Snapshots: Free Agents, Jost, Kakko
There are now 27 NHL teams eliminated from Stanley Cup contention, and with that comes a new focus. Free agency is right around the corner and plans are starting to formulate on who to retain or who to pursue in order to improve for next season. Once considered a “Super class” of unrestricted free agents, the group for 2019 has dwindled considerably as teams are hesitant to give up their top players. Still, there is plenty of talent without a contract for next season and Frank Seravalli of TSN released an early ranking of those players today.
As expected, Artemi Panarin, Erik Karlsson and Sergei Bobrovsky occupy the top three spots, all superstars at their respective positions. The trio could change the face of any franchise in the league, but will each cost a fortune to obtain. Beyond those three though there are other impressive names on the list like Matt Duchene, Anders Lee and even Joe Pavelski. While it may no longer be the best class of free agents in history, teams are still hoping the next seven weeks pass quickly.
- With John Tavares out of the IIHF World Championship due to an oblique injury, Team Canada suffered a defeat at the hands of Finland today 3-1. The forward group was quite unimpressive except perhaps for a few opportunities by Jonathan Marchessault and Anthony Mantha, and may have trouble creating offense at even strength in the tournament. Canada has three extra spots to add other players, and one of those will be used on Colorado Avalanche forward Tyson Jost according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Jost competed last year for the Canadians and recorded six points in nine games, and also took home a World Junior silver medal for them in the past. Update: The team will also be adding Columbus Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois.
- While the Canadians struggled to create any offense, the Finnish squad had no problem thanks to the presence of top draft-eligible prospect Kaapo Kakko. The 18-year old opened the scoring on a breakaway and finished it off with an empty net goal after winning a loose puck from Marchessault while defending the lead. Kakko and fellow potential first-overall pick Jack Hughes are both competing in the tournament against other NHL stars, and have a chance to really show the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers what kind of impact they can have from day one.
Latest On Buffalo Sabres Coaching Search
The Buffalo Sabres won’t be hiring a rookie head coach like Rickard Gronborg this year, meaning the list of available names has been dramatically shortened. One name that had still been connected to them was Todd Richards, an assistant under Jon Cooper in Tampa Bay the last three seasons. Richards has experience as a head coach with both the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets, but it now appears as though he won’t be in the running either. John Shannon of Sportsnet tweets that Richards will not interview for the job in Buffalo, and that Jacques Martin and Dave Tippett remain the front runners.
Richards was the first name that John Vogl of The Athletic (subscription required) listed in his recent breakdown of the candidates, but Tippett and Martin followed quickly afterwards. Both coaches have been out of the head coaching role for a few years, with Tippett last leading the Arizona Coyotes in 2016-17 and Martin fired from the Montreal Canadiens in 2011-12. That doesn’t mean they’ve been away from the game though, as Tippett has been working with the Seattle expansion franchise as a senior adviser, while Martin was on the Pittsburgh Penguins bench as an assistant the last several years.
Buffalo GM Jason Botterill tried the rookie route with his first coaching hire, bringing in legendary Sabres defenseman Phil Housley to run the bench. Housley had experienced success as an assistant with the Nashville Predators, but things didn’t go well for him in Buffalo. The team went 58-84-22 during his two seasons, simply not good enough when they have a star forward in Jack Eichel earning $10MM per season. It’s not time for a rebuild for the Sabres, which is likely why an experienced hand is what Botterill is after this time around.
It is important to note that Botterill is currently in Slovakia with Team Canada for the IIHF World Championship, a tournament that will end on May 26th.
Ottawa Senators Sign Olle Alsing
Another international free agent has found an NHL home, as Olle Alsing today signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators. Alsing played this season for Djurgardens in the SHL, but will join the Senators at their development camp in June.
Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia tweets that there was plenty of NHL interest in Alsing, who led the SHL in +/- this season at a +26 mark. He recorded 15 points in 49 games during the regular season, and then really dominated in the playoffs recording eight points in 18 games while helping his club to the SHL final. The 23-year old defenseman is small, but fits into the new NHL build of moving the puck quickly and effectively in order to avoid long defensive stretches.
The Senators are obviously not the contender that they were a few years ago, but the organization can offer plenty of opportunity for players like Alsing to get NHL experience right away. The team should have a healthy competition for playing time on the blue line next season, given that only a single roster defenseman is currently scheduled to earn more than $1MM—that’s Mark Borowiecki at $1.2MM.
Kailer Yamamoto Undergoes Wrist Surgery
The Bakersfield Condors will be without Kailer Yamamoto for the rest of their playoff run, as the Edmonton Oilers prospect underwent successful wrist surgery. Yamamoto is expected to be ready for training camp in September, but won’t get a chance to raise the Calder Cup this year.
There’s no doubt that this was a frustrating season for Yamamoto, who played just 17 games in the NHL and 27 in the minor leagues due to injury. He was held almost completely off the score sheet for the Oilers, recording just two points in his time at the highest level. This comes from a player who was drafted 22nd overall in 2017 based on his incredible offensive upside, and who even cracked the roster out of camp that year for nine games.
While no one ever gives up on a 20-year old first-round forward, Yamamoto is another Oilers prospect who will have to find some success next season. New GM Ken Holland absolutely must improve the Edmonton development team, and start turning these high picks into NHL contributors in the coming years. Holland understands that he can’t wait too long before getting the Oilers back to the playoffs, and players like Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi can—and perhaps must—be a big part of that return.
San Jose Sharks Sign Tony Sund
The San Jose Sharks have signed international free agent Tony Sund to a one-year entry-level contract. The young defenseman was undrafted and played in Finland’s top league last season. GM Doug Wilson had this to say about his newest prospect:
Tony is a big, smooth-skating defenseman who uses a strong stick to take away passing lanes and to close plays quickly. He has tremendous vision that made him one of the top passers and playmakers from the back-end we saw this season. He has stepped his game up each of the past few years and really took a leap forward offensively this season. We really like the upside here with Tony, and think that his time spent with the Finnish National team over the past month will only help him grow his game.
Sund, 23, broke out this season in Finland, recording 35 points in 60 games while continuing to provide solid defense. The 6’3″ left-hander joins an organization that has made a splash in the undrafted market over the years, adding NHL talent like Radim Simek, Barclay Goodrow and Lukas Radil. Add that to the strong late-round drafting by Wilson’s team, and the Sharks have been able to maintain a high level of success for a long time.
That deep system may be a tough one to crack for Sund, but the defenseman comes in with a chance to compete right away. Erik Karlsson and Tim Heed are both scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this summer, while Joakim Ryan is arbitration eligible as a restricted free agent. If the Sharks aren’t able to retain some of them, they’ll need replacements like Sund in the near future.
He will be a restricted free agent after the 2019-20 season.
Snapshots: Edmonton, Brunette, Draft Rankings
The Edmonton Oilers have started a new chapter of franchise history with the hiring of GM Ken Holland, and he intends to make it a good one. Holland sat down with Sportsnet’s Mark Spector for an exhaustive interview, in which he discusses everything from his take on Milan Lucic to what his dad did for a living. The piece will give Oilers fans insight into their new executive, and when asked what he wanted to tell those fans he gave a clear answer:
I would say, when you make the playoffs once in 13 years, I understand the frustration. I’m coming here to try to make the playoffs now, but to build over time. I want Edmonton to be an elite team. I’d like to see the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup playoffs next season. I got their frustration.
Getting the Oilers to the playoffs next season will be no easy task, given they finished in 25th this year and had a -42 goal differential, but he does have Connor McDavid to work with. Holland mentions Leon Draisaitl multiple times in the piece as well, and notes that his biggest challenge will be finding a way to support his two superstars.
- Joel Quenneville will be behind the bench of the Florida Panthers this season, and he may be bringing in an old friend to help out. Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest tweets that Andrew Brunette‘s name is coming up in connection with Quenneville, and the two have a “strong relationship that goes back several years.” In fact, Brunette played under Quenneville in Colorado for three years between 2005-08, and actually experienced the best season of his career, 83 points. He finished his career playing for the legendary head coach again in Chicago for a single season. Brunette was with the Minnesota Wild organization for the past several years, but was fired along with several others last month when Paul Fenton made sweeping changes. He had served in several different roles including assistant GM, director of player personnel and assistant coach.
- Craig Button of TSN has released his latest mock draft, and it has a drastic fall for top Russian prospect Vasili Podkolzin. Podkolzin comes in at 13th in the newest edition, with Button comparing him (in a piece written by Darren Yourk) to Arizona Coyotes Lawson Crouse. One of the biggest risers is USNTDP sniper Cole Caufield, who is all the way up at No. 5 after an incredible showing at the U18 World Championship. Caufield has scored at will everywhere he’s ever played, but measures in at just 5’7″ and 162 lbs.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Niclas Almari
The Pittsburgh Penguins have officially signed Niclas Almari to a three-year entry-level contract. The 20-year old defenseman has played in Finland’s Liiga for the last several years, but is now expected to come to North America and compete for a spot on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Assistant GM Bill Guerin released a statement on the signing:
Since we drafted Niclas he has developed exactly how we want our prospects to progress, at a steady incline. Each year, he has continued to get better. When we drafted him, he was playing big minutes for his junior team. Niclas eventually graduated to Finland’s top league, getting his feet wet by playing a secondary role before assuming major minutes for eventual league champion HPK this year.
Now we feel he is ready to come over to North America and contribute. As is the case with any young player that we bring over, we want to manage expectations his first year and put Niclas in a position to succeed.
Almari was a fifth-round pick of the Penguins in 2016, and as Guerin points out has found more and more success each season since. This season he recorded just five points in 42 regular season games, but will leave Finland with a league title under his belt. That playoff experience will be invaluable as he tries to make the jump to the North American professional ranks, a challenge that will test his offensive ceiling. His low point totals in Finland shouldn’t necessarily discount that ability, though in order to reach the NHL he’ll have to at least be able to move the puck quickly and effectively out of his own end.
If Pittsburgh can squeeze some production out of Almari it would be a huge development for their 2016 draft class. No one has yet cracked the NHL from that group, and the one perhaps the closest, goaltending prospect Filip Gustavsson, was traded to the Ottawa Senators last season. The lack of impact draft picks for Pittsburgh over the last several years is a big part of why the team is so active in the college and international free agent markets, but it would be more helpful if they could hit on a few of these mid or late-round selections. Since 2013, Jake Guentzel and Dominik Simon are the only Pittsburgh draft picks to have suited up for at least 100 games with the Penguins. Tristan Jarry, Kasperi Kapanen (who was traded) and Daniel Sprong (also traded) are the only other players to have even played in the NHL.
Bill Zito Interviewing For Seattle GM Opening
The Seattle expansion franchise had reported interest in both Kelly McCrimmon and Ken Holland, but with both of those options now gone—one promoted in Vegas and the other hired in Edmonton—they have to move on to other candidates. One of those is Columbus Blue Jackets AGM Bill Zito, who according to Jordan Schultz of ESPN is in Seattle interviewing today.
Zito was included in a list of potential options when Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) recently broke down the Seattle situation, and for good reason. He has been part of a successful program in Columbus for the past several years as AGM for the Blue Jackets and GM of the Cleveland Monsters, was GM of Team USA at the 2018 World Championship—which took home the bronze medal—and was previously one of the most successful player agents in the game. Zito founded Acme World Sports in 1995, an agency that still represents NHL players like Tuukka Rask, Teuvo Teravainen and Valtteri Filppula among many others.
That experience negotiating contracts from both sides makes Zito one of the most uniquely qualified people in hockey, and one that should be given the chance to manage a team before long. Whether that fit will be in Seattle is still to be seen, but it’s no surprise that his name has come up in the interview process.
Dallas Notes: Zuccarello, Spezza, Hintz
The Dallas Stars were eliminated from Stanley Cup contention by the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, and today held their final media availability. For one player at least, the focus was on his pending free agency and whether he would be open to return. Mats Zuccarello was acquired at the trade deadline and made quite the impact on the Stars lineup, and now the team must decide if he’s worth extending. One of the conditions on the trade was that a 2020 third-round selection will upgrade to a first if the diminutive forward re-ups with Dallas, another variable that needs to be taken into account.
For his part, Zuccarello expressed to reporters including Sean Shapiro of The Athletic that he was happy the Stars showed faith in him with the trade. He even told Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that he likes knowing “when someone believes in you and wants you.” The 31-year old recorded three points in his two regular season games with the Stars, and 11 in 13 postseason contests.
- Jason Spezza is another pending free agent up front, and will turn 36 before he hits the open market. Two years in a row Spezza was unable to hit the 10 goal or 30-point threshold during the regular season, but after being made a healthy scratch early was actually quietly effective in the playoffs. Spezza dismissed any notion of retirement today when he told Shapiro that he plans on playing next season. The veteran forward noted that free agency will be a new experience for him, given the long-term deals he has signed in the past.
- Roope Hintz, who is far from an unrestricted free agent after emerging as a rookie sensation down the stretch and into the playoffs, revealed that he played game seven with a broken foot. Hintz had been spotted in a walking boot earlier in the week, but incredibly logged nearly 24 minutes of ice time in the marathon double-OT game. The 22-year old forward looks like he will be a mainstay in the Dallas top-six for many years after his performance, which resulted in eight points in 13 games and some memorable defensive efforts.
Travis Dermott To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without one of their young defensemen when the 2019-20 season gets underway. Travis Dermott is scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery on Friday, and will be out a minimum of six months.
Dermott is now the second Maple Leafs player expected to miss the start of the season, as Zach Hyman‘s knee surgery also carried a six month recovery period. Both releases also carried the qualifier of “at least,” meaning that the team may be looking at a prolonged absence for one or both. While Hyman will leave a hole on the left side of the Toronto forward group, Dermott’s injury may be even more impactful given the team’s lack of depth on the blue line.
Since his arrival on the Maple Leafs during the 2017-18 season, Dermott’s play has been exemplary and at times deserving of even more responsibility. With Jake Gardiner and Ron Hainsey heading towards unrestricted free agency this summer it appeared as though he would get that chance, but he’ll now have to battle just to get back on the ice as soon as possible. Toronto meanwhile will have to figure out a way of filling their defense group out of the group of fringe NHL talents and prospects, or find a solution on the open market. Calle Rosen, Rasmus Sandin, Andreas Borgman and the recently signed Teemu Kivihalme can all play Dermott’s natural left side, but none of them have even his 101 games of NHL experience.