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Snapshots: Playoffs, Hoffman, Schedule, Travel, 2021-22 Season

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With the agreement between the NHL and NHLPA official now in the books after both sides have voted to approve it, teams would play their entire season within their own conference (altered conferences can be found here). From there, the playoffs will not alter from the regular season too much as the top four teams in each division will play against each other with 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 for the first two rounds, according to NHL.com’s John Shannon. Each division winner gets a spot in the Stanley Cup semifinals, seeded by their regular season points percentage.

  • With the rumors and now agreement on a 56-game season, the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that there is plenty of talks heating up around the top unrestricted free agent still available on the market in Mike Hoffman. The 31-year-old is coming off a 29-goal season last year in 69 games and had a 36-goal campaign the previous year. Garrioch reports that as many as six teams are in on him. However, most teams are already tight against the salary cap, which has complicated his status and why he has waited this long. Hoffman has been talked about in a number of situations, including Nashville, Boston and Columbus with several other teams in the mix.
  • Garrioch also notes that a schedule is expected to be released mid-week this week once the NHL comes to an agreement with the Canadian provinces. While most of the talk between the NHL and the Canadian provinces are centering around the Canucks and B.C., there still hasn’t been an agreement with the province of Ontario either regarding whether the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators will be able to play in their own rinks. It is believed that an agreement with Ontario should be easier to finalize, however, than with B.C. Garrioch adds that even if there is a province-wide lockdown, it shouldn’t affect Ottawa’s training camp, although access to the training facility would be really limited.
  • While restrictions should be better for players as they no longer will be forced into a bubble like during the playoffs, the travel restrictions for teams that go on the road will not be much better, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli. Players and staff will be restricted to the game rink, practice rink or the hotel. No exceptions, including food.
  • Seravalli notes that NHL players have the right to opt out of the 2020-21 season, but the league “may investigate any circumstances … that these provisions were intentionally used to, or had the effect of, circumventing the CBA” for salary cap purposes.
  • Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the NHL intends to return to a traditional season for 2021-22, which is expected to start in October. The league had initially hoped to get an 82-game season in this year, but instead will shorten the 2020-21 season in hopes of finishing their season in mid-July.

Snapshots: Strome, Hallander, NHLPA Update

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The last few days have come with a few new contracts in the NHL, with restricted free agents like Justin Bailey and Oliver Kylington inking new two-way deals. We’re still waiting on the big RFA dominoes to fall though, with one of those being Chicago Blackhawks forward Dylan Strome who remains unsigned. This morning, Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman told reporters including Brandon Cain of NHL.com that the team has had conversations with Strome’s representatives and is optimistic something will get done, but couldn’t provide any timeline on the process.

Strome, 23, was included in our look at the mid-tier restricted free agents still waiting on contracts, but for Chicago, he’s all that really matters right now. The team’s roster appears largely set for the upcoming season, given that Strome’s eventual deal will likely eat up a good chunk of the remaining cap space. The young forward hasn’t lived up to the third-overall pick that Arizona used on him in the 2015 draft but does have 89 points in 106 games since coming to Chicago. As the team inevitably moves away from aging franchise icons like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane over the next few years, a player like Strome could step up and be a leader for the Blackhawks.

  • When the Toronto Maple Leafs dealt Kasperi Kapanen to the Pittsburgh Penguins, much of the focus was on the first-round pick coming the other way. The Maple Leafs actually acquired another piece in that deal though, 20-year-old center Filip Hallander, who had been drafted in the second round in 2018. Hallander was expected to come to North America this winter to take part in training camp with Toronto but is now going to stay in Sweden where he plays for Lulea HF in the SHL. Hallander has 10 points in 21 games this season and is an intriguing prospect for the Maple Leafs, whose system didn’t have much center depth beyond the NHL.
  • In his daily update, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweeted this morning that there is a call scheduled for this evening between the executive board of the NHLPA to update the player reps on where things stand. LeBrun does not expect the call to include a vote as the documentation for the upcoming season is not yet completed. While there seemed like some momentum for things to be finalized this weekend, it does not appear as that will happen tonight.

Maple Leafs Face A Tricky Decision With Frederik Andersen

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  • TSN’s Travis Yost profiles the tricky decision that the Maple Leafs will soon face regarding goaltender Frederik Andersen, a pending unrestricted free agent. With so much of their money tied up in their top forwards, they’re not in a position to be able to afford a high-priced goaltender but before last season, he had put up some strong numbers.  Now 31, Andersen will be looking to show that his dip (which included a career-low .909 SV%) was an outlier and not a sign of things to come.

Joe Thornton Returning To Toronto

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Veteran forward Joe Thornton won’t get to spend the holiday season in Switzerland after all. The 41-year-old has been recalled by the Toronto Maple Leafs and is on his way back to North America to begin his pre-training camp quarantine.

Thornton was signed to a one-year, $700K contract with the Maple Leafs this offseason but had been playing in Switzerland for HC Davos, where his family usually spends the summer. In 12 games for the club, he scored 11 points, a short return for one of the most legendary players in Davos history (despite his relatively low games played totals). Thornton had previously spent the 2004-05 lockout with Davos and had returned for the first half of 2012-13 when the NHL was on hold once again.

The former San Jose Sharks captain will start a new chapter of his hockey career in Toronto, the club that his father cheered for and one just a few hours up the road from his St. Thomas childhood home. While some may snicker at the idea that Thornton would chase a Stanley Cup in Toronto—a team that hasn’t won in more than 50 years—there’s no doubting the team is loaded with talent. Whether the addition of a grizzled veteran will take them over the top is still to be determined, though detractors will point out that Thornton himself has never sipped from the Cup.

Another thing that isn’t quite so certain yet is whether Thornton even has any game left. His point totals dropped off a cliff last season for the Sharks and though he has told the media he feels refreshed after the long break, 41 is 41.

Finland Announces Final WJC Roster

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The Finnish entry to the 2020 World Junior Championship later this month has the tall task of likely being the only thing standing between Team Canada and a group play sweep in the weak Group A at this year’s tournament. The roster that will face this challenge has been finalized and contains a majority of NHL prospects, but lacks some top-end talent and depth this year. Below is the roster for Finland’s “Young Lions” squad:

F Samuel Helenius (2021)
F Roni Hirvonen (TOR)
F Roby Jarventie (OTT)
F Benjamin Korhonen (undrafted)
F Brad Lambert (2022)
F Anton Lundell (FLA)
F Matias Mantykivi (BOS)
F Henry Nikkanen (WPG)
F Mikko Petman (undrafted)
F Petteri Puhakka (undrafted)
F Mikael Pyyhtia (CLB)
F Juuso Parsinen (NSH)
F Aku Raty (ARI)
F Kasper Simontaival (LAK)

D Santeri Hatakka (SJS)
D Ville Heinola (WPG)
D Mikko Kokkonen (TOR)
D Topi Niemala (TOR)
D Kasper Puutio (FLA)
D Ruben Rafkin (undrafted)
D Matias Rajaniem (NYI)
D Eemil Viro (DET)

G Joel Blomqvist (PIT)
G Kari Piiroinen (undrafted)
G Roope Taponen(undrafted)

The Finnish team, though it includes 17 NHL draft picks, is missing a pair of head-scratching omissions. Patrik Puistola (CAR), who led the Finnish entry in scoring last year and was eligible to return this year, was not included on the roster. Neither was Aatu Raty, a presumptive top-ten and even top-five pick in the 2021 Draft, though his older brother did make the team. Though potentially a stretch selection at his age, 2022 top overall pick candidate Brad Lambert will be an intriguing prospect to watch for the Finns.

Among NHL property owners, the Toronto Maple Leafs lead the way with three selections, all of whom should play crucial roles. The Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets will each have two core players as well. Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Blomqvist projects to be a workhorse starter for Finland in the tournament.

Russia Finalizes World Junior Roster

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Next up, Russia has submitted a final roster for the upcoming World Junior Tournament in Edmonton later this month. As usual for Russia, the roster contains a number of prospect names familiar to NHL fans, but also has a few players who have made their name in their native country but have not been drafted into the NHL. Below is the 2020 Russian entry:

F Mikhail Abramov (TOR)
F Yegor Afanasyev (NSH)
F Rodion Amirov (TOR)
F Zakhar Bardakov (undrafted)
F Daniil Bashkirov (undrafted)
F Yegor Chinakhov (CLB)
F Vladislav Firstov (MIN)
F Arseniy Gritsyuk (NJD)
F Maxim Groshev (TBL)
F Marat Khusnutdinov (MIN)
F Vasili Podkolzin (VAN)
F Vasili Ponomaryov (CAR)
F Ilya Safonov (undrafted)
F Yegor Spirodonov (SJS)

D Roman Bychkov (BOS)
D Daniil Chayka (2021)
D Semyon Chistyakov (NSH)
D Kirill Kirsanov (2021)
D Artemi Knyazev (SJS)
D Yan Kuznetsov (CGY)
D Shakir Mukhamadullin (NJD)
D Yegor Shekhovstov (undrafted)

G Artur Akhtyamov (TOR)
G Yaroslav Askarov (NSH)
G Vsevolod Skotnikov (undrafted)

This is a deeper Russian roster compared to some more recent entries, especially on defense – often a weak area – where arguably every player will be an NHL draft pick by this time next year. The team contains 18 existing NHL selections from 11 different clubs. The Nashville Predators and Toronto Maple Leafs lead the way with three prospects apiece, including several of the team’s best players. The Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, and San Jose Sharks each have two different members of the squad.

Unsurprisingly, all but four of Russia’s selections are currently playing in the country, participating at various levels including the KHL, VHL, and MHL. Abramov and Ponomaryov are currently playing in the QMJHL. Interestingly, the University of Connecticut notes that teammates Firstov and Kuznetsov are the first ever NCAA selections to Russia’s WJC roster.

USA Hockey Announces Final World Junior Roster

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A number of final rosters for the upcoming 2020 World Junior Championship have been revealed this morning, as the best U-20 players in the world prepare to compete later this month. Team USA gets us started, as USA Hockey has announced their finalized group. The roster is entirely comprised of NHL draft picks and presumptive 2021 selections, including sixteen players drafted in the first or second round, as well as 22 NCAA players. Below is the final roster:

F Matthew Beniers, Univ. of Michigan (2021)
F Brett Berard, Providence College (NYR)
F Matthew Boldy, Boston College (MIN)
F Bobby Brink, Univ. of Denver (PHI)
F Brendan Brisson, Univ. of Michigan (VGK)
F Cole Caufield, Univ. of Wisconsin (MTL)
F Sam Colangelo, Northeastern Univ. (ANA)
F John Farinacci, Harvard Univ. (ARI)
F Arthur Kaliyev, Hamilton Bulldogs (LAK)
F Patrick Moynihan, Providence College (NJD)
F Landon Slaggert, Univ. of Notre Dame (CHI)
F Alex Turcotte, Los Angeles Kings
F Trevor Zegras, Boston Univ. (ANA)

D Brock Faber, Univ. of Minnesota (LAK)
D Drew Helleson, Boston College (COL)
D Ryan Johnson, Univ. of Minnesota (BUF)
D Tyler Kleven, Univ. of North Dakota (OTT)
D Jackson LaCombe, Univ. of Minnesota (ANA)
D Jake Sanderson, Univ. of North Dakota (OTT)
D Hunter Skinner, London Knights (NYR)
D Henry Thrun, Harvard Univ. (ANA)
D Cam York, Univ. of Michigan (PHI)

G  Spencer Knight, Boston College (FLA)
G Logan Stein, Ferris State Univ. (2021)
G Dustin Wolf, Everett Silvertips (CGY)

The roster, which includes eight holdovers from last year’s squad and Knight returning for a third go-round, includes few surprises. As expected, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson will not be a member of the team as he is instead expected to compete for a roster spot in NHL camp, anticipated to begin toward the conclusion of the WJC. The L.A. Kings’ Turcotte was not given the same treatment, as he will compete for Team USA and then head to camp.

The other glaring omission is Boston Bruins prospect Johnny Beecher, who played for the WJC entry last year and had been in camp this year. The Boston Globe’s Matt Porter reports that Beecher tested positive for COVID-19, ending his bid for a roster spot. The loss could hurt the U.S., as teammate Caufield told The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler recently that he expected Beecher to play a big role for the team this year.

While the University of Michigan boasts an impressive three WJC selections for Team USA, Beecher and Thomas Bordeleau (SJS) were among the final cuts. The other player left off the final roster was undrafted defenseman Cam McDonald, who would have been the third inclusion from Providence College to join head coach Nate Leaman’s WJC team. Wheeler reports that Team USA GM John Vanbiesbrouck would have preferred 14 forwards and eight defenseman to their 13 forwards and nine defensemen, but that COVID protocols led to this final roster, insinuating that Beecher’s positive test likely led to roomate Bordeleau’s cut as well.

Among the 15 NHL teams represented on Team USA are four prospects from the Anaheim Ducks, a trio from the L.A. Kings, and four other clubs with multiple selections.

 

WJC Notes: Czech Republic, Alfredsson, Robertson

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The Czech Republic has cut their World Junior roster down to 28, the group that will travel to Edmonton to begin their quarantine. Three more players will then be cut from the official 25-man roster, but it looks promising for NHL prospects like Michal Teply, Adam Raska, and Jan Mysak. The Czechs will try to compete in a tough Group B where the United States, Russia, and Sweden—a team that hasn’t lost a group stage game in more than a decade—reside.

Lukas Parik, a third-round pick by the Los Angeles Kings, and Jan Bednar, a fourth-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings, will be joined in the goalie trio by a familiar NHL name. Nick Malik, the son of former NHL defenseman (and shootout superstar) Marek Malik has also made the team, though he was not selected in this year’s draft. The 18-year-old went last year too and actually got into one game for the Czechs, even though Parik and star prospect Lukas Dostal were on the team.

  • Daniel Alfredsson was contacted by the Swedish team that lost most of its coaching staff to positive COVID-19 tests, but he is ineligible to help out at the tournament thanks to quarantine rules. No other staff are allowed to be added to the traveling party at this point even if they are already residing in Canada, meaning the Swedes will be led by Joel Ronnmark, an assistant coach, and head coach Tomas Monten will help from home after testing positive. The Edmonton Oilers will also loan their video coach, Jason Pietrzykowski to the team, while Anders Eriksen, the coach of the U18 team, will serve as an assistant. It would have been fun to see Alfredsson behind the bench for the Swedes, but they’ll have to try and battle through this adversity without him.
  • The U.S. team was expected to name Nick Robertson to the squad later today, but Bob McKenzie of TSN tweets out there may be an issue keeping him from competing. The Toronto Maple Leafs have always been clear that they would let Robertson play if it did not interfere with NHL training camp, but as McKenzie points out, not only is the gold medal game scheduled to be held after the NHL is hoping to open camps, but Robertson would have to serve a seven-day quarantine if he flew from Edmonton to Toronto, potentially missing it entirely. Robertson did not attend the camp in Plymouth with the rest of the U.S. hopefuls, instead staying in Toronto to train (and avoid any border quarantines). The Chicago Blackhawks, who are in the same situation with Kirby Dach who has been named to the Canadian squad, have made the decision that he will have an NHL roster spot even without a training camp.

Snapshots: Vegas, Liiga, Sandin

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The Vegas Golden Knights have been in the news the last few days after multiple reports surfaced about the potential trade availability of Max Pacioretty. Golden Knights owner Bill Foley threw a bit of cold water on those rumors when he spoke with 8 News Now, saying that though the team does have some cap issues to resolve, they’re not “shopping” Pacioretty.

Still, Foley isn’t the general manager and happened to do the interview from Hawaii, meaning the reports that the Golden Knights have discussed a Pacioretty trade could still hold some truth. Quite frankly, even if they’re not shopping the veteran forward it would be silly not to at least explore trade scenarios, given the team will have to cut salary somehow before the start of the year. The cap ceiling isn’t going anywhere soon and the Golden Knights not only have more than $82MM committed to this season, but also nearly $76MM committed already to 2021-22. The 32-year-old Pacioretty carries a $7MM cap hit for each of the next three years.

  • Chris Johnston of Sportsnet tweets that when Finland’s Liiga returns from the current COVID-pause it is in, every player will be required to wear a full face shield in an attempt to reduce the risk of infection. As Johnston notes, the idea of wearing full face shields is not under consideration for the NHL. Not that many players would choose to wear one anyway, but full shields or cages are currently not allowed in the NHL unless medically required.
  • Speaking of Johnston, in a piece for Sportsnet today he also caught up with Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin, who has been working hard in his nine-month break to add strength in an attempt to crack the NHL squad. Sandin played in 28 games for the Maple Leafs last season but did not hit the ice in their postseason qualification round and looks like the odd man out after some offseason additions. The 20-year-old was selected in the first round two years ago and has looked dominant against junior-aged players (and even minor leaguers), but is sometimes outmatched physically at the NHL level. If that changes, he could push for a role on Toronto’s rebuilt blueline this season, especially if the rosters are expanded.

Toronto Maple Leafs Loan Kalle Kossila To DEL

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After playing just 12 games for the Toronto Marlies last season, it appears as though Kalle Kossila may not return. The veteran minor-league forward has been loaned to EHC Red Bull Munchen in the DEL today, without any indication of whether or not he’ll be back for training camp in North America.

The 27-year-old Kossila is on the second season of a two-year deal he signed with the Maple Leafs in 2019 and is due to earn a one-way salary of $700K. Signed along with several other veteran forwards to provide some depth for the organization, he suffered what was believed to be a concussion in last year’s training camp and missed a huge chunk of the season. It was eventually diagnosed as a migraine problem and he scored six points in just 12 appearances for the Marlies.

Now, apparently healthy enough to be loaned out to the DEL, Kossila will try to get his career back on track. The timing of the loan is interesting given the recent news that the NHL could be back training as soon as January, but perhaps this is just to get a bit of a head start. An undrafted signing out of St. Cloud State, the undersized forward has always been an excellent playmaker at the minor league level, recording 147 points in 182 AHL games. His NHL games haven’t gone quite as smoothly, with only three career points in 19 appearances.

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