Friedman’s Latest: Lindholm, Blackhawks, Babcock, Hurricanes
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman covers a wide gamut of hockey news today, starting with the situation regarding Hampus Lindholm and the Ducks’ negotiations. Though the rumored $700K chasm has decreased, the term of the deal remains the sticking point. Anaheim is seeking a five-year deal while the Lindholm camp seeks six years. Friedman emphasizes that neither side will rush, but indicates that the Ducks need Lindholm “badly” as they’ve gotten off to a slow start. (As a side note, Bob McKenzie tweeted something very similar about the terms being the sticking point).
Other tidbits from Friedman
- The Blackhawks are hunting for a forward and are apparently willing to part with defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, who was purportedly dangled for Nail Yakupov. Yakupov eventually went to St. Louis, and Friedman indicates that the Hawks will have to “sweeten the pot” to get the forward they seek should they include van Riemsdyk in a deal. Further, he indicates that Blues general manager Doug Armstrong will try to add a veteran presence to the lineup at some point.
- Mike Babcock loves to check in on his players and current Maple Leaf Morgan Rielly says that the bench boss is true to his word. Friedman writes this:
“He’s in contact with you in the summer a lot more than you’d think,” Rielly answered. “Not all of it is hockey. Yes, he’s asking if you’re doing what he wants you to do, but he’s also asking what else you’re up to.” He then laughed a little and said, “I like hearing from him. But my family was surprised at how much he reached out.”
- The Hurricanes are betting a lot on forward Teuvo Teravainen and defenseman Noah Hanifin. Both have been featured on the powerplay and Freidman writes that despite some mistakes, the ‘Canes expect the young players to be a part of the core for years to come. The challenging experiences will occur and it’s part of the learning process.
Canucks Sign Canadian College Goaltender To Emergency Professional Try-out
The Vancouver Canucks have signed University of British Columbia goaltender Matt Hewitt to a one-day professional try-out contract after Ryan Miller hurt himself hours before game time.
Hewitt is in his fourth year with the UBC Thunderhawks after spending three years with the Regina Pats of the WHL. He currently sports a 3.54 GAA and a .894 Sv% in his first three starts this season.
Hewitt will backup Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom tonight against the St. Louis Blues, but like all emergency backups, will not see the ice unless Markstrom suffers a significant injury. The first time the Canucks used the emergency goalie—UBC’s Chris Levesque in 2003—Canucks goalie Johan Hedberg broke his wrist on a play but remained in goal. The second time they used an emergency goaltender—University of Calgary’s Dustin Butler—went without incident despite the Canucks bench urging then-coach Alain Vigneault to play Butler in the dying minutes of a 4-1 game.
This marks the third UBC goalie used in an emergency situation. In 2011 the San Jose Sharks signed UBC’s Jordan White to an emergency one-day contract after Antero Niittymaki suffered an injury in practice before a road game against the Canucks.
First Coach Fired Odds
Las Vegas odds-maker Bovada, who already gave us Stanley Cup and final standings predictions, has now chimed in on the perennial question that starts each season: which coach is the first to be fired? That question often doesn’t take long to be answered, which explains why the site was so quick to get the board up and running. From former Stanley Cup winners to those still with their first NHL team, Bovada has given the following five coaches on the hot seat a decent chance to be “unseated” before their peers in 2016-17:
John Tortorella, Columbus Blue Jackets – 13/4
If this scenario for Columbus sounds familiar, that’s because it is. The Blue Jackets entered last year with questions about then-head coach Todd Richards, and after an 0-7 start to the 2015-16 season, it was Richards out and Tortorella in. An experienced bench boss who won a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004 and found success with the New York Rangers as well, Tortorella was brought in to provide a firm hand and some structure to a floundering, young team. Columbus had long been expected to take that next step after a surprising run to the playoffs in 2013-14, so even though their team had major holes on paper, Tortorella’s 34-33-8 record after taking over was seen as a disappointment. After the Blue Jackets finished last in the Metropolitan Division on his watch, Tortorella entered the off-season as one of the prime candidates to be fired first. He didn’t help himself this summer either, after he led Team U.S.A to a disastrous result at the World Cup of Hockey. So far the team is 0-2, including blowing a 3-1 lead with five unanswered goals against in a 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins in their home opener. Though it’s early, the Blue Jackets have the worst goal differential in the Eastern Conference. Another slow start for Columbus could cost “Torts” his job not long after first getting it. This wouldn’t be the first time either; he was fired as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks before the end of his first season with the team in 2014-15. Tortorella is often criticized for his blunt, abrasive demeanor and he simply does not mesh well in some locker rooms. A young Columbus team that is far from a playoff contender seems likely to part ways with the veteran coach sooner rather than later.
Willie Desjardins, Vancouver Canucks – 7/2
Tortorella’s replacement in Vancouver for the 2014-15 season was Desjardins. Fresh off of a Calder Cup championship with the AHL’s Texas Stars, he was hired to help lead the Canucks to postseason success as well as to help develop their young players. Neither objective has been fulfilled thus far though. Desjardins went 48-29-5 in his first year with the team, but Vancouver was bounced in the first round of the playoffs in an upset loss to the Calgary Flames. Last season, the Canucks went 31-38-13 and failed to even qualify for the postseason. With an overall record under .500, Desjardins is on the hot seat as is. Add in that management believes that Vancouver should be a contender, while in reality many see them as potentially the worst team in the league in 2016-17, and Desjardins is in an even tougher situation handling lofty expectations. Through two games, the Canucks are undefeated and atop the Pacific Division, so the head coach is doing all he can to hold off skepticism. Should Vancouver (as expected) begin to struggle, the focus will be back on Desjardins and his job will be in jeopardy.
Jack Capuano, New York Islanders – 15/4
Although most would say that the Islanders have been a strong team and perennial contender over the last few years, Capuano’s tenure with the team has not actually been that smooth. After taking over for Scott Gordon in 2010-11, Capuano has never finished above third in the division. In six years as the head coach, the Isles have missed the playoffs three times and in the three times they did make it, they were eliminated in the first round twice and in the second round the other time, this past season. While even making the playoffs is an upgrade for a team that struggled mightily in the 2000’s, more is expected of Capuano and a team led by superstar John Tavares. With Tavares’ free agency looming large in the near future, the Islanders head coach is under pressure to prove that New York has a bright future and is a team worth playing for. Management did not help him accomplish that goal this summer, as strong, young producers Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen departed in free agency, only to be replaced with older, lesser replacements in Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera. Many expect the Islanders to slip in 2016-17, perhaps even out of the playoff picture, but the team certainly does not believe that. If the season begins to trend in that direction (1-2 so far), don’t be surprised if Capuano’s job is the first victim of a sinking ship.
Michel Therrien, Montreal Canadiens – 11/2
Therrien has been fired as the head coach of the Canadiens once, and there’s no reason to believe it couldn’t happen again. While Montreal has made the playoffs three times in the four years since Therrien returned before the 2012-13 season, the epic collapse of the squad last season due to the loss of goalie Carey Price turned a lot of focus toward Therrien’s shortcomings as a coach. Although his second stint with the Canadiens has been much improved compared to his .500 record over parts of three seasons with the team from 2000 to 2003, Therrien has still received much criticism over his coaching style and decision-making. Recently, the Habs have decided that trading offense (P.K. Subban, Lars Eller) for defense and “grit” (Shea Weber, Andrew Shaw) is the best way to maximize the production of Therrien’s system. If those moves fail to pan out, and the Canadiens struggle again in 2016-17 in the relatively weak Atlantic Division, expect Therrien to be out the door in Montreal yet again.
Claude Julien, Boston Bruins -13/2
Julien is the longest tenured coach in the NHL and the Bruins’ all-time leader in coaching wins. He’s taken them to two Stanley Cups, won one, and added a President’s Trophy to boot. He is as close to a sure-fire Hall of Famer as any coach in the league. Yet, in arguably North America’s biggest sports city, missing the playoffs two years in a row is unacceptable. The past two years, Boston has seen late-season collapses bump them just outside the postseason picture, and a lot of the blame has fallen upon Julien. There have been rumors for two straight summers that he was all but gone. However, it has not happened. A third year with no playoff hockey in Boston? This time it won’t go unpunished. Julien is working with one of the stronger forward groups in the league, with many of his best players in their primes, but has wasted precious years by not giving them a chance at the Cup. His once-unstoppable defensive scheme has not been well-implemented by the personnel he has had over the past two years, as the Bruins have shed their title as one of the toughest teams to play against in the NHL. Julien also has had well-documented difficulties with working with young players, a problem that has hindered Boston’s ability to bring young talent up to the team. In 2016-17, Julien has a lineup filled with budding, young players, including defensemen Brandon Carlo, Colin Miller, and Rob O’Gara. If he can get the defense back on track by working well with the young players and allowing his offense to focus more on scoring, then the Bruins will be back in the playoffs and their long-time coach will stick around. If not? There will be a new longest-tenured NHL coach in the near future.
Honorable Mention:
Paul Maurice, Winnipeg Jets – 7/1
Alain Vigneault, New York Rangers – 7/1
Snapshots: Kovalev, Aulie, Kalinin, Boll
Long-time NHL forward Alexei Kovalev is coming out of retirement as he is expected to play for EHC Visp of the Swiss NLB today according to a report from Swiss Hockey News. The 43 year old last played with Visp back in 2013-14 before hanging up the skates. Kovalev is currently their team manager but has been skating with the club all season and due to an injury to one of their import players, a spot in the lineup has opened up for him.
Kovalev played in over 1,300 games in his NHL career with the Rangers, Penguins, Canadiens, Senators, and Panthers. With 1,029 points in that span, he ranks third all-time among Russian scorers in NHL history.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Defenseman Keith Aulie, who attended training camp on a PTO with Columbus, has signed a tryout deal with their AHL affiliate in Cleveland, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch notes on Twitter. Aulie last played in the NHL with Edmonton back in 2014-15, where he got into 31 games. He spent most of last season with HIFK in Finland.
- Devils forward Sergei Kalinin has recovered from his illness that had him on injured reserve, reports Andrew Gross of Fire and Ice. However, he has not yet been activated off IR and won’t be eligible to suit up until Thursday night against the Bruins. Kalinin has not yet played this season and is coming off an eight goal, seven assist rookie campaign with New Jersey.
- Anaheim right winger Jared Boll is settling in as he plays his first season outside of Columbus where he spent nine seasons, writes Eric Stephens of the OC Register. He has yet to see much ice time this year as he is averaging less than five minutes per game, in large part due to the fact that the Ducks have yet to have the lead this season, which has resulted in their fourth line being overlooked often. With over 1,200 penalty minutes in his career, Boll knows his role will be the same in Anaheim as it was with the Jackets, one where he will be expected to play physical every time the fourth line gets out on the ice.
Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Thirteenth Overall Pick
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?
Here are the results of our redraft so far:
1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Bobby Ryan (Chicago Blackhawks)
8th Overall: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (San Jose Sharks)
9th Overall: Ben Bishop (Ottawa Senators)
10th Overall: James Neal (Vancouver Canucks)
11th Overall: T.J. Oshie (Los Angeles Kings)
12th Overall: Keith Yandle (New York Rangers)
Now we move forward to the 13th pick, which was held by the Buffalo Sabres.
To recap how this works:
- We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
- The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.
Back in 2005, the Sabres selected forward Marek Zagrapan, a high scoring forward out of Chicoutimi of the QMJHL. Suffice it to say, this is a selection that didn’t pan out. After turning pro, he spent three seasons in Buffalo’s farm system, never getting past the AHL level. After that time, he departed back overseas and has not yet returned. He spent the last two seasons in Austria but has moved on to Slovakia for the 2016-17 season.
With the 13th pick of the 2005 NHL Redraft, who should the Buffalo Sabres select? Cast your vote below!
Mobile users, click here to vote.
Injury Updates: Penguins, Predators, Blues, Oilers
As he approaches the midpoint of his recovery window, Penguins goaltender Matt Murray is close to rejoining the team for practice, writes Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune. Murray is coming back from a broken hand sustained at the World Cup of Hockey. Head coach Mike Sullivan provided an update on Murray’s situation:
“Matt’s getting real close to joining the team for practice. Obviously that’s progress from his standpoint, and that’s the next step for him. He’s been skating a lot. He’s been working with our goalie coach, Mike Bales. He’s been skating with some of the guys that have been trying to recover from their injuries.”
Still with the Penguins, right winger Bryan Rust is nearing a return to full health. He has been skating with the team for the last week and Sullivan noted that he’s close to being a coach’s decision as to when he returns to the lineup.
As for Sidney Crosby, he continues to skate as he recovers from his concussion. While Sullivan won’t put an estimate on his return to action, he noted that their “hope is that he can make a big step this week”.
Other injury news:
- Nashville defenseman Anthony Bitetto will miss the next four to six weeks with an upper body injury, reports The Tennessean’s Adam Vingan. He suffered the injury against Chicago in a fight with Jordin Tootoo. Bitetto played in 28 games last season as a reserve defender and, when healthy, should be in a similar role this year.
- Vingan also noted that right winger Miikka Salomaki will be out six to eight weeks with an upper body injury that is believed to be his hand. Salomaki slid to block a Brian Campbell shot but instead the puck caught him in the hand. Salomaki is likely to be replaced by Cody Bass on their fourth line while he is out of the lineup.
- The Blues are hopeful that center Jaden Schwartz will be able to return to the lineup sometime in the next few game, notes Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He suffered an elbow injury late in training camp and was originally supposed to be out until early November, suggesting that his return appears to be ahead of schedule. Jori Lehtera, Carl Gunnarsson, and Kyle Brodziak, who were all injured over the weekend, are all listed as day-to-day though Lehtera is likely to miss some games.
- The Edmonton Oilers provided an injury update on several of their injured players on their Twitter account. Forwards Iiro Pakarinen, Matt Hendricks, and Drake Caggiula as well as defenseman Brandon Davidson are all week-to-week while goalie Jonas Gustavsson should return fairly soon.
James Wisniewski Nearing KHL Deal
Unrestricted free agent defenseman James Wisniewski is closing in on an agreement to join Barys Astana of the KHL, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (via Twitter). Despite heading overseas, Dreger notes that Wisniewski is still hopeful of an NHL return at some point.
Wisniewski was bought out by Carolina back in June after an injury cost him the majority of last season; he played all of two shifts before tearing his ACL.
He was due a salary of $3MM this year with a cap hit of $5.5MM. Instead, the Hurricanes opted to pay Wisniewski $2MM in salary over the next two seasons and are incurring a cap charge of $3.5MM this season and $1MM next year for him to not play for them.
Wisniewski was only able to secure a PTO with Tampa Bay over the summer but was cut partway through training camp after the team had concerns with his ability to learn the system quickly enough. Evidently, no other opportunities have presented themselves.
The 32 year old has played in 552 NHL games over his career with the Blackhawks, Ducks, Islanders, Canadiens, Blue Jackets, and Hurricanes. He has 53 goals and 221 assists under his belt while logging an average of 21:22 per game.
At the very least, a healthy season from Wisniewski in the KHL should help alleviate any concerns teams may have with his surgically repaired knee which should set him up for a possible return to the NHL next season.
Atlantic Notes: Ouellet, Shaw, Senators, Leivo
The latest news and notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Detroit blueliner Xavier Ouellet has caught the eye of Detroit coach Jeff Blashill, notes Gregg Krupa of the Detroit News. Ouellet, whose presence in the lineup is partly due to Niklas Kronwall’s injury, has an assist in three games while averaging 15:16 of ice time per game so far this season. Once Kronwall returns, Ouellet may be relegated to the press box which isn’t ideal for a young blueliner but there is little chance that he’d make it through waivers if the Wings tried to send him to the AHL.
- Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw will meet with NHL disciplinarian Stephane Quintal following a slew footing incident last week against Buffalo, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports via Twitter. While Shaw won’t be suspended, Quintal is hoping to educate Shaw with regards to not crossing the line as he has done twice in the past month, the other incident coming in the preseason vs Washington. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun adds that Quintal did this with several players last season though those were more under the radar than Shaw’s case.
- Ottawa Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond made his season debut last night in Detroit. Head coach Guy Boucher acknowledged to Ken Warren of the Ottawa Sun that he intends to play starter Craig Anderson less this season in an effort to avoid some of the late season injuries that have crept up in recent years.
- Toronto winger Josh Leivo is expected to return to Leafs practice today after suffering an undisclosed injury, reports Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star. Leivo has yet to suit up this season but scored five goals in just twelve games last season and is one of many young wingers on their roster looking to make an impact. James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail adds he will likely miss the next week before returning to game action.
RFA Focus: Hampus Lindholm
With the season now underway, the pressure for teams to come to terms with their remaining restricted free agents really starts to increase. Anaheim’s Hampus Lindholm is one of two remaining RFA defensemen left on the market. Here is a closer look at his situation.
2015-16
Lindholm continued his progression from the first two years of his career, slotting in once again as Anaheim’s top overall defenseman. He set a career high in goals and ice time per game while also making a sizable improvement in his advanced statistics. On a blueline filled with either offensive-minded players or stay-at-home options, Lindholm’s ability to provide above average play at either end of the rink gave the Ducks a much-needed two-way option on their defense corps.
Statistics
2015-16: 80 GP, 10 goals, 18 assists, 28 points, +7 rating, 40 PIMS, 149 shots on goal, 22:00 ATOI
Career: 236 GP, 23 goals, 69 assists, 92 points, +61 rating, 108 PIMS, 372 shots on goal, 21:04 ATOI
The Market
The term of the contract doesn’t appear to be an issue right now as both sides are interested in getting a long-term deal done. In late September, agent Claude Lemieux sent the following update to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register:
“We are working on a long-term agreement for Hampus. We have been negotiating for a while and have exchanged multiple proposals. I will say that we, both the team and ourselves, are working on getting this resolved ASAP.”
At this point, money is the key sticking point. One of the complicating factors is that Lindholm has yet to have a breakout offensive season; his career high in points is 34. In contracts such as these, teams are forced to project and pay for future performance and Lindholm’s offensive production has yet to show that he has another element to that part of his game.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that Lindholm is seeking upwards of $6.5MM per season, an amount that would appear to factor in the expectation of a big increase in his point production down the road. Meanwhile, the Ducks are believed to be coming in at least $1MM per year below that amount.
Comparable Contracts
Dougie Hamilton (Calgary) – Six years, $34.5MM – Hamilton signed this deal shortly after being traded to the Flames by Boston in the 2015 offseason. The previous campaign was the best year of his career (42 points in 72 games) while he also played a career high in ice time at just shy of 22 minutes per game. The perception of Hamilton at that time (a two-way defender on the rise) is quite similar to where Lindholm’s currently is although Hamilton’s platform season was stronger offensively.
Seth Jones (Columbus)/Rasmus Ristolainen (Sabres) – Six years, $32.4MM – Both players saw their roles significantly increase in 2015-16, becoming number one defensemen in the process. While Ristolainen has taken more strides on his offensive game, it’s expected that Jones will break out at that end in the next year or two and become a top flight two-way defender, much like Lindholm.
Morgan Rielly (Toronto) – Six years, $30MM – The Leafs signed the 22 year old to this deal late last season, one where he outpointed Lindholm for the first time. Rielly is a strong skater like Lindholm and is viewed as one of the more promising up-and-coming two-way defenders in the NHL making him a comparable that the Ducks have surely brought up in negotiations. However, Lindholm has had a bigger role with the Ducks than Rielly’s with Toronto so his new deal should come in above this.
Projected Contract
The comparables are all players coming off their entry-level deals which is where Lindholm currently is now. While their cap hits all start with a five, it’s also worth noting that these were all six year deals and both Lindholm and the Ducks are seeking a longer term. If that does happen, more UFA years would get bought out and those are always more expensive than RFA years which would increase the cap hit.
Projection: Six years, $33.6MM – It’s plausible to expect Lindholm to come close to all of these comparables.
But very few defenders have made more than $6MM coming off their first contract and the ones that have (such as Drew Doughty of Los Angeles and Alex Pietrangelo of St. Louis) have had better track records than Lindholm has at this point in his career so it’s hard to project him exceeding that amount here. Aaron Ekblad’s $7.5MM per year pact signed this summer is a new benchmark but that was signed after just two years of his first contract while he also has the clout of being the number one overall pick. As a result, Lindholm shouldn’t come in anywhere near that high, even if he was to get an eight year deal.
Las Vegas Hires General Fanager Creator Tom Poraszka
The Las Vegas NHL Expansion Team has hired General Fanager creator Tom Poraszka as a Hockey Operations Analyst. Poraszka created General Fanager, a popular salary cap tracking application.
General Fanager—created in 2015—was a website that tracked NHL teams’ salary cap, player contracts, and player movement. It also allowed visitors to customize teams with trades and transactions while staying cap compliant. The website filled a gap left by the wildly popular CapGeek, which shuttered operations after its founder Matthew West battled cancer. General Fanager becomes the latest NHL analytic website shut down after its creator joins an NHL organization. Current alternatives include CapFriendly—a PHR favorite—and NHLNumbers.
Hiring amateur hockey analysts based on their web applications is a recent NHL trend. More and more teams are hiring these creators in an effort to boost their salary cap understanding and their advanced statistics department. Whether or not this trend continues, however, remains to be seen. Both the Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers decided not to renew the contracts of their analytic hires.