San Jose Sharks Sign Manuel Wiederer
The San Jose Sharks have inked a draft pick from last summer, signing Manuel Wiederer to a entry-level deal. No financial details were released, but it will be a three-year deal starting next season.
Wiederer played the past two seasons in the QMJHL after coming over from Germany, scoring 29 goals in both years. While his assist totals took a step back this season, Sharks’ GM Doug Wilson had this to say about the forward.
Manuel mixes a defensively responsible two-way game with speed and offensive creativity and has proven that he can play with players much older than he is. He takes pride in his defensive game, but has also shown that he can produce when asked to provide offense. We look forward to him developing his overall game with our organization.
It’s true that Wiederer has proven an ability to skate with older players, as he spent most of the 2014-15 season playing in the DEL, Germany’s highest professional league. He was just 17 playing against men mostly a decade older than him. While he didn’t put up many points there, the Canadian junior ranks came a little easier and he showed his offensive potential in the playoffs both seasons. Last year, he scored 12 goals in 17 games for the Moncton Wildcats before registering 10 points in 12 playoff games for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies this spring.
The winger has upside as a potential secondary scoring threat, but is more likely to develop into an excellent defensive player. Should that game be able to transfer all the way to the NHL is still up for debate, but he’ll likely head to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda next season to test it against North American professionals.
Latest On Florida Panthers’ Coaching Search
While the rest of the hockey world was talking yesterday about the latest concussion suffered by Sidney Crosby, Pierre LeBrun of TSN tweeted out an interesting note about the Florida Panthers’ coaching search. The venerable hockey insider reports that the Panthers have asked for and received permission from the San Jose Sharks to interview Bob Boughner for their vacancy. LeBrun adds that they also may be after assistant coaches still working in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with teams that have yet to be eliminated.
Boughner, one may remember, was a candidate for the Colorado Avalanche job last summer after Patrick Roy left the team in August, a job that eventually went to Jared Bednar who had been coaching in the AHL. Boughner just completed just his second year with the Sharks, after a lengthy tenure with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL.
Joining Windsor in 2006, he quickly turned around a franchise that had been to just one Memorial Cup in its history and never won the CHL tournament. Within four seasons, Boughner had led the team to back-to-back championships while guiding young players like Taylor Hall and Ryan Ellis to greatness. It earned him a spot on the Columbus Blue Jackets bench as an assistant coach for one season before returning to the Spitfires in 2011.
While Boughner doesn’t have any experience as a head coach at the professional level, he is considered an up-and-coming option that will eventually get an opportunity somewhere, and comes with a much different marketing spin than other “old guard” options like Michel Therrien or Lindy Ruff. Other assistants that may be of interest fall into both of these categories, like the experienced Marc Crawford from Ottawa or inexperienced assistant Phil Housley from Nashville.
Ted Lindsay Finalists Released
The NHL has revealed the three finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award: Brent Burns, Sidney Crosby, and Connor McDavid.
The award goes to the player judged to be the most outstanding player in the league. The biggest difference between the Hart and the Lindsay is who votes; the Hart is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) and the Lindsay is voted on by NHL players. It’s for this reason that players often seen the Lindsay as a more prestigious award to win, as it’s voted on by their peers.
Burns had a fantastic season, finishing ninth in NHL scoring. His 29 goals and 76 points were the highest by a defenseman, six more than Senators captain Erik Karlsson. Burns lead the Sharks in scoring by eight points (Joe Pavelski had 68), and was the most dangerous player on the ice for the Sharks on most nights. Going against Burns, however, is his 16-game goalless drought towards the end of the season. After scoring 27 goals in 59 games, Burns didn’t score between February 19 and March 28. However, that also illustrates the sheer dominance of Burns prior to the drought. Also, Karlsson had 82 points in 82 games in 2015-16 and failed to even be nominated for Lindsay or Hart. The last time a defenseman won the Award was 1974-75 when some guy named Bobby Orr won it.
Crosby is the only finalist who has won the award before, having won it three times in 2006-07, 2012-13, and 2013-14. Crosby had 44 goals and 89 points in 75 games this season. His 44 goals were good to win the Rocket Richard Trophy for the NHL’s leading goal scorer. Crosby scored 17 more points than his Penguins teammate Evgeni Malkin. Crosby is three-for-three when nominated for the Award.
However, the odds-on favorite is likely Oilers captain McDavid, who was the only 100-point scorer in the NHL this season. The 20-year-old McDavid scored 30 goals and 100 points in 82 games, winning the Art Ross trophy by 11 points over Crosby and Patrick Kane, both of whom had 89 points. While the other two finalists play for perennial contenders, McDavid was a huge part of the Oilers’ jump up the standings from 29th to 8th in the league.
The winner will be revealed at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on June 21.
Morning Notes: Vegas-Buffalo, Chicago, New York
John Vogl of the Buffalo News reports that the firing of Tim Murray has already affected the Sabres expansion draft plans, as the outgoing GM was in talks with Vegas about a deal to have them select a certain player, or at least not select a certain player. Vogl writes that he will now have to wait to reach out to Murray’s replacement to see if the deal is still in the works.
The Sabres aren’t in terrible shape for the draft, though will likely have to expose one of Johan Larsson or William Carrier up front. The deal could have easily been something like Vegas agreeing to take Matt Moulson off their hands, but we perhaps will never know what Murray had tried to accomplish before being jettisoned earlier this month.
- Scott Powers of The Athletic details the trouble the Blackhawks will find themselves in due to the various no-movement/trade clauses that have been handed out in Chicago. While everyone expects players like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to receive them, Artem Anisimov was given one this year while a partial NTC kicks in for Marcus Kruger next season. For a team that needs to free up some cap space this summer, the clauses will be another sticking point.
- The New York Islanders have announced that they will have a new ECHL affiliate next season called the Worcester Railers HC. The Railers are the first ever ECHL team based in Massachusetts, as Worcester is about 50 miles west of Boston. That city of course had the Worcester Sharks in the AHL for many years before they moved to San Jose and became the Barracuda two years ago.
Minor Moves: Sharks, Team USA, Team Canada
The San Jose Sharks have sent Timo Meier and Marcus Sorensen back to the AHL for the playoff run according to Keven Kurz of NBC. The two forwards were dominant offensive players for the Barracuda this year when they weren’t playing for the Sharks, and will add a definite scoring punch to a team that has already scored eight goals through their first two games.
Meier and Sorensen combined for 31 goals and 57 points in 76 games for the Barracuda, and both will likely compete for full-time jobs with the Sharks next season. More news from the recently eliminated teams…
- Kevin Allen of USA Today reports that both Charlie McAvoy and Trevor van Riemsdyk will be joining Team USA at the World Championships. The pair add to a defense group that is becoming quite impressive and already included Noah Hanifin and Jacob Trouba. McAvoy will be joining his fifth different team of the season after spending time with Boston University, the Providence and Boston Bruins, and Team USA at the World Juniors. He’s made an impact at every level so far, and shouldn’t be overlooked as a possible star at this latest tournament.
- Team Canada will gain a young star of their own, as Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun reports that Mitch Marner will head to the tournament. After several Maple Leafs turned the tournament down—including Auston Matthews, Nikita Zaitsev and just today Morgan Rielly—Marner will head off to compete in his first international event that isn’t age-restricted. In the U20 World Juniors last year, Marner recorded six points in five games but was left off last year’s World Championships and last fall’s World Cup teams. It’s not likely that he’ll be overlooked very often in the future, after posting 61 points in 77 games as a rookie this year.
Injury Notes: Gaborik, Thornton, Bergeron
The Los Angeles Kings released a list of players who went through medical procedures following the year, and while Tyler Toffoli, Alec Martinez and Derek Forbort all underwent minor procedures that shouldn’t take long to heal, Marian Gaborik is said to be “questionable” for training camp. Gaborik had an “in-depth” procedure on his left knee, likely the same one that GM Rob Blake announced just yesterday. That announcement came with the addendum that the team would not buyout the declining star, and perhaps we now know why.
Teams cannot buy out injured players, and with the first window to perform such a transaction opening in less than a month, Gaborik clearly won’t be healthy. The Kings will likely receive a second window after their arbitration cases are resolved—there is no guarantee they get this window, but with 11 players currently eligible for arbitration are good candidates for it—but that will likely still be much too soon for Gaborik’s health.
- When it was reported yesterday that Joe Thornton had been playing on one knee and would need surgery, it threw his free agency into question. If the 37-year old was headed for major knee surgery, which team would be willing to spend a hefty amount of money to add him to their team. Well, the Sharks announced today that Thornton underwent successful surgery and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2017-18 season, at least assuaging those reservations somewhat. His market value will still be contingent on medical results of his recovery, but he should be expected to garner quite a bit of interest.
- Patrice Bergeron told media today that he had been dealing with a sports hernia all year, and that he and the medical staff are considering surgery to fix the problem. While it’s extremely impressive that Bergeron put up 53 points and another Selke-worthy season with a hernia, surgery shouldn’t be considered just an off-season clean up. Often players take quite a bit of time to recover fully from hernia procedures, even when they’re able to get back into games. His performance at the beginning of next season will be interesting to watch as he heads into his age-32 season.
Joe Thornton Played With Torn MCL And ACL
San Jose Sharks coach Peter DeBoer spoke with the media today about their series loss against the Edmonton Oilers, and revealed that Joe Thornton had been playing with a torn MCL and ACL. He also says that Tomas Hertl had been playing with a broken foot, while Patrick Marleau had a broken finger. It likely means there is surgery in the near future for Thornton, which could drastically affect his free agency.
As he heads into the summer, Thornton is one of the top free agents on the market in what is a light year up front. Along with Alexander Radulov and T.J. Oshie, Thornton is one of the only proven top-six contributors available even as he approached 38 years old. His 50 points this season were a considerable step backwards, but he is just a year removed from an 82 point season in 2015-16. If his knee injury is further debilitating, he could be looking at a much lower cap-hit for someone to take a chance on him.
Though the Sharks would like to retain both Thornton and Marleau, it may be time to move on from the legends and try to build around Hertl and some of the other young players they have. Melker Karlsson, Marcus Sorensen, Joonas Donskoi and Chris Tierney are all restricted free agents this summer and deserve raises, while the team already has quite a bit of money tied up in their over-30 crowd, including the new $64MM extension for Brent Burns that kicks in next year.
Should Thornton make a full recovery, several teams may bite the bullet on the risks that his age and health pose, and offer a two-year deal to give him one last chance at the Stanley Cup. If it was his last stint in San Jose, skating with a “floating” knee seems like a loyal way to pay off a fan base that has cheered him for years, even if it did result in a first round exit.
Morning Notes: Murray, Eriksson Ek, Meier
Tim Murray may have predicted his eventual firing, when he spoke to John Vogl of the Buffalo News two years ago. After Ted Nolan had led the Sabres to a 23-51-8 record, Murray had to fire his coach and try to get it right the next time around. Nolan told Vogl very clearly what would happen if his next coach still didn’t work.
Am I going to find a perfect fit? If I don’t and I’m doing this again next year, then somebody else will get to make that decision when the perfect fit that I’m supposed to be isn’t the perfect fit, and I understand that.
When Dan Bylsma was fired, Murray had to go with him because of the decisions he’s made in the leadership of the organization. That doesn’t mean he won’t find success somewhere else though, as he has a long history of success in lower positions around the league and will be considered for another GM position at some point in the future. For now though, he just wasn’t the perfect fit anymore in Buffalo.
- Joel Eriksson Ek will join Team Sweden for the World Championships, reports Michael Russo of the Star Tribune. The Minnesota Wild forward split his season between the AHL, NHL and SHL in his native Sweden, putting together an impressive campaign all told. The former first-round pick is a big part of the Minnesota future, and will be another example of a player competing in both the World Juniors and World Championships in the same year—Eriksson Ek captained the U20 Swedish squad this year, and recorded nine points in seven games.
- Timo Meier ws returned to the San Jose Barracuda now that the Sharks have been eliminated from the NHL playoffs. The first-round pick will compete for the Calder Cup with the Barracuda, but actually was a -2 rating in his first playoff game last night. The Barracuda will now have to wait until Friday to continue their series that is currently tied 1-1 against the Stockton Heat. Meier has been something of a disappointment this year, but still shows immense potential for the future.
Snapshots: Thornton, Marleau, Krejci, Schmaltz
The big questions reporters seemed to ask veterans Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau when in the locker room Saturday after the San Jose Sharks had been eliminated in Game 6 of the playoffs first-round series was whether this was their last games as Sharks. The questions are justified. The Sharks boast one of the oldest cores in the NHL and couldn’t even win at home when they needed it.
Both Thornton and Marleau are both unrestricted free agents and have the option to look elsewhere this offseason. The two are both 37 years old, but are still going strong. Thornton finished with seven goals, but 43 assists this season for 50 points. Marleau is coming off a year in which he scored 27 goals to go with 19 assists for 46 points.
Despite their value, the question remains is the Sharks’ plan working? The knockout by a young Edmonton team that looks like it might control the Western Conference for a while with Connor McDavid and company may force San Jose to consider other options during the offseason.
NBC Sports Ray Ratto suggests this might be the end. The writer suggests the window has already closed and if it wasn’t for the team’s phenomenal playoff run last year that took them to the Stanley Cup Finals, it might have ended even earlier. Both veterans were still under contract a year ago, but as free agents, their demand will be high and their price tags will not come cheap. Many teams that are much closer to a Stanley Cup would love to add either veteran.
The team also must factor in the expansion draft as well. It is loaded with defensemen, so the team is likely to use the four forward, four defensemen and a goalie strategy. Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Dylan DeMelo and Brenden Dillon are likely keepers on defense. At forward, the team will likely keep Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and youngster Tomas Hertl and will have to make a hard decision from there for that final spot. Goaltender Martin Jones is an obvious keeper.
- Boston Bruins center David Krejci will not play in Game 6 today. The veteran center went down with a lower body injury in the first period of Friday’s Game 5 and never returned. He is out for today. Left wing Matt Beleskey will replace him, which will likely force a wing to move to the center position.
- The St. Louis Blues have assigned Jordan Schmaltz to the Chicago Wolves. Schmaltz is the Blues’ seventh defenseman and was sent down earlier last week to help the Wolves’ playoff run and now returns. 22-year-old Tommy Vannelli was promoted in his place. This will be the defenseman’s first call-up to the big-league club.
Draisaitl Avoids Suspension, Receives Fine
The NHL Department of Player Safety has opted not to suspend Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl for his spear on Chris Tierney, but has decided instead to fine him a total of $2,569.44. In the second period of Game 4, which at the moment of infraction was well out of reach at 5-0, Draisaitl and Tierney engaged in the corner – after which Tierney successfully cycles the puck behind Edmonton net. In seeming frustration, Draisaitl re-raises his stick upwards into the nether-regions of Tierney, at which point Tierney is felled to the ice. Draisaitl received a 5-minute major penalty and a game misconduct. The incident can be viewed here.
The NHL Department of Player Safety continues to display why suspensions are so impossible to predict. The only recent corollary which didn’t receive a suspension was Sidney Crosby‘s similar maneuver back in March against Ryan O’Reilly. This incident sparked a flurry of criticism against the Department of Player Safety for its seeming inconsistency, although there were many notable detractors who concurred with the league. Stars in today’s NHL undoubtedly need to carve out space for themselves, but this sort of low-blow is generally considered beyond acceptable, gentlemanly bounds. Brad Marchand, less of household name (even though he scored only 8 less points on the season), received a 2 game suspension for a remarkably analogous blow.
Granted, history of less-than-stellar behavior had a definitive role in the Marchand suspension, whereas Draisaitl and Crosby both had clean slates. There is also the undeniable factor that playoff suspensions are rarer and generally far less extreme. Oilers fans will no doubt cheer the fact that the young stud Draisaitl will be laced up for an extremely important Game 5. His 77 points on the season would be even more remarkable if they were not out-shined by the extraordinary glow of his fellow millennial Connor McDavid. In a series which might be franchise-defining, this is the best of news.
But the fact remains that at some point, there needs to be a standard set with a star player. $2,569 is little hardship for professional athletes at this compensation level. Although the explanations by the DoPS have been extremely helpful in trying to convey the league’s perspective, the punishments seem to fluctuate wildly. For now, the roulette wheel of justice spins on.