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Central Notes: Colorado’s Defense, Little, Kiviranta

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After impressive performances on the ice at their rookie tournament over the past two days, the Colorado Avalanche dream of a dominant group of franchise defensemen are much closer than they had initially imagined. The team already has two established cornerstones on defense in Samuel Girard and Cale Makar, but the play of 2019 first-round pick Bowen Byram and 2017 second-rounder Conor Timmins suggest they might be closer to join the other two sooner rather than later, according to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.

Both will be with the team on Friday when training camp begins. Byram will have to prove that he’s ready for the challenges of the NHL already as a recently-turned 18-year-old. He broke out in a big way in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants, scoring 26 goals and 71 points, but he either must make the Avalanche or be returned to Vancouver. Timmins is a different story. The 20-year-old missed the entire 2018-19 season last year after dealing with concussion-like symptoms and likely will begin the season in the AHL until he gets some game experience, but could be recalled at any time if Colorado needs him.

  • One story that has been an issue for years in Winnipeg has been the Jets’ need to establish a No. 2 center. The team has gone with veteran Bryan Little over the years only to acquire a second-line center at the trade deadline the previous two years in Paul Stastny back in 2018 and Kevin Hayes in 2019. Unfortunately, due to cap issues, the Jets were unable to retain either player and are once again on the lookout for someone internally to step up into that role. For Little, the job remains his to lose. The 31-year-old’s numbers continue to decline little by little, scoring 15 goals and 41 points (his least productive season since 2009-10), but he remains the top option, according to Winnipeg Free Press’ Mike McIntyre. The only other options look to be Andrew Copp and Jack Roslovic, both of which seem like longshots to claim that role.
  • The Dallas Stars have a number of young prospects who might have a chance to make their opening day roster, including prospects Ty Dellandrea, Jason Robertson, Denis Gurianov and Riley Tufte amongst many. However, the Stars might have another player who could step up after Joel Kiviranta scored a hat trick against the New York Rangers squad Saturday, suggesting that the recently signed forward out of Finland could make an immediate impact for Dallas, according to NHL.com’s Mike Heika. The 23-year-old Kiviranta  is still adjusting to the smaller North American ice, but has a lot of experience playing amongst men in Finland after five years there. He has tallied 35 goals over the past two years there.

Jets Re-Sign Eric Comrie

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The Jets have re-signed one of their remaining restricted free agents though it’s not one of their big two.  Instead, the team announced that they’ve inked goaltender Eric Comrie to a two-year contract.  The deal will carry a league-minimum $700K AAV in both seasons.  2019-20 is a two-way deal worth a guaranteed $250K per Ken Wiebe of The Athletic (Twitter link) before converting to a one-way pact in 2020-21.

Comrie, a second-round pick (59th overall) of Winnipeg back in 2013, has spent the bulk of his pro career at the minor league level.  He played in 47 games with AHL Manitoba last season, posting a 2.69 GAA with a .917 SV% in 47 games, numbers that were pretty close to his ones from 2017-18 (2.58 GAA,  .916 SV%).  However, despite the strong showing, he has yet to get much of a look in the NHL.  He has just five career NHL games under his belt (one came last season) although he hasn’t fared well in that limited action with a 4.20 GAA and a .821 SV%.

Comrie is waiver-eligible for the upcoming season and the fact that he took less than his qualifying offer will make him appealing to any team that wants to take a flyer on him off the waiver wire; it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to pass Laurent Brossoit for the number two role behind Connor Hellebuyck.  With Mikhail Berdin being the only other goalie under contract in the organization at the moment, the Jets will certainly be hoping that Comrie will be able to make it back to the minors for at least one more year.

With the signing, Winnipeg is now down to just two remaining restricted free agents but both of them are significant in wingers Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine.  Getting them re-signed will certainly be the focus for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff over the coming weeks as they’ll need both under contract before they can assess if they’ll have enough cap room to try to make any other moves before the season gets underway.

Snapshots: Marleau, Morrissey, Flyers

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When Patrick Marleau accepted a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this offseason, the writing was on the wall. Marleau would be bought out by the Hurricanes and would be free to return to the San Jose Sharks to finish his career where he was a franchise icon. Not so fast, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Marleau’s agent Pat Brisson says there is no fit with the Sharks at this time and that his client will pursue other NHL opportunities.

Where exactly those opportunities may lie isn’t clear. The prevailing thought is that Marleau would rather spend his remaining time in the NHL near the west coast to be closer to his family that has moved back to San Jose, but there isn’t a clear fit with any of the California teams. The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks are trying to get younger, not bring in a soon-to-be 40-year old winger who just experienced his worst offensive season since 1997-98. The Edmonton Oilers were recently suggested as a potential landing spot, though it is not clear at this point. As Kevin Kurz of The Athletic points out, Marleau continues to suit up with the Sharks during informal skates in his old Maple Leafs’ gear.

  • With the Winnipeg Jets still focused on their two unsigned star forwards, it’s easy to forget that next summer they will have another tough negotiation. Josh Morrissey, who has developed into a legitimate first-pairing option for the Jets over the last few years is entering the final season of a two-year deal signed last September and will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent next summer. Ken Wiebe of The Athletic caught up with Morrissey today to ask him about any potential negotiations and the young defenseman explained that there has been preliminary talks about a potential long-term extension. Morrissey told Wiebe, “I would love to play [in Winnipeg] throughout my career” but that he’s focused on the upcoming season. The 24-year old had 31 points in 59 games for the Jets last season.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have made a few changes to their front office, promoting Ian Anderson to Director of Hockey Analytics and Jacob Hurlbut to Lead Developer in the department. The team has also hired Tom Minton as Director of Hockey Information/Video and Matthew Karliner as an Analyst. GM Chuck Fletcher has obviously chosen to invest in the team’s analytic department moving forward, hoping to find any edge possible.

Central Notes: Ehlers, Josi, Johns

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The Winnipeg Jets know what they have in Nikolaj Ehlers. The 23-year-old forward is a speedster, who is known to score goals in bunches and is considered to be a key piece to the Jets’ top-six. Yet, at the same time, there are equally just as many questions as in 21 career playoff games, he has zero goals and has also proven to be wildly inconsistent. There has been plenty of talk that the Jets, struggling with salary cap issues as many of their young players have received or are soon expected to receive big contracts, might be willing to move their young Danish forward.

However, the Winnipeg Sun’s Scott Billeck writes that moving the forward would likely be a major mistake for a franchise who still needs as many scoring forwards as the can get. The scribe looks at Ehlers’ A3Z statistics, which refers to his play in all three zones and compares him to Edmonton’s Connor McDavid. While pointing out that you can’t compare the two as overall players, Ehlers’s A3Z statistics suggest that he is a dominant player in comparison to McDavid in certain situations. McDavid is in the 99 percentile in shots contributed over 60 minutes, while Ehlers finds himself in the 97th percentile. Ehlers shot-assist ratio over 60 minutes suggest he’s in the 91st percentile in the league, suggesting he could take his game up a notch soon.

Therefore trading Ehlers to ease some of the team’s cap concerns or replace him with a defender, could quickly become a mistake.

  • Greg Hardwig of the Naples Daily News reports that Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi, who is entering the final year of his contract and will be a highly sought after unrestricted free agent next summer, reiterated Friday that he wants to remain with the Predators. “I never made it secret that I’d like to stay in Nashville,” said Josi. “I think we’re talking a little bit over the summer, and I’ll let my agent deal with that and just focus on getting ready for the season.” Josi could see an even bigger role this season after the team traded P.K. Subban to New Jersey, giving more responsibility to the team’s top three blueliners, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm and Josi.
  • The Dallas Stars have made a number of big additions this summer with many suggesting the Stars could be Stanley Cup contenders this season. However, the team has one unknown that could have a significant effect on the team’s future in Stephen Johns. The 27-year-old looked like he was developing into a solid blueliner after the 2017-18 season, but instead missed the entire season last year due to post-traumatic headaches. Now cleared, Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks wonders whether he can step in immediately as the team’s No. 4 defenseman this season. If Johns can prove he’s ready to go, the 6-foot-4, 225 pound blueliner might be the perfect complement to 20-year-old Miro Heiskanen.

 

RFA Profile: Kyle Connor

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While Patrik Laine has drawn the most attention of Winnipeg’s prominent remaining restricted free agents, Kyle Connor certainly deserves consideration for being included in the second class of players still in need of a new contract beyond the top RFAs like Mitch Marner and Mikko Rantanen.  Here is a look at his situation.

Following a strong 2017-18 campaign, Connor improved his numbers offensively while locking down a full-time spot on the top line alongside Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler.  That resulted in a big jump in average ice time to over 19 minutes a night.  As it turns out, he wound up out-producing Laine, something that undoubtedly has been brought up in talks already.

One of the things that makes his deal a bit trickier than some of the others though is the shorter track record of NHL success.  Connor spent the bulk of his first professional season in the minors with his second year ultimately being his rookie season.  As a result, he has basically 50-60 games less experience than a lot of his counterparts.  That shouldn’t significantly hurt his value but it won’t help things either as instead of having three years of NHL success, he basically only has two.

Statistics

2018-19: 82 GP, 34-32-66, -7, 18 PIMS, 227 shots, 19:15 ATOI
Career: 178 GP, 67-61-128, -6, 38 PIMS, 443 shots, 17:28 ATOI

Comparables

William Nylander (Toronto): Like Connor, Nylander really only had two full NHL seasons under his belt with most of his first year being spent in the minors.  His overall point total at the end of his entry-level deal was pretty close to Connor’s although the Jets winger was more productive in the goal department.

Platform Year Stats: 82 GP, 20-41-61, +20, 10 PIMS, 184 shots, 16:41 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 185 GP, 48-87-135, +18, 46 PIMS, 432 shots, 16:21 ATOI

Contract: Six years, $45MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 8.76% (Years two through six)
Current Equivalent: Six years, $ 42.84MM ($7.14MM AAV)

Jake Guentzel (Pittsburgh) – His platform year had some similarities to Connor in that he moved up to the front line and set career highs across the board.  He also had a shortened rookie campaign although he managed to play half a season in that rookie year.

Platform Year Stats: 82 GP, 40-36-76, +13, 26 PIMS, 227 shots, 19:21 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 204 GP, 78-79-157, +11, 78 PIMS, 479 shots, 17:31 ATOI

Contract: Five years, $30MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 7.55%
Current Equivalent: Five years, $30.766MM ($6.15MM AAV)

Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary): While his platform year was better than Connor’s, he only had one NHL game in his first year (which was primarily spent in college) so the shorter track record factor came into effect here.  Of course, he has since blossomed into one of the top scorers in the league, something that Winnipeg won’t be expecting from their winger.

Platform Year Stats: 79 GP, 30-48-78, +4, 20 PIMS, 217 shots, 19:56 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 160 GP, 55-88-143, +16, 34 PIMS, 385 shots, 18:48 ATOI

Contract: Six years, $40.5MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 9.25%
Current Equivalent: Six years, $45.232MM ($7.539MM AAV)

Brock Boeser (Vancouver): While many are waiting for Marner to set the market, Boeser and Connor could very well be waiting on each other.  Like everyone else in this set, the rookie year was shortened (just nine games) while Boeser cracked the 19-minute a night mark last season.

Platform Year Stats: 69 GP, 26-30-56, -2, 22 PIMS, 209 shots, 19:10 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 140 GP, 59-57-116, -7, 38 PIMS, 413 shots, 18:14 ATOI

Contract: Currently unsigned

Projected Contract

While there has been some speculation that Laine could wind up with a bridge contract, there seems to be nothing of the sort for Connor.  Both sides want to get a long-term deal done and earlier this month, he indicated his desire to get something done before the start of training camp.

In terms of the comparables, Nylander’s contract probably serves as the best one with something coming in the high $6MM to low $7MM range on a six-year deal.  That would buy out a couple of UFA years while giving the Jets some flexibility on handling a new contract for Laine while filling out the rest of their roster as there are some holes still to be filled.  As far as the remaining RFAs go, Connor’s deal should be one of the easier ones to get done.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Gabriel Bourque Signs With Winnipeg Jets

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The Winnipeg Jets have signed free agent forward Gabriel Bourque to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry a salary of $700K in the NHL. Bourque has played the last three seasons in the Colorado Avalanche organization and will be joining his third NHL team overall.

Bourque, 28, was originally selected in the fifth round of the 2009 draft by the Nashville Predators, but continued to develop in their system and eventually found himself as an NHL regular. In parts of five seasons with the Predators, the former QMJHL star recorded 78 points in 242 games before failing to receive a qualifying offer in 2016. A free agent, Bourque decided to sign a one-year deal with the Avalanche which turned into two subsequent contracts, each only lasting a year. In Colorado he was a regular once again, and played 55 games last season before taking part in all 12 of the team’s postseason contests. He registered just nine points in those 67 games, but was a staple on the penalty kill.

Now joining his third Central Division team, Bourque will try to carve out a similar role in a new organization. The Jets have lost depth forwards like Brendan Lemieux, Brandon Tanev and Nic Petan over the last several months and may have an opportunity for a fourth-line player like Bourque to see regular minutes. His minimum NHL salary will only help them fit under the cap once Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor are signed, though players he will battle like Mark Letestu and J.C. Lipon have the same advantage of being a bit cheaper than some other minor league players.

The Jets actually have just nine forwards penciled into their NHL roster at the moment without Laine and Connor signed, meaning there will be plenty of competition for the last few spots. Bourque will need to clear waivers in order to be sent to the minor leagues, though he has done so several times in the past.

Free Agent Profile: Marc Methot

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It doesn’t seem that long ago that Marc Methot was considered to be a high-end shutdown defenseman. Actually, it was just two years ago when the veteran was with the Ottawa Senators, that he averaged just short of 19 minutes per game for eight straight seasons. However, after signing a four-year, $19.6MM extension to remain in Ottawa in 2015, the Senators choose to expose his contract in the Vegas expansion draft and the defense-greedy Golden Knights opted to grab him, immediately flipping him to Dallas for a prospect and a 2020 second-round pick.

Unfortunately, the Stars didn’t capitalize on Methot’s impressive defensive play as he struggled with injuries in his two years in Dallas. In those two years, he has appeared in just 45 games and only nine of them came in the 2018-19 season. In fact, the knee injury that sidelined Methot for most of the season last year, could keep him out even longer than people had expected.

Having hit free agency this year at age 34, TSN reported in July that Methot might not be ready for the 2019-20 season at all due to the knee surgery that he underwent in January. However, despite the injuries, he still was a valuable commodity when he was on the ice with his defensive play and ability to play physically and provide key hits during the game.

Potential Suitors

The most obvious suitor could be retirement depending on how Methot’s knee responds from his surgery. TSN’s Shawn Simpson reported last month that Methot has started skating, which could increase his suitors if he can prove he is ready to return to the ice. If his knee can hold up, he could provide key depth on any team’s defense as a shutdown third-pairing defenseman, which plenty of teams would need.

A reunion in either Ottawa or Columbus might make sense, but Ottawa has already added a number of veterans to its defensive core, including Ron Hainsey and with a number of young blueliners waiting to get playing time, he might not be a good fit with his hometown. However, Methot could find a way there. In Columbus, the team is likely set on defense, but one injury could change that and a coach like John Tortorella would appreciate a defensive-minded veteran.

The New Jersey Devils are a team that could be interested in Methot as he might provide a good fit at the bottom of their lineup. There are plenty of other teams that might still need some depth on their defense such as the Anaheim Ducks, Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals. However, much of who might be interested in Methot, may be determined by team injuries and their needs.

Projected Contract

Methot’s situation might require him to wait to sign a contract until he can prove that he’s healthy and can really contribute to an NHL team, meaning he might have to wait until well into the 2019-20 season before signing a deal. Once he can prove he’s healthy, assuming he can and doesn’t opt to retire instead, Methot will likely have to settle for a minimum-salaried deal and prove his value to the team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Schenn, Burakovsky, Poolman

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The St. Louis Blues expect to have almost everyone back in their lineup from last season with a few exceptions. However, what about the season after that? General manager Doug Armstrong will have to make some tough decisions with players like Alex Pietrangelo, Joel Edmundson and Brayden Schenn all hitting unrestricted free agency. While it’s likely that all three would like to return on long-term deals, that isn’t likely due to the team’s salary cap situation, growing list of developing prospects as well as the approaching expansion draft.

With that in mind, St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon writes that the team’s top priority will be to sign Pietrangelo and that could cause problems for the others, especially Schenn. After an impressive 2017-18 season, Schenn’s numbers dropped as going from 70 points to just 54 last season. However, if Schenn returns to his old numbers, which is very possible as the Blues struggled on the power play last year, he could easily price his way out of St. Louis.

On top of that, with the way players have been paid this offseason on the free-agent market, Schenn could easily command $7MM per year, he’d be an expensive player, especially with ever improving play of Robert Thomas and the Jordan Kyrou. With those two top talents, the Blues’ need for Schenn shouldn’t be as necessary for the 2020-21 season. The team might also not want to bring Schenn back because any deal would likely force them to add a no-movement clause, something the team might be reluctant to do with the expansion draft quickly approaching.

  • The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark (subscription required) writes that Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic is banking that Andre Burakovsky’s biggest problem in previous seasons with the Washington Capitals was his lack of playing time. The GM believes that if the Avalanche increase his ice time, Burakovksy should be able to take that next step into becoming a solid top-six player. The 24-year-old did score 17 goals and 38 points back in the 2015-16 season, but hasn’t been able to take the next step. He averaged just 11:08 last season and put up just 12 goals and 25 points. With that in mind, Burakovsky is expected to play on the second line for the Avalanche this season and the hope is that new center Nazem Kadri will give him the guidance he needs to develop into a solid scoring winger. The team has struggled with finding a solid No. 2 center, but the GM believes that the team’s second-line woes are about to be over.
  •  The Winnipeg Free Press’ Jason Bell writes that with two gaping holes in the Winnipeg Jets defense this year after the team lost Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot in free agency this summer, Tucker Poolman remains a top candidate to claim one of those two spots. The 26-year-old blueliner has dealt with injury problems in the past, but believes himself to healthy and at 6-foot-4, 215-pounds could be a valuable asset and a cheap one (two years at $775K). The fact that Poolman is right-handed is another advantage as the team only has two veteran right-handed blueliners in Dustin Byfuglien and Neal Pionk. After seeing 24 games with the Jets in 2017-18, he didn’t make an appearance with the Jets last season, but an ankle injury derailed half his season as he only managed to appear in 43 games for the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

College Notes: Niagara, Simmons-Fischer, Cheremeta

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Niagara University officially announced their 2019 recruiting class today, including three notable NCAA transfers. The most well-known name is likely former UMass-Lowell defenseman Croix Evingson. A 2017 seventh-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets, Evingson was the NAHL’s Defenseman of the Year in his draft year and his size and scoring ability made him an intriguing prospect. However, after two seasons of limited usage and production at Lowell, Evingson opted for a change of scenery and is now set to join Niagara. The big, offensive defenseman will look to re-establish his pro value this season and next in hopes of landing with the Jets down the road. Joining Evingson are Merrimack College graduate transfer defenseman Ryan Cook and former Air Force Academy forward Walker Sommer.

  • Braidan Simmons-Fischer, son of former NHL defenseman and current Detroit Red Wings Director of Player Personnel Jiri Fischer, has committed to nearby Western Michigan University, according to MIHockey. Entering his draft year, Simmons-Fischer remains somewhat of an unknown commodity. Splitting his early years of hockey between several pedestrian seasons of bantam-level play in Michigan and a dominant season at the junior level in Austria, Simmons-Fischer has had one of the stranger developmental paths of any prospect to this point. However, there is enough to his size – similar to his father’s frame but even more menacing as a forward – and hockey bloodlines that a strong program like WMU is willing to bet on his progression. More will surely be known about Simmons-Fischer’s potential after this upcoming season, which he will spend with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers in his first true test against top competition.
  • Mark Cheremeta has left Boston University, marking yet another loss for the storied program. Since the end of last season, BU has seen Jake Oettinger, Joel Farabee, Chad Krys, Bobo Carpenter, Dante Fabbro, and Shane Bowers leave for the NHL, as well as a couple of players transfer to another school, and now young role player Cheremeta is headed to the USHL. The Dubuque Fighting Saints announced Cheremeta as a member of their training camp roster after selecting him in the third round of the USHL Entry Draft this year, marking his departure from BU after just one year. What Cheremeta will do next with his developmental path remains a mystery. Ironically though, he is set to play alongside Terriers commit and L.A. Kings prospect Braden Doyle with Dubuque this season.

Jack LaFontaine Joins The University of Minnesota

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Carolina Hurricanes prospect goalie Jack LaFontaine is back in the NCAA. The 21-year-old keeper has enrolled at the University of Minnesota and will play this season, the program announced. LaFontaine had been away from the college game for one year with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL, having previously spent two seasons with the Big Ten rival University of Michigan.

LaFontaine was a third-round pick of the Hurricanes back in 2016 out of the NAHL. While some considered the pick to be a reach, seeing as Fontaine had not been challenged at an elite level yet and was raw in terms of his skill development, Carolina was clearly happy to select a player with good size and athleticism who they could groom as a long-term project. LaFontaine jumped right into the college ranks after being drafted, but failed to take advantage of no clear starter in net for the Wolverines. In each of his two years, the young netminder posted a GAA over 3.33 in just eleven appearances. Seeking a fresh start, LaFontaine left Michigan and signed with Penticton. He was beyond impressive last season, recording a .923 save percentage and 2.19 GAA in 45 starts and earning the BCHL’s Top Goaltender honors.

Having re-asserted himself as a promising young goalie, LaFontaine is ready to give the NCAA another go. He has two years of eligibility remaining, after which he hopes to have proven himself to be a pro-caliber prospect. Much like when he began with the Wolverines, the Gophers net is wide open; all three goalies who made an appearance last season, including starter and recent Minnesota Wild signing Mat Robson, have departed. LaFontaine is the odds-on replacement, but he will have to hold off 20-year-old Jared Moe, a sixth-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 2018. If he can do so and can put up numbers similar to this past season in Penticton, perhaps the Hurricanes will come calling even sooner than two years from now.

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