Rookie Showcase Notes: Zacha, Demko, Werenski
Yesterday was the annual Rookie Showcase in Toronto at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (the old Maple Leaf Gardens) and invited were a number of the leagues top prospects, including Pierre-Luc Dubois, this year’s third overall pick. The showcase is mainly for press and memorabilia, but Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com wrote about various things that took place during the day in his latest column:
- New Jersey Devils’ prospect Pavel Zacha is completely recovered from his hip-pointer which caused him to miss rookie camp earlier this summer. The sixth-overall pick from the 2015 draft made his NHL debut last season after finishing in Sarnia, playing one game for the Devils and recording two assists. Zacha will fight to break camp with the NHL team this fall, but has tough competition on the left side after the team acquired Taylor Hall this offseason, pushing Mike Cammalleri down the depth chart.
- One of the best goaltenders in recent NCAA history (and owner of a fantastic name) Thatcher Demko feels ready to start his professional career after a sparkling final season at Boston College. The 20-year old went 27-8-4 with a 1.88 GAA and .935 save percentage last year, breaking the team record in shutouts with 10; the record was previously held by Cory Schneider, a former Canuck. “I feel like I’m ready to go. I feel ready for a pro season” said the second-round pick when asked about the upcoming year. He’ll head to the AHL to lead the Utica Comets this year.
- Zach Werenski will have every chance to prove himself this fall and break camp with the Columbus Blue Jackets at the tender age of 19 after an amazing Calder Cup run last season. The University of Michigan product followed up his sophomore season (11 goals and 25 assists) by scoring 14 points in the Lake Erie Monsters’ 17 playoff games. Former teammate Kyle Connor, a Winnipeg forward prospect and Michigan alum who was also at the showcase is very impressed by Werenski: “He’s very competitive in everything he does; he loves to win. I think he’ll definitely be an impact in the NHL. You can see it in the way he plays the game. He’s so dynamic and plays at a high level.”
Carolina Hurricanes Extend Ron Francis
After a successful offseason that saw the Hurricanes bring in Teuvo Teravainen, Lee Stempniak and get a new deal inked with young forward Victor Rask, the team has decided to extend Executive Vice President and General Manager Ron Francis through the 2018-19 season.
Francis, who ranks fifth all-time in NHL scoring with 1798 points throughout his 23-year playing career, has been the Carolina GM since taking over the role from Jim Rutherford (now Pittsburgh GM) in 2014. Under his leadership the team was a surprise playoff contender for much of last season, despite having one of the youngest groups in the NHL.
With players like Rask, Teravainen, Jeff Skinner, and Elias Lindholm being joined up front by Finnish sniper Sebastian Aho and recent draftee Julien Gauthier, while the blueline is guarded by a group almost all under the age of 26, Francis has built one of the premiere young teams in the NHL and will surely find his way back into the postseason before long.
Red Wings Notes: Shootouts, Kronwall, Zetterberg, Smith
MLive’s Ansar Khan answers a number of Red Wings questions from readers as the regular season inches closer. Khan begins by analyzing the Red Wings’ dismal shootout record over the past four seasons (13-29), a record that included shootout wizard Pavel Datsyuk. With the Magic Man and Brad Richards gone, Khan figures that Frans Nielsen, Thomas Vanek and Gustav Nyquist will be the ones to step up and score the timely goals. Nielsen is a sparkling 52.6% in his career during shootouts while Vanek and Nyquist are 48.4% and 33% lifetime respectively. Khan adds Tomas Tatar and Andreas Athanasiou as other possible options for the shootout. Other topics Khan covers:
- When asked about the future of Swedish stalwarts Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall, Khan predicts that both have a couple seasons left in them. Further, Khan writes, he doubts the two would retire early, causing the Wings salary cap recapture penalties. Khan throws out a couple figures should both retire early: Kronwall at a tune of $2.125MM for two seasons and Zetterberg’s figure would near $3MM for four straight seasons. Khan believes the LTIR is a more likely scenario should both players truly hang up their skates for injury purposes.
- Khan also touches on Little Caesars Arena, reporting that the sight lines will be good for fans while the slope of the stands will make it feel as if they are over the ice, pumping up the noise level. As for the fate of the Joe Louis Arena, Khan cites an article stating that the Joe will be demolished and most likely replaced by a residential high rise.
- Ryan Kennedy of the Hockey News writes all about Detroit’s 2016 second round Givani Smith, who quoting Wayne Simmonds, calls Smith a “tank.” Simmonds goes on:
“He skates well, he shoots well, he thinks the game the right way. Detroit got a great pick there in the second round. He’s sure of himself but not cocky. That’s good for a young kid.”
Though his days in Detroit may still be down the road, Smith has earned a reputation as a tough forward who isn’t afraid to drop the gloves when he’s not scoring goals. With Guelph last season, Smith had 42 points in 65 games (23-19). Kennedy writes that the 18-year-old winger believes he can be a top six or bottom six forward, depending on what the Red Wings need.
Snapshots: Guptill, Gaudreau, Jones
News and notes from around the NHL:
- Perennial AHL forward Alex Guptill has signed with the ECHL’s Manchester Monarchs. The Monarchs moved from the L.A Kings’ AHL affiliates to its ECHL affiliate after the Kings created the Ontario Reign for the AHL’s new Pacific Division. Guptill was originally drafted by the Dallas Stars 77th overall in 2010, and was included in a package going back to the Ottawa Senators for Jason Spezza. Guptill mired in the Sens system before being traded to Buffalo, where he spent time with the AHL Rochester Americans. The forward put up 3G and 6A in 23 AHL games last year.
- Part of the holdup in Johnny Gaudreau’s contract negotiation is the length of the contract. Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The FAN in Calgary looks at the effects of a long term contract and what that means for both the Flames and Gaudreau. If the Flames do sign their young forward long-term, expect the value to be higher than teammate Sean Monahan and closer to Vladimir Tarasenko’s eight-year deal worth $7.5MM a year.
- Former NHLer Blair Jones has joined the Iserlohn Roosters in the German DEL. Jones was drafted 102nd overall in 2005 by the Tampa Bay Lightning, and bounced between Tampa and Norfolk for five years before being traded to Calgary. He played three seasons for the Flames and the AHL Abbotsford Heat. Jones last saw NHL action with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2014-15, going pointless in a four game call-up. Jones had success in the AHL but could never translate that success in the NHL. He amassed 294 points in 466 games in the AHL, but only 17 points in 132 games in the NHL.
Snapshots: Bishop, Burns, Howden
Barring the unexpected, Ben Bishop will enter the 2016-17 season as the starting goalie for the Tampa Bay Lightning. After leading the NHL in GAA (2.06) and finishing second in Vezina Trophy voting, Bishop has established himself as one of the league’s top net minders and is a key reason the Lightning will be among a small handful of teams expected to challenge Pittsburgh for Eastern Conference supremacy. But as he enters the final year of a contract, which comes with an AAV of $5.9MM, Bishop’s time in Tampa may be nearing its end, as Mike Halford of Pro Hockey Talk explains.
At 29 and with presumably several years of elite-level play ahead of him, Bishop will be in a position to command a significant multiyear deal next summer. The Lightning already have $55MM tied up in their 2017-18 salary cap – according to Cap Friendly – and will need to re-sign pending restricted free agents Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Jonathan Drouin, none of whom will come cheaply. Additionally, that figure does not yet account for the eventual cap charge of Nikita Kucherov, who is still a RFA and is in line for a nice payday. Chances are Tampa simply won’t be in a position to offer Bishop what he can command elsewhere.
On top of that, as Halford noted, the Lightning were proactive and inked backup goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to a three-year extension which goes into effect in time for the 2017-18 campaign after Bishop’s contract ends. Vasilevskiy is one of the top young goalie prospects in the NHL and should be ready to assume a larger role. This gives the Lightning a fair amount of protection should they reconcile themselves to the likelihood of Bishop’s departure.
Halford wonders if Tampa would consider dealing Bishop prior to the trade deadline but points out that as long as GM Steve Yzerman feels the team’s chances of contending are better with Bishop than without, he is more likely to hang onto the goalie. He goes on to mention Calgary and Dallas as potential suitors, should the Lightning conclude moving Bishop is the best course of action. Both of those teams were linked to Bishop this summer.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
- Assuming he plays out the season without signing an extension, Brent Burns will be one of the most sought after free agents on the market next summer as an elite, puck-moving blue liner who can produce points. Joey Alfieri, who writes for Pro Hockey Talk, considered what Burns’ next contract might look like, suggesting Dustin Byfuglien‘s recent extension with Winnipeg as a fair comparable. Like Byfuglien, Burns is 31-years-old and both men are among the most dynamic offensive defensemen in the game today. Byfuglien inked a five-year pact worth $38MM with Winnipeg during the 2015-16 campaign. The Byfuglien comparable seems reasonable but it’s likely Burns can get more, particularly if he reaches the open market. The San Jose Sharks defender has tallied 44 goals and 135 points over the last two seasons. Byfuglien, on the other hand, has recorded 37 goals and 98 points. San Jose tends to tread carefully when it comes to the contract length for aging players – think the matching three-year deals for Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton – and they promote a willingness among many of their players to take fewer dollars from the Sharks than they could secure otherwise in free agency. Re-signing Burns will surely be a top priority for the Sharks and it will be interesting to see if the two sides can get something done.
- Quinton Howden, who signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Winnipeg Jets on July 1st, is thrilled to have the chance to play for his hometown team, as Jason Bell of the Winnipeg Free Press writes. Howden was a first-round pick of the Panthers in 2010 and played the previous three seasons with the Florida, tallying 10 goals and 17 points in 92 games. Howden, who grew up in Oakbank and played his junior hockey with the Moose Jaw Warriors, is expected to compete with several others for one of three or four forward spots up front for the Jets.
Snapshots: Las Vegas Trademarks, Madden, Reirden
One way or another, it seems as though the “Knights” will suit up in Las Vegas for the 2017-18 season. The NHL reports that their newest expansion team filed for three trademarks last week: Golden Knights, Silver Knights, and Desert Knights. Team owner Bill Foley reportedly wanted the team to be named the Black Knights, after the Army Black Knights of the U.S. Military Academy, which he attended. Eventually, it sounded like he had settled on just “Knights”, but the team had trademark contention with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. Now it appears as though a color (or climate) will end up attached to Knights. While the double entendre of “Las Vegas Knights” won’t be as clean, the first team called the Knights in major North American pro sports will still be a nice addition to the National Hockey League.
In other news:
- Another team with recent name news, the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, announced the hiring of John Madden as their new head coach. Formerly known as the Lake Erie Monsters, the Columbus Blue Jackets affiliate is fresh off of a Calder Cup championship in 2015-16. As a result, head coach Jared Bednar was a top NHL head coaching candidate this off-season, and was officially named the new head coach of the Colorado Avalanche last week. In need of a new coach for their AHL team, the Blue Jackets brass targeted Madden as their first choice and it appears that there was mutual interest. The long-time New Jersey Devil was fired this off-season after three years as an assistant with the Florida Panthers, the team with which he finished his playing days, but now moves on to another stage of his hockey career. A veteran of nearly 900 NHL games and a strong two-way player, Madden has the knowledge and experience to teach the young Monsters skaters how to play a complete, responsible game.
- In another coaching move, the Washington Capitals announced that they have promoted Todd Reirden to associate coach. Reirden has served as an assistant coach to Barry Trotz for the past two seasons, and has been given long looks by both the New Jersey Devils and Calgary Flames as a potential head coach in that time span. As associate coach, Reirden will hold on to his previous responsibilities of working with defenseman and the power play unit, but will also be in charge of running training camp while Trotz is away at the World Cup.
Bruins Notes: Krejci, Hayes, and Vatrano on WEEI
Boston Bruins forwards David Krejci, Jimmy Hayes and Frank Vatrano made an on-air appearance on Boston sports radio station WEEI on Monday afternoon during the 15th annual Jimmy Fund Radio Telethon, which helps to raise money for cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Adam McQuaid, former-Bruin and annual contributor Shawn Thornton, and many other athletes and celebrities also joined in throughout the day and will continue to take part over the next two days. Both of Hayes’ parents have battled cancer and he thus has a soft spot for the cause, and said that “raising all of that money is great to see.” All three players were excited to be there to contribute to a good cause.
The topic then turned to hockey:
- Hayes denied rumors that he told Jimmy Vesey not to come to Boston. The idea had been floated around, given the harsh criticism that the local kid received in his first season playing with the Bruins. “I love playing here, it’s my hometown,” Hayes said, not the words of someone who would insist on other locals turning away from the city. Hayes said that he pushed hard for Vesey and talked to him all summer, but wasn’t surprised to see him join his brother Kevin with the Rangers, as the two are good friends.
- Hayes also denied that he had any complaints about unfair media pressure in 2015-16, and went as far as to acknowledge that he underperformed last season. Hayes had just 13 goals and 16 assists after scoring 19 goals as a member of the Florida Panthers the year before. The Bruins acquired the hulking winger, hoping that he would be a perennial 20-goal scorer. He realizes that there will always be a tighter focus on Boston-born Bruins players and that it can be tough sometimes, but does not believe that the criticism of his play was undue. “I’ve been hard on myself sometimes”, he added. Hayes has his sights set on a stronger 2016-17 season, and more than anything has been working on his quickness and net-front presence this summer. Hayes said that he can “score some more goals and contribute in the way that I know I can do.”
- Hayes, speaking for the team, said that head coach Claude Julien still has a hold on the locker room, that the team tries to “win games for him”, and that he personally has a great relationship with the coach. Julien has been on the hot seat for a long time now, but Hayes said that the late-season collapse of the Bruins in 2016 that forced them out of a playoff spot for a second straight season was on the players, not the coach. Hayes sounded optimistic about the coming season, believing that his production and consistency will be better and that the addition of David Backes will make the team even tougher to play against. Julien may just be able to survive another season if the Bruins can reverse their fortunes and have a strong, complete season in 2016-17.
- Vatrano should be a big piece of the playoff-contention puzzle for the Bruins this season. The reigning AHL goals-leader acknowledged that he had a very different role once called up to Boston from Providence last year, going from top-line sniper to bottom six energy player. With an open spot to left of either Krejci or Ryan Spooner up for grabs in 2016-17, Vatrano could have that scoring position in Boston that produced a torrid goal-per-game pace in the AHL. “Especially in Boston, you have to play hard-nosed hockey and be good in both zones of the ice, and I think being consistent is the most important thing”, Vatrano said about earning a bigger role in his second season.
- Krejci is excited about this season, and as a veteran Bruin knows that a third straight season of missing the playoff would be unacceptable. “(The playoffs are) what the city of Boston deserves and where we should be playing,” Krejci said. The Czech star hopes to be healthy for the start of the season after undergoing off-season hip surgery. He played through the injury last year, but admitted that the last twenty games or so were difficult for him. He also said that, as a team, the Bruins have lacked that next gear at the end of the season, and that he feels it is unacceptable that they have dropped out of the playoff picture with so few games remaining in each of the past two seasons.
- WEEI’s DJ Bean also spoke with Krejci recently and found that he was not that upset about the Vesey decision. “I’m not really disappointed with that guy,” Krejci said, “I heard he’s a good player, but he has to prove himself on the NHL level.” What Krejci is upset about is the loss of Loui Eriksson. Although Backes was brought in to fill the void left by Eriksson’s move to the Vancouver Canucks, this is the fourth year in a row that Krejci has lost a trusted line mate, Bean recalls. Nathan Horton, Jarome Iginla, Milan Lucic and now Eriksson have left Boston. Luckily for Krejci, potential 2016-17 line mates Vatrano, Hayes, David Pastrnak, and Matt Beleskey will be around for a while.
RFA Profile: Jacob Trouba
Of the 14 remaining restricted free agents this offseason, Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba is one of the more notable ones. He is undoubtedly among the most talented players left to sign but what makes his case a bit more intriguing are the amount of questions that need to be answered.
After his rookie season in 2013-14, Trouba was looking like a cornerstone top pairing blueliner of the future. While his numbers dropped a little bit the following year, the projections of him never really changed that much; sophomore jinxes happen to many players and it was expected that he would take a big step forward last season.
Unfortunately for Trouba and the Jets, that didn’t happen in 2015-16. His numbers once again took a dip – despite playing in 16 more games than he had in each of his first two years – while his ice time was cut by 1:15 per game to 22:04. He finished the season with six goals and 15 assists in 81 contests. While there’s no disputing that he’s still a very important player for Winnipeg, there are some questions about what his overall ceiling may be now.
Is he a top pairing rearguard in the near future? If the Jets think so, then it stands to reason that they should be amenable to working out a long-term deal. If GM Kevin Cheveldayoff isn’t set on that though, then a shorter-termed bridge deal is likely their preference. We pegged Trouba for a two year, $8MM contract if they wind up going the bridge route.
Earlier this offseason, a report surfaced that the two sides are apart on term, money, and even usage so suffice it to say, there’s a lot more at play than simply negotiating a salary for this coming year and beyond. It also implies that only one side – likely Trouba’s – is open to a long-term pact at this point.
From a salary cap perspective, the Jets have the flexibility to go either short-term or long-term with the 22 year old. They have slightly more than $9.3MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly with only Trouba still to re-sign. However, Winnipeg hasn’t spent right up to the cap with regularity every year so there may be budgetary restrictions at play as well.
The fact that there is a debate on his ideal usage is worth noting. Winnipeg is deep on the back end, particularly on the right side where Trouba plays. Dustin Byfuglien (who begins a new five year deal with a $7.6MM cap hit in 2016-17) and Tyler Myers (who was the centerpiece of the Evander Kane-to-Buffalo trade in 2015) are the others on that side. In Myers’ case, he signed a long-term contract coming off his entry-level deal with the Sabres and hasn’t lived up to his $5.5MM cap hit which would only give Cheveldayoff pause as another question surfaces: Do they want to risk having two young blueliners on potentially bloated long-term deals if Trouba’s step back last season wasn’t just a one-time thing?
[Related: Jets’ Depth Chart]
With the upcoming World Cup of Hockey still a couple of weeks away and training camps starting slightly after that, there’s still no imminent rush to lock down a new contract. But there are a lot of questions still to answer when it comes to Trouba’s contract which means that a new deal may yet still take a little while to get done.
East Notes: Dupuis, Kessel, Plekanec, Krejci
As Pascal Dupuis enters his first full year away from hockey, he’s expected to remain with the Penguins organization in an off-ice capacity, reports Bill West of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. While his exact role has yet to be determined, he’s expected to do some amateur scouting based out of Quebec and potentially some player development work.
Dupuis was forced to hang up the skates last season due to recurring blood clot issues. He skated in 18 games with Pittsburgh, picking up two goals and two assists. For his career, he suited up in 871 NHL contests with the Penguins, Wild, Thrashers, and Rangers, tallying 190 goals and 219 assists.
While Dupuis won’t play this year, he still has not yet officially retired as he is still owed $3MM in salary (with a $3.75MM cap hit) for 2016-17. The Penguins will be able to place him on Long-Term Injury Reserve (LTIR) at the start of the season.
More from the East:
- Still with Pittsburgh, right winger Phil Kessel may not be ready for the start of the season as he continues to recover from offseason hand surgery, tweets Josh Yohe of DK Pittsburgh Sports. He adds that it will be close so even if he isn’t ready on October 13th, he shouldn’t miss too much time. Kessel had 26 goals and 33 assists in 82 games in the regular season with the Penguins and then picked up his play in the postseason, scoring 10 goals and 12 helpers in just 24 games to lead the team in scoring.
- Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec has been named team captain for the Czech Republic’s entry into next month’s World Cup of Hockey, the team announced. This will mark the fourth time that Plekanec has captained his national squad, including the 2012 and 2016 World Championships and the 2014 Olympics.
- Boston center David Krejci is on the ice with a handful of Bruins for their Captains’ practice, tweets WEEI’s DJ Bean. Krejci underwent hip surgery back in late April and his recovery time was estimated to be around five months so it would appear that he is on pace in his rehab process. In a follow-up tweet, Bean added that it’s not looking likely that Krejci will be able to play in the World Cup though he is still talking to the Czech national team.
PHR Originals: 8/22/16 – 8/28/16
Here is a look at the original content and analysis from the Pro Hockey Rumors staff over the past week:
- Nate Brown spoke with USA Today writer Kevin Allen, who picked his offseason winners, weighed in on the Jimmy Vesey and Jiri Hudler signings, and made his early Stanley Cup prediction.
- I had the chance to chat with Columbus Dispatch writer Aaron Portzline about some of the key questions and storylines surrounding the Columbus Blue Jackets for this season.
- Zach Leach took a closer look at the retained salary situation for both the Atlantic and Central divisions. Only one Atlantic team and two Central squads aren’t paying at least one player not to play for them in 2016-17.
- Gavin Lee reviewed a busy week for the Las Vegas expansion franchise, which made a trio of important front office hires, including Pro Scouting and Amateur Scouting directors.
- Glen Miller examined some potential impact rookies for next year, focusing on players from the Metropolitan and Atlantic divisions.
- Brett Barrett broke down the remaining restricted free agents from the Pacific, Atlantic, and Central divisions. All in all, there are 14 RFA’s remaining as we head towards September.
- Mike Furlano discussed the rules of offer sheets should any team want to try to poach one of those remaining restricted free agents. He also looked at the annual goalie shuffle which sees 18 goalies in different places compared to where they finished last season.