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Jack McBain

Snapshots: Blues, Lightning, Coyotes

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Settling with Alexey Toropchenko today gave the St. Louis Blues come salary cap flexibility, says CapFriendly. Much like the Philadelphia Flyers did with Anthony DeAngelo, settling with Toropchenko, the Blues’ last remaining player who had filed for arbitration, opens a second buyout window for the team, which will open in three days and last for 48 hours. The rules for this unique buyout are limited, though – a player must have been on their reserve list at the trade deadline and must carry a cap hit of at least $4MM.

The Blues are cap-compliant but barely – CapFriendly projects them with roughly $290K in space with a full 23-player roster. They’ve expressed a clear desire to move out one of their aging top-four defensemen via trade, but nothing’s manifested yet, and it’s becoming less and less likely as the offseason trods on. It’s entirely possible general manager Doug Armstrong could choose to execute a buyout for someone like Nick Leddy, who’s struggled during his time in St. Louis and carries a $4MM cap hit through 2026. It would be a hefty buyout, running through 2028-29, but it wouldn’t carry a cap penalty of more than $2MM in any of the six seasons – it might be appealing.

More from around the NHL this weekend:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning are also granted a second buyout window after settling with forward Tanner Jeannot before arbitration. The team has cut costs wherever possible, but they still have less than $1MM in cap space, even taking into account Brent Seabrook’s long-term injured reserve relief. Unfortunately for them, there are no possible candidates here – all of their players carrying a cap hit of $4MM are core parts of the team and won’t be considered for a buyout. General manager Julien BriseBois is prepping for another long season of cap management on a day-to-day basis.
  • PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan today offered updates on a pair of Arizona Coyotes RFA forwards – Jan Jenik and Jack McBain. Morgan notes that Jenik’s deadline to accept his qualifying offer passed yesterday, meaning the team now has to negotiate a new deal with him to return to the desert. The 22-year-old was a 2018 third-round pick and notched 23 points in 30 games with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners last season. Morgan also notes that there hasn’t been any progress between the Coyotes and McBain on a new contract with his arbitration hearing looming at the end of the month, although they still have about two weeks to come to a deal before the hearing.

Hockey Canada Releases Initial 2023 World Championship Roster

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Hockey Canada has released the initial complement of 20 players that will represent their country at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships next week in Finland.

It’s a more experienced roster than their American counterparts released, at least in terms of current NHL caliber. In net, they’re likely the most well-set team in the tournament, with projected rookie sensation Devon Levi sharing the crease with Montreal Canadien Sam Montembeault, who had a strong season in a tandem role with Jake Allen.

While 2023 presumptive first-overall selection Connor Bedard won’t join the team, likely to avoid risking injuries prier to his rookie season in the NHL, projected second-overall pick Adam Fantilli will. After capturing the Hobey Baker award in what’s likely his only season at the University of Michigan, Fantilli will join seasoned NHL veterans such as Milan Lucic, Scott Laughton, and Tyler Toffoli as Canada goes for gold at the Worlds.

Their defense is highlighted by MacKenzie Weegar. Although he had a tough season in Calgary, he’s not far removed from being a top 20 defender in the world and should make a significant impact at the tournament. Youngsters Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Justin Barron will also get a chance to shine for the Canadians.

The full 20-player roster is as follows:

F Cody Glass
F Jack McBain
F Milan Lucic
F Peyton Krebs
F Scott Laughton
F Jack Quinn
F Jake Neighbours
F Lawson Crouse
F Tyler Toffoli
F Sammy Blais
F Joe Veleno
F Adam Fantilli

D Pierre-Olivier Joseph
D Justin Barron
D MacKenzie Weegar
D Tyler Myers
D Ethan Bear
D Jake Walman

G Devon Levi
G Sam Montembeault

Injury Notes: Girard, Coyotes, Oilers, Walman

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According to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh, the Colorado Avalanche will have defenseman Samuel Girard back in the lineup tonight, the first time since March 8th (link). Girard’s return comes at a good time for Colorado, who were already missing Ryan Murray on the left side before seeing Devon Toews go down last night after blocking a shot against the Winnipeg Jets. Though Toews is expected to be okay after the shot block, it’s unclear if he will have to miss any time.

Getting the 23-year-old Girard back in the lineup also helps to lengthen an already stellar Avalanche defense group as the team looks to get into a groove heading into the playoffs. Colorado is currently first in the entire NHL with 108 points, two ahead of the Florida Panthers, and 13 points ahead of the Calgary Flames for the top spot in the west. After a career year in 2020-21 with 32 points in 48 games, Girard has taken a small step back, having 27 points in 56 games this season, but has been a steady and reliable presence on the back-end for a dominant Avalanche team.

  • There is positive injury news out in the desert, as Arizona Coyotes head coach Andre Tourigny announced that defenseman Janis Moser is on the Coyotes’ road trip and is now considered day-to-day for the team (link). It’s unclear when exactly Moser, who has not played since March 15th, will return, but having the young defenseman return to finish out the season would be much-welcomed for Arizona. The Coyotes also expect prospect Jack McBain to make his NHL debut soon, says Tourigny. McBain, who the Coyotes acquired from the Minnesota Wild on March 21st, and signed on March 23rd, has been unable to play due to injury. Tourigny points to Arizona’s games at Vancouver and Calgary next week, or the following week at home as possible dates of McBain to debut. The 22-year-old spent this season and three prior as a standout for Boston College in the NCAA.
  • Edmonton Oilers’ prospect Philip Broberg is expected to return from injury within the next two weeks for the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL, says Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Athletic (link). Broberg, who has split time between Bakersfield and Edmonton, has been out since March 18. Another Oilers prospect, Dylan Holloway, did not play last night and is expected to be out at least through this weekend, says Nugent-Bowman. A return timetable is not yet clear for Holloway, however Nugent-Bowman does believe that Holloway will make his NHL debut before the end of the season (link). The 14th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by Edmonton, Holloway has eight goals and thirteen assists in 32 games this season for Bakersfield.
  • From Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, defenseman Jake Walman is out of the lineup tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets with an upper-body injury (link). Walman has been a reliable defenseman for both the Red Wings and the St. Louis Blues this season, coming to Detroit from St. Louis in the Nick Leddy trade back in March. No timetable for Walman’s return has been made available yet.

Central Notes: De Haan, McBain, Forsberg

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Before Monday’s trade deadline, many expected that Blackhawks defenseman Calvin de Haan would be on the move but a deal never materialized.  Now that he’s still in Chicago, the veteran recently told reporters including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’d to stay there beyond this season.  De Haan is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and will assuredly wind up with a contract that’s considerably cheaper than his current $4.55MM AAV.  The 30-year-old has just five points in 59 games this season but is second on the team in blocked shots with 147 while logging over 19 minutes per contest.  However, while de Haan would like to stay in Chicago, the team has young left-shot blueliners Wyatt Kalynuk, Riley Stillman, Alex Vlasic, and Caleb Jones in their system already that are all 24 or younger.  For a team committing to a rebuild, it may make more sense to play them more and not bring de Haan back next season.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • The Coyotes will have to wait a while for Jack McBain to make his NHL debut. Head coach Andre Tourigny told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports (Twitter link) that the 22-year-old’s ankle injury may take longer to heal than expected; instead of him being out for a few days, it could be a few weeks.  From a contractual standpoint, McBain’s first year will be burned regardless of whether or not he plays but Arizona would certainly like to get him into some game action to evaluate his readiness for next season.
  • With the Predators opting not to trade Filip Forsberg at the trade deadline, Gentry Estes of The Tennessean suggests that Nashville has no real choice but to hand the winger the money he’s seeking to sign a long-term extension. With their last chance to trade him for any value now gone (a negotiating rights trade wouldn’t bring back much), the scribe posits that Forsberg could easily up his asking price with the team no longer having a lot of leverage in discussions.  Of course, Forsberg’s play in itself is only making that price go higher as he has 36 goals and 28 assists in 52 games this season; he’s the leading goal-getter among pending unrestricted free agents.

Arizona Coyotes Officially Sign Jack McBain

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Though it was clear a deal was coming immediately after they acquired him from the Minnesota Wild, Jack McBain’s entry-level contract has been officially announced by the Arizona Coyotes. While the team did not release specific information on the deal, CapFriendly reported earlier this week that it will start in 2021-22 and carry an NHL cap hit of $883,750.

That means McBain can join the club immediately, and that his college career is now a thing of the past. The 22-year-old center is one of those select few who played at the Olympics before ever signing a pro contract, suiting up for Canada earlier this year and scoring two points in four games. For Boston College, where he has spent the last four years, the 6’4″ forward added 19 goals and 33 points in a breakout senior season.

While he may never become an elite offensive producer at the next level, McBain brings a mix of size and skill not often found together. He was acquired from the Wild in exchange for a second-round pick when it became clear that a contract with Minnesota wasn’t coming. McBain could have hit unrestricted free agency later this summer, but will chase an opportunity in Arizona instead.

Perhaps they would have rather he join their organization, but the deal actually resulted in a bit of an upgrade for the Wild in the end. They used a third-round pick, 63rd-overall, in 2018 and will now get a pick several slots higher in return. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Arizona’s selection they received though, as they instead landed Vancouver’s second-round pick in 2022.

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