Snapshots: Jets, Islanders, Stars
Do the Winnipeg Jets need to reassess how they are building their team? Obviously, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and company are doing a fine job as is; the Jets finished with the second-best record in the NHL last season and boast one of the league’s youngest lineups. However, Paul Wiecek of The Winnipeg Free Press makes a valid point that with a cap crunch coming for the talented squad, the team would be better off shifting their focus away from the blue line and onto the forward corps. Wiecek cites the contract disputes with Jacob Trouba – who will be a restricted free agent once again next summer – and the still unsigned Josh Morrissey as situations that the Jets could move on from in the near future. Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot will also both be unrestricted free agents next off-season and the team will have to figure out what do there as well. Instead of continuing to devote precious cap space to the blue line, like the Jets’ Central Division rival Nashville Predators, Wiecek feels the team would be better off focusing their efforts and expenditures up front. With Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor, as well as several other young depth forwards, headed to restricted free agency in 2019, it may be in Winnipeg’s best interests to sign their talented homegrown forwards to long-term deals and look at other options on the blue line. The same goes for re-signing captain Blake Wheeler, an impending UFA would draw considerable interest if he hit the open market. Wiecek suggests the team look at the recent Stanley Cup winners, the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, who were far more invested in star power and depth up front than on the back end. With that talent already in place among the Jets’ forwards, and some dissent and long-term questions on the blue line, this may be an idea that would work out very well in Winnipeg’s favor.
- Another team making changes to their structure are the New York Islanders. However, this adjustment is one of strategy and culture under new head coach Barry Trotz. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple sat down with the recent Stanley Cup winner and learned about the whirlwind first couple of months for Trotz with the team. Trotz was not short on feelings about the club and its future:
“There’s going to be change. It’s going to be structurally, on and off the ice, expectations are going to change… On the ice, I have a vision of how we can play to be better. This team can score, with John Tavares or without John Tavares. The area it’s failed in maybe the last year and a half is on the defensive end. Just looking at the trends over the last four years, it’s clear that’s an area we need to fix. The great thing about the game, one of the hardest things to do in this league is create offense and score goals. This team has been able to do that in the last four years. One of the easiest things to correct, if there’s a commitment and a buy-in, is keeping the puck out of your net. We’ll need a bigger buy-in, we’ll put some structure, we’ll make sure the details are there and we’ll make players accountable. If they’re not, we’ll get someone who can be accountable. And we’ve got to build our players. We’ve got some unfinished products who can certainly be better. Get them to play to their capabilities, that’s all we ask. We want them to be consistent and play to their capabilities, we never ask guys to do more than they’re capable of.”
To say it has been a difficult summer for the Islanders and their fans, given the loss of Tavares and the lack of improvement elsewhere on the roster, is an understatement. However, they still obtained a successful and well-respected coach and hearing that he has a clear plan and is open about his expectations has to be a boost to the morale of the team and its supporters.
- Another new head coach has his players excited for the coming season. In speaking with Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com, Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg expressed his pleasure with the team’s hiring of Jim Montgomery as their new coach. Montgomery recently visited Klingberg at his home in Sweden and the talented defender came away very impressed with their first real interaction. Not only was Klingberg very appreciative of his new bench boss’ willingness to make the long trek to visit him, but also connected with Montgomery about his plans for the team and his own individual development. Klingberg feels that Montgomery can help him transform into a true No. 1 defenseman and that his plan for the team will play to the elite puck-movers strength. Klingberg summarized his excitement for the new campaign nicely, telling Zeisberger that he and Montgomery “have the potential to do some big things.”
Minor Transactions: 08/20/18
The hockey world chugs along as we wait for preseason games to start in a few weeks. We’ll keep track of the minor moves right here:
- Joseph LaBate has signed an AHL contract with the Belleville Senators, leaving the Vancouver Canucks organization after three years. LaBate was eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer after failing to crack the Canucks lineup for more than 13 games, and will now try his hand with the AHL affiliate of the Ottawa Senators. The 6’5″ winger is a tough player to line up against, and will give the Senators a little more size for the 2017-18 season.
- Brett Murray has left Penn State University to return to junior hockey according to Patrick Burns of the Daily Collegian. Murray, a Buffalo Sabres fourth-round draft pick, has experience in the USHL but could also go to the OHL where the Oshawa Generals still hold his rights. The big winger scored just six points in 21 games for Penn State last season, but will take his talents back to the junior ranks where he had found more success in the past.
- Colton Hargrove, a Boston Bruins draft pick, has signed an AHL contract with the Texas Stars for 2018-19. In three seasons with the Providence Bruins Hargrove registered 87 total points, including a solid season in 2017-18 with 33 in just 52 games. The 26-year old became an unrestricted free agent in 2017 when the Bruins decided not to extend him a qualifying offer.
Stars Have Had "Great Dialogue" With Tyler Seguin Regarding An Extension
Stars GM Jim Nill spoke with Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News to provide an update on extension talks for center Tyler Seguin. While he’s hopeful that they can get a new deal done, he’s pleased with how talks have gone so far and acknowledged that he’s okay with talks carrying over into the season:
The 26-year-old is entering the final year of his deal with a $5.75MM cap hit. He has posted at least 72 points in each of the last five seasons and projects to be the top pivot available if he hits the open market. As a result, there’s a good chance that the Stars will need to pay Seguin around what top winger Jamie Benn is making ($9.5MM) if they want him to put pen to paper on a new deal early.
Snapshots: Allen, Heiskanen, Rangers
Despite the vast improvements made by the St. Louis Blues this off-season, the common perception is that their fate still lies in the hands of goaltender Jake Allen. Last season, in the first of a new four-year, $17.4MM contract, Allen took a major step back. The 27-year-old had been a great success as a part-time goalie early in his career and looked like he was ready for full-time duty after the 2016-17 campaign, but was unable to handle the workload. Allen’s appearances actually dropped last season from 61 to 59 as backup Carter Hutton took over the starter’s job with consistent and impressive play. Allen posted a .906 save percentage and career-worst 2.75 GAA and failed to record a plus quality starts percentage. That has to change next season. As The Hockey News’ Jared Clinton writes, Allen is the key to St. Louis’ success (or failure) in 2018-19. With Hutton gone, replaced with journeyman Chad Johnson, the pressure is back on Allen to be the legitimate starter that he has shown flashes of. The Blues should be applauded for re-hauling their forward core this off-season, somehow managing to add Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron, Tyler Bozak, and Patrick Maroon without going over the salary cap. The team also continues to sport one of the deeper blue line’s in the league. However, they need consistent capable play out of Allen or it could be all for not. St. Louis has a contender’s roster if only they can get Allen back on track.
- Dallas Stars super-prospect Miro Heiskanen is all-in on making the team this season. The 19-year-old is just one year removed from being selected third overall in the NHL Draft and is ready to show that he was worth the selection. Stars beat writer Mark Stepenski reports that Heiskanen has already arrived in Dallas and has begun working out with teammates, including veteran leaders Jamie Benn and Ben Bishop. The young defenseman has worked hard this summer and is preparing to wow the Stars’ coaches and executives in training camp. For their part, the Stars’ decision-makers already believe that Heiskanen is ready, although they caution that there will be some adjustments to make and that expectations may be getting too high. Some have even stated that Heiskanen is a legitimate threat to No. 1 overall pick Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres in the upcoming Calder Trophy race. They might not be too far off; like Dahlin, Heiskanen has two years of pro experience already, in the Finnish Liiga, and possess both elite skating ability and next-level awareness and positioning. With those skills already at a pro level, it might not be too difficult of a transition for Heiskanen after all.
- The New York Rangers not only lost captain Ryan McDonagh last season, but they also lost alternate Rick Nash and head coach Alain Vigneault. In speaking with new coach David Quinn, NHL.com’s Dan Rosen discovered that the freshman bench boss would like to get to know his locker room and see how the season begins before naming a new leader. Quinn said:
“We’ve talked about it as an organization. I think a captain emerges. You don’t want to put a burden on somebody that isn’t ready for it. So I think that will just happen one way or the other. It either will happen that someone will emerge and separate themselves as someone who is clearly going to be the captain, or it won’t happen. I think that will take care of itself.”
Frequent alternates Marc Staal or Jesper Fast could emerge as favorites, but neither jumps out as a spectacular candidate for captain. Long-time forward Mats Zuccarello also wore the “A” often, but one has to wonder if it would be worth giving the “C” to a player on an expiring contract who seems unlikely to earn an extension. The same could be said for top center Kevin Hayes. While it is uncommon, Quinn could lean towards awarding the captaincy to star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who Rosen writes he has already gotten to know very well. Young defenseman Brady Skjei, fresh off of a six-year extension this summer, appears to be the cornerstone of the Rangers’ rebuild and could emerge as a top candidate. As Quinn says, only time will tell.
Influx Of Foreign Talent A Trend In 2018 Off-Season
While the NHL free agent market remains flush with talented veteran players, some now beginning to depart for Europe without any leads around the league, NHL teams have quietly imported a fair amount of foreign talent this off-season. While few of these players are stars or even surefire regulars at the NHL level, the fact remains that those on two-way deals slated for depth roles are nevertheless taking those jobs from the current remnants of the market, who at this point would gladly take an AHL assignment with upside. Teams clearly have felt this off-season that taking a chance on a promising foreign player was a better use of a contract than recycling aging domestic veterans. A total of 36 players who played in Europe last season are now headed to North America, where they will suit up for 24 different organizations – showing the popularity of importing talent this off-season. Here are the foreign free agent signings this summer:
D Ilya Lyubushkin (Arizona Coyotes)
F David Ullstrom (Arizona Coyotes)
F Martin Bakos (Boston Bruins)
D Lawrence Pilut (Buffalo Sabres)
F Yasin Ehliz (Calgary Flames)
D Marcus Hogstrom (Calgary Flames)
F Saku Maenalanen (Carolina Hurricanes)
F Dominik Kahun (Chicago Blackhawks)
G Kevin Lankinen (Chicago Blackhawks)
F Jacob Nilsson (Chicago Blackhawks)
G Pavel Francouz (Colorado Avalanche)
F Valeri Nichushkin (Dallas Stars)*
G Patrik Rybar (Detroit Red Wings)
G Mikko Koskinen (Edmonton Oilers)
D Joel Persson (Edmonton Oilers)
D Bogdan Kiselevich (Florida Panthers)
F Ilya Kovalchuk (Los Angeles Kings)
D Eric Martinsson (Minnesota Wild)
D Michal Moravcik (Montreal Canadiens)
D David Sklenicka (Montreal Canadiens)
F Carl Persson (Nashville Predators)
D Filip Pyrochta (Nashville Predators)
G Miroslav Svoboda (Nashville Predators)
D Egor Yakovlev (New Jersey Devils)
F Jan Kovar (New York Islanders)
D Yannick Rathgeb (New York Islanders)
F Michael Lindqvist (New York Rangers)
F Ville Meskanen (New York Rangers)
D Juuso Riikola (Pittsburgh Penguins)
F Lukas Radil (San Jose Sharks)
F Antti Suomela (San Jose Sharks)
F Par Lindholm (Toronto Maple Leafs)
D Igor Ozhiganov (Toronto Maple Leafs)
F Brooks Macek (Vegas Golden Knights)
F Juuso Ikonen (Washington Capitals)
F Maximilian Kammerer (Washington Capitals)
F Dennis Everberg (Winnipeg Jets)
While the obvious highlight of this list is the return of Kovalchuk, inking a substantial deal with the L.A. Kings, the rest are far more than just AHL placeholders. Nichushkin, albeit not a true free agent signing since his rights never left the Stars, is back in Dallas and looking to make an impact. Koskinen is set to be the primary backup to Cam Talbot in Edmonton and, while his role was muddied somewhat by the acquisition of Philipp Grubauer, Francouz is sure to see some action in net with Colorado. Kovar was brought in to be a starter in New York, while Ullstrom – a former Islander – will push for a roster spot with Arizona. After a couple of years abroad, Everberg is back in the league and hoping to find a role in Winnipeg. If Simon Despres, on a PTO with the Montreal Canadiens, earns a contract, he could make a difference as well.
Several more of these players could wind up winning spots in training camp battles, while even more will earn call-ups throughout the year. It is an extensive list and each and every name bears watching as they begin or continue their North American pro careers. Both the risk and upside of bringing over fresh, foreign talent versus sticking with experienced yet stagnant veterans is apparent. For some teams these gambles will fail, while others may find a diamond in the rough.
Rosters Announced For Rookie Showcase, All-American Prospect Game
The NHLPA hosts a Rookie Showcase every season for the players recognized as the most likely to make an impact at the NHL level in the near future. Some of these names have already played a few games in the league, but many are still waiting for their first opportunity to suit up as professionals. This group is not a ranking of the top prospects in the league and is missing several names that would be included in such a list. Still, it gives a glimpse at the next generation of NHL stars.
The game will be held on August 26th at Mastercard Center in Toronto, and is used mostly as a marketing tool for some of the league’s young stars. The full roster is as follows:
G Carter Hart (PHI)
G Ilya Samsonov (WSH)
D Evan Bouchard (EDM)
D Daniel Brickley (LAK)
D Travis Dermott (TOR)
D Miro Heiskanen (DAL)
D Timothy Liljegren (TOR)
D Juuso Valimaki (CGY)
F Vitaly Abramov (CBJ)
F Rasmus Asplund (BUF)
F Rudolf Balcers (SJS)
F Drake Batherson (OTT)
F Kieffer Bellows (NYI)
F Henrik Borgstrom (FLA)
F Ryan Donato (BOS)
F Dillon Dube (CGY)
F Adam Gaudette (VAN)
F Jordan Greenway (MIN)
F Jordan Kyrou (STL)
F Casey Mittelstadt (BUF)
F Michael Rasmussen (DET)
F Dylan Sikura (CHI)
F Nick Suzuki (VGK)
F Robert Thomas (STL)
F Gabriel Vilardi (LAK)
F Filip Zadina (DET)
In a different event, the seventh USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game will be held on September 19th at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. 42 US-born players that are eligible for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft will face off, with star center Jack Hughes leading the way. The group this year includes an incredible amount of talent though, and likely will include several future first-round picks. The full roster is below:
Minor Transactions: 08/15/18
August is already half over and NHL training camps are just around the corner. In the meantime we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around professional hockey right here.
- The Rockford Ice Hogs have agreed to terms with CHL undrafted free agent Connor Moynihan on a one-year AHL contract. Moynihan is an intimidating presence on the ice, standing 6’5″ and willing to engage physically when necessary. His 21-goal output for the Halifax Mooseheads last season doesn’t instill confidence he’ll ever reach the NHL, but has at least earned him a roster spot in the minor leagues.
- New Jersey’s ECHL affiliate has added an undrafted college free agent, as the Adirondack Thunder have signed Nikolas Olsson out of Boston University. Olsson had just three points for the Terriers this season, but has been part of the team’s leadership group for the past two years. The 24-year old forward will continue his dream of playing professional hockey in the minor leagues, while trying to unlock some more offensive potential.
- The final piece of the University of Michigan’s potent top line from last season is moving on to the pros. Dexter Dancs has signed with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, the Dallas Stars affiliate announced. It may not be a coincidence that Dancs inked in the Dallas system; the team signed fellow Wolverines first-liner Tony Calderone to an entry-level deal earlier this off-season. While Dancs surely benefited from skating alongside Calderone and promising Edmonton Oilers center prospect Cooper Marody, he himself is also a very talented player. A big winger with speed and good hands who got better each year in Ann Arbor, Dancs could easily play a major role for the Steelheads and work his way into contention for an AHL contract next summer.
Stars Likely To Keep Jermaine Loewen In The WHL For His Overage Year
- While Stars prospect Jermaine Loewen is eligible to turn pro for the upcoming season, Player Development Coordinator Rich Peverley told NHL.com’s Jeff Miller that the current plan is for the winger to return to Kamloops of the WHL next season. Loewen, who was selected 199th overall back in June, is the first ever Jamaican-born player to be drafted into the NHL and led the Blazers in goals (36) and points (64) last season. The 20-year-old has not signed his entry-level deal as of yet and likely won’t do so until next year at the earliest as his deal would not be eligible to slide a year unlike many players picked from this draft class.
Stars Notes: Seguin, Lindell, Kanzig, Defense
While the Stars would understandably like to lock up center Tyler Seguin to a long-term contract extension, NBC Sports’ James O’Brien believes he’d be better off waiting until next summer to sign instead. For starters, he may want to see if this roster is closer to contention; despite their offensive talent in recent years, Dallas has missed the playoffs in three of the past five seasons and has just one postseason series victory over the two times they did make it. It’s understandable that he may want to see if they get back on the right track under new head coach Jim Montgomery before committing.
There’s also the potential for Seguin to leave money on the table as many often do when foregoing testing the open market. If he’s looking to maximize his pay, waiting until July may be the way to go, especially based on the interest and offers for John Tavares, who received $11MM per year from Toronto. It’s unlikely he’d get that type of deal signing now. Seguin’s case is certainly going to be one to watch for as 2018-19 progresses if they’re unable to agree on an extension by October.
More from Dallas:
- Although Seguin is justifiably drawing all of the attention when it comes to a potential extension, Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News suggests that defenseman Esa Lindell may be a candidate for one as well. He’s coming off of a quality season that saw him post a career-high 27 points while logging over 22 minutes per night for the first time, the second-highest ATOI on the team. The 24-year-old has one year left on his current deal with a $2.2MM cap hit and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility in July.
- Defenseman Keenan Kanzig has inked a one-year deal with Idaho of the ECHL, the Dallas affiliate announced. The physical blueliner was a third-round pick of the Flames (67th overall) back in 2013 but has spent his entire career thus far at the minor league level. He was moved to Carolina last summer as part of the Eddie Lack trade and spent all of last year in the ECHL where he had five assists and 106 penalty minutes in 63 games which resulted in him being non-tendered back in June.
- The Stars had interest in bringing back defenseman Greg Pateryn this summer, notes Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, they were looking at him to play a sixth or seventh role while Pateryn was looking for a bigger contract than someone in that role would receive. In the end, he went to Minnesota on a three-year, $6.75MM contract while in turn, Dallas brought in veteran Roman Polak on a one-year, $1.3MM pact to play the role they had envisioned for Pateryn.
Central Notes: Fabbro, O’Reilly, Polak, Seguin
While Predators prospect Dante Fabbro is set to return to Boston University next season, he is not planning on pushing his way into free agency in 2020, notes NHL.com’s Robby Stanley. The team tried to convince the defenseman to turn pro this summer, but the 20-year-old wanted to stick around for his junior campaign.
“I’ve always said that I want to play in Nashville and I want to be a Predator,” Fabbro said during Predators development camp in June. “I honestly don’t think it’ll come to that, but a lot of things can happen. Nashville was my favorite team. So I have no reason to want to go somewhere else. With their record of developing defensemen in the League, I think it would definitely be a perfect fit for me. I’m excited to play here. I want to play here. It’s definitely going to be a dream come true if I can.”
He would be eligible to suit up in Nashville late in the year once his NCAA season wraps up which is a route a few teams have taken with their top prospects in recent years (including the Preds last year with winger Eeli Tolvanen) so that could certainly be an option come March or April.
- Evan Sporer of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that one side benefit from the St. Louis Blues trade to acquire center Ryan O’Reilly is his special teams skills. Those skills will be critical for the Blues, who finished 30th in the league in power play as they converted goals on just 15.4 percent of the time. One problem, according to Sporer, is that the team had trouble getting to star forward Vladimir Tarasenko. O’Reilly has the passing skills to make Tarasenko the focal point on offense. Most important, his ability to win face-offs will be critical to the team’s chances of making major improvements on their power play.
- The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) breaks down the play of veteran defenseman Roman Polak, who signed with the Dallas Stars this offseason. The 32-year-old blueliner has always been loved by coaches for his old-school style and excellent locker room demeanor, but his statistical breakdown always looks questionable and he outlives his usefulness. Regardless, Shapiro writes that he is a perfect fit in Dallas, who have two young defensemen in Miro Heiskanen and Julius Honka, who look NHL-ready, but if one of them isn’t, Polak is the perfect fill-in. Regardless, the veteran should provide much-needed mentoring to the young players.
- SportsDay’s Joshua Friemel breaks down the Tyler Seguin trade from five years ago and how the Dallas Stars stole away a franchise player for next to nothing from the Boston Bruins.