Archives for 2017

Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Sign Jean-Sebastien Dea

August 21, 2017 at 11:03 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Pittsburgh Penguins have finished signing their restricted free agents as today they announced a new one-year contract for Jean-Sebastien Dea. The contract is two-way and will earn Dea $650K at the NHL level. Dea will remain an RFA at the conclusion of the deal.

Undrafted out of the QMJHL, the Penguins jumped on Dea after he exploded for 85 points in 68 games for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in 2012-13. Playing alongside people like Sven Andrighetto and at times Nikita Kucherov, Dea showed that he could keep up with NHL talent and provide some real offense.

That ability hasn’t abandoned him in professional hockey, as the 23-year old has continued his development for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins the last few years. Registering 18 goals and 34 points last season, he was rewarded with his NHL debut late in the year and the opportunity to skate as a “Black Ace” in the playoffs. A natural center, Dea could be in contention for a fourth-line role at some point if the Penguins’ depth is tested during the year.

Roy Radke Signs In Finland

August 21, 2017 at 8:57 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

After another underwhelming season with the Barrie Colts, the Chicago Blackhawks allowed their exclusive negotiating rights with Roy Radke expire in June. Despite that, he still attended Chicago’s development camp this summer, and was expected to get an AHL deal somewhere around the league. Instead he has signed with SaiPa of the Finnish Liiga, where he’ll try to take the next step in his professional career. The deal is for one season and includes a “trial period.”

Radke was selected in the sixth round two years ago, but failed to deliver on his promise as a fast, hard-nosed power forward. Too often for the Barrie Colts would he let defenders move him off the puck, and sometimes avoided going into the corners in the offensive zone. Still armed with a big shot and enough speed to create offense off the rush, he’ll need to start using his big frame more effectively. There is a good chance he returns to North America eventually to join a minor league team, but for now he sems quite excited to start with SaiPa.

The Blackhawks haven’t received a single game of production from their 2015 draft class just yet, with their top selection Graham Knott just entering the AHL this season. In fact, Knott remains the only player signed so far out of the draft class, with the others either playing in the NCAA or Europe. While that’s not unexpected, the team will need to start getting contributions soon from their last few draft classes if they’re to keep the championship-level organization fed.

Five Key Stories: 8/13/17 – 8/20/17

August 20, 2017 at 8:22 pm CDT | by Mike Furlano Leave a Comment

Another slow week during the August NHL doldrums. Most experienced hockey insiders use this time to vacation without worrying about breaking news. Nevertheless, PHR is here to report on all the news, all the time. Despite the doldrums, the hockey world saw one of the most anticipated summer signings, injuries, NCAA free agents, and a new AHL team. Check out the five most important stories below:

Leon Draisaitl Signs 8-Year / $68MM Contract with the Edmonton Oilers
Leon Draisaitl, a restricted free agent this summer, agreed to an eight-year, $68MM contract with the Edmonton Oilers. That deal will pay Draisaitl an average of $8.5MM a year. The contract makes Draisaitl one of the highest paid players in the league, coming in tied for the 10th-highest cap hit in the league next season.

KHL Signings: Alexey Marchenko, Marek Mazanec, and Dwight King
This week saw three NHLers sign KHL deals. Marek Mazanec goes from the Nashville Predators to HC Slovan Bratislava. The signing was unusual because Nashville and Mazanec agreed to a two-way, $650K contract earlier this summer. Dwight King signed with Avtomobilist after finishing last season with the Los Angeles Kings and Montreal Canadiens. Finally, former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Alexey Marchenko is rumored to have signed with CSKA Moscow after being unconditionally waived by the Maple Leafs.

Injuries: NYI Shane Price and NJD Travis Zajac Out for Months
The Metropolitan Division lost two players to significant injuries this week. The New York Islanders lost forward Shane Prince for four-to-six months after Prince underwent ankle surgery. Prince was poised to step up this season after showing elite offensive ability in the AHL. Across the state line, the New Jersey Devils lost star forward Travis Zajac to a torn pectoral muscle. Zajac underwent surgery this week and will also be out four-to-six months. This is a huge blow to a team looking to build on drafting the first overall pick.

Will Butcher Becomes NCAA Free Agent
As expected, Will Butcher declined to sign with the Colorado Avalanche—the team who drafted him—and became an unrestricted free agent. Butcher most recently won the Hobey Baker award for best men’s NCAA hockey player. While Butcher will not garner as much attention as Jimmy Vesey and Justin Schultz, he has already met with numerous teams seeking his services.

Matt Cullen Signs with the Minnesota Wild
Stanley Cup-winning Matt Cullen signed a one-year deal worth $1MM (plus $700k in performance bonuses) with the Minnesota Wild. Cullen had been reportedly deciding between the Wild and Penguins, but eventually decided to return home to Minnesota and forego his shot at a “three-peat” with Pittsburgh. 2017-18 will mark his 20th season in the NHL, and he remains a very effective two-way center. Despite playing some of the lowest minutes of his career, he registered more than 30 points for the 13th time, and continued his career-long streak of winning more than 50% of his draws. He’ll likely slot into the fourth-line role in Minnesota, but will provide ample depth behind the star-studded forward group.

PHR Originals: 8/13/17 – 8/20/17

August 20, 2017 at 6:11 pm CDT | by Mike Furlano Leave a Comment

Each week Pro Hockey Rumors supplements its news articles with original pieces from our writers. This week brought us excellent and in-depth articles on a variety of prescient topics, including salary cap deep dives, free agent profiles, and future prognostications. Check out the best of the best below:

Salary Cap Deep Dives
Our writers continued with our salary cap deep dive series by previewing the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Washington Capitals. The Maple Leafs will be tight to the cap in the coming future, the Caps may lose a valuable defenseman or goaltender, GM Steve Yzerman has worked magic in Tampa Bay, and the Bruins are set to rebuild on the fly. Check out each of them here:

Boston Bruins
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Washington Capitals

An Early Look at the 2018 Draft Class
This article breaks down five of the likeliest players to headline the 2018 NHL draft class. Swedish prospect Rasmus Dahlin leads the pack with his Erik Karlsson comparisons, but the creative hands of Andrei Svechnikov could garner more attention as the Russian plays for the OHL Barrie Colts. Joe Veleno, Adam Boqvist, and Brady Tkachuk round out the group.

The Oldest NHL Rosters Going Forward
Seth Lawrence looks at the three oldest NHL rosters going into the 2017-18 NHL season and dissects what each team needs to do to remain (or become) successful. While an older team is not necessarily a detriment, it does imply that the team has few young players playing meaningful roles. In a salary cap era, successful teams need productive players on cheap contracts to maintain competitiveness.

Upcoming UFA Goaltenders With Something to Prove
Next year’s goaltending UFA crop may lack star power, but it does contain many interesting potential rehabilitation projects. This season provides those pending UFA goaltenders with an opportunity to turn things around and show teams that they are worth more than their current reputation belies. Whether it’s a former starter regulated to backup duties, or an aging veteran with just enough left in the tank, the following goaltenders can significantly improve their stock going into unrestricted free agency.

Comparing Distances Between NHL and AHL affiliates
This article breaks down how far each team’s AHL affiliate is from its parent club. Some teams have a local AHL club in the same city, while others have teams over 1,000 miles away. Having a relatively local AHL affiliate provides ample benefits for an NHL club. Having coaching staff in the same vicinity allows the NHL and AHL club to more seamlessly instil a organization playing system, and reduces travel issues when recalling or reassigning players. But not every team enjoys that benefit.

Free Agent Profile: Lauri Korpikoski
Unrestricted free agent winger Lauri Korpikoski hasn’t been able to build upon the offensive potential he displayed earlier in his career with the Coyotes but he has still successfully carved out a bottom six niche role over the past few years. Despite being a safe bet for around 20 points in a lower spot in the lineup, he has yet to land somewhere for 2017-18.

Czech Republic Could Have Olympic Edge With Unsigned Players
With the NHL not allowing its players to play in the 2018 Winter Olympics, the playing field is suddenly much more level for less historically-dominant nations. One nation—the Czech Republic—seems to be in positions to best take advantage due to key unsigned free agents. Jaromir Jagr, Milan and Zbynek Michalek, and others could turn the Czech Republic into the most talented team in the tournament.

New Jersey Notes: Schneider, Zacha, Henrique

August 20, 2017 at 5:00 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

Up until this past year, the New Jersey Devils’ goalie Cory Schneider has been one of the top goaltenders in the NHL. Then with the help of one of the worst defenses in the league, Schneider saw his performances drop badly last year. The 31-year-old veteran posted a 1.97 GAA in 45 games in his first year in New Jersey in 2013-14. He followed that up with a 2.26 in 69 games and then a 2.15 GAA in 58 games in 2015-16. His play during those years was often what kept the Devils competitive.

Last year’s 2.82 GAA does not seem to be indicative of the career the netminder has had up to now. Yet, NBC Sports Adam Gretz writes that this will be a pivotal year for the goaltender who is under pressure to prove that last year was a fluke. His .908 save percentage was not only a career-worst, but also one of the worst in the league. There were even rumblings the Devils should trade the veteran goaltender, but even with their offensive additions of Marcus Johansson and first-overall pick Nico Hischier, the team is not likely to score enough goals.

A bounce-back season is needed to re-establish his identity, otherwise the $30MM the team still owes him over the next five years will likely haunt instead.

The Devils have high hopes that prospect Pavel Zacha is ready for a breakout season this year, writes Gretz in a separate piece. The 20-year-old wing who was the sixth-overall pick in 2015, is coming off his first full season in the NHL. While his eight goals and 16 assists were modest in his first year, the team believes Zacha could have a big year. After struggling in the first half of the season last year with just seven points in 37 games, he showed improvement in the second half, putting up 17 points in the final 33 games. And with the injury to Travis Zajac who is expected to miss the next four to six months, the team may look to Zacha to fill the void as the 20-year-old played both center and wing for the team last year.
While there was talk of possibly moving center Adam Henrique to the wing position to make room for some of the young centers like Hischier and Zacha, the injury to Zacha guarantees that Henrique will stay in the middle, writes Jesse Kinney of the Hockey Writers.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Washington Capitals

August 20, 2017 at 4:16 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 2 Comments

Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Washington Capitals

Current Cap Hit: $70,910,107 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Jakub Vrana ($863K, two years remaining)

This is where the Capitals have gotten themselves into trouble. Playing to win it all for the last couple of years has taken a toll on the depth of the team’s roster as they have chosen to go with veterans rather than allow youngsters to work their way into the lineup. Now that those contracts have become too much and the team has had to purge a number of free agents to stay under the cap, suddenly there is no depth to look to when they really need it.

Vrana, a former 2014 first-rounder returned to his team in Sweden after being drafted, but signed at the end of the 2015 season and joined the AHL Hershey Bears for three games, tallying five assists. He then added six points in 10 playoff games to establish himself as a top prospect. He scored 35 goals over the next two seasons in Hershey before being promoted to Washington last year. In 21 games, he tallied three goals and three assists and appears ready to step in to a bottom line role this year.

There are a number of minor leaguers that may be ready to step into the lineup such as defenders Madison Bowey and Christian Djoos, but none have seen any NHL action so far in their careers and there is no guarantee they will make the team out of training camp.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D John Carlson ($3.96MM, UFA)
F Lars Eller ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Tom Wilson ($2.0MM, RFA)
F Jay Beagle ($1.75MM, UFA)
G Philipp Grubauer ($1.5MM, RFA)
D Taylor Chorney ($800K, UFA)
F Devante Smith-Pelly ($650K, RFA)

The team has already lost several key defenseman in the past few months, including Kevin Shattenkirk, Nate Schmidt and Karl Alzner. Could Carlson be next? While the team still has several veteran remaining on their roster, the team might be hard-pressed to avoid losing another veteran defenseman. Currently penciled in to play next to Orlov, at 27 years old, he would be a big loss if the team is unable to bring him back. However, the team will be paying Orpik, Niskanen and Orlov, more than $16MM combined next year. Will Washington find the money for Carlson?

Wilson is a player who the Capitals have high hopes for. The 23-year-old wing is a former 2012 first-rounder and has played four years with the team already, usually among the bottom-tier lines. However, with smoe of the team’s losses on offense, including Marcus Johanson and Justin Williams, this might be the year that Wilson breaks out. He is currently penciled in on the team’s second line and while he managed just seven goals a year ago, he did put up three playoff goals, showing he might be ready for an enhanced role. As a restricted free agent in 2018, the team will have some control on managing his salary.

Perhaps one of the more interesting decisions the team must make is what they plan to do with their backup goalie. Grubauer is considered to be one of the top-young goaltending prospects and while he was not chosen by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, many feel that he could be a solid starting goaltender. However, with Holtby in front of him and locked up for three more years, that role would not likely be given to Grubauer in Washington. With minor leaguer Pheonix Copley looking ready to become the team’s backup and the presence of 2014 second-round prospect Vitek Vanacek and 2015 first-round prospect Ilya Samsonov, the team is loaded with goaltending talent. It seems far more likely the team will move Grubauer at some point, maybe at the trade deadline next season to add much needed depth.

Eller is at best a third line center, who averages between 10 and 15 goals per season. Barring a breakout year and he’s already 28 years old so that seems unlikely, Eller at $3.5MM might be too expensive to bring back in a year, but it’s too early to tell. Beagle did have a career year last year and should challenge Eller for that third-line center job with the loser likely to man the fourth line. Beagle, a faceoff specialist, scored 13 goals last year. If the team can bring them back on relatively cheap deals, they might be able to retain them.

Chorney was used primarily as an extra defenseman last year and only managed 18 games last season. With the team’s lack of depth after their top four, Washington may have no choice but to give Chorney a chance to win one of the last spots. The 30-year-old did manage to get into 55 games a year ago. Smith-Pelly, a quiet free agent acquisition this offseason, scored four goals in 55 games for New Jersey last year. Their futures will be decided by whether they make the team and how they perform.

Two Years Remaining

D Brooks Orpik ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Andre Burakovsky ($3MM, RFA)
F Brett Connolly ($1.5MM, UFA)

At 36 now and 38 years old when his contract expires, Orpik’s days could be numbered. While he’s never been a major offensive presence, his defense has helped anchor a Capitals team for several years since coming over from Pittsburgh, but his skills are already beginning to diminish and this deal is considered by many to be one of the worst deals the Caps have made over the last few years.

The player to keep an eye on is Burakovsky, who many believe might have a breakout season now that the team has lightened their forward depth. Burakovsky, a first-round pick in 2013, has 38 goals and 95 points in three seasons and is currently expected to move onto the team’s second line. In two years, he should be a restricted free agent and could ask for quite a contract if he can put together a couple of big seasons for the Capitals. Connolly is another player for the team to keep their eyes on. While the 25-year-old wing had a career year with Washington this year (15 goals, 23 assists), but the team will need to see what he does over the next two before awarding him another deal.

Three Years Remaining

F Nicklas Backstrom ($6.7MM, UFA)
G Braden Holtby ($6.1MM, UFA)

Both players would seem like obvious candidates to be brought back in three years, but there are a lot of factors that determine that. Backstrom will be 33, while Holtby will be 30, so both should still be in their prime. Backstrom’s 23 goals and more importantly, 63 assists were critical to the Capitals success this last year, while Holtby is the cornerstone in goal. There is no guarantee that any youth will step in and supplant them although the Capitals are strong in goaltending depth.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Alex Ovechkin ($9.54MM through 2020-21)
F Evgeny Kuznetsov ($7.8MM through 2024-25)
F T.J. Oshie ($5.75MM through 2024-25)
D Matt Niskanen ($5.75MM through 2020-21)
D Dmitry Orlov ($5.1MM through 2022-23)

The Capitals have a great core and the team has obviously planned to put most of their money and years towards Kuznetsov, Oshie and Orlov as well as Ovechkin and Niskanen.

The team’s success has revolved around Ovechkin since the day he was drafted and little will change. He is locked up for another four seasons and no one would be surprised if they brought him back after that at age 35. Even though there was some trade chatter about moving on from their star, Washington will likely do everything it can over the next four years to compete for a championship. However, Ovechkin didn’t fare as well this year. After three 50-goal seasons, the 31-year-old wing dropped to a 33-goal season. Still great, but not his usual standard. Can he take his game back to that previous level?

The team then inked three of their stars to long-term deals this offseason. Kuznetsov is just 25 and should be solid for years, but was he worth $7.8MM per season? That’s a lot of money for good, but not great production. He suffered a down year compared to his 2015-16 season, but he’s coming off a 19 goal, 40 assist season, the Capitals have to hope he can take his game to the next level and fill in the offense they will lose this year. Otherwise that’s a lot of money spent on an average center.

Orlov also was extended this offseason. The 26-year-old defenseman signed a six-year, $30.6MM deal to remain with Washington. He finished the season with six goals and 33 points and may be ready to take over the defensive reigns. Many people thought Oshie would leave during free agency due to the Capitals’ cap issues, but the team found a way to keep the 30-year-old forward, signing him to an eight-year extension at $5.75MM. Whether he will be worth that much in his late 30s is unknown, but his 33 goals last year was a career high.

Niskanen remains solid on defense and will be needed even more with some of the offensive losses. The 30-year-old defenseman put up another solid season, scoring five goals and 34 assists for 39 points.

Buyouts

None

Best Value: Backstrom
Worst Value: Kuznetsov

Looking Ahead

The Capitals are a well-run franchise that has done an excellent job of spending money on their core of stars, while drafting well enough to have talent ready to go. They may have overreached themselves this past year as they lost quite a bit of talent and have several gaping holes on defense, but the team seems to have put together a great team that just has not been able to get themselves to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Ovechkin still has a number of years left, so expect the Capitals to be aggressive and make moves to add more scoring and more defense over the next year or two. Don’t be shocked to see a goaltender get moved to make room for their prospects, but also to find new talent they can plug into their lineup.

Afternoon Notes: Flyers, Panarin, Butcher

August 20, 2017 at 3:11 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 3 Comments

Even though the Philadelphia Flyers picked second overall in the 2017 draft, they weren’t that bad of a team. The Flyers actually finished the season with a 33-39-10 record, good enough for 88 points. Eleven teams finished worse in the standings than the Flyers. So, while the team wasn’t at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the team did make some changes. They got a little younger, trading away 25-goal scorer Brayden Schenn for struggling Jori Lehtera, a 2017 first-round pick and a conditional first-round pick in 2018, they let defenseman Michael Del Zotto walk and they swapped goaltenders, replacing veteran Steve Mason with Brian Elliott. They also drafted second-overall pick Nolan Patrick in the draft this year.

However, Philly.com’s Sam Donnellon writes that it will be very difficult to measure in which direction the team will go this year. Even with many of their veterans returning, there are too many unknowns, including the defense could have two or more rookie defensemen, both Patrick and top prospect Oskar Lindblom could make the team out of training camp and their goaltending still looks to be less than stellar. Some of those points could be positives as Lindblom and Patrick could have big first seasons or Elliott could have a comeback season.

The scribe writes that a lot of the teams success or lack thereof will fall on third-year coach Dave Hakstol, who must figure out how to fit all the pieces together while developing the team’s emerging youth.

In an interview with Artemi Panarin in a Russian newspaper, SB Nation’s Dave Melton got a translated copy, in which he states he was surprised to be traded from Chicago, but is eager to move on to Columbus and hopes for an even bigger role with the Blue Jackets. The fact that multiple players have said they would like to play alongside him including Alexander Wennberg, is what Panarin says is exciting about the move. “That’s why I see this trade as a springboard and not a pitfall.”
While likely meaningless, Denver Post’s Mike Chambers tweeted a picture of unrestricted free agent defenseman and Hobey Baker Award winner Will Butcher at Denver International Airport on Friday, carrying a bag with the Buffalo Sabres logo on it. Chambers suggests that his first visit was to Buffalo. The Sabres, Vegas Golden Knights, Columbus Blue Jackets and the New Jersey Devils have been reported to have reached out to the free agent out of the University of Denver.

Montreal May Be Heading In Wrong Direction

August 20, 2017 at 1:29 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 11 Comments

As a team like the Edmonton Oilers attempt to build their team of the future by locking up their top young forwards, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to long-term deals to be the centerpieces of the franchise, there are other teams who are building in different ways. The Montreal Canadiens locked up star goaltender Carey Price to an eight-year, $84MM deal that starts next year and will keep him locked up until he hits 40-years old. While few dispute the fact that he is one of the top goaltender in the NHL if not the best, there are questions about whether it was smart to invest so much money into a 30-year-old goalie. In fact, if you also factor in the nine years remaining at $7.86MM per year for defenseman Shea Weber, the Canadiens have its core as well.

Starting next year, the Canadiens will be giving those two 30-something players a combined $18.36MM. That’s comparable to the $21MM that McDavid and Draisaitl will make next year. However, Brendan Kelly of the Montreal Gazette writes that investing all your money in a defenseman and a goalie is not the right way to build a winner. He looks at the blueprints for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks, two teams who have put together winning formulas and suggests that in neither case was the goaltender the star of the franchise. Neither was the top two players a defenseman and a goalie. Both franchises won based on superstar forwards, one great defenseman and a solid goalie.

Add in the fact that both players are on the wrong side of 30 and are locked up until the 2025-26 season, both could bring down the franchise with all that much money that will be locked into two players who eventually be in their late 30s. The other problem is with that much invested in those two, there will be little money to focus on offense. All great teams always have a number one center and can Montreal pay for one?

Kelly also adds that while he does believe that Price is the best goalie in the world, Price has not been as dominating in the playoffs and certainly has not single-handedly won the team many playoff series. He cites only two Habs’ goaltenders who have worked playoff “magic” in the last 25 years, including Jose Theodore’s dominance in 2002 against the Boston Bruins and Jaroslav Halak’s 2010 playoff performance against Washington and Pittsburgh. Price has not done that yet although he has nine years still to accomplish this.

Price was unable to be a difference-maker against the New York Rangers team in the playoffs this past year, Kelly said. And while the team didn’t lose the series because of Price, the team just wasn’t good enough to beat an average Rangers squad. How will the rest of the team improve when there is little to no money to bolster their offense?

Red Wings Notes: Playoff Push, Mrazek, Sproul, McIlrath

August 20, 2017 at 11:54 am CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Whether for good or bad, the Detroit Red Wings have continued on their pursuit for reaching the playoffs despite having one of the highest payrolls with the least production. After not reaching the playoffs, many believed it was time to rebuild the “great franchise,” but that is not the course it took as it made few moves to fix their aging, yet expensive roster and only added more veterans to it with the hopes that many of their veterans would bounce back this year.

MLive’s Ansar Khan took questions regarding the team path, pointing out that the Red Wings brass have no interest in a team rebuild and are going all-out to reach the playoffs again. His belief is the team has no confidence that their youth can outperform the veterans that are already on the team. The team may have little choice as they are even now over the cap and have very few tradeable contracts at present, but things may change if the Red Wings put up a second disappointing season next year.

Petr Mrazek should be especially motivated this season as he enters his contract year. Once considered to be their starting goaltender of the future, the 24-year-old has struggled over the last year and a half, according to Khan. He finished last year with a 3.04 GAA and a .901 save percentage, losing his job to veteran Jimmy Howard. He then was exposed to the expansion draft and not selected by Vegas. Khan believes if he doesn’t step up this year, the Red Wings will not make him a $4MM qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2018.
The Red Wings, which have nine defensemen currently under contract, are likely to shed 24-year-old Ryan Sproul before the seasons begin, assuming there are no injuries. That should get them down to eight defenders and the general belief is that Luke Witkowski will be moved to play the forward position as a fourth-line wing or the 13th man. He would only play defense in emergencies.
Khan also writes that minor league defenseman Dylan McIlrath, acquired in March from the Florida Panthers, is not a likely candidate to make the Detroit roster. The former 2010 first-round pick has struggled to stay on an NHL roster long-term and while he brings a physical presence the team desperately needs, it’s more likely the team brought Witkowski in to play that same role. McIlrath has only played in 43 NHL games in his career.

What Edmonton Really Got In Eberle Trade

August 20, 2017 at 10:36 am CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

Cap space might be the first word that would come to mind when hearing the question, “What did the Edmonton Oilers get for Jordan Eberle?” The 27-year-old wing, while solid, has never been able to show consistency for a team over his seven-year NHL career. His 34-goal sophomore season is something he’s never really been able to duplicate, although he has put up at least 20 goals in four of the past five seasons. Yet his $6MM salary over each of the next two years was too much for an Oilers’ team that had plans to sign superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to extensions. Sure enough, the team will be paying them both $21MM per year starting next year. (Draisaitl’s $8.5MM per year does start this year, but McDavid’s extension doesn’t kick in until 2018-19.)

Yet despite clearing out cap room, the Oilers did come away with promising center Ryan Strome. The 24-year-old, once the fifth-overall pick in the 2011 draft, has a tremendous upside, but has yet to take that next step into a impact player. Even Strome’s best season of 17 goals and 33 assists in the 2014-15 season doesn’t compare to Eberle’s disappointing 2016-17 in which he put up 20 goals and 31 assists. David Staples of the Edmonton Journal writes that Strome has quite a few positive points that should have the team excited for next season, including his ability to be that “glue” guy that teams are always looking for.

One of Strome’s attributes that stands out is his size. While Eberle was just 5-foot-11, 181 pounds, Strome stands in at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds. He can take a hit much better than Eberle ever has been able to and should provide that grit the team needs. He should be able to withstand physical defenders better and provide consistent checking. He has good “on-ice” IQ and has the ability to know when to hold onto the puck and when to get rid of it. Strome doesn’t make many mistakes and seems to know when to dump the puck and where to be on defense. Staples also adds that his passing is outstanding, which is why he found himself on the Islanders’ power play quite often last year.

On the downside, Strome lacks speed and has struggled defending against quicker defenders. While general manager Peter Chiarelli has spoken about Strome’s slapshot, Staples has found little proof that it is as good as advertised. His lack of agility might also force the center to move to the wing, although its too early to know if the team plans to make that change.

Staples adds that Strome is a better choice to have on the team than Eberle as he is a better fit. The downside to Strome also is that his cheap $2.5MM deal expires at the end of the year, which means he will be a restricted free agent already next year and depending on his performance n

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