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Andrew Desjardins To Attend Rangers Camp

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The New York Rangers have signed Andrew Desjardins to a professional tryout according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, bringing the 31-year old in to compete for a spot. Desjardins is coming off a two-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, but took a big step backwards last season.

In 46 games, Desjardins registered just a single point and was limited to fewer than ten minutes a night. His role on the team was very diminished, and his play suffered because of it. Still, he does have more than 400 games of NHL experience and was once a pretty effective fourth line center. For a team like the Rangers who have depth issues down the middle, bringing him into camp is a no-risk move.

One of the biggest questions of this offseason is what the Rangers will do at the center position. After trading away Derek Stepan and losing Oscar Lindberg to Vegas, the team has Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes penciled into their top two spots. After that it’s anyone’s guess at this point, as youngster Lias Andersson, David Desharnais, Boo Nieves and Vinni Lettieri are all in contention for some combination of the last two spots. J.T. Miller remains an option if the team wants to move him back to center, but reducing his minutes doesn’t seem like a wise choice.

Morning Notes: Hejduk, Juolevi, Big Question

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The Colorado Avalanche might not have a ton to look forward to, if this year is anything like the last, but one thing on the schedule should bring fans to their feet. On January 6th, before their game against the Minnesota Wild, the Avalanche will raise Milan Hejduk’s number 23 to the rafters and retire it from use.

It will be the sixth such sweater retired, to go along with Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy, Adam Foote and Ray Bourque, all teammates of Hejduk. The franchise also retired Peter Stastny, Michel Goulet, Marc Tardif and J.C. Tremblay before moving from Quebec City. Hejduk ranks second all-time among Colorado (not Quebec) players in most offensive categories, trailing only Sakic. He played his entire career for the organization, scoring 805 points in 1,020 regular season games.

  • Though rumors have been circulating that Vancouver Canucks prospect Olli Juolevi already has a deal in place to play in Europe should he not break camp with the team, Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 caught up with Agent Markus Lehto who quickly shot them down. Juolevi was selected fifth-overall in 2016 but returned to the London Knights to play last season. It’s not clear if the Canucks want to keep him in the NHL this year, or if he could benefit from some more seasoning in either the OHL or Europe. He’s still only 19, and though he still projects as a top defenseman, it would be tough to make the jump right away.
  • Emily Kaplan of ESPN asked a large group of players what one rule change they would institute if they were commissioner, and the resounding answer was to allow players to go to the Olympics. While many of the other responses are both insightful and funny, it’s clear that the majority of the league—even those who would have no chance of playing in the tournament—dislikes the league’s decision.

Vernon Fiddler Announces Retirement

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Vernon Fiddler took to the pages of the Players’ Tribune to announce his retirement, ending a long and interesting career that has taken him to several destinations. Fiddler retires having played 877 regular season games, finishing in Nashville, where it all began.

Fiddler remains one of the best examples of what hard work and perseverance can get you in hockey. Not even drafted into the CHL, Fiddler lucked into a tryout in the WHL and slowly turned every opportunity into a launching pad for the next level. Undrafted again by the NHL he worked his way up from the ECHL to debut with Nashville in 2002, but wouldn’t stick right away. He’d have years of bouncing up and down from the minors, before catching on for good in 2006. He’d score 26 points that season and provide his patented solid faceoff skills and responsible defensive play. He’d receive Selke votes as one of the league’s top defensive forwards in two consecutive years at one point in his career.

Now 37, Fiddler lists the Predators’ recent Stanley Cup run as a “perfect way to finish [his] career,” but that phoning his parents after his first NHL call-up is still the highlight. He’ll now concentrate more on his own family life and kids’ passions. Even if you don’t see Blake on the CHL entry draft list in a few years, don’t count him out—the hockey world already made that mistake a few times with a Fiddler.

Calgary Flames No Longer Pursuing New Arena In Calgary

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Calgary Flames President and CEO Ken King told media today that the organization is “no longer pursuing a new facility” in Calgary (audio link).  King stated that the city and the organization have reached an impasse and that the organization sees no point in continuing talks. The Flames currently play out of the Scotiabank Saddledome which was built in 1983. It remains the second oldest arena in the NHL after Madison Square Garden, but the Garden received a recent billion dollar renovation.

The roadblock between the City and the Flames seems to center on public funding. King would not get into specifics, but he sighted differences in opinion on contributions as the main impediment. It is reasonable to assume—given the proclivity of public stadium financing—that the Flames want the city of Calgary to provide some sort of substantial funding and a specific location. Calgary’s mayor, however, has repeatedly indicated that he will do what’s best for the city.

The timing of this announcement is peculiar for two reasons. One, the current Calgary mayor just started his re-election campaign yesterday, and two, Seattle just announced an agreement to build a $600MM arena. The first means that the NHL may lobby for a mayoral candidate that supports a new arena. King even mentioned the mayor’s re-election campaign numerous times during the press conference. The second—the new Seattle arena—presents an implied and unspoken Plan B for any city who cannot agree on a new stadium.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman weighed in as well, stating that the city and team needs a new arena (audio link). He does state that the Flames are not immediately going to move, but that no new arena will have long-term consequences. Both King and Bettman stressed that they are not trying to pressure the city to build a new arena, but the conversational undertones seem to imply otherwise.

Evening Snapshots: Senators, Letang, Doughty

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Ottawa Senators signed forward Brendan Woods to a PTO this afternoon in the lead-up to training camp opening this Thursday. The Canadian forward was drafted 129th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, but has played only seven career NHL games so far. Expect this signing to be more a tryout for Ottawa’s new AHL affiliate Belleville Senators.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins can breathe a sign of relief as Kris Letang is officially cleared for contact, reports the NHL.com’s Sam Kasan. The Penguins expect Letang at training camp, which opens this Friday. Letang says that the contact clearance is just the first step, and that he doesn’t know if he’ll be ready by opening night. The Penguins’ defenseman played only 41 games last season after going down with a herniated disc in February.
  • Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty walked back comments made earlier about potentially leaving the Kings. Initially, Doughty told the Hockey News that he just wanted to win Stanley Cups and that he didn’t care where he played. Today, he clarified those comments by saying he only wants to win a Cup in Los Angeles. Doughty has two more years left on his deal before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

2017 PTO Tracker

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Over the course of the offseason more and more players will accept invitations to join team training camps. Usually these are players trying to resurrect their career or to show that they have one or two more years left before retirement.

Making a team as an invitee is harder than just being one of the top-12 forwards or top-6 defensemen. Teams are usually looking for specific needs, such as a speedy second line forward or a defenseman who can eat minutes. Teams may want to save their bottom roster spots for developing prospects, so invitees risk being cut unless they meet a team’s identified need.

Here are the notable players who have been invited to training camps thus far. The list excludes players that are attending camps but are already signed to minor league contracts or prospects who are hoping to earn a minor league deal. Check here often for updates.

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2017-18 Primer: St. Louis Blues

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With the NHL season now just a month away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come.  Today, we focus on the St. Louis Blues.

Last Season: 46-29-7 record (99 points), third in Central Division (lost in the second round to Nashville)

Remaining Cap Space: $2.43MM per CapFriendly

Key Newcomers: F Brayden Schenn (trade, Philadelphia), F Beau Bennett (free agency, New Jersey), F Chris Thorburn (free agency, Winnipeg), F Oskar Sundqvist (trade, Pittsburgh)

Key Departures: F Jori Lehtera (trade, Philadelphia), F David Perron (expansion draft, Vegas), F Scottie Upshall (free agency, Vancouver), F Ryan Reaves (trade, Pittsburgh), F Nail Yakupov (free agency, Colorado)

[Related: Maple Leafs Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Robby FabbriPlayer To Watch: F Robby Fabbri – With respect to Colton Parayko and his expected ascension to the elite level of NHL defender, Fabbri may have even more impact on the success of the Blues this season. After a rookie season in 2015-16 when he showed off his offensive upside with 18 goals and 37 points, Fabbri was well on his way to eclipsing that total when he suffered a torn ACL and would be out for the rest of the season. With 29 points in his first 51 games, he amazingly still finished in the team’s top-10 in scoring and should push higher than that this year.

An established presence on the powerplay and a dynamic puck-handler at even strength, Fabbri had only barely turned 21 when he went down to injury. If he can stay healthy this year—he’ll be with the team when training camp starts this week—he could push 50 points or more in his third season in the NHL. The 21st-overall pick from 2014, Fabbri is ready to become a star forward in this league and has the depth and team to do it with.

It will be interesting to see where he lines up to start the year, as the Blues have a lineup filled with different types of players. Should he find himself alongside sniper Schenn and two-way dynamo Alex Steen, the trio could push Vladimir Tarasenko’s line for the most productive on the team. He’s also headed into a contract year, as Fabbri’s entry-level contract will expire at the end of the season. While he likely doesn’t need any more motivation, the contracts handed out to players like Leon Draisaitl, Jonathan Drouin and soon David Pastrnak should have him flying up and down the ice (and scoresheet).

Key Storyline: When the Blues fired legendary coach Ken Hitchcock in the middle of last season, the team was treading water at 24-21-5 and not making much of an impact in the Western Conference. After promoting Mike Yeo, they took off and went 22-8-2 down the stretch, with much of the credit going to young goaltender Jake Allen. Allen had been struggling tremendously to the tune of a .895 save percentage, and looked completely lost at times in the net.

When Yeo took over, assistant GM Martin Brodeur came down from the front office to work with Allen, and along with new coach Ty Conklin turned the goaltender’s season completely around. Whether it was the system, luck or something Brodeur noticed, Allen would post a .938 save percentage through the end of the season and then completely shut the door on the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the playoffs.

Though Nashville would eventually get the best of him, Allen is probably the most important player for the Blues this season if they want to get to the next level. The team needs him to be at his best, and he has all the talent to do it. Brodeur will be back upstairs this year, but the team brought in David Alexander to be the team’s goaltending coach. Alexander has known Allen since he was 14-years old in New Brunswick, and the two have a solid comfort level already. Hopefully that shows on the ice, where the Blues are a potential Stanley Cup contender.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Alan Quine Suffers Upper Body Injury, Out 4-6 Weeks

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The New York Islanders will be without another one of their expected forwards for the start of the regular season, as the team announced Alan Quine has suffered an upper body injury and will be out for four to six weeks. The team had already lost Shane Prince to injury earlier this summer, though he is on a much longer recovery timetable.

Quine, 24, played in 61 games for the Islanders last season and was expected to compete for a role—likely at center—in the team’s bottom six. In his rookie year last season he put up 18 points, but was an impressive offensive player in the minor leagues. Quine was originally drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, but opted not to sign with them and went back into the draft in 2013. He was subsquently picked by the Islanders in the sixth round, and quickly made it through their system to debut in 2015-16.

With Quine out for training camp and likely at least the first few games of the season, young players like Mathew Barzal could get an even longer look. Barzal has played both wing and center in his junior career, and has looked ready to make an immediate impact at the professional level. Whether that comes with the Islanders or the Bridgeport Sound Tigers isn’t decided yet, but he’ll be an interesting name to watch regardless.

Snapshots: Fleury, Letang, Top 100

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Marc-Andre Fleury would have likely waived his no-trade clause to go to Calgary last season, according to Eric Francis of Sportsnet who caught up with him in New York. Fleury was very cognizant of all the trade rumors surrounding him at the deadline, and knew Calgary was a potential landing spot.

I heard all the rumors – Winnipeg, Calgary and Vegas.

I didn’t know what was going to happen. At the trade deadline I couldn’t sleep that night, wondering, ‘where am I going?’

Fleury eventually ended up in Vegas with the Golden Knights, where he’s primed to be a starting goalie again and one of the early faces of the league’s 31st franchise. He’ll hope to improve on the .909 save percentage he put up last year, his lowest since the 2009-10 season.

  • Fleury’s old teammate Kris Letang has been cleared to rejoin the team at practice after neck surgery in the spring. Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Letang will be on the ice on Friday when Penguins’ camp starts. Obviously the team will still be taking it slow with him, but it’s a big step to getting Letang ready for the start of the regular season. The Penguins found success even without him in the playoffs, but will be relying on him quite a bit again this season.
  • The Athletic’s Corey Pronman released the final 50 of his Top 100 Under 25 list that was started yesterday, and—surprise, surprise—Connor McDavid takes the top spot. The rest of the list is a great read, with under-appreciated players like Brayden Point and Jaccob Slavin both making appearances. The sheer number of star players listed is incredible, and continues to show how the NHL is skewing younger and younger in recent years.

Poll: Where Would You Like To See The Next NHL Franchise?

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With news this morning that Seattle will approve a plan for a new arena, expansion and relocation talk has ramped up around the league once again. The NHL will head into next season with 31 teams, and though that’s not impossible to carry forward is far from ideal. A 32nd franchise is expected at some point, and Seattle now will have a new, privately funded arena and a backer—billionaire David Bonderman—who according to John Shannon of Sportsnet has privately expressed interest in a team.

The question now is whether expansion or relocation is right for Seattle (if they are to get a team at all) and if there are any other markets that could be in the running for the 32nd franchise. Obviously, Quebec City has long been rumored as a potential expansion location and even put in a bid in the last round. Houston, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Portland and Hamilton have all been mentioned as possible fits, along with a potential second team in Toronto. Nothing is imminent in any of these markets, but the idea of expansion is at least interesting in each of them.

Where do you think will be the next city with an NHL franchise, either through expansion or relocation? We’ve listed some options below, but feel free to comment with others you feel could be a good market for a growing US hockey base. Whatever you choose, make sure to tell us which method it will be, and if relocation which franchise you see packing up and leaving.

Where would you like to see the next NHL franchise?
Quebec 38.13% (787 votes)
Seattle 35.95% (742 votes)
Kansas City 5.86% (121 votes)
Milwaukee 5.62% (116 votes)
Houston 5.52% (114 votes)
Toronto (second team) 3.25% (67 votes)
Portland 2.86% (59 votes)
Hamilton 2.81% (58 votes)
Total Votes: 2,064

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

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