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Latest On Artemi Panarin

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September 13th, the day that training camp opens for the Columbus Blue Jackets, is coming quickly. That’s also the date set by star forward Artemi Panarin to have all “business matters” pertaining to his next contract dealt with, leaving the Blue Jackets with just over a month to convince him to sign a long-term extension. Panarin isn’t even willing to negotiate at the moment, which puts GM Jarmo Kekalainen in a very tough position and could eventually force him to trade his best offensive weapon. The 26-year old forward is heading into the final year of his current contract, and could choose his landing spot as an unrestricted free agent next summer. As Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required) reports, Panarin would seriously consider the Chicago Blackhawks as that landing spot, returning to the place that gave him his first NHL opportunity.

Chicago traded Panarin a year ago in a blockbuster deal that brought Brandon Saad back, but could end up with both if they were to convince the former to sign again in the summer of 2019. The Blackhawks were the team who first convinced Panarin to come to North America, signing him out of the KHL after he recorded 62 points for SKA St. Petersburg in 2014-15. That SKA team also included Ilya Kovalchuk and Evgeni Dadonov, who have both found their ways back to the NHL in Los Angeles and Florida respectively. Both might be considered contenders for Panarin’s services should he hit the open market, but it’s Chicago’s interest that makes the most sense.

Panarin found instant chemistry with Patrick Kane upon arriving in North America, resulting in Kane’s best two offensive seasons of his career. In 2015-16 Kane scored 106 points and won the Hart and Art Ross trophies, a level that the Blackhawks are dying to get him back to as they try to contend with their current core. Last season without Panarin on his wing, Kane reverted to 27 goals and 76 points, numbers very similar to what he’d put up before the two were put together. While those are still outstanding totals for the talented winger, bringing the pair back in 2019 would obviously be an attractive proposition.

In 2017-18 though, Panarin proved he could drive a line all by himself. Scoring a career-high 82 points, the 26-year old winger found a nice match with young center Pierre-Luc Dubois who was barely even expected to make the Blue Jackets roster. Instead, Dubois finished second among all Blue Jackets forwards with 48 points and eighth in Calder Trophy voting as one of the league’s best rookies. While Dubois looks like he’ll be a top option for the Blue Jackets for a long time, taking Panarin off his wing for this season could lead to disastrous results for the 20-year old center. That, and the fact that the team relied so heavily on Panarin’s offensive creativity, make it quite a difficult decision for Kekalainen. With the Blue Jackets expecting to compete for the playoffs once again, does he remove his best forward in order to get some future assets, or does he roll the dice and hope he can convince him to stay after the year is over?

For now, Blackhawks fans should just be happy that there isn’t any bad blood between Chicago and Panarin. An incredibly well-liked player for the franchise would at least consider a return if he ends up on the open market, though there would still be work to do in order to fit in what could be a huge cap hit. Panarin will likely be demanding somewhere around an $8-10MM salary, if not more depending on how this season goes. As one of the NHL’s most dangerous offensive players, he’ll be fighting off suitors during the free agent interview period.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Kyle Baun Signs In Northern Ireland

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Former NHLers, including a few 2018 free agents, continue to pop up in leagues around the globe and another has now signed in an nontraditional landing spot. Kyle Baun has signed with the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League, the team announced today. The EIHL is the pro league of the United Kingdom, with the Giants as the token Northern Ireland team.

Baun, 26, was a Group 6 unrestricted free agent this summer after bouncing around between several teams that past couple of seasons. The former Colgate University star signed with the Chicago Blackhawks out of college in 2015 and even suited up for five games with the team early on in his pro career. While Baun was later relegated to full-time AHL play for the next season and a half, he nevertheless signed a two-year extension with Chicago in 2016. However, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens before the start of that second year, 2017-18, in a one-for-one swap for Andreas Martinsen. The Canadiens then flipped Baun to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline alongside Tomas Plekanec. Despite the apparent demand for his services as a depth player, Baun has not seen any NHL action since his early days with Chicago. Now, it appears he couldn’t even find a two-way contract in North America.

By signing in the EIHL, Baun stands a good chance of becoming one of the league’s top players. A big right winger with a scoring touch, Baun was a good all-around player in the college and minor league ranks and should be able to elevate his game even further against lesser talent in the UK. He also joins a team that has focused in on North American talent this off-season; Belfast also announced that they had signed AHLer Francis Beauvillier today and just last week added veteran forward and long-time Carolina Hurricane Patrick Dwyer.

The Giants also have the honor of being the last pro team that TheoFleury suited up for, back in 2005-06. The EIHL has hosted some former NHLers from time-to-time since it was founded in 2003, but Baun and company are a sign of greater interest in playing in the United Kingdom. The selection of Liam Kirk, the first homegrown British player to be picked in the NHL Draft, has definitely piqued some interest in the league and Baun could now become a poster boy for the movement.

Gustav Forsling Undergoes Wrist Surgery

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The Chicago Blackhawks have several interesting defensive prospects pushing for spots on the NHL roster, including Gustav Forsling who impressed in 41 games last season. Unfortunately, Forsling looks like he’ll be unable to crack the team out of camp given that he underwent surgery on his right wrist today. The 22-year old defenseman is expected to be out for 14 weeks, putting his return into the early part of November and well into the season.

Forsling was just a fifth-round pick in 2014 by the Vancouver Canucks, but has developed into a legitimate top-four option for the Blackhawks with big upside left in his offensive game. Though he recorded just 13 points last season, he shows obvious talent with the puck and potential to eventually quarterback a top powerplay. While that’s the ceiling for Forsling, even just becoming a full-time player for Chicago after being acquired for Adam Clendening (who eventually returned to the Blackhawks organization last season and is now in Columbus) will be a huge win.

A position battle was brewing for the Blackhawks as training camp approaches, but now that Forsling has been ruled out we may have some clarity to who will be on the ice on opening night. Henri Jokiharju could still surprise and force his way onto the roster, but it looks like barring any sort of trade Erik Gustafsson’s spot is secure. The loss of Forsling does only magnify the lack of depth the team may have on the blue line this year though, as if Jokiharju and Adam Boqvist are sent back to their respective leagues the team doesn’t have a lot of NHL-ready talent to step in. Should Chicago suffer another injury, there’s no telling where they might turn for help.

Snapshots: Pacioretty, Lucic, Simmonds, Vilardi

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The Montreal Canadiens look like they have no choice but to trade their star player in Max Pacioretty. With the 29-year-old entering the final year of his contract and little interest from Montreal to lock him up to a long-term deal, this is their only chance to move him. However, what makes things challenging for general manager Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens is that Pacioretty is coming off a disappointing year in which he produced just 17 goals in injury-plagued season after posting four straight years of 30 or more goals.

However, time is not Bergevin’s friend and the team has little choice but to try to move his contract now rather than wait to trade him as a rental in February. NBC Sports Joey Alfieri suggests five teams that might be good fits for Pacioretty with the Chicago Blackhawks leading the way. Pacioretty would be the perfect fit for Chicago considering the team’s biggest acquisition this offseason has been backup goaltender Cam Ward. However, the Blackhawks might be challenged to put together a quality package for Pacioretty.

However, another more interesting option would be the New Jersey Devils, who have the cap space to make it work and Pacioretty, a native of Connecticut – a mere 70 miles away — might be willing to stay with a team that already has an intruiging cast including Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall.

  • In a recent podcast on Spittin’ Chiclets, Edmonton Oilers forward Milan Lucic talked about his disappointing season in Edmonton which has his name and his contract being thrown around in potential trade rumors. Regardless, Lucic had nothing but great things to say about the Oilers’ organization and takes a lot of the blame for his poor season. Lucic, who signed a seven-year, $42MM deal in 2016, still has five years remaining at $6MM AAV. However, after posting 23 goals and 50 points in the first year of his deal, Lucic’s numbers took a nosedive as he tallied just 10 goals and 34 points and he didn’t miss a single game all season. “I think it was definitely more of a mental thing,” Lucic said. “It was almost like everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for our team and for me personally and it was the snowball effect or the quicksand effect. I think my mindset got very negative last year. So I was almost my own worst enemy, where this year I’m just going in with a happy, healthier mindset.”
  • Dave Isaac of the Cherry Hill Courier-Post writes that Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall has kept a close on the New York Islanders and John Tavares situation and isn’t interested in letting any of his players go. With winger Wayne Simmonds entering the final year of his contract, will probably price himself out of Philadelphia and the fact that he likely will end up on the team’s third line this year, don’t be surprised if Hextall trades Simmonds at the trade deadline next year. The 29-year-old has put up 28 or more goals for the past four years in Philadelphia, but struggled with nagging injuries last year, tallying 24 goals.
  • The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman reports that Los Angeles Kings prospect Gabe Vilardi will not be participating in the World Junior Showcase for Hockey Canada after Vilardi suffered a back injury. While not considered serious, Vilardi has had issues with his back before as he missed all but 32 games this past year with the OHL Kingston Frontenacs. Vilardi, the team’s first-round pick in 2017, will have a chance to break into the Kings’ lineup if he has a good showing in training camp.

Central Notes: Tarasenko, Schmaltz, Keith

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The St. Louis Blues have done everything they can to retool their team to not only get them back into the playoffs, but make a deep run of it. They went out and acquired Ryan O’Reilly, signed Tyler Bozak, David Perron and Patrick Maroon and have two top prospects on the brink of joining their team in Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou.

However while answering mailbag questions, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required) suggests that the biggest improvement to the team should come from within as he believes that Vladimir Tarasenko has just scratched the surface of what he’s capable of. The 26-year-old has posted goal totals of 37, 40, 39 and 33 goals over the past four seasons, but he is more than capable of becoming the superstar that many felt he could be when he was drafted in the first round in 2010. Rutherford even compared him to Brett Hull.

However, the scribe says he needs to fix a few things if he wants to take that next step, including playing more relaxed and not let everything around him frustrate him. He also feels that although he’s coming off shoulder surgery this offseason, he needs to get into the best shape of his life and be more engaged on the ice.

  • Chicago Blackhawks’ Nick Schmaltz has come a long way since being viewed as a prospect two years ago. Now the team’s second-line center, who many view as the eventual successor to Jonathan Toews on the first line, Schmaltz feels he’s ready to take on a bigger role with the team, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. However, the first thing the 22-year-old must do is improve on his faceoffs. Schmaltz has struggled with faceoffs for two straight years, winning just 31 percent of his faceoffs in his rookie year, while improving to 40 percent this year (321 faceoffs won out of 801). Unfortunately, that number is still not good enough as the team hopes for closer to 50 percent.  “I’ve got some stuff that I’m going to continue to work on, especially in the faceoff circle,” Schmaltz said. “If I can continue to get that up, that’ll only help our team game with the puck.”
  • John Dietz of the Daily Herald interviewed Duncan Keith at the 11th annual Fan Convention on Friday and Keith, who scored just two goals on 187 shots, was quick to take the blame for the Chicago Blackhawks’ struggles last season that had them missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. The 35-year-old defender has averaged 25:13 of ATOI throughout his career, but saw those numbers decline to 23:50 last year and it might drop even further in the future. “I definitely take some of the blame from last year, knowing that there were certain things I could do better,” Keith said. “On the good things, I’ll continue to do that. Other things, I’ll try to work on and be better at.”

Concerns Remain About Corey Crawford’s Health

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The other day, Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times spoke with Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, who admitted that he won’t be carrying three goalies this season. With veteran Cam Ward now in the fold as backup, Lazerus took that to mean that young Anton Forsberg could be the odd man out, likely to be placed on waivers prior to the start of the season. Now, after speaking to the starting goaltender himself, Corey Crawford, Lazerus could be changing his tune. Although he was limited to only 28 appearances last season due to injury, Chicago has been confident that Crawford would be fully ready to begin the 2018-19 season. Not so fast says Crawford; the two-time Jennings Trophy winner admits that he is still not back to 100%.

Since before the disappointing 2017-18 campaign even came to an end, the Blackhawks have been adamant that Crawford would be back for training camp and the start of the upcoming season. Despite the fact that Crawford did not see any action after December as his recovery dragged on through the second half of the year, the team had all but assured the fans that he would be the Opening Night starter. To that promise, Crawford told the press this weekend:

“That’s hard to say right now, but it’s very possible. We’ve come a long way in the last couple months, and there’s a really good chance that could happen… (I am) feeling pretty good right now, [but] I am not at 100 percent yet… Treatments are going well, and we’re making small steps. And I’m getting a little better, so it’s a process,” he said. “It’s been a process since I left in December. It hasn’t been easy.”

Clearly, Crawford is heading in the right direction, but his own apprehension – as well as the strong emotions Lazerus noted – indicate that this injury saga may not be over just yet. Crawford’s injury has never been specified by the team, but whatever it is has taken a lot of work to get through. Crawford has no doubt that he will back to his old self at some point, but he just isn’t sure when that will be.

The Blackhawks desperately need Crawford to be back at his elite level as soon as possible and in shape to avoid further injury. Much of their struggle last season came from incompetent goaltending after Crawford, who began the year with a stellar .929 save percentage and 2.27 GAA, went down. Forsberg, Jean-Francois Berube, and Jeff Glass all struggled immensely in his absence, although Forsberg was the best of the three. Ward is a step up as backup and he and Forsberg could carry the torch for a short period, but a healthy Crawford is the only way that Chicago gets back to the postseason this year. That makes his news all the more troublesome for Blackhawks fans.

 

Poll: Who Is The Most Likely To Bounce Back The Best From Injury?

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Injuries plague teams every year and are often hard to predict or prepare for. Yet every season, several key players find their seasons ruined due to an injury. While the league didn’t really lose a superstar player like the Tampa Bay Lightning did in 2016-17 when Steven Stamkos went down with a torn lateral meniscus in his knee and appeared in just 17 games. However, there quite a few players who went down for a chunk of time that definitely diminished their seasons. However, assuming everyone is back healthy, who will come back and have the best season next year?

Among those that missed the most time include Jeff Carter of the Los Angeles Kings, who missed 55 games with a leg injury. The 33-year-old posted a solid 13 goals and 22 points in 27 games when he returned and should be poised to put up big numbers next season, centering the second line likely alongside Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli. The question is when will Father Time catch up with him. Speaking of Father Time, San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton missed quite a bit of time in the second half of the season when he suffered a knee injury that knocked him out for 35 games. The 39-year-old posted 13 goals and 36 points last season in just 47 games and could put up more impressive numbers if he can get in a full season.

Several players suffered through injuries, but also saw their numbers decline due to the lack of success of their franchises, including the New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider. The 27-year-old was looked to a year ago to lead the team in scoring after he posted a 28-goal season in 2016-17, and had 11 goals before being diagnosed with a blood clot, requiring surgery. He came back to add another five, but was far from the star forward the struggling Rangers needed. Montreal Canadiens’ Max Pacioretty also struggled last year, posting just 17 goals in the first 64 games before going down for the season with a knee injury. That production was a far cry from the four straight 30+ goal seasons he has put together before that. Can he bounce back to form whether that’s with Montreal or another team?

The Rangers also were without their star defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk for 36 games with a knee injury. The team signed to a four-year, $26.6MM deal last offseason and was looked upon to quarterback the Rangers’ offense. However, the 29-year-old managed just five goals and 18 assists in 46 games. Defenseman Justin Schultz also didn’t produce the big season that the Pittsburgh Penguins were hoping for as the 28-year-old blueliner missed 19 games with a lower-body injury. He went from a 12-goal and 51-point season in 2016-17 season to just four goals and 27 points this past year.

Goaltending also has quite a few options on players hoping to bounce back and while the Chicago Blackhawks’ Corey Crawford might be an obvious candidate, the veteran goalie did post excellent numbers (2.28 GAA, .929 save percentage) before he went down with what is believed to be a concussion. However, Montreal’s Carey Price was struggling quite a bit when he went down with a concussion. Price, who had just signed an eight-year, $88MM extension last summer, did get into 49 games, but finished with a poor 3.11 GAA and a disappointing .900 save percentage. Price has bounced back before from a down season, so there is hope the superstar goaltender can bounce back. Finally Colorado’s Semyon Varlamov struggled with injuries the past two seasons, needing two hip surgeries a year ago and then had knee issues this year. In 51 games, Varlamov finished with a 2.68 GAA, but also now has to share duties with newly acquired Philipp Grubauer if he wants to bounce back, especially since he will be an unrestricted free agent in a year.

So which player will be able to rebound from injury and return themselves to an elite player?

Pro Hockey Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Free Agent Profile: Tommy Wingels

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Depth center options are always in need, so it’s a bit of a surprise to see a fourth-line forward like Tommy Wingels remain unemployed at this point in the offseason. Teams are especially now starting to look for depth to add to their system and Wingels could find himself near the top of a list of quality veterans that teams can pick from.

Wingels, who was a solid contributor for years with the San Jose Sharks as a bottom-six forward, signed with the Chicago Blackhawks last offseason who were in desperate need of depth. Wingels performed well, but as Chicago’s season began to go south, the team instead opted to trade him, sending him to the Boston Bruins for a conditional 2019 fifth-round pick.

Wingels provides teams with that gritty edge and experience that many teams covet for their fourth line. On top of that, he has the ability to produce some offense despite his limited minutes. He posted two goals and five points in 18 games when he arrived in Boston, but failed to produce in four playoff games as he missed time after taking a hit to the head from Toronto’s Nazem Kadri. Wingels is also only four years from two 30-point seasons. In all, he totaled nine goals, 17 points, 179 hits and 45 penalty minutes in 75 games, while averaging 11:29 of ATOI.

Potential Suitors

The most obvious match would be for the Bruins to bring back Wingels. While the veteran helped fill in for an injury-plagued team in their stretch run, Wingels hardly dominated and with the plethora of young talent waiting in the wings, it’s hard to tell whether Boston would want to bring Wingels back. On top of that, the 2019 fifth-rounder they gave to Chicago would turn into a 2019 fourth-rounder if they brought Wingels back, although that may not be that significant if they wanted him.

While there are a number of teams that may look to add some grit to their depth, there are a few teams known to hoard depth, especially at the center position. The Nashville Predators are already deep, but there are some who believe the team might continue to look at a player like Wingels if they think they can pass him eventually through waivers.

A potential return to Chicago would also make sense as the Blackhawks, with their salary cap issues, are always in need for depth and are already familiar with Wingels. The team even has some cap room to afford a relatively cheap contract that Wingels would require.

Projected Contract

Wingels days of making big numbers are gone as he had to settle for $750K last year in Chicago and likely will sign a deal with similar numbers this offseason, which will make him a solid bargain. However, if he can’t get an official contract, the veteran may have to settle for a PTO.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Blackhawks Propsects, Kane, Allen

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The Chicago Blackhawks have come a long way over the last few years as the franchise has been forced to look for ways to develop young talent as their NHL club sits overloaded in bloated, unmovable contracts. Regardless, the team has done a solid job of integrating talent, including several key additions last year, most especially from Alex DeBrincat and the team was rewarded with a 28 goal season.

With the team’s development camp completed, The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) ranks all 59 of Chicago’s prospects, which he defines as players who have played less than 82 NHL games and haven’t clinched a full-time role with the team yet. One area the team has focused on has been signing collegiate undrafted free agents and Powers’ top prospect is Northeastern University signee Dylan Sikura, who signed with the team on March 25. The 23-year-old winger completed four years at Northeastern, posting 43 goals in the final two seasons and added three assists in five late-season games with the Blackhawks. The scribe expects Sikura to establish himself immediately in the team’s top-six and be a permanent fixture for a long time.

  • While not yet lumped in with likes of Brent Seabrook, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane saw his numbers decline a bit this past season, which the 30-year-old star has taken note of, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Jimmy Greenfield and Shannon Ryan. Kane played a full season, posting solid numbers with 27 goals and 76 points, but those numbers pale in comparison to the 34 goals and 89 points in 2016-17 or the 46 goals and 106 points in 2015-16. In fact, Kane failed to post a point a game for the first time since the 2011-12 season. Regardless, Kane has worked hard since the World Championships (after being named MVP) and has focused his training on lateral movement, speed and explosiveness. “The way players train now it’s unbelievable the amount of preparation and work that goes into an offseason,” Kane said. “But you’re definitely going to see results.”
  • Although St. Louis Blues goaltender Jake Allen had said in April that he doesn’t intend to change his offseason training regimen after another turbulent season, the 27-year-old goaltender recently admitted that he has made some changes to his training this summer, according to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (subscription required). Allen, who has seen his numbers get worse every year since he posted a 2.28 GAA in 37 games in 2014-15, to the point in which he had a 2.75 GAA last season, refused to admit what changes he’s made to his routine this year. “I’m not going to get into it too much, but there’s definitely a different mantra for me this summer,” Allen said. “It’s not wrapped around a specific time (of the season) or moment, but I’m really taking a lot of responsibility this summer for improving those things. I’m definitely trying a new approach this summer, and to be honest, things have actually been going really well — better than I thought I was going to take it, because I’m a pretty laid-back guy.”

Snapshots: Forsberg, Korn, Karlsson

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When the Chicago Blackhawks went out and signed Cam Ward this offseason, it created a situation where the team has three goaltenders on one-way contracts. Corey Crawford, the expected starter, is working his way back from an upper-body injury (most likely a concussion) and is expected to be ready for the start of the year—though today admitted he still is “not 100 percent” yet. The team also has Anton Forsberg, acquired in last summer’s Artemi Panarin–Brandon Saad trade on a contract worth $750K at the NHL level.

Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times spoke with head coach Joel Quenneville at today’s Blackhawks Convention, who admitted they won’t be carrying three goaltenders. As Lazerus explains, that means Forsberg will likely be placed on waivers at some point before the start of the season, giving every other team a chance at the 25-year old goaltender. Forsberg posted a .908 save percentage last season but simply wasn’t good enough to carry the load after Crawford was ruled out, something that Ward will have to try should the starter experience any setbacks or new injuries this year.

  • Mitch Korn will be joining Barry Trotz with the New York Islanders this season, after being named Director of Goaltending for the organization yesterday. Korn has been with Trotz for years, including during his time with the Nashville Predators. He’s been credited with developing (or at least polishing) goaltenders like Pekka Rinne, Braden Holtby and even Dominik Hasek over the years, a feat he’ll have to try and repeat in New York. The Islanders do have talent in their crease, especially with newcomer Robin Lehner who has shown brilliance at times throughout his NHL career but can’t seem to find much consistency. Though Korn will certainly work with Lehner and Thomas Greiss this season, his real task will be developing young Linus Soderstrom and eventually Ilya Sorokin into the elite goaltenders many believe both to have the talent to become. S0rokin is already one of the best goaltenders in the KHL, and could likely already step directly into the NHL as a starter if the Islanders could convince him to come to North America.
  • Anyone worried about Erik Karlsson’s health this season after a recovering ankle caused his play to suffer in the first half of 2017-18 need not worry, as the Ottawa Senators captain told Chris Stevenson of The Athletic (subscription required) that he’s all healed up. Karlsson dubbed his ankle 110 percent, saying that “it shouldn’t be an issue for me whatsoever” in 2018-19. You can be sure that any interested teams are listening closely, as the massive package that would be required to land Karlsson in trade would only be worth it for his former self. The 28-year old Karlsson still recorded 62 points last season after a late-season surge, but clearly wasn’t himself early on. If he’s back to the Norris-caliber defenseman he’s been for much of his career, he’ll make almost any acquiring team a powerhouse immediately.

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