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Archives for April 2017

Five Key Stories: 4/23/17 – 4/29/17

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The final full week of April resulted in quite a few headlines around the league, particularly behind the bench.  Here are five key stories from the week that was.

1) Kings Promote Stevens To Head Coach – While many teams will conduct a thorough coaching search before making a hire, Los Angeles opted to do the opposite.  Only John Stevens was seriously considered to replace Darryl Sutter behind the bench and one of the worst secrets in hockey was made official when the Kings officially named him as their new bench boss.  Stevens is no stranger to the team having been with the team for the last five years and will now be tasked with getting Los Angeles back into the playoffs.

2) Canucks Hire Green As Head Coach – The Kings weren’t the only team who named a new head coach as the Canucks promoted Travis Green to the position from their AHL affiliate in Utica where he had spent the past four seasons.  It’s the first NHL coaching gig for the long-time NHL veteran, who received a four year contract.  Vancouver appears headed for a longer-term rebuild and Green will likely have a longer leash to work with than Stevens will with Los Angeles.

3) Bruins Remove Interim Tag From Cassidy – The coaching news wasn’t just limited to the Western Conference as following their first round loss to Ottawa, Boston removed the interim tag from Bruce Cassidy, making him their full-time head coach.  Cassidy took over midseason from Claude Julien and the move seemed to bolster the Bruins who went 18-8-1 after the change while the team looked reinvigorated as they started to score at a higher level.

Mar 27, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling (33) looks on against the Tampa Bay Lightning during overtime at Amalie Arena. The Lightning won 5-4 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports4) Hurricanes Acquire Darling – Trades at this point of the year aren’t all that common but they do happen from time to time.  Carolina decided to try to get a head start on free agency, acquiring the negotiating rights to goaltender Scott Darling from Chicago in exchange for Ottawa’s third round pick in 2017 (previously acquired for Viktor Stalberg).  No talks had been held with Darling’s camp prior to the move but clearly GM Ron Francis is confident that he can lock up the pending unrestricted free agent and give the team another option between the pipes after Cam Ward and Eddie Lack both struggled this season.

5) Draft Lottery – Not too long ago, the NHL’s Draft Lottery wasn’t too eventful with only one team winning while only being allowed to move up four spots.  That changed last year and while that lottery didn’t yield much movement, the one held on Saturday certainly did.  The Avalanche, Canucks, and Golden Knights all dropped three spots.  Taking their place in the top three were the Devils, Flyers, and Stars, respectively.  Philadelphia’s jump to number two was particularly noteworthy as they were originally slated to select 13th.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Offseason Keys: Colorado Avalanche

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While the expansion draft is set to headline a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months ahead.  Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Colorado Avalanche.

Things haven’t gone well for Colorado this season.  In fact, that’s really an understatement.  After Patrick Roy abruptly resigned back in August, GM Joe Sakic had to scramble to find a late replacement in Jared Bednar.  That seemed to set the stage for a disastrous season, one that saw the team bottom out in the standings and then to make matters worse, they had no good fortune in the lottery, dropping from the first overall pick down to fourth.  That’s far from the only concern for them moving forward, however.  Here are three key issues that Sakic and the Avalanche need to address beyond the upcoming expansion draft.

Reshaping The Defense Corps

The back end has been an area of concern for Colorado for several years now and it played a large role in their struggles this past season.  They have a pretty good group of forwards but without a solid blueline, a lot of those talents are going to waste.

The Avs have a decent starting point to work with as Erik Johnson and Tyson Barrie both have at least three years left on their respective contracts.  Johnson hasn’t lived up to the billing of his number one status but is a quality option at both ends of the ice.  Barrie isn’t the most reliable in his own zone but is one of the more dangerous offensive threats from the back end.  Nikita Zadorov is a pending restricted free agent but should be a part of their future moving forward.  After that though, there’s a sizable drop-off.

Whether it’s via the free agent market where they could make a run at repatriating Kevin Shattenkirk (who was a first rounder of Colorado back in 2007) or via the trade route, it’s likely that a big part of Sakic’s focus this offseason will be to give the defense a new look heading into 2017-18.

Matt Duchene’s Situation

The rumor mill was buzzing during the season with the revelation that the team was listening to offers on Matt Duchene and even captain Gabriel Landeskog.  Most of the attention was paid to the 26 year old Duchene and after he wasn’t dealt at the deadline, many expect him to be moved before training camp.

Dec 20, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene (9) against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Avalanche 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY SportsDuring the season, Sakic was believed to be seeking a kings’ ransom and while there were some teams known to be interested, no one was able to meet the asking price.  There is typically more flexibility with the salary cap in June than there is midseason so it’s quite possible that there will be more teams involved in the discussion in the weeks and months ahead.  It’s quite likely that any move for Duchene will bring back a core blueliner as well.

If they aren’t able to find the right fit in the summer, it will be interesting to see if Sakic decides to publicly take Duchene off the block.  At some point, frequent trade chatter begins to become a distraction and if they head into training camp without this case resolved one way or the other, it could dominate the headlines once again.

Veteran Supporting Cast

Three years ago, Colorado signed Jarome Iginla to act as a mentor to their young core while also providing some top six production.  The move started off well but by the end of his deal, the veteran was a shadow of himself and was virtually given away to the Kings at the deadline.

The Avalanche have a trio of core forwards aged 21 or younger in Nathan MacKinnon, Tyson Jost, and Mikko Rantanen while Landeskog is still only 24.  As we’ve seen in other rebuilds over the years, simply acquiring top young talent isn’t enough to win.  Instead, adding quality options as a supporting cast both on and off the ice is required.

Even though Colorado is squarely in a rebuilding mode, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Sakic try to add a quality veteran or two up front to give his young core some help while also taking some of the pressure off their shoulders.

Cap Situation

$54.4MM in commitments to 15 players per CapFriendly.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

PHR Originals: 4/23/17 – 4/29/17

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Here’s a rundown of some of the original content produced by the PHR staff over the past week:

Seth Lawrence takes a closer look at the Red Wings and some of the challenges GM Ken Holland faces this offseason as he looks to reshape the team after missing the postseason for the first time in 25 years.  Unfortunately for those looking for change, there are some pricey contracts and a tricky salary cap situation to navigate that makes any significant changes easier said than done.

Seth also broke down some of the tough decisions that the Senators and GM Pierre Dorion will soon be dealing with when it comes to the expansion draft in June.  As things look now, they may be in line to lose a key component of their team to the Golden Knights but that discussion will be in the background for now with the Sens already up 2-0 in their second round series against the Rangers.

Still with expansion, our Zach Leach details how the Flyers find themselves in a bit of a tricky situation when it comes to that draft.  Do they protect their best option for the present and risk losing a quality youngster or protect the prospect and potentially have to go into free agency to find a new starter?

It’s likely to be a summer where quite a few goalies of note find themselves with new teams.  Seth discusses some of the teams that are likely to be on the prowl for help between the pipes.  With the amount of goalies that could be available in advance of expansion, those teams could be poised to bounce on a potential buyers’ market.

In a draft class without a consensus number one choice, the time may be right to consider dealing away the top pick which the Devils own after the draft lottery on Saturday.  Our Gavin Lee reviews the recent history of the number one pick being traded, something that hasn’t yielded a whole lot of extra value for teams in the past.

Ilya Kovalchuk Wants Sign-And-Trade To NYC Or Florida

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As reported last week, Russian veteran forward Ilya Kovalchuk, who has played the last four years in the KHL, wants to return to the NHL next year. The 34-year-old wing now says he would like a sign-and-trade out of New Jersey, according to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks. It was also tweeted by Russian reporter Slava Malamud that Kovalchuk would prefer to stay in New York City or move to Florida.

Kovalchuk, whose rights are still owned by the New Jersey Devils, would need a sign-and-trade deal to get him to one of those locations as he has made it clear that his family is a top priority on where he plays next season. It’s quite clear the Devils, who finished near the bottom of the NHL this past season, are not on his wishlist.

The veteran is coming off his best season in the last four years for St. Petersburg SKA, tallying 32 goals and 46 assists for 78 points in 60 games. He put up 11 goals and 20 assists for the Devils in the shortened 2012-13 season. In 2011-12, Kovalchuk put up 37 goals and 46 assists. So, while his production is not at issue, his contract is. His contract still had 12 years and $77MM remaining when he left the Devils for the KHL.

 

No Deal In Sight Between Colorado, Butcher

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With just a few months to go before the Aug. 15 deadline, the Colorado Avalanche and Will Butcher have made no progress to agreeing to a deal, according to Adrian Dater of BSN Denver. The University of Denver defenseman and the winner of this year’s Hobey Baker Award, given to the best player in college hockey, has still not accepted a contract from the Avalanche, who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Draft.

If the 5-foot-10 defenseman waits until the Aug. 15 deadline, Colorado loses their exclusive rights to sign him and Butcher can negotiate with any club, leading to speculation that he might be interested in signing with a different team. This has nothing to do with money, however, as league rules dictate that the 22-year-old Butcher can only sign a two-year entry-level deal of no more than $925,000 base salary. This comes down to Butcher being allowed to pick which team he wants to play for.

A similar situation happened last year when Harvard’s Jimmy Vesey, the previous year’s Hobey Baker Award winner, was the property of the Nashville Predators. They were unable to sign him and traded his rights to the Buffalo Sabres before the deadline for a third round pick. Despite the Sabres’ attempts, they failed to sign him and Vesey eventually inked a deal with the New York Rangers.

Butcher finished his season at the University of Denver last year with seven goals and 30 assists.

 

Tampa Bay Wants To Move Jonathan Drouin For A Top-4 Defenseman

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New York Post’s Larry Brooks reports that the Tampa Bay Lightning are focusing on moving forward Jonathan Drouin this offseason for a top-four defenseman. He continues to say that the Anaheim Ducks is the likely trade partner for the Lightning. The 22-year-old Drouin is coming off a breakout season for the Lightning in which he scored 21 goals and 32 assists for 53 points. Despite his success, Tampa Bay is overloaded in quality forwards and could use a trade like this to balance out their rosters, especially with the NHL Expansion Draft approaching.

The team already has Steven Stamkos, Ryan Callahan, Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn, Brayden Point and Vladislav Namestnikov. While Point is exempt from the expansion draft, the rest are not and if the team wants to protect all of their forwards, the team might be better off moving the highly-regarded Drouin for blueline help. The team only has two defenders that stand out in Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman. So, another defender would make a lot of sense.

The Ducks could be a prime target as they are overloaded on defense, while they continue to look for consistent scoring. The team has multiple defensemen, including Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen, Josh Manson and veteran Kevin Bieksa as their core, but still have promising youngsters Shea Theodore and Brandon Montour, who have also played well for the team in the playoffs. Brooks writes that there may be six or more teams seeking a top-four defenseman this offseason, but Tampa Bay’s willingness to include Drouin gives them the best opportunity of netting one.

 

Snapshots: Las Vegas Lottery, Buffalo’s GM Search

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Yesterday’s NHL draft lottery was a disaster for most of the worst teams in the NHL as three teams, not in the bottom three, ended up winning the lottery, pushing the teams that most need talent back three slots. With New Jersey (fourth-worst record), Philadelphia (13th worst record) and Dallas (seventh-worst record) winning the top three spots in the 2017 NHL Draft this year, teams like Colorado and Vancouver end up with their worst-case scenarios. The Avalanche will draft fourth and the Canucks fifth.

The new team, the expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights got no luck either. The team, which had an 88 percent chance of a top-five pick, ended up sixth. The team had hopes of drafting the face of their franchise if they could get high enough. The hope was the team could snag either Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier. Instead the team will now need to look at the second-tier of options, according to Las Vegas Sun’s Jesse Granger.

While Las Vegas will look at multiple players at No. 6, it is believed the Golden Knights will focus on forwards in the first-round of the draft as they are expected to collect lots of defense and goaltending in the expansion draft and be desperate for scoring.

They will look at several prospects in that second tier, including Windsor Spitfire’s center Gabriel Vilardi from the OHL, Mississauga Steelheads wing Owen Tippett of the OHL, Eden Prairie (Minn.) High School’s Casey Mittelstadt and Tri-City Americans center Michael Rasmussen of the WHL. Vilardi is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound center who uses his size advantage to dominate. He is coming off a season in which he had 29 goals and 32 assists in just 49 contests this season. His lack of penalty minutes signal that he knows how to use his size to his advantage. Tippett is coming off a big year in which he scored 44 goals in 62 games and is known to be exceptionally quick. However, defense is an issue. Mittelstadt won Mr. Hockey in Minnesota, but is tough to judge after playing against lower-level competition. Rasmussen is the biggest of the four as he is 6-foot-5 and tallied 32 goals in the WHL.

  • The Buffalo Sabres interviewed Columbus Blue Jackets’ assistant general manager Bill Zito Saturday, as reported by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. Zito has been the Blue Jackets’ AGM since August of 2013. According to the team’s website, Zito helps manage contract negotiations, scouting and player evaluation and salary cap management and is also the general manager of the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters. The team has also shown interest in Los Angeles Kings’ assistant GM Mike Futa.

 

Eastern Notes: Shattenkirk’s Struggles, Shalunov

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While the Washington Capitals have received nothing but praise from the press since they made their trade deadline deal to acquire veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, his presence during the playoffs so far have been far from impressive. The veteran defenseman, who was picked up from the playoff-bound St. Louis Blues for a host of picks and players, including their 2017 first-round pick, has struggled in the playoffs with no goals and three assists in eight games this season. He also has a minus-seven rating in that span. Yesterday, he lost a race to 40-year-old Matt Cullen, which allowed the veteran to score a short-handed goal against the Capitals. Later, he took a delay of game penalty to allow Phil Kessel to score in the third period.

Coach Barry Trotz was also disappointed in the 28-year-old blueliner’s performance as he called him out this morning. “That’s not good enough for what we need in that third pairing right now. Minus-7 is hard to recover from,” Trotz said. Shattenkirk and defensive partner Brooks Orpik have struggled together as that third defensive line. In the first series against the Maple Leafs, the two allowed five goals in the series, the most of all the defensive pairings.

These mistakes have been costly enough with the Capitals now down two games and having to travel to Pittsburgh for the next two, but it also may not help him in the offseason when he is an unrestricted free agent, according to Adam Gretz of NBC Sports. While he will undoubtedly will receive a raise from his $2.592MM contract that ends this year, a good playoff performance or a long playoff run by Washington could have improved his value in the free-agency market. However, his struggles will likely not help him if things continue to stay the course.

So, if things don’t continue to improve, could Washington let Shattenkirk walk in free agency? Only time will tell.

  • Chicago Blackhawks prospect Maxim Shalunov will not be coming to the NHL any time soon as the 24-year-old wing will sign a three-year contract with Sibir Novosbibitsk of the KHL, according to his agent Shumi Babayev yesterday, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. That means the Blackhawks’ couldn’t bring Shalunov over to the U.S. before the 2020-21 season. He will, however, remain a Blackhawk as long as he stays on their resevered list. The fourth-round pick from the 2011  NHL draft is coming off a season in which he scored 19 goals for Sibir Novosbibitsk this past year. Babayev warned that Shalunov would cut off negotiations with the NHL a few weeks ago after the NHL announced that it would not restructure its season around the 2018 Olympic Games.

Snapshots: Holtby, Ritchie, Vrana

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Washington’s Braden Holtby will get the start for Game 3 in Pittsburgh. He was yanked after surrendering 3 goals on just 14 shots through 2 periods. Philipp Grubauer didn’t fare much better, however, as he let in 2 of 9 himself in the final period. The decision to pull the reigning Vezina trophy winner was maligned following the game by commentators, such as the Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg who believed the move was “a sign of panic”. Holtby has struggled this post-season, not looking particularly strong in the first series against Toronto. His .911 save percentage these playoffs is certainly respectable but also easily his career low. It’s difficult to believe that his massive workload over the course of the season isn’t playing a factor in his drop-off in play. The netminder played an absurd 63 games this past season, which is difficult to defend from a coaching standpoint. His backup in Grubauer performed well above expectations, helping the duo capture the Jennings trophy. Additionally, the Capitals looked to be a lock for the post-season well before April, so why Holtby was subjected to yet another season of heavy lifting seems confusing. At least he didn’t play 73 games, like he did two seasons ago. One has to wonder if Carey Price, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Braden Holtby have all succumbed to fatigue to varying degrees, considering their individual struggles come playoffs. Regardless, Holtby will need to improve if Washington hopes to claw their way back into the series on the road.

  • Anaheim forward Nick Ritchie and defenseman Sami Vatanen are both potential options for tonight’s game against Edmonton. Ritchie is out with the flu, and Vatanen has been out with an upper body injury since Game 1 versus Calgary in the last round. Both took the ice for the optional skate this morning, but no further information was provided. Vatanen had been replaced by Korbinian Holzer, who struggled in the season with a very poor 40.4 Corsi For percentage, taking a huge step backwards from the previous season in terms of driving possession. Ritchie had been replaced by Jared Boll, the heavy right-winger who accumulated an abysmal 39.3 CF% on the season – one of the league’s worst – to go along with his 0 goals through 51 games. The re-addition of Ritchie would be huge for a team that has had difficulty penetrating the wall that has been Cam Talbot.
  • Washington prospect Jakub Vrana was scratched last night for the Hershey Bears. The 21 year-old left-winger is crafty with the puck and was projected to be an effective offensive force. The Czech has had trouble adjusting his style to the North American game, however. He was drafted 13th overall in 2014 and had a decent sophomore season when he played, earning 21 games up with the Capitals, notching 3 goals and 3 assists in that span. He was held pointless through 3 games in the Bears’ series against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Head coach Troy Mann was displeased with his unwillingness to engage physically and defend on the backcheck. His effort level is remarkably low for a prospect which was considered top-tier. Getting scratched at the AHL level of play doesn’t bode well for his future in the NHL, although stranger things have happened.

World Championships: Austria, South Korea Promoted

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Both Austria and South Korea have been promoted to Division 1 play for next year’s World Championships. After a tight and grueling tournament, Korea edged out the Ukraine in a shootout to take the final spot. South Korea will host the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, and regardless of NHL involvement, the spotlight will be on their country to make a mark in the hockey world. They apparently will not be outclassed too mightily, as they have steeply improved under the direction of former NHLers Jim Paek and Richard Park. As recently as 2009, Korea was in Division II and they had consistently been ranked lower than 30th in terms of world ranking.

Austria is less of a surprise, as they had been relegated only in 2015. The country boasts successful NHL players such as Michael Grabner, Thomas Vanek, and Michael Raffl. They obliterated Poland in their final game 11-0 to win the tournament, proving definitively that they belong at the next level. The losing-est country in each group at the Worlds will face relegation and take their places in Division 1A. A country being able to compete with the top talent in the world on international hockey’s biggest stage is a huge boost in visibility for prospects and increases viability for its players in terms of acquiring a sizable pro contract.

The major tournament will begin on May 5 and conclude on May 21. As always, Canada and the United States are at a bit of a disadvantage as NHLers tend to opt out of the competition following a grueling 82 games and potential playoff runs. Additionally, some of the best players will still be playing as the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue to grind along. Russia, Sweden, and Finland are heavy contenders, and Switzerland seemingly improves every year. The IIHF tournament is a wonderful time to view lesser known adult stars from overseas, and an impressive performance can mean lucrative playing opportunities. The games will be played in Paris, France and Cologne, Germany.

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