Five Questions: Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the early favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2016-17 Stanley Cup Final and have to be considered a real threat to come away with the ultimate prize. Fresh off back-to-back appearances in the Eastern Conference Final and a berth in the 2014-15 Stanley Cup Final, the team has proven they have what it takes to go deep into the postseason. Add in the fact that Steve Yzerman has done a terrific job keeping the core group of this team together for at least one more kick at the can, and the Lightning appear to have as good a chance as anyone to win it all in 2016-17.
Joe Smith covers the Lightning for the Tampa Bay Times and he was kind enough to answer some questions – including a couple of bonus queries – for Pro Hockey Rumors on the subject of the Lighting.
PHR: Given Pittsburgh’s dominating postseason run and the return of its roster mostly intact, is it fair to proclaim the Penguins as the prohibitive favorites in the East? How do the Lightning expect to close the gap between themselves and the Penguins in the battle for Eastern Conference supremacy after not acquiring any impact talent from outside the organization this summer?
SMITH: You have to consider the champion Penguins the favorite until someone beats them. But the gap isn’t that big, considering the Lightning came incredibly close to getting past Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference Final. Not closing the Penguins out in Game 6 at home likely haunted Tampa Bay all offseason. But the Lightning has all the tools to be a Stanley Cup contender, as evidence by its back-to-back playoff runs. With a deep offense led by a healthy Steven Stamkos, freed of any contract distractions, and arguably the top one-two tandem in net with Ben Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Lightning should give itself a chance.
PHR: Starting goalie Ben Bishop is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency following the 2016-17 season. Yzerman has previously shown a willingness to let players play out their deals and risk losing them for nothing if he feels the team is a stronger contender with that player in the lineup. Do you see the Lightning following the same script with Bishop or do you anticipate they look to move him at some point in season to address other needs?
TIMES: Yzerman has said there is the option of keeping Bishop all season for another run at the Stanley Cup. “It’s not a bad option,” he says. And it’s entirely possible the Lightning does just that. It’s hard to imagine Tampa Bay having a better chance to win without the two-time Vezina Trophy finalist, the best goalie in franchise history. But I wouldn’t rule out Tampa Bay potentially dealing Bishop before the March trade deadline, depending on what the market is. It doesn’t hurt the Lightning to at least see what is out there as opposed to losing Bishop to Las Vegas (or another team as a UFA) for nothing.
PHR: Given Vasilevskiy’s strong postseason play and the recent contract extension he was rewarded with, it’s evident the Lightning are projecting him to be the goaltender of the future. However, what are the odds he displaces Bishop between the pipes this season, regardless of whether or not Bishop is dealt?
TIMES: It does appear Vasilevskiy is the future No. 1, it’s just a matter of when. The fact Vasilevskiy was signed to a three-year, $3.5 million (AAV) extension in July, putting him under contract for four more years, makes him a more affordable option than Bishop, who makes $5.9 million in the final year of his. The only way Vasilevskiy replaces Bishop this season is if Bishop is traded before the March deadline. Now, Vasilevskiy is slotted to get a larger share of starts than last season, potentially 30-plus, so he’ll push Bishop. But barring a significant drop in Bishop’s play, he’s still the No. 1.
PHR: The Lightning have three more key contributors set to become RFAs next season – Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson; are you aware of any attempts by Yzerman to strike early and get a deal or deals done in advance of next summer? Also, with $55MM already committed to next year’s salary cap and just 13 players under contract, is there any worry within the organization that they will have to sacrifice valuable assets in order to move out enough salary to retain those RFAs and flesh out the roster?
TIMES: Haven’t heard of any significant contract talks with those players yet, but it’s still early. Yzerman first had to wrap up last summer’s contracts, including signing Nikita Kucherov just two days before the opener. While Yzerman has done a great job keeping the core together, he’s said that it’s impossible to keep everyone with the salary cap. That’s why it’ll be such a challenge next summer with Johnson, Drouin and Palat all needing new deals, and likely big raises. The Lightning might gain some flexibility if it ends up trading Bishop, or depending on what player it loses in the expansion draft. Veterans like Valtteri Filppula and Jason Garrison are potential trade candidates if Tampa Bay must clear some room.
PHR: Speaking of Drouin, it was an interesting year for the young winger, to say the least. Now that he has withdrawn his trade request and seems content in Tampa, what are your expectations for the former third overall draft pick? He only has eight career NHL goals in 91 regular season games but tallied five in 17 playoff contests this past spring. Will he build upon that and potentially reach or even exceed the 20-goal, 50-point plateau?
TIMES: Would not be surprised if Drouin has a huge year. I’m talking 60-70 points type of season. He seems to have picked up where he left off in a dynamic postseason, and is bound for some big numbers playing on a line with Steven Stamkos. A turning point for Drouin was a breakfast he had with coach Jon Cooper in early April after returning from AHL Syracuse. The two cleared the air, and Drouin is playing like a young star who has the trust and confidence from his head coach. He has more of a shoot-first mentality now, and as a quarterback on one of the power play units, he’ll have plenty of chances to put up points.
PHR: Any sleepers or relative unknowns on the Lightning you think may have a big impact this season?
TIMES: You can start with rookie forward Brayden Point. The 20-year-old prospect surprised many by making the opening night roster, taking advantage of open spots vacated by Ryan Callahan (hip surgery) and Nikita Kucherov (contract holdout). Point earned it with his play in exhibitions, and has fit right in early on this season, racking up his first NHL point in a win over New Jersey.
PHR: Finally, aside from Pittsburgh, which teams in the East represent the biggest obstacles to Tampa?
TIMES: The Panthers, which finished ahead of the Lightning in the Atlantic Division last season, should be a threat again. And you’d think Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals are due to break through its postseason struggles.
Pro Hockey Rumors would like to extend our thanks and gratitude to Joe Smith for taking the time to answer these questions for us. You can find Smith’s bio here and for everything related to the Tampa Bay Lightning, you can follow him on Twitter here.
Las Vegas Hires General Fanager Creator Tom Poraszka
The Las Vegas NHL Expansion Team has hired General Fanager creator Tom Poraszka as a Hockey Operations Analyst. Poraszka created General Fanager, a popular salary cap tracking application.
General Fanager—created in 2015—was a website that tracked NHL teams’ salary cap, player contracts, and player movement. It also allowed visitors to customize teams with trades and transactions while staying cap compliant. The website filled a gap left by the wildly popular CapGeek, which shuttered operations after its founder Matthew West battled cancer. General Fanager becomes the latest NHL analytic website shut down after its creator joins an NHL organization. Current alternatives include CapFriendly—a PHR favorite—and NHLNumbers.
Hiring amateur hockey analysts based on their web applications is a recent NHL trend. More and more teams are hiring these creators in an effort to boost their salary cap understanding and their advanced statistics department. Whether or not this trend continues, however, remains to be seen. Both the Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers decided not to renew the contracts of their analytic hires.
Krueger The Top Candidate For Las Vegas Head Coach?
In his bold predictions for the 2016-17 season, TSN’s Frank Servalli predicts that the head coach of the Las Vegas expansion team will be Ralph Krueger. The head coach of Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey last month, a team that exceeded everyone’s expectations, Krueger has gotten plenty of buzz as a top coaching candidate for any spots that open in the near future. No NHL coaching gig will get as much attention as the man picked to helm the new team in Las Vegas next season.
The only problem? Krueger is currently the chairman of Southampton FC of the English Premiere League, and yes that is a soccer team. Although Krueger grew up in Canada and was a hockey player, he was born in Germany, and his German roots and time spent playing and coaching overseas also made him a big soccer fan. He was named director of Southampton in 2014, and was soon after promoted to chairman. As of now, he has pledged his dedication to his switch to soccer, but Servalli notes that Krueger also added in a World Cup interview that he would “never say never”.
Should Las Vegas GM George McPhee convince Krueger to return to hockey and coach the league’s newest team next year, it would not be his first stint as an NHL bench boss. Krueger began working for the Edmonton Oilers in 2010 and was promoted to head coach for the 2012-13 season. After finishing below .500 and missing the playoffs, Krueger was relieved of his duties after just one season. However, his recent success at the World Cup shows that the former Oilers coach still has a passion for the game of hockey, as well as an innate ability to coach it. It is a certainty that Las Vegas will inquire about Krueger’s interests in a return, and if you believe Servalli, he will be the first head coach of the franchise in 2016-17.
League Notes: Ovechkin, Olympics, Las Vegas, Gudas
Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is standing by his star player, pledging his support for Alex Ovechkin and his commitment to playing in the 2018 Winter Olympics, regardless of whether the NHL plans to participate. Ovechkin has officially stated that he plans to suit up for Russia in the next Olympics, with or without his NHL peers playing alongside him. In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Alex Prewitt, Leonsis said that he hopes the NHL and IOC can come to an agreement on the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but if they can’t, he is okay with Ovechkin or any of his players choosing to participate:
“The Olympics are incredibly meaningful to Alex and his family. So my commitment to them was, I will always do what’s in Alex’s best interest, and I said it 10 years ago, I’ll say it today: If Alex Ovechkin says this is really important to me to go represent and play for my country, I’m going to support him. What’s the worst that could happen? We’ll get fined or something. I hope it doesn’t get to that. But I’ve got to have my captain’s back, and I will.”
The IOC has given the league until January to make a decision on their participation, and with the pressure or high profile players and now an owner in Washington fighting for inclusion, the NHL may have to bite the bullet and commit to the 2018 Games. With Beijing, China and potentially Calgary or Salt Lake City after that as the two Winter Olympics following Pyeongchang, continued NHL participation seems likely, but skipping South Korea continues to be an option for the NHL. However, if many players plan to go regardless in 2018, the league may as well stay the course as Olympic participants.
Other news around the league:
- The Las Vegas expansion franchise is set to finally reveal it’s name to the world on November 11th, according to NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika. Owner Bill Foley shared that the name has indeed been chosen, as has the logo, and the team’s colors are in the final stages of becoming official as well. Everything will be made public in about a month, as Las Vegas will truly begin to transform from an idea to reality. It was previously reported that the team will likely take up either Golden Knights, Silver Knights, or Desert Knights, but with all the secretive strategy that has surrounded the process, don’t be surprised if another moniker is revealed on 11/11.
- The NHL is reviewing a high, late hit on Bruins roster-hopeful Austin Czarnik in last night’s preseason finale between Boston and Philadelphia by, who else, Radko Gudas. This is the second time already this preseason that Gudas has had a bad hit along the boards reviewed, the first being on Ranger’s rookie Jimmy Vesey. This time though, Gudas seems more likely to be punished by the league, as Czarnik took a shoulder to the face well after he had passed the puck, and was forced to leave the game because of the hit. Bruins coach Claude Julien was especially critical of the hit, saying that “this seems to be happening to (Gudas) every game”. With a strong stance by one the league’s most well-respected coaches adding fuel to the fire, expect Gudas to miss some time and miss quite a few dollars after a decision is handed down this time. The Department of Player Safety offered him an in-person hearing (which allows for a suspension of five or more games) but he declined and will have a telephone hearing on Monday (Twitter links).
Snapshots: Vegas, Hjalmarsson, Pearson, Elias
The expansion Las Vegas may not yet have a team name but they now have a team president as the team announced the hiring of Kerry Bubolz to that position today. He departs the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers where he most recently served as their president of business operations.
Bubolz has a bit of a hockey background having served as president and alternate governor for the AHL’s Cleveland (formerly Lake Erie) Monsters while also spending some time in the Carolina Hurricanes organization.
While the team name hasn’t been announced, everything else appears to be falling into place for Las Vegas. They have an experienced GM running the show in George McPhee while also bringing in scouting directors. Recently, reports surfaced that the team may be permitted to make trades in advance of next June’s expansion draft which would be a first for an expansion team in league history.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Chicago defenceman Niklas Hjalmarsson has been suspended for the remainder of the preseason and one regular season game, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced. As a result, Hjalmarsson will miss the season opener against St. Louis on October 12th and will forfeit a little more than $22K in salary.
- The Department of Player Safety also announced (via Twitter) that Los Angeles left winger Tanner Pearson will have a telephone hearing for his illegal check to the head on Edmonton defenseman Brandon Davidson on Sunday night. The hit occurred in the second period and Pearson was ejected for the hit.
- Unrestricted free agent left winger Patrik Elias is taking a “month-by-month approach” when it comes to his hopeful return to the Devils this season, he told Mike Morreale of NHL.com. Although he isn’t under contract, he is still participating in team meetings and has a stall in the dressing room in anticipation of a return. Elias is their all-time leading scorer with 1,025 points in 1,240 games and has only played for New Jersey in his 20 year NHL career.
Las Vegas May Be Allowed To Trade Before Expansion Draft
TSN and ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on Friday on Winnipeg’s TSN 1260 that the NHL may allow the Las Vegas Expansion team to make trades up to three weeks before the expansion draft. No NHL expansion team has ever been granted the opportunity to make pre-expansion draft trades before.
The rationale behind the move is that the NHL wants Las Vegas to be as competitive as soon as possible. While the team won’t have any players to dangle, it will have both Entry Draft picks and Expansion Draft options. This gives Las Vegas some flexibility as it attempts to build a team from scratch. It could use its draft picks to acquire players not eligible for expansion protection, or to broker a deal not to take a certain player.
That flexibility is important because Las Vegas has the tough job of trying to build a farm system and put an exciting product on the ice immediately. Those goals are usually mutually exclusive, and the team will have to find the right balance between obtaining prospects and guys with immediate skill. Luckily for the team, however, the salary cap creates more player movement as teams struggle to keep all their stars. Those castoffs—albeit expensive ones—could provide a stopgap for Las Vegas until its prospects develop.
Las Vegas Searching For Affiliate
Part of putting together an expansion team in the NHL is building your farm system from the ground up. To establish that ground level, you first need a minor league affiliate. Just like the NHL, the AHL will grow by one in 2017-18, and the hunt has begun for that 31st member.
Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Las Vegas owner Bill Foley has begun to look for locations for his second franchise purchase, and there are pros and cons to many of the possibilities. The AHL has seen a western migration in recent years, making the establishment of a team near Las Vegas an easier mission. Foley does not want to share Las Vegas with the AHL franchise, like soon-to-be conference rival San Jose, but is looking at other locations nearby. Reno, Nevada, Fresno, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah are the leading candidates so far, and a move is expected shortly.
While free agents are not usually concerned about AHL locations when signing with an NHL team, Las Vegas will lack the full farm system that all of it’s competitors have when it begins operations next season. The AHL roster will only feature leftovers from the Expansion Draft and potentially an overage Entry Draft pick or two. Thus, GM George McPhee will have to work some magic on the open market next summer in order to help populate his new AHL team with some free agent prospects. The location that they end up choosing will be a big selling point for the new team, as many signing on will understand that they’re needed to keep the AHL team going in Year One.
Snapshots: Hartnell, Lundqvist, Las Vegas, Connauton
News and from around the NHL:
- Columbus Blue Jacket’s Scott Hartnell has rescinded his offer to waive his no-movement clause—and with it retracts his list of preferred teams. Hartnell agreed to waive his no-movement clause earlier this summer so that Columbus could explore potential trade options. Hartnell still has three years left on his contract that pays him $4.75MM a year. While that isn’t necessarily excessive, Columbus has the cap space of a playoff team rather than the lottery team it was last season. Hartnell still scored 23G and 26A in 79 games for the Blue Jackets, but the team could not find any deals they liked over the summer.
- Henrik Lundqvist‘s workload may reduce this season as the veteran goalie enters his twelfth season. Newsday reports that New York Rangers Coach Alain Vigneault is considering reducing his star goalie to between 50-58 starts this season. Backup Antti Raanta will be expected to shoulder the increased workload. Raanta was 11-6-2 with a .919SV% and a 2.25GAA last year. The plan is to rest Lundqvist for a potential deep playoff run and to balance against his increasing age and starter role for Sweden in the World Cup of Hockey. His reduction could be the first of a few across the league as teams guard their prized goaltenders from injury.
- The Las Vegas NHL Expansion Team signed a 20-year lease to build a practice facility just outside the Las Vegas strip. The facility will be located in Summerlin, which is northwest of the city center and in the Las Vegas Valley. It is approximately a 30m drive to the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas’s home arena.
- Arizona Coyotes Kevin Connauton will miss the start of the team’s training camp because of a lower body injury. Connauton scored 4G and 5A in 38 games for the Coyotes after the team picked him up off of waiver from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The rugged defensemenn will be battling for a bottom-pairing role in camp alongside Luke Schenn, Zbynek Michalek, and others.
Snapshots: Islanders, Las Vegas, Ekblad
News and notes around the NHL tonight:
- The New York Islanders hired former player Claude Loiselle as Hockey Operations Consultant today. Loiselle held the same position with the Arizona Coyotes last year. As a player, Loiselle netted 92G and 117A in 616 games for the Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Quebec Nordiques, and New York Islanders. He has also held numerous management positions around the NHL after retiring, including Assistant GM positions with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Loiselle faced criticism during his Toronto stint, however, stemming from claims of cap mismanagement and responsibility for the much-maligned David Clarkson contract.
- The Las Vegas NHL Expansion Team hired Vince Williams as a professional scout today. Normally scout hirings are not news, but the new Las Vegas team will have the almost-Herculean task of assembling a farm system from scratch. Williams previously coached the ECHL Orlando Bears before being let go in 2015.
- Team North America GM Peter Chiarelli confirmed this evening that Aaron Ekblad suffered a concussion against Finland and will not play for the remainder of the tournament. Ekblad was pulled hours before Team North America’s games last night against Team Russia with an undisclosed upper body injury. It is believed that the young defenseman suffered the concussion after being hit by Leo Komarov.
West Notes: Rakell, Nakladal, Fischer, Vegas
Ducks center Rickard Rakell underwent surgery late last week to fix issues that arose from his appendectomy back in March, writes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. The problem first presented itself following Sweden’s first World Cup of Hockey pre-tournament game and he was hospitalized shortly thereafter with his agent noting he was unable to eat at that time.
Rakell has been advised that he will have to rest up for a couple of weeks before he can resume training to get ready for the upcoming season. On top of that, he still finds himself without a contract as one of 14 remaining restricted free agents. At this point, a bridge deal is looking more and more likely. Rakell had 20 goals and 23 assists in 72 games last season and is expected to be a top six forward when he is cleared to return to action and has a contract in hand.
More from the West:
- Unrestricted free agent defenseman Jakub Nakladal is seeking a one-way contract to remain in North America, reports Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun. Nakladal played in 27 games with Calgary last season, his first in the NHL. The 28 year old noted that he would like to return to the Flames but they are hesitant to give him a one-way deal at this point. Nakladal is currently playing for the Czech Republic at the World Cup and is hoping a strong performance could help him land a guaranteed deal, whether it’s with Calgary or somewhere else.
- While most North American-based junior aged prospects have only two options where they can play in a season (the NHL or junior hockey), Coyotes prospect Christian Fischer is one of the few who has a third option, notes the Arizona Republic’s Sarah McLellan. As Fischer was drafted out of the US Development program and not the Canadian Hockey League back in 2015, Arizona has the ability to assign him to their AHL affiliate in Tucson. After a 40 goal, 90 point season with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires (which ranked him in the top ten in goals and points league wide), there is a good chance that the Coyotes will opt to have him play against tougher competition in the AHL instead of repeating the junior circuit, assuming he doesn’t crack Arizona’s opening roster.
- The expansion Las Vegas team that will begin play in 2017-18 has sold out their season tickets with 16,000, the team announced. As a result, only single game tickets will be available in their inaugural season.