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Jori Lehtera

Snapshots: Three Stars, Lehtera, Caggiula

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The NHL released the Three Stars for last week, and at the top is a man who has been there before. Patrick Kane, the electric winger for the Chicago Blackhawks comes in at the top spot, after recording five goals in just two games. The Blackhawks haven’t had much to celebrate this season, but Kane provided the fans with two game-winners to get them on the right track around Christmas. Even in an extremely down year for Chicago, Kane is having an outstanding season with 50 points in 40 games. He’s on track to record the second 40-goal, 100-point season of his career, which in 2016 won him the Art Ross, Hart and Ted Lindsay trophies as the league’s best player.

In the other two spots are a pair of youngsters trying to stand up to players like Kane. Second place goes to Mathew Barzal, who finished his week by showing New York Islanders fans that they don’t need John Tavares anymore. Barzal recorded a hat trick while the team demolished Tavares and the Maple Leafs 4-0 on Saturday night. In third is a newcomer to the list, MacKenzie Blackwood. The New Jersey Devils goaltender has exploded onto the scene and posted another shutout this afternoon to improve his numbers even further. The Devils may have found their goaltender of the present, let alone the future.

  • Philadelphia Flyers forward Jori Lehtera has been charged with buying cocaine in Finland, according to Tricia L. Nadolny of the Philadelphia Inquirer, though the NHL denies that he has actually been legally served at this point. Lehtera denies all charges, while the prosecutors are seeking a five-month sentence. Obviously there is more to come in this story, but for now deputy commissioner Bill Daly has told the Inquirer “we will not be intervening at this point and will continue to monitor the legal proceedings.”
  • Drake Caggiula is part of the Chicago Blackhawks organization today, but it could have happened years ago had he made a different decision. According to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago, the Blackhawks pursued Caggiula out of college at the University of North Dakota and were a finalist for his services before he decided to sign and play with his childhood friend Connor McDavid in Edmonton. The team followed his progress and jumped at the chance to acquire him yesterday.

Flyers’ Jori Lehtera Suspect In Finnish Drug Ring

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Jori Lehtera was already facing an uphill battle to make the Flyers’ roster, and today’s reports certainly won’t help his case. According to Finnish news outlets (and relayed by Sam Carchidi of Philly.com), the veteran center is “one of 23 suspects involved in a cocaine ring in Finland.”

Lehtera has denied any involvement, but according to the reports, some of the suspects in the ring were arrested at the player’s summer home. The operation reportedly involved about two kilos of cocaine.

Lehtera was not present at the Flyers’ practice today, and general manager Ron Hextall only issued a brief statement about the allegations:

“We have spoken with Jori Lehtera and the league office regarding the reports out of Finland, and will reserve any further comment on the matter at this time.”

The 30-year-old joined Philly last summer in a deal that sent Brayden Schenn to the Blues. The 2008 third-round pick ultimately appeared in 62 games for the Flyers last season, tallying three goals and five assists. His best season came during his rookie campaign in 2014, when he compiled 14 goals and 30 assists.

Due to his decreased production, Lehtera found himself on the roster bubble heading into the preseason. Despite his $4.7MM cap hit for the following season, there’s a chance that the Flyers could end up sending him to the AHL’s Phantoms. The center’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

The Contract Each Team Would Most Like To Trade: Part III

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Nearly every team has one of those players: a top talent they were excited to sign and never thought could do anything but help them. In hindsight, history shows that more often than not, expensive, long-term free agent contracts don’t work out. It may look good at first (or it may look bad right away to the outside observer), but players struggle to make their value last throughout a lengthy contract. Those contracts come back to bite teams and are hard to get rid of. As teams begin to finalize their rosters at this point in the off-season, many are struggling to make everyone fit under the salary cap and are regretting these past signings that exasperate a cap crunch that can be tough for even a mistake-free club. We already took a look at the first third and second third of the league; here are the contracts that each of the final ten teams would most like to trade, from Philadelphia to Winnipeg:

Philadelphia Flyers: Andrew MacDonald – two years, $10MM remaining

Based purely on salary versus what he brings to the table, Jori Lehtera’s $4.7MM contract is the worst on the Flyers. However, Philadelphia is far from cap trouble this season, currently among the five lightest payrolls in the league, and Lehtera’s deal expires after this season. However, next year the Flyers will need to re-sign or replace Wayne Simmonds, hand new deals to Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny, and likely find a new starting goalie. The cap crunch will be much more real and the over-inflated $5MM contract of Andrew MacDonald will hurt. MacDonald’s six-year, $30MM contract was immediately panned by the public and it wasn’t long after that he was buried in the minors for cap relief and to keep him out of the lineup. MacDonald simply is not the player he was with the New York Islanders earlier in his career when he could eat major minutes, was stellar in man-to-man defense, and could block shots with the best. What he is being paid now is far beyond what he is actually worth. Some would say that Radko Gudas is worse, but that is an argument that suffers from recency bias. Combining the past two seasons, Gudas actually has the same amount of points as MacDonald in fewer games and less ice time, a better plus/minus rating, far more shots, and of course infinitely more hits. At $3.35MM for the next two years, Gudas is a far better deal.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Carl Hagelin – one year, $4MM remaining

The real answer is that GM Jim Rutherford would not like to trade any more players. He already ditched two of his worst contracts by sending Matt Hunwick and Conor Sheary to the Buffalo Sabres and he isn’t eager to make another salary dump. However, the reality is that Rutherford is going to find it hard to manipulate his roster this season with just over $1MM in cap space. As such, it is likely that another Penguin could be on the move. An outside observer could easily point to the Jack Johnson contract as one that stands little chance of maintaining its value over the term and the same argument could be made for Patric Hornqvist as well. However, Rutherford just signed those deals and wouldn’t move them even if he could. That leaves a short list of players who could be moved and the only one that sticks out as being overpriced is Carl Hagelin. Hagelin has played an important part of the Penguins’ reign over the past few years, but at $4MM he has not cracked 40 points in any of the three seasons and can go cold for weeks at a time. Rutherford won’t make a move unless it can benefit the team, but if he can get another scoring winger in exchange for a package that dumps Hagelin’s salary, he’ll do it.

San Jose Sharks: None

Mikkel Boedker, Joel Ward, and Paul Martin are all gone. Two top forwards, the two best defensemen, and the starting goalie are all locked up long-term at a reasonable rate. The Sharks have almost $4.5MM in cap space this season, giving them room to add. Congratulations to GM Doug Wilson and his staff. This roster is the epitome of cap compliance mixed with depth and talent. There is not one contract that the team would be interested in dumping.

St. Louis Blues: Alexander Steen – three years, $17.25MM remaining

The Blues currently have all but $285K of their cap space committed to 24 players. The team may send Chris Thorburn or Jordan Nolan down to the AHL, but will only gain marginal space. Something else has to give. If they could target any player to move to alleviate some pressure, it would be Alexander Steen. With just seven forwards and three defensemen (as of now) signed beyond next season and the majority of players in line for raises or free agent replacements, these cap woes aren’t going away anytime soon and an expensive long-term deal needs to be shipped out. Understandably, St. Louis is all in this season and wouldn’t be eager to ship out an important top-six piece. However, Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, Brayden Schenn, and Jaden Schwartz are the new young core up front now and paying 34-year-old Steen $5.75MM for three more years for declining production just doesn’t make sense. The Blues could potentially land some nice pieces from another contender for Steen as well. Admittedly, the Tyler Bozak contract looks even worse than Steen’s, but the Blues won’t be looking to trade a player they just signed.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Ryan Callahan – two years, $11.6MM remaining

The long-term implications of several other deals aside, the Lightning’s Stanley Cup window is wide open and their focus is on the here and now. The one player really impeding their ability to add freely to the roster is Ryan Callahan. While GM Steve Yzerman has excelled at extending most of his core below market value, the six-year, $34.8MM contract for Callahan was a mistake. Injuries limited Callahan to just 18 games in 2016-17, but last year he played in 67 games yet he only managed to score 18 points. Callahan’s days as an impact player are over, but he is still being paid like one at $5.8MM. While Tampa Bay can manage this season with close to $3MM in cap space, they would have more to work with without him. However, Callahan’s contract will really present a major road block next summer, when the Bolts need to re-sign Brayden Point, Yanni Gourde, Anton Stralman, and more. There is no doubt that Yzerman will look to unload Callahan’s contract before it comes to that point.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Nikita Zaitsev – six years, $27MM remaining

The Maple Leafs severely jumped the gun when they rewarded Nikita Zaitsev with a seven-year deal after his rookie season in 2016-17. Although Zaitsev was an import, making his NHL debut at 25 years old, his situation epitomizes why bridge deals exist. Toronto sought to lock him up long term and gave him nearly a maximum term at $4.5MM, just $500K less per year than top defender Morgan Rielly. In his encore performance last season, he showed that he is not worthy of the salary nor length of that contract, dropping from 36 points to 13 points for the year, turning the puck over at an alarming rate, and eventually becoming a healthy scratch. This team simply can’t afford the type of long-term mistake that they made with Zaitsev. While it’s nice that they have Reilly, John Tavares, and Nazem Kadri signed long-term, it’s Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander they need to worry about. The Maple Leafs will have to balance multiple expensive, long-term deals moving forward and would love for Zaitsev’s to not be one of them.

Vancouver Canucks: Loui Eriksson – four years, $24MM remaining

It seems unlikely that the recently-signed deals for Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel will work out well, but they at least deserve some time. Loui Eriksson has had his time and has done nothing with it. While the Canucks aren’t under any cap pressure, they can’t enjoy seeing Eriksson’s $6MM cap hit – the highest on the team – on the books for four more years, especially when the bulk of his front-loaded salary has already been paid out. Eriksson was brought in with an expectation that he would be the ultimate fit with Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Instead, he has scored just 47 points combined over two seasons, less than his final season total with the Boston Bruins. The Sedins are now gone, the team is trying to get both younger and more physical and defensive-minded, and Eriksson is simply an expensive poor fit. There’s not much more to say about a player who desperately needs a change of scenery and a team that wants him gone.

Vegas Golden Knights: None

The Golden Knights are riding high after an outrageously successful first season in the NHL. It is highly unlikely that they see anything wrong with their current contracts, almost all of which were either hand-picked or signed by GM George McPhee. Give it some time and that could change. Reilly Smith is notorious for a significant drop in production in his second year with a team, but is signed for four more years at $5MM. Paul Stastny for three years at $6.5MM per seems like a solid deal, but he has always produced better surrounded by equal talent. Does Vegas have enough to justify his signing? A $2.775MM cap hit for Ryan Reaves doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense. Finally, there’s the three-year, $21MM extension for heroic goalie but also 33-year-old well-worn vet Marc-Andre Fleury, which could end poorly. And this isn’t even counting what could be a massive reactionary contract for one-year breakout star William Karlsson. The Knights don’t see any problems right now after finding immediate success, but if they slide significantly in year two, things could get ugly.

Washington Capitals: T.J. Oshie – seven years, $40.25MM remaining

No, it’s not Tom Wilson. The call of the question is which contract each team wants to trade, not which is objectively the worst. Wilson’s contract does seem excessive, but he is just 24 and could grow into that salary (doubtful but possible). Plus, the organization loves what he brings to the team. T.J. Oshie on the other hand is heading in the wrong direction. Oshie has done what he was brought in to do: help the Capitals win the Stanley Cup. It took a max eight-year term to keep Oshie off the market last summer and now Washington has their Cup but also has a 31-year-old with diminishing returns signed for seven more years. Oshie could absolutely still help the Capitals over the next few years, but it’s doubtful that he will be back in 60-point range in that time. He also will be nothing more than a cap space vacuum when he’s in his late thirties making $5.75MM. Oshie is a great player and one of the more likeable guys in the league, but this contract has little upside left. The Capitals would at the very least consider trading Oshie now, which can’t be said for most of their other core players.

Winnipeg Jets: Jacob Trouba – one year, $5.5MM remaining

The list ends with a tricky one. Is $5.5MM a fair value for Trouba? An arbitrator thinks so and the Jets would likely agree. However, Trouba’s contract has been a nightmare for the team. The young defenseman clearly does not want to be in Winnipeg and has set himself up for yet another arbitration clash next summer, after which he will bolt in free agency. The Jets have no long-term security with Trouba and that meddles with their future planning. With Blake Wheeler, Tyler Myers, and several others also in need of new contracts next summer, the Jets don’t need another Trouba arbitration award cutting into their cap space just so that he can walk after the season. The team will definitely look to get maximum value in a trade for Trouba over the next season.

Western Notes: Tarasenko, Horvat, Kaprisov

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Many people had high hopes that St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko would take that next step this year and become that franchise player that everyone has been waiting for. However, despite those hopes, Tarasenko had a down year. After averaging close to 39 goals per season over the past three years, the 26-year old’s goal totals dropped to 33, while his point totals went from 75 to 66.

The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required) writes that one possibility of Tarasenko’s struggles is the fact that the team traded away his three closest friends in Jori Lehtera, Ryan Reaves and Kevin Shattenkirk. Not having them around did have an effect on how Tarasenko handled himself around the team and the scribe said that both Shattenkirk and Reaves had a way of keeping the star level-headed and in check.

While the team would have little interest in bringing back Lehtera and unrealistic to bring back Shattenkirk, the team may consider bringing back Reaves, who will be an unrestricted free agent. The question there is whether the Blues could find playing time for the power forward. Reaves struggled with the Pittsburgh Penguins and has not played for the Vegas Golden Knights in the playoffs yet, which suggests he may not be the same player he once was. Regardless, Rutherford adds that if they do attempt to bring back Reaves, that would spell the end of Chris Thorburn, who essentially plays that same role.

  • Vancouver Canucks Bo Horvat is playing for Team Canada in the World Championships with one thing in mind. The Vancouver Sun’s Ben Kuzma writes that the team captain was told by the team during exit interviews at the end of the season to keep working on his two-way game. Horvat, who had a career-high in goals scored with 22, has emphasized working on his skating while in Denmark. “For me, it’s to work on my skating — you can never be too fast,” said Horvat, who also said working on his defensive awareness is another skill he’s been working on.
  • The Minnesota Wild have had no luck changing the mind of prospect Kirill Kaprisov, according to The Athletic’s Craig Custance (subscription required). The 21-year-old Russian prospect has been playing alongside long-time Detroit Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk at the IIHF World Championships and the two have been a great combination. However, despite the youngster’s success and the Wild’s desperate need for a young scorer, his agent Dan Milstein reiterated that he will not come to the U.S. until his contract in the KHL expires. He still has two years remaining with CSKA Moscow. “Kirill has two years left on his KHL contract which he intends to fulfill. Long-term plan is to play in the NHL,” Milstein wrote via e-mail.

Philadelphia Flyers Will Not Re-Sign Manning, Oduya, Read

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The Philadelphia Flyers face a long offseason after being eliminated from the first round of the playoffs, but GM Ron Hextall has already made some key decisions. Speaking with media today, he made it clear that Matt Read, Johnny Oduya and Brandon Manning would not be re-signed by the club. The team’s other unrestricted free agent, Valtteri Filppula, is still being considered for a new deal.

Hextall, according to John Boruk of NBC Sports Philadelphia, also doesn’t plan on buying out Jori Lehtera at the moment and will bring back the same coaching staff.

None of the three players set to hit the open market should come as much of a surprise, after their play declined rapidly the last few years. Read, who was one of the most impactful college free agents of the last decade, was dragged down by a hefty $3.65MM cap hit and spent most of this season in the minor leagues. After scoring 24 goals as a rookie in 2011-12, he recorded just 30 over the length of his latest four-year $14.5MM contract extension. For a much smaller price, someone around the league could take a chance on him as a bottom-six player, but he’ll hit free agency at age-32 and could have to settle for a two-way deal.

Oduya, claimed off waivers just before the trade deadline, played just a single game for the Flyers this season. He battled injury and inconsistency this season in both Ottawa and Philadelphia, and will be 37 when next season begins. There may not be many suitors for him, though his solid history may get him a look somewhere as a depth defender.

Manning is perhaps the most interesting, after setting a career-high with 19 points this season. The 27-year old defenseman has serious warts to his game, but regularly posts solid possession numbers and will likely demand a relatively low price tag. He could be a sneaky pickup for a team in the league looking for some help on the blue line, though no one should consider him an answer to top-4 struggles.

Playoff Notes: Hornqvist, Malkin, Komarov, Ehlers

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After having missed the last two playoff games for the Pittsburgh Penguins with an upper-body injury, veteran winger Patric Hornqvist is expected back for Game 6 today against the Philadelphia Flyers. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey writes that Hornqvist’s return is a major boost for a team as he is one of the team’s most unheralded players.

Mackey writes Hornqvist’s skill around the net, willingness to take a hit and his intensity both on and off the ice are keys the Penguins have missed the last two games. In fact, it’s that passion that’s so important to Pittsbugh.

“He brings so much passion to the rink every day and loves the game,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He loves to be around his teammates. He loves to practice. He loves to play, and it’s contagious. I think he’s one of the more passionate guys that I’ve been around in all the years that I’ve been associated with this league. That’s one of the things that we love about him.”

Whether it’s his attitude or scoring prowess, he has made a difference to the team, according to Mackey. When he’s on the ice, the Penguins have a .640 points percentage as opposed to a .559 when he’s not playing.

  • While Hornqvist is expected to play Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t as sure about the status of center Evgeni Malkin, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Sam Werner and Mackey. Malkin was the only player to miss Saturday’s practice after injuring his leg in the first period of Friday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers when he got collided with Jori Lehtera and fell awkwardly against the boards. While he left after that play, he returned for the second period. While missing practice isn’t that big of a deal, Sullivan didn’t tell the media he was taking a maintenance day, suggesting his injury could be more serious than originally thought. He is a game-time decision.
  • Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston writes that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov is at 85 percent and isn’t yet ready to play for Monday’s Game 6 against the Boston Bruins. The 31-year-old has only played in two games this series with a lower-body injury. He has no points and a minus-1 rating in those two games.
  • While it’s still a series away, the Winnipeg Jets Nikolaj Ehlers skated with a non-contact jersey Sunday. Head coach Paul Maurice said Ehlers wasn’t feeling quite right and missed Game 5 because of that, although the coach didn’t clarify if it was an injury or illness, according to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun. Ehlers and the Jets await the winner between Nashville and Colorado in the second round of the playoffs.

Flyers Notes: Couturier, Schenn Trade, Elliott

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In a holiday spirited story, Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi offers up presents for some Philadelphia Flyers and immediately points out that with the way that Sean Couturier has been playing this season, he deserves an opportunity to be named a finalist for the Selke Trophy, given to the league’s top defensive forward, although recent trends have included an offensive aspect to the award as well. Couturier already has a career-high in goals scored this year with 16 (15 was his previous high in 2014-15) and is just eight points away from his career-high in points. Don’t forget it’s still just December.

Carchidi also notes that while on a 39-goal pace this year, Couturier also could garner all-star consideration this year. His offense, a new bonus for Philadelphia, is just that — a bonus. He always has been one of the team’s top defensive forwards as Philadelphia has always matched the 25-year-old center up against the other team’s top offensive player.

  • Continuing with the same story, Carchidi also feels that any Flyers fan who hates the trade that sent Brayden Schenn to St. Louis in exchange for Jori Lehtera and a pair of first-round picks needs patience. Fans only see the swap of Schenn for Lehtera. On the surface, that trade looks quite lopsided with Schenn looking to have a career year with 17 goals and 40 points already this season. Lehtera’s two assists in 19 games leaves a lot to be desired. The scribe, however, says that 2017 first-round pick Morgan Frost, who was drafted with one of the two first-rounders the Flyers received in the deal, has been tearing up the OHL as he’s already put up 19 goals in 33 games for Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. The 18-year-old center had 20 goals in 67 games last year. He should be a major piece of the team’s future. On top of that, there is another first-rounder coming in the 2018 draft.
  • Carchidi also believes the team made a successful free agent move signing goaltender Brian Elliott to a two-year deal and believes Philadelphia should extend that even one more year. His 2.65 GAA and .913 save percentage have been respectable, despite the team going on a 10-game losing streak earlier this year. The 32-year-old veteran seems to possess a calming influence on his teammates and he might be a great addition in two years when the team brings in top goaltending prospect Carter Hart in the 2019-20 season. Hart, considered to be the goaltender of the future in Philadelphia, has a 1.32 GAA with his junior team, the Everett Silvertips of the WHL, and is currently playing with Canada on the World Junior team.

Jori Lehtera Available In Philadelphia

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Jori Lehtera hasn’t found his footing in Philadelphia since coming over from the St. Louis Blues, and now he seems to be available once again. Pierre LeBrun touched on the 29-year old in the recent edition of Insider Trading:

The Flyers are willing to listen on him. They’re not out there shopping him aggressively, but certainly given their depth up front for the right offer [he could be had]. He’s got another year on his deal at $4.7MM, that might scare off some teams.

Lehtera has just two points this season, and has been a healthy scratch several times. That comes just three years after he broke into the NHL with a 44-point season playing alongside Vladimir Tarasenko, earning himself that big extension. Those numbers have dropped in every season since, until he was used as a salary dump of sorts in the Brayden Schenn trade.

Still, there might be some interest in Lehtera because of his history and ability to play center. Without many impact options available down the middle, players like him may be all you can get at the deadline. It could need some salary retention from Philadelphia, but a fresh start could be what he needs to provide at least a little bit of value.

Philadelphia Flyers Must Look To Future

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The Philadelphia Flyers dropped their 10th straight game today against the Boston Bruins and while that losing streak is hard to take, Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi writes that there are positives despite all the negatives the team has been enduring this year. The team is playing well at even strength, struggling mainly on special teams and the team should be getting defenseman Radko Gudas back from a 10-game suspension on Dec. 12, so there is hope for this season.

Regardless, the scribe writes fans may have to look towards the future rather then at this year’s production. While fans are angry about the offseason trade in which the Flyers traded away center Brayden Schenn, who is currently putting up good numbers in St. Louis with 10 goals and 20 assists, there are long-term assets to consider. The team took on Jori Lehtera’s contract in exchange, and the veteran is making that deal more challenging to analyze as he hasn’t scored a goal for Philadelphia this year. However, the team also got back two first round picks in that deal. The team drafted center Morgan Frost this past year, who is playing well in the OHL with 13 goals and 27 assists in 26 games. The team is also getting another first-rounder in the bountiful 2018 draft as well.

Carchidi writes the team should have ample cap room next year when the contracts of Valtteri Filppula ($5MM AAV) and Matt Read ($3.63 AAV) expire. If the team chooses to buyout the final year of Lehtera’s deal, the team should have ample space to sign a free agent this offseason when players such as John Tavares, Evander Kane and James van Riemsdyk are available.

However, the team also has quite a few prospects starting with 19-year-old goaltender Carter Hart, a 2016 second-round pick, who looks like the team’s goaltender of the future. After recovering from a bout of mononucleosis, he has put up huge numbers in the WHL, including a 1.58 GAA and a .953 save percentage in 13 games. He is expected to be Canada’s starting goaltender in the upcoming World Juniors and some believe he could be ready to be the Flyers starter in the 2019-20 season after a year in the AHL.

If you include that with the large amount of young players under the age of 25 on the Flyers current roster such as Sean Couturier, Nolan Patrick, Travis Konecny, Shayne Gostisbehere, Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim, Robert Hagg and a bunch of other youngsters who still must prove themselves, the core is already there. Along with the success of a lot of their young players in the minors, this team has a lot to look forward to in the future.

 

Blues Notes: Tarasenko, Schenn, Tavares, Barbashev

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The St. Louis Blues have high hopes for the coming season and much of those hopes hinges on the play of star player Vladimir Tarasenko, who has been the team’s top scorer and has put up impressive numbers over the past several years. However, what Tarasenko has not done is show any improvement. In scoring, he’s put up 37, 40 and 39 goals. He put up 36 assists in 2014-15, 34 assists the following year and then 36 assists again last year. His numbers are virtually identical.

At 25 years of age, the question is whether his present numbers are as good as they are going to get. Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that his development will likely hinge on coach Mike Yeo’s coaching success. Now entering his first full year as head coach, the scribe writes that it will be Yeo’s job to push him to that elite level. Much of that will be finding the perfect linemates for him, which the team has failed to do in the past. Jaden Schwartz is a good fit with Tarasenko on the opposite wing, but who will man the center position remains up in the air.

  • Gordon, in the same piece, writes that newly acquired forward Brayden Schenn has much to prove this coming season. There are many questions surrounding whether he is a true center or just a scorer. The Blues, who acquired Schenn from Philadelphia for their 2017 first-round pick and veteran Jori Lehtera, is expected to be a top-six player, but he has not proven to be a dominant center in the league so far, struggling with faceoffs and his defense. Schenn has scored 45 goals over the past two seasons.
  • Don’t expect the Blues to go after John Tavares if he becomes available. With Tarasenko tied up until 2022-23, the Blues will not want to offer a $10MM per year contract and have two huge contracts on their cap. Gordon compared the situation to the Chicago Blackhawks and how difficult a time they are having keeping their team afloat with their two superstars on the roster.
  • Finally Gordon suggests the two players who could take that “next step” are likely to be centers Ivan Barbashev and Zachary Sanford. Barbashev, the team’s second-round pick in 2014. He scored five goals and 12 points in 30 games at the end of last year and also scored 19 goals for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. The 21-year-old center might be ready for a much bigger role next year. Gordon also feels that Sanford, a second-rounder in 2013, who the Blues acquired in the Kevin Shattenkirk trade, could take the next step. Between the Capitals and the Blues, he scored four goals in 39 games. The 22-year-old also tallied 11 goals for the AHL Hershey Bears.

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