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Eastern Notes: Chabot, Vrana, Maenalanen, Maatta

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The Ottawa Senators may have benefited long-term from trading off its expected big-name free agents at the trade deadline, but the franchise must still answer to its fans. With a number of young players on their roster, the team must prove to their fan base that it has no intention of just trading away all of their players once their contracts come up. There are rumblings that suggest the Senators are ready to commit to one such player, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes in his “31 Thoughts” column that the Senators are going to attempt to lock up defensive cornerstone Thomas Chabot to a long-term extension. Chabot, who broke out with a big season in his sophomore year with 14 goals and 55 points in 70 games, would be the ideal signing for the organization to prove to its fans that they intend to compete in the future.

Friedman also writes that owner Eugene Melnyk has been humbled by his lack of success in finding a President of Hockey Operations with top candidates showing no interest to the point of refusing to even meet with the team. The hope is that Melnyk will now find a way to please the fans by rewarding one of their young players. Chabot is the most likely fit as he will be eligible for an extension on July 1 as he is entering the final year of his entry-level contract. Perhaps the move will also turn around the team’s presidential search.

  • NBC Sports Brian McNally writes that while the team was thrilled that 23-year-old Jakub Vrana put up 24 goals and finally broke out as a consistent top-six winger, the team now has to pay for him. Vrana, who becomes a restricted free agent this summer, could look to sign a long-term deal as a young piece to a veteran team or opt to sign a bridge deal that could take him towards unrestricted free agency in a few years. Of course, Vrana struggled in the playoffs which could count against him, as he didn’t register a point during the team’s seven-game series to the Carolina Hurricanes. We’ll have some decisions to make,” general manager Brian MacLellan said. “We’ll find out which direction we’re going on Vrana with a term deal or a bridge deal. Some of it is money decisions. Some of it’s we need to make a couple changes.”
  • The Carolina Hurricanes are ready for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals with the Boston Bruins and while there will be no lineup changes, News & Observer’s Luke DeCock writes that the team still hopes that forward Saku Maenalanen, who has been out since Apr. 28 after having surgery on his hand, could return to the team soon as he practiced with the team Saturday in a non-contact jersey. The surgery was expected him to miss 10 to 14 days, which has already passed. While he’s tallied just one assist throughout the playoffs, the 6-foot-4 winger had given the team a physical element that it needed. The team hopes he might return later in this series
  • Jonathan Bombulie of TribLive writes that while it will be Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford job to move out some defensemen, figuring out which defensemen to move could be more challenging that most might think. Looking at Olli Maatta, who is coming off a poor season, the scribe writes that while he struggled when on the ice with bottom-line centers like Derick Brassard, but was more even-keel when Evgeni Malkin was on the ice, while he was solid when playing with Sidney Crosby, suggesting that the problem may not totally fall on the team’s defense.

Ottawa Senators To Interview Dallas Assistant Rick Bowness

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The Ottawa Senators continue their search for a head coach as the team has asked and received permission to interview Dallas Stars assistant coach and former Ottawa head coach Rick Bowness, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie. He is the sixth coach to receive an interview with the Senators.

Bowness, the Senators first-ever head coach, coached Ottawa in between 1992 and 1995, finished his tenure with the Senators with a 39-178-18 record, although expectations weren’t as great back then considering that expansion franchises didn’t get the same advantages that the Vegas Golden Knights have received and soon-to-be Seattle franchise will receive. Bowness has been the head coach of several struggling franchises over the years, including coaching the original Winnipeg Jets, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders and Phoenix Coyotes, with an overall coaching record of 123-289-48 record. His last coaching gig was a 20-game stint with the Coyotes back in 2004 as the team’s interim coach after the team fired Bob Francis.

However, while his head coaching record may not be stellar, Bowness has made a name for himself as a top assistant coach, who helped the Vancouver Canucks in their glory years from 2006 to 2013, including one trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. He then moved over to work with Jon Cooper and the Tampa Bay Lightning for the next five years before joining the Jim Montgomery and the Dallas Stars last summer, helping the Stars reach the second-round of the playoffs this year.

Bowness, 64, will be the sixth coach interviewed as the Senators have already interviewed Marc Crawford, Troy Mann, Jacques Martin, D.J. Smith and Nate Leaman. McKenzie added that there is no hurry for Ottawa to hire a head coach as he could see the team waiting until the end of the month before hiring a coach.

Ottawa Senators Sign Olle Alsing

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Another international free agent has found an NHL home, as Olle Alsing today signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators. Alsing played this season for Djurgardens in the SHL, but will join the Senators at their development camp in June.

Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia tweets that there was plenty of NHL interest in Alsing, who led the SHL in +/- this season at a +26 mark. He recorded 15 points in 49 games during the regular season, and then really dominated in the playoffs recording eight points in 18 games while helping his club to the SHL final. The 23-year old defenseman is small, but fits into the new NHL build of moving the puck quickly and effectively in order to avoid long defensive stretches.

The Senators are obviously not the contender that they were a few years ago, but the organization can offer plenty of opportunity for players like Alsing to get NHL experience right away. The team should have a healthy competition for playing time on the blue line next season, given that only a single roster defenseman is currently scheduled to earn more than $1MM—that’s Mark Borowiecki at $1.2MM.

Senators Could Have Interest In Loui Eriksson

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  • Still with the Canucks, TSN’s Ray Ferraro speculates (audio link) that the Senators could be a team that has some interest in winger Loui Eriksson. While his $6MM AAV is a concern, he’ll only be owed $9MM over the final three years of his deal after his signing bonus is paid on July 1st.  For a team with a tight budget like Ottawa, that could certainly be appealing, especially since Vancouver would need to include a sweetener for taking the contract off their books.  Eriksson had 29 points this past season, his highest in three years with the team and indicated earlier this month that he and head coach Travis Green do not always see eye to eye.

Sharks-Avalanche Outcome Of Interest To Senators, Red Wings

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The Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators seem to be inextricably linked this season. While GM Joe Sakic and the Avalanche were cheering on every Ottawa loss as a step closer to a top draft pick, Senators GM Pierre Dorion now gets his own chance to hope for a Colorado defeat. The Senators are one of two non-playoff teams hoping the San Jose Sharks can overcome the Avalanche tonight and advance another round. That’s because of the conditions on the Erik Karlsson trade from last season, which state that if the star defenseman re-signs in San Jose another second-round pick will change hands. That pick will upgrade to a first-round selection in 2021 if Karlsson re-signs and the Sharks reach the Stanley Cup final this season.

While obviously the Sharks want to win the Stanley Cup, just reaching it would certainly make any extension talks with Karlsson more interesting. The team has already traded away their first pick in this year and next year’s draft, meaning they could end up without one until 2022. There hasn’t been any indication which way Karlsson leans so far, as he is instead focused on the playoff run ahead of him. Sharks GM Doug Wilson though has always tried to retain his rental acquisitions, as evidenced most recently by the seven-year extension for Evander Kane.

The Senators aren’t the only team watching the outcome though, as the Detroit Red Wings also have some skin in the game. The Red Wings will see their 2020 third-round pick acquired for Gustav Nyquist upgrade to a second if the Sharks reach the Stanley Cup final this season or if he re-signs with them. Again, Nyquist has fit in quite nicely with the Sharks and could be a candidate for an extension, but the condition makes it more difficult from a San Jose perspective.

Obviously the Sharks would need to win another series against the rolling St. Louis Blues in order to get to the final, but they’ll have to get past the Avalanche tonight. As they try to slow down Nathan MacKinnon and company, they’ll have some cheerleaders from the Eastern Conference.

Julius Bergman Returning To Sweden

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As expected, prospect Julius Bergman has decided to return to Sweden and play for Frolunda during the 2019-20 season. The 23-year old defenseman is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this summer and will not be re-signing with the New York Rangers.

Amazingly, Bergman was involved in three different trades since the end of the 2017-18 season. After three seasons with the San Jose Sharks he was included in the original Mike Hoffman deal with the Ottawa Senators along with Mikkel Boedker. After just 33 games for the Belleville Senators of the AHL, Bergman was flipped along with Matt Duchene to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Since he had already indicated to the Senators that he wasn’t going to re-sign, the Blue Jackets also felt they had no need to keep him around and included him in the deal to acquire Adam McQuaid from the Rangers just a few days later. In ten games for the Hartford Wolf Pack, Bergman recorded two points.

Originally drafted 46th overall by San Jose in 2014, Bergman actually quickly came to North America to continue his development in the OHL. He recorded 42 points in 60 games for the London Knights during the 2014-15 season, while also suiting up for Sweden at the World Juniors and making his AHL debut at the end of the year. The young defenseman has shown some exciting offensive ability over the years but failed to really climb the depth chart in San Jose, and now will return to continue his development overseas. The Rangers can retain his rights for the time being by issuing him a qualifying offer, and hope that he changes his mind down the line.

Atlantic Notes: Moore, Miller, Senators’ COO, Canadiens’ Backup

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With the news that Charlie McAvoy will miss Game One of the Eastern Conference Final, the Boston Bruins know that they will need someone else to step up and fill both his spot in the lineup and his considerable minutes. While the latter responsibility will likely fall to increased roles for Brandon Carlo and Torey Krug, as well as captain Zdeno Chara of course, someone will have to come off the bench and be ready to contribute. Who exactly that will be remains a mystery, but the pool of potential options has increased. Speaking with the media today, Bruins GM Don Sweeney revealed that John Moore will be available on Thursday and that Kevan Miller has not been ruled out either. Moore was injured early in the Bruins’ last series and did not return, while Miller has not played at all in the postseason while rehabbing a lower-body injury. Sweeney did not sound optimistic that Miller would be the choice for Game One, but did promise that the further the team plays into the postseason, the more likely it is that he will return to the lineup. Miller began the season as a top-six regular for Boston, as he has for several years now, but injuries cost him all but 39 regular season games. An especially injury-prone defense corps this season has helped the Bruins give the likes of Moore, Matt Grzelcyk, Steven Kampfer, and Connor Clifton all considerable play time, and head coach Bruce Cassidy has entrusted the youngsters Grzelcyk and Clifton with starting roles moving forward in the playoffs. If Miller is still unable to go on Thursday, the decision would thus come down to Moore versus Kampfer, with the latter providing a right-handed shot and more stable defense, but the former bringing more experience with the team and more puck-moving ability to help with McAvoy’s absence. It will be an interesting decision for Cassidy and his staff and one that could play a major role in the Game One result.

  • Ottawa Senators’ COO Nic Ruszkowski is leaving his post after just one year on the job. As The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes, this is yet another shake-up to a front office that is still searching for a President of Hockey Operations, not to mention a head coach. Garrioch reports that Ruszkowski’s departure has spurred the Senators to restructure their administrative structure, with several executives moving into new roles to take on some of Ruszkowski’s duties. While the team claims that this restructuring will “strengthen our club”, Ruszkowski’s unexpected resignation is yet another stain on a difficult season for the Senators and only adds to the mythos of owner Eugene Melnyk being a difficult individual to work for. The team has a lot of work to do this summer on all fronts and hopefully can get their front office sorted out sooner rather than later.
  • The Montreal Canadiens may be paying Carey Price $10.5MM per year, but that doesn’t mean they expect him to play in every game. Yet, Price started the second-most games in the league this season, making 66 appearances. The poor play of backup Antti Niemi forced head coach Claude Julien’s hand in many cases and the team has already told Niemi, an unrestricted free agent, that he will not be back. Simply promoting Charlie Lindgren likely isn’t a much better option either. Instead, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels writes that the Canadiens will looks for experience and value on the free agent goalie market this summer. Engels warns that Montreal should not overpay for a backup, given the investment in Price to be “the guy” for ideally 60 games or so each year, but also feels they need a trusted veteran who could step in as the starter in case of injury. A cost-effective, proven veteran goalie is not always an easy thing to find, but Engels does throw out the likes of Cam Talbot, should he opt not to re-sign with the Philadelphia Flyers, Brian Elliott, Curtis McElhinney, Anders Nilsson, Keith Kinkaid, and Michael Hutchinson as top options. In all likelihood, it will be one of those names backing up Price come October.

Bettman: No Sale Or Relocation Plans For Senators

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  • While the lack of progress on an arena deal has led some to speculate that an ownership change or relocation could be on the table for the Senators, commissioner Gary Bettman told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that the team isn’t for sale and moving them is not a consideration. Things were looking up in Ottawa with the proposed LeBreton Flats agreement but that deal fell apart with both parties involved ultimately taking each other to court.  Meanwhile, Bettman wouldn’t confirm or deny if the league is involved in assisting the team with their search for a president of hockey operations.

Prospect Notes: London, Ilves, Kallionkieli

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It’s no secret that the Canadian junior ranks and the American collegiate ranks compete over prized prospects constantly. In most cases, once a young player decides on their route, there is no going back. Playing even one game in the OHL, WHL, or QMJHL disqualifies an athlete from NCAA participation so there is no recourse once the major junior path is chosen. However, there are rare occurrences where some prospects play for or commit to a a college program before eventually joining a junior club instead. Incredibly, the OHL’s London Knights landed two such players today. The team announced that both Jonathan Gruden and Bryce Montgomery have joined the organization ahead of the 2019-20 season. Gruden, who turns 19 tomorrow, was a fourth-round pick of the Ottawa Senators last year and played for Miami University this season. Despite a promising 15-point freshman season, Gruden decided that the college game was not for him for some reason. Last month, he shockingly signed his entry-level contract with the Senators, giving up the rest of his NCAA eligibility. Gruden is not yet eligible to play in the AHL and is not close to ready for the NHL, so it was a foregone conclusion that he would join the Knights, who held his CHL junior rights. As for Montgomery, his change of heart is a new surprise. The 16-year-old American is a highly-touted young defenseman who was expected to play at the prep school level for a couple more years before joining Providence College. Instead, he has reneged on that commitment in favor of getting to the next step in his development even sooner with London. The Friars’ loss is the Knights’ gain, as Montgomery has the size and strength to be a difference-maker immediately at the junior level. Both he and Gruden are major additions for a London program that has become one of the best developers of talent in all of junior hockey in recent years.

  • Sometimes prospects don’t just have to decide between whether the college game or junior game is better for their development, but rather if North America is the right choice for them overall. Two talented 2019 draft-eligible prospects have tested the waters and decided to return home for next season. Lassi Alanen, a European scout for Future Considerations, reports that Ilves of the Finnish Liiga have welcomed back defenseman Lassi Thomson and brought in forward Matias Macelli for next season. Thomson, expected to be a late first- or early-second round pick in June, spent this past year with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. While he excelled, leading all Rockets defensemen with 17 goals and 41 points in 63 games, he clearly feels the pro game would be a better next step for his growth. While Thomson possesses great skill and skating ability, there is room to improve defensively and physically, which will be easier to do against older competition. Thomson also has experience with Ilves, having grown up in their junior ranks. Macelli is new to Ilves – he was a TPS product prior to his move overseas – but the team is likely just as excited to have him. Macelli spent the last two seasons with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints and in 2018-19 finished third in the league in scoring with 72 points in 62 games. The talented winger was in the top five of both goals and assists in the USHL, as he showed a balanced offensive attack. Expected to be a second- or third-round pick this spring, Macelli has the makings of a player who could prove to be a draft steal if his skill set translates to the pro level.
  • A fellow Finn who is keeping college, junior, and Liiga teams alike waiting is forward Marcus Kallionkieli. Like Macelli, Kallionkieli is a skilled forward out of the USHL expected to land in the second or third round of the draft this year. A bigger, stronger winger, Kallionkieli has adopted the North American style and has become and adept goal-scorer, notching 29 goals and 53 points in 58  games this season for the Sioux City Musketeers. Although Kallionkieli was reportedly focused on a college scholarship, and at one point linked to the University of Denver where teammate and presumptive first-round pick Bobby Brink is headed, there has been no commitment to this point. He could opt to play another year in the USHL before joining the college ranks or he could turn his attention to the CHL or a return to Finland. There’s even a chance that the team that drafts him wants to see if his mature game is ready for the AHL right away, although that might be a long shot. One way or another, the intriguing forward is a name to watch out for.

 

Youth Added To Team USA For IIHF World Championship

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USA Hockey has announced a trio of new additions to their IIHF World Championship roster, and all three represent the next wave of NHL talent. Not only will the team bring in potential first-overall pick Jack Hughes, but newly acquired New York Rangers prospect Adam Fox is heading to Slovakia along with Ottawa Senators defenseman Christian Wolanin.

Hughes is obviously a huge addition after lighting up the U18 tournament last month, but Fox represents a very interesting situation. The 21-year old defenseman was traded from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Rangers just yesterday, but hasn’t officially signed his entry-level contract. While it is obviously expected to happen before the season begins, technically he still could return to Harvard for his senior season in 2019-20. Fox will be joining Brady Skjei on the Team USA roster, a potential defensive partner next season with the Rangers.

Wolanin meanwhile is a little bit older than the other two, after turning 24 in March, but also brings a little bit of NHL experience. The Senators defenseman has 40 games under his belt at the highest level, but still spent most of this season in the minor leagues with the Belleville Senators. The former University of North Dakota standout has 15 points in those first 40 NHL contests, and is expected to take on a bigger role with Ottawa next season.

The full roster is now as follows:

G Thatcher Demko
G Cayden Primeau
G Cory Schneider

D Quinn Hughes
D Alec Martinez
D Brady Skjei
D Ryan Suter
D Noah Hanifin
D Adam Fox
D Christian Wolanin

F Alex DeBrincat
F Jack Eichel
F Luke Glendening
F Patrick Kane
F Clayton Keller
F Chris Kreider
F Dylan Larkin
F James van Riemsdyk
F Frank Vatrano
F Colin White
F Johnny Gaudreau
F Derek Ryan
F Jack Hughes

Hughes, at just 17 years old will become the youngest player ever to suit up for Team USA at the World Championships.

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