Ottawa Senators Sign Jorian Donovan
The Ottawa Senators’ front office isn’t slowing down to take in training camp. The team announced today that they have signed prospect Jorian Donovan to a three-year entry-level contract.
Donovan, 18, was the team’s fifth-round pick this summer, selected 136th overall after his first season in the OHL. The young defenseman had 22 points in 64 games for the Hamilton Bulldogs, after being the sixth-overall pick in the 2020 OHL priority selection.
While he was born in Calgary, this is a hometown kid for the Senators. Donovan is the son of former NHL forward Shean Donovan, who played more than 950 games in the league and is now a development coach with the organization. He finished his playing career in Ottawa, and coached with the 67’s and the Kanata Lasers, the minor program where Jorian made his name.
It’s not just nepotism that got him this deal though, as general manager Pierre Dorion explains:
We’ve been impressed with Jorian’s game since drafting him in July. He competes hard and will be a defenceman that Hamilton leans on in every situation this season. An athletic player who skates well, getting Jorian under contract today is an important step for the future of the organization.
There is real upside in the young defenseman, and Dorion is right when he says the Bulldogs will be relying on him this season. With the graduation of Nathan Staios and Arber Xhekaj, there will be big minutes available in Hamilton this season. If a player like Donovan takes over in that top role, his value could skyrocket quickly.
Pierre-Luc Dubois: “I Could See Myself In Winnipeg”
This offseason, Pierre-Luc Dubois could have committed long-term to the Winnipeg Jets. He was a restricted free agent, had just turned 24, and coming off a solid 28-goal season. Instead, he told the team he wasn’t interested in a long-term deal and accepted his $6MM qualifying offer.
That set off plenty of speculation about his future, as Dubois only has one more year of RFA status left after this season. Next summer he could accept another qualifying offer, or go to arbitration for a one-year contract and walk from Winnipeg in the summer of 2024 at the age of 26. His love for the Montreal Canadiens has only been stoked by his agent (and being spotted at the draft), which has suggested to some that he might be waiting to go there in free agency one way or another.
Darren Dreger of TSN caught up with Dubois ahead of Jets training camp this week and asked him about the decision to accept a qualifying offer.
I could see myself in Winnipeg in the future. Just this summer I didn’t have the answer. Everyone wants an answer immediately, that’s kind of the world we’re in. But it’s my life at the end of the day. It is a decision that six, seven, eight years is a long time to bring me toward the end of my career. It’s not just me, it’s also a family that I have. It is a big decision that this past summer I wasn’t ready to make.
Dubois went on to say how things feel different in Winnipeg this season – in a good way, he clarified – and that he’s excited to take another run at the playoffs with this group.
The third-overall pick from 2016 has scored 102 goals and 239 points in his 361-game career but drove much of this speculation with the way he exited his last team. Uncomfortable with the Columbus Blue Jackets, he seemed to stop trying during his final games there, leading to plenty of ire from the fanbase and a seat on the bench from head coach John Tortorella. The forward was eventually traded to the Jets for Patrik Laine, another star who didn’t seem content with his situation.
For the Jets, knowing where Dubois leans is incredibly important. The team will be moving on from former captain Blake Wheeler and top center Mark Scheifele at some point down the road, and could use a big two-way center to build around for the future. Dubois represents that, and along with Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers, could keep the team’s offense churning.
If he is going to leave, there is an argument to be made that the Jets should move him as soon as possible. After missing the playoffs last season this could be another lean year, and getting back assets to put in the system would be better than watching him leave in free agency. For now, he’s signed for this year and can’t go anywhere until 2024. Hopefully, for Winnipeg’s sake, his comments about leaving the door open for the Jets are true.
Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag
Training camps open this week all around the league and preseason hockey is right around the corner. Most of the restricted free agents are signed, big extensions have been handed out, and rosters are nearly complete for most teams. Hope is all over the league as pretenders try to become contenders, rebuilding clubs see rookie breakouts, and newcomers try to make an impact in unfamiliar surroundings.
With that in mind, it’s time to run another edition of the PHR Mailbag.
Last time, the mailbag was broken into two parts. The first looked at the center market over the next two years, and future dealings for Steve Yzerman, and predicted some of the RFA news that would follow. The second examined the tanking rosters, Ottawa’s interesting offseason, and how St. Louis can afford to re-sign Ryan O’Reilly.
You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.
Buffalo Sabres To Name Captain Prior To Regular Season
The Buffalo Sabres haven’t officially had a captain since just prior to this season when they stripped the title from the injured Jack Eichel prior to an early-season trade to the Vegas Golden Knights. That year-long absence will come to an end soon, though, as newly-extended general manager Kevyn Adams told reporters today that the team will announce their leadership group for 2022-23, including a team captain, prior to the regular season.
As mentioned by The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski in the linked story above, veteran winger Kyle Okposo is the leading candidate for the role, supported by rumors over the offseason. Okposo had his best offensive year as a Sabre despite largely playing in a fourth-line role, cracking the 20-goal mark for the first time since 2015-16 and had 45 points, his highest total in a Sabres jersey. Forming solid chemistry with Zemgus Girgensons, also expected to be named an alternate captain as the longest-tenured Sabre, Okposo’s taken on a de facto leadership role and is becoming an integral part of the team’s voice.
While Okposo has been an alternate captain in Buffalo for the past five seasons, Alex Tuch also jumps out as an obvious candidate for the job. Acquired in the Eichel trade, the Buffalo native had 38 points in 50 games as a Sabre this past year and cemented himself as a top-six fixture.
Speaking today on the team’s leadership group, head coach Don Granato said the following:
I’ll just point out our three older, I think our three oldest guys, are Girgensons, Okposo and Craig Anderson. And they do a tremendous job. They have that presence. And they are in it, obviously, as competitors, but they really have a deep care for helping some other guys achieve more. They don’t fear that this guy might replace me. Which is very uncommon. Whether that is an unconscious thought, or a subconscious thought. Sometimes it’s hard for the older players to really, really help a guy who might replace them or take some ice time away from them. And those three guys there, they love it.
Latest On Mathew Barzal
There’s a strong class of restricted free agents next offseason, headlined by young wingers like Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt (again), and Alex DeBrincat, to name a few. There’s also New York Islanders cornerstone Mathew Barzal, who said today during the first day of camp that he wants to get an extension done prior to the start of the regular season. However, in true Islanders fashion, little is known on how close the team and Barzal are on an extension, according to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz.
Barzal added that it’s not a hard deadline he’s imposing, rather, it’s just a desire to get it out of the way.
If [it’s not done before the start of the season], I’m not really worried about it just because my heart’s here and I know that we’ll get something fair and something both sides will be happy about.
Given precedence with the Islanders, we likely won’t know about the extension until it’s already signed. Barzal is entering the final season of a three-year, $21MM bridge deal signed days prior to the 2020-21 season.
Over the course of the past two years, Barzal’s scored 32 goals, 74 assists, and 104 points in 128 games while averaging 18:20 per night. While all of those figures have cooled off from the pace he set for himself during his Calder-winning 2017-18 campaign, he remains a vital young piece in an otherwise aging forward core.
His importance to the team, now and in the future, is something general manager Lou Lamoriello is keenly aware of, saying “without question” that he’d like to see Barzal in an Islanders jersey long-term. Depending on which rumors one listens to, Lamoriello demonstrated that commitment to Barzal by making a head coaching change this past offseason.
In any event, it seems likely at this point that Barzal will avoid another uncertain situation as a restricted free agent holdout as he did in 2020.
West Notes: Zegras, Binnington, Quick
Despite some of the on-ice drama Trevor Zegras causes with his goals, there won’t be any off-ice drama this season regarding a contract extension. During media availability today, Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said that he’ll wait until after the 2022-23 season ends to work out a contract extension with the team’s budding no. 1 center.
Zegras is entering the final season of his three-year entry-level contract, with Zegras entering just his second full NHL season after scoring 61 points in 75 games as a technical rookie last year. He did play 24 games in 2020-21, enough to burn the first year of his entry-level contract, but not enough to remove his rookie status for 2021-22 in the eyes of the league. Verbeek expressed a desire to “[give] players the full year to kind of just concentrate on playing hockey,” also meaning that he won’t work on contract extensions for Troy Terry and Jamie Drysdale in-season either. All three players are restricted free agents in 2023.
- After he sustained a left knee injury in the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington is fully healed and was a full participant today as the Blues began training camp, according to NHL.com correspondent Lou Korac. The Blues will rely on Binnington heavily this season, as veteran backup Thomas Greiss had one of the worst years of his career last season (if not the worst) with a .891 save percentage and shouldn’t be relied upon for more than 25 starts.
- Two-time Stanley Cup champion goalie Jonathan Quick today told The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein that he plans on playing past this upcoming season, his 16th in the NHL. Quick is entering the final season of a 10-year, $58MM contract extension signed with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012.
Snapshots: Czechia, Columbus, Landeskog
The Czech Foreign Ministry has told the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators that they will not welcome Russian-born players into the country for the Global Series games, scheduled to be held on October 7 and 8 in Prague. A report from the Associated Press confirms that a letter has been sent to the NHL explaining that visas are not to be issued to Russian players because of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
However, deputy commissioner Bill Daly has expressed “no concern” to the AP about players traveling to Czechia, and Sharks general manager Mike Grier told reporters including Corey Masisak of The Athletic that the NHL is handling the situation. Grier also explained that his position is “we all go or we don’t go,” suggesting he will not take the Sharks to Prague if Alexander Barabanov and Evgeny Svechnikov, the team’s two healthy Russian players, are not allowed to participate.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have made several changes in their hockey operations department, naming Trevor Timmins assistant director of amateur scouting, and hiring Marshall Davidson, Dale Derkatch, and Roman Polak (previously reported) as scouts. Zac Urback has been promoted to director of hockey analytics, and Mike Eaves, formerly the head coach of the Cleveland Monsters, will now serve as a pro scout.
- Gabriel Landeskog “won’t skate anytime soon” according to Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, who told reporters including Peter Baugh of The Athletic that the captain is still dealing with an injury from last season. Landeskog is expected to miss the start of the year.
Nolan Patrick Will Not Play In 2022-23
The Vegas Golden Knights announced some training camp injuries today, listing Laurent Brossoit, Daniil Miromanov, Spencer Foo, and Jakub Demek as players who will miss training camp. Unfortunately, the list didn’t end there. Shea Weber, Robin Lehner, and Nolan Patrick have all been ruled out for the entire season.
While Weber and Lehner’s status had already been confirmed, this was only speculated about for Patrick, as he continues to deal with the issues that have plagued his career since the moment it began.
Selected second overall in the 2017 draft by the Philadelphia Flyers, Patrick has never played a full season in the NHL, and already missed an entire campaign in 2019-20 when he was dealing with migraines. The 24-year-old forward is so far behind in his development to this point that it is unclear whether his career will even continue, given another season down the drain.
Signed to a two-year, $2.4MM contract by the Golden Knights after they acquired him last summer, he will be a restricted free agent again in 2023. It is not at all certain that he will receive a qualifying offer, or where he will stand with the organization at that point.
A dominant junior player who used his size, strength, and skill to rack up goals and points with ease, he was supposed to be a two-way pivot in the league for years. After scoring 61 points through his first two seasons in the league, he has just 16 since the start of 2020-21.
While he is still relatively young, it’s hard to imagine Patrick ever becoming the player that many expected him to be after such a turbulent career to this point. He will be placed on long-term injured reserve, along with Weber and Lehner, opening up a little more cap flexibility for the Golden Knights.
Minor Transactions: 09/22/22
Training camps opened across the league today, with players getting on the ice in formal settings for the first time. With just a few more days before preseason hockey starts, minor league teams are keeping their eye on cuts or desperate players looking for a home. As always, we’ll keep a track of any notable minor moves right here.
- The Coachella Valley Firebirds have announced a trio of signings, inking David Cotton, Jimmy Schuldt, and Eddie Wittchow to AHL deals. Of note, Schuldt was set to attend Buffalo Sabres training camp on a PTO. Cotton, meanwhile, was unqualified by the Carolina Hurricanes this offseason after scoring just 16 points in 55 games with the Chicago Wolves.
- Chris Terry and Kyle MacLean both appeared on the New York Islanders training camp roster as members of AHL Bridgeport, meaning they have likely re-signed with the minor league club. Terry, 33, is an AHL star, who scored 30 goals and 61 points in 61 games last season. MacLean, meanwhile, happens to be the son of Islanders assistant John MacLean.
This page will be updated with any further transactions
Andrew Ladd Fails Physical; Headed For IR
It appears as though Andrew Ladd‘s career may be coming to an end, as Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports that the veteran forward has failed his physical due to lingering knee issues. He will be placed on injured reserve, which has a much greater impact than just taking him out of the lineup.
When the Arizona Coyotes agreed to take on Ladd’s contract from the New York Islanders in the summer of 2021, the trade included some very interesting conditions. Basically, if this exact scenario happened – Ladd still under contract for 2022-23, but not able to play – the Islanders would owe the Coyotes a 2023 third-round selection. If the veteran forward retired prior to this season or played even a single game, the pick wouldn’t be transferred.
The trade already brought two second-round picks to Arizona, one of which was used on overaged defenseman J.J. Moser, who stepped almost directly into the Coyotes lineup after being picked 60th overall in 2021. Moser had 15 points in 43 games while averaging nearly 19 minutes a night and figures to be a key building block for Arizona moving forward. Ladd himself even provided some valuable minutes, scoring seven goals and 12 points in 51 games last season after an impressive comeback.
Adding another third-round pick to the deal, while giving up nothing but money, certainly seems like a pretty nice haul for the Coyotes, who have collected draft picks better than any team in the league. Over the next three years, Arizona now holds 19 picks in the first three rounds alone. That’s after they picked three times in this year’s first round, twice in the second, and twice in the third.
If it is the end for Ladd, it comes after making it to an impressive milestone at the end of last season. The 36-year-old has played in 1,001 regular season games, scoring 256 goals and 550 points. He raised the Stanley Cup in both 2006 and 2010, first with the Carolina Hurricanes and then with the Chicago Blackhawks.