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Versteeg’s Deal With SC Bern Hits Snag

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In an unexpected twist, Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted that due to complications regarding insurance, Kris Versteeg is returning to North America and will again be available as a free agent. Dreger followed up on his original tweet suggesting that  hip surgery four years ago may have “prevented full coverage in Switzerland,” though the player is currently healthy. Versteeg had previously agreed to a one-year pact with SC Bern in the NLA league roughly six weeks ago. Now it appears his job search will have to continue.

Versteeg began the 2015-16 campaign with the Carolina Hurricanes where he netted 33 points in 63 contests before a trade deadline move sent the veteran forward west to Los Angeles in exchange for prospect Valentin Zykov and a fifth-round choice in the 2016 draft. He would tally four goals and five points for the Kings down the stretch before contributing a goal and an assist during the team’s first-round playoff loss to San Jose.

The nine-year NHL vet has won two cups with Chicago – 2009-10 and 2014-15 – and has appeared in games for six different clubs during his career. Versteeg has scored 131 goals and 313 points in 550 NHL contests.

It isn’t clear if the issues that have apparently derailed his deal with HC Bern – at least temporarily – are insurmountable or if the two sides will have an opportunity to work things out. However, if he can’t come to a resolution with the Swiss club, Versteeg would then immediately become the top free agent forward available for teams on the lookout for scoring depth. Versteeg has never recorded less than 0.4 points-per-game in a full season in the NHL and is versatile enough to contribute anywhere up-and-down a team’s lineup.

 

Manny Malhotra Retires

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Manny Malhotra, a veteran of 991 NHL regular season games, has officially retired today according to a tweet from Elite Prospects. Drafted seventh overall by the New York Rangers in the first round of the 1998 entry draft would eventually see time seven different NHL organizations during a career which spanned 16 seasons. His last action in the league came during the 2014-15 campaign when he made 58 appearances with the Montreal Canadiens.

Malhotra never lived up to the lofty expectations after being drafted by the Rangers but still carved out a respectable career as a top notch faceoff specialist and penalty-killer. For his career, Malhotra won better than 56% of the draws he took. He also scored 116 goals and 295 points in the NHL.

On March 16, 2011 Malhotra was hit by a puck in the left eye while playing for the Vancouver Canucks. He would miss the rest of that season and all but nine games in 2012-13 before the Canucks placed the veteran pivot on IR, citing the danger involved due to Malhotra’s limited vision. Malhotra would return to the NHL, converting an invitation to camp by Carolina into a job with the Hurricanes. He would go on to appear in 69 games that season and tallied 13 points while winning nearly 60% of his faceoffs.

Malhotra attempted to extend his NHL career, accepting a PTO with the Lake Erie Monsters – the Columbus Blue Jackets AHL affiliate – skating in 23 contests and scoring four goals with two assists. He was released from his PTO in March of 2016 and didn’t appear in another professional game.

Snapshots: Torres, Jokipakka, World Cup

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Raffi Torres will turn 35-years old on October 8th. He hasn’t played an NHL game since April 30th, 2014 (when the Sharks were eliminated from the postseason). He has been suspended five times during his NHL career, the latest lasting 41 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs, after agreeing to acquire his rights in a deadline deal last year, immediately loaned him back to his current AHL team, not wanting any part of him in their organization.

But somehow, he’s earned a professional tryout from the Carolina Hurricanes this fall and will skate to try and snatch a spot on their fourth line. In a piece by Chip Alexander of The News & Observer today, Torres and GM Ron Francis talk about his latest (and possibly last) opportunity in the NHL.

“I know I’ve got to change. I know I say that over and over, but I’ve got to change and I can change,” says Torres when speaking about his suspensions. He admits that what he’s done over his career is wrong, and seems genuinely convinced he could offer something to the Hurricanes this season. Francis, for his part says he has “served his time” and is willing to at least give him a look this fall. If he does make the roster, he’ll be joining his eighth NHL team in 16 years.  Here is more from around the league:

  • Among the news that Sean Monahan is still too injured to participate in the upcoming World Cup, Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia tweeted out another interesting injury tidbit. Jyrki Jokipakka, who underwent hip surgery at the end of the season is now expected to be “good to go” for the tournament. Jokipakka was part of the return for Kris Russell this past year, and was well received in his 18 game Calgary stint. He’ll be suiting up for a Finnish team that is looking like a darkhorse candidate; Patrik Laine recently won tournament MVP at the World Championships, while the goaltending tandem of Pekka Rinne and Tuukka Rask should be among the best.
  • Staying with the World Cup, Rob Vollman of NHL.com published a piece that says the possibility that the North America team wins the tournament isn’t necessarily a long-shot, due to the usual peak of physical performance around 24. Indeed, the youngster team led by Connor McDavid will have a speed advantage over the rest of the field, and can create offense at an elite level already.  The one thing Vollman mentions as a weakness though, faceoff skill, was weakened today when Monahan withdrew.  The Calgary centerman was clearly the best on the team in the circle, meaning players like Auston Matthews and Mark Scheifele will have to step up in the defensive end.

Injury Notes: Rask, Krejci, Andersen

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After working all season to rehab his injured shoulder, Victor Rask now tells Ben Pope of The News & Observer that he’s one-hundred percent healthy and ready for another big season. “I think I had a good season last year but I also want to improve and get better for every season. I think this year’s going to be even better,” said Rask, who played much of last season in a shoulder brace, still scoring 21 goals and 48 points in just his second NHL season.

“I’m just excited for the future and I think we’ve got something really good going on here.” Indeed, the Hurricanes have a strong young core of players going forward, with Rask, Jeff Skinner and Elias Lindholm up front and one of the youngest defense corps in the league. The team will hope Rask has another level this season, and can push Skinner for the team lead in points again.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Jarret Stoll To PTO

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After the Calgary Flames added Chris Higgins and the Carolina Hurricanes added Raffi Torres on professional try-outs earlier today, the Columbus Blue Jackets have decided to get in on the action. The team has invited veteran Jarret Stoll to training camp on a PTO, as Aaron Portzline reports.

Stoll, 34, spent last season between the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild contributing just nine points in 80 games. Once an effective scoring threat capable of putting up 40 points per season, Stoll hasn’t hit double digits in goals since 2010-11. Last season saw his minutes decreased to just over 12 a game, as he became a PK and faceoff specialist, hardly spending any time in the offensive zone.

Now, Stoll will try to hook on with a team in desperate need of cheap options to fill out their roster. The club is just $3.8MM under the cap, despite only having 18 players (twelve forwards and six defense) under NHL deals. While Zach Werenski, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Oliver Bjorkstrand all might make the team to provide some young inexpensive options, someone like Stoll could provide a cheap, veteran, bottom-six option for a team with so much tied up in terrible contracts.

Minor Transactions: 08/30/16

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Here is where we will keep track of the day’s minor transactions:

  • The Carolina Hurricanes will sign notorious forward Raffi Torres to a professional tryout, according to Aaron Ward. Torres is coming off a season that saw him suspended for more games than he played at any level, after he was given a 41-game ban for his hit on Jakob Silfverberg in the preseason. He did get into six games for the San Jose Barracuda, but was held scoreless. Torres was recently quoted as saying “The show or no”, referring to a possible retirement if he doesn’t make the NHL this year.
  • The Manitoba Moose have signed two players to one-year deals. Patrice Cormier and Kevin Czuczman will be suiting up for the Winnipeg Jets affiliate next season. Cormier played for the Moose last season and got into two games with the big club, not scoring a point. Czuczman is a defenseman who made his NHL debut in 2013-14 with the Islanders, but hasn’t made it back since. He scored 15 points in 74 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last season.
  • The New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate Hartford Wolfpack have signed Boston University defenseman Ahti Oksanen. Oksanen finished his BU career with 115 points in 150 games, including 35+ points in each of his junior and senior seasons. His 36 points last year ranked him second on BU, ahead of first-round pick Charles McAvoy and second-rounder Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson.
  • The Toronto Marlies have signed Jon Jutzi to an AHL contract, after inviting him to their rookie development camp in July. Jutzi, 25, played four seasons at Minnesota State University alongside Predators draft pick Zach Stepan, cousin of Derek Stepan. Jutzi got into six games with the Manitoba Moose this spring after graduating, where he was held pointless.

Carolina Hurricanes Extend Ron Francis

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After a successful offseason that saw the Hurricanes bring in Teuvo Teravainen, Lee Stempniak and get a new deal inked with young forward Victor Rask, the team has decided to extend Executive Vice President and General Manager Ron Francis through the 2018-19 season.

Francis, who ranks fifth all-time in NHL scoring with 1798 points throughout his 23-year playing career, has been the Carolina GM since taking over the role from Jim Rutherford (now Pittsburgh GM) in 2014. Under his leadership the team was a surprise playoff contender for much of last season, despite having one of the youngest groups in the NHL.

With players like Rask, Teravainen, Jeff Skinner, and Elias Lindholm being joined up front by Finnish sniper Sebastian Aho and recent draftee Julien Gauthier, while the blueline is guarded by a group almost all under the age of 26, Francis has built one of the premiere young teams in the NHL and will surely find his way back into the postseason before long.

Metropolitan Notes: Carlson, Cammalleri, Blandisi, Crosby, Hurricanes

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Washington defenseman John Carlson isn’t experiencing any further issues with a broken ankle he sustained late in February, writes CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Tarik El-Bashir.  He had screws inserted in his ankle at the time of the surgery but doesn’t expect that he will need to have those removed:

“Only if it’s really, really bugging me, and it’s not.  It’s perfect, has been the whole summer. It’s good.”

Carlson was a force on the Capitals’ blueline in the postseason, averaging a point per game while logging nearly 27 minutes per night against the Flyers and Penguins.  He’ll be expecting to log big minutes in 2016-17 as a top pairing rearguard for Washington.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Devils winger Mike Cammalleri is fully recovered from a right hand issue that caused him to miss considerable action last season, he told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. The 34 year old suited up in just 42 games in 2015-16, his lowest total since becoming an NHL regular.  Despite missing so much time, he had quite the productive season, picking up 14 goals and 24 assists, giving him his highest points per game rate since 2008-09.  Cammalleri also told Fox that he expects to surpass the 70 games played plateau in 2016-17, something he hasn’t done since ’08-’09.
  • More with New Jersey, the Devils are expected to keep some spots on the roster open for their prospects (and the potential return of Patrik Elias). Among the youngsters vying for a spot up front is Joseph Blandisi, who told NJ.com’s Chris Ryan that ankle swelling that forced him to miss development camp last month has subsided and that he’ll be ready to push for a regular role in training camp.  Blandisi recorded 17 points in 41 games last season but failed to score a goal in his final 23 contests.
  • Hockey Canada has named Penguins captain Sidney Crosby as team captain for their entry into the upcoming World Cup of Hockey.  Chicago’s Jonathan Toews and Montreal’s Shea Weber were named alternates.
  • The Hurricanes have announced their roster for the upcoming Traverse City prospect tournament in mid-September. Among the notable invitees are 2016 first rounders Jake Bean and Julien Gauthier, 2014 first round pick Haydn Fleury, and forward Sergey Tolchinsky, who got into a pair of games with Carolina last season.

Questions For Young Players Requiring Waivers

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One of the trickier aspects of setting a post-camp roster is the waiver requirement. It is believed of any team’s prospects who aren’t on the NHL roster that they aren’t NHL ready, but possess the potential to get there some day. The problem is that sometimes a player reaches a level of experience that forces them to go through waivers to be demoted before they’ve reached that potential.

Some teams, like the Maple Leafs with Joe Colborne in 2013, trade these players and acquire an asset rather than losing them for nothing. Other times, a team takes its chances and waive a player, hoping nobody has the roster space or desire to claim them. Frank Corrado was waived last year, and to the consternation of many Canucks fans, was claimed by the Leafs. There are also likely some who get their roster spot over more deserving candidates because their team is scared to lose them. We’ll leave you to speculate on that one.

So, who are some of the players who could force teams to make tough decisions in October?

  • Josh Leivo – Leivo has been a pretty good minor league scorer so far, and possesses a definite big-league shot. Last year, in 12 games with the Leafs, he had five goals. His skating has improved, and he’s got a big enough body to create space for himself and his big release. He’s also not in the realm of a can’t-miss prospect, and his peak role is likely as a secondary scorer. The Leafs have a lot of young players fighting for spots, and Leivo may be in tough. What makes it difficult for Toronto is that Leivo also doesn’t have quite the profile of a guy that brings back an asset. If he can’t make the team, and they think he can still be a player, they may decide the odds of keeping him through the waiver process are better than the odds of the late draft pick they might get becoming an NHL player.
  • Scott Harrington – Harrington had a whirlwind year from July 2015 to June 2016.  A second round pick of the Penguins in 2011, he made his NHL debut for Pittsburgh in 2015. He was then dealt to Toronto as part of the return for Phil Kessel. His season started well, making the team out of camp, and playing 15 games before being sent to the Marlies. He was eventually injured, missing all but 17 games. In June he was traded to Columbus for Kerby Rychel. The Blue Jackets are in a low-risk situation with Harrington. Even if they end up having to waive him, a condition of their trade with the Leafs was that should he be claimed, they’d also receive a fourth round pick. The Blue Jackets can afford to take the risk, knowing they will still get an asset in return should they lose him.
  • Matt Puempel – Drafted by the Senators in the first round of 2011, Puempel looks like another player hoping to be a solid depth scorer. Last year he had 17 goals in 34 AHL games, but just two goals in 26 NHL games. We’ve written about Puempel’s push to get regular playing time before. The Senators have a pretty deep group of forwards to begin with. Puempel may be one of the more likely players to get traded on this list. As a former first round pick, he’s got the pedigree to entice a team into giving up a serious return, maybe a second or third round pick. But given the Senators roster, he may look good enough for one GM, even if he’s passed over in Ottawa.
  • Ryan Murphy – Murphy was the 12th overall pick in 2011, and produced enough offensively in junior to raise hopes. He first played in the NHL in the 2014 season. Murphy got 48 games in, while playing another 22 for the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL. In the two years since then, he’s played progressively more in the AHL, and progressively less in the NHL. 35 points in 124 games as a 23 year old defenseman is impressive, and his AHL numbers are typically at or just below a point-per-game pace. There’s definitely still something there, but the Hurricanes seem to be giving him less rope every year. While it’s hard to know their thinking, they may see training camp as his last opportunity to demand a spot. The Hurricanes defensive depth provides yet another roadblock.

Potential 2016-17 Impact Rookies: Aho, Bjorkstrand, Werenski, Buchnevich

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It seems we’ve spent most of the offseason talking about Jimmy Vesey and pondering which of his many suitors would ultimately be fortunate enough to add him to their ranks. That chase is finally over with the New York Rangers coming out on top in their efforts to land the prized UFA forward from Harvard. Whether or not Vesey performs up to the high expectations all of the summer hype would suggest remains to be seen, of course, but this saga serves as a reminder of just how much teams value young talent on entry-level deals.

With the salary cap – or in some cases, internal budgets – forcing teams to allow quality veteran pieces to depart each summer in search of a bigger pay day, teams need young players to step in and fill roles vacated by experienced players. The CBA limits how much a player can earn on their ELC thus allowing clubs more freedom to spend lavishly on star players as long as they have enough young talent to balance out their budgets. By virtue of his status as an UFA limited to signing an ELC, Vesey has understandably garnered an unusually high level of attention for a soon-to-be first year player but he won’t be the only rookie expected to make a near immediate impact with his team in 2016-17.

In a series of posts, Pro Hockey Rumors will profile first-year players who will have an opportunity to step in right away and fill a potentially critical role for their team. Today we start in the Metro Division. (Note: In an effort to keep these posts relatively short, some divisions may be covered in multiple posts).

Sebastian Aho (Carolina) – Aho was the Hurricanes second-round choice in the 2015 draft out of Finland and signed his ELC with the club in June. He led his Liiga team (Finland’s top professional league), Karpat, in scoring in 2015-16 tallying 20 goals and 45 points in 45 games. Aho also has achieved remarkable success representing his home country at both the 2016 IIHF World Championships and the 2016 World Juniors. He recorded seven points for the silver medal winning Finns at the World Championships while averaging two points per game – 14 in seven contests – in helping Finland win gold at the Juniors tournament.

It would seem given his performances on some of the biggest stages in the sport that Aho should be ready for the NHL game. Count Hurricanes GM Ron Francis among those who believe Aho can contribute in Carolina immediately.

“Sebastian is regarded as one of the top prospects in hockey and is ready to begin his North American career. He had a tremendous season as an 18-year-old playing against men in Finland’s top league, and was outstanding in international competitions including the recent World Championship. He will play an important role for the Hurricanes moving forward.”

Carolina’s depth chart on Roster Resource lists Aho as the team’s third right wing and given Francis’ quotes, it seems probable he will be given every opportunity to become a key contributor right out of the gate. The Hurricanes have an excellent young blue line but need help up front if they wish to challenge for the playoffs. Aho’s skills and playmaking abilities would be a welcome addition to Carolina’s forward ranks.

Oliver Bjorkstrand (Columbus) – Danish forward Oliver Bjorkstrand proved he was ready for a prime time role with the Blue Jackets during an impressive playoff run as a member of the Lake Erie Monsters, Columbus’ AHL affiliate. The Monsters lost just one game en route to winning a Calder Cup and Bjorkstrand helped pave the way tallying 10 postseason goals. He was even more prolific in the Calder Cup Finals scoring five times, with three proving to be of the game-winning variety.

His head coach with the Monsters, Jared Bednar, had this to say about Bjorkstrand:

“He has a will to win that’s unparalleled, and that’s why he has always been successful, no matter where he’s been.”

The Blue Jackets have several quality young players that will soon be ready to challenge for NHL roles but Bjorkstrand’s determination and recent postseason success should give him an advantage over his peers at cracking the Columbus lineup. Columbus could theoretically compete for a playoff spot, assuming a return to health and form from goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, along with an improved defense corps. Bjorkstrand should add more skilled depth to the forward group and he could enjoy a productive season if he finds chemistry with the right players.

Zach Werenski (Columbus) – Possibly joining Bjorkstrand in Columbus in time for the 2016-17 season is D Zach Werenski. Werenski, the team’s first round pick in 2015, eighth overall, played two seasons at the University of Michigan prior to signing his ELC last spring. He would see action in seven AHL regular season games, scoring one goal, before embarking on an excellent playoff run. In 17 postseason contests, Werenski tallied five goals and 14 points in helping the Monsters to the Calder Cup.

Werenski already boasts NHL size at 6-foot-2 and 209 pounds and adds tremendous skating ability as well as poise under pressure. Even after the addition of rising star Seth Jones via a mid-season trade with Nashville and the presence of Ryan Murray, Werenski has an excellent shot to break training camp with the big club. If Werenski develops as expected, the Blue Jackets could quickly transform their blue line from one of the league’s worst to one of the best in relatively short order.

Pavel Buchnevich (New York Rangers) – Vesey isn’t the only rookie the Rangers will likely be welcoming to the lineup for the 2016-17 season. Pavel Buchnevich, the team’s top prospect and a 2013 third round choice, elected to make the jump to North America and signed his ELC this past spring. While skating in the KHL, widely considered the second best league in the word behind the NHL, Buchnevich tallied a respectable 37 points in 58 regular season games.

To put those numbers in a bit of perspective, Rob Vollman in the Hockey Abstract has constructed a predictive chart to convert offensive numbers from one league to another based primarily on historical data involving players appearing in both leagues and how they’ve fared moving from one to the other. Buchnevich’s points-per-game ratio in the KHL projects to be roughly the equivalent of a 40-point campaign in the NHL based on Vollman’s chart. That’s pretty solid for a 20-year-old player.

The Rangers wouldn’t seem to need much of an offensive boost after finishing seventh in the NHL in goal scoring and returning much of their top-six forward talent – excepting of course the swap of Derick Brassard for Mika Zibanejad – but Alain Vigneault tends to use his third line as much or more than most NHL head coaches. That should allow for a rookie with the skill and ability of Buchnevich to earn quality ice time while also shielding him from the tougher match-ups.

 

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