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Simon Despres Wants A Second Chance At NHL

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Simon Despres was once an up-and-coming defenseman in the NHL. A first-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2009, Despres played a key depth role for the Penguins from 2011 to 2015. Although Despres was limited offensively, even in the AHL, he proved himself to be a very dependable presence in his own end. Annually a positive player with strong possession numbers, Despres eventually worked himself into a full-time role with the Penguins in 2014-15. In that season, he also showed off an improved physical game and a superior puck-moving ability. However, it was also in that season that Despres was traded to the Anaheim Ducks, a deadline deal that sent veteran Ben Lovejoy to Pittsburgh. Despres continued to play well for the Ducks down the stretch and was perhaps at the peak of his NHL career in the postseason that year with a dominant stretch. Yet, the rest of Despres’ tenure in Anaheim would not go as well.

In 2015-16, just four games into the regular season, Despres took a hard check to the head from the Colorado Avalanche’s Tyson Barrie. Despres would miss the next 42 games of the regular season and never truly returned to form in the campaign. Despres suited up for Anaheim for the opening game of the 2016-17 season, but concussion symptoms limited him to just that one appearance for the year. Despres was bought out by the Ducks at the end of the season and, at age 25, was considering retirement. Instead, Despres decided to continue his career overseas. Able to finally leave his concussions in the past, Despres had a strong season with HC Slovan Bratislava of the KHL this year. Now, he wants back in the NHL.

Speaking with Jean-Francois Tremblay of La Presse in his native Quebec, Despres states that money is not an issue and that he will do what it takes to get back into the league. He says that he will visit with teams this summer or attend camp on a tryout basis if that is what it takes. He even says he would be open to an AHL contract as a first step, specifically noting that he would not hesitate to accept an offer from the Laval Rocket, the Montreal Canadiens affiliate in his hometown that did not exist when he was in the NHL. Despres goes on to describe how he has changed his diet and lifestyle to get healthier and has even trained in martial arts in an effort to learn how to avoid bad hits and further concussions. He also describes how his time in the KHL has improved his skating and puck possession. It seems Despres has done all he can to work his way back from a potentially career-ending injury and now feels ready for a return. Now all he can do is wait for a team to give him a second chance.

Western Notes: Flames, Bolland, Grant

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Don’t expect the Calgary Flames to make a selection in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft next Friday and probably don’t expect to see them make a pick too early on Saturday either. The Flames currently sit with just three picks in the 2018 Draft: a fourth-rounder, sixth-rounder, and seventh-rounder. The rest of their selections were used in deals to acquire Travis Hamonic, Mike Smith, and Michael Stone. Speaking with Calgary GM Brad Treliving, beat reporter Kristen Anderson makes it sound as if the team’s philosophy toward the value of draft picks versus prospects will very likely keep them from adding any significant picks this year. Treliving admitted that he has looked at scenarios that would allow his team to trade back in to the first round and has tried to make a deal with other teams, but doesn’t know if they’ll ever reach a point where a trade will actually happen. In fact, he called that possibility very unlikely. Understandably, Treliving is hesitant to trade away young players or promising prospects for picks that will be farther behind in their NHL development and who they only hope will one day reach or exceed the level of the player they move in return, calling it “backwards shuffling”. Treliving also lacks some firepower in terms of future picks with his 2019 second-, sixth-, and seventh-round selections already lost as well. Right now, the asking price for early picks is too high for the Flames to bite on anything just yet. However, don’t underestimate what the anxiety of waiting through three rounds could force them to do next weekend.

  • AZSports’ Craig Morgan recently spoke with Anton Thun, the agent for Dave Bolland, about the veteran Arizona Coyotes center’s future. Bolland, 32, has yet to play a game for the Coyotes despite being traded to the team in the off-season prior to the 2016-17 season. A lingering back injury and lower-body concerns forced the Florida Panthers to dump Bolland’s contract in Arizona – a move that also cost them prospect Lawson Crouse – and he has not been cleared to suit up at any time since. Thun reports that Bolland is doing better, but there is still no expectation that he will be able to play next season. Instead, Thun suggests to Morgan that Bolland is likely to be placed on long-term injured reserve yet again in the final year of his contract and will then formally announce his retirement after next season. If this proves true, it will be a disappointing end to the career of a well-respected player who built a career on his reliable defensive play.
  • One of the more talented offensive defensemen in the AHL is off to Finland for the next stage of his pro career. Alex Grant, 29, has signed with Jokerit of the KHL, the team reported today. The journeyman defender has made a career of being one of the top scoring blue liners in the minor leagues, jumping from one two-way contract to the next throughout the past nine years. However, in that time he has only been given seven NHL appearances and appears to have decided to make a name for himself at the highest level in Europe rather than continue to play in the AHL. After an impressive 49-point campaign with the Providence Bruins in 2016-17, Grant signed with the Minnesota Wild last summer and was expected to be one of their top depth options on the back end. Instead, he again was not given that chance and will now seize an opportunity with Jokerit. Offensive-minded defensemen who have struggled to find their place in the NHL have often found great success in the KHL. Grant could very well be the next in that line, which has featured the likes of Matt Gilroy, Philip Larsen, and Jakub Nakladal in recent years.

Free Agent Focus: Florida Panthers

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Free agency opens exactly three weeks from today and teams are well on their way to evaluating both their own impending free agents and those likely to reach the open market. There are quite a few prominent players expected to be available as unrestricted free agents, while many key restricted free agents will be looking to sign new contracts with their current squads.  Here is a breakdown of the Florida Panthers’ free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: C Jared McCann – At age 22 and heading into his fourth NHL season, McCann is still a very raw talent. The 2014 first-round pick often thinks the game faster than he plays it and is prone to mistakes. He plays little special teams role for the Panthers and struggles with many of the defensive aspects of the game at the pro level. McCann is also well below average at the face-off dot. With all that said, his offensive upside is still tremendous. McCann set a career-high with 28 points in 68 games this year and for the first time was a plus player in the league. He has great vision, a strong skating game, and a good shot. When he is on his game he can be dominant; when he is off of it, it’s easy to see why the Vancouver Canucks didn’t hesitate to trade him late into his rookie year. McCann needs to find some consistency and pace to his game and he will flourish, but that still may take some time.

So how should Florida handle that contractually? McCann will understandably want a considerable raise from his entry-level contract, but he also has a fair amount of developmental concerns that he continues to deal with. McCann very well could turn out to be a long-term star for the Panthers, but this situation seems far more likely to warrant a short-term bridge deal for “show me” money. McCann needs to display far more of his impressive offensive ability and far fewer mental lapses and disappearing acts if he wants to command greater salary and term.

LW Frank Vatrano – It’s never an easy situation to sort out when a restricted free agent is acquired mid-season. Florida could not have asked for a better start from Vatrano, who came over from the Bruins at the trade deadline after falling out of favor in Boston. After putting up just two points in 25 games with the Bruins, Vatrano posted eight points in the final 16 games with the Panthers and seemed to fit in well in the team’s top six. Vatrano showed in his first pro season that he has a ton of scoring talent: the undrafted UMass product was the goal-scoring champ of the AHL with 36 goals in 36 games, put up another eight goals in 39 games in Boston, and even recorded eight points in ten games with Team USA at the World Championships. However, Vatrano lacks much depth to his game outside of having a knack for finding the back of the net. Injury and inconsistency over the past two years with the Bruins limited his scoring chances and exposed his lack of an all-around game. When playing with Florida’s finest, his scoring ability came back and those flaws faded into the background. However, Florida is now being asked to evaluate him on just those 16 games.

Like McCann, Vatrano has not earned a long-term deal. The Panthers hope that they get the player they saw down the stretch and gave up a third-round pick to acquire, but there is also the risk he will revert to the mistake-prone, one-track-mind player he was in Boston in recent seasons. Vatrano could be an important piece for Florida moving forward but he could also have a ceiling as an elite AHLer and nothing more. Only time will tell, but because of that risk, expect Vatrano to earn a relatively cheap, one-year deal (even if it has to come through arbitration).

Other RFAs: D Alex Petrovic, D MacKenzie Weegar, D Ed Wittchow, F Curtis Valk, F Gregory Chase, D Linus Hultsrom 

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: None. Congratulations to Florida on entering free agency with literally nothing to lose. The team has five impending free agents and one, veteran winger Radim Vrbata, has already announced his retirement. The other four played little role in the successes or failures of the Panthers in 2017-18 and would be unlikely to make much of an impact if they were to be re-signed. Connor Brickley is the most notable name, as he recorded 12 points in 44 games on the team’s fourth line. However, Brickley spent no additional time in the AHL, simply watching from the press box for the much of the season. The 26-year-old forward was a 2010 second-round pick, but seems to have developed into a checking winger with limited offensive upside, the exact type of player that is easy to replace. The loss of fellow 26-year-old forwards Chase Balisy (8 games) and Alexandre Grenier (0 games) would mean even less. Third-string goalie Harri Sateri, 28, returned from Europe to play for the Panthers this year and performed well enough in nine appearances, but with two high-end veteran goalies in the mix, Florida hardly needs to stress over their AHL starter. Young Sam Montembeault will likely be just fine if Sateri is not re-signed.

UFAs: Connor Brickley, Chase Balisy, Alexandre Grenier, Harri Sateri

Projected Cap Space: The trade-off of having no unrestricted free agents to worry about is that you don’t have much salary coming off the books either. When you have your top five forwards, your top four defenseman, and two starting-caliber goalies locked up long-term, things can get expensive. The Florida Panthers got off to a slow start last season and narrowly missed the playoffs, but don’t be fooled: this is a solid team without a ton of holes and their cap situation reflects that. The cap ceiling is expected to rise this off-season to somewhere between $78-$82MM. At the midpoint of $80MM, the Cats will have around $14MM in space to work with. While that is a decent amount, it still puts the team in the bottom third of the league in terms of flexibility.

Assume that McCann gets a substantial pay increase and Vatrano and potentially one or both of Petrovic and Weegar get a fair amount in their new contracts, and the Panthers will likely be operating the free agency market with around $8-$9MM or so in space. Is that enough to add the top-six forward that they desperately want and need? Probably, but they would strapped for cap space after that. Expect Florida to be players on the trade market this summer as a result.

Nick Ellis Announces Retirement From Professional Hockey

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In a surprising decision, Edmonton Oilers minor league goaltender Nick Ellis announced his retirement today via a post on his Instagram page. Ellis will instead pursue a career as a teacher and coach, ending his professional playing career just a few years after it began.

Ellis, 24, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer after spending the last two seasons in the Edmonton organization playing for the Bakersfield Condors and Wichita Thunder. Though it seemed likely that he wouldn’t get a qualifying offer, it’s unusual to see players walk away from the game at such a young age. Ellis signed out of Providence College in 2016, but never made it into a game at the NHL level.

In his only season as a starter for Providence, Ellis dominated the NCAA ranks with a 25-7-4 record and .936 save percentage. Turning that into a pro contract, he found early success in the AHL and looked like a solid signing for the Oilers to provide some depth at the goaltender position. This season Ellis wasn’t as effective, and it’s easy to see how he wouldn’t have had a job with Bakersfield next season. Dylan Wells is an upcoming prospect for the Oilers, and after signing Mikko Koskinen the team will likely have to send Al Montoya to the minor leagues. Shane Starrett is also still around, while Stuart Skinner—while still in junior—is being groomed as the goaltender of the future.

For Edmonton, this is little more than a few hundred thousand dollars lost for their trouble. Ellis didn’t take up a draft pick, or steal any real development time from their other goaltending prospects. Though he was an effective goaltender at times, the team has other plans for the position.

Predators’ Mike Fisher Announces Retirement Again

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Nashville Predators forward Mike Fisher announced that he will be retiring from the NHL again, according to Predators’ communications coordinator Brooks Bratten. The veteran who retired last season after the Predators fell in the Stanley Cup Finals, returned to Nashville in January to take another shot at a cup run.

However, after failing to get out of the second round of the playoffs after a seven-game series loss to the Winnipeg Jets, Fisher said he’s done.

“This cow has been milked as much as it can. It’s bone dry,” said Fisher, according to Predators Radio Network’s Jeremy Gover.

The 37-year-old Fisher played 18 seasons in the NHL, putting up a 278 goals, 311 assists and 589 points in 1,104 regular season games. He scored two goals and two assists in 16 games after coming out of retirement this year, but scored just one goal in 12 playoff games this year, playing mostly on the fourth line.

Even if he hadn’t opted to retire, his future with the team was likely in doubt since the one-year, $1MM deal he signed on Feb. 26 will expire. The long-time Predator was in the middle of a team that is filled with young, quality forwards, which likely would have forced him out anyway.

While his playing career is over, Fisher left the door open for a potential future role with the Predators organization.

Off-Season Retirement Watch List

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Although the Stanley Cup playoffs are in full swing with four excellent match-ups in the second round, as teams have been eliminated – and continue to be eliminated – from contention, players begin to make decisions about their futures. Knowing that they were not playoff-bound, Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin announced their departure from the Vancouver Canucks and pro hockey before the end of the season. Former teammate Radim Vrbata made the same decision days later. The Blackhawks’ Patrick Sharp announced that he was moving on, after a return to Chicago didn’t go as planned. Then, Anaheim Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin then got the off-season retirement party started last week, officially calling it a career. Meanwhile, for the third straight summer, Matt Cullen will be contemplating his hockey mortality. Who could be next?

Jaromir Jagr and Jarome Iginla: Let’s start with the easy ones – a Calgary Flames legend and a legend whose career likely ended with the Calgary Flames. Jagr and Iginla were both pushing hard for a final chance at the NHL last summer and both players continued their searches into the regular season. Jagr finally landed a deal with the Flames in October, but health issues and a lack of productions made for a poor tenure in Calgary. Jagr recorded just seven points in 22 games before heading back to his native Czech Republic in January. Iginla opted to undergo surgery in the fall, but was back skating in February and hoping to sign on with a team for the stretch run and postseason. However, no such offer came. These two have been a couple of the biggest names in hockey since the 1990’s and are surefire Hall of Famers, but there is little doubt that their NHL playing days are behind them. Expect official announcements this summer.

Brian Gionta: Gionta is in a similar spot. Unable to find a contract last off-season, Gionta worked out and skated with the AHL’s Rochester Americans ahead of his appearance with Team USA at Winter Olympics. It was a less-than-spectacular showing by the veteran, but he still managed to turn it into a late-season contract with the Boston Bruins. Gionta posted seven points in 20 games with the Bruins in the final months of the regular season, but has yet to see any playoff action, despite ample opportunity given injuries to multiple Boston players heading into and during Round One. Gionta’s play with the Bruins has not exactly harked back to his prime, but nevertheless has shown effort and intelligence. He may have earned another look next season, but it’s more likely than not that this current run with Boston will be the curtain call for Gionta.

Chris Kelly: Kelly also played at the Winter Games and signed on late like Gionta. However, both he and his team have not had similar success. Kelly saw just 12 games with the Anaheim Ducks after signing in February and only contributed two points to show for it. The Ducks were then swept out of the playoffs without Kelly having any say in the matter as a healthy scratch all season. Kelly surprised a lot of people when he played in all 82 games with the Ottawa Senators last season, but this short campaign has shown that the years of dependable play have caught up with him.

Mike Fisher: Will Fisher re-retire? Almost surely. No one can blame Fisher for not wanting to miss out on a possible Cup run by the Nashville Predators one season after coming so close, but Fisher’s presence on the team thus far has been more about leadership and morale than on-ice impact. Fisher had just four points in 16 games down the stretch while averaging just over twelve minutes of ice time and thus far in the postseason has been held scoreless in seven games while seeing barely eleven minutes of time. Fisher’s days as a legitimate player seem to clearly be over, but he could still make a difference for Nashville in these playoffs with the right opportunity.

Dominic Moore: There may be no other player in the game today who has thrived by being a hired gun like Moore. Throughout his career, the veteran center has been able to join a new team, adjust, and play a critical support role. So, when that pattern fell apart this year with the Toronto Maple Leafs, it signaled the coming end to Moore’s career. Moore was common scratch for the Leafs and averaged only about ten minutes of ice time per night, but with twelve points in 50 games, he also didn’t make the most of his opportunities. If any player in the league can adapt to being 38-years-old and coming off a down season by finding the perfect fit for another go-round, it’s Moore, but don’t be surprised if he calls it quits instead.

Joel Ward: There’s no doubt that Ward would like to keep playing. A hard-nosed player and a consummate pro, Ward has been a reliable piece to every team he has been on. However, there is no looking past what by all accounts was the worst season of his career in 2017-18. Just twelve points in 52 games and less than twelve minutes of ice time per game shows just how small a role he played for the San Jose Sharks this year and that’s not even including the fact that the Sharks tried to trade him at the deadline and have yet to play him in the postseason. Ward’s time in San Jose is undeniably over, but that doesn’t mean another team can’t take a one-year flier on him. At this point, it seems unlikely though.

Dennis Seidenberg and Johnny Oduya: What else do these two 36-year-old, left-shot, physical defenders have in common? Their time has come. Seidenberg’s resurgence with the New York Islander was a great story last season, but he came back to earth in this campaign and was limited by injuries and inability to just 28 games and five points. Oduya has had back-to-back disappointing seasons like that, recording only 17 points in 104 games with four different teams across the past two seasons. Dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers at the deadline, Oduya did nothing, skating in just one regular season game and zero postseason games. Both of these men have been admirable NHLers, but it’s hard to see either continuing to play.

On the bubble: Jason Chimera, Antoine Vermette, and Kevin Bieksa, Anaheim Ducks; Josh Gorges, Buffalo Sabres; Matt Stajan, Calgary Flames; Lee Stempniak, Carolina Hurricanes; Ales Hemsky, Montreal Canadiens; Scottie Upshall, St. Louis Blues; Jussi Jokinen, Vancouver Canucks.

Francois Beauchemin Confirms Retirement From NHL

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After one last season with the Anaheim Ducks in which he was called upon more often than many expected, Francois Beauchemin has called it quits. The veteran NHL defenseman confirmed his retirement on 98.5 Sports radio in Montreal. Explaining that it’s time to take care of his children, Beauchemin will hang up his skates after parts of 14 seasons in the NHL.

Selected in the third round back in 1998 by the Montreal Canadiens, Beauchemin struggled through his first few professional seasons, even spending time in the ECHL. The smooth-skating two-way defender had holes in his game that needed to be ironed out, and eventually found himself on waivers after failing to make the Canadiens once again. Claimed by Columbus and then later traded to Anaheim (as part of a package for Sergei Fedorov), it likely was the best thing that could happen to his career.

Beauchemin would become a huge part of the Ducks defense immediately, and form a player-organization bond that would span three stints and more than a decade. In his first season he logged more than 24 minutes a night for the club, something that would become a hallmark of his career. A premiere minute-eater, Beauchemin averaged over 23 minutes a night for his entire career, and would be a necessary third wheel to Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger for years.

In 2006-07, just his second season with the Ducks, Beauchemin raised the Stanley Cup after defeating the Ottawa Senators in five games. He averaged more than 30 minutes per game during that playoff run, more even than his two legendary teammates.

His career would continue to Toronto, then back to Anaheim, then to Colorado before finishing with this final season in Anaheim. Signed in the offseason after a buyout from the Avalanche, he was expected to be a depth option while the team dealt with injuries to Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm. Instead, he would lead the team in blocked shots and play a key role in getting them back to the playoffs.

Beauchemin finishes his career with 288 points in 903 career games, logging over 21,295 minutes in all. He finished fourth in Norris trophy voting during the shortened 2012-13 season, and was named to the Second All-Star Team in the same year.

Ilya Kovalchuk Off Voluntary Retirement List

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Happy Birthday!

Former New Jersey Devils star Ilya Kovalchuk reached his 35th birthday today, but that milestone has more meaning for the KHL and Olympic star, who has indicated he wants to return to the NHL after a five-year layoff. The veteran, today on his 35th birthday, is officially off the voluntary retirement list and is now an unrestricted free agent, free to negotiate and agree to terms with any NHL team, although he can’t officially sign a contract until July 1, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

While many players once they hit their mid-thirties begin to see their play begin to fade, Kovalchuk hasn’t slowed down yet. In fact, his past two years in the KHL have been two of his best in his career. The winger has scored 64 goals combined during that two-year period and tallied 143 points as well. He also won MVP honors and helped lead Russia to a gold medal at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. He’s indicated that he would like to return to the NHL for another two to three years with the goal of winning a Stanley Cup.

While there have already been rumors that he has agreed to a side deal with the New York Rangers as he has always held a fascination with playing in New York, he has come out recently and refuted that rumor. The Rangers may also wait on making a decision about Kovalchuk until they hire a coach. On top of that, if Kovalchuk’s true interest is winning a Stanley Cup, then the Rangers might not be the ideal destination as they are in rebuild mode. However, Kovalchuk and his agent have an earlier advantage on most pending unrestricted free agents which might allow him to find an early home.

Ken Hitchcock Announces Retirement From Coaching

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Dallas Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock has announced his retirement from coaching. As Elliotte Friedman explained in his most recent 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, Hitchcock had signed just a one-year deal in Dallas with the intention to move into a consulting role. Still, some believed that he wouldn’t really give up the bench, especially after the disappointment of this season. In a letter announcing it, Hitchcock says thank you to everyone who has been a part of his career:

The game of hockey has been my entire life and I could never repay what the game did for me and all the wonderful people I got to meet in my career. I would like to thank everyone for their friendship and support over the years. I have contemplated this since our last game and I came to the conclusion that now is the right time to step away and let the younger generation of coaches take over.

Hitchcock will go down as one of the most successful coaches in the history of the NHL, ranking fourth all-time in games coached and third in wins. He won a Stanley Cup with the Stars during his first tenure in 1999, only to take them back to the Finals a year later. This season though wasn’t exactly a sunset to ride out on.

The Stars loaded up in the offseason, bringing in players like Alexander Radulov and Ben Bishop, only to struggle for large chunks of the season and eventually miss the playoffs entirely. Though several players took steps forward in their development under Hitchcock, the Stars couldn’t find much consistency and would lose 12 of their final 17 games to fall out of the running.

Now a search begins for the Stars, who will need to find a new coach in time for the 2018-19 season. Since this was not a quick decision, the team has likely at least somewhat planned for their future and has a list of candidates in mind. The team does have quite a bit of experience among their assistants, including Curt Fraser who has head coaching experience with the Atlanta Thrashers, Stu Barnes with long ties to the Dallas organization as both a player and assistant, and Rick Wilson who replaced Hitchcock as interim coach of the Stars in the 2001-02 season.

Blackhawks’ Patrick Sharp To Retire At End Of Season

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Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Sharp played in his final home game Friday and is expected to play his final game of his career Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets in Winnipeg, ending a lengthy career since 2005 and including 10 years as a integral piece to the Blackhawks, which led to three Stanley Cup championships.

“I think I’ve known what I wanted to do for a long period of time here and it’s never easy, you know?” an emotional Sharp said in the Blackhawks’ dressing room following the loss via Chris Kuk of The Athletic. “But I think I’m just ready to take that next step in my life, and I’m looking forward to it.”

In two stints with Chicago, the 36-year-old Sharp has tallied 249 goals and helped the Blackhawks to Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015. After winning the title in 2015, Sharp was then traded to the Dallas Stars where he 28 goals over two seasons. He signed a one-year, $800K contract to return to Chicago. With his skills on decline, the winger played the lowest average minutes of his career since his rookie season, averaging 12:50, scoring 10 goals and 21 points in 69 games.

While Sharp didn’t announce his retirement beforehand, it was quite obvious to anyone who watched Friday’s game against the St. Louis Blues, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. Sharp played the most minutes of the season, playing 19:03. His parents were in attendance and the veteran started on the team’s top line. He wore his old “A” on his sweater and the team gave him a video tribute during the third period. At the end of the game, Sharp skated to center ice under the spotlight teammates stayed on the bench and tapped their sticks.

On a whole, including two seasons playing for the Philadelphia Flyers who drafted him in the third round back in 2001, Sharp finished his career with 287 goals, 333 assists and 620 points in 939 games. He also was part of Team Canada’s gold medal Olympic team in 2014 in Sochi, Russia.

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