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Players

Snapshots: McKenzie’s ’17 Draft Prospects, ‘Jackets, North America

September 22, 2016 at 8:26 pm CDT | by natebrown Leave a Comment

It’s never too early to scout talent. Bob McKenzie released his preseason top 15 prospect list for the 2017 NHL Draft and the top slot wasn’t even close. Brandon Wheat Kings center Nolan Patrick is the clear #1 prospect, being voted the top prospect by ten out of ten scouts McKenzie spoke with. Though it’s not clearly as exciting as the Jack Eichel–Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews-Patrik Laine debates, the report on Patrick is his ability to score goals. But he doesn’t boast the same franchise type standing as McDavid, Eichel, Matthews or Laine. After Patrick, however, the draft seems to dip in terms of overall talent. McKenzie writes that the draft is “not as exciting a group” as years past.  Further, McKenzie reports that the top ten talent isn’t nearly as defined as in the past. McKenzie lists Patrick, D Timothy Liljegren, F Klim Kostin, F Maxime Comtois, F Eeli Tolvanen, F Gabe Vilardi, F Kristian Vesalainen, F Owen Tippett, D Cal Foote, and F Lias Andersson as the top ten best prospects in the 2017 Draft.

In other hockey news:

  • Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno can’t wait to see the new talent make their way to Columbus writes Alison Lukan. Foligno was one of many Jackets to congratulate the prospects in Cleveland who captured the Calder Cup this past summer. Now, Foligno is ready to welcome any of those prospects who can make an impact in Columbus.

“If you’re going to come and help us, we’re going to welcome you with open arms. We’re excited to see who is going to rise to the occasion and come and help our group. But it’s my job to be competitive and push everybody. If you want to be here, then you’ve got to beat me.”

Lukan reports that after a disappointing 2015-16 season, the Jackets will look to their younger players to push for playing time and help the team improve this year.

  • Team North America captured the attention of the hockey world, and gave a glimpse of the future of the NHL writes the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc. Canada coach Mike Babcock called the “young guns” team “one of the most exciting things of the tournament,” while saying that they would garner the attention of a whole new group of fans. Kuc described the North American team as the “darlings” of the tournament with a style of play that caused fans to experience “whiplash.” Amalie Benjamin adds that it was hockey at its “most brilliant, most entertaining, and most delightful.”

Columbus Blue Jackets| Los Angeles Kings| Mike Babcock| Mike Babcock| NHL| Players| Snapshots| Team North America Auston Matthews| Bob McKenzie| Connor McDavid| Jack Eichel| Patrik Laine

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Snapshots: Lovejoy, Bennett, Canucks, Lombardi

September 22, 2016 at 4:39 pm CDT | by Glen Miller 3 Comments

It’s not uncommon for players to reunite with former coaches and/or a general manager who has previously acquired that player at a previous stop. There is familiarity between coach and player and in the case of GMs, a belief in the abilities, sometimes untapped, of the player. That scenario played out this summer when the New Jersey Devils brought in two former Penguins, defenseman Ben Lovejoy in free agency and winger Beau Bennett via trade, reuniting them with general manager Ray Shero and head coach John Hynes. As Andrew Gross writes in his Fire and Ice blog, those additions should have come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the situation.

Shero spent eight seasons at the helm in Pittsburgh, selecting Bennett in the first-round of the 2010 entry draft. Clearly Shero still believes in Bennett’s upside as evidenced by the Devils giving up a third-round pick – a substantial asset – to Pittsburgh in exchange for the winger. Bennett scored six goals and 12 points in 33 regular season games in Pittsburgh in 2015-16 but appeared in just one postseason game as rookies Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust passed him on the team’s depth chart.

The Devils finished last in the NHL in goals scored during the 2015-16 season, and even after adding LW Taylor Hall in the summer, the team could use more scoring depth. Bennett hopes to be able to provide that and reward Shero’s faith in him.

Lovejoy cited the presence of Hynes as instrumental in his decision to sign with the Devils in the offseason.

“(Hynes) was my defense coach when I played in Wilkes-Barre. I played for him for a full season. He knows my game. It’s not going to be a surprise here. He knows exactly what he’s getting. That’s the reason I’m here. I know the coaching staff through Wilkes-Barre when Ray and (assistant GM) Tom (Fitzgerald) were running the organization the first time I was in Pittsburgh. Those are guys I trust and know. I’m here because they trust me.”

The veteran of eight NHL seasons will be asked to add leadership and experience to a young-ish defense corps that only has one other defender – Andy Greene – over the age of 26. Lovejoy doesn’t bring much of an offensive game to the table but has generally been a responsible blue liner and has posted a negative plus-minus rating just once in his career.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • GM Jim Benning and head coach Willie Desjardins are well aware the team has some ground to cover if they want to make the playoffs in 2016-17 after missing the postseason by 12 points this past season. But as Derek Jory of the Canucks official team site reports, both manager and coach are cautiously optimistic about the upcoming campaign. Desjardins: “We have more depth at every position and I feel we’re stronger at every position.” Benning, for his part, believes adding Loui Eriksson and Erik Gudbranson this summer along with a return to health for center Brandon Sutter will bring needed leadership as well as depth to the club: “We’ve added more depth to our group and adding Loui Eriksson, who I feel is a good player, a healthy Brandon Sutter, adding Erik Gudbranson; we’ve added some leadership in that room to help our young players along, so I’m real excited.” 
  • Two days after watching Team USA elimination from medal contention at the World Cup of Hockey, the man ultimately responsible for assembling the team, Kings GM Dean Lombardi, defended his roster construction strategy: “We’ve got some darn good players, but the reality is that matchup on a skill basis, if you want to go head-to-head and play a skill game, your odds of winning that game when you look at those matchups is not very good.” While Lombardi is likely correct in his assertion that Team USA wouldn’t have been able to match the skill and talent of the Canadiens no matter who they brought to the tournament, the choice to emphasize grit and heart ignores the NHL’s recent shift to a quicker game that values speed over other traits. Of course we’ll never know whether a Team USA roster including Tyler Johnson, Kyle Okposo, Kevin Shattenkirk and Phil Kessel – for example – would have been better equipped to beat Canada, but it’s clear they couldn’t have done any worse.

Anaheim Ducks| Coaches| Free Agency| Jim Benning| Los Angeles Kings| Montreal Canadiens| NHL| New Jersey Devils| Pittsburgh Penguins| Players| Snapshots| Team USA| Vancouver Canucks Ben Lovejoy| Kevin Shattenkirk| Kyle Okposo| Loui Eriksson| Phil Kessel| World Cup

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Compelling RFA Cases For 2017: Johansen, Parayko, Teravainen

September 22, 2016 at 3:15 pm CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

Jacob Trouba, Johnny Gaudreau and Nikita Kucherov highlight a strong and deep group of restricted free agents that remain unsigned at the moment. While they will each ultimately cash in and receive substantial contracts for the 2016-17 campaign and likely beyond, their status as restricted free agents has certainly complicated their respective negotiation processes.

Next summer, another quality group of players are set to hit restricted free agency, unless they can agree to terms on a new deal prior to the 2017-18 league year. In a series of posts, Pro Hockey Rumors will profile the top pending 2017 RFAs and examine what kind of contract they could elicit assuming they put up a strong performance during their platform year. Today we finish with the Central Division and move to the Metro.

Ryan Johansen (Nashville) – In Ryan Johansen, the Predators finally have that elusive #1 center they have lacked since the organization’s inception nearly two decades ago. In a rare “hockey trade” that benefited both parties, Nashville acquired Johansen from Columbus in exchange for Seth Jones, a potential franchise defenseman and something the Blue Jackets have sorely needed.

Johansen has tallied at least 60 points in each of the last three seasons and scored a career-best 71 as a 22-year-old during the 2014-15 campaign. On the downside, his goal scoring output has decreased from a career-high 33 in 2013-14 to 26 the following season and to just 14 in 2015-16. That’s likely the direct result of a shooting percentage of just 7.6%, a figure which was more than five points below the combined shooting percentage the two previous seasons. Simply converting shots at his normal rate would have resulted in a 24 – 25 goal campaign.

The Predators have done a marvelous job of locking up their core pieces to bargain long-term deals. Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Craig Smith and Mattias Ekholm have all recently inked extensions with Nashville at AAVs below what each player could have received on the open market. The trade-off for higher salaries during RFA years is cost-certainty and buying out free agent years below market value. Expect Nashville to employ the same strategy with Johansen.

Sean Monahan and Nathan MacKinnon have each established themselves as 60-point producers and received extensions with an AAV in excess of $6MM. Aleksander Barkov, coming off a career-best 59-point season, signed a six-year, $35.4MM deal with Florida. All three, however, were coming off their ELCs while Johansen is entering the final season of his second contract. That means any long-term deal would buy out more free agent seasons and typically that tends to be more expensive. Based on the comparable deals and his proximity to free agency, a long-term contract for Johansen could well approach or even reach $7MM annually.

Colton Parayko (St. Louis) – Parayko came out of nowhere to earn a regular job on the Blues blue line and posted a solid scoring line of 9-24=33 in 79 contests as a rookie. He boasts a hard shot from the point and tremendous size at 6-foot-6 and 226 pounds. Currently, Parayko is skating in the World Cup as a member of Team North America, flashing his abilities on the international stage.

With only a single season of NHL experience, gauging Parayko’s potential value is difficult. However, if he approximates his 2015-16 production levels this upcoming season, the four-year, $19.5MM contract awarded to Sami Vatanen by the Ducks could prove to be a reasonable comparable.

Vatanen posted campaigns of 37 and 38 points in 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively before inking his current deal. Like Parayko, Vatanen is also a right-handed defenseman, which is more difficult to find than their counterparts on the left side.

St. Louis could counter with Ryan Ellis as a comparable. Ellis signed a five-year, $12.5MM contract in October of 2014 following a 27-point campaign with the Predators. But most would argue Ellis is worth more than that AAV and consequently Parayko would be too. It’s also possible the Blues would prefer to go with a bridge contract with a lower AAV than Parayko would be able to get on a long-term deal.

Teuvo Teravainen (Carolina) – The Hurricanes took advantage of Chicago’s salary cap woes and in exchange for agreeing to take on the final season of Bryan Bickell’s $4MM-a-year-deal, were rewarded with the skilled Teravainen. Much was expected from the young Finn following the 2014-15 postseason that saw Teravainen record 10 points in 18 games as the Hawks won their third Stanley Cup in six seasons. While a 35-point campaign as a 21-year-old is solid, Teravainen’s skill suggests there is even more scoring potential.

It makes sense to stick with the Hurricanes when looking for a comparable since doing so offers insight to how the club values their RFAs. Earlier this summer, Carolina agreed to a six-year, $24MM extension with Swedish center Victor Rask. Rask was coming off a breakout campaign which saw the 23-year-old pivot post career-highs in both goals (21) and assists (27). More importantly, his first NHL season mirrored Teravainen’s in terms of production as Rask netted 11 goals and 33 points in 80 games for the Canes in 2014-15. If Teravainen follows the same path and boosts his offensive production into the 45-point range, a contract similar to that of Rask’s would seem a safe bet.

Anaheim Ducks| Carolina Hurricanes| Columbus Blue Jackets| Free Agency| NHL| Nashville Predators| Players| RFA| St. Louis Blues| Team North America Bryan Bickell| Colton Parayko| Filip Forsberg| Jacob Trouba| Johnny Gaudreau| Nathan MacKinnon| Nikita Kucherov| Salary Cap| World Cup

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Snapshots: Rangers, Bolland, Flyers, Rust, Sheary, Kuhnhackl

September 22, 2016 at 1:48 pm CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

The New York Rangers directed much of their offseason focus to building up quality depth at the forward position, adding free agents Michael Grabner, Josh Jooris, Nathan Gerbe and Jimmy Vesey while also acquiring center Mika Zibanejad via trade. However, besides deepening their forward group, another intended consequence of their moves was to get younger across the board, as Steve Zipay of Newsday notes.

The team dealt 29-year-old pivot Derick Brassard to get the 23-year-old Zibanejad while also waving goodbye to free agent centers Eric Staal, 31, and Dominic Moore, 36. New York will be adding the 23-year-old Vesey to its lineup and expect Pavel Buchnevich, 21, to make a run at a regular role up front.

On the back end, 40-year-old Dan Boyle opted for retirement while the Rangers were forced to trade the rights to Keith Yandle for salary cap reasons. In their places, the Rangers acquired 29-year-old Nick Holden and will give 22-year-old former first-round pick Brady Skjei every opportunity to win a spot in the top-four.

All told, the team shaved about 2 1/2 years off the average age of the players on their roster from a year ago. Whether or not this infusion of youth will manifest into a deep playoff run after a disappointing first-round exit this past season remains to be seen, of course.

More notes from around the NHL:

  • As expected, Arizona’s Dave Bolland failed his physical and will be placed on LTIR to start the season, tweets Craig Morgan of AZ Sports. Bolland, who was acquired from Florida along with prospect Lawson Crouse in a deal motivated largely by finances, appeared in just 25 contests last season with Florida. Back and ankle problems will keep the veteran forward off the ice for the foreseeable future and could jeopardize his playing career. Bolland is due $5.5MM over each of the next three seasons but if placed on LTIR the Coyotes would be able to clear the cap hit from the books. Additionally, since the contract is insured, the club will only have to pay out $1.1MM in actual cash with insurance covering the balance.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers, under general manager Ron Hextall, have assembled one of the best prospect pools in the NHL and a few of those kids will have a chance to earn a roster spot this season, as Dave Isaac writes in his preview of three potential roster battles. Hextall was quoted as saying that, “whoever comes in, has to come in and make us a better team.” Isaac mentions that blue liner Ivan Provorov has the skill to make the Flyers better but also acknowledges it won’t necessarily be easy to beat out one of the veterans already on the roster. Up front, Isaac suggests Travis Konecny, who like Provorov was a first-round draft choice in 2015, could make the club as a bottom-six forward. Konecny potted 30 goals and tallied 71 assists last season in the OHL, splitting the campaign between the Ottawa 67’s and the Sarnia Sting.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins impressive run down the stretch of the regular season coincided with the promotion of three relatively unheralded young players. Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes how just 12 months ago Conor Sheary, Bryan Rust and Tom Kuhnhackl were three rookies eager to make a good impression in training camp. Now a year later they are Stanley Cup champions with each having played a role in Pittsburgh’s dominant run through the postseason. The trio contributed 12 goals and 24 points during the playoffs while adding speed and tenacity to the lineup for the Penguins. As they enter what would be their first full seasons in the NHL, each player hopes to prove they can play at a consistent level throughout an 82-game schedule.

NHL| New York Rangers| OHL| Philadelphia Flyers| Pittsburgh Penguins| Players| Snapshots| Utah Mammoth Dan Boyle| Dave Bolland| Derick Brassard| Eric Staal| Jimmy Vesey| Keith Yandle| Lawson Crouse| Mika Zibanejad| Nathan Gerbe| Salary Cap

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Korpikoski Headed To Camp With Flames On PTO

September 21, 2016 at 8:47 pm CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

Veteran checking forward Lauri Korpikoski, who was bought out of his contract by Edmonton earlier this summer, is evidently going to training camp with the provincial rival Flames, joining several other experienced players looking for work in Calgary. The addition of Korpikoski was first reported by Darren Haynes, via Twitter, and later confirmed by the Flames themselves through the release of their training camp roster.

Korpikoski would have been entering the final season of the four-year, $10MM contract originally inked while a member of the Coyotes. But unhappy with the Finnish forward’s play and looking to open up a slot for a younger player, the Oilers bought out his contract in June, making him a free agent. Unable to land a guaranteed contract, Korpikoski will now have to compete with NHL veterans Chris Higgins and Matt Frattin, both of whom are also going to camp on a PTO, and several other players for a bottom-six role with the Flames.

A veteran of 540 NHL games, Korpikoski played just one season with the Oilers, tallying 10 goals and 22 points in 71 contests, after being acquired from Arizona for center Boyd Gordon. For his career, he has scored 181 points with 122 minutes in penalties and has posted a -54 plus-minus rating. Korpikoski was at one time considered a solid, defensive forward who combined for 77 points in 161 contests during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 campaigns as a member of the Coyotes. He would also garner some Selke votes, placing 40th and 35th respectively in balloting for those seasons.

You can keep track of the latest PTO signings by checking out our Training Camp Invite Tracker.

Calgary Flames| Edmonton Oilers| NHL| Newsstand| Players| Utah Mammoth Chris Higgins| Lauri Korpikoski

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Atlantic Division Notes: Lupul, Marchand, Galchenyuk

September 21, 2016 at 8:06 pm CDT | by Mike Furlano Leave a Comment

TSN’s Frank Seravelli reports that Joffrey Lupul is rumored to have failed his pre-season physical and expects to start the NHL season on injured reserve. The oft-injured Maple Leafs forward only played in 46 games last year, scoring 11 goals and 3 assists.

Lupul has faced a variety of injuries in his career, but none more severe than his back issues which have sidelined him for significant periods of time. When healthy, Lupul is an excellent contributor, but his repeated injuries often derail successful campaigns.

Lupul began his Maple Leafs career with a bang, netting 45 goals and 105 points in his first 110 contests spread out over parts of three seasons in Toronto after a 2011 deadline trade with Anaheim. His strong play led to a massive five-year contract extension worth $26.25MM in total despite the fact the skilled forward had seen action in no more than 66 games in a single season since 2008-09. Unfortunately for both parties, Lupul has missed nearly a full season’s worth of games (76 in total) since inking that extension and has produced just 0.46 points-per-game during that time.

The Maple Leafs are currently over the cap by $827K, but moving Lupul to LTIR will free up $5.25MM in space. Assuming Stephane Robidas also starts the season on LTIR, the Leafs go from slightly over the cap to over $8MM under the cap. The Leafs will have the option of freeing up additional space by placing Nathan Horton on LTIR as well, which would further lower their overall cap commitment to around $60MM.

Lupul was originally the seventh overall pick in the 2002 NHL entry draft, chosen by the Anaheim Ducks. Ironically, he has twice been included in trades involving Chris Pronger, first going from Anaheim to the Oilers in exchange for the Hall of Fame defenseman, then returning to the Ducks as part of a package that saw Pronger head to Philadelphia. Toronto would acquire Lupul and Jake Gardiner from Anaheim as part of a trade for veteran blue liner Francois Beauchemin.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • Joe Haggerty joined local Boston sports talk show, Toucher and Rich, and discussed Brad Marchand’s pending free agency. Marchand, of course, ranked 6th in the NHL in goals scored in 2015-16, tallying a career high 37. He is currently playing on what many consider to be the best line in the World Cup, skating on the left of all-world pivot Sidney Crosby with Bruins teammate Patrice Bergeron on the right. Haggerty opines that the Bruins need to lock up the agitating winger before he hits the free agent market, suggesting it will take a seven-year contract with an AAV of $7MM per season. He also listed the Penguins as a potential suitor should Marchand make it to free agency. Haggerty cites the fact both Marchand and Crosby are originally from Nova Scotia and that the success the two players are experiencing at the World Cup might prompt an impassioned plead to Penguins management from their best player to go get Marchand. Of course while Marchand might be getting a glimpse of how fun it might be to play with Crosby every day, he’s also reminded of just how good playing with Bergeron is.
  • It appears the Montreal Canadiens have anointed Alex Galchenyuk as the team’s #1 center, with head coach Michel Therrien saying he plans to start the talented American on the top line with Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher, as Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette reports. Galchenyuk, who has moved back-and-forth between wing and center since breaking into the league in 2012-13, may have finally earned the trust of the coaching staff on the heels of a strong 30-goal campaign, which included netting 18 over the team’s final 27 games. Veteran center Tomas Plekanec will then assume the role of #2 pivot and is expected to have new offseason additions Andrew Shaw and Alexander Radulov on his wings.

*Mike Furlano contributed to this post.

Anaheim Ducks| Boston Bruins| Edmonton Oilers| Free Agency| Michel Therrien| Montreal Canadiens| NHL| Pittsburgh Penguins| Players| Toronto Maple Leafs| Uncategorized Alexander Radulov| Andrew Shaw| Brad Marchand| Max Pacioretty| NHL Entry Draft| Nathan Horton| Patrice Bergeron| World Cup

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Snapshots: USA-Canada, Abdelkader

September 19, 2016 at 8:10 pm CDT | by natebrown 1 Comment

John Tortorella has found himself and his team in a challenging situation following their 3-0 loss to Team Europe on Saturday. Though critiqued by many for their roster selection, few expected a shutout loss to Team Europe. But that’s exactly what happened, putting the Americans in an absolute must win against arch-rival Canada. Stephen Whyno writes that while the game has to result in an American victory for any sort of hope, it’s just another game for the Canadians. Tortorella called the Tuesday’s contest its “championship game,” and had this to say regarding the potential elimination game:

“Playing there, against them, everybody wants us knocked out,” Tortorella said Monday. “I can’t wait and I think our players can’t wait for this game to start. It’s going to be a blast.”

Team Canada bench boss Mike Babcock on the other hand, takes the approach that every important game in the tournament is the next one, and while Canada fended off the Czech Republic with ease, they certainly won’t be overlooking a desperate American squad. Whyno reports that Canada isn’t concerned with eliminating the US for extra motivation. Instead, it’s a business as usual approach for the team that has been dubbed by many as having few to little weaknesses.

In other hockey news:

  • Justin Abdelkader will be placed on a line with Patrick Kane in the tilt against Canada writes Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski and it could be another in a line of head scratching Tortorella moves. Tortorella claims that anyone questioning his “thinking” is simply reporters “overthinking” it. Further, he writes that Abdelkader, based on his play, has earned more ice time. Wyshynski argues that Abdelkader is generally considered to be a third or fourth line player, but Abdelkader makes this point:

“I’ve played with some good players in Detroit and it’s similar to him. You want the puck on his stick. But you can’t just think you’re going to throw pucks all the time at him. It’s the right opportunities. I think we’re a better team when Patrick Kane has the puck on his stick, that’s for sure.”

Abdelkader also points out that he’ll play “wherever” Tortorella puts him. Wyshynski also points out that this is an old hat strategy by Torts: those who play hard will play more and those who don’t will sit. While that strategy seems subjective, and many would argue that it is, if it works, then Tortorella looks like a genius. If not, then it’ll add to the litany of missteps Team USA has made through the World Cup experience.

John Tortorella| Mike Babcock| Mike Babcock| Players| Snapshots| Team Canada| Team Europe| Team USA Patrick Kane| World Cup

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‘Yotes Notes: Strome, Duclair, Smith

September 18, 2016 at 4:52 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

The Hockey News published their Arizona Coyotes season preview today, and from it comes some nice analysis of the up-and-coming team. Young GM John Chayka has built a prospect-powerhouse, with players like Christian Dvorak and Dylan Strome joining the club this season.

Strome, as THN reports, is set to become the team’s second line center, behind Martin Hanzal and may skate alongside captain Shane Doan and new winger Jamie McGinn. With those two at his sides, he’ll definitely be able to use his creativity and flash to put up some strong offensive numbers. His future as the Arizona number one center isn’t set in stone, but it’s definitely a real possibility down the line.

  • THN also notes that only eight of Anthony Duclair’s 20 goals came in the second half, including just four in his final 26 games. He’s a prime candidate for a sophomore slump as he heads into his second NHL season, but if he continues to skate alongside Domi he’s sure to have respectable numbers when the season ends.  Duclair is a big part of the power game that compliments players like Domi and Strome, and will be an important contributor going forward.
  • If the Coyotes are to do anything resembling a playoff push, much of it will come on the back of goaltender Mike Smith. He’s 34 and coming off a few poor seasons, but did post a .944 save percentage in his return from a core muscle last season. If he can become the Vezina contender he was in 2012, this team could be a contender as soon as next season.

NHL| Players| Utah Mammoth Dylan Strome| Jamie McGinn| Martin Hanzal

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World Cup Players Set To Make Their NHL Debut This Season

September 18, 2016 at 3:38 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

At the World Cup of Hockey this year, there are a few players who are playing internationally for their countries before ever suiting up for a professional game in North America. For various reasons, not all of these men will ever come across to join the best league in the world. Some, however, will do so as soon as this year.  Here’s a look at a few of the players who are set to make their NHL debut just after the World Cup concludes.

Auston Matthews  (Maple Leafs) – Obviously, one of the biggest story lines at the tournament has been the young guns squad, captained by Connor McDavid. As we wrote earlier today however, Auston Matthews has made quite an impression on head coach Todd McClellan, and will suit up on the top line today in their opener.  Matthews is the youngest player on the youngest team, and is asserting himself at the highest level already.  He’ll get to greet the Maple Leaf faithful before he pulls a blue and white sweater over his back.

2015-16 stats (Switzerland) – 36 GP, 24 G, 22 A, 46 P, +16 rating

Patrik Laine (Jets) – On a Finnish team loaded up front, 18-year old Patrick Laine will take on a huge role. Even though the #2 overall pick has yet to play a professional game on the small rink, he’s already being compared to some of the greatest goal scorers of all time. Laine is following up a World Championship where he was named tournament MVP, and should step into a scoring role with the Jets immediately.  His shot, skating ability and nose for the net will create an offensive dynamo, especially if he ends up skating with Mark Scheifele or Blake Wheeler.

2015-16 stats (Finland) – 46 GP, 17 G, 16 A, 33 P, +6 rating

Nikita Zaitsev (Maple Leafs) – Though Russia isn’t known for its defensive capabilities, one to keep an eye on is young Nikita Zaitzev who will be headed over to make his debut for the Maple Leafs this season.  A right-handed shot who can play in all situations, Zaitzev is skating on both the powerplay and penalty kill at this tournament. If somehow he can develop some chemistry during the season with Leafs #1 Morgan Rielly, they could form a dynamic puck moving duo for years to come.

2015-16 stats (KHL) – 46 GP, 8 G, 18 A, 26 P, +21 rating 

KHL| NHL| Players| Toronto Maple Leafs| Winnipeg Jets Auston Matthews| Blake Wheeler| Connor McDavid| Mark Scheifele| Patrik Laine| World Cup

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Snapshots: Lundqvist, Rantanen, Crosby

September 18, 2016 at 2:00 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

In a shocking turn of events, Henrik Lundqvist has been scratched from today’s matchup with Russia at the World Cup. As of this morning, Lundqvist was the expected starter, but came down with an illness that is making him unable to play in the game.  Jacob Markstrom will take his place in net, while the backup will be Jhonas Enroth.

For Sweden, it’s a huge blow to their chances against the high-powered Russians who will ice a top line of Nikita Kucherov, Pavel Datsyuk and Alex Ovechkin. That trio had 96 goals between them last season, even with Datsyuk obviously in the tail end of his career. While the Russian defense isn’t nearly as strong, their top two lines can play with anyone in the world, and probably outscore the majority of them.  Lundqvist would have been a huge part in any Swedish victory.

  • According to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, the injured Mikko Rantanen will not play today against Anaheim in the Colorado rookie showcase. While it was reported yesterday that his sprained ankle isn’t as bad as originally thought, the Avalanche have now released that it will keep him out 2-4 weeks. Rantanen is trying to show that he has developed enough to be considered for a full-time NHL job this season, after dominating at the AHL level a season ago.
  • Sidney Crosby is one of, if not the, best players in the world and no one denies it. But when you hear his teammates on Team Canada speak so highly of him, like Matt Duchene did with TSN today, it really drives the point home. Duchene says “He’s not a guy who’s winning Selke trophies, but he easily could be.”  Jay Bouwmeester chimed in as well, saying “He’s not just a pure goal scorer, a guy who’s just hanging out and getting points. He plays the game and he makes a lot of things happen out there, just through the way he moves, and what a powerful skater he is and how smart he is. It’s pretty impressive.”

AHL| NHL| Players| Snapshots| Team Canada Alex Ovechkin| Jay Bouwmeester| Jhonas Enroth| Matt Duchene| Mikko Rantanen| Nikita Kucherov| Pavel Datsyuk| World Cup

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