Atlantic Notes: Pastrnak, Karlsson, Brassard, Athanasiou
While the Bruins and unsigned winger David Pastrnak remain far apart on money, Pastrnak’s agent J.P. Barry told Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald that they are both in agreement on discussing a maximum eight-year term. Prior reports have suggested that the team is offering around $6MM per year while Pastrnak’s camp is looking for something closer to the $8.5MM that Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl signed for earlier this offseason so there is still quite a gap to bridge financially. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun adds (Twitter link) that there were lengthy discussions between the two sides today.
More from the Atlantic:
- There remains no timeline for Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson to resume skating as he continues his recovery from foot surgery back in June, reports Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. At the time of the procedure, the expected recovery time was four months. As a result, his availability for the season opener a month from now against Washington is now in question.
- Another Senators player recovering from offseason surgery is center Derick Brassard, who told Postmedia’s Ken Warren that he feels that his recovery is ahead of schedule. The 29-year-old went under the knife to repair a torn labrum on June 6th with an expected recovery time of four-to-five months. He doesn’t expect team doctors to clear him for contact until at least the four-month mark which makes it unlikely that he’ll play in the opener on October 5th.
- There’s “nothing new” on contract talks between the Red Wings and RFA winger Andreas Athanasiou, GM Ken Holland told Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Meanwhile, Athanasiou’s agent Darren Ferris told reporters that the KHL has “moved to more of a probability at this time”. James notes that AK Bars Kazan in the KHL has a one-year offer worth between $2.5MM-$3MM while the Red Wings are coming in at two years at around $1.9MM. It wouldn’t be surprising if Detroit’s PTO deal for P.A. Parenteau from earlier today came about with the uncertainty surrounding Athanasiou’s situation.
Morning Notes: Jets, Karlsson, Horvat
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is hearing that there are incoming extensions for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and head coach Paul Maurice, keeping the duo in Winnipeg for the next few years. The Jets came closer to the playoffs than many remember last year, finishing ninth in the Western Conference with 87 points. With a young group of forwards led by Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, the Jets will be a tough contender in the battle for the playoffs once again. With Steve Mason in net, perhaps they’ll finally get the goaltending required to take the next step.
In terms of Cheveldayoff, his biggest task in the near future could once again be Jacob Trouba. After a holdout last season that leaked into November and came with a trade demand, Trouba eventually signed a two-year $6MM contract with the Jets and went on to have an excellent season in an increased role. Trouba’s complaints were mostly about playing time and future, and it seems that he’s now passed Tyler Myers on the depth chart in Winnipeg. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s enough to get Trouba to sign a long-term deal next summer, or if the young defenseman again wants out of town.
- Erik Karlsson hasn’t resumed skating according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, and still isn’t sure if he’ll be ready for opening day. Karlsson underwent surgery on his foot and ankle in June and was given a four month timeline for recovery. Karlsson is part of the media tour for the NHL and NHLPA’s Declaration of Principals, which hope to help establish guidelines for inclusivity from minor hockey to the professional ranks. Dan Rosen of NHL.com has the entire Declaration, which apparently was the brainchild of Pat Lafontaine and Luc Robitaille after a trip to the Vatican. The announcement even included a letter from the Pope endorsing the program.
- Bob McKenzie of TSN returned from his summer vacation to give us a bit of information on the ongoing Bo Horvat negotiations. He believes the two sides are closing in on a deal, and speculates it would be in the range of six or seven years at a salary between $5-6MM. We’ve heard that the Vancouver Canucks and Horvat have discussed everything from a bridge deal to an eight-year contract, with the latter seeming less likely. Horvat is one of several high profile free agents left to sign, but there never seemed to be much doubt that a contract would eventually be signed.
Central Notes: Subban, Josi, Ellis, Steen, Fabbri
Proving that defense is the key to a Stanley Cup Finals run, the NHL Network released its list of top 20 defensemen in the NHL and the Nashville Predators were stocked full of them. They had the most blueliners on the list, including P.K. Subban (#6), Roman Josi (#7) and Ryan Ellis (#19).
Subban, coming off his first year with the Predators after being traded from Montreal, had a solid season even though his numbers dropped from his previous three years with the Canadiens. Subban finished with 10 goals and 30 assists for the year, but made the all-star team and proved to be a pest to every team’s top scorers.
Josi’s season was also down from previous years, but his numbers also stood out with 12 goals and 37 assists, giving him three straight years with 49 points or more. Ellis leaped into the spotlight this year as he took his game to another level this year with a career high in goals with 16. He also had 11 power play points, three game-winning goals and led the team with 137 blocked shots.
Of course, Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson was first on the list, but only a couple other teams had more than one player on the top-20 list. With the addition of Kevin Shattenkirk (#15), the New York Rangers had two defensemen on the list with Ryan McDonagh at #17. The Calgary Flames also boasted two blueliners in the top 20, Dougie Hamilton (#16) and Mark Giordano (#18).
- In his final column, the St. Louis Post Dispatch’s Jim Rutherford writes that while the talk is that Alex Steen has regressed over the past couple of years, he believes that the 33-year-old wing has been cast in the wrong role. He believes that Steen’s 33-goal season in 2013-14 was an anomaly and he should not be considered as a 30-goal scorer. If looked at from a 20-goal scoring point of view, Steen’s numbers (33 goals in the last two seasons) make more sense.
- Rutherford in the same piece adds that he does not believe any of the Blues top prospects, Klim Kostin, Jordan Kyrou or Tage Thompson, have much of a chance of breaking with the Blues after training camp. He said Kostin is still recovering from an injury and just moved to the U.S. a couple of months ago. Kyrou is ticketed to go back to his junior team, while Thompson struggled adjusting to the AHL.
- Rutherford adds that Robby Fabbri is expected to be ready for training camp after tearing his ACL. He believes he will start the season off as the team’s center, but if the team is not scoring enough, he could easily see Fabbri forced to move back to the wing position.
Senators Passed Up Chance To Unload Ryan
One of the few players who was heavily anticipated to become a Vegas Golden Knight did not – Bobby Ryan. Despite an above-average playoff performance in the Senators’ heartbreaking Conference Final run, Ryan has vastly under-performed relative to his contract. Instead of coordinating a deal to unload that contract to Vegas, they instead lost Marc Methot, perhaps the second best defenseman on the team in that Cinderella story. Methot’s contract was not perfect, to be sure, but Ryan’s deal still looms large over the team for years.
It should be noted that Ryan has been a consistent 50+ point producer prior to this season, where he tallied only 25 through 62 contests. He’s been on pace for over 50 every year since he was a rookie. That said, his fall from grace in 2016-17was concerning and dramatic. His puck control seriously declined, his decision making faltered, and his production took a nosedive. With only 12 goals, and coming off a hot post-season, the time was ripe for GM Pierre Dorion to take advantage of Vegas’ unique situation and rid himself of a bad contract. Earning $7.25 MM AAV for the next five seasons, Ryan is the 36th highest paid forward in the league, and second-highest on the payroll behind Erik Karlsson.
For those who believe such an arrangement could not have been worked out, merely look at some of the contracts Vegas did take on. The essentially retired David Clarkson‘s $5.25 MM for the next 3 seasons was shipped out at the price of a first and a 2020 second. The perennially concussed Mikhail Grabovski was dealt for a similar package, which also protected some of the Islanders’ players. Vegas also didn’t shy away from taking veteran players with value – they selected James Neal (29 years old) from Nashville as well as David Perron from the Blues (29 years old). Certainly, with a little encouragement, George McPhee might have entertained the possibility of Ryan as a Knight. The price may have been steep, but Karlsson is in the prime of his career, while many players are looking for raises in the immediate future. Clearing Ryan’s albatross off the books may have gone a long way towards building toward a consistent contender.
Ultimately, Dorion decided against unloading a bloated contract in hopes that Ryan’s post-season revival was no mirage. With the UFA crop available, it’s difficult to blame the management for doubling down on the struggling winger. Five roster players will be UFA after this season, including Craig Anderson and Kyle Turris, while Mark Stone (RFA) has earned a raise. Karlsson will then be due a raise for 2019-20, as will five other forwards. The team will need to rely upon cost-effective ELC players and bargain contracts to continue holding pace with the rest of the Atlantic division. Only time will tell whether the Ryan decision was the correct one.
Draft Notes: Suzuki, Makar, Hischier, Patrick
The Hockey News’ Ryan Kennedy believes that Owen Sound’s Nick Suzuki could very well be the steal of the draft. Suzuki, who has seen explosive growth in his draft stock, scored 96 points (45-51) in 65 games. Suzuki passes the standard and advanced stats test for many. Kennedy writes:
Scouts love his skill and his compete level. What’s even more intriguing is that, by advanced stats that I have seen, Suzuki was the best possession forward in the entire draft class – better than Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier by a mile.
NHL.com’s Mike Morreale writes that NHL Central Scouting tagged Suzuki as the tenth best prospect in North America, while scout Matt Ryan regards Suzuki as a “consistent prospect” who continuously improved as the season went on. Ryan also notes that had one of the “toughest schedule against the toughest competition,” and still managed to produce eye popping numbers and performances. While there are a glut of centers primed to be taken in the top ten, it would not be shocking to see Suzuki crack the top ten.
- Could Cale Makar be the first overall pick? The Calgary Herald’s Wes Gilbertson reports that one scout who spoke to TSN’s Bob McKenzie said he would take Makar first overall if he had that pick. Gilbertson writes that the “smooth skating” defenseman won’t be waiting long in Chicago for his name to be called, and that 27 teams were interested in talking to him at the NHL scouting combine. Picks in the top ten will be heavy with defensemen and centers, and Makar appears to be one who could have his name called as early as the top three. Some scouts have even compared him to Erik Karlsson, who was the fifteenth pick overall in the 2008 NHL draft. Adding more to this theory, ESPN Insider Corey Pronman predicts that Makar will be selected by New Jersey at number one instead of Hischier or Patrick.
- On the topic of Hischier and Patrick, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi adds to the speculation that the Devils could very well take a defenseman at #1, which would give the Flyers the first crack at the two centers. Carchidi writes, however, that neither center cares who goes first. Both players had dinner with Flyers GM Ron Hextall in separate gatherings, and Patrick believes he is fully recovered from the injuries he fought through during the 2016-17 season. Regardless of who they pick, the Flyers will sit pretty should the Devils take a defenseman and leave two prized centermen for Philadelphia.
NHL Awards Preview
Caught up in the excitement of the Expansion Draft, it’s easy to forget that there is also an awards show tonight. Yes, the best trophy in all of sports, the Stanley Cup, has already been presented to the Pittsburgh Penguins, as has the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP to their captain, Sidney Crosby. Crosby also already locked up the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for the most regular season goals. Edmonton Oilers wunderkind Connor McDavid captured the Art Ross Trophy for the most regular season points as well. Braden Holtby locked up the William M. Jennings Trophy already too, as the Washington Capitals allowed the least amount of goals against in the regular season. Yet, all three of these players and many more still have a lot on the line tonight. Here are the nominees for tonight’s NHL Awards:
Hart Trophy – Most Valuable Player
Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Star goalie helped to lead the Blue Jackets to their best record in franchise history, all while topping the league in save percentage (.931) and goals against average (2.06)
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
- The NHL’s leading goal-scorer and back-to-back winner of the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
- 20-year-old phenom led the league in points and assists and took his team from the draft lottery to the second round of the playoffs
Norris Trophy – Best Defenseman
Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks
- Not only led all defenseman in scoring with 76 points, but finished ninth overall among some of the league’s most dynamic forwards. Can check with the best of them as well.
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
- A down year for the Bolts was a career year for Hedman, who finished just four points behind Burns with 72, and led all blue liners with 56 assists
Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators
- If this award had been voted on after the playoffs, it might have been a different result. The NHL’s best puck-mover may still pull it off behind a 71-point campaign and an improved defensive game
Erik Karlsson Undergoes Surgery, Given Four Month Timeline
As expected, the Ottawa Senators announced today that captain Erik Karlsson underwent surgery to repair torn tendons in his left foot, and will now face a recovery period of four months. While the team states they are “hopeful that Erik will be fully recovered and healthy to start the 2017-18 regular season,” his training camp and season opener are seriously in doubt. A full four months would put his return in the middle of October, likely a few days after the start of the season.
Luckily, the superstar defenseman should be healed for Ottawa’s journey to Sweden during next season. The team will face off against the Colorado Avalanche in mid-November, games which Karlsson was extremely excited about when announced. More importantly maybe for the Senators, is that he won’t miss a bigger chunk of the season. He’s clearly their top player, and his absence is extremely noticeable when he’s not in the lineup.
The 27-year old Karlsson is a finalist for the Norris trophy once again as the league’s top defenseman, an award he has already won twice in his relatively short career. The runner-up last season, he is up against Victor Hedman and Brent Burns this year, both of whom eclipsed him in total points. Karlsson also amazingly got a third place vote for the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP, despite his team being eliminated in the Conference Finals and playing with the torn tendons.
With just two years remaining on his current contract, Karlsson’s name will highlight next offseason as the Senators attempt to keep him for his entire career. A record-setting extension among defensemen isn’t out of the question, as he’ll be just 29 when he’s due for free agency and likely still one of the best players in the league.
Keith Yandle, Dion Phaneuf Asked To Waive No-Movement Clauses
With the Expansion Draft fast approaching, many players are expected to be approached themselves about waiving the No-Movement clauses attached to their contracts as their teams look to strategically navigate the strict expansion process. In his weekly “30 Thoughts” article posted this afternoon, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman states that he has heard that two big-name defenseman, Dion Phaneuf and Keith Yandle, have already been asked for such a waiver by their respective teams.
The news on Phaneuf is not unexepected; in fact many people have suspected all season long that the Ottawa Senators may ask the veteran to waive his No-Movement clause. The Senators have too much forward depth to apply the eight-skater protection scheme for the Expansion Draft and must instead use the 7-3 scheme. Thus, only three Ottawa defenseman can be protected. All-world blue liner Erik Karlsson is an obvious lock and presumably the other two spots would go to shutdown two-way man Marc Methot and young Cody Ceci if Phaneuf does choose to waive. If he doesn’t, the Sens would face a difficult choice between the two or would be forced into striking a trade over the next week. Phaneuf’s situation is interesting in that he actually outscored Ceci and Methot combined in 2016-17 and he has was more or less a complete success in his first full season in Ottawa, capped off by a strong playoff. The ideal scenario for Ottawa is to retain all three defenseman, but after the season that Phaneuf had, as well as his status as a well-known player, it could entice the Golden Knights and a waiver could mean the Senators end up losing their second-best defenseman. On the other hand, exposing Ceci, and to some extent Methot, would almost ensure losing either of them as well.
The situation with Yandle is a much bigger story. The Florida Panthers acquired Yandle’s negotiating rights from the New York Rangers around this time last year and inked him to a massive seven-year, $44.45MM contract. Yandle bypassed free agency and potentially more money to become the long-term partner of Calder-winner Aaron Ekblad and, at age 30, seemed poised to be a Panther for the rest of his career. Now it seems that might not be true. After just one year, Florida appears open to moving on from Yandle. The Panthers face a difficult expansion scenario on defense with, like the Senators, too many promising forwards to protect four defenseman. Even if they could, Florida would really like to protect five: Ekblad, Yandle, Jason Demers, another 2016 free agency splurge, and young play-makers Alex Petrovic and Mark Pysyk. All five defenseman meet the number of games needed (40 this past season or 70 over the past two seasons) to qualify for the one-defenseman exposure quota, but Petrovic and Pysyk are impending restricted free agents and the other half of the exposure criteria is term remaining on a contract. Thus, only Ekblad, Yandle, or Demers could fill the quota, unless Petrovic, Pysyk, or Jakub Kindl were re-signed just to be exposed. With Ekblad untouchable and Yandle having a No-Movement clause, at this time Demers is the only choice to be the sacrificial lamb. Vegas will surely have some interest in the 28-year-old righty, whether it be to lead their own defense or to flip to another suitor. However, by asking Yandle to waive his clause, it appears that Florida is instead leaning toward keeping Demers to themselves. Why? In his first season with Florida, Yandle did play in all 82 games and recorded 41 points, a good season by any measure, but it was in fact the worst production of any full season to date for the 11-year veteran. The Panthers may be worried that, at 30-years-old, Yandle is already on the decline, while Demers and his cap hit of nearly $2MM less for four more years may be a better investment. It will be interesting to see whether Yandle indeed waives his clause or not, but make no mistake: like Demers, if Yandle is exposed he will be an easy choice for Vegas to select to either highlight their blue line or trade to a contender.
Expansion Primer: Carolina Hurricanes
Over the next few weeks we will be breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.
Going into the 2016-17 season, more people thought that the Carolina Hurricanes would be the worst team in the NHL than thought they would be a playoff team. Yet, the exciting, young ‘Canes squad stayed in it until the end, only falling out of playoff contention in the final few games of the season. It was a completely unexpected performance from a team still lacking any major stars, but showed that their youthful nucleus can succeed without them.
Luckily for Carolina fans, perhaps no team in the NHL has a better chance of escaping the upcoming Expansion Draft unscathed than the Hurricanes. Not only does the teams youth protect many of their best players from being draft-eligible, but the team is in fact so young, that there are very few players total that can be exposed. With the league’s deepest young defense almost entirely intact with Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Noah Hanifin and pro prospects Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown ineligible – each with two or fewer NHL seasons – and star rookie Sebastian Aho also immune, the Hurricanes can use the rest of their protection slots to cover all their other important players and then some.
Eligible Players (Non-UFA)
Forwards
Jordan Staal (NMC), Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, Elias Lindholm, Lee Stempniak, Joakim Nordstrom, Andrej Nestrasil, Teuvo Teravainen, Erik Karlsson, Phillip Di Giuseppe, Brock McGinn
Defense
Justin Faulk, Klas Dahlbeck, Ryan Murphy, Trevor Carrick
Goaltender
Scott Darling, Cam Ward, Eddie Lack, Daniel Altshuller
Notable Exemptions
Sebastian Aho, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Noah Hanifin, Haydn Fleury, Roland McKeown, Derek Ryan
Key Decisions
The ‘Canes have few decisions to make here. Up front, captain Jordan Staal must be protected due to his No-Movement Clause and his supporting cast of young scorers – Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, Elias Lindholm, and Teuvo Teravainen – will surely join him. With 16 points in 57 games in 2016-17, 22-year-old Brock McGinn has also likely earned his spot on the team. This leaves one forward spot spot left, as Carolina will almost certainly use the 7/3 protection scheme. The odd men out will probably be consummate veteran Lee Stempniak and two-way forward Joakim Nordstrom, who took a step back this season anyway. Those two are the only remaining players that meet the two-forward exposure quota of players with 70 games played over the past two years or 40 games played this past season that also have term remaining on their contracts. Should the Hurricanes want to protect either one, they still have the option of extending restricted free agents Andrej Nestrasil or Phillip Di Giuseppe or impending UFA Jay McClement in the coming weeks, as the trio are only short on term to qualify for the quota. If they choose not to, the choice comes down to Nestrasil, Di Giuseppe, or minor league winger Erik Karlsson for the final spot, with little on the line.
On the blue line the choice is even easier. By re-signing Klas Dahlbeck recently, the Hurricanes secured their sacrificial lamb for Expansion. Dahlbeck qualifies to be exposed in accordance with the quota for one defenseman, taking All-Star Justin Faulk off the hook. Young defenseman Ryan Murphy and Trevor Carrick are literally the only other defenseman in need of protection with exactly two defensive spots open to do so.
In net, the decision has already been made. The Hurricanes secured their goalie of the future earlier this month, trading for former Chicago Blackhawks backup Scott Darling and giving him a four-year, $16.6MM deal. In doing so, Carolina also guaranteed that he would be their protected goalie in the draft, as they would not waste their time with such an investment just to let Darling be drafted away to Vegas. Instead, they’ll let the Golden Knights have their pick of long-time starter Cam Ward, high-end backup Eddie Lack, and prospect keeper Daniel Altshuller. With over $10MM tied up in Darling, Ward, and Lack next season, the Hurricanes hope the Knights take the bait, but even if they don’t, both Ward and Lack will be free agents next summer anyway.
Projected Protection List
Scheme: 7F/3D/1G
Forwards
Jordan Staal (NMC)
Jeff Skinner
Victor Rask
Elias Lindholm
Teuvo Teravainen
Brock McGinn
Phillip Di Giuseppe
Defensemen
Justin Faulk
Ryan Murphy
Trevor Carrick
Goalie
What is the worst case scenario for the Hurricanes? They could lose Stempniak and be left with over $10MM in goalies. That’s pretty much it. Yes, Stempniak scored 40 points last season, but he’s also 33 years old and has just one year left on his contract. The Hurricanes could replace him in free agency with ease. They also could simply re-sign another forward and protect him if they really want to. As for the goalie, Ward is a lifetime Hurricane and outplayed Lack by a slim margin last year. It really would not be all that bad to have him as a backup to first-time starter Darling next season. GM Ron Francis could surely sweeten a deal (if necessary) to have Vegas take Lack and, if not, should be able to find another suitor elsewhere.
If Stempniak does end up off the board though, is there really any other option for the Knights beyond goalie? At forward, Di Giuseppe gets the nod for the last protection slot over Nestrasil and Karlsson. Nestrasil is already on the outs in Carolina and Di Giuseppe has already passed him up on the depth chart. Karlsson has signed on to return to Sweden next season and will have no impact on the 2017-18 Hurricanes. Carolina is deep enough in prospects, such as Julien Gauthier, Nicolas Roy, Janne Kuokkanen, Warren Foegele, Aleksi Saarela and more that they can risk losing Karlsson without risking losing any sleep over it. On defense, Dahlbeck is the only contracted player that can be taken. While he did play in 43 games with Carolina last season, GM George McPhee will have plenty of quality defenseman to choose from in the Expansion Draft, and Dahlbeck simply doesn’t stand out as worth taking. The Hurricanes are so well protected from the wrath of the expansion process that even unrestricted free agent center Derek Ryan, who quietly put up 29 points in 2016-17 to the tune of $600K, is also exempt from selection, having come over from Europe just two years ago. Goalie seems to be the only real option and even if Altshuller is the pick, he is far from a promising prospect and not at the top of the Hurricanes’ prospect rankings in net. The Knights have few options when selecting a player from Carolina and none of them pose any threat to a team that is on the rise.
Atlantic Notes: Karlsson, Detroit Goaltending, Nelson
Despite leaving Thursday’s game against the Rangers with his nagging foot injury, Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson is expected to suit up this afternoon in a pivotal Game Five matchup, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. The scribe adds that Ottawa’s captain is having his foot frozen before every game in an effort to try to dull some of the pain but that he appears to be walking okay.
Karlsson revealed after the opening round of the playoffs that he has been playing with two hairline fractures in his foot and while he was optimistic that it would be fully healed in time for their series against New York, that hardly seems to be the case now. As Ottawa’s top defender and one that has been logging a ton of ice time so far (28:45 per game, the highest among any player still active in the postseason), they will be leaning on him heavily even if he is still not quite 100%.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Despite coming off a strong season, MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that the Red Wings will likely still have a hard time trying to move goaltender Jimmy Howard this offseason. With two years left on his deal with a cap charge of $5.3MM, he may be deemed a bit too pricey for teams looking for new starters, especially with it being a deep class in free agency. As for Petr Mrazek, Khan expects that the asking price will remain high and given the season he had (a 3.04 GAA and a .901 SV% in 50 games), it’s unlikely that another team will be willing to make the type of offer that GM Ken Holland would need to be willing to part with him.
- Sabres blueliner Casey Nelson dealt with a lingering neck issue that had him in and out of the lineup on several occasions this year, notes John Vogl of the Buffalo News. Despite making the opening roster, the 24 year old spent the bulk of the season at the minor league level, getting into 58 games with AHL Rochester. Nelson will be returning to school this summer as he looks to finish his degree at Minnesota State Mankato after signing with the Sabres following his junior year back in 2016.