Snapshots: Gudas, Maatta, Monahan, Byfuglien
The wrist problem that caused Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas to withdraw from the Czech Republic’s entry into the World Cup of Hockey is one that lingered during last season, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Gudas didn’t get into specifics about the injury but noted that there was ligament damage and that a small issue could have turned into a bigger one.
Gudas believes that he is still 1-3 weeks away from the wrist being back to 100% (he is currently unable to shoot the puck) but expects to be ready to start the season.
Earlier this summer, Gudas inked a four year contract with a cap hit of $3.35MM. He played in 76 regular season games with the Flyers, collecting 14 points while adding 116 PIMS, 304 hits, and 157 blocked shots.
[Related: Flyers Depth Chart]
Other news and notes from around the NHL:
- Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta still has to fulfill his mandatory military obligations to Finland but has an agreement to delay that for at least another three years, tweets Sports Illustrated’s Alex Prewitt. Maatta had a challenging postseason, one where he suffered a concussion and was also a healthy scratch at times, but still picked up seven assists in 18 games. He’s expected to be a key cog on Pittsburgh’s blueline this season.
- Flames center Sean Monahan is expected to be ready for the start of Calgary’s training camp, writes Postmedia’s Kristen Odland. Monahan withdrew from the World Cup of Hockey earlier this month after straining his back in training. Fresh off a seven year deal he signed in August, Monahan decided to take a pass on the tournament to make sure he’s 100% ready to start the season with the Flames.
- Winnipeg defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is expected to play on the wing for Team USA in their final World Cup tune-up game against Finland tonight, reports Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. Whyno adds that Brandon Dubinsky and Kyle Palmieri will be healthy scratches for the Americans. Byfuglien is no stranger to playing the wing, seeing time there with the Jets off and on in recent years.
Hextall: No Plans To Extend Philly’s Goalies Currently
The Philadelphia Flyers find themselves in an interesting situation with their goaltenders heading into the season as both Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth are eligible for unrestricted free agency following 2016-17. Despite that, GM Ron Hextall has no plans to negotiate a new deal with either netminder at this time, reports Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post. When asked what the plan is, Hextall noted that there isn’t one in place at the moment:
“They’re both very good goalies. They both proved it last year. They both should be in their prime/entering their prime. We’re excited about both of them and essentially don’t have a fixed plan moving forward. We’re just going to play this season and see how things go.”
Mason is entering his fifth season with the team and will earn $4.1MM this year. He has been Philadelphia’s #1 goalie for each of the last three seasons, playing at least 51 games in each. He posted a 23-19-10 record last season with a 2.51 GAA and a .918 SV% but struggled in the playoffs, going 0-3 with a 4.09 GAA and just a .852 SV%.
As for Neuvirth, he’s heading into his second year with the Flyers on a much cheaper deal, one that carries a $1.75MM salary and a $1.625MM cap hit for 2016-17. Towards the back half of last season, he started to earn more starts, eventually finishing with 32 appearances with a better GAA (2.27) and SV% (.924) than Mason. He also put up three fantastic starts in the postseason, going 2-1 with a 0.67 GAA and a .981 SV% against Washington after taking over from Mason mid-series. If he has a repeat season, he should be in line for a nice raise.
In the system, the Flyers have a pair of quality youngsters in Anthony Stolarz and Alex Lyon but neither are ready to take on a #1 load in the NHL as soon as 2017-18. As a result, it would seem likely that Hextall will look to eventually seek a new deal with at least one of Mason or Neuvirth unless he wants to try his luck next offseason with a UFA market that could feature Ben Bishop, Ryan Miller, and Brian Elliott, among others.
2016-17 Season Preview: Chicago Blackhawks
As the NHL season is just weeks away, PHR begins to look at each team in-depth. Today, we focus on the Chicago Blackhawks.
Last season: 47-26-9 (103 points), 3rd place in the Central. Lost in the first round to St. Louis, 4-3.
Cap Space Remaining: $2.49MM via CapFriendly
Key Newcomers: Brian Campbell (D) – free agent signing (Florida), Michal Kempny (D) – free agent signing (KHL); Jordin Tootoo (F) – free agent signing (New Jersey).
Key Departures: Bryan Bickell (LW) – traded to Carolina; David Rundblad (D) – contract termination; Andrew Shaw (RW) – traded to Montreal; Teuvo Teravainen (LW) – traded to Carolina.
Player to Watch: Nick Schmaltz – Head coach Joel Quenneville has been known to keep his young players on a short leash and it will be interesting to see how much freedom Q will give the dynamic young forward. Schmaltz has been mentioned in the same breath as former Blackhawk Brandon Saad, who was a huge piece of the team that won the Stanley Cup in 2013 and 2015. Schmaltz turned heads during the World Juniors and has an opportunity to log significant ice time as the Hawks depth isn’t what it once was.
Key Storyline: After an early exit last Spring, do the Hawks have it in them to make another run at the Cup? They had a couple months of extra rest, but still have some holes up front. Marcus Kruger is already fighting an injury and Marian Hossa has slowed a bit from the form that made him a key part of the Hawks’ three Cups. The real question is can the Hawks find talent from the youngsters they’re now counting on, specifically Schmaltz, Tyler Motte, and Vinnie Hinostroza. Corey Crawford has shown he is the man between the pipes and bringing Campbell back will shore up a defensive corps that suffered with consistency last season. Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin should continue to pace the team offensively while Jonathan Toews will be his usual steady self. For the Blackhawks, health and depth will ultimately determine their season and postseason success. Duncan Keith‘s knee should hold up and ease some fan concern that something more serious is afoot following last year’s surgery.
General manager Stan Bowman may need to tinker a bit more at the trade deadline, but the assets to deal are dwindling. Then again, should Chicago’s “kids” step in, they could find themselves adding another Cup to its already impressive haul.
Scooter Vaughan Garners PTO With St. Louis
The St. Louis Blues extended a training camp invitation to defenseman Scooter Vaughan. The undrafted American last played for the Blues’ AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves, netting 3G, 11A, and 56PIM in 68 games. In his AHL career he’s put up 21G and 25A in 190 games between the Chicago Wolves and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
This is St. Louis’s sixth PTO so far this offsesason, following T.J. Galiardi, Eric Nystrom, Chris Porter, Yan Stastny, and Mike Weber. St. Louis is known for its numerous invites—last year they had nine players on PTOs and signed three of them: Scott Gomez, Scottie Upshall, and Martin Havlat. Vaughan is not expected to earn an NHL contract, but a decent performance could garner a spot back with the Chicago Wolves.
The hard-nosed defenseman is known more for his gritty play than his scoring touch, and his veteran presence will provide guidance for the Blues’ young prospects. According to Hockeyfights.com, Vaughan participated in four fights last year, and eleven the year before. Even if Vaughan does not earn a contract, the exposure amongst NHL talent goes a long way to obtaining professional employment elsewhere in the AHL. If he does earn an NHL contract, it will be his first NHL opportunity.
Snapshots: Lehner, Babcock, Zetterberg
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- Robin Lehner is coming to Buffalo Sabres’ camp 40lbs lighter than last season, according to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. The Swedish goaltender suffered a high ankle in the team’s opening night game last season and picked up bad habits that contributed to him weighing-in at 240lbs when he returned. Lehner was poised to be the Sabres starter last year before the injury. The Sabres paid a stiff price for him and David Legwand, sending the Ottawa Senators the 21st overall pick in the 2015 Entry Draft (Colin White) in return. Lehner underwent season-ending surgery in March last year to fix the lingering ankle injury, but feels 100% going into camp. He seems to be the clear #1 this year after Chad Johnson signed with Calgary. The Sabres acquired RFA Anders Nilsson from the Blues for a 5th round draft this offseason before re-signing him to a one-year, $1MM deal, but he is not expected to compete for the starting job.
- The Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons offhandedly revealed that Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg had issues with head coach Mike Babcock while all three were with the Detroit Red Wings. Simmons stated that both players said in their end-of-season exit interviews that they would not re-sign if Mike Babcock remained. The tidbit’s veracity, however, is in question. Zetterberg signed his last contract in 2009, after the Red Wings lost in the Finals and one year removed from their own Stanley Cup victory, and that contract doesn’t expire until 2021. Datsyuk re-signed his contract at the end of the 2013 season—a contract that expires at the end of this year. It seems improbable that Zetterberg would opine about something far off in the future, or that Datsyuk would complain but re-sign anyways.
- Speaking of Henrik Zetterberg, the Detroit forward and Swedish veteran spoke to the Windsor Star’s Bob Duff about leaving the Swedish World Cup team this fall. Zetterberg suffered a knee injury and pulled out of the tournament earlier this month. He told Duff that he made the right decision because he could not expect to play through the injury and then arrive at Detroit’s camp in good health. Zetterberg is just one of many players this fall to pull out of the World Cup of Hockey as to not aggravate injuries and risk missing games in the NHL.
New Goalie Equipment Rules For 2016-17 Season
The NHL will have at least one new goaltending equipment restriction this season: slimmer hockey pants. 2016-17 was supposed to usher in a new era of streamlined goaltending equipment, but manufacturer delays pushed those changes back until further notice. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly stated on SiriusXM Radio, however, that the new pants regulation may be implemented as early as Opening Night.
For years smaller or slimmer goalies got away with wearing bigger pants because the NHL set a maximum size that accommodated its biggest goalies. That meant that smaller goalies could wear bigger pants than necessary to cover more space. It was not uncommon for the upper part of the pant to extend half a foot above normal height, or the lower portion to sag and block off part of the five hole. Because today’s goaltending butterfly style depends on covering as much of the net as possible, goalies looking for any edge turned to oversized equipment.
Now, the pants are streamlined to be smaller and tighter. The point is to maximize protection as efficiently as possible without adding unnecessary net-hiding bulk. The NHL walks a fine line between protecting goalies in a league where technology allows players to shoot harder than ever, and increasing scoring without changing the game. The league does not want to put its goalies in any danger, but at the same time wants to reduce any unnecessary equipment that gives goalies a slight edge.
This may only be the first of a few changes this season. Daly stated that the process is ongoing, and the NHL hopes to implement further changes as soon as possible. Those changes could include slimmer chest protectors and smaller pads. Whether these new changes find their way into the league will depend on how cooperative the goalies and manufacturers are with the league.
Free Agent Notes: Russell, Seidenberg, Trouba, Gionta
Eight teams remain in the hunt for unrestricted free agent defenseman Kris Russell, reports TSN’s Frank Seravalli. Russell’s agent, Allain Roy, noted that a deal is likely to be reached by the conclusion of the World Cup (which runs as late as October 1st). However, by that point of the preseason, most teams will have played more than half of their exhibition schedule so there may be a push by teams to get an answer before too long.
Among the teams reportedly interested is Russell’s former employer, the Calgary Flames. He played in 51 games with Calgary last season before being dealt to Dallas in a trade deadline deal. Seravalli noted that for them to be able to bring him back, they would need to find a taker for fellow blueliner Dennis Wideman. He has one year left on his contract with a $5.25MM cap hit and a full no-move clause so finding a trade for him may be easier said than done. Seravalli also believes that some teams may be waiting to see what happens with Anaheim and if they move a defenseman once a deal with RFA Hampus Lindholm gets done.
More free agent notes:
- Also from Seravalli, a few teams are taking a close look at defenseman Dennis Seidenberg during the World Cup of Hockey (he’s playing for Team Europe). The 35 year old was bought out by Boston earlier this offseason. However, at this time, Seidenberg doesn’t appear to be interested in going to training camp on a PTO like many other veterans without a deal will be doing.
- There is little to update in the Jacob Trouba negotiations, writes Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun, who equates the current state of talks to a staring contest with each side waiting for the other to blink. It’s believed that Trouba is seeking a long-term, big money deal while by-passing the bridge contract but with three other blueliners making $5.5MM or more for at least the next two seasons, the Jets may not want to put Trouba into that pay range just yet. Earlier this offseason, we took a closer look at Trouba’s situation and some of the questions that will be a factor in their discussions.
- The Islanders announced that they have officially inked with UFA forward Stephen Gionta. The 32 year old has spent parts of the last six seasons with New Jersey and played in all 82 games last year for the first time in his career, collecting 11 points. You can keep track of which players have already inked tryout deals with our Invite Tracker.
Lightning Hoping To Sign Kucherov By End Of World Cup
Lightning GM Steve Yzerman is hopeful that he will be able to sign restricted free agent right winger Nikita Kucherov by the end of the World Cup, writes Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.
Kucherov led Tampa Bay in scoring last season, picking up a career high 30 goals with 36 assists while seeing his ice time jump by over three minutes per night to an average of 18:13. He also led the team in postseason scoring with 19 points in just 17 games while logging just over 20 minutes per game.
CSKA Moscow of the KHL reportedly offered Kucherov a contract this offseason although it doesn’t sound like that option has received any sort of real consideration. His agent, Scott Greenspun, has declined to publicly comment on negotiations.
Kucherov is coming off of his entry level deal that saw him earn an NHL salary of just $700K last season. There’s no doubt that he will be in line for a major raise, potentially as high as ten times that amount depending on how long the contract is for.
Currently, Tampa Bay has just shy of $6.3MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly. However, not only do they have to re-sign Kucherov, defenseman Nikita Nesterov is also in need of a new deal. When you factor in that teams like to not spend right to the cap at the beginning of the year to give themselves some wiggle room, it seems likely that a trade will need to happen at some point.
However, Yzerman doesn’t believe that a trade is mandatory before the start of the season. When Smith asked if both RFA’s could be signed without making a trade, his response was simply, “No question”. For that to work, the Lightning may have to settle for getting a bridge deal done with Kucherov although Ryan Callahan’s injury that will carry over into November can also provide a short-term solution via LTIR.
Further creating complications for Yzerman is the pending RFA status of Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Jonathan Drouin following the 2016-17 season. All three of those will also be primed for significant raises and the team already has roughly $55MM in cap hits for 2017-18. While Yzerman may believe that a trade isn’t necessary right away, it certainly looks like they will need to move some players (and money) out sooner rather than later.
Rickard Rakell To Miss World Cup; Patrik Berglund Named Replacement
Anaheim center Rickard Rakell will miss the World Cup of Hockey, Team Sweden announced. Taking his place will be St. Louis Blues center Patrik Berglund.
Rakell played in Sweden’s first pre-tournament game, collecting an assist in 13:47 of ice time vs Finland on Thursday but did not play in the rematch on Saturday. He did not travel with the team as they flew to North America and is currently in a Swedish hospital being treated for an unspecified illness.
Rakell is currently a restricted free agent and is coming off his best NHL season so far, picking up 20 goals and 23 assists in 72 regular season games last year. He’s expected to play a top six role for the Ducks this coming season.
The issue may pertain to the surgery Rakell had back in March to remove his appendix, reports Eric Stephens of the OC Register. His agent, Peter Wallen, noted that Rakell is currently unable to eat.
Berglund, meanwhile, is coming off a tough year with the Blues. He didn’t get into game action until January after undergoing shoulder surgery last August and suited up in just 42 regular season contests, scoring a career low ten goals and five assists. He did, however, fare better in the postseason, tallying nine points in 20 games.
[Related: Sweden’s World Cup Depth Chart]
Carolina’s Jordan Staal Talks About The Upcoming Season
Although he just turned 28 earlier this month, Jordan Staal has nearly 700 NHL games under his belt and is one of the most experienced players for the Hurricanes heading into 2016-17. He spoke with 99.9 The Fan ESPN Radio over the weekend to talk about the upcoming season. Adam Gold of WRALSportsFan transcribed some of the highlights:
On not having his brother (Eric) around for the first time in Jordan’s tenure with Carolina:
“I’ve always had Eric five minutes down the road here, so for him not to be here, especially for my wife and kids, it’s different….it’s definitely a new chapter for our families, but that’s the way it goes sometimes and we’ll move forward.”
Eric Staal was dealt to the Rangers (where one of his other brothers, Marc Staal) plays prior to the trade deadline last season. He moved on to Minnesota this summer, inking a three year, $10.5MM deal with the Wild that could turn into one of the better bargains of the offseason if he can show signs of returning to his past form.
On how he has changed since being acquired by the team:
“I’m much stronger mentally. There are still times when I beat myself up a little too much, and that impacts my game negatively, but I’m getting better at that. It’s always a work-in-progress.”
Staal was acquired by Carolina back at the 2012 draft for a package that yielded the Penguins defensemen Brian Dumoulin and Derrick Pouliot as well as center Brandon Sutter.