Snapshots: Gionta, Larkin, Berestnev
Brian Gionta is still staying in shape in case a desirable contract falls into his lap, but doesn’t really like the idea of moving his kids around the country at this point in his career. Gionta spoke with Dave Stubbs of NHL.com, and explained that he’s instead looking at “non-playing hockey options” for the 2018-19 season. After captaining the US Olympic team and then signing for the end of the season with the Boston Bruins, Gionta may be finished with a playing career that lasted over 1,000 NHL games.
An extremely consistent two-way player, Gionta had an incredible career at Boston College winning the Hockey East title three times in four years and taking home a National Championship in 2001. His captaincy that season for BC would prepare him for the role he would be given in Montreal and Buffalo later in his career, after winning the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils. A extremely well-respected player around the league, Gionta will likely finish his career with 595 points in 1,026 games and could be in line for a coaching role almost immediately.
- Speaking of captains, Luke Fox of Sportsnet suggests that the path is now open for Dylan Larkin to be named captain of the Detroit Red Wings. After signing a five-year deal today, Larkin becomes the highest-paid player on the team eclipsing current captain Henrik Zetterberg, who may not even play this season (or ever again). If Larkin were to get a “C” on his sweater, he would follow a run that saw just three Red Wings players hold the honor over the last three decades. Zetterberg, Nicklas Lidstrom and Steve Yzerman have held the position since 1986, creating quite immense footsteps for the young forward to walk in.
- The Val-d’Or Foreurs of the QMJHL will have super talented Daniil Berestnev on the team in 2018-19, taking one of their international roster spots. Berestnev was the seventh-overall pick in the most recent import draft, and will try to improve his stock for the 2019 Entry Draft with a good showing in North America. The 17-year old winger scored 62 points in just 38 games last season, putting him fourth in the U17 Russian league. Berestnev wasn’t included in the recent Hlinka-Gretzky tournament for Russia, but will get a chance at the CHL level to prove himself.
Snapshots: Stone, Ellis, Howard
While many have viewed the one-year, $7.35MM contract that Senators winger Mark Stone inked last week to make him eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer as a sign that he is likely entering the final season with his team, he told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that he’s certainly open to discussing an extension when the window opens up in January:
“Everyone is looking at this and I think most fans are thinking this is pretty negative news. I think both sides left Toronto happy that we still have the opportunity to work something out. Everybody knows the way that arbitration can go sometimes and the fact that both sides were able to leave on good terms is a good sign.”
Stone joins a notable list of notable Senators players that are entering the final year of their respective contracts. That group includes defenseman Erik Karlsson, center Matt Duchene, and winger Ryan Dzingel (who is coming off of a 23-goal season). With that in mind, there is going to be a narrow window for Ottawa to try to work something out with Stone as if they can’t come to terms on a long-term extension quickly in the new year, they will likely look to move him before the trade deadline.
More from around the league:
- The Predators are having “consistent and continual negotiations” with defenseman Ryan Ellis regarding a contract extension, GM David Poile told ESPN 102.5 (audio link). The 27-year-old is entering the final year of a very team-friendly deal that carries a cap hit of just $2.5MM and is eligible for unrestricted free agency in July. Considering how important he has been to Nashville’s back end in recent years, he should easily more than double that amount on his next contract. Meanwhile, it was a memorable day for Poile as he was among the Class of 2018 named to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame as announced by USA Hockey.
- Although the Red Wings now have Jonathan Bernier locked up for the next three years, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press suggests that that shouldn’t necessarily spell the end for incumbent netminder Jimmy Howard with the team. The pending UFA projects to be a trade candidate closer to the trade deadline but even if that were to happen, St. James notes that Detroit has been pleased with his performance over the last couple of years and would have interest in dealing him and bringing him back as a free agent on a short-term deal given that they don’t have any prospects pushing to make the jump to the NHL at the moment. For that to happen, he would presumably need to take a pay cut from his current $5.29MM cap hit.
Snapshots: Pacioretty, Norell, Genoni
The lower-than-anticipated return that the Hurricanes received for winger Jeff Skinner isn’t going to help the Canadiens in their efforts to move winger Max Pacioretty, suggests Jared Clinton of The Hockey News. The two have been statistically similar over the past three years so while Pacioretty has the stronger long-term track record, it’s going to be challenging for them to justify commanding a significantly better return even though unlike Skinner, he doesn’t have any no-trade protection.
With that in mind, it’s fair to wonder if they would be better served holding onto their captain to start the season despite their reported desire to move him as soon as possible. While that would create a media frenzy, it would give Pacioretty a chance to rebuild his value as he enters a contract year while giving the Canadiens time to see if something happens elsewhere that gives them the opportunity to potentially leverage a better return.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Djurgarden of the SHL is interested in bringing back Blackhawks prospect Robin Norell, reports Johan Svensson of Expressen (link in Swedish). The 23-year-old has one year left on his entry-level deal and Chicago would need to sign off on loaning him back home. Norell is certainly familiar with Djurgarden having been a part of their system for parts of seven seasons before coming to North America. He has been a regular on the back end with their AHL affiliate in Rockford the last two years but has yet to make it to the NHL level and isn’t expected to contend for a spot in training camp.
- Swiss goaltender Leonardo Genoni has long been viewed as one of the top goaltenders outside the NHL. While he still has one year left on his current contract with SC Bern of the Swiss NLA, he has now committed to EV Zug of the same league for 2019-20 and beyond. Per a team release (link in German), the 31-year-old has agreed to a five-year deal that will keep him in Switzerland through 2024 and with it, any chance of him crossing the pond one day to try the NHL has now been put to rest.
Snapshots: Gibson, Kesler, Subban, Cross
While the Anaheim Ducks didn’t have to discuss a long-term extension with goaltender John Gibson this summer, the team wanted to get their 25-year-old netminder signed as quickly as possible, according to The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required). They did that Saturday when they signed him to an eight-year, $51.2MM signing with an AAV of $6.4MM.
One of the key reasons general manager Bob Murray and the Ducks negotiated the deal now was the team wanted to avoid the possibility that Gibson would have an even greater year than what he had, which would have driven up the price even more. The team now expects Gibson to raise his game anyway as he must improve his playoffs stats and attempt to remain healthy, which has occasionally been a problem, because eight years is a long ways down the road.
- In an interview with Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle, The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman (subscription required) asked several questions about Ryan Kesler, who missed the first three months of last season after undergoing hip surgery in the offseason, and really struggled after returning. With rumors of Kesler potentially missing more time or sitting out an entire season this year, Carlyle said everything will come down to training camp. “His body will have three months of rest and rehabilitation,” said Carlyle. “Now here we go, training camp is going to be another test. What he went through last year wasn’t what he envisioned or we envisioned. He’s a guy who is very determined. I don’t think it’s about excuses. It’s about finding the right fit. It’s hard to point a finger in any one direction when you’ve got people that are not 100 percent. We’ll support the players and try to find the right combination. But we went through this once. I’m sure we’re not going to take the same route as we did the last time. There’s going to have to be a different approach taken.”
- Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Ed Graney wonders whether the Vegas Golden Knights should be worried about their backup goaltending situation. The team had issues with 33-year-old starter Marc-Andre Fleury in the past as he missed two months earlier in the season due to a possible concussion. The team has 24-year-old Malcolm Subban as the backup, but he also dealt with numerous injuries throughout the season and then the playoffs. While Subban finished the season with 13 victories in 22 appearances, his numbers weren’t that good as he posted a 2.68 GAA and a .910 save percentage. Is he the goaltender of the future? Most don’t think so.
- The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) featured veteran minor league defenseman Tommy Cross, who didn’t want to leave the Boston Bruins. However, with a goal to become an NHL-level defenseman and time running out, the 28-year-old blueliner opted to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Cross has played 279 games with the Providence Bruins in the AHL after signing out of Boston College, but has managed to appear in just six NHL games so far and been passed over by so many prospects that the three-year AHL captain felt it was time to move on.
Snapshots: Faulk, Skinner, Hanifin
The Carolina Hurricanes traded Jeff Skinner yesterday, and many immediately jumped to a conclusion that they would be dealing Justin Faulk in the coming weeks. Faulk’s name has been listed just behind Skinner’s as potential trade bait for months, and with the extremely deep Carolina blue line there was an assumption someone would have to be moved. That might not necessarily happen just yet, as GM Don Waddell told reporters including Luke DeCock and Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer:
We never said we wanted to trade Justin Faulk. People assumed when we picked up Dougie Hamilton that was the direction we were going to go, but we don’t feel that same way. We feel if we do stay status quo, we’re going to have one of the best defensive corps in the league. Saying that, if some team steps up to the plate for him or another of our players we’re going to continue to look at that.
Faulk has two years left on his current contract and is a talent puck-moving defenseman, but currently projects out as the Hurricanes third option on the right side behind Hamilton and Brett Pesce. While it’s not clear exactly how the team will deploy their big crop of defensemen, with other teams in the league starved for right-handed blue line help you would think some offers have been brought to Waddell already. Interestingly though Waddell revealed that Faulk has a 16-team no-trade clause, something that hadn’t previously been reported.
- Skinner meanwhile had a conference call of his own today, and explained why he waived his no-movement clause to go to the Buffalo Sabres. Joe Yerdon of The Athletic passes on that Skinner is excited about the young core in Buffalo, and that he’s looking forward to playing with Jack Eichel if he gets the chance. The Hurricanes meanwhile didn’t bring any other offers to him to try to get him to waive his clause, though Waddell told DeCock and Alexander that there was a “very limited” list of teams the young forward would have considered. The Sabres will now get a chance to convince Skinner to re-sign, given that his contract will expire in the summer of 2019.
- A former Hurricane was the subject of conversation on Sportsnet 960 radio today, when Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving joined The Big Show with Rob Kerr and Pat Steinberg. Treliving said that the team is working with Hanifin on a new contract and that they’re heading in a “positive” direction, admitting that the arbitration cases were their priority for most of the summer. With arbitration finished, the Flames have just Hanifin and Hunter Shinkaruk still to sign as restricted free agents.
Snapshots: Moore, Davidsson, Hall
At this time of the offseason, veteran free agents often have to begin to consider the possibility of going to training camp on a tryout deal. One player who doesn’t believe he should be in this situation is center Dominic Moore, who told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox that he doesn’t believe he should have to try out for a deal:
“I’ve played how many seasons in a row now without losing a game due to injury? I think my track record [speaks for itself]. People know what I do, what I bring. A tryout doesn’t seem to make sense in that context.”
Moore only played in 52 games last season as he was a frequent healthy scratch with the Maple Leafs. The soon-to-be 38-year-old is still strong at the faceoff dot but that alone may not be enough to land him a guaranteed deal as veterans like Antoine Vermette and Mark Letestu find themselves in similar situations and could be forced to look at PTOs if nothing surfaces in the weeks to come.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Although he is 21 and now on his entry-level deal, Columbus prospect Jonathan Davidsson will not play at the AHL level if he fails to make the Blue Jackets’ opening roster next season, notes Craig Merz of NHL.com. Instead, he would return to Djurgardens of the SHL where he played a key role for them last year with 31 points in 52 games. It was his performance last year that has him on the NHL radar despite being selected in the sixth round (170th overall) just one year ago.
- Devils winger Taylor Hall has switched agencies and will now be represented by DHG Sports Agency, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). He had previously been repped by the Orr Hockey Group. The league MVP will still have to wait a while for his next contract talks to begin as he’s ineligible to sign an extension until next July.
Snapshots: Doan, Karlsson, Nemeth
The Arizona Coyotes will retire the first number in the history of their franchise when they raise Shane Doan‘s #19 sweater to the rafters this season. The ceremony will take place on February 24th, fittingly against the Winnipeg Jets where Doan started his career. Doan’s Jets turned into the Coyotes after just one season in Winnipeg, and he would spend the next two decades growing the game of hockey in an extremely non-traditional market.
His influence on the Coyotes was obvious, recording 972 points in 1,540 career games and serving as captain for more than a dozen seasons, but his legacy may best be remembered by the players that come after him. Auston Matthews is already a star in the NHL, and credits Doan as one of the biggest reasons he wanted to become a hockey player in the first place.
- Craig Custance of The Athletic tweets that there is no contract imminent between the Vegas Golden Knights and restricted free agent William Karlsson, meaning his August 4th arbitration hearing is still scheduled. Karlsson is an incredibly difficult case to handicap, after exploding for 43 goals and 78 points this season despite scoring just 15 and 45 over his first two NHL seasons. The Golden Knights have already handed out several long-term contracts to players they deem core pieces, and could still work something out with Karlsson over the next few days.
- Adrian Dater of BSN Denver reports (subscription required) that the Colorado Avalanche will announce a settlement with Patrik Nemeth today, avoiding his arbitration hearing on Saturday. Nemeth was one of just three players left with a hearing on the books after Cody Ceci and Gemel Smith met with the arbitrator today, though was still outside the period where a salary ask was required to be submitted. After finding himself in an increased role with the Avalanche this season, Nemeth recorded 15 points in 68 games and was a key part of their penalty kill.
Snapshots: Middleton, Sharks, Morrisonn
The Boston Bruins will add another memorable name to the rafters of TD Garden this season, as the team announced today that they will retire Rick Middleton‘s #16 on November 29th. Middleton starred for the Bruins for twelve seasons from 1976-1988 and recorded 898 points in 881 games, fourth-most in Bruins history. His 402 goals rank third on a long list of impressive Boston alumni, behind only Johnny Bucyk and Phil Esposito, while his 496 assists rank sixth behind the likes of Bucyk, Esposito, Ray Bourque, Bobby Orr, and Wayne Cashman. Seeing as all but Middleton and Cashman of that group have had their numbers retired, it seems fitting that “Nifty” was next up. Yet, Middleton was surprised to receive a call from President Cam Neely today, saying he was “knocked off (his) feet” by a “dream come true”. Middleton’s number retirement will be the eleventh by Boston and will ironically be the first for the Bruins since Neely himself was honored in 2004. Who could be next for Boston? A past great like Cashman or perhaps a current long-time star like Patrice Bergeron or Zdeno Chara?
- The San Jose Sharks made some changes to their front office today that included players previously believed to still be active. The team named Ryan Hamilton, J.P. Cote, and Neil McKenney to their scouting staff, replacing Jimmy Bonneau and Michael Chiasson who have been promoted to AHL coaching roles. The release essentially served as a retirement announcement for Hamilton and Cote. Hamilton, 33, had been the captain of the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors for the past three years and last played in the NHL for the Edmonton Oilers in 2014-15. Cote, 36, has been playing in Europe for the past three years, but was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2013-14. McKenney has been hired away from his position as Director of Hockey Operations for Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.
- Former NHL defenseman Shaone Morrisonn is embarking on a interesting twist to his playing career. The 2001 first-round pick is entering his 17th pro season and will do so in largely uncharted territory. Morrisonn has been playing in the KHL since 2012, but will now move to the Oji Eagles of the Asia League. The league was only established in 2004, after Morrisonn had already begun his pro career, and has not attracted many well-known North American names over the years. Perhaps in closing out his own career, Morrisonn will open the door to more former NHLers continuing their careers in Japan, South Korea, and China. Hockey is certainly spreading to Asia and a player with at least some name recognition playing in the local pro league could go a long way in continuing to grow the game.
Snapshots: Hughes, Hanrahan, Hunter
While Quinn Hughes has decided to head back to the University of Michigan for another year, he won’t be joined by brother Jack Hughes this season. The younger of the two, Jack, is expected to be the first-overall selection next June and according to Mike Morreale of NHL.com will spend his draft year playing with the US National Team Development Program once again. That likely means he’ll never be heading to the collegiate ranks, as he’s widely expected to step right into the NHL for the 2019-20 season given his incredible talent.
The two will get a chance to play together on a big stage at the World Junior Championship in late December, as both are basically locks for a team that is exploding with talent. The pair are currently playing at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Kamloops, British Columbia before Quinn returns to Michigan and Jack takes his place with the NTDP.
- Ryan Poehling meanwhile won’t play in any of the Summer Showcase games according to Morreale, after he underwent surgery on July 7th. Poehling had tonsilitis and a deviated septum dealt with, and instead is skating on his own at the tournament getting ready for his junior year at St. Cloud State. The Montreal Canadiens draft pick will likely be a returnee for the US World Junior squad, after recording three points in seven games during their bronze medal run last time around. Poehling is another one of the Montreal center prospects that will try to solve their lengthy struggles down the middle, and could easily be playing professional hockey by the end of the 2018-19 season.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have named Barry Hanrahan Vice President, in addition to his current title of Assistant General Manager. Hanrahan has been with the club for more than two decades filling various roles, and is a key part of their front office.
- Mark Hunter is now eligible to be hired by any team in the league, after the Toronto Maple Leafs deal with him ended on July 15, but as Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) writes, it makes sense that he’s taking his time. Custance spoke to one of Hunter’s former colleagues in Lindsay Hofford—recently hired by the Arizona Coyotes—who extolled the virtues and successes of Hunter over the years. There’s an obvious desire from Hunter to become an NHL GM, something even Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas explained when he was given the job, but no clear openings right now. Whether he’ll accept another role as an assistant isn’t clear, but he remains a strong candidate.
Snapshots: Pacioretty, Lucic, Simmonds, Vilardi
The Montreal Canadiens look like they have no choice but to trade their star player in Max Pacioretty. With the 29-year-old entering the final year of his contract and little interest from Montreal to lock him up to a long-term deal, this is their only chance to move him. However, what makes things challenging for general manager Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens is that Pacioretty is coming off a disappointing year in which he produced just 17 goals in injury-plagued season after posting four straight years of 30 or more goals.
However, time is not Bergevin’s friend and the team has little choice but to try to move his contract now rather than wait to trade him as a rental in February. NBC Sports Joey Alfieri suggests five teams that might be good fits for Pacioretty with the Chicago Blackhawks leading the way. Pacioretty would be the perfect fit for Chicago considering the team’s biggest acquisition this offseason has been backup goaltender Cam Ward. However, the Blackhawks might be challenged to put together a quality package for Pacioretty.
However, another more interesting option would be the New Jersey Devils, who have the cap space to make it work and Pacioretty, a native of Connecticut – a mere 70 miles away — might be willing to stay with a team that already has an intruiging cast including Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall.
- In a recent podcast on Spittin’ Chiclets, Edmonton Oilers forward Milan Lucic talked about his disappointing season in Edmonton which has his name and his contract being thrown around in potential trade rumors. Regardless, Lucic had nothing but great things to say about the Oilers’ organization and takes a lot of the blame for his poor season. Lucic, who signed a seven-year, $42MM deal in 2016, still has five years remaining at $6MM AAV. However, after posting 23 goals and 50 points in the first year of his deal, Lucic’s numbers took a nosedive as he tallied just 10 goals and 34 points and he didn’t miss a single game all season. “I think it was definitely more of a mental thing,” Lucic said. “It was almost like everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for our team and for me personally and it was the snowball effect or the quicksand effect. I think my mindset got very negative last year. So I was almost my own worst enemy, where this year I’m just going in with a happy, healthier mindset.”
- Dave Isaac of the Cherry Hill Courier-Post writes that Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall has kept a close on the New York Islanders and John Tavares situation and isn’t interested in letting any of his players go. With winger Wayne Simmonds entering the final year of his contract, will probably price himself out of Philadelphia and the fact that he likely will end up on the team’s third line this year, don’t be surprised if Hextall trades Simmonds at the trade deadline next year. The 29-year-old has put up 28 or more goals for the past four years in Philadelphia, but struggled with nagging injuries last year, tallying 24 goals.
- The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman reports that Los Angeles Kings prospect Gabe Vilardi will not be participating in the World Junior Showcase for Hockey Canada after Vilardi suffered a back injury. While not considered serious, Vilardi has had issues with his back before as he missed all but 32 games this past year with the OHL Kingston Frontenacs. Vilardi, the team’s first-round pick in 2017, will have a chance to break into the Kings’ lineup if he has a good showing in training camp.