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Interest Remains High In Acquiring Artemi Panarin

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Columbus Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin is one of the more talented forwards in the NHL and every other team in the league would like to own his services. For a while this off-season, it seemed highly likely that he would indeed move to another club, after rejecting an initial extension offer from the Blue Jackets. Panarin also set an ultimatum for further contract negotiations – a date that passed last week – before which many expected either a new deal or a trade. Yet, neither has come and GM Jarmo Kekalainen has expressed that he never took Panarin’s deadline into account and planned on working through negotiations all the way until July 1st, when the scoring winger will become an unrestricted free agent. That sentiment would seem to indicate that Kekalainen has no plans to trade Panarin this season.

Not so fast. On TSN’s “Insider Trading”, Darren Dreger reported that Kekalainen continues to field many trade calls for the talented forward. Despite teams currently focused on training camp and getting their opening night rosters set and ready to go, interest has not dropped off in acquiring Panarin. The Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Ducks and more have been linked to Panarin this summer and it is easy to imagine that all of those teams and other dark horse candidates continue to keep an eye on his status. Landing a player of Panarin’s caliber, especially with an extension attached, could be a franchise-altering move.

Nevertheless, Dreger adds that Kekalainen is not interested in trading Panarin – though time may eventually force his hand – and right now says “his principle point of interest is trying to convince him to re-sign.” It doesn’t sound as though Panarin’s mind has changed at all and it has been all quiet from his camp for some time. Perhaps he will be convinced to stay in Columbus over another successful campaign or perhaps Kekalainen will get a godfather offer too good to refuse. One way or another, the continued trade interest and extension determination from Columbus make it overwhelmingly likely that one of these two outcomes will occur, rather than Panarin walking away at the end of the year.

Training Camp Cuts: 09/19/18

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NHL regular season action is just a few weeks away, and as the preseason schedule gets started teams are reducing their training camp rosters. We’ll keep track of all the cuts right here:

Arizona Coyotes (per team release)

F Tyler Steenbergen (to Tucson, AHL)
F Kelly Klima (to Tucson, AHL)
D Jordan Gross (to Tucson, AHL)
D Jacob Graves (to Tucson, AHL)
D Jalen Smereck (to Tucson, AHL)
D Kevin Ekman-Larsson (to Tucson, AHL)
F Liam Kirk (to Peterborough, OHL)
F Nate Schnarr (to Guelph, OHL)
D Kevin Bahl (to Ottawa, OHL)
D Dennis Busby (to Flint, OHL)
D Noel Hoefenmayer (to Ottawa, OHL)
G Ivan Prosvetov (to Saginaw, OHL)
G David Tendeck (to Vancouver, WHL)
F Jan Jenik (to Liberec, Czech Rep.)

Boston Bruins (per team release)

F Austin Fyten (to Providence, AHL)
F Brett McKenzie (to Providence, AHL)
F Tanner Pond (to Providence, AHL)
D Olivier Galipeau (to Providence, AHL)
D Joel Messner (to Providence, AHL)
D Wiley Sherman (to Providence, AHL)
G Alex Sakellaropoulos (to Providence, AHL)
F Cedric Pare (to Saint John, QMJHL)
D Daniel Bukac (to Brandon, WHL)
G Kyle Keyser (to Oshawa, OHL)
D Mark Fayne (released from tryout)
F Marcel Noebels (released from tryout)

Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)

F Philipp Kurashev (to Quebec, QMJHL)
D Jake Ryczek (to Halifax, QMJHL)
G Alexis Gravel (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Shaw Boomhower (released from tryout)

Colorado Avalanche (per team release)

F J.C. Beaudin (to Colorado, AHL)
F Matthew Boucher (to Colorado, AHL)
F Josh Dickinson (to Colorado, AHL)
F Grayson Downing (to Colorado, AHL)
F Julien Nantel (to Colorado, AHL)
D Turner Ottenbreit (to Colorado, AHL)
D Kevin Davis (to Colorado, AHL)
D Nolan De Jong (to Colorado, AHL)
F Nick Henry (to Regina, WHL)
F Brandon Saigeon (to Hamilton, OHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

F Trey Fix-Wolansky (to Edmonton, WHL)
F Egor Sokolov (released from tryout)
D Jordan Sambrook (released from tryout)

Dallas Stars (per Mark Stepneski of NHL.com)

F Riley Damiani (to Kitchener, OHL)
F Brett Davis (to Kootenay, WHL)
F Ty Dellandrea (to Flint, OHL)
F Curtis Douglas (to Windsor, OHL)
F Liam Hawel (to Guelph, OHL)
F Jermaine Loewen (to Kamloops, WHL)
F Jason Robertson (to Kingston, OHL)
D Dawson Barteaux (to Red Deer, WHL)
G Anthony Popovich (released from tryout)

Edmonton Oilers (per team release)

F Nolan Vesey (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Ostap Safin (to Saint John, QMJHL)

Los Angeles Kings (per team release)

F Aidan Dudas (to Owen Sound, OHL)
F Nathan Dunkley (to London, OHL)
G Jacob Ingham (to Mississauga, OHL)
D Michal Ivan (to Acadie-Bathurst, QMJHL)
D Markus Phillips (to Owen Sound, OHL)
F Mark Rassell (released from ATO)
F Akil Thomas (to Niagara, OHL)
G Matthew Villalta (to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)

F Gabriel Fortier (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Jackson Leppard (to Prince George, WHL)
F Mathew MacDougall (to Windsor, OHL)
F Chase Wouters (to Saskatoon, WHL)
F Walter Flower (to Halifax, QMJHL)
D Montana Onyebuchi (to Everett, WHL)
D Radim Salda (to Saint John, QMJHL)

Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)

C Lucas Elvenes (to Rogle, SHL)
G Dylan Ferguson (to Kamloops, WHL)

Washington Capitals (per team release)

F Eric Florchuk (to Saskatoon, WHL)
F Kody Clark (to Ottawa, OHL)
F Riley Sutter (to Everett, WHL)
F Alex Kannock-Leipart (to Vancouver, WHL)
D Alexander Alexeyev (to Red Deer, WHL)
D Martin Fehervary (to HV71, SHL)
G Logan Thompson (released from tryout)

Poll: Who Will Win The Calder Trophy In 2018-19?

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The Athletic’s NHL Draft and prospects guru Scott Wheeler has released the first definitive list of candidates for the Calder Trophy in 2018-19, and the order may surprise some people. Admittedly, the list is in the context of fantasy hockey, but Wheeler’s rankings are true to how he thinks Calder voting will unfold if each rookie hits their stat projections. As such, it’s not this year’s first overall pick, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, at the top of the list, but presumptive top-six center for the Vancouver Canucks, Elias Pettersson. Pettersson will be put in a much better position to rack up points than will Dahlin, the next-best candidate, as potentially one of the three best scoring forwards for the Canucks and traditionally productive forwards have a better shot at the Calder than (relatively) equally productive defensemen.

Coming in at number three is Boston Bruins forward Ryan Donato, who led both the NCAA and Olympics in goals last season and will look to win a top-six role for Boston and continue to find the back of the net at an alarming rate. Playing alongside either Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk is an easy way for Donato to quickly become an elite scorer at the NHL level. The fourth-ranked candidate is second overall pick Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes, who – like Pettersson – will be given an immense amount of responsibility right away as a top-six winger who is arguably already one of the three most skilled forwards on the team. However, Svechnikov is one of three Hurricanes rookies on Wheeler’s list, which could take away from his case. Rounding out the top five is Dahlin’s fellow rookie in Buffalo, center Casey Mittelstadt, who scored at nearly a point-per-game pace in the college ranks and in a brief stint with the Sabres to end the year. Mittelstadt should face favorable match-ups this season with the lines anchored by Jack Eichel and Patrik Berglund drawing considerable attention from the opposition.

Wheeler’s top twenty Calder Trophy candidates are as follows:

  1. C Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
  2. D Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
  3. RW Ryan Donato, Boston Bruins
  4. RW Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes
  5. C Casey Mittelstadt, Buffalo Sabres
  6. RW Filip Zadina, Detroit Red Wings
  7. C Dylan Strome, Arizona Coyotes
  8. C Henrik Borgstrom, Florida Panthers
  9. C Martin Necas, Carolina Hurricanes
  10. D Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars
  11. RW Dylan Sikura, Chicago Blackhawks
  12. RW Eeli Tolvanen, Nashville Predators
  13. C Filip Chytil, New York Rangers
  14. LW Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
  15. LW Valentin Zykov, Carolina Hurricanes
  16. RW Kailer Yamamoto, Edmonton Oilers
  17. C Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning
  18. LW Kristian Vesalainen, Winnipeg Jets
  19. C Sam Steel, Anaheim Ducks
  20. RW Vitaly Abramov, Columbus Blue Jackets

Honorable Mentions: C Vladislav Kamenev, Colorado Avalanche; LW Jordan Greenway, Minnesota Wild; C Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues; LW Andreas Johnsson, Toronto Maple Leafs; C Michael Rasmussen, Detroit Red Wings; C Lias Andersson, New York Rangers; D Sami Niku, Winnipeg Jets; D Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers; RW Daniel Sprong, Pittsburgh Penguins

What do you think? Who will be the NHL’s Rookie of the Year and take home the Calder Trophy at the end of the season? The favorite? The first overall pick? Another top candidate? Or a name not even mentioned here?

Minor Transactions: 9/17/18

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Even with training camps open, preseason games underway, and even cuts beginning, additions continue to be made to camp rosters at the NHL and AHL level and more. Here are some of the latest moves:

  • The New York Islanders, the last team to formally release their training camp roster, had a number of tryout additions on the ice when camp opened, including previously confirmed pro invites like Stephen Gionta, Luca Sbisa, and Dennis Seidenberg, as well as several amateurs. However, one PTO that was unknown until the roster came out is forward Pius Suter. Suter, 22, is an undersized, but very skilled forward hailing from Switzerland. Although Suter played two seasons in the OHL with the Guelph Storm, including a 72-point campaign in his second year of NHL Draft eligibility, Suter was never selected or signed by an NHL team. He returned to Switzerland and has been a force for the ZSC Lions of the NLA for the past three seasons. Yet, he continues to press for a job in the NHL. Suter joined the Ottawa Senators on a PTO last year, but was an early cut from camp. Now he returns with the Islanders, eager to show that he can play at the highest level. The Isles are not the deepest team in the league, so Suter could be a name to keep an eye out for this preseason in case he does earn a contract for the coming season.
  • One player received a major surprise in the form of an unexpected camp invite. Goaltender Derek Dun, a 24-year-old British Columbia native who has never appeared in more than 16 games in a season since his BCHL days, has been temporarily added to the Boston Bruins camp roster, the team announced. Why? The journeyman goalie has been playing as a backup in China for members of the VHL, a Russian-based minor league, for the past two years. The Bruins contingent currently traveling though China wanted another goalie behind Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak for the remainder of their trip and found a willing participant in the former Northern Michigan University keeper. Dunn called it “a surreal moment” when he stepped on the ice for his first practice with the Bruins.
  • First-year pro Kyle Rhodes has finally found a landing spot for his first season, signing with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage. The physical defenseman was not much of a point producer in his four years in the OHL, but was applauded for his work ethic and leadership ability. After being traded to the Sudbury Wolves prior to last season, Rhodes embraced his veteran role and was named captain, before going on to set a career-high of ten goals and 24 points, both more than his three prior seasons combined. He then impressed in a short tryout stint in the ECHL at the tail end of the season. The Rampage may have found a player who is just beginning to reach his potential, but will take a solid defensive player and strong character presence at the very least.
  • Garrett Ladd has fought his way through the NAHL, Division III of the NCAA, six different ECHL teams, and even a brief stint in England, but he continues to take small steps toward the NHL. The AHL’s Chicago Wolves have awarded Ladd, who is signed to their ECHL affiliate, the Fort Wayne Komets, with an AHL camp tryout, Justin A. Cohn of the Journal Gazette explains. The 28-year-old forward likely won’t ever reach the NHL, but seems primed to get his first AHL action at some point this season.

Snapshots: Byron, Lindback, Bettman

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With the departures of Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk this summer, Paul Byron has seen his stock rise in Montreal. After breaking out with a 43-point campaign in 2016-17, Byron was again a top forward for the Canadiens last season with 35 points and a second consecutive 20-goal season. While the team’s trades have brought in the likes of Max Domi and Tomas Tatar, Byron is now one of the elder statesmen in the Habs forward corps and will be looked upon to take another step forward this year. Byron underwent off-season shoulder surgery and is focused on working his way back to full strength in training camp, with the Canadiens certainly hoping that he will be fully prepared for the regular season. One way or another, Byron’s production in 2018-19 will play a major role in Montreal’s season. Some fans see the 28-year-old impending free agent going the way of Pacioretty and being shipped out of town before he can walk next off-season. Others see him as part of the team new core moving forward. The latter philosophy gained some credence today when Sportsnet’s Eric Engels spoke with Byron. Byron stated that his agent and GM Marc Bergevin have had preliminary extension talks, although he admitted that all parties are interested in how his shoulder recovery and resulting scoring ability pan out. Byron added “I want to stay, I think they want to keep me. Hopefully we’ll get something done soon.” It seems that perhaps the Habs are moving on from trading away core pieces and could look to keep a healthy Byron around beyond this season.

  • While yesterday’s signing of Anders Lindback by HC Davos of the Swiss NLA is newsworthy enough – the veteran goaltender spent last year in the AHL and has 130 NHL games to his credit – the team’s reason for signing him will also have reverberations in the NHL. Davos was a playoff team in the NLA last season behind their young tandem of Gilles Senn, 22, and Joren van Pottelberghe, 21, and with both keepers still under contract, there was some question as to why the team felt the need to bring in a third goalie of Lindback’s pedigree. Swiss news source Tages Anzeiger reports that the age and performance of those goalies is the exact reason the team decided to move forward with a new starter. Both Senn and van Pottelberghe are NHL draft picks; Senn was selected as an overage player by the New Jersey Devils in the fifth round of 2017, while van Pottelberghe was taken by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round when first eligible in 2015. Given their success, Davos was unable to convince either to abandon their plan of making the jump to North America next season, after their current contracts end, to begin the next stage of their careers. Rather than be left without any experienced goalies heading into next season, Davos decided to sign Lindback to a one-year deal to see if he could instead be their long-term solution. If Lindback meets expectations this year, expect an extension sometime over the course of the season.
  • Elsewhere on the international stage, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is very happy about the league’s growing relationship with China. The Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames are currently overseas in the second O.R.G. NHL China Games, after the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks squared off last fall. Per NHL.com’s Dan Rosen, Bettman sees this as just the beginning and has big plans for China. In fact, Bettman stated at a press conference on Friday that he envisions regular season games in China in the future, similar to the games planned in Sweden and Finland this season. With the Chinese government and several large companies committed to building rinks and arenas across the country, it’s fair to say that hockey has already made an impact and will only continue to grow in popularity in the world’s most populous country. Bettman acknowledges that no formal talks have been had about regular season games yet, but more preseason games are being scheduled and the league only stands to benefit from a continued presence in China.

Atlantic Notes: Krug, Zaitsev, Formenton

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Throughout the offseason, there have been lots of rumors surrounding the Boston Bruins, including many names that had been bandied about, including their top defenseman Torey Krug, whose name came up on several occasions while Boston was looking for a top-six winger. It wasn’t that they wanted to get rid of him, but logically, Krug would have made the most sense to move with the emergence of Charlie McAvoy. The crowded defense probably could survive without him and with his cap hit of $5.25MM AAV, the team could use the cap relief. Not to mention the fact that he’s posted 110 points over the course of the last two seasons.

In the end, the team never moved Krug or even came that close to moving him. Regardless, Krug laughed off the trade rumors, according to Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports.

“I don’t really see anybody doing my job here. I just have to make sure I show up every day and do the job the best that I can,” said Krug, who remained behind in Boston while rehabbing a fractured ankle as the bulk of the team trains in China. “You can’t really worry about too many things that people are saying. You go back to that famous line that it’s the nature of the business. So I’m still here and ready to do my job.”

  • Kristen Shilton of TSN writes that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Nikita Zaitsev took it hard last season when he struggled after returning from injury last season. The 26-year-old was coming off an impressive rookie season in which he four goals and 36 points, but after breaking his foot, while blocking a shot on Dec. 15, his season took a turn for the worse. He came back after missing 17 games, but never was the same. “[You’re] not confident in yourself,” Zaitsev said on Saturday, reflecting on his return during Toronto’s training camp session at Gale Centre Arena. “Missing six weeks, it was [really hard]. It’s not an excuse, though. I started the season really good and I was confident in every minute what I did on the ice. After [getting hurt] I just couldn’t keep myself on the same level.” He hopes that now, finally healthy, he should be able to bounce back next season.
  • The Ottawa Senators might be heading for a full-blown rebuild, but that’s just fine for 19-year-old Alex Formenton, who has impressed the coaching staff after a couple days of training camp, according to Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen. The 2017 second-rounder made the team as an 18-year-old out of training camp last season, but was sent back after playing just two games before being sent back to his junior team. However, it’s his speed that has really impressed the staff this year as he has been already teamed with Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel in practice. “He makes a few guys look like cones out there,” Ottawa Senators coach Guy Boucher said of Formenton, who scored during Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage. “It’s not the guys’ fault. It’s just that he’s so impressive. If you give this guy a bit of room and you didn’t gap up well, goodbye. A few of our older guys are finding that out.”

Snapshots: Orpik, Ennis, Bruins-Flames

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While the irony of the situation was clear all along, the assumption was that there was no issue with the Washington Capitals’ trade of Brooks Orpik to Colorado earlier this off-season, the Avalanche’s subsequent buyout of Orpik’s contract, and then the veteran defenseman re-signing with the Caps. However, GM Brian MacLellan told The Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno that the team actually underwent a thorough investigation from the NHL. The league questioned Washington executives about the team’s trade and later signing of Orpik to a lesser salary than the one bought out. It is illegal for a team to re-sign any player they themselves initially bought out, but Orpik was bought out by Colorado. As such, the investigation did not uncover any conspiracy; the league found that the Capitals conducted themselves “above board”, as MacLellan put it. He stated that there would be no further repercussions from what seems to just be an honest coincidence. Whyno reached out to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, who confirmed that the Capitals were cleared of any alleged wrongdoing. The Capitals are now set to save significant cap space on the same services. Had they held on to Orpik this summer, he would be making $5.5MM against the cap. Instead, they were able to sign him to a $1MM deal with incentives that is much kinder to their salary cap crunch. It’s fair to be skeptical of that circumvention, but MacLellan affirms that the team “did everything by the book”, making it simply shrewd business management on their part.

  • One player who wasn’t as fortunate as Orpik following his buyout is forward Tyler Ennis. After injuries forced Ennis out of Buffalo last summer, with the Sabres trading him to the Wild, Minnesota also couldn’t get the former rising star going and bought out the remainder of his contract earlier this summer. Ennis’ value has plummeted so far over the past three seasons that it completely overshadowed the fact that he recorded 212 points in 345 games in the five seasons prior. Ennis could only manage to land a one-year deal worth the minimum salary, a $650K pact with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and that only came after a series of meetings with GM Kyle Dubas in which he had to sell himself to the young Toronto executive. Yet, TSN’s Kristen Shilton writes that this has done nothing but motivate Ennis. Speaking with determined veteran at the start of Leafs training camp, Ennis said “Absolutely, I have something to prove. There are a lot of people that doubt me, there are a lot of people that have written me off and I’m just here to show them I have a lot left to give… My goal is to show people that I can play, that I have a lot of talent still and I’m ready to work.” With William Nylander still unsigned and not in camp, Ennis has had the good fortune of filling his spot on a line with Matthews and Patrick Marleau thus far in camp, which is a good way for him to impress the Maple Leafs’ brass. Shilton notes that he has already impressed teammates and coaches alike thus far and could be well on his way to a key role in Toronto this season. It would be quite the rebound story for a player who is correct in his opinion that many people have counted him out, but those same people could soon be forced to change their minds.
  • Believe it or not, the NHL preseason kicks off in just over six hours. The Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames are set to square off in Shenzen, China at the Universiade Sports Center in the first of two match-ups of the 2018 O.R.G. NHL China Games. Despite the odd timing for fans in North America, both the NHL Network and Sportsnet will air the contest, which begins at 2:30 AM Boston time and 12:30 AM Calgary time. For those staying up for the first game of the 2018-19 season, both the Bruins and Flames have released their split squad rosters who have made the trip and will compete in the series. Tonight’s game marks the beginning of Boston’s evaluation of several young forwards fighting for a top-six right wing spot and third-line center spot, while Calgary must determine both who their primary backup goaltender and how the bottom-six will work out.

New York Rangers Acquire Adam McQuaid

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The New York Rangers have added some help on the blue line, acquiring Adam McQuaid from the Boston Bruins. The Bruins in return will receive a 2019 fourth-round pick, conditional seventh-round pick and Steven Kampfer.

In Boston there had been a log jam on defense since John Moore was signed this summer, with eight healthy NHL defensemen on the roster. The idea of sitting at least $4MM in cap space every night never seemed appealing, and by moving out McQuaid they’ve added some flexibility for the rest of the season. That doesn’t mean the move is risk free though, as we’ve seen several of the Bruins defenders deal with injury in the past and as Stanley Cup contenders they’ll need all the depth they can take. McQuaid, though not exactly an offensive dynamo, was a warrior on the ice who could bring an incredibly physical game and be counted on to stand up for his teammates. He was also incredibly well-liked among the fan base, though it was obvious he didn’t have a full-time role going forward.

For the Rangers, the team adds a respected veteran presence to the blue line to help what will be an incredibly young club over the next few seasons. McQuaid is under contract for just this season at a $2.75MM cap hit, but it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see the Rangers re-sign him to a short-term deal before the end of the year. New York is in a clear rebuild mode, though after acquiring several impressive trade packages last year could turn things around in short order.

McQuaid is now 31 and played just 38 games last season as he dealt with a broken leg early in the season. His career-high in points, 15, is almost a decade behind him and likely out of reach moving forward. Losing his presence in Boston won’t change their outlook for the season, but he also didn’t come at much of a cost for the Rangers. Kampfer, who will return to the Boston organization that signed him as a college free agent after four years at the University of Michigan, doesn’t have a ton of NHL upside and will likely spend the season in the minor leagues. He could be depth if the Bruins find themselves dealing with multiple injuries, but there are other younger defensemen in the organization that he’ll need to battle for that right.

Training Camp Notes: Sharks, Motte, Betker, Kuhlman

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The San Jose Sharks had quite a few unfamiliar names listed when they released their training camp rosters. All in all, the Sharks have invited five unsigned junior prospects to camp: goalie Max Paddock, defenseman Keaton Middleton, and forwards Kyle Topping, Jake Gricius, and Justin Brazeau. Paddock is the youngest of the group at just 18 and has only one junior season under his belt with the WHL’s Regina Pats. The Sharks may be looking at Paddock, who still has draft eligibility remaining, as a potential long-term project signing, but will have to work quickly to get him signed within a limited window or else will have to hope they can select him in next year’s draft. Middleton, a fourth-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 2016, has been the captain of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit for the past two years and has proven to be a reliable two-way defender. Middleton has played significant minutes in 60+ games in each of his four junior seasons and is likely ready to make the jump to the pro level. Up front, Brazeau highlights the forward invites. The 6’6″ power forward registered 75 points in 68 games last season for the OHL’s North Bay Battalion and, if given the opportunity, the 20-year-old Brazeau could possibly be a difference-maker in the minor leagues with an NHL ceiling. Gricius, of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, is another big forward, but younger than Brazeu at 18 and more raw. He has yet to show the same offensive upside and may have limited potential, but the Sharks will judge that for themselves in camp. Finally, Topping is coming off a strong point-per-game season with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, but the 18-year-old has more developing to do. Both he and Gricius remain draft-eligible and San Jose could simply be thinking ahead to next June.

  • The Minnesota Wild have decided to add another goaltender to the mix in camp, listing minor league keeper C.J. Motte on their training camp roster. Motte, the older brother of Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte, is a former college standout at Ferris State University and has been playing in the minor leagues for the past three seasons. Motte was under contract with the Quad City Mallards, ECHL affiliate of the Wild, for the past two years, although his play earned him several AHL loans as well, including to the Iowa Wild. Minnesota’s coaches and front office may want a closer look at what they have in the organization, as Motte could potentially be fighting for a two-way AHL deal in camp.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have invited defenseman Ben Betker to camp. A former sixth-round pick and project prospect of the rival Edmonton Oilers, Betker did not receive a qualifying offer this off-season and has been unable to land an NHL contract. Although the 6’6″, 230-lb. defenseman has great size and physical ability, as well as some modest puck-moving ability, his PTO with Vancouver doesn’t necessarily imply that he is fighting for a contract with the team. Betker has struggle to produce in the minors and could use some more seasoning. However, the 23-year-old could definitely land with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.
  • Although the Boston Bruins are already bursting with pro-ready prospects, including Calder hopeful Ryan Donato, three centers fighting for a job in Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Trent Frederic, and Jack Studnicka, Anders Bjork and Peter Cehlarik returning from injuries, and recent high picks on the blue line in Urho Vaakanainen, Jakub Zboril, and Jeremy Lauzon, The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa suggests that a first-year pro free agent addition could actually end up having an impact this year. Karson Kuhlman, the captain of the reigning NCAA Champion Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, has impressed in camp so far. Shinzawa spoke with Providence Bruins head coach Jay Leach and watched Kuhlman dominate with two goals in the Bruins’ rookie game on Saturday and has formed the opinion that the young winger could be one of the first players called up by Boston this season. Although smaller and less skilled than some of his competition, Shinzawa states that his effort and two-way intelligence is evident and the team loves his hard-nosed style and natural leadership. Kuhlman seems like a nice fit as a bottom-six forward in the NHL and could realize that ceiling sooner rather than later. The embarrassment of riches in the Boston pipeline continues as another name to watch is added to the list.

Boston Bruins Sign Lee Stempniak, Daniel Winnik To Professional Tryouts

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The Boston Bruins need extra bodies in camp given their commitment to play some exhibition games in China, and today announced several changes to their preseason roster. Those changes included two veteran forwards, Lee Stempniak and Daniel Winnik, who will attend Bruins camp on professional tryout agreements. The team also announced that David Krejci would not be heading overseas, replaced by Colby Cave on the roster heading to China.

Stempniak and Winnik are in similar situations as they near the ends of their careers, though both could likely still hold down a depth role in the NHL. The former played just 37 games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season and recorded nine points, while Winnik suited up for 81 contests with the Minnesota Wild and contributed 23 points. Stempniak did at one point have a far greater offensive ceiling, and even scored 16 goals and 40 points just two seasons ago for the Hurricanes.

Still, both seem unlikely candidates for an NHL contract given the youth that will be battling for roster spots in Boston. With players like Anders Bjork, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Trent Frederic, Jack Studnicka and others all in real competition for places on the depth chart, it would take a real surprise performance from Stempniak or Winnik to land a full-time role. Being in Bruins camp though does allow them to showcase their talents for the rest of the league, and perhaps a contract will come of it. It’s important to note that Winnik did earn an NHL deal with the Wild last season after being brought in on a PTO.

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