World Cup Roster Changes: Keith, Bouwmeester, Kronwall, Lindholm
Earlier today Hockey Canada added St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to its World Cup team to replace Chicago blue liner Duncan Keith. Keith is still not 100% as he continues to rehab from a right knee injury suffered last season. Blackhawks team physician, Dr. Michael Terry, had this to say about Keith’s recovery:
“As Duncan continues offseason rehabilitation on the right knee injury that he sustained last season, we understand his decision not to participate in next month’s World Cup of Hockey. We believe it is in his best interests to focus on getting stronger and not risk further injury.”
Bouwmeester joins Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Jake Muzzin as the only left-handed shooters on Canada’s blue line. That’s likely the primary reason Bouwmeester was chosen over right-handed options such as Kris Letang and P.K. Subban. It was also somewhat surprising that Bouwmeester was added over Mark Giordano of the Flames.
Giordano tallied 21 goals and 56 points while playing a full slate of games for Calgary. He has developed into one of the league’s best offensive defenseman over the last three seasons and like Bouweester, is a left-handed shot.
Bouwmeester, conversely, recorded just 19 points and was had a plus-minus rating of -4 in 72 games for the Blues. In all probability, Hockey Canada favored Bouwmeester’s extensive experience representing his home country. He was a part of the 2004 World Cup-winning team and also won a gold with Team Canada at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
This is the second change in as many days to Team Canada’s roster. Yesterday, Logan Couture was added to replace Jamie Benn.
Team Canada is obviously still going to be one of the tournament’s favorites but if there is a weakness, it may well be the team’s blue line.
Elsehwere, Anaheim Ducks defender Hampus Lindholm, currently a RFA, has been named to Team Sweden to replace Niklas Kronwall. Kronwall is still recovering from knee surgery performed in January.
Lindholm, 22, scored 10 goals and 28 points last season for the Ducks and is considered one of the up-and-coming young defensemen in the league. He’ll join an excellent blue line group anchored by Erik Karlsson from Ottawa and Victor Hedman of Tampa Bay.
Sweden is expected, along with Team USA, to be one of the biggest threats to Canada’s chances in this tournament. In addition to an excellent defense corps, Sweden will have Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes. Up front they have plenty of skill led by the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, Filip Forsberg and Nicklas Backstrom. Obviously Sweden boasts a formidable roster with plenty of talent.
Snapshots: Fehr, NHLPA, Vegas, Lucic, Pietrangelo
The head of the NHLPA, Donald Fehr, recently sat down with the Canadian media to discuss the upcoming World Cup of Hockey while also touching on other subjects of note. An edited and condensed version of the interview was posted by Jonas Siegel on The Globe And Mail. As usual, the entire piece is worth a read but here are some of the highlights.
When asked whether or not the union was on board with the timing of the tournament, Fehr said, “it’s not that pre-season is the best time, but it probably is, at the moment, better than the others.”
He would go on to state: “There has been some informal discussions, for purposes of this World Cup that never rose to the level of serious consideration, that maybe we ought to do it in February. And it’s conceivable that that would be considered going forward.”
There is no perfect time to hold an event like this. Any way you look at it, a tournament held at any point in the year is going to prolong the season and shorten the summer for the players. While teams would probably prefer their players not to participate due in large part to the risk of injury, both owners and union members have a vested interest in successfully pulling off events of this nature since the added revenue will be divided by the players and the league.
Fehr also addressed the idea of European expansion from the players’ perspective. He indicated at least a few players have taken note of the KHL’s presence on the continent and the fact that so many players are European born. While making it clear these conversations were of the internal variety and did not involve the NHL in any way, Fehr did seem to suggest the players would be open to the idea and it was something that would merit further study.
Finally, on the subject of the potential of another lockout, Fehr pointed out that baseball has been the only sport to experience prolonged labor peace over the last two decades. He also mentions, probably not coincidentally, that baseball is the only major sports league without a salary cap.
In terms of possibly avoiding another work stoppage following the 2018-19 campaign when both parties will have the option of opting out of the current CBA, Fehr referenced just how far off that point in time is relative to the average player’s career by saying: “our membership will turn over more than 50 per cent between now and then.”
More from around the NHL:
- The Las Vegas expansion franchise today announced yet another addition to their front office/operations staff. The club has hired Mike Levine for a scouting/player development position. Levine spent the last three years as an assistant coach at Brown University. According to the release on the Vegas Is Hockey website, Levine comes with a solid reputation as a recruiter both at the collegiate and prep levels.
- Not surprisingly, Milan Lucic said as many as 10 teams expressed serious interest in signing the big winger before he inked a seven-year contract with Edmonton, according to Chris Nichols writing for Today’s Slap Shot. Lucic was one of the top players available on July 1st and was guaranteed to generate a lot of interest on the free agent market. It’s not certain how many of Lucic’s suitors were willing to extend themselves as far as the Oilers did, either financially or with a seven-year term, but his status as a coveted free agent was never in doubt. He would ultimately choose Edmonton, saying, “I went with my heart and my loyalty to Peter and chose the Edmonton Oilers.”
- Sportsnet’s John Shannon tweeted earlier today that the St. Louis Blues will announce Alex Pietrangelo as the team’s new captain tomorrow. He will replace David Backes, who left St. Louis in free agency after accepting a five-year deal with the Boston Bruins. The choice of Pietrangelo makes a lot of sense given he is one of the team’s best players, has been with the organization his entire pro career and is under long-term contract ensuring he will be a Blue for the foreseeable future.
Quotable: Hall, McDavid, Karlsson
Various NHL players are in Toronto for the BioSteel Camp going on from August 22nd-25th, including Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin and Connor McDavid. TSN caught up with a variety of players talking about different topics.
Hall on joining New Jersey:
I’m excited for a new opportunity, a new start, a new group of guys and a new city. I enjoyed my time in Edmonton, but I’m trying just to look forward at the situation in New Jersey. It’s going to be a lot different, I’m looking forward to maybe having a little more anonymity.
On the possibility of playing with former junior teammate Adam Henrique:
I get asked that all the time, and you know lines switch all the time in a season. There are going to be a few guys I play with most of the time. Adam is certainly a great player and we had a lot of success in junior so that’d be a lot of fun to play with him. In that top-six in Jersey there are a lot of guys that have skill and look like they’d be great linemates to play with.
NHL-Olympic Future Still Undecided, Decision To Come This Winter
In a new article in the Globe and Mail by Jonas Siegel of the Canadian Press, he reports that the league is still weighing their options with respect to the 2018 Olympics and whether or not they will include NHL players. While the league has been a part of every games since 1998, with the upcoming launch of the World Cup and a debate over who should pay the fees associated with travel, insurance and accommodation, the league is unsure of its stance on heading to Pyeongchang.
Shutting down the league for weeks at a time has never been a positive thing for commissioner Gary Bettman:
It’s not good to shut down, the question is whether or not it’s worth it to go to the Olympics. You need to satisfy yourself that it’s worth it.
The players want to suit up for their country, but also have their careers and health to worry about. NHLPA president Donald Fehr spoke to the Canadian Press and said as much:
Hockey is unique in terms of the Olympics because essentially, what is being asked, is shut down for close to three weeks, shut down your revenue, change your marketing approach, run the risk that the athletes are going to be injured and that’ll affect the fortunes of their teams and … and in addition, pay a lot of money. So we’ll have to see.
It seems as though neither the NHL or NHLPA is focused on the 2018 Olympics as of right now, with both putting all their effort into the upcoming World Cup in Toronto. If the tournament is a success perhaps the need to go to the Olympics is lessened even further, with the league instead putting on their own international competition. According to Bill Daly, NHL deputy commissioner, the sides are expected to come to a final decision in December or January.
Logan Couture To Replace Jamie Benn At World Cup
After undergoing core muscle surgery earlier this summer, Jamie Benn will not play for Canada at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey in Toronto. Instead, Logan Couture will join the team in his place.
Benn was originally given a six-week timeline for his injury recovery, endangering his World Cup status. Six weeks will have passed this Thursday, but that doesn’t mean that Benn is at the level necessary to play in a tournament of this nature. He’s still expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.
Couture will edge out a group of talented forwards headlined by Corey Perry and Taylor Hall for Benn’s roster spot, after a spectacular playoff run with the San Jose Sharks last season. The 27-year old put up 30 points in the postseason, almost matching his output for the entire season after battling injury – one that almost cost him his leg.
As Dan Rosen of NHL.com points out, with the swap of Benn for Couture, Team Canada trades one of their few remaining wingers for another center. Brad Marchand is now the team’s only true winger, though many have played there at times during their careers.
Couture will be joining fellow Sharks Joe Thornton, Brent Burns, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic on Team Canada, while Tyler Seguin now remains as the only member from the Dallas Stars to make the team. Seguin was also presumably set to skate alongside Benn, and will now be matched with other linemates.
Koivu Named Captain For Finland At World Cup
As speculated this summer, reported by many this morning, and now confirmed by the NHL, the Minnesota Wild’s Mikko Koivu has been named captain of the Finnish team in next month’s World Cup of Hockey.
Koivu, who has also captained the Wild since 2009, is no stranger to a leadership role. He has captained Finland’s national team multiple times, including three IIHF World Championships. However, the stakes will be a bit higher as Koivu leads a young Finland team into the World Cup. Among his teammates up front are up-and-coming NHL stars like Aleksander Barkov, Teuvo Teravainen, Sebastian Aho, and 2016 second overall pick Patrick Laine. Although Koivu will be comforted by some veteran assistance in net between Tuukka Rask and Pekka Rinne, the majority of the weight falls on his shoulders to lead a team that is somewhat inexperienced in major international play to the podium.
The World Cup will help to prepare Koivu for the upcoming season, where again the Wild will face a tough path to playoff success. Koivu has 556 points in 763 NHL games, all with Minnesota. His best season was back when he was first named captain for the 2009-10 season, and he responded with 71 points. However, his numbers have begun to dip down into the 40’s and 50’s since he turned 30 in 2013. The Wild hope that he can return to form and help to lead their equally young squad deep into the postseason. As Finland’s captain, he may just get the boost he needs from the World Cup to start the NHL season off strong.
West Notes: Rakell, Rattie, Gaudreau
With the World Cup of Hockey fast approaching, another unsigned restricted free agent is headed to Toronto. According to Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press (who we interviewed just yesterday on PHR) Rickard Rakell will join the Swedish club replacing the injured Alexander Steen. Steen had surgery in June on his shoulder, and is still trying to be ready for the opening of the regular season.
Rakell will be rewarded for last season’s breakout that saw him score 20 goals and 43 points in his second full season. Rakell remains one of the Ducks priorities this summer, along with fellow unsigned RFA Hampus Lindholm. The team, with only $6.6MM in cap space at the moment, may not have enough to sign both to long-term deals and may have to settle for the player-friendly bridge deal.
- Among the news at Pro Hockey Talk’s St. Louis Blues day is that Ty Rattie will be given a real chance to stick with the big club this season. Adam Gretz writes that with the team losing veteran forwards like David Backes, Steve Ott and Troy Brouwer to free agency, there is plenty of opportunities for young players like Rattie. This is in line with a similar article on NHL.com today, that quoted GM Doug Armstrong: “I think the game is getting faster, and youth is being served. I think we were going to transfer to this (youth movement) regardless.” Rattie has suited up for just 26 NHL games, but has proven his scoring ability at the AHL level with three straight 40+ point seasons.
- After signing Sean Monahan earlier today to a seven-year deal, the Calgary Flames will now turn their attention to Johnny Gaudreau. Craig Custance of ESPN thinks that his deal will come in very close to Monahan’s, as the team views the situation as similar to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in Chicago. The Blackhawk stars signed identical $84MM deals in July of 2014, despite Kane having more career points (493 vs. 440). Monahan also has a full season more of NHL duty under his belt than Gaudreau, despite being more than a year younger than him. If the Flames can get both on long-term deals under $7MM, they’ll be set up nicely for the future with two underpaid superstars.
PHR Interview With The AP’s Stephen Whyno
Associated Press sports writer Stephen Whyno was kind enough to sit down with PHR and touched on a number of hockey issues. Whyno is based out of Washington, so we also touched on the Capitals and how Washington will fare this year. You can find Stephen’s work here at the AP (he does a great job with other sports as well), and give him a follow at Twitter @SWhyno.
PHR: Barring any significant injuries in the World Cup of Hockey, or in training camp, who do you have as an early favorite this season? What about sleepers?
Whyno: It’s hard not to love the Tampa Bay Lightning, especially in an era in which no NHL team ever repeats. Sorry, Penguins. If Pittsburgh bucks the trend, there’s plenty of talent there to make it happen, but a long way into June makes it tough on Pittsburgh and the San Jose Sharks. A return to the top for the Chicago Blackhawks would also not be all that surprising. Let me throw out the New Jersey Devils as an Eastern Conference sleeper because Cory Schneider is capable of carrying a team to plenty of points and there will be better all-around play with the additions of Taylor Hall and Ben Lovejoy. In the West: How about the Roy-less Avalanche? Give this bunch the right up-tempo system and let the talent of Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene and Co. take over.
PHR: The Capitals had a great season but ran into the Pittsburgh buzzsaw. What do you see out of them in 2016-17?
Whyno: I see a Capitals team that will be far less interested in the odd Tuesday game in November or even the Saturday night in January after losing in the second round with the Presidents’ Trophy. Washington would love to be like the 2014-15 Blackhawks, cruising and then turning it on to win it all. The team is almost the same as last season so there’s no doubt it’s a contender, so as always the proving ground comes in April and May.
PHR: A Canadian team has to make the playoffs…right?
Whyno: Yes. I mean–probably. Assuming Carey Price is healthy for most of the–if not the entire season, the Montreal Canadiens will make it back – P.K. or no P.K. Beyond that, it’s a crapshoot.
PHR: How is Las Vegas doing with their front office work? And who do you think they tap to be the bench boss?
Whyno: George McPhee is turning Las Vegas into Captials West. There is plenty of Washington influence there with the exception of assistant GM Kelly McCrimmon, who had significant NHL interest and is very well-respected in hockey circles. Looks like it’s going well so far but a long time until Las Vegas has even one player. I’d expect someone with a connection to McPhee (Ron Wilson? Dean Evason of the Milwaukee Admirals?) to be among the top candidates as coach. But it will also be a long time until that hire is made.
Snapshots: Pavelski, Trouba, Orlov, DiPauli, Sobotka
According to CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski is expected to be named captain of Team USA at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey. After being named San Jose’s captain last October, Pavelski led the Sharks to their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Sharks managed to do this despite whatever acrimony may have been caused by having two veteran stars, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, who had previously been stripped of the captaincy. The captain of the last American Olympic team, Zach Parise, is expected to play in this tournament.
Pavelski, 32, is the second oldest American player at this tournament, two months younger than Boston’s David Backes. He has scored 116 goals over the last three seasons, second only to Alex Ovechkin in that time. He also led this year’s playoffs in goal scoring with 14. Pavelski has previously represented the United States at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, as well as the 2009 IIHF World Championships.
Here are some more links from around the league.
- Being out of a contract won’t stop players from appearing at the World Cup. Kurt Overhardt, the agent for Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba confirmed today that his client will still suit up for Team North America. Mark Gandler, the agent for Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov, told the Washington Post that Orlov will still play for Russia.
- CBC’s Tim Wharnsby reports that the Penguins will sign free agent forward Thomas DiPauli from the University of Notre Dame. His agent, Peter Fish, called this report “a little premature,” adding that “nothing has been signed or agreed to yet.” DiPauli was a fourth round pick of the Capitals who, like Jimmy Vesey, went unsigned and became a free agent. DiPauli scored 14 goals, 32 points in 37 games for the Fighting Irish this year. He was, for two years, a teammate at Notre Dame of Penguins forward Bryan Rust.
- Despite reports out of Russia to the contrary, St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong says that he spoke with the agent for forward Vladimir Sobotka yesterday, and that he has been assured of Sobotka’s return to the team for this coming season. Sobotka has played the last two seasons in the KHL for Avangard Omsk, but has committed to returning to the NHL this season. Sobotka had nine goals, 33 points in 61 games for the Blues in 2014, his last season in the NHL.
Friedman’s Latest: Gaudreau, Avalanche Coach
While Elliotte Friedman is out of the country working the Rio Olympics, he’s still in touch enough with the hockey world to give us a couple of tidbits today. In his latest column, Friedman reports that Johnny Gaudreau will be playing in the upcoming World Cup regardless of his contract situation. He’s purchased extra insurance for himself to guard against any injury that could happen during the tournament.
Friedman also adds that Gaudreau will not negotiate on his new deal while he’s at the tournament; he’s scheduled to arrive for practices on September 4th. It still seems likely that a deal will get done, as Gaudreau has publicly stated his desire to stay in Calgary long-term.
On the Avalanche coaching vacancy Friedman adds that Jared Bednar, currently the head coach of the Cleveland Monsters (the Columbus AHL affiliate), is another candidate. After winning the Calder Cup last season, he’s received praise from around the league, and has a connection to Avalanche assistant general manager Chris MacFarland, who spent time in the Blue Jacket’s organization.