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Snapshots: Bruins, Flyers, Clutterbuck

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Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy is just six playoff games into what will assuredly be a lengthy NHL career but his presence is already making an impact off the ice.  Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe suggests that part of the concern about meeting winger David Pastrnak’s asking price is the expectation that they will have to hand McAvoy an expensive second deal in the near future as well.

The 19-year-old is eligible to sign a contract extension as soon as July 1st although his next deal won’t start until 2019-20.  Assuming he plays heavy minutes and is productive as he was in the playoffs, Shinzawa suggests that McAvoy’s second contract could be comparable to the likes of Dougie Hamilton, Seth Jones, and Colton Parayko, who are all earning at least $5MM on those deals.  While the Bruins are well under the cap now, their new contract for Pastrnak as well as all of their long-term, big money pacts to their veterans will still be on the books when McAvoy is up for renewal so GM Don Sweeney may be planning ahead to try to avoid a cap crunch down the road.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Flyers don’t have any PTO offers in place for defensemen yet, GM Ron Hextall told reporters, including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).  However, Hextall is still looking around so that may not be the case for long.  Philadelphia projects to have at least a couple of young blueliners start with the team so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team look to add a little bit of veteran competition for training camp.
  • Islanders winger Cal Clutterbuck dealt with recurring groin troubles last season. He told Newsday’s Arthur Staple that the issue stemmed from changing his skates of all things.  He has switched back to his previous ones and isn’t experiencing any soreness now.  Clutterbuck is coming off of a below-average season that saw him score just five goals and the continued groin issues undoubtedly contributed to those struggles.

Snapshots: Therrien, Blues PTO, Sergachev

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Michel Therrien is back in hockey, and you won’t believe where. The former Montreal Canadiens head coach that was fired mid-season when Claude Julien became available will serve as a scout for those same Canadiens this season, according to TSN.

Therrien was unceremoniously removed from the head coaching position in February just days after Julien lost his job in Boston, ending his second stint behind the bench with the club. The 53-year old Therrien has a 406-303-23-82 record in the NHL, and ranks 37th all-time in games coached.

  • The St. Louis Blues released their entire training camp roster today, and it includes two players on professional tryouts. Ty Loney and Michael McKee have been signed to PTOs and will be in camp, though not much should be expected of either. Loney has spent the last few years bouncing between the AHL and ECHL after graduating from the University of Denver, while McKee is a former fifth-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings who just finished his fourth season at Western Michigan University. He became a free agent when the Red Wings failed to sign him this summer.
  • Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times caught up with prospect Mikhail Sergachev, and the young defender was clear that he intends on making the Lightning out of training camp. “For me, going back to junior is not an option,” said Sergachev, who was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jonathan Drouin earlier this summer. Sergachev has dominated the OHL in his first two seasons in North America, and even suited up for four games at the beginning of last season with the Canadiens. While the Tampa Bay defense is quite crowded, he clearly has the talent to break through and establish himself as an NHL force.

Snapshots: Daly, Deadline, Horvat

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In one of the more interesting pieces of hockey journalism this summer, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic shadowed NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly for an entire day, chronicling his routine and the sort of things he has to deal with on a daily basis. LeBrun was obviously pushed out of the room on several occasions, but was also allowed some internal league access rarely given to media members in any sport.

One of the more interesting things (in a piece filled with them) is that the league has yet to create a memo to explain to teams the penalty for any player that leaves the league for the Olympics mid-season. Even though there have been various players threatening to go anyway, Daly and the league “don’t believe it’s going to be an issue.” The likely result of any country trying to use an NHL athlete would be disqualification from the tournament, as the IIHF has made it clear they will honor the league’s decision to not attend.

  • The NHL Trade Deadline will be Monday, February 26th this season, the day after the gold medal game at the Olympics. That gives any player who is in Europe or on an AHL contract enough time to sign with a team and be eligible for the NHL playoffs. Remember, teams can still technically make trades and signings after the deadline, but any player not on their reserve list (which includes unsigned draft picks) by then are ineligible for the postseason. Jaromir Jagr, for instance, could play in the Olympics and still have a chance to suit up for an NHL club down the stretch.
  • Elliotte Friedman joined Sportsnet 650 radio this morning, and spoke about the incoming Bo Horvat contract. The deal for Horvat seems imminent, and Friedman thinks that a long-term deal “is better for both the player and the team. “ He also points to Jonathan Drouin’s six-year contract with a $5.5MM salary, and Aleksander Barkov’s $5.9MM cap hit as potential comparable numbers for each side. Horvat is currently a restricted free agent, but is the new face of the Vancouver Canucks franchise.

Evening Snapshots: Flames, Wisniewski, Red Wings

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • In an update to the ongoing Sam Bennett contract negotiations, Calgary Flames beatwriter Kristen Odland of Postmedia reports that the Calgary Flames hope to have something done before training camp. Flames GM Brad Treliving told Odland that he is not focusing on threats of Bennett playing overseas until he receives a contract. Bennett is currently a restricted free agent without a contract as training camp approaches.
  • James Wisniewski took to Twitter this evening to find a new hockey team. The former NHL defenseman last played in the NHL for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015-16 season where he played only one game. Last season he split time between the AHL Chicago Wolves and the KHL Admiral Vladivostok. While Wisniewski may not find another NHL job this season, he is only four seasons removed from a 51 point campaign with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Predictably, however, the majority of Twitter responders asked him to play for their beer league team, and it is unclear whether Wisniewski will settle for the pay cut.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have agreed to a two-year deal with defenseman Robbie Russo. Contract specifics are unknown at this time, but expect the dollar amount to be near league minimum as Russo had little leverage as a 24 year-old RFA. [update: The Athletic’s Craig Custance reports that the deal is a two-year, two-way deal worth $650k/$125k and $650k/$250k] Russo split time between Detroit and its AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins. He went scoreless in 16 NHL games but put up 7G and 25A in 58 AHL games. Russo will have a hard time cracking the Red Wings lineup initially—the team has six defenseman making over $1MM annually each—but could battle for the 7th spot with other defensive prospects.

Snapshots: Chara, Hurricanes, Jagr

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Even at the age of 40, Zdeno Chara figures to be a big (pardon the pun) part of the Boston Bruins’ defense this season. While he’s lost a step and isn’t as punishing in his own end, his experience and size still allows him to be a capable player at both ends. He registered 29 points last season, and feels like he can continue even past the upcoming year. Talking to Joe Haggerty of CSNNE, Chara expressed his want to stay in Boston.

I definitely want to play beyond this season. It’s really hard to put a number on it. Some people do and some people don’t. I just obviously want to keep playing beyond this season. I love this game too much. I have made no secrets about it. I want to stay here [in Boston] and continue to play.

As he enters the third decade of his playing career, Chara is going to be able to start passing on some of the responsibility to younger Bruins defenders like Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo. Along with Chara, Torey Krug and the rest of the veteran options in Boston, the youngsters could make this one of the most dependable groups in the NHL. They’ll need it if they want to get back to the playoffs and make a run for the Stanley Cup before Chara finishes his career.

  • Carolina Hurricanes’ GM Ron Francis spoke with media today including Chip Alexander of the News & Observer, dropping some interesting tidbits about the team’s next few weeks. Francis says that there will be no players signed to professional tryouts, and that the team will indeed name a captain after training camp is over. The Hurricanes played last season without a captain, and haven’t had one since they traded Eric Staal at the 2016 deadline. Eric’s younger brother Jordan Staal is a candidate, but could so are several of the defensemen including Justin Faulk. An interesting option might be giving it to recently returned forward Justin Williams, who has raised the Stanley Cup three times including one with the Canes in 2006.
  • Jaromir Jagr once again has said that he could start the season in Europe and play in the Olympics for the Czech Republic, something that would obviously add a lot of intrigue to the Winter Games. The US and Canada will be struggling to find high caliber players while teams like Russia and the Czech Republic could ice Hall of Fame talent. While that could result in a quick defeat, it also will allow us to see college and AHL-level players against some of the best in the world.

Snapshots: Rasmussen, Avalanche, Werbik

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Detroit’s decision to select Michael Rasmussen with the ninth overall selection back in June over Gabriel Vilardi raised some eyebrows.  However, a big part of the decision to do so stemmed from the fact that Rasmussen spent most of last year at center (a position they were targeting) while Vilardi was primarily a winger, Red Wings Assistant to the GM Kris Draper told Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required).  Vilardi wound up going two spots later to the Kings.

While many teams will say they’ll simply look for the best player available, there’s a good case to make that the Red Wings needed a center back at the draft.  Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou have both played the position in the past but have had more success in the NHL on the wing which has resulted in them not having a lot of prospect depth down the middle.  Although he has pro size already, Rasmussen is likely still a couple of years away from seeing action in Detroit but should complement a good group of young wingers when he does make it.

More notes from around the game:

  • After mostly ignoring the college ranks, the Avalanche have been a lot more active in the NCAA over the past couple of years, BSN Denver’s Cole Hamilton details. Over the past two drafts, they’ve picked college-bound players four times in the first two rounds including Tyson Jost and Cale Makar as well as signing a pair of college free agents last month.  Going this route often requires more patience though as many of those players often wait longer to turn pro than their counterparts in junior (although Jost is an exception).  Accordingly, if that continues in the years to come, Colorado’s rebuilding timeline may wind up being extended a bit longer.
  • The Rangers have invited Czech prospect center Nicolas Werbik to their upcoming rookie camp, his former Czech team in Zlin announced. Werbik spent last season with Youngstown of the USHL, collecting 39 points (18-21-39) in 54 games after spending the previous year with Rimouski of the QMJHL.  Werbik and New York first rounder Filip Chytil both played in the Zlin U-18 program back in 2014-15.

Snapshots: Duchene, Malone, Vanek, Kennedy

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As the calendar has turned to September, TSN’s Darren Dreger suggested to WGR 550 in Buffalo (audio link) that there may be some heat on Avalanche GM Joe Sakic to get something done regarding Matt Duchene’s situation over the next two weeks.  Doing so would avoid any concerns about Duchene having to report to training camp with the team which could make for an awkward situation given how long this process has dragged out.

Dreger noted that he hasn’t heard any suggestions that Duchene or his agent Pat Brisson have told Sakic that he wouldn’t report to Avalanche training camp if he isn’t dealt by then.  However, that could change over the next couple of weeks if there is no traction made on a trade by then if Duchene feels that could help to expedite the process.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • Ryan Malone’s PTO deal with the Wild came as somewhat of a surprise considering he hasn’t played professionally since 2014-15. However, it doesn’t appear as if the focus is on landing a spot with Minnesota but rather an AHL deal in the hopes of earning an Olympic spot.  Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune notes that Malone has been in contact with USA Hockey officials about that in recent days and that Pittsburgh and New Jersey had also expressed an interest in inking him to a minor league deal.
  • Thomas Vanek’s one-year, $2MM contract with the Canucks does not contain any no-trade protection, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link). With many expecting Vancouver to be on the outside looking in at a playoff position, there’s a good chance that he could be on the move once again by the trade deadline.  At the deadline last season, Detroit landed a third round pick and defenseman Dylan McIlrath from Florida in exchange for Vanek.
  • After spending part of last season with AHL Rochester, winger Tim Kennedy is looking for a new place to play. He told Bill Hoppe of the Buffalo Hockey Beat that he was hoping to remain in Buffalo’s organization but that the removal of Tim Murray as GM ended that idea.  Kennedy added that he is in talks with three different teams about a contract for the upcoming season.

Snapshots: Pastrnak, Dahlen, Patrick

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David Pastrnak leads a group of intriguing restricted free agents into September with no contract, and it doesn’t sound like much progress has been made between his camp and the Boston Bruins of late. Joe McDonald of the Boston Sports Journal reports that the team hasn’t even gotten a response on their $6MM offer for either six or seven years.

Agent J.P. Barry is set to meet with the Bruins on September 1st, meaning a contract could follow in short order, but there does seem to still be a gap between the two sides. After a huge breakout by Pastrnak last season, handing an $8MM salary out still may be a bit worrisome for the Boston front office.

  • Jonathan Dahlen, the Vancouver Canucks prospect acquired from Ottawa in last season’s Alex Burrows deal, still hasn’t decided on a European team to play for this season, according to Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130. Though Dahlen will be attending the Canucks’ rookie camp in Penticton, it doesn’t seem like he’s destined for the Utica Comets this season after all. Instead, he’ll likely play in the SHL, a step up after dominating Sweden’s second-league last season.
  • In what may be just a bit of bluster from the GM in order to motivate a young player, Ron Hextall of the Flyers told Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer that Nolan Patrick will have to earn his way onto the team and that he’s perfectly fine with sending him back to the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. It’s unlikely that Patrick doesn’t crack the squad, but Hextall was clear that they will do whatever they think is right for the long-term development of their prized center. Patrick’s game is arguably more ready for the NHL than fellow top prospect Nico Hischier, and he should be in the opening lineup for the Flyers in game one.

Snapshots: Ovechkin, Air Canada Centre, Predators

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Alex Ovechkin is coming off another disappointing playoff exit at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and earlier this offseason GM Brian MacLellan said that his superstar forward would need to train differently this offseason to make sure the speed of the game didn’t leave him behind. Ovechkin scored fewer than 50 goals in a full season for the first time since 2011-12, posting just 33 markers all year. It seems he’s taken it to heart, as a report from Tom Gulitti of NHL.com has Ovechkin showing up to optional workouts in Washington markedly thinner.

Ovechkin played last season at 239, but teammates are saying he’s definitely leaner this year which hopefully will translate into more success on the ice. It’s important to note that even though Ovechkin’s goal total dropped, he still posted 69 points due to a big jump in assists. The Capitals will begin the season on Thursday, October 5th when they take on the Ottawa Senators.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have reached a landmark agreement with Scotiabank for the naming rights to their arena. According to Rick Westhead of TSN the bank will pay $800MM (CAD) for the 20-year agreement that will change the name from the Air Canada Centre to Scotiabank Arena on July 1, 2018. The deal is the biggest naming sponsorship in North American sports history, and will make the incredibly wealthy Maple Leafs franchise worth even more. It marks the second NHL building named after the Canadian bank, following Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome. The Ottawa Senators’ Scotiabank Place was renamed the Canadian Tire Centre in 2013.
  • Any fans who bought a Viktor Arvidsson jersey during his breakout season last year will be disappointed today, as the team announced that he’ll be changing to #33 for next season. Frederick Gaudreau and Vladislav Kamenev will also change, claiming #89 and #91 respectively. Kamanev’s change is the most interesting, after he played just two games with the Predators last season. Though he was expected to press for a roster spot after another big AHL season, this actually may be more evidence that he’ll be given a chance with the NHL club at some point this year.

Snapshots: Ratelle, Butcher, Lehner

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After the Philadelphia Flyers announced this morning that Eric Lindros would see his number retired to the rafters this season, the New York Rangers are also making plans to honor one of their greatest players. Jean Ratelle’s #19 will be retired in February, joining Ed Giacomin (#1), Brian Leetch (#2), Harry Howell (#3), Rod Gilbert (#7), Adam Graves and Andy Bathgate (#9), Mark Messier (#11), and Mike Richter (#35) in the rafters of Madison Square Garden.

Ratelle played 16 seasons for the Rangers during his career, scoring 817 points in 862 games for the franchise. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985 and has been waiting a long time to see his number retired in New York. Jesper Fast, who wore the number last season, will have to change for 2017-18. The ceremony is scheduled for February 25th, before a game against the Detroit Red Wings that will be deemed “Jean Ratelle Night.”

  • Will Butcher held a conference call with reporters today to explain why he chose the New Jersey Devils, and spoke mostly about his new head coach John Hynes and the effect he had even in just a short meeting. Butcher explained that his final four teams were indeed Vegas, Los Angeles, Buffalo and New Jersey, before eventually settling on the Devils. Butcher could step right into an NHL role in New Jersey, and he has the confidence if nothing else; he compared himself to Duncan Keith in terms of style of play.
  • Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey Beat has a great piece on the thought process of Robin Lehner in this summer’s contract negotiations with the Sabres, writing that Lehner wanted a long-term deal even though his agents disagreed. Even though his representatives explained that with a one-year deal he could set himself up for a big raise in what will be his final summer of restricted free agency, Lehner wanted to sign long-term in Buffalo. Hoppe writes that former Sabres GM Tim Murray may have been open to that, but the new regime wasn’t. Lehner has had extreme ups and downs since coming to Buffalo, but clearly has the talent to be one of the very best goaltenders in the league. In a year where almost everything went wrong for the Sabres, Lehner made a career-high 58 starts and maintained an excellent .920 save percentage. Next summer any long-term contract will be buying out almost exclusively UFA seasons, and will push much higher than the $4MM salary he’ll earn this season.

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