Miro Aaltonen Was Pursued By Toronto, Vegas
- Jonas Siegal of The Athletic penned an interesting piece on Toronto Maple Leafs’ new acquisition Miro Aaltonen, outlining his battle for a roster spot this season. Aaltonen was a free agent after the Anaheim Ducks—the team who originally drafted him—chose not to sign him in 2015, and apparently decided between the Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights on where to start his North American career. It’s interesting that he chose Toronto, as he likely could have made the Vegas roster out of camp but will have a tough battle for the Maple Leafs. Part of that likely has to do with him signing way back in March, before Vegas even had a roster at all.
Golden Knights Sign Dylan Coghlan To Entry-Level Deal
Another player has turned a strong performance at rookie camp and the early part of training camp into an entry-level deal as the Golden Knights announced that they have signed defenseman Dylan Coghlan to a three-year contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 19-year-old wasn’t selected back at the draft in June despite a very strong season with Tri-City of the WHL. In 2016-17, he had 15 goals and 38 assists; his 53 points were more than he had in his first two seasons combined. They were also enough to tie him for 12th overall among all Western League blueliners. He had been ranked 155th among North American skaters for the draft.
Given the logjam of blueliners that Vegas has, Coghlan will assuredly be going back to junior for this season (he isn’t eligible to play in the AHL yet). As a result, his contract will slide (unless he surprisingly makes it into ten or more NHL games) and won’t officially begin until the 2018-19 campaign.
Vegas Golden Knights “Not Squirming” As Season Approaches
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic spoke with Vegas Golden Knights’ GM George McPhee to ask him about the impending season and how his team is shaping up. The veteran executive is extremely pleased with how things have turned out so far, and said that there may be as many as eight spots still up for grabs in training camp. The Golden Knights have been the topic of much trade speculation in recent weeks, as they still seem to have too many defenseman to start the year. McPhee won’t be rushed into a move though, and told LeBrun that the team is “not squirming.”
The Golden Knights currently have ten defensemen on one-way contracts, plus Shea Theodore and Jake Bischoff who both could be ready for full-time duty this year. That dozen will have to be reduced by at least three, with only Theodore and Bischoff waiver-exempt. Though the Golden Knights aren’t in much danger of losing an asset—burying a contract like Clayton Stoner‘s in the minors has little chance of backfiring—they still could use their position as one of power in the late stages of the preseason. Already clubs are starting to feel the pinch of injuries (just ask St. Louis, who have also lost Alex Steen for the rest of camp) and with solid NHL contributors like Brayden McNabb, Jon Merrill and Colin Miller all dressed in grey and gold, the team could still make moves for future assets.
McPhee also reveals that he’s not against extending some of his pending free agents rather than trading them, though it’s not clear which ones he would consider. Though James Neal and Jon Marchessault may be deserved of contracts, both also carry huge trade value now and throughout the season. Moving them is likely a much better move than extending them, even if the Golden Knights are better than expected this year.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/19/17
After many teams opened their preseason schedule last night, there will continue to be training camp cuts this week. Teams will be paring down their rosters up to opening night, when they’ll carry just 23 skaters. Here we’ll keep track of all the days cuts.
Calgary Flames
F Brett Findlay – Stockton (AHL)
F Rod Pelley – Stockton (AHL)
F Hunter Smith – Stockton (AHL)
D Kayle Doetzel – Stockton (AHL)
D Oleg Yevenko – Stockton (AHL)
G Mason McDonald – Stockton (AHL)
F Sam Dove-McFalls – Saint John (QMJHL)
F Zach Fischer – Medicine Hat (WHL)
F Glenn Gawdin – Swift Current (WHL)
F Ben Hawerchuk – Barrie (OHL)
F Brad Morrison – Vancouver (WHL)
F Matthew Phillips – Victoria (WHL)
F Mark Rassell – Medicine Hat (WHL)
F Adam Ruzicka – Sarnia (OHL)
D Tyson Helgesen – Spokane (WHL)
G Nick Schneider – Calgary (WHL)
F Joel Lowry – released from PTO, will attend AHL training camp
D Daniel Maggio – released from PTO, will attend AHL training camp
D Dylan Olsen – released from PTO, will attend AHL training camp
D Sam Ruopp – released from PTO, will attend AHL training camp
D Cliff Watson – released from PTO, will attend AHL training camp
Dallas Stars
F Shaw Boomhower – Missisauga (OHL)
F Zach Roberts – Owen Sound (OHL)
F Tomas Soustal – Kelowna (WHL)
F Cole Tymkin – London (OHL)
F Brett Davis – Kootenay (WHL)
F Jason Robertson – Kingston (OHL)
D Ondrej Vala – Kamloops (WHL)
Detroit Red Wings
F Givani Smith – Guelph (OHL)
New Jersey Devils
F Nikita Popugaev – Prince George (WHL)
F Marian Studenic – Hamilton (OHL)
F Nicolas Guay – Drummondville (QMJHL)
D Jocktan Chainey – Halifax (QMJHL)
D Colby Sissons – Swift Current (WHL)
G Evan Cormier – Saginaw (OHL)
New York Rangers
F Robin Kovacs – Hartford (AHL)
F Adam Chapie – Hartford (AHL)
D Brenden Kotyk – Hartford (AHL)
F Tim Gettinger – Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
F Ty Ronning – Vancouver (WHL)
Ottawa Senators
F Pius Suter – Zurich (NLA)
Vancouver Canucks
F Kole Lind – Kelowna (WHL)
F Jonah Gadjovich – Owen Sound (OHL)
D Matt Brassard – Oshawa (OHL)
D Cole Candella – Hamilton (OHL)
D Dylan Plouffe – Vancouver (WHL)
G Michael DiPietro – Windsor (OHL)
Vegas Golden Knights
D Scooter Vaughn – released from PTO
D Nikolas Brouillard – released from PTO
F Alex Barre-Boulet – Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)
F Ben Jones – Niagara (OHL)
F Patrick Bajkov – Everett (WHL)
F Jayden Halbgewachs – Moose Jaw (WHL)
D Keoni Texeira – Portland (WHL)
D Will Warm – Edmonton (WHL)
G Jiri Patera – Ceder Rapids (USHL)
G Dylan Ferguson – Kamloops (WHL)
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vegas Golden Knights
Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Vegas Golden Knights
Current Cap Hit: $69,375,832 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Alex Tuch (Two years remaining, $925K)
D Shea Theodore (One year remaining, $863K)
Potential Bonuses
Tuch: $425K
While the brand-new franchise is focused on building up a powerhouse team over the next five years, which means draft picks and more draft picks, which will create a revolving door at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, there should be at least one constant who is already locked in for the future in Theodore. The just-turned 22-year-old is considered to be a long-term piece and despite the team’s overwhelming defensive logjam, the hope is Theodore is on the team’s opening day roster. Theodore shined last year during Anaheim’s playoff run when he along with several other defenseman had to step in for injured players and fared well. Theodore, a offensive defenseman, was a first-round pick of the Ducks in 2013 and despite having just nine points in 39 regular season games last year, he put up eight goals in 14 playoff games.
Tuch, a talented forward acquired near the expansion draft in a side deal with the Minnesota Wild, has a chance to immediately make the team out of training camp. The 21-year-old wing was a first-round pick in 2014 and scored 18 goals for the AHL’s Iowa Wild last year.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F James Neal ($5MM, UFA)
F Mikhail Grabovski ($5MM, UFA)
D Jason Garrison ($4.6MM, UFA)
F David Perron ($3.75MM, UFA)
D Luca Sbisa ($3.6MM, UFA)
D Clayton Stoner ($3.25MM, UFA)
D Brayden McNabb ($1.7MM, UFA)
D Jonathon Merrill ($1.14MM, RFA)
F William Karlsson ($1MM, RFA)
D Colin Miller ($1MM, RFA)
D Deryk Engelland ($1MM, UFA)
G Calvin Pickard ($1MM, RFA)
F Jon Marchessault ($750K, UFA)
F Teemu Pulkkinen ($700K, RFA)
The Golden Knights will be looking to move as many of their players at the trade deadline as they can. Neal should be their biggest trade bait as many teams wouldn’t mind adding a goal-scorer right in time for the playoffs. The 30-year-old wing is coming off a 23-goal season in Nashville and has scored 165 goals in the last six seasons combined. The team hopes that playing on a top line should keep his scoring numbers up high so that his price increases at the perfect time, but a recent report that a wrist injury suffered during the playoffs last year is still affecting Neal and he will miss two to four weeks is concerning. The team also has high hopes it can move Perron. After putting up a career-high 28 goals in 2013-14, he has struggled with injuries but rebounded last year with an 18 goal season. If he can stay healthy and produce similar numbers, he might be worth a mid to late pick.
One key decision the team will have to make is what to do with Marchessault, who is coming off a 30-goal season a year ago in Florida. At $750K, he is a bargain for the next year, but if he can duplicate his numbers from last year, he would be in line for a big payday. Complicating the situation is that Vegas head coach Gerard Gallant is a big fan of the 26-year-old and was the head coach in Florida wlast year when Marchessault started his breakout season.
The team also has a number of restricted free agents who they will likely hold onto. While Pickard’s name is rarely mentioned in Vegas as he is the current backup, don’t be surprised if Pickard is penciled in as the goaltender of the future. The 25-year-old struggled with Colorado last year (although he did have one of the worst teams around him), but was a promising prospect before that. Miller is another who should be retained. The 24-year-old was a promising defender in Boston who was just beginning to get full-time work. He got into 61 games last year and showed quite a bit of promise. Karlsson should get a bottom line spot in the lineup. The 24-year-old is coming off a 25-point season and the team hopes he takes his game up a notch.
While Grabovski likely won’t see the ice ever in Las Vegas (freeing the team of his $5MM cap hit), Garrison is a defender who may prove to have some value if he can produce on one of the team’s top defensive lines. The 32-year-old struggled at times in Tampa Bay and his offensive numbers have declined in the past couple of years. McNabb is considered to be an excellent defender and should provide solid defense for Vegas. He missed a lot of time due to a broken collarbone injury he suffered last October, forcing the 26-year-old in and out of the lineup all season and he eventually lost his starting job at the end of the year, but should get regular minutes with the Golden Knights. Sbisa is another player who should get playing time in hopes the team can move him later this year. The 27-year-old blueliner was a solid defenseman, but few teams were interested in his $3.6MM pricetag.
Oscar Dansk Looking For Career Revival In Vegas
23 years old is still very young for a goaltender. Yet, that didn’t stop many people from writing off Oscar Dansk over the last few years and that was when he was even younger. The path that has led Dansk to a new NHL opportunity with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights has not be straight, nor has it been easy. However, with rave review after rave review coming out of Knights camp, it appears that Dansk may be back on track.
Dansk was originally drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the first pick in the second round (#31) of the 2012 NHL draft, out of the Swedish club Brynas. With some prodding from the Jackets, Dansk then came overseas to play junior hockey with the OHL’s Erie Otters. Dansk’s first season of major junior action was a disaster; a 4.11 GAA and .888 save percentage immediately made people rethink Columbus’ decision to take him so early. Yet, Dansk bounced back in his second season in Erie. Thus, when Dansk struggled mightily in his first pro season in 2014-15 – a 3.50+ GAA and sub-.890 save percentage in both the AHL and ECHL – it would have been safe to assume that the next year he would rebound. However, the Blue Jackets had selected Joonas Korpisalo one round after Dansk in 2012 and had slowly been bringing along 2011 seventh-rounder Anton Forsberg as well and that duo had outperformed Dansk. Add in veteran Brad Thiessen, and the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters had more than enough depth in net (and it would eventually lead them to a Calder Cup title in 2015-16). Rather than permanently put Dansk in the ECHL, Columbus agreed to loan him back to Sweden to play for Rogle BK. Dansk performed well in his first season back home, but the Jackets still chose to loan him out again last season. Following a more pedestrian campaign in 2016-17, Dansk did not receive a qualifying offer from Columbus and his NHL future seemed very much in doubt.
Enter the Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL’s newest team and an organization that needed to fill out the majority of an AHL roster almost entirely with free agent additions. Dansk got a second chance to make a name for himself in North America, inking a one-year with Vegas in early July. Dansk’s first objective is to win the starting job for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, the new affiliate of the Knights. His competition is former Dallas Stars’ prospect Maxime Lagace, who has had his own fair share of struggles early on in his career. Given the applause that Dansk has already seen in camp, that seems like a safe bet. Once Dansk is established as the next goalie in line in 2017-18, he need only wait for an opportunity to show Vegas what he has to offer. With veteran Marc-Andre Fleury coming off back-to-back seasons in which he shared the net in Pittsburgh and having suffered a concussion in each of those campaigns as well, it is possible that taking over a starter’s workload again could prove to be a tougher task than one might have considered. If Fleury misses time this season, which is surely a possibility, the Knights are set with promising young backup Calvin Pickard. And if Pickard needs a rest? Then Dansk is the man, and s career that went from a high likelihood of NHL success to a high likelihood that he may never even see NHL action will suddenly be back to where it began when he was drafted early back in 2012.
Mikhail Grabovski Wants To Play This Year
Mikhail Grabovski hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2015-16 season, spending all of last year on long-term injured reserve with continued post-concussion symptoms, but as Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com reports he’s in Las Vegas today for his medical and maintains his desire to play. His agent, Gary Greenstein, told Cotsonika that Grabovski is “very positive.” The 33-year old forward was selected by the Golden Knights in the expansion draft after receiving a first-round pick from the New York Islanders, but few thought he’d ever suit up for the team.
At one point in his career, Grabovski was a dynamic center that could drive play offensively and hold his own in the defensive end (despite what some detractors might say) but hasn’t played more than 60 games in a single NHL season since 2011-12. For a team that will likely have trouble scoring goals, his addition could provide some depth down the middle and another presence for the powerplay.
All of this is just hope from Grabovski’s side at this point, as he’ll need to pass the medical and then convince head coach Gerard Gallant that he’s ready to compete in the NHL once again, but we have seen things like this before. Clarke MacArthur returned to the Ottawa Senators late last season after nearly a full season off with similar issues, and was a big contributor in the playoffs. Perhaps Grabovski can do the same, even if it doesn’t come at the start of the season.
Snapshots: Fleury, Letang, Top 100
Marc-Andre Fleury would have likely waived his no-trade clause to go to Calgary last season, according to Eric Francis of Sportsnet who caught up with him in New York. Fleury was very cognizant of all the trade rumors surrounding him at the deadline, and knew Calgary was a potential landing spot.
I heard all the rumors – Winnipeg, Calgary and Vegas.
I didn’t know what was going to happen. At the trade deadline I couldn’t sleep that night, wondering, ‘where am I going?’
Fleury eventually ended up in Vegas with the Golden Knights, where he’s primed to be a starting goalie again and one of the early faces of the league’s 31st franchise. He’ll hope to improve on the .909 save percentage he put up last year, his lowest since the 2009-10 season.
- Fleury’s old teammate Kris Letang has been cleared to rejoin the team at practice after neck surgery in the spring. Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Letang will be on the ice on Friday when Penguins’ camp starts. Obviously the team will still be taking it slow with him, but it’s a big step to getting Letang ready for the start of the regular season. The Penguins found success even without him in the playoffs, but will be relying on him quite a bit again this season.
- The Athletic’s Corey Pronman released the final 50 of his Top 100 Under 25 list that was started yesterday, and—surprise, surprise—Connor McDavid takes the top spot. The rest of the list is a great read, with under-appreciated players like Brayden Point and Jaccob Slavin both making appearances. The sheer number of star players listed is incredible, and continues to show how the NHL is skewing younger and younger in recent years.
Vegas Not Worried About Having Too Much Defense
To some observers, the Vegas Golden Knights have some problems. The team has 13 defensemen on their roster, 11 with NHL experience. Yet, general manager George McPhee is not worried about the glut of defenders on his roster. While the coaches get a say, it will be McPhee who will make the final decision on who plays.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen writes that the team will likely keep eight defenders on their 23-man roster, so that should give defenseman a bit of comfort room. He also writes that it looks like nine players will compete for those eight spots. Three veterans will undoubtedly make the roster in Jason Garrison, Deryk Engelland and Luca Sbisa. Expect Brayden McNabb, the physical defender from the Los Angeles Kings to get a spot on the defensive roster as well as Nate Schmidt, who just signed a new two-year deal for $4.45MM. That’s five. Colin Miller, who led the Boston Bruins in Corsi For and Goals For percentage last season, should also be in the top six.
That leaves a still a number of defensemen who will be fighting for those last two spots.
“Our defensemen can count. They know there are a lot of D here right now,” McPhee said. “We’ll just have to see how camp goes and how we proceed. To be fair, you’d like to say it’s going to be the best six guys, but we’ll see. Sometimes you have to think short term and long term in this job and do what’s best for the organization from that standpoint.”
That quote might suggest that former Anaheim Ducks’ Shea Theodore, who the team picked up in an expansion deal, might be forced to start the season for the AHL Chicago Wolves as he still has waiver options remaining. Theodore, who had a major impact for the Ducks’ defense in the playoffs last year is still just 22 years old and only has 53 games of NHL experience so far, not including the playoffs. He put up just nine points in 34 games last year, but put up eight points in 14 playoff games in an expanded role. Others who will have to fight for spot include Jon Merrill, Clayton Stoner, Griffin Reinhart and Brad Hunt.
Schoen speculates that Merrill is likely to stay with the team, which could leave Stoner out. The team picked up Stoner with Theodore in part of an expansion trade deal. The Anaheim Ducks wanted to rid themselves of Stoner’s $3.25MM contract, but the 32-year-old injury plagued defender has not played since early last season and played in just 14 games last year.
Of course, none of this speculation makes any difference if the team can make a deal. The Golden Knights, who have already traded off several defensemen since the expansion draft, could be waiting for training camps to start. They may be hoping that an injury or a lack of depth could prompt a team to trade for one of their glut of defensemen. However, for now, McPhee continues to state that he is happy to have so much depth on their blueline.
“The neat thing about this process, and I’ve tried to explain this to a number of people, it’s still a blank canvas,” McPhee said. “We’re completely open minded about what might develop. I’m open for some unknown surprises. It’s wide open, and it should be.”
2017-18 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.
Obviously, looking at the Vegas Golden Knights is a bit different than the other teams. Heading into their first year in the league there are no “Key Departures” or even a record from last season. Instead, they’ll go in with sky-high hopes but reasonable expectations that should allow them to succeed regardless of how they finish in the standings. Their first job this season is to entertain and educate the hockey-going public in Las Vegas, showing them how exciting the sport can be—especially when your team wins.
Remaining Cap Space: $5.62MM per CapFriendly, with 26 roster players (23 will make the team).
[Related: Golden Knights Depth Chart From Roster Resource]
Players To Watch: F Vadim Shipachyov – The Golden Knights brought in some exciting players through the expansion draft, but none quite as intriguing as Shipachyov. The Russian forward has played his entire career in the KHL as one of the most consistent offensive players in the league, and has dazzled among the best in the world at international competition. Whether or not his game translates perfectly to the NHL is still up for debate, but he’s sure to put up at least a few remarkable plays to make the national highlight reels.
Shipachyov is signed for just two seasons in Vegas, and his role isn’t to take them to the playoffs. Instead, bringing in high-end offensive talent will help to take the burden off some of the lesser skilled players and allow them to contribute in roles their more accustomed to. Shipachyov will likely see a ton of time on the first powerplay unit and skate alongside scoring wingers like James Neal or Jon Marchessault right away.
The interesting thing about Shipachyov’s two-year contract is that it comes without any trade protection. The 30-year old center could become one of the Golden Knights’ best trade assets if he can show an ability to be a 40-50 point player in the NHL. It will be tough to move him though if a fan base falls in love with his slick puck work and playmaking ability, so we’ll have to wait what the Golden Knights decide to do.
D Shea Theodore – For all the fanfar Neal and Marc-Andre Fleury received when they were selected in the expansion draft, the real jewel of the process was Theodore. The Anaheim Ducks were willing to give him up to see Clayton Stoner taken off their hands, mostly because of the pipeline of young defense talent the team has built. Make no mistake, Theodore isn’t a failed prospect. His potential is still immense, and at 22-years old he could quickly become the Golden Knights’ best defenseman and remain that way for a long time.
While generally the Golden Knights went after draft picks and tradeable assets, Theodore stands out as a potential franchise-defining piece. Selected 23rd-overall in 2013, his game has developed from a purely offensive style to a more well-rounded puck mover. He’ll likely never be a shut down option, but could play a role similar to someone like Morgan Rielly or Alex Goligoski blending quick defensive zone outlets with a bit of offensive upside.
Key Storyline: Vegas needs to find a middle ground between showing enough talent and excitement to start building a hardcore fan base, and finishing low enough to capitalize on their 2018 draft picks. They have accumulated several picks in 2019 and 2020, but next year’s draft—which projects to be one of the deeper groups in several years—is the most important one right now. After adding an impressive group of young talent in Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, Erik Brannstrom and Nicolas Hague this year, another top-five pick could create a core that will allow them to compete sooner than many think.
That’s not to say the team shouldn’t be looking to win, but when the trade deadline rolls around a fire sale should be in order basically regardless of their position in the standings. Neal, Marchessault, and others like Colin Miller and Brayden McNabb will likely fetch hefty asking prices if Vegas is willing to deal, only adding to their prospect pool in the coming years. By pumping these assets full of easy zone starts and powerplay time, they could get an even better return on investment.