Johnny Gaudreau Hoping To Stay In Calgary
In 2016, when Johnny Gaudreau was approaching the end of his entry-level contract, he was asked about playing for the Calgary Flames long-term. His answer then included the idea that he could play his “whole career” in Calgary, given the support of the organization and the fan base. Gaudreau would sign a six-year, $40.5MM contract a few months later, buying up many of his prime years in the league. That refrain of staying in Calgary his entire career was echoed throughout the first several seasons of the deal and now, as he approaches the last year of the contract, he was asked again.
If [Brad Treliving] and the owners are happy with the way I’ve played here the past six, seven years. It’s something we can figure out this upcoming summer, I’d love to do that. I love the city of Calgary. I love playing here. I don’t think I’ve ever once said I haven’t wanted to be here, the guys in the locker room are great in there. I’ve always enjoyed my time here.
Gaudreau will be eligible to sign an extension this summer when his contract officially has just one year remaining, and Flames GM Brad Treliving confirmed to reporters including Hailey Salvian of The Athletic that the forward has expressed his desire to stay in Calgary. Still, there will be speculation (as there is almost every offseason) that the Flames are in need of a refresh and moving out some of their core pieces would be the start.
The 27-year-old Gaudreau recorded 49 points in 56 games this season including 19 goals, a nice bounce-back from the 18-goal campaign he put up a year ago. He still hasn’t been able to come close to that 36-goal, 99-point season in 2018-19 that led him to finish fourth in Hart Trophy voting, but there’s no doubt he’s still one of Calgary’s most important forwards.
The question that has always surrounded the diminutive Gaudreau, is whether he can perform in the playoffs when the game usually gets more physical. While he does have 19 points in 30 career postseason games, most of that production has come on the powerplay. In fact, he has scored just three even-strength goals in those playoff games, often a contributing factor to the Flames’ early exits.
There is of course the cost to worry about as well. The Flames spent big money in the 2020 offseason when they brought in Jacob Markstrom and Chris Tanev, with the former struggling to perform under the new deal. Markstrom did suffer a concussion this season according to Treliving, but recorded just a .904 save percentage in 43 appearances and led the league in losses. The Flames now have close to $42MM already committed to just eight players in the 2022-23 season when any new deal for Gaudreau would kick in, meaning they’ll have to carefully navigate any extension talks in the coming months.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Alexander Edler Wants To Play In 2021-22
Alexander Edler has hit the ice for the Vancouver Canucks 1,007 times in his NHL career. He has never played a game for another franchise but now enters another uncertain offseason as an unrestricted free agent. One thing that is certain is that he has no plans on retirement; Edler told reporters including Thomas Drance of The Athletic that he wants to play in 2021-22.
In 2019, the Canucks faced a similar decision. Edler made it clear he wanted to stay in Vancouver and the two sides agreed on a two-year, $12MM deal that actually represented the highest per-season salary of his career. The difference now is that Edler is 35 and coming off his worst offensive season, with just eight points in 52 games. For a player that had never registered fewer than 20 previously, that was a precipitous dropoff. Edler’s down year also came in a difficult season for the Canucks, who finished in last place in the North Division.
There’s no doubt that Edler’s next contract will come at a considerably lower salary than his last one, but will it come in Vancouver? The Canucks have young defensemen like Jack Rathbone and Olli Juolevi who will need increased roles, while Tyler Myers and Nate Schmidt are still taking up nearly $12MM in cap already. Quinn Hughes, the team’s most dynamic defender, is up for a new contract and will likely take up a huge chunk of the team’s remaining cap space.
Edler has only received votes for the Norris Trophy on one occasion but he has been a staple in the Canucks lineup since 2007. He sits fourth in franchise games played behind only Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, and Trevor Linden, tenth in all-time points despite being a defenseman.
Ottawa Senators Extend Clark Bishop
The Ottawa Senators have signed Clark Bishop to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The 25-year-old forward was set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this offseason after failing to reach the required number of games played for restricted free agency. That won’t matter now, as the Senators have brought him back on a deal that will carry an $800K salary in the NHL and a 200K salary in the AHL.
Senators GM Pierre Dorion released the following statement:
Clark proved to be a versatile player for us this past season. He possesses good speed, has a great work ethic and showcases a continuous willingness to play in hard areas. We’re pleased to reach agreement with him.
Bishop came to the Senators in a trade just before the season began and ended up playing 13 games for the team. He failed to score a goal, but did register three assists and generally held his own. That short audition has obviously impressed the team enough to bring him back, though the two-way deal suggests he isn’t guaranteed a roster spot next season.
Instead, Bishop will likely serve a similar role, sitting somewhere between 14-16 on the forward depth chart. A handful of NHL games should be expected, but it’s hard to see him locking down a full-time roster spot with so many young prospects pushing for playing time. If the Senators want to move him to the minor leagues Bishop will have to clear waivers, but that shouldn’t be much of an issue. He cleared twice this season.
John Davidson Returns To Columbus Blue Jackets
The news broke late last night, but the move is now official. John Davidson is returning to the Columbus Blue Jackets as president of hockey operations and alternate governor on a five-year contract. The team has also signed general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to a contract extension through the 2024-25 season. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that Davidson had three years remaining on his contract with the New York Rangers, who fired him earlier this year, while Kekalainen was signed through 2022-23 before the extension.
Club president Mike Priest released a statement:
John Davidson and Jarmo Kekalainen worked tirelessly and effectively together to transform our hockey club from a team with one Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance in 12 seasons to one that reached the postseason five times in seven years from 2013-20. This is an important time for our organization and having stability and proven leadership at the top of our hockey operations department is critical for us to do what we want to do, which is bring a Stanley Cup championship to Columbus. Signing Jarmo to an extension and then bringing J.D. back gives us the right people to address the opportunities and challenges before us and we couldn’t be more excited.
Almost exactly two years ago, Davidson resigned his post with the Blue Jackets to chase his dream job with the Rangers. At the time, he explained that a chance to return to New York, where he had spent so much of his playing and broadcasting career was one he “simply could not pass up.” After two relatively successful seasons helping to rebuild the team, he was fired along with general manager Jeff Gorton and head coach David Quinn. At the time of the dismissal, many in the hockey world expressed the notion that Davidson would not go unemployed for long.
So, just two weeks later, Davidson is in charge of an NHL franchise again, returning to Columbus where he spent seven years between 2012-2019. The Blue Jackets are in a period of transition after parting ways with John Tortorella and finishing in last place. Davidson and Kekalainen have a lot of work to do to right the ship, including a few difficult decisions on roster construction. Seth Jones, the team’s best player, is scheduled for unrestricted free agency after next season and will need a huge contract to stick around. Max Domi, Elvis Merzlikins, Joonas Korpisalo, Boone Jenner, and others are also ticketed for UFA status next summer, meaning the next 12 months could see a drastic reshaping of the Blue Jackets roster.
Injury Updates: Penguins, Dube, Larkin, Slavin
The Penguins could get center Evgeni Malkin back for one of the next two games in their first-round series against the Islanders but the same can’t be said for goaltender Casey DeSmith. Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Malkin accompanied the team to New York while DeSmith did not. Malkin is believed to be dealing with a recurrence of the knee trouble that caused him to miss most of the second half of the season while DeSmith has missed the last two-plus weeks due to an undisclosed injury. Game three of that series goes on Thursday.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Flames winger Dillon Dube is in concussion protocol after being injured in today’s regular season finale against Vancouver, relays Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson (Twitter link). The 22-year-old is supposed to join Team Canada for the upcoming World Championships but unless he is cleared quickly, he may no longer be able to participate.
- Red Wings center Dylan Larkin won’t need surgery due to the neck injury he suffered late in the season, mentions Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. He expects to be able to resume training in a month and should be ready to go for 2021-22 where he’ll hope to rebound from a quiet campaign that saw him pick up just 23 points in 44 games.
- Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin was out of the lineup for tonight’s second game against Nashville. As Michael Smith of Carolina’s team website notes (Twitter link), the blueliner will be a game-time decision for a while with Slavin ultimately making the decision on when he’ll be able to suit up. He suffered a lower-body injury in their final regular season game and clearly, he has not quite recovered from it just yet.
International Notes: Jokinen, Roy, Samorukov, Kovalenko
Long-time NHL forward Jussi Jokinen has decided to call it a career, telling NHL.com’s Varpu Sihvonen that he is hanging up his skates at the age of 38. Jokinen played in 951 career NHL games over parts of 13 seasons with nine different teams, picking up 191 goals and 372 assists. After spending a year in Switzerland, he returned home to play in Karpat where he spent the last two seasons. His production dipped this season as he picked up just nine goals in 51 games which helped lead to his decision as he felt that he is no longer able to play at a high enough level to contribute as much as he wants to. Jokinen didn’t win a Stanley Cup in the NHL but picked up five medals internationally, two at the Olympics and three at the World Championships.
More from the international game:
- Jokinen wasn’t the only veteran announcing his retirement as Derek Roy did the same today via a post on his Instagram page. The center spent most of his 11-year career with Buffalo and suited up in 738 career games, notching 189 goals and 335 assists. Roy last saw NHL action in 2015 before embarking on a four-country tour over the past six seasons which ended with EHC Munchen where he had four goals and five helpers in just 12 games in 2020-21.
- CSKA Moscow of the KHL announced (Twitter link) that they have released defenseman Dmitri Samorukov, paving the way for him to return to the Oilers for next season. The 21-year-old spent last season with AHL Bakersfield but the uncertainty around the pandemic led him to stay in Russia for this season where he managed two goals and six assists in 48 games. While he’s eligible to play in the playoffs with Edmonton, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury so that won’t be happening.
- Avalanche prospect Nikolai Kovalenko told Championnat’s Alexander Kozhevnikov that he is leaving Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL due to unhappiness over his role. The 2018 sixth-rounder had a limited role this season but still managed to notch five goals and six assists in 41 games. The winger indicated that there are a couple of options he’s currently considering – signing with Colorado and coming to North America or staying in Russia and joining Ak Bars Kazan. As Kovalenko was drafted out of Russia, his NHL rights will be held indefinitely.
NHL Sets 2021 Draft Lottery Odds
With the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames finally finishing their respective schedules today, the regular season is officially complete. With that comes the announcement that Connor McDavid has won the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading point-getter, while Auston Matthews has won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the leading goal scorer.
The league has also officially released the odds for the 2021 NHL Draft Lottery which will be held Wednesday, June 2. Remember, this season there will be only two drawings; the first and second overall selections will be up for grabs.
Normally, given the addition of the Seattle Kraken, the draw would include 16 teams. That will only sort of be the case, as after forfeiting their first-round pick due to scouting violations, a selection of the Arizona Coyotes will result in a re-draw. The Kraken have been given the same odds as the New Jersey Devils, who finished 29th.
The odds for the first draw, which determines the first-overall pick, are as follows:
Buffalo Sabres – 16.6%
Anaheim Ducks – 12.1%
Seattle Kraken – 10.3%
New Jersey Devils – 10.3%
Columbus Blue Jackets – 8.5%
Detroit Red Wings – 7.6%
San Jose Sharks – 6.7%
Los Angeles Kings – 5.8%
Vancouver Canucks – 5.4%
Ottawa Senators – 4.5%
Arizona Coyotes – 3.1%*
Chicago Blackhawks – 2.7%
Calgary Flames – 2.2%
Philadelphia Flyers – 1.8%
Dallas Stars – 1.4%
New York Rangers – 1.0%
The odds for the remaining teams will increase on a proportionate basis for the second draw, which determines who will receive the second-overall pick.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 05/19/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is today’s list:
St. Louis – David Perron, Jake Walman, Nathan Walker
Winnipeg – TBA
As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(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
Players removed today: None
There was some worry today that several players from the Blues and Golden Knights would be added to the protocol after testing came back positive last night. After re-testing, it was determined that there was an error at the lab. The league released a full statement:
This morning, we became aware of certain test results involving multiple Players on two Clubs (the St. Louis Blues and the Vegas Golden Knights) that had indicated positive results for the COVID-19 virus. Because those reported results emanated from the same laboratory, and due to other peculiarities and similarities as among the test results themselves, an investigation was initiated into the possibility that the initial test results reported may have been in error. All affected Players were immediately isolated and further testing was done involving collected samples. Those tests have returned uniformly negative results, therefore confirming that the initial reported test results were in error. As a result, all affected Players will be eligible to play in their team’s next game.
Unfortunately, while the Blues won’t have players added, they still don’t have Perron, Walman or Walker back either. The team will have to hope they can take down the Avalanche this evening without their top scorer.
KHL Notes: Demchenko, Weal, Kampfer
The Montreal Canadiens won’t be bringing back Vasili Demchenko next season, as the minor league goaltender has decided to return to Russia. Demchenko signed a new one-year contract with Avangard Omsk, meaning his North American sojourn lasted all of one year.
Signed to a one-year two-way contract in April of 2020, the 27-year-old ended up playing just four games at the AHL level, posting a .905 save percentage with the Laval Rocket. He was recalled to the taxi squad for just one day earlier this month and was ticketed for unrestricted free agency this summer.
- Another Canadiens player likely headed to the KHL is Jordan Weal, as Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports that the minor league forward has signed a one-year deal with Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL. Weal, who actually played in 49 games for the Canadiens last season and has more than 200 games played at the NHL level, spent the entire 2020-21 campaign in the minor leagues. In 34 games for the Rocket, he registered 24 points.
- Weal will likely be joined by Steven Kampfer, according to Engels and a report from Sport-Express in Russia. Kampfer has played in 20 games for the Boston Bruins this season but is also a pending unrestricted free agent. The 32-year-old defenseman has 39 points in 231 career games.
Blues Issue Statement On COVID Discrepencies
Earlier today, several reports emerged about an issue with the COVID testing last night, with teams across multiple sports believing that false positives had been reported. It wasn’t clear which teams would be affected, but the St. Louis Blues have now issued a statement from president of hockey operations Doug Armstrong:
We have discovered discrepancies in Covid test results relating to multiple players. We have been in touch with and are working with the League to address these discrepancies with additional testing and expect to have further information later this afternoon.
The League will provide a further update when we have more information. Head Coach Craig Berube and our players will not be available to the media until after tonight’s game.
The Blues are the team that currently has three players in the COVID protocol, including top scorer David Perron. As Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press points out, the team recently did additional testing after Jake Walman, who is fully vaccinated, tested positive with a rare breakthrough infection. Walman and Nathan Walker are the other two players in the protocol with Perron.
St. Louis is set to take on the Colorado Avalanche in game two of their first-round series later tonight, but obviously, that is now up in the air depending on what happens with this testing situation. Colorado is up 1-0 after a 4-1 win on Monday.