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Snapshots: McClement, Sabres, Garteig, Campbell

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As part of their quest to replenish their center depth following the departures of Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen via free agency, the Penguins announced that they have brought in veteran Jay McClement on a professional tryout deal.

McClement has spent the past three seasons with Carolina but has seen his role dip in recent years.  In 2016-17, he collected just five goals and three assists in 65 games while his 48.2% success rate at the faceoff dot was well below the 55% marks he put up the previous two seasons.  McClement will likely battle Carter Rowney for a spot on Pittsburgh’s fourth line but the Penguins will undoubtedly continue their search for someone to play behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on their third trio.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • The Sabres had expressed interest in college free agent center Blaine Byron, notes Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. However, Byron ultimately chose to take a minor league deal with Florida in the hopes of earning a spot on Canada’s Olympic team.  Had he signed a two-way NHL pact, he wouldn’t have been eligible.  Buffalo only has 43 committed contracts out of the limit of 50 at the moment so it’s not surprising to see them active in this segment of free agency.
  • After spending last season on an entry-level deal with Vancouver, the Canucks have brought back goalie Michael Garteig on a minor league deal, their affiliate in Utica announced. Garteig wasn’t able to build on his strong numbers over four years with Quinnipiac in the NCAA and spent the bulk of last season with ECHL Alaska, posting a 3.11 GAA and a .906 SV% over 22 appearances.
  • The Red Wings have retained some depth at the minor league level as their farm team in Grand Rapids announced the re-signing of center Colin Campbell to a two-year deal. He signed an entry-level deal back with Detroit back in 2014 out of college but has been kept around on minor league deals since that ELC expired a year later.  Last season, he had a career best 20 points in 56 games.

Bob Hartley Signs Five Year Extension To Coach Latvia’s National Team

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Although he finds himself without a current coaching job in the NHL, Bob Hartley will still be behind the bench for a while to come.  He has agreed to stay on as the bench boss for the Latvian Hockey Federation for the next five years, notes Martin Merk on the IIHF’s official website.

Hartley was brought in shortly after Latvia failed to qualify for the upcoming Winter Olympics and was behind the bench at the World Championships back in May.  At that time, Hartley didn’t want to commit to a longer-term deal in case another opportunity presented itself there but now he will be able to give their developing program some stability in the years to come.

The 56-year-old has over 1,000 games of NHL experience (between the regular season and playoffs) with a points percentage of .554 during the regular season.  Hartley also won a Stanley Cup with Colorado back in 2001 and the Jack Adams Award for Coach of the Year with Calgary.

This isn’t the first time that the Latvian Federation has had someone with NHL experience behind the bench for their national team.  Ted Nolan, who had a pair of stints as head coach with Buffalo plus one with the Islanders, coached Latvia’s entries in the 2012 and 2013 Worlds as well as the qualification tournament for the 2014 Olympics.

Poll: Will Jaromir Jagr Or Thomas Vanek Play In The NHL This Year?

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With Drew Stafford signing this morning, many fans are turning their sights to Jaromir Jagr and Thomas Vanek, arguably the top two names left on the open market. Both have had rumors recently about renewed interest, but it’s now late August and neither has found a team.

As we’ve looked at in the past, Jagr is one of several players from the Czech Republic who could give his country a huge boost for the upcoming Winter Olympics. The NHL isn’t going, and Jagr could play in Europe until after the international tournament. Thomas Vanek is not so lucky.

Vanek is Austrian, and though he captained his country’s team in the 2014 Games he won’t get the same chance in 2018 regardless of where he plays his hockey. Austria—playing without Vanek—got crushed by Latvia in Olympic qualifying 8-1 and then again by Germany 6-0 last summer to get knocked out of contention, despite ranking nearly ten spots higher than the host South Korean team in the world rankings. There’s no Olympic incentive for him, making his continued free agency something of a mystery.

So, we ask you reader what you think will happen this season. Coming off 46 and 48 point seasons respectively will Jagr and Vanek both suit up for an NHL game in 2017-18? Or depart for the professional leagues abroad?

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Snapshots: Vanek, Duchene, Kerfoot, Tolvanen

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We saw Drew Stafford go off the board earlier today in a late-summer free agent signing, and now Darren Dreger of TSN told The Instigators on WGR 550 in Buffalo that he believes the Detroit Red Wings still have interest in bringing back Thomas Vanek.

Vanek’s name is at the top of the page. I think that Detroit legitimately does have interest in Vanek. Between Florida and the Red Wings he scored what, 17 goals last year? I think they’d like to add him, but at what cost—they don’t have a lot of cap space.

We’ve discussed many times the cap trouble that the Red Wings are in as they start their rebuild, but there remains this underlying hope that the team can get back to the playoffs this year. Vanek could legitimately help that cause, and be a potential trade deadline flip should the Red Wings fall out of it again. The team would likely need to make a subsequent move in order to fit him in.

  • Dreger also speaks on the potential of a Matt Duchene trade, saying that the Avalanche still want a top young defenseman in return. Dreger has said in the past that it would be awkward for Duchene and Colorado to start the season together, but makes it clear that the forward is a professional and would not make a public show of his frustration. Nashville and Montreal are mentioned as possible destinations, but not as anything more than speculation from the insider.
  • CapFriendly sorted out the details on Alex Kerfoot’s entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche, reporting that it will be for the maximum $925K each season (salary+signing bonuses) while it also carries $212.5K in performance bonuses. With Kerfoot likely to jump right to the NHL, many of the bonuses will be in his reach, which could cause his cap hit to creep over $1MM.
  • Eeli Tolvanen got off to a great start with his KHL team, and the Nashville Predators’ prospect spoke about where his future lies as he continues to develop. Tolvanen was denied admission to Boston College just before the draft, likely causing him to fall to the Predators at 30th-overall. Tolvanen says that Boston College told him he could join the university after Christmas, but he’s now dedicated to Jokerit where he’s playing against other professionals. Tolvanen has one of the most remarkable wrist shot releases in this year’s draft class, but he won’t compare himself to the best just yet: “When I was young, I dreamt about shooting like [Alex] Ovechkin. Hope that one day I can be at his level.”

Will Butcher To Meet With More Teams Today

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Butcher-watch is alive and well, with Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reporting that Will Butcher is heading to New Jersey today to meet with the Devils, and will also have a meeting with the Los Angeles Kings at some point before making his decision this Sunday. Butcher has been linked to the Buffalo Sabres and Vegas Golden Knights as well, though there still doesn’t seem to be a favorite to land him at this point.

The 22-year old defenseman is looking for long-term success, but nearly every place he’s visiting also offers a quick path to the NHL. The Devils have had a big offseason, starting with the drafting of Nico Hischier and continuing through their signing of Drew Stafford today. Adding Butcher to their defense would be the cherry on top, even if there are doubts of his next-level ability.

A powerplay quarterback and puck-mover, Butcher would offer something for the Devils that they currently don’t have outside of Damon Severson. They did add Mirco Mueller this summer, but still lack depth on the back end. Similarly, the Kings have seen Brayden McNabb selected by Vegas and could use some depth on defense. With rumors already starting to surround Drew Doughty, their group could take an even bigger hit at some point in the near future.

Canucks Notes: Horvat, Pettersson, Kerfoot

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Trevor Linden joined TSN 1040 yesterday in Vancouver, and spoke on a variety of issues including the pending contract for restricted free agent Bo Horvat. Linden explained that the two sides have discussed contracts everywhere between two and eight years, and that the negotiations are still ongoing.

We’re looking forward to getting Bo under contract. Out of respect for the process I don’t want to say a whole lot, but things have been very positive. We’re moving along and I don’t see any issues.

As Linden explains, negotiations with a player like Horvat were never going to be completed quickly but both he and GM Jim Benning haven’t been worried at all. Addressing the previous reports that eight years was off the table, Linden was non-committal, but did say “anything is a possibility.”

  • Talking about their newest top prospect Elias Pettersson, Linden said that he’s been impressed every time he’s watched him. Pettersson is currently playing for Vaxjo in the European Champions League, and won’t be attending camp for the Canucks. He’ll be given a bigger role in the Swedish Hockey League this year, and could compete for an NHL spot next season.
  • Linden said that the Canucks were indeed after Alex Kerfoot, but mentioned that him being from Vancouver actually could have worked against them. Kerfoot signed in Colorado, citing a good opportunity for him to jump right to the NHL. He also confirmed that the Canucks are not in on Will Butcher or any other NCAA free agents. Butcher is expected to sign this Sunday, and Vancouver has never been involved.
  • Though many believe that Vancouver’s free agent additions of Sam Gagner, Alexander Burmistrov and Michael Del Zotto all could be flipped at some point as the team rebuilds, Linden spoke about how each of them fits a hole that Vancouver had last season. He also was very clear that they didn’t want to just give big roles to their young players, and instead make them earn their opportunity in the NHL.

New Jersey Devils Sign Drew Stafford

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The New Jersey Devils have signed free agent forward Drew Stafford. The deal is for one season, and will pay Stafford $800K. Stafford ranked #21 on our list of the top 50 free agents, but will have to settle for a relatively low salary after a long wait this summer. He’s coming off six straight seasons of earning at least $4MM.

Drew StaffordAfter performing poorly in the first half with the Winnipeg Jets, Stafford was shipped off to the Boston Bruins at the deadline for just a conditional draft pick (it ended up being a fifth rounder). In Boston he seemed to find his legs again, scoring eight points in 18 games and providing solid bottom-six depth. That’s exactly what he’ll be asked to do in New Jersey, with the upside of his former 20-goal self making it a low-risk, moderately high-reward move. Stafford has shown an ability to play in almost any role on a club, moving up and down a lineup throughout his career.

The Devils have some shuffling to do in their forward group after Travis Zajac was injured, with Stafford perhaps providing a veteran winger for one of their young centers. Nico Hischier will likely be sheltered early on, and having a defensively responsible winger with some scoring touch like Stafford may be a good fit. If Pavel Zacha has to move back to center, he could be another fit alongside the long-time Buffalo Sabres forward.

[Updated: New Jersey Devils Depth Chart]

Stafford is a solid addition for a team looking to compete this season, and could even provide some powerplay experience for a team that had trouble scoring goals last year. Though he’ll play this season at age-32 and has clearly slowed down over the last few years, there could be something of a resurgence in a new market.

Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports broke the news on Twitter.

Blaine Byron To Sign AHL Contract With Florida

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Blaine Byron is one of the less heralded NCAA free agents, but shouldn’t be overlooked after a breakout season with the University of Maine. He’s signed a one-year AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds, the minor league affiliate of the Florida Panther. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, his contract comes with a catch; Byron’s deal will have an out clause that will allow him to sign an NHL contract with another team should there be an offer during the season. Friedman believes that Florida would then be given the chance to match the contract.

The most interesting part of agreeing to an AHL contract is that it will keep Byron in contention for a spot on the Canadian Olympic team. Friedman’s belief that Byron is signing this deal instead of a two-year entry-level contract doesn’t make much sense without the Olympic route, since he’ll be limited to entry-level regulations even if he waits until mid-season.

There’s no guarantee that Byron would be asked to join the Canadian Olympic team, but his talent last year at Maine sure blossomed. Given a prominent role, the 22-year old Byron scored 41 points in 36 games and was generally the most dangerous player on the ice any given night. Selected in the sixth round by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2013, he still has plenty of work to do to get to the NHL.

No Extension Talks Between Nash, Rangers

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In the latest piece from Aaron Portzline of The Athletic—a perfect example of why their subscription is worth it—Rick Nash’s tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets is examined, and how it makes sense for the two sides to come together at the end of his career for a sort of homecoming. While Portzline doesn’t expect that to happen for another few years, he does report that there have been “no substantive discussions” to keep Nash in New York after his current contract expires next summer. The entire piece is worth a read (especially for one little snippet at the end). Rick Nash

It’s been expected for a while that Nash wouldn’t return to New York, but a lot of that comes from the relative disappointments his last two seasons have been. Though he has still scored 74 points in 127 games—a 0.58 points per game average, which puts him above players like Patrick Marleau, Jaromir Jagr and Daniel Sedin last year—it’s a considerable step backwards from the lofty heights we’re used to. Nash scored 42 goals in 2014-15 (the third time he’d broken the 40 mark in his career) leading the league in even strength markers. At his best, he’s been one of the very best goal scorers of his generation, with 416 in 989 games.

While he’s unlikely to eclipse 40 ever again, even at 33 he represents a solid secondary scoring option that can be relied upon for 20 or more. He’s never been the most physical player, but his size does still wear on defenders trying to contain him and he’s even earned Selke votes a time or two as one of the league’s best defensive forwards. As Portzline suggests, Nash will certainly get a multi-year contract on the open market next summer.

The Rangers are trying to get younger, and want to give more responsibility to players like Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey, but they will have to think long and hard about letting Nash walk. If they’ve already decided that they won’t try to bring him back, he’ll likely be a leading trade candidate at the deadline when there will only be a few million left to pay. He has a 12 team no-trade list, and his contract is actually back-loaded ($8.2MM this season), but with salary retention he could still bring back an asset from the right team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Blues, Butcher, Canucks

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The St. Louis Blues signed defenseman Colton Parayko to a new five-year, $27.5MM deal earlier this offseason. The 24-year-old understands that more pressure will accompany his larger contract.

“I obviously want to come and be a better player and be a big part of it,” Parayko told Louie Korac of NHL.com. “But at the same time, I don’t want to get outside of my game and try to do things that aren’t part of me. You’ve just got to find a medium that’s going to make the team better and also make you efficient.

“The main goal is to obviously have the best team and hopefully I can help solidify that and just kind of do my job and make it easy for others. I obviously don’t want to get out of my element and get out of things I do best. I’ve got to focus on doing those and try to do that every single night, obviously [be] more consistent and make sure I continue to play good.”

The defenseman finished his second NHL season with four goals and 31 assists in 81 games. The 2013 third-rounder figures to once again team up with Joel Edmundson on the Blues’ second line.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NHL…

  • We learned earlier today that college free agent Will Butcher will be making his decision this weekend, and Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets that the Penguins aren’t a finalist for the young defenseman. Pittsburgh had previously been connected to Butcher, along with the Sabres, Blue Jackets, Devils, and Golden Knights. The reigning Hobey Baker award winner out of the University of Denver was initially a fifth-round pick by the Avalanche back in 2013.
  • The Canucks might not be finished with free agency, as Matthew Sekeres of TSN 1040 AM tweets that the organization has discussed signing a forward, including veteran Thomas Vanek. The reporter notes that the team has also extended at least a pair of professional try outs. The 33-year-old Vanek split last season with the Red Wings and Panthers, collecting 17 goals and 31 assists in 68 games. We heard yesterday that interest in the free agent winger was beginning to ramp up.
  • In case you missed it, recently bought out Anaheim Ducks defender Simon Despres signed with Russian club Slovan Bratislava earlier today.

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