Afternoon Notes: Yakupov, Stralman, Scandella, Lazar
Nail Yakupov‘s story is quite well known. Edmonton’s first-overall pick in the 2012 draft, who started his career off right with 17 goals in a 48-game strike-shortened season, started a downward spiral that led to him getting traded to St. Louis and then finding himself getting benched and sitting in the press box not long after coach Mike Yeo took over. Now, signing a one-year “prove it” deal with the offensively challenged Colorado Avalanche, the 23-year-old is out to show that he still belongs in the NHL.
After that 17 goal season in 2012-13, his numbers tapered off, dropping to 11, then up to 14 and down to eight. His three goals in 40 games was a sign that he may be running out of time. However, according to AJ Haefele of BSN Denver, Yakupov is doing everything he can to resurrect his career in Colorado. “This is a chance I have to take,” the normally chatty Yakupov said succinctly.
Early reports say that Yakupov’s effort and skills are showing in training camp. During today’s scrimmage, BSN’s Adrian Dater tweeted that Yakupov was diving in front of pucks and showed his hunger. He had two assists in the scrimmage. The Avalanche need the youngster to rebound as the team finished last with 165 goals and managed just 48 points as a team. He is currently partnered with Matt Duchene and while that matchup is likely not going to stick, he looks like he is heading for regular minutes again.
- Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times writes that Tampa Bay veteran defenseman Anton Stralman missed his third straight practice today with an undisclosed injury, but he did skate and stickhandle on his own. The 31-year-old defenseman had a down year with just 22 points, but is still considered to be a top-pairing defenseman.
- Another defenseman who is also missing time is Buffalo’s Marco Scandella missed practice, according to John Vogl of the Buffalo News. The 27-year-old blueliner, who came over from Minnesota this offseason had arthroscopic surgery on his left hip in May was forced to take a day off. After putting up 13 points in limited minutes with the Wild a year ago, the Sabres hope Scandella can take that next step this year.
- Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald writes that Curtis Lazar is ready to make the Calgary Flames roster. The 22-year-old center and former 2013 first-round pick of the Ottawa Senators had mononucleosis last year, missing all of training camp and the early part of the season and was never able to regain his form, prompting a trade from Ottawa to Calgary. According to Odland, he has regained the weight he lost from the illness and bulked up and has looked good in camp so far.
Calgary Flames Sign Curtis Lazar
The Calgary Flames have continued to lock up their restricted free agents, this time signing Curtis Lazar to a two-year contract that carries an average annual value of $950K. Lazar did not have arbitration rights, but was issued a qualifying offer by the Flames in order to retain control of his rights.
After an incredibly poor season in which Lazar scored just four points, the first-round pick is at a crossroads. Will he join the list of top picks that struggle to adjust to the NHL, and carve out a successful career in the minor and European leagues, or will something click as he enters his mid-twenties and allow him to fulfill the potential the Ottawa Senators saw in him. It cost the Flames a second-round pick to acquire him at the deadline, and they clearly believe in his upside by giving him this deal, a contract that seems overpriced for what he’s brought to the NHL so far.
Lazar won’t turn 23 until February of next year, meaning he still has plenty of time to develop into the power forward-type he was expected to be, but it will take more than just an improved shooting percentage (amazingly he shot just 3.8% last season) to get him there. His play with and without the puck just simply hasn’t been good enough to trust with a bigger role, and in Calgary behind a deep forward group he’ll have to do more with limited minutes.
The $1.9MM gamble is definitely worth it for the Flames, who have plenty of money coming off the books next season and need depth players to help on their Stanley Cup run the next few years. If Lazar can turn in even a slightly improved performance he’ll be earning a solid salary, while if not they could bury him in the minors for no cap hit at all. This year since the minimum NHL salary increased to $650K, the amount saved with any buried one-way contract is $1.025MM, though last year’s amount would have worked for Lazar too. That slightly higher number may also ward off teams from grabbing him off waivers, allowing the Flames to hold onto him even if his performance isn’t up to snuff.
Early Expansion Protection News: Capitals, Kings, Flames, Predators, And More
The 2017 NHL Expansion Draft is an exciting process. If you’re too riled up to wait until the lists are officially submitted in the morning, you’re in luck. As could be expected, information leaks are flooding in on who was and wasn’t protected by their teams ahead of the deadline this afternoon. This list will be updated all night long as more news comes in:
- Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post was the first reputable source to release her team’s protection list, as she confirmed the Washington Capitals’ names not long after the 5:00 PM ET deadline. The lists includes the expected names: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Andre Burakovsky, Marcus Johansson, Lars Eller, Tom Wilson, Matt Niskanen, John Carlson, Dmitry Orlov, and Braden Holtby. While not surprising, the list does not include long-time Jay Beagle, promising young players Nate Schmidt and Brett Connolly, and a oft-rumored target of the Golden Knights, backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
- L.A.-based hockey writer John Hoven got the list of protected players for the Los Angeles Kings, which confirms that they will indeed protect eight-skaters, including four defenseman, rather than the 7/3 protection scheme. Among the safe are Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson, Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, Alec Martinez, and the key decision, Derek Forbort. Star goalie Jonathan Quick was also obviously protected. While the Kings succeeded in protecting the most valuable players on the roster, they still have left defenseman Brayden McNabb and a large assortment of forwards including Trevor Lewis, Nic Dowd, and Nick Shore open to selection.
- Sportsnet’s Eric Francis, who covers the Calgary Flames, has some key names for his team as well. Francis confirmed that the Flames did not protect 2016 free agent acquisition Troy Brouwer, but did opt to save younger assets like Sam Bennett, Micheal Ferland, and Curtis Lazar. Although Francis stops there, the rest of Calgary’s list is somewhat self explanatory with newly-acquired goalie Mike Smith, defensive core of Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, and Dougie Hamilton, and cornerstone forwards Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Michael Frolik, and Mikael Backlund as obvious choices.
- One not so obvious choice has been made in Nashville. Adam Vingan of The Tennessean answered a question on the minds of many, reporting that the Predators did in fact protect forward Calle Jarnkrok. With the rest of the eight-skater list all but set in stone with goalie Pekka Rinne, defensemen Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis, and Mattias Ekholm, and star forwards Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, and Viktor Arvidsson, the final forward spot came down to Jarnkrok, signed long-term, or James Neal, an elite scorer with just one year remaining on his contract. It seems that Neal will be open for selection, alongside names like Colton Sissons, Colin Wilson, and Craig Smith. Vignan adds that no deal has been struck between Vegas and the Predators to protect any of those players, with Nashville especially liking to retain Neal and Sissons.
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that, interestingly enough, young Detroit Red Wings defenseman Xavier Ouellet was not protected by his team. This is the first real surprise of the expansion process and the first protection news that doesn’t match up with PHR’s Expansion Primer projections. The 23-year-old skated in 66 games this season for Detroit, third most among defenseman, and his 12 points tied that of top-pair man Danny DeKeyser. Yet, Ouellett will not join DeKeyser and Mike Green in protection, instead beaten out by another teammate. GM Ken Holland, who has gotten the reputation of perhaps being too loyal, possibly chose aging veteran Niklas Kronwall over Ouellet. Hopefully that doesn’t come back to bite the rebuilding Red Wings.
- Another name confirmed to be unprotected is young Vancouver Canucks center Brendan Gaunce. Vancouver sports anchor Rick Dhaliwal was told that that Gaunce, a 2012 first-round pick, did not make the protection list for the Canucks, expected to be a 7/3 format, meaning that the team saw him as outside the top seven forwards on the team. The 23-year-old two-way specialist has upside, but after registering just five points in 57 games last season, no one will blame Vancouver for that choice.
Predators’ Draft Plummet
If the Nashville Predators are ever to win a Stanley Cup, this seems the most likely year. Their window is far from closing, to be sure. But for a team that doesn’t often spend to the cap, their long-term finances may become complicated. They have a multitude of players performing well above their contract levels, are benefiting from Entry-Level Contracts (Viktor Arvidsson and Kevin Fiala), and the bulk of their team is in their late twenties. Nashville isn’t the most dynamic offensive force, but have gotten enough scoring this outing to support the absurdly good top-four defense and brilliant goaltending from Pekka Rinne (.951 SV%).
That said, if they fail to win the glorious prize at the end of four series, will their draft plummet be seen as worth the hassle? They finished with the West’s lowest seeding in Wild Card 2, and the worst overall record in the playoffs at 94 points, edging out the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs. Their draft plummet is quite the precarious one, similar to the 8th seeded 2011-12 Los Angeles Kings in the entry draft. Of course, that team went 16-4 in the postsesason to win the Stanley Cup, and certainly didn’t mind sacrificing a higher first-round pick to win their franchise’s first title.
But what if they hadn’t won? By advancing to the post-season’s final four, Los Angeles automatically shifted from drafting 16th to 30th. If the Predators were to lose in the Conference Finals, it would mean a drop from 17th to 28th. A Finals loss would mean 30th. Obviously, fans aren’t concerned with these sorts of trivialities when rooting on their team to glory, nor necessarily should they be. However, for management, this is quite the potential concern. Finding failure late in the playoffs and then also suffering the sting of a draft position dive is tough to stomach. After all, deals can sometimes hinge on whether a first or second round pick is early, mid, or late round.
For reference, let us look at the last 10 years draft history with regard to the 17th and 28th selections to see the potential disparity:
2016: 17th D Dante Fabbro (NSH), 28th F Lucas Johannson (WSH)
2015: 17th F Kyle Connor (WPG), 28th F Anthony Beauvillier (NYI)
2014: 17th D Travis Sanheim (PHI), 28th Josh Ho-Sang (NYI)
2013: 17th F Curtis Lazar (OTT), 28th F Morgan Klimchuck (CGY)
2012: 17th F Tomas Hertl (SJ), 28th D Brady Skjei (NYR)
2011: 17th F Nathan Beaulieu (MTL), 28th F Zach Phillips (MIN)
2010: 17th F Joey Hison (COL), 28th F Charlie Coyle (MIN)
2009: 17th D David Rundblad (STL), 28th F Dylan Olsen (TBL)
2008: 17th D Jake Gardiner (ANA), 28th F Viktor Tikhonov (PHX)
2007: 17th F Alexei Cherepanov (NYR), 28th Nick Petrecki (SJ)
The jury is still completely out on last year’s draft class, but as you can see, the two prior years have worked out quite well for the New York Islanders at the 28th spot. Beauvillier and Ho-Sang have both developed into studs quite quickly, while Connor and Sanheim still have a lot to prove. As we look at the last decade of entry drafts, there seems to be no real discernible advantage in terms of NHL projection. So although 11 spots seems like an awful long way to drop, Nashville (and any other future conference finalists) can rest easy that their relative success will still hinge upon being able to scout and develop talent properly.
Morning Notes: Brouwer, Jodoin, Seguin
Eric Francis writes for the Calgary Herald that Troy Brouwer is expected to be one of the forwards exposed in the upcoming expansion draft for the Flames, and with it could be leaving the organization almost as soon as he joined it. Francis points out that Vegas GM George McPhee has traded for Brouwer once in the past, acquiring him for a first round pick from Chicago in the summer of 2011.
If you’d been following along, it was clear the Flames couldn’t protect Brouwer after acquiring Curtis Lazar at the deadline, giving them at least seven young forwards that would be ahead of him on the list. While it doesn’t mean for certain that the Flames will submit their protection list on June 17th with Brouwer exposed, it certainly looks that way right now. The 31-year old is coming off his worst point total of his career, but still would add a veteran presence to a weak Vegas squad should he be selected.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced today that Clement Jodoin has chosen to leave the organization after his latest stint. Jodoin has been an associate coach for the team for two different five-year periods, and also worked as the Hamilton Bulldogs’ head coach and in the Canadiens’ player development department over the years. New head coach Claude Julien will meet with his other assistants in the next few days to decide what’s next for the coaching staff.
- Tyler Seguin apparently was playing with a damaged labrum in his right shoulder for much of the season, and the team announced today that he underwent surgery yesterday to repair it. His recovery timeline is set at four months, meaning he’ll be lucky to be ready for the start of training camp next fall. Seguin was criticized for his play much of this season, but still ended up with 72 points despite the injury. He’ll be expected to take another step forward and help the Stars return to the playoffs next season, or there may be even bigger shakeups in Dallas next summer.
Roster Notes: Haula, Lazar, Oduya
Lineup changes have arrived for the Flames according to Kristen Odland, as the team will attempt to ward off elimination. Matt Stajan and Lance Bouma have both been told to take the night off, as Curtis Lazar and Freddie Hamilton find their way back to the ice. Hamilton had 2 goals and 0 assists in his 26 regular season games, and Lazar had 1 goal and 3 assists in his 37 games played. Neither is obviously expected to provide stellar offense, but instead to spark energy and infuse youth into a lineup which looked gassed in their Game 3 three-goal lead implosion. Lazar had been held pointless in 6 games while dressed for the Senators in the playoffs two seasons ago, though he was fantastic for the Oil Kings in their Memorial Cup run the year prior. This will be Hamilton’s first playoff experience.
- Blackhawks’ Johnny Oduya has been yanked from the lineup by coach Joel Quenneville for a potentially deciding Game 4. Michal Kempny is expected to take his place. The 26 year-old Czech defenseman had a phenomenally underappreciated season, posting an absurd 56.1% Corsi For. The left-handed shooting defenseman has never played in a playoff game. He had gone unsigned until May of last year, when he was acquired by the organization for depth. He ended up playing 50 games for the Hawks, despite marginal offensive totals. Oduya’s veteran status makes this a surprising move, although his lack of speed and age were starting to show in a series where the Predators’ forecheck was relentless.
- Erik Haula will not play for the Minnesota Wild tonight in their game against the Blues. Haula was held pointless and registered a -2 through 3 games. Coach Bruce Boudreau did not confirm who would take his spot, as he had been playing on the top unit with Mikko Koivu. This is a surprising move despite his struggles in the series, as the forward had been producing at a decent clip before running into the red-hot Jake Allen. There has been no word as to who will replace his position on the left wing.
Snapshots: Vatrano, Lazar, Canadiens
When Ryan Spooner spoke out recently saying that he didn’t have a good relationship with Claude Julien during his tenure with the Bruins, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. Spooner never fit into Julien’s system, and the two obviously didn’t mesh properly. The Bruins likely didn’t like having a player speak out against a coach past or present, regardless of whether that coach was now behind the bench of a divisional rival.
Today another Boston forward has spoken up. In Joe Haggerty’s latest column for CSNNE, he relays that Frank Vatrano sounded very similar in his comments on a Boston radio show, saying that he “didn’t have the best relationship with Claude”. Vatrano doesn’t exactly speak ill of Julien, just that he feels much more comfortable with Bruce Cassidy his former coach with Providence and now bench boss of the NHL-Bruins. It’s showing on the ice, with Spooner and Vatrano combining for seven points in the last five games, which include four wins.
- When Pierre Dorion said that he’d hold out for a first-round pick before dealing Curtis Lazar, Senators fans rejoiced knowing that they wouldn’t be underselling their former 17th overall pick. Apparently the addition of the recently waived Jyrki Jokipakka was enough to sway Dorion, as he dealt Lazar (and Mike Kostka) to Calgary for a second-rounder and the defenseman. Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun believes that he made a huge error in sending the struggling Lazar out west, even claiming that in ten years Lazar would have likely been wearing the captain’s ‘C’ for Ottawa. While that seems unlikely, it is a good gamble for the Flames, who may have nabbed a future NHLer at his lowest value.
- It certainly won’t look like the same team in Montreal, even if many of the key parts remain. The Habs added size in a big way at the deadline, shipping out some of their undersized pieces for Hulk-sized players. As Eric Engels writes in his latest piece for Sportsnet, the team has definitely gotten harder to play against, if not more skilled at the same time. The Canadiens’ biggest (in terms of impact) acquisition might be Dwight King, who might actually have a little bit of offensive upside left in him. Once upon a time King used his huge frame as an effective power forward, even scoring 30 points in 2013-14. His bang-and-crash style will be brand new to Montreal, who will fit perfectly into Claude Julien’s approach.
Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Pacific Division
The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the upstart Pacific Division:
Winners
Anaheim Ducks:
- Acquired Patrick Eaves from Dallas Stars for conditional second-round pick
The Ducks had one real need at the deadline and that was another top six winger. By getting ahead of the market and making the deal for Eaves earlier this week, Anaheim was already a winner at the deadline. The conditional second-rounder, which can become a first, is a steep price. However, given that Eaves is having a career year, the market value had yet to be set, and the Ducks desperation had grown due to the Antoine Vermette suspension, they were right to swing a deal when they had the chance. It was a quiet deadline day in Anaheim, but this is still a team that could make a lot of noise down the stretch.
Arizona Coyotes:
- Acquired 2017 third-round pick and conditional 2018 fifth-round pick from Calgary Flames for Michael Stone
- Acquired 2017 first-round pick, 2018 second-round pick, conditional 2019 fourth-round pick, and Grayson Downing from Minnesota Wild for Martin Hanzal, Ryan White, and 2017 fourth-round pick
- Acquired Teemu Pulkkinen from Minnesota Wild for “future considerations”
- Acquired Joe Whitney from Colorado Avalanche for Brandon Ranford
The Coyotes messed up by not trading Radim Vrbata (and might have been able to get more for Stone), but put that aside and what they were able to get from the Minnesota Wild is pretty extraordinary. The team wanted to re-sign Hanzal, but when talks fell apart, it became a foregone conclusion that he would be moved. Yet, that inevitability never drove the prices down and the Wild ended up offering an amazing deal for the career Coyote. The Avalanche should take note because this is how you work the trade deadline as one the league’s worst teams. In exchange for impending free agents who were not coming back in Hanzal and Stone, Arizona ends up with five picks and two prospects (assuming, as it often does, that “future considerations” means nothing) and the team has suffered almost no loss. If GM John Chayka has decided to deal Vrbata, he likely would have added another pair of good picks to that mix, but as it stands, the Coyotes still did pretty well.
Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Atlantic Division
The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the neck-and-neck Atlantic Division:
Winners
Boston Bruins:
- Acquired Drew Stafford from Winnipeg Jets for conditional 2017 sixth-round pick
GM Don Sweeney did not want a repeat of 2016, when he gave up second, third, fourth, and fifth-round picks for Lee Stempniak and John-Michael Liles, only for the team to miss the playoffs. In 2017, he succeeded in bringing in a reliable depth player and goal-scorer, Stafford, without having to pay the price of a top pick or any of Boston’s numerous high-end prospects. Sweeney deserves credit for not panicking when his divisional rivals all began making multiple moves, holding to his word of not overpaying and eventually getting a last-minute deal done at a bargain price for a good player.
Detroit Red Wings:
- Acquired 2017 third-round pick from Chicago Blackhawks for Tomas Jurco
- Acquired 2017 third-round pick and 2018 second-round pick from New York Rangers for Brendan Smith
- Acquired 2018 sixth-round pick from Montreal Canadiens for Steve Ott
- Acquired 2017 third-round pick and Dylan McIlrath from Florida Panthers for Thomas Vanek
As hard as it is to imagine, the Red Wings are going to miss the playoffs and were in a complete fire sale at the deadline. For as long as it has been since they were in such a position, the team did pretty well. GM Ken Holland may have been able to get a better deal for Vanek earlier in the season, but getting two high picks for Smith and anything at all for Ott was nice maneuvering. The Red Wings in essence added five picks for four players that were unlikely to be on the team in 2017-18 anyway. Could they have dealt Riley Sheahan and Drew Miller too? Possibly, but they did enough as is.
Ottawa Sends Curtis Lazar To Calgary
The Ottawa Senators were hoping to get a better return for Curtis Lazar than a second-round pick, but it seems that offer never came. The Calgary Flames have acquired Lazar and Mike Kostka for their 2017 second-rounder and defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka.
After months of speculation due to an inferred poor fit and a drop-off in production, the Senators have finally moved on from their promising 21-year-old forward. Lazar was the 17th overall pick in 2013 and Ottawa had high hopes for his career. Lazar broke into the NHL in 2014-15 and over the past two seasons he accumulated 35 points in 141 games. However, 2016-17 has been a different story, as Lazar has hit a wall in his development and has struggled to fit in with the team’s system. He has just one assist in 33 games and Ottawa has been frustrated over his lack of production.
In a new location, especially with the speedy Flames, Lazar can still be a great player. Lazar has mostly played right wing in Ottawa, but prefers to play center, and Calgary has all lefties down the middle. Lazar, even if it’s not until 2017-18, should eventually slot in nicely as a right-handed center for the Flames who can keep up with their fast, skilled forwards. To give a talented young player a fresh start, an investment of a second-round pick and a young defenseman who has not worked out is certainly a good deal for Calgary and GM Brad Treliving. For Ottawa, they simply took the best offer they could get for a player who clearly needed to move on.