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.
Puck And Player Tracking To Be Used At World Cup
The World Cup of Hockey had a press conference today in Toronto, announcing several things about the upcoming tournament. Among the most interesting, was the revelation that player and puck tracking will be in full effect. Players will have microchips sewed into their sweaters, with the puck also having a sensor embedded inside of it.
Data will be calculated on puck and player speed, trajectory, acceleration and spacing, and will be used during the live broadcasts. For the analytics community, this is huge news, as more data is always a good thing, and the precise movement of each player with and away from the puck will lend itself to stronger analysis. The NHL will use this as a test for a possible future league-wide roll out, though no information has been given on a possible timeline.
The team jerseys at the tournament will also feature advertising for the first time, as the NHL and NHLPA came to an agreement with SAP (a German software corporation) to be the prime sponsor. Shoulder patches will be sewn into each sweater, opening the door for future advertising. The Air Canada Centre will also have animated board advertising installed, much to the chagrin of fans.
World Cup Notes: Price, Tavares, Crosby
Worry not, fans of Canada and the Canadiens. Carey Price is healthy and ready to go for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. In an interview with Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, Team Canada’s GM Doug Armstrong said Price is “100 per cent and he’s ready to go” for the start of Team Canada’s training camp, which kicks off on the Labour Day long weekend.
Price hasn’t played an NHL game since November 25, so “he’ll have to shake off some of the rust”, according to Armstrong. The Canadian GM has been in touch with Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin since naming Price to the initial roster on March 2. Armstrong said Price may be the best goaltender in the world based on his play since the Sochi Olympics.
Here are some other notes from Canada’s World Cup roster:
- Islanders captain John Tavares spoke with Sportsnet’s Luke Fox about the challenges that come with the early end to the summer, compounded by the Islanders making their longest playoff run since he was drafted in 2009. “You lose two weeks that you normally use for training or getting settled in your home city,” said Tavares. However, he’s excited to take part, especially after being forced to miss Canada’s last two games in Sochi. There’s no one player that Tavares is looking forward to lining up beside; instead its the chance to learn from the great leaders.
- Tavares also commented on the possibility of the NHL not attending the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. He enjoys the best-on-best tournaments, and despite the return of the World Cup, says that there’s “something special” about the Olympics.
- Unlike Tavares, there’s one player in particular that Sidney Crosby is looking forward to having on his team: fellow Nova Scotian and noted pest Brad Marchand. Crosby told Fox that “having [Marchand] on your team is going to be so much more enjoyable than having to play against him.” He added that Marchand is a “really good player” who plays “right on the edge”. The two skate together in the off-season with another local kid by the name of Nathan MacKinnon, who will play on Team North America.
Eastern Conference Notes: Alfredsson, Hrivik, Jurco, Kennedy
The Ottawa Senators announced this afternoon that they will retire the #11 sweater worn for 17 seasons by former captain Daniel Alfredsson in a pregame ceremony prior to their December 29, 2016 tilt against the Red Wings. Alfredsson, of course, wrapped up his remarkable career with Detroit so choosing a game between the only two NHL franchises “Alfie” ever played for makes perfect sense.
Alfredsson was drafted all the way down in the sixth round of the 1994 entry draft, after 132 other players had already come off the board. He would make his NHL debut during the 1995-96 campaign as a 23-year-old and would go on to win the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, scoring 26 goals and 61 points in 82 games. He would ultimately go on to set Ottawa franchise records in goals (426), assists (682), points (1,108), even-strength goals (270) and power play goals (131).
After such a lengthy and prodigious career, Alfredsson has essentially become synonymous with Ottawa Senators hockey and he deserves to have the honor of his #11 hanging in the rafters at Canadian Tire Center.
Elsewhere among the league’s eastern teams….
- Jim Cerny of Blueshirts United spoke with Rangers prospect Marek Hrivik about his chances of making the team after a solid campaign playing for their AHL affiliate in Hartford, and a brief five-game cup of coffee with the Rangers. Hrivik indicated the club is happy with his progress and that he is “close” to making it as an NHL regular. He will face plenty of competition in camp as fellow rookies Nicklas Jensen and Pavel Buchnevich will also be in the hunt for a job.
- Another young player who faces an uphill battle to secure a regular role is Tomas Jurco of the Detroit Red Wings. Ansar Kan, writing for MLive.com, argues that Jurco will have to distinguish himself in camp at a time when the club will be missing several regular skaters who will be participating in the World Cup. Jurco looked like a core building block following a solid debut in 2013-14 when the then 21-year-old posted eight goals and 15 points in just 36 games. Since then, Jurco has tallied just 24 points in 87 contests and could find himself on the outside looking in with Detroit.
- Finally, while some players are at least guaranteed a shot to win a job in camp, others like Tyler Kennedy are still waiting for a call from a club willing to offer another chance. Kennedy, who was in the same position last summer, is fearful he may not get another opportunity to prove he belongs in the NHL, as Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette writes. Kennedy did receive a camp invite last year from New Jersey and earned a contract with a solid showing. He would see action in 50 games for the Devils but scored just three goals along with 13 assists. Kennedy, who once scored 21 goals as a 24-year-old during the 2010-11 season in Pittsburgh, has seen his offensive production decline significantly ever since that breakout campaign. One advantage he does possess over other veterans clamoring for one last kick at the can is that he is still considered a speedy player. More teams are looking to add speed to their lineup, following the successful blueprint perfected by Pittsburgh, and Kennedy might be able to offer just that on the cheap to a team looking for a low-risk, bottom-six type of forward.
Capology 101: International Tidbits
With the IIHF World Championships behind us, and the World Cup of Hockey on the horizon, PHR takes a quick look at how the CBA governs international play.
- Any revenue from the World Cup of Hockey will not be considered Hockey Related Revenue (HRR). Rather, the revenue will be split equally between the NHL and the NHLPA. That means that any money the World Cup of Hockey brings in has no effect on next year’s salary cap. Given that the World Cup—the first such tournament since 2004—is in hockey-mad Toronto, high revenues are expected, and would have had a significant effect on the salary cap if applicable.
- Moreover, the World Cup may actually have an adverse effect on HRR as the tournament takes the game’s brightest stars away from pre-season games. Teams usually play preseason games in different locales, and demand may suffer slightly as fans aren’t able to see a team’s top player.
- Revenue from International NHL games, however, such as regular season and pre-season games overseas, qualifies as HRR for salary cap purposes.
- A player is only eligible for the IIHF World Championships (usually held in May) if:
- the player’s club either did not make the NHL playoffs or was eliminated in an early round (1st or 2nd); and
- the national team (agent or otherwise) did not contact the player before his team was eliminated from the playoffs.
- The IIHF or Player’s National Team must also insure the player’s remaining SPC value, and any additional earning capacity should a player get injured. If a player is injured in the World Championships, the player is treated as being injured in an NHL game for CBA purposes. That means the player is still eligible for all benefits available to players injured in NHL games.