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PHR Originals: 9/17/18 – 9/23/18

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Here’s a rundown of the original content here at PHR over the past seven days.

Our 2018-19 season primer series continues as I took a look at the Senators, Rangers, Islanders, and Devils, providing an overview of who’s in and who’s out as well as key storylines for the upcoming campaign.

Jake Dotchin’s situation has been one of intrigue.  Zach took a look at the precedent it would set around the league if it gets upheld.  The NHLPA has not formally grieved the contract termination just yet but they are expected to do so.

We’re up to the 13th overall selection in our 2006 redraft, a pick held by the Toronto Maple Leafs.  They didn’t make the best of picks originally with winger Jiri Tlusty and even though the top options are already off the board, there are several quality players left to choose from in our poll.

Gavin held his weekly chat.  Topics included projecting Miles Wood’s deal, a look at the Blues, centers that could potentially be on the move, surprise playoff teams, the Shea Theodore situation, and more.

In the salary cap era, it’s not too often that a Stanley Cup winner returns largely intact for the following season.  Zach examined the Capitals who really haven’t had a lot of turnover.  One place they may want to look at adding is between the pipes and Zach also took a look at some potential options for them if they look to upgrade on Pheonix Copley.

2006 NHL Draft Take Two: Twelfth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.”  Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended.  For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

Our look back at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft is now in full swing as we poll the PHR community to see who would have been selected in the first round and in what order knowing what we know now.  Through the first eleven picks, we’ve already seen potential Hall of Fame players switch teams, and multiple captains move up and down the draft board.

1st Overall: Jonathan Toews (St. Louis Blues)
2nd Overall: Claude Giroux (Pittsburgh Penguins)
3rd Overall: Nicklas Backstrom (Chicago Blackhawks)
4th Overall: Brad Marchand (Washington Capitals)
5th Overall: Phil Kessel (Boston Bruins)
6th Overall: Jordan Staal (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Milan Lucic (New York Islanders)
8th Overall: Kyle Okposo (Phoenix Coyotes)
9th Overall: Erik Johnson (Minnesota Wild)
10th Overall: Derick Brassard (Florida Panthers)
11th Overall: Bryan Little (Los Angeles Kings)

The Kings kick off the second third of the draft by picking perpetually underrated forward Bryan Little from the Barrie Colts of the OHL. Little was coming off an 109-point season with the Colts at that point and was ranked seventh among North American skaters. Little actually went just one spot lower in the real draft, picked by the Atlanta Thrashers after they’d struggled to find much success in the previous two drafts. The savvy forward would make an impact before long with the Thrashers, scoring 31 goals in his first full NHL season. Unfortunately, that would be the highest total of his career to this point.

Still, given the fact that the Kings would see Jonathan Quick jump over their original pick in Jonathan Bernier before long, adding Little would be an impressive improvement for the club. Now with 200 goals and 475 points in 754 games, Little is a prototypical secondary scoring threat for the Winnipeg Jets who can be moved up and down the lineup and play all three forward positions. That versatility and consistency—he’s scored at least 16 goals and 40 points in seven straight non-lockout shortened seasons—earned him a new six-year, $31.75MM contract from the Jets last summer and would be a huge asset for the Kings as they continue to struggle to score goals. His talents could have helped during the Kings Stanley Cup runs, and may have even put them in contention in other years.

Now we’ll move on to the twelfth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, which was originally held by the Atlanta Thrashers.

Little was the pick 12 years ago, and he’s now the longest-tenured member of a franchise that eventually moved from Atlanta to Winnipeg in 2011. There’s little to complain about with the original pick, but they won’t be so lucky this time around with him already off the board. Instead, the team may have to look at a different position altogether to gain the most value.

Interestingly, the position that the Kings passed on to take Little may be the direction the Thrashers should have looked. Kari Lehtonen had been the second overall pick in 2002 by the Thrashers, and was heralded as one of the very best goaltending prospects in the world. By the summer of 2005 though, the Thrashers already had enough doubt in their net that they would take Ondrej Pavelec in the second round. During the 2005-06 campaign, Lehtonen would get his first real test as a starter in the NHL and didn’t set the world on fire with a .906 save percentage and 20-15 record. It would be just a few more mediocre seasons in Atlanta before Lehtonen found himself on a Dallas Stars roster, and Pavelec in the starting role for the Thrashers. His tenure would be longer, but Atlanta and then Winnipeg would struggle for years to find above average goaltending, something they may have been able to secure in the 2006 draft.

It’s not easy to invest another high pick in a goaltender with that kind of draft capital already sitting in the organization, so perhaps Atlanta would go another way. Plenty of forward talent is still available, including former 30-goal talents like Nick Foligno and Michael Grabner. What is the right pick for the Thrashers this time around? With the twelfth pick of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Atlanta Thrashers select? Cast your vote below!

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PHR Originals: 9/10/18 – 9/16/18

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Here’s a rundown of the original content at PHR from over the past week.

Our 2018-19 primer series continues as I looked at back at the offseason movement for the Flyers, Penguins, and Sharks as well as the key storylines and questions heading into their respective seasons.

We’re now up to the number 11 pick in the 2006 redraft after Erik Johnson went ninth to Minnesota while Derick Brassard landed in the tenth slot to Florida.  The Kings are up next and you can vote for who they should select here.

Gavin held his weekly Thursday chat and with the big news of the week, there was plenty to talk about.  Topics included Marc-Andre Fleury’s longevity, projecting the top scorers in the league, the Erik Karlsson trade, Morgan Frost’s expectations, predictions for some remaining RFAs, and much more.

Our tour around the Central Division continues with Holger’s deep dive into the salary cap situations in Minnesota and St. Louis.  The whole series of articles can be found here.

Topics in our first mailbag of the month included the Adam McQuaid trade, candidates for the Calder Trophy, Artemi Panarin’s situation in Columbus, a look at some prospects looking to make a mark in Chicago, the new-look Golden Knights, and the very strange situation surrounding Jake Dotchin and the Lightning.

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

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It’s mailbag time again as we get closer to the start of the regular season. Our Brian La Rose wants to answer all your questions regarding 2018-19 and beyond, and tell you just what you want to hear about your favorite NHL team. Will the Buffalo Sabres be a playoff team? Who will be the first Ottawa forward to be traded? How exactly is anyone supposed to stop the Vegas Golden Knights from acquiring all the best talent in the league?

If you’ve missed the chance to ask a question during the weekly Live Chat on Thursdays, the #PHRMailbag is the place to go. Just submit your question using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. We’ll run the mailbag this weekend and try to get to each and every question.

Don’t forget to check out our last mailbag, which gave Brian’s thoughts on the stacked Metropolitan Division, Henrik Zetterberg’s injury/retirement situation, and the Bruins log jam on defense. He didn’t think they should be dealing away their depth on the back end, but the Bruins decided to trade Adam McQuaid anyway. Maybe you’d like to know what Brian thinks about that deal? Submit below!

2006 NHL Draft Take Two: Eleventh Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.”  Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended.  For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

Our look back at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft is now in full swing as we poll the PHR community to see who would have been selected in the first round and in what order knowing what we know now.  Through the first ten picks, we’ve already seen potential Hall of Fame players switch teams, and multiple captains move up and down the draft board.

1st Overall: Jonathan Toews (St. Louis Blues)
2nd Overall: Claude Giroux (Pittsburgh Penguins)
3rd Overall: Nicklas Backstrom (Chicago Blackhawks)
4th Overall: Brad Marchand (Washington Capitals)
5th Overall: Phil Kessel (Boston Bruins)
6th Overall: Jordan Staal (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Milan Lucic (New York Islanders)
8th Overall: Kyle Okposo (Phoenix Coyotes)
9th Overall: Erik Johnson (Minnesota Wild)
10th Overall: Derick Brassard (Florida Panthers)

The Panthers round out our Top 10 by selecting Brassard out of Drummondville in the QMJHL. Dropping four spots from where he actually went, Brassard still is an excellent option for a team looking to upgrade at the forward position. A former 27-goal man with the New York Rangers, Brassard enters this season as an excellent role player behind the other stars in Pittsburgh and will try to bring home the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career. Florida, who picked Michael Frolik in real life, get a chance to add a center to their other upcoming young forwards like Stephen Weiss, David Booth and Nathan Horton. Perhaps things would have gone differently if they’d had Brassard in the mix.

Now we’ll move on to the eleventh overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, which was originally held by the Los Angeles Kings.

In 2006 the Kings were right in the middle of what would end up being the longest playoff drought in franchise history, and had just fired head coach Andy Murray near the end of the season. Their star prospect Anze Kopitar, selected in the eleventh spot a year earlier, had impressed in Sweden and was due to make his debut in the NHL the following season. The team believed he could be the answer at center, and decided to look to the crease for their next big pick.

Jonathan Bernier was the first goaltender taken in 2006, taken by the Kings after a huge workload in the QMJHL. Bernier had started 54 games for Lewiston and recorded a .908 save percentage, but showed enough athleticism and poise to be considered a top prospect in the draft. He was ranked as the top North American goaltender by CSS, and projected to have a long career in the NHL. Little did the Kings know that the third-round goaltender they’d taken a year earlier would go from a backup at UMass-Amherst to winning a Conn Smythe trophy in just a few seasons. Jonathan Quick stole the starting role in Los Angeles by 2008-09, and still hasn’t looked back.

Bernier’s career perhaps hasn’t gone exactly as planned, but he still has proven to be a legitimate NHL talent. In 288 career regular season games for the Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalanche he has a 128-108-30 record and has registered a .914 save percentage. He was signed by the Detroit Red Wings this offseason as a potential replacement for Jimmy Howard, and still likely has several years of high quality play in front of him.

But was that the right selection for the Kings to make? Knowing what we know now about Quick’s ascension to star goaltender the team likely wouldn’t have made the pick, but is there an obvious candidate to replace Bernier at the number 11 spot? With the eleventh pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Los Angeles Kings select? Cast your vote below!

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2006 NHL Draft Take Two: Tenth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.”  Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended.  For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

Our look back at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft is now in full swing as we poll the PHR community to see who would have been selected in the first round and in what order knowing what we know now.  Through the first nine picks, we’ve already seen potential Hall of Fame players switch teams, and multiple captains move up and down the draft board.

1st Overall: Jonathan Toews (St. Louis Blues)
2nd Overall: Claude Giroux (Pittsburgh Penguins)
3rd Overall: Nicklas Backstrom (Chicago Blackhawks)
4th Overall: Brad Marchand (Washington Capitals)
5th Overall: Phil Kessel (Boston Bruins)
6th Overall: Jordan Staal (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Milan Lucic (New York Islanders)
8th Overall: Kyle Okposo (Phoenix Coyotes)
9th Overall: Erik Johnson (Minnesota Wild)

Finally the player who was actually selected first overall has been voted by our community, as Johnson edged out Derick Brassard to stay in the top ten. Back in 2006 the St. Louis Blues made the mistake of choosing the big American defenseman ahead of several players who could be in the Hall of Fame one day, but he is still providing value in the NHL. There’s a wide gap between Johnson and some of the real busts in NHL draft history, and the Minnesota Wild would likely actually have been happier to have him than the player they actually selected—James Sheppard.

Now we’ll move on to the tenth pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, which was originally held by the Florida Panthers.

Florida had recently experienced a nice stretch of results where they picked legitimate NHL players if not stars in consecutive drafts. Between 2001-2004, the Panthers had selected Stephen Weiss, Gregory Campbell, Jay Bouwmeester, Tanner Glass, Nathan Horton and David Booth, all of whom have played more than 500 games in the NHL. That streak came to an end in 2005 when the 20th overall pick was used on Kenndal McArdle, but the Panthers would climb right back on the horse in 2006 with another solid value pick. Michael Frolik never did become the star scoring forward that many projected him to be, but after putting up 21 goals in each of his first two seasons the Panthers were already getting good results.

After Dale Tallon took over as GM of the Panthers he decided that Frolik could net him some of his former prospects from the Chicago Blackhawks, sending him in exchange for Jack Skille and others. Skille, selected seventh overall in 2005 by Chicago, might be categorized as one of the aforementioned busts given that he scored just 84 points in 368 NHL games. Frolik has spent time in Winnipeg and Calgary since leaving Chicago, and established himself as a fine secondary scoring option that can record 15-20 goals and 40-45 points on a yearly basis.

Is that enough to get him into the top 10 though? He has played the ninth-most games of any player selected in 2006, ahead of other already voted players like Kyle Okposo and Erik Johnson. Does his lack of star quality though drop him out of contention to be replaced by a player who maybe has burned brighter at times? With the tenth pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Florida Panthers select? Cast your vote below!

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PHR Originals: 9/3/18 – 9/9/18

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Here’s a rundown of some of the original content here at PHR over the past seven days.

Our look into the salary cap situations of the Atlantic Division came to an end as I reviewed the Red Wings and Maple Leafs.  Meanwhile, Holger kicked off the Central Division with an assessment of the Blackhawks and Avalanche.

Quite a few first-round picks from June have already signed while others are either waiting to sign or aren’t eligible to (or else they’d lose their college eligibility).  Gavin provided a breakdown of who has and hasn’t put pen to paper on their entry-level deals and where each of those top picks is expected to play this coming season.

We’re close to wrapping up the top ten in our 2006 redraft.  Kyle Okposo was voted as the eighth overall selection to the Coyotes, one spot lower than he was actually picked.  The current poll is for the ninth pick and the Minnesota Wild and there’s still time to make your choice.

Gavin held his weekly live chat.  Topics included the strange Max Pacioretty situation in Montreal, the top candidates to land a PTO deal in the coming days, a look at the Coyotes, potential contenders for the Calder Trophy, and what, if anything, Vegas should do on the back end thanks to Nate Schmidt’s suspension and the fact that Shea Theodore remains unsigned.

Speaking of that defensive corps for the Golden Knights, Zach suggests that UFA blueliner Kevin Bieksa could be a natural fit.  He intends to keep his family in California and wants to play this upcoming season.  As a veteran that can fill a third pairing spot in a pinch, the match certainly makes some sense.

With the season now less than a month away, our 2018-19 primer series continues.  I previewed the Capitals, Golden Knights, Canucks, and Maple Leafs while Holger looked at the Lightning and Blues.

2006 NHL Draft Take Two: Ninth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.”  Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended.  For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

Our look back at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft is now in full swing as we poll the PHR community to see who would have been selected in the first round and in what order knowing what we know now.  Through the first eight picks, we’ve already seen potential Hall of Fame players switch teams, and multiple captains move up and down the draft board.

1st Overall: Jonathan Toews (St. Louis Blues)
2nd Overall: Claude Giroux (Pittsburgh Penguins)
3rd Overall: Nicklas Backstrom (Chicago Blackhawks)
4th Overall: Brad Marchand (Washington Capitals)
5th Overall: Phil Kessel (Boston Bruins)
6th Overall: Jordan Staal (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Milan Lucic (New York Islanders)
8th Overall: Kyle Okposo (Phoenix Coyotes)

Okposo drops just a single spot from his original draft position, and takes Peter Mueller’s role in the desert. One has to wonder whether the University of Minnesota product would have found as much success playing for the Coyotes given that he wouldn’t have had the chance to suit up alongside John Tavares, but his point totals certainly indicate his top-10 talent. Okposo is ninth in scoring from the 2006 draft despite playing in only 670 games to this point, fewer than many of the players still available in our poll.

Now we’ll move on to the ninth pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, which was originally held by the Minnesota Wild.

Looking back at this draft, the first seven teams were probably quite happy with their selections. That may have ended with the Coyotes selection of Mueller, but at least his career got off to a good start before injuries started to pile up. That can’t really be said about the Minnesota selection, who failed to ever score more than five goals in a single NHL season.

James Sheppard was a big strong center for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in 2006. He had just finished a season in which he scored 30 goals and 84 points, and had been invited to the CHL Top Prospects Game. He was ranked ninth by the NHL’s Central Scouting among North American skaters, ahead of players like Okposo and Michael Grabner. There was a lot to like about a potential shutdown center that brought some scoring upside to the plate. Unfortunately, that scoring upside never materialized for Sheppard and though he would reach his career high in points as a 20-year old with just 24 in 82 games. He was grossly outmatched in the faceoff circle at the highest level, and could drive play like he had in junior. There was work to be done on his game, but it wouldn’t happen in Minnesota.

The Wild would eventually trade Sheppard to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a third round pick, and he would struggle to find any offense there too. After another few games with the New York Rangers in 2015, he was off to Europe to play in Switzerland and Germany. Sheppard is still just 30 years old, scored 33 points in the DEL last season and has twice won the Spengler Cup with Team Canada. Still, this pick was a pretty substantial bust for Minnesota, given the long-time NHL players selected behind him.

Now they’ll get a chance to fix the mistake they made in 2006 and pick someone else. The first-overall selection Erik Johnson is still available, as are talented forwards like Derick Brassard, Bryan Little and Nick Foligno. With the ninth pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Minnesota Wild select? Cast your vote below!

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2006 NHL Draft Take Two: Eighth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.”  Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended.  For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

Our look back at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft is now in full swing as we poll the PHR community to see who would have been selected in the first round and in what order knowing what we know now.  Through the first seven picks, we’ve already seen potential Hall of Fame players switch teams, and multiple captains move up and down the draft board.

1st Overall: Jonathan Toews (St. Louis Blues)
2nd Overall: Claude Giroux (Pittsburgh Penguins)
3rd Overall: Nicklas Backstrom (Chicago Blackhawks)
4th Overall: Brad Marchand (Washington Capitals)
5th Overall: Phil Kessel (Boston Bruins)
6th Overall: Jordan Staal (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Milan Lucic (New York Islanders)

Lucic edged out original Islanders pick Kyle Okposo for the seventh slot, becoming the second player in our top 10 that was actually drafted outside of the first round entirely. The Bruins, who then selected Kessel with the fifth-overall selection, found both Lucic and Marchand in the later rounds. The big, bruising Vancouver Giants forward had scored just 19 points in his first full season of CHL hockey but would develop his offensive game at an incredible rate over the next few years. Lucic would score a career-high 30 goals with the Bruins in 2010-11, mixing a devastating physical game with underrated offensive skills to be one of the league’s most unique talents. Though his scoring dropped off last season, the Edmonton Oilers are hoping that he’ll be able to find some of that previous magic and earn his current contract.

Now we’ll move forward to the eighth pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, which was held by the then named Phoenix Coyotes.

Back in 2006 the Coyotes were coming off the first season with Wayne Gretzky behind the bench, and had finished with a respectable 38-39-5 record. Though they were still ten points out of playoff contention, a 29-year old Shane Doan and 25-year old Mike Comrie had both provided 30-goal seasons. An aging Curtis Joseph would be part of their regression the next season, but there was plenty of excitement around their selection of potential top-line center Peter Mueller. Mueller had already starred for USA Hockey at the development level and on the international stage, and would do so again after being drafted when he went toe-to-toe against Jonathan Toews in a wildly popular shootout.

Mueller exploded onto the NHL scene in 2007-08 with Phoenix, scoring 22 goals and 54 points as a teenaged-rookie and gave the franchise a lot of hope for the future. Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be though for the big center, who flamed out quickly and would find himself in Switzerland by the 2013-14 season after failing to make an impression with both the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers. Mueller played in Austria last season, where he recorded 42 points in 38 games and was a point-per-game player in the playoffs.

As we look back, it’s unlikely that the Coyotes would choose Mueller again knowing what we know now. With several other talented players still on the board, will they still try to secure the center position? With the eighth pick of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Phoenix Coyotes select? Cast your vote below!

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2006 NHL Draft Take Two: Sixth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.”  Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended.  For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

Our look back at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft is now in full swing as we poll the PHR community to see who would have been selected in the first round and in what order knowing what we know now.  Through the first five picks we’ve already seen potential Hall of Fame players switch teams, and multiple captains move up the board.

Here are the results of the redraft so far:

1st Overall: Jonathan Toews (St. Louis Blues)
2nd Overall: Claude Giroux (Pittsburgh Penguins)
3rd Overall: Nicklas Backstrom (Chicago Blackhawks)
4th Overall: Brad Marchand (Washington Capitals)
5th Overall: Phil Kessel (Boston Bruins)

The Bruins didn’t change a thing about their 2006 draft, picking University of Minnesota standout Kessel with the fifth-overall pick. Our community overwhelmingly agreed that Kessel was the right pick, giving him over 77% of the vote. It’s hard to argue with that, especially when Kessel leads all 2006 draft picks with 914 regular season games, and trails only Backstrom in career points. With two Stanley Cups under his belt, and an iron man streak that has lasted more than eight seasons, Kessel is truly one of the best players of his class.

Now we’ll move forward to the sixth pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, which was held by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Back then, the Blue Jackets decided to go after another one of the top centers available, picking QMJHL offensive dynamo Derick Brassard. Brassard had just finished a season in junior that saw him score 116 points in 58 games, and had been named the top prospect in his league. Unfortunately the talented young forward would suffer a shoulder injury in the following preseason and miss all but 14 regular season games with Drummondville, and miss out on a chance to potentially lead the QMJHL in scoring. He’d jump to the NHL quickly after that though and has developed into a solid player with a long career.

Brassard now has 428 points in 716 games, but is he the best selection for the Blue Jackets with the benefit of hindsight? Is there someone else who would be more valuable given their career to date? With the sixth pick of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Columbus Blue Jackets select? Cast your vote below!

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