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Vegas Notes: Bill Foley, Team Identity, Coaching Decision

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“It’s all just about the show.” These are the words of owner Bill Foley regarding his newly minted Vegas Golden Knights. In his afternoon interview on FoxSports 1340 AM Las Vegas, Bill Foley discussed the team’s inception and his vision for growing the game on the Strip.  Citing the legend of Excalibur, the practically giddy owner proposed his grand broadcasting plans, and outlined his overall vision for the Vegas startup.

Team Identity:

“We want a team of speed, agility, and finesse.” The league has definitely shifted in this general direction, especially since the Pittsburgh Penguins blitzed their way to a Stanley Cup last season. The difference between a Penguins team and a future Knights team, obviously will be determined  by the large gap in top-tier offensive talent.

“We are going to build from the net out.” From Foley’s commentary, we should expect a low-scoring squad for the first couple years of inception. Although Foley aims to make the playoffs in 3 years, a large part of his relative success will be determined by the quality of goaltending he will be able to acquire. Will he merely be satisfied with a Calvin Pickard? The safe bet is that he will attempt to acquire a veteran with NHL seasons under his belt. Would Marc-Andre Fleury be available in a simple transaction? Ben Bishop, considering his backup status on the LA Kings? There are many avenues for GM George McPhee to explore.

Expansion Draft:

“We hope to…put a bunch of picks in our pocket.” Foley described quite clearly his intention to manipulate and maneuver his way into procuring draft picks from other squads worried about losing players. He seems to be quite content settling on stockpiling picks and creating a backlog of prospects. His commentary here may indicate a flurry of activity on the part of his management team and other groups, trying to protect their players under the limited protection options of 7 Forwards, 3 Defensemen, 1 Goalie, or 8 Skaters and 1 Goalie.

Coaching:

“Flexible…someone I can work with. We need someone who is a players’ coach.” The Vegas owner stated that he definitely wants a coach without an old-school mentality. He’s looking for a coach who will be able to maintain focus and passion in his squad regardless of overall record, and the inevitable struggles a new franchise will face. Perhaps Gerard Gallant would fit this role, although there are plenty of options in the coaching arena these days.

Community:

Vegas intends to have half-hour pre-game shows before each game, one-hour post-game shows, and an hour-long hockey devoted call-in show on weekdays, complete with interviews and analysis. Foley also revealed a deeper partnership with Fox Sports, radio coverage on Lotus, and a Spanish broadcast on ESPN Deportes. Foley also mentioned interest in the creation of more ice rinks in the area to support youth hockey, specifically two sheets of ice in Henderson. He stated his optimism of the Vegas passion for hockey after the successful ticket drive, and stated his desire to create a lasting foundation of interest.

Colorado Notes: Butcher, Varlamov, Iginla

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The Colorado Avalanche are still hoping to sign Hobey Baker winner Will Butcher, but the star defenseman doesn’t want a contract offer just yet. Butcher told Mike Chambers of the Denver Post that he would rather sit with Avalanche GM Joe Sakic and discuss the matter with his parents before any offer was made. That’s a reasonable ask, but it won’t assuage any fears in Colorado about him following in the footsteps of Jimmy Vesey and hitting the open market this August.

Butcher was drafted in the fifth-round back in 2013, but is now just a few months away from becoming a free agent should he decide to wait that long. He could still obviously sign with the Avalanche after seeing what else is out there, but with his continued development into an NHL-ready defender, they’d be up against several other teams in pursuit of him. The 22-year old had 37 points in 43 games this year as captain of the NCAA Championship winning University of Denver.

  • Adrian Dater of BSN Denver has been told that the team plans on protecting Semyon Varlamov over Calvin Pickard in the upcoming expansion draft. The team must select just one of their goaltenders to expose, and it apparently will be the younger, cheaper Pickard. It seems like a very odd decision, given Varlamov’s injury status and expensive contract, both of which would likely be deterrents to the Golden Knights over some of the other available goaltenders. Pickard on the other hand would cost Vegas just $1MM next season and continue to be a controllable RFA after that. Perhaps this is just gamesmanship from the Colorado front office, but losing Pickard for nothing seems like a terrible mistake by a front office who should be looking at the future.
  • Jarome Iginla hasn’t yet decided if he’ll play another season, but he wants to. In a conference call with reporters today including Eric Francis of Sportsnet, Iginla said he’ll have to wait and see what kind of offers he receives this summer but that his time with the Los Angeles Kings down the stretch has revitalized him somewhat. He seemed it, as the legendary winger scored six goals and nine points in 19 games for the Kings and showed that he is still a physical force. Amazingly, four of the six goals were game winners as he tried to drag the under-performing Kings into the playoffs. As we detailed prior to the deadline, Iginla might still have something left to give and shouldn’t be wholly judged on the disappointing first half he had with the Colorado Avalanche—just as other talented players from that team should be.

Central Notes: Poolman, Hartman, Anisimov, Pickard

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While the expectation was that Jets defensive prospect Tucker Poolman would sign with Winnipeg and get into a game before the end of the season, that has gone out the window as a result of a shoulder injury.  Accordingly, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun wonders if that may ultimately have an impact on whether or not he decides to test free agency this summer now.

Poolman, Winnipeg’s fifth round pick (127th overall) in 2013, recently completed his third season with North Dakota, picking up a career high 30 points in 38 games.  The Jets could have dangled the ability to burn the first year of his contract now to help entice the 23 year old to sign but now that he can’t start his entry level deal until 2017-18, it may make more sense for him to opt to test the market.

If Poolman does opt to wait to sign, he won’t become an unrestricted free agent until August 16th as the Jets will hold his rights through the 15th.  He’s eligible to become a UFA as a result of it being four years since he was initially drafted.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • Blackhawks rookie winger Ryan Hartman will be a healthy scratch against the Lightning tonight, notes Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. The decision comes as a result of the youngster taking too many penalties with the last straw being a double minor (which included an unsportsmanlike conduct call) against the Panthers on Saturday.  Hartman has 18 goals and 11 assists in 70 games this year and the belief at this point is that he should be back in the lineup later this week.
  • Also from Lazerus, Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville anticipates to have injured center Artem Anismov back in time for the playoffs. The Russian forward suffered a leg injury back on March 14th against the Canadiens and was expected to miss a minimum of three-to-four weeks.  In the meantime, the ‘Hawks continue to experiment with finding the right replacement for Anisimov; tonight, rookie Tanner Kero will get a chance to center the second line with Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane.
  • While there are few positives in Colorado this year, one has been goaltender Calvin Pickard, particularly when it comes to his playing time, writes Jason Hills of the Denver Post. Their struggles coupled with the season-ending groin injury to Semyon Varlamov have allowed the team to give Pickard plenty more starts than they otherwise might have been able to do.  Pickard’s numbers aren’t particularly impressive for a starter (a 2.91 GAA and a .907 SV%) but with an important decision looming regarding which goalie to protect for expansion, the chance to give the 24 year old an extended look as a starter at the NHL level is certainly beneficial.

Central Notes: Hutton, Hossa, Pickard, Niederreiter

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Although his signing in the offseason didn’t generate a lot of buzz, Blues backup goalie Carter Hutton has played a significant role for the team lately, writes Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  With starter Jake Allen battling inconsistency at times, St. Louis has had to rely on Hutton more often than they originally anticipated.

To say that he has lived up to expectations would be an understatement, especially lately.  Over his last eight starts, he has recorded four shutouts (matching his career total heading into the season) and has played a big role in the Blues getting themselves back into a top three spot in the Central Division.

With Allen returning to form lately, it’s likely that he will go back to getting the bulk of the starts but if he falters again or is injured, Hutton’s recent stretch should give them confidence if they need to turn to him again.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • While it’s not a role he would have been happy with too long ago, Blackhawks right winger Marian Hossa is comfortable as a third liner in Chicago, notes Mark Lazarus of the Chicago Sun-Times. Not only does him being there mean that they have the potential for three quality scoring lines, the 38 year old can certainly benefit from seeing a bit less ice time from a rest perspective.  The cut in playing time hasn’t really slowed him down as Hossa has nine points in his last 12 games.
  • Although there isn’t a whole lot to play for in Colorado, that isn’t the case for goalie Calvin Pickard, suggests Terry Frei of the Denver Post. With Semyon Varlamov out for the season with recurring groin problems and no proven backup behind him, Pickard has a prime opportunity to show he’s ready for a bigger workload next season.  Further adding to the important of his play in the coming months, both netminders require protection for the expansion draft in June and the Avalanche will only be able to protect one of them.
  • The NHL rescinded the game misconduct penalty assessed on Thursday to Wild right winger Nino Niederreiter, reports Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The decision is noteworthy as any player who receives two game misconducts for physical fouls within 41 games of each other is automatically suspended.  By having this misconduct taken away, Niederreiter isn’t in danger of a guaranteed sit-down if he gets ejected for a physical foul in the next few months.

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