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Jason Pominville Considering Buffalo, Montreal

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Less than 24 hours after our Brian La Rose profiled Jason Pominville’s continued free agent availability, The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin has an update on where he might be headed if he’s to continue his NHL career. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Pominville has two routes in mind: staying with the Buffalo Sabres or signing with his hometown Montreal Canadiens. Although Pominville has proven that he is still a capable NHL forward at 36 years old, recording 16 goals and 30+ points in each of the past two season, the veteran forward is well aware that the free agent market is tough and that the NHL is getting younger and faster, but he is not willing to take just any job to keep playing:

There are quite a few players in my situation, they’re not sure if they’re going to play, or if they do they’re not sure where they want to go… As for me, we’ll see. I’m staying in shape, but I’m not going to just jump into any situation. I do it because I love it, and because I know I still can play, but it’s going to have to be the right fit.

That “right fit” for Pominville also includes considering his family. Godin writes that Pominville’s children are at an age now where picking up and moving is not as easy. The family is entrenched in Buffalo and would like to stay there if possible. Of course, the Sabres are already over the salary cap ceiling for the coming season and will have to move a player as is before the season begins. Whether they look to use any space they manage to open up to bring on another player remains to be seen, as does whether Pominville would be a preferred target. The winger has played eleven seasons in Buffalo and contributed over 500 points to the franchise, but that doesn’t ensure continued interest.

As for Montreal, it would be a natural fit for the Quebec native, who still trains in the area during the off-season, and would likely be a more comfortable move for his family. Agent Normand Dupont tells Godin that he feels the Canadiens have not yet replaced Andrew Shaw, who was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks this summer, and feels Pominville could easily take on the two-way veteran forward role. In addition to the need, the Canadiens also have the salary cap space to add Pominville (or an even bigger name actually), so the fit there could exist.

This may not be an exhaustive list of who Pominville would play for next season, but his comments certainly make it seem like he would rather retire that move to an unfamiliar team far from his family at this point in his long career. A return to the Minnesota Wild or a move to other nearby clubs like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, or Pittsburgh Penguins could also be on the table for Pominville, even if not mentioned specifically. Only time will tell what the rest of the off-season will bring for the respected veteran, but he can certainly still play if the right opportunity presents itself.

Minnesota Begins Search For Paul Fenton’s Replacement At GM

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Saturday: TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports that Minnesota has asked permission to interview Canadiens assistant GM Scott Mellanby.  He has served in that role with Montreal for the past five years after spending two seasons as their Director of Player Personnel.

Friday: The firing of GM Paul Fenton by the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday certainly came as a surprise to many, but not those within the organization, writes The Athletic’s Michael Russo. Fenton was dismissed after little more than a year on the job after a tenure that Russo describes as “death by a thousand cuts.” There was no one thing that caused Fenton to lose his job, but rather mounting evidence that he was a poor fit in the organization. Sources within the team stated that Fenton’s dysfunctional style of running the club caused a negative shift in the culture, both in the locker room and in the front office, and an overall drop-off in morale. Owner Craig Leipold and company were left cleaning up after Fenton’s messes as a lack of trust and communication permeated the entire organization. Whether it was Fenton’s dismissal of analytics, his disrespect for incumbent Wild executives, his mismanagement of the coaching staff, or his failure to maximize trade assets, the GM was constantly at odds with everyone around him, including his owner. As such, many Wild staffers were not shocked that Fenton was fired, even at a strange time in the middle of the off-season, as Russo writes that Leipold has been distressed about the situation “for months” and action became inevitable.

So, now in early August and following a draft and free agent frenzy run by Fenton, the Wild are in search for a new leader for their organization. Given the struggles under Fenton, a first-time GM, Minnesota is understandably seeking someone with experience on the job. Among the early candidates to emerge were former GM’s John Ferguson Jr., now with the Boston Bruins, and Dave Nonis, now with the Anaheim Ducks, and experienced assistants Bill Zito of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Tom Fitzgerald of the New Jersey Devils. However, Russo reports that the team has chosen two free agent former GM’s as the first to interview for the position. Peter Chiarelli and Ron Hextall, both of whom were fired themselves during this past season, have already met with Leipold, president Matt Majka, and executive adviser Mike Modano about the opening, per Russo.

Chiarelli, fired by the Edmonton Oilers in January, has a Stanley Cup title on his resume with the Boston Bruins, but struggled greatly during his time with the Oilers. Chiarelli has also ended up on the wrong side of major trades and long-term contracts too often during his time in both Boston and Edmonton. There is no doubt that Chiarelli is an intelligent hockey mind, but there is some question as to whether he should be rushed right back into a top decision-making role. The Wild saw too many poor trade returns under Fenton, as well as a questionable free agent contract handed out to aging forward Mats Zuccarello, to put someone in control who they can’t trust not to continue that trend, so Chiarelli will have to convince the team that he has changed his approach.

As for Hextall, fired in November by the Philadelphia Flyers, some felt the former star goalie deserved a longer leash as GM. On paper, he left the team in good shape – ironically for replacement Chuck Fletcher, who preceded Fenton as Minnesota’s GM – but received criticism for his slow approach. Hextall may be a fine option in terms of hockey knowledge and ability as a GM, but Russo notes that, like Fenton, he has gained the reputation of being difficult to work with. An “intense” and “hard” boss, the fragile morale in Minnesota may not be ready for Hextall unless the team trusts that he will handle himself differently.

Russo points out that the Wild expect this to be a long, meticulous process and he does not believe that Chiarelli and Hextall interviewing first necessarily makes them the front-runners. In fact, it could very well have to do with the fact that neither has an affiliation with another NHL team at this moment. In addition to the other aforementioned names, Russo adds Dean Lombardi, Garth Snow, Bill Guerin, Chris Drury, Mark Hunter, Brian Lawton, Mike Gillis, and even reigning GM of the Year candidate Don Waddell, whose contract with the Carolina Hurricanes has yet to be renewed, as possible candidates. It is a long list of options with many different backgrounds and experience levels and it will take some time for Minnesota to sort it all out. For now, Chiarelli and Hextall are the only names to interview, but that group will expand as the summer wears on before the team makes a decision possibly months from now.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Matt Read To PTO

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have added some more veteran depth for training camp, signing Matt Read to a professional tryout. Read spent last season in the Minnesota Wild organization, though most of his actual playing time came at the minor league level.

Now 33, Read has had quite the tumultuous last few seasons. Signed to a four-year, $14.5MM extension by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2013, he responded brilliantly with a 22-goal, 40-point campaign in 2013-14. Read looked like he might be one of the best undrafted college free agents in history, but things quickly fell off a cliff. He scored just 30 NHL goals in the following four seasons combined, and found himself in the minor leagues with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to finish his time in the Flyers organization.

Agreeing to a one-year, two-way deal with Minnesota last season he must have known he was headed for the minor leagues once again. Read was an excellent leader for the Iowa Wild, scoring 37 points in 61 games and helping them to the first playoff appearance in franchise history. It’s surprising that the team wouldn’t bring him back, but perhaps Read believes the Maple Leafs provide a bigger opportunity.

Whether that opportunity really exists is unclear. The Maple Leafs have brought in a huge number of NHL forwards to compete for just a few spots at the bottom of the roster, including names like Pontus Aberg, Nick Shore, Garrett Wilson, Kenny Agostino and Kalle Kossila. Read provides just another option for Mike Babcock and the Maple Leafs’ coaching staff, and Toronto could perhaps be a path to redemption for the winger.

Snapshots: Marner, Murphy, Canucks

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The market for restricted free agents is still being held up by Mitch Marner and today James Mirtle of The Athletic (subscription required) examined the situation between the young star and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mirtle believes that the Maple Leafs have been “aggressive” trying to get the contract done and are willing to get into basically unprecedented territory for a three-year bridge deal if it comes to that.

Obviously there is still a lot of mystery and negotiating through the media in the Marner situation, but as we get closer and closer to training camp things around the league have to start to resolve eventually. Mirtle writes that everyone is waiting for Marner to set the ceiling on what everyone else can earn, meaning there could be an avalanche coming whenever things are resolved in Toronto.

  • The New York Rangers have hired Gord Murphy as an associate coach for their AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack. Murphy spent the last five years with the Philadelphia Flyers and has been in the NHL for nearly two decades as an assistant coach. In fact, he worked alongside new Wolf Pack head coach Kris Knoblauch in Philadelphia, meaning the two will have no trouble getting on the same page this year.
  • There are lots of questions surrounding how Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green will deploy his lineup this season, so Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet sat down with him to try and get some answers. Green is excited about getting players like J.T. Miller and Micheal Ferland into their group this season as they can play both checking and scoring roles. Quite simply, when asked about having enough talent to surround Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat on the top two lines Green responded “I do.” Green also admitted that he still hasn’t spoken to Loui Eriksson about the comments about how the two didn’t get along 100 per cent, though he is planning to when they next see each other.

Zach Hyman Progressing Well In Recovery From ACL Surgery

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  • Maple Leafs winger Zach Hyman told the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan that his recovery from ACL surgery is going well but stopped short of suggesting he’d be ready to go by training camp. He underwent the procedure in late April and it carries a typical six month recovery period.  Even if he winds up recovering ahead of schedule, the prudent move may be for them to still have him start the season on injured reserve to be on the safe side.

Mitch Marner Deal Holding Up Other Restricted Free Agents

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If the Toronto Maple Leafs’ negotiations with Mitch Marner last as long as they did with William Nylander last season, many other NHL teams are going to be in trouble. According to The Athletic’s Joe Smith, many other agents are waiting to see how Marner’s deal shakes out before finalizing terms for their own top restricted free agent forwards. A surprising number of prominent RFA forwards remain unsigned and could stay that way until the Marner deal sets the market.

Writing specifically about the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team facing their own RFA conundrum with breakout center Brayden Point, Smith states that the team expects Point to be ready for camp in September, but agent Gerry Johansson is content with the “slow process”. The agents for Mikko Rantanen, Matthew Tkachuk, Kyle Connor, Brock Boeser, Patrik Laine, and Travis Konecny likely feel the same way and are apparently waiting to see where Marner, the best of the group, ends up before moving forward. In fact, Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal also added today that things are very quiet around Boeser’s camp and he acknowledges that the process has been slow for most big-name RFA’s.

So what will be the first domino to fall? Will Marner really sign first and set the stage for everyone else? Or will another unsigned star finally budge and give the market a much-needed comparable? While Marner, who recorded 94 points in 82 games last year, is the most established player and considered the top RFA who would be the ceiling for the market, he was actually quite comparable to Rantanen and Point last season. However, the rest of the group could benefit from any of the group signing a contract to use as a point of comparison. At this point in the summer, the odds are high that at least one of these negotiations will last into the regular season. But if the reports are true that the market waits on Marner, those teams with top unsigned RFA forwards better hope that Toronto and their star winger are closer than it seems.

Atlantic Notes: Panthers, Schmaltz, Point

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The Florida Panthers are making a big push to become a winning team now and hope that after the acquisition of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky as well as Brett Connolly and Noel Acciari will be enough to get there. One reason the team wants to win now is that the Panthers have only reached the playoffs five times in their 25 year history and its time for that to change.

However, The Athletic’s George Richards (subscription required) writes that another reason that the team has pushed up its intensity towards fielding the best team possible is that it still has many core players who are under reasonable contracts, but that could change in the next three years. Aleksander Barkov has just three years remaining at a team-friendly $5.9MM and then will likely see his salary skyrocket. Vincent Trocheck also has three years remaining at a reasonable $4.75MM and Jonathan Huberdeau is currently the longest tenured forward at four years at $5.9MM. Already next season, the franchise will have to make some costly decisions on Mike Hoffman, who has one year remaining at $5.19MM, and Evgenii Dadonov makes $4MM for one more year. Both are expected to score big raises, especially if they can keep their offense going this season.

With the potential of eventually losing a number of their top forwards, the Panthers are making it clear that they want to win with this group now rather than hope their young prospects can quickly replace those that will eventually leave.

  • After acquiring defenseman Jordan Schmaltz Thursday from the St. Louis Blues, it looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs’ main reasoning might have been to get a solid replacement for recently traded Calle Rosen. The Maple Leafs had high hopes for Rosen, but because he was left-handed, there was concern how he might fit into the lineup. The Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons writes that the team liked Schmaltz because he was right-handed and was an impressive skater, something that Andreas Borgman isn’t. While he doesn’t necessarily have Rosen’s upside, Schmaltz at least should be able to provide better depth for the team on that side.
  • Diana Nearhos of the Tampa Bay Times writes that Tampa Bay Lightning fans that are constantly worried about the fact that restricted free agent Brayden Point hasn’t signed a contract yet, need to stop worrying. The scribe writes that there is plenty of cap space, up to $11.4MM, once they place Ryan Callahan on LTIR and the fact that Montreal showed interest in having Point sign an offer sheet even before they signed Sebastian Aho to one and he refused is a sign that he has every intention of staying in Tampa Bay.

Overseas Notes: Rychel, Enstrom, KHL

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After years of trying to find his place in the NHL, former top prospect turned journeyman Kerby Rychel has decided to take his talents to Sweden. Orebro HK of the SHL announced today that Rychel has signed a one-year contract with the club. Rychel brings with him nearly 300 games worth of AHL experience, as well as 43 NHL games. The 19th overall pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013, Rychel entered the pro level with high expectations as both the son of respected former player and OHL executive Warren Rychel and as a player who had done serious damage on the score sheet at the junior level. Rychel looked to be on his way to becoming an established NHL player when he suited up for 32 games with Columbus in his second pro season, but a trade to Toronto – in exchange for current Blue Jackets defenseman Scott Harrington – altered his trajectory. Rychel never played a single game for the Maple Leafs, spending close to two full seasons with the AHL’s Marlies. He was then traded to the Montreal Canadiens at the tail end of the 2017-18 season as part of the package for rental Tomas Plekanec. Despite performing well in a brief showing with the Habs, Rychel was traded again last summer to the Calgary Flames for Hunter Shinkaruk. Even as he was enjoying the best per-game production of his AHL career with the Stockton Heat, Rychel earned just two appearances with the Flames and the team did not make him a qualifying offer earlier this summer. Putting a tumultuous NHL career behind him, Rychel will now try his hand at the SHL. Orebro struggled last season, finishing tenth out of 14 teams and will be glad to add an experienced talent like Rychel. Between he, fellow new addition Ryan Stoa, and returning top liner Shane Harper, Orebro should pack some more offensive punch next season.

  • Given the lackluster NHL free agent market this summer, it’s no surprise that few veterans who had previously made the jump to Europe have been able to find a fit back in North America. Count defenseman Tobias Enstrom among that group. The 34-year-old has re-signed with his hometown team, MODO of the Swedish minor league Allsvenkan, the club announced. It is a new one-year deal for the captain, who returned to Sweden last off-season. A career member of the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise, Enstrom found himself without a home for the first time in 11 years last summer as a free agent without a market. He held out hope, waiting for an offer until late August, before opting to head home. In returning to MODO, the team he grew up playing for – albeit in the SHL at that time – Enstrom took on a leadership and also saw a spike in his production. MODO hopes that the strong play continues from their veteran ace, as the team looks to contend for promotion back to the SHL in the upcoming season.
  • The quiet NHL free agent market has had an overwhelmingly positive effect on the European leagues, as few players left their respective clubs while talent continues to come over from North America. While Sweden has had a strong off-season in the import business, the winner thus far in terms of NHL additions is unsurprisingly the KHL, considered to be the best of the European leagues. Among the players who have signed in the KHL this off-season are forwards Sven Andrighetto, Ty Rattie, Nikita Soshnikov, Jori Lehtera, Peter Holland, and Lukas Sedlak, defensemen Andrej Sustr, Igor Ozhiganov, Bogdan Kiselevich, and Jakub Jerabek, and goaltender Harri Sateri. It’s a valuable influx of talent for a league that is seeking better competitive balance.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Jordan Schmaltz

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired Jordan Schmaltz from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Andreas Borgman. The deal does not include any other assets. Schmaltz is in the final season of a two-year contract signed in 2018, while Borgman was just signed to a one-year two-way deal in March.

Basically, this is a fresh start for two players who were buried on their respective depth charts. Despite including a first-round pick and an SHL Rookie of the Year, neither club might actually be getting any actual NHL games out of the deal. In Schmaltz’ case, the 25-year old has never lived up to his draft billing as the 25th overall pick in 2012 and has just 42 NHL games under his belt with the Blues. He has been a solid contributor at the minor leagues, but has been passed over time and again by other players in the Blues system including most recently by Mitch Reinke, who was outstanding in his first season of professional hockey.

In Toronto though, Schmaltz represents some much-needed depth on defense simply because he is right-handed. Toronto previously had just Tyson Barrie, Cody Ceci and Justin Holl as right-handed options with NHL experience in the entire organization, meaning they needed to find someone else just in case they face injury. Head coach Mike Babcock has been clear in the past that his preference is playing defensemen on their strong side—except perhaps in the case of Ron Hainsey, who played the right side of Morgan Rielly the last two seasons. Schmaltz may actually have a shot at making the NHL roster out of camp because of this lack of depth, especially because Travis Dermott is expected to start on injured reserve thanks to shoulder surgery.

For Borgman, this could also represent a better opportunity to make it to the NHL, though he shouldn’t hold his breath. More likely the Blues wanted a player who was still waiver-exempt and on a two-way deal, in order to fill out their depth in the minor leagues. Borgman could potentially be an injury replacement at some point this season, but given the Blues retained their entire Stanley Cup-winning blue line while also adding Derrick Pouliot, it will be tough sledding to find much ice time.

Interestingly, both players will qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency next summer if they don’t get some time in the NHL this year. Borgman needs 32 games to keep him a restricted free agent, while Schmaltz would need 38.

Toronto Maple Leafs Announce Bevy Of Signings

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially announced contracts for several players:

There had been previous reporting about several of these deals, but the contracts were likely being held back because of the situation with Mitch Marner. The Maple Leafs needed to protect themselves against a potential offer sheet, something they can still now do following yesterday’s acquisition of David Clarkson. The Clarkson and Nathan Horton contracts that are headed for long-term injured reserve at some point give the team some added flexibility, but also require certain conditions to be met. In order to take full effect of the LTIR provision a team needs to be as close to the cap as possible, something the Maple Leafs will do with paper transactions involving players like this.

In fact, none of these seven may end up on the NHL roster to start the year. Any of them certainly could carve out a role for themselves in training camp and impress the coaching staff, but the Maple Leafs already had enough players to fill out a roster before announcing any of these deals. In reality they will serve as valuable depth for a team that expects to contend for the Stanley Cup, something head coach Mike Babcock was critical of a few months ago, explaining that other teams had done a better job of insulating the roster from injury.

Aberg, one of the players that had not been previously linked to the Maple Leafs, is also one of the more interesting additions. The 25-year old was selected 37th overall in 2012 by the Nashville Predators and at one point looked like an up-and-coming option for them. After scoring 31 goals in 56 games in the AHL during the 2016-17 season, Aberg was an impact player during the Predators’ playoff run, scoring a Bobby Orr-esque game-winner against the Anaheim Ducks in the Conference Finals. Unfortunately things didn’t continue on that upward swing and he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in 2018 only to find himself suit up for two other teams in the period since.

Gaudet too is an interesting name to see come across the wire, if only because of his connection with Toronto GM Kyle Dubas. Gaudet played two years for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL while Dubas was the GM there, before ultimately starting his professional career with the Portland Pirates. Dubas would be intimately familiar with Gaudet’s strengths and weaknesses, as would Toronto Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe who was also with the Greyhounds at the time.

The final name that hadn’t been previously reported is Kossila, who spent most of the 2018-19 season with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. The undrafted forward out of St. Cloud State has 19 NHL games under his belt but has been an excellent offensive player at the minor league level. At very worst he will give the Marlies some more punch up front.

All seven players will require waivers in order to be assigned to the minor leagues, though after inking so many of them the risk of losing some depth at that point is minimal. The Maple Leafs are once again flexing their financial might in many of these cases, offering one-way contracts to players who may have not otherwise received them.

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