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Keeping An Eye On Entry-Level Slides

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In the NHL, players on entry-level contracts who are 18 or 19 years old do not burn a contract year until they play in their 10th league game. Otherwise, their contract “slides” and extends by one year. You often see this happen with players in their draft year, sent back to their respective junior or European clubs. Miro Heiskanen for example, the third-overall pick by the Dallas Stars, will see his contract extended after he returned to Finland this year*.

Around the league, there are twelve players currently on active rosters who could potentially have their contract slide by a year should they be returned to junior before playing in their 10th game. Teams will have to decide whether it is worth burning a year of their ELC to keep them around, as once returned to junior they cannot be recalled during the season except in emergency circumstances. The list is as follows:

Four Games Played

Alex DeBrincat (CHI)
Victor Mete (CHI)
Nolan Patrick (PHI)

Nolan PatrickIt seems like DeBrincat and Patrick have their spots locked up after quick starts to the season, and should be kept with the team for the entire year. The interesting one in this group is Mete, who has played exceptionally for the Canadiens but could still be sent back anyway.

Montreal is in a crunch on defense as David Schlemko nears a return, and if they can’t find a trade partner for Mark Streit, will need to waive one of their defensemen to protect Mete. That crunch could result in them sending him back to the London Knights for a year, if the team believes they can succeed without him. That’s a big assumption though, as Mete has easily looked like the best puck-moving defenseman on the roster.

Three Games Played

Jesper Bratt (NJD)
Nico Hischier (NJD)
Pierre-Luc Dubois (CBJ)
Mikhail Sergachev (TBL)

The pair of New Jersey rookies will certainly be staying after their early explosion this season. Bratt has six points in three games and an early lead in the Calder Trophy battle, while Hischier has been a key part of the Devils’ new speed attack. Sending either away at this point would be a huge surprise.

Dubois made the team after an exceptional camp, but saw his ice time reduced to just 11:37 in their most recent game. Josh Anderson re-joined the squad for that contest, and it’s not clear what Dubois’ role will be going forward. If he’s ticketed for fourth-line minutes on a regular basis, it might be worth sending him back to the QMJHL for another season to dominate and potentially even play at both the World Juniors and Olympics.

Sergachev on the other hand has several things working against him. While the young defenseman has shown that he can be an NHL contributor, there are several other options for the Lightning. In addition, conditions on the trade from Montreal would give Tampa Bay an additional second-round pick if Sergachev plays fewer than 40 games this season. While obviously the Lightning are going for a Stanley Cup and will take the best team, picks like that—even if it is likely a late second rounder—don’t come around every day.

Two Games Played

Janne Kuokkanen (CAR)
Kailer Yamamoto (EDM)

Kailer YamamotoKuokkanen is in a different situation than most, as he was drafted out of the Europe in 2016. Even though he played for London last season, he’s not held to the same CHL-NHL agreement as players drafted out of the league, meaning he could play in the AHL this season if the Hurricanes so choose. That could keep him close, and let the team make a decision to burn a year only if they are in desperate need. While Kuokkanen is talented, he’s played sparingly through the Hurricanes’ first two games.

Yamamoto blew everyone away in his first training camp, and made the club over fellow first-round pick Jesse Puljujarvi. That doesn’t seem destined to last though, as Yamamoto was a scratch in the team’s second game and was given fewer than 12 minutes in their third. The diminutive forward is hard to bet against, but it seems poor management to keep him around just to play him every other game.

One Game Played

Logan Brown (OTT)
Alex Formenton (OTT)
Samuel Girard (NSH)

Neither Brown nor Formenton were expected to make the Senators’ roster out of camp, and yet due to injury and their own impressive play both did. Now, it’s extremely unlikely the team keeps both around but as of yesterday they weren’t willing to make a decision. Pierre Dorion admitted that since Brown had already dominated the junior circuit, spending time around the NHL club—even if it isn’t in games—isn’t a bad thing. It does seem like both will eventually be sent back at this point.

Girard got into his first NHL game last night due to an injury to Roman Josi, and didn’t look out of place. He recorded his first NHL point on a Filip Forsberg goal, and skated almost 19 minutes. He’s done everything he can to prove he should be a full-time option for the Predators, and with Ryan Ellis out long-term with injury perhaps they keep him around. He’s certainly ready to be a contributor, even if he does need to be sheltered somewhat.

*For more information about entry-level slides, check out CapFriendly’s tracker.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Waivers & Recalls: 10/04/17

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The first day of the regular season has brought a fair amount of movement already, with extensions, retirements and trades. There are also five players that have been placed on the waiver wire, while others have been recalled to play in their respective team’s opening games. Here are the minor moves from today:

Waivers:

Brandon Pirri (VGK)
Chandler Stephenson (WSH)
Joe Colborne (COL)
Eric Tangradi (DET)
Patrick Wiercioch (VAN)

Recalls:

Alex DeBrincat (CHI)
Gustav Forsling (CHI)

Blackhawks Place Hossa On LTIR, Sign Cody Franson

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The Chicago Blackhawks have completed what may be the worst kept secret in the league, by moving Marian Hossa to long-term injured reserve and signing Cody Franson to a one-year deal worth $1MM. Franson was technically in camp on a professional tryout, but those around the team had long guessed that he had a handshake deal in place to sign after the season was underway.

Franson will come in to help a defense that has more questions than ever for the Blackhawks. After trading away Niklas Hjalmarsson this offseason, the team will be relying on several inexperienced players to fill out the pairs behind Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith. Franson, with his 527 games played in the NHL has more league experience than Connor Murphy, Michal Kempny, Jan Rutta and Jordan Oesterle put together, making him a welcome sight for coach Joel Quenneville.

Still, Franson doesn’t come without his faults. During his time with Nashville, Toronto and Buffalo, Franson has garnered a reputation as an excellent puck-mover and powerplay quarterback that has trouble keeping up with speedy forwards and can sometimes find himself floating out of position in his own end. He’s seen the most success when sheltered with offensive zone starts and an easier matchup, something that he may not be welcome to in Chicago. While Keith will certainly take the toughest matchups on a nightly basis, Franson will likely be given his fair share of responsibility at both ends.

With Hossa going on LTIR (joining Michal Rozsival and Jordin Tootoo) and Franson signed, the Blackhawks now have several million dollars in cap room to play with this season. Alex DeBrincat and Gustav Forsling have been recalled for the season opener, eating into that cap space, but the team will still have a chance to bolster their defense corps in-season. It won’t be easy for the usually powerhouse Chicago franchise, but with a forward group that still boasts some of the very best players in the league, they certainly can’t be counted out.

Jordin Tootoo Placed On Long-Term Injured Reserve

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The Chicago Blackhawks have made several roster moves heading into the season, including moving Jordin Tootoo to long-term injured reserve. The list also includes assigning several players to the minor leagues, but both Alex DeBrincat and Gustav Forsling are expected to be back with the club.

Tootoo joins Michal Rozsival on LTIR for the Blackhawks, who are also expected to use it for Marian Hossa after the roster deadline passes today. Chicago is using these transactions to maximize the amount of cap space they’ll be able to use, and set themselves up to sign Cody Franson to an NHL contract. The team is right up against the cap at the moment, but will have some room to play with once the season begins.

Interestingly, both Tootoo and Rozsival signed one-year contract extensions on the same day last season, in order to fulfill some of the expansion draft requirements for the Blackhawks. Now both will start the year away from the team on LTIR, without clear timelines on when they’ll be back with the team. Chicago will instead turn to another crop of young players to contribute this season, including DeBrincat and John Hayden.

Central Notes: Winnik, Upshall, DeBrinicat

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The Minnesota Wild have seen enough out of Daniel Winnik, who is on a PTO with the team. He has been informed they don’t need to see him again and now begins the waiting game for the 32-year-old forward, who must wait to see if the Wild will choose him over youngsters Joel Eriksson Ek or Luke Kunin, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required).

Winnik, who is looking to play for his eighth NHL team, had a good camp and impressed head coach Bruce Boudreau.

“I pulled him aside and I talked to him and said, ’Danny, you’ve done great. I know exactly how you play. We just want to look at a couple of the young kids,'” Boudreau said. “So it’s not like he would have to come in here and play great to either make the team or not make the team.”

According to Russo, Kunin has had the better camp so far between the two rookies and the team intends to look at both he and Eriksson Ek more closely in tonight’s preseason game against the Dallas Stars. Kunin, who has been playing center for the team all preseason will be tried at right wing.

As for Winnik, he remains a free agent and could sign with any team, but might have to take a small pay cut if he makes the Wild’s roster as the team is low on cap space.

  • The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford tweets that Scottie Upshall passed a physical and was signed to a PTO and is currently practicing with the team. The hope is that a contract can be worked out in the next couple of days. Upshall spent the past two years in St. Louis. The 32-year-old fourth-liner had a solid season a year ago with the Blues, scoring 10 goals and eight assists. He was just released from his PTO with Vancouver and has a good chance to return to his old team with the multitude of injuries to players like Patrik Berglund, Zachary Sanford, Robby Fabbri and Alex Steen.
  • The Daily Herald’s John Dietz writes that it looks like Chicago Blackhawks’ Alex DeBrincat might make the team, writing that he had an excellent training camp. “It seems like every time he’s around the puck good things happen,” coach Joel Quenneville said to Blackhawks TV reporter Eric Lear. The Hawks still have many decisions to make, according to Dietz, including whether or not to keep seven or eight defensemen.

Prospects Tournament Update: DeBrincat, Hronek, Kostin

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The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports that Chicago Blackhawks prospect Alex DeBrincat believes he can “play better” despite potting two goals in as many games during the tournament so far. All eyes are on the scoring dynamo, who was a major contributor for the Erie Otters last year in the OHL. Some have projected the 19-year-old to make the Hawks roster while others believe it may take some seasoning in Rockford before the youngster is ready. The Chicago Sun-Times Mark Lazerus wrote yesterday that it will ultimately boil down to how the shorter teenage phenom will compete when he’s fighting bigger, stronger, NHL players for not only space on the ice, but also puck battles. There’s no doubt that the talent is there: it’s more about how the rookie responds when he’s put on the ice against elite talent.

  • Powers’ colleague Craig Custance weighs in on the Red Wings’ young talent and who tops the list in terms of having the best chance of playing in Detroit. Defenseman Filip Hronek leads the pack, and though he’s shown growing pains, appears to be on the same course as forward Evgeny Svechnikov, who didn’t make his first appearance in Detroit until April. More than anything, it was to ensure the young forward wasn’t rushed and the Red Wings look to take the same approach with Hronek.
  • The championship game seems all but set as the Blackhawks pasted Carolina 9-2 this evening. The Red Wings beat the Rangers 4-1,  creating a championship contest between Chicago and Columbus. St. Louis’ Tage Thompson leads all players with six points in the tournament (2-4) while DeBrincat leads all scorers with three goals.
  • Thompson’s teammate, Klim Kostin, has turned a lot of heads during the camp, and has shown that the shoulder injury that caused him to drop a bit in the draft has done nothing to limit his dangerous scoring ability. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas writes that Blues GM Doug Armstrong cautions patience, but even he seems ready to see what Kostin can do during training camp with the big club.

Early Look At Some 2017-18 Impact Rookies: Part II

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Last week we took a look at some of the most interesting rookie names around the league, profiling Clayton Keller, Dylan Strome, Tyson Jost, Brock Boeser, Charlie McAvoy and Julius Honka. Each of those names have a chance at making a real impact for their respective clubs in 2017-18, and at least a few could be in the running for a Calder trophy as Rookie of the Year. Again, this series is avoiding the 2017 draftees as they’ll be profiled individually as we get closer to camp and have a better idea of who will be staying in the NHL right away.

For this part, we’ll take a look at some other young players who may not have the same draft pedigree of Strome, or early impact that Boeser, McAvoy and Honka have shown.

Josh Ho-Sang – New York Islanders

Josh Ho-SangOne of the most mentioned names in comments after releasing the first group of players was Ho-Sang (along with Mathew Barzal). While part one was certainly not meant to rank any of the upcoming young players, Ho-Sang’s exclusion was certainly noticeable. After making his NHL debut this season under some (silly) controversy, Ho-Sang is ready to take the next step and be a full-time contributor to the Islanders this year. Regardless of the number on his back, he showed during his 21 game stint that he can compete at the highest level and registered 10 points. No one would be shocked by a 40-point season from the young forward, and if given a full-time opportunity in New York’s top six he could push even higher than that.

Thomas Chabot – Ottawa Senators

One of the most impressive players in junior hockey last year, Chabot spent a single game with the Senators and is just about ready to take the NHL by storm. It’s hard for a defenseman to step right into a big role in the NHL, but with Erik Karlsson and Cody Ceci still around Chabot can easily be sheltered to start his career. It’s unclear where exactly he’d fit though as the team still has Chris Wideman, but if given the opportunity Chabot could provide a dynamic option on the right side. The Senators also brought in Johnny Oduya and have at least eight names that could take up six spots, so that opportunity may have to wait for an injury.

Anders Bjork – Boston Bruins

The Bruins team bus will be a rowdy place this year given how many rookies and young players could be on the roster, and Bjork isn’t one to overlook. The fifth-round pick dominated for Notre Dame as a junior before signing this spring, and looks ready to jump right into a top-six role with the NHL club. There seems to be a natural fit for him across from David Pastrnak to make a dynamic second unit for the Bruins, but how it all shakes out still isn’t clear. It’s not even set that he’ll start the year in the NHL, but after 52 points on a Fighting Irish club that relied almost solely on his production and Cal Petersen’s outstanding goaltending he sure seemed ready to take the next step.

Zach Aston-ReeseZach Aston-Reese – Pittsburgh Penguins

Another college name, this time of the free agent variety continues to impress in Aston-Reese. A finalist for the Hobey Baker trophy, Aston-Reese has done nothing but score since being passed over in the draft several times. The 22-year old put up 63 points in 38 games for Northeastern, before jumping right into the AHL and showing off with eight points in 10 games. He’s big enough to play in Pittsburgh’s bottom-six right away, and there is a glaring hole at center that the team still needs to address. Pittsburgh is notorious for turning college players into immediate producers, and it could be no different for the bang-and-crash two-way player in Aston-Reese. The forward depth of the Penguins could lead to big minutes with players like Phil Kessel or Patric Hornqvist, a situation no young player would pass up.

Alex DeBrincat – Chicago Blackhawks

78 goals, 165 points and the disappointment of being cut from the US World Junior team and losing the Memorial Cup should be more than enough motivation for DeBrincat coming into Blackhawks camp, who will try to crack the squad at 19 and show that his small stature doesn’t hold him back on the ice. In junior he was almost always the most skilled player in the game and has showed it by scoring more than 100 points in three straight years. There are doubts about his durability and even some about his top-end speed—though his first-step acceleration and quickness was among the best in the OHL—but it’s clear that he knows how to score. For a team desperate for cheap forward options that can play up with their top names, DeBrincat could come into a perfect scenario and compete for the rookie scoring title.

*Note: There are many other rookies that have impact potential that will be profiled throughout the summer as we approach the season. These are in no particular order or ranking.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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