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Toronto Maple Leafs Extend Adam Brooks

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have locked up one of their young depth forwards, signing Adam Brooks to a two-year two-way contract extension. The deal will carry an average annual value of $725K in the NHL. Brooks was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this offseason.

It’s hard to really call Brooks a prospect at this point in his career, even though he has only played seven games in the NHL. The 24-year old was originally selected in the fourth round by the Maple Leafs in 2016 after dominating the WHL, but his progression as a professional has been slow and relatively unspectacular. The 5’10” forward has always been more of a playmaker than a goal-scorer, but it’s his work ethic that will have to be the thing that gets him an opportunity at the next level.

The Maple Leafs are always on the lookout for cheap talent to add to their roster thanks to the heavy contracts at the top, but at this point Brooks is likely still penciled into a role with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. Should the 2019-20 playoffs resume, he will likely be one of the team’s “Black Aces,” recalled to skate and practice with the NHL team in case of injury.

Even though Brooks will still be only 26 when this contract expires, there seems to be a good chance that he will become an unrestricted free agent. He would need to play in another 73 NHL games to avoid Group VI UFA status in the summer of 2022.

AHL Notes: Capitals, Next Season, Vegas Affiliate

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Hershey has been the AHL affiliate for the Capitals since 2005 and it appears that pairing will continue.  Bears president Bryan Helmer told reporters, including J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington, that while the affiliation agreement is up at the end of the season (suggesting the official expiration is in the next month or two), they are in talks with Washington about an extension to that agreement.  In the meantime, Helmer indicated that he has been in talks with management from the Caps regarding which players they’d like to see brought back for next season which is a strong indication that both sides expect to get an affiliation extension completed in the near future.

Other news and notes from around the AHL:

  • While it’s possible that league play could return next season without fans, outgoing AHL president David Andrews told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski that in that scenario, it’s unlikely that all 31 teams would participate. While 19 of the 31 teams are owned by their parent NHL franchise, the other 12 are locally-owned.  Those ones may not have the financial wherewithal or willingness to run without their primary source of revenue.  In the past, teams without AHL affiliates have partnered up with other teams to loan some prospects out and that would be a likely scenario for the 2020-21 campaign.
  • The Golden Knights’ affiliate will be closer to home next season as they will be playing out of the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. However, their time there may be short-lived.  Blake Apgar of the Las Vegas Review-Journal relays information about the proposed arena in Henderson that would be the home of their AHL squad in the near future.  The facility, which will be voted on next week, is slated to cost $80MM and be split between the city and the Golden Knights.  If approved, the target opening would be for the 2022-23 season.

Stretch Run Storylines: Los Angeles Kings

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As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues and play doesn’t jump immediately to the postseason, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the weeks ahead, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We continue our look at the Pacific Division with Los Angeles.

It is not the best of times in Los Angeles right now.  Last season, both John Stevens and Willie Desjardins weren’t able to lead the team to the postseason.  They brought in Todd McLellan for this season but he hasn’t fared any better aside from the Kings going from last in the division to second last before the stoppage in the schedule.  If there is a stretch run, the focus will be on next season which is where our storylines look.

Left Defense Battle

To say that the Kings have a weakness on the left side of their back end would be putting it lightly.  Any remaining games are going to be chances for veterans like Ben Hutton and Joakim Ryan to make their final push for a contract for next season.  It’s possible that one of them returns but with GM Rob Blake indicating earlier this month that they’re expecting to add on that side before the start of next season, both getting brought back seems less likely.

On top of that, Mikey Anderson will probably be given a chance to stake his case for a full-time spot in 2020-21 as well.  He didn’t look out of place in a six-game stint after the trade deadline that saw him log at least 18 minutes a game in each of those.  Any remaining regular season action would be beneficial from a development perspective at the very least and if he shows that he may be ready for a regular role, it would give Blake a little bit more flexibility heading into the offseason.

Vilardi Showcase

It has been a rough couple of seasons when it comes to center Gabriel Vilardi as back injuries have lingered.  He was able to see some regular action with AHL Ontario this season and fared pretty well with 25 points in 32 games in what was basically his first real tour through the minors as a 20-year-old.

The Kings took notice and brought him up just before the trade deadline and he responded with a goal and an assist in his NHL debut.  Just before the break, he had points in three straight games and sits at seven points in ten contests despite not even averaging 13 minutes per game.

That caution was understandable as this was basically his first extended action in the better part of two years; it made sense to ease him in instead of giving him a big role right away.  But with this extended pause, the time may be right to ramp up his minutes if regular season play resumes.  Yes, the games will largely be meaningless but Vilardi is one of their top prospects and any opportunity to give him NHL minutes is useful.  Seeing him healthy and rested is something they’ve yet to be able to do.  This will be their chance.

Petersen’s Potential

The trade of Jack Campbell to Toronto just before the trade deadline paved the way for Calvin Petersen to be promoted to the full-time backup role.  He played well following the recall, posting a 2.64 GAA and a .922 SV% in eight games.  Those numbers were nearly identical to what he put up in an 11-game stint last season (2.61 GAA, .924 SV%).  However, they’re also a lot better than what he accomplished with AHL Ontario over that same stretch so there are certainly question marks about his ability to contribute at the NHL level.

With Jonathan Quick’s play tailing off over the last couple of years, there are viable questions about how much longer he’ll able to hold down the number one job.  At the very least, they need to explore moving closer to a time-sharing situation and the Kings did take a step in that direction this season.  If regular season play returns, this would be a good opportunity to give Petersen some more game action.  Can he play at the level that he has in his brief NHL action or will his performance revert closer to his AHL numbers?  While a few largely meaningless games wouldn’t entirely answer that question, this would be a good time to test him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

League Notes: Bettman, Draft, PWHPA

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Canceling the 2019-20 NHL season without awarding the Stanley Cup is not something commissioner Gary Bettman is “even considering” according to Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Bettman was confident in his answers that this season would be completed at some point, even if it does appear more and more likely that any resumption of play would move directly into a playoff.

Other reports have emerged, like the one from Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now, indicating that Arizona could be a hub to host playoff games at some point. That comes after the state’s governor announced that major league sports will be able to operate after Friday, May 15th. That very clearly does not mean that the NHL will be jumping back onto the ice in Arizona this weekend, but it does mean there may be a path forward for the state to host some games in the future—especially considering Bettman’s confidence that the season will resume.

  • As for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, deputy commissioner Bill Daly had his own update. Daly told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) that they will likely have some news to announce next week on when the draft will be held. A June draft before the completion of the season, which at one point seemed inevitable, has lost momentum recently but is still an option for the league. Of course, the draft will be virtual and is not expected to be held in Montreal as originally planned.
  • Though not exactly a league, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association has announced some changes in its own structure for the upcoming season. After spending a year touring the continent playing showcase tournaments, the PWHPA will now focus on five regional training hubs for their members based in Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, New Hampshire and Minnesota. There will now be try-outs for each training group (which will consist of 25 players) and they will be provided with additional resources.

U.S. National Junior Team Coaching Staff Announced

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You won’t be able to blame a lack of coaching experience if Team USA experiences another disappointment at the 2021 World Junior Championship. After failing to advance past the quarterfinal in this year’s tournament, the team is looking for some revenge in a few months. Today the team announced the rest of the coaching staff that will surround Providence College head coach Nate Leaman behind the bench. Ted Donato, head coach at Harvard, Kris Mayotte, assistant coach at Michigan and Steve Miller, associate coach at Ohio State will all be assistants for the tournament. The team will also bring in Theresa Feaster as a video coach, making her the first female to ever serve on the coaching staff of a U.S. National Junior team.

Almost the entire group has experience together at Providence and brings a huge amount of experience to the tournament. The question now becomes how exactly the team will be constructed, given the Summer Showcase will not be happening this year. The event is usually used to gather the top prospects for the WJC and test them against each other, seeing which mix will provide the most success.

Of course, all of this is assuming that a 2021 tournament actually happens, which is not at all certain at this point. Recently, Bob McKenzie of TSN explained that Hockey Canada is still discussing the feasibility of hosting the event in Edmonton or potentially even holding it without any fans.

Snapshots: Cohen, Lehtera, Vasilevskiy

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According to Craig Morgan of The Athletic (subscription required) the Arizona Coyotes have parted ways with Ahron Cohen, who has been with the club in various capacities for the last five years. Cohen was named president and CEO in 2018.

The Coyotes were purchased by Alex Meruelo last summer, who may want to install his own hand-picked head of business operations. Cohen did not run the hockey operations side, which is still under the control of John Chayka.

  • Jori Lehtera is staying in the KHL for another season, after signing a one-year deal with Spartak today. The former St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers forward last played in the NHL during the 2018-19 season, but found himself playing for SKA St. Petersburg during the most recent campaign. The 32-year old is a former Olympic, World Championship and World Cup competitor for Finland and scored 111 points in 307 NHL games.
  • Alexei Vasilevskiy, the older brother of a certain Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender, broke out offensively this season with 26 points in 59 games for Yekaterinburg. That doesn’t mean he’s going to be following his sibling to North America however, as the 27-year old defenseman has re-signed with the squad for another three seasons.

Montreal Canadiens Agree To Terms With Cameron Hillis

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The Montreal Canadiens have signed another top prospect, agreeing to terms with Cameron Hillis on a three-year entry-level contract. Hillis finished this season as captain of the Guelph Storm, his third season in the OHL.

After an injury-plagued 2018-19 season that saw Hillis play in just 33 games for the Storm, the 19-year old center came roaring back in 2019-20. In 62 games as captain he recorded 24 goals and 83 points, the best totals of his junior career. That obviously sparked the Canadiens interest again, though it’s hard to imagine they ever really lost faith in the third-round pick.

Undersized but feisty, Hillis will have to make the leap to professional hockey next season and test himself with the Laval Rocket of the AHL.

Henrik Borgstrom Linked To Jokerit Of The KHL

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Henrik Borgstrom’s stock has certainly fallen over the last couple of years.  When he left the University of Denver in 2018 after a stellar sophomore season, he looked like a can’t-miss prospect that was ready to step in and play a regular role for the Panthers in the immediate future.  Fast forward to today and he has yet to lock down a full-time spot.  His next move may be heading overseas as a report from Jatkoaika’s Antti Parnanen notes that Borgstrom is in talks with Jokerit of the KHL for a contract for next season.

The 22-year-old played in 50 games with Florida in 2018-19 but saw that number dip to just four this season.  Instead, he spent most of the year with AHL Springfield and his numbers there didn’t exactly jump off the charts with 23 points in 49 games.  For context, he had 22 points in just 24 AHL contests a year ago.  Accordingly, it’s fair to suggest that he has dropped a little bit on Florida’s depth chart along the way.

Borgstrom will be eligible for waivers starting next season and given his upside, it’s a fairly safe bet that he wouldn’t be back in the AHL next season as someone would undoubtedly take a chance on him if Florida was to put him on the wire.  However, while he could hold his own as a 12th or 13th forward on a roster, that may not be the best for him from a long-term perspective.

A season overseas back home with Jokerit – the program he developed in before coming to North America – could certainly help get him back on track.  There, he’d have an opportunity to play in an offensive role and boost his stock.  It would be a similar approach to what Edmonton winger Jesse Puljujarvi did this season where he went back home and was among the top scorers in the SM-liiga.

Of course, the ongoing pandemic could certainly play a role here as well.  At this stage, it certainly seems possible that the2020-21 campaign is unlikely to start as scheduled whereas the KHL is currently planning to start around their usual time in September.  Going there would ensure that he’s playing next season and still open up the possibility to come back to North America partway through the next NHL campaign.  Parnanen adds that if Borgstrom and Jokerit do indeed reach an agreement, it likely wouldn’t be signed until the fate of the current NHL season is determined.

If Borgstrom does go overseas, the Panthers would be able to retain his rights as a restricted free agent by tendering him a qualifying offer this offseason.  He’s not eligible for salary arbitration and wouldn’t be after a season in the KHL either but a strong season with them could certainly bolster his negotiating position, one that will be rather low after the year he just had.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Stretch Run Storylines: Anaheim Ducks

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As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues (something the league remains hopeful of doing), there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the weeks ahead, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We continue our look at the Pacific Division with Anaheim.

After struggling mightily in the second half of last year, the Ducks wound up at the bottom of the league in goals scored and sixth in the division.  Not much has changed this season despite Dallas Eakins being behind the bench.  They’re still in the bottom five in goals scored and once again sit sixth in the division.  Despite being out of contention, there still are a few things to watch for them down the stretch.

Scoring ‘Race’

The Ducks don’t have anyone in the top-100 in NHL scoring (one of the by-products of being a team near the bottom of the league in goals) but they do have one of the more interesting team scoring races to follow.  Their top four point-getters are within four points of each other while the top three are only separated by a single point.  The top of their leaderboard is as follows:

Adam Henrique: 43 points
Rickard Rakell: 42 points
Ryan Getzlaf: 42 points
Jakob Silfverberg: 39 points

It seems unlikely that any of these players will crack the 50-point mark which would make it the second straight season that no one reaches that total which is somewhat rare in recent years.  But at the very least, it’s a ‘race’ that would go down to the wire.

Swan Song For Miller?

Veteran goaltender Ryan Miller has seemingly been on retirement watch for the last few years.  The Ducks convinced him to stick around last June and gave him a one-year deal that had more performance bonuses ($1.2MM) than base salary ($1.125MM).  He has provided an okay return on that investment as well with a 3.10 GAA and a .907 SV% in 23 appearances.  For context, starter John Gibson’s numbers are nearly identical with a 3.00 GAA and a .904 SV%.  Miller’s numbers are a step back from a year ago but as far as backups go this season, he has still done enough to earn another contract.

But will he want to suit up for what would be his 18th NHL campaign?  Miller will turn 40 in July and has ties to the Southern California area that would realistically limit his options if Anaheim wasn’t going to re-sign him.  At the outbreak of this pandemic, he told James Mirtle of The Athletic (subscription required) that it was too soon to ponder his playing future but that was two months ago.  By the time regular season play resumes (if it does at all), there’s a good chance that he’ll have decided on whether or not it’s time to hang up his skates.  Even if not, his last few games may be the final one of what has been a very strong NHL career.

Youth Movement

The cancellation of the AHL season means that the post-deadline recall restrictions will be lifted.  For a team like the Ducks who have quite a few players with AHL San Diego that will be pushing for roster spots in the near future.  This makes any remaining games effectively like a mini training camp before next season’s camp which will make this otherwise largely meaningless stretch a lot more important.

Up front, Troy Terry would have a lot to prove.  He struggled during the first half of the year but was productive in the minors and he’d likely be given a shot.  Maxime Comtois and Isac Lundestrom are also among their better forward prospects and would be worthy of more NHL testing.

On the back end is where things could be interesting.  Jani Hakanpaa and Brendan Guhle have recently been given contract extensions while Josh Mahura held his own this season in his games with Anaheim.  All three would likely be part of any taxi squad and with veterans Michael Del Zotto and Matt Irwin likely heading for unrestricted free agency this offseason, there are spots open for the taking.  A good showing down the stretch could help one or two of those players lock down a full-time position.

There is a youth movement coming in Anaheim.  It started this season and with their postseason aspirations basically gone (barring a 24-team playoff with six teams per division and no crossovers), this would be a good opportunity for the Ducks to see what some more of these younger players can do.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jack Dugan Agrees To Terms With Vegas Golden Knights

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The Vegas Golden Knights have convinced top college prospect Jack Dugan to join the organization, though it’s not clear exactly when he will sign on the dotted line. The forward recently finished his sophomore season at Providence College where he was named a Hobey Baker top-ten finalist, and will likely be following the precedent set by fellow collegiate star Scott Perunovich. The Golden Knights have not announced a contract, likely meaning Dugan will start his deal with the 2019-20 season should it resume, or 2020-21 if this year is canceled entirely.

Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon was obviously excited about bringing Dugan aboard:

We are pleased to have the opportunity to continue to play a key role in the development of Jack Dugan as both a hockey player and as a young man within our organization. Jack took significant steps in his growth over the past two seasons as one of the best all-around players in college hockey, and has proven that he is ready for the next challenge in his young career.

Dugan, 22, led the entire NCAA in scoring this season with 52 points in 34 games but didn’t end up as a Hat Trick finalist for the Hobey Baker–which Perunovich eventually won. Many believed his omission was a mistake given how dominant he was offensively, but he won’t get a chance to avenge that snub with a junior or senior campaign.

Drafted in the fifth round back in 2017, there’s little more that Dugan could have accomplished over the last three years. He first went to the USHL and finished third in league scoring (while recording over 100 penalty minutes) before stepping right into the college ranks as a playmaking dynamo. The 6’2″ winger has gotten stronger and stronger since his draft year and now is a legitimate power forward who looks ready for the grind of professional hockey while still possessing his strong skating ability and puck skills.

While there may not be a first-line ceiling on Dugan, this is a player that looks ready to contribute to the Golden Knights NHL squad right away. If the 2019-20 season resumes with the playoffs, you could see him in the lineup on opening night.

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