Snapshots: Quebec Expansion, Roy, Radulov, Trouba
In a post for ESPN.com published this morning, Craig Custance provides a wealth of information on a wide array of topics. The entire piece is well worth the read but here are several of the highlights.
- Custance relays an update on possible expansion into Quebec City, per comments from NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. Daly said that while he would like to see the NHL return to Quebec, “hopefully at some point in my career,” there are currently no serious discussions of adding a 32nd team to the league. Daly: “We’ll recap the expansion process, but I don’t expect there will be any announcements on new expansion.” Further diminishing the chances of a Quebec entry any time in the near future, Daly also stated that despite the drawn out process, the Arizona Coyotes will “find a long-term arena in the Phoenix area,” thus eliminating any talk of possibly relocating the club. All together, the NHL is satisfied with 31 franchises and the existing geographical balance of those teams. While Daly’s comments appear to pour cold water on the idea of a Quebec franchise, it’s still a good possibility the league places a team there in the relatively near future.
- During the first period of Team North America’s win over Team Europe, former Avalanche VP of hockey operations and head coach Patrick Roy met with the media. Roy is said to have resigned his position due to philosophical differences with other members of management and a loss of influence in the front office. When asked whether the Avs choice not to seriously pursue winger Alexander Radulov in free agency was a contributing factor to his decision to leave the organization, Roy indicated that while he vouched for his former Quebec Remparts star and would like to see him one day play for Colorado, the final call was always Joe Sakic‘s and that Roy “respected his decision.” Roy would later suggest that the team is giving more thought to using analytics in their decision-making and that also may have played a part in his decision to leave.
- Earlier today we touched on the lack of progress in talks between RFA Johnny Gaudreau and the Flames. But Gaudreau is far from the only remaining unsigned RFA of note. According to Custance, Winnipeg defenseman Jacob Trouba has not spoken to agent Kurt Overhardt since camp opened for the World Cup of Hockey. Custance also points out that one potential benefit to RFA’s participating in the tournament is the chance to further enhance their values with excellent performances at the tournament playing against many of the top players in the world. Trouba, for example, believes that he can fill a greater role with the Jets and if given a heave dose of responsibility with Team North America, perhaps he can prove to Winnipeg he is deserving of more ice time.
World Cup Injury Scares
One reason team executives and coaching staffs aren’t too keen on tournaments like the World Cup of Hockey is the fear one of their top players might get hurt playing in a meaningless – to them anyway – exhibition. If, for example, the Capitals lost Alex Ovechkin for any significant duration due to an injury playing in the World Cup, Washington’s chances to compete for a Stanley Cup would take a major hit. So general managers and head coaches nervously watch these games with the hope that no one gets injured and thus consequently derailing a team’s playoff hopes.
We’re just one warm-up game and a handful of practices into the tournament and already have seen a number of injury scares to key players. Here’s a quick rundown.
- Vladimir Sobotka of the Czech Republic was injured in Thursday’s game with Team Russia and according to early reports, was transported to the hospital with an apparent shoulder/clavicle injury. Tom Gulitti of NHL.com later reported that x-rays were negative and that there was a chance Sobotka would be available for Saturday’s return tilt against Russia. However, Gulitti followed up via Twitter this morning and said that Sobotka is indeed out for tomorrow’s contest. Roman Cervenka would have ultimately replaced Sobotka in the lineup but he won’t be available in time to suit up tomorrow. Instead the Czechs will be forced to ice seven defensemen and 11 forwards. Sobotka has spent the past two seasons in the KHL but was expected to return to North America and the Blues for the 2016-17 campaign. After losing Troy Brouwer and David Backes to free agency, the hope was Sobotka would be able to pick up some of the slack in St. Louis. Even though he may miss some time in the World Cup, the early indications are the injury isn’t too severe, much to the relief of the Blues and their fans.
- The Chicago Blackhawks experienced a bit of a scare when Marian Hossa left Team Europe’s game against Team North America after a puck struck his right foot causing the veteran Slovak to sit out the third period. But after a quick trip to the hospital revealed just a bruise, Hossa is expected to continue on in the tournament though he might still sit out future World Cup exhibition games as a precaution, according to Scott Powers writing for The Athletic. The 37-year-old Hossa, whose offensive output dropped last season to just 33 points in 64 games, is still a vital cog in the Chicago lineup due to his outstanding two-way play.
- Earlier it was reported that superstar goaltender Henrik Lundqvist may have injured himself while on a golf outing ahead of the World Cup of Hockey. However it was later revealed he took a shot to the ribs during a practice and that he was indeed good to go for the tournament. According to Dan Rosen of NHL.com (via Twitter), Lundqvist is in fact expected to get the start between the pipes tomorrow and play the whole game for Team Sweden.
- The news isn’t quite as good for fellow Swede and Chicago Blackhawks forward Marcus Kruger. Again according to Rosen, Kruger suffered an upper body injury which caused the pivot to miss the final 7:39 of regulation and all of OT in the game against Finland (both links via Twitter). With Kruger out for tomorrow’s contest, Team Sweden will insert Mikael Backlund into the lineup in Kruger’s place. Backlund, of course, was added to the Swedish roster as a replacement for Henrik Zetterberg.
Snapshots: Gaudreau, Benson, McGrattan
Time is running short for the Flames to ink star forward Johnny Gaudreau prior to the start of the 2016-17 campaign and it appears as if the two sides are still quite far apart in talks, according to Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun. Francis reports that Gaudreau’s camp is seeking $8MM annually while the Flames are countering with a figure somewhere in between what Sean Monahan‘s recent extension pays out ($6.375MM) and what captain Mark Giordano earns on an annual basis ($6.75MM).
An unnamed source Francis spoke with stated: “He wants unrestricted money but he’s restricted.” The source would go on to point out that other players with track records similar in both length and production have signed for less, including Filip Forsberg ($6MM) and Nathan MacKinnon ($6.3MM). He also questions whether Gaudreau, while a terrific young talent, is better than than the two players he mentioned.
For his part, Gaudreau is leaving the heavy lifting to his agent, Lewis Gross, at least until after the World Cup has concluded at which point he has said he would become more involved.
Gauedreau is certainly a talented young player and one the Flames want to build around but the reality is he only has two seasons of NHL experience and almost no leverage to exercise in these negotiations. He could choose to sit out until he gets a deal to his liking or sign in the KHL but it’s unlikely he’d receive a comparable salary overseas to what the Flames are offering him today. The smart money is the deal gets wrapped up soon after he returns from the World Cup and that the AAV is closer to what Monahan received than what Gaudreau is said to be asking for at the moment.
- According to the Elite Prospects website (via tweet) tough guy forward Brian McGrattan has left North America and accepted a deal to play for the Nottingham Panthers of the EIHL in England. The nine-year veteran who turned 35 just last week, did not see any action at the NHL level and instead suited up for 58 games for the Anaheim Ducks AHL affiliate in San Diego. McGrattan tallied nine goals and 17 points along with his usually high number of penalty minutes (144) for the Gulls. Anaheim loaded up yesterday on organizational depth, agreeing to deals with seven players to minor league deals. That McGrattan was not among them suggested a move elsewhere might be in the offing. McGrattan leaves North America (for now at least) having scored just 27 career points in 317 games and 609 minutes in penalties.
- Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal wonders if 2016 second-round pick, Tyler Benson, can beat the odds and become an important contributor for the Oilers. McCurdy lists the 10 players the club has selected in the second round since 2007 and only two, Justin Schultz (266) and Anton Lander (193) has appeared in more than 27 NHL games to date. Second-round picks are still considered valuable choices and teams generally expect to land one quality NHL talent for every three players chosen in the round. It’s hard to say the Oilers have even developed one quality NHL player from their group as Schultz wasn’t even drafted by the Oilers and was dealt away to Pittsburgh at the 2016 trade deadline after failing to live up to expectations in Edmonton. Lander has yet to land a full-time role and it’s been suggested current management is not particularly high on the Swedish pivot.
- Former Devils forward Stephen Gionta might be under consideration from the Islanders for a PTO, according to Arthur Staple of Newday (via tweet). Gionta doesn’t bring much offense to the table – just one goal last season and a career-best of five in 2014-15 – but would add energy to the team’s fourth line. He can also contribute on the penalty kill. The Islanders have boasted one of the game’s best fourth lines but they will undoubtedly have someone new skating with Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck after Matt Martin departed New York as a free agent. Gionta could provide another option for head coach Jack Capuano.
Connor McDavid Named Team North America Captain
19 year-old Edmonton Oiler forward Connor McDavid was named Captain of Team North America in the World Cup of Hockey. Philadelphia Flyers’ Sean Couturier and Florida Panthers’ Aaron Ekblad were named Alternates.
McDavid leapfrogs older players on the roster such as Ryan Murray, Morgan Rielly, and Mark Scheifele, which speaks volumes about the faith GM Peter Chiarelli has with the young phenom. It is worth nothing that McDavid plays for Chiarelli’s Oilers in the NHL, and the Oilers are currently captain-less. If McDavid handles the captaincy well, there should be no doubt that he’ll be handed the ‘C’ when he returns to Edmonton.
Team North America features the best American and Canadian players under 24 on the same team in the World Cup of Hockey. Alongside McDavid is 2016 1st overall pick Auston Matthews, as well as still-unsigned RFAs Jacob Trouba and Johnny Gaudreau.
Jets Notes: Setoguchi, Trouba, Heritage Classic
In a heartbreaking (but wonderful) piece by David Pollak of The Hockey News yesterday, Devin Setoguchi comes clean about his history with alcoholism and how it almost destroyed his career. The former 8th overall pick was a thirty goal scorer in the NHL once upon a time, but yesterday signed a professional tryout with the Los Angeles Kings after spending last season in Switzerland.
It’s been six years since he last scored 20 goals in an NHL season, but is still only 29 years old and feels he has enough left to help a team on the ice – even if it’s at the AHL level or in Europe.
Today, on the Hustler and Lawless show on TSN 1290, Setoguchi related a story about how Evander Kane came to his house once while they were teammates on the Winnipeg Jets, and poured out all his alcohol in an attempt to help him break his addiction. Ironically, some may say, because of Kane’s own troubled history, it may have been a turning point in his battle and he now is working towards helping younger players understand the risks involved.
- Also on TSN 1290, former NHL executive Bill Watters opined that the Jacob Trouba camp “wants out of Winnipeg”. While Watters isn’t close enough to either side to have any particular insight past what his hockey sense tells him, it does continue the narrative that has been going on. Both Matt Larkin of The Hockey News and Darren Dreger of TSN spoke recently on the station about a possible Trouba deal, with Larkin going so far as saying “I’m seeing a trade in Trouba’s future, because the two camps seem to be so far apart in terms of how they value what Trouba has done in the NHL so far.” Indeed, Trouba is currently playing at the World Cup without a deal, and both sides seem just as far apart as ever on the future of the young defenseman.
- The final rosters for the legends game at the Heritage Classic were announced today, after having their first group presented last month. Among the final few additions were Curtis Joseph for the Edmonton Oilers, and Eddie Olczyk for the Winnipeg Jets. The game will take place on October 22nd, with Dale Hawerchuk leading the hometown Jets against a star-studded Oilers squad captained by Wayne Gretzky.
Flyers Notes: Dutch Gretzky, Bardreau, Gudas
When Dale Weise entered the league in 2010-11, he wasn’t seen as much more than an enforcer, meant to play less than ten minutes a night and protect his teammates. As we wrote earlier today, it’s a role he felt he was pushed back into after last year’s mid-season trade to the Blackhawks. But after posting back to back double-digit goal seasons, Weise feels like he has more to offer. In a new piece by Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post, Weise credits that to the time he spent in the Netherlands during the last lockout.
“Dutch Gretzky” as he was named during his European stint, Weise scored 22 goals in 19 games and rediscovered his offensive game. When the NHL resumed, it took a trade to the Canadiens before he was really given a similar chance, finally playing over 12 minutes a night and being an excellent contributor from the bottom-six.
Now the Flyers will try to coax some of that Gretzky talent out of the 28-year old. Paul Holmgren said as much last week “He’s kind of a third-, fourth-line guy but he can also play higher up in the lineup with some of your skill players if you get into a jam.” Flyers fans probably shouldn’t hope he gets a chance up the lineup, but rest easy that he’s at least capable of a bit more if he does.
- Also from Isaac, GM Ron Hextall announced today that prospect Cole Bardreau will miss all of training camp after undergoing abdominal surgery a week ago. Tim Panaccio of CSN adds that it’s a 4-6 week timeline and is expected back in mid-October. Bardreau was signed out of Cornell university in 2015, and played last season for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL, scoring 30 points in 54 games. While he’s not young for a prospect after spending four years in college, the 23-year old will try to compete for minutes in the top-six on the minor league squad and continue his quest for the NHL.
- Hextall also said that he had been given some different information on Radko Gudas, and that the reported hairline fracture in his wrist was incorrect. While he still suffered an “upper-body injury”, it’s not as bad as initially reported, but Hextall wouldn’t go into further detail. Gudas dropped out of the World Cup last week after suffering the injury. He was set to suit up for the Czech Republic in the upcoming tournament but instead will focus on the start of the regular season.
Florida Panthers Invite Adam Pardy On PTO
According to Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinal, Adam Pardy will be attending Florida Panthers camp on a professional tryout. The team of course will be without top blueliner Aaron Ekblad for part of camp as he plays for team North America at the World Cup of Hockey.
While it would be pretty surprising to see Pardy crack the roster following training camp, he will provide veteran competition for the younger players, as well as a toughness and edge lacking on the Panthers back end since their trade of Erik Gudbranson to the Vancouver Canucks. Pardy has 52 points across an NHL career that has seen him hit the ice 338 times for five different teams. Last year he got into just 23 games, split between the Oilers and Jets.
For the Panthers, they’ve already done their offseason shopping and indeed Fialkov reports that Pardy’s addition is probably the last before camp opens. By locking up their young core and signing some key free agents, Florida has positioned themselves well to compete for the Stanley Cup for the foreseeable future.
Captaincy Notes: Fisher, Pavelski, Vacancies
Mike Fisher is set to become the next captain of the Nashville Predators, according to recent reports. The team has scheduled an afternoon press conference on Thursday, and Adam Vignan of The Tennessean says he has been told that the “major announcement” is that of the 2016-17 captains, with Fisher atop the list. An alternate with the Ottawa Senators and then immediately with the Predators following his trade, Fisher was always the most likely candidate. Vignan points out that Fisher is one of just four players on the current roster over the age of 30, and as a veteran presence on a young team, it is a natural fit for his locker room presence to translate to his captaincy. A veteran of over 1,000 NHL game and a complete two-way player, Fisher is the perfect example for Nashville’s young, impressionable players to work toward. Shea Weber himself said that he “knew” who his replacement would be at captain, so it seems as though Fisher will be universally accepted in his new role. Although no news has leaked as to who Fisher’s alternates will be, many have suspected that Weber’s true replacement, P.K. Subban, may be a top candidate.
In other captain news:
- John Tortorella has named Joe Pavelski the captain of Team USA for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey. The San Jose Sharks forward will be assisted by alternates Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks and Ryan Suter of the Minnesota Wild. Pavelski has been on a leadership role of late, taking over as the captain of San Jose last season after a captain-less 2014-15 campaign featured a locker room power struggle between a young core and older veterans, including former Sharks captains Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. For the same reason coach Peter DeBoer named Pavelski captain, Tortorella did as well, and that is his impeccable locker room presence and chemistry with his teammates. Kane will be somewhat new to captaincy, even as an alternate, as Jonathan Toews (a Team Canada alternate), Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook have the official leadership roles locked up in Chicago. Suter meanwhile, has been an alternate captain on Team USA before, at the 2010 Winter Olympics, and serves in the same role with the Wild under Mikko Koivu (the captain of Team Finland).
- With the captain vacancy filled in Nashville, there are now just four openings remaining across the NHL. There has been much speculation that Connor McDavid will take over in Edmonton, but what of Carolina, Florida, and Toronto? It seems likely that alternate Jordan Staal will follow in his brother’s footsteps and take over the leadership role for the Hurricanes, though the dark horse candidate may just be the rare goalie captain in Cam Ward, who has spent his entire career in Carolina. If you don’t think that matters, look around the league. 20 captains and at least 32 alternates are lifelong members of their respective teams. By that logic, young Florida stars Aaron Ekblad and Jonathan Huberdeau, both recently extended long-term, look to be prime candidates. However, Jussi Jokinen and Derek MacKenzie served as alternates last season and may need to make up for the lost leadership of the departed Willie Mitchell, Brian Campbell, and Dave Bolland. Up in Toronto, well, your guess is as good as any. Veterans Brooks Laich and Joffrey Lupul are good veteran leaders, but neither is guaranteed ice time. Auston Matthews is the future, but it’s hard to see anyone being named captain without playing a single game. It could be that the Leafs wait to name a captain, but if they do want one in place prior to puck drop on the 2016-17, James van Riemsdyk seems like the best choice as of now.
Snapshots: World Cup
When looking at the rosters for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey, it’s hard not to be intrigued by the United States roster.
Initial lines via USA Hockey (changing each day):
Max Pacioretty – Joe Pavelski – Patrick Kane
Zach Parise – Derek Stepan – Blake Wheeler
Justin Abdelkader – Ryan Kesler – T.J. Oshie
James van Riemsdyk – David Backes – Brandon Dubinsky
Kyle Palmieri
Ryan Suter – Dustin Byfuglien
Ryan McDonagh – John Carlson
Jack Johnson – Matt Niskanen
Erik Johnson
Ben Bishop – Cory Schneider – Jonathan Quick
The goaltending is superb, but USA lost out to Canada 1-0 at the 2014 Sochi Olympics despite a lights out performance by Quick. Other than obvious picks like Patrick Kane and Joe Pavelski, there are some surprising choices, like no Phil Kessel and grinders like Justin Abdelkader making the cut.
It’s a different philosophy than the States’ rivals Canada: their bottom six features five number one centers, a very good second line center, and a first line winger. USA GM Dean Lombardi told ESPN’s Craig Custance that “it’s no different than putting together an NHL team … this had to be about team and identity.”
In other World Cup news:
- USA named their captains Wednesday: as expected, Pavelski will wear the C, with Kane and Ryan Suter wearing As.
- Russia also named their leadership group: Alex Ovechkin will be captain; Pavel Datsyuk and Evgeni Malkin will be assistants.
- Back in the U.S., TSN’s Gary Lawless posited that USA coach John Tortorella is wrong to force his views on his players. Yesterday, Tortorella told ESPN that any player who protested the American anthem like NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick would stay on the bench for the whole game. Lawless argued that while it’s admirable that Tortorella wants to honor his son, an Army Ranger, he shouldn’t be able to arbitrarily block someone from doing their job and publicly shame them for exercising free speech.
Blue Jackets Invite Marc-Andre Bergeron To Training Camp
According to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, the Columbus Blue Jackets have invited former NHLer Marc-Andre Bergeron to training camp on a tryout. The former powerplay specialist has spent the last three seasons in Switzerland after failing to find an NHL job in 2013.
Now 35, Bergeron was once a deadly weapon with the man advantage, scoring double-digit goals four times in his career. While he could never quite establish himself as a two-way defenseman capable of logging 20 minutes a night, used in the right circumstances he could be effective. In Switzerland, he continued his offensive play, scoring 78 points in 135 games over three years and winning the championship in 2013-14 under head coach Marc Crawford.
The Swiss league is quickly becoming a rival to the KHL for the title of second-best hockey league in the world, with Bergeron playing last season for the Zurich Lions alongside many former NHL players like Robert Nilsson, David Rundblad and Ryan Shannon, along with first overall pick Auston Matthews. Many more NHLers have taken the leap across the ocean to suit up in the NLA as we outlined earlier this summer.
For the Blue Jackets, bringing in Bergeron is probably just to fill space as Ryan Murray, Seth Jones and Jack Johnson are all currently at the World Cup. If somehow he shows enough for the team to keep him around, it’s unlikely he’ll play much of an impact on their team this year.