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Vancouver Canucks Sign Erik Gudbranson

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The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed restricted free agent Erik Gudbranson to a one-year contract. The deal will pay Gudbranson $3.5MM next season. That’s the same salary he was paid this season, after playing only 30 games before wrist surgery shut him down in December. Erik Gudbranson

Gudbranson, 25, was acquired by the Canucks last summer from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Jared McCann a deal that was questioned by different sides of the hockey community for different reasons. On one side, Gudbranson has performed poorly by analytical metrics since entering the league as a 20-year old, and on the other were his physicality, pedigree and intangibles that were lauded in Florida as a young player. Gudbranson was selected third overall in the 2010 draft and has made good on the promise of a big, intimidating presence on the ice.

While his offensive game still lacks any real explosiveness, Gudbranson is still young enough to potentially refine his play in the defensive end to become a true shutdown defender. If he can do that, and prove that he fits into the top-4 on a team in the league, this short contract potentially sets him up as a 26-year old unrestricted free agent next summer. This will be Gudbranson’s seventh season, making him eligible to hit free agency a year earlier.

If the team had wanted to buy out any of those free agent years, the cap-hit likely would have moved up as Gudbranson believes he can earn more on the open market. That just isn’t acceptable for the club at this point, with him still unproven in the city as a part of their future.

With many rumors flying around about Chris Tanev possibly being on the move, Gudbranson has a chance to step into a big role with the Canucks and make himself a lot of money. Should he log over 20 minutes a night again this season, he could demand a very long deal as a young right-handed defenseman on the open market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Expansion Primer: Minnesota Wild

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We’re continuing to break down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft; which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.

The Minnesota Wild shouldn’t have been underrated this season just a year removed from a 46-28-8 campaign in 2014-15, but there they were projected as a bubble team by many analysts and fans alike. Instead, they burst through the starting gates with tremendous play from their young forward group, and rode an impressive performance from Devan Dubnyk all the way to an 106 point season and the second best record in the Western Conference.

Though they ran head-first into a brick wall named Jake Allen in the first round and were unable to progress deep into the playoffs, their fans should be excited for the immediate future with a good mix of veteran and young talent. When it comes to the expansion draft, any team as deep as Minnesota should be worried, and because of it they’ve been included in much trade speculation. There are simply too many solid players to protect, meaning they’ll face some tough decisions in the next two days.

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards:

Zach Parise (NMC), Mikko Koivu (NMC), Jason Pominville (NMC), Eric Staal, Charlie Coyle, Jason Zucker, Chris Stewart, Mikael Granlund, Kurtis Gabriel, Nino Niederreiter, Jordan Schroeder, Erik Haula, Zack Mitchell

Defensemen:

Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, Mathew Dumba, Gustav Olofsson, Christian Folin

Goaltenders:

Devan Dubnyk, Alex Stalock

Notable Exemptions

Luke Kunin, Alex Tuch, Joel Eriksson Ek, Justin Kloos, Mike Reilly

Key Decisions

The first decision any team will have to make is which protection scheme to use. Teams can either protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender (7-3-1) or eight skaters and one goaltender (8-1). The Wild are among the teams that could consider going with the 8-1 method due to their deep defensive core, but that creates an even bigger problem up front where no-movement clauses and center depth put them at risk of losing a very good player. Jason Zucker

If they do protect seven forwards, they’ll have four spots remaining to decide upon after automatically protecting Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu and Jason Pominville. Pominville especially was expected to be asked to waive his clause, but the team won’t reveal anything until the lists are made official. Since we can’t assume that he would waive the clause even if asked, those last four spots become paramount.

Nino Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund are locks to be protected after breakout seasons for the pair, but after that it gets a little murky. Eric Staal had an excellent bounce-back season in Minnesota with 65 points, while Charlie Coyle and Jason Zucker both set career highs with 56 and 47 points respectively. All three are integral parts of the offense that would be tough to watch walk out the door for nothing.

On defense, Ryan Suter would have been protected even without his no-movement clause, and Jared Spurgeon will no doubt take a place beside him. Beyond that, the team has to make a decision between Jonas Brodin, Mathew Dumba, Marco Scandella and Christian Folin. While Brodin may seem like the easy choice to some, it’s almost certain that Minnesota has been talking to Vegas about who they would select if given the chance.

Matt DumbaWith the earlier trade of Jonathan Drouin to Montreal, rumblings started that Minnesota would be next to move a big name in order to solve an expansion draft issue. Bob McKenzie of TSN tweeted that there has been a lot of talk about Brodin, and speculated that Montreal may be in on the action given they now have a need for young defenders. The tough part about the deal would be that any player coming back would need to be exempt, or else Minnesota risks exposing another one of their good forwards or defenders.

In net, Dubnyk represents the easiest choice for the Wild after his incredible season, even if he did slow down near the end and into the playoffs. Alex Stalock poses no threat to his protection, and Darcy Kuemper is a free agent this summer.

Speaking of free agents, Vegas does get the opportunity to speak with any pending free agents during their exclusive negotiating window, and Martin Hanzal could appeal to them. The big center was acquired by the Wild mid-season for a first-round pick, and Vegas could see him as an asset too hard to pass up should he be willing to sign a reasonable deal. Though Hanzal wouldn’t give them much value in terms of Stanley Cup competitiveness, he could be used as a trade asset just the same way Arizona flipped him this season.

Projected Protection List

F Zach Parise (NMC)
F Mikko Koivu (NMC)
F Jason Pominville (NMC)
F Eric Staal
F Charlie Coyle
F Mikael Granlund
F Nino Niederreiter

D Ryan Suter (NMC)
D Jared Spurgeon
D Jonas Brodin

G Devan Dubnyk

If this does end up being the protection list for the Wild, there is a ton of talent available for the Vegas Golden Knights to sink their teeth into. Zucker or Dumba would both be some of the best players on their new squad, and are both young enough to contribute long-term for the expansion club. The mere fact that so much talent is still on the board points to a possible trade in the works in the next 48 hours.

The Wild may have something worked out with Vegas, another team or both, but it will be hard to stop the Golden Knights entirely from taking a good player. That said, keep your eyes peeled for Minnesota moves over the next two days as they’re sure to be involved in every conversation.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Montreal Signs Charles Hudon To Two-Year Deal

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Interestingly, after trading for Jonathan Drouin the Montreal Canadiens have extended AHL forward Charles Hudon for two seasons, inking him to a two-year contract. The deal is two-way for the first season, and switches to a one-way contract in 2018-19. The deal will pay him the minimum of $650K per season while in the NHL. Hudon could technically be a Group VI free agent after the contract expires should he continue to be relegated to AHL duty as he has so far in his young career.

About to turn 23, Hudon has played just six NHL games in his career so far, registering four points. The elite AHL scorer has yet to make an impact, but was still expected to be protected in the expansion draft until Drouin was acquired. In our Montreal Expansion Primer, our own Brian La Rose wrote this:

There are questions about his skating but his scoring touch in the minors will make him an intriguing option for Vegas GM George McPhee if Montreal decides to leave him unprotected.  Given their own scoring woes, Hudon is someone that the Canadiens may decide is too important to leave exposed despite his lack of NHL experience.

It would seem that the Canadiens don’t have room to protect him any longer, unless a subsequent deal is made to move another forward (see: Alex Galchenyuk) out of town. The fact that Hudon got a one-way deal (at least in the second season) is also interesting, meaning he’ll be making an NHL salary even if he still hasn’t made the team. This might point to the idea that Montreal has bigger plans for him down the road, as they continue to try and increase the scoring level among their forward group.

Pierre LeBrun of TSN provided the financial details. 

Official Entry Draft Order Released

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The NHL released the official order of selections for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft on Thursday, highlighted by the New Jersey Devils selecting first overall. The first round of the draft will be held on Friday, June 23rd in Chicago, with rounds 2-7 following the next day. The entire list can be found here, but as for the first round it will look like this:

  1. New Jersey Devils
  2. Philadelphia Flyers
  3. Dallas Stars
  4. Colorado Avalanche
  5. Vancouver Canucks
  6. Vegas Golden Knights
  7. Arizona Coyotes
  8. Buffalo Sabres
  9. Detroit Red Wings
  10. Florida Panthers
  11. Los Angeles Kings
  12. Carolina Hurricanes
  13. Winnipeg Jets
  14. Tampa Bay Lightning
  15. New York Islanders
  16. Calgary Flames
  17. Toronto Maple Leafs
  18. Boston Bruins
  19. San Jose Sharks
  20. St. Louis Blues
  21. New York Rangers
  22. Edmonton Oilers
  23. Arizona Coyotes (from Minnesota)
  24. Columbus Blue Jackets
  25. Montreal Canadiens
  26. Chicago Blackhawks
  27. St. Louis Blues (from Washington)
  28. Ottawa Senators
  29. Dallas Stars (from Anaheim)
  30. Nashville Predators
  31. Pittsburgh Penguins

It’s important to note that the lottery results do not affect rounds 2-7, thus giving Colorado the #32 pick. The Vegas Golden Knights will be given the third pick in each round held on Saturday.

Montreal Canadiens Acquire Jonathan Drouin

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The Montreal Canadiens have pulled off the first big trade of the offseason, acquiring Jonathan Drouin and a conditional 2018 sixth-round pick for Mikhail Sergachev and a conditional 2018 second rounder. The picks are conditional on Sergachev not playing in at least 40 games (regular season and playoffs combined) for the Lightning next season, meaning if he spends more than half the season with Tampa Bay it is a one-for-one swap. Jonathan Drouin

The third-overall pick from 2013, Drouin was a restricted free agent this summer after a breakout campaign in Tampa Bay. After a dispute over playing time limited him to just 21 games in 2015-16, the extremely talented young forward scored 53 points in 73 games for the Lightning this season, showing off some of the potential that had led to his high draft selection. The 22-year old will be looking for a big contract coming off his entry-level deal, something that the Lightning were going to have trouble affording this summer.

Tampa Bay also has Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat hitting restricted free agency this summer, and with recent extensions to Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn, were going to be very tight to the cap. Not only will this open up some of that room, but it also helps fix some of their expansion draft worries.

Partly because of Ryan Callahan’s no-movement clause and partly because of their impressive depth up front, the Lightning were set to lose a talented forward in the draft with many speculating it could be Vladislav Namestnikov. By moving Drouin for an expansion-exempt Sergachev, they’ve given themselves an extra slot to play with and with it the power to protect almost everyone important.

Mikhail SergachevSergachev himself is an outstanding prospect, who was selected ninth-overall last summer but likely should have gone even higher. Coming off Rookie of the Year and Defenseman of the Year honors in the OHL in 2015-16, he spent a few games at the beginning of the season with Montreal before heading back to the Windsor Spitfires to help them to a Memorial Cup victory on home ice. His play at both ends of the rink is that of a future top-pairing defenseman, though he may still be several years from filling that role for Tampa Bay.

For Montreal, this brings home a native son to try and build as the next Canadiens’ superstar. Drouin grew up a Montreal fan within driving distance of the city, and told agent Allan Walsh (who relayed the information on TSN 690):

“This is my dream come true. This is my childhood dream.” 

Though Drouin doesn’t necessarily solve the problem at center, though he has played the position sparingly in the past. More than likely it gives them a potential elite scoring threat on the wing for many years, as he is still five seasons away from becoming a free agent and is already in talks on a long-term deal with the club. If he can’t switch to the middle or move to right wing, it does crowd things for the Canadiens who also currently have Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk on the left side. That would seem to point to a possible trade of Galchenyuk in the near future, something that has been rumored for a while.

In terms of the expansion draft, Montreal had room to add Drouin without losing something of real value. Their final forward protection slot looked like it would go to Charles Hudon, but even with his exemplary play at the AHL level has yet to make an impact at the top level.

No, this the negative effects of this trade will be felt more on the blue line for the future as Montreal has an aging group that was set to get a jolt of youth next season with Sergachev. They still do have Nathan Beaulieu ready to make a bigger impact, and Noah Juulsen coming quickly from the junior ranks. That said, losing Sergachev does darken the horizon on defense for the time being.

Pierre LeBrun of TSN provided details on the draft pick conditions.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Buffalo Sabres Hire Phil Housley As Next Head Coach

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In one of the worst-kept secrets of the past few months, the Buffalo Sabres have hired Phil Housley as their next head coach. Housley has been linked to the Sabres ever since the team hired Jason Botterill, but they needed to wait for the Nashville Predators’ Stanley Cup run to finish before officially announcing him. Just as Housley was celebrating his 32nd wedding anniversary, he’ll head into a brand new chapter in his hockey life as a head coach for the first time. "<strongPhil Housley” width=”230″ height=”300″ />

Housley was drafted sixth overall by the Sabres in 1982 and immediately jumped into the NHL to outstanding success. With 66 points as an 18-year old defenseman in his rookie season he finished second in Calder trophy voting behind Steve Larmer for Rookie of the Year. He would go on to a Hall of Fame career scoring 1,232 points in 1,495 regular season games, but was hard-pressed to find any success in the playoffs. He still holds the record for the most points from an American-born defenseman, and ranks fourth among those born anywhere. His career is legendary and it returns to the place it all started almost exactly 27 years after he was first traded away (June 16th, 1997 Housley was sent to Winnipeg in a package for Dale Hawerchuk).

The 53-year old Housley has spent the last four seasons as an assistant behind the Nashville bench, helping grow and develop their defense corps into one of the best in the league. His experience and knowledge of the game is almost unmatched, though he will now have to prove he can control an entire roster of players. The Sabres need him to help them take the next step and start building some organizational confidence after a long stretch of disappointment. Even with the young talent the last few drafts have brought in, they were still a long way from competing this season.

That’s not to say he won’t have a chance at the playoffs right away, as a return to health for Jack Eichel paired with the development of other young players could turn around Buffalo’s fortune quickly. With Botterill at the helm in his first stint as a full-fledged GM and Housley installed as coach, the team is putting a lot of faith in the next wave of management to bring a new era of success to the Sabres. In their 46 seasons to date, the Sabres have only made it to two Stanley Cup final appearances, and have yet to hoist the trophy as the winning club. As something Housley can relate to, there won’t be any lack of drive to get back into contention from him or anyone else on the roster.

In terms of assistant coaches, there are rumblings that former New York Islanders coach Jack Capuano could be in the running, while Clark Donatelli remains close with Botterill and could be in contention. Other names will surely pop up as the days go on, but there is at least a name at the top of the coaching depth chart in Buffalo.

Darren Dreger of TSN was first to announce the hiring was official.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Six Teams Have Expressed Interest In Jordan Eberle

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According to John Shannon of Sportsnet, the Edmonton Oilers continue to get calls regarding Jordan Eberle. Six teams have apparently made an inquiry up to this point, with several others sure to come after the expansion draft is over and rosters are more flexible. The winger had an incredibly inneffective playoff run but remains one of the most consistent goal scoring threats in the league after another 20-goal season. While his cap-hit ($6MM) is a tad high, it only has two years left on it and wouldn’t wreck any team’s salary structure going forward.

We’ve heard that the New York Islanders have expressed interest, and several other goal-starved teams like New Jersey or Carolina are sure to make at least an inquiry have they not already. While Shannon doesn’t go into details on who the six teams are, it’s easy to see that there could be more than that. Edmonton for what it’s worth aren’t obligated to trade him. Though they would like to improve their defense corps, and have enough scoring to compete even without the 27-year old winger, they won’t give him away for just anything.

It’s also unlikely they deal him before the expansion draft, because any defenseman they get back they’d have to expose. Andrej Sekera has a no-movement clause, and unless he was asked to waive it (which does not appear to be the case) their protection slots are full. Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson aren’t going anywhere, and the Oilers won’t want to move Eberle for a prospect or draft pick package, meaning it’s more likely to come down after the draft if at all.

Mike Vellucci To Coach Charlotte Checkers Next Season

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In an interesting move, the Carolina Hurricanes have named Mike Vellucci the new head coach of their AHL affiliate Charlotte Checkers, while he keeps his role as Assistant General Manager for the NHL club.The Checkers lost their head coach when Ulf Samuelsson was hired by the Chicago Blackhawks (actually just announced today), and Vellucci has ample experience in a coaching and development role. As the Hurricanes GM Ron Francis put it himself in a release:

Mike has more than 20 years of coaching experience, including more than 800 games as a head coach in the Ontario League. He is excited to get back behind the bench and we appreciate his willingness to take on this additional responsibility.

Vellucci was the coach and GM of the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL for parts of fourteen seasons before joining the Hurricanes in a managerial position in 2014, and he should have no trouble sliding behind the bench in the AHL with players he is familiar with. While the team says he will be keeping all his duties with the NHL front office, he was generally in charge of scouting and player development, roles which align nicely with the AHL coaching position. He can now implement the strategies himself while getting an even closer look at the minor league players of other organizations.

Charlotte had a relatively successful season, making it to the playoffs for first time in four seasons. They’d fall at the hands of the Chicago Wolves in the first round, but it was a nice step forward for a young franchise without much success in its short history. Vellucci will be tasked with taking a roster filled with young players and developing them into a Calder Cup contender, even as the NHL team snatches players away for their own playoff aspirations.

Pittsburgh Penguins Name Bill Guerin AHL General Manager

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have filled the role vacated by Jason Botterill when he was hired as the new General Manager of the Buffalo Sabres. Assistant GM Bill Guerin will take over as GM of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, taking the next step in his path to running an NHL team. The team has also promoted Jason Karmanos to Assistant GM, and Mark Recchi to the Director of Player Development. Bill Guerin

Guerin is on a similar path to the one Chris Drury is following in New York, who was also named GM of the AHL team earlier this spring. After being hired as a player development coach after retiring in 2011, Guerin was promoted to AGM three seasons ago and has from all accounts been very successful in the position. He’ll now have the task of running a team himself, a stepping stone for nearly all NHL GMs around the league. The WBS Penguins have enjoyed a lot of success under Botterill’s watch, and have won at least 40 games in 12 straight seasons. Their run of fifteen straight playoff appearances without a Calder Cup championship is something Guerin will be tasked with changing, while continuing to develop players for the Pittsburgh roster.

The 46-year old Guerin played 1,263 games in the NHL, scoring 856 points as one of his eras most consistent power forwards. He raised the Stanley Cup twice during his playing days, early with New Jersey and near the end of his career with Pittsburgh in 2009. He’s also obviously been part of the team that has now won back to back Cups, reported to have been a big part of recruiting college players into the system.

Guerin himself went through the NCAA route before it was the development path it is today, spending two years with Boston College after being drafted fifth-overall. While NCAA players pepper the Pittsburgh lineup, they’re also still coming as the team signed the highly sought-after Zach Aston-Reese as a free agent this spring, only to see him score eight points in ten games for the WBS Penguins down the stretch. College players will undoubtedly be a big part of what Guerin does with the WBS roster, though Aston-Reese may compete for an NHL job in the fall.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Morning Notes: Doughty, Portland, Granato

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Start your engines Toronto Maple Leafs fans, because the speculative signings are about to get crazy. Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was on TSN 1050 radio today and dropped a quote that will be shared all over the internet:

I think all of us Southern Ontario players, we secretly want to play for the Leafs, you know, we all have that kind of soft spot.

Doughty would go on to explain that he’s not sure how he would react to being that big of a “celebrity” in the city and said that’s the issue a lot of players have when deciding whether to sign with Toronto. Doughty of course plays in Los Angeles where he’s a small fish, but would become a megastar should he ever return to Ontario. The 27-year old defenseman has two years remaining on his current contract, and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019.

  • The people of Portland, Maine will be getting a professional hockey team soon enough, as the parent company of the Philadelphia Flyers has purchased the defunct Alaska Aces of the ECHL and will move them to the northeastern city according to Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post. The team is still unnamed and will hope to have an NHL affiliation before long.
  • Don Granato will indeed join the Chicago Blackhawks coaching staff for the upcoming season, working with Joel Quenneville and the also-announced Ulf Samuelsson among others. It was reported last week that Granato was in the running for an assistant coaching job, after working with the University of Wisconsin this season.
  • Shelley Anderson spoke to the Pittsburgh Penguins today as they cleaned out their lockers, and shared a ton of interesting information. Not the least of which was that Matt Murray’s injury sustained in the warm up of game 1 of the playoffs was a torn hamstring, making it impossible for him to play through it.
  • Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion is looking at all options when it comes to the draft, willing to move up or down in the first round according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. Ottawa currently holds the 28th overall pick, but could potentially deal it for the right addition to their squad after going deep into the playoffs this season. With Erik Karlsson only under contract for another two seasons, they may feel pressure to go after a Cup run right now.

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