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Jean-Francois Berube Could Be Included In Vegas Deal

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According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, the Jean-Francois Berube may be included in the New York Islanders side-deal with the Vegas Golden Knights. That deal in particular has been tough to pin down for all those chasing it, with several different iterations coming out in the last few days. The latest has it involving the Islanders’ first-round pick (15th-overall this year) in order to protect some unnamed group of players from selection, while Mikhail Grabovski’s contract could be headed the other way. This is the first we’ve heard of Berube being involved.

Interestingly, the Golden Knights have been expected to already have too many goaltenders after the draft and will unlikely have room for Berube on their roster. Recently it has been reported that Antti Raanta was not the selection from the Rangers, meaning perhaps Vegas is going for more position players than originally expected. Though Berube has some potential as an NHL goaltender, he played just 14 games for the Islanders this season (seven starts) and put up a .889 save percentage. He was relegated to the third string goaltender early in the season and never really received a chance as the Islanders struggled in net. With the team re-signing Thomas Greiss in early January, the writing was on the wall for Berube’s future in New York.

15th-overall is a hefty price to pay for any trade, but protecting their exposed group and getting rid of Grabovski’s cap hit seems important enough to the team. There have been rumblings of the Golden Knights wanting to move up from sixth-overall in the entry draft, and the Islanders’ pick could be a big part of that. Pierre LeBrun of TSN mentioned early this morning that Vegas had secured ten draft picks over the next few seasons, with several expected in the first round this season. While the team they ice on opening night in 2017-18 might not be incredible, the Golden Knights seem poised to have a quick build through the draft and young assets.

Expansion Notes: Schmidt, Emelin, Islanders, Enstrom

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In our mock expansion draft, Nate Schmidt edged out Philipp Grubauer as the selection from the Washington Capitals mainly due to the wealth of goaltending talent available to the Vegas Golden Knights. Schmidt has shown potential to be able to log time as a top-4 defender, and has the elite skating ability that would allow him to fit into what should be a young group in Vegas.

That said, Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post reports that Schmidt’s camp hasn’t been told if he was the selection. Several players have been notified already in order to get them there for the reveal tonight, but as Khurshudyan explains it’s still early yet. Schmidt would be of interest to many teams around the league immediately after selection, though he’s also young enough (25) to fit in long-term in Vegas.

  • Frank Seravalli of TSN got some bad info on the expansion target in Montreal earlier, but has since found out that Alexei Emelin may be headed to Vegas. Originally, Seravalli believed there was a connection to Brandon Davidson who shares an agent with Spencer Foo, the college free agent that Vegas is currently trying to sign. Emelin has just one year remaining on his contract and holds a 10-team no-trade list should Vegas want to flip him. At 31, it doesn’t seem like he fits into their competitive window but could be used—like James Neal and others—as trade bait either in the summer or at next season’s trade deadline.
  • Arthur Staple of Newsday has been all over the New York Islanders expansion situation from the beginning, but still can’t lock down who will be selected tonight. What he can share is that it’s likely not someone “who saw regular NHL time last season.” That would seem to rule out many of the exposed Islanders’ exposed players including Brock Nelson, Casey Cizikas and Josh Bailey. Even Ryan Strome spent the majority of the season in New York. That could point to defenseman Scott Mayfield, as the 34th overall pick in 2011 still hasn’t cracked the NHL roster full-time. In 25 games with the Islanders this season he scored nine points, and at 24 would still have time to develop further in Vegas.
  • Darren Dreger of TSN notes that Toby Enstrom may have been protected after all by the Winnipeg Jets, as there is likely a side-deal with Vegas to not select the veteran defender. Enstrom waived his no-movement clause in order for the Jets to protect Tyler Myers, and would probably cost less in terms of assets to protect in a deal.

Snapshots: Eakin, Gusev, Kane

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The rumblings over who will be selected in tonight’s expansion draft are coming fast and furious, and though many are highly speculative Jim Toth of TSN 1290 is reporting that Cody Eakin will be the selection from the Dallas Stars. While it’s not clear who Toth’s sources are, Eakin would make sense as the Dallas selection. Not only did he show that he’s capable of putting up 35-40 points before this season but he’s only 26-years old and was drafted by new Vegas GM George McPhee back in Washington.

We projected Eakin as the selection out of Dallas in our mock expansion draft, mostly because of the lack of exciting options available among their exposed players. Eakin is coming off a disastrous season in which he scored just 12 points despite spending substantial time with the Stars’ big guns up front. His faceoffs improved and he could still be a valuable piece, but there is no guarantee he’ll ever get back to the highs earlier in his career.

  • Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times thinks that Nikita Gusev may be part of any trade with the Vegas Golden Knights to either protect young defensemen or move Jason Garrison’s hefty contract. Gusev was a linemate of Vadim Shipachyov last season in the KHL and has shown that he can be an incredible offensive performer despite his relatively small stature. The 24-year old still has one year remaining on his contract with SKA St. Petersburg, meaning it would just be a deal of negotiating rights to the Golden Knights. Gusev could also work out a mutual termination or buyout of his KHL contract and come to North America right away, though the interest in that option is unclear.
  • Darren Dreger of TSN gave us an update on Evander Kane trade talks amid all the expansion news, reporting that there are still ongoing discussions with teams in “win now” mode. While those teams aren’t clear, there is likely quite a bit of interest in the 28-goal man who may have turned a corner after his recent legal drama. Kane was by all accounts a much more consistent teammate this season, and showed it on the scoresheet with his best season since 2011-12. Amazingly still just 25-years old, Kane has one year left on his contract and could be among next summer’s top free agents with a repeat performance.

NHL Announces Home Opener Schedule

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The NHL has announced the schedule for (almost) every team’s home opener. The complete schedule will be revealed in a television event on Thursday, but for now here are the dates each team will first skate in front of their fans:

Anaheim Ducks: Oct 5th vs ARZ
Arizona Coyotes: Oct 7th vs VGK
Boston Bruins: Oct. 5th vs NSH
Buffalo Sabres: Oct 5th vs MTL
Calgary Flames: Oct 7th vs WIN
Carolina Hurricanes: Oct. 7th vs MIN
Chicago Blackhawks: Oct. 5th vs PIT
Colorado Avalanche: Oct 11th vs BOS
Columbus Blue Jackets: Oct 6th vs NYI
Dallas Stars: Oct. 6th vs VGK
Detroit Red Wings: Oct 5th vs MIN
Edmonton Oilers: Oct 4th vs CGY
Florida Panthers: Oct. 7th vs TB
Los Angeles Kings: Oct. 5th vs PHI
Minnesota Wild: Oct 14th vs CBJ
Montreal Canadiens: Oct 10th vs CHI
Nashville Predators: Oct. 10th vs PHI
New Jersey Devils: Oct. 7th vs COL
New York Islanders: Oct. 7th vs BUF
New York Rangers: Oct. 5th vs COL
Ottawa Senators: Oct 5th vs WSH
Philadelphia Flyers: Oct. 14th vs WSH
Pittsburgh Penguins: Oct. 4th vs STL
San Jose Sharks: Oct 4th vs PHI
St. Louis Blues: Oct. 7th vs DAL
Tampa Bay Lightning: Oct 6th vs FLA
Toronto Maple Leafs: Oct. 7th vs NYR
Vancouver Canucks: Oct. 7th vs EDM
Vegas Golden Knights: Oct. 10th vs ARZ
Washington Capitals: Oct 7th vs MTL
Winnipeg Jets: Oct. 4th vs TOR

Expected Trades With Vegas Golden Knights

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The Vegas Golden Knights assuredly have more deals worked out than we know so far, but Bob McKenzie of TSN gave us a long breakdown of the ones that are expected to happen. With some added details from others like Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch and Arthur Staple of Newsday, here are the deals that the hockey world is pretty sure have been agreed upon. To be clear, none of these trades are final until they are announced at tonight’s NHL Awards ceremony:

Minnesota Wild

Vegas signs Erik Haula to multi-year contract, forfeiting expansion selection. Sends conditional draft pick.

Minnesota sends Alex Tuch.

Anaheim Ducks

Vegas selects Clayton Stoner.

Anaheim sends Shea Theodore.

Chicago Blackhawks

Vegas selects Trevor van Riemsdyk.

Chicago sends Marcus Kruger.

This deal in particular should be subject to skepticism, as today’s news surrounding Marian Hossa complicates things. Scott Powers of The Athletic has been told that Kruger will remain with the Blackhawks through tonight, though it’s unclear what that would mean for van Riemsdyk who is still eligible to be drafted.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Vegas will not select Josh Anderson, Joonas Korpisalo or Jack Johnson.

Columbus sends 2017 first-round pick, a prospect, and David Clarkson.

New York Islanders

Vegas will not select certain players left exposed (unclear who exactly has been included).

New York sends 2017 first-round pick, and  Mikhail Grabovski.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Vegas selects Marc-Andre Fleury.

Pittsburgh sends unknown draft pick.

There are also deals in place with other teams including Florida and Tampa Bay, but reports have been inconsistent on the details thus far. McKenzie’s thread gives some insight into what they could be, but at this point it is still speculation. Again, each of these should be considered still only expected as details are fuzzy on each of them. We’ll update this page with any other deals that are leaked in the next few hours.

Karl Alzner, Jordan Weal Will Not Sign With Vegas Before July 1st

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Pierre LeBrun of TSN spoke to J.P. Barry, agent to unrestricted free agents Karl Alzner and Jordan Weal who said his clients did speak with the Vegas Golden Knights but will wait to talk to other teams before making a decision. That takes them out of consideration to count as the Golden Knights’ expansion picks, but doesn’t rule out a deal eventually between the two sides. LeBrun is quick to point out that this doesn’t necessarily signal that Weal will not sign in Philadelphia before free agency opens next Saturday.

It has been clear since the end of the season that Alzner would not be back with the Washington Capitals next season, but with such appealing options available to them in the expansion draft the Golden Knights couldn’t afford to forfeit their selection. Nate Schmidt or Philipp Grubauer, the two most often expected to be the selection, are too valuable to Vegas to pass on just for the chance to sign Alzner early.

Weal on the other hand may be the most enticing option available after Philadelphia submitted their protection list. The 25-year old is a Group VI free agent this summer, and showed at the end of the year that there may be some NHL scoring ability in him after all. It’s not surprising that Vegas showed interest, as they likely will again if he can’t get a deal done with Philadelphia by the end of the month. The two sides had apparently agreed on term earlier this month, though still can’t decide on a salary that works.

The Golden Knights have signed Erik Haula from the Minnesota Wild, but that was more of a secondary part following a deal to protect extra players. It will be hard to see Vegas waste many opportunities just to sign a free agent that they may have a chance with anyway, especially with the intriguing free agents clustering in places like Washington and San Jose. Alexander Radulov remains an interesting option, though not a wisp of rumor has come out connecting the two sides prior to the deadline this morning.

Poll: Who Will Be The Best Golden Knights Player After The Dust Settles?

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When the NHL first introduced the rules under which the Vegas Golden Knights would be making their expansion draft selections, much of the hockey world immediately believed that they would be a disaster for the first few seasons. Now as GM George McPhee has held all the cards in the lead-up to the draft, the Golden Knights seem poised to acquire a huge pool of young talent right away.

Much of that young talent will come at the cost of not selecting the best NHL-ready players from around the league, as deals with Anaheim and Minnesota point to the Golden Knights avoiding some of the best available players. Shea Theodore and Alex Tuch are fine prizes, but players like Sami Vatanen and Eric Staal would have likely made a bigger impact in the first year.

So, after the team signed Vadim Shipachyov and may still be able to acquire players like James Neal, Marc Methot or Brock Nelson who exactly will be their best player? After all the dust settles, and the Golden Knights head into the 2017-18 season who will open as the face of the franchise and player anointed to carry the load for them in their first year?

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Minnesota Wild Forward Erik Haula To Sign With Vegas Golden Knights

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According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, the Vegas Golden Knights will pass up a chance to pick a player from the Minnesota Wild. Instead, the team has signed Erik Haula to a three-year contract extension. In order for them to avoid Mathew Dumba and others, the Wild have also agreed to send Vegas prospect Alex Tuch while the Golden Knights will return a conditional draft pick.Erik Haula

This is a huge move for the Golden Knights, and one that could have been expected after the protection lists were released. The Wild chose not to make a deal before the lists were due, instead deciding to trade directly with the source of their roster discomfort. Dumba, Marco Scandella, Eric Staal and others were left unprotected despite serious interest from around the league. Instead of watching one of their defensemen walk out the door, the Wild will instead have to part with their first-round pick from 2014 in Tuch and an effective secondary option in Haula.

The 21-year old Tuch made his NHL debut this season, after two successful years at Boston College. Though he was held scoreless in his six game stint, he did put up 37 points in 57 AHL contests and could make an impact down the line for the Golden Knights. Though he may never be a top-line player, his size and scoring ability should at least allow him to be an effective middle-six winger. The most important part for the Wild was that it wasn’t Kirill Kaprizov, Luke Kunin or Jordan Greenway going the other way, three forward prospects that all may have higher ceilings than Tuch.

In Haula, the Golden Knights add to their forward depth with a versatile player who can skate at center or the wing. The 26-year old was due to become a restricted free agent for the final time in his career, coming off a deal that paid him just $1MM last season. His new contract will give the Golden Knights some cap certainty in the bottom of their lineup, while also gaining an asset. Russo doesn’t have details on the conditional pick, but says that it is “complicated.”

With trades for first-round picks from several teams and a report from last night implicating Shea Theodore in a potential deal with Anaheim, the Golden Knights are putting themselves in prime position to compete in the near future. “Asset harvesting” as George McPhee puts it is bearing fruit for the expansion team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Evgeny Dadonov’s NHL Future

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Buried in Elliotte Friedman’s always interesting “30 Thoughts” column for Sportsnet last night was one short note about KHL star and free agent Evgeny Dadonov. The 28-year old forward has been linked to several teams since the KHL season ended, most recently the Vegas Golden Knights who had re-opened talks with him to join Vadim Shipachyov for their inaugural season. Friedman reports differently though, saying that Dadonov is getting close with an Eastern Conference team.

Way back in March Friedman had reported that Dadonov was looking for around $3.5MM in the NHL, a number that would be palatable to many teams around the league. The winger put up 66 points in 53 games this season, his fifth since leaving the NHL in the first place. Drafted by the Florida Panthers 71st overall in 2007, Dadonov never could find much success at the highest level but still has tremendous offensive potential. Now slightly bigger than he was as a young player in Florida, perhaps his game is better suited for the league than it was prior to the last lockout.

Among Eastern teams with some interest, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes have all been very tenuously linked to the Russian forward in the past. In our reader poll last month, over 40% voted that he would eventually end up with the Golden Knights, though Toronto and Montreal were second and third respectively.

Though he can play both sides, Dadonov is left handed and would likely need to play his off-wing in Montreal. The Canadiens are loaded on left wing after acquiring Jonathan Drouin, unless one of he or Alex Galchenyuk is moved back to center. The Maple Leafs have a glut of wingers, but would have an opening if a player like James van Riemsdyk was moved out in trade. Either way, with his flexibility Dadonov could find a position somewhere on nearly every roster in the Eastern conference, meaning several teams have probably expressed interest in bringing him aboard. In what will be another instance of a Russian player coming to the NHL this offseason, it’s becoming more and more clear that the reports that Olympic play would be a factor in decisions was more of a negotiating tactic from the KHL than anything else.

Free Agent Focus: Carolina Hurricanes

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The free agent period is now less than two weeks away from opening up and there are several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Carolina’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Brock McGinn – With the recent two year contract for Teuvo Teravainen, McGinn is the lone RFA remaining that spent more time in the NHL than in the AHL.  After being an injury fill-in in 2015-16, McGinn played himself into somewhat of a regular role in the bottom six and did a reasonable job, picking up 16 points in 57 games while averaging 12 minutes of ice time per night.  He’s due a qualifying offer of $840K and his new deal should come in close to that amont.

F Phillip Di Giuseppe – After turning some heads in 2015-16, Di Giuseppe didn’t build on that this past season and wound up spending 40 games with AHL Charlotte as a result.  He also got into 36 games with the Hurricanes but managed only a single goal and six assists, well off the 17 points he had in half a season the year before.  His qualifying offer comes in just over $800K but this might be a case where he takes a little bit lower to get a higher guaranteed salary either in the way of higher AHL pay or a one-way contract.

Other RFAs: G Daniel Altshuller, D Trevor Carrick, D Jake Chelios, F Andrej Nestrasil

Sep 21, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Derek Ryan (33) skates with the puck past Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov (92) in the second period at Verizon Center. The Capitals won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY SportsKey Unrestricted Free Agents: F Derek Ryan – It’s not often that a player isn’t too well-known by the time he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency but that’s the case when it comes to Ryan.  At the age of 30, he has just 73 career NHL games under his belt, 67 of which came this past season where he collected 11 goals and 18 assists.  His breakout season came back in 2014-15 in Sweden which got him his only NHL contract so far and given how little action he’s had at the highest level, it’s fair to wonder if he may have another level to his game.  Considering he’s also strong at the faceoff dot (over 55% this past season), he could be an intriguing middle six center to watch for on the open market.

F Jay McClement – The veteran has been a fourth line defensive center for several years now and while his offense has cooled off since joining the Hurricanes in 2014-15, he can still fit into a penalty killing role.  One thing that may hurt him in free agency was a drop off at the faceoff dot from 55% to 48%.  At the former, he can fit in as a faceoff specialist but at a below average rate, that’s a harder sell to make.  When McClement has made it to the market, he has signed quickly but that may not be the case this time around.

Other UFAs: F Connor Brickley, F Patrick Brown, F Danny Kristo, G Michael Leighton, D Dennis Robertson, D Philip Samuelsson, D Matt Tennyson, F Brendan Woods

Projected Cap Space: Cap room is rarely an issue in Carolina and won’t be again in 2017-18.  They currently have a little more than $26.5MM in cap space per CapFriendly and already have 17 players under contract.  If they decide to up the budget to make a push for the playoffs, the Hurricanes could be a team to watch this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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