Snapshots: Lazar, Panthers, Andersen
As the season quickly approaches, even a few days off could set a player back substantially in his training, and with it knock the first part of his season out of rhythm. Curtis Lazar, the Ottawa Senators’ youngster who was set to enter his third NHL season at just 21-years old, has come down with a bout of mononucleosis and will be out indefinitely, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.
The former first-round pick was set to play on Ottawa’s third line and build on his solid two-way game. Last season saw Lazar contribute 20 points, and while he’s not expected to win any scoring titles, this is a player who put up 41 goals in his final season of junior and made the NHL as a 19-year old.
- The Panthers have signed three players to PTOs today, bringing in some depth to fill out the practice rosters at camp, according to George Richards of the Miami Herald. Stephen MacAulay, Ryan Horvat and Brady Vail will all be pulling on Panthers sweaters for at least the next little while. All three have extensive professional experience at various levels, but have yet to crack an NHL lineup.
- ‘On track’, says Lou Lamoriello, when talking about Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen. Kristen Shilton of TSN reports that the injured goaltender is progressing on the original 3-4 week timetable given for his upper body injury sustained on September 5th. Monday would mark three weeks, meaning that Andersen should be able to at least make it into a partial camp before the season begins.
Snapshots: Canes, Hertl, Fleischmann, Gagne
The Carolina Hurricanes have not qualified for the playoffs since the 2008-09 season but hope to change that this year. As Chip Alexander of The News & Observer reports, the team’s chances of breaking their seven year playoff drought will rely heavily on a talented, albeit young, group of players. Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, Teuvo Teravainen, Justin Faulk, Brett Pesce, Noah Hanifin and Ryan Murphy are set to see a lot of ice for the Canes and none are over the age of 24.
One of the squad’s few experienced players, Lee Stempniak, a veteran of 11 NHL seasons, says he has never been part of a team with so many youngsters expected to fill important roles:
“Not really, not with young guys playing this prominent of a role, especially the defensemen. It’s young. I think it’s a team with a lot of potential. I think a lot of the success for our team is going to be harnessing our potential. Guys need to take the next step individually and the new guys coming in need to fit in and complement the players who are here and find a role.”
If anyone would know, it would be Stempniak, who has suited up for 10 different clubs during his career, including four over the last two campaigns. He hopes his stay in Carolina is a bit longer after singing a two-year deal worth $5MM this summer.
Of course young teams are inherently inexperienced and some might feel that factor could derail Carolina’s chances of a successful campaign. Not so, says another of the team’s elders, defenseman Ron Hainsey, who at 35 will is 11 years the senior of the second oldest regular blue liner, Justin Faulk:
“This is a young man’s league. I don’t think it’s a danger. Speed, skill is the name of the game.”
Despite the talent and skill, Carolina’s path to a playoff berth will not be an easy one. The Metro Division fielded five postseason qualifiers in 2015-16 while the Hurricanes finished 10 points behind the eighth-seeded Philadelphia Flyers.
Another factor which may work against the Canes is their goaltending. Carolina ranked 29th among 30 teams in save percentage but did nothing this offseason to upgrade the position. In fact, the team elected to re-sign longtime netminder Cam Ward to a new, two-year contract; a deal many pundits thought was curious.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
- Positive news in San Jose where Tomas Hertl skated today at the Sharks first training camp workout and showed no lingering ill effects from the MCL injury he suffered during the Stanley Cup Finals, reports Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Hertl finished fifth on the club in scoring with 46 points during the regular season and contributed another 11 in the postseason. According to Pashelka, Hertl is preparing to play either center or wing though today he skated as the pivot between Joel Ward and Nikolay Goldobin. Hertl skipped the World Cup, electing not to represent the Czech Republic in the tournament in order to further rehab his knee injury. It appears the extra rest may have helped as Hertl looks to be on track to open the season at 100%.
- Tomas Fleischmann, who was set to appear at camp with the Minnesota Wild, has apparently failed his physical, according to Mike Russo via Twitter. Russo is unsure if that would be the end of Fleischmann’s brief time with Minnesota or not. Fleischmann was again attempting to catch on with a club after being forced to accept a PTO offer rather than a guaranteed contract. Last year he earned a one-year deal with Montreal in training camp and would record 10 goals and 20 points in 57 games with the Canadiens. He was dealt to Chicago at the trade deadline with Dale Weise and would tally another four goals and five points for the Blackhawks.
- The Ottawa Senators announced via their team Twitter account that they have signed forward Gabriel Gagne to an ELC. Gagne was the Sens second-round pick in 2015, going 36th overall. He split last season between Victoria and Shawinigan of the QMJHL and combined to register 36 points in 42 regular season contests. Gagne was even better in the postseason, tallying 22 points in 21 games.
Snapshots: Panthers, Girardi, Tlusty
Fresh off a team record 103-point season and just the franchise’s fifth playoff appearance, the Florida Panthers were not content to rest on their laurels. After a surprising front office shakeup highlighted by the promotions of Dale Tallon and Tom Rowe, to president of hockey operations and general manager respectively, the Panthers hit the ground running in the offseason. Looking to add puck-moving and skill to the team’s blue line, Florida dealt veteran stay-at-home defenseman Erik Gudbranson to Vancouver while acquiring Keith Yandle and Mark Pysyk in separate trades. They topped off the summer shopping spree by signing Jason Demers as a free agent.
With Jaromir Jagr, Reilly Smith, Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad all returning plus the club’s new additions, expectations have never been higher in the South Florida hockey market, as George Richards of the Miami Herald writes. The Panthers organization, from ownership on down is embracing those expectations.
“We all expect to win, have a winning mentality that has been introduced the past couple of years. Us younger guys have learned it’s not acceptable to miss the playoffs. That has been instilled by our veteran guys, our coaches, our organization. We’re all buying in. Everyone wants to win here, not just the players.”
“We had our best season ever, so the guys are confident and aware. They feel good about themselves and know they can get to the next level.”
- Prior to the 2015-16 campaign, New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi was known to be a reliable and steady defense-first blue liner on a team noted for being among the stingiest defensive clubs. The Blueshirts finished in the top five in goals allowed in each season from 2010-11 through 2014-15. Last season the club ranked 15th overall and the decline in play from Girardi and fellow defenseman Marc Staal attracted much of the blame for the drop-off. The question the Rangers had to ask themselves was whether Girardi’s regression was injury-related – he played much of the season with a cracked knee cap – or the result of years of wear-and-tear finally catching up. The team is banking on the former and Girardi himself is confident he will play at a much higher level in 2016-17, according to Steve Zipay of Newsday. The Rangers will need the 10-year vet to be much better this season if they plan to contend for a Stanley Cup.
- Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar (via the team’s Twitter account) broke the news that Jiri Tlusty, recently inked to a PTO to attend camp with the club, had failed his physical. It’s unclear at this point what caused the veteran forward to flunk the physical but it could be related to the wrist surgery he underwent in January. Obviously this is a setback for Tlusty, who coming off a disappointing season in New Jersey was likely facing an uphill battle to make Colorado’s roster. It’s feasible the two parties could look to renew the relationship once Tlusty is healthy or he could look to latch on somewhere else if the opportunity with the Avalanche closes.
Snapshots: McKenzie’s ’17 Draft Prospects, ‘Jackets, North America
It’s never too early to scout talent. Bob McKenzie released his preseason top 15 prospect list for the 2017 NHL Draft and the top slot wasn’t even close. Brandon Wheat Kings center Nolan Patrick is the clear #1 prospect, being voted the top prospect by ten out of ten scouts McKenzie spoke with. Though it’s not clearly as exciting as the Jack Eichel–Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews-Patrik Laine debates, the report on Patrick is his ability to score goals. But he doesn’t boast the same franchise type standing as McDavid, Eichel, Matthews or Laine. After Patrick, however, the draft seems to dip in terms of overall talent. McKenzie writes that the draft is “not as exciting a group” as years past. Further, McKenzie reports that the top ten talent isn’t nearly as defined as in the past. McKenzie lists Patrick, D Timothy Liljegren, F Klim Kostin, F Maxime Comtois, F Eeli Tolvanen, F Gabe Vilardi, F Kristian Vesalainen, F Owen Tippett, D Cal Foote, and F Lias Andersson as the top ten best prospects in the 2017 Draft.
In other hockey news:
- Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno can’t wait to see the new talent make their way to Columbus writes Alison Lukan. Foligno was one of many Jackets to congratulate the prospects in Cleveland who captured the Calder Cup this past summer. Now, Foligno is ready to welcome any of those prospects who can make an impact in Columbus.
“If you’re going to come and help us, we’re going to welcome you with open arms. We’re excited to see who is going to rise to the occasion and come and help our group. But it’s my job to be competitive and push everybody. If you want to be here, then you’ve got to beat me.”
Lukan reports that after a disappointing 2015-16 season, the Jackets will look to their younger players to push for playing time and help the team improve this year.
- Team North America captured the attention of the hockey world, and gave a glimpse of the future of the NHL writes the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc. Canada coach Mike Babcock called the “young guns” team “one of the most exciting things of the tournament,” while saying that they would garner the attention of a whole new group of fans. Kuc described the North American team as the “darlings” of the tournament with a style of play that caused fans to experience “whiplash.” Amalie Benjamin adds that it was hockey at its “most brilliant, most entertaining, and most delightful.”
Snapshots: Lovejoy, Bennett, Canucks, Lombardi
It’s not uncommon for players to reunite with former coaches and/or a general manager who has previously acquired that player at a previous stop. There is familiarity between coach and player and in the case of GMs, a belief in the abilities, sometimes untapped, of the player. That scenario played out this summer when the New Jersey Devils brought in two former Penguins, defenseman Ben Lovejoy in free agency and winger Beau Bennett via trade, reuniting them with general manager Ray Shero and head coach John Hynes. As Andrew Gross writes in his Fire and Ice blog, those additions should have come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the situation.
Shero spent eight seasons at the helm in Pittsburgh, selecting Bennett in the first-round of the 2010 entry draft. Clearly Shero still believes in Bennett’s upside as evidenced by the Devils giving up a third-round pick – a substantial asset – to Pittsburgh in exchange for the winger. Bennett scored six goals and 12 points in 33 regular season games in Pittsburgh in 2015-16 but appeared in just one postseason game as rookies Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust passed him on the team’s depth chart.
The Devils finished last in the NHL in goals scored during the 2015-16 season, and even after adding LW Taylor Hall in the summer, the team could use more scoring depth. Bennett hopes to be able to provide that and reward Shero’s faith in him.
Lovejoy cited the presence of Hynes as instrumental in his decision to sign with the Devils in the offseason.
“(Hynes) was my defense coach when I played in Wilkes-Barre. I played for him for a full season. He knows my game. It’s not going to be a surprise here. He knows exactly what he’s getting. That’s the reason I’m here. I know the coaching staff through Wilkes-Barre when Ray and (assistant GM) Tom (Fitzgerald) were running the organization the first time I was in Pittsburgh. Those are guys I trust and know. I’m here because they trust me.”
The veteran of eight NHL seasons will be asked to add leadership and experience to a young-ish defense corps that only has one other defender – Andy Greene – over the age of 26. Lovejoy doesn’t bring much of an offensive game to the table but has generally been a responsible blue liner and has posted a negative plus-minus rating just once in his career.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- GM Jim Benning and head coach Willie Desjardins are well aware the team has some ground to cover if they want to make the playoffs in 2016-17 after missing the postseason by 12 points this past season. But as Derek Jory of the Canucks official team site reports, both manager and coach are cautiously optimistic about the upcoming campaign. Desjardins: “We have more depth at every position and I feel we’re stronger at every position.” Benning, for his part, believes adding Loui Eriksson and Erik Gudbranson this summer along with a return to health for center Brandon Sutter will bring needed leadership as well as depth to the club: “We’ve added more depth to our group and adding Loui Eriksson, who I feel is a good player, a healthy Brandon Sutter, adding Erik Gudbranson; we’ve added some leadership in that room to help our young players along, so I’m real excited.”
- Two days after watching Team USA elimination from medal contention at the World Cup of Hockey, the man ultimately responsible for assembling the team, Kings GM Dean Lombardi, defended his roster construction strategy: “We’ve got some darn good players, but the reality is that matchup on a skill basis, if you want to go head-to-head and play a skill game, your odds of winning that game when you look at those matchups is not very good.” While Lombardi is likely correct in his assertion that Team USA wouldn’t have been able to match the skill and talent of the Canadiens no matter who they brought to the tournament, the choice to emphasize grit and heart ignores the NHL’s recent shift to a quicker game that values speed over other traits. Of course we’ll never know whether a Team USA roster including Tyler Johnson, Kyle Okposo, Kevin Shattenkirk and Phil Kessel – for example – would have been better equipped to beat Canada, but it’s clear they couldn’t have done any worse.
Snapshots: Rangers, Bolland, Flyers, Rust, Sheary, Kuhnhackl
The New York Rangers directed much of their offseason focus to building up quality depth at the forward position, adding free agents Michael Grabner, Josh Jooris, Nathan Gerbe and Jimmy Vesey while also acquiring center Mika Zibanejad via trade. However, besides deepening their forward group, another intended consequence of their moves was to get younger across the board, as Steve Zipay of Newsday notes.
The team dealt 29-year-old pivot Derick Brassard to get the 23-year-old Zibanejad while also waving goodbye to free agent centers Eric Staal, 31, and Dominic Moore, 36. New York will be adding the 23-year-old Vesey to its lineup and expect Pavel Buchnevich, 21, to make a run at a regular role up front.
On the back end, 40-year-old Dan Boyle opted for retirement while the Rangers were forced to trade the rights to Keith Yandle for salary cap reasons. In their places, the Rangers acquired 29-year-old Nick Holden and will give 22-year-old former first-round pick Brady Skjei every opportunity to win a spot in the top-four.
All told, the team shaved about 2 1/2 years off the average age of the players on their roster from a year ago. Whether or not this infusion of youth will manifest into a deep playoff run after a disappointing first-round exit this past season remains to be seen, of course.
More notes from around the NHL:
- As expected, Arizona’s Dave Bolland failed his physical and will be placed on LTIR to start the season, tweets Craig Morgan of AZ Sports. Bolland, who was acquired from Florida along with prospect Lawson Crouse in a deal motivated largely by finances, appeared in just 25 contests last season with Florida. Back and ankle problems will keep the veteran forward off the ice for the foreseeable future and could jeopardize his playing career. Bolland is due $5.5MM over each of the next three seasons but if placed on LTIR the Coyotes would be able to clear the cap hit from the books. Additionally, since the contract is insured, the club will only have to pay out $1.1MM in actual cash with insurance covering the balance.
- The Philadelphia Flyers, under general manager Ron Hextall, have assembled one of the best prospect pools in the NHL and a few of those kids will have a chance to earn a roster spot this season, as Dave Isaac writes in his preview of three potential roster battles. Hextall was quoted as saying that, “whoever comes in, has to come in and make us a better team.” Isaac mentions that blue liner Ivan Provorov has the skill to make the Flyers better but also acknowledges it won’t necessarily be easy to beat out one of the veterans already on the roster. Up front, Isaac suggests Travis Konecny, who like Provorov was a first-round draft choice in 2015, could make the club as a bottom-six forward. Konecny potted 30 goals and tallied 71 assists last season in the OHL, splitting the campaign between the Ottawa 67’s and the Sarnia Sting.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins impressive run down the stretch of the regular season coincided with the promotion of three relatively unheralded young players. Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes how just 12 months ago Conor Sheary, Bryan Rust and Tom Kuhnhackl were three rookies eager to make a good impression in training camp. Now a year later they are Stanley Cup champions with each having played a role in Pittsburgh’s dominant run through the postseason. The trio contributed 12 goals and 24 points during the playoffs while adding speed and tenacity to the lineup for the Penguins. As they enter what would be their first full seasons in the NHL, each player hopes to prove they can play at a consistent level throughout an 82-game schedule.
Snapshots: Morrow, Cervenka, Outdoor Games, Jordan
Boston’s decision to focus more on youth on their back end this offseason has given defenseman Joe Morrow the best opportunity he has had to make an impact on the Bruins, writes CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty. Haggerty adds that the commitment to getting younger was a factor in their decision to buy out Dennis Seidenberg back in June.
Morrow was acquired by the Bruins as part of the Tyler Seguin trade two summers ago and is the only player acquired in the deal that is still with Boston today. He played in a career high 33 games last season (recording seven points) but still spent considerable time as a healthy scratch.
Despite being just 23, Morrow is in his third organization and this could potentially be his last chance with Boston. He’s eligible for waivers if they try to send him down and if he fails to take a step forward into more of a regular role with the team, it’s plausible to think that they’ll be inclined to try someone else in his place before too long.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Former Calgary Flame Roman Cervenka is open to returning to the NHL next season, notes Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun. The 30 year old was lured out of the KHL in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season but didn’t live up to expectations, recording 17 points and a -13 rating in 39 games. The following offseason, Cervenka signed back in Russia and has since moved on to the Czech League (where he led the league in scoring last season) and the Swiss NLA this season where he is playing on a one year deal. Cervenka acknowledged to Francis that his age and struggles with the English language could make a return for 2017-18 much more of a challenge. A strong season in Switzerland could get him back on the NHL radar and add to an international free agent class that is expected to feature Russian forwards Evgeni Dadonov and Vadim Shipachev.
- The Senators remain interested in hosting a Heritage Classic game in December of 2017 but aren’t interested at this time in looking at TD Place (a football stadium) as a backup plan to their goal to host the game on Parliament Hill, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. The Sens met with government officials last month and have also been in consultation with the league on the logistics of building a temporary rink on the Hill. The game projects to be part of Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations while it would also line up with Ottawa’s 25th anniversary of returning to the NHL. It’s believed that their preference for an opponent should they land the outdoor game is the Montreal Canadiens.
- UFA defenseman Michal Jordan has received multiple two-way contract offers including one from Carolina, tweets NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. However, Jordan isn’t interested in a two-way deal at this stage of his career. The 26 year old played in 36 games with Carolina last season and has a total of 79 NHL games under his belt over the last three seasons, all with the Hurricanes. Jordan is currently suiting up for the Czech Republic at the World Cup of Hockey.
Snapshots: USA-Canada, Abdelkader
John Tortorella has found himself and his team in a challenging situation following their 3-0 loss to Team Europe on Saturday. Though critiqued by many for their roster selection, few expected a shutout loss to Team Europe. But that’s exactly what happened, putting the Americans in an absolute must win against arch-rival Canada. Stephen Whyno writes that while the game has to result in an American victory for any sort of hope, it’s just another game for the Canadians. Tortorella called the Tuesday’s contest its “championship game,” and had this to say regarding the potential elimination game:
“Playing there, against them, everybody wants us knocked out,” Tortorella said Monday. “I can’t wait and I think our players can’t wait for this game to start. It’s going to be a blast.”
Team Canada bench boss Mike Babcock on the other hand, takes the approach that every important game in the tournament is the next one, and while Canada fended off the Czech Republic with ease, they certainly won’t be overlooking a desperate American squad. Whyno reports that Canada isn’t concerned with eliminating the US for extra motivation. Instead, it’s a business as usual approach for the team that has been dubbed by many as having few to little weaknesses.
In other hockey news:
- Justin Abdelkader will be placed on a line with Patrick Kane in the tilt against Canada writes Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski and it could be another in a line of head scratching Tortorella moves. Tortorella claims that anyone questioning his “thinking” is simply reporters “overthinking” it. Further, he writes that Abdelkader, based on his play, has earned more ice time. Wyshynski argues that Abdelkader is generally considered to be a third or fourth line player, but Abdelkader makes this point:
“I’ve played with some good players in Detroit and it’s similar to him. You want the puck on his stick. But you can’t just think you’re going to throw pucks all the time at him. It’s the right opportunities. I think we’re a better team when Patrick Kane has the puck on his stick, that’s for sure.”
Abdelkader also points out that he’ll play “wherever” Tortorella puts him. Wyshynski also points out that this is an old hat strategy by Torts: those who play hard will play more and those who don’t will sit. While that strategy seems subjective, and many would argue that it is, if it works, then Tortorella looks like a genius. If not, then it’ll add to the litany of missteps Team USA has made through the World Cup experience.
Snapshots: Faksa, Canucks, Oilers, Orlov
The Dallas Stars may not be big fans of the World Cup of Hockey at the moment. Tyler Seguin suffered a hairline fracture in his foot in a pre-tournament game for Team Canada and now another center is banged up as Radek Faksa of the Czech Republic squad did not suit up for their game against Team Europe this afternoon due to an upper body issue. GM Jim Nill clarified the injury, calling it concussion-like symptoms, Mark Stepneski of the Stars team site reports.
Faksa suffered the injury in their 6-0 loss to Team Canada on Saturday. No timetable has been set for a possible return but he will be re-evaluated on Tuesday.
The 22 year old projects to be a bigger contributor for the Stars this season after getting into 45 games with the team last year as well as 13 postseason contests. Last week, we profiled him as one of the more compelling pending RFA cases heading into the year.
Elsewhere around the league:
- The Canucks are hoping to break camp with eight defensemen on their roster, GM Jim Benning noted on TSN 1040 in Vancouver. The team has five blueliners on one-way deals plus two others in Andrey Pedan plus Alex Biega on two-way pacts but must clear waivers. Nikita Tryamkin is waiver exempt but has a clause in his contract that allows him to return to Russia if he’s sent down. 2016 first round pick Olli Juolevi is expected to make a push for a roster spot as well, which should create an interesting battle to watch during the preseason. Benning also confirmed that Ryan Miller is entering camp as their #1 goalie despite a strong performance from Jacob Markstrom last season. Markstrom is currently at the World Cup with Team Sweden.
- The Oilers announced five tryouts heading into their training camp. Notably among the invites are LW Ryan Hamilton, who last played with Edmonton in 2014-15 and RW Ryan Vesce, who has played in the KHL since 2010 but has 19 games of NHL experience with San Jose.
- Speaking with Igor Eronko of Sport-Express, agent Mark Gandler noted that there is nothing new when it comes to discussions for Washington RFA defenseman Dmitry Orlov. He also wouldn’t rule out him signing in the KHL, saying that all options are open. Gandler, who also represents Dallas RFA Valeri Nichushkin, declined to comment on the report that he is nearing a two year deal in Russia.
Snapshots: Lundqvist, Rantanen, Crosby
In a shocking turn of events, Henrik Lundqvist has been scratched from today’s matchup with Russia at the World Cup. As of this morning, Lundqvist was the expected starter, but came down with an illness that is making him unable to play in the game. Jacob Markstrom will take his place in net, while the backup will be Jhonas Enroth.
For Sweden, it’s a huge blow to their chances against the high-powered Russians who will ice a top line of Nikita Kucherov, Pavel Datsyuk and Alex Ovechkin. That trio had 96 goals between them last season, even with Datsyuk obviously in the tail end of his career. While the Russian defense isn’t nearly as strong, their top two lines can play with anyone in the world, and probably outscore the majority of them. Lundqvist would have been a huge part in any Swedish victory.
- According to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, the injured Mikko Rantanen will not play today against Anaheim in the Colorado rookie showcase. While it was reported yesterday that his sprained ankle isn’t as bad as originally thought, the Avalanche have now released that it will keep him out 2-4 weeks. Rantanen is trying to show that he has developed enough to be considered for a full-time NHL job this season, after dominating at the AHL level a season ago.
- Sidney Crosby is one of, if not the, best players in the world and no one denies it. But when you hear his teammates on Team Canada speak so highly of him, like Matt Duchene did with TSN today, it really drives the point home. Duchene says “He’s not a guy who’s winning Selke trophies, but he easily could be.” Jay Bouwmeester chimed in as well, saying “He’s not just a pure goal scorer, a guy who’s just hanging out and getting points. He plays the game and he makes a lot of things happen out there, just through the way he moves, and what a powerful skater he is and how smart he is. It’s pretty impressive.”