Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Eric Staal

Gaudreau Surgery Successful, Out Six Weeks

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After undergoing successful surgery on his broken finger, Johnny Gaudreau has been given a recovery timetable of six weeks, according to GM Brad Treliving. The speedy forward was injured on a slash from Minnesota forward Eric Staal in the third period of last night’s game.

A huge blow to the offensive hopes of a team reeling already, Gaudreau represented the best goal scoring option on the team. The 23-year old held out most of the offseason in a contract negotiation, before signing a massive six year, $40.5MM deal just prior to the start of the year. Coming off a 78 point season he and fellow youngster Sean Monahan were expected to form one of the league’s top duos and help Calgary get back to the playoffs.

Not so fast, as the Flames have struggled out of the gate and Gaudreau and Monahan had been split up for much of the year. Now facing more than a month without their sniper, they’ll look to other players to step up. Perhaps one of those will be Matthew Tkachuk, the sixth-overall pick from this year’s draft who has stepped into a bigger role recently. Another option is Kris Versteeg, who though injured at the moment is “close to returning” according to Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet. Versteeg provides some veteran experience that can play in any situation and slot into any of the top three lines if need be.

One thing is for sure, if the Flames are insistent on making it back to the playoffs this year, their team defense needs to get better. They’ve allowed a conference-worst 60 goals through 18 games, trailing only the Philadelphia Flyers for the league-wide lead.

Snapshots: Gaudreau, Staal, Ritchie, Fedotenko

at CDT | by 1 Comment

It went almost right down to the wire but eventually, the Calgary Flames and RW Johnny Gaudreau found common ground on a long-term arrangement. Given that the team was adamant Gaudreau’s new deal not exceed that recently signed by top defenseman Mark Giordano – $6.75MM annually – and the player’s insistence for a more lucrative pact, the two sides were able to bridge a sizable gap in relatively short order. According to Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun, it wasn’t until Gaudreau himself became active in the negotiations and realized the Flames offer was more than fair given the circumstances, that the deal was struck.

Because he only had two years of NHL experience, Gaudreau was not eligible for arbitration nor could he sign an offer sheet with another organization. Without these rights, Gaudreau’s leverage was severely limited. Gaudreau’s pact surpasses that recently reached with Sean Monahan and matches Giordano’s.

While Gaudreau may have backed off his salary demands somewhat, the Flames had to give in other areas as well to get the deal done. Gaudreau received a partial no-trade clause in the final year of the arrangement and the contract buys out only one year of unrestricted free agency. It was thought Calgary was pushing for a max contract of eight years but that would have bought out three seasons of free agency and likely would have justified a higher average annual salary demand.

As Francis notes, at the end of the day the Flames get one of the league’s best young talents and a cornerstone of their franchise under long-term contract for a price that shouldn’t hinder their salary cap flexibility. On the other hand Gaudreau gets a nice raise for a player with only two years of NHL experience and he will be eligible to test unrestricted free agency when he is 29-years-old.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Despite a disappointing 2015-16 campaign split between Carolina and the New York Rangers, Eric Staal was still expected to land a lucrative deal as one of the few free agents with a track record of top line offensive production. Surprisingly, Staal agreed to terms with the Minnesota Wild on a three-year deal worth $3.5MM annually; an AAV notably less than what he may have received elsewhere. But, as Mike Russo of the Star Tribune writes, it was more important for Staal to find the right fit than it was about landing a big contract. Staal: “I know I can be a very good player. So my focus July 1 [in free agency] was finding a fit where I’m going to be counted on, and get a chance and be on a team that’s going to win. This team is good enough to win and good enough to win now. I feel like this is almost the second part of my career, the start of the second half.” While the general consensus is that the soon-to-be-32-year-old Staal has slowed down, Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau doesn’t see it that way: “He can skate as fast as he ever did. Everybody told me he slowed down, yet every drill we do skating-wise, he’s led. His shot is the same, the way he handles the puck is the same, the way he practices has been tremendous. He’s a very smart person. Just a real pro.” Staal is expected to assume the top center slot with the Wild and will be counted on to help lead the way offensively.
  • The Anaheim Ducks boast a tremendous one-two punch in center Ryan Getzlaf and right wing Corey Perry. Over the years the Ducks have played the two stars together on the same line and while the duo has provided excellent production, the team has failed in numerous attempts to find the right skater to make the duo a trio. Patrick Maroon, Carl Hagelin and David Perron are just a few of the players the Ducks have employed on the left side of Getzlaf, but none managed to stick for long. But perhaps the team has finally found a long-term solution and as Eric Stephens of The Orange County Register writes, the young and talented Nick Ritchie views the opportunity to play on the same line as Getzlaf and Perry as a “privilege.” Ritchie, just 20, has tremendous size at 6-foot-2 and 232 pounds and enough skill to eventually develop into one of the league’s top power forwards. He debuted in the NHL in 2015-16, netting just two goals and four points in 33 games but if he can first earn, then keep his spot on the top line, he’s likely to have a more successful sophomore campaign.
  • Veteran winger Ruslan Fedotenko announced his official retirement following a 12-year NHL career, per a release on the NHLPA website. Fedetenko bounced around the league, spending time with five different organizations and winning two Stanley Cups. In 863 career contests, Fedotenko potted 173 goals and tallied 366 points to go along with 472 penalty minutes. While he hasn’t appeared in an NHL game since 2012-13, Fedetenko attempted a comeback this past season, signing with the Minnesota Wild. He would play in 29 games for the Wild’s AHL affiliate in Iowa, scoring three goals and seven points. Fedotenko may be best remembered for scoring both goals in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2 – 1 Stanley Cup-clinching game seven win in 2004 over Calgary.

2016-17 Season Preview: New York Rangers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After back-to-back Eastern Conference Final berths and a trip to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, the New York Rangers stumbled this past season, dropping their first-round playoff series to the eventual Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins in five games. The Blueshirts embarked on a summer of retooling with the hope the remaining core has enough gas left in the tank to propel the team on another long playoff run. With the season set to start in less than a week, we’ll soon how the changes made play out on the ice.

Last Season: 46 – 27 – 9, 101 points, third in the Metro Division. Lost in the first-round of the playoffs.

Remaining Cap Space: $2.95MM per Cap Friendly.

Key Newcomers: Mika Zibanejad (Trade – Ottawa); Jimmy Vesey (UFA – Harvard); Josh Jooris (UFA – Calgary); Michael Grabner (UFA – Toronto); Brandon Pirri (UFA – Anaheim); Nick Holden (Trade – Colorado)

Key Departures: Derick Brassard (Trade – Ottawa); Eric Staal (UFA – Minnesota); Dominic Moore (UFA – Boston); Keith Yandle (Trade – Florida); Dan Boyle (Retirement)

[Related: New York Rangers depth chart via Roster Resource]

Players to Watch: Dan Girardi and Marc Staal. The Rangers have for years relied on Girardi and Staal to provide steady play from the back end but last season was a tough one for both blue liners. Henrik Lundqvist faced more High Danger Shots Against (HDSA) than any other goalie in the league, averaging better than one additional HDSA-per-game than Braden Holtby, who was #2. At least part of that was due to the lackluster play of Girardi and Staal and in particular, their struggles in the puck possession department.

While Girardi has never been a strong possession player, not finishing with a CF% above 50% in eight seasons, Staal posted a CF% of 54.3% as recently as 2013-14. It’s possible the wear and tear from years of blocking shots and playing 20-plus minutes every night against the opposition’s best players has simply caught up to the 32-year-old Girardi but there is at least a chance Staal can again be a reliable defender.

It’s fair to note that Girardi battled injuries for much of the 2015-16 campaign, including a cracked knee cap which he played with through the second half of the season. He’s said to be fully healthy – perhaps for the first time in several seasons – and with a long offseason of rest and recuperation, Girardi feels he can again be a solid shutdown blue liner.

The Blue Shirts have $11.2MM tied up annually in the two defensemen and much of the reason the team avoided big money free agent deals was the lack of flexibility due to the Staal and Girardi contracts. Those deals also make it practically impossible for GM Jeff Gorton to move either player, likely meaning that barring a contract buyout, the Rangers will be forced to sink or swim with the two defenders playing big minutes. For the team to have a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup, they need much better performances from Girardi and Staal.

Key Storyline: Defense, defense and again, defense. Gorton did a tremendous job with limited resources injecting youth and speed into the lineup but was unable to upgrade the talent on defense. Henrik Lundqvist is still playing at an elite level and the offense figures again to be a top-10 unit – they finished seventh overall in goals scored in 2015-16. But if the defense continues to allow the opposition too many high quality scoring chances on a nightly basis, none of that will matter. Partially due to salary cap constraints, the Rangers were unable to land a defensive upgrade on the free agent market and in fact were forced to trade Yandle, who many felt was the team’s best defenseman last season, because they could not afford to re-sign him.

Perhaps a healthy Girardi and a rested Staal will be better in 2016-17. Maybe head coach Alain Vigneault and new assistant Jeff Beukeboom can tweak the defensive system to provide additional help to his blue liners. But without major improvements in the play on the back end, it’s likely the Rangers will again come up short in their quest for the Stanley Cup.

Players Changing Positions Up Front In 2016-17

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Often, players around the league will be thrust into new situations and responsibilities because of injury or ineffectiveness on the part of someone else. Sometimes they thrive in this new role, and sometimes they just can’t quite make it work.  Here are a few players who will be changing roles this season:

Dylan Larkin – Moving to C – As Ansar Khan of Mlive writes in his latest column, the Red Wings are looking for an answer down the middle after the departure of Pavel Datsyuk to the KHL. Larkin, originally drafted as a centerman out of the US development program, will be moved back to the position for the upcoming year.

In his own words, he’s “going to have to work on faceoffs and little details that are going make me a better player all around and better in the defensive zone.” Indeed, if the Red Wings want to replace Datsyuk’s excellent two-way game, Larkin will need to concentrate on the defensive end a little bit more. He clearly has all the talent to make it work offensively.

William Nylander – Moving to W – In a case of the opposite transition, Nylander of the Maple Leafs is preparing to play much of this season on the wing of Auston Matthews, a pair that head coach Mike Babcock wants to keep together for a while to see if he can create some chemistry. While Babcock admits that Nylander may still take some draws on the right side, he won’t have to be as responsible for the defensive side of the centering a line – something that he struggled with last season.

Another possible Maple Leafs candidate for the transition is Mitch Marner, the uber-prospect who some think is too small to play center in the NHL. If he makes the squad, he’d be hard pressed to knock one of Matthews, Nazem Kadri or Tyler Bozak out of that role, leading to a potential pairing with one of them to start his young career.

Tomas Hertl – Moving to C – While this one actually happened midway through last season, it’s important to note that Hertl will be coming into this camp as a center, and will be pushed to develop and stay at the spot.  He’s spent much of his career thus far on Joe Thornton’s wing, but will now be a big piece of the Sharks down the middle. Even on the third line, Hertl can provide impact with his blazing speed and nifty offensive hands; if he’s to become a future first line centerman though, he’ll have to develop the defensive game just like Larkin.

Mikael Granlund – Moving to W – Another player who made the switch late last year, Granlund excelled on the wing and impressed GM Chuck Fletcher so much that he’ll be moved there again this year. The Wild’s signing of Eric Staal makes sure of that, as they now have a handful of centers that could suit up on the top two lines. Granlund will be allowed to focus on his offense, something that the Wild think will do him wonders. The 24-year old has provided strong play-making ability in his short career, racking up 101 assists in 240 games; from the wing, perhaps he’ll be able to build on his career-high goal total of 13 last season.

Snapshots: Rangers, Bolland, Flyers, Rust, Sheary, Kuhnhackl

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New York Rangers directed much of their offseason focus to building up quality depth at the forward position, adding free agents Michael Grabner, Josh Jooris, Nathan Gerbe and Jimmy Vesey while also acquiring center Mika Zibanejad via trade. However, besides deepening their forward group, another intended consequence of their moves was to get younger across the board, as Steve Zipay of Newsday notes.

The team dealt 29-year-old pivot Derick Brassard to get the 23-year-old Zibanejad while also waving goodbye to free agent centers Eric Staal, 31, and Dominic Moore, 36. New York will be adding the 23-year-old Vesey to its lineup and expect Pavel Buchnevich, 21, to make a run at a regular role up front.

On the back end, 40-year-old Dan Boyle opted for retirement while the Rangers were forced to trade the rights to Keith Yandle for salary cap reasons. In their places, the Rangers acquired 29-year-old Nick Holden and will give 22-year-old former first-round pick Brady Skjei every opportunity to win a spot in the top-four.

All told, the team shaved about 2 1/2 years off the average age of the players on their roster from a year ago. Whether or not this infusion of youth will manifest into a deep playoff run after a disappointing first-round exit this past season remains to be seen, of course.

More notes from around the NHL:

  • As expected, Arizona’s Dave Bolland failed his physical and will be placed on LTIR to start the season, tweets Craig Morgan of AZ Sports. Bolland, who was acquired from Florida along with prospect Lawson Crouse in a deal motivated largely by finances, appeared in just 25 contests last season with Florida. Back and ankle problems will keep the veteran forward off the ice for the foreseeable future and could jeopardize his playing career. Bolland is due $5.5MM over each of the next three seasons but if placed on LTIR the Coyotes would be able to clear the cap hit from the books. Additionally, since the contract is insured, the club will only have to pay out $1.1MM in actual cash with insurance covering the balance.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers, under general manager Ron Hextall, have assembled one of the best prospect pools in the NHL and a few of those kids will have a chance to earn a roster spot this season, as Dave Isaac writes in his preview of three potential roster battles. Hextall was quoted as saying that, “whoever comes in, has to come in and make us a better team.” Isaac mentions that blue liner Ivan Provorov has the skill to make the Flyers better but also acknowledges it won’t necessarily be easy to beat out one of the veterans already on the roster. Up front, Isaac suggests Travis Konecny, who like Provorov was a first-round draft choice in 2015, could make the club as a bottom-six forward. Konecny potted 30 goals and tallied 71 assists last season in the OHL, splitting the campaign between the Ottawa 67’s and the Sarnia Sting.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins impressive run down the stretch of the regular season coincided with the promotion of three relatively unheralded young players. Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes how just 12 months ago Conor Sheary, Bryan Rust and Tom Kuhnhackl were three rookies eager to make a good impression in training camp. Now a year later they are Stanley Cup champions with each having played a role in Pittsburgh’s dominant run through the postseason. The trio contributed 12 goals and 24 points during the playoffs while adding speed and tenacity to the lineup for the Penguins. As they enter what would be their first full seasons in the NHL, each player hopes to prove they can play at a consistent level throughout an 82-game schedule.

2016-17 Season Preview: Minnesota Wild

at CDT | by 2 Comments

As the NHL season is now less than a month away, we continue our look at each team’s offseason and preview the upcoming year. Today, we focus on the Minnesota Wild.

Last Season: 38-33-11 record (87 points), 5th in the Central Division.  Lost 4-2 to Dallas in Round 1.

Remaining Cap Space: $2.1MM as per Cap Friendly

Key Newcomers: D Victor Bartley (free agency, Montreal), Head Coach Bruce Boudreau, W Chris Stewart (free agency, Anaheim), C Eric Staal (free agency, NY Rangers)

Key Departures: RW Justin Fontaine (PTO, Florida), RW David Jones (free agency, unsigned), C Chris Porter (PTO, St. Louis), C Jarret Stoll (PTO, Columbus), Head Coach John Torchetti (was the interim coach last season), RW Thomas Vanek (buyout, Detroit)

[Related: Wild Depth Chart from Roster Resource]

Player to Watch: C Mikael Granlund: Over the last three seasons, Granlund has been a quality secondary player but has yet to take that next big step forward into a true core piece for the franchise.  On the international stage, he is routinely one of Finland’s go-to players but he hasn’t been consistent enough to be one regularly in Minnesota.

With a new coach and system (more on that momentarily), the chance is there for Granlund to take those next steps and become a core player up front.  If he needs any more motivation, he’s heading into the second and final year of a bridge deal that carries a salary of $3.2MM and a cap hit of $3MM.  This is his big chance to prove that he’s worthy of a long-term, big money contract, not to mention a bigger role on the team.

He may have to spend some time on the wing this season (with Mikko Koivu and newcomer Eric Staal also at center) but if he does, he should at least still be in a top six role on a regular basis.  The opportunity is there for Granlund; can he take advantage of it?

Key Storyline: The Wild have historically been known as a defense-first team dating back to the days of Jacques Lemaire as head coach.  Even in recent years with different coaches behind the bench, that still has been the case as the team has finished in the top half in NHL scoring just once since Lemaire left following the 2008-09 campaign.

Expect things to be different with Bruce Boudreau behind the bench.  His teams have a penchant for being in the top-10 in goals scored and he preaches more of an up-tempo system, something Minnesota hasn’t utilized much in recent years.  Will that style of play help get veteran players like Staal, Zach Parise, and Jason Pominville back to the numbers they have shown themselves to be capable of producing?  If that happens without hurting the team too much at the defensive end while youngsters like Granlund and Nino Niederreiter continue to improve, this is a team capable of surprising in the West.

Carolina’s Jordan Staal Talks About The Upcoming Season

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Although he just turned 28 earlier this month, Jordan Staal has nearly 700 NHL games under his belt and is one of the most experienced players for the Hurricanes heading into 2016-17.  He spoke with 99.9 The Fan ESPN Radio over the weekend to talk about the upcoming season.  Adam Gold of WRALSportsFan transcribed some of the highlights:

On not having his brother (Eric) around for the first time in Jordan’s tenure with Carolina:

“I’ve always had Eric five minutes down the road here, so for him not to be here, especially for my wife and kids, it’s different….it’s definitely a new chapter for our families, but that’s the way it goes sometimes and we’ll move forward.”

Eric Staal was dealt to the Rangers (where one of his other brothers, Marc Staal) plays prior to the trade deadline last season.  He moved on to Minnesota this summer, inking a three year, $10.5MM deal with the Wild that could turn into one of the better bargains of the offseason if he can show signs of returning to his past form.

On how he has changed since being acquired by the team:

“I’m much stronger mentally. There are still times when I beat myself up a little too much, and that impacts my game negatively, but I’m getting better at that. It’s always a work-in-progress.”

Staal was acquired by Carolina back at the 2012 draft for a package that yielded the Penguins defensemen Brian Dumoulin and Derrick Pouliot as well as center Brandon Sutter.

Read more

Metro Notes: Tavares, Capuano, Bednar, Rangers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

John Tavares is undoubtedly one of the top players in the game today, but even the best athletes work hard every day to improve their game. Arthur Staple of Newsday writes about what Tavares is doing this summer to try to avoid the lengthy slumps in production he experienced during parts of the 2015-16 campaign.

Tavares tied for 10th in the NHL in goals with 33 so it’s not as if his performance should be described as disappointing. But this summer he’s implemented a new workout schedule trying to find ways to stay fresher during the rigors of a long regular season. Tavares offered up this explanation for the change:

“I got sick really early in the season and I felt like I was overcoming some fatigue a little bit still after that. I just tried to manage this summer a little differently, making sure I got some really good recovery, some really good rest. I actually started training pretty early but I didn’t kick it into high gear for a little while. I tried to be on the ice a bit more, but just tried to make sure my quality was really high, that I didn’t try to do too much. So just to change up some things, stay fresh, stay healthy, work on some things you want to improve on in your game.”

Within the same post, Staple relays comments from head coach Jack Capuano, who wants his defensemen to generate more offense this season. Even though the team’s blue liners finished the 2015-16 season with nearly as many points as the previous season, Capuano felt the unit simply wasn’t as “dynamic” as they were the year before.

The Islanders did see a drop off in overall team goal scoring, falling from 252 goals in 2015-16 to 232 this past campaign. If Capuano can find a way to squeeze more production from his blue line corps, they should return to being one of the more prolific offenses in the league.

Elsewhere in the Metro……

  • Despite suggestions that the New York Rangers would be among the busiest teams in the league this offseason, the club’s foray into free agency was minimal with Michael Grabner and Jimmy Vesey – who represented a unique case – being the only outside free agents to be given multiyear deals. On the trade front, the team did move top-line pivot center Derrick Brassard but acquired a suitable long-term replacement in Mika Zibanejad in exchange. For a team that has been in “go-for-it” mode for the last several years and consequently moved a ton of futures in deals to acquire veteran players – such as Martin St. Louis, Eric Staal and Keith Yandle – this summer has been strangely devoid of blockbuster acquisitions. But as Matt Larkin of The Hockey News writes, the team’s philosophy this summer was to inject youth and speed into the lineup and it appears general manager Jeff Gorton has been able to do so without making the kind of splashy moves expected.
  • The Colorado Avalanche hired Jared Bednar this week to be the team’s new head coach, filling the void created when Patrick Roy abruptly resigned from his post. Bednar was formerly employed by the Blue Jackets organization and had been the head coach of the team’s AHL affiliate the last two seasons. But as Terry Frei of the Denver Post notes, Bednar was not the only candidate with Columbus ties that the Avalanche considered for their coaching vacancy. Frei points out that current Colorado assistant general manager, Chris MacFarland, formerly held the same position for Columbus. Part of his responsibility with the Blue Jackets was overseeing the team’s minor league organizations which would have put him in direct contact with Bednar. Additionally, the Avalanche interviewed Bob Boughner, who spent a single season as an assistant in Columbus while MacFarland was employed with the club. Scott Arniel, who was head coach in Columbus for a year-and-a-half, and current Blue Jackets assistant Brad Larsen were also both considered to some level for the job.

Minnesota Wild Notes: Boudreau, Staal, Tuch

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Pro Hockey Talk continues their run through the NHL, each day covering a different team. Today the Minnesota Wild are in the cross-hairs as Joey Alfieri of NBC Sports reviews Minnesota’s summer and previews the upcoming campaign for the Wild.

Alfieri highlights the hiring of former Washington Capital and Anaheim Duck head coach Bruce Boudreau to replace John Torchetti behind the Minnesota bench. He cites Boudreau’s past regular season success and suggests establishing a “winning culture” is the first order of business for the new coach.

Despite his postseason failures, the primary reason he was relieved of his duties in Anaheim, Boudreau is still an excellent coach and is well respected throughout the league. His teams generally excel in the puck possession department and have always played a solid two-way style. The Ducks got off to a slow start last season and it was rumored the team was considering making a mid-season change behind the bench before Boudreau was able to right the ship. Ultimately the Ducks would come all the way back to win the Pacific Division regular season crown but were eliminated by Nashville in the first round of the playoffs. It marked the second, first-round playoff exit in Boudreu’s four full seasons at the helm in Anaheim.

Minnesota is an interesting team in that they have enough talent to be considered a solid contender to qualify for the postseason, yet maybe not enough to realistically challenge for a Cup. They are also not bad enough to miss the playoffs altogether. Consequently they don’t have the resources to dramatically improve the roster to compete today but are also not in a position to add high impact young talent through the draft to build for the future. Hiring Boudreau has an excellent chance of paying off in the short term as he should be able to guide the team to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive campaign. Once the postseason begins, though, all bets are off.

  • The biggest offseason player acquisition for Minnesota came in the form of free agent signee Eric Staal. Alfieri calls the three-year, $10.5MM deal Staal received from Minnesota “team friendly,” and while it was expected he would receive more lucrative offers on the open market, it’s important to note the veteran pivot posted his worst season since his rookie campaign back in 2003-04. Staal scored just 13 goals and 39 points while playing 83 regular season games – 63 with Carolina and 20 for the New York Rangers. He is still expected to center a scoring line for Minnesota and even if $3.5MM annually is a relatively small sum for a top-six forward, the Wild will need more production out of Staal if they wish to compete in the Central Division.
  • In a separate post for Pro Hockey Talk, Jason Brough identifies young RW Alex Tuch as one of the team’s few top prospects and a player who could compete for a roster spot this season. Tuch, 20, is listed at 6’4″ and 220 pounds and was the Wild’s first round selection (18th overall) in the 2014 draft. He played two seasons with Boston College and scored 32 goals in 77 NCAA games skating for the Eagles. Brough believes Tuch is most likely destined to open the season playing for Iowa in the AHL but he also notes the big winger could conceivably make the team with a strong camp. The club did sign a similar player in Chris Stewart, to a two-year contract which should make him a presumptive favorite to beat out Tuch for a roster spot should it come down to a competition between the two.

Snapshots: MacArthur, Scheifele, Staal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After missing most of last season due to concussion troubles, Ottawa left winger Clarke MacArthur is completely healthy, GM Pierre Dorion told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

MacArthur was expected to be a keg cog for the Senators last season, fresh off signing a five year, $23.25MM contract (a $4.65MM AAV).  However, recurring symptoms prevented him from playing in all but four games last year, where he was held pointless while averaging just 10:52 per night.  Dorion expects that a healthy MacArthur will bring a lot more balance to Ottawa’s lineup.

“He’s the piece we missed the most last year. We missed his on-ice presence, we missed his off-ice presence. Having a healthy Clarke MacArthur from Day 1 — who could have played last year he had clearance from the doctors —will be a big thing for us. It solidifies our top six and it solidifies our top nine…”

In his previous two seasons with the Senators, MacArthur was a key contributor in their top six, picking up 40 goals and 51 assists in 141 games.  It’s likely that he will reprise his role inside the top six, potentially alongside newcomer Derick Brassard.

[Related: Senators’ Depth Chart]

More tidbits from around the hockey world:

  • Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele will be under a lot more pressure in 2016-17, notes Pro Hockey Talk’s Cam Tucker. Not only has Scheifele made considerable improvements in each season, which has vaulted him into the discussion to be their top center, he’s also beginning the first season of a new eight year, $49MM contract he signed last month.  On top of that, he’s also expected to be in the discussion to replace Andrew Ladd (who signed with the Islanders) as the Jets’ new captain.  Scheifele has largely been under the radar in his NHL career but that’s likely to change next season.
  • Many expected that the Wild would have to trade one of their young defensemen this offseason to bring in a core top six center. Instead, GM Chuck Fletcher opted to go for more of a short-term fix with the addition of Eric Staal, a decision that was largely made to keep their blueline corps intact, writes Dan Myers of NHL.com.   Staal is expected to start next season alongside Zach Parise who played a part in recruiting the 31 year old to Minnesota.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top