Draft Day Trade Rumors: O’Reilly, Hoffman, Coyotes, Maple Leafs
Given the last-place finish of the Buffalo Sabres and the comments made by veteran leader Ryan O’Reilly at the end of the season, it would come as no surprise if the team was to trade away their best player not named Jack Eichel in an effort to build around Eichel and his fellow promising young players. Earlier today, TSN’s Darren Dreger spoke on the extensive demands that Buffalo GM Jason Botterill has for any return in an O’Reilly deal and, while he admitted that a deal is beginning to seem more likely, felt that it would take a lot of work for any team to make a fair offer in Botterill’s eyes. Dreger’s TSN colleague and The Athletic reporter Pierre LeBrun seems slightly more optimistic about the likelihood of a deal. LeBrun admits that O’Reilly likely wouldn’t mind returning to Buffalo, what with Casey Mittelstadt and Rasmus Dahlin likely in the fold next year and beyond, and the Sabres may not mind keeping him. However, LeBrun opines that if John Tavares re-signs with the New York Islanders prior to the NHL Draft, the top center on the free agent market will be Paul Stastny and many teams would prefer to search the trade market instead, where O’Reilly appears to be the top prize down the middle. Given the Sabres’ desire to add young pieces – picks and prospects – to develop alongside their new, young core, the draft would be the ideal time to strike on an O’Reilly trade. LeBrun goes so far as to say that the Montreal Canadiens have already discussed such a deal.
- Another player who LeBrun feels is primed to be dealt during or around the upcoming draft is Ottawa Senators forward Mike Hoffman. Hoffman was a frequent member of the rumor mill through the most recent NHL Trade Deadline, but remained in Ottawa, at least for the time being. LeBrun says that those rumors are back in full swing and that he feels Hoffman will be traded at the draft. The Senators are not trending in the right direction and could benefit from both the multi-piece return that Hoffman would command and a reprieve from his $5.18MM salary over the next two seasons. LeBrun notes that the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames were the top suitors for Hoffman at the deadline, but the St. Louis Blues and Florida Panthers were also among a plethora of teams pursuing a player who has flirted with 30 goals and 60 points for three years in a row.
- The Carolina Hurricanes and Vancouver Canucks have already been rumored to be listening on offers for their top ten picks in the upcoming draft; add the Arizona Coyotes to that list as well. LeBrun states that the team has contemplated offers and would consider moving up or down on draft day, depending on how the picks fall. LeBrun believes that GM John Chayka has already spoken with the Montreal Canadiens about a swap involving picks #3 and #5, in case the Habs feel they can get the top center in the draft, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, later on and if the ‘Yotes have a preferred choice between potential second overall picks Andrei Svechnikov and Filip Zadina. He also feels that there is a strong chance that they could trade down, given the depth of defensemen in the first round versus the desire of other teams to move up for top forwards. Look for Arizona to be busy on the draft floor later this month.
- Another team that could be making moves on draft day are the Toronto Maple Leafs. In a mailbag for The Athletic, Jame Mirtle says to expect new GM Kyle Dubas to trade down, perhaps even multiple times, during the draft. When Dubas ran the draft for the Leafs in 2015 he employed this strategy, seen far more often in the NFL than NHL. Dubas traded down twice in order to collect multiple picks in later rounds. In a draft that many feel has a significant drop-off in talent after the first 20-odd picks to a tier that encompasses the next 60 or so picks, if Toronto feels that they don’t have a surefire option at 25th overall, they could swap with a team who has a specific player in mind and potentially grab multiple player of similar caliber later on.
Snapshots: Kunitz, Cameron, Anderson
The Tampa Bay Lightning have some tough decisions to make this summer as they try to decide how to improve and get them to the next level, and Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription required) examines the future of every player on the roster in his latest piece. When it comes to Chris Kunitz, who is one of the team’s few players scheduled for unrestricted free agency, Smith relays some comments from agent Ben Hankinson:
There’s no quit in [Kunitz]. He loved everything about the city, the team, the fans, and the direction they’re going. He’s wired for another run.
Kunitz, 38, registered 29 points for the second regular season in a row, but couldn’t find any of that playoff magic he had in Pittsburgh and Anaheim. Held to just a single assist in 17 postseason contests, it might be time for the Lightning to move on from the veteran winger. Whether they do is unclear at this point, but Smith does believe that Andrej Sustr, the only other roster player scheduled for UFA status, is as good as gone this summer. The towering defenseman played only 44 games in the regular season and was held out of the playoffs for the team.
- Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that Dave Cameron, former Ottawa Senators head coach and recently a Calgary Flames assistant, has taken a job with the Vienna Capitals in Austria for next season. Cameron was a long time junior and minor league head coach, but will now journey to Europe for the next chapter in his professional career. We’ve seen it work for other NHL coaches in the past, including Marc Crawford who spent four years in Switzerland before returning to the NHL, and Bob Hartley who won a championship in Switzerland and recently had been leading the Latvian national team. Hartley is now headed to the KHL, another option for Cameron down the road if he isn’t given another opportunity in the NHL.
- Speaking of coaches leaving for other opportunities, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Minnesota Wild assistant coach John Anderson will not have his contract renewed. Anderson had come with the team alongside Bruce Boudreau two years ago, but will have to find another landing spot for the next part of his coaching career. A four-time 30-goal scorer during his playing days, Anderson was a long-time head coach of the Chicago Wolves and secured two Calder Cups for the team during his time in the AHL.
Ben Simon Named Head Coach Of Grand Rapids Griffins
The Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings, lost their head coach Todd Nelson to the Dallas Stars recently, but will have a familiar face taking over for him next season. Ben Simon, who worked as an assistant for the team the last three years has officially been named head coach.
The Griffins won a Calder Cup under Nelson in 2017, but failed to get past the Manitoba Moose this time around. After he joined Jim Montgomery‘s new staff in Dallas, it wasn’t clear if the team would bring in a new face or promote from within. That answer is clear now, and Simon will get his first chance as a head coach in the AHL, after previously holding the role in the ECHL.
Simon, once an AHL journeyman himself, played 81 games in his NHL career and recorded just four points. He’ll try to impart some of his knowledge on what has been a very good minor league team of late, despite the lack of real high-end prospects. Ben Street, Eric Tangradi and Matt Lorito, three experienced professionals led the way this year, but are all unrestricted free agents this summer. Though it doesn’t seem like they’ll get a lot of opportunity elsewhere in the NHL, there’s no guarantee they’ll be back in Grand Rapids.
The Griffins will likely get Dennis Cholowski though, one of Detroit’s top prospects and a defenseman with extremely high potential. If he doesn’t crack the Red Wings lineup out of camp, Simon will be the one to mold Cholowski through his first full professional season.
St. Louis Blues Hire Drew Bannister For AHL Coaching Role
The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds had a spectacular regular season in the OHL this year, losing just seven of 68 games in regulation and carrying five 30-goal scorers on the club. The head coach that is responsible for that outstanding season has been rewarded, as Drew Bannister is has been hired by the St. Louis Blues for their new AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. Bannister will take over the head coaching role after Eric Veilleux recently left the team and is now working in Halifax. Blues GM Doug Armstrong released this statement:
We are very excited to have Drew join our organization. He has proven himself over the past few seasons in the OHL and will be a perfect fit as we continue to develop our prospects through our affiliation with San Antonio.
Bannister actually grew up playing for the Greyhounds, before being drafted in the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning and starting what would be a long professional career. Recording 30 points in 164 NHL games, he would eventually find himself travelling Europe playing in various leagues and countries. He came back as an assistant for the Owen Sound Attack, before quickly ascending to the head coaching position he’ll now be leaving.
For the Rampage, they start a new affiliation after previously being with the Colorado Avalanche. St. Louis, who didn’t have a primary AHL affiliate last year, will try to send the Rampage to another level with their glut of young prospects. Bannister, known for his development of young skilled players, will get a chance to work with prospects like Jordan Kyrou, Erik Foley, Klim Kostin and others before they end up in the NHL.
Snapshots: Josi, Condors, Kempny
Roman Josi couldn’t drag the Nashville Predators or Switzerland to victory this year, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort. As reported in swisshockeynews.ch today, Josi broke his hand in the IIHF World Championship semi-final game against Canada, but still suited up in the final for nearly 30 minutes of ice time. Apparently the Swiss team needed to get permission from the Predators to have him continue to play, likely meaning it’s not a serious injury for the Nashville captain.
Josi will be expected to log big minutes once again for the Predators next season as he continues to close in on the end of his current contract. The 28-year old defenseman is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2020, meaning an extension from GM David Poile and the team just over a year from now seems like almost a sure thing. Josi will carry a cap hit of just $4MM this season and next, another one of the Predators’ mind-boggling bargains on the back end. He, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis combine for just a $10.25MM cap hit and are among the best at their position—broken hand and all.
- The Bakersfield Condors have hired Dave Manson as an assistant coach for next season, joining the Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate and head coach Jay Woodcroft. Manson, former NHL player and father of Anaheim Ducks’ defenseman Josh Manson, had been coaching with the Prince Albert Raiders since his retirement in 2002. The Condors will try to get back to the playoffs next season, after finishing just 31-27-10 in 2017-18.
- Michal Kempny has been a huge part of the Washington Capitals success since coming over from the Chicago Blackhawks during the season, but even he wasn’t expecting to have such an impact. In fact, according to Frank Seravalli of TSN, Kempny was considering returning to Europe at some point as he doubted his future in the NHL. The 27-year old shouldn’t have to worry about that any longer, as he’s done enough to earn a contract offer from the Capitals at very least, and likely many more suitors on the open market should he decide to test unrestricted free agency this summer.
Calgary Flames Hire Cail MacLean As AHL Head Coach
The Calgary Flames have found a new bench boss for their AHL affiliate, announcing Cail MacLean as the next head coach of the Stockton Heat. Stockton lost their previous head coach to the NHL squad when Ryan Huska was promoted to serve as one of Bill Peters‘ assistants last week. MacLean has experienced a similar promotion, as he had previously been working under Huska with the AHL club.
MacLean, 41, is an up-and-coming coaching prospect that has registered a 158-96-35 record during four years as an ECHL head coach. Once a star in the OHL, he spent a decade in professional hockey as a player, bouncing around the minor leagues without ever getting a shot at the NHL. MacLean notes Jared Bednar and Bruce Cassidy as influences on his style, two coaches that both received Jack Adams support this season as some of the best in the league.
Stockton missed the Calder Cup playoffs by just a few points this season, and will look to get back to postseason contention under MacLean. He already knows the players and organization, but will now have to work with Peters and his staff to create a system that will allow young players to transition seamlessly between the AHL and NHL during the season.
Oilers Re-Sign Defenseman Keegan Lowe
The Edmonton Oilers risked losing 25-year-old defender Keegan Lowe this off-season, but have worked quickly to rectify the situation. CapFriendly reports that the Oilers have signed Lowe to a two-year extension. It is a two-way deal that pays the veteran defenseman $650K/$150K in year one and $700K/$225K in year two (NHL/AHL).
While it is relatively uncommon for a player of Lowe’s age to reach unrestricted free agency, the 2011 third-round pick had achieved Group 6 free agent status as a 25-year-old with more than three pro seasons under his belt but less than 80 NHL games played. It was this same situation that allowed Lowe to sign with Edmonton in the first place last off-season. Lowe would have again been free to sign with any team in the league on July 1st.
Instead, the son of former Oilers star defenseman Kevin Lowe will remain in the city where his father made his mark and where he himself played his junior hockey with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. Lowe was originally drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes and even played in two games with the team as a second-year pro, but was unable to work his way into a regular role in Raleigh. He was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 2017 before signing with the Oilers last summer. Lowe got back into the NHL last year with a pair of games, but will most likely continue to serve as an AHL mentor and emergency depth option. This extension simply affords him security and the ability to continue playing for an organization with close ties to his family. For a reliable and high-character albeit low-ceiling player like Lowe, that is often enough.
Snapshots: Ekman-Larsson, Boston University, Gurianov, Lockwood
With the news that the Arizona Coyotes have offered defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson a new contract extension at eight years and $66MM, the real question is whether or not the 26-year-old star defenseman intends to stay in Arizona. The defenseman can’t officially sign an extension until July 1, but not signing the deal will make it clear whether he really wants to stay in Arizona like he has previously said.
The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that if the defenseman doesn’t agree to sign the extension in the next couple of weeks, the team will almost guaranteed trade their star before the NHL draft this year to get the best possible return in the final year of his deal. In fact with the likelihood that the Ottawa Senators might be ready to move Erik Karlsson, this might be the best time for teams to get their hands on a star defenseman. Brooks adds that was one of the main reasons that the New York Rangers moved Ryan McDonagh at the trade deadline, because they foresaw the possibility that both Ekman-Larsson and Karlsson might be available during the offseason which would have limited their return for McDonagh had they waited until now.
- Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe writes that Boston University has narrowed its head coaching search to two candidates after the school lost David Quinn to the New York Rangers last week. The scribe writes that the head coaching post will come down to former alumni and ex-Boston Bruins winger Shawn McEachern and Union College head coach Rick Bennett. McEachern, who is currently the head coach at the Rivers School, would maintain the school’s long-time BU lineage, while Bennett would offer new blood and a coach who has already won a NCAA title.
- With the Dallas Stars’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars in the AHL Calder Cup Championships, much has been made about the Stars’ Denis Gurianov, Dallas’ first-round pick in the 2015 draft (12th overall), who was listed as a healthy scratch before Game 1 today. Despite tallying 19 goals for Texas this season, the fact that he has been a healthy scratch multiple times during the playoffs is an immensely bad sign, according to NHL.com’s Patrick Williams. In 14 playoff games this year, Gurianov has just five points. The Stars drafted Gurianov over several impactful players that year, including Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic.
- Vancouver Canucks and University of Michigan prospect Will Lockwood, who injured his shoulder while at the World Juniors this winter and required major surgery, has been cleared to skate and hopes to be ready for the Canucks’ annual prospect development camp this summer and is expected to be fully healthy for his junior year with the Wolverines, according to The Athletic’s Mike Halford (subscription required). The 2016 third-round pick was having a solid year with Michigan, putting up four goals and seven assists in 16 games before getting injured.
Golden Knights Ink Three To Entry-Level Contracts
After re-signing two players yesterday, the Vegas Golden Knights have added three more names to their future plans. The team announced this evening that they have come to terms on entry-level contracts with draft picks Jake Leschyshyn and Ben Jones and free agent Gage Quinney. Leschyshyn and Jones signed three-year deals, while Quinney signed a two-year deal. Financial terms have not yet been disclosed.
Leschyshyn is likely the most familiar name of the group, both due to his actual name and his draft slot. The 19-year-old center was selected in the second round of the draft last year at #62 overall, though he was actually the Knights’ fifth pick of the draft and third center. Leschyshyn plays for the Memorial Cup host Regina Pats of the WHL and scored five points in seven WHL playoff games and added a goal in the Cup tournament. During the regular season, his 40 points in 64 games was somewhat underwhelming on a talented Pats team, but there is still a lot to like about the well-rounded game of the North Carolina native.
If Vegas fans are looking for a prospect with more exciting recent results, look no further than Jones. The Knights took a flier on the raw forward in the seventh round of the draft and it paid off for them. The 19-year-old center scored 79 points in 68 games this season with the OHL’s Niagara Ice Dogs, which was good enough for third on the team in scoring. Jones then took his game to the next level in the playoffs, registering a team-best 12 points in ten games. Jones has take a major step as and NHL prospect and is yet another promising prospect for the Knights.
Quinney appears to be a sentimental pick up more than anything. The Las Vegas native grew up playing youth hockey in the area and is the son of former NHLer and Las Vegas Thunder minor leaguer Ken Quinney. Quinney played four seasons in the WHL before turning pro, during which he only put up modest offensive totals. He played all of last season in the ECHL before landing a starting role with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this year. In both of his pro campaigns, Quinney has continued to be only a moderate offensive producer, but appears to be rounding out his game. The ceiling may not be high for the 22-year-old forward, but he is likely to be a fan-favorite prospect immediately.
Klas Dahlbeck Signs In KHL
June 1st: The contract is now official, as CSKA announced the signing this afternoon. It is a one-year deal for Dahlbeck, opening the door to an NHL return in the near future if his season goes well in Moscow. For their part, CSKA seems excited for the potential that the veteran defender brings in their efforts to strengthen the blue line next year.
May 22nd: According to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, Carolina GM Don Waddell has confirmed Dahlbeck’s departure to the KHL.
April 27th: It was a forgettable 2017-18 season for Klas Dahlbeck. The 26-year-old defenseman re-signed with the Carolina Hurricanes expecting an expanded role, only to lose his job to rookie Haydn Fleury. Dahlbeck proceeded to suit up for just 33 games, spending much of his time watching from the press box. In what little action he saw, Dahlbeck recorded just five points and had the worst possession numbers of any Hurricanes defenseman. It was a disappointing campaign for the 2011 third-round pick and former AHL standout who at one time carried much promise.
Now it seems Dahlbeck is looking to move on the next stage of his hockey career. According to the Sports Business Gazette out of Russia, Dahlbeck is preparing to sign in the KHL this season (link in Russian). Dahlbeck won’t be joining just any team, but one of the league’s most elite organizations, CSKA Moscow. CSKA is fresh off the second-best regular season record in the KHL and an appearance in the Gagarin Cup final. They’ve been collecting displaced NHLers in recent years, including the likes of Valeri Nichushkin, Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita Nesterov, and Alexey Marchenko, and the Swedish-born blue liner Dahlbeck appears to be next in line.
While the contract has yet to be signed and neither CSKA nor Carolina have confirmed the move, this is a deal that seems logical and likely to happen. Dahlbeck has shown capable two-way play in the past and will likely step in and be a solid presence on the CSKA back end. Meanwhile, it’s no loss for the Hurricanes, who have one of the most talented young defensive corps in the league, with six bona fide starters under 27, and could still add to that group with top prospect Jake Bean next season.