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Archives for July 2018

Poll: Where Will Max Pacioretty End Up?

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The Montreal Canadiens are looking to move Max Pacioretty as soon as possible. The captain’s contract expires at the end of the coming season and there will not be an extension. The Habs are also unlikely to be contenders this year. As such, Pacioretty is on the trade block and probably on the move soon.

Where could he end up? The first thought is the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks were reportedly close to a deal for Pacioretty at the NHL Draft but couldn’t get it done. Since then, they missed out on John Tavares and are still in need of scoring with cap space to spare.

San Jose was not alone in losing out in the Tavares sweepstakes. Assuming the Boston Bruins are an unlikely destination given their status as Montreal’s biggest rivals, that still leaves teams like the Dallas Stars and New York Islanders as possibilities. The Islanders in particular are in major need of a boost up front and have the young assets to make a deal.

Teams that have previously shown interest in Pacioretty include the Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators. The Panthers already landed Mike Hoffman this off-season and are lacking cap space, but could still potentially make it work. The Predators have significantly more space and some intriguing young pieces to offer and would be a team that Pacioretty certainly wouldn’t mind ending up with long-term.

As always, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks cannot be ruled out. Their respective GM’s are always in on the action and both teams are known to be looking for offensive depth. Would Pittsburgh consider swapping Derick Brassard in a deal for Pacioretty? Could Chicago use their newfound cap space from the Hossa trade to bring in a similar scorer? The answer to both of these questions is a definitive maybe.

Who do you think needs Pacioretty most or can put together the best offer?

Capitals Hire Reid Cashman As Assistant Coach

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New Washington Capitals head coach Todd Reirden has begun filling out his staff. Just as Reirden was promoted internally, he has made his first hire from within. According to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal, the Capitals have hired Reid Cashman as an assistant coach. Cashman has been an assistant coach with the Hersey Bears, Washington’s AHL affiliate, for the past two years but is set to make the jump. While the team has yet to formally announce the hiring, Divver’s report last night has since been followed up by confirmation from a local radio source and a former colleague of Cashman’s.

It has been a meteoric rise for the 35-year-old coach. Cashman was still playing in the AHL less than a decade ago – including a season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with Reirden as his coach – after a highly successful collegiate career at Quinnipiac University. He then returned to his alma mater as an assistant right after his playing days were over and coached the Bobcats until 2016. He then joined the Bears and just two years later is already on to the NHL level with the Capitals.

A high-scoring defenseman in his time, Cashman will be tasked with working on the Washington blue line as the replacement to the departed Lane Lambert. His style as a player and experience as a coach at the younger levels should stand to benefit Capitals defensemen like Dmitry Orlov, Christian Djoos, Madison Bowey, and rookie hopeful Lucas Johansen. The defending champs need their younger players on the back end to step up this season with some lacking depth and Cashman will be the man to get them going.

Minor Transactions: 7/13/18

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It’s been a busy day of signings and re-signings across the league, but not everyone has been so lucky has to find NHL employment. Many free agents are still holding out for the right deal, but others have begun to move on and accept alternative offers:

  • Harry Zolnierczyk is one such player. The veteran forward has bounced between the NHL and AHL for years, but had been able to land a one-year, two-way contract in each of his seven pro seasons. That streak is now over, as the market apparently did not develop for Zolnierczyk despite a strong season with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals in 2017-18. Instead, Zolnierczyk has opted to remain in North America with a minor league contract. The Springfield Thunderbirds announced that they have signed the capable winger to a one-way AHL deal for the coming season.
  • Dennis Robertson is in a similar situation, albeit making an easier transition. The 27-year-old defenseman is entering his fifth pro season and has yet to make an NHL appearance, but has played on a two-way contract throughout. Other than a brief stint with the Chicago Blackhawks organization, Robertson has been a member of the Carolina Hurricanes for his entire career but has exclusively played with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Robertson has now made that placement permanent, at least through next season, as the Checkers have announced a one-year AHL contract for the blue line mainstay.
  • One player moving on from the AHL is Christian Thomas. The former top prospect was unable to find a two-way contract last summer, following five pro seasons and 27 NHL games, and signed an AHL deal with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He was seemingly unwilling to take another minor league deal this off-season, opting instead to move overseas. Swedish club Rogle BK confirmed that they have signed Thomas to a one-year deal. Thomas impressed Rogle management with his efforts for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics and will now get to further show off his skills on the international stage. A high-scoring season in the SHL could afford the 26-year-old winger another shot at the NHL next summer.

Rasmus Kupari Signs Entry-Level Contract

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The Los Angeles Kings inked a restricted free agent earlier, and now they’ve signed a top prospect. Rasmus Kupari has signed his three-year entry-level contract with the team, joining the organization after being selected 20th-overall in June. Head European scout Christian Ruuttu had this to say about Kupari after the Kings selected him:

As a player, we always knew he was a first round talent. He’s got the speed, he’s got the skill, he’s playing with men in the pro league. 

We’ve seen him a lot, and we knew what the new game is going towards. Rasmus is part of that game – the speed, the skill and the playmaking, all that. What he really does have, he’s got a good shot on the fly.

Kupari, 18, is expected to remain in Europe for another season despite signing his contract, which will allow it to slide and not begin until the 2019-20 season (or even another year past that). The talented Finnish forward played most of last season in Liiga, the country’s highest level, and recorded 14 points in 39 games. He’s obviously not fully developed at this point, but he measured in at a little more than 6’1″ 188-lbs at the combine which was quite a bit bigger than he’d previously been listed. That bodes well for an NHL career when it’s combined with excellent puck skills and vision, things Kupari should bring to North America before long.

The Kings are developing a nice little prospect pool in recent years, adding names like Gabriel Vilardi, Kale Clague and Jaret Anderson-Dolan to the mix. They even landed Akil Thomas when he slipped to the second round at the most recent draft, another high-upside forward that should help them down the line. While prospects are never guaranteed to pan out, Los Angeles has been looking for offense for years to help fill out their roster in front of Jonathan Quick and Drew Doughty. With names like Kupari and Vilardi leading the way, that might not be so far off.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Teddy Blueger To One-Year Contract

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Teddy Blueger was eligible for salary arbitration but didn’t file when the deadline came and went earlier this month, but he hasn’t had to wait long for some future certainty. The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed Blueger to a one-year two-way contract worth $650K at the NHL level according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. Blueger will still be a restricted free agent when this deal expires in 2019.

Selected in the second round six years ago, Blueger has still yet to make his NHL debut. After four successful seasons in the NCAA, he jumped to the AHL where again he produced at a relatively good pace. Still, a team that has been desperate to find valuable, cheap, offensive players over the last few years hasn’t given him a chance at the highest level, instead bypassing him for other players like Dominik Simon and Zach Aston-Reese. That isn’t a good sign for his NHL future, given that Blueger will turn 24 this summer and hasn’t even received a sniff so far.

It’s not like Blueger hasn’t been able to show what he can do. A veteran at the international level already, the 23-year old forward competed in three World Junior tournaments for Latvia and has now represented his birth country at back-to-back World Championships. He’s still waiver-exempt, meaning that he could be used as an injury replacement this season, popping up and down without risk of being claimed by another team. But the Penguins have more than enough centers already given their signing of Matt Cullen and will be likely promoting winger Daniel Sprong full-time despite his struggles to crack the lineup. Blueger doesn’t have a clear path to the league, but with the Penguins every young player has to be ready as even a small chance can result in playing time with some of the best in the world.

Devin Shore Re-Signs With Dallas Stars

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The Dallas Stars have avoided arbitration with one of their restricted free agents, inking Devin Shore to a two-year contract that carries a $2.3MM average annual value. Shore was scheduled for an arbitration hearing on July 20th, but will instead re-sign with the Stars for a substantial raise on his expiring entry-level contract.

The biggest question with Shore is how does he fit into the Stars forward group long-term? Drafted and developed as a center, he was mostly moved away from the position during the 2016-17 season and struggled to produce much even-strength offense last year. With just 19 of his 32 points coming in that situation, the Stars will need more from him now that he’s carrying a much larger cap hit. He does have value on the powerplay and penalty kill, but after posting poor possession statistics and a team-worst -30 rating (Martin Hanzal was the next lowest at -14) he’ll need to perform better in the bulk of his minutes.

That improvement might come with the new coaching staff, as Shore was obviously one of the players who struggled under Ken Hitchcock’s system. Jim Montgomery, who comes in with no previous NHL coaching experience, will need to get the most out of players like Shore if he has any chance of turning things around for the Stars. It’s not clear if Shore will move back to the middle of the ice, but with Blake Comeau and Valeri Nichushkin coming in to add some depth on the wings it seems a distinct possibility.

Shore will still be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal, and will turn 24 in a few days. There is more than enough time for him to grow into a force for the team, but he’ll have to do it in a hurry to remain in their long-term plans and set himself up for a big contract in the summer of 2020. For now we’ll have to wait and see how Montgomery tries to utilize him, before deciding whether this contract is worth it for the former University of Maine standout.

Dallas Stars Sign Adam Mascherin To Entry-Level Contract

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Adam Mascherin was selected 38th-overall by the Florida Panthers in 2016, but never signed with the team and re-entered the draft this year. He had to wait a little bit longer this time, falling to the Dallas Stars in the fourth round. Dallas hasn’t wasted any time getting him into the organization though, and announced a three-year entry-level contract for Mascherin today. Already 20 years old, he’ll be able to go straight to the Texas Stars of the AHL should the team feel it’s best for his development.

Mascherin has been one of the biggest offensive producers in the OHL for several years, scoring 110 goals and 267 points in his last 197 regular season games. In his most recent playoffs with the Kitchener Rangers, he added 24 points in 19 games and was a threat every time he touched the ice. Stars fans need to remember though that two of those years have come after he was first eligible to be drafted, and that he was older than many of his competitors. Still, Dallas will bring him into their organization and give him every chance to succeed offensively. Texas was relying on veteran players to carry them to the Calder Cup Finals this season, but will be more youthful this season after players like Curtis McKenzie and Mike McKenna have moved on.

Though he stands only 5’10” Mascherin doesn’t play like a small player and routinely wins board battles and loose pucks with his strength and balance, while carrying a huge offensive load for the Rangers. There’s not a lot he can’t do on the ice, and though there are still some concerns over his skating ability and overall ceiling, getting a legitimate NHL prospect in the fourth round is always a positive. Because he’s older, the Stars will be able to make a determination on him much quicker and get him into their development system right away.

Andreas Johnsson Accepts Qualifying Offer, Re-Signs With Toronto Maple Leafs

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The Toronto Maple Leafs will have another cheap roster player next season, as the team announced that Andreas Johnsson has accepted his qualifying offer and will re-sign. The deal will be a one-year two-way contract worth $788K in the NHL.

Johnsson, 23, will bet on himself by accepting the one-year deal to prove he can make an impact at the highest level. The seventh-round pick has impressed since coming to North America, including a point-per-game season and playoff MVP last year in the AHL. Johnsson led the Toronto Marlies to the Calder Cup with 24 points in 16 playoff games following a short stint with the Maple Leafs. After playing in nine games in the regular season, Johnsson played in all six of Toronto’s first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins. His quickness and two-way ability have made him a sure bet for the Maple Leafs next season, and his offensive upside could lead to a substantial raise next summer.

If Johnsson gets regular time in the Maple Leafs’ top nine—which given his natural fit on the left side is a good bet—he could produce some impressive offensive numbers and put himself in a position for a big raise. He’ll be arbitration eligible in 2019, and could prove a necessity for Toronto moving forward. Still, taking a deal like this basically mitigates any risk for the Maple Leafs. If Johnsson performs and produces big offensive numbers, they received that production at a bargain. If he struggles, they can offer him another inexpensive deal and hope he takes the next step.

Los Angeles Kings Re-Sign Paul LaDue

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Paul LaDue decided not to file for arbitration this summer, and perhaps it’s because he knew he would reach a deal anyway. The Los Angeles Kings have announced a two-year contract for the 25-year old defenseman that will carry an $825K cap hit. LaDue will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the deal.

The Los Angeles defense corps is one of the hardest groups in the league to break into, but LaDue will try again to get some playing time this season. He suited up on just 12 occasions for the Kings in 2017-18 and 34 times during his short career, despite his successful run at the University of North Dakota and in the minor leagues with the Ontario Reign. LaDue is a skilled puck-moving defenseman that doesn’t sacrifice size on the blue line. Standing 6’2″ he plays well enough in his own end—though not overly physical—to command some more minutes, but is still buried on the depth chart in Los Angeles.

The Kings of course have Drew Doughty eating up a ton of minutes on the right side, but also Alec Martinez who despite shooting left often plays on his off-side. If LaDue can work his way onto the bottom pairing with any regularity, he may find some success and a growing role. If not, this may just be a depth signing that continues to play little impact on the Kings on-ice product.

Washington Capitals Re-Sign Liam O’Brien

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Another restricted free agent has avoided arbitration, as the Washington Capitals today announced that Liam O’Brien has signed a one-year two-way contract worth $650K at the NHL level. O’Brien was scheduled to have an arbitration hearing on July 23rd, but will no longer require it. He will still be a restricted free agent at the end of this contract.

O’Brien, 23, has never been known for his scoring ability, but instead as one of the hardest working players on the ice every night. Even in junior he seemed to never take a shift off, and would engage physically at every chance he had. Since joining the Capitals as an undrafted free agent in 2014, he’s continued to work and develop as something other than a bruising option and scored a career-high 17 goals last season for the Hershey Bears. He also recorded the fewest penalty minutes of his professional career as the AHL continues to move further away from fights and enforcers, and model itself after the increasingly quick and skilled game found at the highest level.

To keep his career moving forward in that skilled world, O’Brien has continued to work on his puck skills and speed and is now a valued offensive component of the Hershey attack. He finished second on the team in goals last season, and could be relied upon even more now that Chris Bourque has moved on to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. If the Capitals face injuries he could also be a short-term replacement in the bottom-six, and try to follow in the footsteps of Tom Wilson who plays a similarly physical game, albeit with a touch more skill and success.

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