Training Camp Cuts: 10.06.2016
We’re now less than a week from the regular season and teams are starting to make the final cuts from their squads. Here is where we’ll keep track of all the day’s cuts.
Anaheim Ducks (via team release and General Fanager):
LW Ondrej Kase (to San Diego, AHL)
C Julius Nattinen (to San Diego, AHL)
D Clayton Stoner (on waivers for purposes of AHL assignment)
F Sean Bergenheim (released from PTO)
Buffalo Sabres (via John Vogl):
G Linus Ullmark (assigned to Rochester, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release):
D Jake Bean (to Calgary, WHL)
F Julien Gauthier (to Val d’Or, QMJHL)
F Aleksi Saarela (to Lukko, FEL)
G Alex Nedeljkovic (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Dennis Robertson (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Jake Chelios (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Andrew Poturalski (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Valentin Zykov (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Raffi Torres (released)
Snapshots: RFA Updates, Oilers Injuries, Boyle
Good news, Calgary Flames fans: Johnny Gaudreau isn’t interested in a trade to solve his contract impasse.
The star forward’s agent, Lewis Gross told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that they are not interested in taking the Jacob Trouba route. When asked if there’s a point where that could change, Gross reiterated that Gaudreau has “no intention of asking for a trade at this time.”
Friedman appeared on Sportsnet 960 in Calgary on Monday morning, and said while “at this time” may feel like a red flag, he “really felt” that Gaudreau has no desire to leave Calgary.
It’s not clear what both sides are looking for on a long-term deal, with the Flames likely wanting the contract to start with a six and Gaudreau wanting it to start with a seven or eight. However, Friedman believes “both sides move and this gets done.”
Friedman pointed to another high-profile RFA winger, Nikita Kucherov, as having no interest in being traded from Tampa Bay. However, the Lightning will likely have to make a trade to accommodate Kucherov’s demands.
Meanwhile, Friedman believes Arizona Coyotes winger Tobias Rieder is close to publicly requesting a trade, like Trouba did late last month. We reported last week that Rieder’s agent thinks a trade would be best for both sides.
In other news from around the hockey world:
- The Oilers thin blue-line may be a little thinner for the near future, with Brandon Davidson being classified as day-to-day after being hit in the head by Los Angeles Kings’ winger Tanner Pearson. Pearson received a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for targeting Davidson’s head. The NHL will likely be taking a look at this one.
- Edmonton will also be without the services of winger Iiro Pakarinen for at least a month after an ugly leg injury in Sunday night’s game. Pakarinen was battling in the corner with Kings defenseman Matt Greene when it appeared his skate caught a rut in the ice as he fell. The Finnish winger was expected to be a fourth line or extra forward in the NHL. He played 63 games with the Oilers last season, scoring 5 goals and 13 points.
- With the news of Barret Jackman‘s retirement coming on Monday, TSN’s Darren Dreger expects another veteran defenseman in Dan Boyle to announce his retirement sometime this week with the help of the San Jose Sharks.
Training Camp Cuts: 10.03.16
With just over a week towards the start of the NHL regular season, teams are continuing to pare down their rosters.
Here are Monday’s cuts:
Anaheim Ducks (via team release):
LW David Booth (released from PTO)
RW David Jones (released from PTO)
LW Max Jones (to London, OHL)
LW Antoine Laganiere (released from PTO, will report to San Diego, AHL)
Calgary Flames (via NHL.com):
D Ryan Culkin (to Stockton, AHL)
RW Matt Frattin (to Stockton, AHL)
G Jon Gillies (to Stockton, AHL)
D Mikhail Grigorev (released from PTO)
C Mark Jankowski (to Stockton, AHL)
LW Morgan Klimchuk (to Stockton, AHL)
D Oliver Kylington (to Stockton, AHL)
RW Emile Poirier (to Stockton, AHL)
D Colby Robak (released from PTO)
Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Eighth Overall Pick
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 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?
Here are the results of our redraft so far:
1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Bobby Ryan (Chicago Blackhawks)
Now we move forward to the eighth pick, which was held by the San Jose Sharks.
To recap how this works:
- We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
- The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.
The Sharks selected Devin Setoguchi with the eighth overall pick and at the time, it looked like a solid pick. In 2008-09, Setoguchi had his best season with 65 points (31-34) and it looked like he would only go up from there. Unfortunately, he never came close. Instead, Setoguchi bounced around the league and recently signed a professional tryout with the Kings. In eight NHL seasons, Setoguchi has 249 points (127-122).
With the eighth pick of the 2005 NHL Draft, who should the San Jose Sharks select? Cast your vote below!
With the 8th overall pick, the San Jose Sharks select.....
-
Marc-Edouard Vlasic 27% (97)
-
Ben Bishop 18% (63)
-
T.J. Oshie 16% (57)
-
James Neal 14% (50)
-
Keith Yandle 9% (31)
-
Paul Stastny 4% (16)
-
Marc Staal 3% (11)
-
Jack Johnson 2% (6)
-
Niklas Hjalmarsson 2% (6)
-
Anton Stralman 1% (4)
-
Justin Abdelkader 1% (3)
-
Kris Russell 1% (3)
-
Patric Hornqvist 1% (3)
-
Benoit Pouliot 0% (1)
-
Gilbert Brule 0% (1)
-
Martin Hanzal 0% (1)
-
Andrew Cogliano 0% (1)
-
Matt Niskanen 0% (1)
-
Ondrej Pavelec 0% (1)
-
Mason Raymond 0% (1)
-
Vladimir Sobotka 0% (1)
-
Jack Skille 0% (0)
-
Devin Setoguchi 0% (0)
-
Jakub Kindl 0% (0)
-
Steve Downie 0% (0)
-
Cody Franson 0% (0)
-
Jared Boll 0% (0)
-
Darren Helm 0% (0)
-
Nathan Gerbe 0% (0)
-
Sergei Kostitsyn 0% (0)
Total votes: 358
Mobile Users click here to vote!
Pacific Division Roster Battle Notes: Setoguchi, Dell, Hamilton, Jones, Booth
A 30-goal scorer in the NHL at the age of 22, Devin Setoguchi was well on his way to stardom once upon a time. But a steady decline in his on-ice performance coupled with a well-documented problem with alcohol derailed his once promising hockey career. Now completely sober, Setoguchi is in camp with the L.A. Kings and according to Elliot Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News, the 29-year-old forward is taking full advantage of what well could be his last opportunity to make an NHL roster.
Steoguchi, who the Kings signed to a PTO earlier this month, has impressed the Kings coaching staff with the “energy and effectiveness” that is reminiscent of his early days playing for the Sharks, opines Teaford. And while the Kings may not expect Setoguchi to again score 20 or more goals in a single season at this level, there is a real opportunity for him to make the roster and contribute. The Kings lost LW Milan Lucic to free agency while Marian Gaborik injured his foot at the World Cup and is set to miss the start of the 2016-17 season. Even if it’s in a bottom-six role, Setoguchi can add quality depth to the Kings lineup if he continues to play with energy.
Kings assistant coach John Stevens had this to say about Setoguchi:
“You have to give him a lot of credit.” He was out of the league for a little bit and I didn’t know what to expect, but to his credit he came here in a very good condition and was ready to go and wanted to put his best foot forward to win a position on the squad. I think for me it’s exciting to see that, just coming in here prepared.”
“He’s going to give himself a good chance to perform well, so it’s good to see.”
Whether Setoguchi will make an impact with the Kings in 2016-17 and possibly jump start his NHL career remains to be seen. But at the very least, it appears as if he has his life in order again.
Elsewhere regarding position battles in the Pacific Division:
- When James Reimer signed lucrative contract this summer to become the Florida Panthers new backup goalie, the Sharks were left searching for his replacement. As Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News writes, it appears as if 27-year-old journeyman netminder Aaron Dell is the front-runner to earn the #2 position behind incumbent starter Martin Jones. Dell, who played collegiate hockey for the University of North Dakota, suited up for five different professional teams prior to signing with the Sharks organization in March of 2015. He finished with 17 wins, a GAA of 2.42 and a save % of 92.2 in 40 appearances for the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL during the 2015-16 season. Troy Grosenick represents Dell’s competition for the position. The two shared duties with the Barracuda a year ago with Grosenick’s numbers – 3.16 GAA, 89.4% Save % – inferior to those posted by Dell. Of the pair, Grosenick is the only goalie with any NHL experience, albeit with just two appearances with the Sharks in 2014-15.
- Last season, Freddie Hamilton assisted on a goal by his brother, Dougie, becoming the first set of siblings to appear on the same line on the score sheet. As Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun writes, Freddie would like that to be the first time of many for the brothers. While Dougie is a big-ticket player for the Flames and assured of a spot among Calgary’s top four blue liners, Freddie will have to earn regular ice time as a forward. The elder Hamilton brother recently inked a two-year, one-way contract with the club but as GM Brad Treliving noted, “Last year, we had players on one-way contracts that were making good money that went to the minors. I think all the players know that there is still the make-the-team portion of this, and that’s no different for Freddie or anybody.” Hamilton appeared in just four games with the Flames in 2015-16 and has only 33 career games of NHL experience. Hamilton’s chances of making the club could hinge largely on whether the team elects to keep Matthew Tkachuk on the roster or return the 2016 first-round pick to juniors. If Tkachuk makes the team it would likely push more accomplished players down the depth chart and leave little room for Hamilton.
- The Anaheim Ducks may be deep on defense but they have a couple of openings up front with plenty of competition for those spots. As Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register writes, veteran forwards David Booth, David Jones and Sean Bergenheim are in camp with Anaheim, trying to convert a PTO into a guaranteed deal. All three have achieved a fair amount of success in this league but have struggled in recent seasons, with Booth and Bergenheim each failing to land an NHL job in 2015-16. Jones, on the other hand, scored 11 goals in 75 games between Calgary and Minnesota.
Players Changing Positions Up Front In 2016-17
Often, players around the league will be thrust into new situations and responsibilities because of injury or ineffectiveness on the part of someone else. Sometimes they thrive in this new role, and sometimes they just can’t quite make it work. Here are a few players who will be changing roles this season:
Dylan Larkin – Moving to C – As Ansar Khan of Mlive writes in his latest column, the Red Wings are looking for an answer down the middle after the departure of Pavel Datsyuk to the KHL. Larkin, originally drafted as a centerman out of the US development program, will be moved back to the position for the upcoming year.
In his own words, he’s “going to have to work on faceoffs and little details that are going make me a better player all around and better in the defensive zone.” Indeed, if the Red Wings want to replace Datsyuk’s excellent two-way game, Larkin will need to concentrate on the defensive end a little bit more. He clearly has all the talent to make it work offensively.
William Nylander – Moving to W – In a case of the opposite transition, Nylander of the Maple Leafs is preparing to play much of this season on the wing of Auston Matthews, a pair that head coach Mike Babcock wants to keep together for a while to see if he can create some chemistry. While Babcock admits that Nylander may still take some draws on the right side, he won’t have to be as responsible for the defensive side of the centering a line – something that he struggled with last season.
Another possible Maple Leafs candidate for the transition is Mitch Marner, the uber-prospect who some think is too small to play center in the NHL. If he makes the squad, he’d be hard pressed to knock one of Matthews, Nazem Kadri or Tyler Bozak out of that role, leading to a potential pairing with one of them to start his young career.
Tomas Hertl – Moving to C – While this one actually happened midway through last season, it’s important to note that Hertl will be coming into this camp as a center, and will be pushed to develop and stay at the spot. He’s spent much of his career thus far on Joe Thornton‘s wing, but will now be a big piece of the Sharks down the middle. Even on the third line, Hertl can provide impact with his blazing speed and nifty offensive hands; if he’s to become a future first line centerman though, he’ll have to develop the defensive game just like Larkin.
Mikael Granlund – Moving to W – Another player who made the switch late last year, Granlund excelled on the wing and impressed GM Chuck Fletcher so much that he’ll be moved there again this year. The Wild’s signing of Eric Staal makes sure of that, as they now have a handful of centers that could suit up on the top two lines. Granlund will be allowed to focus on his offense, something that the Wild think will do him wonders. The 24-year old has provided strong play-making ability in his short career, racking up 101 assists in 240 games; from the wing, perhaps he’ll be able to build on his career-high goal total of 13 last season.
Snapshots: Canes, Hertl, Fleischmann, Gagne
The Carolina Hurricanes have not qualified for the playoffs since the 2008-09 season but hope to change that this year. As Chip Alexander of The News & Observer reports, the team’s chances of breaking their seven year playoff drought will rely heavily on a talented, albeit young, group of players. Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, Teuvo Teravainen, Justin Faulk, Brett Pesce, Noah Hanifin and Ryan Murphy are set to see a lot of ice for the Canes and none are over the age of 24.
One of the squad’s few experienced players, Lee Stempniak, a veteran of 11 NHL seasons, says he has never been part of a team with so many youngsters expected to fill important roles:
“Not really, not with young guys playing this prominent of a role, especially the defensemen. It’s young. I think it’s a team with a lot of potential. I think a lot of the success for our team is going to be harnessing our potential. Guys need to take the next step individually and the new guys coming in need to fit in and complement the players who are here and find a role.”
If anyone would know, it would be Stempniak, who has suited up for 10 different clubs during his career, including four over the last two campaigns. He hopes his stay in Carolina is a bit longer after singing a two-year deal worth $5MM this summer.
Of course young teams are inherently inexperienced and some might feel that factor could derail Carolina’s chances of a successful campaign. Not so, says another of the team’s elders, defenseman Ron Hainsey, who at 35 will is 11 years the senior of the second oldest regular blue liner, Justin Faulk:
“This is a young man’s league. I don’t think it’s a danger. Speed, skill is the name of the game.”
Despite the talent and skill, Carolina’s path to a playoff berth will not be an easy one. The Metro Division fielded five postseason qualifiers in 2015-16 while the Hurricanes finished 10 points behind the eighth-seeded Philadelphia Flyers.
Another factor which may work against the Canes is their goaltending. Carolina ranked 29th among 30 teams in save percentage but did nothing this offseason to upgrade the position. In fact, the team elected to re-sign longtime netminder Cam Ward to a new, two-year contract; a deal many pundits thought was curious.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
- Positive news in San Jose where Tomas Hertl skated today at the Sharks first training camp workout and showed no lingering ill effects from the MCL injury he suffered during the Stanley Cup Finals, reports Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Hertl finished fifth on the club in scoring with 46 points during the regular season and contributed another 11 in the postseason. According to Pashelka, Hertl is preparing to play either center or wing though today he skated as the pivot between Joel Ward and Nikolay Goldobin. Hertl skipped the World Cup, electing not to represent the Czech Republic in the tournament in order to further rehab his knee injury. It appears the extra rest may have helped as Hertl looks to be on track to open the season at 100%.
- Tomas Fleischmann, who was set to appear at camp with the Minnesota Wild, has apparently failed his physical, according to Mike Russo via Twitter. Russo is unsure if that would be the end of Fleischmann’s brief time with Minnesota or not. Fleischmann was again attempting to catch on with a club after being forced to accept a PTO offer rather than a guaranteed contract. Last year he earned a one-year deal with Montreal in training camp and would record 10 goals and 20 points in 57 games with the Canadiens. He was dealt to Chicago at the trade deadline with Dale Weise and would tally another four goals and five points for the Blackhawks.
- The Ottawa Senators announced via their team Twitter account that they have signed forward Gabriel Gagne to an ELC. Gagne was the Sens second-round pick in 2015, going 36th overall. He split last season between Victoria and Shawinigan of the QMJHL and combined to register 36 points in 42 regular season contests. Gagne was even better in the postseason, tallying 22 points in 21 games.
Wingels’ Roster Spot In Jeopardy
Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area writes today that after a disappointing 2015-16 season, Tommy Wingels is no longer a guarantee to be on the San Jose Sharks roster to start the season. The gritty forward put up just 18 points last year after back-to-back 30+ point seasons. That level of output might not be enough this year to take a roster spot from one of the Sharks’ up-and-coming young players.
A 6th-round pick of the Sharks out of Miami (Ohio) in 2008, there were never any great expectations of Wingels. He was a high-energy guy who played a tough game and had the ability to dig the puck out of the corner and occasionally contribute a goal or two. His first few seasons in San Jose showed just that, as he put up mediocre numbers, but carved out a role for himself as a reliable bottom-six player. Then, in 2013-14 Wingels game took a huge leap forward. He scored 38 points for the Sharks that season, the second highest point total of his entire hockey career, going all the way back to juniors. Excited with his progress, San Jose signed Wingels to a three-year extension worth $7.425MM. Wingels was able to replicate his success the next year as well, with 36 points in 75 games, making the contract look like a bargain. He also became a key part of the power play, contributing four goals with his crash-the-net style. Although his once-stout defensive game struggled a bit, his newfound offensive skill and new role on the team made the change to his game an acceptable one.
However, 2015-16 told a very different story. Wingels came out flat last season, showing no sign of the point production of the past two seasons nor the two-way ability he was originally known for. Although he tried to remain an offensive presence while also turning up his physicality, it only resulted in a -10 rating and a career-high in penalty minutes. As the year dragged on for Wingels without much success, he began seeing less and less time under new coach Peter DeBoer. He ended up playing in only 68 games with his lowest average time on ice since his rookie season.
Now, Wingels has a tough road ahead of him to get back into favor with the Sharks and their fans. DeBoer has watched his team go all the way to the Stanley Cup with Wingels playing a limited role, and may decide that he can do without the forwards physical play if it means a promising young player doesn’t make the team. As it stands, the addition of Mikkel Boedker and the development of Joonas Donskoi and Chris Tierney have all but locked up the top nine in San Jose. It will be in Wingels’ best interests to come to camp with his regular high compete level and be satisfied with securing a fourth line role where his toughness and intensity can be put to good use. If DeBoer decides that he’s willing to pay nearly $2.5MM for an energy liner, than Wingels will keep his job and be on the road to redemption in 2016-17. If not, the majority of Wingels time in San Jose this season could be spent wearing a Barracudas jersey instead of a Sharks jersey.
2016 Season Preview: San Jose Sharks
As the NHL season is now less than a month away, we continue our look at each team’s offseason and preview the upcoming year. Today, we focus on the San Jose Sharks.
Last Season: 46-30-6 record (98 points), 3rd in the Pacific Division. Defeated Los Angeles 4-1 in Round 1. Defeated Nashville 4-3 in Round 2. Defeated St. Louis 4-2 in Round 3. Lost to Pittsburgh 4-2 in the Stanley Cup Final.
Remaining Cap Space: $378K as per Cap Friendly
Key Newcomers: G Mantis Armalis (free agency, Djurgardens, SHL), LW Mikkel Boedker (free agency, Colorado), D David Schlemko (free agency, New Jersey)
Key Departures: D Roman Polak (free agency, Toronto), G James Reimer (free agency, Florida), C Nick Spaling (free agency, Geneve-Servette, NLA), D Matt Tennyson (free agency, Carolina), C Dainius Zubrus (free agency, unsigned)
[Related: Sharks Depth Chart from Roster Resource]
Player to Watch: C Logan Couture – 2015-16 was a tale of two seasons for Couture. He missed a big chunk of the season due a fractured fibula while also missing time due to an arterial leg bleed. When he was in the lineup, he didn’t produce close to the level that the Sharks expected from one of their top players; he posted his lowest points per game average since his rookie season.
Then the playoffs came around and the proverbial switch was flicked. He became arguably San Jose’s most dangerous player in the postseason, leading the entire league in assists (20) and points (30 – six ahead of the second highest point getter, teammate Brent Burns). That strong performance helped earn him a spot on Team Canada’s roster for the World Cup of Hockey.
Which Couture will the Sharks get this season? Their team is already strong in terms of their forward and scoring depth but they showed how dangerous they can be when Couture finds that extra gear and becomes a legitimate top line player. If he can even come close to his postseason play, he can give them another dimension offensively.
Key Storyline: In recent years, teams have acted quickly to try to avoid having their top players head into a season with free agency looming over their heads. That’s not exactly the case with San Jose who have three top players all entering their walk years – forwards Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton as well as defenseman Brent Burns.
Some believe the team may look to move on from Thornton and Marleau in an effort to get younger and save some money but at some point during the season, the question of whether or not the team should either sign them or trade them to avoid losing them for nothing is sure to come up.
Burns is a different case. He projects to be the top defenseman (and arguably the top player) on the market and San Jose undoubtedly will want to lock him up. Will they push to get something done early; are they comfortable negotiating in-season? How much would it cost? Or, are they prepared to let him go to the market next July? We saw the fanfare surrounding Steven Stamkos last season as he played out the last year of his deal. While Burns won’t generate quite that much hype, his contract status is going to be a looming question and story to follow throughout the season.
Extension Candidate: Brent Burns
While the opening of the 2017 free agent period is still over nine months away, many teams will be looking to discuss new contracts with players whose contracts expire next July 1st to see if they can come to terms on an extension now.
One player that San Jose will undoubtedly be planning to try to get an extension done with is defenseman Brent Burns. Since being moved back to the blueline following the 2013-14 campaign, Burns has quickly become one of the most dominant defensemen in the NHL and he stands to become an unrestricted free agent after 2016-17.
2015-16
Last season was a banner year across the board for the 31 year old. Not only did he set career highs across the board offensively, he also logged 25:52 of action per game, the highest average in his career. Burns played in all 82 games for the second straight year, scoring 27 goals and 48 assists; his 75 points ranked second amongst all NHL blueliners. For his efforts, he was named to the NHL’s Second All-Star Team and finished third in Norris Trophy voting.
His strong play carried over into the postseason as he played at a point per game average while playing on the top pairing. In 24 games, he tallied seven goals and 17 assists in 25:07 of ice time per contest as the Sharks reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history. His strong play earned him a spot on Team Canada for the World Cup of Hockey.
Statistics
2015-16: 82 GP, 27 goals, 48 assists, 75 points, -5 rating, 53 PIMS, 353 shots on goal
Career: 797 GP, 141 goals, 282 assists, 423 points, -1 rating, 531 PIMS, 1,919 shots on goal