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Max Pacioretty

Snapshots: Sharks, Trottier, Vitale

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Are the San Jose Sharks done for the summer? In a mailbag for The Athletic, Kevin Kurz addresses the concerns of some fans that the team has not done enough this off-season after missing out on John Tavares. Kurz states that GM Doug Wilson still has the full faith and support of ownership – as he should seeing that the Sharks have the highest average finish in the league during his tenure – and reiterates that Wilson always says that the roster isn’t complete until the trade deadline. Given that San Jose hit a home run with the Evander Kane trade this past spring and fueled their Stanley Cup run in 2016 by adding James Reimer, Nick Spaling, and Roman Polak, that mantra has been proven true. However, is waiting until March going to cut it this season? Kurz points out that between Tavares, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Max Pacioretty, it seems that the Sharks wanted to do more this summer. Pacioretty is still one of several potential trade targets prior to the beginning of the season, but it seems more likely that the Sharks will go into the season as is and let their play in the first few months of the season dictate whether a big move is necessary or not. However, a slow start or a major injury could cause Wilson to reinvigorate his search for scoring depth.

  • The New York Islanders have had a far worse summer than the Sharks and maybe any team in the league, but one of the franchise legends is still confident in the direction of the team. Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier sat down with NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy recently and spoke about the “bright future” of Mathew Barzal and the Islanders, despite the departure of John Tavares. “For him to… have the kind rookie season he had, he’s not disappointing anyone… I see wonderful things for Mathew in the future and for the Islanders”, Trottier stated. Between a legitimate rising star in Barzal and an impressive pipeline featuring the likes of Kieffer Bellows, Oliver Wahlstrom, Noah Dobson, Bode Wilde, and Robin Salo, Trottier is right that the future is bright, but the Isles will likely have to endure a few brutal years before they reach that point. Yet, Trottier also spoke to the credibility that new GM Lou Lamoriello and new coach Barry Trotz bring to the team and feels that with their leadership and the talent on the roster, the team can still succeed if others step up. This first season without Tavares will be telling as to how the team will fare in the coming years.
  •  One recently retired NHLer is getting back into the game. The Blues have hired St. Louis native Joe Vitale as their new radio analyst for next season, writes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Vitale announced his hiring live on the Blues’ radio affiliate, KMOX, saying:

    “This is my city… I always wanted to be a Blue. I’m so passionate about this team, since I was born from the very get-go with my dad bringing me to games as a kid.”

    Vitale played six seasons in the NHL, mostly with the Pittsburgh Penguins but wrapping up his career with the Arizona Coyotes after head injuries forced him into premature retirement. Now, he’s feeling positive about getting back into the game with his hometown team. Vitale was a high-energy player, a checking line regular and face-off specialist during his career, and will likely bring that same energy to the Blues broadcast.

 

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Current Cap Hit: $73,890,832 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Zach Werenski (one year remaining, $925K)
F Pierre-Luc Dubois (two years remaining, $894K)
F Sonny Milano (one year remaining, $863K)

Potential Bonuses

Dubois: $2.5MM
Werenski: $800K
Milano: $400K

Total: $3.7MM

The Blue Jackets got a big boost from Dubois who should provide the team with a top center for quite a long time as the 20-year-old had a solid rookie campaign as he posted 20 goals and 48 points. Those numbers should exponentially increase as he gets older, bigger and more comfortable in the league. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him develop into a 60-70 point player this year already. And with two years remaining, he will continue to be a bargain for some time.

Werenski had a mixed bag of a season as he saw his points totals drop from his rookie season (47 points) to his second season (37 points). Yet his goal totals increased from his rookie season (10) to his sophomore season (16). However, Werenski underwent surgery for a shoulder injury that had been causing him pain since October, suggesting he played injured all season. A fully healthy Werenski could give the team one of the top young defensemen in the league.

Milano arrived with much fanfare, but he struggled finding a permanent place in the lineup, as he often received relatively few minutes on the third line due to his struggles on defense. However, Milano showed flashes of scoring ability as the 22-year-old posted 14 goals in 55 games. With a year under his belt, Milano might be able to take those numbers to a much bigger level if he can prove he can play a two-way game for coach John Tortorella.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

G Sergei Bobrovsky ($7.43MM, UFA)
F Artemi Panarin ($6MM, UFA)
D Ryan Murray ($2.83MM, RFA)
G Joonas Korpisalo ($900K, RFA)
F Lukas Sedlak ($825K, RFA)
F Alex Broadhurst ($725K, RFA)
F Markus Hannikainen ($675K, RFA)
D Scott Harrington ($675K, RFA)
F Anthony Duclair ($650K, RFA)

The biggest news all offseason is the fact that Panarin has told Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen says he’s not ready to discuss an extension. Despite the GM’s attempt to speak to Panarin to convince him to stay, it looks like Panarin wants to head elsewhere once his contract expires at the end of the season and he becomes a unrestricted free agent. The 27-year-old winger posted a career-high 82 points after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, but seems to be looking to play in a city with a more diverse market. While there have been rumors that Kekalainen has been looking into trading options, little has come from it. The team may opt to wait until the trade deadline, but that could also lessen the return.

Perhaps more concerning is the contract situation with Bobrovsky. The 30-year-old goaltender is also in the final year of his contract. While there is no talk of leaving Columbus, the Blue Jackets have to be somewhat concerned about the veteran goaltender’s asking price. He will be 32 years old when his next contract takes effect, but Bobrovsky wants term, the team could be paying him until he’s 40 years old and it’s extremely likely that the goalie will take less money than the $7.43MM he’s making on this contract. However, that’s a lot of money to be handing out to an aging goaltender. Bobrovsky’s numbers are still good as he posted a 2.42 GAA and an impressive .920 save percentage in 63 games. However, his struggles in the playoffs isn’t working for him either. Regardless, the team could find itself in quite the contract negotiations in the coming summer.

Duclair is another interesting player, who signed a one-year deal after disappointing in both Arizona and Chicago. The 22-year-old opted to sign a minimum “show me” contract to prove he belongs in the NHL, but he’s struggled to produce over the years after a successful season back in 2015-16 when he potted 20 goals. Since then, he’s managed to post just 16 goals in two seasons. If he can find his game in Columbus, the Blue Jackets could still retain him as he’s a restricted free agent.Read more

Snapshots: Pacioretty, Norell, Genoni

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The lower-than-anticipated return that the Hurricanes received for winger Jeff Skinner isn’t going to help the Canadiens in their efforts to move winger Max Pacioretty, suggests Jared Clinton of The Hockey News.  The two have been statistically similar over the past three years so while Pacioretty has the stronger long-term track record, it’s going to be challenging for them to justify commanding a significantly better return even though unlike Skinner, he doesn’t have any no-trade protection.

With that in mind, it’s fair to wonder if they would be better served holding onto their captain to start the season despite their reported desire to move him as soon as possible.  While that would create a media frenzy, it would give Pacioretty a chance to rebuild his value as he enters a contract year while giving the Canadiens time to see if something happens elsewhere that gives them the opportunity to potentially leverage a better return.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Djurgarden of the SHL is interested in bringing back Blackhawks prospect Robin Norell, reports Johan Svensson of Expressen (link in Swedish). The 23-year-old has one year left on his entry-level deal and Chicago would need to sign off on loaning him back home.  Norell is certainly familiar with Djurgarden having been a part of their system for parts of seven seasons before coming to North America.  He has been a regular on the back end with their AHL affiliate in Rockford the last two years but has yet to make it to the NHL level and isn’t expected to contend for a spot in training camp.
  • Swiss goaltender Leonardo Genoni has long been viewed as one of the top goaltenders outside the NHL. While he still has one year left on his current contract with SC Bern of the Swiss NLA, he has now committed to EV Zug of the same league for 2019-20 and beyond.  Per a team release (link in German), the 31-year-old has agreed to a five-year deal that will keep him in Switzerland through 2024 and with it, any chance of him crossing the pond one day to try the NHL has now been put to rest.

Dallas Stars Still Scouring Trade Market

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It has been a quiet off-season for trades to this point, with the last major deal being the St. Louis Blues’ acquisition of Ryan O’Reilly for a package of three players and two picks back on July 1st. It has also been close to a month since the Dallas Stars were named the front runners for superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson – or any legitimate Karlsson rumors for that matter. Yet, the Stars still remain active on the trade market, according to Dallas beat writer Mark Stepenski. Could they be the team that makes the next big trade?

Stepenski recently spoke with Stars GM Jim Nill about the off-season. While their discussion mostly centered on a Tyler Seguin extension, Martin Hanzal’s recovery progress, and the restricted free agency situations of Mattias Janmark and Gemel Smith, the two also talked about bringing in players not currently on the roster. Nill admitted that the team was still interested in making additions this summer, saying:

“I can’t name things, but there is still lots out there. We’re talking to teams. There is still a lot of movement happening within the business. I can’t say there is anything happening overnight, but there is a lot of dialogue still.”

The Stars are clearly interested in adding another big-name defenseman to add to defense that already sports John Klingberg and a now-healthy Marc Methot among others. Karlsson is obviously the top available defenseman, but the Ottawa Senators’ asking price was reportedly too high. The team could also look at the likes of Justin Faulk, Chris Tanev, or perhaps even disgruntled Jacob Trouba. However, the team actually performed better at preventing goals than they did scoring them last season. Despite impressive forward depth on paper, the Stars tied for 18th in the league in goals for and a scoring drought was one of the main factors behind the late-season collapse that cost them a playoff spot. While the team has already re-added Valeri Nichushkin and signed Blake Comeau and Erik Condra, it wouldn’t be surprise if the “lots out there” that Nill is looking into are forwards. Artemi Panarin, Max Pacioretty, Jeff Skinner, and Mathieu Perreault have all been considered likely to move at one point this summer and now New York Rangers’ center Kevin Hayes can be added to that list as well.

It does seem that Nill is right that there are a lot of talented players available and he is no doubt talking to teams, but the question remains whether he can actually put together a big trade to help his team this off-season. Dallas has more than $6MM in cap space and many intriguing young players and prospects. They certainly seems like a team that could make a splash at some point this summer.

Snapshots: Pacioretty, Lucic, Simmonds, Vilardi

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The Montreal Canadiens look like they have no choice but to trade their star player in Max Pacioretty. With the 29-year-old entering the final year of his contract and little interest from Montreal to lock him up to a long-term deal, this is their only chance to move him. However, what makes things challenging for general manager Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens is that Pacioretty is coming off a disappointing year in which he produced just 17 goals in injury-plagued season after posting four straight years of 30 or more goals.

However, time is not Bergevin’s friend and the team has little choice but to try to move his contract now rather than wait to trade him as a rental in February. NBC Sports Joey Alfieri suggests five teams that might be good fits for Pacioretty with the Chicago Blackhawks leading the way. Pacioretty would be the perfect fit for Chicago considering the team’s biggest acquisition this offseason has been backup goaltender Cam Ward. However, the Blackhawks might be challenged to put together a quality package for Pacioretty.

However, another more interesting option would be the New Jersey Devils, who have the cap space to make it work and Pacioretty, a native of Connecticut – a mere 70 miles away — might be willing to stay with a team that already has an intruiging cast including Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall.

  • In a recent podcast on Spittin’ Chiclets, Edmonton Oilers forward Milan Lucic talked about his disappointing season in Edmonton which has his name and his contract being thrown around in potential trade rumors. Regardless, Lucic had nothing but great things to say about the Oilers’ organization and takes a lot of the blame for his poor season. Lucic, who signed a seven-year, $42MM deal in 2016, still has five years remaining at $6MM AAV. However, after posting 23 goals and 50 points in the first year of his deal, Lucic’s numbers took a nosedive as he tallied just 10 goals and 34 points and he didn’t miss a single game all season. “I think it was definitely more of a mental thing,” Lucic said. “It was almost like everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for our team and for me personally and it was the snowball effect or the quicksand effect. I think my mindset got very negative last year. So I was almost my own worst enemy, where this year I’m just going in with a happy, healthier mindset.”
  • Dave Isaac of the Cherry Hill Courier-Post writes that Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall has kept a close on the New York Islanders and John Tavares situation and isn’t interested in letting any of his players go. With winger Wayne Simmonds entering the final year of his contract, will probably price himself out of Philadelphia and the fact that he likely will end up on the team’s third line this year, don’t be surprised if Hextall trades Simmonds at the trade deadline next year. The 29-year-old has put up 28 or more goals for the past four years in Philadelphia, but struggled with nagging injuries last year, tallying 24 goals.
  • The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman reports that Los Angeles Kings prospect Gabe Vilardi will not be participating in the World Junior Showcase for Hockey Canada after Vilardi suffered a back injury. While not considered serious, Vilardi has had issues with his back before as he missed all but 32 games this past year with the OHL Kingston Frontenacs. Vilardi, the team’s first-round pick in 2017, will have a chance to break into the Kings’ lineup if he has a good showing in training camp.

Poll: Who Is The Most Likely To Bounce Back The Best From Injury?

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Injuries plague teams every year and are often hard to predict or prepare for. Yet every season, several key players find their seasons ruined due to an injury. While the league didn’t really lose a superstar player like the Tampa Bay Lightning did in 2016-17 when Steven Stamkos went down with a torn lateral meniscus in his knee and appeared in just 17 games. However, there quite a few players who went down for a chunk of time that definitely diminished their seasons. However, assuming everyone is back healthy, who will come back and have the best season next year?

Among those that missed the most time include Jeff Carter of the Los Angeles Kings, who missed 55 games with a leg injury. The 33-year-old posted a solid 13 goals and 22 points in 27 games when he returned and should be poised to put up big numbers next season, centering the second line likely alongside Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli. The question is when will Father Time catch up with him. Speaking of Father Time, San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton missed quite a bit of time in the second half of the season when he suffered a knee injury that knocked him out for 35 games. The 39-year-old posted 13 goals and 36 points last season in just 47 games and could put up more impressive numbers if he can get in a full season.

Several players suffered through injuries, but also saw their numbers decline due to the lack of success of their franchises, including the New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider. The 27-year-old was looked to a year ago to lead the team in scoring after he posted a 28-goal season in 2016-17, and had 11 goals before being diagnosed with a blood clot, requiring surgery. He came back to add another five, but was far from the star forward the struggling Rangers needed. Montreal Canadiens’ Max Pacioretty also struggled last year, posting just 17 goals in the first 64 games before going down for the season with a knee injury. That production was a far cry from the four straight 30+ goal seasons he has put together before that. Can he bounce back to form whether that’s with Montreal or another team?

The Rangers also were without their star defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk for 36 games with a knee injury. The team signed to a four-year, $26.6MM deal last offseason and was looked upon to quarterback the Rangers’ offense. However, the 29-year-old managed just five goals and 18 assists in 46 games. Defenseman Justin Schultz also didn’t produce the big season that the Pittsburgh Penguins were hoping for as the 28-year-old blueliner missed 19 games with a lower-body injury. He went from a 12-goal and 51-point season in 2016-17 season to just four goals and 27 points this past year.

Goaltending also has quite a few options on players hoping to bounce back and while the Chicago Blackhawks’ Corey Crawford might be an obvious candidate, the veteran goalie did post excellent numbers (2.28 GAA, .929 save percentage) before he went down with what is believed to be a concussion. However, Montreal’s Carey Price was struggling quite a bit when he went down with a concussion. Price, who had just signed an eight-year, $88MM extension last summer, did get into 49 games, but finished with a poor 3.11 GAA and a disappointing .900 save percentage. Price has bounced back before from a down season, so there is hope the superstar goaltender can bounce back. Finally Colorado’s Semyon Varlamov struggled with injuries the past two seasons, needing two hip surgeries a year ago and then had knee issues this year. In 51 games, Varlamov finished with a 2.68 GAA, but also now has to share duties with newly acquired Philipp Grubauer if he wants to bounce back, especially since he will be an unrestricted free agent in a year.

So which player will be able to rebound from injury and return themselves to an elite player?

Which injured player will have a bounce-back season?
Carey Price 24.84% (193 votes)
Jeff Carter 23.42% (182 votes)
Max Pacioretty 15.70% (122 votes)
Justin Schultz 11.71% (91 votes)
Kevin Shattenkirk 8.88% (69 votes)
Joe Thornton 6.69% (52 votes)
Chris Kreider 6.56% (51 votes)
Semyon Varlamov 2.19% (17 votes)
Total Votes: 777

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Atlantic Notes: Karlsson, Pacioretty, Blashill, Kotkaniemi

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When looking across the spectrum at different sports, there are often situations that have similarities, which is what happened last week with the San Antonio Spurs when they were forced to trade their superstar basketball player Kawhi Leonard away, eventually trading him to the Toronto Raptors. While a very different sport, The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required) writes that the Spurs handled everything with class, even if they didn’t come out with the best return, and there are other general managers in the NHL, such as Montreal’s Marc Bergevin and Ottawa’s Pierre Dorion who should be paying attention.

The most comparable situation comes to Dorion who is tasked to move superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson as soon as possible. Just like in San Antonio, everyone knows Dorion has to trade him, making it more challenging to get a quality return. The Montreal’s situation with Max Pacioretty isn’t the same, but is similar to DeMar DeRozan, who the Spurs received from Toronto in the Leonard trade, who the team wants to move in fear of him leaving eventually. Regardless, Basu writes that both teams need to move on from their respective situations and the longer they wait the more desperate they are going to get. Neither team is going to want Karlsson or Pacioretty to show up at training camp in a few months. Both teams need to do the best they can and move on as quickly as possible.

  • In an interview with Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill, the Detroit Free-Press’ Helene St. James asks the coach about the importance of integrating youth onto their roster next season. The head coach says that there will have to be more advantages given to younger players this coming year. “I think one of the big keys is that when you are a playoff team on an annual basis, the right move is that when a young player and a veteran player are tied, the tie goes to the veteran,” Blashill said. “When you are a team that hasn’t made the playoffs for two years and a young player and a veteran player are tied, I think now the tie should go to the young player.” That could be a big advantage to some of the team’s top talents from Michael Rasmussen, Filip Zadina, Filip Hronek and Dennis Cholowski who will all be fighting for roster spots in training camp.
  • Sean Farrell of NHL.com writes that the Montreal Canadiens’ 2018 first-round pick, center Jesperi Kotkaniemi could make the team out of training camp. Bergevin said Kotkaniemi will be at training camp and didn’t rule out the third-overall pick from making the team. “He got better every day, so we’re going in with an open mind,” Bergevin said. “I don’t know, but just the fact that he’s signed and he’s coming to camp and he’s closer to the NHL. Where he’s going to be Oct. 1, I can’t tell you, but we see a lot of potential and growth in this young man.”

Poll: Who Will Be The Next Big Name To Be Traded?

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We’re getting close to the slowest time of the year for NHL news, as arbitration cases start to be wrapped up and teams are finished their free agent shopping. Through August there won’t be a ton of intrigue in terms of new contracts, but it’s shaping up to be a very interesting month with regards to the trade market.

The biggest name remains Erik Karlsson, the Ottawa Senators captain who is heading into the final year of his current contract. Still a superstar defenseman, Karlsson could command a huge package from nearly any team in the league if he’s willing to sign an extension, but his feelings on the situation still aren’t entirely clear. Now 28 years old, Karlsson has always maintained his love for the city of Ottawa and it’s not exactly apparent where else he would want to spend the next chapter of his life and career. To give up a package including top prospects, an acquiring team would want to know they have him for more than just one year.

Other than Karlsson though, there are other huge names still floating out there. Artemi Panarin, Max Pacioretty and Jeff Skinner have all been rumored as available in one sense or another and could supply a big offensive boost to any acquiring team. Panarin especially could draw a huge package given his overall offensive repertoire, but all three are marked with the same issue that hurts Karlsson’s trade value—each of them has just one year left on their current deals.

It seems unlikely that all of them will begin the year on their current teams, but the market has been quiet for some time as teams deal with other things. That might change in August after arbitration ends, and teams have a full concept of where their financial situation and roster structure has landed. Who do you think will be the first to move? We’ve included a list of oft-rumored players, but feel free to share your idea in the comments below!

Who will be the next big name to be traded?
Max Pacioretty 33.61% (403 votes)
Erik Karlsson 19.10% (229 votes)
Artemi Panarin 16.85% (202 votes)
Jeff Skinner 13.18% (158 votes)
Justin Faulk 10.43% (125 votes)
Jason Zucker 2.67% (32 votes)
Other (leave in comments) 2.50% (30 votes)
Oscar Klefbom 1.67% (20 votes)
Total Votes: 1,199

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Jeff Skinner, Max Pacioretty In Trade Market “Holding Pattern”

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Over the last few months, two names have come up most often when you discuss scoring wingers that could be available for trade. Max Pacioretty and Jeff Skinner are both expected to be dealt by their respective clubs before the season begins, but after initial speculation on where they could end up things have dramatically quieted down. Perhaps that’s because of the existence of both, as teams are trying to make sure they get the best deal of the two options. Elliotte Friedman joined NHL Network today to talk about both players and indicated that some of the suitors for one may be the same as those for the other:

I think there’s another player that we haven’t mentioned yet who is similar to Pacioretty, and I think they’re kind of in the same holding pattern. That player is Jeff Skinner from Carolina. I think teams are kind of sitting there saying ’okay, Montreal’s got this asset they want to deal, Carolina’s got this asset they want to deal’ and I think teams are kind of saying ’okay, which one can we get a better fit.’

I think for example Pittsburgh is a team that has interest in Jeff Skinner, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve checked in hard on him. But I think those two players are kind of similar in a lot of ways and teams are trying to out wait Montreal and Carolina to see if they can get a better deal. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Penguins are taking a long look at Skinner, maybe more than Pacioretty.

Indeed Skinner and Pacioretty have both been excellent offensive producers throughout their careers, and each have just one year remaining on their current contracts. While Pacioretty is three and a half years older than Skinner and is coming off a worse offensive season, he has shown to have a higher playmaking upside with four seasons of 30 or more assists and 60 or more points. Skinner has just one season like that, and it came way back in his rookie season in 2010-11.

Still, both would bring instant offense to almost any team in the league and could fit into most team’s salary structure for the 2018-19 season. Pacioretty comes with just a $4.5MM cap hit on one of the better bargains in the NHL, while Skinner is at just $5.725MM this season. It’s important to note that Skinner also has a no-movement clause, but as we’ve seen many times in the past those can be worked around given enough time and the right situation.

Friedman also notes Chicago as a possible destination for Pacioretty, though in a completely speculative nature given their recent trade of Marian Hossa’s contract. Chicago had been previously rumored to be interested in defenseman Justin Faulk from the Hurricanes, but don’t look to have any imminent trades pending. Skinner or Pacioretty could certainly help the Blackhawks as they try to compete again in 2018-19, but whether they would be interested in a long-term extension for either is unclear.

So we wait for the “holding pattern” to end at some point, and perhaps that will be decided by the deadline that another scoring winger has placed upon his own team. Artemi Panarin told the Columbus Blue Jackets that he wants all business finished by September 13th, the start of training camp, giving the team incentive to move him now if they’ve decided to cash in their asset. Any team acquiring Panarin would want some time to work out an extension, something that would certainly be true of Skinner or Pacioretty as well.

Morning Notes: Chelios, Pacioretty, Forbes

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Chris Chelios has left the Detroit Red Wings organization almost two decades, deciding to move back to Chicago and be closer to his family. Chelios has served in several different roles for the club since retiring from his playing career, but will now take a step back from the NHL life. He released a long statement, including this thank you to Red Wings fans:

To the fans in Detroit – I want to say thank you. You embraced me from day one. My experience in Detroit was a lot of fun and we definitely had some unforgettable times together. Just know that I won’t be a stranger. I plan on visiting the area whenever I can, especially now that my son, Jake, is playing in the Wings organization.

Jake Chelios was signed by the team earlier this offseason to play for the Grand Rapids Griffins, meaning there will still be a thread of the Hall of Fame defenseman in the organization. Though Jake isn’t expected to make a huge impact for the Red Wings, he’ll try to follow his father’s footsteps and bring a title to the organization—even if it’s a Calder Cup.

  • Max Pacioretty has been in the rumor mill for quite some time, and in his latest mailbag for NHL.com Dan Rosen explains why he thinks the Montreal Canadiens’ captain will be traded before the season. An extension continues to be the sticking point when it comes to Pacioretty, as the Canadiens or any acquiring team wants him locked up long-term. That may not be in the best interest of the player though, who is just a year away from unrestricted free agency and coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. Waiting to see if he can bounce back and become the 30-goal man he was consistently in the past would certainly improve his market next summer.
  • A grand total of zero NHL franchises made it onto Forbes’ top-50 most valuable organizations this year, with the Dallas Cowboys coming out on top with a $4.8B value. The Cleveland Browns bring up the rear at #50 with a $1.95B value, ahead of the New York Rangers’ $1.5B valuation late last year. While this doesn’t necessarily indicate any troubles for the NHL, it does show just how far behind the league is still compared with some of the other sports leagues in the world. The NFL, NBA and MLB all have teams in the top-10, while several soccer clubs from around the world find themselves near the top.

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