Commissioner Notes: Goalie Interference, International Games, Expansion
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spoke to the media prior to tonight’s All-Star’s Skills Competition and it didn’t take long for questions to arise about the controversial goaltender interference calls that have created an uproar. As reported earlier, the all-star coaches and league executives met with the league today to discuss the issues with goaltender interference. Bettman was quick to point out that he believes that everyone is overthinking the rule and plans to send a memo to officials suggesting they ease off when looking at video, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.
“Overall, the system works,” Bettman said. “But I think we’ve gotten to the point where everyone is overlooking the review.”
The comments might suggest the league might be backing off on goaltender interference in the near future.
- Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston tweets that Bettman announced the 2019 NHL All-Star Game will be in San Jose on Jan. 26-27. It will be the first time its been there since 1997. St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Tom Timmermann tweeted the St. Louis Blues are bidding to host the 2020 all-star game.
- Johnston also tweets that Bettman said that the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers will start the 2018-19 regular season in Sweden. The Winnipeg Jets and the Florida Panthers will play two regular season games against each other in Helsinki, Finland. The Devils tweeted they will also be playing in a preseason game in Switzerland.
- TSN’s Daren Dreger tweets that Bettman said that the plan is to send two teams to China in September and continues to be a “work in progress.” Johnston adds that it’s expected the Calgary Flames and the Boston Bruins will be the two teams.
- TSN’s Pierre LeBrun tweets that Bettman was asked if the next expansion team (Seattle — if it happens, added Bettman) would get the same favorable expansion draft rules and player pool that the Vegas Golden Knights received. Bettman said, “Yes.” Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Lazerus tweets that Bettman added that any future expansion team would insist on the same expansion draft rules that Vegas took advantage of. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski tweets that Bettman said the ownership group working for a Seattle expansion bid is still working on their application. A timetable and ticket drive are up to them, but likely should be completed in one or two weeks, suggests LeBrun.
- LeBrun tweets that he talked to NHLPA’s Don Fehr, who said that a potential World Cup tournament could happen in September of 2020 or February of 2020. However, there still would have to be a lot of work to be done.
- LeBrun tweets that when asked whether adding a 32nd team through expansion would suggest the NHL should look into expanding the number of playoff teams, Bettman said ‘No.’ He likes it at 16 teams.
- Wyshysnki tweets that Bettman wasn’t positive about a possible expansion team coming from Quebec: “We’re not currently considering an application. At the current time, we’re not focused on a team in Quebec City. That doesn’t mean we’ll never be focused [on it].”
- Wyshysnki tweets that on the topic of the Arizona Coyotes, the commissioner added that ownership is working through possibilities to build a new arena and the strength of the club comes down to the owners’ willingness to continue that pursuit. “I wouldn’t focus on Arizona moving right now. Or anytime soon. Or ever,” said Bettman.
- Lazerus tweets that Bettman also wasn’t as positive about NHL players joining the Olympics in 2020. “I don’t have an answer to that question.” He said the clubs and owners find Olympic participation “disruptive.”
Nathan Gerbe Signs With Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Nathan Gerbe to a one-year, two-way deal. Gerbe will need to clear waivers to sign with the club, usually a formality in these situations. No financial details were released at this point.
Gerbe, 30, hasn’t played in the NHL since 2015-16, instead spending the last two seasons in the Swiss NLA. The forward, known most for his small stature (he stands 5’4″) scored seven points in 47 games for the Carolina Hurricanes during his last tour in the league, but does have a pair of 16-goal seasons on his resume. Despite the usual stereotype about small players being pure skill, Gerbe actually brings a bit of grit and toughness to the game. Willing to throw his body around and dig in the corners, he’s never shied away from the physical side of the game.
The Blue Jackets yesterday sent Brandon Dubinsky away from the club, either for another examination of his eye, or according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) something more disciplinary in nature. Even before the loss of Dubinsky to a fractured orbital bone the team has been thin at forward for much of the season. Though Gerbe doesn’t represent much upside, he could give them some veteran depth at either the NHL or AHL level and be a useful piece if he can show that he’s still able to compete in the North American game.
Columbus Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger was first to report the deal was close last night.
Snapshots: Neal, Chara, Berra
Vegas Golden Knights winger James Neal scored his 20th goal of the season last night in the team’s match-up with the Florida Panthers and, while 20 goals in nothing for a former 40-goal scorer, the mark actually puts Neal into quite the impressive group. This is now the tenth season in a row – for the ten-year veteran – that Neal has scored at least 20 goals in a season. From his early years in Dallas through his All-Star seasons in Pittsburgh and several strong campaigns in Nashville, Neal has always had a knack for finding the back of the net and it hasn’t stopped with the expansion Knights. There only five other active players who have scored 20+ goals in each of their first ten seasons: Jaromir Jagr, Thomas Vanek, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, and Jonathan Toews. That’s some Hall of Fame caliber company that Neal has joined.
- Another player quietly dominating is none other than Zdeno Chara. Sure, the 6’9″ 40-year-old is one of the most well-known players in the NHL, but after a few seasons where the talk was that Chara had lost a step, the Norris Trophy-winner looks like his old self again, even if his play isn’t grabbing headlines. As Sportsnet’s Eric Engel writes, Chara’s success has gone largely unnoticed mostly because of the immediate success of his new pair mate, rookie Charlie McAvoy. With McAvoy in the fold, as well other impact young players like Torey Krug, Brandon Carlo, and Matt Grzelcyk, Chara has been able to play fewer minutes this season, take a backseat role on the power play, and overall focus less on offense. The result has been a rejuvenation of Chara’s elite shutdown game, which pairs perfectly with the smooth-skating puck-mover McAvoy. Less than two months away from turning 41, Chara has played in every game for the Bruins, leads the league with a +24 rating, and is on pace for his most hits in over a decade. He’s back to being one of the most feared opponents in the NHL and it’s no surprise that the Bruins are strongly considering an extension.
- Another player who may have earned an extension – even in just a small sample size – is veteran goalie Reto Berra. Swiss reporter Marc-Andre Berset relays that Berra has received an extension offer from the Anaheim Ducks, who Berra suited up for in four games early this season when backup Ryan Miller was injured. In those four appearances, Berra looked as good as he had in years. The 31-year-old journeyman posted a .932 save percentage and 2.27 GAA and earned a win in his one start. His performance for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls has been slightly less outstanding, but he still remains a solid veteran depth option. While Berra surely would like to be playing a greater role, a multi-year deal in Anaheim could result in his return to a regular NHL role, with Miller’s contract expiring after next season. Playing for his third NHL organization in three years, it would be no surprise for Berra to opt for a long-term situation rather than continue moving around. However, Berset also seems to imply that Berra has options waiting for him back in Switzerland, as NLA club HC Fribourg-Gotteron could come calling with a starting opportunity. Only time will tell what Berra decides to do next with his hockey career.
Overseas Extensions For Jeffrey, Fraser
Many NHL veterans and low-profile prospects head overseas in hopes of making a name for themselves and earning a contract back in North America. Others find the perfect niche in Europe and decide to stay put. With the current state of the league finding it more and more difficult for mid-range talent to find fair market value, an increasing number of players are choosing the latter route and sticking with their overseas situation. That pattern continued today with the extensions for Dustin Jeffrey and Mark Fraser.
Jeffrey, 29, was a long-time Pittsburgh Penguins depth player and made stops in Dallas and Arizona as well, all while playing the vast majority of his games in the AHL. While Jeffrey was a gifted forward who always put up good numbers in the minors – including a 71-point campaign with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – that ability could never quite translate to the NHL. Jeffrey made the move overseas in 2016-17, joining Lausanne HC in the Swiss NLA. Right away, Jeffrey was a good fit, posting a near point-per-game season with 46 points in 49 games, a per-game rate among the league’s best. Yet, this season he off to an even better start with 38 points in 33 games, the best numbers in the league in assists and points. Lausanne rewarded Jeffrey today, announcing a two-year contract extension. Jeffrey is playing the best hockey of his career and has clearly found a place where he is comfortable in western Switzerland.
The veteran defenseman Fraser has found a fit in an entirely different country. After eleven years of North American hockey, including more than 200 NHL games and nearly 500 AHL games mostly with the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs organizations, Fraser made the jump this summer, signing with TPS of the Finnish Liiga. Fraser has only ten games played this season and just a singular point to show for it, but his invaluable experience and leadership is clearly of value to TPS. The team announced that Fraser’s “probationary” contract has been extended through the rest of the season. The team form Turku, Finland is near the top of the Liiga standings right now and could lean on the dependable Fraser down the stretch and in the playoffs.
Anton Rodin, Drew Miller Sign Overseas
On the same day he cleared waivers and had his contract terminated by the Vancouver Canucks, Anton Rodin has returned to Europe. However, the Swedish forward is not going back to Brynas of the Swedish Hockey League, where he spent most of his prime years, including an MVP season in 2015-16. Instead, the 27-year-old winger has signed with HC Davos of the NLA, the Swiss club announced. Davos reports that Rodin has signed a two-year deal that will keep him in Switzerland through the end of the 2018-19 season.
The hope for Davos is obviously that Rodin will perform more like he did in his previous European career than he has in the disastrous past season plus for the Vancouver Canucks. Injury and ineffectiveness left Rodin with only four points in 13 total games, NHL and AHL, over the last two seasons. Davos, which sits in fifth place in the NLA, needs a much better effort than that from their newest acquisition.
Meanwhile, while struggling Swedish squad Brynas may be disappointed that their former superstar Rodin chose not to return home, they made the most of the situation by going out and getting a big name of their own. The team announced that they have signed NHL veteran Drew Miller. The long-time Detroit Red Wings forward was unable to turn a tryout with the Chicago Blackhawks this fall into a contract and has been without a job since. He now makes his first foray overseas, joining a Brynas squad that has fallen on hard times. However, with an intelligent, hard-working forward like Miller now in the fold and playing alongside a player of similar ilk in Daniel Paille, it’s not too late for Brynas to learn to play a smart, two-way game and climb back up the standings.
Jay McClement Signs With Swiss Club Olten
It’s been a whirlwind month for consummate pro Jay McClement. The veteran center was very nearly the winner of the third-line center sweepstakes for the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Instead, the team released him to the surprise of many after an impressive effort in the team’s preseason finale. Now, less than thirty days later, McClement has finally found employment – with EHC Olten of the NLB.
The Swiss National League B, the relative minor league to much more well-known NLA, seems like an odd landing spot for a veteran of more than 900 NHL games. However, the team has confirmed the signing (link in Swiss) with much excitement. The contract is only for 2017-18, but holds a mutual option for next season. Could McClement exercise that option? He is 34, far from his prime, but just a few years ago played one of his best seasons – an 82-game, 21-point 2014-15 campaign with the Carolina Hurricanes. McClement seems to have some gas left in the tank, so an extended stay in the Swiss minors would be surprising. However, McClement could more or less be done with hockey and sees Olten as a “retirement job”.
Olten isn’t completely unknown. The NLB squad in a perennial contender and rosters to other NHL veterans, Americans Tim Stapleton and Ryan Vesce. Neither has skated in the league since 2010, but nevertheless bring an experience and style that McClement could work with.
If it doesn’t work out? There’s a chance that McClement could be a contender for a bottom-six role for Team Canada at the Olympics, which would take up a significant amount of his time over the course of this season. Then, when his contract expires, don’t be surprised if McClement declines his offer and tries again at one last chance in the NHL.
Teddy Purcell, Lauri Korpikoski Sign Overseas
Two of the more notable names left without an NHL contract when the 2017-18 season began have come to terms on new deals elsewhere. Teddy Purcell, a former 65-point scorer who of late was on a PTO with the Boston Bruins, signed with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk today, the team announced. Lauri Korpikoski, fresh off a strong campaign with the Dallas Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets, somewhat surprisingly drew little attention this off-season and has now signed with the ZSC Lions of the NLA, according to a team release. The former Edmonton teammates will each look to rejuvenate their careers overseas this season.
Purcell, 32, was had a roller coaster career. The undrafted University of Maine product made a surprise jump to the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings in 2007-08 after just one year of college and made an immediate impact. After being swapped for Jeff Halpern early in his career, Purcell took off with the Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring 51 points his first season and 65 the next. His scoring continued, but that didn’t stop the Bolts from trading him to the Edmonton Oilers, who in turn traded him to the Florida Panthers less than two years later. During this time, Purcell had continued to be a consistent scorer no matter where he landed. So, when Purcell given nearly no attention in the free agent market last year and ended up back in L.A. and soon after buried in the minors, it came as a shock to many. This time around, no one was surprised when Purcell was unable to turn his tryout in Boston into a contract, but the fact remains that there is still no evidence that Purcell ever stopped being a solid play-making forward. Now in Russia, Purcell has the potential to light it up with Avangard. Don’t be surprised if the swift winger scores early and often in the KHL and catches the eye of the Canadian Olympic team.
As for Korpikoski, his off-season went much like Purcell’s last year. 20 points in 60 games aren’t eye-popping numbers, but it was a pleasantly surprising season for Korpikoski in Dallas. The two-way forward had never been a big producer – his career high 40 points came back in 2010-11 with the Phoenix Coyotes, a team on which he was pressed into a top-six role due to a lack of talent – but Korpikoski had made a career out of his well-rounded game. A 2004 first-round pick of the New York Rangers, the now-31-year-old was a hard-working and reliable player for long stretches in New York and Arizona, but a drop-off in production in the desert and a subsequent trade to the Edmonton Oilers in 2015 looked like the beginning of the end. Yet, the Stars took a gamble last summer and it paid off with a sold effort from Korpikoski and a trade return of young defenseman Dillon Heatherington from Columbus at the deadline. However, the renewed interest never came and Korpikoski has had to settle for Switzerland. With ZSC, Korpikoski will join a talented NLA team and will get a chance to skate alongside NHL veterans like Robert Nilsson and Drew Shore. While Finland is in better shape for the upcoming Winter Games than the U.S. or Canada, don’t count out the possibility of the veteran Finn winger from getting the call to go to Pyeongchang as well.
Overseas Notes: Da Costa, Streit, Steen
Yet another NHL veteran who was trying to hold out for a new contract in North America is now close to settling for European employment. The Swiss Hockey News reports that Stephane Da Costa is nearing an agreement with Geneve-Servette of the Swiss NLA. Da Costa, 28, was a superstar at Merrimack College from 2009 to 2011 and looked to be the next great story in the NHL after signing with the Ottawa Senators – an undrafted player coming from a non-traditional hockey country of France. While Da Costa proved to be a lethal producer in the AHL, he could never quite stick in Ottawa and left the NHL in 2012. Da Costa spent the past three years with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, putting up solid numbers, but it has been his international play on the part of France that has really turned heads. Beginning with a stellar 10-point performance at the World Championships last spring, Da Costa had reportedly been drawing interest from NHL teams and fully planned on playing with the world’s best this season. Yet, with the new season underway, those offers never came and it seems Da Costa is now ready to move on. While Geneve-Servette is off to a tough start in the NLA – second-to-last currently – they are not without considerable talent up front, including NHL veterans Nathan Gerbe, Nick Spaling, and Cody Almond, as well as San Jose Sharks prospect Noah Rod. Da Costa could help kick start a team that typically performs near the top of the NLA and made it to the final of the 2017 Swiss Cup tournament.
- Da Costa hasn’t yet signed with Geneve-Servette, but by the time he does he may no longer be the biggest name in terms of recent additions. With Mark Streit being placed on waivers by the Montreal Canadiens yesterday (with a very good chance of clearing today), it seems more likely that the veteran defenseman will ask for his release than be assigned to the AHL but the Canadiens. Given that the soon-to-be-40-year-old could have simply rode off into the sunset after winning the Stanley Cup last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, it is clear that he wants to keep playing. That opportunity will likely come in his native country of Switzerland, where Streit has suited up for the NLA’s HC Davos, ZSC Lions, and SC Bern over his career. A return home to much fanfare and a chance to play in the Olympics seems like much more fitting end for Streit than playing in the minors
- A seemingly minor move in the KHL could be of some interest to Boston Bruins fans. In a round-up of their minor transaction over the past few days, the league revealed that the rights to forward Oskar Steen, Boston’s sixth-round pick in 2016, had been acquired by SKA St. Petersburg. While Steen has been playing for Farjestad of the SHL for three years now, an opportunity to play for SKA may be tough for the young Swede forward to pass up. Farjestad is no slouch, but SKA has been wildly successful in recent years, winning two of the past three KHL titles and again tearing up the league with a 17-point lead over the next-best team. SKA graduated players like Vadim Shipachyov and Evgeni Dadonov to the NHL this off-season, but still carry top prospects like Nikita Gusev and Igor Shestyorkin and talented veterans like Ilya Kovalchuk, Viktor Tikhonov, Sergei Plotnikov, and even long-time defenseman Maxim Chudinov, former property of the Bruins. Joining that mix could be a good career-move for the under-utilized Steen, could give SKA a further boost, and could help round out yet another promising prospect to add to the Bruins’ ranks.
Andreas Athanasiou Heading To Switzerland
Detroit Red Wings restricted free agent forward Andreas Athanasiou remains unsigned… for now. The latest news on the league’s last remaining RFA comes from TSN’s Bob McKenzie, who shares that Athanasiou is on his way to Switzerland to skate with HC Lugano of the NLA. McKenzie was quick to add that Athanasiou has not signed Lugano and is still evaluating his options, but his commitment to going overseas for the time being raises more doubts that he will suit up in the NHL this season.
A recent poll revealed that most fans felt Athanasiou and former holdout Josh Anderson would each re-sign with their respective teams. The second most popular answer was that the pair would both play overseas. Anderson has done his part to prove true the majority, re-upping with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but Athanasiou has not made any similar progress with Detroit and seems more likely to join in the dissenting opinion. Interestingly, it was Anderson who had been connected to the NLA this off-season, with Athanasiou reportedly fielding offers from the KHL. Athanasiou may still end up in Russia, but with an influx of talent heading to the NLA in recent years and the the past success of Lugano, who has not missed the playoffs in six years, the team is far from a poor fit. Athanasiou would be skating alongside former Red Wing Damien Brunner, as well as NHL veterans Maxim Lapierre and Bobby Sanguinetti should he sign with Lugano and the talented group could very well make a title run in 2017-18.
Still, the best thing for Athanasiou and for hockey is for the skilled 23-year-old to stay in North America. In just his second NHL season, the young center scored 18 goals and defied expectations for a Detroit team with few bright spots. The Red Wings may not want to overpay – in salary or term – for Athanasiou, who did have an unsustainable 15% shooting percentage in 2016-17 and is only in the early stages of developing a defensive game, but the best decision is always to work things out. Just ask the Dallas Stars, who missed the playoffs last season and had to go on a spending spree this summer in hopes of righting the ship. They would love to have Valeri Nichushkin back, the talented young winger who left the team in the summer of 2016 to head to the KHL, where he remains, after failing to come to terms in restricted free agency. Maybe the Red Wings would rather trade Athanasiou or maybe they’ll realize their mistake and work out a contract. Either way, there seems to be little upside to simply losing the scoring youth for this season (or longer). Athanasiou skating with Lugano may just be the straw that finally breaks Ken Holland‘s back.
Jeff Tambellini To Retire, Coach At Michigan
Former NHL forward Jeff Tambellini may be retiring from pro hockey, but he seems to have his next career already planned out. The University of Michigan revealed tonight that Tambellini will return to campus to finish his degree and has been named an “undergraduate assistant coach”. Tambellini himself has yet to recognize his retirement, but may never actually do so in any official capacity.
Normally, “graduate assistant coach” is a title given to recent grads helping out with their alma mater’s program in some way. Tambellini’s new title of “undergraduate assistant coach” is almost unheard of, but fitting for the former All-American who left Michigan a year early after three dominant seasons. He returns to finish his degree with over a decade of pro hockey experience under his belt.
A first-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2003, there were high expectations of Tambellini that only increased with each collegiate season. Yet, once he turned pro, the small, speedy forward struggled to skate around the opposition like he could in the NCAA. The Kings traded him to the Islanders after only four games with the team, sending he and Denis Grebeshkov to New York for Mark Parrish and Brent Sopel. Tambellini carved out a bottom-six/AHL depth role for himself on the island and played for New York for four more seasons, accumulating 46 points in 176 games. Tambellini played his final NHL season in 2010-11 with the Vancouver Canucks, posting a career-best 17 points and +10 rating in 62 games and playing in the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins.
Since then, Tambellini has had an up-and-down experience as a globe-trotting veteran. He was a force to reckon with in his first pro season outside the NHL, scoring 45 points in 50 games with the ZSC Lions of the Swiss NLA. Injuries limited his production in his second season with the Lions, so he moved on to Sweden, where he played well for MODO. He again struggled in the following year, splitting his time between the SHL and NLA, but not finding results in either location. 2015-16 marked an attempted NHL comeback, as Tambellini signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite impressive production in the AHL, Tambellini did not see any NHL action and headed back to Sweden last season, where he struggled mightily and, at the age of 33, likely decided it was time to hand up his skates.
However, his new opportunity with the Wolverines should allow Jeff to follow in his father’s footsteps. Steve Tambellini played ten years in the NHL, but is likely best known for his later work off the ice. Steve was the GM of the Edmonton Oilers from 2008 to 2013 and also previously worked for the Vancouver Canucks and Team Canada. He is currently a scout for the Anaheim Ducks. While Jeff seems to be heading more in a coaching route rather than toward a front office future, it is clear that hockey intelligence runs in the family and Jeff could have a shot a great coaching career, beginning with his return to Ann Arbor this season. Who knows, if coaching is a great fit for Jeff, he may end up back in the NHL, this time behind the bench, before little brother Adam Tambellini, a New York Rangers prospect, makes it to the big time himself.