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Archives for April 2018

Minnesota Wild Sign Mason Shaw To Entry-Level Contract

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The Minnesota Wild have decided that Mason Shaw has done enough to deserve a professional contract, signing the diminutive forward to a three-year entry-level contract. Shaw played one game earlier this month with the Iowa Wild on an amateur tryout, but missed the rest of the season with a torn ACL suffered in development camp.

Shaw was selected in the fourth round last year after an impressive 94-point campaign for the Medicine Hat Tigers, but still has a long way to go before making the NHL. Though the Wild now list him at 5’9″ 179-lbs, he’ll have to prove that his small stature won’t stand in his way at the professional level.

Michael Russo of The Athletic believes that even though he could play in the AHL next season, he’ll likely head back to the WHL to finish his junior career. After missing a full season, that would put less pressure on him to perform right away and instead allow him to move through the system slowly. The talented offensive forward could be one of the WHL’s top scorers next season should he return at full health.

Dominque Ducharme Hired By Montreal Canadiens

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The Montreal Canadiens have hired a top coaching prospect, bringing in Dominique Ducharme as an assistant coach. Jean-Jacques Daigneault and Dan Lacroix will not return to the organization, while goaltending coach Stephane Waite has signed a new contract.

Ducharme has been eyed by NHL teams for several years as head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads and then Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL. He also has served as head coach of the Canadian World Junior Team for the last three consecutive years, winning gold in the most recent tournament. Praised for his development of young players and fresh outlook on hockey in 2018, he seemed like a perfect fit for the Canadiens as they try to revitalize their NHL program.

One interesting connection that will now made is Ducharme’s familiarity with Jonathan Drouin. The two won a QMJHL Championship and Memorial Cup together in 2013, when Drouin led the Mooseheads with 105 points as a 17-year old. That outstanding year led to Drouin’s third-overall selection in the 2013 draft, a pedigree that he hasn’t been able to quite live up to at this point. Perhaps Ducharme can continue to get the best out of the talented young forward, as Montreal has invested quite a bit into him as a potential leader on the club.

Vancouver Canucks Will Not Re-Sign Jussi Jokinen

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According to Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130, the Vancouver Canucks have informed Jussi Jokinen’s agent that they will not be offering the pending free agent another contract. Jokinen is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after being acquired by the Canucks as part of the Thomas Vanek deal earlier this year.

Unfortunately, it may be the end for Jokinen after playing on four different clubs last season. Though he did find some success at the end with Vancouver, he failed to accumulate 20 points for the first time in his career and couldn’t contribute in many of the ways he was known for in his youth. Now 35, Jokinen was once one of the more versatile forwards in the league, able to play all three positions and hit the ice on both special teams. Responsible in his own end and dangerous at the other, Jokinen was also a good playoff performer with 32 points in 54 games.

As for the Canucks’ other pending unrestricted free agents, Dhaliwal reports that they have not spoken to Nic Dowd yet and have told Darren Archibald he’ll have to wait until they deal with some of their restricted free agents. The Canucks have some big decisions to make with RFAs like Troy Stecher, Sven Baertschi, Jake Virtanen and Derrick Pouliot.

Jacob Josefson Signs Four-Year Deal In SHL

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Rumored all month to be considering a return to Sweden, Jacob Josefson is heading home. The Buffalo Sabres forward and pending unrestricted free agent has signed a four-year contract with Djurgarden of the SHL, leaving North America after eight years in the NHL.

Josefson came to the Sabres through free agency after going unqualified by the New Jersey Devils last summer, and just wasn’t able to put it together. A first-round pick from 2009, he never fulfilled his promise of a two-way center capable of playing tough minutes. Instead, Josefson struggled to find a full-time role in the NHL, playing in more than 60 games just once in eight seasons. With 64 points in 315 games, there was a good chance he’d go without a one-way contract offer this summer.

The Sabres have several other unrestricted free agents to make decisions on in the coming weeks, with Benoit Pouliot, Jordan Nolan, Josh Gorges, Justin Falk and Chad Johnson all set to hit the open market. It’s quite possible that none of the group is back next year, as the team looks to younger players to fill the gaps in the roster. The team certainly has enough cap room to make a big splash if they so choose, with nearly $25MM of space depending on where the cap ceiling lands. Should they land the first-overall pick tomorrow night, perhaps they will attempt to kickstart their contention by adding some support for Jack Eichel and company on July 1st.

Evening Notes: Maple Leafs, Ducks, Holland

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The Toronto Maple Leafs were so close, and yet so far away. Clawing their way back from a 3-1 series deficit, the Leafs surrendered the seventh game to a Boston team who came out flying the final period. In the latest iteration of his 31 thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliott Friedman writes that the Maple Leafs need to clarify their front office structure after a gut-wrenching game seven loss. Writes Friedman, who says that the Leafs young front office talent is ready to move up:

(Kyle) Dubas and (Mark) Hunter are OHL rivals from London and Sault Ste. Marie. What does promotion for one mean for the other? And, what does it mean for Lamoriello? Would he want to stay in an advisory role? Or could another organization come calling?

Honestly, I don’t have a great feel for it. There are some executives who believe Shanahan will change things, others who believe he will keep status quo into 2018–19. We’re guessing, but we’re soon to get our answer.

Friedman adds that the Leafs will have decisions to make with a number of key players, as Auston Matthews’ contract negotiations will “dominate conversation.”

  • Friedman writes that Ducks GM Bob Murray said there is still a lot of “emotion” after Anaheim bowed out of the playoffs quickly against the Sharks. Friedman reports that he was in Ontario watching some of the Ducks prospects, and admitted that the game is being played at a much faster pace–and a version that he would like to see played and would have been played more if not for an injury plagued 2017-18.
  • Freidman reports that Red Wings general manager Ken Holland will be one of several GMs to be present at the draft lottery on Saturday. Holland spoke with MLive’s Ansar Khan during AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins’ 6-3 loss and told Khan that there will be no express line and that young prospects have to be an “NHL player” in order to make the roster. This type of thinking is a slight move from Holland’s “overly ripe” mentality for years, which was skewered by fans and some analysts for letting talent wait too long before coming to the NHL, hurting the organization in the long run. Holland said as much to the Detroit Red Wings’ Art Regner in his Red and White Authority podcast, indicating that the Red Wings have a number of chances to stockpile young talent and give the younger players a chance.

Latest On Carolina Coaching Search

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While the Carolina Hurricanes continue their search for a general manager, they also have to start looking for a head coach. Bill Peters exercised his out clause to go to the Calgary Flames, leaving the team without much in place for next season. One name that had been rumored to be a possibility was Jim Montgomery, but as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports, that “doesn’t appear to be a likely scenario” even after contact was made recently. Instead, Friedman lists Carolina assistant coach Rod Brind’Amour and Charlotte Checkers head coach Mike Vellucci as the most likely candidates.

Montgomery, the head coach of the University of Denver, has been connected to several coaching vacancies in the league the last few years. After winning at both the USHL and NCAA levels, he’s one of the hottest coaching prospects in North America and will likely earn a job somewhere in the NHL in the next few years. Though it doesn’t look like that’s in Carolina, keep him in mind for other vacancies as they appear.

Brind’Amour has been an assistant with the Hurricanes since almost immediately after his retirement from playing, and has long been considered a future head man. Dedicated to fitness and work ethic during his 1,484-game career, he might be able to instill the same kind of drive for a team under his control. Not to be undersold is his offensive mind though, after scoring 1,184 points in the NHL.

Vellucci is in his first year with the Checkers, but had a long history with the Plymouth Whalers in the OHL and has found immediate success in the AHL. Charlotte went 46-26-4 this season and is up 2-0 in their first round playoff series against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (though as of this writing are tied 2-2 in Game 3).

NHLPA Announces Finalists For Ted Lindsay Award

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Though the Hart Trophy for league MVP may get more fanfare, the Ted Lindsay Award may be just as impressive. It’s given to the league’s best player as voted by his peers, an ultimate sign of respect in the NHL. This year, the NHLPA has announced that Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Taylor Hall are the three finalists for the award.

McDavid is used to this kind of attention, having won the award last season. He beat out Sidney Crosby and Brent Burns after scoring 100 points and winning the Hart and Art Ross. He led the league in scoring again this season with 108 points, and could very well take home the Ten Lindsay for the second consecutive year.

MacKinnon has always been an effective player for the Colorado Avalanche, but the 22-year old exploded for 97 points this season in just 74 games. The first-overall pick from 2013 was an absolute force for his team, dragging them into the playoffs just a year after finishing last in the entire NHL.

For Hall, a nomination of this magnitude is something of sweet redemption after he was traded from the Edmonton Oilers two years ago. Seen as a perimeter player on his former club, he was sent to New Jersey in exchange for Adam Larsson and admittedly struggled with the disappointment in his first season in the East. This year, he shook off any rust and threw the whole of the Devils offensive attack on his back. With 93 points he set or matched career-highs in almost every category, and outscored the next highest Devil (Nico Hischier) by 41 points.

Amazingly there were other incredible seasons that won’t even be given the distinction of a finalist for the award. Claude Giroux and Nikita Kucherov both broke the 100-point plateau for the first time in their careers, while three Pittsburgh Penguins—Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Crosby—all finished in the top-10 in scoring. Blake Wheeler showed off his versatility by moving from the wing to center for a large chunk of the season, and still finished with a career-high 91 points. Anze Kopitar proved that last year was the anomaly, as he jumped from 12 goals and 52 points in 2016-17 to 35 and 92 this season.

The winner of the Ted Lindsay Award can be especially proud of his performance this year in the face of so many other worthy candidates. We’ll find out who gets to take it home at the NHL Awards event on June 20th.

Poll: Who Should Win Coach Of The Year?

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The Jack Adams is a tough trophy to award. Almost always based on team success relative to the prior year, or in the face of injury, it’s an award whose voters rarely have all of the pertinent information. No one can say for sure what is the best coaching method, or how one individual decision affected the results of an entire hockey team.

That said, the league seemed—from the outside at least—to have an excellent field of coaches to choose from this year. Three finalists were named in Gerard Gallant (Vegas), Jared Bednar (Colorado) and Bruce Cassidy (Boston), but other names like John Hynes (New Jersey), Paul Maurice (Winnipeg) and Peter Laviolette (Nashville) all could have found themselves in the race in any other year.

The question is should they have been in the race this year? Should someone else, like Jon Cooper or Peter DeBoer have been considered? What exactly determines the “coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success” in your mind? While Gallant may be the expected winner by many around the league, should he be?

Vote below on not who you think will win, but who you think should win the Jack Adams trophy. Our similar poll for the Calder resulted in different finalists, while our readership picked the same top three for the Norris. Remember this is based on regular season results, not the first round of the playoffs. Explain your choice in the comment section below.

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Snapshots: Lottery, Hischier, Brown, Bruins

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The NHL Draft Lottery is scheduled for this Saturday, but it won’t happen all at once. According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, picks 4-15 are set to be revealed between 6:30-7:00pm CT, while the last three will be unveiled during the first intermission of the Vegas Golden Knights-San Jose Sharks game.

Remember that three teams are picked in the draft lottery, and can potentially move up all the way from 15th to 1st. The full odds have the Buffalo Sabres as the most likely to select first overall, and the Florida Panthers the least likely. Though the first pick will get the right to draft Rasmus Dahlin, there are still exceptional players available in the next few slots.

  • Nico Hischier played all season with a left wrist/hand injury according to the New Jersey Devils, who announced that he would not need surgery but won’t be heading to Denmark to take part in the World Championships. Both Hischier and Pavel Zacha were invited, but will be nursing injuries for the next two to four weeks. The pair of young forwards are integral to the Devils progression from playoff surprise to Stanley Cup hopeful, and will be expected to take on an even heavier load in 2018-19.
  • Speaking of injuries, Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings had shoulder surgery today but is expected to be ready for the regular season according to Jonathan Davis of NHL Network. Brown was one of the many Kings players shut out in the postseason, assisting on just one of the team’s three goals in their first round series. The 33-year old nevertheless had an outstanding bounce back campaign that saw him record 28 goals and 61 points (a career-high) in 81 games. The physical forward is under contract for another four seasons, but has turned himself from a buyout candidate to an important piece for the Kings once again.
  • When the Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, it meant that the conditional fifth-round pick that they sent to Chicago for Tommy Wingels was converted into a fourth-round selection in 2019. That’s a small price to pay for success in the postseason, but will help Chicago (if only slightly) restock their cupboards even more.

Follow @pfrumors For All Your NFL Draft News

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The NFL Draft is just hours away! This year’s draft is full of intrigue and you’ll want to stay tuned to Pro Football Rumors, whether you’re a hardcore football fan or just a casual observer.

With just hours to go, we still don’t know who the Browns will take with the No. 1 overall pick. For weeks, the Browns were closely linked with USC quarterback Sam Darnold or Wyoming QB Josh Allen, but more and more people in the football world are starting to believe that they’ll take the talented, yet undersized, Baker Mayfield instead. Meanwhile, Allen is in the midst of a controversy that could impact his draft stock.

With multiple possibilities at the top, the Giants (No. 2) and Jets (No. 3) are preparing for every possible scenario. The Giants have been widely connected to Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and are divided on this year’s top QB prospects, but it’s still entirely possible that they’ll use this opportunity to tab Eli Manning’s successor. The Jets had been wrestling with whether to take Mayfield or UCLA QB Josh Rosen, but they could have an opportunity to snag Darnold, which at one point seemed unthinkable. At the same time, Jets coaches are pushing the front office to take Allen, if he’s there.

This year’s draft is one of the most uncertain in recent memory and you’ll want to follow along every step of the way. To stay plugged in with up-to-the-minute updates, follow Pro Football Rumors on Twitter: @pfrumors.

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