109 Players Invited To 2019 NHL Scouting Combine
The NHL has invited the top 109 draft-eligible players to the 2019 Scouting Combine which will once again be held in Buffalo. Fitness testing will start on June 1st, where players from all over the world will compete to show their athletic ability and bump up their draft stock at least a few positions. The league will also be releasing their final draft rankings on Monday, April 15.
While the Scouting Combine can’t make a player a star, it can certainly shine a light on some physical attributes that may have been overlooked throughout his minor and junior hockey career. Last year saw Liam Foudy explode onto the scene with outstanding performances in nearly every event, which likely helped the Columbus Blue Jackets feel confident selecting him 18th overall in the following draft. Foudy has taken another step in his development with the London Knights, scoring 36 goals and 68 points in 62 games while helping the team to the brink of the OHL Conference Final.
For players like Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, the presumptive top two selections in this year’s draft, the combine doesn’t mean a whole lot. A poor showing in some of the events wouldn’t remove them from consideration at the top of the draft, and a good one would only be expected at this point. For players a little further down the draft board it can be another important showcase.
The Athletic recently released a mock draft of the top-15 selections (subscription required), and there are several players on the list that are worth watching if they end up attending the event. Of course many eyes will be on the smaller players in the draft like Cole Caufield, who was mocked to the Philadelphia Flyers with the 11th pick. The USNTDP forward measures in at just 5’7″ 157-lbs, but is an incredible offensive player that could perhaps make an impact at the NHL level anyway. There are also beefy defensemen like Philip Broberg, who already weighs in at over 200-lbs and stands 6’3″. The Swedish defenseman is an excellent skater, and good performances in the mobility events might just make him even more appealing to NHL scouts.
It’s also of course a chance for teams to meet face to face with some of these players, and get a read on what drives them to be professional athletes. The interview process is one that has changed the course of many drafts in the past, and will continue to do so even as scouting techniques refine in the future.
Minor Transactions: 04/11/19
The NHL playoffs didn’t disappoint as they got kicked off last night with some exciting finishes, including a roaring come back by the the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Tampa Bay Lightning are now down 1-0 in their first round series after dominating the entire league during the regular season, and will have immense pressure to get back in the win column tomorrow night. For today, three games are on the schedule starting with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins reviving their rivalry. As teams prepare for this action we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- The Washington Capitals have recalled goaltender Ilya Samsonov from the Hershey Bears. The 22-year old Samsonov will serve as the team’s third goaltender during the playoffs, a pretty big blow to the hopes of the Bears who have already locked up a playoff spot. Samsonov posted just an .896 save percentage in 36 games with the Bears this season, but is one of the top goaltending prospects in the world and has all the ability to put together a long AHL playoff run. Instead, he’ll work with the Capitals and allow Braden Holtby to get some rest in practice if needed.
- Adam Clendening has been returned to the Cleveland Monsters, giving him a chance to suit up for the team tonight between NHL playoff matches. Clendening is serving as an extra defenseman for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but will likely bounce back and forth as the Monsters try to secure a playoff spot.
- Simialrly, Cameron Gaunce was sent to the minor leagues by the Tampa Bay Lightning to help out the Syracuse Crunch. Gaunce had 43 points 57 games for the Crunch this season, his best year yet in the AHL.
Nikita Gusev Could Join Vegas Golden Knights
After SKA St. Petersburg was eliminated from the Gagarin Cup playoffs recently, the Vegas Golden Knights snapped to attention. That’s because one of the KHL’s best players, Nikita Gusev, would now be able to come to North America finally. Gusev’s KHL contract technically runs through the end of April but it can be terminated early if the team agrees. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express believes that’s exactly what happened, reporting that Gusev is on his way to the Golden Knights to join them for the playoffs.
Because he was on the Golden Knights reserve list, Gusev is eligible for the playoffs right away if the team can get him signed. The team has owned his exclusive rights since acquiring them from the Tampa Bay Lightning at the expansion draft, as part of the agreement to select Jason Garrison. He was originally a seventh-round pick of the Lightning in 2012, but draft rights for KHL players never expire if they fail to come over to North America.
If Vegas can sign Gusev—which is still far from certain, despite this report—it would be a huge boost to the organization. The 26-year old forward is arguably the best player in the world outside of the NHL, and is coming off a season in which he scored 82 pooints in 62 games. In fact, Gusev has 215 points over his past three seasons with SKA and has added another 54 in long playoff runs. Though undersized, he is pure offense and could potentially give the team another weapon for their series against the San Jose Sharks.
Obviously there is a history with Russian players in Vegas, after the saga of Vadim Shipachyov last season. Signing a multi-year deal with Vegas to make his NHL debut, Shipachyov barely got any chance to show what he could do in game situations and eventually voided his deal to return to the KHL. Gusev will know exactly what happened in that situation, given that the two were teammates in Russia for some time.
It’s not often that such an impressive player comes available at this time of the year, but if the Golden Knights can actually get Gusev under contract it could be a huge factor in their playoff run. He’ll have to prove he can produce at the NHL level, but he’s never had a problem doing that in the past.
Big Money Sits As Playoffs Begin
The NHL playoffs kick off tonight with five games including three Western Conference battles. The top 16 teams in the league have spent months preparing for this moment, fine tuning their roster and lineup card to make sure they have the very best group available to them. With that in mind, this postseason is about to kick off with an incredible amount of salary sitting in the press box. Many of the teams about to take the ice have decided to do so without some big earners, instead using breakout performers that have overtaken their veteran counterparts. Let’s take a look at the expensive names (above $2MM cap hits) on the sideline:
Tampa Bay Lightning:
Ryan Callahan -$5.8MM cap hit
Braydon Coburn – $3.7MM cap hit
Who says it’s easy to coach the best team in the league? Jon Cooper has made some tough decisions for his opening lineup, sitting veterans in Callahan and Coburn. Both players were big parts of Tampa Bay’s 2015 Stanley Cup Final run but will now find themselves watching from the press box as the action begins. Jan Rutta and Mathieu Joseph will both be making their postseason debuts tonight against Columbus.
Columbus Blue Jackets:
Alexander Wennberg – $4.9MM cap hit
When Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel were acquired earlier this season the pressure was on for Wennberg to try and get back into the lineup, but it will be Alexandre Texier that pushes him out for the first game. Texier has made an impact on head coach John Tortorella in the first two games of his NHL career and will be jumping right into the fire against the Lightning tonight. The 19-year old forward scored a goal in his second NHL game and has shown a confidence beyond his years.
Pittsburgh Penguins:
Brian Dumoulin/Jack Johnson – $4.1MM/$3.25MM cap hit
It’s not clear if Dumoulin will be ready for tonight’s game, but if he is Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted that it would be Jack Johnson coming out of the lineup. The idea of sitting Johnson in the first game of the playoffs certainly wasn’t the plan when the Penguins signed him to a five-year deal last summer. To be fair, this is more a situation of having too many options for the Penguins, as they currently employ six defensemen all making at least $3.25MM. If Marcus Pettersson stays in the lineup, someone expensive is coming out.
New York Islanders:
Thomas Hickey – $2.5MM cap hit
Hickey missed a huge chunk of the season with injury and while he was gone Devon Toews made a name for himself on Long Island. The veteran defenseman will find himself on the outside looking in as the playoffs begin, but he’ll likely be the first man up if the team suffers an injury against the Penguins. At least Hickey won’t be alone in the press box, as Michael Dal Colle, Ross Johnston, Luca Sbisa and Dennis Seidenberg all worked as extras today.
St. Louis Blues:
Carl Gunnarsson – $2.9MM cap hit
Michael Del Zotto – $3.0MM cap hit
The Blues went out and added some depth to the back end at the trade deadline by acquiring Del Zotto, but won’t have him in the lineup tonight when they take on the Winnipeg Jets. He and Gunnarsson will be watching and waiting for their chance to help the team while 22-year old Vince Dunn makes his playoff debut. Dunn has turned into a top option for the Blues this season and will skate next to captain Alex Pietrangelo as they try to slow down the Jets attack.
Winnipeg Jets:
Nathan Beaulieu – $2.4MM cap hit
Just like the Blues, the Jets went out at the deadline and added a pair of depth options on the blue line to give them somewhere to turn if things go awry. Beaulieu will be a restricted free agent this summer and will have to hope for a chance to prove what he can do in the playoffs. The 17th-overall pick from 2011 has played only 17 postseason games in his career, and could potentially find himself without a qualifying offer after the season is over.
Dallas Stars:
Jason Spezza – $7.5MM cap hit
Valeri Nichushkin – $2.95MM cap hit
Jamie Oleksiak – $2.14MM cap hit
The Stars have the most money sitting on the sidelines out of any team in the playoffs, and a huge chunk of that is just Spezza. The 35-year old didn’t bounce back like many had hoped this season and scored just 27 points in 76 games. Combine that with his declining defensive game and you have a player that will have to watch and wait for his chance. At least Spezza scored at all this season, something you can’t say about Nichushkin. The return from Russia has not gone well for the 24-year old, who somehow went an entire season (57 games at least) without scoring a goal or committing a penalty.
Vegas Golden Knights:
Colin Miller – $3.875MM cap hit
Though it hasn’t been confirmed yet, David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets that Miller looks to be a scratch on opening night. The 26-year old has 29 points in 65 games this season but could come out for Jon Merrill who has been used more and more over the last month by head coach Gerard Gallant.
Boston Bruins:
David Backes – $6MM cap hit
Backes hasn’t been what the Bruins were expecting when they signed him to a five-year, $30MM deal in 2016. The veteran forward’s offense has completely dried up and though he tried to reinvent himself this season as a physical force, the Bruins are going with a bit more speed and skill as they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Undrafted rookie Karson Kuhlman is expected to suit up on the right side of Jake Debrusk and David Krejci, a big step for a 23-year old forward who played just 11 games this season.
Calgary Flames:
Michael Stone – $3.5MM cap hit
It’s a testament to just how quickly Rasmus Andersson has developed that a veteran option like Stone is on the sidelines to begin Calgary’s first-round series. The team put a lot of responsibility on Andersson this season and he has responded extremely well, putting him in line to be a top option for the team down the road. Stone meanwhile is just experiencing another setback in what has been a dreadful season, marred by a blood clot in his arm early in the year. He has played in just 14 games but will have to be ready to go if someone suffers an injury.
AHL Announces 2018-19 All-Rookie Team
The votes have been cast, and this year’s AHL All-Rookie Team has been released. The AHL rookie teams are always a mix of top draft picks and surprising prospects, and this year is no different. The team is as follows:
Goaltender: Shane Starrett, Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)
Defense: Jake Bean, Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes)
Defense: Mitch Reinke, San Antonio Rampage (St. Louis Blues)
Forward: Alex Barre-Boulet, Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Forward: Drake Batherson, Belleville Senators (Ottawa Senators)
Forward: Tyler Benson, Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)
Obviously winning this award doesn’t guarantee NHL success, but it is a strong sign for players who will experience a long and successful professional career. The past All-Rookie teams have included many eventual NHL All-Stars, something this group will aspire to be in the future.
Bean may be the most recognizable name of the group, having been the 13th overall pick in the 2016 draft. The Hurricanes defenseman made his NHL debut this season and recorded an incredible 44 points in 70 games for the Checkers. That put him eighth among all AHL defenders (one point ahead of Reinke) and should excite Carolina fans waiting for him to get a full-time chance at the highest level. Bean is another reason why so many have speculated about a Hurricanes trade this offseason as they seem to have too many defensemen ready to play increased roles.
Perhaps most notable though is Barre-Boulet, another undrafted forward that the Lightning snapped up out of the QMJHL. The 21-year old tied for the AHL lead in goals with 33 this season and led all rookie skaters with 64 points (one ahead of Benson). While there’s certainly no guarantee that Barre-Boulet ever becomes an NHL regular, he’s in the organization that won’t hesitate to give him a chance. The Lightning have a long history of success with undrafted forwards, most recently with Yanni Gourde who just posted his second consecutive 20+ goal season in the NHL.
Ottawa Senators Willing To Wait In Search For President
The Ottawa Senators were vindicated in a way last night when their 2019 first-round pick fell to fourth overall in the draft lottery. As the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks moved up the board, the decision to select Brady Tkachuk last year looked better and better. The Senators’ pick this year infamously belongs to the Colorado Avalanche, who will have to settle—if you can call it that—for the fourth selection in a year that they made the playoffs.
While GM Pierre Dorion and his front office staff can now put the original Matt Duchene trade behind them and prepare for their own draft, the organization is still looking for a new President of Hockey Operations to install alongside him and take over some of the direction of the franchise. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet touched on this search in his latest 31 Thoughts column, explaining that the Senators are “prepared to play the long game” and wait for the right candidate to appear. They basically have no choice, as Friedman also reports that the team has already contacted Ron Francis, Trevor Linden, Dean Lombardi, Joe Nieuwendyk and Steve Yzerman, only to have been turned down by each executive.
It makes sense to not rush into a decision like that, especially for a franchise that has operated without a person in that role for several years. While the Senators have been the butt of many jokes since coming a goal away from the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, they do now have several promising young players to build around and a history of draft success under Dorion’s guidance. The GM recently said “the worst is behind us” in reference to the complete tear down that has occurred in Ottawa over the past year, and he’s probably right—you can’t get much worse than trading away all the stars on your team amidst a pair of sub-30 win seasons and continual off-ice incidents.
There’s no clear timeline for when the Senators will install someone in the new position, but it’s easy to tell what kind of person they are going after for the role. All of the names listed in Friedman’s piece have a long history of success in the NHL either as a player or executive (or both). If they can eventually land a big fish like that to bring some stability to the organization, perhaps that “five-year run of unparalleled success” that owner Eugene Melnyk promised will actually come to fruition.
Hockey Canada Names World Championship Coaching Staff
Hockey Canada has named their full coaching staff for the upcoming IIHF World Championship, a group that will be led by Alain Vigneault. The former New York Rangers bench boss will be joined by assistants Dave Hakstol, Lindy Ruff and Kirk Muller.
The entire staff has quite a bit of NHL experience under their belt, and were all employed recently if not this season. The group will be commanding a Canadian team that is expected to have quite a bit of talent, although some big names have already dropped out. Connor McDavid was injured in his last game of the season and won’t be able to attend, and Carey Price has already ruled himself out as well. Price’s teammate Shea Weber also is unlikely to go, instead looking forward to a full offseason of rest and training instead of rehab from injury.
Still, Canada always puts together a solid roster and should serve as a chance for Vigneault and others to show what they can do with a talented group. The former Rangers coach has been connected to various vacancies already, though one of those spots has already been filled with the hiring of Joel Quenneville in Florida.
The tournament runs May 10-26 in Slovakia and Canada’s contingent will be put together by a management group including Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill, and former GMs Ron Francis and Ron Hextall.
Minor Transactions: 04/10/19
The NHL playoffs begin this evening when the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets kick things off, and teams are still making last second adjustments to their rosters. The next few weeks are one of the toughest stretches in all of sports and teams will need extra bodies to help out at practice and on game night. As those minor moves are made, we’ll be right here to keep track of them all.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled goaltender Niclas Westerholm from Finland, giving them an extra goaltender for their run without affecting the Milwaukee Admirals. Westerholm signed an entry-level contract with the Predators last spring but returned to Finland to get some more experience before returning to North America where he had played some in 2015-16.
Jacob Markstrom Hopes To Sign Extension In Vancouver
The Vancouver Canucks have a pair of young goaltending prospects coming through the system in Thatcher Demko and Michael DiPietro that would make other teams envious. Both have the potential to contribute at the NHL level, and after adding Jake Kielly recently the team has strengthened their depth at the position. Still, the best goaltender in the organization right now is Jacob Markstrom, who posted another strong season and has established himself as a legitimate starter in the league.
Markstrom, 29, has just a single year left on his current deal however and can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2020. With the talent coming through the pipeline for Vancouver they may choose to go in a different direction, but Markstrom certainly hopes to stay. That’s what his agent Pat Morris told Sportsnet radio (via Rick Dhaliwal) today:
I have had discussions with Jacob and he calls Vancouver home. He would like to be a part of it long term. That’s where his instructions will lean, to try and get something done.
It takes two to get a deal done, it takes term and it takes dollars. The player has to be willing and Jacob has enjoyed his time in Vancouver and wants it to continue.
What that deal would look like isn’t clear at this point, as there are plenty of things to consider from Vancouver’s perspective. First and foremost is how much an extension would cost, given Markstrom is already making $3.67MM next season. Committing to a long-term deal would essentially be handing him the reins for the Canucks’ upcoming window of contention, even though it is not yet clear if he can really be a standout at the position. Markstrom’s .912 save percentage the last two years is solid, but he’s shown a lack of consistency at times.
The other thing is the upcoming expansion draft, in which you can only protect one goaltender. Markstrom and Demko will both be eligible for the draft, meaning the team may want to move on from one of them before they’re at risk of being snapped up by the Seattle franchise. That won’t be happening until 2021, but it will certainly figure into the decision making process this summer when it comes to a potential Markstrom extension.
Either way, the Canucks don’t necessarily have to make that decision right away. The team is expecting to compete for a playoff spot next season and will likely give Markstrom the first crack at taking them there, but any struggles could see Demko’s time come without hesitation.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Senators Notes: Coach, Chabot, Free Agency
Pierre Dorion took to the podium today in Ottawa to hold his year-end media availability, and answered questions about the direction of the franchise and evaluation of its core group. One of the biggest topics was the coaching vacancy, which is currently held by Marc Crawford on an interim basis. Dorion told reporters including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia that while Crawford will be interviewed for the job at some point, the team is also looking at a list of five to six other candidates.
The organization made it clear what they were looking for in a new head coach when they announced the firing of Guy Boucher, listing key attributes that would be needed. At the very top of that list was “teacher,” as the team must bring in someone who can develop their young players and get the best out of them quickly.
- Thomas Chabot will play for Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Championship, another step in his development path. The 22-year old defenseman may be the most important player on the Senators roster after putting together an outstanding season, and a chance to experience some more high-level hockey will only help his growth. Chabot recorded 55 points in 70 games this season and will be eligible for an extension on July 1. Dorion told reporters today that there had been preliminary talks and that they will try to sign him to a long-term deal.
- Garrioch also notes on Twitter that Dorion said he may try to add a veteran as free agency opens, something that wouldn’t be surprising given the salary cap situation the team is in. The Senators project to have just over $45MM committed to next season according to CapFriendly, though that covers just 14 roster players. The team will have to add a fair amount to reach the salary cap floor, though new deals for restricted free agents Cody Ceci, Colin White and Anthony Duclair should get them a good chunk of the way there. The team isn’t expecting to compete next season, but bringing in a veteran presence for the locker room in order to help the young players develop their professional habits is a route often taken by rebuilding clubs.