West Notes: Sharks, Predators, Steel, Nill, Sale
The San Jose Sharks just drafted a potential first-line center with the fourth overall pick with Will Smith, and at the draft in Nashville, there are some rumors that the team’s current top-six centers could be on the move. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that “teams have talked to” the Sharks about Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture.
Pagnotta stressed that no trade is close, and it’s worth noting that Hertl has a full no-move clause and Couture has a three-team no-trade list. It’d be a hard trade to complete, but the news that they’re listening on their two top centers signals GM Mike Grier is leaving no stone unturned as he attempts to rebuild San Jose into a playoff contender.
Some other notes from the Western Conference:
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman cites colleague Jeff Marek to report that the two restricted free agents the Nashville Predators will issue qualifying offers are center Cody Glass and defenseman Alexandre Carrier. That means notable players such as 2017 first-round pick Cal Foote and capable defensive winger Rasmus Asplund will hit the open market. It’s somewhat a surprise to see Foote go unqualified, seeing that he was recently acquired as part of the Tanner Jeannot trade and does have a first-round pedigree.
- Sam Steel won’t be issued a qualifying offer by the Minnesota Wild, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo. Steel had a decent season with the Wild, scoring 10 goals and 28 points playing at times in the team’s number-one center role. But the Wild could be weary of Steel’s arbitration potential given their dire cap issues, so he’ll now have a chance to hit the open market in a few days.
- Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill was named the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year, beating out finalists Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins and Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers. While Nill’s club didn’t make it to the Stanley Cup Final like Zito’s or go on a historic regular season run like Sweeney’s, Nill’s shrewd moves such as acquiring Max Domi and Evgenii Dadonov during the season helped propel the club to the Western Conference Final.
- Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports that Eduard Sale, the Seattle Kraken’s recent first-round pick, is going to play for the OHL’s Barrie Colts next season. Sale has played the last two seasons in Czechia’s top pro league for Brno Kometa, and now will get the chance to play against his peers in major junior hockey. He’s an exceptionally skilled offensive player, so Colts fans should expect Sale to be among their top scorers if all goes well.
Free Agent Notes: Toews, Compher, Predators
There will be many free agents that sign within the opening few hours of free agency next Saturday if things play out as they usually do. However, don’t expect Jonathan Toews to be one of them. His agent Pat Brisson told Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli that the veteran will not be among those signing when the market opens up as he has yet to decide if he’ll continue playing. Toews, a veteran of 15 seasons with Chicago, has battled Chronic Immune Response Syndrome in recent years, missing all of 2020-21 plus another extended IR stint this past season. It was announced previously that he won’t be back with the Blackhawks so Toews will need to decide if he wants to stick it out and try to go somewhere where he’ll have a shot at winning a Stanley Cup or if the time is right to call it a career. That choice won’t come in the next week.
More free agent news and notes:
- Even though the Avalanche picked up Ryan Johansen earlier today, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that they haven’t closed the door on re-signing J.T. Compher just yet. The 28-year-old had a career season, picking up 52 points while logging over 20 minutes a night which has him well-positioned to earn a nice raise on the $3.5MM he made on his set-to-expire contract. The Avs have some flexibility to try to bring him back but if he’s looking for top dollar, it might not make much sense for Colorado to re-sign Compher, especially knowing that Devon Toews is a year away from needing a significant raise of his own.
- In a recent appearance on 102.5 The Game (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relayed that none of Nashville’s pending restricted free agents appear to be on the front burner right now. Center Cody Glass and defenseman Alexandre Carrier are the two notable ones for the Predators that have arbitration rights and the filing deadline is July 5th. Accordingly, while incoming GM Barry Trotz might not be focusing on those two just yet, some discussions for those players will need to be held relatively soon.
Hockey Canada Releases Initial 2023 World Championship Roster
Hockey Canada has released the initial complement of 20 players that will represent their country at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships next week in Finland.
It’s a more experienced roster than their American counterparts released, at least in terms of current NHL caliber. In net, they’re likely the most well-set team in the tournament, with projected rookie sensation Devon Levi sharing the crease with Montreal Canadien Sam Montembeault, who had a strong season in a tandem role with Jake Allen.
While 2023 presumptive first-overall selection Connor Bedard won’t join the team, likely to avoid risking injuries prier to his rookie season in the NHL, projected second-overall pick Adam Fantilli will. After capturing the Hobey Baker award in what’s likely his only season at the University of Michigan, Fantilli will join seasoned NHL veterans such as Milan Lucic, Scott Laughton, and Tyler Toffoli as Canada goes for gold at the Worlds.
Their defense is highlighted by MacKenzie Weegar. Although he had a tough season in Calgary, he’s not far removed from being a top 20 defender in the world and should make a significant impact at the tournament. Youngsters Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Justin Barron will also get a chance to shine for the Canadians.
The full 20-player roster is as follows:
F Cody Glass
F Jack McBain
F Milan Lucic
F Peyton Krebs
F Scott Laughton
F Jack Quinn
F Jake Neighbours
F Lawson Crouse
F Tyler Toffoli
F Sammy Blais
F Joe Veleno
F Adam Fantilli
D Pierre-Olivier Joseph
D Justin Barron
D MacKenzie Weegar
D Tyler Myers
D Ethan Bear
D Jake Walman
Nominees Announced For 2023 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association has voted on the award since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2023.
Past winners of the award include Carey Price (2022), Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), and Jaromir Jagr (2016).
Below are the nominees from each team:
Anaheim Ducks – Jakob Silfverberg
Arizona Coyotes – Clayton Keller
Boston Bruins – Nick Foligno
Buffalo Sabres – Craig Anderson
Calgary Flames – Mikael Backlund
Carolina Hurricanes – Jordan Martinook
Chicago Blackhawks – Alex Stalock
Colorado Avalanche – Andrew Cogliano
Columbus Blue Jackets – Boone Jenner
Dallas Stars – Jamie Benn
Detroit Red Wings – Robby Fabbri
Edmonton Oilers – Derek Ryan
Florida Panthers – Patric Hornqvist
Los Angeles Kings – Pheonix Copley
Minnesota Wild – Mason Shaw
Montreal Canadiens – Alex Belzile
Nashville Predators – Cody Glass
New Jersey Devils – Dougie Hamilton
New York Islanders – Zach Parise
New York Rangers – Jimmy Vesey
Ottawa Senators – Derick Brassard
Philadelphia Flyers – Nick Seeler
Pittsburgh Penguins – Kris Letang
San Jose Sharks – Nikolai Knyzhov
Seattle Kraken – Brandon Tanev
St. Louis Blues – Sammy Blais
Tampa Bay Lightning – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Toronto Maple Leafs – Mark Giordano
Vancouver Canucks – Brock Boeser
Vegas Golden Knights – Phil Kessel
Washington Capitals – John Carlson
Winnipeg Jets – Sam Gagner
Injury Notes: Demko, Glass, Hamonic
The Vancouver Canucks have had an extremely difficult start to their season, and those difficulties continued with starting netminder Thatcher Demko going down with an injury. Today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman issued an update on Demko’s injury timeline. Per Friedman, Demko is injured on a six-week timeline, and that timeline means the Canucks avoided a “worst-case scenario” with the injury.
The loss of Demko comes as a major blow to a Canucks franchise looking to build momentum and climb the standings. Like the Canucks as a whole, Demko has struggled so far this year. He has a .883 save percentage through 15 games, a significant decline from the .915 he posted in both 2021-22 and 2020-21. With a long recovery process in front of their starter, the Canucks will turn to backup Spencer Martin, who has a .900 save percentage in 10 games played.
Some other injury notes from across the NHL:
- The Nashville Predators announced in advance of tonight’s game against the New York Islanders that forward Cody Glass would not play due to injury. Per the announcement, Glass is dealing with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day. The 2017 sixth-overall pick has three points in 14 NHL games so far this year and scored 62 points in 66 AHL games last season.
- There was a scary scene at the New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators game tonight when veteran defenseman Travis Hamonic took a Vitali Kravtsov shot to his throat. As reported by NHL.com’s Dan Rosen, Hamonic stayed down after taking the shot and left for the Senators’ locker room shortly afterward. Thankfully, though, it seems Hamonic is alright, as Rosen reports he was back on the ice to start the second period.
Nashville Predators Sign Cody Glass
The Nashville Predators have inked forward Cody Glass to a one-year, two-way contract after he accepted his qualifying offer. That means Glass will carry a cap hit of $874K at the NHL level, and make $70K in the AHL. He was not yet eligible for salary arbitration.
Despite no longer being a top prospect, as his NHL career has still yet to take off at age 23, there’s still hope that Glass can become a solid contributor for the Predators in the future. Taking a demotion to the minor leagues in stride this season, the young forward managed to put up a strong campaign with the Milwaukee Admirals, scoring 62 points in 66 games.
While the two-way deal might suggest that he is headed for the minor leagues again next season, remember that Glass is no longer waiver-exempt and will have to clear in order to be assigned to Milwaukee this time around. That gives him at least a bit of protection, as another team could take a chance on him if he fails to make Nashville’s opening night roster.
Selected sixth overall by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, it just hasn’t come together yet for the former Portland Winterhawks star. Glass has 23 points in 74 games at the NHL level but most of those came in his first year. He had just one point in eight games this season for the Predators, and failed to score when he was inserted into the lineup for two playoff games. If he’s going to be an NHL player, this is a crucial year to prove it.
Avalanche, Predators Send Several Players To AHL
Now that they have been eliminated from the playoffs, the 2021-22 season is over for most of the Nashville Predators. Not so for at least three, as Cody Glass, Connor Ingram, and Mathieu Olivier have all been reassigned to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals to join their Calder Cup run.
Ingram, 25, ended up starting the Predators final three games, despite having just three NHL appearances heading into the playoffs. The young netminder held his own, recording a .913 save percentage and coming oh-so-close to stealing a win from the Colorado Avalanche in game two. Ingram made 49 stops in that overtime loss, easily the highest of his short NHL career to this point. Signed to a one-way contract for next season, he is a candidate to serve as the team’s full-time backup after the strong performance.
Glass, 23, came up at the end of the season and played in two of the four playoff games for Nashville, averaging fewer than ten minutes of ice time and failing to record a point. It was a difficult year for the top prospect, who was forced down to the minor leagues for most of the year after a trade from the Vegas Golden Knights. Instead of complaining though, Glass became a star for the Admirals, scoring 62 points in 66 games to lead the club. With a restricted free agency negotiation upcoming, a good showing in the AHL playoffs would certainly help.
Olivier, 25, played in three of the four playoff games for the Predators, also recording zero points but racking up 12 penalty minutes. The undrafted forward doesn’t do much scoring but can bring a level of physicality to the Admirals series. In 46 games for them this year, he had 11 points and 76 penalty minutes.
Meanwhile, the Avalanche have sent their own reinforcements down as they await the results of the other series. Justus Annunen and Hunter Miska have both been returned to the Colorado Eagles, who start a series against the Ontario Reign tomorrow night. Neither goaltender was ever really expected to play for Colorado, though Darcy Kuemper‘s eye injury certainly made it a possibility.
Nashville Predators Reassign Cody Glass To AHL
Soon after finally recording his first point with the Nashville Predators, the team announced today that they’ve reassigned forward Cody Glass to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.
Now 23 years old, Glass, who was drafted sixth overall in 2017 by the Vegas Golden Knights, found his way to Nashville this past off-season by way of a three-way trade, coming as the principal return to Nashville in exchange for defenseman Ryan Ellis, who ended up in Philadelphia. Glass never really translated his dominant two-way game from the juniors and minors into the NHL over two seasons in Vegas, and the team opted to move on.
That isn’t to suggest there isn’t some track left for Glass, though. He does have just the one assist in eight NHL games with Nashville this season, but he’s enjoying his best AHL season yet with 60 points in 63 games. That’s good enough for first place on the team by three points.
Nashville is gearing up to ensure they have the best playoff positioning possible by retaining the first Wild Card spot, so sending Glass down when they’re probably not going to use him much right now makes sense. Hopefully, a good run down the stretch in Milwaukee can help him garner more confidence for a full-time NHL role next season.
Nashville Predators Make Several Recalls, Add Nick Cousins To Protocol
12:21 pm: Forward Nick Cousins has now entered COVID protocol, making it seven Nashville skaters on the list. Assistant coach Dan Hinote, who was expected to coach tonight, is also now on the list. Taylor will serve as head coach, while assistant general manager Scott Nichol will join him and Ford behind the bench.
10:11 am: The Nashville Predators are pushing forward and expected to take the ice against the Colorado Avalanche tonight despite having several players and coaches enter the COVID protocol yesterday. To ice a full roster, they’ve recalled Cody Glass, Rocco Grimaldi, Mathieu Olivier, and Cole Smith from the Milwaukee Admirals. The Admirals will also be loaning head coach Karl Taylor and assistant Scott Ford, who will be behind the Nashville bench tonight.
Yesterday, Mikael Granlund, Ryan Johansen, Matt Luff, Michael McCarron, Philip Tomasino, and Ben Harpur were all ruled out. The Predators will have to make do without them, inserting several minor league players into the lineup.
Still, the four they have recalled do have quite a bit of NHL experience. Glass, the sixth overall pick from 2017, has played 68 games to this point in his career and still has plenty of potential. He was sent to the minor leagues to get his confidence back up and play in more offensive situations–something that has paid off with 19 points in 21 AHL games.
Grimaldi meanwhile has been a regular for the Predators in each of the last few seasons, playing more than 200 games in his NHL career. The 5’6″ forward has scored eight goals in 14 games with Milwaukee and can obviously handle himself at the NHL level. Olivier and Smith have much less experience, but are certainly capable of filling in. They even might find themselves getting a little extra ice time given the absences upfront.
Cody Glass Assigned To AHL
This summer, the Nashville Predators decided to move Ryan Ellis, a franchise icon who had played more than 560 games for the team and was so important to the team that in 2017, when asked who should be the next captain of the team, Roman Josi (who was eventually awarded the “C”) said his fellow defenseman instead of himself. Ellis was made an “associate captain” at the time, showing just how highly the organization and team thought of him. When it became obvious that their cap situation was going to be difficult to navigate moving forward, Ellis was sent to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Philippe Myers and Nolan Patrick. Immediately, Patrick was flipped to his old junior coach Kelly McCrimmon and the Vegas Golden Knights, in exchange for Cody Glass.
Glass had failed to establish himself as a regular in the loaded Vegas forward group, with just 66 NHL games under his belt entering this season. He had scored nine goals and 22 points in that time, but had also only suited up for a handful of AHL games each season. The hope was that in Nashville, he could take a bigger role, which could help his NHL career take off.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened to this point and today the Predators assigned Glass to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. To explain the move, Predators head coach John Hynes said that the best thing for Glass right now would be to play first-line minutes at the minor league level:
So, we had a good talk with him yesterday, we feel like he’s going to be a real important guy for us, but right now what’s best for him is to be able to go play in Milwaukee, play top-line center minutes, play first powerplay minutes, get some touches and be able to produce and play a big role, work on his faceoffs and get himself up and running a little bit better.
Sending a young player to the minor leagues to continue his development with big minutes on the first line is nothing new, but it’s not usually done with a 22-year-old sixth-overall pick that has spent most of his professional career to this point in the NHL. Glass will turn 23 this season (next April) and is on the final year of his entry-level contract. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, though not eligible for arbitration.
There’s even more pressure on the Predators to prove that Glass was the right choice, because of what they gave up for him. While Ellis plays huge minutes in Philadelphia–28:20 with two assists in his first match–Predators’ fans will have to wait and hope this slow, developmental approach with their new forward will pay off.