Recapping The QMJHL Draft Trade Frenzy
Like the NHL, it is not uncommon for there to be a flurry of trades surrounding the draft in the juniors as well. At the junior level though, “flurry” takes on a whole new meaning. The Quebec Junior Hockey League held their entry draft yesterday, with the 14-round event taking up most of the day. The teams’ management staffs were not only busy making picks, but also making trades. There have been 48 trades made in the QMJHL over the past two days alone. While many of those are simply a swap of draft pick packages or including low-end players, there have also been a handful for NHL fans to take note of:
- The Drummondville Voltigeurs paid a heavy price for Anaheim prospect Maxime Comtois. The Ducks’ second-round pick at 50th overall last year was traded by the Victoriaville Tigres for first- and second-round picks in this year’s draft, including the 14th overall pick, and another pair of first- and second-round picks next year. Comtois scored 85 points in 54 games this season and Drummondville is banking on him repeating that production next season. The Voltigeurs better hope that Comtois doesn’t break camp with Anaheim instead.
- Another Ducks prospect, Antoine Morand, who was drafted just ten spots behind Comtois last year, was also dealt in another blockbuster. The QMJHL and Memorial Cup champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan traded Moran and teammate Jordan Maher, an overage player eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft, to the Halifax Mooseheads for a first- and third-round pick this year and another pair of future first- and third-rounders. Morand led the Titan in scoring last year and he and Maher combined for 137 points on the season. Halifax is certainly loading up with the acquisition of the duo.
- Center Cedric Pare, a sixth-round selection of the Boston Bruins last year, fetched a hefty return of his own. The two-way forward earned the Saint John Sea Dogs a first-rounder, 15th overall, and fourth-rounder this year from Rimouski Oceanic. Pare scored only 37 points in 60 games this year but brings strong intangibles to his game. In Rimouski, Pare will get to play the defensively responsible role across from 16-year-old phenom Alexis Lafreniere‘s dynamic offensive game.
- Mitchell Balmas will again be eligible for selection in the NHL Draft for the third and final time this year and if his trade value at the junior level is any indication, someone will take a flier on him in the later rounds. The overage forward was another player shipped away by the Titan, who appear to be content with rebuilding following their title run. Acadie-Bathhurst acquired Balmas mid-season only to trade him yesterday for the 9th overall pick in the first round, the 36th overall pick in the second round, and young defenseman Ryan MacLellan. Balmas was a point-per-game player for two different teams this season and his new squad, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, hopes that trend continues next season.
Snapshots: Ekman-Larsson, Boston University, Gurianov, Lockwood
With the news that the Arizona Coyotes have offered defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson a new contract extension at eight years and $66MM, the real question is whether or not the 26-year-old star defenseman intends to stay in Arizona. The defenseman can’t officially sign an extension until July 1, but not signing the deal will make it clear whether he really wants to stay in Arizona like he has previously said.
The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that if the defenseman doesn’t agree to sign the extension in the next couple of weeks, the team will almost guaranteed trade their star before the NHL draft this year to get the best possible return in the final year of his deal. In fact with the likelihood that the Ottawa Senators might be ready to move Erik Karlsson, this might be the best time for teams to get their hands on a star defenseman. Brooks adds that was one of the main reasons that the New York Rangers moved Ryan McDonagh at the trade deadline, because they foresaw the possibility that both Ekman-Larsson and Karlsson might be available during the offseason which would have limited their return for McDonagh had they waited until now.
- Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe writes that Boston University has narrowed its head coaching search to two candidates after the school lost David Quinn to the New York Rangers last week. The scribe writes that the head coaching post will come down to former alumni and ex-Boston Bruins winger Shawn McEachern and Union College head coach Rick Bennett. McEachern, who is currently the head coach at the Rivers School, would maintain the school’s long-time BU lineage, while Bennett would offer new blood and a coach who has already won a NCAA title.
- With the Dallas Stars’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars in the AHL Calder Cup Championships, much has been made about the Stars’ Denis Gurianov, Dallas’ first-round pick in the 2015 draft (12th overall), who was listed as a healthy scratch before Game 1 today. Despite tallying 19 goals for Texas this season, the fact that he has been a healthy scratch multiple times during the playoffs is an immensely bad sign, according to NHL.com’s Patrick Williams. In 14 playoff games this year, Gurianov has just five points. The Stars drafted Gurianov over several impactful players that year, including Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic.
- Vancouver Canucks and University of Michigan prospect Will Lockwood, who injured his shoulder while at the World Juniors this winter and required major surgery, has been cleared to skate and hopes to be ready for the Canucks’ annual prospect development camp this summer and is expected to be fully healthy for his junior year with the Wolverines, according to The Athletic’s Mike Halford (subscription required). The 2016 third-round pick was having a solid year with Michigan, putting up four goals and seven assists in 16 games before getting injured.
Snapshots: Carlson, Ellis, Kovalchuk, Nash
If John Tavares re-signs with the New York Islanders, Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson would become the undisputed top free agent on the market this summer. However, Carlson’s priority is also to re-sign with his current team and the Capitals’ current Stanley Cup run may only sell him on staying even more. Plus, the estimated cap increase could make it easier for Washington to retain their blue line leader. Yet, Carlson is unlikely to ignore what the open market might offer in a world with no Tavares and a higher cap ceiling. The 28-year-old defenseman could command much more from another team than he’ll likely be able to get from the Caps. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun believes that one of the top suitors will be none other than Carlson’s current opposition, the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite their unforeseeable success this season, the Knights’ defensive corps is far from an elite unit and is in need of a leader. Although they have been connected to Erik Karlsson in the past, LeBrun opines that the easier route for Vegas may be to simply sign Carlson. The need, the cap space, and the connection to GM George McPhee may be enough to entice Carlson to make the cross-country trek. If the Knights are able to win the Stanley Cup, it would add insult to injury to steal both a title and a top player from the Capitals.
- LeBrun also had the inside scoop on another defenseman, the Nashville Predators’ Ryan Ellis. Although Ellis is not a free agent until 2019, LeBrun learned from Nashville GM David Poile that signing Ellis to an extension will be the Predators’ top priority this summer. Citing the loss of Ryan Suter years ago, LeBrun says that Poile is no longer willing to wait on re-signing his key players. However, the negotiations with Ellis may prove to be more difficult than anticipated. Ellis has been one of the best values in hockey over the last five years at a cap hit of just $2.5MM. No one will blame the offensive defenseman for seeking top dollar in his next deal and he is more likely to find that on the open market.
- One player who may not be as concerned about money is Ilya Kovalchuk. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that Kovalchuk’s main priority in returning to the NHL is to win the Stanley Cup. Kovalchuk is allegedly focused on finding a multi-year deal with a good fit. One possible suitor could be the New York Islanders, as Kovalchuk expressed to Dreger that he appreciated how then-GM Lou Lamoriello handled his sudden departure from New Jersey and shared that the two have maintained a positive relationship. Now that Lamoriello is in New York with more than enough cap space to sign Tavares and quite a few more, Kovalchuk could be a target. The KHL’s reigning leading scorer may sign with any team on July 1st.
- One player who could be locked up before July 1st is Rick Nash. Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney has expressed a desire to bring back several of his impending free agents, but has noted the reality that there is not enough space for all of them. The Bruins appear to have prioritized a new deal with their blockbuster trade deadline acquisition, as The Sports Hub’s Ty Anderson reports that Sweeney and Nash will continue negotiations next week. On the topic, Sweeney said “Rick indicated when he came to Boston that he was excited about the opportunity. He wants to win. He wants an opportunity to win. He felt badly, and certainly he’s not responsible for this, because he got injured.” What Nash feels badly about is likely both the drop-off in his play during the playoffs and the premature end to the Bruins season at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round. Nash suffered a concussion late in the regular season and never seemed to get back to 100%, but prior to his injury looked unstoppable on the Bruins’ second line with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk. At the right price, it’s understandable why Sweeney and company would like to give Nash another chance to re-create that chemistry and help bring a Cup to Boston.
Bruins Notes: Free Agents, Czarnik, Injuries, Draft
Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney spoke with the media today from the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo and was very up front about the team’s plans this off-season. The Bruins exceeded expectations this season with a young team that finished with one of the best records in the NHL. Sweeney has previously stated that he would like to return many of the team’s impending unrestricted free agents – Anton Khudobin, Riley Nash, Rick Nash, Tommy Wingels, Tim Schaller, Nick Holden, and Austin Czarnik – but due to salary cap restraints and a promising prospect crop in the AHL in need of opportunity, he did not expect that all would be back. Today, Sweeney went in a different direction, confirming that the team would not offer new contracts to several other free agents: Brian Gionta, Kenny Agostino, and Paul Postma. The announcement should come as no surprise, as the trio all underwhelmed in Boston this season. A late addition to the team for the stretch run and postseason, Gionta looked as if he would have been better off retiring after the Olympics. The veteran forward contributed only seven points in 20 regular season games and played in just one playoff game, in which he was a liability against the fast-paced Tampa Bay Lightning. Gionta is likely to call it quits for good this off-season. Agostino, the 2017 AHL MVP, not only made little difference in Boston with just one point in five games, but finished the minor league season in Providence with 30 points less than his MVP campaign in only one less game. Agostino will need to search for a new home for the third straight summer. Postma, while not necessarily a disappointment in Boston, ended up being of little use to the team. The relative health of the Bruins’ four right-handed defenseman and the emergence of rookie Matt Grzelcyk on the left side made Postma the #8 option for much of the year. He was unable to even retain that role after the Bruins acquired Holden at the trade deadline. Overall, Postma played in 14 games in Boston, recording just one point, before clearing waivers and being assigned to the AHL, where he played another 17 games with Providence in the regular season and postseason. The long-time Winnipeg Jets defender will be on the hunt for a more regular NHL role next year, if he can find one.
- Sweeney briefly touched on the situation with Czarnik, which has put the Bruins in somewhat of a pickle. Czarnik, 25, played in 49 games as a rookie with Boston in 2016-17, but lost out on a roster spot this year to the likes of fellow youngsters Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, Anders Bjork, and Sean Kuraly. Czarnik managed to play in ten games for the Bruins, and looked good doing so with four points, but roster restrictions forced him back to the AHL each time. In the minors, Czarnik was unstoppable with 69 points in 64 games – good enough for third in the AHL scoring race. It was an impressive performance, but still not good enough to vault Czarnik back to the top of a Bruins’ prospect pipeline that is very deep, especially at center. Ideally, the Bruins would have liked to deal Czarnik as a restricted free agent with his value at its highest. However, as a 25-year-old with three pro seasons under his belt but less than 80 NHL games played, Czarnik instead qualifies for Group 6 unrestricted free agency per the NHL CBA and is free to sign with any team. Sweeney expressed that both the team and Czarnik have not closed the door on an extension, but that he feels Czarnik is “intrigued by what may exist elsewhere”. There will surely be a market for the swift, play-making forward and a return to Boston seems unlikely.
- Sweeney also updated the injury status of his team, revealing that banged-up checkers Schaller and Noel Acciari both underwent surgery following the season. The Bruins’ fourth line, while not much of an offensive threat, was one of the best defensively this season. However, their play began to tail off in the postseason and the major injuries for Schaller and Acciari certainly lend some explanation to that trend. The duo were just two of myriad injuries for Boston, but join only Brandon Carlo in going under the knife. Sweeney stated that the rest of the injured – Torey Krug, Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Backes, DeBrusk, Nash, and Nash – will all avoid surgery for now.
- Finally, Sweeney responded to a question about whether or not he would try to trade back into the first round of the NHL Draft next month. The Bruins sent their first-rounder to the New York Rangers in the Rick Nash deal and do not own any other team’s pick. Sweeney seemed hesitant to promise anything, saying that it is “hard” to trade back in, but did add that “you never know what some team may want to do”. In a draft class that many feels runs out of elite prospects after the first 15 or so selections, Boston may not be scrambling to trade current or future assets for a first-round pick anyway. With a late second and an early third from the Florida Panthers, the Bruins should be able to add two players with similar career projections to some late first-round picks. Even if they don’t get a future star, the Boston system is one of the best in the league with more than enough talent pushing for play time in the NHL as it is.
Snapshots: Quinn, Korpikoski, Draft Rankings
All signs continue to point towards David Quinn becoming the next head coach of the New York Rangers, though the team still has not officially announced the hiring. Mike McMahon of College Hockey News is the latest to report on a timeline that had Quinn turning down the Rangers four-year offer last week, only to eventually sign for five years and $12MM. While we likely won’t get confirmation from the team on those numbers for some time, that contract gives Quinn enough security to leave Boston University where he was considered one of the top college coaches in the country.
McMahon also suggests that Joe Sacco, currently an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins, is a candidate to replace Quinn at BU in the coming weeks. Sacco played for BU in the late 80’s before embarking on an NHL career that spanned more than a decade, five organizations and 738 games.
- Lauri Korpikoski has signed a six-year contract in Finland, after spending last year in the Swiss NLA. The journeyman played more than 600 games in the NHL, suiting up for four organizations over his last three seasons. A first-round pick by the New York Rangers in 2004, he never did perform up to expectations, only once breaking the 40-point mark during his career. Now 31, a six-year deal essentially guarantees he won’t be playing in the NHL again, unless something happens to break the contract at some point.
- Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required) has released his final 2018 draft rankings, and though he formats it differently than most there will still be plenty of surprises. Brady Tkachuk, considered to be a contender for second overall by some pundits, finds himself way down Pronman’s ranking at #9, while Evan Bouchard is even lower at #18. The vast differences in rankings heading into this year’s event are shaping up to create some drama on the draft floor, with no one quite sure how things will fall after the Buffalo Sabres select Rasmus Dahlin with the first pick.
Toronto Maple Leafs Lead Bonus Overages List
It looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs are at the top of at least one list. CapFriendly released a list of teams with Bonus Overages for this year, which result from players on their entry-level contracts hitting their standard bonuses. Nine teams’ performance bonuses went over the salary cap with the Maple Leafs leading with $2.55MM, which will now count against their 2018-19 cap. The bonus overages range from Toronto’s $2.55MM to the Minnesota Wild’s $25K.
The Maple Leafs’ bonuses came from just three players from the entry-level contracts of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander which totaled the $2.55MM. Since the team had no remaining cap room in 2017-18, it pushes over to the following year. Most of the nine teams were at the cap threshold, while others like the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues and the Tampa Bay Lightning had some cap room to take a part of the bonus hits.
Two teams bonuses could still go up as Boston’s Jake Debrusk and Tampa Bay’s Mikhail Sergachev could each receive bonus if they are named to the All-Rookie Team.
Here is the nine-team list:
Toronto Maple Leafs: $2,550,000
Chicago Blackhawks: $1,232,500
Vancouver Canucks: $852,847
Boston Bruins: $774,000
Detroit Red Wings: $755,000
St. Louis Blues: $150,988
Tampa Bay Lightning: $142,947
Washington Capitals: $82,500
Minnesota Wild: $25,000
Eastern Notes: Backstrom, Bjork, Vinik, Mantha
While considered to be a game-time decision, the news doesn’t look good for the Washington Capitals who have been without Nicklas Backstrom for the past two games with a hand injury. The center did participate in the morning skate for the first time since being injured during Game 5 of the Capitals second playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
However, while he did skate with the team, NHL.com’s Dan Rosen reports that Backstrom did not participate in line rushes or work with the power play unit during practice, suggesting that he will miss likely his third-straight game today against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan reports that he didn’t take too many shots during practice, but considers it an encouraging sign that he could be ready in the near future.
While the team has been without Backstrom for the past two games, it hasn’t had a major effect on the team. The team knocked off Pittsburgh in Game 6 against the Penguins and then followed that up with a Game 1 win of the Eastern Conference Finals Friday.
- The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) writes that Boston Bruins rookie Anders Bjork needs to regain his top prospect status after an injury-plagued season this year. Considered to be one of the Bruins’ top rookies entering the 2017-18 season, the speedy Bjork won a spot out of training camp on the team’s first line, matched with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, but suffered a concussion on Nov. 11 via a hit from Toronto’s Matt Martin and never was able to full recover. After sitting out for three week, Bjork struggled upon returning to the lineup and began to find himself as the team’s healthy scratch before eventually being assigned to the Providence Bruins of the AHL. A labral tear in his left shoulder on Jan. 30 put an end to his season. Now that Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen and Ryan Donato have passed him on the depth chart, the rookie must come back and show that he belongs in the Bruins rotation as well next year.
- Sports Illustrated’s Alex Pruitt interviews Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik about the step-by-step process of buying the franchise and how he turned the struggling franchise around, ranging from why he chose Tampa Bay, to the hiring of Steve Yzerman, to the delicate free agent negotiations with Steven Stamkos.
- While handing out big free agent contracts with no-trade clauses didn’t stop, the Detroit Red Wings did begin drafting for the future back in 2013. The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James looks back and breaks down the team’s entire draft in which the franchise began to restock their barren farm system, starting with first-round pick Anthony Mantha, who looks to be on his way to being a core player with the potential to put up 30 goals.
Patrice Bergeron Among Several Bruins That Could Need Surgery
As is common following a team being eliminated from the playoffs, the list of players that played through an injury gets revealed. Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston provided that list for the Bruins and it’s quite a lengthy one. Most notably among them is center Patrice Bergeron, who revealed that he has been dealing with a lingering groin issue and while he hopes it will clear itself up with rest and rehab, he did acknowledge that surgery this summer is a possibility.
Other players that could be headed under the knife are defenseman Zdeno Chara (shoulder) and center Riley Nash (hip) while winger Noel Acciari (hernia) confirmed he will have surgery. Meanwhile, defenseman Torey Krug’s fractured ankle will have him in a walking boot for the next two months so his postseason would have been over even if the Bruins had advanced. On top of those, David Backes (concussion), Brad Marchand (groin), and Jake DeBrusk (shoulder) have injuries that won’t require any offseason surgeries. It’s quite the list of walking wounded in Boston.
Morning Notes: Bruins, Wild, Kane
The Boston Bruins will have several players head to unrestricted free agency this summer, and today GM Don Sweeney spoke about the chance of re-signing them. Though Anton Khudobin has already made it clear he wants to re-sign, and Rick Nash is open to the possibility, Sweeney doesn’t sound confident everyone will be back.
Haven’t definitively ruled anybody out…we would like to bring everyone back, but that’s not realistic in cap environment.
The Bruins currently project to have between $12-15MM in space next season depending on where the cap ceiling lands, but have to make sure they don’t get into any undesirable long-term commitments. With five forwards taking up over $32MM combined for the next three seasons, and new contracts due before long for Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Ryan Donato and Jake Debrusk, bringing back Nash—or even Riley Nash, who is also set to become a UFA on July 1st—may be out of the question.
- The Minnesota Wild have not made their final decision on who will become GM, as Michael Russo of The Athletic reports they have a round of interviews scheduled for next week. Paul Fenton of the Nashville Predators and Tom Fitzgerald of the New Jersey Devils will both be involved in those interviews, while Bill Zito (Columbus), John Ferguson Jr. (Boston) and Dave Nonis (Anaheim) have all sat down with Wild owner Craig Leipold at one point or another. The Wild are not rushing a decision, and Brent Flahr is currently overseeing day-to-day operations for the club.
- The San Jose Sharks have made it clear they intend to try and re-sign Evander Kane, and he made it clear today what his three priorities are. Kane told Sportsnet that money, lifestyle and a chance to win are the “common sense” priorities for any free agent, but wouldn’t go into how he personally ranks them. The 26-year old winger found immediate success with the Sharks, but will cost the team an extra asset to re-sign. San Jose would be forced to upgrade the pick sent to Buffalo to a first-round selection should Kane re-sign this summer.
Rick Nash Open To Staying With Bruins
Rick Nash would be open to continuing his tenure with the Bruins. The impending free agent told Matt Kalman of NHL.com that he’d consider a return to Boston.
“It was disappointing with having the concussion and having some effects during it and only playing a certain amount of games and then coming back for the playoffs,” Nash said Wednesday. “But everything was positive. The organization was great, the guys were awesome, so it was a great chapter here and hopefully it can continue.”
The 33-year-old was acquired by the Bruins in February, with Boston sending the Rangers a 2018 first-round pick, a future seventh-rounder, defenseman Ryan Lindgren, and forwards Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey. Nash went on to appear in 11 regular season games for the Bruins, compiling three goals and assists. He added another five points (three goals, two assists) in 12 playoff games. He ended up missing 12 regular season games due to a concussion.
Nash is hitting free agency for the first time since 2009, when he inked an eight-year, $62.4MM with the Blue Jackets. The veteran has been traded twice since signing that contract, but he still admitted that winning was his top priority heading into free agency.
“Obviously to win, that’s No. 1,” he said. “No. 2 is a good place to live, a good place that my family enjoys. And Boston’s been great. It’s been a pretty seamless transition for us, so everything was positive.”