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Corey Pronman Releases 2023 NHL Draft Rankings

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With the trade deadline now over and the playoffs approaching, the next big transaction frenzy won’t occur until the 2023 NHL entry draft. Several teams have positioned themselves to be active at the draft and today Corey Pronman of The Athletic released his 2023 NHL draft rankings. Pronman considers this to be an above average draft that is heavy on forwards, this is evident in the rankings as he has only defenseman in his top ten.

The top of the draft offers no surprises as Connor Bedard is still the consensus top overall pick. Bedard continues to be viewed as a franchise changing player drawing favorable comparisons to David Pastrnak, Patrick Kane, and Nikita Kucherov. The only knock on Bedard continues to be his size, as he stands just 5′ 9″ and weights 185 pounds. While he does play with a physical edge, Pronman wonders if he eventually gets pushed from center to the wing.

Russian born winger Matvei Michkov is Pronman’s second ranked prospect in the draft. He too is on the smaller size standing just 5’10” and weighing in at just 172 pounds. Pronman considers Michkov to be one of the best draft eligible prospects he’s seen inside the offensive zone. Michkov recently completed the best 17-year-old season in Russia’s junior league history, topping Nikita Kucherov. He is seen as a game breaking elite scorer with a mind that sees the game in a way that few players do. He is currently signed to the KHL until 2025-26, meaning any team that drafts him might have to wait a few years for Michkov to make an impact.

Slotting in at number three in Pronman’s rankings is center Adam Fantilli out of Michigan. He was ranked second back in Pronman’s January rankings and draws comparisons to Jonathan Toews. Fantilli is fresh off one of the best underage seasons in USHL history and is currently having one of the best seasons seen in the modern era by a first-year draft eligible college player. While his speed and hockey sense are ranked as NHL average, his puck skills are seen as elite. Fantilli projects as an elite NHLer and a number one center on a very good team.

Pronman views Bedard, Michkov and Fantilli as first overall pick type of prospects. But obviously there can only be one first overall pick this June in Nashville and it appears as though that will be Connor Bedard.

 

Pronman’s top ten draft eligible players are:

  1. Connor Bedard, Regina (WHL)
  2. Matvei Michkov. Sochi (KHL)
  3. Adam Fantilli, Michigan (NCAA)
  4. Leo Carlsson, Orebro (SHL)
  5. Nate Danielson, Brandon (WHL)
  6. William Smith, USA U-18 (NTDP)
  7. David Reinbacher, Kloten (NL)
  8. Danil But, Yaroslavl (MHL)
  9. Colby Barlow, Owen Sound (OHL)
  10. Samuel Honzek, Vancouver (WHL)

 

Pronman’s full list can be found here.

 

 

Chicago Blackhawks Will Not Trade Jonathan Toews Before Deadline

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One of the biggest names many have speculated would be dealt this trade deadline season has just been taken off the board. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the Blackhawks and captain Jonathan Toews have “made a joint decision as he needs more time to recover from his latest illness,” and that he “will not be moved prior to the NHL trade deadline.”

Seravalli adds that “there does not appear to be any major long-term health concerns,” and that it’s possible Toews returns to the ice in March. But he noted that “out of fairness to other teams, Toews felt his body was not cooperating to compete at a high level right now,” getting in the way of any possible trade to another club.

Toews confirmed the news in a statement. So as to not attempt to summarize the complex nature of Toews’ health status, here is his statement in full:

First of all, thank you to the fans and all those who have shown concern about my absence. I’m still dealing with the symptoms of Long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome.

It has been really challenging to play through these symptoms. In the last few weeks, it has reached the point where I had no choice but to step back and concentrate on getting healthy. I am thankful for the patience and support of my teammates, the coaching staff, and the entire Blackhawks organization.

While the lack of depth in this season’s trade market at the center position means that this development has a significant ripple effect across the league, the most important aspect of this announcement is Toews’ own health.

While has described medical issues that have impacted his ability to get on the ice, those same issues can also impact his day-to-day life away from the rink.

Ensuring he is taking all the necessary time away and devoting all the focus he needs to get his personal health in order seems to be Toews’ top priority.

In June 2021, Toews opened up about his health to The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus, detailing the confusion and frustration he dealt with away from the ice. (subscription link)

With this relatively small glimpse into what Toews has been battling with, Toews’ on-ice performance becomes all the more impressive.

Meeting the physical rigors of NHL hockey alone is an achievement for any athlete, and the fact that Toews has been a quietly productive member of a weak Blackhawks squad is extremely impressive given these circumstances.

While Toews’ on-ice future remains unclear, Seravalli did state the possibility that he could return to the ice as soon as in March. But given all that Toews has sacrificed and accomplished for the Blackhawks organization in his run of over 1,000 games for the franchise, it seems very likely that the Blackhawks will afford Toews all the time and freedom he needs to get his body in order, before even considering a return to the lineup.

What this means for the NHL more broadly is significant. The trade market for centers was already precariously thin, and after the trade of Ryan O’Reilly to Toronto Toews was poised to be the highest-quality player on the market. Now, with him on the board, teams in need of help down the middle will likely be hard-pressed to find a quality center other teams would be willing to deal.

With Toews now off the trade market, teammate Max Domi or injured Montreal Canadiens forward Sean Monahan could be the top options available for any team seeking to add a pivot before March 3rd, unless a team manages to pry a less obvious trade candidate away from his current team.

Pictures courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Jonathan Toews Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Chicago Blackhawks have completed a number of transactions ahead of their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Cole Guttman, Brett Seney, and Isaak Phillips have been recalled from the AHL. To make room, Jarred Tinordi, Jonathan Toews, and Alex Stalock are all going on injured reserve.

Toews is certainly the biggest name among that group, especially as the trade deadline nears. His mysterious illness has kept him away from the team for more than a week, and he has not played since the end of January. Given how long he’s been out, Toews will be able to be activated as soon as he’s healthy, but there’s no clear timeline on that at this point.

Stalock, meanwhile is dealing with “ocular dysfunction,” as it was recently revealed that it is not a concussion keeping him sidelined. He is dealing a “cranial thing” affecting his eyesight and ability to track the puck, according to head coach Luke Richardson yesterday.

Tinordi is out with a knee sprain suffered last night against the Montreal Canadiens and will have to miss at least a week after landing on injured reserve.

Notably, this is Guttman’s first NHL recall, after joining the program last summer as a college free agent. The 23-year-old forward has been good in his first year of pro hockey, scoring 16 goals and 30 points in 39 games. Undersized, he will try to prove that his height won’t stop him from contributing at the highest level.

Central Notes: Hynes, Toews, Coyotes

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Even though the Predators find themselves outside the playoff picture and have been one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league this season, don’t expect a coaching change for the stretch run.  GM David Poile told Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean that John Hynes’ job is “absolutely not” in jeopardy and that he feels the coaching staff is doing a great job.  Nashville had quite a few players have career years in 2021-22 but that hasn’t been the case through the first two-thirds of this season.  They’ll need a few players to catch fire if they want to stay in the mix down the stretch; they sit four points out of both third place in the Central Division and the Western Wild Card race.

More from the Central:

  • The Blackhawks will likely be without center Jonathan Toews for their next two games, relays Scott Powers of The Athletic (Twitter link). Chicago’s captain missed Tuesday’s game due to illness and while he returned to the gym today, head coach Luke Richardson indicated that the veteran likely won’t be recovered enough to play through the weekend.  Toews, a speculative candidate to be moved by March 3rd if he’s willing to waive his trade protection, sits third on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 14 assists in 46 games so far this season.
  • There was a Coyotes-related element to today’s trade that sent Vladimir Tarasenko to the Rangers. In order for the conditional third-round pick to be included, it first had to be made available to New York to move as Arizona held that selection as part of the Patrik Nemeth swap last summer.  That trade gave Arizona the option to take the 2024 pick or New York’s 2026 selection.  CapFriendly confirms (Twitter link) that the Coyotes have opted for the 2026 choice, which ultimately helped pave the way for Tarasenko to be swapped.

Central Notes: Toews, Coyotes, Robertsson, Alexandrov

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Ever since the Blackhawks started their rebuild, there has been plenty of trade speculation surrounding their two long-term veterans including captain Jonathan Toews.  He acknowledged to NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis that he hasn’t sat down with GM Kyle Davidson to discuss if he’ll be willing to waive his trade protection and leave the only franchise he has played for over a 15-year NHL career.  He indicated that as of yet, he hasn’t decided what’s next for him:

“… There’s a part of myself that still doesn’t really want to admit the situation and also wants to continue being a Blackhawk and finish my career here. But at the same time, there’s a part of me that sees the writing on the wall and sees that this team, this organization is trying to hit the reset button and that maybe a change for everybody is not such a bad thing, and that goes for myself as well.”

While Toews isn’t the top center he once was, he’s having a decent season with 12 goals and 12 assists in 40 games while winning nearly 64% of his faceoffs.  Assuming that the Blackhawks will cover the maximum 50% of his contract ($5.25MM of a $10.5MM AAV), they’ll undoubtedly have several interested teams should Toews decide to make himself available to be traded by March 3rd’s trade deadline.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • The future of the Coyotes’ arena deal will be better known in May with a special election being held on the 16th. Sam Kmack of the Arizona Republic breaks down each of the three ballot items that will require a majority of yes votes to move forward.  Tempe is the desired location for Arizona’s new arena and this is one of the hurdles that will need to be cleared for that project to continue.  Even if it does pass, it will still be several years before it’s up and running so the team will continue to play out of their college arena for the foreseeable future.
  • Blues prospect Simon Robertsson has had a decent season in the SHL but his time at Sweden’s top level has come to an end for the time being as Skelleftea announced that they’ve loaned the winger to Vasteras of the Allsvenskan (their second-tier league) for the remainder of the season. The 19-year-old was a third-round pick by St. Louis (71st overall) in 2021 and had five goals and two assists with Skelleftea in 16 games this season, matching his goal output from last year in a third of the games.
  • Still with St. Louis, the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Nikita Alexandrov was a late scratch from tonight’s game due to an upper-body injury.  The 22-year-old has played in 16 games for the Blues this season, picking up two goals and two assists while averaging just under nine minutes a night on the fourth line.  Nathan Walker will suit up in Alexandrov’s place.

Latest On The Trade Market

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As the calendar turns to 2023 and teams approach the halfway mark in their seasons, focus starts to shift towards the league’s trade deadline, set for March 3rd. That might feel far away, and in terms of a team’s season it is, but in reality it’s just two months away. Earlier, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Chris Johnston, and Darren Dreger convened for today’s Insider Trading segment, where the group discussed a number of topics related to not only the upcoming deadline, but team’s strategies approaching their builds, their assets, and how they’ll manage the next two months.

There’s always the odd trade or two in the months leading up to the deadline, but it seems most business gets done in the few days before and the day of. So, why would we expect any different this year? As LeBrun points out, the answer may lie at the forefront of Canada’s World Juniors performance: Connor Bedard. Every team would love to have the phenom, but presumably only the winner of the Draft Lottery will have the opportunity.

LeBrun explains that the Bedard sweepstakes could push teams to trade players earlier, perhaps even in January, in order to fortify their chances in the lottery. In other words, though teams are hesitant to use the word “tank,” if that’s their mission, getting the talent that might win a few games off the roster sooner than later could sink the team even lower in the standings than had they waited another two months. LeBrun says these conversations are certainly happening, but cautions that with the sellers, the buyers need to agree too, but the buyers must deal with a tricky cap situation. With salary cap space growing as time moves on, the teams in the market for those rental players might not be able to make the move they want until closer to the deadline.

Generally, the hot commodities at the deadline are the talented rental players, which explains why so many teams pay the high prices for them. This year, that will likely hold true, but another hot commodity will be first-round picks. Even beyond the chance to win the draft lottery for the 16 eligible slots, the 2023 draft is expected to be deep, inflating the value of all first-round choices to an extent. Thus, those picks will be in high demand, says Johnston.

In fact, Johnston says shutdown defensemen like Joel Edmundson of the Montreal Canadiens and Vladislav Gavrikov of the Columbus Blue Jackets, could both fetch their teams a first-round pick and then some. Surprising as that might sound, consider last trade deadline when Montreal was able to secure a first-round pick (and more) for veteran defenseman Ben Chiarot, then a pending UFA. Here, the 29-year-old Edmundson is under contract for another season at a very affordable $3.5MM AAV, while Gavrikov, a pending UFA, is considered one of the league’s best shutdown defenseman and is just 27-years-old himself.

Also of note on Gavrikov, Johnston adds that the struggling Blue Jackets still haven’t determined if they’ll trade him or not. Columbus of course isn’t necessarily hoping to get into the playoff race this season, but could hope to re-sign the blueliner for themselves.

One rather interesting team heading into the deadline is the St. Louis Blues, who came into tonight with a 17-17-3 record. The team recently placed star forwards and pending UFA’s Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko on IR, joining defenseman Torey Krug. Dreger notes that Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong doesn’t feel pressured to make a decision on what to do with either O’Reilly or Tarasenko, or his trade deadline approach for that matter. Instead, the organization will consider the trade value of their pending UFAs against the idea, and likelihood, of extending them.

There’s no doubt that either O’Reilly or Tarasenko would bring a large haul back for St. Louis, however trading either could foreclose any chance of bringing them back next year. That would be a tough loss, or losses, for a team still looking to compete and probably a bit surprised at their lack of success this season.

A final note, also from Dreger, is the status of the Chicago Blackhawks’ pair of franchise players: Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Both are pending UFAs and both rumored to be on the move this winter. Dreger expects Pat Brisson, agent to both players, to engage in serious talks in the near future with each to determine the following: Do they want to be traded? If so, what does the contending field look like? And, would it be best to accept a trade, then look at the open market come July, or is a trade-and-sign an option?

As tough as it will be to move on, the Blackhawks will hope both players can be moved for a large return. However, both control their destiny, having complete no-move clauses, so a trade will not only be up to Chicago and their trade partner, but the player themselves.

Chicago Blackhawks Re-Assign Lukas Reichel, Place Petr Mrazek On IR

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Dec 7: So much for that. Reichel has been returned to the AHL.

Dec 6: A top prospect is on his way up to the NHL. According to the AHL’s transactions log, the Chicago Blackhawks recalled forward Lukas Reichel from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs today. In a corresponding transaction, they also placed goalie Petr Mrazek on injured reserve retroactive to December 3, per NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis.

The move comes as Jonathan Toews is set to miss tonight’s game with a non-COVID illness, so it’s feasible that Reichel doesn’t stay up long-term. However, the team’s 17th overall pick in 2020 again dominates the minors and could force the team’s hand.

For the second consecutive season, Reichel is operating at more than a point-per-game pace in the AHL and sits second on Rockford, scoring 10 goals and 23 points in 19 games. With depth players like Jujhar Khaira and Colin Blackwell struggling to produce, Reichel might have the opportunity to get in a meaningful string of NHL action if he performs well tonight.

Mrazek is dealing with his second groin injury of the season, an issue that plagued him last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs as well. Those injuries have limited the team’s presumptive starter to just nine games this year, and his .884 save percentage and 4.06 goals-against average are the worst among the team’s top three goalies. He can return as soon as this weekend.

Latest On Jonathan Toews

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It wasn’t too many years ago that Jonathan Toews and his Chicago Blackhawks were at the top of the league’s pecking order, but it somehow also seems like the team’s rebuild has dragged on for too long with no end in sight. It’s an arduous process that’s called Toews’ (and Patrick Kane’s) future with the team into question, as the Blackhawks legends are just one year away from the expiration of their contracts and unrestricted free agency. Speaking with The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus, Toews says he “really doesn’t know” what the future holds for him and said the idea of a lengthy rebuild “[didn’t] sound appealing.”

In his interview, Toews spoke frankly about Chicago’s moves since the turn of the calendar year, specifically referencing the team’s trades involving Brandon Hagel, Alex DeBrincat, and Kirby Dach. Calling it “unfortunate that it’s come to that,” Toews especially named Dach as a player he felt he had under his wing and had developed a good mentor relationship with.

On a more positive note for Toews and Blackhawks fans, he spoke highly of the team’s expected approach under new head coach Luke Richardson. If he isn’t approached about a trade prior to the season (he does still have a full no-movement clause), he said he’s “really excited” to play under Richardson and his hard-working approach.

Regardless, this is a significant crossroads for Toews and the Blackhawks organization. Considering his declining production and recent health issues, it could very well be that this is simply Toews’ last season playing in the NHL. Toews had just 37 points in 71 games last season, and even his half-retained cap hit of $5.25MM might be too hard to stomach for most interested teams. If Toews plans to either retire or sign elsewhere in free agency, Chicago risks ill-affordable poor asset management by not getting potential trade value in return for Toews.

With that said, it’s nearly impossible to predict when Toews’ trade value would be highest. Does Chicago bank on Toews having a rebound year, allowing them to get a higher return closer to the trade deadline, or do they trade him prior to the season in anticipation of declining value? It’s a delicate, tricky situation as all parties are concerned.

Snapshots: Kane, Talbot, Kase

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As the league begins to decompress from a busy NHL Draft with some blockbuster news, the Chicago Blackhawks are sure to be in the forefront of many discussions after being one of the most active teams on the market this week. One question that remains to be answered is how their Hall of Fame talent feels about the club’s direction. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta confirms today that the team will reach out to winger Patrick Kane “in the very near future” to have a conversation about his future with the team.

Both Kane and Jonathan Toews each have just one year remaining on their matching contracts, both carrying a cap hit of $10.5MM. They also both have full say in what the future holds for them in the form of full no-movement clauses. If one or both do end up wanting a trade out of Chicago in order to make another championship run, it makes sense that the Blackhawks would want to know now. The highest value for them will likely be this offseason, as the risk of declining performance could lower their trade value by next year’s deadline.

  • There’s some good old-fashioned drama in the State of Hockey. Many believed the Minnesota Wild had reinforced their goaltending situation by re-signing Marc-Andre Fleury to a two-year contract yesterday, but as quotes from general manager Bill Guerin and Cam Talbot’s agent George Bazos reveal, Talbot may not be entirely happy with the team’s choice to keep Fleury around. Bazos gave a cryptic quote after meeting with Guerin during the third round of today’s draft, saying that Guerin “had a lot to think about.” Guerin countered later, reminding media that Talbot is still under contract, and said that “George can say whatever the hell he wants.” If the relationship turns sour quickly between Talbot and the Wild, it could leave them in an interesting position next season in the crease.
  • The deadline for issuing qualifying offers to restricted free agents is July 11, and the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t made a decision on whether or not to qualify winger Ondrej Kase. Kase is eligible for arbitration, and after producing 27 points in 50 games, the award might be too rich for Toronto’s blood if Kase elects for it. Not issuing a qualifying offer to Kase wouldn’t prevent him from returning to Toronto, but it would make him an unrestricted free agent, and could sign anywhere in the league.

Central Notes: Burakovsky, Raffl, Blackhawks

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Colorado could get some help for Sunday’s sixth game against the Lightning.  Speaking with reporters today including NHL.com’s Tracey Myers, head coach Jared Bednar indicated that winger Andre Burakovsky will accompany the Avalanche to Tampa Bay and is a possibility to play in that contest.  The 27-year-old suffered what is believed to be a hand injury in the second game of the series, taking away one of their key secondary scorers.  After recording 61 points in the regular season, Burakovsky has eight in a dozen playoff contests so far.  Officially, he remains listed as day-to-day.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • Stars GM Jim Nill recently told reporters, including Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News, that they tendered a contract offer to pending UFA winger Michael Raffl although it clearly hasn’t been accepted. The 33-year-old managed just 16 points in 76 games this season despite averaging 14:32 per game of ice time so it’s likely that offer came in below the $1.1MM he made in 2021-22.  As a depth player, it’s possible he could have an eye on returning overseas to finish off his playing career.
  • While some have speculated about the possibility of the Blackhawks moving one or both of franchise stalwarts Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews this summer, Scott Powers of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the veterans aren’t being shopped and if they do wind up going elsewhere, it will be at their request. The idea of discussing extensions with them hasn’t been ruled out either although that isn’t expected to happen this summer as all sides want to see how things go in what’s expected to be a rebuilding year in Chicago.  Kane and Toews are each under contract through next season at a $10.5MM cap hit.

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