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Evening Notes: PWHPA, Hischier, Hodgson

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There’s some exciting news coming on the women’s hockey front. In an interview with The Hockey News’ Ian Kennedy, Canadian National Team captain Marie Philip-Poulin confirmed that the current touring structure for PWHPA games will turn into a league for the 2023-24 season, bringing two professional women’s leagues back into the fold for the first time since the CWHL and NWHL were both active.

The PWHPA Dream Gap Tour is the main pool of talent that Canada and the United States select for their national teams. They’ve effectively been limited to playing exhibition games without a league structure governing competition, although that shouldn’t diminish the level of talent and competition on display. A league structure should bring more financial stability and a better plan for growing the women’s game in North America.

  • New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier left the team’s in-progress preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens at the first intermission. The team reports that Hischier’s absence is simply due to cramping and that he won’t return to the game for precautionary reasons. Hischier registered a shot on goal and played 6:24 in the first period, his preseason debut.
  • Philadelphia Hockey Now’s Sam Carchidi tabs winger Hayden Hodgson as a candidate to crack the Flyers’ roster out of camp this year. Hodgson made waves in the Flyers organization this season after a breakout year in AHL Lehigh Valley, earning an NHL contract near the end of the season and a six-game call-up, where he registered three points. Hodgson hadn’t even played in the AHL since 2017-18, spending every season since then entirely in the ECHL (and partly in Slovakia).

Training Camp Notes: Stone, Biakabutuka, Mangiapane

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Injury troubles plagued the Vegas Golden Knights last season, something they can ill-afford a repeat of in 2022-23. There’s some good news on that front regarding one of their star players, though, as right wing Mark Stone skated in a contact jersey today for the first time during training camp.

The Golden Knights will count on Stone to have a rebound year as their captain, especially with their offensive depth thinning. The 2021 Selke Trophy finalist and 2019 runner-up played in just 37 games due to injury last season, registering nine goals, 21 assists, and 30 points. Hopefully, the serious back injuries that plagued him last season don’t become a long-term issue for the 30-year-old.

  • Somewhat of a rarity these days, a player attending camp on an amateur tryout might do well enough to earn a contract within the organization. Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen notes that the Red Wings have been impressed with defenseman Jérémie Biakabutuka, with head coach Derek Lalonde complimenting his skating and compete level. The 20-year-old is set to return to the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders next season but could receive an NHL entry-level contract from Detroit or receive an AHL offer from the Grand Rapids Griffins when his season is over.
  • Calgary Flames winger Andrew Mangiapane was a full participant in camp today after missing the first four days of group skates with what the team called a “minor lower-body injury.” He made his return to scrimmages skating on a line with newcomer Nazem Kadri, a role he’s likely to reprise in the regular season as well. Mangiapane is coming off a career-high 35 goals and 55 points.

Philadelphia Flyers Add Cal O’Reilly On PTO

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In conjunction with announcing today’s training camp cuts, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher also announced that the team has added veteran forward Cal O’Reilly to camp on a professional tryout (PTO).

O’Reilly, 35, hasn’t played in the NHL since a one-game call-up to the Minnesota Wild in 2017-18. Before that, however, he spent quite a bit of time bouncing up and down between the NHL and AHL. After the Nashville Predators selected him 150th overall in the 2005 NHL Draft, he stayed in the organization through the beginning of the 2011-12 season. In Nashville, O’Reilly never managed to crack the lineup full-time but did finish his Predators career with 11 goals, 24 assists and 35 points in 85 games. Just a few weeks into the season, though, Nashville dealt O’Reilly to the then-Phoenix Coyotes for a fourth-round pick, essentially moving up one round in total value while also getting a solid, yet brief NHL stint out of O’Reilly. After just five points in 22 games, though, the Coyotes attempted to waive O’Reilly, whom the Pittsburgh Penguins claimed for the remainder of the season, where he had one assist in six games.

After playing 33 games in that busy 2011-12 season, O’Reilly would only see NHL ice again in three more seasons: 20 games with the Buffalo Sabres in 2015-16, another 11 games with the Sabres in 2016-17, and that one-game call-up in Minnesota in 2017-18. O’Reilly did remain in the Wild organization for another season after that, though, serving as the captain of the AHL’s Iowa Wild from 2017 to 2019.

O’Reilly’s technically been in the Flyers organization ever since, spending the last three seasons as a leader for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Already signed to an AHL contract for 2022-23, O’Reilly will enter his third straight season as the Phantoms’ captain. His 53 points last season were his most since he scored 67 points in 67 games during his last season in Iowa.

With Philadelphia’s depth continuing to get hit by injuries, the Flyers will have O’Reilly in camp to evaluate if he’s still NHL call-up material at age 35. He essentially comes in (maybe just temporarily) to replace one of the team’s other PTO additions, Artem Anisimov, who currently is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Vegas Golden Knights Need For Health Exacerbated By Salary Cap Crunch

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Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy said today that defenseman Alec Martinez missed today’s training camp sessions with an “upper-body tweak”, but he’s expected to return to practice tomorrow.

And while things like maintenance days usually aren’t big news, they are now for the Golden Knights, who will rely heavily on full health in 2022-23 after an injury-plagued 2021-22 season. Martinez himself missed a solid chunk of time last year, playing just 26 games and registering only eight points. A crucial part of their top four on defense, they’ll need Martinez at his best, especially if Nicolas Hague goes unsigned into the season.

With Vegas pressed tightly against the salary cap, even with Robin Lehner placed on long-term injured reserve, short-term injuries could become a cap management nuisance quite quickly. As they did last season, they’ll need to play a day-to-day game financially and have their players in AHL Henderson on speed dial.

As Hague remains unsigned, the team is especially thin on left defense. If Martinez gets hurt, the team’s next option to slot into the lineup is 23-year-old Zack Hayes, an undrafted free agent with only three games of NHL experience.

Golden Knights fans will be watching injury news like hawks as the preseason progresses. The team will begin their preseason schedule tomorrow against the Colorado Avalanche.

Sean Monahan Could Be Ready For Start Of Season

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Freshly acquired Montreal Canadiens center Sean Monahan was a bit of a question mark for the upcoming year after missing the last month of the 2021-22 season and the entire playoffs. Labelled as questionable for the start of the season a few weeks ago, things are looking up for Monahan as his recovery from hip surgery continues. Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said today that they are being cautious with Monahan, holding him out of scrimmages, but that he will play in preseason games at some point, boding well for his opening-night availability.

The Canadiens received a conditional 2025 first-round pick from the Calgary Flames for taking on the final season of his $6.375MM AAV contract, which was much too rich a price for a cap-strapped Calgary to pay given Monahan’s declining health and production. After Monahan had just eight goals and 23 points in 65 games last season, Montreal is hoping a return to consistent top-nine minutes will help them recoup serious offensive value in the final season of Monahan’s deal, and maybe even flip him at this year’s trade deadline with some salary retained.

Monahan told the media last month that “he’s ready to play hockey again at a high level.” It will take a lot of patience and conditioning for Monahan to sniff his previous 30-goal, 60-point-calibre play, but St. Louis seems to understand that. Monahan will be competing for time down the middle with Nick Suzuki, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, and Kirby Dach, who could likely shift to the wing.

Montreal opens their preseason on Monday at home against the New Jersey Devils.

Training Camp Cuts: 09/24/22

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As the preseason begins today, some teams are beginning to immediately trim their rosters as we inch closer to the start of the regular season next month. At this point in time, most cuts will be teams returning players to their junior or European teams as those leagues get their seasons underway. While some players’ training camp stays may just be a day or two, it’s still an invaluable experience for both the player and team to be active in their development.

Calgary Flames (via team release)

F Jack Beck (to Ottawa, OHL)
F Cole Huckins (to Sherbrooke, QMJHL)
D Cole Jordan (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
D Cameron Whynot (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Evan Boucher (released from ATO, to Halifax, QMJHL)
D Jake Lee (released from ATO, free agent)
D Christoffer Sedoff (released from ATO, to Red Deer, WHL)
F Cooper Walker (released from ATO, to Guelph, OHL)

New York Rangers (via team Tweet)

F Sam Alfano (to Erie, OHL)
F Maxim Barbashev (to Moncton, QMJHL)
F Jayden Grubbe (to Red Deer, QHL)
F Bryce McConnell-Barker (to Soo, OHL)

This page will be updated throughout the day

Buffalo Sabres To Name Captain Prior To Regular Season

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The Buffalo Sabres haven’t officially had a captain since just prior to this season when they stripped the title from the injured Jack Eichel prior to an early-season trade to the Vegas Golden Knights. That year-long absence will come to an end soon, though, as newly-extended general manager Kevyn Adams told reporters today that the team will announce their leadership group for 2022-23, including a team captain, prior to the regular season.

As mentioned by The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski in the linked story above, veteran winger Kyle Okposo is the leading candidate for the role, supported by rumors over the offseason. Okposo had his best offensive year as a Sabre despite largely playing in a fourth-line role, cracking the 20-goal mark for the first time since 2015-16 and had 45 points, his highest total in a Sabres jersey. Forming solid chemistry with Zemgus Girgensons, also expected to be named an alternate captain as the longest-tenured Sabre, Okposo’s taken on a de facto leadership role and is becoming an integral part of the team’s voice.

While Okposo has been an alternate captain in Buffalo for the past five seasons, Alex Tuch also jumps out as an obvious candidate for the job. Acquired in the Eichel trade, the Buffalo native had 38 points in 50 games as a Sabre this past year and cemented himself as a top-six fixture.

Speaking today on the team’s leadership group, head coach Don Granato said the following:

I’ll just point out our three older, I think our three oldest guys, are Girgensons, Okposo and Craig Anderson. And they do a tremendous job. They have that presence. And they are in it, obviously, as competitors, but they really have a deep care for helping some other guys achieve more. They don’t fear that this guy might replace me. Which is very uncommon. Whether that is an unconscious thought, or a subconscious thought. Sometimes it’s hard for the older players to really, really help a guy who might replace them or take some ice time away from them. And those three guys there, they love it.

Latest On Mathew Barzal

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There’s a strong class of restricted free agents next offseason, headlined by young wingers like Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt (again), and Alex DeBrincat, to name a few. There’s also New York Islanders cornerstone Mathew Barzal, who said today during the first day of camp that he wants to get an extension done prior to the start of the regular season. However, in true Islanders fashion, little is known on how close the team and Barzal are on an extension, according to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz.

Barzal added that it’s not a hard deadline he’s imposing, rather, it’s just a desire to get it out of the way.

If [it’s not done before the start of the season], I’m not really worried about it just because my heart’s here and I know that we’ll get something fair and something both sides will be happy about.

Given precedence with the Islanders, we likely won’t know about the extension until it’s already signed. Barzal is entering the final season of a three-year, $21MM bridge deal signed days prior to the 2020-21 season.

Over the course of the past two years, Barzal’s scored 32 goals, 74 assists, and 104 points in 128 games while averaging 18:20 per night. While all of those figures have cooled off from the pace he set for himself during his Calder-winning 2017-18 campaign, he remains a vital young piece in an otherwise aging forward core.

His importance to the team, now and in the future, is something general manager Lou Lamoriello is keenly aware of, saying “without question” that he’d like to see Barzal in an Islanders jersey long-term. Depending on which rumors one listens to, Lamoriello demonstrated that commitment to Barzal by making a head coaching change this past offseason.

In any event, it seems likely at this point that Barzal will avoid another uncertain situation as a restricted free agent holdout as he did in 2020.

West Notes: Zegras, Binnington, Quick

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Despite some of the on-ice drama Trevor Zegras causes with his goals, there won’t be any off-ice drama this season regarding a contract extension. During media availability today, Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said that he’ll wait until after the 2022-23 season ends to work out a contract extension with the team’s budding no. 1 center.

Zegras is entering the final season of his three-year entry-level contract, with Zegras entering just his second full NHL season after scoring 61 points in 75 games as a technical rookie last year. He did play 24 games in 2020-21, enough to burn the first year of his entry-level contract, but not enough to remove his rookie status for 2021-22 in the eyes of the league. Verbeek expressed a desire to “[give] players the full year to kind of just concentrate on playing hockey,” also meaning that he won’t work on contract extensions for Troy Terry and Jamie Drysdale in-season either. All three players are restricted free agents in 2023.

  • After he sustained a left knee injury in the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington is fully healed and was a full participant today as the Blues began training camp, according to NHL.com correspondent Lou Korac. The Blues will rely on Binnington heavily this season, as veteran backup Thomas Greiss had one of the worst years of his career last season (if not the worst) with a .891 save percentage and shouldn’t be relied upon for more than 25 starts.
  • Two-time Stanley Cup champion goalie Jonathan Quick today told The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein that he plans on playing past this upcoming season, his 16th in the NHL. Quick is entering the final season of a 10-year, $58MM contract extension signed with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012.

Snapshots: Hague, Pastrnak, Jets

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When Vegas Golden Knights training camp opens tomorrow morning, defenseman Nicolas Hague won’t be there as he awaits a new contract. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reports that he isn’t expected to be on the ice with his teammates Thursday morning at City National Arena, the team’s practice facility.

Hague is one of the few remaining restricted free agents in the NHL, alongside Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin and Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson as the marquee names. Granger expertly notes that Hague missing camp is more detrimental than in previous seasons, as new head coach Bruce Cassidy will be installing a completely foreign defensive system from what the Knights have been used to in past seasons. Hague, the 34th overall pick in 2017, had 14 points in 52 games last season.

  • Speaking today during preseason media availability, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney says it’s a priority for him to get pending free agent winger David Pastrnak signed as soon as possible. Pastrnak, while he’s expressed a strong desire to stay in Boston, hasn’t shared the same urgency in negotiations in previous reporting. Pastrnak, who’s notched 40 or more goals in his last two full seasons, will be in line for a substantial raise, and it may behoove Sweeney to get a deal done before his value rises even further.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have made three scouting hires, including the first woman scout in team history, Sydney Daniels. Daniels joins the team as an NCAA scout, having previously served as the assistant coach for the women’s team at Harvard. The team also brought on Jari Kekalainen, brother of Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, as a European scout, and former Toronto Maple Leafs scout Tony Martino as a USHL scout.

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