Top-10 Finalists Announced For 2022 Hobey Baker
With the collegiate hockey season coming to a close, the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award have been announced. The trophy is given to the top NCAA player in the country and has an impressive line of winners over the past few years. In 2014, Johnny Gaudreau took home the award as a junior for Boston College, followed by Jack Eichel in his only year for Boston University in 2015. Jimmy Vesey, Will Butcher, and Adam Gaudette don’t bring quite the same impact but still became NHL regulars after winning from 2016-18.
2019’s winner was University of Massachusetts defenseman Cale Makar, who has gone on to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie and is now dominating the league with the Colorado Avalanche. In 2020 the award was given to Scott Perunovich, who is dealing with some unfortunate injury issues to start his career but still looks like a future contributor to the St. Louis Blues blueline.
In 2021, Cole Caufield took home the award after leading the nation in scoring at the University of Wisconsin. Caufield made an immediate impact by helping the Montreal Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Final a few months later and, while struggling early this season, still looks like a key building block for the future.
The award also has several top NHL alumni in its small fraternity, including Neal Broten, Tom Kurvers, Paul Kariya, Chris Drury, Ryan Miller, and Brendan Morrison. With that group behind them, this year’s winner is certainly not someone to take lightly.
Earlier this year, 77 players from the NCAA ranks were nominated for the award, and today that number has been reduced to just ten. These ten players will be narrowed to just three, a process that anyone can be a part of by participating in the fan vote. Votes will be added to the decision from a selection committee to produce three finalists, from which a winner will be crowned.
The top-10 finalists are as follows, with the NHL organization who owns their draft rights in parenthesis:
Matty Beniers, University of Michigan (Seattle Kraken)
Bobby Brink, University of Denver (Philadelphia Flyers)
Luke Hughes, University of Michigan (New Jersey Devils)
Devon Levi, Northeastern University (Buffalo Sabres)
Nathan Smith, Minnesota State University-Mankato (Winnipeg Jets)
Dryden McKay, Minnesota State University-Mankato (undrafted)
Ben Meyers, University of Minnesota (undrafted)
Yaniv Perets, Quinnipiac University (undrafted)
Bobby Trivigno, University of Massachusetts-Amherst (undrafted)
Brian Halonen, Michigan Technological University (undrafted)
Washington Capitals Extend Joe Snively
The Washington Capitals have completed a bit of offseason business ahead of time, signing Joe Snively to a two-year extension. The new deal will carry an average annual value of $800K.
Snively, 26, was one of many mid-twenties players who could have become a Group VI unrestricted free agent in the offseason. This move avoids that entirely and will keep the forward under contract through 2023-24. Brian MacLellan, Capitals’ general manager, released a statement on the deal:
Joe is a versatile, skilled forward, and we are extremely pleased with his development this season. Joe has worked hard and put himself in a position to earn a spot on our team. It is a great testament to him and all the local youth hockey coaches and programming in our area that guided him along through this journey.
It’s been only 12 games so far for the minor league veteran, but Snively has been excellent whenever he made it into the lineup for the Capitals. With four goals and seven points, despite averaging fewer than 12 minutes a night, there is at least some hope that he can transition into a regular spot moving forward. Even if he doesn’t continue at that pace–one that would mean scoring 27 goals and 48 points in a full 82-game season–an $800K means that Snively can be moved in and out without affecting the Capitals’ cap situation much over the next two years.
In fact, had he made it to free agency there may well have been other teams willing to pay him even more, depending on what happens in the home stretch this season. Undrafted, the 5’9″ forward has shown incredible growth over the last few seasons, including now scoring at a better than point-per-game pace in the AHL. That growth has been rewarded with this new contract, though he still has plenty of work to do to establish himself as a legitimate NHL option.
Detroit Red Wings Sign Cross Hanas
The Detroit Red Wings have inked a top prospect, signing Cross Hanas to a three-year entry-level contract. Hanas currently plays for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, where he will remain for the rest of the CHL season.
Hanas, 20, was picked 55th overall by the Red Wings in 2020 after a decent sophomore season with the Winterhawks but has turned some heads this year with his strong play. The Texas native has scored 22 goals and 70 points in 53 games, leading a Portland team that has already clinched a playoff spot and has its eyes set on the WHL championship.
Every time the Winterhawks get a powerplay, the puck goes onto Hanas’ stick, where he has racked up 20 assists with the man advantage (and leads the team with 48 overall). He also happens to lead all Portland forwards in penalty minutes with 65, a good chunk of which came from a boarding incident that earned him a two-game suspension in January.
Once Portland’s season is over, Hanas will likely be joining the Grand Rapids Griffins for the next stop in his hockey career. Whether that happens at the tail end of this AHL season or next, he’ll be another interesting prospect to watch come through the Red Wings’ system.
Dallas Stars Not Expected To Trade Klingberg, Holtby
Though it had been trending this way for a while due to injury, illness, and the playoff race the Dallas Stars find themselves in, general manager Jim Nill made it clear today that John Klingberg and Braden Holtby will likely still be on the roster after Monday’s trade deadline. In fact, with regards to Holtby in particular, Nill was extremely clear that the veteran goaltender was completely off the market when he spoke with NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger.
I was never really actively shopping him. That was kind of more of the media. People were looking at our situation thinking we had an extra goalie. You never say never in case you get an overwhelming offer but the Khudobin surgery solidifies that Holtby is staying put.
That hip surgery that Nill references for Anton Khudobin will keep him out six months, meaning the Stars suddenly don’t have a ton of depth at the goaltending position despite coming into the year with too many options. Trading Holtby now would be risking everything on Jake Oettinger‘s continued health (and continued strong play), and would leave Dallas with no legitimate NHL backup.
For Klingberg, things are still a little murkier, but Nill explained that for the Stars to succeed, the pending UFA defenseman needs to be there. He wouldn’t go so far as to say that he wouldn’t listen it’s not the same situation for Dallas as earlier in the year. When they were struggling, Klingberg was playing on the third pairing, and the playoffs seemed like a stretch, it made sense for teams to try and pry the 29-year-old out of the Stars’ lineup. But with Miro Heiskanen now out with mononucleosis and the team right in the hunt, Klingberg is back to playing nearly 25 minutes a game and leading the team’s offensive attack.
The term “own-rental” has been thrown around in recent years, and it appears as though that’s exactly what Klingberg represents for Dallas. An extension at this point hasn’t been negotiated and seems unlikely, but just as other playoff contenders are trading assets to acquire expiring contracts for a postseason run, the Stars will hold onto their own as they try to catch the Vegas Golden Knights for the final wild card position. They currently sit just one point out after losing their last three, but still have four games in hand over Vegas.
For teams looking at right-shot defensemen at the deadline, the market is quickly shrinking. Josh Manson was already traded to the Colorado Avalanche and now Klingberg is unlikely to go anywhere. While there is always a premium carried by true right-side options, that cost could climb even further in the next few days.
Florida Panthers Sign Zachary Uens
The Florida Panthers have convinced another college draft pick to turn pro, signing Zachary Uens to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will start in 2022-23 and ends his college career after three years at Merrimack–just like teammate Declan Carlile who signed with the rival Tampa Bay Lightning earlier today. Panthers general manager Bill Zito released a statement on his newest prospect:
Zachary is a dynamic and skilled defenseman who excels at moving the puck. He showcased his competitiveness during his three seasons at Merrimack and we’re looking forward to his continued growth and development taking place within the Panthers organization.
Uens, 20, was the 105th overall pick in 2020, after originally going undrafted in 2019. The young defenseman put up 19 points in 34 games for Merrimack this season, becoming–just like Carlile–a nominee for the Hobey Baker. While he’s not expected to make the Top-Ten Finalists list that will be revealed later today, Uens has taken the next step in his hockey career by joining the Panthers organization.
He’ll likely now head to the Charlotte Checkers on an amateur tryout, where his career at the professional level will continue. Whether he can continue to develop is the question now, as there are still quite a few steps before he’ll be contributing to the Panthers’ blueline. Still, he’s joining a franchise that has proven over the last few years to have an eye for spotting overlooked talent, and perhaps he’ll be the next one to make a big splash after running mostly under the radar to this point.
Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Declan Carlile
The Tampa Bay Lightning have brought in another undrafted talent, this time on defense. PuckPedia reports that Declan Carlile has signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, one that will kick in for the 2022-23 season. The contract carries a cap hit of $855K, and ends Carlile’s collegiate career after three seasons at Merrimack. Carlile will report to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL on an amateur tryout for the rest of this season.
Carlile, 21, had an interesting junior career before heading to college, one that took him through the OJHL and USHL, playing for various teams. The 6’2″ defenseman turned in an impressive freshman campaign with Merrimack in 2019-20 but like many others, had a year to forget with the COVID-restricted 2020-21 season. He was back to full strength this year and scored seven goals and 24 points in 35 games, earning a Second All-Star Team bid in Hockey East.
Though he would eventually go undrafted, it’s not like Carlile was a completely under-the-radar prospect. He ranked 176th among North American skaters in 2018 and did get drafted into the OHL by the Oshawa Generals, though decided on the NCAA route instead. Now an effective player at both ends of the rink, he’ll jump into a Lightning organization that is known for polishing the rough edges of a prospect and squeezing NHL minutes out of unexpected places. With a contract in hand, he’ll be the next project for the Tampa Bay development staff.
Trade Deadline Primer: St. Louis Blues
As we enter the middle of March, the trade deadline is inching closer. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the St. Louis Blues.
While many before the season thought the writing was on the wall for an aging Blues team, a variety of breakout years have kept St. Louis on track this year. Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, and Ivan Barbashev are all having career-best years that are giving St. Louis some of the best forward depth in the league, and that’s not to mention a good rebound campaign from Vladimir Tarasenko. They’ve also gotten extraordinary goaltending from Ville Husso in recent weeks, keeping the team near the top of the Western Conference after a hot Jordan Binnington start cooled off. Now, they aim to create a roster that’s capable of giving the city of St. Louis its second Stanley Cup in four years.
Record
34-17-8 (.644), second in Central Division
Deadline Status
Buyers
Deadline Cap Space
$113,333 today, $133,333 in full-season space, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2022: STL 1st, STL 3rd, STL 4th, OTT 4th*, STL 5th, STL 6th
2023: STL 1st, STL 2nd, STL 3rd, STL 4th, STL 5th, STL 6th, STL 7th
* – Blues receive Ottawa’s 2022 fourth-round selection if Logan Brown plays under 30 regular-season games for St. Louis in 2021-22. Brown has currently played 21 games.
Trade Chips
The St. Louis Blues have absolutely no salary cap flexibility at this stage to make a trade. While they are operating with a full 23-man roster, meaning they can send a player down and be okay (likely Alexei Toropchenko, who doesn’t require waivers), they’ll likely only have around $1MM to work with on Deadline day. With that in mind, any deal they make likely involves a roster player going the other way.
If they can offload him, the most obvious candidate here is defenseman Marco Scandella. Locked in for two more seasons after this with a cap hit of $3.275MM, his ice time has dwindled this year as injuries and age have limited his playing ability. It also doesn’t help that he plays the very position St. Louis is looking to upgrade the most — left defense. With him getting surpassed on the depth chart by Niko Mikkola, the fit for Scandella is simply no longer there.
In terms of the prospect pool that they have to deal from, Klim Kostin could be a piece desirable to other teams. He’s gotten into 40 NHL games this year but now finds himself back in AHL Springfield after just four goals and nine points, averaging nine minutes a game. The final pick of the first round in 2017 still carries significant trade value and would satisfy many teams’ want for an NHL-capable player without St. Louis having to deal from their active roster.
The Blues are also in an enviable position among contenders as they still have their first-round selection in each of the next two seasons. It’s a safe bet that the Blues will consider moving one of those picks, as their incredibly deep forward group and breakout year from Husso in net makes them a dark horse for a deep playoff run.
Team Needs
1) Top-Four Left Defenseman – Their top pairing of Torey Krug and Justin Faulk has been utterly dominant this season, but the team’s defense has been lacking behind that. Colton Parayko is still holding his own defensively, but the other half of the defense is plagued by inexperience and mediocrity. Finding a partner for Parayko has to be priority number one for St. Louis, and maybe Ben Chiarot or another defenseman fits that bill.
2) Depth Center – St. Louis could benefit from someone who can challenge Tyler Bozak and others for a spot in the lineup. Bozak’s age has caught up to him this year, and his -11 rating is the worst on the team. With just three goals on the season, a younger, cheap veteran option could be extremely beneficial.
Trade Rumors: Bertuzzi, Monahan, Middleton
It’s T-minus six days until the 2022 Trade Deadline, and some names are already off the board with more likely to come prior to Deadline Day. One of those names who’s making a late entry to the fray is Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi, according to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. He reports that Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman is letting other teams know he’s “open for business,” with the sense around the league being Yzerman will entertain offers for any Red Wing not named Moritz Seider or Lucas Raymond. Bertuzzi is a desirable trade asset – he’s clicking at nearly a point-per-game clip this season and is locked into a $4.5MM cap hit this year and next. However, he and Josh Archibald retain their status as the only unvaccinated players in the NHL, and he’s already missed nine games this season due to border restrictions. It remains to be seen whether teams will be willing to acquire him with the risk that he may not be available for half of a playoff series or more.
Some more trade notes as things heat up:
- As the Calgary Flames attempt to load up even further after acquiring Tyler Toffoli earlier this year, Seravalli speculates that Sean Monahan is a trade candidate to get shipped out of town prior to the deadline. Monahan’s continuously slipped down the depth chart this season and carries the lowest +/- rating on the team by far (-15). He has a paltry eight goals in 59 games and now sees time as the team’s fourth-line center, falling behind younger players like Dillon Dube. With Calgary needing to pay up big-time soon for pending free agents Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, freeing Monahan’s $6.375MM off the books would likely be beneficial, with replacement players available within the organization.
- TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports the Toronto Maple Leafs are showing interest in San Jose Sharks defenseman Jacob Middleton for some added organizational depth. Middleton’s seen a career-high 41 games played in the NHL this year, scoring nine points, averaging 19:01 per game, and holding his own defensively. With Jake Muzzin still out with injury, he’d provide competition for players like Justin Holl, Travis Dermott, and Timothy Liljegren, and he would give Toronto a ninth NHL-caliber defenseman for a playoff run.
Chicago Blackhawks Sign Alex Vlasic To Entry-Level Deal
Adding to today’s growing list of NCAA players signing their entry-level contracts, Alex Vlasic has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. Per the team, the deal will carry an $824,167 cap hit. Vlasic was drafted by the Blackhawks 43rd overall in the 2019 draft, only just before another of today’s signings, Drew Helleson.
Vlasic, 20, is perhaps best known for being among the biggest players in his draft class. Standing at six-foot-six, Vlasic’s size has made him an intriguing prospect as he’s developed in the NCAA. There’s not a lot of offense to his game, as he has only 20 points in his 82-game career at Boston University, but his aforementioned size, which is highly coveted and difficult for teams to find, has made it so that lack of offense hasn’t tarnished much of his shine as a top prospect. Just by being as big as he is, Vlasic offers high defensive upside thanks to his reach and potential to be a menace along the boards. He’s the cousin of Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and while that has little bearing on his actual play on the ice it should excite fans who know the connection and remember Vlasic in his prime when he was among the NHL’s most fearsome defensive defenders. Even if Vlasic’s offensive game never comes along, he should be able to carve out an NHL career as a defensive specialist.
Speaking of his potential ability to carve out an NHL career, his doing so could be closer than many would think. Vlasic is heading straight to Chicago to be with the Blackhawks team, according to Bartlett Hockey, Vlasic’s representation. While it is not confirmed if Vlasic will make his NHL debut this soon after signing, the Blackhawks getting him into Chicago and with the team this quickly should signal their excitement over his upside and their confidence that he is ready for the rigors of NHL hockey. Given the uncertainty NHL fanbases often wrestle with when it comes to NCAA prospects and their signability, seeing Vlasic fast-tracked to the NHL like this should relieve and excite a Blackhawks fanbase that looks headed into uncharted waters under new GM Kyle Davidson.
Anaheim Ducks Sign Drew Helleson To Entry-Level Deal
After acquiring him from the Colorado Avalanche yesterday as part of the Josh Manson trade, the Anaheim Ducks have announced that they have signed defender Drew Helleson to a three-year entry-level contract. Helleson was drafted 47th overall in the 2019 draft by the Avalanche, and he was packaged alongside a 2023 2nd round pick in exchange for Manson, a quality top-four defenseman. His inclusion in such a high-profile trade combined with the team signing him this quickly after acquiring him indicates that Helleson is likely viewed quite highly by the Ducks’ front office.
Helleson’s deal carries a $925,000 average annual value, per CapFriendly. He is paid $832,500 in base salary every season, with a $92,500 signing bonus. His AHL salary is $70,000.
Helleson, who is set to turn 21 later this month, has blossomed this season at Boston College. While he may have been previously characterized as a somewhat one-dimensional, “all-defense” prospect in his draft season, applying that notion to Helleson’s game today would be a mistake. In his second season as an Eagle, Helleson improved his offense significantly, going from six points in 28 games to 15 in 22. This season, Helleson’s offense jumped again, and he posted 25 points in 32 games. While some scouts might still be bearish on the odds of that offense translating to the NHL level, it is clear that Helleson’s game has an added offensive dimension to it that was not apparent when he was drafted.
For the Ducks, signing Helleson may add an immediate boost to their defense as they reel from the departure of Manson, a staple on their blue line since he established himself as an NHL regular in the 2015-16 season. While Helleson may start his professional career with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, an NHL debut should not be too far away. Helleson was selected by Team USA to play in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, where he had one assist in three games, indicating that his game is polished enough to compete with some of the world’s best talent outside of the NHL. For a Ducks blueline that already features high-end young talent such as Jamie Drysdale and may yet lose more established NHL-ers as the deadline nears, (such as Hampus Lindholm) signing Helleson to his entry-level deal is a move that could bear fruit sooner rather than later.