Gaborik Formally Moved To Injured Reserve
The Los Angeles Kings formally put injured forward Marian Gaborik on injured reserve today. Gaborik broke his right foot during the World Cup of Hockey after taking a shot from teammate Mats Zuccarello.
Initial reports say that Gaborik will miss at least eight weeks, putting his return to sometime in late November. Despite the loss, however, the Kings are still poised to be competitive in the Pacific. Gaborik did score 12G and 10A in 54 games, but the offense was carried by Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, and Tyler Toffoli. Gaborik ended up averaging less than 15 minutes a night during the regular season.
Gaborik is quickly becoming an injury concern for the Kings, deservedly or not. He finished the regular season last year in the press box recovering from a knee sprain that sidelined him for 28 games. He made a quick appearance in the playoffs before the Kings bowed out in the first round. More alarming, however, is that Gaborik has only played a full 82 games once in his 15 year career. The Kings will have to learn to live with Gaborik’s injury history as he still has five year remaining on his contract worth $4.875MM a year.
Atlantic Notes: Vanek, O’Reilly, Ristolainen, Byron, Czarnik
While he was quickly cast aside in recent years by Montreal and Minnesota, winger Thomas Vanek is still full of confidence and motivation heading into the season, writes MLive’s Ansar Khan. After the Wild bought him out in June, Detroit quickly snapped him up, signing him to a one year, $2.6MM deal. Vanek noted a big reason for signing with the Red Wings was their belief that he can fill a key role with the team:
“The way they described my game and how they see my fit here, it’s something I wanted to hear because I still feel I can score 20-plus goals.”
Vanek is expected to start the season alongside speedy center Darren Helm although the opposite winger has yet to be determined. Head coach Jeff Blashill also stated that Vanek should play on the top power play unit, where he will be expected to get to the front of the net instead of playing on the perimeter as much as he has in recent years.
[Related: Red Wings Depth Chart]
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:
- Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly left Wednesday’s preseason game – his first since returning from the World Cup of Hockey – with back and midsection spasms, notes John Vogl of the Buffalo News. However, the injury doesn’t appear to be series with head coach Dan Bylsma classifying it as a day-to-day issue. The team already is missing right winger Kyle Okposo plus blueliners Zach Bogosian and Dmitry Kulikov with various bumps and bruises, although none are believed to be too serious.
- Bylsma also expects the team to reach an agreement with a contract with RFA defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen before the start of the season next week. The 21 year old is in camp with the team and is taking part in practices (unlike the other restricted free agents around the league) but has not yet suited up in the preseason.
- Canadiens left winger Paul Byron is battling pneumonia, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie. He’s expected to miss at least a few days which at least puts his availability for the beginning of the season into question. Byron had a career high 11 goals with Montreal last season, earning himself a three year contract in the process.
- Boston center prospect Austin Czarnik has made a significant impression in training camp which has allowed head coach Claude Julien to experiment with an all centers second line comprised of Ryan Spooner, David Krejci, and David Backes, notes CSNNE’s Joe Haggerty. However, Julien suggested that the team may yet experiment with Czarnik on the wing which would force one of the other centers (likely Backes or Spooner) back to the third line.
Coyotes Sign Jalen Smereck To An Entry-Level Contract
The Arizona Coyotes have signed undrafted defenseman Jalen Smereck to a three year, entry-level deal, according to a team release. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed. He had been with the team on an amateur tryout agreement earlier in rookie camp and training camp but was cut in late September.
The 19 year old spent last season with the Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League, scoring five goals and 20 assists in 63 regular season games while adding five points in five postseason contests. This year, he is suiting up for the Flint Firebirds, who acquired his rights back in June. He has four assists in two games with the team so far this season and will remain there despite being signed.
Smereck joins an Arizona prospect group that is fairly deep on the back end, including 2016 first round pick Jakob Chychrun who has a good chance of making their opening roster and offseason acquisition Anthony DeAngelo, who had 43 points in his rookie AHL campaign in 2015-16.
As Smereck is junior aged, he won’t count against Arizona’s 50 contract limit unless he plays in more than nine NHL games this season. The team currently has 47 committed contracts according to Cap Friendly for this season.
No Progress In Rickard Rakell’s Contract Talks
The agent for Anaheim RFA Rickard Rakell, Peter Wallen, told Eric Stephens of the OC Register that “no progress” has been made over the last week in negotiations. Rakell is one of two key Ducks who remain unsigned with less than a week to go until the season gets underway, the other being blueliner Hampus Lindholm.
It’s believed that both sides are interested in a long-term deal, with TSN’s Bob McKenzie reporting late last week that the team would like to come in with a cap hit below $4MM per season. Carolina’s Viktor Rask, a comparable player to Rakell, signed a six year, $24MM deal back in July.
Rakell had been named to Sweden’s roster for the World Cup of Hockey but had to withdraw due to complications arising from an appendectomy he had back in March. While he was able to play in pre-tournament action last month, he was hospitalized shortly thereafter. He has since received the green light to resume training.
The 23 year old center played in his second full NHL season in 2015-16, scoring 20 goals and 23 assists in 72 games. Once he signs, he is likely to reprise his role as a top six forward for the Ducks this season.
Anaheim currently has just shy of $8.5MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly, which likely won’t be enough to give both Rakell and Lindholm long-term deals so GM Bob Murray may still have some work to do. The team waived Clayton Stoner earlier today but that only freed up $950K in space.
Training Camp Battles: Jets, Blue Jackets, Caggiula, Chabot
Jets coach Paul Maurice isn’t ruling out carrying three goalies (Ondrej Pavelec, Michael Hutchinson, and Connor Hellebuyck) to start the season, writes Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun. Hellebuyck is viewed as Winnipeg’s goalie of the future but is the only waiver exempt goalie of the three. It’s uncommon but not rare for teams to carry three (the Islanders did for the bulk of last year) as not only does it mean that one is in the press box every night, it also prevents the team from carrying another extra skater which is often more desirable.
Pavelec is entering the final year of his contract which carries a cap hit of $3.9MM. However, he struggled last year with a save percentage of just .904 with a GAA of 2.78 which would make it very difficult to trade him.
Hutchinson, meanwhile, signed a two year deal this offseason with a more manageable cap charge of $1.15MM. While his numbers weren’t much better than Pavelec’s last year (a slightly worse GAA while being three points higher in save percentage), he likely slots in as the backup moving forward and doesn’t appear to be a candidate to be traded.
If they do keep all three up to start, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Winnipeg shuffle Hellebuyck back and forth between their AHL affiliate, who plays out of the same area as the Jets.
Other training camp battles to follow:
- Still with goaltenders, there is a battle brewing for the number two job with Columbus, notes Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. Sergei Bobrovsky is the surefire starter but incumbent Curtis McElhinney plus youngsters Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo are both in the mix as well. Of the three, only the 33 year old McElhinney would have to clear waivers. Forsberg has had the best preseason but if the team decides that it’s best for their young players to play more in the AHL than dress as the backup with the big club, they may opt to keep the veteran around to start the season and see if one of the youngsters forces his way into the role midseason or as a spot starter.
- Edmonton rookie center Drake Caggiula has turned heads at camp, writes Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun. The Oilers signed the small but highly coveted college UFA late last season and he has made a run at a roster spot. Tychkowski opines that his strong play could allow the team to bump Leon Draisaitl up to the wing to further strengthen their second line.
- 19 year old defenseman Thomas Chabot has made the opening Ottawa roster, according to a tweet from his junior team in Saint John. Chabot was Ottawa’s top pick in 2015 (18th overall) and had 45 points in 47 games at the QMJHL level last season. He’s eligible to play in nine NHL games before burning the first year of his entry-level contract.
Blackhawks Interested In Nail Yakupov
TSN’s Bob McKenzie notes (Twitter links) that Chicago has shown some interest in trading for Edmonton Oilers right winger Yakupov but that no deal is imminent. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal recently wondered if Yakupov would find himself in the press box to start the season after a not-so-strong training camp.
Yakupov was the first overall pick of the Oilers back in 2012 but has failed to live up to the hype. His best season came in his rookie year – the lockout-shortened campaign, where he had 31 points in 48 games. Since then, he hasn’t to come close to the half a point per game mark. Last season, he had just eight goals and 15 assists in 60 games while playing a career low 14:13 per game.
The 23 year old is entering the second and final year of a two year bridge deal that carries a cap hit of $2.5MM. That makes it intriguing that the Blackhawks are showing interest as they have been perpetually cap-strapped as of late and this year will likely be no exception once they fill out the rest of their roster. (Cap Friendly has them with roughly $4.4MM in space but only 19 players on the roster.) However, Chicago is lacking in experienced forward depth and would likely be able to use Yakupov inside their top nine and there’s no denying that Yakupov has some offensive upside in him.
[Related: Blackhawks Depth Chart]
Sportsnet’s Mark Spector adds that Chicago would likely be sending AHL player(s) to the Oilers in return and would also require Edmonton to retain some of his cap charge if they can reach an agreement on a deal. Spector also notes that the belief is that GM Peter Chiarelli would like to get something done before start of the regular season next week.
2016-17 Season Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs
With the start of the regular season less than a week away, we continue to look at each team’s offseason and preview the upcoming year. Today, we focus on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Last Season: 29-42-11 record (69 points), 8th in the Atlantic Division.
Remaining Cap Space: $2.03MM as per Cap Friendly (Roster Size of 23), expected to increase to by ~$14MM when Stephane Robidas, Nathan Horton, Joffrey Lupul are placed on LTIR.
Key Newcomers: W Matt Martin (UFA, NY Islanders), C Auston Matthews (draft, NLA), RW Mitch Marner (draft, OHL), D Roman Polak (UFA, San Jose), G Frederik Andersen (trade, Anaheim), G Jhonas Enroth (UFA, Los Angeles), D Nikita Zaitzev (UFA, KHL), W Kerby Rychel (trade, Columbus)
Key Departures: RW P.A. Parenteau (UFA, NY Islanders), RW Brad Boyes (UFA, unsigned), RW Michael Grabner (UFA, NY Rangers), C Shawn Matthias (UFA, Winnipeg), C Mark Arcobello (UFA, NLA), G Jonathan Bernier (trade, Anaheim)
[Related: Leafs Depth Chart from Roster Resource]
Players To Watch: C Mitch Marner – Obviously, one of the biggest storylines this year will be first-overall draft pick Auston Matthews and his ascension to the number-one center position on the Maple Leafs. Not to be forgotten however, is the other top-five draft pick that the Leafs have yet to unveil: Mitch Marner. Marner is coming off a season where he basically won every team and individual trophy possible, leading the OHL’s London Knights to the Memorial Cup and scoring 160 points in 75 total games (regular and post-season).
The diminutive forward played some center in junior, and was once expected to take that position on the Maple Leafs. Now that Matthews is in the fold though, the Leafs have been playing Marner on the wing to fully utilize his elite offensive skills. In fact, for the last two days at least, Marner has been skating beside Matthews on what would be one of the youngest lines in the NHL regardless of the third player.
D Nikita Zaitsev – One of the most underrated signings of the offseason may come in Leafland, as Nikita Zaitsev will make his NHL debut this year after a number of successful seasons in the KHL. The 24-year old has already completed seven seasons in the Russian professional league, starred internationally for Russia and even made his Toronto debut in the recent World Cup. His right-handed shot fits in nicely with a group sorely lacking them, and should immediately jump to the Leafs top two pairings (depending on if Morgan Rielly moves back to his natural left side or not).
Zaitsev is an all-around blueliner who can work in both ends of the rink, and contribute on both special teams. While he may not possess any one elite skill, he’s proven that he can compete at the highest level. Already turning heads at Maple Leafs camp, Zaitsev scored his first preseason goal against Montreal on Sunday night and, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, should already be considered part of the Leafs’ core.
Key Storyline:
While the Maple Leafs were clearly headed for the basement of the league last year (some would say on purpose), this year has a slightly different feeling in Toronto. While they’re not expected to make the playoffs or contend for any trophies, the youth injection is exciting enough to hope for a much improved club. With head coach Mike Babcock in no danger of losing his seat, the team can take a slow approach to development and shelter their young prospects.
In truth, the Leafs brass are just hoping for a slightly improved season, but will hope for another high draft pick to continue the rebuild. If they were to select in the top-10 once again, they could add another top prospect to their stocked cupboard, and focus on the free agent market next summer. With cap room, a hugely experienced front office and youth at all positions, the team is poised to succeed in the near future; whether that means contention for the Stanley Cup remains to be seen.
Justin Fontaine Signs PTO With Dallas Stars
According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, former Minnesota winger Justin Fontaine has signed a professional try-out with the Dallas Stars. Fontaine had previously been signed to a PTO with the Florida Panthers, but he was released from it on Saturday.
An alumni of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Fontaine has spent the last three seasons as a bottom-six winger on the Wild and is trying to catch on somewhere for this season. An effective checker, Fontaine saw his offensive production fall off last year, scoring only five goals and sixteen points. If he were to his career high of 31, recorded just two years ago, he’d be a sought after asset for teams looking to fill our their forward group.
The Stars will kick the tires on the 28-year old, and see if he can contribute to their team this year. Look for Fontaine to sign an AHL deal somewhere if the Stars don’t bite, as it would be the second team to pass on the diminutive winger.
Flyers Lose Laughton, Manning To Injury
According to Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post, the Philadelphia Flyers have lost two players to injury today. Scott Laughton will be out 3-4 weeks with a lower-body injury, while Brandon Manning is week-to-week with an injury to his upper-body.
Laughton, a former first-round pick of the Flyers, had his first full NHL season last year, contributing 21 points in 71 games. The 22-year old was hoping to improve on those numbers as he headed into this season, but will now have to wait for a few weeks to join the club. With the season starting in less than a week, his timeline should keep him out for the first 10 games or so.
Manning, 26, was an option for the Flyers on the back end after spending 56 games with them last season. The undrafted blueliner has built quite a career since his days with the Chilliwack Bruins, making his NHL debut as a 22-year old and finding a ton of success at the AHL level. In 2014-15 he put up 43 points in 60 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms while also racking up 150 penalty minutes (he had 31 and 231 the year before).
The Flyers had some tough decisions coming in camp, especially around youngsters Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov, both of whom should benefit from these injuries. The two 19-year olds are trying to make the jump from the CHL to NHL and have turned heads at camp this year. Each was a first-round pick in the past and look ready to contribute at a professional level.
Training Camp Cuts: 10.06.2016
We’re now less than a week from the regular season and teams are starting to make the final cuts from their squads. Here is where we’ll keep track of all the day’s cuts.
Anaheim Ducks (via team release and General Fanager):
LW Ondrej Kase (to San Diego, AHL)
C Julius Nattinen (to San Diego, AHL)
D Clayton Stoner (on waivers for purposes of AHL assignment)
F Sean Bergenheim (released from PTO)
Buffalo Sabres (via John Vogl):
G Linus Ullmark (assigned to Rochester, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release):
D Jake Bean (to Calgary, WHL)
F Julien Gauthier (to Val d’Or, QMJHL)
F Aleksi Saarela (to Lukko, FEL)
G Alex Nedeljkovic (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Dennis Robertson (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Jake Chelios (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Andrew Poturalski (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Valentin Zykov (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Raffi Torres (released)