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Archives for September 2017

Minnesota Wild Sign Brennan Menell To ELC

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The Minnesota Wild have decided that Brennan Menell is worth a three-year entry-level contract, just months after he went undrafted for the third time. The high-flying defenseman will report to Iowa to try and crack their lineup, or head back to Lethbridge of the WHL for his overage year.

Michael Russo of The Athletic wrote about Menell just two days ago when the Woodbury, Minnesota native played in an exhibition game with the team. His journey is one of being constantly overlooked, but after a 71 point season in the WHL last year he finally earned a shot at the Wild development camp. He’s continued to impress, something that he did on a nightly basis for the Hurricanes, recording the second most points from a defender in the entire league.

There is still a long way to go for the undersized puck-mover, but he hasn’t been stopped yet. His offensive upside is tremendous, and as the game moves more and more towards mobility over physicality he could find a role in the professional ranks right away. The team lists him at 6’0″, 181-lbs which would be a far cry from the smallest player in the league. He won’t be overlooked any longer.

Training Camp Cuts: 09/26/17

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There were some impressive performances last night in the hockey world, as Auston Matthews scored a preseason hat trick while the New Jersey Devils split squad dropped eight on the Ottawa Senators. Late last night the Vegas Golden Knights released some more cuts, which is what we’ll start with here. Make sure you keep refreshing throughout the day to find out the latest names sent packing.

Arizona Coyotes

F Ryan MacInnis – Tucson (AHL)
F Nick Merkley – Tucson (AHL)
D Kyle Wood – Tucson (AHL)
D Kevin Ekman-Larsson – Tucson (AHL)
D Andrew Campbell – Tucson (AHL)*

Boston Bruins

F Ryan Fitzgerald – Providence (AHL)
D Jeremy Lauzon – Providence (AHL)

Calgary Flames

F Brett Pollock – Stockton (AHL)
F Morgan Klimchuk – Stockton (AHL)
F Ryan Lomberg – Stockton (AHL)
F Spencer Foo – Stockton (AHL)
G David Rittich – Stockton (AHL)
F Dillon Dube – Kelowna (WHL)
D Juuso Valimaki – Tri-City (WHL)
F Emile Poirier – Stockton (AHL)*
D Hunter Shinkaruk – Stockton (AHL)*
D Tyler Wotherspoon – Stockton (AHL)*

Colorado Avalanche

F Reid Petryk – San Antonio (AHL)
F Dominic Toninato – San Antonio (AHL)
D Conor Timmins – Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets

F Paul Bittner – Cleveland (AHL)
F Jordan Maletta – Cleveland (AHL)
D Ryan Collins – Cleveland (AHL)
D Jacob Graves – Cleveland (AHL)
D Blake Siebenaler – Cleveland (AHL)
D Doyle Somberby – Cleveland (AHL)
G Matiss Kivlenieks – Cleveland (AHL)
F Alex Broadhurst – Cleveland (AHL)*
D Andre Benoit – Cleveland (AHL)*
D Cameron Gaunce – Cleveland (AHL)*
F Carter Camper – Released from tryout
F Brett Gallant – Released from tryout
F Miles Koules – Released from tryout
F Bobby MacIntyre – Released from tryout
D Scott Savage – Released from tryout
G Ivan Kulbakov – Released from tryout
G Brad Thiessen – Released from tryout

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T.J. Galiardi Terminates KHL Contract

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Former NHL winger T.J. Galiardi has reached a mutual termination of his KHL contract with Dinamo Riga, making him a free agent able to sign with whichever team he chooses. That decision comes after registering six points (all assists) in his first 11 games this year, putting him among the team leaders.

Galiardi was selected 55th-overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2007, but has dealt with injuries throughout his career and was given few chances at a full-time role in the NHL. In 2009-10 he scored 39 points for the Avalanche, but wouldn’t be able to come close to repeating that at his other stops, which included San Jose, Calgary and Winnipeg. He attended training camp with the St. Louis Blues last year on a professional tryout, but was cut before the season began and headed to the KHL instead.

Still, the 6’2″ winger is only 29 years old and could find himself in contention for an Olympic spot if he can prove he’s healthy and productive somewhere outside the NHL. Though he was born in Calgary, he is a dual USA-Canada citizen and represents the USA internationally.

It seems unlikely that this termination will lead to an NHL contract, but perhaps he’s looking at AHL-only deals to return to North America. Those would also allow him to chase an Olympic spot, but put him closer to those making the decisions for USA Hockey.

Toronto Marlies With Several NHL Veterans In Camp

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While many AHL camps have gotten underway in recent days largely with the early cuts from their NHL affiliates and ECHL hopefuls as “campers”, the Toronto Marlies drew some attention today when they announced a 40-man initial roster featuring several familiar names.

Among the many in attendance are NHL veterans Jordan Caron, Brandon Gormley, Matt Hackett, and Mackenzie Skapski. Caron and Gormley are especially interesting as past first-round picks, while Hackett and Skapski are two of the very few remaining free agent goaltenders on the market. All four players have value in their own right, yet end up not on NHL contracts, or in NHL camps, or even on AHL contracts. Why?

Skapski may be the easiest to explain. After two impressive spot starts at the young age of 21 with the New York Rangers in 2014-15, Skapski’s career has been in free fall. The next year, Skapski posted a 3.00+ GAA and nearly a .900 save percentage in the AHL and ECHL. Those numbers continued to plummet this past season, with Skapski making 13 rough starts in the AHL and spending the majority of the season in the ECHL.

The once-promising Hackett also made his NHL debut at 21 years old with the Minnesota Wild back in 2011-12. Hackett made 12 appearances with the Wild in his rookie season and had an impressive 2.37 GAA and .922 save percentage. While that level of performance was unsustainable, Hackett continued to make a living as a backup or third-string option for the Wild and Buffalo Sabres for years, before taking on more of an AHL depth role for the Anaheim Ducks since 2015. However, too much depth in net, as well as injury issues, limited Hackett to only seven starts last season, in which he was less than spectacular. More of an unknown commodity now than the future-starter tag from years ago, Hackett needs to prove himself once again at the pro level.

Gormley, the 13th overall pick in 2010 by the Arizona Coyotes, has not had the career expected of him when he was selected before fellow defensemen like Derek Forbort, Mark Pysyk, and Justin Faulk early in the draft. Gormley has just 58 games of NHL experience and has not played at the highest level since midway through the 2015-16 season. However, Gormley had been a productive AHLer, with 75 points, more than half a point per game, through his first three pro seasons. In the past two seasons? Only 21 points in 91 games. With the points disappearing, Gormley faces the possibility that his career could be coming to an end soon at just 25 years old. Gormley could use a big camp to keep that from coming to fruition.

Caron is probably the most notable player in any AHL camp on a tryout basis, not just the Marlies’, as the Boston Bruins’ 2009 first-rounder was a “black ace” call-up by the St. Louis Blues mere months ago. While Caron has the appearance of having stuck around the NHL, in actuality he has only played in four NHL games since the end of the 2014-15 season. Nevertheless, the 6’3″, 205-lb. power forward is still a veteran of over 150 NHL games and has shown flashes of ability from time to time. If any of these four player can make the Marlies – and make a difference – it is Caron.

Andrew Desjardins Suspended Two Preseason Games

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As he tries to make the New York Rangers, Andrew Desjardins has been suspended two preseason games for an illegal check to the head of New Jersey Devils’ forward Miles Wood. Desjardins is on a professional tryout with the Rangers, and won’t get another chance to show what he can do in game action. As the video explanation from the Department of Player Safety says:

It is important to note that Wood is eligible to be hit on this play, provided it is done in a legal manner. However, rather than take an angle of approach that results in a legal, full-bodied check, Desjardins takes an angle of approach that picks Woods’ head, making it the main point of contact.

This will be the first time Desjardins is suspended by the league, but this still could spell trouble for his chances of making the New York roster. He was already a long-shot, and with the impressive play of the two young draft picks (Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil) there likely will not be room for him on the team.

For now, he’ll have to sit out and see if he can do something outside of game action to impress the coaching staff.

Snapshots: Duchene, Athanasiou, Vegas, Belmont Park

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Matt Duchene has been suiting up in the preseason for the Colorado Avalanche despite continuing trade speculation, and Adrian Dater of BSN Denver has now been told it’s very likely the unhappy forward will begin the year with the team. That does seem like the only option at this point, as a team has still yet to step forward and meet GM Joe Sakic’s asking price.

Some of the hesitation to pony up for Duchene comes from his disappointing season a year ago, when he scored just 18 goals and 41 points. Those numbers were both career-lows in full seasons, and there has been some debate over whether Duchene can handle top center duties any longer. From all accounts, the 26-year old has looked great in training camp so far as he tries to prove that he can still help turn the tide for any organization.

  • Unsigned restricted free agent Andreas Athanasiou hasn’t spoken to the Detroit Red Wings in almost ten days according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. St. James says that since a face-to-face meeting on September 16th, there has been “nothing but silence.” It’s starting to look like Athanasiou will not start the season with the Red Wings, despite multiple offers extended from the team. Holdouts rarely end in big raises for players involved in them, and it’s not clear exactly why the two sides are so far apart.
  • Jason Pothier of SinBin examined the history of George McPhee when he was the GM of the Washington Capitals, and shows that if he’s operating similarly a trade may be coming in the next few days. McPhee has completed eight trades in the last week before the season in the past, and since there still seems to be too many NHL-level defensemen in town, it could happen once again.
  • As expected, there will be at least one other bid for the Belmont Park location is a potential spot for a new New York Islanders’ arena and it will indeed be New York City FC. Jim Baumbach of Newsday reports that the soccer franchise will submit a bid, but it’s actually not the team’s preferred location. We’ve heard before that it could take months to be given a decision, but proposals must be officially submitted by Thursday afternoon.

2017-18 Primer: Los Angeles Kings

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With the NHL season now just a couple of weeks away, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come.  Today, we focus on the Los Angeles Kings.

Last Season: 39-35-8 record (86 points), fifth in Pacific Division (missed playoffs)

Remaining Cap Space: $6.83MM per CapFriendly

Key Additions: F Mike Cammalleri (free agency, New Jersey), D Christian Folin (free agency, Minnesota), G Darcy Kuemper (free agency, Minnesota), D Oscar Fantenberg (free agency, KHL), G Cal Petersen (free agency, Buffalo), F Alex Iafallo (free agency, NCAA)

Key Departures: D Brayden McNabb (expansion, Vegas), F Devin Setoguchi (free agency, Germany), F Jarome Iginla (free agency, unsigned), G Ben Bishop (trade, Dallas)

[Related: Kings Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

"<strongPlayer To Watch: F Anze Kopitar – It’s not always a young player breaking out that brings a team back to contention, and that likely won’t be the case with Los Angeles. Though Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson could have even more room to grow as potential top-line options, it’s Kopitar that will be under the microscope this year.

In what turned out to be a disappointing year for the Kings, Kopitar himself had a frustratingly poor season. Though his point total of 52 still put him second on the team, an extremely low shooting percentage kept him to just 12 goals all year and his possession numbers hit a career low. Kopitar had never scored fewer than 10 even strength goals in his career, but tallied just seven last year.

That said, there may be nothing to worry about for the Kings. The aforementioned shooting percentage is the most likely culprit of the decline, as he came in more than 4% under his career norm. He should bounce back from the low total, though may never again reach the 30+ marks of his youth.

Key Storyline: It was clear in 2016-17 that the entire organization expected to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite being out of a playoff spot at the trade deadline, the team still went out and acquired Jarome Iginla and Ben Bishop to try and sneak in. They wouldn’t, and it ended up costing nearly the entire management and coaching staffs their jobs.

There are new but familiar faces in town to run the show now, as President Luc Robitaille and GM Rob Blake have taken over the front office while John Stevens will take over the head coaching duties. All three have Kings blood running through their veins, and will be entrusted in guiding the franchise back to the promised land.

That may be easier said than done though, as the team has several aging core pieces and a lack of elite prospect capital. They added a couple of solid names in that department at the draft (one of which signed his entry-level contract just today), but will have to keep working to create the type of homegrown pipeline that once carried them to multiple Stanley Cups. Blake and Robitaille were both late-round Kings’ draft picks themselves (in the fourth and ninth rounds respectively), and should have a good understanding of the value of drafting.

With all of this turnover there still remains the looming Drew Doughty decision, as the superstar defender will be eligible for a contract extension as of July 1st, 2018. With just two years left on his current deal, Doughty would be one of the most sought-after free agents on the open market should he ever reach free agency. With that in mind, the new front office will need to decide whether handing out an extremely expensive, long-term extension to a player who will turn 30 during its first year is worth it.

Doughty is clearly one of the best players in the world, but if Los Angeles takes a step backwards and misses the playoffs again, speculation about his availability on the trade market will surely spike.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Winnipeg Jets Sign Luke Green To ELC

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According to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun, the Jets have signed prospect Luke Green to a three-year entry-level contract that will pay him an average salary of $847K in the NHL. Green was selected in the third round of the 2016 draft and made his AHL debut at the end of last season on an amateur tryout.

In three seasons in the QMJHL, Green has showed off his offensive upside on a nightly basis. Registering totals of 36, 35 and 37 points each year, the puck-rushing defenseman who was once drafted first overall in the league’s bantam draft is one of the most dynamic players you can see in junior hockey. His skating ability is excellent, and though he lacks some creativity with the puck once in the offensive zone he gains the blueline with ease.

The Jets have a nice pipeline of defensemen developing, and Green will only add to that once he joins the professional ranks. For now, he’ll be heading back to the CHL to continue development in his own end.

Los Angeles Kings Sign Jaret Anderson-Dolan To ELC

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The Los Angeles Kings have seen enough of Jaret Anderson-Dolan to believe he has earned an entry-level contract, signing the second-round pick to a three-year deal today. The 18-year old forward was selected 41st overall at this year’s draft, after dominating the WHL alongside Kailer Yamamoto for the Spokane Chiefs.

Anderson-Dolan shot up draft boards this past season after exploding offensively, going from just 26 points in 2015-16 to 76 in 2016-17. That included 39 goals and a trip to the U18 World Junior Championships as captain of Team Canada. Though he was held scoreless in that tournament, he could get a chance to return to the international stage this year among the U20 group. Even if he doesn’t, he’ll be part of an improved Spokane team that should end the year with a better record that last season’s 27-33-12 final.

For the Kings, the addition of Anderson-Dolan and fellow 2017 draftee Gabe Vilardi will give a boost to a relatively uninspiring prospect system. While the NHL team continues to age and fall further away from their Stanley Cup runs, there will need to be an infusion of youth at some point.

Snapshots: Lecavalier, Miller, Rodrigues

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The Tampa Bay Lightning will retire the second number in their franchise history this season, when they raise Vincent Lecavalier’s #4 to the rafters on February 10th. Lecavalier, who last played in 2015-16, is the franchise leader in goals and was once the NHL’s youngest ever captain (since broken by multiple players) when he was given the “C” at just 19.

In 1,037 games with the Lightning, the 1998 first-overall pick scored 874 points and led them to a Stanley Cup in 2004. Twice he was nominated for the Hart Trophy as league MVP, including 2006-07 when he led the league in goals with 52. A prototypical number-one center, Lecavalier played an exceptional all around game that combined speed, power and skill. He finished his career with 949 points in 1,212 games.

  • Despite spending time in the middle during the preseason, J.T. Miller will be back in his familiar wing position when the season starts, Alain Vigneault confirmed today to a group of reporters including Dan Rosen of NHL.com. Vigneault has been impressed with the play of 2017 first-round draft picks Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil, as well as former University of Michigan standout Boo Nieves. While it has been expected for a while that just one of the young players would make the roster with David Desharnais taking the other center role, there is a growing suspicion that both Andersson and Chytil could start the year with the Rangers. That would be quite the turnaround for a team that hadn’t even drafted in the first round for several years.
  • Buffalo Sabres forward Evan Rodrigues was injured this weekend in a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs when Andreas Borgman crumpled him into the boards, and will be held out for the time being with a hand injury. Head coach Phil Housley was non-committal when asked if it would linger into the regular season, similar to the way he spoke about Jake McCabe’s upper-body injury. Both players were expected to be in the lineup for opening night, which now could open spots for some others to start the year in Buffalo instead of Rochester.

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