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Stars Notes: Bishop, Offseason Targets, L’Esperance

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Dallas goaltender Ben Bishop is participating in training camp but don’t expect him to be ready for the season opener.  Instead, his goal is much simpler as he told Mike Heika of the Stars’ team website is that he’s hoping to simply be able to play at some point during the year.  The 34-year-old has dealt with lingering knee issues that have seen him undergo two surgeries and the uncertainty surrounding his availability for the season led them to sign Braden Holtby to join holdovers Anton Khudobin and Jake Oettinger.  As Heika notes, the Stars will need to free up cap space in order to have Bishop on the active roster so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them be very cautious in bringing Bishop back to the point where he maybe starts on LTIR for a few weeks to buy them some more time to evaluate him.

More from Dallas:

  • In a separate piece from Heika, he reports that the Stars showed interest in trading for defenseman Seth Jones and signing winger Blake Coleman this summer. However, those discussions didn’t last too long as the price tag got too high for their liking.  Dallas was still able to add to their back end this summer, inking veteran Ryan Suter to take Jamie Oleksiak’s spot on the roster.  They weren’t able to make a big splash up front – veteran center Luke Glendening was their biggest UFA forward signing but the returns to health of Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov effectively give them two significant additions compared to what they had for most of last season.
  • Winger Joel L’Esperance confirmed to Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that he has not been vaccinated nor does he intend to be. The 26-year-old scored twice in a dozen games for the Stars last season but is likely ticketed to play in the AHL for most of the season.  Dallas’ affiliate in Texas has six games in Canada this season and under new protocols for 2021-22, the team will be able to suspend L’Esperance without pay for those missed games while it may affect his chances of getting recalled knowing there may be a seven-day quarantine to be served following any promotion from the minors.

Florida Panthers Sign Justin Sourdif

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The Florida Panthers have agreed to terms with Justin Sourdif on his three-year, entry-level contract. The young forward was one of the team’s 2020 draft selections and is at training camp with the team currently. The deal will carry a cap hit of $870K in the NHL according to CapFriendly. Panthers GM Bill Zito released a short statement on his newest player:

Justin is a dynamic forward who plays the game with speed and skill. He demonstrated his abilities as a playmaker in the WHL and we look forward to his development within our organization.

Sourdif, 19, was the 87th player selected last October, and spent this season back with his WHL Vancouver Giants. It was something of a breakout campaign for the right-handed forward, who scored 11 goals and 34 points in 22 games. That was the first time Sourdif had even been a point-per-game player at the junior level, signaling just how much of a jump he has made since his draft. He was even one of the players invited to Canada’s World Junior camp this summer, though the forward group for the upcoming tournament is going to be difficult to crack.

It’s not that a breakout was totally unforeseen. Sourdif had obvious talent, but his consistency wavered at times during the early part of his junior career. Despite just 54 points in 57 games during his draft year, he was still ranked 23rd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Some even believed he could be a late first-round selection if a team fell in love with the offensive upside, though he eventually did fall to the third round. If the Panthers can develop that talent correctly, there’s a chance they could have an impact player on their hands. That is still several years down the road though, as Sourdif will return to the WHL this season to build on that shortened 2020-21 campaign.

Minnesota Wild Announce Front Office Changes

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The Minnesota Wild have reorganized their front office, announcing several promotions and a few interesting hires. Chris O’Hearn, who previously worked as the team’s director of hockey operations, has been promoted to assistant general manager. Michael Murray, who previously served as an assistant to the general manager, will now be the team’s director of hockey operations and the general manager of the Iowa Wild. Mat Sells has been promoted to vice president of hockey, while J.P. Perpich and Matt Carle have joined as amateur scouts, the latter in a part-time role.

O’Hearn, 39, served with the Arizona Coyotes for more than a decade before coming to Minnesota, and for three years held the same AGM role there that he now has with the Wild. The young executive comes from a hockey family, as his father Mike O’Hearn was an AGM with the Winnipeg Jets in the mid-nineties. With the Wild, O’Hearn will be responsible for player contract research and negotiations, scheduling, salary arbitration and salary cap management.

Murray, 41, joined the Wild less than a year ago as a special assistant to GM Bill Guerin, but will now take over the day-to-day hockey operations, assist in contract negotiations, player development, and scouting. That’s in addition to taking over as GM of Iowa, but that shouldn’t be a problem given his familiarity with the AHL. Murray spent nearly a decade as the minor league’s vice president of hockey operations and before that had experience in the league office of the ECHL.

The addition that may draw the most attention though is Carle, who suited up more than 800 times in the NHL over a long career. It ended in 2017, but it appears as though he’s ready to get back into the NHL, at least part-time. A Hobey Baker award winner, two-time NCAA champion, and World Junior gold medalist, he should certainly have a handle on what it takes to make the transition from the college ranks to the NHL.

Calgary Flames Sign Jeremie Poirier

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The Calgary Flames have inked one of their 2020 draft picks, signing Jeremie Poirier to a three-year entry-level contract. The young defenseman was selected 72nd overall in 2020 and is currently attending training camp with the team.

Poirier, 19, will be heading back to the QMJHL this season where he has racked up a ton of points over the last two years. In just 33 games during 2020-21 he had 37 points and he led all defenders in goals with 20 during the 2019-20 season. A high-flying, offensive defenseman, he will need to find a balance between his risky play and a more conservative approach at the professional level, but that may not matter for his CHL season. Poirier could very well lead all QMJHL defensemen in scoring this year, should he stay healthy.

Because he’s still young enough, the first year of this entry-level deal will not be burned in 2021-22. Instead, it will slide forward meaning Poirier is essentially under contract through 2024-25 with this new deal. There’s quite a bit of development still to go, but he possesses real offensive upside that could help him reach the NHL level.

NHL Announces Stricter Enforcement For Cross-Checking

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For months now, there has been reporting indicating that the league was going to put a new focus on cross-checking this season, penalizing it more strictly. Today, the league even released a video announcing its new, stricter enforcement guidelines, giving examples of the kind of plays that will now be expected to draw penalties. Examples along the boards, in front of the net and in open ice on the rush are shown. Though the league is clear this is not a rule change, it is a change to the interpretation of rule 59 which currently reads:

Cross-checking: The action of using the shaft of the stick between the two hands to forcefully check an opponent.

The wording is not being changed, but the video explains that it is a judgment call made by an official that will be done differently this season.

Although not a change to the rule, beginning in the 2021-22 season, there will be a stricter enforcement of rule 59. 

Officials may allow players to use the shaft of the stick to guide or push an opponent without assessing a penalty. However, if the guiding or pushing is judged to be excessive, an interference penalty may be assessed. 

Players and coaches alike have long cried out for change to the cross-checking enforcement, given the punishment that has been allowed in front of the net. If this rule is truly enforced differently this upcoming season, there may be a significant change to the way players defend, especially on the penalty kill. As with any judgment call though, it remains to be seen how strictly the officials actually call these listed offenses.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Ronan Seeley

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed 2020 draft pick Ronan Seeley to a three-year entry-level contract. The young defenseman impressed in his shortened WHL season and has now earned himself his first NHL contract. Carolina GM Don Waddell released a statement explaining why they signed him:

Despite two shortened seasons in the WHL, Seeley’s progression has been terrific. His ability to transport the puck and play fast defensively is what we’re looking for in our defensemen. We’re excited to watch him continue his development in our organization for another three years.

It’s not often that seventh-round picks get entry-level contracts less than a year after they are selected, but that’s exactly what Seeley has done since being the 208th overall pick last October. The 19-year-old defenseman played 23 games with the Everett Silvertips in 2020-21 and registered 17 points, good enough for fifth on the entire team. Now, not only was he part of the development camp but Seeley is also on the Hurricanes roster for the NHL training camp.

Even though he signed his entry-level deal today, Seeley will head back to the WHL for his fourth season in Everett as he does not yet qualify for the AHL. That should give him a chance to truly dominate, if last year’s shortened campaign is any indication of how far he has come even since his draft. He was ranked 75th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting heading into the 2020 draft, but has already shown he should have been picked higher than the seventh round. Earlier this summer, he was even invited to Team Canada’s World Junior development camp, meaning he even has an outside chance at representing his country this winter.

Injury Notes: Zary, Samberg, Kempny

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Connor Zary, one of the players who found immediate success in the AHL last season despite being too young to normally play there, had a good news-bad news kind of day. The good news is that he won’t require surgery on the ankle he injured this week, the bad news is that he did suffer a fracture in it and will be out on a week-to-week basis.

If you wondered how the Flames are going to add more scoring punch in the years to come, the answer may be Zary, the 24th overall pick from 2020. The 19-year-old center had seven points in nine games with the Stockton Heat before the WHL started up again, and then went back to the Kamloops Blazers to record 24 points in just 15 games down the stretch. This time around, Zary won’t be forced back to the junior level when he returns. He’ll turn 20 tomorrow, meaning he is now eligible for the AHL this season and can report right to the Heat after recovering from this injury.

  • Speaking of AHL players on the cusp of a roster spot, Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg has lost any chance of breaking camp with the NHL team after suffering a high ankle sprain. The young defenseman will be out six to eight weeks, according to GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, who spoke to reporters including Murat Ates of The Athletic today. Given the newcomers to the Jets blue line Samberg likely still had only an outside shot of landing an NHL spot to start the season, but now he’ll be playing catchup all season to try and get back on the strong development path he has shown thus far. The 22-year-old second-round pick was a star at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and fit right in at the AHL level in 2020-21.
  • Michal Kempny is finally pain-free after a brutal two-year stretch of injuries. The Washington Capitals defenseman confirmed to reporters including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post that all three of his recent injuries–a torn hamstring in 2019, torn Achilles in 2020 and MCL sprain in 2021–were to his left leg. Incredibly, that MCL sprain that happened last season came when a member of the Hershey Bears ice crew collided with him during his conditioning stint. Kempny ended up playing just two games during the 2020-21 campaign, both at the AHL level, but is ready to resume his career with a Capitals team that he played so well for during the 2018 Stanley Cup run.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Sami Niku

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After terminating his contract with the Winnipeg Jets earlier this month, Sami Niku has found a new home. The Montreal Canadiens have signed the young defenseman to a one-year, two-way contract, one that comes with a considerable minor league salary. Niku will earn just $750K at the NHL level, but $425K in the AHL and also has negotiated a $475K minor league guarantee.

Niku, 24, has frankly dominated the AHL to this point, racking up 80 points in 114 games and winning the Eddie Shore Award as the league’s best defenseman. That minor league success only translated into 54 games at the NHL level with the Jets though, leading to the eventual parting of ways as he looked for a new opportunity.

He’ll find it in Montreal, where the last few spots of the Canadiens’ blue line are still in flux. With Shea Weber out, there are minutes to go around in various situations and David Savard can only take so many of them. Newcomer Chris Wideman seemed a likely candidate to get some powerplay time, but he’ll now be in direct competition with the much younger Niku. Alexander Romanov and Brett Kulak could rotate out of the lineup at times if the Montreal front office decides to keep eight defensemen on the roster for opening day.

The acquisition gives head coach Dominique Ducharme another talented option, but Niku and his representatives also built in some security should he fail to make the roster. A $475K guarantee is a whopping number for a player so young and shows just how effective Niku has been so far in his short career in North America. Remember, he’ll also have to clear waivers if the team tries to send him down.

Remaining RFAs Training Together As Season Approaches

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If you navigate to the restricted free agent page on CapFriendly, only five names remain unsigned for the upcoming season. Two of them are New York Islanders players–Anatoly Golyshev and Kieffer Bellows–who are both already in training camp even though the team has not officially announced new contracts. The other three, Elias Pettersson, Brady Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes, are having their own kind of training camp in Michigan. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the three are now skating together as they continue to wait out their contract negotiations.

Pettersson joined Hughes there as the Vancouver Canucks deal directly with representative Pat Brisson on new deals for the young stars. As recently as Tuesday, the super-agent told Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV that he and the club were speaking every other day, working to get deals done as soon as possible. But it’s now a couple of days into camp and the two most important players on the Vancouver roster are not even in the country.

In Ottawa, things are moving forward without Tkachuk, the team’s best forward and likely their next captain. GM Pierre Dorion once again told reporters including Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet that the negotiations were “productive and positive,” but the 22-year-old is now missing from camp in an all-important year for the Senators. The team is looking to turn the corner on their rebuild and Tkachuk is the player that needs to lead them there.

A week ago, Justin Bourne of Sportsnet wrote a column detailing his viewpoint on missing the start of training camp. He makes the case that the early part of the season is the most crucial, because of the trust it builds between the coaching staff and roster. While neither Vancouver nor Ottawa have rookie head coaches trying to get the respect of the room, they are both teams that are by no means guaranteed a playoff spot or even a competitive season. Any disruption to the start of the year could cascade throughout the entire schedule.

For now though, all the players can do is train on their own and wait for a resolution. Thomas Drance of The Athletic writes that it will have to be Pettersson that signs before Hughes, because of the latter’s status as a 10.2(c) RFA that cannot be signed to an offer sheet. If they signed them in the reverse, it would open a window for another team to swoop in and offer something to Pettersson that would be difficult to match under the Canucks’ current cap situation.

At this point, there are no more comparables to be signed, as these are the three pillars left standing. The only real pressure point coming now is the start of the regular season, certainly not something either side wants to wait for.

Mike Hardman, Kevin Lankinen Absent Due To COVID Protocols

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While things are mostly back to normal in terms of the schedule and divisional alignment this season, there are some things that haven’t changed. One of those is the continual risk of players being forced to miss practices and games due to COVID protocols. Last year we saw a daily COVID Protocol Related Absences list, which at times grew to dozens and dozens of players. This season may not be as rampant, but already some are missing training time due to league rules.

Today, Mike Hardman and Kevin Lankinen have been ruled out of Chicago Blackhawks’ practice due to the protocol. Both players were present yesterday. As a reminder, being in the COVID protocol does not necessarily mean a player has tested positive for Coronavirus. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Missing a few days at the beginning of camp is not going to derail the Blackhawks’ season, but this is an important reminder that the NHL is not completely back to normal. For Chicago in particular, Lankinen has been replaced by Collin Delia in the first practice group according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. It is unclear how long each player will be held out for.

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