Avalanche Notes: Hayes, No. 4 Pick, Knight
The Colorado Avalanche made history on this day in 1996, winning the Stanley Cup in their inaugural season after moving to Denver. The eight-seed Avs came surprisingly close to getting back the Cup Final this year, upsetting the Calgary Flames in the first round and taking the San Jose Sharks to Game Seven in the second round. Colorado is closer to being a legitimate contender than some may have thought and are hoping to add some veteran pieces this off-season to improve their odds. GM Joe Sakic, a member of that ’96 team, is planning to be aggressive this summer, but his plan took an unexpected early hit when the Philadelphia Flyers acquired the negotiating rights of Kevin Hayes, expected to be one of Colorado’s top targets.
However, it’s already been a week since that trade was made and the Flyers and Hayes have not come to terms on a new contract. Talks are still reportedly progressing, but there’s less certainty that Hayes will end up signing with the team. In fact, BSN Denver’s AJ Haefele states that talks may not be going as well as Philadelphia would like fans to think, after surrendering a draft pick for the right to negotiate with Hayes. Haefele says that “things with Hayes and Philly haven’t really gone great so far”, adding that there’s still optimism but the clock is ticking toward the opening of free agency. If Hayes doesn’t come to terms with the Flyers and hits the open market, the Avalanche would have to be considered the favorite to land the two-way center given the many sources that have linked the two sides.
- Haefele had another intriguing note for Avs fans tonight regarding the first of the team’s two first round picks, the No. 4 overall selection. Haefele believes, based on discussions with several sources, that Colorado will be targeting a forward with the pick, and that’s regardless of whether or not Bowen Byram is available. Byram, the top defenseman in the draft by a wide margin, is considered by many to perhaps be the third-best prospect overall. However, given the considerable draft capital that the Chicago Blackhawks have used on defensemen in recent years, they may pass on Byram at No. 3. It seems the Avalanche would do the same, opting to focus on their need for secondary scoring rather than adding a top young defenseman, with Cale Makar and Conor Timmins already in the fold. This should come as good new for the Los Angeles Kings, who could desperately use a blue chip defensive prospect. As for the Avs, Dylan Cozens, Trevor Zegras, and Kirby Dach are among the top forward prospects who could be available in this scenario.
- There were clues to Colorado’s focus on a forward with their first pick before Haefele’s report, too. The team was curiously one of the few not to interview a number of projected late first-round forwards at the NHL Scouting Combine, leading many to assume that they would target a forward early and look elsewhere with their second pick, No. 16. The other explanation is that the Avalanche have already zeroed in one one specific player for that slot: top goaltender Spencer Knight. Although many are in agreement that Knight is a first-round caliber goalie, it’s easier for a team to stomach selecting a keeper that early if they have two picks in the round. Colorado is just one of five teams to pick twice in the first round this year, but they are the first team to use their second pick. Barring an unforeseen selection by a lottery team, the Avs could get ahead of the rest of the pack by selecting Knight at No. 16 and adding their goalie of the future. This is far from a guarantee, but certainly an idea that carries some merit.
Snapshots: Fines, Barrie, Senators
James van Riemsdyk has been fined $5,000 for his high-stick on Los Angeles Kings defenseman Alec Martinez last night. That is the maximum allowable fine for the incident, which did not draw a penalty in the game. While van Riemsdyk will not face a suspension, fines like these are taken into account for any future discipline handed down from the Department of Player Safety.
- The Colorado Avalanche are about to have a wealth of right-handed defensemen available to them, and Mike Chambers of the Denver Post believes it might mean they end up trading Tyson Barrie. In fact, Chambers went so far as calling a Barrie trade “inevitable” in his latest mailbag, noting that Conor Timmins is close to a return from injury and Cale Makar is expected to sign after the NCAA season is completed. Barrie is having another outstanding offensive season with 40 points in 49 games and could likely bring back a substantial trade package for the Avalanche if they make him available. With another year on his current contract, a trade doesn’t necessarily need to be before this month’s deadline.
- Elliotte Friedman was on Sportsnet radio today to talk about the trade market, and he explained that “in the next three to five days” there should be a resolution one way or another with Mark Stone and Matt Duchene in Ottawa. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Senators will have signed or traded their two star free agents, but likely that their camps will have indicated to GM Pierre Dorion where negotiations are headed and whether he needs to move them. Friedman notes that those players are still holding up the market at large.
Central Notes: Jokiharju, Johnson, Timmins, Laine
As the Blackhawks pass through another disappointing season, the team must continue to focus on development. The team has a nice group of prospects coming up the pipeline, but there are many that are starting to worry about whether the Blackhawks are doing the right thing with defenseman Henri Jokiharju, their 2017 first-rounder.
The Blackhawks, not known for developing defensemen recently, loaned Jokiharju out to Finland for the World Junior Championships, against the youngster’s wishes even though they eventually won the gold medal. Since his return, the team has changed course in his development, moving him over to the left side, his off-side which will help make room next season for right-hand shot Adam Boqvist, and has had his ice-time cut, according to The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required). He even was a healthy scratch recently.
Head coach Jeremy Colliton said the changes are being made to make sure the youngster won’t burn out like many rookies do during their first season.
“I think he doesn’t need to play every game just like other guys don’t need to play every game,” Colliton said. “Kind of touched on it yesterday, we got some young players, 82-game season, it’s hard to keep that level night in and night out, so we may end up with a rotation. It’s not necessarily performance specifically why they’re coming out, but we can get them extra off-ice training or video or maybe a little more practice work so we continue to develop them.”
- The Colorado Avalanche suffered a key loss Saturday as the team will be without defenseman Erik Johnson, who suffered a concussion during their game against Los Angeles. The veteran defenseman is expected to be out for the next two games and head coach Jared Bednar hopes he’ll be back after the All-Star break, according to The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark. The defensive-minded blueliner averages 21:42 of ATOI and is a key figure on the team’s defense.
- The Avalanche also had good news in practice as defensive prospect Conor Timmins, who has missed all of the 2018-19 season so far with a concussion, practiced today with the team even if it was in a non-contact jersey, according to BSN’s AJ Haefele. Bednar said after the practice that Timmins will begin ramping up activities over the next couple of weeks and they will see if he’s ready to go when the team returns after the All-Star break. Timmins, the team’s second-round pick in 2017, could help the team down the stretch if he’s deemed ready.
- Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun looks back at the first half of the season now that the team hits their bye and All-Star week, suggesting that while many things have gone right for the Jets, perhaps the most disappointing part of the season has been the play of star forward Patrik Laine. The scribe writes that the third-year winger is having a miserable season despite having 25 goals at this point. Despite an 18-goal November, Laine has tallied just seven goals combined in the other three months and often looks like a rookie on the ice. Of course, he’s only 20 years old still, so patience is needed.
Conor Timmins Still Dealing With Concussion-Like Symptoms
Fans hoping to see Conor Timmins on the ice for the Colorado Avalanche at the upcoming Vegas Rookie Faceoff will be disappointed, as the team today announced that he is still experiencing concussion-like symptoms and will not take part in any on-ice activities. Timmins has been skating at some of the informal practices, but won’t be put in a competitive situation until his health clears up. Colorado AGM Craig Billington explained the situation:
Conor still has concussion-like symptoms. He has made a lot of progress throughout the summer and [we will] monitor that. He is in the proper protocol and procedure medically and we will just keep working with him.
Concussions are challenging to timeline but I know things have been progressing positively. It’s a good sign and we will go from there.
Timmins was also held off the ice at development camp earlier this offseason due to the concussion, that is believed to have been suffered in the OHL Finals. Timmins suffered a big check but returned to game five before missing the deciding game six, and has been sidelined since. Selected 32nd overall in 2017, there were some who believed Timmins would be battling for a full-time roster spot with the Avalanche this season given his impressive performance for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and at the World Junior Championship with Team Canada.
This doesn’t by any means indicate that Timmins will miss part of the season, but there may be a bigger appetite to start him slowly at the minor league level. Colorado has quite a few very good prospects in the system on the blue line, and Timmins is an important part of their future. His long-term health is the priority right now, and there is no reason to risk that for a rookie tournament in early September.
OHL Announces 2017-18 All-Star Teams
The OHL is one of the best development leagues in the world when it comes to NHL players, with a huge portion of the best players in the league coming from the Ontario ranks. While being the best of the best at the junior ranks doesn’t by any means guarantee success in professional hockey, it is still a nice stepping stone on the way. Today, the OHL released their first, second and third All-Star teams for 2017-18, and they include quite a few interesting NHL prospects.
First Team All-Stars:
LW Boris Katchouk, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (Tampa Bay Lightning, 44th overall, 2016)
C Morgan Frost, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (Philadelphia Flyers, 27th overall, 2017)
RW Jordan Kyrou, Sarnia Sting (St. Louis Blues, 35th overall, 2016)
D Nicolas Hague, Mississauga Steelheads (Vegas Golden Knights, 34th overall, 2017)
D Evan Bouchard, London Knights (2018 draft eligible)
G Michael DiPietro, Windsor Spitfires (Vancouver Canucks, 64th overall, 2017)
Second Team All-Stars:
LW Sam Miletic, Niagara IceDogs (undrafted, signed with Pittsburgh Penguins)
C Aaron Luchuk, Barrie Colts (undrafted, signed with Ottawa Senators)
RW Taylor Raddysh, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (Tampa Bay Lightning, 58th overall, 2016)
D Sean Durzi, Owen Sound Attack (2018 draft eligible)**
D Conor Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (Colorado Avalanche, 32nd overall, 2017)
G Jeremy Helvig, Kingston Frontenacs (Carolina Hurricanes, 134th overall, 2016)
Third Team All-Stars:
LW Adam Mascherin, Kitchener Rangers (Florida Panthers, 38th overall, 2016)*
C Gabriel Vilardi, Kingston Frontenacs (Los Angeles Kings, 11th overall, 2017)
RW Jason Robertson, Kingston Frontenacs (Dallas Stars, 39th overall, 2017)
D Cam Dineen, Sarnia Sting (Arizona Coyotes, 68th overall, 2016)
D Joey Keane, Barrie Colts (2018 draft eligible)**
G Matthew Villalta, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (Los Angeles Kings, 72nd overall, 2017)
*Expected to re-enter draft if unsigned by Florida
**Went undrafted in first year of draft eligibility
Colorado Avalanche Sign Conor Timmins To ELC
The Colorado Avalanche have inked another top prospect, signing defenseman Conor Timmins to a three-year entry-level contract. Timmins is currently injured and sitting out for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, and will almost certainly see his contract slide and begin in 2018-19.
Timmins was selected 32nd-overall in 2017, and has seen his play take another step forward this season. The two-way defender was off to a roaring start with the Greyhounds before helping Canada to a gold medal at the World Junior Championships. Timmins was arguably Canada’s best defenseman, recording the highest +/- rating in the tournament with a +15, and being named one of the team’s top three players. Logging important minutes against other team’s top players is not a new concept to the 19-year old, who has an incredibly active stick in the defensive zone and breaks up plays early and often.
To go with that defensive prowess, Timmins also has 35 points through 30 games in the OHL this year and can contribute offensively in different ways. Not a pure powerplay quarterback like his future teammate Cale Makar, Timmins instead distributes the puck effortlessly at even-strength, and often springs teammates for chances heading into the offensive zone. Of his 83 assists the last two seasons, only 21 of them have been with the man advantage.
In Colorado, they can look forward to many years of Timmins manning the right side, as long as his development continues as it has the last year. Though the injury is stealing valuable time from his junior career, there is still plenty of time for him to grow and improve in the professional ranks next year. Born in September, Timmins was one of the older players in his draft class and could make an impact in the AHL as soon as next year. For a team that was without much to look forward to on defense just a year ago, Colorado now boasts three top prospects (including Samuel Girard) that could make their group one of the best in the coming years.