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Finals Notes: Rinne, Hagelin, Fisher

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Pekka Rinne has been quite poor through two contests in Pittsburgh with a horrid save percentage of .778. Headed home, the expectation is that he will get the nod to start Game 3 with a raucous home crowd behind him. But the 21 year-old backup Juuse Saros shouldn’t get his baseball hat fitted quite so securely. Predators coach Peter Laviolette has been known to take massive gambles with his goaltenders come playoffs, and he’s found success while doing it. Back in 2007, Martin Gerber was rightfully scratched in favor of Cam Ward, who had a phenomenal playoff resulting in a Stanley Cup Victory. In 2010, Laviolette benched veteran Brian Boucher to tap AHL journeyman Michael Leighton, who miraculously led the 8th-seeded Flyers to a Game 6 overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks in a Stanley Cup Final. Saros is young, to be sure, and he only has 22 NHL contests under his belt, not counting his minimal relief effort in Pittsburgh. Rinne is a former Vezina winner and by all standards has “earned” the right to start Game 3 in his home barn. That said, Ward only had 28 contests under his belt when Laviolette made him the starter. If Rinne were to somehow find the bench tomorrow, it could complicate his future in Smashville. Rinne only has two years remaining at $7 MM per season, but he has been absolutely central to GM David Poile’s strategy thus far.

  • Carl Hagelin isn’t happy to sit on the sidelines in Pittsburgh, as he was stated in an interview with the Tribune-Review. He’s frustrated with himself and his own performance, after only scoring one goal the entire playoffs and sitting out numerous contests. By all accounts, he has been a team player about the entire situation. He has never fully recovered from a lower-body injury, and the drop off in skating has been noticeable. Hagelin is having quite a different post-season than last, but his struggles didn’t begin in April. He potted only 6 goals and 22 points this season, with a shooting percentage of 4.7%. He looked out of sync with both Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel, and struggled to find his place following his demotion. The speed of Hagelin is still a deadly asset, but his play hasn’t warranted his $4 MM pricetag. When it comes time to protect players, Hagelin could theoretically find himself as a sacrificial lamb for Vegas to claim, with the dual purpose of saving cap dollars.
  • Nashville captain Mike Fisher could be considering retirement following this post-season, according to NBC Sports. He is entering the final year of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent at the age of 37. He had a solid season in Tennessee, posting 18 goals and 24 assists, an improvement over his prior two outings. He had a rough statistical start to the playoffs, going pointless through three rounds of play although he provided amazing defensive play and special teams expertise. Fisher would most likely take a moderate paycut from his current $4.4 MM to remain in Nashville for at least one more season, but his decision could be impacted by the hectic life of his wife Carrie Underwood. If he opted to retire, it would leave Nashville in a difficult situation of replacing both their leader as well as a #2 center. It seems likely that a deal can be worked out by management, especially in light of Nashville’s lengthy, successful campaign.

League-Wide Interest In Darren Raddysh

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Sometimes, the NHL Entry Draft gets it wrong. Not just the order of the picks, influenced by former biases or cultural stereotypes, letting players like Nicklas Lidstrom fall to the third round because of his heritage, or Jamie Benn to the fifth because of his competition. No, sometimes it’s even worse than that. Sometimes it misses players completely.

That’s the case for Darren Raddysh, the likely winner of OHL Defenseman of the Year and 21-year old brother of a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect drafted in the second round—Taylor Raddysh, who also had an incredible year. The elder Raddysh went undrafted through each year of eligibility and is now a free agent able to sign with any NHL team he wants, after each one passed on him dozens of times. As Scott Powers of The Athletic notes in his latest piece, the Chicago Blackhawks have considered Raddysh but you could say that for many teams. As his source tells him:

I think you might have 30 teams who would tell you the same thing. He had a very, very impressive year.

It’s true, Raddysh did have an impressive year. After two very successful seasons for the Erie Otters that saw him score 48 and 40 points, he exploded this season as an overager. While many players dominate the junior leagues after their 20th birthday, Raddysh performed on another level scoring 81 points in 62 games and another 22 in the playoffs. Even at his advanced age and on a team loaded with talent, the defenseman turned heads all over the league.

Now, there is no guarantee—or even really a likelihood—that Raddysh goes on to great things in the NHL. But you can be sure that he’ll be signing an entry-level contract somewhere, and will be given a chance to develop as a talented, puck-rushing defenseman. The fact that he’s right-handed helps his case, and though he’s not a bruising presence, he’s not small either. Standing at 6’1″, 200-lbs Raddysh can take care of himself in his own end and has enough offense to make up for it. Whether he can learn the systems of professional hockey and be sound enough positionally to make an impact is still to be seen, but people have underestimated him for too long. Now, instead of being chosen by an organization, it’s Raddysh that will get to make a selection.

Exclusive Negotiating Rights Of 33 Players Expire

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The deadline for signing draft picks has come and gone, and unless more deals come in after the fact, 33 players will see their exclusive negotiating rights expire. With it they will either re-enter the 2017 draft for the final time or become free agents, depending on their age. None of the selections were made any higher than the fourth round, though even that is an unfortunate loss for a team hoping to hit a late-round stud. Below is the full list of players:

Buffalo Sabres

Giorgio Estephan (6th round, 2015)
Gustav Possler (5th round, 2013)

Calgary Flames

Riley Bruce (7th round, 2015)

Chicago Blackhawks

Roy Radke (6th round, 2015)

Colorado Avalanche

Wilhelm Westlund (7th round, 2013)

Read more

Blackhawks, Golden Knights Discussing Possible Trade

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According to Frank Seravalli of TSN, the Chicago Blackhawks and Vegas Golden Knights are discussing a deal that would allow Vegas to select Trevor van Riemsdyk in the expansion draft on the condition that they also take Marcus Kruger in trade afterwards. Obviously, Chicago has less leverage in the talks as they will lose a player regardless, but assuring that van Riemsdyk will be available could be a strong move for the Golden Knights as they try to secure young assets. Trevor van Riemsdyk

The Blackhawks are in trouble with the salary cap once again, and desperately have to find a way to move out money this summer in order to remain viable. Kruger has always been the most likely candidate for a trade, though many fans had hoped that it would be a lesser asset going to Vegas to make him the expansion selection. Instead, it looks like van Riemsdyk will be the latest cap casualty in Chicago after last season saw the exit of Teuvo Teravainen in order to get rid of Bryan Bickell’s contract.

25-year old van Riemsdyk is under contract for this season at just an $825K cap-hit, a relative bargain after two solid seasons. The defenseman put up 16 points in just 58 games this year and has turned from an undrafted free agent into a solid 18+ minute player for the Hawks. That bargain would likely end at the end of next season, as van Riemsdyk would hit restricted free agency as a 26-year old and require a contract that bought out solely UFA years. While Vegas can afford to give him a substantial raise, Chicago cannot.

In Kruger, the Blackhawks have a player who effective but expensive. Though he is a solid checking center capable of contributing on the penalty kill Kruger has two years remaining at $3.1MM and just isn’t worth it to the team. While he could help the Golden Knights as a 27-year old third-line center, his cap-hit has to leave the Hawks this summer if they’re to fit everything in. They currently project over the salary cap, and moving out Kruger (and perhaps another, even bigger contract) would go a long way to solving that problem.

Kruger actually has a limited no-trade clause kicking in this summer, meaning the Blackhawks need to get rid of him before he can list Vegas as one of his blocked teams. It can’t happen until after the draft though, as he currently projects as one of the team’s two forwards—along with Jordin Tootoo—that meet the 70/40 exposure requirements. If the Blackhawks do in fact leave van Riemsdyk exposed and don’t move him to another team before the draft, expect a Kruger trade in the few days following.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Chicago’s DeBrincat Named CHL’s Player Of Year

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Chicago Blackhawks prospect Alex DeBrincat captured the Canadian Hockey League’s Sportsnet Player of the Year Award after the 2016 second-round pick finished a dominating season for the Erie Otters. The CHL handed out 10 awards, most notably including Nolan Patrick (Top Prospect), Sam Steel (Top Scorer), Nico Hischier (Top Rookie), Michael McNiven (Top Goaltender) and Thomas Chabot (Top Defenseman).

In DeBrincat, the 19-year-old winger scored 65 goals and added 62 assists for 127 points. The former CHL Rookie of the Year helped the Otters capture their second straight season title and the OHL championship to reach the Memorial Cup with 13 goals in 22 playoff games. Despite his offensive success, DeBrincat fell to the second round due to his 5-9, 160-pound size, but he has continued to put up good numbers.

Patrick and Hischier, the likely top two picks in the 2017 NHL draft had different years. Patrick only played in 33 games, but put up 20 goals and 22 assists for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. Hischier scored 33 goals and 48 assists in 57 games in his first season in the QMJHL for the Halifax Mooseheads.

Steel, the Anaheim Ducks’ first-round pick in 2016 won the top scorer award after finishing his WHL season with 50 goals and 81 assists for 131 points. Chabot, the top defender, actually got into one game for the Ottawa Senators this year. The 20-year-old 2015 first-round pick (18th overall) put up 10 goals and 35 assists in just 34 games for the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL.

Montreal goaltending prospect McNiven was an undrafted free agent, but signed a three-year entry level deal in 2015 with the Canadiens and flourished this year, finishing with a record of 41-9-2, a league-leading 2.30 GAA and a .915 save percentage for the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack. He was tied for first with six shutouts.

For more on the awards, check out the article on CHL’s website.

 

Snapshots: Ryan, Ottawa Injuries, Rutta, Coreau

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Partway through the season, it seemed like a given that Senators GM Pierre Dorion would approach Bobby Ryan about waiving his no-move clause for the upcoming expansion draft.  However, after a postseason where he was dominant, Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun believes that he is now a must-protect player.

Ryan led all Ottawa forwards in scoring in the playoffs with 15 points (6-9-15) in 19 games and Brennan suggests that the 30 year old is now starting to better grasp head coach Guy Boucher’s system, something he said he was having some difficulty with earlier in the season.  However, it’s also hard to overlook the fact he has five years left on a deal that carries a cap hit of $7.25MM.  The Sens are a lower budget team and Ryan has yet to surpass 56 points in any of his four seasons with the team; freeing up that money would give them some flexibility heading into the rest of the offseason.

At the end of the day, despite his postseason success, the contract may be enough of a deterrent for Vegas anyway and if that’s the case, Dorion would be wise to see if Ryan would be willing to waive his no-move, allowing the team to protect an additional forward.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Still with the Sens, blueliner Mark Borowiecki has a torn labrum in his shoulder but will not require surgery this summer, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun (Twitter links). Fellow defender Cody Ceci had also been dealing with injury issues; he mentioned to reports (including Garrioch) that he played with a broken finger more than once during the course of the year.
  • Czech defenseman Jan Rutta is leaning towards signing with the Blackhawks, Fox Sports Midwest Andy Strickland reports via Twitter. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun tweets that a final decision could come this weekend and that six teams are in the mix.  The 26 year old had a breakout season with Piráti Chomutov of the Czech Extraliga in 2016-17, recording a career high 32 points in 46 regular season games while tacking on another 13 points in 17 postseason contests.  He recently suited up for the Czechs at the World Championships, taking part in eight games while logging 15:22 of ice time per game.  Edmonton and Calgary are among the other teams who have shown interest in Rutta’s services.
  • With Detroit goalie Jared Coreau becoming waiver eligible next season and Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek on the roster, MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that the Wings could carry three goalies to start next season if no one is moved over the summer. Coreau had a good start to his NHL stint last season but struggled in his final few outings which, coupled with his waiver situation, wouldn’t give him a lot of trade value at this time.  Khan notes that the team has gone this way in the past when they were worried about losing Joey MacDonald at the start of the year back in 2006-07 and already had Dominik Hasek and Chris Osgood in the fold.  (They wound up waiving MacDonald later in the season, losing him to Boston.)

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Michal Kempny To One Year Extension

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The Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Michal Kempny to a one-year extension, the team announced this morning. The Czech defenseman scored 2G and 6A in 50 games for the Blackhawks last season. According to CapFriendly the deal is a one-year, one-way extension for $900K.

The Blackhawks signed Kempny from the KHL last season, but relegated him to the press box after acquiring Johnny Oduya at the NHL Trade Deadline. The Blackhawks are no stranger to defensive depth, and this signing should shore up a blue line that could lose the aforementioned Oduya and pending UFA Brian Campbell.

The 26 year-old defenseman is known for his speed and puck-possession skills. His 56.3 CF% led the team and furthers the Blackhawks focus on controlling the play. With Chicago ever-struggling with the salary cap, it needs to hit on some of these depth signings with potential high upside to compensate.

Maxim Shalunov Still In Blackhawks’ Future Plans

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When negotiations were ended in early April between Maxim Shalunov and the Chicago Blackhawks, it was reported that part of the reason was due to the NHL’s decision not to go to the Olympics. Turns out, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic, that the Blackhawks didn’t push very hard for him this season and are actually fine with him developing in Russia for the time being. Shalunov signed a three-year deal with his KHL club Novosibirsk Sibir before being traded to the powerhouse CSKA Moscow team. Powers writes that the Blackhawks weren’t convinced he’d score right away in the NHL, something that is important for his game. His agent echoed though that Shalunov “100%” expects to come to the NHL after the three year contract expires.

Shalunov was a fourth-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2011, and dominated the Russian junior league before coming to North America for a taste of the minor-league professional ranks in 2013-14. After playing in the AHL and ECHL for a season, he returned to the KHL more well-rounded and has started to use his size and scoring ability more and more. This year the 6’4″ forward scored 19 goals and 37 points in 49 games, leading his club. He’ll be hard pressed to repeat that on the stronger CSKA team, but will also be surrounded by more talent.

The Hawks will retain his rights for the time being and wait for him to come over as a in-his-prime 26-year old ready to contribute to their top-six right away. The big, heavy forward should be ready to take on a big role with the team then, as long as nothing comes between the two sides in the next few years. Whether the Olympic decision had anything to do with it or not, Shalunov will get a chance to compete for a spot at the Games, especially if the NHL punishes any players hoping to go anyway.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Philip Holm To One-Year Deal

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Well, as if the Canucks were upset by the earlier report that they were just a front-runner, the team has announced a one-year entry-level contract with Swedish defenseman Philip Holm. It had been rumored that the Maple Leafs and Blackhawks were two of the other teams interested. The deal will see Holm paid $925K in the NHL, and was the only length he could have accepted due to his age.Philip Holm

The 25-year old played for Vaxjo this year, recording 21 points in 52 games. Canucks GM Jim Benning released a statement about why they went after Holm.

Philip is a mobile, two-way defenceman who adds depth to our blueline. He made strides in his development last season with Vaxjo and played a strong series with Sweden at the World Championships. We’re pleased to welcome him to the Canucks organization.

It sounds as though the Canucks have been scouting Holm for a while, mentioning the strides he took this season when joining Vaxjo. Along with Calle Rosen, who signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Holm was part of one of the most mobile pairings in the league and saw his point total triple while his responsibility was also severely increased. The left-handed defender will compete right away for a job in Vancouver, especially if the team does move on from Alex Edler or Chris Tanev this summer. They had already lost one defenseman in Nikita Tryamkin when he decided to head back to the KHL earlier this spring.

Holm will be a restricted free agent after next season, making this quite risk-free as far as moves for the Canucks. They get to see if the young defenseman can be part of their team going forward, without locking up a roster spot for too long. The rebuilding team will search every avenue to try and kickstart their turnaround, and European free agents—especially ones who can hold their own against NHL talent at international tournaments—is one way to do that.

Ben Kuzma of Postmedia reported the financials on the deal. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Philip Holm’s NHL Market

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Swedish defender Philip Holm is still garnering NHL interest, according to a new report from Henrik Sjoberg in Expressen. This time, it says that four or five teams have expressed interest but the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks are the front-runners. That flies in the face of the previous report that Holm had already chosen Toronto, though when the Maple Leafs announced the signings of both Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman, it seemed like the may have moved on from Holm.

Holm was Rosen’s partner for Vajxo this season in the Swedish Hockey League, and recently represented his country at the World Championships. Team Sweden would win gold, though Holm didn’t play in the final game against Canada. He did get into seven games in the tournament though, recording three points. For Vaxjo this season, he put up 21 points in 52 games which led all defenders on his team and put him ninth in the league from the back end. At 25, he could earn a one-year entry-level deal should he sign with an NHL club.

Chicago has been on the lookout for any cheap players who could contribute next season as they continue to fight salary cap issues. The team has already signed David Kampf and are still in the running for Jan Rutta. They were also linked to Victor Ejdsell before he signed in Nashville. The Canucks on the other hand are looking for any young talent that they can get as they try to rebuild for the first time in many years. While Holm isn’t a prospect anymore, he is still young enough to be part of a rebuild should he prove his worth on North American ice. Three very different options have presented themselves to Holm, who will now have to decide where the best place to showcase his talents will be.

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