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Draft Notes: Suzuki, Makar, Hischier, Patrick

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The Hockey News’ Ryan Kennedy believes that Owen Sound’s Nick Suzuki could very well be the steal of the draft. Suzuki, who has seen explosive growth in his draft stock, scored 96 points (45-51) in 65 games. Suzuki passes the standard and advanced stats test for many. Kennedy writes:

Scouts love his skill and his compete level. What’s even more intriguing is that, by advanced stats that I have seen, Suzuki was the best possession forward in the entire draft class – better than Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier by a mile.

NHL.com’s Mike Morreale writes that NHL Central Scouting tagged Suzuki as the tenth best prospect in North America, while scout Matt Ryan regards Suzuki as a “consistent prospect” who continuously improved as the season went on. Ryan also notes that had one of the “toughest schedule against the toughest competition,” and still managed to produce eye popping numbers and performances. While there are a glut of centers primed to be taken in the top ten, it would not be shocking to see Suzuki crack the top ten.

  • Could Cale Makar be the first overall pick? The Calgary Herald’s Wes Gilbertson reports that one scout who spoke to TSN’s Bob McKenzie said he would take Makar first overall if he had that pick. Gilbertson writes that the “smooth skating” defenseman won’t be waiting long in Chicago for his name to be called, and that 27 teams were interested in talking to him at the NHL scouting combine. Picks in the top ten will be heavy with defensemen and centers, and Makar appears to be one who could have his name called as early as the top three. Some scouts have even compared him to Erik Karlsson, who was the fifteenth pick overall in the 2008 NHL draft. Adding more to this theory, ESPN Insider Corey Pronman predicts that Makar will be selected by New Jersey at number one instead of  Hischier or Patrick.
  • On the topic of Hischier and Patrick, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi adds to the speculation that the Devils could very well take a defenseman at #1, which would give the Flyers the first crack at the two centers. Carchidi writes, however, that neither center cares who goes first. Both players had dinner with Flyers GM Ron Hextall in separate gatherings, and Patrick believes he is fully recovered from the injuries he fought through during the 2016-17 season. Regardless of who they pick, the Flyers will sit pretty should the Devils take a defenseman and leave two prized centermen for Philadelphia.

Kris Russell Expected To Re-Sign In Edmonton

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After the Edmonton Oilers cleared some cap space earlier today by moving Jordan Eberle for Ryan Strome, the team is close to bringing back one of their pending free agents. E.J. Hradek of NHL Network is hearing that Kris Russell will re-sign with the team.

Russell was one of the more interesting cases in free agency last summer, expected to lock down a long-term deal but eventually having to settle for just a one-year pact. Edmonton ended up giving him $3.1MM for last season, something that he’s sure to improve upon this time around. The 30-year old played over 21 minutes a night for the Oilers, registering 13 points in 68 games while blocking his regular 200+ shots.

One of the battlegrounds between “old” and “new school” player evaluation, Russell seems to be an effective defender but records extremely poor possession statistics. Despite that, coaches seem to rely heavily on him in many different situations and have put him on the ice more than 21 minutes a night for four straight seasons. Especially with the loss of Andrej Sekera to injury for the first part of the season, the Oilers needed to bring in a left-handed shot at some point this summer.

Whether Russell should be that defenseman is up for debate, as Edmonton fans are just as split as anyone when it comes to his performance. Though he once put up 34 points in a season for Calgary, he’s far from an offensive contributor and shouldn’t be expected to get back to that total going forward. The reason for moving Eberle, cap space, is also at risk should the Oilers decide to lock him up long-term. With Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid needing new contracts, locking in close to $4MM per season for a past-30 Russell is a risky proposition.

NHL Awards Preview

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Caught up in the excitement of the Expansion Draft, it’s easy to forget that there is also an awards show tonight. Yes, the best trophy in all of sports, the Stanley Cup, has already been presented to the Pittsburgh Penguins, as has the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP to their captain, Sidney Crosby. Crosby also already locked up the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for the most regular season goals. Edmonton Oilers wunderkind Connor McDavid captured the Art Ross Trophy for the most regular season points as well. Braden Holtby locked up the William M. Jennings Trophy already too, as the Washington Capitals allowed the least amount of goals against in the regular season. Yet, all three of these players and many more still have a lot on the line tonight. Here are the nominees for tonight’s NHL Awards:

Hart Trophy – Most Valuable Player

Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets

  • Star goalie helped to lead the Blue Jackets to their best record in franchise history, all while topping the league in save percentage (.931) and goals against average (2.06)

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

  • The NHL’s leading goal-scorer and back-to-back winner of the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

  • 20-year-old phenom led the league in points and assists and took his team from the draft lottery to the second round of the playoffs

Norris Trophy – Best Defenseman

Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

  • Not only led all defenseman in scoring with 76 points, but finished ninth overall among some of the league’s most dynamic forwards. Can check with the best of them as well.

Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

  • A down year for the Bolts was a career year for Hedman, who finished just four points behind Burns with 72, and led all blue liners with 56 assists

Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

  • If this award had been voted on after the playoffs, it might have been a different result. The NHL’s best puck-mover may still pull it off behind a 71-point campaign and an improved defensive game

Read more

Rumored Vegas Golden Knights Expansion Selections

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The Vegas Golden Knights will reveal their expansion selections at tonight’s NHL Awards show, but details have started to come in on who each team will lose. There are many rumors floating around, but these are the most reputable. As with anything, nothing is final until the actual selections are announced tonight. This page will be updated with new information as it comes in.

Here are the latest rumored selections along with their source:

Anaheim Ducks: Clayton Stoner — Bob McKenzie of TSN

Arizona Coyotes: 

Boston Bruins: Colin Miller — Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet

Buffalo Sabres: William Carrier — Frank Seravalli of TSN

Calgary Flames: Deryk Engelland — John Shannon of Sportsnet

Carolina Hurricanes:

Chicago Blackhawks: Trevor van Riemsdyk — Frank Seravalli of TSN

Colorado Avalanche:

Columbus Blue Jackets: William Karlsson — Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch

Dallas Stars: Cody Eakin — Jim Toth of TSN

Detroit Red Wings: Tomas Nosek — Craig Custance of The Athletic.

Edmonton Oilers: Griffin Reinhart — John Shannon of Sportsnet

Florida Panthers: Jon Marchessault — Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet

Los Angeles Kings: Brayden McNabb — John Shannon of Sportsnet

Minnesota Wild: Erik Haula — Michael Russo of the Star Tribune

Montreal Canadiens: Alexei Emelin — Eric Engels of Sportsnet

Nashville Predators: James Neal — Bob McKenzie of TSN

New Jersey Devils: Jon Merrill — Frank Seravalli of TSN

New York Islanders: Jean-Francois Berube — Bob McKenzie of TSN

New York Rangers: Oscar Lindberg — Larry Brooks of the New York Post and Frank Seravalli of TSN.

Ottawa Senators: Marc Methot — Pierre LeBrun of TSN

Philadelphia Flyers: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare — Craig Custance of The Athletic

Pittsburgh Penguins: Marc-Andre Fleury – Bob McKenzie of TSN

San Jose Sharks: David Schlemko — Pierre LeBrun of TSN

St. Louis Blues: David Perron — James Mirtle of The Athletic

Tampa Bay Lightning:

Toronto Maple Leafs: Brendan Leipsic — Darren Dreger of TSN

Vancouver Canucks:

Washington Capitals: Nate Schmidt — Pierre LeBrun of TSN

Winnipeg Jets:

Entry Draft Notes: Avalanche, Stars, Flyers

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The Colorado Avalanche seem to be at least entertaining the possibility of moving down in the draft. According to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, the team is split internally over whether to select the best player available or to draft a dynamic defenseman, which is their biggest organizational need at the moment. Finding the proper balance between these two philosophies is always difficult, and ultimately, the scouts are the ones who need to believe in a particular player. It is interesting to note that Chambers doesn’t see defender Cale Makar being taken that early in the draft, and that the Avalanche might be “stuck” selecting another forward. Makar actually got votes for the top pick from one of TSN’s analysts, and there are many who believe he will hop into the top-5. Bob McKenzie actually had him slotted in at that #4 spot, so it’s a bit difficult to determine what the Avalanche are thinking here.

If the organization did decide to trade to a lower pick, as director of amateur scouting Alan Hepple says is “a scenario…that they’re ready for”, it would likely include a piece that will provide more immediate help for the team. After a 48 point season, that could mean plugging a hole at practically any position. It’s a lot to consider, especially in light of the Matt Duchene trade rumors which haven’t stopped swirling since they began halfway through the season. This article will only keep more eyes peeled on the team from Denver headed into Friday’s draft.

  • The Flyers don’t seem to have the blinders on regarding their #2 selection, according to Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  They are spending most of their time and energy focusing on the later rounds. This makes sense for any team with a top selection, but especially for Philadelphia who will almost certainly draft whichever of Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier remains. The team is heavily invested in looking to load up on offensive talent, and with 11 picks in this year’s draft, they’ve set themselves up very well. One of the major criticisms for the team in recent drafting has been the over-emphasis on physicality and intangibles, while ignoring more dynamic offensive players. We’ll see if they can avoid that pitfall this weekend.
  • The Stars look to be leaning away from the big Windsor forward Gabriel Vilardi, according to Sean Shapiro of NHL.com. He also speculates that Dallas is particularly high on the aforementioned Makar and HIFK’s shifty Miro Heiskanen. They look to be focusing on defense for another draft, and with their top-end offense it’s no wonder why. They just exposed Cody Eakin to Vegas because of their glut of center-men, and even though Vilardi is an exceptional, versatile forward – he’s not a need. Both Makar and Heiskanen were ranked in the top-5 final rankings by McKenzie, so it’s difficult to see Dallas moving from their #3 position.

Vegas Storming 1st Round Of Draft

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The Vegas Golden Knights are in an odd position, where they control a strong negotiating position over teams who don’t want to lose valuable roster players. Vegas is under no obligation to comply with any requests, and can essentially extort other teams for maximum return. If Anaheim wants to protect Josh Manson, for example, Vegas will play hardball. They will do so for two reasons: first, the better the player, the more important he will be to a future Knights team, and two, they have no incentive not to take that player for anything less than an optimal return. GM George McPhee is already looking to have a better competitive jump-start than any previous NHL expansion team by a significant margin. And it doesn’t look as though he will opt out of choosing the best available players for anything short of a ransom. Some teams might be desperate enough to do so.

Vegas is already assumed to have three picks, and could easily snag more. They have their own pick at #6, and are believed to have side-deals with Columbus and the New York Islanders in order to acquire the #24 and #15 picks, respectively. Anaheim is definitely in discussions to keep Manson and possibly even Sami Vatanen, who they desperately tried to trade for value before Saturday’s roster freeze. It’s quite conceivable that picks are in play there, but Anaheim no longer has its 2017 first after trading it to Dallas for Patrick Eaves.

Other teams who will be desperate to keep players include Nashville, who would lose James Neal, Chicago, who have exposed Trevor van Riemsdyk, and San Jose, who could lose one of Paul Martin or David Schlemko. If those teams, or any other organization, really want to hang onto particular players, there’s a very real possibility they will need to surrender a top pick.

For historical reference, only one team has ever drafted with 5 first-round picks – the 1974 Montreal Canadiens. The last team who had 4 first-round picks was the 1999 New York Islanders, when they selected Tim Connolly at #5. If Vegas could amass yet another first round pick, or even two, it would put them in an incredibly enviable position headed into the Entry Draft. The importance of flash and showmanship is rarely overlooked in the City of Lights, and the team looks to continue that philosophy by embracing the saga that the expansion draft has become.

Islanders’ Perplexing Side-Deal With Vegas

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As I briefly mentioned in a previous article, the New York Islanders decided to travel a very perplexing road with their protection list. They shielded only 3 forwards, and protected 5 defensemen, allowing a whole host of forwards to be claimed.  These include Brock Nelson, Ryan Strome, Casey Cizikas, Nikolai Kulemin, and Josh Bailey at the upper end of the spectrum. Defenseman Calvin de Haan, who has reportedly has had difficulty coming to a deal with management on a new contract, is also left at Vegas’ disposal

What complicates matters is that Arthur Staple of Newsday has been insinuating that the Islanders have a deal in place to protect Nelson, Strome, and de Haan, while others, such as Darren Dreger, believes the deal only applies to forwards.  NHL Numbers stated today that the protection agreement would protect only Bailey and Cizikas, which is easily the most disastrous deal of the group. From a pure value standpoint, Nelson, de Haan and Strome have far more value than either player. Staple believed yesterday evening that the Islanders were going to trade their 15th overall selection in order to push Vegas in a favorable direction. Even still, it doesn’t explain the particulars of the players protected.

John Tavares is an obvious keeper, and Andrew Ladd helped the offense in a big way after a rocky start. Anders Lee is coming off a phenomenal 34 goal season in only his 3rd full outing. The defense revolves around Nick Leddy and Travis Hamonic, and despite his steps backward Johnny Boychuk is a big minute eater for the team. You could have made a case for Ryan Pulock over Boychuk, and made that quite convincingly, but it seemed inevitable that team would lose a defender no matter what. Boychuk did have an NMC, which complicated that matter. Considering that the team was 17th in goals against this past season, that wasn’t exactly a worst-case scenario.

Instead of taking the orthodox 4-4 route and protecting Nelson or Strome as well as Pulock or de Haan, or protecting all but one forward in a 7-3 scheme, the Islanders chose instead to protect a relative no-name in Adam Pelech. Pelech had a solid season, to be sure, but he is a bottom-pairing defenseman and doesn’t project as a difference maker. By opting to leave these players exposed, they take a large aspect of the decision making out of their own hands. GM Garth Snow sacrificed a first round pick and a certain degree of autonomy to protect two forwards, when they could instead have done that on their own. If the end goal was to entice Vegas into selecting Thomas Hickey, they could have done so without the bizarre protection structure. This isn’t even delving into the insanity of surrendering a first-round selection to protect one mid-level player over another.

All in all, the Islanders and GM Garth Snow have stolen the show today for most bewildering decision. Unless the deal with Vegas is far more encompassing than it appears at the moment, they are looking to lose a solid contributor and a 1st-round pick when both could have been avoided.

 

The original article incorrectly linked Dylan Strome.

Tortorella, Blue Jackets Discuss Extension

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Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that Jackets’ head coach John Tortorella has spoken with Columbus management about an extension. The Blue Jackets’ 108 point season in 2016-17 shocked nearly everyone, setting the franchise record for most points in a season. They also had the second longest winning streak in NHL history, at 14-0-0, before settling back into a more pedestrian clip. They were felled by the eventual champions from Pittsburgh in an incredibly disadvantageous divisional matchup in the first round. Still, Tortorella turned the team around to see 16 more wins overall while guiding the growth of many standouts, such as rookie Zach Werenski and sudden goal-scoring force Cam Atkinson.

Tortorella coached the 2003-04 Tampa Bay Lightning to a Game 7 victory over the Calgary Flames in the Stanley Cup Final to earn his only championship behind the bench. He coached for 4 seasons with the New York Rangers and 1 disappointing season in Vancouver before landing in Columbus. Tortorella is league-renowned for his abrasive demeanor in press conferences and preaching a hard-nosed style of play. There is a solid chance Tortorella takes home the Jack Adams at the NHL Awards – he is nominated alongside Toronto’s Mike Babcock and Edmonton’s Todd McLellan.

If Tortorella were extended, it is unclear for how many years the contract would be. His current deal expires at the end of the 2017-18 season, and he is still being compensated by the Canucks after his termination there. Portzline suggests that a contract could be in excess of $2 MM.

Vegas Holding Steady On Trade Front

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According to Vegas GM George McPhee, the team has not yet made any transactions. NHL.com’s Dan Marrazza explains McPhee is reluctant to finalize any movement until the overall situation becomes clearer. Lost in all the frantic floundering leading up to the roster freeze yesterday and the release of protection lists this morning, Vegas still needs to ice a cohesive team. Although they certainly have a vision of what the team should look like, and have isolated certain players on their radar, the ultimate decisions are still far away. McPhee openly stated that he is willing to negotiate with other teams in order to keep their rosters intact. But as we have learned from potential side deals, the prices could be quite high.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp wrote that the Knights will “wait until late” to make their final selections in the case of a last-minute negotiation with another team. McPhee directly stated that they “don’t have anything” but that “they have lots of things lined up”. This somewhat contradicts the previously reported arrangement with Columbus to take a 1st round pick in exchange for not selecting Josh Anderson or Joonas Korpisalo. His purposely vague statements add fuel to the fire that has become league-wide speculation. With the NHL officially leaving all trade announcements under wraps until the official unveiling of the roster, all eyes will be on McPhee and his team. Insiders will undoubtedly try to force leaks of information, and will probably have success in doing so. Ultimately, however, it seems likely that McPhee has already essentially “closed” deals with other teams, but is being coy for the sake of spectacle.

The uncertainty that will come with not submitting a list until the final hour has to be frustrating to GMs around the league. It is understandable from Vegas’ perspective – they are attempting to put the best roster and deals together to give the franchise a solid starting point. But the drawn out process can only serve as a detriment to the other 30 franchises who will want to know with absolute certitude what their rosters are. McPhee seems to be using every available ounce of leverage to squeeze assets out of desperate organizations, and his refusal to openly confirm any trade agreements only helps his bargaining position.

Vegas’ official roster will be unveiled Wednesday June 21st, at the NHL Awards Ceremony.

NHL Salary Cap Raised To $75 Million

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The NHL’s salary cap ceiling has been raised by $2 MM to $75 MM, according to NBC and various sources. The NHLPA voted on this decision back on June 16th according to TSN’s Pierre Lebrun, and the results of that vote resulted in next season’s total. The floor (or minimum) will be set at $55.4 MM.

The increase is slightly less than what many fans had hoped for, though the figure had been floated around for quite some time. This is only a 2.6% increase in the ceiling, which is less than the option the NHLPA could have opted for – an automatic 5% yearly increase. The stagnation in the cap overall is concerning to many teams who are very near the cap and/or have players due raises in the near future.

Many teams have been operating under the assumption that the ceiling would be around this number, so it shouldn’t affect any single organization too greatly. The team that will be most impacted is the Chicago Blackhawks, who are already over that ceiling. Teams such as the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning highlight a group that will struggle to get a compliant roster in the near future with such little room to maneuver.

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