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Hockey Canada Announces 2022 WJC Selection Camp Roster

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The 2022 World Junior Championship is right around the corner, set to kick off on December 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. For Hockey Canada, selection camp will start in just a few days in Calgary, where the final roster will need to be picked. Today 35 players were invited to that camp, a group that will be pared down to 25 that will travel to the tournament.

The invitees, with their NHL affiliation:

G Brett Brochu (2022 draft eligible)
G Sebastian Cossa (DET)
G Dylan Garand (NYR)

D Lukas Cormier (VGK)
D Kaiden Guhle (MTL)
D Daemon Hunt (MIN)
D Vincent Iorio (WSH)
D Carson Lambos (MIN)
D Ryan O’Rourke (MIN)
D Owen Power (BUF)
D Donovan Sebrango (DET)
D Ronan Seeley (CAR)
D Jack Thompson (TBL)
D Olen Zellweger (ANA)

F Connor Bedard (2023 draft eligible)
F Xavier Bourgault (EDM)
F Mavrik Bourque (DAL)
F Will Cuylle (NYR)
F Zach Dean (VGK)
F Elliot Desnoyers (PHI)
F William Dufour (NYI)
F Luke Evangelista (NSH)
F Jack Finley (TBL)
F Ridly Greig (OTT)
F Dylan Guenther (ARI)
F Kent Johnson (CBJ)
F Hendrix Lapierre (WSH)
F Mason McTavish (ANA)
F Jake Neighbours (STL)
F Cole Perfetti (WPG)
F Joshua Roy (MTL)
F Justin Sourdif (FLA)
F Logan Stankoven (DAL)
F Ryan Tverberg (TOR)
F Shane Wright (2022 draft eligible)

This does look like quite an imposing group, though there are several notable omissions. In addition to Brandt Clarke, who hit the news yesterday, Hockey Canada decided not to bring names like Carter Savoie, Matthew Savoie, and Brennan Othmann, among others. The group does include Bedard, though, who won’t even be eligible for the draft until 2023. The 16-year-old has 11 goals and 17 points in 28 games for the Regina Pats of the WHL after becoming the league’s first player granted exceptional status.

Trade Deadline Primer: Tampa Bay Lightning

at CDT | by 2 Comments

We are now less than a week away from the NHL Trade Deadline and talks are heating up. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make?  We continue our look around the league with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning needed to look for a new challenge this season after stomping the competition in the 2020 postseason. They decided that if the league’s teams weren’t good enough to beat them, they would just take on the league itself. This season, the Lightning have stretched the NHL’s hard salary cap to it’s limit. Some might even throw the word “circumvention” out there. Tampa has managed to hold on to it’s extremely talented and fairly compensated roster due almost entirely due to the timely injury of Nikita Kucherov and the acquisitions of other injured players Marian Gaborik and Anders Nilsson. The Bolts have over $17MM in salary on Long-Term Injured Reserve – and they’ve used up all but $370,500 of it. There is zero space for the Lightning to do anything at the trade deadline beyond a minor depth addition, but they will get a major boost in the postseason with the return of Kucherov. Barring another opportunistic injury or a hockey trade that no one sees coming, the Bolts may have to settle for that this season.

Record

26-11-2, .692, 3rd in Central Division

Deadline Status

Stand Pat

Deadline Cap Space

$0MM in full-season space ($371K in LTIR space), 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2021: TBL 1st, TBL 3rd, TBL 4th, TBL 5th, TBL 6th, NJD 7th, NSH 7th, TBL 7th
2022: TBL 1st, TBL 3rd, TBL 4th, TBL 5th, TBL 6th, TBL 7th

Trade Chips

There is a difference between what the Lightning could offer and what they will offer, given that they are in no position to make much of a trade. It is unlikely that the team is going to move any of their roster players to open up space, so even though pieces like Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn may seem expendable, it is hard to imagine the team trading them in-season as opposed to waiting for the off-season.

As a result, Tampa has little space to work with and that means their targets will not be high-priced pieces. The most likely result for the Bolts is that they add a cheap depth piece in exchange for a late pick or low-end prospect. Those are the “chips” that will probably move, if there is any move at all.

In the event that Tampa tries to make a bigger move, using the very limit of their salary cap potential despite the risks, they will still be looking at a picks-and-prospects scenario in this buyer’s market. Without a second-round pick for the next two years, the Lightning’s first-rounders are probably off the table unless they are asking a team to give up one of the top rentals on the market and retain the maximum 50% of his salary in order to make the deal work under the cap. The likelihood of such a deal is low. Expect for them instead to dangle multiple mid-round picks and prospects like Jack Finley or Jack Thompson if they really want to make a splash.

Others to Watch For: F Taylor Raddysh ($833K, RFA), F Boris Katchouk ($833K, RFA), F Alex Barre-Boulet ($759K, RFA), F Sam Walker (Draft Rights), D Eamon Powell (Draft Rights)

Team Needs

1) Defense – If, and it’s a big if, the Lightning are able to find a way to clear enough cap space to add a player of note at the deadline, it has to be on the blue line. The forward corps is deep and talented and will only get better once the postseason arrives and Kucherov can return. The net is well-manned, with Andrei Vasilevskiy enjoying another Vezina-caliber season. Both of those units remain largely unchanged from last season’s title-winning lineup. However, the defense has taken a hit. The top four is still stout, but the bottom pair and depth options range from young and inexperienced to old and ineffective. Tampa could really use a stabilizing force on the back end, especially with Jan Rutta sidelined and Erik Cernak dealing with a nagging injury. Of course, cost will be a factor. Without making a trade to move out salary, the Bolts can only open up another $1.5MM max and still be able to ice a full lineup, demoting the likes of Luke Schenn and Ben Thomas. That leaves the Bolts with a maximum $1.9MM or so to acquire a defenseman, but adding that much salary is a risk should another injury occur. The need is there, but the means to address it are problematic. The team likely thinks small with a value addition.

Training Camp Cuts: 01/11/21

at CDT | by 6 Comments

Camp cuts will come fast and furious today, with the waiver wire taking dozens and dozens of names in the final day before taxi squad assignments must be made. Remember, just being placed on waivers does not necessarily mean you’ve been cut from the team. With that in mind, we’ll keep track of the team-announced cuts right here:

Buffalo Sabres (via team release):

F Brandon Biro (to Rochester, AHL)
F Steven Fogarty (to Rochester, AHL)
F Brett Murray (to Rochester, AHL)
F C.J. Smith (to Rochester, AHL)
D Casey Fitzgerald (to Rochester, AHL)
G Dustin Tokarski (to Rochester, AHL)
D Ryan Jones (to Rochester, AHL)
G Michael Houser (to Rochester, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (via team release):

F Andrei Altybarmakian (to Rockford, AHL)
F Evan Barratt (to Rockford, AHL)
F Matej Chalupa (to Rockford, AHL)
F MacKenzie Entwistle (to Rockford, AHL)
F Reese Johnson (to Rockford, AHL)
F Cam Morrison (to Rockford, AHL)
F Tim Soderlund (to Rockford, AHL)
F Michal Teply (to Rockford, AHL)
D Chad Krys (to Rockford, AHL)
D Alec Regula (to Rockford, AHL)
F Michael Krutil (released)
G Cale Morris (released)

Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release):

G Veini Vehvilainen (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Tyler Angle (released)
F Justin Scott (released)
D Thomas Schemitsch (released)
G Brad Thiessen (released)

Los Angeles Kings (via team release):

F Aidan Dudas (to Ontario, AHL)
F Mikey Eyssimont (to Ontario, AHL)
F Samuel Fagemo (to Ontario, AHL)
F Boko Imama (to Ontario, AHL)
F Rasmus Kupari (to Ontario, AHL)
F Tyler Madden (to Ontario, AHL)
F Akil Thomas (to Ontario, AHL)
D Daniel Brickley (to Ontario, AHL)
D Sean Durzi (to Ontario, AHL)
D Jacob Moverare (to Ontario, AHL)
D Markus Phillips (to Ontario, AHL)
G Jacob Ingham (to Ontario, AHL)
G Matt Villalta (to Ontario, AHL)

Minnesota Wild (via team release):

F Mitchell Chaffee (to Iowa, AHL)
F Joseph Cramarossa (to Iowa, AHL)
F Connor Dewar (to Iowa, AHL)
F Brandon Duhaime (to Iowa, AHL)
F Gabriel Dumont (to Iowa, AHL)
F Mason Shaw (to Iowa, AHL)
D Calen Addison (to Iowa, AHL)
D Ian McCoshen (to Iowa, AHL)
G Dereck Baribeau (to Iowa, AHL)
G Hunter Jones (to Iowa, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (via team release):

F Nate Schnarr (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Brett Seney (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Kevin Bahl (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Nikita Okhotiuk (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Reilly Walsh (to Binghamton, AHL)
G Evan Cormier (to Binghamton, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release):

F Josh Currie (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Radim Zohorna (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Kevin Czuczman (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Cam Lee (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Nathan Legare (to Val d’Or, QMJHL)
F Samuel Poulin (to Sherbrooke, QMJHL)
F Jordan Nolan (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)

San Jose Sharks (via team release):

F Lean Bergmann (to San Jose, AHL)
F Alexander True (to San Jose, AHL)
F Joachim Blichfeld (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jayden Halbgewachs (to San Jose, AHL)
D Jaycob Megna (to San Jose, AHL)
D Ryan Merkley (to San Jose, AHL)
G Josef Korenar (to San Jose, AHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning (via team release):

F Alex Barre-Boulet (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Ross Colton (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Jack Finley (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Gage Goncalves (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Jimmy Huntington (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Boris Katchouk (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Taylor Raddysh (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Sean Day (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Alex Green (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Dmitry Semykin (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Daniel Walcott (to Syracuse, AHL)*
F/D Luke Witkowski (to Syracuse, AHL)*
G Spencer Martin (to Syracuse, AHL)*

Toronto Maple Leafs (via team release):

F Kenny Agostino (to Toronto, AHL)*
F Joey Anderson (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pierre Engvall (to Toronto, AHL)
F Nic Petan (to Toronto, AHL)
D Mac Hollowell (to Toronto, AHL)
D Teemu Kivihalme (to Toronto, AHL)
D Timothy Liljegren (to Toronto, AHL)
D Martin Marincin (to Toronto, AHL)*
D Calle Rosen (to Toronto, AHL)*
G Michael Hutchinson (to Toronto, AHL)
F Justin Brazeau (to Toronto, AHL)
F Rourke Chartier (to Toronto, AHL)
F Tyler Gaudet (to Toronto, AHL)
F Scott Sabourin (to Toronto, AHL)

Vegas Golden Knights (via team release):

F Jake Leschyshyn (to Henderson, AHL)
F Lucas Elvenes (to Henderson, AHL)
F Jack Dugan (to Henderson, AHL)
F Ben Jones (to Henderson, AHL)
F Peyton Krebs (to Henderson, AHL)
D Kaedan Korczak (to Henderson, AHL)
D Jimmy Schuldt (to Henderson, AHL)
D Brayden Pachal (to Henderson, AHL)
D Connor Corcoran (to Henderson, AHL)
G Logan Thompson (to Henderson, AHL)
G Dylan Ferguson (to Henderson, AHL)

Washington Capitals (via team release):

F Kody Clark (to Hershey, AHL)
F Brett Leason (to Hershey, AHL)
F Garrett Pilon (to Hershey, AHL)
F Joe Snively (to Hershey, AHL)
F Riley Sutter (to Hershey, AHL)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (to Hershey, AHL)
F Hendrix Lapierre (to Chicoutimi, QMJHL)

Winnipeg Jets (via team release):

F Joona Luoto (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Skyler McKenzie (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Kristian Reichel (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Declan Chisholm (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Luke Green (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Johnathan Kovacevic (to Manitoba, AHL)
G Mikhail Berdin (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Jimmy Oligny (to Manitoba, AHL)
G Cole Kehler (released)

*Must clear waivers first.

Lightning Sign Jack Finley

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Tampa Bay has signed their top pick from October’s Entry Draft, announcing the signing of center Jack Finley to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 18-year-old was the 57th-overall pick of the Lightning after they dealt a pair of picks (a 2020 fourth-rounder and a 2021 second-rounder) to Montreal to secure his rights.  Finley is coming off of a strong sophomore campaign with WHL Kelowna where he tripled his offensive production from his rookie year, going from 19 points to 57 (19 goals, 38 assists) in 61 games.  While there were more productive forwards still on the board at that time, size down the middle is an element that many teams covet and at 6’5, he certainly brings that to the table.

Last month, Finley was loaned to West Kelowna of the BCHL in an effort to get him some playing time but he was only able to get into a pair of game with the Warriors before that season was shut down.  With the WHL still aiming at opening up next month, he’ll likely be returned to the Rockets before too long.

It’s unlikely that Finley will see any game action with Tampa Bay this coming season so as a result, his contract will wind up sliding a year and will still have three years remaining on it after the 2020-21 campaign.

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