Snapshots: RFA Updates, Oilers Injuries, Boyle
Good news, Calgary Flames fans: Johnny Gaudreau isn’t interested in a trade to solve his contract impasse.
The star forward’s agent, Lewis Gross told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that they are not interested in taking the Jacob Trouba route. When asked if there’s a point where that could change, Gross reiterated that Gaudreau has “no intention of asking for a trade at this time.”
Friedman appeared on Sportsnet 960 in Calgary on Monday morning, and said while “at this time” may feel like a red flag, he “really felt” that Gaudreau has no desire to leave Calgary.
It’s not clear what both sides are looking for on a long-term deal, with the Flames likely wanting the contract to start with a six and Gaudreau wanting it to start with a seven or eight. However, Friedman believes “both sides move and this gets done.”
Friedman pointed to another high-profile RFA winger, Nikita Kucherov, as having no interest in being traded from Tampa Bay. However, the Lightning will likely have to make a trade to accommodate Kucherov’s demands.
Meanwhile, Friedman believes Arizona Coyotes winger Tobias Rieder is close to publicly requesting a trade, like Trouba did late last month. We reported last week that Rieder’s agent thinks a trade would be best for both sides.
In other news from around the hockey world:
- The Oilers thin blue-line may be a little thinner for the near future, with Brandon Davidson being classified as day-to-day after being hit in the head by Los Angeles Kings’ winger Tanner Pearson. Pearson received a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for targeting Davidson’s head. The NHL will likely be taking a look at this one.
- Edmonton will also be without the services of winger Iiro Pakarinen for at least a month after an ugly leg injury in Sunday night’s game. Pakarinen was battling in the corner with Kings defenseman Matt Greene when it appeared his skate caught a rut in the ice as he fell. The Finnish winger was expected to be a fourth line or extra forward in the NHL. He played 63 games with the Oilers last season, scoring 5 goals and 13 points.
- With the news of Barret Jackman‘s retirement coming on Monday, TSN’s Darren Dreger expects another veteran defenseman in Dan Boyle to announce his retirement sometime this week with the help of the San Jose Sharks.
Training Camp Cuts: 10.03.16
With just over a week towards the start of the NHL regular season, teams are continuing to pare down their rosters.
Here are Monday’s cuts:
Anaheim Ducks (via team release):
LW David Booth (released from PTO)
RW David Jones (released from PTO)
LW Max Jones (to London, OHL)
LW Antoine Laganiere (released from PTO, will report to San Diego, AHL)
Calgary Flames (via NHL.com):
D Ryan Culkin (to Stockton, AHL)
RW Matt Frattin (to Stockton, AHL)
G Jon Gillies (to Stockton, AHL)
D Mikhail Grigorev (released from PTO)
C Mark Jankowski (to Stockton, AHL)
LW Morgan Klimchuk (to Stockton, AHL)
D Oliver Kylington (to Stockton, AHL)
RW Emile Poirier (to Stockton, AHL)
D Colby Robak (released from PTO)
Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Eighth Overall Pick
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?
Here are the results of our redraft so far:
1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Bobby Ryan (Chicago Blackhawks)
Now we move forward to the eighth pick, which was held by the San Jose Sharks.
To recap how this works:
- We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
- The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.
The Sharks selected Devin Setoguchi with the eighth overall pick and at the time, it looked like a solid pick. In 2008-09, Setoguchi had his best season with 65 points (31-34) and it looked like he would only go up from there. Unfortunately, he never came close. Instead, Setoguchi bounced around the league and recently signed a professional tryout with the Kings. In eight NHL seasons, Setoguchi has 249 points (127-122).
With the eighth pick of the 2005 NHL Draft, who should the San Jose Sharks select? Cast your vote below!
With the 8th overall pick, the San Jose Sharks select.....
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Marc-Edouard Vlasic 27% (97)
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Ben Bishop 18% (63)
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T.J. Oshie 16% (57)
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James Neal 14% (50)
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Keith Yandle 9% (31)
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Paul Stastny 4% (16)
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Marc Staal 3% (11)
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Jack Johnson 2% (6)
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Niklas Hjalmarsson 2% (6)
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Anton Stralman 1% (4)
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Justin Abdelkader 1% (3)
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Kris Russell 1% (3)
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Patric Hornqvist 1% (3)
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Benoit Pouliot 0% (1)
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Gilbert Brule 0% (1)
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Martin Hanzal 0% (1)
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Andrew Cogliano 0% (1)
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Matt Niskanen 0% (1)
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Ondrej Pavelec 0% (1)
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Mason Raymond 0% (1)
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Vladimir Sobotka 0% (1)
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Jack Skille 0% (0)
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Devin Setoguchi 0% (0)
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Jakub Kindl 0% (0)
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Steve Downie 0% (0)
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Cody Franson 0% (0)
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Jared Boll 0% (0)
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Darren Helm 0% (0)
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Nathan Gerbe 0% (0)
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Sergei Kostitsyn 0% (0)
Total votes: 358
Mobile Users click here to vote!
Pacific Division Roster Battle Notes: Setoguchi, Dell, Hamilton, Jones, Booth
A 30-goal scorer in the NHL at the age of 22, Devin Setoguchi was well on his way to stardom once upon a time. But a steady decline in his on-ice performance coupled with a well-documented problem with alcohol derailed his once promising hockey career. Now completely sober, Setoguchi is in camp with the L.A. Kings and according to Elliot Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News, the 29-year-old forward is taking full advantage of what well could be his last opportunity to make an NHL roster.
Steoguchi, who the Kings signed to a PTO earlier this month, has impressed the Kings coaching staff with the “energy and effectiveness” that is reminiscent of his early days playing for the Sharks, opines Teaford. And while the Kings may not expect Setoguchi to again score 20 or more goals in a single season at this level, there is a real opportunity for him to make the roster and contribute. The Kings lost LW Milan Lucic to free agency while Marian Gaborik injured his foot at the World Cup and is set to miss the start of the 2016-17 season. Even if it’s in a bottom-six role, Setoguchi can add quality depth to the Kings lineup if he continues to play with energy.
Kings assistant coach John Stevens had this to say about Setoguchi:
“You have to give him a lot of credit.” He was out of the league for a little bit and I didn’t know what to expect, but to his credit he came here in a very good condition and was ready to go and wanted to put his best foot forward to win a position on the squad. I think for me it’s exciting to see that, just coming in here prepared.”
“He’s going to give himself a good chance to perform well, so it’s good to see.”
Whether Setoguchi will make an impact with the Kings in 2016-17 and possibly jump start his NHL career remains to be seen. But at the very least, it appears as if he has his life in order again.
Elsewhere regarding position battles in the Pacific Division:
- When James Reimer signed lucrative contract this summer to become the Florida Panthers new backup goalie, the Sharks were left searching for his replacement. As Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News writes, it appears as if 27-year-old journeyman netminder Aaron Dell is the front-runner to earn the #2 position behind incumbent starter Martin Jones. Dell, who played collegiate hockey for the University of North Dakota, suited up for five different professional teams prior to signing with the Sharks organization in March of 2015. He finished with 17 wins, a GAA of 2.42 and a save % of 92.2 in 40 appearances for the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL during the 2015-16 season. Troy Grosenick represents Dell’s competition for the position. The two shared duties with the Barracuda a year ago with Grosenick’s numbers – 3.16 GAA, 89.4% Save % – inferior to those posted by Dell. Of the pair, Grosenick is the only goalie with any NHL experience, albeit with just two appearances with the Sharks in 2014-15.
- Last season, Freddie Hamilton assisted on a goal by his brother, Dougie, becoming the first set of siblings to appear on the same line on the score sheet. As Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun writes, Freddie would like that to be the first time of many for the brothers. While Dougie is a big-ticket player for the Flames and assured of a spot among Calgary’s top four blue liners, Freddie will have to earn regular ice time as a forward. The elder Hamilton brother recently inked a two-year, one-way contract with the club but as GM Brad Treliving noted, “Last year, we had players on one-way contracts that were making good money that went to the minors. I think all the players know that there is still the make-the-team portion of this, and that’s no different for Freddie or anybody.” Hamilton appeared in just four games with the Flames in 2015-16 and has only 33 career games of NHL experience. Hamilton’s chances of making the club could hinge largely on whether the team elects to keep Matthew Tkachuk on the roster or return the 2016 first-round pick to juniors. If Tkachuk makes the team it would likely push more accomplished players down the depth chart and leave little room for Hamilton.
- The Anaheim Ducks may be deep on defense but they have a couple of openings up front with plenty of competition for those spots. As Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register writes, veteran forwards David Booth, David Jones and Sean Bergenheim are in camp with Anaheim, trying to convert a PTO into a guaranteed deal. All three have achieved a fair amount of success in this league but have struggled in recent seasons, with Booth and Bergenheim each failing to land an NHL job in 2015-16. Jones, on the other hand, scored 11 goals in 75 games between Calgary and Minnesota.
Training Camp Cuts: 09.27.16
As the season inches closer and closer, teams have started trimming their training camp rosters already. With exhibition games and intra-squad matches taking place this week, the fat has been rendered so to speak. Here are some cuts from today:
Philadelphia Flyers (per Dave Isaac):
G Carter Hart (to Everett, WHL)
LW Carsen Twarynski (to Calgary, WHL)
C Connor Bunnaman (to Kitchener, OHL)
LW Samuel Dove-McFalls (to Saint John, QMJHL)
C Pascal Laberge (to Victoriaville, QMJHL)
C Anthony Salinitri (to Sarnia, OHL)
D Brennan Menell (to Vancouver, WHL)
D Garrett McFadden (to Guelph, OHL)
Snapshots: Benn, Kings, Broll
News and notes from around the NHL:
- Jamie Benn is expected to miss the first few Dallas Stars preseason games as he eases back into game shape. Benn underwent surgery this summer to repair core muscles and missed the World Cup of Hockey as he recuperated. Despite the surgery, however, Benn does not plan on missing any regular season games.
- The Los Angeles Kings made some cuts Monday morning at training camp, sending six players packing. According to LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen, the Kings first sent forward Miles Koules and goalie Jonah Imoo down to the AHL Ontario Reign’s camp. They then released four players back to their respective Junior teams: defenseman Kale Clague to the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), defenseman Jacob Moverare to the Mississauga Steelheads (OHL), and both forward Matt Schmalz and defenseman Jacob Friend to the Owen Sound Attack (OHL). Kyle Clague left camp with a lower-body injury and will miss the first few weeks of Brandon’s season. Matt Schmalz returns to the OHL as an over-ager, and may make the move to the AHL as the season progresses.
- Former Toronto Maple Leafs player David Broll signed with the ECHL’s Brampton Beast. The Beast are the Montreal Canadiens’ ECHL Affiliate. Broll played for the Syracuse Crunch last season and scored 2G and 6A in 60 games. In his only NHL experience, Broll scored 1A in 5 games with the Maple Leafs in 2013-14.
Marian Gaborik Suffers Injury, Out Eight Weeks
Kings left winger Marian Gaborik suffered a leg injury in Sunday’s Team Europe victory over Sweden at the World Cup of Hockey and left practice today on crutches, head coach Ralph Krueger told reporters, including Postmedia’s Michael Traikos. GM Dean Lombardi told Helene Elliott of the LA Times that Gaborik is expected to miss eight weeks as a result of the injury.
Gaborik has a pair of goals in four games so far at the tournament, ranking him fourth on Europe’s team in scoring. He is no stranger to the injury bug, missing considerable time over the years with various ailments and has only completed a full 82-game season once in his 15 year career.
Last season, the 34 year old played in 54 games with Los Angeles, scoring 12 goals while adding 10 assists; his 22 points were a career low as was his average ice time which came in at 14:57 per game. He missed 28 games due to a knee injury at the end of the year, one that also caused him to miss the beginning of the playoffs.
[Related: Kings Depth Chart]
Gaborik has five years remaining on his current contract with a cap hit of $4.875MM and is expected to be a top six forward for the Kings when he’s able to return to their lineup.
2016-17 Season Preview: Los Angeles Kings
With training camp underway and puck drop on the new NHL season right around the corner, PHR continues to look at each team in-depth, with our focus today on the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings.
Last season: 48-28-6 (102 points), 2nd place in the Pacific Division. Lost in first round vs. San Jose Sharks (4-1)
Cap Space Remaining: $513K according to Cap Friendly
Key Newcomers: D Tom Gilbert (free agency, Montreal Canadiens), C Michael Latta (free agency, Washington Capitals), RW Teddy Purcell (free agency, Florida Panthers), D Zach Trotman (free agency, Boston Bruins), G Jeff Zatkoff (free agency, Pittsburgh Penguins)
Key Departures: G Jhonas Enroth (free agency, Toronto Maple Leafs), C Vincent Lecavalier (retirement), LW Milan Lucic (free agency, Edmonton Oilers), D Jamie McBain (free agency, Arizona Coyotes), D Luke Schenn (free agency, Arizona Coyotes), D Jeff Schultz (free agency, Anaheim Ducks), RW Kris Versteeg (PTO, Edmonton Oilers)
Player to Watch: Tanner Pearson – The Kings worked hard to re-sign Milan Lucic, but their cap situation put them in a difficult situation to be a competitive suitor on the open market. Lucic is now gone, as is Kris Versteeg, from a team that has also lost Justin Williams and Mike Richards since their run of two Stanley Cups in three seasons just a few short years ago. Dustin Brown is no longer the offensive force he once was, and has been relegated to a bottom-six role. A once-prolific offense is now very dependent on too few players, namely Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, Tyler Toffoli, and (the injured) Jeff Carter. Someone needs to step up in 2016-17, and the top candidate is the young winger Pearson. Coming up through the system with Toffoli, Pearson has watched his team mate break out, while his own development has been slower. After a solid 36-point campaign in 2015-16, including being one of the few bright spots of the Kings’ disappointing playoff exit, Pearson appears ready to have his own “big leap” season ahead. The Kings will need it, as they will again face a tough challenge in the Pacific against the rival San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks.
Key Storyline: With Jonathan Quick in net and one of the best pairs in the league, Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin, leading the defense, the Kings finished third in the league in goals against in 2015-16. However, their offense was only middle-of-the-pack, and that was with Milan Lucic and his 55 points. No one doubts that L.A. will be a playoff team in 2016-17, but will they be a legitimate contender if their offense is below average? It will be difficult considering their tough divisional competition. The Kings had losing records against both the Sharks and Ducks (2-3 against both) last season, and then San Jose dominated the Kings in the playoffs, limiting them to just 11 goals in a quick five-game exit. The Sharks went all the way to the Stanley Cup final, and then added talent to their forward core through free agency and prospect development, whereas the Kings brought in only Teddy Purcell. If L.A. can’t find some unexpected production on offense this season, third place in the Pacific seems like the ceiling for the Kings.
2016-17 Season Preview: Arizona Coyotes
With training camps opening around the league and the new season less than three weeks away, we continue our series of team previews with a look at the Arizona Coyotes.
Last Season: 35 – 39 – 8 (78 points), fourth place in the Pacific Division. Missed the playoffs.
Salary Cap Space Remaining: $2.347MM (per Cap Friendly). The Coyotes will be able to free up to an additional $10.5MM by placing Dave Bolland and Chris Pronger on LTIR.
Key Newcomers: Alex Goligoski (D) – trade with Dallas; Jamie McGinn (LW) – free agent from Anaheim; Luke Schenn (D) – free agent from L.A. Kings; Radim Vrbata (RW) – free agent from Vancouver; Lawson Crouse (LW) – trade with Florida.
Key Departures: Antoine Vermette (C) – contract buyout – signed with Anaheim as free agent; Alex Tanguay (LW) – free agent; Boyd Gordon (C) – signed with Philadelphia as a free agent.
Players to Watch: Mike Smith and Goligoski. The Coyotes allowed the third most goals in the entire league which was a function of substandard goaltending and a mediocre defense corps. GM John Chayka addressed the defense, dealing a fifth-round pick to Dallas in exchange for the negotiating rights to Goligoski and subsequently signed the veteran puck-mover to a five-year contract.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the Coyotes #1 blue liner but Goligoski adds a reliable veteran to the mix who can play in all situations and will strengthen the team’s top-four. Last season he tallied 37 points for the Stars and has averaged 40 points for every 82 games he has played during his career. Goligoski was a horse on the back end in 2015-16, averaging nearly 24 minutes a game for the Central Division champs.
Meanwhile, the team is hopeful Smith will be healthy and provide steady play between the pipes for the Coyotes. The team finished 23rd overall in goalie save percentage with Smith appearing in just 32 games. On a promising note, Smith led all NHL goalies with 15 or more games played in 2015-16 in High Danger Save % (HDsV%) with a mark of 87.4% and has stopped at least 84% of those high quality chances in three of the last four seasons.
Smith was superlative in 2011-12 – the last season the Coyotes qualified for the playoffs – winning 38 games and finishing with a Sv% of 93.0%. He has the ability to single-handedly keep the Coyotes in games and if Goligoski can help clean up the defensive end, the Coyotes will be a contender.
Storylines: The John Chayka experiment and the development of the kids. Chayka is not only the league’s youngest GM but he’s also the first to come from a more analytically-oriented background. Fair or not, how the Coyotes perform with the roster he has assembled will have a major impact on how analytics and advanced stats are perceived in the league. If he can build a winner in Arizona with a limited payroll, it might encourage more clubs to actively embrace the role of analytics in the game.
By all accounts Chayka is a bright guy and most of his offseason moves were met with positive reactions from hockey pundits. His actual reliance on analytics in roster construction may be overstated but there is no question old school managers and coaches will be watching with interest.
Although improved goaltending and more contributions from the club’s blue liners will be important, perhaps the key to this upcoming season is the continued development of its young talent. Max Domi and Anthony Duclair are already well on their way to becoming stars in this league but the team does lack an established #1 center. Fortunately, they do have Dylan Strome, the third overall pick in the 2015 entry draft and one of the game’s top prospects. Strome has been among the most explosive scorers in junior hockey, totaling 240 points in 124 games with Erie of the OHL, averaging nearly two points per contest. No one expects the young pivot to immediately fill the void at #1 but if he can establish himself as a legitimate NHL regular it will take some of the pressure of the team’s returning centers. Assuming Duclair, Domi and the team’s other young players take the next step in their development and Strome proves to be ready for the NHL, Arizona has a realistic shot at playoff contention.
World Cup Notes: Forsberg, Datsyuk, Marchand
When the Washington Capitals traded away Filip Forsberg for Martin Erat in an attempt at the Stanley Cup a few years ago, they gave away one of the games most dynamic young players – one that has developed into a legitimate goal-scoring threat from anywhere on the ice. They also lost their chance at having Forsberg potentially skate alongside Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin. It would likely have been an unstoppable offensive trio, and Backstrom said as much today when speaking with Dan Rosen of NHL.com:
He reminds me of playing with Alex with his quick release. He loves shooting the puck. He loves to go to the net. He loves creating stuff. In that way he reminds me of Ovi.
Forsberg, who has already scored 60 goals in his brief NHL career, has a long way to go to catch one of the all-time great goal scoring wingers but even without 50-per-season he’ll be an elite player. Swedish defenders like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Roman Josi and Mattias Ekholm, all excellent players in their own right, agree that Forsberg is one player you can’t give much space. Had he stayed in Washington, playing with Backstrom and Ovechkin would have afforded him that room.
- Pavel Datsyuk took the ice at team Russia’s morning skate prior to their evening matchup against Canada, but will still be a game-time decision. He didn’t take part in the entire practice, instead doing some skating at center ice by himself. He sat out the Russian’s final round-robin game against Finland with a “lower-body injury”, and hasn’t been the same dynamic force he used to be.
- Always known for a good soundbite, Drew Doughty told reporters “that’s a bonus, that’s for sure” in regards to missing the first part of Kings camp due to the World Cup. While the players remaining won’t get to practice with their squads for at least a few more days, the work they’ve put in with and against the best players in the world should be more than enough to get them ready for the season. The only worry is injuries, like the one suffered by Matt Murray which will now keep him out 3-6 weeks.
- In his latest column, AP’s Stephen Whyno speculates that Brad Marchand may be a top target for the Pittsburgh Penguins if he reaches free agency next summer, due to the growing chemistry between the Boston winger and his Team Canada center Sidney Crosby. The two have scored seven points in three games and look like they are a natural fit together on the ice. Fitting Marchand into their salary structure may prove difficult however, if Marchand can duplicate his outstanding 37-goal campaign from a year ago.