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Snapshots: Sakic, Roy, Subban, Puempel

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After an unusual delay, the Colorado Avalanche have released a statement on the resignation of former head coach Patrick Roy. GM Joe Sakic wished Roy luck, and said the team will begin searching for their new coach immediately.

Here’s some more to think about as you process this surprising day:

  • Staying with the Roy news, Sportsnet’s John Shannon tweeted today, further fueling talk of a rift between Avalanche GM Joe Sakic and his former coach. Shannon reports that the two weren’t even speaking during the free agency period.
  • Elliott Friedman appeared on the NHL Network a few weeks ago. As transcribed by Chris Nichols for Today’s Slapshot, Friedman believes that the Canadiens made a conscious decision to trade P.K. Subban before his no-trade clause kicked in on July 1st of this year. Friedman also quotes a Canadiens player saying that the management and coaching staff believe the team is mentally and physically “soft.”
  • Bob Duff at the Ottawa Citizen spoke to Senators forward Matt Puempel today. Puempel stressed his desire to play regularly in the NHL. He also discussed the organizational changes, and how that may affect his chances of making the team. Puempel, 23, was a first round pick of the Senators in 2011. He has scored four goals, six points in 39 NHL games over the last two seasons.

Patrick Roy Leaves Avalanche Organization

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1:10pm: Roy has released a statement on his resignation. He seems to be quitting over a lack of influence in personnel decisions.

1:03pm: According to Renaud Lavoie of TVA, head coach Patrick Roy has resigned his position with the Colorado Avalanche.

Roy had coached the Avalanche since the 2013-14 season. In his first season with the team, Roy led the Avalanche to a first place finish in the Central Division. From there, the Avalanche were eliminated in the first round, and then failed to make the playoffs the next two years. Roy ends his tenure in Colorado with a record of 130-92-24 in 246 games.

It is of note that Roy explains his decision by suggesting he lacked input on personnel decisions. TSN’s Frank Seravelli reports that there had been “long-rumored discord” within the Avalanche organization. It has been reported before that Roy viewed Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie as “no more than a fifth defenseman.” Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic insisted this summer that he would not trade Barrie. Barrie re-signed with the Avalanche recently, signing a four-year contract, worth $5.5MM per season.

Roy played 478 as a goaltender for the Avalanche between 1995 to 2003, winning the Stanley Cup in 1996 and 2001. Roy also won the Conn Smythe trophy in 2001, and the William M. Jennings award, and was named a first team all-star in 2002.

Snapshots: Kings, Whitney, Lockout

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Adam Gretz wrote a piece today on Pro Hockey Talk that opines Dustin Brown has endured one of the biggest falls-from-grace in the NHL, and is now under huge pressure to perform for the Los Angeles Kings this season. Brown was once a feared power forward in the league, capable on any shift of contributing with a bone-crushing hit or a beautiful goal. Now, he’s a bottom-sixer who, while still contributing positively to the Kings’ dominant possession game, is vastly under-performing his contract that sits at a $5.875MM AAV. Brown was stripped of the captaincy, which will now belong to Anze Kopitar, the Kings’ superstar centerman.

  • Former NHL star Ray Whitney is at the Olympics for the first time in his career, but it’s not as a hockey player.  The 22-year veteran is caddying for Canadian golfer Graham DeLaet, who shot a -3 in his first round at the tournament. DeLaet was one of the first through the course this morning, and spoke about his caddy: “He’s a great player in his own right. I think it’ll be great to have Ray there, he was telling me he thinks he’d be on four olympic (hockey) teams if he’d been born in any other country.” It’s true, Whitney was a great player; his 1064 points rank him 64th all-time, while his 385 goals put him just outside the top-100.
  • Hannah Stuart of Today’s Slapshot penned an article examining just what might trigger the next NHL lockout. She argues that by signing contracts that protect them from a work-stoppage – those that have exorbitantly large signing bonuses – they’ve essentially ensured that a stoppage will eventually happen, if only to correct this loophole. Both sides (the NHL and NHLPA) can choose to opt out of the current CBA in September of 2019.

Latest On Jimmy Vesey

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11:57am: Speculation is running rampant now, but Adrian Dater of Bleacher Report is hearing that the Blackhawks and Maple Leafs are the finalists for Vesey, and that Jonathan Toews will be present at the Hawks’ recruitment on Monday.  He’s confirmed that Stan Bowman, the Hawks’ GM, has gone to see Vesey skate twice recently. With so many conflicting reports, the “Vesey Sweepstakes” has become the biggest story in the NHL, though he still has to prove his ability at the next level.

10:55am: Mark Divver of The Providence Journal reports that New York Islanders’ GM Garth Snow was in Foxboro yesterday to see Vesey skate. Assuming that most teams at least have some interest in the soon-to-be free agent this doesn’t come as much of a surprise, though it does add some intrigue to the next few days.

9:42am: All offseason, one of the biggest stories has been the upcoming free agency of Harvard forward Jimmy Vesey. After being selected by the Nashville Predators, Vesey would not sign and, after having his rights traded to the Buffalo Sabres a few months ago, will become a free agent on August 15th.  Here’s the latest:

Today, Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald tells us that the Vesey camp has narrowed their list down to six teams that still includes Buffalo. Vesey’s agent, Peter Fish, said:

What Jimmy wants to do is see it through. He’s wanted to go to free agency and he’s going to see it through. There’s about 4-5 teams other than Buffalo that he wants to hear from. And then after that he’s going to make a decision. I think he’d love for the Bruins to be one of those teams. I assume that we will be taking a call from them.

This, obviously, stands in the face of Joe Haggarty’s report yesterday that the Bruins had become an unlikely landing spot for Vesey. Haggarty had a source that said the Blackhawks, Devils, Rangers, Leafs and Sabres had all passed Boston on the list of likely suitors leaving the Bruins to try and make up ground in the next few days.

Fish of course, was at the Beantown Summer Classic when he spoke to reporters, making the addition of the Bruins note understandable. In the Herald piece, Harris writes that one “very-well informed area NHL scout” believes that the Blackhawks, Rangers and Bruins will eventually be the finalists. Vesey will ultimately choose whichever team he wants to play for regardless of money, since each club will likely offer him the same ELC. Fish lends credence to this, with another telling quote:

We’ve looked at depth charts with some teams and talked about them. . . . There’s obviously a lot of thought that goes into it: The city, the coach, the GM, the salary structure, how a team treats their players in the second and third contracts down the road.

Whatever happens, Vesey has a huge reputation to now uphold, as he’s been the belle of the ball this summer. If he struggles – and he likely will struggle at times – fan perception could turn quickly on the 23-year old.  We’ll keep an eye on the situation for the next few days, and look to bring you the news of his decision as soon as it happens – whether it be Monday or down the line.

Las Vegas Notes: Nickname, Legal, Preseason

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The Las Vegas expansion team has been a big story this summer, after being announced by the league just before the draft. The team has built a core front office, headed by new general manager George McPhee, and is surely beginning to build their strategy for next year’s expansion draft where many talented players will be left unprotected. Here is the latest news surrounding the NHL’s 31st franchise:

  • Tuesday on Sportsbook Radio in Las Vegas, team owner Bill Foley talked about all the work he’s done so far on the club. On his original GM search, he said that there was seven potential candidates, eventually settling on McPhee because of his dedication to hockey and contacts throughout the league.  “As a 17-year GM of the Capitals, and prior that an AGM of the Canucks, he really did everything. He built the Capitals up from the point where they had about 2500 or 3000 season tickets to where they were selling out.”
  • On the nickname search, which last week was reported to be having trouble with the presumptive favorite “Knights”, Foley said they have vetted four different names that they believe are all available. It is definitely not Black Knights, due to push-back from a variety of organizations. There is also a “bird that we have available to us, that we may use”.
  • The team is working on a brand new practice facility as well, and Foley gave an update: “We believe we’ll be breaking ground some time in the month of October. That’s our target. We also believe we’ll be moving in September 1st of 2017.”
  • On Twitter, the team released that they’ve hired Andrew Lugerner as Director of Hockey Legal Affairs, but gave no information on what his responsibilities will be. Lugerner was formerly an associate at Latham & Watkins in New York.
  • When the NHL released their preseason schedule on Wednesday, they included two games that will be played in Las Vegas on October 7th and 8th. Los Angeles will play in both games. Perhaps these will line up with a breaking ground ceremony for the practice facility, or a reveal of the name and logo for the team.

Boston Signs Brian Ferlin To Two-Way Deal

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According to Cap Friendly, the Boston Bruins have signed their final restricted free agent Brian Ferlin to a one-year, two-way deal that will pay the winger $725K at the NHL level.

Ferlin, a fourth-round pick who attended Cornell University for three seasons, made his professional debut in 2014-15, spending most of the season with the Providence Bruins.  He got into seven NHL games that season, but was limited to the AHL in 2015-16.

Not an offensive force, the 24-year old has 17 goals and 35 points in 83 professional games. He’ll look to improve on his all-around game in Providence this season, and try to crack Boston’s bottom-six at some point during the year.

Parise Should Be Ready For World Cup Of Hockey

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Tom Gulitti caught up with Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise and writes that the 32-year-old should be ready for the World Cup of Hockey. Parise suffered from a lower back injury last season which left him out of the Wild’s plans and as Gulitti writes, causing Parise to wonder if he could continue to play hockey. Luckily for him, Minnesota, and Team USA, it appears that his back is on the mend.

Gulitti quotes Parise as saying this regarding the injury:

“It was really scary,” Parise said. “That’s not very comfortable at all, for the longest time, having no feeling in your leg and in your foot. You are kind of wondering, ’When is this going to go away? When is this going to go away?’ And one day I woke up and it was good, so it was good after that. But, at that time, it’s really scary not feeling anything and really struggling to get out of bed.

“You’re like, ’Is this something I’m going to have to live with?’ But, so far in August, it’s been really good.”

Team USA will need Parise as the roster is one constructed of hard hitters and grinders, something that will push grit but lack in goal scoring prowess Skilled goal scorers like Bobby Ryan and Phil Kessel were left off the list while bubble players like Justin Abdelkader. Patrick Kane and Joe Pavelski will help, but to keep up with Canada, they will need all hands on deck. Goal scorers like Parise, who also add a physical element, will be crucial to have for Team USA’s success.

The Wild, on the other hand, welcome a new coach in Bruce Boudreau and a big name in Eric Staal. They’re looking to find sustained success after getting bumped early from the playoffs last season and struggling to get past the Chicago Blackhawks in previous seasons. Parise is certainly a key in that happening, and any time away will certainly hurt the Wild’s chances.

 

Snapshots: Gagner, Saunders Tributes, Arbitration History

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Sam Gagner’s contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets is right on the money reports the Columbus Post Dispatch’s Michael Arace. Gagner, Arace writes, is a player with a perception who does not live up to his given abilities. He also says it’s not entirely fair. Coming in at cap friendly one-year, $650K deal, Arace notes that it’s a chance for Gagner to prove who he really is as a hockey player at a very low cost. Gagner believes that his “best hockey is ahead of him,” and at the price of $650K, Arace writes that the deal is “one of the best deals (Blue Jackets general manager) Jarmo Kekalainen has made.” Further, Arace indicates that Gagner worked his way back from a demotion and hung on to play meaningful playoff hockey for the Flyers. The low risk, high reward for Gagner seems to serve a purpose for both the Jackets and Gagner.

In other NHL news:

  • Scores of hockey reporters, and analysts paid their respects to the late John Saunders, who passed away earlier today at the age of 61. Saunders was known as one of the most down to earth professionals in the business of sports. Mike Tirico gave a long tribute to his former colleague while Scott Van Pelt tweeted a very heartfelt, and emotional response to the shocking news.  Linda Cohn, a longtime ESPN anchor, and hardcore hockey fan, called  Saunders “a friend” while Steve Levy tweeted that Saunders was “the most generous, charitable, caring person I knew.” Finally, ESPN included a long tribute to Saunders’ work and personality.
  • Sean McIndoe includes a very interesting piece on the history of arbitration in the NHL. While cases went to arbitration this season, none were solved by an arbitrator, instead being concluded by contract extensions between the team and player. McIndoe writes about the infamous ruling–back in the “older days” of the NHL, that involved Scott Stevens and Brendan Shanahan. McIndoe explains the previous RFA rules, where if restricted free agents were targeted, both teams would offer what they felt was proper compensation for the targeted RFA–in the way of players. As history would have it, the Devils requested then Blues captain Scott Stevens, who at the time, was already considered a premier NHL defenseman. Of course, it was granted by the arbitrator, and all hell broke loose. McIndoe goes on to tell some other great stories that include hall of fame bound Eric Lindros.

Wisniewski To Try Out For Tampa

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A difficult NHL off-season has claimed yet another victim. With many veteran players being forced into cheap contracts or overseas ventures, James Wisniewski was unable to even land a guaranteed contract. Once considered a top puck-moving defenseman, the 32-year-old is now in PTO territory, signing a tryout deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail.

Mirtle adds that Wisniewski’s injury concerns likely led to this outcome. “The Wiz” did not have a very magical stint with the Carolina Hurricanes last season, tearing his ACL in his first game with the team and missing the remainder of the season. He was promptly bought out this summer. It seems as though the injury is lingering and no team felt comfortable giving Wisniewski a guaranteed contract for the 2016-17 season. Tampa Bay will get to give him a look in training camp and during the preseason now, without having to make the decision without knowing the full extent of the injury.

Should he look healthy and effective and then be willing to agree to the GM Steve Yzerman’s terms, Wisniewski is capable of having a successful season with the Bolts. The season before last, he put up 34 points split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks, and the previous season, 2013-14, he had 51 points in 75 games to finish second on the Jackets in scoring. Wisniewski is a very capable puck-moving defenseman who, when healthy, can play top pair minutes and quarterback a power play. While those attributes were seemingly not enough to earn him a guaranteed contract this off-season, they should be enough to see him play somewhere in 2016-17. A tryout contract does not guarantee the Lightning exclusive rights to Wisniewski, and with their depth and cap struggles, it seems more likely than not that he won’t play in Tampa this season, but a strong preseason should see him end up with a legitimate NHL contract elsewhere at the very least. However, a poor showing due to his bad left knee and ACL could mean the end of a once-promising career.

Haggerty: Bruins Unlikely To Sign Vesey

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CSN New England’s Bruins beat writer, Joe Haggerty, wrote today that sources have informed him that Boston is no longer considered to be a top contender for college phenom and impending free agent Jimmy Vesey. While the Bruins remain one of the teams that Vesey has previously said he will speak with on August 15th when he can officially explore his free agency options, Haggerty does not believe that the B’s are a likely to sign him.

When Vesey announced that he would not sign with the Nashville Predators, the team that drafted him, and even after his rights were traded to the Buffalo Sabres, the Bruins were considered one of the most likely destinations for the reigning Hobey Baker winner. A hometown kid, Vesey grew up in the Boston suburb of Charlestown, and his father briefly played for the Bruins during his short NHL career. Vesey played his prep school hockey at Belmont Hill in the Boston suburb of Belmont, and then attended Harvard University during the past four years in the Boston suburb of Cambridge. Noticing a trend? Vesey himself has not been shy about his attachment to the city as well, stating that he is a lifelong fan of the Bruins and wears #19 as a tribute to Joe Thornton. However, what many don’t realize is not only the city of Boston familiar to Vesey, but the future of the Bruins is as well. Within the Bruins system currently is forward Ryan Fitzgerald, a childhood friend of Vesey’s from Charlestown who is entering his senior year at Boston College, defenseman Rob O’Gara, Matt Grzelcyk, and Matt Benning, who Vesey squared off against at local New England NCAA schools over the past four years, goalie Zane McIntyre, a fellow Hobey Baker runner-up in 2015, and even Harvard teammates Ryan Donato and Wiley Sherman. Harvard coach and former Bruin Ted Donato has also been rumored to be a top candidate for the Bruins head coaching job during hot seat periods for Claude Julien. Add in that Vesey is friends with Torey Krug and Jimmy Hayes and idolized the Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup team, which included current Bruins Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Adam McQuaid, and Tuukka Rask, and it seems as if the past, present, and future would lead many to assume that Boston has always been Vesey’s preferred destination.

However, if Haggerty’s sources are correct, that is not true and all of those connections to the Bruins are not enough to sway Vesey. He believes that the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and New Jersey Devils have all passed up the Bruins, as well as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres, as the most likely destination for Vesey’s services. Since all of the teams can essentially only pay Vesey the same amount, his decision is all about fit and opportunity. Haggerty believes that the draw of playing alongside Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in Chicago or Taylor Hall and the upstart Devils in New Jersey may be too much for Vesey to instead stay with his comfortable choice of sticking around in Boston.

The Bruins certainly have space for Vesey to play on the left side in Boston, with only 2017 potential free agent Marchand as a bona-fide top six player at left wing. Both Krejci and Ryan Spooner would love to have the Harvard star on their wing. Should Vesey choose to sign elsewhere though, the Bruins will not be out of luck. The team was happy with the production from Matt Beleskey last season, and was very excited by the play of AHL top goal scorer Frank Vatrano. It would also open up opportunities for the AHL’s second-best scorer, Seth Griffith, 2015 first rounder Jake DeBrusk and another NCAA dominant force, Danton Heinen, to make the team.

Regardless, Vesey is certainly a player that any NHL team would like on their roster and there is no doubt that the Bruins will make a strong push to sign him next week. Even Haggerty acknowledged to his Twitter followers that there has been little indication surrounding the eventual landing place of Vesey, and no team can be taken out of the equation before the courting process even starts. The “sources” surrounding the Vesey camp have been pegged by many as unreliable and inconsistent as well, so the Vesey saga will continue until the ink has dried on his contract. Keep an eye on this summer’s biggest story right here at Pro Hockey Rumors when Vesey hits free agency on Monday, August 15th.

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