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Archives for September 2020

West Notes: Markstrom, Bowness, Avalanche

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While we’re still a year away from the Kraken’s expansion draft, things are now at the point where that will start playing a role in the decision making for other teams.  In an appearance on Sportsnet 960 (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Seattle draft is playing a role in Vancouver’s discussions regarding pending UFA goalie Jacob Markstrom.  The Canucks have Thatcher Demko (who was terrific against Vegas over his three playoff starts) who will also need protection and with teams only being able to protect one, it’s something that GM Jim Benning will certainly have to factor in as whichever one isn’t protected becomes the immediate favorite to be taken.

More from the Western Conference:

  • While making it to the Western Conference Final would make it seem like a pretty safe bet that Stars interim coach Rick Bowness will be installed as the full-time bench boss, Matthew DeFranks notes that this isn’t necessarily the case. The 65-year-old indicated that he hasn’t given any thought yet regarding the idea of remaining in the role beyond the playoffs and that there is a meeting scheduled with GM Jim Nill to discuss his future whenever their postseason action comes to an end.
  • Had the Avalanche made it past Dallas, they wouldn’t have had any help on the horizon from the infirmary. Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater relays (Twitter link) that none of Colorado’s players were close to returning.  Their list of injuries by the end of the series included goaltenders Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz, defensemen Erik Johnson, and wingers Gabriel Landeskog and Joonas Donskoi, among others.  There’s no word yet on how long of a recovery time those players will be facing.

Offseason Keys: Carolina Hurricanes

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As teams are eliminated from the playoffs, it means that the offseason has arrived for several more squads.  Having covered the teams that weren’t a part of the NHL’s return and the ones ousted in the Qualifying Round, we shift our focus to the ones that were eliminated in the official first round.  Next up is a look at Carolina.

After what many would call a Cinderella playoff run a year ago, the Hurricanes picked up where they left off this season and found themselves in a postseason position before the pandemic hit.  From there, they made short work of the Rangers, a popular sleeper pick, in the Qualifying Round and it looked like they might be on their way again.  However, Boston stopped them in their tracks to end their season.  While it ended on a sour note, it seems unlikely that Carolina will make a bunch of changes but some tweaks may be on the menu.  Here’s what GM Don Waddell should be looking to accomplish over the coming months.

Look Into Goalie Upgrade

On the surface, suggesting that a team that allowed the sixth-fewest goals in the league this season needs a goalie upgrade would seem a little strange.  However, it’s certainly an area that could be improved upon and it’s looking like this could be an offseason where there is more goalie movement than usual so the timing may be right.

Petr Mrazek and James Reimer have both been starters for stretches of their careers and backups for others due to their inconsistency.  Mrazek had the larger share of the workload but only managed a .905 SV% this season which is well below average for a starter.  Reimer fared better at a .914 mark but in 15 fewer games.  Between the two of them, they combined for a .908 SV% which isn’t great and looks a bit worse when you consider they play in front of one of the better defense corps in the league and allowed the second-fewest shots during the regular season at 29.3 per game.

Both netminders are also a year away from unrestricted free agency.  At this point, it doesn’t seem likely that both would be brought back and the team still has hopes for Alex Nedeljkovic to be part of their future plans as well.

With that in mind, why not look to try to upgrade?  At the very least, they’ve been linked to Toronto’s Frederik Andersen already and there will undoubtedly be others as well.  With Mrazek and Reimer, the Hurricanes have a reasonable floor to work with between the pipes but even finding a small upgrade during the offseason goalie shuffle would be an important step and it’s something that should be attainable.

Extension Talks

Late last month, Waddell indicated that there’s no timetable to work on contract extensions for two of his top players but that he hopes to work on new deals for winger Andrei Svechnikov and defenseman Dougie Hamilton sooner than later.  Knowing that both are in line for considerable raises, getting early extensions done would go a long way towards providing some certainty towards what they’ll have to spend beyond 2020-21 which could have an impact on what types of other additions they target in the coming months.

The 20-year-old Svechnikov took a big step forward offensively this season, finishing third on the team in scoring with 24 goals and 37 assists in 68 games.  He did so without a major jump in playing time as well as he logged just 16:44 per night.  There’s room for a bigger role and with it, the potential for another offensive jump next season.  Accordingly, it’s reasonable to think that a long-term deal will cost more a year from now if one of the two sides opt to wait.  On the other hand, with the salary cap projected to only increase minimally for the next few years now due to the pandemic, Svechnikov becomes a candidate for a bridge contract which is something they could try to work out now to get that cost certainty in place.

As for Hamilton, he was in the midst of a career year before fracturing his fibula on mid-January.  Before that injury, he was just shy of a point per game (40 points in 43 contests) while logging 23:17 per game, a new career best.  He also got into five playoff games (after missing the Qualifying Round series against the Rangers with another injury), picking up a goal and an assist while playing nearly 25 minutes a night.  With his performance this season, Hamilton has shown himself to be capable of being a top-pairing defenseman which makes his current $5.75MM cap hit look like quite a bargain.  He’ll be 28 when he hits the open market and will be in the prime of his career so even with the cap projections not being what they were earlier this season, he’s going to be in line for a big raise.  Hamilton is a big part of Carolina’s back end and locking him up on a long-term deal would be a big win for them this offseason and ensure that another foundational piece sticks around.

Add A Secondary Scoring Upgrade

With Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, and Teuvo Teravainen, the Hurricanes have a strong top line offensively.  All three managed to pick up more than 60 points in the pandemic-shortened campaign which is quite good.  However, they were the only three forwards to have more than 37 points.  Only two players managed to reach the 20-goal mark while Martin Necas (who was fourth in points with 36) may have had a shot at it had the regular season not been ended early.

On paper, Carolina has quite a few players that should fit that bill.  Nino Niederreiter was great in his first season with the team but tapered off this season while Jordan Staal’s output has dropped in recent years as well.  Ryan Dzingel was brought in to replace Justin Williams (who eventually came back) but he wasn’t even able to hold down a regular spot in the lineup.  Vincent Trocheck was added at the trade deadline but was quiet in his first action with his new team.

Optimistically speaking, some of those players should be better next season and that in itself should help.  But adding someone to replace Williams and do the job that Dzingel hasn’t would go a long way towards helping secure a reliable second offensive trio which is something they will need to get back to being a playoff threat for next season and beyond.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Daniel Carr Signs In Switzerland

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After failing to see much NHL action over the last couple of years, Predators winger Daniel Carr has decided to change things up for a little bit as HC Lugano of the NLA announced that they’ve signed the pending unrestricted free agent.  The deal runs through November 15th with an option to be extended through the end of December which will be dependent on the NHL 2020-21 calendar.

The 28-year-old signed with Nashville as a free agent last summer following a dominant showing in the AHL that saw him post 30 goals and 41 assists in just 52 games.  He was hoping that would propel him to a regular spot in the lineup for the Predators but that failed to materialize.  Instead, he played just 11 NHL games this season and was in the minors for the rest, tallying 23 goals and 27 assists in 47 games with AHL Milwaukee.

Carr has seen NHL action over each of the last five years, getting into 111 regular season games between Montreal, Vegas, and Nashville.  At a minimum, he should have some interest in free agency from teams looking for a high-end producer in the minors that can play a few minutes here and there in the NHL when injuries arise.

That makes this decision to sign a short-term deal in Switzerland a little more interesting.  A good start in that league could help him secure a one-way contract again and give him a possible leg up in training camp but if he doesn’t start strong or gets injured, it could wind up hurting his chances of getting an NHL deal.  There’s some risk/reward potential at play here and it will be interesting to see if any other pending UFAs decide to try a similar path in the coming days; some leagues have started up already while others will be getting underway shortly so decisions will need to be made quickly.

Oilers Loan Ryan McLeod To EV Zug In Switzerland

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The Oilers have found a place to play for one of their more intriguing prospects to stay in playing shape.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve loaned center Ryan McLeod to EV Zug of the NLA in Switzerland for the start of their upcoming season.

McLeod was ranked by some publications as a potential first-round pick in 2018 but he wound up sliding to the second round where he was scooped up by Edmonton at 40th overall.  He wrapped up his junior career the following season and saw some AHL playoff action with Bakersfield in 2019 which gave him a bit of momentum heading into his first full professional season in 2019-20.

The results weren’t quite as strong as McLeod or the Oilers would have hoped, however.  He managed just five goals along with 18 assists in 56 games with the Condors before the pandemic hit, a level of production that was a little low for one of their better prospects coming out of the junior ranks.  He was, however, part of their postseason roster.  Now, McLeod will have an opportunity to see game action in the near future which should help give him a leg up whenever the 2020-21 AHL season gets underway.

Ryan Reaves To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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While the Golden Knights will be kicking off their Western Conference Final series against Dallas on Sunday night, they may be doing so without one of their wingers as the Department of Player Safety announced that Ryan Reaves will have a hearing today following an illegal check to the head of Vancouver’s Tyler Motte on Friday night.

The incident, which can be seen here, occurred late in the second period and Reaves received a major and a match penalty for the hit and officials upheld the call following video replay.  The match penalty triggered the automatic hearing from the league as it carries an automatic suspension pending review.

While Reaves has been a physical player throughout his 10-year NHL career, he has only been suspended once before in 2016 when he received a three-game ban for boarding in 2016 while with St. Louis.  David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the early expectation is that Reaves will receive at least a one-game suspension for this incident.

Minor Transactions: 09/04/20

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As if two NHL Game Seven’s weren’t enough today, there have also been several intriguing moves across the hockey world. With some leagues getting ready to start their seasons while the NHL off-season is beginning to draw near, it is an interesting time for roster transactions, both in North America and abroad:

  • The AHL’s Cleveland Monsters have signed University of Nebraska-Omaha standout Zach Jordan to a one-year contract, the team announced Friday. While Jordan’s production slipped in his senior season, he posted back-to-back seasons of 25+ points as a sophomore and junior, leading the Mavericks in scoring across those two campaigns. At 6’3″ and 216 lbs., Jordan is a hulking presence on the ice and projects as a physical, two-way winger at the pro level. The Columbus Blue Jackets’ affiliate has done well with developing these types of players in recent years, so Jordan may still be a name that could draw NHL consideration down the road.
  • As has proven to be a yearly tradition for the Los Angeles Kings, the club has loaned defensive prospect Jacob Moverare to Europe. A 2016 fourth-round pick who signed his entry-level contract in 2018, Moverare has been loaned to Sweden for each of the past two seasons. Things are a bit different this time around though; Moverare has not been loaned back to Frolunda HC, but to SaiPa in the Finnish Liiga. The team also notes that the Kings have the right to recall Moverare from the loan for NHL training camp, an option that they seem likely to exercise. While Moverare is still a bit raw, he is a big,  effective stay-at-home blue liner who hit his stride last season in the SHL. Another full season in Europe is unlikely to help his development at this point.
  • AHL veteran Colin Campbell is making his first foray into Europe next season. After seven pro seasons and over 350 games – all in the AHL – Campbell has signed with the Vienna Capitals of the newly re-named IceHL, the team announced. A hard-working forward who got his start at Lake Superior State University, Campbell signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings out of college and ended up playing six seasons with their affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. He moved on to the Colorado Eagles this past season and recorded the best per-game scoring numbers of his career, notching ten goals and 26 points in just 48 games. As he heads to Austria, Campbell will undoubtedly be looked upon as the leader of the Capitals and hopes to continue his strong performance. At 29, his NHL hopes remain alive and well.

Marc Savard Will Not Return To Blues’ Coaching Staff

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The St. Louis Blues will be looking for a new assistant coach, announcing today that Marc Savard will not return to the team for next season. Savard will instead return to Ontario to be with his family after just one season behind the bench. Blues GM Doug Armstrong released a statement on the move:

Marc has decided to step away and will not coach in the National Hockey League in 2020-21. I want to thank Marc for his work with our coaches and players during his time in St. Louis and wish him nothing but the best.

Savard, 43, joined the Blues a little over a year ago as a powerplay coach and helped St. Louis to the third-best success rate with the man-advantage this season. A dynamic playmaker during his career, Savard was forced from the NHL due to chronic concussion issues in 2011 after scoring 706 points in 807 games.

This was his first stint as an NHL coach, but perhaps Savard will return down the road at some point.

Latest On Frederik Andersen

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have now gone another year without winning a playoff series (this time not even getting out of the qualification round) and there are changes coming to the roster. Kasperi Kapanen has already been shipped out of town to the Pittsburgh Penguins for cap space and a draft pick, but more names are swirling in the rumor mill already.

One of those names is starting goaltender Frederik Andersen, who has been already been linked to the Carolina Hurricanes by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Continuing that story, Friedman was on the radio this morning and explained what he knew about the situation:

The most concrete information I can give you is that since the rumors really got going, I think Kyle Dubas has reached out to Frederik Andersen and spoken to him twice, just to kind of fill him in on what’s happening. From what I understand, [Dubas] has told [Andersen] ’we are not shopping you, but we are getting asked about you. And there are teams that have interest in you.’ 

Where those conversations have gone from there, I can’t tell you. But I know that’s the general tone of the message.

Friedman goes on to say that he doesn’t beleive the Maple Leafs will make a move “just for the sake of making a move.”

There has certainly been a lot of smoke around the veteran goaltender the last few weeks, though it’s not clear exactly how the Maple Leafs will deal with the situation just yet. The most important factor in Andersen’s situation, perhaps other than his struggles during the 2019-20 regular season, is his contract status. Signed only through 2020-21, he would need a new deal from the Maple Leafs if he is to be their starter moving forward. The fact that he will turn 31 next month and just had the worst season of his career doesn’t help his case to sign a long-term deal, but it’s not like Toronto has an in-house option ready to replace him.

In terms of their depth chart, the Maple Leafs did acquire Jack Campbell from the Los Angeles Kings earlier this year, but he has never appeared in more than 31 games in a season. The team locked him up with a two-year extension, but it’s hard to see them handing the keys to him for the majority of the games next year. Joseph Woll and Ian Scott are both interesting prospects but neither one appears to be ready for the NHL, leaving free agency and trade the only options to find an upgrade in net should they move on from Andersen.

Of course, this year may be the best chance to do that given the glut of goaltenders available. Robin Lehner, Jacob Markstrom and Braden Holtby are all scheduled for unrestricted free agency, while other names like Matt Murray (a former Sault Ste. Marie Greyhound, where Dubas cut his teeth in the OHL) and Alexander Georgiev could be available in trade.

If the Maple Leafs are looking for a substantial return in an Andersen trade, it might not be out there. The St. Louis Blues recently had to settle for a third-round pick in a trade for Jake Allen, despite a pretty comparable situation. Andersen is almost a year older than Allen and costs a little more against the cap next season, but both are scheduled to reach free agency in 2021. Allen lost is starting gig in St. Louis last year, but had a much better statistical season than Andersen in 2019-20. While an argument can certainly be made about the defense corps each goaltender is playing behind, it’s hard to see a considerable package coming back to the Maple Leafs in a trade.

There is one more interesting twist in his value however, and that is the fact that $4MM of Andersen’s $5MM cap hit will be paid in a signing bonus this season. That means an acquiring team would only need to pony up $1MM for the year, something that might be very interesting in a depressed financial climate. Andersen also holds a partial no-trade clause, with which he can block moves to ten teams around the league.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Yakov Trenin Linked To KHL

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The Nashville Predators may end up losing prospect Yakov Trenin if they aren’t willing to give him a one-way contract. The 23-year old’s agent posted a picture of Trenin with a SKA St. Petersburg jersey earlier today, and then followed up with Adam Vingan of The Athletic to explain that they would not accept a two-way deal. The agent, Shumi Babayev, told Vingan that the chances are not great of him returning to Nashville, though he hasn’t technically signed in the KHL just yet.

Trenin, a second-round pick from 2015, finally broke into the NHL this season after several years in the minor leagues. Russian-born but drafted out of the QMJHL, he ended up playing 21 games for the Predators in 2019-20 and scored six points. Trenin’s entry-level contract is set to expire and he obviously believes he deserves more than just the two-way deal many prospects have to accept with little NHL experience. With little leverage as an arbitration-ineligible restricted free agent, Trenin’s only real out would be heading to Russia. Even then, the Predators could retain his rights with a qualifying offer, one that would be a two-way contract worth just $787,500 at the NHL level.

Of course, this could be just a negotiating tactic if Trenin hopes to stay and compete for a roster spot next season on a Nashville team that will be looking for cheap options upfront. His waiver-exempt status will expire after this season, meaning even if he does sign a two-way deal he could very well end up at the NHL level all year. An interesting young player that dominated the AHL level this year, it seems unlikely that the Predators would risk him to waivers in order to send him down even if he’s not playing every night for them.

Bruins Notes: Krejci, Injuries, Wagner

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After yesterday saw Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, and others speak with the media, several other Boston Bruins were on a conference call with reporters today to talk about what went wrong in their series against the Tampa Bay Lightning and what the future will hold. David Krejci, an incredible playoff performer once again, a reputation he has rightly earned over the last decade, was asked about what he’ll do when his current contract expires. The 34-year-old center, who is signed through 2020-21, told Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com that he “definitely” wants to keep playing past next season.

In 145 playoff games with the Bruins, Krejci has now recorded 115 points and tied for the lead this year with Brad Marchand. His 911 career regular season games have all come with the spoked B on his chest, but for the last several years his name has continuously been in trade speculation. With a $7.25MM cap hit Krejci doesn’t come cheap but continues to rack up points and strong possession numbers for the Bruins. He’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

  • Two more players spoke about injuries today, including David Pastrnak admitting to Benjamin he was dealing with a lower-body injury the whole time. Sean Kuraly’s ailment that kept him out of the last few games was a groin injury. Both players weren’t quite up to their respective standards in the postseason, though Pastrnak did still record ten points in ten games.
  • Perhaps more shocking was Chris Wagner’s revelation that he had dealt with an irregular heartbeat that sent him to the hospital before game five of the series. Wagner explained that he does not believe there will be long-term effects, but “when it comes to your heart, you really gotta be careful.” The 29-year-old will receive further testing to determine whether the incident will happen again. Wagner is set to begin a three-year contract extension that will pay him an average of $1.35MM through the 2022-23 season.

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