Joe Pavelski

Poll: How Many Top Free Agents Will Re-Sign With Their Current Club?

March 7, 2019 at 7:33 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 4 Comments

Back in January, PHR published our Midseason UFA Power Rankings: 1-10, 11-20, and several honorable mentions. With the NHL Trade Deadline now passed, the next chance that teams have to shake up their rosters is the off-season, with the majority waiting until July 1st, when the free agent market officially opens. However, the question always is how many would-be free agents actually make it to the open market? Mark Stone, Eric Staal, and Jakob Silfverberg – three of our top 20 – have already signed or agreed to extensions. Will many more follow suit? With the trade deadline shaking up the status quo for several teams and players, how many more top free agents will skip free agency and sign extensions?

The Columbus Blue Jackets are now the team to watch for not just two but four of the best potential UFA’s. Artemi Panarin (No. 2) and Sergei Bobrovsky (No. 6) have long been expected to test the market, perhaps even as a package deal. Ottawa Senators imports Matt Duchene (No. 5) and Ryan Dzingel (No. 16) could now join them. The conditional first-round pick tied to re-signing Duchene would seemingly make it less likely that Columbus opts to extend him, while Dzingel, and Ohio State University alum, looks like a more natural long-term fit.

Another team of interest are the San Jose Sharks. Superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson (No. 1) and respected veteran forward Joe Pavelski (No. 7) are both heading for free agency and the Sharks may be hard-pressed to sign both. There’s also now deadline addition Gustav Nyquist (No. 14) to consider. How the season ends for the Cup contending Sharks could determine if any of the trio return to San Jose. The same could be said for the Western Conference rival Winnipeg Jets. Between rental center Kevin Hayes (No. 8) and big defenseman Tyler Myers (No. 10), the Jets have a pair of coveted free agents on the roster, but their impending cap crunch is severe and could make bringing back just one of the two nearly impossible.

After losing John Tavares last summer, going through the same with top forward Anders Lee (No. 9) would be devastating for the New York Islanders franchise. For that reason, it is fair to put faith in the team coming to a new agreement with their captain. However, that line of thinking if awfully reminiscent to last year. Less likely to return are center Brock Nelson (No. 11) and winger Jordan Eberle (No. 15), although either one could opt to re-sign after a strong playoff run. The big question is resurgent goalie Robin Lehner (No. 23). Will the Islanders lock up the young keeper who has been so solid this season? Or will they refuse to pay market value for a player that has benefited from their system while splitting time with Thomas Greiss?

Generally, playoff rentals proceed to hit the free agent market rather than re-up with their new teams. In addition to Duchene, Dzingel, Hayes, and Nyquist, Nashville’s Wayne Simmonds (No. 13), Dallas’ Mats Zuccarello (No. 21), and Colorado’s Derick Brassard (No. 24) could very well be headed to yet another destination. Some may also consider Toronto defenseman Jake Gardiner (No. 12) and Carolina forward Micheal Ferland (No. 18) as “own rentals” given the high likelihood that both leave. However, there is room for a surprise or two in this group to sign an extension.

Safer bets to land a new deal rather than test free agent waters are a pair of long-time veterans and a breakout star. If there was any doubt that the Buffalo Sabres couldn’t re-sign Jeff Skinner (No. 4), there would have been talk of his availability at the trade deadline. Instead, it was dead quiet. Skinner has been a great match with Jack Eichel and certainly looks like a long-term fit in Buffalo. Vancouver’s Alexander Edler (No. 22) and Detroit’s Jimmy Howard (No. 25) both stated their preference not to be dealt at the recent deadline and are known to be working on new contracts. Yet, until pen meets paper they are still impending free agents. Similarly, Semyon Varlamov (No. 17) has expressed an interest in remaining with the Colorado Avalanche, but it’s unclear if the feeling is mutual.

Compared to recent years, this impending free agent class does look to have fewer locks for extensions among top players. Any of these 22 names could hit the market, although odds are they won’t all choose to do so. Regardless, this could be a healthy market come July 1st. Just how deep could it be? That’s for you to guess. How many of these top free agents will sign extensions? [Mobile users click here to vote]

Deadline Primer: San Jose Sharks

February 2, 2019 at 7:59 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 2 Comments

With the trade deadline fast approaching, 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? As we begin to examine the Pacific Division, here is a look at the San Jose Sharks.

The moment that the San Jose Sharks traded for star defenseman Erik Karlsson, many people felt that the Sharks would be at the top of the Pacific Division. While no one was expecting the Calgary Flames to be so dominant, the Sharks are solidly in second place and with their impressive play of late, it wouldn’t be a shock if San Jose found their way back during the team’s stretch run. The Sharks have been rolling, having won 10 of 14 games and three of those games were a streak when they were forced to play without Karlsson.

With a number of veteran players trying to hold on for another deep playoff run, including Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Sharks picked up another significant piece to their plans to win this season. The team went out a year ago at the trade deadline and picked up Evander Kane from Buffalo, eventually locking him up long-term and they followed that up by adding Karlsson during the offseason. Throw in the fact that Thornton hasn’t been 100 percent this season and isn’t the same player due to his knee injury and the need for more depth is obvious. No one would be surprised if general manager Doug Wilson tries to pry another major piece.

Record

29-16-7, second in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$6.76MM in full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 45/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: FLA 2nd, SJS 3rd, SJS 5th, SJS 6th, SJS 7th
2020: SJS 2nd, SJS 3rd, SJS 4th, SJS 5th, OTT 5th

Trade Chips

This is where the Sharks might have some problems. The team has already moved its first-round picks in 2019 and in 2020 as they moved their 2019 pick to Buffalo for Kane and then their 2020 first-rounder for Karlsson (pending multiple conditions that are likely to hold). The team has already unloaded several key young players and prospects in separate deals, including Chris Tierney, Rudolfs Balcers, Danny O’Regan, and Josh Norris. It’s been made clear that the Sharks aren’t interested in moving too many more prospects, leaving the team bare of incoming prospects, but regardless, time is running out for a number of their veterans and with the dominance of several teams, the Sharks will want to keep up with them.

Regardless, the team may have few choices. One player the team could consider moving out would be forward Kevin Labanc, who has five goals and 30 points this season, but hasn’t been able to break into the team’s top six. The 23-year-old still has plenty of promise and might be able to being in a significant return for a player who tallied two 100-point seasons in the OHL. The team also could dip into their prospect pool that has a number of talented players, including 21-year-old goalie Josef Korenar, who appeared in the AHL All-Star game this year, AHL forwards Dylan Gambrell and Francis Perron, as well as highly-touted offensive defenseman Ryan Merkley, and junior forwards Sasha Chmelevski and Ivan Chekhovich.

Five Players To Watch For: G Aaron Dell, F Barclay Goodrow, D Tim Heed, F Kevin Labanc, D Joakim Ryan

Team Needs

1) More forward depth: The team has a solid top-six, but the third line has been average at best and hardly the scoring line the team was hoping for at the beginning of the year. With Thornton ailing, the team could use a sniper, potentially who has some experience manning the center position to improve the bottom-six. Thornton has just 10 goals and 25 points in 43 games this season and looks like he’s heading for his most disappointing season so far. While Marcus Sorensen has shown improvement, the forward has just 17 points this season, while Labanc still hasn’t full proven himself to head coach Peter DeBoer. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Sharks went to the Ottawa well again, having already worked out deals to take Mike Hoffman and Karlsson from the Senators. A rental like Matt Duchene or winger like Mark Stone would force the team to adjust their lines and put some quality offense on their third line.

2) Defensive depth: With an injury, as well as poor play, coming from Marc-Edouard Vlasic, the team may want to bring in a veteran defenseman who could provide the team with some strength behind the blueline. The team has gotten surprisingly good play from defenseman Radim Simek, who the team signed out of the Czech Republic last summer. However, the team needs more help there and don’t have too much help at that position down in the AHL.

2019 Midseason UFA Power Rankings: 1-10

January 28, 2019 at 4:51 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 5 Comments

With the halfway point of the season now behind us and the trade deadline fast approaching, the All-Star break seemed like the perfect time to take a preliminary look at the UFA Class of 2019. Here is the first half of our top-20 rankings, based on votes from writers Gavin Lee, Brian La Rose, Zach Leach and Holger Stolzenberg. We ran spots 11-20 a few days ago, and will publish the honorable mentions tomorrow afternoon.

1. Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks — Karlsson was the unanimous choice for the top spot and it is easy to understand why. Even after an apparent slow start, the 28-year old defenseman is having one of the most dominant seasons of his career and now has 43 points through 47 games with the Sharks. Acquired for a huge package of assets just before the season began, he makes San Jose one of the most dangerous contenders in the quest for the Stanley Cup. Karlsson has been reported to be looking for a deal approaching Drew Doughty’s eight-year, $88MM extension in free agency and could only sign a contract of that length with the Sharks after this season’s trade deadline. If he doesn’t put pen to paper quickly after the deadline passes though, you can bet 30 other teams—well, perhaps not Ottawa—will be drooling over the idea of adding him in the offseason.

2. Artemi Panarin, Columbus Blue Jackets — Panarin was ranked no lower than fourth by any of the writers, and that is only because of the other incredible talents at the top of the list. The 27-year old winger is a dominant offensive force that ranks seventh in scoring since entering the league in 2015-16. Once believed to be a byproduct of Patrick Kane in Chicago, Panarin has shown that he can be the one driving the offense even while helping along a rookie forward in Pierre-Luc Dubois. Agent Dan Milstein is set to speak with Panarin one final time before letting Columbus know if he’s willing to negotiate an extension with the Blue Jackets, but looks like he’ll remain with the team through the trade deadline regardless. If the Blue Jackets can’t get him to sign, Panarin could very well cause a bidding war in the offseason that results in one of the biggest winger contracts in league history.

3. Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators — The first of several Senators to grace this list, Stone trailed Panarin just barely in our voting for the second spot. That’s a credit to how far his star has risen over the past few seasons, and how well-rounded his game has become. The 26-year old will be one of the younger players to hit free agency this year and will likely do so after a career-high in points. Already sitting with 50 in 50 games, Stone brings more than just offensive production to the table. One of the best two-way wingers in the league, he routinely strips opposing players of the puck and gives the Senators a chance for a counter attack. He has received Selke votes in each of his four full seasons and will undoubtedly do so again this time around. There’s no doubt that the Senators want to keep Stone around and that he’s willing to listen to an extension offer, but the closer it gets to July 1st the more tempting free agency becomes.

4. Jeff Skinner, Buffalo Sabres — You can understand why Skinner has publicly stated several times that he would love to stay with the Sabres. All he’s done since arriving in Buffalo is score, notching 30 goals through his first 48 games this season. That’s the fourth time the smooth-skating winger has reached the 30-goal plateau in his career, and a mark that is sure to drive up his price to a point where the Sabres may not be able to accept it. Remember that the team already has Jack Eichel locked in long-term for $10MM per season and could be worried about putting themselves in a situation similar to Edmonton where too much of the cap is tied up in a few players. Kyle Okposo’s deal is already looking troublesome and the team will have work to do on players like Sam Reinhart and Casey Mittelstadt after the 2019-20 season. That’s not to say Buffalo won’t fight to keep him though, as Skinner has been a big part of rejuvenating a frustrated fan base this year.

5. Matt Duchene, Ottawa Senators — You would think a 28-year old center scoring at more than a point-per-game rate in his contract year would rank even higher on this list, but there are likely still concerns about Duchene after his actions the last few years, deserved or not. Forcing a trade out of Colorado hasn’t done him any favors as he found himself on a struggling Ottawa team, but there is nothing wrong with his production since arriving in Canada’s capital. With 47 points in 41 games this season he has a chance to break his previous career-high of 70 points, and almost all of his damage has come at even-strength. Always one of the best in the league in the faceoff dot and a responsible enough player in his own end, you can bet a long-term deal is coming for Duchene. The only question is will he sign it with Ottawa over the next few weeks, or does a team spend big to get him at the deadline and try to extend him before the end of the year.

6. Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets — Buyer beware with the first goaltender on our list, as long-term deals for goaltenders over 30 don’t always work out. If there’s a goalie you would want to put your chips on though, Bobrovsky may be it. The Blue Jackets netminder is a two-time Vezina winner who came into this season with a career .920 save percentage and showed his durability with 128 starts over the last two years. This year hasn’t been up to his standards, but there is reason to believe he’ll bounce back in the future. Still, if Bobrovsky is expecting a deal approaching Carey Price’s eight-year, $84MM extension there won’t be a ton of teams lining up for him. Not many can afford to inject that kind of goaltender contract into their salary structure, meaning Bobrovsky will need to find the right fit—or perhaps desperate team—to squeeze that much juice out of his next deal.

7. Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks — Just when you think Pavelski might be reaching the age where he starts slowing down, the 34-year old gets off to perhaps the best start of his career. The San Jose captain scored 25 goals in his first 43 games this season and now sits with 45 points through 52 contests. A reliable, versatile forward that can play in basically any situation, Pavelski would also add an incredible amount of leadership and experience to any team in the league. The idea of him leaving San Jose still doesn’t feel right though, especially when you consider GM Doug Wilson’s loyalty to his veteran players in the past. Still, Patrick Marleau left San Jose in the summer of 2017 to chase a Stanley Cup—and $18.75MM—in Toronto and Pavelski would likely draw an even bigger offer from someone around the league. His game won’t last forever, but 194 goals since the start of 2013-14 speaks for itself.

8. Kevin Hayes, New York Rangers — Hayes wants to stay with the Rangers, but the New York front office will have to make a decision on whether he fits into their competitive timeline. If they happen to send him packing at the deadline, you can bet there will be plenty of teams calling. He’s missed time due to injury this season but there is still a very good chance that Hayes ends up with a career-high in points given that he already has 33 through 39 games, and teams are always on the lookout for size up the middle. It’s not that Hayes is a very physical player, but adding a 6’5″ center who can contribute in all situations is basically goal number one for almost any contender. Still, Hayes could very well be a player who gets a little more money than perhaps he deserves, thanks to the huge opportunity he’s had in New York this season during their rebuild.

9. Anders Lee, New York Islanders — Lee arrives on our list in the top-10 given his performance again this season, but it is unlikely that he will actually reach free agency in July. The Islanders have been confident with their approach to an extension with Lee, and felt secure enough to hand him over the captaincy even with just a single year remaining on his current contract. You can bet GM Lou Lamoriello will be putting on the full-court press to get Lee under contract in the coming weeks, but if for some reason the big forward decides to follow John Tavares out the door he’d be a hot commodity. While he might not hit 40 goals this season, there’s still a good chance he will notch his third consecutive 30-goal campaign and with it establish himself as one of the best all-around goal scorers in the league. A big powerplay presence who has demonstrated great leadership in the new-look Islanders locker room, he’s in for a huge raise on the $3.75MM cap hit he’s carrying this year.

10. Tyler Myers, Winnipeg Jets — If it weren’t for Karlsson’s existence at the top of the list, more people might be talking about Myers’ impending free agency. The massive defenseman’s worth is boosted simply by him being right-handed, but he’s also proven to be an effective player for the Jets over the last few years. Though his responsibility and ice time have declined with the emergence of Jacob Trouba, Myers is still young enough—29 in just a few days—to be worth a long-term deal in free agency as a solid top-4 option. The right-handed variety of those get paid big bucks in free agency, making it a tough sell for Winnipeg in a year that they already have so much work to do in the offseason. Simply put, the team likely can’t afford to retain Myers if they plan on extending all of their key restricted free agents, a group that includes Trouba, Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor. If Karlsson is locked up before free agency starts, you can bet a ton more will be written about Myers and where he could possibly fit in.

Pacific Notes: Karlsson, Pavelski, Ralhauser

January 26, 2019 at 1:55 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

With the trade deadline now less than a month away, Erik Karlsson’s situation in San Jose gets a little more interesting. The defenseman is a pending unrestricted free agent and while the Sharks undoubtedly want to re-sign him, they will have to wait until after the February 25th deadline if they want to do an eight-year deal. Karlsson told reporters, including NHL.com’s Eric Gilmore, that there remains no timetable for holding discussions about a new deal. It’s worth noting that he also expressed an appreciation for the patience the organization has shown with him thus far. The 28-year-old got off to a slow start this season and while he still has just three goals, he ranks fifth overall in points by a defenseman with 43. Karlsson is undoubtedly set to land a substantial raise on his current $6.5MM cap hit on his next deal.

NHL Announces All-Star Skills Competitors

January 25, 2019 at 4:50 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

The NHL All-Star Skills Competition is scheduled for this evening, and though Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon have both pulled out due to illness and injury there are still an incredible amount of talented players taking part. Most notable however may be the final entrant in the fastest skater competition: Kendall Coyne. A member of the US Women’s National Team, Coyne will take MacKinnon’s place after the Colorado Avalanche forward suffered a foot injury this week. The Olympic gold medalist is known for her speed and posted a 14.226 yesterday during event testing according to Emily Kaplan of ESPN. Though that wouldn’t have been enough to dethrone Connor McDavid last year, it would have put her ahead of Zach Werenski, Noah Hanifin and Josh Bailey in the competition. We’ll see what Coyne can do tonight, along with the rest of the competitors:

San Jose Sharks Sign Marcus Sorensen To Two-Year Extension

January 14, 2019 at 6:25 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 2 Comments

The San Jose Sharks are facing more than a few tough decisions when it comes to impending free agents this season. Fortunately, they’ve been able to get out in front of at least one set of negotiations. The Sharks have announced a two-year extension with forward Marcus Sorensen. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun adds that the new contract carries a $1.5MM cap hit.

Sorensen, 26, was set to hit the open market this summer for the first time as an established pro, but has in fact been a free agent before. Sorensen was actually a fourth-round pick by the Ottawa Senators back in 2010, but the team opted not to sign him. He remained in his native Sweden until a breakout season with Djurgardens IF in 2015-16 prompted him to examine his options in the NHL. Sorensen signed a one-year entry-level deal with San Jose and then signed a subsequent two-year extension, playing each season with the Sharks at under $1MM. Sorensen was nothing more than a part-time depth asset through his first two years, but this year is vastly outplaying his $700K price tag. The versatile bottom-six forward has a career-high 15 points and 47 games played already, having finally carved out a regular role for himself. While Sorensen possesses natural offensive instincts and stick-handling skills, he has finally embraced a more physical, high-energy game that makes him a valued depth forward.

With Sorensen signed, the Sharks have at least made a small dent in their laundry list of free agency decisions. Captain Joe Pavelski, aging legend Joe Thornton, and talented winger Joonas Donskoi are all set to be unrestricted free agents, while breakout star Timo Meier and fellow young forward Kevin Labanc are also due new contracts as restricted free agents. Of course, that’s just up front, as superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson is obviously the team’s biggest question mark. The Sharks are rolling right now, winning eight of their last ten games, and are legitimate Stanley Cup threats this season. How well that pursuit goes will obviously dictate what steps they take in free agency. Yet, the team already determined that Sorensen was a player worth keeping no matter what, which says a lot about how much the team values their under-rated forward.

San Jose Sharks Sign Lukas Radil To One-Year Extension

January 6, 2019 at 3:40 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

With eight forwards heading for either restricted or unrestricted free agency, the San Jose Sharks have cut that number down as they announced they have signed forward Lukas Radil to one-year extension for the 2019-20 season. CapFriendly reports that the extension will be for $700K, a small decrease from his current AAV of $750K but this new contract will be a one-way pact.

“He has seized the opportunity that he has been given and earned his place on our team,” said general manager Doug Wilson. “His love for the game is apparent as is his character and maturity to how he plays the game. We feel that his game will continue to grow.”

The 28-year-old has played overseas until this season, his last three in the KHL, where he tallied 41 goals over three seasons for Moscow Spartak. San Jose signed the forward to a one-year, $750K deal in April of 2018. He played 11 games with the Barracuda in the AHL earlier this season where he put up six points, but has been even more impressive after getting promoted to the Sharks where he has scored six goals and nine points in 18 games this year and holds a +10 rating, which is third on the team in plus/minus.

Wilson has quite a bit of work to do this offseason as the team has a number of players hitting unrestricted free agency, including Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Joonas Donskoi and Marcus Sorensen. That doesn’t include their biggest free agency concern in defenseman Erik Karlsson. The team also has to work on new contracts for restricted free agents Timo Meier, Kevin Labanc, Rourke Chartier and Joakim Ryan. So locking up Radil to another one-year extension helps add some depth for next year and keeps Radil from leaving to another team or returning to Europe.

The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz was the first to report the extension.

2019 All-Star Rosters Announced

January 2, 2019 at 5:44 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 12 Comments

The NHL has announced the four rosters for the 2019 All-Star Game today, scheduled to be held on January 26th in San Jose. Earlier today, Alex Ovechkin, who was elected captain of Metropolitan Division squad, told the league that he wouldn’t be attending and will accept the punishment of missing one game either before or after the break. Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Auston Matthews will represent the Pacific, Central and Atlantic respectively, as the other captains. A replacement Metropolitan captain for Ovechkin has yet to be named.

The full rosters are as follows:

Pacific Division

G John Gibson (ANA)
G Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK)

D Erik Karlsson (SJS)
D Brent Burns (SJS)
D Drew Doughty (LAK)

F Connor McDavid (EDM)*
F Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)
F Joe Pavelski (SJS)
F Elias Pettersson (VAN)
F Clayton Keller (ARI)

Central Division

G Pekka Rinne (NSH)
G Devan Dubnyk (MIN)

D Roman Josi (NSH)
D Miro Heiskanen (DAL)

F Nathan MacKinnon (COL)*
F Mikko Rantanen (COL)
F Blake Wheeler (WPG)
F Patrick Kane (CHI)
F Mark Scheifele (WPG)
F Ryan O’Reilly (STL)

Atlantic Division

G Jimmy Howard (DET)
G Carey Price (MTL)

D Keith Yandle (FLA)
D Thomas Chabot (OTT)

F Auston Matthews (TOR)*
F Nikita Kucherov (TBL)
F Steven Stamkos (TBL)
F John Tavares (TOR)
F David Pastrnak (BOS)
F Jack Eichel (BUF)

Metropolitan Division

G Henrik Lundqvist (NYR)
G Braden Holtby (WAS)

D John Carlson (WSH)
D Seth Jones (CBJ)

F Sidney Crosby (PIT)
F Taylor Hall (NJD)
F Mathew Barzal (NYI)
F Claude Giroux (PHI)
F Cam Atkinson (CBJ)
F Sebastian Aho (CAR)

*Denotes team captain

One final skater spot on each roster has yet to be announced, as it will be determined by the “Last Man In” fan ballot, a concept borrowed from Major League Baseball. The format of the current All-Star Game, which requires one representative from each team on these smaller 3-on-tournament rosters, was bound to cause some confusion with the initial selections. Seven top-twenty scorers were not selected – Mitch Marner, Brayden Point, Leon Draisaitl, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, Phil Kessel, and Gabriel Landeskog – and several will inevitably remain out of All-Star participation even after the fan ballot additions. Morgan Rielly, the league’s top-scoring defenseman, and Mark Giordano, enjoying an elite season on both sides of the puck, are two surprising omissions on the blue line. Several of the league’s top goalies are also going to miss out, ineligible for the fan ballot, including Ben Bishop, Frederik Andersen, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. The “Last Man In” will be an intriguing new addition to the All-Star process, with nominees to be named shortly, but more than a few notable names will be left out regardless. Meanwhile, the health of players like Price and Chabot for Team Atlantic and Hall for Team Metropolitan will bear watching, as those players may opt to skip the All-Star festivities, opening up more players to selection.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Matthews, Dube

November 19, 2018 at 1:30 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The NHL has released their Three Stars of the week, and Cam Atkinson will take home the top spot this time around. The diminutive Columbus Blue Jackets forward scored five goals and eight points in three games and is now producing at more than a point-per-game pace for the season. The 29-year old Atkinson is trying to put his injury plagued 2017-18 season behind him and get back to the 35-goal scorer he showed capable of being the year prior.

Corey Crawford and Joe Pavelski arrive at second and third respectively, and it’s the former whose performance is so impressive given his long way back from injury over the last year. Crawford now sits with a .922 save percentage on the season and is one of the sole reasons the Blackhawks are still within striking distance of a playoff spot in the Central Division. A team that has already fired their legendary coach and replaced him with the youngest bench boss in the league, Chicago will need Crawford to continue his strong play if they’re to have any chance at a postseason berth this year.

Auston Matthews was back on the ice with the Toronto Maple Leafs this morning, and he wasn’t wearing the red no-contact jersey. While the Maple Leafs have made no indication that Matthews will be back ahead of schedule, his presence with the team can only give them another morale boost as they try to reclaim the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Even without their young superstar—and his usual linemate William Nylander, who is still without a contract—the Maple Leafs sit at 14-6-0 on the year and have the second best goal differential in the entire NHL.
The Calgary Flames have inserted rookie Dillon Dube into the lineup 15 times this season, but have given him more than 13 minutes of ice time in only three of those contests. Still with just two points on the season, Dube is looking for his first NHL goal and a way to establish himself as a bigger presence at both ends of the ice. That opportunity is tough to carve out when the team has such solid depth up front, something that head coach Bill Peters is aware of. Speaking to reporters including Kristen Anderson of Postmedia, Peters explained that the team will soon have to decide whether keeping Dube in the NHL only to play a few minutes a game is really the best for his development. Instead, the team could send him back to the AHL where he has still yet to play a full season.

Pacific Notes: Pavelski, Schmidt, Carlyle, Juolevi

November 17, 2018 at 8:54 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 2 Comments

Joe Pavelski has seen a number of teammates play through their expiring contracts and not let it affect them. Joe Thornton has done it twice in the last two seasons, while Patrick Marleau did it recently as well, although he opted to find a new home.

Now the San Jose Sharks’ center is in the exact same situation, explains Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required). The 34-year-old Pavelski is in the final year of a five-year, $30MM contract and so far, there have been no talks of an extension with the long-time Sharks’ veteran. Just like Thornton and Marleau at the time, the lack of a deal isn’t affecting Pavelski’s play as he’s put up 11 goals so far this season, which is already half way to the 22 goals he scored last year.

“(Thornton and Marleau) handled it different times throughout their careers, and they’ve handled it well,’ Pavelski said earlier this week. “Obviously, you probably understand some of the things that they’ve gone through in the past a little bit better. But they’ve never taken away from the group. It’s never been a distraction. You just respect them as people for how they want to contribute to the group.”

The Vegas Golden Knights should get a defensive boost Sunday night when No. 1 defenseman Nate Schmidt returns to the team after sitting out with a 20-game suspension. However, Adam Hill of The Las Vegas Review-Journal writes that the return of Schmidt won’t be some magic elixir, however, for a struggling Vegas team that sits at 8-11-1 this season. However, Schmidt should help the team out in two key areas, offense and defense. “He’s one of our best players so he’s going to make a difference all over the ice — I hope,” head coach Gerard Gallant said. “Always a solid guy, moves the puck, skates well. You know what kind of player he is and he’s a big part of our group, so hopefully he’s going to make a big difference.”
With an 8-9-4 record, many people wouldn’t be surprised if the Anaheim Ducks chose to make a coaching change and move on from head coach Randy Carlyle. However, while that thought is apparent in the Ducks’ locker room, Carlyle isn’t worrying about his job. “We’re at the 20-game mark and we said that you do an evaluation of where you’re at with our group. We’ve been inconsistent and nobody’s going to be here waving the banners but we have some positives within that group too,” Carlyle said. “We have some players that have never played before now (and) have some NHL games and NHL experience. We’re not that far away from the pack. We’re still hanging around. The key is now is to stay with the pack until we can get our group playing at a higher level and having some personnel back that we can grow our group as a team. We haven’t created an identity for our hockey club yet, and that’s been the most frustrating part for us.”
Mike Halford of The Athletic (subscription required) looks at the play of defenseman Olli Juolevi, who has been putting up quite a few points in his first season with the Utica Comets of the AHL, and wonders when the Canucks may be ready to bring the prospect up to the NHL squad. So far, Juolevi has 13 points in 16 games and the Canucks, who lack any offensive weapons on defense, could really use one for a team that has fared quite well so far this season with a 10-9-2 record so far. However, defense is also an issue as the 20-year-old sports a minus-11. Utica assistant coach Gary Agnew admits that he needs time to develop his game still. “Certainly he’s not fully responsible for all those minuses, Agnew said. “But when there’s a little bit of a trend, there’s a trend. Obviously it’s a part of the game that we’re working hard with him at, and he’s very receptive to coaching. He’s eager to learn and he wants to be better. He’s doing all the things that you hope a high prospect does, in terms of his coachability.”

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