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Archives for May 2020

Snapshots: Pominville, Leivo, Red Wings Goaltending

May 16, 2020 at 2:30 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 2 Comments

He hasn’t played in a game since the 2018-19 season ended and it now looks like Jason Pominville’s NHL career is officially over. The veteran forward hasn’t made a formal announcement regarding his retirement, but accepted a coaching position with the Lanaudiere Pioneers, a youth hockey team near his hometown of Repentigny, Quebec, according to the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski.

Pominville, who said he had hoped he would be signed by an NHL team at the trade deadline, will be an associate coach at the pee-wee and midget levels, but is also expected to serve as a special adviser and a skills trainer within the organization. The 37-year-old spent last season training, but also serving as an assistant coach, coaching his son Jayden with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres.

The veteran played 1,060 games in his 15 years in the league. He spent the majority of that time with the Buffalo Sabres where he ranks eighth in franchise history in games played with 733.

  • Many teams might be able to take advantage of the suspension in play if/when the NHL continues. Several players, who were expected to miss most or all of the 2019-20 season, are now expected to be ready to return to duty when play resumes. However, Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre writes that Vancouver Canucks forward Josh Leivo isn’t currently one of those players. Leivo, who fractured his kneecap during a game on Dec. 19, was expected to miss the 2019-20 season. However, the Canucks always stated that if they could go deep into the playoffs, Leivo might be able to return. However, MacIntyre adds that if the playoffs started today, Leivo would not be ready. The 26-year-old already passed his career high in points, posting 19 points in 36 games.
  • While there has been plenty of talk about what the Detroit Red Wings intend to do about their goaltending situation, MLive’s Ansar Khan writes that the team will be looking for a veteran backup in free agency this offseason. The team believes that goaltender Jonathan Bernier is their starter and likely was the team’s most valuable player despite average numbers of a 15-22-3 record, a 2.95 GAA and a .907 save percentage. However, Khan notes, his numbers look pretty good when you look at the goalie numbers when he wasn’t playing: 2-27-2, 4.33 GAA and a .875 save percentage. With a price range likely under $3MM, the best fits might include Cam Talbot, Thomas Greiss and Aaron Dell.

 

Buffalo Sabres| Detroit Red Wings| Retirement| Snapshots| Vancouver Canucks Aaron Dell| Cam Talbot| Jason Pominville| Jonathan Bernier| Josh Leivo

2 comments

PHR Mailbag: Expanded Playoff Threats, Buyout, Resumption Talks, AHL

May 16, 2020 at 1:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

With most sports on hold indefinitely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s time for another mailbag.  Topics in this edition include sleeper teams in an extended postseason, the possibility of compliance buyouts, how things are progressing towards an agreement to continue the season, and the recent cancellation of the rest of the AHL campaign.  If your question doesn’t appear here, watch for it in next weekend’s edition.

acarneglia: Which team currently outside a playoff spot is the biggest threat in a 24-team playoff?

In the East, I’d put the Rangers as a threat.  They’re currently in the top five in the league in goals scored and while their goals against number isn’t pretty (tied for 23rd), they only allowed more than three goals in four of their last 19 games before the stoppage.  Of course, a big reason for this is Igor Shesterkin who quickly ascended to the number one role upon getting recalled and really gave them the stability between the pipes that they were lacking.  It’s a big if given his relative inexperience but if he was to come back and play at that level with New York remaining one of the stronger offensive teams, that could be a pretty good recipe to make some noise.

Out West, the Canucks are only out by virtue of the tiebreaker but of the teams not currently in at the moment, they’re the strongest.  They’re a strong score-by-committee team and that was even before they added Tyler Toffoli just before the trade deadline.  Vegas showed that a team that doesn’t have that elite producer can still do well with a lot of capable scoring depth and Vancouver certainly has that.  Jacob Markstrom has fully recovered from his knee injury and considering he’s showcasing himself for a big contract this offseason, he has a lot to play for.  A healthy starter and a deep attack could do some damage in a very tight Pacific Division.

aias: Any ideas on how the buyouts would work? Is this a one-time deal?

The Mistake of Giving Eugene Melnyk a Liver Transplant: How would compliance buyouts impact recapture penalties on the bought-out contracts? Also, would each team be limited to one buyout? If so, would teams be allowed to trade players so another team can buy them out?

vincent k. mcmahon: With the news a few weeks ago about Alex Steen considering retirement and the possibility of comp buyouts, would buying out Steen’s and Faulk’s contracts make enough room to re-sign Pietrangelo and add someone on the wing to replace Steen?

First off, the talk about compliance buyouts is strictly theoretical at this point.  With the belief that the salary cap will drop or be flattened out for a couple of seasons, some wonder if the league and players will negotiate a brief return of the cap-exempt compliance buyouts as there was following the signing of the last CBA.  But nothing is official yet.

I think it would be a one-time thing and probably limited to one per team.  Not all owners want something like this as it’s something that larger-market teams can exploit easier than ones with pockets that aren’t as deep.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a little different than previous versions though because of this particular situation.  An idea I have is that teams that execute the buyout also have to pay an proportional (or equal) amount into a fund that’s distributed to teams that don’t use one and is subject to HRR calculations.  That would provide a bit of disincentive for teams to use one unless they absolutely have to and it would also feed a bit to the players which might help their signing off on it.  I’d like to see the ability to trade players to be bought out (the trade market is limited enough as it is) but that is something the league has frowned upon in the past.

Salary cap recapture is only limited to the now-illegal back-diving contracts from years ago and a lot of those players aren’t in the league anymore.  At a quick glance, there are only seven active players left (excluding those still under contract but effectively retired) that are on one of those contracts and of those, most aren’t buyout candidates anyway as they’re still core players.  Jeff Carter could be a possibility but his lingering injury would make that tough and the Kings have plenty of cap space as it is so that might take Jonathan Quick off the table as well.  Maybe Zach Parise in Minnesota but I think that trade with the Islanders that fell through at the deadline gets revisited this offseason.  If I had to guess, if Parise was to be bought out under this scenario, the recapture would go away since it would be a cap-exempt buyout; it should, therefore, eliminate all lingering cap commitments.  (Sidney Crosby, Duncan Keith, Ryan Suter, and Shea Weber are the other active players on deals subject to recapture.  Zdeno Chara and Tyler Myers used to be but have since signed a cap-compliant contract.)

Would St. Louis really execute a compliance buyout on Justin Faulk?  While the cap hit may not exist in that instance, they’d still be paying him more than $30MM in actual money over 14 years before he played a single game on an extension they gave him.  Factoring in what they gave up to get him from Carolina and that is a huge price to pay to keep Alex Pietrangelo around on an even pricier deal.  Is Pietrangelo worth effectively $100MM when you factor in Faulk’s buyout cost plus what an eight-year deal for the captain would be?  Buying out a contract before it even begins would be unprecedented; even the Flyers waited two years before they decided to pay Ilya Bryzgalov for 14 years (through 2026-27) to not play for them.  I don’t think that’s something St. Louis would want to do.  I think they’d be open to a trade but not a buyout.

Alex Steen is certainly a buyout candidate whether it’s a regular one or a compliance one if those are allowed.  In your scenario, compliance buyouts of both would probably allow them to replace Steen with someone making about half of Steen’s $5.75MM price tag but it’s probably not going to happen.  The likelier scenario is buying Steen out and trying to clear some mid-tier salaries (Jake Allen and Oskar Sundqvist come to mind) for cheap replacements and try to leverage what should be a depressed free agent market into cobbling a way to keep Pietrangelo in the fold.

curtism88: All the talk in the MLB is about how much players will or won’t get paid when the season starts. How have talks in the NHL progressed so far and could we see a snag similar to MLB?

It’s a much different situation in the NHL and MLB simply because of where they are.  MLB owners want to institute an entirely new economic system for this season that would bring in revenue sharing and salaries (beyond the small amounts they were paid at the end of spring training) would be based off of that.  MLBTR has the details on that one so I won’t jump into that here other than to say they have a bit of a mountain to climb based on the early response.  Meanwhile, the NHL is trying to end their season and there is only one payment that players haven’t received yet.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic noted on Friday (Twitter link) that an NHLPA vote is being conducted this weekend to potentially defer it further (closer to a resumption of play).

Effectively, MLB is working on a revised schedule and salary structure while the NHL is basically just trying to either wrap up its regular season or jump to the playoffs.  Any potential snag at this point in the NHL would be tied strictly to safety and family concerns while MLB has that to deal with plus the financial situation which at this point is probably the bigger hurdle they’re trying to jump over.

By all accounts, talks between the NHL and NHLPA in that regard have gone relatively well.  They’re not at the point of a concrete proposal yet (whereas MLB owners have a formal proposal in place) but there hasn’t been a lot of public posturing on either side.  Not every player is going to want to return but I think enough either do or understand the ramifications of not returning are less than ideal that there shouldn’t be a ton of resistance.  A lot depends on the various jurisdictions in terms of allowable public gatherings which could impact how conditioning camps are held.  The 14-day self-quarantine window in Canada after travelling will also play a role.  Work visas typically run until June 30 so some work needs to be done there as well.  If play doesn’t resume, I suspect it will be due to virus-related issues more than the league and Players’ Association not finding common ground on a proposal to resume play.

ldoggnation: The AHL called the season over. Is that a precursor to the NHL doing the same? And (unfortunately) if so, when would the NHL call it?

Winter in Colorado: The AHL has cancelled its season. All the pundits say that league is dependent on ticket sales for revenue. Not all AHL teams are owned by their parent NHL club. With the possibility of no fans in attendance next year, is the AHL truly in trouble?

To be honest, I’m surprised it took the AHL as long as it did to make the obvious call official.  There was no way that they’d be able to resume games anytime soon and from an economic standpoint, they don’t have the TV and sponsorship deals that would allow them to at least mitigate some of the losses from not having ticket sales that the NHL does.  I wouldn’t attribute that as a precursor to the NHL considering the same though.  I believe Gary Bettman when he said he has no intention of calling the season.  With a willingness to delay the start of 2020-21 into December and play into the summer if needed, they can wait this out for a while yet.

With nearly two-thirds of AHL teams being owned by NHL franchises, I don’t think the league as a whole is in any sort of long-term jeopardy.  NHL teams need minor league affiliates and they will do their best to ensure the stability of that league.  I wouldn’t be shocked if there are less than 31 teams next season, however, as independently-owned franchises may not have the same desire to open up with no fans (or a sizable restriction on them).

It’s one thing to wipe out the end of a season due to no fans being able to attend but the NHL teams that own AHL franchises aren’t going to be as willing to throw away an entire year of development; fans or not, they’re going to want to run at least some sort of schedule next season.  I could see some of the independent teams suspending operations for a year, forcing their parent team to try to team up with others in that situation or find a few teams to loan a handful of players each to.  That was quite common not that long ago so in the short-term that should work again.  There will be some pain for next season in the AHL but the league as a whole should remain on solid footing assuming things eventually get back to ‘normal’.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Uncategorized PHR Mailbag| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

4 comments

East Notes: Domi, Columbus Injuries, Bracco

May 16, 2020 at 11:50 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

Canadiens forward Max Domi is Montreal’s most notable restricted free agent case this offseason.  After having a breakout year in his first season with the team that saw him record 72 points, his output has dropped considerably this year with just 44 points in 71 games.  He also has spent time on the wing after playing exclusively at center a year ago.  On the surface, another bridge contract could make sense but as he’s just two years away from unrestricted free agency, doing so would carry some risk.

Speaking with reporters on a conference call, including Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, the 25-year-old indicated that there hasn’t been much in the way of substantive contract talks.  While some teams are hesitant to talk about extensions due to the salary cap situation, the Canadiens aren’t a team that should be as concerned by that as they have been well under the cap over the last few seasons.  However, it appears they’ll wait until the season ends before getting those talks underway.

More from the East:

  • Some teams will greatly benefit from this pause in the schedule if games eventually resume and one of those is the Blue Jackets. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch provides an update on their long list of injuries, noting that defensemen Seth Jones and Dean Kukan as well as wingers Oliver Bjorkstrand, Alexandre Texier, Cam Atkinson, and Nathan Gerbe are all ready to return.  Winger Josh Anderson is also a possibility depending on when games were to actually take place; he was listed as out four-to-six months following shoulder surgery just after the trade deadline.  The earliest he could play is July if he’s on the quicker end of that timetable.  Meanwhile, center Brandon Dubinsky (wrist) remains out long-term and isn’t expected to play if the season returns.
  • It has been a tough year for Maple Leafs prospect Jeremy Bracco. The 23-year-old was second in the AHL in scoring last season but has yet to get an NHL opportunity with Toronto.  His output dipped this year to just 34 points in 44 games and the team was not able to find a new home for him after his midseason trade request.  Sportsnet’s Luke Fox notes that an exit interview was conducted with him following the cancellation of the AHL season which means he will not be among Toronto’s ‘Black Aces’ for the stretch run and playoffs.  Bracco is slated to be a restricted free agent this summer and it seems as if a change of scenery could very well be in the cards given how he has dropped on the depth chart.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Montreal Canadiens| Toronto Maple Leafs Max Domi

5 comments

Ales Hemsky Announces Retirement

May 15, 2020 at 7:20 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 9 Comments

Veteran NHL forward Ales Hemsky announced his retirement on Thursday at the age of 36. This may come as a surprise to many, who likely assumed that Hemsky had retired years ago as he has not played since 2017-18. However, often a player’s final season of play and the point in which he gives up the pursuit of getting back to the pro game come at two different times. Such is the case with Hemsky; after more than two years of trying to work back from a concussion suffered early in the 2017-18 season, The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro relayed that Hemsky officially called it a career today.

Hemsky quietly did very well for himself in his career. A first-round pick of the Oilers in 2001, Hemsky played 15 NHL seasons, including 11 in Edmonton. In over 800 career games, Hemsky recorded nearly 600 points and established himself as a slick and creative play-maker. He had an unforgettable 2005-06 season, recording a career-high 77 points despite just modest ice time and adding an additional 17 points in the playoffs during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final.

However, Hemsky could never quite shake the injury bug and it is worth wondering what kind of player he might have been if he could have stayed healthy. Hemsky started strong, playing in 70+ games in four of his first five full NHL season, but only did so three more times over the rest of his career. He missed all but 22 games due to a shoulder injury in 2009-10 and struggled to stay on the ice the following season to the tune of just 47 games. Then, later in his career, back-to-back injuries effectively ended his playing days. Coming off a strong season with the Dallas Stars in 2015-16, Hemsky suffered a major hip injury early the next season and missed all but 15 games. He then signed with the Montreal Canadiens in the off-season and suffered the aforementioned concussion just seven games into the year.

In a recent piece by The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman, he writes that Hemsky battled depression following his injuries, but held out hope that he could return to the NHL. Back in Dallas, he was working out and participating in alumni activities, but could never quite make it back to game shape. A career of physical damage was simply too much to overcome. He tells Nugent-Bowman that he has made peace with his career and happy to be focused on his family and his health.

Dallas Stars| Edmonton Oilers| Injury| Montreal Canadiens| Retirement Ales Hemsky

9 comments

PHR Panel: Revisiting The 2018 Draft

May 15, 2020 at 5:00 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

We’re now two months into an NHL postponement and there is still no clear timeline on when professional hockey will return. While fans of the sport have received small tidbits of news over that time, including college signings and contract extensions, the thirst for discussion has rarely been quenched.

With that in mind, we’re happy to continue our new feature: The PHR Panel. Our writing staff will give our individual takes on a question many hockey fans have been wondering about. If you’d ever like to submit a subject for us to discuss, be sure to put it in the comments.

To catch up on the previous edition, click here.

Today, with the 2020 draft still not set in stone, we take a look at how some top picks are performing a few years into their careers.

Q: Who will end up being the best player from the 2018 draft?

Brian La Rose: 

Back in 2018, the answer was Rasmus Dahlin. Nearly two years later, I don’t think that answer has changed.

While the Sabres have continued to struggle even with Dahlin in the fold, it certainly hasn’t been because of him. He had a lot thrown at him during his rookie season, perhaps too much for an 18-year-old defenseman. Despite that, he still did quite well. He was even better this season and was on pace to set new career-highs in points in spite of a dip in playing time if it wasn’t for a concussion and a minor upper-body issue that cost him ten games combined.

Defensively, Dahlin is still a little shaky at times but that’s par for the course for a young blueliner. He has made considerable improvements over his first two years and that should continue as he plays more and gets stronger.

At the end of the day, I’m not sure he’ll be the top offensive defender from this class but Dahlin’s all-around game will be enough to put him ahead of Quinn Hughes in terms of value. There will be some quality scorers from the 2018 draft (there already are) but they won’t be able to impact the game like a franchise defender that should consistently log over 25 minutes a night in his prime. Buffalo picking Dahlin back in June of 2018 signaled that they felt he was the best player in his draft class. There’s little reason to think otherwise at this point.

Holger Stolzenberg:

There are quite a few players that I like from this draft, but I’m going to go with the belief that the Buffalo Sabres got it right. Yes, Dahlin may not be that flashy defenseman who immediately dominated the league like fellow young blueliners Cale Makar and Hughes. Yet Dahlin is exactly what the team needed and has filled a major role in the two years he’s been in the league.

While his numbers look rather pedestrian through two seasons with 84 combined points, considering his status as the first-overall pick in 2018, those are actually impressive numbers for a teenaged blueliner. While they hardly compare to the first two seasons that Phil Housley had with Buffalo (he had 143 points), the league was quite different back in the early 80s with more goal scoring. In fact, the Sabres average more than one fewer goal per game now than they did back then, suggesting that Dahlin is much more comparable.

Now 20 years old, Dahlin is getting close to hitting his prime and should eventually have that breakout year to prove that he’s the best player in this draft. The blueliner has proven to be solid defensively and has good offensive skills, both of which should only get better. He will be a great player for years to come. We just might have to wait a little longer to see that play out.

Zach Leach: 

The 2018 draft class has yet to produce enough players with considerable NHL experience to truly make an educated guess on this question. Many, like college standouts Scott Perunovich (STL) and Tyler Madden (LAK), have yet to even debut, while some top picks like Oliver Wahlstrom (NYI) and Evan Bouchard (EDM) have only played in a handful of games. I like all four of these players to have good NHL careers, but I simply don’t have the sample size I need to say that any could be the best player of the class.

For now, I still consider the players that I personally felt were the top four players in the 2018 class to be the leading contenders to have the best NHL career: Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov, Buffalo’s Dahlin, Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk, and Vancouver’s Hughes (I had Wahlstrom at No. 5). Even in the midst of Dahlin mania back in June 2018, I felt Svechnikov was a special talent and a dynamic presence that was deserving of being the top overall pick. That’s why I listed him first and will stick with him as the player that I feel has the best chance to be the top player in his class. Dahlin, Tkachuk, and especially Hughes have certainly shown that they can be elite players and difference-makers for their respective franchises, but I feel that Svechnikov will outplay and outlast the field.

Svechnikov, who leads the 2018 class in goals, points, and games played, has already asserted himself as a franchise centerpiece for the Hurricanes. He has the natural offensive instincts as well as the willingness to play physically and win puck battles to be a scoring threat and key presence on offense for a long time still to come. I do not see Svechnikov’s offense drying up; in fact, his growth from year one to year two shows me that he is absolutely still on the rise and his near point-per-game pace this season is just the beginning of his offensive upside and I feel he will have staying power among the NHL’s elite once he arrives. I see Alex Ovechkin as the ceiling for Svechnikov, which would certainly give him a good chance at the title of best player in the 2018 class, both in ability and longevity.

Gavin Lee:

While I may not quite be on the same level as Zach when it comes to Svechnikov—what a comparable!—I too had him ranked as the best player in 2018 over Dahlin. There’s simply nothing that Svechnikov can’t do offensively. I was actually surprised he didn’t have a better rookie season, but the Hurricanes brought him along slowly with severely limited even-strength minutes and often only had him on the second powerplay unit. There’s nothing wrong with that, but when the team let him loose this season you started to see what Svechnikov is truly capable of.

No, it’s not all lacrosse goals and nifty dangles. The 6’2″ forward is a force when he gets to full speed, and can seemingly still make crisp passes with a defender hanging onto his back. He was on a 73-point pace this season while still averaging fewer than 14 minutes of even-strength ice time. When 16:44 (total) per game starts creeping close to 20:00, watch out for a player who one day may legitimately contend for both the Rocket Richard and Art Ross (remember, he only just turned 20).

There are some outstanding players in the field, but I’ll still put my money on the big Russian.

Uncategorized Andrei Svechnikov| Brady Tkachuk| PHR Panel| Rasmus Dahlin

0 comments

Snapshots: Gudas, CHL Lawsuit, Miller

May 15, 2020 at 1:25 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

The NHL has been clear about their desire to resume and complete the 2019-20 season at some point this summer, but that’s not shared by every player in the league. Radko Gudas was interviewed in the Czech Republic about his concerns for a restart, and Alexandra Petakova of Russian Machine Never Breaks translated it to English. Never one to hide his feelings, Gudas doesn’t think restarting the season is a good idea:

If one guy is infected, basically the whole league has it in a week, given how they are planning to have everyone play against everyone. One stupid stumble and you can cancel it all again.

Perhaps more interesting from the interview however are Gudas’ comments on his future with the Washington Capitals. The veteran defenseman explained that the team is facing a difficult salary cap situation and believes that he and “a lot of the guys with contracts about to expire” will end up leaving the Capitals this offseason. Washington has four players on the NHL roster who are scheduled for unrestricted free agency: Gudas, Ilya Kovalchuk, Brenden Dillon and, perhaps most importantly, Braden Holtby.

  • The CHL has settled a class-action lawsuit that was originally filed in 2014. The legal battle was to determine whether junior players were employees or student-athletes, and the settlement will result in OHL, WHL and QMJHL franchises paying approximately $30MM. These settlement discussions were actually held before the COVID-19 shutdown. As Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes, the approximately $250,000 that each franchise will need to pay is not insignificant for some. This follows recent news that the Portland Winterhawks parent company filed for bankruptcy and are looking for new ownership to take over the franchise.
  • Kevan Miller hasn’t played in an NHL game for more than a year, and revealed yesterday that he is eight weeks removed from another surgical procedure on his right knee. A fractured kneecap ended his 2018-19 season and kept him out for all of this year, but he is still working to be ready for the start of the 2020-21 campaign. If he is ready to play again, where he hits the ice isn’t clear. The veteran defenseman’s contract is expiring and though the Boston Bruins have admitted they will “entertain the opportunity” of bringing him back, a tightening salary cap won’t make it easy.

Boston Bruins| CHL| Free Agency| Legal| OHL| QMJHL| Snapshots| WHL| Washington Capitals Elliotte Friedman| Kevan Miller

6 comments

Washington Capitals Extend AHL Affiliation

May 15, 2020 at 10:13 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Washington Capitals and Hershey Bears will be back together for several more years. The two organizations have announced a new affiliation agreement that runs through 2023-24. Capitals GM Brian MacLellan released a statement:

We have enjoyed our long-lasting partnership with the Hershey Bears and are excited to extend our affiliation. Hershey has a tremendous history within the American Hockey League. They are well-run and a first-class organization. We believe the franchise’s winning culture provides our prospects with the best opportunity to develop.

The two teams have been affiliated for the last 15 years, during which Hershey has experienced an incredible amount of success. They have made the playoffs in 12 of the affiliated seasons while winning three Calder Cup championships.

Washington too has experienced a ton of success, as they continue to develop and produce quality NHL talent from their pipeline in Hershey. A huge portion of the 2019-20 roster has spent at least some time with the Bears.

One of the best examples of the partnership perhaps is with Ilya Samsonov, the Capitals young star goaltender. Already three years into his professional career in Russia, Samsonov came over this season and was originally assigned to the minor leagues. There’s no doubt that the structure and success of Hershey helped convince him to spend some time there, getting his feet wet before making his breakthrough into the NHL.

Hershey continues to lead the AHL in attendance, drawing over 8,700 fans per game this season.

AHL| Prospects| Washington Capitals Ilya Samsonov

0 comments

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

May 14, 2020 at 3:30 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 15 Comments

There has never been a more uncertain time in the NHL, with no clear plan on how or when the season will resume. Front offices are preparing for the draft–whenever that will be–and a playoff that may include as many as 24 teams. Which team will benefit from the break? Which team will suffer? How will next year’s schedule look?

With those questions and many more in mind, it’s time to run our first mailbag of the pause. You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. Make sure to get your questions in early and we’ll try to get through as many of them as possible when the mailbag runs on the weekend.

Uncategorized PHR Mailbag

15 comments

Dominik Simon Recovering From Shoulder Surgery

May 14, 2020 at 3:26 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

If the playoffs do resume at some point this summer, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be without the services of Dominik Simon. The team announced today that Simon actually underwent surgery on April 29th to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He had originally suffered the injury in late February missing the last few games before the season was shut down.

Simon is expected to be out for six to seven months. Normally that would mean missing the start of next season, but given the uncertain start date that can’t be assumed at this point.

The 25-year old forward had seven goals and 22 points for the Penguins in 64 games this season, even spending some time alongside Sidney Crosby on the top line. With an injury ruling him out for any playoffs, the focus can now move to his next contract.

On the second season of a two-year contract with the Penguins, Simon carries just a $750K cap hit. Given that he is eligible for arbitration that number will surely increase, though just how much is still unclear. The fifth-round pick has been a useful depth piece, but still only has 19 goals in his 173-game NHL career.

Injury| Pittsburgh Penguins Dominik Simon

2 comments

Snapshots: LTIR, Burdasov, Cohen

May 14, 2020 at 12:56 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 5 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the most financially-powerful organizations in the league, backed by multi-billion dollar companies with one of the strongest markets in North America. They’ve used that financial might in past decades to buy up expensive, high-profile talent from around the league but have little to show for it in terms of team success. Since the salary cap was introduced they’ve tried to find creative ways to get an advantage, most notably with their use of long-term injured reserve and acquiring players like Nathan Horton and David Clarkson who were never expected to play again.

Now with Clarkson and Horton’s contracts expiring, Frank Seravalli of TSN suggests that the Maple Leafs could be on the lookout for some new dead money to give them extra cap flexibility next season. He breaks down five options the team might go after but notes that Ryan Kesler’s contract may be the most suitable. Kesler underwent major hip surgery last year and is unlikely to play again, but still has two years remaining on his contract with the Anaheim Ducks. As Seravalli reports, 80% of the salary owed to Kesler is covered by insurance but the veteran forward still carries a cap hit of $6.875MM.

  • For the last several years there has been talk of Anton Burdasov considering a transition to the NHL, with the Russian forward even signing a professional tryout with the Edmonton Oilers last summer. Burdasov was apparently only interested in a one-way deal, something that he didn’t receive with the Oilers at the time. It looks like that opportunity won’t be coming anytime soon, as the 29-year old just signed a new two-year contract in the KHL.
  • After a report surfaced earlier this week that Ahron Cohen had left the Arizona Coyotes, the team officially announced their “mutual” parting today. Cohen was the team’s president and CEO but was hired long before new owner Alex Meruelo took over the organization. The announcement includes that the Coyotes “will immediately begin a search to fill the role of president and CEO.”

KHL| Snapshots| Toronto Maple Leafs| Utah Mammoth David Clarkson| Nathan Horton| Salary Cap

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