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John Tavares Will Meet Other Teams During Interview Period

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As the second day of the NHL Entry Draft moves along, we finally get an update on John Tavares and his upcoming free agency. Tavares is allowed to start meeting with other teams around the league as early as Sunday, and he apparently will take advantage of the opportunity just as Steven Stamkos did two summers ago. Stamkos ended up re-signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the only team he’d ever known, something New York Islanders fans will hope repeats this summer after Tavares gets a chance to see what else is out there.

Larry Brooks of the New York Post and David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period both have heard that Tavares will meet with five teams this week, though the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues are apparently not among them. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic also reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets will not meet with Tavares. Who those teams are is not clear at this point, though there has been plenty of speculation about clubs like the San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Tavares, 27, would arguably be the best free agent to hit the market during the salary cap era, and could potentially become the league’s highest-paid player. That distinction currently belongs to Connor McDavid, but his eight-year $100MM contract could be eclipsed should a bidding war start on Tavares. That rules out many teams around the league, but still even those with a small amount of cap space may be interested in meeting and seeing how they could work things out. The Los Angeles Kings for instance were looking at basically every offensive player available, but with the signing of Ilya Kovalchuk today likely don’t have the room to fit in a player like Tavares.

Arthur Staple of The Athletic, who is one of the closest people in media to the situation in New York, believes that Toronto, San Jose and Dallas will “almost certainly” be among the teams afforded a meeting. He mentions Tampa Bay and Vegas—a team Pagnotta also mentions—as well, though no one will really know until Tavares reveals the teams himself, or someone stakes out the meeting spot. Staple adds though that despite taking the meetings “just about everyone” still expects Tavares to re-sign in New York.

NHL Entry Draft Pick Trades: Day Two

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On day two of the NHL Entry Draft there will be plenty of trades between teams moving up and down. Like we saw last night, teams target certain players and are willing to give up a later-round pick to move up. Bellow we’ll list all the moves that didn’t include any players:

  • The Colorado Avalanche trade the 58th overall pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 64th and 146th overall picks.
  • The Montreal Canadiens trade the 62nd overall pick to the Edmonton Oilers for the 71st and 133rd overall picks.
  • The Arizona Coyotes trade the 74th overall pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for the 87th and 142nd overall picks.
  • The Nashville Predators trade the 89th overall pick to the Florida Panthers for a 2019 third-round pick.
  • The Arizona Coyotes trade the 87th overall pick to the San Jose Sharks for the 114th and 145th overall picks.
  • The Montreal Canadiens trade the 102nd overall pick to the San Jose Sharks for the 123rd and 139th overall picks.
  • The Montreal Canadiens trade the 122nd overall pick to the Calgary Flames for a 2019 fourth-round pick.
  • The Montreal Canadiens trade the 139th overall pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2019 fifth-round pick.
  • The Buffalo Sabres trade the 156th overall pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2019 sixth-round pick.
  • The Detroit Red Wings trade the 159th overall pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2019 fifth-round pick.
  • The Vancouver Canucks trade the 161st overall pick to the Washington Capitals for the 186th overall and a 2019 sixth-round pick.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers trade the 190th overall pick to the Montreal Canadiens for a 2019 seventh-round pick.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins trade the 208th overall pick to the Vegas Golden Knights for a 2019 seventh-round pick.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes trade the 216th overall pick to the New York Rangers for a 2019 seventh-round pick.

Best Players Available On Day Two Of NHL Draft

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In an NHL Draft class as deep as this one in 2018, there was always going to be some surprises on the first night of the draft. Draft boards across the league varied greatly, with some scouts having players ranked as mid-first round talents that others had at the bottom of the second round. This showed on Friday night, as Barrett Hayton (ARI), Ty Dellandrea (DAL), Liam Foudy (CLB), Filip Johansson (MIN), and Jacob Bernard-Docker (OTT) were all selected higher than many expected, while the Detroit Red Wings (Filip Zadina, Joe Veleno) and the New York Islanders (Oliver Wahlstrom, Noah Dobson) both collected a pair of talented players who unexpectedly fell. Now, the second round is also filled with player who many expected to be first-round picks as well. Here is who to watch for early on today:

Bode Wilde
Position: Right Defense
Team: U.S. National Development Program (USHL)
ISS Ranking: #23
Scouting Report: It is hard to imagine that many teams expected Wilde to still be here today. Although some have speculated that behavioral concerns and streaky play have hurt his draft stock somewhat, Wilde has a skill set that trumps many defenseman already selected. The big righty can both skate and check at a high level and has next-level awareness that allows him to make great passes without making many mistakes. Expect Wilde to be one of the first picks in Round Two.

Serron Noel
Position: Right Wing
Team: Oshawa Generals (OHL)
ISS Ranking: #14
Scouting Report: At 6’5″, 205-lbs., Noel is bigger than any player selected in the first round, nevertheless forward. However, don’t let the size deceive you; Noel is a powerful skater and has great hands for someone of his stature. He obviously plays a strong checking game as well. Noel likely fell into the second round due to his very raw talent and some doubts that he could ever be anything more than a complementary player and net-front presence.

Ryan McLeod
Position: Center
Team: Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
ISS Ranking: #26
Scouting Report: Few doubt that McLeod is a high-skill forward, but there are questions as to whether he can be a player who drives play. McLeod had been projected as a potential top ten pick prior to this season due to great skating, quick passing, a good shot, and impressive overall offensive instincts, but he somewhat stalled in his development and did not take advantage of his chances to show he can be an offensive leader. McLeod is likely to be a player who can score a ton with other talented players, but not exactly a centerpiece-type prospect.

Akil Thomas
Position: Right Wing/Center
Team: Niagara Ice Dogs (OHL)
ISS Ranking: #27
Scouting Report: A versatile, two-way forward, there is not much to dislike about Thomas’ game. In fact, it’s a big surprise that no team fell in love with Thomas enough to select him in the first round. A multi-talented athlete who possesses high-end play-making ability at one end and elite defensive awareness at the other, Thomas is one of the few forwards in this class that could play an immediate role on both the power play and penalty kill when he reaches the NHL. It could be that scouts were simply looking for that next level of offense and a more dangerous goal-scoring game, both of which could develop with time.

Jared McIsaac
Position: Left Defense
Team: Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
ISS Ranking: #21
Scouting Report: Like Wilde, McIsaac has an all-around two-way ability that one would have expected would make him a first-round pick over several blue liners who have already been selected. An outstanding skater who carries the puck well and is dangerous with both his outlet pass and point shot, McIsaac is an asset on offense who could be a power play quarterback at the next level. Yet he also has the size and speed to smother opponents on defense and is  hard to beat one-on-one. McIsaac in the second round is a great value.

Jonatan Berggren
Position: Left Wing/Right Wing
Team: Skeleftea AIK (SuperElit)
ISS Ranking: #30
Scouting Report: Berggren has flown under the radar for much of this year, but his draft stock has greatly improved as scouts have taken note of his elite puck-handling. Beggren is a small, shifty forward who is extremely creative with his passing and can evade checks and create scoring chances. He may not be anything more than a complementary player, but has a skill set that can make the players around him much more dangerous.

Calen Addison
Position: Right Defense
Team: Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
ISS Ranking: #48
Scouting Report: Addison was the odd-man-out in the run of undersized, puck-moving defensemen at the end of the first round. Addison plays with speed and vision and can lead a rush like few others in the class. Like many small defensemen, there are concerns about his ability to play defense against older, stronger competition. However, while many try to do their best to alleviate those concerns by playing tough despite their size, Addison is very passive and that could be disappointing scouts. Addison is likely an offensive specialist on the blue line in the NHL who cannot be relied on for major ice time or in key defensive situations.

Other names to watch: C Benoit Oliver-Groulx, RW Kirill Marchenko, D Mattias Samuelsson, D Jonny Tychonick, C Jack McBain, C Jacob Olofsson, D Adam Ginning, G Jakub Skarek 

 

Washington Capitals Close To Signing John Carlson

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The Washington Capitals cleared extra cap space earlier today when they tagged Brooks Orpik onto a trade with the Colorado Avalanche. That space might not be available very long, as Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports that Capitals GM Brian MacLellan believes they are “close” to a new contract with defenseman John Carlson. MacLellan wants to get the deal done before Carlson can start talking to other teams on Sunday during the free agent interview period.

If Carlson does sign before Sunday, the free agent market would be changed considerably. The 28-year old currently sits as the top defenseman on the market and it’s not even really close. After scoring a career-high 68 points this season and being a key factor in the first Stanley Cup in Capitals history, he could demand as much as $8MM per season on a long-term deal. If teams were holding open that kind of cap space for a chance at Carlson on the open market, only to see him sign just before the interview period opens, you can bet some phone calls will be ringing on the draft floor inquiring about other defensemen around the league.

Carlson is an excellent player, capable of putting up big offensive numbers while not hurting his team in his own end. He’d be welcome on nearly any team in the league, but is more important to the Capitals than nearly anyone else. After losing Nate Schmidt in the expansion draft, Kevin Shattenkirk to free agency and seeing Orpik’s recent decline, the Capitals’ blue line has been substantially weakened in the last 12 months. Losing Carlson on the open market would put an immense amount of pressure on Matt Niskanen and Dmitry Orlov, who already carry a huge load for the team.

Michal Kempny, a revelation for the team down the stretch and into the playoffs is also an unrestricted free agent. Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post confirms MacLellan’s intention to try and bring Kempny back as well, though doesn’t specify how close negotiations are. After a trade deadline deal that brought Kempny to Washington from the Chicago Blackhawks, he found his game and developed into a legitimate top-four option for the team. Bringing him back for a reasonable price would allow the Capitals to really contend for the Stanley Cup once again with the same group, something that may not have seemed possible at the end of the year.

Toronto Maple Leafs Trade 25th Pick To St. Louis Blues

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded the 25th pick to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for picks 29 and 76. The 29th pick originally belonged to the Winnipeg Jets, who sent it (along with Erik Foley) to St. Louis in exchange for Paul Stastny at the deadline.

The Blues made the trade to pick Dominik Bokk, who some had much higher in pre-draft rankings. The German-born forward played in Sweden this season, where he lit up the junior league and even got a chance to suit up for Vaxjo in the SHL. Bokk has a big ceiling and could quickly make the Maple Leafs regret moving down, but they clearly felt the value of another third-round pick was worth it.

This is the same maneuver that Maple Leafs’ GM Kyle Dubas used when he ran the team’s draft in 2015, trading down twice to create three picks out of one. In that occasion the Maple Leafs passed on the chance to select Travis Konecny, who has turned into a star young player for the Philadelphia Flyers. This is the kind of thing we should come to expect from Dubas and company, as they try to use every advantage possible to keep the Toronto rebuild moving forward.

Ottawa Senators Trade 22nd Pick To New York Rangers

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The Ottawa Senators have traded the 22nd pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft to the New York Rangers in exchange for the 26th and 48th pick. While this isn’t a blockbuster deal, it does allow the Rangers to move up and take the player they feel has dropped down the board.

That player is K’Andre Miller, a defenseman from the US Development program that has only been playing the blue line for two seasons but has taken to it immediately. Miller can absolutely dominate a game when he’s playing his best, but that’s something he’ll have to do more often moving forward.

Obviously the Rangers believed he wouldn’t make it all the way to the 26th selection, and were willing to give up a second-round pick to secure their guy. New York is trying to rebuild a franchise that has had a lot of regular season success but hasn’t been able to get over the hump in the postseason, and are looking for dynamic, elite skaters. Miller is that, but also provides length and an impressive set of instincts in the defensive end.

For Ottawa, adding value anywhere at this point is a bonus. The team has struggled the last few months dealing with several off-ice incidents, and may not be able to re-sign Erik Karlsson this summer. If they weren’t married to selecting Miller, moving down a few spots for a second-round pick is more than worth it.

Philadelphia Flyers Will Try To Sign Wayne Simmonds To Contract Extension

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Speaking to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on the draft floor immediately after selecting Jay O’Brien, Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall confirmed that he’ll try to sign Wayne Simmonds to a contract extension this summer. Simmonds is on the final season of his current deal, and is considered one of the most underpaid assets around the league. He’ll be able to demand quite a raise from the $3.975MM cap hit he currently carries.

Simmonds, 29, is coming off a relatively disappointing season as he battled injury, but is still a 30-goal player who can contribute at both even-strength and on the powerplay. He’s a special player that represents something not many of the other Flyers forwards can bring, and could be part of the 2019 “Superclass” next summer should he wait out this year.

Still, it’s not an easy decision to sign him long-term. Though he is obviously an excellent offensive player, some worry that his style could result in a quick decline as he enters his thirties. With such a strong resume he’ll likely be able to demand a contract in excess of six years, taking him into the later stage of his career at what could be a fairly high cap hit.

Dallas Stars Sign Stephen Johns To Three-Year Deal

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Stephen Johns is headed back to Texas. The Dallas Stars have re-signed Johns to a three-year contract that will carry an average annual value of $2.35MM. Johns was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this offseason, and will now be heading to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2021.

Johns took a major step forward in 2017-18 with career highs offensively and defensively. The 25-year-old blue liner registered 15 points on the year, including eight goals, which tied John Klingberg as best among all Dallas defensemen. John’s +10 rating was also among the best on the Stars, tied for seventh among all skaters. In his own zone, John’s shutdown game garnered league-wide attention this season. His 201 hits and 155 blocked shots were both the top marks in Dallas and top-25 in the NHL. Johns plays a fast, physical style and can be used in many different situations.

At just over $2MM per year through the next three years of the prime of Johns’ career, Stars GM Jim Nill got a great deal on this extension. Dallas has struggled at preventing goals in recent years and the team’s defense is not without significant blame for those issues. However, the Stars began to turn that around this year and the improvement in Johns’ game is a major reason why. If Johns continues to develop a strong two-way game, his contract will be a bargain that allows the Stars to build their roster knowing that they have a dependable veteran on the back end.

Detroit Red Wings Don’t Expect To Move Up In Draft

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The biggest question about the upcoming NHL draft is what the Montreal Canadiens will do with the third-overall pick. While reports continue to circulate that they are enamored with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and would be willing to select him right after Carolina takes Andrei Svechnikov, there is still some smoke coming out of the idea of trading down. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic has heard rumblings about it again, and wonders if the Arizona Coyotes would be a fit with the fifth-overall pick.

One team the Canadiens won’t be able to swap with are the Detroit Red Wings, whose GM Ken Holland has just told Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic that he doesn’t expect to move up tonight from No. 6. For what it’s worth, Craig Morgan of AZ Sports doesn’t believe the Coyotes are interested either, given that there would be a cost attached and there should still be plenty of talented players at No. 5.

The Red Wings desperately need some game breaking talent injected into their system as they continue to try and turn things around, and there should be several options at the sixth-overall slot. Last season they picked Michael Rasmussen, a huge center from the WHL, leading many to believe that it will be a defenseman pulling on the winged wheel tonight. Obviously nothing is set in stone until Holland and his group walk to the podium, but they seem happy to pick right where they are this time around.

Elias Lindholm Generating Interest For Carolina Hurricanes

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Friday: LeBrun reports that the meeting between Lindholm and the Hurricanes front office today did not go well, leaving the two sides still far apart on a contract decision. The 23-year old forward is now a real possibility according to LeBrun.

Thursday: Though most eyes are on Jeff Skinner and Justin Faulk, the player generating the most interest in Carolina is Elias Lindholm according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required). LeBrun qualifies the trade speculation by saying the Hurricanes’ first priority is to re-sign the restricted free agent, but that his name continues to be brought up in negotiations with other teams. Yesterday LeBrun mentioned talks between the Calgary Flames and Carolina, and today he expands on that notion saying that even Noah Hanifin and Dougie Hamilton were discussed before things went south.

Lindholm, 23, has been an exemplary player for the Hurricanes since being drafted fifth overall in 2013, Spending time at both center and wing, he has at least 39 points in each of his four full seasons and should be in for another raise on the $2.7MM cap hit he carried the last two years. While not an elite offensive player, he continues to be a positive in the faceoff circle and a reliable two-way player capable of anchoring a middle-six group. With teams so desperate for help at center, it’s no surprise that his name continues to be brought up.

While Skinner has just one season remaining on his contract and Faulk two, Lindholm is a restricted free agent this summer and could be signed to a long-term deal. There are hurdles to jump to do that though, as even his youth won’t keep the price tag down on a multi-year contract. Lindholm already has five seasons under his belt in the NHL, and is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2020 at the age of 25. That means any long-term deal is buying out several free agent seasons and likely driving the price upwards. It also means that a two-year bridge deal is no longer an option, as that would take him right into the waiting arms of the open market as one of the youngest players to ever reach free agency.

Any acquiring team would have to consider this, and likely discuss the contract with Lindholm’s representatives first. If they can get him signed long-term for a reasonable cap hit, he would bring back a considerable package to the Hurricanes. If not, it might not be worth it for Carolina to send out one of their more reliable young players before his 24th birthday.

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