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Training Camp Notes: Kane, Toews, Senators

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Today marked the first day of training camp for the majority of teams across the league. With the first preseason tilt just two days away now, teams are getting fired up and ready to go see at what level players in their organization are able to perform. One team whose offseason led to much fanfare was the Chicago Blackhawks, and the health status of both of their stars were hot topics of discussion today. NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis reports that a nagging injury to star winger Patrick Kane, an undisclosed matter that had appeared before the start of the Edmonton bubble in 2020, hasn’t healed completely. However, neither Kane nor others in the organization are concerned about his ability to play through the matter, as Kane himself remarked today that he’s “optimistic with where [he’s] going.” A great sense of mysteriousness still veils whatever the nagging issue is, as the nature of the injury has yet to be reported.

More notes from today’s opening of training camps:

  • After missing the entirety of 2020-21 due to Chronic Immune Response Syndrome, it was reported earlier in the offseason that Chicago Blackhawks Jonathan Toews was expected to return to play this year. Roumeliotis reports that after summer workouts, Toews rejoined the team today for his first formal practice since 2020. It would be a huge add for Chicago to get their captain back into the fold after an offseason that saw them forge a deeper team throughout. While Toews’ practice today went well, he hopes for but won’t guarantee an opening night appearance when their season opens in Colorado on Wednesday, October 13.
  • The contract negotiation saga of Brady Tkachuk has largely been an arduous, open-to-the-public process that continues to plant nervousness in Senators fans. It’s come to a head in recent days, as training camp has now begun without Ottawa’s best forward in the fold. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that in his absence, they’ve kept the other two-thirds of his line together in Josh Norris and Drake Batherson. While it’s anybody’s guess on who could fill that role during play if Tkachuk misses the start of the season, head coach D.J. Smith used forward Nick Paul in that first-line left-wing role today. Potentially a sign of things to come, it’s still anything but a guarantee.

Dallas Stars Hire Al Montoya

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  • The Dallas Stars have hired former NHL goaltender Al Montoya as the club’s new director of community outreach, a position created to focus on helping grow the game among underrepresented fans. Montoya, 36, last played in the NHL during the 2017-18 season with the Edmonton Oilers and totaled 168 games over his full career. Originally selected by the New York Rangers with the sixth overall pick in 2004, he finished his NHL career with a 67-49-24 record and .908 save percentage.

Tyler Seguin Back To Full Strength After Battle With COVID

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  • According to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, Tyler Seguin is almost back to full strength after a bout with COVID-19 this summer that kept him off the ice for two weeks. When he returned to training, his nose and lungs were “on fire” and he was dealing with constant cramping. Those issues have subsided, and though there are still a few noticeable limitations on certain exercises, the star forward feels “pretty much back to normal.” Seguin of course missed almost the entire 2020-21 season, playing just three games for the Stars. The 29-year-old is a key part of a team that hopes to get back to the postseason and once again push for a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. In 2018-19, the last time Seguin played a full uninterrupted season, he recorded 33 goals and 80 points in 82 games.

Seguin, Hintz, Radulov, And Hanley All Will Be Ready For Training Camp

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  • Stars head coach Rick Bowness told Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that forwards Tyler Seguin (hip and knee), Roope Hintz (groin), Alexander Radulov (core), and defenseman Joel Hanley (core) have all recovered from their respective injuries and surgeries and will be ready for training camp. Seguin, in particular, will be a welcome return as he was only able to suit up in three games last season, managing a pair of goals in those contests.  They’re still not fully healthy, however, as there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding goalie Ben Bishop’s future which is why Braden Holtby was surprisingly signed in free agency this summer.

Negotiations For Klingberg Extension Likely To Be Tricky

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  • With Miro Heiskanen’s deal now done, Dallas has shifted their focus towards an extension for fellow blueliner John Klingberg. Mike Heika of the Stars’ team website notes that the negotiations could be tricky with Klingberg’s offensive production (only eight blueliners have more total points than Klingberg over his seven-year career) potentially allowing him to command a sizable raise on his current $4.25MM AAV.  He’ll be 30 when his next deal kicks in which makes it difficult to command a max-term contract and the team already has nearly $18MM tied up in their other three top-four defenders for next season and beyond; adding another big-ticket contract could put them among the highest-spending teams on the back end.

OHL Will See Influx Of 2021 NHL Draft Selections For 2021-22

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After a year that saw a straight-up canceled season, one of the most prestigious junior programs in the world will see an influx of talent for the 2021-22 campaign. The Canadian Hockey League as a whole has received some welcome news over the past few days, as high-end prospects from the 2021 NHL Draft have signed on to play with various teams in the CHL next season. Today, Stanislav Svozil, a third-round pick of Columbus, added himself to that list. We’ll dive into a list of notable first-rounders from the 2021 Draft who are expected to be returning to the OHL or coming there for the first time after stints elsewhere last season.

F Mason McTavish (Anaheim Ducks, 3rd overall) – A somewhat surprising selection, the 6′ 2″, 207-pound power forward will be among the OHL’s biggest stars when the league resumes play after a lost 2020-21 season. McTavish played last season on loan with EHC Olten in the second-tier Swiss League, and impressed with 11 points in 13 regular-season games and seven points in just four playoff games. With an impressive 11 points in seven games for Canada’s U18 squad, serving as their captain during the U18 World Championships, McTavish comes back to his Peterborough Petes as the team’s best and most dynamic forward. He’ll look to improve on his rookie season with the team in 2019-20, in which he scored 29 goals and 42 points in 57 games.

D Brandt Clarke (Los Angeles Kings, 8th overall) – One of the most dynamic defensemen in the draft, Clarke fell all the way to Los Angeles at eighth overall, a lucky break for an already stacked prospect pool. Clarke, property of the OHL’s Barrie Colts, spent the 2020-21 campaign on loan with HC Nove Zamky in Slovakia’s Tipos Extraliga. Posting 15 points in 26 games, the two-way defender flaunted his skating ability on a professional stage. The immense growth in his game overseas will surely be on full display this year in Barrie.

F Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers, 16th overall) – A teammate of McTavish’s with EHC Olten in 2020-21, Othmann looks to bring his elite shot back to the OHL for 2021-22 with the Flint Firebirds. Othmann was able to score some decent playing time in Switzerland, posting 16 points in 34 regular-season games. Those numbers in a professional setting lead many to believe that Othmann will improve on his 17 goals and 33 points that Othmann put up in 55 games with Flint in 2019-20.

F Oskar Olausson (Colorado Avalanche, 28th overall) – Joining Clarke with the Barrie Colts, Olausson is somewhat of a surprise addition to this list. The newly-minted Avalanche prospect has spent the entirety of his career in his native Sweden, yet his decision to move to North America signals a desire to join the Avalanche organization professionally as soon as possible. Picked up by Barrie in the OHL’s Import Draft, Olausson will find more opportunity there than he would have overseas, especially after his HV71 team was relegated to the second-tier Allsvenskan for the upcoming season. His offense should help create an extremely strong attack in Barrie, who’ll have one of the deeper teams in the league next season.

 

Stars Sign Curtis McKenzie To Two-Year AHL Deal

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  • The Stars are reuniting with Curtis McKenzie as their AHL affiliate in Texas announced a two-year deal for the winger. The 30-year-old played in 99 games with Dallas over parts of four different seasons but spent last season on a two-way deal with St. Louis, posting 13 points in 26 games with AHL Utica.

Dallas Stars Sign Joseph Cecconi

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The Dallas Stars have inked Joseph Cecconi to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2021-22 season. The young defenseman was eligible for arbitration this summer but decided not to file. PuckPedia reports that the deal will pay Cecconi $750K in the NHL and $85K in the AHL.

Cecconi, 24, was originally a fifth-round pick of the Stars in 2015, but quickly rose up the prospect charts with his performances at the World Juniors and the University of Michigan. He was part of the U.S. team that won gold in 2017, and developed a little bit of an offensive game to go along with his defensive acumen. The 6’4″ defenseman played 37 games with the Texas Stars last season, recording eight points, and is likely headed back to the minor leagues for 2021-22.

In fact, with other minor league signings like Alexander Petrovic and Andreas Borgman in the fold, the chances Cecconi plays meaningful minutes in the NHL this year seem low. With that in mind, he’s a lock to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent next summer, given he hasn’t played even a single game with Dallas to this point.

Stars Re-Sign Jerad Rosburg

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While Dallas saw one of their restricted free agents head overseas this morning, they’ve taken care of another one as the Stars announced the re-signing of defenseman Jerad Rosburg to a two-year, two-way contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 25-year-old signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent back in March of 2020 after four seasons at Michigan State.  Rosburg spent last season with AHL Texas, notching a goal and six assists in 36 games along with a team-high 34 PIMS.  He was never a big offensive threat at the college level either with his career-best in points with the Spartans being 17 so the low output in his freshman professional season doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

Despite his age, Rosburg is actually waiver-exempt for one more season so Dallas will be able to send him back to Texas in the fall where he can continue to develop.  This deal will take him to UFA eligibility in the summer of 2023 so if he isn’t able to establish himself with Dallas by then, he’ll have an opportunity to try to catch on elsewhere at that time.

The Stars now have just one restricted free agent remaining in AHL blueliner Joseph Cecconi who elected not to file for salary arbitration by yesterday’s deadline.

Stars RFA Adam Mascherin Signs In Sweden

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After three years in the minors, Stars RFA Adam Mascherin has decided that it’s time for a change as Skelleftea of the SHL announced that they’ve signed the winger to a one-year contract.  Dallas will still retain his rights having tendered him a qualifying offer last month.

The 23-year-old has taken a bit of a unique route so far in his career.  Originally drafted in the second round by Florida (38th overall) back in 2016, Mascherin elected not to sign with them and chose to re-enter the draft in the hopes of finding a better opportunity.  Dallas then took him in the fourth round in 2018 (100th overall) and quickly signed him to an entry-level deal.

However, there has yet to be an NHL opportunity for Mascherin with Dallas despite two strong seasons with AHL Texas.  He had 44 points in 75 games in his rookie season in 2018-19 and, after a tough sophomore year, rebounded nicely with 18 goals and 16 assists in 37 games with Texas last season, good for second on the team in points and third in the league in goals.  That still wasn’t enough to even earn him a stint with the taxi squad let alone a recall.

Instead of trying to earn a spot in camp with the Stars, Mascherin will try his hand overseas where a strong showing could give him some more leverage in contract talks with Dallas a year from now or boost his stock to the point where another team could trade for his rights and give him an opportunity.

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