Morning Notes: Schmidt, Texier, Ikonen
The Vegas Golden Knights have their first arbitration hearing coming up with defenseman Nate Schmidt, scheduled for August 3rd. Despite that, Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the two sides have had productive talks and are positively progressing towards a deal before the hearing. Schmidt is one of the most exciting young players for the Golden Knights, with excellent speed and dynamic puck-moving ability.
He was stuck behind several other names in Washington, but it’s expected he’ll play a big role for Vegas this year as he heads into his age-26 season. If he does settle for a one-year deal through arbitration, he would still be a restricted free agent next year. That’s if the team doesn’t work out a long-term deal with him first.
- Alexandre Texier, the 45th-overall pick from this year’s draft will be heading to Finland next year to continue his development. The French center will suit up for Liiga’s KalPa for the next two seasons, before reevaluating his position with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Texier is just 17 years old still, but has shown some tremendous raw potential in terms of skill and offensive ability. The Finnish league is notorious for creating solid two-way forwards, something the Blue Jackets will hope Texier picks up on during his time there.
- Joni Ikonen, the Montreal Canadiens’ second-round pick will also return to KalPa according to Uffe Bodin of Hockeysverige. Ikonen played the last two seasons in Frolunda of the SHL, and showed off in the U18 World Juniors this season with 8 points in 7 games for Finland. Selected 58th-overall, Montreal is hoping he can stay at center long term. He’ll develop at home for at least one more season before they try to bring him over to North America.
- The New York Islanders have promoted Greg Cronin from assistant to associate coach for next season, keeping him on Doug Weight‘s staff for the time being. The Isles had already hired Kelly Buchberger and Scott Gomez as assistant coaches, rounding out a staff with a ton of experience either on the ice or behind a bench. Cronin has been an assistant with the Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs, while also holding head coaching jobs in the AHL and NCAA.
Rangers Sign Goalie Alexander Georgiev
Wednesday: The team has officially announced the contract.
Monday: The New York Rangers have made an interesting off-season move, signing Russian goaltender Alexander Georgiev to an entry-level contract. The 21-year-old keeper, who went undrafted in 2014 and 2015, was a free agent playing in the Finnish Liiga. CapFriendly reports that he’ll now head across the Atlantic to join the Rangers organization on a three-year deal worth $792.5K at the NHL level.
Although undrafted, Georgiev has begun to make a name for himself on the international stage in recent years. Unlike most promising Russian prospects, Georgiev left the country to join TPS in Finland for the 2014-15 season. His performance as the backup for the team – a 2.21 GAA in 14 games in 2014-15 and a 2.28 GAA in 10 games in 2015-16 – caught the eye of the Russian World Junior team. Not only did Georgiev make the team, he started five games at the 2016 tournament. He then took over as the starter for TPS this past season, posting a stellar 1.70 GAA and .923 save percentage in 27 games as just a 21-year-old in a men’s league. The young goalie has plenty of upside to go along with many questions about his game as well.
Yet, his current resume seems to have been enough for the Rangers to give him a shot in the AHL. With Henrik Lundqvist and the newly signed Ondrej Pavelec as a solid one-two punch at the NHL level, Georgiev will certainly head for the minors, where he can compete for starts on the Hartford Wolf Pack. After losing Magnus Hellberg to the KHL and choosing not to re-sign Mackenzie Skapski, there’s definitely room for someone to take control in Hartford. Georgiev will battle incumbent Brandon Halverson, a 2014 second-round pick who struggled in his first pro season, and Bowling Green University’s Chris Nell, who also struggled in his brief AHL showing at the end of last season. Georgiev may just end up as the AHL starter, and candidate to see NHL time, when all is said and done.
Snapshots: Shattenkirk, Fortin, Klee
While it had been rumored for quite some time before Kevin Shattenkirk signed with the New York Rangers that the free agent defensemen only wanted to play in the Northeast because of the proximity to his home, he mentioned two other things when discussing his decision at a press conference today. One, the potential for the Rangers to really compete right away in the Metropolitan division, and two the chance to play with Ryan McDonagh.
As Matt Calamia writes for NHL.com, Shattenkirk and McDonagh have played together at various tournaments for many years, and the newest member of the Rangers is excited to get started. It doesn’t hurt that legendary New York defenseman Brian Leetch was his favorite player growing up, someone many Rangers fans hope he emulates for the next four years.
- Chicago Blackhawks prospect Alexandre Fortin is three weeks removed from sports hernia surgery according to Scott Powers of The Athletic, but is expected to be ready for the start of training camp in September. Fortin was invited to the Hawks’ development camp last summer and earned himself an entry-level contract despite having been passed over in multiple drafts. Now 20, Fortin has an outside chance at even making the Chicago roster out of camp if he shows up and impresses as much as he did last year. More likely he’ll head to the AHL and keep developing, waiting for a chance with the NHL roster.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have hired Ken Klee as an assistant coach for their AHL squad this season, his first coaching job in men’s professional hockey. Klee had been the head coach for the US Women’s National Team for several years coaching them to gold at both the 2015 and 2016 World Championships. In 934 NHL games, Klee registered 195 points and 880 penalty minutes.
Boston Bruins Re-Sign Austin Czarnik
Tuesday: The team has officially announced the signing.
Monday: A day after extending young goalies Zane McIntyre and Malcolm Subban, the Boston Bruins have come to terms with another one their restricted free agents. According to CapFriendly, two-way forward Austin Czarnik has re-signed with the Bruins on a one-year, two-way deal. Czarnik will make just $675K at the NHL level, which may end up being a bargain for GM Don Sweeney and company after a solid rookie season.
Czarnik, the former captain of the Miami University RedHawks and a highly sought-after college free agent in 2015, has found success in all aspects of the game so far in his pro career. In 2015-16, Czarnik, alongside Boston’s Frank Vatrano and former Bruin Seth Griffith, had a breakout campaign in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, scoring 61 points in 68 games in his first pro season. Czarnik led all AHL rookies in points, and that offensive production earned him an NHL shot last season. The small, shifty center took on an important bottom-six role for the first half of the season, recording 13 points in 49 games and leading the team’s third penalty kill unit. While Czarnik did not show the same offensive explosion, he proved that he had the intelligence, composure, and versatility to be an NHL player. Czarnik was eventually returned to Providence for much of the second half and the postseason, where he again was an offensive juggernaut with 23 points in 22 games, but has earned another shot in Boston in the near future. Czarnik is one of many young forwards who will fight for a roster spot this season, including fellow two-way forwards Noel Acciari and college teammate Sean Kuraly, veteran minor leaguers Tim Schaller and Kenny Agostino, and promising prospect scorers Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Zach Senyshyn, Jake DeBrusk, Anders Bjork, Peter Cehlarik, and Danton Heinen. Czarnik may need some luck to hold off a plethora of NHL-ready talent, but has the advantage of NHL experience on his side.
With Czarnik signed, the Bruins’ only two remaining restricted free agents are a couple of notable names: 21-year-old star winger David Pastrnak and play-making third-line center Ryan Spooner. While Boston is high on Czarnik and other young forwards, with more than enough competition as is, many also believe that they could stand to add another veteran winger into the mix as well. However, such a move will likely come after the extensions for Pastrnak and Spooner are over with. Negotiations with Pastrnak have been ongoing for a while now and Spooner has his arbitration date set for July 26th, so it’s only a matter of time before the Bruins have more news to announce. Re-upping Czarnik is another step in the right direction, but there’s still work to be done in Boston.
Snapshots: Yakupov, Olympics, Meier
When Nail Yakupov didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the St. Louis Blues this spring, many people around the league believed it may take a move overseas to find new life in his career. We even wrote on the subject here on PHR, saying that a move back to the KHL seemed like his best option. Yakupov was clear that wasn’t his goal, and instead he secured a one-year, $875K contract from the Colorado Avalanche who may prove to be an even better fit.
Andi Duroux of BSN Denver takes an incredibly thorough—and extremely insightful—look into the career of the 2012 first-overall pick, and how that career can get back on track with last year’s last place team. Yakupov should have every opportunity in Colorado to show he can still produce offensively, but will need to show he can play in both ends of the rink to take advantage of his immense potential. If he does, he could be in for a big raise next summer.
- While rumors of the NHL having a backup plan to still possibly go to the 2018 Olympics seem far-fetched, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet does bring us some news on that front. It looks like players that are on AHL-only contracts will be allowed to represent their country in the games, but not those on two-way deals currently playing in the AHL. It will be interesting to see if a player who has signed his entry-level contract but is playing in the junior ranks would be included in this, but either way that leaves some interesting names for the potential squad. While Team USA may be made up of many collegiate players, other more veteran options with international experience like Peter Mueller, who was playing on an AHL deal with the Providence Bruins last year could be considered. For Team Canada, recent CHL free agents like Darren Raddysh and Stefan LeBlanc could join the veterans playing internationally.
- A question that has come up several times in our Live Chats is that of a potential replacement for Patrick Marleau in San Jose. After the long-time Shark signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency, fans of the team were looking around hoping someone would be brought in to replace his spot in the top six. Kevin Kurz of CSN was asked a similar question about how the lines will shake out, and he projected Timo Meier to take the left wing spot beside Logan Couture on the second line. That would be a big responsibility for the 20-year old Meier, after making his NHL debut this season with just six points in 34 games. The ninth-overall selection in 2015, he has all the makings of a top-line power forward but has yet to put it all together and find any consistency in his game.
Snapshots: Vegas, Hajt, Zalewski
If you hadn’t heard yet, the Vegas Golden Knights are doing just fine financially. Owner Bill Foley made that abundantly clear in a recent interview with Mark Ewing of Forbes, saying that the team has already sold 13,500 season tickets for this season, plus all the luxury suites and most of the opera boxes. Foley claimed that the Golden Knights are ahead of teams like the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins in terms of ticket revenue at this point, ranking number “five, six or seven” in the entire league.
Obviously, a brand new product in a city that has been waiting for professional sports for some time is going to be a hot ticket. How the Golden Knights perform in the first five years will make a huge impact on how the fan base grows organically, but they have at least one thing going for them when Foley said clearly: “There is no budget.”
- The Buffalo Sabres announced the coaching staff that will join Phil Housley behind the bench next season, bringing back Tom Ward and hiring Chris Hajt as assistant coaches. Hajt has been working with the Manchester Monarchs and Ontario Reign of the AHL the past few seasons, but has strong ties to Housley and the team. Hajt’s father Bill played for the Sabres with Housley, and was even his defense partner for a time.
- After the Vancouver Canucks decided not to issue a qualifying offer to Michael Zalewski this summer, the 24-year old has taken his talents to Europe and signed with the Straubing Tigers of the German DEL. Zalewski got into one game with the Canucks this year, but hasn’t been able to make an impact at the NHL level. The undrafted forward will play with his brother, former New Jersey Devils pick Steven Zalewski in Germany for the upcoming season.
Morning Notes: Roy, Frattin
After spending the last two years in the KHL and Swiss NLA, Derek Roy will try his hand in another European professional league this season. The former NHL forward has signed on with Linkoping of the Swedish Hockey League for the next two seasons, which should effectively end any thoughts of a comeback. He’ll be 36 at the end of the contract, and four years removed from NHL play.
In 738 NHL contests, Roy registered 524 points including a career-high of 81 in 2007-08. Though he received Selke votes on multiple occasions, Roy was never afforded many individual accolades but still carved out quite a successful career in the NHL. His effect was felt most early in his career where he helped lead the Buffalo Sabres to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, eventually falling to the Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes.
- Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matt Frattin will follow Roy’s lead and head overseas, signing with the Kunlun KHL team for next season. Frattin has never been able to fulfill his potential as a shoot-first power forward in the NHL, though he’s been a long-time contributor at the AHL level. At just 29 there is a chance of a return, but the success he’ll likely find in the KHL may outweigh any opportunity in North America.
Odd Defenseman Out In Vegas
Although some of this might be attributed to wishful thinking, the Edmonton Journal’s David Staples openly wonders whether Griffin Reinhart could find his way back to Edmonton. This comes only a day after Reinhart was signed to a reasonable $800,000 deal for two-years in Vegas. Staples wonders whether the excess of defense on the left side will force Vegas to place Reinhart on waivers in an attempt to send him to the AHL. He surmises, probably correctly, that GM Peter Chiarelli would take another gamble on the player if it were to get that far. It seems incredibly unlikely he would make it to Edmonton’s position in the waiver wire, however, as many worse franchises would likely place a claim. It’s even less likely that Vegas management would risk losing that sort of asset for nothing in the first place.
Reinhart is unlikely to make an Edmonton return, but it’s not totally inconceivable that he’d be the odd man out in Vegas. The team went heavy on defense in the expansion draft, and odds are that they will eventually lose someone to the waiver wire if they can’t maneuver more moves. Once Nate Schmidt is signed, they’ll have 11 defensemen on the NHL roster, and that’s if Erik Brannstrom doesn’t make the big squad. Even assuming the Golden Knights can trade two more players, they’re not likely to carry more than 8 defensemen. Someone will be sacrificed to waivers unless GM George McPhee can pull some magic before the start of the season.
The most aged players include Jason Garrison (32), who has a no-trade clause, Deryk Engelland (35), Luca Sbisa (27), and Clayton Stoner (32). Brayden McNabb, Colin Miller, Schmidt, and Shea Theodore will likely constitute the team’s future defense, and it might be difficult for Reinhart to crack that group. Brad Hunt and Jon Merrill are the least likely to attract any major attention if they were to be waived, so there is no necessity to start floundering yet. Hunt in particular would pass with almost no difficulty, as the 5’9, 28-year old defender hasn’t been overly impressive in his 33 career NHL games. Still, depending on who else is moved and whether Reinhart makes an impact at training camp, he could be seen as a non-core piece. McPhee will need to make a determination as to who will be getting major playing time, considering that at this moment things are far too crowded for the younger players to shine.
McNabb, Schmidt, and Miller seem the safest for the moment, but anything can happen. The right side has to be a concern, as only Engelland and Miller naturally play that position. As for now, we’ll have to wait and see who gets unloaded for picks and future assets, and whether they will be much difficulty in doing so. It seems unlikely that Vegas would move Reinhart, a young piece who they just re-signed, considering that if nothing else he can fill a 7th or 8th defensive position. Sbisa and Stoner seem to be the most likely to move out to a team starved for defensive depth, especially considering their contracts are each only good for one more season.
Shero May Not Be Done Dealing
The New Jersey Devils have had a phenomenal off-season by every measure. They lucked into the 1st overall pick and locked up Nico Hischier. They acquired Marcus Johansson for pennies on the dollar. They’ve shed salaries and ditched older, under-performing players. They bought out Mike Cammalleri and Devante Smith-Pelly for measly penalties and are embracing a full rebuild. About the only thing that could have gone better is if Ilya Kovalchuk‘s rights were dealt for a king’s ransom.
According to Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe, GM Ray Shero may not be done in trying to improve his team. Obviously, he needs to round out his depth, as there are only 34 contracts locked up, and the bottom lines and AHL need filling out. He also needs to re-sign RFAs Damon Severson, Stefan Noesen, Joseph Blandisi, and 6 others. Still, his team will find itself in the bottom 5 teams in cap expenditure, with $19.42 MM in space before any of these lesser signings. That leaves the management plenty of room to manuever.
Shinzawa suggests that Shero may utilize his relationship with Nashville GM David Poile to secure some extra scoring, considering the hefty sums they will need to hand out to RFAs Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Johansen. While this is a possibility, it’s hard to see which contract Nashville would be willing to move. It’s perhaps more likely that Shero pursues a young defenseman. Anaheim still has a wealth of talent, and if they wanted to go the more aged route, Detroit is in a financial bind on the backend. Another name which might confuse some but who has a long relationship with Shero is Penguins’ D Olli Maatta. Maatta has vastly underperformed since signing his contract extension in Pittsburgh, and for the right price could be available. Vegas is still very willing to negotiate hockey deals, and their promising defenseman include the likes of Colin Miller and Shea Theodore.
Shero’s best ally right now is the cap crunch other teams are feeling. A productive forward could be sniped from Toronto on the cheap, and Chicago still needs to shed money somewhere along the line if the Marian Hossa LTIR situation goes south. He’s known primarily for his trade prowess which helped solidify the 2009 championship team in Pittsburgh, and it wouldn’t be out of character for him to again heavily work the phones. Hischier will need some sort of support, as the roster as it stands, while better than last year, is still incredibly lean.
Flyers Re-Sign Lyon, Stolarz, And Bardreau
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that goalies Anthony Stolarz, and Alex Lyon along with center Cole Bardreau have re-signed with the club. Both goaltenders inked two-way, one year deals while Bardreau agreed to a two-year contract.
Lyon spent last season with AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley and posted a 27-14-5 mark with a .912 save percentage. Stolarz spent a chunk of his season in Lehigh Valley but appeared in seven games for the Flyers, recording a 2-1-1 record with a .928 save percentage. He recorded his first career shutout against Detroit in just his second professional start with the Flyers. Courier Post writer Dave Issac reports that the signings of both netminders “opens the door” for 2015 pick Felix Sandstrom who is currently playing in Sweden.
Bardreau was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2015, and did enough work for the Phantoms to bring him back for another two seasons in the organization. Recording 24 points in 72 games, Bardreau potted nine goals.
With the signings, general manager Ron Hextall has locked up the team’s three remaining free agents.