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Archives for August 2016

Goalies Moved During 2016 NHL Offseason

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The annual goalie shuffle this offseason has ostensibly settled with most rosters set as to who will be between the pipes. Many goalies will wear different crests this upcoming season, and remembering who went where is a lot easier if you consult PHR’s list below:

The biggest story here is that Calgary completely traded in its goaltending by declining to re-sign Ortio and Ramo, and instead acquiring starters Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson. Elliott will be the clear starter but Johnson performed well enough in Buffalo to warrant competition if Elliott falters. The second biggest name changing teams was Frederik Andersen. The Anaheim Ducks traded the RFA to Toronto for a 1st and 2nd round pick, and then Toronto immediately signed him to a five-year deal. The Leafs sent Bernier back the other way—but delayed that move so that Anaheim would not be on the hook for Bernier’s signing bonus.

Most of these moves involve backup goaltending for two reasons. GMs consider the backup position easily replaceable, and goalies like to move to other teams for better odds of becoming a starter. Injuries may thrust some of these names into the limelight, and teams will hope that their transactions pan out.

Red Wings Expect Kronwall At Training Camp

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Red Wings Coach Jim Blashill is confident that Niklas Kronwall will be healthy for training camp despite missing the upcoming World Cup of Hockey. The Swedish defenseman bowed out of the fall tournament because of a lingering knee injury that sidelined him for 15 games last season. Kronwall says the knee isn’t 100% but there is nothing surgery can do at this point.

Having Kronwall back is a boon for the Red Wings as they will be right up against the cap season and have little money to spend on replacements. Right now Detroit exceeds the cap by $4.2MM, but expects to place injured Johan Franzen and Joe Vitale on LTIR, saving approximately $5M in cap space. The Wings did not acquire any defensive help this offseason, so losing the veteran Kronwall would be a huge blow.

If the Red Wings had to replace Kronwall they would do it from within, and hope that a Xavier Ouellet or Brian Lashoff are able to make the jump to the NHL. There is still time to re-sign Kyle Quincey to a contract, but GM Ken Holland will have some salary maneuvering to do to fit the UFA defensemen under the cap. Look for the Red Wings to make more salary cap-based trades this season if Kronwall has to miss any significant time.

Offer Sheets And The Remaining RFAs

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Training camps open soon and valuable restricted free agents (RFAs) remain unsigned. An RFA has two options if he cannot reach a deal with his current team: sit out or sign with another club via an offer sheet. There are rules and restrictions regarding offer sheets, and the following guide should help navigate the thicket before training camp starts.

Offer Sheets are governed by Section 10.3 and 10.4 of the CBA. The basic premise is that an RFA can sign a contract with any club, but the RFAs prior club has seven days to match the principal terms—salary, bonuses, and length. If a prior club matches, then they are bound to the contract. If the prior club declines to match, however, they get compensated with draft picks from the RFA’s new club. The draft pick compensation is commensurate with the average annual value (AAV) of the RFA’s new contract. The prior club gets better (and more) draft picks the higher the contract value.

Determining draft pick compensation is easy. Take the full salary offered and divide it by the contract term, but only up to five years. Even if a player signed a seven year contract, the CBA dictates that the salary only be divided by five. The resulting number determines the draft picks a prior club receives from the new club. The CBA breaks the compensation down into tiers, and CapFriendly published a convenient guide:

Offer Sheet Chart

The draft pick compensation mechanism limits the teams that can submit offer sheets. A team must only use its own draft picks—not picks previously owned by another team—and must have them available for the next draft. General Fanager has a great resource that keeps track of which teams can submit offer sheets at each value tier. If a team owes two picks in the same round, both picks must be available in the next three drafts. If they owe four, then they must be available in the next five drafts.

Fourteen RFAs remain unsigned as of writing, and with NHL training camp only two weeks away, time is ticking for both players and teams. The following players still have yet to sign, in order of last season’s scoring:

  1. Johnny Gaudreau – Calgary Flames
  2. Nikita Kucherov – Tampa Bay Lightning
  3. Rickard Rakell – Anaheim Ducks
  4. Rasmus Ristolainen – Buffalo Sabres
  5. Tobias Rieder – Arizona Coyotes
  6. Dmitry Orlov – Washington Capitals
  7. Valeri Nichushkin – Dallas Stars
  8. Hampus Lindholm – Anaheim Ducks
  9. Ryan Strome – New York Islanders
  10. Jacob Trouba – Winnipeg Jets
  11. Zemgus Girgensons – Buffalo Sabres
  12. Nikita Nesterov – Tampa Bay Lightning
  13. Stefan Elliott – Nashville Predators
  14. Freddie Hamilton – Calgary Flames

Some teams are close to signing their RFAs—like the Flames and Gaudreau—but others, like Arizona and Rieder, are far apart. The next two weeks should bring a wave of signings, but for now offer sheet speculation ramps up as fans ponder what a player is worth and whether a team is better off receiving draft picks or matching value.

Metro Notes: Tavares, Capuano, Bednar, Rangers

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John Tavares is undoubtedly one of the top players in the game today, but even the best athletes work hard every day to improve their game. Arthur Staple of Newsday writes about what Tavares is doing this summer to try to avoid the lengthy slumps in production he experienced during parts of the 2015-16 campaign.

Tavares tied for 10th in the NHL in goals with 33 so it’s not as if his performance should be described as disappointing. But this summer he’s implemented a new workout schedule trying to find ways to stay fresher during the rigors of a long regular season. Tavares offered up this explanation for the change:

“I got sick really early in the season and I felt like I was overcoming some fatigue a little bit still after that. I just tried to manage this summer a little differently, making sure I got some really good recovery, some really good rest. I actually started training pretty early but I didn’t kick it into high gear for a little while. I tried to be on the ice a bit more, but just tried to make sure my quality was really high, that I didn’t try to do too much. So just to change up some things, stay fresh, stay healthy, work on some things you want to improve on in your game.”

Within the same post, Staple relays comments from head coach Jack Capuano, who wants his defensemen to generate more offense this season. Even though the team’s blue liners finished the 2015-16 season with nearly as many points as the previous season, Capuano felt the unit simply wasn’t as “dynamic” as they were the year before.

The Islanders did see a drop off in overall team goal scoring, falling from 252 goals in 2015-16 to 232 this past campaign. If Capuano can find a way to squeeze more production from his blue line corps, they should return to being one of the more prolific offenses in the league.

Elsewhere in the Metro……

  • Despite suggestions that the New York Rangers would be among the busiest teams in the league this offseason, the club’s foray into free agency was minimal with Michael Grabner and Jimmy Vesey – who represented a unique case – being the only outside free agents to be given multiyear deals. On the trade front, the team did move top-line pivot center Derrick Brassard but acquired a suitable long-term replacement in Mika Zibanejad in exchange. For a team that has been in “go-for-it” mode for the last several years and consequently moved a ton of futures in deals to acquire veteran players – such as Martin St. Louis, Eric Staal and Keith Yandle – this summer has been strangely devoid of blockbuster acquisitions. But as Matt Larkin of The Hockey News writes, the team’s philosophy this summer was to inject youth and speed into the lineup and it appears general manager Jeff Gorton has been able to do so without making the kind of splashy moves expected.
  • The Colorado Avalanche hired Jared Bednar this week to be the team’s new head coach, filling the void created when Patrick Roy abruptly resigned from his post. Bednar was formerly employed by the Blue Jackets organization and had been the head coach of the team’s AHL affiliate the last two seasons. But as Terry Frei of the Denver Post notes, Bednar was not the only candidate with Columbus ties that the Avalanche considered for their coaching vacancy. Frei points out that current Colorado assistant general manager, Chris MacFarland, formerly held the same position for Columbus. Part of his responsibility with the Blue Jackets was overseeing the team’s minor league organizations which would have put him in direct contact with Bednar. Additionally, the Avalanche interviewed Bob Boughner, who spent a single season as an assistant in Columbus while MacFarland was employed with the club. Scott Arniel, who was head coach in Columbus for a year-and-a-half, and current Blue Jackets assistant Brad Larsen were also both considered to some level for the job.

Snapshots: Blues, Ho-Sang, Hartman, Rooney

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In recent years, the St. Louis Blues have had a veteran-laden lineup but that won’t be the case as much in 2016-17.  The departures of David Backes (to Boston), Troy Brouwer and Brian Elliott (to Calgary), and Steve Ott (to Detroit) have created openings for some of their younger players to take on a larger role.  As GM Doug Armstrong told Lou Korac of NHL.com, the shift towards a younger, quicker team is by design:

“We’re one of 30 teams that is seeing this phenomenon take place right now of the evolution of the game.  I think we’re as current or ahead of the curve in a lot of different areas. I think puck-moving defensemen, we’ve put a premium on, the last little while. I think the game’s gone to a less physical, more puck-oriented game from your back-end players. … It’s just staying current with the game.”

Between the pipes, 26 year old Jake Allen will take over as the new number one netminder while six of the Blues’ projected top nine forwards are aged 28 or younger.  The same can be said for four of their top six defensemen.  Between that and the planned coaching change to Mike Yeo for 2017-18, it’s going to be a season of transition for St. Louis.

More from around the league:

  • After unceremoniously being cut from training camp after the first day as a result of arriving late, Islanders prospect Josh Ho-Sang is looking forward to the chance to redeem himself, writes Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. The 20 year old was a first rounder of New York (30th overall) in 2014 and put up 19 goals and 63 assists in 66 OHL games last year while adding another 26 points in 17 postseason contests.  As a waiver exempt player that is now AHL eligible, there’s a strong chance Ho-Sang will wind up starting the season with their minor league affiliate in Bridgeport.
  • Chicago assistant GM Norm MacIver believes prospect Ryan Hartman is knocking on the door for a full-time roster spot with the Blackhawks, writes Scott Powers of The Athletic. Hartman has spent the last two years with Chicago’s AHL affiliate in Rockford, picking up 72 points but a whopping 249 PIMS in 130 games.  For his part, Hartman acknowledges his over aggression and has taken strides off the ice towards improving that this summer, including working with a mental skills coach.  He has also dropped ten pounds this offseason in an effort to become a faster skater.
  • Long-time NHL referee Chris Rooney ruptured his Achilles tendon and will not only miss the World Cup of Hockey but the first 3-5 months of the regular season, reports ESPN’s John Buccigross. Rooney has been an NHL official since 2000 and has worked in a pair of Stanley Cup Finals.

Oilers Sign Matt Benning

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The Edmonton Oilers have signed college free agent defenseman Matt Benning to a two year, entry-level contract, according to a team release.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Benning was originally a sixth round pick of the Boston Bruins back in 2012 (175th overall) but opted not to sign with the team and became eligible for free agency on August 16th.  The Bruins weren’t interested in signing him for 2016-17 and would have preferred he stayed to play his senior year in college, reports Mark Divver of the Providence Journal.

The 22 year old blueliner spent the last three seasons with Northeastern of the NCAA.  Last season, he played in 41 games, picking up six goals and 13 assists to go along with 37 penalty minutes.  In three college campaigns, he collected nine goals, 47 assists, and 101 PIMS in 110 games.

Benning is the nephew of Vancouver GM Jim Benning (who was Boston’s Assistant GM when he was drafted) and it was speculated that the Canucks were also interested in acquiring him.  Oilers radio analyst Bob Stauffer adds that Chicago had made an offer while Benning had also visited with Los Angeles earlier this week.

It’s likely that Benning will battle for a roster spot with Edmonton’s AHL affiliate in Bakersfield this season.

[Related: Oilers Depth Chart]

Minor Transactions: 8/27/16

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Here are some recent minor transactions from around the hockey world:

  • Former NHL center Nikolai Antropov is on the verge of returning to Barys Astana of the KHL according to a Hockey Pravda report (link in Russian). The 36 year old has spent the last three years with Astana but had held off on re-signing earlier in the hopes of securing an NHL contract.  Antropov has 788 career NHL games under his belt with the Maple Leafs, Rangers, Thrashers, and Jets, tallying 193 goals and 272 assists.
  • Veteran winger Alexei Ponikarovsky has signed on for another season in the KHL, joining the new Chinese team Kunlun, reports Semen Galkevich of R-Sport (link in Russian). Ponikarovsky last saw action in the NHL in 2012-13 with New Jersey and Winnipeg.  He has suited up in 678 NHL contests in his career with six different teams, recording 323 points (139-184-323).
  • College free agent center Quentin Shore will attend rookie camp with the Kings, according to John Hoven of Mayors Manor. Shore was originally an Ottawa prospect (a 6th rounder in 2013) but was unsigned by the August 15th deadline where he was ranked fourth on our top college free agents list.  Shore’s older brother, Nick Shore, played in 68 games for Los Angeles last season.
  • Senators UFA defender Jerome Leduc has signed a contract with HC Dynamo, the Czech Extraliga team announced (link in Czech).  The 24 year old split last season between Buffalo and Ottawa’s AHL teams, scoring 11 goals and 15 assists in 76 games.  He was acquired in a seven player trade of minor league players prior to the trade deadline but the Sens declined to tender him a qualifying offer by the deadline back in June.

Pacific Notes: Calgary Injury Updates, Edmonton Prospect Targets

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Flames defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka is on pace in his recovery from offseason hip surgery to be able to suit up for Team Finland at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey, writes Aaron Vickers from the Flames’ official site.  Calgary GM Brad Treliving had the following to say about how his treatment is going:

“Based on today and based on the medical opinion, I would say it’s promising to likely that he be ready for that.  Everything is looking good.  He’s been back here for a little bit of time now and our staff has had a chance to check him out. Everything looks good. He’s been training. He’s been skating. I think there are a couple final checks to do, but everything is looking positive.”

Jokipakka was acquired at the trade deadline from Dallas along with prospect Brett Pollock and a 2016 2nd round pick (Dillon Dube) in exchange for Kris Russell, who happens to be the most prominent remaining unrestricted free agent on the open market.  He got into 18 games with the Flames last year, recording six assists while seeing his average ice time increase by over three minutes compared to his playing time with the Stars.  He’s likely to play in a third pairing role for Calgary this season.

[Related: Calgary’s Depth Chart]

More from the Pacific:

  • In a separate piece from Vickers, center Daniel Pribyl, an offseason signing by the Flames, may not be fully healthy when training camp gets underway. The 23 year old underwent ACL surgery back in May.  Pribyl, originally a sixth round draft pick of Montreal back in 2012 (168th overall but went unsigned), averaged a point per game (16 goals and 29 assists in 45 contests) with Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga last season which got him back on the NHL radar.
  • The Oilers are interested in signing college free agent defenseman Matt Benning, reports Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. Benning was a sixth round pick (175th overall) of the Bruins in 2012 but went unsigned prior to the August 15th deadline.  Benning is the nephew of Vancouver GM Jim Benning (who was Boston’s Assistant GM when he was drafted) which has yielded speculation that the Canucks may be interested in the services of the 22 year old as well.  (Update: Edmonton has indeed signed Benning to a two year deal.)
  • Also from Matheson, he noted that the Oilers inquired about the availability of Blackhawks prospect Mark McNeill back at the draft in June. McNeill made his NHL debut last season but has spent the bulk of his professional career at the minor league level.  The 23 year old former first rounder (18th overall in 2011) has to clear waivers if he doesn’t crack Chicago’s roster in training camp so it’s certainly possible that talks could rekindle closer towards the beginning of the season in mid-October.

Five Questions With USA Today’s Kevin Allen

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The USA Today’s Kevin Allen was kind enough to sit down with PHR and survey the hockey landscape as the season is just under a month away from starting. Allen takes a look at early contenders, whether the Red Wings are in as much as trouble as some think, and of course, some insights on Jimmy Vesey.

Allen has written for the USA Today since 1986, and won the Lester Patrick Award in 2013 and the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award in 2014.  He was also inducted into the USA Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014. Make sure to give Kevin a follow on Twitter @bykevinallen. You can also catch up on Allen’s coverage here.

PHR: Very early predictions: Who do you see as contenders for the upcoming season, barring any unforeseen injuries? 

Allen: The Tampa Bay Lightning are my early pick to win it all. With Steven Stamkos now healthy and not worrying about his future, I foresee him uncorking a monster season. This team has all the necessary ingredients to win it all, and Jonathan Drouin will make the Lightning stronger by having a breakthrough season.  Don’t be surprised if Andrei Vasilevskiy becomes the No. 1 goalie.  That might allow GM Steve Yzerman the opportunity to deal Ben Bishop at the trade deadline to add another piece for his puzzle. I’m also not discounting the Pittsburgh Penguins, although we all know how challenging it is to repeat. Also, the Washington Capitals will be right there again. The Montreal Canadiens, with a healthy Carey Price, and the addition of Andrew Shaw, Alexander Radulov and Shea Weber, will be much improved. Radulov is not Alexander Semin.

In the West, I like the Chicago Blackhawks because Brian Campbell will make their defense whole again.  The erosion of their depth does, however, concern me. I have the high-scoring Dallas Stars number two because I believe they will deal for a goalie near the trade deadline. Wouldn’t Bishop be a good fit for them?  I have the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks in my next grouping.  The Predators’ have more potential than fans seem to realize. P.K. Subban is a much better fit for coach Peter Laviolette’s attacking offensive system than Weber was.  The Sharks will be the same force they were last May and June.

PHR: Concern seems to be rising about the Detroit Red Wings–everything from contract terms, direction, and what seems to be an aversion to invest in the youth of the team. Do you think that concern is warranted? 

Allen: Yes, only because we simply have no idea how effective their younger players are going to be. The Red Wings are a hard read because there are too many variables. Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist seemed to take a step back last season, and it’s anybody’s guess whether Anthony Mantha will be an impact player. How sharp will Petr Mrazek be this season? The Thomas Vanek signing was a good roll of the dice, and Frans Nielsen will be a quality No. 2 center. But the Red Wings are the league’s mystery team. It wouldn’t be surprising if they missed the playoffs by 10 points, and it wouldn’t be shocking if they were the No. 4  or No. 5 team in the Eastern Conference.

PHR: Who do you feel had the best offseason?

  • New York Rangers: Jeff Gorton improved the team speed with the addition of Michael Grabner. Nathan Gerbe is also quick. He signed skillful Pavel Buchnevich out of the Kontinental Hockey League. They stunned plenty of people by landing Jimmy Vesey and they changed their look by trading finesse center Derick Brassard for bigger and younger center Mika Zibanejad; Defenseman Nick Holden also wasn’t a bad pick-up.
  • Montreal Canadiens: Addressed many problems. They will be more difficult to play against now because of the addition of Andrew Shaw and Shea Weber.  In the long-term, the Canadiens will lose the Subban-for-Weber trade. But in the short term, Weber is the perfect fit for this team.
  • Arizona Coyotes: Young GM John Chayka added Alex Goligoski, Jamie McGinn, Radim Vrbata and a few prime prospects. I like the addition of Lawson Crouse and Jakob Chychrun.

PHR: How will Jiri Hudler fit in with Dallas? Do you see a season closer to 2014-15 or 2015-16? 

Allen: It’s a nifty pick-up by GM Jim Nill who knows Hudler well from their days together in Detroit. This merely adds to the team’s already strong offense. He still has magic in his hands. He should be a 55 to 60-point guy.

PHR: After all the hoopla with Jimmy Vesey, how do you see him fitting in with the Rangers?

Allen: He may play on a line with his buddy Kevin Hayes.  Obviously, there are several examples of major college free agents not panning out. But scouts believe Vesey will be a quality NHL scorer.  Depending upon whether he receives power play time, he might be a 20-goal guy this season.

Jets Notes: Howden, Season Statistical Predictions

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Forward Quinton Howden couldn’t be happier to be playing for his favorite team writes the Winnipeg Free Press’ Jason Bell. Howden, who spent the last three seasons with the Florida Panthers, will have his work cut out for him, but is absolutely thrilled to be back where he grew up rooting for the Jets. The left wing has a lot of competition for one of the final forward spots but it doesn’t dampen the dream of playing for the team he worshipped. On what he brings to the Jets, Howden said:

I’ll bring my speed, that’s my biggest asset. If I can use that to my advantage, hopefully I’ll show what I’ve got.”

The Winnipeg Sun’s Paul Friesen also caught up with Howden and likened him to a “kid-in-candy-store” when it comes to playing for the Jets. Friesen writes that Howden is a player whose potential hasn’t been fully realized and was described as one of the fastest players in the Panthers’ organization. Howden’s “wide-eyed” approach to being a member of the Jets organization may not nail down a spot for him on the roster, but with the speed and enthusiasm, Howden certainly has a chance to make himself well known.

  • The Hockey Writers’ Judson Rempel makes some predictions about who could lead the Jets in statistics come this season and the predictions aren’t surprising. Rempel opines that Mark Scheifele will lead the Jets in goal scoring while Blake Wheeler should pace the team in assists. Rempel also delves into analytics, writing that Mathieu Perreault should lead the team in Corsi% while Dustin Byfuglien will make the long skate to the penalty box more than anyone else.

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