Ryan Murray Out Four To Six Weeks With Broken Hand
Though there was initially no timetable, Columbus Blue Jackets’ fans immediately assumed the worst when hearing that Ryan Murray had broken his hand. Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press confirmed those fears today, reporting that the defenseman would be out for four to six weeks. Murray blocked a shot against the Buffalo Sabres on his second shift of the game Saturday night, coming out of the game immediately.
The Blue Jackets had only dealt with minor injuries to the majority of their defense corps, with Zach Werenski and Jack Johnson having not missed a single game this season. Losing Murray is exactly the type of unfortunate scenario that led to the acquisition of Kyle Quincey at the deadline, who will likely assume much of the responsibility. Quincey’s flexibility to play both sides of the ice will allow the Blue Jackets to insert whoever they wish into the sixth spot, likely one of Scott Harrington or Markus Nutivaara.
Murray, the former second-overall pick of the 2012 draft, had been a workhorse for the Blue Jackets last season, logging over 22 minutes of icetime each night. With a full season from Seth Jones and the emergence of Werenski however, his importance had been dialed back this year. Still an integral piece of their penalty kill, his absence will surely be felt over the last month and a half of the season. Four weeks would bring him back just in time for the playoffs, while six would jeopardize the entire first round. With the Blue Jackets a lock for a playoff spot, but not necessarily home ice advantage, the remaining fifteen games are still extremely important.
Dallas Stars Sign Adam Cracknell To One-Year Extension
Adam Cracknell will be in Texas for at least one more year, as the Dallas Stars have inked him to a one-year extension worth $675K. The 31-year old forward was set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. 
Cracknell made his return to the Stars lineup on Monday after missing three weeks with a leg injury. This season has already seen him suit up for more games than he ever has in a single year, playing in 53 contests for Dallas and contributing 10 points. Playing just over 10 minutes a night he’s provided a physical presence to the Stars’ fourth-line without taking many penalties.
While this is a well deserved deal for a player who has performed well enough this season, it also provides Dallas with a little bit of expansion draft certainty. Cracknell fills one of the required two forwards that are signed through next year and have played at least 40 games this season (or 70 the past two combined). With the Stars likely wanting to protect Tyler Seguin, Antoine Roussel and Cody Eakin, they’ll need to extend another one of their upcoming free agents to fill the exposure requirements. Curtis McKenzie seems like the obvious choice, as though Brett Ritchie and Radek Faksa both would qualify, the pair will likely deserve protection.
Deals like this will be common over the next few months, as teams make sure their rosters are as expansion-proof as possible. With the Stars, they may end up losing a prospect either way as they currently have too many players—likely at forward and defense—to protect. They would be a likely candidate for a deal with Las Vegas to select a certain player from their roster.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Day Three Decisions From The GM Meetings
Alex Nylander is making waves. Not in the way you might think, dominating the AHL like his brother did two years ago as a teenager—Alex has just 22 points in 51 games this season for the Rochester Americans—but at the GM Meetings in Boca Raton this week. According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, Swedish hockey officials made a presentation to the GMs focused on keeping Sweden’s best prospects at home instead of developing them in the AHL. The Nylander brothers, along with some others, were likely focal points of the discussion as they both came over as teenagers to play in North American professional hockey.
Alex in particular had an interesting journey, playing first in OHL before using a loophole to move him straight into the AHL. Though normally players from the CHL aren’t allowed to “go pro” until their 20th birthday, Nylander had played the entire year with the Mississauga Steelheads on loan from his Swedish club, making him eligible like any other European prospect. Others like Andreas Johnson in Toronto, Adrian Kempe in Los Angeles and Julius Bergman in San Jose (and many more around the league) have come over early after being drafted by NHL clubs and continued their development in minor league hockey here. The NHL obviously has a vested interest in keeping the best prospects on their home turf, while individual teams enjoy having control of their development.
- The league did agree on one rule change that will be proposed to the competition committee. Under the proposed change, teams would no longer be allowed to call a time out after an icing to give their players a rest. A small change that could have a big impact late in games, it should be expected to go through and be implemented next season. As Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press points out, the AHL already introduced that change this season.
- The much talked about change to bye-weeks will be put into place next season according to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Instead of having each team take their bye-weeks at different times, there will be two set periods that will rest half the teams at a time. Since there will be 31 teams next season, 15 will rest the first week, and 16 the next. Coming out of their breaks, teams will play their first two games against opponents who shared the same rest period.
- The salary cap will increase slightly next season according to Johnston, sitting at $75.5-76MM depending on the inflator negotiations with the NHLPA this summer. While those extra couple of million may help some teams immensely, it doesn’t represent much revenue growth for either side. Frank Seravalli of TSN notes that because this isn’t a final number, most GMs are still assuming a flat cap and will adjust when the league makes an official announcement.
- Michael Traikos of Postmedia gives us the quote we were all dreading about NHL participation in the upcoming Olympics. Bill Daly told Traikos “Unless something changes we’re not going. We’ve said that consistently for three months. There’s nothing new about that.” It’s true that they’ve been consistent with it, but not so bluntly as Daly has finally put it. It seems as though there will be a fight between players wanting to go regardless, and their owners needing them during the season. As Traikos notes, Daly doesn’t seem pressured by that impending bat
St. Louis Blues Sign Tage Thompson To Three-Year ELC
The St. Louis Blues have locked up their most recent first-round pick, signing Tage Thompson to a three-year, entry-level contract today. Thompson had been playing at the University of Connecticut, but will report to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL for the remainder of the season on an amateur contract. His entry-level deal will not kick in until the 2017-18 season. 
Thompson is the son of former NHL defenseman and current Bridgeport Sound Tigers head coach Brent Thompson. Playing mostly center ice for the Huskies, the younger Thompson is a dominant power forward that uses his size (6’5″, 200-lbs) to remove defenders from the puck and attack the net with powerful strides. Although he is still a work in progress in the defensive end, many believe he will turn into an excellent two-way player that can slot in anywhere in the top-nine.
Playing mostly with Kieffer Bellows, the New York Islanders prospect who was selected seven spots ahead of him in the draft, Thompson put on a show of force at the World Juniors for Team USA and was a big part of their run for gold. His hands, skill, and quickness don’t lag very far behind his size because as he explained to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch back in January, he spent most of his developmental years as an undersized player before hitting a growth spurt a few years ago.
Using that size and skill, he’ll now head to his first taste of professional hockey as the Wolves try to clinch first place in the Central Division. With 32 points in 34 games for Connecticut, he definitely won’t lack any confidence in his game as he adapts to the AHL level. It will be interesting to see if the Wolves will use him at center or on the powerplay, both places they’ve lacked since Ivan Barbashev has stayed up with the Blues.
Washington Capitals Sign Kristofers Bindulis, Hampus Gustafsson
The Washington Capitals have snapped up two interesting college free agents today, signing Kristofers Bindulis and Hampus Gustafsson to entry-level contracts. The two have signed for three and two years respectively, beginning with the 2017-18 season. Bindulis was rumored recently to be on the radar of several teams around the league. Both players will report to the Hershey Bears of the AHL on tryout agreements for the remainder of the season.
Bindulis was at the Capitals’ development camp last summer, of which he told Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post “I really enjoyed my time over there.” The 6’3″ defenseman has started to fill out into his big frame and should get a chance to play with the Bears as they try to make it into the post-season. In this his freshman year at Lake Superior State, Bindulis registered 12 points in 28 games.
It’s Gustafsson that may be even more interesting than Bindulis however, as the 23-year old forward is a finalist for the Hobey Baker award and has been a consistent scoring threat during his four years at Merrimack College. Gustafsson uses his huge frame (6’4″, 200-lbs) to fight for every inch of the ice, and can be a dominant net-front presence on the powerplay. While there are questions about the games of both players—like there are with any unproven young talent—both have some upside and a shot at making the NHL one day. First though they’ll test themselves in their first taste of professional hockey in the AHL.
Los Angeles Kings Sign Clague, Wagner To Three-Year Contracts
The Los Angeles Kings have gotten into the entry-level contract fun. The team has signed both Kale Clague and Austin Wagner to three-year, entry-level deals. Both players are coming to the end of their CHL seasons, and will now start on their professional journey.
Clague was the Kings’ second-round pick in the 2016 draft, and is another in the growing trend of slightly-undersized but tremendously skilled defenders. Finally out of the shadow of Ivan Provorov for the Brandon Wheat Kings, he has become the team’s top defender and produced like it all season. 38 points in 43 games during what has been a shortened season due to injury and the World Juniors, Clague is one of the best skaters in his draft class and can move the puck efficiently and calmly under pressure.
For the Kings, he represents the next piece in the pipeline they’ve created for defenders. While he may not get to the NHL for a few more seasons, the future looks bright for the 18-year old. His development is made all that more important for the club since they dealt Eric Cernak away to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Ben Bishop.
Wagner was a fourth-round selection in 2015, and has continued to put up solid point numbers for the Regina Pats. His 60 points in 58 games represent a career-high pace, but it’s his strong defensive work that stands out for scouts when watching him. Responsible in his own end and willing to use his size on the forecheck, his offensive upside may be limited at the next level. He’ll turn 20 this summer and will debut with the Ontario Reign of the AHL next season.
Seeking Writers For Pro Hockey Rumors
Last June, we launched Pro Hockey Rumors to cover all of the NHL transaction-related news, joining MLB Trade Rumors, Hoops Rumors, and Pro Football Rumors in our network. PHR has grown rapidly since then and we’re looking to bring aboard multiple new writers with strong weekend and evening availability. The positions pay hourly. The criteria:
- Availability to work at least ten hours per week covering NHL news, particularly with availability from 8am-9pm central time Saturday and Sunday, as well as 5-9pm Monday through Friday.
- Exceptional knowledge of all 31 NHL teams, no discernible bias. Knowledge of transaction-related concepts.
- A high school degree is required, and further education is preferred. Please include your highest completed level of education in your application.
- Writing experience is necessary, and online writing experience is preferred.
- Attention to detail and ability to follow the Pro Hockey Rumors style and tone.
- Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news quickly and concisely.
- Ability to use Twitter, Tweetdeck, and an RSS feed reader such as Feedly. In general, you must be able to multi-task.
- Experience with social media, especially Twitter.
- If you’re interested, email prohockeyrumorshelp@gmail.com and explain how you stand out and qualify in a couple of short paragraphs. Please attach your resume to the email. We often receive several hundred applications, so unfortunately we will not be able to reply to each one.
New Jersey Devils Trade Brandon Gormley To Ottawa Senators
If you thought trades were a think of the past, think again. The New Jersey Devils have sent Brandon Gormley to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for future considerations. Remember, the trade deadline is only truly for playoff eligibility, meaning that teams can still swap minor league players like Gormley. As such, the Senators have announced that he will report to Binghamton of the AHL.
Gormley was drafted 13th overall back in 2010 by the (then) Phoenix Coyotes but never developed into the kind of shutdown defender the team had hoped for. After a few unsuccessful seasons, Gormley would be traded to the Colorado Avalanche before eventually being released by the club. He signed a contract with the Devils last summer, but has struggled at times with the Albany Devils as well.
Future considerations in this case will likely not amount to much, as Gormley is basically an addition for the baby-Sens (who aren’t even in a playoff race). He is only an restricted free agent this summer at the age of 25, so perhaps they just wanted an extended look at him in person to see if he’s worth re-upping on a two-way deal this summer. Afterall, the pedigree is certainly there—he was drafted just before Jaden Schwartz, and three picks ahead of Vladimir Tarasenko.
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Reid Duke As First Player In Franchise History
It’s not a big name, but it will be remembered forever. Reid Duke of the Brandon Wheat Kings has been signed by the Vegas Golden Knights to a three-year entry-level contract and with it, becomes the first player in the history of the organization. The deal will carry a cap hit of $770K with performance bonuses that could raise the AAV to $925K, per CapFriendly. As we’ve hinted at in the past few days, the Golden Knights will likely dive deep into the pool of over-aged CHL players and NCAA free agents leading up to the draft, as they will eventually have to fill out their minor league affiliates as well as NHL team.
Duke is a 21-year old center from Calgary, Alberta who has been playing for the Wheat Kings—where Vegas AGM Kelly McCrimmon worked for years and still owns—and was eligible to be signed by any team in the league. Originally selected by the Minnesota Wild in the sixth round of the 2014 draft, the team lost his rights after not signing him by June 1st of last year. With 67 points in 54 games this season, Duke might not look like a promising prospect to new fans, but McCrimmon has a different message.
When we project Reid, we think his game will evolve as he becomes a pro. We believe he’s going to be an NHL player. I think what’s impressive with Reid is a real high skill level and yet a guy that’s able to play a big, strong, heavy game.
Duke will finish his season in Brandon before attending the inaugural Golden Knights development camp this summer, along with many other future players. Even if he never does make it to the NHL, he’ll always be able to say he was the first player in the history of an NHL franchise.
Vegas Allowed To Not Disclose Expansion Side Deals
Cue the rampant speculation. When the Vegas Golden Knights were announced as an official NHL team on Wednesday, many expressed a belief that they already had several side deals completed. However, we may not know until after the Expansion Draft on June 21st.
In issuing the rules regarding transactions for the NHL’s newest squad, the league made note that Vegas and the teams with which they are doing business are not required to publicly disclose any moves. The Knights are free to agree to “bona fide transactions” with other clubs regarding compensation for selecting or not selecting players in the Expansion Draft. They’re welcome to make agreements to acquire picks, prospects, or players for their actions on June 21st. As always, they must report such transactions to the league, but they don’t owe the same information to the fans, the media, and most importantly, other teams. Vegas and it’s trade partners will be allowed to keep these deals private and reveal any information at their discretion.
No trades with the Knights can be official any time soon, since the team cannot acquire players until the end of their 2016-17 season, whether that be the end of the regular season or when their current team is eliminated from the playoffs. However, that won’t stop GM George McPhee from striking deals with several teams well before that point. By not having to disclose these moves, McPhee and the Knights’ front office will hold all of the cards. The team can make agreements with teams not to select players that they may have no intention of taking. They can negotiate with impending free agents with the knowledge that they’ve already agreed to acquire a different player from that team. There is a multitude of advantages to being able to keep their moves private, yet another loophole that the NHL has provided to it’s newest venture.
What it means for fans is that expansion news may not be as free-flowing as expected. While information leaks are still sure to occur, don’t expect many major press releases during April and May announcing agreements with Vegas. This is likely to make the Expansion Draft a much more exciting event, but it also means that a lot of guesswork and speculation is coming down the pipeline. Stay tuned for our coverage of the Expansion Draft process and previews of team protection plans coming soon.