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RFA Update: Gaudreau, Trouba, and Kucherov

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News and notes concerning the NHL’s remaining unsigned restricted free agents:

  • Johnny Gaudreau and the Flames are inching toward a deal, says TSN Insider Darren Dreger. Dreger refrained from saying that a deal is imminent, but that he expects an agreement within the week. The latest reports on negotiations from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, however, paints a bleaker picture. Friedman interviewed Gaudreau’s agent Lewis Gross and uncovered that the Flames had not talked to Gaudreau’s camp since September 9th. That was around the time that the Calgary Sun’s Eric Francis reported that Gaudreau was looking for something in the $8MM range while the Flames wanted to keep the contract under $6.75MM. It is important to note that Gaudreau lacks leverage in these negotiations because he is not eligible for an offer sheet.
  • A deal for Jacob Trouba is no closer to happening, says Darren Dreger on TSN 1040 Vancouver. Winnipeg is still looking for a 22-23 year old left shooting defenseman in return, and are not budging from that position. Dreger points to an ideal trade partner in Detroit, but the lack of that type of defenseman has stymied any potential deal. Expect Winnipeg to wait this out just like Tampa Bay did with Jonathan Drouin.
  • TSN’s Bob MacKenzie opined on a Nikita Kucherov offer sheet, stating that of all the unsigned RFAs, Kucherov is the most attractive offer sheet candidate. The Lightning are tight against the cap—both this year and in the future—and may not be able to pay Kucherov market value. MacKenzie gauges Kucherov’s market value at around $6-7MM, but the Lightning only have around $5.5MM in cap space. Even if they move players around to fit a matched contract this year, contracts to impending RFAs Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat, and Tyler Johnson next summer pose serious cap consideration.

Las Vegas May Be Allowed To Trade Before Expansion Draft

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TSN and ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on Friday on Winnipeg’s TSN 1260 that the NHL may allow the Las Vegas Expansion team to make trades up to three weeks before the expansion draft. No NHL expansion team has ever been granted the opportunity to make pre-expansion draft trades before.

The rationale behind the move is that the NHL wants Las Vegas to be as competitive as soon as possible. While the team won’t have any players to dangle, it will have both Entry Draft picks and Expansion Draft options. This gives Las Vegas some flexibility as it attempts to build a team from scratch. It could use its draft picks to acquire players not eligible for expansion protection, or to broker a deal not to take a certain player.

That flexibility is important because Las Vegas has the tough job of trying to build a farm system and put an exciting product on the ice immediately. Those goals are usually mutually exclusive, and the team will have to find the right balance between obtaining prospects and guys with immediate skill. Luckily for the team, however, the salary cap creates more player movement as teams struggle to keep all their stars. Those castoffs—albeit expensive ones—could provide a stopgap for Las Vegas until its prospects develop.

Canadiens Training Camp Cuts 10/02/16

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The Montreal Canadiens continued paring down their roster this morning, cutting more players before tonight’s preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The following were either cut or waived, according to Renaud LaVoie of TVA Sports:

Cut

Tim Bozon
Zach Fucale
Joel Hanley
Ryan Johnson
Brett Lernout
Thomas Parisi
Dalton Thrower
Noah Juulsen
Michael McNiven

Waived

Bobby Farnham
Max Friberg
Philip Samuelsson
Yuri Alexandrov (released from PTO)

Hjalmarsson To Have Disciplinary Hearing

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Chicago Blackhawks Niklas Hjalmarsson will have a phone hearing Monday, per the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Hjalmarsson hit St. Louis Blues forward Ty Rattie in open ice in the final minutes of the Blackhawks’ 4-0 win last night. It appeared that Hjalmarsson made contact with Rattie’s head. The Swedish defenseman received a match penalty—kicking him out of the game and suspending him for Chicago’s next preseason game.

A phone hearing means that Hjalmarsson will not get more than five games. A preseason suspension would carry over to the regular season, so Chicago faces the prospect of starting the season without one of its better defensemen. The NHL is stricter when it comes to hits to the head, so look for Hjalmarrson to get at least four games—the relative unimportance of preseason games coupled with the NHL’s new mandate on head safety will influence its decision.

This is the second preseason disciplinary hearing. On September 29th the NHL suspended Montreal Canadiens (and former Chicago Blackhawk) forward Andrew Shaw for three games following a dangerous boarding against the Washington Capitals.

Snapshots: Capitals, Matthews, Benn

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News and notes from around the NHL this morning:

  • The Washington Capitals have released two more players from camp this morning. Goalies Adam Carlson and Drew MacIntyre were both released back to Washington’s AHL affiliate Hershey Bears. Drew MacIntyre was the more seasoned of the two, playing professionally since 2003-04. MacIntyre last played for Chicago’s AHL Rockford IceHogs, going 2-3-2 in eight games with a 3.03 GAA and an .895SV%. Neither goalie was expected to make the team—both were brought in to temporarily cover for World Cup playing Braden Holtby and Philipp Grubauer.
  • 2016 first overall draft pick Auston Matthews is set to make his NHL debut tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. The Maple Leafs have high expectations for Matthews after his impressive performance for Team North America in the World Cup of Hockey. He scored 2G and 1A in 3 games and teamed up with last year’s number one pick Connor McDavid for highlight reel plays. Matthews is expected to center a line with William Nylander and Zach Hyman, reports the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan.
  • Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn is expected to play the rest of the preseason, reports Mark Stepneski of the Dallas Stars’ official website. Benn underwent surgery this offseason to repair core muscles, and skipped the World Cup of Hockey to properly recuperate. He’s be at training camp this fall but has not played a preseason game yet. The Stars will be watching the game intently to gauge Benn’s recovery—he is the team’s most expensive asset after Benn signed an eight-year deal worth $9.5MM a year this summer.

Snapshots: Dallas Stars, Oilers Captaincy, Cap Compliance Deadline

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Dallas Stars signed undrafted defenseman Ondrej Vala today to a three year ELC. The Czech defenseman played with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL last season, scoring 4G and 17A in 72 games. Vala also played in the 2016 Traverse Tri-City Tournament this September. It is expected that Vala will play in Kamloops again as continues to develop.
  • The Edmonton Oilers will name a new captain this season, but according to TSN’s Bob MacKenzie, the announcement will not come until Leon Draisaitl and Andrej Sekera rejoin the team after playing in the World Cup of Hockey. The Oilers are expected to make Connor McDavid the next Oiler captain, and his Team North America captaincy only fuels the speculation—especially since Team North America’s GM is none other than Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli.
  • NHL teams will have to be under the salary cap by October 11, 2016 at 5pm, reports TSN’s Bob MacKenzie. Teams are allowed to exceed the salary cap by 10% during the off-season to accommodate free agent signings and injuries, but by Opening night every team has to be cap compliant.

Injury Updates: September 29, 2016

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Many players are nursing off-season, World Cup, or training camp injuries as we get closer to Opening Night. Below are today’s updates for injured players in camp:

  • Arizona Coyotes defenseman Kevin Connauton’s recovery timeline remains the same, reports AZ Central’s Sarah McLellan, but he has been skating on his own throughout the recovery period. Connauton suffered a lower body injury during an informal skate early this month before training camp started. The Coyotes do not see the defenseman missing much time despite failing his physical.
  • Arizona Coyotes defenseman Michael Stone is still recovering from surgery in April that repaired his left ACL and MCL. Stone has not been cleared to practice yet, and will most likely miss the season opener. According to Sarah McLellan, Stone is at home with his wife as they are expecting twins soon.
  • Ottawa Senators forward Clarke MacArthur continues to rehab following a concussion sustained in a training camp scrimmage on September 25. MacArthur has a history of concussions, suffering four of them over an 18 month period, including one that sidelined him for most of last season. Despite concerns, however, reports indicate that MacArther does not plan on retiring.
  • Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Mark Alt is out indefinitely with an upper body injury suffered in camp. Alt scored 4G and 15A in 72 games for the Flyers’ AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Snapshots: Ristolainen, Fleury, Avs

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News and notes from around the NHL:

  • Buffalo Sabres unsigned RFA Rasmus Ristolainen has not yet reported to the Sabres training camp. Camp opened Monday but the young defenseman is still without a contract. Coach Dan Bylsma told WGR 550 that he would like Ristolainen at camp, but that he is confident a deal will be made soon. Ristolainen is one of 11 unsigned RFAs, including Jacob Trouba, Johnny Gaudreau, and Hampus Lindholm. Prepare to see more camp holdouts as training camps open up across the NHL.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to get the majority of minutes in goal this preseason after fellow netminder Matt Murray broke his thumb in the World Cup of Hockey. Coach Mike Sullivan said that Fleury needs the time to get himself fully prepared for the regular season. This is a blow to prospect goalie Tristan Jarry as he has less opportunity to showcase his skills.
  • Mike Halford of NBC Sports reports that the Colorado Avalanche plan to be a much faster team in transition come next season. Last season former coach Patrick Roy emphasized slowing the game down and passing the puck amongst the defensemen before pushing forward. According to Tyson Barrie and Nathan MacKinnon, however, new coach Jared Bednar asks the defensemen to push the pace and pass the puck up quickly. Colorado’s youth is well-suited for this speed-style system, but high-flying offense usually become defensive liabilities without the proper precautions.

Snapshots: Benn, Kings, Broll

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News and notes from around the NHL:

  • Jamie Benn is expected to miss the first few Dallas Stars preseason games as he eases back into game shape. Benn underwent surgery this summer to repair core muscles and missed the World Cup of Hockey as he recuperated. Despite the surgery, however, Benn does not plan on missing any regular season games.
  • The Los Angeles Kings made some cuts Monday morning at training camp, sending six players packing. According to LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen, the Kings first sent forward Miles Koules and goalie Jonah Imoo down to the AHL Ontario Reign’s camp. They then released four players back to their respective Junior teams: defenseman Kale Clague to the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), defenseman Jacob Moverare to the Mississauga Steelheads (OHL), and both forward Matt Schmalz and defenseman Jacob Friend to the Owen Sound Attack (OHL). Kyle Clague left camp with a lower-body injury and will miss the first few weeks of Brandon’s season. Matt Schmalz returns to the OHL as an over-ager, and may make the move to the AHL as the season progresses.
  • Former Toronto Maple Leafs player David Broll signed with the ECHL’s Brampton Beast. The Beast are the Montreal Canadiens’ ECHL Affiliate. Broll played for the Syracuse Crunch last season and scored 2G and 6A in 60 games. In his only NHL experience, Broll scored 1A in 5 games with the Maple Leafs in 2013-14.

Jacob Trouba Not Happy With Winnipeg’s Defense Jam

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Jacob Trouba’s agent Kurt Overhardt spoke to TSN 1290 Winnipeg’s Hustler and Lawless today to expand on his client’s trade request. Among the clarifications offered the by the agent, the most significant was that Trouba does not feel that he can progress as a right-handed shot in the Jets’ lineup.

Overhardt told the radio hosts that his client was dissatisfied with the current roster situation and cited the fact that Trouba does not want to play on the left side just to garner adequate playing time. The agent states that Trouba cannot realize his potential in this system because he cannot play his natural position. The Jets have two significant right-handed defenseman in Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers, and Trouba thinks that those two are stifling his playing time on the right side.

More telling, however, is that the agent referenced a move to bring in a skilled defenseman last year that created the problem. That move is most likely the Evander Kane trade with Buffalo that brought back Tyler Myers. Trouba was likely asked to change sides to accomodate Myers, and that may have hampered his production. Overhardt then alluded that Trouba’s exit interviews last season exacerbated the situation—most likely by refusing to move Myers to the left side.

Some defenseman can play both sides, but most have a definite preference. Trouba’s production noticeably suffered since Myers’s arrival. The defenseman scored only 6P in 24 games in 2014-15 after Myers arrived on March 12, and then scored 8 less points in 16 more games than in his rookie season. It is possible that Trouba is just not developing as anticipated, but the player thinks the club and its roster situation is hampering his production, and that is why he is asking for a trade.

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