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Training Camp Cuts: 10.03.16

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With just over a week towards the start of the NHL regular season, teams are continuing to pare down their rosters.

Here are Monday’s cuts:

Anaheim Ducks (via team release):
LW David Booth (released from PTO)
RW David Jones (released from PTO)
LW Max Jones (to London, OHL)
LW Antoine Laganiere (released from PTO, will report to San Diego, AHL)

Calgary Flames (via NHL.com):
D Ryan Culkin (to Stockton, AHL)
RW Matt Frattin (to Stockton, AHL)
G Jon Gillies (to Stockton, AHL)
D Mikhail Grigorev (released from PTO)
C Mark Jankowski (to Stockton, AHL)
LW Morgan Klimchuk (to Stockton, AHL)
D Oliver Kylington (to Stockton, AHL)
RW Emile Poirier (to Stockton, AHL)
D Colby Robak (released from PTO)

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Training Camp Cuts: 09.28.16

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We’re now nearly a week into training camps, and with the first few exhibition games played, expect to see more rounds of cuts as teams narrow down roster hopefuls.

Here are the cuts for today:

New York Islanders (per team Twitter account):
D David Quenneville (to Medicine Hat, WHL)
D Mitchell Vande Sompel (to Oshawa, OHL)
D Parker Wotherspoon (to Tri-City, WHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (per Dave Issac):
G Mark Dekanich (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
C Chris McCarthy (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Maxim Lamarche (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Martin Ouellette (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Jesper Pettersson (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
RW Steve Swavely (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
C Kevin Sundher (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release):
F James McEwan (to Guelph, OHL)
D Brandon Crawley (to London, OHL)
D Connor Hall (to Kitchener, OHL)

St. Louis Blues (per Jeremy Rutherford)
F Jordan Kyrou (to Sarnia, OHL)
F Filip Helt (to Sarnia, OHL)
F Adam Musil (to Red Deer, WHL)

Ottawa Senators (per team release):
D Maxime Lajoie (to Swift Current, WHL)
F Logan Brown (to Windsor, OHL)
F Filip Chlapik (to Charlottetown, QMJHL)

Minnesota Wild (per team Twitter):
D Gustav Bouramman (to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)

Arizona Coyotes (per team release):
D Kyle Capobianco (to Sudbury, OHL)
D Cam Dineen (to North Bay, OHL)
C Lane Pederson (to Swift Current, WHL)
D Jalen Smereck (to Oshawa, OHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter):
D Ben Betker (to Bakersfield, AHL)
RW Greg Chase (to Bakersfield, AHL)
LW Braden Christoffer (to Bakersfield, AHL)
C Josh Currie (AHL contract, assigned to Bakersfield, AHL)
LW Ryan Hamilton (AHL contract, assigned to Bakersfield, AHL)
C Kyle Platzer (to Bakersfield, AHL)
RW Patrick Russell (to Bakersfield, AHL)
C Ryan Vesce (released from PTO)

Vancouver Canucks (per team news release)
LW Darren Archibald (AHL contract, assigned to Utica, AHL)
G Kevin Carr (released from PTO, invited to Utica, AHL)
C Cole Cassels (assigned to Utica, AHL)
LW Derek Hulak (assigned to Utica, AHL)
LW Yan-Pavel Laplante (assigned to Utica, AHL)
D Evan McEneny (assigned to Utica, AHL)
LW Danny Moynihan (released from PTO, invited to Utica, AHL)
D John Negrin (AHL contract, assigned to Utica, AHL)
C Marc-Olivier Roy (released from PTO, invited to Utica, AHL)
D Mackenze Stewart (assigned to Utica, AHL)
C Curtis Valk (AHL contract, assigned to Utica, AHL)

Calgary Flames (per team release)
C Mikkel Aagaard (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Mike Angelidis (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Matt Bailey (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
D Riley Bruce (assigned to North Bay, OHL)
LW Jamie Devane (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Dillon Dubé (assigned to Kelowna, WHL)
D Stepan Falkovsky (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
D Keegan Kanzig (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
G Mason McDonald (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Brett Pollock (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
RW Eetu Tuulola (assigned to Everett, WHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per Aaron Portzline)
RW Vitali Abramov (assigned to Gatineau, QMJHL)
LW Francis Beauvillier (released from tryout)
G Jeremy Brodeur (released from tryout)
D Stephen Gibson (released from tryout)
D Sam Ruopp (assigned to Prince George, WHL)
RW Kole Sherwood (assigned to London, OHL)
LW Calvin Thurkauf (assigned to Kelowna, WHL)

Montreal Canadiens (via team Twitter)
RW Giovanni Fiore (assigned to Cape Breton, QMJHL)

Training Camp Cuts: 09.27.16

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As the season inches closer and closer, teams have started trimming their training camp rosters already. With exhibition games and intra-squad matches taking place this week, the fat has been rendered so to speak.  Here are some cuts from today:

Philadelphia Flyers (per Dave Isaac):

G Carter Hart (to Everett, WHL)
LW Carsen Twarynski (to Calgary, WHL)
C Connor Bunnaman (to Kitchener, OHL)
LW Samuel Dove-McFalls (to Saint John, QMJHL)
C Pascal Laberge (to Victoriaville, QMJHL)
C Anthony Salinitri (to Sarnia, OHL)
D Brennan Menell (to Vancouver, WHL)
D Garrett McFadden (to Guelph, OHL)

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Camp Notes: Gagner, Flyers, Sergachev

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Sam Gagner has had a roller-coaster career. After looking like a young all-star in his early Edmonton Oilers career, he just hasn’t been able to put all his talents together for a full season.  Heading into this season with his fourth NHL club, he’s trying to show the Columbus Blue Jackets that he can be relied upon as a top-six contributor.

As Rob Mixer writes on NHL.com, he’s already starting to turn heads in Ohio. Skating alongside Brandon Saad at times, the 27-year old center has proven his ability both 5-on-5 and on the powerplay early in camp. Whether he plays with Saad during the season or not, Gagne is just happy to be a part of the squad:

At the end of the day, it’s not really my decision as far as where I play or who I play with. I’m happy to play with whoever and wherever they decide to slot me.

  • The Flyers have made a round of cuts, according to Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post, and one of them is 2016 second-round pick Carter Hart. Even though the Everett Silvertips starter is only 18, many believe he is polished enough to make an NHL impact within the next few years. While many goalies don’t hit their prime until their late-twenties, perhaps it will come slightly earlier for Hart, who already logged a hefty workload last season. In 63 regular season games, Hart carried a 2.18 GAA and .918 sv%.
  • After sustaining an injury earlier this summer, Mikhail Sergachev has been cleared to return to practice this afternoon. While some had speculated it was a concussion, Brian Wilde of CTV tells us that Sergachev has actually been skating by himself all week, likely removing that possibility. Wilde believes it was a shoulder injury, which would be a much better scenario for the recent draftee. Sergachev was Montreal’s first round pick, ninth overall in the past draft and won the OHL’s Defenseman of the year in his rookie season.

Camp Notes: Marner, Grigorenko, Weal

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While it’s true that exhibition results and preseason predictions often mean nothing, fans of each team do like to see and hear strong results from some of their young players. In Toronto, uber-prospect Mitch Marner is really turning heads, as Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun writes. Marner is undersized by all accounts, but is starting to make believers out of his coaching staff and front office that he’ll be able to use his elite offensive ability to succeed right away at the next level. Even veteran teammates like Brooks Laich are impressed:

He’s good at tying up a stick so the other guy can’t make a play and then getting body position so he can kick the puck to his stick. I saw some little things that are very impressive.

Marner has to either make the NHL club or return to the OHL, a level which he absolutely dominated last season, winning every individual and team award available, including the Memorial Cup. While it wouldn’t ruin his career to head back to London for another season, he’s clearly too good for that level and would be at risk of slowing his development.

  • One of the big parts of the Ryan O’Reilly deal between Colorado and Buffalo was Mikhail Grigorenko, once selected 12th overall and considered a top prospect. While never delivering on his apparent high-ceiling offensively, Grigorenko did make strides last season in his first go-round with the Avs. Now considered a “veteran forward” by Terry Frei and the Denver Post, Grigorenko scored the only goal in an intrasquad game today and by all accounts has had a strong camp. Still only 22, he has plenty of time to develop into the strong two-way center Buffalo envisioned when spending such a high pick on him.
  • Another youngster is enjoying the World Cup, but not because of Team America. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Jordan Weal has been suiting up on the top line in Flyers camp between Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds while Claude Giroux is off in Toronto, and he’s been showing he may be ready for a full time NHL role as soon as this season. An elite AHL scorer (his last two seasons there he recorded 70 and 69 points), Weal spent all of last season trapped between the injured reserve list and the waiver wire, and only got into 14 total contests, all at the NHL level.

2016-17 Season Preview: Arizona Coyotes

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With training camps opening around the league and the new season less than three weeks away, we continue our series of team previews with a look at the Arizona Coyotes.

Last Season: 35 – 39 – 8 (78 points), fourth place in the Pacific Division. Missed the playoffs.

Salary Cap Space Remaining: $2.347MM (per Cap Friendly). The Coyotes will be able to free up to an additional $10.5MM by placing Dave Bolland and Chris Pronger on LTIR.

Key Newcomers: Alex Goligoski (D) – trade with Dallas; Jamie McGinn (LW) – free agent from Anaheim; Luke Schenn (D) – free agent from L.A. Kings; Radim Vrbata (RW) – free agent from Vancouver; Lawson Crouse (LW) – trade with Florida.

Key Departures: Antoine Vermette (C) – contract buyout – signed with Anaheim as free agent; Alex Tanguay (LW) – free agent; Boyd Gordon (C) – signed with Philadelphia as a free agent.

Players to Watch: Mike Smith and Goligoski. The Coyotes allowed the third most goals in the entire league which was a function of substandard goaltending and a mediocre defense corps. GM John Chayka addressed the defense, dealing a fifth-round pick to Dallas in exchange for the negotiating rights to Goligoski and subsequently signed the veteran puck-mover to a five-year contract.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the Coyotes #1 blue liner but Goligoski adds a reliable veteran to the mix who can play in all situations and will strengthen the team’s top-four. Last season he tallied 37 points for the Stars and has averaged 40 points for every 82 games he has played during his career. Goligoski was a horse on the back end in 2015-16, averaging nearly 24 minutes a game for the Central Division champs.

Meanwhile, the team is hopeful Smith will be healthy and provide steady play between the pipes for the Coyotes. The team finished 23rd overall in goalie save percentage with Smith appearing in just 32 games. On a promising note, Smith led all NHL goalies with 15 or more games played in 2015-16 in High Danger Save % (HDsV%) with a mark of 87.4% and has stopped at least 84% of those high quality chances in three of the last four seasons.

Smith was superlative in 2011-12 – the last season the Coyotes qualified for the playoffs – winning 38 games and finishing with a Sv% of 93.0%. He has the ability to single-handedly keep the Coyotes in games and if Goligoski can help clean up the defensive end, the Coyotes will be a contender.

Storylines: The John Chayka experiment and the development of the kids. Chayka is not only the league’s youngest GM but he’s also the first to come from a more analytically-oriented background. Fair or not, how the Coyotes perform with the roster he has assembled will have a major impact on how analytics and advanced stats are perceived in the league. If he can build a winner in Arizona with a limited payroll, it might encourage more clubs to actively embrace the role of analytics in the game.

By all accounts Chayka is a bright guy and most of his offseason moves were met with positive reactions from hockey pundits. His actual reliance on analytics in roster construction may be overstated but there is no question old school managers and coaches will be watching with interest.

Although improved goaltending and more contributions from the club’s blue liners will be important, perhaps the key to this upcoming season is the continued development of its young talent. Max Domi and Anthony Duclair are already well on their way to becoming stars in this league but the team does lack an established #1 center. Fortunately, they do have Dylan Strome, the third overall pick in the 2015 entry draft and one of the game’s top prospects. Strome has been among the most explosive scorers in junior hockey, totaling 240 points in 124 games with Erie of the OHL, averaging nearly two points per contest. No one expects the young pivot to immediately fill the void at #1 but if he can establish himself as a legitimate NHL regular it will take some of the pressure of the team’s returning centers. Assuming Duclair, Domi and the team’s other young players take the next step in their development and Strome proves to be ready for the NHL, Arizona has a realistic shot at playoff contention.

Perry Set To Join Exclusive Hockey Group

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If Team Canada and Corey Perry are able to win the World Cup, one of hockey’s most elite groups will double in size. In an article by The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell, he points out that only Perry’s former teammate and current Ducks assistant coach Scott Niedermayer has won a Stanley Cup, Olympic Gold Medal, World Championship, World Junior Championship, Memorial Cup, and World Cup. With everything else all checked off, Perry just needs three wins to join his friend in hockey’s winningest (albeit obscure) group.

Perry, who was a late addition to Team Canada following the injury of Jeff Carter, is just happy to be on the team and hasn’t given much thought to his potential history-making achievement. Ironically, it all began with him being a late addition to another team. Perry barely made Canada’s World Junior team in 2005, where he played alongside future team mate Ryan Getzlaf, Sidney Crosby, tournament MVP Patrice Bergeron and more on one of the best World Junior teams of all-time. After easily taking the Junior tournament, Perry returned to the OHL’s London Knights, where he finished off a 130-point season with help from Dave Bolland, Marc Methot, and more and then led the team, with a stellar playoff performance, to the Memorial Cup title. Perry made his NHL debut the next year, in 2005-06, and just one year later, he contributed 44 regular season points and 15 postseason points en route to the 2007 Stanley Cup championship.  With the stats and titles to back him up, Perry was an easy choice for Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and again in 2014 in Sochi, winning a gold medal at each Games. Finally, Perry won a World Championship for Canada this past spring, joining the team after the Ducks were upset early in the playoffs.

Perry, who is also a three-time All-Star, Hart winner, and Maurice Richard winner, among many other accolades, still holds on to his humility. Although he is on the cusp of joining a group that Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, and Mario Lemieux could not even make it in to, his sights are still just set on helping out his team mates and winning for his country. He’s grateful just to be on the team and to get the chance to enjoy the opportunity. Perry is a proven winner, and don’t be surprised to see his name join more elite groups as his decorated career continues.

Snapshots: Rangers, Bolland, Flyers, Rust, Sheary, Kuhnhackl

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The New York Rangers directed much of their offseason focus to building up quality depth at the forward position, adding free agents Michael Grabner, Josh Jooris, Nathan Gerbe and Jimmy Vesey while also acquiring center Mika Zibanejad via trade. However, besides deepening their forward group, another intended consequence of their moves was to get younger across the board, as Steve Zipay of Newsday notes.

The team dealt 29-year-old pivot Derick Brassard to get the 23-year-old Zibanejad while also waving goodbye to free agent centers Eric Staal, 31, and Dominic Moore, 36. New York will be adding the 23-year-old Vesey to its lineup and expect Pavel Buchnevich, 21, to make a run at a regular role up front.

On the back end, 40-year-old Dan Boyle opted for retirement while the Rangers were forced to trade the rights to Keith Yandle for salary cap reasons. In their places, the Rangers acquired 29-year-old Nick Holden and will give 22-year-old former first-round pick Brady Skjei every opportunity to win a spot in the top-four.

All told, the team shaved about 2 1/2 years off the average age of the players on their roster from a year ago. Whether or not this infusion of youth will manifest into a deep playoff run after a disappointing first-round exit this past season remains to be seen, of course.

More notes from around the NHL:

  • As expected, Arizona’s Dave Bolland failed his physical and will be placed on LTIR to start the season, tweets Craig Morgan of AZ Sports. Bolland, who was acquired from Florida along with prospect Lawson Crouse in a deal motivated largely by finances, appeared in just 25 contests last season with Florida. Back and ankle problems will keep the veteran forward off the ice for the foreseeable future and could jeopardize his playing career. Bolland is due $5.5MM over each of the next three seasons but if placed on LTIR the Coyotes would be able to clear the cap hit from the books. Additionally, since the contract is insured, the club will only have to pay out $1.1MM in actual cash with insurance covering the balance.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers, under general manager Ron Hextall, have assembled one of the best prospect pools in the NHL and a few of those kids will have a chance to earn a roster spot this season, as Dave Isaac writes in his preview of three potential roster battles. Hextall was quoted as saying that, “whoever comes in, has to come in and make us a better team.” Isaac mentions that blue liner Ivan Provorov has the skill to make the Flyers better but also acknowledges it won’t necessarily be easy to beat out one of the veterans already on the roster. Up front, Isaac suggests Travis Konecny, who like Provorov was a first-round draft choice in 2015, could make the club as a bottom-six forward. Konecny potted 30 goals and tallied 71 assists last season in the OHL, splitting the campaign between the Ottawa 67’s and the Sarnia Sting.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins impressive run down the stretch of the regular season coincided with the promotion of three relatively unheralded young players. Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes how just 12 months ago Conor Sheary, Bryan Rust and Tom Kuhnhackl were three rookies eager to make a good impression in training camp. Now a year later they are Stanley Cup champions with each having played a role in Pittsburgh’s dominant run through the postseason. The trio contributed 12 goals and 24 points during the playoffs while adding speed and tenacity to the lineup for the Penguins. As they enter what would be their first full seasons in the NHL, each player hopes to prove they can play at a consistent level throughout an 82-game schedule.

Two Prospects Sign Their Deals With The Devils

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The New Jersey Devils have inked two of their prospects to entry-level contracts, according to GM and Executive Vice President Ray Shero.

Forward Blake Speers and defenseman Colton White were both selected in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft from the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Speers was selected 67th overall, while White was chosen 97th.

Speers scored 74 points in 68 games last season, and added another 10 points in 12 playoff games. Elite Prospects describes him as such:

Has slick hands and good overall puckhandling skills. Great passing ability and a very accurate shot. Plays a puck possession game; not diminutive in size, per say, but does need to get stronger. Not afraid to battle along the boards, but his size does show through against bigger opponents. Has all the tools to be a successful contributor when played in the right role.

White posted 35 points in 68 games, and another 3 in the playoffs.

Speers was named captain of the Greyhounds last season, and White serves as an assistant captain. Both men are expected to return to Sault Ste. Marie for one more season of junior before making their professional debuts in the 2017-18 season.

Provided neither player makes the Devils this season, the three-year contracts will not count against the 50-contract limit and will expire following the 2019-20 season.

Atlantic Notes: Marner, Red Wings Trades, Bruins Rookies

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Mitch Marner is ready for the spotlight of Toronto hockey writes Sportsnet’s Michael Grange. The fourth overall pick from the 2014 NHL Draft is ready to prove he belongs in Toronto as he attends his third prospect camp since being selected by the Leafs. Marner has played well with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights, registering 59 points (13-46) in 2013-14, 126 points (44-82) in 2014-15,  and 116 points (39-77) in 2015-16. His monstrous production over the past two seasons has the Leafs’ brass attention and Grange writes that should he produce the wizardry he did in London, he’ll absolutely be playing in Toronto this fall. During the Leafs 2-1 victory over the Senators Friday night during the Leafs Rookie Tournament, Marner played well in the Leafs 2-1 victory over the Senators, and also demonstrated some physicality in the Leafs’ win.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • Puck Daddy’s Ryan Lambert writes that the Red Wings lack of trades indicate some deeper issues in Hockeytown. The Wings wanted to move Jimmy Howard but failed to do so. They are trying to acquire a top four defenseman but haven’t been able to do that either. Lambert reports that the problem is all the money tied up in older veterans like Henrik Zetterberg and goes as far to say that the Red Wings made a number of poor contract choices this summer. This has been levied by many analysts regarding general manager Ken Holland’s decisions and has contributed to the Red Wings current situation of cap hell. Lambert further writes that the forward core had its struggles last season and that the defense is leaky. Lambert sees the Wings not making any trades due to this situation–unless they find themselves on the outside looking in at the trade deadline. And at that point, the Wings may be sacrificing the future for another playoff run that may end as quickly as the last three have.
  • Joe Haggerty reports via CSNNE that a number of Bruins’ rookies have a real shot at cracking the Bruins roster this fall. Haggerty quotes Boston general manager Don Sweeney as saying that the “door is wide open” for younger players to make their mark. Brandon Carlo, Jakub Zboril and Jeremy Lauzon are three players to watch, and Haggerty says that Carlo has the inside track to make the team out of camp. He does believe that some extra time in the AHL may be a more realistic start for Carlo. Danton Heinen and Jake DeBrusk are also other young Bruins to watch as the Bruins start their analysis of their young talent.

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