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Toronto Marlies Win 2018 Calder Cup

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And just like that, hockey season is officially over. The Toronto Marlies, AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, finished off the last of the major North American hockey leagues with a Game Seven win over the Texas Stars, AHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars, to win the Calder Cup. The Marlies controlled the game and held a 3-0 lead late into the third before a flurry of action produced a 6-1 final.

This is the first Toronto hockey championship since 1967 and could be a positive sign of things to come for the Maple Leafs. It also marks a strong start to Kyle Dubas’ tenure as GM in Toronto, as the young executive has long had oversight over the Marlies.

Leading the top performers for Toronto was Playoff MVP Andreas Johnsson, who posted 24 points in 16 games and showed no fatigue after skating with the Maple Leafs in Round One. Goaltender Garret Sparks was also electric all spring, including several clutch saves in the deciding Game Seven. Not to be forgotten is captain Ben Smith, who now adds a Calder Cup title to his Stanley Cup win with the Chicago Blackhawks and NCAA Championship with Boston College.

A big win for the city of Toronto will surely be met with much excitement and the Marlies deserve every bit of the spotlight. However, the expectations are now higher than ever for the Maple Leafs to follow suit with a Stanley Cup in the coming years.

Several Teams Linked To Ilya Kovalchuk

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This weekend a report surfaced that Ilya Kovalchuk was visiting the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. There wasn’t any indication whether those teams would eventually land the Russian sniper, but he was at least willing to speak with them ahead of his signing period that begins on July 1st. Now, in a report from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) the market for Kovalchuk becomes more clear.

LeBrun lists the Kings, Sharks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers as the “top contenders” for the 35-year old sniper, with a second group of interested parties including the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks. Darren Dreger of TSN also believes that Detroit is in the mix, while Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) has heard that the Red Wings want to bring him aboard. Custance also lists the Tampa Bay Lightning as a possibility if Kovalchuk is willing to sign a short-term deal.

Interestingly, the New York Islanders were not listed among the interested teams despite Kovalchuk’s obvious connection with GM Lou Lamoriello. Arthur Staple of The Athletic added to that when he tweeted that the Islanders were “not in the main circle of interest” something that doesn’t seem so surprising when they have their own star free agent to get under contract in the coming weeks. While no Lamoriello-run team should ever be counted out of anything because of a lack of information, the Islanders don’t appear to be the best fit for Kovalchuk, who wants to win a Stanley Cup and doesn’t have a lot of years left to do it.

Kovalchuk can agree to terms with anyone in the league right now, but will have to wait until July 1st to actually sign a contract. He’s obviously taking his time to speak with anyone interested, but it seems as though there are plenty of teams willing to take a chance on him. Remember any contract he signs will count against the cap regardless of whether he retires or not, while he can only receive performance bonuses if he agrees to a one-year deal.

AHL Success Found On Different Paths For Toronto, Dallas

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The AHL Calder Cup Finals could be determined tomorrow night as Toronto takes a 3-2 series lead into the final game in Texas. The Marlies are coming off a powerful 6-2 victory in Game 5, and will count on goaltender Garrett Sparks to try to take them home with a league championship. The Stars could easily be up in the series if a few more bounces had gone their way, showing just how close the two teams are.

Interestingly though, they are built very differently. While Toronto is relying on youth and inexperience to create wave after wave of attack, Texas is squeezing some incredible hockey out of some veteran talent. The Marlies (and the whole league) for instance, are led in scoring by the 23-year old Andreas Johnsson who has 20 points in 14 playoff games after re-joining the team following the Maple Leafs’ first-round exit. The seventh-round pick has developed into an elite offensive player at the minor league level, and is expected to take a full-time role on the Maple Leafs next season.

On Johnsson’s top line is the 24-year old AHL rookie Miro Aaltonen and 20-year old Carl Grundstrom, who has now played more minor league playoff games than regular season contests. Both have 12 points in 18 games, but have looked even more dangerous since Johnsson’s return. Second in Marlies scoring is Trevor Moore, the 23-year old NCAA signing that has suddenly turned from AHL afterthought to postseason sensation. It seemed unlikely that Moore had much of an NHL career path, but the Maple Leafs may have to reconsider after an outstanding playoffs.

The Stars on the other hand are using their veteran experience to keep the series close. Captain Curtis McKenzie is second in playoff scoring with 19 points in 20 games, and leafs all players with 10 goals. The 27-year old has been a part-time NHL player for Dallas the past few seasons, but has always found great success in the minor leagues. He’s joined near the top of the leaderboard by 27-year old Justin Dowling, 29-year old Brian Flynn and 34-year old Travis Morin, all former NHL players who have plenty of experience in the minor leagues. The Stars were extremely well prepared for the Marlies when the series started, and have caught their young defense corps several times playing a little overly aggressive.

It’s not like the Stars don’t have youth on their roster, or that the Marlies don’t have experienced AHL players. But there is a clear divide in the top producers from each club, something that will be interesting to follow as the series gets back underway tomorrow night. If anyone can stay calm and stave off elimination, a group of veteran players who have seen it all would be a good bet. McKenzie and his club will have a tough test corralling the youth of the Marlies though, as the NHL has learned with the Maple Leafs young group over the last few seasons.

Free Agent Focus: Dallas Stars

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Free agency is now a little less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Dallas’ free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Mattias Janmark — No one was sure how Janmark would respond after missing the 2016-17 season with a knee injury, but the 25-year-old took that next step in his development with a solid season for the Stars this season. No longer hampered by a degenerative knee condition, Janmark put up 19 goals and 34 points this season and found himself on the team’s second line by the end of the season.

The question is what is the young forward worth after a bounce-back season? A quality two-way forward, he has forced his way up the lineup this year, often playing big units for a struggling offense. However, with the season he’s had, don’t be shocked if Janmark has some leverage going into negotiations this summer.

F Devin Shore — Considered to be a key piece for the Stars youth movement, Shore had a solid season as a bottom-line forward as he saw his ice time increase by over a minute between the last two years. The 23-year-old put up 11 goals and 32 points last year, but also had 125 shots and 71 hits on the year. The only down side about Shore’s season is his minus-30 plus-minus ratio, way down from a year ago on a team that was better offensively this season.

Other RFA’s: F Jason Dickinson, G Philippe Desrosiers, F Remi Elie, D Dillon Heatherington, D Stephen Johns, F Gemel Smith, F Cole Ully.

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D Greg Pateryn — Despite a career so far serving as a team’s seventh defensemen, Pateryn found a full-time role with Dallas in 2017-18. The 27-year-old blueliner found his way into the Stars packed defensive lineup and earned the key role as a shutdown defender alongside Dan Hamhuis and often led the team in minutes played. While just posting 13 points in 73 games, Pateryn was quite invaluable and likely can get a big raise as an unrestricted free agent next season.

However, would Dallas consider bringing him back? A favorite of Ken Hitchcock doesn’t necessarily mean that Jim Montgomery would be willing to give him the same role. On top of that, Dallas has more young defenders than ever with John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, Johns, Julius Honka and the addition of last year’s first-round pick Miro Heiskanen. Is there a full-time role for Pateryn or would he be better off looking for a bigger role elsewhere?

Other RFA’s: D Andrew Bodnarchuk, F Brian Flynn, D Dan Hamhuis, G Kari Lehtonen, G Mike McKenna, F Curtis McKenzie, D Andrew O’Brien, D Brent Regner, F Antoine Roussel, D Reece Scarlett.

Projected Cap Space: With $17.6MM in available cap space (not including the possibility of the cap increasing), the Stars have some cap space and few major commitments to their own free agents. After wading deep into the free agent market a year ago when they signed Alexander Radulov and Martin Hanzal, which had mixed results, the team could consider making another run at another forward as that is where the team needs the most depth.

Of course, the Stars top priority will be to extend star Tyler Seguin this offseason, which will have a huge impact on the team’s future. However, the team could use a quality winger such as James van Riemsdyk, James Neal or David Perron on their second line, which the team needs to rebuild for the coming season.

Snapshots: Ekman-Larsson, Boston University, Gurianov, Lockwood

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With the news that the Arizona Coyotes have offered defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson a new contract extension at eight years and $66MM, the real question is whether or not the 26-year-old star defenseman intends to stay in Arizona. The defenseman can’t officially sign an extension until July 1, but not signing the deal will make it clear whether he really wants to stay in Arizona like he has previously said.

The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that if the defenseman doesn’t agree to sign the extension in the next couple of weeks, the team will almost guaranteed trade their star before the NHL draft this year to get the best possible return in the final year of his deal. In fact with the likelihood that the Ottawa Senators might be ready to move Erik Karlsson, this might be the best time for teams to get their hands on a star defenseman. Brooks adds that was one of the main reasons that the New York Rangers moved Ryan McDonagh at the trade deadline, because they foresaw the possibility that both Ekman-Larsson and Karlsson might be available during the offseason which would have limited their return for McDonagh had they waited until now.

  • Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe writes that Boston University has narrowed its head coaching search to two candidates after the school lost David Quinn to the New York Rangers last week. The scribe writes that the head coaching post will come down to former alumni and ex-Boston Bruins winger Shawn McEachern and Union College head coach Rick Bennett. McEachern, who is currently the head coach at the Rivers School, would maintain the school’s long-time BU lineage, while Bennett would offer new blood and a coach who has already won a NCAA title.
  • With the Dallas Stars’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars in the AHL Calder Cup Championships, much has been made about the Stars’ Denis Gurianov, Dallas’ first-round pick in the 2015 draft (12th overall), who was listed as a healthy scratch before Game 1 today. Despite tallying 19 goals for Texas this season, the fact that he has been a healthy scratch multiple times during the playoffs is an immensely bad sign, according to NHL.com’s Patrick Williams. In 14 playoff games this year, Gurianov has just five points. The Stars drafted Gurianov over several impactful players that year, including Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic.
  • Vancouver Canucks and University of Michigan prospect Will Lockwood, who injured his shoulder while at the World Juniors this winter and required major surgery, has been cleared to skate and hopes to be ready for the Canucks’ annual prospect development camp this summer and is expected to be fully healthy for his junior year with the Wolverines, according to The Athletic’s Mike Halford (subscription required). The 2016 third-round pick was having a solid year with Michigan, putting up four goals and seven assists in 16 games before getting injured.

Exclusive Negotiating Rights Of 33 Draft Picks Expire

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The deadline for signing draft picks has come and gone, and unless more deals come in after the fact, 33 players—the same total as last year—will see their exclusive negotiating rights expire. With it they will either re-enter the 2018 draft for the final time or become free agents, depending on their age. Adam Mascherin is the highest picked player among those who will be headed back into the draft, selected 38th overall by the Florida Panthers two years ago. Below is the full list of players:

Anaheim Ducks:

F Tyler Soy (7th round, 2016)

Arizona Coyotes:

F Anton Karlsson (3rd round, 2014)
D David Westlund (6th round, 2014)

Buffalo Sabres:

D Vojtech Budik (5th round, 2016)
F Brandon Hagel (6th round, 2016)
D Austin Osmanski (7th round, 2016)

Calgary Flames:

D Adam Ollas Mattsson (6th round, 2014)

Carolina Hurricanes: 

C Hudson Elynuik (3rd round, 2016)
D Noah Carroll (6th round, 2016)

Chicago Blackhawks:

D Andreas Soderberg (5th round, 2014)

Colorado Avalanche:

G Maximilian Pajpach (6th round, 2014)

Dallas Stars:

D Miro Karjalainen (5th round, 2014)

Detroit Red Wings:

D Jordan Sambrook (5th round, 2016)
F Julius Vahatalo (6th round, 2014)

Florida Panthers:

G Hugo Fagerblom (7th round, 2014)
C Adam Mascherin (2nd round, 2016)

Los Angeles Kings:

D Jacob Friend (7th round, 2016)

Minnesota Wild:

D Pontus Sjalin (6th round, 2014)
D Brayden Chizen (7th round, 2016)

New Jersey Devils:

G Evan Cormier (4th round, 2016)

Philadelphia Flyers:

C Anthony Salinitri (6th round, 2016)

Pittsburgh Penguins:

D Connor Hall (3rd round, 2016)

San Jose Sharks:

D Mark Shoemaker (6th round, 2016)

Tampa Bay Lightning:

C Christopher Paquette (5th round, 2016)

Toronto Maple Leafs:

D Keaton Middleton (4th rond, 2016)
F J.J. Piccinich (4th round, 2014)
D Nicolas Mattinen (6th round, 2016)

Vancouver Canucks:

D Cole Candella (5th round, 2016)
F Jakob Stukel (6th round, 2016)
C Brett McKenzie (7th round, 2016)

Washington Capitals:

F Kevin Elgestal (7th round, 2014)
D Dmitri Zaitsev (7th round, 2016)

Winnipeg Jets:

C Jordan Stallard (5th round, 2016)

Valeri Nichushkin Expected To Sign With Dallas Stars

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Recently, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required) reported that Valeri Nichushkin and his agent were confident that a deal would be worked out with the Dallas Stars to allow the 23-year old forward to return to the NHL. After leaving for the KHL two seasons ago, Dallas has maintained that they would like Nichushkin to return one day when he’s ready to help the Stars win. Now the team, well known for their dramatic Twitter reveals, has tweeted out “Choo Choo” along with a picture of Nichushkin in a Dallas uniform and a quote from GM Jim Nill:

I think in the end, Val’s going to come back as a Dallas Star here this year.

If Nichushkin does return to the NHL he’ll have to sign a new contract after leaving as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2016. By extending a qualifying offer the Stars retained his exclusive rights, and would be able to sign him to any deal the two sides felt comfortable with (within the confines of the CBA, that is).

Selected 10th overall in 2013, Nichushkin got off to a brilliant start in Dallas by scoring 14 goals and 34 points in his rookie season. The big forward is a freight train on skates, and proved to be a difficult player to handle even at such a young age. Unfortunately, a hip injury robbed him of most of the next season and after a disappointing 2015-16 under Lindy Ruff—a head coach that reportedly clashed with the young Russian winger—he was off to the KHL. His return to the NHL maybe wouldn’t be as impactful as Ilya Kovalchuk’s impending signing, but would certainly give the Stars another impressive young talent to build around.

Finishing third on CSKA Moscow in goals this season, Nichushkin was held out of the Olympics as one of the banned Russian players. He had to watch as his countrymen took home the gold medal, before injuring his shoulder in the KHL playoffs and missing out on the IIHF World Championship as well.

Schedule Set For AHL Calder Cup Finals

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While most eyes are glued to the Stanley Cup Finals between the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals, some other markets may be more interested in what the AHL has to offer. Tomorrow night marks the beginning of the Calder Cup Finals between the Toronto Marlies and Texas Stars, with top prospects and outstanding players on both sides. The AHL released all the schedule and broadcast information for the series, as all seven games will be hosted on both TSN and the NHL Network. The schedule is as follows:

All times CST

Game 1 – Saturday, June 2nd @ Toronto, 3pm

Game 2 – Sunday, June 3rd @ Toronto, 3pm

Game 3 – Tuesday, June 5th @ Texas, 7pm

Game 4 – Thursday, June 7th @ Texas, 7pm

Game 5 – Saturday, June 9th, @ Texas, 7pm*

Game 6 – Tuesday, June 12th @ Toronto, 6pm*

Game 7 – Thursday, June 14th @ Toronto, 6pm*

*if necessary

For more information on specific broadcasters, visit the AHL site for all the detailed information.

Todd Nelson, Mike Van Ryn Join NHL Coaching Staffs

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Two top AHL coaches are leaving for the NHL, as reports have surfaced from Sean Shapiro and Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic that Todd Nelson and Mike Van Ryn will be joining the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues respectively. Nelson had been the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings’ affiliate in Grand Rapids, while Van Ryn was the head coach of the Tucson Roadrunners, affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes.

Nelson took over from Jeff Blashill as head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2015, and led them to an AHL Calder Cup championship in his second season. Though the Griffins took a slight step backwards this season, they still posted their third straight 40+ win season under Nelson and made the playoffs. Knocked out by a tough Manitoba Moose squad in a five games, they’ll have to look for a new leader behind the bench to try and overcome their playoff disappointment.

Van Ryn, 39, finished his playing career in 2009 with the Toronto Maple Leafs and quickly moved into the coaching ranks. Spending time in both the OHL and AHL, he was given the head coaching job in Tucson last summer after previously serving as director of player development. Once a first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils, Van Ryn tallied quite a few successful seasons in the NHL before having his playing days cut short by injuries. Joining the Blues is the next step in a coaching career that seems destined for an NHL head coaching job eventually.

Agent For Valeri Nichushkin Expects To Get A New Deal Done With Dallas

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  • After spending the past two years with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, the Stars could have winger Valeri Nichushkin back for 2018-19. Mark Gandler, Nichushkin’s agent, told Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required) that there is mutual interest in getting a deal done and that he expects his client to be suiting up in Dallas in October.  The 23-year-old put up 16 goals and 11 assists while averaging 16:28 of ice time per night and would likely slot in as a middle-six forward with the Stars.

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