Snapshots: Draft Rankings, Konecny, Laine
With training camp underway and the 2019-20 regular season just around the corner, Bob McKenzie of TSN has released his annual preseason draft rankings. This list is compiled from the opinions of ten active scouts around the league and given context by McKenzie, who will update throughout the year. It comes as little surprise to find Alexis Lafreniere leading the group, though none of them listed him as “in a class by himself.”
That may raise some eyebrows after Lafreniere took home the CHL Player of the Year award following his 105-point season with the Rimouski Oceanic, but it speaks to the strength of the players behind him. Those nipping at Lafreniere’s heels? They include power forwards, pure goal scorers, talented playmakers and even a potential franchise goaltender.
- After the trio of high profile restricted free agents all signed contracts over the past week, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) examines what that will mean for next year’s crop. Mikhail Sergachev and Thomas Chabot are the focus of his musing, each in very different situations in Tampa Bay and Ottawa. LeBrun also gives an update on the ongoing negotiations with Philadelphia Flyers Travis Konecny, noting that there is “at least a path ahead” and giving a potential comparable of Bo Horvat‘s $5.5MM average annual value. Horvat signed a six-year, $33MM deal in September 2017 following his first 20-goal campaign.
- Patrik Laine has begun practicing with SC Bern of the Swiss NLA as expected, explaining that he knew the coaching staff and thought it was a perfect place to stay in shape. The team’s head coach is Kari Jalonen, who had Laine on the Finland World Championship roster in 2016 where they won a silver medal. Laine was named the Most Valuable Player of that tournament, scoring seven goals in ten games.
Snapshots: Faulk, Johns, Boyle
Earlier this month, there were reports that a trade that would see Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk get traded to the Ducks was gaining some traction. However, in an appearance on Sportsnet 960 (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggests that the deal is unlikely to happen now. While Anaheim is open to doing the move without a pre-arranged extension in place, Faulk is presently unwilling to waive his partial no-trade clause unless he gets it. Considering the status of their back end and this near-swap, the 27-year-old likely realizes that the writing is on the wall with regards to his future in Carolina. Accordingly, Friedman suggests that the two sides may be working together to find a landing spot that Faulk is amenable to going to. It would certainly be in the best interest of the Hurricanes to do so as if they can find a spot he’s happy with and willing to sign an extension, that could certainly boost the return coming their way.
Other notes from around the league:
- While Stars defenseman Stephen Johns was skating earlier this offseason at development camp, he will not be taking part in training camp, notes Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. GM Jim Nill indicated that there would be no further update on his status. Johns missed all of last season with a concussion and this would certainly appear to suggest that those symptoms are still present. Dallas signed Andrej Sekera after he was bought out by Edmonton in June which gives them a little bit more depth heading into the upcoming season.
- Brian Boyle is one of the more notable unrestricted free agents still available. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch notes (Twitter link) that the veteran would like to play for the Blue Jackets and be reunited with head coach John Tortorella. However, at this time, Columbus wants to evaluate their younger players instead of turning to Boyle. Hedger does add that there are a couple of teams that would like to sign Boyle but need to clear cap room to do so first.
Snapshots: Mangiapane, DeAngelo, Sharks
The Calgary Flames are still working towards a deal with Matthew Tkachuk, but he’s not the only unsigned restricted free agent they have. Andrew Mangiapane is now missing time at training camp as well, but Eric Francis of Sportsnet reports that’s not what he wants. Francis tweeted today that Mangiapane has made a $200K concession in negotiations, bringing his ask down to $850K in order to get into camp and prove himself. Unfortunately, that’s still more than his $715K qualifying offer that the team can wait for him to accept.
The Flames don’t have any excess cap space to be handing out, even though there is now such a small gap between the two sides. Tkachuk is going to get a huge raise and could very well become the highest paid player on the team—eclipsing Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Giordano at $6.75MM—meaning the team needs to save every penny in negotiations. Already with just 21 players on the roster, CapFriendly projects the Flames to have just barely over $7MM in cap space.
- Anthony DeAngelo, another restricted free agent that isn’t getting many headlines, also remains without a contract with the New York Rangers. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that there is still a “wide gulf” between the two sides, and notes that the Rangers don’t want to go higher than the $925K they recently signed Brendan Lemieux for. DeAngelo broke out last season for the Rangers with 30 points in 61 games and was one of the team’s better defensemen by year’s end. The 23-year old doesn’t have a lot of leverage without arbitration eligibility however and will have to make a decision soon if he wants to take part in any of training camp.
- The San Jose Sharks have already made some training camp cuts, sending six players back to junior. Mitchell Brewer, Zach Emond, Zach Gallant, Jake Gricius, Jake Lee and Hudson Wilson have all been returned, leaving 57 players for the NHL training camp.
Snapshots: Red Wings, Blues, RFAs
The Detroit Red Wings will operate without a captain once again this season, despite the expectation that Dylan Larkin will one day assume the role. Head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters including Ansar Khan of MLive that they will instead start with four alternates: Larkin, Justin Abdelkader, Frans Nielsen and Luke Glendening. Blashill and Steve Yzerman agreed to wait until the GM got to know the entire team better after taking over this offseason.
Larkin, 23, has become the face of the Red Wings franchise after putting up a career-high 32 goals and 73 points last season. As the old guard including Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and recently Niklas Kronwall have moved on from their roles on the Red Wings, Larkin and other young players have taken on more and more responsibility. As the team transitions from rebuilding to contending over the next few years it seems likely that someone will eventually wear the “C” for Blashill and Yzerman, just not yet.
- The St. Louis Blues are finalizing extensions for Steve Ott and David Alexander according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The pair of assistant coaches will be given extensions that match the length of head coach Craig Berube, who was given a three-year deal earlier this summer. The coaching staff under Berube completed a miracle turnaround this season with the Blues, taking them from last place in the NHL to Stanley Cup champions in just a few months.
- Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest has heard a few things on restricted free agents Patrik Laine and Mikko Rantanen, including about a recent short-term offer from the Winnipeg Jets to the former. The deal presented to Laine was in the “$5MM per year range” though Strickland notes that even on that short-term deal the Jets will “need to come up on money.” For Rantanen, Strickland reports that the free agent forward is not far away in terms of salary with the Colorado Avalanche and that the team’s last offer “blew past Nathan MacKinnon‘s $6.3MM AAV.”
Snapshots: Malkin, Kase, Fiala
Evgeni Malkin has been the target of trade rumors for years now, but after they perked up again following a disappointing 2018-19 season he’s hoping to put them behind him. In an incredible piece that delves into Malkin’s home life and the relationship he has had with teammates (including a spotlight on Phil Kessel) and coaches, Rob Rossi of The Athletic (subscription required) also got an idea of what the big Pittsburgh Penguins forward hopes his future holds:
It’s (a) huge next three years. I still want to play 100 percent — and sign (for) three more years with Pittsburgh.
Malkin’s current contract is set to expire in the summer of 2022, when he will be 35 (turning 36). That would mean another contract would be of the 35+ variety, adding some risk for the Penguins should Malkin decide to retire at any point during it. While that’s a long way away, you can bet GM Jim Rutherford has already contemplated his actions down the road in regards to the franchise icon.
- With a Justin Faulk trade still being discussed between the Anaheim Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes, Sara Civian of The Athletic confirms previous reports that Ondrej Kase would be involved. That news has surprised some other teams around the league according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, who reports that Kase was unavailable in trade talks for a long time and suggests his new availability may be linked to health concerns. Kase has never played a full 82-game season in the NHL and actually has just 149 games to his name at this point in his career. Still, the 23-year old forward has shown an ability to score goals at a strong rate and could be a nice addition for the Hurricanes.
- Kevin Fiala remains unsigned, but Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin hopes his talented young forward is in town for training camp when it starts in a few days. Guerin told The Athletic (subscription required) that the team has made a “fair offer” to Fiala and that the 23-year old is now deciding. Fiala came to the Wild from the Nashville Predators last season and put up seven points in 19 games down the stretch, but has shown flashes of top-line offensive potential in the past and could be a huge part of the turnaround in Minnesota.
Snapshots: Devils, Senators, Bolduc
The New Jersey Devils are restructuring their front office ahead of the start of a new season. The Associated Press reports that the team has promoted two top executives to vice president status. Tom Fitzgerald, who has been linked to the Minnesota Wild GM opening in each of the past two years, will add Executive Vice President to his existing Assistant GM title. The former NHLer is entering his fourth season as Assistant GM in New Jersey after six seasons in the same role with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Dan MacKinnon, who had previously served as the team’s Senior Director of Player Personnel, will take on the Senior Vice President role while also being officially named an Assistant GM as well. MacKinnon is another executive poached by GM Ray Shero from the Penguins; he served the team for a decade in player personnel before moving into the same role with the Devils in 2016. Having all worked together in Pittsburgh and now New Jersey for some time, Shero, Fitzgerald, and MacKinnon form a solid trio as the base of the front office operations for the Devils, as reflected by these new titles.
- With all of the teams currently holding more salary cap space also still needing to sign one or two prominent restricted free agents, the Ottawa Senators are the odds-on favorite to begin the regular season with the most cap flexibility. CapFriendly currently projects the team to have more than $10MM in space, even with a fully healthy, optimal lineup. Many have suggested that the Senators could use this space to add talent, or at least to pick up picks or prospects in a deal for an overpriced veteran, as they did with the injured Ryan Callahan. However, don’t expect any such move until farther along in training camp at the earliest. While Ottawa may have the least amount of dollars committed to their roster, they have the most contracts signed in the league, tied with the Los Angeles Kings with 49 of a maximum 50 slots filled. They can alleviate that contract crunch slightly by sending teenage prospects Jon Gruden or Lassi Thomson back to junior, but will likely wait to do so until they get a better look at the pair in training camp. In the meantime, and even afterward, the Senators are surely going to be a team keeping a close eye on the waiver wire, hoping to add a young, affordable player to the mix. Making a trade for a veteran too soon could interfere with their ability to make claims. If they can make it through to the start of the regular season and still have room to add a player, then they could re-emerge as a candidate to take on a bad contract from a cap-strapped contender.
- Both the Devils and Senators are among the teams that could be looking down the road a ways and following what Mark Divver calls the biggest recruiting battle in hockey right now. 16-year-old forward Zachary Bolduc is considered one of the top prospects in the 2021 NHL Draft class. The Quebec native is playing prep school hockey in Rhode Island this season, but still deciding what to do next year. Bolduc was the 14th overall pick in the QMJHL Entry Draft by Rimouski Oceanic this year and the club would very much like to sign the local product. However, Bolduc has also been eyeing the college route. Divver reports that he has already visited the University of Massachusetts, Boston University, and the University of Maine and has planned trips to the University of Michigan and the University of North Dakota. Should he opt for the NCAA, Bolduc could play in the USHL next year, having been drafted by the Sioux City Musketeers in the second round of the USHL Draft this year as well. The talented center has plenty of options and NHL teams will surely be interested to see which development route he chooses.
Snapshots: Hurricanes, Krebs, Suzuki, Poehling
Justin Williams has left the door open to return to the Carolina Hurricanes at some point during the upcoming season, but the team can’t rely on that possibility as part of their identity moving forward. For that reason, the team will replace him as captain, at least at some point. “Be perfectly clear on it”, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told the Associated Press, “He’s not part of the group. We’re moving on as if he’s not going to be here. If he comes to us in January or February and says, `Maybe I want to come back’… it’s not going to catch us by surprise. He’s earned the right to make that decision”. Veteran forward Jordan Staal echoed the sentiment, saying “as of now, we’re moving on from Willie as our captain and we’ll see where it takes us.”
Of course, Staal was on of two co-captains in Carolina in the season prior to Williams’ arrival, alongside defenseman Justin Faulk. Before that there had been no captain since the departure of the face of the franchise, Eric Staal, in 2016. It doesn’t appear as though these Hurricanes will let the captain role lie dormant in Williams’ wake as they did Staal, but Brind’Amour did say that it may take some time to name a replacement. The younger Staal and Faulk are both strong candidates to take over again. Top young players Jaccob Slavin and Sebastian Aho are also top options. For his part, Staal believes there are actually a number of possible players who can fill the role: ”I think as a core, as a group, we’ve got a lot of good kids and a lot of good leaders. ‘Usually, as a captain, there’s a lot of guys beside him that are helping him out. I think Willie was a great leader, but as a core, I think there were a lot of great guys that showed up every day ready to work.”
- On ability alone, Peyton Krebs should not have been the No. 17 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. The talented young forward out of the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice (formerly Kootenay) was talked about as a possible top-five and certainly top-ten pick last season. However, Krebs tore his Achilles tendon during off-season training prior to the draft and teams became fearful of how it might affect his development. Krebs tumbled down the draft board until the Vegas Golden Knights felt his skill was too attractive to pass up. It seems the team already has a plan in place to best manage the injury as well. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger received word from GM Kelly McCrimmon that Krebs will remain in Las Vegas under the supervision of the team’s medical staff and conditioning team for as long as the Knights deem necessary. The club wants to keep a close eye on their new top prospect’s progress rather than send him back to junior and hope for the best. In fact, Krebs will not re-join the ice until he is game-ready. Early expectations were that Krebs could miss the entire 2019-20 season, so it could be that he doesn’t return to WHL action until this time next year. But if that’s what it takes to ensure that Krebs’ injury doesn’t further set his development back by taking the ice too soon, both team and player should be amenable to the arrangement.
- Rookies Nick Suzuki and Ryan Poehling are undoubtedly aiming to make the Montreal Canadiens roster out of training camp. Both are high draft picks with considerable skill who should be ready for the highest level. However, head coach Joel Bouchard of the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, feels they should at least begin the year in the minors. He tells Sportsnet’s Eric Engels that, while his main objective is to graduate players to the NHL, he thinks the duo could benefit from a stint in the AHL and has spoken to both about the possibility. Bouchard lays out the difference between the two levels and why two players that Montreal hopes will be core forwards at some point may be better off starting in Laval, especially in a season where the Canadiens feel they can be playoff contenders:
The NHL is a performance league, it’s not a development league. We’re not making decisions for the same reasons. For Claude (Julien), everything is about now… Claude can’t do what we do. He doesn’t have the time. I put players in situations where they’re 100 per cent going to fail, face-offs on their wrong side just so they can learn. Claude can’t do that. It’s not like I’m doing it all the time like I want to lose the game… but at the end of the day, it’s about development.
Snapshots: Barzal, Brodziak, Player Tracking
Mathew Barzal has noticed all the young restricted free agents causing havoc around the league by holding out this deep in the summer, and while he knows he’ll be in the same situation a year from now isn’t focused on it. In Arthur Staples’ latest piece for The Athletic, Barzal explains that he wants to be part of the New York Islanders for a long time and just wants to take the next step as a team:
My mindset is I’m here. I’ve got one year left and then I’m an RFA, I’m not a UFA. There isn’t much to worry about. All those RFAs now are young, like me, so I get the comparison. But I just want us to win.
Barzal, 22, took a step backwards offensively last season in the more structured system new head coach Barry Trotz installed, but was still a huge reason why the Islanders came second in the Metropolitan Division (just a point behind the Washington Capitals) and wound up sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. The 16th overall pick from 2015 has 147 points in 166 games during his short tenure in the NHL and is due for a huge raise on his next deal.
- The Edmonton Oilers will bring in some more center depth with the signing of Riley Sheahan to a one-year deal, but may not have one of their other veteran options. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal reports that the team isn’t expecting Kyle Brodziak to pass his physical after not being able to train all offseason due to injury. Brodziak has one year remaining on his contract and carries a $1.15MM cap hit, which could be placed on long-term injured reserve if he’s not able to return to action. The veteran forward was brought in after a surprisingly excellent 2017-18 with the St. Louis Blues, but only registered nine points in 70 games for the Oilers last season.
- Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan of ESPN are reporting that the NHL has cut ties with Jogmo World Corp, their primary technology partner when it comes to puck and player tracking. Commissioner Gary Bettman listed “organizational and financial challenges” as the reason for the switch, but still expects the technology to be ready for the 2019-20 playoffs.
Snapshots: Marleau, Morrissey, Flyers
When Patrick Marleau accepted a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this offseason, the writing was on the wall. Marleau would be bought out by the Hurricanes and would be free to return to the San Jose Sharks to finish his career where he was a franchise icon. Not so fast, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Marleau’s agent Pat Brisson says there is no fit with the Sharks at this time and that his client will pursue other NHL opportunities.
Where exactly those opportunities may lie isn’t clear. The prevailing thought is that Marleau would rather spend his remaining time in the NHL near the west coast to be closer to his family that has moved back to San Jose, but there isn’t a clear fit with any of the California teams. The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks are trying to get younger, not bring in a soon-to-be 40-year old winger who just experienced his worst offensive season since 1997-98. The Edmonton Oilers were recently suggested as a potential landing spot, though it is not clear at this point. As Kevin Kurz of The Athletic points out, Marleau continues to suit up with the Sharks during informal skates in his old Maple Leafs’ gear.
- With the Winnipeg Jets still focused on their two unsigned star forwards, it’s easy to forget that next summer they will have another tough negotiation. Josh Morrissey, who has developed into a legitimate first-pairing option for the Jets over the last few years is entering the final season of a two-year deal signed last September and will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent next summer. Ken Wiebe of The Athletic caught up with Morrissey today to ask him about any potential negotiations and the young defenseman explained that there has been preliminary talks about a potential long-term extension. Morrissey told Wiebe, “I would love to play [in Winnipeg] throughout my career” but that he’s focused on the upcoming season. The 24-year old had 31 points in 59 games for the Jets last season.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have made a few changes to their front office, promoting Ian Anderson to Director of Hockey Analytics and Jacob Hurlbut to Lead Developer in the department. The team has also hired Tom Minton as Director of Hockey Information/Video and Matthew Karliner as an Analyst. GM Chuck Fletcher has obviously chosen to invest in the team’s analytic department moving forward, hoping to find any edge possible.
Snapshots: RFA Market, Schuldt, Pominville
The restricted free agent market still hasn’t budged much since the beginning of the offseason, but that means Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic hasn’t missed much during his vacation. The insider returned today with a look at several of the biggest names (subscription required) still without contracts and explained that in many situations term is the big sticking point. In particular, LeBrun spoke with Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas who maintains that even though the team hasn’t been able to get a deal done with Mitch Marner, the idea of a trade is still almost unthinkable.
That’s the same sentiment that Dubas gave Bob McKenzie of TSN in their interview, explaining that Marner is still a huge part of the Maple Leafs program and they want him in a Toronto sweater for as long as possible. That’s the same company line that almost every GM has uttered over the last two months, but names like Marner, Mikko Rantanen, Matthew Tkachuk and Brayden Point are now just a few days away from missing the start of training camp.
- One name not mentioned in LeBrun’s piece is Jimmy Schuldt, who continues to negotiate with the Vegas Golden Knights after signing and burning his one-year entry-level deal last season. Schuldt played one game down the stretch for the Golden Knights after finishing his four-year career at St. Cloud State and was expected to challenge for a full-time spot on the Vegas blueline this season. Jesse Granger of The Athletic tweets that nothing has changed in the negotiations of late and that the Vegas front office “believes it can wait Schuldt out to sign him for as cheap as possible.” The Golden Knights have very little cap space remaining even after trading away players like Erik Haula, Colin Miller and Nikita Gusev, obviously leaving them without much flexibility when it comes to Schuldt’s deal.
- Even with all the focus on the RFA market there is still some talent left among the unrestricted free agent names. One of those is Jason Pominville, who according to Eric Engels of Sportsnet has at least had preliminary conversations with the Montreal Canadiens. The 36-year old has likely had some talks with several teams after registering 31 points in 73 games last season for the Buffalo Sabres. Pominville may not be the 70-80 point player he once was, but he can still contribute enough that he should find a landing spot somewhere before the season begins.