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Devils Notes: Schneider, Hischier, Smith, Hall

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With New Jersey having made a significant jump in the Metropolitan Division, the Devils now must show that they can continue their success after 27-point increase in the standings and their first playoff berth since the 2011-12 season. The team was carried by Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall and a group of young players who had a quick impact on the team.

However, the team accomplished all this with goaltender issues as 32-year-old Cory Schneider had a second disappointing season as he struggled with injuries throughout the year, while posting a 2.93 GAA and a .907 save percentage in just 40 games. The team got a great season out of backup Keith Kincaid, who helped the Devils reach the playoffs. However, if the team has any hopes of reaching the playoffs for a second-straight season, the team will need Schneider to be healthy-free and at the top of his game, according to Scott Billeck of NBC Sports.

In fact, there is hope that Schneider can bounce back after two disappointing years as a nagging hip injury was hopefully fixed this offseason when he underwent surgery. He is listed as questionable to start training camp and may miss the early portion of the season while recovering from surgery that has a five-month timeline.

  • In another story, Billeck writes that the team can’t expect Hall to produce at another 93-point season like he did last year. If the team wants to return to the playoffs, they will have to rely on other players to pick up their games. After Hall, the team’s next best scorer was No. 1 overall pick Nico Hischier at 52 points, which is a big dropoff. The team will need better secondary scoring. Hischier could provide some of that as Billeck believes that Hischier could become a 70-point scorer in his second year, while the team has to hope that winger Marcus Johansson can bounce back to his 50-point averages after being limited to just 29 games last season.
  • Mike Morreale of NHL.com writes that the team has several top prospects who could complement the team this year if they can prove themselves in training camp as 2018 first-round pick Ty Smith has a chance to earn a spot on a young blue line. He lists the team’s top five prospects, including Smith at No. 1, and while he believes that Smith will likely need another year in juniors, Smith still has a chance to win a spot on an improved, but hardly established blue line. He scored 73 points in 69 games for Spokane of the WHL last season and might be the perfect player to replace veteran John Moore, who left for Boston this offseason. Morreale also writes that the Devils should expect Michael McLeod and John Quenneville to make the teams next year.
  • The Athletic’s Cory Masisak (subscription required) breaks down what the Devils could look like in the 2020-21 season and quickly assumes that New Jersey will lock up Hall to a long-term deal of more than $10MM. Hall has two years remaining on his current deal.

Atlantic Notes: Senators’ Youth, Walker, Howard, Nelson

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The Ottawa Senators seem to have little go right over the last year or so, whether it was the unhappiness of their star defenseman Erik Karlsson to the Matt Duchene trade in which the team traded away their No. 1 overall pick for next season to Colorado. With the team shipping off players left and right, that pick could be a costly one for the team.

However, the Ottawa Sun’s Ken Warren writes that who the Senators need to look at the success of the New Jersey Devils last season had when they opted to add a struggling team with youth. Just a season ago, the Devils had a 28-40-14 season and just 70 points. However, New Jersey brought in an infusion of youth, including Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Will Butcher, as well as second-year players like Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha. That group altered the makeup of the struggling franchise and turned last season into a 44-29-9 season for 97 points, an increase of 27 points on the year. The team even qualified for the playoffs.

The Senators, who are actually loaded with quality prospects within their system, could get a similar infusion from their prospects. That possibility might start with 2018 first-rounder Brady Tkachuk, who opted to turn pro last week and has a chance to walk right into the Senators lineup. The team has other young players who are ready for full seasons this year, including Colin White, Logan Brown, Thomas Chabot, Filip Chlapik and Drake Batherson. The team also has last year’s second-round pick Alex Formenton, who made the Senators squad out of training camp last year, who could also make the jump this year. Some success from some of those kids could make people forget a little about some of the franchise’s struggles.

  • Former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Kurt Walker passed away Friday night at the age of 64 after a brief illness, according to the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby. Walker, who might have been better known after his short NHL career, was an advocate for retired NHL players. His efforts nearly a decade ago helped retired players and opened doors for affordable health care, concussion research on NHL retired players and stem-cell research. Walker played three seasons in the NHL, all for the Maple Leafs, playing in 71 games, tallying four goals, five assists and 152 penalty minutes.
  • Mlive’s Ansar Khan writes that the Detroit Red Wings need a solid year out of 34-year-old goaltender Jimmy Howard, who has one year remaining on his contract. Howard started the 2017-18 season strong, but struggled in the second-half of the season, finishing the year with a 2.85 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 60 games. The team may have to lighten his workload now that the team added Jonathan Bernier, but if Howard will have to have a better year to earn another contract with the team. Khan writes the team might want to give him a two-year extension as they lack goalie prospects in their system.
  • The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington writes that Buffalo Sabres defensive prospect Casey Nelson has a good chance at breaking camp with the Sabres this year because he now requires Buffalo to pass him through waivers to send him to the AHL. Nelson, has played 55 games for Buffalo over the past three years and showed some promise last year, putting up three goals and eight assists in 37 games. However, because the team could conceivably lose him if they attempt to pass him through waivers, they may be more likely to hold onto him and send other prospects like Brendan Guhle to the AHL since he doesn’t require waivers.

Influx Of Foreign Talent A Trend In 2018 Off-Season

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While the NHL free agent market remains flush with talented veteran players, some now beginning to depart for Europe without any leads around the league, NHL teams have quietly imported a fair amount of foreign talent this off-season. While few of these players are stars or even surefire regulars at the NHL level, the fact remains that those on two-way deals slated for depth roles are nevertheless taking those jobs from the current remnants of the market, who at this point would gladly take an AHL assignment with upside. Teams clearly have felt this off-season that taking a chance on a promising foreign player was a better use of a contract than recycling aging domestic veterans. A total of 36 players who played in Europe last season are now headed to North America, where they will suit up for 24 different organizations – showing the popularity of importing talent this off-season. Here are the foreign free agent signings this summer:

D Ilya Lyubushkin (Arizona Coyotes)
F David Ullstrom (Arizona Coyotes)
F Martin Bakos (Boston Bruins)
D Lawrence Pilut (Buffalo Sabres)
F Yasin Ehliz (Calgary Flames)
D Marcus Hogstrom (Calgary Flames)
F Saku Maenalanen (Carolina Hurricanes)
F Dominik Kahun (Chicago Blackhawks)
G Kevin Lankinen (Chicago Blackhawks)
F Jacob Nilsson (Chicago Blackhawks)
G Pavel Francouz (Colorado Avalanche)
F Valeri Nichushkin (Dallas Stars)*
G Patrik Rybar (Detroit Red Wings)
G Mikko Koskinen (Edmonton Oilers)
D Joel Persson (Edmonton Oilers)
D Bogdan Kiselevich (Florida Panthers)
F Ilya Kovalchuk (Los Angeles Kings)
D Eric Martinsson (Minnesota Wild)
D Michal Moravcik (Montreal Canadiens)
D David Sklenicka (Montreal Canadiens)
F Carl Persson (Nashville Predators)
D Filip Pyrochta (Nashville Predators)
G Miroslav Svoboda (Nashville Predators)
D Egor Yakovlev (New Jersey Devils)
F Jan Kovar (New York Islanders)
D Yannick Rathgeb (New York Islanders)
F Michael Lindqvist (New York Rangers)
F Ville Meskanen (New York Rangers)
D Juuso Riikola (Pittsburgh Penguins)
F Lukas Radil (San Jose Sharks)
F Antti Suomela (San Jose Sharks)
F Par Lindholm (Toronto Maple Leafs)
D Igor Ozhiganov (Toronto Maple Leafs)
F Brooks Macek (Vegas Golden Knights)
F Juuso Ikonen (Washington Capitals)
F Maximilian Kammerer (Washington Capitals)
F Dennis Everberg (Winnipeg Jets)

While the obvious highlight of this list is the return of Kovalchuk, inking a substantial deal with the L.A. Kings, the rest are far more than just AHL placeholders. Nichushkin, albeit not a true free agent signing since his rights never left the Stars, is back in Dallas and looking to make an impact. Koskinen is set to be the primary backup to Cam Talbot in Edmonton and, while his role was muddied somewhat by the acquisition of Philipp Grubauer, Francouz is sure to see some action in net with Colorado. Kovar was brought in to be a starter in New York, while Ullstrom – a former Islander – will push for a roster spot with Arizona. After a couple of years abroad, Everberg is back in the league and hoping to find a role in Winnipeg. If Simon Despres, on a PTO with the Montreal Canadiens, earns a contract, he could make a difference as well.

Several more of these players could wind up winning spots in training camp battles, while even more will earn call-ups throughout the year. It is an extensive list and each and every name bears watching as they begin or continue their North American pro careers. Both the risk and upside of bringing over fresh, foreign talent versus sticking with experienced yet stagnant veterans is apparent. For some teams these gambles will fail, while others may find a diamond in the rough.

 

Salary Cap Deep Dive: New Jersey Devils

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

New Jersey Devils

Current Cap Hit: $61,343,333 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Joey Anderson (two years, $925K)
F Jesper Bratt (two years, $749K)
D Will Butcher (one year, $925K)
F Nico Hischier (two years, $925K)
F Pavel Zacha (one year, $894K)

Potential Bonuses

Bratt: $93K
Butcher: $2.85MM
Hischier: $2.85MM

Total: $6.63MM

Hischier wasn’t among the rookie scoring leaders when all was said and done but the number one pick in 2017 still made his mark by finishing second in team scoring while ascending to a top-six role as a center quickly instead of being eased in as a winger.  That should have him in line to potentially max out his Schedule ‘B’ bonuses ($850K) but he’ll have a hard time locking down the loftier Schedule ‘A’ one.  He’ll be eligible for a contract extension next summer and it will be interesting to see if the Devils look to lock him up early or let him play out his contract and wait until the 2020 offseason to work something out.

Bratt was a big surprise last season.  Only one year removed from being a sixth-round pick, he wasn’t even on the radar to make the team but wound up playing over 15 minutes a night while providing strong secondary scoring.  A repeat performance could make him an early extension candidate as well.  Zacha has disappointed over his first two NHL seasons as he has to make much of an impact offensively.  He has the size and skills to carve out a big role but has yet to do so thus far.  Even if he rebounds next season, he’s a strong candidate for a bridge deal.  Anderson has yet to play in the pros but New Jersey thinks highly enough of him that they burned the first year of his entry-level deal in mid-April without him playing even a single game.  With that in mind, it’s reasonable to think they expect him to make an impact fairly quickly.

As for Butcher, he made a strong impact coming over in free agency after declining to sign with Colorado.  While he was sheltered (as many rookie blueliners often are), he made an immediate impact at the offensive end and is poised to take on a bigger role in 2018-19.  He should hit at least some of his ‘B’ bonuses (also $850K in total) but the ‘A’ one is going to be out of reach.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Brian Boyle ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Marcus Johansson ($4.583MM, UFA)
G Keith Kinkaid ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Ben Lovejoy ($2.67MM, UFA)
D Mirco Mueller ($850K, RFA)
F Stefan Noesen ($1.725MM, RFA)

Johansson was New Jersey’s big acquisition last summer but concussion trouble limited him to just 29 games.  When healthy, he is still a quality top-six forward capable of playing all three positions and a full season could help him land a nice raise on the open market.  However, another injury-filled campaign could have him settling for a one-year deal next summer.  Boyle’s start with the Devils got off to a rough start after being diagnosed with leukemia but he made an immediate impact upon his return and scored 13 times for the third straight year while winning the Masterton Trophy.  It’s hard to see him really boosting his pay on his next deal, however, as he’ll be 34 and some teams are starting to look for cheaper role players now.  Noesen had a career year last season which earned him a $1.125MM raise but if he takes a step backwards next season, he could become a non-tender candidate.

Lovejoy was a regular in his first season with the Devils but was more of a depth player at times for them last year, spending a lot of time as a healthy scratch.  That appears likely to continue as their back end remains intact which means that he will be taking a considerable pay cut on his next deal.  Mueller missed over 30 games with a fractured clavicle and was also scratched at times which resulted in what’s basically a one-year bridge deal.  If he’s in a similar role for 2018-19, he will be in line for another deal like that next offseason.

Kinkaid’s case is particularly interesting.  He re-signed last summer as someone without too much of an NHL track record.  That changed last season as he got into 41 games, took over the number one job briefly, and posted numbers around the league average.  That may not sound too exciting but a similar performance next year will still have him well-positioned for a sizable pay increase.

Two Years Remaining

D Andy Greene ($5MM, UFA)
F Taylor Hall ($6MM, UFA)
D Sami Vatanen ($4.875MM, UFA)

Hall’s stellar showing last season has been well documented.  The Hart Trophy winner shattered his career highs across the board and was a huge factor in them getting to the postseason.  Even if he takes a step back next season, he’ll still be in line for a notable raise on an early extension.  If he has a comparable performance in 2018-19 though, it’ll likely take putting him close to the league leaders in salary to get him to forego free agency.

Vatanen wasn’t quite as productive as expected after being acquired from Anaheim but he was still able to step up and play a number one role.  With the state of their back end, that’s going to be the case again next season which will be helping to make a case for his next deal starting with a six or a seven to be more in line with top-pairing players.  Greene has become more of a shutdown player compared to a few years ago which makes his deal a little bit of a premium.  Between that and his age (he’ll be 36 next summer), there’s a very good chance that he’ll be asked to take a pay cut on his next contract.

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Steven Santini Re-Signs With New Jersey Devils

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The New Jersey Devils have inked another restricted free agent, signing Steven Santini to a three-year, $4.25MM contract. The salary in the contract breaks down as follows:

  • 2018-19: $1.10MM
  • 2019-20: $1.50MM
  • 2020-21: $1.65MM

Santini will still be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal (provided he plays in at least five more NHL games during that time), but this gives him some contract stability going forward and ensures his place with the Devils. The big defenseman played 36 games for the team last season and performed admirably, recording 10 points and routinely being among the most physical players on the team. That’s something GM Ray Shero pointed out in the press release for the Santini contract:

We are excited to lock up Steven, a young, developing defenseman, for the next three seasons. He provides size and a physical element that complements our existing defensive group moving forward.

The team obviously believes that Santini can handle himself in the defensive zone, as some of his poor possession statistics can be traced back to the incredibly lopsided zone-start numbers head coach John Hynes gave him. Still, those possession numbers will send up alarm bells for some New Jersey fans looking at a three-year term for the young defenseman. At a $1.42MM cap hit there is no reason to think that Santini will be a full-time player for all three seasons, but the deal is expensive enough to expect at least some contribution. With Andy Greene, Sami Vatanen and Ben Lovejoy all on deals expiring in either the 2019 or 2020 offseasons, the team will have to make some tough decisions on how the blue line will look going forward.

Santini represents the second-last RFA the Devils had to sign this offseason, as now only Miles Wood remains without a contract. Even with a raise coming for Wood, New Jersey will still rank near the very bottom of the league in terms of salary commitments and could potentially add basically whoever they want without causing real financial ramifications. Low-cost deals like the one given to Santini will ensure that the team still has enough money to hand out to players like Vatanan and Taylor Hall when their extension window opens, though they don’t guarantee that the team will move forward in the standings. We’ll have to wait and see if Santini can take another step forward in his development and become more than just a defensive zone whipping boy.

Kevin Rooney Re-Signs With New Jersey Devils

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The New Jersey Devils have inked one of their final few restricted free agents, signing Kevin Rooney to a two-year contract. Rooney will have a two-way deal worth $700K in the NHL level during the 2018-19 season, and a one-way contract worth $700K in 2019-20.

Rooney, 25, has been a good minor league soldier for the Devils since signing as an undrafted free agent out of Providence College in 2016. That first contract was of the AHL variety, but he turned it into an NHL entry-level deal during the 2016-17 season in order to play four games for New Jersey. He spent almost the entire year in the minors again last season, but was a responsible two-way forward for the Binghamton Devils even while the team struggled to find much success on the ice.

That’s the role he’ll likely continue to play, though he’ll be rewarded with a one-way salary in the second year of this deal. It will take him through to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2020, but for now Binghamton is the most likely destination for Rooney. Still waiver-exempt for this season, he can pass freely up and down as needed and be an injury replacement for the Devils. He’ll be looking for his first NHL point if he is given any opportunity, something he hasn’t been able to register in his five career games.

Next Summer Should Be Busy For New Jersey

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It has been a very quiet offseason for the Devils.  After they were a surprise entrant into the playoffs last season, New Jersey hasn’t made a single acquisition of note while letting late-season pickups in wingers Michael Grabner and Patrick Maroon go.  While part of that could be attributable to the team opting to simply stay the course if they couldn’t land the specific free agents they wanted (such as Maroon and winger James van Riemsdyk), their caution may also be due to what could be on the horizon next summer.

Looking ahead to next offseason, quite a few notable players will be in need of new contracts.  Goalie Keith Kinkaid, who took over as the starter late in the year, is a pending unrestricted free agent as is forward Marcus Johansson, their key acquisition last summer.  Veteran center Brian Boyle and blueliner Ben Lovejoy are also pending UFAs.  On the RFA side, defenseman Will Butcher had a strong rookie year and if he follows that up with a similar sophomore campaign, he’ll be in line for a considerable raise.  If center Pavel Zacha takes a step forward in 2018-19, he’ll land himself a nice bump in pay as well.

On top of that group, three of their top players will be in line for extensions next summer as well, headlined by MVP winger Taylor Hall.  It’s going to cost considerably more than the $6MM he’s currently getting to lock him up long-term and forego testing the open market.  His linemate in 2017 first-overall pick Nico Hischier will also be within a year of restricted free agency and will undoubtedly make a whole lot more than his $925K base salary, the maximum for players on entry-level deals.  Defenseman Sami Vatanen, who took over as New Jersey’s top rearguard upon being acquired from Anaheim, is also going to be in the same boat as Hall and will be looking at a multi-million per year raise.

That’s a lot of players who will need to be addressed in the next dozen or so months so keeping lots of flexibility isn’t necessarily a bad way to go.  No team has more cap room than the Devils at the moment so they have the ability to add if someone comes available at the right price or they can stand pat and hope for continued progression for their young players with the intention of being in the mix for a playoff spot once again.  Whichever route they take, the Devils are going to go from one of the most inactive teams this summer to one of the more active ones next offseason.

Morning Notes: Gretzky, Tarasenko, Hall

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Wayne Gretzky has been named global ambassador for Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, lending his name to the development of hockey in China. The team will open a Gretzky-named hockey school for children aimed to give the next wave of Chinese hockey players added coaching and opportunity. As the NHL continues to grow its brand around the world, the “Great One” will be a big part of that movement.

This comes before the 2022 Winter Olympics are held in Beijing, a tournament that may or may not have NHL involvement. The league held its players out of the most recent Olympics, but could return to the format if a financial agreement can be worked out. Attending the Olympics is likely going to be a topic in the next CBA negotiations, which could come soon as both the NHL and NHLPA have opt-out clauses next year that could bring a work stoppage in 2020.

  • Vladimir Tarasenko was back in action yesterday, giving hope to the idea that he’ll be ready for the start of the 2018-19 season. Tarasenko injured his shoulder at the end of last season and needed reconstructive surgery, but has been cleared to skate and can even take some contact. The 26-year old sniper will be re-evaluated in September, at which point the St. Louis Blues will know if they’ll have him for opening night. The Blues have brought in several offensive players this offseason, but will still rely on Tarasenko to drive their attack.
  • Chris Ryan of NJ Advance Media spoke to New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris about upcoming extension negotiations with Taylor Hall, who explained that it was the team’s highest priority. Hall has two years remaining on his current contract meaning an extension can be signed on July 1, 2019 at which point he could become one of the highest-paid forwards in the league. The 26-year old Hall carries just a $6MM cap hit at the moment, is coming off a Hart Trophy-winning season, and has a good shot at leading the Devils back to the playoffs again in 2018-19. The fact that an owner is willing to comment on the situation should give hope to Devils fans that the team will do everything in their power to keep Hall around for many years.

New Jersey Devils Slowly Developing A Contender

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The NHL offseason usually revolves around the salary cap. Teams struggle to fit in as much talent as possible under a fixed ceiling, and are hindered in trade negotiations because of their limited cap space. The Edmonton Oilers for instance have done little this summer despite a desperate need to return to the playoffs, strangled by their expensive long-term contracts. Few teams in the league find themselves as unencumbered as the New Jersey Devils do currently, with less than $60MM in cap commitments for this season and only two players under contract for more than three years.

Even with the most cap space in the league the Devils haven’t done much to improve their team this summer, instead deciding to take an extremely slow approach to developing a contender. Amazingly, it could pay off sooner than later. New Jersey returned to the playoffs last season on the back of a Hart Trophy-winning year from Taylor Hall and solid debuts from several of their young players. Will Butcher jumped from winning the Hobey Baker award as the best college player in the country to quarterbacking an NHL powerplay, and finished his rookie season with 44 points. That put him 20th in the league among defensemen, ahead of star players like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Aaron Ekblad and Zach Werenski. While there are other flaws in Butcher’s game, the Devils used him perfectly in a role that was best suited to take advantage of his talents.

Jesper Bratt started the year off on fire with 12 points in his first 13 games, and finished the year with a solid rookie total of 35 points. After turning 20 just a week ago, Bratt will be relied on as a key piece for years in New Jersey, despite his sixth-round draft pedigree. At the other end of the spectrum was Nico Hischier, who put up 52 points after being selected first overall and took over the team’s first-line center duty by the end of the year. The teenaged Hischier looks like he could be a Selke candidate in the future, along with having big offensive potential.

While Hall has just two years remaining on his modest six-year, $36MM contract the team seems in no rush to surround him with expensive free agent talent in order to take advantage of his bargain price. Instead, seeing as they’re already a playoff-caliber team, they will wait for their internal talent to blossom before eventually sitting down with Hall for a long-term extension. Hischier, Bratt, Pavel Zacha and others will mature on the roster while prospects like John Quenneville, Michael McLeod, Ty Smith and Jesper Boqvist will fight to secure jobs on it. Unlike Edmonton, who is fighting to improve the roster without any flexibility, New Jersey finds themselves in a position to wait for the right moment.

At the trade deadline last season, the Devils rewarded the solid play of their young team by adding Michael Grabner and Patrick Maroon for a playoff run. The team gave up relatively little in future assets—a pair of draft picks and two unsigned prospects—to try and make a bit more noise in the postseason. Though they wouldn’t find much success against the Tampa Bay Lightning, they would gain some good experience for the future. Even Hall, who will turn 27 this November, had never reached the postseason before last year. You can bet they will be interested in doing something similar should they find themselves in a playoff hunt again this year, given their ample cap space.

The other consideration is the expected free agent class of 2019, which should include several (if not many) star-level players. GM Ray Shero already admitted that he pursued James van Riemsdyk this summer before the price got too high, but perhaps that threshold would raise when dealing with someone like Tyler Seguin or Artemi Panarin. Both are still scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next summer, along with names like Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, Matt Duchene, Jordan Eberle, Jeff Skinner, Blake Wheeler, Joe Pavelski, Max Pacioretty, and dozens more. While many of those players will be re-signed before New Jersey ever gets a chance at them, they might find themselves in a situation where they can outbid basically any other team in the league for whoever is left.

Metropolitan Notes: Dundon, Schneider, Devils Defense, O’Brien

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When Tom Dundon took ownership of the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this year, he said he was going to make changes. Trading one of its top scorers in Jeff Skinner certainly qualifies, but the owner made it clear that it wasn’t even a hard decision to make, according to Chip Alexander and Luke DeCock of the News & Observer.

“It had to be done,” Dundon said Friday. “The consensus in the organization, and it has been for a while, was it was better for all parties. It’s good for him, too.”

The team didn’t get a top return for the 26-year-old who has scored 204 goals for Carolina over the course of eight seasons. He had a no-trade clause and could have chosen to play out his final season in Carolina and then walk away leaving the Hurricanes with nothing to show for him. Instead, Carolina walked away with prospect Cliff Pu and three draft picks, none of which are first-round picks. Buffalo has three of them in 2019.

“This was not money motivated,” Dundon said. “This was simply that we think the team has a better chance to perform at the level we think it can perform at right now.”

  • New Jersey goaltender Cory Schneider isn’t going to be rushed back after undergoing hip surgery this offseason, according to Corey Masisak of The Athletic (subscription required). The 32-year-old goaltender had another turbulent season in which he started the season strong, struggled and then fared well to end the season. He finished the season with a 2.93 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 40 games, his worst season statistically of his career. Masisak says the timetable for Schneider to return remains murky and general manager Ray Shero has commented on Pekka Rinne’s post-surgery success on multiple occasions, suggesting the team will almost certainly be starting the season with Keith Kinkaid as their starter.
  • With four top defenders on their roster, the New Jersey Devils have to choose their new pairings between Sami Vatanen, Will Butcher, Andy Greene and Damon Severson. While the obvious choice might be that Vatanen and Greene should remain together as their shutdown line, Todd Cordell of HockeyBuzz writes that they should look at a different option which would be to match Severson with Greene instead, pointing out that Severson’s numbers alongside Greene have been as good, if not better, than Vatanen’s. That would leave Butcher with Vatanen, which could also provide a solid pairing.
  • Bill Meltzer of NHL.com writes that the Philadelphia Flyers walked away with a good feeling about many of their prospects at the World Junior Summer Showcase today, especially with the success of their 2018 first-round pick Jay O’Brien. The 18-year-old has not had much of an opportunity to play against top competition against his own age, but thrived in the game against Canada where he was named Player of the Game for Team USA after potting two goals and showing a great defensive presence.

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