Snapshots: Ristolainen, Fleury, Avs
News and notes from around the NHL:
- Buffalo Sabres unsigned RFA Rasmus Ristolainen has not yet reported to the Sabres training camp. Camp opened Monday but the young defenseman is still without a contract. Coach Dan Bylsma told WGR 550 that he would like Ristolainen at camp, but that he is confident a deal will be made soon. Ristolainen is one of 11 unsigned RFAs, including Jacob Trouba, Johnny Gaudreau, and Hampus Lindholm. Prepare to see more camp holdouts as training camps open up across the NHL.
- Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to get the majority of minutes in goal this preseason after fellow netminder Matt Murray broke his thumb in the World Cup of Hockey. Coach Mike Sullivan said that Fleury needs the time to get himself fully prepared for the regular season. This is a blow to prospect goalie Tristan Jarry as he has less opportunity to showcase his skills.
- Mike Halford of NBC Sports reports that the Colorado Avalanche plan to be a much faster team in transition come next season. Last season former coach Patrick Roy emphasized slowing the game down and passing the puck amongst the defensemen before pushing forward. According to Tyson Barrie and Nathan MacKinnon, however, new coach Jared Bednar asks the defensemen to push the pace and pass the puck up quickly. Colorado’s youth is well-suited for this speed-style system, but high-flying offense usually become defensive liabilities without the proper precautions.
Matt Murray Out 3-6 Weeks With Broken Hand
According to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Penguins’ goaltender Matt Murray will be out for three to six weeks after breaking his hand at the World Cup. Murray was pulled in team North America’s loss to Russia on Monday night, and originally thought he had just jammed his thumb. He even said he was willing to play against Sweden if they needed him to, despite the pain he felt in his hand.
Murray, 22, was expected to head into camp with a real shot at taking over the #1 job in Pittsburgh from Marc-Andre Fleury after a wonderful playoff performance, but will now just hope to make it back by November. In 21 playoff games en route to the Stanley Cup, Murray went 15-6 with a .923 save percentage and 2.08 goals against average. The Penguins regular season starts October 13th, just under three weeks away.
For all the trade rumor that surrounded Fleury this summer, perhaps GM Jim Rutherford was correct in keeping both goaltenders to start the season. He’ll now be able to turn to a veteran netminder who has been elite in the past and can keep the Penguins on track as they try to defend their championship. It will be interesting to see what happens when Murray returns, especially if Fleury is playing well.
Snapshots: Fleury, McDavid, Oilers Training Camp Battles
If he had it his way, Marc-Andre Fleury would spend the rest of his career in Pittsburgh.
The first overall pick in 2003 has been with the Penguins his whole career, winning two Stanley Cups. However, there are two major roadblocks to Fleury’s wish: next summer’s expansion draft and teammate/ heir apparent Matt Murray.
The 31-year-old Fleury had an unbelievable season in 2015-16, winning 35 games and posting a 0.921 SV%. Unfortunately, he suffered a concussion towards the end of the season, which allowed Murray to take over the starters role on his way to the Penguins’ Stanley Cup victory.
In an interview with Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Fleury said both he and Murray give the Penguins a chance to win games, and “bottom line, that’s what matters. It doesn’t matter who’s in the net.”
Fleury said he met with management after last season and knows where he stands.
When asked if he would request a trade to get more starts, Fleury was emphatic, “No. No. No. I’ve always said this is like my home. I wish I could play here my whole career.”
With next summer’s expansion draft looming, the Penguins will only be able to protect one goaltender. It seems unlikely they would chose Fleury at the expense of the 22-year-old Murray. Fleury has a no-move clause and will need to be protected by his team, unless he chooses to waive it. The Penguins may ask him to move before then, to avoid losing him for nothing, but Fleury isn’t thinking about that, telling Bombulie he plans on going with the flow, and that he’ll “see what happens”
In other news from around the hockey world:
- Team North America coach Todd McLellan isn’t worried about Connor McDavid going pointless in the World Cup preliminaries. According to TSN’s Frank Seravelli, McLellan thinks McDavid needs to be more selfish, comparing it to McDavid’s first three games in the NHL, where he was “asking for permission” while he was feeling out the style of play.
- Back in Edmonton, the Oilers expect college free agent Drake Caggiula to contend for a forward position to start the season, according to Bob McKenzie (via Chris Nichols). The smaller Caggiula models his game after Bruins star Brad Marchand: pesky, fast, and skilled.
- The Edmonton Journal’s David Staples has a new article on Oilers camp invite Kris Versteeg. Staples praised Versteeg as “the kind [of player] the team needs and has sorely lacked”, calling him an “excellent bet”. Versteeg has played with Milan Lucic, trained with Brandon Davidson, and played for GM Peter Chiarelli. He cited McDavid, Rogers Place, and playing close to home as reasons for picking the Oilers over other teams who offered PTOs.
Reduced Goalie Equipment Not Expected For 2016-17
After rumors circulated earlier this month about the problems the NHL has had in producing the smaller, form-fitting goalie equipment it promised for this season, Jonas Siegal of the Associated Press has a new article up in the Winnipeg Free Press confirming our suspicions. In it, Siegal goes in detail on the problems in manufacturing and testing the league has had since they announced in March that they would be reducing the size of the equipment to provide a more level playing field for goaltenders.
Mathieu Schneider, a special assistant for the NHLPA who is part of the team assigned to the project, spoke candidly in an interview with the Canadian Press:
I wish no one said that we were going to have this ready for this season because I think that was an aggressive timeline to say that we would have that done. Given where we are now and given some of the challenges we’ve had to face, I’m 100 per cent confident that we’re going to achieve our goal, but I’m not sure if and what parts we’re going to be able to try to implement this year.”
Schneider of course, is referring to the goal of forcing goaltenders to play with pads that are more form-fitting instead of making them as large as possible. Siegal notes Cory Schneider and Braden Holtby, both well over six foot, two-hundred pounds as proponents of the new equipment which would seemingly punish smaller goaltenders who bulk up as much as they can.
The NHL has tried for years to put limits on goaltender equipment, believing it is one of the biggest causes to the downturn in offense over the past few decades.
Always testing out new ways to make the game more exciting for fans around the world, goalies like Ryan Miller (168 lbs, pictured) and Marc-Andre Fleury (180 lbs) have often been used as examples for the need for new restrictions.
“You see guys look like absolute monsters on the ice. It’s nuts. You can have guys weigh 175 and they look like a 300-pound sumo wrestler out there.” said Sabres goalie Robin Lehner back in March, who claimed that the 223 lbs he was listed at last season was probably about twenty pounds light.
If the league and players union can eventually come to some sort of consensus on the design of the equipment, perhaps it will lead to increased offense, and perhaps not. One thing it’s sure to do, is make goaltending a more even battleground for players of all sizes – Miller and Fleury would still be wonderful goalies because of their quickness and agility, while bigger goaltenders would truly have the size advantage once again.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Roster Crunch: Metropolitan Division
We’ve taken a look at three out of the four divisions now, and the decisions they’ll have to make come training camp. The Pacific’s depth on defense, the changes coming up front in the Central, and the mass of young talent set to break through in the Atlantic. Now, we’ll take a look at the what many considered the best division in hockey last year, with four 100-point teams and both the President’s Trophy winner and Stanley Cup Champions.
Washington Capitals – There is probably no team with fewer uncertainties going into the season than the Washington Capitals. After running away with the regular season points lead, the Capitals couldn’t even make it to the Stanley Cup final, but they’ll head into next season with largely the same group. They brought in Lars Eller, whose possession numbers should help the third line, and allowed Jason Chimera and Mike Richards to walk (though the latter remains unsigned). Basically the only battle in camp will be for a fourth line or 13th forward spot; can Brett Connolly do enough to make the squad over Stanislav Galiev? Exciting stuff.
Snapshots: Weber, Fleury, Forbort
Prized off-season acquisition Shea Weber is in Montreal to get acquainted with his new city. Weber took part in a workout, photoshoot, and on-ice session in his new jersey, which includes an “A” sewn on the front. In a feature on Habs TV, Weber told his new fans that he feels very fortunate to be a part of a tight-knit family. He called Montreal the Mecca of hockey, adding it gives him “chills” to be a member of the Canadiens. Weber told Habs TV that “three or four people came up to me [in the airport] and welcomed me to Montreal”.
Here’s some other news from around the NHL:
- After Matt Murray backstopped the Penguins to their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history, Marc-Andre Fleury is in tough to win back his old job, despite posting career-best numbers. However, as Jared Clinton of The Hockey News writes, it may be impossible for Fleury to regain the starting role thanks to his age, injury history, and next summer’s expansion draft. Because Fleury has a no-trade clause, he has to be protected. It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the Penguins keep Fleury and allow Murray to be selected by Las Vegas.
- According to LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Derek Forbort will be healthy for training camp after undergoing surgery in late June. The 15th overall pick in 2010 needs to have a big camp to make the Kings, as he’s one of six defenseman who will be battling for three NHL jobs this fall. Forbort is waiver-eligible, so if the club wants to assign him to their AHL affiliate Ontario, he’ll need to clear waivers first. Forbort appeared in 14 games with the big club last year, scoring a goal and adding 2 assists.
Snapshots: Blues, Trade Targets, Radulov
St. Louis Blues beat writer Norm Sanders analyzed the situation the Blues find themselves in as the draft and free agency approaches. After signing both Scottie Upshall and Dmitrij Jaskin, the Blues still have a number of decisions facing them. Sanders writes that Jaden Schwartz will be signed first as he’s been dubbed a “priority signing” by general manager Doug Armstrong. He also names defensive Kevin Shattenkirk as a candidate to be traded since he’s approaching the final year of his contract. Sanders also makes note that his name has constantly been floated as being moved to another team. As for captain David Backes, Sanders writes that unless an agreement is had, Backes would be a much sought after free agent.
- Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury must feel like he’s either back in high school or in a hockey soap opera. Fleury has been the subject of trade rumors ever since the emergence of Matt Murray during the 2016 Stanley Cup playoff run. Interesting then that his name only comes up as #14 on Frank Seravalli’s TSN Top Trade Bait mentions. Fleury’s name was all over the hockey world as being moved to Calgary until Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford announced that he wasn’t aggresively shopping the former #1 overall pick. Seravalli put the aforementioned Shattenkirk as his #1 target to be dealt while Pavel Datsyuk‘s contract sits at #2. The Edmonton Oilers stand as having the most targets likely to be moved with Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, Jordan Eberle, and their 4th overall pick in this year’s draft being tagged.
- NBC Sports Pro Hockey Talk’s Ryan Dadoun scouted free agent Alexander Radulov and what it would take to land him. Dadoun writes that Radulov is purportedly looking for a 2-year/$15MM deal but that might not happen for a player who left the NHL for the KHL and was reported to be a locker room liability. Most teams are comfortable with a 1-year deal to see if Radulov’s KHL successes transfer across the ocean. PHR ranked Radulov as the 11th best free agent on the market and predicted that he would land with Capitals for just over $5MM.
Snapshots: Stamkos, 3rd Pick, Flames, Hamhuis
TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (transcription via Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot) that the Sabres are going “absolutely all in” for Tampa Bay forward Steven Stamkos should he hit the market. He hears that the speculation is that they may be willing to go upwards of $12MM per season to get a deal done. For comparison, the highest current cap hits in the NHL are Chicago forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Also from Dreger, the Blue Jackets are still listening to offers for the third overall pick in Friday’s NHL Entry Draft. He adds that GM Jarmo Kekalainen would like to attach a sizable contract, such as Scott Hartnell, who has three years left on his contract at $4.75MM per year, to any discussion to free up some cap space.
- The asking price for Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is quite high. Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun reports that Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford is asking for the Flames’ first round pick (sixth overall) in this Friday’s draft, a price that is too steep for Calgary’s liking. Francis suggests that the Flames would amenable to dealing one of their second round picks and a prospect to secure the services of the 31 year old netminder. TSN’s Bob McKenzie suggests Tampa Bay G Ben Bishop could be another target for Calgary.
- Vancouver GM Jim Benning acknowledged that the team is still trying to figure out the situation for pending UFA defenseman Dan Hamhuis, reports Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province. The team would open to trading his negotiating rights but have yet to receive an offer for them.
Expansion Notes: No-Movement Clauses, 40/70, Protection Limits
With the official announcement about the upcoming NHL expansion to Las Vegas coming on June 22nd, some information about the rules associated with an expansion draft has started to disseminate. The draft would be held at some point after the 2016-17 Stanley Cup Final, but before the July 1st free agency period. Here’s what we know thus far:
- Eligibility is determined by how many professional seasons, as outlined by the CBA, a player has completed. Anyone with two or fewer seasons will be exempt from the draft. This includes seasons in the American Hockey League, and means that any third-year professionals are eligible to be selected.
- Each team will be allowed to protect seven forwards, three defencemen and one goaltender from the draft.
- Players holding no-movement clauses that do not expire until after the 2017-18 season are automatically protected, and count against the totals. Teams however will be allowed to ask a player to waive a NMC prior to the draft, making them eligible. If the clause expires after the 2016-17 season (like in the case of Calgary’s Dennis Wideman) they will not be guaranteed protection even though the draft will take place prior.
- Each team must expose at least two forwards and one defenceman who has played in at least 40 NHL games the prior season, or a combined 70 games in the previous two. These players must also be under contract for the first expansion season.
- Clubs have to expose at least one goaltender who is under contract for the first expansion season.
- At least twenty of the expansion team’s thirty selections must be under contract for the first expansion season, and though they can trade anyone following the draft, a player may not return to the team he was selected from until January 1st.
- There are going to be stiff penalties for any team who does not meet the requirements, in the form of picks or players.
- Each team can only lose a maximum of one player, should there be just a single expansion team. The new team has to select a certain number of players at each position, including a minimum of three goaltenders.
- The new team cannot buy-out any player selected until after the first expansion season.
For teams like Pittsburgh, who have one goaltender with a NMC and another leading the team to the Stanley Cup Finals, some tough decisions will have to be made over the next year. Marc-Andre Fleury at the moment would force protection due to his no-movement clause, while playoff superstar Matt Murray will be eligible after what would be his third professional season.
In Winnipeg, both Toby Enstrom and Dustin Byfuglien have NMCs that will run through 2017-18 taking up two of their three defenceman slots. This means the Jets will have to expose one of their young defenders like Tyler Myers or Jacob Trouba if a deal isn’t struck between now and then. Losing either of them would be a disaster for the Jets, as Myers was a big part of the return for Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian, while Trouba was the 9th overall pick in 2012. Rumors have already started to swirl around Trouba, perhaps because of the issue facing Winnipeg down the road.
Situations like this present themselves all over the NHL, and though each team will only lose a single player, many will make moves to make sure their most prized assets remain untouchable. Here on Pro Hockey Rumors we’ll continue to breakdown potential draftees over the next year, giving you the inside scoop on who is available and who Las Vegas will select when they step to the podium for that draft next season.