Russia Announces Several Players For IIHF World Championship
The Russian National Team has announced several players who will begin preparation next week for the upcoming IIHF World Championship, and there are interesting notes to be gleaned from the list. The group is not exhaustive, meaning that several other players will join the team after being eliminated from their respective KHL or NHL playoffs, while not every player listed may end up suiting up at the tournament in May. The announced names:
Goaltender:
Alexandar Georgiev, New York Rangers
Defensemen:
Artem Zub, SKA St. Petersburg
Dinar Khafizullin, SKA St. Petersburg
Vladislav Gavrikov, SKA St. Petersburg
Artem Sergeev, Salavat Yulaev
Ilya Lyubushkin, Lokomotiv
Egor Yakovlev, New Jersey Devils
Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia Flyers
Forwards:
Ilya Kovalchuk, Los Angeles Kings
Vladislav Namestnikov, New York Rangers
Artem Anisimov, Chicago Blackhawks
Evgenii Dadonov, Florida Panthers
Alexander Burmistrov, Salavat Yulaev
Vladimir Tkachyov, Salavat Yulaev
Nikita Gusev, SKA St. Petersburg
Sergei Plotnikov, SKA St. Petersburg
Nail Yakupov, SKA St. Petersburg
Alexander Barabanov, SKA St. Petersburg
First and foremost, the eye will immediately be drawn to Gusev’s name after reports this morning indicated that he may be on his way to the Vegas Golden Knights instead. While Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Gusev’s representation is working to get him out of the last few weeks of his contract with SKA, the Golden Knights themselves have refused to comment on the situation. It’s not clear at this point if he will be allowed to join Vegas for an NHL playoff run, or if Gusev is instead going to join the national team and participate in the upcoming tournament.
Next is Provorov, who is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. Players often avoid going to the tournament if they don’t have a contract for next season due to the injury risk, but perhaps the Flyers have already done work to remedy that situation. In fact, the Russian press release indicates that Provorov will “join the team after he signs a new contract” indicating that they might not be waiting very long. The tournament starts on May 10th, well before Provorov would actually become an RFA.
Dadonov and Anisimov will also not be joining the Russian team right away. The former is dealing with a minor injury and will have to be cleared by the Panthers before reporting, while the latter is said to be joining the group on April 26th.
2019 NHL Draft Lottery Results
The ping pong balls have been drawn and the first 15 picks of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft are set. The league conducted its annual Draft Lottery tonight and the big winners were the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks. The Devils, with an 11.5% chance of winning the No. 1 overall selection, did just that and astoundingly will have their pick of the class for the second time in three years. New Jersey won the draft lottery in 2017 and selected Nico Hischier and will have the chance to add another elite talent this year. This continues the almost comical lottery luck that has followed Taylor Hall in his career, moving from Edmonton to New Jersey. The Rangers held a 7.8% chance of moving up to the second overall pick and in this specific draft class were very lucky as well, as their consolation prize will be the second of two elite players at the top of the draft board. This will also be the first time in the modern draft era that New York selects within the first three picks. The Blackhawks may have a more difficult choice facing them at No. 3, but aren’t complaining after jumping from No. 12 into the top three, a move that had just a 3% chance of happening. Chicago has been a dynastic franchise this decade and will look to return to greatness by adding one of the draft’s top talents. Altogether, these three teams all moving up in this order was a result that had just a 0.027% chance of occurring.
Following the lottery results, the odds for which were set by the final league standings for non-playoff teams, the first half of the first round will play out as follows:
- New Jersey Devils
- New York Rangers
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Colorado Avalanche (from Ottawa Senators)
- Los Angeles Kings
- Detroit Red Wings
- Buffalo Sabres
- Edmonton Oilers
- Anaheim Ducks
- Vancouver Canucks
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Minnesota Wild
- Florida Panthers
- Arizona Coyotes
- Montreal Canadiens
The biggest loser of the night has to be the Colorado Avalanche, who fall out of the top three spots despite having a 49.4% chance of winning at least one of the those picks. This is the second time in just three years that Colorado has entered the lottery with the best odds at No. 1, only see three teams win the lottery and pass them up. In 2017, it was again the Devils who stole their top pick. After swindling the Ottawa Senators, it seemed the Avs were destined to cash in, but instead end up with the worst-case scenario. The Los Angeles Kings also have to be unhappy with the results, as the team slides from their second-to-last finish to the fifth overall pick. The Kings desperately could have used an injection of elite young talent next season and may not end up with an immediate contributor at No. 5. While they didn’t have the best of odds, the Vancouver Canucks are undoubtedly still disappointed in missing out on an opportunity to pair Jack Hughes with older brother Quinn Hughes, the team’s first-round pick in 2018 who already made a splash in his first few pro games down the stretch, or to at least make a top-three selection in front of the home crowd.
The younger Hughes, who was actually in attendance at tonight’s lottery event, has of course long been considered the likely top pick this spring and should start getting used to the idea of playing in New Jersey. The U.S. National Team center is considered a high-end play-maker already and turned down a scholarship to the University of Michigan earlier this season, knowing that he could be an impact player immediately in the NHL. As for the fit with the Devils, Hischier has already climbed atop the depth chart at center, but New Jersey will soon be able to boast amazing youth and depth down the middle with the addition of Hughes. Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko has pressured Hughes to be the top pick this year, but many still see him as a close second. The Rangers won’t mind, as Kakko is an extraordinary offensive talent who will score goals and throw his body around right away in the NHL. Kakko could become a major star in the New York market with his flashy goal-scoring ability and will certainly have the opportunity to play a major role right away. At third overall, there are many options for the Blackhawks, but the early expectation based on organizational depth would be a skilled forward like Vasili Podkolzin or Alex Turcotte. Chicago already has several promising young defensemen in the pipeline and can now add an elite forward to their growing young core of Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome, and Brendan Perlini. Now relegated to the No. 4 pick, the Avalanche will still undoubtedly get a strong player, just as they did two years ago with Cale Makar, if not an immediate contributor in the top remaining prospect on their board. A player like big Canadian center Dylan Cozens would fit in nicely with what Colorado is building.
Now that the order is set, the next step is the draft itself. Everyone may have their projections, but only the day of will reveal the actual futures of these teams and players. This year’s draft is set to take place in Vancouver beginning on June 21st, a day that New Jersey, New York, and Chicago are now much more excited for. Stay tuned.
Minor Transactions: 04/08/19
Though we won’t get many transactions this late in the year, teams will take the opportunity over the next few days to send some of their younger players back down to the minor leagues. The AHL season still has another few games to go, and players who are playoff-eligible in the minor leagues will not be quite done with their season even if they’ve already cleared out their NHL locker. We’ll keep track of all these minor moves right here:
- The Anaheim Ducks have sent Sam Steel, Max Jones, Jacob Larsson and Jaycob Megna down to the San Diego Gulls, giving the AHL squad a boost as they try to lock up a playoff spot. The Gulls are currently in third place in the Pacific Division but haven’t yet clinched a spot thanks to a hard charging Tucson Roadrunners team.
- Bobby Nardella has signed an amateur tryout with the Hershey Bears, joining the club after recently agreeing to an entry-level deal with the Washington Capitals. Nardella will be joining a Hershey team that has already locked up a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division and who have their eyes set on a Calder Cup run.
- As if Carter Hart wasn’t enough for the Philadelphia Flyers, another young goaltender has joined the organization. Felix Sandstrom has been assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms after his season in the SHL came to an end. The 22-year old goaltender signed his entry-level deal with the Flyers in 2018, and was originally selected by them in the third round of the 2015 draft.
- With Louis Domingue returning from his minor injury, Eddie Pasquale is on his way back to the Syracuse Crunch. That’s a big deal for a team that is one of the favorites to win a Calder Cup this season. The Crunch have the second best record in the entire NHL, and have been relying on Pasquale all season. The 28-year old goaltender has a 25-12-3 record with a .916 save percentage this year.
- The Buffalo Sabres have sent Alexander Nylander, Lawrence Pilut and Victor Olofsson back to the Rochester Americans for their playoff run, as all three are eligible to compete in the AHL postseason. The Americans have already clinched a spot and could very well make a run at the Calder Cup this season, especially with this trio of talented players back in the fold.
James Van Riemsdyk To Play At The World Championships
- The Flyers announced (Twitter link) that winger James van Riemsdyk will suit up for Team USA at the upcoming World Championships. It will be his first time suiting up in the tournament since he played a pair of games back in 2011. His return to Philadelphia was a reasonable success as he finished fifth in team scoring despite missing 16 games due to injuries while his goal per game rate was only slightly below 2017-18 when he scored a career-best 36 goals.
Minor Transactions: 04/07/19
With the regular season ending Saturday, many teams, especially those who didn’t go to the playoffs, have decided to assign some of their younger players to the AHL to continue to get some playing time. Playoff teams could be adding to their rosters for the upcoming playoff run. Stay tuned to see transactions throughout the day.
- The Carolina Hurricanes announced they have recalled defenseman Jake Bean from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Bean, the team’s first-round pick in 2016, has had an impressive season in his first full season in the AHL and has been recalled several times by the Hurricanes despite having played in just two games. Bean has 13 goals and 31 assists this year with Charlotte. He will likely fill in for Calvin de Haan, who has already missed a week with an upper-body injury.
- The New Jersey Devils announced they have assigned several of their young players to join the AHL’s Binghamton Devils, including forwards Joey Anderson, Nathan Bastian, Michael McLeod and Brett Seney. Anderson has played in 34 games for New Jersey, having scored four goals and seven points. Bastian has spent most of his season with Binghamton where he has played 56 games this season, tallying 17 goals for them, while McLeod has appeared in 52 games with 31 points with Binghamton. Seney has spent more of his season with New Jersey, having scored five goals in 51 games for the NHL squad.
- CapFriendly is reporting that the Nashville Predators have recalled forward Zac Rinaldo from his conditioning stint with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. Rinaldo was assigned in Milwaukee on Apr. 2 despite undergoing what was considered to be season-ending shoulder surgery in February. He hasn’t appeared in a game since Jan. 1. He played three games for Milwaukee.
- The Boston Bruins announced they have assigned four players to return to the Providence Bruins of the AHL. The team will send forwards Trent Frederic, Anton Blidh and Zach Senyshyn as well as defenseman Jeremy Lauzon to their former team. Frederic played 15 games for Boston, but didn’t register a point. Blidh played in one game, while Senyshyn played in two games, registering one goal. Lauzon played in 16 games for Boston.
- Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned defenseman Adam Clendening to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. The 26-year-old has spent all but four games with Cleveland, putting up four goals and 36 points in 43 games.
- The Detroit Red Wings announced a flurry of moves today as they have assigned eight players to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL, including forwards Christoffer Ehn, Martin Frk, Matt Puempel and Dominic Turgeon, defensemen Jake Chelios, Joe Hicketts, Filip Hronek and Dylan McIlrath. The team also assigned goaltender Kaden Fulcher to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye.
- The New York Rangers have assigned several players to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL, according to the AHL transactions page. The team has returned forward Vinni Lettieri and defensemen John Gilmour and Ryan Lindgren. The 24-year-old Lettieri played 27 games for the Rangers this season, but was dominant in Hartford, posting 23 goals and 46 points in 44 games. Gilmour has also dominated in Hartford, putting up 20 goals in 66 games, while Lindgren added needed physicality for Hartford in 63 games as well.
- The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have returned forward Corban Knight and defenseman Mark Friedman to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. Knight, who was injured for much of the season, has only played in four games for Phantoms this season, putting up six points. Friedman, who made his NHL debut Saturday, has played 71 games for Lehigh Valley this season.
- The Washington Capitals announced they have assigned forward Nathan Walker to the Hershey Bears of the AHL. The 25-year-old Walker has appeared in three games for the Capitals, but will return to Hershey wher he played 54 games this season, posting 14 goals and 34 points.
- With an injury to goaltender Corey Crawford Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks recalled Kevin Lankinen from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. He wasn’t needed, however, and the team announced they have returned the young goaltender to the IceHogs. The 23-year-old fared well in his rookie season with Rockford, putting up a .911 save percentage and a 2.47 GAA in 18 appearances.
- The Ottawa Senators announced they have assigned defenseman Andreas Englund to the Belleville Senators of the AHL. Englund played three games for Ottawa this season.
- Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jaycob Megna cleared waivers Sunday and assigned to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. The 26-year-old Megna played 28 games for the Ducks while playing 35 for the Gulls.
2019 NHL Draft Lottery Odds
The regular season has ended, but for those 15 teams who missed the playoffs the wait won’t be long for the first exciting event of the off-season. The 2019 NHL Entry Draft may be more than ten weeks away, but the league has moved this year’s NHL Draft Lottery up several weeks to this coming Tuesday, April 9th, before the postseason even begins. With the final league standings in place after yesterday’s results and the teams with ping pong balls to be selected now set, here are the odds for the No. 1 overall pick in this years draft:
31st – Colorado Avalanche (from Ottawa Senators): 18.5%
30th – Los Angeles Kings: 13.5%
29th – New Jersey Devils: 11.5%
28th – Detroit Red Wings: 9.5%
27th – Buffalo Sabres: 8.5%
26th – New York Rangers: 7.5%
25th – Edmonton Oilers: 6.5%
24th – Anaheim Ducks: 6.0%
23rd – Vancouver Canucks: 5.0%
22nd – Philadelphia Flyers: 3.5%
21st – Minnesota Wild: 3.0%
20th – Chicago Blackhawks: 2.5%
19th – Florida Panthers: 2.0%
18th – Arizona Coyotes: 1.5%
17th* – Montreal Canadiens: 1.0%
It’s important to note that while the odds at winning the first overall pick are listed, there are lottery selections for each of the first three picks in the draft with each team’s odds increasing proportionally after each selection starting with first overall. The prize this year for Tuesday night’s lucky winner is expected to be U.S. National Team Development Program center Jack Hughes, an elite play-making pivot who has been wowing scouts for years. The consolation prize of picking second is not too shabby either; Finnish scoring winger Kaapo Kakko has closed the gap on Hughes and is also considered an elite talent. The No. 3 pick is finally where there will be some intrigue in June. Many feel Russian winger Vasili Podkolzin will be the pick, but a team may opt for a different style of forward like Canadians Dylan Cozens and Kirby Dach or Hughes’ teammate Alex Turcotte, while a D-needy club could reach for promising defender Bowen Byram.
The NHL Draft Lottery will be nationally televised by NBC Sports, Sportsnet, and TVA beginning at 8pm ET on Tuesday. As opposed to last year, when the lottery took place over two separate sessions during playoff game intermissions, the event will return to being an independent hour-long show. Tune in to see who the big winner could be this year and how the top of the first round will look in this year’s draft.
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Mark Friedman
The Philadelphia Flyers are set to debut another young defenseman, as the team recalled Mark Friedman today from the minor leagues. In his place Philippe Myers was returned to the AHL to help the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Friedman will wear #59 for the Flyers as they get ready for the final game of the season tomorrow night.
It’s been something of a pipeline of young talent on the blue line for Philadelphia in recent years, who already have players like Shayne Gostisbehere (25), Robert Hagg (24), Travis Sanheim (23), Samuel Morin (23) and Ivan Provorov (22) on the NHL roster. While Friedman obviously doesn’t come with as much hype as some of those other names, he has had a solid development path since being selected in the third round in 2014.
Attending Bowling Green State for three seasons, Friedman was named to the NCHC All-Rookie, Third and First All-Star Teams during his time there. He finished his college career in 2017 with 68 points in 121 games and jumped to the professional ranks with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In two seasons there he has continued to develop his two-way game, recording 24 points in 71 games this year. For that hard work it appears as though he’ll be rewarded with a game at the NHL level, which will also give him a little extra salary for the last few days of the season.
With one year left on his entry-level contract it still seems unlikely that Friedman will spend much time in the NHL before he hits restricted free agency, but giving him a taste of what it’s like can only help his development going forward.
Corban Knight Placed On Waivers
Thursday: Knight has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the AHL.
Wednesday: The Philadelphia Flyers have decided to place Corban Knight on waivers, which would allow him to join the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for their last few games. The Phantoms have six games remaining and are just a few points out of a playoff position in the AHL’s Atlantic Division. Knight is playoff eligible in the AHL thanks to a paper transaction completed on the trade deadline.
Knight, 28, has played in just 21 games for the Flyers this season, recording four points and a -3 rating. The veteran forward has bounced around the league since leaving the University of North Dakota in 2013, but has never really caught on with an NHL club for any length of time. An established two-way threat in the minor leagues, Knight has just 12 points in 50 career NHL games.
His contract is set to expire at the end of this season making him an unrestricted free agent once again, and it seems unlikely that he will get anything more than just a one-year two-way deal. That said, the Flyers could certainly keep him around as injury insurance and a veteran presence in the minor leagues. Another team could potentially claim him in the next 24 hours, but at this point in the season that is very unlikely.
Flyers Expected To Pursue Joel Quenneville After The Season
The Flyers have performed fairly well under interim head coach Scott Gordon, posting a .551 points percentage since he took over for Dave Hakstol. Before the coaching change, there was plenty of speculation that Joel Quenneville was going to take over but that didn’t come to fruition. Despite their improved showing under Gordon, Dave Isaac of the Cherry Hill Courier-Post reports that Philadelphia will once again try to bring in the 60-year-old this offseason.
Quenneville has another year left on his deal with Chicago so the Flyers technically would have to ask permission to interview him for the position. Isaac suggests that a deal to bring him in earlier this season ultimately fell through so it’s unlikely the Blackhawks would stand in his way of pursuing a deal with Philadelphia or anyone else this summer.
The price tag will be quite high, however. Quenneville has another season left on his deal with a $6MM salary. When hiring coaches that have been relieved of their duties, teams must pay market value for the coach. In other words, they can’t agree to a cheap deal to make the team that let him go pay down most of the contract. Given the recent escalation of salaries to head coaches, it’s quite likely that the Flyers (or whoever hires Quenneville) will have to assume the majority, if not the entirety of the $6MM plus tack on a few more years for good measure.
Of course, the high price tag is justified given Quenneville’s track record. He won three Stanley Cups in his tenure with Chicago while his teams have posted a .609 points percentage over 1,636 games over his career that spans 21 seasons. Pretty much any team with a coaching vacancy this offseason will at least be making an inquiry to see if they can hire him.
As for Gordon, this season was his first as an NHL head coach since being let go by the Islanders back in 2010. Given how the Flyers improved after the coaching change, he has likely worked his way into consideration for other jobs if Philadelphia ultimately lands Quenneville.
Eastern Notes: Fritz, Crawford, Daccord, Byron, Strome
The New York Islanders have lost some depth as forward Tanner Fritz is expected to miss six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a blood clot in his hand, according to NHL.com’s Cory Wright.
He had a little bit of a blood clot between two fingers, so they had to do some surgery and he’ll be out six to eight weeks. The operation was 100% successful. It’s just the nature of the type of procedure that was done, that it’ll take that bit of time. He’s fine. It’s unfortunate for Tanner, who came in and did so well, but as I said, he’ll be fully recovered.”
While the 27-year-old Fritz has only appeared in eight games for the Islanders this season, he was recalled on March 21st after veteran Valtteri Filppula was injured, giving Fritz the opportunity to play in the team’s last three games. Fritz was averaging only 10:49 of ice time with the Isles, but has been solid with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL where he has 12 goals and 37 points in 57 games. As for Filppula, head coach Barry Trotz said that he has been skating, but there is still no timetable for his return.
- Expect Ottawa Senators interim coach Marc Crawford to be a serious candidate for the team’s head coaching position, according to Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. While general manager Pierre Dorion has a list of many candidates, the team won’t allow their search for a president of hockey operations to interfere with their hunt for a head coach. Crawford deserves consideration for that position as he has made a difference on the Senators’ young squad. Belleville head coach Troy Mann is another serious candidate for the Senators’ coaching vacancy.
- Garrioch reports that Dorion and goaltending coach Pierre Groulx watched Arizona State goaltender Joey Daccord Saturday and are expected to try to sign the collegiate goaltender. Daccord had a breakout year with Arizona State as the junior put up 21 wins, a 2.36 GAA and a .926 save percentage. He was the team’s seventh-round pick in the 2015 draft.
- TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that Montreal Canadiens forward Paul Byron, who has missed two games with an upper-body injury, was back on the ice Sunday, but still needs to pass some tests before he is cleared to play. The 29-year-old Byron has 15 goals and 30 points in 54 games and could be available to play for Montreal on Tuesday if all goes well.
- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, announced that prospect Matthew Strome has been reassigned from his OHL team, whose season recently ended. Strome, the team’s fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft, just wrapped up his fourth year with the Hamilton Bulldogs, posting 28 goals and 79 points. He signed his entry-level contract in March of 2018 and will finish out the season with the Phantoms.