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NHL Announces All-Star Teams, All-Rookie Team

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On the heels of the NHL Awards, the league has revealed the rosters of it’s all-league teams. As voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the selections are as follows:

First All-Star Team (link)

G Andrei Vasilevskiy
D Adam Fox
D Cale Makar
LW Brad Marchand
C Connor McDavid
RW Mitch Marner

Hart, Ted Lindsay, and Art Ross winner McDavid anchors the First Team All-Stars for the fourth time in his career, flanked by Hart candidate Marchand and with Vezina finalist Vasilevskiy in net. However, the story of the top All-Star squad is young defensemen Fox, the Norris winner, and Makar, a Norris finalist, manning the first team blue line in just their second NHL seasons. Marner is another first-time selection with a career year in his fifth season.

Second All-Star Team (link)

G Marc-Andre Fleury
D Victor Hedman
D Dougie Hamilton
LW Jonathan Huberdeau
C Auston Matthews
RW Mikko Rantanen

Vezina winner Fleury highlights an impressive second-team squad that also included Norris finalist Hedman and Hart finalist Matthews. This is Hedman’s fifth appearance on the Second Team All-Star roster, but all the others are first-time selections. Under-rated starts Huberdeau and Rantanen receiving much-deserved recogntion from the PHWA.

All-Rookie Team (link)

G Alex Nedeljkovic
D K’Andre Miller
D Ty Smith
LW Jason Robertson
C Joshua Norris
RW Kirill Kaprizov

With Calder winner Kaprizov leading the way, the All-Rookie teams boasts a mix of seasoned young players in their first full NHL seasons, such as Kaprizov himself and Nedeljkovic, sophomores Robertson and Norris, and true “rookies” in first-year pros Miller and Smith on the back end.

For those thinking that their favorite star was snubbed from all-league recognition this season, the voting results were actually very definitive. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon was a distant third at center, as was the Rangers’ Artemi Panarin at left wing and Vegas’ Mark Stone at right wing. Colorado’s Philipp Grubauer was way back of the top two in net as well. On defense, Hamilton was actually well behind Fox, Makar, and Hedman, but far enough ahead of Vegas’ Shea Theodore and Boston’s Charlie McAvoy. 

2021 Calder Trophy Finalists Announced

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The NHL has continued to release the finalists for their major regular season awards, this time giving us the top Calder Trophy candidates. This award is given to the top first-year player in the league and is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

The finalists are Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild, Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars and Alex Nedeljkovic of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Kaprizov, 24, is the favorite for the award and has been for much of the season after finally agreeing to come over from the KHL. The skilled winger finished the year with 27 goals and 51 points in 55 games, injecting new life and excitement into a franchise that was lacking both. There’s going to always be a debate on whether Kaprizov should be eligible for the Calder, since he completed six seasons in the KHL before coming to North America, but what he did as a first-year player in the NHL shouldn’t be taken for granted. His play was outstanding all year and his Minnesota team was extremely close to upsetting the Vegas Golden Knights and advancing to the second round.

Just because Kaprizov is the favorite though, doesn’t mean Robertson should be forgotten. The 21-year-old Stars forward burst onto the scene with 45 points of his own in 51 games, finishing behind only Joe Pavelski for the team lead in goals and points. The 6’3″ winger was a second-round pick four years ago but just never stopped developing, adding strength and speed to his frame to go with some well-developed puck skills. Robertson looks like the next great Dallas player and a pillar to build around after a disappointing year.

Like many Calder races, there are the skaters and then there is the goalie. It’s difficult to compare the two directly, but the people in Carolina would certainly argue that Nedeljkovic’s contribution was more important this season. The 25-year-old netminder has battled in the minor leagues for years and was even waived at the beginning of this season, but when Petr Mrazek suffered an injury, Nedeljkovic finally got his chance. He never looked back, posting an incredible .932 save percentage through 23 regular season games, winning 15 of them and posting three shutouts. In the shortened season there was a real case for Nedeljkovic getting a Vezina Trophy nominee, given he led the league in save percentage and goals-against average (1.90), but after falling short there he’ll have to settle for being a Calder finalist instead.

USA Hockey Announces World Championship Roster

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The IIHF World Championship roster is always a little different. Because the tournament takes place during the NHL playoffs, many players are unable to attend. Many others choose not to participate because of injuries they sustained during the season, meaning there are often some interesting choices that compete for their country.

This season is perhaps even more difficult for U.S. Men’s National Team general manager Chris Drury. Not only does he have injuries and the postseason to deal with, but many players haven’t seen their families for months and just want to spend some quality time at home. With that in mind, this year’s team has both players not yet drafted and others that have already aged out of the NHL.

The full roster is as follows:

G Jake Oettinger
G Cal Petersen
G Anthony Stolarz

D Adam Clendening
D Matt Hellickson
D Zac Jones
D Connor Mackey
D Matt Roy
D Ryan Shea
D Matt Tennyson
D Chris Wideman
D Christian Wolanin

F Justin Abdelkader
F Matthew Beniers
F Colin Blackwell
F Brian Boyle
F Sasha Chmelevski
F Ryan Donato
F Jack Drury
F Conor Garland
F Kevin Labanc
F Trevor Moore
F Jason Robertson
F Eric Robinson
F Kevin Rooney
F Tage Thompson

The U.S. team will be coached by Jack Capuano. The tournament kicks off on May 21 in Riga, Latvia.

Central Notes: Wild, Husso, Stars

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Despite no start date set for next season, several Minnesota Wild players, who live locally, have begun skating once a week in Edina with skating and skills consultant Andy Ness, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required). Among those participating are Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, Zach Parise, Marcus Foligno, Nick Bjugstad, Kyle Rau as well as former Wild players Luke Kunin, Eric Staal and Jason Zucker.

Russo said that according to sources, Suter, who was injured in Game 3 of the playoffs and missed Game 4 before being eliminated, looked good on the ice and should be fully ready for the start of the season. Reports also suggest that Bjugstad, who the Wild acquired from Pittsburgh earlier in the offseason and is recovering from back surgery, is progressing nicely.

  • Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes it’s very likely the St. Louis Blues stick with backup goaltender Ville Husso in net as opposed to going out and signing a veteran netminder for one more year. Husso, has never made an NHL appearance and would appear to be a candidate to struggle considering his limited experience at the NHL level. However, the scribe writes that besides being cheap, the team has a number of other young and talented goalies in the system and the team must learn sooner or later what Husso can offer them. He has been the No. 3 guy for a while now, but Jordan Binnington and Jake Allen never got injured, so Husso never got a chance to show what he can do at the top level.
  • The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf (subscription required) writes that the Dallas Stars are likely going to have to turn to some rookies to step in for Tyler Seguin and Ben Bishop who are both expected to miss a large chunk of next season. The team will likely turn to top prospects Jason Robertson and Ty Dellandrea to step in and fill roles, with Robertson a leading candidate to fill a top-six role while Seguin is out. The team will also have to depend on rookie Jake Oettinger to backup Anton Khudobin, while Bishop is on the mend. Seguin underwent right hip arthroscopy and labral repair, while Bishop underwent right knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

Central Notes: Pietrangelo, Lowry, Radulov, Boqvist

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The St. Louis Blues got some good news last week when they learned from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman when he announced that the 2020-21 salary cap is expected to rise between $84MM and $88.2MM. With the current salary cap set at $81.5MM this season, that would give the Blues franchise a significant amount of cap space that it could use to re-sign defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who is currently slated to become a unrestricted free agent this summer.

In his latest mailbag, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required) writes that while those numbers sound promising, the NHL was projected to have a salary cap set at $83MM for the 2019-20 season and it ended up being $81.5MM, which suggests that all teams shouldn’t expect a significant increase. However, as far as Pietrangelo is concerned, the scribe believes that St. Louis has no intention of paying out any more than $9.5MM AAV, and the team would prefer a number closer to $8.5MM regardless of the increase in salary cap. The team believes that if other teams are willing to go to $10MM per season, the Blues will not match that.

Rutherford adds that if that’s the case and Pietrangelo opts to sign elsewhere, the team is unlikely to make any significant additions as there aren’t many significant free-agent defenseman this summer. That means the Blues would then hand the reins to Colton Parayko as the defensive leader next season.

  • The Athletic’s Ken Wiebe reports that Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry is likely to return to the lineup Monday for their game against Arizona. Lowry has been out since Jan. 19 with an upper-body injury and should be able to give the Jets a much-needed boost. The 26-year-old has four goals and 10 points in 47 games with 132 hits.
  • The Dallas Stars were without Alexander Radulov Saturday due to illness, while forward Justin Dowling was able to re-enter the lineup since late January. Dowling immediately moved onto the top line next to Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. However, with the team desperate to put up some offense after being held to one goal in the past three games, The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) writes that if Radulov has to miss extended time, the Stars should consider in recalling forward Jason Robertson. The 20-year-old prospect has 25 goals in his rookie campaign with the Texas Stars and has appeared in three NHL games already.
  • NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis reports that after missing Friday’s game with a wrist injury on Saturday, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Adam Boqvist is expected to enter the Blackhawks lineup today against the St. Louis Blues. He fills a gap with rookie Lucas Carlsson out with a concussion.

Trade Deadline Primer: Dallas Stars

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With the trade deadline now just a few days away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?  Next up is a look at the Dallas Stars.

The Stars look to have a lock on a playoff spot as they hold one of the top three records in the Central Division this season and with the next closest team seven points behind, it’s unlikely that Dallas is in danger of falling out of the playoff race. However, they are in quite the battle with both the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues for the Central Division lead and could gain a distinct advantage if they could come out on top of the division with the chance to face off against a wild card team as opposed to playing one of those two teams, which is going to make the Stars as buyers.

Record

35-20-6, third in the Central Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$4.75MM in a full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 48/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: DAL 1st, DAL 4th, DAL 5th, DAL 6th
2021: DAL 1st, DAL 2nd, DAL 3rd, DAL 4th, DAL 5th, DAL 6th, DAL 7th

Trade Chips

Perhaps the biggest problem for the Stars is that their assets don’t match those of the Colorado Avalanche or even St. Louis. The Stars were quite active a year ago when they acquired Mats Zuccarello and Ben Lovejoy at the trade deadline, which cost them several draft picks and traded several other picks earlier than that, which leaves the team short a second and third-round pick for this coming draft and it would seem unlikely the team would trade their first-rounder this year. However, the team does have its full complement of picks for the 2021 season, so Dallas has some picks available if it wants to add a player a the deadline.

Another trade chip, although not a big one, might be Julius Honka, whose rights still belong to the Dallas Stars even though he is playing the season in Finland with Jyp HT Jyvaskyla in the Liiga. The 24-year-old was a highly-touted first-round pick in 2014, but failed to earn a full-time role with the Stars in 87 NHL games and finally requested a trade. However, few teams showed interest this past summer and Honka opted to sign overseas. He has four goals and 15 points in 38 contests in the Liiga and could have generated enough interest for a team to make an offer on him.

The team is highly unlikely to move their top prospects in forward Jason Robertson, defenseman Thomas Harley and goaltender Jake Oettinger. However, the team has some secondary prospects, including Ty Delandrea, Ben Gleason, Oskar Back and Adam Mascherin.

Five Players To Watch For: F Oskar Back, F Ty Delandrea, D Ben Gleason, D Julius Honka, F Corey Perry.

Team Needs

1) Top-Nine Forward: The Stars are always in need of scoring that can add to the team’s offense, but the real question is whether the team has the assets, or more importantly, is willing to spend what it might take to go out and get a top player like it did a year ago. However, with random injuries and the team trying hard to have three equal lines at the top, the team could use a goal scorer, who can add to the team. However, with the high cost so far for top players, it might seem unlikely that general manager Jim Nill pulls the trigger.

2) Forward Depth: It’s far more likely that Dallas is a top candidate to go out and add some depth to their bottom-six, which could be quite a bit cheaper than for the team. Throw in the fact that there is little cap room with which to maneuver on this roster and this is the more likely scenario, picking up a veteran that can help out and serve as a replacement if there are any other significant injuries in the stretch run.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 02/13/20

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The entire hockey world watched two icons have their numbers raised to the rafters together in Vancouver last night, as Daniel and Henrik Sedin were honored by the Canucks. Twin brothers who were miraculously drafted second and third overall by the same franchise (after some wheeling and dealing by then-GM Brian Burke) spent 17 seasons connecting with a city and fanbase. The Sedins each scored over 1,000 points in a Canucks sweater and no one else will ever wear #22 or #33 in Vancouver. As the Canucks and other teams prepare to go back to work this evening, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • As the Dallas Stars get set to face the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, they’ve placed Alexander Radulov on injured reserve. Taking his place is top prospect Jason Robertson, who could make his NHL debut. Selected 39th overall in 2017, Robertson has taken quite well to professional hockey, recording 20 goals and 35 points as a rookie with the Texas Stars.
  • The Boston Bruins have returned Jeremy Lauzon to the minor leagues, after he served the final game of his suspension by sitting out last night. Lauzon could be an option for the Bruins down the stretch, but has spent most of the season in the AHL.
  • Yakov Trenin has been sent to the AHL by the Nashville Predators, as the team readies for their matchup against the New York Islanders tonight. Trenin has played 17 games for the Predators this season and must be getting used to the trip between leagues.
  • Once again the Winnipeg Jets have recalled Andrei Chibisov, and perhaps this is the time he will make his NHL debut. The 26-year old forward has 24 points in 47 games for the Manitoba Moose in his first season in North America.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have sent Scott Wilson back to the minor leagues, as Victor Olofsson and Kyle Okposo return to the lineup tonight. Olofsson will try to resume his excellent rookie campaign and provide some more scoring punch for the Sabres.
  • Mark Barberio has been recalled by the Colorado Avalanche, after playing in 14 games with the team earlier this season. The 29-year old defenseman has two points on the season.
  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled both Antti Suomela and Noah Gregor from the minor leagues, though the latter seems to be dealing with a minor injury. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic tweets that Suomela will be the extra forward for tomorrow’s Sharks’ game against the Winnipeg Jets.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Barrett Hayton from the minor leagues, sending Aaron Ness down to make room. Hayton had to come up now that his conditioning loan has expired, and will need to either stay with Arizona or go back to the CHL for the rest of the year.

Training Camp Cuts: 09/27/19

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We’re getting closer and closer to the start of the regular season and teams are making their final cuts. We’ll keep track of them right here. Keep checking back throughout the day as this page will be updated regularly.

Arizona Coyotes (per team release)

F Lane Pederson (to Tucson, AHL)
D Jordan Gross (to Tucson, AHL)
D Kyle Capobianco (to Tucson, AHL)

Dallas Stars (per team release)

F Nicholas Caamano (to Texas, AHL)
F Rhett Gardner (to Texas, AHL)
F Jason Robertson (to Texas, AHL)
D Thomas Harley (to Mississauga, OHL)

Detroit Red Wings (per team release)

G Kaden Fulcher (to Toledo, ECHL)
F Matthew Ford (released from PTO)
F Josh Kestner (released from PTO)
F Troy Loggins (released from ATO)
F Tyler Spezia (released from PTO)
D Marcus Crawford (released from PTO)
D Charle-Edouard D’Astous (released from ATO)
D Alec McCrea (released from ATO)
G Pat Nagle (released from PTO)

Los Angeles Kings (per team release)

F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (to Ontario, AHL)
F Rasmus Kupari (to Ontario, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (per team release)

F Nathan Bastian (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Michael McLeod (to Binghamton, AHL)

New York Rangers (per team release)

F Steven Fogarty (to Hartford, AHL)

Minnesota Wild (per team release)

F Gerry Mayhew (to Iowa, AHL)
F Nico Sturm (to Iowa, AHL)
F Drew Stafford (released from PTO)

Vancouver Canucks (per team release)

F Zack MacEwen (to Utica, AHL)
D Jalen Chatfield (to Utica, AHL)
F Tyler Graovac (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
G Richard Bachman (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)

Winnipeg Jets (per team release)

F Andrei Chibisov (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Michael Spacek (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Kristian Vesalainen (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Logan Stanley (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Cameron Schilling (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)

Snapshots: Brown, Thomas, Gomez

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Connor Brown may seem like just one of a number of additions the Ottawa Senators have made this off-season, but it turns out that the team had their eye on the veteran forward for some time and have high expectations for him this year. Speaking with Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, Senators GM Pierre Dorion states that his interest in Brown began long before the team hired former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant D.J. Smith as their new head coach and belongs in a separate category from familiar additions Nikita Zaitsev, Ron Hainsey, and Tyler Ennis. While that group of veterans was brought in from Toronto to provide leadership and stability in a young locker room under a first-time NHL head coach, Dorion sees a larger role for Brown. “We just feel he was someone on a very skilled team that probably didn’t get the offensive looks he would have gotten on a lot of other teams,” Dorion states, suggesting “We feel he’s going to get back to being the 20-goal scorer he was in his rookie year.” Brown did hit 20 goals, as well as 36 points, in a breakout rookie campaign three years ago, but his goal scoring totals have dropped precipitously since then: 14 goals in 2017-18 and 8 goals in 2018-19. Brown will certainly have the opportunity to improve his numbers on an Ottawa roster that lack many established scorers, but Dorion’s projection of 20+ goals may be lofty for a player who has looked comfortable as a 30-point, two-way forward over the last few years.

  • Akil Thomas is on the Los Angeles Kings’ roster for their upcoming rookie tournament and is poised to compete for an NHL roster spot in training camp. However, even though their intention was to honor the young forward, his junior team made it clear that they don’t expect him to break camp with the Kings this year. The OHL’s Niagara Ice Dogs have named Thomas their captain for the 2019-20 season, the team already announced, although Thomas is still weeks away from pushing for a place with the Kings. Thomas more than earned the role with his play last year, recording 102 points in 63 games for a powerhouse team that has since lost the likes of Jason Robertson, Jack Studnicka, and Ben Jones to the pros. Nevertheless, even those dominant numbers don’t guarantee the 2018 second-round pick a role with L.A. this season. The Kings sport an impressive group of prospects competing for few openings. Recent high picks Rasmus Kupari and Jaret Anderson-Dolan probably have an edge on Thomas if the Kings opt to add a rookie forward to the starting lineup, likely leading Niagara to safely assume that their star forward will be back this season.
  • After two years on the job, Scott Gomez has decided to leave the New York Islanders coaching staff, Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports. The team has confirmed the move and stressed that Gomez was not fired. Gomez was originally hired by Doug Weight, but served under Barry Trotz last season as well. Gomez is remembered most for his dynamic offensive play early in his pro career with the New Jersey Devils. It could be that his philosophy on offense didn’t mesh with Trotz’ ultra-conservative scheme, prompting him to seek a better fit elsewhere, but there has been no word as to the reasoning behind Gomez’ departure. If Gomez wants to continue coaching, there is undoubtedly a place for him in the pro or junior ranks.

Central Notes: Girard, Dach, Honka, Robertson

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The seven-year, $35MM contract that Samuel Girard signed with the Colorado Avalanche earlier this week as a sign that the team has found an heir apparent for recently traded Tyson Barrie. While the team has a ton of talent in Cale Makar, as well as the 2019 fourth-overall pick in Bowen Byram, the Avalanche believe they have a top-four defenseman in their 21-year-old.

In fact, The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required) writes that he believes that general manager Joe Sakic believes strongly that the 162-pound Girard is ready for a full-time role this season as their top defender, which is a big task to take on. Barrie averaged 24:11 in the playoffs last year, while Girard averaged almost five minutes below that. However, the team believes he will take his game up a notch and make his seven-year deal a steal of a signing in the future.

  • Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago writes in a mailbag column that he wonders whether the Chicago Blackhawks will seriously consider keeping 2019 third-overall pick Kirby Dach on the roster entering the season. Last year, the top four draft picks in the 2018 draft made their respective teams in the NHL, and Chicago does have an opening for a third-line center which could be a perfect match. Of course, much of that decision will come down to how Dach performs at training camp as well as how many minutes he might play as Dach is used to being a top-minutes player on his junior team.
  • In his latest mailbag, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Dallas Stars may have trouble moving defenseman Julius Honka, who the team was expected to move this offseason. Shapiro believes the team is hoping to get a fourth-round pick for the 2014 first-rounder who has fallen out of favor in Dallas, but he writes that many teams believe that they can just get the blue liner off of waivers at the start of the season as its highly unlikely that Dallas will keep Honka on their roster.
  • Sticking with the Stars, Matthew DeFranks of SportsDay writes in a mailbag column that he believes that while Jason Robertson could be an excellent addition to the Dallas Stars team, he doubts that Robertson will play more than a handful of games with the Stars next season. The 20-year-old is turning pro this season after Dallas selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft and saw him net 48 goals and 117 points in 62 games in the OHL last season. Franks writes that Robertson will spend most of next season in the AHL with the Texas Stars as he learns to adjust to the pro game.

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