Derek Dorsett Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
- After missing the majority of this past season after undergoing cervical fusion surgery due to disc degeneration in his neck, Canucks winger Derek Dorsett is expected to be ready for training camp, notes Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province. Dorsett has two years left on his contract with a $2.65MM cap hit and will likely battle for a fourth line spot with Vancouver.
Mike Zalewski Signs In Germany
- After the Vancouver Canucks decided not to issue a qualifying offer to Michael Zalewski this summer, the 24-year old has taken his talents to Europe and signed with the Straubing Tigers of the German DEL. Zalewski got into one game with the Canucks this year, but hasn’t been able to make an impact at the NHL level. The undrafted forward will play with his brother, former New Jersey Devils pick Steven Zalewski in Germany for the upcoming season.
Penguins’ 3rd-Line Center Options
With the loss of Nick Bonino to Nashville via free agency, the reigning champion Pittsburgh Penguins have a gaping hole down the middle. For the first time in over a decade, the center position is now one of relative weakness. It’s always a possibility that Matt Cullen decides to re-sign for one more year, but he will not be able to carry the load of a typical 3rd-line center. Cullen showed signs of slowing down toward the tail-end of the team’s playoff run, and he was only averaging 13:55 a game through the regular season. At 41 years old, he simply won’t be a viable long-term option. The Penguins likely have high hopes for Zach Aston-Reese to make a push in training camp, but he is an unknown quantity at the NHL level. GM Jim Rutherford had 5 potential trade options in the works prior to July 1st, according to the very reliable Josh Yohe of DKPittsburghSports. Talks either fizzled or were put on the back-burner, but one might imagine the number of available targets is far fewer now. With Dallas’ three-year signing of Radek Faksa, there is one fewer name left for consideration. Vegas seems to be content with merely flipping defensemen from here on in, although names such as Cody Eakin and William Karlsson shouldn’t be thrown out entirely. Erik Haula is likely a pipe-dream, but he’s another possible target. Matt Duchene was linked for a time, but between the high cost and the stubbornness of Colorado GM Joe Sakic to make a move, he seems incredibly unlikely.
Who are the safest bets for an off-season move? Or will Pittsburgh enter the season with someone unproven slotting behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?
Bozak has made tons of sense since his name was first mentioned. A lot has been made of his relationship with Phil Kessel. When they played on a line together in Toronto, Kessel saw some of his best career production. More than that however – the Leafs are in a bit of cap pinch as they will look to free up dollars for Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander in the next two seasons. They certainly aren’t in any hurry to drop underneath the ceiling due to LTIR intricacies, but moving out Bozak’s $4.2 MM for this next season would be a forward looking move. If he’s due a raise, it’s likely they’ll lose him for far less, as his contract expires at the end of 2017-18. The move makes sense for Pittsburgh because of the Kessel relationship, but also because he fits the mold of the Pittsburgh squad. He’s a solid skater, sees the ice well, and hustles back into his own zone. His playmaking abilities would be a wonderful fit on the cheap to aid the high-powered offense, and the player would be a positive possession asset to remove the stress from the bigger guns. Bozak does have a modified no-trade clause, but it’s hard to see Pittsburgh being included on his list of non-tradeable teams.
Staal saw a lot of success in Pittsburgh before he was traded away to Carolina at the 2012 draft. Jordan was traded to that team in particular due to his desire to player with his older brother Eric Staal. Seeing as Eric is no longer in the picture, it would make sense that Staal might be open to a Pittsburgh reunion. Staal is one of the better defensive centers in the league, and has been forced to take a more uncomfortably offensive role in Carolina. Staal’s biggest downside is that he isn’t the most agile skater, but he’s not any slower than Nick Bonino was. That said, he can play the shutdown role and be a total nuisance for top opponents. Rutherford loves the player, as he was the GM of Carolina when they initially acquired the player, for a hefty sum of Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin, and a 1st-round pick (which became Derrick Pouilot). According to Yohe, Staal is apparently open to a return, and the nostalgic element of the team’s fanbase is clamoring for this to happen. Rutherford stated on a local radio segment with Ron Cook that “to his knowledge he (Staal) isn’t available”, but he’s played coy with the media in the past.
Out Of Left-Field
Rutherford has been known to throw the hockey world for a loop with some of his trades. The James Neal–Patric Hornqvist trade shocked just about everyone, and the Phil Kessel trade is still being discussed to this day. If there’s one thing we should expect from him, it’s the unexpected. There are a few lesser options out there for Rutherford to explore, and management may want to have the Conor Sheary and Brian Dumoulin contracts put to paper before making any sort of transaction. It seems unlikely that anything will happen until those deals get done. Rutherford told Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette that there are “hundreds of names on (his list)”, and that it’s “a patient process”. Could Detroit be willing to move Andreas Athanasiou? Could Bryan Little be pried from Winnipeg for a young defenseman? It’s hard to speculate as to where exactly management have set their sights, but Rutherford is generally willing to overpay to “get his man”. There is the slight likelihood that they enter the season with that hole left unfilled, but it’s hard to imagine. Until more dominoes fall, Rutherford is likely to bide his team and search for the correct deal.
Canucks Sign Jaime Sifers To AHL Deal
- Unrestricted free agent defenseman Jaime Sifers, who was most recently under contract with Columbus, has signed a two-year minor league deal with Utica (affiliate of the Canucks), the AHL team announced. Sifers spent the last three years with the AHL affiliates for the Jackets and collected 20 points (6-14-20) in 74 regular season games. He also has 37 games of NHL experience under his belt between Toronto and Minnesota.
Penguins Don’t Anticipate Trading Phil Kessel
While the departure of former Pittsburgh assistant coach Rick Tocchet to Arizona as their new bench boss has fueled some speculation that the Penguins could trade Phil Kessel, GM Jim Rutherford poured some cold water on that theory. Speaking with 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday (transcription via Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review), Rutherford made it clear that they don’t anticipate moving him as things currently stand:
“He’s an important part. I don’t want to sit here and say that a certain player’s not going to get traded at some point in his career. I mean, Phil already did. But that’s not something that I foresee happening right now.”
Tocchet was known to have a strong relationship with Kessel, whose streaky tendencies have irked head coach Mike Sullivan at times. However, despite that, the 29-year-old remains one of the higher scoring wingers in the NHL so there is plenty of incentive to hold on to him, particularly since the Maple Leafs are already paying 15% of his contract.
It’s at least worth noting that Kessel’s goal production has taken a tumble in recent years even if it hasn’t come at the expense of his point totals. In 2013-14, he had a career-best 37 goals but has only surpassed the 25 goal mark once since then; his 23 tallies this past season was his lowest in a full campaign since his sophomore year back in 2007-08. However, he’s also not the focal point of Pittsburgh’s attack like he was in Toronto either. Put it all together and it’s hard to come up with a compelling case for them to move Kessel at this time.
Still with the Penguins, in that same interview, Rutherford briefly discussed Carolina center Jordan Staal, noting that to his knowledge, he’s not available in a trade. Pittsburgh is still on the lookout for a third line center and they’re certainly familiar with Staal, who they drafted second overall in 2006. However, with a $6MM cap hit, he’d be rather pricey for someone who would be earmarked for a bottom six role.
Vancouver Canucks Avoid Arbitration With Michael Chaput
- Though their hearing wasn’t scheduled for another week, the Vancouver Canucks have come to terms with Michael Chaput according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The two sides decided on a figure of $687,500 which is barely more than the league minimum this season. The 25-year old Chaput played 68 games for Vancouver last season, registering just eight points.
Canucks Re-Sign Evan McEneny
- The Canucks announced the re-signing of defenseman Evan McEneny to a two-year, two-way contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. McEneny made his NHL debut with Vancouver this past season but primarily suited up with their AHL affiliate in Utica where he scored eight goals and 15 assists in 63 games.
Vancouver Canucks Announce ECHL Affiliate For 2017-18
- The Vancouver Canucks will have a new ECHL affiliate this season, inking a one-year deal with the Kalamazoo Wings. The Canucks had been affiliated with them before, though the last two seasons the K-Wings have been tied to the Columbus Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning. They’ll house some distant prospects for the Canucks next season, and try to get back to the playoffs for the fifth straight season.
Snapshots: Sieloff, Archibald, Buchberger
The Ottawa Senators have announced an extension for defenseman Patrick Sieloff. The two sides have agreed to a one-year, two-way deal worth $650K at the NHL level. Sieloff, 23, has just one NHL game under his belt, back with the Calgary Flames in 2015-16, but the stay-at-home defender posted a career-high 12 points last year with the AHL’s Binghamton Senators this past season. A second-round pick in 2012 and the sole return for the Senators from the Alex Chiasson trade, it makes sense that Ottawa would like to retain the valuable Sieloff, even if he is developing slowly. However, there are sure to be many Sens fans upset at the extension news. Sieloff is best known in Ottawa as the player who boarded Clarke MacArthur, just returning from missing most of the 2015-16 season with a concussion, during a Senators’ preseason scrimmage, causing yet another concussion which kept him out most of 2016-17 as well. It was not the best start to Sieloff’s Senators tenure, but clearly not enough for the organization to turn on him.
- The AHL’s Utica Comets, the minor league affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, announced that they have re-signed forward Darren Archibald to a one-year deal. Archibald, a big, physical right wing, also found his scoring touch last season, setting the Comets’ franchise goal-scoring record with 23 goals. Although Archibald was only in the NHL for 16 games, a brief stint with the Canucks during the 2013-14 season, he’s made a name for himself with their affiliate. Archibald is second in team history, albeit for a young Comets franchise, in games played, goals, and points and first in penalty minutes. Another strong season on both offense and defense could earn Archibald another NHL look.
- The New York Islanders made official the hiring of Kelly Buchberger as an assistant coach today, a move that has been in the works since before the end of the 2016-17 season. Buchberger, like Archibald, was a big, physical right wing with a knack for scoring goals, only Buchberger did it in the NHL for 17 years. He has also served as an assistant coach and vice president of player development for the Edmonton Oilers in recent years, the city he played in for the bulk of his career. A two-time Stanley Cup winner and a former NHL captain, Buchberger bring experience and leadership to Doug Weight‘s young coaching staff.
Offseason Keys: Pittsburgh Penguins
While expansion and the beginning of free agency were the early headlines in what will be a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months to come. Here is a closer look at what still lies ahead for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Last offseason, the Penguins were able to keep the bulk of their Stanley Cup winning team together and it paid dividends as they once again took home the title in 2016-17. However, there have already been several changes to the roster as this time the salary cap has necessitated some departures. While some moves have already been made, GM Jim Rutherford still has some work to do. Here are their remaining offseason keys.
Fill Out Their Bottom Six Centers
At first glance, it seems hard to believe that a team that features Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as their top two centers could have a bit of an issue down the middle. However, the depth they have behind those two is lacking.
This past season, Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen were their third and fourth pivots respectively. Bonino, as expected, left in free agency, inking a four year, $16.4MM deal with the Predators. As for Cullen, he remains a free agent and hasn’t decided if he wants to return for another season. If he does decide to play, the Wild are another team that has already shown an interest in his services.
In terms of internal options, rookie standout Jake Guentzel has spent some time down the middle but he’s probably better served on Crosby’s wing. Carter Rowney played as the fourth center at times last season but at the age of 28, he has yet to establish himself as an NHL regular. Rutherford suggested last weekend that he’s more likely to go the trade route to replace Bonino. As for Cullen, they will probably have to wait for him to decide about his future before they can look to fill that spot.
Re-Sign Dumoulin, Sheary
Of the 28 players that have filed for arbitration and have yet to sign new deals, Pittsburgh has a pair of notable ones in defenseman Brian Dumoulin and winger Conor Sheary. Dumoulin is coming off his bridge deal while Sheary has finished his entry-level contract and both players will be in line for sizable raises.
Dumoulin’s case would be an interesting one if it was to go to arbitration. He doesn’t stand out in terms of the traditional statistics that typically come up in a hearing (he has one goal over the last two regular seasons) but he logged over 20 minutes a game and established himself as a top four player. In each of the last two postseasons, he has seen his role increase even more which will be something his representatives certainly bring up in contract talks. He earned just $800K in each of the last two years which made him one of the better bargains on the back end. That won’t be the case when he signs this next contract.
Sheary signed as an undrafted free agent just two years ago but fit in nicely alongside Crosby in the 2016 postseason and for big chunks of 2016-17. He finished fourth in team scoring (behind their big three up front) with 53 points in 61 games; his 0.87 points per game mark ranks him third best among all restricted free agents league-wide. While playing with Crosby undoubtedly contributed to his success, that type of production is bound to earn him a significant raise over the $667K he made the past two seasons.
Add Winger Depth
If Rutherford does make a trade for a center, there’s a good chance that one of their wingers will be on the move and if that happens, they will likely look to replace the one they deal. Even if that isn’t the case, they could still stand to add a bit more veteran depth on either side.
As things currently stand, the Penguins will be counting on quite a few young players in their bottom six. While it’s nice to have some youngsters in the wings, having at least one veteran in there (a winger version of Cullen, for example) that could move up the lineup in a pinch would be beneficial as a lot of their current options fit best on a fourth line.
Fortunately for the Pens, this is an area where supply typically outweighs demand and they certainly have some marketability in terms of having won two straight titles plus the potential to play with Crosby or Malkin at times. As the offseason progresses, there are typically bargains to be had on the wing on one year deals and assuming that they don’t spend all of their remaining cap space filling the first two keys, they should be well positioned to land one of those bargains as we get closer to training camp.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.