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We’ve now gotten past Thanksgiving and the holiday season is right around the corner. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, the season hasn’t even begun. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for once the calendar turns to 2021.

What are the Flames most thankful for?

NHL free agency.

If you can’t beat ’em, pay ’em? The Flames haven’t made it past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in five years, so decided to point at the Vancouver Canucks—who came within one game of the Western Conference Finals—and say “I want that.” When free agency came along, Calgary spent big on Jacob Markstrom and Chris Tanev, both key members of the Canucks playoff run and veterans of the fierce Pacific Division. Markstrom, who signed a six-year $36MM contract with the Flames has a chance to be the team’s first long-term starter since Miikka Kiprusoff retired in 2013. Since he left, the Flames have seen goaltenders like Joey MacDonald, Reto Berra, Karri Ramo, Joni Ortio, Jonas Hiller, Niklas Backstrom, Chad Johnson, Brian Elliott, Jon Gillies, Eddie Lack, Mike Smith, and most recently, Cam Talbot, come and go without a ton of success. David Rittich remains as the backup but is only signed through this season.

Tanev meanwhile, who inked a four-year $18MM deal, will be asked to bring the same sort of hard-nosed defensive presence that he had in Vancouver for so many years. The 30-year-old defenseman replaces T.J. Brodie in the top-four, while Travis Hamonic also became an unrestricted free agent (but has yet to sign). Vancouver fans will tell you that there’s nothing wrong with Tanev’s play when he’s on the ice, but it’s not all that common for him to be there. The shot-blocking, penalty-killing veteran has never played more than 70 games in a season, though this year that wasn’t his fault—he played all 69 games before the season was canceled.

Who are the Flames most thankful for?

Rasmus Andersson & Matthew Tkachuk.

Many of those minutes left behind by Hamonic’s departure should be eaten up by Andersson, who looks like a star about to break out in Calgary. The 24-year-old had a strong regular season but was outstanding for the Flames in the postseason (when Hamonic was absent after opting out of the return to play), leading all Calgary defensemen with five points in ten games and logging more than 21 minutes a night. That playoff breakout came several months after the Flames signed Andersson to a six-year extension, keeping his cap hit at a manageable $4.55MM through the 2025-26 season. When captain Mark Giordano eventually retires, Andersson looks primed to become the leader of the Calgary defense corps.

The same can be said about Tkachuk, if it hasn’t already. The 22-year-old forward is still thought of second after Johnny Gaudreau when speaking about the Flames forward group, but he likely should be number one with a bullet. Tkachuk led the team in scoring with 61 points in 69 games and could have potentially been the difference in their first-round series against the Dallas Stars, had he not suffered a concussion in game two. There aren’t many players around the league that can impact the game in as many ways as the young forward, scoring at a high rate while also contributing physically and getting under his opponents’ skin. He only has two years left on his current contract but is under control as a restricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2021-22 campaign.

What would the Flames be even more thankful for?

A few more Johnny Gaudreau goals.

There’s no way around it, Gaudreau was one of the biggest disappointments of the 2019-20 season. After scoring 36 goals and 99 points in the previous campaign he finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting and looked like he was going to be a league-leading presence for years to come. Instead, he potted just 18 goals this season (only 12 of them at even-strength) and was completely invisible for the Flames at the most important times. Gaudreau did have seven points in ten postseason games, but only one of them—an empty-net goal in game three of the qualification round—was on anything but the powerplay. Man-advantage points are essential, but the Flames desperately needed some help at even-strength and simply couldn’t rely on their 27-year-old star to provide it.

While Tkachuk may be the new leader up front, Calgary’s fate can still be determined by Gaudreau, who has two years left on his deal to prove he can be that superstar on a consistent basis. The fact that his name came up in trade speculation once again shouldn’t be a shock.

What should be on the Flames’ holiday wish list?

Some added secondary scoring.

Only six forwards provided any consistent offense this season for the Flames, with Milan Lucic sitting as the best-of-the-rest with exactly eight goals and 20 points. That’s just not enough secondary production for a team that wants to contend for the Stanley Cup, especially when those top names like Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are struggling themselves. Without many real changes upfront—Josh Leivo, another Canucks free agent signed a one-year, $875K deal, while Dominik Simon came in on the league minimum—the team will need a young player or two to step up their game.

Most of the focus will be on Sam Bennett, the 24-year-old center who does lots of things except score in the regular season. He had just 12 points in 52 games during the 2019-20 campaign, a completely unacceptable total for the 2014 fourth-overall pick. Bennett showed up in a big way in the playoffs, leading the team with five goals and eight points, but can’t just disappear for the entire season again. Dillon Dube, another young forward that provides more than just offense, will need to add to that part of his game as well if he’s to become a true impact player for the Flames. If neither does, Calgary GM Brad Treliving could be shopping again at the deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

The Florida Panthers are set to add a menacing presence to their blue line. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that defenseman Radko Gudas will sign with the club on a three-year deal at a $2.5MM AAV. The Panthers have also signed forward Carter Verhaeghe to a two-year deal with a $1MM AAV, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

Gudas, 30, may not be a minute-munching top-four defenseman, but uses his limited ice time better than most. Gudas has never averaged 20+ minutes per game in a season in his eight-year NHL career, but that hasn’t stopped him from establishing himself as a major physical threat and top defensive specialist. Through stops with Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, and Washington, Gudas has always logged major hit totals, has contributed a fair amount of offense, and has been an asset on the penalty kill. His penalty troubles have also improved in recent years, making his physicality and man-down ability even more valuable. Getting a reliable defensive presence for nearly $1MM less than his previous AAV is a great value buy for a Florida. A team that needed more depth and aggression on the blue line has now added Gudas and Markus Nutivaara in the past 24 hours.

Verhaeghe, 25, was not extended a qualifying offer by the defending champion Lightning and became a surprise addition to the UFA market. However, he has already found a new home and one that is not too far away. Florida adds a player who recorded nine goals and 13 points in 52 games in his rookie season, despite playing a limited fourth line role. If Verhaeghe, who amassed impressive offensive totals in the AHL, is able to play a complete season and can win a more substantial role, he should easily record 20-30 points on a measly $1MM salary.

Just moments after releasing the Norris finalists, the NHL moved on to another award, this time announcing the three nominees for the Frank J. Selke Trophy. The award is given out the forward who “demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game.”

The finalists for this season are Ryan O’Reilly from the St. Louis Blues, Sean Couturier from the Philadelphia Flyers and Patrice Bergeron from the Boston Bruins.

It starts with the reigning Selke winner, who happened to also take home the Conn Smythe trophy as he led the Blues to their first Stanley Cup. O’Reilly is also up for the Lady Byng again this year, and part of his defensive prowess relies on that incredible ability to stay out of the penalty box. He averaged more than two minutes of short-handed ice time this season and was once again a lock-down presence in the middle of the ice. O’Reilly also took home the faceoff crown again this season, winning more draws than any other player in the league—even if his percentage wasn’t quite as high as his two fellow finalists.

That percentage crown went to Couturier, who won 59.7% of his draws, more than any other player with even 50 faceoffs taken. The Flyers star has taken over as the heartbeat of his team and becomes a finalist for the second time in three years. There’s no one who doubts Couturier’s ability to shut down opposing players, but he’s going up against two previous winners that both have incredible reputations and Stanley Cup performances to their names. That will make it all the sweeter if he does take it home, but even if he doesn’t you can expect the name Couturier to be part of this group for years to come.

Bergeron is king in these parts, already winning the award four times and being a finalist on four other occasions. In fact, he has finished in the top-5 for Selke voting in each of the past ten years, making him quite the opponent for the younger O’Reilly and Couturier. Bergeron once again was among the league-leaders in faceoff percentage and managed to crack the 30-goal mark for the third straight season. Should he take home the award again he would become the all-time leader, breaking the current tie with Bob Gainey at four.

As Pro Hockey Rumors celebrates its four-year anniversary, we’re looking to add to the writing staff!  In particular, we’re seeking someone with strong daytime availability Monday through Friday.  The position pays hourly.  The criteria:

• Exceptional knowledge of all 31 NHL teams, no discernible bias.
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• Extensive writing experience, with professional experience and a background in journalism both strongly preferred.
• Keen understanding of journalistic principles, ethics and procedures. Completion of basic college-level journalism classes is strongly preferred.
• Attention to detail — absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.
• Ability to follow the site’s style and tone.
• Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs. We need someone who can balance creating quick copy with thoughtful analysis. You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers or links to other relevant articles.
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• If you’re interested, email prohockeyrumorshelp@gmail.com and explain how you stand out and qualify in a couple of short paragraphs.  Please attach your resume to the email.  Unfortunately we may not be able to reply to every applicant.

Here is a quick glimpse at some of the original content produced by PHR this week, complete with the links to the full works by our authors:

The NHL season is now a few weeks old. Which team has had the most surprising start, good or bad? Gavin took a close look at some of the more shockingly strong starts – the Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks, and Edmonton Oilers – as well as the head-scratching disappointments – the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks. Given the full 31 teams to select from, readers so far have leaned toward Buffalo and Edmonton, but the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins have also received their fair share of votes. What say you?

One of the more surprising storylines in the NHL continues to be the downfall of Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick. The two-time Stanley Cup-winning keeper had a career-worst season last year and has somehow played even worse to begin this new campaign. Brian analyzed the conundrum that is Quick performance, contract, and fit with the Kings moving forward.

The college hockey season has also just gotten underway and I introduced a new regular column at PHR where I will look at the NCAA level more closely. Early season performances, both team and individual, a pair of notable commitments, and the draft stock of many college-bound players on the U.S. National Team Development Program highlighted the inaugural article.

As we continue our dive into a re-draft of the 2007 NHL Draft, Gavin broke down the readers’ selection of Justin Braun at No. 24 for the Calgary Flames, while also introducing the Vancouver Canucks as the next team up. So far, Ian Cole leads the way as the likely pick at No. 25.

Finally, it was another PHR Mailbag from Brian. This week he answered questions related to a number of issues, including a possible upgrade to the goaltending in San Jose, trade candidates in Minnesota and Buffalo, and the biggest surprises and disappointments so far.

Be sure to follow along with all of the originals produced by PHR each week for top-notch analysis on key issues around the hockey world.

There has never been a more famous 37-year-old rookie in sports and likely never will. After retiring from soccer following the 2018-19 season, many assumed that legendary Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech’s playing days were over. They were only partly right. While he may be done on the pitch, Cech is just beginning his career on the ice. He made the exciting and astonishing announcement today that he has joined the Guildford Phoenix of the U.K.’s National Ice Hockey League Division 2 on a one-year contract.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to play with the Phoenix to get the match experience. I hope I can help this young team to achieve their goals for the season and try to win as many games as possible when I have the chance to play. After 20 years of professional football, this is going to be a wonderful experience for me to play the game I loved to watch and play as a kid.

Cech, pronounced just like his nationality, hails from a country where hockey is far more prevalent than soccer. However, he did not let that stop him from becoming one of the best all-time at his position. Cech reached England’s Premier League in 2004, signing with the iconic club Chelsea at just 22 years old. Cech spent 11 years with Chelsea, appearing in 333 matches, establishing himself as one of the top keepers in the world. He then joined rival club Arsensal for the past four years before retiring from the sport and returning to work as an advisor for Chelsea. During his career, he also made over 100 appearances internationally for the Czech Republic and played a major role in the growth of the game in his native country.

While Cech is a known renaissance man – a noted musician and a speaker of five languages on top of his athletic prowess – this venture into hockey does not appear to be just a notch on his belt or a publicity stunt of any kind. Cech has reported been working on his game for several years and has previously participated in exhibition events and celebrity games. At 6’5”, he has great size, especially now guarding a much smaller net, and playing an elite level of soccer for many years certainly hasn’t hurt his reflexes. The team is taking the addition seriously as well. The press release called Cech’s addition “massive” and noted that they have been monitoring his improvement. Cech is slated to make his debut almost immediately on Saturday.

While obviously no one is expecting Cech to make it to the NHL and perhaps not even the top level in the U.K., there is no doubting that this is a great opportunity for the game. The potential for soccer fans, especially those in a non-traditional hockey market like the U.K., to follow Cech’s attempt to move into hockey is bound to create new fans and possibly some new players as well. His fame will also call attention to the sport throughout Europe. Regardless of how he performs, it will be great to follow a soccer legend as he tries his hand at his childhood passion and perhaps changes the landscape of yet another sport.

Jack Hughes is not just another prospect. The New Jersey Devils have released a short video to announce his three-year entry-level contract, which will pay him the maximum amount of salary and performance bonuses. That means his base cap hit will be $925K, though he could earn up to $2.85MM more in bonuses depending on how well he acclimates to the NHL.

Hughes, the first overall pick in June’s draft, is going to walk right onto the Devils roster from day one meaning his contract will expire in 2022. The 18-year old forward should form a dynamic center duo with 2017 first overall pick Nico Hischier who has already developed into a premiere two-way option. The pair should give the Devils a core to build around for the next decade, especially if they can get Taylor Hall (another first overall pick) signed long-term before he hits the unrestricted free agent market next summer.

The addition of Hughes should only help that goal, as he has shown himself to be an elite playmaker at every level so far. The 5’11” 170-lbs Hughes broke several records at the USNTDP, putting up 190 points over his two years there. He has dominated on the international stage at the U18 level and even held his own among NHL competition at the recent IIHF World Championship. Even if he is a tad undersized, his elusive skating and awareness have allowed him to avoid physical contact like other small NHL stars while still finding room to create for himself and his teammates.

It’s not clear exactly where Hughes will start in the New Jersey lineup, but plugging him in along with Wayne Simmonds and P.K. Subban this summer has dramatically changed the look of the Devils. The team still has work to do with several restricted free agents, but without many long-term commitments or bad contracts, they’re set up to turn the corner on their rebuild and start competing for the playoffs once again.

The NHL playoff picture is coming into focus, and teams are fighting for the last spots and top seeds. Who will lock down their division? Who will capture a wild card berth? It’s all decided in the last month of the season!

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