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Snapshots: Team Canada, Luongo, Rozsival, Oilers

April 11, 2017 at 3:53 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

After Team USA announced that Jeff Blashill will lead their World Championship team earlier today, Team Canada responded by releasing their coaching staff as well. Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning will lead the squad, while Gerard Gallant, Dave Hakstol (Philadelphia) and Dave King will be the assistants.

Cooper, like Blashill, has never been the head coach of an international squad, though he was an assistant for Team North America at last fall’s World Cup. His Lightning were devastated by injuries this season and still only missed the playoffs by one point, making him an interesting candidate for the Jack Adams trophy for coach of the year—though very unlikely to win it. He’s proven his ability at every level, winning both a USHL and AHL championship before taking the Lightning to the finals two years ago.

  • Roberto Luongo is worried about his hip being a chronic issue, reports Henry Fialkov of the Sun Sentinal. The soon to be hall of fame goaltender played just 40 games this season, the lowest total of his entire career (not including the lockout shortened 2012-13 season). While he’s “confident” he’ll return to his elite performance, it will be hard for a 38-year old with a bad hip to get back to a .920+ save percentage. James Reimer will be relied on even more heavily next season, after putting up a solid year.
  • Michal Rozsival underwent surgery to repair facial fractures sustained when he was punched by Nick Ritchie earlier this month. Ritchie earned a two-game suspension for the punch, as it was delivered when Rozsival wasn’t ready and couldn’t defend himself. While there was no timetable given, expect the 38-year old to miss at least the first few rounds of the playoffs. He should make a full recovery.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have signed Evan Campbell and Evan Polei to amateur tryouts with the Bakersfield Condors. Campbell has just graduated from the UMass-Lowell where he scored just five points in his senior season. It’s been back to back disappointing campaigns for the fifth-round winger, but he still garnered enough attention to deserve a look at the AHL. Polei on the other hand played well as an overager in the WHL with Red Deer, putting up 62 points in 69 games. An undrafted winger, Polei plays a physical game and can provide some size and strength even at the professional level. Bakersfield has just three games to try and make up three points and catch the Stockton Heat for the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division.

AHL| Edmonton Oilers| Snapshots| Team Canada Michal Rozsival| Nick Ritchie| Roberto Luongo

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McDavid, Crosby, Holtby Take Home Statistical Awards

April 10, 2017 at 6:37 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

We are still a couple months out from the naming of the majority of NHL Awards – Hart, Vezina, Norris, Selke, Calder, and more – but as the regular season came to end last night, three phenoms of the game clinched some impressive hardware.

Connor McDavid, at just 20 years old, added two assists last night in a winning effort to finish the season with an even 100 points and seal the title of Art Ross Trophy winner. Awarded annually to the player with the most points in the regular season, McDavid took the lead in the scoring race early in the season and never looked back. He faced some competition along the way, such as last year’s winner, Chicago’s Patrick Kane, Boston’s Brad Marchand, and a certain superstar on the Pittsburgh Penguins, but in the end finished with 11 more points than the nearest challenger. McDavid’s point totals were mostly due to a league-leading 70 assists, seven more than second-place Nicklas Backstrom of the Capitals, and his 30 goals were not too shabby either, placing him just outside the top 25 in that category. McDavid is the second youngest winner of the Art Ross and even more impressively, won the award playing for a team that had only one other player, Leon Draisaitl, who has both 25 goals and 25 assists or better. Edmonton recorded 247 goals this season, good enough for eighth in the league, and McDavid contributed to over 40% of that scoring. The Art Ross winner is often the leading candidate for the Hart Trophy, given to the league’s Most Valuable Player, and don’t expect it to be any different for McDavid, whose efforts have almost single-handedly turned around the franchise and transformed them into a playoff team. The scary thing: he’s just getting started.

Not to be outdone, Sidney Crosby, the youngest Art Ross winner on record at 19 years old (he added another a few years later too) fell just short of a third crown in 2016-17 with 89 points, but managed to secure the goal-scoring title and the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. Crosby’s 44 goals were best in the league, just ahead of Toronto rookie Auston Matthews and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov, while Crosby too was pressured by Brad Marchand for much of the season. In the end, the Penguins captain proved to be too good. The last time that Crosby scored over 40 goals was in 2009-10, when his 51 tallies earned him a share in the Richard with Lightning star Steven Stamkos. Crosby now joins Stamkos, rival Alexander Ovechkin, and former teammate Jarome Iginla as the only active players to have won the award multiple times. In a season marked by injury for the Penguins, the team still managed to lead the league in goals for with 282 and Crosby led the way, potting 16% of those goals. Amazingly, Crosby is still not even 30 years old, so fans have plenty of years left to look forward to Crosby-McDavid scoring races.

On the other end of the ice, it was Washington Capitals’ brick wall goaltender Braden Holtby who backstopped his team to a league-best 182 goals against. The William M. Jennings Trophy is awarded each year to the goalie (or goalies) on the team that allowed the fewest scores and by a wide margin of 13 less than the Columbus Blue Jackets, Washington led the way behind Holtby. Holtby was near the top of nearly every statistical category for keepers this regular season with a league-best 42 wins (tied with Edmonton’s Cam Talbot), a second-place goals against average of 2.07, just one hundredth worse than the Blue Jackets’ Sergei Bobrovsky, and a top-five save percentage of .925. Holtby has certainly put him self in the mix for the Vezina Trophy this season, but faces stiff competition from Bobrovksy. Not to be forgotten in the Capitals’ stingy winning equation is backup Philipp Grubauer. The Jennings  can be awarded to multiple goalies if each plays in a minimum of 25 games. Grubauer was fantastic in 2016-17, with numbers rivaling Holtby’s, albeit in a lesser sample size, but with just 23 games under his belt failed to qualify for the award. Nonetheless, Grubauer’s 2.05 GAA and .926 SV% were astounding and should earn him a look as a starter next year, whether by Washington trade or selection by the Vegas Golden Knights in the upcoming Expansion Draft.

Edmonton Oilers| Pittsburgh Penguins| Washington Capitals Braden Holtby| Connor McDavid| League News| NHL Awards| Sidney Crosby

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Afternoon Notes: Vrbata, Fontaine, Khaira

April 10, 2017 at 2:35 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Radim Vrbata is an interesting case this summer, as he heads into free agency once again following a very successful bounce-back campaign. In 81 games for the Arizona Coyotes, Vrbata scored 20 goals and 55 points showing that he is still a capable offensive player even at his advanced age. He’ll be 36 this summer, and told Craig Morgan of AZ Sports today that if he came back to the Coyotes it would be on a one-year deal.

It’s unclear whether that means he would consider a multi-year deal somewhere else, but after not trading him at the deadline it was clear that Arizona hoped he would stay past this season. The winger would be an early candidate for trade deadline fodder again, as the Coyotes will have a hard time competing again next season as they continue their rebuild.

  • The New York Rangers have signed Gabriel Fontaine to an entry-level contract, despite him still being deep in a playoff run with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. The sixth-round pick had 52 points in 59 games this season and projects and will likely join the Rangers’ AHL affiliate next season. Though he has the size to make the NHL one day, it is still a long way away for Fontaine as he’ll need to perfect his two-way game. Without the high-end skill that would allow him to play in the top-six, he will make it in professional hockey by continuing to play solid defensively and improve in the faceoff dot. The Huskies will continue their series against Chicoutimi tomorrow night.
  • Edmonton has brought  Jujhar Khaira back up prior to their playoff series against the San Jose Sharks. The 22-year old forward played 10 games for the Oilers this season, registering just a single goal. Khaira represents some center depth for the Oilers and a heavy forward who could be inserted onto the fourth line if the team feels it needs a change.
  • According to Dan Rosen of NHL.com, the Los Angeles Kings have sent Adrian Kempe, Jonny Brodzinski and Paul LaDue back to the AHL for the Ontario Reign’s playoff run. The three have all played the majority of the season in the minors and will be a big part of any Calder Cup aspirations the Reign may have.
  • In a similar move, the Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Cory Conacher, Jake Dotchin, Gabriel Dumont, Adam Erne and Yanni Gourde all back down to the Syracuse Crunch to help the AHL team in the playoffs. The sheer amount of players that Tampa Bay had pulled from their minor league team shows how decimated they were by injury this year, while still only missing the playoffs by one point. The Crunch were in first place for much of the season, but after losing almost half their starting lineup to the NHL slipped slightly in the last month. They’ll go in as one of the favorites now that they have this group back.
  • Both Joe Thornton and Logan Couture were back at San Jose Sharks’ practice today according to Kevin Kurz of NBC. The two centermen were both in regular sweaters, though Couture skated with a full cage on his helmet. It wouldn’t be surprising to see both of them suit up for game one of their series on Wednesday night, which would be a huge boost to a Sharks team that struggled down the stretch.

AHL| Edmonton Oilers| Injury| Los Angeles Kings| New York Rangers| San Jose Sharks| Tampa Bay Lightning| Utah Mammoth Joe Thornton| Logan Couture

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Edmonton Oilers Sign Paigin, Starrett To Two-Year Contracts

April 10, 2017 at 1:20 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Even though the season is over, the Edmonton Oilers front office is still hard at work. The team has signed both Ziyat Paigin and Shane Starrett to two-year entry-level contracts. Paigin was brought in on an amateur tryout from the KHL last week, while Starrett has just finished up his sophomore year with the Air Force Falcons of the NCAA.

Paigin, 22, was the Oilers’ seventh-round pick in 2015 and proceeded to break out in the KHL after being loaned to Sochi. His 27 points in 37 games for that club looked exceptional when paired with his 6’6″ frame. Back with Ak Bars this year, he fought through injuries and inconsistency to an underwhelming campaign, which may have spurred a move to North America. In a recent interview with Sport-Express (and translated by The Hockey Writers), Paigin seems to hint that he didn’t see much playing time with Ak Bars because he wouldn’t agree to a contract they had offered earlier in the year. The big defenseman was also questioned on his fitness, something that he’s worked very hard at recently.

Edmonton must think he can answer those questions, as he quickly signed a two-year deal with them. After “studying the roster”, Paigin thinks he can make an impact in the NHL at some point, and the Oilers hope he can as well. His intimidating physical presence could be a big help do their defense corps down the line, and his ability to shoot the puck and keep up with skilled players should help his transition to the North American game.

Starrett on the other hand is an undrafted goaltender who has put up two straight excellent seasons in the NCAA. Recording save percentages of .924 and .925, the 6’5″ goalie looks like a classic late-bloomer who has professional potential. Starrett actually participated in Chicago Blackhawks camp last summer but has gone to Edmonton where he’ll compete with Nick Ellis for the AHL job next season. While Cam Talbot remains the franchise goaltender, the Oilers will try to build a pipeline of talent they can use in net as they try to compete for the next decade with Connor McDavid. Remember, Talbot is already 29 years old and will hit free agency following the 2018-19 season.

Edmonton Oilers| Transactions Shane Starrett| Ziyat Paigin

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Saturday Snapshots: Final Saturday Of The Regular Season

April 8, 2017 at 2:54 pm CDT | by Brett Barrett Leave a Comment

8:48pm: The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3, clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2013. Despite losing goaltender Frederik Andersen, the Leafs rallied for three goals in the third to punch their ticket to the playoffs. TSN’s Bob McKenzie sums up the seedings with tomorrow’s results. If Toronto gets one point tomorrow, they will take on Ottawa in the first round while Boston faces off against Washington. Should they lose, they draw Washington and the Bruins get Ottawa.

2:54 pm: Today is the second last day of the regular season, and as such, there’s a lot going on around the National Hockey League. The entire playoff bracket can be finalized this evening, stars will be healthy scratched, and milestones hit.

Playoff Matchups:

  • Two Eastern Conference matchups have already been set: Canadiens vs Rangers and Penguins vs Blue Jackets. Another could be set tonight, if Toronto, Ottawa, and Boston all win. That would mean Capitals vs Maple Leafs. Should the Maple Leafs lose while the other two win, then that would guarantee Senators vs Bruins.
  • Wild vs Blues is clinched by a St. Louis win or a Nashville loss.
  • Oilers vs Sharks would be clinched by:
    • An Oilers extra-time loss vs the Canucks tonight, OR
    • An Oilers regulation loss and a Sharks loss in any fashion.
  • Blackhawks vs Predators happens if:
    • The Predators lose in regulation, OR
    • The Flames win and the Blues get a single point, OR
    • The Flames and Predators both lose in OT.
  • The Flames would take on the Ducks if:
    • The Oilers lose, the Blues get a point, and the Flames win, OR
    • The Oilers lose, and both the Flames and Predators lose in OT, OR
    • The Oilers lose, and the Predators lose in regulation.
  • The Flames would take on the Blackhawks if Calgary loses and the Predators win.
  • The Ducks would take on the Predators if:
    • Both Edmonton and Calgary lose, and the Predators win, OR
    • Nashville gets a point, while Edmonton loses and Calgary loses in regulation.

Other clinching scenarios:

  • The Oilers clinch home-ice with a single point. They visit Vancouver tonight, and host them tomorrow.
  • The Ducks clinch the Pacific Division with an Oilers loss of any kind.
  • To pass Anaheim and win the Pacific, the Oilers would need to sweep the Canucks this weekend and have Anaheim lose to Los Angeles tomorrow.
  • Should the Toronto Maple Leafs win tonight against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto will clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2013. That would eliminate the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning.
  • The Islanders could also be eliminated with a regulation loss or any kind of loss if the Maple Leafs get a single point.
  • UPDATE: Ottawa clinched home ice by defeating the Rangers, 3-1.
    • They defeat the Rangers today, OR
    • Boston and Toronto lose in regulation, OR
    • The Bruins and Senators each get a single point combined with a Maple Leafs OT loss.

Scratches:

  • The Penguins are resting a handful of players, but not their captain. Regulars Nick Bonino, Brian Dumoulin, Patric Hornqvist, Matt Murray, and Bryan Rust will all be healthy scratches, however Sidney Crosby will dress. Forward Kevin Porter and goaltender Tristan Jarry have been called up to fill out the lineup; Jarry will back up Marc-Andre Fleury. The Penguins coach, Mike Sullivan, told TSN that he’s aware of what’s on the line for the Maple Leafs, but re-iterated that his priority is to do what’s best for the team “in the short-term and the long-term. Having said that the lineup we put in will be competitive.”
  • The Canucks will be without the services of Sven Baertschi for this weekend’s home-and-home with the Oilers. Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma reports that Baertschi may have hurt his shoulder or neck on Thursday vs the Coyotes.
  • The Senators will be resting several players. Their lineup isn’t known yet, but Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch suggested Craig Anderson, Mike Hoffman, Dion Phaneuf, Kyle Turris, and Viktor Stalberg as possibilities.

Milestones:

  • Oilers captain Connor McDavid could become just the fifth player to score 100 points since 2010. He’s sitting at 97 points in 80 games, the seventh-most points in a season during in that time frame. Only Evgeni Malkin, Daniel Sedin, Crosby, and Patrick Kane have cracked the century-mark this decade. McDavid is nine points ahead of Crosby and Kane for the NHL scoring lead, and looks poised to take home the Art Ross in his first full season at age 20.
  • With one more goal this season, Auston Matthews can become the fifteenth rookie in NHL history to score 40 goals. Currently, he’s tied with Crosby, Steve Yzerman, and Peter and Anton Stastny at 39. Kings’ coach Darryl Sutter, Sylvain Turgeon, and Warren Young all scored 40 goals in their rookie seasons.

Anaheim Ducks| Boston Bruins| Calgary Flames| Chicago Blackhawks| Columbus Blue Jackets| Darryl Sutter| Edmonton Oilers| Los Angeles Kings| Minnesota Wild| Montreal Canadiens| Nashville Predators| New York Islanders| New York Rangers| Ottawa Senators| Pittsburgh Penguins| San Jose Sharks| Snapshots| St. Louis Blues| Steve Yzerman| Tampa Bay Lightning| Toronto Maple Leafs| Vancouver Canucks| Washington Capitals Auston Matthews| Brian Dumoulin| Bryan Rust| Connor McDavid| Evgeni Malkin| Marc-Andre Fleury| Matt Murray (b. 1994)| Patrick Kane

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Minor Transactions: 4/8/2017

April 8, 2017 at 11:15 am CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

With the NHL set to wrap up the 2016-17 regular season this weekend, several clubs with postseason seeds locked in are taking the opportunity to rest key players. This gives several minor league players a chance to earn a late season call-up and to see some NHL action in the season’s closing days. We’ll recap the day’s minor transactions in this post.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins announced via Twitter that they have recalled forward Kevin Porter and netminder Tristan Jarry from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. Porter has spent the entire season so far with the baby Penguins but does bring plenty of NHL experience to the table with 247 regular season appearances over parts of seven seasons. For his career, the 5-foot-11, 191-pound winger has netted 29 goals and 58 points while averaging 12:39 of action per game. Porter was a key penalty killer last season in Pittsburgh and saw action in 41 game s before suffering a season-ending injury. He has 46 points in 67 AHL games this season, helping Wilkes-Barre/Scranton earn their 15th consecutive playoff berth. Jarry, who has yet to make his NHL debut, has been outstanding between the pipes for the baby Pens. He’s won 25 of 45 decisions and posted a GAA of 2.15 and a Save % of 0.925 in 45 contests. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests the recalls mean the Penguins intend on resting “someone.” After wrapping up the second seed in the Metro Division and a first round playoff date set with Columbus, it wouldn’t be shocking if the team gave superstar center Sidney Crosby and #1 goalie Matt Murray the weekend off, though that is simply my own speculation. That scenario would give Jarry a solid shot at making his NHL debut.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have inked center Sean Malone, their sixth-round draft choice in 2013, to a two-year, entry level deal, the club announced this morning. Malone, a native of West Seneca, New York, recently concluded his senior year at Harvard and finished the 2016-17 campaign with 18 goals and 42 points in 36 games. Malone and his Harvard teammates saw their season end in stunning fashion during their Frozen Four semifinal game when Minnesota-Duluth broke a 1 – 1 tie with 26.6 seconds remaining in regulation. Malone closes out his college career with 42 goals and 99 points in 115 NCAA games.
  • Taylor Beck, who was recalled from Hartford yesterday, will make his New York Rangers debut tonight, the club announced via Twitter. The 25-year-old RW was acquired by the Rangers from Edmonton at the trade deadline in exchange for fellow forward Justin Fontaine. Beck has had a terrific AHL campaign, registering 63 points in 54 games split between Bakersfield and Hartford. In 9 career NHL contests, the 6-foot-2, 203-pound Beck has tallied 11 goals and 23 points. He failed to record a point in three earlier appearances with the Oilers this season. Beck will draw into the lineup for New York as the Rangers plan to rest forwards Derek Stepan, Jesper Fast, Mats Zuccarello and Rick Nash, the latter three for the second straight game.
  • Montreal has recalled junior defenseman and 2016 first round pick Mikhail Sergachev from Windsor of the OHL. Normally, once a prospect has been returned to junior by his parent club, they cannot be recalled but the Canadiens took advantage of a little-used provision that allows them to do so in certain scenarios. Cap Friendly, via Twitter, provides the details of this provision in the CBA. In this case, since Windsor’s season is now over following their elimination from the OHL playoffs and with Montreal having already recalled a defender from the minor leagues on an emergency basis, the Habs were able to bring Sergachev up, also on an emergency basis. Sergachev appeared in three games earlier this season with Montreal before being returned to Windsor. The blue liner, still just 18, registered 43 points in 50 regular season games and another three in the playoffs for the Spitfires.
  • Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall announced this morning that the club has recalled goaltender Anthony Stolarz from Lehigh Valley of the AHL. Stolarz has appeared in six games with the Flyers on the season, starting three times. He has posted a 0.932 Save % and a GAA of just 1.93 in his first taste of NHL action. Sam Carchidi, who covers the team for the Philadelphia Inquirer adds via Twitter that Stolarz will back up Steve Mason tonight with the Flyers on the road in Columbus and will likely get the starting assignment tomorrow as the team closes out its campaign at home against Carolina.

Buffalo Sabres| Edmonton Oilers| Injury| Montreal Canadiens| New York Rangers| Philadelphia Flyers| Pittsburgh Penguins| Players| Transactions| Uncategorized Jesper Fast| Justin Fontaine| Matt Murray (b. 1994)| Mikhail Sergachev

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Western Prospect Notes: Lagesson, Roslovic, Phillips

April 7, 2017 at 2:14 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Edmonton Oilers have signed their fourth-round pick from the 2014 draft, inking William Lagesson to a three-year, entry-level deal. After two seasons at the University of Massechusetts-Amherst, the Swedish defenseman has decided to turn pro. While he’s never been much of an offensive contributor, he was a key part of a blueline and logged tough minutes in the defensive end.

Lagesson was actually the second selection of the draft for the Oilers that year, as they didn’t have their second or third round picks. The first selection? None other than Leon Draisaitl who has already made a big impact in the NHL. While Lagesson will never quite reach those heights, the Oilers are hoping a second member from their 2014 group can reach the NHL level.

  • Jack Roslovic and Eric Comrie are both headed back down to the Manitoba Moose after their NHL debuts on Thursday night. Comrie stopped 34 of 38 shots for his first NHL win, while Roslovic played just over eight minutes and was held scoreless. While the pair will focus on their game at the AHL level for the time being, don’t underestimate the impact they’ll have at the NHL level sooner than later. Both players represent solid prospects in a system full of them, and should be knocking on the door as soon as next season.
  • The Moose have also signed Michael Spacek to an amateur tryout for the remainder of the season after his huge breakout in the WHL. Spacek exploded for 85 points in 59 games and scored another 12 in the Red Deer Rebels’ hard fought series loss at the hands of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He also impressed for the Czech Republic at the World Juniors, his third such tournament for his home country. Spacek is a very interesting prospect for the Jets going into next year, as he’ll turn just 20 years old on Sunday. His offensive game has no ceiling, and he could easily turn into a legitimate scoring threat in the AHL as a rookie next year.
  • The Calgary Flames won’t be left behind, as they’ve also signed an interesting name to an amateur deal. Matthew Phillips—he of the 50 goal season—has signed an ATO with the Stockton Heat and will spend a little time with them before heading back to junior next year. Despite turning 19 yesterday, Phillips still only weighs in at a paltry 151 lbs. It will be extremely difficult for him to succeed at the professional level with his 5’7″ frame, but if anyone can do it perhaps he can. Phillips has scored at every level so far, including a 40 goal campaign in bantam hockey when he was 14—while playing only 33 games.

AHL| Calgary Flames| Edmonton Oilers| Prospects| WHL| Winnipeg Jets World Juniors

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ESPN Finds Winnipeg Least Attractive NHL Player Destination

April 6, 2017 at 8:35 pm CDT | by Mike Furlano 8 Comments

ESPN conducted its annual poll (insider link) of which NHL cities are the most unpopular among NHL players. This year the Winnipeg Jets took the top slot, with the Edmonton Oilers placing second and the New York Islanders finishing third.

Winnipeg Jets Paul MauriceESPNs’s methodology is simple and admittedly flawed, but it’s one of the only glimpses into how NHL players feel about particular destinations. ESPN asks nine player agents to list the top-three teams most often listed on no-trade clauses. It then awards each top team three points, second team two points, and third team one point.

According to ESPN, Winnipeg was the top team on six of the nine answers. A cold destination coupled with limited success explains its unpopularity. Edmonton places second on ESPN’s list, but its success this season may remove the team from future lists. Before this season Edmonton mired in the NHL basement despite having numerous first overall draft picks. Rounding out the top three, the Islanders may make this list based on its lack of success, uncertain ownership issues, and unpopular arena location.

Residence and fans of the above cities shouldn’t fret. It’s no coincidence that this list omits successful teams. Players seem to want to go to winners regardless of locale. A couple of playoff performances should change players’ views very quickly.

Edmonton Oilers| New York Islanders| Winnipeg Jets

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Evening Transactions: Milano, Conacher, Paigin

April 5, 2017 at 4:33 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Sonny Milano back to the Cleveland Monsters after just one game. The top prospect was held scoreless again, and is still looking for his first NHL goal. Scoring 43 points in 59 games in the AHL, Milano has been a huge part of keeping them playoff relevant. After winning the Calder Cup last year, Cleveland is in danger of missing the playoffs completely should they not finish their strong in their last five games. Milano will likely be in the lineup tomorrow against the Milwaukee Admirals.

Here are some more moves around the NHL this evening:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have called up Cory Conacher and Michael Bournival ahead of their important matchup against the Maple Leafs tomorrow. Both players have spent time in the NHL this season and will be used as insurance should Tyler Johnson or any other Lightning can’t go. As Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports, there were several players who wouldn’t have played last night under normal circumstances. That 4-0 loss at the hands of the Boston Bruins means that Tampa Bay must beat the Maple Leafs in regulation to have any real chance at making the playoffs.
  • The Bakersfield Condors have signed Ziyat Paigin to an amateur tryout. The seventh-round pick of the Oilers played his third season in the KHL this season and has made his way over to the North American system. While he doesn’t have an entry-level contract just yet with Edmonton, this is a strong sign that he wants to transition away from the Russian league. Paigin broke out last year with 27 points in 33 games after being loaned to Sochi, but has had another underwhelming campaign with Ak Bars this year. A huge defenseman who is already 22-years old, Paigin is a very interesting prospect for Oilers fans to keep an eye on.

AHL| Columbus Blue Jackets| Edmonton Oilers| KHL| Tampa Bay Lightning| Toronto Maple Leafs| Transactions Cory Conacher

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Minor Moves: Ingram, Backman, Khaira

April 4, 2017 at 2:42 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

When the Kamloops Blazers were eliminated from the WHL playoffs by the Kelowna Rockets on Sunday, Connor Ingram became a goalie without a net. That limbo won’t last long, as Bob McKenzie reports that Ingram has signed an amateur tryout contract with the Syracuse Crunch—Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate—for the rest of this season, and an entry-level deal with the Lightning starting next season.

Ingram played exceptionally well this season, posting a .922 save percentage in the regular season before increasing that number to .946 for their short playoff run. While he didn’t have the best tournament at the World Juniors, his inclusion on a team that has a long history of elite goaltending goes to show how highly regarded he is in the CHL. Ingram was selected in the third round by Tampa Bay last summer, and has all the makings of an NHL starter one day.

  • Sean Shapiro of NHL.com tells us that the Dallas Stars organization expects Mattias Backman to return to Sweden next season. At the AHL trade deadline, the Stars loaned Backman to Hershey for their playoff run but he has only played a handful of games since then. The former fifth-round pick never did make it to the NHL, and will now return home to compete in the SHL next season.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have sent Jujhar Khaira back to the AHL, ending what has been a long stretch of NHL time without much NHL action. Playing in just 10 games this season, the young Khaira has registered just a single goal. With Bakersfield in a battle for the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division, Khaira will provide some depth up the middle. The 22-year old was drafted in the third round in 2012, and has struggled to make an impact at the NHL level.

AHL| CHL| Dallas Stars| Edmonton Oilers| Tampa Bay Lightning| WHL Bob McKenzie| World Juniors

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    Top Stories

    Arbitrator Rules In Favor Of Flyers In Ryan Johansen’s Grievance

    Seattle Kraken Sign Ryker Evans To Two-Year Deal

    Wild Sign Jack Johnson To PTO

    Ottawa Senators Finalize Purchase Of LeBreton Flats Land

    Stars Sign Nathan Bastian

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