Snapshots: Darling, Power, Reverse Retro
The Florida Panthers may have some more goaltending competition in training camp (whenever that is), as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that Scott Darling has agreed to a professional tryout with the team. Darling, 31, last played in the NHL during the 2018-19 season and spent last year in Austria playing for Innsbruck HC. Once one of the most reliable backups in the league, his play fell off a cliff after signing a multi-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes.
If Darling has signed a PTO, he would be the first player to do so for the upcoming season, but certainly not the last. The free agent market has come to a screeching halt with teams barely able to afford their own young RFAs, let alone add any money from the open market. That may leave some fringe NHL options without a deal, leaving tryouts their only real option in North America.
- Hockey Canada has announced that Owen Power will not be released from the University of Michigan hockey program to attend its month-long development camp that starts next week, though this is certainly not a straightforward situation. Just yesterday, as Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald points out, Michigan agreed to release Power for the tournament, just not in mid-November as their season is about to start. The Wolverines are set to start their schedule on the same day, November 14, as the camp opens. Power, a 17-year-old defenseman that already stands 6’5″ 214-lbs is one of the top prospects eligible for the 2021 draft, but his actual chances of making the Canadian roster already seemed limited given the older, more experienced talent that will be attending the camp.
- While jersey news certainly isn’t what hockey fans are dying for right now, it doesn’t mean they weren’t excited when they saw Adidas “Reverse Retro” teaser today. Each team in the league will be introducing a jersey from their past, with modern additions for the upcoming season. SportsLogos.net has put together a video breaking down their expectations for each jersey after the teaser came out.
Snapshots: DeBrusk, Lindholm, QMJHL
While the Rangers and center Ryan Strome are content with the two-year, $9MM deal he signed earlier this week, Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty posits that Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk’s asking price likely was negatively affected by this signing. While the two situations are different – one was arbitration-bound and the other just coming off an entry-level deal – Strome’s $4.5MM price tag will be difficult for DeBrusk to eclipse on his next contract after he came off of a career-best 59-point season while DeBrusk had a career-low 35. The 24-year-old is a good candidate for a bridge contract over the coming weeks and doing so would also give Boston a little bit of cap flexibility if GM Don Sweeney has his eyes set on trying to add someone else to their roster.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- The Flames are considering shifting Elias Lindholm into a full-time center role, notes Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. While he was drafted as a middleman, the 25-year-old has spent considerable time on the wing as well. It’s worth noting that Lindholm and Mikael Backlund (another center) are their two longest-signed players up front with contracts running through 2023-24. If they do go ahead with the transition and it goes well, it could potentially create some questions surrounding the long-term future of Sean Monahan, a player who has already been in trade speculation at times this offseason.
- Kevin Dube of TVA Sports provides some details on a short-term bubble that the QMJHL is trying to put in place for seven teams that have been out of action for a month due to rising COVID-19 cases in Quebec. If it receives the green light, it would last ten days with each team playing in six games. As the other Canadian junior leagues look to resume in 2021, they’ll certainly be keeping an eye on this in case they find themselves in a similar situation at some point.
Snapshots: Dumba, Reinhart, Hickey
Earlier this offseason, it seemed quite possible that Wild defenseman Mathew Dumba would be on the move. They had signed Jonas Brodin to a long-term extension and with Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon already locked up on long-term deals themselves and Seattle’s expansion draft looming, Dumba seemed to be the odd one out. So much so, in fact, that Minnesota was shopping him back in September.
However, as Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (subscription link), a move isn’t likely to materialize now. He notes that talks have cooled down and teams simply aren’t willing to part with the impact center that it would require to make GM Bill Guerin pull the trigger on a trade. Many teams being capped out doesn’t help either.
There may come a time where Dumba is eventually moved (expansion could eventually force their hand) but it doesn’t appear as if it will be now. Instead, it looks as if the 26-year-old will get an opportunity to rebuild some trade value after a quiet year with the Wild, one that saw him put up 24 points in 69 games, well below the point-per-game output from his previous two years.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Although Sabres forward Sam Reinhart wound up signing a one-year deal last month, he told Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that he is still hopeful to remain with Buffalo on a long-term contract down the road. Reinhart’s new pact will once again have him eligible for restricted free agency next offseason but at that time, he’ll only be a year away from UFA eligibility and could simply elect arbitration, take the award, and get to the open market. That doesn’t seem to be in the cards for the time being at least.
- The Hurricanes have added some AHL depth as their AHL affiliate in Chicago announced the signing of defenseman Brandon Hickey to a minor league deal. The 24-year-old spent the past two years in Buffalo’s system following his acquisition from Arizona but was non-tendered by the Sabres last month after playing in just 23 games last season.
Snapshots: Barzal, Timashov, Davidsson
The New York Islanders locked up one of their key restricted free agents today when they agreed on a new two-year contract with Ryan Pulock, but still have one big item on their offseason to-do list. That’s a new contract for Mathew Barzal, who is a restricted free agent without arbitration rights and is in line for a huge raise.
Perhaps not as big as one might expect though. Pulock, speaking to reporters today including Andrew Gross of Newsday, explained that he and Barzal have spoken throughout the offseason and are trying to take deals that work for them and the Islanders, in the hopes that their current core can stay together. Still, it’s not like Pulock took a huge discount on his deal, which walks him straight to free agency at age-27 and carries a $5MM AAV. Barzal, who led the Islanders with 60 points during the regular season, is arguably the most important skater on the team and should command quite the salary.
- Dmytro Timashov is the final unsigned restricted free agent for the Detroit Red Wings and still isn’t sure where he’s going to spend next season. Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports that Timashov is still considering his options but a return to Detroit is possible. The 24-year-old forward was claimed off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the end of February and played in five games for Detroit down the stretch.
- As expected, both Marcus Davidsson and Jonathan Davidsson have joined Vasterviks IK after some recent transactions made them available for a reunion. Jonathan Davidsson required a loan from the Ottawa Senators given he is under contract, while Marcus Davidsson recently terminated his contract with Vaxjo in the SHL.
Snapshots: Wilson, Schedule, Lemieux
In a piece for The Players’ Tribune that is well worth the full read, unrestricted free agent forward Colin Wilson detailed his ongoing battles with his mental health and addiction. Towards the end of the piece, he indicated that he believes his playing days have come to an end. The 31-year-old was only able to play in nine games for the Avalanche last season after undergoing double hip surgery that didn’t fix the issue so he underwent the procedure again since then. If it is indeed the end of the line for Wilson, he’ll wind up with 113 goals and 173 assists in 632 career games over 11 seasons between Colorado and Nashville, who drafted him seventh overall back in 2008.
More from around the hockey world:
- NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan that one of the things they’re focusing on as they work on the 2020-21 schedule is trying to get back to a more normal one for 2021-22. For that to happen, next season would likely need to be somewhat truncated which is something that both the players and the league appear to want to avoid. Daly also pointed out that they do not view the start of the Olympics in July as a date that they have to finish by as some of their possible models involve playing past that time. However, if the goal is to get closer to a regular start for the following year, playing into late July or early August would make that difficult.
- The Rangers have a pair of arbitration hearings on the docket for next week in center Ryan Strome and winger Brendan Lemieux. While they’re limited to a one-year term for the former, they’ll have the option to elect a one-year or two-year award for the latter. Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests that New York will opt for a two-year term for Lemieux in an effort to limit his earning upside for 2021-22. The 22-year-old had six goals and a dozen assists along with 111 PIMs in 59 games last season. Lemieux’s hearing is scheduled for November 6th.
Snapshots: HOF, Kraken, Dubois
The Hockey Hall of Fame will not name a 2021 class, instead deciding to give the entire spotlight to the six people elected in 2020 that have yet to have an induction ceremony. Marian Hossa, Jarome Iginla, Kevin Lowe, Kim St-Pierre, Doug Wilson, and Ken Holland were all supposed to be inducted earlier this year but had their ceremony postponed when the coronavirus pandemic put things on hold. Now, the hall has decided to make sure they get their moment. Chairman Lanny McDonald:
The magic of the induction weekend from the perspective of the new inductees is participating in several days of close interaction with family, friends, former teammates, fellow legends and fans. On that premise, the Board felt that this was the right decision to bestow upon the Class of 2020 the recognition and lifetime experience they so richly deserve in all ways consistent with past induction classes.
With no new 2021 class, the debate regarding players like Alexander Mogilny, Rod Brind’Amour, and Daniel Alfredsson will have to wait another year.
- The Seattle Kraken have loaded up their scouting department even further, hiring another dozen scouts today. The group is headlined by Robert Kron, who will serve as director of amateur scouting and also includes Mike Dawson, Darren Yopyk, Jeff Crisp, Tom O’Connor, Tony MacDonald, Trevor Steinburg, Thomas Plante, Pelle Eklund, Marcus Fingal, Aleksandr Plyushev, and Sasu Hovi. Seattle is determined to find the best players both in the NHL and abroad as they start on their journey of creating the league’s 32nd team.
- It may be a long negotiation for the Columbus Blue Jackets and restricted free agents Pierre-Luc Dubois and Vladislav Gavrikov, but GM Jarmo Kekalainen isn’t worried. As he told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, “if they want to play in the NHL, we have to agree on a contract.” Dubois is arguably the team’s best forward already at age 22, and Gavrikov has grown into a valuable top-four piece for the team. Both players are due substantial raises but don’t have a ton of leverage in this negotiation. Dubois technically could be signed to an offer sheet (while Gavrikov could not), though as Portzline points out, that was likely only a threat near the beginning of free agency, not now.
Snapshots: Draft Rankings, Tallon, OHL, Crotty
While scouting opportunities have been rather limited so far, preparations for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft must go on. Accordingly, the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau released its Players to Watch list with 341 prospects listed in total. A total of 31 players were ranked as ‘A’ (first round) grades with the rest checking in at ‘B’ (second or third round) or ‘C’ (fourth round and beyond).
While Alexis Lafreniere was the widely-anticipated top pick heading into last season, there isn’t a consensus number one choice just yet. Defensemen Owen Power (Michigan, NCAA), Luke Hughes (US NDTP), and Brandt Clarke (Barrie, OHL) along with centers Aatu Raty (Karpat, SM-liiga) and Kent Johnson (Michigan, NCAA) plus winger Dylan Guenther (Edmonton, WHL) are all among those who figure to be within the top-10 with some contending for the top spot.
More from around the hockey world:
- It appears that former Florida GM Dale Tallon may not be out of a job for long. Rob Rossi of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the 70-year-old has emerged as a candidate to join the front office in Pittsburgh. The Penguins made a move yesterday with the firing of Jason Karmanos and it’s possible that they could turn to Tallon to take his place, albeit likely in a role other than assistant GM.
- The OHL is expected to announce their revised plans to start the 2020-21 season on Wednesday. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the league is now targeting a February 4th start date with training camps beginning on January 25th. With the regular season needing to be extended well past its usual March finish date, Dreger also notes that a reduced playoff field of eight teams is expected to be announced as well. This is a significant difference compared to the other major junior leagues as the QMJHL has already started their season (though most divisions have been shut down temporarily) and the WHL is targeting January 8th to get things underway.
- Cameron Crotty’s professional career was supposed to begin in Arizona’s system but he’ll have a detour in Norway first instead. Sparta Sarpsborg of the Eliteserien announced that they’ve added the defenseman on a loan agreement although he has yet to make it over there so it will be a little while before he debuts. The 21-year-old opted to turn pro with the Coyotes after spending three years at Boston University where Crotty had 10 goals and 17 over that span.
Snapshots: Training Camps, Toews, McIsaac
The 2020-21 league calendar was one of the key topics at Friday’s GM meetings and while there still is no word on when the season will begin, there appears to be an overview of what training camps could look like. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the NHL is targeting a two-week training camp along with three or four exhibition games per team; the seven that didn’t participate in the Return to Play would get an extra week as had been previously reported. Instead of teams inviting a significant number of prospects and minor leaguers to camp, they would be capped at 35 players. Additionally, a conditioning camp before training camp begins has been proposed but is capped to recent draft picks, players on entry-level deals, and tryouts but anyone who participates in it must be invited to training camp. With the NHL still targeting a start around the first of January, that would have camps kicking off somewhere around mid-to-late December.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Colorado is expected to reach a settlement with RFA defenseman Devon Toews in advance of Saturday’s scheduled arbitration hearing, notes Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now. The Avalanche acquired the blueliner from the Islanders two weeks ago in exchange for second-round picks in each of the next two drafts. The 26-year-old is a year away from UFA eligibility and is coming off a strong season that saw him collect 28 points in 68 games while logging 20:31 per night in ice time. If GM Joe Sakic wants to ensure his new blueliner will be around for more than a year, they’ll need to reach an agreement over the next few days.
- Red Wings prospect Jared McIsaac suffered an injury with HPK in Finland and has been recalled to Detroit, the SM-liiga team announced. The defenseman’s stint lasted all of one shift and 34 seconds. McIsaac missed a big chunk of last season while recovering from shoulder surgery and the attempt to make up for that lost time has come to an end in a hurry.
Snapshots: Joyce, Colorado, Payment
The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to hire Eric Joyce as their new director of hockey strategy, according to Frank Seravalli of TSN. Joyce had been with the Florida Panthers since 2013, most recently as the senior vice president of hockey operations and assistant general manager. With new leadership in the Florida front office, there was bound to be additional departures.
More from around the league:
- The Colorado Avalanche won’t be playing at the Pepsi Center next season. No, that rink will now be called the Ball Arena after a new partnership with the organization. Ball Corporation and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which own the Avalanche, announced a “first-of-its-kind global partnership across three marquee venues” to advance a goal of waste control and sustainability in sports and entertainment.
- Seravalli also reports that players that have a contract for 2020-21 and were frozen on an NHL roster at the time of the league pause, will be paid 8.1% of their upcoming salary by October 31. John Shannon adds on Twitter that this will be the only payment players will receive before the next season begins. This payment is important to remember when evaluating trades starting next month, as the remaining salary will be lessened even further even though games have yet to start.
Snapshots: Bedard, Seattle, McCarthy
Move over Alexis, a new Canadian prospect is here. Connor Bedard, the first player to be granted exceptional status in the WHL, suited up for HV71 in the Swedish under-20 league today. Bedard only turned 15 a few months ago and was picked by the Regina Pats first overall in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft, but is getting his first taste of play this season overseas.
The incredibly shifty, talented forward from Vancouver is eligible for the 2023 NHL draft but is already wowing scouts all over the world. His development is obviously extremely important, but a move like this to play overseas only highlights how difficult this season could be for many other prospects that are waiting on their WHL and OHL schedules to begin. Not everyone is Bedard, receiving a prime opportunity to play with a strong European organization.
- The Seattle Kraken have hired seven new people for their organization, including former NHL forward Gary Roberts, who will receive the title of sports science and performance consultant. The other names, which include Michael Booi, Nate Brookreson, Jeff Camelio, and Tim Ohashi all seem to be strong hires with long successful resumes of their own. Roberts though will get the headlines, thanks to his yearly offseason strength and conditioning work with players like Steven Stamkos and Connor McDavid. Roberts of course is a former teammate of Kraken GM Ron Francis in both Carolina and Toronto.
- The Washington Capitals have hired Kevin McCarthy as an assistant coach, joining Peter Laviolette‘s new staff. McCarthy will work with the team’s defensemen and has worked with Laviolette for years, in Nashville, Philadelphia and Carolina. He joins a staff that also includes Scott Arniel, Blaine Forsythe and Scott Murray.