Flames Were Close To Acquiring Ben Bishop At Draft
Ben Bishop is entering this season without a guaranteed starting role in Tampa Bay after Andrei Vasilevskiy played extremely well down the stretch and into the playoffs last season. In an interview with the Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times on Friday, he said that “(a trade) looked like for a little bit it was going to happen. At kind of the last minute (the Flames) went out and got Elliott. It was close, but there was never… It wasn’t that close, obviously.”
While the Flames would eventually trade for Brian Elliott to fill their crease, a move including Bishop might still be on the horizon. The netminder is owed $5.95MM this year in the final season of his deal, and was overtaken by Vasilevskiy in the playoffs after he injured his ankle. While Bishop is unsure of his future, the Lightning inked Vasilevskiy to a three-year extension this summer that will pay him $3.5MM per season through 2019-20.
If GM Steve Yzerman decides to start the season with the two goaltenders, he’ll surely receive plenty of interest throughout the year as other netminders go down to injury. While he can’t keep both long-term, as an expansion draft for the new Las Vegas franchise would surely select one of them should they both be under contract, Bishop could be a huge piece to dangle should something similar to the Carey Price injury happen to another team this season.
For now, Bishop is just trying to push all the trade speculation out of his head, and focus on hockey. He’s one of the goaltenders set to report to Team USA camp for the upcoming World Cup in a few days, though it’ll be another fight to get ice-time – Cory Schneider and Jonathan Quick are the other two.
Sean Monahan Withdraws From World Cup; Vincent Trocheck To Replace
Another player has fallen to the injury bug and has to withdraw from the World Cup. Sean Monahan has suffered a back strain in training and will be unable to play in the upcoming tournament, according to the team twitter. Monahan is expected to have recovered in time to participate in the team training camp, and should be ready for the start of the season. Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports that Vincent Trocheck will be his replacement on Team North America.
“It’s definitely disappointing”, said Monahan in the release, also noting that because the tournament is in Toronto, about a thirty-minute drive from his hometown of Brampton, he was looking forward to playing for friends and family that don’t get to see him very often.
Monahan though, is just too important to the Flames to risk any further injury at what is from their perspective a meaningless tournament. He put up another 60+ point season last year and is still just 21-years old. Just signed to a whopping seven year, $44.625MM extension, Monahan is the present and future of the Flames organization alongside still-unsigned Johnny Gaudreau.
Quotable: Crosby, Wheeler, McDavid
Sidney Crosby didn’t start 2015-16 the way he wanted. Through his first 30 games, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain had only 19 points, and was struggling to a -7 rating. Crosby had never finished a season with fewer points than games played, but it looked like he was in danger of putting up the worst season of his career. It wouldn’t happen, as Crosby would remind the world why he is one of the best players in the world, finishing with 85 points on the season and trailing just Patrick Kane and Jamie Benn for the league lead.
In an enlightening article for SI.com yesterday, Crosby writes about his struggles last season and how much the media and fan reaction got to him.
…when the media repeats the same questions — particularly when the team isn’t winning consistently — you already know that whatever is being said out there, it isn’t good. You can feel the atmosphere in the arena and see the look in people’s eyes. It’s hard not to hold the stick a little bit tighter. It’s hard not to want to fix it all with one big game. It’s hard not to over-think and over-work and try to make perfect plays instead of just playing.
Corey Perry Added To Team Canada World Cup Roster
After Jeff Carter pulled out earlier today with an injury, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports that Team Canada has announced that Anaheim Ducks’ forward Corey Perry will replace him on the roster. Carter suffered what is being characterized as a “week-to-week” lower-body injury while training for the tournament, and thought better of risking further aggravation so close to the start of the season.
For Perry, it was surprising to many that he was left off the original roster after suiting up for Canada at the past two Olympic games, winning gold both times. Perry in fact has donned the red and white quite a few times during his hockey career, collecting a both World Junior and World Championship gold to go with the Olympic victories.
After what some characterized as a down year (which still saw him score 34 goals and 62 points), Perry was held to zero goals in the postseason as Anaheim was ejected in the first round by the Nashville Predators. A former 50-goal scorer, Perry will become just the second true winger (joining Brad Marchand) up front for the Canadians, and likely skate with teammate Ryan Getzlaf once again.
Taylor Hall is likely next in line should another forward succumb to injury before the tournament, though as Tom Gulitti of NHL.com points out the New Jersey Devils will be just fine with him getting an entire training camp to familiarize himself with his new team before playing on what will likely be the most successful team of his career thus far.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Las Vegas Hires Kelly Kisio As Pro Scout
If you were an expansion team, looking to fill your ranks with the best hockey minds not currently employed by an NHL team, where would you look? Las Vegas has decided that the WHL is the place to go, as they’ve mined another long-time front office member from the junior ranks. According to a team release, Kelly Kisio, a member of the Calgary Hitmen front office for the past 18-years, has been hired by the expansion franchise as a pro scout.
Kisio first joined the Hitmen in 1998-99 as the General Manager, and continued in that role until 2013 when he was promoted to President of Hockey Operations. He also spent four seasons behind the bench with the club from 2004-08 while still in his GM role. He’ll now join the Vegas club as a pro scout covering the western region.
An excellent player in his day, Kisio scored 658 points in 761 goals for the Red Wings, Rangers, Sharks and Flames, including a 78 point effort in 1987-88. Serving as captain of the Rangers for over three seasons he made one all-star appearance in 1993.
The hiring of Kisio follows a clear pattern for GM George McPhee this summer, after he hired AGM Kelly McCrimmon from the Brandon Wheat Kings and amateur scout Bruno Campese from the Prince Albert Raiders among others.
Injury Notes: Rask, Krejci, Andersen
After working all season to rehab his injured shoulder, Victor Rask now tells Ben Pope of The News & Observer that he’s one-hundred percent healthy and ready for another big season. “I think I had a good season last year but I also want to improve and get better for every season. I think this year’s going to be even better,” said Rask, who played much of last season in a shoulder brace, still scoring 21 goals and 48 points in just his second NHL season.
“I’m just excited for the future and I think we’ve got something really good going on here.” Indeed, the Hurricanes have a strong young core of players going forward, with Rask, Jeff Skinner and Elias Lindholm up front and one of the youngest defense corps in the league. The team will hope Rask has another level this season, and can push Skinner for the team lead in points again.
- According to a report from Roman Jedlicka of TV NOVA Sport, Czech Republic and Boston Bruin forward David Krejci will not be playing in the upcoming World Cup after hip surgery earlier this summer. Krejci is still expected to be ready for the beginning of the season, though Bruins fans should definitely keep an eye on his status as we head into September.
- Aivis Kalnins gives us some more news from the KHL, as Ilya Samsonov has reportedly been placed on injured reserve. Sampsonov was the first goaltender taken in the 2015 draft, 22nd overall by the Washington Capitals, and was slated to see an increased work load for Magnitogorsk Mettalurg this season.
- Also from Kalnins, the Danish Hockey Federation is expecting that Frederik Andersen, who was injured earlier today in an Olympic qualifier should still be available for the World Cup, where he was selected by Team Europe as one of three goaltenders (Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss were the other two). Elliotte Friedman adds that Andersen is being flown back to Toronto to be examined by team doctors, with the injury simply being listed as “upper body”, and Kristen Shilton of TSN says it’s his shoulder.
Jeff Carter Injured, Questionable For World Cup
UPDATE: Rosen reports that Carter’s injury is not considered to be severe, but that he is currently thought to be “week-to-week”, a prognosis that likely means the World Cup is not a realistic option for the L.A. playmaker.
According to Los Angeles Kings beat writer Jon Rosen, Kings forward Jeff Carter suffered a lower-body injury while training for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey. Rosen added that the severity of the injury remains unknown, but that there are already doubts about his participation. Elliotte Friedman also chimed in on the news, acknowledging that Carter’s World Cup status is in question, but that there should be more clarity to the situation when Team Canada players report on Sunday.
Luckily for Kings fans, there has yet to be a report that puts Carter’s NHL season debut in doubt. While the exact type and extent of the lower-body injury has not been revealed, both Rosen and Friedman only questioned Carter’s availability for this month’s World Cup, with no mention of puck-drop on the new season in late October. L.A. has not been subjected to many injury concerns when it comes to Carter’s tenure with the team, as he has played in at least 70 games in each of the last three seasons and played in every regular season game in 2012-13 and 2014-15. Second only to Anze Kopitar in team scoring last season, Carter is an invaluable member of the Kings. If the injury is anything but minor, LA supporters would likely rather have their star forward sit out the World Cup and prepare for the season.
For those worried about Team Canada at the World Cup, don’t fret. The Canadian roster is loaded with talent and center depth. In fact, Brad Marchand is the only one of 13 forwards on the roster who isn’t a natural centerman. Should Carter not be able to go, expect another winger like Corey Perry or Taylor Hall to get the first look.
Ryan Carter Signs PTO With Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild have extended a training camp invitation to forward Ryan Carter. Carter has played on two consecutive one year deals with the Wild, and put up 7G and 5A in 60 games last year.
The undrafted free agent signed with the Anaheim Ducks out of the NCAA in 2006, and joined the team for its Stanley Cup run in 2007. He has since played for Carolina, Florida, and New Jersey. Two seasons ago the Devils brought Carter back on a PTO, but eventually declined to sign him. The Wild, however, swooped in with a one-year deal.
Carter will be fighting for a fourth-line spot in Minnesota this season and may prove to be a stop-gap until the team’s prospects are ready. The Wild have just over $2MM in cap space, but signing Carter will not break the bank—his past performance indicates he will get somewhere close to the league minimum.
Snapshots: Drury, Rundblad, Andersen
News and notes around the NHL this morning:
- The New York Rangers have promoted former NHL Chris Drury to Assistant GM this morning. Drury was previous the Rangers’ Director of Player Development, and played a large role in landing coveting NCAA free agent Jimmy Vesey. Drury played four of his twelve seasons in the NHL with the Rangers, and collected 255G and 360A in 892 games overall with the Rangers, Avalanche, Flames, and Sabres.
- David Rundblad has officially signed with the ZSC Lions in Switzwerland. Rundblad, a former 1st round draft pick, never found success in the NHL, scoring only 4G and 21P in 113 games. He played nine games for the Chicago Blackhawks last season—and put up two points—before both parties mutually agreed to terminate the contract. Rundblad joins another former NHLer in Marc-Andre Bergeron on the Lions as they try to defend their Swiss Cup championship.
- Aivis Kalnins first reported that Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen was injured today in a Olympic qualifying game. Andersen’s Denmark was playing Slovenia today and the goalie left the ice with just over four minutes remaining after being run into by his own player. Denmark ended up losing 3-0. The Leafs traded a 1st and 2nd rounder to Anaheim for Andersen for the former RFA before signing him to a five-year, $25MM deal. Andersen is projected to be the Leafs starter out of training camp, but the team may have to ride Jhonas Enroth if Andersen’s injury is significant.
Unrestricted Free Agents At The World Cup
With the World Cup of Hockey set to begin shortly , five players will be out to do more than just represent their country (or continent). The World Cup offers Dennis Seidenberg, Christian Ehrhoff, Jakub Nakladal, Michal Jordan, and Lauri Korpikoski the opportunity to play in front of millions of eyes, including those of NHL executives, as they all look to secure a contract before the season begins.
A pair of German-born defenders, Seidenberg and Ehrhoff find themselves in similar predicaments as they get ready to lace ’em up for Team Europe. At 35 and 34 respectively, the veteran blue liners are both coming off a string of disappointing seasons. Seidenberg has struggled with injuries since first going down in the 2012-13 season, and his play has suffered because of it. With only 36 total points in the past three seasons, combined with a noticeable drop-off in his once-dominant defensive play, “Seids” more or less played himself out of Boston. He was surprised when the Bruins bought out his contract earlier this summer, but his numbers actually made the move very unsurprising. So far this summer, there has been little talk surrounding Seidenberg, and it was once rumored that he would retire if he was not playing in Boston in 2016-17. However, Seidenberg is set to take the ice alongside former Bruins teammate Zdeno Chara at the World Cup, perhaps looking to draw the attention of an NHL team willing to take on a reclamation project. A potential pairing partner for Seidenberg is Ehrhoff, who will also be looking to make a difference and earn himself another NHL gig with his play. With under 50 games played and less than 15 points in back-to-back seasons, Ehrhoff is no longer the elite puck-mover he once was. In fact, he failed to make much of an impact at all after being acquired by the Chicago Blackhawks late last season, playing in only eight games. Thus, it was no surprise that teams were not lining up for Ehrhoff’s services on July 1st. However, Ehrhoff is still an above-average skater and decent possession player. It seems more likely that Ehrhoff will find an NHL home for 2016-17 than Seidenberg.
Meanwhile, over on the Czech team, two younger defenseman are feeling disappointed that they are still unsigned this late in the summer. Nakladal, who has finally begun to get some attention lately, is likely paying the price for the Calgary Flames’ mistake of not giving him enough play time. When he did get on the ice in his rookie season, Nakladal was more than solid and a strong World Cup performance should give multiple NHL teams more than enough incentive to sign the high-upside defender to an inexpensive deal. For Jordan, the quiet off-season can’t have come as too much of a surprise. Unlike Nakladal, who only made his NHL debut in 2015-16, Jordan has struggled to earn regular ice time or even a roster spot for the past four years with the Carolina Hurricanes. A stay-at-home specialist without much of an offensive game, Jordan might be destined for an AHL deal or trip overseas unless he comes up big with an impressive World Cup showing.
Finally, there’s the Finnish winger Korpikoski, who finds himself in unfamiliar territory. Once a highly-coveted two-way player for the Coyotes, who never let him wander too far in free agency, the past two seasons have not been kind to Korpikoski. After his first disappointing season in Arizona, in which he was -27 with just 21 points, Korpikoski was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers last summer. The change of scenery did not go very well, as again Korpikoski’s supposedly strong defensive game was nowhere to be found, as he was -17 with 22 points. The Oilers cut ties with the forward this summer, buying out the final year of Korpikoski’s contract. Given his history as a reliable bottom-six forward, it seems likely that Korpikoski will end up on an NHL roster this season, but his performance in the World Cup is likely to set the market and make the differce between a guaranteed million-dollar deal or a just a PTO. A successful tournament for a young, offensive Finland team would certainly help Korpikoski garner some attention.