Metropolitan Notes: Riikola, Duclair, Mrazek, Hagg
The Pittsburgh Penguins are already loaded at the defense position, but the team is finding it harder and harder not to notice Finnish defenseman Juuso Riikola, who has dominated the preseason with his impressive play. The 24-year-old did it again today with a highlight-reel goal (link here) in a 7-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, it isn’t just his offense, a few minutes later Riikola made an impressive defensive play on the other end of the ice.
“His hockey sense jumps out at you,” Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s a real good puck mover. He can skate. He’s a mobile guy. What’s really surprised me is his willingness to embrace the physical aspect of the game. He’s not afraid to stick his nose in battles, and he’s done a real good job in that regard.”
Jonathan Bombulie of the Tribune Review writes that while it’s hard to imagine Riikola bumping one of the team’s top-six defensemen, his well-rounded game may be having Pittsburgh management consider keeping eight defensemen instead of holding onto 14 forwards.
“We’ll let the training camp play out,” Sullivan said. “But certainly, he’s a guy that has raised eyebrows and he’s going to make decisions for the coaching staff very difficult.”
- Brian Hedger of NHL.com writes that Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella has made it his mission to try to figure out how to harness the speed and skill that winger Anthony Duclair has and how to take those abilities and turn him into a dominant NHL player. Duclair who is already on his fourth team at the age of 23 has struggled since his rookie campaign when he netted 20 goals. Since then, his totals have decreased to five in his sophomore campaign and 11 between two teams last year. “I need to watch,” Tortorella said. “Why is this his fourth team? I need to ask that question. Why? Maybe I can find out by watching and maybe I can help him by watching, to maybe have him stop some habits that made this happen, as far as him bouncing around. This guy here, talking to a couple of his [former] teammates, there’s so much there. I think we have to take a little responsibility to try to get it out of him, but it has to be a two-way street [and] he has to give too. So, we’ll see where it goes.”
- Michael Smith of NHL.com writes that Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour has been quite impressed with goaltender Petr Mrazek, who has been sharp in two consecutive outings, though he’s only faced 19 shots in 70 minutes so far. Is that enough to choose a starter? “Well, for me it certainly is,” Brind’Amour joked. “For him, I don’t know. He’s looked good from day one, and he looked good again tonight. Just real calm in there. The one goal he had zero chance on. It was a breakdown on our part.”
- After struggling early in preseason, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Robert Hagg is slowly working his way back “up to speed,” according to NHL.com. Head coach Dave Hakstol has been impressed with the physicality that the 6-foot-2, 204-pounder brings, but has worked Hagg hard on other areas of his game that have been weak, including managing gaps and being more clean with the puck. Hakstol has frequently played Hagg in the preseason, so he can work on those key skills.
Trade Rumors: Faulk, Bobrovsky, Ritchie, Wood
When TSN released their off-season Trade Bait List in early July, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk was ranked #4, among the most likely players to be dealt. A little more than two months later, all three players ranked ahead of him – Erik Karlsson, Max Pacioretty, and former teammate Jeff Skinner – have changed teams, while Faulk remains in Raleigh. But for how much longer? Appearing on TSN Radio 1050 recently, insider Pierre LeBrun revealed that Faulk was a target of the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer and speculated that the team could still move to acquire him this season. LeBrun opines that Faulk, a right-handed shot signed to an extremely reasonable $4.83MM cap hit over two more years, would be a perfect fit for the Leafs. Toronto has long been searching for a top pair defenseman to complement lefty Morgan Rielly and Faulk fits the bill. LeBrun speculates that the Hurricanes are likely asking for a major package in exchange for Faulk, but meeting those demands may not be an impossible task for Toronto. Several Maple Leafs players and prospects could fill gaps in Carolina, such as veteran center Nazem Kadri, promising wingers Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson, and young goalies Garret Sparks and Joseph Woll, as well as a full cabinet of draft picks. There have also been some inclinations that the Hurricanes are preparing to move on from Faulk as well, such as acquiring a new top pair righty in Dougie Hamilton and passing over Faulk, a career ‘Cane, for their captaincy. The team is under no pressure to deal their long-time stud defenseman, but if GM Don Waddell receives a strong enough offer, he seems likely to pull the trigger.
- Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen has been clear that he does not want to trade either Artemi Panarin or Sergei Bobrovsky, but as both remain unsigned and approaching free agency and trade calls continue to come in for Panarin, there has been rampant speculation as to where the star winger may land. After recent comments from Bobrovsky that could be read as implying that his time in Columbus could soon be over, many have begun to predict where he may land as well. In a recent segment for TSN Radio 1200 in Ottawa, Darren Dreger stated his belief that the New York Islanders would be the front runners in a Bobrovsky trade scenario. Dreger adds that there will be more than a few suitors should the two-time Vezina winner hit the trade market or, better yet, the open market. However, Dreger feels that the Islanders and new GM Lou Lamoriello feel more pressure to add a true No. 1 goaltender in their hopes of soon returning to contender status. The Isles currently roster unpredictable Robin Lehner, on a one-year deal, and failed starter Thomas Greiss, as well as two prospects overseas in Ilya Sorokin and Jakub Skarek. Lehner and Greiss do not instill much hope and Sorokin may never make the jump to North America. The Islanders are without a solution in net in the immediate future and could target Bobrovsky at any cost to solve that problem.
- How long will the Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey Devils wait on contract resolutions with Nick Ritchie and Miles Wood respectively? The restricted free agents continue to hold out for better contracts and miss valuable time in training camp, despite underwhelming numbers through their first three seasons to support their absence. At this time last year, Columbus Blue Jackets RFA forward Josh Anderson – a similar power forward-style player – remained unsigned and was the subject of numerous trade rumors. Yet, Anderson had just 34 points through 96 games in his first three seasons, whereas Ritchie and Wood have more experience and production through the same amount of time. Ritchie, a first round pick in 2014, has 59 points in 186 games. Wood, one of the Devils’ top scorers last season, has 49 points through 137 games. One would think that either team could drum up interest if they began actively shopping their respective RFA, but it hasn’t happened to this point. Wood is not without flaws to his game, but has exceeded expectations and played a major role for New Jersey last season and with more play time has the potential to be even better. In contract, Ritchie has his strengths, but has not lived up to his first-round billing. Between the two, it would be less of a surprise to see Anaheim part with Ritchie.
Interest Remains High In Acquiring Artemi Panarin
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin is one of the more talented forwards in the NHL and every other team in the league would like to own his services. For a while this off-season, it seemed highly likely that he would indeed move to another club, after rejecting an initial extension offer from the Blue Jackets. Panarin also set an ultimatum for further contract negotiations – a date that passed last week – before which many expected either a new deal or a trade. Yet, neither has come and GM Jarmo Kekalainen has expressed that he never took Panarin’s deadline into account and planned on working through negotiations all the way until July 1st, when the scoring winger will become an unrestricted free agent. That sentiment would seem to indicate that Kekalainen has no plans to trade Panarin this season.
Not so fast. On TSN’s “Insider Trading”, Darren Dreger reported that Kekalainen continues to field many trade calls for the talented forward. Despite teams currently focused on training camp and getting their opening night rosters set and ready to go, interest has not dropped off in acquiring Panarin. The Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Ducks and more have been linked to Panarin this summer and it is easy to imagine that all of those teams and other dark horse candidates continue to keep an eye on his status. Landing a player of Panarin’s caliber, especially with an extension attached, could be a franchise-altering move.
Nevertheless, Dreger adds that Kekalainen is not interested in trading Panarin – though time may eventually force his hand – and right now says “his principle point of interest is trying to convince him to re-sign.” It doesn’t sound as though Panarin’s mind has changed at all and it has been all quiet from his camp for some time. Perhaps he will be convinced to stay in Columbus over another successful campaign or perhaps Kekalainen will get a godfather offer too good to refuse. One way or another, the continued trade interest and extension determination from Columbus make it overwhelmingly likely that one of these two outcomes will occur, rather than Panarin walking away at the end of the year.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/19/18
NHL regular season action is just a few weeks away, and as the preseason schedule gets started teams are reducing their training camp rosters. We’ll keep track of all the cuts right here:
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
F Tyler Steenbergen (to Tucson, AHL)
F Kelly Klima (to Tucson, AHL)
D Jordan Gross (to Tucson, AHL)
D Jacob Graves (to Tucson, AHL)
D Jalen Smereck (to Tucson, AHL)
D Kevin Ekman-Larsson (to Tucson, AHL)
F Liam Kirk (to Peterborough, OHL)
F Nate Schnarr (to Guelph, OHL)
D Kevin Bahl (to Ottawa, OHL)
D Dennis Busby (to Flint, OHL)
D Noel Hoefenmayer (to Ottawa, OHL)
G Ivan Prosvetov (to Saginaw, OHL)
G David Tendeck (to Vancouver, WHL)
F Jan Jenik (to Liberec, Czech Rep.)
Boston Bruins (per team release)
F Austin Fyten (to Providence, AHL)
F Brett McKenzie (to Providence, AHL)
F Tanner Pond (to Providence, AHL)
D Olivier Galipeau (to Providence, AHL)
D Joel Messner (to Providence, AHL)
D Wiley Sherman (to Providence, AHL)
G Alex Sakellaropoulos (to Providence, AHL)
F Cedric Pare (to Saint John, QMJHL)
D Daniel Bukac (to Brandon, WHL)
G Kyle Keyser (to Oshawa, OHL)
D Mark Fayne (released from tryout)
F Marcel Noebels (released from tryout)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)
F Philipp Kurashev (to Quebec, QMJHL)
D Jake Ryczek (to Halifax, QMJHL)
G Alexis Gravel (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Shaw Boomhower (released from tryout)
Colorado Avalanche (per team release)
F J.C. Beaudin (to Colorado, AHL)
F Matthew Boucher (to Colorado, AHL)
F Josh Dickinson (to Colorado, AHL)
F Grayson Downing (to Colorado, AHL)
F Julien Nantel (to Colorado, AHL)
D Turner Ottenbreit (to Colorado, AHL)
D Kevin Davis (to Colorado, AHL)
D Nolan De Jong (to Colorado, AHL)
F Nick Henry (to Regina, WHL)
F Brandon Saigeon (to Hamilton, OHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Trey Fix-Wolansky (to Edmonton, WHL)
F Egor Sokolov (released from tryout)
D Jordan Sambrook (released from tryout)
Dallas Stars (per Mark Stepneski of NHL.com)
F Riley Damiani (to Kitchener, OHL)
F Brett Davis (to Kootenay, WHL)
F Ty Dellandrea (to Flint, OHL)
F Curtis Douglas (to Windsor, OHL)
F Liam Hawel (to Guelph, OHL)
F Jermaine Loewen (to Kamloops, WHL)
F Jason Robertson (to Kingston, OHL)
D Dawson Barteaux (to Red Deer, WHL)
G Anthony Popovich (released from tryout)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
F Nolan Vesey (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Ostap Safin (to Saint John, QMJHL)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Aidan Dudas (to Owen Sound, OHL)
F Nathan Dunkley (to London, OHL)
G Jacob Ingham (to Mississauga, OHL)
D Michal Ivan (to Acadie-Bathurst, QMJHL)
D Markus Phillips (to Owen Sound, OHL)
F Mark Rassell (released from ATO)
F Akil Thomas (to Niagara, OHL)
G Matthew Villalta (to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)
F Gabriel Fortier (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Jackson Leppard (to Prince George, WHL)
F Mathew MacDougall (to Windsor, OHL)
F Chase Wouters (to Saskatoon, WHL)
F Walter Flower (to Halifax, QMJHL)
D Montana Onyebuchi (to Everett, WHL)
D Radim Salda (to Saint John, QMJHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)
C Lucas Elvenes (to Rogle, SHL)
G Dylan Ferguson (to Kamloops, WHL)
Washington Capitals (per team release)
F Eric Florchuk (to Saskatoon, WHL)
F Kody Clark (to Ottawa, OHL)
F Riley Sutter (to Everett, WHL)
F Alex Kannock-Leipart (to Vancouver, WHL)
D Alexander Alexeyev (to Red Deer, WHL)
D Martin Fehervary (to HV71, SHL)
G Logan Thompson (released from tryout)
College Free Agent Michael Prapavessis Signs With AHL’s Cleveland Monsters
Former RPI Engineers defenseman Michael Prapavessis has found his next team. An unsigned Dallas Stars draft pick, Prapavessis became a free agent in August after completing his collegiate career. With training camps ongoing, he has finally reached an agreement with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on a one-year contract, the team announced. Prapavessis, an Ontario native, is set to stay in the Great Lakes region, moving to Ohio after four years in Rochester, New York.
Prapavessis, 22, was always a candidate for an AHL contract, though given his lengthy free agency, the ECHL was beginning to look more likely. A four-year starter on the blue line for RPI, Prapavessis was a productive puck-mover, as well as a locker room leader, taking on the captaincy as a senior. Although RPI is not an elite NCAA program, he proved that he could play a major role at a high level – then looked competent in a short stint with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones – which is likely what an earned him a shot with the Monsters. Prapavessis may not be ready to play an immediate top-six role in Cleveland, but when called upon there is a degree of trust that the coaches of the Columbus Blue Jackets affiliate can have in his ability and intelligence.
With Prapavessis’ signing, the majority of the August college free agent market is now under contract. Prapavessis, Clarkson’s Terrance Amorosa, St. Cloud’s Judd Peterson, and Boston University’s John MacLeod have signed in the AHL, while New Hampshire’s Shane Eiserman, Minnesota-Duluth’s Avery Peterson, Minnesota’s Jack Glover, and Brown’s Tyler Bird have inked ECHL deals. Two very talented defensemen – Clarkson’s Kelly Summers and Minnesota’s Steven Johnson – as well as Western Michigan forward Aidan Muir, remain unsigned and it will be interesting to see how long the trio remain unemployed.
Poll: Who Will Win The Calder Trophy In 2018-19?
The Athletic’s NHL Draft and prospects guru Scott Wheeler has released the first definitive list of candidates for the Calder Trophy in 2018-19, and the order may surprise some people. Admittedly, the list is in the context of fantasy hockey, but Wheeler’s rankings are true to how he thinks Calder voting will unfold if each rookie hits their stat projections. As such, it’s not this year’s first overall pick, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, at the top of the list, but presumptive top-six center for the Vancouver Canucks, Elias Pettersson. Pettersson will be put in a much better position to rack up points than will Dahlin, the next-best candidate, as potentially one of the three best scoring forwards for the Canucks and traditionally productive forwards have a better shot at the Calder than (relatively) equally productive defensemen.
Coming in at number three is Boston Bruins forward Ryan Donato, who led both the NCAA and Olympics in goals last season and will look to win a top-six role for Boston and continue to find the back of the net at an alarming rate. Playing alongside either Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk is an easy way for Donato to quickly become an elite scorer at the NHL level. The fourth-ranked candidate is second overall pick Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes, who – like Pettersson – will be given an immense amount of responsibility right away as a top-six winger who is arguably already one of the three most skilled forwards on the team. However, Svechnikov is one of three Hurricanes rookies on Wheeler’s list, which could take away from his case. Rounding out the top five is Dahlin’s fellow rookie in Buffalo, center Casey Mittelstadt, who scored at nearly a point-per-game pace in the college ranks and in a brief stint with the Sabres to end the year. Mittelstadt should face favorable match-ups this season with the lines anchored by Jack Eichel and Patrik Berglund drawing considerable attention from the opposition.
Wheeler’s top twenty Calder Trophy candidates are as follows:
- C Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
- D Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
- RW Ryan Donato, Boston Bruins
- RW Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes
- C Casey Mittelstadt, Buffalo Sabres
- RW Filip Zadina, Detroit Red Wings
- C Dylan Strome, Arizona Coyotes
- C Henrik Borgstrom, Florida Panthers
- C Martin Necas, Carolina Hurricanes
- D Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars
- RW Dylan Sikura, Chicago Blackhawks
- RW Eeli Tolvanen, Nashville Predators
- C Filip Chytil, New York Rangers
- LW Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
- LW Valentin Zykov, Carolina Hurricanes
- RW Kailer Yamamoto, Edmonton Oilers
- C Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning
- LW Kristian Vesalainen, Winnipeg Jets
- C Sam Steel, Anaheim Ducks
- RW Vitaly Abramov, Columbus Blue Jackets
Honorable Mentions: C Vladislav Kamenev, Colorado Avalanche; LW Jordan Greenway, Minnesota Wild; C Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues; LW Andreas Johnsson, Toronto Maple Leafs; C Michael Rasmussen, Detroit Red Wings; C Lias Andersson, New York Rangers; D Sami Niku, Winnipeg Jets; D Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers; RW Daniel Sprong, Pittsburgh Penguins
What do you think? Who will be the NHL’s Rookie of the Year and take home the Calder Trophy at the end of the season? The favorite? The first overall pick? Another top candidate? Or a name not even mentioned here?
Columbus Blue Jackets Hire Jared Boll, Fedor Tyutin
The Columbus Blue Jackets have brought back some familiar faces, hiring Jared Boll and Fedor Tyutin. Boll will serve as an assistant development coach for the club, while Tyutin joins the team’s scouting staff. Both players have long histories with the Blue Jackets, though ended their careers in the Western Conference with the Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalanche respectively. Amazingly, Tyutin is actually still on the Blue Jackets payroll as a player, earning nearly $1.5MM this season and next as part of the buyout he was given in 2016.
The Blue Jackets have invested a lot of resources into their management and coaching teams this summer, signing several people to contract extensions and bringing in some new faces. Boll is actually only barely removed from a playing career that saw him suit up for 10 games with the Ducks last season, while Tyutin was relatively effective for the Avalanche in 2016-17. The two played a combined 17 seasons with the Blue Jackets, and will now try to help the franchise take the next step towards a Stanley Cup.
Metropolitan Notes: Hayes, Zibanejad, Ho-Sang, Carlsson, Speers
Many people took notice of the one-year deal that center Kevin Hayes signed this offseason as neither he nor the New York Rangers were able to agree upon a long-term contract. The 26-year-old scored a career-high 25 goals last season after posting 17 goals twice previously. With unrestricted free agency in front of him next offseason, many people wondered whether the rebuilding Rangers might opt to trade the center rather than risk losing him next season.
Hayes told MSG reporter John Giannone that he spoke to management and doesn’t feel worried about a trade.
“I had a great conversation with Dru (Chris Drury) and Gorts (GM Jeff Gorton) as soon as I signed my contract. I believe there’s no inclination of me being trade bait or me thinking that I’m going to be out of here. I did not sign a one-year deal to go to free agency. I love this organization, I love the city, what the city demands, the determination and hard work. This is where I want to be for my whole entire career. Obviously a long-term deal didn’t get done but I’m hopeful that come the right time, I think it’ll get done.”
- The New York Rangers might have to worry about another center as Mika Zibanejad left practice early Sunday, according to The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello, after taking a hit to the head in a one-on-one drill from rookie defenseman Joey Keane. The bigger concern is Zibanejad’s history of concussions, including one last season. According to the New York Post’s Bree Cyrgalis, head coach David Quinn said Zibanejad is “fine,” and he just had the wind knocked out of him and might be eligible to play Monday night in Newark.
- New York Islander fans were surprised when prospect Joshua Ho-Sang, who has said he’s turning the page on his past mistakes, missed training camp Saturday with what coach Barry Trotz said was a “personal day.” The Athletic’s Arthur Staple writes (subscription required) that neither Trotz or Ho-Sang elaborated on why he missed a key day of camp, Trotz’s first significant teaching day. “I don’t have any level of concern,” said Trotz.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have five defenseman guaranteed to be making their roster, but with the losses of Ian Cole and Jack Johnson this offseason, the team needs to find their sixth defenseman. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) suggests that player might be Gabriel Carlsson, who has been highly touted since being taken in the first-round in 2015. However, back issues hampered him throughout his first full season in North America. Now after an offseason of conditioning on his back, the 6-foot-5 Carlsson may be ready to make the leap to Columbus.
- The Athletic’s Corey Masisak reports that New Jersey Devils forward Blake Speers broke his nose yesterday when he took an elbow to the face yesterday. He is back at it again today, however, with a face shield. The 21-year-old scored 12 goals with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils and is looking to crack New Jersey’s lineup this year.
Free Agency Notes: Blue Jackets, Islanders, Edler
Even if the Columbus Blue Jackets are the best team in the NHL this season – something some analytics pundits don’t think is outside the realm of possibility – the recurring story line all season will be the impending free agency of stars Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky. Much has been made about the futures of these two all-world players, but now that training camp has arrived, the question is whether their fates have already been decided.
As The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline writes, Paranin did set a deadline of September 13th for all contract negotiations to be completed, stating that he would not continue negotiations in-season. That deadline has now passed. However, Portzline also notes that this ultimatum was issued not long after Panarin rejected an extension offer from the Blue Jackets. Perhaps Panarin’s deadline was more about pressuring Columbus to trade him prior to the beginning of the season than it was to come together on a new contract. Yet, GM Jarmo Kekalainen does not see it that way: “There’s no such deadline in my book. It’s July 1, 2019″.” The team clearly believes that their best plan of action is to enter the season with Panarin and see how things go, continually pushing for an extension up to or through the trade deadline.
Meanwhile, Portzline notes that Bobrovsky has spent much of his off-season alongside Panarin and there is a chance that he has rubbed off on the veteran goaltender. Negotiations with Bobrovsky have reportedly been ongoing and there is no reason to think that they won’t continue. Of course, the Blue Jackets have no plans to trade Bobrovsky and may not all year. However, Portzline also writes that Bobrovsky’s mood when speaking with the media yesterday implied that he may also be ready to walk at season’s end. Bobrovsky said “After last season, I told the situation to the management of the Blue Jackets, so they know everything. They know my plans for the season. They know my plans for the future. They know everything.” When asked if that meant that this season would be his last in Columbus, he added “We’ll see. You have to ask them.” Portzline even says that Bobrovsky briefly spoke in the past tense about his time with the team and seemed like a person whose mind was made up. It wasn’t exactly the positive note that the team and its fans wanted to begin the season with, but then again success can be the solution to many problems. A strong start to the season, and especially a strong end to the season, could convince either player to re-sign and keep the Blue Jackets trending toward being Stanley Cup contenders.
- Anders Lee and Jordan Eberle don’t foresee their impending free agency as a similar situation to that of former teammate John Tavares. Rather, both players expressed their happiness with playing for the New York Islanders when speaking with Newsday’s Andrew Gross. They also agreed that they didn’t want their contracts to be a distraction to them or the team and only hoped for a strong start to the season. Lee, 28, is a career Islander coming of the best season of his career and may be a player that new GM Lou Lamoriello and company see as a core piece moving forward. The same could go for Eberle, 28, who excelled last season after coming over from the Edmonton Oilers. Given the Islanders’ enviable salary cap flexibility and prospect depth, the team can afford to give both Lee and Eberle the contracts they want, likely long-term at $6.5MM+ AAV, if they are happy in New York. The same can’t be said for fellow impending UFA Brock Nelson, who also talked with Gross. Nelson has a long way to go to prove he is worthy of a long-term commitment from the Isles and will be given a chance to prove that. Short of a career year for the two-way center, he is likely a trade casualty in the coming season.
- Despite being included in trade rumors for the past two or three seasons now, Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alex Edler might not be going anywhere. The Athletic’s Jason Brough reports that Edler would like to re-sign with the team this season before the final year of his contract expires. He tells Brough that, were it up to him, he would never play for another NHL team. “If something can be worked out, I would love to stay here,” Edler said, “Even though we’ve had some tough years, this is kind of an exciting thing to go through. There’s change and a lot of young guys are coming in. You see how they are developing. There’s nothing now, but we’ll see. We’ll see what happens.” The veteran seems more than happy to go through the rebuild process with the Canucks and continue to be a leader in the locker room and on the blue line. In that same vein, Brough doubts that Edler will be willing to waive his full No-Trade Clause if Vancouver does look to move him for picks and prospects this year. Edler dodged a question on the subject and continued on about how much he would like to remain with the team. The 32-year-old still has plenty of gas left in the tank and perhaps refusing a trade would really prove his loyalty and earn him a short-term extension. That remains to be seen, but the status of Edler, like any prominent impending free agent, is not a story line that is going to go away this season.
Snapshots: Blues, Panarin, Boeser
The St. Louis Blues had some good news and bad news today, announcing that Robby Fabbri was officially activated from injured reserve while Nikita Soshnikov is out indefinitely with another concussion. Fabbri is an extremely interesting player for the Blues this season as he tries to return to form after two major knee surgeries. He re-signed for just $925K this offseason and is determined to get back to the top-six talent he showed when he scored 33 goals and 81 points in 143 games to begin his career.
Soshnikov on the other hand is an extremely unfortunate situation, given his history of head injuries. The 24-year old forward played just 12 games with the Blues after coming over from the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, and hasn’t been able to stay healthy enough to show much of anything during his short NHL career. With just 16 points in 82 games and an uncertain future, the Blues may have to look elsewhere for help in their bottom-six.
- Artemi Panarin spoke to the media today at Columbus Blue Jackets training camp and reiterated that today marked the end of any contract negotiations for the season. The star forward told Alison Lukan of The Athletic that “the focus is on hockey” now and that nothing has changed in the position he detailed this summer. Panarin had told the Blue Jackets that he didn’t want to negotiate a long-term extension with the team but that he also wasn’t demanding a trade and actually indicated his love of the organization. It’s still to be seen whether the Blue Jackets will allow Panarin to get all the way to unrestricted free agency next summer without a contract or trade him during the year to recoup some of the assets they sent to Chicago for him last summer. His contract does not include any trade protection, and there would likely be dozens of suitors lining up for his services if made available.
- The Vancouver Canucks will come back to the table with Brock Boeser and his representation after the season, according to Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet who spoke with GM Jim Benning today. The two sides have made the decision to put the talks aside while Boeser plays out the final season of his entry-level deal, at which point there will be a chance for a long-term deal. It makes sense for the 21-year old forward to wait, as he’s coming off a season that was cut short due to injury and could easily improve his position by putting up another big goal total. With 33 in his first 71 games in the NHL, there’s no reason to believe that Boeser couldn’t vault himself into the 40-goal camp and set up a huge negotiation next summer.