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Snapshots: Sharks, Khudobin, Tverberg

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Barring a change in local health policy, the San Jose Sharks may have to make other arrangements for training camp. In response to the continued surge of the Coronavirus in California, Santa Clara County officials have mandated a number of health policy changes, one of which would prohibit the Sharks from having players skate in large groups. As a result, team president Jonathan Becher tells The Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka that the team may need to hold training camp outside of the county. Becher calls moving training camp a “last resort” and states that the team has already sought permission to hold full training sessions and are waiting for the county’s approval. In the meantime, the Sharks have begun discussions with other facilities about the possibility of hosting training camp. San Jose is short on time compared to other NHL teams as well; as one of the seven non-playoff teams, the Sharks are expected to be permitted to have upwards of ten additional days of camp to make up for their lack of play time since the league paused the 2019-20 season in March. If the league is able to come through on their hopeful start date of January 1st, early training camp for the Sharks could open in just a few weeks.

  • When training camp opens in Dallas, playoff hero Anton Khudobin will be in attendance and ready to play. The veteran goaltender, who re-signed with the Stars this off-season, underwent surgery last month to correct nerve damage in his right arm. However, NHL.com’s Tracey Myers relays word from Dallas GM Jim Nill that Khudobin is already “back to 100 percent.” With starter Ben Bishop still rehabbing from off-season surgery of his own after missing much of the postseason, a healthy Khudobin is hugely important for the Stars to get off to a strong start.
  • The NCAA season is finally off and running (albeit not without some early issues), but one Toronto Maple Leafs prospect is already looking ahead to next year. 2020 seventh-round pick Ryan Tverberg has committed to the University of Connecticut, the Huskies have announced. Tverberg is set to join the program for the 2021-22 season and beyond after spending this year with the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs. The Leafs selected Tverberg, a native of nearby Richmond Hill, out of the local OJHL but will watch him develop for several years south of the border.

Senators’ Anders Nilsson Unlikely To Be Ready For Season

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When the Ottawa Senators take the ice in 2020-21, all eyes will be on newcomer Matt Murray in net. The big off-season trade acquisition is set to take over as starter and appears ready to hold that role for many years to come. Seemingly lost in the shuffle has been the Senator’s previous notable goaltender addition, Anders Nilsson. Acquired midway through the 2018-19 season, Nilsson outperformed the now-departed Craig Anderson down the stretch. The performance won him the starter’s share over Anderson to begin last season, as Nilsson made 20 appearances in the first three months of the year. However, his season would end at 20 games as a concussion in mid December kept him sidelined for the remainder of the campaign. If not for the addition of Murray, a healthy Nilsson likely would have again been seen as the favorite to start in Ottawa in 2020-21.

It’s fortunate then that GM Pierre Dorion and company made the move to bring in Murray, as Nilsson is still not healthy. Senators goalie coach Pierre Groulx tells Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Citizen that Nilsson is still struggling with post-concussion syndrome and is unlikely to start the season on the active roster. While the ultimate decision of whether or not Nilsson begins the year on the injured reserve will not be made until he returns from his native Sweden, the odds are slim that Dorion will entrust a key roster spot to Nilsson if he is not fully healthy. According to Groulx, Nilsson is still suffering through headaches and issues related to his neck and eyes.

While Ottawa does not have any other veteran option to back up Murray in Nilsson’s place, they have a number of prospects who can battle for the role to begin the year. Marcus Hogberg, who served as Anderson’s backup in the second half of last season following Nilsson’s injury is the clear leader, and has a one-way contract to support his case, but he will not go unopposed. The recently-extended Joey Daccord, whose new deal also includes a one-way season, will have a say in the position battle. So too will top goalie prospect Filip Gustavsson, who is currently dominating while on loan in the the SHL. Even first-year pro Kevin Mandolese may get a look in training camp. It will be a hard-fought position battle, but an even more difficult decision may be coming down the line when (or if) Nilsson is finally healthy enough to return to the mix as well.

PHR Mailbag: Coaching Candidates, Rangers, Metropolitan Division, Predators, Free Agency, Blackhawks, Dubas, Red Wings, Avalanche

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The second half of our mailbag is a busy one with topics including coaching candidates around the league, Nashville’s goaltending situation, the slow free agent market, the future of Kyle Dubas in Toronto, Colorado’s salary cap planning, and more.  If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s mailbag.

@michiganroman: Who are the top-5 ex-NHLer head coaching candidates?

Gerard Gallant certainly has to be at or near the top of the list.  While it’s notable that his stints with Florida and Vegas didn’t last too long, it’s also important to note that those teams did well after he took over.  The purpose of a coaching change is usually to give a jolt to the current roster in the hopes of improving things and he has shown that he can have an early impact.  Given Gallant’s expansion experience with the Golden Knights, he’d certainly make sense for Seattle.

Mike Babcock and Bruce Boudreau could make sense depending on what a team is looking for.  A team looking for some structure and discipline could turn to Babcock while one that is seeking an offensive boost could look at Boudreau.  John Stevens’ stock may be up after the strong season Dallas had as well.

I know the question asks for five but I have two other names I want to highlight.  One is Jim Montgomery, the former coach of the Stars.  His firing was related to an off-ice issue and following a stint in rehab, he’s back in the game as an assistant with St. Louis.  I could see someone giving him a second chance at some point.

The other one is a bit more off the radar in Kevin Dineen.  He’s currently the head coach of AHL San Diego (the second time Anaheim has hired him to run their farm team) while he has head and assistant coaching experience in the NHL as well as some international experience with Canada’s under-18 team and their 2014 women’s Olympic team.  That’s a rather rare combination to have so I’m a little surprised his name doesn’t surface as often for coaching vacancies.

gg24: Will the Rangers be a contender after just this year’s FA and draft acquisitions?

pitmanrich: How do you judge David Quinn’s first two years as Rangers head coach? How much credit does he deserve for the likes of Strome, DeAngelo, Zibanejad and Panarin’s career years and how much is awful defensive play down to him? Rangers are definitely heading in the right direction under Gorton despite little added this offseason but if they miss the playoffs, will coach Quinn be on the hot seat or does he deserve more time?

There’s one way that the Rangers are a contender this season and that’s if Igor Shesterkin plays like he did in a brief stint last year over the full 2020-21 season.  If that happens and the offense holds up (or even improves with Alexis Lafreniere), they could do some damage.  Having said that, I wouldn’t have them in the contender tier just yet.

I also wouldn’t have them in a spot where Quinn is coaching for his job either.  When the team said they were doing a full-scale rebuild, that typically takes longer than three years even though they’ve been able to take some shortcuts along the way by getting Artemi Panarin and lucking out in the lottery to get Lafreniere.  Unless they take a huge step back, Quinn’s job should be safe.

Mika Zibanejad may be the only one where I’d give Quinn a fair bit of credit for ‘unlocking’ his potential.  He was a good second center before but now, he’s one that appears to be a franchise cornerstone.  Panarin helped Ryan Strome to his career numbers and it’s not as if Panarin’s offensive prowess came out of nowhere.  Anthony DeAngelo certainly has emerged since Quinn took over but it also coincides with DeAngelo getting his first real opportunity.  As for their poor defensive showing, their back end isn’t full of high-quality defenders so I think roster composition and not system problems is more to blame there.

acarneglia: How do you project the Metropolitan Division to shake out? Any surprises? Dark horses?

This one is tough to call now as we have no idea who will actually be in the Metropolitan Division or even if there is a Metropolitan Division following the expected re-alignment to accommodate the all-Canadian grouping that is likely to be required.  So instead, here is some general commentary of how things look.

In terms of the regular teams, I could see Carolina pushing for the top spot.  It’s going to be a year of platooning goalies and they’re used to that structure already while the core they have now is better than the one they had for most of last year.  Philadelphia will be up there and if Tristan Jarry can hold up as the full-fledged starter, Pittsburgh should be as well and Washington can’t be counted out.  I could see the Islanders taking a step back but a Barry Trotz-coached team is always going to be in the thick of things.  The Rangers may not quite be at that level yet, Columbus seems vulnerable after their moves, and New Jersey still has a ways to go, even with some stability between the pipes now.

The Duke: Can you please make long- and short-term sense of Nashville’s goaltending? Thanks.

The Predators seem to be in decent shape on both fronts.  Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros are both signed for next season only and will probably platoon regardless of what format the schedule winds up being.  At that point, Saros will be eligible for restricted free agency and arbitration and will likely get the higher payday and take over as the 1A role unless he really struggles next season.  I wouldn’t necessarily call him a starter but they don’t really need him in that role for too long either way.  Rinne can either take a pay cut to stick around or walk.  If it’s the latter, Connor Ingram moves up and if last season wasn’t an aberration, he could push for a decent-sized workload right away.

Long-term, Yaroslav Askarov is their goalie of the future.  He may be three or four years away from moving into that role so GM David Poile’s hope at this time is that one of Saros or Ingram is the other netminder when Askarov is ready to make the jump.

I wouldn’t put Nashville near the top of the league in goaltending for next season but their tandem is good enough to get the job done most nights.  I believe Askarov has the potential to be one of the top goalies down the road so I’d say they’re in good shape in terms of their long-term situation.

DarkSide830: Updated predictions on top remaining FAs?

There are five top-20 players from our top-50 rankings that are still unsigned so I’ll use that as the cutoff point for ‘top’ players.

Mike Hoffman (4) – He’s willing to take a one-year deal although he may not wind up with top dollar when it’s all said and done.  Something around $4.5MM is possible with Nashville looking like a strong fit.  They have the money and the roster spot to fill while he’d be a huge boost to a power play that wasn’t very good a year ago.

Mikael Granlund (9) – I like New Jersey here for him.  The long-term, big-money deal isn’t happening but a two or three-year pact for him to serve as a veteran mentor and bridge to some of their younger talent makes some sense, especially with his positional versatility.  The Devils can afford to pay more than most teams but the AAV should check in somewhere near the $4MM mark.

Travis Hamonic (13) – I’ve liked Winnipeg as his landing spot going back to the start of free agency and I’m not changing that one now.  He takes a PTO to go to camp with them with an agreement in hand to sign a deal closer to $3MM once Bryan Little is placed on LTIR.

Sami Vatanen (14) – If Philadelphia can get Philippe Myers to take a one-year deal, I think Vatanen on a one-year, $2.75MM or so contract makes a lot of sense for both sides.  If they opt for a multi-year deal for Myers, they price themselves out of signing Vatanen at which point he’d have to look elsewhere.  I could see the Kings looking at him on a one-year deal as well with an eye on moving him at the deadline.

Erik Haula (16) – I’m surprised he’s still out there given that there are quite a few teams that could use help down the middle.  Returning to Florida may make the most sense for him – their depth chart at center isn’t great and they’ve lost some offense in free agency.  A one-year deal around $2MM or so would sting in the short-term but he’d have a chance to boost his offensive numbers and try again next summer with a better platform year to work off of.

lapcheung39: The Chicago Blackhawks spend only under $2MM on both their goalies. Do you think they will add a veteran like Anderson, Howard?

If there was a veteran goaltender out there that could really make a difference, I’d say that Chicago should go and get that goalie.  Craig Anderson and Jimmy Howard aren’t difference-makers at this stage of their respective careers though.  They’re fringe backups and the Blackhawks already have that with Malcolm Subban and Collin Delia who are the early contenders to serve as their goalie tandem next season.

Kevin Lankinen’s name isn’t getting enough attention though.  I may be swayed a bit too much by his performance at the 2019 World Championships but he’s a goalie that can win his team some games on his own which is something that can’t be said for the other two.  While some have him being the odd man out, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he winds up as Chicago’s starter when all is said and done.  Justified or not (and I’m inclined to call it the latter), this is the route that GM Stan Bowman opted to take with his goaltenders.  With what’s left, they may as well see it through with what they have.

jimmertee: How long does Kyle Dubas keep his job?

I think his leash is still pretty long.  The direction that this team has gone isn’t just solely his vision and it seems pretty evident that team president Brendan Shanahan is fully onboard with it.  They’ve fully committed to going the way they have with so much of their cap space tied up in four forwards so unless things really go completely off the rails next season, I don’t sense his job is in any jeopardy.

I also don’t expect things to go off the rails.  I like the addition of T.J. Brodie into their top four defensively and while they’ve certainly gotten older and slower up front, guys like Wayne Simmonds, Joe Thornton, and Jason Spezza don’t have to do much to provide value on their deals.  Considering the minimal cap room they had to work with, Toronto has assembled a relatively good bottom-six group.  If it winds up being an all-Canadian division as it appears it’s going to be, they’re going to be right in the mix.

At some point, yes, the core is going to have to show they can get the job done in the playoffs but I think that breaking point is still a couple of years away.  At that point, Dubas will have had to re-sign or replace Frederik Andersen and Morgan Rielly and that will have a big impact on the roster composition at that time.  If they’re still not over the hump by then, then it may be time to wonder about his future but that’s not on the immediate horizon.

Dtownwarrior78: At the pace they are going now, how long do you see it taking for the Red Wings to truly become potential Cup challengers again? Anytime within the next 3 years or longer? At least competitive for a playoff spot?

It wouldn’t shock me if they’re three years away from a playoff spot, let alone Cup contention.  While lottery luck hasn’t landed them a top pick, there’s a decent core emerging with Lucas Raymond, Filip Zadina, Moritz Seider, and even Michael Rasmussen and Joe Veleno.  None of them is a franchise player but that’s the making of a solid group, especially with Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha in the fold as well.

My concern is their defense and goaltending, however.  Seider should be good and Filip Hronek is quite underrated.  But after that, there are a lot of question marks.  Between the pipes, there’s no starter of the future in the system.  That’s at least a piece that can be signed in free agency but if they’re envisioning Thomas Greiss as their starter while he’s under contract, they’re not going to be a significant postseason threat.  Until they add another core defender and a proven number one goalie, they’re not going to be in contention, even as their young group of forwards develops and improves.

M34: Avs defense. After the sure-fire big-time contract that Makar is going to get, and with Byram and Timmins expected to take big steps forward this season or next, then adding in the flat or potentially decreasing cap situation, how does Sakic make this work, both on the books and on the ice?

Let’s tackle the second part first.  Conor Timmins could very well start in the minors if Ian Cole shifts over to his off side which isn’t going to help his contract demands.  Bowen Byram is also good enough to start in the NHL but playing time on the left side behind Samuel Girard, Devon Toews, and Ryan Graves is going to be hard to come by.  So in the short-term, the on-ice solution is simply to send them down – Timmins to the Eagles and Byram back to junior.  Eventually, they’ll have to trade someone out (even with Cole’s deal expiring next offseason) but that’s something to ponder next offseason at the earliest.

Timmins is a restricted free agent next offseason like Cale Makar and is probably looking at a one-year deal near the qualifying offer amount or a two-year contract just over $1MM.  That’s not hard to fit in either way.  Byram is three years away from his next contract (four if his deal slides next season) and by then, Erik Johnson and his $6MM will be coming off the books although a big chunk of his money is heading for Nathan MacKinnon.

The biggest question in the short-term is can they afford to re-sign Makar and still have enough to keep Gabriel Landeskog around plus have room to pay a starting goalie?  (Brandon Saad may want to stay there long term but that doesn’t appear palatable unless the captain leaves.)   That will take some careful financial planning but in terms of their other young defenders, Colorado is in good shape for eventually bringing them into the fold and fitting them in under their cap structure.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Anaheim Ducks

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2020-21 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Anaheim Ducks

Current Cap Hit: $82,429,999 (over the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Max Jones (one year, $863K)
F Sam Steel (one year, $863K)

Both Steel and Jones were selected as first-round picks with the hopes that they’d become key contributors one day.  That hasn’t happened just yet as both have struggled at times in the NHL.  Steel, a prolific point producer in junior, managed just 22 points in 66 games last season while Jones had only a dozen in 59 contests and was briefly sent to the minors as a result.  The 22-year-olds are still certainly part of GM Bob Murray’s long-term plans but neither of them appears to be in line for a notable raise on their entry-level salaries.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F David Backes ($4.5MM, UFA)*
D Christian Djoos ($1MM, RFA)
F Ryan Getzlaf ($8.25MM, UFA)
F Danton Heinen ($2.8MM, RFA)
F Carter Rowney ($1.133MM, UFA)

* – Boston is retaining another $1.5MM on Backes’ contract

Statistically speaking, it was Getzlaf’s worst offensive year of his career as his 0.61 points per game average was a career-low.  Also statistically speaking, he was one point off the team lead in scoring with 13 goals and 29 assists.  Needless to say, that is not production worthy of that price tag but it’s also quite clear that Getzlaf’s next deal isn’t going to come anywhere near that.  The 35-year-old made it clear last season that he had no interested in being traded so it stands to reason that his intention will be to remain with Anaheim once this contract ends.  His next deal will carry 35+ implications (unless the salary is evenly spread) but something in the $4MM to $5MM range – second-line money – may be palatable to both sides.

Heinen and Backes were brought in from Boston in separate trades but for entirely different reasons.  While Backes was salary ballast in the Ondrej Kase swap where a first-round pick was the key to the deal and likely won’t be back, Heinen was brought in to be a secondary scorer for the Ducks.  While the pandemic makes it a limited sample size, he wasn’t producing at much higher of a rate than he was with the Bruins.  If that happens again next season, he could be a non-tender candidate over giving him a $2.775MM qualifying offer and arbitration rights.  If he performs closer to his rookie-season rate though, something in the $4MM range is possible.  Rowney and Djoos are likely to be role players next season and while Rowney will likely be looking at a pay cut in his next trip through free agency, the 26-year-old Djoos could set himself up nicely if he can hold down a regular spot in the lineup which could give him a shot at doubling his price tag.

Two Years Remaining

D Kodie Curran ($1MM, UFA)
F Nicolas Deslauriers ($1MM, UFA)
F Ryan Kesler ($6.875MM, UFA)
D Jacob Larsson ($1.2MM, RFA)
D Hampus Lindholm ($5.206MM, UFA)
D Josh Manson ($4.1MM, UFA)
F Sonny Milano ($1.7MM, RFA)
F Rickard Rakell ($3.789MM, UFA)

Two years ago, Rakell was one of the bigger bargains in the league after putting up a 34-goal season.  He hasn’t scored that many in the last two seasons combined.  Along the way, he has gone from being a top liner to more of a secondary scorer.  He’ll be 29 when he hits free agency and by then, the hope is the cap ceiling will be up, albeit only slightly.  If he wants a shot at really cashing in though, he’ll need to back to his 2016-17 and 2017-18 output.  Milano didn’t look out of place in nine games after being acquired which earned him a bit of job security but will need to take another step forward over the next two seasons if he wants to be tendered a $1.8MM qualifying offer.  As for Deslauriers, his role on the fourth line is relatively secure for the time being but as the cap crunch continues to be felt around the league, even $1MM may be tough to get two years from now.

Then there’s Kesler.  He last played on March 6, 2019 and isn’t likely to play again due to lingering hip issues.  He’s eligible to be placed on LTIR which will allow Anaheim to spend over the cap (by up to his $6.875MM price tag depending on what their roster is before they place him there) which will allow them to comfortably get into cap compliance for next season without having to make any cost-cutting moves.

On the back end, Lindholm has never been able to become a top offensive threat but he has still been a quality top-pairing player over the last few years.  Even in this most recent free agent class, top defensemen still received sizable raises and if he gets to the open market two years from now, Lindholm will certainly be in line for one as well.  Manson signed his deal two seasons ago following a breakout year offensively but his production has plummeted since then.  He’s still an effective second pairing player that provides some grit but he’s someone that could feel the squeeze a little bit on the 2022 market if he isn’t able to put up a few more points between now and then.  Curran, a rookie who will turn 31 before next season starts and Larsson both will be trying to lock down full-time spots which will ultimately determine if they’re able to get a raise on their next deals or be settling for sixth or seventh defender money.

Three Years Remaining

F Derek Grant ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Troy Terry ($1.45MM, RFA)
D Kevin Shattenkirk ($3.9MM, UFA)

Grant finished fourth on the Ducks in goals last season despite missing a dozen games to a shoulder injury and several more after being traded to Philadelphia.  That was enough to earn him a small raise and a three-year deal in what is his third stint with Anaheim.  Unless he can get closer to the 20-goal mark though, it’s unlikely that another raise is on the horizon.  Terry is another youngster that hasn’t quite been able to make a consistent impact in the NHL but Anaheim opted to give him a bit of a raise in exchange for a term that’s a bit longer than a bridge deal.  There is some upside with this deal and if he is able to become a regular producer, doubling this price tag will certainly be an option.

Shattenkirk had a resurgent season with the Stanley Cup champions in Tampa Bay and was able to be one of the few players to land a contract greater than our initial projections when he was slotted 17th in our free agent rankings.  He should step into a top-four role and provide a good return in that role but he will need to stay in the 30-point range to have a chance at landing a similar-priced contract in 2023.

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Sharks Recall Marcus Sorensen

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In recent days, a handful of teams have started recalling players from their loans overseas in anticipation of NHL training camps getting underway.  The Sharks are the latest of these as HockeySverige’s Ronnie Ronnkvist notes that winger Marcus Sorensen has been recalled to San Jose, ending his time with HC Vita Hasten of the Allsvenskan in Sweden.

The 28-year-old hasn’t been the most prolific of point producers over his four seasons in North America but he made the most of his limited time back overseas as he leads the league in scoring with 11 goals and 13 assists in just 14 games.  Of course, it’s worth noting that the Allsvenskan is the second-tier league in Sweden so it’s not entirely surprising to see Sorensen do well.  He told Ronnkvist that his preference would have been to be loaned to Djurgarden of the SHL but that league wasn’t taking NHL players on short-term loans.

Sorensen is entering the final year of his contract which carries a $1.5MM cap hit.  He’ll need to improve upon his 18-point effort from last season to have a chance to improve on that in unrestricted free agency a year from now and his strong showing overseas certainly should give him a boost heading into training camp; San Jose is one of the teams that will be granted extra camp time after not playing in the summer.

Islanders Are Facing A Cap Crunch

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On the surface, having nearly $4MM in cap space to work with (per CapFriendly) would seem like a good thing for the Islanders.  Many teams don’t have anywhere near that type of room and would love to have that situation.  Of course, it isn’t quite that simple as New York still has their top forward in Mathew Barzal to re-sign and it’s doubtful that he’d simply settle for whatever room they have left.

While the 23-year-old technically had the lowest point total of his career last season, he still managed 19 goals and 41 assists in 68 games and is their number one center.  Even without the realistic threat of an offer sheet (given how few teams have the cap space available to try to sign Barzal at a price point that wouldn’t be matched), he still certainly has enough leverage to secure a sizable contract.

The recent settlement with defenseman Ryan Pulock opened up a second buyout window but given that most of their higher-priced talent that have underachieved have come with virtual buyout-proof deals based on how the contracts were structured, that was never really an option to use.  Those struggles in performance also makes finding a taker for defenseman Johnny Boychuk ($6MM) or winger Andrew Ladd ($5.5MM) extremely difficult.

Even players whose cap hits were under the second buyout threshold in wingers Cal Clutterbuck ($3.5MM) and Leo Komarov ($3MM) will be difficult as teams that are looking for grit can sign a free agent for much less than they’re making.  One of those is Matt Martin, a player they’d like to bring back but they need to get Barzal signed first.  Meanwhile, most of the more expensive veterans that would have some trade value are the ones that GM Lou Lamoriello will want to keep around although blueliner Nick Leddy ($5.5MM) could be deemed expendable.

One possible way to mitigate the situation is to focus on a short-term deal with Barzal.  A one-year pact would put his cap hit lower than it would on a multi-year contract and while it does take him to salary arbitration eligibility, anything under three years would do that anyway.  (Four years or more would take him to UFA status.)  While that typically isn’t an ideal option for a top young player, this isn’t a typical situation given that a lot of contracts for notable players have come in lower than expected.  As far as looking to cash in with a long-term, big-money contract goes, this probably isn’t the right time to do so.

But even that won’t solve the problem completely as again, Barzal is likely to get more than what New York has left in cap space so some sort of move has to be made.  They can open up a bit more wiggle room by carrying a minimum-sized roster but even if that leaves enough to get him in on a one-year pact, it leaves them quite vulnerable in terms of not having much room for recalls which, in a season that’s expected to be somewhat compressed with plenty of back-to-back situations, is hardly ideal.

Accordingly, it appears as if the Islanders will be joining the list of teams that are looking to free up some cap room between now and the start of the 2020-21 campaign, whenever it may be.  Of course, that’s something that’s a lot easier said than done this offseason.

Snapshots: Brassard, Marleau, World Championships

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Derick Brassard is one of quite a few veterans of note that are still without a contract as free agency concludes its sixth week.  He told Le Droit’s Marc Brassard that he turned down some overtures from European teams in the hopes of landing another NHL contract.  The 33-year-old had a good season with the Islanders in 2019-20, recording 10 goals and 22 assists in 66 games despite spending a fair bit of time in their bottom six but that hasn’t helped him land a deal thus far.  Brassard indicated that the Islanders haven’t ruled out the idea of him returning but until they get a contract done with RFA center Mathew Barzal, they’re limited in what else they can do at the moment.

More from around the hockey world:

  • Sharks winger Patrick Marleau sits 45 games shy of the all-time games played record in the NHL and depending on the length of the schedule next year and his health, he should have a chance of beating Gordie Howe’s mark. But if next season isn’t able to get going, the 41-year-old told NBC Bay Area’s Brodie Brazil that he’s already planning ahead to be ready for a 2021-22 campaign.  Marleau saw his numbers dip to career lows in 2019-20 with 11 goals and 11 assists in 66 games between San Jose and Pittsburgh and will likely have a limited role with the Sharks next season, assuming it’s able to be played.
  • After another lengthy list of tournaments being cancelled by the IIHF earlier this week, the World Championships is one of the few still standing but there are changes coming to that one. Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News reports that one of the venues for the tournament is being changed.  While Riga, Latvia will still host part of the event, the other host venue will be changed from Minsk, Belarus to Moscow, Russia.  Kennedy notes that meetings to finalize the plans are set for next week.

Poll: Who Would Win An All-Canadian Division?

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Earlier today, the Toronto Raptors announced that they will begin the upcoming NBA season in Tampa after their request to play at their home arena was denied by the Canadian government. Because of the travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada, it always seemed impossible for the Raptors—the league’s lone Canadian franchise—to be hosting American-based teams in Toronto. A long quarantine is still required when you enter the country, meaning the logistics of holding NBA games was going to be incredibly difficult.

In the NHL, however, there may be a way around those difficulties. The league includes seven Canadian-based teams, meaning they could play each other in a realigned divisional structure to start the regular season. The seven teams are based all across the country, but would theoretically not need to quarantine between cities—though this is certainly not a guarantee, especially given Toronto’s increased restrictions today.

The idea of an All-Canadian division has been speculated about since the beginning of the offseason, with the general consensus being it would be necessary to get through the 2020-21 season. Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver would be battling it out to be “King in the North.”

If that division does happen this season, who does it benefit? Which team would be the ultimate winner, and who would face an even more difficult task?

The Canucks, Oilers, and Flames all already play each other in the normal Pacific Division, but none of them were able to top the Vegas Golden Knights this year for the first seed. Perhaps if they get away from the expansion powerhouse, they would be even more successful.

The Maple Leafs, Senators, and Canadiens are in the same boat, battling in a tough Atlantic Division that also included two of the league’s best teams. The Boston Bruins had the best record in the NHL when the season was put on pause, while the Tampa Bay Lightning won it all in the bubble. Getting away from the Bruins especially might be a blessing for the Maple Leafs as they try to finally get over the first-round hump.

Or perhaps it’s the lone Central Division team in Winnipeg who would get the biggest boost. The Jets have been an excellent squad for the last several years, but are in a powerhouse of a division with the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, and Dallas Stars all finishing ahead of them in the standings this year. Sure, the other Canadian teams may not be pushovers, but all seven Central teams were included in the 24-team postseason bubble, with the last-place Blackhawks even upsetting the Oilers in the qualification round.

Perhaps who gets the biggest boost is too tough to answer, given the changing rosters all around the league. But if an All-Canadian division does happen, who will come out on top? Make your prediction below and jump into the comment section to explain your thoughts!

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Ottawa Senators Sign Egor Sokolov

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The Ottawa Senators have inked one of their 2020 draft picks, signing Egor Sokolov to a three-year, entry-level contract. Senators GM Pierre Dorion explained why the team chose to pick Sokolov in the second round despite being passed over in his first two years of eligibility:

To Egor’s credit, he’s worked especially hard for this. Despite initially being undrafted, he applied himself to improve many facets of his game to the point where he led the Quebec league in goals last season. We were pleased to be able to select him where we did last month and look forward to seeing his career progress.

Now 20, Sokolov is eligible to play in the AHL this season should the team feel it is in his best interest. The 6’4″ behemoth is still not a strong skater, but scored 46 goals and 92 points in just 52 games for the Cape Breton Eagles last season, showing he could set up his teammates just as well as he could release his heavy shot.

Even though he was selected 61st overall, it’s hard to know if Sokolov will ever be an impact player in the NHL. If he can improve his skating enough and continue developing his puck protection skills, he could be a legitimate top-six weapon, but there’s also a chance he won’t be able to keep up with the play at the next level.

Minor Transactions: 11/20/20

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It’s the dog days of…November? The NHL offseason is moving like molasses these days, with no one-way UFA contracts handed out for the last two weeks. While things may be ramping up again at the end of the month, minor leagues and those in Europe have still continued to finesse their rosters recently. We’ll keep track of the notable moves right here:

  • Philip Holm has signed a contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk for the 2020-21 season, bringing him back to the KHL. Holm has tried multiple times to start a career in North America, but ended up playing just a single NHL game with the Vancouver Canucks in 2017-18. His latest NHL deal, signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019, was terminated in January in order for him to play in Switzerland. He’ll now be in Russia, trying to find some stability.
  • Lawton Courtnall, son of former NHL forward Russ Courtnall and nephew of Geoff Courtnall, will start his professional career with the Wheeling Nailers this season. The 24-year-old forward spent the last four years at Western Michigan University but has now signed a one-year ECHL deal.
  • Top draft prospect Mason McTavish is trying to go to Switzerland to play for the upcoming season, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. McTavish, 17, is eligible for selection in 2021 and scored 29 goals in his rookie OHL season. Switzerland may seem like an outside the box choice, but McTavish was actually born there when his father, Dale McTavish, played in the NLA. The young forward’s plans have “hit some snags” according to Wheeler, meaning he is currently skating in Ottawa while his representatives try to work through the issue.
  • Former Blue Jackets prospect Maxime Fortier has signed a one-year contract with Wichita of the ECHL.  The 22-year-old signed with Columbus as an undrafted free agent back in 2017 but didn’t progress past the minor league level in his first two professional seasons which resulted in him not receiving a qualifying offer last month.

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