Jordan Binnington’s Bruins Past Could Play A Role In Cup Final
Plenty has been said about the meteoric rise of St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington this season. The 25-year-old rookie began the year as the team’s fourth-string option in net and did not make his first NHL start until January. Yet, he miraculously managed to pick up 24 wins in the second half of the season behind a league-best 1.89 goals against average and has led the Blues to the Stanley Cup Final. Part of Binnington’s dominance is that his emergence from obscurity meant that most opponents this season had little to no experience with facing him. However, the part of Binnington’s story that is now in the spotlight, and one that many still may not realize, is that last season Binnington played for none other than the AHL’s Providence Bruins.
Without an AHL affiliate in 2017-18, St. Louis was forced to split their minor league prospects between several AHL teams. With limited options for play time in net, the Blues opted to leave Ville Husso with many of his teammates on the San Antonio Rampage – now the team’s new affiliate – and loaned Binnington by himself to Providence for the year. Binnington played well, but made just 28 appearances over the course of the season as the backup to the Bruins’ Zane McIntyre. More importantly, he spent the whole campaign with the team.
Could this be an advantage for Boston in their upcoming Stanley Cup clash with the Blues? It certainly won’t hurt, but the bulk of the Bruins’ regulars did not spend much time in Providence last season. Of the players to skate in at least half of Boston’s games this season, only Danton Heinen and Matt Grzelcyk suited up for Providence last season and the pair combined for just 18 early-season games. Even current Bruins reserves like Peter Cehlarik, Trent Frederic, and Karson Kuhlman (none of whom are likely to draw into the Cup Final anyway) only spent limited time playing with Binnington. And the P-Bruins’ top players from last season – Austin Czarnik, Kenny Agostino, Colby Cave – have since departed the organization.
The one outlier, and potential Stanley Cup x-factor, is defenseman Connor Clifton. Clifton played the full season in Providence last year and spent much of this season in the AHL as well. However, Clifton has jumped on the opportunity presented by injuries to Kevan Miller and John Moore and has asserted himself as a starter for the Bruins this season. Even with Moore now healthy, as well as Steven Kampfer in the mix, the rookie defenseman has held on to his spot on the right side of the team’s bottom pair. Clifton has been trusted with meaningful minutes and even recorded his first NHL goal in the Eastern Conference Final. A player on the smaller side who makes up for his lack of stature with both tenacity and intelligence, Clifton is not a player to be overlooked and his experience playing with Binnington could be key for the Bruins.
Of course, Providence head coach Jay Leach and organizational goalie coach Bob Essensa, among others, will also surely have input on Binnington. So too will former net mate McIntyre, who has served as Boston’s emergency third-string goalie in recent weeks. There’s no reason to believe that one season as the minor league backup for the Bruins will give the team all they need to totally figure out the red-hot goaltender, but Boston may have a slight advantage over other teams this postseason when it comes to beating Binnington.
Record 16 Players From USNTDP To Attend NHL Scouting Combine
The annual NHL Scouting Combine is set to take place next week, with 109 – approximately three-and-a-half rounds worth – of top prospects in attendance. Of those participating, NHL.com’s Mike Morreale reports that 16 will belong to the U.S. National Team Development Program. Admittedly, the USNTDP is unique; an effort to bring together some of the top American junior-age players for a hybrid junior and collegiate schedule creates a very loaded lineup. Still, never before have so many players – nearly 15% of the group – from one team been invited to the same draft combine, highlighting what promises to be an exciting class of U.S. players.
Beyond just presumptive top pick Jack Hughes, forwards Alex Turcotte, Trevor Zegras, Matthew Boldy, Cole Caufield, John Beecher, Judd Caulfield, and Patrick Moynihan, defensemen Cam York, Alex Vlasic, Henry Thrun, Marshall Warren, Domenick Fensore, and Drew Helleson, and goaltenders Spencer Knight and Cameron Rowe are expected to be in attendance. Of that group, many rankings and mock would suggest at least Hughes, Turcotte, Zegras, Boldy, Caufield, York, and Knight are near locks as first-round picks, with the others not far behind. Several other USNTDP standouts not invited to the combine will nevertheless still be drafted as well. It is a truly incredible class that may stand the test of time.
The combine kicks off on Friday, May 31st with media availability for the “Top Prospects”, as designated by the league and Central Scouting. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler reports that this group of six includes Hughes, Turcotte, presumptive second overall pick Kaapo Kakko, top defense prospect Bowen Byram, and Canadian centers Dylan Cozens and Kirby Dach. On Saturday, June 1st, all combine participants will undergo fitness testing throughout the day, while teams will have an opportunity to meet with prospects one-on-one as well. With the World Championships and Memorial Cup both wrapping up this coming weekend, the Scouting Combine will be the final time that teams can evaluate draft prospects in a live setting before the NHL Entry Draft on June 21st.
Snapshots: Draft Rankings, Bengtsson, Coaches
The NHL Entry Draft is a month away, and while there has been plenty of attention placed on top prospects Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, some of the other top names in the draft have flown by somewhat under the radar. Corey Pronman of The Athletic seeks to change that with his comprehensive draft rankings (subscription required) which give a full scouting report on 107 names eligible for this year’s draft.
While Hughes and Kakko each hold a tier of their own at the top of the draft, Pronman considers several others elite prospects making the top half of the first round quite exciting. Pronman may be the most bullish evaluator on American sniper Cole Caufield, who stands just 5’7″ but received an 80 grade (the maximum) for his shot. Pronman raves about Caufield’s scoring ability and has him ranked fifth in the entire draft.
- If Pittsburgh Penguins fans were hoping that Swedish defenseman Lukas Bengtsson would make his way back to North America, they’ll have to wait another few years. The 25-year old signed a two-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, meaning he’ll join one of the top programs in Russia. Bengtsson signed as an international free agent in 2016 and played parts of two seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before returning to Sweden last year. His 24 points in 42 games with Linkopings HC were good enough for 11th among all SHL defensemen this season.
- The Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators are getting closer to filling their vacant head coaching positions according to John Shannon of Sportsnet, who tweets that both are hopeful to make their decision before the end of the month. The Senators were most recently linked to Patrick Roy, but have interviewed at least six other candidates.
Eastern Notes: Williams, Canadiens Trade Options, Pettersson
With the Carolina Hurricanes season over a little quicker than they would have hoped for after a quick four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference champ, there are now a bunch of questions surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes, with one question about what to do with soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Justin Williams.
The veteran captain will turn 38 years old early on in the season next year, but he was a key piece for Carolina’s success, posting 23 goals and 53 points last season as well as four goals and seven points in 15 playoff games. The News & Observer’s Chip Alexander writes that after signing a two-year deal at $4.5MM turned out great for Carolina two years ago and believes that Williams would be willing to come back on a one-year deal at roughly the same price.
“I know how much he’s put into this and I know there’s only so much gas in the tank, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I’m going to make sure he takes a couple of months before he makes a decision.”
- Eric Engels of Sportsnet writes that with the top two free agent defensemen that Montreal Canadiens’ Marc Bergevin can add this offseason in Jake Gardiner and Alexander Edler (both of whom may not be worth the money it would take to sign them), the Canadiens might have to solve their need for a top-four defensemen via trade. The scribe suggests the team might have to move some of their top young prospects to improve its blueline and might have to consider moving either Nick Suzuki, Ryan Poehling, Cayden Primeau, Jesse Ylonen or Alex Romanov for help. One idea would be to try to pry Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere away with one of those top prospects as the 26-year-old could be moved to add more long-term help. Gostisbehere might immediately upgrade a defense which still needs help on their top-four. The scribe adds that Florida’s Mike Matheson could also be a candidate if the Panthers need to move out some salary to sign top free agents, which is expected.
- TribLive’s Jonathan Bombulie writes that with Jake Guentzel‘s new contract kicking in this season as his salary goes from $925K to $6MM next season, the team must be real careful in their negotiations with their five restricted free agents. The team expects that defenseman Marcus Pettersson should walk away with the biggest raise, as the team projects that Pettersson’s salary should increase from $794K to somewhere under $2MM per season. The 23-year-old defenseman established himself in Pittsburgh’s crowded defense after the Penguins acquired him in December for forward Daniel Sprong. Pettersson had two goals and 19 points in 57 games in Pittsburgh and had a plus-13 ratio on the ice.
Morning Notes: Bruins’ Long Wait, Kapanen, Kakko, Svechnikov
During his press conference on Saturday, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said the team would go outside the organization for advice on how utilize their time correctly considering they don’t play again until May 27, which is still eight days away. The Athletic’s Joe McDonald (subscription required) adds that Sweeney was talking about consulting the New England Patriots of the NFL, a team that has spent quite a bit of time playing in Super Bowl games.
In fact, Boston’s four major franchises have combined for 12 titles this century, but with six Super Bowl Championships, the Patriots may know how to stay sharp more than anyone. The team hopes to take some of Bill Belichick‘s tips to heart. “Hopefully they’ll be able to share some information with us,” Sweeney said.
There was initially some talk of an intra-squad game, but there is no real way to simulate a Stanley Cup Finals game, nor is the team thrilled about opening up their players to possible injury. In the end, rest might be the best course of action.
In the short term, it’s really beneficial for our group. We’ve been pedal to the metal here, mentally and physically, for a while. I do believe in the short term it will help us a lot. Then it’s incumbent upon us to simulate the best we can with what’s going to be required going forward.
- TVA Sports (translation required) suggests that while there are plenty of rumors surrounding the Montreal Canadiens being interested in putting together an offer sheet to pry Mitch Marner away from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the writer suggests instead the team should use an offer sheet instead to get Kasperi Kapanen, which would have a much higher chance of success. If the Canadiens offer Kapanen a deal anywhere from $4.23MM to $6.63MM for at least three years, the compensation would only be a first and a third-round pick, which would likely be worth the acquisition.
- The New York Post’s Joseph Staszewski reports 2019 draft prospect Kaapo Kakko said that his goal is to become the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft to the New Jersey Devils. Kakko is currently expected to be the second-overall pick in the draft, slated to go to the New York Rangers with prospect Jack Hughes expected to end up in New Jersey. However, an impressive showing so far at the World Championships for Finland might be enough to push him one notch higher. “This is a big thing for me for the draft,” Kakko told NHL.com through a translator. “I think I can be the first [pick]. “I’ve played well. I haven’t paid much attention to Jack Hughes and his game, but I’m confident I’ve been able to let everyone see my skills and the level of my game. It’s not going to be an easy choice for the teams.”
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press looks back at the Detroit Red Wings’ 2015 NHL draft, analyzing its success. The team drafted Evgeny Svechnikov that year, who lost some valuable development time last season when he was forced to undergo ACL surgery in September. While the team still has a few pending prospects from that draft, the key to the draft will be Svechnikov, who so far has just two goals in 16 games and needs a bounce-back season if they don’t want to look at that draft as a failure.
Draft Notes: Blackhawks, Avalanche, Golden Knights
While the first two picks of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft are considered simple enough for the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers who have to claim the top two players in the draft in Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, the real draft gets started at No. 3 where the Chicago Blackhawks must wade through a bevy of prospects and decide who is the best of the rest.
Many scouts have suggested the next obvious player to be taken could be defenseman Bowen Byram, who Chicago head scout Mark Kelley compared to Paul Coffey. However, would the Blackhawks take a defenseman in the first round after selecting Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin in the first round last year and Henri Jokiharju in the first round in 2017 (plus taking Ian Mitchell in the second round that year as well).
Even if Chicago is willing to take the plunge to draft another defenseman in the first round, The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus (subscription required) writes that the team is banking on success as quickly as possible while Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are on top of their game, leaving little time to sit around and develop their first-rounders. Lazerus writes that the team needs the most NHL-ready player to take over and defenseman rarely fit that bill as forwards develop much quicker and produce more quickly than defensemen.
- Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Colorado Avalanche will find themselves watching what the Blackhawks will do at the draft. The Avalanche, who own the No. 4 pick in the draft, also would be interested in drafting Byram, but could have more pressing needs as well. The team has a number of top defensemen in Tyson Barrie, Cale Makar, Samuel Girard and Connor Timmins, which would make Byram a luxury, especially considering they could have a bigger need on offense. While the team has a number of young NHL players in Tyson Jost, J.T. Compher and Alexander Kerfoot that could fill the team’s second line, none of them have taken that next step in their development. All have done well, but none look like top-six players yet. That could still happen, but the team also has interest in Alex Turcotte, who could help the team out quickly as well.
- With a need to bring in a future franchise goaltender and the top goaltending prospect, Spencer Knight, likely to be available when the Vegas Golden Knights pick at No. 17, it would look to be a great fit. Even his last name fits perfectly in Vegas. However, Sinbin.vegas’ Ken Boehlke writes that while Marc-Andre Fleury was a major success when he was drafted in the first round back in 2003, there have been 18 goaltenders selected in the first round and few of those have been successful as only five of them have made more than 10 starts in the NHL with only two of them having become franchise goalies for the teams that drafted them in Carey Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy, suggesting the team would be better off going after a skater than taking a major risk with their first-round pick.
Emil Bemstrom Signs Entry-Level Contract
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed another one of their top prospects, this time inking Emil Bemstrom to a three-year entry-level contract. Bemstrom played this season in the SHL, but is expected to compete for a job in North America next season.
It’s easy to look at the impact that Alexandre Texier made in the NHL down the stretch and assume that the 19-year old forward is the Blue Jackets best prospect. After all, Texier did walk right into a role with Columbus and record three points in eight playoff games despite having played just seven games in the minor leagues previously. There’s no doubt that the young French forward will make an impact next season for the team, but all year many believed another player was actually heading for a big role in 2019-20 on the Blue Jackets.
That player is Bemstrom, who despite being just a fourth-round pick in 2017 may well find himself on the NHL roster to start next season. The 19-year old forward led the entire SHL in goals this season with 23 and finished with 45 points in 66 games overall. That led to him being winning the SHL Rookie of the Year along with the Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year in part because of his six-point performance at the World Juniors.
In fact, the presence of Bemstrom, Texier and Liam Foudy—the Blue Jackets’ first-round pick from 2018 who recorded 36 goals for the London Knights this season—may well have made it possible for GM Jarmo Kekalainen to spend some future assets to acquire Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel at the trade deadline. The front office executive told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic that the young players will get an opportunity next season:
The Texiers, the Bemstroms … those guys are going to get a great opportunity to play a key role in our forward group next year. … to not only play but play a big role and be a goal scorer on this level that he was in (the SHL).
With Duchene, Dzingel and Artemi Panarin all still scheduled to become unrestricted free agents the Blue Jackets will need some more firepower up front if they are to compete in the Metropolitan Division. Getting Bemstrom under contract was the first step in giving him the chance to provide that offense.
Fabian Zetterlund, Mikhail Maltsev Sign With New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have signed prospects Fabian Zetterlund and Mikhail Maltsev to three-year entry-level contracts. Both deals will kick in next season.
Zetterlund, 19, was selected 63rd overall by the Devils in 2017 and has long been on the radar of NHL teams. The Swedish forward has an unstoppable work ethic that can track down defenders and create turnovers, while preventing much from happening in his own end. The offensive skills he showed in the lower leagues didn’t come to the surface in the SHL, but Zetterlund still has a bright future in professional hockey. Twice he has represented Sweden at the World Juniors, winning the silver medal in 2018. Unfortunately this year was cut short when he suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Maltsev meanwhile is a bit more of a wild card. The 21-year old forward spent this season playing for both the KHL and VHL St. Petersburgh teams, but ended up as a full-time member for the top club in the playoffs. The 6’3″ winger had just three points in 17 postseason games for SKA, but has shown more offensive upside in the past. Still, the fourth-round pick from 2016 will have to adapt to a different style of play in the AHL next season if he wants to continue on his current development path.
Central Notes: Laine, Predators Prospects, Gunnarsson, Honka
With teams worrying about players’ second contracts more than ever, the Winnipeg Jets may have one of the most challenging tasks this summer when they have to lock up star forward Patrik Laine, who hits restricted free agency on July 1. While many may ask why not offer him what he wants, the Jets have two other serious issues, including an already full salary cap as well as the fact that Laine has proven to be wildly inconsistent so far in his early career.
While Laine still tallied 30 goals this past season (his lowest total of his career), 18 of those goals came in November with Laine scoring no more than four goals in any other month. Regardless, The Athletic’s Murat Ates (subscription required) writes that while a long-term deal could net Laine close to $9MM per season, he might even get more if he opts to take a bridge deal and bank on the potential to get back to 40 goals in the next two years. With the potential to hit his peak within that time, he could really hit payday if he waits. However, that could be an even bigger problem to the team’s long-term salary outlook.
- The Athletic’s John Glennon (subscription required) writes that while the Nashville Predators have been ranked near the bottom when it comes to the franchise’s prospect cupboard, the Nashville Predators have some hope. The team does have a team in the AHL, the Milwaukee Admirals, who have slowly developed players that are ready to compete for spots on the NHL roster such as Eeli Tolvanen, Anthony Richard and Yakov Trenin, while the team has added some college depth to bolster their depleted group of prospects. Much of the team’s problems is that they have traded many picks to add talent over the last few years, but Glennon adds that the team has drafted well with the picks it has had whether they are in college, in juniors or playing overseas.
- The St. Louis Blues will be missing a defenseman Saturday when they open up Game 1 against the Dallas Stars as NHL.com’s Chris Pinkert writes that Carl Gunnarsson will sit out after suffering a lower-body injury in Game 7 against the Dallas Stars in the second round. Veteran Robert Bortuzzo is expected to replace him in the lineup. Gunnarsson, a third-pairing defenseman, saw his playing time decrease somewhat in the second-round series.
- SportsDay’s Matthew DeFranks writes that one offseason task that the Dallas Stars must look at is what to do with defenseman Julius Honka, who has been a healthy scratch for the final four months of the season as he hasn’t played a games since Jan. 15. The former first-round pick in 2014 has fallen down the depth chart as he has slipped behind Jamie Oleksiak, Ben Lovejoy, Taylor Fedun, Joel Hanley, Gavin Bayreuther and Dillon Heatherington. “We’re going to sit down over the summer now and we’re going to decide is he a part of this group or is he an asset to go get something else?” said Dallas general manager Jim Nill. “That’s what we’ve got to figure out.”
Overseas Notes: Holm, Ramage, Lindgren
Just as NHL teams have started to snap up European free agents to join them for next season, some North American players will also start heading overseas despite not technically being free agents yet. Many fringe players who are heading towards free agency will have spoken to their team and know whether or not they have a chance to re-sign, giving them some advance notice in order to find a job for 2019-20. There’s also the case of NHL prospects re-upping with their international clubs, instead of coming to North America just yet. Here are some notes from overseas:
- John Ramage is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this season after spending 2018-19 with the Binghamton Devils, but instead of re-signing with the New Jersey organization he’s headed to Germany to play in the DEL. Ramage signed a two-year deal with Berlin, ending his run in North America for the time being. The 28-year old defenseman has won at nearly every level, taking home gold medals at the U18 and U20 World Juniors and championships in both the ECHL and AHL levels.
- Arvid Holm was selected in the sixth round by the Winnipeg Jets in 2017, but isn’t yet ready to make the trip overseas. Holm has signed a one-year deal with Farjestad in the SHL in order to continue his development in Sweden. The 6’4″ goaltender put up a .907 save percentage in the Swedish second league last season, but may get a chance at the highest level in 2019-20.
- Jesper Lindgren has done the opposite, coming to North America now that his season has ended in Finland. The Toronto Maple Leafs have assigned Lindgren to the AHL after he took home the Liiga championship with HPK. The right-handed defenseman is just 21, but already signed his entry-level contract last spring. The right-handed defenseman is another prospect they hope can develop and help out the NHL defense down the road, but he needs some more development time in the minor leagues.