Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for April 2019

Florida Panthers Sign Ryan Bednard

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Though he broke the news himself yesterday, Ryan Bednard had to wait for the Florida Panthers to officially announce his two-year entry-level contract today. The deal will begin in the 2019-20 season, ending Bednard’s college career after three seasons at Bowling Green State University.

The 22-year old goaltender was selected in the seventh round of the 2015 draft and has slowly seen his stock rise over the years. Standing 6’5″ he was a work in progress as a younger netminder, but put it all together this season for Bowling Green. With a record of 20-8-4 and a .927 save percentage he was one of the most impressive goaltenders in the entire country, and he’ll now make the jump to professional hockey with plenty of experience.

Where he fits into the Florida depth chart however is unclear. The entire position actually for the Panthers has some question marks, as there has been plenty of speculation that the team will try and attract top free agent Sergei Bobrovsky in the offseason. If they do go after a big fish like that, where does that leave current NHL netminders Roberto Luongo and James Reimer, who both have several years left on their current contracts? Then there is young Sam Montembeault who has shown solid promise but hasn’t had the results at the professional level yet.

Most likely Bednard will take up residence with the Springfield Thunderbirds next season, but he’ll quickly try to show that he has potential beyond just the AHL.

Jeff Blashill Signs Two-Year Extension

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Detroit Red Wings have apparently liked the development of their young players enough to reward the man behind the bench. Jeff Blashill today signed a two-year extension that will keep him under contract through the 2020-21 season. Blashill’s current deal was set to expire at the end of the season, but GM Ken Holland has repeatedly explained that the coach is doing an excellent job. The executive did it again today when discussing the extension:

Jeff has done a tremendous job developing our young talent as we continue to rebuild our organization. Our young players have made significant strides during his time as head coach and are playing important minutes in key situations. As we continue to build towards the future, we have the utmost confidence that Jeff is the coach best suited to help our prospects become impactful NHL players. He has gained valuable experience as an NHL coach in each of his four years in Detroit and has instilled a work ethic in our current team that makes us hard to play against every night and competitive in every game, which is the identity we want our team to have as we move forward.

After three outstanding seasons behind the bench of the Grand Rapids Griffins, Blashill took the role he was being groomed for in the NHL and hasn’t looked back. Replacing Mike Babcock in 2015-16, Blashill took an aging Red Wings team back to the playoffs with a 41-30-11 record but was quickly eliminated. That summer legendary forward Pavel Datsyuk left the team to return to Russia and things drastically changed in Detroit. For three years now Blashill and the Red Wings have failed to reach the playoffs and there are very different goals for the franchise. No longer are they competing for championships, but are now focused on developing the next wave of talent.

That development is what Blashill has been in charge of, and he has now been rewarded for it. Dylan Larkin, the new face of the franchise after Henrik Zetterberg finally left the team, has become a legitimate star this season with 32 goals and 70 points, while complementary pieces like Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi and Andreas Athanasiou look like they could form a core to get the team back to the postseason.

Still, there is obviously work to be done in Detroit. Even with his successes developing the young talent, Blashill will have to produce some results in the standings before long. The Red Wings have a long and storied history of winning and at some point in the next two years will need to turn the corner from rebuilding to competing. There’s obviously a reason why Blashill was given just a two-year extension, as development isn’t what NHL coaches are paid for in the long term.

Luckily the team has some excellent prospects like Filip Zadina and Joe Veleno who look ready to make an impact, and four picks in the first two rounds this draft. They also have plenty of money coming off the books the next few seasons and should be able to build a winner if handled properly.

Injury Updates: Lightning, Stars, Buchnevich, Johnsson

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman is doubtful to play this week, reports Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link).  He suffered an upper-body injury on Saturday and with Tampa Bay’s positioning for the postseason locked in, there’s no real point in risking anything.  The team is hopeful he’ll be ready to go to start the first round next week.  Meanwhile, fellow blueliner Anton Stralman could get into a game on their four-game road trip to end the season while Dan Girardi is expected to skate sometime this week.  That makes it unlikely he’ll play before the season comes to an end but he should be available for the playoffs.

Other injury notes around the league:

  • Dallas is hoping to have goalie Ben Bishop and winger Mats Zuccarello get into one of their upcoming games this weekend, notes Mark Stepneski of the Stars’ team website. Bishop skated for the first time today after sustaining a lower-body injury last week while Zuccarello, who was injured in his first game with the team, went through a full practice today and may be the closer of the two to returning.
  • Rangers winger Pavel Buchnevich is in concussion protocol, reports NHL.com’s Mike Morreale (via Twitter). He left Sunday’s game against Philadelphia late with the injury and while they were hopeful he’d suit up tonight, that wasn’t the case.  Buchnevich, a pending restricted free agent this summer, has 37 points in 61 games this season.
  • Maple Leafs winger Andreas Johnsson is dealing with an illness that kept him out of the lineup for tonight’s game against the Islanders, notes Jonas Siegel of The Athletic (Twitter link). The pending RFA has been in a bit of a slump as of late, posting just a single goal in his last 15 games but has 20 tallies on the season.

Canucks Sign Brogan Rafferty

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Canucks have been active in adding college defensemen in recent weeks and they continued that on Monday, announcing the signing of Brogan Rafferty to a one-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 23-year-old recently wrapped up his junior season at Quinnipiac University.  He finished third on the team in scoring by a defenseman, recording four goals and 20 assists in 38 games, equalling his career high in points from his rookie campaign.  Over his three seasons at the school, he had 60 points (9-51-60) in 108 contests.

Rafferty’s deal begins (and ends) this season, which means he will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer where he’ll fall outside the entry-level system.  Vancouver has been aggressive with this particular approach as blueliners Quintin Hughes and Josh Teves as well as goalie Jake Kielly (who just signed earlier today) have all burned the first year of their contracts this season.  Only Hughes was an actual prospect at the time so the Canucks have certainly added some depth to their organization.

It’s worth noting that Rafferty’s deal puts Vancouver at the maximum 50 contract limit.  That will restrict them from adding any other players signed for this season while any trades made leading up to July 1st (the start of the new league year) will need to see a similar number of players going out as are being brought in.

Latest On Adam Fox, Carolina Hurricanes

at CDT | by 7 Comments

After another outstanding season at Harvard, top college defenseman Adam Fox had a decision to make. Would he turn pro and sign with the Carolina Hurricanes or return for his senior season and a chance at unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2020. Despite having said several times throughout the year that he hadn’t made a decision yet, rumors still surfaced that Fox didn’t want to sign with Carolina. That appears to be true, as Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the young defenseman “isn’t likely to sign” with the Hurricanes.

That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be returning to Harvard though, as it appears a trade is a potential outcome. Team owner Tom Dundon told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer that they will indeed try to deal him.  The Hurricanes could also sign him and then immediately send Fox to another team—like the New York Rangers, perhaps—in order for him to still burn a year off his eventual entry-level contract. Though the deadline in late February is usually referred to as the trade deadline, deals can actually still happen afterwards. The players involved however are not playoff eligible, which is why they rarely happen.

For a defenseman like Fox, almost all of the leverage is on his side. At very worst he can return to Harvard, finish his degree and wait until next August to become an unrestricted free agent. He’d obviously miss a year of professional experience and income, but could choose his destination.

This is exactly the situation that the Calgary Flames meant to avoid when they traded Fox in the blockbuster Dougie Hamilton–Elias Lindholm deal last year. It was clear the young defenseman wasn’t going to sign in Calgary so they leveraged his potential as part of the deal. Carolina had seemed confident that they would get him under contract—which to be clear is still a potential outcome—but things appear to have changed since then.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Marlies, Byron

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The NHL has released their three stars for last week, and Sergei Bobrovsky has taken the top spot after an incredible stretch. The goaltender went 4-0 and stopped 115 of 117 shots to push the Columbus Blue Jackets back into a playoff spot. While there is plenty of speculation over Bobrovsky’s future, he’s obviously committed to helping the Blue Jackets this season. The 30-year old goaltender will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.

Darcy Kuemper has been awarded the third star after he continued his excellent season in Arizona, but it’s Tyler Bertuzzi who may raise some eyebrows in the second spot. The Detroit Red Wings forward had ten points in four games last week and now has 44 on the season including an impressive 19 goals. Though the team may not have found much success in the standings this year, it’s been an incredible development year for players like Bertuzzi, Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou.

  • With CHL and college seasons coming to an end several junior players will be heading to the AHL. Semyon Der-Arguchintsev is one of those players, assigned to the Toronto Marlies while the team has also signed Alex Basso, Zachary Bouthillier and Erik Brown to amateur tryouts. Der-Arguchintsev was the Maple Leafs`third-round pick in 2018 and had 46 points in 62 games for the Peterborough Petes this season. Other CHL players joining their AHL teams are Vladislav Kotkov (San Jose Barracuda) and Matthew Strome (Lehigh Valley Phantoms).
  • The Montreal Canadiens welcomed back an important player today when Paul Byron made his return to practice. The speedy forward had missed two games after fighting MacKenzie Weegar but could make his return in an extremely important game against the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow. The Canadiens are sitting one point behind Carolina for the final wild card spot and may need to win out to qualify for the playoffs.

Ottawa Senators Sign Joey Daccord

at CDT | by 3 Comments

After an incredible season that saw Arizona State go all the way to the NCAA tournament, Joey Daccord is turning pro. The 22-year old goaltender has signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators and could even get into one of the last few games of the regular season. He’ll burn the first year of that deal this season, becoming a restricted free agent in the summer of 2020.

Originally a seventh-round pick of the Senators in 2015, Daccord has developed into a top goaltending prospect and dragged the Arizona State program along for the ride. The big goaltender recorded a 21-12-1 record this season while carrying a .926 save percentage along with seven shutouts. He was named a nominee for the Hobey Baker award and is a finalist for the Mike Richter Award as one of the best goaltenders in the country. Considered extremely pro-ready, Daccord will be the first hockey player from Arizona State to sign an NHL contract.

The Senators now have several top goaltending prospects in their system, as Daccord joins Filip Gustavsson and Marcus Hogberg on the organizational depth chart. That group is behind Craig Anderson who has one year left on his contract and Mike Condon who no longer has a clear role in the organization. It’s easy to see why Daccord would want to make the jump now, as there very well could be a competition for the NHL starting role as soon as 2020-21. With a year of pro experience under his belt that job could potentially be his, though there’s no guarantee that his play will translate to the next level.

Sean Durzi Signs With Los Angeles Kings

at CDT | by 7 Comments

The Los Angeles Kings have already received a contribution from Carl Grundstrom, and will now get the other big piece from the Jake Muzzin trade to join the organization. Sean Durzi has signed his three-year entry-level contract, but will remain with the Guelph Storm of the OHL as they continue their playoff run.

Durzi, 20, was an over-aged selection when the Toronto Maple Leafs picked him 52nd overall last June, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t on NHL radars before that. The undersized but extremely effective defenseman had attended development camps previous to that but really exploded as a top prospect in 2017-18. With 15 goals and 49 points that season the Maple Leafs couldn’t pass up a chance to grab the smooth skating Durzi, but were forced to give him up less than a year later.

This year has been another excellent campaign for Durzi, who is still playing at the junior level despite being eligible for AHL hockey. He put up 37 points in 35 games during the regular season and was a force in the first round of the OHL playoffs with five more assists. While Guelph continues to try and secure a berth in the Memorial Cup, Kings fans will patiently wait for the arrival of their next solid defense prospect. Durzi has real NHL upside, though will have to spend some time refining his game in the minor leagues.

Jake Kielly Signs With Vancouver Canucks

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Vancouver Canucks have added some more goaltending depth, signing undrafted free agent Jake Kielly to a two-year entry-level contract. Kielly recently finished his junior season at Clarkson University, and will burn the first year of his deal in 2018-19.

Kielly, 22, recorded a .929 save percentage in each of the last two seasons for Clarkson, and was named to the ECAC Second All-Star team this year. The 6’2″ netminder went undrafted but has continued to develop nicely, dominating the USHL and the college ranks for the last several seasons. He was even named an alternate captain for Clarkson despite being a goaltender, and led all active NCAA goaltenders with 16 career shutouts.

After having depth problems all season at the goaltending position, the Canucks are now set for next season. Kielly will likely join Michael DiPietro in the minor leagues, while Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko make up the NHL tandem. There’s more than one way the future can shake out with all of these young goaltenders, but the position is certainly looking bright at the moment.

Dallas Stars Sign Riley Damiani

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Dallas Stars have inked an interesting young prospect, signing Riley Damiani to a three-year entry-level contract according to team reporter Mark Stepneski. Damiani spent this season with the Kitchener Rangers, but was knocked out of the OHL playoffs by the Guelph Storm last week. The 19-year old will join the Texas Stars on an amateur tryout, as his new NHL deal doesn’t kick in until next season.

Damiani, 19, was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 draft after a somewhat underwhelming season with Kitchener, but exploded this year for 85 points in 58 games. The forward was a standout performer during his minor hockey days in the Toronto area, but has never had huge expectations put upon him because of his small stature. Standing just 5’9″, Damiani has nevertheless adapted to every level and could very well be among the OHL’s top scorers next season.

The question will be whether he can bring that success to the professional level, or if his size will hold him back from being a real contributor. The Stars certainly think he can be an asset, as he has already earned an NHL deal well before his draft rights would have expired.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top