattenkirk

June 24, 2016 at 1:30 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

In advance of tonight’s first round of the draft, many prominent defensemen have seen their name involved in trade speculation in recent days. Here is the latest on who may or may not be on the move.

P.K. Subban was in the spotlight yesterday as trade talks reportedly picked up. However, Pierre LeBrun of TSN/ESPN doesn’t believe that there’s a deal out there that the Canadiens are willing to make, at least at this time. Subban’s no-movement clause kicks in on July 1st and the speculation likely won’t entirely die down until then.
The Florida Panthers are fielding plenty of offers for Dmitry Kulikov according to George Richards of the Miami Herald. He adds that picks and players are being discussed as a possible return. TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie adds that Boston is a team that continues to show interest in the 25 year old. Kulikov has one year left on his contract with a $4.33M cap hit. Richards also notes that the Panthers are also talking about an extension with Kulikov so a trade is far from certain. Adrian Dater of Bleacher Report suggests the Avalanche could be in the mix as well as they have been trying to get him for years.
The Montreal Canadiens are another team showing interest in Ducks D Cam Fowler, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger. Last night, it was reported that Buffalo and Anaheim were also discussing Fowler, with talks expected to continue today.
Kevin Shattenkirk’s name continues to come up. Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News notes that the Sabres, Bruins, Flyers, and Rangers have all shown interest. CSNNE’s Joe Haggerty adds that the expectation is that Shattenkirk would like to sign his next deal (which will begin in 2017-18) out East which could potentially impact his market. Jimmy Murphy of DW Sports Boston adds the Canadiens and Capitals to the list of interested teams. One team that has apparently dropped out of the race is the Coyotes who, according to Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports, have turned their attention elsewhere.

Draft Day Snapshots: Blue Jackets, Predators, Wild, Jets

June 24, 2016 at 12:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The 2016 NHL Entry Draft gets underway tonight and one of the top picks appears to be in play. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch spoke with Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen who noted that the team has received at least ten offers for the third overall pick.

Kekalainen is telling teams that he is willing to move the pick but would not slide out of the top ten in any trade. He also has informed them that no trade would be made until they’re on the draft floor after the top two selections are made.

Other draft day rumblings:

The Nashville Predators could be targeting a defenseman with their first pick in the draft (17th overall), writes Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. While the team does have several strong blueliners already, they did move Seth Jones to Columbus midseason and they have only picked one defender with a first round pick in the last five years. In the same piece, GM David Poile acknowledged that he doesn’t have much interest in moving up or down from pick 17.
Minnesota holds just two picks in the first six rounds which could make it difficult for the Wild to move up, writes The Star Tribune’s Michael Russo. GM Chuck Fletcher wouldn’t be opposed to trading down from their 15th overall selection to acquire more picks but only if there are a number of players left on their draft board at that time.
The Winnipeg Jets have put the 22nd overall pick in play, ESPN’s Craig Custance reports. The Jets acquired the selection prior to the trade deadline as part of the Andrew Ladd to Chicago deal. Winnipeg is believed to be seeking a left shot defenseman and a top nine forward.

Stars Re-Sign Jordie Benn

June 24, 2016 at 11:02 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Dallas Stars have re-signed D Jordie Benn to a three year contract, the team announced Friday. ESPN/TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports the deal will carry a cap hit of $1.1MM.

Last season, he suited up in 64 games for the Stars, scoring three times and added nine assists while averaging 15:39 per game in ice time. He also got into one of their 13 postseason contests. Benn has spent his entire five year career with Dallas after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2011, playing in 244 games, scoring nine goals and 47 assists.

Jordie is the older brother of Jamie Benn, one of the NHL’s top scorers in recent years. It’s likely that he will reprise his role as the 6th or 7th defenseman for the Stars next season. PHR had him rated 48th on our top 50 list of unrestricted free agents.

Nathan Gerbe In Talks With Swiss Team

June 24, 2016 at 10:41 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Pending UFA Nathan Gerbe is discussing a contract with Geneve-Servette of the Swiss NLA, reports Cyrill Pasche of Le Matin (link in French). Any deal would contain an NHL out clause if Gerbe is able to secure an NHL contract prior to July 15th. Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reports that securing an NHL contract is still the priority for Gerbe and his representation.

Gerbe has spent the last three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, playing all three forward positions for them in the process. He’s most known for his small stature as at just 5’5″, Gerbe has been the smallest player in the NHL the past several years.

Last season, Gerbe suited up in just 47 games with the ’Canes, scoring just seven points (three goals, four assists) in the process. His career numbers are better as he has posted 58 goals and 80 assists in 394 career regular season games.

Top Draft Prospects: Alexander Nylander

June 24, 2016 at 10:05 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The NHL draft is almost upon us with the first round set to get underway at 6pm tonight. Our look at the top prospects continues with Mississauga winger Alex Nylander.

Bio

Position: Right Wing/Left Wing
Birthdate: March 2, 1998
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta
Height: 6’0.5”
Weight: 178 lbs

2015-16

Nylander, the brother of Toronto prospect William Nylander, made his North American debut last season with the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads. He spent a big chunk of the year as part of an all-draft eligible trio alongside Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian. He led the Steelheads in all offensive categories and then found another gear to his game in a first round exit to the Barrie Colts, scoring six goals and six assists in just six games.

He also suited up in the World Juniors and World Under 18’s for Sweden (while he was born in Canada, he plays internationally for the Swedes where his father is from). He led the team in scoring in both tournaments.

Nylander picked up several awards with Mississauga. Not only was he the OHL’s Rookie of the Year, he was also named the CHL’s Top Rookie (the CHL is comprised of the three major junior leagues, the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL). He was also named to the OHL’s All-Rookie Team and third All-Star Team.

Statistics

OHL: 57 GP, 28 goals, 47 assists, 75 points, 18 PIMS, +8 rating
WJC’s: 7 GP, 4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points, 0 PIMS, +5 rating
U-18’s: 7 GP, 3 goals, 8 assists, 11 points, 0 PIMS, +5 rating

Scouting Report

Nylander is one of the more pure skilled players in this draft class, at least at the offensive end. He is a high end playmaker and is extremely dangerous when the puck is on his stick. On top of that, his shot is a significant weapon, making him a true dual threat in the attacking end.

Nylander’s skating is a strong asset, one that makes him that much more dangerous in the offensive zone. He also uses that to his advantage when back checking in transition in terms of knocking the puck away from opponents.

In his own zone is where Nylander struggles. He’s not the most willing to go battle for the puck and when he does, his lack of strength can be an issue at times. He showed improvement throughout the year but in terms of making the right reads defensively but considerable work still needs to be done in that regard.

Projected Future Role

Top line winger.

NHL Timeline

Offensively, he’s close to being NHL ready. However, he still needs to build some strength while his defensive play isn’t good enough for the pros. He’s at least two years away and could be three or four depending on how quickly or slowly he improves in his own end.

Previous Profiles

Auston Matthews
Patrik Laine
Jesse Puljujarvi
Matthew Tkachuk
Pierre-Luc Dubois
Mikhail Sergachev
Olli Juolevi

Minor Transactions: 6/24/16

June 24, 2016 at 9:24 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Here is where we’ll keep track of today’s minor signings.

The Colorado Avalanche announced that they have re-signed F Andreas Martinsen to a one year contract. Terry Frei of the Denver Post reports it’s worth $640,000. The 26 year old made his NHL debut in 2015-16, suiting up in 55 games for the Avs, collecting four goals and seven assists and should once again battle for a fourth line spot in 2016-17.
Tampa Bay announced the re-signing of D Luke Witkowski to a one year, two-way deal. Financial terms were not released. Witkowski played in four games with the Lightning last season, being held off the scoresheet. He also added 14 points in 70 AHL contests. Witkowski has a total of 20 career NHL games under his belt, all with Tampa Bay.

Snapshots: Stamkos, Shattenkirk, Bruins, Canucks, Coyotes, Datsyuk

June 23, 2016 at 9:30 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Saturday is shaping up to be an important day in the Steven Stamkos saga, writes TSN’s Frank Seravelli. The interview period with pending unrestricted free agents kicks off on Saturday, meaning that the Lightning have less than 48 hours left of exclusive negotiating rights with their captain. As a result, GM Steve Yzerman may have to deliver his best offer to Stamkos by Friday before other teams have an opportunity to make their pitch.

Other news and notes around the league:

The market for St. Louis D Kevin Shattenkirk is starting to head up. Seravelli writes that the Blues would be willing to allow teams to talk extension with him but that they need a trade partner first. Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch adds that while there are a lot of teams interested, no extension talks have been held. Shattenkirk has one year left on his contract at $4.25MM and will be an unrestricted free agent after.
The Bruins are likely to take one more stab at re-signing pending UFA Loui Eriksson, reports WEEI’s DJ Bean. Boston has been unwilling at this point to go beyond a four year contract to get a deal done. Bean adds that the team has held talks with W Lee Stempniak and D John-Michael Liles but will not bring back D Zach Trotman or G Jonas Gustavsson.
Vancouver GM Jim Benning met with the media Thursday. He noted (and the team tweeted) that the Canucks will not re-sign pending UFA W Radim Vrbata and defensemen Matt Bartkowski and Yannick Weber.
The Arizona Coyotes have selected a new arena site and are working through the legal documentation, reports AZ Central’s Craig Morgan. Their lease with the City of Glendale expires following the 2016-17 and the management contract for the Gila River Arena was taken away from the team and awarded to AEG back in April.
Several teams have been in discussions with Detroit regarding Pavel Datsyuk’s contract, according to ESPN’s Craig Custance. There is an opportunity to expand the market to more teams if the Wings are willing to retain part of his $7.5MM cap hit but Custance notes that they don’t have much of an appetite to do so.

Flyers Extend Radko Gudas

June 23, 2016 at 8:54 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed D Radko Gudas to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that it’s a four year deal while Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston adds the cap hit is $3.35M. He was one year away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency.

Gudas played in 76 games with the Flyers last year, collecting five goals and nine assists while adding 116 PIMS and 304 hits (second most in the NHL). He also logged an average of 19:50 per game. In his career, the 26 year old has suited up in 202 games split between Tampa Bay and Philadelphia, scoring 12 goals and 34 assists while adding 340 PIMS.

Gudas was originally a third round pick of the Lightning back in 2010 and was dealt to the Flyers as part of the Braydon Coburn trade back in 2015. He will likely be a top four blueliner for Philadelphia heading into 2016-17.

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