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Bob McKenzie

Ottawa Acquires Mike Condon From Pittsburgh

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According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, the Ottawa Senators have acquired Mike Condon from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fifth-round draft pick. Since Craig Anderson was forced to take a short leave of absence from the team (he has since returned) and Andrew Hammond was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury, the Senators have been looking high and wide for some help in net.  It’ll come in the form of Condon, who was selected off waivers by the Penguins just before the start of the season.

For Pittsburgh, this is a nice return for a player who only spent a few weeks in your system. Condon was an emergency claim by the Penguins once Matt Murray wasn’t able to start the season due to his broken hand. Now, as Murray returns, the team had to make a decision on Condon as he would obviously require waivers once again to go to the AHL.

For the Senators, Condon will provide some assurance that they’ll have an NHL caliber goaltender in net each night even if Anderson has to take any more time off. While the team will likely come into the same situation once Hammond returns, they won’t have to make a decision for at least some time.

Condon broke into the league last season when Carey Price went down, playing 55 games for the Canadiens to mixed results. With a .903 save percentage and 2.71 goals against average, the 26-year old rookie at least showed he’s capable of helping an NHL squad, though perhaps not for the majority of a season.

It must sting the Canadiens the worst, as they were unable to get anything in return for Condon before the season. While a fifth-rounder isn’t a huge return, it is at least something tangible.

 

Sharks Notes: Pending UFAs And Their Destinations

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The San Jose Sharks may be without one of their big bearded players next season.

Bob McKenzie appeared on TSN 690 on Monday morning, and spoke about the Sharks big three unrestricted free agents. Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Brent Burns are all UFAs at the conclusion of this season. McKenzie believes Thornton is in a blank-check type of situation, saying “he’ll probably get another three-year deal at some point, I would think, and it’ll be a fill-in-the-blank type deal.”

McKenzie isn’t so sure that Marleau will be back, however. He points to Marleau requesting a trade last season and the fact that he’s not considered a core player there anymore as reasons that he may not return to the Sharks.

Meanwhile, Burns is one of the premier defensemen in the NHL, scoring 27 goals and 75 points last season and is at a point-per-game pace already this season. While McKenzie believes Burns “in many ways, he wants to be back in San Jose,” he also points to a lack of contract talks this past summer.

McKenzie said Burns appears to be “keeping a little bit of an open mind here to see how the season goes before he makes any commitments.”

“So I can’t sit here and tell you, by any stretch, that he won’t be back with San Jose next year. But I would also caution and say that we shouldn’t assume that it’s an absolute slam-dunk that he will be back with San Jose.”

Should Burns decide to test the market, there will be no shortage of teams interested in the big defender. The Bruins, Coyotes, Devils, Maple Leafs, Oilers, and Red Wings, would all have serious interest in the big righty.

Oilers broadcaster Bob Stauffer has previously hinted that Edmonton will have extreme interest in Burns. Burns has a great relationship with former Sharks coach and current Oilers coach Todd McLellan, and the Oilers desperately need to add a right-handed offensive weapon to their blueline. Stauffer shared a link to McKenzie’s comments with a wink and a nudge. Back in June, Stauffer had mentioned Adam Larsson as a target of the Oilers and also expressed that he wouldn’t be surprised if Taylor Hall was traded for a defenseman.

Snapshots: Trouba, Ducks, Goaltending

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In the latest edition of Insider Trading on TSN, the panel of Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun discussed a number of subjects. One of them was Jacob Trouba, and the potential of a trade in his future. While Trouba has insisted all along that it isn’t about money in his contract dispute, the Jets are rumored to be willing to go to six-years, $33MM to get the defenceman under contract.

Even though it seems like most teams would want Trouba, Dreger reports that it doesn’t look like there is a fit anywhere in Canada. The Maple Leafs, Oilers and Canadiens have all been rumored to be interested in the 22-year old in the past.

  • On Hampus Lindholm and a possible deal of Cam Fowler, LeBrun reports that it might not be as guaranteed as one would think.  While it still seems likely that one of the Ducks young defenceman will have to be shipped out, the fact that Simon Despres has hit the LTIR and has no timetable on his return the team has a little more wiggle room under the salary cap.
  • In Carolina, Dreger suggests that Ryan Murphy may be on the block, since he’ll likely be exposed at next year’s expansion draft. The 23-year old former first round pick split last season between the NHL and AHL levels.
  • On the goaltending front, Los Angeles sounds like they’re putting all their eggs in the Peter Budaj basket for now. They’re waiting for Mike Condon to hit waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins, but that may not happen for a while as Pittsburgh wants to try and keep or get an asset for the young goaltender.

Ducks, Lindholm Agree To New Pact

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According to Bob McKenzie, the Anaheim Ducks have come to terms with RFA defenseman Hampus Lindholm, signing the Swede to a six-year deal with an AAV of $5.25MM. It had been reported in recent days that the chasm between the two sides had shrunk to around $250K annually but that each had “a line drawn in the sand.” Now, with the new pact coming in short of the recent contract inked by Buffalo blue liner Rasmus Ristolainen, it’s fair to speculate it was Lindholm who lowered his salary demands in order to get a deal done.

At this point Lindholm likely concluded it no longer made sense to miss any more paychecks. If the two sides were in fact hung up on just $250K per year, the Ducks defender will earn more than that in four games under terms of his new deal.

Given the two sides seemed to be locked firmly into their relative positions just 24 hours ago, it’s clear significant progress was made last night in order for the deal to be announced this morning. In fact, Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot provides a timeline demonstrating the “shift” in negotiations based on the reports of insiders Darren Dreger, Elliotte Friedman and McKenzie.

Cap Friendly reports that the Ducks are now about $1.4MM over the salary cap ceiling meaning the team will have to make a roster move or moves in order to clear sufficient space. As Cap Friendly further notes, even if the team sends Emerson Etem – who cleared waivers yesterday – and Dustin Tokarski down to San Diego of the AHL, the Ducks will still be approximately $150K over the cap ceiling.

It’s been widely rumored that the team could look to deal a player like Cam Fowler – $4MM cap charge – and that still might be the case; especially if the Ducks can acquire an impact LW in the trade. It’s also possible the club could simply put C Nate Thompson and his $1.6MM cap hit on LTIR. Thompson had surgery to repair an Achilles tendon injury in June and his return date is unknown.

Of course with Simon Despres already on LTIR and temporarily clearing his $3.7MM cap hit from the books, it’s likely the Ducks will still have to trim salary at some point this season when Despres and or Thompson are healthy enough to return.

Despite officially being under contract, Lindholm likely won’t see the ice for Anaheim for at least another week to 10 days, according to McKenzie. Lindholm, who has been in Sweden during the holdout, will require a new work visa and the process, as McKenzie notes, can take up to two weeks.

Two Players On Waiver Wire

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Forwards Emerson Etem and Andrew Miller have been placed on waivers, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

Etem was a first round pick of the Ducks in 2010, before being traded to the Rangers. The Ducks claimed him off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks earlier this month. Etem was held pointless in two games with the 2-3-2 Ducks. It’s not clear if he’ll be assigned to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL or remain with the Ducks.

Miller was injured in the pre-season and started the season on injured reserve. He’s healthy now, and is waivers for purpose of assignment to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Miller signed with the Hurricanes organization on July 1 after playing some of last season with the Checkers while on loan from the Edmonton Oilers’s farm team in Bakersfield in exchange for Zach Boychuk.

Friedman’s Latest: Lindholm, Blackhawks, Babcock, Hurricanes

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman covers a wide gamut of hockey news today, starting with the situation regarding Hampus Lindholm and the Ducks’ negotiations. Though the rumored $700K chasm has decreased, the term of the deal remains the sticking point. Anaheim is seeking a five-year deal while the Lindholm camp seeks six years. Friedman emphasizes that neither side will rush, but indicates that the Ducks need Lindholm “badly” as they’ve gotten off to a slow start. (As a side note, Bob McKenzie tweeted something very similar about the terms being the sticking point).

Other tidbits from Friedman

  • The Blackhawks are hunting for a forward and are apparently willing to part with defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, who was purportedly dangled for Nail Yakupov. Yakupov eventually went to St. Louis, and Friedman indicates that the Hawks will have to “sweeten the pot” to get the forward they seek should they include van Riemsdyk in a deal. Further, he indicates that Blues general manager Doug Armstrong will try to add a veteran presence to the lineup at some point.
  • Mike Babcock loves to check in on his players and current Maple Leaf Morgan Rielly says that the bench boss is true to his word. Friedman writes this:

“He’s in contact with you in the summer a lot more than you’d think,” Rielly answered. “Not all of it is hockey. Yes, he’s asking if you’re doing what he wants you to do, but he’s also asking what else you’re up to.” He then laughed a little and said, “I like hearing from him. But my family was surprised at how much he reached out.”

  • The Hurricanes are betting a lot on forward Teuvo Teravainen and defenseman Noah Hanifin. Both have been featured on the powerplay and Freidman writes that despite some mistakes, the ’Canes expect the young players to be a part of the core for years to come. The challenging experiences will occur and it’s part of the learning process.

Snapshots: Top Rookies, Tougher Oilers, McKeown

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It’s been a good start to the season for rookies in the NHL. Auston Matthews scored a stunning four goals in his debut and Finnish top picks Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujärvi also scored in their debuts. William Nylander had two assists.

However, two of the more impressive rookies to TSN’s Bob McKenzie are the Flyers’ Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov. McKenzie appeared on TSN 1260 in Edmonton, saying it’s “ridiculous how good [Provorov] is” and saying Konecny was their “maybe their best player” in their first game.

Despite their early success, McKenzie didn’t see either of them being in the Calder Trophy conversation, because neither will post the offensive numbers. He also joked that “everybody knows they already awarded the Calder the other night after the first game. People didn’t see that presentation afterwards, but Auston Matthews was presented with it after the game.”

McKenzie compared the style of play over the first two nights to Team North America in the World Cup, saying hopefully “the kids … will triumph because the first two nights of this season have been a joy to watch.”

In other new from around the hockey world:

  • David Staples of the Edmonton Journal took a look at how GM Peter Chiarelli turned the formerly soft Oilers into a much tougher team. The Oilers have added four tough and dependable NHLers in Eric Gryba, Zack Kassian, Patrick Maroon, and Milan Lucic for a total cost of two fourth round picks and three players who had no future in Edmonton: former starter Ben Scrivens who was toiling in the AHL, and fringe minor leaguers Travis Ewanyk and Martin Gernat. Scrivens and Gernat are now overseas, and Ewanyk signed with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. Staples writes that the new-look Oilers are able to “[answer] the bell if it comes to clobberin’ time, as it surely will.”
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned defenseman Roland McKeown to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. McKeown was a healthy scratch in the Hurricanes season opening loss in Winnipeg. McKeown is a former second round pick of the Los Angeles Kings, acquired in the Andrej Sekera trade back at the 2015 trade deadline. The Raleigh News & Observer Chip Alexander believes the team is expecting newly-acquired defenseman Jakub Nakladal to be available for Sunday night’s game in Vancouver.

Four Rookies Make Coyotes Final Roster

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Bob McKenzie tweeted earlier that Dylan Strome, Lawson Crouse and Jakob Chychrun have all made the Coyotes final 23-man roster. They will be joined by 21-year-old center Laurent Dauphin, who appears poised to fill the fourth-line pivot job for the Coyotes.

Strome was drafted by the Coyotes third overall in 2015 and will likely fill a top-six center slot for Arizona. He’s combined to score 240 points the last two seasons with the Erie Otters of the OHL, serving as the team’s captain in 2015-16.

Crouse was acquired by Arizona from Florida in the offseason as incentive for the club to assume the balance of Dave Bolland’s contract. If he stays with the Coyotes for at least 10 games this season, the 2018 conditional draft choice the Coyotes are set to send to Florida will become a second. If he doesn’t burn a year of his ELC, the pick will be a third-rounder.

Chychrun was chosen 16th overall in 2016 with the pick acquired from Detroit in exchange for taking on the final year of Pavel Datsyuk’s deal. The 18-year-old will likely take the spot of Kevin Connauton, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. It’s possible Chychrun’s stay in Arizona will come to an end once Connauton is healthy enough to return.

GM John Chayka made a lot of moves in the summer to help mold his roster into one capable of challenging for a playoff spot. At least to start, it looks like the Coyotes will be counting on a handful of rookies to make significant contributions to that pursuit.

Sabres Agree To Terms With Ristolainen

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Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray has confirmed earlier reports that the team has signed Rasmus Ristolainen to a new contract, as John Vogl of The Buffalo News tweets. Terms of the new arrangement are unknown at this point.

Ristolainen developed into the team’s top blue liner in 2015-16, scoring nine goals with 32 helpers. The three-year veteran has tallied 19 goals and 65 points in 194 games during his career.

Bob McKenzie adds that the deal is for six years and worth an average of $5.4MM annually. He notes the contract is identical to the one recently agreed to between fellow right-handed defenseman Seth Jones and Columbus.

The signing leaves the Sabres with just a shade less than $2MM of cap space with 23 players under contract – 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies – as Cap Friendly notes.

With Ristolainen under contract, only three prominent RFAs remain unsigned: Hampus Lindholm, Rickard Rakell and Jacob Trouba. Mckenzie speculates that the Ristolainen contract represents the absolute floor for Lindholm. It will be interesting to see whether this agreement helps push the negotiations between Lindholm and the Ducks any closer to a resolution.

 

Grossman, Flames Agree To One-Year Deal

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Bob McKenzie reports that defenseman Nicklas Grossman has made the Flames roster and has signed a one-year contract worth $575K. It’s a one-way deal for Grossman, who is expected to be the team’s 7th defenseman.

Grossman, 31, spent last season with the Arizona Coyotes and tallied seven points in 58 games.

More to come.

 

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