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Archives for June 2019

Eric Robinson Re-Signs With Columbus Blue Jackets

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It didn’t take long for Eric Robinson to accept his qualifying offer to remain with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The pending RFA has re-signed with the team for the 2019-20 season on a one-year, two-way contract worth just over $874K at the NHL level.

Robinson, 24, signed with the Blue Jackets in 2018 after playing four years at Princeton University and made quite an impact in the organization this season. The 6’2″ winger recorded 24 points in 45 games with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL and has now suited up 14 times for the Blue Jackets. Amazingly he was held completely off the score sheet in those 14 games, failing to record a point or penalty minute.

Despite that, the two-way winger could very well be in the team’s plans as a fourth-line option should they need him this year. He will be waiver exempt meaning he can start the year with the Monsters, but given the team may be losing at least three forwards in Artemi Panarin, Ryan Dzingel and Matt Duchene there will be opportunity to make the club in training camp.

2019 Hockey Hall Of Fame Inductees Announced

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The 2019 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees are Hayley Wickenheiser, Vaclav Nedomansky, Sergei Zubov and Guy Carbonneau. Jim Rutherford and Jerry York will also be inducted in the builder category.

Wickenheiser, arguably the greatest women’s hockey player of all-time, was an absolute lock to get in this season after ending her playing career in 2017. Now working as the assistant director of player development with the Toronto Maple Leafs, she continues to break new ground for women in the sport. Joining the Canadian Women’s National Team when she was just 16, Wickenheiser is one of the most decorated athletes in the country’s history with 13 World Championship medals (seven gold) and five Olympic medals (four gold). She would also represent Canada at the 2000 Olympics in softball, showing off her prowess as a multi-sport athlete. A dominant, powerful offensive player, Wickenheiser is the first female player to play in a men’s professional league in a position other than goal. She was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in February.

Nedomansky may not be as well known to young hockey fans, but a decision he made in 1974 changed the North American game forever. The forward was the first player to defect from Czechoslovakia to play professional hockey here, suiting up first in the WHL before transitioning to the NHL. Not only was Nedomansky the first to accomplish the defection, he was also an excellent player in his own right and finished his short NHL career with 278 points in 421 games. He won eight World Championship medals and two Olympics medals, and was inducted to the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997. He has been a scout in the NHL for nearly three decades, currently employed by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Carbonneau, one of the best defensive forwards of all-time, has waited a long time to receive this call. Retired in 2000, Carbonneau won three Stanley Cups in a career that spanned more than 1,300 games. Suiting up for the Montreal Canadiens for most of it, he served as captain for five years before moving on to the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars. A three-time Selke Trophy winner as the league’s best defensive forward, Carbonneau also recorded 645 regular season points and was considered an irreplaceable leader on the ice. That leadership took him right into a coaching career that included a stint as the head coach of the Canadiens.

Perhaps the most overlooked and underrated defenseman of his generation, Zubov will get in after a playing career that ended in 2010. A fifth-round pick of the New York Rangers in 1990, the elite playmaking defenseman would rack up points throughout his career and finish with 771 in 1,068 regular season games. Perhaps more impressive even than his point totals was the calming effect he had on any team he played on, soaking up tough minutes against the opposition’s best players every night. In the 1999-00 season with Dallas, Zubov averaged nearly 29 minutes a night in the regular season, jumping over the boards on basically every other shift. He received votes for the Norris trophy in 12 different seasons, but never finished higher than third. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, he is now the head coach of HC Sochi in the KHL.

Tomas Hyka, Brooks Macek Sign In KHL

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June 25: Hyka’s two-year deal in the KHL is now official, and he’ll be joined overseas by Chicago Wolves teammate Brooks Macek.

May 27: While Tomas Hyka is busy dominating the AHL playoffs, he may have already made some future plans. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that Hyka has agreed to terms with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL, despite being just one win away from the Calder Cup Final with the Chicago Wolves. Hyka is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this summer after his one-year two-way contract expires.

If the report is true and Hyka leaves North America, it would be a blow to the Vegas Golden Knights who are going to need inexpensive contributors over the next several seasons. Hyka has only recorded seven points in his 27 games with the Golden Knights over the last two seasons, but is a near point-per-game performer in the minor leagues and has earned himself a bigger opportunity at the NHL level. Originally a sixth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2012, he never signed with the team and instead joined the Golden Knights as the organization’s third player after Reid Duke and Vadim Shipachyov.

The 26-year old Hyka has 14 points in 16 playoff games with the Wolves and could earn a berth in the Calder Cup Final with a win tonight. If he does join the KHL it would be his first stint in the Russian league, after playing previously in Sweden and his home of the Czech Republic. The Golden Knights can retain his exclusive rights temporarily by issuing him a qualifying offer.

Carolina Hurricanes “Leaning Toward” Scott Darling Buyout

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June 25: The start of the buyout period came and went without Darling’s name on waivers, but today Carolina GM Don Waddell told reporters including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer that he is “leaning toward” buying out the veteran goaltender. He would not rule out a trade, but it still sounds like Darling’s time in Carolina is over.

May 19: The Carolina Hurricanes felt they were finally getting the starting goaltender it needed to take the team into the playoffs in 2017 when they traded for immediately signed the Chicago Blackhawks’ backup goalie Scott Darling to a four-year, $16.6MM contract. After two long and disappointing years, it looks like the Hurricanes are ready to pull the plug on the deal as David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period reports that Carolina intends to buy out the netminder when the buyout period opens.

If the Hurricanes do follow through with a buyout, the buyout cap hit would break down like this (according to CapFriendly):

2019-20: $1.233MM
2020-21: $2.333MM
2021-22: $1.183MM
2022-23: $1.183MM

Darling, who was the backup to Corey Crawford during the Blackhawks’ successful playoff runs, was acquired for a third-round pick in 2017. In his final season in Chicago, he posted a 2.37 GAA and a .924 save percentage in 32 games played, but had never served as a starting goalie. However, nothing went right once Darling hit the ice in Carolina. He struggled in his initial season in 2017-18 when he 3.18 GAA and a .888 save percentage in a career-high 43 games. Despite talk during the summer that Darling was committed to conditioning and getting back on track, the Hurricanes choose to claim goaltender Curtis McElhinney off waivers, giving them three goaltenders alongside Darling and Petr Mrazek. The three played in tandem, but Darling only made eight appearances, struggling even more. He finished with a 3.34 GAA and a .884 save percentage, eventually being placed on waivers and sent to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL in hopes of him regaining his confidence. Instead, he continued to struggle, putting up a 3.40 GAA and a .882 save percentage in 14 appearances there, prompting the goaltender to take a leave of absence in which he never returned.

If the Hurricanes do buyout Darling, it will have to sign another goaltender before July 1 as teams need to have three goaltenders under contract, according to the CBA. At the moment, the team only has two goaltenders under contract, including Jeremy Helvig and Callum Booth, neither of which are in their 2018-19 plans. McElhinney and Mrazek are both slated to become unrestricted free agents, while AHL star Alex Nedeljkovic will be a restricted free agent this summer.

Matt Hendricks Announces Retirement

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Brooks Orpik isn’t the only player hanging up his skates today. Michael Russo of The Athletic passes on the news that veteran forward Matt Hendricks will call it quits on a long professional career, joining the Minnesota Wild’s player development department instead.

Hendricks, 38, was originally selected by the Nashville Predators in the fifth round of the 2000 draft, and had a long and winding road to the NHL. Four years at St. Cloud State landed him nothing but a minor league contract, and the hard working forward had to grind through games for the Milwaukee Admirals, Florida Everblades, Lowell Lock Monsters, Rochester Americans, Hershey Bears, Providence Bruins and Lake Erie Monsters before ever sniffing the NHL. That first chance came with the Colorado Avalanche during the 2008-09 season, and Hendricks would never look back.

Still a journeyman at heart, the fourth-line center would end up playing for Colorado, Washington, Nashville, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Minnesota during his 607-game NHL career, recording 116 points and 722 penalty minutes along the way. Considered a natural leader everywhere he went, Hendricks was never much of an offensive player but continued to play important minutes for every team he went to. Never able to capture the Stanley Cup, he’ll retire with just 39 playoff games under his belt.

St. Louis Blues Extend Craig Berube

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The St. Louis Blues have finally done what was decided long ago, signing head coach Craig Berube to a three-year contract and officially removing the interim tag from his position. Berube took over as head coach of the Blues last November and eventually led them all the way from last place in the NHL to the Stanley Cup. GM Doug Armstrong explained exactly why he signed his coach to a three-year deal:

Craig made an enormous impact on our team when he took over last November. He restored our identity and provided our players with a clear sense of direction and purpose. The chemistry and trust that he developed with our players was integral in bringing our franchise the 2019 Stanley Cup.

You can’t have a more successful first season as head coach of an NHL team, and there was little doubt that Berube would eventually become the long-term boss of the Blues. The team went 38-19-6 under him in the regular season, and then bashed and bruised their way to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Berube’s playing style came through in every game the Blues played under him, taking lessons from his 3,360 career penalty minutes.

Whether that physical, in-your-face style will be replicated around the league or not, you can bet the Blues come back next season with a similar approach. St. Louis tallied 819 hits in their 26-game playoff run, and slowly wore down their opponents all the way to a league title.

This isn’t the first time Berube has taken over as head coach of a team, as he was promoted to run the Philadelphia Flyers bench, replacing Peter Laviolette early in the 2013-14 season and taking them on an excellent regular season run. Unfortunately the Flyers would go 33-31-18 in the 2014-15 season and miss the playoffs, leading to Beurbe’s dismissal. Blues fans will hope that doesn’t happen in St. Louis, given how well Berube seemed to gel with the roster that he took control of this year.

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Nolan Foote

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It didn’t take long for the Tampa Bay Lightning to get their top draft choice under contract, inking Nolan Foote to a three-year entry-level contract today. Foote was selected 27th overall in Friday’s draft, joining his brother Cal Foote in the Lightning organization.

The 18-year old Foote was something of a surprise selection at the end of the first round, as many publications had him ranked a little further down the draft board. NHL Central Scouting for instance had the Kelowna Rockets forward ranked 37th among North American skaters in their final ranking. Still, it’s hard to question an organization that has been so successful in the draft over the last decade.

First and foremost when evaluating Foote, one notices the top-end awareness and quick decision making that comes from being around hockey from birth. The son of former NHL defenseman Adam Foote, the 6’3″ forward often anticipates where the play will go before it does and finds himself in an excellent position to contribute offensively. Add that to his solid frame and willingness to drive the puck to difficult areas and you at times have what looks like an NHL power forward in the making. Unfortunately, like his brother, Foote comes with questionable skating and playmaking ability. Though he can often seem unstoppable coming off the wall if he has time to get up to speed, his edges need work and it’s unclear where his offensive ceiling really lies.

Still, the Lightning obviously believe they can groom Foote into a force at the NHL level. He’ll almost certainly return to the WHL next season to play, while he is also on Canada’s camp roster for this year’s World Junior Summer Showcase.

Adam Musil Placed On Unconditional Waivers

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Tuesday: Musil has cleared waivers and will see his contract terminated.

Monday: The St. Louis Blues have placed Adam Musil on unconditional waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The move is likely a precursor to a mutual contract termination, as Musil still has one year remaining on his entry-level deal.

The 22-year old Musil was born in Canada, but spent much of his childhood living in the Czech Republic where his father and uncle, former NHL players Frantisek Musil and Bobby Holik, are from. He eventually returned to play in the WHL and was selected in the fourth round of the 2015 draft by the Blues, eventually signing and playing for the San Antonio Rampage, their AHL affiliate.

In 65 games last season Musil recorded just 14 points, and may be looking at a return to the Czech Republic to continue his career. If a termination does take place, he would be an unrestricted free agent and able to sign wherever he wanted.

Arizona Coyotes Acquire Carl Soderberg

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The Arizona Coyotes have acquired Carl Soderberg from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Kevin Connauton and a 2020 third-round pick. Coyotes’ GM John Chayka released a short statement on the acquisition:

Carl is a versatile, 200-foot player who has a history of being productive and playing tough minutes. He will be a stabilizer in our lineup and gives our coaching staff lots of flexibility.

Soderberg, 33, had an excellent bounce-back season in 2018-19, recording 23 goals and 49 points while playing in all 82 games. That kind of production is exactly what the Avalanche expected when they signed him to a five-year, $23.75MM deal in the summer of 2015 but after a good initial season in Colorado he had fallen off a cliff offensively. In fact, during the 2016-17 campaign the Swedish center only recorded 14 points in 80 games and many called for the Avalanche to get rid of him through one way or another. Their waiting has paid off, as his entire $4.75MM cap hit will now be transferred to Arizona while receiving a quality depth defenseman and pick in return.

In Arizona though, Soderberg will be a veteran addition to a club trying to get over the hump and qualify for the playoffs. His versatility down the middle will help take some pressure off the other offensively gifted players on the Coyotes and add to what has now become something of a strength for the club. Just a few years ago the Coyotes were trying everyone they could at the center position in hopes of finding a quality option, but now have Soderberg, Derek Stepan, Nick Schmaltz and Brad Richardson who can be penciled in with Christian Dvorak and Alex Galchenyuk also having experience in the middle.

For Colorado though, this move seems to indicate something bigger is on the horizon. GM Joe Sakic spoke at the end of the year about being more aggressive in free agency, and with nearly $40MM in cap room he can basically go after any player he wants. A good chunk of that money is owed to the team’s own restricted free agents—most notably star winger Mikko Rantanen—but there is more than enough to go around in free agency. In fact, the team might even be able to clear more cap space if they are actually still considering moving Tyson Barrie in his final year. With the addition of Connauton, the Avalanche have seven NHL defensemen under contract with Nikita Zadorov a restricted free agent and Bowen Byram pushing for a spot after being selected fourth overall.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

NHL Announces 2019 Regular Season Schedule

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We already learned the dates for the 2019 home openers, and now we have a full schedule for the 2019-20 NHL schedule. Things will kick off on October 2nd with four games including a match between the last two Stanley Cup winners. The St. Louis Blues will raise the first banner in franchise history with the Washington Capitals in town. The season is wrapped up on April 4th, 2020.

Notable breaks in the schedule are between December 24-26 for Christmas and January 23-26 for the All-Star festivities. There will also be several overseas games taking place at the beginning of the year as Chicago and Phildelphia face off in the Czech Republic while Buffalo and Tampa Bay play in Sweden. Outdoor games include a matchup between the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets on October 26th, the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators on New Year’s Day, and the Los Angels Kings and Colorado Avalanche on February 15th, 2020.

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