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Snapshots: Schedule, Shattenkirk, Salary Cap, Coyotes, Red Wings, Malkin, Dallas Defense

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The NHL released their 2016-17 schedule on Tuesday.  Here are some of the important dates:

Wednesday, October 12: Regular season begins
January 27-30: All-Star Break
Tuesday, February 28: Trade deadline
Sunday, April 9 Final day of the regular season

Elsewhere around the league:

Top Draft Prospects: Matthew Tkachuk

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The NHL draft is now less than a week away with the first round set for this Friday.  Over the next several days, we will be taking a closer look at the prospects who will hear their name called early on Friday night.

Next up is Matthew Tkachuk, the son of ex-NHL’er Keith Tkachuk.

Bio

Position: Left Wing
Birthdate: December 11, 1997
Hometown: Scottsdale, Arizona
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 200 lbs

2015-16

Tkachuk’s debut season in major junior was nothing short of great.  He was part of the OHL champion London Knights and skated on their top line with Toronto prospect Mitch Marner and Arizona prospect Christian Dvorak.  Tkachuk tied for the second most assists in the league and finished fifth overall in points, the best among any draft eligible prospect.  He also finished second in postseason scoring, collecting an impressive 40 points (20 goals and 20 assists) in just 18 games.

He also suited up for Team USA at the World Junior Championships, finishing tied for the team lead in scoring with projected first overall pick Auston Matthews.  As the Knights won the OHL title, Tkachuk was also able to suit up in the Memorial Cup, scoring the tournament winning goal in overtime against Rouyn-Noranda.

Statistics

London: 57 GP, 30 goals, 77 assists, 107 points, 80 PIMS, +45 rating
WJC’s: 7 GP, 4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points, 6 PIMS, +7 rating
Memorial Cup: 4 GP, 5 goals, 3 assists, 8 points, 4 PIMS, +8 rating

Scouting Report

Tkachuk is a very well-rounded offensive winger.  He’s an elite passer who sees the ice extremely well while his shot, though not used as often in London, is also above average.  Skating is an area that needs improvement – it’s not a weakness but he’s not as strong a skater as some of the other top prospects in this draft class.  He’s also highly above average at protecting the puck and is quite effective at working the cycle game.

On the defensive side, he’s a work in progress.  He’s capable of making the right reads but his commitment to doing so tends to waver.  Part of that is a by-product on being part of an elite offensive team that could score their way out of trouble so that’s something he should improve on over time.  Physically, he’s strong enough to cover bigger forwards down low and along the boards in his own zone and can use his strength to create turnovers.

One of Tkachuk’s biggest strengths is his willingness and ability to get to the high traffic areas.  He has no problems taking a hit to make a play or deflect a shot and is strong enough to withstand the physical pounding for doing so.  He sometimes gets a little too involved in the rough stuff which is something he’ll need to improve on over time as well.

Projected Future Role

Front line power winger.

NHL Timeline

Physically, Tkachuk is ready to step into an NHL lineup right away.  However, his skating and defensive zone play needs to be improved before he can really become a top player at the pro level.  It’s feasible to think he’ll spend most of this season at the junior level before making a run at a full-time roster spot in 2017-18.

Previous Profiles

Auston Matthews
Patrik Laine
Jesse Puljujarvi

Free Agent Focus: Montreal Canadiens

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The Montreal Canadiens got off to a franchise-best 9-0-0 start in 2015-16 but were unable to sustain their success, eventually dropping all the way to 13th in the Eastern Conference.

With most of their team already under contract for next season, GM Marc Bergevin will have to be active in the trade market if he wants to bring in more than just one or two new faces.  Here’s a closer look at the few remaining free agents they have to deal with.

Key Restricted Free Agents: Phillip Danault was the centerpiece of the pre-deadline trade that saw Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann go to Chicago.  The former first round pick didn’t play a big role with the Canadiens after being acquired, averaging just 12:37 per game while picking up five points in 21 games.  Danault is expected to play a bottom six role for the Canadiens next season and should receive a short-term contract.

Winger Daniel Carr was a pleasant surprise last year.  The 24 year old rookie picked up six goals and three assists in 24 games with Montreal after starting the season at AHL St. John’s.  He is due a two-way qualifying offer of $840,000 in the NHL and $70,000 in the AHL but the team may try to convince him to take a smaller NHL cap hit in exchange for more guaranteed money in the form of a higher AHL salary.

Other RFA’s: F Michael Bournival, D Darren Dietz, D Morgan Ellis, D Joel Hanley, F Lucas Lessio

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: It was a down year for D Tom Gilbert who picked up just one goal and one assist in 45 games before a knee injury ended his season in February.  He’s coming off a $2.8MM contract and will have to take a substantial pay cut to get a contract in free agency.  He should still have some suitors for a third pairing role as mobility and shot blocking are still desired attributes on the open market.

Other UFA’s: D Victor Bartley, F John Scott, G Ben Scrivens

Cap Situation: Montreal has just shy of $64MM committed to 20 players already for next season, according to Cap Friendly.  After re-signing Danault and Carr, they should have enough money to sign one impact player on the free agent market.

Sabres GM Talks Vesey, Draft

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Buffalo GM Tim Murray spoke to the media on Tuesday to talk about the upcoming draft and yesterday’s acquisition of Jimmy Vesey’s negotiating rights.  John Vogl of the Buffalo News has the highlights.

On Vesey, the Hobey Baker winner for the best college player last season:

“It’s a gamble,”   He can sign with somebody else August 15, but it was a third-round pick and we can debate the value of third-round picks. Between 30 percent and 10 percent of them play.

“He’s got top-six potential. He’s the type of player we’re looking for.”

Since the trade occurred, Vesey’s agent acknowledged that he still intends to test the free agent market in mid-August, according to WKBW’s Nick Filipowski.

On the 8th overall pick, Buffalo’s first selection in Friday’s NHL Entry Draft:

“If somebody offers us a top-end, young, left-shot” defenseman “and they demand our eighth overall pick and we feel it makes us better, we’ll do the trade.” 

Murray added that the team has a shortlist of three players at that selection should they hold onto the pick.  The team isn’t willing to move any of their top young players to move up in the draft, notes Mike Harrington, also of the Buffalo News.

Murray also noted that the team has been in talks with D Rasmus Ristolainen, D Jake McCabe, and F Zemgus Girgensons on new contracts.  The team has not yet started negotiations with F Marcus Foligno, reports Shawn Stepner of WKBW.

Vincent Lecavalier Announces His Retirement

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Longtime NHL forward Vincent Lecavalier has officially announced his retirement today.  TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie was first with the report.  Lavoie also notes that he will be placed on waivers but that won’t have any effect on his decision to walk away from the game.

The 36 year old had two years remaining on his contract with a full cap hit of $4.5MM (split equally between the Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers).  The $2.25MM that each team carried as a cap hit now comes off the books.  General Fanager adds that there will be no salary cap recapture penalties for either team.  Despite walking away from the last two years of his deal, Lecavalier will still be paid $1,761,905 annually until 2026-27 as part of his buyout from Tampa Bay.

The decision comes as little surprise as Lecavalier had indicated that he was leaning towards retiring when he waived his no-movement clause to accept a trade to the Kings last season.  After recording just a single assist in seven games with the Flyers, his play picked up following the deal as he tallied ten goals and seven helpers in 42 games with Los Angeles.

He spent most of his career with the Lightning after being the first overall pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.  Lecavalier played in 1,037 games with the Bolts (a team record), collecting 383 goals (also a team record) and 491 assists.  For his career, he finishes with 421 goals and 528 assists in 1,212 games between the Lightning, Flyers, and Kings.

Lecavalier won several awards over his career, including the Rocket Richard Trophy (most goals in 2007), plus a Stanley Cup in 2004 with the Lightning and a World Cup with Team Canada in 2004.  He also currently has the most points of anyone drafted in 1998 as he sits 17 points ahead of longtime Tampa teammate Brad Richards.

Snapshots: Stamkos, 3rd Pick, Flames, Hamhuis

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TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (transcription via Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot) that the Sabres are going “absolutely all in” for Tampa Bay forward Steven Stamkos should he hit the market.  He hears that the speculation is that they may be willing to go upwards of $12MM per season to get a deal done.  For comparison, the highest current cap hits in the NHL are Chicago forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Also from Dreger, the Blue Jackets are still listening to offers for the third overall pick in Friday’s NHL Entry Draft. He adds that GM Jarmo Kekalainen would like to attach a sizable contract, such as Scott Hartnell, who has three years left on his contract at $4.75MM per year, to any discussion to free up some cap space.
  • The asking price for Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is quite high. Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun reports that Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford is asking for the Flames’ first round pick (sixth overall) in this Friday’s draft, a price that is too steep for Calgary’s liking.  Francis suggests that the Flames would amenable to dealing one of their second round picks and a prospect to secure the services of the 31 year old netminder.  TSN’s Bob McKenzie suggests Tampa Bay G Ben Bishop could be another target for Calgary.
  • Vancouver GM Jim Benning acknowledged that the team is still trying to figure out the situation for pending UFA defenseman Dan Hamhuis, reports Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province. The team would open to trading his negotiating rights but have yet to receive an offer for them.

Jets Re-Sign Michael Hutchinson

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The Jets have signed backup goaltender Michael Hutchinson to a two year deal, the team announced.  The deal will carry a cap hit of $1.15MM. According to CapFriendly, it is a one-way deal worth $1MM the first year and $1.3MM the second.

Last season, the 26 year old played in 30 games with Winnipeg, posting a 9-15-3 record with a 2.83 GAA and a .907 SV%.  Those numbers were down from his career averages, a 2.53 GAA and a .912 SV% in 71 career NHL contests.

Winnipeg has a bit of a goaltending logjam on their hands as things stand for next season.  Ondrej Pavelec has one year left on his contract at $3.9MM while prospect Connor Hellebuyck showed last year that he’s ready for regular NHL duty, posting a 2.35 GAA and a ,918 SV% while filling in for the injured Pavelec last season.  However, Hellebuyck is still exempt from waivers so barring a Pavelec trade, it would seem likely that he will be AHL-bound to start next season.

Florida Acquires Rights To Keith Yandle

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UPDATE: 7:28 PM CST: Stephen Whyno from AP Sports reports Panthers GM Tom Rowe is expecting Brian Campbell to test free agency, and that he’s “not shopping” Dmitry Kulikov, despite recent reports. Rowe says trading for Yandle is the beginning of the Panthers being a contender, according to Whyno.

UPDATE: 5:00 PM CST: Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the conditional pick will be a 2017 fourth rounder if Yandle signs with the Panthers.

UPDATE 4:50 PM CST: James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail reports that the first pick will be a 6th rounder this season (174th overall), with the value of the conditional pick still unknown.

4:39 PM CST: George Richards of the Miami Herald confirms that the team will acquire his rights in exchange for a draft pick, plus a second conditional pick if he signs with them prior to July 1st.

4:31 PM CST: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Florida Panthers are working hard to acquire the negotiating rights to Keith Yandle prior to him becoming a UFA on July 1st.

Sabres Ink Nicolas Deslauriers To A Two-Year Deal

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UPDATE: 6:39 PM CST: Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that Deslauriers will make $775,000 per year for two years.

After trading for the rights to Jimmy Vesey, the Buffalo Sabres have also re-signed forward Nicolas Deslauriers to a two-way deal, according to the team site. Deslauriers was a useful bottom-six piece for the Sabres the past couple of years, putting up 25 points over 162 games. While he’s not an offensive threat, he plays an up-tempo game and has logged over 200 hits in back-to-back seasons.

Toronto Acquires Andersen; Inks 5-Year Extension

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UPDATE: 5:34 PM CST: Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that Anderson’s contract is $5MM per year for five years — $25MM overall and $5MM AAV.

UPDATE 4:53 PM CST: Bob McKenzie of TSN chimes in with some contract details. It will be a five-year deal somwhere between $5MM and $5.5MM per season. That makes the new Leafs’ goaltending duo worth almost $10MM per season.

4:31 PM CST: Pierre LeBrun adds that the Leafs have indeed agreed to a five-year extension with Andersen after making the deal.  It will keep him in Toronto long-term, leading many to wonder what is to make of former starter Jonathan Bernier.

4:06 PM CST: According to the team Twitter, the Anaheim Ducks have traded restricted free agent goaltender Frederik Andersen to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a first round pick (30th overall) and a second round pick in 2017.

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