Three PTOs With Best Chances Of Signing
Like the tide, every preseason brings in a wash of unsigned free agents, players making NHL comebacks, and veterans fighting for one last contract. And like the tide, when training camp ends few PTOs remain on the proverbial beach. This year at least 25 players have agreed to attend NHL training camps on a professional tryout basis, but only a few will secure an NHL contract. Last year over 90 players tried out for NHL teams and only 14 players ended up signing contracts.
Last season the Boston Bruins invited Lee Stempniak to training camp and he played well enough to garner a $850K contract. He drastically exceeded expectations, and now boasts a two-year, $5MM contract with the Hurricanes. Who are this year’s potential Stempniaks? We look at three players who are front-runners for contracts this season.
Kris Versteeg is an interesting case. Earlier this summer the flashy Canadian winger eschewed NHL offers for more money in Switzerland. Yet, days before training camp started overseas, Versteeg and SC Bern parted ways over lingering hip issues which prevented Versteeg from passing physicals and obtaining medical insurance. Within days, however, Versteeg secured a PTO with the Edmonton Oilers in his home province of Alberta.
Versteeg has the most potential out of all the PTOs this year, scoring 15G and 23A in 77 games last season with both the Carolina Hurricanes and the Los Angeles Kings. He flourished with the Chicago Blackhawks in their 2010 Stanley Cup run, but hip issues have sidelined Versteeg throughout the remainder of his career. And therein lines the biggest variable: is Versteeg healthy enough to help an NHL team? It’s his health rather than his skill that leaves NHL teams wanting, and any contract is going to hinge on Versteeg passing physicals.
Superficially, Brandon Prust looks like a gritty veteran on the decline—someone who lost a step in the last few years. His numbers seem to indicate the same as he scored only 1G and 6A in 35 games with the Vancouver Canucks. But what Prust lacks in production he makes up for in hard-nosed play. That is what garnered his previous four-year, $10MM contract with Montreal, and while that may have been an overpayment for what Prust brings, Toronto thinks he still has those talents.
A contract for Prust will hinge on his work ethic and gritty play. GM Lou Lamoriello is an old-school manager, and most old-school managers like to have veterans to mentor younger players in their development. Toronto is chock full of younger players, with 1st overall pick Auston Matthews set to make his debut alongside Mitch Marner and William Nylander. Toronto already signed Matt Martin, and if the team feels that they need a similar player, Prust will get his contract.
Tom McCollum is an odd choice here because perennial AHL goalies do not usually receive NHL contracts. McCollum, however, isn’t just any AHL goalie, and the Los Angeles Kings aren’t any NHL team. McCollum, a Detroit Red Wings prospect, flourished in the AHL, posting a 2.42GAA and a .923SV%. He has been the model of consistency for the Grand Rapids Griffins over the past few years. His lack of NHL opportunity comes as no fault of his own, but rather the logjam of goalies in Detroit with Petr Mrazek and Jimmy Howard.
The L.A. Kings, on the other hand, suffer from a dearth of goaltending. Known for years as a goalie hotbed, little remains behind starter Jonathan Quick this season. The Kings signed Jeff Zatkoff this summer, but Zatkoff did not perform well in Pittsburgh when given the chance. Outside of Zatkoff, the Kings’ cupboard is bare. Jack Campbell and Peter Budaj remain, but neither have shown promise. If McCollum performs well this pre-season, expect the Kings to sign him to an AHL contract as an insurance policy for Jeff Zatkoff.
Can’t Miss Games Of The 2016-17 Season: January and February
The start of the NHL regular season may be a month away with the World Cup of Hockey and preseason still to come, but it’s never too early to get excited for the best slate of games the NHL has to offer this season. Here are the can’t miss-games for the start of the new year:
January 1st – Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
An Original Six battle AND it’s outdoors. That’s what the NHL is bringing fans with the Centennial Classic, kicking off the 100th season of the league. The Atlantic Division foes will take the ice at BMO Field on New Year’s Day, as Mike Babcock takes on his former team, who will be marching towards their 26th straight playoff appearance.
January 2nd – Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues
The Winter Classic gets bumped to the next day, as the St. Louis Blues will host an outdoor game against the rival Chicago Blackhawks. While tight playoff races will still be months away, the first battle between Central Division contenders in the new year could have a lasting affect on their postseason chances. This is one you don’t want to miss.
January 12th – New Jersey Devils vs. Edmonton Oilers
In one of this summer’s biggest moves, the Oilers traded franchise cornerstone Taylor Hall to the Devils in exchange for defenseman Adam Larsson. What will happen when the former face of the franchise returns to Edmonton? If the teams’ performances to this point haven’t pointed to a winner in the deal, then this game should give everyone a good idea.
February 25th – Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Yet another outdoor contest, the Penguins and Flyers, perhaps the best rivalry in hockey right now, square off at Heinz Field in an epic showdown. With more than just a win on the line, prepare for a big-time battle between two talented teams. An added bonus: the trade deadline will be just days away, adding more pressure to the result of the game if one (or both) of these teams find themselves on the buyer-seller line this season.
Can’t-Miss Games Of The 2016-17 NHL Season: October
The start of the NHL regular season may be a month away with the World Cup of Hockey and preseason still to come, but it’s never too early to get excited for the best slate of games the NHL has to offer this season. Here are the can’t miss-games of October:
Oct. 12th – Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators
The puck drops on a new NHL season at 7pm ET in the Canadian capital, as the Sens host the Leafs in a rivalry match-up. With #1 overall pick Auston Matthews and newly acquired keeper Frederik Andersen expected to be among many new faces in the Toronto lineup, the Leafs will have a clean slate as they start the year off against old friend Dion Phaneuf and an Ottawa team looking to get back to the playoffs.
Oct. 12th – Calgary Flames vs. Edmonton Oilers
Later that night, the Oilers will open the brand new Rogers Place for it’s first NHL regular-season game, as they welcome their Alberta rivals. Edmonton will definitely be curious to see if the newly-acquired Adam Larsson can help to slow down the Flames’ dynamic duo of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Leaving behind Rexall Place and the many memories (though few good ones in recent years) they had there, the Oilers will look to start the season off on the right foot in a new building, while Calgary hopes to play spoiler.
October 13th – Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
The home opener for the 2015-16 Stanley Cup champs comes against none other than the 2015-16 President’s Trophy winners, as fans are treated to a battle of talent and intensity between two fierce rivals on just Day 2 of the NHL season. Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin will each look to start off strong and lead their teams to victory, as the Penguins begin a title defense and the Capitals begin another long march toward that elusive Stanley Cup championship.
October 20th – San Jose Sharks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins have another big game a week later, this time against their Stanley Cup competitors, the Sharks. The 2016 Stanley Cup final was one of the best in recent memory, with immense speed and talent on both sides and young goalies Martin Jones and Matt Murray standing on their heads. Though nothing can make up for falling short when it mattered most, you can bet that captain Joe Pavelski and the Sharks will be fired up for some revenge in this game.
October 23rd – Edmonton Oilers vs. Winnipeg Jets
The Jets will get their first taste of outdoor hockey, as they square off against the Oilers in the Heritage Classic. Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League, will host the game as these two Canadian teams look to battle it out, and at least put on a better show than the much talked-about Alumni Game.
Tavares Unlikely To Leave Islanders
ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that upon his arrival in Toronto for the World Cup of Hockey, the rumors of 2018 free agent John Tavares signing with his home-town Toronto Maple Leafs one day have again some to the surface. As they have so many time before, the rumors of a return are being shot down. As of now, Tavares’ only plans are to remain with the New York Islanders and try to lead the team to Stanley Cup.
A 25-year-old superstar, Tavares can’t help it that he is now the center of attention for hockey’s biggest fan base. The Mississauga, Ontario native grew up in the area as a Maple Leafs fan and acknowledged that there is always pressure for top Canadian players to “come home” and play for the Leafs. As a junior hockey prodigy, whose ascension to the NHL was on a borderline-mythological level with the likes of Sidney Crosby and more recently Connor McDavid, Tavares has heard the buzz before about being Canada’s next big hockey star. He’s lived up to the hype as well, with 471 points in just 501 career NHL games.
However, dominating at the NHL level brings with it a devoted fan base and deep connection to a team and city. As LeBrun mentions, Steven Stamkos was the most recent player to pass up a role as Toronto’s prodigal son to simply stay with the team that drafted him. An established star in Tampa, Stamkos chose to take less money and continue to lead a strong Lightning squad to further success. Rather than bolting for a new opportunity close to home, Stamkos decided to repay the organization and fan base for their continued support and dedication by working toward bringing the Stanley Cup back to Tampa Bay.
It seems likely that Tavares will follow suit. His comments on the matter have always shown a deep connection to Islanders and their fans and the young star surely would like to do his best to win a Cup with the team he has come to lead. With that said, there are still almost two years remaining before Tavares truly has to make his decision. With a new ownership group, constant concerns over where the team should be playing their games, and even some speculation that the Islanders’ long-term roster outlook is not especially strong, the next two seasons will be very important for New York. They don’t need to convince Tavares to stay, but they certainly need to avoid having reasons to leave pile up. However, as of now, LeBrun and Stamkos seem convinced that Tavares wants to be an “Islander for life” and the man himself has yet to disagree. Toronto Maple Leafs fans can keep hoping, but as it stands John Tavares isn’t going anywhere.
Toronto Notes: Shanahan, Prust, Rychel
Brendan Shanahan is entering his third season as president of the Maple Leafs after spending several years in the league office. While he’s used to being in a winning environment as a player (12 straight postseason appearances to end his career and three Stanley Cups), that level of success isn’t there just yet with the Maple Leafs. Shanahan spoke with MLive’s Aaron McMann to talk about the process:
“It’s really about developing a culture. It’s something that is said a lot but much harder to do than to say. We’re at the beginning of a rebuilding process, and certainly my experience early in my career in New Jersey and during the prime of my career here in Detroit when we won those championships, is something I’ve leaned on.”
Toronto finished dead last in 2015-16 and weren’t much better the year before, finishing 15th of 16 teams in the Eastern Conference. However, they have assembled a promising collection of youngsters in 2016 first overall selection Auston Matthews plus recent top picks in Mitch Marner and William Nylander while going out and adding Frederik Andersen from Anaheim, giving them a quality starting goaltender. As a result, it’s likely that they will start to make their move up the standings this coming season.
More out of Toronto:
- Left winger Brandon Prust says his ankle is “back to normal” after being shut down in March to focus on rehab, writes TSN’s Kristen Shilton. Prust will be attending training camp with the Leafs with the hopes of earning a spot on the roster to help protect what should be a very young lineup. However, the team also added Matt Martin in free agency to play that type of role so Prust will be in tough to earn a spot on the roster.
- After asking to be traded by Columbus back in September of last season, left winger Kerby Rychel is excited for a new opportunity after the Leafs acquired him back at the draft, notes Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star. Despite Toronto’s surplus of young players, Rychel believes that will benefit him, even if it makes his push for a roster spot more difficult. The 21 year old played in 32 games last season collecting just nine points but is just three years removed from being the 19th overall pick in the draft. On a team looking for scoring help, Rychel should be among the many youngsters to get a look in training camp.
Snapshots: Vegas Name, Concussion Protocol, Cowen Hearing
The Las Vegas something Knights.
What that something will be has yet to be announced, but owner Bill Foley confirmed on Friday that will be the basis for the team’s name. Foley appeared on Brian Blessing’s Sportsbook Radio show on Friday. According to Blessing, the team and league are still fine-tuning the logo, but the name and colors have been chosen.
Throughout the last couple weeks, Foley has trademarked several team nicknames, though he admitted they were a “ruse” to “irritate” people. It’s been long speculated that Foley wanted the team to be nicknamed the Knights, but trademark issues with the OHL’s London Knights will likely squash that.
The Las Vegas something Knights will make their NHL debut for the 2017-18 season.
Elsewhere in the hockey world:
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has an new piece up on sportsnet.ca about some changes coming to the NHL’s concussion protocol. Currently, team-affiliated “spotters” are responsible for noting if players have sustained a traumatic injury and are supposed to pull the player off the bench to a quiet room for further evaluation. However, there has been some debate that the spotters aren’t always doing their jobs properly. Now, Friedman reports, there will be four independent spotters watching all games on television. Should they see any visible signs of a concussion, they will notify the team that their player must be pulled from the game for observation. The in-house spotters will remain in each arena. According to Friedman, the full protocol will be revealed shortly before the start of the regular season.
- Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun reported that a resolution between the Maple Leafs and Jared Cowen won’t come for another month. Horby tweeted that the hearing will not take place until early or mid October. The Leafs acquired Cowen in the Dion Phaneuf trade back in February, mainly because of a quirk in his contract that would give the Leafs a salary cap credit if he’s bought out. Cowen underwent surgery after the season on doctor’s orders, and claims he is still injured and therefore ineligible to be bought out. Cowen is entering the final year of his contract, which pays him $3.1MM per season.
Kris Russell In “Serious Discussions” With Eight Teams
After Darren Dreger mentioned on TSN 1050 Tuesday that unrestricted free agent Kris Russell could still possibly be a fit for the Maple Leafs this season, he took to Twitter to clarify his stance, and the news he has about Russell as the season approaches. Dreger reports that the defenseman is in serious discussions with eight teams, and is expected to sign before camp starts.
While Dreger gives no hints on who these teams are, one can guess at least the Maple Leafs are still among them if he would go out of his way to theorize about them. We originally ranked Russell 12th among our top-50 free agents, assuming that his analytical detractors weren’t so widespread among league front offices by this point. That doesn’t seem to be the case however, as he’s languished deep into the summer without a deal and will likely have to sign one much lower than our expectation.
We predicted he’d land with the Bruins, though that now seems a fantasy after the team brought back John-Michael Liles and Joe Morrow on one-year deals. An interesting possibility is the Arizona Coyotes, who while at the forefront of hockey analytics, may still see his reduced market as a net-win, like they did with Luke Schenn earlier in the summer.
Either way, Russell will likely sign a shorter term deal to try and rebuild his value, something many teams could be interested in as injuries start piling up in training camp. Russell still is a capable NHL defenseman, though probably best suited to a third pairing at this point in his career.
World Cup Notes: Grubauer, Kopitar, Caps
With the news hitting yesterday that Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen will miss 3-4 weeks with an injured shoulder, thus taking him out of the running for the upcoming World Cup, Team Europe has announced his replacement today. Philipp Grubauer will join the squad as the third goaltender, suiting up behind Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss. Grubauer, a Washington Capitals product, played in 22 NHL games last season and put up a 2.32 GAA with a .918 SV%.
The 24-year old has performed well for his native Germany in international competition before, including three recent Olympic qualifying matches. Grubauer led his team with a 0.67 GAA in the three matches and helped Germany lock up a spot for 2018.
- Recently named Los Angeles Kings’ captain Anze Kopitar is getting used to having a letter sewn into his sweater, as Team Europe named him captain today for the tournament. Kopitar is the most talented player on the roster, and represented his home country of Slovenia remarkably over the years. He also recently led his team to a qualifying spot at the next Olympics, scoring five points in the three games.
- With the Capitals sending both of their goaltenders to the World Cup (Braden Holtby will be suiting up for Team Canada), Mike Vogel reports that the team will bring in Drew MacIntyre to fill a spot in their training camp. MacIntyre split last season between the Charlotte Checkers and Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, his 14th professional season. The 33-year old has six games of NHL experience, playing for the Canucks, Sabres and Maple Leafs.
Behind The Scenes Of The Busiest Day Of The Summer
The Oilers decided Taylor Hall would be the one to go shortly before the NHL draft, according a great new article by Elliotte Friedman about those crazy 23 minutes on June 29.
A couple of members of the Oilers told Friedman that they believed the team wanted to make it easier for Connor McDavid to become the guy in the dressing room, calling Hall a “dominant personality”.
Ultimately, while avoiding putting down Hall, Friedman’s sources seem to suggest the Oilers made the trade for reasons other than hockey, similar to the last time Peter Chiarelli traded a top-two pick from 2010. It makes you wonder what we don’t know, because making a trade to remove Hall’s big locker room presence, only to replace him with Milan Lucic’s even bigger presence, doesn’t make a lot of sense at face value.
Meanwhile, Chiarelli told Friedman that he knew he would be parting with a significant player because “everyone knew we were looking for a defenseman”.
The trade talks between Edmonton and New Jersey picked up steam two days before the trade was finalized. The two teams had been talking since the trade deadline, initially regarding Eric Gelinas who was later traded to Colorado. According to Friedman, “at some point, Adam Larsson became central to the conversation, but no deal was ever close until the very end.”
Chiarelli asked for more than just Larsson, but Devils GM Ray Shero said they couldn’t add anyone else for cap reasons. Which seems odd, because the Devils are still hovering around the cap floor.
As suggested previously, there were other trades looked at by the Oilers leading up to the draft. Friedman suggests Kevin Shattenkirk, Justin Faulk, Tyson Barrie, and Matt Dumba were all explored, but Chiarelli insists they “weren’t close on anything”. Edmonton was also kicking around a three-way trade with Columbus and Calgary, with the Oilers moving down to 6th overall to select Matthew Tkachuk or Mikhail Sergachev. Ultimately, the Oilers realized that Jesse Puljujärvi would fall to them and that would give them some flexibility to trade a winger.
As far as his post-trade phone call with Hall, Chiarelli refused to share details of the “private” conversation, but would say “there was a lot of dead air.”
Moving to the P.K. Subban blockbuster, Friedman said rumours about Subban being moved intensified in February after Canadiens coach Michel Therrien singled out Subban for a give-away that lead to a game-winning goal versus the Avalanche. Despite GM Marc Bergevin’s best effort to put a damper on media speculation around the draft, talk was running wild at the time, even drawing Canucks GM Jim Benning in, resulting in a tampering fine. Vancouver had an advantage of a high pick in play, but once it became clear that Pierre-Luc Dubois would not make it past Columbus, they were out. Colorado was unable to accept Subban’s $9MM salary, and apparently so was Edmonton. Chiarelli was unwilling to add the $9MM price tag to whatever McDavid will be making in two years.
Then Nashville offered Shea Weber. The older Weber was not what the Canadiens had been asking for – previously it had been Subban’s peers or packages of younger players. The enormity of the deal was not lost on the two teams, with one front office member saying “I think both teams had moments where they couldn’t believe what they were considering.”
Predators GM David Poile said the trade was tough, considering the major community presence of Weber. Poile said he wants to have a sit-down with Weber in the near future to tell him “how much he meant to us. It’s important he recognizes that. When a player hears he’s been traded, he doesn’t hear anything else you have to say.”
As far as the Steven Stamkos signing, Friedman revealed that the Lightning were close to moving him last summer before his no-trade clause kicked in, similar to Subban this summer. However, the front runners were the Buffalo Sabres who were unwilling to move the 2nd overall pick that would become Jack Eichel and talks died down.
Stamkos met with the Maple Leafs but decided that he didn’t want to leave, and ultimately agreed to the number proposed by GM Steve Yzerman back in the spring. Like Hall, Subban, and Weber have said post-trade, moving on is hard to take. As Friedman put it, “no doubt those same thoughts entered Stamkos’ mind too”.
Interestingly, Friedman spoke with nearly all involved in the day: Chiarelli, Poile, Hall, Subban, Yzerman, and Stamkos. Only Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin declined to speak, with one of his fellow GMs suggesting if Bergevin could have his way, “he’d never talk discuss this trade again”.
Frederik Andersen Out 3-4 Weeks
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen will be out 3-4 weeks after suffering an upper body injury in an Olympic Qualifying game with Denmark. Andersen’s expected recovery time still puts him in line to start the season with the Leafs.
Andersen suffered the injury after being barrelled into by his own teammate during Denmark’s 3-0 loss to Slovenia in an Olympic Qualifying match. He then flew to Toronto to be examined by team doctors. Andersen was slated to play for Team Europe in the World Cup of Hockey this fall, and is instead replaced by Washington Capitals goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
The Maple Leafs acquired Andersen as an unsigned RFA from Anaheim for a 2016 1st and 2017 2nd round draft pick. They then signed the Danish goaltender to a five-year, $25MM contract. Andersen was expected to start for the Leafs this season, and with opening night not until October 12, he has ample time to recover. Speculating on the injury’s severity, however, should not be based on the proposed recovery time as many players in the last few days have announced injuries that take them out of the World Cup. Players (and teams) are exercising caution when it comes to injuries, and may not want to aggravate an injury for a pre-season tournament.