Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Avalanche Rumors

Central Notes: Colorado’s Defense, Little, Kiviranta

at CDT | by 2 Comments

After impressive performances on the ice at their rookie tournament over the past two days, the Colorado Avalanche dream of a dominant group of franchise defensemen are much closer than they had initially imagined. The team already has two established cornerstones on defense in Samuel Girard and Cale Makar, but the play of 2019 first-round pick Bowen Byram and 2017 second-rounder Conor Timmins suggest they might be closer to join the other two sooner rather than later, according to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.

Both will be with the team on Friday when training camp begins. Byram will have to prove that he’s ready for the challenges of the NHL already as a recently-turned 18-year-old. He broke out in a big way in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants, scoring 26 goals and 71 points, but he either must make the Avalanche or be returned to Vancouver. Timmins is a different story. The 20-year-old missed the entire 2018-19 season last year after dealing with concussion-like symptoms and likely will begin the season in the AHL until he gets some game experience, but could be recalled at any time if Colorado needs him.

  • One story that has been an issue for years in Winnipeg has been the Jets’ need to establish a No. 2 center. The team has gone with veteran Bryan Little over the years only to acquire a second-line center at the trade deadline the previous two years in Paul Stastny back in 2018 and Kevin Hayes in 2019. Unfortunately, due to cap issues, the Jets were unable to retain either player and are once again on the lookout for someone internally to step up into that role. For Little, the job remains his to lose. The 31-year-old’s numbers continue to decline little by little, scoring 15 goals and 41 points (his least productive season since 2009-10), but he remains the top option, according to Winnipeg Free Press’ Mike McIntyre. The only other options look to be Andrew Copp and Jack Roslovic, both of which seem like longshots to claim that role.
  • The Dallas Stars have a number of young prospects who might have a chance to make their opening day roster, including prospects Ty Dellandrea, Jason Robertson, Denis Gurianov and Riley Tufte amongst many. However, the Stars might have another player who could step up after Joel Kiviranta scored a hat trick against the New York Rangers squad Saturday, suggesting that the recently signed forward out of Finland could make an immediate impact for Dallas, according to NHL.com’s Mike Heika. The 23-year-old Kiviranta  is still adjusting to the smaller North American ice, but has a lot of experience playing amongst men in Finland after five years there. He has tallied 35 goals over the past two years there.

2007 NHL Draft Take Two: Fourteenth Overall Pick

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.”  Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended.  For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now.  Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?

Here are the results of the redraft so far, with their original draft position in parentheses:

1st Overall: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (1)
2nd Overall: Jamie Benn, Philadelphia Flyers (129)
3rd Overall: P.K. Subban, Phoenix Coyotes (43)
4th Overall: Logan Couture, Los Angeles Kings (9)
5th Overall: Max Pacioretty, Washington Capitals (22)
6th Overall: Jakub Voracek, Edmonton Oilers (7)
7th Overall: Ryan McDonagh, Columbus Blue Jackets (12)
8th Overall: James van Riemsdyk, Boston Bruins (2)
9th Overall: Wayne Simmonds, San Jose Sharks (61)
10th Overall: Kevin Shattenkirk, Florida Panthers (14)
11th Overall: Jake Muzzin, Carolina Hurricanes (141)
12th Overall: Kyle Turris, Montreal Canadiens (3)
13th Overall: David Perron, St. Louis Blues (26)

It always comes back to the Blues for David Perron. Now 12 years removed from being selected with the team’s third pick of the first round, Perron has played for five different NHL organizations. Amazingly, during all that time he has never signed a contract with anyone but St. Louis. Jumping right to the NHL after being drafted, Perron showed exactly why he was ranked as the tenth best among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, despite teams letting him fall almost out of the first round entirely. The young forward put up 27 points in 62 games during that rookie season as a teenager, showing a glimpse of the incredibly consistent offensive player he would become.

In his sophomore season, Perron shot up the scoring list for St. Louis by becoming a catalyst on the powerplay and showing off his playmaking skills at even-strength. His 35 assists put him behind only Brad Boyes for the team lead, and his 50 points trailed only Boyes and David Backes. Not bad for a 20-year old still finding his footing at the professional level. After several injury-riddled seasons with the Blues, he ended up traded to the Edmonton Oilers for a package of picks and prospects (one of which ended up turning into Ivan Barbashev), before being flipped a couple of years later to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a first-round pick (which ended up turning into Mathew Barzal). His journey around the league wouldn’t end there as a year later he would go to the Anaheim Ducks, before signing back with the Blues that summer.

That homecoming was cut short when he was picked in the expansion draft by the Vegas Golden Knights, who promptly went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final on the back of Perron’s best offensive season. It always comes back to the Blues though, and Perron would sign again with St. Louis in the summer of 2018 only to win a Stanley Cup.

It makes sense then that the Blues would move Perron up their board and take him with the 13th overall pick. In fact, he’s probably a steal even there. The 31-year old ranks fifth in points among all players selected in 2007 but seems to have been continually overlooked throughout his career. While most players hit their peak in their mid-twenties, it almost seems as though Perron is getting better with age. He has 112 points in his last 127 regular season games and is an important part of the Blues forward group.

In 2007 it was Colorado that picked 14th after St. Louis, coming off their first season missing the playoffs in more than a decade. The team had still gone 44-31-7 under Joel Quenneville, but finished fourth in the extremely competitive Northwest Division. Joe Sakic had just put up 100 points as a 37-year old, and still looked like he had plenty left in the tank. Unfortunately Sakic wouldn’t play another full season, suiting up just 59 times over his last two seasons in uniform. Perhaps if they knew that they would have gone after a forward in the middle of the first round, but instead the team chose Kevin Shattenkirk.

That definitely worked out for Colorado, as shown by Shattenkirk’s spot in our redraft. He moved up into the top-10 after an excellent career, and will be unavailable this time around. So who could the team choose?

With the fourteenth pick of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Colorado Avalanche select?  Cast your vote below!

2007 Redraft: Fourteenth Overall
Mikael Backlund 16.58% (124 votes)
Evgenii Dadonov 16.04% (120 votes)
Alec Martinez 14.04% (105 votes)
Carl Hagelin 8.96% (67 votes)
Lars Eller 6.42% (48 votes)
Alex Killorn 5.88% (44 votes)
Patrick Maroon 5.21% (39 votes)
Sam Gagner 4.81% (36 votes)
Nick Bonino 4.68% (35 votes)
Justin Braun 3.07% (23 votes)
Karl Alzner 2.81% (21 votes)
Ian Cole 2.41% (18 votes)
Brandon Sutter 2.14% (16 votes)
Paul Byron 1.74% (13 votes)
Carl Gunnarsson 1.60% (12 votes)
Riley Nash 1.34% (10 votes)
Thomas Hickey 1.34% (10 votes)
Colton Sceviour 0.67% (5 votes)
Brendan Smith 0.27% (2 votes)
Total Votes: 748

[Mobile users click here to vote]

*Tragically, 17th overall pick Alexei Cherepanov died at the age of 19 and would never get a chance to suit up in the NHL.  He has not been included in this vote.

Early Notes: Mangiapane, Rantanen, Okhotyuk

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Calgary Flames have had countless headlines written about their ongoing negotiation with Matthew Tkachuk, but they actually have another restricted free agent still unsigned as well. Andrew Mangiapane is in danger of missing the start of training camp if something can’t get done, which is likely more important for a player that has just 54 NHL games under his belt and is fighting for a full-time roster spot. Eric Francis of Sportsnet reports that the two sides are $200K apart on a one-year deal, with the Flames offering $800K and Mangiapane “looking for closer to $1MM.”

Calgary GM Brad Treliving told Francis that the team isn’t waiting on Tkachuk to sign Mangiapane, but with such a small difference in offers you can bet the team is trying to make sure they don’t overpay even the slightest, knowing they don’t have a lot of wiggle room under the cap ceiling. The Flames currently project to have just over $7.7MM in cap space, though there are a few ways to create some extra room, like placing defenseman Juuso Valimaki on long-term injured reserve.

  • Though Mitch Marner and Mikko Rantanen have raised eyebrows during their negotiations by being linked to clubs overseas, the latter decided to put that idea to rest in an interview with Russian outlet Business Online. Rantanen was very clear that the NHL is “the only option” for him this season and he won’t be discussing contracts with the KHL or other leagues. The Colorado Avalanche forward is coming off his second consecutive season scoring more than a point-per-game and has found a home on the top line beside Nathan MacKinnon. Still just 22, he could potentially become Colorado’s highest-paid player on his next contract.
  • The New Jersey Devils won’t be able to get a closer look at prospect Nikita Okhotyuk at the Prospect Challenge this weekend, as the team announced he is out six to eight weeks following surgery on a broken finger. Okhotyuk was selected in the second round in June and will miss regular training camp as well. The 18-year old defenseman is expected to return to the Ottawa 67’s for the 2019-20 season.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Colorado Avalanche

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Colorado Avalanche

Current Cap Hit: $65,884,761 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Samuel Girard (one year, $728K)
F Tyson Jost (one year, $886K)
D Cale Makar (two years, $881K)

Potential Bonuses

Girard: $182.5K
Jost: $850K
Makar: $2.5MM

Jost hasn’t quite been able to light it up like Colorado was hoping for when they made him a top-ten pick back in 2016.  He has been decent in a bottom-six role but hasn’t been able to move up much on the depth chart just yet.  Given their offseason moves, that’s likely to continue to be the case this season which makes him a strong candidate for a short-term second contract.

Makar made an immediate impact for the Avs in the postseason after signing at the end of his college campaign.  He’s projected to be a key part of their team this season and with the offensive upside he has, it’s reasonable to expect that he’ll be able to command a contract that could be comparable to some of the top ones that other post-ELC defenders will get in the coming weeks when they eventually sign.  He’s also a safe bet to reach some of his ‘A’ bonuses.  Girard’s quite the bargain considering he averaged nearly 20 minutes a night last season.  That will soon change with his extension (covered later) kicking in next season.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Mark Barberio ($1.45MM, UFA)
F Andre Burakovsky ($3.25MM, RFA)
D Kevin Connauton ($1.375MM, UFA)
G Pavel Francouz ($950K, UFA)
F Vladislav Kamenev ($750K, RFA)
F Valeri Nichushkin ($850K, RFA)
F Colin Wilson ($2.6MM, UFA)
D Nikita Zadorov ($3.2MM, RFA)

Burakovsky’s qualifying offer was too rich for what Washington could afford so they flipped the underachieving winger to Colorado for a pair of draft picks.  He has shown flashes of being a capable top-six piece but also spent a lot of time on the fourth line last season.  The change of scenery could do him some good if he rediscovers his scoring touch but if not, he has to be considered a non-tender candidate in June.  Wilson hasn’t lived up to his draft billing but he has carved out a role for himself as a capable third liner.  He opted to take a pay cut to stick around and his current AAV is about what he should expect if he actually tests the open market next summer.  Nichushkin had a disastrous year in Dallas which led to a buyout.  The Avalanche scooped him up on a cheap deal that has to be considered his last chance.  If things don’t go well here, he’s probably back in the KHL in 2020-21.  Kamenev has dealt with significant injury issues in his two years with the organization.  Accordingly, unless he has a breakout offensive campaign, a one-year deal in the $1MM range is likely to happen a year from now.

Zadorov has been a player that has been in trade speculation for a while.  There isn’t quite the demand for players his size like there once was but he’s still a serviceable third pairing option at a minimum.  However, that price point for someone in that role isn’t ideal either.  He’s eligible for arbitration again next summer but another year like 2018-19 could have him in the non-tender discussion.  Connauton was the NHL piece that came back from Arizona for Carl Soderberg.  He’s more of a depth player than a top-four option so his next deal shouldn’t cost much more than his current price tag.  Barberio battled a couple of injuries last season while also spending a lot of time as a healthy scratch.  He’s still likely viewed as a reserve piece on their current depth chart so it’s unlikely he’ll play enough to command any sort of raise a year from now.

Francouz spent most of last season in the minors but with Semyon Varlamov now gone, the netminder will get his first crack at being a backup in the NHL at the age of 29.  His size will scare away a lot of teams no matter how he performs which will ultimately limit his market.  Still, given the backup goalie market, a strong showing could have him set to double his deal a year from now.

Two Years Remaining

F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare ($1.8MM, UFA)
F Matt Calvert ($2.85MM, UFA)
D Ian Cole ($4.25MM, UFA)
G Philipp Grubauer ($3.33MM, UFA)
F Gabriel Landeskog ($5.571MM, UFA)

Landeskog has seen his value rebound considerably the last couple of years after a very rough 2016-17 campaign.  He surpassed the point per game mark for the first time in his career last season and was a very effective part of their top line.  While it feels like he has been around for a really long time already, he’ll only be 28 when his contract expires.  A max-term contract with a big raise is in his future if he can stay around the 70-point mark.  Calvert is coming off a career-best 26 points and is a capable defensive forward.  Even so, the deal seemed a little expensive a year ago and with the extra depth they have now, his role could actually be lessened which would make it hard for him to match this contract two years from now.  Bellemare was brought in to bolster the fourth line and should be able to do that.  Having said that, he’ll also be 36 when his contract is up and players that age with that type of role rarely get raises.

Cole landed a significant contract for someone that’s more of a stay-at-home player but he certainly had a good season.  It’s hard to imagine him getting another deal at this price tag as a 32-year-old but another multi-year deal is likely.

Grubauer was hit or miss last season and was the backup for most of the year although he got the nod in the playoffs when it counted the most (and did quite well).  Still, he has yet to play in 40 regular season games in a single season.  If he can do well with a starters’ workload, he could double his AAV two years from now.  However, it’s way too early to project whether he’ll be able to do that.

Three Years Remaining

F Nazem Kadri ($4.5MM, UFA)

Kadri was the key player coming back in the trade that saw Tyson Barrie (a pending UFA) and Alexander Kerfoot go to Toronto.  His tenure with the Maple Leafs ended poorly with another postseason suspension while he’s coming off a down year offensively.  However, he scored 32 goals in each of the last two seasons where he was a fixture in the top six, something that he’ll be with the Avs.  If he can get back to that form and restore some value, he’ll be a nice bargain contract for Colorado while setting himself up for a big raise down the road.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F J.T. Compher ($3.5MM through 2022-23)
F Joonas Donskoi ($3.9MM through 2022-23)
D Samuel Girard ($5MM from 2020-21 through 2026-27)
D Erik Johnson ($6MM through 2022-23)
F Nathan MacKinnon ($6.3MM through 2022-23)

While it seems unfathomable now, there was a time when MacKinnon’s contract was believed to carry some risk.  Committing that type of term to someone whose production was somewhat volatile on his entry-level deal was far from an automatic call.  However, the signing has worked out fantastic as all of a sudden, the 24-year-old has to be considered one of the top bargains in the league with his second straight season of at least 97 points.  Colorado is getting top line production at a price tag of a second liner.  Lots can change in the next four years but if he stays at this type of scoring pace, he’ll easily crack the $10MM mark on his next deal.

Donskoi is coming off a strange year.  He was productive in the first half of the season but managed just a single goal in his final 46 games (regular season plus playoffs).  Despite that, GM Joe Sakic wasted little time giving him this contract, a clear sign that the team believes he can become a top-six forward.  Given how he finished though, there’s some risk here.  Compher’s development has been slow but steady but he settled in on the second line last season.  That’s a good price tag for someone in that role but it took them buying no UFA years on his deal to get that AAV.  Assuming his development continues, he could be in the $5MM to $6MM range on his next contract.

Johnson, when healthy, has been a capable player in a top pairing role, one that’s not exactly his best fit.  However, he has dealt with significant injuries in three of the last five seasons which has limited his value somewhat.  He’ll be 35 at the end of his deal and by then, he’ll be seeing less playing time so it’s unlikely he’ll get a higher AAV next time around.  Girard signed his extension earlier this summer and while the term is certainly an eye-opener for a team that didn’t have anyone signed beyond four years from now, they’re banking on him being a fixture in their top four for the foreseeable future.

Buyouts

D Brooks Orpik ($1.5MM in 2019-20)

Retained Salary Transactions

D Tyson Barrie ($2.75MM in 2019-20)

Still To Sign

F Mikko Rantanen

Rantanen set new career highs in goals (31), assists (56), and points (87) last season despite missing eight games due to an undisclosed injury.  He was a central element on their top line and at 22, he’s entering the prime of his career.  He’s widely considered to be the number two remaining restricted free agent and the expectation is that he’ll be getting a contract around the $9MM range which could vary a little bit depending on the term of the deal.

Best Value: MacKinnon
Worst Value: Johnson (because of the injury history)

Looking Ahead

Few teams have a cleaner cap situation than Colorado.  There really aren’t any bad contracts on the roster that could be classified as overpayments (which made picking a worst value pretty difficult).  Even with a big contract coming for Rantanen, they’ll have plenty of cap room for the upcoming season.

Looking ahead, two years from now could be a little rough with Makar and Landeskog both up while they’ll need to re-sign or replace Grubauer as their starting goalie.  The good news is that they have a lot of middle-tier short-term deals on the books which can be filled by cheaper options and prospects which will help offset the higher cap hits for those players.  That makes them about as well-equipped as possible to handle the crunch in 2021.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Profile: Scott Darling

at CDT | by 13 Comments

Veteran goaltender Cam Ward called it a career today, signing a one-day contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, who he served for 13 seasons to begin his NHL career. The 35-year-old finally moved on from the Hurricanes last season, but struggled in a backup role with the Chicago Blackhawks. With his numbers slipping and age catching up with him, Ward decided now was the time to retire.

Interestingly enough, Ward’s failed replacement in Carolina, Scott Darling, also remains an unsigned free agent, waiting for a market to develop. Just two UFA goaltenders – Anthony Stolarz and Jared Coreau – have signed an NHL contract since July 2nd and no goalie has been inked in 50 days. The market is dead quiet, but Ward’s exit leaves Darling as the obvious top name if a team does come calling. Darling, 30, is just hoping at this point that he too doesn’t have to consider retirement.

It was not long ago that Darling was actually considered one of the best backup goaltenders in the NHL. A 2007 draft pick, Darling was a slow-developing prospect who played another year of juniors, two years in college, and four years bouncing around the minors before he ever saw NHL action. However, when he broke through in 2014-15 with the Chicago Blackhawks, he immediately impressed. Darling spent three seasons as the backup to Corey Crawford, with his role increasing each year, and in total posted 39 wins, a .923 save percentage, and a 2.37 GAA in 75 appearances.

The Hurricanes believed they were getting a bargain when they acquired Darling for a third-round pick in the summer of 2017 and signed him to a four-year, $16.6MM contract. However, it quickly became clear that the star backup was not cut out to be a starter. Darling was unable to overtake Ward despite ample opportunity, posting an .888 save percentage and 3.18 GAA in 43 appearances. Darling made 40 starts to Ward’s 42 and was outplayed by the aging veteran, which is not what either he nor Carolina had hoped for.

The ‘Canes essentially cleaned house last summer, letting Ward walk in free agency and burying Darling in the AHL, replacing them with the far more effective duo of Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney. Darling did make eight spot starts for Carolina this past season, but somehow performed even worse than he did the year prior. In the minors, Darling sat behind lauded prospect Alex Nedeljkovic and when he did get a chance to play – he made just 14 appearances – the results were just as bad if not worse than his NHL performance. Not wanting to be weighed down by Darling’s $4.15MM cap hit any longer, the team traded him to the Florida Panthers this off-season along with a sixth-round draft pick for a new backup in James Reimer. The Panthers quickly bought out Darling, making him a free agent.

Potential Suitors

It has now been more than two years since anyone has been impressed by Darling’s efforts on the ice. With that said, the free agent market at goalie is slim pickings, with Darling easily headlining a group that includes Michal Neuvirth – who has signed a PTO with the Toronto Maple Leafs – Chad Johnson, Al Montoya, and Michael Leighton. Each of those players is both older than Darling and was last considered a legitimate NHL option far prior to Darling’s downfall. Darling is simply the best of a poor group, but is looking for redemption. Unlike Ward, Darling will have no expectations of any role or guaranteed play time. He will instead be looking for an opportunity to show that he can still be an effective NHL backup, likely by seeking a third-string role with the chance to battle for play time at the top level.

Accepting a role such as this could open some opportunities for Darling, especially once training camp begins. Injuries to starters or backups can shift the paradigm for an NHL team and leave them searching or an experienced option. The Vegas Golden Knights, Anaheim Ducks, and Philadelphia Flyers are examples of teams with shallow depth in net and injury concerns who could turn to Darling in the even of an incident.

It’s also very possible that several teams are already aware of their weaknesses in goal and simply waiting to see how their current keepers look in training camp and the preseason and potentially even early on the in the regular season. The Columbus Blue Jackets are the one team that everyone is focused on in net, as the team is set to have former backup Joonas Korpisalo and newly-signed European prospect Elvis Merzlikins begin the year as a young, unproven tandem. Early concerns could lead to Columbus looking for additional support, with Darling as the top option other than trade or waivers. The Colorado Avalanche are also in need of depth in net. Their top two of Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz are likely to be fine this season, but the lack of any other experienced name behind them could be a cause for pause, especially given this will be Francouz’ first full NHL season.

Ironically, the Florida Panthers are one final team that could be in the goalie market and would have been a good fit for Darling. The team understandably bought out Darling’s hefty contract, but could’ve actually used a player of his experience. The Panthers spent big on Sergei Bobrovsky’s this summer and will likely ask him to start 65+ games this season, but young Samuel Montembeault is currently slated to be his backup with other untested prospects behind him. Montembeault’s performance in the backup role, as well as the effect on his development of sitting so often, could lead the Panthers to search for a veteran option. Darling won’t be the answer now, but one has to wonder if the two sides connected at all prior to what was clearly an orchestrated trade-and-dump.

Projected Contract

It’s nearly September and teams are getting ready for training camp, yet Darling still sits without a contract. At this point, he will receive a PTO or nothing. Even if he proves himself in camp, it will likely only result in a minimum $700K NHL cap hit on a one-year, two-way deal. If that’s what it takes to climb his back way into the NHL though, Darling will surely take it. After all, he’s receiving a nice pay check from the Panthers for four more years anyway.

Snapshots: Mattheos, McDavid, Rantanen

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Carolina Hurricanes prospect Stelio Mattheos will not be taking part in the team’s training camp this year, as he instead will be completing treatment for testicular cancer. Mattheos was diagnosed in June and has already undergone surgery and multiple courses of chemotherapy. He is expected to return to full health. The 20-year old forward released a statement through the team:

I’d like to thank everyone who reached out to offer support and well wishes since the diagnosis. I’ve had amazing support from my friends, family, teammates, coaches and all of the hockey organizations I’ve been a part of, including the Hurricanes, Checkers and Brandon Wheat Kings.

I owe a debt of gratitude to my surgeon, Dr. Sabeer Rehsia, and all of the staff at Grace Hospital, as well as Dr. Piotr Czaykowski at Cancer Care Manitoba and all of the nurses on the chemotherapy ward.

The third-round pick from 2017 got his first taste of professional hockey earlier this year when he joined the Charlotte Checkers for their stretch drive and playoff run that eventually ended in a Calder Cup championship. The former WHL standout was expected to compete for a bigger role with Charlotte this season but will obviously be taking care of his health first.

  • Speaking of missing part of training camp, alarm bells went up today when Connor McDavid decided not to take part in the annual BioSteel camp in Toronto. Edmonton Oilers fans can breathe however as McDavid explained to reporters including Mark Masters of TSN that he has not suffered any setbacks in his recovery from a knee injury suffered late in the season. The Oilers star has been on the ice for the last couple of months and is working towards his goal of being on the ice at the beginning of training camp next month.
  • Mikko Rantanen doesn’t have a contract yet and will likely not be attending Colorado Avalanche training camp without one, but that doesn’t mean he’s not on the ice. The Storhamar Dragons in Norway tweeted today that Rantanen has been skating with them. Unsigned restricted free agents often find a place to skate and train while their contracts are negotiated, like we saw with William Nylander throughout the first part of last season. Mitch Marner recently was connected to the Zurich Lions, and many of the other names on the RFA list will likely follow suit if their deals aren’t completed soon.

Cody McLeod Signs In AHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The run of eleven consecutive seasons in the NHL appears to be coming to an end for Cody McLeod. The 35-year old forward has signed an AHL contract with the Iowa Wild along with Olivier Archambault and Kyle Bauman. McLeod played last season with the New York Rangers and Nashville Predators.

Undrafted out of the WHL, McLeod battled his way through the minor leagues before breaking into the NHL as an enforcer for the Colorado Avalanche in the 2007-08 season. A scrappy fourth-line player that could chip in now and again he actually recorded a career-high 15 goals in his sophomore season, but was known more for his physical presence and fisticuffs than anything else. Across a 776-game NHL career, McLeod has recorded 1,630 penalty minutes and 127 points. The last time he played in the AHL was during that 2007-08 season with the Lake Erie Monsters.

Archambeault and Bauman meanwhile are just depth options for the Wild, though the latter comes with a solid college pedigree. The 26-year old Bauman played four years at Bemidji State University and captained the team during the 2017-18 season before making his professional debut. In his first full AHL season last year he recorded 18 points in 67 games for the Ontario Reign.

Central Notes: Schenn, Burakovsky, Poolman

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The St. Louis Blues expect to have almost everyone back in their lineup from last season with a few exceptions. However, what about the season after that? General manager Doug Armstrong will have to make some tough decisions with players like Alex Pietrangelo, Joel Edmundson and Brayden Schenn all hitting unrestricted free agency. While it’s likely that all three would like to return on long-term deals, that isn’t likely due to the team’s salary cap situation, growing list of developing prospects as well as the approaching expansion draft.

With that in mind, St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon writes that the team’s top priority will be to sign Pietrangelo and that could cause problems for the others, especially Schenn. After an impressive 2017-18 season, Schenn’s numbers dropped as going from 70 points to just 54 last season. However, if Schenn returns to his old numbers, which is very possible as the Blues struggled on the power play last year, he could easily price his way out of St. Louis.

On top of that, with the way players have been paid this offseason on the free-agent market, Schenn could easily command $7MM per year, he’d be an expensive player, especially with ever improving play of Robert Thomas and the Jordan Kyrou. With those two top talents, the Blues’ need for Schenn shouldn’t be as necessary for the 2020-21 season. The team might also not want to bring Schenn back because any deal would likely force them to add a no-movement clause, something the team might be reluctant to do with the expansion draft quickly approaching.

  • The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark (subscription required) writes that Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic is banking that Andre Burakovsky’s biggest problem in previous seasons with the Washington Capitals was his lack of playing time. The GM believes that if the Avalanche increase his ice time, Burakovksy should be able to take that next step into becoming a solid top-six player. The 24-year-old did score 17 goals and 38 points back in the 2015-16 season, but hasn’t been able to take the next step. He averaged just 11:08 last season and put up just 12 goals and 25 points. With that in mind, Burakovsky is expected to play on the second line for the Avalanche this season and the hope is that new center Nazem Kadri will give him the guidance he needs to develop into a solid scoring winger. The team has struggled with finding a solid No. 2 center, but the GM believes that the team’s second-line woes are about to be over.
  •  The Winnipeg Free Press’ Jason Bell writes that with two gaping holes in the Winnipeg Jets defense this year after the team lost Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot in free agency this summer, Tucker Poolman remains a top candidate to claim one of those two spots. The 26-year-old blueliner has dealt with injury problems in the past, but believes himself to healthy and at 6-foot-4, 215-pounds could be a valuable asset and a cheap one (two years at $775K). The fact that Poolman is right-handed is another advantage as the team only has two veteran right-handed blueliners in Dustin Byfuglien and Neal Pionk. After seeing 24 games with the Jets in 2017-18, he didn’t make an appearance with the Jets last season, but an ankle injury derailed half his season as he only managed to appear in 43 games for the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

Valeri Nichushkin Signs With Colorado Avalanche

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Colorado Avalanche have added another interesting forward to their group for this season, signing Valeri Nichushkin to a one-year, one-way contract worth $850K. Nischushkin was bought out by the Dallas Stars this offseason after failing to score a single goal in 2018-19.

Even after reaching the second round of the playoffs last season, the Avalanche have continued to overhaul their forward group by adding names like Andre Burakovsky, Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and now Nichushkin. We profiled the 24-year old Russian just yesterday, expecting him to have to settle for a professional tryout after such a disappointing season. Despite playing in 57 games with the Stars, Nichushkin was almost completely absent on the scoresheet. He recorded zero goals and zero penalty minutes, while adding just ten assists.

There was a time that Nichushkin was one of the most exciting young players in the world. Selected 10th overall in 2013—the same draft that saw Nathan MacKinnon go first overall to the Avalanche—the big, speedy forward quickly made an impact at the NHL Level. Coming straight from the KHL to the Stars lineup, he recorded 14 goals and 34 points in 2013-14. Unfortunately he suffered a hip injury that kept him out for nearly the entire 2014-15 season and put his career on a much different trajectory.

In 2016 Nichushkin returned to Russia and the KHL where he played two seasons with CSKA Moscow. His game never seemed to take that next step, and last season after his return the Stars would quickly realize that the two-year, $5.9MM deal they had signed him to might be a mistake. Because of his relative youth however, his buyout will only pay him $900K over the next two years, but cleared a good chunk of his cap hit off the books for Dallas.

Even if Nichushkin never becomes that top-end forward many believed he could, there is still value to squeeze out of him for the Avalanche. At $850K all he has to be is a complementary player that can add a bit of offense to the bottom-six while still providing some versatility and experience. Perhaps he will even take a step forward and become a key part of their group.

Amazingly, the team is actually buying more control than just one season for their $850K. Nichushkin will once again be a restricted free agent next summer, and will not be arbitration eligible.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Poll: Which GM Will Be Fired Next?

at CDT | by 11 Comments

Despite missing the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, the Vancouver Canucks decided to extend GM Jim Benning today. The reasons for that are complicated—and obviously do not hinge entirely on his postseason record—just as they were when the Minnesota Wild made the decision to fire Paul Fenton just 14 months into his tenure with the team. The inner workings of an NHL front office are almost never made public (unless there is an intrepid reporter like Michael Russo of The Athletic who gets the incredible story), and it is hard to see why some decisions are made.

Still, even the most casual fan can see the seat of specific executives and coaches heating up. When the Edmonton Oilers decided to move on from Peter Chiarelli during another disappointing season, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. On the other hand, it was easy to see why the Carolina Hurricanes recently locked up Don Waddell after he interviewed for another job.

Looking around the league, who is next? Which GM will be let go, either this year or next summer?

It might be easy to look at the teams that have struggled recently, but many of them have replaced their top hockey operations executive over the last few seasons. The Oilers brought in Ken Holland to change the culture in Edmonton, while Steve Yzerman returned to the Detroit Red Wings to bring a new voice to a stagnant team. Florida has gone through quite a bit of turmoil in the front office since their ownership changed but Dale Tallon now seems to be entrenched as a veteran leader.

There are others though that may not be so lucky. The Ottawa Senators are heading in a new direction after shedding their previous core, but if the young talent doesn’t develop as hoped Pierre Dorion could be held responsible. John Chayka was the youngest GM in history when he took over the Arizona Coyotes in 2016, but they still haven’t made the playoffs under his watch and now have new ownership of their own. Jason Botterill was expected to have success in Buffalo after finding so much of it in Pittsburgh, but the Sabres haven’t been able to build a full roster around Jack Eichel despite some outstanding individual players.

Nothing is certain when it comes to front offices however. Cast your vote below and explain just why you think they’ll be the first to go!

Which GM will be fired next?
Pierre Dorion, Ottawa Senators 9.00% (256 votes)
Marc Bergevin, Montreal Canadiens 8.54% (243 votes)
Stan Bowman, Chicago Blackhawks 8.50% (242 votes)
Kevin Cheveldayoff, Winnipeg Jets 7.94% (226 votes)
Bob Murray, Anaheim Ducks 7.73% (220 votes)
Jason Botterill, Buffalo Sabres 6.54% (186 votes)
Rob Blake, Los Angeles Kings 6.36% (181 votes)
Jarmo Kekalainen, Columbus Blue Jackets 5.59% (159 votes)
Kyle Dubas, Toronto Maple Leafs 5.20% (148 votes)
Jim Rutherford, Pittsburgh Penguins 5.13% (146 votes)
John Chayka, Arizona Coyotes 4.88% (139 votes)
Brad Treliving, Calgary Flames 3.27% (93 votes)
Jim Benning, Vancouver Canucks 3.02% (86 votes)
Jim Nill, Dallas Stars 2.60% (74 votes)
Chuck Fletcher, Philadelphia Flyers 2.39% (68 votes)
Ken Holland, Edmonton Oilers 1.93% (55 votes)
Doug Wilson, San Jose Sharks 1.72% (49 votes)
Jeff Gorton, New York Rangers 1.62% (46 votes)
Don Sweeney, Boston Bruins 1.23% (35 votes)
Dale Tallon, Florida Panthers 1.02% (29 votes)
David Poile, Nashville Predators 0.84% (24 votes)
Julien BriseBois, Tampa Bay Lightning 0.84% (24 votes)
Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues 0.67% (19 votes)
Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings 0.63% (18 votes)
Lou Lamoriello, New York Islanders 0.56% (16 votes)
Don Waddell, Carolina Hurricanes 0.53% (15 votes)
Kelly McCrimmon, Vegas Golden Knights 0.53% (15 votes)
Brian MacLellan, Washington Capitals 0.53% (15 votes)
Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche 0.39% (11 votes)
Ray Shero, New Jersey Devils 0.28% (8 votes)
Total Votes: 2,846

[Mobile users click here to vote]

*We’ve used Kelly McCrimmon as the Vegas GM, though he won’t officially take that title from George McPhee until September

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