Metropolitan Notes: Lindblom, Flyers, Sorokin, Islanders, McMichael
The Philadelphia Flyers announced their 31-man roster for the upcoming Qualifying Round with one name that stands out significantly as the team kept forward Oskar Lindblom on the roster despite talk that they team might wait until the 2020-21 season before returning the young forward on the ice after being diagnosed and treated for Ewing’s sarcoma in December.
Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the 23-year-old will be amongst the starters on the ice for the Flyers when the team returns to play, but to just be on the roster is quite an accomplishment for the young forward, who recently signed a three-year extension with the team. He could be a valuable substitute if injuries arise for the team after tallying 11 goals in 30 games before being diagnosed with cancer.
The team had a few other noteworthy players when it came to their roster. The team cut Carsen Twarynski, German Rubtsov, Tyler Wotherspoon and Nate Prosser from their training camp roster. However, the Flyers did keep undrafted prospect Egor Zamula on their roster, who played in just 28 junior games in the WHL last season, but dominated on the international stage.
Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi also reported that goaltender Carter Hart participated in his first full team practice Saturday since he left Tuesday’s scrimmage midway through the game with back spasms. The goalie claims that he expects to be 100 percent in time for their first game against Boston on Aug. 2.
- The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (subscription required) writes that general manager Lou Lamoriello said that while newly signed KHL goaltender Ilya Sorokin is not eligible to play in the 24-team tournament, the netminder is expected to join the team in Toronto to get acclimated to his new team. Sorokin has been quarantining on Long Island and will join the team in Toronto once he has passed all his COVID-19 protocols.
- Staple also released the Islanders playoff roster, which did not include several of the Islanders top AHL prospects. The team left behind forwards Kieffer Bellows, Oliver Wahlstrom, defenseman Grant Hutton and goaltender Jakub Skarek. Bellows was a bit of a surprise after a solid NHL debut in eight games this season.
- No major surprises on the Washington Capitals roster, although the Capitals have decided to keep 2019 first-round pick Connor McMichael on their roster, although it’s more likely to give the 19-year-old a chance to soak in the playoff atmosphere in hopes he might be able to eventually challenge for a roster spot in 2020-21. McMichael is coming off an impressive season in the OHL with a breakout 47 goals and 102 points with the London Knights.
Oskar Lindblom Signs Three-Year Extension
The Philadelphia Flyers aren’t going to quit on Oskar Lindblom. The Masterton Trophy finalist has inked a new three-year contract extension, keeping him in Philadelphia through the 2022-23 season. The deal will carry a $3MM average annual value. Lindblom released a heartfelt message to his fans:
I am very excited to be a part of the Flyers for the next three seasons. The support that the organization, the fans, and the entire NHL has given me has been quite overwhelming. I can’t wait to get back skating with the boys and being the professional hockey player I know I can be. I want to thank the Flyers for giving me this opportunity and I look forward to the day I’m back and contributing to the team’s success.
Lindblom, 23, was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in December, a rare form of bone cancer that ended his season prematurely. After inspiring endless support from the Philadelphia community and hockey world at large, he was later able to ring the bell at Abramson Cancer Center, indicating his treatment had completed.
While he will not play this summer for the Flyers, Lindblom’s extension means he can get right back to where he left off as an up-and-coming star in the league. The fifth-round pick had already scored 11 goals in the first 30 games this season after putting up 17 in his first full year, creating plenty of hype that he could be a big threat for the Flyers for years to come.
If he does grow into that top-six 30-goal scoring threat, the Flyers will be getting a lot more than just $3MM in value. The deal gives Lindblom some financial security, while also taking him dangerously close to unrestricted free agency. He’ll still be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal, but with arbitration rights that could get him to the open market at 27 should he decide to forego a long-term deal.
In terms of what it means for the Flyers next season, a $3MM cap hit won’t bankrupt them but does mean they have even less maneuverability going forward. The team now has more than $72.5MM committed to just 15 players and still need to sign names like Nolan Patrick and Robert Hagg, while also finding a capable backup goaltender for young Carter Hart. There is work to be done, but they’ll at least know Lindblom is going to be a part of it.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
NHL Releases Qualifying Round, Round Robin Schedules
July 20: The NHL has announced some minor changes to the schedule for the round robin. The Boston Bruins-Washington Capitals game that was scheduled for August 8 will now be played on August 9. The Philadelphia Flyers-Tampa Bay Lightning game that was originally scheduled for August 9, will now be played on August 8.
July 14: After revealing the schedule earlier today for the exhibition games occurring after the conclusion of training camp, the NHL has followed up with the schedules for the games that actually matter. The league has announced the full schedule for the best-of-five qualifying round match-ups, four each per conference between the teams seeded No. 5 to No. 12, as well as the six round robin games per conference between the teams seeded No. 1 to No. 4. As a reminder, the qualifying round will serve as a knockout round to trim the list of postseason teams to 16 for a standard playoff format while the round robin games will serve as a means to seed the top team in each conference. Teams will re-seed following the conclusion of the qualifying round and each subsequent round.
The full schedule is as follows (all times ET):
Saturday, Aug. 1
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 1, 12 p.m.
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 1, 4 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 1, 8 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 1, 3 p.m.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 1, 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 2
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Round-robin
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins, 3 p.m.
Best-of-5 series
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 1, 8 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Arizona Coyotes vs, Nashville Predators, Game 1, 2 p.m.
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 1, 10:30 p.m.
Round-robin
St. Louis Blues vs. Colorado Avalanche, 6:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 3
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 2, 12 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 2, 8 p.m.
Round-robin
Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 4 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 2, 2:30 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 2, 10:30 p.m.
Round-robin
Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 4
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 2, 12 p.m.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 2, 4 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers, Game 3, 8 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Arizona Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators, Game 2, 2:30 p.m.
Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets, Game 3, 6:45 p.m.
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 2, 10:45 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers, Game 3, 12 p.m.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens, Game 3, 8 p.m.
Round-robin
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins, 4 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes, Game 3, 2:30 p.m.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Game 3, 10:30 p.m.
Round-robin
Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 6
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, Game 3, TBD
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers, Game 4*, TBD
Round-robin
Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild, Game 3, TBD
Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets, Game 4*, TBD
Round-robin
Vegas Golden Knights vs. St. Louis Blues, TBD
Friday, Aug. 7
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers, Game 4*, TBD
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens, Game 4*, TBD
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, Game 4*, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes, Game 4*, TBD
Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild, Game 4*, TBD
Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Game 4*, TBD
Saturday, Aug. 8
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 5*, TBD
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 5*, TBD
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche, TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 5*, TBD
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 5*, TBD
Arizona Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues, TBD
With round robin games scheduled through August 9, the first round will not begin until August 10 at the earliest. However, given that exhibition games don’t even begin until July 28, the NHL is about to cram a lot of hockey into a span of just a dozen days.
Metropolitan Notes: Crosby, Anderson, Buchnevich, Voracek
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been dealing with quite a few absences so far in training camp, but the team were without a big name as star Sidney Crosby missed practice Sunday after leaving the ice during the second period of Saturday’s team scrimmage. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan declined after the scrimmage to comment on Crosby’s status due to the NHL’s new rules on withholding a player’s medical information during the coronavirus. However, TribLive’s Seth Rorabaugh writes that a team source said Crosby was being held out for precautionary measures due to an undisclosed ailment.
The team is already without a number of players for various reasons, including Patric Hornqvist, Anthony Angello, Adam Johnson, Sam Militec, Samuel Poulin, Phil Varone, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Juuso Riikola and Alex D’Orio.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they have placed forward Josh Anderson on the team’s 34-man roster. The 26-year-old Anderson, who had 27 goals in the 2018-19 season, has been recovering from a shoulder injury in December and subsequent surgery in March, but with the delay in the season, could potentially return at some point during the playoffs if Columbus can stay in the playoffs for a bit. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline writes that Anderson is expected to be left behind when the team travels to Toronto for the tournament, but Anderson could join them at some point.
- The New York Rangers were without forward Pavel Buchnevich for Sunday’s scrimmage after he left practice on Saturday, according to The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello. No word on the reason for the absence as the team is not allowed to disclose injury information. Rookie Kaapo Kakko took Buchnevich’s place alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.
- Philadelphia Inquirer’s Ed Barkowitz writes that the Philadelphia Flyers got a boost Sunday when forward Jakub Voracek returned to practice after being held out. The 30-year-old forward sat out of practice Saturday. However, Voracek, returned to his usual spot on the first line during practice alongside Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier. The winger led the team in assists this season with 44. NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer reports that Voracek admitted that he was held out due to a inconclusive test report, which later came back negative.
Philadelphia Flyers Loan Maksim Sushko To KHL
Like the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers before them, the Philadelphia Flyers have decided to send one of their prospects over to the KHL. Maksim Sushko has been loaned to Dynamo Minsk, giving him the chance to play right away instead of waiting for the eventual 2020-21 season here in North America.
Sushko, 21, was a fourth-round pick of the Flyers in 2017 and spent the 2019-20 season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Belarussian winger recorded 11 goals an 21 points in those 53 AHL contests and will now continue his development overseas.
This option, of sending a player to the KHL to get him into game action, will likely be taken by several teams around the league as they try to figure out how to best serve their prospects. Sushko will still be under contract with the Flyers through the end of the 2021-22 season and can be recalled if the AHL season does get underway. In fact, this may actually give him a leg up on the rest of the AHL competition whenever that training camp does get underway.
Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Patrick, Gostisbehere
The Pittsburgh Penguins have decided to sideline nine players from training camp after they were potentially exposed to an individual that has tested positive for COVID-19. The players will now go through the NHL’s protocol to be deemed safe to return before taking part in training camp. The team did not release the names of the players who have been held out because of this exposure.
These kinds of restrictions will likely happen in several camps as teams prepare for the upcoming playoff tournament. Today the league announced that 43 players have now tested positive for COVID-19, including 30 that were taking part in Phase 2 activities. Players all around the league are being deemed “unfit to participate” in camp, though that does not necessarily indicate coronavirus-induced absences. In Washington for instance, Michal Kempny, Alexander Alexeyev, and Ilya Samsonov were all absent from Capitals practice, but the team did not provide any specifics as to why.
- For the Philadelphia Flyers, one important player will be absent from the entire training camp and playoffs, but it isn’t due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nolan Patrick was not listed on the team’s training camp roster after missing the entire season with a migraine disorder, and Flyers GM Cliff Fletcher told reporters including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the focus for their young forward is getting healthy enough for 2020-21. Patrick, the second overall pick in 2017, has played 145 regular season games to this point in his career and has 61 points. The 21-year old will also be a restricted free agent this offseason.
- One player that is at Philadelphia training camp is Shayne Gostisbehere, despite apparently undergoing knee surgery seven weeks ago. Gostisbehere revealed the surgery to reporters today, indicating that it was an arthroscopic procedure. That may sound familiar to Flyers fans, as the 27-year old defenseman had a similar procedure in January but while that surgery was on his left knee, this was his right. Gostisbehere’s production fell off a cliff this season as he scored just 12 points in 42 games after amassing 187 through his first four seasons in the NHL. As he hopes to be ready for the tournament, the team will have some tough decisions on who to ice on defense once they find out who they’re up against. The Flyers are one of four teams that will play a round-robin to determine seeding before matching up against one of the qualification round winners.
Mark Friedman Signs Two-Year Extension
The Philadelphia Flyers have inked Mark Friedman to a new two-year, one-way contract extension that will keep him in the organization through the 2021-22 season. Friedman was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of this season when his entry-level deal expired, but will now get some financial stability with a $725K average annual value over the next two years.
Friedman, 24, was a third-round pick of the Flyers back in 2014 and has slowly climbed up the organizational depth chart. Three seasons at Bowling Green State University led to an NHL contract and opportunity with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, where he has spent the last three seasons almost exclusively. In 186 regular season games for the Phantoms, Friedman has recorded 61 points and earned himself seven games with the NHL club. That NHL opportunity will likely only increase with the one-way contract, though Philadelphia certainly doesn’t have a lack of defensive options.
This marks the first of many contracts that will likely be signed over the next few days and weeks as front offices start to prepare for next season. Given how condensed the offseason will be after the 24-team playoffs are finished, teams may want to get a head start on negotiations during these few weeks of training camp. For the Flyers specifically, Friedman’s signing leaves seven pending restricted free agents in the organization including important names like Oskar Lindblom and Nolan Patrick.
Ivan Provorov Voted As Flyers Defenseman Of The Year
- Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov received the Barry Ashbee Trophy as Philadelphia’s top defenseman as voted on by local media, notes Ed Barkowitz of the Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer. 2019-20 was a resurgent season for the 23-year-old as his offensive numbers rebounded to a respectable 13 goals and 23 assists in 69 games after posting just 26 points in 82 games the year before; his seven power play tallies led all NHL blueliners. Provorov, who logged just under 25 minutes a game to lead the team, will be wrapping up the first year of his six-year, $40.5MM deal, one that looked a little expensive at the time but looks better now after the season he had.
Prospect Notes: Cozens, Harvard, Beniers, Kings
The future is bright for the Wild, Flyers, Senators, and Kings, per The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. Each of those four clubs tied for the lead with four prospects making Wheeler’s top-50 list, headlined by Dylan Cozens of the Sabres in the top spot. The same can’t be said for the Lightning, Blue Jackets, Jets, Blackhawks, and Bruins, all of whom failed to register a single prospect on the list. Wheeler qualifies the case for the Jets and Blue Jackets as each had a pair of prospects close to making the list, and the Blackhawks, who have recently graduated players like Adam Boqvist and Kirby Dach, while blueliner Ian Mitchell garnered consideration.
- As if tracking NHL prospects isn’t artful enough, it’s going to get a whole lot more complicated as college athletics tries to find its way amid the coronavirus pandemic. Harvard released a statement today announcing all classes will be offered online and on-campus students will be capped at 40% of the student body. Athletics are going to be impacted, but it’s not yet clear what kind of season, if any, college hockey will have in 2020-2021. As ESPN’s Chris Peters points out, that’s going to affect the next couple of drafts, as Harvard alone had a number of potential draft prospects, including potential first-rounder Matt Beniers.
- The Los Angeles Kings have a big decision looming after winning the number two overall pick in next year’s draft. Of course, they have plenty of time to study their options, writes Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. With an uncertain picture of next season, the draft presents the Kings with their largest dose of certainty. The top pick is going to be Alexis Lafreniere, leaving VP and GM Rob Blake with his pick of the rest. Harris provides a quote from Blake, who said: “You can narrow it down to three or four players where you’re really starting to zero in, instead of a group. But you’re going to review all the prep you did leading up to this one more time to have it fresh on your mind.” In addition, the Kings have three second-round picks and a pair each in the third and fourth round. Of course, though the Kings know when in the draft they’ll pick, they still don’t know when the draft will take place.
Snapshots: Training Camp Start Date, Rask Free Agency, 2020 Young Stars Classic, Lindblom Recovery
Phase 2 of the NHL’s return to play initiative is well underway, but the rest of the timeline is still being finalized. Phase 3, originally planned for July 10, is being pushed back a couple of days to July 13th, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post. Teams already are looking into cutting the number of exhibition games from 2 to 1 given the shortened timetable and increased risk with each passing day, per Louis Jean of TVA Sports. Phase 3 marks the official start to training camp for the 24-team playoff that will determine the Stanley Cup winner for the 2019-2020 season. Team facilities have largely opened up as players have begun to arrive early to get into game shape. But that’s not all that’s happening in the NHL…
- The Boston Bruins and goaltender Tuukka Rask are close to embarking on a classic game of free agent chicken. Both Rask and his partner between the pipes Jaroslav Halak will be free agents at the end of the 2020-2021 season. We chronicled earlier today the deal that brought Task to Boston fourteen years ago, but if the Bruins are going to lock up their 33-year-old goalie, it’s likely going to cost – Rask’s current $7MM price tag makes him the fifth highest-paid goaltender this season, behind Carey Price, Sergei Bobrovsky, Henrik Lundqvist, and Marc-Andre Fleury, writes Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports. Rask has a legitimate shot at winning his second Vezina Trophy, and the tandem of Rask and Halak already secured the Jennings Trophy for the year. On the other hand, depending on how next season goes, Rask could take a pay cut, given that he’ll be entering his age-35 season.
- The 2020 Young Stars Classic has officially been postponed because of coronavirus, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers. The four-team, round-robin tournament would have featured prospects from four of the NHL’s Canadian franchises: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg. The tournament had been scheduled for mid-September, but it’s now officially postponed. There’s no telling at this stage if the tournament will ultimately be canceled or just pushed back.
- In a bit of good news: Philadelphia Flyers’ winger Oskar Lindblom recently underwent radiation treatments to treat Ewing’s sarcoma, per Dan Gelston of The Associated Press. The rare form of bone cancer ended Lindblom’s season early and put his life in danger, but the treatments went as planned and he appears to be on the road to recovery. Not only that, but he’s already targeting a return to the NHL, tweets The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor. Lindblom, 23, looked to build on his strong rookie season when he posted 33 points with 13:45 ATOI for the Flyers in 2018-2019. He potted 11 goals with 7 assists in just 30 games before his life-threatening diagnosis. There is zero chance that Lindblom returns this season, but that he’s already eyeing a return to the ice at all is a big win for Lindblom and the Flyers.