Morning Notes: Tavares, Predators, Pospisil
The chatter on John Tavares continues incessantly, with the days ticking down before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2018 (345 remain). Today, Brett Cyrgallis of the New York Post writes that while the fans may be tapping their toes in anticipation, there isn’t reason to panic just yet. Cyrgallis conducted a poll of people “in and around the NHL” that supported Garth Snow in his patient approach.
The Islanders are still in arena limbo, and missed the playoffs last year despite 94 points. This summer has seen the addition of Jordan Eberle, and a return to the post season would do nothing but help sway Tavares to re-sign long term. As Arthur Staple of Newsday points out on Twitter, there remains an extremely low chance the team deals Tavares this summer.
- The Nashville Predators have hired Dan Muse to replace the outgoing Phil Housley as an assistant coach for 2017-18, and have promoted Kevin McCarthy to associate head coach. Muse is a shooting star in terms of coaching prospects, jumping straight from a USHL championship with the Chicago Steel to an NHL bench at just 35 years old. Before taking the job with Chicago, he had been an assistant coach for several seasons at Yale under Keith Allain, a former NHL assistant and goalie coach.
- The Toronto Marlies have signed Kristian Pospisil to a two-way minor league contract, bringing him into the system after an excellent development camp. The Maple Leafs will have no contract slots left after signing Connor Brown, meaning they can only give out these types of minor league deals until moving out some bodies. Pospisil played with first-round draft pick Eeli Tolvanen this year for the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL, scoring 40 points in 48 games. Passed over in the draft multiple times, the 6’2″ winger was a free agent and able to sign with anyone.
Minor Moves: Finn, Moore, Johnston
After spending most of last season in the ECHL, Matt Finn has reached a deal with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on a two-way AHL deal. Just like a two-way NHL contract, that means Finn will be paid different amounts between the ECHL and AHL. He will not count towards the New York Islanders’ contract limit.
Just 23, Finn has been a disappointment since being selected 35th-overall by the Maple Leafs. During his days for the Guelph Storm of the OHL, and before that in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, Finn was a dynamic two-way defenseman capable of racking up points while also shutting down the opponent’s best offensive weapons. That next-level ability disappeared in professional hockey, and he’s bounced up and down between the two minor leagues for several years.
- The San Jose Barracuda have inked Bryan Moore and David Makowski to one-way AHL contracts, bringing them in after successful seasons with the Allen Americans of the ECHL. The pair combined for 101 points in 86 games for the club, but will now get their chance to play in the AHL. Makowski, a defenseman, is best known for his play at the University of Denver where he captained the Pioneers to a NCHC Championship in 2014.
- The Manitoba Moose have hired Marty Johnston as an assistant coach, bringing him away from Carleton University in Ottawa. Johnston has coached there for seven seasons. A former minor league player, Johnston is an up-and-coming coach who may get a head coaching chance in the AHL at some point in the next few years. For now he’ll get the chance to work with some of Winnipeg’s top prospects, including Jack Roslovic and Kyle Connor if they don’t make the Jets out of camp.
Rangers Sign Goalie Alexander Georgiev
Wednesday: The team has officially announced the contract.
Monday: The New York Rangers have made an interesting off-season move, signing Russian goaltender Alexander Georgiev to an entry-level contract. The 21-year-old keeper, who went undrafted in 2014 and 2015, was a free agent playing in the Finnish Liiga. CapFriendly reports that he’ll now head across the Atlantic to join the Rangers organization on a three-year deal worth $792.5K at the NHL level.
Although undrafted, Georgiev has begun to make a name for himself on the international stage in recent years. Unlike most promising Russian prospects, Georgiev left the country to join TPS in Finland for the 2014-15 season. His performance as the backup for the team – a 2.21 GAA in 14 games in 2014-15 and a 2.28 GAA in 10 games in 2015-16 – caught the eye of the Russian World Junior team. Not only did Georgiev make the team, he started five games at the 2016 tournament. He then took over as the starter for TPS this past season, posting a stellar 1.70 GAA and .923 save percentage in 27 games as just a 21-year-old in a men’s league. The young goalie has plenty of upside to go along with many questions about his game as well.
Yet, his current resume seems to have been enough for the Rangers to give him a shot in the AHL. With Henrik Lundqvist and the newly signed Ondrej Pavelec as a solid one-two punch at the NHL level, Georgiev will certainly head for the minors, where he can compete for starts on the Hartford Wolf Pack. After losing Magnus Hellberg to the KHL and choosing not to re-sign Mackenzie Skapski, there’s definitely room for someone to take control in Hartford. Georgiev will battle incumbent Brandon Halverson, a 2014 second-round pick who struggled in his first pro season, and Bowling Green University’s Chris Nell, who also struggled in his brief AHL showing at the end of last season. Georgiev may just end up as the AHL starter, and candidate to see NHL time, when all is said and done.
Red Wings Notes: Blashill, Rasmussen, Sadowy
Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill has a message for fans regarding summer hockey: temper your excitement. Blashill tells MLive’s Brendan Savage that summer hockey “isn’t real hockey” and goes to acknowledge that while it’s exciting to see hockey in July, it isn’t what it appears. From Savage:
“I used to recruit lots (as a college coach) and we’d go to tryout camps and watch them and you always had to temper it because it’s not real hockey. Again, for me, it’s just a good first glance, gives me a little better feel come main camp for most of these guys.”
Meanwhile, ninth overall pick Michael Rasmussen sat out a scrimmage due to a wrist injury from February. Savage reports that it was precautionary, and that he hasn’t indicated any issues with the injury after two days.
- A number of Red Wings blogs are at development camp and have done detailed write ups on the prospects participating. Winging It In Motown writer SlapshotGoal featured Rasmussen, specifically writing about his skating ability that many scouts, analysts, and fans were quick to criticize. The article goes on to say that it’s “baffling” how so many critique his skating, and she goes on to write an in-depth piece (with video) that reveals a skating ability that may be very underrated. Drawing comparisons to speedsters Dylan Larkin, and Andreas Athanasiou, she writes that Rasmussen is able to make adjustments “on the fly” and noting that between his speed, effortless stride, and body control, it gives him a “fluid gracefulness.” This type of analysis should quiet some critics, and give Rasmussen the benefit of the doubt in being a top ten pick.
- With a roster that needs to younger, Detroit Free Press beat writer Helene St. James writes that prospect Dylan Sadowy has impressed Grand Rapids coach Todd Nelson, despite a season that seemed to show a step back for him as a goal scorer. Nelson cautions patience because Sadowy is so young and there is a jump from the OHL to the AHL. Sadowy was told by Detroit brass to work on his conditioning, believing it will go a long way in helping his game. Sadowy spent time with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL in addition to the Griffins, registering 10 points (5-5) in 44 games between both squads.
PHR Mailbag: Duchene, Kessel, Hurricanes, Bruins
We’ve been taking your off-season inquiries over the weekend in the comments and using #PHRMailbag on Twitter. Here are some questions and answers to ponder:
Conorsoxfan: Is Matt Duchene still going to be moved? What about Landeskog? Are the Avs waiting for the right offer or are they holding on to all their assets for now?
We received several questions about Matt Duchene and for good reason. The Avalanche have been speaking with teams since the Trade Deadline about moving the talented forward and Duchene himself is on record as saying that he is open to a move, but months later he is still in Colorado. It seems that GM Joe Sakic has a very specific (and lofty) return in mind and is hesitant to move Duchene without getting exactly what he wants. That return certainly includes a young, proven defenseman, which is not exactly a commodity that most teams are eager to move. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes seem like they have the best chance of meeting Sakic’s demands, as both teams are loaded with young, NHL-ready defenseman. However, the rumor that Colorado rejected a deal for Travis Hamonic that included Duchene makes you wonder if Sakic is searching for a caliber of player that is simply unavailable. It would be best for Duchene, the Avs, and the rest of the NHL trade market if a deal would get done sooner rather than later, but don’t be surprised if Duchene is still a talking point at the next Trade Deadline.
As for Gabriel Landeskog, rumors of his deaparture have definitely been on the back burner this summer after he too was hot topic at the Trade Deadline. Although the Avalanche are coming off a historically bad season, they seem to be playing it safe with their rebuild. They have not sold off all of their veteran pieces, nor have they operated like a team that’s pushing for a playoff spot. Their only major additions this season are a backup goaltender, Jonathan Bernier, and a low risk-high reward gamble, Nail Yakupov. They got potentially the best player in the draft at #4 overall in defenseman Cale Makar, but he is at least two seasons away from seeing NHL ice time. It seems that Sakic is content with keeping his roster intact and slowly adding in younger players and moving out older pieces. That type of status quo strategy would seem to indicate that Colorado isn’t keen on losing its captain unless the return could truly change the course of the franchise. Especially if Duchene does end up traded, don’t expect Landeskog to follow. He’s likely to remain in Colorado for the time being.
@Wings16Canes13: When and will Pittsburgh trade Kessel? Or does another coach have to go first?
It always seems like there’s some controversy surrounding Phil Kessel. This question alludes to rumors coming out of Pittsburgh that the uber-talented winger and head coach Mike Sullivan don’t see eye-to-eye on many things. Moreover, it’s been said that assistant Rick Tocchet acted as go-between for the two these past two seasons, and with Tocchet likely headed to Arizona as the head coach of the Coyotes, the relationship between Kessel and Sullivan could get worse. However, the Pittsburgh Penguins are also back-to-back Stanley Cup champs, with both Kessel and Sullivan playing major roles in each title. Neither is likely to be on the move any time soon, especially not because they dislike each other. It may not be the most comfortable locker room, but the two will learn to live with each other and any struggles for the Penguins in 2017-18 will be attributed to Stanley Cup hangover, not a feuding coach and player. With that said, Kessel has a $6.8MM cap hit for five more years, which could cause cap trouble down the road for the Penguins, while the team has also shown a willingness to move on from head coaches after just a down season or two. Both Kessel and Sullivan could be gone in a few years, but it’s impossible to know which first and when, only that it’s highly unlikely to be this year.
mikedickinson: Hurricanes are loaded on defense and have three kids who can play in the AHL as well. They aren’t trading any of their top 4. Can they trade from their strength to address a weakness (center)? Also, JVR to Raleigh to play with his brother?
The Carolina Hurricanes boast one of the youngest, deepest, and most talented defensive corps in the entire league. All-Star Justin Faulk leads a group that includes 2015 #5 pick Noah Hanifin, 2012 fourth-rounder Jaccob Slavin, 2013 third-rounder Brett Pesce, 2014 #7 pick Haydn Fleury, 2014 second-rounder Roland McKeown, and now the recently-acquired Trevor van Riemsdyk, not to mention dependable depth defender Klas Dahlbeck and 2016-17 AHL surprise Jake Chelios. There’s also 2016 first-rounder Jake Bean to consider as well, though he remains in juniors. That group has one thing in common: none of them are more than 26 years old. When the Hurricanes acquired van Riemsdyk from the Vegas Golden Knights last month, many felt that the move indicated that Faulk, the team’s top right-shot defenseman, would be on the move. After all, the team has been linked to Matt Duchene as well as others as they try to bring their forward depth up to the same level as their defense. However, GM Ron Francis has stated since that he wants to keep his starters together. It also seems unlikely that he’s keen to move talented teenager Bean, leaving promising, but slowly developing players like Fleury, McKeown, and Chelios as his top trade chips from the blue line. None of those players will get a Duchene or similar-caliber player, but don’t be surprised if the ‘Canes use them to add some depth forwards this off-season or along the way next season. If Francis is posturing, then yes any of Faulk, Hanafin, Slavin, or Pesce could be used to bring in a big fish.
As for James van Riemsdyk, it is an interesting development to have his brother in Carolina, an up-and-coming team (like the Maple Leafs) that’s in need of an impact forward. JVR is entering the final year of his contract and it seems unlikely that Toronto will re-sign him, considering the expensive extensions coming down the line for Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. The question then becomes whether or not the Leafs are interested in moving him this off-season and whether the Hurricanes are willing to pay the price for his services this year when they can sign him next summer for free. If the Leafs look to deal him, Fleury or McKeown as the centerpieces likely won’t cut it. The Leafs are on the hunt for a top-pair right-shot to pair with Morgan Rielly and Faulk certainly fits the bill, but that’s a high price to pay for an impending free agent. I think you’re on to something with JVR and TVR teaming up in Carolina, but I think it could come at a lower price toward the Trade Deadline or via free agency next off-season.
mpfallon: Will the bruins make some big offseason moves?
This depends on your definition of “big”. Despite rumors that the Bruins have been looking into acquiring a top-four left-handed defenseman and a top-six winger, GM Don Sweeney has also made it clear that he doesn’t want to acquire players that will block Boston’s talented young prospects. College star Anders Bjork, 2015 first-rounder Jake DeBrusk, Peter Cehlarik, who got a taste of the NHL last year, and possibly even Danton Heinen and Jesse Gabrielle will all compete with Frank Vatrano, Matt Beleskey, and recent signing Kenny Agostino for a top-nine spot on the left side, and Ryan Spooner could join the mix if the B’s prefer rookie Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson at third line center. The left wing battle could spill over to the right side as well, where top forward prospect Zach Senyshyn will also look to make the team. On the blue line, Rob O’Gara, Jakub Zboril, and Jeremy Lauzon will all fight for the final spot on the left side, and the recent signing of Paul Postma could indicate that the team is okay with moving Kevan Miller to the left side to free up a spot for Adam McQuaid to continue to be a starter with Postma as the seventh man.
There is more than enough depth in Boston that the Bruins may make no moves for the rest of the off-season. Odds are that they do something, but likely not anything “big”. A trade for a left-shot defenseman, possibly a Nick Holden or Jonathan Ericsson, or the signing of a stopgap winger, like Drew Stafford, Thomas Vanek, or Alex Chiasson seems possible, but anything bigger could be a long shot. So the short answer to your question is no, they won’t make “big off-season moves”. They could make a small, but significant move or two, but chances are a big trade would come closer to the Trade Deadline after they give the kids a shot first.
Leafs’ Cap Woes Not Yet Fatal
Much has been made by the Toronto media in recent months regarding the team’s future cap situation. Currently, they sit at $3.929 MM over the cap ceiling. That issue is relatively unimportant considering the players that will end up on long-term injured reserve, but the sudden pressure of being “in the red” has started to make analysts nervous about the team’s future. The man source of concern surrounds the three star youngsters, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander, who will all need contracts before 2019-20. The 21 year-old Nylander’s RFA year is 2018-19 so his contract will be the first domino to fall.
Recently, Howard Berger penned an article proposing the necessity of moving on from one of Marner or Nylander due to impending budget restraints, and he ultimately advocated for the movement of the latter. The Toronto Star’s Damien Cox takes a more comprehensive look at the situation, but ultimately comes down with a fatalistic view of the situation – that it can only be rectified by abandoning one of these players in their primes. The author postulates that an approximate “37 percent of Toronto’s payroll” could be sacrificed to just that trio, estimating that the cap will rise only moderately (likely true).
There’s a very solid possibility that Toronto is overvaluing their own players’ worth a tad. There is also the incredible probability that one of the three may have a setback year, at least points-wise, which will bring a contract back down into reasonable territory. Matthews may not even make $10 MM on his first deal, and Marner and Nylander look to be only slightly more valuable collectively contract wise than say, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. Will the contracts be expensive? Absolutely. But will the three earn $30 MM combined? Not likely.
Ultimately, Toronto has difficult decisions ahead. Cox was correct in his assessment that Toronto is “going for it” now – the Patrick Marleau and depth player signings confirm that the team wants to compete in the short-term. But the long-term prospects probably don’t include sacrificing any of these players. With a combined cap devotion of slightly above 30%, the situation is entirely manageable. The go-to example for star-power, of course, should be the Pittsburgh Penguins who have successfully shuffled accessory pieces out as they begin to become overpaid. Their big three – Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang account for $25.45 MM of the team’s salary, a solid 34.8% of the allowable cap last season. Toronto fans shouldn’t start hitting the panic button, and internally the course ahead financially is likely already plotted. The team will need to find players on cheap contracts and hunt for bargains, while moving out older expensive pieces as the core group matures. Adding Marleau for a third season also wasn’t particularly helpful as 2019-20 will be the tightest fit. That said, Marner and Nylander shouldn’t start packing their bags just yet.
Stars Sign Miro Heiskanen To Entry-Level Contract
The first top ten signing of the 2017 NHL Draft class is in the books, as the Dallas Stars have signed third overall pick Miro Heiskanen to his first pro contract. The team announced that the 17-year-old Finnish defenseman has signed on for the maximum entry-level deal of three years and $925K per.
An entry-level deal does not officially begin to toll until the player skate in 10 NHL games and Heiskanen’s deal does not necessarily imply that he is bound for the big leagues in 2017-18. However, the swiftness with which GM Jim Nill and the Stars got this deal done does seem to imply that the plan is to get Heiskanen started right away. The two-way puck-mover was considered one of the most pro-ready prospects in the draft and was always going to be given the chance to compete for a job in camp. With Heiskanen in town for the Stars’ development camp this week, it was the perfect time to get the deal done and show the youngster that they believe he can make a difference right away.
A quick look at the Dallas depth chart certainly shows an opportunity for Heiskanen to make the team and have a considerable role this season. There are many names with NHL experience on the Stars’ roster, but few that made much of an impact for the team that finished ahead of only the Colorado Avalanche in goals allowed in 2016-17. Defenseman John Klingberg is the leader of the blue line and an elite offensive defenseman, but he is a right-shot. Up-and-coming Julius Honka, a smaller, quicker clone of Klingberg, is also a right-shot. Stephen Johns, who played in the fourth-most games of any Stars defender, is also a right shot. Dallas is solid on the right side, but there are plenty of questions on the left, where Heiskanen plays. Recently-acquired Marc Methot is obviously a lock for the top pair. Esa Lindell had a strong rookie season and will surely play a major role for the Stars. Veteran Dan Hamhuis has a disappointing first season in Dallas; the veteran puck-mover skated in 79 games, recording just one goal, and was scratched for the other three. He’ll likely lose play time and take on a smaller role next season, but his contract would be hard to move, so Hamhuis will likely remain in Dallas nonetheless. That final spot on the left side could belong to Heiskanen. In a puzzling move, Nill traded Jordie Benn, Stars captain Jamie Benn‘s older brother, to the Montreal Canadiens at the trade deadline for another right-hander, Greg Pateryn, and a fourth-round pick, leaving a hole on the left side. Jamie Oleksiak and Patrik Nemeth, both high picks in recent years, are still relatively young at 24 and 25 respectively, but were unable to seize their opportunities last season, struggling to produce points and frequently making mistakes in their own end. With a good showing in camp, Heiskanen could be able to make a case that he is more ready for a starting role than Oleksiak, Nemeth, or the aging Hamhuis. It may cause a logjam on the blue line in Dallas and force a move, but having a 17-year-old push out under-performing veterans is a problem that Nill won’t mind having.
KHL Notes: Off-Season, Gilroy, Roy, Zadorov
Given the relatively weak NHL free agent market and the financial instability of the KHL, it would not have been a surprise to see an influx of talent come overseas this off-season. When Vadim Shipachyov signed with the Vegas Golden Knights in June, it seemed that floodgates were about to open. Yet, one month later, it’s been quite the opposite. Other than Shipachyov’s SKA St. Petersburg teammate Evgeni Dadonov signing with the Florida Panthers, most big names in the KHL have re-signed, while others in North America have crossed over. Already, Mikhail Grigorenko and Nikita Nesterov have left the NHL for a return to Russia, as have Sergey Kalinin and Roman Lyubimov; prospects Nikita Gusev, Kirill Kaprizov, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Ilya Sorokin have decided to stay put, and so too have former NHLers playing overseas like Ben Scrivens, Paul Szczechura, and of course Ilya Kovalchuk; and even Nashville Predator’s first-round pick Eeli Tolvanen, spurned by Boston College, has signed in the KHL.
- Joining the trend of former NHLers staying in the KHL and joining Tolvanen with Helsinki, Finland-based club Jokerit is defenseman Matt Gilroy. The team announced the signing this morning, inking one of the KHL’s top-scoring blue liners to a one-year deal. Gilroy, 32, is a former Boston University standout who played in 225 NHL games over six seasons with the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers. Unable to ever find a long-term home or lock down a regular role, Gilroy crossed the Atlantic in 2014 and has never looked back. Gilroy had the best season of his professional career in 2016-17, but nonetheless decided to stick it out overseas.
- NHL veteran and four-time 20-goal scorer Derek Roy has bucked the trend of staying in the KHL, but he’s also not heading back to the NHL next season either. Roy continues his tour around Europe, as he has left Russia to sign in Sweden. Roy originally left the NHL to sign in Switzerland with the NLA’s SC Bern in 2015, and after a strong campaign, took a step up to the KHL. Roy played 21 games with Avangard Omsk last year before a mid-season trade sent him to Traktor Chelyabinsk for 34 games and the postseason. Altogether, Roy posted just 11 goals and 11 assists in the KHL last year, a drop off from his production in the NLA and from his NHL days as well. Roy will try his hand at the SHL this season, after signing with Linkoping HC, and will try to boost his offense back toward the 30+ point mark that he hit in the NLA and annually reached in the NHL, even at the end. At 34 years old, Roy is still trying to make the most of his ability overseas, but the door is not closed for a member of the NHL’s 500-point club to eventually try to make his North American comeback
- CSKA fans shouldn’t get their hopes up, but KHL insider Aivis Kalnins is reporting that the club has a deal in place with young Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov if the restricted free agent cannot come to terms on a new NHL deal. The news has gained traction today, but seems unlikely to be anything more than jsut a negotiation tactic. The 22-year-old blue liner is from Moscow, where CSKA plays, but played his junior hockey with the London Knights of the OHL before being drafted 16th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2013. Zadorov may have connections to his hometown team, but has always shown a commitment to North American hockey. The 6’5″, 230-lb. defender logged almost 20 minutes of ice time per game last year for Colorado, and even though they were historically bad, it seems extremely unlikely that they would let their best young defenseman go unsigned. The Avs have plenty of cap room and will budge on term if need be. Even if they couldn’t come to terms, the rebuilding Avs could get plenty in return for dealing Zadorov. Don’t expect him to use the CSKA safety blanket this off-season or any time soon. Grigorenko will be the only 2016-17 Avs member headed to Russia next season.
KHL Notes: Sorokin, Kuznetsov, Lyubimov
The New York Islanders have some of the top goalie prospects in the world, but will have to wait a few more years at least to see Ilya Sorokin on North American ice. The Russian goaltender has reached a three-year extension with CSKA Moscow. He was under contract for the 2017-18 season already.
Sorokin is one of the best goaltenders in the KHL, winning Goaltender of the Year two seasons ago age-20. Should he ever decide to come to North America the Islanders would welcome him with open arms, but it still doesn’t seem like he’s considering it. Back in May, he told reporters after the World Championships that he would be focused on the 2017-18 season, but an extension will keep him overseas even longer.
- The Washington Capitals re-signed Evgeny Kuznetsov to an eight-year, $62.4MM contract yesterday, and GM Brian MacLellan met with the media today to discuss it and other offseason moves the team has made so far. To Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press, he explained that the threat of Kuznetsov going back to Russia was real, and pushed the contract higher than they’d hoped. The decision was “do we let Kuznetsov walk to Russia and become a UFA in 2 years or do we trade Marcus [Johansson]?”
- Agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey announced today that Roman Lyubimov has signed with CSKA Moscow in order to try his hand at the 2018 Olympics, something he hinted at back in April. Lyubimov is a restricted free agent with the Philadelphia Flyers after playing 47 games with the club last season. The 25-year old scored just six points, and didn’t make the impact they’d hoped for.
Red Wings Acquire Keeper Tom McCollum
On the biggest signing day of the year, the Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings have instead been talking trade. The Flames have agreed to send goalie Tom McCollum, extended only for Expansion Draft purposes, to the Detroit Red Wings for a conditional seventh-round draft pick, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. The Flames, who have recently added both Mike Smith and Eddie Lack in net and have to also accommodate prospects Jon Gillies and Mason McDonald, were reportedly working to loan McCollum out to another AHL team anyway. Instead, McCollum will head back to Detroit, the organization who drafted him and where he spent the first seven years of his career, presumably to back up Jared Coreau in the AHL.