Edmonton Oil Kings Eliminated From 2022 Memorial Cup
With the round-robin set to close tomorrow at the 2022 Memorial Cup, one team already knows its fate. The WHL champion Edmonton Oil Kings are out of the top Canadian junior tournament, dropping their third game of the round-robin 4-2 against the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs.
The host Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL will play their league champion, the Shawinigan Cataractes, tomorrow. The winner of that game will advance directly to the 2022 Memorial Cup Final on June 29, while the loser will face Hamilton in the semi-final on Monday.
Edmonton bows out of the tournament without a regulation win. Their two points in the standings came courtesy of a 4-3 overtime win against Saint John.
It’s a shocking exit for the WHL champion, who terrorized the league with a 50-14-4 record during the regular season. But their offense was stricken heavily when it was announced that leading scorer Dylan Guenther, a 2021 first-round selection of the Arizona Coyotes, would miss the tournament due to injury. Still, the squad had a strong core with NHL prospects Sebastian Cossa (Detroit Red Wings) in goal, Kaiden Guhle (Montreal Canadiens) and Luke Prokop (Nashville Predators) on defense, and Jake Neighbours (St. Louis Blues) and Justin Sourdif (Florida Panthers) rounding out an all-star lineup. The team’s depth was nothing to scoff at either, with multiple other NHL prospects and WHL veterans playing big roles.
The WHL’s streak of Memorial Cup losses, which dates back now to 2014 with the Oil Kings, will continue.
Latest On Carey Price
Montreal Canadiens fans breathed a collective sigh of relief when Carey Price finally took to the ice this season, even if it was for just a few games. The all-world netminder missed nearly all of the 2021-22 campaign with a knee injury and time spent in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, but he returned to play in five games at the end of the season. His battle through adversity was enough to win him the 2022 Masterton Trophy, but with rumors swirling about how healthy Price was and whether he could return at all next season, it was a little bittersweet.
The procedures and rehab aren’t over for Price, yet, unfortunately. General manager Kent Hughes said today that Price had a “small procedure” on his knee recently and the team is waiting to see how it responds. Hughes did go so far as to clarify that it was not a surgery or operation. It’s unclear whether or not Hughes is referring to the platelet-rich plasma injection Price received late last month, which Price already confirmed publicly weeks ago, though. It does make it seem unlikely that Hughes would be referring to the same procedure if it had already been made public.
If it’s more work done on Price, though, it’ll theoretically dig into his offseason training time more than he had planned. Price had said recently that he is preparing as if he’ll play for the Canadiens in 2022-23, though as more health-related news around the netminder trickles in, it seems more unlikely.
It’ll raise interesting offseason questions for the Canadiens on the ice, who will need to be active in the goalie market if Price isn’t healthy.
Free Agent Focus: Montreal Canadiens
Free agency is now less than a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in mid-July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. Next up is a look at the Canadiens.
Key Restricted Free Agents
G Sam Montembeault — Montembeault was forced into a breakout season in 2021-22 after injuries wreaked havoc on the Montreal crease. Claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers at the beginning of the season, the idea was for Montembeault to serve as a third-string backup option to relieve the stress on the crease. With starter Carey Price missing most of the season, though, and backup Jake Allen battling multiple injuries throughout the year, the 25-year-old Quebec native started 30 games and made eight appearances in relief, posting an 8-18-6 record, .891 save percentage, 3.77 goals-against average, and one shutout. He struggled with consistency under his increased workload, usually being one of the biggest reasons Montreal won or lost. Despite the poor performance, though, he did pretty much what you’d expect a third-string option to do in that situation. Montembeault will almost certainly be issued a qualifying offer and retained, considering that Allen remains the only healthy netminder under contract for next season.
D Alexander Romanov — Montreal’s 38th overall selection in the 2018 draft continues to track better than expected. While the scoring hasn’t been there for Romanov just yet, he was drafted for his defensive upside, and he’s beginning to deliver. Thrust into a top-four role this season in Shea Weber‘s absence, Romanov provided good defensive results, albeit in a slightly sheltered role. He’ll likely increase his point totals somewhat from his 13 points in 79 games in 2021-22 under a surely more gifted team next season, tracking to be an important complementary defender in Montreal for years to come. Depending on how confident Montreal is in his development, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see them try to lock Romanov in longer-term this offseason to ensure some lasting value.
F Rem Pitlick — One of the best waiver claims in the league this year (and one-third of Montreal’s band of Pitlicks), 25-year-old Rem finished the season with 37 points in 66 games split between the Canadiens and Minnesota Wild. Getting top-six minutes in Montreal, he managed 26 of those points in his 46 games with Montreal. Pitlick’s poor advanced defensive numbers and sky-high 23.1 shooting percentage are some red flags, though, and it’s hard to imagine Montreal giving Pitlick anything longer than two or three years to stay around as a depth scoring option.
Other RFAs: F Joël Teasdale, F Michael Pezzetta, F Nathan Schnarr, D Corey Schueneman, D Josh Brook, D Kale Clague, G Cayden Primeau
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Mathieu Perreault — While a stat-line of nine points in just 25 games doesn’t scream “keeper material,” there’s a solid case for Perreault to stick around in Montreal uniform. Injuries were the primary limiting factor in his ice time (including a scary eye ailment), and he was one of the team’s better two-way players in a bottom-six that got routinely caved in. The 34-year-old veteran of 708 NHL games could be let go in favor of giving more time to younger players in the system, though.
F Tyler Pitlick — Rem’s cousin, Tyler arrived in Montreal mid-season courtesy of the Tyler Toffoli trade in February. He played just 14 games as a Canadien, though, averaging under 10 minutes per game. While injuries and COVID made him unavailable some nights, he didn’t exactly play his way into a regular role. After scoring just five points in 39 games this season between Montreal and Calgary, it could be the end of the NHL road entirely for the 29-year-old.
Other UFAs: F Alex Belzile, F Cedric Paquette, F Jean-Sebastien Dea, F Laurent Dauphin, F Lukas Vejdemo, D Louis Belpedio, D Sami Niku, D William Lagesson, D Xavier Ouellet
Projected Salary Cap Space
Montreal currently stands with just under $2MM in cap space this offseason, but that number is likely to increase dramatically by the time free agency rolls around and into next season. Trade rumors have been swirling around many members of the Canadiens, and it’s likely that at least one if not all of Jeff Petry ($6.25MM cap hit), Josh Anderson ($5.5MM cap hit), and Mike Hoffman ($4.5MM cap hit) are dealt. There’s also the possibility that Price’s $10.5MM cap hit may land on long-term injured reserve.
The Canadiens are unlikely to be big spenders in free agency regardless of their cap situation, but they’ll be able to re-sign everyone they wish despite the seemingly tight financial situation at first.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Latest On Pierre-Luc Dubois
23-year-old centerman Pierre-Luc Dubois has had quite an interesting career after the Columbus Blue Jackets drafted him third overall in 2016. Things looked great for him after the 2018-19 season, where the 20-year-old had 61 points in his second season and played a key role as the team won their first playoff series in franchise history. Dubois faltered the next season, though, and after just one goal in five games the following year, Dubois was dealt to the Winnipeg Jets in a one-for-one swap for second-overall pick Patrik Laine. A tough season continued for him after the trade, raising doubts about his long-term future.
Dubois got his game back under him this season, though, notching a career-high 28 goals as he averaged nearly 19 minutes of ice time per game. A restricted free agent this offseason, however, it doesn’t appear as though Dubois wants a long-term contract. In fact, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that Dubois has informed Winnipeg that he wants to test unrestricted free agency in 2024. The Jets are still hoping to convince him to stay long-term, though, per the report.
It means that Dubois could either take the team to arbitration for a one-year contract or accept his $6MM qualifying offer. It might be a safe bet to just take the qualifying offer, as it’s likely around what the arbitrator would award anyways considering his inconsistent performance over the past few seasons, if not more.
As Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe notes, it puts Winnipeg in a tough situation. Dubois evidently wants to see a long-term improved situation in Winnipeg and a clear path back to Cup contention. Is Winnipeg willing to potentially go more all-in than they should in order to keep Dubois around long-term, or are they better off hitting the reset button? That’s the decision general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will have to grapple with.
Arizona Coyotes Begin Next Round Of Arena Negotiations
Earlier this month, the Tempe City Council voted to move forward with negotiating plans with the Arizona Coyotes and the NHL for a new arena within the city limits. Today, Sportico’s Barry M. Bloom reports that the Coyotes have now pitched a $1.7 billion plan to the Tempe government for a 46-acre property currently occupied by a landfill. The development would include a new arena and an entertainment district as well.
For the Coyotes, any news is good news. With the amount of new arena talk followed up by no action in the entire league (the Ottawa Senators and LeBreton Flats), any concrete development in the process purely reduces the likelihood of the Coyotes being left without a rink when their deal with Arizona State University expires.
If passed, this would undoubtedly be the longest-serving home of the Coyotes in their history in the desert. The report from the original discussions with the City Council in early June yielded a statement from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman that the team would sign a 30-year non-relocation agreement with the city.
News about the plan will undoubtedly continue to trickle in throughout the offseason. An assurance that the Coyotes will have a stable exit plan from playing at the 5,000-seat arena at ASU would be welcomed sooner rather than later.
Ben Bishop Open To Dallas Return In Front Office Role
After injuries forced him into retirement during the 2021-22 season, it was clear Ben Bishop wouldn’t suit up for the Dallas Stars again. This month, the final year of his $4.9MM average annual value contract was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for salary cap relief entering 2022-23. While not part of the Dallas organization anymore on paper, Bishop has expressed interest in returning to the team in a front-office role, said general manager Jim Nill.
[Bishop] would like to get into some type of management position. His resume, how he conducts himself, he’s a well-spoken man, got a passion for the game. He’d like to continue to be in the game. We’re having some discussions with him about different positions, start to get his feet wet and see what comes of it.
It’s evident that Bishop wants to have a long career within the sport, and he’d apparently like to start it with the team that gave his career a second wind after being shipped out of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization in favor of Andrei Vasilevskiy.
He could learn on the job from another former high-end Dallas netminder — Marty Turco. After a nine-season stretch with the Stars, Turco has joined the team as a senior advisor in the past few seasons.
Chicago Blackhawks Announce Front Office Changes
Almost four months after affirming Kyle Davidson as the team’s permanent general manager, the Chicago Blackhawks have finalized the rest of their main hockey operations staff moving forward. The organization announced today that Meghan Hunter has been promoted to Assistant General Manager, Hockey Operations. They also said that Mark Eaton remains in his role as Assistant General Manager, Development, Brian Campbell has been named Advisor, Hockey Operations, and Karilyn Pilch has been promoted to Director of Player Personnel.
With her promotion, Hunter becomes the fourth woman in NHL history to serve as an assistant GM. She’s been with the Blackhawks organization for the past two seasons, serving as a scout and their director of hockey administration during that time. The 41-year-old had the highest points-per-game in a single season in University of Wisconsin history during her freshman year, tallying 42 goals, 36 assists, and 78 points in just 35 games. Her record stands against legends of the women’s hockey game such as Brianna Decker, Hilary Knight, and Meghan Duggan.
Eaton, a longtime NHL defenseman, will enter his third season as an assistant GM in Chicago. He’s been with the organization in an off-ice capacity since 2014, when he joined them as a development coach. Campbell has been a development coach with the Blackhawks since 2018 and also spent four years with them on the ice. He was an advisor to the team during their general manager search, ultimately opting to retain Davidson.
Pilch has five years of management experience, including three as the director of hockey operations for the Boston University women’s team and two years as general manager of the PHF/NWHL’s Boston Pride.
Nazem Kadri Expected To Return For Game 4
After a disheartening 6-2 loss in Game 3, the Colorado Avalanche could get a huge momentum swing back in their favor tonight in the Stanley Cup Final. The Athletic’s Peter Baugh reports that, as of practice this morning, the team plans for center Nazem Kadri to return to the lineup for Game 4. Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater adds separately that Kadri is “definitely” playing tonight.
Per Baugh, Kadri skated with the regulars at practice this morning while right wing Nicolas Aube-Kubel skated with the healthy scratches. Barring any setbacks for Kadri during warmups, Aube-Kubel will likely draw out for Kadri to return.
Kadri hasn’t played since suffering a hand injury just 37 seconds into his first shift of Game 3 of the Western Conference Final. The hit by Edmonton Oilers winger Evander Kane, which forced Kadri’s hand awkwardly into the endboards, sidelined the Avalanche forward for two and a half weeks. Kane earned a one-game suspension on the play as the Avalanche completed their four-game sweep of the Oilers without either Kane or Kadri on the ice.
Despite the injury and the time missed, Kadri remains tied for fifth in playoff scoring on the Avalanche with six goals, eight assists, and 14 points in 13 games. It’s a repeat of his previous playoff success in an Avalanche uniform, as he tallied 18 points in 15 games during the team’s time in the 2020 playoff bubble.
Not only does Kadri’s return provide a gigantic boost to the Colorado offense on its own, it also causes a positive cascading effect on the team’s depth. J.T. Compher, who’s been an excellent energy forward for the team in recent games, will likely return to a bottom-six role, bolstering their ability to counterstrike against Tampa’s stellar veteran depth.
Latest On J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser
It’s no secret that the Vancouver Canucks are looking to build a more dynamic team worthy of contention. With new management installed, the team has already made some waves this offseason by signing top European free agent Andrei Kuzmenko. Vancouver still remains a popular name in trade talks, though, as the team is sitting on a pair of high-profile forwards that don’t seem to fit into the team’s long-term plans. TSN’s Darren Dreger said on Insider Trading today that the team is wide open to trading both J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser, noting that the Canucks are listening to strong market interest.
Dreger also notes that the Canucks aren’t interested in accumulating draft picks as parts of returns for Miller and Boeser. With the organization looking to make a playoff push as soon as possible, they prefer to acquire NHL-ready young talent in place of futures.
While Boeser is a free agent this offseason, he is under team control as an RFA. With a $7.5MM qualifying offer due to him, though, that’s too rich for the Canucks’ taste, especially considering his subpar 2021-22 performance (23 goals, 46 points in 71 games). In Miller’s case, the team is hesitant to give the 29-year-old forward too much term on a contract extension after a career season. Miller has one year remaining on a deal with a $5.25MM cap hit and is a UFA next summer.
If both Miller and Boeser are moved, it will undoubtedly be some of the biggest trade news of the offseason (save for all those Chicago Blackhawks trade rumors). It certainly seems as though Vancouver is more intent on trading both players as time passes by, making it seem more like an eventuality at this point.
Daniil Miromanov Signs Extension With Golden Knights
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Daniil Miromanov has signed a two-year extension to stay in the desert, according to a team announcement Tuesday afternoon. Miromanov’s extension will carry him through 2024 and has an average annual value of $762,500.
The Golden Knights acquired the 1997-born Miromanov as an undrafted free agent in March of 2021, signing him to a one-year entry-level contract after he had 10 goals, 19 assists, and 29 points in 58 games with HK Sochi in the KHL during the 2020-21 campaign. Miromanov, 24, spent his first full professional campaign in North America this season, playing well with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights for 40 points in 53 games. He played his first 11 NHL games this season as well, notching an assist.
The versatile defenseman can also play right wing, as he did on limited occasions for Vegas this season due to injuries. While he likely won’t be a full-time member of the team come next October, he’ll be high up on the list of recall options from Henderson. Long-term, the NHL upside is still there.