Archives for 2017

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Buffalo Sabres

August 4, 2017 at 5:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

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.

Buffalo Sabres

Current Cap Hit: $66,478,691 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Viktor Antipin (One year remaining, $925K)
F Jack Eichel (One year remaining, $925K)
F Sam Reinhart (One year remaining, $894K)

One big reason for the Sabres having the type of cap space that they do is due to the fact that Eichel and Reinhart are still on their rookie contracts. They won’t be cheap for much longer, however. Eichel is believed to be in talks on a max eight-year extension that should have him in the upper echelon of cap hits when all is said and done. Reinhart’s case will be more of an interesting one as he has produced like a second liner through his first two NHL seasons. If he takes the next step as expected, he’ll command a significant raise next summer as well. As for Antipin, he’s a wildcard as he crosses the pond for the first time at the age of 24. The team is undoubtedly hoping he’ll be able to lock down a top-four role and if he does, he too is going to command a big pay increase.

Potential Bonuses

Antipin: $850K
Eichel: $2.85MM
Reinhart: $2.65MM

Total: $6.35MM

One Year Remaining, Non Entry-Level

F Nicolas Deslauriers ($775K, UFA)
D Josh Gorges ($3.9MM, UFA)
G Chad Johnson ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Jacob Josefson ($700K, UFA)
F Evander Kane ($5.25MM, UFA)
G Robin Lehner ($4MM, RFA)
F Benoit Pouliot ($1.15MM, UFA)

Up front, the list is highlighted by Kane, a highly talented but sometimes mercurial winger. He has been a legitimate top line forward at times while at others, he has been content to play a more passive role on a lower trio. With this being a contract year, it will be interesting to see if he can respond with a more consistent season. If Buffalo is out of the playoff race by the trade deadline, he could be one of the best rental options available, assuming he doesn’t sign an extension beforehand. The others are primarily depth/role players although Pouliot is worth keeping an eye on as he looks to rebuild his value after being bought out by the Oilers in June.

On the back end, Gorges has started to break down in recent years, no doubt a by-product of his prolific shot-blocking throughout his career. He isn’t expected to be more than a depth defender on their new-look blueline and if he is offered an extension, it will surely be at a considerably lower salary.

There aren’t many teams that have both goaltenders on expiring contracts but that’s the case here. Lehner is on his second ‘prove it’ contract after coming off a career high 59 appearances last season. If he doesn’t earn the confidence of management in 2017-18, it would seem likely that they will start to take a long look at other potential options. Johnson was brought back to give the Sabres an above average backup that can hold his own if Lehner gets hurt or struggles and will serve as a bridge to youngster Linus Ullmark who is already signed through 2018-19 but will likely spend most of the year with AHL Rochester.Read more

Two Years Remaining

D Nathan Beaulieu ($2.4MM, RFA)
F Johan Larsson ($1.475MM, RFA)
D Jake McCabe ($1.6MM, RFA)
F Matt Moulson ($5MM, UFA)
F Jason Pominville ($5.6MM, UFA)

Pominville was basically a contract that Buffalo had to take on in order to land some help on the back end (more on that player shortly). His best days came with the Sabres and if he can even come close to the form he had a couple of years ago, he could be a big part of their attack. Moulson, meanwhile, has underwhelmed the last couple of years and hasn’t produced like the top-six player they’re paying him to be. If they decide they need to free up cap space for 2018-19, he could become a potential buyout candidate if he doesn’t rediscover his scoring touch.

Beaulieu recently received a second ‘bridge contract’ as the Sabres wait to see if he can put together more of a consistent all-around game while McCabe has emerged as a top-four rearguard. Both players will have arbitration rights at the end of their respective deals.

Three Or More Years

D Zach Bogosian ($5.14MM through 2019-20)
F Kyle Okposo ($6MM through 2022-23)
F Ryan O’Reilly ($7.5MM through 2022-23)
D Rasmus Ristolainen ($5.4MM through 2021-22)
D Marco Scandella ($4MM through 2019-20)

O’Reilly continues to be a go-to player for Buffalo and while his contract isn’t ever going to be a bargain, the perception of it isn’t anywhere near as bad as it was when they signed it upon acquiring him from Colorado. It will be interesting to see how the center position shakes out as Eichel and Reinhart – top-six pivots in their own right – continue to develop. Okposo failed to find the same chemistry he had back with John Tavares of the Islanders while missing the end of the year due to a concussion and an illness stemming from medication he took. While he didn’t produce as expected, he’ll be pencilled in as a top-six winger for a long time yet.

Ristolainen is one of the top young blueliners in the league and will be a bargain for the next half-decade as a legitimate number one defender. Scandella was the focal point of the trade with Minnesota that also yielded Pominville. While his offensive upside is limited, he should at the very least add some defensive stability while being able to log second pairing minutes. Bogosian has not fared well in recent years and hasn’t become the core defender they were hoping he’d be for them when they picked him up from Winnipeg. Speculatively, he’s someone that could potentially benefit from a change of scenery but between his struggles and recent injury concerns, his contract may be tough to move.

Buyouts

D Christian Ehrhoff (post-lockout compliance buyout)
F Cody Hodgson ($42K in 2017-18, -$458K (cap credit) in 2018-19, $792K from 2019-20 through 2022-23)
F Ville Leino (post-lockout compliance buyout)

Still To Sign

F Zemgus Girgensons (RFA)

Best Value: Ristolainen
Worst Value: Bogosian

Looking Ahead

Cap space won’t be an issue for Buffalo this coming season but that will change afterwards as Eichel and Reinhart come off their entry-level deals. If they don’t add any other notable multi-year contracts in the coming months though, they should be well-positioned to incur those raises without having to move any notable players off their roster. With that in mind, while the Sabres have plenty of room for this season as things stand, it’s reasonable to expect that they’ll keep a lot of that space intact to cover the potential bonuses the three entry-level players have on their current deals. If they can absorb the cap charge of those in 2017-18 and avoid any overage penalties, it will leave them in much better shape heading into next offseason.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Poll: Which Non-Playoff Team Will Make It This Year?

August 4, 2017 at 4:38 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

This summer has seen many of the teams who missed the playoffs last year improve quite a bit. The Dallas Stars are the easy choice for most improved, after adding Ben Bishop, Alexander Radulov, Martin Hanzal and Marc Methot to an already talented core. They will push for a playoff spot next season, but are in a tough division with teams like Nashville and Minnesota not ready to give up their recent success.

Carolina has locked up some of their key young players and brought in Justin Williams and Trevor van Riemsdyk for some championship pedigree. They think they’ve found a top goaltender in Scott Darling, and should see improvement from many of their players.

Buffalo will welcome Jack Eichel back for a hopefully healthy season, and have revamped their defense by letting Cody Franson and Dmitry Kulikov go. Nathan Beaulieu, Marco Scandella, Viktor Antipin and Brendan Guhle could make that group much improved, and they have plenty of talent up front.

Many other teams have improved, while some like Vancouver are willing to complete a slower rebuild. Which of the non-playoff teams are most likely to get there this season? Vegas is included in the poll in their first season, and you can vote for as many teams as you want.

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

RFA Extension Candidates

August 4, 2017 at 3:06 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

While veteran players like Carey Price and Cam Fowler have received huge extensions this summer a full year before hitting the open market, some younger players aren’t usually locked up as early. We saw the Edmonton Oilers jump on Connor McDavid right away, handing him a $100MM contract before even dealing with their current free agents, and there are others who may see an extension before the season is up.

Teams often don’t want to commit to young players before they have to, unsure of how they’ll react to bigger roles or a full-time NHL position. Still, there are some who are already well established and deserve a long-term deal. It’s obviously up to them to decide whether they want to lock themselves into an extension before playing the year, as many can leverage a solid season into even more money. That said, some players just like the stability of a long-term contract. Here are some who could earn extensions before the end of the season.

Jacob Trouba – Winnipeg Jets

Trouba held out last year until the beginning of November, and made it clear he wanted a bigger role somewhere else. He didn’t see himself getting that opportunity in Winnipeg, where the team had Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers penciled in ahead of him on the right side. As it happens, Myers was hit with injury and Trouba excelled in his increased role, logging 25 minutes a night and registering 33 points in just 60 games.

He’s now established himself as one of the best young defenders in the league and a key piece for Winnipeg going forward. They should try hard to sign him to an extension now, instead of letting this linger again and ending up in another hold out situation. Trouba has overtaken Myers on the depth chart, but allowing him to hold all the cards next summer would make for another messy situation, and it’s clear that he can provide ample value even on a big contract.

J.T. Miller – New York Rangers

Miller has always seemed like a good fit in New York, and signed an early deal with the Rangers last summer. He improved once again and continues to show why the team invested a 15th-overall pick in him. With 56 points in 82 games he was often the most dangerous player on the ice, and coming into his age-24 season he’s poised to put up even bigger numbers.

The Rangers have a ton of money coming off the books next summer with Rick Nash’s $7.8MM cap hit expiring, but will need all of it for extensions for some of their top young players. After committing big money to Mika Zibanejad this summer, they could lock in Miller now and provide some cap-certainty as they hit what will be a huge summer for the team.

Dylan Larkin – Detroit Red Wings

Larkin is coming off a down year and probably won’t want to take a discount because of it, but Detroit could lock him in as the face of the franchise going forward and start jettisoning other assets to continue the rebuild. They’re in no danger of him going anywhere next year, but it could be a clear sign to their fans that he’ll lead the next wave of Detroit success.

William Nylander – Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs have some huge contracts coming up, with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner both entering similar circumstances to these next summer. Nylander is first up, and could be locked up to a long-term deal right now. Like Edmonton the team may want to see how much Matthews will cost them first, but it’s not like they’re heading for a series of bridge deals with Nylander. He’s a key piece who will be there for a long time.

Locking him up now gives you some idea of what there will be left for free agency next season, as it would be tough to go after anyone with Matthews’ negotiations not technically allowed to start until July 1st (though they often are discussed anyway). Toronto might be the busiest team in the league next year, as seven forward contracts are expiring.

Dallas Stars Sign Jamie Oleksiak

August 4, 2017 at 2:01 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The Dallas Stars have signed another restricted free agent, inking defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to a one-year $965K contract for 2017-18. Oleksiak was eligible for salary arbitration but chose not to file after his disappointing season.

Oleksiak, 24, played 41 games this season for the Stars and registered just seven points. He still hasn’t developed into the hulking shut down defender the Stars had hoped for when the selected him 14th overall, and can’t seem to keep himself in the lineup for a whole season. This year he spent a ton of time in the press box as a healthy scratch, and has just 119 games since his debut in 2012-13.

With Marc Methot added to the Dallas defense corps, there doesn’t seem to be a regular role for Oleksiak once again. The team has a glut of defenders already established, while Julius Honka is also poised to make his mark in the NHL. It’ll be tough for Oleksiak to pass anyone on the depth chart.

There has been times that moving Oleksiak to forward has been discussed, though it doesn’t seem like that is a realistic option at this point. Instead, the 6’7″ defender—who actually has more skill with the puck than some may think—will have to take a big step forward in his development. That’s not uncommon for players of his size, but it’ll have to come soon.

Snapshots: Shalunov, Prust, Dorsett

August 4, 2017 at 12:56 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Chicago Blackhawks were disappointed when Maxim Shalunov signed a three-year deal in the KHL, but Scott Powers of The Athletic writes that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be out of their plans for that long. As we’ve seen multiple times over the past year, KHL contracts can be terminated early to allow players to come over to the NHL.

Remember this year that an entire team’s contracts were terminated after their new owners refused to pay debts. While that’s not going to happen to Shalunov’s new team, CSKA Moscow, there are always ways around their contracts.

Brandon Prust will be in NHL training camp again this year, as according to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider, he’ll be in Los Angeles come September. Prust spent last season playing in Germany after going through training camp with the Maple Leafs, and has been clear about his desire to return to the NHL. It’s unlikely that he’ll earn a contract, but perhaps Los Angeles will have room for a fourth-line veteran.
Derek Dorsett underwent surgery on his neck in December but is now on track to be ready for the start of the season. Rick Dhaliwal of NEWS 1130 in Vancouver reports that Dorsett has “no issues with his neck” and that he’s already skating to get ready for training camp. He played just 14 games for the Canucks last year, but has been a fairly effective bottom-six player for his career. In 2014-15 he set a career-high with 25 points, and will be in the lineup more than not to protect the young players Vancouver is set to use this year.

Submit Your Questions For The Pro Hockey Rumors Mailbag

August 4, 2017 at 12:16 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

Did you miss the weekly live chat? Well now you can submit your question to our mailbag and have our Brian La Rose answer it on Monday! While the summer drags on, there is still lots of intrigue as teams look to fine tune their roster and use their remaining cap space. You can submit your questions on Twitter using the hashtag #PHRMailbag or by using the comment feature below.

Be sure to check back on Monday when our mailbag is posted. You can check out the last mailbag right here.

USA Olympic Team Announces Management, Coaching Staff

August 4, 2017 at 10:05 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The 2018 Winter Olympics will be another chance for amateur hockey players from throughout North America to create some magic (some may even call it a Miracle) and show that they can compete at the highest level. The NHL will not be going, meaning players from the NCAA, junior and European leagues will make up the teams for the United States and Canada.

Today, USA Hockey announced the management and coaching staff for the upcoming Olympics:

General Manager: Jim Johannson
Director of Player Personnel: Ben Smith
Head Coach: Tony Granato
Assistant Coach: Keith Allain
Assistant Coach: Chris Chelios
Assistant Coach: Ron Rolston
Assistant Coach: Scott Young

This group has a ton of international experience, led by Granato who has coached and played in the Olympics before. Now the head coach of the University of Wisconsin, Granato has long been considered one of the brightest hockey minds ever developed in the US. It is interesting that an NCAA coach has been selected, as he’ll have much more first hand experience with many of the players the team will have to rely on.

Johannson said in the press conference that the team will also look at some semi-retired NHL players to suit up for the team. Possibilities include Brian Gionta, Matt Cullen or even Drew Stafford if he can’t find a job around the NHL before the start of the season.

Most of the team though will come from the NCAA ranks, where players like Jordan Greenway could be asked to play big minutes. Greenway was part of the World Championship squad earlier this spring along with fellow college players Daniel Brickley and Cal Petersen. Petersen has since signed with the Los Angels Kings and will be ineligible, while Brickley may have a substantial role after heading back to Minnesota State University.

Luke Kunin, Granato’s star player last year at Wisconsin will be unable to play after signing with the Iowa Wild this spring following his sophomore year. Granato is surely going to pull from his own roster for other options.

All Quiet On The Veteran Front

August 4, 2017 at 9:27 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The NHL offseason has been an interesting one. With plenty of intrigue around the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft, and speculation that they’d flip half the team immediately after, the returns were relatively unspectacular. A fifth-round pick here, a second-rounder there. For all the excitement it has seemed like the market is somewhat saturated with middling players at the moment. No one is going to pay a premium for an average player, when the new NHL is so skewed to the talents of the youth each team has already in their system.

The same can be said for the free agent market. After coming out blazing on day one, the market quickly cooled and has left some veteran players on the outside looking in. Several players whose age starts with a three (and some with a four) are still sitting on the sidelines, waiting for an opportunity to open up. There is plenty of talent still to be had, if they would agree for the right price.

Jaromir Jagr

The ageless one is obviously the first that anyone notices when looking at a list of free agents. Jagr put up 46 points last season and is still an excellent possession player, shielding the puck down low like he has a trademark on it. A career-low shooting percentage kept his goal total down at 16, but he easily could have had another 20-goal season had it been anywhere near his normal rate. Some of that may come from a loss of power, accuracy or even of the ability to get to the prime scoring areas but he still generates positive chances when he’s on the ice.

Kevin Kurz of NBC did a Q&A on Twitter today and was asked about Jagr’s fit in San Jose, responding that if he is looking for just $2-3MM he could be a fit. That may not be that far-fetched, as Jagr has signed for as little as $2MM in base salary in the past. A contract filled with performance bonuses is clearly the way to go here.

Thomas Vanek

Why is the league so afraid of Vanek? After being bought out by the Wild last year, Vanek had to settle for just $2.6MM from the Detroit Red Wings on a sort of prove-it deal. Well, what didn’t he prove? In 68 games split between the Red Wings and Panthers, Vanek registered 48 points and showed he can still work on the powerplay and in limited minutes. His defensive deficiencies are readily apparent, but can easily be explained away by the offense he creates in a sheltered role. Both contenders and rebuilders could use him, if even as a trade chip for next year.

Daniel Winnik

No one is ever going to mistake Winnik for an offensive dynamo, but he’s proven to be an excellent defensive forward for years and could still help many teams. If you have a fourth-line winger spot that’s being filled by an unproven rookie who may need some more seasoning, Winnik is the guy for you. He’s effective in limited minutes, can penalty kill, and for some reason is worth a second-round pick at the deadline. 25 points from a guy who plays less than 12 minutes of even strength ice time is pretty darn effective.

Cody Franson

We seem to get a question every week about Franson in our live chats, and he continues to be one of the most pondered players in the league. What is he exactly? Can he legitimately be the possession-driving borderline top-4 player he once was, or is he an extreme defensive liability that can only work on average teams? If you go by analytics Franson had another solid season for Buffalo, and recorded 19 points in 68 games. His market still seems to be invisible, though with the recent injury to Jakob Chychrun in Arizona, Sarah McLellan of AZ Central suggests that the Coyotes might look at him as a veteran replacement to help lengthen out their back end.

Other unsigned veterans include Drew Stafford, Brian Gionta, Francois Beauchemin, Ryan White, Jiri Hudler, and P.A. Parenteau all who could still have an impact in the right situation.

Hurricanes, Flames Hire Analytics Experts

August 3, 2017 at 8:00 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

The analytics movement in hockey is no longer a novel thing. Nearly every team has embraced advanced analytics, with some teams housing entire analytics departments even. Thus, it is no surprise when teams announce that they have hired an analytics expert to their front office staff. What remains interesting however is where some teams find these new additions. Last year, the Vegas Golden Knights hired General Fanager creator Tom Poraszka as a Hockey Operations Analyst to help get their player evaluations off an running ahead of the NHL Expansion Draft and Entry Draft. Now, it seems the Carolina Hurricanes and Calgary Flames have taken a page out of that book.

The Hurricanes announced today that they have hired datarink.com creator Kevin Kan to join their staff. Kan will be given the title of Data Engineer and will surely have similar duties to the function of his website. Data Rink was a hockey statistics visualizations site, scraping NHL data and putting it into forms that better displayed the co-mingling of different stats and advanced analytics. Carolina has already put together a talented and extremely deep defensive corps, not to mention acquiring their presumed franchise goalie in Scott Darling, but need to find a way to boost scoring. Whether examining data from draft-eligible prospects or current pros, Kan can help GM Ron Francis in his search for that missing link up front that can take the ’Canes to contender status.

The Flames had a similar thought, hiring David Johnson, the mind behind both hockeyanalysis.com and puckalytics.com, which have already been taken down. Sportsnet’s John Shannon reported the hire, adding that Calgary has recently been focused on improving its analytics ability. Johnson is a good fit for the job, as he was one of the first to adopt and explore both Corsi and Fenwick, major advanced analytic statistics. Unlike Kan, who simply displayed data in creative ways, Johnson has used his analysis to often fight for or against the value of one player or another. Johnson has had his fair share of both hits and misses in that practice, but what he provides to the Flames is a knowledge base and different point of view on any projects and questions facing GM Brad Treliving, who has been plenty busy this off-season with the addition of Travis Hamonic, Spencer Foo, Mike Smith, and Eddie Lack already. Now that the championship window is open in Calgary, Johnson will come in handy when evaluation is necessary to make sure no further moves derail those title chances.

While it is tough for fans to see some of their favorite analytics sites continue to disappear, it is refreshing to see the game continue to embrace analytics and those leading the charge find employment at the highest level.

WHL Trade Notes: Bargar, Bishop, Dumba, Henderson

August 3, 2017 at 6:40 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

While it has been relatively quiet on the NHL transaction front this week, there has been a flurry of activity in one of the main feeder leagues, the Western Hockey League. Off-season trades are not overly common in the Canadian junior leagues, but every year a few notable prospects end up on the move. Just recently, former Providence College commit Merrick Rippon was traded from one OHL squad to another, with a handful of other big OHL names potentially on the move soon. Not to be outdone, three trades have since gone down in the WHL as teams begin to sort things out ahead of the 2017-18 season.

Yesterday, a noteworthy one-for-one swap went down, with the Seattle Thunderbirds receiving forward Blake Bargar from the Victoria Royals in exchange for defenseman Anthony Bishop. This will be the third team in three years for Barger, an undrafted small, gritty winger who was dealt by the Moose Jaw Warriors last year. Bargar hopes that the third time is the charm as he looks to finally find some consistent scoring in Seattle during his fourth junior season. He should have a good chance with the defending WHL champion Thunderbirds, where he could find himself skating alongside promising NHL prospects like Ryan Gropp or Keegan Kolesar. Meanwhile, Bishop is in the same boat as Bargar. He too is beginning the new season with a new team for the third straight year, having began his WHL career with the Saskatoon Blades. Bishop, also undrafted, did show some growth last season and is trending towards a career year in 2017-18 with the Royals.

Another 19-year-old was on the move yesterday, as goaltender Kyle Dumba was traded to the Kamloops Blazers from the Calgary Hitmen. The team announced that they had received a conditional seventh-round pick in the WHL Bantam Draft, though the conditions were not disclosed. The team release revealed that the team believes 2016-17 starter Connor Ingram, a 2016 Tampa Bay Lightning selection, will indeed be going pro, likely joining the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, for the upcoming campaign. The team made the decision to bring in some competition for and depth behind Dylan Ferguson, who notably drafted in the seventh round by the Dallas Stars this past June, only to then be dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights not long after. Ferguson appeared in 31 games last year and is ready for the starter job, but Dumba made 28 appearances himself and will work to get his minutes in net. The younger brother of young Minnesota Wild defenseman Mathew Dumba, Kyle Dumba has something to prove in Kamloops after two tough seasons in Calgary.

Also heading to a new home for the upcoming season in defenseman Jordan Henderson. It is strange to see Henderson on the move yet again after being traded twice last season. After more than two years with the Spokane Chiefs, during which time Henderson showed little potential, he was moved to the Saskatoon Blades early last season, who then flipped him to the Medicine Hat Tigers later on in the year. However, Henderson could not have asked for a better fit, as he exploded in Medicine Hat with 19 points and a +29 rating in 26 games – both more than the rest of his WHL career combined. Henderson is 20 years old and in the final season of his junior career, but finally seemed to be coming into his own with the Tigers. However, the 2016-17 Central Division champs made the decision that a future prospect, a 2019 conditional sixth-round Bantam Draft pick, was more valuable than one more season of an overage defender. Now, the WHL veteran will head to the Kootenay Ice, the worst team in the WHL last year. Henderson may play the largest role of his career and will certainly get some attention playing alongside promising “D” prospect Cale Fleury, but it will be difficult for him to match the production he found with his talented teammates in Medicine Hat.

The 2018 NHL Draft is expect to have greater talent and depth than this year’s prospect crop, but the same can’t be true for the WHL’s group of upcoming talent. In fact, this may one of the smallest and least talented draft classes to ever come out of the WHL. For that reason, there is a lot riding on defensemen Jett Woo and Ty Smith, the WHL’s only surefire first-rounders at this point in time, as they head into next season. The pair has already been named to Team Canada’s Ivan Hlinka roster, which the league did not miss the opportunity to promote, but there is some question as to how much attention they can draw in this upcoming season. Smith’s Spokane Chiefs finished last in the U.S. Division in 2016-17 and missed the playoffs, and that was even with top 2017 NHL draft picks Kailer Yamamoto and Jaret Anderson-Dolan. Woo’s Moose Jaw Warriors fared much better, finishing second in the East Division. However, the team will lose starting goalie Zach Sawchenko, while captain and top prospect Brett Howden could earn an NHL roster spot with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In either case, Woo and Smith could be major trade bait this season if their teams head in the wrong direction. The players – and the league – will want to find success this season, and that could mean new homes shortly.

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