Czech Republic Could Have Olympic Edge With Unsigned Players
The NHL’s decision to not allow their players to attend the Olympics (even those playing in the minors) has changed the playing field for many countries heading into the 2018 Games. While normally Canada and the United States are powerful teams, loaded with superstar NHL talent they’ll now be looking for former NHL players and college-aged stars to try and put together a roster that can compete. Russia, Sweden and Finland will all lose many NHL stars but have their own professional leagues filled with experienced international players that should make them medal favorites.
One nation that is often overlooked is the Czech Republic, who’ve won just a single bronze medal since Dominik Hasek and company beat the US, Canada and Russia in three straight matches to take home the gold, allowing just two goals in the process. This year could see a potential return to glory should they use the opportunity now apparent in NHL free agency.
Now heading into the middle of August, many experience NHL veterans remain unsigned. While all of the national teams will likely be contacting their aging stars for help, the Czechs have an excellent group to go after. Jaromir Jagr leads it, as he’s shown that he can still play at the very highest level in the world. He’d likely be one of the best players in the tournament should he start the season playing for his own Czech team. But it goes beyond the second all-time scoring leader in NHL history.
Milan Michalek, a former 30-goal man is now a free agent after being buried in the minors by the Maple Leafs and dealing with injury last season. Michalek never did fit in Toronto after being part of the Dion Phaneuf trade from the Ottawa Senators, but has experience at two Olympic Games and plenty of other international tournaments. At just 32, he likely still has enough left in the tank to be an effective option.
Even Milan’s older brother Zbynek Michalek could be an option after playing last season almost entirely in the AHL. The 34-year old defenseman has seen his career deteriorate quickly due to concussions, but has plenty of international experience including two World Championship medals.
Jakub Kindl has never lived up to his billing as a first-round pick, but has been a positive possession defender for most of his career, and spent 39 games with the Florida Panthers last season. If he can’t find a role somewhere as a depth option around the league, the 30-year old will surely be on the short list for the Czechs.
Jiri Hudler doesn’t have a job yet, even though he’s just two seasons removed from a 76-point effort with the Calgary Flames. The 33-year old forward has 428 NHL points and has always been a fine two-way player capable of moving up and down a lineup. Though he dealt with both illness and injury this season, it’s still clear he has some fuel left in the tank and could help the Czech team. He scored 11 points in 32 games for the Dallas Stars this year, but logged fewer than 12 minutes a night.
Last, Roman Polak is still working his way back from a horrendous injury suffered in the playoffs last season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but could potentially be ready to play again by the February tournament. Should he remain unsigned, he could even showcase his gritty physical play style in the Olympics for a future role. He’s coming off a reasonably successful season with the Maple Leafs, in which he was a key to their penalty kill and played 75 games.
While there are many free agents still unsigned, the Czech Republic may have the most talent among any nation still on the open market. Should these players find themselves still without a job come September, signing a one-year deal in a European league may be more enticing, seeing as it may come with another chance to represent their country in the Winter Games.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Outdoor Game, Fedun, Bonuses
After a report yesterday that the 2018 Winter Classic would be played at Citi Field in New York, there is some more news about outdoor games next season. Tomorrow, according to a report from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, the NHL will announce a game between the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens that will take place at TD Place, the home of the Canadian Football League’s Ottawa Redblacks. The stadium, which sits in Lansdowne Park right along the Rideau Canal, will host the CFL’s Grey Cup just a few weeks prior and will have expanded seating still installed.
This would be the Senators first time hosting an outdoor game, and just their second appearance in one. In 2014, they were part of the Heritage Classic in Vancouver (where the Sens won 4-2) but will obviously welcome a chance to host their own. Honoring the first NHL game played in Ottawa on December 19th, 1917—when the original Ottawa Senators were in existence—the game is expected to be played around the same date. It will be Montreal’s fourth appearance as a visitor in an outdoor game, though they’ve never hosted one themselves.
- As rumored yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres have brought up Taylor Fedun from the AHL today prior to their game in Los Angeles. The team is in the middle of a four-game rad trip, and will not have Justin Falk in the lineup tonight or tomorrow against the Anaheim Ducks. Fedun has 25 games with the NHL club this season, recording seven points. A prolific point producer at the AHL level, Fedun has just 37 games under his belt in the NHL and has never been able to find a consistent role.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have used their cap space over the past two years as something of an asset, acquiring bad contracts and burying them in the minors in order to get better returns on transactions. Brooks Laich, Milan Michalek and Colin Greening were all examples of this, and they now find themselves right up against the cap. As Chris Johnston of Sportsnet writes, that may end up costing them at least a few million next season as the bonuses for their young players will be taken as a penalty. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Nikita Zaitsev will all likely max out their Schedule A bonuses this season, and Matthew may trigger a $2MM Schedule B if he finishes in the top 10 for goals. If they decide to be big players in free agency, that Matthews bonus could be a big factor.
Atlantic Notes: Filppula, Coreau, DiDomenico
When Valtteri Filppula‘s name started to come up in trade talks between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning, he received a phone call from Mike Babcock. That’s what Chris Johnston of Sportsnet writes in his newest article, detailing everything that went on behind the scenes on deadline day surrounding Filppula. He ended up talking with Babcock for a while, before ultimately choosing not to waive his no-trade clause. It was “nothing against Toronto” as the veteran center turned down the chance to go play for his former coach; the two spent years together in Detroit, even winning the Stanley Cup in 2008.
Filppula ended up going to Philadelphia, for whom he will suit up against the Maple Leafs tonight. He just wanted to stick with the list he’d created before the season, and as Johnston notes, likely saw the treatment of other veteran players since heading to Toronto. Brooks Laich, Colin Greening and Milan Michalek have all been buried in the minors this season, with Eric Fehr not getting into a game since coming over from Pittsburgh.
- The Detroit Red Wings have sent Jared Coreau back down to the AHL after activating Jimmy Howard yesterday. The young netminder was shelled last night against Boston, playing just 13:32 of the game before getting the hook. In 14 games for the Red Wings this season, Coreau has just an .887 save percentage. He does however have two shutouts during his time in the NHL, and will look to build off that next season should Howard be moved this summer.
- Chris DiDomenico will make his NHL debut tonight for the Ottawa Senators after signing just over a week ago. The 28-year old forward that has dominated the Swiss leagues for the past few years is ready to make his mark on North American ice. A former sixth-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he hasn’t played on this continent since 2012. The Senators had gone with seven defensemen last night, but with Mark Borowiecki injured, they’ll insert DiDomenico in his place.
Deadline Depth May Already Be In Toronto
For teams around the league looking at depth additions down the stretch, big bodies, playoff experience and penalty killing ability are often in high demand. The Maple Leafs, who find themselves in the thick of a playoff race much earlier than expected in their rebuild, may have to look no further than their AHL squad to find some bottom-six depth if injuries should come into play.
The team has recently lost Mitch Marner for an indefinite period, and have had an almost clean bill of health all season. If they find themselves in a position to add some of that NHL experience, their Marlies team in the AHL already has a few names that might be familiar. Brooks Laich, Colin Greening and Milan Michalek have been with the minor league squad for almost the entire season, and though their goal-scoring days might be behind them, they could still provide a boost in a bottom-six role.
Laich was acquired from the Washington Capitals last season in a salary dump, and has six points in 21 games for the Marlies this season. He’s taken on a leadership role among the young team, understanding that the development of prospects is more important to the club than his ice time. He has lost a step from his 50+ point days in Washington, but has the work-ethic and defensive responsibility to help a fourth line somewhere. His versatility at center and wing is important to consider, as is the fact that he’s an unrestricted free agent this summer. In a recent piece from Joshua Kloke of The Athletic (subscription required), he quotes Laich as wanting to “pursue a Stanley Cup somewhere else” if he’s not in the Leafs NHL plans.
Michalek is a former 30-goal scorer that actually waived his no-trade clause to come to Toronto in last season’s Dion Phaneuf trade. He started the year with the NHL club, but was waived and sent down early on because of his cap-hit and the surplus of wingers on the Leafs. He’s been injured for much of the AHL season, but if he could get back to full health it’s an interesting depth option should a team need a bottom-six winger. Michalek has had a lot of penalty killing success in his career, even scoring nine short handed goals in his career.
Greening is the youngest of the trio at only 30 years old, but also has the least playoff experience. He’s also been the biggest physical presence in the past, recording over 200 hits for the Senators back in 2013-14. Another expiring contract, Greening wouldn’t cost the Leafs or an acquiring team very much for the last couple of months but would give them a big body to put on the fourth line should they need it.
Obviously none of these players are game-changers or even excellent options for an NHL squad. But with teams using draft pick and prospect currency to add role players at the deadline each year, the Maple Leafs might be in an enviable position down the stretch. As we’ve seen recently with the Senators, who have lost Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone, Bobby Ryan and Tommy Wingels in the past two days, depth is an important asset.
With their glut of young wing prospects to step into a scoring role should they lose any other top forwards, they have built some solid depth in the bottom six by just accepting bad contracts in their previous deals. While the salary cap has evened out the playing field somewhat between the rich and poor teams, the Maple Leafs have smartly used their financial muscle over the past few years in the few places that are still possible.
Remembering The Early Trades From 2015-16
The month between the All-Star game and the NHL trade deadline is an interesting one. While most of the action happens right at the end, even sometimes extending past the official deadline due to trade calls, sometimes big moves happen early in February.
Last season, 33 trades happened in the last few days (from February 26-29) before the deadline, but there were also seven deals that happened in the weeks immediately after the All-Star break. Those deals were just as important to the futures of their teams as any made on the day itself. Let’s look back at the seven deals made between February 9th and 25th last season.
February 9th: Toronto trades Dion Phaneuf, Matt Frattin, Casey Bailey, Ryan Rupert and Cody Donaghey to Ottawa for Jared Cowen, Colin Greening, Milan Michalek, Tobias Lindberg and a 2017 2nd-round pick.
Starting with a whopper, the Maple Leafs continued their drastic tear-down by trading their current captain and highest paid player to a cross-province and divisional rival. The Senators had been looking for another big-minute defenseman and thought Phaneuf could become that player for them.
While it hasn’t worked out perfectly for the Senators, Phaneuf has logged over 23 minutes a night since coming over and is having a fine if unspectacular season offensively this year. While his massive looks like an albatross on their books – he’ll have a cap-hit of $7MM (more than Erik Karlsson) until 2020-21 – the actual salary is much lower. The team also rid themselves of dead money in Cowen, Greening and Michalek and only had to pay the price of a middling prospect in Lindberg and what looks like a fairly late second-round pick.
Lou Lamoriello and the Maple Leafs worked some accounting magic, and have effectively rid themselves of the cap-hits for all three players, burying Greening and Michalek in the AHL and buying out Cowen after a lengthy dispute. Moving Phaneuf was an integral part of the plan going forward, and both teams are fighting for playoff spots a year later.
Milan Michalek, Jamie McBain, Steve Bernier All Clear Waivers
October 25: Michalek, McBain, and Bernier all cleared waivers, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports (Twitter link).
October 24: The Toronto Maple Leafs have waived winger Milan Michalek while the Arizona Coyotes have placed defenseman Jamie McBain on waivers, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports (Twitter links). They join Steve Bernier on the waiver wire, whose signing and waiving were reported earlier today.
Michalek was acquired by Toronto last season as a salary throw-in as part of the Dion Phaneuf trade with Ottawa. He played in just 13 games with the Leafs last season, picking up a goal and five assists. He’s off to a quieter start this year, with a goal and an assist in five games while averaging just 14:16 per night, his lowest ice time since his rookie season back in 2003-04 (where he played in just two contests).
For his career, the 31 year old has played in 747 games with the Sharks, Senators, and Maple Leafs. He has 208 goals and 238 assists under his belt as well as four years with 55 or more points, the most recent coming in 2011-12. However, with a salary and cap hit of $4MM, it’s unlikely that any team will claim him, even if they think he could help their team. More likely will be that teams will wait to see if Toronto is willing to retain any salary in a trade for him down the road.
As for McBain, he’s in his first year with the Coyotes after signing a one year, two-way deal early in free agency, one that pays him $650K in the NHL and $300K at the AHL level. He has suited up in three games with Arizona so far this season, being held off the scoresheet while averaging 16:40 per game.
After spending the first four years of his career in Carolina, McBain has bounced around in recent years with stints in Buffalo and Los Angeles on top of his time with the Coyotes. He has played in 348 career NHL contests, picking up 30 goals and 80 assists.
The move bodes well for Coyotes rookie blueliner Jakob Chychrun who is now one of seven remaining defensemen with the team. He has played in four games so far and hasn’t looked out of place, picking up three points while logging over 16 minutes per night.
Additionally, Ottawa’s Phil Varone cleared waivers and will be assigned to Binghamton of the AHL.