Training Camp Notes: Kings, Gionta, Tryouts
When the Los Angeles Kings begin training camp tomorrow, they will be without three notable players. The team announced today that starting defenseman Derek Forbort, top prospect Gabriel Vilardi, and first-year pro Austin Strand will not be full participants when camp opens. Forbort, who is entering his fourth season as a Kings regular, is the least concern. A back injury will keep Forbort from taking part in team drills, but he is well enough to skate and is considered day-to-day. Regardless, Forbort has his top-six role locked in to begin this year and will likely resume playing with Dion Phaneuf after the two found chemistry late last year. The same can’t be said for Vilardi and Strand, who are fighting for roster spots in camp but at this point are considered week-to-week. Vilardi, the eleventh overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, is also suffering from a back injury and is completely sidelined for now. The young center could play a major role for L.A. this year, but has to first get on the ice this month and prove he is ready for the NHL. Strand, an undrafted free agent inked by the Kings last season, is hoping to get a shot on the blue line at some point this season. However, the standout from the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds must first get over the concussion symptoms that are currently keeping him from practice and game action. In the meantime, the Kings revealed their camp roster with some extra bodies invited to perhaps make up for these injuries. Junior players Nathan Dunkley, Mark Rassel, and Michal Ivan – one from each of the three CHL leagues – are set to join the team on tryouts.
- The New York Islanders weren’t willing to give Stephen Gionta a contract extension last summer, but the team ended up re-signing the veteran forward in December. This time around they are still unwilling to give Gionta a guaranteed contract, but they are willing to give him a shot at earning a spot in camp. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple reports that Gionta will join the team on a PTO in camp as he works to play a 13th pro season. Gionta, the younger brother of Brian Gionta, played for the New Jersey Devils organization for parts of eleven seasons, but has suited up for the Islanders and their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, for the past two years.
- Gionta and the Kings’ junior tryouts are far from the only camp invitees across the league. As teams have announced their camp rosters, many previously unannounced PTO’s have been revealed. The defending champion Washington Capitals have invited Canadian collegiate forward Mark Simpson and WHL goalie Logan Thompson to camp. Their Stanley Cup competitors, the Vegas Golden Knights, will have junior forwards Raphael Harvey-Pinard and Ryan Chyzowski among their participants. The Anaheim Ducks will take a look at QMJHLers Justin Ducharme and Simon Benoit. The Edmonton Oilers add yet another PTO in former Detroit Red Wings prospect forward Luke Esposito. The Nashville Predators have just one additional skater in camp in WHL center Alex Overhardt. The Montreal Canadiens bring in some nearby QMJHL talent with keeper Samuel Harvey and forward Joel Teasdale. The New Jersey Devils will give ECHL goaltender Colton Phinney a shot, as well as junior blue liner Jeremy Groleau. The Detroit Red Wings host six junior players, as well as two of their ECHL affiliate’s players: defensemen Mackenze Stewart and Brenden Kotyk. The Minnesota Wild will also have a large group of tryouts, including twin forwards Drake and Darian Pilon. Finally, the Calgary Flames have invited surprise undrafted OHL defenseman Merrick Rippon to camp, while the Chicago Blackhawks will evaluate his Ottawa 67’s team mate, forward Shaw Boomhower.
Golden Knights Narrowly Worked Out Pacioretty Deal Within Montreal's Window
Speaking with reporters, including David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, following their acquisition of Max Pacioretty on Monday, Golden Knights GM George McPhee provided some insight into how the process played out. While there was plenty of speculation about the winger moving back at the draft, McPhee indicated that they didn’t really get involved in pursuing Pacioretty until after that time.
He added that Montreal was hesitant to grant them a negotiation window to try to work out the contract extension but ultimately were granted a six-to-seven hour timeframe to work with. McPhee stated that the framework was agreed upon around one minute to the deadline and then they spent the hours following the trade to hammer out the details such as the year-to-year breakdown. Pacioretty ultimately inked a four-year, $28MM extension and is presently set to be the highest paid skater for the Golden Knights when the puck drops to start 2019-20.
Max Pacioretty Signs Four-Year Extension With Vegas Golden Knights
As expected, the Vegas Golden Knights have announced a long-term extension for new winger Max Pacioretty. After acquiring him last night from the Montreal Canadiens, the Golden Knights have signed Pacioretty to a four-year, $28MM extension that will run through the 2022-23 season. The deal includes a 10-team no-trade clause, and though Pacioretty does have one season left on his current contract, his next deal will be considerably front loaded to give him a good chunk of the salary up front:
- 2019-20: $10.5MM
- 2020-21: $7.0MM
- 2021-22: $5.25MM
- 2022-23: $5.25MM
Montreal GM Marc Bergevin stated that an extension was part of the agreement to send Pacioretty to Vegas, though the official announcement has come some hours later. The Golden Knights sent Tomas Tatar, Nick Suzuki and a second-round pick to Montreal in the middle of the night and had already been given a window to negotiate with Pacioretty. Vegas GM George McPhee admitted in his press conference today that they had been talking to the Canadiens since just after the draft, and things picked up over the last few days.
Pacioretty, 29, becomes one of just three forwards on the Golden Knights who are under contract for the 2021-22 season, joining Jon Marchessault and Reilly Smith who were key members of the offensive attack in a Cinderella first season. The former Montreal captain will try to join in on that production, and return to the goal scoring ways that made him a star for the Canadiens. In four consecutive seasons between 2013-2017, Pacioretty recorded at least 30 goals and 60 points and was one of the most consistent two-way threats in the Eastern Conference. It likely would have been six consecutive seasons if the 2012-13 campaign wasn’t shortened because of a work stoppage—Pacioretty had 33 goals in 2011-12 and 15 in the shortened year.
That kind of goal scoring is extremely difficult to acquire, and there is no guarantee that the Golden Knights have done so with this transaction. Pacioretty only scored 17 goals last season in 64 games, though was still one of the Canadiens most dangerous players when healthy. If he can stay on the ice in Vegas and perhaps find some early chemistry with fellow newcomer Paul Stastny, there’s a good chance he could revert to the 30-goal scorer he showed for so many years. Those questions are far from answered though, and the Golden Knights are paying him as though he will bounce back immediately. In doing so they are taking on some definite risk, though after proving they’re already in a Stanley Cup window taking a chance to acquire talent like this is usually necessary.
It is interesting that the team was able to keep the term down to just four years, given the reports that the Los Angeles Kings had offered Pacioretty a six-year, $36MM extension in a trade that fell apart earlier this offseason. Even if he can’t get back to the level he showed in previous years, Pacioretty will only be 34 when the deal expires and will likely still be at least a usable NHL player.
Montreal Canadiens Trade Max Pacioretty
Early this morning the Montreal Canadiens have finally found a package they can live with, and have traded captain Max Pacioretty to the Vegas Golden Knights. Montreal will receive forward Tomas Tatar, prospect Nick Suzuki and a 2019 second-round pick in exchange for the veteran winger. The Canadiens will retain 10% of Pacioretty’s remaining contract, while Vegas will be retaining 9.434% of Tatar’s—equaling exactly $500K for the former Golden Knights winger.
Pacioretty, rumored to be available for months, is expected to sign a long-term extension with the Golden Knights at some point given that Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin told reporters including Eric Engels of Sportsnet that the deal was contingent on a contract being signed with the new team. The Montreal GM also confirmed that there was a trade request from Pacioretty last season, something that had been debated in the media over the last few weeks. The now former captain will be heading west where he’ll try to bounce back from a disappointing 2017-18 campaign that saw him score just 17 goals.
The Golden Knights have been looking for added scoring since the loss of James Neal and David Perron in free agency, and many expected Tatar to step into an increased role. Vegas had traded a first, second and third round pick to the Detroit Red Wings at the deadline last season in order to acquire the 27-year old Tatar, but he didn’t find an immediate fit in the expansion roster and ended up sitting as a healthy scratch at times in the playoffs. The investment clearly didn’t pay off, given that Tatar has been shipped out of town after just 28 games as a Golden Knight.
Along with the former Red Wings forward, Montreal gets one of the best prospects in hockey in Suzuki. Selected 13th overall in 2017, Suzuki returned to the OHL and recorded 100 points in 64 games for the Owen Sound Attack. Though he’s likely not headed for the NHL this season, he could very well lead the OHL in scoring and then make the jump in 2019-20. A versatile forward, Suzuki is praised for both his natural goal scoring ability and offensive instincts and should help to replace the talent heading west in Pacioretty. Though there are some who doubt his future lies at center, the Canadiens have at least added another potential option down the middle going forward.
After the public battle between Pacioretty’s representation and the team, a package of this quality will be a refreshing conclusion for many Montreal fans. It did not seem like there was much of a future in Montreal for the 29-year old winger, while Tatar at least will be in town for the remaining three seasons on his contract. That is if the Canadiens don’t decide to flip him again, given that package that he brought to Detroit just a few months ago.
2018-19 Season Primer: St. Louis Blues
With the NHL season now just a month away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Today, we focus on the St. Louis Blues.
Last Season: 44-32-6 record (94 points), fifth in the Central Division (failed to reach the playoffs)
Remaining Cap Space: $284,845 per CapFriendly
Key Additions: F Ryan O’Reilly (trade, Buffalo Sabres); F Tyler Bozak (free agent, Toronto Maple Leafs); F David Perron (free agent, Vegas Golden Knights); F Patrick Maroon (free agent, New Jersey Devils); G Chad Johnson (free agent, Buffalo Sabres); F Brian Flynn (free agent, Dallas Stars); D Tyler Wotherspoon (free agent, Calgary Flames); F Jordan Nolan (free agent, Buffalo Sabres)
Key Departures: F Kyle Brodziak (free agent, Edmonton Oilers); G Carter Hutton (free agent, Buffalo Sabres); F Patrik Berglund (trade, Buffalo Sabres); F Vladimir Sobotka (trade, Buffalo Sabres); F Tage Thompson (trade, Buffalo Sabres); F Wade Megan (free agent, Detroit Red Wings); F Beau Bennett (free agent, Dinamo Minsk (KHL)); Petteri Lindbohm (free agent, Laussane (Swiss League))
[Related: Blues Depth Chart From Roster Resource]
Player To Watch: G Jake Allen — The team has upgraded its offense, already had a solid defense and has several of their top prospects banging on its door, hoping to get into their rotation this year. What they didn’t do much with is their goaltending. Allen, once considered the franchise goalie, has now struggled for more than a full season, but with three years at $4.35MM per season still on the books, he’s not going anywhere this year.
The 28-year-old netminder struggled down the stretch during the 2016-17 season, but his consistency got even worse last year when he posted a .906 save percentage and a 2.75 GAA in 59 games. The team was forced to use Hutton on many occasions to replace the struggling goaltender. In hopes of redeeming his job, Allen has said that he has changed some of his training methods this summer and hopes to come into camp and prove that he is the starting goaltender.
The team had better hope that he can, because the team lost Hutton to the Buffalo Sabres in the offseason and replaced him with Johnson, who struggled in a one-year stint in Buffalo, albeit behind an atrocious defense. The team does have prospect Ville Husso waiting in the AHL, but many believe he still needs at least one year of seasoning there before he can challenge Allen for his job.
Key Storyline: The offense has been thoroughly upgraded in the last few months and it will be up to the team to find a way to gel and make it work. One key story will be whether they can get the breakout performance that everyone in the NHL has been waiting for from Vladimir Tarasenko. The winger posted three impressive seasons coming into last year, including a 37, 40, 39-goal seasons. However, while the 26-year-old still had a solid season last year, his 33 goals was a disappointment for a player who many felt was closer to a 40-goal scorer than a 30-point scorer.
One possibility to Tarasenko’s season could come down to the addition of O’Reilly. Adding a top-line center will be critical and if the two can co-exist, then you might see the development of a superstar as Tarasenko and Paul Stastny had limited chemistry together. There is also a likelihood that Maroon, who played together with Connor McDavid in Edmonton for a while, could add his physicality to that first line and give Tarasenko an even better chance to have a big season.
Overall Outlook: Looking at the massive changes to the team, especially at the forward position means the team expects to win now. The franchise has put a lot of expectations on head coach Mike Yeo and the team as they are expected to not just make the playoffs, but compete for the Central Division title. That’s a tough chore for any Central Division team if you assume that the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets will likely assume the first two spots in the division. That leaves just two playoffs spots for the rest of the division that includes the Minnesota Wild, who have been to the playoffs for six straight years, an improving Dallas Stars team, a young impressive Colorado Avalanche franchise and the Chicago Blackhawks who are trying to prove that their run isn’t over just yet. If the team fails to impress early on, that could put Yeo on the hot seat.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Kevin Bieksa A Fit For Vegas Golden Knights?
Respected veteran defenseman Kevin Bieksa isn’t quite ready to hang up his skates. The long-time Vancouver Canuck is no longer the elite defender that he was in his younger days, but at 37 years old he showed during the past few seasons with the Anaheim Ducks that he can still be a serviceable asset on the blue line. He continues to train as if he is playing this season and could sign soon. However, Bieksa tells Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy that he’s hoping he can land with a “perfect fit”. Bieksa’s family is remaining in California regardless of where he signs and Bieksa would prefer to stay nearby. In fact, Bieksa claims that he has received multiple offers this off-season, but has not pulled the trigger in hopes of staying closer to his family.
A “relatively close” NHL location to Anaheim, California would of course be the Ducks, but also Pacific Division rivals like the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Arizona Coyotes, and Vegas Golden Knights. Bieksa left the Ducks on poor terms after being underutilized in the postseason, so a return seems very unlikely. Meanwhile, the Kings, Sharks, and Coyotes are very deep on the blue line.
The Golden Knights are an intriguing option, though. The team was recently dealt a blow in the form of a 20-game suspension for top pair defender Nate Schmidt. Vegas is also still at odds with Shea Theodore over a new contract and the restricted free agent remains unsigned as training camp nears. This currently leaves just six proven NHL defenseman on the active roster, including 36-year-old Deryk Engelland and journeyman Brad Hunt. The Knights aren’t without some interesting prospect options, such as Griffin Reinhart and Zach Whitecloud, but the team has already been linked to interest in a veteran PTO or two. Bieksa could step in – either on a tryout or affordable one-year deal – and provide some depth and leadership this season for Vegas. It seems like a natural fit for both sides; will it happen?
West Notes: Schmidt, Theodore, Panik
When Nate Schmidt was recently suspended for 20 games for violating the league’s Performance Enhancing Substance policy, the Vegas Golden Knights immediately came out in support of their defenseman, stating that they “strongly disagree” with the ruling. Schmidt himself stated that he believes the positive test came about through environmental contamination instead of any substance he ingested, given the minuscule amount that was found and the lack of any evidence in a hair sample.
Today, Vegas GM George McPhee didn’t go so far as blame Schmidt but did defend his organization and the Golden Knights’ training staff, telling reporters including Ken Boehlke of SinBin.vegas that the substance “didn’t come from us.” While Schmidt claimed that the only supplements he used were from the Golden Knights, McPhee explains that a simple protein shake could cause a positive test and that he has told other players that they “don’t need anything from anywhere else.” Schmidt is practicing in unofficial skates with other players from the team, but will miss the first 20 games of the regular season and is not allowed to play in any preseason contests.
- McPhee also spoke about the still unsigned Shea Theodore, and told reporters that he hopes a deal will be completed soon. Theodore is one of 11 remaining restricted free agents without a contract, and could potentially miss part of training camp if he doesn’t have a new deal in the next week. The young defenseman is even more important for the Golden Knights now that Schmidt will miss a quarter of the season, and could be asked to log huge minutes in the early part of the year. Coming off his entry-level contract, the Golden Knights have a decision to make between signing him to a bridge deal on a lower cap hit or trying to lock up the 23-year old long-term before he really shows his full potential.
- Richard Panik was arrested earlier in the offseason for trespassing at an Arizona establishment, and pleaded guilty in court this week. Craig Morgan of The Athletic passes along a statement from the Coyotes, which says they have dealt with the situation internally and won’t comment further. TMZ has released a video of the arrest, but even with the added publicity it seems as though the Coyotes will not hand out any punishment that includes a suspension.
2018-19 Season Primer: Vegas Golden Knights
With the NHL season now just a month away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Today, we focus on the Vegas Golden Knights.
Last Season: 51-24-7 record (109 points), first in the Pacific Division (lost to Washington in the Stanley Cup Final, beat Winnipeg in the third round, beat San Jose in the second round, beat Los Angeles in the first round)
Remaining Cap Space: $8.69MM per CapFriendly (still need to sign D Shea Theodore)
Key Arrivals: F Daniel Carr (free agent, Montreal), D Nick Holden (free agent, Boston), F Paul Stastny (free agent, Winnipeg)
Key Departures: D Jason Garrison (free agent, Edmonton – PTO), F David Perron (free agent, St. Louis), F James Neal (free agent, Calgary), D Luca Sbisa (free agent, unsigned)
[Related: Golden Knights Depth Chart From Roster Resource]
Player To Watch: F William Karlsson – Could it really be anyone else? Karlsson was the biggest surprise in the NHL last year, going from a role player in Columbus to a top line center that was among the league leaders in goals. That made for a fascinating restricted free agency case this summer.
Ultimately, while a long-term deal was discussed, the two sides weren’t able to come with something that worked for everyone and instead settled on a one-year, $5.25MM pact. That outcome wasn’t entirely surprising as given his massive jump in production (and a very high shooting percentage), it’s understandable that Vegas would like to see how he follows that up before they lock him up.
What will Karlsson do for an encore? He won’t necessarily be counted on to produce quite as much with Stastny giving them another legitimate top-six center but he’ll still be a focal point of their attack. While some regression is expected, if he can get back around the 30-goal mark even, he will really bolster his case for a long-term deal next summer when he will hit restricted free agency with arbitration eligibility for the final time.
Key Storyline: Like Karlsson, what do the Golden Knights have in store for their encore? This is a team that wasn’t built to win right away but turned around and won the division while making it to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season. Was last season a sign of things to come or merely a case of a whole lot going right all at the same time?
While adding Stastny down the middle certainly helps, they will feel the losses of Neal and Perron on the wings. Tomas Tatar has the track record to be someone that could help fill that void but he was also a frequent scratch in the postseason; he’s their big wild card up front. Despite that, expectations will still be higher than they typically would be for a team in their second season and they won’t be catching teams by surprise anymore.
Overall Outlook: The Pacific Division doesn’t appear to have a true frontrunner. Instead, there are several teams that can legitimately believe that they’ll have a chance to contend for the division title. Even if they take a step back, Vegas could still be one of those clubs which means they won’t be acting like a typical expansion squad in their second season either.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Suspension To Nate Schmidt And Shea Theodore's Status Could Make Vegas Pursue A PTO For A Defenseman
With Nate Schmidt now out for the first 20 games of the regular season and Shea Theodore still a restricted free agent, David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal speculates (Twitter link) that the Golden Knights could turn to veteran defenseman Luca Sbisa on a PTO deal for training camp. Vegas is certainly familiar with Sbisa as he played in 42 games (regular season and playoffs) with them last season. The 28-year-old is one of the top defenders left on the open market and would give the team some extra competition at training camp at the very least and potentially some insurance if Theodore remains unsigned into the season. Whether it’s Sbisa or someone else, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Vegas add another defender heading into training camp.
Snapshots: Stastny, Hextall, Klefbom
The Vegas Golden Knights may have lost a pair of high-end forwards in James Neal and David Perron, but the team did bring in an important free agent this offseason when they signed center Paul Stastny to a three-year deal. The 32-year-old center showed off his impressive skills after he was traded to the Winnipeg Jets from St. Louis at the trade deadline. Stastny was given the role of anchoring a line with their star youngsters’ Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers and that line was a key part of the team’s deep playoff run, before being eliminated by Vegas.
Now ironically in Vegas and expected to center the team’s second line, Stastny said he spends a lot of his offseason training much differently considering that he’s entering that portion of a players’ career where a decline begins. Stastny told The Athletic’s Ryan Clark (subscription required) that he spends a lot of time focusing on off-ice things, especially his diet.
“Trying to keep up with your diet, trying to stay lean, trying to stay quick because as you get older, you might lose that step,” Stastny said. “The game’s changed from my first year where it was a lot heavier, stronger, touch and grabbing to know where it’s just not as much physical. A lot more skating and you gotta keep with that endurance as much as you can.”
Stastny, who posted 16 goals and 53 points between St. Louis and Winnipeg, expects to join the team’s second line between Alex Tuch and either Erik Haula or Tomas Tatar.
- David Isaac of the Courier Post interviewed Philadelphia Flyers head coach Ron Hextall, who said in the Q&A that the team looked into upgrading their bottom-six this year in hopes of improving their penalty kill, which struggled last year, but felt they were unable to do that. The special teams’ unit played better over the final 25 games, according to Hextall, but he would still like to add a penalty killing forward, if possible. “I’m open to it, but it would probably be more of a lateral move on the market rather than a free agent,” Hextall said. “It would be a forward. We’d like to add a penalty-killing forward but to this point there’s been nothing there that’s made enough sense for us to move.”
- The Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins wonders if this is the year that defenseman Oscar Klefbom puts it all together, especially now that reports are coming in that say he’s 100 percent already with just a couple of weeks before training camp. The 25-year-old had a breakout season in 2016-17 when he tallied 12 goals and 38 points, but struggled through an injury-plagued 2017-18. Now healthy, the scribe believes this is the year he takes that next step.