Ryan Johnson Leaning Toward College For 2022-23
The Buffalo Sabres signed Owen Power after his sophomore season with the Michigan Wolverines and put him directly into the lineup. It appears as though they will have to wait another year for another top college defenseman. In his end-of-year availability today, general manager Kevyn Adams told reporters including John Vogl of The Athletic that Ryan Johnson is leaning toward a return to the University of Minnesota for his senior season.
While there was never any chance of the Sabres losing the rights to Power, a senior season for Johnson would certainly complicate his situation. Selected 31st overall in 2019, the 20-year-old defenseman can become an unrestricted free agent in August 2023, just a few months after his college season would come to an end. That at best puts the Sabres in a difficult negotiating position, and could potentially lead to them considering a trade of his rights at some point.
Technically, because he is a first-round pick, the Sabres would receive a compensatory selection in the second round (in the same draft position, meaning 63rd, now that there are 32 teams) if he decided not to sign and became an unrestricted free agent. While just leaning toward a return to college in no way guarantees that, you can see why the player may hesitate at joining the Sabres current depth chart.
With Power, Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju, and Mattias Samuelsson (not to mention three first-round picks this year) looking like a locked-in top-four for years to come, there may not be a ton of playing time for some of the other young defensemen in the organization. Adams said during his availability that they will look around for a veteran this offseason to support the group, again taking some NHL playing time away from a potential prospect like Johnson.
Still, there is time to be used even if he does go back. Johnson will have a chance to compete for a national championship once again and improve on the 19 points he scored this season before making the jump to professional hockey.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Alexander Pashin To Entry-Level Contract
May 3: The team has officially announced the contract, confirming the terms. General manager Don Waddell released a short statement on his newest prospect:
Alex is a high-end, skilled player and a proven point producer. We feel he’s ready to make the transition to North America and look forward to watching his continued growth next season.
May 2: On the same day their 2022 playoffs began, the Carolina Hurricanes also signed one of their prospects, Alexander Pashin, to a three-year, entry-level contract, according to CapFriendly (link). The contract is set to begin with the 2022-23 season, and carries an average annual value of $827K. Pashin was the Hurricanes’ seventh-round selection, 199th overall, in 2020.
The 19-year-old forward brings with him a balanced scoring approach but is rather undersized, listed at just 5’8″ and 154 pounds. Pashin has played his career to date in Russia, but has only played four career KHL games, one in 2019-20 and three in 2020-21, and none this season.
Despite limited time in the top league, Pashin has plenty of experience in the MHL and VHL in Russia, all in the Ufa organization, putting up 17 goals and 22 assists in 37 MHL games in 2019-20 along with 19 goals and 26 assists in 41 games in the MHL in 2020-21. Moving to the VHL in 2021-22, Pashin again impressed with 17 goals and 13 assists in 34 games. Pashin was part of this year’s World Juniors team for Russia, but played in just one game before the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. What the next steps are for Pashin as he comes over to North America are unclear, however without much experience in the highest levels, one would expect him to be slated for additional development before he makes an appearance in the NHL.
Anaheim Ducks Hire Rob DiMaio
The Anaheim Ducks have stolen away an important part of a Western Conference front office, hiring Rob DiMaio as their new assistant general manager. DiMaio will also serve as the general manager of the San Diego Gulls, after spending the last 13 seasons with the St. Louis Blues organization, most recently as director of player personnel.
General manager Pat Verbeek released a statement on his new assistant:
Rob brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our front office. He’s helped build a Stanley Cup-winning club and he will play an integral role for us in all areas of hockey operations moving forward.
Many fans will remember DiMaio from his playing days, which included nearly 900 regular season games. The physical bottom-six winger suited up for the New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, and Carolina Hurricanes over a 17-year career, racking up 277 points and 840 penalty minutes.
After retirement, he joined Dallas in a scouting role, before accepting a role with the Blues in 2008. Named director of pro scouting in 2012, he was a big part of the success of the Blues in the last decade and will now continue his rise up the management chart with a new opportunity in Anaheim. Considered by many a future NHL general manager, his control of the Gulls will be the perfect stepping stone.
AHL Shuffle: 05/03/22
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are off to a roaring start, with shutouts, fights, giveaways, and upsets. Things will continue this evening with four more matches, including the Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals, who are getting important players back. While Aaron Ekblad‘s return was a bit more unexpected, Alex Ovechkin will also be back in the lineup this evening for the Capitals as they try to topple the best of the East. As teams prepare, there is still some shuffling going on between the NHL and AHL. Like always, we’ll cover it here.
Atlantic Division
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled their “Black Aces,” players that will be available for practice but unlikely to play. Joey Anderson, Mac Hollowell, Pontus Holmberg, Michael Hutchinson, Filip Kral, Dmitry Ovchinnikov, Nicholas Robertson, Kristians Rubins, Brett Seney, and Alex Steeves are all up with the team after the Toronto Marlies failed to qualify for the AHL playoffs.
Metropolitan Division
- The New York Rangers have recalled Adam Huska to what they are calling the taxi squad, meaning the extras that will be available in case of further injury. Keith Kinkaid, who was in place as the team’s third goaltender, is day-to-day with an upper-body injury according to Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
Central Division
Pacific Division
- The Calgary Flames have recalled Adam Werner from the AHL, who will likely serve as their emergency third goaltender. Dustin Wolf, who is likely third on the organizational depth chart, will stay and lead the Stockton Heat in the playoffs. Werner, 25, posted an .886 save percentage in 21 appearances this season and has just two games of NHL experience.
This page is updated throughout the day
Samuel Morin’s Playing Career Ends
Almost nine years after he was selected 11th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers, Samuel Morin‘s playing career has come to an end. General manager Chuck Fletcher confirmed today that Morin will not be able to return from his latest injury, the end of a long string of unfortunate issues that have kept him off the ice.
Morin, 26, ended up playing in just 29 NHL games, recording a single goal. The 6’6″ defenseman (who tried his hand at forward late in his career) suffered multiple major knee injuries that required surgery, including a procedure to remove loose bodies in September. He did not play a single game at any level this season and will be forced to retire as a true “what if” story.
While he never possessed elite offensive upside, the mean, physical nature of Morin’s game had a place in the NHL. He was a strong contributor for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in his first two seasons of professional hockey, earning a single game with the Flyers in 2016-17. Things went steadily downhill from there, however, as his knees were ravaged and his skating severely impacted. He tried to reinvent himself as a Matt Martin-like forward, essentially an enforcer who can add some defensive presence to a line, but was limited to 20 games in 2020-21, his last season.
He was set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer, and will now have to look for another avenue of employment. Fletcher did suggest that they could find a place for him somewhere in the organization, though it is unclear where exactly that would be.
Philadelphia Flyers Working On Contract With Ivan Fedotov
One of the more interesting notes from Chuck Fletcher’s media availability this morning (apart from the confirmation that Mike Yeo will not return as head coach) is that the Philadelphia Flyers are working on a contract with Ivan Fedotov and expect to agree to terms in the near future. The general manager explained that it is complicated because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but is confident they will ultimately be able to work out a contract and bring him to North America for next season.
Fedotov, 25, was a seventh-round pick of the Flyers way back in 2015 and has been slowly developing into one of the best netminders in Russia ever since. This season he was the starter at the Olympics, posting a .943 save percentage in six games and winning a silver medal, and then returned to CSKA Moscow to take his club all the way to a Gagarin Cup championship. Fedotov had an eye-popping .937 save percentage in 22 playoff appearances, allowing a goals-against-average of just 1.85.
It was at the Olympics when Fedotov suggested to reporters that he was planning on coming to North America next season, and it appears as though there could be an NHL spot waiting for him when he arrives. Fletcher indicated that the big netminder will compete for the backup NHL role, should he be signed.
Standing 6’8″, you likely aren’t going to find a goaltender that fills the net as much as Fedotov, but it’s not just his frame that has allowed him to reach a high level. His overall play has steadily improved over the last several years, as he was brought along through the junior and minor leagues. Now a real option for an NHL team, the Flyers could be getting a ton of value out of a late-round pick that happened well before this management regime was installed.
Four Players Avoid Suspension, Earn Fines
The first night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs was a wild one, with penalties, fights, and dangerous plays happening all across the league. Kyle Clifford will have a hearing later today for his transgression, but four other players have avoided suspensions entirely. Jared Spurgeon, Wayne Simmonds, Pat Maroon, and Corey Perry have all earned fines for their respective incidents, with the Minnesota Wild captain’s punishment especially notable, given his importance to his team.
Simmonds, Maroon, and Perry were all involved in the same incident, a scrum and subsequent fights that occurred when the game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning was already decided on the scoreboard. All three earned misconducts, and have now been fined for unsportsmanlike conduct. Simmonds and Maroon will both be required to pay $2,250, while Perry faces a $2,500 fine. All three are the maximum allowable under the CBA and are based on their respective salaries.
Spurgeon meanwhile appeared much more in danger of a suspension, given how his incident was perceived. He has been fined $5,000–again the maximum allowable under the CBA–for his cross-check on the ankle of St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich. The on-ice officials handed out a two-minute minor penalty late in the third period for the play, which was an obvious outburst of frustration as the Wild lost 4-0.
Given how important he is for the Wild, a fine is the absolute best outcome the team could have hoped for. He will, however, be under increased scrutiny for the rest of the playoffs.
Philadelphia Flyers Will Not Retain Mike Yeo As Head Coach
10:00 am: At his media availability, Fletcher confirmed that Yeo will not be head coach next season. They will continue to speak with him over the next few weeks to determine if there is another place in the organization, though he is expected to interview for other positions around the league.
8:30 am: The Philadelphia Flyers are another one of the teams in the NHL with an interim coach after they fired Alain Vigneault partway through the year. Mike Yeo, who took over, has a long history with general manager Chuck Fletcher, dating back to their days together with the Minnesota Wild. Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be helping him in this case. Kevin Weekes of ESPN tweeted last night that the Flyers are expected to move on from Yeo, and Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer confirmed it this morning.
It certainly makes sense to bring in a new coaching staff, given the struggles of the Flyers this season. It’s not like things turned around after Yeo took over. In his 60 games behind the bench, the team went 17-36-7, finishing last in the Metropolitan Division and 29th in the league. They were 31st in goals for, 27th in goals against, 27th in penalty killing, and dead last on the powerplay. It was a brutal year to be a Philadelphia fan, and retaining Yeo–at least as head coach–never seemed to make much sense.
One might ask if Fletcher himself is in the crosshairs, though Flyers brass has made it clear that they will continue to back the front office executive for the time being. The general manager will meet with the media today to break down the season and discuss what changes will be made this offseason.
Yeo, meanwhile, will have to look for another job unless he is brought back as an assistant under the new head coach. Throughout his career, he has been given head coaching opportunities only to squander them with poor performances after some early success. In Minnesota, he helped the team to a 100-point season in 2014-15, and then was out partway through the next year. With the St. Louis Blues, he took the team to the second round and then somehow managed to miss the playoffs in 2018, even with a 44-32-6 record.
There is some evidence that he can be a successful head coach at the NHL level, but it obviously didn’t come in Philadelphia this season. His name will likely be included in some other coaching searches, though where he eventually ends up obviously still remains to be decided.
Aaron Ekblad To Return For Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers kick off their first-round series against the Washington Capitals this evening, and it’s nothing but good news at the morning skate. Head coach Andrew Brunette confirmed to reporters including Katie Gaus of BALLY Sports that Aaron Ekblad will make his long-awaited return to the lineup tonight. Mason Marchment will also be in the lineup after missing the last game of the regular season.
Ekblad, 26, may very well have been in the conversation for the Norris Trophy had he played the entire season. The 2014 first-overall pick put together the best offensive year of his career, scoring 15 goals and 57 points in just 61 games. Those numbers came in nearly 25 minutes a night, as he looked completely recovered from the head and neck injuries that had really hampered his career in years past.
Unfortunately, on his first shift of a game against the Anaheim Ducks in mid-March, Ekblad collided with teammate Aleksander Barkov and was forced to leave with a lower-body injury. He did not return, meaning his chase of 20 goals and a point-per-game season will have to wait.
Now, after more than a month on the shelf, he’ll return just in time for the Panthers.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Kyle Clifford To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
Kyle Clifford missed nearly the entire game last night for the Toronto Maple Leafs after earning a misconduct early in the first period, and he’ll have to sit even longer. The Department of Player Safety has announced that Clifford will have a hearing today for boarding Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ross Colton.
After delivering a hit in the corner, Clifford raced up the ice and hit Colton, late, directly from behind, into the boards. While the Tampa Bay forward did not appear to suffer a serious injury, the on-ice officials gave Clifford a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct. Toronto managed to climb their way out of the whole that the veteran forward put them in, but now will have to likely use a different look on the fourth line in game two.
Notably, just a few games ago Clifford was involved in another incident that included the Lightning. On April 22 he was handed a fine for his high-stick on Corey Perry during a scrum. That recent history, despite being of a different nature, will likely factor into the punishment for Clifford.
The Maple Leafs do have several other options for the lineup, though none bring the same kind of physicality as the 31-year-old winger. Even more, head coach Sheldon Keefe spoke glowingly after the game about how much Clifford adds defensively to that group, noting that the line has been the best when it includes him.