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Paul Stastny Interested In Returning To St. Louis

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Despite being shipped off at the trade deadline after four years with St. Louis, veteran center Paul Stastny said he would be open to returning to the St. Louis Blues during a radio interview on 590 The Fan in St. Louis.

Known to have loved his time in St. Louis, the 32-year-old supposedly thought long and hard before agreeing to waive his no-trade clause to go to the playoff-bound Winnipeg Jets. With the Blues struggling and unlikely to reach the playoffs, the team sent Stastny to the Jets for a 2018 first-round pick (the 29th overall pick), collegiate prospect Erik Foley, and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2020.

“Absolutely,” Stastny told Hockey Sense host Andy Strickland during the interview. “I don’t think I’ve closed the door on anything. I know it’s a business, getting older, you see it. I always keep everything open because you never know what’s going to happen.”

Stastny put up solid numbers with the Blues, posting 12 goals and 40 points in 63 games for the Blues before being dealt on Feb. 26. However, once with the Jets, he added another 13 points to his totals in 19 regular season games playing alongside Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers. Then in the playoffs, he took off, tallying six goals and 15 points in 17 games, leading the team to the Western Conference Finals.

While he enjoyed his time in Winnipeg and said it was worth it, Stastny also admitted it wasn’t easy to leave St. Louis.

“Trades are tough,” Stastny told Strickland. “I think when you’re so emotionally invested in a team and you think your an important part or your battling with the guys all year, you don’t expect that.”

While Winnipeg wouldn’t mind bringing Stastny back on a short-term deal, the Jets are going to be dealing with plenty of cap issues now they have to re-sign goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, defenseman Jacob Trouba and a number of other restricted free agents. St. Louis, however, who remains in need of help down the middle, could be a possible destination as well.

Of course with the need of centers throughout the league and Stastny likely being the second-best unrestricted free agent on the market (behind John Tavares), the veteran has quite a bit of leverage to score another big contract. While the Jets have indicated they would like to bring him back on a one or two-year deal to compete for a Stanley Cup, other teams would likely offer more years and more money. Would the Blues want to pay a big price to bring Stastny back? He just completed a four-year, $28MM deal. Desperate teams like the Montreal Canadiens might be willing to go quite high as they have the need and enough cap space to make it happen.

Recapping The QMJHL Draft Trade Frenzy

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Like the NHL, it is not uncommon for there to be a flurry of trades surrounding the draft in the juniors as well. At the junior level though, “flurry” takes on a whole new meaning. The Quebec Junior Hockey League held their entry draft yesterday, with the 14-round event taking up most of the day. The teams’ management staffs were not only busy making picks, but also making trades. There have been 48 trades made in the QMJHL over the past two days alone. While many of those are simply a swap of draft pick packages or including low-end players, there have also been a handful for NHL fans to take note of:

  • The Drummondville Voltigeurs paid a heavy price for Anaheim prospect Maxime Comtois. The Ducks’ second-round pick at 50th overall last year was traded by the Victoriaville Tigres for first- and second-round picks in this year’s draft, including the 14th overall pick, and another pair of  first- and second-round picks next year. Comtois scored 85 points in 54 games this season and Drummondville is banking on him repeating that production next season. The Voltigeurs better hope that Comtois doesn’t break camp with Anaheim instead.
  • Another Ducks prospect, Antoine Morand, who was drafted just ten spots behind Comtois last year, was also dealt in another blockbuster. The QMJHL and Memorial Cup champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan traded Moran and teammate Jordan Maher, an overage player eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft, to the Halifax Mooseheads for a first- and third-round pick this year and another pair of future first- and third-rounders. Morand led the Titan in scoring last year and he and Maher combined for 137 points on the season. Halifax is certainly loading up with the acquisition of the duo.
  • Center Cedric Pare, a sixth-round selection of the Boston Bruins last year, fetched a hefty return of his own. The two-way forward earned the Saint John Sea Dogs a first-rounder, 15th overall, and fourth-rounder this year from Rimouski Oceanic. Pare scored only 37 points in 60 games this year but brings strong intangibles to his game. In Rimouski, Pare will get to play the defensively responsible role across from 16-year-old phenom Alexis Lafreniere’s dynamic offensive game.
  • Mitchell Balmas will again be eligible for selection in the NHL Draft for the third and final time this year and if his trade value at the junior level is any indication, someone will take a flier on him in the later rounds. The overage forward was another player shipped away by the Titan, who appear to be content with rebuilding following their title run. Acadie-Bathhurst acquired Balmas mid-season only to trade him yesterday for the 9th overall pick in the first round, the 36th overall pick in the second round, and young defenseman Ryan MacLellan. Balmas was a point-per-game player for two different teams this season and his new squad, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, hopes that trend continues next season.

Doughty, Kings Progressing On An Extension

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As is always the case, a much-anticipated free agent market loses many top names before it actually opens. As it currently stands, the talent level and depth of the potential 2019 class makes it one of the best the NHL has ever (hypothetically) seen. However, each player in that class can sign an extension beginning on July 1st of this year and has an entire calendar year before they become available. In that time, this epic free agent group could shrink considerably.

One of the top names already seems destined to be removed from the market. For a time, it was believed that Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty may test the open waters of free agency and could even be the final piece of the championship puzzle for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. However, Doughty has made it clear in recent months that his preference is to remain in L.A. Now, Sportsnet insider Nick Kypreos reports that the two sides are already closing in on an agreement to make that happen. Given that an extension offer cannot even officially be made for another month, this early progress seems to indicate that this deal will get done.

According to Kypreos, the 28-year-old Norris Trophy-winning defender will get a significant raise in his next contract over what is already a considerable cap hit at $7MM. Doughty has gone on the record as saying that he would like to be paid more than Nashville Predators blue liner P.K. Subban, who is currently the highest-paid defenseman in the league at $9MM AAV. Kypreos estimates that Doughty will land somewhere in the $10.5-11MM per year range on a long-term deal, which would make him the new top dog among defenseman – until Erik Karlsson hits the market. While it may seem overwhelming that the Kings would have two players, captain Anze Kopitar being the other, making $10MM+, a rising salary cap would make it much less of a burden than it has been on the only other team in that scenario, the Chicago Blackhawks. L.A. would have two of the league’s best players locked up long-term and would not be as strapped for space to build around them in pursuit of more championships for one the best teams in this century.

Oilers Re-Sign Defenseman Keegan Lowe

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The Edmonton Oilers risked losing 25-year-old defender Keegan Lowe this off-season, but have worked quickly to rectify the situation. CapFriendly reports that the Oilers have signed Lowe to a two-year extension. It is a two-way deal that pays the veteran defenseman $650K/$150K in year one and $700K/$225K in year two (NHL/AHL).

While it is relatively uncommon for a player of Lowe’s age to reach unrestricted free agency, the 2011 third-round pick had achieved Group 6 free agent status as a 25-year-old with more than three pro seasons under his belt but less than 80 NHL games played. It was this same situation that allowed Lowe to sign with Edmonton in the first place last off-season. Lowe would have again been free to sign with any team in the league on July 1st.

Instead, the son of former Oilers star defenseman Kevin Lowe will remain in the city where his father made his mark and where he himself played his junior hockey with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. Lowe was originally drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes and even played in two games with the team as a second-year pro, but was unable to work his way into a regular role in Raleigh. He was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 2017 before signing with the Oilers last summer. Lowe got back into the NHL last year with a pair of games, but will most likely continue to serve as an AHL mentor and emergency depth option. This extension simply affords him security and the ability to continue playing for an organization with close ties to his family. For a reliable and high-character albeit low-ceiling player like Lowe, that is often enough.

Free Agent Focus: Detroit Red Wings

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Free agency is now a little more than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Detroit’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agent: F Dylan Larkin — After a great start in his rookie year, there were a lot of questions after he struggled in his sophomore campaign when he put up just 32 points. However, the 21-year-old center brushed away any doubts this year, putting up 16 goals and a team-leading 63 points. With a team full of veterans, the Red Wings must begin to depend more and more on Larkin, who is developing into the franchise player they need to center one of their top lines. Add in a recent appearance at the IIHF World Championships where he helped Team USA win a bronze medal and he’s the key to Detroit’s rebuild.

Now coming off his entry-level deal, Larkin is in line for a significant raise from the $1.43MM deal he’s been on for the past three years. Not arbitration eligible, however, the negotiations might get ugly like the one that Andreas Athanasiou dealt with last year, especially with multiple quality players who will be restricted free agents this summer.

Other RFA’s: F Athanasiou, F Tyler Bertuzzi, F Martin Frk, F Matej Machovsky, F Anthony Mantha, F Zach Nastasiuk, F Matt Puempel, D Daniel Renouf.

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: D Mike Green — On a positive note, the team doesn’t have any pressing unrestricted free agents. While Green is quite an offensive defenseman, he’s also 32 years old and not necessarily in the team’s long-term plans. The team’s original plan was to trade the veteran blueliner to a playoff contender at the trade deadline and had hoped that he would provide the team with a big haul of picks and/or prospects. Instead, Green got hurt and missed the two weeks prior to the trade deadline and weren’t able to move Green.

While there has been some talk of bringing him back on a short-term deal, he might be able to get a bigger deal elsewhere, but considering defense is one of the team’s biggest weaknesses and not a lot of defensive prospects there to take his place, a reunion is certainly possible.

Other UFA’s: F David Booth, G Jared Coreau, F Turner Elson, F Matt Lorito, G Tom McCollum, F Ben Street, F Eric Tangradi.

Projected Cap Space: With all the bloated veteran contracts the Red Wings have on the books, cap space is something the team has had little of over the past few years. The team did get the contracts of Green, Tomas Tatar, and Petr Mrazek off the books to free up a little room, but they will likely need all of that to re-sign Larkin, Athanasiou, Mantha and Bertuzzi. While general manager Ken Holland says he doesn’t intend to sign any major free agents to long-term deals this summer, he did say he would look at players with shorter term deals, but in the end, the team hopes to bring in some of their youth to fill in the gaps this year.

Combine Notes: On-Ice Drills, Kaut, Bouchard, Dobson, Merkley,

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While the 2018 Scouting Combine has evolved over the years, much of the combine is nothing more than cardio and fitness events to pick apart the differences between prospects. While there is plenty more than that, change could be coming in the future as Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News writes that on-ice drills could be coming soon.

The scribe writes that he spoke to one executive who believes that on-ice testing will be required, especially if the league intends to televise the combine in the future. The main reason there are no on-ice drills is because some players haven’t been on the ice in months, while others have only recently finished their playoff runs.

Another testing issue that has come up that recently is the constant improvement of technology as times are so much more accurate that you can no longer compare times to older times of five and 10 years ago when they used stopwatches compared to laser times. Another problem is that the combine keeps changing its events. The bench press is no longer about reps and more about power output, while the Wingate bike test made changes in its times as well to simulate real NHL shifts. While the changes are good, teams now can’t compare how a prospect did compared to even players from a couple of years ago.

For a look at the top-10 performers for each drill, go here.

  • Kennedy also reports that prospect Martin Kaut left the combine early after a physical detected a heart problem that was swiftly dealt with. The 18-year-old Czech winger, who was considered to be a mid to late first round pick, won’t see his stock drop. According to Kennedy, everyone he talked to said that it shouldn’t affect his draft stock.
  • NHL.com’s Mike Morreale writes that defensemen combine prospects Evan Bouchard and Noah Dobson each had solid fitness tests Saturday. The top two right-handed defensemen in the 2018 NHL draft are expected to be taken in the top 10. Bouchard, who led all defensemen in the OHL with 87 points this year, excelled in upper-body exercises, including a second place finish with 14 pullups and 16th in the bench press after generating a 6.73 watts of power. Dobson, who was an all-star in the QMJHL with 69 points, reached 20 inches in the vertical jump and 110.3 inches in the standing long jump event, both good scores.
  • The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler reports that OHL prospect Ryan Merkley, one of the top offensive defensemen in the draft, has seen his stock drop due to issues with both his defense and character concerns, met with 25 teams at the combine and was repeatedly asked about his attitude. Merkley supposedly admitted he needs to work on both his defense and body language. He hopes to be taken anywhere from 10-31 in the first round.

Kuznetsov To Warm Up With Capitals, Likely To Play

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6:42: Kuznetsov is on the ice for the Capitals during warmups. Whyno reports that general manager Brian MacLellan said that if he gets through warm-ups, he’ll be in. He’s still a game-time decision.

4:37: It looks like Evgeny Kuznetsov will be considered a game-time decision tonight for Game 3 between the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights at Capital One Arena, but speculation of whether the Washington Capitals leading scorer will play continues. With 25 points in this postseason, the star center has more points than any player in this year’s postseason, but after suffering an apparent wrist injury to his left arm that forced him to leave Game 2 early after a hit from defenseman Brayden McNabb, his status has been up in the air.

However, Kuznetsov participated in an optional skate with the team Friday and then again today for the team’s morning skate, which allowed the Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno to speculate that all signs point to a Kuznetsov return tonight, pointing out that the fact that he participated in line rushes alongside Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson and did not have any visible arm brace.

“It feels better every day,” Kuznetsov said. “In these type of games you always want to play, but you have to do better for your team and you have to understand it doesn’t matter who you are, what kind of player, you have to understand can you help the team or no. That’s the biggest part. You have to understand it and you have to communicate with the coaches, doctors and everybody, can you help the team?”

However, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston adds that while it might look like Kuznetsov is expected to play, don’t assume that. The possibility of subterfuge is a legitimate possibility with the hopes of throwing off the Golden Knights’ game plan for Game 3. Johnston points to Kuznetsov’s offbeat humor when asked if he could help give Washington the advantage for Game 3.

“I don’t know. We’ll see if I’m in,” he said. “I definitely can help in the morning skate, no? More people. Less time you have to go.”

Johnston also points out that while Kuznetsov did participate in all drills, he didn’t look comfortable out there, pointing out that he gritted his teeth when taking shots, which is not standard for the team’s points leader. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until right before the start of Game 3 to find out if he’ll be out there.

Snapshots: Ekman-Larsson, Boston University, Gurianov, Lockwood

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With the news that the Arizona Coyotes have offered defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson a new contract extension at eight years and $66MM, the real question is whether or not the 26-year-old star defenseman intends to stay in Arizona. The defenseman can’t officially sign an extension until July 1, but not signing the deal will make it clear whether he really wants to stay in Arizona like he has previously said.

The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that if the defenseman doesn’t agree to sign the extension in the next couple of weeks, the team will almost guaranteed trade their star before the NHL draft this year to get the best possible return in the final year of his deal. In fact with the likelihood that the Ottawa Senators might be ready to move Erik Karlsson, this might be the best time for teams to get their hands on a star defenseman. Brooks adds that was one of the main reasons that the New York Rangers moved Ryan McDonagh at the trade deadline, because they foresaw the possibility that both Ekman-Larsson and Karlsson might be available during the offseason which would have limited their return for McDonagh had they waited until now.

  • Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe writes that Boston University has narrowed its head coaching search to two candidates after the school lost David Quinn to the New York Rangers last week. The scribe writes that the head coaching post will come down to former alumni and ex-Boston Bruins winger Shawn McEachern and Union College head coach Rick Bennett. McEachern, who is currently the head coach at the Rivers School, would maintain the school’s long-time BU lineage, while Bennett would offer new blood and a coach who has already won a NCAA title.
  • With the Dallas Stars’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars in the AHL Calder Cup Championships, much has been made about the Stars’ Denis Gurianov, Dallas’ first-round pick in the 2015 draft (12th overall), who was listed as a healthy scratch before Game 1 today. Despite tallying 19 goals for Texas this season, the fact that he has been a healthy scratch multiple times during the playoffs is an immensely bad sign, according to NHL.com’s Patrick Williams. In 14 playoff games this year, Gurianov has just five points. The Stars drafted Gurianov over several impactful players that year, including Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic.
  • Vancouver Canucks and University of Michigan prospect Will Lockwood, who injured his shoulder while at the World Juniors this winter and required major surgery, has been cleared to skate and hopes to be ready for the Canucks’ annual prospect development camp this summer and is expected to be fully healthy for his junior year with the Wolverines, according to The Athletic’s Mike Halford (subscription required). The 2016 third-round pick was having a solid year with Michigan, putting up four goals and seven assists in 16 games before getting injured.

Montreal Has Tough Decision To Make At Upcoming Draft

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It’s well known that the Montreal Canadiens are looking for a franchise changing center. Usually when you have a top-three pick in a draft, a team can fill their biggest hole right there. However, that isn’t the case in the 2018 NHL Draft as the top of the draft is loaded with wingers and defenseman. Most of the centers are expected to go after the top-10. The Canadiens need help there as they have attempted to convert several players to the center position, including Jonathan Drouin and Alex Galchenyuk, but neither has made a successful conversion. If the team could add a couple of legitimate centers, it could hasten their turnaround.

Recent reports suggest the Canadiens have found themselves getting attached to Finnish center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who most mock drafts have going after the 10th pick. Admittedly, he has risen up draft boards over the past year after a season in Finland’s top league, SM-liiga and put up 10 goals and 29 points as a 17-year-old among men (ironically he played the wing position there). In fact, at the combine this week, Kotkaniemi said that Canadiens were one of three teams to take him out to a steak dinner this past week. Assuming the Canadiens’ interest in him is genuine, the Canadiens have some critical decisions to make in the next few weeks. Kotkaniemi, who has two years remaining on his contract in Finland, has said there is an out-clause and he could come to North America, depending on the team that drafts him. Regardless, whatever Montreal does with the No. 3 pick will alter the rest of the draft, according to the Montreal Gazette’s Pat Hickey.

One option is to take Kotkaniemi with the third overall pick regardless of the prospect rankings. Afterall, the Columbus Blue Jackets did the same thing in 2016 when they surprised many by taking Pierre-Luc Dubois with the No. 3 pick then. That worked out pretty well. The downside is the team would likely pass on some top talent in either winger Andrei Svechnikov or Filip Zadina (whoever Carolina doesn’t take at No. 2) as well as a number of stud defensemen like Adam Boqvist, Noah Dobson or Quinn Hughes. Montreal needs help at both positions as well.

The second option is for Montreal to trade back and pick up Kotkaniemi at a more reasonable spot and pick up more assets. Unfortunately, several other teams like Kotkaniemi as well, including the Detroit Red Wings (No. 6) and the Chicago Blackhawks (No. 8). By the way, both teams were the only other teams to take Kotkaniemi out to a steak dinner this week. However, earlier in the week, general manager Marc Bergevin said he was reluctant to trade back in the draft. Director of player personnel Trevor Timmons countered that Saturday, suggesting the team could go up or down with all their extra picks in this draft.

Assuming the Canadiens do want to add a center in the draft, then the team will have a big decision to make in the coming weeks about which route they intend to take.

West Notes: Allen, Nurse, Coyotes

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Even though the free agent goalie market is rather thin, Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests that the Blues should not try to use that to their advantage and look to move Jake Allen this summer.  Allen struggled this past season, putting up the worst numbers of his career while Carter Hutton, a pending unrestricted free agent, thrived; his numbers were the best in the league.  Even though Allen has a decent track record as a starter, St. Louis would be selling low if they were to move him now.  Instead, it wouldn’t be surprising if they simply look to re-sign Hutton and run with the same tandem they’ve had for the past two years.  However, they will have some competition for his services as Hutton should garner a lot of interest around the league if he makes it to the open market.

Elsewhere around the West:

  • The Oilers will have a tough call to make when it comes to defenseman Darnell Nurse, opines Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. Has he shown enough to land a long-term contract that could hover around the $5MM per season range or are they better off with a bridge deal instead?  Edmonton’s salary cap situation may help dictate their path as well as if they have eyes on adding established talent to their roster, they may have to go the shorter route with the 23-year-old.  That would allow them to sign him for less now but they would pay for it down the road as his next contract would mostly cover UFA-eligible seasons.
  • The Coyotes are on the lookout for a new head coach at the AHL level following the departure of Mike Van Ryn to St. Louis earlier this week. Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan reports that assistants John Slaney and Steve Potvin will be candidates for the role although AHL GM Steve Sullivan stated that a short list of coaches outside of the organization will also be considered.

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