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Trade Rumors: Penguins, Mete, Bjork

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Amidst the shocking news that Jim Rutherford had resigned as GM of Pittsburgh Penguins, it is easy to forget that this was a team that less than a week ago was reported as being active on the trade market. While ownership suddenly needs to focus on the long-term welfare of the franchise by finding a new GM, the Penguins are still in need of defense in the short-term. While Rutherford’s final move was to find a stopgap in free agent addition Yannick Weber, that might not be enough. The Pittsburgh blue line has been devastated by injuries early this season with Michael Matheson, Juuso Riikola, and Zach Trotman on injured reserve, Marcus Pettersson also officially out, and Brian Dumoulin injured in last night’s game. Even the thought-to-be-healthy John Marino was missing at practice today. What’s left is a group that is almost entirely right-handed, including the newcomer Weber, and includes a struggling Cody Ceci and an untested rookie in Pierre-Olivier Joseph. The Penguins need to to continue to be on the look out for help on the back end. With that said, NBC Sports’ Adam Gretz doubts that interim GM Patrick Allvin will have the authority to make a trade, until they potentially remove the interim tag that is. In the meantime, can the Penguins afford to stand pat in a shortened season facing tougher playoff odds and a more difficult division? Can they withstand extended absences from their current injured defenders? Unless owner Mario Lemieux decides to step in and pull the strings while also making a decision on his next GM, they may not have an option but to stick it out.

  • Through their first six games of the season, the Montreal Canadiens have yet to lose in regulation and have earned 10 of a possible 12 points. Everyone in Montreal is happy so far this year, that is except defenseman Victor Mete. With the team rolling on all cylinders, the Habs have had no reason to change out their starting six defenseman. In fact, there has been only one lineup change among skaters for one single game thus far. The Canadiens do not want to lose the promising, young Mete on waivers, but so far that has left 22-year-old sitting in the press box for every game. If Montreal continues to win and stay healthy, then there is also no reason for that to change. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has taken notice and he’s not alone. Friedman reports that there is interest in Mete across the league and offers will be coming to Montreal soon, if they haven’t already. After losing Noah Juulsen on waivers earlier this year, the Habs may be hesitant to part with another young defenseman whose career has been impacted by injuries but could be primed for a breakout. However, if Mete won’t get any opportunity to shine in Montreal, they may as well move him. After all, he will likely be available for free to the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft anyway.
  • If there is one thing that has quietly defined the Don Sweeney administration in Boston, it is that they are not afraid to move young forwards who are unable to carve out a consistent role in the lineup. In consecutive years, the Bruins have traded away Frank Vatrano, Ryan Donato, and Danton Heinen, each of whom was struggling and bouncing around the lineup prior to being moved. Now, Anders Bjork could be the next name on that list. The team has liked the upside of Bjork, 24, and made that clear with a three-year, $4.8MM contract this summer. However, injury and inconsistency has made it hard to get a good look at the player. Now healthy and in the starting lineup through six games this season, that look hasn’t been good. Bjork has played on several different lines and with different line mates but nothing has clicked. He has zero points and just two shots on goal and hasn’t made a major impact defensively either. With the emergence of rookies Jack Studnicka and Trent Frederic as NHL-ready assets and the upcoming injury returns of David Pastrnak and Ondrej Kase, there won’t be space left in the lineup for Bjork. Multiple sources are now reporting that in anticipation of this result, interest is growing in the young winger. Bjork may not be a fit in Boston right now, but as a player with positional and two-way versatility and under team control for several years, a number of teams could be interested in taking a chance. With a lineup that is looking pretty complete so far this season, Bjork may also come cheap with the Bruins opting for a pick or prospect rather than a roster player in return.

ECHL Announces New Expansion Team

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After the announcement earlier this year of two new expansion franchises expected to join the ECHL for the 2021-22 season, the minor league was up to 28 teams. By 2022-23, that number will increase by one more after the league’s board of governors approved an expansion application of Savannah, Georgia for admittance to the league.

Andy Kauffman, who also owns the Jacksonville Icemen, will be the new Savannah owner, and the team will play in Savannah Arena, a new 7,300-seat construction set to be completed in Spring 2022. ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin released a statement on the new team:

The ECHL is excited to welcome the City of Savannah as our newest member. We have a great working relationship with Andy his management group and we look forward to bringing ECHL hockey to the Savannah community in October 2022 and the creation of natural rivalries with the Atlanta Gladiators, South Carolina Stingrays, Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Jacksonville Icemen.

Oak View Group, who are also responsible for the construction of Climate Pledge Arena (NHL Seattle), Palm Spring Arena (AHL Palm Springs), and UBS Arena in Belmont Park (NHL NY Islanders), has been hired to manage and operate the new Savannah Arena.

Montreal Canadiens Announce New ECHL Affiliate

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The Montreal Canadiens have come to an agreement with the new ECHL expansion franchise in Trois-Rivières, signing a three-year affiliation that starts in the 2021-22 season. Canadiens VP of Hockey Operations John Sedgwick released a statement on the deal:

This agreement provides our organization with an interesting opportunity to expand our development pipeline here in Quebec, while allowing us to closely monitor the development of some of our prospects. The ECHL is a league that deserves more recognition for the talent it displays and for its high quality of play. The decision to move our AHL affiliate team to Laval proved to be very successful, and the advantage of having another affiliate nearby in Trois-Rivières will be very convenient for our hockey operations and to continue scouting local talent.

The new franchise in Trois-Rivières was officially announced last week along with another ECHL expansion team in Coralville, Iowa. Both teams will join the league next season. This affiliation, along with the Laval Rocket of the AHL, allows the Canadiens to keep all three tiers of their organization in Quebec, giving them not only quick player transfer but an easier way to optimize prospect development and evaluation.

Though only officially announced, this ECHL team has been in the works for a while and will be led by GM Marc-Andre Bergeron, former NHL defenseman who spent one season with the Canadiens during 2009-10.

Trade Rumors: Dubois, Byron, Dumba

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The Pierre-Luc Dubois saga in Columbus took a another turn on Wednesday, as always-candid head coach John Tortorella appeared in an interview on 97.1 The Fan and did not hold back in his commentary on the situation surrounding his young forward. While he has not officially requested a trade from the Blue Jackets, contract negotiations with Dubois did not go well and the team has been led to believe that he would prefer a change of scenery. Tortorella took a more direct approach, outright confirming that this is the case:

Yeah, he wants out. He spoke to the team, as we do here. It’s a little bit different than (departed 2019 free agents Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky) were. This is a 22-year-old kid. It doesn’t happen that often, so he has been honest with the group.

Yet, Tortorella is not content with the explanations (or lack thereof) that Dubois has provided he and others. He remains unclear as to what has changed in the talented center, who looked like a budding superstar and long-term cornerstone in Columbus just months ago in the postseason. And if the coach himself is to blame, it doesn’t seem like Tortorella is willing to let that change his style or impact his locker room.

 I wish he was a little bit more honest as far as reasons why. I still haven’t really gotten to that, but I think he needs to speak on that… I think that (conflict) is a really good thing in developing a hockey player.  Now ’Luc’ may not think that. Sometimes these players, especially today’s athletes, think, ’You’re too hard on me, you’re picking on me’ and this and that. Maybe it’s too hard for him. I don’t know. I haven’t been given a reason why he wants to leave. He certainly hasn’t said it to me that ’I don’t want to play for you.’ I think if that’s the reason he should tell me, and he should really basically get in front of it and get up out of here. That’s just the way I think you should do business in this stuff here. There’s no sense of people trying to figure out what’s going on. Let’s get in front of it here and get about our business and try to be the best team we can be… It’s a short leash with me as far as this is concerned. He needs to continue to do the things to help this team win and be the best teammate he can be, or I’m not sure where it goes. It’s a situation and we’ll go to it day by day.

Tortorella’s very public and very honest take on Dubois is not going to make the situation any better, even if the coach is not to blame for the trade request. Initial reports stated that the Blue Jackets may take their time to deal Dubois, waiting to maximize the return as best they can while he hopefully continues to contribute on the ice. However, if the locker room becomes too toxic with a top player at odds with the head coach and openly opposed to any future with the organization, this situation may need a resolution sooner rather than later. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that suitors are already serious about adding Dubois, so if the Blue Jackets need to make a quick trade, they will still have plenty of offers to choose from.

  • The Montreal Canadiens were able to get under the salary cap ceiling, but it was a tight fit. CapFriendly shows the club with only $708K in space for just a 21-man roster. If the Habs want the flexibility to even field a full roster never mind make a trade addition this season, someone has to go. Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette writes that the name being whispered is that of Paul Byron. Byron has been a loyal soldier for Montreal over the past five years and has developed into one of the club’s locker room leaders. However, the Canadiens’ off-season additions of Josh Anderson and Tyler Toffoli and the emergence of youngsters Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi have pushed Byron into a seemingly permanent bottom-six role. In fact, Byron played on the team’s fourth line throughout training camp and in Wednesday’s season opener. At a $3.4MM AAV through 2022-23, Byron is an expensive piece to be playing a checking role. The 31-year-old winger has not been durable either over the past couple of seasons either and may be ill-suited for his new position. Byron has scored at nearly a half-point per-game pace over the past four seasons combined and would be more valuable to another team that is able and willing to keep him in a scoring role. The question is whether that destination exists and, if so, will the Habs ultimately pull the trigger on dealing away a respected veteran.
  • One player enjoying the spotlight of rumor mill being off him for now is Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba. Dumba has heard the noise for more than a year now, but remains with the Wild; and the talented blue liner is happy about that, he tells TwinCities.com’s Dane Mizutani. Mizutani is not the only one that Dumba has confided in, either. He has also gone directly to GM Bill Guerin and stated that he would like to remain with the team. Guerin will certainly listen to one of his best players, but he has to listen to offers as well with the threat of the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft looming. With fellow top-four defenders Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, and Jonas Brodin all holding No-Movement Clauses in their current contracts and requiring protection from the expansion draft, Dumba would be the odd man out in the standard 7-3 protection scheme. Minnesota will definitely not allow the Seattle Kraken to acquire Dumba for free though, which has prompted his placement on the trade block. However, if Dumba can back up his desire to remain with the Wild with a strong 2020-21 campaign, Guerin may decide to go with the 8-skater protection scheme and expose three forwards rather than the skilled defenseman.

ECHL Announces Two Expansion Teams For 2021-22

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The ECHL is about to expand. The league’s board of governors has approved expansion applications for new teams in Coralville, Iowa, and Trois-Rivieres, Quebec for the 2021-22 season. Commissioner Ryan Crelin released a short statement:

This is an extremely exciting day for the ECHL and the future of our League, welcoming these two great markets and beautiful state-of-the-art facilities. We have a great history of working with Dean [MacDonald]’s ownership group and leadership team and look forward to bringing ECHL hockey to Trois-Rivieres and Coralville, making an impact as an asset to these communities.

Deacon Sports and Entertainment, led by MacDonald, will own both new franchises in addition to the Newfoundland Growlers. The two new franchises will take the league total to 28 for the 2021-22 season. According to the league, both teams will be playing in brand new facilities, called Xtreme Arena and LeNouveau Colisee respectively.

The 2020-21 season has been a struggle for the ECHL, with many of its teams opting out due to financial and health concerns. This news brings a ray of hope among the darkness that has been the past year. If everything goes according to plan, we’ll be able to see some extra minor league action in two new hockey-starved markets. It’s not clear yet where the teams will be placed division-wise, but it would certainly make sense to add a seventh team to both the North and Central divisions, which currently have fewer teams than the South and Mountain.

Seattle Kraken Hire Jason Botterill, Norm Maciver

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The Seattle Kraken have added to their front office, hiring Jason Botterill as assistant GM and Norm Maciver as director of player personnel.

Botterill, 44, spent the last three seasons as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres but was fired this offseason after missing the playoffs once again. He cut his teeth as an executive under veteran managers like Ray Shero and Jim Rutherford over several years in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, the latter having also been the front office mentor of Kraken GM Ron Francis. Though his time in Buffalo did not go well, Botterill was once known as quite the AGM, able to help fill the Pittsburgh prospect pipeline with unheralded prospects that overachieved year after year.

In the release, Botterill explains why he took this job:

Everyone in hockey is extremely excited about what’s happening in Seattle, and I am thrilled for this unique opportunity. I’m looking forward to working with the diverse and talented group that Ron has assembled.

Maciver, 56, was part of the Chicago Blackhawks front office for a decade, serving in various roles including AGM from 2012-2019. He was part of the group that brought three Stanley Cup championships to the city and should bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new role in Seattle.

The Kraken have put together quite the front office so far and now will face the most important task so far, selecting an expansion roster. The 32nd NHL franchise will have a tough time replicating the Vegas Golden Knights’ immediate success, but Francis and company will certainly try.

NHL Announces Critical Dates, Medical Protocols, Rule Change

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The NHL has officially released the list of critical dates for the upcoming season. Though many of these have been previously reported, they are now locked in place for the league.

December 31: Training camps open for seven non-playoff teams from 2019-20.

January 3: Training camps open for 24 playoff teams from 2019-20.

January 13: 2020-21 regular season begins.

April 12: Trade deadline (3pm ET)

May 8: Last day of regular season.

May 11: Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.

July 9: Last possible day of Stanley Cup Final.

July 17: Deadline for expansion protection lists (5pm ET).

July 21: Seattle Kraken expansion draft (8pm ET).

July 23: Round 1 of NHL Entry Draft.

July 24: Rounds 2-7 of NHL Entry Draft.

July 28: Free agent signing period begins (12pm ET)

In addition to the critical dates, the league has issued a rule change for the upcoming season. Rule 83.1, which is the off-side rule, now includes:

A player is on-side when either of his skates are in contact with the blue line, or on his own ide of the line, at the instant the puck completely crosses the leading edge of the blue line. On his own side of the line shall be defined by a “plane” of the blue line which shall extend from the leading edge of the blue line upwards. If a player’s skate has yet to break the “plane” prior to the puck crossing the leading edge, he is deemed to be on-side for the purpose of the off-side rule.

This “in the air” clarification has been speculated on for years and will likely reduce the number of challenges used by coaches.

The league has also released its transition rules and medical protocols, which include some clarification to what happens to a player if he tests positive for COVID-19. In that case, the player will be eligible to be placed on long-term injured reserve.

Restart Notes: NHL Calendar, Canucks, Entry-Level Slide, Training Camps

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With the date set for a Jan. 13 agreement by the NHL and NHLPA, more dates have started filling into the NHL’s calendar for the upcoming season and beyond, according to The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required).

Training Camps Open (for seven non-playoff teams): Dec. 30

Training Camps Open (for everyone else): Jan. 3

Regular Season Begins: Jan. 13

RFA Signing Deadline: Feb. 11 (normally Dec. 1)

Contract Extensions: March 12 (normally Jan. 1 to sign extensions for 2021-22)

Trade Deadline: April 12

End of Regular Season: May 8

Seattle Expansion Draft: July 21

NHL Draft: July 23-24

Free Agency Begins: July 28

  • The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the NHL continues to talk to all of Canada’s province’s, but is still working with B.C. and its health officials to try to get the Canucks to play in Vancouver. Pagnotta did say that a league source did say that if negotiations aren’t successful that the Canucks could still play in another city, maintaining an all-Canadian division. All options remain on the table. Like the San Jose Sharks begin training camp in Arizona, the Canucks may be forced to do the same thing, especially with Jan. 3 being not far away. Vancouver was a finalist to have one of the playoff bubbles last season, but the province of B.C. added extra restrictions at the last minute that forced the NHL to move its preparations to Edmonton.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the NHL has prorated entry-level slides for the upcoming shortened season. Up until now, an entry level could slide up to two years, but if the player appeared in 10 NHL games during one of those two years, their contracts officially begin. That number now changes to seven games, which could be significant as many younger players may find themselves on taxi squads and could find themselves getting into games. That also means that if a young player appears in more than six games, their contract officially begins. Those rules could have an effect on players such as Los Angeles’ Quinton Byfield, Winnipeg’s Cole Perfetti, Toronto’s Nick Robertson and Vegas’ Peyton Krebs, who may not have played this season, but could find playing time now, especially with the state of the junior league seasons in jeopardy.
  • In a separate tweet, Friedman also notes that NHL training camps will allow 36 skaters and an unlimited amount of goaltenders.

Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft Set For July 21

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The Seattle Kraken now know when they will have their team set up as TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the expansion draft will be held on July 21, two days before the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He also notes that NHL teams will have to turn in their protection rosters to the league by July 17, giving Seattle four days to get ready for their draft.

All NHL teams (except the Vegas Golden Knights) will have to submit their protection roster of seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie or eight skaters and a goaltender to the league as part of Seattle’s $650MM price tag for joining the league, which should give the expansion team a good opportunity to jump into the league and compete immediately. The Golden Knights had the exact same criteria for their expansion draft in 2017 and took those advantages straight to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The real question is whether the Kraken can take advantage of the flat salary cap in order to get multiple side deals like Vegas was able to do before their expansion draft. The Golden Knights had many side deals that netted them significant core players. While there had been talk that teams weren’t likely to make the same mistakes they made in this coming expansion draft, the state of the league due to the pandemic, could give Seattle an opportunity to offer teams salary cap relief in exchange for top players/prospects or picks.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also notes that no-movement clauses have also been extended into July, so that players who were supposed to have their NMC’s in place before the expansion draft will still have that.

The league has already prorated many key numbers to benefit the Kraken. Capfriendly reports that the 40/70 games played requirement for players to be exposed for the expansion draft that started in 2019/20 has been altered. Instead of 40/70, the league has prorated those numbers to 27/54 games. The career injury threshold of 60 consecutive games played will now be 41 games missed.

Seattle Notes: Season Tickets, Expansion Payments, Analytics

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If you thought the pandemic has had a negative effect on the hype surrounding the Seattle Kraken expansion team, you would be wrong. With the Kraken set to officially enter the league late this season followed by formally forming a roster in the 2021 Expansion Draft next summer, the NHL’s newest club is having no trouble drumming excitement amid the COVID chaos. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun relays word from Seattle CEO Tod Leiweke that the team expects to have sold out of their season ticket package offerings by February or earlier. The club was forced to cap season tickets as demand continued to grow, limiting the number to 15,000 of a total 17,000+ available seats. They also expect a waiting list for season tickets before the puck even drops on their inaugural season. There appears to be no shortage of anticipation for Kraken hockey in Seattle.

  • While the Kraken won’t be able to ice a team until the 2021-22 season, they will be involved in roster transactions before then. LeBrun notes that the Coronavirus pandemic has not impacted Seattle’s ability to maintain their installment payments to the league on their expansion fee. Assuming that continues, the club will have paid their $650MM entry fee by March. At that point, they will be eligible to join in league functions such as Board of Governors’ and GM’s Meetings and can begin making trades and signing free agents from the junior, collegiate, and European ranks.
  • One area that the Kraken will not skimp on is analytics. As Ryan Clark writes for The Athletic, Seattle is already believed to have put together the second-largest analytics staff in the league even though they are still a year away from even playing a game. It’s a diverse group who aren’t all necessarily experienced in the way of hockey analytics, but it is a talented group nonetheless. Statistics will clearly play a major role for the new franchise, who have a number of major decisions to make in the impending Expansion Draft.

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