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Snapshots: Messier, Granato, Blake

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Ahead of Game Seven between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals, this year’s finalists for the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award were announced by NBC Sports, including ’Canes captain and “Mr. Game Seven” himself, Justin Williams. Williams joins Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano and Nashville Predators forward and former Philadelphia Flyers fan favorite Wayne Simmonds as the three players being considered for the honor. An award unlike any other in sports, these finalists are determined by input from fans, team officials, and league executive alike, but the winner is ultimately determined by Mark Messier himself. Messier, considered one of the best leaders in league history, chooses the candidate “who best exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice”. The list of past winners of the award, dating back to its origins in 2007, include some of the most recognizable leaders in the game, many of whom remain active, such as Sidney Crosby, Zdeno Chara, Jonathan Toews, and Shea Weber. Williams, Giordano, and Simmonds are all great candidates to join their ranks.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks and assistant coach Don Granato have “mutually agreed” to part ways. Granato was hired by Joel Quenneville in 2017, but does not appear to have been a fit for Jeremy Colliton’s staff. The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus writes that Granato specifically worked with younger players as a go-between for Quenneville, but that role was redundant under the younger Colliton. Granato has been coaching since the early 90’s and should be able to find a new gig in no time. In fact, he very likely has an open invitation to return to the University of Wisconsin to coach under brother Tony Granato with a Badgers squad that has their eye on a National Championship next season.
  • Speaking of the college ranks, the University of North Dakota received an intriguing commitment today in the form of a legacy player. 15-year-old Jackson Blake, son of long-time NHLer and former Fighting Sioux standout Jason Blake, announced that he would be following in his father’s footsteps by joining the program – in 2022. Blake currently plays for powerhouse Shattuck St. Mary’s and finished the season in second on the U-15 team in per-game scoring with 24 points in 27 games. As one would imagine about a young teenager, Blake is still small at 5’5″; however if he reaches or exceed’s his dad’s 5’10” frame, Blake should be more than capable of making an impact at the college level down the road.

Ilya Mikheyev Expected To Make Decision Soon

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We heard a few days ago that KHL forward Ilya Mikheyev was being pursued by the Vegas Golden Knights, but they’re not the only team trying to get him under contract. Today, Igor Eronko of Sport-Express has heard that the Toronto Maple Leafs are among the final few teams, while Darren Dreger of TSN includes Vegas and the Chicago Blackhawks as well. Dreger notes that a majority of the league has shown interest, and that a decision is expected this weekend.

Mikheyev, 24, is a versatile forward that has played several seasons in the KHL with Avangard Omsk. This year he finished with 23 goals and 45 points, before putting up another 11 in his 13 playoff appearances. The 6’2″ winger is a great skater and plays his off-wing, allowing him to use his speed to drive the net and get shots away in tight. Whether that offense would translate to the NHL is still unclear, but teams are more than willing to take a chance.

He will be limited to a one-year entry-level contract whenever he does sign, likely with some sort of agreement to get a chance at the NHL in 2019-20. Teams courting him may well include a European Assignment Clause, allowing him to return to the KHL if they try to send him to the minor leagues. That is of course unless Mikheyev is committed to the long haul in North America and is willing to work with a development team to maximize his NHL potential.

Evan Barratt To Stay At Penn State, Ivan Nalimov Unlikely To Sign

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  • Blackhawks prospect Evan Barrett has decided to remain at Penn State for his junior year, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required). The center, a 2017 third-round pick, had a strong sophomore season with 43 points in 32 games and gave serious consideration to turning pro.  He recently underwent surgery for an undisclosed injury and will miss two-to-three months.
  • Meanwhile, from the same report, Powers notes that goalie prospect Ivan Nalimov is unlikely to sign with the Blackhawks. His KHL contract with Avangard Omsk is set to come to an end next week but with several others already ahead of him on the depth chart, he could be looking at spending time in the ECHL next season.  If another team has interest in him, he could be a trade candidate but the odds of that will decrease if he signs an extension in Russia.

Jacob Nilsson Signs One-Year Extension

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The Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Jacob Nilsson to a one-year contract extension. Nilsson current deal was scheduled to expire in July and make him a restricted free agent, something that will now be delayed until 2020. The forward will earn $700K next season on the one-way contract.

Nilsson, 25, signed with the Blackhawks last spring after a successful rookie season in the SHL, but ended up playing in the minor leagues for most of the year. In 61 games with the Rockford IceHogs he recorded 32 points and apparently did enough to earn another contract. The versatile forward was undrafted and spent several years playing in Sweden’s second league, now looking like the classic late-bloomer.

In his two games with Chicago he failed to register a point. Next season he will be waiver eligible, meaning if the team wants him to spend time in the minor leagues again they’ll have to make him available for the rest of the league. That will likely be at the end of training camp when rosters are fullest, as they try to sneak him through. That is of course unless the team believes he can be a full-time contributor at the NHL level in 2019-20.

Ian Mitchell Will Return To College For Junior Season

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The Chicago Blackhawks won’t get to sign one of their top prospects just yet, as Ian Mitchell has informed the University of Denver that he will be back for his junior season. Mitchell explained his decision:

In the past few days since our season ended, I have had the chance to reflect on the year and the season our team had. It became clear to me during that time that I did not feel ready mentally or physically to leave Denver. I believe this is the best place for me to become a better hockey player and as a team we have an opportunity to do something very special next year. I would like to thank the Chicago Blackhawks organization for being so supportive and respectful of my decision to remain in school and continue my development. I am looking forward to next season.

Chicago will get another chance to sign Mitchell next spring, and he is not scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent until the summer of 2021. Though his decision today may worry Blackhawks fans that he will go that route and try to hit the open market after four years in college, he told Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required) that the plan is still to sign with Chicago down the road:

I really want to stress that I want to play for the Blackhawks, and by no way is this is my intention to go through that free agency loophole. They put a lot of faith in me and developed me a ton, the Blackhawks have. I want to honor that, and it’s a fantastic organization and I want to play for them for a long time.

While reassuring, it still means the team will not be able to directly control his development next season or have him at their disposal. The Blackhawks turned things around somewhat in the second half of the season and showed that they might be able to contend for a playoff spot in 2019-20, but will need some of their young defensemen to take big steps forward and contribute even more than they have. Mitchell may or may not have not been able to do that in the NHL right away, but he certainly won’t now—at least during the regular season.

The 20-year old defenseman will instead try to dominate the college ranks and take Denver back to another Frozen Four appearance. In 39 games this season he recorded 27 points, but could improve on that next year and even potentially contend for the Hobey Baker. He was a nominee this season but failed to make the final ten names, as the award eventually went to Cale Makar.

Gustav Forsling Could Make Sense As A Trade Chip This Summer

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Blackhawks defenseman Gustav Forsling had a bit of a tough season.  He missed time with three separate injuries and didn’t have a significant role when he was in the lineup, averaging a little over 17 minutes a night.  With several quality defense prospects on the horizon as well as their other blueliners on the roster, John Dietz of the Daily Herald suggests that the 22-year-old could make sense as potential trade bait this summer.

Consistency has been an issue for Forsling thus far.  Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton called him their best defender some nights but there were others where he was a non-factor.  The potential is still there for him to become an impact player and he certainly would carry some trade value around the league.  Moving him could allow someone like Slater Koekkoek (or Henri Jokiharju, though he plays the other side) to move into a regular spot for next season while bringing in a decent piece, presumably up front.  Forsling will be a restricted free agent this summer and is owed a qualifying offer of just over $874K in June.

Snapshots: Kane, Bruins, Thornton

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USA Hockey has announced their captain for the upcoming IIHF World Championship and it will once again be Chicago Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane. Kane served as captain of the team last year when they took home a bronze, and has competed several times internationally.

The club is expected to release their preliminary roster later this week, but it appears as though they will be one of the favorites again. The American squad will also feature Kane’s teammate Alex DeBrincat, along with others like James van Riemsdyk and Quinn Hughes. The group will be led by Jeff Blashill behind the bench, and play their first official game on May 10th against Slovakia.

  • When the dust settled on game two between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, it appeared as though both teams would lose players for their next matchup. Nazem Kadri is expected to be given a long suspension for his cross-check to the face of Jake Debrusk, but the Bruins forward was back on the ice today at practice and is expected to play tonight. The same can be said about Torey Krug, who will take part in the game despite looking severely injured after taking a big hit from Jake Muzzin. Kadri meanwhile is having his in-person hearing in New York with the league.
  • After Kadri’s hearing the league will also be looking at Joe Thornton’s hit from the San Jose Sharks-Vegas Golden Knights game according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Thornton made considerable contact with Tomas Nosek’s head, and received a two minute minor penalty for it. It’s not clear if the hit will rise to the level of supplemental discipline, as the Department of Player Safety has not yet announced a hearing for Thornton. UPDATE 1:15pm: The league has announced a hearing for Thornton. It will happen today.

Central Notes: Makar, Seabrook, Boyle

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While the Colorado Avalanche face off against the Calgary Flames tonight, management may be looking in another direction for a short while as the team’s top prospect, University of Massachussetts defenseman Cale Makar, will finish his college season tonight after the NCAA National Championship concludes.

In that manner, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post writes that the Avalanche intend to sign Makar to a entry-level contract the moment the game ends with the idea of burning his first year this season. However, whether that will make him available for Game 3 of the Avalanche’s playoff series on Monday is another question. Head coach Jared Bednar shared that he too is still in the dark:

“Right now I’m worried about the guys in the room and the game tonight. Yeah, I’m sure it’s a possibility (Makar joins the team Sunday). I don’t know. But that’s a better question for (general manager) Joe (Sakic).”

Another possibility is the team signs him, but opts against playing Makar to preserve the first year of that entry-level contract as the team is already quite deep on defense and there are questions of how quickly Makar can adjust to the team’s system in just one or two days. Although much of that speculation will come after Makar has practiced with the team, maybe as early as Sunday.

  • The Daily Herald’s John Dietz writes that one interesting comment that came from general manager Stan Bowman a few days ago was his belief that veteran defenseman Brent Seabrook needs to make some changes to his off-season conditioning program. Seabrook who saw his playing time dramatically drop towards the end of the season, might want to make changes much like Jonathan Toews did last offseason that sparked his impressive season this year, according to Bowman. Seabrook, however, didn’t seem interested in making major changes this summer. “I’m not going to shake anything up, no,” Seabrook said. “I lost my trainer … so last year was my first summer with (the Blackhawks’) Paul Goodman and I thought it went real good, and (I) felt good coming into this season. Continue doing that.”
  • The Nashville Predators are without forward Brian Boyle in Saturday’s Game 2 against the Dallas Stars due to illness, according to the Tennsessean’s Erik Bacharach. Boyle is day-to-day, but will be missed as he is known for his hits, including a big hit against Stars’ forward Jason Dickinson early in Game 1. The Predators replaced him in the lineup with Rocco Grimaldi.

Morning Notes: Denver, McDavid, KHL

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The Denver Pioneers were eliminated from the NCAA Frozen Four tournament last night by an overtime goal from Marc Del Gazio of the UMass Minutemen. That means their players are free to sign entry-level contracts with NHL clubs, including top prospect Ian Mitchell. The Chicago Blackhawks draft pick told Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required) earlier in the year that he wanted to play with them “as soon as [he] can” though nothing had been decided yet on his future. The 20-year old was the 57th overall pick in 2017 and recorded 27 points in 39 games for DU this season.

What the win also means is that Cale Makar is moving on to the NCAA final and can’t join the Colorado Avalanche until at least after tomorrow’s championship game. The young defenseman is expected to join Colorado right away and could potentially jump into their series against the Calgary Flames. That’s still on the back of his mind though, as the Minutemen prepare for Minnesota-Duluth.

  • The Edmonton Oilers sent Connor McDavid for second and third opinions on his leg injury this week according to Sportsnet, though they do not have any information on what exactly is wrong with the superstar forward. McDavid injured the leg when he slid into the post during the team’s last game of the season, and will not be suiting up for Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Championship.
  • Igor Eronko of Sport-Express tweeted some KHL notes this morning, reporting that Los Angeles Kings forward Nikita Scherbak could be heading to the KHL next season. The 23-year old forward is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer after his current deal expires, and could potentially bolt for Russia. Scherbak, originally a first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens, was claimed on waivers this season by the Kings but failed to make much of an impact at the NHL level. The winger has just eight points in 37 NHL games across his career.
  • Eronko also notes that Rushan Rafikov, a seventh-round pick of the Calgary Flames back in 2013, has signed a two-year extension with Lokomotiv. The 23-year old defenseman set a career high with 14 points in 48 games last season, and doesn’t appear interested in the NHL at this point. The Flames will maintain his exclusive draft rights indefinitely.

Russia Announces Several Players For IIHF World Championship

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The Russian National Team has announced several players who will begin preparation next week for the upcoming IIHF World Championship, and there are interesting notes to be gleaned from the list. The group is not exhaustive, meaning that several other players will join the team after being eliminated from their respective KHL or NHL playoffs, while not every player listed may end up suiting up at the tournament in May. The announced names:

Goaltender:

Alexandar Georgiev, New York Rangers

Defensemen:

Artem Zub, SKA St. Petersburg
Dinar Khafizullin, SKA St. Petersburg
Vladislav Gavrikov, SKA St. Petersburg
Artem Sergeev, Salavat Yulaev
Ilya Lyubushkin, Lokomotiv
Egor Yakovlev, New Jersey Devils
Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia Flyers

Forwards:

Ilya Kovalchuk, Los Angeles Kings
Vladislav Namestnikov, New York Rangers
Artem Anisimov, Chicago Blackhawks
Evgenii Dadonov, Florida Panthers
Alexander Burmistrov, Salavat Yulaev
Vladimir Tkachyov, Salavat Yulaev
Nikita Gusev, SKA St. Petersburg
Sergei Plotnikov, SKA St. Petersburg
Nail Yakupov, SKA St. Petersburg
Alexander Barabanov, SKA St. Petersburg

First and foremost, the eye will immediately be drawn to Gusev’s name after reports this morning indicated that he may be on his way to the Vegas Golden Knights instead. While Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Gusev’s representation is working to get him out of the last few weeks of his contract with SKA, the Golden Knights themselves have refused to comment on the situation. It’s not clear at this point if he will be allowed to join Vegas for an NHL playoff run, or if Gusev is instead going to join the national team and participate in the upcoming tournament.

Next is Provorov, who is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. Players often avoid going to the tournament if they don’t have a contract for next season due to the injury risk, but perhaps the Flyers have already done work to remedy that situation. In fact, the Russian press release indicates that Provorov will “join the team after he signs a new contract” indicating that they might not be waiting very long. The tournament starts on May 10th, well before Provorov would actually become an RFA.

Dadonov and Anisimov will also not be joining the Russian team right away. The former is dealing with a minor injury and will have to be cleared by the Panthers before reporting, while the latter is said to be joining the group on April 26th.

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