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Atlantic Notes: Drouin, Red Wings Front Office, Miller

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The Montreal Canadiens seem to be a team on the rise last season as the team finished just two points out of a playoff spot behind the Columbus Blue Jackets. In the end, if the team just could have pulled off a late win, the season could have been looked at differently. The Montreal Gazzette’s Brendan Kelly also wonders whether forward Jonathan Drouin could have made that difference as well.

The winger, who was converted to center to start last season and then quickly moved back to wing after seeing that experiment failed, Drouin struggled throughout the year, especially in the final third of the season. The 24-year-old prized forward the team acquired two summers ago, hasn’t developed into the elite forward the Canadiens had hoped for. But his final 26 games resulted in just one goal and six assists. Had he played better, who knows what might have happened to Montreal?

Kelly writes that much of the Canadiens’ hopes for this season will fall on Drouin, who can be the difference-maker the team needs. Kelly believes Drouin has what it takes to be a star, but needs better coaching to take his game to the next level after looking lost in the final third of last season. The stress of being the savior to the franchise could also be having an effect, but his success could be the most critical element to the team’s season.

  • The Detroit News reports that Detroit Red Wings executive Kris Draper has been promoted to director of amateur scouting. Draper, a former assistant to former general manager Ken Holland, replaces Tyler Wright whose contract wasn’t renewed three weeks into current general manager Steve Yzerman’s tenure. Detroit also announced a few other front office additions as the team hired two amateur chief scouts in Ryan Rezmierski (formerly with Nashville) and Jesse Wallin (formerly with St. Louis). The team also added two more scouts in Bryce Thoma and Rob Rassey as well as bringing over former Tampa Bay Lightning goaltending scout Phil Osaer, who has been named head of goaltending scouting and development.
  • Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe writes that Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller still hasn’t started skating yet in his recovery from his twice-fractured right kneecap. The 31-year-old played just 39 games last season and didn’t make an appearance after Apr. 4 due to the injury. Millar was actually close to being ready to return for the Stanley Cup Finals when he fractured that kneecap a second time, ending any hope of returning. The blueliner said, however, that the kneecap has healed through twice-a-day workouts over six days so far this offseason and he hopes to begin skating in the next few weeks. He doesn’t expect to be ready for drills in training camp and can’t confirm if he’ll be ready for the start of the season either.

Poll: Which GM Will Be Fired Next?

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Despite missing the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, the Vancouver Canucks decided to extend GM Jim Benning today. The reasons for that are complicated—and obviously do not hinge entirely on his postseason record—just as they were when the Minnesota Wild made the decision to fire Paul Fenton just 14 months into his tenure with the team. The inner workings of an NHL front office are almost never made public (unless there is an intrepid reporter like Michael Russo of The Athletic who gets the incredible story), and it is hard to see why some decisions are made.

Still, even the most casual fan can see the seat of specific executives and coaches heating up. When the Edmonton Oilers decided to move on from Peter Chiarelli during another disappointing season, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. On the other hand, it was easy to see why the Carolina Hurricanes recently locked up Don Waddell after he interviewed for another job.

Looking around the league, who is next? Which GM will be let go, either this year or next summer?

It might be easy to look at the teams that have struggled recently, but many of them have replaced their top hockey operations executive over the last few seasons. The Oilers brought in Ken Holland to change the culture in Edmonton, while Steve Yzerman returned to the Detroit Red Wings to bring a new voice to a stagnant team. Florida has gone through quite a bit of turmoil in the front office since their ownership changed but Dale Tallon now seems to be entrenched as a veteran leader.

There are others though that may not be so lucky. The Ottawa Senators are heading in a new direction after shedding their previous core, but if the young talent doesn’t develop as hoped Pierre Dorion could be held responsible. John Chayka was the youngest GM in history when he took over the Arizona Coyotes in 2016, but they still haven’t made the playoffs under his watch and now have new ownership of their own. Jason Botterill was expected to have success in Buffalo after finding so much of it in Pittsburgh, but the Sabres haven’t been able to build a full roster around Jack Eichel despite some outstanding individual players.

Nothing is certain when it comes to front offices however. Cast your vote below and explain just why you think they’ll be the first to go!

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*We’ve used Kelly McCrimmon as the Vegas GM, though he won’t officially take that title from George McPhee until September

Detroit Red Wings Acquire Adam Erne

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8:15pm: CapFriendly reports that the Red Wings have signed Erne to a one-year, one-way contract worth $1.05MM. The young forward will still be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal and will once again have arbitration rights.

1:02pm: The Detroit Red Wings have added to their forward group, acquiring Adam Erne from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 2020 fourth-round pick. Erne is currently a restricted free agent who chose not to file for arbitration.

The 24-year old forward finally broke into the NHL on a full-time basis in 2018-19, playing 65 games for the Lightning and racking up 20 points. That production actually included three game-winning goals and he even saw a bit of time on the powerplay despite averaging just 10:33 of ice time. Originally selected in the second round (33th overall) of the 2013 draft, the physical forward will now follow former Lightning GM Steve Yzerman to the Red Wings.

For Detroit, this gives the team another young player to insert into a lineup that is still likely a few years away from really contending. He’ll fit right into their core age group with Dylan Larkin (23), Tyler Bertuzzi (24), Anthony Mantha (24) and Andreas Athanasiou (25). There also is likely a bigger opportunity for Erne to see some time in the top-nine, a role that was much tougher to achieve in Tampa Bay. In 172 career AHL games, Erne has recorded 98 points and was a good offensive option in junior.

Tampa Bay meanwhile will open up some extra cap room by not signing the restricted free agent and have plenty of depth to fill his role in the NHL. Young players like Carter Verhaeghe, Mitchell Stephens and Alexander Volkov will get a chance to compete for his roster spot and get into some NHL action. The Lightning need all the room they can get in order to sign Brayden Point and will take advantage of their bottom-six depth.

Still, it’s a nice little trade for the Red Wings who already have five picks in the first three rounds of the 2020 draft. Getting a legitimate NHL player for a fourth-round pick is a trade off Yzerman will likely make every time at this point in their rebuild.

Red Wings Notes: Zadina, Green, Blashill

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After lucking out in the 2018 draft when star prospect Filip Zadina slid a few picks right into the hands of the Detroit Red Wings at No. 6, expectations have been high for the highly-touted winger. After a respectable season in the AHL, those expectations have only increased as many fans hope to see Zadina in the top-six as quick as possible. However, NHL.com’s Nicholas Cotsonika writes that the 19-year-old is likely going to find himself back in Grand Rapids to start the season.

Zadina hasn’t had as much time to train this offseason as he strained a hamstring while training and was limited during Red Wings development camp earlier this summer. However, the youngster also must prove that he can play a two-way game, something that he has struggled with. He finished last season in the AHL with 16 goals and 35 points, but also had a minus-17 in that span as well as a minus-five in nine games with the Red Wings. The team would like to see Zadina improve on those numbers before bringing him in a top-six role.

Of course, a dominant performance in training camp could change the minds of the Detroit coaching staff, but for the moment, it looks like Zadina might have to start his season in Grand Rapids.

  • MLive’s Ansar Khan writes that after missing 39 games last season, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Mike Green finally looks healthy and should be able to contribute big minutes in Detroit. Nothing went right for Green who missed all of training camp and several games to start the season with a virus. He then lost another 13 games with a foot injury during December and January and never found any rhythm because of that. Despite that, he still finished second among defenseman in scoring, who had five goals and 26 points in just 43 games. Now healthy, Green could become a serious threat again for the team, especially on the power play.
  • NBC Sports Scott Billeck looks into how long new general manager Steve Yzerman might stick with head coach Jeff Blashill. Usually, new GMs like to choose their own head coaches, but Yzerman did not get that opportunity as former GM Ken Holland handed Blashill a two-year extension just before Yzerman joined the organization. Despite the lack of wins, Blashill has proven to be an excellent coach who is adept at developing young players as he has gotten the most out of Dylan Larkin, Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha so far in their young careers. The team hopes he can continue to develop some of their other prospects as well. However, Yzerman who is adept at building a winner as well, will be who decides how long Blashill stays with the organization.

Free Agent Profile: Thomas Vanek

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If you look at the resume of goal scorer Thomas Vanek, he’s been a man without a team for many years. After a long stint at the start of his career with the Buffalo Sabres, the winger has been on seven different teams over the last six seasons, and while he has proven to be a player that can put the puck into the net, he remains unsigned with plenty of questions on whether his career will continue.

Vanek, who has tallied 373 goals over the course of his career, was moved around so often that he would only sign with the Detroit Red Wings last season on the condition that he had a no-trade clause after being a trade-deadline victim three times over the course of his career. Regardless, he was useful in Detroit where he scored 16 goals as a middle-six option for the franchise after a 24-goal campaign in 2017-18 between Vancouver and Columbus. However, the 35-year-old continues to show he can score, but at his age, the veteran is less and less sought after.

Vanek said at the end of the season that he would need time to decide on whether to return next season for a 15th season. He played 64 games last season, dealing with both knee and finger injuries, but he might be ready to retire depending on what offers might come his way.

Potential Suitors

A return to Detroit might make quite a bit of sense as his 16 goals and 36 points was solid play for a third-line winger. However, with a number of youngsters coming up into the system, including Filip Zadina, Michael Rasmussen and Taro Hirose looking NHL ready, as well as a number of veterans who are starting to get pushed down the lineup, there may not be much playing time left to give Vanek.

The Buffalo Sabres might also be an interesting destination as he could return to the team that drafted him and the team he played with for eight-plus seasons. However, while the Sabres might be able to use the depth that Vanek could provide on the bottom lines, the team is already capped out and would have to make a roster move to be able to bring Vanek back to the team.

Other teams like the New York Islanders and the Winnipeg Jets could potentially be other options for the veteran. Lou Lamoriello likes to have a number of veterans on his teams, while the Jets might want some veterans (likely on minimum contracts) to help fill out their depth once the team signs both Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor.

Projected Contract

Over the past three years, Vanek has played for anywhere between $2-3MM on one-year deals. If Vanek signs with a team, it almost assuredly will be a one-year deal like the three previous contracts before that. However, with many teams already near the salary cap and few interested parties at the moment, Vanek might have to be willing to accept a pay cut, perhaps even playing for the minimum if he wants to keep playing.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Detroit Red Wings Re-Sign Dominic Turgeon

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The Detroit Red Wings have re-signed restricted free agent Dominic Turgeon to a one-year contract. PuckPedia reports that the deal is a two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level. The minor league forward was not eligible for salary arbitration and will still be an RFA at the end of the contract.

The son of legendary NHL forward Pierre Turgeon, the 23-year old Dominic hasn’t quite made the same impact on the NHL. Selected in the third round five years ago, he has nine NHL games under his belt but has yet to record a single point. In fact his production declined this season even at the AHL level, leading to some concern about his future as anything more than a role player at the next level.

Still, he’ll be given a chance to show the Red Wings what he can do in camp once again. No longer waiver-exempt, he’ll have to clear in order to be assigned to the minor leagues. While that may give him a slight edge on the competition at the bottom of the roster, if names like Filip Zadina and Taro Hirose show they’re ready for NHL action right away there probably isn’t enough room for Turgeon. He could see time as an injury replacement, but he needs to take another step in his development at the minor league level to indicate he’ll ever make an impact in the NHL.

Evening Notes: NHL Preseason Odds, Lites, Cholowski

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Oddsmakers have released preliminary odds for the 2019-20 NHL season with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights at the lead as the two teams most likely to reach the Stanley Cup Finals next season, released by SuperbookUSA. The Tampa Bay Lightning are projected to lead the league again in points with 108.5, while Vegas is expected to lead the Western Conference with 103.5 points.

Here are the rest of the projections:

Anaheim Ducks – 80.5
Arizona Coyotes – 91.5
Boston Bruins – 100.5
Buffalo Sabres – 83.5
Calgary Flames – 96.5
Carolina Hurricanes – 94.5
Chicago Blackhawks – 90.5
Colorado Avalanche – 100.5
Columbus Blue Jackets – 82.5
Dallas Stars – 96.5
Detroit Red Wings – 76.5
Edmonton Oilers – 85.5
Florida Panthers – 96.5
Los Angeles Kings – 74.5
Minnesota Wild – 84.5
Montreal Canadiens – 89.5
Nashville Predators – 97.5
New Jersey Devils – 88.5
New York Islanders – 94.5
New York Rangers – 88.5
Ottawa Senators – 68.5
Philadelphia Flyers – 90.5
Pittsburgh Penguins – 95.5
San Jose Sharks – 94.5
St. Louis Blues – 96.5
Tampa Bay Lightning – 108.5
Toronto Maple Leafs – 102.5
Vancouver Canucks – 88.5
Vegas Golden Knights – 103.5
Washington Capitals – 97.5
Winnipeg Jets – 96.5

  • SportsDay’s Mathew DeFranks writes that despite comments made last season by Dallas Stars CEO Jim Lites about Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, there was little consequence to that this offseason as the Stars were quite successful this offseason as they managed to sign Joe Pavelski, Corey Perry and Andrej Sekera. The scribe writes that in the end, free agents looked at three things when it comes to Dallas. First, they are Stanley Cup contenders. Second, they had plenty of cap space and finally, Dallas is a destination that many players prefer to live in, especially in the winter.
  • The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James writes that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Dennis Cholowski spoke at a hockey youth camp recently and stated that he is focused on fixing his defensive liabilities in hopes of returning to the Red Wings’ lineup next season. Cholowski looked like a franchise-changing defenseman early on but was eventually demoted to the Grand Rapids Griffins due to his lack of success on the defensive side of his game. The 21-year-old scored seven goals and 16 points in 52 games last season but also had a team-worst plus-minus at minus-20. “Having to go down to Grand Rapids was a disappointment a little bit; I guess it would be for anybody,” Cholowski said. “In order to play you have to be good defensively and then that generates the offense. So I’m working on the D-zone and hopefully I take those things I learned into camp this year.”

Joe Hicketts Re-Signs With Detroit Red Wings

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The Detroit Red Wings have re-signed defenseman Joe Hicketts to a two-year contract, bringing back a key member of the Grand Rapids Griffins. Hicketts will qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency at the end of the deal unless he plays in at least a total of 64 NHL games over the next two seasons.

Now 23, Hicketts was an free agent signing out of the WHL in 2014 after no one took a chance on him in the draft. That was likely due to his diminutive stature, but the young defenseman proceeded to dominate his junior opponents over the next two seasons, recording 125 points in 121 games for the Victoria Royals. Upon graduating to professional hockey, little has changed as Hicketts is still a strong point producer in the AHL and continues to quarterback their powerplay.

Unfortunately, that success at the minor league level hasn’t translated into much opportunity for Hicketts in the NHL. He has played just 16 games with the Red Wings including 11 last season, and has three points. It’s hard to imagine that will change this year after the team brought in some new faces like Patrik Nemeth, Oliwer Kaski and Madison Bowey. Not to mention the team has plenty of young defense prospects pushing their way up the ladder, giving Hicketts even more competition for playing time in the future.

That said, a two-year deal will provide some security and stability for the 23-year old and is a nice reward just a few years after no one believed he would ever reach the NHL at all. He’ll need to clear waivers to start in the minor leagues, but with the length of this deal that shouldn’t be a problem for the Red Wings.

Detroit Red Wings Sign Moritz Seider To Entry-Level Deal

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The Detroit Red Wings announced they have signed defenseman Moritz Seider, the team’s 2019 first-round pick, to a three-year, entry-level contact. MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that the Red Wings will wait to see how he fares in training camp to decide whether to assign him to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL or send him back to Germany for one more year.

Seider was a rising prospect, especially late in the draft after an impressive performance at the World Championships for Germany and the Red Wings and general manager Steve Yzerman surprised quite a few people when they selected Seider over a number of top forward prospects, especially considering that Seider wasn’t considered to be the top defensive prospect. However, the 6-foot-4 blueliner had an impressive season in the Deutsch Eishockey Liga, the top German league, where he was named Rookie of the Year there, posting two goals and six points in 29 games. He also played a big role on Germany’s Junior World Championships where he was named the best defenseman in the tournament after scoring seven points in five games.

The blueliner is considered to be a smooth-skating defenseman who has the physical ability to dominate on the defensive side of the ice. Those skills, plus his leadership ability, will likely make him a top-four player for the Red Wings for years once he arrives in Detroit. His offensive skills are less polished although he has seen glimpses of some, suggesting he could develop into somewhat of a point-producer over time.

 

Pacific Notes: Kadri, Wright, Lindholm, Doughty

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Before the Colorado Avalanche acquired Nazem Kadri from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a big deal involving Tyson Barrie, the Calgary Flames were close to acquiring the veteran center. However, Kadri refused to waive his 10-team no-trade clause that would have sent him in a deal that would have included defenseman T.J. Brodie.

The Calgary Sun’s Wes Gilbertson writes that Kadri did admit that he rejected the deal to Calgary in hopes of convincing the Maple Leafs that he wanted to stay with the team.

“What happened is they had a deal in place and they wanted me to move my no-trade clause,” Kadri explained. “Obviously, for me, it was no disrespect to Calgary or the Flames organization — I love their team and I love the direction they’re headed. I just figured that had I declined, I would have had a better opportunity of being a Maple Leaf next year, and that’s really what it came down to. “I wanted to play for the Leafs next year. I wanted to be a part of that. In declining that trade, I had aspirations of being a Leaf, and we know clearly that didn’t happen.”

Instead he did get traded to Colorado and now will take over as the team’s second-line center in hopes of developing a powerful secondary scoring line after their top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog.

  • The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman (subscription required) delves into the drafting success of the Edmonton Oilers’ new director of amateur scouting, Tyler Wright, noting that while the long-time executive with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings has had lukewarm success drafting in the first round, he has been successful in the later rounds of drafts, having nabbed several key players late in the draft, including Josh Anderson, Boone Jenner, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Filip Hronek and could provide value for Edmonton who hasn’t had as much luck later in the draft.
  • In a mailbag piece, The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required) writes that while defenseman Hampus Lindholm is a solid top-pairing defenseman, his offense still hasn’t come around and at age 25, time is running out. The blueliner posted 34 points in his second season back in the 2014-15 season and hasn’t reached that target since then. However, Stephens writes that Lindholm was never a big fan of Randy Carlyle’s system and could thrive under new head coach Dallas Eakins and show off some more offense, potentially becoming a regular at 40 points.
  • Looking back at the recent history of signings by the Los Angeles Kings, The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman (subscription required) looks at the best and worst deals handed out since 2009. Unfortunately for the Kings, the top bad contract is only kicking in this year as the eight-year, $88MM contract that star defenseman Drew Doughty signed a year ago is about to kick in at age 29. After a down season last year, the 29-year-old blueliner will be getting paid $11MM until he turns 37 years old. Not a good sign if people think that before he’s even started getting paid.

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