Vancouver Canucks To Resume Practice Monday After Cancelling Practice
7:13 p.m. – Sportsnet reports that the Canucks are expected to practice on Monday. The team cancelled practice due to an abundance of caution, but have cleared to team to return to the ice on Monday.
12:50 p.m. – The Vancouver Canucks announced they have cancelled practice and all workouts Sunday due to concern over potential COVID-19 exposure. The team will announce their schedule for Monday later today.
The Canucks are the fourth team to be have their training camp interrupted and the first in Canada. The Dallas Stars had the most serious outbreak with six players test positive for coronavirus, forcing the team to push back their season-opener. The Columbus Blue Jackets also shut down practice on the same day, but went back to work Saturday. The Pittsburgh Penguins cancelled practice Saturday, but are expected to scrimmage Sunday evening.
These types of shut downs could become a common safety precaution for multiple teams as they make sure that their players aren’t being exposed to the virus. Monday was supposed to be an off-day on the Canucks training camp schedule, meaning the team could make up practices then, if the team deems it safe.
Ben Hutton To Join Anaheim Ducks On PTO
After losing some of their depth when the Detroit Red Wings claimed defenseman Christian Djoos on waivers Saturday and the injury to Brendan Guhle, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Anaheim Ducks are expected to sign unrestricted free agent Ben Hutton to a professional tryout agreement.
The 27-year-old blueliner, who spent last year with the Los Angeles Kings, has been a full-time player in the league for five years, four with the Vancouver Canucks. However, the Canucks opted not to offer Hutton a qualifying offer in 2019, prompting him to sign with the Kings and now leaving him on the free agent market. While hardly a top-four paring defenseman, Hutton provides solid depth as a third-pairing defenseman with both power play and penalty kill experience.
Regardless, Hutton has remained on the market through the offseason and training camp. Rumors that New Jersey and Boston were both interested in bringing the defenseman on board, but neither team pulled the trigger. Now Hutton will challenge for a spot on the Ducks roster.
Anaheim is set at the top four with Hampus Lindholm and Kevin Shattenkirk on the first pairing and Josh Manson and Cam Fowler on the second pairing. The third pairing is wide open with Jacob Larsson the leading candidate to take one of the final spots, while Hutton will likely fight it out with Jani Hakanpaa, Kodie Curran, Simon Benoit and Josh Mahura. Hutton also could eventually be put on waivers to be put onto the taxi squad, like the Ducks had hoped to do with Djoos. Considering no one was interested in signing Hutton to a PTO before, it would make sense that no one would claim him then.
No Extension Talks Yet Between Canucks And Elias Pettersson
- The Canucks have yet to engage in extension talks with Elias Pettersson, reports Rick Dhaliwal of TSN 1040 and The Athletic (Twitter link). He’s entering the final year of his entry-level deal and with two straight 66-point seasons under his belt already, he will be in line for a huge raise on his current $925K price tag (before bonuses). Today’s agreement with Mathew Barzal, a three-year, $21MM deal that guarantees a qualifying offer of $8.4MM at its expiration, could very well be used as a comparable whenever negotiations get underway. While Vancouver has roughly $25MM in cap room for next season, more than half of that will be eaten up by new deals for Pettersson and Quinn Hughes.
Training Camp Cuts: 1/9/21
With the start of the season just days away, more teams should be starting to trim their rosters. We’ll keep tabs on those moves here and update this post throughout the day.
Calgary Flames (per team Twitter and team release)
F Justin Kirkland (to Stockton, AHL)
F Luke Philp (to Stockton, AHL)
D Colton Poolman (to Stockton, AHL)
G Garret Sparks (released from PTO, to Stockton, AHL)
F Eetu Tuulola (to Stockton, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter)
F Adam Cracknell (to Bakersfield, AHL)*
F Seth Griffith (to Bakersfield, AHL)*
F Cooper Marody (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Markus Niemelainen (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Stuart Skinner (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Ryan Stanton (released from PTO, to Bakersfield, AHL)
*-pending clearing waivers, both will be officially waived on Sunday.
Florida Panthers (per team release)
F Henry Bowlby (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Scott Darling (released from PTO)
F Serron Noel (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Jake Massie (to Syracuse, AHL)
D John Ludvig (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Max Gildon (to Syracuse, AHL)
Vancouver Canucks (per team Twitter)
D Mitch Eliot (to Utica, AHL)
Free Agency Notes: Krejci, Andersen, Jensen
While some attention has been on the future of teammate Tuukka Rask of late, the Boston Bruins have another major impending free agent in center David Krejci. Like Rask, Krejci is reaching the end of a long-term, big-money contract and while he won’t get another at 35 years old by next season, Krejci does not appear to be done. The career Bruin matched a career-high 73 points in 2018-19 and last season was a top-five scorer for Boston and trailed only David Pastrnak in shooting efficiency. He capped off the campaign by reminding everyone of his career-long knack for playoff success with a team-best 12 points in 13 games. Krejci looks poised to extend his career beyond this season, likely in Boston, but there has been little public talk of an extension thus far. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta provides an explanation, reporting that Krejci’s camp opted not to open talks this off-season. Krejci’s preference was to hold off on negotiations through the brief off-season as well as through training camp. However, the two sides are expected to begin talks once the season begins. If and when a resolution is reached, the extension could also remain as a handshake agreement, as many might this season given the Expansion Draft ramifications of signing would-be UFA’s. With that in mind, Boston fans should not be discouraged that Krejci is entering his fifteenth Bruins season without a new contract, nor should they worry if a deal is not done during the season; talks will be ongoing and the likelihood of an extension is strong.
- Unlike Krejci, Toronto Maple Leafs starting goaltender Frederik Andersen does not appear likely to negotiate an extension during this season. The impending free agent, likely to be one of the best names available in the 2021 goalie market, did not have any extension talks with Toronto this off-season, reports TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. And now that the season is about to begin, LeBrun does not expect those talks to finally occur until next off-season. LeBrun notes that Andersen’s agent, Claude Lemieux, prefers not to discuss contracts in-season due to the distraction it may cause his clients. Obviously, any number of factors could shift the status quo and force the two sides to come together during the year, but it is unlikely. As such, Andersen is expected to head into the summer without a new contract and the Maple Leafs will have a small window of time to review the season and work out an extension before their starter becomes a free agent.
- Andersen’s fellow countryman and former NHLer Nicklas Jensen was set to be a free agent this off-season but no more. The skilled Danish forward has signed a two-year extension with the KHL’s Jokerit, the club announced. The move comes as a bit of a surprise, as Jensen has re-signed with his current club in-season for the second year in a row, never allowing for NHL teams to make an offer during the off-season. Jensen has shown that he is worthy of a second chance in North America, too. The 27-year-old power forward, a 2011 first-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, may not have found much success in the NHL last time around, but now a more mature player, Jensen has been a prolific scorer in the KHL. Jensen led Jokerit and finished fourth in the league in points per game in an injury-shortened 2019-20 with 25 points in 27 games and has never scored below .69 points per game through four KHL seasons, including his current campaign. A capable scorer with size and speed who has established himself in the KHL and previously flashed immense potential in the AHL, Jensen would seemingly be an intriguing target for an NHL team. A two-year extension taking him into his thirties does not completely eliminate the chance of an NHL comeback for Jensen, but makes it all the more unlikely.
Snapshots: 2021 UFAs, Ontario, Hoglander
The NHL season is almost here, but with just 56 games and a condensed schedule, it will be over before you know it. Perhaps that doesn’t mean we should look past it already, but it didn’t stop Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic from taking a quick look at the 2021 unrestricted free agent field and giving his thoughts on a few of the top names. There are several elite players included, but like he does when he’s on the ice, Alex Ovechkin steals the spotlight of the piece. That doesn’t mean he’s leaving Washington though, as LeBrun’s colleague Tarik El-Bashir points out:
I’m going to cut to the chase: There’s a 0.00-percent chance of Ovechkin signing with another team, in my opinion. He wants to be a Washington Capital for life, and management and ownership have voiced a similar desire. The big question is how much longer does he want to play? To me, it makes a lot of sense for Ovi to sign an extension that lines up with the one Backstrom inked a year ago. Backstrom’s deal expires after the 2024-25 season.
Among the other players examined are winners of the Hart Trophy, Vezina Trophy, and Stanley Cup, making the entire thing a valuable read for those looking ahead to next offseason. It seems like a long way away right now, but it’ll be here before you know it.
- Though we’re just a few days away and the schedule has been set, there was technically still some dispute over whether the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators would actually be allowed to host NHL games in their facilities given provincial restrictions. This afternoon, Lisa MacLeod, Ontario’s Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Minister released an official ruling allowing those North Division matches to take place. Of course, fans will not be allowed to attend those matches, a restriction that Ian Mendes of The Athletic points out is very unlikely to be relaxed at any point this season.
- If you took a guess at who was turning heads in Vancouver Canucks camp, Elias Pettersson or Quinn Hughes may come to mind first. But perhaps the most interesting performance has been that of Nils Hoglander, who has routinely flashed his brilliant skill while lining up beside captain Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson. Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet highlights that Hoglander performance in his latest piece and suggests that the young forward may just make the NHL out of camp. Selected 40th overall in 2019, Hoglander only turned 20 a few weeks ago but has already wowed the hockey world on multiple occasions with his lacrosse goals.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Carson Focht
The Vancouver Canucks have signed Carson Focht to a three-year, entry-level contract. The fifth-round pick has played parts of the last two seasons with the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL and before that suited up for the Tri-City Americans.
Focht, 20, scored 56 points in 61 games for the Hitmen last season and was a sort of utility knife for the team, used in all situations. Though his offensive numbers aren’t as impressive as some other forward prospects, his versatility and polish suggest he may find success at the professional level. That should start this season with the Utica Comets, as he is of age to play in the AHL regardless of whether the WHL starts up or not.
The Canucks are up to 44 contracts for the year, meaning they still have some extra room to add should they feel more depth is required. Focht’s deal will kick in this season but he will be waiver-exempt.
Vancouver Canucks Plan To Sign And Play Vasili Podkolzin Later This Season
With top prospect Vasili Podkolzin currently impressing on the international stage as the captain of Team Russia, the Vancouver Canucks want to assure their fans that it is only a matter of time before he’s doing the same for them. Speaking with Jon Abbot of TSN 1040 in Vancouver, GM Jim Benning reveals that the club expects to sign Podkolzin during this season and plans to play him in the NHL lineup immediately. Benning reports that Podkolzin’s KHL contract expires on April 30, at which time the team will look to sign him and bring him overseas.
While late April is typically the middle of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and not exactly an ideal time to introduce a teenage prospect to the NHL, the 2020-21 season is of course an exception. The playoffs do not begin until May 11 at the earliest this year, allowing Podkolzin nearly two weeks to settle in. Travel and quarantine could come into play, but the hope is that Podkolzin could see some regular season game action before the Canucks hopefully move on to the postseason.
The 2019 tenth overall pick also has the advantage of being very pro-ready. Podkolzin is already in his third season of seeing at least some KHL action, playing almost exclusively with SKA St. Petersburg so far this year. He also has pro size at 6’4″ and over 200 lbs., not to mention a developed offensive game. Once Podkolzin arrives in Vancouver, it may not take long for him to get up to speed.
Knowing they have Podkolzin in their back pocket for later this season, the Canucks may not feel the need to make any other roster additions this season, at least up front. If Podkolzin actually joins the team on April 30, that would be just over two weeks after the Trade Deadline on April 12. Vancouver may be hesitant to give up trade capital to add a forward with reinforcements on the way not long after. In fact, Benning stated that the team is “done for now” in terms of transactions (outside of a Travis Hamonic PTO becoming a contract), so Podkolzin may very well be the next notable addition that the team makes this season.
NHL Will Not Require Blanket Quarantine Period For AHL Recalls
Alongside the news of three teams opting out, four teams temporarily relocating, and realigned divisions for the coming season, more information continues to emerge following today’s AHL Board of Governors meeting. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that NHL clubs and their AHL affiliates have been informed that there will be no blanket quarantine period for player recalls and reassignments this season. Instead, quarantine measures will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis considering the totality of the circumstances. This will include team protocols, travel logistics, and accordance with local COVID-19 health guidelines.
As Johnston notes, this will make AHL recalls much easier for those teams whose affiliates share a city or even a state or province. Short, safe travel ability and uniform local policies will allow for much shorter quarantine periods. Teams in this situation may even ask their affiliate to maintain the same NHL-level of day-to-day quarantine protocols to make recalls even easier, perhaps even without any quarantine. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Vegas Golden Knights, and San Jose Sharks (if and when the team returns home from Arizona) all share a city with their AHL affiliate, as do the New Jersey Devils temporarily. The Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Boston Bruins (temporarily), Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins all have their AHL affiliates within state or provincial lines as well.
For those teams with some distance between themselves and their minor league clubs, recalls could remain difficult. Especially for those Canadian teams whose affiliates remain in the U.S. – the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks – quarantine logistics will be a struggle. Johnston points out that for these teams and the American clubs with affiliates elsewhere in the country, travel will be a major obstacle. The one blanket policy for all NHL and AHL players this season is that a seven-day quarantine period is required following a commercial flight. This could also stand to effect any team on a long-term road trip that is desperate enough to make a recall.
However, while this policy will help a great number of teams, it is important to remember that taxi squads were established for this season to reduce the reliance on AHL recalls, at least as a frequent measure. Regardless of each NHL team’s location relative to their AHL affiliate, most teams will largely use their six-man taxi squad for emergency substitutions and will have options in the meantime should they decide to recall a player who must quarantine.
Vancouver Canucks Intend To Extend Travis Green
While no contract has been signed yet, Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning told Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre that the team is working to extend head coach Travis Green to a new contract, keeping him in the fold.
“Travis has done an excellent job coaching this group of players. I think, from a development standpoint, our young players have continued to get better under him every year. We think he’s the right fit for this group and our group moving forward,” Benning said during a press conference Sunday as the Canucks opened training camp. “We want to kind of take a look at the financial landscape of the whole business here as we keep moving forward, but our intention is to sign Travis to an extension so he’s part of our group here moving forward.”
Green, whose contract expires at the end of the 2020-21 season, has been quite successful since being hired in 2017. He has posted a 102-103-28 record, which may not be the most impressive record over three seasons. However, the team has made significant progress each season, placing seventh in 2017-18, fifth in 2018-19 and then in third place in the Pacific Division last year, including a deep run into the playoffs, almost ousting the Vegas Golden Knights in the process.
Benning does have other significant negotiations to work out as well, including new deals for soon-to-be restricted free agents Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes as well as goalie Thatcher Demko.