Atlantic Notes: Radulov, Jurco, Nylander, Hunter
Stu Cowan for the National Post profiles new Canadiens winger Alex Radulov today. The article discusses the obvious pressures of playing in Montreal, as well as the heavy fan attention Radulov has already received. Cowan, and Radulov, also discussed a past incident in which he missed curfew during the playoffs while with the Nashville Predators. Radulov has made it clear he believes that the past is behind him, and that he’s matured over the last four years. It’s mentioned that he’s now married, and a recent father. Real world responsibilities do often have a civilizing effect on people. The Canadiens will have to hope Radulov can prove himself as a player, and a person. In the wake of the P.K. Subban trade, especially after character was cited as a partial reason, Radulov and this year’s Canadiens will be under tremendous scrutiny.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Red Wings GM Ken Holland tells Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that forward Tomas Jurco will miss the start of training camp with a back injury. Jurco was injured while training in Slovakia, and had surgery on this side of the Atlantic last week. St. James notes that he’ll be far from the only Red Wing absent from early camp, with eight players participating in the World Cup of Hockey. Jurco, 23, had four goals and six points in 44 games for the Red Wings last year. The Red Wings will also be without prospect Vili Saarijarvi, who recently had wrist surgery.
- Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston wrote today about the Maple Leafs’ promotion of new assistant general manager Mark Hunter. In the piece, Johnston quotes GM Lou Lamoriello’s effusive praise of Hunter, and paints a portrait of a determined, hard working executive. Hunter heads up Toronto’s scouting and player development, and previously served as GM of the OHL’s London Knights, a team he still owns. Johnston also speculates about Hunter’s potential to take over for Lamoriello after he retires, while noting that another assistant GM, Kyle Dubas, has long been assumed to be next in line.
- Erik Wollschlager of Today’s Slapshot insists that Sabres prospect Alex Nylander should be in the AHL next year. Since he plays in the OHL on loan from a Swedish team, he’s eligible to play in the AHL, despite remaining junior eligibility. Nylander’s older brother, Leafs prospect William Nylander, played in the AHL this season at age 19. It’s hard to tell if he’s necessarily too good for the OHL, or ready for the AHL, but Wollschlager lays out a strong case.
Latest On Maple Leafs Roster Crunch
James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail joined TSN 1050 today to speak about a few Toronto Maple Leafs topics including Mark Hunter‘s new title and Mitch Marner’s shot with the team. He also was asked about the “log-jam” at the forward position going into this year.
I think there is going to be a trade coming. You remember last year there was that deal where they gave up five prospect type players to the Islanders for Michael Grabner right during training camp. That could be the kind of deal the Leafs need to make, where they just get rid of contracts.
There are so many forwards there that will need waivers to go down to the minors – you can debate whether they’ll be claimed or not – but there is definitely going to be a real battle there…not all those guys are going to be able to make the team.
After the Maple Leafs signed Brandon Prust yesterday to a PTO, they’ll now have at least 23 forwards in camp with NHL experience and a legitimate claim for a roster spot. While obviously many of these players could head back to the AHL (or in Marner’s case, the OHL), perhaps the Maple Leafs would want to move a few of the older bodies out in order to make room for their younger players.
Tyler Bozak, Joffrey Lupul and Milan Michalek all carry fairly substantial cap-hits, but also provide experience and some level of offensive ability. There are also names like Peter Holland, Colin Greening and Byron Froese who all have shown the ability to contribute in the bottom-six at the NHL level and carry much smaller salaries. If a deal is made – and even if one isn’t – expect Marner to stay with the club all season, after some strong words of confidence from his head coach recently.
Alex Nylander To Use AHL Loophole
According to OHLInsiders, Alex Nylander is expected to use a loophole in the AHL agreement to head to Rochester and play for the Buffalo affiliate next season. Nylander, 18, was drafted from the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL, and would normally not be allowed to join the minor-league until he turned 20. He’s not a normal OHL player however, as according to The Hockey News he played all of last season on loan from his original Swedish club. Nylander then qualifies as a European player, and is allowed to become a professional whenever the Sabres want him to.
The tweet compares the situation to a similar one in Dallas two years ago, when the Stars sent their first round pick, Julius Honka, to the AHL the season after his draft. Just 18 at the time, Honka had played his draft year with the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL on loan like Nylander.
Alex’s brother William Nylander, currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, also entered the AHL as an 18-year old two seasons ago after coming over from MODO in Sweden. He made his debut last season at just 19, something Alex will try to match – he already matched William’s draft number at 8, why not follow his older brother’s path to the NHL, at least somewhat.
For Buffalo, sending Nylander to Rochester will allow him to test his game at a professional level against men, instead of dominating the junior ranks. He could also still head back to his native Sweden to play in the Elite League, another option where he would be playing against older competition.
Snapshots: Prust, Hrabarenka, Bissonnette
News and notes from around the NHL:
- The Toronto Maple Leafs extended a training camp invitation to Brandon Prust. Prust played for the Vancouver Canucks last season, amassing only 1G and 6A in 35 games. The gritty forward peaked in 2012, garnering a four-year, $10MM contract from the Montreal Canadiens in free agency. The Habs then traded Prust in his final contract year to the Canucks for Zach Kassian and a fifth rounder—a change of scenery deal for both sides. Prust could not regain what made him popular early on, and faltered in Vancouver. We predicted Prust would get a PTO partly because teams believe he may have something more to offer. The Leafs take no risks with this move, points out GM Lou Lamoriello, and can sign Prust for cheap if he impresses.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs also extended a training camp invite to former New Jersey Devils Raman Hrabarenka (a.k.a. Roman Graborenko). The Belarusian defenseman went undrafted before signing a three-year ELC with the Devils in 2012-2013. Hrabarenka scored 20G and 37A in 142 games for the Albany Devils in the AHL, and was called up for one NHL game last season. The obvious connection here is that the Leafs current GM Lou Lamoriello was previously the GM of the New Jersey Devils. It’s unclear where Hrabarenka fits in as the Leafs have a logjam of average defensemen. This move looks more like an AHL restocking than a move to bolster the big club’s blueline.
- The Los Angeles Kings extended a training camp invite to former Arizona Coyotes Paul Bissonnette. Bissonnette last played in the NHL for the Coyotes, but has since been playing on AHL contracts with the L.A. Kings AHL Affiliates Manchester Monarchs and Ontario Reign. Last year Bissonnette scored 2G and 1A in 35 games for the Reign, and 1G and 1A in 13 playoff games. The Kings are up against the cap with just over $1MM in space, and if Bissonnette can regain his form he’ll be a nice addition for the team.
Keep track of all the NHL training camp invites with ProHockeyRumor’s Training Camp Tracker.
Maple Leafs Sign Jhonas Enroth
As has been predicted for seemingly weeks now, the Toronto Maple Leafs and goalie Jhonas Enroth have officially come to terms on a one-year deal. While Enroth is happy to find work and could see significant time with the Leafs, a quiet 2016 free agent market has claimed another victim, as Enroth signs for $750K after putting up excellent numbers as the backup for the Los Angeles Kings last year to the tune of $1.25MM.
Last season, Enroth joined the Kings, after a tumultuous time with the Buffalo Sabres finally came to an end, and in 16 appearances posted career-highs with a .922 save percentage and 2.17 goals against average. Going into this off-season, it was expected that his performance would lead to either an extension with the Kings or a promotion to a time-share with another team. Neither scenario panned out, and Enroth ended up waiting for either the Maple Leafs or another backup-needy team like the San Jose Sharks to come calling. In the end, the Leafs got Enroth, and on their own terms too, paying him half a million dollars less to have a more important roll: backing up Frederik Andersen in his first season in Toronto rather than simply giving Jonathan Quick a day of rest.
Snapshots: Hunter, Marchand, Karnaukhov
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that Mark Hunter has been promoted to Assistant General Manager for the team. Hunter has served as the Director of Player Personnel for the Leafs, after leaving his long-time position as the GM of the OHL’s London Knights in 2014-15. His role in Toronto has been overseeing scouting and drafting for the Leafs, a job that he will hold on to in his new position. In fact, GM Lou Lamoriello stated that Hunter’s promotion was “essentially a formality” and a “more appropriate recognition of (his) role in the organization.” Hunter will for the most part serve the same purpose to the Maple Leafs, but will now share the Assistant GM title with young executive Kyle Dubas, as the pair work to support Lamoriello and Brendan Shanahan in re-building the Toronto franchise.
In other news:
- NBC Sports’ Pro Hockey Talk reports that the front office for a Leafs’ division rival, the Boston Bruins, is busy working on a long-term extension for winger Brad Marchand. A fan-favorite in Boston who took off in his first full season and was a major piece in the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup championship, Marchand has never looked back, enjoying year after year of solid production including a career-high 61 points (with nearly 40 goals) this past season. Now the 28-year-old faces unrestricted free agency for the first time after the 2016-17 season, but the Bruins brass is hoping to keep him from seeing the light of day. Marchand is as tough in the corners as he is tough to slow down on offense, and fits the culture of Boston and the Bruins perfectly. So what will it cost to make sure he sticks around throughout the prime of his career? Pro Hockey Talk believes that Marchand’s initial ask was a seven-year, $49MM extension, which carries a cap hit of $7MM. However, they also counter that such a deal would make him paid higher than career line mate and Bruins legend Patrice Bergeron. This begs the question: will GM Don Sweeney really pay Marchand more than a guy considered to be one of the most complete players in the NHL and who will more than likely have his name in the rafters of the TD Garden when all is said and done? The answer is easy – yes. The team already pays Zdeno Chara, Tuukka Rask, and David Krejci more than Bergeron and with the cap increasing each year, paying Marchand $7MM annually, if he can keep putting up 60+ points per season and annoying every team in the league, is a no-brainer for Boston.
- Another rugged left winger hoping to make a difference in the NHL is Calgary Flames prospect Pavel Karnaukhov. A 2015 5th round pick for the Flames, the big Russian forward played his junior hockey nearby with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. However, instead of signing an entry-level deal with the Flames for the 2016-17 season, he returned home to Russia, signing with CSKA. In a new development though, FlamesNation reporter Ryan Pike says that Karnaukhov is not on the team’s roster for today’s start to the KHL season. Whether he has been demoted to a lower level affiliate or is having second thoughts, it seems possible that Karnaukhov could wind up back in North America at some point this year if he is not getting what he expected out of CSKA.
Retained Salary in 2016-17: Atlantic Division
As a new season fast approaches, it’s always nice to look back and reminisce on years and players gone by. Unfortunately for most NHL teams, those feelings of nostalgia are usually cut short by the realization that some of those past players are still on the team’s payroll. Retained salary is a fact of life in the National Hockey League, as buyouts have become commonplace and retaining a portion of an outgoing player’s cap hit is often a deal-breaker in many trades. Retained salary can last long past the playing days of a former player (see Vincent Lecavalier) or can simply be for just one year. One way or another nearly every NHL team has at least one guy who’s still being paid without having to perform. We’ve already examined the Metropolitan and the Pacific; below is a list of all the retained salary in the Atlantic Division in 2016-17:
Questions For Young Players Requiring Waivers
One of the trickier aspects of setting a post-camp roster is the waiver requirement. It is believed of any team’s prospects who aren’t on the NHL roster that they aren’t NHL ready, but possess the potential to get there some day. The problem is that sometimes a player reaches a level of experience that forces them to go through waivers to be demoted before they’ve reached that potential.
Some teams, like the Maple Leafs with Joe Colborne in 2013, trade these players and acquire an asset rather than losing them for nothing. Other times, a team takes its chances and waive a player, hoping nobody has the roster space or desire to claim them. Frank Corrado was waived last year, and to the consternation of many Canucks fans, was claimed by the Leafs. There are also likely some who get their roster spot over more deserving candidates because their team is scared to lose them. We’ll leave you to speculate on that one.
So, who are some of the players who could force teams to make tough decisions in October?
- Josh Leivo – Leivo has been a pretty good minor league scorer so far, and possesses a definite big-league shot. Last year, in 12 games with the Leafs, he had five goals. His skating has improved, and he’s got a big enough body to create space for himself and his big release. He’s also not in the realm of a can’t-miss prospect, and his peak role is likely as a secondary scorer. The Leafs have a lot of young players fighting for spots, and Leivo may be in tough. What makes it difficult for Toronto is that Leivo also doesn’t have quite the profile of a guy that brings back an asset. If he can’t make the team, and they think he can still be a player, they may decide the odds of keeping him through the waiver process are better than the odds of the late draft pick they might get becoming an NHL player.
- Scott Harrington – Harrington had a whirlwind year from July 2015 to June 2016. A second round pick of the Penguins in 2011, he made his NHL debut for Pittsburgh in 2015. He was then dealt to Toronto as part of the return for Phil Kessel. His season started well, making the team out of camp, and playing 15 games before being sent to the Marlies. He was eventually injured, missing all but 17 games. In June he was traded to Columbus for Kerby Rychel. The Blue Jackets are in a low-risk situation with Harrington. Even if they end up having to waive him, a condition of their trade with the Leafs was that should he be claimed, they’d also receive a fourth round pick. The Blue Jackets can afford to take the risk, knowing they will still get an asset in return should they lose him.
- Matt Puempel – Drafted by the Senators in the first round of 2011, Puempel looks like another player hoping to be a solid depth scorer. Last year he had 17 goals in 34 AHL games, but just two goals in 26 NHL games. We’ve written about Puempel’s push to get regular playing time before. The Senators have a pretty deep group of forwards to begin with. Puempel may be one of the more likely players to get traded on this list. As a former first round pick, he’s got the pedigree to entice a team into giving up a serious return, maybe a second or third round pick. But given the Senators roster, he may look good enough for one GM, even if he’s passed over in Ottawa.
- Ryan Murphy – Murphy was the 12th overall pick in 2011, and produced enough offensively in junior to raise hopes. He first played in the NHL in the 2014 season. Murphy got 48 games in, while playing another 22 for the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL. In the two years since then, he’s played progressively more in the AHL, and progressively less in the NHL. 35 points in 124 games as a 23 year old defenseman is impressive, and his AHL numbers are typically at or just below a point-per-game pace. There’s definitely still something there, but the Hurricanes seem to be giving him less rope every year. While it’s hard to know their thinking, they may see training camp as his last opportunity to demand a spot. The Hurricanes defensive depth provides yet another roadblock.
Veteran Candidates For Training Camp Demotions
We think of rookies when think of players who fail to make their team out of camp, or at very least players on tryout deals. But a player having tenure and a contract isn’t necessarily a guarantee of anything. Players aren’t “cut” like they are in football, since there are assigned buyout periods. There are, however, demotions, re-assignments, or on rare occasion, some players are just told to go home. Here’s a rundown of a few guys who shouldn’t go to camp complacently.
- Steve Ott – The Red Wings are packed with forwards, 16 of them in fact, and the signing of Ott is likely to force a younger player to earn his spot rather than have it handed to him. At 34, Ott played just 21 games for the Blues last year, registering two assists. His salary is also low enough to be buried in the AHL. He’ll stand a fighting chance, but he’ll have to grab hold of it.
- Ondrej Pavelec – Pavelec has had an above average save percentage just once since the Jets moved to Winnipeg, and some observers give him a big share of the blame for their lack of success. He played just 33 games last year, mostly due to injury. The Jets also have two of the best goaltending prospects in hockey in Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie. Pavelec has been insulated by his big contract for a while now, but with just one year left on that deal, it’s possible to imagine there’s less pressure in Winnipeg to get something out of it.
- Milan Michalek, Colin Greening, Brooks Laich, and Joffrey Lupul – We’ll combine these four to get all the Leafs out of the way at once. The Leafs have a ton of players. Especially at forward. Michalek, Greening, and Laich were all short-term make-weights in recent deals to dump salary and acquire prospects, while Lupul is a holdover from the last regime. GM Lou Lamoriello isn’t even sure Lupul can play hockey again. The Leafs also have kids like William Nylander, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Connor Brown, Brendan Leipsic, Zach Hyman, Kerby Rychel, and Nikita Soshnikov who all either got a taste of the NHL last year, or are expected to this year. It’s hard to imagine none are on the opening night roster, Greening was impressive after being acquired from the Senators. That said, the best hope any individually has is that the team decides they aren’t playoff ready yet, and plays them in hopes of a deadline move.
OHL Cracks Down On Fighting
In a move that may preempt the NHL doing something similar, the OHL has announced its rule changes for the upcoming season and for fighting fans – you won’t like it.
Along with changes to the icings and instituting a “blindside hit rule”, which will see a penalty be assessed if a player is checked from “the blindside” (a determination that is in the referee’s discretion), the league will now lower their fighting suspension threshold from ten to just three per season. Once a player is involved in three fights, each following major will incur an automatic two-game suspension.
In 2012-13, the league instituted the policy, with the threshold being placed at ten fights. Since then, fights league-wide have decreased by almost half. While the NHL wouldn’t make the same drastic change, for fear of upsetting part of its fanbase, installing these rules at the junior level will effectively end the development and encouragement of fighters as they move through the ranks.
Last season according to hockeyfights.com, only four players fought at least 10 times. Compare that to just five years ago, when 38 players passed that threshold, the leader, George Parros, dropping the gloves a whopping 27 times. While the Maple Leafs rewarded known scrapper Matt Martin with a four-year deal this offseason it was because he’s known as a player who can contribute, at least a little bit, while also “protecting” his teammates. The days of the enforcer are over, and with moves like today’s rule changes, they’re sure to never return.