Niclas Westerholm Placed On Unconditional Waivers
The Nashville Predators are clearing a contract slot for next season, placing Niclas Westerholm on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination. Westerholm’s current entry-level deal was set to extend through the 2020-21 season, but he will become a free agent should the termination go through tomorrow.
A 22-year old goaltender, Westerholm signed with the Predators in 2018 after playing in Finland’s top league. He stayed overseas for the last two seasons on loan from Nashville and posted an .890 save percentage in 40 games this year. With no obvious path to the NHL with the Predators, Westerholm will likely stay in Europe and continue his development. Technically he will be allowed to sign with another NHL team once his termination is official and he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
The Predators already have 37 contracts on the books for next season (of their allotted 50) and have plenty of players to re-sign. Letting someone like Westerholm go will allow them to add someone else on an entry-level deal that may have a brighter future in the organization.
Grigori Denisenko Signs With Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers will have an exciting young face in training camp for next season, as Grigori Denisenko has officially signed his three-year entry-level contract. The Russian star will not burn a year of it in 2019-20 as the deal starts in the 2021-22 season. Panthers GM Dale Tallon released a short statement on his newest prospect:
We are thrilled to officially sign Grigori to an entry-level deal for the upcoming 2020-21 season. He is a highly skilled and hard-working young player who has a bright future in our organization. Although he will be ineligible to play games for us during the 2020 postseason, we look forward to having him challenge for a position on the Panthers roster next season.
Selected 15th overall in 2018, Panthers fans have patiently waited for the day Denisenko would pull on a Florida sweater. The 20-year old forward has played the last two seasons in the KHL putting up modest offensive numbers, but excelled when facing age-appropriate competition at the World Juniors. Denisenko captained the Russian unit earlier this year that won silver, scoring nine points in seven games in the process.
While stepping directly into the NHL is difficult for any young player, there are a lot of aspects in Denisenko’s game that suggest he may find success. First and most obvious is his playmaking ability, carrying the puck through traffic to spot-and-dot teammates in the clear. He loves to draw in defenders before releasing the puck to a more dangerous option or beating them clean with his excellent puck skills. Still, it is his work ethic that may surprise some and earn himself a longer look at Panthers camp. Denisenko never gives up on a play and has shown a willingness to engage physically to retrieve pucks.
The Panthers have quite the impressive young forward group coming through the system, with names like Henrik Borgstrom and Owen Tippett leading the way. Denisenko should be considered a big part of that wave which could be an answer for the club moving forward. Florida has three key forwards scheduled for unrestricted free agency in the offseason: Mike Hoffman, Evgenii Dadonov and Erik Haula. With the salary cap ceiling not moving and other expensive contracts on the roster, young players like Denisenko could be an answer for Joel Quenneville next season.
USA Hockey Cancels World Junior Summer Showcase
After countless setbacks, USA Hockey has decided to cancel this year’s World Junior Summer Showcase. The event was scheduled to be held from July 24-31 in Plymouth, Michigan, and is normally comprised of the best junior-aged prospects from around the world. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus outbreak, Canada, Finland, and Sweden had already pulled out of the tournament. USA Hockey was trying to stage it with only American-born junior players, but have now decided to cancel the entire event. U.S. National Junior Team GM John Vanbiesbrouck released a statement on the decision:
We’re disappointed on many fronts, but thought it was in the best interest of everyone involved to not hold the event. Regardless, we’re excited about the level of talent in our country and look forward to putting a team together that can compete for the gold medal. We’ll continue to look at all options to get our players and staff together ahead of selecting our team.
The 43-player roster that had been previously announced will now have to hope they are selected for the World Junior tournament without a first-hand impression. Recently, reports had surfaced that three of those players had tested positive for COVID-19. The release from USA Hockey does not indicate that was the reason for the cancelation.
NHL Announces Finalists For 2019-20 Jack Adams Award
Just moments after announcing the finalists for the Calder Trophy, the league has given out three names that will battle for another prestigious regular season award. The Jack Adams Award, given to the head coach who has “contributed the most to his team’s success” comes down to three Eastern Conference bench bosses who have taken their teams to the playoffs.
The three finalists are: Bruce Cassidy (BOS), John Tortorella (CBJ), Alain Vigneault (PHI)
Cassidy has done nothing but win since returning to the NHL head coaching ring in 2017. In 261 regular season games running the Bruins’ bench, he’s amassed a 161-66-34 record. That .682 winning percentage would put him among the all-time great coaches in NHL history. Even when including his 47-47-9 record from when he coached the Washington Capitals, he ranks sixth all-time in winning percentage among coaches with at least 300 games. There is little doubt at this point that he is an effective leader and after taking the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals a year ago, he had them back positioned for another run as the league’s best regular season team.
Tortorella meanwhile comes with a much longer head coaching history and one that has certainly had its ups and downs. Even though he can eventually wear out his welcome, the fiery motivator has had only three seasons with a sub-.500 record. This season has been perhaps his most challenging after losing names like Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene and Sergei Bobrovsky to free agency and Seth Jones to a season-ending injury. The fact that the Blue Jackets still have a fighting chance in the playoffs is a credit to the work “Torts” has done with an underwhelming roster and puts him squarely in as a potential favorite for the award this season.
Vigneault will try to take away however after a triumphant return to the NHL. After spending a year on the sidelines following his dismissal from the New York Rangers, the veteran coach was back in the Metropolitan Division taking the Flyers to a 41-21-7 record. Philadelphia was playing perhaps their best hockey in a decade when the season was cut short and looked like a real contender for the Stanley Cup. The question has always been about whether Vigneault can hack it in the playoffs, but as this is a regular season award the Flyers .645 winning percentage speaks for itself.
NHL Announces Finalists For 2019-20 Calder Trophy
The NHL has continued to release the finalists for their major regular season awards, this time giving us the top Calder Trophy candidates. This award is given to the top first-year player in the league and is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
The finalists are: Cale Makar (COL), Quinn Hughes (VAN), Dominik Kubalik (CHI).
Makar, 21, didn’t need much of an introduction this season after making his explosive debut in the playoffs for the Colorado Avalanche last year. After putting up six points in ten postseason matches, Makar picked up right where he left off and showed he can be a dominant offensive presence right from the start. With 50 points in 57 games, he actually finished in second place among Avalanche players behind only Nathan Mackinnon. That’s an impressive feat in any year, let alone your first full season in the NHL. Makar has all the talent to be one of the elite defenders in the league, including an improving defensive game and physical edge. In many other years, he may have been a lock to take home the Calder trophy, but this season is a little bit different.
That’s because of Hughes, who actually outproduced Makar (though he played in an additional 11 games) with 53 points on the season. That total trailed only John Carlson, Roman Josi and Victor Hedman (potential Norris finalists) in league scoring among defensemen, meaning he has already reached the upper-echelon in offensive production from the back end. Given that the former Michigan Wolverine won’t turn 21 until the middle of October, you can bet that you’ll be hearing his name at the top of point charts for a long time to come. Hughes is one of the most beautiful skaters in the league, able to carry the puck effortlessly up the ice and around defenders before dishing it off to his goal-scoring teammates.
Speaking of goal-scoring forwards, Kubalik jumps onto the ballot after exploding into the NHL with a 30-goal campaign. The Czech forward was a seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2013 but chose instead to play overseas for six seasons. After lighting up the Czech and Swiss leagues and seeing his rights traded in the NHL, he decided to sign with the Blackhawks and immediately showed why he was so successful in Europe. A lightning-quick release and the ability to get lost in traffic, Kubalik came second among all Chicago forwards in goals and third in points. The argument against him for the Calder may be his age, but make no mistake that the 24-year old will be a force for years to come.
Nashville Predators Sign Sean Malone
The Nashville Predators aren’t waiting around for the season to end before adding some depth to their organization. Sean Malone has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the team for the 2020-21 season, worth $750K at the NHL level and $100K at the AHL level. Malone has spent the last three seasons with the Rochester Americans, most recently on an AHL contract.
Now 25, Malone still hasn’t made it back to the NHL since debuting in 2017, when he was a fresh-faced signing out of Harvard. Originally selected 159th overall by the Buffalo Sabres, he spent four years at the prestigious school before turning pro. Since then, he’s been a solid contributor at the AHL level, recording 28 goals and 65 points in 169 games for Rochester. Unfortunately, that kind of production doesn’t scream NHL talent meaning Malone would have to take quite a step to land on Nashville’s roster next season.
Still, he does bring a level of experience to the Milwaukee Admirals and could be an injury call-up if necessary. Adding center depth to the organization is never a bad thing, and Malone’s entire cap hit is able to be buried when in the minor leagues.
Jack Rathbone Signs Entry-Level Contract
The Vancouver Canucks have convinced one of their exciting young prospects to turn pro, signing Jack Rathbone to a three-year entry-level contract. Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports that the deal will actually start in 2019-20, meaning Rathbone will burn the first year of the contract without actually playing any games. He will not be eligible to take part in the Canucks playoff games, though he could join them and take part in the current training camp. The deal will conclude with the 2021-22 season.
Canucks GM Jim Benning released a short statement on the deal:
Jack is a dynamic player. He has the ability to transition the puck from the defensive zone, brings good offensive instincts and plays with an edge to his game. We are pleased to have Jack join our roster.
Rathbone, 21, is foregoing his final two seasons at Harvard to make the jump to professional hockey, following an All-American sophomore season. The left-handed defenseman recorded 31 points in 28 games, an impressive showing for a player that fell all the way to the fourth round just three years ago. Rathbone was the 95th player off the board in 2017 and Vancouver’s fifth selection. He could potentially be the third from that Canucks class to make it to the NHL however (following Elias Pettersson and Michael DiPietro) as he should push for a roster spot immediately in 2020-21.
Vancouver will have opportunities for playing time on defense, as Chris Tanev and Oscar Fantenberg are both scheduled for unrestricted free agency. The team has plenty of talent in the system, but Rathbone may have a leg up on several of those names after performing so well at the college level.
NHL Announces Exhibition Schedule
If you thought you’d have to wait until August to see live NHL hockey again, think again. The league has announced its exhibition schedule for the end of training camp, which includes matchups between all of the playoff teams. Things will kick-off with a battle of Pennsylvania (in Toronto) as the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Philadelphia Flyers on July 28th.
The full schedule is as follows:
July 28:
Pittsburgh vs Philadelphia – 3pm
Toronto vs Montreal – 7pm
Edmonton vs Calgary – 9:30pm
July 29:
Tampa Bay vs Florida – 11am
Colorado vs Minnesota – 1:30pm
Carolina vs Washington – 3pm
St. Louis vs Chicago – 5:30pm
Islanders vs Rangers – 7pm
Vancouver vs Winnipeg – 9:30pm
July 30:
Nashville vs Dallas – 3pm
Boston vs Columbus – 6pm
Vegas vs Arizona – 9pm
All times central
Troy Terry Signs Three-Year Extension
The Anaheim Ducks have locked up one of their young forwards, signing Troy Terry to a three-year contract extension. The deal will keep him from reaching restricted free agency until 2023, while Helene Elliott of the LA Times reports that the deal will pay Terry $1.35MM in the first season, $1.45MM in the second and $1.55MM in the third ($1.45MM AAV).
Terry, 22, was a fifth-round pick of the Ducks in 2015 that quickly became one of their top prospects. In his sophomore season at the University of Denver Terry exploded onto the national scene with 22 goals and 45 points in 35 games, while also helping carry Team USA to a gold medal in the World Juniors. He scored the golden goal a the tournament, before returning to DU and winning a national championship.
It was hard to overlook him at that point, and in 2018 he proved his talent once again by competing at the Olympics despite being just 20 years old. Since debuting in the NHL it hasn’t been quite as smooth sailing for the Denver native, but Terry has at least proven he has the talent to compete at that level. In 81 games spread over parts of three seasons, he has recorded 28 points. His time in the minor leagues has been much more fruitful, with Terry scoring at more than a point-per-game pace.
A three-year deal at this point shows that the Ducks believe he can be a part of their NHL future, while also securing him for a reasonable price. With so many teams blindsided by the flat cap situation, every dollar spent will have to be scrutinized heavily—even for rebuilding teams like the Ducks.
Snapshots: Eller, Panthers, Mikheyev
Washington Capitals forward Lars Eller has decided against opting out of the return to play tournament, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be there for the whole thing. Eller told reporters including Greg Wyshynski of ESPN that he will leave the “bubble” at some point for the birth of his child. The expected due date is August 8th, right in the middle of the qualification round that the Capitals will not be taking part in.
As Wyshynski explains, leaving the bubble is relatively easy—it requires extenuating circumstances like the birth of a child and a GM’s approval—getting back in is not. Eller will be subject to several tests before being allowed to return, including a potential 14-day quarantine depending on where they have traveled.
- With assistant Mike Kitchen opting out, the Florida Panthers will have to make some changes to their coaching staff. George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports that with Kitchen gone, Andrew Brunette will be taking care of the defense while former captain Derek MacKenzie will organize the forwards. Geordie Kinnear, the head coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds, has also been added to the staff.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs will be getting some reinforcements when they take the ice against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a few weeks. Ilya Mikheyev, whose rookie season was lost after he suffered a frightening wrist injury in late December, is seemingly back to full strength. In fact, Mark Masters of TSN reports that teammates are raving about the improvements that the 25-year old has made to his game during the time off. Mikheyev was already off to a strong start in Toronto, scoring 23 points in his first 39 games before going down to injury.