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Snapshots: Hartnell, Lundqvist, Las Vegas, Connauton

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News and from around the NHL:

  • Columbus Blue Jacket’s Scott Hartnell has rescinded his offer to waive his no-movement clause—and with it retracts his list of preferred teams. Hartnell agreed to waive his no-movement clause earlier this summer so that Columbus could explore potential trade options. Hartnell still has three years left on his contract that pays him $4.75MM a year. While that isn’t necessarily excessive, Columbus has the cap space of a playoff team rather than the lottery team it was last season. Hartnell still scored 23G and 26A in 79 games for the Blue Jackets, but the team could not find any deals they liked over the summer.
  • Henrik Lundqvist’s workload may reduce this season as the veteran goalie enters his twelfth season. Newsday reports that New York Rangers Coach Alain Vigneault is considering reducing his star goalie to between 50-58 starts this season. Backup Antti Raanta will be expected to shoulder the increased workload. Raanta was 11-6-2 with a .919SV% and a 2.25GAA last year. The plan is to rest Lundqvist for a potential deep playoff run and to balance against his increasing age and starter role for Sweden in the World Cup of Hockey. His reduction could be the first of a few across the league as teams guard their prized goaltenders from injury.
  • The Las Vegas NHL Expansion Team signed a 20-year lease to build a practice facility just outside the Las Vegas strip. The facility will be located in Summerlin, which is northwest of the city center and in the Las Vegas Valley. It is approximately a 30m drive to the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas’s home arena.
  • Arizona Coyotes Kevin Connauton will miss the start of the team’s training camp because of a lower body injury. Connauton scored 4G and 5A in 38 games for the Coyotes after the team picked him up off of waiver from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The rugged defensemenn will be battling for a bottom-pairing role in camp alongside Luke Schenn, Zbynek Michalek, and others.

Snapshots: Lovejoy, Bennett, Canucks, Lombardi

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It’s not uncommon for players to reunite with former coaches and/or a general manager who has previously acquired that player at a previous stop. There is familiarity between coach and player and in the case of GMs, a belief in the abilities, sometimes untapped, of the player. That scenario played out this summer when the New Jersey Devils brought in two former Penguins, defenseman Ben Lovejoy in free agency and winger Beau Bennett via trade, reuniting them with general manager Ray Shero and head coach John Hynes. As Andrew Gross writes in his Fire and Ice blog, those additions should have come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the situation.

Shero spent eight seasons at the helm in Pittsburgh, selecting Bennett in the first-round of the 2010 entry draft. Clearly Shero still believes in Bennett’s upside as evidenced by the Devils giving up a third-round pick – a substantial asset – to Pittsburgh in exchange for the winger. Bennett scored six goals and 12 points in 33 regular season games in Pittsburgh in 2015-16 but appeared in just one postseason game as rookies Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust passed him on the team’s depth chart.

The Devils finished last in the NHL in goals scored during the 2015-16 season, and even after adding LW Taylor Hall in the summer, the team could use more scoring depth. Bennett hopes to be able to provide that and reward Shero’s faith in him.

Lovejoy cited the presence of Hynes as instrumental in his decision to sign with the Devils in the offseason.

“(Hynes) was my defense coach when I played in Wilkes-Barre. I played for him for a full season. He knows my game. It’s not going to be a surprise here. He knows exactly what he’s getting. That’s the reason I’m here. I know the coaching staff through Wilkes-Barre when Ray and (assistant GM) Tom (Fitzgerald) were running the organization the first time I was in Pittsburgh. Those are guys I trust and know. I’m here because they trust me.”

The veteran of eight NHL seasons will be asked to add leadership and experience to a young-ish defense corps that only has one other defender – Andy Greene – over the age of 26. Lovejoy doesn’t bring much of an offensive game to the table but has generally been a responsible blue liner and has posted a negative plus-minus rating just once in his career.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • GM Jim Benning and head coach Willie Desjardins are well aware the team has some ground to cover if they want to make the playoffs in 2016-17 after missing the postseason by 12 points this past season. But as Derek Jory of the Canucks official team site reports, both manager and coach are cautiously optimistic about the upcoming campaign. Desjardins: “We have more depth at every position and I feel we’re stronger at every position.” Benning, for his part, believes adding Loui Eriksson and Erik Gudbranson this summer along with a return to health for center Brandon Sutter will bring needed leadership as well as depth to the club: “We’ve added more depth to our group and adding Loui Eriksson, who I feel is a good player, a healthy Brandon Sutter, adding Erik Gudbranson; we’ve added some leadership in that room to help our young players along, so I’m real excited.” 
  • Two days after watching Team USA elimination from medal contention at the World Cup of Hockey, the man ultimately responsible for assembling the team, Kings GM Dean Lombardi, defended his roster construction strategy: “We’ve got some darn good players, but the reality is that matchup on a skill basis, if you want to go head-to-head and play a skill game, your odds of winning that game when you look at those matchups is not very good.” While Lombardi is likely correct in his assertion that Team USA wouldn’t have been able to match the skill and talent of the Canadiens no matter who they brought to the tournament, the choice to emphasize grit and heart ignores the NHL’s recent shift to a quicker game that values speed over other traits. Of course we’ll never know whether a Team USA roster including Tyler Johnson, Kyle Okposo, Kevin Shattenkirk and Phil Kessel – for example – would have been better equipped to beat Canada, but it’s clear they couldn’t have done any worse.

Compelling RFA Cases For 2017: Johansen, Parayko, Teravainen

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Jacob Trouba, Johnny Gaudreau and Nikita Kucherov highlight a strong and deep group of restricted free agents that remain unsigned at the moment. While they will each ultimately cash in and receive substantial contracts for the 2016-17 campaign and likely beyond, their status as restricted free agents has certainly complicated their respective negotiation processes.

Next summer, another quality group of players are set to hit restricted free agency, unless they can agree to terms on a new deal prior to the 2017-18 league year. In a series of posts, Pro Hockey Rumors will profile the top pending 2017 RFAs and examine what kind of contract they could elicit assuming they put up a strong performance during their platform year. Today we finish with the Central Division and move to the Metro.

Ryan Johansen (Nashville) – In Ryan Johansen, the Predators finally have that elusive #1 center they have lacked since the organization’s inception nearly two decades ago. In a rare “hockey trade” that benefited both parties, Nashville acquired Johansen from Columbus in exchange for Seth Jones, a potential franchise defenseman and something the Blue Jackets have sorely needed.

Johansen has tallied at least 60 points in each of the last three seasons and scored a career-best 71 as a 22-year-old during the 2014-15 campaign. On the downside, his goal scoring output has decreased from a career-high 33 in 2013-14 to 26 the following season and to just 14 in 2015-16. That’s likely the direct result of a shooting percentage of just 7.6%, a figure which was more than five points below the combined shooting percentage the two previous seasons. Simply converting shots at his normal rate would have resulted in a 24 – 25 goal campaign.

The Predators have done a marvelous job of locking up their core pieces to bargain long-term deals. Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Craig Smith and Mattias Ekholm have all recently inked extensions with Nashville at AAVs below what each player could have received on the open market. The trade-off for higher salaries during RFA years is cost-certainty and buying out free agent years below market value. Expect Nashville to employ the same strategy with Johansen.

Sean Monahan and Nathan MacKinnon have each established themselves as 60-point producers and received extensions with an AAV in excess of $6MM. Aleksander Barkov, coming off a career-best 59-point season, signed a six-year, $35.4MM deal with Florida. All three, however, were coming off their ELCs while Johansen is entering the final season of his second contract. That means any long-term deal would buy out more free agent seasons and typically that tends to be more expensive. Based on the comparable deals and his proximity to free agency, a long-term contract for Johansen could well approach or even reach $7MM annually.

Colton Parayko (St. Louis) – Parayko came out of nowhere to earn a regular job on the Blues blue line and posted a solid scoring line of 9-24=33 in 79 contests as a rookie. He boasts a hard shot from the point and tremendous size at 6-foot-6 and 226 pounds. Currently, Parayko is skating in the World Cup as a member of Team North America, flashing his abilities on the international stage.

With only a single season of NHL experience, gauging Parayko’s potential value is difficult. However, if he approximates his 2015-16 production levels this upcoming season, the four-year, $19.5MM contract awarded to Sami Vatanen by the Ducks could prove to be a reasonable comparable.

Vatanen posted campaigns of 37 and 38 points in 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively before inking his current deal. Like Parayko, Vatanen is also a right-handed defenseman, which is more difficult to find than their counterparts on the left side.

St. Louis could counter with Ryan Ellis as a comparable. Ellis signed a five-year, $12.5MM contract in October of 2014 following a 27-point campaign with the Predators. But most would argue Ellis is worth more than that AAV and consequently Parayko would be too. It’s also possible the Blues would prefer to go with a bridge contract with a lower AAV than Parayko would be able to get on a long-term deal.

Teuvo Teravainen (Carolina) – The Hurricanes took advantage of Chicago’s salary cap woes and in exchange for agreeing to take on the final season of Bryan Bickell’s $4MM-a-year-deal, were rewarded with the skilled Teravainen. Much was expected from the young Finn following the 2014-15 postseason that saw Teravainen record 10 points in 18 games as the Hawks won their third Stanley Cup in six seasons. While a 35-point campaign as a 21-year-old is solid, Teravainen’s skill suggests there is even more scoring potential.

It makes sense to stick with the Hurricanes when looking for a comparable since doing so offers insight to how the club values their RFAs. Earlier this summer, Carolina agreed to a six-year, $24MM extension with Swedish center Victor Rask. Rask was coming off a breakout campaign which saw the 23-year-old pivot post career-highs in both goals (21) and assists (27). More importantly, his first NHL season mirrored Teravainen’s in terms of production as Rask netted 11 goals and 33 points in 80 games for the Canes in 2014-15. If Teravainen follows the same path and boosts his offensive production into the 45-point range, a contract similar to that of Rask’s would seem a safe bet.

Snapshots: Rangers, Bolland, Flyers, Rust, Sheary, Kuhnhackl

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The New York Rangers directed much of their offseason focus to building up quality depth at the forward position, adding free agents Michael Grabner, Josh Jooris, Nathan Gerbe and Jimmy Vesey while also acquiring center Mika Zibanejad via trade. However, besides deepening their forward group, another intended consequence of their moves was to get younger across the board, as Steve Zipay of Newsday notes.

The team dealt 29-year-old pivot Derick Brassard to get the 23-year-old Zibanejad while also waving goodbye to free agent centers Eric Staal, 31, and Dominic Moore, 36. New York will be adding the 23-year-old Vesey to its lineup and expect Pavel Buchnevich, 21, to make a run at a regular role up front.

On the back end, 40-year-old Dan Boyle opted for retirement while the Rangers were forced to trade the rights to Keith Yandle for salary cap reasons. In their places, the Rangers acquired 29-year-old Nick Holden and will give 22-year-old former first-round pick Brady Skjei every opportunity to win a spot in the top-four.

All told, the team shaved about 2 1/2 years off the average age of the players on their roster from a year ago. Whether or not this infusion of youth will manifest into a deep playoff run after a disappointing first-round exit this past season remains to be seen, of course.

More notes from around the NHL:

  • As expected, Arizona’s Dave Bolland failed his physical and will be placed on LTIR to start the season, tweets Craig Morgan of AZ Sports. Bolland, who was acquired from Florida along with prospect Lawson Crouse in a deal motivated largely by finances, appeared in just 25 contests last season with Florida. Back and ankle problems will keep the veteran forward off the ice for the foreseeable future and could jeopardize his playing career. Bolland is due $5.5MM over each of the next three seasons but if placed on LTIR the Coyotes would be able to clear the cap hit from the books. Additionally, since the contract is insured, the club will only have to pay out $1.1MM in actual cash with insurance covering the balance.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers, under general manager Ron Hextall, have assembled one of the best prospect pools in the NHL and a few of those kids will have a chance to earn a roster spot this season, as Dave Isaac writes in his preview of three potential roster battles. Hextall was quoted as saying that, “whoever comes in, has to come in and make us a better team.” Isaac mentions that blue liner Ivan Provorov has the skill to make the Flyers better but also acknowledges it won’t necessarily be easy to beat out one of the veterans already on the roster. Up front, Isaac suggests Travis Konecny, who like Provorov was a first-round draft choice in 2015, could make the club as a bottom-six forward. Konecny potted 30 goals and tallied 71 assists last season in the OHL, splitting the campaign between the Ottawa 67’s and the Sarnia Sting.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins impressive run down the stretch of the regular season coincided with the promotion of three relatively unheralded young players. Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes how just 12 months ago Conor Sheary, Bryan Rust and Tom Kuhnhackl were three rookies eager to make a good impression in training camp. Now a year later they are Stanley Cup champions with each having played a role in Pittsburgh’s dominant run through the postseason. The trio contributed 12 goals and 24 points during the playoffs while adding speed and tenacity to the lineup for the Penguins. As they enter what would be their first full seasons in the NHL, each player hopes to prove they can play at a consistent level throughout an 82-game schedule.

Snapshots: Carlyle, Toronto Captaincy, Kaberle, Kings Centers, Palushaj

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The decision to bring back Randy Carlyle to Anaheim as their head coach was one of the bigger surprises of the offseason.  As Eric Stephens of the OC Register points out, GM Bob Murray kept coming back to one key trait about Carlyle – the fact that he has won a Stanley Cup (with the Ducks back in 2007).  Murray also believes Carlyle has some characteristics that will work well with an older roster looking to win now compared to building for the future:

“First of all, there’s never one thing when it comes to coaching. Job is far too complex. In saying that, we all knew he’s an outstanding bench coach, and we wanted to be sure he still would hold all of his players accountable, which is getting harder every year with the changing times and today’s athlete.”

There are only a handful of players that remain from his first go-round with Anaheim but several veteran players voiced their support to bring Carlyle back including captain Ryan Getzlaf as well as center Ryan Kesler and defenseman Kevin Bieksa, both of whom are familiar with him dating back to their time in Vancouver’s system.

Anaheim has made some notable changes heading into this season which will give Carlyle a different roster composition to work with than ex-coach Bruce Boudreau had.  Earlier this week, we took a closer look at the Ducks’ moves and what to watch for this season.

More news and notes around the hockey world:

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have yet to name a captain for the season and GM Lou Lamoriello indicated there is no real timeline for that to happen, notes theScore’s David Alter. Lamoriello announced that it may or may not occur this season and that selecting a captain is “not on the forefront”.  The Leafs have been without a captain since trading Dion Phaneuf to Ottawa last season.
  • Long-time NHL defenseman Tomas Kaberle has quietly announced his retirement, reports Czech site iDNES (link in Czech). He leaves the game with a total of 984 NHL contests under his belt with Toronto, Boston, Carolina, and Montreal.  In his prime, he was a premier playmaking blueliner and put up seven seasons of 40 or more points and wound up with 87 goals and 476 assists in his NHL career.
  • Kings coach Darryl Sutter is hoping to see a young center step into the third line spot this season, writes Helene Elliott of the LA Times. Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter are entrenched as their top two while Trevor Lewis best fits in a fourth line role.  Candidates to step into that third line spot would be Andy Andreoff, Nick Shore, Nic Dowd, and 2014 first round pick Adrian Kempe, who just completed his first full season in North America.
  • Columbus has added UFA winger Aaron Palushaj to their training camp roster on a PTO, reports Rob Mixer from their team site.  Palushaj spent last season with Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate, picking up 28 points in 57 games.  He last played in the NHL with Carolina in the 2013-14 season.

Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Fifth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?

Here are the results of our redraft so far:

1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)

Now we move forward to the fifth pick, which was held by the Montreal Canadiens.

To recap how this works:

  • We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
  • The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.

Back in 2005, the Canadiens chose goaltender Carey Price.  The pick was a surprise to many and came under criticism since the team already had Jose Theodore between the pipes and Jaroslav Halak in their system.  Many figured they would have been better off with a forward like Gilbert Brule or a defenseman like Marc Staal.  Of course, the selection has turned out quite well for Montreal as Price has become their franchise player (while Theodore wound up being traded near the 2006 trade deadline).

With the fifth pick of the 2005 NHL Draft, who should the Montreal Canadiens select? Cast your vote below!


For Trade Rumors app users on iOS, click here to vote.

Injury Notes: Backlund, Jurco, Zetterberg, Leafs, Grabovski, Smid

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Flames center Mikael Backlund has suffered a concussion and is likely to miss the remainder of the World Cup of Hockey, according to a report from Expressen’s Henrik Sjoberg and Gunnar Nordstrom (link in Swedish).  The injury was reportedly sustained against Finland on a hit from Sami Lepisto; as a result, Backlund missed yesterday’s game against Team North America and was replaced in the lineup by St. Louis center Patrik Berglund.

Backlund has been held pointless in four games with the Swedes including pre-tournament action while playing in a bottom six role.  There is no timetable for how long he might miss beyond the possibility of missing Sweden’s remaining games at the World Cup.

While the 27 year old played in all 82 games last season, he is no stranger to  being injured as he has missed time due to a broken finger, injuries to the arm, hand, and knee, as well as to his abdominal wall all since 2011-12.

[Related: Team Sweden Depth Chart]

In other injury news:

  • Detroit winger Tomas Jurco isn’t expected to play until at least November as he continues to recover from back surgery, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan. Jurco struggled with Detroit last season, recording just six points in 44 games while spending time as a scratch.  When healthy, he’ll likely battle for a bottom six spot with the Wings.
  • In a separate tweet from Khan, Henrik Zetterberg, who withdrew from the World Cup (and was replaced by the now-concussed Backlund) due to a knee injury, will not be participating in team practices or scrimmages for the time being. He will, however, continue to skate on his own.  Last week, Zetterberg noted that he expected to be ready for the season opener although his likely level of participation in the exhibition games was unknown.
  • The Maple Leafs released their training camp roster and as expected, it was noted that defenseman Stephane Robidas (who is now a consultant for the team) plus forwards Nathan Horton and Joffrey Lupul have all failed their physicals and will start the season on injured reserve. It was reported yesterday that Lupul was heading for the IR while it’s unlikely that Horton will play again due to continuing back issues.
  • Islanders center Mikhail Grabovski continues to deal with concussion symptoms, tweets Newsday’s Arthur Staple.  He has not been given the green light to do any sort of skating yet so he’ll likely be out for a while although there is no timetable for his possible return.  Grabovski has two years left on his contract with a cap hit of $5MM.
  • Calgary blueliner Ladislav Smid will not play this season, reports Postmedia’s Kristen Odland.  A decision on retirement hasn’t been made and it’s more likely that he will spend the year on LTIR.  Smid played in just 22 games last season and suffered a neck injury towards the end of the year.

Korpikoski Headed To Camp With Flames On PTO

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Veteran checking forward Lauri Korpikoski, who was bought out of his contract by Edmonton earlier this summer, is evidently going to training camp with the provincial rival Flames, joining several other experienced players looking for work in Calgary. The addition of Korpikoski was first reported by Darren Haynes, via Twitter, and later confirmed by the Flames themselves through the release of their training camp roster.

Korpikoski would have been entering the final season of the four-year, $10MM contract originally inked while a member of the Coyotes. But unhappy with the Finnish forward’s play and looking to open up a slot for a younger player, the Oilers bought out his contract in June, making him a free agent. Unable to land a guaranteed contract, Korpikoski will now have to compete with NHL veterans Chris Higgins and Matt Frattin, both of whom are also going to camp on a PTO, and several other players for a bottom-six role with the Flames.

A veteran of 540 NHL games, Korpikoski played just one season with the Oilers, tallying 10 goals and 22 points in 71 contests, after being acquired from Arizona for center Boyd Gordon. For his career, he has scored 181 points with 122 minutes in penalties and has posted a -54 plus-minus rating. Korpikoski was at one time considered a solid, defensive forward who combined for 77 points in 161 contests during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 campaigns as a member of the Coyotes. He would also garner some Selke votes, placing 40th and 35th respectively in balloting for those seasons.

You can keep track of the latest PTO signings by checking out our Training Camp Invite Tracker.

Atlantic Division Notes: Lupul, Marchand, Galchenyuk

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TSN’s Frank Seravelli reports that Joffrey Lupul is rumored to have failed his pre-season physical and expects to start the NHL season on injured reserve. The oft-injured Maple Leafs forward only played in 46 games last year, scoring 11 goals and 3 assists.

Lupul has faced a variety of injuries in his career, but none more severe than his back issues which have sidelined him for significant periods of time. When healthy, Lupul is an excellent contributor, but his repeated injuries often derail successful campaigns.

Lupul began his Maple Leafs career with a bang, netting 45 goals and 105 points in his first 110 contests spread out over parts of three seasons in Toronto after a 2011 deadline trade with Anaheim. His strong play led to a massive five-year contract extension worth $26.25MM in total despite the fact the skilled forward had seen action in no more than 66 games in a single season since 2008-09. Unfortunately for both parties, Lupul has missed nearly a full season’s worth of games (76 in total) since inking that extension and has produced just 0.46 points-per-game during that time.

The Maple Leafs are currently over the cap by $827K, but moving Lupul to LTIR will free up $5.25MM in space. Assuming Stephane Robidas also starts the season on LTIR, the Leafs go from slightly over the cap to over $8MM under the cap. The Leafs will have the option of freeing up additional space by placing Nathan Horton on LTIR as well, which would further lower their overall cap commitment to around $60MM.

Lupul was originally the seventh overall pick in the 2002 NHL entry draft, chosen by the Anaheim Ducks. Ironically, he has twice been included in trades involving Chris Pronger, first going from Anaheim to the Oilers in exchange for the Hall of Fame defenseman, then returning to the Ducks as part of a package that saw Pronger head to Philadelphia. Toronto would acquire Lupul and Jake Gardiner from Anaheim as part of a trade for veteran blue liner Francois Beauchemin.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • Joe Haggerty joined local Boston sports talk show, Toucher and Rich, and discussed Brad Marchand’s pending free agency. Marchand, of course, ranked 6th in the NHL in goals scored in 2015-16, tallying a career high 37. He is currently playing on what many consider to be the best line in the World Cup, skating on the left of all-world pivot Sidney Crosby with Bruins teammate Patrice Bergeron on the right. Haggerty opines that the Bruins need to lock up the agitating winger before he hits the free agent market, suggesting it will take a seven-year contract with an AAV of $7MM per season. He also listed the Penguins as a potential suitor should Marchand make it to free agency. Haggerty cites the fact both Marchand and Crosby are originally from Nova Scotia and that the success the two players are experiencing at the World Cup might prompt an impassioned plead to Penguins management from their best player to go get Marchand. Of course while Marchand might be getting a glimpse of how fun it might be to play with Crosby every day, he’s also reminded of just how good playing with Bergeron is.
  • It appears the Montreal Canadiens have anointed Alex Galchenyuk as the team’s #1 center, with head coach Michel Therrien saying he plans to start the talented American on the top line with Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher, as Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette reports. Galchenyuk, who has moved back-and-forth between wing and center since breaking into the league in 2012-13, may have finally earned the trust of the coaching staff on the heels of a strong 30-goal campaign, which included netting 18 over the team’s final 27 games. Veteran center Tomas Plekanec will then assume the role of #2 pivot and is expected to have new offseason additions Andrew Shaw and Alexander Radulov on his wings.

*Mike Furlano contributed to this post.

2016-17 Season Preview: Anaheim Ducks

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As the NHL season is now less than a month away, we continue our look at each team’s offseason and preview the upcoming year. Today, we focus on the Anaheim Ducks.

Last Season: 46-25-11 record (103 points), 1st in the Pacific Division.  Lost 4-3 to Nashville in Round 1.

Remaining Cap Space: $7,5MM per CapFriendly.

Key Newcomers: Mason Raymond (LW) – free agent signing (Calgary); Jonathan Bernier (G) – trade (Toronto); Antoine Vermette (C) – free agent (Arizona); Jared Boll (LW) – free agent (Columbus).

Key Departures: Jamie McGinn (LW) – signed with Arizona; David Perron (LW) – signed with St. Louis; Frederik Andersen (G) – traded to Toronto;  Brandon Pirri (LW) – signed with NYR; Mike Santorelli (LW) – signed in Switzerland; Chris Stewart (RW) – signed with Minnesota; Anton Khudobin (G) – signed with Boston.

Player to Watch: Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell. The former first round draft picks—and Swedish natives—remain unsigned as of writing. With training camp looming, it is possible that both are on the outside looking in when the puck drops October 12th.

Lindholm has established himself as one of the Ducks’ top defensive prospects, scoring 10G and 18A in 80 games while playing 22 minutes a night. Hampering Hampus’ negotiating power, however, is the presence of other defensive prospects Cam Fowler and Sami Vatanen. The Ducks have an embarrassment of riches on defense, and can afford to play hardball with Lindholm’s camp. What is not helping is Lindholm’s scarce playing time at the World Cup of Hockey. Lindholm has not received any significant exposure this fall in a tournament that could’ve showcased his skills and potentially increased his value.

Rickard Rakell is in a similar situation. An unsigned RFA playing for Team Sweden in the World Cup and hoping to increase his value—until complications from a previous appendectomy required additional surgery and a two week recovery period. Rakell broke out last season, scoring 20G and 23A in 72 games, and finished fourth in team scoring. An inability to come to terms with the Ducks most likely stems from whether the production outburst was a fluke, or just Rakell’s natural upward development.

Key Storylines: Can Randy Carlyle do what Boudreau could not, and can John Gibson handle a full starter’s workload?

Bruce Boudreau was let go at the end of last season despite four consecutive first place finishes in the Pacific. The problem in management’s eyes was that Boudreau could not get it done in big playoff games and a new voice was needed. One could debate the existence of ’clutch’, but losing four straight game sevens gave management enough ammunition to seek out someone new. Or Randy Carlyle, the man Boudreau replaced in 2011-12. Carlyle last coached the Toronto Maple Leafs, missing the playoffs in 2 of 3 seasons, and fired midway through the fourth. The former Ducks coach is an odd choice to replace Boudreau, but the thought is that an old voice may motivate veterans Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf.

On the ice, Anaheim shipped out RFA goaltender Frederik Andersen this summer to the Maple Leafs and move forward with John Gibson as their undisputed starter. Gibson appeared to grab the starter’s role from Andersen last season, going 21-13-4 in 38 starts, and posting a .920SV% and 2.07GAA. Those personal stats are slightly better than Andersen’s .919SV% and 2.30GAA. Either way, the Ducks had a decision to make in net, and chose the young netminder over the Danish RFA. Gibson has not played a full season, however, and questions remain as to whether his numbers can remain consistent with a full workload. The Ducks brought in Jonathan Bernier from the Leafs to potentially ease the growing pains, but the starter’s job is clearly Gibson’s to lose.

 

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