Columbus Blue Jackets Have Received Offers Of Prospects, Picks For Artemi Panarin
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye on this offseason, after reports surfaced months ago regarding Artemi Panarin and his reluctance to negotiate a long-term extension. That pushed the star forward—at least speculatively—onto the trade market, and made him one of the biggest stories of the summer. In his State of the Franchise column for The Athletic (subscription required), Blue Jackets insider Aaron Portzline reports that Columbus has received trade offers for Panarin but that they’ve been for prospects and “high-round draft picks.” The Blue Jackets obviously haven’t accepted these packages, and Portzline notes that they wouldn’t help “ease the absence” of the star winger for the upcoming season.
Columbus is still expected to compete for the Metropolitan Division title this season with the roster as currently constructed, but losing Panarin (and possibly Sergei Bobrovsky) to free agency in the summer of 2019 is a tough pill to swallow at this point. With no Stanley Cup success guaranteed in 2018-19, it would be tough for GM Jarmo Kekalainen to just allow the season to progress without a deal in place. Portzline reports that a list of “preferred destinations” for Panarin—which is headlined by the New York Rangers and also includes New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars—is still applicable, though agent Dan Milstein has downplayed the accurary of any list and said that nothing had been provided (at that point) to the Blue Jackets.
Training camp starts in just two weeks for Columbus, and the Panarin situation was supposed to be resolved by then one way or another. If that’s a true deadline from Panarin’s perspective on negotiating an extension, the team may have to settle for one of the packages offered and hope the rest of the roster can take them to the playoffs on their own. After all, the team does have a good young core of players in Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, Pierre-Luc Dubois and others and could likely secure a big package of future assets for Panarin’s services. That could set the team up for even more long-term success, despite it coming with a decline in performance for the 2018-19 season.
Minor Transactions: 8/28/18
August is almost over and training camps are right around the corner. Yet, players continue to make decisions on where they’ll play this season. On a day with a surprising amount of signing news, here are some other smaller moves around the hockey world:
- The AHL’s Providence Bruins have added another body up front. Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports that the team has signed center Brett McKenzie to his first pro contract. An unsigned 2016 seventh-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, McKenzie just wrapped up an OHL career that featured 224 points in 328 games. Most recently, he led the Owen Sound Attack in playoff scoring with eight goals and eight assists in just eleven postseason contests. The big pivot also plays a strong physical game and can make a living lower in the lineup. The P-Bruins are already an extraordinarily deep AHL team and McKenzie may spend some time down in the ECHL, but could fight his way into a consistent role with the team during the season.
- AHL teams tend to be more interested in adding younger players out the junior and college ranks as bottom-six contributors than recycling past AHLers. Hayden Hodgson is a case in point, as the former Cleveland Monsters grinder was unable to find another AHL deal this off-season. Instead, Hodgson has signed with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, the league announced. Hodgson spent some time in the ECHL last year and will be able to play a bigger role at the lower level. It remains to be seen whether he can show the offensive upside to ever climb back up the hockey ranks though.
- The most common route for elite American prospects in recent years has been through the U.S. National Development Program and then into the NCAA or right into the NHL. However, that path didn’t yield the desired results for young defenseman D.J. King. Despite having great size and playing a prominent role on the blue line for both the U-17 and U-18 squads this past season, King went undrafted in June. This likely points to a lack of belief in his offensive abilities, as he produced little in the way of scoring for the USNTDP. In an effort to improve that image before his next go-round in the draft, King has signed with his junior rights holder, the defending OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs. Hamilton has announced the deal with King, who they are excited to bring in after spending a second-round pick on him back in 2016. Former NHL defenseman and Bulldogs President and GM Steve Staios spoke to King’s upside as a prospect, citing his leadership, toughness, and puck-moving ability. Perhaps a change of scenery is all the big defender needs to boost his production this season.
Snapshots: Gulls, Hiller, Sbisa
The San Diego Gulls, AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, are bringing in some fresh faces behind the bench. The team announced that they have hired Sylvain Lefebvre and David Urquhart as assistant coaches for the coming season. The pair will join the staff of former Edmonton Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins in San Diego. Lefebvre, a well-known name in hockey, has been the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliates – in Hamilton, St. John’s, and Laval – for the past six years, but was not retained by the organization this off-season. He also served as an assistant coach at the NHL and AHL level for the Colorado Avalanche. Lefebvre enjoyed a long NHL career, suiting up for 945 games over 14 seasons with four organizations, including a Stanley Cup-winning campaign with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996. Urquhart is a more outside-the-box hire, but could help with the development of the Ducks’ young prospects. An assistant coach at McGill University in Montreal for the past six years, Urquhart was also a standout player for McGill in the mid-2000’s. He also got a taste of the AHL, playing in 130 games before joining the coaching ranks. The Gulls missed the playoffs last season for the first time since joining the AHL and are hoping that some new voices behind the bench could make the difference in getting back to postseason and continuing to provide Anaheim with pro-ready talent.
- A former Duck is not looking to return to the NHL. Jonas Hiller, now 36, has not played an NHL game since the 2015-16 season, when he struggled greatly as the backup for the Calgary Flames. However, prior to that unfortunate campaign, Hiller spent seven years as one of the best and most consistent goalies in the league for Anaheim and even found success in his first season in Calgary. Since he left the league, he has also done well for himself, playing for EHC Biel-Bienne of the NLA in his native Switzerland. Last year in particular, Hiller was one of the best goalies in the league. Given that recent success and his impending free agency, some speculated that he might eye an opportunity to return to the NHL next summer. However, that thought was put to rest today when Biel-Bienne announced a one-year extension for their star keeper. Barring an otherworldly performance over the next two seasons, it seems unlikely that Hiller would want or be able to return to the NHL at age 38 when his current contract expires.
- Another former Duck, and former teammate of Hiller’s, defenseman Luca Sbisa is still weighing his options for the coming season. No sooner did a report come out yesterday claiming Sbisa could receive a PTO from the Vegas Golden Knights that agent Andre Rufener now tells the Swiss Hockey News that Sbisa has already received a PTO offer from an “unnamed team”. Rufener also states that there is considerable interest in his client and that several teams are weighing a contract offer. It seems that Sbisa is inclined to hold out for that solid offer rather than accept a PTO at this point in time. With so much noise surrounding the 28-year-old blue liner, it seems likely that he will find a new NHL home before the puck drops on the new season.
Morning Notes: Rampage, Lindholm, Samsonov
The San Antonio Rampage have a new NHL affiliate this season in the St. Louis Blues, and will be debuting a new coaching staff as well. The team announced today that Daniel Tkaczuk and J.J. Daigneault have been hired as assistant coaches under Drew Bannister, while Ryan Ward has been hired as video assistant coach. Tkaczuk and Daigneault both come from the NHL ranks, spending time with the Blues and Montreal Canadiens respectively in recent years.
The Rampage were the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche previously, but with the Colorado Eagles joining the league it made sense to realign the partnerships. St. Louis operated last season without a primary affiliate, instead lending players to the Rampage, Chicago Wolves and Providence Bruins among others. This time around they’ll have more ownership in their player development, an important step as they look to transition some top prospects to professional hockey.
- Par Lindholm had interest from several NHL clubs before signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to Kristen Shilton of TSN. The 26-year old center signed out of the SHL and has the inside track for a fourth-line role with the Maple Leafs this season. He told Shilton that he wanted to sign with a “classic” NHL team, and will get to be part of this group that is attempting to bring success back to a franchise that has struggled for so long. The fourth-line center role might not be a perfect opportunity given the huge minutes likely assigned to Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Nazem Kadri, but Lindholm could still be a valuable piece for the team going forward.
- Tom Gulitti of NHL.com spoke with new Washington Capitals head coach Todd Reirden about several things including the backup goaltender position for this season. The Capitals currently have minor league goaltender Pheonix Copley penciled into the role behind Braden Holtby, but Reirden is still calling it a competition with KHL standout Ilya Samsonov. The 21-year old Russian is among the best goaltending prospects in the world after dominating at the KHL level for the last few years. Expected to start in the AHL this season, it might not be long before he’s pushing for a full-time NHL role.
Metropolitan Notes: Reirden, Atkinson, Elias, Kravtsov
The Washington Capitals have that unusual circumstance where they are coming off winning the Stanley Cup, but are also breaking in a new coach. With Barry Trotz headed to New York, the team replaced him with long-time assistant coach Todd Reirden. NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti writes that the new head coach intends to make some changes to a team that returns everyone with the exception of fourth-line center Jay Beagle and backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
“In particular, I would say from the 63 to 65-game range on we really adjusted a few things that helped us defend better and set us up for better success defensively and our numbers followed, especially in the playoffs,” Reirden said. “So those things for the most part 5-on-5 will stay. … There will be some adjustments a little bit in some areas. Special teams in particular in the penalty kill area would be something that we’ll be making some adjustments to.”
Reirden, known as a players’ coach when he was an assistant, says that he believes that connecting with players is critical of being a coach and said he doesn’t intend to change now that he’s finally got his chance to be a head coach.
“I would say that everyone has to be a player’s coach in some respects today to be able to maximize the players,” Reirden said. “I think some of the success I’ve been able to have in the development of players over the last eight, nine years has been off of being able to relate to different players and put them in a situation where they’re in a challenging environment.”
- Columbus Blue Jackets’ forward Cam Atkinson expects a more impressive season out of himself this year after struggling through multiple issues early in the season last year, according to the Columbus Dispatch’s George Richards. The 29-year-old forward started slow after signing a seven-year, $41.13MM extension last season and then suffering through a broken bone in his foot. However, the veteran looks at his success after his return that suggests he will have a big year for the Blue Jackets this year. Atkinson, who started the first 32 games with just six goals and 13 points, went on a tear after that, finishing the season (65 games total) with 24 goals and 46 points, meaning he tallied 18 goals in the second half. “There’s no doubt in my mind that is the Cam we’re going to see,” said assistant general manager Bill Zito. “He’s such a talented player. He has the skills, the temerity to get out of a rut. He has a lot of weapons — he has a great shot, can skate, has a great hockey sense and likes to score. He likes it and is confident enough to know he can score.”
- Former New Jersey Devils forward Patrik Elias, who tallied 1,025 points throughout his NHL career, will be starting a new venture as he intends to get into coaching, according to Elite Prospects’ Uffe Bodin. Elias has become the assistant coach for the Czech Republic’s U20 national team alongside head coach Vaclav Varada. “(Varada) approached me about three or four months ago”, Patrik Elias says, although he admits he was never interested in coaching. “Since I have the personal relationship with him and I know that he has done a really good job last two, three years as a coach, I felt that if I wanted to start up with someone, it’s good to start with someone that you trust and that can help you out. He’s been great.”
- The New York Rangers’ Vitali Kravtsov was named the best forward at the 2018 U20 Four Nations Tournament with a goal and three assists in three games. The 18-year-old was the ninth overall pick by the Rangers in this year’s draft and is expected to return to his KHL team, Traktor Chelyabinsk, as he signed a one-year deal there. The hope is Kravtsov will be ready to compete for a spot on the Rangers roster next season. Minnesota Wild’s Simon Johansson was named top defenseman, while Detroit Red Wings’ Jesper Eliasson was named top goaltender.
Central Notes: Heiskanen, Kane, Thomas, Kyrou, Gurianov
While many people are talking about the impact that rookie defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will make on the Buffalo Sabres, many are forgetting that the Dallas Stars have an impact defenseman of their own entering the league this year in Miro Heiskanen. The third-overall pick from the 2017 draft is expected to make an immediate impact to aid the Stars’ defense, but he is expected to be brought along slowly to start the season, according to SportsDay’s Matthew DeFranks.
In a personal profile of the 19-year-old, the scribe writes that the team will likely ease him into the lineup as he will likely either be paired with shutdown defenseman Stephen Johns or fellow countryman Julius Honka on the second or third line, depending on how quickly he can adjust to the North American style of game. He has spent the last two seasons in Finland, playing against men in Liiga for HIFK, where he was named the league’s top defenseman last season.
- Tracey Myers of NHL.com writes that Chicago Blackhawks’ star Patrick Kane is ready to wipe the slate clean from last year’s disappointing season and the goal is to get the team back into the playoffs. Kane had a down season compared to the previous two years as he tallied 27 goals and 79 points. Normally a solid season, it still paled in comparison to the 106 points he posted in 2015-16 or the 89 points in 2016-17. “We all have that feeling within us where it’s like, we did some good things, but you’re restarting now and you have to prove yourself again,” Kane said. “It’s a long season, and I think maybe we got ahead of ourselves a little bit last year.”
- With all the talent the St. Louis brought in this season, including Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron, Tyler Bozak and Patrick Maroon, it might seem unlikely that the team’s two top prospects, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, might be shoved out of the way next season. In a mailbag story, St. Louis Post Dispatch’s Jim Thomas said that is very unlikely when it comes to Robert Thomas, saying that he can’t picture a scenario where the team doesn’t keep Thomas, who is likely to center the team’s fourth line next season. Thomas, who dominated the OHL last season, would either have to make the club or be returned to juniors for another year and the scribe believes sending him back to Hamilton isn’t going to help him. So he’s best off learning on the fly in the NHL. Kyrou, on the other hand, very likely will end up with the AHL San Antonio Rampage. Now that Kyrou is finished with juniors, he can learn in the AHL for a season before coming over. Thomas doesn’t have the AHL option open to him.
- In a mailbag article, The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) writes that it seems less and less likely that Dallas Stars prospect Denis Gurianov will be success in the NHL. The 12th-overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft struggled in the AHL at times this season. He finished the season with 19 goals in 74 games, but also was scratched during the Texas Stars’ playoff run. Shapiro writes that he doesn’t believe that Gurianov has the hockey IQ to be successful in the league. He is a hard worker, but doesn’t understand the game. When he was scratched, it was an organizational decision, according to Shapiro, not a coaching decision.
What To Expect From Tomas Tatar In 2018-19
A seemingly innocuous interview with Vegas Golden Knights free agency prize Paul Stastny actually ended up revealing quite a lot about the strange state of one of his new teammates. SinBin’s Ken Boehlke writes that Stastny, while appearing on the Golden Knight’s podcast, was asked who he believes his line mates could be this season. His answer: Alex Tuch and Erik Haula. Stastny made no mention of Vegas’ big trade deadline acquisition, Tomas Tatar, and Boehlke infers that this could mean trouble for the young forward moving forward.
If Stastny’s prediction proves true, then he, Tuch, and Haula would join the surefire top line of William Karlsson between Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith in the Knights’ top six. That would leave Tatar with a bottom-six role and Vegas is not exactly shaping up to have an offensively inclined group in that bottom half. Tatar will be joined by veteran grinders Ryan Reaves, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, and William Carrier who all seem slotted for a fourth line role. That would leave Tatar with Cody Eakin and one of a number of prospects or fringe players on the third line. Among the candidates are Oscar Lindberg, Tomas Nosek, Ryan Carpenter, Daniel Carr, Tomas Hyka, and Curtis McKenzie. None of that group truly inspires confidence as the final piece of the line with Tatar and Eakin. This begs the question: what role does Tatar have on this team?
Even if you don’t put much stock in Stastny’s comments, there is no doubting that Tatar has been less than impressive since being traded to Vegas from the Detroit Red Wings. The three-time 45+ point scorer only registered six points in 20 games down the stretch for the Knights and was a frequent healthy scratch in the postseason, adding just two points in eight games. Tatar is a strong possession player who has proven to be a capable goal scorer in the past, but lacks the two-way game to make a living in a checking role. At $5.3MM, in addition to the trade cost of three high draft picks, it is hard to imagine that Vegas wants to play him in that role either. Tatar needs to find a fit on this roster, either on the second line with Stastny or as a transformative presence on the third line. The Golden Knights are far more shallow up front this season than they were last year and can hardly afford to deal with ineffective or inconsistent play from their biggest trade investment to date. If Tatar does struggle, he may easily wind up wearing out his welcome with the Knights as he did with the Red Wings.
Vladislav Kolyachonok Joins OHL’s London Knights
The London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League used their second-round pick in the CHL Import Draft in June to select a very intriguing prospect. Now, they have been able to convince him to come over to North America and join the team for the coming season. The OHL announced today that the Knights have signed Belorussian defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok to a standard player agreement, as the 17-year-old will begin his draft-eligible year in London.
Kolyachonok is part of what might just be the most highly-regarded class of prospects out of Belarus this century. While no one is expecting the import blue liner or any of his countrymen to be taken in the first round – at least not yet – Kolyachonok is one of eight Belorussians selected in the Import Draft out of a class of 77 players. There have only been 15 players selected out of Belarus in the NHL Draft since 2000 and only two of those picks – Andrei Kostitsyn and Konstantin Zakharov in 2003 – have come in Round Three or earlier. In that same time span, there have been nine drafts in which no players hailing from Belarus were selected. While Kostitsyn and brother Sergei, as well as Mikhail Grabovksi, developed into capable NHLers, there has not been a Belorussian player of note in the league for some time. Philadelphia Flyers forward prospect Maxim Sushko, a 2017 fourth-rounder, might just be the most well-known active prospect, while multiple Belorussians were selected this year for the first time since 2005, with both Yegor Sharangovich and Vladislav Yeromenko being chosen in the fifth round.
Kolyachonok is just one of a number of talented draft-eligible players from Belarus who could turn the tides for the country’s developmental history next June. Vladimir Alistrov, the second overall pick in the Import Draft and now a member of the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, leads a group that includes Kolyachonok, Aliaksei Protas, Daniil Stepanov, and more who could hear there names called next June. Kolyachonok is likely to be the top defenseman of the bunch, as last season he was one of the top players for the U-18 national team, recording 20 points in 43 games on the top pair. He was also a hidden gem at the World Juniors, where he led all Belorussian defenders in points and plus/minus. While Kolyachonok still has a long season ahead of him, adjusting to tougher competition and a more intense pace of play in the OHL, if he is able to thrive in London, then he could potentially even be the highest-drafted player from his country in some time at the draft next year.
Golden Knights To Name Fort Wayne Komets As ECHL Affiliate
August 21: The Golden Knights have officially announced the affiliation. It is a one-year agreement for the 2018-19 season.
August 8: Another day, another potential ECHL affiliate off the market for those NHL teams still searching. Justin Cohn of The Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne, Indiana reports that the hometown team is just “a signature away” from becoming affiliated with the league’s newest team, the Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights. As the organizational depth of the Knights grows even more in the team’s second year, it needs a location for those players who are not getting enough play time at the AHL level. Who better than the Komets, Vegas coach Gerard Gallant‘s first head coaching gig, to solve that problem.
The nature of NHL-ECHL partnerships often varies team-by-team. Some NHL programs maintain strong, lasting relationships with their “AA” affiliate and devote multiple players to their ranks, while others use it solely in an emergency to stash a player or two and switch affiliations frequently. It is always to the benefit of an NHL squad to have an ECHL affiliate, but some teams simply cherish the option more than others. Last season, the Komets were affiliates of the Arizona Coyotes and, as Cohn writes, ‘Yotes prospects Artur Tyanulin, Trevor Cheek, and Michael Houser were a key part of the team’s run to the Western Conference Finals. However, Arizona unexpectedly dropped Fort Wayne as their affiliate in favor of former AHL franchise the Norfolk Admirals. In search of a new feeder team, Cohn relays that the team had been talking to both Vegas and the Nashville Predators, but Nashville has instead chosen to share the nearby Atlanta Gladiators team with the Boston Bruins. With just one contender remaining, it is now all but official between the Golden Knights and Komets.
There have been several changes in allegiance this off-season, but once this affiliation becomes official – as well as Nashville and Atlanta – there will only be a handful of NHL and ECHL teams left un-aligned. According to the league, the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, and Tampa Bay Lightning remain without an ECHL affiliate, while the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, Orlando Solar Bears, and Rapid City Rush do not have NHL affiliates. There is still some time for some of those teams to figure out a deal before the puck drops on the 2018-19 season.
2006 NHL Draft Take Two: First Overall Pick
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.
In the fall of 2016, PHR ran a series where fans were able to choose the order in which draft picks should have been selected during the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. While Sidney Crosby was still the obvious choice for first overall, there was huge turnover for the rest of the first round. Even looking back less than two years later some voters may change their mind, given Carey Price‘s (voted second overall) recent struggles.
This time around we’ll be looking at the infamous 2006 draft, in which Erik Johnson was picked first overall ahead of star forwards like Jonathan Toews, Phil Kessel and Nicklas Backstrom. Three players from the 2006 first round would never suit up for a single NHL game, while seven others would last fewer than 100 games. The 2006 draft was loaded with talent at the top, but where would these stars go if selected today with the benefit of hindsight?
Over the next month as we wait for training camp to begin, we’ll be going through the entire 2006 NHL Entry Draft and have the PHR community select who they would have picked knowing the result of the player’s career. We’ll include a list of players to vote for, and update the first round as it progresses. While 2005 was a clear cut answer at first overall, there might be a little more debate on who is the first off the board this time around.
The St. Louis Blues had the first selection over a decade ago, and went with a big physical defenseman from the US National Team Development Program in Johnson. After a year at the University of Minnesota, Johnson stepped right into a full-time role with the Blues and hasn’t looked back. With 637 career games under his belt and still an important part of the Colorado Avalanche blue line, Johnson can’t be considered a bust. Was he the right selection though at the very top of the draft?
With the first pick of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, who should the St. Louis Blues select? Cast your vote below!
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