Snapshots: Edler, Montreal, Kesler
The Vancouver Canucks have had an interesting start to the year, with impressive performances from rookie Elias Pettersson but bad losses at the hands of the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes. The team has allowed 14 goals in three games, and is busy shaking up their blue line to try to find answers. One player that won’t be taken out of the lineup because of his play is Alexander Edler, but there might be a break-up coming down the line anyway. Edler is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, but has made it clear he wants to spend the rest of his career in Vancouver.
Still, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet points out in his latest 31 Thoughts column, Edler would be an attractive rental piece at the trade deadline for a contender. The 32-year old defenseman is averaging more than 25 minutes of ice time through the first three games and is coming off his most effective offensive season in some time. Friedman notes that the Tampa Bay Lightning has shown interest in the left-hander before, and that “someone” will again even if he’s determined to return to the Canucks in 2019-20.
- The Montreal Canadiens will face a tough decision in the coming days, as Eric Engels of Sportsnet writes that the team will likely put either Jacob de La Rose or Nikita Scherbak on waivers once the former is back to full health. Both high draft selections, neither player has really found much consistency in the NHL and even their youth can’t get them into the current lineup. Engels believes that both would be prime targets for a waiver claim, given that they still hold some substantial potential. There are obviously other ways out of the roster crunch, but if it does come down to a waiver placement and attempted minor league assignment, the Canadiens could find themselves losing some of their forward depth for nothing in the coming days.
- Ryan Kesler was on the ice at the Anaheim Ducks morning skate, and even took line rushes between Andrew Cogliano and Kiefer Sherwood according to Josh Cooper of The Athletic. The veteran forward was not expected to return so soon, and head coach Randy Carlyle wouldn’t even confirm that he’ll be in the lineup tonight against the Arizona Coyotes. If he is back to health it’s at the perfect time as the Ducks are without Ryan Getzlaf and are struggling to find much offense up front. An expected Stanley Cup contender, the Ducks have been ravaged by injuries early and could use some good news on that front.
2018-19 NCAA Players To Watch
Just like their professional and junior counterparts, the college hockey season is underway. With each passing year, the NCAA’s influence on the world of hockey grows. The NHL boasts more than a few top rookies fresh out of the college ranks this season and those still in school in 2018-19 will soon join them. This year’s crop of talent is sticking with the trend, with several players in need of watching:
The Recent Draft Picks
D Quinn Hughes, Michigan (VAN): Hughes very nearly signed his first pro contract with the Vancouver Canucks this summer before deciding to return to Michigan. The seventh overall pick back in June, Hughes was the second defenseman off the board behind top pick Rasmus Dahlin, and many even saw No. 7 as being a steal for Vancouver. An electric skater who can’t help but draw the eyes of spectators as he moves effortlessly around the ice, Hughes pairs his skating ability with the vision and positioning that makes him a threat in all three zones. Hughes also has an NCAA season under his belt already and should be even more prepared to dominate opponents this season. Hughes is a complete two-way defenseman and the centerpiece of a Wolverines team that was a Frozen Four finalist last year. Hughes himself could be eyeing the Hobey Baker Award this season. Michigan almost had Hughes’ younger brother and presumptive top 2019 pick Jack Hughes joining them this season, before he decided to stick with the U.S. National Development Program for another year before almost certainly turning pro.
F Oliver Wahlstrom, Boston College (NYI): Perhaps the most gifted goal scorer of the 2018 draft class, Wahlstrom was a late addition to BC’s freshman class, changing his commitment from Harvard, and the Eagles could not be happier. Wahlstrom is a rare combination of both high-end skill and hard-nosed play who dominated with the U.S. National Development Program last year. The right winger has had the attention of scouts for his puck-handling ability since he was nine years old, but as he’s grown up he has also filled out his frame and added a menacing physical element to his game. Wahlstrom can skate and possess the puck as well as anyone, but is even more of a threat as the go-to shooter, which he will be skating with a roster of play-makers up front for BC. Wahlstrom could be the next big NHL power forward and may very well be one-and-done in the NCAA if he continues to score at a torrid pace this year and force the hand of the rebuilding New York Islanders, who selected him with the eleventh pick this past year.
F Joel Farabee, Boston Univ. (PHI): Wahlstrom’s teammate with the U.S. National Development program last season, Farabee was the one feeding Wahlstrom most of the time with 43 assists to his linemate’s 48 goals. Farabee is now a cross-town rival of Wahlstrom’s as he joins the uber-talented BU Terriers. Farabee is a threatening presence in the offensive zone, but is even more dangerous due to his two-way ability. An extremely intelligent winger who is beyond his years in terms of decision-making and positioning, Farabee is as responsible a freshman forward as you can find in the NCAA. He may not light up the score sheet right away this year, but will no doubt make a difference for the title-chasing Terriers. Farabee’s style bodes well for an NHL career in Philadelphia, after the Flyers used the No. 14 pick on him in June.
F Jay O’Brien, Providence (PHI): Some considered it a reach when the Flyers used their second first-round pick on O’Brien, another college-bound forward and one who was coming from the prep school ranks with Thayer Academy. However, the 19th overall pick more than earned his draft slot after scoring 80 points in 30 games while also displaying an impressive two-way game. O’Brien now bring his talents to Providence, a program that lost their top two scorers from last season and are looking for their next star forward. O’Brien could emerge as both the top scoring threat and dependable defensive forward for the Friars in his first collegiate season. O’Brien is also ready to take on Hockey East competition with a gritty games that all Philly and Providence fans will appreciate.
The Soon-To-Be NHLers
D Cale Makar, UMass (COL): Few will argue that Makar isn’t the best prospect in the NCAA, if not the best drafted player not playing in the NHL. The smooth-skating defenseman was the fourth overall pick in 2017 by the Colorado and would be skating on the Avs’ top pair right now if he had not committed himself to Amherst and to entering the pros as well-rounded as possible. Makar possesses elite puck-handling skills and vision and can out-skate almost anyone in the college ranks. Makar should improve upon his 21 points in an up-and-down freshman campaign and could flirt with point-per-game production from the blue line. The newly-named UMass captain, along with talented fellow defenseman Mario Ferraro (SJS) and top forward John Leonard (SJ) have the Minutemen thinking NCAA Tournament for the first time in years, while Makar could easily be a Hobey Baker candidate.
G Jake Oettinger, Boston Univ. (DAL): Oettinger nearly turned pro this off-season, but returns to BU with his sights set on backstopping the team to a national championship. A first-round pick at No. 26 in 2017, Oettinger was selected by the Dallas Stars with the expectations that he would be the heir apparent in net. Even with the emergence of Colton Point, the Dallas job is still there for the taking. The team’s veteran duo of Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin won’t be around forever and Oettinger could conceivably compete for starts as early as 2020. Expect the big goaltender to put up stellar numbers behind a deep Terrier defense this season before joining the pro ranks next year.
F Ryan Poehling, St. Cloud (MTL): Poehling was drafted for his intelligent, professional, two-way style and Montreal hoped he would develop into a capable bottom-six center. However, they have to be pleased with the improvement in his offense, after he registered 31 points in 36 games for a St. Cloud team that was top seed in the NCAA Tournament. Poehling lacks the high-end skill of other first-round prospects, but the 2017 No. 25 pick makes up for his skating and hands with positioning and composure. Poehling should again improve this season while maintaining his elite defensive play and could be in the running for the Hobey Baker Award, especially if the Huskies are dominant yet again. The Canadiens prospect should then compete for a roster spot right away next season.
The Trade Return
F Josh Norris, Michigan (OTT): The recent centerpiece prospect of the Erik Karlsson trade, a lot of eyes in Ottawa will be on the performance of Norris this season. The entire top line of the Michigan Wolverines’ Final Four roster has moved on to the pros, leaving Norris as the team’s top center. The No. 19 pick in 2017 by the San Jose Sharks, Norris is a freak athlete who can hold his own against anyone in the NCAA. The Senators’ new addition also has a deceptively quick release on his shot and is deadly accurate with both passing and shooting. Norris simply needs to embrace his role for Michigan, both carrying the puck and shooting more often. Some more experience, specifically as the team’s top scoring option, should go a long way for the promising center’s development.
F Shane Bowers, Boston Univ. (COL): Of course, who can forget the top center prospect that Ottawa recently traded away themselves. Bowers, part of the regrettable package that the Senators sent to the Colorado Avalanche for Matt Duchene, is set to be the go-to guy up front for BU this season. Bowers’ 32 points in 40 games last season ranked third last season for the Terriers, but with Jordan Greenway and Brady Tkachuk now gone, Bowers should be the top option and could be a dark horse Hobey Baker candidate on a talented BU team that should provide plenty of scoring chances. Bowers is quick-thinking and quick-skating offensive presence who is especially dangerous on the power play and works the puck down low perhaps better than anyone in the college ranks. A breakout campaign for Bowers should give the 2017 No. 28 pick an opportunity to compete for a spot among the Avs’ young forward corps next year.
D Adam Fox, Harvard (CAR): Fox, entering his junior year with the Harvard Crimson, has already seen his NHL rights traded. Fox had allegedly expressed a resistance to signing with the Calgary Flames, but so far no such sentiment has been associated with his new team, the Carolina Hurricanes. Fox is a mature, intelligent defender who has been a point-per-game player in college and especially excels as a power play quarterback. However, Fox is more than capable on the back end as well. Assuming he is yet again producing a Hobey Baker campaign for Harvard this year, Fox seems like a prime candidate for a late-season contract and brief tryout with the Hurricanes. Carolina’s depth on defense may block him from being a full time NHLer for a few years, but when Fox finally does land that job, he has the complete game to be a dangerous presence on any blue line.
The Top Prospect
D Ben Brinkman, Minnesota: If there is one thing that the 2018-19 NCAA class lacks, it is many standout draft-eligible prospects. Brinkman alone is a candidate for early selection next June, but the Minnesota native is a surefire first-rounder. The Gophers have rarely given a true freshman defenseman the role and minutes expected of Brinkman this season, but the teen blue liner is a special talent. A smooth skater who excels with the puck on his stick, it will be no surprise to see Brinkman frequently carry the puck up and start the rush for Minnesota and he should see ample power play time as well. Brinkman is no slouch in his own zone either, as he plays a competent game that allowed him to shut down high school competition. The adjustment to the college level will come with some lumps for the young defenseman, but Brinkman should emerge from this season as a bona fide NHL prospect.
Jacob De La Rose Returns To Practice; Nicolas Deslauriers Could Return Next Week
- Canadiens center Jacob de la Rose returned to practice today for the first time since suffering a cardiac episode following their final preseason game last month, notes Postmedia’s Pat Hickey. However, he has not yet received the green light from doctors to resume playing so he’ll remain on injured reserve for now. Meanwhile, winger Nicolas Deslauriers is also skating on his own and Hickey suggests that the veteran could return to the lineup next week. With 14 forwards already on the roster, it appears as if Montreal will soon be facing a roster crunch.
Atlantic Notes: Cooper, Nylander, Kotkaniemi, Kronwall, O’Brien
Despite the fact that Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper is in the final year of his contract, often a bad sign if a team hasn’t extended him, that isn’t the case here. Cooper and new general manager Julien BriseBois have a long history together as BriseBois was the one who originally hired Cooper back in 2010 as the head coach of their AHL franchise when BriseBois was the assistant general manager.
The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) documents their long history together and writes that even though negotiations haven’t started, BriseBois and Cooper aren’t worried about it at all, considering the trust and bond the two share together.
“I don’t see anyone else I’d want to work with right now,” BriseBois said, who hoisted a Calder Cup trophy with Cooper seven years ago. “The people who were there with you, you never forget that.”
- Damien Cox of The Star writes that while the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t done anything wrong when it comes to the contract situation with holdout William Nylander, the team does need to think about how it intends to manage their next two major contract discussions when they must tangle with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. While Nylander is rumored to be asking for $8MM plus in his next deal, both Matthews and Marner could ask for quite a bit more. With the team’s significant cap issues in front of them, the scribe writes the team would be well advised to avoid a similar situation next season by trying to lock those two youngsters up during the season.
- Montreal Canadiens’ centers have already begun training their newest addition in Jesperi Kotkaniemi by working separately after practice with him on faceoffs on Friday. According to The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin (subscription required), Tomas Plekanec, Mathew Peca, Andrew Shaw and Phillip Danault got together and helped teach the 18-year-old some tips and tricks on taking faceoffs with the hopes that the youngster improves his game as quickly as possible.
- The Detroit Red Wings will be without Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson for their two-game road-trip, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. Both defensemen have been on injured reserve and still are not ready to return to action.
- While not on the Ottawa Senators NHL roster, Matt Tidcombe of the Belleville Senators website reports that team lost forward Jim O’Brien for four to six months after the 29-year-old forward underwent surgery on a severed tendon in his right leg in an AHL preseason game. O’Brien played 10 games for Ottawa last year.
Cale Fleury Signs Entry-Level Contract With Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens have signed defenseman Cale Fleury to a three-year entry-level contract, which will allow them to send him to the Laval Rocket as they had planned. Though Fleury doesn’t turn 20 until November, he’s eligible for the AHL and has shown enough to prove that he’s ready for professional hockey.
Selected in the third round in 2017, Fleury took off after a trade to the Regina Pats last season and ended the year with 51 points in 68 games. The younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Haydn Fleury, Cale is another excellent two-way player that could quickly scale the ranks of professional hockey. For a team like Montreal, who is waiting on several defense prospects to make an impact, there is more than enough opportunity to go around.
The deal will take up a contract slot for the Canadiens before long, something that they have to be cognizant of this season. The team is closing in on the 50-contract limit, at which point they won’t be able to add anyone off waivers or sign any college free agents in the spring. Still, getting Fleury into the organization is worth it at this point as they try to develop their next wave of defenders.
Montreal Acquires Gustav Olofsson From Minnesota
After clearing waivers earlier today, Gustav Olofsson is on his way to the Montreal Canadiens organization. The Minnesota Wild have traded the depth defenseman to the Canadiens in exchange for forward Will Bitten. Olofsson will be able to report directly to the Laval Rocket of the AHL.
Olofsson, 23, is a fairly interesting player for the Canadiens, who seem to be collecting young defensemen that were in tough situations when it comes to playing time. With a defense corps that is expected to struggle without Shea Weber for the first half of the season—and perhaps even after he returns—taking chances with players like Olofsson or Brett Kulak makes a lot of sense. There’s no guarantee that Olofsson will make an impact at the NHL level, but with a solid draft pedigree (46th overall in 2013) and 41 games or reasonably reliable defensive play last season there is at least some hope that he will.
Interestingly though they needed to give up Bitten, despite having a chance to claim Olofsson for free. That would have required them to keep the young defenseman on their NHL team or risk him being reclaimed by the Wild at some point, but giving up on a 2016 third-round pick in Bitten is a bit tough to swallow. There’s not elite offensive potential in the 20-year old forward, but few have ever come away from a Bitten viewing without noticing his incredible work ethic and drive. Scoring 64 points in 62 games for the Hamilton Bulldogs last season, Bitten was also one of the more effective defensive forwards in the OHL. That’s not always an indicator for success at the professional level, but the Canadiens now won’t even get the chance to find out.
Jacob De La Rose Suffers Cardiac Episode, Will Not Travel With Team
The Montreal Canadiens have had their fair share of injury woes already this offseason, but today have announced something more frightening than an injured shoulder or broken ankle. The team released an update on forward Jacob de La Rose, indicating that he had a cardiac episode and will not travel with the team to Toronto for their season opener. He is remaining in Montreal for “ongoing evaluation.” Arpon Basu of The Athletic relays that the move is “precautionary in nature” and that it is not a serious condition. Still, the team would not take the chance of sending him to Toronto and have placed him on injured reserve to start the season.
de La Rose will join Shea Weber and David Schlemko with that designation, while Nicolas Deslauriers is also out indefinitely with a facial fracture suffered earlier this preseason. The Canadiens dealt with several other surgeries this summer to key players but it looks as though they will head into the season with the rest of the roster more or less in tact. That’s important for a franchise that is looking to bounce back and ride the performances from young players like Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Victor Mete and Jonathan Drouin to better fortunes this season.
The incident occurred after Saturday’s game against the Ottawa Senators and is a tough break for de La Rose, who is a possible breakout candidate in Montreal this season. The 23-year old forward registered just 12 points in 55 games last year, but has shown signs of the potential that made him the 34th pick in 2013. Though there may not be a first line future for him at this point, Montreal can certainly use some reliable secondary scoring options that can also add physicality and some positional versatility—things that de La Rose does well. They’ll obviously monitor him extensively to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary before putting him back on the ice.
Andrew Shaw Close To Returning; Simon Despres Offered AHL Contract
While Montreal forward Andrew Shaw was expected to miss the opening few weeks of the season as he recovers from offseason knee surgery, he revealed to reporters, including Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette, that he has received the green light from team doctors and is hopeful to play in the season opener on Wednesday. That will present a bit of a challenge for the Canadiens who are currently carrying the maximum of 23 players on their active roster. They have just three players exempt from waivers in defensemen Noah Juulsen and Victor Mete who both project to be in their top six, plus 2018 top pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who they already announced would start the season with the big club. Accordingly, it appears that they are going to have to either waive or trade someone in the very near future to accommodate Shaw’s return to the roster.
- Still with the Canadiens, while it appears that Simon Despres won’t be sticking around with Montreal, he has at least earned himself a look in the minors. The team announced (Twitter link) that they have offered the 27-year-old a minor league contract; it’s worth noting that Despres is from Laval where Montreal’s AHL team plays. However, while he has previously indicated that he’d be open to starting the season in the minors, he’s first going to take some time to consider his options.
Montreal Canadiens Acquire Brett Kulak
The Montreal Canadiens have made a swap for their minor league defense corps, acquiring Brett Kulak from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Matt Taormina and Rinat Valiev. Kulak will report to the Laval Rocket right away, given that he cleared waivers today for the second time this offseason.
The Flames are one of the deepest teams in the league on defense, even after jettisoning Dougie Hamilton this offseason. Bringing Noah Hanifin back in trade has given them another left-handed lock for the roster, and given the continued presence of Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie it didn’t seem like there was much of an opportunity left for Kulak. Further to that, Calgary made it clear what Kulak’s market was when they waived him prior to his arbitration hearing earlier this summer and saw him go unclaimed, only to do it again yesterday. The 24-year old defenseman did play 71 games for the Flames last season, but there obviously weren’t a ton of teams knocking down the door to acquire him given that they could have done it for the small price of taking on his $900K salary.
Montreal is looking for anyone who could help their NHL defense corps down the road, and are obviously willing to take a chance on Kulak ahead of Valiev who they had just acquired last season. The former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect played two games for the Canadiens down the stretch but hasn’t developed into the kind of two-way force that some believed he could be when he was selected 68th overall in 2014. He’ll still be an effective player for the Stockton Heat, but Valiev is quite a distance from being an impact NHL player.
Taormina, the oldest player in the deal at 31, also won’t be impacting the NHL roster for the Flames anytime soon but is an elite offensive defenseman in the minor leagues and has been for a long time. The veteran scored 52 points last season in 63 games for the Rocket and will help to mentor some of the other young defense prospects Calgary has coming through the system but is currently injured and isn’t expected to return until late October at the earliest.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/01/18
The regular season is just around the corner, and teams are making the very final cuts to their opening night roster. Almost two dozen players have also been placed on waivers today, though they can’t actually be assigned until they clear tomorrow. We’ll keep track of all the final moves right here:
Boston Bruins (per team release)
F Peter Cehlarik (to Providence, AHL)
F Trent Frederic (to Providence, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (per team release)
F Alexander Nylander (to Rochester, AHL)
D Brendan Guhle (to Rochester, AHL)
D Brandon Hickey (to Rochester, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Kevin Stenlund (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Jonathan Davidsson (to Djurgardens, Sweden)
Dallas Stars (per Mark Stepneski, NHL.com)
G Landon Bow (to Texas, AHL)
G Colton Point (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team Twitter)
D Dylan McIlrath (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Matt Puempel (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Lane Zablocki (to Kelowna, WHL)
Florida Panthers (per George Richards, The Athletic)
F Henrik Borgstrom (to Springfield, AHL)
F Juho Lammikko (to Springfield, AHL)
F Dryden Hunt (to Springfield, AHL)
D Ian McCoshen (to Springfield, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Matt Luff (to Ontario, AHL)
D Daniel Brickley (to Ontario, AHL)
D Kale Clague (to Ontario, AHL)
D Kurtis MacDermid (to Ontario, AHL)
G Cal Petersen (to Ontario, AHL)
Minnesota Wild (per team release)
F Mike Liambas (to Iowa, AHL)
F Kyle Rau (to Iowa, AHL)
F Matt Read (to Iowa, AHL)
D Matt Bartkowski (to Iowa, AHL)
D Josh Thrower (to Iowa, AHL)
G Andrew Hammond (to Iowa, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
F Kenny Agostino (to Laval, AHL)
F Michael Chaput (to Laval, AHL)
Nashville Predators (per team release)
F Colin Blackwell (to Milwaukee, AHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)
F Zach Aston-Reese (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Zach Trotman (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (per team release)
F Michael Spacek (to Manitoba, AHL)