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Blaine Byron Pursued By At Least Four Teams

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While Will Butcher and Alex Kerfoot get all the headlines, another NCAA free agent is getting some attention from around the league. Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News reports that the “lead suitors” for Blaine Byron are New Jersey, Ottawa, Buffalo and Vegas. Byron became a free agent today after not signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins, despite his 41 points as a senior for the University of Maine.

It’s interesting that there wasn’t a deal to be made between Byron and Pittsburgh, as the team has a distinct lack of center depth in the minor leagues even with the addition of Zach Aston-Reese this spring. Perhaps it was obvious that there wasn’t much of an NHL future so Byron is trying to find somewhere else to ply his trade. Among the suitors are several teams that seem to be linked to every NCAA free agent today, as New Jersey and Buffalo attempt to add immediate talent while Vegas looks to add assets wherever it can.

The Senators are the most interesting as Byron is originally from Manotick, an Ottawa suburb. He played his midget hockey in Ottawa before heading to Junior A in order to preserve his college eligibility, even though he was selected by the Niagara IceDogs in the OHL draft. After four years with Maine, he leaves with 108 points in 141 games and will try to bring his excellent offensive creativity to the professional ranks.

Matt Cullen Signs With Minnesota Wild

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Matt Cullen has agreed to a one-year contract with the Minnesota Wild. The deal is worth $1MM in salary, with an additional $700K in potential performance bonuses. Cullen had been reportedly deciding between the Wild and Penguins, but eventually decided to return home to Minnesota and forego his shot at a “three-peat” with Pittsburgh. Cullen himself told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that leaving the Penguins was “probably the hardest decision I ever had to make.”

“Dad” as many Penguins fans (and media) like to call Cullen was beloved in Pittsburgh, and you could hear the entire team chanting “ONE MORE YEAR!” as they celebrated their latest Stanley Cup victory. 2017-18 will mark his 20th season in the NHL, and he remains a very effective two-way center. Despite playing some of the lowest minutes of his career, he registered more than 30 points for the 13th time, and continued his career-long streak of winning more than 50% of his draws. He’ll likely slot into the fourth-line role in Minnesota, but will provide ample depth behind the star-studded forward group.

[Updated: Minnesota Wild Depth Chart]

In 1,366 career regular season games, Cullen has 689 points but has always been relied upon for more than scoring. His penalty killing ability and leadership on and off the ice will add a new dimension the a Wild team that struggled in the playoffs last season. Cullen has three Stanley Cup victories under his belt, including one from 2005-06 with Carolina, a team that was led by a young superstar named Eric Staal. The two will be reunited in Minnesota where Staal has re-energized his career, and try to bring some playoff success to a team that desperately thirsts for it.

Michael Russo of the Star Tribune was first to break the deal.

Letang May Not Be 100% By Start Of Training Camp

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  • In a reader chat, Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is progressing well in his recovery from a neck injury but that he might not be 100% by the time training camp opens up next month. Even if Letang weren’t quite ready to start the season, Pittsburgh has been active in supplementing their defensive depth so they shouldn’t need to make any other moves to add some help on the back end. [Related: Penguins Transaction Tracker from Roster Resource]  Letang missed half of 2016-17 plus their entire postseason run between the late-season neck issue and various upper-and-lower body ailments earlier on but still had the second most points of all Pittsburgh defenders with 34 (5-29-34) in 41 contests.

Snapshots: Wennberg, Pastrnak, Army, Butler

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Alexander Wennberg isn’t worried. Despite being one of the final 19 restricted free agents left to sign this summer, the Columbus centerman knows the two sides will get a deal done before long. That’s what he told Tom Gulitti of NHL.com, who profiled Wennberg’s summer goals to get bigger and stronger for next season. Wennberg is a key part of the Columbus offense, recording 59 points last season and growing into the top line center spot that was vacated when the Blue Jackets traded away Ryan Johansen.

Wennberg was part of the reason that trade was possible, as Columbus knew they had something special ready to break out. The 22-year old now has 99 points over his past two seasons and could see even more offensive opportunity with Artemi Panarin now in the fold, and Cam Atkinson established as a top goal scorer. An absolutely deadly playmaker on the powerplay, the next step is getting Wennberg to shoot more at even strength and create his own opportunities. If he does, a long-term deal could look especially valuable in a year or two.

  • Similarly, David Pastrnak doesn’t seem fazed by the fact that he remains unsigned now into August. He told Tim Campbell of NHL.com that contract negotiations are entirely in agent J.P. Barry’s hands, and that he’s just focused on taking another step forward next season. It’s hard to believe more improvement is coming for Pastrnak, who scored 34 goals and 70 points as a 20-year old last season. Climbing any higher would put him among the absolute best in the league, if he’s not there already. For Boston fans worried about a potential deal, he had this to say: “The guys are great. The city is great. The fans are great. I like the arena. The city is full of good restaurants and young people.”  Sure doesn’t sound like a player that wants to leave anytime soon.
  • The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have hired Tim Army as an assistant coach for next season, after he was fired by the Colorado Avalanche earlier this offseason. The long-time NHL coach will work alongside head coach Clark Donatelli in a reversal of roles for the pair, after working together at Providence College in the past.
  • Bobby Butler is coming back to North America after a few years abroad, as he signed a one-year AHL contract with the Milwuakee Admirals. Butler was signed by the Ottawa Senators out of the University of New Hampshire back in 2010, and played 130 NHL games before finding himself stuck in the minors for 2014-15. Success was hard to come by in the SHL and KHL, so he’s back to try and show off his AHL All-Star talent once again. This contract will maintain his eligibility for the USA Olympic team, but at this point in his career he’d be a long-shot over some of the young college players.

Expiring NCAA Draft Rights

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Will Butcher and Alex Kerfoot have graced many headlines over the last few months, as players who will be heading to free agency next week when their exclusive draft rights expire. Since they finished their senior years without an NHL entry-level contract, they can test the market on August 16th and sign wherever they want.

They’re not the only two, and CapFriendly provides us with a full list of players whose rights will expire next week. Several of the names listed have already signed minor league contracts with various organizations for next year, and will be excluded from the list below. The remaining players are as follows:

Sam Kurker – St. Louis Blues (2nd round, 2012)
Taylor Cammarata – New York Islanders (3rd round, 2013)
Chris Calnan – Chicago Blackhawks (3rd round, 2013)
Rhett Holland – Arizona Coyotes (4th round, 2012)
Zach Nagelvoort – Edmonton Oilers  (4th round, 2014)
Will Butcher – Colorado Avalanche (5th round, 2013)
Doyle Somerby – New York Islanders (5th round, 2012)
Dominic Toninato – Toronto Maple Leafs (5th round, 2012)
Evan Campbell – Edmonton Oilers (5th round, 2013)
Connor Clifton – Arizona Coyotes (5th round, 2013)
Teemu Kivihalme – Nashville Predators (5th round, 2013)*
Grant Besse – Anaheim Ducks (5th round, 2013)
Alex Kerfoot – New Jersey Devils (5th round, 2012)
Ben Storm – Colorado Avalanche (6th round, 2013)
Tim Harrison – Calgary Flames (6th round, 2013)
Collin Olson – Carolina Hurricanes (6th round, 2012)
Chris Leblanc – Ottawa Senators (6th round, 2013)
Clifford Watson – San Jose Sharks (6th round, 2012)
James De Haas – Detroit Red Wings (6th round, 2012)
Blaine Byron – Pittsburgh Penguins (6th round, 2013)
Wade Murphy – Nashville Predators (7th round, 2013)
Brendan Collier – Carolina Hurricanes (7th round, 2012)
Jedd Soleway – Arizona Coyotes (7th round, 2013)
Nolan De Jong – Minnesota Wild (7th round, 2013)

*Has signed with Karpat of the Finnish Liiga.

Many of these players spent time in the minor leagues this past spring on amateur tryout contracts, but will become free agents if not signed by end of day on August 15th. That gives teams time to still get them into their system, but in cases like Toninato there may just not be enough room to fit him in on an entry-level contract. Even those on minor league deals will be free agents at the end of their contract, as those do not protect exclusive draft rights.

Oft-Injured Teams Likely To Rebound In 2017-18

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Every year, some teams invariably get the short straw when it comes to injury. The Washington Capitals, notably, were the healthiest team in the league, and ended up winning the Presidents’ Trophy. That said, organizational depth is absolutely vital, as the Penguins survived well enough to repeat championships, even though they were bottom-5 in man games lost. Ultimately, there are a few franchises that are merely anticipating a restart in 2017-18, in hopes of entirely forgetting the abuses of last season. These three teams are those which suffered the worst, and have a solid chance to rebound in the upcoming campaign.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning lost Steven Stamkos for the majority of the season after he was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in November. He missed an astounding total of 65 games. Ryan Callahan was also lost for the majority of the year, losing 64 games of action to a lower-body injury. After that, the onslaught of injuries kept hammering away. Nikita Kucherov only lost 8 games, but was felled on three separate occasions. Ondrej Palat missed only 9 games as well, but his presence was sorely missed when absent. Cedric Paquette lost 23 games, while Tyler Johnson missed 16. It seemed that no one was safe on Tampa’s squad more man-games than an other teams when you factor in essentially retired players.

Tampa will look to remain healthy this season, after an incredibly unlucky venture in 2016-17. They have the depth to endure losses, but the sheer carnage last season was too catastrophic to overcome. Still, they finished only one point out of the final wild card spot. They could easily have squeaked into the playoffs and inflicted serious damage. This year, as long as the fates turn their way, they should be right back in the competitive mix.

Winnipeg Jets

Tyler Myers lost out on the bulk of the season, only playing in 11 contests. As a big component of the team’s defense, he will need to be back to peak performance if the Jets hope to stop some of the bleeding in their own end of the ice. Center Bryan Little lost 23 games to a lower-body injury, while Shawn Matthias missed 37 contests to an upper-body ailment. Not a single player survived the entire year without succumbing to some sort of injury or sickness, and the team as a whole struggled to find a consistent groove with so many bodies filling in and falling out.

The Jets need consistent goaltending and less obnoxiously aggressive defense if they hope to reach the post-season again. That said, simply remaining healthy will go a long way in transforming Winnipeg into a dangerous team. Mark Scheifele was absolutely dominant last season, and with reliable depth behind him, only good results lie ahead. The Central is also slightly less intimidating this year, even with Dallas making as many transactions as they did. Nashville and Chicago both took steps backward, the Blues remained relatively the same, while the Wild made lateral moves.

Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver will have a tough time entering the playoff conversation. In the relatively weak Pacific however, anything can happen. The Sedin twins are another year older, and GM Jim Benning hasn’t acquired any game-breakers in the off-season (Michael Del Zotto doesn’t count). Still, when a team loses over 300 man-games to injury in a year, things should theoretically improve the following year. Admittedly, some of their most heavily injured players were nominal players, like Derek Dorsett (68 lost) and Anton Rodin (79 lost). Still, they missed the presence of multiple depth players at a time and ultimately relied too heavily upon call-ups to crawl through the year. Jannik Hansen (39 lost), Chris Tanev (29 lost), and Erik Gudbranson (52 lost) are far from world-beaters, but on a team as thin at both offense and defense as the Canucks, their losses were unsustainable.

It remains to be seen how much of an impact general health will play for the Canucks. They still need their top players to find consistent production, and their younger players (Bo Horvat, Sven Baertschi) must continue to progress. That said, with a little luck, they might find themselves somewhere near the mix yet again. With new coach Travis Green and a fresh beginning, perhaps there is one more Wild Card berth left in a team that has been prolonging their inevitable full-on rebuild.

Summer Predictions: Metropolitan Division

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The hockey world is at a standstill now that August has rolled around. With all of the arbitration cases now decided, and just a few restricted free agents left to sign players and fans alike are counting the days until training camp starts. While there are still several names in free agency that could still help an NHL club, it seems like many are destined either for professional tryouts or late-summer deals after injuries strike.

So now we’ll get into our summer predictions. Before the start of the year we’ll be releasing a full season preview with projections for each club and the expected playoff teams, but first we’ll ask you to give us your take on how you believe each division will end up. We’ll start with the Metropolitan Division, where defending Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh will try for a three-peat in 2017-18.

Choose who you think will win the Metropolitan this season, and make sure to leave your full prediction for the division standings in the comments. We’ll be sure to publish these results alongside our own PHR rankings in September.

Who will win the Metropolitan Division?
Pittsburgh Penguins 40.88% (661 votes)
New York Rangers 16.33% (264 votes)
Washington Capitals 12.62% (204 votes)
Columbus Blue Jackets 12.12% (196 votes)
Philadelphia Flyers 8.16% (132 votes)
New York Islanders 4.33% (70 votes)
New Jersey Devils 3.40% (55 votes)
Carolina Hurricanes 2.16% (35 votes)
Total Votes: 1,617

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Morning Notes: Wrenn, Crosby, Sochi

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Just being a second-round pick doesn’t necessarily guarantee you a shot at the NHL, and that’s what William Wrenn has had to come to grips with this offseason. After bouncing around the minor leagues for several years, the former San Jose Sharks’ pick will head to the KHL for a new chapter in his career.

Wrenn played last season with the Toronto Marlies, his fifth straight in the minor leagues since coming out of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. Before that it was the University of Denver where he played just two seasons, beginning an interesting journey after being selected 43rd-overall. With Dinamo Riga next year, the 26-year old defenseman will try to prove that there’s more to his game.

  • Sidney Crosby turned 30 years old today, finishing the first part of his career with 1,027 regular season points and three Stanley Cups. Crosby has eight years remaining on his current contract meaning it may be his last one, and interestingly the Penguins will get quite the discount in a few years. Crosby is due just $9MM total in the last three seasons, making him affordable even if his play does decline rapidly in his mid-thirties.
  • After prevailing on Sunday in their first game at the Sochi Open, players for Team Canada will continue their audition for the Olympic roster with a game against Russia today. Former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Jesse Blacker scored the winner yesterday, and Justin Peters earned the shutout. The full roster for the Canadian squad can be found here.

Colorado Asked For Maatta, Sprong, And First Rounder For Duchene

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  • The Penguins have been a team that has been surprisingly linked to Avalanche center Matt Duchene this summer. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that Colorado was seeking defenseman Olli Maatta as well as prospect winger Daniel Sprong and a first round pick in order to part with Duchene, a price that GM Jim Rutherford hasn’t been willing to pay just yet.  While Pittsburgh has a vacancy at their third line center spot, it would be hard to imagine they’d use Duchene in that role if they were able to land him.  Instead, it would likely make more sense to use him on the left wing.

Pittsburgh’s Alternative Third-Line Center Options

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While many teams across the NHL still have holes to fill before the puck drops on the 2017-18 season, no vacancy has received more attention than the third-line center slot for the two-time defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. In fact, we’ve already written about it once before. However, the scenario has changed over the last few weeks, as the new contracts for RFAs Brian Dumoulin and Conor Sheary have left the Pens with just over $3MM in salary cap space. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette recently spoke with GM Jim Rutherford, who essentially stated that he does not plan to move out significant salary in a deal to acquire a new bottom-six center. What that means is that the Penguins are left with a much smaller margin to work with to acquire Nick Bonino’s replacement.

So who will it be? Who it won’t be is easier to say. The pipe dreams of Colorado’s Matt Duchene or Carolina’s Jordan Staal are now all but over, as are more reasonable targets like Toronto’s Tyler Bozak or Dallas’ Radek Faksa now seem out of reach as well. The Vegas Golden Knights have not shown any indication that they are interested in moving forwards, so strike their group of suitable centers off the list as well. With each passing day, it seems a Matt Cullen return grows less and less likely as well.

What the Penguins are left with are a group of guys who fit their needs well: young, two-way centers on affordable contracts. The most common name bandied about is Detroit Red Wings forward Riley Sheahan. Sheahan struggled mightily in 2016-17 and is relatively expensive compared to some other available names at $2.075MM this season. However, Detroit desperately needs to shed salary and may have reached the end of the line with Sheahan. It could be a good match, with Sheahan very likely bouncing back on a far more talented Penguins team. Pittsburgh’s top target may be Arizona’s Jordan Martinook, who just resigned with the team, but is part of a Coyotes forward corps that is crowded with young talent. Martinook is an underrated two-way player and would fit in nicely with the Pens, but Arizona may not be keen to move him in a deal that Rutherford stated would not included salary players. The Coyotes have had their fill of picks and prospects and might be on the lookout for only veteran contributors at this point. The Penguins could turn to the Los Angeles Kings, who have great depth at center including Nick Shore and Nic Dowd. Both would fit the need nicely in Pittsburgh and come in at under $1MM. The 25-year-old Shore would be especially nice, as the team can retain RFA rights over him beyond 2017-18, but Dowd may be easier to acquire from a Kings squad that is not any closer to returning to the playoffs. One final option, staying out west, could be San Jose Sharks center Chris Tierney. It is rumored that the two sides are on rocky grounds, with Tierney signing just a one-year extension this summer, and could be looking for a trade. Tierney has proven to be a solid defensive force in the San Jose bottom six and could play the same role in Pittsburgh. The Sharks have done nothing this off-season and could see replacing Tierney with a Penguins forward prospect as at least some kind of roster shakeup.

Obviously, the available names are not of the sexy variety. The Penguins have been spoiled with center depth through their Stanley Cup years and fans are surely hoping they can find another Staal or Bonino. However, with little cap space to play with and a reluctance to change the current roster any further, this is what Rutherford is left with. Any of these guys could be a valuable piece on another strong Penguins team, as each plays a solid two-way game, but none are gonna be the big-name acquisition that many expected. Pittsburgh will be back in the Cup race again next year even if they do nothing at all and stick someone from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at third-line center, so maybe the better question is not who will play there, but why does everyone care so much?

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