Five Questions: Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the early favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2016-17 Stanley Cup Final and have to be considered a real threat to come away with the ultimate prize. Fresh off back-to-back appearances in the Eastern Conference Final and a berth in the 2014-15 Stanley Cup Final, the team has proven they have what it takes to go deep into the postseason. Add in the fact that Steve Yzerman has done a terrific job keeping the core group of this team together for at least one more kick at the can, and the Lightning appear to have as good a chance as anyone to win it all in 2016-17.
Joe Smith covers the Lightning for the Tampa Bay Times and he was kind enough to answer some questions – including a couple of bonus queries – for Pro Hockey Rumors on the subject of the Lighting.
PHR: Given Pittsburgh’s dominating postseason run and the return of its roster mostly intact, is it fair to proclaim the Penguins as the prohibitive favorites in the East? How do the Lightning expect to close the gap between themselves and the Penguins in the battle for Eastern Conference supremacy after not acquiring any impact talent from outside the organization this summer?
SMITH: You have to consider the champion Penguins the favorite until someone beats them. But the gap isn’t that big, considering the Lightning came incredibly close to getting past Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference Final. Not closing the Penguins out in Game 6 at home likely haunted Tampa Bay all offseason. But the Lightning has all the tools to be a Stanley Cup contender, as evidence by its back-to-back playoff runs. With a deep offense led by a healthy Steven Stamkos, freed of any contract distractions, and arguably the top one-two tandem in net with Ben Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Lightning should give itself a chance.
PHR: Starting goalie Ben Bishop is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency following the 2016-17 season. Yzerman has previously shown a willingness to let players play out their deals and risk losing them for nothing if he feels the team is a stronger contender with that player in the lineup. Do you see the Lightning following the same script with Bishop or do you anticipate they look to move him at some point in season to address other needs?
TIMES: Yzerman has said there is the option of keeping Bishop all season for another run at the Stanley Cup. “It’s not a bad option,” he says. And it’s entirely possible the Lightning does just that. It’s hard to imagine Tampa Bay having a better chance to win without the two-time Vezina Trophy finalist, the best goalie in franchise history. But I wouldn’t rule out Tampa Bay potentially dealing Bishop before the March trade deadline, depending on what the market is. It doesn’t hurt the Lightning to at least see what is out there as opposed to losing Bishop to Las Vegas (or another team as a UFA) for nothing.
PHR: Given Vasilevskiy’s strong postseason play and the recent contract extension he was rewarded with, it’s evident the Lightning are projecting him to be the goaltender of the future. However, what are the odds he displaces Bishop between the pipes this season, regardless of whether or not Bishop is dealt?
TIMES: It does appear Vasilevskiy is the future No. 1, it’s just a matter of when. The fact Vasilevskiy was signed to a three-year, $3.5 million (AAV) extension in July, putting him under contract for four more years, makes him a more affordable option than Bishop, who makes $5.9 million in the final year of his. The only way Vasilevskiy replaces Bishop this season is if Bishop is traded before the March deadline. Now, Vasilevskiy is slotted to get a larger share of starts than last season, potentially 30-plus, so he’ll push Bishop. But barring a significant drop in Bishop’s play, he’s still the No. 1.
PHR: The Lightning have three more key contributors set to become RFAs next season – Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson; are you aware of any attempts by Yzerman to strike early and get a deal or deals done in advance of next summer? Also, with $55MM already committed to next year’s salary cap and just 13 players under contract, is there any worry within the organization that they will have to sacrifice valuable assets in order to move out enough salary to retain those RFAs and flesh out the roster?
TIMES: Haven’t heard of any significant contract talks with those players yet, but it’s still early. Yzerman first had to wrap up last summer’s contracts, including signing Nikita Kucherov just two days before the opener. While Yzerman has done a great job keeping the core together, he’s said that it’s impossible to keep everyone with the salary cap. That’s why it’ll be such a challenge next summer with Johnson, Drouin and Palat all needing new deals, and likely big raises. The Lightning might gain some flexibility if it ends up trading Bishop, or depending on what player it loses in the expansion draft. Veterans like Valtteri Filppula and Jason Garrison are potential trade candidates if Tampa Bay must clear some room.
PHR: Speaking of Drouin, it was an interesting year for the young winger, to say the least. Now that he has withdrawn his trade request and seems content in Tampa, what are your expectations for the former third overall draft pick? He only has eight career NHL goals in 91 regular season games but tallied five in 17 playoff contests this past spring. Will he build upon that and potentially reach or even exceed the 20-goal, 50-point plateau?
TIMES: Would not be surprised if Drouin has a huge year. I’m talking 60-70 points type of season. He seems to have picked up where he left off in a dynamic postseason, and is bound for some big numbers playing on a line with Steven Stamkos. A turning point for Drouin was a breakfast he had with coach Jon Cooper in early April after returning from AHL Syracuse. The two cleared the air, and Drouin is playing like a young star who has the trust and confidence from his head coach. He has more of a shoot-first mentality now, and as a quarterback on one of the power play units, he’ll have plenty of chances to put up points.
PHR: Any sleepers or relative unknowns on the Lightning you think may have a big impact this season?
TIMES: You can start with rookie forward Brayden Point. The 20-year-old prospect surprised many by making the opening night roster, taking advantage of open spots vacated by Ryan Callahan (hip surgery) and Nikita Kucherov (contract holdout). Point earned it with his play in exhibitions, and has fit right in early on this season, racking up his first NHL point in a win over New Jersey.
PHR: Finally, aside from Pittsburgh, which teams in the East represent the biggest obstacles to Tampa?
TIMES: The Panthers, which finished ahead of the Lightning in the Atlantic Division last season, should be a threat again. And you’d think Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals are due to break through its postseason struggles.
Pro Hockey Rumors would like to extend our thanks and gratitude to Joe Smith for taking the time to answer these questions for us. You can find Smith’s bio here and for everything related to the Tampa Bay Lightning, you can follow him on Twitter here.
Veteran Forward David Moss Announces Retirement
Former Calgary Flame and Arizona Coyote forward David Moss has officially announced his retirement from professional hockey today. Moss made the announcement via his personal Twitter account.
In 501 NHL regular season games, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Moss tallied 78 goals and 100 assists, while adding 157 penalty minutes. His best NHL season came in 2008-09 in Calgary, with Moss netting 20 goals and 39 points in 81 contests.
Moss last saw action in the NHL during the 2014-15 campaign with Arizona, finishing with four goals and 12 points in 60 contests and recording a career-low plus-minus rating of -18. Last year Moss appeared in 19 games with Biel HC of the Swiss hockey league, scoring 16 points.
Originally a seventh-round selection of Calgary in 2001, Moss would spend four years playing NCAA hockey for the University of Michigan prior to beginning his pro career. In 162 games with the Wolverines, Moss scored 36 goals and 94 points.
Rangers Reportedly Scouting The Ducks
According to Arthur Staple of Newsday, New York Rangers assistant general manager Chris Drury and Gordie Clark, the team’s director of player personnel, were both on hand for Anaheim’s tilt in New Jersey Sunday. This of course led to speculation that a deal could be in the works between the two trades.
That speculation was further fueled by the appearance of four Rangers “scouts” at Tuesday night’s game between the Ducks and the Devils, as noted by Andrew Gross of The Record. Gross reported seeing Clark and Drury specifically in attendance.
The Ducks are off to a slow start (0 – 3 – 1) and have scored just seven goals in four games. They are also still working on re-signing RFA defenseman Hampus Lindholm and it has been rumored previously that the club would have to shed salary in order to make that happen. Recent reports have indicated the two sides are making progress on a deal, though some work remains. As of today, the Ducks are virtually capped out after agreeing to terms with Rickard Rakell on a new contract.
With top prospects Brandon Montour and Shea Theodore starting the season with Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego, the team has the necessary depth to deal from their blue line once Lindholm is under contract. In addition to salary cap relief, the Ducks likely would want a young scoring-line winger to boost the team’s lackluster offense. This lines up with earlier reports this summer that the team was interested in adding a high-impact LW.
The Rangers have a plethora of NHL-quality forwards in the organization and could be willing to cash in on that depth in order to upgrade the team’s blue line. Kevin Klein and Dan Girardi have both missed time at the start of the season due to injury though it appears as if both blue liners will be back in the lineup relatively soon.
Hypothetically, a deal of Cam Fowler-for-J.T. Miller could work for both teams, though this is just my speculation. Miller and Fowler each have two seasons remaining on their current contracts, though the Ducks defenseman will be an unrestricted free agent upon the expiration of his deal while Miller will remain under team control. In this scenario the Ducks would save $1.25MM on their salary cap, not an unsubstantial amount but likely not enough on its own to re-sign Lindholm without additional moves.
It should also be noted that Miller has played mostly RW and C for the Rangers and wouldn’t address the Ducks previously stated desire for an impact LW. But at 23-years-old and coming off a 22-goal season in 201-16, Miller could certainly add some punch to Anaheim’s offense.
Of course just because the Rangers had several of their top evaluators on hand at a couple of games may simply be a coincidence. It’s possible they took advantage of the fact they were already in the New York area at the same time the Ducks just happened to be in town to play the Islanders and Devils, though the presence of such a heavy contingent would seem to indicate otherwise.
Franchise Faceoff: Maple Leafs vs Oilers
It’s a tough thing rebuilding. For all the excitement and hope that prospects give fans, many of them don’t fulfill the promise they show, or just don’t seem to fit into the system you’re trying to build.
For two teams, last year was another one bouncing off the bottom of the league standings, jockeying for the first overall pick. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers both have storied histories, championships and hall of fame alumni. But even as one finally retires the numbers of some of its greats, and the other welcomes back the greatest of all time, they both look to young players to find that excitement, and hope.
McDavid, Draisaitl, Eberle or Matthews, Marner, Rielly. Both have a wonderful group of young players led by generational talents, and have shown them off this week. The top two stars of the NHL were Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews this week, both 19-year old kids leading their teams out of the basement.
[Maple Leafs Depth Chart vs Oilers Depth Chart]
We’d love to hear what you think about these two teams. If you were buying a roster (not all the franchise perks that go with it) to build a championship team, which would you take?
Which team would you rather have?
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Toronto Maple Leafs 51% (239)
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Edmonton Oilers 49% (232)
Total votes: 471
Goalie Notes: Price, Dell, McCollum
Carey Price will be out again tonight as the Montreal Canadiens take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on home ice. Price is battling a flu to start the year, and hasn’t been able to play for the team yet. While Price’s absence really caused problems for the Habs last season, perhaps bringing in Al Montoya was a better decision than anyone even expected.
Through two games, Montoya and the Habs have picked up three of a possible four points and the netminder carries a 1.92 GAA and .942 sv%. While Montoya has never had to carry the load of a full NHL schedule, his presence means that the Canadiens can likely give Price a little more rest this season and still be very competitive.
Montoya will be backed up by Charlie Lindgren tonight, who made one start for the club last season.
- Steve Zipay of Newsday is reporting that the San Jose Sharks will give rookie Aaron Dell his first NHL start in net tomorrow night against the Islanders. Dell has worked his way through the minor-league system and deserves a chance to show what he can do at the highest level. The undrafted 27-year old has spent time in the ECHL during his career, but posted solid numbers at every level.
- Newest Calgary Flames netminder Tom McCollum joined Sportsnet 960 today, and had a clear answer for why he signed with the Flames. “Calgary was far and away the best opportunity for myself.” McCollum mentions that after being cut from a PTO with Los Angeles, there wasn’t all that much interest from anyone else, until Calgary offered him a deal. A former first-round pick by the Red Wings, McCollum has had a ton of success with Grand Rapids, but never got a foothold in the NHL.
Snapshots: Reilly, Kokkonen, ‘Canes
The Minnesota Wild have sent defenseman Mike Reilly to the AHL after just one game, allowing the 23-year old to play bigger minutes and be in the lineup every night. Reilly was a scratch against the Los Angeles Kings, and instead of watching from the press box he’ll go down and lead.
The Columbus Blue Jackets selected Reilly in the fourth round of the 2011 draft out of the BCHL and watched as he flourished in the NCAA, increasing his scoring totals in all three years at the University of Minnesota. They couldn’t sign him however, and he ended up getting a contract from the Wild in 2015. Last year for the Iowa Wild he put up 23 points in 45 games and earned himself an extended look in the NHL.
Though this is a setback in his career, it won’t be long until he’s back up with the NHL squad if his development continues as it has. His long wingspan and offensive pedigree will be excellent tools once he improves his work in his own end.
- According to FinnProspects.com, 15-year old Mikko Kokkonen will make his Liiga debut for Jukurit tomorrow, making him the youngest player to ever play in the league. The defenseman was born in 2001, and isn’t NHL draft eligible until 2019, but has turned heads already in Europe. Kokkonen played in a pre-season tournament against this same level, but will now experience it when it counts. His 5’11”, 190-lb frame is already big enough to handle some punishment, but is almost certainly still growing.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have made some lineup changes going into Tuesday’s tilt with the Oilers, as Michael Smith reports. Phillip Di Giuseppe, Martin Frk and Jakub Nakladal will all dress according to coach Bill Peters.
Yann Danis Signs With St. John’s IceCaps
After being unable to find an NHL job, former Canadiens goaltender Yann Danis has signed an AHL contract with the Montreal farm-team, the St. John’s IceCaps.
The epitome of the term journeyman, Danis has suited up for 13 different professional clubs in three different leagues in his 13-year career, never settling in with a club for any length of time. His 55 career NHL matches are spread over 10 years, with the latest coming last season with the New Jersey Devils.
In the one opportunity he had as at least a part-time starter in New York almost eight years ago, Danis put up a .910 save percentage and 2.86 goals against average in 31 games. While his career numbers are nothing that will wow you, he’s a dependable depth option to have in case of emergency.
Oilers Recalling Goaltender; Gustavsson Unable To Play
Update 2:26pm: It will indeed be Brossoit coming up for the Oilers, according to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.
1:34pm: According to a team release, the Edmonton Oilers will recall a goaltender from the AHL to fill in while Jonas Gustavsson nurses a head injury sustained last night on a collision with teammate Adam Larsson.
Gustavsson was one of the first examples of the NHL’s new concussion spotting protocol, and though he was initially left in the game, he was pulled later in the period due to a spotter reporting the collision. Now, seeing as he is unable to dress for the next game, it seems as though the system worked perfectly. Gustavsson had indeed suffered a head injury, but had convinced his trainers that he was good enough to continue.
With concussions and brain trauma at the forefront of every contact sport now, this is a shining example of how athletes can be seemingly unaware that anything has happened, or stubborn enough to think they can play through it. These protocols are a step in the right direction for limiting CTE and other brain injuries.
On the hockey side, it’s unclear who the Oilers plan to bring up from their AHL club. Nick Ellis, the Provedince College import is a possibility, though it would be his first professional game at any level, as he didn’t get into any with the Condors last spring. The most likely candidate is Laurent Brossoit, who actually started five games for the Oilers last year in similar situations.
Coyotes Send Zbynek Michalek To AHL
After clearing waivers just before the season started, the Arizona Coyotes have now sent Zbynek Michalek to their AHL affiliate Tucson Roadrunners, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.
Michalek, a former stalwart of the Coyotes’ blueline has seen his play deteriorate greatly in recent seasons, perhaps due to the multiple concussion or concussion-like injuries he’s suffered on the ice. While the 33-year old isn’t the shutdown defender he once was, this move is clearly one to save cap space for a team who suddenly finds themselves right up against it.
John Chayka, the league’s youngest GM, has openly spoken about how valuable cap space is as an asset in the new NHL, and has used it often to acquire talent. Pavel Datsyuk, Dave Bolland, and Chris Pronger are all examples of the team using their space (but not neccessarily actual money) to gain prospects or draft picks to fuel their rebuild.
With Michalek earning $3.2MM this season, it will save the Coyotes close to a million dollars in cap space to bury him in the minors for the entire year. While the player might not like it, these are the realities of a cap-driven league.
Top KHL Salaries And Their NHL Comparables
The KHL has long been labelled a place where fringe NHLers can go to get a bigger opportunity and paycheck. However, a report by KHL writer Aivis Kalniņš suggests that might not be the case.
Kalniņš tweeted a list of the top 30 player salaries in the KHL this season, and the salaries have a much lower ceiling and drop off quite quickly. The top 30 in the KHL add up to a shade over $55MM, while the NHL’s top 30 cap hits amount to an astounding $291.15MM.
Here are some notable names on the list, and comparable salaries in the NHL. It is important to note that Kalniņš’ list does not include bonuses, which could bump many of the numbers up. All numbers are from Kalniņš or Cap Friendly.
- Former NHL superstar Ilya Kovalchuk tops the list at $5.5MM. There are 99 NHLers making more than Kovalchuk. Some NHL players with that cap hit include John Tavares, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Tyson Barrie, Andrew Ladd, Andrej Sekera, and Jeff Petry.
- Recently-retired NHL star Pavel Datsyuk cashes in at $4.5MM. NHLers in that range include Max Pacioretty, Nazem Kadri, Anton Stralman, and Brad Marchand (in the last year of his previous deal before his new extension kicks in)
- Former NHL defenseman Slava Voynov also makes $4.5MM. Voynov left the NHL in 2014 after being arrested for felony domestic violence. He was recently ruled ineligible to take part in the World Cup because of his history.
- Former St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Sobotka makes $3MM in the KHL, only marginally more than he would earn in the NHL. Sobotka owes the Blues one season at $2.725MM, as part of the contract he signed in 2014 before departing to the KHL. Evgeni Kuznetsov, Andrew Cogliano, Martin Jones, and Tomas Hertl are notable NHL comparisons.
- Vadim Shipachyov and Yevgeni Dadonov come in at $2MM and $1.4MM respectively. The two men played with Artemi Panarin before Panarin signed in Chicago last summer, and have many teams interested in bringing them to the NHL for next season.
- A pair of NHL RFAs in Valeri Nichushkin and Alexander Khokhlachev come in at $1.21MM and $1.2MM. In the NHL, this is bottom-six forward, third-pairing defense, and backup goaltender range. While their salaries rank 24th and 25th in the KHL, this would put them 445th and 446th in the NHL.
Kalniņš notes that new Montreal Canadiens forward Alexander Radulov was offered $7MM by CSKA, but chose to sign in Montreal for $5.75MM back in July.
The KHL has never released player salaries. Kalniņš speculates that this reveal could lead to full disclosure about KHL salaries. While some NHL teams are beginning to release numbers, most of what we know is based on reports from insiders.