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Los Angeles Kings Sign Tyler Madden

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Good news for the Los Angeles Kings is bad news for Northeastern University, as Tyler Madden has signed his three-year entry-level contract. Madden recently completed his sophomore season with the Northeastern Huskies, but will now turn pro and join the Kings development system.

Madden, 20, was only acquired by the Kings earlier this year as part of the return from the Vancouver Canucks for Tyler Toffoli, but will already become a notable part of their prospect pool. Originally selected 68th overall in 2018, the son of former NHL forward John Madden has excelled at the collegiate level and internationally, putting him in the mix to quickly rise the professional ranks.

In just 27 games at Northeastern this season, the smooth-skating Madden had 19 goals and 37 points, easily leading his team in both categories and getting him a spot as a Hockey East First Team All-Star. That excellent campaign came after a strong freshman season that earned him a selection to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team, and also included a silver medal showing at the World Juniors with Team USA.

There is a lot to like about a bloodline that includes three Stanley Cups and a Selke Trophy, but the young Madden actually may have better offensive skills than his NHL father ever did. Those skills will be tested next season, likely in the minor leagues to start, but the Kings could quickly see some production from a deal that also included a second-round pick in this year’s draft.

Maple Leafs, Kyle Clifford Interested In Extension

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Like any trade deadline rental right now, Kyle Clifford hopes that his stay with his new team is longer than just a handful of regular season games. If the NHL season does not resume, the Toronto Maple Leafs would be one of a number of teams regretting the prices they paid at the deadline for assets they were unable to use in the postseason. However, it seems that Clifford is hoping to stay longer than just this season anyhow and the Maple Leafs are equally hopeful of making more of their deadline deal. Agent Todd Reynolds tells Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun that there is mutual interest on both sides in a contract extension.

Of course, there are a couple obvious caveats with this report. The first is that this report comes from Clifford’s agent, whose job it is to drum up interest in his client. With NHL action suspended and Clifford heading toward unrestricted free agency with 17 points on the year and just three in 16 games with Toronto, Reynolds needs to keep the veteran forward’s value up, especially if he doesn’t get another chance to play this year. The other issue is that the Maple Leafs are in no position to make any future salary commitments until they are aware of the impact that the current league pause will have on the salary cap. With nearly $77MM already tied up in 17 players for next season and major needs on defense, Toronto may not have the room to sign a bottom-six forward like Clifford if the salary cap remains at $81.5MM or only increases marginally.

With that said, should the report be more than just puffery from an agent and if the Maple Leafs do indeed have the desire and space to retain Clifford, the fit makes a lot of sense. The team acquired he and goaltender Jack Campbell from the Los Angeles Kings because they both fit specific needs. Toronto could use a veteran defensive forward who plays with grit and intensity, not just in in the 2020 postseason but moving forward. Clifford brings experience and leadership, but most importantly a physical element often lacking in the Leafs’ lineup. The Ontario native reportedly likes playing in Toronto, has an identifiable role on the team moving forward, and it doesn’t hurt that Reynolds also represents another Maple Leaf defensive forward in Zach Hyman. A signing might not be imminent, but mutual interest in an extension between Toronto and Clifford seems to make more sense than not.

Snapshots: 2020-21 Season, Trade Conditions, 2020 Draft

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While hockey minds are hard at work trying to come up with a plan to fairly complete the 2019-20 NHL regular season and playoffs, if and when the league returns to action, those strategies cannot interfere with a full 2020-21 season. TSN’s Pierre Lebrun relays word from NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly that the league sees an 82-game season next year as imperative and will not entertain any options that call for a shortened 2020-21 season due to the interference with the 2019-20 campaign. With that said, LeBrun adds that the league will be flexible when it comes to start and end dates and schedule density next year, so long as each team plays 82 games. This could allow for the NHL to adopt an idea that has become popular amongst players during the break: a brief training camp and resumption of regular season play in July, an August and September postseason, an October off-season, and a return to action for a condensed 2020-21 season at some point in November. LeBrun notes that a cancellation of bye weeks and All-Star events next year could help to make a plan like this become reality. The NHL will look at all of their options, assuming there is a possibility that the current season can resume, to make next season run as normally as possible with 82 games being the critical criteria.

  • Should the NHL not be able to complete the 2019-20 season as scheduled, TSN’s Frank Seravalli states that one of biggest things that the NHL will need to clarify is a policy on trade and contract conditions. Those conditions are made with the implication of an 82-game schedule, as well as a full postseason. If those things become an impossibility, is there a fair way to determine whether conditions were met or not? Seravalli uses last summer’s trade between Pacific Division rivals Edmonton and Calgary as an example. In the swap of Milan Lucic for James Neal, a unique condition was added that awards the Flames a 2020 third-round pick if a) Neal scores at least 21 goals and b) Lucic scores ten or more goals fewer than Neal. As it stands, Neal has 19 goals on the season, so the first condition would not be met if the season ended today. However, since the deal was made with the assumption of 82 games, a pro-rated result would see Neal with 23 goals and Lucic with nine, which would result in Calgary landing the pick. The problem, as Seravalli describes, with either strategy is that it does not accurately make up for missed games. With a number of conditional picks and bonus clauses in play, the NHL would face the tough task of how it decides to treat conditions if the regular season and possibly the playoffs as well cannot be completed. Seravalli even mentions compensatory draft picks as a possibility to offset effected trade conditions.
  • One league event that is certain to occur, at some point and in some manner, is the 2020 NHL Draft. The draft is likely to remain in Montreal, but the June 26-27 dates look unlikely and the usual public audience and organized fanfare would be even more improbable if the event does go on as scheduled. In all likelihood, the draft will be postponed, but it will occur all the same. As such, NHL.com has released their updated March rankings of the top 31 players in the class. Although there hasn’t been much new film to study in recent weeks, with junior leagues paused, the college season cancelled, and most European leagues ending as well, the staff at NHL.com has made a notable changes since their last edition earlier this month. Finnish forward Anton Lundell has snuck into the top ten, supplanting Russian goaltender Yaroslav Askarov. Much like eventual Florida Panthers pick Spencer Knight last year, there was heavy top-ten talk about Askarov this season as well, but it has cooled somewhat of late as the depth of elite forward in the class could make it difficult to select a netminder so early.

SHL Playoffs Canceled, 2019-20 Season Over

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As expected, the Swedish Hockey League has moved from postponement to cancellation. The top pro league in Sweden has officially announced that the playoffs have been cancelled, effectively ending the 2019-20 season.

The SHL had initially postponed the beginning of the 2020 postseason to May, but upon further review of the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, made the decision on Saturday that they would recommend cancelling the playoffs altogether. That request was approved this morning by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association. SHL CEO Michael Marchal stated (translated) that “It is an extremely sad decision but… we all have a responsibility to limit the Corona [virus] in society and it is obvious that we at SHL should take our responsibility for our audience and the working environment for players and employees.”

With the season officially over, recently rumored NHL targets Fredrik Handemark of the Malmo Redhawks and Mathias Brome of Orebro HK could intensify their discussions with their North American suitors. The season is also done for a number of top NHL prospects, such as disgruntled New York Rangers forward Lias Andersson, fellow Rangers property and top SHL rookie defender Nils Lundkvist, and young L.A. Kings forward Samuel Fagemo. How the premature end of the season may impact the decisions of many prospects in regards to coming to North America next season remains to be seen.

Trade Conditions Hinging On Regular Season Games

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There’s little doubt that the NHL would prefer to resume the season and play out the remaining regular season games, but speculation still swirls that it may need to move directly into the playoffs depending on how long this “pause” lasts. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) spoke with deputy commissioner Bill Daly who made it clear that nothing has been decided yet, but that next year’s season will not be shortened even if the playoffs leak into the summer.

If the final dozen or so games are cancelled and the league decides to move directly into the playoffs it would certainly ruffle some feathers given the standings and points percentages right now, but there are other things to consider if a chunk of the season is lopped off.

Perhaps most notably (other than the drastic financial impact it might have on next year’s cap) are how a shortened season would affect trade conditions. This is probably the last thing on the minds of league officers, but fans have already started wondering about some of the deals their teams have made in the past. Below, we’ll look at a couple of those conditions that might be influenced by a loss of the remaining games.

Toronto acquires Jack Campbell (link)

When the Maple Leafs went out a few weeks before the trade deadline and acquired their backup goaltender, an interesting condition was attached to one of the third-round selections heading back to the Los Angeles Kings. Should the Maple Leafs make the playoffs in 2019-20 and Campbell wins six regular season games, the 2021 third would upgrade to a second-round pick.

Through six appearances for Toronto Campbell already had three wins, and was likely going to get a few more opportunities down the stretch. If the season ends without any more regular season games, the Kings will have to hope that Toronto decides to re-sign Kyle Clifford if they want that second rounder.

Carolina acquires Sami Vatanen (link)

The Hurricanes went out at the deadline and bought, acquiring three impact players in the process. While Vincent Trocheck and Brady Skjei immediately made an impact, Vatanen suffered a setback in his recovery and looked like he might miss the majority of Carolina’s remaining games. The fact that he hadn’t played for them yet made it look like the conditions on a 2020 fourth-round pick wouldn’t be met, but this break actually may result in a positive for the New Jersey Devils (at least in this case).

There are two games played thresholds involved in the deal for Vatanen at five and 12, which suddenly don’t seem that difficult to meet if the pause allows him to recover. Of course that would require the regular season games to be played in this scenario.

Edmonton, Calgary swap Milan Lucic, James Neal (link)

This is the one you’ve been waiting for, given how ridiculous the condition seemed at the time of the trade. To refresh your memory, the Flames will receive a 2020 third-round selection if Neal scores 21 goals and outscores Lucic by at least 10. Neal is currently 11 goals ahead of Lucic on the season, but has just 19 total. If those regular season games never get played, it would seem that the condition has not been met. Perhaps there is a prorated version in the fine print, but as of now the deal looks to be “one-for-one.”

Nikita Nesterov Expected To Re-Sign In KHL

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Even as the NHL season takes a pause to try and prevent the spread of coronavirus, front offices will still be active looking for the best way to help their teams. One way to do that is review their reports on players from different leagues around the globe and decide whether they want to pursue them. Nikita Nesterov is one of those players who was drawing interest after another strong season with CSKA Moscow in the KHL. The former NHL defenseman has been gone for three seasons now, but is still just 26-years old.

Today, Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that though the Los Angeles Kings had actually offered Nesterov a two-year deal worth $6MM to return, he’ll instead be staying in Russia. Nesterov reportedly has an agreement with CSKA on a five-year extension, one that effectively ends any NHL pursuit for the time being.

During his time in the NHL Nesterov was a frustrating player to watch, as his obvious talent rarely produced positive results. There was always an impact player there, but too rarely did he actually show it on the ice. In 132 regular season games he had 33 points, but even in such a short time he also added 28 postseason contests (scoring seven points). No doubt the Kings were not the only team with renewed interest in Nesterov this spring, but that will no longer matter when he signs his new extension.

Instead, the focus will shift to some of his Moscow teammates. Kirill Kaprizov is obviously the most intriguing name, a Minnesota Wild prospect that seems destined to finally come to North America. But other former NHL players like Anton Slepyshev, Mikhail Grigorenko and Alexey Marchenko have also drawn some interest and could potentially sign new deals in the coming weeks. Each of them will become unrestricted free agents when their KHL contracts expire at the end of April.

Los Angeles Kings Sign Top Prospect Alex Turcotte

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It seems 2019 No. 5 overall pick Alex Turcotte will be one-and-done at the University of Wisconsin. The Los Angeles Kings have announced that Turcotte has signed his entry-level contract. Even better for L.A., the deal does not start until the 2020-21 season, meaning Turcotte will not be playing down the stretch and burning a year in what is a lost season for the Kings. Instead, Turcotte will join the AHL’s Ontario Reign on an ATO for the remainder of the season.

Turcotte, 19, has signed a standard entry-level contract of three years with a cap hit of $925K. However, the deal also includes more than $1.5MM in annual performance bonuses for an AAV of $2.475MM. Yet, even that amount could turn out to be a bargain for the Kings. Lauded as the best two-way forward in last year’s draft class, Turcotte was a superstar with the U.S. National Team Development Program, recording 62 points in 37 games and 78 points overall in 56 points over two years with the U-18 team. As a freshman at Wisconsin this year, Turcotte again impressed with 26 points in 29 games. While injury concerns have remained through Turcotte’s developmental years, when on the ice he looks like a top-six NHL forward in the making and should make an immediate impact for L.A.

Turcotte’s departure is another tough blow for the Badgers. The team was a preseason favorite of many given their depth of NHL prospect talent, but inconsistent play and spotty goaltending led the team out of the NCAA rankings and eventually to a last place finish in the Big Ten Conference. While Montreal top prospect Cole Caufield seems likely to return for his sophomore season, New York Rangers defensive prospect K’Andre Miller could follow Turcotte out of Madison and Wisconsin’s title window could close just like that. The team has to hope that their numerous NHL prospects and solid incoming recruiting class can improve on this season’s disappointing results.

Jeff Carter Hoping To Return Before The End Of The Season

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  • Although Kings center Jeff Carter has yet to skate since March 1st when he had a setback in his recovery, head coach Todd McLellan told Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider that they haven’t ruled out him returning at some point over the final few weeks. The veteran has been out with a lower-body injury for nearly three weeks now but even though Los Angeles is well out of playoff contention, McLellan indicated that Carter wants to get back before the season ends.

Pacific Notes: Turcotte, Grabner, Klefbom

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The Los Angeles Kings could have some talent headed their way later this season. The Kings top draft pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Alex Turcotte, who is currently playing for the University of Wisconsin is expected to join the Kings once his season ends, according to an article about the Badgers by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler (subscription required).

Taken fifth overall by Los Angeles, Turcotte has had a solid freshman campaign at Wisconsin after coming out of the U.S. National Team Development Program. The 19-year-old center has nine goals and 26 points in 28 games at Wisconsin and Wheeler writes that Turcotte would prefer to go pro as soon as possible, making it likely that he will leave the Badgers when their season ends.

Turcotte has been dealing with a knee injury of late, having missed five straight games, but the forward is close to returning for the team’s stretch run.

  • Back in July of 2018, the Arizona Coyotes were thrilled when they signed forward Michael Grabner in free agency to a three-year, $10.05MM contract. However, with the team continually adding talent over the last season and a half, Grabner has become a casualty of the team’s depth. The 32-year-old has been scratched for 16 straight games and seems to have found himself outside the team’s starting lineup. “I think it’s more a function of Taylor Hall coming in — a piece that I didn’t necessarily foresee us adding — and Barrett (Hayton) has come in and done a nice job,” general manager John Chayka said (via The Athletic’s Craig Morgan). “We’ve got a lot of depth. We’ve got a lot of good players. Look, we’re not built off the backs of one or two stars. We have depth and that’s a big part of our strategy in what we’re doing here, and Michael is a part of that depth.” Grabner has appeared in just 45 games this season with just eight goals. He scored nine goals last season in 45 games, although he was injured last season. That’s a far cry from the 27 goals he potted in the two previous years before signing with Arizona.
  • The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) wonders what role Edmonton Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom will have next season. The scribe notes that Klefbom has spent much of the season being paired with young defensemen, including Joel Persson, Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear and wonders if that may continue next year with Evan Bouchard, who most expect will join Edmonton full-time next season. However, Mitchell also notes that he has played his best hockey next to Bear, but how head coach Dave Tippett uses Klefbom will have a big impact to the success of Edmonton’s defense.

Snapshots: Shanahan, Doughty, Draft Lottery

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While the Toronto Maple Leafs have distanced themselves from the Florida Panthers of late and look to have a firm hold on the third playoff berth in the Atlantic Division, the same spot they held last year, most have seen this season as a disappointment for the club. The Leafs have endured an up-and-down campaign and even at their best have never truly competed for the division lead with rivals the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning. In fact, the Leafs still sit 18 points back of Boston and nine points back of Tampa, who hold a game in hand. Yet, president Brendan Shanahan is choosing to see the positives in Toronto’s season and Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston relays that the Hall of Famer is happy with the direction of his team. “Adversity is something that every NHL team will go through, for all teams and not just ours,” Shanahan said, “and it’s something that you can either meet and grow from or you can use it as an excuse and I like to think that our players aren’t using it as an excuse, certainly not in management or coaching.” Shanahan continued that the team is “never going to [be consistent] all 82 games in a row, but certainly doing it more often than not, and that’s something that our guys are learning and it’s something I’m very confident that they are going to continue to grow at.” Shanahan speaks further about the team, noting how hard it is to sustain success in the NHL, but stating that he is confident that the Leafs can learn to be more consistent to make the most of their considerable talent.

  • Another name choosing to be positive in a tough situation is Drew Doughty, whose L.A. Kings face the Maple Leafs on Thursday. The Kings went from perennial Stanley Cup contender to a long-term rebuild quicker than anyone could have expected and Doughty, signed long-term in L.A., would obviously rather be back competing for titles every year. That doesn’t seem likely any time soon though and the veteran is just trying to take things day-by-day. “It’s very hard, but it’s the position I’m in, and I gotta try to stay positive every day, as hard as it is,” Doughty told TSN, “I have to make the best of it and just try to get better every day, both as a team and individually.” Doughty says that he is happy to see the talent of the prospects in the Kings’ pipeline, as well as the team’s numerous picks, and has already seen “flashes” from many of the current young players on the roster. However, no one is expecting a quick turnaround in L.A., Doughty included, so he will have to find a way to stay focused and positive for a while longer.
  • One major positive for Kings would be good luck at this year’s NHL Draft Lottery. L.A. dropped from No. 2 to No. 5 last season with the maximum three teams winning the lottery, and they hope for a different result as they currently sit with the second-worst record again this year. The Kings are undoubtedly hoping to move up to the top spot for the chance to take generational winger Alexis Lafreniere. So, when will we know the draft order for June? The Athletic’s Corey Pronman reports that the expectation is that the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery to be held on Thursday, April 9th. This would be the second night of the NHL postseason, which could see the lottery drawing again held in phases throughout a night of playoff action. More will be known soon on the details of this year’s lottery.

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