Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Blackhawks Rumors

2016-17 NHL Over/Unders

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After giving us their opening Stanley Cup odds last week, Las Vegas odds-maker Bovada was back at it again today, releasing their over/under for each NHL team’s total points in the upcoming season. Not included on the list (below) are the Dallas Stars, who were left off the board by the odds-makers until more information is available regarding the injury to Tyler Seguin. The Stars are an unpredictable pick at this point regardless, as both Seguin and Jamie Benn are banged up, Valeri Nichushkin is suddenly gone, and the defense is still a risk following the departure of three starters.

While the points projections generally mirror the Stanley Cup odds, Bovada has certainly predicted some interesting scenarios. Despite having the highest Cup odds in the East, the Penguins are again expected to finish behind the Capitals in the Metropolitan Division. On second thought though, a slow start to the regular season for the defending champs would not be much of a surprise, nor would another postseason collapse for Washington. Elsewhere in the division, the Islanders and Rangers are projected to be in a dead heat for that final divisional seed, with the loser slipping into a wild card spot. Staying in the East, they see the Canadiens and a healthy Carey Price skyrocketing from their 82 point finish a year ago to 96.5 points in 2016-17, with the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators taking a corresponding dip in the standings. Out West, the battles atop each division promise to be similarly tight as they were last season, but the projected jump by Calgary and Edmonton of 10+ points from bottom dwellers to playoff contenders may be a story to watch. The good news for Vancouver Canucks fans is that they’re expected to finish with more points this season than last. The bad news? It will be good enough for last place in the league.

The easiest over to take out of this group is likely the St. Louis Blues. Although they lost captain David Backes and have to see if Jake Allen can handle his bigger workload in net, the Blues are set at 101.5 points, a mark they have beaten easily in each of the past three seasons. The Ottawa Senators are another good over, as they have hardly changed their roster this summer and finished with 85 points last year and more than that the two years prior. Their 80.5 line seems unwarranted unless you believe the rest of the Atlantic Division is in for a big year. That seems unlikely, especially when it comes to the aforementioned Canadiens, who are an easy under. Yes, the loss of Price for much of 2015-16 hurt the Canadiens, but they also had a lot of trouble scoring goals as well. The effects of the trade-off between P.K. Subban and Lars Eller for Shea Weber, Andrew Shaw, and Alexander Radulov have yet to be seen, but one would think that it’s not enough to justify a 14 or 15 point increase in points. The Oilers, somewhat obviously, are also a good choice for an under. If this many seasons of “this is the year” followed by a lottery pick haven’t tempered your expectations of Edmonton yet, nothing will. Even if they do finally improve in 2016-17, will it really be to a high-80’s point total? Doubtful.

Washington Capitals      107.5 points

Tampa Bay Lightning     106.5 points

Pittsburgh Penguins       103.5 points

Chicago Blackhawks       102.5 points

St. Louis Blues                 101.5 points

San Jose Sharks              100.5 points

Los Angeles Kings            99.5 points

Anaheim Ducks                98.5 points

Florida Panthers              98.5 points

Nashville Predators         98.5 points

Montreal Canadiens        96.5 points

New York Islanders         95.5 points

New York Rangers           95.5 points

Minnesota Wild                94.5 points

Boston Bruins                   92.5 points

Detroit Red Wings           90.5 points

Philadelphia Flyers         89.5 points

Calgary Flames                87.5 points

Edmonton Oilers             87.5 points

Winnipeg Jets                  87.5 points

Colorado Avalanche        86.5 points

Columbus Blue Jackets   84.5 points

Buffalo Sabres                  83.5 points

New Jersey Devils           82.5 points

Ottawa Senators              80.5 points

Toronto Maple Leafs      80.5 points

Carolina Hurricanes       78.5 points

Arizona Coyotes              76.5 points 

Vancouver Canucks        76.5 points

Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament Round-Up

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The 18th annual NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan took place this weekend, with games kicking off on Friday afternoon and finishing up tonight. The tourney featured eight teams, split into two divisions of four teams each playing in a round robin, followed by a series of  games today between corresponding finishers in each division.

The field included the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, and host Detroit Red Wings in the “Gordie Howe Division” and the Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, and New York Rangers in the “Ted Lindsay Division”. Each team came in locked and loaded with their top prospects, as teams got the opportunity to evaluate their young talent and the players looked to impress and make a push for a shot at an NHL role.

Playing in the 7th-place game this afternoon were the Wild and Blackhawks. Minnesota went 0-3 in divisional play, while Chicago was able to pick up one win en route to a 1-2 record. However, when the teams met head-to-head, the Wild were able to finally get a “W” with a 2-1 result. The 5th-place game featured the Blues and Stars, with Dallas taking it by a convincing 5-3 score. The Stars just missed out on finishing second in their division, losing earlier in the tournament in overtime to the Rangers to fall to 1-1-1. They proved to be too much for the 1-2 St. Louis squad though and can be satisfied with a 5th-place finish.

The 3rd-place game that ended earlier tonight was between the top prospects for the Rangers and Blue Jackets, two teams who played well in the divisional round with 2-0-1 and 2-1 records respectively. The Jackets came out on top in the end, with a 6-4 win, continuing a strong offensive performance in the tournament. However, they did see their two-year championship run in Traverse City come to an end. While the Rangers couldn’t find victory, they have to be happy with the strong play of free agent phenomenon Jimmy Vesey. Finally, the tournament finale came down to the hometown Red Wings and a stacked Hurricanes team. Carolina had dominated their opponents all weekend and came into the 1st-place game undefeated and nearly unstoppable, and their luck did not change. Led by 2016 1st-rounders Julien Gauthier and Jake Bean, the Hurricanes took the title by a score of 6-4 over the 2-1 Detroit team and the best efforts of Tyler Bertuzzi.

The teams will all now head home and re-group, as they get ready for training camp and a handful of the tournament’s best players prepare for their first taste of NHL action.

Blackhawks Discussing Extension With Artemi Panarin

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Chicago Blackhawks and Artemi Panarin’s agent Tom Lynn have been in discussions regarding a contract extension, reports the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc.  The 24 year old left winger is entering the second and final year of his entry-level contract signed last offseason with an AAV of $3.5MM including bonuses (which he hit last season).

Panarin is coming off a very strong rookie campaign, posting 30 goals and 47 assists in 80 games, ranking him second on the team in scoring behind Hart Trophy (league MVP) winner Patrick Kane.  He also finished tied for ninth overall in league-wide scoring which helped earn him the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year.

Speaking through an interpreter, Panarin commented on talks and the thought of staying with Chicago long-term:

“I came to play on the NHL level not because of money and contracts,” Panarin said via an interpreter. “My agent will deal with the rest. As of right now, I like everything and … I’m very content.”

Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that Panarin is seeking a 6-7 year contract with a cap hit between $6MM – $7MM.  Last week, our Glen Miller took a look at what the market might be, offering up Filip Forsberg and Vladimir Tarasenko as potential comparable players depending on how Panarin’s sophomore season goes.

Chicago GM Stan Bowman will have to get creative with his roster to find a way to fit Panarin in on an extension.  The team currently has 11 players signed for 2017-18 with a cap hit just shy of $58MM according to Cap Friendly.  While the salary cap for next season won’t be set until June, based on recent years the increase won’t be that dramatic which means they will likely have to move someone out to make the money work.

PHR Originals: 9/12/16 – 9/18/16

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Here is a look at the original content and analysis from the Pro Hockey Rumors staff over the past week:

  • Gavin Lee and Glenn Miller both looked at compelling restricted free agents in 2017. Gavin focused on Artemi Panarin among others while Glenn wrote about Bo Horvat and three other future RFA’s.
  • Finally, Mike Furlano outlined the reasoning for new goalie equipment rules after Bill Daly appeared on Sirius XM. Similar to the changes put in place following the strike, Mike details the changes that are coming to goalie pants regulations.

Snapshots: Team USA Reaction, Prospect Tournaments, Rantanen

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It was paramount for the United States to put themselves in a good position heading into its tilt with Team Canada on Tuesday. Instead, they made things even tougher on themselves. Lauding a gritty style that would intimidate opponents, the US looked anything but intimidating in a 3-0 loss to Team Europe. Until the third period, the US seemed to lack any sense of urgency.

USA Today’s Kevin Allen writes that while the US can still hypothetically advance, it would take a number of scenarios for that to happen. Further, Allen reports that giving up three goals in just shots never allowed the US to get control of the game. Puck Daddy’s Jen Neale writes more about how even before the game, Team USA was making odd decisions.

Head coach John Tortorella had defenseman Dustin Byfuglien as a healthy scratch, a befuddling move that had every analyst wondering what was going on. Neale goes on to write that the US team looked “listless” and then more telling, that after scoring its first goal, Team Europe sat back to allow the US to “implode on themselves.”

Frank Seravalli was even more blunt:

Just about everything Team USA had been billed as before the tournament started did not show up on Saturday for the first game of the tournament. They weren’t rugged or tough to play against. In fact, they played most of the game like the environment inside the arena: quiet and without much intensity.

The US will have to find that intensity quickly or else they will have a short stay in the tournament.

In other hockey news:

  • Gustav Forsling had an impressive showing for the Blackhawks during a 5-0 whitewashing of the Red Wings prospects at the Rookie Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. Forsling had three points, with one coming as a goal. Nathan Noel, and Alex DeBrincat each added a goal while Alexandre Fortin scored two. In other action from Traverse City, the Rangers knocked off the Stars 5-4 in overtime. Jimmy Vesey had an assist and a shootout goal in the win.
  • It appears that Mikko Rantanen’s injury is not a serious one. Mike Chambers tweets that the Avs classified it as an ankle sprain and nothing more. It was reported earlier that Rantanen suffered an apparent right leg injury that looked troubling.

 

2016-17 Season Preview: Chicago Blackhawks

at CDT | by 4 Comments

As the NHL season is just weeks away, PHR begins to look at each team in-depth. Today, we focus on the Chicago Blackhawks.

Last season: 47-26-9 (103 points), 3rd place in the Central. Lost in the first round to St. Louis, 4-3.

Cap Space Remaining: $2.49MM  via CapFriendly

Key Newcomers: Brian Campbell (D) – free agent signing (Florida), Michal Kempny (D) – free agent signing (KHL);  Jordin Tootoo (F) – free agent signing (New Jersey).

Key Departures: Bryan Bickell (LW) – traded to Carolina; David Rundblad (D) – contract termination; Andrew Shaw (RW) – traded to Montreal; Teuvo Teravainen (LW) – traded to Carolina.

Player to Watch: Nick Schmaltz – Head coach Joel Quenneville has been known to keep his young players on a short leash and it will be interesting to see how much freedom Q will give the dynamic young forward. Schmaltz has been mentioned in the same breath as former Blackhawk Brandon Saad, who was a huge piece of the team that won the Stanley Cup in 2013 and 2015. Schmaltz turned heads during the World Juniors and has an opportunity to log significant ice time as the Hawks depth isn’t what it once was.

Key Storyline: After an early exit last Spring, do the Hawks have it in them to make another run at the Cup? They had a couple months of extra rest, but still have some holes up front. Marcus Kruger is already fighting an injury and Marian Hossa has slowed a bit from the form that made him a key part of the Hawks’ three Cups. The real question is can the Hawks find talent from the youngsters they’re now counting on, specifically Schmaltz, Tyler Motte, and Vinnie Hinostroza. Corey Crawford has shown he is the man between the pipes and bringing Campbell back will shore up a defensive corps that suffered with consistency last season. Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin should continue to pace the team offensively while Jonathan Toews will be his usual steady self. For the Blackhawks, health and depth will ultimately determine their season and postseason success. Duncan Keith’s knee should hold up and ease some fan concern that something more serious is afoot following last year’s surgery.

General manager Stan Bowman may need to tinker a bit more at the trade deadline, but the assets to deal are dwindling. Then again, should Chicago’s “kids” step in, they could find themselves adding another Cup to its already impressive haul.

Blackhawks Depth Chart

Can’t Miss Games Of The 2016-17 Season: January and February

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The start of the NHL regular season may be a month away with the World Cup of Hockey and preseason still to come, but it’s never too early to get excited for the best slate of games the NHL has to offer this season. Here are the can’t miss-games for the start of the new year:

January 1st – Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

An Original Six battle AND it’s outdoors. That’s what the NHL is bringing fans with the Centennial Classic, kicking off the 100th season of the league. The Atlantic Division foes will take the ice at BMO Field on New Year’s Day, as Mike Babcock takes on his former team, who will be marching towards their 26th straight playoff appearance.

January 2nd – Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues

The Winter Classic gets bumped to the next day, as the St. Louis Blues will host an outdoor game against the rival Chicago Blackhawks. While tight playoff races will still be months away, the first battle between Central Division contenders in the new year could have a lasting affect on their postseason chances. This is one you don’t want to miss.

January 12th – New Jersey Devils vs. Edmonton Oilers

In one of this summer’s biggest moves, the Oilers traded franchise cornerstone Taylor Hall to the Devils in exchange for defenseman Adam Larsson. What will happen when the former face of the franchise returns to Edmonton? If the teams’ performances to this point haven’t pointed to a winner in the deal, then this game should give everyone a good idea.

February 25th – Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Yet another outdoor contest, the Penguins and Flyers, perhaps the best rivalry in hockey right now, square off at Heinz Field in an epic showdown. With more than just a win on the line, prepare for a big-time battle between two talented teams. An added bonus: the trade deadline will be just days away, adding more pressure to the result of the game if one (or both) of these teams find themselves on the buyer-seller line this season.

Snapshots: US-Canada Rivalry, Injury Updates

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Though the comments were tepid, many top tier Canadian players took exception to some of the late hits by Team USA during the American squad’s 4-2 victory yesterday. Jonathan Toews was careful with his comments, but was blunt about some of the questionable hits doled out by the aggressive Americans. Via the Chicago Tribune, Toews had this to say:

“Without saying too much, I think there were a couple of borderline hits there where our guys were put in some awkward positions and there’s not much you can do there. The one on Weber was the right call there. We just have to try and protect ourselves and expect that the officials are going to do what they have to do. We have no problem with the chippiness and the physical play (but) it doesn’t matter where you’re playing, I think you always have to respect the player when he has his back to you.”

Toews wasn’t the only one making careful comments. Captain Sidney Crosby and netminder Carey Price both agreed that some hits “crossed the line.” Nick Cotsonika writes that Mike Babcock put the onus on the referees to control the rough play during a game between two rivals:

“There were lots of scrums tonight. They were generated by the players. The referees can clean that up in two seconds. All you’ve got to do is put people in the box. No more scrums.”

The US and Canada meet again in exhibition play tonight.

In other hockey news:

  • The Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc writes about the concern every team has with the injuries as the World Cup begins its tournament play with an exhibition tilt. With injuries to Marian Hossa, and Marcus Kruger, Blackhawks players were understandably concerned when two significant players from their team suffered injuries. Hossa’s, as it turns out, will not limit him and Europe coach Ralph Krueger said it’s “all green lights” for Hossa to play in Saturday’s game. Kruger, Kuc reports, has a more mysterious upper body injury and will be held out of play during Saturday’s Sweden’s exhibition game against Finland. Both Patrick Kane and Toews, when asked about the possibility of injury, shrugged it off and attributed it to a risk that’s always there, regardless of the circumstance.

World Cup Injury Scares

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

One reason team executives and coaching staffs aren’t too keen on tournaments like the World Cup of Hockey is the fear one of their top players might get hurt playing in a meaningless – to them anyway – exhibition. If, for example, the Capitals lost Alex Ovechkin for any significant duration due to an injury playing in the World Cup, Washington’s chances to compete for a Stanley Cup would take a major hit. So general managers and head coaches nervously watch these games with the hope that no one gets injured and thus consequently derailing a team’s playoff hopes.

We’re just one warm-up game and a handful of practices into the tournament and already have seen a number of injury scares to key players. Here’s a quick rundown.

  • Vladimir Sobotka of the Czech Republic was injured in Thursday’s game with Team Russia and according to early reports, was transported to the hospital with an apparent shoulder/clavicle injury. Tom Gulitti of NHL.com later reported that x-rays were negative and that there was a chance Sobotka would be available for Saturday’s return tilt against Russia. However, Gulitti followed up via Twitter this morning and said that Sobotka is indeed out for tomorrow’s contest. Roman Cervenka would have ultimately replaced Sobotka in the lineup but he won’t be available in time to suit up tomorrow. Instead the Czechs will be forced to ice seven defensemen and 11 forwards. Sobotka has spent the past two seasons in the KHL but was expected to return to North America and the Blues for the 2016-17 campaign. After losing Troy Brouwer and David Backes to free agency, the hope was Sobotka would be able to pick up some of the slack in St. Louis. Even though he may miss some time in the World Cup, the early indications are the injury isn’t too severe, much to the relief of the Blues and their fans.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks experienced a bit of a scare when Marian Hossa left Team Europe’s game against Team North America after a puck struck his right foot causing the veteran Slovak to sit out the third period. But after a quick trip to the hospital revealed just a bruise, Hossa is expected to continue on in the tournament though he might still sit out future World Cup exhibition games as a precaution, according to Scott Powers writing for The Athletic. The 37-year-old Hossa, whose offensive output dropped last season to just 33 points in 64 games, is still a vital cog in the Chicago lineup due to his outstanding two-way play.
  • Earlier it was reported that superstar goaltender Henrik Lundqvist may have injured himself while on a golf outing ahead of the World Cup of Hockey. However it was later revealed he took a shot to the ribs during a practice and that he was indeed good to go for the tournament. According to Dan Rosen of NHL.com (via Twitter), Lundqvist is in fact expected to get the start between the pipes tomorrow and play the whole game for Team Sweden.
  • The news isn’t quite as good for fellow Swede and Chicago Blackhawks forward Marcus Kruger. Again according to Rosen, Kruger suffered an upper body injury which caused the pivot to miss the final 7:39 of regulation and all of OT in the game against Finland (both links via Twitter). With Kruger out for tomorrow’s contest, Team Sweden will insert Mikael Backlund into the lineup in Kruger’s place. Backlund, of course, was added to the Swedish roster as a replacement for Henrik Zetterberg.

Flyers Notes: Dutch Gretzky, Bardreau, Gudas

at CDT | by 1 Comment

When Dale Weise entered the league in 2010-11, he wasn’t seen as much more than an enforcer, meant to play less than ten minutes a night and protect his teammates. As we wrote earlier today, it’s a role he felt he was pushed back into after last year’s mid-season trade to the Blackhawks. But after posting back to back double-digit goal seasons, Weise feels like he has more to offer. In a new piece by Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post, Weise credits that to the time he spent in the Netherlands during the last lockout.

“Dutch Gretzky” as he was named during his European stint, Weise scored 22 goals in 19 games and rediscovered his offensive game. When the NHL resumed, it took a trade to the Canadiens before he was really given a similar chance, finally playing over 12 minutes a night and being an excellent contributor from the bottom-six.

Now the Flyers will try to coax some of that Gretzky talent out of the 28-year old.  Paul Holmgren said as much last week “He’s kind of a third-, fourth-line guy but he can also play higher up in the lineup with some of your skill players if you get into a jam.” Flyers fans probably shouldn’t hope he gets a chance up the lineup, but rest easy that he’s at least capable of a bit more if he does.

  • Also from Isaac, GM Ron Hextall announced today that prospect Cole Bardreau will miss all of training camp after undergoing abdominal surgery a week ago. Tim Panaccio of CSN adds that it’s a 4-6 week timeline and is expected back in mid-October. Bardreau was signed out of Cornell university in 2015, and played last season for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL, scoring 30 points in 54 games. While he’s not young for a prospect after spending four years in college, the 23-year old will try to compete for minutes in the top-six on the minor league squad and continue his quest for the NHL.
  • Hextall also said that he had been given some different information on Radko Gudas, and that the reported hairline fracture in his wrist was incorrect. While he still suffered an “upper-body injury”, it’s not as bad as initially reported, but Hextall wouldn’t go into further detail. Gudas dropped out of the World Cup last week after suffering the injury. He was set to suit up for the Czech Republic in the upcoming tournament but instead will focus on the start of the regular season.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top