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.
Snapshots: Schlemko, Luukkonen, Anderson
With training camps soon starting, we’re reaching the point of the offseason where a lot of veteran players will be signing PTO agreements with an eye on earning a roster spot in the preseason. Don’t expect David Schlemko to be one of them. Postmedia’s Jim Matheson reports that the defenseman has had tryout offers but has declined them and instead appears to be planning to wait to see if injuries strike once the exhibition games get underway. Theoretically, that would give him a bit more leverage and a better shot at a guaranteed contract. Schlemko was bought out of the final year of his contract by Philadelphia back in June after splitting the season between the NHL with Montreal and the AHL affiliates for both the Canadiens and the Flyers. The 32-year-old has 415 career NHL games under his belt but has dealt with considerable injury issues the last couple of years.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Sabres goaltending prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen appears to be recovering well from his offseason hip surgery. Assistant GM Randy Sexton told Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News that the soon to be first-year pro may be slightly ahead of schedule in his recovery but he won’t be taking part in their upcoming rookie tournament. His initial timeline was that he’d be ready to return in late October or early November. Sexton also indicated that they’re unsure where they’ll assign Luukkonen when he does get the green light to play. As their top goaltending prospect, they may opt to start him at the ECHL level to get as much playing time as possible.
- The Senators are likely to scale back the workload for goaltender Craig Anderson this season, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Ottawa was quick to re-sign Anders Nilsson back in May and it’s clear that they will want to give him more playing time than a typical backup. The 38-year-old Anderson is entering the final year of his contract and carries a $4.75MM cap hit. The lower workload could negatively affect his value on the open market next summer if he decides to keep playing beyond this season. At the very least, he looks like a potential in-season trade candidate though it’s worth noting that he has a ten-team no-trade clause.
Snapshots: CBA Talks, Scherbak, Kane
The NHL’s recent decision to decline their early opt-out clause from the current Collective Bargaining Agreement was a step in the right direction to labor talks, but there’s still work to be done, with the NHLPA next up to make a decision. Fortunately, it seems both sides are open to doing whatever it takes to avoid a work stoppage. The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell reports that both sides seem willing to extend the players’ union’s upcoming September 15th opt-out deadline to allow for talks to continue. Campbell writes that negotiations on a CBA extension are well on their way and neither side wants to see progress stalled by a deadline. He believes that the NHLPA could be given a few extra months, perhaps into early 2020, before they would have to make a decision on their opt-out clause. An extension on that deadline could give the talks enough time to lead to an agreement on a CBA extension, pushing the current expiry date from 2022 to 2025. It would also be an act of good faith on the part of the owners, who clearly stand to benefit more from an extension on the current CBA than do the players, who continue to be frustrated by escrow terms. With two weeks to go until that existing deadline, an official announcement on a possible deadline extension should be coming sooner rather than later, if it does in fact happen.
- Rumors emerged yesterday that former NHL forward Nikita Scherbak had not done enough in training camp and the preseason with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk and that his recently-signed contract was in jeopardy of being terminated. However, the KHL regular season began today and Scherbak was in the lineup as Omsk snapped a nine-game losing streak against rival CSKA Moscow. Granted, in a match-up chock full of former NHLers, Scherbak only served as a substitute for Avangard and played little role in the win. He has a ways to go to earn the trust of Bob Hartley, also an NHL vet, but TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that, for now, the team does not plan to buy out his contract. Scherbak signed a three-year, $3.6MM contract with Omsk in June after dropping from 26 NHL games in 2017-18 to just eight last season. A 2014 first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens, Scherbak failed to produce at the NHL level over four pro seasons, recording eight points in 37 combined games with the Habs and Los Angeles Kings, and took his very first opportunity to return to Europe. Considering how things have gone thus far in the KHL, it seems unlikely that the 23-year-old will ever make his way back across the Atlantic.
- Chicago Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane is being honored for his achievements well before the end of his career. Ryan Pyette of The London Free Press reports that Kane will have his number retired by the OHL’s London Knights this season. GM Mark Hunter confirmed that Kane’s No. 88, the same number he wears in the NHL, will be lifted into the rafters in London on January 17th. Kane, now 30, only played one season with the Knights, having graduated from the U.S. National Team Development Program. However, in that illustrious 2006-07 campaign, Kane put up unthinkable numbers, recording 145 points in just 58 games (2.5 points per game), and another 31 points in the postseason. His efforts made him an easy choice for the Blackhawks with the first overall pick in 2007. Kane becomes the ninth player to have his number retired by the storied junior franchise, joining a list of other familiar NHL names like Rob Ramage, Dino Ciccarelli, Darryl Sittler, Brendan Shanahan, Brad Marsh, Rick Nash, Dave Bolland, and Corey Perry.
Snapshots: Markov, Drouin, Scherbak
Former NHL star Andrei Markov expects to play in the NHL next season and right now the question for the 40-year-old Russian is where he might play. However, one thing is quite clear. He has no intention of signing a player tryout (PTO).
Talking to Markov’s North American agent, Allen Walsh, TSN’s Melnick in the Afternoon, the agent made it clear that there are five teams that have expressed interest in the veteran blueliner’s services and he expects to sign a contract somewhere before training camp.
“Andrei and I have never even discussed a PTO and I’m expecting and I’m assuming that he’ll be signed to a contract before the start of training camp,” said Walsh. “We don’t feel any time pressure. I would expect that there will be something done before the start of training camp based on my discussions so far.”
The agent also made it clear that Markov wants to play on a winning team that has a chance to win a Stanley Cup title.
“He’s certainly looking to play on a team where there is a role for him,” said Walsh. “We believe that he can really help any team’s power play and that he can contribute meaningful 5-on-5 minutes. He can serve on as a veteran presence in the room and he’s always been known as a bit of a quiet guy, but he’s also been known as a quiet leader. He’s always been in amazing physical shape his entire career and he’s in great shape right now. He’s been training all summer. He’s looking to play for a team that has the potential to contend. He would love to win and be part of a winning season … He has a lot to offer to a team and he’s made it clear to me from the first minute that he called me that he desperately wants to play in the NHL next year.”
- While many players look at different avenues to improve their game, The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin (subscription required) writes that Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin has spent much of his summer in the video room analyzing his game in hopes of breaking his inconsistent play. Drouin reached out to assistant coach Dominique Ducharme and the two have been breaking down his game in hopes of unlocking the next level of his game. While possessed with incredible skills, Drouin has struggled to take his game to the next level like everyone expected him to do back when the Tampa Bay Lightning took him with the third-overall pick in 2013. While he did score 18 goals and tie a career-high of 53 points, many feel that he can do much better, especially if he can show more consistency. Perhaps the most interesting discovery was that Drouin wasn’t attacking through the inside of the slot often enough.
- Former Los Angeles Kings forward Nikita Scherbak might be looking for work once again. The 23-year-old forward signed a three-year deal with Avangard Omsk back in June, but according to a Russian website, omskinform.ru (translation required), Scherbak has been unimpressive in pre-season tournaments and the team may look to trade or even terminate his contract. Scherbak appeared in 37 NHL games, including eight with Los Angeles last season, but has not been able to retain a full-time role and didn’t even dominate in the AHL last season, scoring just 11 points in 23 games. If released, the 23-year-old could be looking for a new team.
Snapshots: Gardiner, Allen, Hart
Jake Gardiner came into the offseason as our top unrestricted free agent defenseman and sixth-highest ranked player overall. We predicted a five-year contract worth $32MM for the talented puck-mover, but as the calendar gets ready to turn to September he remains unsigned. There’s been very little indication from Gardiner or his representatives to why that is, but many have speculated that he may be waiting for an opportunity to present itself in Toronto where he could return to the Maple Leafs. With Mitch Marner still unsigned and the Maple Leafs right up against the cap that seems unlikely, so Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet gave his thoughts on the situation:
Jake Gardiner loves Toronto, and I know the organization really likes him. They like him a lot. The thing that I wonder about for Gardiner is, if he is looking to increase his value is he going to do it in Toronto? He’s not going to get as much powerplay time, they’re going to have [Morgan] Rielly and [Tyson] Barrie. He’s probably going to be a third-pairing defenseman. If he’s staying in Toronto, it’s because he really wants to be there.
I’ve heard Arizona. I’ve heard both Montreal and Winnipeg. I’ve heard Buffalo if they move maybe [Rasmus] Ristolainen out. Somebody said they heard rumors of potentially Carolina depending on what the Hurricanes might still do. I think there is interest in him, I think he’s being picky.
Despite the fact that Gardiner has been known to turn the puck over at the most inopportune times for Toronto, he is still a quality player that many teams around the league could use. The 29-year old has averaged more than 20 minutes a night in every single year of his career and just posted his sixth 30+ point season. His possession numbers are excellent even when compared to his talented teammates, and he’s shown the ability to contribute even more offensively when given the chance. No, Gardiner certainly isn’t a perfect player, but it’s extremely surprising to see him last this long into the offseason without a contact.
- The Washington Capitals have hired Scott Allen as an assistant coach for their AHL affiliate, adding some more experience to the Hershey Bears bench. Allen has serves as an NHL assistant for the last three years, most recently with the Arizona Coyotes. The former minor league forward actually started his coaching career with the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL more than two decades ago.
- The Philadelphia Flyers may have an franchise-changing netminder on their hands in Carter Hart, but the team isn’t going to just hand him the starting job this season. As Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes, Hart will have to compete with Brian Elliott for that job in training camp and earn his spot at the top of the depth chart. While it seems unlikely that Elliott could really take the full-time starter role, it does suggest that perhaps he won’t be left completely out in the cold. If a healthy Elliott can regain any of the form that he had in St. Louis a few years ago the Flyers could have one of the best tandems in the league on their hands. The 21-year old Hart already showed how capable he was at this level with a .917 save percentage in 31 games as a rookie.
Snapshots: Canadiens, Valimaki, Fiala
While Montreal’s attempt to sign Carolina center Sebastian Aho through an offer sheet drew some headlines, they have largely been quiet beyond that. However, head coach Claude Julien suggested that the Canadiens may not yet have their roster for the upcoming season settled. Speaking with reporters including Sportsnet’s Eric Engels (Twitter link), Julien indicated that there are still some things being discussed and accordingly, he didn’t want to assess the state of the roster at this time. Montreal is likely to have $6MM or more in cap room once they get down to a 23-man roster in training camp which gives them lots of flexibility to work with in that regard although, with 48 contracts on the books already out of the max of 50, they may want to clear a contract out at the same time they try to bring someone in.
Elsewhere around the league:
- While it was announced nearly three weeks ago that Flames defenseman Juuso Valimaki tore his ACL in offseason training and needed surgery, Postmedia’s Kristen Anderson notes that the procedure has yet to happen. Instead, it appears as if it’s still a few weeks away from happening. Considering the swelling that can often accompany this type of injury, the delay is certainly understandable but at the same time, knowing the recovery period is usually at least six months, it’s increasing the likelihood that the 20-year-old will miss the entire season. Calgary has brought Andrew MacDonald in on a PTO for camp but it wouldn’t be surprising if they look to make another move to bring in a replacement.
- While new Minnesota GM Bill Guerin wasted little time getting a restricted free agent officially signed with center Joel Eriksson Ek, don’t expect a quick resolution on their other NHL RFA. Guerin told Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link) that it’s merely status quo on talks regarding winger Kevin Fiala. Former Wild GM Paul Fenton paid a high price tag in forward Mikael Granlund to bring him in at the trade deadline with the hopes that he’d break out but it didn’t happen. Instead, he finished with 39 points in 83 games, a drop of nine points from the prior year. On the surface, he makes sense as a potential bridge deal candidate, especially as training camp gets closer.
Snapshots: Werenski, Kempny, Pominville
Despite all that has happened over the past few month, Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen has no regrets. He tells ESPN’s Greg Wyshysnki that the team’s decision to go “all in” at the trade deadline, holding on to Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky and acquiring Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, was a “calculated risk”. Even though all four have departed this summer via free agency, Kekalainen made his best effort to retain them and isn’t doing to dwell on the players’ decisions not to return. Instead, the bold executive is focused only on the coming season. Kekalainen answered Wyshynski confidently about a number of issues facing his team entering 2019-20, but paid extra attention to the stalled contract talks with RFA defenseman Zach Werenski:
The real frustration for me [is when it] drags on into training camp, because that’s a time for ‘team’… They start preparing and jelling and building that chemistry that we need as a team. When it goes to training camp time, it takes away from that preparation. It takes away from the team. That’s what I’m concerned about. And that’s where we’ve drawn the hard line before: We don’t believe in taking that preparation time away from the team. We think it should be resolved before the team gets together and gets ready for the season.
It seems that the Blue Jackets and Werenski are no closer to a resolution in contract talks and it is starting to impact the GM. With so much talent leaving Columbus this off-season and very few new faces arriving, Columbus needs their leaders and core players in training camp to get ready for what will likely be a more challenging season. Werenski is one of those key players and Kekalainen is clearly doing all that he can to get the talented young blue liner back under contract as soon as possible. As training camp draws closer, the question will be whether the Blue Jackets cave to Werenski’s demands to ensure that their valuable “preparation” is not adversely affected.
- The division rival Washington Capitals may also be without a key defenseman in training camp and perhaps longer. Michal Kempny is still working his way back from a season-ending hamstring injury and The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir writes that there is no clear timeline for his return. Fortunately, after a summer spent rehabbing at home in the Czech Republic, Kempny has resumed skating back in D.C. and is working one-on-one with Capitals strength coach Mark Nemish. Kempny hopes to be ready for training camp, but truly has his sights set on simply being at full strength for the team’s regular season debut. “I’m getting there,” Kempny said, “I’m not 100 percent yet, for sure. I still need some time. If I’m going to make the (start of) training camp, that’s going to be great. But we’ll see… My goal is to be ready for the season.”
- At one point this off-season, veteran forward Jason Pominville was also hoping to see another opening night of NHL action, but as the summer has drawn on without much interest in the free agent, his mindset has shifted. Pominville explained to NHL.com that he is “fine with the way things ended” last season, if it was indeed the end of his playing career. The 36-year-old returned to the Buffalo Sabres two years ago, re-joining the team with which he spent the first nine years of his now 15-year NHL career, and proved that he could still be a contributor, posting back-to-back 30+ point seasons and taking on an important role in the locker room. Pominville hoped that he could return to Buffalo for another season, but since that seems like a longshot, he’s content to stay in the city and not move his family, even if that means hanging up his skates.