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Training Camp Cuts: 09/20/18

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Almost 80 players were cut from training camps around the league yesterday, and today will likely be no different. We’ll keep track of all the changes right here, so make sure to refresh or return to this page throughout the day:

Calgary Flames (per team release)

F D’Artagnan Joly (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Milos Roman (to Vancouver, WHL)
F Adam Ruzicka (to Sarnia, OHL)
F Dmitry Zavgorodniy (to Rimouski, QMJHL)
D Jake Christiansen (to Everett, WHL)
D Igor Merezhko (to Lethbridge, WHL)
D Brayden Pachal (to Prince Albert, WHL)
D Merrick Rippon (to Ottawa, OHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per team release)

F Tyler Benson (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Josh Currie (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Joseph Gambardella (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Caleb Jones (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D William Lagesson (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Patrick Russell (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Ryan Stanton (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Dylan Wells (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)

F Colin McDonald (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F David Kase (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F German Rubtsov (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Mike Vecchione (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Connor Bunnaman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Zach Palmquist (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Reece Willcox (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D David Drake (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Frank Hora (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D James de Haas (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Yegor Zamula (to Calgary, WHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)

F Freddie Tiffels (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Troy Josephs (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Dane Birks (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Joe Masonius (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
G Anthony Peters (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Justin Almeida (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
F Jan Drozg (to Shawinigan, QMJHL)
F Jordy Bellerive (to Lethbridge, WHL)
D Calen Addison (to Lethbridge, WHL)
G Alex D’Orio (to Saint John, QMJHL)
D Antti Palojarvi (to Lukko, Finland)

San Jose Sharks (per team release)

F Matt Fonteyne (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jonathon Martin (to San Jose, AHL)
F Colby McAuley (to San Jose, AHL)
F Filip Sandberg (to San Jose, AHL)
F Alex Schoenborn (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jeffrey Viel (to San Jose, AHL)
F Evan Weinger (to San Jose, AHL)
D Michael Brodzinski (to San Jose, AHL)
D Cody Donaghey (to San Jose, AHL)
D Thomas Gregoire (to San Jose, AHL)
G Josef Korenar (to San Jose, AHL)
F Joachim Blichfeld (to Portland, WHL)
F Ivan Chekhovich (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Vladislav Kotkov (to Chicoutimi, QMJHL)
G Max Paddock (to Regina, WHL)

St. Louis Blues (per Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic)

F Alexei Toropchenko (to Guelph, OHL)

Vancouver Canucks (per team release)

F Carter Bancks (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
D Jesse Graham (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
D Jagger Dirk (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
G Michael DiPietro (to Windsor, OHL)

Training Camp Cuts: 09/18/18

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NHL regular season action is just a few weeks away, and as the preseason schedule gets started teams are reducing their training camp rosters. We’ll keep track of all the cuts right here:

Buffalo Sabres (per Gene Pereira of Rogers TV)

F Matej Pekar (to Barrie, OHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per team release)

F Mitch Callahan (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Braden Christoffer (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Luke Esposito (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Dave Gust (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Cameron Hebig (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Colin Larkin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F John McFarland (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Evan Polei (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Ryan Van Stralen (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Tyler Vesel (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Marc-Olivier Crevier-Morin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Logan Day (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Jake Kulevich (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Jared Wilson (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Stuart Skinner (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Florida Panthers (per team release)

F Patrick Bajkov (to Springfield, AHL)
F Jayce Hawryluk (to Springfield, AHL)
D Michael Downing (to Springfield, AHL)
D Thomas Schemitsch (to Springfield, AHL)
F Blaine Byron (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Bobby Farnham (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Jake Horton (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Matt Mangene (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Harry Zolnierczyk (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
D Dylan MacPherson (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
D Linus Nassen (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
G Evan Cormier (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Serron Noel (to Oshawa, OHL)

Minnesota Wild (per team release)

F Connor Dewar (to Quebec, QMJHL)
F Ivan Lodnia (to Niagara, OHL)
G Dereck Baribeau (to Everett, WHL)

New Jersey Devils (per team release)

F Ryan Schmelzer (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Tariq Hammond (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Mitch Hoelscher (to Ottawa, OHL)
D Xavier Bernard (to Drummondville, QMJHL)

New York Rangers (per team release)

F Dawson Leedahl (to Hartford, AHL)
F Ty Ronning (to Hartford, AHL)
D Sean Day (to Hartford, AHL)
D Vince Pedrie (to Hartford, AHL)
G Brandon Halverson (to Hartford, AHL)
G Chris Nell (to Hartford, AHL)
F Nico Gross (to Oshawa, OHL)
G Jeremy Brodeur (released from PTO)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)

F Morgan Frost (to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
F Isaac Ratcliffe (to Guelph, OHL)

St. Louis Blues (per team release)

G Joel Hofer (to Swift Current, WHL)

Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)

D Xavier Bouchard (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Ryan Chyzowski (to Medicine Hat, WHL)
D Connor Corcoran (to Windsor, OHL)
F Raphael Harvey-Pinard (to Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL)
F Ben Jones (to Niagara, OHL)
F Jake Leschyshyn (to Regina, WHL)
F Alex Gallant (to Chicago, AHL)
F Ryan Wagner (to Chicago, AHL)
F Matthew Weis (to Chicago, AHL)

 

Poll: Who Will Win The Calder Trophy In 2018-19?

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The Athletic’s NHL Draft and prospects guru Scott Wheeler has released the first definitive list of candidates for the Calder Trophy in 2018-19, and the order may surprise some people. Admittedly, the list is in the context of fantasy hockey, but Wheeler’s rankings are true to how he thinks Calder voting will unfold if each rookie hits their stat projections. As such, it’s not this year’s first overall pick, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, at the top of the list, but presumptive top-six center for the Vancouver Canucks, Elias Pettersson. Pettersson will be put in a much better position to rack up points than will Dahlin, the next-best candidate, as potentially one of the three best scoring forwards for the Canucks and traditionally productive forwards have a better shot at the Calder than (relatively) equally productive defensemen.

Coming in at number three is Boston Bruins forward Ryan Donato, who led both the NCAA and Olympics in goals last season and will look to win a top-six role for Boston and continue to find the back of the net at an alarming rate. Playing alongside either Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk is an easy way for Donato to quickly become an elite scorer at the NHL level. The fourth-ranked candidate is second overall pick Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes, who – like Pettersson – will be given an immense amount of responsibility right away as a top-six winger who is arguably already one of the three most skilled forwards on the team. However, Svechnikov is one of three Hurricanes rookies on Wheeler’s list, which could take away from his case. Rounding out the top five is Dahlin’s fellow rookie in Buffalo, center Casey Mittelstadt, who scored at nearly a point-per-game pace in the college ranks and in a brief stint with the Sabres to end the year. Mittelstadt should face favorable match-ups this season with the lines anchored by Jack Eichel and Patrik Berglund drawing considerable attention from the opposition.

Wheeler’s top twenty Calder Trophy candidates are as follows:

  1. C Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
  2. D Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
  3. RW Ryan Donato, Boston Bruins
  4. RW Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes
  5. C Casey Mittelstadt, Buffalo Sabres
  6. RW Filip Zadina, Detroit Red Wings
  7. C Dylan Strome, Arizona Coyotes
  8. C Henrik Borgstrom, Florida Panthers
  9. C Martin Necas, Carolina Hurricanes
  10. D Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars
  11. RW Dylan Sikura, Chicago Blackhawks
  12. RW Eeli Tolvanen, Nashville Predators
  13. C Filip Chytil, New York Rangers
  14. LW Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
  15. LW Valentin Zykov, Carolina Hurricanes
  16. RW Kailer Yamamoto, Edmonton Oilers
  17. C Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning
  18. LW Kristian Vesalainen, Winnipeg Jets
  19. C Sam Steel, Anaheim Ducks
  20. RW Vitaly Abramov, Columbus Blue Jackets

Honorable Mentions: C Vladislav Kamenev, Colorado Avalanche; LW Jordan Greenway, Minnesota Wild; C Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues; LW Andreas Johnsson, Toronto Maple Leafs; C Michael Rasmussen, Detroit Red Wings; C Lias Andersson, New York Rangers; D Sami Niku, Winnipeg Jets; D Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers; RW Daniel Sprong, Pittsburgh Penguins

What do you think? Who will be the NHL’s Rookie of the Year and take home the Calder Trophy at the end of the season? The favorite? The first overall pick? Another top candidate? Or a name not even mentioned here?

Salary Cap Deep Dive: St. Louis Blues

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

St. Louis Blues

Current Cap Hit: $79,915,155 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Robert Thomas (three years, $894K)
F Zachary Sanford (one year, $875K)
G Ville Husso (one year, $848K)
F Jordan Kyrou (three years, $758K)
F Ivan Barbashev (one year, $742K)
D Vince Dunn (one year, $723K)
F Samuel Blais (one year, $673K)

Potential Bonuses:

Kyrou: $183K
Dunn: $183K
Sanford: $50K
Blais: $3K

Total: $419K

Considering the amount of veterans this team has, its surprising to see so many young players on the team as the Blues have done a nice job over the years of drafting quality players and developing them. Perhaps the most interesting of the lot will be Thomas, the team’s first-round pick in the 2017 draft. The 19-year-old dominated his junior league last season and many people believe he has a great shot at winning a roster spot this season as the team feels that there is no reason to return him back to his junior team. The team also has Kyrou, another top-rated prospect, but the team is more likely to send him to their AHL affiliate as he no longer needs to be returned to juniors. Regardless, however, if he fares well, he could see time with the Blues throughout the season.

Dunn has been a major revelation after surprising a few when he made the Blues out of training camp last season. He had a remarkable season, playing solid defense, producing five goals and 21 points and eventually quarterbacked the team’s top power play line. The team may also start seeing more of Husso, who is their goalie of the future, but needs more seasoning in the AHL. The 23-year-old had a .922 save percentage in 38 games in the AHL last year.

Other interesting prospects include Sanford, Barbashev and Blais who will have to fight for playing time, but all have the skill to work their way in at some point this season.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Jay Bouwmeester ($5.4MM, UFA)
D Joel Edmundson ($3MM, RFA)
D Carl Gunnarsson ($2.9MM, UFA)
F Patrick Maroon ($1.75MM, UFA)
G Chad Johnson ($1.75MM, UFA)
D Robert Bortuzzo ($1.15MM, UFA)
F Dmitrij Jaskin ($1.1MM, RFA)
F Robby Fabbri ($925K, RFA)
F Chris Thorburn ($900K, UFA)
F Nikita Soshnikov ($800K, RFA)
F Oskar Sundqvist ($700K, RFA)
F Jordan Nolan ($650K, UFA)

The team should find themselves with extra money next season as the contracts of several defenseman expire, including Bouwmeester’s $5.4MM deal and Gunnarsson’s $2.9MM. Both have been excellent players in the past, but the with emergence of younger defensemen, the team is likely to move on from them or look for them to return at a significantly reduced rate. Some of that available money could end up in the hands of Edmundson who has done an excellent job of replacing Bouwmeester on the top defensive line.

The team also will be keeping a close eye on Fabbri, who has spent much of last year training and conditioning his knee for the upcoming season after undergoing two procedures on his knee. If the scoring winger can stay healthy, he could provide the Blues with an extra dose of offense they weren’t counting on. The team also has high hopes for Maroon, who opted to take less to return home to St. Louis this year. There are rumors that the team will reward him next season for being willing to accept much less than he was worth.

Johnson has been working on one-year deals for a little while, but the veteran backup could be needed if Allen falters in goal this year. While his numbers in Buffalo were horrible, many believe that he could easily bounce back considering the quality defense he’ll have in front of him in St. Louis.

Two Years Remaining

D Alex Pietrangelo ($6.5MM, UFA)
F Brayden Schenn ($5.13MM, UFA)
D Jordan Schmaltz ($700K, RFA)

The team has been thrilled with the play of Pietrangelo, who continues to improve offensively as the team’s No. 1 defender. He is used that way too as he averaged 25:44 of ice time last year, ranking him sixth in the NHL. The 28-year-old has now posted double-digit goals for the second straight years and posted a career-high 54 points this season. He’s finally receiving that respect around the league as he was voted to the all-star game as well as got some consideration for the Norris Trophy this past season.

Schenn is another key player that the team got a tremendous amount of production from this year after acquiring him from Philadelphia in the offseason. Schenn, who likely will move to the second line this year, posted career-highs in goals (28) and points (70) and was a big hit in St. Louis. Read more

Blues Place Dmitri Sergeev On Unconditional Waivers

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Sunday: Sergeev has cleared waivers, according to Friedman.

Saturday: The Blues have placed defenseman Dmitri Sergeev on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link).  Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that head coach Mike Yeo indicated that Sergeev did not meet the teams’ conditioning standards.

The 22-year-old signed with St. Louis as an undrafted free agent back in October of 2014 following a strong showing at their rookie camp.  He then returned to the junior level for two years before turning pro in 2016-17.

However, Sergeev has yet to make his mark since then.  In his two professional seasons, he has yet to really progress past the ECHL level.  Last season, he played in 56 games with Tulsa, recording 22 points while also getting a brief stint for a pair of games with AHL San Antonio.

It’s unlikely that he would have been more than a depth defender at the minor league level once again so assuming he passes through unclaimed and his termination is approved, the Blues will be able to remove him from their 50-contract limit.  Considering that St. Louis currently sits at 48, that extra contract slot should come in handy for them later on in the year.

Central Notes: Allen, Parayko, Jokiharju, Honka, Girard

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The St. Louis Blues got some good news today as goaltender Jake Allen, who has been out with back spasms and was expected to miss the first 10-14 days of training camp, said that he’s already feeling better and could return to the ice ahead of schedule, according to Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“It’s progressed way better than when it first happened,” he said. “It’s a lot better than I thought it was and I’m feeling really good right now. I’ve made some significant progress the last couple days. It looks like I’ll be on the ice earlier than that.”

The team needs a big season from the 28-year-old after a rough season last year. The veteran posted a career-low 2.75 GAA and a poor .906 save percentage as the Blues missed the playoffs. Allen changed his training routine this summer and was primed for a big year as the Blues redesigned their roster this offseason.

  • St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko has been a solid defenseman in St. Louis for years, but after agreeing to a five-year, $27.5MM contract a year ago, the team was hoping that he might have a breakout season last year. While that didn’t happen, Parayko might get that opportunity this year, according to Fox Sports’ Andy Strickland, who reports that Parayko has come to camp in great shape, finishing near the top in off-ice testing. If he’s in the best shape of his career, a big year could follow.
  • Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Henri Jokiharju has looked good early in training camp. The 2016 first-rounder played alongside veteran Duncan Keith and was both aggressive and helped create chances on offense. The team, desperately in need of defense, could get a huge boost if the 19-year-old proves that he’s indeed ready for the NHL. He scored 71 points in 63 games with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL last season.
  • Sean Shapiro of The Athletic writes that one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Stars’ addition of new head coach Jim Montgomery will likely be young defenseman Julius Honka. The 22-year-old has regained his confidence after losing last season and has already impressed his new head coach, who hopes the 2014 first-rounder might be ready to make a significant impact in the Stars’ defense.
  • BSN Denver’s AJ Haefele writes that Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said Saturday that he wants defenseman Samuel Girard to start this season with veteran Erik Johnson after the way Girard finished the season last year. The 20-year-old finished the season with four goals and 23 points between Nashville and Colorado and showed the ability to develop into a top-four defenseman. However, there is still a lot of time in camp before that decision becomes permanent.

Poll: Who Will Win The Central Division In 2018-19?

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We’re less than a month away from the 2018-19 NHL season, and players are hitting the ice with teammates to start forming chemistry. All over the league training camps are getting underway, and rookies are starting to make their marks with their new franchises. The excitement for the upcoming season is starting to bubble up to the surface, and even the smallest NHL news has fans in a frenzy.

Recently, Bovada released their over/under numbers for each team’s point totals and there are some interesting results. Though these aren’t to be taken exactly as predictions for the upcoming season—since betting odds also take into account popularity trends and other factors—fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning should still be extremely satisfied to see their club at the very top with an over/under of 107.5 points. The Lightning are expected to be Stanley Cup contenders once again in 2018-19, and have brought back nearly their entire roster.

We ran a poll asking the PHR community to decide who will win the Atlantic Division, and the Lightning came out on top with nearly 37% of the vote. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished in second place, but the big surprise was the Detroit Red Wings in third with 15% of all voters. While our readers have more confidence in the Red Wings than the odds makers, we’ve seen stranger things in the past.

Next we asked the PHR community to vote on the Pacific Division, and while things were a little more evenly distributed the San Jose Sharks were still the clear favorite. With more than 26% of the vote, the Sharks came out ahead of the Los Angeles Kings (16%), Vegas Golden Knights (14%) and Calgary Flames (13%). The Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks haven’t done enough to inspire much confidence, earning just a handful of votes each. One has to wonder if the Sharks would have had an even bigger lead had the poll happened after their recent acquisition of Erik Karlsson.

Finally, we polled the PHR community on what they think will happen in the Metropolitan Division. This group has given us the last three Stanley Cup winners, but has star players throughout. Our readership obviously believes in a Cup hangover, as the Pittsburgh Penguins easily topped the defending champion Washington Capitals with nearly a 10% gap. Third place went to the Philadelphia Flyers who will hope adding another top forward and allowing their young players to take another step forward can push them to the top, while the Columbus Blue Jackets came in fourth despite their continued regular season success.

While the Atlantic had some contending options, the Central Division which we’ll tackle today have two powerhouses that are likely on a collision course in the playoffs once again. The Winnipeg Jets (106.5 over/under) and Nashville Predators (105.5) are two of the very best teams in the league and can ice a dangerous lineup from top to bottom. They are the easy favorites for the division crown, but the upstart Colorado Avalanche and revamped St. Louis Blues have their eyes on an underdog story. That’s not to mention the top-heavy Dallas Stars, consistent Minnesota Wild or playoff tested Chicago Blackhawks, who could all surprise with excellent seasons in 2018-19.

Who do you think will come out on top of the Central Division? Can the Predators win a second Presidents Trophy in a row, or will the Jets topple them for the Western Conference regular season crown? Is Nathan MacKinnon ready to carry the load for the Avalanche once again? Do Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have one last outstanding season in them? Cast your vote below and explain how you think the season will play out in the comments!

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Edmonton Oilers Sign Scottie Upshall To PTO

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September 13th: Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reports that Upshall failed his physical with the Oilers today. Upshall has been dealing with a knee injury and did not report to training camp at full strength. While this does not cancel out his PTO, it certainly hurts his chances of landing a contract, despite Edmonton’s need for veteran leadership and penalty killing ability. It is uncertain when Upshall will be ready to fully participate, with Spector speculating it could be “a few weeks”. In the meantime, Upshall will be unable to show that he is still in NHL shape and will likely lose his roster spot to a younger player or potentially another veteran brought in to replace him.

August 19th: It’s officially PTO season. After the Florida Panthers made Mark Letestu the first notable name signed to a professional tryout agreement this off-season with an agreement last week, the Edmonton Oilers have now joined in on the action. The team announced this afternoon that they come to terms with veteran forward Scottie Upshall on a PTO. The Oilers are not overflowing with forward depth, making the Alberta native’s odds of landing a contract relatively good.

This move comes as little surprise in regards to Upshall. The 34-year-old has been down this road before; he played on not one but two PTO’s last fall, first joining the Vancouver Canucks before eventually returning to the St. Louis Blues and earning a contract. He again stands a good chance of winning a spot, this time with Edmonton. Gone are the days when Upshall could produce 30+ points every year, but he still does everything else well. A smart, hard-working forward, Upshall can still give a team modest offense – he scored 19 points in 63 games last year – but it is his two-way play that keeps him valuable. Upshall was one of the Blues’ primary penalty killers last season and still plays with energy, grit, and toughness.

Ironically, Upshall’s frequent running mate in St. Louis, both five-on-five and shorthanded, was Kyle Brodziak, who signed with Edmonton earlier this summer. It seems likely that the Oilers considered that when inviting Upshall to camp. St. Louis was not a league leader in killing penalties or fourth line production last season, but the chemistry between Upshall and Brodziak would nevertheless be a major boost for Edmonton. In moving on from Letestu, the Oilers lost their leading penalty killer from last season. They would also likely enjoy not having to deploy Ryan Nugent-Hopkins while man-down as frequently as they did in 2017-18. Upshall could fit in nicely alongside Brodziak both on the bottom line and the PK, so long as he looks like he can still keep up in his sixteenth year in the league. This could end up being a shrewd PTO pickup by GM Peter Chiarelli and company.

Snapshots: Blues, Panarin, Boeser

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The St. Louis Blues had some good news and bad news today, announcing that Robby Fabbri was officially activated from injured reserve while Nikita Soshnikov is out indefinitely with another concussion. Fabbri is an extremely interesting player for the Blues this season as he tries to return to form after two major knee surgeries. He re-signed for just $925K this offseason and is determined to get back to the top-six talent he showed when he scored 33 goals and 81 points in 143 games to begin his career.

Soshnikov on the other hand is an extremely unfortunate situation, given his history of head injuries. The 24-year old forward played just 12 games with the Blues after coming over from the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, and hasn’t been able to stay healthy enough to show much of anything during his short NHL career. With just 16 points in 82 games and an uncertain future, the Blues may have to look elsewhere for help in their bottom-six.

  • Artemi Panarin spoke to the media today at Columbus Blue Jackets training camp and reiterated that today marked the end of any contract negotiations for the season. The star forward told Alison Lukan of The Athletic that “the focus is on hockey” now and that nothing has changed in the position he detailed this summer. Panarin had told the Blue Jackets that he didn’t want to negotiate a long-term extension with the team but that he also wasn’t demanding a trade and actually indicated his love of the organization. It’s still to be seen whether the Blue Jackets will allow Panarin to get all the way to unrestricted free agency next summer without a contract or trade him during the year to recoup some of the assets they sent to Chicago for him last summer. His contract does not include any trade protection, and there would likely be dozens of suitors lining up for his services if made available.
  • The Vancouver Canucks will come back to the table with Brock Boeser and his representation after the season, according to Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet who spoke with GM Jim Benning today. The two sides have made the decision to put the talks aside while Boeser plays out the final season of his entry-level deal, at which point there will be a chance for a long-term deal. It makes sense for the 21-year old forward to wait, as he’s coming off a season that was cut short due to injury and could easily improve his position by putting up another big goal total. With 33 in his first 71 games in the NHL, there’s no reason to believe that Boeser couldn’t vault himself into the 40-goal camp and set up a huge negotiation next summer.

Jake Allen, Others To Miss Start Of St. Louis Training Camp

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The St. Louis Blues have some lofty expectations this season after a strong summer spending spree, but much of those hopes come down to goaltender Jake Allen. The team lost backup Carter Hutton to Buffalo in free agency and signed Chad Johnson in his wake, leaving Allen as the clear starter for this year. Bad news has already come out regarding the team’s starter though, as today they announced that Allen will miss the first 10-14 days of training camp with back spasms. Prospect Erik Foley and goaltender Luke Opilka will also be out indefinitely following a recent concussion and hip surgery respectively.

The team also announced cuts to six players from the training camp roster, including first-round pick Dominik Bokk. As we wrote recently, Bokk is expected to play in Sweden for all of 2018-19.

Allen, 28, took a fairly substantial step backwards last season and was part of the reason the Blues missed the playoffs entirely, registering a .906 save percentage in 59 games. That was good enough for just a 27-25-3 record, and though some of that had to do with the play in front of him the Blues need more from the goaltending position this year. In the 2016 offseason Allen was given a four-year contract extension a year before he reached free agency and already in the 2016-17 season you could tell that it may have been a bit premature. The goaltender wasn’t even included on a road trip with the team, but after changing goaltending coaches an incredible run during the second half of that season and into the playoffs turned around his numbers. Those changes didn’t last, but the Blues have made it clear that they will live and die with Allen in net.

Johnson, the other option, was one of the worst backup goaltenders in the league last season with the Buffalo Sabres, recording an .891 save percentage and a 3.55 goals against average. Though he does have some solid seasons in his past, there is little reason to believe that he could take over the Blues net for an extended period of time and get them to the playoffs. That leaves just young prospect Ville Husso if Allen struggles or deals with injury, and though he’s coming off a good season in the AHL it’s hard to expect a ton at the NHL level for the 23-year old goaltender.

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