Players To Watch In Upcoming QMJHL Finals
With the Ontario Hockey League final series getting underway tonight, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is awaiting its own championship kick-off tomorrow. The winners of both series, while league champions in their own right, also earn a spot in the Memorial Cup Tournament, where they’ll try to assert themselves as the top team in all of Canadian junior hockey.
While the QMJHL doesn’t feature quite as much star power as its OHL counterpart this year, there are plenty of names taking part in the finals who could be making an impact in the NHL as soon as next season. Behind a stalwart defensive pair and consistent scoring, the Saint John Sea Dogs cruised to a 48-14-5 record in 2016-17, which gave them the regular season crown by a whole nine points over the closest contender. The Sea Dogs’ impressive pace has not slowed down at all in the postseason; they went 12-1-1 on their way to a title berth. Now, Saint John has to get the job done when it matters most, as they know too well what falling short feels like after a semifinal exit last season. Their opposition for the championship is the upstart Blainville-Boisbriand Armanda. The Armada finished second in the West Division behind defending champion Rouyn-Noranda, but had the fourth-best record in the league at 43-19-4. Armed with two elite trade acquisitions, the Armanda charged through the playoffs and capped off their run to the title match-up with an upset over the #3-seed Charlottetown Islanders.
These two teams have been nearly unstoppable in the QMJHL playoffs and are charged up and ready to go. Who should you keep an eye on when the series starts tomorrow?
Pierre-Luc Dubois, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada/Columbus Blue Jackets
A player who most hockey fans have heard of by now, Dubois was the third overall pick in the NHL Draft last June by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although many expected that he would make the team out of camp, the Blue Jackets brass felt he was not ready and returned the young center to his junior team, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Although he scored 18 points in his first 20 games of the season, it was far off his pace from 2015-16, when he finished with 99 points in 62 contests. Cape Breton decided to trade Dubois to Blainville-Boisbriand for a package that included two high draft picks. Dubois returned to his high-scoring ways with the Armada, posting 37 points in 28 regular season games and added 21 more through 15 postseason games thus far. Dubois is a well-rounded player with great offensive skill and strong two-way ability. If the Armada hope to knock off the Sea Dogs, Dubois will have to be the difference-maker.
Thomas Chabot, Saint John Sea Dogs/Ottawa Senators
Another star prospect many felt would be in the NHL this season, 2015 first-round pick Chabot has instead dominated the QMJHL since returning from his brief stint – one game played, -2 rating – with Ottawa earlier this season. An excellent possession defenseman who has speed and puck-moving ability, Chabot racks up the points from the blue line. In 34 regular season games in 2016-17, he accumulated 45 points. He also took a brief break to dominate the World Juniors with ten points in seven games as the alternate captain for Team Canada. Yet, he has still been able to take his game up a notch in the playoffs, posting 19 points in 14 games. Not only does that top all defensemen in the postseason, it’s also good enough for ninth overall. Chabot is a difficult player to match up against and will likely continue to score in the upcoming final series as he works to win a championship for the team he has played for since 2013.
Mathieu Joseph, Sain John Sea Dogs/Tampa Bay Lightning
GM Steve Yzerman picked a good one in the fourth round in 2015, as Joseph has been a revelation for Saint John the past two seasons. A multi-skilled winger who apparently was just slow to develop, Joseph went from a 42-point campaign in 2014-15 to 73 last year and 80 this year. Centered by recent Chicago Blackhawks signee Matthew Highmore, Joseph put up career numbers and finished tied for 12th in scoring in the QMJHL. To top off an incredible season, Joseph is second in postseason scoring with eleven goals and eleven assists already through just 14 games. No one has slowed Joseph down thus far and the Armada have their work cut out for them.
Alex Barre-Boulet, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
The only player scoring more than Joseph in the postseason has been Barre-Boulet. Passed up in the NHL Draft last year, the small, shifty center has done just about everything possible to make sure that doesn’t happen again. After scoring 89 points in 65 games last year for the Drummondville Voltigeurs was not enough, Barre-Boulet requested a trade midway through the season to a team with championship hopes in an effort to extend his season. Adding on to his 48 points from Drummondville, he registered 33 points in the Armada’s final 28 games and finished 11th in league scoring with 81 points total. In the playoffs though, he is alone in first by quite a margin. Barre-Boulet has 29 points, including 13 on the power play, in just 16 games. A player with a point to make, unlike many of the top players in the series, Barre-Boulet will perhaps be the most dangerous competitor that Saint John has to face.
Jakub Zboril, Saint John Sea Dogs/Boston Bruins
Luckily, the Sea Dogs have had an answer for some of the top offensive talent in the QMJHL this year (and last year and the year before that) in Czech defenseman Zboril. A 2015 first-round pick of the Bruins, Zboril is known as one of the best two-way defenseman in the league. A dominant force in the neutral zone, Zboril can carry the puck and fire a hard shot on goal and then speed back to his own end for a hard check as well. In a league that has historically been fast-moving and high-offense, Zboril has helped to keep scoring down in Saint John for the visitors. He also gets on the board himself with 41 points in 50 games this season. One of a number of elite Boston defensive prospects, enjoy Zboril dominating the juniors while you can, because he’ll be turning pro after the season.
Julien Gauthier, Saint John Sea Dogs/Carolina Hurricanes
The rich got richer at the QMJHL Trade Deadline this season as the Sea Dogs acquired 2016 Carolina first-rounder Gauthier from the Val-d’Or Foreurs. A big power forward who isn’t afraid to use his 6’4″, 225-lb. frame, but also has a surprising finesse game, Gauthier is a valuable weapon. However, while he managed to score more than a point per game for both Val-d’Or and Saint John en route to a 51-point season, the Sea Dogs know that Gauthier has more to offer. With 11 points in 14 postseason games, he’s made his presence felt, but if Gauthier plays to his potential in this final series, he could really tip the scales in Saint John’s favor.
Boston Bruins Taking Offers On Ryan Spooner
According to Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News, the Boston Bruins are listening to offers on Ryan Spooner. Kennedy tweets that he’s heard New Jersey, Vancouver and Vegas already linked to the 25-year old center. Spooner has been considered a trade candidate for much of the season, after first clashing with head coach Claude Julien and generally underperforming expectations.
Spooner will be a restricted free agent this summer and eligible for arbitration, forcing the Bruins to make a decision on his future with the organization. While last year he showed the offensive potential of a second-line center, scoring 49 points in 80 games, this year he took a step backwards and at times looked lost in the defensive zone. The Bruins committed long-term to David Backes last summer and have an extension kicking in for Brad Marchand next year, meaning much of their forward capital is already tied up. Add in a new deal for pending RFA David Pastrnak who is coming off a 34-goal season, and the Bruins will likely need to clear out some cap space in the coming months.
After being eliminated by the Ottawa Senators this postseason, the Bruins lie at somewhat of a crossroads. Do they hope that Spooner can rebound and become the offensive dynamo that he has looked at times, or do they use him as a trade chip to bring in another defenseman to take some of the pressure off 19-year old Charlie McAvoy next year.
For all three potential landing spots, adding offense that isn’t on the wrong side of 30 is imperative this summer. Vegas will likely be in dire need of skill in their forward group after taking the overpaid or underperforming veterans from several squads in the expansion draft, and Spooner could likely slot into their top line immediately, and be a key part of their powerplay. In Vancouver, the team is looking for a quick rebuild and could use some center depth once Henrik Sedin finally leaves. New Jersey, likely the closest of the three to competing—especially after adding the top pick in the draft this year—have needed scoring for years and could use another dynamic player on the powerplay.
In all, Spooner’s availability should come as no surprise to teams around the league. His market though may be limited, as teams will not want to give up an established defenseman for him, not expect the Bruins to just give him away. It will be interesting to see if he is part of a bigger deal, or if the two sides can find some sort of one-for-one match.
Snapshots: KHL, Surgeries, Bjork
Several pieces of news out of the KHL today, including the signing of a three-year contract for Nikita Tryamkin with Yekaterinburg. The news that Tryamkin had left the Vancouver Canucks has been out for a while, but now we know how long the team will have to wait until they get a chance to bring him back to the NHL. The Canucks will hold his rights until 2021-22 season since they plan to qualify him this offseason, meaning that perhaps a reunion is possible after this three-year deal expires in 2020.
Viktor Antipin has officially terminated his deal, meaning he’s allowed to sign with the Buffalo Sabres (or anyone else) as soon as he wishes. Antipin’s teammate and former NHLer Alexander Semin will not be offered a new contract by Magnitogorsk, despite scoring 30 points this season. Semin could potentially return to the NHL should someone want to take a chance on the former 40-goal man, though at 33 his most effective years are likely behind him.
- SKA St. Petersburg and CSKA Moscow were involved in a trade, swapping the rights to Nail Yakupov and Nikita Kucherov for those of Marcus Johansson and David Musil. While Kucherov and Johansson are both under contract and thus unable to be wooed by the KHL, both Yakupov and Musil are restricted free agents this summer. They could theoretically leave for greener pastures, as neither have been able to make much of an impact at the NHL level recently (or ever, in Musil’s case).
- The Minnesota Wild have announced that both Marco Scandella and Christian Folin have undergone surgery to repair hip and shoulder injuries respectively. Both are expected to be ready for training camp, though it obviously sets some of their offseason work back.
- Joe Haggerty of CSNNE reports that NCAA prospect Anders Bjork has told the Bruins he’ll make a decision on turning pro after the World Championships. Bjork is currently playing with Team USA at the tournament, which starts on May 5th. The 20-year old fifth-round pick blew up at Notre Dame this year, and Boston has made it clear that they want him to turn pro this summer instead of returning for his senior season. If he were to return, he’d be just a few months away from free agency when he graduated with most of the league ready to put his name on a contract.
Hart Trophy Finalists Announced
The NHL’s Hart Trophy finalists were released today and include Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, and Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid.
The names surprise no one as all three were expected finalists. Crosby and McDavid were one and two in NHL scoring, and Bobrovsky led the league in GAA and SV% amongst starting NHL goaltenders.
Bobrovsky, as noted by the Blue Jackets’ Public Relations team, is the first MVP finalist in Blue Jackers history. He posted a .931 SV% and a 2.06 GAA in 63 games. He was considered Columbus’s best player in a surprising season for the Metropolitan Division team. He’s also a finalist for the NHL’s Vezina Trophy awarded to the league’s best goaltender.
Sidney Crosby finished tied for 2nd in league scoring with 44G and 45A in 75 games. He tied Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane in points with 89, but did it in seven fewer games. Crosby has already locked up the Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophy for most goals this season. Crosby has been a Hart Trophy finalist six times, and won the award in 2007 and 2014
Connor McDavid led the NHL in scoring with 30G and 70A in 82 games. He led a Edmonton Oilers squad to its first playoff birth since 2006 in only his second pro season. This season he won the Art Ross Trophy for most points in the NHL.
Notable absences—thought to have finished fourth and lower—include Tampa Bay Lightning‘s Nikita Kucherov, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, and Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand.
Atlantic Division Snapshots: Pastrnak, Brassard, Red Wings
Despite a first round elimination at the hands of the Ottawa Senators, the 2016-17 campaign has to be considered a success for the Boston Bruins organization. The team returned to the postseason after back-to-back non-playoff seasons and showed tremendous resilience during their six-game series loss, nearly overcoming injuries to key regulars Brandon Carlo, David Krejci, Torey Krug and Adam McQuaid to push Ottawa to OT in game six. Perhaps the silver lining to the season was the development of young Czech winger David Pastnak, who in his third year saw a marked increase across the board in terms of offensive production, setting career-highs in goals (34) assists (36) and points (70). Pastrnak stuggled some in the postseason, finishing with just five shots on goal and regularly turning the puck over, but as Joe Haggerty of CSNNE writes, the 20-year-old will be a better player long term in part because of the playoff experience.
Pastrnak also wrapped up his ELC, making him a RFA this summer. Boston will have a decision to make; do they try to lock up the talented offensive right wing to a long term deal or employ a short term bridge contract to keep the AAV down? Should the team choose the latter, Haggerty speculates a deal similar to that given by Chicago to Artemi Panarin (two years, $12MM) could work for both sides. If Boston chooses the former, they might have to approach the value of the accord signed by Calgary winger Johnny Gaudreau last summer, in Haggerty’s estimation. According to Cap Friendly, the Bruins are projected to have around just $10MM in cap space available with Drew Stafford set to hit unrestricted free agency and Ryan Spooner joining Pastrnak as a RFA. The team should have room as it stands to accommodate a new Pastrnak contract regardless of whether it’s a lucrative long term pact or a shorter term bridge deal. Still, what Boston does will likely have a great impact on what other moves the team can make this summer to fill holes on the roster.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:
- One of the second round’s more interesting subplots involves Ottawa center Derick Brassard facing his old team, the New York Rangers, and the player for whom he was acquired just last July, fellow pivot Mika Zibanejad. Expecting to contend for the playoffs in 2016-17, Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion wanted to add the more experienced and established Brassard to his lineup. It also didn’t hurt that the skilled center from Hull, Quebec is a proven playoff performer known in some circles as “Big Game Brass.” For their part, the Rangers needed to get bigger and younger and did so by adding the talented Zibanejad to the team. Neither player had the regular season they hoped – Brassard finished with just 14 goals and 39 points while Zibanejad missed time with a broken leg and scored 37 points in 56 contests. With scoring expected to be at a premium in the series between Ottawa and New York, it was widely felt whoever performed better between the two would give their team a significant edge. Well, after one game, Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun has the two players even, though the Senators are up in the series. As Brennan noted, neither player registered a point and both finished with roughly 17 minutes of ice time. Brassard was credited with five shots on goal, Zibanejad with four. While it would be unfair to paint the winner of the series as also the winner of last summer’s trade, it’s evident the two players will be heavily relied upon to help their respective team advance to the Eastern Conference Final and at this point in the season that’s really all that matters.
- With their 25-season playoff streak broken, the Detroit Red Wings enter the offseason with a lot of work to do to reshape their roster into a contender, and without the resources (i.e. cap space) to easily tackle the challenge. In all probability, the team will be forced seek roster improvement via the trade market and with limited chips the team can afford to move, it’s likely Detroit will have to deal one of their starting-caliber goalies, if for no other reason than to open up much-needed cap space. Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press expressed the same belief in a recent mailbag feature. As the scribe notes, the Wings are currently projected to have less than $6MM in cap space with key forwards Andreas Athanasiou and Tomas Tatar scheduled to be RFA’s. The offseason goalie market is expected to be full of starting options, with Pittsburgh likely to entertain a trade of Marc-Andre Fleury rather than risk losing Matt Murray in the expansion draft. Ben Bishop, Brian Elliott, Jonathan Bernier and Ryan Miller headline the UFA crop of netminders and could represent viable starting options for any team looking for a #1. Those factors will hamstring the Red Wings in their attempt to move either Jimmy Howard or Petr Mrazek in return for fair value. In all likelihood, the team will have to be satisfied primarily with cap relief as opposed to acquiring young assets to further their retooling effort. Although St. James does offer up one intriguing possibility, noting that current Stars GM Jim Nill, formerly an assistant GM in Detroit, knows Mrazek and Howard well from his time with the Wings and could pursue one in an effort to upgrade his options between the pipes.
Iginla Eyeing A Return To Bruins?
File this one under extreme speculation if you like, but future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, at the very least, is moving to Boston. Whether or not he’s playing for the Bruins in 2017-18 is another matter altogether, but the 39-year-old icon will be spending time in Boston one way or another, as he just purchased a $4.5MM home in the city. The six-bedroom house is located in Chestnut Hill, the home of the Boston College Eagles.
Now, this could simply mean that Iginla, an unrestricted free agent, enjoyed his time in Boston during the 2013-14 season and, facing a very real possibility that his career may be over, is investing a new place to spend his retirement years. Iginla did really like playing with the Bruins and would have liked to re-sign in Boston in 2014, but the Bruins did not have the cap space to meet his salary demands, due in part to the bonus overages from his incentive-laden $1.8MM contract from the year before.
However, it does seem strange that the Canadian winger, an Edmonton native who spent much of his career in his home province of Alberta with the Calgary Flames and the past three years in Colorado, would suddenly decide he wants to invest in real estate on the east coast. Could Iginla and the Bruins have a handshake agreement on giving the veteran scorer another shot at the Stanley Cup? It would seem to be a strange fit. After re-signing restricted free agents David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner this off-season, the Bruins will already have eight “top nine” forward under contract: Pastrnak, Spooner, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, David Backes, Frank Vatrano, and Matt Beleskey. That’s not even including many forwards who made their NHL debuts in 2016-17 and will be looking for regular roles next season, including Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Peter Cehlarik, Austin Czarnik, Danton Heinen, and Sean Kuraly, up-and-coming prospects Jake DeBrusk, Zach Senyshyn, Jesse Gabrielle, Ryan Fitzgerald, and (potentially) Anders Bjork, or fourth-line contributors with some top-nine upside in Riley Nash and Noel Acciari. Do they really need another forward, especially another big, slow body who fills a similar role to Backes and Beleskey? Probably not, but if Iginla is at the point in his career where he is willing to play for the veteran minimum just on the off chance that he can finally win that elusive Cup, the Bruins are a team that values veteran leadership and would be happy to help Iginla out.
Iginla scored just 14 goals this season and ended the year with only 27 points. However, just three years ago Iginla was a 30-goal scorer in Boston on his way to a 61-point campaign. Iginla and Krejci enjoyed playing together, as Krejci too had an excellent season with 69 points and a league-best +39 rating. The two would not necessarily play together again next season, but the possibility should not be ruled out. Iginla going back to Boston would be strange, and assuming it is happening based on a property transaction is certainly a reach, but stranger things have happened. Everyone in hockey wants Iginla to win a Cup. Why not return to the team he most recently found success with and city he really enjoyed playing in?
Snapshots: Bruins, Chayka, Canadiens
The Boston Bruins’ GM Don Sweeney met with the media today, and Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe reported on many of his answers. The executive put the pressure on himself to improve the Bruins after their first-round exit, saying that their middle-six needs the most work.
Sweeney also said that he’ll likely go with the 7-3-1 expansion draft option and that he won’t reveal what’s next for Ryan Spooner, the latter of which is especially interesting. Spooner didn’t play in the elimination game for the Bruins, and is a restricted free agent this summer. Many teams would have interest in the 25-year old should Boston feel his time is up as a Bruin.
- Though John Chayka has been linked to the Buffalo Sabres GM search, Craig Morgan of AZ Sports is here to quash any thoughts of him leaving the desert. Morgan reports that the Coyotes would deny any request of permission to talk to Chayka about a job, though he makes it clear that that doesn’t mean Buffalo has yet. It would have been shocking for the Coyotes to allow Chayka to leave so soon after giving him the reins, even if it was to an Eastern Conference team near his hometown. Chayka has a lot of work still left to do in Arizona if he’s to turn that team around and establish them in the city.
- Count the Montreal Canadiens as the latest suitor for John Tavares, despite his repeated intention to stay with the New York Islanders. Eric Engels of Sportsnet writes that the Canadiens should do whatever it takes to acquire the superstar center should he become available. Though the Tavares-sweepstakes aren’t real just yet, the bigger point of the Engels piece is that the Canadiens still need that #1 center they’ve been after for so long. With the clear message that Alex Galchenyuk isn’t considered the future of that position any longer, the Canadiens will be on the hunt all summer.
Minor Moves: Sharks, Team USA, Team Canada
The San Jose Sharks have sent Timo Meier and Marcus Sorensen back to the AHL for the playoff run according to Keven Kurz of NBC. The two forwards were dominant offensive players for the Barracuda this year when they weren’t playing for the Sharks, and will add a definite scoring punch to a team that has already scored eight goals through their first two games.
Meier and Sorensen combined for 31 goals and 57 points in 76 games for the Barracuda, and both will likely compete for full-time jobs with the Sharks next season. More news from the recently eliminated teams…
- Kevin Allen of USA Today reports that both Charlie McAvoy and Trevor van Riemsdyk will be joining Team USA at the World Championships. The pair add to a defense group that is becoming quite impressive and already included Noah Hanifin and Jacob Trouba. McAvoy will be joining his fifth different team of the season after spending time with Boston University, the Providence and Boston Bruins, and Team USA at the World Juniors. He’s made an impact at every level so far, and shouldn’t be overlooked as a possible star at this latest tournament.
- Team Canada will gain a young star of their own, as Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun reports that Mitch Marner will head to the tournament. After several Maple Leafs turned the tournament down—including Auston Matthews, Nikita Zaitsev and just today Morgan Rielly—Marner will head off to compete in his first international event that isn’t age-restricted. In the U20 World Juniors last year, Marner recorded six points in five games but was left off last year’s World Championships and last fall’s World Cup teams. It’s not likely that he’ll be overlooked very often in the future, after posting 61 points in 77 games as a rookie this year.
Boston Bruins Remove Interim Status From Bruce Cassidy
The Boston Bruins have named Bruce Cassidy head coach for the 2017-18 season, removing the interim status he had been working under since the firing of Claude Julien. Cassidy led the Bruins to an 18-8-1 record after the switch, getting them into the postseason but falling at the hands of the Ottawa Senators. The Bruins scoring woes under Julien disappeared, and Cassidy’s systems seemed to reinvigorate the team.
He’ll now be tasked with trying to rebuild relationships with certain players, as both Frank Vatrano and Ryan Spooner spoke out against their former head coach after his departure. While neither may represent a key player going forward, removing discontent from the locker room is always done one way or another. The Bruins will have to decide whether to commit long-term to some of their young restricted free agents, or move certain players for improvements elsewhere.
With the biggest task of the offseason being David Pastrnak‘s next contract, the Bruins will be hard-pressed to really free up any additional cap space. So much of their salary is tied up in the big-4 up front—David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Backes—and their no-longer-elite goaltender Tuukka Rask. While Marchand’s deal may be one of the best of last summer, Backes especially looks like he may be an anchor to the team’s cap structure for years to come.
Zdeno Chara Wants To Play Past 2018
Ty Anderson of WEEI reports that Zdeno Chara won’t be done with hockey after next year, and wishes to sign another contract after his current deal expires next summer. Chara will be playing next season at the age of 40, and because of that he’ll actually be much less of a burden on the Boston Bruins cap. 
Chara is the last bastion of the “Kovalchuk Rule”, meaning that his cap hit after turning 40 will be equal to the actual salary that he’ll earn. In his case, it will be just $4MM next season instead of the ~$6.92MM he has had for the past six seasons. The rule was added to try and stop teams from adding minimum salary years to the end of contracts in order to lower the cap hit (which is based on the average annual value) but was removed from the new CBA in 2012 when term limits were imposed on contracts. Kovalchuk’s 15-year deal that paid just $10MM over the last five seasons was the inspiration.
The 40-year old defenseman would need to take quite a pay cut to come back after next year if his steady decline continues. His effectiveness at times was missing completely, and he looked slow among a league filled with youth and speed. The Bruins, though loyal to their captain of 11 years, should be heading in a new direction on defense after this year with Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy joining Torey Krug as the blueline leaders. With Jakob Zboril, Ryan Lindgren and Jeremy Lauzon following them, it will likely be too crowded to dedicate a spot to Chara.
That doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t get a chance somewhere in the league though, as shown by Jaromir Jagr over the past number of years. Multiple times Jagr has appeared to be finally declining out of relevancy only to re-establish himself the following year. Should Chara come back with another solid—if even unspectacular—season, there will be a team that tries to insert him on their bottom-pairing and go for a Stanley Cup.
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