Professional Try-Outs Remaining In Camp
We’re now two weeks into training camp, and there are still a handful of professional try-out contracts (PTOs) remaining in camp. With the difficult economic situation in the NHL, these veterans have been forced to take PTOs to try earn contracts.
Here’s an updated list:
Anaheim Ducks:
LW Sean Bergenheim
G Yann Danis
C Kyle MacKinnon
Boston Bruins:
D Christian Ehrhoff
Calgary Flames:
D Nicklas Grossmann
LW Chris Higgins
LW Lauri Korpikoski
Colorado Avalanche:
RW Gabriel Bourque
LW Rene Bourque
Columbus Blue Jackets:
G Brad Thiessen
Detroit Red Wings:
D Nathan Paetsch
Edmonton Oilers:
D Eric Gryba
RW Kris Versteeg
Los Angeles Kings:
RW Devin Setoguchi
Minnesota Wild:
LW Ryan Carter
New Jersey Devils:
G Anders Lindback
New York Islanders:
C Stephen Gionta
St. Louis Blues:
D Mike Weber
Toronto Maple Leafs:
LW Rich Clune
D Raman Hrabarenka
LW Brandon Prust
C Colin Smith
Vancouver Canucks:
RW Jack Skille
RW Tuomo Ruutu
Information via Cap Friendly.
Training Camp Cuts: 10.05.16
We’re now a week away from the beginning of the NHL regular season. Teams are getting closer to their final rosters, and with that comes more cuts.
Here are the cuts made on October 5, 2016:
Carolina Hurricanes (via General Fanager):
G Michael Leighton (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
D Keegan Lowe (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
C Brody Sutter (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
D Matt Tennyson (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
LW Brendan Woods (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release):
D Keith Aulie (released from PTO)
D Marc-Andre Bergeron (released from PTO)
RW Mike Brown (released from PTO)
C Jarret Stoll (released from PTO)
RW Daniel Zaar (assigned to Cleveland, AHL)
No End To The Kris Russell Saga?
Sportsnet’s Mark Spector posited today that the long-awaited signing of defenseman Kris Russell simply may not come. As Spector eloquently put it, he and his agent have simply “blown it”. After being such a hot commodity on the NHL trade market last year, it seems as though Russell and his representation misread the subsequent free agent market, believing he would be highly sought-after, and priced themselves out of a reasonable deal and a new home. Russell’s play style has been the subject of many debates, and it seems to be a forgone conclusion now that his skill set is being devalued, just not to the player himself. Now, the opportunities are drying up and Russell is facing the possibility that his NHL days may be over.
Many people first identified Russell’s lengthy off-season hiatus as being “this year’s Cody Franson“. Last summer, Franson was reportedly unhappy with his original offers in July and was seemingly negotiating with several teams for months, before finally signing for less than expected with the Buffalo Sabres right before training camp. However, even that scenario has passed Russell by. Training camp is nearly over, most spots are filled, and multi-year, multi-million dollar deals are simply not available. As Calgary Flames beat writer Ryan Pike suggests, Russell has actually turned into this year’s Curtis Glencross. A former teammate of Russell’s in Calgary, like Russell, Glencross was in high demand at the NHL Trade Deadline in 2014. Like Russell, a team (the Washington Capitals) overpaid for his services at the end of the year. Like Russell, Glencross then priced himself out of where teams were comfortable paying him. He ended up waiting until September, bounced around a couple of training camps to no avail, and then simply retired due to lack of interest at just 33-years-old. Unless Russell gets lucky, he could be on the same path.
Now, Russell’s situation has definitely been effected by the strange situation occurring across the league with restricted free agents. No one could have guessed that, this late in the summer, players like Jacob Trouba and Hampus Lindholm would still be unsigned or that others like Cam Fowler or Braydon Coburn could have their names out on the rumor mill. There are definitely still teams that are waiting for the dominos to fall with several big-name RFA signings before they look to make moves on their blue line, but most have already built in safeguards with PTO’s, two-way investments, and young players. There is simply no guarantee that a team forced to trade a defenseman or a team that missed out on acquiring one of the big names will come calling for Russell. Russell may have an “old-fashioned” game, one that analytics pundits have shunned, but he is still a reliable hockey player. Spector believes that, at some point over the course of the season, Russell will likely find an NHL team to sign on with. However, the “inevitable” signing of Kris Russell is no more. He may be back, but he very well may not. That’s just the reality of today’s NHL.
Training Camp Cuts: 10.03.16
With just over a week towards the start of the NHL regular season, teams are continuing to pare down their rosters.
Here are Monday’s cuts:
Anaheim Ducks (via team release):
LW David Booth (released from PTO)
RW David Jones (released from PTO)
LW Max Jones (to London, OHL)
LW Antoine Laganiere (released from PTO, will report to San Diego, AHL)
Calgary Flames (via NHL.com):
D Ryan Culkin (to Stockton, AHL)
RW Matt Frattin (to Stockton, AHL)
G Jon Gillies (to Stockton, AHL)
D Mikhail Grigorev (released from PTO)
C Mark Jankowski (to Stockton, AHL)
LW Morgan Klimchuk (to Stockton, AHL)
D Oliver Kylington (to Stockton, AHL)
RW Emile Poirier (to Stockton, AHL)
D Colby Robak (released from PTO)
Snapshots: Capitals, Matthews, Benn
News and notes from around the NHL this morning:
- The Washington Capitals have released two more players from camp this morning. Goalies Adam Carlson and Drew MacIntyre were both released back to Washington’s AHL affiliate Hershey Bears. Drew MacIntyre was the more seasoned of the two, playing professionally since 2003-04. MacIntyre last played for Chicago’s AHL Rockford IceHogs, going 2-3-2 in eight games with a 3.03 GAA and an .895SV%. Neither goalie was expected to make the team—both were brought in to temporarily cover for World Cup playing Braden Holtby and Philipp Grubauer.
- 2016 first overall draft pick Auston Matthews is set to make his NHL debut tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. The Maple Leafs have high expectations for Matthews after his impressive performance for Team North America in the World Cup of Hockey. He scored 2G and 1A in 3 games and teamed up with last year’s number one pick Connor McDavid for highlight reel plays. Matthews is expected to center a line with William Nylander and Zach Hyman, reports the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan.
- Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn is expected to play the rest of the preseason, reports Mark Stepneski of the Dallas Stars’ official website. Benn underwent surgery this offseason to repair core muscles, and skipped the World Cup of Hockey to properly recuperate. He’s be at training camp this fall but has not played a preseason game yet. The Stars will be watching the game intently to gauge Benn’s recovery—he is the team’s most expensive asset after Benn signed an eight-year deal worth $9.5MM a year this summer.
Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Eighth Overall Pick
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?
Here are the results of our redraft so far:
1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Bobby Ryan (Chicago Blackhawks)
Now we move forward to the eighth pick, which was held by the San Jose Sharks.
To recap how this works:
- We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
- The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.
The Sharks selected Devin Setoguchi with the eighth overall pick and at the time, it looked like a solid pick. In 2008-09, Setoguchi had his best season with 65 points (31-34) and it looked like he would only go up from there. Unfortunately, he never came close. Instead, Setoguchi bounced around the league and recently signed a professional tryout with the Kings. In eight NHL seasons, Setoguchi has 249 points (127-122).
With the eighth pick of the 2005 NHL Draft, who should the San Jose Sharks select? Cast your vote below!
Mobile Users click here to vote!
2016-17 Season Preview: Vancouver Canucks
We’re now less than two weeks away from the start of the 2016-17 regular season. PHR continues with our season preview series, moving on to the Vancouver Canucks.
Last Season: 31 – 38 – 13 (75 points); finished sixth in the Pacific Division and missed the playoffs.
Cap Space Remaining: $2.771MM, via Cap Friendly.
Key Newcomers: Loui Eriksson (free agent – Boston); Erik Gudbrnason (trade – Florida); Philip Larsen (free agent – KHL)
Key Departures: Radim Vrata (free agent – Arizona); Jared McCann (trade – Florida); Matt Bartkowski (free agent)
Player(s) To Watch: Bo Horvat and Ryan Miller: Horvat represents a key building block for the future whereas Miller can help the Canucks compete for a playoff spot and/or become a valuable trade deadline chip.
Horvat may have already established himself as the team’s second best center after Henrik Sedin following a 40-point sophomore season and depending on how Brandon Sutter rebounds from an injury-filled 2015-16 season. While 40 points is strong production for a 20-year-old, second-year player but Horvat still needs to work on his overall game. This past season he finished with a -30 plus-minus rating and he also struggled in the puck possession department ranking 212th out of 234 forwards who played at least 800 minutes at 5v5 in Corsi For % with a 45.8%.
The third-year pivot will not only be a key contributor for the Canucks in 2016-17 campaign but his further development is an instrumental part of the organization’s roster retooling. With many of the team’s best players nearing the end of their careers – either with Vancouver or in the NHL – Horvat will be counted on to help lead the next wave of stars and to help guide the team back to the postseason.
Miller has long been regarded as one of the better goalies in the league, even if his average numbers don’t necessarily concur with that reputation. Of the 28 netminders who have seen 5,000 5v5 minutes combined over the last three seasons, Miller ranks just 22nd in Save % at 92.2%. He rated better when facing high danger chances at same strength situations, placing 15th with a HDSv% of 81.05%.
Regardless, excellent goaltending can help overcome a roster devoid of prime talent and if Miller turns in one of his better career performances in 2016-17, he may be able to keep the Canucks playoff chances alive late into the campaign.
It’s also quite likely that the team will shop Miller, who is entering the final year of his contract, ahead of the trade deadline in an effort to add futures to help speed up the rebuild. Even if no playoff contenders are in dire need of a starting goalie, an experienced option like Miller would still carry value as a backup. Since the Canucks probably would have little interest in re-signing the 13-year veteran, they might consider trading him – even for a second-round pick or less – a better option than losing him for nothing after the season.
Key Storyline: Will the Canucks fully buy in to a rebuild or continue to pretend they can be a playoff team at the same time they inject youth into the lineup? The harsh reality is the Canucks would need too many things to go right for them to make the postseason in 2016-17. Ryan Miller and Jacob Markstrom would have to provide top-notch play between the pipes. The Sedin twins will have to continue to stave off Father Time and perform at an elite level. Several of the team’s younger players – like Horvat – will need to improve further. And even if all of that goes their way it still probably wouldn’t be enough in a division that sent three teams to the postseason in 2015-16 and saw every other non-playoff squad make significant moves to improve their rosters.
Vancouver probably should have embraced the rebuild last year when they potentially could have moved some veteran assets for futures. But they shouldn’t be afraid to do so now, particularly if they don’t get off to a hot start to the season. It’s important that the organization adopts and implements a strategy that’s going to ensure on-ice success for the organization in the future as opposed to simply treading in the waters of mediocrity as they seem to be doing now.
Injury Notes: Janmark & Schwartz
The Dallas Stars have had a tough off-season, and it just got worse. The team announced that young center Mattias Janmark is expected to miss up to six months as he recovers from knee surgery. It was first reported that Janmark had been seen on crutches and was then scratched from Dallas’ preseason match-up, but the extent of the injury was unknown. As it turns out, it wasn’t so much an injury, but a preexisting condition that has sidelined Janmark. Stars GM Jim Nill announced that Janmark has been diagnosed with Osteochondritis Dissecans, a structural issue in the knee joint that is present at birth. Although the condition is not considered career-threatening, after a promising rookie campaign, it is disappointing to hear that Janmark will be out until March or April at the earliest, and could end up missing his entire sophomore season. With Cody Eakin injured and expected to miss up to two months, and team leaders Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin both recovering from injuries, the Stars have had bad luck lately. Everyone will have to chip in to make up for the losses, as well as work hard to stay healthy, if Dallas wants any chance of repeating as Central Division champs.
One of their main competitors for that title, the St. Louis Blues, are having injury issues of their own. What seemed at first to be a minor upper body injury for young winger Jaden Schwartz, has now been announced as a serious elbow injury that will keep him out of the lineup through the first month of the season at least. Schwartz missed 49 games recovering from an ankle injury last season, and it off to a tough start in 2016-17. The 23-year-old has shown great scoring ability when healthy, but the Blues have to be worried about the durability of a player that they handed a five-year, $26.75MM deal to this summer. With Alex Steen recovering from off-season shoulder surgery and Robby Fabbri dealing with a day-to-day upper body injury of his own, the Blues depth at left wing may face some early challenges this season.
Snapshots: Dallas Stars, Oilers Captaincy, Cap Compliance Deadline
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- The Dallas Stars signed undrafted defenseman Ondrej Vala today to a three year ELC. The Czech defenseman played with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL last season, scoring 4G and 17A in 72 games. Vala also played in the 2016 Traverse Tri-City Tournament this September. It is expected that Vala will play in Kamloops again as continues to develop.
- The Edmonton Oilers will name a new captain this season, but according to TSN’s Bob MacKenzie, the announcement will not come until Leon Draisaitl and Andrej Sekera rejoin the team after playing in the World Cup of Hockey. The Oilers are expected to make Connor McDavid the next Oiler captain, and his Team North America captaincy only fuels the speculation—especially since Team North America’s GM is none other than Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli.
- NHL teams will have to be under the salary cap by October 11, 2016 at 5pm, reports TSN’s Bob MacKenzie. Teams are allowed to exceed the salary cap by 10% during the off-season to accommodate free agent signings and injuries, but by Opening night every team has to be cap compliant.
Snapshots: Benn, Kings, Broll
News and notes from around the NHL:
- Jamie Benn is expected to miss the first few Dallas Stars preseason games as he eases back into game shape. Benn underwent surgery this summer to repair core muscles and missed the World Cup of Hockey as he recuperated. Despite the surgery, however, Benn does not plan on missing any regular season games.
- The Los Angeles Kings made some cuts Monday morning at training camp, sending six players packing. According to LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen, the Kings first sent forward Miles Koules and goalie Jonah Imoo down to the AHL Ontario Reign’s camp. They then released four players back to their respective Junior teams: defenseman Kale Clague to the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), defenseman Jacob Moverare to the Mississauga Steelheads (OHL), and both forward Matt Schmalz and defenseman Jacob Friend to the Owen Sound Attack (OHL). Kyle Clague left camp with a lower-body injury and will miss the first few weeks of Brandon’s season. Matt Schmalz returns to the OHL as an over-ager, and may make the move to the AHL as the season progresses.
- Former Toronto Maple Leafs player David Broll signed with the ECHL’s Brampton Beast. The Beast are the Montreal Canadiens’ ECHL Affiliate. Broll played for the Syracuse Crunch last season and scored 2G and 6A in 60 games. In his only NHL experience, Broll scored 1A in 5 games with the Maple Leafs in 2013-14.