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Archives for August 2018

2006 NHL Draft Take Two: Second Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

Starting this week, we’re looking back at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain in much the same order, or will some late round picks jump to the top of the board?

On Monday we asked the PHR community to weigh in on who should have been selected first overall in 2006 and after more than 2,500 votes the decision is clear. Though he didn’t get quite the 88% that Sidney Crosby came away for the top honor in 2005, Jonathan Toews earned the majority of votes at nearly 57%. The Chicago Blackhawks legend was an easy choice for many readers, who noted his three Stanley Cups and decade of success in the NHL. Claude Giroux and Nicklas Backstrom both earned more than 10% of the vote, and are solid challengers for the second position.

In reality, the Pittsburgh Penguins held the second pick in 2006 and used it on a familiar NHL name. Jordan Staal, the younger brother of then-Carolina Hurricanes star Eric Staal ,was a big center for the Peterborough Petes and was in real contention for the top spot going into the draft. The older Staal had just cracked 100 points and led his team to the Stanley Cup, but it wasn’t just the family success that decided Pittsburgh’s selection. The NHL’s Central Scouting Service had Staal ranked only behind eventual first-overall pick Erik Johnson among North American skaters, and ahead of Toews who was already playing at the University of North Dakota. Staal already stood 6’4″ and well over 200-lbs, making him the prototypical first line center in the eyes of many.

Unfortunately perhaps for the Penguins, who passed on the chance to get Toews, Staal didn’t quite live up to the lofty expectations. He did find early success with Pittsburgh, slotting in behind Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to win the Stanley Cup in 2009, but was eventually moved out of town as he got too expensive. He reunited in Carolina with his brother for a short time, and has put up a fine if unremarkable career since. Staal has failed to win any major individual awards, and likely wouldn’t be Pittsburgh’s pick if they got another chance at it today. Who would they take if given the benefit of more than a decade of hindsight?

With the second pick of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Pittsburgh Penguins select? Cast your vote below!

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Zdeno Chara May Play Past 2018-19

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Among the oldest active players in the NHL is Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, who will turn 42 next March and is on just a one-year contract for 2018-19. While many have pointed to his dwindling point totals in recent years as a signal that Chara’s game is declining, many in Boston will tell you that there is still quite a bit of hockey left in the Bruins captain. Head coach Bruce Cassidy is one of those who thinks there may be more to Chara than just this season, and he told WEEI radio that directly:

[Chara]’s got a lot of hockey left in him. I know that for a fact. He trains harder than anyone I know, his conditioning is through the roof. He’s trying to stay current with the game and the way it is played, working on his puck skills and getting back on pucks. Those little things that maybe the average person doesn’t see every night, that he’s working on maybe three or four games after we lost out [of the playoffs]. He wants to have his legacy run a lot longer than just one more year, and I wouldn’t put it past him to play four or five more years in this league.

Chara is projected to come into the season only behind Matt Cullen of the Pittsburgh Penguins in age, but still logged nearly 23 minutes a night for the Bruins in 2017-18. The ageless defenseman even received Norris Trophy votes, something he hadn’t done since finishing as the runner-up in 2013-14. That’s because of his incredible penalty killing ability and support for the new wave of Bruins defensemen led by Charlie McAvoy. Chara no longer gets the powerplay opportunities for Boston, but kills almost four minutes of short-handed time every night and is still extremely tough to play against in his own end.

With over 1,400 games played already, another four or five seasons would certainly be an incredible accomplishment. Chris Chelios currently ranks first all-time in games played by a defenseman with 1,651, a number that Chara could potentially eclipse in just three seasons. If he can continue to play at such a high level—and his infamous fitness and health regime gives him a good chance at that—there’s no reason to think he couldn’t take over the all-time lead. The Bruins will have to decide whether that will be in Boston though, as the team will have lots of contracts to worry about in the near future. McAvoy is a restricted free agent for the first time next season, as are Danton Heinen, Ryan Donato and Brandon Carlo. There’s little chance that Chara would test free agency if Boston wanted him back though, especially if he’s still making a positive impact on the ice.

Jakub Jerabek Signs With Edmonton Oilers

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Tuesday: According to PuckPedia and CapFriendly, Jerabek’s deal will pay him $1MM this season in Edmonton. That leaves the team with just under $4MM remaining in cap space to sign Nurse and make any other additions necessary.

Monday: Tons of speculation erupted recently about who the Edmonton Oilers would bring in to help replace Andrej Sekera after it was announced he had undergone surgery, and today we got an answer. Jakub Jerabek has signed a one-year contract with the team after splitting last season between the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals.

Jerabek signed out of the KHL last summer, and began the year with the Laval Rocket in the AHL. A capable puck-mover and third pairing defender, he eventually found his way up to the Canadiens where he suited up for 25 games. As the Montreal season was out of reach and Jerabek was on only a one-year deal, the Canadiens flipped him to the Capitals at the deadline in exchange for a fifth-round pick. In 11 games down the stretch with the Capitals, Jerabek matched his Montreal total with four points but was asked to play in just two postseason contests as the team fought for the Stanley Cup.

In Edmonton, Jerabek doesn’t perfectly replace Sekera but will give the team another option to battle with the likes of Kevin Gravel and Keegan Lowe for the last few roster spots. It’s unlikely that the 27-year old is given much powerplay time or asked to defend the tough matchups, but at least he represents a bit of upside for minimal cost. The Oilers are pressed right up against the salary cap given that they still have a Darnell Nurse contract to work out, and can’t really afford to acquire any impact defenders—though, Sekera’s status could change that if he’s destined for long-term injured reserve. Regardless, the team will need to find a way to turn this group of defensemen into a playoff caliber blue line in short order, or risk wasting another one of Connor McDavid’s prime years in mediocrity.

Calgary Flames Sign Anthony Peluso

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According to CapFriendly, the Calgary Flames have signed Anthony Peluso to a one-year two-way contract worth $650K at the NHL level. Peluso was an unrestricted free agent after spending last season with the Washington Capitals organization.

Peluso, 29, spent most of the season with the Hershey Bears of the AHL in 2017-18 despite plenty of experience at the NHL level. In 144 games, almost all of which came with the Winnipeg Jets, the big winger has registered 14 points and 281 hits. Not known for his offensive talents, he has been known to drop the gloves and has 20 fighting majors in his NHL career. Though he likely won’t be a full-time member of the Flames next season, they’ve decided his toughness is a worthwhile addition to the organization.

The Flames will need to put Peluso through waivers prior to the start of the season in order to send him to the minor leagues, but that shouldn’t be much of a risk given his lack of upside. The team already has several forwards battling for the last few NHL roster spots, and head coach Bill Peters has never really kept an enforcer-type with Carolina in the past. The Stockton Heat will be the landing spot for Peluso, who recorded a career-high of 11 points in 38 games for Hershey last year.

Minor Transactions: 08/21/18

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One day closer to the start of the NHL preseason, and there are more moves happening in other corners of the hockey world. We’ll keep track of them right here.

  • Igor Eronko of Sport-Express is reporting that David Desharnais will see his contract terminated in the KHL, only to sign with another team. Desharnais signed quickly this summer with HC Lokomotiv, but is apparently headed somewhere else to start his KHL journey. The diminutive center played 71 games for the New York Rangers last season and actually contributed 28 points, but took a deal just a few days into free agency to head overseas. Now 31-years old, Desharnais could eventually return to the NHL if he can prove his offensive touch is still around.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Martins Dzierkals has signed with Dinamo Riga of the KHL, heading back to his home country of Latvia after several years in North America. Drafted in the third round three years ago, Dzierkals never earned an NHL contract from the Maple Leafs but had been working with their development staff and playing in the ECHL. The talented forward will test his game at a higher level in 2017-18, and could try to earn a contract somewhere else in the NHL in the next few years.

Bruins Expect Bergeron, Krug, And Carlo To Be Ready For Camp

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By the time the Boston Bruins exited the postseason in early May after a Game Five loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference semifinals, they were in rough shape. Defensemen Brandon Carlo and Torey Krug had both already been lost to broken ankles, David Backes, Riley Nash, and Rick Nash were all dealing with concussion symptoms, Zdeno Chara and Jake DeBrusk had both been playing through shoulder injuries, and Brad Marchand and Noel Acciari were working with groin issues. Soon after, it was revealed that Patrice Bergeron had been dealing with a recurring groin injury all year. This did not come as much of a surprise, considering that Bergeron has missed the beginning of each of the past two seasons due to groin ailments. However, Bergeron finally decided to go under the knife and his early June surgery date and subsequent recovery put his health at the start of the 2018-19 season in some doubt. Between Bergeron and barrage of other Bruins injuries, it seemed like a long shot that the team would begin the new campaign at full health.

Head coach Bruce Cassidy says not to fear, as he expects his team to be ready to go not only be ready for the season opener, but also the start of training camp. Cassidy recently spoke with Matt Porter of the Boston Globe and reassured fans that everyone is doing well in their recoveries and on track to start the year at full strength. Gone are both Riley and Rick Nash, but the numerous other injured Bruins are in good shape. Porter writes that DeBrusk, Acciari, and Backes are fully recovered from their issues and doesn’t even make note of Chara and Marchand, as the two superstars appear to be more than ready for the season. Cassidy even went so far as to say that Carlo and Krug would definitely be ready for camp. Despite each suffering a severe injury, a broken ankle, Cassidy states that they are already back skating and working towards game readiness.

Cassidy went a little further in depth with Bergeron, who he certainly would like to avoid having miss any time to begin the season for a third straight year. Cassidy says that Bergeron’s recovery is going well and he at least expects him “in uniform” if not participating fully when training camp starts. Cassidy did cast some doubt over Bergeron’s preseason usage. Especially given that team opens their tuneup schedule ahead of the rest of the league with a two-game series with the Calgary Flames, there’s little reason to rush the two-way ace into action. Cassidy expects that Bergeron will miss some preseason action but trusts that the veteran will “play [as much] as he needs”. Regardless of the preaseason workload, Cassidy expects Bergeron – and the rest of the team – to be ready to go when they square off with the defending champion Washington Capitals in the season opener on October 3rd.

Snapshots: Jets, Islanders, Stars

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Do the Winnipeg Jets need to reassess how they are building their team? Obviously, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and company are doing a fine job as is; the Jets finished with the second-best record in the NHL last season and boast one of the league’s youngest lineups. However, Paul Wiecek of The Winnipeg Free Press makes a valid point that with a cap crunch coming for the talented squad, the team would be better off shifting their focus away from the blue line and onto the forward corps. Wiecek cites the contract disputes with Jacob Trouba – who will be a restricted free agent once again next summer – and the still unsigned Josh Morrissey as situations that the Jets could move on from in the near future. Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot will also both be unrestricted free agents next off-season and the team will have to figure out what do there as well. Instead of continuing to devote precious cap space to the blue line, like the Jets’ Central Division rival Nashville Predators, Wiecek feels the team would be better off focusing their efforts and expenditures up front. With Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor, as well as several other young depth forwards, headed to restricted free agency in 2019, it may be in Winnipeg’s best interests to sign their talented homegrown forwards to long-term deals and look at other options on the blue line. The same goes for re-signing captain Blake Wheeler, an impending UFA would draw considerable interest if he hit the open market. Wiecek suggests the team look at the recent Stanley Cup winners, the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, who were far more invested in star power and depth up front than on the back end. With that talent already in place among the Jets’ forwards, and some dissent and long-term questions on the blue line, this may be an idea that would work out very well in Winnipeg’s favor.

  • Another team making changes to their structure are the New York Islanders. However, this adjustment is one of strategy and culture under new head coach Barry Trotz. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple sat down with the recent Stanley Cup winner and learned about the whirlwind first couple of months for Trotz with the team. Trotz was not short on feelings about the club and its future:

    “There’s going to be change. It’s going to be structurally, on and off the ice, expectations are going to change… On the ice, I have a vision of how we can play to be better. This team can score, with John Tavares or without John Tavares. The area it’s failed in maybe the last year and a half is on the defensive end. Just looking at the trends over the last four years, it’s clear that’s an area we need to fix. The great thing about the game, one of the hardest things to do in this league is create offense and score goals. This team has been able to do that in the last four years. One of the easiest things to correct, if there’s a commitment and a buy-in, is keeping the puck out of your net. We’ll need a bigger buy-in, we’ll put some structure, we’ll make sure the details are there and we’ll make players accountable. If they’re not, we’ll get someone who can be accountable. And we’ve got to build our players. We’ve got some unfinished products who can certainly be better. Get them to play to their capabilities, that’s all we ask. We want them to be consistent and play to their capabilities, we never ask guys to do more than they’re capable of.”

    To say it has been a difficult summer for the Islanders and their fans, given the loss of Tavares and the lack of improvement elsewhere on the roster, is an understatement. However, they still obtained a successful and well-respected coach and hearing that he has a clear plan and is open about his expectations has to be a boost to the morale of the team and its supporters.

  • Another new head coach has his players excited for the coming season. In speaking with Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com, Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg expressed his pleasure with the team’s hiring of Jim Montgomery as their new coach. Montgomery recently visited Klingberg at his home in Sweden and the talented defender came away very impressed with their first real interaction. Not only was Klingberg very appreciative of his new bench boss’ willingness to make the long trek to visit him, but also connected with Montgomery about his plans for the team and his own individual development. Klingberg feels that Montgomery can help him transform into a true No. 1 defenseman and that his plan for the team will play to the elite puck-movers strength. Klingberg summarized his excitement for the new campaign nicely, telling Zeisberger that he and Montgomery “have the potential to do some big things.”

Snapshots: Hanifin, McCarron, Leivo

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Kristen Anderson of Postmedia spoke with Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving today, who explained that he’s confident a contract will be worked out with Noah Hanifin before training camp starts in a few weeks. Hanifin is the team’s final unsigned restricted free agent after trading away Hunter Shinkaruk and signing Kerby Rychel earlier today, and could be in line for a long-term deal.

Acquired in the Dougie Hamilton trade earlier this year, Hanifin could be a key part of the Flames rebounding to the playoffs this season. The team is hoping that a shake up on defense as well as several new faces up front and behind the bench will allow a talented group to get back into the postseason hunt. Treliving doesn’t seem concerned about a potential hold out, telling Anderson the contract “will get done, but it’s just not done yet.”

  • While the Montreal Canadiens signed Shinkaruk quickly after acquiring him from the Flames today, they have another outstanding restricted free agent left to sign as well. Michael McCarron still doesn’t have a contract for the 2017-18 season, but Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic believes it will be resolved in one way or another soon. Godin didn’t elaborate on whether that meant a contract or a trade, but we’ll likely soon find out. McCarron was a first round pick of the Canadiens in 2013, but to this point has shown almost no offensive ability at the NHL level and has struggled to even stay in the lineup. With just eight points in 70 career NHL contests, the 23-year old may be running out of time in Montreal to make an impact.
  • It was recently reported by James Mirtle of The Athletic that Calvin Pickard has been shopped by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he doubled down today in his “State of the Franchise” column (subscription required) saying the goaltender is “being offered around the league” currently. That’s not the only Maple Leafs player available though, as Mirtle also states that depth forward Josh Leivo is “available on the trade market.” That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given that Leivo asked for a trade earlier this year due to his lack of playing time, but some believed that the new front office would push to have him inserted into the lineup on a more regular basis. Leivo has produced 22 points in 57 NHL games during his short career, and has done that with extremely limited minutes. If someone does want to take a shot on his offensive upside, the Maple Leafs may be listening.

Poll: Who Are The Best Wingers In The NHL?

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Over the last few weeks the NHL Network have released their lists of the Top 20 Centers and Top 20 Defensemen in the league, sparking huge debate across the hockey world. In a response to this we polled the readers in the PHR community and came up with our own lists, which varied greatly from the original. For our centers, Sidney Crosby came out just ahead of Connor McDavid for the best in the NHL, while John Tavares and Patrice Bergeron were given much more respect.

On the blue line, NHL Network had Victor Hedman as the best defenseman following his Norris Trophy season while several other respected names found themselves off the list entirely. After nearly 10,000 votes, PHR chose Erik Karlsson as the top dog despite his disappointing 2017-18 campaign. Karlsson just barely edged out Drew Doughty and Hedman at the top of our list, while there were some other interesting inclusions further down. Our PHR community-voted Top 20 Defenseman list currently looks like this:

  1. Erik Karlsson (867 votes)
  2. Drew Doughty (862 votes)
  3. Victor Hedman (857 votes)
  4. P.K. Subban (694 votes)
  5. Brent Burns (633 votes)
  6. Roman Josi (429 votes)
  7. Seth Jones (387 votes)
  8. Oliver Ekman-Larsson (378 votes)
  9. Alex Pietrangelo (373 votes)
  10. John Carlson (341 votes)
  11. Dustin Byfuglien (326 votes)
  12. Shea Weber (219 votes)
  13. Aaron Ekblad (215 votes)
  14. John Klingberg (203 votes)
  15. Ryan Suter (194 votes)
  16. Kris Letang (166 votes)
  17. Dougie Hamilton (165 votes)
  18. Duncan Keith (163 votes)
  19. Ryan Ellis (139 votes)
  20. Charlie McAvoy/Ivan Provorov (137 votes)

Today, the NHL Network released their next ranking, this time valuing the Top 20 Wingers in the league. Nikita Kucherov took down the top spot after once again proving he is an elite offensive talent for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Registering a career-high 100 points last season, Kucherov led the Lightning in scoring for the third consecutive season despite only just turning 25 and was rewarded with a huge eight-year $76MM contract extension this summer. He’ll be in Tampa Bay for quite a while putting up huge point totals and driving an offense that is among the best in the NHL.

Behind Kucherov was the ageless Alex Ovechkin who recently took home his seventh Rocket Richard trophy as the league’s best goal scorer, and finally won the Stanley Cup after being ousted annually by nemesis Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ovechkin also broke the 600-goal threshold in 2017-18, and will likely end up among the very best goal scorers to ever play the game. Reigning Hart Trophy winner as the league MVP falls in just behind the top two, as Taylor Hall managed to hold off Patrick Kane and Brad Marchand for third in the ranking. The rest of the group is a mishmash of veteran stars like Blake Wheeler and Phil Kessel, and young talents like Brock Boeser and Mikko Rantanen.

Just like the debate over centers and defensemen, we will now as you at PHR to rank the top wingers in the NHL. The NHL Network did their own fan vote which ended up being somewhat hijacked by Jake Virtanen fans, but also included other names like Mitch Marner and Tom Wilson. Where do you think those players fall in? Since there are an incredible amount of talented wingers in the league, this time we’ll ask you to cast your vote by selecting 20 names. Make sure to leave a comment below on who you think deserves to be recognized, or your thoughts on how the center and defense polls ended. We’ve included many names that could be considered, but if you think we’ve missed someone important (which we undoubtedly have) make sure to leave his name down below.

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Montreal Canadiens Trade Kerby Rychel To Calgary Flames

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Kerby Rychel is off to another organization, this time traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Hunter Shinkaruk. Interestingly, both players were unsigned restricted free agents and needed new contracts for the season. The Canadiens wasted no time getting Shinkaruk signed, inking him to a one-year two-way contract worth $650K at the NHL level. The Flames followed suit soon after by signing Rychel to a one-year two-way deal worth $725K. Rychel is now on his fourth NHL organization, after being traded by the Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs previously.

It’s been a tough road for Rychel since he was selected 19th overall in the 2013 draft. After the draft he returned to captain his Windsor Spitfires in the OHL only to be traded by his father, GM and former NHL player Warren Rychel, during the season to the Guelph Storm. Guelph would ultimately win an OHL Championship with the power winger in the fold, as Rychel lead the way with 32 points in 20 playoff games. After that final season in junior he would join the Springfield Falcons of the AHL for the 2014-15 season where he would find some success, and even make his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets just after his 20th birthday.

After 32 more games with the Blue Jackets in the 2015-16 season he was traded to the Maple Leafs in exchange for Scott Harrington, a talented prospect in his own right who hadn’t been able to find full-time NHL work. Rychel never did suit up for the Maple Leafs, instead playing parts of two seasons with the Toronto Marlies but missing out on their Calder Cup-winning performance after being shipped off to Montreal at the deadline.

Shinkaruk has a similar story, after being selected just five spots after Rychel in 2003 by the Vancouver Canucks. The winger would only play a single game for the Canucks before being shipped to Calgary in exchange for Markus Granlund, and he hasn’t found much success in the Flames organization either. Though Shinkaruk is a fine minor league player, he has just 15 NHL games under his belt and has barely shown any reason to think he’ll become an NHL regular going forward. That next step is certainly possible for both players, but this could easily be a swap of minor league talent when all is said and done.

Rychel and Shinkaruk will both require waivers to be assigned to the minor leagues this season, a process they already went through last year.

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