West Notes: Engelland, Canucks, Steen
The Vegas Golden Knights already have a roster full of defensemen, including six NHL players already under contract with another four defensemen in Nicolas Hague, Jimmy Schuldt, Dylan Coughlan and Jake Bischoff all waiting to get their chance to break out with the franchise.
That leaves a big question question mark for soon-to-be UFA and team leader Deryk Engelland. SinBin Vegas’ Ken Boehlke suggests that the writing is on the wall that the veteran defenseman’s time with the team could be over soon. The scribe points out that Engelland hasn’t been a favorite of new head coach Peter DeBoer since he took over on Jan. 16. He has only played in five games under the new coach and was scratched in the team’s last 12 games and 17 of the team’s previous 18 games.
DeBoer did recently praise Engelland’s dedication to the team:
To a man they all want to win the Stanley Cup, that’s their number one motivation,” said DeBoer. “They are willing to do whatever they have to do to be a part of it. I look at Deryk Engelland as an example of that. Tough situation, veteran guy, we had to scratch him some games here recently before the pause. The messaging to me was ‘I just want to be a part of this. When you need me, let me know, and I’ll be ready to go.’ You can’t have enough of that and that’s what makes groups like this special.”
However, it’s quite obvious that the team may be looking beyond Engelland in the future despite the veteran’s intent on continuing his playing career. He currently has a goal and six points in 49 games, while averaging his lowest ATOI (17:33) in his time with Vegas. With a number of blueliners waiting for their chance in the AHL, Vegas may have seen the last of him.
- TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that while many teams are against the NHL’s recent memo that is suggesting the league have the NHL Entry Draft in June, the Vancouver Canucks are a team that is likely going to be in favor of the deal. The Canucks traded their first-round pick last offseason to Tampa Bay (now owned by New Jersey) and would rather give the Devils a non-lottery pick this year, rather than an unprotected one for the 2021 draft. The Canucks are currently in the playoffs as of this moment. However, if play does resume with a October/November draft, the Canucks could slip out of the playoffs and be forced to move a lottery pick then.
- Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that while there is a lot of talk of the St. Louis Blues buying out veteran forward Alex Steen in the offseason next year in order to make room for UFA Alex Pietrangelo, the scribe believes that’s an unlikely scenario. The scribe says it’s more likely that Steen, one of the most popular players on the team and a leader as well, is more likely to retire at the end of this season. That could solve a tough issue of being forced to buy him out, which the team might hesitate to do after the years of service both on and off the ice.
Stretch Run Storylines: Vancouver Canucks
As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks. Assuming the regular season continues (something the league remains hopeful of doing), there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run. Over the weeks ahead, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team. We continue our look at the Pacific Division with Vancouver.
The Canucks have been a team trying to pry their way into the playoffs after several years of rebuilding. The team even took that next step, trading their first-round pick last offseason to Tampa Bay in exchange for goal-scoring forward J.T. Miller, a deal that paid off as he leads the team in scoring with 72 points and is tied for the team lead in goals with 27. The team has been in the playoff race all season, but might have some challenges in the months ahead.
Playoff Race
The Canucks have 78 points at this point in the season and currently, based on points percentage, they would be the first wildcard team if the season ended today. That’s great news, but if the regular season resumes and is based on points, the Canucks would be out of the playoffs, meaning they would need to prove they can overcome teams like Nashville and Winnipeg, among others, to squeak into the playoffs.
Vancouver does have the advantage of being a young team that might have a better shot of jumping out quickly like it did when the regular season started and the Canucks dominated the Pacific Division for the first couple months of the season. Players like Quinn Hughes would be playing as if he was a second-year player and should be able to provide even more stability in their back end to help the team gain their way into the playoffs. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who was on LTIR before the suspension of play, is already fully healed from his knee injury, and ready to go — another big plus.
Pending UFAs
The team does have quite a bit offseason work to complete this season. The team has to lock up Markstrom to a long-term deal. The UFA could be one of the bigger names on the goalie market for teams, although he recently told Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet, that he has no intention of playing for another team and wants to re-sign in Vancouver, which is good news for Canucks fans. The 30-year-old had his best season to date with a 2.75 GAA and a .918 save percentage.
However, the team has other issues, which could be challenging, considering the team is capped out. Barring a compliance buyout that could save them, the Canucks may have to make some significant moves to stay under a cap that likely won’t increase this offseason. The team also must consider contracts for veteran defenseman Chris Tanev as well as trade-deadline acquisition Tyler Toffoli, who looked exceptional in 10 games, scoring six goals and 10 points in a Vancouver uniform. That doesn’t even consider the team’s RFAs for next season, including Jake Virtanen, Adam Gaudette, Troy Stecher and Tyler Motte.
Hughes For Calder?
Hughes will have chance to walk away from the offseason with some hardware as it looks more and more like a two-person race for the Calder Trophy, for the best rookie. While many feel that Cale Makar was the runaway leader for the trophy, the play of Hughes in the second-half of the season has been exceptional and could be enough to vault himself past Makar in the running. Hughes did win our PHR poll in March by quite a landslide.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nils Hoglander Signs Entry-Level Deal
The Vancouver Canucks have convinced one of their most exciting prospects to join the organization, signing Nils Hoglander to a three-year entry-level contract. The young forward has wowed audiences in the SHL for the last two seasons and Canucks GM Jim Benning is happy to have him under contract:
Nils is a dynamic player with a high skill level and a strong work ethic. He’s a creative playmaker with great hands and goal-scoring abilities. We’re pleased to sign Nils today and look forward to seeing continued development in his game next season.
If you didn’t know Hoglander’s name when the Canucks selected him 40th overall in 2019, you certainly did after the World Juniors. The skilled forward pulled off an incredible lacrosse-style goal against Finland that had the whole hockey world talking. While that goal may have opened the eyes of a broader audience, it wasn’t the first jaw-dropping goal Hoglander had scored at a high level and it certainly won’t be the last.
There is a real chance that Hoglander could return to Sweden for another season should he fail to make the Canucks out of camp, but there is a lot of excitement about his future in Vancouver.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Radim Zohorna
The Pittsburgh Penguins have added some size to the organization, signing huge forward Radim Zohorna to a one-year entry-level contract. The deal comes on Zohorna’s 24th birthday and represents his first opportunity in North America.
Undrafted, the 6’6″ 233-lbs Zohorna has played at the highest level in the Czech Republic for the last six seasons, scoring 22 points in 46 games during his most recent campaign. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford explained why they are bringing him over now:
Radim is a smart player with good hockey sense that uses his big size to his advantage. His ability to play all three forward positions will help provide depth to our forward group.
While there’s no guarantee that he makes the NHL roster, Zohorna represents another depth option that the Penguins are adding for nothing more than a contract slot. That strategy of mining the college and European free agent ranks for depth players has proven effective for Pittsburgh over the years, allowing them to keep a rotation of inexpensive options rolling through the bottom-six.
Mathias Brome Expected To Sign With Detroit Red Wings
The Vancouver Canucks have lost a free agent battle with the Detroit Red Wings, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Mathias Brome is expected to sign in Motown. Brome had been deciding between the two clubs after another outstanding season in the SHL.
Now 25, the undrafted forward is coming to North America for the first time in his hockey career, one that has been marked by drastic year-over-year improvement. Brome has become a star at every level of hockey in Sweden, and is coming off a 43-point performance with Orebro HK in the 2019-20 season. That was good enough for sixth in the SHL scoring race, obviously drawing some interest from across the pond.
It’s hard to blame an unproven free agent like Brome for picking Detroit, given how many opportunities will be available next season. The Red Wings are still just at the beginning of their rebuild and will need bodies to fill in a roster that will likely look considerably different next season. For Detroit GM Steve Yzerman, signing a player like Brome could not only give his team a boost on the ice, but perhaps an extra trade chip come deadline day.
Snapshots: Early Draft, Brome, Martin
The NHL floated a “trial balloon” earlier this week with the idea that the 2020 Entry Draft could be held in June, before a potential restart for the 2019-20 season. That brought up all kinds of questions about how the draft order would be determined and if teams would be able to complete trades, something draft day has been known for in the past. On yesterday’s edition of Insider Trading for TSN, Pierre LeBrun explained that he asked around front offices to gauge their response to the idea.
LeBrun states that 15 teams gave him a “hard no” on the idea of a June draft, with only five open to the idea. That kind of response certainly won’t help the plan get off the ground, meaning we may have to wait until after the season concludes to get the draft over with.
- One player that won’t have to wait for the draft to find out where he’ll play next year is Mathias Brome, a 25-year old forward that has spent the last three seasons in the SHL. Rick Dhaliwal of TSN reports that the Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings are “in the mix” to sign Brome once the new transfer agreement comes into place. With 17 goals and 43 points for Orebro HK this season, Brome ranked sixth in league scoring and could be considered an option to step directly into the NHL.
- Max Martin didn’t get drafted when he was eligible either, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be playing professional hockey. The Kamloops Blazers standout has signed a one-year contract with the Texas Stars of the AHL for the 2020-21 season, giving him a chance to show what he can do at the next level. The 20-year old defenseman had 14 goals and 58 points in 57 games after an early-season trade from Prince Albert. The Blazers just so happen to be owned by Tom Gaglardi, who also owns the Dallas and Texas Stars.
Snapshots: Markstrom, Vegas, Hartford
When the 2019-20 NHL season was paused, Vancouver Canucks were right on the edge of returning to the playoffs. It’s not somewhere they’ve been since 2015, so turning things around is an impressive accomplishment for this young group. One of the older players on the team that was around (however infrequently) for that 2014-15 season is Jacob Markstrom, who happens to be scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer.
If you ask him though, this won’t be his last chance to help Vancouver reach the playoffs. Markstrom was on a conference call with reporters yesterday including Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet, and explained that he wants to “stay in Vancouver” and has “no plans of leaving.” Markstrom does understand the complicated situation that every team is in with regards to free agents and an uncertain salary cap, but is obviously hoping that he can stick around for a while longer. The 30-year old goaltender was having the best season of his career, posting a 23-16-4 record and .918 save percentage when the season was paused.
- If you’ve been wondering whether or not the Vegas Golden Knights would ever name a captain, Peter DeBoer has some answers for you. According to Ken Boehlke of SinBin.vegas, DeBoer discussed the captain question on a season ticket holder podcast, explaining that he believes a team should have one and that the Golden Knights have several candidates. For what it is worth, Boehlke expects Mark Stone to be the captain if one is named. Stone is currently the highest-paid player on the Golden Knights and is signed through 2026-27.
- The Hartford Wolf Pack are bringing back some experience for next season, signing Vincent LoVerde and Mason Geertsen to one-year AHL contracts for 2020-21. LoVerde, 31, is. two-time Calder Cup champion that scored 21 points in 62 games for the Wolf Pack this season. Geertsen, 25, won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup in 2017 before establishing himself as a full-time AHL player the last three years.
Pacific Notes: Hall, Reaves, Edler
It’s been three weeks since Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka told The Athletic that while no specifics on a contract with Taylor Hall had been discussed during the NHL suspension break, he and Hall’s agent, Darren Ferris, had been in discussion about a potential deal. The Coyotes traded for Hall in December with the hope that they would become the favorite to convince the star forward to sign with the team when he hit unrestricted free agency this offseason.
However, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that Ferris says that he has not been approached by Chayka regarding contract talks during the break, putting even more confusion on whether Hall will choose Arizona as his long-term home. Hall has fared well with 10 goals and 27 points in 35 games with the Coyotes, but those are hardly numbers of a star player, although there is some transition time expected of any player when traded to a new team. However, the team also didn’t show much improvement with Hall in the lineup with the team going 14-17-4 during that time, although the team did have some goaltending issues during that time.
Hall is looking for a long-term deal in the range of seven or eight years, potentially around $10MM per season. The Coyotes are already right up against the cap and have little coming off their books next season, which might require Chayka to shake up their roster a bit if they want to retain Hall.
- The Athletic’s Jesse Granger (subscription required) analyzes some the chances that the Vegas Golden Knights will bring back each of their pending unrestricted free agents, noting that there is a strong likelihood that the team will retain forward Ryan Reaves, who was heavily recruited two years ago when he was a free agent. Reaves signed a two-year, $5.5MM deal to return to Vegas, but now at age 33, is likely going to be willing to take less to stay with the Golden Knights. He is rooted in Vegas as a fan favorite, who has his own beer company in the city and he holds more endorsements than any other Vegas player. He tallied eight goals and 15 points in 71 games this year to go with a league-leading 316 hits.
- The Athletic’s Harman Dayal (subscription required) looks at the Vancouver Canucks’ possession statistics and how the play of rookie defenseman Quinn Hughes has made quite the difference. However, Dayal does note that one player who has seen a significant decline in play last year was Alexander Edler, who had the lowest possession exit percentage among team defensemen with just 25.8 percent (compared to Hughes’ 48.1 percent). With the league average at 34.6 percent, Edler’s numbers have been in decline for a couple of years now. He is currently in the middle of a two-year, $12MM contract.
Several European Teams Pursuing Reid Boucher
- Several European teams have expressed an interest in signing Canucks pending restricted free agent Reid Boucher, reports TSN 1040’s Rick Dhaliwal (Twitter link). However, at this time, the winger intends to remain in North America. Boucher spent the entire season with AHL Utica and led the Comets in scoring with 33 goals and 34 assists in 53 games. His 67 points were second to only Sam Anas (Minnesota) in the league while his 1.26 point per game led all AHL players.
Micheal Ferland Experiencing No Concussion Symptoms
Though players all around the league would obviously like to get back on the ice and start competing for the Stanley Cup once again, there is one silver lining in this current season suspension. Injured players, like Micheal Ferland of the Vancouver Canucks, have received even more time to rest and recuperate from their ailments. Ferland, who has suffered multiple concussions and was limited to just 14 games this season, is back home according to his agent who told Rick Dhaliwal of TSN that the power forward is experiencing “zero symptoms.”
The 27-year old Ferland signed a four-year, $14MM deal with the Canucks last summer to be part of their new identity as a fast, physical team. Joining other power forwards like J.T. Miller, Jake Virtanen and Antoine Roussell upfront, Ferland gave the Canucks a reliable 40-point winger who could move up and down the lineup depending on the situation. Unfortunately, his health has been completely unreliable for the team, after suffering the third (known) concussion of his career in early November. He would return just over a month later but lasted all of 13 minutes over two games before he was taken out with symptoms again. Another try at the AHL level in February would last just a single period before the symptoms came back, with concern growing for his future at every turn.
At this point, all anyone can do is hope that Ferland’s day-to-day life can return to normal. It’s not clear how the rest of his hockey-playing career will go, but there is still three years and $9.5MM left on his contract.