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Archives for September 2018

Five Key Stories: 9/24/18 – 9/30/18

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With the regular season now just a few days away, there was a small uptick in news around the league.  Here are the top stories from the past seven days.

Gionta Retires: Veteran winger Brian Gionta officially announced his retirement at the age of 39.  He will remain with the Sabres in a part-time capacity after working with them over the offseason.  Gionta suited up in 1,026 regular season games over parts of 16 seasons between New Jersey, Montreal, Buffalo, and Boston, where he spent the final quarter of last year after suiting up for Team USA at the Olympics.  His 595 career points rank 42nd all-time among American-born NHL players.

Successful Tryouts: The majority of players attending training camps on tryout deals have already been cut but there are a couple that managed to get themselves a contract.  The Islanders added some defensive depth by inking Luca Sbisa to a one-year, $1.5MM contract, a sizable price tag for someone that went to camp with a non-guaranteed deal.  Meanwhile, the Blackhawks locked up defenseman Brandon Davidson to a one-year pact worth the league minimum $650K.  There are still a handful of players left on PTOs and decisions will need to be made on their respective futures within the next day or two.

Perry Out Long-Term: Anaheim will be without one of their more prominent forwards for the next five months as winger Corey Perry underwent surgery to repair damage to his meniscus and MCL.  The 33-year-old is coming off of a quieter season but still ranked third on the Ducks in team scoring in 2017-18.  The Ducks are still dealing with Ryan Kesler and Patrick Eaves working their way back into playing form as well so there are quite a few slots to fill up front heading into the season.  Considering that they will be able to put Perry on LTIR to start the season if they want, it will be worth watching to see if they try to swing a deal for some short-term help after they get RFA Nick Ritchie signed.

Seven Years For Theodore: The Golden Knights were hoping to get defenseman Shea Theodore locked up long-term and they did just that, signing him to a seven-year, $36.4MM deal.  It’s not very often that someone with just 114 games of regular season experience gets that much money but the 23-year-old has quickly become one of their top defenders and many believe he still has another level he can get to.  Vegas will now likely shift their focus towards getting a long-term deal done with Nate Schmidt although that will likely take a while to get done as they’d be wise to wait until he gets back from his 20-game suspension to start the season.

Jones Out Four-To-Six Weeks: While the Blue Jackets got some good news on the injury front with Zach Werenski returning, they’ll be without their other top defenseman for a while as Seth Jones will miss four-to-six weeks due to a knee issue.  He’s coming off of a career year that saw him post 57 points in 78 games while finishing fourth in Norris Trophy voting so his absence will be tough to fill.  Columbus is still dealing with some other injuries on their back end as well with Ryan Murray and Scott Harrington banged up at the moment.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2018-19 Season Primer: Columbus Blue Jackets

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With the NHL season now less than a week away, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Next up is a look at the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Last Season: 45-30-7 record (97 points), fourth in the Metropolitan Division (lost in the first round of the playoffs to Washington)

Remaining Cap Space: $5.61MM per CapFriendly

Key Additions: D Adam Clendening (free agent, Chicago), F Anthony Duclair (free agent, Chicago), F Riley Nash (free agent, Boston)

Key Subtractions: F Matt Calvert (free agent, Colorado), D Taylor Chorney (free agent, Lugano, NLA), D Ian Cole (free agent, Colorado), D Jack Johnson (free agent, Pittsburgh), F Thomas Vanek (free agent, Detroit)

[Related: Blue Jackets Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: D Zach Werenski – While Werenski had a down year offensively relative to his rookie campaign, his all-around game took a step forward while he was trusted to play more minutes.  Now, he heads into 2018-19 with a fair bit of pressure on him.

For starters, he will likely take on an even greater workload with Seth Jones out to start the season and will be asked to take on more of a role offensively as well.  As their depth is a little weaker this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him approach the 24 minutes per game mark, the type of ice time that’s reserved for the best defenseman on the team.

How he handles it will go a long way towards helping shape his next contract.  While Werenski is undoubtedly looking at a significant raise already next summer (as a restricted free agent without arbitration rights), ascending into a true number one role would set him up for potentially one of the bigger post-ELC deals we’ve seen.  Needless to say, there’s a lot riding on this season for the 21-year-old.

Key Storyline: In a time where teams are moving quickly to lock up their top pending unrestricted free agents as soon as possible, it isn’t very often now that one remains unsigned heading into the season.  It’s very rare for a team to have two prominent potential UFAs but that’s the case in Columbus when it comes to winger Artemi Panarin and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Panarin’s camp has already indicated to the team that he doesn’t have interest in signing there on a max-term deal and had set a deadline of the start of training camp for any extension negotiations.  As things stand, it certainly appears as if he’s heading for the open market in July.

Bobrovsky’s case isn’t quite so clear.  He’s looking to become among the top-paid goalies in the league and his performance the last couple of years should have him in that mix.  Is he willing to sign an extension (and are the Blue Jackets willing to pay the asking price)?

If Columbus is in the playoff mix by the trade deadline, they’re going to have some interesting decisions to make.  Do they use both players as internal rentals and run the risk of losing them for nothing to make a run?  Or, do they deal them for the best return they can get and opt to forego short-term success for longer-term assets?  This is going to be one of the more intriguing stories around the league to follow this season.

Overall Outlook: For the most part, the Blue Jackets are bringing back the same roster as last season and that team was good enough to be in the mix for one of the three divisional playoff spots right to the very end.  It’s hard to imagine that this won’t be the case again at least up until the trade deadline when they’ll have to make a call on what to do with Panarin and Bobrovsky.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lightning Open To Trading Braydon Coburn And Slater Koekkoek

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Tampa Bay appears to be open to shaking things up on their back end.  Joe Smith of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the team is open to moving defensemen Braydon Coburn and Slater Koekkoek and they have been discussing both players with other teams around the league.  Youngster Erik Cernak has impressed in the preseason (although he was sent down earlier today to get them closer to compliance in advance of Tuesday’s roster deadline) and the Lightning may want to make some room for him to be more of a regular on the roster.

Coburn and Koekkoek are in two completely different situations.  Coburn is in the final year of his contract that carries a $3.7MM cap hit and has not lived up to his contract thus far.  Last season, he logged just 16 minutes per night, ranking sixth on the team in ice time by a defender.  He can be serviceable in a third pairing role but is being paid to provide more than that.  With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising if Tampa Bay had to pay down some of his contract to move him.

As for Koekkoek, the 24-year-old was up with the Lightning all of last season but spent considerable time as a healthy scratch and suited up in just 35 regular season games (and none in the postseason).  He figures to be the seventh defenseman once again heading into the season so a change of scenery may not be the worst idea for the tenth pick back in 2012.  He carries a cap hit of just $865K which other teams around the league would have an easier time to afford.

Tampa Bay’s season doesn’t get underway until Saturday so unlike some teams that will be pressing to make their moves over the next 48 hours or so, the Lightning can bide their time and wait a little longer to see if the right move presents itself for one of these rearguards.

Snapshots: Waiver Wire, Sundqvist, Burdasov

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With the waiver wire having received a lot of action over the past week or more, don’t be surprised if there is even more significant action on Monday, reports TSN’s Frank Seravalli. It’s the last day for a team to place a player on waivers to have him clear prior to teams are asked to submit their opening day rosters on Tuesday afternoon.

So far only the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils have claimed a player when Tampa took forward Danick Martel from the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey took Jean-Sebastien Dea from Pittsburgh, but that could change within the next day or two as teams have been holding off placing some of their top players on waivers. For instance, Toronto must make a decision on a backup goalie and could be placing two goalies on waivers on Monday, including Garret Sparks. Especially with a rash of injuries over the last few days, teams may be looking to fill voids on the depth chart now that their training camp roster has been determined.

  • After taking a hit to the head from Tom Wilson during a preseason game today, St. Louis Blues coach Mike Yeo reports that forward Oskar Sundqvist is “not good,” according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. While there has been no official diagnosis yet, Yeo said he has a couple of upper-body injuries and expects him to be out a while. The 24-year-old had been penciled in as a bottom-six player for this year’s squad, but now may miss a part of the season.
  • NHL general managers may be looking at another possible free agent available to teams next season as NHL.com’s Igor Eronko reports that one of the KHL’s current points leaders, Anton Burdasov, has expressed interest in trying to make it in the NHL next year when he’s an unrestricted free agent. The 27-year-old Burdasov has averaged 16 goals per season in his previous two seasons, but has taken off this year, having already scored eight times in Ufa Salavat Yulayev’s first 12 games.

Metropolitan Notes: Wilson, Darling, Islanders, Vorobyev

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Twitter went into an uproar today after Washington Capitals’ Tom Wilson was ejected after another high hit to the head, this time to St. Louis Blues Oskar Sundqvist during the second period of their preseason game. The link to the video is here. Sundqvist had to be helped off the ice and has not returned.

It’s almost a guarantee that Wilson will be suspended to start the year once again, like he was last year.  The Department of Player Safety announced that he has been offered an in-person hearing, allowing them to suspend him for more than five games if they so desire.

Wilson has been known for his hits, especially against the Blues in the preseason. He was suspended twice last preseason for hits against the Blues. He was suspended two preseason games for a late hit on Robert Thomas and then was suspended for four regular season games for boarding Samuel Blais in the final preseason game.

This could be the fourth suspension that Wilson has received in a year as he also received a third suspension during the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs last season when he hit Zach Aston-Reese, giving him a concussion and a broken jaw. Wilson has taken on a bigger role in the past year, moving up to the first line and then signing a six-year, $31MM contract in the offseason, but with so many repeat offenses, could end up with a significant suspension.

  • The Carolina Hurricanes are concerned after goaltender Scott Darling had to leave their preseason game today with what they listed as a lower-body injury, according to NHL.com’s Michael Smith. “It’s a concern,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “I’m not 100 percent sure what it is yet. He tweaked something in the lower body.” The team was counting on Darling to step up after a down season last year, his first as a full-time starter. The goaltender had been praised this offseason for an improved work-ethic, but now could miss some time early on in the season. The team may have to turn to Petr Mrazek to fill in for him.
  • Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that the New York Islanders will wait until the last possible second to make its final roster moves. He writes that general manager Lou Lamoriello is a big believer of using every minute it has available to it, so coach Barry Trotz won’t release his final roster until 48 hours before their first game, which will be on Tuesday. Trotz added that Lamoriello has been working the phones hard to try and add some available talent.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have confirmed they will be keeping forward Mikhail Vorobyev on their opening day roster, according to NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer.  “He came in and made an impact, and that’s what you’re looking for with young players,” said general manager Ron Hextall. “He’s a real good two-way player. With many young players, you worry about the defensive side of the puck.” Vorobyev impressed Flyers’ brass after posting seven points in seven preseason games.

Kings’ Dustin Brown Out Indefinitely With Broken Finger

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The Los Angeles Kings will be without forward Dustin Brown indefinitely, according to the Los Angeles Times’ Helene Elliott as the team reports that he has broken his finger. The team released their own statement saying that Brown will miss the first portion of the season with the injury.

Brown took a shot up high from teammate Anze Kopitar during the second period of Saturday night’s preseason game against Anaheim and left the game. The team later updated his situation by stating he suffered an upper-body injury. There is no word which finger has been broken.

The injury is disappointing after Brown, who has played more than 1,000 games for the Kings, finally had a big season after signing an eight-year, $47MM extension back in 2013 after years of being a high-quality 20-goal scorer. However, since signing that deal, Brown struggled scoring goals, posting 15, 11, 11, 14 goals before finally breaking out with a 28-goal season last season. The 33-year-old has four more years on his contract at $5.88MM AAV and the team was counting on the veteran to continue making big contributions with the team aging quickly.

 

Atlantic Notes: Toronto’s Goalies, Carrick, Kronwall, Joseph

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have a tough decision in front of them in net as head coach Mike Babcock and general manager Kyle Dubas must decide who will be their backup goalie as the team still has four goalies on their training camp roster, including starter Frederik Andersen, incumbent backup Curtis McElhinney as well as AHL stars Garret Sparks and Calvin Pickard, according to Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star.

That could be a bigger decision than thought despite the solid season that McElhinney had last year. The 35-year-old posted a 2.14 GAA and a .934 save percentage in 18 games last year, but is on the final year of a team-friendly contract ($850K) and could conceivably cost the team, expected to have cap problems starting next season, quite a bit next season. Sparks, on the other hand, will just be a restricted free agent next season after posting impressive numbers for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, the Calder Cup champions, when the 25-year-old posted a 1.79 GAA in 43 games with a .936 save percentage. Pickard, thought to be the future of the Vegas Golden Knights, is also on the roster.

The fear is the team would likely lose Sparks if they place him on waivers to send him to the AHL, which might force the team to decide which player they would rather have, not just this season, but as their future long-term backup. Pickard, who was a backup in Colorado two years ago, could also be lost as well if they decide to place him on waivers.

  • McGran, in the same story, adds that the Maple Leafs are also looking to trade a few of their players, most notably defenseman Connor Carrick, who the team fears they will lose if they place him on waivers. Carrick got into 47 games last season, posting four goals and 12 points, but could be highly coveted by teams with defensive issues such as the Vancouver Canucks or even the Detroit Red Wings.
  • The Detroit News’ Ted Kulfan writes that veteran defenseman Niklas Kronwall tweaked something in practice and now is questionable for the team’s season opener, joining Jonathan Ericsson and Trevor Daley as questionable for Thursday. Mike Green is already considered out. With those potential losses, Detroit will have to depend on their plethora of young defensemen to fill in. Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James writes that defenseman Dennis Cholowski has already won a spot on the team’s defense, but Filip Hronek, Joe Hicketts and Libor Sulak all could stay depending on those injuries.
  • While there is no specific word on whether or not he’s made the Tampa Bay Lightning, it’s expected that rookie Mathieu Joseph is a top candidate to make the team, according to Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times. Joseph stands out the most with a preseason high of four goals. The scribe describes Joseph as a future star, who could come out of no where such as Brayden Point.

2018-19 Season Primer: Dallas Stars

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With the NHL season now less than a week away, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Next up is a look at the Dallas Stars.

Last Season: 42-32-8 record (92 points), sixth in the Central Division (missed the playoffs)

Remaining Cap Space: $4,445,835 per CapFriendly

Key Additions: F Blake Comeau (free agent, Colorado), F Erik Condra (free agent, Tampa Bay), D Joel Hanley (free agent, Arizona), G Anton Khudobin (free agent, Boston), F Michael Mersch (free agent, Los Angeles), D Roman Polak (free agent, Toronto).

Key Subtractions: D Andrew Bodnarchuk (free agent, Red Bull Munchen, DEL), F Brian Flynn (free agent, St. Louis), D Dan Hamhuis (free agent, Nashville), G Mike McKenna (free agent, Ottawa), F Curtis McKenzie (free agent, Vegas), D Greg Pateryn (free agent, Minnesota), F Antoine Roussel (free agent, Vancouver),

[Related: Stars Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: F Tyler Seguin — The Stars have placed all their faith in Seguin to lead the team to the playoffs and beyond this summer when they signed the 26-year-old to an eight-year, $78.8MM extension this summer. While that $9.85MM AAV doesn’t kick in until the 2019-20 season, the team hopes that Seguin is finally ready to take that next step as an NHL elite player.

The center did post a 40-goal season for the first time in his career, but he has only surpassed 80 points once in his career. While he is expected to man the top line once again alongside veteran Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov, the team hopes he can take that next step and be a consistent 80 or 90-point player the team truly needs.

Key Storyline: What the team needs more than anything is secondary depth at forward. While the first line was impressive offensively, the remaining lines were the opposite of that as few players stepped up and showed they can score goals. The team had hopes last year that players such as Radek Faksa, Brett Ritchie, Jason Spezza and Martin Hanzal would make up the remaining bulk of the scoring, but none of them did. While Faksa’s defensive game took big strides, he still posted just 33 points last season. Ritchie was even worse, posting just seven goals and 14 points. Spezza’s game went down as well, going from 50 points in 2016-17 to 26 points last year, while Hanzal struggled with injuries all season.

This year, the team has hopes that they can get a solid return from 23-year-old Valeri Nichushkin, who played the last two years in the KHL, and now returns. They still hope Spezza can bounce back, while the team has high hopes that Mattias Janmark, Faksa, Tyler Pitlick and Comeau can increase that scoring. Whether that will happen is questionable as Nichushkin put up very pedestrian numbers in the KHL while he was away, so assuming he posts big numbers seems unlikely, while the 35-year-old Spezza will have to prove that the game hasn’t passed him by.

Overall Outlook: While the goaltending seems to be more solidified as the team replaced backup Kari Lehtonen with Khudobin, who should be a better stopgap if starter Ben Bishop goes down with another inconvenient injury and a much stronger defense with the addition of 19-year-old Miro Heiskanen and a more confident Julius Honka, the team has a solid defense behind him. Add in a new coach in Jim Montgomery, the team has a lot of promise, but where that offense will come from is a question that the team will have to prove if they have any chance in competing in a very competitive Central Division.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Carolina Intends To Make Signing Sebastian Aho A Top Priority

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Now that the team has moved forward Jeff Skinner, the Carolina Hurricanes have made it clear that they intend to make forward Sebastian Aho the face of the franchise going forward. It’s a good choice as the 21-year-old has been nothing but dazzling in the two years that he’s been with the team and posted an impressive 29 goals and 65 points last year.

In a state of the franchise press conference today, new team owner Tom Dundon even went so far as to say today that locking up Aho to a long-term extension is a high priority, according to Chip Alexander of the News & Observer.

Aho, who is in the final year of a three-year entry-level deal that pays him $925K, should be in line for a big payday next season, especially if Aho takes his game another notch, regardless if he signs a bridge deal or a long-term one. Aho was a second-round pick in 2015 (35th overall) and opted to spend one year longer in the Liiga before coming over in the 2016-17 season, posting 24 goals and 49 points as a rookie. He is expected to be on the team’s top line as the season begins.

Edmonton Oilers Release Jakub Jerabek

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The Edmonton Oilers have released veteran defenseman Jakub Jerabek today and the veteran is waiting to be re-assigned, according to the Edmonton Journal’s David Staples. However, the Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson adds that Jerabek may opt to head overseas after a so-so camp, rather than report to Bakersfield.

Jerabek was signed on Aug. 21 to a one-year, $1MM deal to help fill the team’s void on defense after the team lost veteran blueliner Andrej Sekera, who underwent surgery. However, Jerabek lost out to the play of a number of defensemen, including Kevin Gravel as well as rookie Evan Bouchard and veteran Jason Garrison.

The 27-year-old split time in the NHL last year between the Montreal Canadiens and the Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals, in which he played a total of 36 games, posting two goals and six assists. In the end, Jerabek was used as an emergency defenseman, as he only managed to appear in two playoff games for the Capitals, both in the team’s first series against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

 

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