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Snapshots: King Clancy Trophy, Kucherov, Bishop, Holzapfel

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Now that the NHL has reached the conference championship phase of the playoffs, so too can the NHL awards, which are expected to be handed out day-by-day over the next couple of weeks. First up is expected to be the King Clancy Trophy, awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community. The trophy will be awarded this evening before the start of Game 1 between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Dallas Stars. The three finalists for the awards are Minnesota Wild’s Matt Dumba, New York Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist and New Jersey Devils’ P.K. Subban.

Dumba has been committed to racial and social justice and the Hockey is for Everyone initiative and helped form the Hockey Diversity Alliance with seven current and former NHL players. Lundqvist supports several different initiatives, including aid for children’s health, education, underprivileged youth, Hockey Fights Cancer and the Make a Wish Foundation. Subban also supports several groups, including initiatives for underprivileged youth, medical support and promoting racial and social injustice.

  • Despite the bad news that the Tampa Bay Lightning will have to go through the Eastern Conference Finals without Steven Stamkos, the team did get some good news, however, on the injury front. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that first-line forward Nikita Kucherov is expected to be available Monday for the Lightning’s first game against the New York Islanders. Kucherov was forced to leave Game 5 against the Boston Bruins with an undisclosed injury, but has had almost a week to recover. The 27-year-old has been quite effective in the playoffs so far with four goals and 16 points in 13 games.
  • The Dallas Stars will be without starting goaltender Ben Bishop once again as The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro reports that Bishop and defenseman Taylor Fedun remain “unfit to play.” Both skated today, but neither appear ready to play. The scribe did add that forwards Andrew Cogliano and Mattias Janmark are both expected to be game-time decisions today. Bishop has appeared in just three games during the playoffs and hasn’t made an appearance since Aug. 31 against Colorado when he allowed four goals in 13 minutes before being replaced. The team will rely on Anton Khudobin once again, who is 8-5 with a .909 save percentage in 14 games during the playoffs.
  • Former AHL forward Riley Holzapfel announced his retirement after spending his four years with the Vienna Capitals of the Austrian League. Holzapfel was a second-round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers in 2006 and five season in the AHL before opting to play overseas in 2013, playing three seasons in the SHL before joining Vienna in 2016. He was never able to break into the NHL, however. The 32-year-old was still productive with Vienna, scoring 18 goals and 46 assists in 48 games.

Martin Hanzal Founds Czech Team, Recruits Several Retired NHLers

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In a fun and interesting story out of the Czech Republic, NHL veteran Martin Hanzal is back in action and bringing a number of notable names with him. According to Czech hockey source Hokej.cz, Hanzal and brother Jiri Hanzal have founded a team, HC Samson Ceske Budejovice, in the Czech semi-pro “regional league”. Hanzal, 33, is technically still under contract with the Dallas Stars until the end of the league year but did not play this season due to injury and was limited to just seven games in 2018-19 and 38 games in 2017-18. He was not expected to continue his NHL career, but will continue playing in his native Czech Republic.

Joining Hanzal are several of his countrymen and former NHL teammates. Forwards Radim Vrbata and Vaclav Nedorost and defenseman Rostislav Klesla have also opted to come out of retirement to play for the newfound franchise. Vrbata, 39, is just a few years removed from a 20-goal, 55-point campaign with the Arizona Coyotes in 2016-17 and played for the Florida Panthers the following season before retiring. Vrbata played 16 NHL seasons and over 1000 NHL games for seven different teams. Klesla, 38, played 13 seasons in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Arizona Coyotes, moving back to the Czech Republic in 2014. Klesla retired in 2016, making his return the most surprising of the bunch. However, Klesla played with Hanzal and Vrbata in Phoenix, so the group are likely close. Nederost, 38, was last seen in the NHL in 2003-04 and played three seasons with the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers. He spent most of his career starring in the Czech Extraliga and KHL and just retired in 2019. Together with Hanzal, the group has over 2800 games of NHL experience, which should help to draw new fans to the team.

Another interesting note about the roster is that, in addition to Hanzal’s brother, Nederost’s brother is also on the roster, as are two other sets of brothers. The entire roster is composed of Czech natives and all but two players are age 30 or older, so in many ways this team is just as much for the fun of the many veteran Czech players as it is for the fans, who can see their favorites back in action. Due to the nature of the roster composition as well as the talent level of the regional semi-pro league, do not expect Hanzal to use this experience to potentially work his way back to the NHL, but it is nice to see a player who has lost so much time due to injury to get back on the ice and enjoy the game once again.

Mike Green Announces Retirement

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Though there were rumblings about it a few weeks ago, today it became official. Mike Green has announced he will retire from a long professional playing career, telling Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic that he is set to hang up his skates and focus on other parts of his life. Green, who spent 15 years in the NHL, is focused still providing a positive impact on those around him:

A lot of people are hurting, and I want to help. I want to use my voice in a different way. I want to focus my energy differently, ground myself in the community, in family. But I also want to become a change agent for good.

A veteran of 880 regular season games, Green was once one of the finest offensive defensemen in the entire NHL. During the 2008-09 season, he tallied 31 goals in just 68 games, a threshold that not many defensemen have ever reached. In fact, only four defensemen have ever scored more goals in a single season—Paul Coffey, Bobby Orr, Doug Wilson, and Kevin Hatcher. Green was the first to complete the feat since Hatcher in 1993, and no one else has done it in the decade since.

But Green was more than just a goal-scorer for the Washington Capitals. He recorded back-to-back seasons of at least 73 points and routinely averaged more than 25 minutes of ice time a night. He finished second in Norris Trophy voting twice, losing to Zdeno Chara and Duncan Keith, while also receiving votes for the Hart. In the second part of his career, he transitioned to the Detroit Red Wings, where he was still an excellent puck-mover and actually improved the defensive side of his game. By the time he ended up in Edmonton at this year’s trade deadline, however, he wasn’t anywhere near the high-flying Green from the Capitals.

Green likely won’t go into the Hall of Fame, but he’s certainly in the mix for the Hall-of-Very-Good. The 34-year-old will retired with 501 points, putting him 69th on the all-time list among defensemen.

Dan Hamhuis Announces Retirement

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Nashville Predators GM David Poile told reporters today that some players on the club wouldn’t be returning, but this probably isn’t exactly what he meant. This afternoon on TSN radio in Vancouver, defenseman Dan Hamhuis announced his retirement. Hamhuis had been considering playing in Europe for a year just for the experience, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed those plans. Instead, he’ll skate off into the sunset following his 16th season in the NHL.

Hamhuis, 37, was selected 12th overall back in 2001 by the Predators in just the third draft the franchise ever took part in. It turned out to be quite the selection as his 1,148 regular season games are more than any other player from the class (though Jason Spezza will try to break that record next season). Once he got to the NHL in 2003, Hamhuis never looked back, quickly becoming one of the most reliable two-way defensemen in the league.

In that first season as a rookie, the left-shot Hamhuis averaged more than 22 minutes a night, a number he would hover around for the next decade-plus. While never a huge offensive threat, he recorded at least 20 points in each of his first 11 NHL seasons while also playing against the opponent’s best on a regular basis.

Hamhuis won’t be going to the Hall of Fame, but his career is one of incredible consistency. He reached the playoffs ten different times, going the farthest as part of the Vancouver Canucks run in 2011. He returned to his original organization in 2018 after stops in Vancouver and Dallas, and says goodbye as a member of the Predators, exactly how he said hello.

NHL Adjusts Recapture Penalties

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With the NHL set to ratify a new extension for the Collective Bargaining Agreement, labor peace will be guaranteed for at least the next six years. That comes as very welcome news for hockey fans that have been waiting to see their favorite players back on the ice for several months. With any CBA negotiation, however, small changes will be made that benefit one side or the other—the NHL and NHLPA.

One of those changes, as reported by Michael Russo of The Athletic and explained by Frank Seravalli in his latest piece for TSN, is to the rules governing recapture penalties. Previously, a complicated formula would force substantial cap penalties onto teams if a player with a front-loaded contract retired before its expiration. Now, that penalty cannot eclipse the original contract’s cap hit in a single year.

So far only Roberto Luongo has created such penalties with his retirement last year.

When Luongo hung up his pads, the Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers were each forced to deal with penalties against their salary cap, with the former suffering the bigger charge. The Canucks have a $3.033MM penalty through the 2021-22 season and unfortunately will not receive any relief from this rule change given Luongo’s cap hit was $5.33MM.

The biggest winner (if you can even call it that) out of this new change may be the Nashville Predators, who were in danger of a potential ~$24.6MM cap charge if Shea Weber had retired just before the 2025-26 season. That number will now not eclipse the $7.86MM cap hit he carries, though that means it would be spread out over several years as the entire penalty must still be paid eventually.

The Minnesota Wild are another team who could be affected, given the front-loaded nature of contracts signed by Ryan Suter and Zach Parise in 2012. Those deals don’t expire until 2025 but will have paid out $88MM of the initial $98MM guarantee by the end of next season.

Seravalli has a comprehensive list of the other changes, but they include an increase to minimum salaries and a rule that no-trade clauses will remain in contracts even if the player is traded before the clause kicks in. Previously, the acquiring team was given the option to honor them—something the Predators chose not to do when they acquired P.K. Subban in 2016, days before the clause kicked in.

Snapshots: Dave Andrews Retirement, Hub Elimination, Flames, Gritty

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Dave Andrews is serving his final day as President and CEO of the AHL. Congratulations have filtered in throughout the day. Former player and current TV analyst Mike McKenna wrote via Twitter, “…You always had time for the players and considered us in league decisions when possible…then you’d beat us on the tennis court and share a drink after. Enjoy retirement, you’ve earned it!” It’s unfortunate that Andrews has to end his tenure with a season cut short, but it’s a testament to his impact on the game that many people thought first of him when the season was canceled, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. Andrews has served as the President of the AHL since 1994. The longtime executive will remain involved in helping the AHL forge a return-to-play plan. Patrick Williams, AHL beat writer for NHL.com, will be tracking congratulations to Andrews throughout the day. Let’s check-in elsewhere around the hockey world…

  • Los Angeles appears to be out of the running for the NHL’s hub cities, tweets TSN’s Bob McKenzie. It’s unclear if this decision was inspired by the recent uptick of coronavirus cases in Los Angeles and California, though it’s safe to assume it was a factor. Vegas, Chicago, Edmonton, and Toronto are the four remaining options to host the NHL’s 2020 postseason.
  • There will be a new face in camp as the Calgary Flames prepare for their potential Stanley Cup Qualifier with the 9-seeded Winnipeg Jets. The Flames extended an invitation to prospect Adam Ruzicka, who plans to join the club next week, per The Athletic’s Scott Cruickshank. The 21-year-old Slovak was a fourth-round pick of the Flames in 2017. Ruzicka notched 27 points (10 goals) for the Stockton Heat in 2019-2020.
  • In undoubtedly the most important NHL news of the day, Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty has a new look. The notoriously unkempt Philly native received the Queer Eye treatment, per NHL.com. Given the level of global fear amid health concerns and civil unrest, Gritty will perhaps face some criticism for leaning into this public pampering – but with the Queer Eye crew in Philadelphia for their fifth season on Netflix, Gritty found himself nominated for a makeover by none other than his close confidant and mentor, the Philly Phanatic. Luckily, Gritty took the nomination in stride, a testament to his character, given that the 43-year-old Phanatic started dying his hair last year –  a rather embarrassing display of public vanity from the Hall of Fame mascot.

Chris Thorburn Officially Retires From NHL

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It’s been more than two years since Chris Thorburn played meaningful minutes in an NHL game, but the veteran forward is officially hanging up his skates, per Sean O’Leary of The Score. The NHLPA sent along their congratulations to Thorburn via Twitter.

Thorburn, 37, got to go out in style, winning the Stanley Cup in his second year with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford chronicled Thorburn’s final season when he spent most of the year mentoring younger players for the Blues’ AHL affiliate. The longtime enforcer appeared in 50 games for the Blues in 2017-2018 for 7:02 ATOI as a 34-year-old, finishing the year with seven points.

The veteran winger was never an All-Star, topping out usage-wise with 13:48 ATOI during the Thrashers final season in Atlanta (2010-2011). He nonetheless carved out a role as a professional skater for 14 seasons. After Buffalo made him the 50th overall selection of the 2001 entry draft, Thorburn suited up for the Sabres, Penguins, Thrashers/Jets, and Blues, totalling 53 goals and 134 points.

Kevan Miller Not Considering Retirement

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Kevan Miller is a free agent at the end of the season, but despite being out due to injury since April of 2019, the 32-year-old defender isn’t ready to pack it in, per Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com.

Miller, currently employed by the Boston Bruins, went under the knife for the fourth time with the most recent procedure on his kneecap. With all that he’s been through, a return to the ice would be a remarkable story. Signed originally by the Bruins six years ago as an undrafted free agent, Miller made a role for himself in Boston – when healthy. The Bruins missed Miller’s presence in the Stanley Cup Final last year, writes Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports, and if he’s able to get himself back on the ice, he could be helpful to a team again.

Still, given the financial implications of the pandemic and Miller’s long history of knee troubles, it would be surprising to see Miller drum up much interest in free agency. That said, there’s absolutely a team out there that should be willing to give him a look – especially at the price point that he’s likely to command. Step one, however, will be for Miller to finish his rehab and get back to life as usual.

Miller had to fight his way onto an NHL team, and that kind of grit extended onto the ice where he’s succeeded as a physical, bruising defender. But that’s the kind of player he is, writes The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa. The intensity is a double-edged sword, helping Miller fight to make himself a role on the ice, while playing a role in the injuries that have kept him from it. Shinzawa provided a quote from Miller, commenting on his style of play: “I don’t have another identity, to be honest with you, especially on the ice. That’s who I am. Who I am on the ice is who I am off the ice. Maybe a little softer off the ice. That’s my bread and butter. I don’t think I’m going to go out there and score 50 goals.”

Martin Hanzal Considering Retirement

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Dallas Stars forward Martin Hanzal reportedly is considering retirement from the NHL after several injury-plagued years with serious back issues, according to Czech website hokej.cz (translation required).  However, with his contract technically still on the books for the Stars, it’s likely any official announcement won’t be made until the 2019-20 season is complete. Craig Morgan, formerly of The Athletic, notes that he spoke to Hanzal several months ago and the veteran admitted that retirement was a likely option, but he would wait until his contract has officially expired before making a final decision.

The 33-year-old forward signed a three-year, $14.25MM contract in July of 2017 with Dallas, but it has been one of the team’s most disappointing contracts over those three years. Hanzal has played in just 45 games over those three years, scoring six goals and 12 points and hasn’t appeared in a game since Dec. 23 of 2018.

Hanzal had been quite successful up until his agreement with Dallas. He played most of his career with the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, playing in 608 games with the franchise for 10 seasons before the team traded the pending UFA to Minnesota for the 2017 playoff run, which turned out to be a first-round exit. Regardless, the forward was coming off a 20-goal season and at 30 years old was considered one of the top free agents.

In total, Hanzal has played in 673 games with 127 goals and 338 points. His best season was in 2015-16 when he scored 13 goals and 41 points.

Tommy Wingels Announces His Retirement

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After a strong season in the Swiss NLA this season, it seemed like veteran winger Tommy Wingels could be a candidate to return to the NHL this offseason.  However, that won’t be the case as his now-former club team in Geneve-Servette announced that the 32-year-old has decided to retire.

Wingels spent the last two seasons in Switzerland and had a good year offensively for the Eagles, collecting 16 goals and 23 assists in just 44 games which was good enough to put him second on the team in scoring behind former NHL winger Daniel Winnik.  Their playoffs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before crossing the pond, Wingels was a veteran of 448 career NHL regular season games, the majority of which were spent in San Jose who drafted him in the sixth round (177th overall) back in 2008.  He wrapped up the final couple of years with Ottawa, Chicago, and Boston where he was predominantly in a fourth line and penalty killing role.  Overall, Wingels calls it a career with 62 goals and 81 assists under his belt along with 1,211 hits, good for an average of 2.7 per game.

Geneve-Servette wasted little time finding his replacement as they’ve inked winger Linus Omark to a two-year deal to take his place.  Omark spent parts of three NHL seasons between Edmonton and Buffalo before returning overseas for the 2014-15 campaign.

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