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42 Players Invited To Team USA Summer Showcase

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The World Junior Summer Showcase is a tournament designed to help prospects demonstrate their skills and vie for a spot on their respective World Junior Championship squads. Today, USA Hockey released the list of 42 names that have been invited to the showcase, including several returning players. Highlighted by potential top-5 pick Quinn Hughes and his brother Jack Hughes—who is an early favorite for first-overall in 2019—the USA should have a good chance of bringing home gold at the 2019 tournament. The full list is below:

G Kyle Keyser (BOS, free agent)
G Spencer Knight (2019 draft eligible)
G Keith Petruzzelli (DET, 88th overall, 2017)
G Cayden Primeau (MTL, 199th overall, 2017)

D Matt Anderson (2018 draft eligible)
D Mikey Anderson (LAK, 103rd overall, 2017)
D Josh Ess (CHI, 215th overall, 2017)
D David Farrance (NSH, 92nd overall, 2017)
D Quinn Hughes (2018 draft eligible)
D Joe Keane (2018 draft eligible)
D Phil Kemp (EDM, 208th overall, 2017)
D Ben Mirageas (NYI, 77th overall, 2017)
D K’Andre Miller (2018 draft eligible)
D Tommy Miller (2018 draft eligible)
D Alec Regula (2018 draft eligible)
D Dylan Samberg (WPG, 43rd overall, 2017)
D Mattias Samuelsson (2018 draft eligible)
D Reilly Walsh (NJD, 81st overall, 2017)

F Evan Barratt (CHI, 90th overall, 2017)
F Noah Cates (PHI, 137th overall, 2017)
F Sasha Chmelevski (SJS, 185th overall, 2017)
F Logan Cockerill (NYI, 201st overall, 2017)
F Cole Coskey (2018 draft eligible)
F Paul Cotter (2018 draft eligible)
F Sean Dhooghe (2018 draft eligible)
F Jack Drury (2018 draft eligible)
F Joel Farabee (2018 draft eligible)
F Jon Gruden (2018 draft eligible)
F Curtis Hall (2018 draft eligible)
F Jack Hughes (2019 draft eligible)
F Logan Hutsko (2018 draft eligible)
F Brandon Kruse (2018 draft eligible)
F Ivan Lodnia (MIN, 85th overall, 2017)
F Jacob McGrew (SJS, 159th overall, 2017)
F Grant Mismash (NSH, 61st overall, 2017)
F Josh Norris (SJS, 19th overall, 2017)
F Jay O’Brien (2018 draft eligible)
F Ryan Poehling (MTL, 25th overall, 2017)
F Jason Robertson (DAL, 39th overall, 2017)
F Brady Tkachuk (2018 draft eligible)
F Oliver Wahlstrom (2018 draft eligible)
F Jake Wise (2018 draft eligible)

Free Agent Focus: Florida Panthers

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Free agency opens exactly three weeks from today and teams are well on their way to evaluating both their own impending free agents and those likely to reach the open market. There are quite a few prominent players expected to be available as unrestricted free agents, while many key restricted free agents will be looking to sign new contracts with their current squads.  Here is a breakdown of the Florida Panthers’ free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: C Jared McCann – At age 22 and heading into his fourth NHL season, McCann is still a very raw talent. The 2014 first-round pick often thinks the game faster than he plays it and is prone to mistakes. He plays little special teams role for the Panthers and struggles with many of the defensive aspects of the game at the pro level. McCann is also well below average at the face-off dot. With all that said, his offensive upside is still tremendous. McCann set a career-high with 28 points in 68 games this year and for the first time was a plus player in the league. He has great vision, a strong skating game, and a good shot. When he is on his game he can be dominant; when he is off of it, it’s easy to see why the Vancouver Canucks didn’t hesitate to trade him late into his rookie year. McCann needs to find some consistency and pace to his game and he will flourish, but that still may take some time.

So how should Florida handle that contractually? McCann will understandably want a considerable raise from his entry-level contract, but he also has a fair amount of developmental concerns that he continues to deal with. McCann very well could turn out to be a long-term star for the Panthers, but this situation seems far more likely to warrant a short-term bridge deal for “show me” money. McCann needs to display far more of his impressive offensive ability and far fewer mental lapses and disappearing acts if he wants to command greater salary and term.

LW Frank Vatrano – It’s never an easy situation to sort out when a restricted free agent is acquired mid-season. Florida could not have asked for a better start from Vatrano, who came over from the Bruins at the trade deadline after falling out of favor in Boston. After putting up just two points in 25 games with the Bruins, Vatrano posted eight points in the final 16 games with the Panthers and seemed to fit in well in the team’s top six. Vatrano showed in his first pro season that he has a ton of scoring talent: the undrafted UMass product was the goal-scoring champ of the AHL with 36 goals in 36 games, put up another eight goals in 39 games in Boston, and even recorded eight points in ten games with Team USA at the World Championships. However, Vatrano lacks much depth to his game outside of having a knack for finding the back of the net. Injury and inconsistency over the past two years with the Bruins limited his scoring chances and exposed his lack of an all-around game. When playing with Florida’s finest, his scoring ability came back and those flaws faded into the background. However, Florida is now being asked to evaluate him on just those 16 games.

Like McCann, Vatrano has not earned a long-term deal. The Panthers hope that they get the player they saw down the stretch and gave up a third-round pick to acquire, but there is also the risk he will revert to the mistake-prone, one-track-mind player he was in Boston in recent seasons. Vatrano could be an important piece for Florida moving forward but he could also have a ceiling as an elite AHLer and nothing more. Only time will tell, but because of that risk, expect Vatrano to earn a relatively cheap, one-year deal (even if it has to come through arbitration).

Other RFAs: D Alex Petrovic, D MacKenzie Weegar, D Ed Wittchow, F Curtis Valk, F Gregory Chase, D Linus Hultsrom 

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: None. Congratulations to Florida on entering free agency with literally nothing to lose. The team has five impending free agents and one, veteran winger Radim Vrbata, has already announced his retirement. The other four played little role in the successes or failures of the Panthers in 2017-18 and would be unlikely to make much of an impact if they were to be re-signed. Connor Brickley is the most notable name, as he recorded 12 points in 44 games on the team’s fourth line. However, Brickley spent no additional time in the AHL, simply watching from the press box for the much of the season. The 26-year-old forward was a 2010 second-round pick, but seems to have developed into a checking winger with limited offensive upside, the exact type of player that is easy to replace. The loss of fellow 26-year-old forwards Chase Balisy (8 games) and Alexandre Grenier (0 games) would mean even less. Third-string goalie Harri Sateri, 28, returned from Europe to play for the Panthers this year and performed well enough in nine appearances, but with two high-end veteran goalies in the mix, Florida hardly needs to stress over their AHL starter. Young Sam Montembeault will likely be just fine if Sateri is not re-signed.

UFAs: Connor Brickley, Chase Balisy, Alexandre Grenier, Harri Sateri

Projected Cap Space: The trade-off of having no unrestricted free agents to worry about is that you don’t have much salary coming off the books either. When you have your top five forwards, your top four defenseman, and two starting-caliber goalies locked up long-term, things can get expensive. The Florida Panthers got off to a slow start last season and narrowly missed the playoffs, but don’t be fooled: this is a solid team without a ton of holes and their cap situation reflects that. The cap ceiling is expected to rise this off-season to somewhere between $78-$82MM. At the midpoint of $80MM, the Cats will have around $14MM in space to work with. While that is a decent amount, it still puts the team in the bottom third of the league in terms of flexibility.

Assume that McCann gets a substantial pay increase and Vatrano and potentially one or both of Petrovic and Weegar get a fair amount in their new contracts, and the Panthers will likely be operating the free agency market with around $8-$9MM or so in space. Is that enough to add the top-six forward that they desperately want and need? Probably, but they would strapped for cap space after that. Expect Florida to be players on the trade market this summer as a result.

Prospect Notes: Coyotes, QMJHL, Team USA

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The NHL Scouting Combine is currently underway, and the Arizona Coyotes are busy interviewing potential draft picks. Team reporter Dave Vest writes that the Coyotes will interview approximately 80 of the 104 players at the combine over the next few days, trying to get an idea of their personal character before heading to the draft on June 22nd. GM John Chayka explained why those interviews are so important:

The Combine is a great opportunity to gather more information on the players of interest. It’s an enjoyable experience to meet the players that have been scouted all year and get to know them better as a person. Drafting character players is important to our organization and is definitely a part of the decision-making process.

That character will come into play when the Coyotes make the fifth selection at this year’s draft, and try to add some more blue chip talent to their prospect pool. With Dylan Strome finally looking like he’s ready to make an impact at the NHL level and Clayton Keller already dominating, there are good times ahead in Arizona. If they’re able to add a player like Quinn Hughes, Oliver Wahlstrom or Adam Boqvist with the fifth-overall selection, those times could come even quicker.

  • Jeff Marek of Sportsnet was keeping an eye on some CHL trades today, as he reports that Cedric Pare (Boston), Mitchell Balmas, Antoine Morand (Anaheim) and Jordan Maher are all on the move in the QMJHL. It’s been a busy few days for Morand, who won the Memorial Cup with Acadie-Bathurst on Sunday and signed his first professional contract with the Ducks earlier today. He’s heading to Halifax along with Maher, meaning he’ll get another chance to play in the Memorial Cup regardless of his performance next year. Halifax will be the host of the 2019 tournament, and are loading up on older talent to make sure they are ready for the competition.
  • Now that David Quinn has taken the New York Rangers head coaching job, USA Hockey needed to find another head coach for the 2019 National Junior Team. Mike Hastings has been hired for the job, after previously serving as an assistant for the program. Hastings is the head coach at Minnesota State University-Mankato, and has guided that program to six straight winning seasons. He’ll be tasked with trying to get the team back to the gold medal game, after ending up with bronze this year.

Ryan Stoa, Andy Miele Sign In KHL

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Two veteran American forwards have signed new contracts to play in the KHL after strong 2017-18 seasons. Ryan Stoa remains in Russia for the fifth straight season since leaving North America but will be switching teams as Traktor Chelyabinsk announced that they have signed the power forward. Meanwhile, Andy Miele will make the jump over from the Swedish Hockey League in just his second season since crossing the Atlantic. Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod revealed their signing of the swift center in a team release this week.

Stoa gained significant visibility this year as a member of Team USA at the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. While Stoa was held scoreless through five games, he saw ample ice time for the Americans. He used his time much better during the KHL season, recording 30 points in 53 games for Spartak Moskva. Stoa formed a potent combination on Spartak’s top line with Boston Bruins prospect Alexander Khokhlachev and recent San Jose Sharks signee Lukas Radil. Now moving to Traktor, a team that made the conference final without him this past season, Stoa will join former AHL rival Paul Szczechura and dynamic young Vitali Kravtsov on an offense that should be impressive. A second-round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche back in 2005, a member of the U.S. National Development Program, and the captain of the University of Minnesota, Stoa’s performance fell far short of his lofty expectations in the NHL, but he did manage to suit up for 40 games between the Avs and Washington Capitals before developing into a high-end player overseas.

Miele faced far fewer expectations than Stoa as a young player at the University of Miami, but that all changed when he scored 71 points as a senior and won the 2011 Hobey Baker Award as the best player in college hockey. An undrafted free agent who was highly sought-after, Miele signed with the Phoenix Coyotes and the team planned for the dynamic puck-handler to play a top-nine center role. Instead, Miele played in only 15 NHL games over his entry-level deal in Arizona despite dominating the AHL. Miele played another three minor league seasons, all among the AHL’s top scorers, but never got a legitimate chance at the highest level. As a result, Miele joined the Malmo Redhawks of the SHL last off-season and quickly became one of their top forwards. However, Miele’s ability really shined after he was acquired by the Vaxjo Lakers mid-season. With Miele’s help, alongside star Vancouver Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson, the Lakers went on to win the SHL Championship. Miele earned himself a step up in European pro hockey, as he now heads to Torpedo with a chance to help out a team that exceeded expectations in the KHL last year and has a chance to be even better next season.

Several Nashville Predators Heading To IIHF World Championship

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8:05pm: Roman Josi and Kevin Fiala will both also be journeying to Denmark to play for Switzerland, raising the total to seven Predators who will be in the tournament. The huge contingent of players just reiterates how talented the Nashville roster is, especially with others likely turning down offers.

4:15pm: After facing elimination at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets last night, several Nashville Predators players will be heading to the IIHF World Hockey Championship. We learned earlier today that Eeli Tolvanen would continue his whirlwind season with Team Finland, while Nick Bonino will join Team USA. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet also reports that Viktor Arvidsson, Mattias Ekholm and Filip Forsberg will all join Sweden.

All four new additions will be huge for their respective countries, as the tournament heads towards the elimination rounds next week.

Bonino hasn’t represented the USA at the tournament since 2015 when he was still with the Vancouver Canucks. That year, he registered four points in 10 games en route to a bronze medal. He’ll join a team that just crushed Korea 13-1 to win their fifth-straight game to open the tournament. That’s a feat the team hasn’t accomplished since 1933, and one that bodes well for their chances in the medal round.

Ekholm and Forsberg have both appeared in the tournament on multiple occasions, but this will be Arvidsson’s first time around. The 25-year old winger last represented Sweden at a major international tournament in 2013, when he helped their World Junior squad to a silver medal. All three should increase Sweden’s odds of a medal tremendously, as three All-Star level talents from the NHL.

Charlie McAvoy Joins Team USA For World Championships

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As Team USA prepares to duel against Latvia this morning at the IIHF World Championships, they’ve announced a huge addition for the rest of the tournament. Charlie McAvoy will join the squad tomorrow in Denmark, fresh off his recent elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs. The club’s biggest weakness on paper has been a shaky blue line, something that McAvoy should strengthen tremendously after an outstanding rookie season in the NHL.

McAvoy put up 32 points in his first full season with the Boston Bruins, but was part of a shutdown unit with Zdeno Chara that was one of the league’s best. The 20-year old defenseman has always looked poised beyond his years, even as a freshman at Boston University or leader on the US World Junior team. Rarely rattled or thrown off his game, he’ll no doubt be one of the best players on the international stage once again.

It’s not clear whose spot he’ll take on game day, but it could mean the end of a run for young Quinn Hughes. The 18-year old draft-eligible defenseman has actually played more than many expected so far in the tournament, logging two points through the first three games. As well as Hughes has played so far, McAvoy would obviously be an upgrade in the defensive end. Neal Pionk could also lose some time on the US powerplay, as though McAvoy isn’t known exclusively for his offense he certainly can contribute with the man advantage.

Poll: Who Will Win The 2018 IIHF World Championship?

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If you were one of the many hockey fans frustrated by the NHL’s decision to not attend the most recent Winter Olympics, or one of the many others who have already seen their team eliminated from Stanley Cup contention, this weekend is for you. On Friday, some of the best hockey players in the world will kick off the IIHF World Championship as Team USA and Team Canada do battle.

For more than two weeks, players will represent their countries in the top international tournament of the year. The bronze and gold medal games will be played on Sunday, May 20th—who will be there?

The Canadians look like favorites to contend once again, with Connor McDavid leading an impressive forward group that also includes names like Mathew Barzal, Ryan O’Reilly, Jaden Schwartz and Brayden Schenn. Tyson Jost was added to the team today, while a blue line manned by Aaron Ekblad and Colton Parayko should be smothering.

Team USA doesn’t lag far behind, with Patrick Kane headlining an incredibly skilled group of forwards. Cam Atkinson, Alex DeBrincat, Johnny Gaudreau, Dylan Larkin and others are going to bring speed and offense to the tournament.

Russia is always a wildcard in international tournaments, and is coming off an Olympic victory in Pyeongchang. The team will also have a new face behind the bench, as Oleg Znarok stepped down earlier this month. Ilya Kovalchuk won’t be there, but don’t expect a reduced level of play from the Russians.

As usual, Sweden—the defending champions—will have arguably the best defensive corps in the tournament, with names like John Klingberg, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Hampus Lindholm and Adam Larsson manning their blue line. The team will also feature young talents like Lias Andersson and Elias Pettersson up front, making their games must-see TV for prospect nerds.

The Czech Republic, Finland and Slovakia will all be tough outs like always, and don’t overlook a Leon Draisaitl-led German squad. The Germans have made the quarter-finals in the last two World Championship tournaments, and shocked the hockey world with an Olympic silver medal in South Korea.

In all, the tournament should be excellent and provide a hockey release for those already frustrated with their team’s performance in the Stanley Cup playoffs. With that, we ask you who you think will win the gold medal. Make sure to explain your reasons down below.

Mobile users click here to vote!

World Championships Offer Big Test For Draft-Eligible Prospects

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The last few years almost every professional hockey league and tournament has seemed to skew towards younger players. In the NHL, Connor McDavid has led a revolution of young talent that was epitomized perhaps best when Team North America shocked several opponents in the 2016 World Cup. That team would score more goals than anyone but Canada in the preliminary round, and could have perhaps gone further if not for an early injury to Matt Murray.

In Sweden this year, the league was dominated by Vancouver Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson and provided little challenge for potential first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin. In a league that is notoriously difficult for young players, 19-year old Pettersson scored 56 points in just 44 games—leading the entire league. Other leagues experienced much of the same, like when Finnish forward Eeli Tolvanen tore through the KHL and broke several records for 18-year old scoring.

Tolvanen also was one of several players who suited up for both the World Juniors and Olympics this season, and though that was partly because of the lack of NHL involvement, their success at such an early age can’t be overlooked. The same can be said for the upcoming World Championships, which will host a small but extremely interesting group of draft-eligible talent.

Though Dahlin and potential second-overall pick Andrei Svechnikov will both miss the tournament, teams will be on the lookout for a few other names that could climb up their draft boards in the coming weeks.

Filip Zadina didn’t make the Czech Republic team, but interestingly Martin Kaut did. The 18-year old forward was an impressive talent at the World Juniors earlier this year, and climbed all the way to fourth among International skaters in the final CSS draft rankings. It’s a huge honor for the young player, and another chance to impress scouts and push him further up the draft board.

Joining Kaut from the international scouting list will be Martin Fehervary (Slovakia) and Yegor Sharangovich (Belarus), who were 15th and 51st on the final rankings. Fehervary is especially interesting as a defenseman who is not usually noted for his offensive ability. If he’s given a regular shift on the blue line against top competition, he could really improve his draft stock by just holding his own. Sharangovich may be more familiar, as he was at the tournament last year for Belarus and played all season in the KHL. The 19-year old wasn’t drafted in either of his first two years of eligibility, but is a big-bodied center that is just coming into his own.

Most interestingly though may be Quinn Hughes, the superstar defenseman for the University of Michigan and potential top-5 pick in the upcoming draft. Hughes was named to Team USA and could finish an incredible year by making an impact in the international tournament. If given the chance—which is far from certain—the 18-year old high-flying Hughes could make a case to dethrone one of the top three forwards (Svechnikov, Zadina and Brady Tkachuk) and be the second defenseman off the board. His offensive potential is about as high as you can get, and he’s shown the ability to shut down rushes and move the puck quickly out of his own end.

This group of young players likely won’t play prominent roles on their respective teams, but they are definitely names to watch if they make it onto the ice. Each is supremely talented and could make an impact at the NHL level down the road. Even though your team might be eliminated from the postseason, there are still plenty of reasons to tune in to some hockey this weekend. The tournament starts this Friday in Denmark.

Off-Season Retirement Watch List

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Although the Stanley Cup playoffs are in full swing with four excellent match-ups in the second round, as teams have been eliminated – and continue to be eliminated – from contention, players begin to make decisions about their futures. Knowing that they were not playoff-bound, Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin announced their departure from the Vancouver Canucks and pro hockey before the end of the season. Former teammate Radim Vrbata made the same decision days later. The Blackhawks’ Patrick Sharp announced that he was moving on, after a return to Chicago didn’t go as planned. Then, Anaheim Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin then got the off-season retirement party started last week, officially calling it a career. Meanwhile, for the third straight summer, Matt Cullen will be contemplating his hockey mortality. Who could be next?

Jaromir Jagr and Jarome Iginla: Let’s start with the easy ones – a Calgary Flames legend and a legend whose career likely ended with the Calgary Flames. Jagr and Iginla were both pushing hard for a final chance at the NHL last summer and both players continued their searches into the regular season. Jagr finally landed a deal with the Flames in October, but health issues and a lack of productions made for a poor tenure in Calgary. Jagr recorded just seven points in 22 games before heading back to his native Czech Republic in January. Iginla opted to undergo surgery in the fall, but was back skating in February and hoping to sign on with a team for the stretch run and postseason. However, no such offer came. These two have been a couple of the biggest names in hockey since the 1990’s and are surefire Hall of Famers, but there is little doubt that their NHL playing days are behind them. Expect official announcements this summer.

Brian Gionta: Gionta is in a similar spot. Unable to find a contract last off-season, Gionta worked out and skated with the AHL’s Rochester Americans ahead of his appearance with Team USA at Winter Olympics. It was a less-than-spectacular showing by the veteran, but he still managed to turn it into a late-season contract with the Boston Bruins. Gionta posted seven points in 20 games with the Bruins in the final months of the regular season, but has yet to see any playoff action, despite ample opportunity given injuries to multiple Boston players heading into and during Round One. Gionta’s play with the Bruins has not exactly harked back to his prime, but nevertheless has shown effort and intelligence. He may have earned another look next season, but it’s more likely than not that this current run with Boston will be the curtain call for Gionta.

Chris Kelly: Kelly also played at the Winter Games and signed on late like Gionta. However, both he and his team have not had similar success. Kelly saw just 12 games with the Anaheim Ducks after signing in February and only contributed two points to show for it. The Ducks were then swept out of the playoffs without Kelly having any say in the matter as a healthy scratch all season. Kelly surprised a lot of people when he played in all 82 games with the Ottawa Senators last season, but this short campaign has shown that the years of dependable play have caught up with him.

Mike Fisher: Will Fisher re-retire? Almost surely. No one can blame Fisher for not wanting to miss out on a possible Cup run by the Nashville Predators one season after coming so close, but Fisher’s presence on the team thus far has been more about leadership and morale than on-ice impact. Fisher had just four points in 16 games down the stretch while averaging just over twelve minutes of ice time and thus far in the postseason has been held scoreless in seven games while seeing barely eleven minutes of time. Fisher’s days as a legitimate player seem to clearly be over, but he could still make a difference for Nashville in these playoffs with the right opportunity.

Dominic Moore: There may be no other player in the game today who has thrived by being a hired gun like Moore. Throughout his career, the veteran center has been able to join a new team, adjust, and play a critical support role. So, when that pattern fell apart this year with the Toronto Maple Leafs, it signaled the coming end to Moore’s career. Moore was common scratch for the Leafs and averaged only about ten minutes of ice time per night, but with twelve points in 50 games, he also didn’t make the most of his opportunities. If any player in the league can adapt to being 38-years-old and coming off a down season by finding the perfect fit for another go-round, it’s Moore, but don’t be surprised if he calls it quits instead.

Joel Ward: There’s no doubt that Ward would like to keep playing. A hard-nosed player and a consummate pro, Ward has been a reliable piece to every team he has been on. However, there is no looking past what by all accounts was the worst season of his career in 2017-18. Just twelve points in 52 games and less than twelve minutes of ice time per game shows just how small a role he played for the San Jose Sharks this year and that’s not even including the fact that the Sharks tried to trade him at the deadline and have yet to play him in the postseason. Ward’s time in San Jose is undeniably over, but that doesn’t mean another team can’t take a one-year flier on him. At this point, it seems unlikely though.

Dennis Seidenberg and Johnny Oduya: What else do these two 36-year-old, left-shot, physical defenders have in common? Their time has come. Seidenberg’s resurgence with the New York Islander was a great story last season, but he came back to earth in this campaign and was limited by injuries and inability to just 28 games and five points. Oduya has had back-to-back disappointing seasons like that, recording only 17 points in 104 games with four different teams across the past two seasons. Dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers at the deadline, Oduya did nothing, skating in just one regular season game and zero postseason games. Both of these men have been admirable NHLers, but it’s hard to see either continuing to play.

On the bubble: Jason Chimera, Antoine Vermette, and Kevin Bieksa, Anaheim Ducks; Josh Gorges, Buffalo Sabres; Matt Stajan, Calgary Flames; Lee Stempniak, Carolina Hurricanes; Ales Hemsky, Montreal Canadiens; Scottie Upshall, St. Louis Blues; Jussi Jokinen, Vancouver Canucks.

Snapshots: Chayka, Zito, Aucoin

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Despite another disappointing season for the Arizona Coyotes, GM John Chayka still has his job. However, he knows that the stakes have been raised and the upcoming NHL Draft will be an another important step toward making something of this long-term rebuild in Arizona. With the NHL Draft Lottery fast approaching, Chayka spoke with AZ Central’s Richard Morin about his options at the top of the draft. The ’Yotes will pick somewhere in the top six selections on June 22, but like any GM, Chayka has an eye on that top pick. Chayka believes, as most do, that Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will be the first player selected and, if it’s Arizona making the pick, believe he would make the roster out of camp and contribute immediately. As for the other top-six players, Chayka sounds prepared to take the top player on their draft board, regardless of position. However, if the Coyotes don’t land the top pick, Chayka admits that he will consider offers for the team’s top pick. Arizona traded their #7 overall pick last year, so a repeat would be surprising, but Chayka says that they will be “as prepared as possible” for potential offers.

  • The Minnesota Wild need to make a decision on a GM before they make any decisions at the draft. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Wild brought in another candidate to fill that vacancy on Thursday, speaking with Columbus Blue Jackets Assistant GM Bill Zito. Zito was a finalist for the Buffalo Sabres’ GM job last summer and is currently putting together the Team USA squad for the upcoming World Championships. Many people consider Zito to be one of the top GM candidates in hockey right now. However, the Wild already interviewed Nashville Predators AGM Paul Fenton, who is considered the favorite for the position.
  • At 39 years old, Keith Aucoin is closer in age to some GM’s than some fellow players, but has continued to be a game-changing force while playing for EHC Munchen in Germany, the champions of the DEL. Aucoin has decided to go out on top, as the team announced that he has retired from pro hockey (link in German). North American fans will remember Aucoin as one of the most accomplished AHL players of all time, whose career featured nine seasons of NHL action with five teams, but more notably seven AHL All-Star appearances, and AHL MVP Award, and two Calder Cups. Aucoin is not only one of the most recognizable minor leagues of this century, he also is easily the best pro player to ever come out of Division III college hockey as an alumnus of Norwich University. EHC Munchen adds that Aucoin is headed back to the United States and don’t be surprised to see the accomplished veteran in the coaching ranks sooner rather than later.

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