Canadian Juniors Could Change Approach To Foreign Goalies
In 2013, the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), the overarching body in major junior hockey that governs the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Western Hockey League (WHL), and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), decided to ban teams from drafting European goalies. The CHL holds an annual Import Draft in which all 60 teams across the three leagues are given two chances to draft foreign talent in an attempt to fill their two import slots on the roster for the following season. Sometimes the players who are drafted come over and other times they don’t. However, five years ago, CHL president David Branch and company decided to no longer take the risk of bringing in foreign keeper who could then in turn block young North American goalies by not allowing teams to select them in the import draft. While the idea was to protect the development and value of homegrown products, the result was a weaker product across the CHL and a more difficult time for their business partners in the NHL to evaluate foreign goalies.
In fairness, the decision was made after a stretch of dominant play by European keepers at the major junior level. In 2010-11, the top save percentage in both the OHL and QMJHL belonged to imports: Petr Mrazek and Christopher Gibson. Not long before, Michal Neuvirth was one of the OHL’s best as well. In the mid-2000’s, Ondrej Pavelec controlled the QMJHL, leading the league in goals against average in back-to-back seasons among other accomplishments, and is arguably still the league’s best goaltender in history.
This isn’t to say that Canadian and American goalies didn’t also flourish at that time as well, which calls the decision back into question. This was always a concern of quality over quantity, as the vast majority of teams still employed a North American starter and often a local backup or two as well. The CHL may have been concerned with the talent of some foreign prospects overshadowing Canada’s best, but they could never have honestly argued there was a lack of opportunity due to imported players. Top 2018 draft-eligible CHL prospects Andrei Svechnikov and Filip Zadina are both imports, yet they would never ban forwards.
Nevertheless, the CHL made a decision which clearly hurt their own competition level by excluding some of the top junior-level goaltending talent in the world without any evidence that it was truly hurting their domestic counterparts. Now, years later, the league is rethinking that decision. John Matisz of the Toronto Sun reports that the league is considering lifting the ban on foreign goalies, and for good reason. The ban has simply made it harder for NHL team to evaluate European keepers – with foreign leagues often dominated by older, experienced players, while the top young skaters come overseas – but hasn’t stopped them from being drafted into the pros at the same rate as CHL goalies. Meanwhile, top prospects such as Ukko-Pekka Luukonen (Buffalo), Filip Gustavsson (Ottawa), and 2018-eligible Jakub Skarek still reside overseas, but could surely benefit nearly any team in the CHL. The major juniors face little risk that a reversal would harm them in any way.
Interesting enough though, it may still be in European goalies’ best interests to remain in Europe and for NHL teams to focus on those who stay and face older, professional talent. The list of foreign goaltenders who played major junior in Canada and remain in the NHL – Mrazek, Neuvirth, Pavelec, Peter Budaj, Philipp Grubauer, Jaroslav Halak, Anton Khudobin, Marek Langhamer, Robin Lehner, and the most recent CHL import star, Oscar Dansk – all have one thing in common: they aren’t bona fide starters. Meanwhile, the likes of Sergei Bobrovsky, Henrik Lundqvist, Pekka Rinne, Tuukka Rask, and Andrei Vasilevskiy avoided North America until turning pro, and it worked out much better for them. With a new class of European goalies likely to join the CHL sooner rather than later, we’ll see if that trend continues.
Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes
With the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, we continue our closer look at the situation for each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Carolina Hurricanes.
The NHL Trade Deadline is tomorrow at 2:00PM CT. Not only have the Carolina Hurricanes yet to make a move, but there have hardly been any whispers of GM Ron Francis and company talking to to other teams. The Hurricanes are in a tough position with the deadline growing closer and closer. Carolina is in the thick of the Eastern Conference wild card race, three points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final postseason spot, grappling for position with the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers. They also have an NHL-worst eight-year postseason drought to think about when considering their deadline position. At the same time, few would call the ‘Canes lineup a true contender this season. Carolina is a bottom-ten team in both goals for and goals against with a -25 goal differential that ranks last among any team remaining relevant in postseason contention. So while the team is desperate to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs, they may be lucky to still even be in contention and could question giving up assets at the deadline without a real chance at a title run. The fact that the Hurricanes have had no presence on the trade market thus far speaks volumes about their own indecision on how to handle the 2018 trade deadline.
Record
27-25-10, seventh in the Metropolitan Division
Deadline Status
Standing pat
Deadline Cap Space
$72,699,714 in deadline cap space
49/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Draft Picks
2018: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th, VGK 7th
2019: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, CAR 6th, CGY 6th
Trade Chips
If the Hurricanes are sellers, then they have a few impending free agents with value to contenders. The main target would likely be Derek Ryan, who has had yet another strong season in Raleigh after breaking into the NHL seemingly out of nowhere. A versatile, two-way forward with strong possession abilities, Ryan is an ideal pickup for any team looking to add depth and fill out their bottom-six. Veteran Lee Stempniak is also a serviceable bottom-six forward who is no stranger to being dealt at the deadline and finding a role for himself on a new team. Of course, the big name that could move from the Hurricanes would be career keeper Cam Ward, the hero of Carolina’s magical Stanley Cup run in 2006. Ward is an impending free agent and, although he has taken the starting job back from newcomer Scott Darling, is not likely to stay with the ‘Canes for much longer. There are one or two teams out there looking for relief in net and Ward could be an attractive target if made available. For anyone expecting the Hurricanes to “sell” players like Justin Faulk and Jeff Skinner, don’t hold your breath, at least at this deadline.
If the Hurricanes are buyers, they offer several promising young prospects and a near-full collection of draft picks to sellers. Blocked by a deep top-six with staying power, young defenseman Roland McKeown is becoming more expendable as the days go on. The highly-regarded 2014 second-rounder could use a change of scenery to somewhere with more opportunity and Francis would be willing to deal him for the right return. Similarly, forward prospects like Valentin Zykov and Lucas Wallmark have been kicking around the AHL for long enough, without a real chance to showcase their NHL ability, that the value of their recent draft positions is beginning to wear off. The Hurricanes would be wise to move on from them if the right deal presents itself.
Players To Watch: F Derek Ryan, F Lee Stempniak, F Josh Jooris, D Klas Dahlbeck, G Cam Ward
Team Needs
1) A Star and A Starting Goalie
The main reason that the Carolina Hurricanes are most likely to stand pat at this deadline is because the two things they need to take the next step are the two things that are most difficult to find in hockey: a game-changing player and a top goaltender. It’s not unreasonable to think they can acquire these players somehow, but at the deadline it’s next to impossible. More than anything, the ‘Canes need a legitimate first-line power center and that player simply isn’t available at this deadline. Maybe this summer, but not right now. The Darling experiment has been a failure, but there’s no one on the market who is a lock to outplay him long-term in net. Carolina’s two biggest needs are much easier to address in the off-season. Expect their efforts – and top trade assets – to be put to use then, rather than during the next 24 hours.
2) A Scoring Forward
If, and it’s a big if, the Hurricanes decide to go for it this year and make a deal that significantly increases their odds of making the playoffs, they need to improve their scoring. The team is solid on the back end and the situation in net is what it is, but up front they have many nice complementary players, but lack that one player who can transform them into a cohesive unit (hence the need for a star forward). A player who can improve the team’s ability to put the puck in the net, not specifically a shooter or play-maker but simply a player with great offensive instincts, would be of interest to Carolina. An impending free agent or a player with term could be sought out; they certainly have the cap space to afford a long-term, expensive contract if need be. With a horrid playoff drought and a new, proactive owner, it’s definitely possible that Carolina could jump into the conversation for a Mike Hoffman or Max Pacioretty, but more likely than not, they save the assets needed to acquire either one for the summer trade market.
Montreal Deals Tomas Plekanec To Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have acquired veteran center Tomas Plekanec from the Montreal Canadiens. The trade will have Montreal sending Plekanec and forward Kyle Baun to Toronto in exchange for defenseman Rinat Valiev, winger Kerby Rychel and Toronto’s second-round pick in the 2018 draft. The Canadiens will retain 50 percent of Plekanec’s salary (the maximum allowed), according to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie.
With the Canadiens retaining half of Plekanec’s salary, that still leaves Toronto with $6MM in cap space to work with, meaning they could still add another piece if they choose to do so. Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby writes the team is interesting in acquiring New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh.
Many predicted that Toronto would hop into the trade market, especially after the Boston Bruins added Rick Nash this morning from the New York Rangers. On the surface it looks like Toronto made a nice move as they moved two average prospects and a second-rounder to improve their bottom-line depth at center. There has been talk that Toronto coach Mike Babcock hasn’t been high on their fourth-line center Dominic Moore. Plekanec can now fill that void and energize the team’s bottom lines.
Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports that the Canadiens worked with Plekanec to find the right fit although he did not have a no-trade clause. The 35-year-old wanted to stay in the Eastern Conference. The also talked about an extension in Montreal and there remains the possibility to bring Plekanec back to Montreal in the offseason. Plekanec, who has been with the franchise his entire career has played 981 games in Montreal.
As for the Canadiens, the team did get a number of pieces in return for the long-time center. They received Toronto’s second-rounder, which will give the franchise four second-round picks in this year’s draft.
Valiev is likely to join Montreal for the rest of the season as the 22-year-old defenseman is a left-handed defenseman, who many believe should fill out to be a solid bottom-pairing defenseman. He has played three full seasons with the AHL Toronto Marlies and has made 10 appearances for the Maple Leafs, all last season. Valiev has five goals and 10 assists in 40 games this year with the Marlies. Rychel is a former first-round pick in 2013 by the Columbus Blue Jackets but struggled to produce. Columbus traded him to Toronto two years ago and Rychel has shown some promise, putting up 19 goals last year with the Marlies and he currently has 10 goals this year. Both are good players, but were having trouble breaking through the Maple Leafs depth charts. That may change with Montreal.
Toronto also got Baun in the deal. While he has played five games in the NHL, that was back in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Since being acquired at the start of the season from the Chicago Blackhawks, Baun has spent the season with the Laval Rocket of the AHL and four goals and 12 assists in 54 games.
Boston Bruins Frontrunners For Rangers’ Nash
Multiple sources, including Elliotte Friedman, are indicating that the Boston Bruins are the leading candidates to acquire New York Rangers winger Rick Nash. Pierre LeBrun writes that Boston made an offer earlier today that the Rangers are considering.
With the trade deadline less than two days away, talks are heating up and the Bruins are doing what it can to bolster their forward line for a playoff run. Nash would be a solid addition to a team that already has a lot of pieces in place to make a deep playoff run. With Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bruins have now fallen into third place in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and three points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning. With so many assets, it might make sense to upgrade.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie adds that Boston has the assets to make a deal happen. They have their own first-round picks and have a number of solid prospects that the Rangers might find interesting, including Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Ryan Lindgren and Trent Frederic among others.
The only problem will be whether Boston can absorb Nash’s salary. According to CapFriendly, the Bruins have $491,370 available in cap space, which is the equivalent of a $2.176,067 cap hit. Nash’s $7.8MM cap hit translates to $1,761,2890, which falls way short. So more salary would need to be unloaded, which seems unlikely, the Rangers would have to retain some of Nash’s salary or a third team would be needed for the trade to continue.
Brassard Trade Notes: Vegas, Reaves, Lindberg, Pouliot, Cole
After a wild night in which the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, and Vegas Golden Knights put together one of more complex trades in recent memory (here’s a brief summary for those still confused), there are still some questions to be answered. Sportsnet’s John Shannon both asked and answered one of the most prevalent questions: why would the Knights get involved? Rather than simply trading cap space for some minor assets, GM George McPhee‘s motivation was a little more devious. Shannon states that McPhee knew Brassard was headed out West, likely to the Winnipeg Jets, unless he could intervene and help him stay in the East. So, not only did Vegas get a player and pick, but they also weakened their playoff competition.
- That player, Ryan Reaves, was likely no coincidence either. The 31-year-old enforcer has hardly inspired any team to pursue him with his production in 2017-18. However, as Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston points out, Reaves played his junior hockey with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. His coach while he was there was none other than Kelly McCrimmon, the Assistant GM of the Golden Knights. Some have speculated that the Knights may try to flip Reaves, but given his connection to one of the men in charge, that may not happen.
- The 2018 fourth-round pick bound for Vegas also has a bit more value than initially suspected. The Athletic’s Seth Rorabaugh clarifies that the pick sent by Pittsburgh was the one acquired from the Vancouver Canucks for Derrick Pouliot last summer. Thus, the Knights will be picking at the top of the fourth round rather than the bottom.
- What about the prospect heading to Pittsburgh from Vegas? Tobias Lindberg is just 22 and has just six games on NHL experience, but is already used to being in the middle of major trades. Rorabaugh recalls that Lindberg, an Ottawa fourth-rounder in 2013, was shipped to Toronto in the massive Dion Phaneuf trade. He then ended up in Las Vegas when the Leafs acquired Calvin Pickard earlier this year for Lindberg and a sixth-round pick.
- Finally, the Ottawa Senators are surely happy to have another first-round pick and one of the top goalie prospects in the world now in their grasp, but the stock-up of picks and prospects from this trade won’t end there. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Sens have been receiving calls all day about Ian Cole, the other piece added from Pittsburgh. Ottawa will surely flip the solid rearguard by Monday’s deadline.
Deadline Primer: Colorado Avalanche
With the trade deadline now just a few days away, we continue our closer look at the situation for each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Colorado Avalanche.
Well, it’s been a great run for the Colorado Avalanche this season. Really, who could have expected that the worst team in the NHL in 2016-17 would have still been competing for a playoff spot in February? The team has nothing to be disappointed in: they got a great return for Matt Duchene earlier this year, watched Nathan MacKinnon embrace his superstar role, and exceeded expectations as a group all year long. However, they were never supposed to be a playoff team this quickly and, barring a miraculous stretch run, they won’t be. Colorado has quickly fallen behind in the Western Conference playoff race in recent weeks. Since their ten-game win streak ended in January, the Avs are 5-7-2 and just barely sticking around the conversation for a playoff spot. They are sixth in the Central Division, with teams ahead of them like the Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars getting hot at the right time, making it difficult to see Colorado winning a divisional berth. Over in the Pacific, the resurgence of the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings, on top of the Stars, Wild and St. Louis Blues, also puts a wild card spot nearly out of reach. While it may not be the storybook ending some hoped for, it’s time for the Avalanche to cut ties with their rental players, if the right deal comes along, and move on, with eyes towards taking another step forward next year.
Record
32-23-5, sixth in the Central Division
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$37,680,931 in deadline cap space
44/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Draft Picks
2018: COL 1st, COL 2nd, NSH 2nd, COL 3rd, COL 4th, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th
2019: OTT 1st, COL 1st, COL 2nd, OTT 3rd, COL 3rd, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th
Trade Chips
Even if GM Joe Sakic and company decided they still wanted to keep pushing for a playoff spot, their deadline plans would be more or less the same. Colorado does not have a firm enough seat in the Western playoff race to warrant buying, but there is little difference between standing pat and “selling”. The team has only a few impending unrestricted free agents and Sakic will move them if the right deal comes along. If not, he will likely be happy to keep them as the Avs’ own “rentals” and, in some case, may even have extension talks. Headlining the group of available Avs are goaltenders Jonathan Bernier and Andrew Hammond, either of which could be expendable whether Colorado is a traditional “seller” or not. Bernier, who is currently sidelined with an injury but expected back soon, has been a great value addition to the team this season, outplaying incumbent starter Semyon Varlamov and forcing a near-even split in net. Bernier, if healthy, could be an attractive addition for a team in need of a more reliable backup goalie for the postseason. He could always re-sign in Colorado even if he is dealt. Hammond, on the other hand, has not seen any NHL action this season, but could be affordable added insurance for a playoff-bound squad. Blake Comeau, a former 20-goal scorer and consistent bottom-six contributor, will likely get the most attention as the deadline draws closer. Comeau would be a nice depth addition for any number of contenders. To a much lesser extent, Gabriel Bourque and Joe Colborne could also draw some interest. Colin Wilson has been a huge disappointment in Denver, but if the team is willing to eat some of his near-$4MM salary in 2019, they could easily trade the veteran forward away less than a year after acquiring him from Nashville.
Players to Watch: RW Blake Comeau, G Jonathan Bernier, D Mark Barberio, LW Gabriel Bourque, G Andrew Hammond
Team Needs
1) Picks and prospects
Again, the success that this team has achieved is a total surprise. They are still very much in a rebuild and, like all rebuilding teams, simply need to stock up on draft picks and prospects. The team got a great return for Duchene earlier this year, including a first-round pick and player selected with a first-round pick last year, and simply want to continue to accumulate those franchise building blocks. Given the pieces they’re willing to move, the Avs won’t be getting much back outside of mid-round picks and middling prospects anyway. If the Avalanche walk away from the trade deadline with some combination of third- and fourth-round picks and a prospect scoring winger or two, it will be a major success.
Vasili Koshechkin And The Reserve List Leftovers
Earlier today (or 9:00 PM South Korea time), the Olympic Athletes from Russia blanked the United States 4-0 in their final round of group play at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang. While Ilya Kovalchuk and his two goals drew much of the media attention, it was hard to ignore the solid play of goaltender Vasili Koshechkin. So who is Vasili Koshechkin? How could the best non-NHL goalie in Russia be a complete unknown? How was a 34-year-old with a sub-2.40 GAA in nine of his ten KHL seasons never given a chance in the NHL?
It’s a common question at international events such as the Olympics: how can many national team standouts have no NHL experience whatsoever? The most common explanation is simply that they were not good enough. Even the best players from some non-traditional hockey countries were never NHL-caliber, while others developed too late to be noticed before their NHL Draft eligibility ended. However, for a great many others, they were in fact drafted, but never came overseas to play on the grandest stage. Kosheckin falls into the latter category. The OAR starter was in fact an eighth-round selection of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2002. With a massive frame at a young age, the Bolts took a late flier on the raw prospect, only to watch him blossom into a star… in the KHL.
As much as North American fans believe that the NHL is hockey’s promised land, Europeans choosing to turn down a shot overseas altogether was actually fairly frequent. From 2000 to 2010, more than 30 European players – an entire round’s worth of prospects – were made bona fide contract offers from the teams that drafted them, but never signed an entry-level contract in the league, nor did they ever cross the Atlantic later in their careers. Those players then stay on a team’s “reserve list”, the same list used to retain the rights of young, recently-drafted players, whether they’re playing in juniors, college, or overseas. However, while many players have limits on how long their NHL rights remain exclusive, those playing in leagues like the KHL or NLA, who don’t have transfer agreements with the NHL, remain on their drafted teams’ reserve lists indefinitely until they retire from professional hockey. This is why, technically, Koshechkin would still be required to sign with the Lightning 16 years after being drafted.
Many of these players, unsurprisingly, are Russian. In addition to Koshechkin, fellow OAR teammate Sergei Mozyakin is also a well-known “never was”. A ninth-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2002, Mozyakin is considered to be one of the best players to never play in the NHL. A point-per-game (or better) player in 12 of the last 13 KHL seasons, Mozyakin is an offensive force to be reckoned with, even still at 36. Yet, Mozyakin never felt the need to leave Russia and remains on Columbus’ reserve list. A fellow Russian whose presence was at least felt in the NHL is Ruslan Zainullin. The 34th overall pick in 2000 by the Lightning, Zainullin’s rights were involved in several high-profile transactions, including being traded from Tampa to Phoenix as part of a package for Nikolai Khabibulin, then traded to Atlanta as part of a package for Darcy Hordichuk and picks, and finally – and most surprisingly – traded to Calgary straight-up for Marc Savard. Although clearly valued by NHL teams, Zainullin instead opted for a long (and somewhat underwhelming) career in Russia. In total, of the 30 players remaining on NHL reserve lists who never came over (over age 25), 24 were from Russia, the latest being defenseman Maxim Chudinov, drafted by the Boston Bruins in 2010. Other countries represented include two players each from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Switzerland.
Fortunately for NHL teams, the players themselves, and fans of hockey, this is a trend that seems to be dropping off dramatically. Prospects deemed worthy of drafting and signing are now almost always testing the waters of North American hockey, whether they go on to have a long NHL career or instead return home to Europe in short order. However, for a while that wasn’t the case, so when those players who sound unfamiliar pop up on the international stage, don’t consider them too bad for the NHL or instead a player who slipped through the cracks because sometimes, by their own decision, it’s neither.
New York Rangers More Interested In Adding Players Than Picks
When the New York Rangers openly admitted to fans that the team would undergo large changes as they look to tear down and then rebuild their roster, they made it quite clear what they were after. In a letter from Glen Sather and Jeff Gorton, the team claimed to be “focused on adding young, competitive players that combine speed, skill and character.”
Today, Andy Strickland of Fox Sports tweets that he has heard the Rangers are more interested in acquiring prospects and roster players than draft picks as they start their rebuild, one that could include dealing key players like Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello. While obviously the team will likely add at least a few draft picks over the next few weeks, a focus on bringing in young players who can compete in the NHL sooner rather than later gives us an insight into how long they believe the rebuild will take.
The Rangers selected twice in the first round last year, selecting Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson to beef up their prospect pool significantly, and still have a young core to build around in players like Brady Skjei (23), J.T. Miller (24) and Mika Zibanejad (24). If their trade deadline and subsequent summer sell-off results in several other high-profile prospects or young roster players, perhaps a rebuild won’t take as long as many have expected.
That’s good news for Henrik Lundqvist, who isn’t getting any younger and is still looking for that elusive Stanley Cup. The 35-year old goaltender has posted a .922 save percentage through 128 career playoff games, including 10 shutouts, but somehow has still not been able to get his team over the hump. With three more years remaining on his current contract, maybe the Rangers will be ready to compete before he sails off into the Swedish sunset.
Trade Candidate: Thomas Vanek
With the trade deadline approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.
New coach, new expectations, but in the end, the Vancouver Canucks don’t look that much different. Vancouver finds themselves in seventh place in the Pacific Division, once again not competing for a playoff spot. The Canucks had higher expectations this year when they decided to add some veteran depth to the team in hopes it might spark their young core to play at a higher level. The team does have hope as they have a large amount of talented young prospects that aren’t too far away from joining the team over the next few years, but they must answer the question if they want to move out veteran scorer Thomas Vanek.
Contract
Vanek is currently finishing up the one-year contract he signed this offseason with Vancouver at $2MM. He will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
2017-18
At age 34, many teams believed that Vanek’s game may have passed him by and many of those teams chose to look elsewhere this offseason. He wasn’t signed until Sept. 1 by Vancouver, but he continues to prove that he can score in this league. He currently has 16 goals in 56 games and has impressed management to the point that they are considering re-signing him to an extension.
While Vanek has been fortunate enough to play on a line with rookie sensation Brock Boeser, the veteran has shown he can still score clutch goals and set up his teammates as well. He is quite versatile and is capable of playing anywhere in the lineup if needed. His lack of speed, however, doesn’t help him.
Season Stats
55 GP, 15 goals, 22 assists, 37 points, -15 rating, 24 PIM, 102 shots, 13:59 ATOI, 44.7 CF%
Potential Suitors
Vanek could have a number of suitors, because of the fact that he won’t be very costly. The Detroit Red Wings, who traded away Vanek at the trade deadline a year ago, only received an average prospect and a third-round pick from the Florida Panthers. So, many teams that are short on salary cap space and picks may find Vanek to be an interesting option, ranging from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Nashville Predators.
One possibility could be the Boston Bruins, who are desperate for depth on the wings. Vanek might be a good fit to join the Bruins second or even third line and provide even more offense during a playoff run. His penalty killing skills might also be helpful for Boston as well.
Likelihood Of A Trade
It’s more of a 50-50 proposition. The team could easily find a take for Vanek, but will the Canucks get true value for him? Perhaps if the team can get a second-rounder for Vanek, then it might be worth it, but at the same time, there are rumors that Daniel Sedin and his brother Henrik Sedin are considering returning for another year next season. The question then is, should they keep Vanek around for another year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Atlantic Notes: Draper, Lecavalier, Eichel
The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James sat down with Detroit Red Wings special assistant (to the general manager) Kris Draper and talked scouting and development with the forward who played in Detroit from 1993-2011. The topic ranged from his assessment of the current squad to his optimism about the progress of prospects Dennis Cholowski and Michael Rasmussen. On the current team, Draper was complimentary about their fight, and stopped short of rooting for them to lose to help the team’s draft odds:
Listen, I know they are going to play hard and do everything they can to make the playoffs. They basically want to screw up our draft. Here we are talking about Rasmus Dahlin, a kid that potentially is going to be a franchise defenseman — they don’t care about that. They want to win. But in the end, for us to get better, we have to draft really well and then we have to find some gems.
St. James asked a follow-up question, wondering if the 2004 Selke Trophy winner would admit he was pulling for competitive, one-goal losses, but he wouldn’t bite. Draper works directly for Ken Holland, and he’s certainly a name to watch should Detroit and Holland part ways. Draper scouts both amateur and pro talent and is involved with team strategy according to the team’s site. But his greatest asset is his connection to the past, as the Red Wings have been very loyal to those who have worn the Winged Wheel. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Detroit go to a trusted name if Holland steps away–whether it’s Draper or assistant general manager Ryan Martin. The vast majority of Detroit fans are clamoring for the return of Yzerman–considered one of the best managers in the league and who was blocked by Holland when offered a chance to be the GM. His return seems unlikely, as Yzerman built the Lightning into a powerhouse. If Yzerman returned, he would have to endure an arduous rebuild in Hockeytown, saddled down by many unmovable contracts.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning former captain Vincent Lecavalier‘s #4 tonight, Lecavalier was the team’s #1 overall choice in the 1998 NHL draft and played fourteen seasons with the Bolts before being bought out after the 2012-13 season. Lecavalier is still the franchise’s all-time goals leader (383) and still holds the record for most points in a single season (108) back in 2007-08. Lecavalier’s number joins Martin St. Louis‘ #26 in the Amalie Arena rafters.
- Buffalo Sabres star Jack Eichel was injured after he fell awkwardly during the first period tonight and did not return. It appeared to be a right ankle or right leg injury. Despite a dreary season in Buffalo, Eichel has 53 points in 54 games (22-31), showing again the immense talent he possesses on a squad struggling to find its way. Though the team is positioned for a top pick in the coming draft, losing Eichel to any significant injury is just another negative to an already tough season for Sabres fans.