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Snapshots: Larsson, McIsaac, Bergman

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While the Edmonton Oilers have much bigger free-agent fish to fry, there seems to be some life in their contract negotiations with defender Adam Larsson. The Fourth Period’s Dave Pagnotta reports that the Oilers and Larsson’s agent are to resume talks this week.

Larsson, of ’the trade is one-for-one’ fame, was an understated piece of the Oilers’ defense this season. After being plagued by injury in 2019-20, Larsson stepped up in a big way to help offset Edmonton’s loss of Oscar Klefbom. His 128 blocks this year were the same amount he had in a full 82-game season in 2018-19, while he ramped up his offensive production to four goals and 10 points. Talks about his extension first surfaced in May, where Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported a four-year deal was a likely outcome. It goes without saying that Edmonton would love to retain the 28-year-old Swede.

  • The Detroit Red Wings organization received some good news today, as defense prospect Jared McIsaac has a clean bill of health, per the team’s website. McIsaac, as the piece by Josh Berenter mentions, has been on the wrong end of three shoulder injuries in the past two calendar years. Drafted 36th overall by Detroit in 2018, he’s part of a prospect stable on defense that includes SHL standout Moritz Seider and Gustav Lindstrom. Before encountering his injury troubles, McIsaac had 62 points in just 53 games with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads in 2018-19. If he’s able to regain that form, a healthy McIsaac could prove to be a solid piece of Detroit’s rebuild.
  • Per a news release from the team’s website, SHL club Brynäs IF has signed former NHL prospect Julius Bergman. A 2014 second-round pick of the San Jose Sharks, Bergman was dealt three times over the course of his entry-level contract despite never playing an NHL game. Originally sent to the Ottawa Senators in the Mike Hoffman trade, he was then sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets along with Matt Duchene in February of 2019. He was dealt just three days later to the New York Rangers in exchange for Adam McQuaid. With Bergman’s offensive production declining sharply after his 30-point campaign with the San Jose Barracuda in 2016-17, it’s unlikely he sees NHL ice at any point during his career.

San Jose Sharks Re-Sign Matt Nieto

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The San Jose Sharks are bringing back another one of their free agent forwards, re-signing Matt Nieto to a two-year contract. The deal not only lets the team retain a valuable depth piece but also solves one of their expansion issues. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports that the contract will carry an average annual value of $850K. Sharks’ GM Doug Wilson released a short statement on the deal:

Matt brings a consistent, veteran presence to our line-up, and his speed and defensive awareness have made him a valuable part of our penalty-killing unit. Additionally, his ability to chip in offensively gives our coaching staff a versatile option in crafting our line-up from night to night.

Nieto, 28, is on his second stint with the Sharks, coming back to the team in 2020 after parts of four seasons with the Colorado Avalanche. He ended up playing just 28 of the team’s 56 games, but did add five goals and seven points in a limited role. Averaging exactly 14 minutes a night, he became a key part of the team’s 14th-ranked penalty kill and chipped in a little offensively.

More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that Nieto also fills an exposure requirement for the upcoming Seattle Kraken draft. Every team must leave at least two forwards exposed that have played a certain number of games and are signed through the 2021-22 season. Up to this point, only Logan Couture, Evander Kane, Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl, and Kevin Labanc met that threshold, meaning there needed to be a pair of contracts issued by Wilson and his staff. One of them is Nieto, who will certainly be left unprotected next month. Of the other candidates—Dylan Gambrell, Marcus Sorensen, Patrick Marleau and Ryan Donato all meet the criteria—expect at least one more to be signed in the next few weeks.

The two-year term suggests that this wasn’t purely for the expansion draft though, as the Sharks obviously believe that Nieto can be an NHL player. While he did set a career-high of 15 goals just a few seasons ago, it seems more likely that he’ll be battling for a spot at the bottom of the roster in 2021-22.

JT Brown Retires, Joins Seattle Kraken Broadcast Team

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The Seattle Kraken are going with a rookie as the broadcast partner for John Forslund, hiring JT Brown as a television analyst for 2021-22. The announcement comes alongside the official retirement for Brown, who spent the 2020-21 season in Sweden playing for IF Bjorkloven.

Brown, 30, suited up more than 400 times in the NHL, scoring 72 points in 365 career regular season games. Before that, he won the NCAA Championship as a member of the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and once represented the U.S. at the World Championship. Undrafted, he turned heads in the USHL and college ranks, before quickly stepping into the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He registered a career-high of 22 points in 2015-16.

Speaking to Forslund, Brown explained why he chose now to take the next step in his hockey career:

It’s definitely different and an exciting new chapter. Moving on from playing is a little bit of everything [in terms of emotion]. You think you will play until your legs fall off. But I had started thinking long-term-what was my next play?

Meeting the people with the team, seeing the city itself, it felt like a place we could call home. That solidified it for us. Seattle is amazing.

During the 2019-20 season, his last in North America, Brown scored nine goals and 22 points for the Iowa Wild of the AHL. A career defined by hard work and determination will now take him into the booth, where he’ll have to start all over again.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Laurent Dauphin

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Another minor league forward will avoid Group VI unrestricted free agency, as Laurent Dauphin has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Montreal Canadiens. The deal carries a $750K salary at the NHL level and includes a minor league guarantee of $215K. He was set to become a UFA after his one-year 2020-21 contract expired.

It’s now been multiple seasons since the last time Dauphin hit the ice for an NHL game, playing a single contest for the Arizona Coyotes in 2018-19. Overall, he has just 35 games at that level and has been mostly limited to the minor leagues. Selected 39th overall in 2013, he has settled into an important role for the Laval Rocket, scoring 16 points in 21 games this season. That’s likely where he’ll be back again next year, though with a nice AHL guarantee in his pocket.

Dauphin was one of a number of pending unrestricted free agents in the Canadiens organization, including fellow minor league Group VI players Brandon Baddock and Gustav Olofsson. Despite still being very much alive in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Montreal’s front office has a long list of things to get done this summer. Taking care of contracts like this one for Dauphin is easy enough to do while the NHL team is still playing, and will shorten the workload over the next few weeks.

Like any move being made lately, the expansion implications are important to mention. Dauphin will be eligible for selection by the Kraken, but does not fulfill any of the exposure requirements for the Canadiens. The likelihood of him being picked is just about zero, given the other options that will be available to Seattle.

Blake Comeau Re-Signs With Dallas Stars

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The Dallas Stars are bringing back one of their veteran forwards, re-signing Blake Comeau to a one-year contract. The deal will carry a salary of $1MM for 2021-22 and does not include any performance bonuses.

Comeau would have been eligible for those bonuses because he is signing a one-year deal and is now 35, but instead, he’ll accept a contract just $250K more than the league minimum. The veteran checker doesn’t bring much offense to the table these days, scoring just four goals and 14 points in 51 games for the Stars this season, but is still a valuable member of the penalty kill and adds a good dose of physicality to the bottom-six.

In fact, in the Cinderella-like run for Dallas in the 2019-20 bubble playoffs, Comeau racked up 93 hits, good for ninth in the entire league. His 903-game NHL career has been filled with that kind of bang-and-crash style, which is becoming even more popular with this year’s gritty final four. More and more teams are re-evaluating their dependence on skilled perimeter players, with veteran leadership and physicality getting increased attention.

That’s exactly what Comeau brings, but it certainly can’t be the last move the Stars make if they want to get back to the promised land. The team is set to lose quite a bit of defensive depth with Jamie Oleksiak and Sami Vatanen scheduled for unrestricted free agency, while their top scorer, Joe Pavelski, will turn 37 in a few weeks. A return to full health for Tyler Seguin could perhaps be the most important factor in the Stars success next season.

Importantly, Comeau’s re-signing also gives the Stars another forward that meets the exposure requirements for the upcoming expansion draft. Previously, they had just eight forwards that met the threshold of games played and were signed for next season, meaning at least two of them would have been left unprotected. Now, the team has a little more flexibility as Comeau poses little threat of being selected by the Seattle Kraken–and even if he did, wouldn’t be too hard to replace for the Stars.

Minor Transactions: 06/20/21

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While the NHL rumor mill has certainly been heating up of late, it may still be some time before major moves start to drop and calendar draws closer to the Expansion Draft, Entry Draft, and opening of free agency. In the meantime, there has still been a fairly consistent flow of minor moves out of the minor leagues and European ranks as the off-season has started early for some familiar names. Keep up with all of those transactions right here:

  • A 2021 NHL Draft prospect has cemented his development path. Finnish defenseman Jimi Suomi, who many rankings believe could go as early as the third round next month, will likely be considered a project player anyway. That project will be monitored from afar, as Suomi has decided to stay in Finland. Liiga club TPS has announced a three-year contract with the young blue liner, who spent this past season with the U-20 team for Jokerit. The move is significant, as Suomi had been drafted into the USHL and was on NCAA radars. Instead, he will go the pro route and try to crack TPS’ Liiga roster next season.
  • Another name staying in Europe, perhaps also to the surprise of some, is veteran forward Nick Shore. Shore, 28, has signed a one-year deal with the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirsk, the team announced. The younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes forward Drew Shore and older brother of Harvard forward Baker Shore, Nick is a veteran of nearly 300 NHL games. However, he played this past season in Europe, starting the year in Slovakia and then jumping to Switzerland when the NLA re-opened. He recorded 37 points in 27 games across the two leagues, one of the better offensive seasons of his pro career. It is unclear if Shore spent the year in Europe due to financial and convenience concerns due to the COVID pandemic or if there was simply no NHL interest. He has played in 63 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets the season prior, so it at least seemed as if he was still valued in North America. However, his early decision to sign in the KHL rather than test the NHL market could be indicative to the contrary.
  • T.J. Brennan is another NHL veteran staying overseas. The journeyman defenseman left for Switzerland this season after four consecutive seasons in the AHL without any NHL action. He found success with HC Thurgau, recording 24 points in 22 games and leading the team to the playoffs. He will try again next season in Austria, signing a one-year contract with EC Salzburg of the IceHL. The team’s release notes his previous scoring success in the AHL and touts him as a major addition to the roster.
  • Texas Stars free agent Derek Barach is leaving the AHL for Europe. The 26-year-old forward has signed with Liiga club Assat on a two-year deal. A productive college player at Mercyhurst, Barach is still trying to find his footing in the pros after stops with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and the Stats this past season.

Vegas’ Robin Lehner Expected To Start In Game Four

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The Vegas Golden Knights appear to be making a change in net for Game Four of their semifinal series against the Montreal Canadiens. After dropping Games Two and Three, with starter Marc-Andre Fleury not looking sharp, all signs point toward Robin Lehner taking over tonight. Lehner was in the starter’s net at morning skate and was also the first to leave the ice, typical indications that he will be getting the nod. While head coach Peter DeBoer would not confirm his starter, several sources including The Athletic’s Jesse Granger, have done so for him.

There is some reason to believe that this is perhaps gamesmanship by the Knights and that Lehner may not start tonight. He has only played once in the playoffs – a disastrous Game One start to the West Division Final against the Colorado Avalanche – and has only played four times total in the past 50 days. In those four appearances, Lehner has allowed 18 goals and posted an .843 save percentage. Lehner only played in 19 games total in the regular season and while his numbers are strong, they tailed off toward the end of the year.

With that said, Lehner is just one year removed from a stellar season postseason that earned him a long-term extension with Vegas. After being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, he won all three of his regular season starts with a .940 save percentage and 1.67 GAA. He followed that up with 16 playoff starts in which he posted a .917 save percentage and 1.99 GAA. The Golden Knight’s exit from the playoffs was wholly unrelated to the play they received from Lehner. If there is any chance that he can provide that caliber of play again, especially with Fleury looking flustered at times of late and facing a pivotal Game Four, this move makes plenty of sense for Vegas. They have two No. 1 goalies, may as well use both.

Coyotes, Oliver Ekman-Larsson Again Exploring Trade Possibilities

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Another off-season, another attempt by the Arizona Coyotes and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to scour the trade market for a potential fit. The two sides worked together last year to find a new home for Ekman-Larsson, but to no avail. The veteran defenseman offered only two possible destinations – the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks – that he would waive his No-Movement Clause for and neither team made a suitable offer. As a result, Ekman-Larsson played for the ’Yotes again this season. One year later and one year further into his eight-year, $66MM contract, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that they will again try to find a suitable trade fit this off-season.

Per Friedman, the approach this summer will be different. Rather than Ekman-Larsson telling Arizona where he would be willing to go, GM Bill Armstrong will gauge the market and bring offers from any interested teams back to OEL to see if he is also interested. This doesn’t necessarily mean that their odds of finding a deal will improve, especially if Ekman-Larsson remains narrowly focused on just a few possible destinations, but it will allow for the Coyotes to better understand his market value so as to potentially work with those teams that he would go to. Boston and Vancouver for instance are both still in need of a top-four defenseman.

Market value could be the key here as the ’Yotes very likely think more highly of Ekman-Larsson’s worth than do other teams around the league. They are after all the ones who signed him to his current albatross of a contract, which still has six years left at an $8.25MM AAV. OEL also did little to improve his trade stock this season; while his offense recovered to his career average, his time on ice per game fell to a new low since his rookie season and his per-game shots, blocks, and hits were all below his career average. Any deal would almost certainly have to include salary retention by the Coyotes, but the return may also be less than what they might have expected and wanted. With that said, Ekman-Larsson is still on the right side of 30 (for another month) and has a strong track record in the NHL, so there could very well be teams that still see the upside in adding the accomplished veteran to their blue line.

Coaching Notes: Ducharme, Tocchet, Seattle, Toronto

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Following up on the positive COVID-19 test of Montreal Canadiens interim head coach Dominique Ducharme, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston was the first to report that Ducharme will indeed miss the next two weeks as a result. Although the NHL has relaxed many rules pertaining to its COVID Protocol, a positive test still warrants a 14-day isolation period. Especially when the Canadiens were fortunate enough to not have any other positive tests among its players and staff, the league wants to maintain the health and safety of the team as well as the integrity of its semifinals. With that said, losing Ducharme is a blow for Montreal. The interim coach has led the team on an unexpectedly triumphant playoff run as the mid-season interim replacement for Claude Julien. The Habs will now lean on an interim interim head coach in assistant Luke Richardson, who coached the team to a Game Three win. Assuming Ducharme’s 14-day isolation began on Friday when the positive test was discovered, the earliest he can return to the bench would be Friday, July 2nd. Montreal’s semifinal series with the Vegas Golden Knights, if it even goes seven games, will end on Saturday, June 26th, nearly a week before Ducharme ends his isolation. Richardson and the Canadiens will need to string together a couple more semifinal wins and potentially even a Stanley Cup Final win or two if Ducharme is to coach again this season. It’s terrible luck for Ducharme, who had received both doses of his vaccination and told the media this morning that contact tracing has been unable to determine how he might have contracted the virus as he did not break any protocol.

  • Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis keeps things notoriously close to the vest and his ongoing coaching search is no different. Other than Rick Tocchet, who has interviewed for a number of vacancies so far making his bid for Seattle’s inaugural head coach role more public, there is not much known about who else may be a finalist for the job. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Francis brought a few candidates to Seattle this week for in-person interviews, but could only confirm Tocchet as one – his third interview for the position. Friedman speculates that recently fired New York Rangers head coach David Quinn, Boston Bruins assistant Joe Sacco, and University of Wisconsin Tony Granato could be the other names in the mix. Tocchet certainly seems like the favorite at this point, but don’t be shocked if Francis ends up making a surprise hire.
  • Friedman also notes that other NHL teams are interested in Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coaches and have requested permission to speak with them. Friedman does not name any coaches in particular, but of their group of assistants former head coaches Dave Hakstol and Paul MacLean could certainly be drawing interest, as could up-and-comer Manny Malhotra. At this time, the Maple Leafs have not made any decisions on if they will allow their assistants to explore these opportunities, especially since they are likely to be lateral moves.

Jaccob Slavin Wins 2021 Lady Byng Trophy

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The NHL has announced the winner of another major regular season award. Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes has been awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, given “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability”. Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Jared Spurgeon of the Minnesota Wild were the other finalists.

Slavin, 27, received 73 of the 100 first-place votes after recording just a single minor penalty in 52 games. He also becomes just the fourth defenseman to ever win the award and first since Brian Campbell in 2012. Slavin averaged nearly 23 minutes a night for the Hurricanes, carrying heavy defensive responsibility on a nightly basis. His career-low of two penalty minutes is incredible, yet somewhat unsurprising from a player that has never collected even 20 in a single season.

The top five were rounded out by Selke Trophy winner Aleksander Barkov and Rangers’ star Artemi Panarin. 57 players in total received at least one vote, but Slavin was included on all 100 ballots. The runaway winner finished well ahead of second-place Spurgeon, who received just one first-place vote but 17 second-place ballots.

This is the first major regular season award for Slavin, who finished fourth in Lady Byng voting and fifth in Norris Trophy voting a year ago.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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