Dale Hawerchuk Passes Away At Age 57
The hockey world is in mourning today as Dale Hawerchuk passes away at the age of 57 after a long battle with cancer. His son Eric announced the news on Twitter, receiving an outpouring of support from all around the hockey community.
One of the greatest, and perhaps most underrated players of all time, Hawerchuk played 16 years in the NHL. In 1,188 career regular season games he scored 518 goals and recorded 1,409 points, good for 20th on the all-time list. Though his Winnipeg Jets were routinely ousted from the playoffs by powerhouse Smythe Division opponents, there was never any doubt in Hawerchuk’s status as one of the game’s greats.
A Calder Trophy winner in 1982 after scoring 45 goals and 103 points as a rookie, Hawerchuk would record five more 100+point seasons in his career. A mid-career move to the Buffalo Sabres made him one of the greatest for two franchises, while he finished things with time in St. Louis and Philadelphia.
In his post-playing career, Hawerchuk had been a long-time head coach of the Barrie Colts of the OHL and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.
From everyone at PHR, we wish the best for the Hawerchuk family and mourn the loss of one of hockey’s giants far too early.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Predators, Lauko, Lipon
The Nashville Predators have made a couple of changes to their coaching staff for the 2020-21 season, announcing today that they will not renew the contract of assistant Dan Muse. Rob Scuderi, who had been serving as an assistant on an interim basis, will be returning to his role as defense development coach.
Muse had been with the Predators for three seasons following a stint as the head coach of the Chicago Steel (USHL). Nashville will begin the search for new assistants immediately, giving John Hynes a chance to bring in his own team as he prepares for his first full season behind the Predators bench.
- Jakob Lauko will start the 2020-21 season with HC Karlovy Vary of the Czech league but is expected back with the Boston Bruins when NHL training camp opens. The 20-year-old forward spent this season with the Providence Bruins, scoring just nine points in 22 games. The limited action was due to a knee injury Lauko suffered at the very start of the World Junior tournament, meaning any games he can play in the Czech Republic will be beneficial to his development.
- J.C. Lipon‘s contract with the Winnipeg Jets is up and the 27-year-old forward will take his talents to the KHL. Dinamo Riga has signed Lipon to a contract for the 2020-21 season after he failed to make it to the NHL once again this year. A third-round pick back in 2013, Lipon made his NHL debut in the 2015-16 season but hasn’t been back to the NHL since. Instead, he played 61 games for the Manitoba Moose this year, scoring 31 points.
Cheveldayoff Expects To Spend This Offseason
Last summer wasn’t a fun one for the Jets as salary cap issues resulted in several key veterans leaving the roster without much of a chance to retain or replace them. However, Dustin Byfuglien’s departure gives them a lot more cap room to work with and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff told reporters, including Postmedia’s Paul Friesen, that they will be looking to spend this offseason. With a little less than $66MM in commitments and no pending free agents that are in line for significant raises, Winnipeg will have enough flexibility to at least try to fill one of their two primary holes, a top-four defenseman, or a second line center with Bryan Little’s future in doubt. If Little can’t play, he’d be eligible for LTIR which could then open up some more short-term spending flexibility.
West Notes: Kings, DeMelo, Pospisil
The New York Rangers were the big winners at the NHL Draft Lottery, meaning the Westen Conference won’t have to deal with Alexis Lafreniere on a regular basis, right? Well, as Lisa Dillman examined for The Athletic, if the Los Angeles Kings or another team with a high pick came calling the Rangers would have to listen. The Kings have arguably the best prospect group in the entire NHL already and could potentially create quite a package of assets for the first overall selection.
While the Kings have that impressive prospect base and several high picks, the Ottawa Senators are primed to make a huge splash at this year’s draft as well. Not only do they hold the third and fifth overall selections, but they also have an incredible seven picks in the first two rounds of this year’s draft. Nine if you extend that to the third round, and 13 in total for 2020.
- Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff liked the fit for trade deadline acquisition Dylan DeMelo, but hasn’t started negotiations yet for a new contract according to Murat Ates of The Athletic. The team will “definitely take a look” at a new deal with the pending free agent, who ended up playing just 14 total games for the Jets after arriving from Ottawa partway through the season. The 27-year old DeMelo recorded just ten points in 59 games this season and is coming off a two-year deal that carried a $900K cap hit.
- Martin Pospisil, who signed his three-year entry-level contract in 2019, will be playing in Slovakia for the time being. The Calgary Flames prospect has been loaned to HC Kosice for the next few months but is expected back for NHL training camp. Pospisil played 26 games for the Stockton Heat of the AHL this season, recording ten points.
Ville Heinola Loaned To Rauman Lukko
The Winnipeg Jets will do what so many other teams have done this summer and find a place to play for one of their top prospects. Ville Heinola has been loaned to Rauman Lukko of Finland’s Liiga, with the understanding that he will return to North America when the 2020-21 season begins. Heinola played most of the 2019-20 season with the Finnish club and will get a chance to start his season a little bit earlier than his North American counterparts.
Selected 20th overall in 2019, Heinola made an immediate impact at Jets camp and after several injuries (and disappearances) hit the blue line, he was forced into NHL game action as a teenager. The young puck-mover acquitted himself quite well, recording five points in eight games before going back to the minor leagues and then overseas. It’s unlikely that he can keep up that kind of scoring pace through his first full NHL season, but the Jets believe they’ve found a legitimate top-four option that just needs a little more polish.
By heading to Finland again, he’ll end up at NHL training camp with his legs under him and able to hit the ground running. If that ends up in a roster spot isn’t guaranteed since Heinola’s entry-level contract is eligible to slide again next season, but it certainly could as the Jets try to rebuild their club for another postseason run.
Morning Notes: Trades, Little, Muzzin
As we start the first round of the playoffs, the offseason has started for nearly half the league. We’ve seen free agents start to take their talents overseas, prospects loaned to European leagues to get their development back on track and the draft lottery determining the order of the top picks this fall. There could be even more moves coming down the pipe, as Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic has confirmed with the league that the 15 eliminated teams are now eligible to make trades.
LeBrun wonders if they will wait for a full 31-team market before pulling the trigger, but there is a difference in how teams can operate during these playoffs. The salary cap, which is usually not set for the following season until after the playoffs end, is fixed and known for 2020-21. That means if teams want to get a headstart on their financials, they could potentially start to pull off some trades and reshape their lineup before the Stanley Cup is handed out.
- Bryan Little ended up playing just seven games for the Winnipeg Jets this season. After playing in all 82 for each of the last two seasons, Little took a slapshot from Nikolaj Ehlers directly to the head just a few weeks into 2019-20. He suffered a brain injury that kept him out for the rest of the season and even kept him from performing basic physical activity. Little spoke with reporters including Murat Ates of The Athletic today, explaining that for six weeks after the injury he wasn’t even allowed to pick his young daughter up. Little did return to practice at one point before being shut down again, and now just hopes that he’ll be able to play hockey again one day. He’s “not shutting the door” but also needs to be told there’s no risk before returning. Little signed a six-year extension in 2017, which has four years remaining at a $5.29MM cap hit.
- Jake Muzzin, another player who suffered a scary injury, is feeling much better and is expected to make a full recovery. The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman was stretchered off the ice last week after an awkward fall and lost feeling in his extremities. After being taken to the hospital he was discharged later that night but did not play again for Toronto. Muzzin was part of the Maple Leafs’ media availability today, a good sign he’s on the road back.
Mark Scheifele Will Not Require Surgery
When Matthew Tkachuk collided with Mark Scheifele in the first game of the qualification round, and the big Winnipeg Jets center collapsed to the ice clutching his leg and wailing in pain, everyone watching assumed the worst. It was obvious that Scheifele would have to leave the game as he was helped off the ice by a trainer and Nathan Beaulieu, but the anxious moments that followed surely had more disastrous scenarios playing out in many minds. Would he require major surgery, just a few months before the 2020-21 season was set to begin?
As it turns out, those same thoughts were racing through Scheifele’s mind. He spoke with reporters including Murat Ates of The Athletic and admitted he initially thought he tore his Achilles tendon. That would have meant surgery and a six-month recovery, taking him out of the first portion of the 2020-21—one which will have a condensed schedule. As it turns out, Scheifele was “very, very lucky” and will not require surgery at all. In fact, he told Ates that he’s going to be “back to 100% in the near future.”
While that news may fall on some deaf ears among Jets fans who just watched their team get eliminated before the real playoffs even begin, it’s extremely important for the future. As head coach Paul Maurice hinted at in his post-game tirade about what he called a “filthy, disgusting hit”, an Achilles injury like that doesn’t only come with a long recovery time, it also could potentially jeopardize a career. All hockey fans should be happy that isn’t the case for Scheifele, who has turned into one of the games preeminent two-way centers.
Selected seventh overall in 2011, the 27-year old has broken the point-per-game mark in each of his last four seasons, including 73 in 71 games this year. His postseason stats are just as impressive, making it all the more frustrating for the Jets that he received fewer than three minutes of ice time before being forced from the five-game series. Scheifele will be back next year and so will the Jets, thankful that he isn’t completing a grueling rehab at some point in February.
Offseason Keys: Winnipeg Jets
As teams are eliminated from the Qualifying Round, it means that the offseason has arrived for several more squads. Having covered the teams that weren’t a part of the NHL’s return, we shift our focus to the ones that have been ousted. Next up is a look at Winnipeg.
This season was expected to be one where the Jets took a bit of a step back. While they were only a year removed from nearly winning the Central Division, their back end underwent quite the overhaul as several regulars moved on with minimal replacements added for cap reasons while another didn’t play for them at all before his contract was terminated in-season. They used a hot streak down the stretch to have themselves in the battle for a playoff spot before the pandemic hit before being ousted by Calgary in the play-in series. Now, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has some flexibility to work with this offseason (but a lot of roster spots to fill). Here is what he should be looking to accomplish.
Restock The D
No team took as big of a hit on their back end as Winnipeg did between last season and this one. Ben Chiarot and Tyler Myers moved on via free agency, Jacob Trouba was traded, and Dustin Byfuglien briefly reported to camp, left, and didn’t come back. The only current NHL asset they received for any of those defenders was Neal Pionk. While the 25-year-old had a career year for the Jets, this was still a significant step backwards. The team had to turn to the waiver wire to stay afloat and the results were predictable as Connor Hellebuyck faced the most shots of any goaltender in the league this season.
Only three regulars are signed for next season and one of those (Tucker Poolman) played a limited role this year. Cheveldayoff will need to work to add at least one top-four option to take some pressure off Pionk and Josh Morrissey. Youngster Ville Heinola showed some promise in an early-season look but while he has the upside to get to that level down the road, that won’t come in 2020-21.
If they’re unable to afford a blueliner of that quality, then restocking the cupboards with quality depth options is a good way to go. Dylan DeMelo made an impact in limited action after being acquired at the trade deadline from Ottawa and they’ll likely look to retain him although DeMelo is in line for a decent raise on his $900K AAV. Nathan Beaulieu is another pending unrestricted free agent that could be retained at the right price. But after them, the depth falls off quickly. Bringing in a capable veteran or two that can log some minutes would be a useful backup plan; while it wouldn’t add to their top pairing, adding players that can log more minutes than a usual third pairing would still help. Relying on the waiver wire for reinforcements didn’t work too well this season and that’s not a viable approach to reshaping their defense corps.
Acquire A Second Line Center
Finding a second line center has proven to be a bit of a challenge for Cheveldayoff. In recent years, they’ve added Paul Stastny and Kevin Hayes as rentals at the trade deadline but they weren’t able to re-sign either one. That’s left Bryan Little reprising that role but his season ended early due to a perforated eardrum. They had some challenges filling that spot. Jack Roslovic hasn’t developed as hoped and seems to be better on the wing at this stage. Andrew Copp and Adam Lowry are effective players but they’re at their best in more limited roles.
That forced Blake Wheeler into playing down the middle for a large portion of the season. He’s certainly capable of playing in that role but it takes him away from playing on the top line with Mark Scheifele holding down that number one spot. That’s a nice fallback option to have but they shouldn’t be relying on that as their primary plan to fill the role next season.
In a perfect world, this is something that could be filled via unrestricted free agency but there’s a strong case to be made that there isn’t a top-six center available on the open market. That means they’ll have to turn to the trade market to try to add one. If they can get one over the coming months, it’ll stop them from having to part with more draft picks and/or prospects to try to add one as a rental closer to the trade deadline.
Add A Better Backup
Laurent Brossoit’s first season in Winnipeg was a strong one and he earned the one-year, $1.225MM extension that he played under this year. However, 2019-20 wasn’t anywhere near as strong. As a result, Hellebuyck led the league in starts for the second time in three years and while he played well enough to earn a Vezina nomination, asking him to regularly log as many minutes as he has isn’t ideal. With a 3.28 GAA and a .895 SV%, it’s likely the end of Brossoit’s tenure with the team.
While they were eventually able to get Eric Comrie back (following stints in Arizona and Detroit), he’s probably better off as their third option once again. He has been around long enough that he can serve as their mandatory exposure to Seattle in expansion (as long as he’s tendered a qualifying offer next offseason).
That could take Winnipeg out of the market of teams that will be seeking someone on a multi-year contract which will give them a few more options. Ultimately, who they target will likely be determined by whether or not they’re able to improve down the middle and on defense as those are justifiably their top priorities but a better backup for Hellebuyck is something that Cheveldayoff will need to look for as well. With 2020-21 likely to feature somewhat of a compressed schedule, those second options are going to be even more important so a more proven backup becomes that much more critical.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Poll: Who Do You Want To Win The Draft Lottery?
Seven teams in the NHL didn’t get a chance to return to play this summer. Their regular seasons were so disastrous that they didn’t qualify for a tournament which saw 24-teams take part. But none of them will be rewarded with the first-overall pick in 2020. Instead, that selection will go to one of the eight teams eliminated over the past week, after the first part of the draft lottery ended with a TBA club taking home the top spot.
The qualification round provided some incredible storylines. It also provided some eye-popping upsets. Both the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens, respective 12-seeds going into the return to play format, defeated Stanley Cup contenders with all-world talents leading the way. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and their teams are out before even seeing the first round but now have a chance to land a consolation prize of sorts.
The Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, Winnipeg Jets, and Minnesota Wild all have a 12.5% chance of being awarded that first-overall pick, and the chance to select two-time CHL Player of the Year Alexis Lafreniere.
That may seem ridiculous, given the regular season performances from those clubs, but remember it required a previous lottery to get to this point. There was only a 24.5% chance of a qualification-round team earning the pick in the first place. That ended up happening, with the Los Angeles Kings also moving up to second place. The Detroit Red Wings, who had the highest chance of winning any of the three lottery spots ended up the big losers of the event, dropping all the way down to fourth despite winning just 17 games this season.
The league will announce the lottery winner this evening, with hockey fans all over the world tuning in to see where Lafreniere will go. The format of the lottery has drawn massive criticism given how things played out, but that won’t stop it from being a must-see event for the entire NHL.
Where do you want to see the phenom go? Which of the eliminated teams deserves the pick? Which would you hate to see win? Cast your vote below and make sure to explain your choice in the comments!
[Mobile users click here to vote]
Morning Notes: Jets, Jarry, Stamkos
The Winnipeg Jets are going home a little earlier than they had hoped after losing game four to the Calgary Flames last night. Eliminated from the playoffs, they could finally reveal what happened to Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine, explaining to Sara Orlesky of TSN that neither one is expected to miss an extended period of time. Head coach Paul Maurice doesn’t believe there is any Achilles damage for Schiefele, who yelled in pain on the ice after colliding with Matthew Tkachuk in game one. Maurice called it “a crush” not a cut, but did admit that his top center is still undergoing further testing.
Laine meanwhile sprained his hand in the opener and couldn’t hold a stick, but Maurice believes he’ll only be out for a few weeks. Mason Appleton, who isn’t quite as important to the team as the former two, will also be out just a few weeks with a shoulder injury. The Jets will finally say goodbye to a 2019-20 season that was quite the rollercoaster, starting with Dustin Byfuglien‘s disappearance and ending with two of their offensive leaders watching from the stands.
- If the Pittsburgh Penguins are to avoid the same fate, they’ll need to stave off elimination against the Montreal Canadiens today. To do so they’ll call upon Tristan Jarry, starting him in game four over Matt Murray who has lost two of the first three. Murray did post a .914 save percentage in those games but received endless online criticism for how he played a shot from Jeff Petry, which ended up being the winning goal. After starting his career out with two Stanley Cups before his rookie status expired, Murray now has just two wins in his last 12 playoff contests. Jarry meanwhile will be making his playoff debut in an elimination game and has just 62 appearances at the NHL level under his belt.
- Steven Stamkos won’t be playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning when they face the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow in a winner-takes-all round-robin game. The Lightning and Flyers have both won the first two round-robin contests, meaning whoever takes tomorrow’s game will be the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the duration of the playoffs. Stamkos won’t be able to help, and though he is working hard and rehabbing, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the captain will be out indefinitely.