Mikko Rantanen Suffers Apparent Right Leg Injury
5:51pm: Mike Chambers reports that the injury is an ankle sprain and nothing serious.
5:16pm: According to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, Colorado Avalanche prospect Mikko Rantanen was helped off the ice in today’s rookie tournament game with a right-leg injury. Chambers calls it “trouble”, and if Rantanen is seriously injured it would be for the Avalanche.
Drafted 10th overall in 2015, Rantanen made his NHL debut last season after dominating the AHL. 60 points in 52 games at the lower level, he was one of the best scoring threats in the league, and was expected to contribute to the NHL level this year.
Still just 19-years old, Rantanen is already 6’4″, 211 pounds, and is one of the best power forward prospects in the league, a position that often develops slower than others. While not a lock to break camp with the team, he’ll be a big part of the top-six for the Avalanche for years to come, pairing with their smaller skilled players to make a balanced, effective line in all three zones.
Rookie Notes: Shmaltz, Puljujarvi, Erne
Rookie tournaments around the league are underway, with various teams putting their youngesters up against each other to determine readiness and sometimes NHL futures. For Chicago, today is the second of back-to-back matchups, and one of the notable names isn’t participating in the game. Nick Schmaltz, the recently signed NCAA standout was a late scratch from today’s matchup, as Scott Powers of The Athletic reports. Schmaltz was a big part of the game last night against the Blues, and is expected to make his NHL debut at some point this season.
After two seasons at the University of North Dakota, Schmaltz (the Hawks’ first round pick from 2014) is set to make an impact for a Chicago team that has seen many home grown talents leave due to salary cap restraints over the past few years. If he can slide into a scoring role like he did with North Dakota – the 20-year old put up 46 points in his sophomore year in only 37 games – he’ll help to replace the offense that Teuvo Teravainen and Andrew Shaw will be taking with them.
- After surprisingly dropping to fourth overall in this year’s entry draft, Jesse Puljujarvi is already making an impact for the Oilers at their rookie camp. After a three point outburst last night against Vancouver, Puljujarvi is one of the hottest topics in the city of champions. He’ll sit out today though against Calgary, though it’s believed he’s not out with an injury. If the Finnish winger develops as most expect him to, Edmonton may have another franchise forward on their team to step into the shoes of the recently departed Taylor Hall.
- As Bryan Burns of NHL.com writes, Adam Erne will be heading into his fourth rookie camp with the Lightning, after injuries have derailed the early part of the former second-round pick’s career. This time, the winger isn’t just trying to make an impact on the NHL club, but stay healthy enough to compete in a full professional season. An elite scoring threat at the junior level, Erne put up 29 points in 59 games last season with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.
Training Camp Competitions: Vesey, Buchnevich, Montour
Despite an apparently dire need to fortify their blue line corps, the New York Rangers instead spent a vast majority of their offseason resources adding depth to the forward ranks. After a flurry of free agent transactions, the Blueshirts added Brandon Pirri, Jimmy Vesey, Josh Jooris, Nathan Gerbe and Michael Grabner giving the club 15 forwards with a realistic shot to contribute this season on Manhattan. This depth is sure to create competition and provide head coach Alain Vigneault with plenty of alternatives to guard against injuries or ineffectiveness.
Vesey joins top prospect Pavel Buchnevich as rookies who hope to provide a significant impact in their first seasons in New York. But given the Rangers depth up front, the two youngsters don’t have their spots in the lineup guaranteed as Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post writes. For his part, Vesey understands that he will have to earn ice time and accepts it as part of being a professional.
“Nothing is given in sports. At the end of the day, I have to go and make the team. It’s my first camp, and I’m looking to definitely turn some heads and earn a roster spot.”
The talented youngsters are already getting a head start as they are part of the Rangers prospect contingent that is participating in the annual Traverse City tournament. Newsday’s Steve Zipay reports that Buchnevich and Vesey are skating together on a line centered by University of Michigan Wolverine Cristoval “Boo” Nieves.
Ultimately, Vesey and Buchnevich will have their fair share of opportunities to contribute this season for the Rangers. Their upside trumps their lack of experience and should ensure they earn regular roles up front with the Blueshirts.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Once the Ducks get Hampus Lindholm signed to a new contract, the team will have seven NHL-caliber defensemen on their roster. That doesn’t count top prospect Shea Theodore, who saw his first NHL action in 2015-16 and had a solid showing, collecting eight points in 19 games. This enviable depth has fueled rumors all summer that the team could look to move one of their pricier d-men in a deal to acquire a scoring left wing. While a trade has not yet transpired, were it to happen, Theodore would not be the only blue liner to potentially benefit. Brandon Montour, the Ducks second-round pick in 2014, has added needed muscle and strength this offseason to aid his quest to make his NHL debut in 2016-17, writes Kyle Shohara of the Ducks official website. Montour was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team on the heels of an impressive 12-goal, 57-point season with the San Diego Gulls. Even if the Ducks do deal one of their defenders, it’s likely Montour will again spend a majority of his time in San Diego but it’s conceivable the 22-year-old will make his NHL debut.
- Long one of the best offensive defenseman in the AHL, T.J. Brennan has yet to parlay his minor league success into consistent work in the NHL. Now Brennan has joined his hometown Philadelphia Flyers with the hope that he can suit up at some point this season for the team he grew up rooting for, as Sam Carchidi reports. Brennan, 27, has appeared in 443 AHL contests and his 113 goals rank fifth all time among defensemen in that league. As Carchidi points out, Brennan’s struggles in his own end are likely the reason the offensively-inclined blue liner has accumulated just 53 games of NHL experience. The Flyers boast a wealth of defensive prospects which will likely work against Brennan’s chances of making the team. But he should at least serve the organization well as a mentor for those prospects joining him with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Canadiens Notes: Pacioretty, Sergachev, McCarron, Lehkonen, Scherbak
It’s been an interesting offseason for the Montreal Canadiens, to put it mildly. First, they traded away the very charismatic and talented P.K. Subban in a deal that was panned by many pundits and not particularly popular among fans in Montreal. It’s believed that Subban’s colorful personality may not have sat well with the old-school sensibilities of head coach Michel Therrien and general manager Marc Bergevin. Shea Weber, the player acquired for Subban, is quiet and serious, as well as talented and accomplished. At this point in their respective careers, Subban is the more dynamic player and one who offers more long-term value. But Weber is the safer, more conservative defenseman and that apparently was the direction Habs decision-makers were going toward.
Next, the team reached an accord with controversial winger Alexander Radulov on a free agent contract. While Radulov’s talent is unquestioned, he didn’t end his last NHL tenure on a good note and there is certainly risk bringing him on board. In a way, the move contradicted the concept of conservatism the Weber acquisition seemed to suggest.
Now it’s been reported that Therrien was overheard recently at a golf course saying that Max Pacioretty was the worst captain in team history (link in French). For his part, Pacioretty dismissed the report and indicated that after speaking with team coaches, he believes the comments were “reported erroneously,” as Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports writes. He also considers it an honor just to be among the few who have worn the “C” in the team’s illustrious history.
It’s quite possible this situation has blown out of proportion, as Pacioretty suggested. Nonetheless, there were rumors last year that the Habs were unhappy with Subban and could look to move him before his full no move clause kicked in. Those stories were denied by Bergevin practically up until the moment the trade was announced. It will be interesting to follow the Pacioretty story in 2016-17 to see if it ends up swept under the rug or if it is yet another example of where there is smoke, there is fire.
Elsewhere in Habs Land:
- The Canadiens, like other teams, are set to open their prospect camp, where they will get a sort of progress report on their top young players. Mikhail Sergachev is the one player sure to attract the most attention from evaluators, according to Eric Engels of Sportsnet. Sergachev was the team’s first-round pick in June, chosen 9th overall. One evaluator, Canadiens director of development, Martin Lapointe, already likes what he sees from the skilled, young Russian defender. “His level of confidence with the puck, at his age, is exceptional. To only be 18 and be so composed with the puck is impressive.” Sergachev is almost certainly at least a year or two away from regular duty in the NHL but it’s apparent the Habs are intrigued with his skill set.
- In addition to Sergachev, Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette lists three other prospects the Canadiens will be keeping close tabs on during the camp. Michael McCarron, who we recently profiled here, is a big forward who could add needed size and skill to the team’s bottom six. Artturi Lehkonen is a highly skilled winger who tallied 33 points in 49 games playing in Sweden. According to Hickey, Lehkonen might be best served starting in the AHL as he acclimates to North America. Nikita Scherbak is yet another skilled forward prospect that also has some grit to his game. Hickey reports his progress has been stunted by injuries, though he did get his first taste of pro experience, appearing in 48 games with St. John’s in the AHL and scoring 23 points. Quite likely he will also begin the year in the AHL but could be considered for an early call-up if injuries or ineffectiveness strikes the Canadiens forward corps.
Analyzing Chances Of Blues Tryouts To Make Team
Last year, both Scottie Upshall and Scott Gomez earned jobs with St. Louis after coming to camp on a tryout basis. While Gomez didn’t make it through the year with the club, Upshall performed well enough to earn a second one-year deal with the Blues. St. Louis appears to be going back to that well again by inviting six players to camp on PTO agreements. Those in search of a job with the Blues are Yan Stastny, Chris Porter, T.J Galiardi, Eric Nystrom, Scooter Vaughan and Mike Weber.
Writing for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Jeremy Rutherford provides a closer look at each of the six players invited to camp. Included in the post are comments from Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock. Those comments provide unique insight into the odds faced by each of the players attempting to make the 2016-17 Blues.
The Blues lost team captain David Backes and veteran power forward Troy Brouwer as free agents this summer. But the team acted quickly by signing David Perron to fill a hole on the wing. St. Louis also expects Vladimir Sobotka to return this season from the KHL and play a regular role with the Blues. That would seem to limit the opportunities for a forward to earn a job.
The team’s blue line is also stocked with enough quality players to fill all six regular slots, as the team’s depth chart on Roster Resource shows. Robert Bortuzzo is listed currently as the team’s seventh option on defense and he’s a decent fit for that role. Additionally, the team has their 2012 first-round pick, Jordan Schmaltz, waiting in the wings. The North Dakota product made his pro debut in 2015-16 with Chicago of the AHL and tallied 36 points in 71 games for the Wolves.
Snapshots: Zetterberg, Miller, Brown
With the departure of Pavel Datsyuk to the KHL, Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg assumed the mantle as the team’s longest tenured player. Entering his 14th NHL campaign and soon to turn 36-years-old, the skilled Swedish forward has certainly seen better days as evidenced by his 16-point drop in scoring from 2014-15 to this past season. That being said, Zetterberg is still someone the Wings will lean on if the team wishes to stretch its streak of qualifying for the postseason to 26 years.
Zetterberg acknowledges a drop-off in his play during the second half of each of the previous two seasons and suggests he is looking at different ways to stay fresh throughout the coming season, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.
“That’s what’s gotten me the last two years, I ran out of gas. You can’t play hockey in this level when you run out of gas. So that’s one thing we’re going to play around with.”
Zetterberg tallied 27 points in the season’s first 34 games through December but struggled down the stretch recording just nine points over the final 24 contests. He also chipped in just a single point, a goal in game three, during Detroit’s five-game, first-round playoff loss to Tampa Bay. Zetterberg stated he is at least willing to listen if head coach Jeff Blashill suggests decreased ice time or even taking a game off here and there.
“As a player, as soon as you hear ‘less minutes,’ you’re not happy. I don’t think I will go and tell Coach I need less minutes. But if he decides that I need to play less or get some rest dates, I’m open to listen to that.”
“We want to see the younger guys take steps and kind of take minutes from the older guys. But I won’t give it away, they have to earn it. That’s part of the transition. I went through it when I came in and started to play more. But you have to earn it.”
Zetterberg has five seasons remaining on a long-term deal that took effect in 2009-10. He carries a cap hit just in excess of $6MM annually but the final three seasons of his contract come with actual salaries of $3.35MM, $1MM and $1MM respectively. It will be interesting to see if Zetterberg is both willing and able to finish out the pact with the Red Wings.
Elsewhere around the league:
- After trading away talented young blue liner Dougie Hamilton and steady veteran defender Johnny Boychuk in successive offseasons, the Boston Bruins are still searching for a reliable top-four defenseman, as Joe Haggerty opines. An aging Zdeno Chara is still the club’s top defenseman with Torey Krug likely not far behind but beyond those two, pickings are slim. Haggerty admits the team has the cap space and veteran assets to make a trade if they so choose, though they may already have the top-four option they seek on the roster. While also listing prospect Brandon Carlo and youngster Joe Morrow as possibilities, Haggerty believes Colin Miller might be the Bruins “X-factor” on the blue line. As Haggerty notes, Miller scored 19 goals and 52 points in 70 AHL games with the Manchester Monarchs in 2014-15, suggesting he has the skill to put up points in the big leagues. Miller came to Boston from Los Angeles in the Milan Lucic trade during the 2015 offseason and may be coming into his own as an NHL player after producing 16 points in just 42 games as a rookie. With few quality options available either on the trade market or in free agency, it might be wise for Boston to give Miller a chance before looking outside the organization for a top-four blue liner.
- According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet (via tweet), Mike Brown is the latest veteran player to land a PTO with the tough guy winger signing on in Columbus. Brown, 31, spent time with both San Jose and Montreal last season, scoring two goals and three assists in 58 games with 90 PIMs. For his career, Brown has potted 19 goals and recorded 778 minutes of penalties in 407 NHL games. He has suited up for Vancouver, Anaheim, Toronto and Edmonton in addition to the Sharks and Habs in his nine NHL seasons. The Blue Jackets bought out the contract of veteran enforcer Jared Boll earlier this summer and could see Brown as a possible replacement depending on his play during training camp.
Potential 2016-17 Impact Rookies: Puljujarvi, Kempe, Goldobin, Tkachuk
It’s rare for players to debut in the NHL and make a significant impact for their teams in the same year they are drafted. In 2015-16, just three players selected in the prior June’s draft – Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin – appeared in more than 18 NHL contests as rookies. However, we could see as many as five 2016 draftees all earn regular shifts with their clubs during the 2016-17 season, two of whom appear in this post.
Jesse Puljujarvi (Edmonton) – Expected to go in the top-three of the draft, Puljujarvi surprisingly dropped to #4 after Columbus elected to take C Pierre-Luc Dubois at #3 instead of the Finnish winger. Edmonton happily grabbed Puljujarvi with their choice and this stroke of good fortune may have played a role in the June 29th trade of Taylor Hall to New Jersey for Adam Larsson. Having Puljujarvi in the fold provided Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli the knowledge he had enough depth on the wings to cash in a player of Hall’s caliber to address their weakness on the blue line.
Puljujarvi combines NHL size at 6-foot-3 and 203 pounds with excellent skating ability. He starred for the Finns helping his home country win the gold medal in the World Junior Championships. He also captured the tourney’s MVP award and finished tops among all participants in both assists (12) and points (17).
The Oilers already have one of the top young superstars in the game in MacDavid and saw 2014 first-round pick Leon Draisaitl bust out with a 51-point campaign in 2016-17. Joining that dangerous duo up front is former top overall selection Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton boasts plenty of talented high-end forwards which virtually assures Puljujarvi will have a chance to skate with some good players. Don’t be surprised if he ends up as a Calder Trophy finalist and the leading scorer among all 2016 draftees.
Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles) – After losing forwards Milan Lucic and Kris Versteeg to free agency and with Dustin Brown‘s offense regressing to a level where he has no business in the top-nine, the Kings could turn to Kempe to provide additional scoring. Kempe, the team’s first-round choice in 2014, already has 55 games of pro experience in North America after suiting up this past season for the Kings AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. The Swedish winger tallied 11 goals and recorded 28 points during the regular season and another four goals and five points in 13 postseason contests.
Since Kempe doesn’t turn 20 until later this month and given he didn’t exactly dominate at the AHL level, it wouldn’t be a bad idea if the Kings sent him back to Ontario to start the 2016-17 campaign and get some more seasoning. But with Kyle Clifford (nine points in 56 games) and Brown (28 points in 82 games) currently expected to hold top-nine spots, according to Roster Resource, Los Angeles might decide they need to inject more offense into the lineup and Kempe could be the source of that offense.
Nikolay Goldobin (San Jose) – The Sharks addressed any need they may have had for a scoring line LW by signing Mikkel Boedker as a free agent this summer. With Tomas Hertl and Patrick Marleau also listed as LW’s on the team’s depth chart, it’s likely the highly skilled Goldobin begins the season with the San Jose Barracudas of the AHL to gain more experience. But in the event of injury, Goldobin could be among the team’s first choices for a promotion to the big club.
Goldobin is said to have an excellent shot and release and is a creative offensive player. He can use some work on his defensive game, as do many young players, which is another reason he might find himself in the AHL to start the 2016-17 campaign. But with Marleau entering the final year of his contract, Goldobin is in line to land a job with the Sharks soon enough; perhaps as early as this year.
Matthew Tkachuk (Calgary) – The Flames already possess several skilled young players, but as mentioned in an earlier installment of this series, if they do have an opening it would be for a scoring line LW with size. Hunter Shinkaruk might get the first crack to fill that role though he doesn’t possess the size the Flames would seem to need. If Shinkaruk isn’t ready for regular NHL action, Tkachuk could be an option for Calgary up front.
Tkachuk, the son of former NHL power forward Keith Tkachuk, was drafted by the Flames with the sixth overall selection of the 2016 draft following an impressive 107-point season with the London Knights of the OHL. While his dad was noted for playing a physical game (2,219 PIM in 1,201 NHL games), as well as being a terrific goal scorer, Matthew is more of a complete, two-way player who is also a good skater with high-end offensive instincts. He helped Team USA to a bronze medal at the 2016 WJC U20 tournament, tallying 11 points in seven contests.
Tkachuk might be better off returning to junior to gain more experience. He will certainly have to prove to the Flames that he is truly ready to play at the NHL level but he has the talent and the skill to provide some offense if he earns a role in Calgary.
Snapshots: Gaudreau, Benson, McGrattan
Time is running short for the Flames to ink star forward Johnny Gaudreau prior to the start of the 2016-17 campaign and it appears as if the two sides are still quite far apart in talks, according to Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun. Francis reports that Gaudreau’s camp is seeking $8MM annually while the Flames are countering with a figure somewhere in between what Sean Monahan‘s recent extension pays out ($6.375MM) and what captain Mark Giordano earns on an annual basis ($6.75MM).
An unnamed source Francis spoke with stated: “He wants unrestricted money but he’s restricted.” The source would go on to point out that other players with track records similar in both length and production have signed for less, including Filip Forsberg ($6MM) and Nathan MacKinnon ($6.3MM). He also questions whether Gaudreau, while a terrific young talent, is better than than the two players he mentioned.
For his part, Gaudreau is leaving the heavy lifting to his agent, Lewis Gross, at least until after the World Cup has concluded at which point he has said he would become more involved.
Gauedreau is certainly a talented young player and one the Flames want to build around but the reality is he only has two seasons of NHL experience and almost no leverage to exercise in these negotiations. He could choose to sit out until he gets a deal to his liking or sign in the KHL but it’s unlikely he’d receive a comparable salary overseas to what the Flames are offering him today. The smart money is the deal gets wrapped up soon after he returns from the World Cup and that the AAV is closer to what Monahan received than what Gaudreau is said to be asking for at the moment.
- According to the Elite Prospects website (via tweet) tough guy forward Brian McGrattan has left North America and accepted a deal to play for the Nottingham Panthers of the EIHL in England. The nine-year veteran who turned 35 just last week, did not see any action at the NHL level and instead suited up for 58 games for the Anaheim Ducks AHL affiliate in San Diego. McGrattan tallied nine goals and 17 points along with his usually high number of penalty minutes (144) for the Gulls. Anaheim loaded up yesterday on organizational depth, agreeing to deals with seven players to minor league deals. That McGrattan was not among them suggested a move elsewhere might be in the offing. McGrattan leaves North America (for now at least) having scored just 27 career points in 317 games and 609 minutes in penalties.
- Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal wonders if 2016 second-round pick, Tyler Benson, can beat the odds and become an important contributor for the Oilers. McCurdy lists the 10 players the club has selected in the second round since 2007 and only two, Justin Schultz (266) and Anton Lander (193) has appeared in more than 27 NHL games to date. Second-round picks are still considered valuable choices and teams generally expect to land one quality NHL talent for every three players chosen in the round. It’s hard to say the Oilers have even developed one quality NHL player from their group as Schultz wasn’t even drafted by the Oilers and was dealt away to Pittsburgh at the 2016 trade deadline after failing to live up to expectations in Edmonton. Lander has yet to land a full-time role and it’s been suggested current management is not particularly high on the Swedish pivot.
- Former Devils forward Stephen Gionta might be under consideration from the Islanders for a PTO, according to Arthur Staple of Newday (via tweet). Gionta doesn’t bring much offense to the table – just one goal last season and a career-best of five in 2014-15 – but would add energy to the team’s fourth line. He can also contribute on the penalty kill. The Islanders have boasted one of the game’s best fourth lines but they will undoubtedly have someone new skating with Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck after Matt Martin departed New York as a free agent. Gionta could provide another option for head coach Jack Capuano.
Jets Notes: Setoguchi, Trouba, Heritage Classic
In a heartbreaking (but wonderful) piece by David Pollak of The Hockey News yesterday, Devin Setoguchi comes clean about his history with alcoholism and how it almost destroyed his career. The former 8th overall pick was a thirty goal scorer in the NHL once upon a time, but yesterday signed a professional tryout with the Los Angeles Kings after spending last season in Switzerland.
It’s been six years since he last scored 20 goals in an NHL season, but is still only 29 years old and feels he has enough left to help a team on the ice – even if it’s at the AHL level or in Europe.
Today, on the Hustler and Lawless show on TSN 1290, Setoguchi related a story about how Evander Kane came to his house once while they were teammates on the Winnipeg Jets, and poured out all his alcohol in an attempt to help him break his addiction. Ironically, some may say, because of Kane’s own troubled history, it may have been a turning point in his battle and he now is working towards helping younger players understand the risks involved.
- Also on TSN 1290, former NHL executive Bill Watters opined that the Jacob Trouba camp “wants out of Winnipeg”. While Watters isn’t close enough to either side to have any particular insight past what his hockey sense tells him, it does continue the narrative that has been going on. Both Matt Larkin of The Hockey News and Darren Dreger of TSN spoke recently on the station about a possible Trouba deal, with Larkin going so far as saying “I’m seeing a trade in Trouba’s future, because the two camps seem to be so far apart in terms of how they value what Trouba has done in the NHL so far.” Indeed, Trouba is currently playing at the World Cup without a deal, and both sides seem just as far apart as ever on the future of the young defenseman.
- The final rosters for the legends game at the Heritage Classic were announced today, after having their first group presented last month. Among the final few additions were Curtis Joseph for the Edmonton Oilers, and Eddie Olczyk for the Winnipeg Jets. The game will take place on October 22nd, with Dale Hawerchuk leading the hometown Jets against a star-studded Oilers squad captained by Wayne Gretzky.
Three More Players Receive PTOs
According to James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail, Adam Pardy and Justin Fontaine weren’t the only two players to receive professional tryouts today. Eric Nystrom and Yan Stastny have both signed with St. Louis, while Zach Boychuk has signed with Arizona.
Nystrom, the most well-known of the bunch, has played in 593 NHL games over ten seasons, scoring 123 points along the way. The winger is coming off a career-low seven points last season, recording zero assists in 46 games for Nashville.
Stastny, the elder brother of St. Louis standout Paul Stastny and son of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny, has never had the raw talent or success of his family members. Never really being able to crack an NHL lineup for long, he’s spent the last few seasons in Europe, playing in the KHL, DEL and SEL.
Boychuk on the other hand, has performed very well in his AHL career so far, scoring 317 points since debuting in the league in 2009. Suiting up for 127 NHL games, the 26-year old has yet to find a consistent spot on any team, never playing in more than 31 in a single season.