Arizona Coyotes Executive Brian Daccord Resigns
The Arizona Coyotes and GM Bill Armstrong sure have their work cut out for them this summer. With just a dozen 2020-21 regulars under contract beyond this season – eight forwards, three defenseman, and a goalie, no first-round pick due to forfeiture, and the impending NHL Expansion Draft, there was already more than enough for the team to handle as they look to improve ahead of next season. Now, there will be one less mind to help out. As confirmed by Coyotes beat writer Craig Morgan, Special Assistant to the GM and Director of Goaltending Personnel Brian Daccord has resigned from his position. He follows Assistant GM’s Lindsay Hofford and Steve Sullivan out the door, all in the past nine months, leaving behind a desolate front office.
Daccord was in fact Armstrong’s first hire after he landed the Arizona GM job in September. Morgan describes Daccord as Armstrong’s “right-hand man” and someone who held many different responsibilities. Many of those duties involved goaltending, which was a bright spot this season in the desert with Darcy Kuemper‘s continued strong play and Adin Hill taking a step forward. However, it could quickly become an area of concern with Kuemper a fixture in the trade rumor mill, Hill potentially exposed to expansion, and veteran Antti Raanta heading for free agency, without much in the way of high-end talent in the pipeline. Perhaps even more important though is that Morgan notes that Daccord was also heavily involved in recommending front office hires to Armstrong. Not only must the GM replace his two departed assistants, but he now must replace the man who was supposed to help him with the selection process. Entering his first full off-season, this could already be a do-or-die summer for Armstrong with so many major decisions on his plate and not much support.
As for Daccord, the respected hockey mind is sure to find work elsewhere, if he hasn’t already. A professional goalie in Switzerland during his playing career, Daccord has worked his way up the coaching ranks from assistant coach at his alma mater, Merrimack College, to goalie coach positions with the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and in Germany, and finally to a front office position overseeing goaltending personnel, among other things. One possible landing spot could be with the Ottawa Senators, where son Joey Daccord is himself a goaltender.
AHL Announces 2020-21 All-Star Teams
After revealing their All-Rookie Team yesterday, the AHL has handed out another set of accolades for the best players in the league. The 2020-21 All-Star teams have been released, honors that are voted on by coaches players, and media. Unlike most years, when a first and second team would be announced, the league decided to name All-Division teams in this unique season.
While these teams do not predict future NHL success as well as the All-Rookie group, there are still plenty of NHL stars that have been awarded AHL All-Star honors in the past. This year’s group many young players that will soon be on an NHL bench, including several members of the All-Rookie team.
Atlantic Division
G Jeremy Swayman, Providence Bruins
D Samuel Bolduc, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
D Tarmo Reunanen, Hartford Wolf Pack
F Morgan Barron, Hartford Wolf Pack
F Cameron Hughes, Providence Bruins
F Jakub Lauko, Providence Bruins
North Division
G Zane McIntyre, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
D Oskari Laaksonen, Rochester Americans
D Cameron Schilling, Hershey Bears
F Boris Katchouk, Syracuse Crunch
F Connor McMichael, Hershey Bears
F Taylor Raddysh, Syracuse Crunch
Canadian Division
G Cayden Primeau, Laval Rocket
D Otto Leskinen, Laval Rocket
D Connor Mackey, Stockton Heat
F Kalle Kossila, Toronto Marlies
F Egor Sokolov, Belleville Senators
F Nathan Todd, Manitoba Moose
Central Division
G Beck Warm, Chicago Wolves
D Calen Addison, Iowa Wild
D Cody Franson, Rockford IceHogs
F Riley Barber, Grand Rapids Griffins
F Riley Damiani, Texas Stars
F Adam Mascherin, Texas Stars
Pacific Division
G Logan Thompson, Henderson Silver Knights
D Josh Mahura, San Diego Gulls
D Ryan Murphy, Henderson Silver Knights
F Cooper Marody, Bakersfield Condors
F Andrew Poturalski, San Diego Gulls
F T.J. Tynan, Colorado Eagles
Vitaly Abramov Signs In KHL
The Ottawa Senators depth chart is getting awfully crowded at the forward position, with young players emerging almost daily. Perhaps that’s part of the reason why Vitaly Abramov has signed a two-year contract in the KHL with Traktor Chelyabinsk. Abramov was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer. The Senators will be able to retain his restricted free agent rights by issuing him a qualifying offer, keeping him attached to the organization.
Originally selected in the third round of the 2016 draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Abramov was in the NHL making his debut by the 2018-19 season after being part of the Matt Duchene trade. Now 23, he has just five games at that level with the Senators, spending much of his time in the AHL instead. This season for Belleville, he had 19 points in 23 games, a strong showing for the talented winger.
Unfortunately, with the pipeline so packed from high picks over the last few years, it was hard to see Abramov getting a top-six opportunity in Ottawa anytime soon. A return to the KHL will give him a chance to play more important offensive minutes and could help him secure an NHL role down the line. For now, the Senators will have to wait and watch, but his rights won’t expire for several years.
Despite Struggles, Senators Will Qualify Logan Brown
- Despite a disappointing and injury-marred season, the Senators will tender a qualifying offer to center Logan Brown, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The 11th-overall pick in 2016, Brown has just 26 career NHL games under his belt, only one of which came this season while injuries limited him to just 13 more with AHL Belleville. A change of scenery has been speculated as something that might be beneficial for Brown and with him unlikely to be protected in expansion, he could be an intriguing project for Seattle to take a look at.
Melnyk: Hoping To Finalize Arena Plan In Next Few Years, Open To Gatineau If Plans In Kanata Fall Through
Mark Giordano has been a fixture on Calgary’s back end for well over a decade and has gone from a role player to a top-line fixture while taking over as their captain. However, Seattle’s expansion draft is on the horizon and the Flames could be inclined to protect players that are going to be around a little longer than the 37-year-old in Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, and Chris Tanev who all have at least three years left on their respective deals. Accordingly, Sportsnet’s Eric Francis suggests that Giordano would be a viable target for the Kraken who would be able to afford the $6.75MM on his deal for next season where he’d be a valuable mentor (and perhaps a late-season trade chip). For his part, Giordano acknowledged that “there are certain situations where you have to be an adult about it and know there are certain things that have to happen”, suggesting that he seems to see the writing on the wall.
More from the North Division:
- Canucks center Brandon Sutter’s preference is to re-sign with Vancouver this offseason, notes Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 32-year-old certainly hasn’t lived up to the $4.375MM cap hit on the deal he signed after joining Vancouver but he can still be an effective role player, scoring nine goals this season while winning 55.5% of his faceoffs. A significant pay cut is coming one way or another but given his fit on the team, it’s understandable that Sutter may want to stick around.
- Ottawa’s arena situation has been a concern for a few years now after the LeBreton Flats development fell through but it has been off the radar lately. However, team owner Eugene Melnyk indicated in a recent appearance on the Bob McCown Podcast (audio link) that he’s hoping to commit to a new plan within the next few years. His preference is to stay in Kanata but he indicated an openness to considering Gatineau, Quebec as a potential fallback.
Ottawa Senators Extend Clark Bishop
The Ottawa Senators have signed Clark Bishop to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The 25-year-old forward was set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this offseason after failing to reach the required number of games played for restricted free agency. That won’t matter now, as the Senators have brought him back on a deal that will carry an $800K salary in the NHL and a 200K salary in the AHL.
Senators GM Pierre Dorion released the following statement:
Clark proved to be a versatile player for us this past season. He possesses good speed, has a great work ethic and showcases a continuous willingness to play in hard areas. We’re pleased to reach agreement with him.
Bishop came to the Senators in a trade just before the season began and ended up playing 13 games for the team. He failed to score a goal, but did register three assists and generally held his own. That short audition has obviously impressed the team enough to bring him back, though the two-way deal suggests he isn’t guaranteed a roster spot next season.
Instead, Bishop will likely serve a similar role, sitting somewhere between 14-16 on the forward depth chart. A handful of NHL games should be expected, but it’s hard to see him locking down a full-time roster spot with so many young prospects pushing for playing time. If the Senators want to move him to the minor leagues Bishop will have to clear waivers, but that shouldn’t be much of an issue. He cleared twice this season.
Marcus Hogberg Expected To Return To Linkoping
- Senators goaltender Marcus Hogberg is likely to return to Linkoping of the SHL this summer, suggests SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson. Hogberg played in their system from 2010 to 2017 before heading to North America. Ottawa informed the 26-year-old last week that he would not be tendered a qualifying offer this summer and coming off a poor performance that saw him post a 3.74 GAA with a .876 SV% with the Sens, he’s unlikely to attract much NHL interest. Accordingly, Svensson believes that will bring him to Linkoping who has been in touch with his agent already about a potential reunion.
Extension Talks Underway For Victor Mete, Artem Anisimov Told He Won't Be Back
Among what was a busy day for the Senators yesterday with GM Pierre Dorion’s end-of-season media availability, he told reporters, including Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, that they are now working on a new deal for defenseman Victor Mete. The pending restricted free agent was claimed off waivers from Montreal at the trade deadline and while his playing time was limited to just over 12 minutes a game over his first five games with them, a good showing plus injuries on the back end saw that number jump to over 23 minutes per contest in their final five games. Mete is owed a qualifying offer of just over $770K but has salary arbitration eligibility which could come into play if they can’t get a deal done between now and the start of free agency in late July.
- Also from Garrioch’s piece, he reports that the Senators has informed veteran center Artem Anisimov that they will not be bringing him back next season but that they will talk to center Derek Stepan and winger Ryan Dzingel. Stepan was expected to help stabilize their forward group before being moved at the trade deadline but a torn labrum ended those plans quickly. Dzingel was brought in from Carolina midseason but wasn’t overly productive with six goals and three assists in 29 games. As for Anisimov, he cleared waivers during the year, suiting up just 19 times along the way although he managed nine points in those contests. Given his limited usage though, it’s certainly understandable that he won’t be back, especially with a young group of forwards that are pushing for roster spots.
Snapshots: Hartman, Hamaliuk, Senators
The NHL has issued a $5,000 fine to Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman for a “dangerous trip” on St. Louis Blues forward Sammy Blais. This is the maximum allowable fine amount under the CBA, once the incident was deemed to not deserve a suspension.
The incident occurred partway through the second period in last night’s game. As the puck was dumped into the corner, Hartman pushed his stick into the back of Blais’ leg and caused the Blues player to tumble backward. Hartman was given a two-minute penalty on the play and will have to fork over a few dollars as well.
- Now that his WHL season is over, Dillon Hamaliuk has been added to the San Jose Barracuda roster for the Pacific Division playoffs. Hamaliuk, 20, scored 13 points in 16 games with the Kelowna Rockets this season and will get his first taste of professional hockey down the stretch. The 6’4″ forward signed his entry-level contract with the Sharks way back in October 2019, a few months after being selected 55th overall in the draft.
- The Ottawa Senators haven’t had a captain since trading away Erik Karlsson, but that could be changing soon. At his year-end media availability today, GM Pierre Dorion told reporters including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia that he will sit down with owner Eugene Melnyk and head coach D.J. Smith to discuss the captaincy, suggesting either early next year or through the season the team will name one.
Marcus Hogberg Will Not Be Qualified
The Ottawa Senators will be moving on from backup goaltender Marcus Hogberg, as GM Pierre Dorion explained today. The team has already informed Hogberg of their decision to not qualify him this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent.
It certainly makes some sense that the Senators would be moving on, almost regardless of Hogberg’s play. The team has seemingly found its goaltender of the future in Filip Gustavsson, who posted a .933 save percentage in nine games down the stretch and still have Matt Murray locked up for the next three seasons at a $6.25MM cap hit. Add in the re-signed Anton Forsberg and a recovering Joey Daccord and the goalie room in Ottawa is already quite full.
Still, perhaps there is more to unlock in the 26-year-old Hogberg. Selected 78th overall in the 2013 draft, the 6’5″ behemoth was a star in Sweden, posting a .931 save percentage in his final season for Linkoping HC. That 2016-17 season was followed by a trip to North America, where things haven’t quite clicked to this point.
In 42 NHL appearances, Hogberg has just an .894 save percentage and seemed to often lose his net when moving out to cut down an angle. Professional shooters were beating him too often at the NHL level, but there have been more bouts of confidence and success at the minor leagues. Perhaps another team will believe they can tweak some things and get an NHL goaltender out of Hogberg, but it won’t be in Ottawa.