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Trevor Van Riemsdyk Traded To Carolina

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The Carolina Hurricanes have made the first big post-expansion deal, acquiring Trevor van Riemsdyk and a 2018 seventh-round pick from the Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights will receive Pittsburgh’s 2017 second-round pick in return, originally acquired for Ron Hainsey at the trade deadline."<strong

As noted last night, there was immediately chatter among insiders that the Golden Knights would immediately flip van Riemsdyk to Carolina, though nothing was certain after the fireworks that went on last night in terms of trades. This is one of the more interesting flips, as Carolina already has an excess of defenders on the roster and has been looking to move at least one for scoring help. Bringing van Riemsdyk aboard gives them even more leeway to make an upgrade at forward, with Justin Faulk perhaps being the most likely candidate to be on the move.

van Riemsdyk was selected from the Chicago Blackhawks last night in what was expected to be half of a side deal with the Vegas Golden Knights. We’d heard for weeks that the Blackhawks would send Marcus Kruger to Vegas as well, but with news breaking yesterday that Marian Hossa would not be able to play next season, suddenly things shifted. Chicago was no longer in such dire need of cap relief, though there is no guarantee things will stay that way. Kruger may still be in play at some point, especially if the league decides Hossa can’t stay on LTIR.

For Vegas, this was the plan all along. Pick many more valuable assets than needed—in this case defensemen—and immediately flip them for prospects and picks that will benefit the team more down the road. Though van Riemsdyk is only 25 and could help the Golden Knights immediately, he’s also a restricted free agent next summer and is likely due to get a hefty raise. His current contract—$825K this year—is so appealing to teams around the league that there were likely several suitors once Vegas got their hands on him.

In three seasons since turning pro out of the University of New Hampshire, van Riemsdyk has developed into more than just another NCAA free agent. He registered 16 points in 56 games this season (all at even strength), and was a solid possession contributor. He’s clearly good enough to log more than the average bottom-pairing defenseman, but behind both Faulk and Brett Pesce there won’t be much opportunity for that should they both remain.

Frank Seravalli of TSN was first to break the deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

NHL Awards Preview

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Caught up in the excitement of the Expansion Draft, it’s easy to forget that there is also an awards show tonight. Yes, the best trophy in all of sports, the Stanley Cup, has already been presented to the Pittsburgh Penguins, as has the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP to their captain, Sidney Crosby. Crosby also already locked up the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for the most regular season goals. Edmonton Oilers wunderkind Connor McDavid captured the Art Ross Trophy for the most regular season points as well. Braden Holtby locked up the William M. Jennings Trophy already too, as the Washington Capitals allowed the least amount of goals against in the regular season. Yet, all three of these players and many more still have a lot on the line tonight. Here are the nominees for tonight’s NHL Awards:

Hart Trophy – Most Valuable Player

Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets

  • Star goalie helped to lead the Blue Jackets to their best record in franchise history, all while topping the league in save percentage (.931) and goals against average (2.06)

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

  • The NHL’s leading goal-scorer and back-to-back winner of the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

  • 20-year-old phenom led the league in points and assists and took his team from the draft lottery to the second round of the playoffs

Norris Trophy – Best Defenseman

Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

  • Not only led all defenseman in scoring with 76 points, but finished ninth overall among some of the league’s most dynamic forwards. Can check with the best of them as well.

Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

  • A down year for the Bolts was a career year for Hedman, who finished just four points behind Burns with 72, and led all blue liners with 56 assists

Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

  • If this award had been voted on after the playoffs, it might have been a different result. The NHL’s best puck-mover may still pull it off behind a 71-point campaign and an improved defensive game

Read more

Rumored Vegas Golden Knights Expansion Selections

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The Vegas Golden Knights will reveal their expansion selections at tonight’s NHL Awards show, but details have started to come in on who each team will lose. There are many rumors floating around, but these are the most reputable. As with anything, nothing is final until the actual selections are announced tonight. This page will be updated with new information as it comes in.

Here are the latest rumored selections along with their source:

Anaheim Ducks: Clayton Stoner — Bob McKenzie of TSN

Arizona Coyotes: 

Boston Bruins: Colin Miller — Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet

Buffalo Sabres: William Carrier — Frank Seravalli of TSN

Calgary Flames: Deryk Engelland — John Shannon of Sportsnet

Carolina Hurricanes:

Chicago Blackhawks: Trevor van Riemsdyk — Frank Seravalli of TSN

Colorado Avalanche:

Columbus Blue Jackets: William Karlsson — Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch

Dallas Stars: Cody Eakin — Jim Toth of TSN

Detroit Red Wings: Tomas Nosek — Craig Custance of The Athletic.

Edmonton Oilers: Griffin Reinhart — John Shannon of Sportsnet

Florida Panthers: Jon Marchessault — Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet

Los Angeles Kings: Brayden McNabb — John Shannon of Sportsnet

Minnesota Wild: Erik Haula — Michael Russo of the Star Tribune

Montreal Canadiens: Alexei Emelin — Eric Engels of Sportsnet

Nashville Predators: James Neal — Bob McKenzie of TSN

New Jersey Devils: Jon Merrill — Frank Seravalli of TSN

New York Islanders: Jean-Francois Berube — Bob McKenzie of TSN

New York Rangers: Oscar Lindberg — Larry Brooks of the New York Post and Frank Seravalli of TSN.

Ottawa Senators: Marc Methot — Pierre LeBrun of TSN

Philadelphia Flyers: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare — Craig Custance of The Athletic

Pittsburgh Penguins: Marc-Andre Fleury – Bob McKenzie of TSN

San Jose Sharks: David Schlemko — Pierre LeBrun of TSN

St. Louis Blues: David Perron — James Mirtle of The Athletic

Tampa Bay Lightning:

Toronto Maple Leafs: Brendan Leipsic — Darren Dreger of TSN

Vancouver Canucks:

Washington Capitals: Nate Schmidt — Pierre LeBrun of TSN

Winnipeg Jets:

Free Agent Focus: Carolina Hurricanes

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The free agent period is now less than two weeks away from opening up and there are several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Carolina’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Brock McGinn – With the recent two year contract for Teuvo Teravainen, McGinn is the lone RFA remaining that spent more time in the NHL than in the AHL.  After being an injury fill-in in 2015-16, McGinn played himself into somewhat of a regular role in the bottom six and did a reasonable job, picking up 16 points in 57 games while averaging 12 minutes of ice time per night.  He’s due a qualifying offer of $840K and his new deal should come in close to that amont.

F Phillip Di Giuseppe – After turning some heads in 2015-16, Di Giuseppe didn’t build on that this past season and wound up spending 40 games with AHL Charlotte as a result.  He also got into 36 games with the Hurricanes but managed only a single goal and six assists, well off the 17 points he had in half a season the year before.  His qualifying offer comes in just over $800K but this might be a case where he takes a little bit lower to get a higher guaranteed salary either in the way of higher AHL pay or a one-way contract.

Other RFAs: G Daniel Altshuller, D Trevor Carrick, D Jake Chelios, F Andrej Nestrasil

Sep 21, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Derek Ryan (33) skates with the puck past Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov (92) in the second period at Verizon Center. The Capitals won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY SportsKey Unrestricted Free Agents: F Derek Ryan – It’s not often that a player isn’t too well-known by the time he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency but that’s the case when it comes to Ryan.  At the age of 30, he has just 73 career NHL games under his belt, 67 of which came this past season where he collected 11 goals and 18 assists.  His breakout season came back in 2014-15 in Sweden which got him his only NHL contract so far and given how little action he’s had at the highest level, it’s fair to wonder if he may have another level to his game.  Considering he’s also strong at the faceoff dot (over 55% this past season), he could be an intriguing middle six center to watch for on the open market.

F Jay McClement – The veteran has been a fourth line defensive center for several years now and while his offense has cooled off since joining the Hurricanes in 2014-15, he can still fit into a penalty killing role.  One thing that may hurt him in free agency was a drop off at the faceoff dot from 55% to 48%.  At the former, he can fit in as a faceoff specialist but at a below average rate, that’s a harder sell to make.  When McClement has made it to the market, he has signed quickly but that may not be the case this time around.

Other UFAs: F Connor Brickley, F Patrick Brown, F Danny Kristo, G Michael Leighton, D Dennis Robertson, D Philip Samuelsson, D Matt Tennyson, F Brendan Woods

Projected Cap Space: Cap room is rarely an issue in Carolina and won’t be again in 2017-18.  They currently have a little more than $26.5MM in cap space per CapFriendly and already have 17 players under contract.  If they decide to up the budget to make a push for the playoffs, the Hurricanes could be a team to watch this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NHL Snapshots: Carolina/Pittsburgh Goaltending Coaches, Kesler, Johnson

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The Carolina Hurricanes felt they solved their goaltending problems in April when they traded for and later signed (4-year, $4.15MM cap hit) Chicago Blackhawks backup goaltender Scott Darling. The 28-year-old goalie proved to be an outstanding backup for three seasons and many believed he would find a starting job when he became an unrestricted free agent. Darling finished this past season with a 2.38 GAA and a .924 save percentage in 32 games.

However, the Hurricanes are going to make sure that they do everything they can to ensure Darlings’ success as a full-time starter. Carolina has signed away Pittsburgh Penguins goaltending coach Mike Bales to be their goaltending coach, tweets AP’s Stephen Whyno. Bales, who has been with the Penguins for the past four years, including their back-to-back title runs is considered to be one of the top goalie coaches and should be able to aid Darling to a big season as a full-time starter.

The Penguins quickly responded to the loss by promoting developmental goaltending coach Mike Buckley to the Penguins coaching staff. Buckley has worked with Penguins starter Matt Murray with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in previous years and now gets to work with him again. Buckley, has helped the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goaltenders to the lowest goals-against in three of the last four seasons, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

  • The Anaheim Ducks’ Ryan Kesler will be out 12 weeks following hip surgery, tweets Orange County Register’s Eric Stephens. Kessler had bone fragments removed from his hip. The 32-year-old center finished the year with 22 goals and 36 assists for Anaheim, but only scored one goal in 17 playoff games. That timetable would likely still have him ready for training camp.
  • Calgary Sun/Herald reporter Eric Francis tweets to not be shocked if the Flames turn around and sign back goaltender Chad Johnson, whose rights were traded to Arizona today, to be newly acquired goaltender Mike Smith’s goalie-mate. The 31-year-old Johnson, who is coming off a disappointing season with a 2.59 GAA and .910 save percentage in 36 contests, did have a solid year in 2015-16 when he had a 2.36 and a .920 save percentage in 45 games with the Buffalo Sabres.

Mike Vellucci To Coach Charlotte Checkers Next Season

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In an interesting move, the Carolina Hurricanes have named Mike Vellucci the new head coach of their AHL affiliate Charlotte Checkers, while he keeps his role as Assistant General Manager for the NHL club.The Checkers lost their head coach when Ulf Samuelsson was hired by the Chicago Blackhawks (actually just announced today), and Vellucci has ample experience in a coaching and development role. As the Hurricanes GM Ron Francis put it himself in a release:

Mike has more than 20 years of coaching experience, including more than 800 games as a head coach in the Ontario League. He is excited to get back behind the bench and we appreciate his willingness to take on this additional responsibility.

Vellucci was the coach and GM of the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL for parts of fourteen seasons before joining the Hurricanes in a managerial position in 2014, and he should have no trouble sliding behind the bench in the AHL with players he is familiar with. While the team says he will be keeping all his duties with the NHL front office, he was generally in charge of scouting and player development, roles which align nicely with the AHL coaching position. He can now implement the strategies himself while getting an even closer look at the minor league players of other organizations.

Charlotte had a relatively successful season, making it to the playoffs for first time in four seasons. They’d fall at the hands of the Chicago Wolves in the first round, but it was a nice step forward for a young franchise without much success in its short history. Vellucci will be tasked with taking a roster filled with young players and developing them into a Calder Cup contender, even as the NHL team snatches players away for their own playoff aspirations.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Teuvo Teravainen

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The Carolina Hurricanes have locked up an important piece, signing Teuvo Teravainen to a two-year contract. The deal will pay him $2.86MM annually. Teravainen was a restricted free agent for the first time, but this short-term deal will allow both sides to re-evaluate their position in a couple of years. Teuvo Teravainen

Acquired last summer in the annual Blackhakws salary dump, Carolina massaged Teravainen out of Chicago in exchange for a pair of draft picks and taking on Bryan Bickell’s contract. While Bickell would spend most of the season on long-term injured reserve after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Teravainen put up his best season as a pro scoring 15 goals and 42 points. Playing both wing and center at times, he ranked sixth on the team in scoring.

The 22-year old forward is part of an extremely young crop in Carolina who appear to be headed for great things. Along with Jeff Skinner, Sebastian Aho, Elias Lindholm and Victor Rask, the Hurricanes have one of the best 25-and-under groups in the NHL. Pair that with their good young defense corps and 10 picks in the upcoming entry draft and you can easily see this team is headed in the right direction.

Carolina isn’t a cap team, or more accurately not a cap-ceiling team, as they have an internal budget that they adhere to. Recently, due to the number of young players discussed above, the team has had trouble even reaching the cap floor. While there is a bit more money to spend when they need it, don’t think that the ~$25MM they still have in cap space for next season will be used on the open market this summer. That said, a two year deal with Teravainen takes him to 24 and will leave open the door to sign a longer term contract that buys out several free agent years. $2.86MM is plenty affordable for a 40-50 point player, and may believe he can eclipse that soon.

Teravainen was the Hurricanes’ only real pressing issue when it comes to restricted free agents this summer, with only Brock McGinn needing a deal among the rest of the NHL roster. What will be interesting to watch, is whether any extensions are handed out to the large group due to become RFAs next summer. They can officially announce any such extension on July 1st.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Andrew Miller

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The Carolina Hurricanes have locked up some AHL depth, inking Andrew Miller (no, not that Andrew Miller MLBTR fans) to a one-year two-way contract that will see him earn the minimum $650K in the NHL. Miller was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.

The 28-year old Miller is an excellent AHL scorer, and put up another solid season with 41 points in 55 games for the Charlotte Checkers this year. The former Yale standout has played 15 NHL games in his career, scoring six points. Though he’s not expected to make an appearance with the Hurricanes next season, he will provide some much-needed stability to their AHL club.

Charlotte recently lost their head coach Ulf Samuelsson to the Chicago Blackhawks, and have yet to name a successor for next season. While there has yet to be word on assistant coach Peter Andersson, he was brought in by Samuelsson after working together in Sweden and has little experience as a head coach. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a whole new staff brought in for next season, and they’ll need Miller at his very best to help lead the squad.

Carolina Hurricanes Announce Scouting Staff Promotions

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  • The Carolina Hurricanes have promoted two scouts in their organization, naming Sheldon Ferguson head North American scout and Robert Kron head European scout. Both will remain under the purview of Tony MacDonald who will continue in his role as Director of Amateur Scouting. These promotions come at a time just before a very important draft for the Hurricanes in which they hold 10 picks. Recently, GM Ron Francis had admitted that he hopes to move some of the picks for players before the draft, but is content in using them if he can’t find the right deal. With four picks in the first two rounds, Carolina could easily move up in the draft as well should a targeted player drop far enough.

Carolina Hurricanes Ready To Trade Draft Picks

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It’s not often you get to take a behind-the-scenes look at NHL draft meetings, but yesterday the Carolina Hurricanes gave us a peek. In a candid video between GM Ron Francis and his scouting staff, the Hall of Famer explains that he is hoping to move some picks before or at the draft.

[the Scott Darling trade] left us with 10 picks. To be honest with you I’m hoping we don’t use all 10 when it comes to the draft. We have had contact with other teams, told them we are willing to give up some of the picks to get players.

Francis points out that they have six picks in the top-73 selections at the draft, and presses his scouts that they all need to work together to make sure any picks they do make are the right ones. Indeed, the Hurricanes have once again stocked up on draft picks after selling at the deadline, but are approaching a time where they need to start competing instead of rebuilding.

With a pipeline of young talent and core group coming into their prime, the Hurricanes should be expected to push for a playoff spot next season. They’re not perfectly positioned to make a move to bring in a dangerous scoring threat to help Jeff Skinner and friends up front. With a goaltender already in place thanks to the aforementioned Darling deal, 2017-18 could be a big year for Raleigh.

The biggest connection that will be made as the draft approaches is likely Matt Duchene, as the Colorado Avalanche seek assets to start their own rebuild. The Hurricanes match up perfectly with Joe Sakic and the Avalanche on paper, with a surplus of young defenders and picks to trade. While there is no guarantee the Hurricanes will be able to facilitate a deal for the former 30-goal man—especially with healthy competition from around the league—they will be on the lookout for a player of that impact.

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