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Snapshots: Marleau, Puljujarvi, Sheahan, Gardiner

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The Edmonton Oilers are still in need of depth on the wing and remain in the hunt for players that could help fill a need. Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins, in his Sunday column, writes that one option that he’s hearing is that veteran winger Patrick Marleau has shown some interest in potentially signing with the Oilers.

The 39-year-old Marleau was traded to Carolina in a salary dump and the veteran asked the Hurricanes to buy him out with the intention of returning to San Jose and signing with his old team. While that still seems the likely outcome for Marleau, the Sharks have not signed the veteran to a contract yet and the veteran may be looking at other West Coast options. Edmonton could be attractive to him as the team needs help to fill out its top three lines, something the veteran could help with. While his skills have eroded some, Marleau still posted 16 goals and 37 points last season in a crowded Maple Leafs forward group.

  • Leavins, in the same article, adds that with little trade interest brewing for disgruntled Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi, the most likely scenario right now if he doesn’t want to return to Edmonton, which he has said numerous times, will be to accept at $200K contract in Finland this season and try to prove himself as a star in the Liiga and then can generate more trade interest next summer. In fact, the Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont writes that with nothing even close to being lined up in Finland, the 21-year-old winger may have no choice but to return to Edmonton despite all of his agents’ demands.
  • The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that the Edmonton Oilers remain in search for a third-line center and he believes that unrestricted free agent center Riley Sheahan might be a good fit with the team. PHR’s Brian La Rose looked at Sheahan’s free-agent status Saturday and noted that Edmonton could be a suitor for the UFA. It’s unlikely that the team will split their top three players at center in Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but at the moment, their next best option would be Swiss center Gaeton Haas, which makes most people uncomfortable. With five full seasons under his belt at just 27 years old, the Oilers might be willing to take a chance on him.
  • The Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons writes that he believes that general manager Kyle Dubas is hoping to work out a way to sign Mitch Marner and unrestricted free agent Jake Gardiner. While that scenario would seem to be unlikely considering the state of Toronto’s cap situation, Simmons writes that the team could decide to sign Marner to a bridge deal, which could give the team some extra room to retain Gardiner who has been sitting unsigned on the free-agent market. The hope is that Gardiner would slot in as a third-line defenseman. However, that scenario remains unlikely as locking up Marner to a long-term deal is the team’s top priority this summer.

2007 NHL Draft Take Two: Ninth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended.  For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now.  Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?

Here are the results of the redraft so far, with their original draft position in parentheses:

1st Overall: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (1)
2nd Overall: Jamie Benn, Philadelphia Flyers (129)
3rd Overall: P.K. Subban, Phoenix Coyotes (43)
4th Overall: Logan Couture, Los Angeles Kings (9)
5th Overall: Max Pacioretty, Washington Capitals (22)
6th Overall: Jakub Voracek, Edmonton Oilers (7)
7th Overall: Ryan McDonagh, Columbus Blue Jackets (12)
8th Overall: James van Riemsdyk, Boston Bruins (2)

The first player on our list that ended up below where he originally went is van Riemsdyk, who drops six spots but remains in the top-10. The big winger from New Jersey would have fit in perfectly alongside some of the other impressive young forwards in Boston and certainly would have been an upgrade over Zach Hamill. Alas, he was already gone when the actual draft happened and the Bruins didn’t have a chance to put van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel together—a duo that would find themselves skating together in Toronto years later.

While Hamill played just 20 NHL games and never recorded a single goal, van Riemsdyk has made a living off of putting the puck in the net. The 30-year old winger has scored 228 goals in his 675-game career, putting him sixth among all players drafted in 2007. Interestingly his 441 points put him ninth however, behind several names that we’ve yet to see in our redraft series.

Still, it’s easy to see why our voters believe he’s the right choice here. After scoring a career-high 36 goals in 2017-18, van Riemsdyk ended up back in Philadelphia where he registered another solid season. With 27 goals and 48 points in just 66 games he showed he could still be an effective top-six option and deserving of the $35MM contract he signed in 2018.

After Boston whiffed on their pick, the San Jose Sharks were on the clock. Not only would they pick one of the best players from the draft with their first selection, but San Jose would have one of the best drafts in the entire league. Logan Couture was the ninth selection of the first round, five spots after he went in our redraft. The OHL center was actually considered something of a reach by the Sharks given he was ranked #19 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. The team actually traded up to secure Couture, sending the St. Louis Blues an extra second-round selection to swap picks in the first (the Sharks had already added an extra first by trading Vesa Toskala and Mark Bell to the Toronto Maple Leafs).

After going back to the Ottawa 67’s for two seasons there were actually some who doubted whether Couture would really be a top offensive player at the professional level. After all he never really did have a dominant OHL season, trailing John Tavares in the scoring race by 14 points in 2008-09 despite being two years older. He never even got the chance to suit up for Team Canada at the U20 World Juniors.

Maybe junior hockey just wasn’t made for Couture though, as it didn’t take long for him to show the world what he was all about when he reached the professional ranks. In his first full season he recorded 53 points in 42 games for the AHL’s Worcester Sharks and made his presence known in the playoffs for San Jose with four goals in 15 games. The following year he recorded his first 30+ goal season and finished second in Calder Trophy voting to Jeff Skinner. He never looked back. Though Couture’s 240 career regular season goals are impressive, it’s his postseason performances that have made him into such a superstar in the league. With 48 goals and 101 points in 116 playoff game he has put himself among the elite in terms of “clutch” players in the NHL. Add in that he’s capable at both center and the wing and can play the powerplay and penalty kill and there isn’t a team in the league that wouldn’t pay up to get Couture on their roster.

Unfortunately in our redraft, the Sharks will never get a chance to pick him. The talent is getting thinner but there are still several names worth considering.

With the ninth pick of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, who should the San Jose Sharks select? Cast your vote below!

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Minor Transactions: 08/21/19

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As the RFA market shows signs of movement, other teams are still working to fill out their organizational depth charts. As we keep track of all the minor moves around the world of hockey, we’ll fill you in right here. Keep checking back as this page will be updated throughout the day:

  • The Stockton Heat have signed four players, inking Terrance Amorosa, Zach Osburn, Matthew Gaudreau and Mitch Hults to one-year, two-way minor league contracts. Gaudreau is the name that will stick out to Calgary Flames fans for obvious reasons, as he is the younger brother of star forward Johnny Gaudreau. The 24-year old has spent the last two seasons with the Worcester Railers of the ECHL while getting a handful of games at the AHL level.
  • Jonathan Martin’s entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks expired earlier this summer and the team opted not to extend him a qualifying offer. Despite scoring 28 points in 57 AHL games last season, it seems other NHL teams weren’t enamored with the forward either. Martin has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners, the team announced. The 23-year-old will look to work his way back into NHL consideration with a strong perfromance this season.
  • Kelly Cup champion Derian Plouffe has signed with the Indy Fuel of the ECHL, leaving the Toronto Marlies/Newfoundland Growlers after just one full season in professional hockey. Plouffe put up 23 points in 56 games with the Growlers and took home the championship after spending four years at Niagara University. Fellow former Growler Gabriel Gagne has also left the Maple Leafs organization, as the former Ottawa Senators prospect has signed with the ECHL’s Allen Americans, the team announced. The towering power forward recorded 16 points in 55 AHL games last season and is a major addition for Allen.
  • Connor Moynihan won’t be playing for the Rockford IceHogs this season, instead signing an ECHL deal with the Tulsa Oilers. The Oilers decided to bring in both Connor and his brother Danny Moynihan, who actually retired from professional hockey temporarily because of a heart condition. He returns after a year off and last played with the Utica Comets and Kalamazoo Wings in 2017-18.
  • The Boston Globe’s Matt Porter reports that forward Tanner Pond has signed a two-way deal with the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Pond played in a career-high 46 AHL games with the Providence Bruins last year, playing a reliable energy role. He’ll look to carve out a regular role for himself again in the coming season with Bridgeport.
  • Thomas Beretta has transferred to the University of Vermont after three seasons at Michigan Tech. The senior forward is looking for a fresh start after missing more than half of the 2018-19 season due to injury. His scoring pace was the greatest of his collegiate career last season though, so if he can adjust to the tougher competition of the Hockey East Conference, he could be in for a breakout campaign just prior to becoming a free agent next summer.

Poll: Which GM Will Be Fired Next?

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Despite missing the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, the Vancouver Canucks decided to extend GM Jim Benning today. The reasons for that are complicated—and obviously do not hinge entirely on his postseason record—just as they were when the Minnesota Wild made the decision to fire Paul Fenton just 14 months into his tenure with the team. The inner workings of an NHL front office are almost never made public (unless there is an intrepid reporter like Michael Russo of The Athletic who gets the incredible story), and it is hard to see why some decisions are made.

Still, even the most casual fan can see the seat of specific executives and coaches heating up. When the Edmonton Oilers decided to move on from Peter Chiarelli during another disappointing season, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. On the other hand, it was easy to see why the Carolina Hurricanes recently locked up Don Waddell after he interviewed for another job.

Looking around the league, who is next? Which GM will be let go, either this year or next summer?

It might be easy to look at the teams that have struggled recently, but many of them have replaced their top hockey operations executive over the last few seasons. The Oilers brought in Ken Holland to change the culture in Edmonton, while Steve Yzerman returned to the Detroit Red Wings to bring a new voice to a stagnant team. Florida has gone through quite a bit of turmoil in the front office since their ownership changed but Dale Tallon now seems to be entrenched as a veteran leader.

There are others though that may not be so lucky. The Ottawa Senators are heading in a new direction after shedding their previous core, but if the young talent doesn’t develop as hoped Pierre Dorion could be held responsible. John Chayka was the youngest GM in history when he took over the Arizona Coyotes in 2016, but they still haven’t made the playoffs under his watch and now have new ownership of their own. Jason Botterill was expected to have success in Buffalo after finding so much of it in Pittsburgh, but the Sabres haven’t been able to build a full roster around Jack Eichel despite some outstanding individual players.

Nothing is certain when it comes to front offices however. Cast your vote below and explain just why you think they’ll be the first to go!

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*We’ve used Kelly McCrimmon as the Vegas GM, though he won’t officially take that title from George McPhee until September

Snapshots: Sharks, Prospect Pools, Flames

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The San Jose Sharks are still expected to sign Joe Thornton at some point this offseason according to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required). That might not be so for the other franchise icon that sits unsigned deep into August, Patrick Marleau who joined his former teammate for a skate at the San Jose facility this week. Kurz examines the situation for both men, pointing out that Thornton is completely committed to the team regardless of how much cap space they have left at the end of the summer.

Just recently we examined that cap space with a breakdown of the Sharks’ salary situation for the upcoming season. With just under $4.7MM to work with they could certainly bring in both Thornton and Marleau if they want to come “home,” but that wouldn’t leave much for upgrades to the rest of the roster. Most notably is perhaps in net where Aaron Dell remains the backup for the time being despite having just one year at $1.9MM left on his contract and the Sharks trying to trade him in the past. An improvement in net might cost the Sharks some of that room if they can’t find a taker for Dell in return.

  • Sticking with The Athletic, resident prospect guru Corey Pronman has started to release (subscription required) his ranking of the 31 farm systems around the league. In last place sits the Calgary Flames, who have had several graduations recently including injured defenseman Juuso Valimaki. In the 2018 draft the Flames didn’t select a single player until the fourth round after trading away several picks, leaving a gap in their system they’ll have to work hard to refill. Pronman has released five other teams and will continue through the summer.
  • Those Flames are now in the process of looking to add a defenseman instead of shopping one after Valimaki’s injury. GM Brad Treliving admitted to Eric Francis of Sportsnet that they hadn’t previously been considering an addition on the blueline, but is now after a depth option to help fill in. The rest of the league obviously noticed the situation the Flames are now in, with Treliving saying that his “30 other GM friends certainly have a lot of ideas for [him].”

Salary Cap Deep Dive: San Jose Sharks

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

San Jose Sharks

Current Cap Hit: $76,867,417 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

None that are likely to land a full-time spot in the lineup.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Jonny Brodzinski ($700K, UFA)
G Aaron Dell ($1.9MM, UFA)
D Brenden Dillon ($3.27MM, UFA)
D Tim Heed ($960K, UFA)
F Melker Karlsson ($2MM, UFA)
F Kevin Labanc ($1MM, RFA)
D Dalton Prout ($800K, UFA)
F Lukas Radil ($700K, UFA)
D Radim Simek ($675K, UFA)

Labanc’s contract came as one of the big surprises of the offseason.  A forward that puts up 56 points signs quickly for only $1MM?  That will raise some eyebrows.  The idea behind the deal is that it gives the Sharks a bit more short-term flexibility while also opening up the ability to get to salary arbitration where another season like this one could put him into the $4MM range rather quickly.  Karlsson has been a serviceable fourth liner but barring a big improvement offensively, he’ll probably be looking at a pay cut as $2MM for someone in that role is a bit pricey, especially for a team like the Sharks.  Radil did alright in the second half of the season while Brodzinski will look to bounce back from an injury-plagued year.  Given their cap structure, they’ll be re-signed for a similar rate a year from now or replaced by someone who’ll take that amount.

Dillon has been a speculative trade candidate for a while as someone that’s a bit expensive to fill the role he provides.  He’s a capable third pairing player but with the top end of their salary structure, they’ll be looking to fill that with someone cheaper.  Heed likely left a bit of money on the table when he re-signed but he’ll have a shot at a full-time role next season.  Locking that down would have him in line for a nice raise…even if it has to come from somewhere else.  Simek will also be given a chance to play regular minutes, something that wasn’t the case last year.  He’ll be in line for a higher cap hit no matter what as he’s one of the few players with an AAV below the Upper Limit.  Meanwhile, Prout is a more of a roster filler or a placeholder and whoever has that spot a year or two from now should slot in at a similar rate.

Dell hasn’t been able to live up to his performance from his rookie year when he was a high-end backup.  Now, he’s more towards the back end of that scale and is a bit expensive for that role which is why he has also been in trade speculation dating back to last season.  It’s likely that he’ll be replaced by someone cheaper for 2020-21 and beyond.

Two Years Remaining

F Barclay Goodrow ($925K, UFA)
F Marcus Sorensen ($1.5MM, UFA)

After not doing a whole lot over his first two seasons, Sorensen emerged as a reliable secondary scorer last season as he notched 17 goals.  That earned him a nice raise while keeping him affordable for a bottom-six role which is where he’ll likely remain.  If he can keep that type of production up, he’ll be one of the better bargains that they have.  Goodrow is a prototypical fourth liner whose physicality is one of his calling cards.  That will limit his earning potential unless he can find a way to produce more; his career-high in goals in a single season is seven.

Three Years Remaining

F Tomas Hertl ($5.625MM, UFA)

Hertl’s deal looked a little expensive this time a year ago.  While it bought out some UFA time, he still had yet to reach 50 points.  However, those thoughts no longer exist after a career season that saw him finish second on the team in scoring while establishing himself as a top liner.  What seemed a little questionable a year ago now appears to be quite team-friendly.

Four Or More Years Remaining

D Brent Burns ($8MM through 2024-25)
F Logan Couture ($8MM through 2026-27)
F Evander Kane ($7MM through 2024-25)
D Erik Karlsson ($11.5MM through 2026-27)
G Martin Jones ($5.75MM through 2023-24)
F Timo Meier ($6MM through 2022-23, RFA at expiry)
D Marc-Edouard Vlasic ($7MM through 2025-26)

Some teams have built their team towards having flexibility in the future.  San Jose is not one of them as these seven will count for $53.25MM per season for at least four more years.

Couture has emerged as a capable top line center and with Joe Pavelski out of the picture, he’s likely going to stay in that role for the foreseeable future.  He’s coming off of a career season and is in the prime of his career so he should be able to provide a strong return on this contract for a while.  Kane didn’t quite produce at the same level he did after being acquired from Buffalo over the final two months of 2017-18 but he nonetheless had his best season since 2011-12.  There is certainly some risk with his contract given how up and down Kane has been over his career but the reward potential is certainly there as well.  Meier’s contract is interesting.  It keeps him a restricted free agent at the end of it but it comes with a $10MM qualifying offer at the end of it.  That means that the $53.25MM price tag will be going a lot higher four years from now.  In the meantime, the winger will be looking to build off his breakout 30-goal campaign.  If he does, this will certainly be well below market value.

Karlsson’s contract is in a league of its own.  Literally.  It’s the richest contract ever given to a defenseman and there is some considerable risk/reward at play.  Karlsson has dealt with considerable injury issues in recent years including some recurring groin trouble last season.  As a result, he had just three goals last year.  On the surface, that seems like quite the overpayment.  On the other hand, he’s still a dangerous playmaker and with some rest over the offseason, he should be ready to go and get closer to the 70 points he has put up four times in his career already.  The back years are going to be rough but Karlsson returning to form should give the Sharks some value from this deal.  If it doesn’t happen though, then this could very well become the worst contract in the league in a hurry.

Burns’ contract looked expensive when it was signed back in 2016 but the Karlsson and Drew Doughty deals make it look a little more reasonable now.  He certainly provided a great return in 2018-19 as he led the team in scoring with 83 points.  However, he’s 34 now and there are six years left on the deal.  Like Karlsson, the back few years could be painful.  Vlasic is a reliable defensive defender but doesn’t bring a lot offensively to the table.  That makes his price tag on the high side but given the success he has had with Burns, it’s understandable why they wanted to commit to him long-term as well.

Jones had a particularly rough season last year.  After playing at a league-average level (even a little bit above at times) for the previous three seasons, his performance was below average for a backup last year.  With five years left on his deal, there is no trade market for Jones so the Sharks will have to wait it out.  If he doesn’t rebound though, this could also be somewhat of an anchor although it isn’t as buyout-prohibitive as some of their other contracts.

Buyouts

D Paul Martin ($1.417MM in 2019-20)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Hertl
Worst Value: Karlsson

Looking Ahead

With more than $4MM to work with, GM Doug Wilson has some flexibility to work with although most of that is likely to go to Joe Thornton while Patrick Marleau wants to sign there as well.  Both would be one-year deals which gives them the option to put some bonuses in to retain some ability for in-season movement.

However, with the big tickets they have on the books long-term, San Jose is going to be battling cap issues for the foreseeable future.  They’ll be filling out their roster with entry-level deals and affordable veterans and players in that middle tier will eventually be plying their trade elsewhere.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacific Notes: Coyotes’ Arena, Labanc, Flames’ Goaltending

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While the Arizona Coyotes new owner Alex Meruelo has made it clear that he’s committed to keeping the Coyotes in Arizona, he also didn’t go as far as to say that he wants to keep the team in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes have struggled financially at Gila River Arena and Merulo may be interested in moving the team elsewhere, calling Glendale, “a difficult situation.”

The owner made it clear that there are several reasons why Glendale may not be an ideal location in Arizona, including the team keeps losing money, most fans don’t live in Glendale, sponsorship there has been difficult and the team does not have a long-term lease there. However, AZ Central’s Jen Fifield reports that the leaders of the city of Glendale hope to have a meeting with Meruelo “to see how we can help him achieve his goals of success.”

However, Meruelo has made it clear for quite a while that he’s looking to find a new arena in Arizona. The team is currently on a year-to-year arena lease and the owner has made it clear that Glendale “is not viable long-term.”

  • Many eyes went wise earlier this summer, when highly talented restricted free agent Kevin Labanc signed just a one-year, $1MM deal when he could have gotten quite a bit more. NHL.com’s Adam Kimmelman reports that Labanc admits that he put the team first when he signed that deal. “I didn’t want to wait,” he said following a Checking For Charity game at Flyers Skate Zone on Friday. “I wanted to sign the contract, get myself ready for the upcoming year and have nothing hanging over my shoulder.” Labanc, who will be a restricted agent once again next summer, could be in line for an even bigger payday as his role on the ice with the Sharks is likely to increase with the losses of Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi and Gustav Nyquist during the offseason. Labanc put together a solid year last season, posting career highs in goals (17) and points (56) and saw his ATOI improve as the season went on, averaging 15:26 in April despite averaging just 13:34 before the all-star break.
  • With a recent bias over the last few years in the NHL over the importance of height in goaltenders, The Athletic’s Darren Haynes (subscription required) writes that the Calgary Flames seem to be heading towards an anti-establishment policy towards them. In fact, most of Calgary’s goalie draft picks in recent years have been towards smaller goaltenders, including Tyler Parsons, who at 6-foot-1, is not considered to be ranked at the 15th percentile in height. In comparison, he would have been considered in the 89th percentile in 1984-85. The Flames seem to be opting to go against those trends as the team is also loaded with shorter goaltenders, including 2019 seventh-rounder Dustin Wolf at 5-foot-11 and Nick Schneider, who is one of their tallest prospects at 6-foot-2.

Sharks Loan Jonathan Dahlen To Timra

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There had been speculation dating back to last season that Sharks prospect Jonathan Dahlen was looking to return to Sweden.  That has now come to fruition as Timra of the Swedish Allsvenskan announced that the winger has signed a one-year deal with the team after San Jose officially loaned them his rights.  His entry-level deal contains a European Assignment Clause although teams will often bring a player to training camp first before going that route.

Dahlen’s brief time in North America has been somewhat rocky.  The former Vancouver prospect was touted as one of their better prospects heading into last season but he didn’t make a big impact in the minors (29 points in 50 games with AHL Utica) and he was eventually traded to San Jose for forward Linus Karlsson, a 2018 third-round pick.  While the move is more understandable now knowing that Dahlen didn’t want to stay in the minors for next season, that’s still a notable drop in value in a short period of time.

2019-20 will mark the final year of Dahlen’s NHL contract and it will be interesting to see what happens next with him.  A strong season could have the 21-year-old back on the NHL radar but at the same time, if he does well at home, he could very well simply opt to stay there.  Either way, the Sharks can retain his rights by tendering him a qualifying offer next June.

Carolina Hurricanes, San Jose Sharks Complete Minor Trade

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The Carolina Hurricanes have sent defenseman Trevor Carrick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Kyle Wood. Neither player has substantial NHL experience but will get a new start with a fresh organization. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement on why he went after Wood:

Kyle is a big, puck-moving defenseman. He’s a couple years younger than Trevor, and will have time to continue to develop on Charlotte’s blueline. We thank Trevor for his contributions to our organization and wish him the best in San Jose.

The Sharks have also immediately agreed to a two-year, two-way contract with Carrick, who was a restricted free agent. The 25-year old defenseman will be a Group VI unrestricted free agent after the deal expires unless he plays in another 76 NHL games during that time. Selected in the fourth round in 2012, Carrick has suited up four times over the years for the Hurricanes but is still without a point at the NHL level. Instead he has spent most of his time in the minor leagues with the Charlotte Checkers as a dominant offensive force from the back end. In 376 AHL contests, Carrick has recorded 200 points.

It will be interesting to see if he gets that NHL opportunity in San Jose. He certainly wasn’t going to get it at this point in Carolina as names like Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean are still fighting for full-time roles. The Hurricanes have such a deep and young group that there was likely no way for Carrick to climb the depth chart, leaving him toiling in the minor leagues even as one of the most effective puck-movers in the AHL. The Sharks have a much different looking defense group, headlined by several older players and filled out by veterans on short-term deals.

Wood meanwhile has to join that Hurricanes depth chart and will now be trying to crack the NHL in his fourth organization. Originally selected by the Colorado Avalanche in 2014, Wood has already been traded three times. First the Avalanche sent him to the Arizona Coyotes as part of the Mikkel Boedker package, then he was flipped to San Jose last year for Adam Helewka. The 23-year old has been a good player in the minor leagues, racking up points even as a 6’5″ defenseman, but it’ll be a tough hill to climb to make any impact for the Hurricanes.

Snapshots: Dahlen, Teply, Boston University

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Many believe that talented, but under-performing forward Jonathan Dahlen may be primed for a breakout year in 2019-20, beginning his first full season with the San Jose Sharks. Dahlen, 21, was acquired by the Sharks at the trade deadline in a swap with the Vancouver Canucks for fellow Swedish forward prospect Linus Karlsson. Dahlen had failed to do enough in the AHL to earn a call-up to the Canucks in his first season in North America, but after a four-point outburst in the final seven games of the regular season with AHL San Jose, many felt a change of scenery could be all he needed to battle for an NHL spot this upcoming season. However, Dahlen may not break camp with the Sharks this fall because he may not even be in camp. Swedish news source Hockey Sverige reports that Dahlen is expected to return to his former club, Timra IK. Dahlen is in the final year of his entry-level contract, but that deal does include a European Assignment Clause, which allows Dahlen to play in Europe if he does not make the NHL club. The fact that this information has been leaked so early before training camp likely indicates that Dahlen either believes or knows that he won’t be playing for the Sharks in 2019-20 and would prefer to return home to Sweden rather than suit up for the Barracuda. Dahlen exercised his European Assignment Clause in the first year of his ELC, playing for Timra rather than the AHL’s Utica Comets. After a season in Utica last year that left a lot to be desired, Dahlen is likely eager to get back to his roots, especially since Timra has been promoted to the SHL from the minor league Allsvenskan since the last time he played there. If Dahlen does indeed jump overseas next season, it doesn’t mean his career with San Jose is over. The Sharks would merely need to make him a qualifying offer next season to retain his rights moving forward, should he re-discover his game and try again to make it in the NHL.

  • One player making the reverse move, going from Europe to North America, is Chicago Blackhawks prospect Michal Teply. Teply played professionally in his native Czech Republic last season, but is ready to return to the junior ranks. After being selected No. 4 overall in the recent CHL Import Draft, Teply has delivered on the pick used by the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice, as the team announced he has signed. The Ice, who are moving from Kootenay to Winnipeg and looking for a fresh start after a second-to-last league finish, are likely to see immediate results from Teply. A big winger who uses his size well to create space and make plays, many were surprised that Teply fell into the fourth round for the Blackhawks. In fact, there was a consensus among the top scouting services that Teply was a surefire second- or third-round pick. From fourth round to fourth overall, Winnipeg still may have found a steal in Teply, as the skilled forward has already proven he can compete with men at the pro level and could be in for breakout year against junior competition.
  • Boston University has found its new starting goaltender via transfer. The program has announced that a pair of graduate transfers have joined the team in Alex Brink and Sam Tucker. While Brink was a nice piece as a depth forward at Brown University, Tucker is the big news. The 23-year-old keeper split starts in net for Yale University over the past three seasons, including leading the team in appearances in each of the past two years, and his numbers took a sharp upturn in 2018-19. He now joins an elite NCAA program in BU where superior defense and possession ability should allow him to excel even more. After losing Jake Oettinger to the pros, it was looking like the Terriers were going to enter next season with untested Vinnie Purpura in net, but Purpura can take another year to continue developing while Tucker presumably takes over the starter role. Brink and Tucker join a new group of players that is arguably the best recruiting class in the nation, helping to make up for an exodus of nearly a third of last year’s roster to the pros.

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