‘Yotes Notes: Rieder, Dvorak, Smith
One of the more interesting training camps this fall has been that of the Arizona Coyotes, with their glut of young players trying to make it, and ongoing speculation about Tobias Rieder‘s situation. On Monday, the German forward inked a new deal with the team, ending his holdout. Today, as Sarah McLellan reports, he has still yet to travel to Coyotes camp due to a visa issue. While head coach Dave Tippett hopes that he’ll join the team tomorrow, there is no guarantee either way.
Rieder signed a two-year, $4.45MM deal, a deserved raise after scoring 14 goals and 37 points last season. An excellent checker, Rieder provides a two-way game with enough secondary scoring to make him a very valuable player for any team, especially one that will have so many young faces up front this season.
- Also from McLellan, Tippett tells her that Christian Dvorak and Jamie McGinn will both miss tonight’s game with minor injuries. They’re both hoping to practice tomorrow, but won’t know until the morning. Dvorak is expected to make the leap from the OHL straight to the NHL club this season after posting 121 points in 59 games last season for the London Knights. He added 35 more in 18 playoff games and would have had a shot for the player of the year award, had it not gone to his linemate (and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect), Mitch Marner.
- McLellan also penned a piece about Mike Smith, mentioning that he worked hard this summer to build up his strength and change his mental approach to games. The goaltender will have to be sharp this season if Arizona has any dreams of the playoffs, as the 34-year old is still their best option between the pipes. The former Vezina trophy finalist got into just 32 games last season, but is feeling healthy this camp. He’ll start for the Coyotes tonight against the Sharks in their final preseason game.
2016-17 Season Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs
With the start of the regular season less than a week away, we continue to look at each team’s offseason and preview the upcoming year. Today, we focus on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Last Season: 29-42-11 record (69 points), 8th in the Atlantic Division.
Remaining Cap Space: $2.03MM as per Cap Friendly (Roster Size of 23), expected to increase to by ~$14MM when Stephane Robidas, Nathan Horton, Joffrey Lupul are placed on LTIR.
Key Newcomers: W Matt Martin (UFA, NY Islanders), C Auston Matthews (draft, NLA), RW Mitch Marner (draft, OHL), D Roman Polak (UFA, San Jose), G Frederik Andersen (trade, Anaheim), G Jhonas Enroth (UFA, Los Angeles), D Nikita Zaitzev (UFA, KHL), W Kerby Rychel (trade, Columbus)
Key Departures: RW P.A. Parenteau (UFA, NY Islanders), RW Brad Boyes (UFA, unsigned), RW Michael Grabner (UFA, NY Rangers), C Shawn Matthias (UFA, Winnipeg), C Mark Arcobello (UFA, NLA), G Jonathan Bernier (trade, Anaheim)
[Related: Leafs Depth Chart from Roster Resource]
Players To Watch: C Mitch Marner – Obviously, one of the biggest storylines this year will be first-overall draft pick Auston Matthews and his ascension to the number-one center position on the Maple Leafs. Not to be forgotten however, is the other top-five draft pick that the Leafs have yet to unveil: Mitch Marner. Marner is coming off a season where he basically won every team and individual trophy possible, leading the OHL’s London Knights to the Memorial Cup and scoring 160 points in 75 total games (regular and post-season).
The diminutive forward played some center in junior, and was once expected to take that position on the Maple Leafs. Now that Matthews is in the fold though, the Leafs have been playing Marner on the wing to fully utilize his elite offensive skills. In fact, for the last two days at least, Marner has been skating beside Matthews on what would be one of the youngest lines in the NHL regardless of the third player.
D Nikita Zaitsev – One of the most underrated signings of the offseason may come in Leafland, as Nikita Zaitsev will make his NHL debut this year after a number of successful seasons in the KHL. The 24-year old has already completed seven seasons in the Russian professional league, starred internationally for Russia and even made his Toronto debut in the recent World Cup. His right-handed shot fits in nicely with a group sorely lacking them, and should immediately jump to the Leafs top two pairings (depending on if Morgan Rielly moves back to his natural left side or not).
Zaitsev is an all-around blueliner who can work in both ends of the rink, and contribute on both special teams. While he may not possess any one elite skill, he’s proven that he can compete at the highest level. Already turning heads at Maple Leafs camp, Zaitsev scored his first preseason goal against Montreal on Sunday night and, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, should already be considered part of the Leafs’ core.
Key Storyline:
While the Maple Leafs were clearly headed for the basement of the league last year (some would say on purpose), this year has a slightly different feeling in Toronto. While they’re not expected to make the playoffs or contend for any trophies, the youth injection is exciting enough to hope for a much improved club. With head coach Mike Babcock in no danger of losing his seat, the team can take a slow approach to development and shelter their young prospects.
In truth, the Leafs brass are just hoping for a slightly improved season, but will hope for another high draft pick to continue the rebuild. If they were to select in the top-10 once again, they could add another top prospect to their stocked cupboard, and focus on the free agent market next summer. With cap room, a hugely experienced front office and youth at all positions, the team is poised to succeed in the near future; whether that means contention for the Stanley Cup remains to be seen.
Professional Try-Outs Remaining In Camp
We’re now two weeks into training camp, and there are still a handful of professional try-out contracts (PTOs) remaining in camp. With the difficult economic situation in the NHL, these veterans have been forced to take PTOs to try earn contracts.
Here’s an updated list:
Anaheim Ducks:
LW Sean Bergenheim
G Yann Danis
C Kyle MacKinnon
Boston Bruins:
D Christian Ehrhoff
Calgary Flames:
D Nicklas Grossmann
LW Chris Higgins
LW Lauri Korpikoski
Colorado Avalanche:
RW Gabriel Bourque
LW Rene Bourque
Columbus Blue Jackets:
G Brad Thiessen
Detroit Red Wings:
D Nathan Paetsch
Edmonton Oilers:
D Eric Gryba
RW Kris Versteeg
Los Angeles Kings:
RW Devin Setoguchi
Minnesota Wild:
LW Ryan Carter
New Jersey Devils:
G Anders Lindback
New York Islanders:
C Stephen Gionta
St. Louis Blues:
D Mike Weber
Toronto Maple Leafs:
LW Rich Clune
D Raman Hrabarenka
LW Brandon Prust
C Colin Smith
Vancouver Canucks:
RW Jack Skille
RW Tuomo Ruutu
Information via Cap Friendly.
Snapshots: Capitals, Matthews, Benn
News and notes from around the NHL this morning:
- The Washington Capitals have released two more players from camp this morning. Goalies Adam Carlson and Drew MacIntyre were both released back to Washington’s AHL affiliate Hershey Bears. Drew MacIntyre was the more seasoned of the two, playing professionally since 2003-04. MacIntyre last played for Chicago’s AHL Rockford IceHogs, going 2-3-2 in eight games with a 3.03 GAA and an .895SV%. Neither goalie was expected to make the team—both were brought in to temporarily cover for World Cup playing Braden Holtby and Philipp Grubauer.
- 2016 first overall draft pick Auston Matthews is set to make his NHL debut tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. The Maple Leafs have high expectations for Matthews after his impressive performance for Team North America in the World Cup of Hockey. He scored 2G and 1A in 3 games and teamed up with last year’s number one pick Connor McDavid for highlight reel plays. Matthews is expected to center a line with William Nylander and Zach Hyman, reports the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan.
- Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn is expected to play the rest of the preseason, reports Mark Stepneski of the Dallas Stars’ official website. Benn underwent surgery this offseason to repair core muscles, and skipped the World Cup of Hockey to properly recuperate. He’s be at training camp this fall but has not played a preseason game yet. The Stars will be watching the game intently to gauge Benn’s recovery—he is the team’s most expensive asset after Benn signed an eight-year deal worth $9.5MM a year this summer.
Snapshots: Cowen, Werenski, Heatherington
The long and contentious Jared Cowen saga seems to finally have an end date put in place, as the arbitration hearing has been set to determine whether the Toronto Maple Leafs were actually able to buy out the defenseman. Toronto successfully bought Cowen out earlier this summer, but the NHLPA has filed a grievance and contends that they were not allowed to do so, due to Cowen’s continuing injured status.
On October 19th, according to Bob McKenzie, an arbitrator will decide whether to uphold or reverse the buyout. If Cowen wins, he would be due his $4.5MM salary, where as if the buyout was upheld, he’d earn just $750K this season and next.
For the Maple Leafs, that $3.75MM in savings would help the rebuild even further, as they’ve used their financial power to gain assets (or, usually, rid themselves of burdens) over the past few seasons. Cowen underwent hip surgery this summer and won’t be ready for any kind of hockey until February at the earliest.
- For the Blue Jackets, this season holds a lot of promise. One of the biggest stories will be the debut of Zach Werenski, the team’s top prospect (outside of perhaps Pierre-Luc Dubois). As Werenski gets ready to make his preseason debut on Thursday, he wrote a piece for NHL.com describing the journey he’s taken so far. “I’m trying to make the NHL. It’s a little nerve-wracking, I won’t lie, but I feel confident that I can make it happen,” he writes, being honest with himself and the reader instead of spouting bravado. Werenski certainly seems ready; he joined the Lake Erie Monsters late last season, and led them with 14 points in the playoffs en route to a Calder Cup victory.
- Still with Columbus, Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch reports that Dillon Heatherington has suffered a fractured wrist and will be out 6-8 weeks. A second-round pick in 2013, he was set to continue his development at the AHL level this season. Aaron Portzline, also of the Dispatch, adds that fellow prospect Keegan Kolesar has undergone hernia surgery and will be out at least six weeks. Kolesar scored 61 points in 64 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL last season, and will head back for one more year.
Atlantic Notes: Wisniewski, Girgensons, Marner
Despite plenty of postseason success the last two seasons resulting in two trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and a Stanley Cup Finals berth in 2015, the Tampa Bay Lightning have ultimately come up short of reaching their goal. Returning almost entirely the same roster for 2016-17, the Lightning should again be among the best teams in the east and one certainly capable of winning the Stanley Cup. And despite not adding much impact talent from outside the organization this summer, a minor addition might be the “missing piece” in the Lightning’s championship puzzle, opines Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.
Right-handed defenseman James Wisniewski, who missed all but one shift of the 2015-16 season because of an ACL tear, was signed by Tampa to a PTO and has an excellent chance of making the team out of camp. As Smith notes, the Lightning ranked 28th in the NHL in power play efficiency and that’s an area Wisniewski specializes in. The 11-year-veteran has tallied more than half of his 53 career goals on the man-advantage and has twice recorded seven in a single season.
The Lightning do list Anton Stralman, Braydon Coburn and Andrej Sustr as right-side defenders, though as a left-handed shooter, Coburn could potentially play on either side. Tampa also re-signed RFA Nikita Nesterov, another starboard-side shooter, further congesting that side of the blue line depth chart. But, as Smith writes, when GM Steve Yzerman reached out to Wisniewski, he indicated the team had been looking for a right-handed shot on the blue line who could help out on the man advantage and that should improve his chances of finding playing time in Tampa Bay.
Elsewhere in the NHL’s Atlantic Division:
- After a down year in 2015-16, Zemgus Girgensons is ready to turn the page and hopeful a consistent role with the Sabres will help him get back on track, writes John Vogl of The Buffalo News. Girgensons had a strong sophomore season in 2014-15 recording 15 goals and 30 points in 61 games. But under new head coach Dan Bylsma and moving back-and-forth from center to wing, Girgenson netted just seven goals and 18 points in 71 contests this past season. Bylsma is prepared to start the season with the 22-year-old Latvian at center with the hope it will allow him to rebuild some of his confidence. Girgensons inked a new one-year deal worth $1.15MM as a RFA and is banking on a much better season in 2016-17.
- Mitch Marner, selected fourth overall in 2015 by Toronto, is not a sure bet to make the Maple Leafs roster to open the 2016-17 campaign but if he keeps performing as he did Monday night, his chances look good. According to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun, Marner was “electric” on the ice and generated several quality scoring chances for the Leafs. Marner finished with two assists in the Ottawa Senators 6 – 3 win over Toronto but the 19-year-old pivot was the best player on the ice for either team and took a great first step in convincing the Leafs he is ready for the NHL.
Training Camp Cuts: 09.27.16
As the season inches closer and closer, teams have started trimming their training camp rosters already. With exhibition games and intra-squad matches taking place this week, the fat has been rendered so to speak. Here are some cuts from today:
Philadelphia Flyers (per Dave Isaac):
G Carter Hart (to Everett, WHL)
LW Carsen Twarynski (to Calgary, WHL)
C Connor Bunnaman (to Kitchener, OHL)
LW Samuel Dove-McFalls (to Saint John, QMJHL)
C Pascal Laberge (to Victoriaville, QMJHL)
C Anthony Salinitri (to Sarnia, OHL)
D Brennan Menell (to Vancouver, WHL)
D Garrett McFadden (to Guelph, OHL)
World Cup Notes: Gaborik, Getzlaf, Babcock
After Marian Gaborik was given a timeline of eight weeks to rehab his leg injury, sustained in Team Europe’s semi-final victory, head coach Ralph Krueger has replaced him with Mikkel Boedker in the lineup. While Boedker can be an effective player and has speed to burn, Krueger admits to Helene Elliott of the LA Times that it’ll be a step down from one of their leaders:
We’re losing some leadership and smarts on the puck that were exemplary.
Gaborik obviously is one of the most important players on Europe, with 933 games and 773 points under his belt in the NHL. The three-time forty-goal man put up his worst season last year while fighting injury, only scoring 12 goals in 54 games. The 34-year old will not be ready for the start of the season, making it even harder to bounce back after the career-worst campaign.
- Team Canada hit the ice this morning before the first game of the finals versus Team Europe, and every player was present including Ryan Getzlaf, who according to Pierre LeBrun missed practice yesterday. The Ducks forward was given a “maintenance day” in preparation for the three-game series, as he’s battling a few small nagging injuries. Now 31, the big center doesn’t bounce back as easily as he did when he was young, but has still played in 77 games in each of the last three seasons. While he’s a big part of Team Canada, the Ducks are hoping he comes back fully healthy, as a bounce-back year from him and Corey Perry is integral for a successful season.
- While the talk swirls about the NHL not heading to the Olympics in 2018, especially now that the World Cup has been a success, one influential voice sounds unconvinced. When asked about the difference between the two events, Team Canada head coach Mike Babcock said “The World Cup is great, but it’s not the Olympics. Let’s not get confused.” As Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports, the Maple Leafs coach would like to see the event spread across two cities so that only night games were played, while having only countries compete. These changes would make it more like the Olympics, and would seem to be a future plan for the NHL’s tournament. If the league doesn’t go in 2018 (which it doesn’t look likely to), the World Cup will have to become the preeminent international event. Having Team North America and Team Europe prevents it from ever fully replacing the Olympics, despite their success as individual story lines.
Potential Landing Spots For Trouba
After the report came out that Jets restricted free agent defenseman Jacob Trouba had asked for a trade out of Winnipeg, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff stated that he would do what’s “best for the team” in handling the situation. Although the Jets have all of the leverage – Trouba’s only choice other than to re-sign with Winnipeg or accept a trade and sign is to play overseas – they are on the clock to figure out what to do about the young blue liner. With Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers, and Paul Postma already on the roster, losing Trouba would not be as catastrophic for the Jets as it would be for most teams, but they are also not going to just give him away. A young, right-shot defenseman is one of the most valuable assets in the NHL, and the Jets should be able to get quite the package in return for Trouba. However, that price will inevitably drop the further the stand-off lasts into the regular season, and should the Jets fail to make a move by December 1st, the signing deadline for RFA’s, then Trouba will not be allowed to play at all in 2016-17 and the price will plummet.
Nearly every team in the NHL is probably kicking the tires on Trouba right now, but the list of teams who are actually willing and capable of making the deal is actually fairly short. Although Trouba’s agent Kevin Overhardt says that the main reason that Trouba wants out of Winnipeg is the lack of opportunity behind Byfuglien and Myers, the relationship between the team and the young defenseman began to break down last year when it was reported that Trouba was looking for $7MM per year. If the 22-year-old really is holding to a $6MM to $7MM yearly price tag, several D-needy teams with cap troubles, like the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, and Colorado Avalanche may have a difficult time making a deal without sending significant salary the other way. The problem with that is whether Winnipeg is willing to take on high-salary players. Their ideal package will likely include a young left-shot defenseman and a young forward, rather than any high-priced veterans. With that criteria in mind, here are the most likely destinations for Trouba if his trade request does pan out:
Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes are actually very deep on the right side of the blue line, with Michael Stone, Connor Murphy, Luke Schenn and Zbynek Michalek in the fold, but have long been pursuing a true top-pair partner for Oliver Ekman-Larsson. They are also armed with the deepest prospect system in the NHL, and could offer the Jets any number of elite young forwards to make this deal happen. If Winnipeg holds tight to their request for a young lefty defenseman, it’s possible that GM John Chayka could part with 2016 first-rounder Jakob Chychrun. If he’s not, the pickings are slim at left defense. The Coyotes have the most quality young talent up front to offer the Jets, but would also have to suffer a high cost as a Western Conference competitor. Arizona has been connected to Trouba in the rumor mill for months, but are they willing to pay the price to get him?
Boston Bruins
The Bruins defense is nothing to write home about. In fact, a team that was the best two-way squad in the league a few short years ago has missed the playoffs is back-to-back years due mostly in part to poor play on the back end. Boston is slated to enter the 2016-17 season with Colin Miller, Kevan Miller, and Adam McQuaid as their starters on the right side, even though all three would be bottom pair or extra defenseman on most teams in the NHL. Colin Miller has potential, as does Brandon Carlo, who is looking to win a job this year, and 2016 first-rounder Charlie McAvoy looks like a future star. That won’t stop GM Don Sweeney from jumping at the chance to acquire a young right-shot stalwart though. The Bruins have the roster and cap space to bring in Trouba and put him on the top pair with Torey Krug or Zdeno Chara. The question for the Bruins is whether or not they have the pieces to make it happen. At left defense, Krug is untouchable and former top picks Joe Morrow and Linus Arnesson have yet to establish themselves as reliable pros. The Jets would have to accept a top prospect like Jakub Zboril or Jeremy Lauzon at the position, as well as one or more of the Bruins deep group of forward prospects. The Bruins do have more to choose from in quality centers in the system, Winnipeg’s biggest need up front, than the Coyotes or Maple Leafs do. The last time the Jets (read: Thrashers) made a deal with the Bruins, they ended up with captain Blake Wheeler. The pair could swing another big deal with Trouba.
Edmonton Oilers
The situation with Edmonton is pretty cut-and-dry. A young team on the cusp of finally putting it all together, the Oilers still have concerns on defense even after trading away Taylor Hall to get Adam Larsson. If they could add Trouba to the mix, it would be a great addition. However, the cost would be a young roster defenseman on the left side, whether that’s Darnell Nurse, Oscar Klefbom, or maybe Griffin Reinhart. Depending on which one, other picks and prospects would be involved as well. Not only a conference opponent, but also a Canadian rival, Edmonton will not get Trouba at a discount rate from Winnipeg. If GM Peter Chiarelli is unwilling to part with one of his current defensive core, the Oilers lack the ability to bring in Trouba.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils defense is perhaps the worst in the NHL. They also have more available cap space than nearly any other team. Acquiring Trouba makes too much sense for the Devils, but can they get it done? If the Jets aren’t interested in Jon Merrill, New Jersey has almost nothing to offer at left defense. GM Ray Shero could offer up a 1st-round pick instead, guaranteed to be a lottery pick, and a top prospect like Pavel Zacha or one of their two 2016 1st-rounders, but whether he would do that and whether Winnipeg would accept it is another thing. The Devils will likely try hard for Trouba, but are only as likely as the teams with no cap space to somehow force a deal. The fit doesn’t seem to be there.
Toronto Maple Leafs
It would be nearly impossible for the Red Wings to fit Trouba’s new contract on the books, and also very hard for the Rangers or Avs to find the flexibility. Just inside the range of teams who could somehow make it work are the Maple Leafs. With only import Nikita Zaitsev and veteran Roman Polak as right-shot defenseman on the roster, as well as no one resembling a future top-pair righty in the system, Toronto would love to capitalize on Trouba’s availability and acquire a long-term partner for Morgan Rielly. Jake Gardiner or Martin Marincin might not be what Winnipeg is looking for, but like New Jersey, Toronto can offer a high first-rounder, or enough forward talent to offset a weaker left-shot defenseman. The fit is not great, but there are options there for GM Lou Lamoriello to make a suitable offer to the Jets.
Players Changing Positions Up Front In 2016-17
Often, players around the league will be thrust into new situations and responsibilities because of injury or ineffectiveness on the part of someone else. Sometimes they thrive in this new role, and sometimes they just can’t quite make it work. Here are a few players who will be changing roles this season:
Dylan Larkin – Moving to C – As Ansar Khan of Mlive writes in his latest column, the Red Wings are looking for an answer down the middle after the departure of Pavel Datsyuk to the KHL. Larkin, originally drafted as a centerman out of the US development program, will be moved back to the position for the upcoming year.
In his own words, he’s “going to have to work on faceoffs and little details that are going make me a better player all around and better in the defensive zone.” Indeed, if the Red Wings want to replace Datsyuk’s excellent two-way game, Larkin will need to concentrate on the defensive end a little bit more. He clearly has all the talent to make it work offensively.
William Nylander – Moving to W – In a case of the opposite transition, Nylander of the Maple Leafs is preparing to play much of this season on the wing of Auston Matthews, a pair that head coach Mike Babcock wants to keep together for a while to see if he can create some chemistry. While Babcock admits that Nylander may still take some draws on the right side, he won’t have to be as responsible for the defensive side of the centering a line – something that he struggled with last season.
Another possible Maple Leafs candidate for the transition is Mitch Marner, the uber-prospect who some think is too small to play center in the NHL. If he makes the squad, he’d be hard pressed to knock one of Matthews, Nazem Kadri or Tyler Bozak out of that role, leading to a potential pairing with one of them to start his young career.
Tomas Hertl – Moving to C – While this one actually happened midway through last season, it’s important to note that Hertl will be coming into this camp as a center, and will be pushed to develop and stay at the spot. He’s spent much of his career thus far on Joe Thornton‘s wing, but will now be a big piece of the Sharks down the middle. Even on the third line, Hertl can provide impact with his blazing speed and nifty offensive hands; if he’s to become a future first line centerman though, he’ll have to develop the defensive game just like Larkin.
Mikael Granlund – Moving to W – Another player who made the switch late last year, Granlund excelled on the wing and impressed GM Chuck Fletcher so much that he’ll be moved there again this year. The Wild’s signing of Eric Staal makes sure of that, as they now have a handful of centers that could suit up on the top two lines. Granlund will be allowed to focus on his offense, something that the Wild think will do him wonders. The 24-year old has provided strong play-making ability in his short career, racking up 101 assists in 240 games; from the wing, perhaps he’ll be able to build on his career-high goal total of 13 last season.