Snapshots: Blashill, Pilut, Canadiens
The Detroit Red Wings season has come to an end following the announcement of the return to play format, meaning they’ll go down as one of the worst teams in history (at least in terms of points percentage). The club finished 17-49-5 and missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, leading many to question the future of Jeff Blashill.
Steve Yzerman, Detroit GM, is not one of those questioning his head coach. On a conference call with reporters today including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Yzerman explained that he has “no plans on making a coaching change at this time.” Blashill signed a two-year contract extension in 2019 that carries him through the 2020-21 season but now has a 153-194-52 record as head coach of the Red Wings.
- A report out of Russia has Buffalo Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut heading to the KHL next season, though it has not been confirmed at this point. Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News reports that the Sabres are inquiring with Pilut to see if he has indeed signed or agreed to terms with Traktor Chelyabinsk. Pilut is scheduled to become a restricted free agent later this summer, but with the Sabres already eliminated from play he could be looking for a new opportunity already. The 24-year old Pilut ended up playing just 46 games over two seasons for Buffalo, despite being excellent in the minor leagues and showing he could handle NHL duty. Should he decide to pursue a contract overseas, the Sabres could temporarily retain his rights by issuing him a qualifying offer.
- With just a few days left to sign them, Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin explained to reporters including Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports that they will not be issuing contract offers to a few prospects. Allan McShane, Cole Fonstad and Samuel Houde–all players that will see their draft rights expire on June 1st–will not receive contracts from the Canadiens.
AHL Announces 2019-20 All-Rookie Team
Now that the AHL season is officially over, awards and accolades will start pouring out for its players. Today, the league announced the 2019-20 All-Rookie Team, which is voted on by coaches, players, and media. Though not a guarantee of future NHL success, the AHL rookie team has a long history of star players including captains, Stanley Cup champions, and future Hall of Fame members.
The 2019-20 selections:
G Cayden Primeau, Laval Rocket (Montreal Canadiens)
D Joey Keane, Hartford Wolf Pack/Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes)
D Brogan Rafferty, Utica Comets (Vancouver Canucks)
F Alex Formenton, Belleville Senators (Ottawa Senators)
F Joshua Norris, Belleville Senators (Ottawa Senators)
F Jack Studnicka, Providence Bruins (Boston Bruins)
No Contract Talks Yet Between Canadiens And Max Domi
Canadiens forward Max Domi is Montreal’s most notable restricted free agent case this offseason. After having a breakout year in his first season with the team that saw him record 72 points, his output has dropped considerably this year with just 44 points in 71 games. He also has spent time on the wing after playing exclusively at center a year ago. On the surface, another bridge contract could make sense but as he’s just two years away from unrestricted free agency, doing so would carry some risk.
Speaking with reporters on a conference call, including Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, the 25-year-old indicated that there hasn’t been much in the way of substantive contract talks. While some teams are hesitant to talk about extensions due to the salary cap situation, the Canadiens aren’t a team that should be as concerned by that as they have been well under the cap over the last few seasons. However, it appears they’ll wait until the season ends before getting those talks underway.
Ales Hemsky Announces Retirement
Veteran NHL forward Ales Hemsky announced his retirement on Thursday at the age of 36. This may come as a surprise to many, who likely assumed that Hemsky had retired years ago as he has not played since 2017-18. However, often a player’s final season of play and the point in which he gives up the pursuit of getting back to the pro game come at two different times. Such is the case with Hemsky; after more than two years of trying to work back from a concussion suffered early in the 2017-18 season, The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro relayed that Hemsky officially called it a career today.
Hemsky quietly did very well for himself in his career. A first-round pick of the Oilers in 2001, Hemsky played 15 NHL seasons, including 11 in Edmonton. In over 800 career games, Hemsky recorded nearly 600 points and established himself as a slick and creative play-maker. He had an unforgettable 2005-06 season, recording a career-high 77 points despite just modest ice time and adding an additional 17 points in the playoffs during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final.
However, Hemsky could never quite shake the injury bug and it is worth wondering what kind of player he might have been if he could have stayed healthy. Hemsky started strong, playing in 70+ games in four of his first five full NHL season, but only did so three more times over the rest of his career. He missed all but 22 games due to a shoulder injury in 2009-10 and struggled to stay on the ice the following season to the tune of just 47 games. Then, later in his career, back-to-back injuries effectively ended his playing days. Coming off a strong season with the Dallas Stars in 2015-16, Hemsky suffered a major hip injury early the next season and missed all but 15 games. He then signed with the Montreal Canadiens in the off-season and suffered the aforementioned concussion just seven games into the year.
In a recent piece by The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman, he writes that Hemsky battled depression following his injuries, but held out hope that he could return to the NHL. Back in Dallas, he was working out and participating in alumni activities, but could never quite make it back to game shape. A career of physical damage was simply too much to overcome. He tells Nugent-Bowman that he has made peace with his career and happy to be focused on his family and his health.
Montreal Canadiens Agree To Terms With Cameron Hillis
The Montreal Canadiens have signed another top prospect, agreeing to terms with Cameron Hillis on a three-year entry-level contract. Hillis finished this season as captain of the Guelph Storm, his third season in the OHL.
After an injury-plagued 2018-19 season that saw Hillis play in just 33 games for the Storm, the 19-year old center came roaring back in 2019-20. In 62 games as captain he recorded 24 goals and 83 points, the best totals of his junior career. That obviously sparked the Canadiens interest again, though it’s hard to imagine they ever really lost faith in the third-round pick.
Undersized but feisty, Hillis will have to make the leap to professional hockey next season and test himself with the Laval Rocket of the AHL.
Canadiens Sign Liam Hawel To AHL Deal
- The Canadiens’ AHL affiliate in Laval announced that they’ve signed center Liam Hawel to a one-year, one-way AHL deal. The 21-year-old wrapped up his junior career this season with OHL Kitchener, recording 23 goals and 48 assists in 54 games to sit second on the team in scoring. Hawel was a fourth-round pick (101st overall) of Dallas back in 2017 but was not signed to an entry-level contract.
Alexander Romanov Agrees To Terms With Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens have made it official, Alexander Romanov is coming. The question now becomes when. The team has announced that Romanov agreed to terms on a three-year entry-level contract, though the start date is still dependant on whether or not the season resumes. Montreal GM Marc Bergevin was obviously excited about his newest prospect:
We are very happy to confirm that we have come to an agreement with Alexander Romanov. Alexander is a young, solid, and very reliable defenseman who is determined to pursue his career in the NHL. He is part of our group of young prospects, and we strongly believe he will become an important asset of our defensive squad for years to come.
Romanov, 20, is one of the most exciting defense prospects in the entire league, after finding his footing in the KHL and dominating players his own age (or older) at the World Juniors. The two-way defenseman has a bronze and silver medal at home from the tournament, along with two All-Star nominations and a “Best Defenseman” award from 2019. Basically, it was hard to watch any Russian game at the event without noticing Romanov, whose poise and awareness is almost unmatched among defensemen his age.
For the Canadiens, the expectation is that Romanov will move directly into the NHL lineup when he arrives (even if that is potentially a resumed season this summer). The team does have five defensemen already signed for next season, but one of them is Karl Alzner who has only played a handful of meaningful NHL games over the last year.
Even the other more veteran options on the roster may not be standing in Romanov’s way very long, as long as his performance continues.
Arsen Khisamutdinov Agrees To Terms With Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens have convinced one of their draft picks to join the organization, agreeing to terms with Arsen Khisamutdinov on a two-year entry-level contract. Khisamutdinov had been playing in Russia, splitting the 2019-20 season between the KHL and VHL.
Despite being selected in 2019, Khisamutdinov is already 22 years old and was only eligible for a two-year contract. The 6’3″ forward had just three points in his 31 KHL contests after being selected in the sixth round last year.
There’s still a long way to go for the 22-year old Russian, who is still more of a lottery ticket or “project” for the Canadiens development system. While he was a dominant offensive player in junior, it’s difficult to know if that skill will translate to the professional ranks. Montreal obviously believes they can work with him and make him into an asset for the organization, but it may be some time before you hear Khisamutdinov in the NHL lineup.
Dale Weise Considering Signing In Europe For Next Season
- Canadiens winger Dale Weise has spent a good chunk of the season in the minors and it appears he knows that his NHL time may be numbered. In an appearance on Sportsnet 650 (audio link), the 31-year-old acknowledged that he is considering playing in Europe next season, a prospect that could be complicated by the resumption of the NHL’s season. The pending unrestricted free agent has played in 23 games with Montreal this season where he has a goal and four assists in 23 games and wasn’t much more productive with AHL Laval, tallying three goals and four helpers in 27 contests.
Atlantic Notes: Red Wings, Stamkos, Romanov
With plenty of cap room and a major need in the net, many feel that the Detroit Red Wings and general manager Steve Yzerman might make a splash into the free-agent market this offseason. Longtime goaltender Jimmy Howard is 36 years old, coming off his worst season and is an unrestricted free agent, meaning that a return is extremely unlikely. Throw in the fact that there are several big names that could become available at the time, including Braden Holtby and Robin Lehner, and it’s very likely the Red Wings will be exploring that market.
However, the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James writes neither Holtby or Lehner are likely candidates to come to Detroit next season. Holtby might not be too interested in joining a rebuilding team and the scribe believes that both players’ price tags are likely to be too rich for what the Red Wings are going to be interested to pay. Holtby is currently making $6.1MM per season, while Lehner is currently on a one-year deal at $5MM. Neither is likely to be willing to take much of a pay cut.
James suggests the team is likely going to look for a player to join Jonathan Bernier in more of a tandem role on a short-term deal, including players like Cam Talbot, Anton Khudobin and Jaroslav Halak.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning suffered a major loss back in early March when it was announced that captain Steven Stamkos would miss six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a core muscle injury. The recovery time would likely have forced him to miss at least the first-round of the playoffs. However, the suspension of play due to COVID-19 has allowed Stamkos the time he needed to get healthy and recently told Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription required), that he’ll be ready to go when play resumes. “With the timing of all this, it was devastating at the beginning because I thought I would possibly be missing some playoff games,” Stamkos said. “And the stoppage happened, and we didn’t know how long it was gonna be. So the silver lining in that was I’ll be ready when we resume. So I’ve been able to still use this time to rehab. I’ve been going to the rink … about three times a week to skate and just start feeling normal again.”
- Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports that while Montreal Canadiens fans are waiting for top prospect Alex Romanov to sign on the dotted line in the next few days, that might have to wait. Despite that fact that his KHL contract will expire on April 30, Romanov doesn’t intend to sign a contract until he knows what is happening in regards to the NHL’s 2019-20 season. He does intend to sign once play is expected to resume, but the 20-year-old wants to make sure he doesn’t sit for a lengthy amount of time. The defenseman has already played two full seasons in the KHL and many hope that Romanov is ready to step into Montreal’s lineup as soon as next season.