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Western Notes: Canucks Defense, Blues, Voynov

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The Vancouver Canucks will have two big holes on offense with the losses of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. Having been with the club since 1999, the Sedins have always been a source of offense and even though their skills had begun to deteriorate over the past few years, the two still combined for 105 points this past year at age 37. However, offense may not be the Canucks’ biggest need this season as the team has its biggest troubles on their blueline and might need to focus on that this offseason, according to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre.

The team has a lot of question marks about the blueline with only Erik Gudbranson locked up for any length of time (three years at $4MM AAV). Top defenseman Alexander Edler is on his last season with the team and is already 32. With the team considering possibly trading veteran Chris Tanev who one of their biggest trade chips, there is little to look forward to on defense.

That isn’t the case on offense. The team might have lost the Sedins, but they have a group of prospects who are ready or close to ready to move into the lineup, including Elias Pettersson, Adam Gaudette, Kole Lind, Jonathan Dahlen and Nikolay Goldobin. However, defensive prospects are few and far between in Vancouver. The team has high hopes that 2015 fifth-overall pick Olli Juolevi might be ready to take on a major role with Vancouver next season. Taken ahead of both Mikhail Sergachev and Charlie McAvoy that year, the team has high expectations for him. The team also has the seventh overall pick in this year’s defensive-heavy draft, which should bring aboard another top defenseman to help the team out, although there is talk of the team moving that pick for a more developed pro-prospect instead, such as the rumors of the team wanting to acquire Carolina’s Noah Hanifin.

One possibility that MacIntyre suggests is instead of Hanifin would be to go out and trade for Colorado’s Tyson Barrie, who could find himself on the trade market with the team’s influx of youth on the blueline.

  • After a recent report in which St. Louis Blues general manager spoke about how the team wants to acquire a top center this offseason, St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon writes that offers for John Tavares are likely unrealistic, the free agent pool is few and likely to become too high-priced and prospect Robert Thomas would be better off starting as a third-line center to get his feet wet. Despite that, he writes there are several potential trade options for the team if they really wants a realistic option for a second-line center. He suggests that both Tampa Bay Lightning’s Tyler Johnson and Montreal Canadiens’ Alex Galchenyuk would make for good options, especially the latter as Montreal is in need of defense, which St. Louis has plenty of.
  • Former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov, who has expressed interest in returning to the NHL after his contract with the Kings was terminated after pleading no contest to a charge stemming from a domestic dispute, supposedly had gained permission to cross the border to the U.S., according to KHL insider Aivis Kalnins, and look for a job in the NHL this offseason. While he is still looking for work in the NHL, NHL.com’s Igor Eronko reports that Voynov received that permission more than a year ago and traveled to the U.S. last summer. No word on whether any team is considering the former King, who played four seasons for them and the past three with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. Eronko adds that July 2 is the first day that Voynov can apply for a U.S. work visa.

Draft Lottery Can Change Many Franchises’ Futures

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A lottery it really is this year.

While the NHL draft lottery always garners quite a bit of attention, some years are just a bit different if the top pick is a game-changer, whether you’re talking about Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews or this year’s No. 1 option. With prospect Rasmus Dahlin listed as the consensus top pick this year, and described by many as having no weaknesses, he is considered to be one of the top defensive prospects to enter the league in possible decades. The 18-year-old defenseman out of Sweden should immediately change the state of any franchise that wins tonight.

With the lottery just hours away, how will each club look if they were to get lucky and win it?

Buffalo Sabres (18.5%) — The Sabres franchise would get a huge boost with the addition of Dahlin plus some badly needed luck that they seem to never have. Already boasting one of the worst defenses in the league and sudden talk that the team shouldn’t consider Rasmus Ristolainen a No. 1 defenseman, the team and general manager Jason Botterrill’s job would get much easier if they can win the lottery.

Ottawa Senators (13.5%) — Winning the lottery should make their tough decision easier as they traded away their top pick in the Matt Duchene trade, which is, fortunately for them, top-three protected. Winning the lottery is a no-brainer as they would take Dahlin who could either join star defenseman Erik Karlsson or allow the team to trade the veteran, knowing they already have his replacement. However, the real issue is they end up in the top three, do they keep the pick or send it to Colorado to avoid giving Colorado an unprotected first-rounder in 2019.

Arizona Coyotes (11.5%) — Despite having the third-worst record in the league this year, the Coyotes seem to be heading in the right direction as they went 19-12-4 in their final 35 games of the season as many of the team’s young players had started to figure things out. What better way to improve on that then to add Dahlin, who could convince fellow countryman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to stay on with the team for many years to come.

Montreal Canadiens (9.5%) — With the injury struggles of aging defenseman Shea Weber and little else defensive help nearby, the team could use the infusion of a franchise-changing defenseman joining the team. With Weber and goaltender Carey Price on huge contracts, a cheap franchise player could move the team in the right direction.

Detroit Red Wings (8.5%) — What better way to finally start the rebuild, then by adding a young, talented defender to join the team. With few defensive prospects on the horizon, the team’s suspect defense could get a huge boost with Dahlin. With the return of Mike Green unknown, and a group of aging veterans, the team needs someone to take over as the face of the franchise.

Vancouver Canucks (7.5%) — The Canucks rebuild is looking better and better with players like Adam Gaudette, Elias Pettersson, Jonathan Dahlen and defenseman Olli Juolevi about to arrive. Throw in Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat and a number of other prospects on the way, Dahlin would only quicken this team’s rise of young players. On top of that, the team is loaded with defensive-minded blueliners and could use an offensive power-play quarterback.

Chicago Blackhawks (6.5%) — While a lottery victory by the Blackhawks might infuriate the rest of the league, the Blackhawks do need to bolster their defensive depth and Dahlin could easily vault a struggling team back into the playoffs as he could take a lot of pressure off veterans Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.

New York Rangers (6%) — Just started a rebuild and they walk away with a generational talent? While many people believe the Rangers intend to have a quick rebuild and compete for a playoff spot within the next year or two, having Dahlin on the roster would only jettison the team to that goal quicker and putting him alongside Brady Skjei and Neal Pionk along with veteran Kevin Shattenkirk would help stabilize their blueline.

New York Islanders (6% total with 3.5% from their pick and Calgary’s 2.5%) — Perhaps winning the lottery would be enough to convince John Tavares to stay. Regardless, adding Dahlin to their defensive woes would only stabilize a team that has the offense to reach the playoffs. He could be a cornerstone the franchise hasn’t had there since Denis Potvin. Add in the fact that the Islanders also have the Calgary Flames’ pick, the team has a better chance to winning the lottery than quite a few teams.

Edmonton Oilers (5%) — Angry fans might protest Edmonton walking away as another lottery winner, but adding Dahlin to, again, a failing defense would allow a team that already has McDavid and Leon Draisaitl should bounce back to where they left off one year ago. Dahlin would provide the team with the No. 1 defenseman that they currently lack

Carolina Hurricanes (3%) — As the percentage begin to really drop, Carolina would only get richer as the team is already loaded in quality young defensemen and would allow the team to move other defenseman like Justin Faulk and acquire more scoring, which the team badly needs.

Dallas Stars (2%) — The addition of Dahlin along with last year’s third overall pick in Finnish defenseman Miro Heiskanen would make for a deadly combo and that’s not including John Klingberg.

Philadelphia Flyers (1.5% from St. Louis Blues) — Adding Dahlin could put Philadelphia at the same level with Pittsburgh, Washington and Tampa Bay.

Florida Panthers (1%) — The hottest team that didn’t make the playoffs would get a much needed boost if they could hit that 1/100 chance.

 

 

Vancouver’s Pettersson Joins Elite Company In SHL

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Already expected to have Adam Gaudette and Jonathan Dahlen on their roster next season, the Vancouver Canucks might be able add another gem in 2017 first-rounder Elias Pettersson, who has dominated the SHL in his rookie season and put himself among elite company.

His team Vaxjo captured the Swedish League Championship today when it swept Skelleftea in four games and Pettersson dominated. Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that Pettersson, the Canucks’ fifth-overall pick a year ago, was named the playoff MVP and is expected to be named to the Swedish World Hockey tryout camp.

The 19-year-old led the SHL in scoring in both the regular season and playoffs, the first player under 20 to ever do that. In total, he had 75 points in 56 games (including the playoffs), which sits him comfortably in first place among all-time juniors in the SHL. Ironically, Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin, who had the record, is now second all-time when he totaled 61 points back in 1999-2000. Daniel Sedin now holds both third and fourth places.

He tallied 24 goals and 32 assists during the regular season, but added a staggering 10 goals and 9 assists in 13 playoff games. The hope is that Pettersson will join Vancouver next season.

 

Snapshots: Gaudette, Jagr, Capitals

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Canucks prospect Adam Gaudette has won the Hobey Baker Award for the top player in men’s NCAA hockey, his now-former college squad, the Northeastern Huskies, announced (Twitter link).  The 21-year-old had a dominant junior year, recording 30 goals and 30 assists in just 38 games to lead all Division I players in scoring and becomes the first Vancouver prospect to win the award.  Gaudette recently signed his entry-level deal and has played in four games with the Canucks this season, logging just shy of 13 minutes per game in ice time.  Henrik Borgstrom (Florida) and Ryan Donato (Boston) were the other finalists for the award.

More from around the hockey world:

  • Jaromir Jagr’s time with Calgary didn’t go too well and he wound up clearing waivers and being loaned back to his hometown team in Kladno. Despite that, he told Tal Pinchevsky of the New York Times that he is hoping to return to the NHL next season and isn’t planning on retiring just yet.  The 46-year-old wound up playing in just five games in the second Czech division before being sidelined with a knee injury that has held him out for the remainder of the season.  Jagr will be an unrestricted free agent in July (his contract wasn’t terminated after clearing waivers as the Flames opted to loan him instead, reserving the right to recall him that way) and between the injury and his struggles this season, he may have to settle for a tryout if he wants to take one more crack at an NHL roster spot.
  • The Capitals have decided to wait until after the postseason before making a decision on whether or not they try to re-sign defenseman John Carlson or head coach Barry Trotz, GM Brian MacLellan told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. Carlson is poised to land a considerable raise on his current $3.967MM cap hit as he will likely come close to doubling that if he makes it to the open market.  Meanwhile, Trotz has made it through his ‘lame duck’ year with another strong regular season record but it has been intimated previously that it will be their postseason success (or lack thereof) that ultimately determines his fate and MacLellan’s comments all but seals that.

Adam Gaudette, Ryan Donato, Henrik Borgstrom Named Hobey Baker Finalists

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The selection committee has decided on the three finalists for the Hobey Baker award, naming Adam Gaudette, Ryan Donato and Henrik Borgstrom the Hat Trick Finalists for the 2018 trophy. All three have already signed their entry-level contracts and will be playing in the NHL this season.

Donato has already debuted with the Boston Bruins, scoring three goals and five points in his first five games. That kind of production may be hard to maintain, but it’s clear that the young forward is ready to make an impact at the next level. Gaudette and Borgstrom are both expected to make their debuts soon for the Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers respectively, and are huge parts of their prospect systems.

Gaudette has already had to deal with comparisons to Ryan Kesler, while Borgstrom will attempt to help the Panthers sneak their way into the playoffs with just eight games remaining. Florida is three points behind the New Jersey Devils with a game in hand, and Borgstrom’s offensive ability could help them catch up.

All three would be great choices for the Hobey Baker, which is handed out to the best player in college hockey, but Gaudette does seem like the favorite at this point. His 60 points led the nation, and the fact that they came in just 38 games is all the more impressive. Whoever does take home the trophy will join Will Butcher, Jimmy Vesey, Jack Eichel and Johnny Gaudreau as recent winners.

Adam Gaudette Signs Entry-Level Deal With Vancouver Canucks

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Now that his junior season with Northeastern is over, Adam Gaudette has decided to turn pro and sign his entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks. The deal is for three years, and he will join the Canucks right away, burning the first season in 2017-18.

Gaudette, 21, is the odds-on favorite to take home this year’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the best collegiate player in the country. Though his Northeastern squad was eliminated from the NCAA tournament this weekend at the hands of Michigan, his 60-point season did not go unnoticed. The fifth-round pick has developed into an all-around talent that can contribute defensively and create offensive opportunities on seemingly every shift. Vancouver GM Jim Benning released the following statement on Gaudette:

Adam has had a remarkable season and college career playing at Northeastern. He’s a very talented player and has shown an ability to score, make plays and contribute in all situations at the collegiate level. We’re excited to have him join our team and continue his development as a professional.

Leading the nation in scoring and potentially winning the Hobey Baker is an accomplishment to be sure, but Gaudette’s real text will come at the NHL level. He’s expected to get into some games before the end of the season, similar the the path taken by new teammate Brock Boeser last year. While there is no guarantee those two play together, they do seem like a fit that could work down the line. Though he scored 30 goals this season, Gaudette isn’t armed with the same type of pure goal-scoring ability that Boeser possesses, and instead could turn into more of a facilitator for his linemates by using his strength and speed to create room in the offensive zone.

Vancouver, like Buffalo who signed fellow NCAA superstar Casey Mittelstadt earlier today, is looking ahead to the draft lottery and next season already. While getting Gaudette into some NHL action to see what he can do is important, the team is hoping for much better things in 2018-19 when they can forget about this season and build towards the future. With top prospects Elias Pettersson and Olli Juolevi already in the pipeline, another top pick will make quite the bright future for the Canucks and Gaudette is certainly part of that.

Snapshots: Andersson, Chytil, Gaudette, Sikura

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The New York Rangers rebuild might continue at a new level next week as NHL.com’s Dan Rosen writes that Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault, general manager Jeff Gorton and assistant general manager Chris Drury will talk later today about promoting 2017 first-round centers Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil.

Both first-round picks have fared well this season. Andersson, the seventh overall pick last year, started the season in the SHL, where he put up seven goals and seven assists in 22 games. He played in the World Junior Tournament and helped Sweden to a silver medal and then came to the U.S. and joined the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. There he’s put up five goals and 14 points in 23 games. Chytil, on the other hand, started the season in New York and played two games before the team decided to assign him to Hartford. There in 44 games, Chytil, the No. 21 pick last year, has put up 11 goals and 20 assists.

Rosen said if the Vigneault, Gorton and Drury agree, the two prospects could be inserted into the Rangers’ lineup as soon as Monday.

  • With the elimination of Northeastern University from the NCAA tournament, that could be good news for the Vancouver Canucks who will try to pry prized prospect Adam Gaudette from his collegiate team now that his season is over. In fact, Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal tweets that he’s heard from a source that says contract negotiations are expected to heat up tomorrow. The college junior was the Canucks fifth-round pick in 2015 and has put up 56 goals and 56 assists in his last two seasons with Northeastern. TSN’s Bob McKenzie also adds that the Canucks are expected to make a strong pitch to the 21-year-old center who is a top Hobey Baker Award candidate this year. Gaudette is expected to meet with his family/advisor soon.
  • Also, as reported earlier today, Northeastern’s elimination also fuels the report that the Chicago Blackhawks and Dylan Sikura will be coming to an agreement soon. Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times has a new update in which a league source has confirmed that Sikura will be in a Blackhawks uniform on Thursday.

Will Lockwood To Stay In College For Another Year

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The Vancouver Canucks were hoping to get a big boost out of the college ranks for next season, with players like Adam Gaudette and Will Lockwood looking ready to take the next step in their hockey careers. While they’ll have to wait on a final answer from Gaudette on whether he’ll turn pro after his NCAA tournament ends, Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 reports that Lockwood has already informed the team that he’s heading back to Michigan for another season.

Lockwood is still currently injured, and could feel like there is unfinished business in his collegiate career after playing in just 16 games this season. He injured his shoulder in the World Junior tournament and had to undergo surgery that essentially ended his season. Originally selected in the third round in 2016, Lockwood put up 20 points in 30 games as an 18-year old freshman last season and opened up some eyes on his long-term potential. Still undersized, he nevertheless plays with an aggressive and tenacious style in the offensive zone that can create offensive chances out of pure hard work.

The Canucks aren’t likely to compete for the Stanley Cup next season, as they enter a rebuild in the post-Sedin era (even if they do re-sign for another year, their impact has been greatly reduced). Leaving Lockwood in college another season won’t hurt his development, and he’ll still be just 20 years old when he finishes his junior season. While their focus is clearly on the Hobey Baker finalist in Gaudette, Lockwood won’t be far from their mind next season as he looks to rebound after the disappointing year.

Top-10 Finalists Announced For 2018 Hobey Baker

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The Hobey Baker Memorial Award is given to the most outstanding player in collegiate hockey, and has a long list of excellent NHL players among previous winners. Will Butcher, Jimmy Vesey, Jack Eichel and Johnny Gaudreau are the latest to take home the award, while others like Brendan Morrison, Paul Kariya and Chris Drury have been honored in the past.

Earlier this year, 67 players from the NCAA ranks were nominated for the award, and today that number has been reduced to just ten. These ten players will be narrowed to just three, a process that anyone can be a part of by participating in the fan vote. Votes will be added to the decision from a selection committee to produce three finalists, from which a winner will be crowned.

The top-10 finalists are as follows, with the NHL organization who owns their draft rights in parenthesis:

Henrik Borgstrom, University of Denver (Florida Panthers)

Ryan Donato, Harvard University (Boston Bruins)

Matthew Galajda, Cornell University

Adam Gaudette, Northeastern University (Vancouver Canucks)

Dylan McLaughlin, Canisius College

Cale Morris, University of Notre Dame

Colton Point, Colgate University (Dallas Stars)

Jimmy Schuldt, St. Cloud State University

Dylan Sikura, Northeastern University (Chicago Blackhawks)

C.J. Suess, Minnesota State University-Mankato (Winnipeg Jets)

Pacific Notes: Arizona Ownership, Klefbom, Pettersson, Gaudette, Hague

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With the state of the franchise constantly in question, Arizona Coyotes chairman and governor Andrew Barroway is looking for potential partnerships for his ownership of the franchise and has spoken to several interested investors, according to Arizona Sports Craig Morgan.

While it’s too early to know what role or control the other investors would have over the Coyotes, Morgan writes that there is no timetable on when or if there will be a new ownership structure in Arizona. The idea of adding investors to its ownership group would be able to infuse the struggling franchise with more money, but it could also help the team to tackle bigger needs, such as building a new arena or even a new practice facility.

Ironically, Barroway has only been the team’s sole owner for less than a year. He bought out the previous ownership group, IceArizona, that bought the team back in 2013. He did say when he completed the buyout that he’d be open to adding investors.

  • The Edmonton Oilers could find themselves looking hard to find a puck-moving defenseman this offseason in hopes of replacing Oscar Klefbom, who has been struggling after being their No. 1 guy a year ago during their playoff run. The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that the Oilers must decide whether injuries have slowed Klefbom’s success or whether he isn’t the player they thought he was. The 24-year-old put up 12 goals and 36 points last year, but his numbers have dropped to just four goals and 19 points this season. Mitchell writes the team will look at several options to add to their defense, including potentially trading for Carolina’s Justin Faulk, Colorado’s Tyson Barrie and Boston’s Torey Krug. If Klefbom can regain his form from the 2016-17 season, he does have a affordable contract which will count $4.17MM per year until the 2022-23 season. However, if he continues to play like he did this season, Klefbom’s contract doesn’t look nearly as good.
  • Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal spoke to Vancouver Canucks scout Lars Lindgren about the impressive play of the team’s 2017 first-round pick Elias Pettersson, who won the SHL scoring title Saturday. A rookie in the SHL, the 19-year-old put up 24 goals and 56 points this season, but the question is when will he be ready to join Vancouver? “Tough question, impossible to say,” Lindgren said. “When you look at him he still needs to build power but he is such a smart, smart player. Hopefully he becomes a franchise player. He does not collect all his points on the power play and his plus minus is great and that is a very good sign for me. He has a little Nicklas Backstrom in him and I like that. It is a big summer for him to get to the next level.”
  • Another top Canucks prospect, center Adam Gaudette, broke the 30-goal barrier this year with Northeastern University, according to Dhaliwal. He is just the seventh player in the NCAA to reach the 30-goal plateau since 2012-13. Vancouver hopes to convince the college junior to sign with the team after his season is over. The former fifth-round pick in 2015 has put up 68 goals in three seasons with the Huskies.
  • Vegas Golden Knights defensive prospect Nicholas Hague has been making a name for himself, according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The 2017 second-round pick broke the 30-goal mark last month with his OHL team, the Mississauga Steelheads, and became the first OHL defenseman since 2000 to reach that plateau. Already signed to an entry-level deal back in September, the 6-foot-6, 215 pound defender is another significant asset for the Golden Knights.

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