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Overseas Notes: Koskinen, Salo, Jooris

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It seems that the New York Islanders could be turning to an old friend when it comes to improving their play in net in 2018-19. The Isles gave up a league-worst 296 goals this season, a 3.61 GAA, behind the pedestrian play of starter Jaroslav Halak and dismal performance of overpaid backup Thomas Greiss. Even solid AHL keeper Christopher Gibson struggled in his eight appearances. With Halak hitting the free agent market and Gibson, a restricted free agent, having an uncertain future – not to mention the undoubted desire by some in the organization to move on from Greiss – the goalie position is in need of an overhaul this off-season. One early rumored piece to the puzzle? Former prospect Mikko Koskinen. In fact, Russian news source Sport Express reports that the two sides have already agreed to a preliminary deal and will make their reunion official on July 1st. Koskinen, 29, was a second-round draft pick by New York back in 2009 and brought with him high expectations when he crossed the Atlantic that same year. However, the hulking 6’7” Finn did not last long, playing in parts of three disappointing seasons in North America, including an .873 save percentage and 4.33 GAA in four starts with the Isles in 2010-11. Koskinen, still very young, returned home and immediately returned to dominating the Finnish Liiga before making the jump to the KHL. Since 2014-15, Koskinen has been the starter for KHL powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg and has been one of the league’s top goaltenders. Last season, Koskinen led the team to a Gagarin Cup title, only to improve his play this year with a stunning 1.57 GAA and .937 save percentage. Now, Koskinen want another shot at the big time and the Isles appear willing to give him a chance to see if his developed game can translate to the NHL. Neither the Islanders nor SKA have confirmed Koskinen’s move at this point, and may not until the deal is made official when free agency opens, but it hardly seems out of the realm of possibility. Not only does New York need a boost in net, but Koskinen is just one of several KHL goaltenders who have expressed an interest in the NHL market this summer, including Olympic standout Pavel Francouz and veteran NHLer Karri Ramo. A short-term contract for Koskinen to compete for the Isles’ starter job would come as little surprise.

  • One player who won’t be leaving Europe for the Islanders is top defensive prospect Robin Salo. Salo, New York’s second-round pick last June, has signed a two-year deal with Finnish club SaiPa, the team announced (link in Finnish). The homegrown product, who has already been applauded for his mature, well-rounded game, appears interested in further seasoning in the Liiga before joining the NHL. The SaiPa press release quoted Salo as saying “”I think I can develop the game here and move forward”, likely meaning when his new contract expires in 2020. Possibly forming an dynamic tandem with top Boston Bruins defensive prospect Urho Vaakanainen, Salo certainly could impress over the next two years. However, back in New York, the Islanders will have to look elsewhere for an immediate boost on the blue line, another sore spot of 2017-18.
  • While the Islanders’ season may be over, Josh Jooris and the Pittsburgh Penguins are still playing. Yet, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from turning in regards to Jooris’ potential departure form North America. Throughout the year, Jooris has been connected to teams in Europe, particularly in the Swiss NLA, after he nearly signed in the league last summer. The two-way forward could be looking for a new opportunity as his game continues to regress in the NHL. After a promising rookie year with the Calgary Flames in 2014-15, Jooris’ production has dropped off each year. This season, he bounced back and forth from the AHL and had just six points in 40 NHL games, none of which came in his nine games of action with the Penguins following a deadline deal from the Carolina Hurricanes. Jooris reportedly wants a fresh start and now a team has returned that interest. Coach and GM Chris McSorely of the NLA’s Geneve-Servette HC revealed that at the top of his shortlist of potential free agent imports is none other than Jooris. With seemingly mutual interest and a presumed lack of value for Jooris is in the NHL market, this seems to be a rumor with some legs.

Mikko Koskinen Expected To Pursue NHL Opportunity

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Several years ago, the New York Islanders lost a young goaltending prospect by the name of Mikko Koskinen when he returned to Finland to continue his professional hockey career. After two years in his home country, Koskinen has played six seasons in the KHL, and most recently suited up for Finland at the Olympics. He was a star at both levels this season, recording a .931 save percentage during league play and a .932 mark at the Games.

Now, it sounds like he’s coming back to the NHL. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that Koskinen will leave SKA St. Petersburg for an NHL return, though it’s not clear where that will be. Though there have been reports indicating a possible return to the Islanders, Eronko calls that scenario “unlikely.”

Noted for his playoff dominance over the years, it’s interesting to see where Koskinen would land and what kind of a role he could carve out. It seems unlikely that he’d be given the crease as a starter right away, but at 29 years old it’s not like he has much developing left to do.

2018 NHL Draft Lottery Odds

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The regular season is over and for the first time in NHL history there are 15 teams on the outside of the playoff picture. For those squads and their fans, it’s a long wait for anything positive to come, with the 2018 NHL Entry Draft more than ten weeks away, scheduled for June 18th, and the start of free agency another two weeks after that. However, the odds for this year’s NHL Draft Lottery are now set and teams can at least look forward to the ping pong balls being drawn at the end of the month, on Saturday, April 28th. With the teams in the running now set, here are the odds for the #1 overall pick in this years draft:

31st – Buffalo Sabres: 18.5%

30th – Ottawa Senators: 13.5%

29th – Arizona Coyotes: 11.5%

28th – Montreal Canadiens: 9.5%

27th – Detroit Red Wings: 8.5%

26th – Vancouver Canucks: 7.5%

25th – Chicago Blackhawks: 6.5%

24th – New York Rangers: 6.0%

23rd – Edmonton Oilers: 5.0%

22nd – New York Islanders: 3.5%

21st – Carolina Hurricanes: 3.0%

20th – New York Islanders (from Calgary Flames): 2.5%

19th – Dallas Stars: 2.0%

18th – Philadelphia Flyers (from St. Louis Blues (top-ten option)): 1.5%

17th – Florida Panthers: 1.0%

If you are a fan of one of these teams, you can entertain yourself for the next few weeks with this Lottery Simulator from Tankathon.com.

Morning Notes: O’Reilly, Maple Leafs, De Haan

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The Buffalo Sabres held their locker clean out today after another season where they find themselves at the very bottom of the standings. The Sabres will have the best chance at selecting first overall in the upcoming draft, but that didn’t cheer up Ryan O’Reilly, who spoke candidly about how he has struggled with morale this season. O’Reilly is quoted in John Vogl’s piece for the Buffalo News:

We’re stuck in this mindset of just being OK with losing. I feel it, too. I think it’s really crept into myself. Over the course of the year, I’ve lost myself a lot, where it’s just kind of get through, just being OK with just not making a mistake. That’s not winning hockey at all, and it’s crept into all of our games.

It’s disappointing. It’s sad. I feel throughout the year I’ve lost the love of the game multiple times. You need to get back to it because it’s just eating myself up and eats the other guys, too. It’s just eating us up, and it’s tough.

The Sabres have finished out of the playoffs for the last seven seasons, and haven’t had any real postseason success in over a decade. With a rookie coach and GM in Phil Housley and Jason Botterill, things will have to turn around quickly if they want ownership to stick with them long-term. Jack Eichel will begin his $80MM contract extension next season, while O’Reilly still has five years at $7.5MM left on his deal. Those two will have to be the key members of any bounce back, though they’ll certainly need some help along the way.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs will carry $2.55MM in bonuses over to next season according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, who notes that they also have close to $21MM coming off the books this summer. Interestingly, that bonus number could still increase by another $2MM should Auston Matthews take home the Conn Smythe trophy. The Maple Leafs will have a reduced amount of cap room because of it, and plenty of decisions to make on unrestricted free agents like James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov.
  • Calvin de Haan would welcome a return to the New York Islanders according to Andrew Gross of Newsday, but is aware of the lack of defensemen on the free agent market this summer. de Haan’s season ended in December after just 33 games, which clouds his future considerably. At one point (including on our Midseason UFA Power Rankings) he looked like he was set to hit the market as one of the best defensemen available. Now, it’s entirely unclear if he’ll be able to secure a long-term deal at all.

Minor Transactions: 4/8/18

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With the Eastern Conference still undecided until today’s final regular season game, the Western Conference has no questions as the Colorado Avalanche finished off the St. Louis Blues in a 5-2 victory Saturday as they clinched the final playoff spot. The Nashville Predators got the top spot and will face the Avalanche. In other first-round matchups, the Vegas Golden Knights will face the Los Angeles Kings, the Anaheim Ducks will face the San Jose Sharks and the Minnesota Wild will face the Winnipeg Jets. 

New York Islanders Sign Yannick Rathgeb To Two-Year Deal

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The New York Islanders have dipped into the European free agent market, signing Yannick Rathgeb to a two-year two-way contract. Though no financial terms have been released, Rathgeb will be subject to normal entry-level contract rules given his age.

A Swiss-born defenseman, Rathgeb already has some experience in North America after spending two seasons with the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL. Undrafted, he returned to Switzerland where he has spent the last three seasons, suiting up for Fribourg-Gotteron in the professional NLA. He’s proven to be a consistent puck-moving defenseman, registering point totals of 27, 34 and 28 in relatively short seasons.

Coming to the Islanders, the 22-year old Rathgeb will likely have to prove himself again in the AHL. His experience in the most recent Spengler Cup was a good test, but to climb the ranks in New York will be a different challenge entirely. Interestingly though, the Islanders should have a healthy competition over the next few seasons for playing time on their blue line.

Calvin de Haan, Thomas Hickey and Dennis Seidenberg are all scheduled for unrestricted free agency, while Brandon Davidson and Ryan Pulock are both restricted free agents looking for new contracts. If Rathgeb can quickly make an impact, there will be opportunity for him in New York.

David Quenneville Signs With New York Islanders

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According to Arthur Staple of The Athletic, the New York Islanders have signed prospect David Quenneville to a three-year entry-level contract. Quenneville’s junior season came to an end recently when Medicine Hat was knocked out by Brandon, despite his eight points in the series.

Selected in the seventh round of the 2016 draft, Quenneville is the younger brother of John Quenneville and Peter Quenneville, who were drafted by New Jersey and Columbus respectively. John, picked the highest of the three, has played 14 games in the NHL but is still looking for a full-time opportunity with the Devils.

The youngest brother, David is also the smallest of the three. Standing just 5’8″ he’s been overlooked for much of his junior career, not expected to make much of an impact in professional hockey. That might have changed this season, when the 20-year old registered 80 points in 70 games to (tie for the) lead the Tigers and show that he can really dominate his competition through skill and offensive awareness.

It will still be a long road ahead of him to make an impact as part of the Islanders, but signing his ELC is the first step in his professional career. He’ll start out in Bridgeport next season, and will try to show that he can still produce at the next level.

Early Notes: Tavares, Stamkos, Luongo

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In a story that won’t go away until a decision is made, John Tavares spoke again about how this season has gone for the New York Islanders and where his future might reside. Arthur Staple of The Athletic (subscription required) navigates the non-answers and explains how the decision truly doesn’t seem to have been made just yet.

Tavares is having an excellent season with 83 points through 80 games, but none of it will matter as the Islanders are set to miss the playoffs once again. While the superstar center has always said no one factor will decide whether or not he stays in New York, the future and direction of the club has always been important.

  • Steven Stamkos is still not at practice for the Tampa Bay Lightning, which makes it unlikely that he’ll play tomorrow night against the Buffalo Sabres. That’s the final home game of the regular season for the Lightning, but the crowds won’t have to wait long to welcome their team back on the ice. Though Tampa Bay is fighting with Boston for seeding in the Atlantic, both teams will have home ice advantage in the first round with the lower seed facing Toronto next week. The Lightning will have to hope Stamkos can go in Game 1, or else face tough competition without their captain.
  • Roberto Luongo will become just the third goaltender in the history of the NHL to play in 1,000 games when he takes on the Boston Bruins tonight, joining Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy in the exclusive club. Amazingly, Luongo has remained one of the best goaltenders in the league this season even at the age of 39. With a .929 save percentage, Luongo sits third among goaltenders who have started at least 30 games, and had he not been injured could be in the Vezina conversation—one that has never ended with him taking home the hardware.

Black Monday: The Day The Coaches (Could) Disappear

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The NHL looks like it will finish an entire season without seeing a single coach fired for the first time since expansion in 1967, but there could be a dark lining on that stat coming next week. “Black Monday” as it is being termed could be coming after the final game of the regular season this Sunday, with close to a dozen coaches finding themselves on the hot seat.

In last night’s Insider Trading segment on TSN, Bob McKenzie broke down a list of potential firings that looked like this:

Glen Gulutzan, Calgary Flames
Bill Peters, Carolina Hurricanes
Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks
Jeff Blashill, Detroit Red Wings
Todd McLellan, Edmonton Oilers
Doug Weight, New York Islanders
Alain Vigneault, New York Rangers
Guy Boucher, Ottawa Senators
Barry Trotz, Washington Capitals

Some of these names simply don’t have a contract for next season, including Trotz, who also happens to be the only coach on the list heading to the playoffs. The Capitals have won the Metropolitan Division for the third year in a row, but will be judged entirely on their postseason performance. Washington must find some success past the second round, or there could be a shake up in order starting with the man behind the bench.

The rest of the list is a who’s who of disappointing seasons, with Quenneville sticking out like a sore thumb. Arguably one of the best coaches of all-time, Quenneville’s firing could cause what McKenzie terms a ripple effect throughout the league. Though he doesn’t expand on that idea, many have wondered whether another team would fire their incumbent to have the opportunity to hire Quenneville should he become a free agent, much like the Montreal Canadiens did last season when Claude Julien was let go from Boston.

In New York, while both coaches might not be back it would be for very different reasons. Vigneault has had a lot of regular season success with the Rangers, but as they enter into an unfamiliar rebuild they could want to start with a fresh face behind the bench. For Weight and the Islanders, this season was an abject failure as they tried to woo John Tavares with a trip to the postseason. They won’t get there, and now have to worry about whether their captain and superstar will stick around.

There could be many other names you could suggest for the list, and it is extremely unlikely that all of these will get the boot before the start of 2018-19. You can be sure some changes are coming though, even if it does come after a remarkable season of patience by general managers around the league.

Minor Transactions: 04/03/18

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Just over a week until the NHL playoff begin, and there are still a few spots to be decided. Maybe the most intriguing game on the schedule for tonight is Boston and Tampa Bay, still jockeying for position at the top of the Atlantic Division. Though neither first round series will be easy, the first place team will avoid playing the upstart Toronto Maple Leafs right away.

Charlie McAvoy will make his return for the Bruins tonight, while Steven Stamkos remains sidelined for the Lightning. While your eyes are on that game, we’ll keep track of all the other minor moves around the league.

  • The Montreal Canadiens have sent Rinat Valiev back to the minor leagues, but he won’t be able to help the Laval Rocket reach the postseason this year. Laval is near the bottom of the entire NHL in their first season since relocation, and have mirrored the Canadiens’ inconsistency from the beginning of the year. Valiev, a restricted free agent this summer, should be able to help out that team in 2018-19 as he’s shown an ability to play at a high level in the minor leagues.
  • Christopher Gibson’s emergency recall has been terminated, now that two other New York Islanders goalies are healthy enough to play. Thomas Greiss will start tonight, and will try once again to show that he can be counted on for the next two seasons of his current contract. The 32-year old goaltender hasn’t had a good season, and comes into tonight’s game with an .891 save percentage.
  • With John Gibson sidelined with a minor injury, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled Reto Berra from the minor leagues. Berra has been one of the best goaltenders in the AHL this season, sporting a .925 save percentage with the San Diego Gulls.
  • Daniel Taylor has been recalled by the Ottawa Senators as they deal with goaltending issues of their own. Mike Condon was injured in practice today, meaning Taylor could see some action down the stretch as the backup for Craig Anderson. The Senators play three games in four nights to finish the season including back-to-back contests on Friday and Saturday. If Taylor does play one of those games, it would be his Ottawa debut and only fourth career NHL appearance.
  • Not to be outdone, the Detroit Red Wings have recalled goaltender Tom McCollum under emergency conditions. That means the Grand Rapids Griffins are without either of their starters as they finish out the regular season, already missing Jared Coreau since Petr Mrazek was dealt out of town. McCollum was actually a first-round pick of the Red Wings back in 2008, but has played just three NHL games in his career.
  • The Washington Capitals have recalled both Travis Boyd and Madison Bowey, likely so that they can give a few regulars some rest over the last few games. The Capitals have clinched first place in the Metropolitan Division, and will play whichever team finishes in the first wild card position. That’s currently Philadelphia, but could easily change over the next few days.

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