Poll: Should The Predators Consider Moving On From Pekka Rinne?
While it’s only been two days since the were eliminated and a reactionary rumor rarely makes sense, there is a lot of talk in Nashville that the team should consider trading goaltender Pekka Rinne now.
At first glance, that would seem insane. Rinne is the leading candidate to win the Vezina Trophy for the best goaltender in the regular season, but after a disappointing performance in the playoffs in which he was yanked quicker than any other goaltender in Game 7 playoff history, one has to look deeper. Rinne, who put up a 2.31 GAA and a .927 save percentage in 59 regular season games, definitely struggled once the postseason began, posting a 7-6 record with a 3.07 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 13 games. And at age 35, with one year left on his contract for $7MM AAV, this might be the best time to trade him. With several teams in need of a quality veteran goaltender such as the New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres or the Philadelphia Flyers, the team might be able to get back a quality player, while freeing up needed cap room.
Nashville has other needs they need to consider as well. The team has the opportunity to extend the contract of star defenseman Ryan Ellis on July 1. The Tennessean’s Adam Vingan reports that the 27-year-old is open to playing out his career Nashville. However, it will likely take quite a bit more than the $2.5MM he is currently making, so cap room is essential. Add to the fact they will have to re-sign restricted free agent forwards Ryan Hartman and Miikka Salomaki. That’s extra money as well as the team’s need to sign restricted free agent goaltender Juuse Saros to a new deal.
On top of that, that extra $7MM could help the team make a big free agent splash to help them for their run next season, whether they attempt to add another top-four defenseman such as John Carlson, make an attempt to land John Tavares or go in a different direction.
Many feel that Saros might be ready to make that transition from backup to starter. The 23-year-old has been solid as the team’s backup for the past two years, putting up a 2.45 GAA and a .925 save percentage in 26 games this season. While only managing 114 minutes in four playoff games, Saros still performed admirably with a 1.06 GAA and a .952 save percentage in the playoffs. Considered the goalie of the future, why not now? Ideally, giving Saros one more year with Rinne as the starter makes sense, but if the team has to give Saros a lot of money in a bridge deal, the team might be paying close to $10MM for their goalie tandem, which is way too much.
Of course, making a move like this would be extremely risky, but The Hockey News’ Matt Larkin writes that if any team and general manager would consider trading a Vezina Trophy candidate as well as one of the best players in franchise history, David Poile would be the one. Back in June of 2016, Poile and the Predators did the unthinkable of sending star defenseman Shea Weber to Montreal in exchange for P.K. Subban. While the deal was somewhat shocking, the move looks better and better every day while Weber’s play has declined due to injury and age.
What do you think: Do you think the Predators should move forward and give the starting job to Saros or keep everything the same and try again next season?
Should the Predators consider trading Pekka Rinne
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Yes, get all you can for him now 48% (365)
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Maybe, if they can get a great deal 27% (209)
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No, keep him around for one more year 25% (190)
Total votes: 764
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Ryan O’Reilly “Preparing To Be In Buffalo”
At the end of the season, Ryan O’Reilly of the Buffalo Sabres was very critical of himself and the fact that he had lost some of the love he had for the game of hockey. He spoke about maybe becoming too complacent and allowing the team to be satisfied with losing. It immediately sent up alarm bells for Sabres fans, who had heard O’Reilly’s name thrown around in trade rumors even before his comments.
Those comments though had a similar effect. Rumors have swirled for the last few weeks around the 27-year old center, wondering if there was a break up approaching between him and Buffalo. O’Reilly did his best to put those rumors to bed recently, as he spoke with Darren Dreger of TSN:
I was being honest. When I reflect on the year, who else can I look at? I’m one of the guys who plays the most minutes, and it’s my fault. I want to change. I want to be in Buffalo. I love it there. Obviously we’re getting the first pick which is huge, but it’s a great city and I want to be there and I want to win.
I think I have a pretty good relationship with the GM, and you know if something happens it happens and that’s hockey. But you know, I plan and am preparing to be in Buffalo. Same role, same sort of thing.
O’Reilly has five years left on his massive $52.5MM contract, but would still have some value in trade should someone approach the Sabres. The hard-nosed center led the league in won faceoffs this season, and put up 61 points even while playing with some questionable linemates at times. That’s the second-highest total of his career, something he’ll have to build on if he is to really turn the Sabres around next season.
Obviously, there are changes coming in Buffalo. Rasmus Dahlin is expected to be selected first-overall, but some of their other young players will need to step up. Casey Mittelstadt will likely be given a full-time role, while Brendan Guhle should earn more time with the NHL club. O’Reilly’s leadership will be a key part of their development, and the overall success of the club.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Sabres’ Max Willman Transferring To Boston University
The rich are about to get richer at the college level. Boston University has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of the past four seasons and continues to have a greater depth of NHL prospects than any other team in college hockey. Now, the Terriers are adding one more talented future pro next season, as the Providence Journal’s Mark Divver reports that Brown University’s Max Willman is transferring to BU as a graduate student for next season.
Willman, 23, was a fifth-round selection by the Buffalo Sabres in 2014 out of Barnstable High School in Massachusetts. In four years at Brown, Willman recorded 45 points in 99 games and proved himself to be a hard-working, two-way forward. However, last year, in his fourth year, he was limited to only nine games due to injury. Given that all college athletes have five years of NCAA eligibility to participate in four seasons of game action, Willman’s transfer implies that he received a medical waiver for last season, granting him an additional fifth season. However, while Brown plays hockey in the ECAC, Divver adds that their main athletic conference, the prestigious Ivy League, does not allow their member schools to employ medical redshirts. As such, Willman needed to find a new school to enroll in to finish up his collegiate career before presumably moving on to the pro level.
Willman could do much worse than BU, which projects to have at least ten drafted players on their roster next season, most of which played on the team this season but also including highly-touted draft-eligible players like Jake Wise and Jack DeBoer as newcomers alongside Willman. The experienced NCAA winger will be looked upon as a leader even as a new addition, but will also benefit greatly from the superior talent that he’ll be lining up with in 2018-19. Willman’s stock has dropped since he was drafted, but a stint at BU for his final college season could be exactly what he needs to reinforce his label as a future NHLer and peak the interest of the Sabres or other clubs.
Sabres Expected To Receive Trade Interest In Ryan O’Reilly
While John Tavares is going to receive the bulk of the headlines when it comes to available centers this summer due to his looming free agency, Buffalo’s Ryan O’Reilly is certainly a name to keep an eye on as well. In a segment on 630 CHED (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman stated that he expects the Sabres to receive a lot of interest in their two-way pivot.
Last month, O’Reilly made waves at his exit interview, stating how he was content with losing and was losing his passion for the game. Some have speculated that his preference is to be dealt and that his comments were a ploy to force his way out of town.
The 27-year-old has emerged as a high-quality two-way player and is one of the best in the league at the faceoff dot. He also has been quite consistent offensively, putting up between 55-64 points in six of the last seven seasons; the one year he didn’t was the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign (where his point-per-game pace extrapolated to 57 points over a full year). This past season, he had 61 points (24-37-61) in 81 games while taking over 2,000 draws for the first time in his career, winning a career-best 60% of them.
There is, however, one other notable factor and that’s his contract. O’Reilly has a $7.5MM cap hit which may be difficult to fit in for some teams but the breakdown is also noteworthy. The majority of his deal is in the form of signing bonuses that are payable in the summer; his in-season salary is just $1MM per year. Potentially, that could present a concern for some more budget-conscious teams, especially since the setup allows him to be paid most of his money even if there is another work stoppage on the horizon.
Despite that, given the demand for quality centers, it’s certainly reasonable to expect that GM Jason Botterill will field some quality offers in the weeks to come. In the interview, Friedman alludes to a belief that Botterill feels he needs to change the core (aside from drafting defenseman Rasmus Dahlin next month) and moving O’Reilly would be one way to do so while landing a quality package in return.
Casey Nelson Signs Two-Year Extension With Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres have locked up one of their pending unrestricted free agents, signing Casey Nelson to a two-year extension. The deal carries an average annual value of $812,500, giving Nelson a slight raise over the $650K he made this year.
Though he is just 25, Nelson was scheduled to become a Group VI UFA this summer and could have signed with any team. That’s likely what prompted an extension from the Sabres, despite playing in only 37 relatively unspectacular games this season. Nelson was an undrafted free agent signing out of college, but hasn’t quite developed into the full-time NHL defender they’d hoped for.
That chance may not come next season either, as the Sabres already have five NHL defensemen signed for next season and Rasmus Dahlin likely joining them as the first-overall pick. That doesn’t include Brendan Guhle or restricted free agent Victor Antipin, who should make it quite a crowded blue line for the club to decide from.
Though that’s not exactly a problem, it could mean some changes are coming this summer for the Sabres. The silver lining for Nelson might be his handedness, as he remains one of the few right-handed options the team has for next season.
Poll: Which Open Coaching Job Is Best?
It was an uncommon year in the NHL with no coaches being fired in-season. Some of the worst teams in the NHL – the Buffalo Sabres, Arizona Coyotes, and Vancouver Canucks – had coaches in their first seasons and were willing to reserve judgement at least into a second season. Others, like the Ottawa Senators (confirmed today), Montreal Canadiens, and New York Islanders are willing to wait and see with relatively new staffs.
Entering the first full month without regular season activity, the season is over for all but eight teams. Yet, only two coaches have been fired: the New York Rangers’ Alain Vigneault and the Calgary Flames’ Glen Gulutzan. The Dallas Stars’ Ken Hitchcock retired and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Bill Peters opted out. Peters then quickly took the Flames job and what is left are just three coaching openings in the NHL.
The Carolina Hurricanes, under new ownership, are still looking for a GM and likely will wait to make a decision on a head coach until after that initial decision has been made. However, for those free agent coaches, the ‘Canes do offer an attractive mix of long-term depth and talent on defense, youth and skill on offense, a solid prospect pipeline, and mass amounts of cap space to get better. However, Carolina lacks two of the hardest things to find in hockey: a legitimate starting goaltender and a bona fide #1 star center. Any coach who is excited about the team’s potential has to look at Peters’ inability to turn it into wins and wonder if the few pieces missing in Carolina are the most important ones.
It took a late season collapse for the Dallas Stars to miss the postseason this year. The team has three superstars in Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and John Klingberg and a handful of very good players behind them like goalie Ben Bishop, defensemen Marc Methot and Esa Lindell, and forwards Alexander Radulov and Radek Faksa. They also have the potential for a quick turnaround if Jason Spezza and Martin Hanzal can bounce back. Beyond that group though, the team is lacking in depth on the roster and there doesn’t appear to be real game-changing talent in the pipeline either outside of Miro Heiskanen. They’re also right at the top of the salary cap limit. The Stars have the appearance of a team that is close to being a contender, but may not be able to get much better than they already are.
The New York Rangers are this year’s rebuild option for a coaching candidate. After trading away both impending free agents and core players at the deadline, the Rangers are left with a young-top nine that bring energy and skill but lacks experience and top-end talent and defense corps with veteran leadership surrounded by youth and potential but also lacking any high-end ability. However, they still have an all-world goalie in Henrik Lundqvist and are now loaded with prospects at every position and a wealth of draft picks. The Rangers may not look like much now but have a lot to offer down the road.
So, if you were a top head coach candidate with no particular style preference, which team would you choose?
Which Open Coaching Job Would You Take?
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New York Rangers 46% (369)
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Dallas Stars 32% (259)
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Carolina Hurricanes 12% (95)
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Stay where you are and wait for a better option 10% (83)
Total votes: 806
Russ Brandon Resigns As President Of Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres had a great weekend, winning the draft lottery and the chance to select Rasmus Dahlin first overall. Their week isn’t going quite so smoothly though, as today Pegula Sports & Entertainment (PSE) has accepted the resignation of Russ Brandon, President of the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills. Tim Graham of the Buffalo News reports that the decision comes after an internal investigation into allegations of personal misconduct. Kim Pegula will take over duties as President of the Sabres, Bills and PSE.
Brandon has long been connected to the Bills, but was named President of the Sabres in 2015 when the two franchises came under similar ownership. Though he was not directly involved in hockey decisions, his leadership was behind their marketing programs and brand building.
It’s unclear if the Pegulas intend on hiring a new President after some time, but there is certainly some changes coming with Brandon’s departure. The team has a chance to turn around their on-ice product with the acquisition of Dahlin and development of Jack Eichel, and needs to find a way to secure a level of competitiveness over the next few years.
Early Notes: Team Canada, Carolina, Browne
Team Canada has announced their on-ice leadership group for the upcoming World Championships, with Connor McDavid named team captain. Brayden Schenn and Ryan O’Reilly will serve as alternates for what has turned out to be an impressive roster. It will be O’Reilly’s third time wearing an “A” for the squad.
McDavid previously served as captain of Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey, but has never worn a “C” for Canada previously in any major tournament. His presence makes the Canadians a favorite to take home the gold for the third time in four years, but he’ll have to get through some stiff competition. The tournament begins this Friday in Denmark.
- Last night during the Winnipeg Jets-Nashville Predators game, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that Steve Greeley will not be taking the Carolina Hurricanes GM job. That means Don Waddell will continue to lead the club for the time being, as there are “no plans to hire anyone in the near term.” Greeley, an assistant GM of the Buffalo Sabres, was considered the front-runner for a job that has already had several high profile names remove themselves from consideration. Whoever does take the job will get the opportunity to select second in the upcoming draft, after Carolina moved up nine spots in the recent draft lottery.
- Harrison Browne, the first openly transgender hockey player in North America, has decided to retire from the NWHL to complete his physical transition. Just 25 years old, Browne is a two-time NWHL Champion, most recently winning with the Metropolitan Riveters. In a long exclusive piece for The Athletic, Corey Masisak (subscription required) details just how Browne came to his decision to leave hockey and the impact he’s leaving behind.
Snapshots: Johnson, Dubinsky, Blackhawks, Pettersson, Mittelstadt
Two long-time veterans seem to be on the outside looking in this offseason as the Columbus Blue Jackets as both defenseman Jack Johnson and center Brandon Dubinsky struggled last season and saw little to no playing time in the playoff. Johnson didn’t play in any of the Blue Jackets playoff games against Washington, even though they lost four in a row. Dubinsky ranked 10th among forwards in average ice time and only played 4:09 in the final playoff game.
While the team is highly unlikely to bring back Johnson as he is an unrestricted free agent and Columbus is overloaded in solid blueliners, Dubinsky is another situation, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required). The 32-year-old still has three years remaining on the six-year deal he signed in 2014 at $5.85MM AAV. He is the third-highest paid player on the team behind goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and winger Artemi Panerin. Portzline writes that with his drop in production this year (16 points compared to 41 in 2016-17), the veteran has no trade value and a buyout at this stage isn’t worth it. That means the team is stuck with him and only a renewed effort by Dubinsky could regain him his old role.
- The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) writes the Chicago Blackhawks, who will pick eighth overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, the highest they’ve drafted since they chose Patrick Kane with the first overall pick in 2007, might be looking for the most NHL ready player when they pick. “You never know,” head coach Joel Quenneville said after the season ended. “You can’t discount that. They say that there’s a lot of good players in this year’s draft. Getting a player at the number is going to be a good opportunity for our scouts, there’s some excitement in that area.”
- Previously rumored, but Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that Vancouver Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson and backup goaltender Anders Nilsson have each made the preliminary roster for Sweden for the World Championships this summer in Denmark. Pettersson, the team’s first-round pick in 2017, who had the best season ever for a 18-year-old rookie in the SHL, is expected to compete for a roster spot with the Canucks in training camp.
- There were a few surprises Saturday when the U.S. released their preliminary roster for the World Championships this summer when Buffalo Sabres’ Casey Mittelstadt wasn’t on the roster. The Buffalo News’ John Vogl reports that Mittelstadt didn’t make the roster due to the fact that he’s battling a groin injury, although general manager Jason Botterill said it wasn’t serious. “It’s a groin, but it shouldn’t be anything more than a couple weeks,” Botterill said. “But obviously with the tournament starting next week, it just didn’t make any sense for him to go over there.”
Draft Lottery’s Biggest Winner Is Buffalo’s Ristolainen
While adding superstar prospect Rasmus Dahlin with the No. 1 overall pick in June will aid in the Buffalo Sabres rebuild a lot quicker, perhaps the biggest beneficiary will be defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Taken eighth overall in 2013, the blueliner has been tabbed as the team’s No. 1 defenseman since that day and treated as such as he’s averaged more than 26 minutes a game for the past three years. In fact, Ristolainen ranked fourth in the NHL this year in average ice time (ATOI) with 26:30 behind only Los Angeles Kings’ Drew Doughty, Minnesota Wild’s Ryan Suter and Ottawa Senators’ Erik Karlsson.
However, as the years have passed, it’s been quite obvious that he’s not the coveted No. 1 defenseman that they hoped he’d be. In fact, as this season wrapped up, there has been talk of moving on from him. However, everything changed Saturday when the Buffalo Sabres won the draft lottery. With Dahlin taking over the responsibilities as the team’s top defenseman next season, which is inevitable, the team may get more production out of Ristolainen with a lesser role, according to The Hockey News’ Ryan Kennedy.
The scribe writes that Ristolainen has been leaned on too much over the course his career and his development has paid for it with the amount of minutes the team has forced him to play over his short career, mostly due to the fact that the Sabres have lacked any depth in quality defensemen over the years. Of course, he’s put up modest seasons, including three straight 40-point seasons, but has done nothing to earn top-flight minutes.
However, with Dahlin in the team’s rotation next season and perhaps another addition in the offseason, the Sabres will have more depth and can give Ristolainen more rest during games. Whether the right-handed defenseman is paired with the left-handed Dahlin or whether they are split into two pairs, the 23-year-old Ristolainen looks like he’s finally got the help he needed the last few years.
Throw in an improved season by Marco Scandella and a full-season from Brendan Guhle, there is a sign of hope in Buffalo. The team also is close to signing top Sweedish defenseman Lawrence Pilut and have also signed top college defenseman Will Borgen, although both could end up starting in the AHL for a while. Regardless, their blueline has a lot of promise.