Oilers Notes: Yamamoto, Bouchard, Ryan, Free Agency
After a disappointingly early playoff exit, the Edmonton Oilers are headed into another pivotal offseason. Desperate to build a Stanley Cup contender around the team’s two all-world talents, the Oilers don’t have a ton of cap space to add reinforcements to their roster, so they’ll need to get creative in finding ways to support their existing stars. One avenue the team could go down is moving a player taking up a decent amount of cap space, namely 2017 first-round pick Kailer Yamamoto. The 24-year-old is set to make $3.1MM against the cap next season yet provided the Oilers with just 25 points in 58 games this season.
The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman reports that the Oilers are “leaning toward moving” Yamamoto and are hoping they can find a team willing to acquire the player “without the Oilers having to retain salary or offer a sweetener.” (subscription link) Yamamoto did manage 20 goals and 41 points last season, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a team would have interest in him as a bounce-back candidate. In the case that trade interest does not materialize, though, Nugent-Bowman does note that the Oilers “appear open to buying out Yamamoto,” a move that would save them $2.6MM this season at the cost of $533k in dead cap next summer.
Some other notes regarding the Oilers:
- One of the significant reasons the team would likely hope to create some cap space via a Yamamoto departure would be to clear room for contract extensions for the Oilers’ top restricted free agent: defenseman Evan Bouchard. The 23-year-old 2018 10th overall pick has hit 40 points in each of the last two seasons and is coming off of an extremely productive playoff run that saw him post 17 points in just 12 games. Nugent-Bowman writes that the Oilers are likely to pursue a bridge contract with Bouchard, as “anything more than two years appears unlikely.” Noah Dobson, another 2018 top pick, had comparable scoring numbers to Bouchard last summer and secured a three-year, $4MM AAV pact. That could be a deal used as a reference point for these negotiations.
- 36-year-old veteran center Derek Ryan performed admirably as the Oilers’ fourth-line center this past season, scoring 13 goals and 20 points in 80 games while contributing to his team’s penalty kill. Nugent-Bowman reports that “there is mutual interest in Ryan returning to the Oilers,” and that “it’s hard to see how something isn’t figured out there” to bring the 500-game NHL veteran back to Edmonton. Such a move would provide valuable continuity to the Oilers’ bottom-six, while also serving as a nice reward for Ryan’s hard work.
- While the Oilers have made significant early free-agency investments in recent years, specifically in the signings of Jack Campbell and Zach Hyman, don’t expect a similar move by the time the free agent frenzy comes around later this summer. Nugent-Bowman reports that there will “be no Zach Hyman-type offer issued to anyone” at the start of free agency and that it’s far more likely that the Oilers will target an “undervalued or underperforming young player” who they can add on a cheap contract, or a “bargain bin” veteran talent who can be the right fit for a specific role in head coach Jay Woodcroft’s plans at an affordable cap hit.
Edmonton Oilers Notes: Staios, Bouchard, Yamamoto
Frank Seravalli had a lengthy discussion on the Daily Faceoff Rundown podcast about the future of the Edmonton Oilers. In the discussion Seravalli said he doesn’t expect huge changes on the ice, but he does believe that there will be changes to the management structure as they attempt to be “protective and proactive with Steve Staios.” Seravalli went on to say that the former Oilers defenseman is regarded in Oilers circles as being their general manager of the future and the club may want to shift their hierarchy to give Staios a bigger voice before another team scoops him up.
What that could look like remains to be seen, but Seravalli went on to say that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Oilers promoted current general manager Ken Holland to President of Hockey Ops which would allow Staios to shift over to Holland’s old job and preserve the teams already thin management group. Whatever management group is in place will have much work to be done this summer. The Oilers window for contention is beginning to close as superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl inch closer to unrestricted free agency. Draisaitl has just two years left on his current deal and McDavid has three. If the Oilers don’t get over the hump soon, they could find it difficult to retain the franchise cornerstones.
In other Oilers notes:
- Seravalli also spoke about the next contract for Evan Bouchard saying that he fully expects the Oilers to try and get the defenseman on a bridge contract due to their current salary cap predicament. The 23-year-old is coming off a good season in which he put up eight goals and 40 points in 81 regular season games, however in the playoffs the Oakville native exploded for 17 points in 12 games, including 15 points while quarterbacking the Oilers white hot powerplay. Seravalli wondered if a bridge contract would even be possible given how important Bouchard has been to the team since the mid-season Tyson Barrie trade. The advantage for the Oilers will be that Bouchard has no rights to arbitration at this time.
- Seravalli and Jason Gregor spoke about the Oilers need to upgrade the right wing spot this summer. This was echoed by Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic who believes that top six winger Kailer Yamamoto’s poor play in the playoffs might have turned him into a trade candidate. Yamamoto is due $3.1MM next season and struggled in the playoffs putting up just a single goal and four points in 12 games despite getting a lot of top six minutes. The Spokane native wasn’t much better in the regular season putting up 25 points in 58 games, a steep drop from his career high of 41 points in 81 games in 2021-22.
Edmonton Oilers Facing Salary Cap Overage
With the conclusion of the regular season, we can now begin to see the final numbers on performance bonuses in player contracts from the 2021-22 season. Two of these bonus figures will end up posing a small issue for the Edmonton Oilers, who owe $896K in performance bonuses to Evan Bouchard and Ryan McLeod (link). Bouchard, who just finished the second year of his three-year entry-level contract, earned $850K in performance bonuses this year for goals, assists, points, and points-per-game. McLeod, who is in the final year of his entry-level contract, earned $46K out of a maximum $57.5K games played bonus. Altogether, Edmonton owes an additional $896K, which counts against the salary cap.
Because the Oilers finished over the salary cap by using LTIR, the entire $896K will now count against next season’s salary cap for Edmonton. While this number may not seem like much at all, the NHL is currently in a flat salary cap period, and therefore every dollar counts. With the salary cap for the 2022-23 season at $82.5MM, Edmonton has already committed just over $70.2MM in salary for next season, and just under $4.3MM of it belongs to James Neal, Andrej Sekera, and Milan Lucic – none of whom play for the team any longer.
The $12MM Edmonton has in remaining cap space may also seem like a comfortable margin, but factoring in their six UFAs, including defensemen Kris Russell and Brett Kulak, who have become key pieces that could each earn a raise next season over their $1.25MM and $925K cap hits respectively, and forward Evander Kane who has rebounded nicely since signing with the club in January, their situation becomes a bit more tight. The Oilers also have three pending RFAs in Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto, and McLeod, each likely due at least a modest raise (the two former each made $1.175MM this season).
Edmonton is not exactly in a dire cap situation this offseason, having their core, including two of the best players of their generation, signed long-term for the most part. However, their situation, especially in a flat-cap, is an example of how even the most seemingly harmless of concerns, like an $896K bonus overage, can have a ripple effect for the organization and its offseason planning.
Oilers Place Five Players In COVID Protocol
Edmonton will be without several players for their next game on Monday against Ottawa as the team announced that wingers Kailer Yamamoto and Brendan Perlini, defensemen Evan Bouchard and Slater Koekkoek, as well as taxi squad goaltender Ilya Konovalov have all entered COVID protocol. In addition, six members of their support staff have also been placed into protocol.
Yamamoto and Bouchard are the most notable among the new absences. Yamamoto has been starting to produce more in recent games, collecting six points in his last six games and has been a fixture in Edmonton’s top six for most of the season. As for Bouchard, his first full NHL season has been a good one as he has notched 19 points in 34 games to lead all Edmonton blueliners in scoring, just ahead of veterans Tyson Barrie and Darnell Nurse.
Assuming the placements are for confirmed positive tests, each player will miss at least the next five days. They join centers Connor McDavid and Derek Ryan, as well as Barrie, as those that are currently unavailable to COVID protocol.
They won’t be getting any help on the injury front either as Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is at least a week away from resuming on-ice activities due to his lower-body injury. He was placed on IR earlier this week with no definitive timetable for a return. Meanwhile, Nugent-Bowman adds that defenseman Kris Russell is still another week away from returning from his upper-body injury. The veteran has missed nearly a month so far.
Trade Deadline Primer: Edmonton Oilers
Although we’re just two months into the season, the trade deadline is already less than a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Edmonton Oilers.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle standing between the Edmonton Oilers and their longest playoff run in the Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl era is not their North Division competition, but their lack of cap space. The Oilers are ready to be all-out buyers and compete for a Stanley Cup, but they lack the cap space to do much at all. They are already using Long Term Injured Reserve space and even most of that is already chewed up. Any trade will either have to see salary go the other way or be paired with another transaction to shed salary.
The Oilers have been bold in their waivers decisions this year, placing the likes of James Neal, Alex Chiasson, and Jujhar Khaira among others on the wire. Neal will require waivers again after two more games played, but is not a realistic waiver claim candidate anyhow. Plus, Neal’s off-roster status is currently reflected in their still-lacking cap space. Chiasson and Khaira though would require waivers again to be moved off the roster and there is reason to be believe that the Oilers may not risk it a second time. Could Zack Kassian be the next name they take a chance with? Signed to a long-term contract with a significant amount of salary, Kassian is probably unlikely to be claimed and could open up some space. He appears to have lost his top-six role and may be worth the risk.
The fact that a contender must consider risking their starting players on waivers to open up enough space to add different starting players just shows the dire cap situation in Edmonton. Add in the team’s lack of 2021 draft picks and an organizational philosophy that has been opposed to trading top prospects and it may be difficult for the Oilers to make a big move. With that said, they will find a way to make some sort of addition or two.
Record
20-13-0, .606, 3rd in North Division
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$0MM in full-season space (LTIR), 1/3 retention slots used, 48/50 contracts used per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2021: EDM 1st, EDM 4th, EDM 6th, PIT 6th, EDM 7th
2022: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th
Trade Chips
The Oilers’ best chance at adding an impact forward to their roster is by moving out salary to offset the addition. Although the Edmonton blue line may not seem like a top unit in the NHL, they are very deep which could make a roster defenseman expendable. Especially considering the impending Expansion Draft, which could cost the Oilers a young roster defenseman anyhow, there is some added incentive to deal from the blue line. 23-year-old Ethan Bear, who was trending upward heading into this season, has hit a wall in his development instead, recording just three points thus far, seeing a career low in ice time, and even sitting a few games as a healthy scratch. Bear still undoubtedly has value and could be the Oilers’ top trade chip, if they’re willing to move him. Competing for the No. 6 defenseman role for Edmonton this year has been William Lagesson, 25, and Caleb Jones, 23, who like Bear will each be restricted free agents after the 2021-22 season and are eligible for selection in the Expansion Draft. While Jones may have more upside, Lagesson has been the preferred player of the coaching staff due to his superior defense, even recently playing a top-four role. Jones’ contract is also slightly more expensive, which could be considered. Assuming the Oilers use the 7-3 protection scheme in the Expansion Draft and Darnell Nurse and Oscar Klefbom (though not a lock) are protected, only one of these three young defensemen can join them. However, only one can be selected as well. That works out to one of the trio being expendable in a deadline move, especially with top prospects like Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg pushing up the pipeline as well.
The Oilers don’t have the same depth up front, but as previously mentioned have been willing to take risks on waivers this season to gain cap flexibility. If they feel Chiasson or Kassian are unlikely to clear waivers, they could shop either one to open up space or potentially in a swap. They could also look at moving some of their fringe forward to teams with a greater need for depth beyond their starting group.
Either as a sweetener to move another contract or as part of a return if they’re able to open up cap space, the Oilers will also have to consider moving some of their prospects. Tyler Benson, who has been more talk than walk as a pro prospect for Edmonton, may need a change of scenery after years of being unable to earn a full-time role with the NHL club. Cooper Marody, tearing up the AHL this year and having earned some NHL experience last year, could also be an attractive name. While Bouchard, Broberg, and Dylan Holloway are likely untouchable, would Edmonton consider moving other top prospects like Raphael Lavoie, Ryan McLeod, or Matej Blumel? Would they dip into their deep group of young goaltenders, such as Stuart Skinner, Dylan Wells, Olivier Rodrigue, or Ilya Konovalov?
Others to Watch For: D Dmitri Samorukov ($825K, 2022 RFA), D Markus Niemelainen ($817.5K, 2022 RFA), F Gaetan Haas ($915K, UFA), F Patrick Russell ($700K, UFA)
Team Needs
1) Affordable Top-Six Forward – It may seem strange for the Oilers’ biggest need to be at forward. Edmonton is a top-ten team in goals per game, shots per game, and power play efficiency – arguably a top-five offense in hockey. Yet, that offensive production is heavily skewed towards just two players: McDavid and Draisaitl. A quick look at the depth chart also clearly shows that the team lacks quality top-six wingers, with players who should be above-average bottom-six players instead slotted as below-average top-six forwards. McDavid and Draisaitl deserve to have more talent around them, a need that has plagued the Oilers for years. Additionally, Edmonton faces a path to the NHL’s final four this season that goes through Winnipeg, a team with defensive issues, and Toronto, a team with goaltending issues. In a battle of three elite offenses, the North Division is likely to go to the team that can simply outscore the others. Right now, that isn’t Edmonton, but it wouldn’t take much to shift the scales.
The caveat of course is that without some cap gymnastics, the Oilers cannot be players for any of the high-priced forwards on the rental market (or any market for that matter). The focus must be on bargain buys, adding players who can produce at a high level while being paid at a low level. Among rentals, Bobby Ryan, Erik Haula, Carl Soderberg, or old friend Sam Gagner (yet again) could all fit the bill. Among players with an additional year of term, possibly more attractive anyway, Vladislav Namestnikov, Calle Jarnkrok, Rocco Grimaldi, Curtis Lazar, and Colin Blackwell are all intriguing options. If available, L.A.’s Alex Iafallo is likely the very best value addition.
2) Depth Forward – On the off chance that Edmonton has the cap space and a contract slot left, they could make another move and it should again be up front. Depth is key in the postseason and the Oilers simply don’t have it at forward. They could stand to add some playoff experience, defensive ability, and if possible top-six upside in an established veteran forward. While goaltending continues to be a major long-term need of the Oilers, solving that problem in-season given all of the factors working against such deal make it extremely unlikely.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/14/21
It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad, and although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of news each day.
- The Vancouver Canucks have sent Loui Eriksson to the taxi squad and recalled Justin Bailey. Given Eriksson didn’t play last night for the Canucks this doesn’t come as much of a surprise and it will allow the team to bank slightly more daily cap space. Eriksson previously cleared waivers and could also be assigned to the AHL once it gets started.
- Stuart Skinner has been recalled from the Edmonton Oilers taxi squad under emergency conditions, giving the team an extra goaltender for tonight’s action. Evan Bouchard meanwhile has been sent to the taxi squad, while Tyler Benson, who had previously been there, has now been assigned to the AHL.
- Staying in Western Canada, the Calgary Flames have activated Derek Ryan from the taxi squad as expected, but he’s coming with some company. The team has also activated Louis Domingue who will serve as backup this evening while David Rittich deals with a family issue. With the extra space, Artyom Zagidulin has been added to the taxi squad from the AHL roster.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled Cole Smith from the taxi squad while sending Lukas Craggs to the AHL. Craggs already played in eight games for the Florida Everblades, recording nine points early in the season but will now compete for playing time with the Chicago Wolves. Smith, who also played a handful of games for the Everblades to start the year, is in his first season of professional hockey after being signed out of the University of North Dakota.
- The Winnipeg Jets have brought up a pair of players as Mathieu Perreault and Logan Stanley were recalled from the taxi squad. Perreault cleared waivers earlier in the week so they will have the ability to shuffle him back and forth until he plays in 10 NHL games or is on the NHL roster for 30 days. Stanley, meanwhile, was a first-round pick back in 2016 but has yet to suit up with the Jets. Winnipeg also recalled defenseman Leon Gawanke from his loan to Berlin of the DEL.
- The Montreal Canadiens assigned Jake Evans to the taxi squad. He played a little under nine minutes in last night’s season-opener but with them off until the weekend, they’ll shuffle him down and bank a little bit of cap space. The team has already announced its intent to recall him for their next game on Saturday.
Evan Bouchard And Filip Gustavsson Recalled From Loans
With NHL training camps expecting to get underway in the near future and the postponement of their two games this weekend, Sodertalje of the Allsvenskan in Sweden announced that defenseman Evan Bouchard (Oilers) and goaltender Filip Gustavsson (Senators) have been recalled by their respective NHL clubs, ending their loan agreements.
Bouchard, the tenth-overall pick back in 2018, has shown offensive promise wherever he has played and that carried over to his time in Sweden as he posted six goals and 11 assists in 23 games. That production was enough to put him second among defensemen and in the top-20 league-wide. As things stand, he may be on the outside looking in at a regular spot with Edmonton but if there are expanded rosters and/or a taxi squad to start the season, he should at least wind up there.
Gustavsson, meanwhile, has been one of the better starters in the Allsvenskan this season, posting an 11-7-0 record with a 2.30 GAA, a .919 SV%, and one shutout in 19 appearances. After a bit of a tough year in the minors with AHL Belleville, this should certainly give him a boost heading into training camp. Even with Anders Nilsson’s situation uncertain due to his concussion-like symptoms, Gustavsson will enter Ottawa’s camp battling for number three duties behind Matt Murray and Marcus Hogberg with the winner of that competition (which should also involve Joey Daccord) also earning a spot on the expanded roster or taxi squad.
Edmonton Oilers Loan Gaetan Haas, Evan Bouchard
The Edmonton Oilers continue to send their young players all over the world, loaning them out to European leagues to get them back on the ice while we wait for the start of the 2020-21 season in North America. Today, they announced that Gaetan Haas and Evan Bouchard will be heading overseas to play for the next few months. Both players are expected to return for training camp.
Haas, 28, will return to SC Bern in the Swiss NLA for the time being, the same club he played two seasons for before coming to Edmonton. A star in the Swiss league, he recorded 38 points in 50 games during the 2018-19 season and won the league championship. In his first taste of North American hockey, Haas didn’t have quite the same offensive impact but still represented a solid depth forward for the Oilers. In 58 games he recorded ten points and in April re-signed for the 2020-21 season. He’ll earn $915K on a one-way deal, whenever the next NHL season gets underway.
Bouchard of course doesn’t come with quite as much NHL experience, given he was only drafted in 2018. The tenth-overall pick played seven games with the Oilers that first season, but has spent the rest of his professional hockey in the minor leagues with the Bakersfield Condors. Bouchard did continue his excellent play in the AHL this season, recording 36 points in 54 games, but it’s not exactly clear when he’ll take that next step and become a full-time member of the Oilers defense. Still just 20, there is plenty of time for Bouchard to develop, which is exactly why it was so imperative that he find a place to play for the next few months. Bouchard will head to Sweden and suit up for Sodertalje SK of the second league.
Edmonton’s Mike Green Opts Out Of Playoffs
With the recent release of the Edmonton Oilers training camp roster, the news has also come out that defenseman Mike Green has chosen to opt out of the Return to Play Plan, according to Edmonton Journal’s Derek Van Diest. The 34 year old, acquired at the trade deadline from the Detroit Red Wings, was brought on board to bring veteran experience to the team’s defense for their playoff run.
“Due to the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19 and after much consideration, I’ve decided for deeply personal family health reasons, not to participate in the return to play,” Green said in a statement. “This has been a hard decision knowing I’m going to miss the opportunity to compete in the playoffs with a Stanley Cup contender. I wish the best of luck to the guys and I appreciate the Edmonton Oilers support.”
Green was supposed to step in on the team’s third pairing defense after being picked up for Kyle Brodziak and a conditional fourth-rounder. That conditional fourth-rounder would have become a third-round pick had Green played in 50 percent of the team’s playoff games, which will obviously not happen now. In the end, he only played in two games for the Oilers after sustaining a knee injury after that second game that knocked him out until play was suspended.
Edmonton will look to Kris Russell and Matthew Benning to play on that third pairing. However, there is also opportunity for some of the younger Oilers to win a spot, including Evan Bouchard and William Lagesson. Bouchard, the team’s 2018 first-round pick might be able to win a spot in the Oilers’ lineup after a solid rookie campaign in the AHL this season, while Lagesson did manage to get into eight games with Edmonton earlier this season.
PHR Panel: Assessing Some AHL Standouts
We’re now several weeks into an NHL postponement and there is still no clear timeline on when professional hockey will return. While fans of the sport have received small tidbits of news over that time, including college signings and contract extensions, the thirst for discussion has rarely been quenched.
With that in mind, we’re happy to continue our new feature: The PHR Panel. Three times a week, our writing staff will give our individual takes on a question many hockey fans have been wondering about. If you’d ever like to submit a subject for us to discuss, be sure to put it in the comments. This series will run each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
To catch up on the previous edition, click here.
Today, we’ll each give our thoughts on a prospect that made his debut in the AHL this season.
Q: Name a 2019-20 AHL rookie that will have a strong NHL career
Brian La Rose:
Plenty of the top prospects in the AHL got a sniff of NHL action this season but someone who didn’t sits atop my list in Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard. While he had a brief recall, he didn’t get into any game action and instead spent the season honing his craft with AHL Bakersfield. That time was certainly well-spent as he worked to hone the defensive side of his game. He may need some more work in that regard but when Bouchard becomes an NHL regular, he’s going to make an impact quickly.
Offensively-skilled defensemen are getting more and more room to try to create offense and that’s Bouchard’s top skill. He was dominant at the junior level and had a solid first pro campaign with the Condors as well. Size and strength won’t be an issue for him either as he checks in at 6’3. These all work in his favor for becoming an impact player quickly.
There’s a case to be made that Bouchard could be Edmonton’s top offensive blueliner as soon as he’s in their lineup. Picture him setting up the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and complementing them on the power play. That’s a recipe for running up the points right there which will make him a very important part of their core for many years to come. If he’s as productive as I think he can be in that system, it won’t be too long before he’s a highly-paid part of that core either.
Holger Stolzenberg:
While I do like players like Vegas’ Lucas Elvenes and Florida’s Owen Tippett, I have quite a few doubts on whether either player will even be given a real chance to become a top player for their teams. However, when I look at Anaheim Ducks forward Max Comtois, I see a player who could really have a nice NHL career.
The 21-year-old was already highly-touted, being a second-round pick back in 2017 and impressed out of camp quickly one year later, making the roster out of training camp, while the team allowed the forward to burn the first year of his entry-level deal by allowing him to play 10 games (he had seven points that year). When the team eventually sent him to the QMJHL, he dominated there in 2018-19.
This year has been even more successful for Comtois, who split time in both the AHL to develop his skills, while getting some practical time with the Ducks as well. Comtois finished with nine goals and 24 points in 31 AHL games as a rookie, while picking up AHL Rookie of the Month in February. He added another five goals and 11 points in 29 games and with the team in a full rebuild currently, Comtois will get every opportunity to take on a much bigger role next year and can be a constant in their lineup for years with the success he’s had so far in his young career.
Zach Leach:
If you want to find a prospect who looks like a perfect fit for his club’s style and culture, as well as long-term plans, look no further than Boston’s Jack Studnicka. The 2017 second-round pick is a young clone of Patrice Bergeron and looks like he could become a favorite of Bruins fans.
Studnicka plays a hard-working two-way game with plenty of skill involved as well. He led the AHL in short-handed goals this season by nearly double the next-best mark, while contributing on the power play and of course at even strength as well. Studnicka finished in the top-four in goals, points, and per-game scoring among AHL rookies and that was even while missing some time to play in Boston.
With Bergeron and David Krejci getting up there in age and heading toward the ends of long-term contracts, a changing of the guard could be coming to the Bruins sooner rather than later. While Studnicka may not be considered an elite prospect at this point, neither was Bergeron when he debuted in the NHL and Studnicka could follow in his footseps while replacing him in the lineup down the road. Few players are set up as well to take over for a future Hall of Famer.
Gavin Lee:
You can already read my thoughts on Joe Veleno and the career I believe is waiting for him in the NHL in one of last week’s panels, so I’ll just name another Grand Rapids Griffins rookie instead (apparently I’m a Red Wings fan lately).
Mortiz Seider was a shocking selection by the Red Wings when they took him sixth overall last June, while other more familiar names like Dylan Cozens, Trevor Zegras and Spencer Knight were still on the board. What we all may have overlooked was the teenager’s performance in the World Championship, which showed just how ready Seider was to play against professionals much older than him.
In his first year in the AHL, a league that has a very short history of teenagers, let alone teenaged defensemen, the then-18-year-old Seider recorded 22 points in 49 games and never looked out of place. The 6’4″ 207-lbs, right-handed defenseman turned 19 just a few days ago and likely could have spent time on Detroit’s blue line this year had the team been any more competitive. There’s no doubt that’s where he’ll end up in short order, but it’s his limitless ceiling as a top two-way defenseman that makes him so interesting. Did Steve Yzerman find his next Victor Hedman? (probably not, but boy was that a fun debut)