Expansion

Black Monday: The Day The Coaches (Could) Disappear

April 4, 2018 at 3:27 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 15 Comments

The NHL looks like it will finish an entire season without seeing a single coach fired for the first time since expansion in 1967, but there could be a dark lining on that stat coming next week. “Black Monday” as it is being termed could be coming after the final game of the regular season this Sunday, with close to a dozen coaches finding themselves on the hot seat.

In last night’s Insider Trading segment on TSN, Bob McKenzie broke down a list of potential firings that looked like this:

Glen Gulutzan, Calgary Flames
Bill Peters, Carolina Hurricanes
Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks
Jeff Blashill, Detroit Red Wings
Todd McLellan, Edmonton Oilers
Doug Weight, New York Islanders
Alain Vigneault, New York Rangers
Guy Boucher, Ottawa Senators
Barry Trotz, Washington Capitals

Some of these names simply don’t have a contract for next season, including Trotz, who also happens to be the only coach on the list heading to the playoffs. The Capitals have won the Metropolitan Division for the third year in a row, but will be judged entirely on their postseason performance. Washington must find some success past the second round, or there could be a shake up in order starting with the man behind the bench.

The rest of the list is a who’s who of disappointing seasons, with Quenneville sticking out like a sore thumb. Arguably one of the best coaches of all-time, Quenneville’s firing could cause what McKenzie terms a ripple effect throughout the league. Though he doesn’t expand on that idea, many have wondered whether another team would fire their incumbent to have the opportunity to hire Quenneville should he become a free agent, much like the Montreal Canadiens did last season when Claude Julien was let go from Boston.

In New York, while both coaches might not be back it would be for very different reasons. Vigneault has had a lot of regular season success with the Rangers, but as they enter into an unfamiliar rebuild they could want to start with a fresh face behind the bench. For Weight and the Islanders, this season was an abject failure as they tried to woo John Tavares with a trip to the postseason. They won’t get there, and now have to worry about whether their captain and superstar will stick around.

There could be many other names you could suggest for the list, and it is extremely unlikely that all of these will get the boot before the start of 2018-19. You can be sure some changes are coming though, even if it does come after a remarkable season of patience by general managers around the league.

Poll: Who Is The More Valuable Vegas Free Agent Forward?

March 30, 2018 at 11:42 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The Vegas Golden Knights had a clear mantra in the expansion draft. They would select players that didn’t have much term left on their contracts, and use cap space and flexibility to build a strong organization over the next few years. Then the season began, and they suddenly went from an fun expansion team to an NHL powerhouse.

Among those that they selected, were a pair of free agent forwards that had bounced around the league but found success nearly everywhere they’d been. David Perron and James Neal both had six seasons with 40+ points heading into 2017-18, and were accepted as good (but not great) NHL scoring threats. Neal came with a bit more shine on him after his long playoff run with the Nashville Predators, but perhaps Perron should’ve been the top name all along.

This season, despite Neal being the team’s lone All-Star representative up front, Perron hasn’t stopped scoring. The 29-year old winger has 66 points in 70 games, including a team-leading 50 assists. An underrated player establishing a career high in points isn’t a rare occurrence for the Golden Knights, but NHL teams around the league are sure to be watching closely to Perron’s season.

As unrestricted free agents this summer, Neal and Perron both could fetch big money contracts from a team looking for an offensive upgrade. Both have playoff experience, and are about to get even more with Vegas in the coming weeks. We at PHR may have underestimated Perron, ranking him #11 in our Midseason UFA Power Rankings. Neal came in at #5, but it’s not as clear now who will be the better option on the open market.

So what do you think? Which Golden Knights forward will garner more interest in free agency? Will they both secure long-term deals? Will they even get there? Make sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Snapshots: Price, Leiweke, Belpedio

March 16, 2018 at 2:53 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Carey Price is planning on returning to the Montreal Canadiens net this season, and will even travel with the team to Toronto this weekend. Though he won’t play, he told John Lu of TSN that he never even considered shutting down for the year.

Price also told Lu that his concussion symptoms were “different…more noticeable” than his previous experience with the injury in 2012, which shouldn’t instill much excitement in Montreal fans. Price is easily the most important piece for the Canadiens going forward, especially given that he is starting an eight-year, $84MM extension next season. Obviously no one can predict his health going forward, but the team needs him injury-free if they’re to turn around what has been a disaster year.

Tim Leiweke was already the President of the Oak View Group, the investing group that has applied for an expansion team in Seattle. Yesterday on the Fan 590 in Toronto, he admitted that he will also be a minority owner of that team should it be awarded. Leiweke has ties to Toronto as the former CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC and other professional sports organizations. Before that, Leiweke was also CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owned the Los Angeles Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Galaxy. Needless to say he has quite a bit of experience in professional sports front offices, and now joined by his brother will be able to set up the business side of a Seattle franchise well for the long-term.
Louis Belpedio is expected to eventually sign his entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild, but for now will just settle for an amateur tryout with the Iowa Wild of the AHL. The third-round pick could wait until the middle of August and become an unrestricted free agent after completing his college career this month, but has already begun discussions with Minnesota.

Snapshots: Futa, Seattle, Ference

March 13, 2018 at 1:09 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

As he did last year when interviewed by the Buffalo Sabres for their GM job, Mike Futa has reportedly pulled out of the running for the Carolina Hurricanes vacancy. That’s according to Elliotte Friedman and John Shannon of Sportsnet, who explain that Futa is focused on the Los Angeles Kings’ playoff run instead of getting caught up in a possible promotion.

Last year, Futa said that he was excited for his new role with the Kings as he’d just recently been promoted to assistant General Manager, and now it looks like they’re in no danger of losing him. The Kings are in third place in the Pacific Division and are still among the league leaders in fewest goals against.

Tod Leiweke, brother of Tim Leiweke who is heading the group applying for an expansion franchise in Seattle, has left his role in the NFL and will join the group bringing hockey to the Pacific Northwest. As Shannon reports, Tod Leiweke has been involved with several NHL teams in the past including Tampa Bay and Vancouver. The brothers are joined by David Bonderman, a billionaire investor, and several other high-profile names determined to bring hockey back to Seattle. The expansion application has already been filed, and the city’s season ticket drive was a huge success.
Andrew Ference was a respected leader during his playing career, and will now join the NHL as Director of Social Impact, Growth & Fan Development. Ference played parts of 16 years in the NHL, suiting up for 907 regular season games and raising the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011. He served as captain in Edmonton for two seasons, where he grew up and still resides.

Snapshots: Senators, Seattle, Last Place

March 6, 2018 at 6:45 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

Even though the NHL trade deadline has passed, the insiders are still hard at work for TSN. During tonight’s Insider Trading segment, Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun discussed several topics including the potential dilemma the Ottawa Senators face at the upcoming deadline. LeBrun outlines the situation Pierre Dorion finds himself in, as the first-round pick Ottawa sent to Colorado for Matt Duchene is top-10 protected this season but not in 2019.

LeBrun believes the Senators may consider letting Colorado have this year’s pick if it is in the back half of the top-10, to avoid the risk of giving up the first-overall selection (and the right to draft someone like Jack Hughes) in 2019. Ottawa is currently 28th in the league, but could fall as many as three spots depending on how the draft lottery plays out.

Dreger also suggested a few names that could be in play to lead the expansion Seattle franchise, including Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland, Vegas Golden Knights AGM Kelly McCrimmon, and super agent Pat Brisson. While Seattle is still several years from icing a team, the front office will begin to take shape as soon as the team is officially accepted by the NHL. There will likely be several unexpected names put forward, and it will be interesting to see if the franchise goes with an established name (like Holland) or someone that has little experience running a hockey club but an obvious connection to the game (Brisson).
At one point this season it looked obvious that the Arizona Coyotes were destined to finish in last once again and have the best chance at Rasmus Dahlin in the draft lottery. Now, that’s not so clear. After Arizona has played well the last few weeks while Ottawa and Buffalo have continued their inconsistency, there is now just a five point gap between the bottom three teams. There is a race for the bottom coming over the last month of the season, and one with another impressive prize. The draft lottery is shaping up to be another heartbreaking even for some teams, even though Filip Zadina, Brady Tkachuk and others aren’t bad consolation prizes.

Red Wings Notes: Bertuzzi, Frk, Mrazek, Howard, Nielsen

March 3, 2018 at 12:39 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

After the Detroit Red Wings traded away winger Tomas Tatar last week at the trade deadline, the team has split his minutes in two directions. Prospect Tyler Bertuzzi has replaced Tatar’s spot in the lineup alongside Andreas Athanasiou and Dylan Larkin, while veteran Martin Frk has taken the departed forward’s power play minutes in hopes of proving worthy of returning to a top line in the future. So far, Bertuzzi has fared well in the two games he’s played in Tatar’s even-strength role, picking up two assists, while averaging more that 14 minutes of ice time. However, don’t expect that to stay that way next year, writes the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James.

While the team does want to get an extended look at Bertuzzi, what it’s really waiting for is next season. Then they will take long looks at winger Evgeny Svechnikov, the team’s first-rounder in 2015, and 2017 first-rounder Michael Rasmussen, who is expected to be the center of the future in Detroit. Rasmussen, is coming off a solid season in the WHL and might be ready to join the Red Wings next season. As for Svechnikov, the hope is that he is ready for a spot in Detroit next season, but has struggled at times in his first year in the AHL.

St. James also adds that don’t expect too many call-ups this year as the Grand Rapids Griffins are still fighting for a playoff spot in AHL, so players like Svechnikov, Filip Hronek and Matt Puempel might not see a lot of time in Detroit as they are needed in Grand Rapids.
In the same article, St. James writes that the team will have to also take a long look at backup goalie Jared Coreau, who was recalled from the Grand Rapids Griffins after the team traded away Petr Mrazek. She writes that the team has doubts he can be a quality NHL backup and with one year left on Jimmy Howard’s contract, the team will be hard-pressed to find their future starter in one year. One possibility could be signing Mrazek back again in the offseason. With Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth already signed for next season, it seems unlikely that the Philadelphia Flyers will retain Mrazek, especially when he has a $4MM qualifying offer. Could Detroit make him their future No. 1?
Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the team might consider extending Howard’s deal for one more year to give the team more time to find their goalie of the future. However, with the Red Wings looking to get as many picks as possible for their future, it would also make a lot of sense for the team to move him before the draft as team’s wouldn’t mind acquiring a veteran with just one year left on his deal.
In the same story, Custance also takes a look at the way-too early protected list if there is an expansion draft in 2020 for the Seattle franchise, which seems inevitable. Sadly, the top two players the Red Wings would be forced to protect will be veterans Henrik Zetterberg and Frans Nielsen. The hope is that Zetterberg, who will be 39 by then, will have retired, which would free up a spot, however, Nielsen has a no-movement clause and then, at age 35, should not be on that list. However, the veteran, who would still have two years left on his deal at $5.25MM AAV at that point, is likely going to cost Detroit a quality player down the road.

Expansion Notes: Seattle Ownership, Bettman, Vancouver

February 28, 2018 at 7:08 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 2 Comments

The NHL-to-Seattle movement is in full swing, and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan recently caught up with hopeful owners Jerry Bruckheimer, David Bonderman, and Tim Leiweke and talked about everything from the remodeling of KeyArena, to branding, to even acquiring an NBA franchise down the road. For now, the trio are just invested in being the ownership group of the league’s 32nd team (literally, as they paid a $10MM down payment along with their application paperwork earlier in the month). The next step is a season ticket drive, about which Bruckheimer told Kaplan “there’s a lot of momentum working in our direction”. Should the ticket drive prove successful, the NHL is likely to accept the bid and begin planning the next stage of NHL expansion. That would of course include another Expansion Draft. The Seattle ownership group has to be hopeful after seeing the success of the Vegas Golden Knights this season, and Bonderman told Kaplan “The commissioner has been consistent in saying it’s the same kind of process and procedures that they used in Vegas, and we’re going to hold them to that”.

Well, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke about that exact topic today, telling TSN’s Farhan Lalji that the process would be exactly the same for Seattle as it was for Vegas. The expansion process was unlike any seen in professional sports before, allowing the existing NHL teams to only protect a maximum of 11 players from their roster. While first- and second-year players were exempt, Vegas GM George McPhee still had several valuable players to pick as well as several vulnerable teams to manipulate. The resulting roster did not blow anyone away, but proved to be the perfect fit for head coach Gerard Gallant’s system and the Knights are now contenders in their inaugural season. The Seattle ownership group is a ways away from naming a GM or coach, but they’ll have to make strong selections if they wish to maximize the entry draft process like Bill Foley and the Golden Knights did.

The other decision that may still be a ways away but will nonetheless draw major attention and speculation is the team name. The name, logo, and colors of any sports team is a huge factor and the reveal of the Golden Knights was a major, televised event. So when is the earliest we could find out the Seattle moniker and see some colors and logos? How about the 2019 NHL Draft? The league announced today that the Vancouver Canucks will host the draft in 2019. What better time to reveal the first details about Seattle than at a key league event hosted by the team that will eventually be their natural geographic rival to kick off the league year prior to their planned induction ahead of the 2020-21 season. It hardly seems like a coincidence that Vancouver was chosen to host this specific draft, the last in which they will be the only NHL team from the Pacific Northwest. Bettman and company are thinking ahead. Stay tuned.

Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Detroit’s Tomas Tatar

February 26, 2018 at 2:11 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 15 Comments

The NHL’s biggest surprise, the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, have made a major splash at the deadline, acquiring Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar. TSN’s Brennan Klak reports the Knights gave up a first-, second-, and third-round pick for Tatar. Wings beat writer Ted Kulfan adds that it’s a 2018 first, 2019 second, and 2021 third.

The Knights are banking on continued success in the postseason, giving up their first-rounder in the franchise’s second draft ever. It’s quite a return for Detroit, though they give up a talented forward in his prime and is signed long-term. Tatar has routinely put up 40+ points in the past few seasons and plays the up-tempo style that should pair well with the Vegas system.

The Knights get their prize of the deadline, though they came close to making the biggest move of them all. TSN’s Bob McKenzie indicated that Vegas was the final team in on Ottawa Senators defensive superstar Erik Karlsson, but their push to complete the deal ran out of time. When it became clear that Karlsson (and likely Bobby Ryan) weren’t coming, GM George McPhee set his sights on Tatar.

Deadline Primer: Vegas Golden Knights

February 24, 2018 at 6:01 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 2 Comments

With the trade deadline now just a few days away, we continue our closer look at the situation for each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Vegas Golden Knights.

It’s hard to imagine that the Vegas Golden Knights are even an expansion team after the success they’ve had this season. Just in their inaugural season, the franchise which was expected to be among the bottom teams in the league, is atop the NHL with a league-leading 86 points in the standings and has forced the Golden Knights to re-evaluate their needs at the upcoming trade deadline. Expected to be sellers, the team now has opted to keep their top trade prospects in James Neal and David Perron and may be looking to add as the team makes its historic run towards a playoff spot and, who knows, maybe even a Stanley Cup run. The real question is what should this team do? The team already made a minor move when they were used to help offset some salary for the Pittsburgh Penguins and got enforcer Ryan Reaves in return. However, is general manager George McPhee done or does he have other ideas?

Record

41-16-4, first in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$34,263,967 in deadline cap space
43/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2018: VGK 1st, VGK 2nd, VAN 4th, PIT 4th, CAR 5th, VGK 5th, VGK 6th, TOR 6th
2019: VGK 1st, VGK 2nd, COL 2nd, NYI 2nd, VGK 3rd, NSH 3rd, WIN 3rd, VGK 4th, VGK 5th, MON 5th, VGK 6th, VGK 7th

Trade Chips

Don’t expect the Golden Knights to be moving any of their trade chips and don’t expect Vegas to make any major moves. One of the many things that is going right for this franchise is the team’s chemistry and adding a bunch of players could easily break up what they already have. On top of that McPhee is well aware of the goals and timetable the team had set, so trading away the franchise’s future is also just as unlikely. The most likely trade chip the Golden Knights have will be their cap space, which is exactly what they did when they acquired Reaves and a fourth-round pick to help in the Derrick Brassard trade. The team retained $2MM for this year and next, but with their ample cap space, they likely won’t notice that hit much. While there has been talks the Golden Knights might try to flip him again, many believe he will stay in Vegas as his personality might be a perfect fit with the chemistry in the locker room. While there are names that could be moved if a team wants some of Vegas’ depth, don’t count on too many players getting moved out.

Players to Watch: D Jason Garrison, W Brendan Leipsic, W James Neal, W Ryan Reaves, D Luca Sbisa

Team Needs

1) Forward Depth

One thing Vegas is lacking is depth. While the team has been challenged this year when it comes to their goaltending depth, Vegas hasn’t been hit as hard when it comes to its offense. Despite minor injuries to Neal and others,

However, even with the addition of Reaves who might be a solid addition to their fourth-line, the team might still want to add some more players who could either play on their back-six or even some veterans that they can add to their AHL club just in case things go downhill.

2) Draft Picks

McPhee has done a great job of adding assets through the draft, which has always been the plan to build up this franchise. He netted two extra first-round picks for last year’s draft and has built up assets for the 2019 and 2020 draft. However, the original plan was to accumulate a bunch of picks for this year’s draft now at the trade deadline. While the Golden Knights aren’t sellers, don’t be shocked if they can’t add a couple of extra picks in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Seattle To Start Season Ticket Drive On March 1st

February 20, 2018 at 2:10 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Seattle has officially submitted their expansion application, and now will start their season ticket drive in just a few days. On March 1st, fans will be able to put a deposit down on season tickets for a potential first season, helping to indicate support for the franchise. By no means does this guarantee the NHL will be heading to the Pacific Northwest, but it is a key next step in the process.

The plan is for Seattle to enter the NHL for the 2020-21 season, meaning teams will already need to start preparing for a potential expansion draft. Though rosters will substantially change in the next few years, teams will have to make sure they’re not left in a position that Seattle can leverage into draft picks and prospects like Vegas was less than a year ago. With teams like Anaheim and Columbus, the Golden Knights were able to use their fear of losing a key player to gain valuable assets like Shea Theodore, William Karlsson and several high draft picks.

Fans of Seattle will hope for a similar situation, but it seems highly unlikely that they’ll be able to replicate the Golden Knights’ immediate success. That is, if the season ticket drive and application go according to plan and a franchise is awarded.

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