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Daniel Pribyl Signs In Czech Republic

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After missing all of last season with a torn ACL, Calgary Flames forward Daniel Pribyl is heading home. He has signed a contract with Prague in the Czech Republic to play next season, leaving North America after just 33 games at the AHL level. Pribyl was set to become a restricted free agent this summer, after his two-year entry-level contract expired.

Pribyl was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2011, but signed with the Flames in the spring of 2016 after an impressive run in the Czech league. The big-bodied center was expected to compete for a job on the NHL squad eventually, even if his high point totals from Europe were unlikely to be matched in North America. Instead, he recorded 15 points in 33 games for the Stockton Heat and then suffered the knee injury in training camp last September. For a player who looked like he might have a bright future here, his story is an unfortunate series of events.

The Flames can retain his negotiating rights for now by extending a qualifying offer but unlike players returning to the KHL will not hold them in perpetuity. Instead, this is likely the last we see of Pribyl in a Flames (or Heat) uniform. The team can now focus on their other restricted free agents, of which they have several.

West Notes: Kane, Connauton, Fisher

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Following a strong showing after being acquired at the trade deadline, the Sharks intend to try to re-sign pending unrestricted free agent winger Evander Kane this offseason, reports Paul Gackle of the Bay Area News Group.  For his part, Kane admitted that he would be open to returning but he isn’t ready to commit to anything just yet.

That won’t stop GM Doug Wilson from trying to get something done in advance, however.  He acknowledged that he intends to sit down with Kane and his agent “in the next little while”.  San Jose has plenty of cap space to work with this summer so from a financial standpoint, they should be able to be among the high bidders for his services if they want.  If the Sharks are able to re-sign him, the 2019 second-round pick they sent to Buffalo as part of the trade would instead become their 2019 first-rounder.

Elsewhere in the West:

  • Coyotes defenseman Kevin Connauton is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July and his agent, Matt Owens, told Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan that playing time will go a long way in determining where he signs next. The 28-year-old posted a career high in goals with 11 this season but he still played a relatively sparing role, logging just over 15 minutes of ice time per game.  Oates acknowledged that there have been no discussions regarding a contract and that he is leaving it to GM John Chayka to kick-start any possible negotiations.
  • Nashville center Mike Fisher left Monday’s game due to an undisclosed injury and Thomas Willis of the Predators’ team website notes (Twitter link) that there is still no update as to the nature of the injury or how long he’ll be out. The veteran left after playing less than three minutes in total which forced the Preds to go with 11 forwards for most of the game.  If he’s unable to return, one of Miikka Salomaki or Ryan Hartman will likely draw back into the lineup.

Offseason Keys: Detroit Red Wings

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While the playoffs are ongoing, many teams have already started their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league?  Our Offseason Keys series continues with a look at the Detroit Red Wings.

It turns out that missing the postseason wasn’t just a one-off for Detroit.  After seeing their streak of 25 straight playoff appearances come to an end in 2016-17, the Red Wings followed that up with a lesser showing this past season, seeing their point total drop from 79 to 73.  With a rebuild and a youth movement on the horizon, here’s what is on Detroit’s to-do list this offseason.

Reshape The Defense

The Red Wings have typically spent a lot of money on their back end and this season was no exception as their seven regulars carried a cap charge of over $25MM.  Unfortunately for them, they haven’t got a lot of bang for their buck.  Their back end is fairly old with three players aged 34 or older and for a rebuilding team, that’s not ideal.

They will also be tasked with either replacing or re-signing their top defender from this year (in terms of points and average ice time) as Mike Green is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July.  His season ended prematurely with a spine injury but he’s expected to be ready for next season so his market shouldn’t suffer too badly.  On the one hand, it’s reasonable to think GM Ken Holland will want to bring him back because of his importance to the team but on the other, he’ll turn 33 soon after the season gets underway.  Re-signing him would give them four players 33 or older on defense, not exactly the typical route for a rebuilding team.

Given their salary cap constraints (they were in LTIR all season), it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try to move out one of their veterans (even if Green leaves) to free up some extra cap room while opening up a spot for one of their young defenders to make a push for a roster spot.

Assess The Goalie Situation

There are a couple of decisions to be made between the pipes.  For starters, with Petr Mrazek being dealt near the trade deadline and Jared Coreau struggling down the stretch, Holland needs to find a backup to starter Jimmy Howard.  Do they look for a one-year stopgap or take a run at someone who can step into the number one role if need be?

A decision also needs to at least be pondered when it comes to Howard’s situation.  He will be entering the final year of his contract in 2018-19 with a cap hit just shy of $5.3MM.  His play in recent years has varied considerably; this past season, he posted numbers slightly below the league average but in 2016-17, he was one of the better starters in the league.  Which is the real Howard?  The latter is someone to commit to bringing back but the former isn’t.

At 34, Howard isn’t the goalie of the long-term future.  However, they don’t really have a can’t-miss youngster in the system either so there isn’t anyone knocking on the door.  Accordingly, there’s a case to be made to try to keep Howard around for another few years as a bridge to whoever comes next.  Sooner than later though, they’re going to have to acquire that next netminder.

Contract For Larkin

Dylan Larkin’s progression through his first three NHL seasons has been rocky at times but the good has far outweighed the bad.  After taking a step back in his sophomore campaign, the 21-year-old took a big step forward in 2017-18, posting career highs in assists (47) and points (63) to lead the Red Wings in scoring.  He also successfully transitioned back to playing center.  All in all, it was a nice platform season as he enters restricted free agency for the first time.

Clearly, Detroit is going to want to sign Larkin long-term.  However, they have quite a few others to lock up this summer (including fellow RFAs Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha) while replacing or re-signing Green won’t be cheap either.  The expected increase in the salary cap will help but they won’t be able to give all three youngsters lengthy deals.  Considering Larkin’s importance to the team, there’s a good chance that they’ll work to try to get a long-term pact done with him quickly and then try to pencil in their other signings over the course of the summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sharks Notes: Couture, Hertl, DeBoer

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Last offseason, Sharks general manager Doug Wilson signed defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and goalie Martin Jones to long-term deals. This offseason, the front office will look to do the same with center Logan Couture.

The 29-year-old will be headed into the final season of a five-year, $30MM contract he signed back in 2013. After having spent his entire career with the organization (and after having led the Sharks with 34 goals last season), Couture is hoping his career will continue in San Jose.

“I’ve always made it pretty clear that this is the place I want to play,” Couture told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. “I’m biased, obviously, but this is the best place to play hockey in the world.”

Wilson seemed to echo that sentiment.

“His play spoke volumes,” Wilson said. “When guys went down or (Patrick Marleau) wasn’t coming back, guys stepping up and showing what they’re made of. They’re ready to have even bigger roles on this team. He’s played internationally…People respect what Logan Couture has done. You take a look at the numbers, what he did a couple of years ago, what he did this year, in the playoffs — he’s a really important part of this organization both now and the future, absolutely.”

Let’s take a look at more notes out of San Jose, all via Pashelka…

  • Forward Tomas Hertl, who established career-highs in goals (22) and average ice time (18:06) this past season, will be headed to restricted free agency this summer. Predictably, Wilson indicated that he’d like the 24-year-old to return. “Tomas is a really important part of how he played is exactly how we expected him,” Wilson said. “He stepped it up to the next level. Looking in this league how the game is played, he’s got size, he’s got hockey sense. He’s a guy that is truly a difference maker…I think his game is only going to get better. He’s a big part of this franchise.”
  • Hertl is in line for a long-term contract after completing the two-year bridge contract he signed back in 2016, and it sounds like he’d like to stick around. “We’ll see what happens, but I love it here with the Sharks,” Hertl said. “The team, organization, everybody. We’ll see. My agent, Doug hopefully figure it out soon. I want to just get it done. It would be nice. I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to stay here and hopefully win Cups.”
  • As Pashelka writes, it’s uncertain how long Pete DeBoer’s contract is, but Wilson confirmed that the coach will be back next season. The Sharks will also retain assistants Steve Spott, Rob Zettler, Dave Barr, Johan Hedberg and Dan Darrow. “I think our coaches did a very good job. They were a part of this journey and this plan,” Wilson said. “When we talk transition, every team in the league had to transition how the game is played, where it’s at, where it’s going. And I think not only the inclusion of some younger players, but adjusting how we play. I think Pete and our coaching staff are open-minded, curious, and have done a very good job. And yes, they are our coaches going forward.”
  • As we heard earlier today, Joe Thornton attempted to come back from a torn right ACL and MCL he suffered back in January. The veteran also indicated that he wanted to return to the Sharks on a one-year deal.

New York Islanders To Sign Travis St. Denis To Two-Year Contract

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The New York Islanders have agreed to terms with minor league forward Travis St. Denis to a two-year, two-way contract after a good season for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Since St. Denis is a North American-based player and already 25, he is not subject to the entry-level contract system. No word yet on the financial details, but it is likely to be a near minimum level deal.

St. Denis has played the last two seasons for Bridgeport on an AHL contract, scoring 44 points this season in 74 games. The former NCAA star with Quinnipiac University, St. Denis was undrafted and overlooked because of his small stature. Standing 5’7″ 170-lbs, St. Denis uses his speed and quickness to create room in the offensive zone and hasn’t been slowed down by the grind of an AHL season. The reward of a two-way deal doesn’t guarantee that he’ll make the NHL one day, but it does give the Islanders the option of giving him a shot should injuries arise.

Bridgeport missed out on the playoffs this season because of their tough division, but will be back next year with their top scorer in tow. We’ll have to wait and see if the team injects even more talent into the system this summer to try and topple one of the top four teams in the Atlantic.

Snapshots: KHL, Oilers, Tkachuk

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Recently, Sport.Buisness-gazeta out of Russia published a list of players that were expected to leave the NHL this summer and return to the KHL. The list was made up of Nikolai Kulemin, Victor Antipin, Nikita Soshnikov, Rinat Valiev, Sergey Tolchinsky, Radel Fazleev, Andrey Pedan, Yaroslav Dyblenko, Sergei Boykov, Yakov Trenin and Anton Slepyshev. With the news this morning of Dyblenko’s pending contract termination, another one of the players have been confirmed to be returning. When added to the already confirmed exits of Tolchinsky, Valiev and others, it lends credibility to the entire list, meaning several others will likely be announced in the coming days.

Players like Soshnikov and Antipin were expected to be contributors to their NHL squads in 2018-19, but are both pending restricted free agents meaning they can easily go home if they so choose. For the NHL club, extending a qualifying offer will retain the exclusive negotiating rights with the player going forward, rights that won’t expire because of the lack of a transfer agreement between the two leagues.

  • The Edmonton Oilers are set to select 10th in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, but as Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal writes, GM Peter Chiarelli has made it clear they will explore trading the pick. Connor McDavid is already one of the best players in the league, and the Oilers need to take advantage of these prime years while they have them. Their defense corps just wasn’t good enough this season, and whoever they would take this season likely wouldn’t be ready to contribute until 2019-20 at the earliest. The Oilers have plenty of other tough decisions to make this summer, as they face contract negotiations with Darnell Nurse and Ryan Strome, and the daunting task of providing some support for McDavid up front. The team has already brought in some competition for Cam Talbot in the form of Mikko Koskinen, who cost the team a one-year $2.5MM contract.
  • Speaking of draft picks who won’t make an impact next season, Mike McMahon of College Hockey News is reporting that the plan right now is for Brady Tkachuk to return to Boston University for his sophomore season. Tkachuk is expected to be a top-5 pick in the upcoming entry draft, and could still obviously be convinced by an NHL team to leave school early. That may change the draft board for some of the top teams who want to compete in 2018-19 and are hoping for a player who can step right into the league in October.

NHL Announces Schedule For Conference Finals

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Even though the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets still need to decide who is moving on to the next round, the NHL has released the schedule for the Eastern and Western Conference Finals. It’ll all get kicked off on Friday night when the Washington Capitals travel to Tampa Bay to take on Steven Stamkos and the Lightning. The full schedule can be found below:

All times listed in CT

Eastern Conference Finals

Friday, May 11 – 7:00pm Washington @ Tampa Bay
Sunday, May 13 – 7:00pm Washington @ Tampa Bay
Tuesday, May 15 – 7:00pm Tampa Bay @ Washington
Thursday, May 17 – 7:00pm Tampa Bay @ Washington
Saturday, May 19 – 6:15pm Washington @ Tampa Bay*
Monday, May 21 – 7:00pm Tampa Bay @ Washington*
Wednesday, May 23 – 7:00pm Washington @ Tampa Bay*

Western Conference Finals

Saturday, May 12 – 6:00pm Vegas @ Nashville/Winnipeg
Monday, May 14 – 7:00pm Vegas @ Nashville/Winnipeg
Wednesday, May 16 – 8:00pm Nashville/Winnipeg @ Vegas
Friday, May 18 – 7:00pm Nashville/Winnipeg @ Vegas
Sunday, May 20 – 2:00pm Vegas @ Nashville/Winnipeg*
Tuesday, May 22 – 8:00pm Nashville/Winnipeg @ Vegas*
Thursday, May 24 – 7:00pm Vegas @ Nashville/Winnipeg*

*If necessary

Joe Thornton Had Torn ACL, MCL In Right Knee

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Stop if you’ve heard this story before, but Joe Thornton was trying to play on torn knee ligaments. The star center for the San Jose Sharks revealed Tuesday to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News that he suffered a torn right ACL and MCL on January 23rd, but was attempting to return to the lineup during the playoffs. He’ll now shut down his rehab for the time being and be ready for the start of the 2018-19 season. Thornton suffered the same injury last season, but in his left knee.

Thornton also made it clear that he would love to return to the Sharks next season, and that he’d be willing to sign another one-year deal. The Sharks were recently eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights, ending their playoff run early once again. San Jose has had trouble finding any postseason success throughout Thornton’s time there, and they may decide it’s time to move on. Even on a one-year deal, there is little chance that Thornton will be earning $8MM again next season after an injury-ravaged season.

Once a perennial Hart Trophy candidate, the 38-year old Thornton has now had major knee injuries in back to back seasons and was limited to just 47 games in 2017-18. His production in those games was still excellent with 36 points, but it will be hard to rely on his health going forward. If the Sharks decide to go in a different direction—and with a pending unrestricted free agent in Evander Kane, and their sights perhaps set on another superstar center—they might decide it’s best if Thornton takes his talents elsewhere. Like Patrick Marleau last season, if Thornton decides he wants a multi-year contract, the Sharks may not be willing to match it.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Igor Shvyrev To Entry-Level Contract

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The Colorado Avalanche have signed Igor Shvyrev to an entry-level contract. While signing a fifth-round draft pick is rarely big news, there was no guarantee that Shvyrev was ever planning on coming over to North America after spending the last few seasons in the Russian professional leagues.

Shvyrev is an extremely talented center who lit up the MHL (Russia’s junior league) with 70 points in 40 games during his draft year. His KHL experience is extremely limited, with very brief appearances in the games that he did get into. He’s a big, strong player who is a legitimate NHL prospect, though he’ll need some seasoning at the minor league level.

With this addition, the Avalanche have added another intriguing prospect to a system that is rapidly filling up. After trading Matt Duchene earlier this year, and selecting players like Cale Makar during the last draft, suddenly Colorado looks like they’ll be a contender in the near future.

The 19-year old Shvyrev doesn’t guarantee that, far from it. He may not even ever see a game in the NHL. But convincing him to sign with the organization and join their development system is a big first step, and one that needed to happen if he was to ever make a real contribution to the Avalanche.

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