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Archives for December 2017

Overseas Extensions For Jeffrey, Fraser

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Many NHL veterans and low-profile prospects head overseas in hopes of making a name for themselves and earning a contract back in North America. Others find the perfect niche in Europe and decide to stay put. With the current state of the league finding it more and more difficult for mid-range talent to find fair market value, an increasing number of players are choosing the latter route and sticking with their overseas situation. That pattern continued today with the extensions for Dustin Jeffrey and Mark Fraser.

Jeffrey, 29, was a long-time Pittsburgh Penguins depth player and made stops in Dallas and Arizona as well, all while playing the vast majority of his games in the AHL. While Jeffrey was a gifted forward who always put up good numbers in the minors – including a 71-point campaign with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – that ability could never quite translate to the NHL. Jeffrey made the move overseas in 2016-17, joining Lausanne HC in the Swiss NLA. Right away, Jeffrey was a good fit, posting a near point-per-game season with 46 points in 49 games, a per-game rate among the league’s best. Yet, this season he off to an even better start with 38 points in 33 games, the best numbers in the league in assists and points. Lausanne rewarded Jeffrey today, announcing a two-year contract extension. Jeffrey is playing the best hockey of his career and has clearly found a place where he is comfortable in western Switzerland.

The veteran defenseman Fraser has found a fit in an entirely different country. After eleven years of North American hockey, including more than 200 NHL games and nearly 500 AHL games mostly with the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs organizations, Fraser made the jump this summer, signing with TPS of the Finnish Liiga. Fraser has only ten games played this season and just a singular point to show for it, but his invaluable experience and leadership is clearly of value to TPS. The team announced that Fraser’s “probationary” contract has been extended through the rest of the season. The team form Turku, Finland is near the top of the Liiga standings right now and could lean on the dependable Fraser down the stretch and in the playoffs.

College Notes: Phillips, Knoepke, Campoli

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The University of Minnesota is set to bring in a rare mid-season recruit, as the College Hockey News reports that defenseman Clayton Phillips has committed to join the Golden Gophers. Phillips, 18, was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round this past June and has 12 points in 16 USHL games this season. The undersized blue liner makes up for his lack of a physical game with outstanding skating and good offensive instincts. Phillips will bolster the defensive depth of a Minnesota team that already features a starting six that has all been drafted into the NHL, led by Boston Bruins prospect Ryan Lindgren.

  • However, Minnesota will  be without freshman defenseman Nate Knoepke for the remainder of the season and potentially longer. The 2018 draft-eligible prospect has left school and returned to the USHL, citing a lack of playing time with the Gophers as the reason for his departure. As previously stated, Minnesota has a solid starting six and while a previously-drafted player like Phillips may not mind battling for play time, Knoepke felt he needed more exposure ahead of the 2018 NHL Draft. Because he is staying in the USHL, joining the Sioux City Musketeers, instead of going the major junior route, Knoepke will not lose his NCAA eligibility and could still return to Minnesota or another institution next season.
  • Boston College sophomore rearguard Michael Campoli is also giving up on the college game for now. The BCHL’s Penticton Vees announced that Campoli has left school and signed with the team for the 2018 segment of the team’s season. Campoli, 19, played in only 12 games for the Eagles last season and has yet to see any action so far in the 2017-18 campaign. However, with a 6’3″, nearly 200-lb. frame, Campoli has the size to make a difference on the back end. Like Knoepke, by joining the Junior-A BCHL, Campoli too can return to the NCAA later on if the right opportunity presents itself.

Snapshots: Tavares, Vegas, Gudbranson

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The New York Islanders announced their plan for a brand new arena at the Belmont Park location today, and front and center at the ceremony was none other than John Tavares. The team captain spoke very highly of the decision, something he’s supported since the beginning.

For us as players and our fan base to have somewhere you know it’s written in stone that we’re going to have a home built for the Islanders on Long Island is pretty special.

The Islanders are called the Islanders for a reason. This is really where the team belongs.

Still, Tavares isn’t willing to announce that he’s re-signing with the team now that it has a long-term future ahead of it. In speaking with Arthur Staple of Newsday at the event, he calmly said that while a positive outcome, it’s not “going to change or ultimately make my decision.”

  • The Vegas Golden Knights are in an extremely interesting position as they continue their inaugural season, and one that GM George McPhee likely didn’t expect when he selected a team heavy on pending free agents. Though they’re one of the top teams in the league, they might still have to decide whether the long-term future of the club is more important as they head towards the trade deadline, something Gary Lawless of NHL.com discussed in an informal Q&A on Twitter. Lawless explained that though they obviously have assets that could be valuable at the deadline, he doesn’t expect management to break up the core while they’re experiencing so much success, instead pointing at the cap space that Vegas possesses as potential bait. That’s something we’ve discussed about at length in the past, and an obvious avenue for the Golden Knights to add to the future while maintaining the present.
  • In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, he speaks about several players who might need a fresh start as we head toward the trade deadline. One of those, Erik Gudbranson, has been rumored available in the past and Friedman believes that he’ll price himself out of the Vancouver Canucks market when he hits free agency after this season. Though Gudbranson certainly doesn’t make the impact that some hoped he would when he went third-overall to the Florida Panthers, he can still be a helpful player for a team with defensive depth issues. The fact that he only makes $3.5MM will make him an affordable piece at the deadline, if a team believes they can get good shutdown minutes from him down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Hockey Canada Names Spengler Cup Roster

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The Canadian Olympic team is coming into view, with the announcement today of the roster for the Spengler Cup, the last tune-up of the year. The Spengler will begin on Christmas Day, December 25th in Switzerland. The roster is as follows:

F David McIntyre
F Mason Raymond
F Curtis Hamilton
F Jay McClement
F P.A. Parenteau
F Nick Spaling
F Jake Evans
F Andrew Ebbett
F Christian Thomas
F Matt D’Agostini
F Dylan Sikura

D Brandon Hickey
D Jeff Schultz
D Cody Goloubef
D Maxim Noreau
D Jeremy Davies
D Victor Bartley

G Kevin Poulin
G Barry Brust

Of note is the appearance of Sikura (CHI), Hickey (CGY), Evans (MTL) and Davies (NJD), all collegiate players that have been drafted by NHL teams—though Hickey’s draft rights have since been traded from Calgary to the Arizona Coyotes as part of the Mike Smith deal. Sikura especially is an interesting prospect, after dominating as a junior last season for Northeastern. He technically could become an unrestricted free agent in the 2018 summer after graduation, but is expected to turn pro and sign with the Blackhawks when his season is over.

There are also some familiar minor league names on the list, including Thomas, Schultz and Goloubef, who have been playing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, San Diego Gulls and Stockton Heat respectively this season on AHL deals. Players with AHL-only contracts will be allowed to compete in the Olympics.

While it’s far from an exciting group, the Canadian team is going for a three-peat at the Spengler, having won the tournament the previous two years. Perhaps some chemistry can be developed among a group that has now been mostly playing together for some time. They’ll need it when they go up against the expected powerhouse that is the “Olympic Athletes from Russia” team in Pyeongchang.

Winnipeg Jets Make Shawn Matthias Available In Trade

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Though it can’t happen until after the holiday roster freeze is over, the Winnipeg Jets have sent out a note to the rest of the league about the availaibility of forward Shawn Matthias according to Elliotte Friedman in his latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet. As Friedman notes, Matthias has been a healthy scratch of late for the Jets, who are flying high without him.

Shawn MatthiasMatthias isn’t an elite offensive player, as evidenced by his career-high of 28 points last season, but has long been known as a capable bottom-six player with speed and size. That 28-point performance earned him a two-year $4.25MM contract with the Jets in the summer of 2016, which will expire at the end of this season.

Though he did play center at one point in his career, he’s been limited to the wing during his time in Winnipeg due to their depth down the middle. Whether the rest of the league would consider moving him back to the position is unclear, but the versatility there could be of interest. Despite having parts of eleven seasons under his belt, the forward is still only 29 and could provide some valuable depth to a contender.

“The Jets are that contender!” you might say, but Winnipeg has ample forward depth in the minor leagues should they face injury. Since Matthias hasn’t really been a fit since signing there, moving him to clear roster space and remove some salary from the books makes sense. Though the Jets aren’t in trouble with the salary cap, they operate on a budget and could use those funds for something else.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor Transactions: 12/20/17

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Despite the NHL being in their holiday roster freeze, there are still minor moves that can be made. As we’ve discussed before, players can still be recalled from the minor leagues during this time, and those who were recalled after December 11th can still be loaned to the AHL until 11:59pm eastern on December 23rd. Thus, the league is not completely frozen and we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Gabriel Carlsson from the AHL, due to an injury to Zach Werenski that will keep him out of the lineup tonight against Toronto. Carlsson played 10 games with the Blue Jackets earlier this season, and is another highly touted defenseman in their system. Though he has quite a few excellent players ahead of him, expect Carlsson to make an impact on the Blue Jackets before long.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have assigned Michael Chaput to the minor leagues, meaning either the move technically went through last night or Chaput had been up previously on emergency conditions. He’d previously been called up on December 6th, and played in three games with the club.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Kevin Gravel from the AHL, bringing the hulking defenseman up for the first time this year. Gravel played 49 games with the NHL club last season, but has been toiling in the minor leagues all year, scoring nine points in 24 games. With Christian Folin headed to injured reserve yesterday, the Kings needed a seventh defenseman for the time being.
  • Tomas Hyka has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Vegas Golden Knights, after sitting out last night’s match against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hyka still hasn’t made his NHL debut after signing out of Europe in the summer, but has 12 points in 16 games for the Chicago Wolves.
  • Joseph Blandisi has been sent to the minor leagues by the Anaheim Ducks, something Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register suspected yesterday. Blandisi has dealt with injury since coming over from the Devils in the Adam Henrique–Sami Vatanen trade, and only played in three games with the Ducks.
  • Shane Prince is back with the New York Islanders after a lengthy conditioning stint, where he registered two points in four AHL contests. Prince spent ten days in the minor leagues with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, but is ready to return and contribute for the surging Islanders.

Washington Capitals Claim Nathan Walker

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The Washington Capitals have reclaimed Nathan Walker off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers and will report to the NHL squad for now, since the roster freeze is in effect.

Walker was acquired by the Oilers for a short period after being waived by the Capitals earlier this season due to a roster crunch, but was never unwanted by his previous organization. The fact that he is now back with them is no surprise.

Interestingly though, Walker’s addition puts the Capitals right up against the salary cap for the moment according to CapFriendly. The team won’t get to bank cap space for the next week the way it has this season unless they assign Madison Bowey or Jakub Vrana to the minors. Both players were sent down for just a single day earlier this week, meaning (since it was after December 11th) they can still be loaned to the minor leagues until December 23rd.

The Capitals likely don’t want to send either young player down due to their recent success, so we’ll have to wait to see what their decision is or if there is another way to get around the cap issue. For now, we know that Australian Walker is with the Capitals and will be for at least a week.

Ottawa Senators Recall Filip Chlapik

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The Ottawa Senators have recalled Filip Chlapik, bringing the 20-year old forward up despite the roster freeze. Remember, teams are only prevented from trading, waiving or loaning players during this period and even then some loopholes exist.

Chlapik will be a breath of fresh air for Senators fans, waiting for the team to find any modicum of success this season. The team sits 29th in the standings, and has just nine regulation wins this season. The young forward certainly has the talent to help, after putting up 15 points in 27 games as a rookie this season for the Belleville Senators of the AHL. That comes after the second-round pick dominated the QMJHL last season with 110 points in 70 total games.

He played one game earlier in the season for the Senators, and recorded an assist in fewer than seven minutes of ice time. At this point in the season, Ottawa has little to lose by giving a player like this an extended look, though it’s not clear if that is the plan at the moment. Instead, he may be up just as insurance for the three-game road trip that the team is about to take.

New York Islanders Win Bid For New Arena At Belmont Park

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Wednesday: The official documents have been released, the Islanders are set at Belmont Park. The plans include the building of an 18,000-seat arena, 435,000 square feet for a retail shopping center, a hotel, offices and parking. You can see a map of the proposed build at the end of the documentation.

Tuesday: Though the official announcement won’t come until tomorrow, multiple sources including Jim Baumbach of Newsday are reporting that the New York Islanders have won the bidding on the Belmont Park development project. That would allow the Islanders to build a new arena and solidify the future of their franchise.

This is huge news for Islanders fans hoping not only for the long-term stability of the franchise, but also the chance to re-sign John Tavares this summer. The pending unrestricted free agent has made it clear in the past that he was waiting to know where the arena plans were before signing, and with an agreement to build a brand new arena, shopping area and hotel in Belmont Park it’s clear there is a path in place for the Islanders long-term health. Though there is no guarantee this makes Tavares stick around—after all, he is looking at potentially the biggest salary in the league should he hit free agency and start a bidding war—it certainly helps the Islanders’ case.

More than that, it brings the Islanders back out of Brooklyn and the Barclays Center, an arena that has caused the team nothing but problems since moving there in 2015. The Islanders have an opt-out opportunity in January to start the process of getting out of their current lease, though it’s not clear exactly when the new building would be operational.

For a team that is keeping pace in the difficult Metropolitan Division, and looks to have several of the top free agents to sign, news like this can’t come at a better time. There was worry that a decision wouldn’t come early enough for the Islanders to have time to decide what to do ahead of the trade deadline, but they should now be able to know the exact direction of the franchise before buying or selling. With Tavares, Josh Bailey, Calvin de Haan, Thomas Hickey and Jaroslav Halak all up for new contracts or free agency, the team is one of the more interesting to watch over the coming months.

Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Bruins’ Cup Hopes

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An 8-1 rout of the Carolina Hurricanes was exactly what the slumping Maple Leafs needed. William Nylander was at the top of that list, needed a goal to break a long drought after being victimized by crossbars and posts. Nylander finally scored one, writes Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, and it seemed to ease the tension for the young center who had only scored twice in the past 26 games. Fox adds that Nylander appeared ready to set the league ablaze in scoring, but is now only on pace for 12 goals. Leafs bench boss Mike Babcock, however, calls for pause:

“We think he has the skill to be a centre, to transport the puck, to make plays. The part that we haven’t seen is the ability to play without the puck in his own zone. I would bet you on every team, the majority of forwards were centres, probably eight of the 12. They come into the league and the best players on all the minor hockey league teams are often centres.

They come up and they end up on the wing and it takes a few years to figure out the league and learn how to play hard and how to play without the puck so you don’t spend the whole time just standing there watching the merry-go-round.”

Perhaps that much needed goal could get the young center back on track.

  • ESPN’s crew of writers debated the chances that the Bruins have in making a strong push for a Stanley Cup run. Greg Wyshynski believes that the Nashville Predators serve as inspiration for a team that played on the fringe for awhile before playing stronger as of late. Wyshynski says the teams match up everywhere except in net, where he wonders if Tuukka Rask is capable of playing big like the Preds’ Pekka Rinne did last season for Nashville. Emily Kaplan agrees, believing that their 7-2 throttling of Columbus is an indication they’re truly a contender, but that depth is a concern. She also lauds Charlie McAuvoy as being as good as advertised. Chris Peters takes the dissent, saying that it will take a lot to get past Tampa, and even if they do, defeating a Metropolitan team would be a heavy task as well.

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