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Reece Newkirk Signs With New York Islanders

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The New York Islanders have agreed to terms with Reece Newkirk on a three-year entry-level contract, now that his WHL season has come to an end. Newkirk spent this season with the Portland Winterhawks.

Selected 147th overall in 2019, Newkirk will likely be ticketed for the minor leagues to begin his professional career next season. In 24 games with the Winterhawks this year, the 5’11” forward ended up with 27 points, tied with first-round pick Seth Jarvis for third on the team.

The Islanders needed to sign Newkirk before the end of the month to avoid losing him to unrestricted free agency, but there’s certainly reason to believe he can be a good depth player for the organization. While reaching the NHL is still a lofty goal, he’s been a point-per-game player in the WHL over the last three seasons and will try to take that production to the AHL next year.

WHL Cancels 2021 Postseason

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A difficult season for junior hockey in Canada continues. The Western Hockey League, whose teams did not begin regular season play until late February at the earliest, will play no more than their shortened 24-game season this year. The league has announced that there will be no 2021 WHL Playoffs due to “the ongoing challenges with COVID-19”. The season will conclude when all teams have completed their schedules, which for some is as early as later this month, and no league champion will be named.

On the heels of the announcement last week that that the CHL Memorial Cup would also not be played, the WHL’s decision not to host a postseason further limits their players’ abilities to showcase themselves to NHL teams. With the QMJHL facing a similar decision and the OHL still out of action this season, this is simply yet another blow to NHL front offices and their ability to evaluate top Canadian prospects ahead of July’s 2021 NHL Draft, not to mention the prospects hoping to be selected. While there have been talks of a CHL Top Prospects pre-draft tournament, such an event will not make up for a missed postseason, or in the OHL’s case a missed season.

Alas, the league is trying to put the health and safety of their players and staff first, even if that means impacting their draft chances. They also faced logistical struggles due to teams from multiple provinces and the United States participating, as travel is still restricted at Canadian borders. In the WHL’s release, they summarize the situation with the following:

We remained hopeful that public health conditions would improve, but unfortunately that is not the reality we see in front of us today. The ongoing challenges with non-essential interprovincial and international cross-border travel leave us no alternative but to cancel the 2021 WHL Playoffs.

North Notes: Chiarot, Hyman, Ritchie

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The Montreal Canadiens are expecting to have Ben Chiarot back in the lineup tonight, just four weeks after breaking his hand in a fight. Chiarot is returning nearly two weeks ahead of schedule, a nice boost for a Montreal team that is still perched precariously in the final North Division playoff spot. As head coach Dominique Ducharme noted to reporters including TSN’s John Lu today, however, Chiarot’s return from long-term injured reserve complicates the Canadiens cap situation and could delay the debut of top prospect Cole Caufield who was recalled to the taxi squad today–or even many of the team’s other reserves.

Of course, as Eric Engels of Sportsnet tweets, this could change quickly and certainly won’t keep the active roster static for the rest of the season. Though Ducharme’s comments may have been concerning to Montreal fans, the important news today is Chiarot’s return to his familiar spot next to Shea Weber with just 16 games left in the season.

  • Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman will sacrifice $5,000 for his high-stick on Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk, but won’t face any suspension for the incident. Near the end of last night’s game, Hyman was involved in a net-front battle and after receiving a slash from Pionk, turned and struck Pionk in the face with the blade of his stick. The Maple Leafs forward was given a penalty on the play and now faces the maximum allowable fine under the CBA.
  • Before joining the Vegas Golden Knights, first as assistant GM and then as GM, Kelly McCrimmon ran the entire Brandon Wheat Kings organization for decades. The owner of the WHL franchise, McCrimmon acted as GM and quite often head coach as well through 2015-16. One of the important members of that front office, in fact the man who took over as GM in 2019, is also now heading to the NHL. Darren Ritchie, who has been with the Wheat Kings since 2006 in various roles, most recently general manager, has left the junior club to take an amateur scouting position with the Maple Leafs. The Wheat Kings have named AGM Doug Gasper as his replacement.

Scheduling Notes: World Championships, Olympics, CHL Top Prospects Event

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With the NHL Trade Deadline passed and the season proceeding as planned (for the most part), not to mention the college season coming to an end with European seasons soon to follow, it may seem as though the hockey schedule has reached a quiet period. However, there are still some major events on the horizon and planning never stops, especially with numerous challenges still being faced. The next big hockey event, even before the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs really hit their stride, is the 2021 IIHF World Championship – and that is part of the problem. While the World Championships typically take place during the NHL’s postseason, the continued delays of the league’s schedule is going to create an even larger conundrum this year. The tournament, scheduled to take place in Latvia from May 21 to June 6, are proceeding as planned. However, the NHL regular season is currently on pace to end on May 16, if not later, due to the delays created by the recent COVID-19 outbreak within the Vancouver Canucks locker room. This means that when the World Championship begins, the postseason will have just begun and national teams will be without options from 16 NHL teams. There are still ongoing concerns related to the Coronavirus as well, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger. He notes that there are talks that the World Championship could take place in a bubble format. This could mean that new entrants are not permitted or, at the very least, would need to quarantine. Realistically, this means that players from NHL playoff teams are unlikely to play in the tournament at all and those on teams whose regulars seasons end late, they too might not be available from the get-go, if at all. The Worlds could have a very different look this year, but after the 2020 event was canceled, the IIHF seems determined to make it work one way or another.

  • The 2022 Winter Olympic Games are less than a year away and with the re-scheduled 2020 Summer Games proceeding this summer, there is little doubt that the Winter Games will happen. The NHL has not officially announced that they are returning to the Olympics, but national committees have been operating as if they will. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun notes that Hockey Canada specifically has already begun trimming their list of roster candidates for the upcoming tournament. He states that the Canadian brain trust began with a long list of possibilities but that his has been reduced by about 20% already by Doug Armstrong and his staff and the hope it to get down to a “medium list” by the end of the season. This will allow the team to hold an Olympic camp this summer to further evaluate their candidates and form a short list before next season. At that time, LeBrun notes that the yet-to-be-named coaching staff will be part of the final roster cuts. However, for this plan to proceed as Hockey Canada hopes, the NHL and NHLPA need to first confirm the return to the Olympics and then officially permit Olympic camps to be held this summer. There are still steps that need to be taken before Olympic fever can truly start to heat up ahead of next year’s games.
  • With the OHL still out of action and the WHL and QMJHL having shortened seasons, there are still efforts being made to help out NHL teams and CHL prospects alike. Dreger notes that the two leagues are working together to hold a “Top Prospects Event”, likely to be a small tournament, in early July before the 2021 NHL Draft. With this year’s draft staying put as scheduled, despite some discussion of a delay, both leagues want to do their best to make up for missed time for Canada’s top junior prospects with a chance for NHL teams to evaluate talent ahead of the draft. Planning for the event is still in its early stages, but Dreger reports that the league would like to replicate the Edmonton playoff bubble from last year for the pre-draft tournament, but will first need permission from the Albertan government. There is still clearly work to be done on these plans with not much time left, but all draft stakeholders stand to gain from the event taking place and the push will continue for as long as possible.

CHL Cancels 2021 Memorial Cup

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The WHL and QMJHL have been back in action for a while now, they won’t be chasing a Memorial Cup this season. The CHL has announced that the 2021 Memorial Cup has been canceled. The full statement reads:

There is no question that the 2020-21 season has been difficult for all involved in CHL hockey. We have focused on making decisions that put the health and safety of our players, staff and the entire CHL family first, while balancing the need to provide our players with the best hockey development in the world. 

With the WHL and QMHL in the midst of shortened seasons and the OHL continuing return-to-play discussions with the Ontario government, unfortunately, we have once again had to make the difficult decision to cancel the Memorial Cup. As a league, we waited as long as we could in hopes that this was not the decision that we were going to have to make. Regrettably, we do not see a path in which we will be able to produce champions in our three member leagues due to border restrictions and quarantining requirements.

The Memorial Cup is steeped in tradition and is one of the most difficult trophies to win in all of sport. We look forward to awarding it next season to the CHL championship team that has earned the right to hoist it.

Further decisions regarding the timing and location of the 2022 Memorial Cup will be announced at a later date. 

This is another development event that the 2021 draft class will now miss, further obscuring their full scouting profiles ahead of the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. The Memorial Cup is where many CHL players truly forge their name in junior hockey, performing on the biggest stage to determine a national champion.

The Cup itself has been handed out since 1919, but was not awarded last year because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The hope was that things would have improved enough to host the tournament this year, but as explained in the statement, the leagues are unlikely to even crown champions in their shortened seasons. The Halifax Mooseheads, who took home the Cup in 2019, remain champions for another year.

Of note, this could mean that CHL prospects can return in time for the AHL playoffs, depending what the minor league decides in regards to hosting a postseason. Players like Connor Zary and Seth Jarvis had been playing incredibly well in the professional ranks before being forced back to the WHL when it opened up due to their age.

Prospect Notes: Kravtsov, Zary, Krys

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Vitaly Kravtsov’s KHL team was eliminated from the playoffs today, meaning the New York Rangers prospect can now come to North America to join his NHL club. The 21-year-old winger is already under contract and was just loaned overseas, meaning he could play as soon as his quarantine protocols are over. That’s expected to take up to two weeks, but it could still mean the Rangers have a boost down the stretch.

Kravtsov, the ninth overall pick in 2018, scored 16 goals and 24 points in 49 KHL games this season, a strong offensive showing for a player that had struggled at times in the past. The 6’3″ winger is still an important part of the Rangers’ future and gives them another young forward to build around.

  • With the British Columbia teams in the WHL set to return soon, Connor Zary’s time with the Stockton Heat is finished. The 19-year-old forward has been assigned back to the Kamloops Blazers after scoring seven points in nine AHL contests. Zary was the 24th overall pick in 2020 and is too young for the AHL whenever the WHL is in session, but showed quite well in his first taste of professional hockey. The Calgary Flames prospect had 38 goals and 86 points last season for the Blazers and should be even more dominant now that he has some AHL experience under his belt.
  • Chad Krys, the Chicago Blackhawks second-rounder from 2016, will end his own 2020-21 season after just six AHL appearances. The Rockford IceHogs announced today that Krys underwent successful shoulder surgery yesterday and will be out for the next five to seven months. Hopefully, that leaves him able to compete in Blackhawks training camp for next season, but Krys has a long road back at this point.

Ducks Notes: Eakins, Getzlaf, Heinen, Tracey

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The Anaheim Ducks are off to another poor start this season, currently sitting in last place in the West Division with the fourth-worst record in the NHL. They aren’t trending in the right direction either; at 1-6-3, no team in the league has been as bad as the Ducks over their past ten games. Although head coach Dallas Eakins is only in his second season with Anaheim, there is still growing scrutiny of his failures so far and speculation as to his job security. After all, Eakins was brought in to lead the rebuild in Anaheim due to his past success with young players, yet many of the young Ducks continue to fall short of expectations. Eakins’ conservative style has also stymied the team’s offensive potential, as they sit second-to-last in the NHL in scoring with just 2.16 goals per game this season.

However, in the eyes of his general manager there is no need for Eakins to worry about his job just yet. Speaking with the media, Ducks GM Bob Murray gave a firm vote of confidence to his head coach. “I’ve got total confidence in Dallas,” Murray said. “I think he’s doing a pretty good job right now with everything that’s going on. I have no issues whatsoever. I have no problem with Dallas.” Despite this emphatic note of support, Murray did state later in the press conference that he expected the team to better this season. So if the blame does not lie with Eakins, could it fall on Murray? Many believe that the veteran GM could also be in danger of losing his job. If that is the case, Eakins’ own job security may only be as good as that of the man who hired him. Something has to change in Anaheim and ownership may soon step in and make changes.

  • As for one major change that Ducks fans are hoping to avoid, Murray shared some news that they will find comforting. With rumors floating around that long-time captain Ryan Getzlaf could be traded, Murray made no qualms about his thoughts on that matter. “I’m tired of hearing this… how his name is out there,” Murray said, “the only way Ryan Getzlaf would go anywhere is if he came to me and said, ’Bob, can you try and trade me to a contender?’ As an impending free agent who would be a desirable rental even at his advanced age, there is certainly value in moving Getzlaf. However, the career Duck has earned the right to decide his own future. According to Murray, the two sides will wait to see how Getzlaf feels both physically and mentally about continuing his career and doing so in Anaheim, but he calls the relationship “wonderful” and is open to an extension if Getzlaf is.
  • One player who seems likely to be traded or, if not, unlikely to return next season is Danton Heinen. Still only in his first season with the Ducks, Heinen’s name did not emerge as a trade candidate until a string of healthy scratches and then a very public negotiation between the Ducks and Vancouver Canucks that included he and Jake Virtanen. In over a week since that hypothetical deal went viral, Heinen has been scratched in three of the Ducks five games. In the two games he has played, Heinen has been held without a point or even a shot on goal, is a -2, and has seen a notable drop-off in ice time. Heinen simply does not seem to be a fit in Anaheim and as an impending free agent will see his time with the team come to an end soon, one way or another. If there is interest in acquiring the winger, who recorded 47 points as a rookie with the Boston Bruins just three years ago, then he will surely be traded. If not, he will walk this summer and have to look for a fresh start elsewhere.
  • A young player who the Ducks will not rush into their rebuild this year is Brayden Tracey. The 2019 first-rounder is under contract and has already played a dozen AHL games this season, but his time in the pros won’t go any further in 2020-21. The San Diego Gulls have announced that Tracey has been reassigned to his junior club, the WHL’s Victoria Royals, to play out the rest of the season. With the Ducks having been criticized for bringing too many of their current top prospects to the NHL before they were ready, they will let Tracey continue to develop against his own peers instead. The 19-year-old forward has shown great skill at the junior level, but was held scoreless in the minors and will be grateful to re-discover his scoring touch back in the WHL.

Snapshots: Rutherford, Tortorella, Wolf

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It’s still not exactly clear what made Jim Rutherford suddenly resign his post as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this year. Given that he still has “the bug” to help a front office, as he told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic recently, some have wondered if there was perhaps a philosophical disagreement between Rutherford and his Pittsburgh bosses. When asked on the Cam and Strick Podcast about whether he had tried to trade Kris Letang but ownership stopped it, the legendary executive denied any rumors:

Nope. Not accurate. As a matter of fact, I’ve said publicly a few times. Because you get to a point in a player’s career–should you trade ’em, get something young for them or not–but I’ve actually took the position that because the core guys won Stanley Cups, three Stanley Cups, that [Sidney] Crosby, [Evgeni] Malkin and Letang should play their whole career in Pittsburgh. I wish I could say the same thing about [Marc-Andre] Fleury, but we got squeezed on the cap at an earlier time. But those four guys should have played their whole career in Pittsburgh. There’s three of them still there. That’s how I felt then, that’s how I feel now.

If Letang and Malkin are to play their whole careers in Pittsburgh, they’ll need new contracts before long. Both players are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents after the 2021-22 season. Crosby meanwhile is signed through 2024-25, which potentially could cover the end of his career already. He’ll be 34 this offseason, meaning his contract takes him through his age-37 season.

  • John Tortorella got the infamous vote of confidence from his general manager earlier today, as Jarmo Kekalainen explained he isn’t looking to make changes to the coaching staff and trusts this group to get the Columbus Blue Jackets out of their recent slump. The Blue Jackets have lost five straight and sit fifth in the Central Division, only ahead of the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, and Dallas Stars (who have only played 16 games, the fewest in the entire league). Tortorella, though respected as a strong systems coach that can get a lot out of a mediocre roster, has been known to eventually have players tune him out in his previous stops. Kekalainen, as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic writes, hasn’t seen that kind of thing yet. A Stanley Cup champion with the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning, Tortorella has been the head coach of the Blue Jackets since the 2015-16 season and has had a winning record in each season with the club.
  • Dustin Wolf has been reassigned back to the WHL, re-joining the Everett Silvertips after a short taste of professional hockey. The 19-year-old goaltender played three games for the Stockton Heat, winning two of them and posting an .895 save percentage. A seventh-round pick in 2019, Wolf is an extremely intriguing prospect trying to break through despite a significant disadvantage–he stands a (generous) 6’0″ and would be one of the smallest goaltenders in the NHL, should he ever make it. So far that size discrepancy hasn’t stopped him, winning CHL Goaltender of the Year and recently taking home a World Junior gold medal. Now that the WHL is returning, Wolf is no longer eligible to play in the AHL.

Minor Transactions: 03/01/21

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As a strange season continues, with leagues around the globe at different places in their respective seasons, it does not appear as if there will ever be a shortage of noteworthy transactions. Here is the latest group of minor moves:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have reassigned a pair of prospects back to their junior clubs in the WHL, with the league finally getting back to work. Gage Goncalves and Jack Finley, both under contract, as well as fellow Tampa draft pick Jaydon Dureau had all been playing in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch, albeit with four total appearances between them. All three will have a greater role as leaders of their junior teams. The trio are all staying in the U.S., as Goncalves returns to the Everett Silvertips, Finley to the Spokane Chiefs, and Dureau to the Portland Winterhawks.
  • The Laval Rocket and forward Kevin Lynch have agreed to a mutual contract termination. Laval revealed that Lynch and his family simply wished to return home to the U.S., so the Michigan native may still wind up with another club this season. Lynch, 29, is a veteran of over 200 AHL games and previously played on a two-way contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018-19.
  • New York Rangers prospect Leevi Aaltonen does not appear too eager to begin his North American career any time soon. The 2019 fifth-round pick just moved to a new Liiga team, Kookoo, for the remainder of this season, the club announced. However, the new contract also includes an additional two years, keeping him under contract in Finland through the 2022-23 season. Fortunately, the Rangers have until June 1, 2023 to sign him to an entry-level contract before they would lose his rights. Aaltonen seems comfortable maximizing his development time at home in Finland before making that decision.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Gianni Fairbrother

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The Montreal Canadiens have signed prospect Gianni Fairbrother to a three-year, entry-level contract which will begin in the 2021-22 season. The deal carries an average annual value of $848K. The window to sign drafted players for next season opened today, meaning this is likely the first of many deals announced in the next few weeks.

Fairbrother, 20, was the team’s third-round pick in 2019, 77th overall. He has played three games for the Laval Rocket this season, registering his first point at the professional level. Just yesterday, Fairbrother was sent back to the WHL where he will play the shortened season with his Everett Silvertips.

If he had not signed a deal by June, his draft rights would have expired. The two-way defenseman had strong numbers last season, recording 25 points in just 37 games for the Silvertips, but missed the second half of the year due to injury.

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