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Archives for June 2018

Jeff Daniels Hired As Carolina Hurricanes Assistant Coach

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The Carolina Hurricanes are getting the band back together. The team announced today that Jeff Daniels has been hired as an assistant coach and will join Rod Brind’Amour behind the bench for the 2018-19 season. Daniels will be well known to Hurricanes fans that remember him from the coaching staff that won a Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006 while Brind’Amour served as captain. GM Don Waddell included a statement in the announcement:

Jeff has served as a head coach in the American Hockey League, and of course won the ultimate prize as an assistant on the NHL level. Rod has played with and under Jeff, so he has a great understanding for the experience and knowledge that he brings to the table.

Daniels finished his playing career with the Hurricanes in 2003 and quickly transitioned to a coaching role, serving as an assistant for parts of four seasons. He was then given a head coaching job in the AHL where he spent the next seven seasons, guiding the Albany/Charlotte team to three playoff appearances. Known as a very knowledgeable offensive mind, he’ll join Brind’Amour and Steve Smith in trying to get the Hurricanes over the hump and back to the postseason.

Now that the coaching staff is filled out, all eyes in Carolina are fixated on Waddell and what he’ll do next with the roster. Jeff Skinner, Justin Faulk, Noah Hanifin and many others have been rumored to be available for the right price, and the team still needs a solution in goal. With the draft less than two weeks away and Carolina holding the second-overall pick, things could get interesting very quickly.

Nic Petan “On The Outside Looking In” For Winnipeg Jets

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When the Winnipeg Jets selected Nic Petan with the 43rd pick of the 2013 draft, some questioned whether the undersized forward would be able to handle the grind of the professional circuit. Now, five years later he has proven to be more than capable at the AHL level but is still having trouble cracking the NHL roster. Petan recorded 52 points in 52 games for the Manitoba Moose, but was dressed for just 15 games with the Jets in 2017-18 and kept out of the playoffs entirely. Speaking with Jason Bell of the Winnipeg Free Press, Petan’s agent Joe Oliver of KO Sports Inc. worried that his client might be stuck too far down in the depth chart to ever prove himself:

I think [the Jets] are one of the more exciting teams to watch in the NHL, and there’s a little bit of envy because I would like Nic to be part of that. But at this point he seems to be on the outside looking in.

He’s champing at the bit to say, ‘Hey, listen. I want to be part of it.’ But that may not be possible just because of the number of players in front of him.

Oliver makes it clear that Petan holds no frustration with the Jets organization and would love to remain with them, just that it may not be possible given the glut of wingers ahead of him. With players like Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers and Mathieu Perreault penciled in on the left side, it will be hard for Petan to really show off his best attributes. Those are his offensive instincts and playmaking ability, something that isn’t really apparent when playing fourth line minutes or sitting in the press box.

Petan is on the Jets’ huge list of restricted free agents this summer, and if the team believes that he could fetch them some value on the open market a trade could be best for both sides. Winnipeg has plenty of depth on the wing in the minor leagues, and if another club is willing to pay up for a once-prized prospect saving money is just an added bonus for the Jets. While Petan doesn’t have much leverage after 95 relatively uninspiring NHL games, he is still another contract that would have to be dealt with this summer. The team has enough on their plate with players like Jacob Trouba, Josh Morrissey, Brandon Tanev, Adam Lowry, Connor Hellebuyck and Joel Armia all scheduled to become restricted free agents.

After watching the Vegas Golden Knights ride a group of misfits all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, one has to wonder if we’ll see more teams take a chance on talented-but-underutilized young players. Petan fits the description of a Vegas-style player perfectly, after his big junior and minor league production but relative failure in the NHL so far. Though he hasn’t asked for a trade, it might be the best thing for his career.

No Buyouts Coming For Pittsburgh Penguins

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are headed for a busy offseason, but won’t be taking advantage of the upcoming buyout period. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the team will not buyout Matt Hunwick or any other player when the first window opens on June 15th.

Last year saw 11 players bought out during the first window and this year could see much of the same. We’ve already heard reports that the San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres are expected to buy out Paul Martin and Matt Moulson, while other candidates like Brandon Dubinsky, Troy Brouwer and Marion Gaborik remain. The Penguins though won’t cast Hunwick aside so quickly, despite his struggles this season to fit in on the blue line.

Hunwick played in just 42 regular season games and was held out of the postseason for the Penguins, even after they moved Ian Cole out midseason. That fact is troubling given that the 33-year old has two years left at $2.25MM. The team could bury him in the minors and save $1.025MM in cap space, but a buyout would have saved even more and allowed them to pay less actual salary. A Hunwick buyout would mean a $708K salary for the next four seasons, but result in just a $458K cap hit for 2018-19. That would afford the team some more space this summer to go after a big fish in free agency, with the drawback of needing some cap space (but not a lot) down the road.

Other than Hunwick though, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that the Penguins will avoid buyouts. The team isn’t locked into many long-term contracts, and the ones they do have are for star players. Patric Hornqvist’s recent extension could turn poorly over the next few years, but they won’t have to deal with that until he shows signs of a real decline. Instead, the Penguins will try to fix their tight cap situation through other means like trade. Phil Kessel, another big-money contract, could be available for the right price but would never be bought out following his 92-point season. We’re expected to know more about the upper limit of next year’s salary cap around June 19th, at which point GM Jim Rutherford will know exactly how much room he has to work with.

AHL Success Found On Different Paths For Toronto, Dallas

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The AHL Calder Cup Finals could be determined tomorrow night as Toronto takes a 3-2 series lead into the final game in Texas. The Marlies are coming off a powerful 6-2 victory in Game 5, and will count on goaltender Garrett Sparks to try to take them home with a league championship. The Stars could easily be up in the series if a few more bounces had gone their way, showing just how close the two teams are.

Interestingly though, they are built very differently. While Toronto is relying on youth and inexperience to create wave after wave of attack, Texas is squeezing some incredible hockey out of some veteran talent. The Marlies (and the whole league) for instance, are led in scoring by the 23-year old Andreas Johnsson who has 20 points in 14 playoff games after re-joining the team following the Maple Leafs’ first-round exit. The seventh-round pick has developed into an elite offensive player at the minor league level, and is expected to take a full-time role on the Maple Leafs next season.

On Johnsson’s top line is the 24-year old AHL rookie Miro Aaltonen and 20-year old Carl Grundstrom, who has now played more minor league playoff games than regular season contests. Both have 12 points in 18 games, but have looked even more dangerous since Johnsson’s return. Second in Marlies scoring is Trevor Moore, the 23-year old NCAA signing that has suddenly turned from AHL afterthought to postseason sensation. It seemed unlikely that Moore had much of an NHL career path, but the Maple Leafs may have to reconsider after an outstanding playoffs.

The Stars on the other hand are using their veteran experience to keep the series close. Captain Curtis McKenzie is second in playoff scoring with 19 points in 20 games, and leafs all players with 10 goals. The 27-year old has been a part-time NHL player for Dallas the past few seasons, but has always found great success in the minor leagues. He’s joined near the top of the leaderboard by 27-year old Justin Dowling, 29-year old Brian Flynn and 34-year old Travis Morin, all former NHL players who have plenty of experience in the minor leagues. The Stars were extremely well prepared for the Marlies when the series started, and have caught their young defense corps several times playing a little overly aggressive.

It’s not like the Stars don’t have youth on their roster, or that the Marlies don’t have experienced AHL players. But there is a clear divide in the top producers from each club, something that will be interesting to follow as the series gets back underway tomorrow night. If anyone can stay calm and stave off elimination, a group of veteran players who have seen it all would be a good bet. McKenzie and his club will have a tough test corralling the youth of the Marlies though, as the NHL has learned with the Maple Leafs young group over the last few seasons.

Five Key Stories: 6/4/18 – 6/10/18

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The Washington Capitals made headlines this past week as they won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.  With the postseason now over, the offseason activity should really start to pick up.  There were some notable headlines from the past seven days which are highlighted in our key stories of the week.

Blackhawks, Hurricanes Have Talked Trade: It has barely been a year since Chicago moved goaltender Scott Darling to Carolina but it appears they have interest in bringing him back.  The Blackhawks have held trade talks with the Hurricanes when it comes to their former backup netminder along with defenseman Justin Faulk.  There’s no word on what the asking price for the pair is but considering they combine for a cap hit just shy of $9MM, Chicago would presumably have to send a notable player or two the other way as well given their tight salary cap situation.  With new ownership and management, Carolina is certainly worth keeping an eye on in the weeks and months to come whether it’s in this potential deal or others around the league as they are believed to be looking to shake things up.

Hurricanes Taking Svechnikov #2: Speaking of those Hurricanes, they’ve made their decision on who to pick with the second-overall pick later this month.  Assuming they keep the selection, GM Don Waddell stated that it is “safe to assume” that Barrie Colts winger Andrei Svechnikov will be their choice (assuming defenseman Rasmus Dahlin goes first to Buffalo as is widely expected).  Svechnikov had a very strong rookie OHL season with 40 goals in 44 games and is expected to make the jump to the NHL next fall.

Detroit Actively Shopping Ouellet: There was a time where defenseman Xavier Ouellet was widely considered to be a big part of the future plans for the Red Wings but he has yet to establish himself as a full-time NHL player.  It appears that Detroit doesn’t believe he’ll become a regular as they are actively shopping the 24-year-old.  Ouellet averaged just under 14 minutes of ice time in 45 games in 2017-18 and is signed at a $1.25MM cap hit for next season.

Snow, Weight Relieved Of Duties: Lou Lamoriello isn’t wasting his time putting his stamp on the Islanders.  After taking some time to evaluate the situation, he relieved GM Garth Snow and head coach Doug Weight of their duties while installing himself as the new General Manager.  Both are expected to remain with the organization in a yet-to-be-defined role as they work off their contracts.  Snow had been running the show in New York since 2006 despite not having a great track record of success while Weight had recently completed his first full season behind the bench.  Lamoriello and the Isles will now begin to search for their next bench boss and it wouldn’t be surprising to see that announcement made by the draft.

Oilers Trying To Move Lucic: At the time the Oilers signed winger Milan Lucic to a seven-year, $42MM contract, many expected that the final couple of years could be an issue.  Instead, after just the second season of the deal, the Oilers are trying to find a taker for him.  The 30-year-old struggled to keep up on an up-tempo Edmonton team and scored just ten goals despite playing in all 82 games in 2017-18.  With five years remaining on his deal (plus a no-move clause), the Oilers will likely have to include some sort of incentive or take a similarly-bad contract back in return if they want to move on from their prized free agent signing of the 2016 offseason.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Toby Enstrom Won’t Re-Sign With Winnipeg

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Jets defenseman Toby Enstrom has informed the team that he will not be returning next season, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 31 Thoughts column.  This came shortly after he was a healthy scratch for Game Five of their second round series against Nashville.

This means that Enstrom will be leaving the only organization he has ever been a part of, going back to their days as the Atlanta Thrashers.  The 33-year-old was an eighth-round pick of Atlanta back in 2003 and has suited up in 719 NHL games between the Thrashers and Jets since then.

His role was drastically reduced in 2017-18 so this departure doesn’t come as too much of a surprise.  Enstrom played in just 43 regular season games due to various injuries while his ice time was cut by nearly five full minutes per game.  For someone used to being a top-four defender and the fact that when healthy, Josh Morrissey and Dmitry Kulikov are ahead of him on the depth chart on the left side (plus their core of Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers, and Jacob Trouba on the right), a parting of the ways was likely.

Enstrom will now hit the open market in search of a new team this summer.  While his offensive numbers have eroded in recent years, he is still an effective puck mover from the back end and the fact he has logged heavy minutes in the past will certainly help him garner interest from other teams around the league.  Despite that, he will certainly be faced with the prospect of taking a significant pay cut as he stands no chance of coming close to the $5.75MM he has made for each of the last five years.

Buyout Candidate: Troy Brouwer

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With the buyout window opening up on Friday, teams are going to have to make some important decisions in the days to come as to whether or not it’s time to cut bait with some of their underachieving players.  One of those is Calgary winger Troy Brouwer.

Two summers ago, Brouwer was one of the better power forwards available on the market.  His offensive consistency (he had scored between 17 and 25 goals in seven straight years) made him a safe bet to step in onto someone’s second line and give them a bit of grit with some scoring touch.  The Flames eventually won out over several other suitors and gave him a four-year, $18MM contract, a deal that didn’t seem particularly outlandish at the time.

His first season in Calgary saw his output dip to 25 points but that, in theory, could have been the by-product of playing on a new team in a new system.  At least, that’s what the Flames were hoping and that he could still rebound for 2017-18.  Suffice it to say, that didn’t happen.

The 32-year-old struggled mightily this past season, scoring just six times in 76 games, the lowest goal total in his ten-year career.  He also spent most of his time in the bottom six which caused his ice time to dip to just under 14 minutes per game, well off the 17:30 he had averaged over the past six years.  As a result, Calgary now has a $4.5MM player that looks to be finished as a top-six winger which isn’t a great spot to be in.

With two years remaining on his contract though, a buyout isn’t necessarily automatic.  While that would free up $3MM on their salary cap for the next two seasons, it would also add $1.5MM for both 2020-21 and 2021-22 as they would be paying out $1.5MM for each of the next four years.  That’s a tough pill to swallow for a player that they’ve already given $9MM to for a total of 19 goals.

The short-term savings would certainly be beneficial, however.  As things stand, Calgary has a little over $62MM committed to 15 players for 2018-19, per CapFriendly.  Adding another $3MM to their budget would allow them to be a little more active in free agency or in the trade market as they look to add some scoring help.

Over the next couple of weeks, there are some players where it seems fairly obvious that they will be bought out.  Brouwer’s case is a little less certain because of the extra year remaining on his contract.  With the buyout window ending on June 30th, it seems likely that Calgary will delay making a call on this situation until late in the month but there’s a pretty good chance Brouwer will be returning to free agency a lot earlier than he expected when he joined Calgary just two years ago.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Focus: Florida Panthers

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Free agency opens exactly three weeks from today and teams are well on their way to evaluating both their own impending free agents and those likely to reach the open market. There are quite a few prominent players expected to be available as unrestricted free agents, while many key restricted free agents will be looking to sign new contracts with their current squads.  Here is a breakdown of the Florida Panthers’ free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: C Jared McCann – At age 22 and heading into his fourth NHL season, McCann is still a very raw talent. The 2014 first-round pick often thinks the game faster than he plays it and is prone to mistakes. He plays little special teams role for the Panthers and struggles with many of the defensive aspects of the game at the pro level. McCann is also well below average at the face-off dot. With all that said, his offensive upside is still tremendous. McCann set a career-high with 28 points in 68 games this year and for the first time was a plus player in the league. He has great vision, a strong skating game, and a good shot. When he is on his game he can be dominant; when he is off of it, it’s easy to see why the Vancouver Canucks didn’t hesitate to trade him late into his rookie year. McCann needs to find some consistency and pace to his game and he will flourish, but that still may take some time.

So how should Florida handle that contractually? McCann will understandably want a considerable raise from his entry-level contract, but he also has a fair amount of developmental concerns that he continues to deal with. McCann very well could turn out to be a long-term star for the Panthers, but this situation seems far more likely to warrant a short-term bridge deal for “show me” money. McCann needs to display far more of his impressive offensive ability and far fewer mental lapses and disappearing acts if he wants to command greater salary and term.

LW Frank Vatrano – It’s never an easy situation to sort out when a restricted free agent is acquired mid-season. Florida could not have asked for a better start from Vatrano, who came over from the Bruins at the trade deadline after falling out of favor in Boston. After putting up just two points in 25 games with the Bruins, Vatrano posted eight points in the final 16 games with the Panthers and seemed to fit in well in the team’s top six. Vatrano showed in his first pro season that he has a ton of scoring talent: the undrafted UMass product was the goal-scoring champ of the AHL with 36 goals in 36 games, put up another eight goals in 39 games in Boston, and even recorded eight points in ten games with Team USA at the World Championships. However, Vatrano lacks much depth to his game outside of having a knack for finding the back of the net. Injury and inconsistency over the past two years with the Bruins limited his scoring chances and exposed his lack of an all-around game. When playing with Florida’s finest, his scoring ability came back and those flaws faded into the background. However, Florida is now being asked to evaluate him on just those 16 games.

Like McCann, Vatrano has not earned a long-term deal. The Panthers hope that they get the player they saw down the stretch and gave up a third-round pick to acquire, but there is also the risk he will revert to the mistake-prone, one-track-mind player he was in Boston in recent seasons. Vatrano could be an important piece for Florida moving forward but he could also have a ceiling as an elite AHLer and nothing more. Only time will tell, but because of that risk, expect Vatrano to earn a relatively cheap, one-year deal (even if it has to come through arbitration).

Other RFAs: D Alex Petrovic, D MacKenzie Weegar, D Ed Wittchow, F Curtis Valk, F Gregory Chase, D Linus Hultsrom 

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: None. Congratulations to Florida on entering free agency with literally nothing to lose. The team has five impending free agents and one, veteran winger Radim Vrbata, has already announced his retirement. The other four played little role in the successes or failures of the Panthers in 2017-18 and would be unlikely to make much of an impact if they were to be re-signed. Connor Brickley is the most notable name, as he recorded 12 points in 44 games on the team’s fourth line. However, Brickley spent no additional time in the AHL, simply watching from the press box for the much of the season. The 26-year-old forward was a 2010 second-round pick, but seems to have developed into a checking winger with limited offensive upside, the exact type of player that is easy to replace. The loss of fellow 26-year-old forwards Chase Balisy (8 games) and Alexandre Grenier (0 games) would mean even less. Third-string goalie Harri Sateri, 28, returned from Europe to play for the Panthers this year and performed well enough in nine appearances, but with two high-end veteran goalies in the mix, Florida hardly needs to stress over their AHL starter. Young Sam Montembeault will likely be just fine if Sateri is not re-signed.

UFAs: Connor Brickley, Chase Balisy, Alexandre Grenier, Harri Sateri

Projected Cap Space: The trade-off of having no unrestricted free agents to worry about is that you don’t have much salary coming off the books either. When you have your top five forwards, your top four defenseman, and two starting-caliber goalies locked up long-term, things can get expensive. The Florida Panthers got off to a slow start last season and narrowly missed the playoffs, but don’t be fooled: this is a solid team without a ton of holes and their cap situation reflects that. The cap ceiling is expected to rise this off-season to somewhere between $78-$82MM. At the midpoint of $80MM, the Cats will have around $14MM in space to work with. While that is a decent amount, it still puts the team in the bottom third of the league in terms of flexibility.

Assume that McCann gets a substantial pay increase and Vatrano and potentially one or both of Petrovic and Weegar get a fair amount in their new contracts, and the Panthers will likely be operating the free agency market with around $8-$9MM or so in space. Is that enough to add the top-six forward that they desperately want and need? Probably, but they would strapped for cap space after that. Expect Florida to be players on the trade market this summer as a result.

Red Wings And Canadiens To Clash At The Draft

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Before the 2018-19 season even begins, there will be some conflict between divisional foes. The Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings are both coming off disappointing seasons and are looking to reinforce their franchises with their own high draft slots as well as acquired picks. Both teams are hoping to cash in on several picks in the first and second rounds to find multiple players that will grow to become regular NHLers. However, they may have to battle each other to do so.

The Athletic’s Craig Custance published an article this week about Detroit’s possible plans and potential targets for a trio of picks in the 30’s. His colleague Arpon Basu was quick to respond with his own article about Montreal’s potential marks with their two picks in the early second round. Basu also added that the two teams share similar organizational needs. Among them, both the Canadiens and Red Wings could use a top-flight center and defenseman in the pipeline.

With no suitable centers available when either team picks in the first round –  the Habs at #3 and the Wings at #6 – what those teams do early on could dictate their priorities in the early second. Many expect that Montreal cannot pass up the elite forward talent that is winger Filip Zadina. The Canadiens (or Red Wings) could reach for center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but it is unlikely. They could also take a defenseman, as there are plenty of supremely talented names available in this draft. After Rasmus Dahlin presumably goes first overall, most consider Quinn Hughes to be the next best name. Of course, Detroit is the heavy favorite to take the University of Michigan product if he’s still on the board. If Montreal chose to steal him, it would be the first conflict between these two teams.

Things heat up even more later on though. Detroit has a second first-rounder at #30, courtesy of the Tomas Tatar trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. While this is a prime position for the Wings to trade out of, they could also simply make the pick. It is here that the Red Wings could beat the Canadiens to one of the top available centers. Both Custance and Basu list Ty Dellandrea as a prime target in the late first and early second, and Basu also offers Isac Lundestrom and Jacob Olofsson as candidates if either is still available. Then, in the second, Detroit picks again at #33, the pick they received from the Ottawa Senators through the New York Rangers in the Brendan Smith deal. So while the Habs get the first shot at selecting ahead of the Wings early in the first round, Detroit then has the next three consecutive picks ahead of Montreal. Here, it would be easy to see the Red Wings double up on defensemen, aiming for a more physical specimen. Both Custance and Basu tab K’Andre Miller as a likely target, while Basu also lists Mattias Samuelsson and, if he’s still there, Jared McIsaac. Both writers are also intrigued by the boom-or-bust talent of defenseman Ryan Merkley, another swift puck-mover like Hughes. Don’t rule out Detroit looking his way as well. Finally, Montreal gets their next shot at #35 and Detroit picks right after at #36. Montreal may again have to pick up the scraps at #38, the selection they landed from the Chicago Blackhawks along with Phillip Danault in the very favorable Tomas Fleischmann/Dale Weise trade in 2016.

Montreal also has picks #56 and #62 later in the second round, leaving open a very real opportunity that they could change this whole dynamic by packaging multiple second-rounders – in a draft that many feel is homogeneous in the #20  to #60 range – to move back into the first round and ahead of Detroit at #30. It would then be the Canadiens who could take the best available center or defenseman and put the Red Wings in a tough spot.

It’s always a good time to see two Original Six teams battle on the ice, but the war for position brewing between Detroit and Montreal in the upcoming draft could be just as fun to watch.

Nando Eggenberger Eyeing Jump To North America Following Draft

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Sometimes the younger players who look good early on don’t end up being the players who look the best come draft day. Often times, players can stall in their development and never take those next steps that scouts anticipate when evaluating their potential. Such is the case with Swiss winger Nando Eggenberger. The talented power forward was one of the first players of the 2018 draft class to get considerable attention years ago. Now, with the NHL Draft fast approaching, Eggenberger’s stock is at a new low. Perhaps hoping to incite optimism in interested teams, Eggenberger is reportedly considering a move to North America and would be a top target in the CHL Import Draft. His pro team in the Swiss NLA, HC Davos, revealed that the young forward has received interest from teams and is contemplating the jump.

The move could definitely serve to benefit Eggenberger. While still an intriguing prospect, he is no longer in the position that he once was. At one point, Eggenberger’s name was often found in the same sentence as 2017 first overall pick Nico Hischier as pundits evaluated the next wave of elite Swiss youth. Eggenberger is a true sniper and a strong skater and knows how to use his size both in front of the net and to win defensive battles. This time last year, Eggenberger had already played a full season of pro hockey at the highest level in Switzerland – and the NLA is considered one of the top European leagues – and while his low offensive production was foreseeable, pundits applauded his ability to skate and hold his own at that level as a kid not even old enough for the draft. “The Draft Analyst” Steve Kournianos even called Eggenberger a top ten player to watch. However, with the world indeed watching, Eggenberger did not get any better this season. He played in eight more games for Davos this year than last but registered the same amount of points and dropped from a +3 rating to a -12 on a very good team. Playing against competition his own age and ability at the World Juniors, many expected Eggenberger to lead the Swiss squad and show off his ability. Instead he went scoreless and posted a -9 rating in five games as the Swiss won just one game. He continues to play a one-dimensional game that lacks offensive forethought and creativity. A player with incredible tools that can’t put himself in a position to properly use them lacks career upside. As a result, Kournianos has Eggenberger ranked 78th in his final draft ranking and that is still an elevated opinion. Future Considerations ranks him at #88, while the Athletic’s Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler both declined to put him on their draft boards.

Hoping to at least go in the first half of the draft this month, publicizing a potential move to North America is smart for Eggenberger. In the CHL, he cannot be used as a hired gun for only specific purposes as a pro team like Davos was able to use him. Eggenberger will be forced to play a complete game as his ability would surely make him a top-six forward for nearly any team. This responsibility could do wonders for his development into a more thoughtful, well-rounded player. Adding that potential growth into the calculus of his draft value, teams may be looking to bump Eggenberger back up their draft boards. Even if he doesn’t make the jump, the timing of this rumor from his team suits his draft stock well. Eggenberger will be a player to keep an eye out for during the later rounds on June 23rd.

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