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Snapshots: Sabres, Madden, Stephens

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The Buffalo Sabres interview list is up to six names now, after an Associated Press report from John Wawrow. Jason Botterill (PIT), Bill Guerin (PIT), Bill Zito (CBJ), Paul Fenton (NSH), Tom Fitzgerald (NJD), and Mike Futa (LAK) have all sat down with the Sabres leadership though a decision still hasn’t been made.

While Terry Pegula deals with his latest front office firing—this time of Doug Whaley of the Buffalo Bills—he says the Buffalo brain trust is close to making a final decision for the Sabres. One would expect the Sabres to put someone in place before the final decisions are made on the expansion draft protection lists, though they’ve already announced that Jeff Crisp will handle the entry draft. It is interesting to note that despite the expected interest, Julien BriseBois (Tampa Bay) and Norm Maciver (Chicago) don’t appear to have interviewed yet for the position.

  • Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch confirms the report about Zito, and adds that AHL coach John Madden is a candidate to join Gerard Gallant behind the bench in Vegas next season. Madden was an assistant coach with Gallant in Florida for two seasons, before taking the job left vacant with the Cleveland Monsters by Jared Bednar when he left for Colorado. Gallant recently said that he’d have his assistants chosen and hired within the next month or so.
  • The Washington Capitals have recalled Chandler Stephenson once again after allowing him to play the weekend back-to-back for the Hershey Bears. The AHL team ended up needing both games to eliminate the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and move on to their next matchup with the Providence Bruins, even getting a Stephenson assist on the opening goal Sunday. He’ll serve as insurance for the Capitals this week, as Hershey doesn’t open the next series until Saturday evening.

Teams Asking About Ben Bishop’s Rights

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Pierre LeBrun of TSN is reporting that teams have been asking the Los Angeles Kings about the rights to Ben Bishop, in order to try and get a chance to sign the goaltender before he hits free agency. Like Carolina with Scott Darling, a team would be giving up an asset—likely a draft pick—just for the chance to speak with him, with no guarantee of a contract.

Bishop is one of the more polarizing figures on the market this summer, as some believe he still can be an elite goaltender while others wonder if he hasn’t already seen his best years pass by. The fact remains that at 30-years old he’ll head into the summer as one the best options on the market, especially if Darling indeed signs with Carolina. The other top goaltenders on the market include a 36-year old Ryan Miller, a resurgent Jonathan Bernier and the extremely unpredictable Steve Mason. Bishop was a Vezina finalist as recently as 2016, but wasn’t off to a good start in Tampa Bay even before being injured this season.

Calgary, Winnipeg, Philadelphia and Carolina (should they not sign Darling) and many other teams will have some interest in the free agent if he makes it to July 1st, and Vegas has been considered a landing spot since their announcement. The Golden Knights may not need him though, depending on who they select in the expansion draft. They could acquire several young goaltenders to develop, while offering Bishop a big deal to be one of the core members of their first few years but it will require them fighting off several other interested teams. Bishop also currently has an eight-team no-trade list, though it’s unclear which teams appear on it.

New York Rangers Sign NCAA Defenseman Neal Pionk

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After many teams tried to court University of Minnesota-Duluth defenseman Neal Pionk this spring, the young free agent has decided on the New York Rangers. The team did not reveal any details on the contract, but it will be a three-year entry-level deal and likely start next season. As recently as February up to twenty teams were after Pionk, including the Washington Capitals who even had him attend their development camp in 2015. The small-but-fiesty defenseman has a cannon of a shot and could legitimately make the jump to the NHL as soon as next season.

Unlike many college free agents, Pionk is only 21-years old and still has a lot of time to develop his game in the right system. New York seems a perfect fit for him, as they’ve had trouble on the right side for several years, and could use a powerplay option outside of Ryan McDonagh and Brady Skjei (both left-handed). In 42 games for UMD this season, Pionk scored 34 points and helped the Bulldogs reach the championship game against the University of Denver.

While the Rangers continue to play for the Stanley Cup, the team has already added Alexei Bereglazov from the KHL and signed Steven Kampfer to a contract extension, while adding Vinni Lettieri and now Pionk from the NCAA ranks. It’s been a busy spring for Jeff Gorton and Chris Drury, as they look to prepare their team for the future while battling for the present. Pionk and Bereglazov are of special interest, as their arrival in New York seems to give the team too many options on the blueline. Should they decide to move on from one or two of their veteran defenders, they would have a tough time moving the big contracts. Both Marc Staal and Dan Girardi have no-movement clauses and are still signed long-term, though interestingly Girardi’s clause drops to a 15-team no-trade list on July 1st.

In all, Pionk has entered a situation where he will not be relied upon as the savior or a building-block, but a complementary piece on a team that already has its sights set on the playoffs every year. Should he show the ability to transition well to the NHL game, he’ll be rewarded handsomely in the future with one of the richest teams in the league. The Rangers have been doing a great job in recruiting young players from the college and European ranks, making up for their lack of draft picks in recent years.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report that Pionk had come to terms with the Rangers.

Michel Therrien In Mix For Florida Panthers Coaching Job

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While many have expected the Florida Panthers to go with a new face for their next coaching job, Eric Engels of Sportsnet now reports that a familiar name has surfaced. Michel Therrien is among the candidates for the head coaching vacancy, though there is no word on how far into the process the team is. Engels clarifies that Therrien shouldn’t be considered the leading candidate for the job, just that he’s on GM Dale Tallon’s “list”.

Therrien of course was dismissed by the Montreal Canadiens earlier this year, and would thus would require permission to speak to. It would be hard to imagine the Canadiens not granting it though, even for a division rival. Therrien was in the midst of a four-year contract extension that would have kept him in Montreal through 2018-19, but was replaced by Claude Julien mid-season. Julien had just been fired by the Boston Bruins, who allowed the Habs to hire him almost immediately.

Despite Therrien’s excellent 406-303-105 coaching record with Montreal and Pittsburgh, he’s only taken a team to the Stanley Cup Finals once and never won hockey’s biggest prize. While he has been respected in the game for many years, he also has been said to have somewhat of a shelf-life not unlike many other fiery bench bosses around the league. With a team like Florida, it would be an interesting fit for a team that has a mix of youth and veterans vying for playing time.

Morning Notes: Seattle, Entry Draft, Hornqvist

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Fans wondering where the next NHL expansion franchise will be got a candid answer from a connected figure today, when player agent Allan Walsh of Octagon Hockey tweeted out a timeline expectation. “Expect an NHL team in Seattle no later than 2020-21, as soon as arena renovations completed” Walsh wrote, while linking to a piece by Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times outlining the interest of two investment groups to increase parking and transit around the KeyArena. While there is still no guarantee that Seattle or the NHL would be ready to form a partnership before the next collective bargaining agreement is signed and put into effect, but this is a good sign for the hockey fans in the Pacific Northwest.

Seattle has long been considered an option for NHL expansion, because of its experience in the past as a professional sports city and the success of the Seattle Thunderbirds (previously the Breakers), who will play in the WHL final for the second consecutive season this year. While it isn’t a done deal by any means, Seattle does look like the next stomping grounds for NHL expansion.

  • NHL.com writers Mike Morreale, Adam Kimelman, and Guillaume Lepage released their first post-lottery mock drafts today, with two of the three expecting the New Jersey Devils to select Nolan Patrick first overall. While the Patrick or Nico Hischier debate for first and second overall rages, it is interesting to note that all three writers had a different player going third overall. Miro Heiskanen, Gabriel Vilardi and Casey Mittelstadt each take a turn in that spot, showing the lack of consensus there is over prospects past the pair of centermen. Some of the most interesting picks may happen from 3-10 this year, with the possibility of more movement than usual on the trade front. Without much of a consensus, it may come down to positional need for some teams, especially because of the depth of centers and defense in this year’s draft.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins say that Brian Dumoulin, Carl Hagelin and Patric Hornqvist are all game-time decisions after missing the morning skate today. Hornqvist had to leave game 2 early after blocking a shot, but has been an extremely effective player once again for the Penguins this playoffs. He already has five points in seven games, but his power-presence makes a big impact on the game even when he doesn’t score. After another 20-goal season that saw him increase his physicality and forechecking dominance, he’ll be a candidate for an early extension this year. At 30, he’ll be entering the final season of his current five-year deal, and will be looking for another long-term contract before he hits free agency.

Vadim Shipachyov Will Not Sign With Montreal Canadiens

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According to Eric Engels of Sportsnet, the Montreal Canadiens will not pursue KHL free agent forward Vadim Shipachyov. The Canadiens just inked their own KHL star today in Jakub Jerabek, but have decided to avoid a bidding war over the older Shipachyov. The 30-year old is widely expected to come to the NHL this season, and has been previously been rumored to be looking for a deal worth up to $5.5MM annually.

The Canadiens are clearly looking for upgrades offensively after being bounced from the playoffs by the New York Rangers while scoring just eleven goals in the six-game series. Their best playoff performer Alexander Radulov is a free agent this summer, and though he has been clear about a desire to stay in Montreal, there is no guarantee that a deal is completed before he hits the open market and sees his price go up even further. While Shipachyov is clearly a strong scoring threat—he scored 26 goals and 76 points in 50 games this season, trailing only Ilya Kovalchuk on SKA St. Petersburg—he comes with some of the same problems that they currently have at center, with a less-developed defensive game and lack of physical presence.

With a new contract for Radulov due, and Carey Price’s eventual extension looming over Montreal this summer they’ll likely be looking in the trade market for an upgrade down the middle of the ice. Suddenly with a ton of defensive depth on the  left side, they could dip into their prospect cupboard to find the player they need instead of risking a big contract on an unproven KHL star.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Jakub Jerabek To One-Year Deal

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As previously rumored, the Montreal Canadiens have signed Jakub Jerabek to a one-year, entry-level deal. The contract will be for 2017-18, and is worth the maximum of $925K (including signing bonuses) after which the Czech defender will become an unrestricted free agent. The deal also contains no performance bonuses. Jerabek will compete for a role on the Montreal blueline after impressing in his first season of play in the KHL, where he scored 34 points in 59 games.

Jerabek is another example of the overlooked undersized defenseman, as he went undrafted despite some impressive showings at the World Juniors years ago. He played parts of eight seasons in the top Czech league before heading to the KHL this year, debuting in his home country at just 17. Currently at the World Championships, Jerabek has worn the captain’s “C” for his country in the past and competes regularly for them on the international stage.

Soon to be 26, Jerabek could only sign a one-year entry-level deal with the team though immediately becomes a candidate for a longer extension should the two sides find some common ground. His effectiveness at the NHL level will determine his future though, as he remains no guarantee for success at this level. Just 5″11, Jerabek doesn’t have the size that usually accompanies NHL defenders but brings an excellent combination of skating and puck skills. The fact that he was able to transition so smoothly into the KHL is impressive, even earning All-Star honors in his first year.

For Montreal, who may be saying goodbye to long-time defender Andrei Markov—despite his inclination to re-sign with the team—Jerabek could slide into a similar role playing on the powerplay and skating alongside Jeff Petry. For a team that will spend much of their summer trying to address their offensive needs, Jerabek provides much of that from the back-end.

Pierre LeBrun of TSN provided the details on the contract, including the note that it has no performance bonuses.

Latest On Sabres’ Pursuit Of Viktor Antipin

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The Buffalo Sabres are one step closer to signing Viktor Antipin as according to Igor Eronko of Sport-Express, the 24-year old defenseman has indeed terminated his contract with Magnitogorsk and is now a free agent. Antipin had been contracted through next season, but has been rumored for months to be a target of the Sabres. With Dmitry Kulikov, Cody Franson and Taylor Fedun all set to become free agents, the Sabres could use a puck moving defender like Antipin immediately on the back-end.

Antipin is one of the most decorated young players in the KHL, already with two Gagain Cup victories, two World Championship medals and a World Juniors silver under his belt. He’s also been a KHL all-star and won the league’s “Gentleman” award. After 24 points in 59 games this season, Antipin played a huge part in taking Magnitogorsk to the Cup final once again, scoring seven goals in 18 playoff games. Buffalo will likely get him under contract as soon as possible.

Earlier updates…

  • Last week, the two sides were linked by multiple sources with Brayton Wilson of WGR 550 in Buffalo noting that any deal would likely include a clause which would send Antipin back should the Sabres think he’s not ready for the NHL. There will be no AHL time for the young defender, as his goal is to play in the NHL right away. Nikita Tryamkin had a similar clause put into his deal, before heading back to Russia this year.
  • Back in early March, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was one of the first to mention Antipin’s name in connection with Buffalo, while also speaking about his teammate Alexei Bereglazov’s interest in the New York Rangers. Bereglazov signed with the Rangers on April 21st, mainly because he did not have the added obstacle of negotiating a termination of a full year on his KHL deal. If Antipin does sign with the Sabres, it will be interesting to see the two develop for cross-state teams here in the NHL.

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