Snapshots: Predators, Lauko, Lipon
The Nashville Predators have made a couple of changes to their coaching staff for the 2020-21 season, announcing today that they will not renew the contract of assistant Dan Muse. Rob Scuderi, who had been serving as an assistant on an interim basis, will be returning to his role as defense development coach.
Muse had been with the Predators for three seasons following a stint as the head coach of the Chicago Steel (USHL). Nashville will begin the search for new assistants immediately, giving John Hynes a chance to bring in his own team as he prepares for his first full season behind the Predators bench.
- Jakob Lauko will start the 2020-21 season with HC Karlovy Vary of the Czech league but is expected back with the Boston Bruins when NHL training camp opens. The 20-year-old forward spent this season with the Providence Bruins, scoring just nine points in 22 games. The limited action was due to a knee injury Lauko suffered at the very start of the World Junior tournament, meaning any games he can play in the Czech Republic will be beneficial to his development.
- J.C. Lipon‘s contract with the Winnipeg Jets is up and the 27-year-old forward will take his talents to the KHL. Dinamo Riga has signed Lipon to a contract for the 2020-21 season after he failed to make it to the NHL once again this year. A third-round pick back in 2013, Lipon made his NHL debut in the 2015-16 season but hasn’t been back to the NHL since. Instead, he played 61 games for the Manitoba Moose this year, scoring 31 points.
Snapshots: Lindblom, Pastrnak, Myers, Merzlikins, Predators
There was quite the reaction when the Philadelphia Flyers opted to bring forward Oskar Lindblom with them into the bubble. The Flyers’ forward was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma on Dec. 13, but has been treated and is training with the team. Despite it being unlikely that Lindblom was going to take the ice during the playoffs, that could conceivably change, according to Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault. Lindblom skated with the team Sunday and he intends to return for the playoffs, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.
Vigneault was unclear when Lindblom might return. “A couple of practices? A couple of weeks?”
Lindblom hasn’t played in a game since Dec. 7, but the 24-year-old was looking to have a career-best season with 11 goals and 18 points in 30 games. Of course, getting back into playoff-level shape could take him some time. The Flyers are currently tied at 1-1 with the Montreal Canadiens in the first-round of the playoffs, so it makes sense that the Flyers will need to at least advance one round if they hope to get Lindblom back into their lineup.
- The Boston Bruins got some good news at an optional skate Sunday when winger David Pastrnak was on the ice with his team. The 24-year-old has only appeared in four playoff games thus far with as he has been termed “unfit to play.” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said there is a chance that Pastrnak could play in Game 4 on Monday. “I’d say 50/50 I guess at best right now. Of course that could change over 24 hours,” said Cassidy (via Boston Globe’s Matt Porter).
- TSN’s Matthew Sekeres reports that Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers will miss Game 3 on Sunday with a shoulder injury, not a concussion like many thought. Whether he can return for Game 4, which immediately on Monday again, is unknown. Myers took an awkward hit from St. Louis’ Brayden Schenn in Game 2. There is talk that Jordie Benn could step in for Myers in the lineup, but since he missed some time for the birth of his child, he may not be ready to play. Other candidates are Olli Juolevi or Jack Rathbone.
- The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) writes that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, who was “unfit to play” ever since the Game 4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, tweaked a groin muscle during the game, the same game in which he allowed three Maple Leafs’ goals in less than four minutes (plus the OT goal). Merzlikins will be out of the lineup indefinitely.
- NHL.com’s Brooks Bratten reports that Nashville Predators general manager David Poile said he isn’t sure what will happen with their top two unrestricted free-agent forwards in Craig Smith and Mikael Granlund. The GM said he expects to communicate with their respective agents in the next couple of weeks to discuss potential contracts. However, with their cap situation looking dire next season, it’s unlikely the team will bring back both UFAs. Smith finished with 18 goals and 31 points, while Granlund finished with 17 goals and 30 points.
Dan Hamhuis Announces Retirement
Nashville Predators GM David Poile told reporters today that some players on the club wouldn’t be returning, but this probably isn’t exactly what he meant. This afternoon on TSN radio in Vancouver, defenseman Dan Hamhuis announced his retirement. Hamhuis had been considering playing in Europe for a year just for the experience, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed those plans. Instead, he’ll skate off into the sunset following his 16th season in the NHL.
Hamhuis, 37, was selected 12th overall back in 2001 by the Predators in just the third draft the franchise ever took part in. It turned out to be quite the selection as his 1,148 regular season games are more than any other player from the class (though Jason Spezza will try to break that record next season). Once he got to the NHL in 2003, Hamhuis never looked back, quickly becoming one of the most reliable two-way defensemen in the league.
In that first season as a rookie, the left-shot Hamhuis averaged more than 22 minutes a night, a number he would hover around for the next decade-plus. While never a huge offensive threat, he recorded at least 20 points in each of his first 11 NHL seasons while also playing against the opponent’s best on a regular basis.
Hamhuis won’t be going to the Hall of Fame, but his career is one of incredible consistency. He reached the playoffs ten different times, going the farthest as part of the Vancouver Canucks run in 2011. He returned to his original organization in 2018 after stops in Vancouver and Dallas, and says goodbye as a member of the Predators, exactly how he said hello.
Predators GM David Poile: “We Need To Make Some Changes”
The Nashville Predators are a good team, they have been for years. In 2017 they even made it to the Stanley Cup Final and then finished with 117 points the following season. But for years now they’ve been criticized for not having enough star power, not having enough scoring. This season, those critiques rang true as the team needed a Norris Trophy-level performance from Roman Josi to even get them to the qualification round. Josi was the only player on the roster who recorded more than 50 points, leading the way with his 65 in 69 games. Filip Forsberg was next with 48, the only player on the roster to crack the 20-goal mark.
So when the team couldn’t get past the Arizona Coyotes in a best-of-five series to earn a real playoff spot, it didn’t come as a real shock. The Predators were a good team, but not a dominant one. Even after a midseason coaching change, Nashville only went 16-11-1 for John Hynes, not a lot better than they’d been under Peter Laviolette.
It comes as no surprise then, as GM David Poile watched this transpire, that he knows there needs to be a different group on the ice next season. In his end of year media availability today, Poile told reporters including Adam Vingan of The Athletic that “it is very clear to me that we need to make some changes.” Mike Morreale of NHL.com tweets an even longer, perhaps more telling quote:
Some players aren’t going to be brought back…We’re not satisfied, and we’re going to make some changes. We have to manage better, John and his staff have to coach better, and players have to play better.
The veteran GM has been with the Predators from the very beginning when they broke into the league as an expansion franchise in 1998-99. That team, with Barry Trotz behind the bench and Cliff Ronning leading the offense, was bad. This group isn’t anywhere near that, but after more than two decades of existence and only a handful of playoff series wins, something obviously needs to change.
Notably, the Predators don’t have a ton of cap room to make those changes. This was the last season of Josi’s incredibly inexpensive previous contract, which saw him carry a $4MM cap hit while routinely being among the league’s best offensive defensemen. Next year, that number more than doubles to $9.06MM per season and locks Josi in as one of the highest-paid defenders in the league.
Long-term contracts for Ryan Johansen, Matt Duchene, Kyle Turris, Viktor Arvidsson, Colton Sissons and Ryan Ellis also tie up a huge amount of money for the next half-decade plus. Trading contracts of that length is increasingly difficult in today’s NHL, somewhat tying Poile’s hands on how drastic a makeover he can accomplish. There’s also the issue of goaltending, where Pekka Rinne is now an expensive backup and Juuse Saros will soon need a new contract.
Poile has always been known as GM willing to make big trades. He’s pulled off some of the biggest one-for-one deals in recent history, moving Seth Jones for Johansen, Shea Weber for P.K. Subban, and Martin Erat for Forsberg (apologies to Michael Latta, but that deal will long be remembered for the primary pieces). Perhaps he can pull off a deal of that magnitude again because if the Predators come back with the same group next season they’ll be good—but that’s obviously not enough.
Poll: Who Do You Want To Win The Draft Lottery?
Seven teams in the NHL didn’t get a chance to return to play this summer. Their regular seasons were so disastrous that they didn’t qualify for a tournament which saw 24-teams take part. But none of them will be rewarded with the first-overall pick in 2020. Instead, that selection will go to one of the eight teams eliminated over the past week, after the first part of the draft lottery ended with a TBA club taking home the top spot.
The qualification round provided some incredible storylines. It also provided some eye-popping upsets. Both the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens, respective 12-seeds going into the return to play format, defeated Stanley Cup contenders with all-world talents leading the way. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and their teams are out before even seeing the first round but now have a chance to land a consolation prize of sorts.
The Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, Winnipeg Jets, and Minnesota Wild all have a 12.5% chance of being awarded that first-overall pick, and the chance to select two-time CHL Player of the Year Alexis Lafreniere.
That may seem ridiculous, given the regular season performances from those clubs, but remember it required a previous lottery to get to this point. There was only a 24.5% chance of a qualification-round team earning the pick in the first place. That ended up happening, with the Los Angeles Kings also moving up to second place. The Detroit Red Wings, who had the highest chance of winning any of the three lottery spots ended up the big losers of the event, dropping all the way down to fourth despite winning just 17 games this season.
The league will announce the lottery winner this evening, with hockey fans all over the world tuning in to see where Lafreniere will go. The format of the lottery has drawn massive criticism given how things played out, but that won’t stop it from being a must-see event for the entire NHL.
Where do you want to see the phenom go? Which of the eliminated teams deserves the pick? Which would you hate to see win? Cast your vote below and make sure to explain your choice in the comments!
Who do you want to see win the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery?
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Minnesota Wild 22% (374)
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New York Rangers 22% (373)
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Pittsburgh Penguins 13% (227)
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Winnipeg Jets 13% (218)
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Toronto Maple Leafs 9% (157)
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Florida Panthers 9% (152)
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Edmonton Oilers 7% (118)
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Nashville Predators 6% (107)
Total votes: 1,726
[Mobile users click here to vote]
Nashville Predators Sign Anthony Richard
The Nashville Predators have handed out another 2020-21 contract, signing Anthony Richard to a one-year, two-way deal. Richard was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season when his entry-level contract expired. The new contract will carry a salary of $735K at the NHL level and $65K at the AHL level.
Richard, 23, was a fourth-round pick of the Predators back in 2015 and has played two games for the NHL club. While he’s still looking for his first point at that level, he has been a regular contributor for the Milwaukee Admirals and represents solid depth for the organization. Versatile enough to play both center and wing, he’ll likely be heading back to the minors again next season, though, with a flat cap teams may be giving more opportunities to their young players.
Signing Richard leaves just three pending restricted free agents for the Predators: Rem Pitlick, Yakov Trenin and Michael McCarron. The much more important negotiations will be with some of their unrestricted free agents, which include key roster players like Mikael Granlund, Craig Smith and Dan Hamhuis.
NHL Releases Qualifying Round, Round Robin Schedules
July 20: The NHL has announced some minor changes to the schedule for the round robin. The Boston Bruins-Washington Capitals game that was scheduled for August 8 will now be played on August 9. The Philadelphia Flyers-Tampa Bay Lightning game that was originally scheduled for August 9, will now be played on August 8.
July 14: After revealing the schedule earlier today for the exhibition games occurring after the conclusion of training camp, the NHL has followed up with the schedules for the games that actually matter. The league has announced the full schedule for the best-of-five qualifying round match-ups, four each per conference between the teams seeded No. 5 to No. 12, as well as the six round robin games per conference between the teams seeded No. 1 to No. 4. As a reminder, the qualifying round will serve as a knockout round to trim the list of postseason teams to 16 for a standard playoff format while the round robin games will serve as a means to seed the top team in each conference. Teams will re-seed following the conclusion of the qualifying round and each subsequent round.
The full schedule is as follows (all times ET):
Saturday, Aug. 1
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 1, 12 p.m.
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 1, 4 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 1, 8 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 1, 3 p.m.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 1, 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 2
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Round-robin
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins, 3 p.m.
Best-of-5 series
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 1, 8 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Arizona Coyotes vs, Nashville Predators, Game 1, 2 p.m.
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 1, 10:30 p.m.
Round-robin
St. Louis Blues vs. Colorado Avalanche, 6:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 3
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 2, 12 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 2, 8 p.m.
Round-robin
Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 4 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 2, 2:30 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 2, 10:30 p.m.
Round-robin
Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 4
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 2, 12 p.m.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 2, 4 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers, Game 3, 8 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Arizona Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators, Game 2, 2:30 p.m.
Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets, Game 3, 6:45 p.m.
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 2, 10:45 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers, Game 3, 12 p.m.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens, Game 3, 8 p.m.
Round-robin
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins, 4 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes, Game 3, 2:30 p.m.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Game 3, 10:30 p.m.
Round-robin
Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 6
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, Game 3, TBD
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers, Game 4*, TBD
Round-robin
Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild, Game 3, TBD
Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets, Game 4*, TBD
Round-robin
Vegas Golden Knights vs. St. Louis Blues, TBD
Friday, Aug. 7
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers, Game 4*, TBD
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens, Game 4*, TBD
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, Game 4*, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes, Game 4*, TBD
Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild, Game 4*, TBD
Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Game 4*, TBD
Saturday, Aug. 8
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 5*, TBD
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 5*, TBD
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche, TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 5*, TBD
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 5*, TBD
Arizona Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues, TBD
With round robin games scheduled through August 9, the first round will not begin until August 10 at the earliest. However, given that exhibition games don’t even begin until July 28, the NHL is about to cram a lot of hockey into a span of just a dozen days.
2020 Norris Trophy Finalists Announced
The NHL continues to release their award finalists, this time announcing the three nominees for the Norris Trophy. The award is given out to the top defenseman “who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position.” Last year’s winner was Mark Giordano of the Calgary Flames.
This year’s finalists are John Carlson of the Washington Capitals, Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators, and Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Carlson comes with a built-in argument in his favor, given the outstanding offensive performance he put together this season. After scoring 70 points in 80 games last year and finishing fourth in Norris voting, he improved those totals again to lead all defensemen with 75 points in just 69 games. He was 12th in the entire league in scoring when the season shut down, and ten points ahead of the next highest defenseman (Josi). That pure offensive dominance will make him a solid contributor, but as always he comes with questions about his defensive ability. Despite scoring 49 of his points at even-strength, Carlson was still just a +12 on the year and had the worst possession numbers of the three finalists. Given the still relatively subjective nature of judging defensive impact, Carlson’s candidacy is not a sure thing even with his offensive numbers.
Josi meanwhile comes with an even longer history of Norris expectations, receiving votes for the award in each of the last five seasons and coming in the top-7 in four of those. The Predators captain recorded 65 points in 69 games and had extremely strong possession numbers on the year—the best of his career in fact. Among the major individual awards, the Norris, in particular, has a reputation that it is given “eventually” to a player long-deserving. Josi could be that candidate this season after such a strong campaign. That’s not to say he isn’t deserving, as any Predators fan will tell you how much the team relied on him this season to create offense when the rest of the group was struggling.
Hedman meanwhile is the only one of the three finalists with a Norris win already under his belt, taking home the award in 2018. The backbone of the Lightning team, Hedman managed to record 55 points in 66 games and was once again one of the most consistent defensive players in the league. If you were crafting a defenseman in a lab, you might end up with something looking similar to the 6’6″ Swede, who has been a finalist or winner in each of the last three seasons. Hedman may have not had the offensive seasons of Carlson or Josi, but his reputation on the defensive side of the puck will help him secure plenty of votes once again.
Niclas Westerholm Placed On Unconditional Waivers
The Nashville Predators are clearing a contract slot for next season, placing Niclas Westerholm on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination. Westerholm’s current entry-level deal was set to extend through the 2020-21 season, but he will become a free agent should the termination go through tomorrow.
A 22-year old goaltender, Westerholm signed with the Predators in 2018 after playing in Finland’s top league. He stayed overseas for the last two seasons on loan from Nashville and posted an .890 save percentage in 40 games this year. With no obvious path to the NHL with the Predators, Westerholm will likely stay in Europe and continue his development. Technically he will be allowed to sign with another NHL team once his termination is official and he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
The Predators already have 37 contracts on the books for next season (of their allotted 50) and have plenty of players to re-sign. Letting someone like Westerholm go will allow them to add someone else on an entry-level deal that may have a brighter future in the organization.
Nashville Predators Sign Sean Malone
The Nashville Predators aren’t waiting around for the season to end before adding some depth to their organization. Sean Malone has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the team for the 2020-21 season, worth $750K at the NHL level and $100K at the AHL level. Malone has spent the last three seasons with the Rochester Americans, most recently on an AHL contract.
Now 25, Malone still hasn’t made it back to the NHL since debuting in 2017, when he was a fresh-faced signing out of Harvard. Originally selected 159th overall by the Buffalo Sabres, he spent four years at the prestigious school before turning pro. Since then, he’s been a solid contributor at the AHL level, recording 28 goals and 65 points in 169 games for Rochester. Unfortunately, that kind of production doesn’t scream NHL talent meaning Malone would have to take quite a step to land on Nashville’s roster next season.
Still, he does bring a level of experience to the Milwaukee Admirals and could be an injury call-up if necessary. Adding center depth to the organization is never a bad thing, and Malone’s entire cap hit is able to be buried when in the minor leagues.