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Pacific Notes: Miller, Gaudette, McLeod

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The Vancouver Canucks paid a heavy price this summer when it went out and traded their 2020 first-round pick to Tampa Bay to acquire forward J.T. Miller. Despite a disappointing season with the Lightning last year in which he scored just 13 goals and 47 points, Vancouver believes they are getting a 20-goal, 50-point player, who can immediately step into the Canucks’ top-six.

One thing that many people like about Miller is the fact that he is a versatile forward, who can play any position on the forward line. And at reasonable cost at $5.25MM over the next four years, he should provide solid value for a team that needs to score goals. However, while most people have Miller penciled in as a winger on one of those top two lines, The Athletic’s Harman Dayal (subscription required) writes that the team should instead consider moving him back to center and placing him on the third line in hopes of stabilizing a line that has been a nightmare for several years now.

Of course trading a first-round pick for what could be a third-line center might not look good for general manager Jim Benning. However, Dayal cites that Miller has solid defensive skills that would make him a solid full-time center and the entire goal is to make the team better and the team might be better off with Miller at center and a lesser winger moving up in the lineup. It also might leave the team better off with a deeper and more talented balance on all three lines, as opposed to putting all their talent in the top two lines.

  • Sticking with the Canucks, the Province’s Ben Kuzma writes that no matter how you look at it, Vancouver center Adam Gaudette just doesn’t have much of a chance to make the team out of training camp. The 22-year-old Gaudette played 56 games for Vancouver last year, but with a loaded roster and the fact that he is waiver-exempt, the math just doesn’t work out for Gaudette staying in the NHL when the season starts. It’s far more likely that the team will send the former Hobey Baker award winner to Utica in the AHL to start the season. He only played 14 games there last year as he spent most of his first professional season learning on the fly as the team’s No. 3 center. However, with more depth in hand, Kuzma writes that the team might be able to develop his skills even better in Utica. He scored five goals and 11 points in the 14 games he played with the Comets last year.
  • Despite continued impressive play by 2018 second-round pick Ryan McLeod in rookie camp so far and considering that McLeod came close to breaking camp with Edmonton last year, the team is very high on his development and potentially making the team this year. However, the Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that despite McLeod’s impressive play, the recent signing of Riley Sheahan almost guarantees that McLeod will return to juniors this year. Regardless, Leavins believes have their future No. 3 center, starting next season.

 

 

Latest On Jesse Puljujarvi’s NHL Future

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When Jesse Puljujarvi recently signed a one-year deal in Finland, Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland was quick to clarify that it didn’t change the young forward’s situation much. The Oilers still would not be forced into a trade that didn’t bring back substantial value, and reports surfaced that the team was looking for a draft pick and prospect in exchange for the 2016 fourth overall pick. Last night Elliotte Friedman joined the NHL Network to give his thoughts on the situation, including a couple of teams that may be interested in acquiring Puljujarvi:

I think two of the teams that [the Oilers] have had a lot of conversations with are Tampa Bay and Carolina. I think Carolina is willing to give them one of their prospects, maybe a guy like [Julian] Gauthier, but they’re not so interested in doing the pick. I think Tampa Bay they have kind of flirted with back and forth. I think they kind of know which Tampa prospects they might be able to get, but I think again it’s a combination of finding the exact group of two things they want–a pick plus the prospect.

Friedman goes on to explain that he believes there has been interest from other Canadian teams but that Puljujarvi would rather go somewhere “a little quieter” in the USA. Tampa Bay and Carolina both represent smaller markets than some of the big Canadian cities, but there’s certainly no guarantee he would be out of the spotlight given that both teams are expecting to contend for the Stanley Cup this season after their performances in 2018-19.

Carolina does have a huge number of young prospects that they could dangle in front of Holland and have several Finnish connections on the roster already. The team has also been looking for offensive contributors for some time and may believe they can turn Puljujarvi’s career around and turn him into the dominant power forward he was expected to become. Still, with more than enough forwards to round out the roster already after the acquisitions of Ryan Dzingel and Erik Haula this summer, there may not be enough room to give Puljujarvi that top-six opportunity he is looking for.

In Tampa Bay, that kind of opportunity is even less likely. The Lightning have one of the deepest forward groups in the NHL and enjoy a rock solid top-six that would leave little room for Puljujarvi on the powerplay. The team recently added Patrick Maroon to the mix up front and also have salary concerns given Brayden Point’s continuing negotiations. Puljujarvi is still a restricted free agent and will need a new contract wherever he ends up, if in fact he returns to the NHL this season.

Tampa Bay Signs Pat Maroon To One-Year Deal

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have added a key depth piece to their roster as they announced they have signed forward Pat Maroon to a one-year, $900K deal. Maroon, who helped the St. Louis Blues win the Stanley Cup Championship last season was a big part of the team’s playoff run as he scored a pair of critical game-winning goals last season, including the double overtime goal in Game 7 against the Dallas Stars in the Conference Finals.

“We’re very pleased to add Pat to our organization today,” Tampa Bay general manager Julien BriseBois said. “He brings size and physicality to our group as well as significant playoff experience. We expect Pat’s to be a great addition to the roster.”

The 31-year-old signed a one-year deal with St. Louis last offseason as he was willing to take less so he could be closer to his family, signing a one-year, $1.75MM deal. While it looked early on that the deal might not be working out after Maroon struggled, he turned it around once the team brought in interim coach Craig Berube and proved to be a valuable piece for the team. He scored 10 goals, 28 points and 64 penalty minutes in 74 games last season with St. Louis, and added three goals and seven points in 26 playoff games. However, with a lineup full of long-term deals and top prospects such as Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou and Sammy Blais emerging, there seemed to be little room for the team to keep Maroon despite his heroics. The St. Louis native has played 449 career games with 88 goals and 206 points.

For the Lightning, the team may have gotten a steal in the 6-foot-3 power forward. Tampa Bay is loaded with some high-end forwards, but could use some more depth at the bottom of the lineup and Maroon should fit the bill. Maroon also provides some insurance if restricted free-agent Brayden Point holds out. Regardless, with the loaded lineup in Tampa Bay, Maroon would have a good chance to win two consecutive Stanley Cups. Assuming the team buries goaltender Mike Condon, the team should have $8.1MM in cap room remaining.

Maroon also has a history with Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper as Maroon played for him between 2005-07 in the NAHL junior league, playing for the Texarkana and St. Louis Bandits.

 

Atlantic Notes: Point, Senators Prospects, Olofsson

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With the Tampa Bay Lightning preparing for another run to challenge for a Stanley Cup, one of the team’s top players remains unsigned in Brayden Point, who continues to sit out with a number of top restricted free agent forwards, including Toronto’s Mitch Marner, Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen, Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk, Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor. Several defensemen, including Boston’s Charlie McAvoy and Columbus’ Zach Werenski.

However, there has been no end in sight for any of these players and there remains no timeline as all of these players are waiting for the first one to sign and set the market, according to Tampa Bay Times’ Diana Nearhos. Most expect that the first domino to fall will be Marner with everyone signing contracts just underneath him. However, that could change if one of the others opts to sign first. Point’s deal will be an interesting one on a team that already has quite a few top-paid players, but Point, who tallied 41 goals and 92 points.

“It’s a unique marketplace,” said agent Gerry Johannson, who counts Point among his clients. “Everyone is waiting for some clarity.”

So far only two key restricted free agents have signed, both in peculiar circumstances. Jacob Trouba forced a trade to the New York Rangers before finally signing, while Carolina matched Montreal’s offer sheet to Sebastian Aho in early July. In the meantime, the wait continues.

Poll: Which GM Will Be Fired Next?

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Despite missing the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, the Vancouver Canucks decided to extend GM Jim Benning today. The reasons for that are complicated—and obviously do not hinge entirely on his postseason record—just as they were when the Minnesota Wild made the decision to fire Paul Fenton just 14 months into his tenure with the team. The inner workings of an NHL front office are almost never made public (unless there is an intrepid reporter like Michael Russo of The Athletic who gets the incredible story), and it is hard to see why some decisions are made.

Still, even the most casual fan can see the seat of specific executives and coaches heating up. When the Edmonton Oilers decided to move on from Peter Chiarelli during another disappointing season, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. On the other hand, it was easy to see why the Carolina Hurricanes recently locked up Don Waddell after he interviewed for another job.

Looking around the league, who is next? Which GM will be let go, either this year or next summer?

It might be easy to look at the teams that have struggled recently, but many of them have replaced their top hockey operations executive over the last few seasons. The Oilers brought in Ken Holland to change the culture in Edmonton, while Steve Yzerman returned to the Detroit Red Wings to bring a new voice to a stagnant team. Florida has gone through quite a bit of turmoil in the front office since their ownership changed but Dale Tallon now seems to be entrenched as a veteran leader.

There are others though that may not be so lucky. The Ottawa Senators are heading in a new direction after shedding their previous core, but if the young talent doesn’t develop as hoped Pierre Dorion could be held responsible. John Chayka was the youngest GM in history when he took over the Arizona Coyotes in 2016, but they still haven’t made the playoffs under his watch and now have new ownership of their own. Jason Botterill was expected to have success in Buffalo after finding so much of it in Pittsburgh, but the Sabres haven’t been able to build a full roster around Jack Eichel despite some outstanding individual players.

Nothing is certain when it comes to front offices however. Cast your vote below and explain just why you think they’ll be the first to go!

[Mobile users click here to vote]

*We’ve used Kelly McCrimmon as the Vegas GM, though he won’t officially take that title from George McPhee until September

Victor Hedman Has Fully Recovered From Late-Season Injury

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  • Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman was banged up down the stretch which played a role in their shocking early exit from the postseason. Speaking with NHL.com’s David Satriano, the rearguard stated that he has been skating regularly throughout the summer and that is fully recovered from the undisclosed issue that kept him out of the final two games of their first-round exit to Columbus.  Hedman had 54 points last season in 70 games, his lowest total in three seasons.

Detroit Red Wings Acquire Adam Erne

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8:15pm: CapFriendly reports that the Red Wings have signed Erne to a one-year, one-way contract worth $1.05MM. The young forward will still be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal and will once again have arbitration rights.

1:02pm: The Detroit Red Wings have added to their forward group, acquiring Adam Erne from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 2020 fourth-round pick. Erne is currently a restricted free agent who chose not to file for arbitration.

The 24-year old forward finally broke into the NHL on a full-time basis in 2018-19, playing 65 games for the Lightning and racking up 20 points. That production actually included three game-winning goals and he even saw a bit of time on the powerplay despite averaging just 10:33 of ice time. Originally selected in the second round (33th overall) of the 2013 draft, the physical forward will now follow former Lightning GM Steve Yzerman to the Red Wings.

For Detroit, this gives the team another young player to insert into a lineup that is still likely a few years away from really contending. He’ll fit right into their core age group with Dylan Larkin (23), Tyler Bertuzzi (24), Anthony Mantha (24) and Andreas Athanasiou (25). There also is likely a bigger opportunity for Erne to see some time in the top-nine, a role that was much tougher to achieve in Tampa Bay. In 172 career AHL games, Erne has recorded 98 points and was a good offensive option in junior.

Tampa Bay meanwhile will open up some extra cap room by not signing the restricted free agent and have plenty of depth to fill his role in the NHL. Young players like Carter Verhaeghe, Mitchell Stephens and Alexander Volkov will get a chance to compete for his roster spot and get into some NHL action. The Lightning need all the room they can get in order to sign Brayden Point and will take advantage of their bottom-six depth.

Still, it’s a nice little trade for the Red Wings who already have five picks in the first three rounds of the 2020 draft. Getting a legitimate NHL player for a fourth-round pick is a trade off Yzerman will likely make every time at this point in their rebuild.

Red Wings Notes: Zadina, Green, Blashill

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After lucking out in the 2018 draft when star prospect Filip Zadina slid a few picks right into the hands of the Detroit Red Wings at No. 6, expectations have been high for the highly-touted winger. After a respectable season in the AHL, those expectations have only increased as many fans hope to see Zadina in the top-six as quick as possible. However, NHL.com’s Nicholas Cotsonika writes that the 19-year-old is likely going to find himself back in Grand Rapids to start the season.

Zadina hasn’t had as much time to train this offseason as he strained a hamstring while training and was limited during Red Wings development camp earlier this summer. However, the youngster also must prove that he can play a two-way game, something that he has struggled with. He finished last season in the AHL with 16 goals and 35 points, but also had a minus-17 in that span as well as a minus-five in nine games with the Red Wings. The team would like to see Zadina improve on those numbers before bringing him in a top-six role.

Of course, a dominant performance in training camp could change the minds of the Detroit coaching staff, but for the moment, it looks like Zadina might have to start his season in Grand Rapids.

  • MLive’s Ansar Khan writes that after missing 39 games last season, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Mike Green finally looks healthy and should be able to contribute big minutes in Detroit. Nothing went right for Green who missed all of training camp and several games to start the season with a virus. He then lost another 13 games with a foot injury during December and January and never found any rhythm because of that. Despite that, he still finished second among defenseman in scoring, who had five goals and 26 points in just 43 games. Now healthy, Green could become a serious threat again for the team, especially on the power play.
  • NBC Sports Scott Billeck looks into how long new general manager Steve Yzerman might stick with head coach Jeff Blashill. Usually, new GMs like to choose their own head coaches, but Yzerman did not get that opportunity as former GM Ken Holland handed Blashill a two-year extension just before Yzerman joined the organization. Despite the lack of wins, Blashill has proven to be an excellent coach who is adept at developing young players as he has gotten the most out of Dylan Larkin, Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha so far in their young careers. The team hopes he can continue to develop some of their other prospects as well. However, Yzerman who is adept at building a winner as well, will be who decides how long Blashill stays with the organization.

Snapshots: Shattenkirk, Miller, Malik

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There appears to have been more interest in Kevin Shattenkirk than most anticipated, making his one-year, $1.75MM pact with the Tampa Bay Lightning all the more interesting. Earlier today, it was reported that the Lightning and the Arizona Coyotes were just two of eleven teams that reached out to Shattenkirk. Now, The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein states that the Anaheim Ducks went so far as to make Shattenkirk a formal, multi-year contract offer. He notes that the Los Angeles Kings also entered the mix. Colleague David Pagnotta adds that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, and Winnipeg Jets were also serious contenders. As for some of the other possible suitors, there was rampant speculation that both the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers would have interest in Shattenkirk. At the end of the day, the veteran puck-mover clearly chose what he felt was his best opportunity to return to form as a high-scoring, dynamic defenseman, playing with the uber-skilled Lightning. There were surely offers for more money and term than what Shattenkirk ended up accepting to go to Tampa, and what remains is to make the most of that gamble by asserting himself as a top option on a crowded blue line and padding his stats before hitting the free agent market again next summer.

  • Despite Shattenkirk’s ties to the city during his collegiate career, it’s safe to assume that the Boston Bruins were not one of the teams interested in his services. The Bruins are having a hard enough time getting their own right-handed defensemen under contract with limited cap space, never mind adding another to the mix. Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo remain unsigned and the team has acknowledged that one or both may miss time during training camp due to to the rigors of difficult negotiations. Barring some magic from GM Don Sweeney and company, Boston will likely have to make a move to free up cap space. While many hope that it would be overpaid and ineffective veteran David Backes leaving town, such a trade would be hard to make and/or would cost the Bruins too much in picks or prospects. NBC Sports’ James O’Brien writes that defenseman Kevan Miller is instead the most likely casualty. Miller is a strong two-way defenseman who can make an impact on any team, when healthy. The problem is that he is not healthy as often as the Bruins have liked, leading them to invest heavily in defensive depth, such as signing John Moore last summer and extending Steven Kampfer and Connor Clifton in recent months. The Bruins have the depth to survive next season without Miller, after which he is likely to leave as a free agent anyway. Eliminating Miller’s $2.5MM cap hit may give the team just enough wiggle room to sign McAvoy and Carlo to long-term contracts. Meanwhile, even with so many teams facing salary cap issues, there would be a market for Miller’s services as a year-long rental to play a shutdown role for a contender.
  • NHL scouts will have to travel to the Czech Republic to evaluate one of the 2020 draft class’ top goaltenders in-person this upcoming season. 17-year-old Nick Malik, son of former NHL defenseman Marek Malik, was drafted by the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in this summer’s CHL Import Draft, but will not sign with the club. His Czech junior team, HC Ocelari Trinec, announced today that their starting goaltender will be staying through the 2019-20 season. Malik is considered one of the top handful of goaltenders early on in the 2020 evaluation process, with one scouting source, Future Considerations, naming him their No. 2 goalie and No. 59 overall prospect in their preliminary rankings last month. The Czech keeper, who was actually born in Raleigh, North Carolina while his dad was playing for the Hurricanes, has turned heads with his calm demeanor and lightning reflexes in net and performed very well at the U-17 World Junior Championship last year. Rather than split time with new Greyhounds acquisition Christian Propp, who made 51 appearances for the North Bay Battalion last season, Malik will likely be the undisputed starter for Ocelari and will have the chance to make more appearances in the Czech secondary pro league.

11 Teams Reached Out To Kevin Shattenkirk

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The Tampa Bay Lightning snapped up Kevin Shattenkirk this morning on a one-year deal and the veteran defenseman is determined to make it pay off for both sides. Looking to re-establish himself in the NHL he told reporters including Joe Smith of The Athletic that he was “pissed off” when he received his buyout and now has a “huge chip” on his shoulder.

Smith also reports that Shattenkirk had 11 teams reach out to him once he became an unrestricted free agent, and Richard Morin of AZ Central Sports tweets that the Arizona Coyotes were one of them. The defenseman was close to joining the Lightning in the past when he was on the trade block but wouldn’t sign an extension with Tampa Bay, but now will have the chance to show the organization what he is capable of.

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