Latest On Rickard Rakell
In a series of tweets Wednesday evening, Bob McKenzie shed some light on the status of restricted free agent Rickard Rakell. Still unsigned, Rakell has been rehabbing from appendectomy surgery performed in September, and is still unable to skate or work out, though he’s expected to get back on the ice in another week.
While the young forward is rehabbing, McKenzie reports that there is an ongoing dialogue between his camp and the Ducks; a promising sign to be sure. From the player side, a contract like the one Victor Rask of Carolina received, $4MM per season for six years, is a starting point though Anaheim does not want to commit that much money to a player who has only 165 games under his belt.
Last season was a breakout for the Swedish centerman, as he increased his goal total from nine to twenty, and estabilished himself as a legitimate top-six player. While Anaheim doesn’t have any interest in a bridge deal, McKenzie speculates that a six-year deal paying Rakell under $4MM per season is what it will ultimately come down to.
If Anaheim can get him for that much, it would be quite beneficial to both sides. The Ducks would have their young second-line center locked up long term for a reasonable hit, and would be ecstatic if he developed into the 60+ point player his potential shows. Rakell, on the other hand, would guarantee himself a big paycheck even if 2015-16 was a career high in goals.
Rakell was never the biggest scorer in junior (though he did have very solid numbers), and he was thought of coming into the draft as a respectable player at all facets. At 23, if he can solidify himself as a perennial 20-25 goal man, he’d hit the open market at 29 with the chance for another big contract.
Snapshots: Cowen, Werenski, Heatherington
The long and contentious Jared Cowen saga seems to finally have an end date put in place, as the arbitration hearing has been set to determine whether the Toronto Maple Leafs were actually able to buy out the defenseman. Toronto successfully bought Cowen out earlier this summer, but the NHLPA has filed a grievance and contends that they were not allowed to do so, due to Cowen’s continuing injured status.
On October 19th, according to Bob McKenzie, an arbitrator will decide whether to uphold or reverse the buyout. If Cowen wins, he would be due his $4.5MM salary, where as if the buyout was upheld, he’d earn just $750K this season and next.
For the Maple Leafs, that $3.75MM in savings would help the rebuild even further, as they’ve used their financial power to gain assets (or, usually, rid themselves of burdens) over the past few seasons. Cowen underwent hip surgery this summer and won’t be ready for any kind of hockey until February at the earliest.
- For the Blue Jackets, this season holds a lot of promise. One of the biggest stories will be the debut of Zach Werenski, the team’s top prospect (outside of perhaps Pierre-Luc Dubois). As Werenski gets ready to make his preseason debut on Thursday, he wrote a piece for NHL.com describing the journey he’s taken so far. “I’m trying to make the NHL. It’s a little nerve-wracking, I won’t lie, but I feel confident that I can make it happen,” he writes, being honest with himself and the reader instead of spouting bravado. Werenski certainly seems ready; he joined the Lake Erie Monsters late last season, and led them with 14 points in the playoffs en route to a Calder Cup victory.
- Still with Columbus, Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch reports that Dillon Heatherington has suffered a fractured wrist and will be out 6-8 weeks. A second-round pick in 2013, he was set to continue his development at the AHL level this season. Aaron Portzline, also of the Dispatch, adds that fellow prospect Keegan Kolesar has undergone hernia surgery and will be out at least six weeks. Kolesar scored 61 points in 64 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL last season, and will head back for one more year.
Nashville Predators Sign Samuel Girard To ELC
According to Adam Vingan of the Tennessean, the Nashville Predators have signed their 2016 second-round pick Samuel Girard to a three-year, entry level contract.
Girard, 18, has played the past two seasons for Shawinigan of the QMJHL, turning in one of the finest offensive seasons from a blueliner in recent history last year. With 74 points in 67 games, Girard led all defensemen in the league and was 15 points ahead of the second highest scoring d-man.
Also adding a whopping 22 points in the playoffs, Girard is an elite puck-moving defender who is undersized and needs to work on his positioning in the defensive end. Weighing in at only 160 pounds last season, the left-handed shooter needs to bulk up considerably before making a push for the NHL.
His offense however, could lend itself to early professional success, as we’ve seen other undersized players flourish at the AHL level. If Girard can continue to put up points 5 on 5, the new analytical approach that is dominating front offices around the game might see him as a net-win, even at the highest level.
Injury Notes: Ekblad, Backlund, Meier
After sustaining a head and neck injury during the World Cup, Aaron Ekblad has been skating in Florida for a few days now, and has officially been cleared by doctors to return to full activity. Panthers fans everywhere can now release a huge sigh of relief as arguably their best player won’t miss the start of the season.
Ekblad, still just 20-years old, signed a huge eight year, $60MM extension this summer that will kick in after the 2016-17 season. The number one pick from 2014 has already made a huge impact at the NHL level, stepping in as an 18-year old and becoming the Panthers top defender. Now joined by all-star Keith Yandle and steady-as-she-goes Jason Demers, the Florida blueline looks impressive going into the season.
If there is any downside to the World Cup and seeing the best on best right before the season, it’s this. Ekblad could have easily suffered a concussion and put his season if not his career at risk for the tournament. When coupled with the news that Matt Murray and Marian Gaborik will both miss extensive amounts of time, owners around the league may be slightly more wary of sending their players during the next World Cup.
- For the Flames, it’s been two straight days of good news, as after Sean Monahan took the ice yesterday before practice, Mikael Backlund was back at it today according to Ryan Leslie of NHL.com. While he didn’t work with the team, he will re-join practice tomorrow wearing a non-contact jersey. The Swedish forward is working his way back from a concussion suffered during the World Cup (one of a list of injured players at the tournament) that apparently wasn’t as severe as originally thought. A return before the season opens would be huge for Backlund, who played in all 82 games last season for the first time in his career. 47 points was also a career high, something that Backlund will try and build off of this year.
- Timo Meier, the ninth overall pick in last year’s draft, is still ill and will miss Friday’s game against Arizona according to Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News. While he hasn’t been ruled out of the Sunday contest in Vancouver, the team will take it slow as he nurses himself back to health. Meier had a tremendous year in junior last season, scoring 87 points in 52 games despite being traded mid season. The Swiss forward has dominated the QMJHL since he came over, including some amazing playoff performances.
Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Bitten, Brown
After turning heads at the World Cup as the youngest player in the tournament, Auston Matthews is already making an impact at Leafs camp. At the end of his first practice with the blue and white, Matthews fired a one-timer from Mitch Marner into the glass, shattering it. While it’s probably not the last pane that will fall victim to Matthews’ hard shot, it’s just nice for the team to finally have him in their own building with their own jersey.
While Mike Babcock has repeatedly said that Matthews will start on the third line this year for the team, when he hit the ice for the first time he was skating between James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov on the first group. The 19-year old centerman will likely be sheltered to start his career, but many believe it won’t last long, just as it hasn’t at both the World Championships and World Cup.
At both tournaments, Matthews opened as one of the final few forwards, but finished among the top two lines. Every coaching staff that has worked with him speaks about his learning curve, and how hard he works. We’ll see if the curve isn’t a bit steeper once the real NHL season begins, and teams bear down on the youngster.
- Montreal prospect Will Bitten has been dealt to the Hamilton Bulldogs, according to Ryan Yessie of HockeyProspect.com. Bitten was selected in the third round of the latest draft, but has flashed enough skill to have gone higher. The undersized center put up 65 points in 67 games last season on an awful Flint Firebirds team (20-42-6) and is expected to make another big development step this season. He’ll now be a little closer to home, playing for a familiar name to Canadiens fans – their former AHL affiliate was also the Hamilton Bulldogs, where players like Carey Price spent time seasoning before making the NHL.
- The Ottawa Senators have sent first round pick Logan Brown back to junior as expected today. Brown, an absolute monster on the ice standing 6’6″, 222 lbs already, is actually incredibly skilled for a player his size. He notched 53 assists last season for the Windsor Spitfires, and showed off his offensive flair more than once. The Senators will hope he can start using that size a bit more as he gets stronger and matures as a player, letting him become a preeminent power forward in the NHL within a few years. For now, he’ll return to junior for his third year, expected somewhere close to 100 points and lead the Spitfires back to another strong season.
Devils Sign Kyle Quincey
The New Jersey Devils have signed defenseman Kyle Quincey to a one-year, $1.25MM contract, according to their official website.
Quincey played 47 games with the Detroit Red Wings last season, scoring 4 goals and 11 points. The former 2nd round pick has played nine full seasons with the Red Wings in two separate stints, Colorado, and Los Angeles. Quincey has played 495 games and scored 30 goals and 140 points.
New Jersey is looking to boost their defense, after trading Adam Larsson in the off-season and replacing him with Ben Lovejoy. While Quincey isn’t a perfect replacement for Larsson either, as their styles are not very comparable, there was a time when he was believed to be a key member of the Red Wings blueline. While his possession numbers have taken a dive in recent years, it’s a worthwhile gamble for the Devils for just $1.25MM.
The Devils have approximately $11.41MM in cap space, according to Cap Friendly. Comparable contracts from the past off-season include Justin Schultz (one-season, $1.4MM), Tom Gilbert (one-season, $1.4MM), and Luke Schenn (two-seasons, $2.5MM). The contract represents a $3MM haircut for Quincey, who made $4.25MM per season for the last two years in Detroit.
RFA Notes
It’s been an unusual off-season in the NHL, with seven high profile Restricted Free Agents (RFAs) remaining a week into training camp. Compared to last off-season, when teams moved quickly to sign or trade players to avoid the threat of offer sheets.
In a series of tweets, TSN’s Bob McKenzie sent out the latest in negotiations from across the league.
Anaheim Ducks – Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell – The Ducks are using Morgan Rielly and Seth Jones as comparable contracts, while Lindholm’s camp is pointing to Aaron Ekblad‘s $7.5MM AAV. McKenzie clarifies that Lindholm isn’t asking for $7.5MM, more in the $6MM-plus range. McKenzie hasn’t been able to determine the range of numbers from the Rakell negotiations yet.
Arizona Coyotes – Tobias Rieder – The two sides are less than $500K apart. Rieder is currently looking for two years at $2.5MM per season, while the Coyotes aren’t budging on their offer of two years in the low $2MM range. Rieder does have KHL offers to consider, or McKenzie suggests he could ask for a trade or hold out.
Buffalo Sabres – Rasmus Ristolainen – The Sabres and Ristolainen are in the same situation as the Ducks and Lindholm, according to McKenzie. The two sides are at least $1MM apart, with each side standing firm with their comparables.
Calgary Flames – Johnny Gaudreau – This is likely the most fascinating case, as Gaudreau isn’t technically an RFA because he falls under the 10.2(c) CBA clause. Because Gaudreau hasn’t accrued three years experience, he isn’t eligible for an offer sheet and therefore has basically no power, other than holding out. McKenzie believes the Flames want Gaudreau to sign in the same range as Sean Monahan (six-years, $6.375MM per) and no higher than captain Mark Giordano ($6.75MM per), while Gauderau is looking for more than $8MM per season. The two sides have not negotiated recently, according to McKenzie, who called the situation “bit of a Cold War”.
Tampa Bay Lightning – Nikita Kucherov – If not Gaudreau, then Kucherov is definitely the most complex RFA situation due to the Lightning’s cap issues. While Kucherov has a long list of comparable contracts in the six-year, $36MM range, that’s not possible in the Lightning’s current state. They’ll need to move someone to accommodate another $6MM; McKenzie believes Ben Bishop will be traded sometime this season, but expects he’ll start the season in Tampa.
Winnipeg Jets – Jacob Trouba – There has been plenty of digital ink spilled on Trouba‘s trade request, but the only new information from McKenzie was that Trouba is not interested in signing an offer sheet, because the Jets would not be allowed to trade him for a calendar year, should they match. That defeats the purpose of wanting to be traded.
It is still early in the season, but there is a firm deadline coming up: December 1st. Should an RFA not be signed by then, then he will be ineligible to play for the remainder of the season.
This is likely only a consideration for Trouba, with the Jets’ habit of slow-playing trade requests and waiting out poor trade offers.
Training Camp Cuts: 09.28.16
We’re now nearly a week into training camps, and with the first few exhibition games played, expect to see more rounds of cuts as teams narrow down roster hopefuls.
Here are the cuts for today:
New York Islanders (per team Twitter account):
D David Quenneville (to Medicine Hat, WHL)
D Mitchell Vande Sompel (to Oshawa, OHL)
D Parker Wotherspoon (to Tri-City, WHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (per Dave Issac):
G Mark Dekanich (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
C Chris McCarthy (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Maxim Lamarche (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Martin Ouellette (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Jesper Pettersson (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
RW Steve Swavely (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
C Kevin Sundher (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release):
F James McEwan (to Guelph, OHL)
D Brandon Crawley (to London, OHL)
D Connor Hall (to Kitchener, OHL)
St. Louis Blues (per Jeremy Rutherford)
F Jordan Kyrou (to Sarnia, OHL)
F Filip Helt (to Sarnia, OHL)
F Adam Musil (to Red Deer, WHL)
Ottawa Senators (per team release):
D Maxime Lajoie (to Swift Current, WHL)
F Logan Brown (to Windsor, OHL)
F Filip Chlapik (to Charlottetown, QMJHL)
Minnesota Wild (per team Twitter):
D Gustav Bouramman (to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
Arizona Coyotes (per team release):
D Kyle Capobianco (to Sudbury, OHL)
D Cam Dineen (to North Bay, OHL)
C Lane Pederson (to Swift Current, WHL)
D Jalen Smereck (to Oshawa, OHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter):
D Ben Betker (to Bakersfield, AHL)
RW Greg Chase (to Bakersfield, AHL)
LW Braden Christoffer (to Bakersfield, AHL)
C Josh Currie (AHL contract, assigned to Bakersfield, AHL)
LW Ryan Hamilton (AHL contract, assigned to Bakersfield, AHL)
C Kyle Platzer (to Bakersfield, AHL)
RW Patrick Russell (to Bakersfield, AHL)
C Ryan Vesce (released from PTO)
Vancouver Canucks (per team news release)
LW Darren Archibald (AHL contract, assigned to Utica, AHL)
G Kevin Carr (released from PTO, invited to Utica, AHL)
C Cole Cassels (assigned to Utica, AHL)
LW Derek Hulak (assigned to Utica, AHL)
LW Yan-Pavel Laplante (assigned to Utica, AHL)
D Evan McEneny (assigned to Utica, AHL)
LW Danny Moynihan (released from PTO, invited to Utica, AHL)
D John Negrin (AHL contract, assigned to Utica, AHL)
C Marc-Olivier Roy (released from PTO, invited to Utica, AHL)
D Mackenze Stewart (assigned to Utica, AHL)
C Curtis Valk (AHL contract, assigned to Utica, AHL)
Calgary Flames (per team release)
C Mikkel Aagaard (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Mike Angelidis (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Matt Bailey (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
D Riley Bruce (assigned to North Bay, OHL)
LW Jamie Devane (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Dillon Dubé (assigned to Kelowna, WHL)
D Stepan Falkovsky (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
D Keegan Kanzig (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
G Mason McDonald (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Brett Pollock (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
RW Eetu Tuulola (assigned to Everett, WHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per Aaron Portzline)
RW Vitali Abramov (assigned to Gatineau, QMJHL)
LW Francis Beauvillier (released from tryout)
G Jeremy Brodeur (released from tryout)
D Stephen Gibson (released from tryout)
D Sam Ruopp (assigned to Prince George, WHL)
RW Kole Sherwood (assigned to London, OHL)
LW Calvin Thurkauf (assigned to Kelowna, WHL)
Montreal Canadiens (via team Twitter)
RW Giovanni Fiore (assigned to Cape Breton, QMJHL)
Snapshots: World Cup Buzz, Shaw, Trouba
Team Canada is one game away from winning the World Cup of Hockey after defeating Team Europe in Game One of the Finals on Tuesday night, but there was something noticeably missing in Toronto: a loud crowd.
Canada won 3-1 against Team Europe’s “best game of the tournament”, despite playing “nonchalant” according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli. However, the lack of a natural rivalry between them and a mixture of eight smaller European countries, combined with the relative ease with which Canada has rolled through this tournament lead to empty seats and a less-than-enthusiastic atmosphere.
Canadian defenseman Alex Pietrangelo told Greg Wyshnyski that “once the game got going, the excitement was there. But you play against the Americans, you play against the Russians, and it’s obviously different.”
Steven Stamkos noticed it too, saying the team’s other games had “away fans that were creating some noise. This was probably the team that had the least amount of support, just because of the makeup of the team in the tournament to start with.”
It’s unfortunate to see the relative lack of interest surrounding the final, especially after the buzz generated by Team North America earlier in the tournament.
In other news from around the hockey world:
- Newly-acquired Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw has only played one game for his new team, and is already garnering attention from the NHL Department of Player Safety. Shaw hit Capitals’ rookie Connor Hobbs from behind after feeling he was slew-footed by Caps forward Jay Beagle. Shaw subsequently fought another rookie in Nathan Walker, and tried to pump up crowd mid-fight before landing the decisive blow.
- With the news that Jacob Trouba has wanted out of Winnipeg since May, many analysts have wondered why the Oilers didn’t move Taylor Hall for Trouba, instead of Adam Larsson. However, Bob McKenzie gave TSN 1050 two reasons why a trade centered around Hall for Trouba didn’t materialize (transcribed by Chris Nichols from Today’s Slapshot). First, the Jets weren’t interesting in spending $6MM on Hall when they knew they would have Nik Ehlers, Patrik Laine, and Kyle Connor patrolling the port side for a considerably lower cost. Secondly, McKenzie believes the Oilers like Trouba, but doesn’t believe they are one of the frontrunners for his services. He points to Oilers coach Todd McLellan‘s usage of Trouba at the World Cup for the U-24 team; Trouba didn’t crack the lineup until Aaron Ekblad was injured. The Oilers clearly rank Larsson as a better NHL defenseman today.
Atlantic Notes: Wisniewski, Girgensons, Marner
Despite plenty of postseason success the last two seasons resulting in two trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and a Stanley Cup Finals berth in 2015, the Tampa Bay Lightning have ultimately come up short of reaching their goal. Returning almost entirely the same roster for 2016-17, the Lightning should again be among the best teams in the east and one certainly capable of winning the Stanley Cup. And despite not adding much impact talent from outside the organization this summer, a minor addition might be the “missing piece” in the Lightning’s championship puzzle, opines Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.
Right-handed defenseman James Wisniewski, who missed all but one shift of the 2015-16 season because of an ACL tear, was signed by Tampa to a PTO and has an excellent chance of making the team out of camp. As Smith notes, the Lightning ranked 28th in the NHL in power play efficiency and that’s an area Wisniewski specializes in. The 11-year-veteran has tallied more than half of his 53 career goals on the man-advantage and has twice recorded seven in a single season.
The Lightning do list Anton Stralman, Braydon Coburn and Andrej Sustr as right-side defenders, though as a left-handed shooter, Coburn could potentially play on either side. Tampa also re-signed RFA Nikita Nesterov, another starboard-side shooter, further congesting that side of the blue line depth chart. But, as Smith writes, when GM Steve Yzerman reached out to Wisniewski, he indicated the team had been looking for a right-handed shot on the blue line who could help out on the man advantage and that should improve his chances of finding playing time in Tampa Bay.
Elsewhere in the NHL’s Atlantic Division:
- After a down year in 2015-16, Zemgus Girgensons is ready to turn the page and hopeful a consistent role with the Sabres will help him get back on track, writes John Vogl of The Buffalo News. Girgensons had a strong sophomore season in 2014-15 recording 15 goals and 30 points in 61 games. But under new head coach Dan Bylsma and moving back-and-forth from center to wing, Girgenson netted just seven goals and 18 points in 71 contests this past season. Bylsma is prepared to start the season with the 22-year-old Latvian at center with the hope it will allow him to rebuild some of his confidence. Girgensons inked a new one-year deal worth $1.15MM as a RFA and is banking on a much better season in 2016-17.
- Mitch Marner, selected fourth overall in 2015 by Toronto, is not a sure bet to make the Maple Leafs roster to open the 2016-17 campaign but if he keeps performing as he did Monday night, his chances look good. According to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun, Marner was “electric” on the ice and generated several quality scoring chances for the Leafs. Marner finished with two assists in the Ottawa Senators 6 – 3 win over Toronto but the 19-year-old pivot was the best player on the ice for either team and took a great first step in convincing the Leafs he is ready for the NHL.