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Minnesota Wild Expected To Have Three-Way Battle In Net

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While an exact roster number for NHL teams remains up in the air, it’s very likely, that NHL teams will have more than just two goaltenders on their roster for the upcoming 24-team playoffs. That could create an interesting scenario for the goaltending situation in Minnesota, where the Wild could have an interesting situation in which three goaltenders are expected to contend for the No. 1 spot on the team.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) suggests that Alex Stalock, who started the season as the backup in Minnesota, would be the leading candidate to be the starter for the Wild. After all, the 32-year-old  finished with a 20-11-4 record with a 2.67 GAA and a .910 save percentage on a team that many thought would be a lottery team. More importantly, he hot after the all-star break, going 9-3-1 with a 2.22 GAA and a .924 save percentage. However, there are two other goalies who could easily make a claim for that No. 1 job.

With what likely will be a four-month layoff during the season, all bets are off on who might take over as the team’s starting goaltender. There is no guarantee that Stalock will be able to continue his hot streak on the ice. There is also a chance that Devan Dubnyk could re-take his old job back. The 34-year-old veteran had a career low in many categories in 2019-20, struggling with a 3.35 GAA and a .890 save percentage in just 30 games. He also made just six appearances after the all-star break with a 3.59 GAA and a .882 save percentage. Regardless, a four-month break could give him the opportunity to re-focus on the season and re-discover his old form.

There is a third option in AHL Goaltender of the Year Kaapo Kahkonen. The 23-year-old dominated in the AHL this year, finishing with a 2.07 GAA and a .927 save percentage in 34 games with the Iowa Wild. He fared decently in five appearances with Minnesota earlier this season with a .913 save percentage. However, with that same four-month layoff, the rookie could get an opportunity to win the starting job in an abbreviated training camp and begin his tenure as the team’s future netminder.

“I think whoever’s here in our training camp is in the mix,” said interim coach Dean Evason. “There could be somebody that is absolutely outstanding through our scrimmages or what have you if we get to that point, and then we’ll be like, ‘Geez, maybe we better put him in.’ As far as our goaltending, we’ve talked to (Stalock and Dubnyk), you hear a lot about, ‘He’s my guy, or this is my guy.’ The guy that’s in the net is the guy on that night. It’s no different than our centericemen. That’s our guy. When the puck drops, that’s our guy. So if it’s Al, if it’s Duby, if it’s Kahkonen, it doesn’t matter to us. It doesn’t matter to the team. Whoever is in there that we deem is going to play well for us in whatever position, I’m sure everybody will support him and we will go forward.”

Snapshots: NHL Rosters, Howard, Devils Draft

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While many NHL teams will begin open up their training facilities on Monday and the league is slowly moving towards getting back into action, there still remains quite a bit to negotiate. One thing that is still being debated is how many players each of the 24 teams will carry once play resumes.

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun notes that while the NHL has suggested 28 skaters, plus goaltenders, that number still must be negotiated with the NHLPA. However, that number isn’t necessarily needed until either Phase 3 or even Phase 4, which gives the two sides time to come up with a proper number.

  • Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News writes that Detroit Red Wings veteran goaltender Jimmy Howard wants to play another one or two seasons before he retires, although he does admit that it might not be with the Red Wings. The 36-year-old would prefer to finish out his career in Detroit, the team that drafted him, but that seems somewhat unlikely to return to a rebuilding team after a career-worst season with a 2-23-2 record with a 4.20 GAA and a .882 save percentage. “I want to keep playing,” said Howard. “This year left such a bitter taste in my mouth. I want to go out there and show people I can still play in this league — I know I’m capable … I personally don’t believe I represent those number (statistics), but I was a big part of the program (losing). I got in my own way a lot instead of letting the play to come. I was overthinking things.”
  • The Athetic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) writes that he believes that with three first-round picks (and two potential lottery picks) in a strong upcoming 2020 draft, the New Jersey Devils are a team that would be strong candidates to grab highly-touted goaltender Yaroslav Askarov with one of those picks. The 17-year-old is one of the highest-rated goaltenders in years, but after a poor showing at the World Juniors this past year, many have watched as his stock has dropped somewhat and with teams generally shying away from taking goaltenders in the first round, there is no clear indication where the young netminder might be taken. Regardless, he has been rated as a lottery pick by many scouts. The scribe adds that even though they have a young netminder in MacKenzie Blackwood, the team should still consider taking the goalie, especially since they have three first-rounders. The Devils already have the sixth-best chance to win the lottery with their own pick, but the team also has the Arizona Coyotes’ first-rounder (acquired in the Taylor Hall trade), but the pick depends on how Arizona fares in the post-season and is top-three protected. New Jersey has a third first-round pick, acquired from Tampa Bay in the Blake Coleman trade (via Vancouver), but that pick is lottery-protected based on Vancouver’s performance in the play-in game.

Atlantic Notes: Fabbri, Agostino, Cajkovic

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While the Red Wings didn’t have much in the way of success this season, one player who was able to turn his career around after being traded there was Robby Fabbri.  After being a role player with St. Louis, he averaged more than 17 minutes a night with Detroit and picked up a respectable 31 points in 52 games along the way.  However, he told Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News that there hasn’t been any talk about a new contract yet although he’s hoping to stick around.  A restricted free agent, the 24-year-old will be owed a qualifying offer of $945K this offseason but he will also be eligible for salary arbitration.

Fabbri also indicated that he would like to change his position.  While he came up through the junior ranks as a center, he has spent the majority of his NHL time on the wing.  The Red Wings gave him a chance to spend a bit of time down the middle late in the year and it went over well; a long-term change back to that role would also certainly help his contract leverage down the road.

Elsewhere around the Atlantic Division:

  • While Kenny Agostino didn’t spend any time with the Maple Leafs this season, he will be on Toronto’s expanded roster for the play-in round and postseason, notes Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. He signed a two-year deal with them last summer after playing in 63 NHL games between Montreal and New Jersey but wound up spending all of 2019-20 with the AHL Marlies where he had 49 points in 53 games.  While the exact allowable roster size is still to be negotiated as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic noted (Twitter link) earlier today, the current proposal from the league would see teams being allowed to carry 28 skaters.
  • As the QMJHL draft continues today, Lightning prospect Maxim Cajkovic finds himself on the move. The Val-d’Or Foreurs announced that they’ve acquired the 19-year-old in exchange for four draft picks.  Cajkovic was a third-round pick of Tampa Bay last June (89th overall) after his rookie junior season.  Injuries limited him to just 36 games this season but he was productive in those, collecting 18 goals and 24 assists while adding a pair of helpers for Slovakia at the World Juniors.  Cajkovic has until June 1 of next year to sign his entry-level deal or go back into the draft.

Metropolitan Storylines: Philadelphia Flyers

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While the stretch run is officially over with the NHL’s declaration that the play-in games won’t be part of the regular season, we still have one division left to get to in our Stretch Run Storylines series.  We now shift the focus to the Metropolitan Division with an eye on things to watch for in the postseason.  Next up is a look at Philadelphia.

Just before play was suspended due to the ongoing pandemic, the Flyers were on a roll having won nine of their last ten games.  That helped propel them to second place in the division and while they weren’t able to lock down the top spot, they’ve positioned themselves to have a shot at the top seed in the East as they’ll be playing a round-robin tournament (with Washington, Boston, and Tampa Bay) while the next eight teams in the conference will be participating in the Play-In Round.  Here are some of the storylines surrounding Philadelphia for when their postseason gets underway.

Step-Up Scorer?

The Flyers were one of the top-scoring teams in the league during the regular season with 232 goals which was good for sixth overall.  On the surface, it would seem like they have a go-to scorer or two that could get them that key goal at a critical time.  But they don’t really have that and instead boast more of a by-committee attack.  Travis Konecny led the way during the regular season with 24 goals and even if you factor in that they lost the final 13 games due to COVID-19, he still wasn’t quite on pace to hit the 30-goal mark.  That’s a bit low for a team that was battling for the top spot in the East.

On the positive side, spreading out the attack makes it tougher for the opposition to key in on one top unit.  We’ve seen in recent years that teams can have some success in the playoffs with that type of approach and while the other teams that will be jockeying for seeding when play resumes, the Flyers will be the one team that stands out for being different in their approach.

Wingers James van Riemsdyk (now recovered from his finger fracture) and Jakub Voracek both had tough seasons while center Claude Giroux took a step back from well.  Giroux, in particular, has had a knack for stepping up in the postseason and could be one to watch for but all three have to be considered bounce-back options to watch for.

Gostisbehere’s Role

2018-19 wasn’t a great year for defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere.  While he still managed to put up 37 points in 78 games, that was a far cry from the 65 he had a season before.  Things got a lot worse this season.  Offensively, the 27-year-old struggled mightily, recording just a dozen points in 42 contests.  Yes, he missed 21 games with knee issues but he was also a frequent healthy scratch down the stretch.

Will that continue into the postseason?  If head coach Alain Vigneault wasn’t comfortable using him late in the year, it’s difficult to think he’s currently in their projected top six.  Much can change between now and then though.

Assuming Gostisbehere’s role is at best limited in Philadelphia’s postseason run, it’s certainly going to further call into question his long-term future with the team.  With the Upper Limit of the salary cap appearing unlikely to move up much over the next couple of years, he could quickly go from being a nice luxury to have to one they won’t be able to afford.  A minimal role in these playoffs won’t help his value.  Of course, if he gets an opportunity and makes the most of it, that might be enough to boost his trade value after appearing to have a relatively soft market at the trade deadline.

Hart’s First Postseason

This will be Carter Hart’s first career postseason action and while he’s firmly entrenched as Philadelphia’s goalie of the future, how he performs could affect their offseason plans.  No, they’re not going to bring in someone that’s going to challenge him for the number one role but this postseason should be a good testing ground to see if they believe Hart is ready for a heavier workload.

If that’s the case, perhaps they’d be able to set their sights on a cheaper backup goalie and use some of their savings at another position.  On the flip side, if he struggles, that might be enough for GM Chuck Fletcher to think that he needs a backup that can play a bit more in a pinch.  (Whether that’s Brian Elliott again or someone else remains to be seen.)

There’s no doubt that Hart is a fixture in their long-term plans but how he performs this postseason may be enough to factor into their short-term plans for next season when it comes to his backup.  That’s certainly not going to provide any extra pressure on the 21-year-old but between going through his first playoff run, this should be something to follow.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Joel Persson Returns To SHL

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After a season in the NHL, defenseman Joel Persson is headed back to his native Sweden. In fact, he will return to the SHL’s Vaxjo Lakers, the same team he played with for the two seasons prior to his jump to North America. The team has announced a new three-year deal with Persson that will keep him in Sweden through the 2022-23 season.

Persson, 26, actually signed his first NHL deal with the Edmonton Oilers in 2018. However, he stayed with Vaxjo on loan through the 2018-19 season before inking a one-year extension with Edmonton. He arrived in the NHL this season and recorded two points in 13 games with the Oilers, adding 16 points in 27 games with AHL Bakersfield. Persson was traded to the Anaheim Ducks at the deadline, but did make an appearance with the team and was held scoreless in the minors as well. So while a recent report noted that the Ducks had communicated with all of their pending free agents, it is no surprise that there was no mutual interest in a continued relationship between Anaheim and Persson.

While Persson’s first season in North America was not a failure, it didn’t live up to the expectations set by his meteoric rise in Sweden. Fortunately, he is still young enough to make the decision to return home without it eliminating the chance of an NHL comeback. Persson will be 29 when his new deal with Vaxjo expires. Based off his performance in his first two years in the SHL – 65 points in 101 games and league championship – his stock will likely be even higher at that time. NHL teams will likely be keeping tabs on the talented puck-moving, right-handed blue liner over the next few years. It’s quite possible that this is not the last of Persson in the league.

2020 QMJHL First Round Draft Results

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While we don’t know when the 2020 NHL Entry Draft will be taking place, the Canadian junior leagues have been proceeding with their drafts.  The OHL and WHL have already done theirs and on Friday, the QMJHL began their 2020 draft (which featured a notable prospect on the move).  These players won’t be eligible for the NHL draft until 2022 but some of them will quickly become candidates for an early draft slot in that particular NHL draft class.  Here are the results from the first round.

1) Gatineau – D Tristan Luneau
2) Gatineau – LW Antonin Verreault
3) Saint John – C Leighton Carruthers
4) Gatineau – C Samuel Savoie
5) Quebec – D Evan Nause
6) Val-d’Or – G Vincent Fillion
7) Victoriaville – D Pier-Olivier Roy
8) Gatineau – D Noah Warren
9) Shawinigan – D Michael Mastrodomenico
10) Blainville-Boisbriand – C Jonathan Fauchon
11) Drummondville – C Luke Woodworth
12) Drummondville – D Maveric Lamoureux
13) Moncton – C Yoan Loshing
14) Halifax – C Marcus Vidicek
15) Saint John – D Nathan Drapeau
16) Acadie-Bathurst – D Lane Hinkley
17) Cape Breton – G Nicolas Ruccia
18) Halifax – RW Jordan Dumais
19) Victoriaville – LW Nathan Morin
20) Rouyn-Noranda – D Dyllan Gill

Luneau, the top pick, previously committed to play for Wisconsin.  However, he told Jean-Francois Plante of Le Droit (Twitter link) that he has already de-committed from the Badgers and signed his contract.  As soon as he plays a single game in the QMJHL, he forfeits his NCAA eligibility.  And if you’re wondering if a team ever had three of the top four picks before, that’s a first in league history and probably won’t happen again for quite some time.

The rest of the 2020 QMJHL draft will run on Saturday with rounds two through fourteen.

Pacific Notes: Pelletier, Tanev, Ducks

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The QMJHL draft is just underway and already there has been a notable trade agreed upon.  TVA Sports’ Mikael Lalancette (Twitter link) is among those to report that Flames prospect Jakob Pelletier has been dealt from Moncton to Val-d’Or.  RDS’ Stephane Leroux adds (Twitter link) that a pair of first-round picks are among the five picks and a prospect going the other way.

Pelletier was the 26th overall pick by Calgary last June following a breakout season.  He followed up his 89-point 2018-19 campaign with 82 points this season in eight fewer games.  The 19-year-old has already signed his entry-level deal which means he will be making the jump to the pros for 2021-22, making this a steep price to pay for what will be a one-year rental at the junior level.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev is a pending unrestricted free agent that will be heading into a constricted open market due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, he told Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre that he thinks a lot of players could sign a one-year contract this offseason in the hopes that the financial situation will improve from where it is now.  The 30-year-old has spent his entire 10-year NHL career in Vancouver and has stated his preference to stay several times although with more than $63MM in commitments already for next season to just 14 players, they may not be able to retain all of their veterans with a salary cap that will likely be at or near the $81.5MM it was at this season.  If he does stay, he may very well need to take a one-year deal.
  • Speaking on a conference call with reporters including Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register, Ducks GM Bob Murray indicated that he has had talks with all of their pending free agents. Goalie Ryan Miller and defenseman Michael Del Zotto highlight their list of unrestricted free agents while blueliner Jacob Larsson plus wingers Troy Terry and Sonny Milano are among the restricted free agents.  Of those, Terry is a section 10.2 player and is not eligible for an offer sheet or salary arbitration.

Detroit Red Wings Sign Albert Johansson

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The Detroit Red Wings continued their rebuild today, signing prospect Albert Johansson to a three-year entry-level contract. The young defenseman spent the 2019-20 season with Farjestads of the SHL.

Johansson, 19, was the 60th overall pick last year and represents another member of the Red Wings growing defensive prospect pool. The team used three of their top four picks a year ago on European defensemen, with Johansson joining Moritz Seider (6th overall) and Antti Tuomisto (35th).

Though he only scored 13 points in 42 SHL games, just taking a regular shift at such a young age is an impressive feat. Johansson only turned 19 in January, meaning his contract can still slide a year if he fails to make the NHL squad.

That fate is likely given that the 6’0″ 168-lbs defenseman still needs quite a bit of polish and physical maturity, but his raw skills represent a lot to get excited about. Whether he spends next season in the SHL or AHL is unclear, but expect his offensive production to improve in either case as he becomes more accustomed to the opposition.

Johansson is also a contender for the Swedish squad at the next World Juniors, given his gold medal performance at the U18 and silver medal at the Hlinka-Gretzky.

Kyle Okposo Undergoes Knee Surgery

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With the offseason now underway for seven teams in the NHL, players can start working towards the 2020-21 campaign. In Buffalo, Kyle Okposo has undergone surgery on his right knee. The veteran forward is expected to make a full recovery in six weeks.

Okposo, 32, played just 52 games with the Sabres this season after dealing with head injuries once again. He recorded just 19 points during those games, the lowest total of his career (even including those seasons cut short by injury or a lockout).

That’s troubling given Okposo’s contract, which still has three years remaining on it at a $6MM cap hit. Though the actual salary owed will drop in the last two years, the former New York Islander is the third-highest paid forward on the Sabres but is performing more like a bottom-six player.

That disconnect between performance and salary is what led our Zach Leach to list Okposo as a potential compliance buyout candidate in his recent series. Should the league go in that direction, there is no better option on the Sabres roster (unless perhaps you believe Jeff Skinner’s dreadful 2019-20 campaign is a sign of things to come).

If the league does not institute compliance buyouts, it will be interesting to see if the Sabres try and move Okposo to free up some salary. The forward does have a 15-team no-trade clause but with a stagnant salary cap and substantial raises coming for restricted free agents like Sam Reinhart, Victor Olofsson, Brandon Montour and Linus Ullmark the Sabres may be looking to shed a hefty cap hit like Okposo.

Obviously a six-week recovery timeline means the 32-year old will be back for 2020-21, given that teams like the Sabres may not play again until January.

Shane Wright Wins OHL, CHL Rookie Of The Year

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June 5: Wright has also won the CHL Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Kingston player to ever earn the award.

May 14: He won’t be eligible for the NHL draft until 2022, but that doesn’t mean hockey fans should overlook Shane Wright. The Kingston Frontenacs forward has just been named the OHL Rookie of the Year after an outstanding start to his CHL career. That start of course came a year earlier than most players, after Wright was given exceptional status to enter the OHL.

Not only did Wright score 39 goals and 66 points for the Frontenacs to lead the team in both categories, but he was also named an alternate captain just after Christmas. Having a letter sewn onto your jersey may not be notable for most top NHL prospects, but it happened to Wright when he was still just 15 years old, making him the youngest alternate in CHL history.

Following in the footsteps of other exceptional players like John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad and Connor McDavid, Wright is already dominating the competition in the CHL and looks like he will have a good shot at being selected first overall in 2022.

The list of winners for OHL Rookie of the Year is a who’s who of NHL talent. Andrei Svechnikov, Alex DeBrincat, Travis Konecny, McDavid, Ekblad, Taylor Hall, Patrick Kane and Tavares have all taken home the award over the last fifteen years.

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