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Henrik Lundqvist States He Wants To Play In NHL For Years

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Henrik Lundqvist currently finds himself in a tough situation with the New York Rangers. The long-time netminder has been the face of the franchise in New York for years, but has seen himself demoted to a third-string role with the additions of young goaltenders Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev.

However, in an interview with GP-Sporten’s Johan Rylander (translation provided by Forever Blueshirts), the 38-year-old veteran made it clear he sees himself playing in the NHL for years to come, but is also ready for a play-in series with the Carolina Hurricanes.

“The focus is training and this summer,” said Lundqvist, who has appeared in 887 games with the Rangers throughout his career. “Now we go for it right here. I can sense that I have it in me – to go another few years over there in the NHL. I’m sure about it! It’s clear that I’m thinking about how much I love hockey and how long I think I can continue, or even want to continue. I also realized that I can’t look that far ahead.”

Lundqvist did note that he is disappointed in his current status as the team’s No. 3 goaltender after seeing his starting role taken away from him, but doesn’t necessarily blame the Rangers’ organization. Lundqvist appeared in 25 games before the all-star break, but once Shestorkin was recalled, the veteran saw just five games after the break, two of which were in relief roles. He finished the regular season with career lows of a 3.16 GAA and a .905 save percentage. There has even been some talk that the Rangers could consider buying out their longtime goaltender and the $8.5MM due to him next season.

“What am I supposed to say about that? I had a picture of how the season would develop, what I had in mind,” Lundqvist said. “When things turned out the way they did, I was surprised. But at the same time, part of me understands the situation. I’m not blind. They’re thinking ahead. There are many pieces that go into building a team right now, but also for the future. You’re going to have to widen the view a little. Obviously it is disappointing to not play as much as you want. That’s where the disappointment is. It’s more … not on them (the Rangers), but more that it became as it became. And if I not had been disappointed, then I sell myself short. I want to play, to deliver at a high level. If I don’t, I will be disappointed.”

NHL Rules On Conditional Draft Picks

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With both the regular season and playoffs up in the air for quite some time, there had been many questions about conditional draft picks and how they might be conveyed. However, now with the establishment of a 24-team playoff format, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription required) reports that the league has also clarified how conditional picks will change hands, meaning teams will have to reach the round of 16 in order to be considered a ’playoff team.’ The NHL doesn’t view the qualifying round as playoff hockey.

“More specifically, for Trade condition purposes, a Club will not be deemed to have qualified for the Playoffs unless or until they have progressed into the Round of 16, and ‘Playoff Games/Rounds’ will only include the games/rounds played in the Round of 16 or later. We believe this interpretation will best reflect the intentions of the parties at the time of the Trade,” the league stipulated.

There are several trades that fall into this category with the Vancouver Canucks pick being at the heart of the issue. The Canucks traded their 2020 first-round pick to Tampa Bay for J.T. Miller, conditional on the Canucks making the playoffs. That pick, in the meantime, was traded to New Jersey for Blake Coleman. With Vancouver in the 24-team playoff format, many believed that the Devils already had the Canucks’ first-round pick. However, this ruling indicates that the Canucks would have to win their play-in game against the Minnesota Wild first and reach the round of 16 before that picks transfers. If Vancouver loses in the first round, then they keep the lottery pick and will send a unconditional first-rounder in 2021 to New Jersey.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild are in a similar situation with the first-round pick that was sent from Pittsburgh to Minnesota for Jason Zucker (assuming the Penguins got into the playoffs). However, while that pick looked to be a lock, a play-in loss to the Montreal Canadiens would allow the Penguins to keep the pick and send an unconditional one in 2021, which Pittsburgh would be likely to do if they can get a lottery pick in a strong draft.

There are still a few conditional trades that the NHL will have to look deeper into, including the Edmonton/Calgary swap of Milan Lucic and James Neal as well as the New Jersey-Carolina swap of Sami Vatanen, which deals with a conditional fourth-round pick if Vatanen played in five regular season games for Carolina, which he didn’t do. However, the play-in games could constitute regular season games, depending on how the league rules on it.

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Linus Hogberg To Entry-Level Deal

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Sunday: The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi reports that Hogberg’s contract is a two-year, entry-level contract and has an AAV of $925K.

Saturday: The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have signed defenseman Linus Hogberg to an entry-level contract, which will take effect in the 2020-21 season. Hogberg was a fifth-round pick in the 2016 draft.

Hogberg should give a Flyers a veteran prospect as the 21-year-old has already played four full seasons in the SHL and the 2019-20 season saw Hogberg take a significant step in his development. The blueliner scored a career-high five goals and 14 points this year with Vaxjo and looks ready to take the next step and come to North America, where he likely will step into a role with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. The blueliner still needs to put on some weight as he currently weighs in at 176 pounds, but is considered a solid puck-moving defensive player.

For the Flyers, the team only had a few days to make a decision on him. Hogberg was just one of many drafted defensive players over the years under Ron Hextall, and should only add to the team’s defensive depth. The team still has one player whose rights will expire on Monday in David Bernhardt.

New York Rangers Place Sean Day On Unconditional Waivers

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Sunday: Friedman reports that Day has cleared waivers and now will see his contract terminated.

Saturday: The New York Rangers have placed once-heralded top prospect Sean Day on unconditional waivers with the purposes of terminating his contract, according to CapFriendly. Day, who was given exceptional status to play in the OHL a year early in 2013-14, never was able to capitalize on his talent. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed the move.

Day’s name will always be synonymous for being granted exceptional status of an under age player, an honor that has only been awarded to six players in the CHL, including John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, Joe Veleno, Shane Wright and Day. Most of those players went on to be NHL stars with Veleno having finished a solid rookie season in the AHL, while Wright is considered to be a top candidate to be the top-overall pick in the 2022 draft. Day, however, has been the one player which looks like a mistake and this move only further emphasizes that.

Day, who was considered to be an elite skater, didn’t dominate in the OHL like many expected, although he was still good enough for the Rangers to select the blueliner in the third round back in 2016. However, after two pro seasons in the AHL and ECHL, Day wasn’t close to getting an opportunity with the NHL squad. In fact, the 22-year-old’s play decreased. He played 46 games with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack and 19 games with the ECHL’s Maine Mariners in 2018-19, but ended up playing more in Maine this past season (36 games), compared to Hartford, where he appeared in just 16 games with a goal and four points.

Alexis Lafreniere Considers Possibility Of Playing In Europe

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The NHL draft lottery is scheduled for Friday, June 26, which likely will determine where top draft prospect Alexis Lafreniere will end up in the future. However, will that future begin in the 2020-21 season? With the NHL focused on the 24-team playoff format at the moment, little is known about when next season might get underway, although a long delay is expected before Lafreniere can start his NHL career.

With the playoffs likely to start in late July or August, it’s entirely possible that the 2020-21 season may not start until November or even later. With that being the case, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported recently on Insider Trading, that Lafreniere is likely to look into every possible option to get his season started on time. One possibility would be to sign a deal to play in Europe for a season (assuming that hockey starts in Europe on time).

“When is the National Hockey League going to begin the 2020-21 season? October? November? December? Even January? We don’t know,” said McKenzie. “On top of all that, where’s Alexis Lafreniere going to play this fall if the NHL season isn’t happening until January and the draft isn’t until October or November? Is the CHL going to be playing? Is the American Hockey League an option? We don’t know at this point. But one thing I can tell you – Emilie Castonguay for Alexis Lafreniere is looking at all the options on the table and that will include seeing if the European club teams are up and operating in September and October.”

Lafreniere, barring an unforeseen circumstance, is expected to be the first-overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft, but the draft is expected to be delayed until after the conclusion of the NHL playoffs, which could be in September or October. NHL.com’s Mike Morreale revealed that Lafreniere won the CHL’s Top Draft Prospect Award on Friday, his fourth award since his season with Rimouski Oceanic ended due to COVID-19. He also won the Jean Beliveau Trophy as the leading scorer in the QMJHL with 112 points, the Paul Dumont Trophy for the QHJHL’s top personality and the Michel Briere Trophy as the QMJHL’s top player.

The only notable comparison for such a move might be Auston Matthews, who played in the NLA. However, that was the year before he was drafted. Regardless, it still seems like a longshot that Lafreniere would pass up his first NHL season over a few months. The Detroit Red Wings have the best chances of winning the draft lottery at 18.5 percent.

Kings Will Not Renew Contract Of AHL Coach Mike Stothers

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The Los Angeles Kings announced that they will not renew the contract of their AHL head coach, Mike Stothers, who has coached the Ontario Reign/Manchester Monarchs for the past six years. His contract was set to expire on June 15.

“We appreciate everything Mike has contributed to the organization” said Rob Blake, Vice President and General Manager of the LA Kings. “He has played an important role in helping develop our players and we want to thank him for his years of service and guiding us to a Calder Cup Championship in 2015.”

The 58-year-old coach had a 220-137-35-13 record with Ontario and Manchester, including four playoff appearances and a Calder Cup Championship. Stothers first season in the L.A. system was as head coach of the Manchester Monarchs during the 2014-15 season, where he won the Calder Cup, taking his team to a 50-17-9 record in his rookie coaching season. Stothers won the Pieri Memorial Award for top AHL coach that season.

He then led his team to the Western Conference finals the following year before two straight first-round exits in the playoffs. The team didn’t make the playoffs in 2018-19 with a 25-33-10 record, but had a more positive 29-22-6 record this year before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19.

The position should be a highly coveted one with the Kings in a full rebuild with a boatload of prospects entering the system over the past few years. L.A. is considered to have one of the best farm systems in the league. The team has had several high-quality prospects with the team last season, including Rasmus Kupari, Gabriel Vilardi, Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Tobias Bjornfot. More are expected on the way next season.

Snapshots: Chiarelli, Devils, Broberg, Laaksonen

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The recent parting of ways between the Arizona Coyotes and former President and CEO Ahron Cohen leaves a big opening in Arizona for an executive. That could be a chance for former Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli to get back into an executive role.

Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that it wouldn’t be surprising if Chiarelli was a finalist for that role in Arizona. It is believed that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is not happy with Arizona’s alleged tampering of NHL draft prospects and could have enough influence over new owner Alex Merulo to suggest a reliable candidate to take that open role with the Coyotes. While his success in Edmonton as their general manager wasn’t overly successful, Chiarelli might be a better fit in a president’s role and has a good working relationship with Bettman.

  • In his most recent mailbag, The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) writes that with a number of prospects closing in on bigger roles in the New Jersey Devils’ lineup, the team may look to unload a player or two during the offseason. The team has a lot of AHL-ready players who might get a chance to break into their lineup, including Jesper Boqvist, Janne Kuokkanen, Joey Anderson, Nicholas Merkley, Nolan Foote and the potential of a 2020 lottery pick being ready to go, that could cause a logjam if the team holds on to all their veteran players. While not all of them are expected to make the Devils’ squad, the scribe writes that it would make sense to move a player with the two most likely trade candidates to be Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha. Both would be valuable to other teams as versatile quality depth players. Of course, much will also depend on future contract negotiations between Kyle Palmieri and Nikita Gusev, who both will be unrestricted free agents in 2021.
  • TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that the Edmonton Oilers are considering putting 2019 first-round pick Philip Broberg on their 30-man roster if/when the playoffs begin. Each team will need a group of black aces with the AHL season having been cancelled. Rather than having the 6-foot-3 blueliner sitting at home, it might be a learning experience if he was to join the team during their playoff push. It’s unlikely he would see any action, but the 18-year-old did spend his first full season playing against adults in the SHL this season. He is expected to continue honing his skills in the SHL for one more year before the Oilers bring him over.
  • NHL.com’s Jourdon LaBarber writes that Buffalo Sabres assistant general manager Randy Sexton is considering the possibility of bringing Finnish prospect Oskari Laaksonen to North America as soon as next season. The 2018 third-round pick was considered a steal shortly after the draft due to his impressive skating and passing skills. The 20-year-old has become a leading defenseman on Liiga’s Ilves Tampere squad and could prove to be a key addition for the Sabres. Of course, the question comes down to whether Buffalo could bring the blueliner over as he hasn’t signed an entry-level deal with the Sabres yet and he signed a two-year extension with Ilves Tampere back in 2018 and has only played out one of those years so far. No word on whether there was an out-clause in the contract.

League Notes: June Draft, Phase 2, Hub Cities, NHL Awards

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After indications earlier in the month that the NHL was favoring a June draft, little has come out of that so far. However, that may change soon. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription required) writes that NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly indicated a decision should come shortly and likely will be part of the discussion with the NHL Board of Governors at their meeting on Monday afternoon.

A June draft before the NHL 2019-20 season ends has become a controversial discussion since introduced with the general belief that many GMs are against conducting a draft in the middle of the season. However, LeBrun notes that the draft does not need an official Board of Governors vote, meaning that if commissioner Gary Bettman believes it will be in the NHL’s best interest in conducting the draft in June, it can happen that way.

  • In the same article, LeBrun adds that the NHL must come up with a timeline for Phase 2, which would lift the ban of self-isolation and players can start using team facilities in small groups. That would also start the process of NHL players living in Europe returning to their NHL cities and beginning their own self-quarantines. There are a number of players who are opposed to return to action anytime soon, however, and may not be thrilled with the idea of returning to their NHL squads, which could risk their health and their families.
  • LeBrun, in a separate article, writes that 15 cities showed interest in becoming hub cities for a four-site playoff plan. The NHL has already informed some of those cities that they have been eliminated with eight or nine teams still in the mix. There are still some major cities still under consideration, including Las Vegas, Edmonton, Vancouver, Minnesota and Toronto. The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required) writes that the plan would be that 12 teams in each conference would go to the playoffs, which would be split into groups of six. Each group of six teams would end up in that host city throughout the playoffs, although if an NHL team’s city is a hub city, then that team would not be allowed to play there, meaning the Maple Leafs would not be allowed to play in Toronto and the Golden Knights wouldn’t play in Vegas.
  • One potential possibility that could get underway soon would be NHL awards. With a playoff format likely be announced soon, whether it be a 20-team playoff or a 24-team format, LeBrun writes that it will likely end the season of non-playoff teams. The NHL would likely take advantage of that by beginning voting for regular season awards and start producing finalists and winners to begin promoting the NHL while play remains on suspension.

NHL, NHLPA Making Progress On 24-Team Playoff Format

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With plenty of options available to the NHL when it comes to resuming play, progress is being made towards a possible playoff format. According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the Return to Play Committee is leaning towards a 24-team playoff format to wrap up the 2019-20 season.

LeBrun reports, however, that there is quite a bit of work still to be done if a 24-team playoff is to become a reality, but there has been significant progress made this weekend. Talks are expected to continue over the next couple of days with the potential that a plan will officially be outlined next week as both sides are much closer on what a return to action might look like. Of course, once the Return to Play Committee does come to an agreement, it must pass through the NHL Executive Board and be approved.

On top of that, there is a Board on Governors meeting on Monday. Whether NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will have a deal ready to pass on by then is unknown unless the Return to Play Committee can come to an agreement in the next 24 hours.

The still-developing plan would not be a straight-to-the-playoffs format, however. According to LeBrun, the league will likely have some games before the playoffs would begin, likely to ease teams into playing shape after the significant break due to COVID-19. There is also the issue on whether all players will be on board to returning to action later this year as it is believed some are seriously concerned about the health and safety issues that surround a return to play.

While there are a number of 24-team format options, LeBrun writes in a separate story that there has been some opposition to a 24-team tournament, especially with teams like Chicago (32-30-8 for 72 points) and Montreal (31-31-9 for 71 points) being the last two teams to enter into the playoffs when they don’t deserve it and the concerns that a hot start after a long break could create some significant upsets in this format.

Stretch Run Storylines: San Jose Sharks

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As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues and play doesn’t jump immediately to the postseason, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the weeks ahead, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We complete our look at the Pacific Division with San Jose.

The San Jose Sharks made a solid run through the 2018-19 playoffs and looked ready to challenge for another run in hopes of winning a Stanley Cup final. Instead, the wheels fell off with the team struggling immensely. Lack of depth and not enough stars stepping up, San Jose wasn’t able to put together their winnings ways, which cost the job of head coach Peter DeBoer (who eventually took the Vegas job and turned their struggles around) and saw the team drop like a brick in the standings with the worst record in the Western Conference.

Hertl Bounce-Back

The team suffered through a number of injuries this season, but their most devastating loss was top scorer Tomas Hertl, who tore his ACL and MCL in his left knee during a game on Jan. 29. Even if the league does go with a 24-team playoffs, the Sharks would be on the outside looking in, so they have to  hope their star players can bounce back.

After a 35-goal, 74-point season in 2018-19, many thought that Hertl might take his team to the next level. His numbers, however, were down this year in 48 games, scoring just 16 goals and 36 points. The team will need the veteran to not only bounce back from a major knee injury and find that scoring touch, which could be a great challenge. Word is that Hertl is making valuable progress in his recovery and is well ahead of schedule, suggesting he should be ready to be ready for training camp, whenever that is. Of course, can he bounce back offensively?

Will Sharks Bring Back Veterans?

The Sharks will have a couple decisions to make about their longtime veterans, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Both are unrestricted free agents, but do they want to bring back both their long-time stars for another year?

Thornton will turn 41 in July and has expressed interest in returning to the Sharks for another season. The veteran was open to a trade when the trade deadline neared, but he received little interest from top playoff teams and San Jose didn’t get an offer worth taking. Thornton remains a solid middle-six option for them. Even at age 40, he still managed to score 31 points, while averaging 15:30 of ice time. The question is can he keep those numbers up or will his play continue to regress, making him more of a liability on the ice.

Marleau is a somewhat different story as the Sharks did get an offer for him at the trade deadline and did trade him to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a conditional 2021 third-rounder (unless the Penguins win the 2020 Stanley Cup, which would make it a 2021 second-rounder). However, there have been plenty of reports suggesting that Marleau, who will be a unrestricted free agent this offseason, would be open to returning to the Sharks. Even though he will turn 41 in September, Marleau finished with 11 goals and 22 points this season and showed some of his old scoring ways. Again, those numbers are also career-lows even with the Coronavirus shortening the season. However, he is just 51 games away from breaking Gordie Howe’s games played record, which suggests he’s open to another season.

Goaltending Needs

The Sharks goaltending was also a significant reason for the teams’ struggles. San Jose locked up Martin Jones in 2017 to be their long-term goalie for the next six years, but with four years still on his contract, the team has to wonder if Jones is that answer. The 30-year-old is coming off two straight inconsistent seasons as he finished this season with a 17-21-2 record with a 3.00 GAA and a .896 save percentage. The hope was that backup Aaron Dell might be able to take a bigger load, but he struggled as well this year and now will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

Where will the relief come from. It seems likely the team will bring in someone to help out, but with cap room being an issue, the Sharks may not be able to add anything more than a backup. The team did sign Russian goaltender Alexei Melnichuk to an entry-level contract. The 21-year-old dominated as a backup netminder in the KHL, but likely will need some time in the AHL before being ready to contribute.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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