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Snapshots: Hobey Baker, Smith, Enstrom

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The NCAA has narrowed it down to just three Hobey Baker finalists, and two of them went undrafted. Zach Aston-Reese of Northeastern University signed with the Penguins, and already has six points in four AHL games. Mike Vecchione from Union College had 63 points in 38 games and is expected to make his decision any day now on where he’ll spend his first few professional seasons. Will Butcher, the third finalist and only defenseman, is heading to the Frozen Four with the University of Denver but is expected to be offered a contract by Colorado after his season ends.

Butcher had 36 points in 41 games, and could wait until August to become a free agent. Like Jimmy Vesey last season, Butcher would have many suitors for his services as he’s shown the ability to play at both ends of the rink and could contribute right away to an NHL team. We’ll see if Colorado can get him locked up, but the longer Denver plays the closer he gets to free agency without them even able to offer a deal.

  • John Vogl of the Buffalo News reports that newly signed Sabres forward C.J. Smith will start his professional career with the team right away and will earn a prorated version of a maximum rookie contract of $925K for this season. He’ll earn the same next season, before becoming a restricted free agent in the summer of 2018. Smith scored 51 points in 41 games this season for UMass-Lowell, and decided to leave school a year early to jump right into the AHL. He was taking rushes alongside Zemgus Girgensons and Matt Moulson today in practice, wearing #49.
  • Toby Enstrom has undergone knee surgery and will be out for the remainder of the year. The 32-year old has had a tough season, scoring a career-low 14 points while dealing with personal issues and a concussion. He has one year remaining on his current contract at a cap-hit of $5.75MM and has a full no-movement clause. It will be interesting to see if the Jets approach Enstrom to try and get him to waive it for the expansion draft, as they currently have too many defensemen to protect.

Snapshots: Protected List, Stalock, Fritz

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The NHL has announced that it will now release publicly both the protected and available lists for the upcoming expansion draft when they are distributed to teams around the league. This comes as a reversal of their previous decision, and one that fans will embrace. While the front offices of many teams likely didn’t want the list to become public because of potential public relations or player morale problems—incessant critiquing of their jobs is something they live with, but not something they enjoy—it is something that fans of the sport wanted so overwhelmingly that the league will now consent.

Expected to be released on June 18th, the actual date of the release has not yet been announced. Either way, it will be an exiting day for fans and media members alike that will have a few days to pick through the rosters and project who will be picked by the Vegas Golden Knights. Teams must submit their protected list on the 17th, while the team will be announced at some point on the 21st.

  • Alex Stalock has been recalled by the Minnesota Wild, and he is expected to make the start tomorrow night against the Ottawa Senators. The team will give Devan Dubnyk three days off before he returns Saturday, given his struggles this month. After leading the league in save percentage for much of the season, Dubnyk has posted an .889 number in March as the team has fallen out of first place in the Central Division. Stalock will be making his first NHL start since February of last season.
  • The New York Islanders have signed Tanner Fritz to a two-year extension starting next season. It will be a two-way deal, and Fritz had been playing on an AHL deal with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers up to this point. The former Ohio State Buckeye broke out this season in the AHL, scoring 40 points in 61 games. The 25-year old is still waiting for his NHL debut, but this is a solid step in that direction.
  • Dallas has recalled young defenseman Julius Honka from the AHL, bringing him back up for the end of the season. Honka, the team’s first-round pick from 2014, played ten games for the team earlier this year and did not look overmatched. He has excelled in his three years at the AHL level, recording at least 31 points in each season and generally moving the puck with swift, crisp passes. He’ll get another tryout this spring before likely being installed full-time on the blue line for the Stars next year.

Snapshots: Vecchione, Forsbacka-Karlsson, Fucale

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After the Minnesota locked up hometown boy Justin Kloos earlier today, Michael Russo of the Star Tribune is hearing that another college free agent is being pursued by the Wild. Mike Vecchione, the nation’s leading scorer (tied) and finalist for the Hobey Baker trophy is on the radar of the Wild, is a free agent and being chased by many teams around the league, apparently including Minnesota.

The 24-year old went undrafted out of the USHL despite scoring everywhere he goes, and proved this year that he’ll be able to compete at the professional level. No lock for the NHL, the undersized forward does present some intriguing potential with his high-end skill and skating.

  • While Don Sweeney told reporters today that Charlie McAvoy would be heading to Providence on an amateur tryout, he also mentioned that Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson hasn’t yet made a decision whether he’ll head back to Boston University or not. The second-round pick of the Bruins scored 33 points in 39 games this season, and played exceptional in the NCAA tournament. His future lies in the NHL, but could use another year of dominance at the college level before transitioning to the professional game.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Charlie Lindgren from the AHL and returned Zach Fucale. Fucale had been on an emergency recall, but isn’t really an option for the Canadiens down the stretch. Lindgren at least has a full season of success at the AHL this year, and could potentially play  for the NHL club if they were in trouble. All this because Al Montoya has suffered a lower-body injury of some sort and is currently unavailable.

Snapshots: Team USA, Patrick, Penguins

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After the US National Women’s team announced their boycott of the upcoming World Championships two weeks ago, there has been a war of words between the two sides and an outpouring of support from other professional leagues and players around the world. Now, with the tournament just a few days from starting—games are set to begin on Friday in Plymouth with Team USA facing off against Canada—there seems to be somewhat of an agreement in place.

Multiple reports including one from Frank Seravalli of TSN have the two sides very close to a deal being ratified today on equitable pay going forward. This would send the team to the tournament and bring closure to what has been a contentious period in women’s hockey. This comes on the heels of a report that the men’s team may also boycott if USA Hockey were to allow replacement players into the tournament in the women’s stead.

  • Nolan Patrick again won’t play for the Brandon Wheat Kings in their game three matchup against the Medicine Hat Tigers tonight. According to Mike Morreale of NHL.com, he remains day-to-day for the Wheat Kings with a lower-body injury. The Tigers are up 2-0 in the series, and if Patrick doesn’t return soon he might not get a chance to compete in the playoffs at all this year. That would be a disappointing end to what has been a terrible draft year for the projected number one pick. It would give Nico Hischier and the Halifax Mooseheads—who are tied 1-1 in their playoff series—even more chances to prove why he should be considered for the top selection in this summer’s draft.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins had a fairly production practice this morning, as according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette they had Jake Guentzel, Ron Hainsey and Conor Sheary all on the ice. While Guentzel and Hainsey were both in non-contact jerseys, it is still a step forward as they try to get healthy for the playoffs. Coach Mike Sullivan told Mackey that Evgeni Malkin skated on his own before practice, and is “hopeful” to get him back soon.

Snapshots: Red Wings, Krejci, Marleau, Couture

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Detroit’s 25 year streak of reaching the playoffs is all but set to come to an end this season as the team sits dead last in the Eastern Conference.  While GM Ken Holland isn’t surprised that it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the Red Wings this season, he told Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News that he wasn’t expecting the team to struggle as much as they have:

“I expected more, I expected we’d be in the thick of things. I didn’t know if we’d be in the playoffs or not. When you look at the standings in our division and in the Eastern Conference, there a lot of teams, some of them are going to miss the playoffs by a point or two and some of them are going to get in by a point or two.”

Kulfan notes that free agency isn’t an avenue that Holland and the Wings are likely to pursue this summer.  Part of the problem is the weaker than usual free agent class while the team is also handcuffed by some above-market value contracts that the GM has handed out in recent years to players like Darren Helm, Danny DeKeyser, and several others.  As a result, they’ll have to hope to free up some cap room either via the trade or market or perhaps in expansion if the Golden Knights opt to take a pricey player off their hands.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Bruins center David Krejci left practice early on Monday and interim head coach Bruce Cassidy told CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty that he is dealing with an upper body injury. However, it’s not expected to keep him out of Boston’s lineup when they take on the Predators on Tuesday night.  If it turns out he’s unavailable, it’s expected that Ryan Spooner would jump in to fill his spot on the second line.
  • With Logan Couture out of the lineup, the Sharks will shift Patrick Marleau back to center for the time being, notes CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz. Marleau is a natural center but has only played there four times this year as San Jose has opted to play him on the wing instead.  In a separate column, Kurz provided an update on Couture.  Head coach Peter DeBoer was pleased by how much the swelling went down today and while he will miss some time, it doesn’t appear that it will be a long-term injury.  There’s no timetable for a potential return date yet although the team is expected to further update his situation in the near future.

Snapshots: Raiders, MacArthur, Roy

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The NFL approved the Oakland Raiders bid to move to Las Vegas today, which led to a lot of different opinions on the future of the Vegas Golden Knights as the prime sports franchise in the city. Though the Raiders aren’t expected to move to the city until the 2019 season, PFR’s Zach Links writes that they may not wait that long if the fan pressure gets to them next season.

The Golden Knights released a statement on the move, indicating that they’re happy to welcome the Raiders into their community. It would seem though, that even if the Raiders do improve Vegas’ viability as a major sports market they will definitely eat at some of the corporate sales and sponsorships available for the NHL franchise. This is exactly why the NHL wanted to get into the market first, in order to try and build a fan base before one of the other leagues forced their way in.

  • Despite a history of concussions throughout his career, Clarke MacArthur is trying to return to professional hockey—this season. In January, the team had announced that he wouldn’t play again this season, but according to Ian Mendes of TSN MacArthur has never given up hope. Head coach Guy Boucher is operating as though he’s shut down, but apparently there has been some talk about having him retry the baseline testing that had him shutdown earlier this year. It still seems extremely dangerous for MacArthur, but if he could return as an effective winger the Senators would be that much more dangerous in the playoffs.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have signed Matt Roy to a two-year entry-level deal, now that Michigan Tech’s season is over. The team lost at the hands of the University of Denver on Saturday, ending their run for the Frozen Four before it had even really begun. Roy  was a seventh-round pick of the Kings in 2015, and has posted two straight seasons of excellence on the Michigan Tech blueline. He’s turning pro a year early, and has the makings of a solid two-way defender for the AHL with a chance to grow into something even better.

Snapshots: Coyotes, Zykov, Kapanen

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The Arizona Coyotes have been embroiled in a battle for their future for years, most recently leading to an exchange of angry words between league commissioner Gary Bettman and the state legislature. Now, John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that Randy Frankel may be a new name stepping into the ownership circle in the desert.

Frankel is a minor shareholder for the Tampa Bay Rays of the MLB, and has previously been connected to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. According to Shannon he would join as a potential partner to Andrew Barroway, the current majority owner of the Coyotes.

  • The Carolina Hurricanes have sent Valentin Zykov back to the AHL following his return from injury. The young forward was recalled earlier this month and played two games with the ’Canes before suffering an upper-body injury and sitting out for the past eight. The 21-year old scored a goal in his NHL debut, but will go back and refine his game further with a playoff run in Charlotte.
  • After Kasperi Kapanen was recalled by the Maple Leafs earlier today it wasn’t clear whether he would make his debut Tuesday night against Florida or not, as he bounced up and down the lineup during practice. There is no doubt now, as Kapanen himself told Kristen Shilton he’ll be playing. Kapanen had been waiting patiently for a call up after his taste last season, and will now finally get his shot. “It’s better now than never,” he told Shilton.

Snapshots: Lettieri, Renouf, Wallmark

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After the University of Minnesota was eliminated from the NCAA tournament yesterday by the upstart Notre Dame team, it was the beginning of a whole new chapter for senior Vinni Lettieri. According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, the free agent center is being pursued by the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks.

Lettieri had 37 points in 38 games this season for the Gophers, breaking out and scoring double-digit goals for the first time in his college career. The undersized forward should decide in the next few days where he’ll make his professional debut.

Snapshots: Crosby, World Championships, Oilers

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It was a controversial week for Sidney Crosby.

He appeared to slash Sabres forward Ryan O’Reilly in a sensitive area, then broke Senators defenseman Marc Methot’s finger in half with another whack. The latter incident resulted in a pretty ugly injury (NSFW) and some angry comments from Senators owner Eugene Melnyk.

Melnyk told TSN 1200 that the league needs to “hammer these [players who slash]… you say you know what? You are done for 10 games.  We all know who [Crosby] is. The guy is a whiner beyond belief. You do this kind of stuff—I don’t care who you are in the league, I don’t care if you’re the number one player in the league—you should sit out a long time for this kind of crap.”

The comments were criticized by fans and media; Mike Johnson called the comments “off base” and tweeted a video of Senators players slashing opponents. Senators captain Erik Karlsson defended Crosby by saying plays like that “happen all the time.”

Ahead of Sunday’s game versus Philadelphia, Crosby responded to Melnyk’s comments. After declining to comment, Crosby said “he likes to hear himself talk, so let’s leave it.”

Superstars like Crosby are often the target of those little “whacks”; small slashes that go uncalled. Earlier this season, Johnny Gaudreau missed 10 games after being whacked at least 20 times by different Wild players in the same game.

“I’d love to see them crack down on it,” said Crosby. “It’s something that happens a lot… Obviously [Methot is] an example where if you get it in the wrong spot, it can hurt. Hopefully he’s back out there soon.”

  • The USA Women’s National Team is boycotting the upcoming Women’s World Championships over a dispute with USA Hockey. The players are currently paid just $6K for the six months leading up to the Olympics, and nothing else. The players want fair wages and for USA Hockey to put more money into the program to grow the women’s game. USA Hockey has been asking (and being declined by) high school players to play in their stead. Now the Men’s Program may be getting involved. Player Agent Allan Walsh reported that American NHL players may refuse to play in this spring’s World Championships in solidarity; the NHLPA has already come out in support of the women. Last year, the American side finished fourth in the tournament, the rosters for which are populated by NHLers who are no longer in Cup contention and the occasional draft-eligible player.
  • After Leon Draisaitl cracked the 70-point barrier on Saturday night, the Edmonton Oilers will have two 70-point scorers (the other being Connor McDavid with 88 points) for the first time in 11 years. The last time they did, it was Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff with 77 and 73 points respectively in 2005-06. Incidentally, that’s the last time they made the playoffs. The Oilers have also surpassed 90 points for the first time since 05-06, and if they manage to finish first in their division (currently tied with San Jose and Anaheim for first), then it will mark the first division win since 1986-87.

Snapshots: Agents, O’Regan, Penguins

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In the newest column from Rick Westhead of TSN, he dives into the idea that the NHLPA is considering a regulation that would ban agents from contacting players under the age of 16. Westhead reveals the information that agents have been using former professional players as “bird-dog” scouts to contact young kids and establish relationships before anyone else can contact them—at ages of nine or ten years old.

As Westhead writes, this comes in conjunction with a study former Buffalo Sabres star Pat LaFontaine is conducting on the future of player development and drafting. We wrote in December about LaFontaine’s suggestion that the league change the draft age from 18 to 19. The idea that nine-year old kids would be recruited is hard to imagine, but for those who’ve ever been to a high-level tournament at that age easy to believe.

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