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Archives for August 2017

Dallas Stars Sign Jamie Oleksiak

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The Dallas Stars have signed another restricted free agent, inking defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to a one-year $965K contract for 2017-18. Oleksiak was eligible for salary arbitration but chose not to file after his disappointing season.

Oleksiak, 24, played 41 games this season for the Stars and registered just seven points. He still hasn’t developed into the hulking shut down defender the Stars had hoped for when the selected him 14th overall, and can’t seem to keep himself in the lineup for a whole season. This year he spent a ton of time in the press box as a healthy scratch, and has just 119 games since his debut in 2012-13.

With Marc Methot added to the Dallas defense corps, there doesn’t seem to be a regular role for Oleksiak once again. The team has a glut of defenders already established, while Julius Honka is also poised to make his mark in the NHL. It’ll be tough for Oleksiak to pass anyone on the depth chart.

There has been times that moving Oleksiak to forward has been discussed, though it doesn’t seem like that is a realistic option at this point. Instead, the 6’7″ defender—who actually has more skill with the puck than some may think—will have to take a big step forward in his development. That’s not uncommon for players of his size, but it’ll have to come soon.

Snapshots: Shalunov, Prust, Dorsett

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The Chicago Blackhawks were disappointed when Maxim Shalunov signed a three-year deal in the KHL, but Scott Powers of The Athletic writes that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be out of their plans for that long. As we’ve seen multiple times over the past year, KHL contracts can be terminated early to allow players to come over to the NHL.

Remember this year that an entire team’s contracts were terminated after their new owners refused to pay debts. While that’s not going to happen to Shalunov’s new team, CSKA Moscow, there are always ways around their contracts.

  • Brandon Prust will be in NHL training camp again this year, as according to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider, he’ll be in Los Angeles come September. Prust spent last season playing in Germany after going through training camp with the Maple Leafs, and has been clear about his desire to return to the NHL. It’s unlikely that he’ll earn a contract, but perhaps Los Angeles will have room for a fourth-line veteran.
  • Derek Dorsett underwent surgery on his neck in December but is now on track to be ready for the start of the season. Rick Dhaliwal of NEWS 1130 in Vancouver reports that Dorsett has “no issues with his neck” and that he’s already skating to get ready for training camp. He played just 14 games for the Canucks last year, but has been a fairly effective bottom-six player for his career. In 2014-15 he set a career-high with 25 points, and will be in the lineup more than not to protect the young players Vancouver is set to use this year.

Submit Your Questions For The Pro Hockey Rumors Mailbag

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Did you miss the weekly live chat? Well now you can submit your question to our mailbag and have our Brian La Rose answer it on Monday! While the summer drags on, there is still lots of intrigue as teams look to fine tune their roster and use their remaining cap space. You can submit your questions on Twitter using the hashtag #PHRMailbag or by using the comment feature below.

Be sure to check back on Monday when our mailbag is posted. You can check out the last mailbag right here.

USA Olympic Team Announces Management, Coaching Staff

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The 2018 Winter Olympics will be another chance for amateur hockey players from throughout North America to create some magic (some may even call it a Miracle) and show that they can compete at the highest level. The NHL will not be going, meaning players from the NCAA, junior and European leagues will make up the teams for the United States and Canada.

Today, USA Hockey announced the management and coaching staff for the upcoming Olympics:

This group has a ton of international experience, led by Granato who has coached and played in the Olympics before. Now the head coach of the University of Wisconsin, Granato has long been considered one of the brightest hockey minds ever developed in the US. It is interesting that an NCAA coach has been selected, as he’ll have much more first hand experience with many of the players the team will have to rely on.

Johannson said in the press conference that the team will also look at some semi-retired NHL players to suit up for the team. Possibilities include Brian Gionta, Matt Cullen or even Drew Stafford if he can’t find a job around the NHL before the start of the season.

Most of the team though will come from the NCAA ranks, where players like Jordan Greenway could be asked to play big minutes. Greenway was part of the World Championship squad earlier this spring along with fellow college players Daniel Brickley and Cal Petersen. Petersen has since signed with the Los Angels Kings and will be ineligible, while Brickley may have a substantial role after heading back to Minnesota State University.

Luke Kunin, Granato’s star player last year at Wisconsin will be unable to play after signing with the Iowa Wild this spring following his sophomore year. Granato is surely going to pull from his own roster for other options.

All Quiet On The Veteran Front

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The NHL offseason has been an interesting one. With plenty of intrigue around the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft, and speculation that they’d flip half the team immediately after, the returns were relatively unspectacular. A fifth-round pick here, a second-rounder there. For all the excitement it has seemed like the market is somewhat saturated with middling players at the moment. No one is going to pay a premium for an average player, when the new NHL is so skewed to the talents of the youth each team has already in their system.

The same can be said for the free agent market. After coming out blazing on day one, the market quickly cooled and has left some veteran players on the outside looking in. Several players whose age starts with a three (and some with a four) are still sitting on the sidelines, waiting for an opportunity to open up. There is plenty of talent still to be had, if they would agree for the right price.

Jaromir Jagr

The ageless one is obviously the first that anyone notices when looking at a list of free agents. Jagr put up 46 points last season and is still an excellent possession player, shielding the puck down low like he has a trademark on it. A career-low shooting percentage kept his goal total down at 16, but he easily could have had another 20-goal season had it been anywhere near his normal rate. Some of that may come from a loss of power, accuracy or even of the ability to get to the prime scoring areas but he still generates positive chances when he’s on the ice.

Kevin Kurz of NBC did a Q&A on Twitter today and was asked about Jagr’s fit in San Jose, responding that if he is looking for just $2-3MM he could be a fit. That may not be that far-fetched, as Jagr has signed for as little as $2MM in base salary in the past. A contract filled with performance bonuses is clearly the way to go here.

Thomas Vanek

Why is the league so afraid of Vanek? After being bought out by the Wild last year, Vanek had to settle for just $2.6MM from the Detroit Red Wings on a sort of prove-it deal. Well, what didn’t he prove? In 68 games split between the Red Wings and Panthers, Vanek registered 48 points and showed he can still work on the powerplay and in limited minutes. His defensive deficiencies are readily apparent, but can easily be explained away by the offense he creates in a sheltered role. Both contenders and rebuilders could use him, if even as a trade chip for next year.

Daniel Winnik

No one is ever going to mistake Winnik for an offensive dynamo, but he’s proven to be an excellent defensive forward for years and could still help many teams. If you have a fourth-line winger spot that’s being filled by an unproven rookie who may need some more seasoning, Winnik is the guy for you. He’s effective in limited minutes, can penalty kill, and for some reason is worth a second-round pick at the deadline. 25 points from a guy who plays less than 12 minutes of even strength ice time is pretty darn effective.

Cody Franson

We seem to get a question every week about Franson in our live chats, and he continues to be one of the most pondered players in the league. What is he exactly? Can he legitimately be the possession-driving borderline top-4 player he once was, or is he an extreme defensive liability that can only work on average teams? If you go by analytics Franson had another solid season for Buffalo, and recorded 19 points in 68 games. His market still seems to be invisible, though with the recent injury to Jakob Chychrun in Arizona, Sarah McLellan of AZ Central suggests that the Coyotes might look at him as a veteran replacement to help lengthen out their back end.

Other unsigned veterans include Drew Stafford, Brian Gionta, Francois Beauchemin, Ryan White, Jiri Hudler, and P.A. Parenteau all who could still have an impact in the right situation.

Hurricanes, Flames Hire Analytics Experts

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The analytics movement in hockey is no longer a novel thing. Nearly every team has embraced advanced analytics, with some teams housing entire analytics departments even. Thus, it is no surprise when teams announce that they have hired an analytics expert to their front office staff. What remains interesting however is where some teams find these new additions. Last year, the Vegas Golden Knights hired General Fanager creator Tom Poraszka as a Hockey Operations Analyst to help get their player evaluations off an running ahead of the NHL Expansion Draft and Entry Draft. Now, it seems the Carolina Hurricanes and Calgary Flames have taken a page out of that book.

The Hurricanes announced today that they have hired datarink.com creator Kevin Kan to join their staff. Kan will be given the title of Data Engineer and will surely have similar duties to the function of his website. Data Rink was a hockey statistics visualizations site, scraping NHL data and putting it into forms that better displayed the co-mingling of different stats and advanced analytics. Carolina has already put together a talented and extremely deep defensive corps, not to mention acquiring their presumed franchise goalie in Scott Darling, but need to find a way to boost scoring. Whether examining data from draft-eligible prospects or current pros, Kan can help GM Ron Francis in his search for that missing link up front that can take the ’Canes to contender status.

The Flames had a similar thought, hiring David Johnson, the mind behind both hockeyanalysis.com and puckalytics.com, which have already been taken down. Sportsnet’s John Shannon reported the hire, adding that Calgary has recently been focused on improving its analytics ability. Johnson is a good fit for the job, as he was one of the first to adopt and explore both Corsi and Fenwick, major advanced analytic statistics. Unlike Kan, who simply displayed data in creative ways, Johnson has used his analysis to often fight for or against the value of one player or another. Johnson has had his fair share of both hits and misses in that practice, but what he provides to the Flames is a knowledge base and different point of view on any projects and questions facing GM Brad Treliving, who has been plenty busy this off-season with the addition of Travis Hamonic, Spencer Foo, Mike Smith, and Eddie Lack already. Now that the championship window is open in Calgary, Johnson will come in handy when evaluation is necessary to make sure no further moves derail those title chances.

While it is tough for fans to see some of their favorite analytics sites continue to disappear, it is refreshing to see the game continue to embrace analytics and those leading the charge find employment at the highest level.

WHL Trade Notes: Bargar, Bishop, Dumba, Henderson

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While it has been relatively quiet on the NHL transaction front this week, there has been a flurry of activity in one of the main feeder leagues, the Western Hockey League. Off-season trades are not overly common in the Canadian junior leagues, but every year a few notable prospects end up on the move. Just recently, former Providence College commit Merrick Rippon was traded from one OHL squad to another, with a handful of other big OHL names potentially on the move soon. Not to be outdone, three trades have since gone down in the WHL as teams begin to sort things out ahead of the 2017-18 season.

  • Yesterday, a noteworthy one-for-one swap went down, with the Seattle Thunderbirds receiving forward Blake Bargar from the Victoria Royals in exchange for defenseman Anthony Bishop. This will be the third team in three years for Barger, an undrafted small, gritty winger who was dealt by the Moose Jaw Warriors last year. Bargar hopes that the third time is the charm as he looks to finally find some consistent scoring in Seattle during his fourth junior season. He should have a good chance with the defending WHL champion Thunderbirds, where he could find himself skating alongside promising NHL prospects like Ryan Gropp or Keegan Kolesar. Meanwhile, Bishop is in the same boat as Bargar. He too is beginning the new season with a new team for the third straight year, having began his WHL career with the Saskatoon Blades. Bishop, also undrafted, did show some growth last season and is trending towards a career year in 2017-18 with the Royals.
  • Another 19-year-old was on the move yesterday, as goaltender Kyle Dumba was traded to the Kamloops Blazers  from the Calgary Hitmen. The team announced that they had received a conditional seventh-round pick in the WHL Bantam Draft, though the conditions were not disclosed. The team release revealed that the team believes 2016-17 starter Connor Ingram, a 2016 Tampa Bay Lightning selection, will indeed be going pro, likely joining the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, for the upcoming campaign. The team made the decision to bring in some competition for and depth behind Dylan Ferguson, who notably drafted in the seventh round by the Dallas Stars this past June, only to then be dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights not long after. Ferguson appeared in 31 games last year and is ready for the starter job, but Dumba made 28 appearances himself and will work to get his minutes in net. The younger brother of young Minnesota Wild defenseman Mathew Dumba, Kyle Dumba has something to prove in Kamloops after two tough seasons in Calgary.
  • Also heading to a new home for the upcoming season in defenseman Jordan Henderson. It is strange to see Henderson on the move yet again after being traded twice last season. After more than two years with the Spokane Chiefs, during which time Henderson showed little potential, he was moved to the Saskatoon Blades early last season, who then flipped him to the Medicine Hat Tigers later on in the year. However, Henderson could not have asked for a better fit, as he exploded in Medicine Hat with 19 points and a +29 rating in 26 games – both more than the rest of his WHL career combined. Henderson is 20 years old and in the final season of his junior career, but finally seemed to be coming into his own with the Tigers. However, the 2016-17 Central Division champs made the decision that a future prospect, a 2019 conditional sixth-round Bantam Draft pick, was more valuable than one more season of an overage defender. Now, the WHL veteran will head to the Kootenay Ice, the worst team in the WHL last year. Henderson may play the largest role of his career and will certainly get some attention playing alongside promising “D” prospect Cale Fleury, but it will be difficult for him to match the production he found with his talented teammates in Medicine Hat.
  • The 2018 NHL Draft is expect to have greater talent and depth than this year’s prospect crop, but the same can’t be true for the WHL’s group of upcoming talent. In fact, this may one of the smallest and least talented draft classes to ever come out of the WHL. For that reason, there is a lot riding on defensemen Jett Woo and Ty Smith, the WHL’s only surefire first-rounders at this point in time, as they head into next season. The pair has already been named to Team Canada’s Ivan Hlinka roster, which the league did not miss the opportunity to promote, but there is some question as to how much attention they can draw in this upcoming season. Smith’s Spokane Chiefs finished last in the U.S. Division in 2016-17 and missed the playoffs, and that was even with top 2017 NHL draft picks Kailer Yamamoto and Jaret Anderson-Dolan.  Woo’s Moose Jaw Warriors fared much better, finishing second in the East Division. However, the team will lose starting goalie Zach Sawchenko, while captain and top prospect Brett Howden could earn an NHL roster spot with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In either case, Woo and Smith could be major trade bait this season if their teams head in the wrong direction. The players – and the league – will want to find success this season, and that could mean new homes shortly.

Important Contracts Still To Sign For Columbus Blue Jackets

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As we approach the start of training camps in a little over a month, the Columbus Blue Jackets still have plenty of work to do in order to have the best players ready from day one. Alexander Wennberg and Josh Anderson both remain unsigned restricted free agents, and as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic points out, those negotiations could be holding up extension talks for Cam Atkinson as well. Cam Atkinson

Atkinson will hit unrestricted free agency next summer and is coming off a 35-goal performance in 2016-17. His goal explosion earned him his first all-star appearance, and set career highs in almost every offensive category. Heading into this season at just 28, he would be one of the prized forward options should he end up on the open market.

Wennberg and Anderson on the other hand represent two big parts of the Blue Jackets’ forward group that need contracts just to start the season on time. While there has been no negative reports out of Columbus that either is heading towards a lockout, the team does have to be careful with how they spend their funds. After clearing room by buying out Scott Hartnell, the team has just under $12.9MM left to spend for this season. That number isn’t hard to fit the pair under, but going forward the team has many other contracts to consider.

Along with Atkinson’s UFA status, Boone Jenner and Ryan Murray are both restricted free agents next summer, while Artemi Panarin and Zach Werenski are due up in the summer of 2019. Panarin will be looking for a deal closer to $10MM per season than his current $6MM, and Werenski looks like a franchise defenseman that the team needs to lock up long term as soon as possible.

It’s rough waters to navigate for GM Jarmko Kekalainen, but for now the team is in pretty good shape. Not a single long-term deal will pay more than $5.85MM per season, and the team has options at nearly every position. Their solid drafting and development of young defensemen has come in handy, not to mention some successful trading to acquire certain assets. The Blue Jackets should be considered a top contender in the Metropolitan division once again, but it’ll take some more work this summer to get there.

Jakob Chychrun Undergoes Knee Surgery, Out Indefinitely

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The Arizona Coyotes announced some disappointing news today, saying that Jakob Chychrun underwent knee surgery and will be out indefinitely. The defenseman suffered the injury this week but should make a “full recovery.” When exactly that recovery will be is still to be determined, as GM John Chayka will “further update once training camp begins on September 14.”

Chychrun was a huge find for the Coyotes last year, making the jump right from junior hockey to the NHL in his draft year. After once being considered a top pick, there were concerns about his dedication to the game as he looked uninterested at times during the OHL season. That didn’t stop the Coyotes from making a trade with Detroit in order to select him 16th-overall, a decision that looks like it will pay off.

In 68 games Chychrun registered 20 points and though he was overwhelmed at times defensively took strides towards the top-4 two-way player he looks destined to be. While that wasn’t expected to be this season, a serious knee injury would set him back in his development. Still just 19-years old until March 31st of next year, another full season in the NHL would give him ample experience. The Coyotes defense should be improved with the addition of Niklas Hjalmarsson, allowing the team to shelter Chychrun still in a third-pairing role.

The team did sign Adam Clendening for this exact situation, adding NHL experience in case of injury. While there is no guarantee Chychrun will miss any of the season, Clendening can step into a full-time role if necessary.

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