Metro Notes: Tavares, Capuano, Bednar, Rangers
John Tavares is undoubtedly one of the top players in the game today, but even the best athletes work hard every day to improve their game. Arthur Staple of Newsday writes about what Tavares is doing this summer to try to avoid the lengthy slumps in production he experienced during parts of the 2015-16 campaign.
Tavares tied for 10th in the NHL in goals with 33 so it’s not as if his performance should be described as disappointing. But this summer he’s implemented a new workout schedule trying to find ways to stay fresher during the rigors of a long regular season. Tavares offered up this explanation for the change:
“I got sick really early in the season and I felt like I was overcoming some fatigue a little bit still after that. I just tried to manage this summer a little differently, making sure I got some really good recovery, some really good rest. I actually started training pretty early but I didn’t kick it into high gear for a little while. I tried to be on the ice a bit more, but just tried to make sure my quality was really high, that I didn’t try to do too much. So just to change up some things, stay fresh, stay healthy, work on some things you want to improve on in your game.”
Within the same post, Staple relays comments from head coach Jack Capuano, who wants his defensemen to generate more offense this season. Even though the team’s blue liners finished the 2015-16 season with nearly as many points as the previous season, Capuano felt the unit simply wasn’t as “dynamic” as they were the year before.
The Islanders did see a drop off in overall team goal scoring, falling from 252 goals in 2015-16 to 232 this past campaign. If Capuano can find a way to squeeze more production from his blue line corps, they should return to being one of the more prolific offenses in the league.
Elsewhere in the Metro……
- Despite suggestions that the New York Rangers would be among the busiest teams in the league this offseason, the club’s foray into free agency was minimal with Michael Grabner and Jimmy Vesey – who represented a unique case – being the only outside free agents to be given multiyear deals. On the trade front, the team did move top-line pivot center Derrick Brassard but acquired a suitable long-term replacement in Mika Zibanejad in exchange. For a team that has been in “go-for-it” mode for the last several years and consequently moved a ton of futures in deals to acquire veteran players – such as Martin St. Louis, Eric Staal and Keith Yandle – this summer has been strangely devoid of blockbuster acquisitions. But as Matt Larkin of The Hockey News writes, the team’s philosophy this summer was to inject youth and speed into the lineup and it appears general manager Jeff Gorton has been able to do so without making the kind of splashy moves expected.
- The Colorado Avalanche hired Jared Bednar this week to be the team’s new head coach, filling the void created when Patrick Roy abruptly resigned from his post. Bednar was formerly employed by the Blue Jackets organization and had been the head coach of the team’s AHL affiliate the last two seasons. But as Terry Frei of the Denver Post notes, Bednar was not the only candidate with Columbus ties that the Avalanche considered for their coaching vacancy. Frei points out that current Colorado assistant general manager, Chris MacFarland, formerly held the same position for Columbus. Part of his responsibility with the Blue Jackets was overseeing the team’s minor league organizations which would have put him in direct contact with Bednar. Additionally, the Avalanche interviewed Bob Boughner, who spent a single season as an assistant in Columbus while MacFarland was employed with the club. Scott Arniel, who was head coach in Columbus for a year-and-a-half, and current Blue Jackets assistant Brad Larsen were also both considered to some level for the job.
Blues Notes: Steen, Pietrangelo, Sobotka
In Jeremy Rutherford’s latest post for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he walks us through a few notes from Blues camp.
- Alex Steen seems to be progressing admirably from the shoulder surgery he underwent in June. Originally given a four to six month timeline, Steen now is on track to be ready for the start of the season just four months and nine days after the operation. Steen himself was even pushing hard in his rehab to try and make it to the World Cup in September, though it is not going to happen; Steen was replaced by Rickard Rakell last week.
- After announcing Alex Pietrangelo as their newest captain yesterday, owner Tom Stillman heaped praise onto his young defenseman: “Alex is one of the elite players in the game, and he’s a model citizen. He takes responsibility, he leads by example, he’s not afraid to speak up, he’s just an exemplary person.” The captaincy was vacant after the Blues saw David Backes hit free agency and sign with Boston this summer.
- In the long and winding saga of Vladimir Sobotka, nothing seems to have changed from either side, though they are at odds on what will happen after the World Cup. Doug Armstrong reiterates that he’s been told Sobotka will stay in North America following the tournament, while Victor Shalaev, general manger of Omsk Avangard told a Russian news outlet “Sobotka will join us as soon as he’s healthy. Forget about St. Louises and other nonsense.” Armstrong says that he is healthy, and that he’ll be ready to join Blues camp as soon as the World Cup is completed.
- T.J. Galiardi and Mike Weber have already received PTOs from the Blues this year, and Armstrong thinks they may give at least one more out now that Jay Bouwmeester is heading to the World Cup. He’s leaving that in the hands of three of his lieutenants though; Martin Brodeur, Kevin McDonald and Rob DiMaio are in charge of contacting players for try-outs, and since two players earned contracts from them last year, Armstrong thinks they are an attractive spot.
Free Agent Updates: Strome, Orlov, Gryba, Horcoff, Bartkowski
With training camps just a few weeks away now, several free agents are still jockeying to find a new home or in the case of some restricted free agents, are looking to get new deals with their current teams done. Here is the latest on several players still looking for new contracts:
Restricted Free Agents
- Islanders GM Garth Snow and representatives for Ryan Strome continue to talk about a new deal. Newsday’s Arthur Staple reports that they are likely talking about a two year bridge contract. Strome is coming off a down season as he recorded just 28 points (8-20-28) in 71 games, considerably lower than the 50 points (17-33-50) he put up in 81 games in 2014-15.
- Washington defenseman Dmitry Orlov has spoken with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, reports Igor Eronko of Sport-Express. However, he indicated that he is concentrating on securing an NHL deal. Orlov had a career year with the Caps last season, notching 29 points (8-21-29) in 82 games. He will suit up for Russia in next month’s World Cup of Hockey, even if a new deal hasn’t been reached by then.
Unrestricted Free Agents
- Defenseman Eric Gryba, who spent last season with Edmonton, has received training camp offers from three different teams so far, notes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. Gryba’s first choice is to remain with the Oilers but they have yet to offer him a contract. He suited up in 53 games with Edmonton last year, picking up six points (1-5-6) while seeing greater than a two minute jump in his ice time per game compared to the year before (from 15:39 to 17:53).
- More from Matheson, center Shawn Horcoff has no interest in taking a tryout contract and is closer to retirement than continuing his playing career (Twitter links). Horcoff played in 59 games with the Ducks last year, tallying 15 points (6-9-15) but most notably was suspended for 20 games back in January after testing positive for a performance enhancing substance.
- Blueliner Matt Bartkowski is still holding out hope for a one-way contract, reports Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Bartkowski told Warner that his agent has been in touch with “a ton” of teams but evidently nothing has materialized in terms of an offer just yet. He played in a career high 80 games with Vancouver in 2015-16, collecting 18 points (6-12-18).
Snapshots: Fehr, NHLPA, Vegas, Lucic, Pietrangelo
The head of the NHLPA, Donald Fehr, recently sat down with the Canadian media to discuss the upcoming World Cup of Hockey while also touching on other subjects of note. An edited and condensed version of the interview was posted by Jonas Siegel on The Globe And Mail. As usual, the entire piece is worth a read but here are some of the highlights.
When asked whether or not the union was on board with the timing of the tournament, Fehr said, “it’s not that pre-season is the best time, but it probably is, at the moment, better than the others.”
He would go on to state: “There has been some informal discussions, for purposes of this World Cup that never rose to the level of serious consideration, that maybe we ought to do it in February. And it’s conceivable that that would be considered going forward.”
There is no perfect time to hold an event like this. Any way you look at it, a tournament held at any point in the year is going to prolong the season and shorten the summer for the players. While teams would probably prefer their players not to participate due in large part to the risk of injury, both owners and union members have a vested interest in successfully pulling off events of this nature since the added revenue will be divided by the players and the league.
Fehr also addressed the idea of European expansion from the players’ perspective. He indicated at least a few players have taken note of the KHL’s presence on the continent and the fact that so many players are European born. While making it clear these conversations were of the internal variety and did not involve the NHL in any way, Fehr did seem to suggest the players would be open to the idea and it was something that would merit further study.
Finally, on the subject of the potential of another lockout, Fehr pointed out that baseball has been the only sport to experience prolonged labor peace over the last two decades. He also mentions, probably not coincidentally, that baseball is the only major sports league without a salary cap.
In terms of possibly avoiding another work stoppage following the 2018-19 campaign when both parties will have the option of opting out of the current CBA, Fehr referenced just how far off that point in time is relative to the average player’s career by saying: “our membership will turn over more than 50 per cent between now and then.”
More from around the NHL:
- The Las Vegas expansion franchise today announced yet another addition to their front office/operations staff. The club has hired Mike Levine for a scouting/player development position. Levine spent the last three years as an assistant coach at Brown University. According to the release on the Vegas Is Hockey website, Levine comes with a solid reputation as a recruiter both at the collegiate and prep levels.
- Not surprisingly, Milan Lucic said as many as 10 teams expressed serious interest in signing the big winger before he inked a seven-year contract with Edmonton, according to Chris Nichols writing for Today’s Slap Shot. Lucic was one of the top players available on July 1st and was guaranteed to generate a lot of interest on the free agent market. It’s not certain how many of Lucic’s suitors were willing to extend themselves as far as the Oilers did, either financially or with a seven-year term, but his status as a coveted free agent was never in doubt. He would ultimately choose Edmonton, saying, “I went with my heart and my loyalty to Peter and chose the Edmonton Oilers.”
- Sportsnet’s John Shannon tweeted earlier today that the St. Louis Blues will announce Alex Pietrangelo as the team’s new captain tomorrow. He will replace David Backes, who left St. Louis in free agency after accepting a five-year deal with the Boston Bruins. The choice of Pietrangelo makes a lot of sense given he is one of the team’s best players, has been with the organization his entire pro career and is under long-term contract ensuring he will be a Blue for the foreseeable future.
Hudler Agrees To Deal With Stars
It appears Jiri Hudler‘s long wait is finally over as the 11-year veteran winger has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Dallas Stars. Sonny Sachdeva of Today’s Slap Shot – the hockey division of Fan Rag Sports – initially broke the news via Twitter after receiving the word directly from Hudler’s agent, former NHL defenseman Petr Svoboda. Sachdeva later tweeted that Hudler would receive $2MM for the 2016-17 season.
Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News has confirmed the agreement and the terms, indicating only that the contract has yet to be officially signed.
Hudler was one of the top remaining unrestricted free agents on the market ranking 18th on Pro Hockey Rumors’ Top-50 List. He netted 10 goals and 25 assists in 53 games with Calgary in 2015-16 before being dealt to Florida for two draft choices at the trade deadline. He would then contribute six goals and 11 points in 19 regular season contests with the Panthers but would struggle in the postseason, recording a single assist in Florida’s six-game first-round playoff loss to the Islanders.
His 2015-16 campaign was a step down from his performance the previous year when Hudler tied for eighth in scoring with a career best 76 points. He made $4MM in the final year of the four-year deal he inked with Calgary and will see his salary cut in half with his new contract.
The Stars may seem an odd fit for Hudler on the surface as they already boast one of the league’s best offenses and after losing three regular defensemen – Kris Russell, Alex Goligoski and Jason Demers – to free agency, it would have made more sense if any late summer addition was made on the blue line. But clearly Stars management is comfortable allowing a few of their young players to compete for regular roles on defense. Plus the opportunity to add a skilled winger of Hudler’s caliber on the cheap had to be appealing.
Dallas has Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza slotted as their numbers one and two centers with Hudler likely to line up next to one of the talented pivots. He’s also a good bet to see plenty of power play time for the Stars and could be set up for a nice bounce-back season playing with all of the talent in Dallas. A good campaign with the Stars would put Hudler in a better position to hit the free agent market next summer in search of a multiyear deal.
Our friends at Roster Resource have already updated the Stars depth chart based on the reports of the signing.
Potential 2016-17 Impact Rookies: Zacha, Barzal, Pulock, Provorov
Last week Pro Hockey Rumors began profiling first year players who have both a solid chance of making their respective teams and of also impacting their club’s on-ice fortunes this season. We started with four Metro rookies and today we finish up with four more from the same division.
Pavel Zacha (New Jersey) – Zacha, a skilled 6-foot-3, 210-pound pivot, was the Devils first-round choice in the 2015 entry draft, selected sixth overall from the Sarnia Sting of the OHL. In his draft year, Zacha tallied 34 points in 37 games for the Sting and followed that solid performance with a stronger 2015-16 campaign, scoring 28 goals and 64 points in just 51 contests. His terrific play led to the Devils electing to suit him up for the team’s season finale where Zacha recorded two assists in nearly 17 minutes of ice time.
Zacha also appeared for the Devils AHL affiliate in Albany, netting three points (one goal, two assists) in three regular season games and another three points in five postseason contests. Ultimately, Zacha would find himself sidelined due to a hip pointer which knocked him out of the postseason and also prevented him from participating in the team’s summer development camp.
Even after acquiring LW Taylor Hall this summer, the Devils could certainly use additional offensive firepower up front and Zacha’s potential could earn him a spot in training camp. He’s already listed as the the third LW on the team’s depth chart over at Roster Resource, suggesting there isn’t a lot of experienced NHL talent he’ll have to beat out for a spot. Given his level of skill and the opportunity he should be presented with in New Jersey, there’s a reasonable chance Zacha could quickly become one of the Devils top offensive performers.
Matthew Barzal (New York Islanders) – It’s not often a player selected in the middle of the first round make their NHL debuts little more than a year after the draft. But the Islanders need for a scoring line pivot following the loss of Frans Nielsen to Detroit in free agency and Barzal’s skill could lead to a scenario where the 19-year-old center makes the club out of camp.
Barzal made a great impression in camp last year and was one of the team’s final roster cuts. He returned to his junior team, the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL, and got off to a blazing start with seven goals and 40 points in just 22 games. He finished with 88 points in 58 contests with Seattle.
The Islanders made what looks to be in hindsight a brilliant trade to acquire the draft choice used to select Barzal by sending defense prospect Griffin Reinhart to Edmonton for #16 overall along with a 2015 second-round pick. Reinhart had trouble cracking the Oilers lineup despite the dearth of competent defensemen in Edmonton. Meanwhile, Barzal is one of the game’s top prospects and could flourish with the Islanders as soon as this season.
Ryan Pulock (New York Islanders) – Drafted 15th overall by the Islanders in the 2013 entry draft, Pulock is a strong defenseman already with NHL size and a good, hard shot. He made his NHL debut in 2015-16 scoring two goals and 4 points in 15 regular season games. Pulock would also appear in six postseason contests tallying another three points.
Pulock also has extensive pro experience playing for the Islanders AHL affiliate in Bridgeport. In 108 games with the Sound Tigers, Pulock has netted an impressive 24 goals and 30 assists.
The Islanders do boast a solid contingent of top-four blue liners with Nick Leddy, Johnny Boychuck, Calvin de Haan and Travis Hamonic expected to see the lion’s share of defensive work. But there would appear to be an opening on the third pair opposite Thomas Hickey and Pulock should be a near lock to earn that spot. It’s possible playing a sheltered role while receiving some second unit power play time, where his big shot would be quite useful, that Pulock could prove to be a valuable asset on the club’s blue line.
Ivan Provorov (Philadelphia) – In an ideal world the Flyers would likely prefer Provorov to return to Brandon of the WHL for more seasoning. Philadelphia GM Ron Hextall wants young players to be ready for the rigors of the NHL and they simply need to be better than what the team already has on the roster. However, the Flyers currently list both Andrew MacDonald and Mark Streit among their top six defenders leaving open the possibility that a great camp could propel Provorov to a spot with the Flyers.
MacDonald was demoted to the minors to start the 2015-16 campaign despite the minimal cap savings the move created. He was only recalled in February when injuries to several regulars crippled the Flyers blue line depth. Assuming his standing in the eyes of the organization is much the same as it was a year ago, MacDonald shouldn’t prove to be much of an impediment toward Provorov’s chances of sticking with the Flyers.
Streit has had a wonderful career in the NHL but turns 39 in December and is in the final year of his contract with Philadelphia. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if at some point this season the club moved on from Streit to open up a spot on the blue line for a younger player like Provorov.
The Flyers do boast a lot of prospect depth among their defense corps and it’s possible the team would rather give one of Samuel Morin, Mark Alt, Travis Sanheim or Robert Hagg – all of whom already have professional experience – the first crack to make the team out of camp. However, Provorov has the most upside of the team’s defensive prospects and could force his way into the lineup with a solid preseason performance. While he likely wouldn’t have the same impact as last year’s breakout rookie, Shayne Gostisbehere, Provorov has plenty of talent himself and could provide a boost to the team’s blue line.
Week In Review: 8/15/16 – 8/21/16
Less than a month away from the start of rookie camps, the NHL free agency period has slowed down nearly to a halt. However, there were a few notable things happening this past week as some noteworthy college players became unrestricted free agents. Here’s your recap of the week that was:
Notable Signings
Antoine Vermette (Ducks) – After being bought out by the Coyotes in early August, Vermette signed a two-year, $3.5MM contract with their division rivals, the Anaheim Ducks.
Radim Vrbata (Coyotes) – The former Coyote returned to the desert after a two year stint in Vancouver, where he had one very good year (31 goals and 63 points) and one very poor year (13 goals and 27 points). Vrbata signed for one season at $1MM, with a possible total of $3.25MM including performance bonuses.
Matt Cullen (Penguins) – The defending Stanley Cup Champions re-signed Cullen to a one-year, $1MM contract. Despite the cheap signing, the Penguins are still $3.9MM over the $73MM salary cap.
Sean Monahan (Flames) – The restricted free agent center signed a seven-year, $44.625MM contract. The Flames now have $8.6MM of cap space to sign their leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau.
Notable Entry-Level Contracts
John Gilmour (Rangers) – The Rangers made an early splash in the college free agent market, which would soon be overshadowed. Gilmour, the Flames seventh round pick in 2013, posted 65 points in 141 games at Providence College. Pro Hockey Rumor’s third ranked college free agent signed for two seasons worth $1.85MM.
Thomas DiPauli (Penguins) – The Penguins signed PHR’s second ranked college free agent to a two-year, $1.85MM entry-level contract. DiPauli was Capitals fourth round pick in 2012, and posted 78 points in 145 games with the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Jimmy Vesey (Rangers) – By far the highest sought-after college free agent, Vesey surprised many and signed with the Rangers. The subject of much speculation this summer, Vesey was the Predators third round pick back in 2012 but was traded to Buffalo this spring when it was clear he wasn’t going to sign. Vesey is expected to step straight into the NHL and produce at a second or third line rate.
Logan Brown (Senators) – In non-college free agent news, the Senators signed their 11th overall pick to a three-year, $4.9MM entry-level contract. The 6’6, 220 lb center has 117 points in 115 career OHL games.
The Post-Vesey Free Agent Market
Technically, the free agent market has only changed by one player, with college free agent and the summer’s most talked about player, Jimmy Vesey, signing with the New York Rangers on Friday. However, the demand for players on the market has now taken a big swing, with seven teams leaving the Vesey sweepstakes disappointed. That could finally mean new homes for many long-standing free agent forwards, as well as some more attention given to a few college free agents.
No available free agent is more of a surprise than former 30-goal scorer Jiri Hudler, and almost immediately after the Vesey signing, Hudler’s name began to garner a bit more attention than it had in the last couple of weeks. The Chicago Blackhawks in particular have been mentioned as a possible fit for Hudler, and the New Jersey Devils had previously looked into Hudler this off-season. Both teams missed out on Vesey, but still are in need of a top six scorer before the season starts. Chicago has also been mentioned in connection with Tomas Fleischmann, and New Jersey may need to take a harder look at the practicality of bringing back lifelong Devil Patrik Elias.
For teams that were looking at Vesey as just a depth player for 2016-17, veterans like Alex Tanguay, Brad Boyes, and David Legwand remain available, and all three have enough in the tank to contribute next season. However, missing out on a young player may not inspire teams to begin looking at alternatives on the wrong side of 30. This could pay off for another free agent surprise, Brandon Pirri, and potentially for the likes of Jiri Tlusty or Cody Hodgson as well.
Vesey’s brethren from the college ranks will be get a little more focus now that he’s off the market, along with Notre Dame forward Thomas DiPauli (Penguins) and Providence defenseman John Gilmour (Rangers). Quentin Shore, a two-way center with sticking ability as an NHL bottom six forward, leads the way. He’s proved to be very reliable during his time in Denver, and would be a nice depth addition for some team. Winger Hunter Fejes of Colorado College is also going to get his fair share of looks, as he has an uncanny ability to find the back of the net when cleaning up rebounds.
Luckily for teams like the Bruins and Maple Leafs, missing out on Jimmy Vesey isn’t the end of the world when you consider the young talent they already have in the system. As for teams like the Blackhawks and Islanders, they were playoff-bound with or without Vesey. However, all of these teams and even those not in the Vesey conversation have some holes in their depth, and the last couple weeks of August could see the NHL free agent market come back to life to fill a few needs across the league.
Myth or Reality: Boston Boys Don’t Want To Play For Bruins
You hear it every summer: some free agent with roots in Boston is surely going to sign with the Bruins. On the surface, it makes complete sense. Boston is one of the greatest sports cities in the world and seems to field contenders in every sport year after year. The Bruins are an Original Six franchise with names like Orr, Esposito, Bourque, and Neely hanging in the rafters. They won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and nearly won another in 2013. Their current roster features titans of the game like Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron and is led by a highly respected head coach in Claude Julien. Boston has the best hockey TV ratings of any city in the United States that also houses an NBA team, and trails only Pittsburgh and St. Louis for first overall. Outside of the pro game, Boston is even more vital to the hockey world. It is unquestionably the hub of college hockey and the epicenter of the Hockey East conference. Boston College and Boston University are storied NCAA programs, joined within the city limits by Northeastern and Harvard and surrounded by numerous top-end college teams throughout New England. It is also a grassroots hockey heaven, with youth teams, junior teams, and elite high school and prep school teams littered throughout the city, the suburbs, and the rest of the New England states.
Yet, for the second time in three years, Bruins fans are left scratching their heads as one of Boston’s native sons signs elsewhere. Harvard’s Jimmy Vesey, whose father played for the Bruins, followed in the footsteps of friend and former BC Eagle Kevin Hayes, and chose New York, Boston’s arch rival city, and the Rangers over his childhood favorite Bruins. Is the pressure of playing in their hometown which has such a storied hockey history too much? When it came to Vesey, CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty seemed to think so. He says that the pressure of playing in front of his friends and family every game and the fear of the negative effects that underperformance may have on everyone involved were key considerations in Vesey’s final decision. This played out last season when “the pride of Dorchester”, Jimmy Hayes, was acquired by the Bruins and was heralded as a local boy who was going to be a difference-maker in Boston. As Hayes struggled throughout the season, he was met with even more criticism, disappointment, and anger than the typical player. Perhaps Vesey feared that this scenario could play out for him as well. WEEI’s DJ Bean doesn’t think that “not being tough enough to play in Boston” was the main reason why Vesey chose to leave home, but wonders why the Bruins weren’t chosen, especially over the Rangers. The Bruins offered Vesey a chance to live somewhere he was comfortable with and play for a team with a strong, up-and-coming prospect system, and reportedly was set to start the season playing with star center David Krejci and young scorer David Pastrnak. However, he spurned the Bruins for a Rangers team who many believe has seen their Stanley Cup window come and go, and who additionally have plenty of depth on the left side, including the younger Hayes, Rick Nash, (Boston native) Chris Kreider, and JT Miller.
Other than Vesey and the Hayes brothers, examples of Boston players who have chosen not to sign with the Bruins or struggled under the pressure of playing for their hometown squad are hard to come by. Haggerty points to Chris Bourque and Hal Gill as examples, but Bourque was (and is) a career AHLer who was given a great chance to be a contributor for his favorite team, much to the delight of fans of his legendary father, but there were never any grand expectations for him to fall short of, and Gill was a fan-favorite for years in Boston. Bill Guerin, Ted Donato (who recently spoke about how it was an honor to play in Boston), Steve Heinze, Bobby Carpenter, Andy Brickley, Jim Craig and more are all examples of Massachusetts natives that were happy to end up as Bruins and did not perform any less under the spotlight, and guys like Shawn McEachern, Tom Fitzgerald, and Jay Pandolfo went out of their way to play for the Bruins at the end of their careers. Robbie Ftorek even agreed to coach the Bruins, and there’s no more of a high-pressure position for a local guy than that.
However, there may be something to be said about the fact that the three highest scoring Boston natives in NHL history – Jeremy Roenick, Keith Tkachuk, and Tony Amonte – never donned the black and gold sweater. Could it be that locals who are role players do well in Boston, but the more talented players with high expectations, like Vesey or the Hayes brothers feel the pressure of the media, the fan base, and their own friends and family? This might also explain why another talented Bostonian, Keith Yandle, chose a long-term deal with the Florida Panthers this off-season despite the Bruins likely being interested.
What’s curious is that Boston’s own may be wary of playing for the Bruins, but it still remains a top destination for hockey players around the globe. Just last offseason, Windsor, Ontario’s Matt Beleskey took less money to come to Boston, stating that he had dreamed of playing for the Bruins and that they were always his top choice. Beleskey was also quick to blast Vesey about his decision, showing his passion for the team and the city. Players who attend college in Boston, but didn’t grow up there, are also often eager to return, like Brian Leetch. The Bruins have a worldwide fan base, and Europeans, Canadians, and Americans alike are drawn to the hockey city. However, their homegrown talent in recent years doesn’t seem to feel that same magnetism.
This trend of Boston natives supposedly struggling with the pressure of playing for the Bruins or fearing a return to the city will really be put to the test over the next few years, as local prospects (with Bruins bloodlines) Ryan Fitzgerald and Ryan Donato get their chances to shine in front of a hometown crowd and a D-needy Bruins team likely try to woo Natick, MA native and 2018 free agent John Carlson back home. Whether it be Carlson, a different NHL free agent, or another Hayes/Vesey college free agent scenario, it won’t be long before we hear “he’s from Boston, he’ll want to sign with the Bruins” and the myth of that statement no longer being true will be put to the test yet again.
Snapshots: Vegas, Vesey, Yandle
After being previously reported that Night Hawks would be the name of the new Las Vegas franchise, Ken Boehlke of The Sin Bin now reports that name is actually a back-up plan for a different moniker. Fans of the Chicago Blackhawks will be happy to hear it, as many felt the name encroached on their own. The team is still expected to have Night somewhere in the nickname, but is presumably still being vetted by the NHL.
- All day Jimmy Vesey rumors have been running rampant, with a several teams all being crowned the favorites at different instances. Peter Fish, Vesey’s agent, put and end to the speculation, saying that a handful of teams are still involved and that all the rumors of favorites are false. Another member of the Vesey camp, Peter Donatelli, said that the group had only met once yesterday to discuss the options, and that a decision is not likely going to come down today. Earlier today we wrote about why Vesey’s free agency has been such a hot-button issue this summer.
- Keith Yandle is down in Florida already training for his debut with his new team, and George Richards of the Miami Herald caught up with him today. Yandle was looking for the most possible years on the free agent market, a big part of why he signed with Florida after they traded for his rights. The team offered him a seven-year deal, giving him some stability for his foreseeable future. Yandle mentioned how it’s not just him coming down early this summer, after a wonderful season last year from the Panthers: “I can’t wait to meet everyone and get things started. Guys are coming in early so you get to meet guys before training camp even starts. We’ll go out to lunch and dinner; it’s a lot of fun.”