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Blue Jackets Rumors

Bobrovsky To Focus On Mental Game During Offseason

May 14, 2017 at 5:57 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was one of the best goaltenders this season, so good, he is one of three players who are candidates for the Hart and Vezina Trophies. His 2.06 GAA and his .931 were both league bests. Yet despite his amazing regular season, he found himself struggling again in the playoffs. Columbus was eliminated in five games to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Bobrovsky’s 3.88 GAA and .882 save percentages were a key reason for the Blue Jackets’ failures.

However, the Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline writes that Bobrovsky, who is known for his hard offseason work after losing 17 pounds last offseason off his 199-pound frame which led to his phenomenal season, is receptive to working with sports psychologists and/or doing other types of mental training to get past his playoff struggles in recent years.

While the Blue Jackets have not reached the playoffs since the 2013-14 season, Bobrovsky struggled in the playoffs there too, finishing with a 3.18 GAA and .908 save percentages in six games (also against the Penguins), which were no where near a match to his regular season statistics.

According to Portzline, both Bobrovsky and the Columbus coaching staff, agreed the goaltenders’ struggles were mental. No one will say what his offseason mental training will entail, but no matter what he does, no one will know anything until next year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

“Bob will do the necessary work in whatever area he needs to work, and he’ll get over the hump,” Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. “He has to prepare himself to be the best when it counts the most.”

Columbus Blue Jackets Sergei Bobrovsky

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Potential Buyout Options

May 14, 2017 at 10:19 am CDT | by Seth Lawrence 5 Comments

NHL fans are looking ahead to an offseason which will likely see a lot of movement, but will also feature teams tight up against a stagnant cap ceiling. Buyouts are always an option teams will weigh, although certainly an avenue of last resort. Dumping a contract isn’t as simple as taking the player’s salary off the books. They will count as 1/3 or 2/3 of the original cap hit, for twice the remaining years on that contract. So if a 26 year old player has two years remaining at $3 MM, he will cost $1 MM for four years against the team’s cap total. That means a substantial savings of $2 MM, but is a habit GMs will not want to fall into. For players over 26, the 2/3 rule applies, and that same player would count for $2 MM each of the next four seasons. In such a scenario, the savings are rarely worth it. However, teams can be backed into this corner when trade options completely vanish.

For the 2017 offseason, there is an extra component at play – the expansion draft. Players with full No-Movement Clauses must be protected by their team, exposing potentially better, younger, cheaper options to selection by the Vegas Golden Knights. Prior to the expansion draft, on June 15-17th, there will be a buyout window. Consequently, there will most likely be at least one case where a player who otherwise would not have been bought out will be due to a team’s long-term prospects. This certainly isn’t what the NHLPA had hoped for when they agreed to another 20+ players in the league with the expansion of Vegas, but is an unfortunate unforeseen consequence. Here are just some of the players who could be facing the buyout option this summer:

 

Antti Niemi – Dallas Stars

Both Niemi and fellow goalie Kari Lehtonen should be expecting this fate. With Ben Bishop signing a massive six-year contract with Dallas, their time as starters in this league look all but complete. Both are paid an asburd amount of money, but Niemi’s $4.5 MM is the more unpalatable total. His .892 save percentage through 37 games this year was only edged in ineptitude by Michal Neuvirth among tenders who got more than 15 starts. At his pricetag he is virtually unmoveable, and with only one year remaining on his contract, the hit would be worth it for 2 seasons to keep him away from the team.

Kevin Bieksa – Anaheim Ducks

Bieksa might seem an odd inclusion on this list, considering his age, but it should be remembered that he has a No-Movement Clause, meaning he would need to be protected by the Ducks. Needing to also protect Sami Vatanen, Cam Fowler, and Hampus Lindholm, even under the 8 player protection model, this would likely expose Josh Manson. Considering his play in this post-season, and Bieksa’s complete inability to remain healthy, this is a darkhorse candidate for a last-minute buyout. Bieksa’s Corsi is the worst on the backend for his team and his skating has looked quite problematic of late. The flare of his Vancouver days seems long past and with only one year remaining at $4 MM, he seems an easy target to eliminate.

Scott Hartnell – Columbus Blue Jackets

Hartnell is considered a gutsy character player, a net-front presence, and a veteran leader. However, he has seen his production shift from being that of a decent offensive threat (28 G, 32 A in 2014-15) to an average third liner (13 goals, 24 A in 2016-17). His problems run deeper, though, as his brand of physical hockey has taken its toll on his play. No longer quite the intimidating wrecking-ball of his Philadelphia days, Hartnell is not as effective on the forecheck as he once was. The reason he is included on this list, however, is because Columbus has a lot of young, promising players they will wish to protect in the expansion draft, and Hartnell has a No-Movement Clause. At 34 years old and in a quickly diminishing role, it will be difficult for GM Jarmo Kekalainen to save a space for Hartnell. With toughness adequately filled by hard-nosed forwards in Brandon Dubinsky, Boone Jenner, Nick Foligno, and Brandon Saad, he seems even more superfluous. Assuming Dubinsky (NMC), Brandon Saad, Jenner, Foligno (NMC), Cam Atkinson, and Matt Calvert are protected, Hartnell’s inclusion would sacrifice the 24 year-old William Karlsson. That’s a difficult concession for the Jackets to make, even if the youngster took a step back offensively this season. If they would opt to buy out Hartnell’s contract at $4.75 MM, it would mean $3.16 MM in dead space for 4 more seasons, a hefty pill to swallow.

 
There are certain to be other candidates for buyouts as well, but these are three that could easily find themselves looking for a new contract come June 18th.

Anaheim Ducks| Columbus Blue Jackets| Dallas Stars| Expansion| NHL| NHLPA| Players| Prospects| Vegas Golden Knights Antti Niemi| Ben Bishop| Brandon Dubinsky| Brandon Saad| Cam Atkinson| Cam Fowler| Hampus Lindholm| Josh Manson| Josh Manson| Kari Lehtonen| Kevin Bieksa| Matt Calvert| Michal Neuvirth

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Snapshots: Gavrikov, Montgomery, Brodeur

May 9, 2017 at 6:45 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

In the continuing saga of Vladislav Gavrikov, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that rumors of his signing in the KHL already are completely false. Dan Milstein of Gold Star who represents Gavrikov reiterated that no decision will be made on his future until after the World Championships are over.

Gavrikov is still just 21, and despite being drafted in the sixth round has developed into a legitimate NHL prospect. The young defender apparently has two KHL teams chasing him after his solid season for Yaroslavl. After already convincing Gabriel Carlsson to come over earlier this spring, the Blue Jackets could make another important addition to their defense pipeline with Gavrikov. While Team Russia spreads their ice time out fairly evenly, Gavrikov is used in tough defensive matchups and has been effective in the tournament. His future lies as a shutdown third-pairing player, though he still has time to develop even further.

  • The Florida Panthers have met with Jim Montgomery from the University of Denver twice now, according to George Richards of the Miami Herald, and have booked a second interview with Michel Therrien as well. The club is still searching for their next head coach, and many believe that Nashville Predators assistant Phil Housley will be given a chance to interview before they make a decision. Housley of course is still working in the playoffs as Nashville is off to the Western Conference Finals for the first time. Montgomery and Therrien represent two very different directions for the club, showing that they’re looking in every direction for their next bench boss. Therrien has 814 games of head coaching experience in the NHL, while Montgomery—and in the same vein Housley—has none.
  • Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Martin Brodeur will not continue as goalie coach for the Blues next season, instead returning to his post as assistant general manager. The team will hire a new coach who will hopefully be able to continue the work Brodeur did with Jake Allen in the second half. When the Blues fired Jim Corsi—the man the divisive Corsi stat was named after—along with Ken Hitchcock on February 1st, Allen held a .895 save percentage and was the focus of much hand-wringing among those watching the team. Following Brodeur and Ty Conklin taking over coaching duties, Allen posted a .928 save percentage (including playoffs) and was key in the Blues turnaround. Conklin, previously the goaltender development coach, will surely be in the running to take over the job full-time.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Florida Panthers| Jim Montgomery| KHL| Michel Therrien| Snapshots| St. Louis Blues Jake Allen

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Morning Notes: Parayko, Dotchin, Kings

May 9, 2017 at 11:23 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Colton Parayko will be heading to Europe to join Team Canada for the remainder of the World Championships, marking the end of a breakout season for the 23-year old. Though he scored just two more points than last season, Parayko firmly entrenched himself as the future on the blueline in St. Louis and skated more than 21 minutes a night for the team. When the Blues were forced to move on from Kevin Shattenkirk, Parayko received more time on the powerplay and showed off his incredible skill down the stretch and into the playoffs.

This summer, Parayko will be at the top of the to-do list for the Blues as he will become a restricted free agent on July 1st. A long-term extension is obviously what the team would prefer, but with such little cap space it will be difficult to accomplish. The team already has more than $68MM dedicated to players next season, and will need to move out some money if they want to buy out any free agent years from Parayko. Otherwise they could do a shorter-term bridge deal with him and revisit the issue after veterans like Jay Bouwmeester and Paul Stastny are off the books or retained at a lower price.

  • Jake Dotchin has received a three-game AHL suspension for his latest attack on a Maple Leafs player. Dotchin was called for interference on Frederik Gauthier for a hit that will cause the Maple Leafs’ prospect to miss at least six months. Dotchin had a really solid season with the Lightning during his first stint in the NHL, but these plays may jeopardize his future should they become habit. At just 23, the Lightning will hope he can learn to play just up to the line instead of over it.
  • The Los Angeles Kings are working hard on extensions for Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli according to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. The pair of restricted free agents both have promising futures though Toffoli did take a slight step backwards this season. With the Kings installing new management, a focus on the youth movement will likely follow and Pearson and Toffoli embody it perfectly.
  • While the Columbus Blue Jackets hope to land Vladislav Gavrikov at some point this summer, the defender won’t make his decision until after the World Championships. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen will be attending the tournament personally, and perhaps could get an answer directly while he’s there. Gavrikov received accolades from the KHL this year and saw his role on Yaroslavl increase significantly, leading many to believe he could step directly into an NHL role very soon. Should the Blue Jackets succeed in bringing him over, they will have a log jam of defenders without enough ice time to go around.

Columbus Blue Jackets| KHL| Los Angeles Kings| St. Louis Blues| Tampa Bay Lightning| Team Canada Colton Parayko

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PHR Originals: Weekend Edition

May 7, 2017 at 7:57 pm CDT | by Mike Furlano Leave a Comment

Alongside breaking NHL news, ProHockeyRumors staff pen original and engaging work. This weekend brought pieces on individual teams’ expansion draft issues, offseason considerations, and free agency. In case you missed them, here are the top five original pieces published this weekend:

Blue Jackets Must Convince Hartnell to Waive NMC
The Columbus Blue Jackets had an excellent season spurred by the exciting play of several young forwards. The team faces a potential setback, however, if they lose one of those young players to the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL expansion draft this summer. The biggest obstacle preventing the Blue Jackets from protecting all their young prospects is aging veteran forward Scott Hartnell. Hartnell has a No-Movement Cause, and the expansion draft rules require that any player with a NMC must be protected in the draft. That means that Columbus must protect Hartnell over one of its more promising younger players. The Blue Jackets can solve this issue by convincing Hartnell to waive his NMC.

Read more

Capitals Have Four of the Top Eight Unrestricted Free Agents
The Washington Capitals face some tough decisions this summer, and it has nothing to do with the expansion draft. According to the Hockey News’ Matt Larkin, the Capitals have four of the top eight unrestricted free agents. Kevin Shattenkirk, T.J. Oshie, Karl Alzner, and Justin Williams are all UFAs at seasons-end, and not all are guaranteed to re-sign with Washington. The Capitals’ decision will no doubt be swayed by how the team fares in the next few days. Down 3-1 to the Penguins, the Capitals could be eliminated from the playoffs in a year where they are the predominant favorite to win the Stanley Cup.

Offseason Keys: Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes enter the offseason with numerous unanswered questions. For starters, the team’s home is once again in jeopardy. Ownership is unhappy with the Glendale location, and a deal to move to the East Valley fell through. Trying to woo offseason talent is much harder when your home arena is always in question. On the ice, the Coyotes have to decide whether they want to keep veteran forward Shane Doan and veteran goalie Mike Smith. Doan, an unrestricted free agent this summer, has known no other team (unless you count when the Coyotes played in Winnipeg as the Jets), and is the face of the Coyotes. Smith still has two years left on his deal that pays him $5.67MM a year, but the Coyotes are far from contenders and could move him to a more-competitive team.

Offseason Keys: Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks will have one of the more exciting offseasons this summer. The team will decide whether to go full-rebuild or try to rebuild on the fly. New coach Travis Green may be the sacrificial lamb in all of this, but he’ll helm the ship during the next few years. The Canucks have two very important offseason decisions: re-sign Bo Horvat and decide on a goaltender. Horvat is an RFA this summer and should be in line for a decent raise. Whether Horvat garners a long term deal or a short term bridge contract will signal the team’s confidence in the young forward. As for goaltending, Ryan Miller is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the veteran goalie may not want to stick around for a rebuild.

Course Adjustment for Colorado
The Colorado Avalanche will be the most-watched team this offseason. The team endured intense trade speculation surrounding franchise pieces Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene during the season, and those rumors will only grow stronger as the summer progresses. Many experts think that Colorado could get more for those players at the NHL Entry Draft, and Colorado’s unlucky draft lottery result—dropping down to the fourth pick—only fuels that speculation. Moreover, finishing last in the league despite some big names on the blue line may lead GM Joe Sakic to make some defensive changes.

Colorado Avalanche| Columbus Blue Jackets| Utah Mammoth| Vancouver Canucks| Washington Capitals Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

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Blue Jackets Must Convince Hartnell To Waive NMC

May 7, 2017 at 12:20 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

The Columbus Blue Jackets expansion hopes will come down to one key question: Will Scott Hartnell agree to waive his No Movement Clause. At least that’s what Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch writes about their prospects of losing some young talent.

The Blue Jackets are likely to use the seven forwards, three defensemen and a goalie option for their protection list. At forward, it’s expected the team will protect Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg, Brandon Saad, Nick Foligno, Brandon Dubinsky, Boone Jenner and, at the moment, Hartnell.

The team might have to expose several young players with potential in winger Josh Anderson and center William Karlsson. The team especially doesn’t want to lose Anderson, who scored 17 goals in his first full season of NHL action, and at 23 years old is likely to keep improving and give the team a consistent 20-goal scorer for many years.

Karlsson, 24, hasn’t come on as quickly as Anderson with just 15 goals in two full seasons, but the Blue Jackets believe he is capable of putting up big offensive numbers. While the team has made it clear it doesn’t want to lose him, he may end up being expendable with the development of center prospects Pierre-Luc Dubois (the third overall pick in 2016) and Kevin Stenlund (second-round pick in 2015).

No matter what, Hartnell’s NMC will force the team to protect the 35-year-old declining veteran and that could lead to the team exposing one of those prospects. Hartnell still has two more years on his contract at $4.75MM and his numbers keep going south. Since acquiring the veteran in 2014, Hartnell scored 28 goals in his first season with Columbus, 23 seasons in 2015-16 and just 13 goals this past season.

The scribe writes that there are many reasons that Hartnell might not agree to waive his no clause, including his love for the city, that he plans to be married this summer and has stated he’d like to settle down in Columbus. At 35, Hartnell would also like a chance at a Stanley Cup as well, which is more likely to happen in Columbus than in Las Vegas in the next few years.

Hartnell, however, could agree to waive his NMC as it’s unlikely that Las Vegas would opt to take a declining veteran with a large contract and the Blue Jackets’ chances of long-term success might be damaged if Las Vegas takes one of those young players. It’s also possible, Columbus could just buy out Hartnell to avoid losing Anderson.

Portzline also suggests that GM Jarmo Kekalainen and George McPhee might have already worked out an agreement with the Las Vegas Golden Knights to avoid some of those prospects as that is a common practice before expansion drafts.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Uncategorized Josh Anderson| Las Vegas| Scott Hartnell| William Karlsson

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Overseas Rumors: Miele, Zaar, Carey

May 6, 2017 at 6:13 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 1 Comment

The free agent frenzy is already underway for most of the major European hockey leagues and news of many teams’ interest in and pursuit of North American players has begun to make its way across the Atlantic. One move that seems to be more than just speculation is the reported signing of Philadelphia Flyers minor-leaguer Andy Miele by Swedish Hockey League team Malmö. Apparently, a deal is already in place between the two sides, Miele told Tony Androckitis of the AHL Blog “Highland Park Hockey”. Miele explained that the contract is voidable if he can negotiate a new deal with the Flyers, or AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms, by June 25th and that “will be a conversation…that (they) will have”. However, as Androckitis points out, an extension seems unlikely when Miele did not get to play in one NHL game this season despite leading the Phantoms in scoring. The Flyers’ organizational depth will likely prevent Miele from making a significant difference at the highest level, which would probably drive down the value of an extension as well. The 2011 Hobey Baker winner, who also failed to make an impact with the Detroit Red Wings and Phoenix Coyotes in previous stops, is better off taking his talents overseas where he will likely be the Redhawks’ best player and be well-paid for his services. Miele, at 29 years old, has had a prolific minor league career with 368 points in 420 games and four AHL All-Star Game selections. It seems time that he take on a new challenge in his career.

  • Potentially, Miele could be joined in Malmö by a fellow AHLer. Swedish winger Daniel Zaar, a 2012 sixth-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, is considering heading back home next season. The 23-year-old was a key part of the Cleveland (then-Lake Erie) Monsters run to a Calder Cup championship in 2015-16 and, though his goal total fell off significantly, had another successful AHL campaign this year. Altogether, Zaar has 73 points in 126 AHL games since coming to North America. Yet, like Miele, Zaar has not been given an opportunity to try his hand at the NHL level. Zaar had 9 goals and 18 assists in 55 games with Lulea of the Swedish League prior to joining the Monsters and, given some apparent development, should be capable of greatly increasing those numbers. Both Zaar and Swedish suitors understand that, as Blue Jackets beat reporter Mark Scheig reports that bids for the young scorer have already begun, with Malmö in the lead. Zaar seems highly likely to head back overseas this off-season unless Columbus makes a convincing argument that he’ll see ample NHL ice time in 2017-18.
  • Although many have assumed that the Washington Capitals’ season is over, down 3-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference semifinals, technically it isn’t. That hasn’t stopped Swiss club Lugano from publicly stating that they are interested In Caps forward Paul Carey, who skated earlier in the series even. However, Carey is not exactly an NHL regular. The 28-year-old, a four-year starter at Boston College, has largely failed to build on his collegiate success at the highest level. In 32 regular season games and four postseason games with the Colorado Avalanche and Capitals, Carey has just one goal and one assist. In the AHL, he has been much more successful, including recently wrapping up a career-best point-per-game 55-point season. However, with little chance of becoming a full-time NHLer, Carey could certainly be interested in making the jump overseas and the NLA is one of the top destinations. A Carey-Lugano connection, as rumored, would be a logical fit for both.

AHL| Columbus Blue Jackets| NLA| Philadelphia Flyers| Washington Capitals Paul Carey

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Players To Watch In Upcoming QMJHL Finals

May 4, 2017 at 7:20 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 1 Comment

With the Ontario Hockey League final series getting underway tonight, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is awaiting its own championship kick-off tomorrow. The winners of both series, while league champions in their own right, also earn a spot in the Memorial Cup Tournament, where they’ll try to assert themselves as the top team in all of Canadian junior hockey.

While the QMJHL doesn’t feature quite as much star power as its OHL counterpart this year, there are plenty of names taking part in the finals who could be making an impact in the NHL as soon as next season. Behind a stalwart defensive pair and consistent scoring, the Saint John Sea Dogs cruised to a 48-14-5 record in 2016-17, which gave them the regular season crown by a whole nine points over the closest contender. The Sea Dogs’ impressive pace has not slowed down at all in the postseason; they went 12-1-1 on their way to a title berth. Now, Saint John has to get the job done when it matters most, as they know too well what falling short feels like after a semifinal exit last season. Their opposition for the championship is the upstart Blainville-Boisbriand Armanda. The Armada finished second in the West Division behind defending champion Rouyn-Noranda, but had the fourth-best record in the league at 43-19-4. Armed with two elite trade acquisitions, the Armanda charged through the playoffs and capped off their run to the title match-up with an upset over the #3-seed Charlottetown Islanders.

These two teams have been nearly unstoppable in the QMJHL playoffs and are charged up and ready to go. Who should you keep an eye on when the series starts tomorrow?

Pierre-Luc Dubois, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada/Columbus Blue Jackets

A player who most hockey fans have heard of by now, Dubois was the third overall pick in the NHL Draft last June by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although many expected that he would make the team out of camp, the Blue Jackets brass felt he was not ready and returned the young center to his junior team, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Although he scored 18 points in his first 20 games of the season, it was far off his pace from 2015-16, when he finished with 99 points in 62 contests. Cape Breton decided to trade Dubois to Blainville-Boisbriand for a package that included two high draft picks. Dubois returned to his high-scoring ways with the Armada, posting 37 points in 28 regular season games and added 21 more through 15 postseason games thus far. Dubois is a well-rounded player with great offensive skill and strong two-way ability. If the Armada hope to knock off the Sea Dogs, Dubois will have to be the difference-maker.

Thomas Chabot, Saint John Sea Dogs/Ottawa Senators

Another star prospect many felt would be in the NHL this season, 2015 first-round pick Chabot has instead dominated the QMJHL since returning from his brief stint – one game played, -2 rating – with Ottawa earlier this season. An excellent possession defenseman who has speed and puck-moving ability, Chabot racks up the points from the blue line. In 34 regular season games in 2016-17, he accumulated 45 points. He also took a brief break to dominate the World Juniors with ten points in seven games as the alternate captain for Team Canada. Yet, he has still been able to take his game up a notch in the playoffs, posting 19 points in 14 games. Not only does that top all defensemen in the postseason, it’s also good enough for ninth overall. Chabot is a difficult player to match up against and will likely continue to score in the upcoming final series as he works to win a championship for the team he has played for since 2013.

Mathieu Joseph, Sain John Sea Dogs/Tampa Bay Lightning

GM Steve Yzerman picked a good one in the fourth round in 2015, as Joseph has been a revelation for Saint John the past two seasons. A multi-skilled winger who apparently was just slow to develop, Joseph went from a 42-point campaign in 2014-15 to 73 last year and 80 this year. Centered by recent Chicago Blackhawks signee Matthew Highmore, Joseph put up career numbers and finished tied for 12th in scoring in the QMJHL. To top off an incredible season, Joseph is second in postseason scoring with eleven goals and eleven assists already through just 14 games. No one has slowed Joseph down thus far and the Armada have their work cut out for them.

Alex Barre-Boulet, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada

The only player scoring more than Joseph in the postseason has been Barre-Boulet. Passed up in the NHL Draft last year, the small, shifty center has done just about everything possible to make sure that doesn’t happen again. After scoring 89 points in 65 games last year for the Drummondville Voltigeurs was not enough, Barre-Boulet requested a trade midway through the season to a team with championship hopes in an effort to extend his season. Adding on to his 48 points from Drummondville, he registered 33 points in the Armada’s final 28 games and finished 11th in league scoring with 81 points total. In the playoffs though, he is alone in first by quite a margin. Barre-Boulet has 29 points, including 13 on the power play, in just 16 games. A player with a point to make, unlike many of the top players in the series, Barre-Boulet will perhaps be the most dangerous competitor that Saint John has to face.

Jakub Zboril, Saint John Sea Dogs/Boston Bruins

Luckily, the Sea Dogs have had an answer for some of the top offensive talent in the QMJHL this year (and last year and the year before that) in Czech defenseman Zboril. A 2015 first-round pick of the Bruins, Zboril is known as one of the best two-way defenseman in the league. A dominant force in the neutral zone, Zboril can carry the puck and fire a hard shot on goal and then speed back to his own end for a hard check as well. In a league that has historically been fast-moving and high-offense, Zboril has helped to keep scoring down in Saint John for the visitors. He also gets on the board himself with 41 points in 50 games this season. One of a number of elite Boston defensive prospects, enjoy Zboril dominating the juniors while you can, because he’ll be turning pro after the season.

Julien Gauthier, Saint John Sea Dogs/Carolina Hurricanes

The rich got richer at the QMJHL Trade Deadline this season as the Sea Dogs acquired 2016 Carolina first-rounder Gauthier from the Val-d’Or Foreurs. A big power forward who isn’t afraid to use his 6’4″, 225-lb. frame, but also has a surprising finesse game, Gauthier is a valuable weapon. However, while he managed to score more than a point per game for both Val-d’Or and Saint John en route to a 51-point season, the Sea Dogs know that Gauthier has more to offer. With 11 points in 14 postseason games, he’s made his presence felt, but if Gauthier plays to his potential in this final series, he could really tip the scales in Saint John’s favor.

Boston Bruins| Carolina Hurricanes| Chicago Blackhawks| Columbus Blue Jackets| Ottawa Senators| Prospects| QMJHL| Steve Yzerman| Tampa Bay Lightning Pierre-Luc Dubois| World Juniors

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Columbus Blue Jackets Trying To Sign Vladislav Gavrikov

May 1, 2017 at 4:46 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Not to be outdone by the other Metropolitan Division teams that have been going after KHL talent, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that the Blue Jackets have offered a contract to Vladislav Gavrikov. The former sixth-round pick has now played two full seasons in the KHL, and is believed to have an NHL future should he decide to come over to North America. Portzline adds that agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star will meet Gavrikov at the World Championships to discuss the offer in person.

Despite being just 20 when this season started (he has since turned 21), Gavrikov saw his icetime increase to over 18 minutes a night on his hometown Yaroslavl team and was named the top defenseman in the league for March. His development in his own end has been steady, though he still hasn’t flashed much offensive prowess. In 54 games this season he registered just seven points.

If Columbus can get him to make the trip across the pond, Portzline opines that Ryan Murray may be on the move out of town. The former second-overall pick has become somewhat redundant since the successful debuts of both Zach Werenski and Gabriel Carlsson, but retains his tremendous trade value. Should the team move on from Murray, they could likely get a king’s ransom for the 23-year old defender. This season saw Murray’s point totals drop to just 11 through 60 games, mostly because he skated very rarely on the powerplay.

Should another team come calling, the Blue Jackets are in the enviable position of having a stockpile of young defenders still coming, including Gavrikov, Ryan Collins and NCAA draft pick Andrew Peeke. They could move on from Murray and still have one of the deepest groups in the league, and signing Gavrikov would make it even deeper.

Columbus Blue Jackets| KHL

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Snapshots: Las Vegas Lottery, Buffalo’s GM Search

April 30, 2017 at 2:21 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Yesterday’s NHL draft lottery was a disaster for most of the worst teams in the NHL as three teams, not in the bottom three, ended up winning the lottery, pushing the teams that most need talent back three slots. With New Jersey (fourth-worst record), Philadelphia (13th worst record) and Dallas (seventh-worst record) winning the top three spots in the 2017 NHL Draft this year, teams like Colorado and Vancouver end up with their worst-case scenarios. The Avalanche will draft fourth and the Canucks fifth.

The new team, the expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights got no luck either. The team, which had an 88 percent chance of a top-five pick, ended up sixth. The team had hopes of drafting the face of their franchise if they could get high enough. The hope was the team could snag either Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier. Instead the team will now need to look at the second-tier of options, according to Las Vegas Sun’s Jesse Granger.

While Las Vegas will look at multiple players at No. 6, it is believed the Golden Knights will focus on forwards in the first-round of the draft as they are expected to collect lots of defense and goaltending in the expansion draft and be desperate for scoring.

They will look at several prospects in that second tier, including Windsor Spitfire’s center Gabriel Vilardi from the OHL, Mississauga Steelheads wing Owen Tippett of the OHL, Eden Prairie (Minn.) High School’s Casey Mittelstadt and Tri-City Americans center Michael Rasmussen of the WHL. Vilardi is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound center who uses his size advantage to dominate. He is coming off a season in which he had 29 goals and 32 assists in just 49 contests this season. His lack of penalty minutes signal that he knows how to use his size to his advantage. Tippett is coming off a big year in which he scored 44 goals in 62 games and is known to be exceptionally quick. However, defense is an issue. Mittelstadt won Mr. Hockey in Minnesota, but is tough to judge after playing against lower-level competition. Rasmussen is the biggest of the four as he is 6-foot-5 and tallied 32 goals in the WHL.

  • The Buffalo Sabres interviewed Columbus Blue Jackets’ assistant general manager Bill Zito Saturday, as reported by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. Zito has been the Blue Jackets’ AGM since August of 2013. According to the team’s website, Zito helps manage contract negotiations, scouting and player evaluation and salary cap management and is also the general manager of the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters. The team has also shown interest in Los Angeles Kings’ assistant GM Mike Futa.

 

Buffalo Sabres| Columbus Blue Jackets Las Vegas| NHL Entry Draft

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