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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.

Snapshots: League Finances, Summers, Seattle

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The NBA will be financially assisting each of its teams to the tune of $30MM this season, according to a report from John Lombardo in the Sports Business Journal. The report indicates that the league will issue cash payments to their teams, and Emily Kaplan of ESPN tweets that the NHL is working on a similar plan.

Though it’s not clear what amount the NHL would distribute, it obviously will be trying to get all 32 teams through the current financial climate without any major issues. That 32nd team, Seattle, is basically doing the same thing as the league, splitting a $650MM expansion fee between every team except the Vegas Golden Knights (who will be left out of the expansion draft).

  • Speaking of Seattle, The Athletic has been releasing their fifth mock draft today, examining each team specifically and what they might give up to the expansion franchise. The New York Islanders piece by Arthur Staple in particular is an interesting read, with Jordan Eberle, Semyon Varlamov, Nick Leddy, and others all left unprotected. The Kraken may not be as loaded as the Golden Knights were right off the bat, but there will still be many talented players available after this season concludes.
  • Chris Summers has decided not to return to the Nurnberg Ice Tigers for 2020-21, telling the team he did not wish to travel during the current COVID-19 crisis. Summers’ contract has been terminated, making him an unrestricted free agent. The 32-year-old defenseman is a longtime AHL veteran that only took his game overseas last year and has played more than 500 games at the minor league level.

Free Agent Profile: Andrew Hammond

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I know what you’re thinking. Andrew Hammond? Really? Other than the “Hamburglar” moniker, Hammond isn’t exactly a household name to NHL fans. In fact, Hammond hasn’t made an NHL appearance since 2017-18 and has just seven total appearances over the past four seasons. It’s been quite a while since Hammond heroically stole the Ottawa net and led the Senators to the postseason in 2014-15.

Yet, there’s a good case to be made that Hammond is the best available free agent goalie and there is no arguing that there isn’t still a considerable need for net depth around the NHL. The free agent market seems to be on hold right now as the league figures out its plans for this season, but when it picks back up Hammond is likely to be in demand.

Hammond, 32, is built for the 2020-21 season. The veteran goaltender can likely be slipped through waivers if his signing team so desires, but if injury spurns his recall, Hammond has both the NHL experience to jump into a backup role and has been a workhorse in the AHL for several years, ready for a condensed schedule and frequent appearances if need be. Hammond made 33 appearances for the Rochester Americans in the shortened 2019-20 season, the twelfth-most in the AHL. Hammond is also one of just seven netminders to have made 33+ appearances in each of the past two AHL seasons.

Among qualifying goaltenders, Hammond’s 2.53 GAA this past season ranked 13th in the AHL. It’s a pretty good ranking on its own, but consider that only one goalie with a better GAA played more minutes than Hammond last year and it puts his performance in perspective given his workload. Hammond’s .908 save percentage, while not among the AHL’s best, is a good number and has held steady for two seasons now as a stark improvement versus his AHL numbers earlier in his career.

When last Hammond was seen in the NHL, he was actually shocking many with his strong play as an emergency postseason call-up for the Colorado Avalanche in 2017-18. Hammond played three playoff games after making just one regular season appearance, yet posted a stellar .933 save percentage with a 2.62 GAA. While a small sample size, if this is what Hammond can do at the NHL level then he is even more valuable than it seems. For a larger sample size, look back at the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons with Ottawa, the only time in his career that Hammond was given a regular NHL role. In 48 games over two years, Hammond recorded an outstanding .927 save percentage and 2.21 GAA, as well as a .705 quality start percentage. Admittedly, that was five years ago now, but Hammond’s NHL numbers speak for themselves.

Still, Hammond can’t be the best free agent goalie option available, can he? Well, only four UFA keepers saw NHL action last season: Craig Anderson, Jimmy Howard, Ryan Miller, and Cory Schneider. Anderson, Howard, and Miller each made over 20 appearances last season, but didn’t exactly inspire their respective teams to give them any more play time than necessary. Of the 57 NHL goalies who made at least 20 appearances last year, Howard finished dead last in both save percentage and goals against average; Anderson ranked 47th and 55th and Miller came in at 37th and 47th, respectively. These poor performances marked a steep drop-off for Howard and Miller, while this is the third year in a row with ugly numbers for Anderson. Age is also a troubling number shared by all; Anderson and Miller are 39 and Howard is 36. Given their ages and stats, Anderson and Howard appear done. Miller may have enough left for one more run, but his value as a free agent is limited given his desire to play only with a team near his home in Southern California. As for Schneider, he played in 13 games and posted numbers comparable to Howard’s. Schneider, 34, has faced problems with injuries and inconsistency for several years now. He is nothing more than a dart throw at this point – and according to some sources there is a handshake agreement between he and the New York Islanders, who appear willing to toss that dart at a potential veteran No. 3. Even if Schneider is available or if Miller is willing to move on from the Anaheim Ducks, do any of these aging options inspire more hope than an established AHL starter with strong NHL numbers in Hammond?

Potential Suitors

There is no shortage of teams in need of a goalie before the 2020-21 season, including the aforementioned Ducks and Islanders. Anaheim especially currently counts just starter John Gibson and presumptive backup Anthony Stolarz as NHL options, with only recent draft picks as their other signed goalies. While Stolarz is younger than Hammond and has more recent NHL experience, the two share similar career AHL stats with Hammond having an edge in the NHL. Hammond could prove to be an upgrade over Stolarz as Gibson’s backup, if not just a sold third-string option at a shallow position. There is also the matter of the impending Expansion Draft and Anaheim needing a goalie signed beyond this season to expose, making Hammond an even more likely fit. In New York, depth is an extreme concern beyond the NHL tandem, with only one other goalie signed in young Jakub Skarek. Even if the Islanders do sign Schneider, it may not hurt to add Hammond as well given Schneider’s injury concerns and not wanting to rush Skarek into a workhorse AHL role.

Elsewhere, Hammond could compete for an NHL role with the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Blackhawks have maintained that they are content with an unproven trio of Collin Delia, Malcolm Subban, and Kevin Lankinen competing for both NHL spots as they begin a rebuild. However, things could turn south quickly with that group and an experienced goaltender in Hammond could be valuable. Even if Hammond doesn’t make the ’Hawks out of camp, the team could use some dependability in their depth chart. Similarly, the Penguins claim that they are happy to go into next season with Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith in net. Jarry put up great numbers last season, but has never had a true starter’s workload in the NHL. DeSmith meanwhile did not see any NHL action last season and was outplayed in the AHL by Hammond. The Penguins have okay depth, including UFA addition Maxime Lagace, but could alleviate the risk of their untested NHL tandem or at the very least upgrade at No. 3 with Hammond.

Options where Hammond would only be asked to serve in a third-string role (at the outset), but where that could still turn into a key position, include the Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, or a return to an old home with the Colorado Avalanche. The Oilers and Sharks impressed no one with their off-season changes in net; Edmonton struck out with top free agents and re-signed Mike Smith to play alongside Mikko Koskinen, while San Jose decided the way to help severely struggling starter Martin Jones was to acquire an equally struggling netminder in Devan Dubnyk. Both teams have decent depth in the minors and may be content to lean on young options if their NHL tandem fails, but if either one hopes to be a contender this season they need a No. 3 who can push for top level opportunity and Hammond could fit the bill. At this point in time, it’s anyone’s guess whether any of Smith, Koskinen, Jones, or Dubnyk are actually better goaltenders than Hammond. As for Vancouver and Colorado, both teams are set with a solid duo in the NHL, but injuries are a concern and each is sorely lacking a proven option in the AHL. For two top contenders from this past season, depth is key and Hammond would look awfully nice as a third-string fallback.

Projected Contract

The contract question for Hammond is not so much NHL salary, but AHL salary. Given the cap crunch climate, Hammond is not getting any more than the $700K league minimum salary, even if he could work his way into a regular NHL role worth far more. The question is whether he can get a one-way deal, as he did last year with the Buffalo Sabres, and have that NHL salary guaranteed in the minors or if he will have to settle for a two-way deal, as he did two years ago with the Minnesota Wild. The cap implications are the same and Hammond’s decision will likely come down to fit and opportunity over salary anyhow, so the signing team’s current financial status will likely determine one-way versus two-way. Given the potential competition for his services though, Hammond may have a number of good options and a one-way offer could be the deciding factor.

As alluded to with the Ducks, don’t rule out a two-year deal either. While a one-year term is more likely, teams will be cognizant of their Expansion Draft requirements and how training camp waivers could change the status quo as well, which could lead to Hammond landing some two-year offers to serve as Kraken bait next summer.

 

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