Arizona Coyotes Select Logan Cooley Third Overall
With a chance to kickstart their rebuild with seven picks in the first two rounds, the Arizona Coyotes got things started with USNTDP standout Logan Cooley. The shifty center may be the most skilled player in the entire draft, capable of weaving between defenders with speed, creating space with his incredible edgework, or using his quick hands to finish close to the net.
There are some who believe Cooley might have the highest upside out of anyone available today, giving the Coyotes a potential franchise center to build around as they go through their ASU transition period.
Notably, Cooley isn’t headed directly to the NHL, as he is committed to the University of Minnesota for next season, where he’ll join a powerhouse program that should be in contention for the national championship. For Arizona, delaying his entry into the league actually might make some sense, as they continue to collect draft picks over the next few years.
There has been some debate over whether Cooley’s size–he measured 5’10.5″, 180 lbs at the combine–will hold him back at the professional level, but there’s no denying the upside in his offensive game. The thing that made some people believe Cooley should go even higher than this–some had him at the very top of their board–is that it’s not all offense; the Pittsburgh native is a tenacious backchecker that can make an impact all over the ice.
For Arizona, who have two more first-round selections tonight and four more second-round picks tomorrow, Cooley will be at the head of a huge influx of talent over the next few years. The team has barely any players signed long-term, more trades coming for the ones that are, and a brand new identity to be forged as they prepare for a new Tempe arena. The young center is the first true building block for that identity.
New Jersey Devils Select Simon Nemec Second Overall
It’s a clean sweep of the top two spots for Slovakia. After watching Juraj Slafkovsky go first overall, the New Jersey Devils strode to the podium and picked countryman Simon Nemec second, grabbing the defenseman they so desperately wanted.
If you wanted to pick a defenseman that screamed “modern hockey” it is Nemec, who floats around the ice creating offense whenever he touches the puck. Already a star in the Slovakian league, he represents that top-pairing, right-handed shot defenseman that is so highly sought after in the NHL.
Another member of the bronze medal-winning Slovakian Olympic team, and this year’s World Championship club, Nemec is closer to the NHL than most defensemen drafted out of Europe. He’s already proven his skill at a high level and could step into the league within just a few years.
In New Jersey, he’ll join a group of talented young players that is growing quickly and will help make the organization an interesting contender down the road.
Montreal Canadiens Select Juraj Slafkovsky First Overall
After refusing to reveal their selection all week, the Montreal Canadiens have decided to pick a player that only recently climbed into the top spot on most prospect lists. Juraj Slafkovsky is joining the historic franchise, beating out Shane Wright and Logan Cooley for the top spot after months of speculation.
In January, Bob McKenzie’s scout poll for TSN had Slafkovsky ranked fifth–a very good player but still far from the very top. At the Olympics in February, however, things started to change. Dragging his country to its first-ever medal in hockey, Slafkovsky was a force, scoring seven goals in seven games to lead the tournament. He would be named MVP, and suddenly it was easy to imagine how he could perform at the NHL level.
A few months later, he did it again at the World Championship, this time scoring nine points in eight games just two months after his 18th birthday, at a tournament that included even more NHL talent. His performance at these events, plus strong play in the Liiga playoffs for TPS, have pushed Slafkovsky right to the top of the wishlist for many teams.
The impressive part of his game is how it already appears he has full control of his 6’4″ frame, using it to shield the puck from defenders or drive the net to finish plays. So often, young players his size appear out of control, needing time to grow into their abilities and might take longer to develop than some of their peers. That’s not the case for Slafkovsky, who will likely step directly into an NHL lineup and be difficult to handle.
In Montreal, he’ll join an exciting young core centered around Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, who could very well be his linemates for years to come. With another pick later in the first round and 12 more picks tomorrow, the Canadiens will have a huge influx of talent this year, led by the big Slovakian winger.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minnesota Wild Re-Sign Marc-Andre Fleury
Just as the draft is set to begin, the Minnesota Wild have finalized a deal with Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury will return to Minnesota on a two-year, $3.5MM AAV deal, per a team announcement. The deal carries a full no-movement clause and has an even $3.5MM salary for each year that it runs, which means the normal rules covering 35+ contracts will not apply to this deal.
Fleury was sent to Minnesota in a mid-season trade and found success there, going 9-2-0 with a .910 save percentage. Like the rest of the Wild, Fleury struggled in the playoffs, eventually ceding the starter’s crease to Cam Talbot. The Talbot and Fleury tandem is set to return, and GM Bill Guerin told The Athletic’s Michael Russo that they believe their tandem is “one of the strongest” in the NHL.
Fleury’s deal also takes a big name off of the UFA goalie market, a group he was set to headline that also includes Darcy Kuemper, Jack Campbell, and Ville Husso. Now back in Minnesota, Fleury will likely split starts with Talbot as the team chases its first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
For the Wild, getting Fleury at a $3.5MM AAV is a good bit of business. With starting-caliber goalies often costing $5MM-6MM on the open market, having Fleury at a number under $4MM should help the Wild navigate the treacherous cap waters they plunged themselves into with the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts.
Snapshots: Malkin, Sommer, Rheaume
The Pittsburgh Penguins had two franchise icons to re-sign this offseason, and today they finalized a deal with one of them: Kris Letang. With Letang’s extension finalized, the next priority for Ron Hextall and the Penguins is re-signing Evgeni Malkin. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, getting across the finish line with Malkin and his agent, J.P. Barry, could be a challenge.
Per LeBrun, Malkin and the Penguins are “not on the same page” and Malkin is reportedly “ready” to hit free agency if the Penguins don’t offer him an extension with more than a three-year term. Malkin, 35, is coming off of a season where he was above a point-per-game, although his injury woes limited him to playing in only half of the Penguins’ 82 regular-season contests. Injury issues have plagued Malkin for years, and he has not reached the 70-game mark in any regular season since 2017-18. Malkin’s desire for more term is definitely reasonable, he’s such a widely-respected superstar that he could likely get a longer-term deal on the open market, and the Penguins’ desire to keep term down on an extension for their injury-prone, 35-year-old franchise legend is also understandable. It looks like a difficult, complicated situation for the Penguins to navigate, and it seems that the unthinkable possibility of Malkin playing for another NHL franchise is more realistic than it has ever been.
Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:
- The San Diego Gulls’ next head coach seems to have been found. The Athletic’s Eric Stephens reports that “multiple sources” have told him that the San Diego Gulls will hire Ray Sommer as their next head coach, on a one-year deal. The contract is not yet finalized but once it becomes official the Gulls will be adding the AHL’s all-time winningest head coach. Sommer was previously the coach of the San Jose Barracuda and has been an AHL head coach since the 1998-99 season when he led the Kentucky Thoroughblades to the playoffs.
- The Los Angeles Kings are beefing up their hockey operations department. Earlier this year they added a former GM to their front office ranks and now they’re adding another accomplished name: Manon Rheaume. Rheaume famously became the first woman to play in any of the four major North American professional sports leagues, when she suited up for the Tampa Bay Lightning for exhibition games 1992 and 1993. Rheaume will take an advisory role with the Kings.
Ottawa Senators Acquire Alex DeBrincat
Just a few hours before the draft, we have a massive trade. The Ottawa Senators have announced that they are acquiring superstar winger Alex DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks for the seventh-overall pick, the 39th overall pick, and a 2024 third-round pick.
As relayed by Mark Lazerus of The Athletic, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson said the following regarding the deal:
It was an incredibly difficult decision to trade a player of Alex’s caliber. We feel as if this move sets the Blackhawks up for future success by giving us additional flexibility and future talent.
DeBrincat, 24, has one year remaining on his contract before he becomes a restricted free agent entitled to a $9MM qualifying offer. After that point, barring an extension, DeBrincat will become an unrestricted free agent. There is currently no word on any possible extension for DeBrincat, but one has to assume that the Senators will make every attempt to keep him in Ottawa beyond the two years of team control they have just acquired.
For the Senators, acquiring DeBrincat is a major coup as the team looks to escape their rebuild and finally return to contention. DeBrincat is a superstar forward in a relatively similar age range to the Senators’ other core pieces. He is close to the same age as Thomas Chabot and only a few years older than players such as Josh Norris and Brady Tkachuk. DeBrincat is an elite offensive player, having scored over 40 goals twice in his career, including this past season. His 78 points would have led the Senators in 2021-22, and the Senators have to be extremely excited about the possibility of DeBrincat playing with Tkachuk and Norris.
The contract situation is definitely something for Ottawa to monitor, as the Senators have had issues in the past with players not wanting to sign there long-term. But at the cost of their first-rounder, second-rounder, and a 2024 third, the chance to add a player of DeBrincat’s caliber for at least the next two years (and potentially longer) is definitely a risk worth taking.
For the Blackhawks, this trade is on one hand shocking and on the other wholly unsurprising. Davidson has made it no secret that he’d be stripping the roster bare in order to pursue a rebuild, and DeBrincat’s name had been floating in trade rumors for weeks. So the fact that he was ultimately dealt is not a surprise, especially when one considers the fact that the Blackhawks did not have a 2022 first-round pick until this trade. And having that seventh-overall pick is definitely a boon for a team looking to add more prospects to a depleted prospect pool.
That being said, there is a general sentiment that the return the Blackhawks received was a bit light when one takes into account DeBrincat’s age and talent level. A top-ten pick and a high second-rounder are two valuable assets, but only six players have scored more goals than DeBrincat over the last four years. He’s a superstar player who hasn’t even turned 25 years old. The last superstar-level player to be traded, Jack Eichel, net the Sabres a package that included NHL-ready talent such as Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch as well as draft picks. While Eichel did have more years left on his contract, he also had some medical uncertainty, the kind of uncertainty the rarely-injured DeBrincat does not carry.
This trade is certainly going to be widely celebrated among Senators fans, but whether this trade is ultimately successful for Ottawa could depend on if they manage to sign DeBrincat to a long-term extension. For the Blackhawks, this trade is a major one, setting the tone for what could be a difficult few years as Davidson attempts to find the next set of core Blackhawks players. Finding one of those core players tonight, with the seventh-overall selection they just acquired, will be essential.
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was first on the deal. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Dylan Strome Not Expected To Receive Qualifying Offer
In the ongoing Chicago Blackhawks teardown, another young(ish) forward is about to walk out the door. Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that Dylan Strome is not expected to receive a qualifying offer next week, which would make him an unrestricted free agent. The deadline to submit qualifying offers is July 11.
For those who have watched Strome’s up-and-down tenure with the Blackhawks since arriving in 2018, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The team has been trying to trade the center for quite some time, even despite his strong offensive production in the back half of this season.
Strome, 25, would be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent if the Blackhawks did extend him the $3.6MM qualifying offer he would need, making him a pricey asset. That is the same number that any acquiring team would need to hand out, which may explain why no one would want to give up a prime asset for him at this point–especially knowing that Chicago will likely be walking away.
His addition to the free agent pool is interesting though, as Strome has always shown great offensive ability. Even this year, between stints in the press box as a healthy scratch, he managed to rack up 22 goals and 48 points in 69 games. It’s the rest of his game that has been criticized since he entered the league and the thing that has kept him from fulfilling the promise he once held as the third-overall pick in 2015. The Blackhawks basically refused to start him in the defensive zone this year, with only Patrick Kane and Erik Gustafsson receiving a higher percentage of offensive zone starts.
Still, for a team that is desperate for offense, there’s little doubt that he can provide it. In 225 games for Chicago, Strome racked up 60 goals and 154 points, an 82-game rate that would result in 22 goals and 56 points. In other situations, he might be looking at a long-term extension with a big dollar figure, instead of being cut loose without a qualifying offer.
Chicago Blackhawks Listening On Kirby Dach
The Chicago Blackhawks are open to just about anything this offseason. Having already traded Brandon Hagel, they are now expected to move Alex DeBrincat at some point and are also listening to offers for Kirby Dach, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. It would appear as though no player is safe, regardless of age or draft pedigree.
Dach, 21, was the third-overall pick just three years ago, selected behind Kaapo Kakko and ahead of Bowen Byram. The young center has gone through several injuries, leading to just 59 points in his first 152 games. This season was especially disappointing for Dach, who scored just nine goals and saw his ice time drop significantly by the end of the year.
Powers suggests that the Blackhawks are looking for a top-15 pick in any deal, as they continue to tear down the organization in one of the most dramatic rebuilds the league has seen in a while. Hagel (23), DeBrincat (24), and Dach would normally be considered the pieces to build around but general manager Kyle Davidson obviously has a different opinion, at least if he can get enough value back in trade.
There is certainly reason to be down on Dach, but for some teams, he might appear to be the perfect buy-low candidate. There is still real upside to his game, and as a restricted free agent without any arbitration rights, this summer is at the mercy of whatever team holds his rights. There is little leverage that Dach could use to land an expensive deal, meaning there is at least the opportunity–slim as it may be–for a huge amount of excess value as soon as next season.
For contending clubs and ones a little further along in their rebuild, that might be a very appealing prospect.
Edmonton Oilers Promote Brad Holland
The Edmonton Oilers have updated the status of several members of the front office and coaching staff, confirming that Glen Gulutzan, Dave Manson, Dustin Schwartz, Jeremy Coupal, and Keith Gretzky will all be returning to their current positions. Changes include Noah Segall being promoted to video coordinator from the AHL club, and Brad Holland being named assistant general manager.
Holland’s promotion is the headline, not only because of his obvious ties to Oilers general manager Ken Holland (his father) but also the fact that he had been chased by other organizations this summer. Chris Johnston of TSN and Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff both tweeted that there was significant interest from other teams.
The 41-year-old AGM joined the Oilers in 2019 as a pro scout and has a history that includes stops with the NHL’s hockey operations department and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Retaining Gulutzan and Manson is also an important distinction, as Jay Woodcroft enters his first full season with the club after seeing the interim tag removed this summer. The assistant coaches can help the rookie head coach navigate the waters as the Oilers attempt to go on another deep playoff run. Manson, who came up with Woodcroft from the AHL, will also be in his first full season behind an NHL bench, though he sat on it for more than 1,100 games as a player.
Wayne Gretzky Purchases Minority Stake In Niagara IceDogs
The sale of the Niagara IceDogs has been unanimously approved by the OHL’s board of governors, transferring ownership from Bill and Denise Burke to a group that includes Wayne Gretzky. The majority owner will be Darren DeDobbelaer, a long-time minor hockey executive that also owns OJHL and GOJHL clubs in Brantford.
Gretzky (also from Brantford, a city about an hour west of St. Catharines, where the IceDogs play) released the following statement:
I’m really excited about being back in junior hockey and have always loved it. To be partnered with a fellow friend from Brantford is so exciting for all of us and we can’t wait to get started.
The sale follows 15 years of ownership by the Burkes but also serious suspensions handed out in April to general manager Joey Burke and head coach Billy Burke, for inappropriate comments made in a group messaging conversation. The two were banned from the league until June 1, 2024, when they could apply for reinstatement. Niagara was also fined $150,000 for the incident.
The IceDogs have experienced two losing seasons in a row (sandwiched around the canceled 2020-21 campaign) but have some promising young players that could help turn things around in the next few years.