Poll: Who Will Be Western Conference Champions?
The NHL Playoffs kick off tomorrow night with three first round matchups. The Minnesota Wild head to Winnipeg to take on the Jets, the Pittburgh Penguins welcome in their rival Philadelphia Flyers, and the Vegas Golden Knights host the first playoff game in franchise history when they take on the Los Angeles Kings. All three should be exceptional games, featuring superstars and underrated talents.
By Thursday evening, all eight series will have started and the first round will truly be underway.
So who do you think comes out of it all? This year more than ever the conferences seem wide open, with several teams built to be real contenders for the Stanley Cup. Even with weaker records, some of the lower seeds have the ability to catch fire for a few weeks, while injuries can always upset the favorites. Vote below on who you think will win the Western Conference, and explain why in the comment section. Will the Predators head back to the Finals for the second year in a row? Is it another long playoff run for Joe Thornton (when he returns) and the Sharks? Can the Anze Kopitar and the Kings score enough to shock the world again?
Who will be Western Conference Champions?
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Nashville Predators 36% (375)
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Winnipeg Jets 18% (189)
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Vegas Golden Knights 11% (119)
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Los Angeles Kings 11% (113)
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San Jose Sharks 7% (75)
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Anaheim Ducks 7% (72)
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Minnesota Wild 6% (66)
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Colorado Avalanche 3% (36)
Total votes: 1,045
[Mobile users click here to vote!]
Minor Transactions: 4/8/18
With the Eastern Conference still undecided until today’s final regular season game, the Western Conference has no questions as the Colorado Avalanche finished off the St. Louis Blues in a 5-2 victory Saturday as they clinched the final playoff spot. The Nashville Predators got the top spot and will face the Avalanche. In other first-round matchups, the Vegas Golden Knights will face the Los Angeles Kings, the Anaheim Ducks will face the San Jose Sharks and the Minnesota Wild will face the Winnipeg Jets.
- The New York Islanders announced they have assigned forward Tanner Fritz on loan to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to help their AHL affiliate, who have four games left in their season. The 26-year-old Fritz split time between both teams, putting up three goals and seven points for the Islanders in 34 games, while scoring 10 goals and 27 assists in 33 games for Bridgeport.
- The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have assigned forwards John Hayden, David Kampf, Andreas Martinsen, Victor Ejdsell, Jeff Glass and Jean-Francois Berube to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL for their playoff push.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced they have assigned forwards Michael McCarron and Kerby Rychel as well as defenseman Brett Lernout to the AHL’s Laval Rocket to get some more playing time in before their season ends.
- The Buffalo Sabres have announced they will send eight players to the Rochester Americans of the AHL for their playoff run, including forwards Nicholas Baptiste, Alexander Nylander and Kevin Porter; defensemen Brendan Guhle, Casey Nelson and Matt Tennyson; and goaltenders Linus Ullmark and Adam Wilcox.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have sent four players to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL for their upcoming playoff run, according to the AHL team. The Hurricanes assigned forwards Nicolas Roy, Valentin Zykov as well as defensemen Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown. It will be a change for Fleury who spent all but one game with Carolina this season, while Zykov put up solid numbers in the NHL with seven points in 10 games.
- With the Calgary Flames season over, the team has assigned three players to the Stockton Heat of the AHL to finish out their season. The team will return defenseman Rasmus Andersson, forward Spencer Foo and goaltender Jon Gillies. Andersson played 10 games for the Flames this year, while Foo scored two goals in four games. Gillies played 11 games for Calgary, putting up a 2.88 GAA.
- The Arizona Coyotes, according to CapFriendly, have sent four players back to the Tucson Roadrunners for their playoff run, including forward Dylan Strome and defensemen Dakota Mermis, Trevor Murphy and Joel Hanley. Strome showed some success at the NHL level, putting up four goals and nine points in 21 games this season.
- The Dallas Stars have joined the fray, reassigning defenseman Dillon Heatherington and goaltender Mike McKenna to the AHL’s Texas Stars as they continue their push toward the playoffs.
Anaheim Ducks Sign Olle Eriksson Ek To Entry-Level Deal
The Anaheim Ducks have added to their goaltending depth today when they signed Olle Eriksson Ek to a three-year entry-level deal, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Eriksson Ek is the younger brother of Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek.
The 18-year-old left-handed goaltending prospect was Anaheim’s fifth-round pick in the 2017 draft. He played 11 games for BIK Karlskoga in the Allsvenskan League, Sweden’s second-best league, putting up a 2.33 GAA and a .907 save percentage. He has since been promoted to Farjastad of the Swedish Hockey League, the top league in Sweden.
At 6-foot-3, Eriksson Ek has the size that most NHL teams are looking for in a goaltender and was listed as a prospect to watch by Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News in January.
Snapshots: Eaves, Francouz, Kravtsov
According to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register, the Anaheim Ducks confirmed today that Patrick Eaves would not return at any point this season or playoffs. Any potential return for Eaves would be at training camp for next season, but even that seems up in the air at this point.
Back in October, after playing just two games on his new three-year contract, Eaves was taken to hospital and diagnosed with Guillan-Barre Syndrome. A disorder that affects the nervous system and can cause paralysis if left unchecked, was caught early enough that Eaves was stabilized quickly. There hasn’t been many updates along the way, and now we’ll have to wait to see if he’ll return to the team next season.
- Another name we might see in the NHL next season is Pavel Francouz, a 27-year old goaltender who has put together quite the year. Though his KHL team was just eliminated from the Gagarin Cup playoffs, Francouz posted a .949 save percentage in 12 games along the way. Add that to his .946 in the regular season and an impressive showing for the Czech Republic at the Olympics, and Francouz is more than just on the radar of NHL teams. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that he will indeed look for an NHL contract this summer, after his current deal in the KHL expires at the end of this month.
- Vitaly Kravtsov, who also plays for Traktor in the KHL, was asked about his future after they were eliminated. In a report from RIA Novosti (a Russian news agency), Kravtsov said he had no plans on coming to North America and would play in the KHL again next season. The 18-year old is eligible for the upcoming NHL Draft, and is ranked 10th among all European skaters. Like other Russian stars, his draft position will be wholly decided by whether teams believe he will ever come over, though spending one more season in the KHL isn’t usually a problem. Kravtsov is currently under contract until April 2019.
Cam Fowler, Carl Gunnarsson Face Late-Season Injuries
The Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues are still battling for the last few wild card spots in the Western Conference, and today both announced injuries to defensemen. The Blues announced that Carl Gunnarsson will be out at least six months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL, while the Ducks will be without Cam Fowler for two to six weeks after suffering a shoulder injury. John Gibson also suffered an injury for the Ducks, but is considered day-to-day.
Fowler is obviously the bigger loss, as the Ducks rely on him for almost 25 minutes a night including time on both the powerplay and penalty kill. Though they have other strong defensemen, this means they’ll have to rely more on players like Francois Beauchemin or Marcus Pettersson, neither of which have shown the ability to contribute like Fowler this season. With Kevin Bieksa still out (and ineffective at times even when healthy) it’s unclear how the Ducks’ defense will shake out as they head towards the postseason. After losing players like Shea Theodore and Sami Vatanen over the last year, their depth isn’t as strong as it once was.
Gunarsson on the other hand doesn’t play nearly as much for the Blues, who have limited him to just over 16 minutes a night this season. Still, losing a player with his experience only thins out the depth of the team as they approach the postseason and makes them even more vulnerable to injuries in their top-4. The Blues though have to worry about the last few games of the season, as they sit a point back of Colorado for the final spot. Though they have a game in hand on the Avalanche, they’ll have to battle to scratch their way into the first round.
Troy Terry Signs Entry-Level Deal With Anaheim Ducks
6:50pm: The Ducks have made it official, signing Terry to a three-year entry-level contract. He’ll join the Ducks this season, and could play for them in the playoffs.
2:21pm: The run on top NCAA producers is on after the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, and the Anaheim Ducks aren’t ones to be left behind. Darren Dreger or TSN reports that the Ducks are expected to sign University of Denver standout Troy Terry either today or tomorrow. Denver was eliminated by Ohio State yesterday, but it wasn’t certain that Terry would forego his senior season to turn pro. That decision has apparently been made, meaning the Ducks will be able to add the talented forward without worrying about him possibly testing free agency next summer.
Terry, 20, was a fifth-round pick of the Ducks back in 2015 but has developed into an NHL-ready forward over the past few seasons. After scoring the gold medal-winning goal in the World Juniors, recording 45 points for Denver and taking home the National Championship, Terry returned to DU for his junior year and was selected to the 2018 US Olympic squad as one of their few college-aged players. Though Team USA didn’t bring home a medal, Terry recorded five points and looked like one of the more dangerous players in the tournament.
The Ducks have a few high-end forward prospects, but lucking out on one like Terry in the fifth round gives their system a huge boost. The young center might still have some work to do to become an impact player in the NHL, but the fact that he could potentially skip the AHL entirely and be a full-time player on their squad in 2018-19 is an impressive feat. If he does sign today and join the club, look for him to get into some action down the stretch and even give them an extra boost for the playoffs.
Western Notes: Oilers’ Offseason, Kane, Denver Players, Sikura
The Edmonton Oilers are not heading to the playoffs and are currently looking at all their in-house options before the season ends. Then the team will embark on the next bunch of steps to fix the team that one year ago was the talk of the league. The Athletic’s Jonathan Willis (subscription required) comes up with an eight-point plan on how to fix the team this offseason, primary of which is to watch its spending, both on free agents as well as the possibility to send off some of their own contracts as well.
One of the first suggestions is that Edmonton should not overreact when it comes to some of their underperforming players. While several of their defensemen had tough seasons this year including Oscar Klefbom, Andrej Sekera and Adam Larsson, Willis believes that it’s unlikely that they will struggle again and the team must preach patience. However, the team needs to unload expensive contracts of bottom-tier players, suggesting the team might want to see if they can trade off defenseman Kris Russell and forward Zach Kassian to free up some of their money.
As for free agency, the team should avoid big-name free agents and look to sign some of the more modestly-priced players that will be on the market even suggesting that they could consider bringing back Patrick Maroon if he will agree on a short-term deal.
- The Chicago Blackhawks great Patrick Kane said he hasn’t decided yet whether he will play at the World Championships in Copenhagen in May, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. He said he’ll consider it after his season ends, but it’s “definitely an option. After I didn’t go last year, I was thinking that maybe I should have went.”
- Although this note is about a Western collegiate team, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman (subscription required) had an interesting nugget in his prospect mailbag. Pronman was asked of the potential signings of the University of Denver’s three forward prospects in Henrik Borgstrom, Troy Terry and Dylan Gambrell, three of the team’s top players. Pronman’s response is that he believes all three will be signing with their respective teams the moment their college season is over. Denver is currently playing in the NCAA tournament. Borgstrom, the Florida Panthers’ 2016 first-rounder scored 22 goals in his sophomore season. Terry, the Anaheim Ducks’ 2015 fifth-rounder picked up 13 goals and 44 points in his junior campaign, while Gambrell, San Jose Sharks’ second-round pick in 2015, finished his junior year with 13 goals and 42 points. All three could be major contributors to their teams as soon as next season.
- The Chicago Blackhawks also could benefit greatly soon as well as Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that if Northeastern University loses today or Sunday, expect prospect Dylan Sikura to be signed and in the Blackhawks lineup by Thursday. The Northeastern senior, who was the sixth-round pick in 2014, has had dominant season the past two years, combining for 42 goals and 110 points in two seasons. Northeastern is playing Michigan today.
Anaheim Ducks Announce Signing Of Kiefer Sherwood
6:52 PM: The Ducks have officially announced the signing of Sherwood to a two-year, entry-level deal.
3:03 PM: Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) and Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register are both reporting that Kiefer Sherwood of Miami University (Ohio) has signed with the Anaheim Ducks, and that the contract will be officially announced later today. Portzline writes that Sherwood will be assigned and could make his debut for the San Diego Gulls as early as this weekend, suggesting that the two-year entry-level contract will kick in for this season.
Though Portzline writes that the contract is a three-year deal, the 22-year old Sherwood can only sign a two-year entry-level contract because of age restrictions. If it does in fact start in 2017-18, that means he would become a restricted free agent after next season. The playmaking forward could strengthen the Ducks’ prospect group even further, which already should get a big boost the next few seasons with Sam Steel, Max Jones and others graduating from junior hockey.
Sherwood is the older brother of Kole Sherwood, who signed his entry-level deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets way back in 2015 after going undrafted. He’s playing for the Kitchener Rangers this season, but will likely jump into the professional ranks not long after his brother.
Avalanche Activate Erik Johnson From IR
The Colorado Avalanche have points in nine of their last ten games and have climbed back into playoff position. Now, they’ll get even stronger as they bring back one of their top defenseman. NHL.com’s Callie Parmele writes that Erik Johnson has been activated from the injured reserve and is set to return to the lineup today against the Detroit Red Wings.
Johnson, who has struggled with injuries throughout his career, was most recently sidelined with an undisclosed upper-body injury. He was placed on IR back on February 19th and has missed Colorado’s past 13 games. Fortunately, the Avs went 7-2-4 in that span and now Johnson’s return could vault them into a playoff spot.
As it stands, Colorado holds the first wild card berth in the Western Conference with 84 points in 71 games. The Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks also have 84 points, but the Avalanche have a game in-hand on both. With Johnson back in the lineup, potentially resuming his play on the top pair with Nikita Zadorov or, as Parmele suggests, possibly taking on a new role, maybe with Patrik Nemeth, the Avs will solidify their back end and could hold off those seeking to take away their postseason chances. Colorado faces the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, and the Vegas Golden Knights twice in their next six games so Johnson’s impact, and the Avs’ ability to fight for their playoff lives, will be on display.
Kevin Bieksa To Undergo Hand Surgery, Out 2-5 Weeks
When the Anaheim Ducks recalled Korbinian Holzer this morning, something didn’t add up. They’ve explained the move now by announcing that Kevin Bieksa will undergo surgery to remove scar tissue from his left hand, and will be out two to five weeks. Though that leaves a little bit of room for him to return during the regular season, it likely means he won’t be available until the playoffs.
For a team that could claim the deepest defense corps in the league just a year ago, the Ducks now have razor thin margins on the blue line. After trading away Shea Theodore and Sami Vatanen, they’ve needed to rely on veterans like Bieksa and Francois Beauchemin more than expected. While their top-four remains as strong as any in the NHL, a single injury could bring trouble. Last year, Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm both played through shoulder injuries in the playoffs and required surgery as soon as the team was eliminated.
Bieksa isn’t the player he once was, but is still relied upon for valuable minutes and has a ton of playoff experience. Though this isn’t a crushing blow, it certainly weakens the team depth even further and puts them at risk for the first round of the playoffs.