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Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Bitten, Brown

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After turning heads at the World Cup as the youngest player in the tournament, Auston Matthews is already making an impact at Leafs camp. At the end of his first practice with the blue and white, Matthews fired a one-timer from Mitch Marner into the glass, shattering it. While it’s probably not the last pane that will fall victim to Matthews’ hard shot, it’s just nice for the team to finally have him in their own building with their own jersey.

While Mike Babcock has repeatedly said that Matthews will start on the third line this year for the team, when he hit the ice for the first time he was skating between James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov on the first group. The 19-year old centerman will likely be sheltered to start his career, but many believe it won’t last long, just as it hasn’t at both the World Championships and World Cup.

At both tournaments, Matthews opened as one of the final few forwards, but finished among the top two lines. Every coaching staff that has worked with him speaks about his learning curve, and how hard he works. We’ll see if the curve isn’t a bit steeper once the real NHL season begins, and teams bear down on the youngster.

  • Montreal prospect Will Bitten has been dealt to the Hamilton Bulldogs, according to Ryan Yessie of HockeyProspect.com. Bitten was selected in the third round of the latest draft, but has flashed enough skill to have gone higher. The undersized center put up 65 points in 67 games last season on an awful Flint Firebirds team (20-42-6) and is expected to make another big development step this season. He’ll now be a little closer to home, playing for a familiar name to Canadiens fans – their former AHL affiliate was also the Hamilton Bulldogs, where players like Carey Price spent time seasoning before making the NHL.
  • The Ottawa Senators have sent first round pick Logan Brown back to junior as expected today. Brown, an absolute monster on the ice standing 6’6″, 222 lbs already, is actually incredibly skilled for a player his size. He notched 53 assists last season for the Windsor Spitfires, and showed off his offensive flair more than once. The Senators will hope he can start using that size a bit more as he gets stronger and matures as a player, letting him become a preeminent power forward in the NHL within a few years.  For now, he’ll return to junior for his third year, expected somewhere close to 100 points and lead the Spitfires back to another strong season.

Devils Sign Kyle Quincey

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The New Jersey Devils have signed defenseman Kyle Quincey to a one-year, $1.25MM contract, according to their official website.

Kyle Quincey

Quincey played 47 games with the Detroit Red Wings last season, scoring 4 goals and 11 points. The former 2nd round pick has played nine full seasons with the Red Wings in two separate stints, Colorado, and Los Angeles. Quincey has played 495 games and scored 30 goals and 140 points.

New Jersey is looking to boost their defense, after trading Adam Larsson in the off-season and replacing him with Ben Lovejoy. While Quincey isn’t a perfect replacement for Larsson either, as their styles are not very comparable, there was a time when he was believed to be a key member of the Red Wings blueline. While his possession numbers have taken a dive in recent years, it’s a worthwhile gamble for the Devils for just $1.25MM.

The Devils have approximately $11.41MM in cap space, according to Cap Friendly. Comparable contracts from the past off-season include Justin Schultz (one-season, $1.4MM), Tom Gilbert (one-season, $1.4MM), and Luke Schenn (two-seasons, $2.5MM). The contract represents a $3MM haircut for Quincey, who made $4.25MM per season for the last two years in Detroit.

RFA Notes

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It’s been an unusual off-season in the NHL, with seven high profile Restricted Free Agents (RFAs) remaining a week into training camp. Compared to last off-season, when teams moved quickly to sign or trade players to avoid the threat of offer sheets.

In a series of tweets, TSN’s Bob McKenzie sent out the latest in negotiations from across the league.

Anaheim Ducks – Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell – The Ducks are using Morgan Rielly and Seth Jones as comparable contracts, while Lindholm’s camp is pointing to Aaron Ekblad’s $7.5MM AAV. McKenzie clarifies that Lindholm isn’t asking for $7.5MM, more in the $6MM-plus range. McKenzie hasn’t been able to determine the range of numbers from the Rakell negotiations yet.

Arizona Coyotes – Tobias Rieder – The two sides are less than $500K apart. Rieder is currently looking for two years at $2.5MM per season, while the Coyotes aren’t budging on their offer of two years in the low $2MM range. Rieder does have KHL offers to consider, or McKenzie suggests he could ask for a trade or hold out.

Buffalo Sabres – Rasmus Ristolainen – The Sabres and Ristolainen are in the same situation as the Ducks and Lindholm, according to McKenzie. The two sides are at least $1MM apart, with each side standing firm with their comparables.

Calgary Flames – Johnny Gaudreau – This is likely the most fascinating case, as Gaudreau isn’t technically an RFA because he falls under the 10.2(c) CBA clause. Because Gaudreau hasn’t accrued three years experience, he isn’t eligible for an offer sheet and therefore has basically no power, other than holding out. McKenzie believes the Flames want Gaudreau to sign in the same range as Sean Monahan (six-years, $6.375MM per) and no higher than captain Mark Giordano ($6.75MM per), while Gauderau is looking for more than $8MM per season. The two sides have not negotiated recently, according to McKenzie, who called the situation “bit of a Cold War”.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Nikita Kucherov – If not Gaudreau, then Kucherov is definitely the most complex RFA situation due to the Lightning’s cap issues. While Kucherov has a long list of comparable contracts in the six-year, $36MM range, that’s not possible in the Lightning’s current state. They’ll need to move someone to accommodate another $6MM; McKenzie believes Ben Bishop will be traded sometime this season, but expects he’ll start the season in Tampa.

Winnipeg Jets – Jacob Trouba – There has been plenty of digital ink spilled on Trouba’s trade request, but the only new information from McKenzie was that Trouba is not interested in signing an offer sheet, because the Jets would not be allowed to trade him for a calendar year, should they match. That defeats the purpose of wanting to be traded.

It is still early in the season, but there is a firm deadline coming up: December 1st. Should an RFA not be signed by then, then he will be ineligible to play for the remainder of the season.

This is likely only a consideration for Trouba, with the Jets’ habit of slow-playing trade requests and waiting out poor trade offers.

Training Camp Cuts: 09.28.16

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We’re now nearly a week into training camps, and with the first few exhibition games played, expect to see more rounds of cuts as teams narrow down roster hopefuls.

Here are the cuts for today:

New York Islanders (per team Twitter account):
D David Quenneville (to Medicine Hat, WHL)
D Mitchell Vande Sompel (to Oshawa, OHL)
D Parker Wotherspoon (to Tri-City, WHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (per Dave Issac):
G Mark Dekanich (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
C Chris McCarthy (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Maxim Lamarche (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Martin Ouellette (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Jesper Pettersson (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
RW Steve Swavely (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
C Kevin Sundher (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release):
F James McEwan (to Guelph, OHL)
D Brandon Crawley (to London, OHL)
D Connor Hall (to Kitchener, OHL)

St. Louis Blues (per Jeremy Rutherford)
F Jordan Kyrou (to Sarnia, OHL)
F Filip Helt (to Sarnia, OHL)
F Adam Musil (to Red Deer, WHL)

Ottawa Senators (per team release):
D Maxime Lajoie (to Swift Current, WHL)
F Logan Brown (to Windsor, OHL)
F Filip Chlapik (to Charlottetown, QMJHL)

Minnesota Wild (per team Twitter):
D Gustav Bouramman (to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)

Arizona Coyotes (per team release):
D Kyle Capobianco (to Sudbury, OHL)
D Cam Dineen (to North Bay, OHL)
C Lane Pederson (to Swift Current, WHL)
D Jalen Smereck (to Oshawa, OHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter):
D Ben Betker (to Bakersfield, AHL)
RW Greg Chase (to Bakersfield, AHL)
LW Braden Christoffer (to Bakersfield, AHL)
C Josh Currie (AHL contract, assigned to Bakersfield, AHL)
LW Ryan Hamilton (AHL contract, assigned to Bakersfield, AHL)
C Kyle Platzer (to Bakersfield, AHL)
RW Patrick Russell (to Bakersfield, AHL)
C Ryan Vesce (released from PTO)

Vancouver Canucks (per team news release)
LW Darren Archibald (AHL contract, assigned to Utica, AHL)
G Kevin Carr (released from PTO, invited to Utica, AHL)
C Cole Cassels (assigned to Utica, AHL)
LW Derek Hulak (assigned to Utica, AHL)
LW Yan-Pavel Laplante (assigned to Utica, AHL)
D Evan McEneny (assigned to Utica, AHL)
LW Danny Moynihan (released from PTO, invited to Utica, AHL)
D John Negrin (AHL contract, assigned to Utica, AHL)
C Marc-Olivier Roy (released from PTO, invited to Utica, AHL)
D Mackenze Stewart (assigned to Utica, AHL)
C Curtis Valk (AHL contract, assigned to Utica, AHL)

Calgary Flames (per team release)
C Mikkel Aagaard (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Mike Angelidis (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Matt Bailey (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
D Riley Bruce (assigned to North Bay, OHL)
LW Jamie Devane (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Dillon Dubé (assigned to Kelowna, WHL)
D Stepan Falkovsky (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
D Keegan Kanzig (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
G Mason McDonald (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Brett Pollock (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
RW Eetu Tuulola (assigned to Everett, WHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per Aaron Portzline)
RW Vitali Abramov (assigned to Gatineau, QMJHL)
LW Francis Beauvillier (released from tryout)
G Jeremy Brodeur (released from tryout)
D Stephen Gibson (released from tryout)
D Sam Ruopp (assigned to Prince George, WHL)
RW Kole Sherwood (assigned to London, OHL)
LW Calvin Thurkauf (assigned to Kelowna, WHL)

Montreal Canadiens (via team Twitter)
RW Giovanni Fiore (assigned to Cape Breton, QMJHL)

Snapshots: World Cup Buzz, Shaw, Trouba

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Team Canada is one game away from winning the World Cup of Hockey after defeating Team Europe in Game One of the Finals on Tuesday night, but there was something noticeably missing in Toronto: a loud crowd.

Canada won 3-1 against Team Europe’s “best game of the tournament”, despite playing “nonchalant” according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli. However, the lack of a natural rivalry between them and a mixture of eight smaller European countries, combined with the relative ease with which Canada has rolled through this tournament lead to empty seats and a less-than-enthusiastic atmosphere.

Canadian defenseman Alex Pietrangelo told Greg Wyshnyski that “once the game got going, the excitement was there. But you play against the Americans, you play against the Russians, and it’s obviously different.”

Steven Stamkos noticed it too, saying the team’s other games had “away fans that were creating some noise. This was probably the team that had the least amount of support, just because of the makeup of the team in the tournament to start with.”

It’s unfortunate to see the relative lack of interest surrounding the final, especially after the buzz generated by Team North America earlier in the tournament.

In other news from around the hockey world:

  • Newly-acquired Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw has only played one game for his new team, and is already garnering attention from the NHL Department of Player Safety. Shaw hit Capitals’ rookie Connor Hobbs from behind after feeling he was slew-footed by Caps forward Jay Beagle. Shaw subsequently fought another rookie in Nathan Walker, and tried to pump up crowd mid-fight before landing the decisive blow.
  • With the news that Jacob Trouba has wanted out of Winnipeg since May, many analysts have wondered why the Oilers didn’t move Taylor Hall for Trouba, instead of Adam Larsson. However, Bob McKenzie gave TSN 1050 two reasons why a trade centered around Hall for Trouba didn’t materialize (transcribed by Chris Nichols from Today’s Slapshot). First, the Jets weren’t interesting in spending $6MM on Hall when they knew they would have Nik Ehlers, Patrik Laine, and Kyle Connor patrolling the port side for a considerably lower cost. Secondly, McKenzie believes the Oilers like Trouba, but doesn’t believe they are one of the frontrunners for his services. He points to Oilers coach Todd McLellan’s usage of Trouba at the World Cup for the U-24 team; Trouba didn’t crack the lineup until Aaron Ekblad was injured. The Oilers clearly rank Larsson as a better NHL defenseman today.

Atlantic Notes: Wisniewski, Girgensons, Marner

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Despite plenty of postseason success the last two seasons resulting in two trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and a Stanley Cup Finals berth in 2015, the Tampa Bay Lightning have ultimately come up short of reaching their goal. Returning almost entirely the same roster for 2016-17, the Lightning should again be among the best teams in the east and one certainly capable of winning the Stanley Cup. And despite not adding much impact talent from outside the organization this summer, a minor addition might be the “missing piece” in the Lightning’s championship puzzle, opines Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.

Right-handed defenseman James Wisniewski, who missed all but one shift of the 2015-16 season because of an ACL tear, was signed by Tampa to a PTO and has an excellent chance of making the team out of camp. As Smith notes, the Lightning ranked 28th in the NHL in power play efficiency and that’s an area Wisniewski specializes in. The 11-year-veteran has tallied more than half of his 53 career goals on the man-advantage and has twice recorded seven in a single season.

The Lightning do list Anton Stralman, Braydon Coburn and Andrej Sustr as right-side defenders, though as a left-handed shooter, Coburn could potentially play on either side. Tampa also re-signed RFA Nikita Nesterov, another starboard-side shooter, further congesting that side of the blue line depth chart. But, as Smith writes, when GM Steve Yzerman reached out to Wisniewski, he indicated the team had been looking for a right-handed shot on the blue line who could help out on the man advantage and that should improve his chances of finding playing time in Tampa Bay.

Elsewhere in the NHL’s Atlantic Division:

  • After a down year in 2015-16, Zemgus Girgensons is ready to turn the page and hopeful a consistent role with the Sabres will help him get back on track, writes John Vogl of The Buffalo News. Girgensons had a strong sophomore season in 2014-15 recording 15 goals and 30 points in 61 games. But under new head coach Dan Bylsma and moving back-and-forth from center to wing, Girgenson netted just seven goals and 18 points in 71 contests this past season. Bylsma is prepared to start the season with the  22-year-old Latvian at center with the hope it will allow him to rebuild some of his confidence. Girgensons inked a new one-year deal worth $1.15MM as a RFA and is banking on a much better season in 2016-17.
  • Mitch Marner, selected fourth overall in 2015 by Toronto, is not a sure bet to make the Maple Leafs roster to open the 2016-17 campaign but if he keeps performing as he did Monday night, his chances look good. According to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun, Marner was “electric” on the ice and generated several quality scoring chances for the Leafs. Marner finished with two assists in the Ottawa Senators 6 – 3 win over Toronto but the 19-year-old pivot was the best player on the ice for either team and took a great first step in convincing the Leafs he is ready for the NHL.

Canucks Notes: Horvat, Gaunce, Gudbranson, Hutton

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Based on the composition of their roster it would seem the Vancouver Canucks are approaching a transition year. Many of the players they will rely on for production – specifically Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Loui Eriksson, Alexandre Burrows, Jannik Hansen, Alexander Edler and Ryan Miller are in or nearing the twilight of their careers. Others, such as Bo Horvat, Jake Virtanen, Sven Baertschi and Ben Hutton have either little experience or have yet to reach their potential in the NHL. With so few players comfortably in their respective primes the Canucks will need a few of their younger players to take the next step in their development if they want to push for a playoff spot.

One who will be given an opportunity to take that next step is Horvat, who, as Jason Botchford writes, is slated to center the top line in the Canucks opening exhibition game tonight against San Jose and whom head coach Willie Desjardins expects to spark the offense. Brandon Sutter is currently listed as the team’s second-line pivot, but he tallied just nine points in an injury-shortened first campaign in Vancouver and has only reached the 40-point plateau once in his eight-year NHL career. Horvat scored 40 points in his second season in the league last year and at 21 should be capable of more.

Henrik Sedin just turned 36 and his days as a #1 center are likely numbered. In fact, it would behoove the Canucks to try to keep Sedin away from the opposition’s top defensive players night-in-and-night-out in order to maximize his effectiveness. Sutter has yet to demonstrate he can consistently produce in a top-six role but perhaps Horvat can, if allowed the opportunity. Chances are he’ll get his chance this season.

On to other Canucks notes:

  • Within the same piece, Botchford mentions Brendan Gaunce, who the Canucks drafted in the first round of the 2012 draft, as another young player who could grow into an important role this season. Scouts originally were skeptical of Gaunce’s quickness and foot speed but as Botchford notes, the young winger has made great strides in those areas since coming to the Canucks organization. Surprisingly, Gaunce believes what hindered his skating had more to do with his brain rather than his legs. “I was never slow, I just tried to read the game too much. You don’t really have time to read NHL defencemen. It was in my head. It was not necessarily changing my footspeed, it was being more instinctual. Before I would try to read the play before it happened and now, it’s move the feet first and then react.” Gaunce made his NHL debut in 2015-16 but scored only a single goal in 20 appearances. His performance with Utica, the Canucks AHL affiliate, was strong as the 22-year-old winger netted 17 goals and 38 points in 46 games for the Comets.
  • Although noted more for being a strong, stay-at-home defenseman, Erik Gudbranson bested every other Canucks blue liner in a skating drill conducted during a recent four-day camp, writes Iain MacIntyre of The Province. Gudbranson’s speed caught teammate and potential defense partner Ben Hutton off guard. Hutton was beaten by Gudbranson three times and afterwards said: “I saw that. Three times. One time I had a little bit of a stumble, but the other two I was thinking he must have been cheating or something. He was bugging me about that. Honestly, I think he’s a great skater for a guy that size.” Gudbranson is expected to fill a spot in the team’s top-four and with the league becoming more of a speed and quickness game, it bodes well for the Canucks that the 6-foot-5, 216 pound blue liner is showing he can more than keep up.

Snapshots: Ristolainen, Fleury, Avs

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News and notes from around the NHL:

  • Buffalo Sabres unsigned RFA Rasmus Ristolainen has not yet reported to the Sabres training camp. Camp opened Monday but the young defenseman is still without a contract. Coach Dan Bylsma told WGR 550 that he would like Ristolainen at camp, but that he is confident a deal will be made soon. Ristolainen is one of 11 unsigned RFAs, including Jacob Trouba, Johnny Gaudreau, and Hampus Lindholm. Prepare to see more camp holdouts as training camps open up across the NHL.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to get the majority of minutes in goal this preseason after fellow netminder Matt Murray broke his thumb in the World Cup of Hockey. Coach Mike Sullivan said that Fleury needs the time to get himself fully prepared for the regular season. This is a blow to prospect goalie Tristan Jarry as he has less opportunity to showcase his skills.
  • Mike Halford of NBC Sports reports that the Colorado Avalanche plan to be a much faster team in transition come next season. Last season former coach Patrick Roy emphasized slowing the game down and passing the puck amongst the defensemen before pushing forward. According to Tyson Barrie and Nathan MacKinnon, however, new coach Jared Bednar asks the defensemen to push the pace and pass the puck up quickly. Colorado’s youth is well-suited for this speed-style system, but high-flying offense usually become defensive liabilities without the proper precautions.

2016-17 Season Preview: Boston Bruins

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With NHL preseason underway, PHR continues to look at each team in-depth and the focus now turns to a team making news recently, the Boston Bruins.

Last season: 42-31-9 (93 points), 4th in the Atlantic Division, 9th in the Eastern Conference

Cap Space Remaining: $5.832MM according to Cap Friendly

Key Newcomers: C/RW David Backes (free agency, St. Louis Blues), G Anton Khudobin (free agency, Anaheim Ducks), C Dominic Moore (free agency, New York Rangers), RW Peter Mueller (PTO), C/RW Riley Nash (free agency, Carolina Hurricanes)

Key Departures: RW Brett Connolly (free agency, Washington Capitals), RW Loui Eriksson (free agency, Vancouver Canucks), RW Landon Ferraro (free agency, St. Louis Blues), G Jonas Gustavsson (free agency, Edmonton Oilers), C Chris Kelly (free agency, Ottawa Senators), C Joonas Kemppainen (free agency, KHL), C Alexander Khokhlachev (free agency, KHL), D Dennis Seidenberg (free agency, unsigned), RW Lee Stempniak (free agency, Carolina Hurricanes), C Max Talbot (free agency, KHL), D Zach Trotman (free agency, Los Angeles Kings)

Player to Watch: Jimmy Hayes – The first season in Boston for the local boy Hayes did not go as well as he, or anyone for that matter, expected. After coming over from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Reilly Smith, the “pride of Dorchester” was expected to, at the very least, be a 20-goal scorer for the Bruins. Instead, he scored six less goals than the year before and watched his point total drop to just 29 points in 75 games. He also drew much criticism from Boston fans and media for his lack of a physical game an net-front presence despite his 6’5″ frame. Hayes has reportedly been working on his crash-the-net skills and skating ability this off-season, and hopes to rebound in 2016-17. Hayes has little choice but to improve his game, or his time back in his hometown could be cut short. With Loui Eriksson, Lee Stempniak, and Brett Connolly now gone and Frank Vatrano missing the first couple months of the season with an injury, the opportunities will be there for Hayes to prove himself as a top-nine contributor. While it remains to be seen where in the lineup coach Claude Julien sees newcomers David Backes and Riley Nash playing, Hayes should nevertheless have a shot at playing on the right side of a talented center to start the new season, whether that be Backes, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, or Ryan Spooner. A strong camp for Hayes will be key, as he looks to establish himself as a top scoring option at right wing, holding off youngsters like David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, and Zach Senyshyn. If he’s able to find a good fit in the top nine, expect Hayes to put up good numbers this season. If not, expect Hayes to be spending a lot of time in the press box.

Key Storylines: General Manager Don Sweeney surprised many critics with his big free agency acquisition of David Backes, savvy signings of Riley Nash and Anton Khudobin, and most recently, his astonishingly affordable extension of Brad Marchand. However, Sweeney has done nothing this off-season to address Boston’s biggest need: defense. The Bruins are more than likely very interested in the likes of Jacob Trouba, Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler and others, but as of now have yet to make a move to bring one of them in. Their current group of blue liners is the same as it was at the end of 2015-16, minus Dennis Seidenberg. How is it that the defense, which has been the main reason why the Bruins have missed the playoffs the past two years, has not been improved? Does Sweeney know something that we don’t? Other than the recently-extended Torey Krug, the defense lacks much optimism this season. Zdeno Chara is still an effective shutdown defenseman, but has slowed with age. As has John-Michael Liles, who begins his first full season with the Bruins, but with few expectations. On the right side, Kevan Miller has proved himself to be a serviceable defenseman, but far from a top option and Adam McQuaid has never been more than a good stay-at-home player for the bottom pair. A lot is riding on the success of young puck-mover Colin Miller, who will be given every opportunity to stick as an NHL regular this season, and perhaps establish himself as a future star. Those six leave little for the imagination though. It is possible that Sweeney expects big things from his prospect defenseman this season. Big 19-year-old bruiser Brandon Carlo, a 2015 2nd-round pick, has especially turned some heads, and may be on track to win a spot in camp after a strong junior season, excellent World Junior Championship performance, and brief stint with AHL Providence last year. Two other 2015 top picks, Jakub Zboril and Jeremy Lauzon, may also be NHL-ready with their strong possession ability, but would have to be returned to junior if they don’t make the team out of the gate. Something has to give with improving this defense, and sooner rather than later, or the Bruins fate could be the same as the past two seasons.

The Bruins are built to win now, and the team has continually shown their belief in that with big deals for Matt Beleskey and David Backes in back-to-back years and an unwillingness to trade away veteran pieces. However, should the Bruins struggle early in 2016-17, don’t be surprised to see a flurry of moves this season. Coach Claude Julien has been on the hot seat for longer than nearly any coach in the league, and the fuse could be very short for ownership and management this season. Armed with one of the deeper prospect systems in the NHL and with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand signed long-term to usher in the next generation, the Bruins may be comfortable dealing away pieces in their prime and injecting youth into the lineup. On the other side, if the Bruins reverse their fortunes and are leading a strong campaign in the new season, expect trade talk surrounding top pair defenseman to ramp up, as Boston has the top prospect pieces to interest a seller. Just as unlikely as it is that the Bruins stick with their current starters on defense too deep into the season, it is equally unlikely that they end this upcoming season without major additions or subtractions to the roster.

Bruins Depth Chart

League News: Olympics, World Cup, Lockout, Gretzky, Outdoor Games

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Dan Rosen of NHL.com spoke with deputy commissioner Bill Daly, who said that there has been little progress in talks about the league sending players to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but that a decision will be made by November or December. The league is trying to speed up the decision-making process, Daly said, as the end of the year will be too late for schedule-makers who are trying to set up the 2017-18 season. Whether or not the NHL sends it’s players to the next Olympics will greatly impact the structure and length of next season. The reported hold up in those negotiations has been cost issues facing the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as the NHL is looking for fair value in putting a halt to their season and exposing their players to injury risks only for exposure in a non-traditional hockey country. While players, like Alex Ovechkin, have already committed to playing in the Olympics, regardless of the NHL’s stance, Daly has said that it would be a “club issue” for those players that choose to leave. As far as the league goes, Daly feels more negatively toward the situation now than he did just a few weeks ago, and the NHL skipping out on Pyeongchang is becoming a real possibility. However, it has been reported by multiple sources that not competing in 2018 might not signal the absolute end of NHL participation in the Winter Games. The 2022 Olympics are scheduled to take place in Beijing, and China is a very populous country that has just begun to embrace the sport of hockey, as shown by the establishment of KHL team Kunlun Red Star, who are currently taking part in their inaugural season. In 2026, Calgary, Canada, Stockholm, Sweden, and multiple cities in both the United States and Switzerland have been confirmed as potential bids for the Games, all of which would be strong markets for NHL hockey. Whether the NHL will (or should) take part in the 2018 games will be decided shortly, but regardless the NHL and the Olympic Games have a future together.

In other league news:

  • Continued participation in the Winter Olympics will not deter the extended existence of the World Cup of Hockey. ESPN’s Pierre Lebrun reports that the NHL and NHLPA have agreed that the World Cup is “here to stay”. Although the structure of the tournament could change, the games will continue to be played every fourth year. Building off the successes – and failures – of this World Cup, decision-makers moving forward will have to evaluate the viability of teams like Europe and North America, as well as consider many different locations and formats for the tournament. One way or another, expect the World Cup of Hockey to become a regular event in the future of the sport.
  • While the NHL and the Player’s Association agree on the World Cup, that may be where their good terms end. At least one insider believes that another lockout is a “foregone conclusion” in 2020. Octagon Sports player agent Allan Walsh stated as much in a recent tweet, though no further evidence was provided to support it. With recent labor struggles having put a prominent stain on the league’s reputation, one has to think the commissioner Gary Bettman will do all that he can to avoid yet another lockout, which would be the third since the turn of the century.
  • In happier news for hockey fans, the game’s most legendary player has returned to a role with the NHL. The league announced that it’s ambassador for it’s centennial celebration in 2017 will be none other than “The Great One”, Wayne Gretzky. The legendary player will make a multitude of appearances throughout the year, trying to bring together generations of fans for the league’s 100-year celebration.
  • Part of that celebration is the addition of a second outdoor game around the holidays. The Winter Classic, between the host Blues and the Blackhawks will take place on January 2nd of 2017, as opposed to it’s regular date of January 1st, as New Year’s Day will be reserved for the Centennial Classic in Toronto between the Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings. Later in the month, the Penguins and Flyers will also face-off in an outdoor showdown. The league released the logos for both the Centennial Classic and Stadium Series game today, as the PR machine is already running for the year-long celebration that’s on the horizon. Additionally, the league is reportedly looking to schedule yet another outdoor game, in Montreal, for the beginning of the 2017-18 season.

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