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Washington Capitals Hire Scott Arniel, Reid Cashman As Assistant Coaches

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The Washington Capitals needed to restructure their coaching staff after Barry Trotz’ departure and Todd Reirden’s promotion, and today have hired two new faces. Scott Arniel and Reid Cashman have been hired as assistant coaches, joining Reirden and Blaine Forsythe on the current staff.

Arniel is coming over from the New York Rangers, where he had served for the past five seasons as an associate coach beside Alain Vigneault. With the Rangers change to David Quinn, Arniel found himself looking for a new opportunity and will take the next step of his coaching career in Washington. The 55-year old has head coaching experience at the NHL and AHL level, including winning the Coach of the Year award in the minor leagues.

Cashman meanwhile is a young organizational talent who has spent the last two seasons with the Hershey Bears. Only 35 years old, he played for Reirden with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins a decade ago, but has quickly climbed through the coaching ranks. The offensive defenseman will take over coaching the defense corps in Washington, something that Reirden took care of under Trotz. If they establish the same philosophies, it shouldn’t be too much of a change for John Carlson and the other star puck-movers.

Ivan Nalimov Rescinds Trade Request

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Back in June, news broke that Chicago Blackhawks goaltending prospect Ivan Nalimov wanted out of their system in order to receive a better chance at an NHL future. Nalimov requested for his rights to be traded despite not even having a contract with Chicago, hoping for a direct line to playing time in North America. The Blackhawks had Corey Crawford and Anton Forsberg at the time, and have also added Cam Ward since then. According to Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required), Nalimov has rescinded that trade request after speaking with the Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman, and is now focused on spending the 2018-19 season in the KHL.

Nalimov will play for Kunlun Red Star this season after a tumultuous 2017-18 campaign that saw his contract terminated midseason due to the financial struggles of his former team. In 23 games split between Admiral Vladivostok and Salavat Yulaev Ufa though, he was one of the KHL’s best goaltenders with a .938 save percentage. That number is actually slightly better than Mikko Koskinen who signed with the Edmonton Oilers, and New York Islanders prospect Ilya Sorokin who is considered one of the top goaltending prospects in the world.

While Nalimov may not have that kind of world class potential, he’s a very interesting option for the Blackhawks going forward. With Crawford’s health still up in the air and Ward on just a one-year contract, perhaps there could be an opportunity in Chicago during the 2019-20 season. Nalimov is under contract for just one season in the KHL, and hopes to come to North America afterwards. The sixth-round pick could provide an unexpected boost to the Blackhawks going forward, especially if he once again shows his skill in the KHL.

Hlinka Gretzky Cup Rosters Released For U.S.A., Canada

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The Hlinka Gretzky Cup, formerly known as the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, is about to get underway tomorrow in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. The premiere IIHF U-18 off-season tournament, the Hlinka is one of the first major showcases for draft-eligible talent in their draft year. Scouts and fans alike will be focused on the tournament over the next week, trying to get a look at some of the best in the next wave of NHL prospects. The rosters are set for each participating country, although the majority of players are far from household names at this point in the pre-draft process. However, the U.S. and Canada both promise to bring talented teams loaded with pro upside. Here are those rosters:

Canada

Forwards:

Graeme Clarke, Ottawa (OHL)
Dylan Cozens, Lethbridge (WHL)
Kirby Dach, Saskatoon (WHL)
Dylan Holloway, Okotoks (AJHL)
Peyton Krebs, Kootenay (WHL)
Alexis Lafreniere, Rimouski (QMJHL)
Sasha Mutala, Tri-City (WHL)
Xavier Parent, Halifax (QMJHL)
Jakob Pelletier, Moncton (QMJHL)
Samuel Poulin, Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
Jamieson Rees, Sarnia (OHL)
Ryan Suzuki, Barrie (OHL)
Josh Williams, Medicine Hat (WHL)

Defensemen:

Justin Barron, Halifax (QMJHL)
Bowen Byram, Vancouver (WHL)
Maxence Guenette, Val-d’Or (QMJHL)
Kaeden Korczak, Kelowna (WHL)
Matthew Robertson, Edmonton (WHL)
Braeden Schneider, Brandon (WHL)
Michael Vukojevic, Kitchener (OHL)

Goalies:

Taylor Gauthier, Prince George (WHL)
Nolan Maier, Saskatoon (WHL)

United States

Forwards:

Sam Colangelo, Lawrence Academy (NEPSAC)
John Farinacci, Dexter (NEPSAC)
Josh Groll, Anaheim (T1EHL)
Aaron Huglen, Roseau (HS-MN)
Jackson Jutting, Prior Lake (HS-MN)
Arthur Kaliyev, Hamilton (OHL)
Michael Mancinelli, Madison (USHL)
Robert Mastrosimone, Chicago (USHL)
Josh Nodler, Fargo (USHL)
Tyler Paquette, Des Moines (USHL)
Nicholas Robertson, Peterborough (OHL)
Grant Silianoff, Cedar Rapids (USHL)
Luke Toporowski, Spokane (WHL)

Defensemen:

Dylan Davies, Chicago (HPHL)
Michael Feenstra, Dubuque (USHL)
Mike Koster, Tri-City (USHL)
Jackson LaCombe, Shattuck-St. Mary’s (HS-MN)
Mitchell Miller, Cedar Rapids (USHL)
Luke Reid, Penticton (BCHL)
Cade Webber, Rivers (NEPSAC)

Goalies:

Derek Mullahy, Dexter (NEPSAC)
Dustin Wolf, Everett (WHL)

Poll: Ottawa’s Impending Free Agents

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The Ottawa Senators are a team in trouble. The Senators finished with a 28-43-11 record last season for a total of 67 points, second-lowest in the NHL. The team also placed close to the bottom in both goals for and goals against, which combined for a the league’s second-worst goal differential of -70. Ottawa dealt with a public relations nightmare this summer surrounding Mike Hoffman and ended up having to deal the dependable scorer away for pennies on the dollar. They have thus far failed to add any difference-makers via trade or free agency this off-season as well. On top of that, owner Eugene Melnyk is reportedly hemorrhaging money and appears to have a singular focus of spending as little as possible this season. That task is made difficult by a roster that features overpaid, ineffective veterans such as Bobby Ryan, Marian Gaborik, and Mikkel Boedker and a 37-year-old goalie coming off the worst season of his career in Craig Anderson. The Senators are the popular pick to be the worst team in the NHL in 2018-19, but even that has no silver lining, as the Colorado Avalanche own Ottawa’s first-round pick, potentially the first overall pick in next year’s draft.

It almost seems like so much is going wrong in Ottawa that things can only get better. Unfortunately, that is simply not the case. Early in this off-season, the Senators made a contract extension offer to all-world defenseman Erik Karlsson, who is slated for free agency next summer. When Karlsson dismissed this initial offer, the team made it know that they were open to trading the face of the franchise. Just this week, the team was unable to come to terms on a long-term extension with top scorer Mark Stone, instead signing him to a one-year deal that will make him an unrestricted free agent after the season, where he will potentially be the biggest available name behind Karlsson. Perhaps the biggest bargain on the team, Ryan Dzingel’s team-friendly contract runs out after next season and the young forward will want a significant raise, even if that means it doesn’t come from the penny-pinching Senators. Finally, Matt Duchene, who Ottawa gave up substantial trade capital to acquire early last season – when their future looked much brighter – is also entering the final year of his contract and may not want to stick around any longer in Ottawa after the team fell apart soon after his acquisition.

With Hoffman and Derick Brassard already gone, the Senators face a very real possibility that they will begin the 2019-20 season without all of their top six scorers from the 2017-18 season (make that top seven if they succeed in trading Ryan). Between the value each would have on the open market prompting them to test the waters and the mounting pressure on the team to trade them during what will almost certainly be another season of struggles, the odds of each of them returning is slim. If the team was second-worst last year, did nothing to improve this off-season, and doesn’t have the pick that could otherwise land them a franchise cornerstone in next year’s draft, it is scary to think about how much worse things could get in Ottawa if all four of these prominent free agents depart.

This begs the question: how many of Karlsson, Stone, Dzingel, and Duchene will still be Senators this time next year?

Snapshots: Gibson, Kesler, Subban, Cross

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While the Anaheim Ducks didn’t have to discuss a long-term extension with goaltender John Gibson this summer, the team wanted to get their 25-year-old netminder signed as quickly as possible, according to The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required). They did that Saturday when they signed him to an eight-year, $51.2MM signing with an AAV of $6.4MM.

One of the key reasons general manager Bob Murray and the Ducks negotiated the deal now was the team wanted to avoid the possibility that Gibson would have an even greater year than what he had, which would have driven up the price even more. The team now expects Gibson to raise his game anyway as he must improve his playoffs stats and attempt to remain healthy, which has occasionally been a problem, because eight years is a long ways down the road.

  • In an interview with Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle, The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman (subscription required) asked several questions about Ryan Kesler, who missed the first three months of last season after undergoing hip surgery in the offseason, and really struggled after returning. With rumors of Kesler potentially missing more time or sitting out an entire season this year, Carlyle said everything will come down to training camp. “His body will have three months of rest and rehabilitation,” said Carlyle. “Now here we go, training camp is going to be another test. What he went through last year wasn’t what he envisioned or we envisioned. He’s a guy who is very determined. I don’t think it’s about excuses. It’s about finding the right fit. It’s hard to point a finger in any one direction when you’ve got people that are not 100 percent. We’ll support the players and try to find the right combination. But we went through this once. I’m sure we’re not going to take the same route as we did the last time. There’s going to have to be a different approach taken.”
  • Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Ed Graney wonders whether the Vegas Golden Knights should be worried about their backup goaltending situation. The team had issues with 33-year-old starter Marc-Andre Fleury in the past as he missed two months earlier in the season due to a possible concussion. The team has 24-year-old Malcolm Subban as the backup, but he also dealt with numerous injuries throughout the season and then the playoffs. While Subban finished the season with 13 victories in 22 appearances, his numbers weren’t that good as he posted a 2.68 GAA and a .910 save percentage. Is he the goaltender of the future? Most don’t think so.
  • The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) featured veteran minor league defenseman Tommy Cross, who didn’t want to leave the Boston Bruins. However, with a goal to become an NHL-level defenseman and time running out, the 28-year-old blueliner opted to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Cross has played 279 games with the Providence Bruins in the AHL after signing out of Boston College, but has managed to appear in just six NHL games so far and been passed over by so many prospects that the three-year AHL captain felt it was time to move on.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vegas Golden Knights

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Vegas Golden Knights

Current Cap Hit: $70,812,500 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Alex Tuch (One year remaining, $925K)
D Zach Whitecloud (Two years remaining, $925K)

Among the many things that went right for Vegas was the play of Tuch, who was a surprise in training camp and quickly earned himself a full-time role. The 6-foot-4, 222-pound winger had an impressive rookie season with the Golden Knights, scoring 15 goals and 37 points with much of his playing time coming with the team’s third line. He only improved over time, showing an ability to get into the corners and extend offensive opportunities for the team. He tallied six goals in the playoffs as well, which allowed the Golden Knights to let go veterans James Neal and David Perron, knowing that the 22-year-old Tuch is ready to take his game to the next level. With one year remaining on his entry-level deal, expect him to become a key restricted free agent for the team next season.

Potential Bonuses

Tuch: $93K
Whitecloud: $93K

Total: $186K

One Year Remaining, Non Entry-Level

F William Karlsson ($5.25MM, RFA)
D Nate Schmidt ($2.23MM, UFA)
F Oscar Lindberg ($1.7MM, UFA)
D Deryk Engelland ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare ($1.45MM, UFA)
F Tomas Nosek ($963K, RFA)
F Ryan Carpenter ($650K, UFA)
D Brad Hunt ($650K, UFA)
G Malcolm Subban ($650K, RFA)

The most important piece the Vegas Golden Knights need to lock up is Karlsson, who just signed a one-year deal with Vegas Saturday. However, now the team has just one year to lock up Karlsson, the team’s top scorer, to a long-term extension. Less than a year, actually, as the team can’t agree to an extension until Jan. 1, 2019. That gives Vegas time to see how 25-year-old will respond in his second year. After piling up 43 goals last season (and seven more in the playoffs), the team wants to see that he can put up similar numbers before handing him a major deal considering the most he’s ever scored in his NHL career was nine goals.

The team will also have to lock up the speedy Schmidt, as well to a long-term deal at some point. The 27-year-old was a key figure on the Golden Knights defense, posting career highs of five goals and 36 points, but also showed his mettle in the playoffs, putting up another three goals and seven points. He could easily get a similar deal to the one that Miller signed with the team (four years, $15.5MM) earlier in the offseason. With an influx of prospects likely to hitting the team for the 2019-20 season, several veterans will have to prove they deserve new contracts this coming  year, including Lindberg, Bellemare, Engelland, Carpenter, Hunt and Subban, although unless someone has a breakout year, none should cost the team too much.

Two Years Remaining

F David Clarkson ($5.25MM, UFA)
F Cody Eakin ($3.85MM, UFA)
F Ryan Reaves ($2.78MM, UFA)
F Erik Haula ($2.75MM, UFA)
D Nick Holden ($2.2MM, UFA)
D Jonathon Merrill ($1.38MM, UFA)
F William Carrier ($725K, RFA)

The team likely will have to pay up if they want to keep Haula. The team’s second-line center may move to the third line now that the team locked up Stastny to a free agent deal. However, if Huala can continue to produce like he did last season, the 27-year-old should be able to fetch a nice contract. He had a career-high in goals last season as he scored 29 and 55 points.

The team should also recoup some of their losses as well in two years as Clarkson’s deal will expire, so that will free up $5.25MM for the team as the team currently has to wait till the start of the season before they can place his contract on LTIR. Others like Eakin and Reaves will likely have to earn another deal over the next two seasons. Both had solid showings for Vegas this year, but will have to prove their consistency. While Reaves deal looks overpaid on paper, the team opted to give him three years worth of money as long as he only signed for two years.

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Flames Notes: Hanifin, Goaltending, Smith, Valimaki

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After the Calgary Flames traded defenseman Dougie Hamilton to Carolina for Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin, don’t be surprised if Calgary fans compare Hamilton and Hanifin for years to come. That could put a lot of pressure on the 21-year-old Hanifin as the restricted free agent will try to acclimate himself to the Flames this season, according to NBC Sports’ James O’Brien.

Regardless, it’s far too early to compare the two players. While Hanifin had a breakout season last year, he still has the potential to take his game up another level. While his numbers inched a bit last year from 29 points to 32, a deeper look into his numbers suggests that he’s become more comfortable on offense as he more than doubled his goal total from the year before with 10 goals last year.

However, much of the comparisons could come down to whatever salary that Hanifin walks away with after he signs. If he signs a deal for $3MM per year, then everyone will look at the swap for Hamilton, who makes $5.75MM, as a better deal. However, if Hanifin walks away with an even bigger deal that might compare to Hamilton’s deal, then expectations for the blueliner will only increase.

  • Flames beat writer Ryan Pike suggests the team could have some cap trouble with its long-term plans, especially at the goaltending position. The team will have 13 players under contract in 2019-20 that make $5MM or more. With 36-year-old Mike Smith likely moving on after his contract runs out next season, the team may not have much cap room left to sign a respectable goalie. The team may hope that its goaltending pipeline of David Rittich, Jon Gillies and Tyler Parsons might help them out, but could be forced to look for another veteran in a year if none of them is ready to take over as a starter.
  • Another big question asked by NHL.com’s Aaron Vickers is what type of performance will the Flames get from Smith. The veteran started the season well for Calgary, posting a 2.39 GAA and 20 victories in the first half of the season. Unfortunately, Smith went down with a groin injury and missed 13 games in January and February and looked a shell of himself after that, putting up a 2-6 record in his final eight appearances with a 3.44 GAA. Assuming he’s fully healthy, however, the question even then remains whether Smith can hold up for another full season.
  • In another article, Vickers looks at the team’s top prospects and suggests that top prospect Juuso Valimaki has a good chance to win a roster spot out of training camp. Valimaki, the team’s 2017 first-round pick, had a solid season with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL, but really stepped up his game in the playoffs when he tallied four goals and 17 points in 12 games. He has a tough road ahead of them, but if Calgary feels that he is better than third-pairing players like Brett Kulak and Michael Stone, Valimaki could bump either of them.
  • Pike also adds that with the buyout of Troy Brouwer, the Calgary Flames have now removed eight players from their 2017-18 opening roster, including Brouwer, Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski, Eddie Lack, Micheal Ferland, Freddie Hamilton, Matt Stajan and Kris Versteeg. While some of those moves came mid-season, the Flames needed some roster overhaul after their disastrous second half of the season.

Free Agent Profile: Steve Mason

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Only a season ago, Steve Mason was a highly-sought after goaltender and was rewarded with a probably unrealistic two-year deal worth $4.1MM AAV from the Winnipeg Jets. However, many were surprised the 30-year-old goaltender received such a deal for a player who has had a roller-coaster career from sharp highs to inconsistent lows.

That certainly came to play as Mason suffered through multiple injuries, including several concussions, which allowed Connor Hellebuyck to claim the starting job outright and put up a dominating season. Mason, meanwhile, who many thought would split responsibilities in net with Hellebuyck, settled into a backup role, but couldn’t stay healthy enough to help the Jets during their playoff run. In the end, Mason posted a 3.24 GAA and a .906 save percentage in 13 games.

That was enough for Winnipeg, who needed to free up cap space as they shipped packaged promising Joel Armia with Mason and shipped them to Montreal. From there Mason was bought out, leaving him an unrestricted free agent.

While his numbers have steadily worsened over the past four years, Mason has been inconsistent throughout his year with several seasons in which he has posted amazing numbers like when he put up a 2.25 GAA and a .928 save percentage in 51 games in the 2014-15 season. Despite his struggles, if the veteran can prove healthy, he could provide solid backup minutes for a team in need.

Potential Suitors

While many teams are set in goal, there are quite a few who could use help. The first place that might seem to make sense would be the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, who traded away backup Philipp Grubauer to save their own cap space, leaving them minor league veteran Pheonix Copley. Mason could provide the team with a preferred veteran solution, but that’s assuming that Mason would take quite the pay cut considering the team’s cap issues.

The Rangers might be another team that could use an emergency veteran. New York is considering playing Alexandar Georgiev as their backup, but could use a more veteran presence if the 22 year old fails. The Blackhawks could also be an ideal place. Even though the team added Cam Ward, it’s already been announced that starter Corey Crawford will likely not be ready to start the season with the team, so adding Mason could add some much needed depth if he goes down for any extended period of time.

Projected Contract

While he managed to garner $4.1MM a year ago, it’s likely Mason will have to accept a deal under the $1MM mark and may even have to take a PTO deal at this point. The veteran could also wait out training camp to see if any goaltenders go down with injuries and hope to grab a backup spot then.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Metropolitan Notes: Dundon, Schneider, Devils Defense, O’Brien

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When Tom Dundon took ownership of the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this year, he said he was going to make changes. Trading one of its top scorers in Jeff Skinner certainly qualifies, but the owner made it clear that it wasn’t even a hard decision to make, according to Chip Alexander and Luke DeCock of the News & Observer.

“It had to be done,” Dundon said Friday. “The consensus in the organization, and it has been for a while, was it was better for all parties. It’s good for him, too.”

The team didn’t get a top return for the 26-year-old who has scored 204 goals for Carolina over the course of eight seasons. He had a no-trade clause and could have chosen to play out his final season in Carolina and then walk away leaving the Hurricanes with nothing to show for him. Instead, Carolina walked away with prospect Cliff Pu and three draft picks, none of which are first-round picks. Buffalo has three of them in 2019.

“This was not money motivated,” Dundon said. “This was simply that we think the team has a better chance to perform at the level we think it can perform at right now.”

  • New Jersey goaltender Cory Schneider isn’t going to be rushed back after undergoing hip surgery this offseason, according to Corey Masisak of The Athletic (subscription required). The 32-year-old goaltender had another turbulent season in which he started the season strong, struggled and then fared well to end the season. He finished the season with a 2.93 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 40 games, his worst season statistically of his career. Masisak says the timetable for Schneider to return remains murky and general manager Ray Shero has commented on Pekka Rinne’s post-surgery success on multiple occasions, suggesting the team will almost certainly be starting the season with Keith Kinkaid as their starter.
  • With four top defenders on their roster, the New Jersey Devils have to choose their new pairings between Sami Vatanen, Will Butcher, Andy Greene and Damon Severson. While the obvious choice might be that Vatanen and Greene should remain together as their shutdown line, Todd Cordell of HockeyBuzz writes that they should look at a different option which would be to match Severson with Greene instead, pointing out that Severson’s numbers alongside Greene have been as good, if not better, than Vatanen’s. That would leave Butcher with Vatanen, which could also provide a solid pairing.
  • Bill Meltzer of NHL.com writes that the Philadelphia Flyers walked away with a good feeling about many of their prospects at the World Junior Summer Showcase today, especially with the success of their 2018 first-round pick Jay O’Brien. The 18-year-old has not had much of an opportunity to play against top competition against his own age, but thrived in the game against Canada where he was named Player of the Game for Team USA after potting two goals and showing a great defensive presence.

Atlantic Notes: Bogosian, Callahan, Tallon, Zetterberg

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Buffalo Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian hasn’t played 80 games in a season since the 2009-10 season and hasn’t played 70 games since the year after that. Injuries have plagued the 28-year-old defenseman throughout his entire career to the point where he played a career-low 18 games last year after undergoing hip surgery and now, despite the fact that Buffalo still owes him $5.1MM, he’s considered to be an afterthought.

Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News writes that Bogosian claims that he’s healthy for the first time in quite a while and can’t wait for training camp to start. Bogosian claims that January’s hip surgery has been an issue for years and now that it’s been corrected, he’s playing healthy finally as he debuted in Da Beauty League earlier this week.

“What I lot of people don’t realize about this surgery is that this is something I’ve been dealing with and playing with for years. It wasn’t like I kept randomly getting hurt,” Bogosian said. “I needed to get it fixed and we decided to be proactive about it because we knew it would be a long time. There’s never any great time for surgery but I’m glad to have it done when I did. I’m having a great summer of training now.”

The veteran defenseman still has a way to go to prove that he can be counted on by Buffalo. The team has made quite a few changes, including adding first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin to it’s defense. A healthy Bogosian could only help this team even more.

  • The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) writes that forward Ryan Callahan, who underwent shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum on May 31, said he remains on schedule, but likely won’t be available for the regular season until Nov. 1. He has been working out in the gym and is expected to start skating in mid-August. The 33-year-old injured his shoulder in January, but continued to play through it until the team was eliminated in the playoffs. Despite his grittiness, locker room presence and special teams skills, Callahan has been involved in frequent trade rumors due to the two years remaining on his deal at $5.8MM AAV. “Obviously there’s anxious moments waiting to see that happening,” Callahan said. “You’d have to be in a hole to not see rumors and things going on. Lucky I’ve been in the league long enough to know a lot of it is rumors and not a lot of it happens. You look at what you can control, and my total energy and effort is trying to get my shoulder healthy and get back as soon as possible.”
  • Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said he’s thrilled with the team’s success upgrading its offense this offseason, according to Jameson Olive of NHL.com. The Panthers biggest addition was trading for winger Mike Hoffman in which the team traded a 2019 second-rounder as well as 2018 fourth and fifth round picks for a 22-goal scorer who had worn out his welcome in Ottawa. “You have to pay a lot for that type of player in free agency; you have to trade some of your rosters players to get a talent like that. It was a very opportune time or us. It worked in our favor. It doesn’t happen very often, where certain teams have to unload cap and have to make deals that maybe they’re not really willing to do at the time. For us, it was the right choice. It was the right move. We did pay. I’m not one to give up draft picks that readily. I really appreciate the value of a good pick. It’s not like we gave up nothing. We gave up some future picks, but we also felt it was necessary to add that depth to our team, especially when it’s the type of player that Hoffman is.”
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free-Press looks back at past NHL drafts and evaluates the teams booms and busts over the years, headed by Henrik Zetterberg, who was the team’s seventh-round pick back in 1999 — and has already reached 19 seasons and 1,000 games.

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