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NHL Snapshots: Dallas Stars, Zadorov, Butcher

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As announced yesterday, the Dallas Stars will host the 2018 NHL Entry Draft at American Airlines Arena on June 22-23. One key reason they received the honor, according to NHL.com’s Sean Shapiro, is that 2018 will mark the team’s 25th anniversary in Dallas and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the way the team has successfully built a hockey community is a main reason for get awarded with the draft.

“I think they’ve done a fabulous job over the 25 years they’ve been here,” Daly said. “The Stars organization has led the way in turning a non-traditional hockey market into a hockey market. Your involvement in promoting and supporting youth hockey in the greater Dallas area comes from rink initiatives and sponsoring youth hockey teams. It’s not only inspiring, but it’s a model that all NHL clubs in non-traditional markets aspire to.”

Stars CEO and president Jim Lites said it has been a two-year commitment to get the draft to come to Dallas. The team has worked hard this year to get back into the playoff picture after a down year for their 25th anniversary. They have hired coach Ken Hitchcock, traded for goaltender Ben Bishop and defenseman Marc Methot and signed several key free agents, including Alexander Radulov and Martin Hanzal.

  • Adrian Dater of BSN Denver, writes that it is highly unlikely that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov will return to the KHL next year when his contract is up. Dater writes that the defensive defenseman and Colorado are less and $1MM apart in negotations and believes the Avalanche wouldn’t let the future restricted free agent leave over that little money. Zadorov, who was the key piece in the Ryan O’Reilly trade two years ago, played 56 games last year for the Avalanche and had 10 assists.
  • Joe Haggerty of CSNNE writes the Bruins, who are well-known for going after top college talent, should not consider signing Hobey Baker Award winner Will Butcher. The defenseman, who will become a free agent if he doesn’t sign with Colorado before Aug. 15, is likely to receive multiple offers. However, Haggerty writes that the team doesn’t need another undersized, unproven player on their defense since they already have Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy on the roster.

NHL Snapshots: Ennis, 2018 NHL Draft, Minor Signings

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The Minnesota Wild didn’t make too many changes to a team that finished with 106 points in the Western Conference last season. However, one major move was to move defenseman Marco Scandella and veteran Jason Pominville to Buffalo for Marcus Foligno and Tyler Ennis. While the team has high hopes for the 25-year-old Foligno, still a restricted free agent, could have a breakout year and he has predicted a 20-goal season, the team is even more focused on Ennis returning to form.

Ennis, who has battled the injury bug for the last two years has only played in 74 games during that time. Last year, he missed time due to groin surgery and only played in 51 games. Before those injuries, the 27-year-old wing scored 41 goals in two seasons between 2013-15. However, since then, he has tallied just eight goals. NBC Sports Adam Gretz writes that Minnesota Wild coach Bruce Boudreau has high expectations for Ennis this year and believes that if Ennis can remain healthy, he expects to see a resurgence like the one that veteran Eric Staal did last year.

Staal scored 28 goals last year for the Wild a year after he was coming off a lackluster 13-goal season between the Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Rangers. Yet Boudreau believes Ennis could duplicate that kind of comeback performance in Minnesota.

“Tyler Ennis, I’ve seen and talked to and met,” Boudreau said. “I don’t want to put pressure on him, but three years ago, he was a great player in this league. He’s missed 90 games in the last two years due to injury. If we can keep him healthy, I think he’s going to have a rebound year like Eric Staal had. I’m very excited about having him. In our top-9 forwards, I think we’re as strong as anybody in the league.”

Of course Ennis’ personal high is 21 goals, and while he has hit 20 goals three times in his career, it’s unlikely to see Staal-like numbers.

  • The Dallas Stars tweeted they will host the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center next season on June 22-23. It was held this year in Las Vegas.
  • The Tucson Roadrunners, the AHL team of the Arizona Coyotes, signed three more players along with the reported signing of Ryan Culkin earlier today. The minor league affiliate also inked goaltender Michael Houser and wingers Scott Allen and Trevor Cheek, according to SB Nation. Houser played most of last season with the ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones finishing with a 2.58 GAA in 41 games. Allen played 57 games for the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL and finished with eight goals and 11 assists, while Cheek split time between both the AHL and the ECHL.

Arizona Coyotes Hires John MacLean, Scott Allen As Assistant Coaches

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Wednesday: The team has officially hired both coaches, along with naming Mike Van Ryn the new head coach of the Tucson Roadrunners. Van Ryn spent last season with the Coyotes as a development coach after taking the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL to the second round in 2015-16. A former defenseman, the 38-year old Van Ryn played 353 games in the NHL and should be able to help young players navigate high expectations and the minor leagues. A first-round pick in 1998, it took him several years to make an impact at the highest level.

Tuesday: It’s been two weeks now since the Arizona Coyotes made the hiring of Rick Tocchet as their next head coach official, and now reports have surfaced on who may be joining him behind the bench. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 radio reported this morning that John MacLean and Scott Allen would likely be joining the staff, something that Craig Morgan of AZ Sports confirms but points out that nothing is finalized as of yet.

If the pair does join Tocchet, it will be a return to coaching for MacLean, the former head coach of the New Jersey Devils who has been out of the NHL since 2014. MacLean and Tocchet have followed each other around for many years, born relatively close in Ontario and both playing in junior against each other. They were both draft picks in 1983 (though MacLean would go five rounds earlier at #6 overall) and would enter the league at about the same time playing for Philadelphia and New Jersey. They’d spend many years playing against each other in the rival cities, and now could be reunited on the bench in Arizona. MacLean was a fantastic offensive player in his day, who scored over 400 goals and 800 points during his long NHL career.

Allen on the other hand is an extremely experienced professional coach, who most recently worked behind the bench with Gerard Gallant and Tom Rowe in Florida last season. With the new coaching staff brought in for the Panthers, Allen was let go along with Dave Barr. Allen is known for an extremely up-tempo penalty kill, which he’ll now have to implement in Arizona with the young group that includes Jordan Martinook and Tobias Rieder. In all, this would make quite the formidable group to try and turn around the Coyotes franchise.

Predators To Carry Eight Defenseman In 2017-18

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When the Nashville Predators acquired former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin at the NHL Draft from the Vegas Golden Knights, who had just selected him in the Expansion Draft days earlier, it was clear that the team would have a logjam on the blue line entering 2017-18. The roster already boasts a top four that can rival any in the league in Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm, and adding yet another prominent name to the mix meant another regular for the Western Conference champs could be pushed out.

Instead, GM David Poile told Adam Vignan of The Tennessean that the Predators will carry eight defenseman, at least to start the year. With Josi, Subban, Ellis, Ekholm, and Emelin locked into regular roles – and making up only a modest $22MM of cap space – the final spot in the starting six will belong to one of Yannick Weber, Matt Irwin, or Anthony Bitetto. Weber and Irwin were the team’s bottom pair for much of the 2016-17 season and each signed an extension during the year, while the younger Bitetto skated in 29 games and helped to make up for the loss of Subban while he was sidelined. There’s no clear choice between the three, but by carrying the entire trio, Poile and coach Peter Laviolette have the flexibility to mix and match until they find the best fit.

Making this decision easier are the cap hits for Weber, Irwin, and Bitetto. Despite being regular contributors to a team that nearly won the Stanley Cup, Weber and Irwin are both journeyman veterans who have had up-and-down careers and thus settled for one-year extensions worth the league minimum of $650K. Bitetto, who had only just completed his first real NHL season in 2016, signed a two-year, 1.225MM contract, which will pay him $612.5K in 2017-18, even less than Weber and Irwin. Thus, the entire trio will cost Nashville under $2MM, making the decision to keep a fourth pair all the more simple. How everything shakes out on the Predators’ blue line remains to be seen, but their eight-man group will surely be the envy of most teams in the NHL this season.

Snapshots: Fisher, Team Canada, Larkin

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Mike Fisher is still considering a return to Nashville next season, and GM David Poile told Adam Vignan of the Tennessean that they’ll know more next week. Fisher has been open about his pending decision between playing one more season for Nashville or retiring, and it seems the team would be happy to have him. After scoring 18 goals and 42 points he would likely be returning in a lesser role now that the club has brought in Nick Bonino to solidify their center depth.

With Ryan Johansen and Calle Jarnkrok returning, the position could quickly turn from a weakness into a considerable strength for the Stanley Cup finalists, with Fisher grading out as one of the best fourth line players in the league. He should come back at a reasonable price, but the Predators still have to get Johansen under contract and make sure they don’t put themselves in too tight a position heading into the season.

  • Team Canada has announced their management and coaching staff for the upcoming Olympic preparation, naming Sean Burke and Martin Brodeur as general manager and “management group member” respectively. The coaching staff will be led by former Vancouver Canucks’ head coach Willie Desjardins along with Dave King, Scott Walker and Craig Woodcroft. Interestingly, the team will play in at least seven tournaments prior to the Olympics, in a sort of season that national programs used to do before NHL participation in the Winter Games. Players on AHL contracts will be considered for the team, along with those playing overseas or in the college and junior ranks.
  • There was a new Larkin in town for the Detroit Red Wings’ development camp, and as Dana Wakiji of NHL.com writes he’ll try to make a return visit in the future. Adam Larkin, the cousin of Red Wings’ star Dylan Larkin, will be a senior at Yale this season and has steadily improved his game since going undrafted out of the USHL. He’ll work even harder this year to try and impress Red Wings scouts and those from other organizations that he’s deserved of a professional contract next spring when he becomes a free agent. Detroit would surely have the inside track, but Larkin will need a big senior season to show that he is ready for the next level.

Evening Notes: Hurricanes’ Ownership, Oduya, Dumoulin

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For anyone trying to pay attention the Hurricanes’ ownership struggles, another chapter has been added to the ongoing saga. The team, currently owned by a group headed by Peter Karmanos, Jr., has been rumored to be up for sale for some time. The financial situation of the team is difficult, as attendance issues over the past few years have brought monetary losses and concern from other owners around the league. Still, it seems that Carolina is nowhere near the dire situation of the Arizona Coyotes, whose decade-plus-long fiasco has bewildered onlookers and hockey fans for quite some time.

Not long ago, a potential buyer for the Hurricanes, one Chuck Greenberg, supposedly offered $500 MM to acquire the franchise. This was reported by Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg and The Denver Post, and confirmed by others. Afterwards, the Karmanos group responded by saying the reports were essentially misleading, and then were called “fake news” in an article published by Forbes. Technically, it was a non-binding letter of intent and not an official offer, but that shouldn’t discount the strong possibility of an impending team sale.

Today we learned that Greenberg showed up at the team’s practice facility, thanks to some wonderful reporting by The News & Observer’s Chip Alexander. Greenberg stopped by the Raleigh Center Ice location, and essentially conducted a “fact-finding trip”. The whole situation is confusing largely because the franchise’s estimated value has plummeted and the offer is exceptionally fair. Additionally, the Karmanos group has been looking to sell the Canes for years to a team that will keep them local. This was reported yet again this January by NBC’s Adam Gretz, and it’s no secret there is desire from the fanbase for a change in direction. Greenberg seems to be a perfect solution to the situation, as he has local investors involved and stated no plans for relocation. As of now, there seems to be a lot going on behind the scenes, and many moving parts. Still, a change in ownership seems more likely today than it did yesterday.

  • After today’s earlier announcement of the Brian Dumoulin 6-year, $4.1 MM AAV signing, it has been revealed that the Penguins’ shutdown force played with a broken hand. The Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey reported that Dumoulin kept re-breaking the fracture before it could heal, during the course of normal play. He broke it after blocking a slapshot in the fifth game of the first round against Columbus, The dependable stay-at-home defender played incredibly well, often matching up against top opponents and maintaining solid body position boxing out attackers in front of his goaltenders. He even tallied two goals throughout the Stanley Cup run, so the nature of the injury does come as a little surprising. He and the Penguins medical staff considered the possibility of Dumoulin undergoing surgery this off-season to repair the damage, but it no longer seems necessary. Dumoulin believes the injury has healed well enough on its own and that he should be ready for action come season opener.
  • Johnny Oduya shocked many by signing a deal so soon for $1 MM and bonuses, as Ottawa had apparently been courting him since “July 2nd”. As I reported yesterday, interest for the player never really openly surfaced among the insiders of the league. Oduya comes at great value for the Senators, and GM Pierre Dorion expressed his glee at a press conference you can find partially transcribed by Craig Megdalia here. Essentially, Dorion felt the move was absolutely necessary considering the loss of veteran Marc Methot to expansion (before being shipped to Dallas), and although he has confidence in his younger players, he couldn’t miss the opportunity to bring in “a true pro”. By the sound of it, Dorion expects coach Guy Boucher to likely place Oduya in a prominent role, which could push out a younger player such as Thomas Chabot.

Defensive Logjam In Dallas Not Concerning

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The Dallas Stars are in an enviable position, but one that might prompt a trade in the near future. After years of drafting heavily on defense, their prospect pool at the position is incredibly deep. Heading into training camp, at present, they will have at least 9 defensemen fighting for 7 roster spots. Theoretically, the could keep 8 on the roster for a time and keep only one spare forward, but ultimately, someone is going to lose out.

As of today, the team has Marc Methot, John Klingberg, Dan Hamhuis, Esa Lindell as their highest paid defenders. They also have Patrik Nemeth, Greg Pateryn, and Stephen Johns signed to NHL contracts, who are all over the age of 25 and would be waiver eligible if the team attempted to waive them for AHL use. There is also the still promising Jamie Oleksiak, an RFA who still needs to negotiate his contract. Finally, Julius Honka looks ready to take an NHL roster position after spot duty in Dallas last season. There are also more defensemen on the horizon, including the steal of a first-round pick of this season, Miro Heiskanen. Heiskaen is likely to return to his native Finland, but less talented players have forced teams to keep them on board. So, who makes the team? And will anyone be on the move?

Discounting the most expensive four, Nemeth and others should be concerned about being usurped. It seems that Honka has proven everything he can at the AHL level, and with his talent could end up outclassing everyone not named Klingberg or Methot with a good camp showing. Still, he can be moved down without needing to clear waivers. Oleksiak has shown real flashes as a former first-round shutdown player, but Pateryn and Nemeth both ended up playing a similar number of contests last season, and are second-rounders themselves. Despite limited action, their possession numbers were solid (49.9% and 51.3% respectively Corsi For) and there aren’t major faults in either players’ games. Oleksiak still has kinks to work out in his game, but his size (6’7) is probably just too tempting to move him at the tender age of 24. Johns played more games of any of the others, and brings a physicality that will likely endear him to new head coach Ken Hitchcock, despite his other shortcomings.

Ultimately, this is a camp that will be brutally competitive. The Stars won’t want to lose any of these players for nothing. Teams are always looking for youngish defenders on the cheap, and both Pateryn and Oleksiak would fit that bill nicely. Hamhuis would be tempting to move out, but he still eats a ton of minutes and provides veteran leadership to a young group. Lindell isn’t safe either, and moving his salary ($2.2) would be more helpful than unloading the cheap Pateryn or Johns. At the end of the day, it’s a wonderful problem to have, as depth at the position is always integral when players go down to injury. The Dallas Morning News’ Mike Heika is probably correct in his prediction that the organization will allow the situation to sort itself out on its own. Internal competition can be healthy, and by September many teams will be desperate to fill defensive holes on the cheap. Still, it will be a fascinating situation to watch develop.

Snapshots: Schmidt, Saad, Hossa

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The Vegas Golden Knights have had a busy off-season in the lead-up to their first NHL season, and Gary Lawless laid out some of what still lies ahead for the fledgling franchise. Most notably, the team has to sign RFA Nate Schmidt, the former Washington defenseman who showed great promise as a productive player. PHR’s Gavin Lee touched on the reportedly productive manner of the talks a few days back, but he is one of the more intriguing names left on the arbitration docket. Schmidt will likely be a pivotal piece of their defense for years, as the team resisted trading him away to teams desperate for defensive help, opting instead to move older names.

Schmidt shouldn’t be too expensive in arbitration, as he only has 43 points through 200 career games. Still, Vegas seems intent to lock him up on a longer deal, and considering that they’ve cleared their focus of other distractions, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a deal get done soon. If the parties come to an agreement, it would likely be above the $3 MM mark.

  • Sports Illustrated ran an interesting piece highlighting the Blackhawks’ strategy of re-acquiring old players. Brandon Saad in particular sounds thrilled to be back in Chicago with Coach Joel Quenneville. Saad had two 53-point seasons in Columbus, but at only 24, he still has room to improve. It sounds like the plan is to re-unite him with captain Jonathan Toews, to try to spark the captain with a familiar linemate. Toews ended the season with a respectable 21 goals and 58 points, but struggled mightily to score for long stretches of time before a stellar home stretch. Saad will have big shoes to fill to replace the incredibly dynamic Artemi Panarin, however, and Patrick Kane’s line will likely see a huge hit in production in order to achieve greater balance in the lineup.
  • After the announcement that Marian Hossa is indefinitely sidelined due to a degenerate skin disorder, Blackhawks players unsurprisingly see the situation as “heartbreaking”. Hossa will not skate in 2017-18 due his medical need to discontinue NHL play. Hossa has a solid case for the Hall of Fame when he decides to retire, and being an important part of three Cup-winning teams, his loss is hard to calculate prior to the start of the season. Saad’s return may help fill some of that void, especially with Toews, but his production still will be near impossible to replace internally. More than that, however, he was arguably Blackhawks’ best defensive forward, backchecking consistently and with purpose. It will be interesting to see how the stretched-thin defense, minus Niklas Hjalmarsson, copes with one less Selke-caliber forward assisting their efforts.

Blackhawks Notes: Sharp, Saad, DeBrincat

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The Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Lazerus (along with various Chicago media) tweeted quite a bit from the beginning of the Blackhawks Fan Convention as players and personnel were available to the media. It was a reunion of sorts as two former players returned to field questions. Patrick Sharp returns to the place where he saw much success, saying that he had some of his “best years” playing for Joel Quenneville in Chicago. Lazerus tweets that Quenneville could use Sharp with Jonathan Toews, and to expect the veteran winger to see top six minutes, which may not thrill some fans.  Brandon Saad confirmed that he would be on a line with Toews, which was the belief of many after Stan Bowman swung a deal to re-acquire the forward. The Athletic’s Scott Powers tweeted video of different interviews which included Quenneville, Patrick Kane talking about the Panarin trade, and Sharp’s return to Chicago.

  • Several hockey analysts are “tapping the brakes” when declaring Blackhawks prospect Alex DeBrincat as the next big thing. The Hockey News’ Jared Clinton and Chicago SportsNet’s Tracey Myers both covered this, with Clinton adding onto Myers’ analysis.  First, the salary cap limits who the Hawks can add to the roster, and the only player as of now who can shuffle to the AHL without passing through waivers is Nick Schmaltz. Should Marian Hossa go onto the LTIR, more than enough money would be available for many in Rockford to go onto the roster. Second, head coach Joel Quenneville isn’t exactly one to hand out ice time to kids. Clinton notes that DeBrincat is only 19, and the only players under 21 to see significant ice time during Quenneville’s tenure were Kane and Toews. Of course, Clinton notes, Toews was the captain and Kane was a budding superstar. Further, Clinton writes that Schmaltz, considered one of Chicago’s best prospects, struggled to stay in the lineup last season, showing that cracking the NHL lineup and then staying on it is far more difficult than it appears. Realistically, Clinton believes that the Hawks have the luxury to “over-season” players and allow them time to grow into a role–something that DeBrincat may very well do.

Snapshots: Tatar, McNeil, Umberger, Tuulola

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Tomas Tatar’s arbitration hearing took place this morning, at the conclusion of which the arbitrator was given 48 hours to reach a decision on his salary for next season. Tatar cannot be awarded a two-year contract through arbitration since he will reach unrestricted free agency next year, but as Craig Custance of The Athletic points out could still work out a long-term deal with the Red Wings before the decision come in. We saw a similar situation play out in 2014 with P.K. Subban, who had his hearing with the Montreal Canadiens before signing an eight-year contract a day later.

Last week it was reported the two sides were still quite a bit away in terms of an agreement, with Tatar turning down a five-year $25MM contract. While they may have worked closer to a deal, a one-year decision through arbitration would likely spell the forward’s end in Detroit. Tatar would immediately hit the trade block if he hadn’t already, with many teams likely after him as a rental piece as the season went on. If Ken Holland and the Red Wings didn’t think they could get a deal done, they would have to look long and hard at any proposals for Tatar that would improve the club long-term.

  • The Syracuse Crunch have signed Reid McNeill to an AHL contract, taking him away from the St. Louis organization where he spent 2016-17 and adding him to the Tampa Bay Lightning affiliate. McNeill was a sixth-round pick of the Penguins in 2010, but has never been able to turn his size and defensive ability into a tryout at the NHL level. In 61 games last year split between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Chicago Wolves, he registered ten points.
  • Dallas Stars beat writer Mike Heika of SportsDay held a Q&A with readers and answered all sorts of questions regarding the Stars and their big offseason moves. One of them revolved around R.J. Umberger, who has signed a professional tryout with the team after a full year away from the game. Heika believes the invitation to camp is more of a friendly opportunity handed out by Umberger’s former coach in Ken Hitchcock than a real tryout for the Stars this season. If Umberger can show he’s healthy and rejuvenated, a successful camp under a familiar system could look good around the league. Now 35, Umberger could potentially sign a one-year contract with performance bonuses, though those kinds of deals come with risks as well.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have re-signed Yannick Veilleux on a two-way minor league deal. The contract will pay different amounts depending on whether Veilleux plays in the AHL or ECHL this season. Veilleux spent last year in the Montreal system bouncing between the two leagues, finding some success with St. John’s. Selected in the fourth round by the St. Louis Blues once upon a time, he’s still waiting for his first chance at the NHL level.
  • The Calgary Flames will watch Eetu Tuulola return to Finland for the upcoming season, leaving the Everett Silvertips where he had played in 2016-17. Tuulola was a sixth-round pick of the Flames in 2016 and tried his hand in the Canadian junior ranks with 31 points in 62 games. He’ll play for HPK in Finland’s Liiga next year, a professional team that can offer a bit more development opportunity than Everett.

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