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Brian Gibbons Linked To NLA

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If the NHL season (or postseason) does commence at some point this summer with expanded rosters, you can bet that Brian Gibbons would be an ideal candidate to provide some depth for the Carolina Hurricanes. The veteran forward has plenty of NHL experience but has spent most of this season in the minor leagues. Even if he does spend some more time with the Hurricanes however, he might be headed elsewhere when the season concludes. A report out of Switzerland today suggests that Gibbons will sign a contract with Lausanne HC of the NLA for next season.

Lausanne recently parted ways with Petteri Lindbohm, another former NHL player, but Gibbons would be joining Mark Barberio and Cory Conacher among the foreign players for the team. The 32-year old forward played 15 games for Carolina this season but failed to register a single point, recording 18 in 26 minor league contests instead.

Gibbons has over 200 games in the NHL, but it is clear that his best chance to be an impact player at that level is behind him. He did score 12 goals and 26 points in just 59 games for the New Jersey Devils in 2017-18, a total that looks like it will end up his career-high.

With a new transfer agreement in place between the NHL and NLA, Gibbons’ contract with the Hurricanes will need to expire before he’s technically allowed to sign a new one with Lausanne—if in fact that’s where he’s heading next season.

AHL Announces 2019-20 All-Rookie Team

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Now that the AHL season is officially over, awards and accolades will start pouring out for its players. Today, the league announced the 2019-20 All-Rookie Team, which is voted on by coaches, players, and media. Though not a guarantee of future NHL success, the AHL rookie team has a long history of star players including captains, Stanley Cup champions, and future Hall of Fame members.

The 2019-20 selections:

G Cayden Primeau, Laval Rocket (Montreal Canadiens)

D Joey Keane, Hartford Wolf Pack/Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes)

D Brogan Rafferty, Utica Comets (Vancouver Canucks)

F Alex Formenton, Belleville Senators (Ottawa Senators)

F Joshua Norris, Belleville Senators (Ottawa Senators)

F Jack Studnicka, Providence Bruins (Boston Bruins)

Carolina Hurricanes Nearing Deal With Chicago Wolves

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The Carolina Hurricanes are closing in on signing an affiliation agreement with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, moving their AHL partnership away from the Charlotte Checkers who have served as their primary minor league affiliate since relocating from Albany in 2010. The Checkers, presumably upset with the decision, released a statement on the situation:

While we are aware that the Carolina Hurricanes are nearing an affiliation agreement with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, the Hurricanes have had little dialogue with us regarding this matter.

In an era when NHL teams are placing great value on affiliations with closer proximity between the two clubs, we understand the confusion that such a move would cause.

We will explore other options for our affiliation and look forward to continuing in the American Hockey League when play resumes.

The Wolves, a long-standing independently-owned AHL franchise, became available when the Vegas Golden Knights recently bought the San Antonio Rampage and subsequently moved them to Henderson to serve as their affiliate. When the St. Louis Blues (previously partnered with San Antonio), took up a partnership with the Springfield Thunderbirds, there was already rumors that Carolina would be joining the Wolves and that the Florida Panthers (previously partnered with Springfield) would partner with the Checkers.

Florida remains the only team without an AHL affiliate at the moment, meaning that partnership seems likely at this point. According to Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer, the Hurricanes could announce their deal with the Wolves as soon as next week when the rest of the AHL season could be officially canceled.

Justin Williams Not Thinking About His Playing Future During This Stoppage

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After sitting out the first three months of the season while pondering his playing future, some have wondered if Hurricanes winger Justin Williams’ career will be over if the season is eventually called off.  In an appearance on Sportsnet 590 (video link), the 38-year-old indicated that he hasn’t been giving any thought to whether or not he’ll play beyond this season during this stoppage.  He has been a productive addition for Carolina, picking up 11 points in 20 games which is pretty good for someone who missed that much time to start the season.  Williams also expressed optimism that an extended training camp wouldn’t be needed if they get the green light to return to playing in the weeks and months to come.

Snapshots: Laviolette, Darling, AHL Signings

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It’s been quite a while since former Nashville Predators head coach Peter Laviolette has coached a game. The 55-year-old coach was fired by Nashville on Jan. 6 and was later hired to coach the U.S. at the World Championships which was cancelled on Mar. 21. However, the head coach has made it clear that he wants to return to the NHL coaching ranks as soon as possible, according to Adam Kimmelman of NHL.com.

The coach has gone back and looked at his successes behind the bench in hopes of improving as a coach.

“Right now, I think I’m just focused on going back to what I found has worked for me as a coach and go back to that,” Laviolette said. “I don’t have a team, I don’t have any players, but what I can focus on is what happens when I can go to a team and I can start to get involved with the players and the identity of the team and building that team, building the organization.”

  • Former NHL goaltender Scott Darling spent the 2019-20 season in Austria, quite a step down from the NHL after he was bought out by the Florida Panthers at the start of the season. While his team Innsbruck struggled last season, his numbers didn’t project those of a former NHL player as he finished with a 3.34 GAA and a .898 save percentage in 33 games. However, the 31-year-old, who played with the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes, made it clear that his primary goal is to return to North America and resume his career there, even if that means signing an AHL deal and working his way up from there, according to John Dietz of the Daily Herald. “This pandemic has kind of sidetracked everything,” Darling said. “I was talking to some teams here. Ideally I’m going to try and play here next year, whether it be starting in the (AHL) or whatever.”
  • Two junior players signed their first professional contracts as the Toronto Marlies announced they have signed defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer and forward Jeremy McKenna to two-year AHL contracts. the 21-year-old Hoefenmayer was the biggest prize after leading all OHL defensemen in scoring last season with 26 goals and 82 points last season for the Ottawa 67s. Hoefenmayer was originally a fourth-round pick in 2017 by the Arizona Coyotes, but was never offered a contract by the Coyotes. McKenna scored 40 goals and 82 points with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL this season. Both will join the Marlies next season, a team well-known for developing their minor league players.

Luke Martin Not Expected To Sign With Hurricanes

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Every summer, some of the college players that were drafted several years ago end up becoming unrestricted free agents. They have spent four years in their NCAA program and only have to wait a few months to earn the right to sign with whichever team they want. While the day that draft rights expire is usually in the middle of August, it’s not clear how that will work this year thanks to the current pause.

Still, news is bound to start coming out about which prospects intend to test free agency. Luke Martin appears to be one of those players, as Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest reports that the University of Michigan defenseman is not expected to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Martin, 21, was the 52nd overall pick in 2017—slightly higher than his ranking on several lists before the draft. He ended up ranked 61st among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, but the Hurricanes clearly liked what they had seen in his first year of college hockey. Martin had previously been a member of the national team development program and had registered seven points in 35 games as a freshman with the Wolverines.

The 6’2″ defenseman never really has taken a step forward offensively. His junior season resulted in just nine points in 36 games, but he has logged big minutes against top opponents since his freshman season and could be an interesting depth addition for an NHL organization later this year.

Potential Compliance Buyout Candidates: Part I

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As the current Coronavirus crisis wears on, it seems more and more likely that the NHL will not return to action soon and when play resumes, it will almost certainly not be the full remaining regular season schedule. That lost revenue is expected to impact the 2020-21 salary cap, perhaps even keeping the current $81.5MM upper limit in place. Given that teams expected an increase, initially projected to be between $84-88.2MM, this stagnation could have a harsh impact on a number of clubs’ cap situations. As such, many expect that compliance buyouts will return in some form or fashion to ease that pain. These buyouts, which do not count against the salary cap, would allow for teams to open up space that they otherwise expected from a cap increase.

Here is a rundown of the top compliance buyout candidates for the first third of NHL teams:

Anaheim Ducks: Adam Henrique

– The first team on the list is a tough call. Henrique has had a good season and the Ducks are not in significant cap trouble. However, with a long list of promising forward prospects and a defense that needs work, the team could opt to move on from the veteran forward and to create roster space and cap flexibility. Henrique, 30, is signed for four more years at $5.825MM.

Arizona Coyotes: Phil Kessel

– The Coyotes are in one of the worst positions in the league in terms of cap space, so the team would have to use a compliance buyout if the opportunity is offered to them. Kessel has been a relative bust in his first season with the ‘Yotes and is signed for two more years at $6.8MM. He has the potential to improve in year two, but Arizona may not have the luxury of taking the chance. The added cap space would be a major relief for the team.

Boston Bruins: John Moore

– Given the Bruins’ depth on defense in both veteran assets and budding prospects as well as Moore’s relegation to a backup role on the Boston blue line, he has become an expendable asset, especially if both Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug are back next season. Moore is signed longer than any current Bruins defenseman with three years and $8.25MM remaining, but the team’s commitment to him seems less than any of his fellow blue liners.

Buffalo Sabres: Kyle Okposo

– Unfortunately for the Sabres, the Okposo signing in 2016 has never panned out. His production dropped from 64 points with the New York Islanders in 2015-16 to just 45 points in his first year in Buffalo and that total has gone down in every year since. Okposo was on pace for just 24 points this year and may not even reach that mark. The Sabres would be quick to part ways with Okposo, who has three years at $6MM annually left on his contract, taking up valuable cap space that the team needs to use to improve the rest of their roster.

Calgary Flames: Milan Lucic

– Even with the salary being retained by the Edmonton Oilers on Lucic’s contract, his $5.25MM cap hit is still a pain for the Flames. The veteran power forward is not going to score 20+ goals or 50+ points in a season ever again and Calgary could do more with the added cap space over the next three years.

Carolina Hurricanes: Jake Gardiner

– For whatever reason, the Gardiner signing simply has not worked out as the Hurricanes had hoped. Gardiner, who was signed late last summer at a relative discount, has been a fine addition, but hasn’t been the point producer and power play ace that Carolina had hoped for. Following the deadline addition of Brady Skjei to arguably the deepest blue line in the NHL already, Gardiner and his remaining three years and $12.15MM are expendable.

Chicago Blackhawks: Brent Seabrook

– One of the more obvious choices on this list, Seabrook’s contract may the worst in the NHL right now. The 34-year-old has four years left at $6.875MM AAV on an eight-year, $55MM deal signed back in 2015. Over the term of the contract, Seabrook has declined rapidly and is a shell of his former self, regardless of health. The cap-strapped Blackhawks would not think twice about moving on.

Colorado Avalanche: Erik Johnson

– Johnson is a well-liked and well-respected long-time member of the Avalanche. However, as time has gone on the team has surrounded him with better, younger, and more affordable blue line options. As valuable as Johnson’s experience and leadership may be, he is an expendable piece without a clear future role. Signed through 2022-23 at a $6MM cap hit, Johnson is an expensive piece to keep around just for the intangibles and the Avs could look to use this opportunity to clear some space for some anticipated big game hunting this off-season.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Alexander Wennberg

– Blue Jackets fans have been calling for Wennberg’s head for years now and may finally get their wish. The once-promising young forward turned a 59-point 2016-17 season into a six-year, $29.4MM contract and then proceeded to regress immensely over the past few seasons instead of continuing to improve as expected. With another three years left at $4.9MM per, Wennberg doesn’t seem likely to get back to a level of play that would warrant his current cap hit and Columbus could move on, even from a 25-year-old homegrown product.

Dallas Stars: Andrew Cogliano

– The Stars are a team with numerous big names and long contracts, but their most inefficient name might just be Cogliano. Rather than using a buyout to move a heavy cap hit, Dallas could opt to trim the fat by removing a player that hasn’t been a good fit. Cogliano has showed that his six points in 32 games last season with the Stars following a trade from Anaheim was not a fluke; he followed it up with 14 points through 68 games this year. Expecting Cogliano to get back to 30+ point form in 2020-21 in his final year at $3.25MM seems hopeful at best and Dallas could use that space elsewhere with some lineup holes to fill this summer.

Stay tuned for Part II coming soon.

Hamilton, Vatanen, And Reimer Expected To Be Healthy If NHL Games Resume

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  • One team that should get a considerable boost if games resume is the Hurricanes. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that blueliners Dougie Hamilton and Sami Vatanen could be available to return which would be a big boost to their back end.  Hamilton was in the midst of a career year before fracturing his fibula in January while Vatanen has yet to play for Carolina after suffering a setback in his lower-body injury shortly after being acquired from New Jersey.  Brind’Amour also indicated that goaltender James Reimer was nearing a return from his lower-body issue before the pause as well so he should also be available.

Snapshots: NHL Draft, Ovechkin, Crosby, Guentzel

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Yesterday, the NHL postponed the 2020 NHL Draft, which had been set to take place in Montreal on June 26-27. The league did not however indicate what the plan was to make up the event, which must occur in some form or fashion prior to the 2020-21 season. However, Pierre LeBrun writes for The Athletic that there are three possible solutions for the draft make-up. The least likely would be that the draft is simply postponed to a later date and takes place in Montreal as initially planned. LeBrun does not believe that a full draft, complete with teams, prospects, and fans alike in attendance, is a realistic option. Slightly more likely would be a scaled-down version, which LeBrun compares to the post-lockout draft in 2005, that still takes place in Montreal but with far less fanfare, but even this seems unlikely. The outcome most see occurring, falling in line with what junior leagues have decided for their own drafts, would be a virtual NHL Draft, wherein teams make their picks live from their individual war rooms. LeBrun mentions the possibility of a centralized location, in Montreal or elsewhere, with team reps and top prospects in attendance to react to the virtual selections.

If the draft does move to a virtual format, LeBrun reports that the league has promised Montreal that they will receive either the 2021 or 2022 NHL Draft. He adds that the NHL may even consider combining the NHL Entry Draft and NHL Expansion Draft into one week-long event in Montreal next summer. Given the rabid fan base of the city, it would be as good a location as any – barring Seattle itself maybe – to hold the Expansion Draft. If Montreal were to lose the draft this year only to gain two drafts next year, that would be quite the consolation prize.

  • Count arguably the two biggest names in hockey as supporters of calling the regular season and jumping right into the playoffs. On a conference call today among representatives of each of the Metropolitan Division teams, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin lobbied for the NHL to skip the remaining regular season games and resume play with the first round of the postseason, in whatever format they choose. Crosby opined that playing as many regular season games as possible would be best for the integrity of the season, but he “wouldn’t mind starting right at the playoffs.” Ovechkin was more direct, saying that he is “bored” with the league’s current pause and that his Capitals “don’t want to play those extra games” and would “rather start the playoffs right away.” Unsurprisingly, Carolina’s Jordan Staal, whose Hurricanes are safely in the postseason right now, agrees with Ovechkin and Crosby, while brother Marc Staal of the New York Rangers, who were hot before the league postponed its action, would rather resume the regular season in hopes of getting in. Curiously though, Columbus’ Nick Foligno, whose Blue Jackets would be in the standard playoff structure by total points but not by points percentage, the likely determinant of qualification, supported a jump right to the postseason, while the New York Islanders’ Anders Lee, whose team is in the opposite situation, preferred to finish the regular season. Opinions are sure to change based on the length of the league’s pause, the options for returning to action, and the potential format of postseason play, but for now there is major support behind surrendering the regular season in favor of an immediate postseason of some sort.
  • There are few NHL stakeholders who are benefiting from the current indefinite break in action. One of the only exceptions is Crosby’s teammate, Jake Guentzel. Guentzel suffered a shoulder injury in late December and was given a four-to-six-month recovery window following surgery. In a normal league year, that likely meant that Guentzel would be lucky to play again this season, only able to return for the playoffs, and almost certainly wouldn’t be able to get back to full strength. However, given the delay of the current pause, the status quo has shifted. Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review relays word from GM Jim Rutherford that Guentzel’s rehab is going well and the team is optimistic that he will play again if the season resumes. Especially considering the strong likelihood that the NHL will need a mini training camp for teams to get back to game speed, Guentzel may even be back at full strength before a potential resumption of the regular season or start of the postseason in June or July. Guentzel recorded 43 points in 39 games playing with an injury-depleted forward corps prior to his own injury and would be a major asset for the Penguins, who would be the No. 3 seed in the Metropolitan Division if the playoffs began based on the current standings.

Carolina Hurricanes Agree To Terms With David & Jason Cotton

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The Carolina Hurricanes have made Tuesday morning a family affair, agreeing to terms with both David Cotton and Jason Cotton to entry-level contracts. David Cotton, the younger of the two, has been inked to a two-year deal, while Jason Cotton gets just a one-year contract. Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell released a short statement on the deals:

David and Jason both had very productive senior seasons this year. We’ve been pleased with David’s progress over his four years at Boston College, and his brother Jason was recently named a Hobey Baker Award Finalist. We’re excited to see what they can accomplish at the professional level.

David Cotton, 22, was a sixth-round selection by the Hurricanes in 2015, but Jason Cotton, 25, went undrafted and is joining the Hurricanes from unrestricted free agency. Both players recently finished their senior seasons, captaining Boston College and Sacred Heart respectively.

At this point, it’s easy to imagine more upside from David Cotton, given that he is several years younger and had more sustained success at the collegiate level. In four years, the BC forward recorded 127 points in 148 games and was even named a Hockey East First Team All-Star in 2019. His older brother meanwhile recorded just 81 points in 118 games but was named a Hobey Baker nominee after scoring 20 goals this season.

Both players will likely try their hand at the AHL level first, giving a little more depth to a Charlotte Checkers team that saw several forwards leave town during the season.

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