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Snapshots: Penguins, Hinote, NCAA

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have already made one trade to add a fresh face to their forward group, but more changes are coming before the start of next season. Josh Yohe of The Athletic breaks down the latest from the team, including a report that the Penguins have “soured” on Jared McCann’s ability to fill the third-line center role. McCann “is a player the Penguins are willing to move” according to Yohe, who also details several other situations including goaltending and defense.

McCann, 24, would likely have huge market appeal if made available, given his versatility and relatively solid regular season in Pittsburgh. The forward, who can play both center and wing, scored 14 goals and 35 points in 66 games but ended up scratched in the playoffs. One thing to remember for any acquiring team, McCann is a restricted free agent in need of a new contract and would be joining his fourth NHL organization before the age of 25.

  • Craig Custance of The Athletic reports that Dan Hinote will be an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators this season, though there has been no official hiring announcement from the team as of this writing. Hinote, who spent nine seasons in the NHL as a depth forward, has worked with the US National Team Development Program the last two seasons and previously was with the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. The Predators, and specifically GM David Poile, are known for their connection to the USNTDP as seen with their recent hiring of head coach John Hynes.
  • Speaking of amateur hockey in the United States, the college season is expected to be officially delayed in the coming days according to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald, but optimism is apparently building that a 2020-21 season will be held at some point. Corey Pronman of The Athletic has also heard that a late-November start is the hope for college hockey.

Snapshots: Simmonds, Crawford, Wheat Kings

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Wayne Simmonds wasn’t effective this season. In 61 games with the New Jersey Devils he scored just eight goals and then was traded for a conditional fifth-round pick to a team that had no real shot at the playoffs. Simmonds ended the year with a single assist in seven games with the Buffalo Sabres, meaning his final tally was eight goals and 25 points on the season. That was his worst year since 2008-09 when he was a rookie, but he still feels like he can contribute somewhere next season. Speaking to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Simmonds responded directly to the speculation that he could return to his hometown of Toronto:

So of course it’s crossed my mind. I know they’re in a bit of a salary cap situation and things of that nature, but you know I’m open to everything, Toronto’s got a great core of players and I think that’s definitely a team where I could go in and make an impact right away. It’s up to the teams. Whoever wants to choose me, I’ll be waiting. I’ll definitely be ready to go.

The Maple Leafs brought back hometown boy Jason Spezza this season on a league-minimum deal and may not have a lot more than that to offer to Simmonds, if the match were to be made. Even after clearing Kasperi Kapanen’s contract off the books, the Maple Leafs still have close to $74MM committed to just 16 players for 2020-21.

  • Corey Crawford isn’t the youngest goaltender among those headed to unrestricted free agency, but he still may be one of the best. The 35-year-old bounced back from some concussion issues to record a .917 save percentage in 40 appearances this season, the exact number his career percentage sits at over nearly 500 games. He’s played each of those contests with the Chicago Blackhawks and the team is discussing a new deal with him to return. Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that the Blackhawks have offered Crawford a one-year contract around $3.5MM already.
  • Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon is no longer the owner of the Brandon Wheat Kings, a team he’s been affiliated with since 1988. McCrimmon has sold the WHL team to the J&G Group of Companies, ending a long, successful era that also included stints serving as head coach and GM of the team he owned. Fans of the Wheat Kings shouldn’t have any fear of relocation after the sale, however, as new owner Jared Jacobson was born and raised in Brandon and is a huge part of the city’s business community. McCrimmon will also be remaining with the organization as an alternate governor.

Snapshots: NHL Draft, Suter, Point

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The 2020 NHL Entry Draft will be held a few days earlier than expected, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that it has been moved up to October 6-7. The change is thanks to a playoffs that is moving along briskly, with the first game of both conference finals already in the books.

An earlier draft only makes it even more imperative for teams like the Arizona Coyotes to get a new GM in place over the next few weeks, though it’s already probably too late for a new executive to really make his mark on the draft process. Even though four teams are still working to win the Stanley Cup, the offseason is fast approaching.

  • Pius Suter is headed back to Switzerland for the time being, as expected. The 24-year old Chicago Blackhawks forward has been loaned to GCK Lions of the Swiss second league until training camp starts in North America. Suter signed a one-year deal with the Blackhawks a few months ago after winning the MVP in Switzerland’s top league.
  • Brayden Point has become one of the very best players in the entire NHL, and Chris Johnston of Sportsnet examines his early case for the Conn Smythe trophy this year. Point now has 23 points in 14 postseason games and is an obvious leader on the Tampa Bay Lightning roster, but is in just the first year of a contract that carries a $6.75MM cap hit. While he’ll still be a restricted free agent in 2022 when this deal expires, Point will be owed a $9MM qualifying offer and could easily become one of the highest-paid players in the entire league.

Snapshots: King Clancy Trophy, Kucherov, Bishop, Holzapfel

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Now that the NHL has reached the conference championship phase of the playoffs, so too can the NHL awards, which are expected to be handed out day-by-day over the next couple of weeks. First up is expected to be the King Clancy Trophy, awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community. The trophy will be awarded this evening before the start of Game 1 between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Dallas Stars. The three finalists for the awards are Minnesota Wild’s Matt Dumba, New York Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist and New Jersey Devils’ P.K. Subban.

Dumba has been committed to racial and social justice and the Hockey is for Everyone initiative and helped form the Hockey Diversity Alliance with seven current and former NHL players. Lundqvist supports several different initiatives, including aid for children’s health, education, underprivileged youth, Hockey Fights Cancer and the Make a Wish Foundation. Subban also supports several groups, including initiatives for underprivileged youth, medical support and promoting racial and social injustice.

  • Despite the bad news that the Tampa Bay Lightning will have to go through the Eastern Conference Finals without Steven Stamkos, the team did get some good news, however, on the injury front. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that first-line forward Nikita Kucherov is expected to be available Monday for the Lightning’s first game against the New York Islanders. Kucherov was forced to leave Game 5 against the Boston Bruins with an undisclosed injury, but has had almost a week to recover. The 27-year-old has been quite effective in the playoffs so far with four goals and 16 points in 13 games.
  • The Dallas Stars will be without starting goaltender Ben Bishop once again as The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro reports that Bishop and defenseman Taylor Fedun remain “unfit to play.” Both skated today, but neither appear ready to play. The scribe did add that forwards Andrew Cogliano and Mattias Janmark are both expected to be game-time decisions today. Bishop has appeared in just three games during the playoffs and hasn’t made an appearance since Aug. 31 against Colorado when he allowed four goals in 13 minutes before being replaced. The team will rely on Anton Khudobin once again, who is 8-5 with a .909 save percentage in 14 games during the playoffs.
  • Former AHL forward Riley Holzapfel announced his retirement after spending his four years with the Vienna Capitals of the Austrian League. Holzapfel was a second-round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers in 2006 and five season in the AHL before opting to play overseas in 2013, playing three seasons in the SHL before joining Vienna in 2016. He was never able to break into the NHL, however. The 32-year-old was still productive with Vienna, scoring 18 goals and 46 assists in 48 games.

Snapshots: Overages, Bowness, Sodergran

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The suspension of the last part of the 2019-20 season will cause financial ramifications for years to come, most notably the flat salary cap ceiling. Several teams dealing with that cap crunch will also have to deal with some bonus overages, as Frank Seravalli of TSN outlines in his latest piece. These are performance bonuses that have been awarded, but that would push teams over the salary cap ceiling. Normally these are put against the next season’s cap, but in this unique season they can now be split over the next two years.

The team with the biggest overage is the Dallas Stars, who have already racked up a $2.95MM penalty. That number could increase considerably—by another $1.65MM—should Miro Heiskanen earn the Conn Smythe trophy this season.

  • Speaking of the Stars, head coach Rick Bowness spoke today about his future with the organization. Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports that Bowness has agreed to wait until after the playoffs to speak with GM Jim Nill about a contract extension, however long that may take for the surging Stars. Bowness is still working under an interim tag after taking over from Jim Montgomery midseason.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have loaned Johan Sodergran to Almtuna in Sweden’s second league for the next few months, with an expectation that he will return in time for the 2020-21 season. Sodergran, a sixth-round pick in 2018, recorded seven points in 48 games for the Ontario Reign.

Snapshots: Dubnyk, Ritchie, Wagner, Rakell

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The Minnesota Wild have an interesting offseason approaching with little cap room and little roster space. While general manager Bill Guerin is expected to make changes to the roster, there is the question of whether the team will consider buying out a player or two.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) writes that one player who is a candidate for a buyout is goaltender Devan Dubnyk. The scribe adds that if Minnesota opts to buyout Dubnyk, it likely would be to open up a roster space as opposed to saving on cap space. Dubnyk was the starting goaltender at the beginning of the year, but struggled immensely this season in 30 appearances with an 3.35 GAA and a .890 save percentage. Granted, the veteran still has one more year at $4.3MM. However, more importantly, the team may want to move on from Dubnyk with Alex Stalock taking over the starting role. They also have AHL Goaltender of the Year in Kaapo Kahkonen ready as well as the potential to go out and get a goaltender such as Braden Holtby or trade for Matt Murray.

  • The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that the Department of Player Safety took a look at the hit from Boston Bruins forward Nick Ritchie on Tampa Bay’s Yanni Gourde during Game 3 Saturday. There will be no suspension as the hit was timed at .6 seconds from the time the puck was released. Gourde was clearing a puck during the second period when he was hit from behind by Ritchie in a shoulder-to-back hit, sending Gourde flying forward into the boards where he hit his head. However, the league rarely suspends players for hits at .6 seconds, especially ones that don’t include head contact.
  • The Bruins won’t have it easy as they face elimination on Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, down 3-1. The Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno reports that fourth-line forward Chris Wagner won’t be available for Game 5 due to an undisclosed injury. Wagner missed Sunday’s practice along with Ritchie, while Sean Kuraly did skate with the team after missing two games. Both Ritchie and Kuraly are day-to-day, but Wagner is definitely out, according to Bruins’ coach Bruce Cassidy. Wagner played quite well in the round-robin series scoring two goals, but has not tallied a point in the Tampa Bay series and boasts a minus-five plus-minus.
  • The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required) took a look at players destined to stay with the Anaheim Ducks and those who could find themselves elsewhere next year. One interesting observation is the inclusion of 27-year-old forward Rickard Rakell, a two-time 30-goal scorer. Of course, Rakell’s last two seasons have been quite disappointing with just 33 goals in his last 134 games and he could find himself being the scapegoat for the past two years of losing. On top of that, Rakell would be quite an attractive trade chip for playoff teams that could offer him more talent up front to work with.

Snapshots: Kubalik, Kuraly, Senators

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Blackhawks winger Dominik Kubalik is one of the more intriguing restricted free agent cases to watch for this season.  The Calder Trophy finalist had 30 goals during the regular season and was one point off the team lead in their playoff run.  At 25, he’s also eligible for salary arbitration and when you combine that with the other factors, you get a rather rare combination.

However, it’s something that Kubalik hasn’t really given much thought to yet as he told Jay Cohen of the Associated Press that he’s just happy to be back home in the Czech Republic right now and that he anticipates that he’ll speak to his agent about his contract situation over the next couple of weeks.  The Blackhawks only have roughly $7MM in cap space with which to re-sign Kubalik and Dylan Strome plus a goaltending tandem.  It’s safe to say GM Stan Bowman has some work to do.

More from around the NHL:

  • Bruins center Sean Kuraly once again missed today’s game against Tampa Bay but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be out too much longer. Head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters, including Matt Porter of the Boston Globe (Twitter link), that Kuraly is listed as day-to-day.  The 27-year-old has missed the last two games of this series and has a goal (a game-winner) and two assists in 10 postseason contests so far.
  • While the Senators appear to have their goalie tandem intact for next season already with Anders Nilsson and Marcus Hogberg, Postmedia’s Don Brennan argues that Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion should be inquiring about the availability of Pittsburgh’s goaltenders. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford mentioned earlier this week that he has had interest in both Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry and suggested one will likely have to be moved.  While Ottawa has amassed a lot of prospect depth between the pipes (including former Pittsburgh prospect Filip Gustavsson), they don’t have anyone that necessarily projects to be a starter and either of Murray or Jarry would represent an upgrade.

Snapshots: Colorado, Gaudreau, Bjorkqvist

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The Colorado Avalanche will be without both Philipp Grubauer and Erik Johnson for the next while, as head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that the pair would be out “indefinitely.” Luckily they have Pavel Francouz to step into the net and takeover, as he did so many times this season. The 30-year old undrafted goaltender put up a .923 save percentage in 34 appearances for the Avalanche this season, his first full year in the NHL.

On defense, it will be Kevin Connauton inserted into Johnson’s spot. The veteran NHL defenseman has plenty of experience in the regular season, but hasn’t seen a playoff game since 2014. You can bet the Avalanche won’t be leaning as heavily on Connauton as they did on Johnson, who had been averaging over 19 minutes this postseason.

  • When the Calgary Flames collapsed and allowed seven straight goals to the Dallas Stars in an elimination game, many fans called for the team to be blown up. Johnny Gaudreau was the target of much of the frustration, with Eric Francis of Sportsnet even calling him a “likely trade candidate” after he struggled to produce any even-strength offense in the playoffs once again. For what it’s worth, Gaudreau told reporters today including Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia that he loves playing in Calgary and wants to spend the rest of his career with the Flames. He even directly addressed the rumors that have always swirled about his desire to return to the east coast (Gaudreau is from New Jersey and attended Boston College), saying he is “really comfortable” in Calgary, a place that is “special” to him and his family.
  • Kasper Bjorkqvist has played just six games at the minor league level, but he won’t be playing another for a while. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect been loaned to KooKoo in Finland’s Liiga for the 2020-21 season. Bjorkqvist, a 2016 second-round pick, played three years at Providence College before signing his entry-level deal in 2019. He played just six games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before injuring his knee and requiring surgery, ending his 2019-20 season.

Snapshots: Crawford, Toffoli, Myers, Grubauer, Ritchie

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When Stan Bowman addressed the media Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks general manager made it quite clear he wasn’t going to comment on the team’s plans regarding their goaltending situation and in particular, longtime goaltender Corey Crawford.

Crawford, who hits unrestricted free agency at the age of 35, finds himself in a unique position. He could choose to stay or go, but no matter what, he isn’t likely to meet his 2019-20 salary of $6MM. While Bowman didn’t want to comment on what the teams plans are regarding their goaltending, he did remark that some players might be willing to take a home-town discount to stay with the team. Obviously, Chicago hopes that Crawford might be willing to accept that, according to John Dietz of the Daily Herald.

“It’s fair to say that there is a value to a situation where you’ve been around, not just the city, but coaching staff, players, the whole (thing),” Bowman said. “You’ve lived this. You also have time outside that you’re going to have to experience in a new city. Some people may look at moving as an adventure. Others, it’s daunting. I don’t try to figure that out. That’s something players will have to decide on their own.”

The team hopes to make an even bigger mark in the playoffs next year, but really don’t have a starting caliber goaltender under contract for next year unless they can convince Crawford to re-sign with the team. He finished the season with a 2.77 GAA and a solid .917 save percentage in 40 appearances during the regular season. His numbers weren’t as solid in the playoffs as he finished with a 3.31 GAA and a .907 save percentage.

  • The Vancouver Canucks will have to go without one of their top scorers for another game as Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy reports that Tyler Toffoli will be out for Game 1 against the Golden Knights Sunday with a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old has only made one playoff appearance so far this postseason. He did tally six goals and 10 points in 10 games after being acquired by the Canucks. TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that both Toffoli and defenseman Tyler Myers (also out Sunday) are both getting closer to being ready. However, TSN’s Matthew Sekeres reports that Myers will likely need at least a week before being able to return with a Game 3 or 4 return potentially possible.
  • The Colorado Avalanche will be without a few players for Game 2 of the conference semifinals, according to head coach Jared Bednar. The Denver Post’s Mike Chambers reports that the team will be without goaltender Philipp Grubauer for Game 2 as Pavel Francouz will take over as the starter with Michael Hutchinson as his backup. The team is trying to bring in Hunter Miska into the bubble in Edmonton to serve as the team’s third goalie. Bednar also noted that defenseman Erik Johnson is probably out, while Matt Calvert is questionable to play.
  • With the Tampa Bay Lightning having more size and strength on its side, NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty reports that the Boston Bruins intend to start forward Nick Ritchie to their lineup to add some size of its own. He will likely fill in on the third line, dropping Sean Kuraly to the fourth line. Par Lindholm is expected to drop out of the lineup. The 24-year-old Ritchie does provide some size as he is 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and should make a physical difference against the Lightning. However, he hasn’t found the scoreboard yet with no points in four playoff games this year.

Snapshots: Stamkos, Gallagher, Slovakia

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With the Tampa Bay Lightning preparing to face the rival Boston Bruins in the second round in a collision of arguably the two best teams in the NHL, the Bolts were hoping to be at full strength with face of the franchise Steven Stamkos back in the lineup. However, that won’t be the case. Head coach Jon Cooper told the media, including The Athletic’s Lightning writer Joe Smith, that Stamkos is still not available due to injury. Rather than reiterating the indefinite timeline of Stamkos’ rehab, Cooper merely stated “It’s pointless to keep asking about it.” Stamkos is still battling a core injury suffered back in March and has far exceeded the initial six-to-eight week timeline with the player and team still seemingly having no idea of when he might be ready to return. If Stamkos cannot return to face Tampa’s potentially toughest test in Boston, the odds are that he may not play in the postseason at all.

  • Fan favorite Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher had his season come to an end prematurely as he suffered a broken jaw on a cross check from Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen in Game Five of the teams’ first round series. Gallagher only ended up missing one game, as the Habs were eliminated by a Game Six loss on Friday night. Meeting with the media today, GM Marc Bergevin updated Gallagher’s status, announcing that he underwent successful surgery in Toronto and is returning to his home in British Columbia today. Additionally, Bergevin revealed that Gallagher had been injured long before his run-in with Niskanen, suffering a hip tear in Montreal’s qualifying round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, he played through the injury and it was solely that broken jaw that kept him from playing in the Canadiens’ season finale.
  • Several other recently-eliminated players could be back in action sooner rather than later. Sport SK in Slovakia reports that several members of the Slovakian Tipsport Liga are expecting active NHLers to be acquired via contract or loan to begin working out and playing prior to NHL training camps beginning in November. HK Kosice may have the largest haul still to come, with Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Martin Marincin and Calgary Flames prospect Martin Pospisil to be loaned to the team and Ottawa Senators RFA Christian Jaros and free agent forward Tomas Jurco expected to sign. Tampa Bay defenseman Erik Cernak also has ties to the club, but with the Lighting still alive in the postseason and hoping to sty that way for a while longer, he may not need the early start for next season. Slovan Bratislava, which has already received a handful of prospects on loan, are expecting another in the more high-profile Martin Fehervary, the promising defenseman from the Washington Capitals.

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